Dun Laoghaire

Laoghaire GAZET TE FREE

New direction for former Republic of Loose members MUSIC: P14 RECYCLE THIS COPY. KEEP DUBLIN TIDY.

YOUR COMMUNITY • YOUR PAPER

INSIDE: Cocktails and comedy in Plaza Suite at the Pavilion Page 4

July 14, 2011

TOWERING EXHIBITION: Martello landmarks’ history a hit with locals P3

Pinktastic pair: Dressed up for a fun fundraiser CATHERINE Barry and Inez

Hurling: Cuala hold off their promotion deciding tie Page 32

Omeara were definitely dressed to impress at a fundraising day their school staged earlier this year in aid of the Marie Keating Foundation. The girls, and classmates, wore pink-themed clothes and outfits for the event.

Our gallery on this event is just one of a number of local Dun Laoghaire galleries available online at Gazettephotos.com.

Log on to see these, and other local events, at our photo website.

See galleries on Pages 8-9

Sailing: 2011 Regatta proves a massive success Page 30

ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES ................. 8-9 MOTORS ........................18 BUSINESS .................... 21 TRAVEL......................... 22 ENTERTAINMENT ........ 24 CLASSIFIEDS ............... 26

Public liabilities bill soars past €6.44m DLRCC’s total cost of three-year period revealed

Q DAWN LOVE, PAUL

HOSFORD and LAURA WEBB

ALMOST €6.5 million was paid out in the last three years

by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in public liability claims.

Figures obtained by The Gazette reveal that, from 2008

until 2010, the council paid out approximately €6,440,138 in claim payments.

In 2008, €2,079,494 was paid out in claims. Between 2009 and 2010, there was a massive drop in payments, with the figures falling from €2,678,946 to €1,681,698.

The figures are significantly

higher than those paid out by Fingal County Council during the same period, which show that, between 2008 and 2010, Fingal paid out €4.1 million, while South Dublin County Council paid out €5.9 million in respect of public liability figures.

Full Story on Page 4

2 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 14 July 2011

COUNCIL Additional information on DLR County Council councillors’ expenses LAST week, The Gazette published details of expenses and payments made to Councillors in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown during 2010. Several names on a second sheet detailing the payments made were mistakenly omitted. The Gazette Group is happy to publish the additional names in this week’s publication.

Richmond Neale Leas Chathaoirleach June ’10 - July ’11 (Paid from 14th June - 31st Dec 2010)

Saul Barry Smyth Carrie Ward Barry

Total Mobile Phone Bill for 2010 per Councillor

Amount of Mobile Phone Bill paid by Council for 2010

Balance of Phone Bill paid

by Councillor for 2010

Travel & Subsistence for attendance at Meetings for 2010 - as per Circular LG 33/06

Salary 2010 (Gross Amount) - as per Circular LG 26/09

Cathaoirleach/Leas Cathaoirleach & County Development Board Chair 2010 (Gross Amount)

Travel & Subsistence for Conferences for 2010 as per Circular LG 33/06 and LG 02/10

Conference Fees - as per Circular LG 02/10

Education & Training Allowance

Broadband Expenses (Allowed up to a max of €29.99 per month)

TOTAL AMOUNT PAID TO COUNCILLOR 2010

€509.30 €305.36 €298.38 €1,317.23

€254.68 €152.69 €149.10 €517.42

€254.62 €152.67 €149.28 €799.81

€6,119.48 €6,298.20 €6,356.63 €6,428.27

€16,724.04 €16,724.04 €16,724.04 €16,724.04

€3,994.76 -

€0.00 €2,785.52 €545.13 €0.00

€0.00 €1,659.00 €400.00 €0.00

€10,085.00

€0.00 €0.00 €359.88 €264.00

€27,092.96 €27,619.45 €24,534.78 €34,018.73

(Cllr's broadband bills are €22 per month) (Masters in Economic Policy Studies)

ANIMATION: LOOKING FOR EMERGING TALENTS

A piece by Blackrock sculptor, Annika Berglund

Helping to shape a new arts festival Q DAWN LOVE

BLACKROCK ceramacist and sculptor, Annika Berglund, has been selected to create the award trophies for Blackrock’s first animation festival, which will be held this August.

A former student of Dun Laoghaire Institute of Design and Technology (IADT), she has also recently completed a degree in Craft Design (Honours), in the National College of Art and Design, graduating with First Class Honours.

Her work can be found in the collections of the NUI, the Craft Council of Ireland, Microsoft Ireland and the Millcove Gallery Sculpture Garden.

Berglund told The Gazette she was thrilled to be chosen to create the trophies.

“I first heard about the launch of the ILoveBlackrock.ie website on local and national radio recently and I am delighted to have been chosen

to work with Blackrock Business Network for their animation festival.

“My work mainly revolves around explorations of the possibilities and limitations of ceramics as a medium.

“The awards trophies I will be working on will incorporate three strands – business, arts and community, which underlines the aims and achievements of Blackrock Business Network,” she said.

A Blackrock business community initiative, the purpose of the inaugural animation festival and competition is to encourage emerging and existing talents in animation and storytelling, both in Ireland and abroad.

Organised by the Blackrock Business Network, and supported by IADT, the festival will include screenings and award presentations for winning entries. Blackrock Animation Festival events will take place on Saturday, August 27.

Cheque it out: Celebrating a reopening with €2,000 donation to Maritime Museum FOLLOWING its recent extensive refurbishment, Tesco Bloomfields reopened on Monday, June 20, and to celebrate its new look, the store donated €2,000 to the National Maritime Museum of Ireland.

Pictured presenting the cheque is Suzanne Murphy, from Tesco Bloomfields, with John Moore, vicepresident, along with colleagues Michael O’Flaherty, Helena Kelly and Ray Traynor, from the museum.

COUNCIL: CLLR RICHMOND PRAISES RENT-TO-BUY HOUSING PLAN

Welcome for DLRCC’s latest housing scheme Q DAWN LOVE dunlaoghaire@gazettegroup.com

PLANS by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (DLRCC) to roll-out a pilot Rent-to -Buy scheme across the county have been welcomed

by Fine Gael councillor, Neale Richmond.

Speaking to The Gazette, Cllr Richmond said that due to the collapse of the property market, there has been a major decline in the numbers entering the A ffordable Housing

scheme.

“In order to address this fall-off, a new Rentto-Buy scheme will be made available to Affordable Housing applicants for houses in two developments in Stepaside, at Belarmine (27 units) and The Belfry (7 units),” he said.

“Applicants will be able to lease the units for a period of three years at a fixed rent.

“The unit may be purchased at any time during the three-year period at a price which is 15% below current market

value, while 80% of the rent paid will be offset against the cost of the unit.

“Purchasers may avail of the council’s house purchase loan, or private finance, to purchase the unit,” said Cllr Richmond.

“The criteria for consideration under the scheme are the same as for the council’s Affordable Scheme.

“Generally, applicants must be in fulltime employment and be first-time buyers, although certain exemp-

tions apply.

“The income limit for a single person would be generally under €50,000, and under €70,000 for two people in the previous tax year.

“They must be in a position to obtain loan approval for the affordable sale price.

“If this scheme is successful, consideration will be given to including other units in the scheme,” he said.

“This will be a very attractive option for affordable purchasers who now find it impos-

sible to obtain mortgage approval, due to the level of deposit required.

“Following the successful trial of this model in Dublin City Council, the Rent-to-Buy option could pave the way for a new form of Affordable Housing,” said Cllr Richmond.

“The council has also decided to transfer 29 units at The Belfry, Belarmine, K ingston Hall and Beacon South Quarter for lease under the Rental Accommodation Scheme, for a period of five years,” he said.

14 July 2011 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 3

LAUNCH Insights, history of the Martello Towers

A towering exhibition a must-see Q DAWN LOVE

A LARGE crowd gathered in County Hall, Dun Laoghaire for the opening of the Martello Towers of Dublin Exhibition last week. Launched as part of Dun LaoghaireRathdown County Council’s Summer of Heritage 2011 programme, the exhibition is the first of its kind to be held.

Familiar landmarks

Speaking at the event, An Cathaoirleach Cllr John Bailey, said the Martello Towers were familiar landmarks but many knew little about their origins and why they were constructed.

“We might walk past one as part of our daily life, we may go past one on the DART, we might even swim beside one in Seapoint or Sandycove.

“They are buildings that are very much part of our daily lives and very much part of the landscape of the city. But how much do we actually know about them? I think, for many, if not all

of us, the answer is probably very little.”

The exhibition gives the history of each tower, shows how they worked as a military unit, where all the original ones were (not many people know that there was one in the People’s Park, another

is just one component of dlr’s Summer of Heritage.

Others include visits to the Seapoint Martello Tower, Deansgrange Cemetery, Carrickbrennan Cemetery, Marlay House, Cabinteely House, the Stillorgan Obelisk

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

‘They are buildings that are very much part of our daily lives and very much part of the landscape of the city. But how much do we actually know about them? I think, for many, if not all of us, the answer is probably very little’

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

An Cathaoirleach, Cllr John Bailey ---------------------------------------------------------

at the end of Crofton Road, one at the bottom of Quinn’s road in Shankill).

The exhibition also gives insights into the huge efforts that some owners have made to make their Martello Towers useful in the 21st century.

This Martello Towers of Dublin exhibition runs until the end of August. It

and tours of the Metals and the Seafront Memorials in Dun Laoghaire.

All events are free. See www.dlrevents.ie or tel: 01-254-2684 The Martello Towers of Dublin exhibition is a joint production between Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Fingal County Council and the Heritage Council.

An Cathaoirleach John Bailley, with Heritage Officer Tim Carey at the launch

W

Best of BMW: Taking the top down on the BMW 118d

Phil Lowry, Rose O’Connor and Josephine O’Keeffe, Summer of Heritage Guides

MOTORING PAGE 18

4 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 14 July 2011

PLANNING: SUBMISSION QUERIES PROPOSALS

THEATRE Actor talks about his comic role

Master Plan for harbour is ‘flawed’ – Feighery Q DAWN LOVE dunlaoghaire@gazettegroup.com

THE development of 300 private residential units in Dun Laoghaire Harbour would represent the privatisation of public open space, former Green councillor Gene Feighery claimed this week.

Feighery made the comment as part of her submission to the team behind the new Master Plan for the harbour.

She said the route to promoting Dun Laoghaire’s prosperity lay in preserving its heritage and uniqueness, adding that the Harbour Board should seek to designate the harbour as a national monument, and/or to seek national funding to maintain and promote it as a national amenity.

“Dun Laoghaire has a unique, natural and built heritage. The care of our environment and sensitive planning are key elements to securing genuine long-term quality of life, and protecting our heritage will secure Dun Laoghaire’s prosperity,” she said.

In her submission, the former councillor raises further concerns over the building of the 300 residential units, saying: “Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company anticipates a phased approach to the Master Plan over 20 years, beginning with the large commercial and private residential development of 300 apartments.

“Each phase of the development is inter-

dependent on the financial success of the previous phase for its completion.”

Feighery adds that, in the current Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Development Plan (CDP), the quantum of zoned residential land within the county has development potential for a total of 42,419 residential units.

She says that, given the current statistics provided in the CDP, and the downturn in the current economic climate, “the --------------------------

‘The basis for anticipating future viability of the various phases of the Master Plan ... is flawed’

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

Gene Feighery

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

basis for anticipating future viability of the various phases of the Master Plan, based on the commercial and financial success of the initial residential development phase, is flawed.”

Meanwhile, on the planned Diaspora Centre, Feighery says it “relies extensively on European funding”, and “ignores the proximity of a previously approved proposal for the town of Dun Laoghaire in the form of a new library and cultural centre, [located] within metres of the Diaspora Centre”.

A familiar face to many as Anne Boleyn’s father in The Tudors, Nick Dunning has a hilarious new role in Plaza Suite (right) at The Pavilion

PEOPLE: ACTOR’S EASE WITH SERIOUS DRAMA AND HIGH COMEDY

Dunning’s ready for a towering performance Q HIROMI MOONEY dunlaoghire@gazettegroup.com

HE IS probably bestknown for his role as the manipulative father of the ill-fated English queen, Anne Boleyn, in the hit TV series, The Tudors, but this July, Nick Dunning will take centre-stage at the Pavilion Theatre in the Pulitzer Prize-winning show, Plaza Suite.

Dunning won’t have far to travel when he stars in the show, considering his home town of Dalkey, where he lives with his wife and two daughters, is just down the road.

The play, which is being performed by the Rough Magic Theatre Company, is running until July 30.

It’s a hectic time for Dunning, who has just wrapped up filming on the eagerly-awaited Pathe film, The Iron

Lady, which stars Meryl Streep as former British prime minister, Margaret Thatcher.

Streep is just one of a host of big names that Dunning has performed with, Johnathan Rhys Meyers being another.

