Clondalkin

Clondalkin GAZET TE FREE

Gazette Style and Littlewoods Ireland help readers with fashion dilemmas

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C L O N DA L K I N • R OW L AG H • B AW N O G U E • N E I L STOW N • D E A N S R AT H • K I N G SWO O D Month • TA LXX, L AG2012 HT

INSIDE: Make sure mum’s the word on March 10 with our Mother’s Day feature P18

KILA PERFORMANCE: Folk music legends to play special gig at Aras Chronain P5

A oui bit of luck: Local wins a trip for two to Paris Stars:

Fourth annual Gazette Sports Awards preview Page 28

Gaelic:

Round Tower off to a flyer in AFL 2 opener Page 31

ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES......................6 DUBLIN LIFE...................11 OUT&ABOUT ..................17 CLASSIFIEDS ................26 SPORT ...........................27

LOCAL woman Suzanne McDonnell picked up a lovely competition prize at The Mill Shopping Centre recently when she was presented with a trip for two to Paris. Centre manager Gerry Mulcahy was joined by Paula Smith and Samantha O’Reilly, of Falcon Travel, as well as Suzanne’s children and a St Valentine’s promotional crew to congratulate her on her good luck, with Suzanne looking forward to her ooh-la-lovely holiday in Europe’s most romantic city.

War of words breaks out over property tax Local Sinn Fein, Labour figures are at odds over upcoming charge

 PAUL HOSFORD

TWO local politicians are engaged in a war of words over the upcoming property tax.

Last week, The Gazette reported that Labour TD

Robert Dowds had welcomed changes to the payment of the tax for council homes.

However, Sinn Fein representative Eoin O Broin hit back, saying that no system that leads to council tenants

paying for properties owned by the council was fair.

In response, Deputy Dowds argued that any Sinn Fein criticism of the tax could not be taken seriously, given government policy in Northern Ireland.

He said: “It’s absolutely unbelievable that Eoin O’Broin would come out with this, considering Sinn Fein imposes property taxes of more than £1,000 for ordinary homes in the North.”

Full Story on Page 4

2 CLONDALKIN Gazette 28 February 2013

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concern Locals object to construction

€70m Newlands Cross deal to be signed soon THE €70m contracts for construction of the Newlands Cross intersection will be signed next week, a local TD has said.

Although the National Roads Authority (NRA) has said it cannot reveal when the contracts will be signed, Deputy Derek Keating (FG) made the announcement at a packed public meeting in Clondalkin last week.

More than 100,000 vehicles pass through the junction every day, and the traffic lights there represent the last set on the motorway system between Dundalk and Cork City.

At the meeting, which was attended by 182 people, Deputy Keating outlined the importance of setting up a direct communication pathway with South

 paul hosford

phosford@gazettegroup.com

Dublin County Council (SDCC), the Garda and the contractor to ensure that when the work commences, there will be a limited environmental impact.

Deputy Keating invited an independent engineer, John Colgan from Leixlip, to advise the meeting and answer planning and legal questions.

Speaking at the meeting, Brian Carroll, a local resident, outlined his objections to the construction going ahead on the grounds that the design was too high for

Deputy Derek Keating (FG) expressed concerns over a number of issues relating to the Newlands Cross intersection, including noise and light pollution

the surrounding area, and that it would affect hundreds of houses along the construction site.

In reply, Colgan said that the construction was a “done deal”, and that the best that the residents could hope for was to set up a committee to work with the builder to ensure that the impact of the construction and the landscaping could be addressed by local residents.

Deputy Keating told the meeting that he has had a number of meetings with the council

and has received a commitment that, as soon as the contract is signed, a number of information meetings will be set up to ensure that the construction phase will take into account the impact on local residents.

He expressed concerns over a number of issues, including noise and light pollution, the parking of vehicles inside estates and streets, the use of heavy machinery during school hours and during school opening hours.

Deputy Keating said: “The work will com-

mence about the first week of June and will take 21 months for completion, at a cost of €70 million.

“I have received a commitment from SDCC that all three lanes on each side of the road will remain open during the construction phase, and that the contractor will meet with myself and a representative body of residents to discuss the hours of construction, the impact of machinery in the area and noise, light and other environmental factors.”

Recovery International group meeting this Friday A support group has begun meeting every Friday at 8pm in St Mary’s Parish Centre, Lucan.

Recovery International is a self-help group, founded in Chicago in 1937, by the late Dr Abraham A Low. It offers “the recovery method of will training for improved mental health and for control of nervous symptoms”.

The support group is for those who want help to reduce suffering and improve their mental health.

The members demonstrate a meth-

od to deal with the trivialities of everyday life, which they say helps members, without feeling overwhelmed by them.

Meetings consist of five parts: reading, examples, further spotting and questions, mutual aid and voluntary contributions.

The first Recovery Inc Meeting was held in Ireland in March 1971 in Fairview.

For further information, see www. recovery-inc-ireland.ie or telephone 01 626 0775.

28 February 2013 CLONDALKIN Gazette 3

call-up: parents, teachers, youth workers invited to join initiative

health

Praise for locals at 5km run

Campaign targets cyber-bullying

 paul hosford

A LOCAL TD is offering parents the chance to help in a campaign against cyber-bullying.

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Frances Fitzgerald is calling on parents, teachers and youth workers to get on board with the recently launched government initiative, entitled Delete Cyber Bullying.

As part of ongoing efforts to address the issue, the Fine Gael minister is running events in Lucan and Clondalkin with experts from the leading social media site, Facebook, to inform and equip parents and teens in the battle against cyber bullying.

Events will take place next Tuesday, March 5, in Lucan’s St Joseph’s College and Thursday, March 7, in Clondalkin’s Moyle Park College, with industry experts as guest speakers. Both events begin at 8pm.

Minister Fitzgerald said: “Social media is something not all adults are experts in, and parents often feel helpless if their child is being targeted.

“I will be hosting a local information event where experts from Facebook and Webwise will be among those explaining the best way to protect your children and teenagers from cyber-bullying.

“If you are a parent, or you work with children

or teenagers, then this is an event for you. Experts from Facebook and Webwise will be going through tips, information and best practice advice on protecting children and young people online,” said Minister Fitzgerald.

“Unfortunately, cyberbullying is becoming a more familiar phrase to us all. To simplify it, it’s a form of aggressive and harassing messaging carried out online or through text messages.

“The Delete Cyber Bullying events in Lucan and Clondalkin will be an opportunity to inform and empower parents, teachers, youth workers and, indeed, teenagers themselves,” said Minister Fitzgerald.

3,000 thanks: Golf classic’s funds presented to children’s charity ON BEHALF of Barnardos, the children’s charity, James Parkin was delighted to collect a cheque for €3,000 from Paul Lynam recently, on behalf of the annual Ray Lynam Golf Classic. The project manager from the Barnardos centre at Bawnlea, Tallaght paid tribute to all those who had contributed to the funds, with Lynam saying: “We are very proud to present Barnardos with this cheque to support them in their work with children and families in Dublin.

I would like to thank everyone who took part in the golf classic in memory of my brother, Ray; particularly the committee and staff at The Coach House, Ballinteer.”

COUNCIL staff have been praised following an Operation Transformation walk in Corkagh Park last week.

Cllr Emer Higgins (FG) said: “Council staff worked really hard, not just on this event but on the training walks leading up to the weekend’s finale.”

She was among those who braved the cold to participate in South Dublin County Council’s Opportunity To Transform 5km run last Saturday.

Cllr higgins said that the day was a great success. “Saturday was a tremendous success. It was freezing cold, and we even had a few snowflakes, but it was great to see so many people braving the conditions and taking on the challenge.”

4 CLONDALKIN Gazette 28 February 2013

FastNews

politics Sinn Fein blast Labour’s support for charge

Clondalkin Leisure Centre taking Easter camp bookings CLONDALKIN Leisure Centre is now taking bookings for its Easter camps.

Camp activities include tag rugby, football, basketball, badminton, GAA, benchball, aerobics and many more.

Week one will run from Monday, March 25 to Thursday, March 28, with week two running from Tuesday, April 2 to Friday, April 5.

The cost is €52 per child, with a discount of €5 for a second child.

To book places at the camps, call 01 457 4858.

Foster carers required FOSTER carers are required to provide a safe and stable home for children aged up to 18 years old, who cannot live at home.

Children need weekend, emergency, shortterm and long-term foster placements. For further information, contact the fostering team at 01 620 6350.

Deputy Robert Dowds (Lab): “Property taxes are one of the fairest ways of raising money for local services”

War of words over upcoming property tax  paul hosford

TWO local politicians are engaged in a war of words over the upcoming property tax.

Last week, The Gazette reported that Labour TD Robert Dowds had welcomed changes to the payment of the tax for council homes.

However, Sinn Fein representative Eoin O Broin hit back, saying that no system that leads to council tenants paying for properties owned by the council was fair.

He said: “If council tenants are made to foot the bill, they will be paying a tax for a property they don’t own.

“If the council covers the cost, local services will suffer, and hundreds of thousands of euro will be diverted from the council budget to the Revenue [Commissioners].

“Deputy Dowds’ suggestion that this is good

--------------------------

‘If council tenants are made to foot the bill, they will be paying a tax for a property they don’t own’ --------------------------

Eoin O Broin, SF

--------------------------

news is clearly absurd,” said O Broin.

“Deputy Dowds also welcomed the deferral scheme for families on low incomes. However, what he did not make clear is that there is an annual 4% penalty charge for those who defer.

“This means that if you are unable to pay the property tax because of low income, the government will charge you an additional interest payment of 4% for every year you defer.

“In their 2011 General Election manifesto, Labour promised not to introduce a property tax before 2014,” he said.

In response, Deputy Dowds hit back, saying that any Sinn Fein criticism of the tax could not be taken seriously, given government policy in Northern Ireland.

He said: “It’s unbelievable that Eoin O Broin would come out with this, considering Sinn Fein imposes property taxes of more than £1,000 for ordinary homes in the North – four or five times more what people in our area will be paying.

“In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have to bring in a new tax, but property taxes are one of the fairest ways of raising money for local services, because rich people in the most expensive houses – like those in Killiney – pay the most amount of tax,” said Deputy Dowds.

28 February 2013 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 5

MUSIC Gigs to mark 25 years of folk group albums

Kila’s shows fans won’t want to miss  PAUL HOSFORD

www.

AFTER a quarter of a century as one of Ireland’s most popular bands, Kila are taking to the road to traverse the capital on a very special World Tour of Dublin.

The Irish folk music legends are celebrating 25 years as a band and will make a very special appearance in Clondalkin’s Aras Chronain Irish cultural centre on Friday, March 8.

Each appearance will include a lunchtime show

at 1pm and an evening show at 8pm, with admission to the children’s shows costing €5, and adult tickets €18.

Rossa O’Snodaigh, one of the founding members of the band, says that the idea is a unique way of marking a career that has seen them release 16 albums.

“It’s celebrating 25 years, connecting up with the fountain that we came from, as well as connecting with a number of Irish language organisations.

“The main attraction is

focusing on an album an evening – well, as much as we can! Some of our tracks aren’t playable live.

“So, the first half of each gig will come from a specific album, and the second half is our regular gig.”

Preparing that number of songs is a task for anyone, but remembering old tunes is like riding a bike, says Rossa.

“It’s like getting back up on a bike after 20 years – your muscles remember what you’re doing, and

Some of Kila’s members, with everyone looking forward to performing highlights of the band’s many albums as part of their 25th anniversary celebrations

they’ll take you where you want to go.

“There was one song we stopped playing in 1995, and we played it in Belfast over Christmas and we all quickly remembered why we loved playing it in the first place.”

Keeping any group of people together for two

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group

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and a half decades can be tough, but Rossa says the key is acceptance.

“The key is keeping yourself interested, firstly, but you also need a broad ability to accept a lot of behaviour.

“People change a lot over 25 years, and you have to allow that and

accept it. But, at the end of the day, your own music and enthusiasm can bypass all of it.

“It’s a simple, interpersonal psychology: having a common purpose is a solution in itself.”

