Dun laoghaire

Gazette DUN LAOGHAIRE

June 15 -21, 2017

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Mrs Brown’s joys at Rotary Club awards Tireless local hero Margaret named Person of the Year at inaugural event

 EMMA NOLAN DUN Laoghaire’s unsung heroes were celebrated last week as local woman Margaret Brown was named as the Person of the Year at the inaugural Dun Laoghaire

Rotary Club awards.

A gala dinner was held to honour club members for their tireless humanitarian work at the weekend.

Organised by Rotary Club member Tony McCarthy, this was the first year of the

awards, which are open to anybody from, living in or engaged in voluntary caring, sporting, cultural or commercial activities in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown.

The judging panel selected five nominees, and Mar-

garet – who was recognised for her work across the past 30 years to provide Christmas dinners for people who live alone – scooped the top title of Person of the Year.

Full Story on Page 2

2 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 15 June 2017

DUN LAOGHAIRE ROTARY CLUB AWARDS | INDEFATIGABLE MARGARET BROWN AWARDED THE

Community heroes thanks for tireless Dun Laoghaire Rotary Club president David Dingemans congratulates Denise Barry and Martina Reynolds. Pictures: Rose Comiskey

O’Leary for all her hard work for others

 EMMA NOLAN LOCAL woman Margaret Brown was named Dun Laoghaire-Rathdow n Person of the Year at the Dun Laoghaire Rotary Club awards last Saturday, where a gala dinner was held at the National Yacht Cub to honour club members for their tireless humanitarian work.

Margaret was recognised for her work across the past 30 years providing Christmas dinners for people who live alone.

She says she hasn’t had her own Christmas dinner in the decades since she began the Dun Laoghaire Christmas Day Lunch Association.

Speaking to The Gazette, Margaret said: “I’m very honoured and grateful to be nominated.

I founded the first Christmas lunch in 1986 for people living alone, who are lonely on Christmas Day. “It’s heartbreaking that they would be on their

own otherwise.

“I want to dedicate the award to all those who are no longer with us.”

The Dun Laoghaire native is also wellknown for her work with The Forgotten Irish in the UK, helping the now elderly generation of Irish migrants who went to work there in the 1950s, some of whom have fallen on hard times.

The other nominees recognised on the night included Alan McElwee, founder of Serve the City Ireland, a charity that serves the practical needs of marginalised and vulnerable people.

Alan told The Gazette that his nomination for the award was a great recognition of the work that his charity does.

He said: “I’m very humbled to be nominated in recognition of the thousands of volunteers and the work they’ve put in.

“We try to mobilise volunteers to help people

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Person of the Year Margaret Brown is warmly congratulated well-known local figure is a familiar sight at many events, where she has been trying to

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‘I’m very honoured and grateful to be nominated.

I founded the first Christmas lunch in 1986 for people living alone, who are lonely on Christmas Day. I want to dedicate the award to all those who are no longer with us.’

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Margaret Brown, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Person of the Year

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that are vulnerable in very practical ways.

“There’re a lot of people that are really in need within the community – a real cohort of people who need just simple, practical

help within their home.

“They may not have family and friends who are available to help them, so we try to fulfil this need.”

Denise O’Leary, of Blackrock Flyers Special

Olympics Club, was also recognised for her work coaching teenagers with special needs in various sports.

Denise’s daughter, Fionadha, has Down Syn-

15 June 2017 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 3

DUN LAOGHAIRE-RATHDOWN PERSON OF THE YEAR FOR 30 YEARS OF HELPING COMMUNITY

get well-deserved efforts for others

Members of the Denise O’Leary (award winner) group

Jane Langan with An Cathaoirleach Cormac Devlin

by David Dingemans. The help others for decades.

Harry and Bernie Byrne

drome, which led Denise to become involved in the club.

On finding out she was nominated for the award, Denise said she was “speechless”.

She said: “I couldn’t believe it – it’s a great honour! I volunteer and I get involved because it’s just so enriching to work with the athletes. Just to be even nominated in itself is so great.”

A world expert in ophthalmology, Dr Kate Coleman, was recognised for

her work fighting blindness, but was not in attendance on the night.

She was honoured for her not-for-profit organisation, Right to Sight, which works towards ending needless blindness through empowering international experts in glaucoma research and eye surgeon training.

Gerry Ryan, of the Living Well with Dementia Project, was also honoured at the event.

The project is a community-based initiative

to support people with dementia to continue to live at home and be an active part of the community.

Speaking to The Gazette, Gerry said he was surprised to find out he had been nominated.

He said: “I’m only nominated on behalf of all the volunteers, so I accept it on behalf of all of them.

It’s a group effort.

“This gives an extra boost to help create awareness around dementia.”

Gerry Ryan is congratulated by David Dingemans

Frances and John Langan

Alan McElwee is congratulated by David Dingemans

4 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 15 June 2017

STILLORGAN | IRISH WATER TO SPLASH OUT ON MODERNISING RESOURCE SITE

€80m proposal to redevelop reservoir gets the go-ahead  EMMA NOLAN PLANS to redevelop the €80 million Stillorgan Reservoir have been given the go-ahead – as calls to turn the decommissioned land into a public park mount.

Irish Water are set to redevelop the facility having been given approval by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdow n County Council.

Irish Water says that the project is necessary to ensure a secure and sustainable supply of water to more than 200,000 people in south Dublin.

The plans will see the reservoir modernised to meet current requirements, with the cur-

rent infrastructure to be drained and a new covered reservoir and control building to be built.

Once the new covered reservoir is operational, the upper and lower reservoirs will be drained and decommissioned, with the decommissioned areas to be reserved for future water services facilities.

The decommissioned areas will then be landscaped, and there are calls for the public to be able to access the site, when completed.

The move to landscape the site has been welcomed by local Fine Gael councillor Barry Saul and party colleague Deputy Josepha Madigan.

Irish Water says its plans to modernise Stillorgan Reservoir are necessary to sustainably secure water for the area

She said: “The decomm i s s i o n e d r e s e r vo i r areas and indeed the covered reservoir will incorporate substantial areas of land that could be put to good use to serve the community.

“Other similar sites

have incorporated public park areas, football pitches and have even been put to use for the sourcing of renewable energy.”

Cllr Saul said the plans were “wonderful positive news”. He said: “I’ve

been working on getting public access to the Stillorgan Reservoir once it has been covered over.”

Deputy Madigan added: “Considering the planned investment of substantial public funds in this project, it is

important that the site’s development serves the needs of the local community.”

A council spokesperson told The Gazette: “We are still inside the five-week appeal period of D16A/0855 [relating to the proposed plans].

“As such it would not be appropriate for the council to comment until after this appeal period has ended.”

The spokesperson also said that there are currently no plans in place to create a public park on the site.

The Gazette contacted Irish Water for further clarification but had not received a response by the time of going to press.

Call for Govt to buy Clonkeen College land  NICK FITZGERALD

LOCAL councillors are calling on the Government to buy the sports

grounds next to Clonkeen College and have called for an urgent meeting with Education Miniser Richard Bruton.

Monday night’s DubLaoghaire Rathdowncouncil meeting saw several motions discussed in relation to the controversial sale of the land owned by the Christian Brothers.

Cllr John Bailey (FG) is calling for a Compulsory Purchase Order to be made in order to preserve the playing fields.

Cllr Bailey has pledged to do everything in his power to prevent the sale

of 7.5 acres of land owned by the Congregation.

He told The Gazette “I am now calling on the Department of Education, the Minister for Education and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdow n County Council to do a CPO, a Compulsory Purchase Order, to preserve the school.”

It is now well over a month since the Congregation of The Christian Brothers announced they are in the process of selling off two-thirds of Clonkeen College’s sports pitches in Deansgrange.