“He’s a lovely little fella, a great bloke,” he says. “We got on really, really well; he’s a total professional, absolutely great.”

Equally at home on the silver screen and stage, he says the two are very different. “It’s all about the intensity and the level of the intensity, I think.

“In the camera you really want to try and keep the ‘whole’; it’s almost as if your face is the stage, if you know what I mean, and what you’re doing is, you have the whole story going on inside of you, whereas in

theatre, you kind of let it out a bit more.

“Obviously, you’ve got volume levels as well, and things like that. You have microphones in film and television, so that can make you speak much quieter and more intensely.”

On his co-star in The Tudors, Rhys Meyers, he says simply that it was fantastic to work with him.

“He’s a great bloke. We got on really, really well.”

Plaza Suite Plaza Suite is set in Suite 719 of New York City’s famous Plaza Hotel, and tells three different stories, about three different couples.

The three acts are directed by three young theatre directors, who are graduates of Rough Magic’s SEEDS programme, which seeks out, encourages, develops and stages the work of young theatrical talent.

Dunning appears in the third act, directed

by Matt Torney, and acts with Eleanor Methven as a distraught couple that face their daughter’s wedding jitters.

They had two weeks to rehearse the show, and

have just finished performing it in the National Concert Hall for two weeks.

“It’s the day of his daughter’s wedding, and he turns up to get her, to take her downstairs to get her married, because the boy’s waiting downstairs,” says Dunning.

“But she has locked herself in the bathroom, and she’s not coming out. It’s just very, very funny. It’s the only play I think in my whole life I’ve ever read, where four or five times after I’ve started reading it, it made me laugh still – literally laughing out loud on my own – sitting on my own.

“I mean, it’s truly, it’s just genius writing. It’s absolutely brilliant.

“Matt’s been fantastic.

He’s a wonderful young director, and he’s going to go far – I know he is, I can tell.

“He’s very in tune, and very good with actors and really has a good discipline. He has a sense of real theatre and comedy about him.”

On his co-star, Methven, he says: “Eleanor, I’ve worked with several times before, and she’s

just one of the best actors in Ireland, I think. So, it’s a total pleasure, an absolute joy.”

Dunning encourages aspiring young actors to “do everything and anything”.

“Even if you’re doing something for no money, you know, you might meet five or six other people who will tell you about things that may be happening, or might suggest an agent to you.

“I just think that work is one of those things that breeds, itself, it really does.

“The more you kind of connect with other people, and make those relationships good and positive, and you show that you’re the asset that you are and you can be, then people kind of like being around you, and they employ you again,” he says.

Plaza Suite runs on Mondays to Saturdays at 8pm, with tickets costing €20 and €25. Matinee shows are on Saturdays at 3pm, for €18.

Dunning hurries back to his final rehearsals, but we can meet him again when we check into Plaza Suite.

14 July 2011 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 5

6 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 14 July 2011

DLRCC From 2008 until 2010, authority paid out approximately €6,440,138

Council pays out €6.4m in public liability claims Q DAWN LOVE, PAUL

HOSFORD and LAURA WEBB news@gazettegroup.com

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Council offices

ALMOST €6.5 million was paid out in the past three years by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (DLRCC) in public liability claims.

Figures obtained by The

Gazette have revealed that, from 2008 until 2010, the local authority paid out approximately €6,440,138 in claim payments.

In 2008, €2,079,494 was paid out in claims.

However, between 2009 and 2010, there was a massive drop in payments, with the figures

falling from €2,678,946 to €1,681,698.

The council said it was not in a position to supply the data on a geographical basis, as this information was not available.

The figures are significantly higher than those paid out by Fingal County Council (FCC) during the same period, which show that, between 2008 and 2010, FCC paid out €4.1 million in respect of public liability claims.

According to FCC, they paid out €1.35 million in 2008, €1.9 million in 2009 and €0.85 million in 2010. FCC said that specific details of the regions where claims are made are not available.

Meanwhile, figures also obtained by The Gazette show that SDCC paid €5.9 million in respect of public liability claims in the three-year period from 2008 to 2010.

The figure for 2010 mirrored that of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown,

showing a significant drop in the amount paid out, compared to 2009.

According to SDCC, in 2009 they paid out €2.2 million, while in 2010 this had fallen to €1.66 million.

A DLRCC spokesman said that they engaged in risk management, whereby potential risks are identified and corrective action is scheduled.

“The figures illustrate the effectiveness of the council’s policies in the management of claims, and is verified by the ongoing reduction in claim numbers in the three years,” he said.

“It is hoped that this proactive approach will reduce the number of claims made against the council.

“The council has also implemented a number of initiatives, with regard to footpaths, by way of the footpath restoration scheme.

“The council has also

brought in an updated claims management database, which it hopes will be capable of providing a greater level of detail in the future to aid in the prevention of alleged incidents,” said the DLRCC spokesman.

The total paid out over the three-year period is slightly down on the previous three years, as revealed by The Gazette in 2007, when we revealed that the total amount paid out in public liability claims and personal injury claims amounted to some €6,945,000.

The figures were based on the period between 2004 and 2006. During that period, the figures showed that the average payout almost doubled.

In 2004, the average payout amounted to €6,500, rising to €8,800 in 2005. But, by 2006, the average payout was €12,600. Meanwhile, the largest payout in 2004 was €82,300.

14 July 2011 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 7

BUSINESS New hand sanitation pen 100% natural

Mountain views’ for a half marathon

Natural way of keeping bacteria at bay Q HIROMI MOONEY

A SHANKILL husband and wife team are offering a new hand sanitation pen product, which they claim has 100% natural ingredients and is easy to use.

Brendan Chambers and Noreen Vesey run Chamco Ireland, the company producing the product, and between them they have over 30 years’ experience in food safety and chemical manufacturing.

T he anti-bacterial pen product they have launched enables users to spray the sanitation fluid directly onto the hands and can be easily carried around in a pocket.

Speaking to the Gazette, Chambers, a qualified food scientist and business entrepreneur for 38 years, explained how the original concept came up.

“When we set up our

seafood company, Carrokeel Seafoods Ltd in 1979, one of the biggest problems we had was to make sure that the food was kept clean and that we didn’t have bacteria. We came up with a chemical biocide to kill bacteria and we started to develop that prior to selling the company in 2004.”

Chambers believes that one of the product’s biggest selling points is that it contains no alcohol.

“Most sanitisers and biocides contain alcohol, and many hand sanitisers use a level of around 62% alcohol.

“However, a lot of the sanitisers out there contain up to 70% to 80% alcohol. With using alcohol-based sanitation problems, it causes problems, in that it dries out the hands, and causes irritation.

“It can also dry out the nails, which lead to them getting chipped, and for

EVENT: TRAIL RUNNERS

Brendan Chambers and Noreen Vesey, of Chamco Ireland, and their anti-bacterial hand products

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‘It’s safe for kids in that it’s a natural product and can be used in schools where hot water might be in short supply’ --------------------------------------------------------

Brendan Chambers, Chamco Ireland

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anyone who suffers from dermatitis, alcohol content is a big problem,” he said.

School children would benefit from the product, said Chambers. “It’s safe for kids in that it’s a natural product and can be used in schools where hot water might be in short supply. They can

put the hand sanitiser pen in their lunch boxes and use it throughout the day.”

With the capacity to dispense over 100 sprays, the pen provides both cleanliness and value for money, Chambers said.

“The cost of the pen is €1.75, so, for the price of three cents a day, you’re

ensuring your child’s hygiene for two months.”

It would also be versatile for mums and dads.

Slipped into a jacket pocket, the pen can be easily used before going to meetings or social occasions The “natural ingredients” claim stems from the fact that one of the main ingredients in the manufacture of the product is young oranges.

The process in which the product is made involves extracting a specific flavonoid (yellow pigments found in plants) from the oranges and mixing it with citric fruit or ascor-

bic acid. This then produces a synergetic effect which creates a chemical biocide that kills harmful bacteria.

Chamco Ireland’s other alcohol-free cleaning products include their anti-bacterial wipes, which they claim are twice as thick as any other company’s, and are both biodegradable and flushable.

The company trialled the pen product in Jordan earlier this year, with great results.

The product is now available in Ireland in Tesco’s stores nationwide.

THE second Dublin Mountains’ half marathon event takes place on Sunday, July 17, at 10am.

The event hosted by the Irish Mountain Running Association and the Dublin Mountains Partnership, and sponsored

by Basecamp, is primarily through forests and along trails in the scenic Dublin Mountains.

The event starts and finishes in beautiful Marlay Park and winds its way up through the nature trail of Massy’s Estate, before joining a newly created section of the Dublin Mountains’ Way through Cruagh Wood and ascending the spectacularTibradden ridge trail and joining the Wicklow Way back to Marlay Park.

Terrain

This route has 820m of climb, and covers a variety of terrain. It is an event for enthusiastic trail runners and participants will be treated to a tour of some of Dublin’s most popular trails.

Prizes will be sponsored

by Basecamp.

The entry fee is €20 for IMRA members and €30 for non-IMRA members, and a good quality technical t-shirt is available this year for an additional €7.50.

All proceeds from the race will go towards trail maintenance in the Dublin Mountains.

8 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 14 July 2011

PICTURES Gazettephotos.com is packed full of local pictures;

DEFYING GRAVITY GRAVITY was left well behind at the skate park located at DLR Leisure Services, Monkstown when lots of bikers and boarders Some of the students from Class 1G

gathered for Gravitation 2011 to help celebrate healthy activities available across the region for a disparate group of skateboarders, roller bladers, BMX riders, and others involved in the growing field of alternative sports and urban culture in Ireland. Picture: Peter Doyle

Ciara Langtry and Lara Harrington

Emily Canny, Nicole Hughes and Holly Gogan

Slaine Fitzpatrick, Jenny O’Reilly, Marie Louise Nicholson, Rachel Swan and Saranna Kavanagh. Pictures: Peter Doyle

Catherine Barry and Inez Omeara

Girls ‘think pink’

ENIOR girls from Rathdown school were happy to “think pink” with a fundraising day in aid of the Marie Keating Foundation, and its vital work in providing cancer support services around the country.

A sea of pink clothes, wigs and faces filled the school when the students did their best to support

S

the cause, donating €2 apiece to wear pink for the day.

Of course, given the opportunity, while most students were happy to dress a little differently on the day, some of the more imaginative went all out in a bid to im-pink-ress, with some astounding looks and outfits on display, presented in unforgetta-

bly vivid shades.

In addition to the wall-to-wall pink outfits, the girls also had an opportunity to enjoy a wide range of activities which saw pink cup cakes on sale, lunches with a pink theme, a hockey match against some brave parents, and a sponsored walk for First Years to Dun Laoghaire.

We are adding more and more pictures to our site,

www.gazette

14 July 2011 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 9

can you spot anyone you know here? Log on to see even more!

Locals back Waters’ court case

Fran O’Brien, Breda Moran, Paul Howard and Anne Joyce show their support for John Waters

GROUP of local residents gathered outside the courthouse in Dun Laoghaire to show their support for journalist John Waters when he prepared to challenge a parking ticket.

The issue of parking in the town has been a cause for much debate in recent years, with Waters taking a high-profile stance against a fine that he felt was unfairly handed out.

Despite wet weather on the day, residents’ support wasn’t dampened as they came out to show their support for his stance, while helping to highlight the issue of parking in the town.

A

John Waters prepares to head into court. Pictures: Peter Doyle

4

Edward and Rosie Dunne with Mel Ryan

log on to have yours delivered direct to your door

photos.com

10 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 14 July 2011

PICNIC Celebration of the Teddy Bear in Blackrock Park

Ellen Morris (3) from Mount Merrion, with Teddy Bear Doctor Sarah Mooney

Aiobh Dowdall (4) and Rhea Dowdall (3) were enjoying the nice weather and the picnic with teddy bears Ciara, Tyson and Teddy

A very ‘cuddly’ picnic in the park

RECORD number of people and teddy bears were in Blackrock Park for one of Ireland’s biggest Teddy Bear’s Picnics recently. DLR Events Summer Season invited young and old alike to bring their bears and blankets to the Teddy Bears’ Picnic in Blackrock Park. This celebration of the

A

Teddy Bear for all the family featured Doctor Ted and Teddy Bears Hospital for minor repairs and health checks to give ailing teddy bears a clean bill of health. There was also a DJ, facepainting, bouncy castles and inflatable games for all ages, entertainment on the Lake Stage, a “make and do” area

and, of course, picnic facilities with goodies galore.

Last year the Teddy Bear’s Picnic in Blackrock Park was a huge success and thousands of people and teddy bears of all shapes and sizes attended making it one of the largest Teddy Bear’s Picnics in Ireland.