For further information on the upcoming gigs, see www.kila.ie.

APPEAL Missing woman THE sister of a young mother who vanished from her Clondalkin home has made a televised appeal for fresh information.

Esra Uyrun has not been seen since she left her home in the family car in Collinstown Grove on February 23, 2011 to go to the shop for milk before her husband left for work.

A reconstruction on this week’s RTE’s Crimecall detailed how she left her husband minding their two-year-old son, Emin.

Her abandoned car was found in Bray later that evening. Her sister, Berna Fidan, said: “We are still so desperate to find out what has happened. Somebody must have heard something.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact any Garda station.

6 CLONDALKIN Gazette 28 February 2013

gazetteGALLERIES

Joe Mooney, chief executive, Muscular Dystrophy Ireland (MDI) and An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, who was revved up to open the facility

Patrick and Deirdre O’Brien

opening: Muscular Dystrophy Ireland House facility launched

A

N TAOISEACH, Enda Kenny, was the special guest of honour for the opening of the Muscular Dystrophy Ireland House and National Resource Centre for Muscular Dystrophy and Allied Neuromuscular Conditions, in Chapelizod recently.

An Taoiseach highly praised the staff and facilities at the centre, which supports all aspects of living with a neuromuscular condition from point of diagnosis, to the need for information around aids and appliances, entitlements and research, through to direct quality support services that may be required.

Fiona and Rob Ashe

Catherine and Paul Farrell

Sharing the ambience at

community: VALENTINE’S NIGHT AT POPULAR PUB

Lord Lucan’s got that lovin’ feelin’

Hubert McConnell, MDI

L

Mr Kenny examines a bedroom

A well-deserved cup of tea for Mr Kenny, after his opening duties

Mr Kenny greets 16-year-old Thomas Winters

OTS of local couples were happy to attend the Valentine’s night fun at The Lord Lucan recently, where young and old alike, whether married or dating, shared the romantic ambience at the popular pub. Of course, there was also some “bromance” going on between pairs of male drinkers, with pals catching up over a pint, as couples and drinkers alike took in the upbeat mood. With live music courtesy of entertainer Ken Kirwan, who sang a great selection of music that Michael Buble would have approved of, the Lord Lucan had something for everyone on the night, sending everyone off with a lovely feeling ...

Trevor Timmins and Sandra Nash

Sue and Dave Dowling

28 February 2013 CLONDALKIN Gazette 7

Have you seen yourself in the Gazette? Buy photos online from only â‚Ź6.99 at www.gazettephotos.com

Rob Ashe and Steo Reilly

the Lord Lucan ... Brian and Claire Comaskey with Brian and Annette Moran. Pictures: Cathy Weatherston

Helen and Declan Dowling

Entertainer Ken Kirwan

8 CLONDALKIN Gazette 28 February 2013

artists: perception

RUA RED host new exhibition RUA RED, the South Dublin arts centre, will host The Modelled Conscious, a new development by the centre to engage contemporary artists in a single theme, from March 23 to May 11.

Through the active engagement of artists in the creation of a new commission for the expansive space of Gallery 1, the artists chosen for The Modelled Conscious can express their very own personal response to the idea of form and consciousness, as well as the

space itself.

Through the development of new work, the centre aims to explore the role of perception in art and its relation to the consciousness of the viewer.

Series

This exhibition series is to be curated by curator-in-residence Hilary Murray and will run from March 23 to May 11 inclusive on Monday to Saturday, from 10am to 6pm, and with a special preview on Thursday, March 21, from 6 to 8pm.

society 20,000 facing delay, warns Labour deputy

‘Concern’ at social welfare appeal backlog A LOCAL Labour TD is “concerned” about the backlog in social welfare appeals.

Deputy Joanna Tuffy is chair of the Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection, which last week met officials from the Department of Social Protection on the steps being taken to

alleviate the delays in the processing of social welfare appeals.

Geraldine Gleeson, chief appeals officer at the department, outlined to the committee the work of her office – the Social Welfare Appeals Office – which operates under the aegis of the department.

Deputy Tuffy said that

the number of appeals had risen in recent years.

“The number of appeals has increased dramatically since 2008, and the chief welfare appeals officer brief[ed] the committee on the current position with regard to processing times of appeals and the likely outturn for 2013,” said Deputy Tuffy, who said that the number of appeals in the backlog had hit 20,000.

“Recent figures suggest the office is managing a backlog of about 20,000 welfare appeals, and the recruitment of additional appeals officers is under way.

“In difficult financial times, our committee is concerned at the strain this is placing on individuals and families while they wait for an outcome on their appeal.

“Conscious, too, of the ongoing pressure on the Exchequer, our committee meeting explore[d] the efforts currently being made to clear the backlog of appeals, while safeguarding the integrity of

Deputy Joanna Tuffy (Lab), chair of the Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection

the process,” said Deputy Tuffy.

The committee also met Sylda Langford, who is the chairman designate of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (RISFB).

She was nominated by the Minister for Education, Ruairi Quinn, last week. The board is a new body that will be established shortly under the provisions of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012.

The board will oversee the use of the cash contributions of up to €110 million pledged by the 18

religious congregations to support the needs of some 15,000 survivors of residential institutional child abuse.

Deputy Tuffy said that her committee would look to ensure fairness in the redress of abuse victims.

“The meeting was a valuable opportunity for our committee to engage with the chairman designate of the RISFB on her vision, and the approach she will take as chairperson, and her views about the future contribution of the new organisation,” she said.

Celbridge youth body welcomes fund proposal AN Oireachtas proposal to include a youth entrepreneur fund as part of new Government policy has been welcomed by a local youth council.

Last week, the Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation published a repor t, entitled Creating Policies That Work, with 35 recommendations, including one to create a Youth Entrepreneurship Fund.

The Celbridge Youth

Council (CYC), who last month launched a proposal for such a fund, said they were happy that the government’s attention had been brought to the report.

Tackle

Darragh O’Neill, chairman, CYC, said: “The CYC welcomes the job report published by the committee which outlines 35 recommendation on how we can tackle youth unemploy-

ment as a country.

“This is fantastic news, and our council is very grateful for the [report’s] support of the Youth Entrepreneurship Fund.

“In a time where youth unemployment stands at 29.9%, it is important that hope is given to the young people of this country.

“We believe [this] job report is a step in the right direction,” said O’Neill.

28 February 2013 CLONDALKIN Gazette 9

council Statistics reveal stark rise

Reports of anti social activity treble  paul hosford

INCIDENTS of anti-social behaviour tripled in Clondalkin last year, new figures reveal.

In total, there were 419 reports of anti-social behaviour in Clondalkin – up from 161 in 2011.

The council’s quarterly report on anti-social behaviour showed that in the last three months of 2012, there were a total of 151 incidents of anti-social behaviour recorded in Clondalkin, and that 537 actions were taken by council staff.

The numbers also showed that, as of the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2012, there were 729 working files open in the county.

The report showed a rise in serious crimes, with figures showing rises in all priority one incidents, which include drug activity, joyriding, criminal activity and vio-

lence, with 62 Q4 incidents, compared to 34 in Q3.

In the lesser priority two categories, only vacant houses and disputes between neighbours had dropped between the last three months of the year, while vandalism and reports of poor home maintenance reports had increased.

In terms of actions carried out by the council, those numbers are down on Q3 from 629 to 537, with 174 of those being calls to houses by council staff, and 141 being phone interviews with complainants and tenants.

CllrTrevor Gilligan (FF) said that the numbers must be tackled, despite w h a t e ve r e c o n o m i c strains are in place.

“The 2012 figure is more than triple the 2011 figure. I understand times are tough for many people – however, we must ensure that people are

South Dublin to host more than 100 ‘Gaeilge’ events

SOUTH Dublin will hold more than 100 events for Seachtain na Gaeilge, from March 3 to 17, with many taking place in Clondalkin.

Highlights include concerts, ceilis and language sessions, with Aras Chronain set to host many events throughout the fortnight.

The full schedule can be seen at www.sdcc.ie, and Mayor Cathal King (SF) says the events will be a sure-fire hit.

“Seachtain Na Gaeilge Atha Cliath Theas 2013 has a wonderful calendar. The vast majority of these events are free of charge, and guaranteed to entertain,” said Cllr King.

Tributes to late Con Martin

South Dublin County Council’s quarterly report showed a rise in serious crimes, with figures showing rises in all priority one incidents

allowed to live in peace and that the anti-social figures for 2013 reduce drastically.

“I thank South Dublin County Council housing department for their hard work and dedication and would [ask locals] to be vigilant in taking action against anyone causing any anti-social behaviour or harm [whether] physical, mentally or otherwise to residents.

“I would ask the Garda in Clondalkin to keep an extra eye on the figures, and to work with the council when it comes to anti-social behaviour.”

The council advised that, through the office of its estate management team, it hosts weekly housing clinics at Clondalkin Civic Offices every Thursday from 10

to 11am, and at Ronanstown CYC every Tuesday from 11.30am to 1pm.

T he council said: “Members of the public are encouraged to utilise these clinics and avenues for the purpose of discussing housing-related matters, including incidents of anti-social behaviour.

“All such matters are treated with confidentiality. The clinics are attended by the allocations support officer for the area, and the local community Garda.”

People are also invited to report incidents of antisocial behaviour through a number of means – Freephone 1800 200 245 or telephone 414 9000, through the customer care system, or by visiting County Hall or the Clondalkin Civic Centre.

65 homes set for new windows UNDER a South Dublin County Council (SDCC) scheme, 65 homes in Clondalkin can expect to have their windows replaced this year.

SDCC last week told the Clondalkin Area Committee meeting that 65 was the average number of houses that benefited annually from the council’s window replacement programme in

FastNews

the past three years.

Sinn Fein councillor Matthew McDonagh asked the council for information on the work to be carried out in Clondalkin, with the council saying that there are 309 houses slated for work, with 217 being listed as grade five – the most in need of work.

SDCC’s response said: “An average of 65 houses per year have

had their windows replaced over the past three years under the windows and doors replacement programme in the Clondalkin area.

“This figure represented approximately 35% of the overall funding.

“Work on replacement commenced in January, and eight houses in this area are currently with the contractor for pricing.”

TRIBUTES have been paid to former Irish international footballer Con Martin.

Though born in Rush, Martin later represented St Mary’s in Saggart, winning a Leinster championship with Dublin in 1941. He switched to soccer, moving to Aston Villa in 1948, where he became a post-war legend.

FAI chief executive John Delaney said: “I pass on my sympathies to his family. He was a great man who had a fantastic career in the game.”

10 CLONDALKIN Gazette 28 February 2013

gazetteGALLERY

Kasey Smith and Mairead Farrell

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Stephen Wall

Friends check in on the Morrison’s reopening

A

NUMBER of well-known faces and socialites were spotted at the recent reopening of the Morrison’s Hotel on Ormond Quay, following its extensive €7 million refurbishment.

Music and the arts were well represented on the night, with several fashionistas also in attendence, all keen to support the celebrity magnet with its reopening, and with everyone happy

to wish the hotel every success.

Given the top-notch crowd of wellwishers at the prestigious opening night, there’s no doubting the great interest in the hip hotel’s future.

Kathryn Thomas

Nadia Forbe

Nicky Byrne

28 February 2013 Gazette 11

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exhibition: National Gallery of Ireland

Jack B Yeats’s personal sketchbooks go on display  Bairbre Ni Bhraonain

The National Gallery of Ireland is running a special exhibition of the sketchbooks of one of Ireland’s most famous modern painters, Jack B Yeats.

This is the first time a significant collection of Yeats’s personal sketches has been exhibited.

The Sketchbooks of Jack B Yeats 1897-1955 is a look behind the scenes

of how Yeats prepared and gathered ideas from life for his paintings.

By the end of his life, Yeats had assembled a collection of over 200 individual sketchbooks, 204 of which are held by the Gallery following a bequest by his niece, Anne Yeats, in 1996.

By the late 1890s, these sketchbooks had become an integral part of his artistic process and he drew regularly upon them

for ideas and as blueprints for his paintings, the most expensive of which, The Wild Ones, sold at Sotheby’s in London for over £1.2m in 1999.