They say the money raised – believed to be around €18m – will be used to pay compensation for victims of clerical abuse.

The Brothers have also promised to secure 3.5 acres and €1.3m for the school.

There are currently 525 pupils in Clonkeen College, the only non-paying school in the Deansgrange area, who would

be affected by the Christian Brother’s plans to sell off the land to housing developers.

This is on top of the predicted 20,000 future generations of young children in the area to come, Cllr Bailey pointed out.

The Gazette last week reported how Cllr Bailey had placed a motion before the council to have the land rezoned to “open space and recreational”.

It is currently zoned as residential”, and dezoning it to open space would essentially make it worthless to any potential developer.

It is unknown at this time if rezoning the land from residential to amenity status is possible.

The Christian Brothers have warned Dún Laoghaire-Rathdow n county councillors that attempts to rezone land at Clonkeen College to block a residential development would have “financial consequences”.

FASTNews

Join in the fun of Bike Week BIKE Week 2017 is currently taking place until this Sunday, June 18, with cyclists all across Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown invited to join in the national celebration of cycling in Ireland.

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s events including a free bike clinic, street velodrome and a bike to work day.

An Cathaoirleach Cllr Cormac Devlin said: “Bike Week aims to promote cycling as a healthy, sustainable and fun mode of travel for school, commuting or leisure with many cycling events taking place in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown.

“It is an ideal opportunity for kids and adults to find out how convenient cycling can be for local trips.”

For more details, see www.www.bikeweek.ie.

Dalkey Book Festival to thrill BOOKWORMS will be in their element at this year’s Dalkey Book Festival, which promises to be the best yet with more than 65 conversations, workshops and performances taking place between today, Thursday 15 and this Sunday, June 18.

Dalkey’s rich literary heritage will be to the fore during the festival, with this year’s impressive line-up including such greats as award-winning novelist Sebastian Barry, journalist and author David Goodhart, film directors Lenny Abrahamson and Bruce Robinson, and Man Booker prizewinning author Marlon James.

Plenty of events for children will round out its comprehensive celebration of all things arts- and publishingrelated.

For the full list of events, see www.dalkeybookfestival.org.

15 June 2017 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 5

FASTNews

CHILDREN | DEANSGRANGE WOMAN DISHES UP A FUN STORY

Oats a creative new book about porridge  DARRAGH MCKIERNAN

Picture: Peter Cavanagh

It’s a g’day for Australian, Irish authors to get together A LOT of laureates gathered at the DLR LexIcon Library recently for a special celebration of writing and illustration for children’s books, where acclaimed Irish and Australian authors exchanged ideas and outlooks.

Ireland’s Laureate na nOg, author and illustrator PJ Lynch was joined by former laureate Niamh Sharkey, alongside Leigh Hobbs, Australian Children’s Laureate and author of numerous awardwinning books and Ireland’s first Laureate na nÓg (in 2010), Siobhan Parkinson, author of 20 books since 1992.

With each author having lots of popular titles and well-received work behind thembelt, they had lots of ideas to exchange about creating engaging, fun books for children on both sides of the equator.

DEANSGRANGE illustrator, author and animator Grainne Quinlan has published a new book for young children.

Entitled, How Do You Like Your Porridge?, the illustrated book is a fun exploration of the world of porridge and the interesting characters that may inhabit it.

It’s aimed at young children, but also offers parents a chance to have some fun as they join in with the whimsical journey.

The story follows a little girl as she explores all things porridge related as she bumps into bears, robots and everything in between along the way.

As the journey continues, the girl encounters different toppings for her porridge, each becoming more and more ludicrous.

Grainne said: “The toppings on the porridge were quite funny, I thought – fish is one of them, and it moves right up to moths.”

Writing a children’s book was always something that the author wanted to do. She found inspiration in the children of a friend, but she said she also wanted to encourage kids everywhere to try porridge.

“Hopefully it will get kids into it – porridge is such a healthy thing for children to eat.”

Best press photos on show MANY of the best press photographs of the year are currently on display at the LexIcon Library until Friday, June 30. The diverse exhibition is a collection of award-winning and highly-commended images from the recent annual awards of the Press Photographers Association of Ireland.

Author and illustrator Grainne Quinlan; left: part of her new book, How Do you like Your Porridge?

RTE and the El Tigre TV series for Nickelodeon.

She now works as a concept artist for Boulder Media.

The book is available from a number of locations, includ-

ing The Happy Pear in Greystones and book shops around the country, including the Winding Stair Bookshop in the city centre, as well as from Grainne’s website, www.bilberrybooks.com.

Dara plucks a top win at Bloom 2017

Aldi-gether now as they run to help Irish Cancer Society PICTURED adding a dash of colour into the summer are staff from Aldi’s Sallynoggin branch, Charlene Pluck, Gareth Moloney and Amy Carroll.

The colourful trio were taking part in the Irish Cancer Society’s fundraising Colour Dash, sponsored by Aldi, at the Phoenix Park last Sunday, June 11, which saw lots of people take to the 5km race, with colourful powder representing different types of cancer and cancer survivorship thrown at participants as they completed the course.

The funds raised from Colour Dash is going towards the society’s work to help people reduce their risk of getting cancer, to support those living with cancer and to fund ongoing cancer research.

Grainne studied animation at Ballyfermot College of Further Education before moving on to work as a background artist for companies such as Cartoon Saloon and Monster Animation.

Some of her past projects include the Ballybradden TV show for

Feirme wishes for good luck at Croker CABINTEELY Cabinteely man Jonathan Davey – a member of the Dublin National Executive of Macra na Feirme – was wished well ahead of his efforts to represent Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council at a Macra na Feirme fundraising charity football match in Croke Park earlier this week. Congratulating Jonathan, council chief Philomena Poole and An Cathaoirleach, Cormac Devlin, spoke of the council’s support for Macra na Feirme. Picture: Peter Cavanagh

BLACKROCK man and landscaper designer Dara O’Daly scooped a silver medal at the Bloom garden festival for his design and planting project, Greening The City.

Speaking about his project – aimed at promoting the necessity of green spaces across the city – Dara said: “I want to make the most of Bloom to help promote the introduction of more small green parks.

“Some designers came here to show high-end gardens, but I came to promote the work Dublin City Council’s Parks and Landscape Services does for our communities and I love seeing people enjoy green spaces because not everyone has a garden.”

Dara graduated from UCD in 2004 with a degree in Landscape Horticulture and worked in the private sector as a landscape designer for four years.

His projects has included small courtyard gardens, expansive country estates

and a Dublin city centre plaza.

In 2012, he completed a Masters in sustainable development, providing him with a great overview of national and European policy. Dara has worked in the public sector since 2013 on projects that include the regeneration of historic parks and public realm improvement.

He worked on a number of landscape projects for Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council before taking up his current full-time position with Dublin City Council.

Professional horticulturalist Senator Victor Boyhan (Ind) visited the prizewinning garden at Bloom to congratulate Dara on his impressive win.

He told The Gazette: “Dara has a great talent for garden design. His imaginative ideas for landscaping public realm spaces, along with his bold planting ideas. make him a great garden designer.

“I wish him well with his future plans to green Dublin City.”

6 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 15 June 2017

Out and About

Rachel McCahey,Jess Glynn and Laura O’Hanlon.

Jennifer Swaine

Pictures: Brian McEvoy

Filomena Kaguako and Nirina Plunket

Alex Balrtuzi, Paddy Coughlan and Robert Plant

Celebrating all that is unique about Dublin L

Louise McCormack and Lily Oragard

Anne Tucker and Roisin Ward

AST week, DublinTown launch its brand new website, UniqueToDublin.ie – a site which celebrates all the things that make Ireland’s capital city a truly unique place to live, work and visit. The launch was celebrated with a collaboration between DublinTown and photographer Evan Doherty, who created a special collection of prints encapsulating the people behind the businesses that make the city one of a kind. The collection was unveiled at The Grand Social and it will tour several key locations in Dublin later this month.