Abigail Burns (3) from Monkstown

Grace Flynn (4) from Churchtown

Daithi O’Lochlainn (6), Pol O’Lochlainn (5) and Aodh O’Lochlainn (8) from Cabinteely

Lucy Barrett (3) with

Ruby Shevlin (15 months) from Lusk, is fascinated by

mother, Louise Sugrue

the stiltwalker who came to greet her

14 July 2011 GAZETTE 11

ADVICE Taking steps to dealing with credit problems on your own terms

Roadmap to recovery: The safe journey This week, Tara O’Grady brings the third and final part of her Roadmap to Recovery from Debt Despair.

TO WRAP up our process of recovery from debt despair, the focus is on the “Life” file, the “Courage under Fire” file and the “Action Plan” file.

The matters contained within these files need to be dealt with in a practical and deliberate manner. Start the process as follows:

1

Don’t make the mistake of ignoring demand letters.

2

If phone calls are distressing or harassing, you are entitled to change your number and to write to the banks to say that all communication needs to be in writing. Request an email address if you do not have one, to save postage funds.

3

Write to all unsecured creditors

(with or without the help of a Debt Management Organisation), explaining your situation, based on your income and expenditure form.

Once you have established your exact financial position, if there are no funds available after basic living means are met, then these unsecured creditors cannot be paid (until and unless you become in a position to be able to do so).

4

In the case of your Secured Creditors, suggest every conceivable option to allow you to pay the minimum amount possible, based on your income and expenditure.

Over the coming months, a variety of participants of the Phoenix Process will bring further advice and information on

5

If there are NO funds available for a certain amount of time, inform them.

6

Ask them to temporarily freeze the interest and late repayment charges.

7

Ask them not to issue any legal proceedings until every available option is looked into.

8

Request that all correspondence is sent by email so that you have records. If this is not possible, keep a copy and a record of every letter sent and received.

9

Remember to enter each event into the “Life after Debt” diary.

10

Be supported or support when

post is being opened.

NB

Inform your family GP of your mood, sleep patterns etc.

If the stress has reached the point of despair, or suicidal thoughts, ask this GP to make an appointment with a specialist to help with this.

If there are no funds for

dealing with the problems of modern life and also tips on activities that can help us all enjoy life a little more.

this help, a GP can make an appointment with a HSEfunded service.

Remain focused on positives; keep strong supports in place and remember to put things in perspective.

Those in debt need to remember that debt is a massive national problem that has sadly manifested

itself in people’s lives in a highly-distressful way.

Correspondence No one individual is to blame, and to be in debt is not a criminal act, contrary to what is repeatedly intimated on legal correspondence that may be received.

For the moment, our

court process is limited.

However, as stated above, this is a legal issue, and not a criminal issue. The paperwork process outlined above in a court situation would be more than enough in a case of inability to pay, which now means, in fact, that the worst-case scenario has already been dealt with.

12 GAZETTE 14 July 2011

GazetteFITNESS FITNESS

Brought to you by Derry Temple personal trainer and pilates instructor

THE FACTS: YOUR NORMAL WORKOUT MAY NOT BE AS EFFECTIVE AS YOU THOUGHT IT WAS

How to lose those few extra pounds by using the right kind of workout OST gymgoers spend endless hours performing steady state cardio and have probably been doing the same sort of exercise for years without ever achieving the results they are looking for.

There is a common misconception that, in order to lose fat, you must spend hours pounding on the treadmill when, in fact, the opposite is true.

Aerobic means “with oxygen”, and refers to the use of oxygen in the body’s metabolic or energy–generating process.

By definition aerobic exercise is performed at moderate levels of intensity for extended periods of time. Long-duration aerobic work has a host of valuable health benefits, including increasing blood flow, making the heart stronger, decreasing the resting heart rate and improving energy production.

However, there is a downside to steady-state aerobic work, in that it is easy for your body to recover from and adapt to. Also when you train

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The use of anaerobic exercise is more suitable to help you lose the extra pounds

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aerobically you may burn calories, but this ends shortly after you finish your workout.

How can you shift bodyweight without spending hours in the gym?

The answer is through a combination of Resistance Training and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

more calories for up to 72 hours after training.

The other great news is that you can increase the intensity of this training in a number of ways as your body begins to adapt.

HIIT training can be any form of aerobic training that is performed at high intensity

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‘There is a common misconception that in order to lose fat you must spend hours pounding on the treadmill when in fact the opposite is true’ --------------------------------------------------------

Both these anaerobic forms of training (anaerobic meaning without oxygen) create shifts in your metabolism causing you to burn more calories even after you have finished training.

“The optimal approach to fat loss is Resistance and H.I.I.T. training.”

With anaerobic exercise, you do not only raise your metabolism, burning calories while you train, but you also burn

followed by a period of rest or low activity. HIIT causes increased excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) keeping your metabolism high for up to 72 hours after training.

Ageing causes a drop in muscle mass, and so a lowering of the metabolism. The optimal approach to address this metabolic drop is resistance training – for every pound of muscle you gain, you burn an

extra 50 calories per day.

Your goal should be to make your body more anabolic (to promote muscle growth) to help you burn fat.

The other benefits of resistance training are plentiful and include improved posture and appearance, reduced body fat, increased strength, power, endurance, metabolism and bone density.

Before embarking on any training programme, you should ensure you have guidance and help from a qualified fitness professional.

Derry Temple runs DT Fitness in Artane, Dublin 5, and specialises in helping people achieve their health and fitness goals.

He is holding a free presentation on Training and Eating For Fat Loss on Saturday, July 23.

Places are limited so to confirm your attendance please e-mail Derry Temple at derry@ dtfitness.ie. Make sure to mention the Gazette Newspaper in the title to receive your free EBook on Training and Eating For Fat Loss.

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14 July 2011 GAZETTE 13

14 GAZETTE 14 July 2011

GazetteMUSIC MUSIC Welch delivers a harvest full of earthy delights Q ROB HEIGH

GILLIAN Welch is renowned for two things — being one of the best singer-songwriters in music, and not being nearly prolific enough.

Eight years since their last release, Soul Journey, which had the Bob Dylan-esque audacity to feature an electric guitar in their previously all-acoustic sound, comes The Harrow and The Harvest, a return to Welch and David Rawlings’ darker, melodic roots.

As the title suggests, there’s a pastoral gothic at work here, and the instruments used, that include banjo, hands and feet show they have stripped the music back to it’s almost barest bones.

There is an indescribable familiarity about Gillian Welch’s music. It’s like nothing you’ve heard before, and everything you know.

Rooted in bluegrass and Appalachian styles, there is something fascinating and beguiling about The Harrow and The Harvest.

It’s shot through with a folk memory of songs long forgotten but that are still in your ears, and their shapes come into focus quickly after only a few bars.

It’s not even country music, it’s something more than that. It’s soul music, in the purest sense of that phrase.

The songs speak of scarlet and daggers, and, within the shadows of the music, there’s the feeling that there is something ready to reap what has been sown in the lives and loves of the characters in the songs.

This isn’t a great record, it’s an essential one. There’s the essential force of life and death within, and there’s very few records you can say that about.

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings

The One: Prince set to be crowned at the Castle THE time is nigh. Prince, still the best live act in the world, comes to Malahide Castle on July 30.

Fresh from the stage of the Hop Farm festival in Kent, where he stole the weekend with a hitpacked and super funky two-hourplus set, Prince will hit the stage at the Castle to enthral his Irish fans for the first time since 2002, when he owned the Point, and went on to an awesome aftershow at Spirit.

Tickets from €89.50 are available at www.ticketmaster.ie.

INTERVIEW: A FRESH START FOR FORMER REPUBLIC STARS

Cars Love Girls love their new direction Q ROB HEIGH

CARS Love GIrls sounds like the blueprint for every great song of the last few decades, but it’s also the name of the new band from former Republic of Loose members Cormac and Orla Breslin.

The band came about when the brother and sister duo, who had always talked about working together, were looking for the next stage to their musical careers after leaving the Loose around two years ago.

“I had a good few songs left over that I had written for the band,” said Bres. “Usually, I would bring along an instrumentals and we would then put lyrics and vocals to them. So, I was left wondering what I would do next with them, and so I decided to finish them myself.

“Orla and I always said we would do something together, and the timing was right, so it happened pretty naturally.”

That natural progression has seen the band put together an album, Skip School, which con-

Bres and Orla of Cars Love GIrls, who play at Crawdaddy on July 20

tains ten highly polished and accomplished songs that stand out from the current crop of sounds emerging from the capital city.

Imagine the chromeplated production sound of Steely Dan, the loose funk of early Prince and the warm embrace of Prefab Sprout, and you’re getting close to the sound of Cars Love Girls.

“I’m not really affiliated with the Irish music scene, I’ve been in one band since college, and I don’t play with anyone

else. The scene wasn’t an inf luence, what influenced it was me going back to my record collection and thinking about the artists that I loved and what did I want us to sound like.

“Things like Prince and Prefab Sprout, b a n d s t h a t I n e ve r stopped listening to, something that had a groove, and was really polished. It’s almost easy listening - clean, well-produced stuff.

“That was what we were going for and, hopefully, I’ve ended up

somewhere in that ballpark.”

The band will play their first official gig at Crawdaddy on July 20, and their live sound is something that Bres and Orla have been working hard on perfecting.

“We’re looking forward to the first show, we’ve been rehearsing for the last couple of months, and it’s sounding good. It’s pretty much exactly the same as the record.

“It’ll take time to grow, and settle down on stage. We have a sup-

port slot in September; we’re planning on doing the Hard Working Class Heroes and EuroSonic festivals, as well as the IMRO showcase tour.

“We’re starting from scratch, really doing everything we can. I can’t wait to get the album out there, so we’re looking at the best way of doing that.”

When the album drops, don’t expect Cars Love Girls to remain in the shadows for long. It sounds like the first step on the road to international success.

14 July 2011 GAZETTE 15

GazetteBEAUTY BEAUTY Smoothtastic, summer legs F you want to get smoothtastic pins, but you’re fed up with shaving and waxing, then why not follow the celebrities’ lead and epilate your way to smoother skin this summer.

Lifes2good’s latest Wet and Dry Emjoi Dolphin Epilator has been specifically designed to remove even the shortest of hair, its 18 sets of tweezeraction discs ensures rapid, non-irritating and virtually pain-free hair removal - literally! Its special water-resistant design enables it to remove even the shortest of hair on the legs, bikini line and under arms, with perfect precision giving results which last up to six weeks!

And to help you along the way, Emjoi has come up with its five top tips to achieving those perfectly

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sleek pins using your epilator.

hours after hair removal.

Tip 1

Tip 4

Have a nice hot bath or shower before removing unwanted hair. This will open up your pores, making epilating quick and more comfortable!

And you can use the Wet and Dry Dolphin Epilator whilst in the bath!

Maintain silky-smooth legs by exfoliating and moisturising at least three times a week.

Exfoliation prevents unsightly ingrow n hairs by removing dead skin, ensuring new hair can surface. Moisturising will also help to sooth your skin.

Tip 2

Ensure your skin is clean and dry before epilating. Hold the skin in the surrounding area taut, then gently glide your epilator along your skin in the direction of hair growth.

Tip 5

Keep it up! One of the great benefits of removing hair from the roots is that regrowth becomes far finer and sparser over time.

The latest Wet and Dry Emjoi Dolphin Epilator has been specifically designed to remove even the shortest of hair

Tip3

Prevent skin irritation and ingrown hairs after epilating by avoiding exfoliating and wearing tight clothes for 24

The Wet and Dry Dolphin Epilator by Lifes2Good is priced €39.95 and is available at leading pharmacies and

health stores nationwide or by visiting www.lifes 2good.ie

Ahhhh ... Aveeno is here

THEY’VE achieved a cult following in the US, and now the new Aveeno Positively Radiant range is available for the first time in Ireland!

The skincare range utilises the benefits of soy, a new naturally active ingredient for the Aveeno brand in Ireland, and has been clinically proven to even out skin tone and texture to boost skin’s natural radiance.

Included in the range is the Positively Radiant Daily Skin-Brightening Moisturiser SPF 15, which contains SPF 15 to help protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays, while its light diffusers will instantly boost your skin’s natural radiance. Shea Butter, squalane and glycerine help to ensure skin is left

hydrated and smooth.

Meanwhile, the Positively Radiant Triple Boost Serum contains a blend of vitamins and antioxidants, which are known to help fight free radicals and help keep skin looking younger.

The unique formula reveals the skin’s natural radiance and visibly diminishes the appearance of skin discoloration and brown spots.

And for those dark circles and lines around the eyes, Positively Radiant Eye Brightening Cream is sure to be a hit. This eye-brightening cream, with naturally active soy, is fast-absorbing with a light texture and is clinically proven to visibly improve the appearance of dark circles and puffiness.

Edited by Dawn Love

Light diffusers instantly boost skin’s natural radiance and revitalise the area around the eyes.