The exhibition has been digitally enhanced with tablet computers which will allow visitors to browse through four complete sketchbooks, personal letters and photographs selected from the Yeats Archive.

As well as the sketch-

books, the collection includes memorabilia such as journals, original manuscripts, photographs, postcards and letters, Yeats’s sisters’ Cuala and Dun Emer Presses are also well represented.

The Sketchbooks of Jack B Yeats 1897-1955 started on February 2 and continues until May 5 in Room 13 of the Beit Wing of the National Gallery on Merrion Square. Admission is free.

Illustration from the exhibition catalogue cover, The Sketchbooks of Jack B Yeats

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12 Gazette 28 February 2013

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U2’s Adam Clayton, former Miss World Rosanna Davison and TV presenter Lorraine Keane, are calling on the public to join them in supporting St Patrick’s Hospital Foundation for its annual fundraiser

Stars come out for St Patrick’s A host of Dublin celebrities, including U2’s Adam Clayton, former Miss World Rosanna Davison and TV presenter Lorraine Keane, are calling on the public to join them in supporting St Patrick’s Hospital Foundation for its annual fundraiser.

Money raised through Walk in My Shoes will be used to provide mental health services to vulnerable young adults.

The idea behind the campaign, which is now in its second year, originated from a young service user at St Patrick’s University Hospital who said he wished his friends could “walk in my shoes”, so they could gain a better understanding of mental health difficulties.

Walk in My Shoes also provides a free support and information phone line and aims to enhance the young adult services at St Patrick’s University

Hospital.

Walk in My Shoes day will take place on Friday, April 12.

For more information on how to get involved or make a donation, visit www.walkinmyshoes. ie or see their Facebook page w w w.facebook. com/walkinmyshoes or follow them on Twitter at @Walkinmyshoes12

Go the extra mile for the ispcc in june ISPCC Childline is appealing to women all over Ireland to show their support for the children in their lives by taking part in the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon on Bank Holiday Monday, June 3.

Runners are asked to raise funds for Childline to help them to listen to more children.

In the past number of years, the Childline service has seen a huge

increase in demand and in 2011 received over 800,000 calls.

As Ireland’s only 24-hour support service for children, Childline continues to struggle to listen to every child who needs support with around a third of all calls to Childline still going unanswered.

Childline receives no government funding and so relies entirely on corporate support and the generosity of the Irish public.

For more information or to register log on to www.ispcc.ie/fundraising or call Rita on 1850 50 40 50.

Carole Nash Irish Motorbike and Scooter Show The Carole Nash Irish Motorbike and Scooter Show takes place in the RDS this March.

From March 1 to 3,

motorbike fanatics will get a chance to see what’s what in the motorbike and scooter industry for 2013.

See all the latest and greatest from BMW, Honda, Harley Davidson, Triumph, Suzuki, Victory, Ducati, Aprilia and Moto Guzzi.

The RDS will be transformed into Ireland’s biggest motorcycle and scooter showroom with everything a biker could want, all under one roof, featuring new bike models for 2013, clothing, parts, accessories, safety advice and safety wear and much more.

There is also a live action element to the show, including the thrills and spills of the Flat Track Racers, world famous Polish daredevils Stunter13 and Monika Koch and fun and games a plenty in the “nifty fifty” speedway races.

Check out www.irish-

motorbikeshow.com for further information. .

OPen mic night at the Addison Lodge

A new month-long series of open mic nights starts this month at the Addison Lodge in Glasnevin.

Local bands, musicians, comedians, poets, storytellers and performers of all kinds are invited

to go along for the opportunity to try out their acts in front of a live audience each Friday night until March 22.

The well-known venue is located opposite the Botanic Gardens in Dublin and the open mic sessions were set up by the management to encourage and showcase talent, young and old.

There is no cover charge for patrons or

performers on open mic nights. Everyone is welcome to participate and the show starts at 9pm.

If you think you might have what it takes as a performer no matter what your special talent is or would enjoy seeing the raw talent on offer, you should contact Rory at the Addison Lodge on 01 837 2524 or email on addisonlodge@hotmail. com.

ISPCC Childline is appealing to women all over Ireland to show their support for the children in their lives by taking part in the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon

28 February 2013 Gazette 13

theatre: one-night charity concert

A special toddler, parent day

Share the stage with The Saturdays  Laura Webb

Talented Dublin dancers, musicians, magicians... in fact, all kinds of entertainers, are being given the chance to support pop sensations The Saturdays when they perform at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre at the end of next month.

Bord Gais Energy wants to put talented performers on stage with one of pop’s most successful girl groups when they perform at the theatre for a one-night only charity concert on March 28.

The concert is the theatre’s second annual

charity event, with all proceeds from ticket sales night going to the Society of St Vincent de Paul. For every ticket sold, Bord Gais Energy will also match the amount.

This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is open to entertainment acts of all sorts aged 16 and over, and three winners from across the nation will be chosen to support The Saturdays on this very special night.

Enter tainers have just days left to get their entries in as the closing date for the competition is Monday, March 4. To enter, simply upload a

video of your performance to the Bord Gais Energy Facebook page https://www.facebook. com/BordGaisEnergy no later than 5pm on March 4.

Una Healy of The Saturdays, who hails from Thurles, said: “We would like to wish everyone taking part in the competition the very best of luck.

“All the girls are really excited about performing at this special event and of course performing to a home crowd always makes the night extra special for me. It’s fantastic that Bord Gais Energy is supporting the Society

Gazette

FEATURE

The Saturdays will perform at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre at the end of next month

of the St Vincent de Paul which does really great work in communities throughout Ireland.”

Irene Gowing, sponsorship manager, Bord Gais Energy, said: “Not only will the winning act get a taste of the spotlight

but they will also be part of this special concert in aid of the Society of St Vincent de Paul. Last year’s Bill Bailey event was a great success, raising €200,000, and we are confident that we’ll raise a similar donation this

year.”

Tickets for the charity show are priced from €20 to €35 and are available to Bord Gais Energy customers via w w w. bordgaisenergyrewards. ie and on sale via Ticketmaster.

A number of special days just for parents and toddlers have been lined up at The Culture Box in Temple Bar until June.

The Culture Box is encouraging parents with children 18 months to five years to come along for some adventurous, creative and artistic fun for free.

The programme features music, painting, story-telling and movement.

Although the sessions are free, booking is required. The sessions are on March 12 and 26, April 9 and 23, May 7 and 21 and June 4 and 18 at 11am and last an hour.

To book a place, call Culture Box on 01 677 2255.

Gazette

14 Gazette 28 February 2013

dublinlife

st kilian’s: a fresh approach to charity fund

schoolLife Calling all budding writers and photographers – get involved with our Gazette schools pages As part of the relaunch of the Dublin Gazette Newspapers, we are reaching out to all the schools in our catchment areas to become a closer part of our community than ever before.

Schools are the beating hearts of communities, one of the last places around which a community can gather.

We are calling on budding writers and photographers from all of our schools to help fill the pages and, in order to encourage the next

schools

generation of journalists and snappers to get involved, we are partnering with Harvey Norman to present the Dublin Gazette Newspapers’ Cub Repor ter and Cub Photographer of the Year awards.

For more details, contact rheigh@ gazettegroup.com, or on 01 601 0240.

Ticket to ride for Peru’s poorest Two enterprising students from 10th year in St Kilian’s Deutsche Schule are redeeming money from used bus tickets in aid of the school’s charity, Project Peru.

Comhall Fanning and Brian Reynolds are busy running the ticket appeal and so far have raised €50 for the worthy charity.

Project Peru was established in St Kilian’s in 2006. The initiative seeks to involve pupils and teachers in poverty relief programmes in the South American country.

Since 2008, over 50 St Kilian’s students and teachers have made the journey to Peru, working in some of the poorest areas around Trujillo in northern Peru.

Alto Trujillo is often described as a pueblo joven (a young town).

It is an urban slum, a desert-like hillside where thousands of poor and desperate families are attempting to build a home and find work. Many of the families have left their hometowns in the mountains or rural areas in search of a better life.

St Kilian’s students Comhall Fanning and Brian Reynolds on the trail of more funds for Project Peru

To date, over €70,000 has been raised funding the building of emergency relief housing and a school and suppor ting other social projects in the barrios.

The next planned visit is in July 2014.

St Kilian’s school was founded in 1952 and has expanded to over 600 students, between

the kindergarten, primar y and secondar y schools levels. It has an excellent success rate in terms of students progressing to third level education, in Ireland and abroad.

On the sports fields, m a ny a c t i v i t i e s a r e undertaken, with the main team sports being soccer and hockey.

DublinGazetteNewspapers cub reporters - january 2013 winner

H Reporter of the

MONTH

Monika Mykolaityte Monika, a sixth year student at St Tiernan’s Community School, gave a great account of her experience when she was invited to the studios of RTE at Donnybrook to experience first hand the buzz of live television and the production of news with the national broadcaster. Monika is looking to further her career in journalism at university, and on this evidence, looks like she’s made the right choice for the future.

28 February 2013 Gazette 15

feature comedy: The ladykillers in dublin

children Saturdays at The Ark

Dotrice is ready to knock ’em dead in role

 Bairbre Ni Bhraonain

A BRAND new stage adaptation of the hit comedy film The Ladykillers is bringing another icon of British comedy to the stage in Dublin.

F a t h e r Te d w r i t e r Graham Linehan’s new version of the classic Ealing Studios film sees Michele Dotrice, who shot to fame in the 70s, playing Betty in Some Mothers Do Ave Em, take the role of Mrs W, the old lady who brings a gang masquerading as a musical ensemble into her home while they plan a bank heist nearby.

Today she is a stage actress, and she spoke to The Gazette about what drew her to her current role.

“He’s [Linehan] absolutely the finest, so I leapt at it when it was offered to me,” she said.

“Graham has kept the period characters but upped the story for modern audiences. The parts are so playable, they leap off the page.

“The response has been fantastic so far and it’s full of energy, it really goes at a hell of a lick.”

Michele has been a

--------------------------

‘The parts are so playable, they leap off the page. The response has been fantastic so far and it’s full of energy, it really goes at a hell of a lick’ --------------------------

Michele Dotrice

--------------------------

professional actress since she joined the R o y a l S h a ke s p e a r e Company (RSC) at the tender age of 16. Her father Roy Dotrice is also an actor, and he got his daughter into the RSC. “I was ever so lucky.

There I was at that young age working with such wonderful actors in the RSC and with material by not a bad writer!

“It’s so hard for young actors today because there are no longer any good repertory companies. In my day, they were all around the country so that up and coming actors could learn their craft.”

The inevitable question about her time playing Betty came up, and Michele mused that such success was both a blessing and a curse.

“I had come straight from the RSC into a halfhour comedy show that became a phenomenal success due to Michael Crawford’s incredible creation [the lead character, Frank Spencer].

“It really put me on the map but set me up to have to pretend never to have heard ‘Ooh, Betty!’ as endless people shouted it to me over the years.

“I look back on my time doing that show with fondness and pride, but I do think it caused future directors to be nervous about casting me as they thought that Betty was all I could do.

“I still couldn’t play this part on TV even with all the padding and wig as people would still see me as Betty.

“But it’s great to be part of this cast which is very much an ensemble and to be speaking Graham’s wonderful lines each night.”

The Ladykillers runs from February 26 until March 2 at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre.

Michele Dotrice as Mrs Wilberforce in The Ladykillers at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre

The Ark Children’s Cultural Centre in Dublin’s City Centre is now open every Saturday to meet demand for their 2013 programmes.

There is a great line-up of workshops, exhibitions and performances scheduled for the weekends and families are able to drop in between 10am and 4.30pm to take part in a Take a Trip programme.

This programme is where children and parents can collect a locationthemed suitcase packed with all the stimuli and materials needed to work on their own self-directed creative art project at The Ark. More information is available at ark.ie.