Premiere screening of The Mummy at Cineworld Kim O’Hare and Melissa Hunter

Aolife and Nimah Kavanagh with Leah Russell

Orla Lehane and Colm Alice McCormack

McNamara

Yonas Kahsay and Dare Olabode

Dara Gogan and Eimear Byrne

Enny and Jade Buono. Pictures: Andres Poveda

15 June 2017 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 7

Out and About

Ryan Thomas and Umar Kamani

Ashlee Kehoe and Karla Jackson

Emma Zoey Roche and Aoife Keogh

Eva Jane Gaffney

A new range for all your hot weather hitlist needs P

rettyLittleThing.com launched their Love From The West Coast Campaign at a penthouse party at the Morgan Hotel in Temple Bar last week. The music was provided by actress and DJ Eva-Jane Gaffney and PrettyLittleThing Founder Umar Kamani was there with his friend and former Coronation Street star Ryan Thomas. Guests which included Jo Archbold, Michele McGrath and Gail Kaneswaran hit the Gifting Suite to check out the festival wear pieces that are on the website in time for the summer season.

Sarah Godfrey and Sian Walton. Pictures: Brian McEvoy

Debbie Adesina and Nuala Gorham

Gina Kiely and Rachel Martin

8 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 15 June 2017

Out and About

Frank Hearne, chairman Foxrock Area Community & Enterprise; Mary Mitchell O’Connor, Minister for Jobs Enterprise and Innovation; Alan Keane, member of the Foxrock Area Community & Enterprise committee; Sheila Moore, member of the

Frank Hearne and Cllr Cormac Devlin, Cathaoirleach

Foxrock Village car park now open for business

Foxrock Area Community & Enterprise committee. Pictures: Peter Cavanagh

of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council

F

OXROCK Village car park was declared open for business at an official ceremony held last week.

Cathaoirleach of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Cllr Cormac Devlin was joined by a number of

Councillor Cormac Devlin with Senator Gerry Horkan

local representatives as the ribbon was cut and this vital facility was welcomed. Located at the Leopardstown Racecourse entrance, the new car park provides additional public parking to serve the village centre.

Cutting the ribbon

Councillor Devlin addresses the crowd

Councillor Cormac Devlin with a local resident

15 June 2017 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 9

10 GAZETTE 15 June 2017

Out and About

Lauren Keegan, Aisha O’Keeffe and Shauna Johnston from Holy Child Community School, Sallynoggin. Picture: Rose Comiskey

Lauren Coyle, Aoife Byrne and Ciara Coates from Portmanock Community School. Picture: ALISON O’HANLON

Prebi Olobio, Yolly Okpe, Alice Minar and Niamh Farrelly from St Joseph’s College

Leaving Cert exams get underway across Dublin

T

Lucan. Picture: STEPHEN FLEMING

HE Gazette caught up with students from around the county as they headed to their school to sit the Leaving Cert exams. There were plenty of nerves on display as they joined the 120,000 students in total who will be sitting the exams across the country. English was up first and there were plenty of teachers on hand to offer last minute advice, like try to stay calm and not to get too stressed. The results of the Leaving Cert will be published on Wednesday, August 16, while the Junior Cert results will be out in September. Best of luck to one and all!

Jasmine Sheridan and Naomi Mooney from Holy Child Community School,

Roisin Dowd, Aoibhe Dillon, Lauren Tarpey, Abbie Mooney and Sarah Brennan from Portmanock Community

Sallynoggin. Picture: Rose Comiskey

School. Picture: ALISON O’HANLON

15 June 2017 GAZETTE 11

Karim Ghanem, Kasim Ali and Santiago Pompa from Ballinteer Community School.

Picture: Rose Comiskey

Holly Maglangit, Estephany Barba Matta and Sadaf Amir Kamvar from Ballinteer Community School.

Picture: Rose Comiskey

Eilidh Dunlop, Hannah O’Keeffe and Aisling Dolan from Colaiste Bride in Clondalkin. Picture: Aishling Conway

HERE WE GO: Blakestown Community School students on their way into the exam

GAZETTE

12 GAZETTE 15 June 2017

DUBLINBUSINESS

Telecoms firm rings up 15 jobs in €1.75m deal TELECOMS company Pure Telecom has signed a €1.75m deal with sales agency DSM Ltd, creating 15 jobs.

The deal will enable P ure to continue its opush to roll-out services across the country, with a particular focus on rural Ireland.

The Irish-owned company has been providing fixed line, broadband and cloud telecoms services since 2002 to Irish businesses and consumers.

All of the DSM positions will be field sales roles, with successful can-

didates having customerfacing experience and a track record in achieving ambitious sales targets, in addition to receiving ongoing training the company.

Anticipation With nationwide fibre roll-outs continue, and in anticipation of a decision on the National Broadband Plan, Pure Telecom is focusing on an increased presence of sales agents in key locations across the country t o h e l p it achieve an

Interviews make everyone nervous – but there are several questions you should be easily able to answer

Five top tips to help ace that interview

THE interview is the most common tool used to assess people for roles. Let’s look at five questions you may be asked and tips on responding to each ...

Pictured announcing Pure Telecom’s €1.75 million deal with DSM Ltd are Alan McGonnell and Paul Connell, Pure Telecom, and James Edinborough, DSM Ltd

aggressive growth plan.

Celebrating the deal, Paul Connell, Pure Tele-

Call for companies to seek best-managed recognition

ANYA Cummins, partner Deloitte; Nigel Owens, keynote speaker and Michael Torpey, chief executive, corporate and treasury, Bank of Ireland bounced a ball and some ideas around at the launch of Deloitte’s 10th Best Managed Companies Awards.

The trio are urging companies to enter this year’s programme, in association with new programme

sponsor Bank of Ireland, to showcase the success of indigenous companies and acknowledge the contribution that they make to the economy.

For further information, awards criteria and full details of how to enter the awards, see the site at www.deloittebestmanaged.ie, with a closing date for entries set for August 6. Picture: Jason Clarke

com chief executive, said: “This deal is part of our nationwide push to bring broadband to a lot more people and households in rural Ireland.

“We work very closely with some of Ireland’s major wholesale providers and want to ensure that we are there as soon as the broadband is – part of that means having an increased presence of sales representatives.

“We are very confident that this deal with DSM will play a significant role in helping us to grow our business and footprint outside of the major cities.”

Echoing his words, James Edinborough, DSM Ltd chief executive, added: “Pure Telecom is the kind of company that sales representatives want to work with because of its dedication to customer service and competitive pricing.

“Broadband across Ireland still has a long way to go, but we look forward to helping Pure Telecom roll out the muchneeded service across the country.

“Our relationship spans many years and we are delighted to have signed another deal with

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

‘A few years ago most people thought that the smartphone would see the demise of the landline ... but instead we are seeing huge demand for it’ --------------------------

Paul Connell, Pure Telecom

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

them. We look forward to providing Pure Telecom with sales support to help it continue on its impressive growth path.”

Connell said: ““What we have found interesting is that as more people become connected to broadband, the fixed line is making a comeback.

“A few years ago most people thought that the smartphone would see the demise of the landline, and we prepared ourselves for that, but instead we are seeing huge demand for it.

“The National Broadband Plan will only serve to increase that demand.”

What can you tell us about your career to date?

Many interviews start with this request. You should keep your answer brief and to the point.