The new Aveeno Positively Radiant range is available from July in pharmacies nationwide.

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16 GAZETTE 14 July 2011

SNAPSHOT Some fun stories of the week around the capital

On your bike!

RTE’s Jacqui Hurley launches the annual Tomas Mulligan Cycle in aid of Pieta House, the suicide crisis centre, along with Dublin footballers Éamon Fennell and Eoghan O’Gara. The fun cycle, which is in its fourth year, is held in memory of Dublin footballer Tomas Mulligan who died by suicide in 2007. The cycle, organised by the Mulligan family, takes place on Saturday, August 13, and Sunday 14, and this year’s destination is Athlone. The cycle aims to raise awareness of the work carried out by Pieta House and to celebrate the lives of those lost to suicide.

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Managing Director: Liam Holland email: lholland@gazettegroup.com General Manager: Michael McGovern email: mmcgovern@gazettegroup.com Editor: Cormac Curtis email: ccurtis@gazettegroup.com News Editor: Dawn Love email: dlove@gazettegroup.com Production Editor: Jessica Maile email: jmaile@gazettegroup.com Sports Editor: Rob Heigh email: sport@gazettegroup.com Financial Controller: Carly Lynch email: clynch@gazettegroup.com Advertising Production: Anita Ward email: ads@gazettegroup.com Advertising Sales: 01 6010240 email: sales@gazettegroup.com

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

Mingin? Dail’s fashion sense just might be...

“IF I HAD a handbag, I’d have clobbered him with it.”

So said Mar y Mitchell O’Connor, showing that the schoolyard whispers of Deputies Wallace, Flanagan and Ross had not dampened her sense of humour.

But if she did have a handbag, what would have been in it? A driver’s licence?

A spare “garish” outfit? A brick heavy enough to knock the pink off Wallace’s shirt?

The Diary was heartened to see that such taunts exist in other workplaces, not just our own newsroom, but we are not being paid 90 grand a year to represent thousands of people.

Aside from the rights and the wrongs of the incident, one is forced to question how three deputies such as Wallace, a man so woefully dressed that legis-

lation will soon be passed to correct him, “Ming” Flanagan, whose namesake was feared for his sinister looks as much as his ability to torture Flash Gordon (and don’t even get me started on the beard!) and Ross, he of the strange tuft of hair, just sitting limp atop his head, can, with sincerity, question the sartorial choices of another?

DIARY One-hundred invited Muggles of all ages will dress up and gather in the party room from 3 to 5pm to learn wizardry tricks and play Harry Potter-themed games. Frangos World Cuisine will also have a full Harry Potter-themed menu with lots of mouth-watering treats to choose from.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 is released in cinemas this Friday, July 15.

Hamleys cast Photography a spell showcase HAMLEYS in Dundrum Town Centre will be cast under a spell this Saturday. The store’s party room on the third floor will be bursting with magic as it is transformed into a School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in aid of Unicef.

A GROUP of recent photography graduates of Griffith College have come together to form a photography collective, entitled Arcadia, and will host their debut exhibition as a group, entitled Grey Area, in Gallery

53, Capel Street, Dublin 1 until July 30.

The exhibition, which is part of the PhotoIreland Festival 2011, seeks to examine some of life’s grey areas and is an exploration and personal interpretation by the diverse group of photographers.

Sinead Murphy, Head of Photography at Griffith College, said: “I am delighted to see these talented photographers showcasing their work and commend them for the formation of the Arcadia group.

“I would like to wish them the best of luck with their debut show.”

Students of Griffith College Dublin, both past and present, have also had their photography work selected for the Four Floors exhibition in the Mad Art Gallery on 56, Lower Gardiner Street, Dublin 1, and will run until July 30.

For more information on Griffith College photography courses go to www.gcd.ie.

14 July 2011 GAZETTE 17

GazettePETS PETS

Brought to you by Miriam Kerins of the DSPCA

THE FACTS: LOOKING AT THE FISH IN A FISH TANK CAN HAVE THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS

Our popular finned friends OLDFISH are one of the most popular household pets in Ireland. It’s very simple to take care of one, and, although they don’t require that much space, as beautiful, living creatures, they certainly require love, care, attention and a healthy living environment.

This week I want to make my readers aware of the specific needs of the goldfish because, last week, I was forced to intervene when I witnessed a group of teens at a jumble fair kicking around a clear plastic bag containing a small amount of water and a goldfish they said they’d “just won at a stall”.

I also want to take this

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opportunity to remind stall-holders/fair-organisers that they have a duty of care to any animal in their possession, and should not give them out as prizes. Let me state quite clearly for the record that it is a crime to intentionally abuse, injure, illtreat or cause unnecessary suffering to an animal and those who do so may be prosecuted.

That said, goldfish are wonderful, educational, finned friends to introduce their owners to the responsibilities of caring for a living creature and, if taken care of properly, can live for ten years or more. Some have been documented to live up to 30 years. It’s worth remembering that every

Goldfish might be the right pet for you

goldfish, just like every human, is an individual and can possess its own characteristics. For example, did you know that a pet goldfish will actually recognise its owner and will rise to the surface to be hand fed by them?

If you’re reading this and thinking about giving a goldfish a home, here’s a

few tips to help you out.

First of all, there are two categories of goldfish, single-tailed and twin-tailed.

An example of singletailed gold fish would be the Comets: This variety has an exceptionally long tail fin; in fact often the fin is the length of the fish’s body, allowing him to swim pretty fast. You’ll

need a large tank for this variety, which are usually yellow but sometimes have a white body with red on their backs.

An example of twintailed is the Black Moor: This variety has telescopic eyes that appear to stick out from the fish’s head.

As the name suggests, they are always black in colour.

Goldfish should be kept with their own kind, i.e. twin-tailed with twintailed, single-tailed with single-tailed and not mixed together.

So, you’ve decided on the variety, now how do you choose your supplier?

W hen visiting the aquarium/pet-store, take a look at the condition of

the fish in the tank. Is the tank over-crowded? Are there any dead fish in the tank? Is the water clear or cloudy? Do the fish have fungal growths on their scales? Are the fins erect and moving (but not moving too quickly, as this could be a sign of a lack of oxygen).

Healthy fish should swim effortlessly through water, with long-finned ones swimming a bit slower than the others.

There are many factors to consider when buying the fish tank and, while a fish aquarium can make a unique decorative addition to any room, placement is a key issue.

The tank must be placed against an inside wall, away from direct sunlight,

open windows and doors.

Remember, the warmer the room, the less oxygen there will be for the fish so keep this in mind and don’t over-crowd the tank.

Fish grow, so do your research on your particular variety to find out how large your pet will get before you buy your tank.

There’s a lot to consider before you join the fishkeeping fraternity, including who will look after Nemo and friends. But it is a therapeutic experience – did you know that gazing into a fish tank can slow down your heart rate and calm your nerves?

For a more information, visit www.dspca.ie, or email miriam.kerins@ dspca.ie

18 GAZETTE 14 July 2011

GazetteMOTORS MOTORS

The BMW 1 Series convertible is the car for summer driving. This car blends sports styling with practical driving economics, even if the buy-in price is relatively high at €36,450 for the diesel powered entry model.

Converted by BMW’s 1 Series MICHAEL MORONEY took the top down on the BMW 118d

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and loved every moment of its thrilling performance ONVERTIBLE time is summer time and that’s when ownership of a car like the BMW 118d convertible comes into its own. This is a car in which to plan a trip to a big event like the Galway Races. So get ready for the road in car that makes a statement while being thrifty on the road. The BMW 118d convertible mixes bling with brains in a car that’s super in terms of style and performance and even better when it comes to efficiency.

If you are one for motoring style, this is a car that makes a modest statement. Modest in terms of running costs while a shade bling in terms of the message that it gives to all others on the road. Just roll down the roof and see the reaction.

I covered the roads in the BMW 118d and it is

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SPECS: BMW 118D CONVERTIBLE Top speed: 208 km/hr 0 – 100km/hr: 9.5 secs Economy: 20.8 km/litre (4.8 l/100km) CO2 emissions: 127g/ km Road Tax Band: B (€156) Euro NCAP Rating: 5 Star (2004) Warranty: 3 years Entry Price: €36,450

impressive. There’s plenty of power from the 2.0 litre turbo-diesel engine that has all of the BMW EfficientDynamics systems included.

This latest edition car differs from the previous versions as it has a new front bumper with redesigned fog lights and redesigned halogen headlights with an “eyebrow” element. If you specify the optional Xenon head-

lights, this “eyebrow” element features an LEDilluminated light bar.

The rear lights and the headlights have also been changed and now give a new, and more detailed, appearance.

The biggest change for the BMW 1 Series is that the cars now come fitted with what BMW calls an Aero Curtain. This new feature channels the airflow around the front of the car to reduce aerodynamic drag, with the aim of further improving efficiency.

BMW engineers have lots of convertible experience and they say that wheel arches are one of the main areas of aerodynamic drag. They believe that the newAero Curtain is the solution to reduce this inefficiency.

The system is developed from racing car technology. The air is routed into

two ducts in the front of the car, which then flows out of a narrow opening at high speed in the wheel arch. BMW claims that this jet of air effectively covers the side of the front wheels like a curtain and reduces turbulence.

The good news from this bit of engineering is that the CO2 emissions have been lowered throughout the range. The test BMW 118d I drove is now rated at only 118g/ km, while all 2.0-litre petrol versions have CO2 emissions of 154g/km or below.

The six-speed manual gearbox car came with an optimum shift indicator to let you know when to change up or down the gears. I don’t tend to use this feature in many of the cars that I drive, I find that it’s always more interesting if you listen to how the engine performs and keep

a weather eye on the rev counter.

Like other BMW models, the 1 Series coupé and convertible also come with other EfficientDynamics measures.

The test car 118d model was fitted with Auto Start-Stop, a diesel particulate filter for a cleaner exhaust, brake energy regeneration that lowers the drag on the engine. It also has what BMW call “intelligent alternator control” for more efficient electricity generation in the car for a multiple of functions The car has a responsive electric-power steering that was a dream to use. It corners with a positive feel and has good road feedback, making the car a treat to drive.

The test car was an M Sport version, that’s a little special, but with a special price to match. All M

Sport models come with 17-inch light doublespoke-style alloy wheels, door sill finishers with M designation, chrome front exterior trim, highgloss Shadowline window surrounds, M aerodynamic bodystyling, M Sport suspension, runflat tyres, Sport seats and M Sport multi-function leather steering wheel.

The shock is that this M Sport is about €4,000 more than the entry model and I am just not sure about the value of that. The look is enhanced, the features make for a more comfortable drive, but then the basic car basically only has smaller wheels and less opulence when it comes to chrome trims.

I’m not sure if I would need those extras in what is a super compact sports car, to make a bold summer statement.

Volkswagen’s planned takeover of MAN suffers setback Volkswagen Group suffered a setback in its efforts to create Europe’s biggest truck maker as a European regulator pushed it to drop plans to take control of MAN trucks.

Volkswagen has made a €13.8 billion takeover offer for MAN. The move

is part of a Volkswagen Group plan to create Europe’s biggest truck maker by combining MAN and Sweden’s Scania to take on world market leader Mercedes Benz and its next biggest rival, Volvo Trucks.

The European Commission said

Volkswagen’s overly hasty grasp for control would breach merger rules. The Commission told Europe’s biggest carmaker to wait for regulatory approval of closer cooperation of VW, MAN and Scania.

Volkswagen Group aims to over-

take Toyota as the world’s biggest car maker by 2018. It has been trying to incorporate sports car maker Porsche into its business as a tenth brand, and its chairman has publicly said that he has also set his sights on taking over Alfa Romeo.

14 July 2011 GAZETTE 19

20 GAZETTE 14 July 2011

GazetteMOTORS MOTORS

Fifty years a Mercedez-Benz man RoadSigns Road Signs NEW PLASTICS FOR MOTORING: SCIENTISTS in Brazil have developed a way to use nano-fibres from lemons and other fruit plants for a new generation of car plastics.

Scientists have demonstrated that superstrong fibres can be harvested from delicate fruits, including pineapples and bananas.

These nanocellulose fibres – also known as micro-fibrillated cellulose (MFC) – are comprised of 5-20 nanometre fibrils, and are nearly as stiff as Kevlar, found in armour and bulletproof vests.

One day, these new plastics may be used in car manufacturing – not just to replace current plastics, but to replace the steel parts, too.

ONNIE Moloney, co-founder and managing director of TR Motors, this year celebrates his 50-year career in Mercedes-Benz service.

His company, which is situated in the Dublin suburb of Harold’s Cross, is a main authorised service dealer for Mercedes-Benz.

From Clonmel, Ronnie began working at the age of 16, taking up an apprenticeship with the then local Mercedes-Benz main dealer in Tipperary, King Keating.