Gazette

16 Gazette 28 February 2013

dublinlife Q&A

paul kavanagh, keith mcgovern, chefdirect.ie

Duos’ tasty business idea serves up a treat SET up by Paul Kavanagh and Keith McGovern, ChefDirect.ie supplies more than 1,500 ready-prepared meals a week to a wide range of customers, including students, business professionals, and retired or elderly people living on their own.

Using 100% Irish ingredients, ChefDirect offers a range of 14 wholesome meals, with meats quality-assured by

Bord Bia, and vegetables sourced from local produce providers.

Priced from €5.50 per meal, the competitively-priced dishes are easy to rapidly reheat in an oven or microwave, adding to their popularity.

For further information about the company, or to make an order, see www.ChefDirect.ie, or telephone 01 491 6262.

How long have you been in business?

What have you changed about your business to combat the effects of the recession?

We are a brand-new business and began trading as of January 1.

Starting a new business from scratch has been an interesting process to go through – although not easy at times, we’ve really enjoyed it thus far!

What makes your business successful?

We are the first business in Ireland, in our sector, to offer only 100% quality Irish produce in every one of our meals.

What do you offer your clients that differs from your competitors?

Currently, our main competitors are British franchises, and their products are made in Britain using non-Irish produce in their meals.

We are an Irish company only delivering Irish produce.

We also think that we do more than just provide a product – we like to think we provide a friendly service, so much so that we know every customer on a personal basis, even their pets’ names at this stage!

How has the recession impacted your business?

The recession has affected us as much as the next business. It does seem now more than ever though that people are looking to purchase Irish-produced goods and services, which bodes well for us rather than our competition.

Pricing – we have kept our prices as keen as possible, and this is reflected in the increase in our customer base.

What law or regulation would you change overnight to help your business?

How commercial rates are calculated – they’re just too damaging on young businesses.

How do you use social media (Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, etc) to help your business?

Our social media sites are purely used to update our customers on our services, new products and as a reminder to order their meals.

Social media allows us a personal touch when dealing with customer queries; we do like to have a bit of fun with it also.

We have a blog, using chefdirect. tumblr.com; here, we just talk about good food and how much we love it.

What is your ambition for the business?

To raise the standard of homedelivered meals, as well as changing the perception of frozen meals.

What is the best piece of business advice you ever received?

It doesn’t matter how hard things get – just stay on the pitch!

business

Mortgage help from AIB ONE of the biggest decisions people will have to make during their lives is the decision to buy a house, and obtaining a mortgage can be a daunting prospect.

To help people navigate through the application process, AIB is launching Let Us Help You Get Mortgage Ready – a new campaign aimed at ensuring customers are fully supported and informed.

Head of mortgages at AIB Jim O’Keeffe said: “AIB has seen very positive trends in the 2012 figures. We are exceeding

our mortgage targets and, as our ambitions for 2013 show, we continue to be very much open for business.

“Our customers have told us that the key item for them is to be fully supported through the mortgage journey, and we are launching a new campaign to ensure this continues to happen.”

As part of the campaign, the bank is providing a dedicated mortgage co-ordinator in every branch, a comprehensive guide to getting “mortgage-ready” for first-time

buyers and movers, as well as a number of podcasts delivered by experienced mortgage coordinators answering common questions and answers.

There is also a dedicated mortgage website providing support, advice and tools at www.aib.ie/ mortgages, and a mortgage advice support team on call from Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm, and on Saturday from 10am to 6pm, at 1890 724 724.

O’Keeffe added: “We continue to provide highly-competitive mortgage products at a loan to

value of up to 92%, and would be delighted to discuss financing your mortgage, whether you are a first time buyer, mover or thinking about extending or refurbishing your existing home.”

Figures released recently showed that the average first time buyer mortgage in 2012 was €160,000.

For further information, contact any AIB or EBS branch nationwide, call the dedicated mortgage phoneline at 1890 724 724, or see www.aib. ie/mortgages.

technology: cloud compare up and running

Irelands’s first Cloud brokerage is launched  aVa kenard

CLOUD Compare, Ireland’s first Cloud services brokerage firm, has been launched this week

by Michael Dowling and Eamon Moore.

They are both longterm residents in Malahide. Michael is a member of the board of Malahide Credit Union, Malahide Community Forum, and a recognised expert in the brokerage area, while Eamon has worked in the IT industry for 10 years in his IT consultancy company, E-MIT Solutions.

Cloud Compare offers businesses a refreshing and professional service to introduce Cloud services through planning, research, independent expert advice and project management, whilst filling the gap between the organisation and the Cloud providers.

The new company will create up to 12 technical and sales jobs in Dublin this year as the company grows. The company’s

Michael Dowling and Eamon Moore, launching Cloud Compare

future plans include greater expansion in Ireland and a move into the British market.

Cloud Compare already has 30 Cloud service providers, both in Ireland and worldwide on their panel of recommended providers, including Microsoft, Auxilion and Novosco.

These companies will form the panel of providers that Cloud Compare will engage as part of their cloud adoption framework.

Eamon Moore, chief

executive and founder of Cloud Compare, said: “Our aim is to provide businesses with the tools and techniques to evaluate and adopt Cloud technology within a qualitycontrolled environment.”

Cloud Compare services will include research and assessment for all clients, and the company’s consultants can also be deployed on Cloud projects to act as a conduit between the client and the technical architects in Cloud compa-

nies, through to project completion.

For independent Cloud providers, Cloud Compare provides a new route to market, and ease of implantation of Cloud services. The service provider only deals with one party in terms of contract and fee negotiations, resulting in simpler invoicing options.

For further information, see www.cloudcompare.ie, or follow Cloud Compare on Twitter: @CloudCompareIE.

28 February 2013 GAZETTE 17

ASDFSDAF P27 TRAVEL P25

STYLE P23

OUT&ABOUT Never be out of the loop on what’s happening in Dublin! Let Out&About be your guide to all that is stylish, cultural and essential across the city and beyond this week



GAZETTE

GAMING P21

TELEVISION: A SHOW TO ENCOURAGE YOU

Get off your couch, out of the house and into exercise!

 LAURA WEBB

MANY of us have once been, or still are, slaves to the comfy couch.

If you are finding it hard to move from your favourite spot, an Irish production company has enlisted the help of Dublin resident Teena Gates to present a new television show, simply entitled: Get Off The Couch.

The six-part sports programme, which airs this autumn on Setanta Ireland, aims to show people how slipping on a pair of trainers and opening the front door can be the start to a healthier lifestyle in the great outdoors.

There’s already a great buzz on the social media scene, with people following the six participants taking part in the

programme.

Presenting the programme, and getting back to her own fitness regime after taking a sixweek break following surgery, is Blanchardstown resident and head of news at 98fm, Teena Gates.

Teena was once 23 stone, and has lost more than half her body weight in two years – a process that helped to introduce her to the great outdoors.

She has since climbed to Mount Everest base camp, one of many challenges she has set herself and completed.

When she was asked to be part of the programme, she said she couldn’t say no and “loves it”.

“I think it is because I am doing fun things with a great bunch of people,

and I am really caught up in their life stories,” she told The Gazette.

“Get Off The Couch is produced by Athena Media for Setanta Ireland, and it is made with the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. It’s about getting people out in the outdoors who have not previously done that, or even felt they were up to it.

Discovered “It is so in my sphere!

It is exactly what I have been preaching and blogging about for the past couple of years, since I discovered that I could be sporty – which I never thought I could,” said Teena.

“I am not an ideal weight and, at the same time, I am able to get fit, get active, and enjoy

Head of news at 98FM, and exercise enthusiast, Teena Gates, and (right) with the participants of a new TV programme, Get Off The Couch

everything out there.

You don’t have to be Sebastian Coe or Usain Bolt to go and have a run – you can have a run around, and walk as well as run. [Exercise] is so much more accessible.

“The secret to getting fit is so simple – yes, you can join a gym, and yes, you can work on a treadmill, and I do all of that as well, but getting fit and enjoying the outdoors is just about getting a pair of trainers and walking out the front door. That is freedom.

“It’s not about weight loss or anything like that, it’s about getting healthy and being healthy and

just enjoying life – that’s what the programme is about,” she said.

Teena added: “No one will know what these people weigh or what their waistline is, that will never come into it.

You will see them huffing and puffing on the track, and getting faster and better.

“It depends on peoples’ targets, that some of us can do a triathlon, so that is one target we will try to aim for, but we will have a number of challenges along the way, points of focus and things we want to achieve at different levels – we will see how

everyone gets along.”

The six participants are Joe Grey, Damien McElligott and Karen Bowers from Dublin; Eamonn Waldron from Bray; Cathy Whyte from Derrynoose, Co Armagh and Maryanne Treacy from Cork.

Teena said: “They represent everybody. It is not ‘the token person’ we are going for – they have literally been selected to represent, you, me and everybody. “[They represent] those of us who have literally sat on the couch and it never occurred to them to get up and get out and be healthy

and change lifestyles.

There will be somebody you can identify with throughout the series.

“We are filming for the next six months and, over that time, people can follow our progress as we tr y out different activities – walking, kayaking, climbing mountains, and some are trying to give up the cigarettes, so that is a big challenge for us all,” she said.

Follow participants’ progress via Facebook – www.facebook.com/ GetOffTheCouchIreland – or find out more about the programme at www.getoffthecouch.ie.

Gazette

18 Gazette 28 February 2013

CELEBRATINGMOTHER’S DAY tradition: showing thanks and appreciation

Make sure mum’s the word on March 10 Ballygally Castle on the Antrim Coast Road

Spoil your mother with a trip to Northen Ireland MOTHER’S Day is fast approaching, so what better time to start planning to spoil your mum.

If you fancy a trip to Northern Ireland for Sunday, March 10, you can choose from one of the six Hastings Hotels to treat your mum to lunch.

The lunch menu at Everglades Hotel in Derry-Londonderry costs £25 for adults and £12 for children. Lunch at Ballygally Castle on the Antrim Coast Road costs £30 for adults and £15 for children. You can also have lunch at the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa in Newcastle for £40 for adults and £22 for children, or for £25 for adults in the Percy French, where they have a children’s menu.

Belfast

In Belfast, it costs £35 for adults and £15 for children at Stormont Hotel, while the Europa Hotel is offering lunch for £25 for adults and they have a children’s menu, while it costs £50 for adults and £30 for children at Culloden Estate and Spa in the Mitre Restaurant. The Culloden Estate and Spa is also offering lunch for £35 for adults and £17 for children at the Cultra Inn, and there is also a special Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea in the lounge for £30 per person on Saturday and Sunday, March 9 and 10.

Each of these hotels also has a range of short break packages available, and there are many spa treatments on offer at the Culloden Estate and Spa and Slieve Donard Resort and Spa. The offers are all subject to availability.

For more information or booking details, contact 048 9047 1066 or log on to www. hastingshotels.com.

SHE has reared you, encouraged and challenged you over the years.

So there’s no better way than Mother’s Day to say thank you for all the hard work she puts in for the other 364 days of the year.

This year, Mother’s Day falls on Sunday, March 10 in Ireland and the UK. Most of us remember what we did for Mother’s Day when we were kids: we prepared her breakfast in bed, did the household chores for the day, or made her a bookmark or card. No matter what you did for her, she always appreciated every effort you made to celebrate her day.

And she still does. The older we got, our “thank you” has grown bigger than before, in the form of taking her out for lunch, buying her a bouquet of flowers, or booking her in for a relaxing spa treatment. There’s no denying that Moth-

er’s Day has become commercialised over the years. But no matter how big or small your gesture, it still means a lot to your mum.

So where did the tradition of celebrating your mum come from?

T he earliest form can be traced back to the ancient Greek and Roman times. The Greeks held an annual spring festival which was dedicated to maternal goddesses – mainly Rhea, while the Romans also celebrated a spring festival dedicated to Cybele, a mother goddess.

Dedicated

Many years later in America during the 1800s, Julia Ward Howe first came up with the idea of celebrating Mother’s Day in the USA. The poet, writer and activist expressed her idea of celebrating a day dedicated to mothers and peace by writing the Mother’s Day Proc-

Perfect gift: A night away at the K Club what better way to show your appreciation this Mother’s Day than treating your mum to a night away at the K Club in Straffan, Co Kildare.