Cover your education quickly, your general career and finish with your most recent history.

Keep it relatively simple and you’ll be off to a good start.

What aspects of your previous job did you like or dislike?

Concentrate on the ‘like’ part of your previous role. When addressing the ‘dislike’ part, it may be better to change the emphasis to what you would have changed rather than being negative.

Why should we employ you?

Outline your personal qualities as they relate to the role you are applying for and how they will benefit the company.

Yo u s h o u l d h ave established what the key aspects of the role are prior to the interview and Remember these tips, and it’ll make a huge difference in interviews. If you want to talk to someone about career opportunities, contact RecruitmentPlus at 01 2788 610, or also see www.recruitmentplus.ie.

build your answer around those key competencies.

What is a difficult situation that you handled well?

Highlight a difficult work situation and give the context, the actions you took and the result.

Don’t share confidential information; don’t dismiss the efforts of others and avoid positioning yourself as a victim or a knight in shining armour.

This question offers you the opportunity to show your reasoning skills and your ability to manage stress.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

The natural inclination for the interviewee is to focus on the strengths while the natural tendency for the interviewer is to listen more closely to the weaknesses.

As a general rule of thumb, it makes good sense to cover strengths that are essential to the role and to raise a weakness that is non-essential.

15 June 2017 GAZETTE 13

TRAVEL P21 MOTORS P22

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

MAYBE IT’S MAISIE WHO COULD BE A DREAM PET OUR Dog of the Week looking for their #SpecialSomeone* is Maisie, a beautiful and very intelligent threeyear-old Collie cross.

She is an active dog and loves her daily walks and activities.

Maisie is really good at doggie brain games such as scent games, agility and obedience training, and her favourite game is Fetch.

Maisie is a typical collie and is full of beans, so she would suit an active household where she will have lots of company.

She really has huge potential and will make the perfect agility or flyball partner and a very loyal companion.

If you can be Maisie’s #SpecialSomeone*, then please contact Dogs Trust on 01 879 1000. They are based in Finglas, just off Exit 5 on the M50. Map and directions can be found on their website, www.dogstrust. ie. You can also find them on Facebook, at www.facebook.com/ dogstrustirelandonline, or on Twitter @ DogsTrust_IE.

The Coronas out to take their chances



GAZETTE

CINEMA P24

JAMES Hendicott talks to The Coronas frontman Danny O’Reilly about the making of Trust The Wire, the acclaimed new album that has seen the popular indie four piece evolve from ‘Ireland’s ultimate student band”.

Danny explains how moving from the hustle and bustle of London to the remote, unspoiled beauty of West Kerry subconsciously helped to inspire a more chilled, mature and electronic style and a record that shows they’re not afraid to take risks.

See Pages 16-17

GAZETTE

14 GAZETTE 15 June 2017

DUBLINLIFE

DIARY

Minister for Education and Skills Richard Bruton chats with Aoibheann Clancy as fellow pupils from St Vincent de Paul Infant School, Griffith Avenue (Henry Cronin, Michael O’Neill and Emma Lidierth), demonstrate the old maxim about ‘Hear no evil ...’, now updated for media, advertising and fake news. Picture: Andres Poveda

NEW INITIATIVE: HELPING OUR CHILDREN TO MAKE SENSE OF THE MEDIA WORLD AROUND THEM

‘Fake news’ course for kids A NEW, free educational resource to help teach primary schoolchildren about the media, advertising and fake news has been launched.

The “MediaWise” initiative from Safefood is an eight-week programme suitable for primary school children of all ages. It has been designed to help children makes sense of the media world around them. Education Minister Richard Bruton attended the launch.

Fiona Gilligan, director, marketing and communications, safefood said: “We know from research that children are bombarded with hundreds of media messages every day, whether that’s advertising, commercial sponsorships, online gaming or social media.

Our own research has revealed that children as young as three see upwards of 1,000 TV ads for unhealthy foods over the course of a year.

“Safefood’s rem it includes the promotion of health amongst children, and with their exposure to so many messages, MediaWise is about helping them evaluate, interpret and critique these to make healthy choices.”

ACCESSIBLE BUS FOR WHEELCHAIR USER’S B OY Z O N E ’ S K e i t h Duffy launched a new accessible bus for wheelchair user’s to support the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) in Clontarf on June 7.

Duffy, along with IWA members and their families, local community sup-

porters, businesses, and Clontarf Castle assisted IWA to raise the necessary funds to purchase the bus. The launch was met by celebration afterwards which took place at IWA’s National Headquarters, in Clontarf.

customers to understand their entitlements and meet their tax and duty obligations.”

Revenue has warned users of its PAYE Anytime service that the function will no longer be available as of June 19.

MAJOR REDESIGN FOR REVENUE’S SITE

PETER PAN COMES TO POWERSCOURT

REVENUE has updated its website which is the first major redesign since 2008. Information through the website is now widely accessible through various different devices such as Android.

New features also include feedback facility which allows users to share their views and suggestions with Revenue at the click of a button.

According to their press release: “Our aim is to make it easier for

FOR one day only, on June 25, Neverland will be brought back to life with a production of Peter Pan in Powerscourt Gardens. This open air event begins at 1:30pm in Enniskerry, County Wicklow.

In association with Chapter House Theatre Company, award winning writer Laura Turner creates her own adaptation of JM Barrie’s original story.

Tickets can be booked

for €16 for children.

Adult prices are €19 and a family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) are €56.

SPORTS DAY FUN FOR A WORTHY CAUSE LAW firm, Eversheds Sutherland is hosting its 7th annual Sports Day corporate fundraising event in Herbert Park from 4pm onwards on Thursday, June 15.

Eversheds Sutherland’s aim is to join the business community together and encourage donations to the children’s charity, Barretstown.

By attending you can enjoy a fun filled day of sports, along with a barbecue later on, for a good cause.

Refresh your memory and embrace nostalgia with activities including the three legged race, the

egg and spoon race and the climbing wall, among numerous others.

Irish Olympic runner, David Matthews, has even arranged a special fitness challenge for those more adventurous hopefuls.

Barretstown’s ethos is

to aid children and their families whom have been affected by serious illness, with a specific focus on cancer.

You can take part in this event by contacting Mark Hughes at sportsday@barretstown.org or by calling 045-864115.

Former Boyzone singer Keith Duffy helps to launch a new accessible bus for wheelchair users

15 June 2017 GAZETTE 15

GAZETTE

FEATURE

BODY LANGUAGE: LEADING EXPERT TRACEY COX REVEALS WHAT’S BEHIND YOUR SQUEEZE

What your squeeze says about you?

AS part of the launch of the HTC U11, with a revolutionary new squeeze interaction, HTC has partnered with one of the world’s leading body language experts, Tracey Cox, to analyse our everyday “squeeze”; what it says about our personality and what that squeeze communicates to others.

The U11 brings a new age of phone interaction, where a simple squeeze allows the user to take photos, launch their favourite apps, text on the go and more.

Tracey said: “Nothing is more powerful and significant than a squeeze or touch. Even the smallest squeeze resonates so be aware of every touch and the implications it has – each has the power to make us feel loved and wanted or rejected.

“Don’t underestimate the

power of the daily squeeze – it’s needed now, more than ever. The more you touch and squeeze others and are touched and squeezed yourself, the happier and healthier we’ll all be.”

Tracey has identified eight types of everyday squeezes, the messages they communicate and the implications every squeeze has.

hold their torso away and there’s no direct eye contact.

Romantic Squeeze: This is when the upper torsos are press together. Effectively your holding the other person against your heart and saying ‘I love you’ using your entire body.

The Power Squeeze - Powerful people will shake with their palm turned down. A strong handshake from both individuals with palms parallel transmits respect and rapport.