From King Keating, he emigrated to Canada, where he worked for the German-owned Mercedes-Benz of North America organisation.

Returning to Dublin, he continued to work

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with Mercedes-Benz through their Modern Motors, Rialto and B a l l s b r i d g e Mo t o r s dealerships.

In 1975, Ronnie cofounded TR Motors Limited, since when the dealership has operated as an exclusive service outlet for MercedesBenz passenger cars.

Prominent location Situated in a prominent location on Harold’s Cross Road, next to the greyhound stadium, TR Motors has enjoyed a distinguished histor y, listing many prominent MercedesBenz owners amongst its client base, including numerous foreign diplomats and embassies.

In 1992, the company suffered a major setback when fire destroyed their original premises.

Heartened by the support of all concerned, the company undertook a complete redevelopment to create the modern showrooms and extensive workshop and spare parts facility from which it now operates.

Today, Ronnie is supported in the business by his daughter, Louise, son, Gavin, and a staff of 14.

Commenting on the milestone and the c o m p a ny ’s a c h i e ve ments over the five decades being celebrated, Mercedes-Benz chief executive in Ireland, Stephen Byrne, praised Ronnie and his team at TR Motors for their “immense technical knowledge, expertise and skill that they bring to the service of Mercedes-Benz customers in Dublin city”.

Ronnie Moloney is celebrating 50 years of service to Mercedes-Benz

14 July 2011 GAZETTE 21

GazetteBUSINESS BUSINESS

Interview: Edno Cooley, owner of a successful healthcare equipment company

Started his own company at 25 EDNO Cooley, from Cooley Healthcare Ltd, grew up in Wexford and moved to Dublin to go to Dublin City University where he studied biotechnology. He then went into the brewing business, working for a short time for Guinness and then for one of the pioneering microbrewing companies making lager. He now lives in Palmerstown and runs a successful healthcare equipment company in Lucan, supplying equipment to hospitals, nursing homes and private customers.

Edno started his own company at the age of 25 in 2000, when, as he says himself “it was easy”. He recently started a new business, Cooley Healthcare Ltd, when it wasn’t quite so easy. Edno says: “It has been really difficult, but we have concentrated on the end users’ needs and found that, by really caring for the patient or client, we earn the respect and trust of the professionals and families involved.

“Our business slogan is Quality, Reliability and Care. I believe that this simple traditional code has a very important role in our business and, indeed, in all aspects of life.

We treat all of our customers as if they were our own families. We see this as what makes us different.”

Cooley Healthcare is a modern, vibrant, caring and professional Irish-owned company that provides a wide range of products. Edno says: “We are trying be as positive as is possible in this difficult time; we just launched a new website, www.cooleyhealthcare.ie and invested substantially in our branding and advertising. I always compare starting a new business to lifting yourself up by your shoe laces; it seems like an impossible feat, but it can be done.

“The Irish Healthcare market is expanding simply because people are living a lot longer, although it is now fiercely competitive. Entering into a new business area at a competitive time has it’s advantages – overheads are lower and customers are more open to changing supplier in search of better deals.”

to buy my own place . I don’t know much about loans etc, so I need your help. I’d love to buy an apartment in the city, but don’t know a lot about how the loans work. Do I just pay back the loan in full or do I have to pay extra for getting it? Any help greatly appreciated. Mark – Dublin 9.

A - All lending is based on the ability to repay.

Whether you are looking for a car loan, a mortgage to buy a home or even a credit union loan, you have to prove that you can pay back what you borrow. The “extra” is the interest you pay to the lender and their reward for giving you the loan and their interest rate can vary.

Home loans are the cheapest type of loan available and, inversely, short-term “unsecured” loans - i.e. no underlying asset that the lender can repossess in the event you fail to pay back - carry a higher rate of interest and, therefore, greater monthly repayments.

Buying property has a whole set of rules and regulations, from the method lenders use to calculate your repayment ability; there are two methods – 4.5 times your annual income or the total of all your monthly financial commitments, including the proposed mortgage repayment should not exceed 35% of your net disposable Income – or what you have left in your pay packet after all the taxes, universal social charges and other deductions are made.

Remember also, virtually ALL lenders are members of the Irish Credit Bureau and their

Q: What was your first job?

A: Farm labourer at 10-yearsold.

Q: And your first pay cheque?

A: £5. I used to iron my money and keep it in a small suitcase.

Q: When did you start your present job?

A: 1999.

Q: What is the best thing about your job?

A: I enjoy the risk and return aspect of running my own business. When it goes wrong, it’s terrible, but when it goes right, it’s fantastic.

Q: What part of your work-

first port of call is to check your credit history.

Any missed repayments or judgments and you

Q&A fighter pilot, President of US, veterinarian.

MY FIRST PROPERTY PURCHASE Q – Hi, I’m a guy in my late 20s and would love

Edno Cooley at his company, Cooley Healthcare

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be?

A: It changed every day –

ANSWERS TO YOUR PERSONAL FINANCE QUESTIONS

have little chance of progressing.

So, once you have passed this first test – being

ing day do you ‘delegate’?

A: Everyone has their strengths, so I do the bits I’m good at and delegate everything else to people who will do it better.

Q: What sport do you follow?

A: Football, hurling and rugby.

Q: What sport can you play?

A: Football and hurling.

Q: What is your guilty music/TV or movie pleasure?

A: Pirates of the Caribbean.

Q: Who best represents modern Ireland – David Norris or Jedward?

A: Hopefully David Norris. I love Jedward but...

Q: What music/pictures/ movies do you have on your iPod/iPad?

eligible to borrow – you will also need life cover

A: Not a lot. I have two companies, a wife, two kids and I’m involved in everything around me.

Q: Where do you enjoy spending money frivolously?

Q: Who do you follow on Twitter/Facebook?

Q: How many pairs of shoes do you own?

A: Four.

mally included in the apartment annual service

Q: What was your worst holiday experience?

A: I always enjoy my holi-

ing, you should first complete a FULL budget

A: Friends.

Q: What habits would you like to lose?

A: Staying up too late watching television.

Q: Describe your dream meal?

A: A BBQ with the wife and

A: On my family.

days. When you are under pressure through business, a wet week in a tent in Longford is fantastic.

Q: Describe your dream holiday?

A: To sail all around the

kids on a sunny day down the country.

Mediterranean for a month.

Q: Who would you rather have dinner with – Enda Kenny or Dame Edna?

Q: What would be your dream job?

A: I have it.

A: Enda Kenny. He has a big

Q: What do you plan to do when you retire?

job on his hands and I think he might benefit from my advice.

A: I don’t want to retire.

on that mortgage (compulsory on home loans) and at least buildings insurance on the property in case of fire, etc. With apartments, this is norcharge.

Before you finally go down the road of buyof expected and estimated costs in buying the property. These include stamp duty (1% of the purchase price under € 1m) and your solicitor’s legal costs (c. 0.5% of the purchase price plus VAT and outlay) not to mention basic furniture, etc.

You should also do an annual household budget, so work out the ongoing costs of maintaining a property and living. Good luck.

Contact John with your money questions at jlowe@moneydoctor.ie or visit his website at www.moneydoctor.ie. John Lowe, Fellow of the Institute of Bankers, is founder and managing director of Money Doctor

22 GAZETTE 14 July 2011

GazetteTTRAVEL FastTravel

The Maldives offers a holiday close to nature with white beaches and clear blue seas FAMED for its fragile beauty, the Maldives has long been a top destination for those wanting to get closer to nature, offering sugar-white beaches and clear blue seas. However, this tiny cluster of stunning atolls and islands is also one of the most delicate environmentally. Located in South Nilandhe Atoll, Vilu Reef Beach and Spa Resort is a green and fertile resort, which actively protects the local environment through tending to its underwater ecosystem, using locally-grown produce in its restaurants and regularly planting palm trees – promising guests the ultimate in idyllic natural beauty.

Vilu Reef is known locally as the “Garden Of Eden” for its lush tropical vegetation and countless coconut palms. In fact, honeymooners staying at this small island retreat are invited to plant a tree during their stay, leaving a small legacy of their stay. As well as boasting over 800 palm trees, one side of this 122-room resort boasts a protected lagoon and the other has a beautiful reef, with a greater variety of corals and reef fish than in any other atoll. Even the accommodation at Vilu Reef is inspired by nature, offering understated laid-back luxury and traditional thatched roofs.

As 99% of the Maldives’ low-lying coral islands are covered by sea water, climate change and rising sea levels are of great concern for its people. Vilu Reef’s sister resort, Olhuveli Beach and Spa Resort, has, therefore, set up a number of initiatives to protect its abundant coral reefs and wealth of endangered sea creatures – from manta rays to turtles.

To stay in this stunning eco-friendly resort, Trailfinders is offering seven nights at Vilu Reef Beach and Spa Resort from €1,619 per person (saving over €140 per person), based on two sharing. Available for selected departures in October, the price includes return flights from Dublin, Cork or Shannon via Heathrow and Doha with Qatar Airways, accommodation in a garden villa on a full-board basis, resort seaplane transfers, taxes and surcharges. For more details go to www.trailfinders.ie / 01 677 7888 / 021 464 8800.

A little slice of designer heaven waits for you in Galway city ANITA WARD

SINCE it opened, the g Hotel in Galway has received a fairly healthy list of awards to its name, everything from topping hot lists, receiving design awards, to their best chef and prestigious top Irish destination awards – fair enough, but I was hoping this didn’t mean they thought they didn’t have to try anymore.

That certainly wasn’t the case.

To say the g doesn’t disappoint is an understatement; the large neon sign in the black marble reception area that reads, “This must be the place” rings true.

I couldn’t wait to see the famous decor by Philip Treacy – oh, the glamour! I even brought three pairs of shoes for one night to make sure I was keeping up with the style.

Taking your city break in Ireland affords that convenience of hopping in the car, filling the boot with your wardrobe and hitting the motorway and in no time you are at your destination.

Galway is only a mere two hours from Kildare, motorway all the way, and the g Hotel just lies on the edge of Galway city. Just a few short miles, but right beside the Lough Atalia, giving you a wonderful sense of being away from it all.

Our room was breath-

taking, with one whole seems to have lost over contemporary fine-dining portion sizes and side entirely of glass that the years.

We headed back to hoped he wasn’t going overlooks the stunning lake. Luxury oozes from the g to relax in one to leave hungry which ever ything, even the of the many reception in turn, means grumpy.

Luckily, there was a bedside lamps resemble rooms – cue a change of delicious sounding fila Philip Treacy glamor- shoes.

There are three vary- let of beef dish with a ous hat creation.

The decadent style of ing styles of room to duck ravioli which he this place doesn’t com- choose from – the ambi- instantly eyed up, and promise on comfort, the ent gold Grand Salon, he also chose a smoked room just embraces you the quirky Pink Room or t u n a s t a r t e r w h i c h in every way and the the eclectic Blue Room. comes with an almond bathroom, with its free- I made myself comfort- quiche. I also chose a standing Villeroy and able in the Pink Room fish starter of sea trout Boch bath, just calls to much to OH’s joy. The with a fennel broth and you to relax and enjoy atmosphere is great, a chicken main with with people enjoying a gratin of apple and yourself.

While I was oohing pre-going out cocktails potatoes.

I love that each dish and ahhing at the decor, and it seems to be the comes with a recomthe other half (OH) was place to be seen.

A f ter some lovely mendation of wine and impressed with the flatscreen ambient light TV spiked (alcoholic) cof- I opted for the wine and the fact there was a fees, we headed back that accompanied my flatscreen TV intergrat- to the room for another main. OH ordered a ed into the wall in the change of shoes, and pint of Bulmers – pure --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

‘The decadent style of this place doesn’t compromise on comfort, the room just embraces you in every way and the bathroom, with its free-standing Villeroy and Boch bath, just calls to you to relax and enjoy yourself’ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------bathroom – he was one happy man.

We headed into Galway city, which was just buzzing; it really felt like it has survived the recession – and was in fact having a party to celebrate.

The streets are filled with independent shops, busy with customers and tourists, while the big name high-street brands are still there, Galway seems to have retained a sense of self that Dublin

outfit this time, and strolled down to the Matz Restaurant for dinner.

The restaurant was also buzzing; there were families celebrating alongside groups of Itgirls sipping champagne in the latest fashions, and couples enjoying an intimate date. The compact menu has a great variety of choice – OH is a purely meat-andtwo-veg man and I worryingly thought about

fine dining darling, the staff didn’t bat an eyelid and it was brought straight away, ice cold – they were in his good books.

T he star ters were light and packed with f lavour, the fish was cooked to perfection and, best of all, the food came out piping hot, nothing worse than warm-going-cold fish.