There are lots of accommodation, dining and spa packages created especially for Mother’s Day to ensure you won’t be stuck for gift ideas.

The K Club, a member of Preferred Hotels and Resorts and a 69-bedroom hotel, is located just over a half an hour from Dublin city centre and Dublin Airport, in the idyllic village of Straffan, Co Kildare.

For further details on the Mother’s Day packages or to purchase a Mother’s Day Gift Voucher at The K Club, call (01) 601 7200 or email sales@kclub.ie – full details are also on The K Club website www.kclub.ie.

No matter how big or small your gesture, Mother’s Day still means a lot to your mum

lamation in 1870.

Since then, Mother’s Day as we know it first emerged in USA in the early 1900s. When Anna Jar vis’ mother died in 1905, she was determined to honour her. So in 1908, she persuaded her local church in Philadelphia to give a sermon in her mother’s memory on the second

Sunday of May. It was later declared a national holiday in 1914.

Today, Mother’s Day is celebrated around the world on different days with different traditions, but they are all about showing appreciation of and love to mothers. In Ireland and England, it falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Meanwhile

in Spain, it takes place during the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8 to celebrate both mothers and the Virgin Mary.

So no matter what you do on Mother’s Day, remember that the day is about celebrating your mother for who she is and what she has done for you.

28 February 2013 GAZETTE 19

GAZETTE

FEATURE

LOCALMATTERS SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS

ADVERTISE WITH THE GAZETTE CALL 60 10 240

your s h y n o t m a ke w o s , s u o ll a r ve M u m s a re m li o n d o ll a r s ? fe e l li ke a m il n o w is a p p ro ac h in g , t s fa y a D s your r’ W it h M o th e b o u t tr e a ti n g a g in k in th t to s ta r r. a g re a t ti m e e c ia l th is ye a p s g in th e m nd o m u m w it h s e e q u a ti o n a th f o t u o rk e h e lp th e h a rd w o u id e , w it h th g We’ ve ta ke n t if g y a D n M o th e r’s a r ve y N o rm a p re s e n t th is H , s n to a e H , s of De b en h a m ees. a n d B u r t’s B

Harvey Nichols in Dundrum Town Centre are offering a double gift package for special mums and daughters, with a three-course meal in the First Floor Bar & Brasserie for €35 per person and an invitation for you and your mum from Crème de la Mer to enjoy a complimentary on-counter treatment and a deluxe surprise and delight sample sized gift. Lunch reservations are available from 12.30pm to 3.30pm, and can be made by calling 01 2910488 or email firstfloor.reservations@harveynichols.com

Star handbag by Julien Macdonald €76 and Jasper Conran red leather gathered cuff gloves €18.75 from Debenhams HomedicsWhite foot spa €57.50 from Debenhams

Baylis and Harding Sweet mandarin and grapefruit two-piece gift set, €15 from Debenhams

Remington easy curl €39.99 from Heatons Heather potted flower, €8 from Heatons

Burt’s Bees Mother’s Day kits in either Tips and Toes (for hardworking hands and feet) or Head to Toe (to nourish every part of the body). From €15.95

Floral Trim robe €15 from Heatons

Gazette

20 gazette 28 February 2013

OUT&ABOUT

CINEMA

Theatre THE pavilioN THEATRE 01 231 2929 A Skull In Connemara

FOR one week each autumn, Mick Dowd is hired to disinter the bones in certain sections of his local cemetery, but is he hiding a secret? February 28March 2, tickets are priced at €18/€16.

Draiocht 01 885 2622

Three Men Talking About Things They Kinda Know About THREE of Ireland’s leading performance poets - Colm Keegan, Kalle Ryan and Stephen James Smith - take the audience on a cathartic, emotional journey into the heart of who they are. Digging into subjects that men may not traditionally explore like love, relationships, loss, family and self doubt, they explore what it really means to be a man. March 8, tickets €16/€12.

Mill THEATRE 01 296 9340 Freud’s Last Session

FREUD’S Last Session focuses on legendary psychoanalyst Dr Sigmund Freud, who invites the rising academic star CS Lewis to his home in London. Lewis, expecting to be called on the carpet for satirising Freud in a recent book, soon realises Freud has a much more significant agenda.

Catch the show on March 8 and 9, tickets are priced at €15/€12.

John McClane takes aim at someone, probably someone who said something mean about his shirt. And hair. And awful movie.

review: for the true die hard fan, this is a massive let down

Not a good time

ABOUT 40 minutes into the A Good Day To Die Hard, I thought of Kevin Smith.

The bearded director has his place in Die Hard lore, portraying Warlock in Die Hard 4 (or Live Free or Die Hard, depending on which side of the Atlantic you’re on).

But that’s not why my mind drifted to the Clerks director.

In his quasi-standup DVDs, Smith waxes lyrical on all manner of subjects and in the third instalment gets onto the subject of shooting Die Hard.

In the anecdote, Smith talks about how much toll shooting the fourth instalment took on Willis and director Len Wiseman.

In explaining why he took the film so seriously, Willis explains to Smith that he is the “gatekeeper” of the Die

Film of the Week: A Good Day To Die Hard h (15) 97 mins Director: John Moore Starring: Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Sebastien Koch, Yuliya Snigir, Cole Hauser, a load of random Russian bad guy-types

 Paul Hosford phosford@gazettegroup.com

Hard franchise, the only link from film to film.

It is odd to think, then, that at no point in the filming of AGDTDH, did any alarm bells sound about what an abomination the film was turning out to be.

First of all, moving the film out of America felt from the earliest days like a mis-step.

But, this is Die Hard, it can, like John McClane, survive just about anything, right?

Still on board after that, the complete lack of recognisable faces in the cast was a worrying sign, but then again, nothing that the presence of Bruce Willis

OUR VERDICT:

POOR. Really, really poor. As a director, Moore seems overly focused on the set-pieces that his budgets allow. Some of them are extremely impressive, but lead to Moore forgetting that characterisation, exposition and, you know, dialogue are quite important.

Initially I had hoped that bad Die Hard is better than no Die Hard, but that hope was thoroughly misplaced.

can’t overcome.

Then, came the appointment of John Moore as director.

The Dundalk native’s output thus far has been mediocre (The Omen, Flight of The Phoenix, Max Payne), but Len Wiseman’s CV was not too impressive before LFODH and that was an enjoyable romp, so nothing to fear, right?

Wrong.

Moore is a talented director when it comes to shooting set-pieces, but his handle on subtlety, nuance and characterisation is weak in a muddle of explosions,

bad jokes and cardboard bad guys.

Wa t c h i n g J o h n McClane take dow n faceless goons is great fun at any time, but when there is no sense that the bad guys could win, there’s a hollowness to the whole exercise of watching the lotech cowboy McClane go toe-to-toe with a relentless and wellresourced enemy.

The triumph of the smirking, ever-so likable McClane is made all the more sweet when the villain has access to a cadre of poorly trained henchmen or

to all of the technological advantages on the planet.

Here, the faceless Russians pose no real threat and while no Die Hard ever convinces you that McClane is really going to lose, Moore doesn’t even try.

He instead fills the time between set-pieces with sub-80s Cold War humour and an attempt at building a relationship between McClane and his son, played by Jai Courtney.

Whereas the introduction of McClane’s daughter in LFODH was a refreshing move with a charming performance by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, this is nothing of the like.

While this is poor; very, very poor, Willis should take a leaf out of fellow Expendable Sly Stallone’s Rocky book and go out on top after six films.

28 February 2013 GAZETTE 21

GAZETTE

GAMING

Postcards from the edge of a Crysis AT THE time of writing, the PlayStation 4 was about to be revealed – sadly, as my invite to the exclusive reveal was lost in the post, I’m skipping on to the just released Crysis 3 (sorry, Sony), another one of the triple-A titles that are now flying onto shelves as 2013 unfolds.

Given that there are seemingly an endless amount of first-person shooters that are all noise, bluster and angry men with beards shouting at each other – yawn – the Crysis series has created a small, but interesting, niche for itself.

True, you still wander around shooting bad guys, but Crysis has succeeded, to date, in crafting well-realised worlds and interesting scenarios for adult gamers.

As a brief recap, and for those new to the series, aliens (established in Crysis) invaded New York in Crysis 2, with you, as the protaganist, donning an enhanced cyber-suit to make your way through one set-piece after another, culminating in the destruction of an awful lot of Uptown real estate.

Oops.

Now, several years later, and with the abandoned ruins of New York safely encased under a

 SHANE DILLON sdillon@gazettegroup.com

vast dome by a somewhat nefarious corporation, everything seems quiet in the city. Too quiet ...

It’s not long before you’re back in Manhattan, investigating both what the surviving aliens have been really getting up to for all those years, as well as encountering the inevitable (human) bad guys that also have an interest in the domed, and doomed city ...

From here, you’re in familiar Crysis territory, with the game providing plenty of player choice in how you approach each scenario and set-piece.

For example, players who like to “tank” their way through can charge around, if they wish, while stealth play is also rewarded, as you gradually unlock new abilities and enhanced powers, courtesy of your suit and weapons.

So far, so kind-of familiar, but where Crysis 3 once again excels is in its stunning art direction, and environmental design, with its “destroyed

Building on the idea of “destroyed beauty”, Crysis 3’s artists have created a stunning, picture-postcard vision of a destroyed Manhattan, transformed into a diverse cityscape filled with nature – and deadly enemies

beauty” aesthetics creating a New York that’s both familiar, yet alien.

Shattered and fractured, the city has been transformed, with rivers and lakes joining unexpected forests and plains, as Mother Nature, the aliens’ machinations, and the domed environment conspire to dramatically change the city – to stunning effect.

Once again, PC owners with hefty gaming rigs

get the best from Crysis, with a noticeable boost to graphics and detail.

The game’s still quite a looker on the XBox and PS3, despite some occasional glitches, making it not just a game that’s great fun to play, but one that’s also sure to impress onlookers, too, with its stand-out design and unique vision.

It’s worth pointing out that, again, Crysis has a great multiplayer side to

get stuck into, with some interesting variations on standard multiplayer gaming, courtesy not just of each players’ suit’s powers, but with a twist on some classic gaming modes.

While graphics are always less important than gameplay, its striking design, reasonably open gameplay choices and fun multiplayer options make this a Crysis that’s definitely worth welcoming.

This mostly seems to involve attacking bad guys to thwart their plans, and occasionally slicing them, machinery, mechs and more into pieces (alas, no cucumber sandwich-making bonus round), not to mention engaging in ludicrously all-out action set pieces that are about a million miles away from the densely wrought, anti-war, cynically jaded plots and characters more commonly found throughout Metal Gear games.

Given the current lack of OTT action titles at the moment, Raiden’s XBox and PS3 adventure is a breathless and welcome romp for mature gamers to try sharpening their skills on ...

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It’s chop-tastic fun ANOTHER just released game of note is Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (MGRR), which is, perhaps, best described as an over-the-top action game that also involves lots of slicing things up (which may appeal to chophappy Fruit Ninja-ists out there).

An unlikely offshoot of the longrunning and multi-platform Metal Gear series, MGRR takes Raiden – a somewhat unpopular character in recent games – then gives him a souped-up cyborg suit, a sharper-than-sharp blade, and then sets him to righting wrongs in an African country on the edge of chaos, as only a cyborg ninja guy can ...

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EMAIL YOUR PHOTO TO picturedesk@gazettegroup.com Raiden – an unlikely do-gooder, out to restore stability after warmongers kill a president, threatening peace

Or call our NEWS TEAM on 60 10 240 and SELECT OPTION 2

Gazette

22 Gazette 28 February 2013

OUT&ABOUT

MUSIC

FASTtunes with Radio Nova’s Dee Woods

He’s hailed as one of the greatest guitarists of all time and is the only person in rock who can pull off cool in a top hat.

Slash is currently storming through a string of sold-out dates across Europe and he plays The Olympia Theatre on March 2 and 3, two years after blasting the rain out of the sky at the Oxegen Festival in Punchestown in 2011.