Flirtatious Squeeze: If someone wants to let you know that they are interested in more than friendship, they will give you an extra squeeze at the end of a hug, and when pulling back make direct eye contact.

The Fake Squeeze - This squeeze is the equivalent of the air kiss: the person imitates a hug without giving one. They’ll lean forward with their shoulders but

The Sexy Squeeze - Hip hugs are naughtier and lustier than waist embraces. If the person tries to pull their torso away, they’re trying to keep the relationship platonic.

Insecure Squeeze: If we are unsure of someone’s feelings for us, we revert to the kind of hug we’d seek from our parents - we nestle our face into someone’s neck, implying a desire for security.

The Best Friend Squeeze: Most public squeezes involve embracing the shoulders, not the waist. The waist hug is often nicknamed ‘the friendly hug’.

The Dominant Squeeze: High squeezes show dominance: the person who hugs highest is nearly always the dominant one.

The HTC U11 can be purchased now, sim free on www.htc. com/ie from €749 and in a range of five colours.

15 June 2017 GAZETTE 17

DUBLINLIFE

 JAMES HENDICOTT LONG SEEN as Ireland’s ultimate student band, The Coronas’ evolution has been an odd one.

Rarely given the media credit that their sizeable sell-out shows might suggest they warrant, the lively four-piece are firmly established on our shores, having played the country’s largest indoor gig venue (the 3Arena) and headlined numerous festivals.

For much of the last few years, however, their Irish successes have been conducted from abroad, with The Coronas living together on London as they tried to break into a larger market, with mixed success.

Having now returned home – a move that, bizarrely, precedes their largest ever London show latest this year, in the Kentish Town Forum – life is moving on fast.

New album ‘Trust The Wire’ – a reference to taking chances – represents probably the band’s most substantive change in style since they started out 14 years ago, taking in a broad range of genres and instrumentation. It’ll be released on a newly-established band-run label, too.

“We didn’t sit down and decide to do things differently,” frontman Danny O’Reilly told The Gazette.

“It just evolved. We wrote the album in Dingle, instead of London like the last album, and I think there was a subconscious impact of that in the sound.

“It’s very electronic, chilled and mature, written from a place of calm. I think you can sense the change lyrically, too.”

“It’ll be our first record on the new label, and we’re excited about that,” he adds.

“It makes sense for us financially now that we’re in a place where we can promote ourselves, and really take control of what we’re doing. We’ve actually done more promotion on this album than other ones, even though we didn’t have that major label backing, so it seems to be going well.”

Label “I don’t want to say anything that sounds like I’m putting down [previous label] Universal, as they were really good to us, but this is the right move, and it’s a really exciting time. With a bit of luck, the label might outlive the band.”

The band, clearly, are growing up fast.

O’Reilly is the son of Mary Black, so he’s always been around the music scene, and recalls attending shows before his age hit double figures, and seems to live for the music.

With marriage and life commitments coming into play for other members of the band, however sharing a house all together in London wasn’t proving practical anymore.

If anything, the time apart – and separate experiences – has made The Coronas’ writing process more imaginative when they’ve come back together.

A TRIP THROUGH THE WIRE

The Coronas are back from London with a new sound, a new album, and a Dingle take on life

MUSIC

N O S ’ T A H W

E D I U G S T N EVE

with JAMES HENDICOTT

Jeff Goldblum Day

Lighthouse Cinema celebrates the American actor in the first of what it plans to be an annual day in his honour. The first offering - on June 16 - will feature The Lost World, Independence Day and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, scheduled to allow viewing of all three back to back.

Radiohead

Long since sold out, the trendy Oxford indie-stars hit up the 3Arena for a sure-to-impress show with its textured variety and nuance hits. Expect a few big tracks, an exploration of the RADIOHEAD, 3 ARENA dingy corners of the back catalogue and lots of beautifully dark rumblings to bed it all down. June 20

Redhead Fest

A whole weekend celebrating what it is to be ginger. South Park might have joked that the carrot-topped have no soul, but we beg to differ: Bar Rua’s celebration of all things ‘strawberry blonde’ on the 17th and 18th of June is in honour of MS Ireland, and features music and themed fun.

Renegrade

Like an open mic, but for circus performers, Renegade returns to the Dublin Circus Project on June 17 for a weird and wacky BYOB event designed to offer a showcase for any member of the audience choosing to step on stage. They’ll be rewards for participation in a lively show.

The Great Gatsby Rave

Morning Gloryville bring their weekday morning party concept to Cafe En Seine for a 6.30am ‘rave’ based on the classic novel.

That means being suited and booted for a Wednesday morning of high-class shape throwing on June 21.

Ham Sandwich at Leopardstown

The Bulmers Live at Leopardstown events continue with one of Ireland’s finest live acts. Ham Sandwich will join the horses at the racetrack for the great-value music and racing event on June 22.

Wandering Rocks: Journey Inside Ulysses

Joyce’s classic story gets a revamp for the annual Bloomsday celebrations courtesy of Happenings, who have set up a citywide exploration involving performance and interactive maps.

“We work best just locked away for a month,” O’Reilly explains of the trip to Dingle to write this record, after deciding they needed some “time off, including from the high rent,” and time to spend on their own lives. Dingle, and the album recording, was the perfect reunion.

“They’ve got the whole musical history down there, with [RTE televised festival] OtherVoices, as well as all kinds of artists, films, food, and it’s that extra hour away from Killarney, which makes it that much more out of the way. We’ve all been down to Dingle since we were

on kids’ holidays, so it feels very normal to be there, but it’s a special place.”

Initial reactions to the album have been strong, though O’Reilly admits that he’s developed a high tolerance of negative reviews and critical commentary, preferring to let fans judge.

Critical “We were never really critical darlings, and often written off as ‘just’ a student band,” O’Reilly argues.

“I’ve got pretty thick skin about it now, to the point

where, as is often the case in music, I’d worry that a good review might mean it won’t sell. But then again, this has been getting quite good reviews. We’ve played a few tracks live over the last few months, and they’ve been going down well, and the single seems popular with fans. That’s more important, really.”

The fans are certainly still buying from the band, anyhow, with The Coronas set to play their biggest headline show to date this summer, at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in front of an audience of 15,000.

“We’re sort of at different stages as a band in differ-

ent places,” O’Reilly says of the huge range of audience sizes they perform before regularly. “We play big venues in Ireland. We’d play Ulster Hall in Belfast and we’re a bit bigger in London than in the rest of the UK. It’s totally different depending on where you go.”

“We’d be looking at Coldplay and trying to take aspects of their show that we like, trying to put on a really big stage show for something like Kilmainham.

We’ve always invested in production; in our performance. Obviously you can’t do that in the same way when you’re playing in front of an audience of a few

hundred, and that would totally change your setlist, too. But for something like Kilmainham, it’s really important for us to make an effort with what we do on stage; for it to be about more than the music.”

As for their latest incarnation as a band – the more mature, evolved version of The Coronas?

“We chose the title ‘Trust The Wire’ because it represents us as a band on this album. We’re refocusing, realigning our own ambition and trying not to doubt ourselves,” O’Reilly concludes. “We’re really taking the plunge.”

GAZETTE

GAZETTE

16 GAZETTE 15 June 2017

Summer Solstice

Celebrate the first day of summer with a Merrion Square picnic event to feature music and yoga, a slackline, and a lot of extras yet to be announced. With a little luck, the weather will match the mood...

New album of the week

Royal Blood - How Did We Get So Dark? Fresh from supporting Guns N’ Roses at Slane, the brazen two-piece return with a short, pulsating second album that’s sure to see the Brighton pair shaking a few floorboards once again.