The presentation of the food was like the hotel itself, every last detail was

The g hotel offers the

accounted for and created an impact. The beef came perfectly cooked to a request of medium rare, and, I was told, melted in the mouth. My chicken was succulent and juicy, the potato and apple gratin was complemented with a sprinkling of creamy goat’s cheese – divine. The wine was light and fresh like the dish and I was told the Bulmers hit the spot as well.

Desserts are equally impressive; I was also treated to a sample of a new dessert wine to accompany my star anise dessert and OH stuck to the Bulmers while he demolished a stunning chocolate fondant creation. OH announced he was actually stuffed – result, fine dining doesn’t have to mean mini-food on a giant plate. We retired to the Pink Room again for some bespoke g

14 July 2011 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 23

Edited by Mimi Murray

TravelBriefs Royal wedding fever hits Edinburgh as Zara Philips to wed rugby player, Mark Tindall ROYAL wedding fever is set to start all over again when Zara Philips, daughter of Princess Anne, marries rugby player Mike Tindall in Edinburgh on July 30. Edinburgh might seem like a surprising location for a royal couple to tie the knot, but the low-key princess is actually following in her mum’s footsteps when she married her second husband Cmdr Timothy JH Laurence, a British naval officer in the Scottish capital in 1992.

While the wedding won’t have the pomp and pageantry that accompanied Kate and William’s big day in April, the majestic surroundings of Scotland’s royal city are sure to provide a dramatic and romantic setting for the couple’s big day.

To celebrate the first royal wedding in Scotland for nearly two decades, VisitScotland has put together its top royal hot spots across the city.

Log on to www.visitscotland.com/surprise for further information and the best value deals on accommodation and visitor attractions in Scotland this summer.

Visit Orlando – The perfect fun family destination HOME to the world’s top amusement parks and attractions, Orlando, in Florida, is the perfect destination for a family. Explore what Orlando has to offer and enjoy everything from Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Studios Orlando to SeaWorld Orlando and Legoland Florida.

GoHop has some great family offers at the moment. Stay for seven nights at the three-star Champions World resort from €2,589, or at the three-star + Radisson International Drive from €2,729. Alternatively, stay at the four-star Doubletree by Hilton from €2,789 The package includes return flights from Dublin, airline taxes, accommodation for seven nights based on two adults and two children (under 12). Offers are based on two adults and two children and are valid for travel August 2011.

Visit www.gohop.ie for information on the ideal holiday for you and your family.

ultimate in a city break in one of Ireland’s vibrant hotspots, Galway city

A new baby owl has arived at Trabolgan Holiday Village

cocktails and then called it a night.

We managed to pull ourselves out of the bed to a quiet self-service breakfast (full service option also available) before I sampled the delights of their world-

class ESPA. This spa understands the meaning of relaxation and opulence. I was treated to a rejuvenating full body massage with infused oils to add to your sensory delight. I wanted to marry the girl by the

time she finished working on my tired muscles – I left feeling brand new and smelling heavenly.

Ultimate

The g hotel offers the ultimate in a city break in one of Ireland’s vibrant

hotspots – ditch the baggage restrictions and enjoy these truly unique surroundings.

For more information, phone +353 091 865200, email info@theg.ie or check out their website at www.theghotel.ie

TRABOLGAN Holiday Village in Cork has welcomed the latest edition to their Holiday Park, “Fudge” the beautiful new baby Tawny Owl. Fudge is now six weeks old and can be seen by the public at the Birds of Prey Educational Centre, located in the main centre at Trabolgan.

Fudge will join a host of other birds at Trabolgan this season, including Brendan, the native peregrine falcon, Sundari, the stunning Black Shakeen; Morgan, the native kestrel, and Oscar, the European Eagle Owl. The new Birds of Prey Educational Centre opened at Trabolgan earlier in the season and offers families the chance to learn about birds of prey and to raise awareness of the indigenous species and environmental issues involved in their protection and conservation.

The Birds of Prey Centre is open daily to resident guests and day visitors. Visitors also have the opportunity to “Fly Your Own Hawk” during the visit.

24 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 14 July 2011

GazetteENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT

1

GoingOUT GoingOUT MILL THEATRE 01 296 9340 Port Authority Leading Irish dramatist, Conor McPherson, brings his hit play Port Authority to the Mill Theatre for two nights on July 15 and July 16, directed by Peter Reid. First staged in 2001, Port Authority became a resounding success with its story of three interwoven lives and the challenge of relationships in modern day Ireland.

Saturday, July 15 and Sunday, July 16 at 8pm. Admission: €18/€15

PAVILION THEATRE 01 231 2929 Plaza Suite Rough Magic Theatre Company Theatre’s Plaza Suite is one of Neil Simon’s most poular and celebrated plays.

The play focuses on the misadventures of three very different couples as they face important moments in their lives, all in the same hotel room in the world famous Plaza Hotel. Laughter is guaranteed with this witty, funny and clever play.

Wednesday July 13 - Saturday July 30 [excl. Sundays], please note that Thursday, July 14 is a preview preformance. Mon-Fri: 8pm and Sat: 3 pm and 8pm.

Admission: €17.60/€18/€20/€22/€25.00

THE HELIX 01 700 7000 The blonde, brunette and the vengeful redhead Seen as a cross between Desperate Housewives and CSI Miami the play – set in Anytown, Ireland – tells the story of Rhonda Russell. After a call from her husband for 20 years telling her that he’s leaving her, the story unfolds in a quiet suburban neighbourhood where friends and strangers are drawn together and relationships fall apart.

Friday, July 15 and Saturday, July 16 at 8.30pm.

Admission: €16/€14

DRAIOCHT 01 885 2622 Desmond Kenny - Past and Present Dublin 15 based artist Desmond Kenny is showing both old and new work at Draiocht this summer as he is welcomed to both the ground floor and first floor. The artist has had an active relationship with the centre for the 10 years it has been open, holding a solo show there in June 2001. This will be the first big exhibition of Kenny’s new venture into abstract painting. Kenny’s new work tries to tap into the childlike creativity that breaks free from art history by removing all figuration from the work.

His earlier figurative work will be exhibited in the First Floor Gallery at the same time.

Until Saturday August 27. Admission: Free

CIVIC THEATRE 01 4627477 Ballet Workshop - The Jays on Treasure Island Ballet Ireland’s Annual Summer School launches a new voyage of excitement and discovery embarking on their 11th expedition, The Jays on Treasure Island. It promises a fun-filled week with workshops which will develop into the highlight of the week; a performance held onstage for family and friends.

Monday, July 18 – Friday July 23. Admission: €165 per child or €300 for 2 children from the same family.

SEAMUS ENNIS CULTURAL CENTRE 01 802 0898 John Spillane John Spillane, twice winner of the Meteor Award in the Best Folk/Trad category, will be playing at the Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre. His music spreads joy with entertaining stories, poetic tunes and melodic lyrics. With several albums under his belt, his platinum-selling album ‘Irish Songs we Learned at school’ being just one of many, and another to be released later this year, John seems to embody the meaning of real, traditional Irish music. John Spillane promises to bring you along on a journey with his emotive songs and make it an evening to remember.

Friday, July 15 at 7.30 pm. Admission: €18.

Mr O’Brien (Bradd Pitt) tries to impress upon his sons the importance of being civilised, upstanding citizens, as well as being dutiful and obedient sons, in The Tree of Life. However, tragedy, and the struggles of family life, are themes that will return to haunt his adult son’s life.

Full of leafy, lofty ideas

No, we don’t mean our reviewer, Kate, who is back from her holidays without a tan, but with a review of The Tree of Life

Q KATE CROWLEY

READERS! I’m back!

Back from my early summer sojourn, which was largely spent watching a red-faced Mr Crowley enthusiastically attempting to erect a familysized tent in one rainsoaked spot after another, while Crowleyetta and I checked into any nearby B&B instead for some TLC (and a change into warm, dry clothes away from awash Wicklow campsites).

Did you miss me, dear readers? Well, I missed you both, too, almost as much as I missed my official review and/or family trips to the cinema or screenings, all in a bid to tell you what’s on.

And, as I’m still in a holiday mood, with a few grains from the golden sands of Fundoran still caught between my dainty toes, here’s a quick aside on an interesting cinema trend.

FILM OF THE WEEK: The Tree of Life ++++ (12A) 138 mins Director: Terrence Malick Starring: Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Sean Penn, and lots of strikingly memorable shots

OUR VERDICT: MAVERICK director, Terrence Malick has returned with another rare, and rarefied, film, which has received boos from some audiences, and standing ovations from others. On one hand, the film is about a decent family growing up in a long-gone 1950s’ Americana setting; on the other, it muses on the meaning and evolution of life itself. Many superb shots certainly make it a film to remember, says Kate.

Has anyone been to see 3D films recently?

Anyone?

It seems that Hollywood big-wigs are beginning to question the financial returns on this fad, with audiences beginning to fall away, following an initially enthusiastic takeup of this new tech. Heavens knows why.

After all, who doesn’t enjoy paying up to a fiver – or more – extra per 3D cinema ticket to wear uncomfortable glasses for upwards of two hours, staring at a darkened, slightly-defocused image in the hopes of possibly,

maybe, perhaps seeing one or two shots that seem ever-so-slightly three-dimensional? Oh. Hmmm. I seem to have answered my own rhetorical question there.

And, judging by the halfdeserted 3D films I’ve watched recently, it’s possible that The Gazette won’t be featuring many more in issues to come.

And now, my review.

(Some may be expecting it to be on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, but a scheduling malfunction in the postholiday Crowley household is seeing my review

kicked back to next week instead, folks.)

This week, in my shortest ever review, I’m recommending a slightly artsy film, and – Wait!

Come back!

The Tree of Life is not exactly a popcorn-pusher, seeing as it’s a film that asks lots of questions, poses some interesting points for the viewer, and then, umm ... well, that’s about it.

Unconventional points are raised, and cinematic questions are posed, but, like a hazily-remembered dream, a clear reality is never quite to hand.

It’s a hard film to sum up, being one that, at its heart, follows an ordinary family growing up in a long-lost 1950s’ Americana; as alien a landscape to modern audiences as, well, some of the other desolate landscapes that are visited in this film.

At its simplest, The Tree of Life tells of a stern father, Mr O’Brien (Brad

Pitt), who is doing his best to raise three children, with Mrs O’Brien (Jessica Chastain) adding a softer touch to his upright, uptight parenting.

In later life, a son, Jack (Sean Penn) seeks some familial reconciliation and a personal understanding of his almost idyllic, yet edgy, childhood, seeking to understand himself, his father, and the O’Brien family’s place in the universe.

However, The Tree of Life also jumps far beyond its 1950s and modern-day settings – in fact, it also jumps back millions of years, interested in not just the highly personal tale of a family’s evolution but – perhaps – in the evolution of life itself.

Full of outstanding cinematography, yet coupled with subject matter that is likely to confound, confuse, irritate and delight in equal measures, The Tree of Life could be a real grower for many ...

14 July 2011 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 25

Google steps up battle with Facebook ADAM MAGUIRE

OVER the last few years Google has been trying everything to out-fox Facebook. It created the confusing Google Wave, the uninspiring Google Buzz and is even rumoured to have tried to simply buy out the massively popular social network.

N ow G o o g l e h a s unveiled its latest - and arguably most significant - step against Facebook. Google+ is a social network that marks a massive change in the way the search giant works.

If it succeeds it will restore Google as the king of everything online; if it fails it could ultimately drag the whole company down with it.

So, here is everything

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you need to know about it before you dive in.

How it works Any user of Facebook will see a lot of similarities when they log onto Google+ first (which might be hard to do for now as it is invite-only at the moment). You can link up with friends, post status updates and pictures and share things in an instant.

How it differs from Facebook Google seems to have spotted a lot of the things that are wrong with Face-

book and put their solutions at the heart of the Google+ design.

For example it allows you to differentiate between people you connect to, so rather than tagging them all as friends you can put them into “Circles” according to your relationship.

So you can have one person as a friend and another as an acquaintance. You can also put people in multiple groups if they happen to be, say, a friend and a work colleague.

From that you can easily decide what circle you share what piece of information with. So your rant about your job can be seen by your family but not your boss.

Users can also video chat easier with people they connect to, some-

thing Facebook does not yet offer, and is more transparent when it comes to privacy.

Why it might succeed Google has put a lot of effort in to getting this right. They have clearly learned from past mistakes and some of the features of Google+ are really compelling.

While the company is absent from social networking it still has a lot of clout generally and, if anyone is going to take on Facebook, they certainly have the resources and skills to do so.

Why it might fail The best-designed social network is only as good as its user-base. Google has millions of people logging on every day but there is no guarantee that they

will jump to Google+.

The one thing people will ask is: “Why join this when I’m already on Facebook?” and they need a good answer to that. Likewise, the last thing they want is someone signing up, finding no one to interact with and leaving straight away.

avoiding the mistakes of the far-too-small-to-use netbooks of the past and giving the user plenty of screen and keyboard real estate while still being portable.