If you’re one of the lucky ones with a ticket to the sold-out Olympia gigs, you’re in for a treat.

From Guns N’ Roses’ debut album Appetite for Destruction in 1987, Slash’s guitar work gave the band serious rock credibility.

The opening riff of Sweet Child O’ Mine gave the track anthem status, while the cutting chords of Welcome To The Jungle had every child of the 80s nodding their heads to his playing – and he was just 21 years old.

Now, post Guns N’ Roses and two other bands, Slash is well and truly out on his own.

His first solo album was the self-titled release from 2010 and featured an impressive list of guest musicians and singers including Ozzy, Lemmy and Dave Grohl.

His latest release, Apocalyptic Love, is less about the famous faces and more about getting back to basics. Slash co-wrote the record with his lead vocalist Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge who’ll be belting out the tunes at The Olympia this weekend.

I hope the theatre’s walls are good and sturdy, cos they’re gonna get rocked. Oh, and bear in mind if you are heading to either of the concerts, @Slash tweeted after playing in Sofia at the beginning of February that the city had the loudest crowd ever. Dublin: that sounds like a challenge to me!

Slash will play the Olympia on March 2 and 3

Don’t look back in angora: Johnny Marr has crafted an assured debut solo release

REVIEW: a shimmering debut from the smiths guitarist

This charming man

WE have a r unning joke in the office about the number of bands I have seen over the years. It often involves me recounting the tours I saw certain bands on and how early in their careers I caught them.

It usually ends with our Production Editor saying she saw Pink Floyd and me leaving in a huff.

One band no one in Gazette Towers, not even I, can say we saw back in the day was The Smiths. Not for want of trying, however. I was an immense Smiths fan and still am. Their sense of humour and melody, charm and Mancunian drollery, were a salve to teenage ears, and have been a go-to ever since.

 ROB heigh rheigh@gazettegroup.com

Now, too many years later, the ubiquitous guitar hero of all those years ago and many since, Johnny Marr, has released his ‘official’ solo release, The Messenger (his release with The Healers in 2003 notwithstanding).

From the off, this is as close to a return to those glory, glory days as Johnny has been involved in since the acrimonious end of The Smiths in 1987.

He has been far from

idle since, playing with the aforementioned Healers, as well as being a member of The Pretenders, The The, Modest Mouse and The Cribs.

From the opening notes, there’s no doubt as to who is responsible for the music on offer.

The jangling guitar and tubthumping drums that open The Right Right Thing are trademark Marr, and the record continues in a similar vein on several of the tracks.

That’s far from detracting from what’s going on here - Marr and the peerless rythym section in The Smiths could rock like demons when the mood took them, and it’s no different here.

Lead track Upstarts is an

almost glam stomp full of bright fills and Lockdown is another kicking track.

The title track is another that harkens back to glory, utterly reminiscent of the kind of track that Marr produced with Bernard Sumner of New Order when the two collaborated as Electronic.

Bubbling under the surface on a number of the tracks is the ghost in the room, Stephen Patrick Morrissey. With Marr having been responsible for the always magnificent Smiths tunes that Morrissey crooned upon, there are a couple of songs on The Messenger when you utterly expect the singer of yore to appear through the mix.

Marr’s music, however, remains all his own, and is strong enough to carry a full album of well-crafted and catchy guitar songs with exactly the right combination of nostalgia and invention to make something new and unique.

With Johnny set to grace the Olympia stage at the end of March, there’s a lot of expectation ahead of his live shows, not least whether some of The Smiths oeuvre will appear in the setlist. Even without those songs, there is plenty going on in The Messenger to herald a great night of celebration of one of the most important and influential figures in music over the last 30 years.

28 February 2013 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 23

GAZETTE

STYLE I am starting a new job after being a stay-at-home mum for four years. I don’t want to wear a suit all the time so what sophisticated and stylish outfits can you recommend to mix and match?

Jane from Castleknock Caroline’s Advice: My advice would be to invest in a few versatile staples that you can mix and match for different outfits; my top items would be a good quality blazer, a pair of cigarette pants, a pencil skirt, a classic white blouse and some power stilettos – you can’t go wrong! Make your office attire stylish and versatile – most importantly make sure you feel comfortable in what you’re wearing A chic blazer is a wardrobe must-have – it will instantly add sophistication to your

look, even worn over dark skinny jeans (if your office is a bit more casual). A pair of tailored cigarette trousers gives a contemporary edge to the ‘trousers and shirt’ combo; team this with a sharp cut blazer and you will ooze confidence.

Boucle and tweed are both hot trends this season and also perfect for officewear. I love this South Tweed Biker Jacket, €62 which brings monochrome chic to a whole new level – perfect for jazzing up a plain pair of black pants. For a splash of pastel (also key for this season), try the South Tweed Pencil Dress, €50 which is incredibly elegant and super flattering.

 Star Question!

What item can really help change an outfit from daywear to nightwear, if I’m going out straight from work?

Marian from Swords Caroline’s Advice: Accessories are the easiest (and cheapest!) way to update any outfit to take you from the desk to dinner. Add a statement necklace, ditch your oversized, everyday handbag in favour of a stylish clutch and you’re good to go! Embellished or neon pieces are perfect for a real stand out look – like the Demi Neon Collar, €22 or the Audrey Cascade Disc Necklace, €27. Also, a chic jacket or blazer can go a long way in completely changing the look of an outfit, whether it’s layering over a black dress, jeans or office trousers. And my secret – a slick of red lippy works wonders too!

Style Q&A

Gazette Style and Littlewoods Ireland have teamed up to help readers with some style dilemmas

On the last Thursday of each month, Littlewoods Ireland Ambassador Caroline Morahan (left) or their resident stylist Tanya Grimson will answer your fashion queries through great tips and looks from their many collections. So if you are stuck in a fashion rut and need answers, then email style@gazettegroup.com with your question, name and location. The top questions will be chosen to feature on the page. The reader with the one question deemed the star question of the month will receive a €50 voucher for Littlewoods Ireland.

I love jeans but sometimes it’s hard to know what shoes I should wear with my boyfriend jeans or my skinny jeans – what kind of shoes work best for different jean styles this season?

Jo from Lucan Caroline’s Advice: Boyfriend jeans are great for some fashion downtime – I love them for popping out to the shop, running errands or just lounging at home. Given the slouch shape and loose leg of the jeans, they look best worn with trainers or pumps. These South Denim Trackpant Jeans, €32 are a modern twist on the classic boyfriend-look and look great worn with hightop or wedge trainers.

I know some people can be weary of wearing skinny jeans but ladies, these were made to show off your legs so embrace the skinny jean, don’t fear it!! Skinny jeans are a must have for any wardrobe and are ideal for wearing day or night – team with some cute pumps or tuck into boots during the day; at night, simply add a pair of stilettos or platform heels.

24 CLONDALKIN gazette 28 February 2013

Gazette

&ABOUT OUT road

MOTORS

NOISE

GoCar car sharing sign up SEAT for fleet GoCar, Ireland’s car sharing initiative, has announced a partnership with SEAT that will see five SEAT Mii joining the GoCar fleet in 2013. The Seat Mii will be available to GoCar members to rent on an hourly basis across Dublin.

The GoCar initiative works on a pay-per-trip basis that allows the user the freedom to access a vehicle as and when they need it.

GoCar chief executive Colm Brady commented: “The SEAT Mii is a fantastic addition to the GoCar fleet. It comes in as one of our city cars and will be a great option for GoCar members looking to get around the city. They have a very high spec and provide great performance and an enjoyable driving experience.”

GoCar has also announced the opening of six new GoBases in Dublin at Clontarf, Sandymount, Donnybrook, Harold’s Cross and Miltown (two).

The total number of GoBases in the capital now stands at 23 with a further five in Cork. Five of the new GoBases are located in Dublin City Council car parks which are located close to public transport links.

“All of the locations announced today are well serviced by public transport and cycle lanes which fits with our aim of establishing GoCar as a viable addition to existing public transport links. Ondemand access to vehicles will result in fewer vehicles being used on Irish roads and this will have a positive environmental impact in our major cities and towns. The SEAT Mii will not only provide a fun driving experience for our members but it also produces low CO2 emissions so is a perfect fit for GoCar,” continued Brady.

“As a brand, we are delighted to be behind the GoCar initiative, which is a clever alternative to car ownership very much in tune with modern living.

The Mii is the perfect car for this scheme as it is so easy to drive and it has the environmental credentials to suit the car sharing ethos,” said SEAT director Cian O’Brien.

For more information check out www.gocar.ie

At the launch are GoCar chief executive Colm Brady and SEAT director Cian O’Brien

The new Fluence is priced from €19,690 and comes with a five-year unlimited mileage warranty

renault: this car features numerous driver-aid technologies

Fluence flaunts bags of quality and style

n Cormac Curtis

For every successful roll of the motoring dice there are umpteen abysmal failures.

But when Renault released what they believed to be an ideal car for the Irish driver, they got the snake eyes they were looking for as soon as they brought the Fluence to the table.

This is a car that takes real-world driving and gives it the five-star treatment.

There is a particular route that I drive to get a feel for a car – and it’s not without its challenges; think poor road surface, badly-sequenced traffic lights, blind corners, hairpin bends, steep hillstarts and you’ll get the idea.

I often find it incredible at how some very finely-

tuned motors, geared for performance and ‘real’ driving, completely come apart at the seams on this route.

Take them on the motorway to Cork and you can find something special, but drive them to work and you’ll be shaken within an inch of your sanity.

Not so with the all-new Fluence.

Renault are on the money with this car, and what I consider the most successful aspect of it is its suspension.

Purists might call it soft or spongy, personally I found it like driving on a cloud – nothing short of perfection for Irish roads, and that’s what 99% of people want.

Believe me, I’ll chomp at the bit for something low, balanced, tuned to

perfection and positively bulging with excessive horsepower, but in the morning, I just want a comfortable car to drive.

And that’s what the Fluence offers.

The quality doesn’t stop there. The interior has enough style and build quality to satisfy the most discerning eye, with points of contact including the steering wheel and gearshift really adding to a sense of reassurance.

The leather seats in the model I test drove would give their GT-spec cousins a real run for their money, pure comfort, and very easy on the eye.

The cockpit has been given a modern makeover, without being too fussy, and the driver is treated to digital instrumentation.

The boot is still one of the biggest in its class easily fitting two sets of golf clubs.

New look Fluence features Renault’s new styling identity. Its front end has the vertically-set logo at the centre of a broad black strip picked out by chrome beading which provides the car with a dynamic stance. The LED daytime running lights and chrome/gloss black inserts also contribute to the newcomer’s modern appeal.

A choice of petrol or diesel engines, with automatic transmission, are available. All diesel engines, either manual or automatic have CO2 emissions below 120g, so belong to the lowest tax band as per today.

The Fluence has a raft of on-board, connected

technologies and innovations including numerous driver-aid technologies – Bluetooth compatible radio, six airbags and hands-free card with remote central locking standard all across the range, LED lights, rear parking sensors, cruise control, dual zone climate control and a brand new multimedia system available depending on trim level.

The new Fluence is priced from €19,690 and comes with a fiveyear unlimited mileage warranty and Renault Finance will offer finance packages from €199 per month with Renault ReFlex, a personal contract plan which provides Irish consumers with reassurance and flexibility when financing a new Renault.

28 February 2013 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 25

GAZETTE

TRAVEL GETAWAYS: GOOD VALUE ON EVENTS AND HOTELS NATIONWIDE

Time to plan your family Easter break

THE Easter holidays are around the corner, and that means that now is the time to start planning a short family break to keep the kids entertained when the schools are closed. There are many Easter-themed events happening around the country. But with so many choices, where should you go, and would there be plenty of activities to do there?

Luckily, help is at hand from travel expert website Hotels.com, which have put together some of the best value Easter events and hotel rates around the country.

In Wexford, the annual Easter egg hunt will take place at the Irish National Heritage Park in Ferrycarrig. Early booking is advised for this event, and it only costs €5 per child and is free for adults. Hotels.com recommend staying at the four star family-friendly Ferrycarrig Hotel, which

is located beside the park.