DUBLINLIFE Ravenscliff waterproof shell €160 Regatta Great Outdoors, hunter green

Rolex C Weir osmogra p & So ns €P h Dayton a OA

GAZETTE

18 GAZETTE 15 June 2017

Arnotts

Happy

ay Gif ther’s D a F s k c So

5

t Set €2

Aldi Fathers Day Glasses €4.99 per set Aldi Moccasin Slippers €7.99

PAYOT H o m m e Soin Re En e r g iz veil in g Care €36

DELAROM Homme Eau Sport €34

ALEX AND ANI create bangle in aid of Pieta House

ALEX AND ANI Charity

by Design butterfly bangle will retail at €36

MEANINGFUL jewellery brand, ALEX AND ANI have created a Charity By Design bangle in aid of Pieta House.

The bangle, which has a butterfly charm, carries the meaning of renewal, strength and rebirth.

Ten percent of every bangle sold goes directly to Pieta House – which offers free-of-charge therapy to those suffering from suicidal ideation, those who have been bereaved by suicide and people who are engaging in self-harm - with a minimum donation of €5,000 promised.

The Charity By Design Collection focuses on

organisations whose mission aligns with the three main causes that ALEX AND ANI strive to support; community development and relief, health and wellness and environmental and animal care.

“The butterfly represents change, beauty, and diversity and it’s a great symbol of hope and strength and of a future for clients of Pieta House and for all of us,” said Pieta House CEO Brian Higgins.

The ALEX AND ANI Charity by Design butterfly bangle will retail at €36 from all ALEX AND ANI stockists and from www.Arnotts.ie and via the Detail of butterfly charm Pieta House website www.pieta.ie

15 June 2017 GAZETTE 19

GAZETTE

STYLE

Aldi ELECTRIC SHAVER €19.99

AppliancesDelivered.ie Krups Nespresso Pixie Coffee Machine €149.95

Blue Solid Oxford Button-down Tailored Fit Shirt, €89, Magee 1866, www.magee1866.com

KING Treat your dad like a

Genius, Powerscourt Centre, Saddler Belt €59.95

 EMMA NOLAN, Style Editor

River Island Brown LatticeDetail Holdall €60

Arnotts Kiehls Nourishing Beard Grooming Oil €30

Sony XB10 EXTRA BASS Portable Wireless Speaker €70

WITH Father’s Day coming up next week, The Gazette has put together some great gift ideas for the dads in your life.

Put a smile on his face with some thoughtful presents for all budgets and tastes, whether he’s into gadgets, clothes, grooming or something a little more quirky.

GAZETTE

20 GAZETTE 15 June 2017

DUBLINLIFE

FEATURE

THEATRE : TELLING A TALE IN HOPE PEOPLE WILL BETTER UNDERSTAND REALITIES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Hard-hitting play exposes some awful, hidden abuse

 SYLVIA POWNALL

DUBLINER Fran Winston is daring to tread where few have gone before – delving into the world of domestic violence in a hard-hitting play inspired by her own experiences.

Fran’s experimental work – Arnica Was my Eyecream – will be staged at the International Bar on June 20, 21, 22 and 23 (see the Facebook page of the same title for details).

It tells the story of Nancy, a woman who finds herself masking black eyes with make-up when her new boyfriend, Marcus, turns out to be anything but Prince Charming.

Fran, originally from Ballymun but living in Rathgar, told The Gazette: “The play shows how sur prisingly ordinary the abusers are and how easy it is to fall victim.

“I decided to have Marcus appear to the audience as a virtual character, a looming shadow on the wall, because once you put a face on something it is nowhere near as terrifying as what you imagine in your head.”

Fran herself suffered domestic violence at the hands of a former partner who now lives abroad.

She recalls how despite describing herself as a “strong, intelligent woman” it took a drastic series of events for her to realise how she was being manipulated and abused.

She said: “Ironically I met him while I was rehearsing lines for MacBeth in the International Bar. I bumped into him again a few years later and he was very charm-

ing ...

“We had only been going out four weeks when he came home after having a row with someone at work and started throwing me around. The next day he was incredibly apologetic and I genuinely did think it was a one-off.

“But it got steadily worse.

There were nights when he’d pull me around by the hair and nearly pull it out of my head. He broke my eye socket one night.

“The night I graduated with my MA, gardai had to call an ambulance because he battered me so badly the whole right side of my face was swollen.

“Once they get to the point where they’ve hit you in the face and you’ve gone out in public and tried to cover it up, they think they won’t get caught and it gets more frequent.”

Fran, who plays the role of Nancy, hopes the production helps highlight the issue in the hope that others recognise the signs and victims feel better able to report it.

She also wants legislation to change to offer more protection from abusers.

She said: “[Gardai] have to take it seriously. One in five women will be victims of domestic abuse, yet nobody wants to talk about it.

“On average, a woman will be assaulted 35 times by her partner or ex before reporting it.

“This is Nancy’s story, but it is many people’s story, and it is happening to someone you know right now. She tells her tale in the hope that people will better understand the realities of domestic violence.”

Fran Winston has drawn on her own experience of being assaulted by a partner to create a play exploring the realities of hidden domestic abuse

15 June 2017 GAZETTE 21

EXPERIENCE the American dream this year for less – GoHop. ie is offering exclusive deals on USA United Airways flights booked

by June 19.

Try your luck in Las Vegas from only €580, or shop ‘til you drop at Bloomingdale’s on a weekend away in NYC from only €396.

Soak up the Californian sunshine with a visit to the home of the stars, Los Angeles, from only €388 or treat your kids to a fun-filled family getaway in the home of Disney, with flights to Orlando from only €468.

If those USA deals don’t whet your appetite, then why not head up north and explore the beautiful sights of Canada?

Explore the dynamic metropolis of Toronto from only €448 or choose a stunning city that blends cultures and landscapes with a visit to Vancouver from €326.

Make sure you book

by June 19 to avail of these amazing United Airways rates, exclusive to GoHop.ie.

Prices are subject to dates and availability.

All prices are flight only and based on return economy fares.

For more information or to book, see www.

GoHop.ie or call the experts at 01 241 2389.

Early Bird Package holiday newbies Ryanair are offering seven nights staying at the Atlantic Choice Studio 17 hotel in Portimao on the Algarve in Portugal for an amazing €188 PPS. The price is based on dates in October and includes flights, transfers, luggage and accommodation on a self-catering basis.

Spain’s hidden gems

GAZETTE

Hop to it and catch some great deals to the US, Canada

TRAVEL

HIDDEN GEM: Just an hour’s drive north from Barcelona, Besalu is a wonderful medieval town in Cataluna and is considered to be one of the most beautiful in Spain.

 SYLVIA POWNALL Travel Editor

The old prison right at the entrance to Pedraza

Arcos de la Frontera is one of Andalucia’s most dramatically positioned white villages

THE holiday map of the world is changing and fears of terror strikes mean old favourites like Egypt,Tunisia and Turkey are not looking quite as appealing.

Spain continues to top the list for Irish holidaymakers – but have you ever considered foregoing the fish bowls and foam parties of the livelier resorts in favour of some exploring off the beaten track instead?

Flights in and out of pretty much any Spanish airport have never been so affordable, and price comparison sites like Booking.com and Trivago can throw up hotel and guest house accommodation at a fraction of what you think they might cost.

Here are some of our favourite hidden gems.

Besalu Besalu might just be the most interesting Spanish village you’ve never heard of.

The moment you pass over the trademark 12th century bridge you know you’ve entered a magical medieval world.

It’s a picture postcard adventure at every turn from the narrow alleyways of the Jewish district adorned with Romanesque engravings to the seductive tapas bars boasting some of the best regional cuisine in Cataluna.