T h a t said it is still very

Samsung NF210 netbook

NETBOOKS have been somewhat overshadowed by tablets lately but Samsung’s NF210 does its best to catch the user’s eye once more.

With a striking curved shape and a striking gloss body (in this case a bright white), the Samsung NF210 certainly looks the part. It is a nice size too,

much a netbook, for better or for worse.

It has no CD/DVD drive and is relatively low-powered. Indeed, it still has much the same specification as the netbooks that were around a few years ago, bar perhaps the Windows 7 install.

It is still a nice, wall e t- f r i e n d l y c h o i c e ,

especially for students and young users, however. It does the trick for most basic tasks like checking e-mail and typing documents, while its near 11-hour battery will keep users online for more than enough time.

It is a bit of a shame that netbooks have not advanced all that much in the last two years. However, it is questionable whether they need to. The NF210 does a good job of arguing that they do not.

The Samsung NF210 is available from elara.ie €330 before P&P Visit teic.ie for the latest tech news, reviews and views.

GAZETTE

26 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 14 July 2011

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PLANNING NOTICE

PLANNING NOTICE

DUN LAOGHAIRE/ RATHDOWN COUNTY COUNCIL

DUN LAOGHAIRE/ RATHDOWN COUNTY COUNCIL

We Derek and Mary Wharton are applying to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council for full planning permission for the proposed erection of a first floor extension together with alterations to the existing layout, and to the front, rear and side elevations of an existing dwelling and all associated site works at 51 Woodlawn Park, Churchtown, Dublin 14.

This planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the Planning Authority during its public opening hours 10.00am 4.00pm Monday to Friday excluding public holidays.

The offices are at: The Planning Authority, County Hall, Marine Road, Dun Laoghaire.

A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the Planning Authority on payment of a fee of €20.

Submissions must be made within 5 weeks from the date the application is received by the Planning Authority.

I Benn Handley of Pizza Express intend to apply for planning permission to display advertisements for development at Milano, Civic Square, Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin 14, for the following a) 2 x face illuminated built up roundals and b) 3 x reverse applied frosted vinyl decals.The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the Planning Authority, County Hall, Dun Laoghaire, during its public opening hours. A submission or observation may be made on payment of €20 within a period of five weeks from the date the application is received by the Planning authority.

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PLANNING NOTICE

PLANNING NOTICE

DUN LAOGHAIRE RATHDOWN COUNTY COUNCIL

DUN LAOGHAIRE/ RATHDOWN COUNTY COUNCIL

I, Margaret Downes, intend to apply to Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council for retention permission for development at this site Greenmount House, Ticknock Road,Ticknock, Dublin 18. The development consists of retention of existing single storey domestic garage.

The planning application may be inspected or purchased, at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the Planning Authority during its public opening hours 10am to 4pm Monday-Friday excluding public holidays. The offices are at: The Planning Authority, County Hall, Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire. A submission / observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the Planning Authority on payment of a fee of €20.

Submissions must be made within 5 weeks from the date the application is received by the Planning Authority.

Planning permission is sought for the demolition of existing side garage; the construction of a single storey extension to side and rear of existing single storey detached dwelling; conversion of attic space with dormers to front and rear; internal alterations and associated site works at 92 Woodlawn Park, Churchtown, Dublin 14 for Sinead Howley & Geoff Wallis. The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the Planning Authority, County Hall, Dún Laoghaire during its public opening hours. A submission/observation may be made on payment of €20 within a period of 5 weeks from the date the application is received by the planning authority.

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14 July 2011 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 27

GazetteSPORT

LEARNING PROCESS: Martin Russell on UCD’s unique soccer approach: Page 29

HOCKEY: IRELAND’S UNDERAGE STARS REGISTER IMPRESSIVE INTERNATIONAL WINS

Young hockey representatives claim victories sport@gazettegroup.com

IRELAND’S young hockey stars enjoyed a fine week last week when the U-18 girls and both U-16 groups had successful international series against Celtic rivals.

The U-16 boys claimed an intense three-nation series in Paris, playing four games in quick succession against France and Wales, eventually taking the laurels on goal difference.

They began the compe-

tition with back-to-back wins over Wales, starting off with a 3-1 success, one which could have been won by a greater margin.

That was proved in the second tie as they stormed past Wales on day two by a half-dozen scores, in which there were first international goals for Mark Loughrey, Lee Cole, and Jack Ryan, all from St Andrew’s.

That win came on day two of their trip, giving them just a few hours to

rest before playing against the tournament hosts, France.

The strain of two games in a day proved too much for the lads but there was enough in their 3-2 loss in a more physical match to suggest they could turn the tide on day three.

Luke Madeley of Three Rock Rovers and Wesley were on the mark.

With the tournament decider again against France, Ireland saved their best for last, with an

The Ireland underage hockey sides were victorious against French and Welsh opposition

emphatic 7-2 victory.

The U-16 girls, meanwhile, hosted Wales and notched up three consecutive wins. Thirteen year-old Kathryn Edgar, Elaine Carey and Alex’s Millie O’Donnell were to the fore, with a couple of goals over the course of

the Belfield games, which provided valuable match practise for the young side as they make tentative steps toward the 2012 Europeans.

The Irish U-18s ran up three big wins over France in Belfield. In game one, they came from a goal

down to win the first of their three games with France.

Emily Beatty from Old Alex made the game level in the first half before an excellent Rebecca Barry touch gave the girls in green the lead.

Joanne Orr and Katie

Mullan also weighed in to secure a 4-0 success, all the goals coming from open play.

And the series ended as it had started, a 5-1 success with Leinster youngsters Beatty, Erika Hinkson and Lisa McCarthy scoring four of the goals.

28 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 14 July 2011

GazetteSport Sport

Nicole Hughes, from Dalkey

Mark Fahy, from Dalkey

Swimming New medley event is a real winner O VER 200 swimmers took to the water on Sunday at the Dublin Community Games County Swimming Finals held in Tallaght Sports Complex.

With swimmers aged from six to 16 years, some taking part in their first ever competition, each participant represented their local area with pride.

A new event added this year was the U-16 4 x 50m Medley relay which created great excitement and a very close finish in the final.

The heats, semi-finals and finals of the freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly events were hotly contested with nothing but a touch of the wall between placings.

The gold medal winners will now represent Dublin at the HSE Community Games National finals in August.

Lara Harrington, from Dun Laoghaire

Girls’ Under-13 team, from Glenageary

Aliya Tormey-Murphy, from Glenageary

Sean Desmond, from Dun Laoghaire

Nicole Hughes pictured with her medal

B Relay team, from Knocklyon

14 July 2011 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 29

in association with

Students get an education in LoI

FastSport

Martin Russell, manager of League of Ireland side UCD, is giving back to his young stars the lessons of his footballing life, ROB HEIGH discovers Grange pair take 2011

A LOT of players travel a long way in their soccer careers, and eventually return to their roots when it comes to the next phase of their careers when their playing days come to an end.

Someone who did just that, and who is making a difference to the culture and results at UCD is Lucan resident, Martin Russell, the former Manchester United apprentice who has worked, at various times, under the stewardship of Ron Atkinson, Sir Alex Ferguson, David Pleat and reknowned Irish coach, Noel O’Reilly.

“Most footballers who go through their playing career and end up on the coaching side of things will take things on board that they’ve experienced.

At all the clubs, I’ve tried to take on board everything I’ve found useful, and I’m trying to implement them now at UCD. “From grassroots up, from having Noel O’Reilly, to Eric Harrison at Manchester United, and learning from the likes of David Pleat and Ryan Hamilton at Leicester, all gave me lots of good teachings and good philosophies on the game.”

From those esteemed guardians, Russell has learned a great deal and brings that wealth of experience to the young players at UCD, where he started coaching in 2005, before being offered the manager’s role in 2009.

That first season proved a baptism of fire for the former Belvedere player,

UCD in action against St Johnstone

as the side had just been relegated from the top flight of the league of Ireland, but he performed what many considered was a miracle when the

ers as a back-up plan if their soccer career doesn’t work out, which is vital.”

That grounding for young players is coming earlier and earlier, by vir-

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‘UCD is different. Players get an education, as well as first-team experience. I think that’s an ideal vehicle for their future career.’

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team bounced back up immediately, and have remained in the top flight since then.

“In 2009, we had a very young squad, and they were not expected to come back up, and it was great to achieve that. To go on and stay in the top flight last, and this season, is great credit to the group of players we have.”

UCD have a quite unique ethos in League of Ireland soccer, as their player base is made up of players involved in its highly-regarded scholarship scheme, which gives players the chance to combine senior football with the opportunity to earn a college degree.

“UCD is such a good club for young players.

When I went to Manchester, at the time, there were very few full-time set-ups in Ireland.

“What we’ve tried to establish at UCD is a fulltime outfit, and providing an education for the play-

tue of the fact the team needed to field an Under19 team last season.

“What’s happening at the moment, we have players on scholarship, who come in when they’ve done their Leaving Cert.

But, this season, with the need to put together an Under-19 team, we needed to be signing players who were still in school, and creating pre-scholarship agreements for the Under-19 squad.

“For the players who sign at that young age, they have access to the high-performance unit, for strength and conditioning, and they get to see what life at the club is like.

“The UCD structure means that we don’t pay players, the remuneration is the scholarship. After that, we would like to keep some of the good players to help the younger players as they come in.

“When we got the team up from the first division

and stayed up, they all acquitted themselves well, and the really good ones were offered contracts elsewhere.

“We lost a lot of players last year, and we would like to be able to produce some strength and depth at the club, keeping players involved.”

With that in mind, Russell is clear about the team’s short-term goals and the benefits of forthcoming matches against top-flight opposition.

“Our whole goal is to remain in the premier league next year, and the friendlies against St Johnstone and Villarreal are great experiences for the players, lining out against seasoned professionals from these clubs.”

UCD, for Russell, is a great place for new players to develop their future careers, as he did, under the watchful eye of a seasoned professional.

“There are so man strengths in Dublin football that I see when I go around the city and look at players. However, as Dublin is filled with only so many clubs, teams will go after the same players.

“What we think is that we at UCD are different.

UCD can fulfil a player’s needs, that they get an education, as well as firstteam experience.

“For the young player, I think that’s the ideal vehicle for their future career,” said Russell.

Father & Son title at Castle Golf Club

MICHAEL and Michael Cronin, from Grange Golf Club, were the victorious familial pairing who won the 2011 All Ireland Father and Son classic at Castle Golf Club last week.

Over 500 golfers, representing more than 100 different golf clubs, participated in the qualifying rounds of the tournament, the biggest open event on the Irish golfing calendar.

Sixty-four pairs qualified for the matchplay stages of the event, which commenced last Monday and ran every evening during the week.

In the final, held on Sunday, the Michaels defeated Brian and Gavin Whittaker, of Elm Park/Milltown on the 18th green.

30 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 14 July 2011

GazetteSport Sport FastSport

St Joseph’s hosting Hibernia tournament ST JOSEPH’S Boys will once again host the annual Hibernia Trophy tournament this year, which is taking place in Sallynoggin between August 19 and 21.

The hosts will again welcome an array of international teams, including Liverpool, FC Utrecht, Leicester City, Glasgow Celtic, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Linfield.

The full fixture list and further information can be found at www.hiberniatrophy.com The club is encouraging everyone to come out to support both the team and this very successful competition.

Cabinteely’s Livingston on FAI cup panel

Monkstown host Niland exhibition tie

CABINTEELY FC’s Kelly Livingston travelled to Limerick recently where she represented North Leinster in the FAI U-16 Gaynor Cup. The Gaynor Cup is a national tournament for U-14, U-16 and U-18 girls’ representative teams similar in style to the Kennedy Cup. This year’s competition took place at University College Limerick.

Livingston, has played with Cabinteely girls, under the management of Tanya Breen, since the age of twelve, and she is the first Cabinteely girls’ player to be selected for the Gaynor Cup squad.

IN THE wake of his epic run into the Wimbledon main draw and subsequent Davis Cup heroics, Conor Niland will be a guest at Monkstown tennis club to play an exhibition match against the home club’s number one and former Ireland number one, Scott Barron.

It will be a fundraising event for GOAL’s work in the Horn of Africa, which is suffering from a severe drought at present.

Conor Niland is a patron of GOAL. Niland is currently ranked 171 in the world (his highest ranking was 129 in December 2010). Barron reached a career high ranking of 263.

SAILING: LOCAL COMPETITORS SUCCEED IN TOUGH CONDITIONS

The 2011 Dun Laoghaire Regatta was a huge success, in spite of the conditions providing trying times for the organisers and racers

A remarkable regatta sport@gazettegroup.com

LOCAL success was being toasted in Dun Laoghaire last weekend following the end of this year’s Volvo Dun Laoghaire regatta.