On Hotels.com, the family room was €197, but it is now €183.

In Cork, the Race Home for Easter festival in Mallow will take place for its third time, while various Easter entertainments will take place on the grounds of Mallow Castle. Hotels.com recommends staying at the four star Blarney Golf Resort, where prices start from €115 per self-catering lodge. These lodges are located close to Blarney Castle, Blarney Woolen Mills and the Blarney Stone.

In Clare, the Easter Bunny will make a special appearance on Easter Sunday at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. There will also be face painting, magic shows and bouncing castles on the day.

Tickets cost €5 and can be booked online. You can have a memorable meal at the medieval banquets in Bunratty

fast

TRAVEL NEWS

Save 30% with Hilton WorldWide

The Blarney Golf Resort in Cork and (inset) the Delphi Mountain Resort in Galway

and surrounding castles.

Hotels.com recommends staying at the three star Clare Inn Hotel at Dromoland, where prices start from €89 per family room per night.

In Galway, adventure seekers of all ages can visit the four star Delphi Mountain Resort, where

activities include surfing, hill walking and canoeing. If you prefer to relax, you can check out the spa and enjoy breathtaking mountain views from the thermal suite. Accommodation at the resort starts from €299 per family room per night.

All prices are based on

two adults and two children, and are subject to availability at the time of booking.

So, there are plenty of great and reasonable options for a fun-filled stay-cation this Easter.

All you have to do is pick which trip would suit your family the most.

A TOTAL of 6,325,800 overseas trips were made

by Irish residents in 2012. This is an overall increase of 0.5% on 2011.

According to the CSO, outbound travel peaked during the period of October – December 2012, when the total number rose by 3.8% to 1,360,400.

With this in mind, Hilton HHonors, the guestloyalty programme for Hilton Worldwide, has launched the Dream Resorts Promotion, which allows holidaymakers to save up to 30% on bed and breakfast room rates this year.

Hilton HHonors members can enjoy up to a 30% discount by booking 30 days ahead to selected properties until May 14, for stays between March 14 and December 31, 2013, while also earning Hilton HHonors points. This offer is subject to availability.

Among the promotion is a seven-night stay from May 18 to 25 to Conrad Algarve in Portugal, which offers a promotion rate of €247 per night for a King Deluxe Room. This includes breakfast and taxes, and works out to make a total saving of €743.40.

For more information on the Dream Resorts Promotion, log on to www.Hhonors.com/ dreamresorts.

Summer deals with Thomas Cook

Hotels should be a little like home

Shelbourne Hotel spa package a real treat

SPRING forward and book a holiday before the summer, with the latest offers from Thomas Cook Ireland.

Depart from Dublin and enjoy these seven-night breaks.

Enjoy the sunshine in Gran Canaria, departing on March 2, from €498 per person, by staying at the two-star, self-catering Castillo del Sol in Puerto Rico.

Holiday in Lanzarote, departing on March 3, from €607 per person, by staying at the threestar, self-catering Club Siroco Apartments in Costa Teguise.

Explore Egypt, departing on March 7, from €499 per person,

LATEST research by travel experts Hotels.com has found that global travellers seek a home-from-home experience when they stay in a hotel.

As well as free food and beverages, the must-have amenity on their list is free Wi-Fi, with 66% saying that they wish this would become standard at all hotels in 2013.

Free Wi-Fi topped the need for free parking and complimentary breakfast. Over a third of those surveyed seek to stay connected online whilst on holidays, which shows that internet access is a necessity for modern-day travel-

TREAT yourself to unwind and relax after a hard week with the luxurious Sunday night spa package at The Shelbourne Hotel, the five-star hotel at St Stephen’s Green.

Stay here on Sunday night, and enjoy one night’s bed and breakfast in a deluxe room, with dinner in the glamorous AA Rosette Saddle Room Restaurant. On top of this, enjoy a one- hour Elemis spa treatment of your choice per person at the spa. Your stay will also include full use of the spa’s swimming pool, sauna, steam room and gym.

Spa treatments must be booked when reserving the bedroom. This offer costs €190 per person and is available until June 30, 2013.

For more information, call The Shelbourne Hotel on 01 6634500 or visit www.TheShelbourne.ie

by staying in the three-star Corners Palmyra in Nabq Bay. For bookings, call 01 514 0328, log on to www.thomascook.ie or visit your local travel agent.

Or if you feel like exploring the sea, enjoy a seven-night Western Mediterranean Cruise (Liberty of the Seas) from €1,039 per person, departing May 26 with Thomas Cook Cruise. Ports of call include Barcelona in Spain, Toulon and Nice in France, Florence, Civitavecchia and Capri in Italy. For bookings, call 01 514 0336, log on to www.thomascookcruise.ie, or visit your nearest travel agent.

lers.

“With an increase in airlines and airports offering free Wi-Fi, tech-savvy travellers expect the experience to continue upon arrival at their hotel,” said Kate Hopcraft, senior PR manager at Hotels.com. “They are using their tablets, smart phones and laptops to plan activities, stay connected to family and even order a delivery meal straight to their hotel room, so it’s no surprise they require free and fast Wi-Fi.” The survey was conducted in January on over 8,600 participants across 28 countries.

26 clondalkin gazette 28 February 2013

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CPLN Area Partnership on behalf of Jigsaw Clondalkin (charitable organisation) are applying for planning permission for change of use of a single storey building adjoining Neilstown Church from parochial house and parish office to a centre providing therapuetic support to young people, including car parking, signage and all associated services at Neilstown, Dublin 22.

This application may be inspected or purchased, at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of South Dublin County Council during its public opening hours of 9am4pm Monday-Friday, and a submission or observation may be made to South Dublin County Council in writing and on payment of the prescribed fee (20 euro) within a period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by South Dublin County Council of the application. Larry O Neill A/ CEO CPLNArea Partnership.

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planning Notice South Dublin County Council We, Board of Management of Scoil Ă?de Presentation Primary School, are applying for Planning Permission for single storey extension comprising office accommodation to the rear of existing building (replacing existing prefab) and associated site works at New Road, Clondalkin, Dublin 22. This application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of South Dublin County Council during its public opening hours of 9am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4pm, MonFri, and a submission or observation may be made to South Dublin County Council in writing and on payment of the prescribed fee (â&#x201A;Ź20.00) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt

by South Dublin County Council of the application.

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28 February 2013 CLONDALKIN Gazette 27

asdfsdafP30 P27 Football

dublinsport Let the Gazette keep you up to date with all the best local sporting action from around the city as we cover all the stories that matter to you and your community



Gazette

dublin gazette awards P28

FastSport Run FOR a cause and for paws:

The new Dublin City Council/Leinster Rugby team training session took place recently with 33 Under-15 players from all round the city converging at Clontarf RFC grounds

programme: Dublin City Council/Leinster Rugby team tap into talent

Training sessions begin for aspiring U-15 rugby players  peter carroll sport@gazettegroup.com

The first-ever training session of the new Dublin City Council/Leinster Rugby team took place recently with 33 Under-15 players from all round the city converging at the Clontarf RFC training grounds.

Players from schools, community groups and enthusiasts of the game joined together to train with Leinster coaching staff to develop the core rugby skills of kicking, catching, passing and

tackling.

Leinster rugby’s community officer for the Dublin City Council area Jack Hanratty said: “This program has started for many reasons, one being to give players from non-rugby playing areas a chance to play the sport.

“Another reason was to give players the opportunity to play for the Metro team area as a part of the Leinster player development pathway.”

This program, after its successful launch, will continue toward its end goal of playing a match the week of the

European cup final, Saturday, May 18.

“We worked on some core skills and a little bit of teamwork. We were delighted with the phenomenal turnout, it really showed us that the project was needed.

“The aspiring players that turned out were from the areas that we wanted to tap into that didn’t really have any clubs in their location – inner city Dublin, the Liberties and north Dublin.

“They absolutely loved it and they’re very enthusiastic about learning the sport and working as a team.

“We have 10 weeks to turn them into a team for the weekend of the Heineken Cup final, and with the attitude that they displayed, it’s definitely possible.

“There is just so much untapped talent in these areas and eventually we want to serve them all as a Dublin team from ages six and up to play in the metro league.

“It was the first time I’ve been at a training session and everyone that was involved put their hands in the middle and shouted ‘Dublin’ at the end and it sounded pretty good,” said Hanratty.

Women runners across the capital are being called upon to register for this year’s Flora Women’s MiniMarathon which will take place on June 3, at the slightly earlier start time of 2pm.

Registration is now open on www. florawomensminimar athon.ie, and this year, Dogs Trust are looking for athletes of all abilities to sign up and support their cause.

When you receive your registration number, email your name, address, contact details and t-shirt size to minimarathon@dogstrust. ie and Dogs Trust will pop your sponsorship pack in the post for you.

For more information, please call (01) 879 1824 or email minimarathon@dogstrust.ie.

c o n ta c t s Acting Sports Editor: Stephen Findlater sfindlater@gazettegroup.com

For more information or to send in news and photos: sport@gazettegroup.com Phone: 01 651 6205

Gazette

28 CLONDALKIN Gazette 28 February 2013

SPORT Sports Stars

Phoenix’s John Brophy

Swords woman Catherine Walsh

DSDAC’S Ava Hutchinson

St Joseph’s Boys Dan Casey

Blackrock man Leo Cullen

Ballinteer badminton star Scott Evans

Peamount’s queen of the ring, Katie Taylor Garda cycling club’s Caroline Ryan

Finn Lynch

Coolmine’s Phil Lavery

Tennis player Lesley O’Halloran

Shining bright

O

LYMPIC and Paralympic year saw local sports stars push themselves beyond perceived limits in pursuit of reaching the pinnacle of their respective sports, some taking home the ultimate prize, others obliterating their personal bests. Beyond the Games, though, there was no shortage of achieve-

ment, with award winners honoured for their world championship success in tennis, sailing and cycling, European swimming, badminton and rugby pursuits while others have flown the Irish flag on the soccer field, making for a wonderfully diverse set of Sports Stars.

ALSAA’s Barry Murphy

28 February 2013 CLONDALKIN Gazette 29

Gazette

30 CLONDALKIN gazette 28 February 2013

SPORT

FastSport

Tough task for Lucan United’s U-18s for their semi-final game After coming off a huge win 4-0 against Collinstown in the quarter-finals of the Subsidiary Cup, Lucan United’s U-18 girls face a tough task in the semi-final where they will face the winner of Ratoath and Dunboyne in their all-Meath quarter-final.

However, getting into the last four of this competition is no mean feat, considering the side have only been brought together this year, and assistant manager Richie Farrell has seen great growth in the team.

“We’ve seen the girls come on a whole lot in a short space of time,” said Farrell. “The Collinstown result was fantastic, it’s never easy to beat a team 4-0, especially with four different goal scorers on the day – Aisling Corrigan, Michelle Bramwell, Stephanie Harmon and Laura Archibald.

“I’m sure the team will take a lot of confidence from the performance and hopefully it can inspire us to a big result when we get around to playing the semi-final.”

The United team have had a tough season in the league and for that reason there has been an extra focus on succeeding in the Cup. However, having played both Ratoath and Dunboyne before and losing to both, the semifinal will mark a big challenge for the team. A win in the semi-final would mean not only a place in the final of the tournament, but would also show how far the fledgling team has come.

Farrell sounded a note of caution with the benefit of hindsight: “Both Ratoath and Dunboyne are brilliant teams, the two sides have claimed wins against us, Ratoath beat us 3-1 and Dunboyne gave us a bit of hammering when we played, they won 6-1.

“We know that it’s going to be tough, but as far as these knockout competitions are concerned, anything can happen.

“We’re very happy with how far we’ve come so far and with a team that has only come together this year and some girls having never played competitively before, it really is a huge credit to them,” said Farrell.