For a town with a population of just 2,500 it has plenty to offer – including the quirky Museum of Miniatures and the ruins of the 13th century Jewish baths. It’s a one-hour drive north from Barcelona, and well worth the visit.

Galicia Home to three islands off northwest Spain which were voted No 3 in Lonely Planet’s top 10 best up-andcoming destinations to visit in 2017.

And with their white sands, turquoise waters, rich marine life and laid-back pace it’s easy to see why.

The Romans referred to them as the “islands of the Gods” but more recently they’ve become known as the Galician Caribbean or Seychelles.

Rodas has been named as one of the 10 best beaches in the world and a strict limit of 2,200 tourists a day keeps the crowds away.

The islands are a ferry ride from the nearest airport in Vigo.

However the only accommodation is camping, so if you prefer things a little less rustic head for the rural hotel of Quinta de San Amaro just two miles inland in the O Salnes area of western Galicia. Here you can enjoy the gastronomic delights, unspoilt beaches and water sports with rooms from just €80 a night.

Arcos de la Frontera This is undisputedly the reigning king of Andalucia’s famous White Villages, though it has stiff competition from Frigiliana whose cluster of white washed homes and picturesque courtyards give it a good run for its money.

Arcos de la Frontera is a charming cliff-top hamlet only an hour’s drive from Cadiz.

Widely considered one of Spain’s most beautiful villages, its charm lies in its narrow streets and immaculate white walls decorated with flowering vines and colourful tilework.

One of this village’s main draws its location with the beach, the spectacular Donana National Park, the Grazalema Mountains, and the splendours of Seville all little more than an hour’s drive away.

Pedraza Drive 90 minutes north of Madrid and you will find one of the jewels of central Spain.

While the regional capital, Segovia, has attracted international travellers for years, Pedraza is a favourite among locals due to its imposing 2castle, impressive views, and an atmosphere steeped in 16th century history.

Photo ops abound and there is plenty of striking architecture to see, but Pedraza is most famous for its hearty cuisine based on local specialties like lamb and suckling pig roasted in wood-fire ovens.

Best of the rest: The sleepy village of Banyalbufar is nestled in the Tramontana Mountains of western Mallorca surrounded by countryside which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The tiny white village of Casares lies just 45 minutes west of the bustling tourist hub of Marbella, offering stunning views of the Straits of Gibraltar from its 12th century castle.

The fishing village of Cudillero boasts splendid views of mountain and sea, and a lively marina area.

The famous village of Ronda, best known for its bull fights and unrivalled scenery, recalls a regal era and is regarded as one of Spain’s most beautiful destinations.

GAZETTE

22 GAZETTE 15 June 2017

DUBLINLIFE

FASTNews

Dacia’s 5th birthday celebrations will take place at Dublin dealerships until this weekend, where there will be a test drive competition to win a new Sandero Stepway SE Summit Edition 1.5 dCi90 to the value of €17,290

Success Story – Duster wipes the floor with SUV competitors WITH over 14,000 cars registered since its launch in July 2012, Dacia has proved itself a massive success story in the Irish motor industry.

The Renault owned brand is now outperforming some well-established names that have been around for over 40 years.

Dacia has sold more than 8,000 versions of the Duster, with its chunky SUV style appealing to Irish motorists at its affordable price of €16,690. The first Dacia to arrive on Irish soil was Duster, followed by Sandero, then Sandero Stepway and finally the Logan MCV. The full range now includes new versions of all models as well as Stepway versions of Sandero and a newly launched Logan MCV Stepway.

To celebrate five years in Ireland, Dacia will offer zero deposit and 4.9% APR PCP finance across the range for all orders taken and registered by July 31.

Fiat dropping prices for 500X across the range FIAT is now offering a 172 registration guaranteed scrappage bonus of €3,000 for Pop Star and Cross versions of the Fiat 500X, plus price reductions of up to 12% across the range. The 500X comes in four trim levels and off-road versions are also available.

The Pop Star trim replaces Pop and prices start from €19,995, reduced from €22,250. It features 16” alloy wheels, 5” touchscreen radio with Bluetooth, Uconnect live services, body-coloured wing mirrors, leather steering wheel, rear parking sensors, electric windows, electric handbrake, cruise control with speed limiter, air-conditioning, fog lights with cornering function, space saver spare wheel and six speakers.

Fiat has dropped prices for the 500X range by 12% to stimulate demand for the Italian brand compact SUV

BMW bounces back with latest 5 series

BMW’s latest 5 Series models bounce back on the market with new levels of performance, economy and enhanced driver features. The 5 Series has always been a great driver’s car and the new generation brings that to a new level, as MICHAEL MORONEY found out when he pushed the BMW 520d M Sport saloon metal to the floor.

BMW’s new 520d M Sport saloon bounces back in the market with improved styling and a host of driver features designed to make the car an even better driving experience. The styling changes for the new BMW 5 Series are subtle, you’ll still not mistake the car for being a 5 Series, it’s just that the design is sharper and more modern, giving kind of faster look to it.

Almost every aspect of the new BMW 5 Series has been re-engineered for a level of performance that still keeps a focus on economy. The new car is lighter while being more powerful than before and marginally more spacious.

BMW rate the car in terms of power to weight and given that they have shaved over 100kg from the car’s weight and added more power, the figure of 11kg per kW of engine power, is impressive.

When you drive the seventh generation 520d M Sport saloon, the styling and optional features ensure that the driving experience is a good one.

The new 520d M Sport saloon is very much a driver’s car. The engine performance is such that irrespective of which of the performance settings chosen, Sport Comfort, EcoPro or Comfort, you’ll still enjoy the driving experience.

The four-cylinder twinturbo diesel engine powering the BMW 520d M Sport has an output of 190hp at 4,000rpm and that’s a match for the

The new BMW 520d M Sport saloon is impressive in performance and economy for such a large car. The entry prices start from €56,980 and the extra option list is extensive and sometime expensive adding over €16,000 to the cost of the test car driven.

BMW 520d M Sport Saloon

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine 2.0 litre Engine power 190hp 0 – 100km/hr 7.5 seconds Economy 21km/litre

(4.7/100km or 60mpg) Fuel Tank Capacity 66 litres CO2 emissions 114g/km Road Tax Band A4 €200 Main Service 20,000km/12 months Euro NCAP Rating 5 star (2017) Warranty 3 years (100,000km) Entry Price €56,980 competition in terms of the Audi A6 and Mercedes-Benz E220d. And the torque performance is a match too with all three coming in at a maximum torque figure of 400Nm. For the BMW 520d M Sport that converts to impressive range with the full 66 litre capacity fuel tank. While I recorded an economy figure of close to

40% off the rated figure of 23km/litre (4.3/100km or 65mpg), I was still getting over 950km on the tank.

That’s impressive economy for a big car and a car that can perform on the road, if and when needed.

The automatic gearbox is smooth running through an eight-speed Steptronic system. This helps to achieve the good fuel economy figures and

with the EcoPro setting you can maximise your economy targets.

BMW has put a lot of effort into reducing the overall weight of the new 5 Series as well as the drag co-efficient. They claim that the lower weight is achieved by using more aluminium including the boot lid, which alone shaved 4.2kg from the car’s weight.

This new car comes with a SIM card built in as standard for the ConnectedDrive Services.

The system brings new levels of connectivity and access to the portfolio of BMW services without being dependent on the customer’s own smartphone.

These services include the Concierge Service, Online Entertainment, and the RTTI (Real Time Traffic Information) that allows BMW 5 Series drivers to avoid traffic

jams. There’s also the Intelligent Emergency Call system.