The bulk of the major trophies were divided among sailors from the waterfront Dublin Bay yacht clubs or Howth at the end of four days of racing.

T he major overall prize went to the Class III IRC winner, Supernova, who produced three wins and three second places in a 38-boat fleet, the biggest class of the regatta.

The biennial regatta

is being hailed an enormous success, both afloat and ashore, as a combined fleet of 420 boats raced over nine courses and a range of conditions, from full gale to flat calm, testing both competitors and race organisers.

Responsive race management in trying conditions meant that organisers were able to pull off a successful day’s racing on Saturday averting a major regatta set-back in the penultimate round of the four-day event.

In a classic Dublin Bay scenario, a light westerly gradient breeze of eight knots fought an

opposing sea breeze leaving Ireland’s top race management teams with little option but to reset some courses, and abandon others across the regatta’s nine different courses off the coast of Dun Laoghaire.

Full programme Despite the on-thewater headaches however, the outcome was a full programme of races in nearly all the 25 competing classes, thanks to nimble race teams.

T he cr uisers zero IRC winner, in the biggest turn out of the class this year, was Alan Chambers and Norbert Reilly’s Crazy Horse.

Steven Cowie’s Beneteau 40, Zephyr, from Royal Gourock, was four points behind the Howth winner, with the Dufour 42 Grand Cru, from Clyde Cruising club, three points further adrift.

In the Cruiser one IRC, the prize went to the National Yacht Club’s Something Else (John and Brian Hall and Sue McDonnell).

Second was Scotland’s Carmen II (Paul Scutt/ Alan Jeffrey) and third Bengal Magic ( John Moorehead/ Chris Ferres) In class two, Howth’s Impetous lifted the IRC trophy from a fleet of

21.Second was Sligo traveller, Conor Ronan, sailing Ruthless, a Corby 25; Third was the half-tonner King One (David Cullen) from Howth.

In the one designs class champions prevailed in the SB3, the Sigma and the Flying fifteen classes.

In a new departure for the event, kitesurfing was added to the slate and the sport was showcased off Seapoint. Francois Colussi won the demonstration event.

The next Dun Laoghaire regatta will be held in early July 2013.

Marshall and Murphy named in panel sport@gazettegroup.com

ST ANDREW’S graduate, Ben Marshall, and 2009 Blackrock College SCT winning captain Jordi Murphy, have both been included in the year two players to be named in the Leinster Academy panel for the 2011/12 season.

T h e s q u a d i n cl u d e s a number of Ireland Under-20 internationals who competed in the recent IRB Junior World Championships.

In all there are 18 players in the Academy, including Mur-

phy, who captained Ireland Under-20’s last month.

The Academy programme is set out over three years where all of the players will aim to ultimately earn a professional contract. Amongst the most recent graduates are Andrew Conway, Brendan Macken and Jack McGrath, who have all gone on to feature for the senior side of late.

Other past graduates from the Leinster Academy system include the likes of Ireland internationals Fergus McFadden, Kevin McLaughlin, Sean

O’Brien, Rhys Ruddock, Jonathan Sexton and Devin Toner, as well as Fionn Carr and Jamie Hagan, who rejoined the province this summer.

In addition to each Academy player’s third-level commitments, they will also complete a supplementary HETAC (Higher Education & Training Awards Council) course covering modules such as Rugby, Fitness, Psychology and Lifestyle.

Academy Manager Colin McEntee oversees the day-today running of the Academy.

Martin Moore

14 July 2011 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 31

in association with

AHL 5: DALKEY SIDE RETURN TO WINNING WAYS

a

CLUB NOTICEBOARD NAOMH OLAF Dates for Summer camps: July 18 to

tember 2, and the cost is €1,000 per

22, Gaelic football/hurling; August

table of ten. The event will be hosted

8 to 12, multi-spor ts camps. All

by Marty Morrissey and the theme

camps are open for boys and girls

is Celebrating Dublin Hurling.

from senior infants to 6th Class.

The record of Club members who

Times 9:30am to 2pm, Monday to

have played for Dublin, football,

Friday. Cost €50 per camp.

hurling or camogie teams since

A school of excellence for boys and

1981, is on display in the clubhouse

girls born 1996 to 1999 (inclusive)

until July 30. Members are asked to

will be held August 15 to 19, from

inspect the record to ensure that it

10am to 1.30pm. Please note that

is accurate, before it is published in

this is a training camp, and not a

a history of the club.

Summer Camp. Training will be con-

Congratulations to Philip and

ducted by inter-county players and

Cathy Byrne, Marley Court, on the

coaches. The cost is €50 and partic-

birth of a baby boy, Ronan. A first

ipants will receive Naomh Olaf gear

child for the couple and a grand-

unique to the School of Excellence.

child for Liam and Maureen Byrne,

Details are posted on the club web-

Kingston, Ballinteer.

site where a registration form may be downloaded.

The annual corporate lunch will be held in Croke Park on Friday, Sep-

There was no winner of the lotto jackpot this week. Numbers drawn were 15, 18 and 29. Next week’s jackpot is worth €1,600.

Cuala’s hurlers came back from a defeat at Somerton Park with a convincing win over Civil Service

Cuala bounce back with normal Service AHL 5 Cuala Civil Service

0-18 1-7

sport@gazettegroup.com

CUALA bounced back from mid-week defeat to record an 0-18 to 1-7 victory over Civil Service Hurling at Shankill on Sunday evening.

This leaves the AHL 5 side lying in fourth place in the league with nine games played.

Cuala manager Shay Hayes is, unsurprisingly, pleased with their recovery.

“Civil Service would be a mature team,” he told GazetteSport.

“I think there were six points in it at half time, and it could have gone either way at that stage.

We also gave away a soft goal.”

The second half, however, was a slightly more one-sided affair which saw Cuala pull away from their rivals.

“I think that our youth and fitness told in the end, and we got some nice scores,” says Hayes.

“T heir goalkeeper made some good saves as well, which maybe made the score more respectable from their point of view.

“We could have won by more, but we’re very happy with the result.”

It had been a very different story the previous Thursday when Cuala took on rivals and unbeaten league-leaders Castleknock at Somerton Park.

Fourth-placed Cuala had to win this game to retain any interest in filling either of the two promotion places and, with the home team determined to retain their unbeaten record, this promised to be a very interesting match.

Points were exchanged early on, and Castleknock were pushed hard by a well-drilled Dalkey outfit.

Cuala played neat, controlled hurling and tried to pull the ’Knock defence around the field.

Gradually, Castle-

knock came to grips with this, and deserved their lead of eight points to four points at half-time.

The second half was a different affair, with the home side taking control despite stiff resistance from a brave Cuala side.

Driven on by Ronan O’Brien, centre back, and Mick Geaney on his left, Castleknock scored five unanswered points.

Further scores were added by both teams before the game ended on the score of Castleknock 0-17, Cuala 0-7.

However, Hayes was not too down-heartened after the game, taking solace from what he saw as an impressive performance.

It was a tight affair early on with points being exchanged. Castleknock were pushed hard by the well-drilled Dalkey outfit. However, Castleknock were able to pull away in the second half and eventually ran out deserved 0-17 to 0-7 winners.

“Castleknock are the

league leaders and they deserve to be,” conceded Hayes. “We wouldn’t have had our strongest side out but they were worthy winners.

“A couple of our key players are away, in Thailand and so on.

“We had a reasonably good team out and though we were beaten by ten points, I was quite happy with the team.”

The management team at Cuala is pleased with the season thus far.

“Myself and (selector) Brendan Spillane have taken over this team and given youth its chance.”

“Our captain would be the oldest and he’d be in his mid-forties. We’d have a 30-year old and the rest would be 23 or younger.”

“The team was relegated last year. We’re rebuilding and we’re happy enough to be holding our own. And, hopefully, we can improve further next year.”

Next up for Hayes’ side is a game away to Crumlin on July 24.

BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S WELL done to Robbie McDaid (cap-

teams through to league finals.

tain) and Aran Waters, part of Dub-

Senior A, B and junior A and B hurl-

lin’s minor football championship

ing teams all had good wins. Senior

win - a Leinster double.

footballers also had good win over

Appreciation to the Boden Walk-

St Jude’s.

ers for their contributions to Our

The application forms for the

Lady`s Hospice, Harolds Cross. The

School of E xcellence cour se in

final total of €1,440 was raised over

August for players on teams from

a very busy walking week.

Under 12, 13, 14 and 15 in all four

Well done to Senior B camogie team on capturing OZO Summer Cup

codes are now www.bodengaa.ie, as are Summer camp details.

with a fine win over holders Porto-

The annual golf classic will take

bello. Well done to management,

place on Friday, September 16 in

Jimmy Galavan, Trish Cantwell and

Edmondstown Golf Club.

Dolores Greene.

Congratulations to the senior A ladies’ football team on reaching another county final where they will play Na Fianna.

Well done to both minor hurling

Club lotto due to re-star t on Monday, July 18. See website for details.

There is a special Summer camp website this year- www.ballybodensummercamp.com.

STARS OF ERIN JUNIOR As won the Conlon Cup on

niles@wanderersgaa.ie.

Tuesday last for the third time in 12

Well done to Wanderers’ Under-12

years. Congratulations to the man-

players Anne Whelan and Jordan

agement team and captain Darren

Harding who represented Dublin in

Delaney, and all involved.

the mini-game at half-time during

Both junior teams in Champion-

Dublin’s Leinster senior football

ship action at Frank Kelly Park this

final on Sunday last at Croke Park.

week.

Ann did brilliantly outfield while

Junior Bs are in championship action at Frank Kelly Park this week

Jordan pulled off a string of great saves in goal.

v St Enda’s on Thursday, throw-in

There was no winner of the lotto

at 7.30pm and all support welcome.

jackpot. Numbers drawn were 11, 13

Due to unprecedented demand, a

and 17.

second Summer camp will be held

€25 goes to Joan Teeling, Paul Cul-

between August 15 and 19. Contact

len, Catherine McBride, Martin Gal-

Niall for more details and applica-

lagher.

tion forms on 086 885 7303 or juve-

Next week’s jackpot is €1,600.

ALL OF YOUR DUN LAOGHAIRE SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 27-31

FULL AHEAD: Dun Laoghaire Regatta proves a roaring success once more P30

JULY 14, 2011

HIGHER LEARNING: Russell extols UCD’s football virtues P29

GazetteSPORT

Cuala endured their first league loss of the campaign against Naomh Fionnbarra last weekend to leave them still needing a point for promotion

Roberts to defer Erin’s Isle date Cuala boss not taking any chances as the Dalkey club takes up a postponement option in their AHL2 charge

PETER CARROLL dundrumsport@gazettegroup.com

CUALA will have to face Erin’s Isle before they can confirm promotion from the AHL2 and their place in the league final play-off, with the side leading the league by three points, with their nearest rivals following in second and third by three points with a game in hand each.

The Dalkey side will be happy with their season so far, after being relegated from AHL1 last season and are now in a good position to gain promotion with such a prominent league placing.

However, with five of their panel missing due to intercounty loyalties, the challenge may prove difficult, despite Erin’s Isle lying second last in the league.

“We have an awful lot of respect for Erin’s Isle, their league position doesn’t take away from the fact that they’re one of the toughest teams out there. They always play a hard game, and they’ll be

fighting just as much as us on the day,” said manager Harry Roberts.

On the missing list for Cuala are Paul Schutte, David Treacy and Oisin Gough, who are currently representing the Dublin senior hurlers, and Mark Schutte and Conor Gough, who are on duty for the Dublin Under-21s.

With the postponement option in place due to the absence of one-third of Cuala’s line-up, the Hyde Road side opted against it for the first of their closing two games against the second-placed Naomh Fionnbarra.

Coming into their last game against Erin’s Isle, Roberts decided to use the postponement option to maximise his team’s chances of promotion.

“To be honest, the game is just too important to risk anything. Everyone here at the club has decided it’s the best option for us. If we don’t grab a point at least the whole league challenge will have been in vain, and, after our performances, we deserve better than that,” said Roberts.

The inclusion of the intercounty hurlers in the final showdown with Erin’s Isle has been embraced by all the players, with none of the Cuala “league team” feeling displaced by their returns.

“All the lads are happy that we’ll be facing Erin’s Isle with a full team. We all want to be back up in AHL1 next year, and with a full-strength team, we have a really good chance.

“The whole team get on very well with each other, they’ve got great respect for one another and they have great confidence in their performances,” said Roberts.

Nerves would be a factor for anyone in the situation that Cuala face, but Roberts joked about the anxiety surrounding the game.

“How do you print black eyes?” laughed the Cuala manager.

“We’ll go in full of confidence, the lads really want this, there’s no lack of motivation, even though we have a tough Erin’s Isle side to face, I’m sure we’ll come out with the result,” he said.