Rugby: dwyer penalty secures league crown

The triumphant NUIM Barnhall U-21 side that secured the JP Flanagan Group 2 league title at Greystones last week

Blue Sunday for Barnhall JP Flanagan group 2 Greystones NUIM Barnhall  sport@gazettegroup.com

12 13

NUIM Barnhall’s U-21s secured the JP Flanagan Group 2 league title on Sunday, February 17 after a Stephen Dwyer penalty sailed over the bar at the home Greystones RFC to give the Blue Bulls the win by a single point, 13-12.

Trailing 10-12 going into the closing stages, the Maynooth side fought phase after phase to get the game back on their terms. Eventually their hard-headedness paid off

when they won a penalty inside the Greystones 22, after the young Bulls pushed their opponents all the way back into their own half.

It was the home team that held the momentum early on after they managed to touch down over the visitors’ line. Greystones converted the try to take the 7-0 lead leaving it all for the Bulls to do.

The young Barnhall side reacted well to going behind in the early stages and they managed to push the home side all the way back into their 22 before they won a penalty,

Awards night Dublin ladies let their hair down before season Round tower’s footballer Marie Kavan-

agh, third from left, is pictured alongside, from left, Orla Colreavy (Naomh Mearnog), Martina Farrell(Ballyboden St Enda’s) and Cliodhna O’Connor (Naomh Mearnog) at the O’Neills Dublin Ladies Gaelic Football Awards Evening 2012, which took place in Croke Park last weekend.

All are members of the Dublin senior panel.

Picture: GAAPics.com

allowing fly half Dwyer to step up and take his first penalty of the day to bring the deficit back to four points, 7-3.

The game erupted after Dwyer’s strike and the young Bulls found a new lease of life with Greystones having to be careful to close any gaps in their lines as the Blues constantly probed for openings, with the crowd gasping and cheering with each pass, feint and tackle.

The Greystones tackle count grew higher and higher as the Maynooth backs threw themselves into the fray. Eventually

the home team managed to turn it around but the Bulls showed they were every bit equal to the south Dublin assault.

They battened down the hatches as the opposition tried to take the momentum back from the Parsonstown team.

It wasn’t until the second half that Barnhall managed to take the lead after chasing the game for the whole first half.

Inside centre Matt Melliote was the man to get his side back in front after the Blue eventually managed to find the gap in the Greystones lines, giving the Maynooth men a

one point lead, 8-7, before Dwyer slotted the conversion over the bar for another two points, 10-7.

Again, the young Bulls defended diligently but Greystones managed to get another try before the heroics of Dwyer won the title for Barnhall.

However, the south Dublin men couldn’t convert their try, and missed out on the extras that could have won the game for them.

The season isn’t finished yet for the U-21s despite winning the title; they take on Old Wesley on Sunday, March 3 in Donnybrook at 3pm.

28 February 2013 CLONDALKIN gazette 31

Gazette

Gilheaney ratified as Dublin ladies interim manager  sport@gazettegroup.com

Dublin’s lone All Star for 2012, Foxrock Cabineteely’s Sinead Goldrick will be receiving orders from the sideline from Paul Gilheaney for the remainder of the 2013 season, after the St Vincent’s man was ratified as interim manager of the Dublin ladies sen-

ior side last week.

A well-known name in the ladies section, Gilheaney was part of the backroom staff for the All-Ireland minor winning Dublin team in 2008, the All-Ireland senior finalists in 2009 and the All-Ireland senior championships winners in 2010.

The ladies manager

has also been involved with the Dublin men’s U -17 d e v e l o p m e n t squad, making him a likely candidate for the Dublin minor job in the future.

Gilheaney has brought through a host of minor talent into the senior fold during this year’s league campaign and the side look to be

gelling well with the younger members of the panel showing their worth by filling in for an injury list of seasoned inter county players.

T he side recently handed Laois, managed by former Dublin U-21 Tom McKittrick, their sole loss of the season in the National Football League Division One.

Club Noticeboard Round Tower’s THE senior footballers defeated Skerries Harps and the intermediates defeated Kilmacud Crokes in the league.

Membership is now overdue. Renewal forms are available on the club website or in reception in the clubrooms.

Closing date for receipt of entries for Sports Predictor 2013 is fast approaching.

afl 2: clondalkin see off harps in season opener

All completed forms (and entrance fees) to be received by February 28.

or email info@roundtower.ie A race night will take place on Friday, March 15 in Harold’s Cross.

Tickets are €10 and include transport, entry, prize draw and music back in club afterwards.

Contact Pat Lawless 087 9860 883 or behind the bar.

Entry is open for Flora Women’s Mini Marathon on Monday, June 3.

Anyone interested please contact Jessica O’Malley at 087 280 6273.

Lotto results for February 18: num-

RT Golf Society fixtures for the year

bers drawn were 6, 13, 21 and 25; the

are now up on the website. First outing

bonus ball was 12.

is in Palmerstown House on Saturday,

There was no winner of the jackpot of €10,000.

March 23. Anyone interested should contact Cubby Murphy 087 920 9335

Congratulations to Tom Doyle, Bar-

The clubrooms are available for

bara O’Flaherty and Brian Bassett

rental for parties, anniversaries,

who were the three €100 winners.

etc.

Match three plus the bonus ball: no winner. This week’s jackpot will be €10,000.

Please contact Jimmy behind the bar or on (01) 459 2960.

The club shop is open every Mon-

Pick your lotto team leader and help

day night from 7.30-8.30pm. Please

them become the top Friday night

call Betty Ward or Catherine Moran

seller.

direct if you have any particular

One hour once every seven weeks is all it takes.

If you are able to help please contact Matt McCormack on 087 683 6737

enquiries on 087 675 2238 or 086 830 3207 respectively.

Bingo is on every Tuesday night, first call 8.30pm.

St Pat’s palmerstown Round Tower’s fought their way to a win at home last weekend, starting their league campaign perfectly

Tower’s rise over Skerries Harps

Afl 2

Round Tower 0-11 Skerries Harps 0-9  sport@gazettegroup.com

ROUND Towers opened their 2012 league account with a narrow loss when they travelled to north county Dublin to play Skerries Harps last year, but it was a reversal of fortunes for both sides opening AFL2 fixture last weekend, with Tower taking the two points.

Harps were a point ahead within two minutes when former Dublin U-21 footballer Colin Daly fielded a high ball to kick the opening score.

A Ciaran Corrigan free from the right side levelled for Tower’s four minutes later but Daly pointed again for Harps, as the movement of their forwards caused problems for the home side.

Corrigan again restored parity from a free after a move involving Jason Joyce, Jason Phillips and Barry Gallagher resulted in the latter being fouled.

Daly then pointed again to leave Skerries two ahead but Tower’s began winning breaking ball around midfield and were efficient with their return in front of the posts.

G a l l a g h e r wo n a

scrappy ball and after an interchange with Simon McGuinness, Ian Ward kicked from distance to reduce the deficit to a point.

From the resulting kick out half-back Brian Costello kicked a long-range score and Jason Joyce then scored his first, with Gallagher again providing an assist. Derek Murray then pointed to see the home side turn around a two point deficit to go in at the interval 6-4 up.

Former Dublin minor and U-21 footballer Donnacha O’Reilly quickly opened the scoring for Skerries in the second

half but Towers responded when Phillips was fouled and Corrigan converted.

Ian Ward dispossessed to find Gallagher, whose pass to Corrigan was pointed and Gallagher edged Towers further ahead from distance, following good work from Eoin Young in defence and Joyce in the half forwards.

A quick free from Joyce found Ward in space to point and Tower’s now had a five point lead, but the visitors responded strongly and kicked three unanswered points to leave just two in it when the final whistle blew.

THE senior footballers started their

drew with Vincent’s. U-14 football-

league with a well fought victory over

ers were unlucky against Kilmacud

Peregrine’s.

Croke’s while the U-15 footballers

The U-13 camogie team also started their league with a stunning 12-0 win over Kilcoole this weekend. Goals from Ellie, Ellen, Sadbh, Aoife and Jessica.

All the girls put in a fantastic performance in the freezing conditions. Well done to everyone, keep up the great work. U16 footballers

had a great win against Kilmacud Croke’s.

Congratulations to last week’s second place lotto winners Niamh Burke (Seller Danny Burke) on their €6,600.

Apologies for the misprint in last week’s club notes.

Lucan sarsfield’s MEMBERSHIP is now due and can be

Grimes, Michelle Kelly, Emma Flanagan,

paid online through our website www.

Emer Keenan and Joeleen Horey all

lucansarsfields.ie or at the clubhouse

played in the league match v Armagh,

bar.

and finally Ailise Dowling, Rachel Kenny

There will be a strict no pay no play policy in place this year.

Tickets for the upcoming 12th Lock Fight Night can now be purchased at the clubhouse bar.

and Amber O’Connor all played for the Dublin minor team in the All-Ireland minor B championship v Offaly on Saturday.

Our first FIFA 13 tournament was a

Congratulations to Lucan camogie

great success and we will have our

players Kate Whyte and Claire Rigney

next one this Sunday, March 3 in the

who made their senior inter-county

clubhouse from 3pm to 7pm.You can

debuts for Dublin when they played in

register by emailing 12thlockfight-

the National League Division 1 match

night@gmail.com or on the day.

v Clare in SixMileBridge on Sunday. Ali

Our 5km fun run takes place on

Twomey and Marie Moynihan also lined

Sunday, March 3 at 11am in Lucan

out for Dublin in the game.

Demesne.

Lucan were also represented on the Dublin Division 3 team where Siobhan

To register, text 5k and your name to 086 369 1985.

GazetteSPORT all of your clondalkin sports coverage from page 27-31

Flying Start: A new season gets under way and finds Round Tower’s AFL 2 side on winning form P31

february 28, 2013

sport star celebrations: Fourth annual Dublin Sports Awards to rock the Red Cow P28

Katie Taylor hails the crowd in the Bord Gais Energy Theatre after seeing off two-weight German national champion Maike Kleuners

Ecstasy and agony Taylor’s comeback is a show of her class as she sees off two opponents, but Kenny Egan retires after losing the national final to Joe Ward

 Peter carroll

sport@gazettegroup.com

KATIE Taylor made her first appearance since her London 2012 outing this weekend, delighting packed crowds by winning two bouts in three days, as one of national sports greatest ambassadors, Kenny Egan, hung up his gloves after a third successive loss to Joe Ward in the national elite finals.

Taylor first took on Poland’s Karolina Grazcyk on Friday night in an exhibition at the national elite finals.

It was the third time the former Peamount United player took on the Polish national champion and the Olympic gold medallist

looked like she had her well figured out, taking a 28-5 decision in a one-sided victory that saw Grazcyk receiving two standing counts.

The Irish golden girl was back in action on Sunday night as part of her Road to Rio campaign at the Bord Gais Theatre. In another fantastic display, Taylor dismantled highly ranked German Maike Kleuners who was given a standing eight count in the second round en route to a one sided decision after four rounds.

Despite Taylor looking as fit and effective in the ring, her victory at the national finals was some-what over-shadowed by the retirement of 2008 Beijing Games silver medallist Kenny Egan.

One of the most decorated Irish boxers of all time with 10 national titles, Egan had been trying to reach a record-breaking 11th title for the last few years but continuously found himself running into the powerful left hook of dominant European champion, 19-year-old light heavyweight Joe Ward.

Ward’s raw, pressure-based style was the foil for Egan’s record-breaking attempt at the national finals on Friday night as he saw off the Neilstown Boxing Club legend decisively, 25-5.

At 31, Egan hung up his gloves and received a standing ovation from the jam-packed Dublin crowd. His opponent praised the career of the Olympian, claiming he was a “fantastic

ambassador for Ireland.”

Egan retired in the ring following his 13th national final and said the following: “I had it in my head, win or lose I was going to retire, but I didn’t say it to anyone. It’s been a long road, I’m not getting any younger.

“It’s been an amazing career. Now I’m going to start something else and I’m sure it will be just as good. I’m 24 years at it, that’s a long time — I remember my first fight like it was yesterday, in Darndale, and I won it by the way!

“The travelling, the people I’ve met, the friends I’ve made — this day was always going to come but I thought tonight would be fitting for it,” he said.