There is a host of automatic safety features in the new BMW 520d M Sport saloon, including traffic sign recognition and the lane departure system that comes close to giving autonomous driving. The lane departure system took a little getting used to, and it’s a sign of what’s coming in future generations.

The new BMW 520d M Sport is a solidly impressive driver’s car that’s competitive at €56,980 with the A6 and E220d.

All three come with significant extras available in their options listing making it so easy to push up the price of your final choice of car.

This is a great driver’s car that should be costeffective to own due to its impressive economy and low CO2 rating.

15 June 2017 GAZETTE 23

SUPER STONIC

KIA has provided some teaser images of the new Kia Stonic compact crossover that will be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The new car will go on sale in Ireland at the end of October.

The Stonic is comes with European design flair, inspired by the form and function of larger Kia SUV’s. The name ‘Stonic’ combines ‘Speedy’ and ‘Tonic’, which refers to the first and last note in the musical scale.

Kia claims that the Stonic suggests will offers something new and fresh in the compact SUV segment.

Kia claims that the Stonic will be the most customisable Kia ever – inside and out. The new car has unique tail lamp graphics to amplify Stonic’s young and futuristic appearance. It combines compact dimensions with a low centre of gravity.

The European-designed cabin echoes the appearance of the exterior, with straight lines, smooth surfaces and geometric design forms. The Stonic’s comes with claims of smart packaging to maximise space for all occupants.

GAZETTE

MOTORING

New Irish national sales manager for Citroen & DS IM European Motors Ltd, importers of the Citroen and DS brands in Ireland, has appointed Kevin Hilliard as national sales manager. With over 30 years’ experience in the motor industry in the UK and Ireland, Kevin has worked with several leading marques, including Ford, Honda, BMW and Mazda.

Kevin’s most recent role was national sales and after sales manager for Mazda Ireland. Previous to this, Kevin was director of operations for a large privately-owned group in the UK with 40 dealerships, responsible for Honda and BMW dealerships.

Kevin was also dealer principal for Inchcape BMW, running the flagship dealership of the division, in Kent.

On his relocation to Ireland in 2009, Kevin held the roles of BMW dealer principal and head of group and after sales with the Keary Motor Group, Cork. Kevin is married with three children.

In his spare time, he enjoys football Kevin Hilliard and Formula One.

GAZETTE

24 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 15 June 2017

DUBLINLIFE

CINEMA

WONDER WOMAN: IT’S FLAWED AND TOO LONG – BUT A GOOD INTRODUCTION FILM

ReelReviews

It’s almost a wonder that it’s a fun DC film

FINALLY, at long last, the DC “Expanded Universe” gives us a superhero worth rooting for – a worthy response to the boys club dominating top billing in Marvel’s pen, and a breath of fresh air after all the other brooding, dreary offerings in DC’s canon.

Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman (Cert 12A, 141 mins) is a hero we’re happy to follow into battle: powerful without inhabiting Superman’s tiresome god-mode; deep enough to provoke genuine empathy without all the sulkiness of Ben Affleck’s Batman.

Wonder Woman is a wonderfully well-rounded character, kicking ass while maintaining an optimism that always has us cheering from her corner, eager for the next battle.

Unfortunately, Wonder Woman, realised by filmmaker Patty Jenkins (director of 2003’s award-winning Monster), isn’t quite a strong enough vehicle to carry its titular heroine, suffer-

 MARTIN MACNAMARA

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

‘We’re very fortunate that ... Wonder Woman is as good as it is’

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

ing from a bloated running time and some poor supporting characterisation.

There’s a huge amount of promise here, but despite its stellar central turn, Wonder Woman fails to bring the fight on all fronts.

T h e f i l m ’s l a b o r i ous first act takes place entirely on the island paradise of Themiskira, where the Amazons – a race of warrior women created by the Gods of Olympus – live in peace.

Diana, princess of the Amazons, learns the way

of the warrior from her aunt, General Antiope (Robin Wright) , ever ready for the return of Ares, God of War. When American spy Steve Trevor ’s plane crash lands off the island’s coast, he is saved from drowning

by Diana, setting off a chain of events that will find her leaving home to fight alongside a rag-tag group of mercenaries in the First World War. It’s here that Wonder Woman really finds its feet. The second act plays out much like Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger, with its alternative history narrative of superheroes vs war-mongering Germans (the WWI setting is a nice change, leaving plenty of room of dynamic alternate history-building).

Wonder Women really evokes a space somewhere between the fishout-of-water fantasy of Thor and the man-outof-time adventure of Captain America.

The resultant humour in Wonder Woman is

THE MUMMY

So pharaoh, so bad FOR those of you looking to see what’s already being widely described as Tom Cruise’s worst film, here’s The Mummy (Cert 15A, 110 mins). The harshly received creature reboot hasn’t done Tom any favours, with its tired plot, unlikely setpieces and Russell Crowe’s scenerychewing hamminess about as welcome as sand in your sandwich. Mummy, let’s hope Universal finds a better franchise to reboot.

GUARDIANS 2

A colourful sequel indeed YES, Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2 (Cert 12A, 136 mins) is still playing at the cinema, bringing some technicolour cheer to the masses. Sure, it’s a bit of a derivative sequel, but it’s presented with such fan-pleasing confidence – and has Kurt Russell’s cheerfully hammy turn providing some fun laughs – that it’s hard not to like the Guardian’s latest adventure, with a small dash of soul searching too.

Israeli actress Gal Gadot brings the requisite beauty to the role of a princess, Diana (AKA Wonder Woman), as well as fleshing out Diana’s intelligence and humanity

arguably better than both, and the star gets to deliver all the film’s best lines.

Chris Pine does a great job as the film’s love interest, again turning things on their head as the dude in distress, rather than the damsel.

In fact, it’s Pine that shows the most skin in Wonder Woman – which leads us to another of the film’s finer points.

The camera never sexually aestheticises Diana; it never ogles her or lingers in the places a jaded,

more cynical moviegoer would expect it to.

This is a movie that needed to be made and we’re very fortunate that, given the state of DC’s cinematic output thus far, Wonder Woman is as good as it is.

However, following that wonderful middle act, Wonder Woman just isn’t good enough.

It drags on way too long, introduces characters that do little to further the plot or provide dramatic depth, and gets bogged down with an

over-abundance of slowmotion – without which Wonder Woman’s run time would have been a lot more bearable (Zach Snyder’s stylistic legacy is very much felt here).

Regardless, Wonder Woman inspires hope for future DC instalments – for an inevitable sequel, in particular.

DC may be beginning to hit its stride and it’s Wonder Woman leading the pack, rather than the Man of Steel ... an exciting prospect indeed!

Verdict: 6/10

BAYWATCH

Gives a sinking feeling NOW dropping out of cinemas quicker than an anchor chucked overboard, Baywatch (Cert 15A, 116 mins) looks set to hold onto its early title as one of the worst films of the year.

The foul-mouthed remake of the fondly-remembered (by some) silly old TV show hasn’t gone down well at all, with The Rock and Zac Efron pretty mismatched as a pair of would-be crimefighting lifeguards.

15 June 2017 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 25

Feeling un’appy after IOS change I HOPE all you Apple fans out there have enjoyed all the IOSdriven apps you’ve been using over the past few years – because several of them are probably about to stop working, if they haven’t already.

A major coding shift behind the scenes to take advantage of current processing power means lots of older apps are now incompatible with IOS 11.

Your apps are probably fine if they come from a large company with a dedicated support team to upgrade their app – but if it or they were created by a smaller team (or by that rare beast, a lone programmer), well, they may not have had the time or resources to update their app.

Many older app developers have also long since quit, gone bust or been assimilated into bigger companies.

While most people will just upgrade and roll the dice on whether all tehir apps will still work, others may be hesitant about the upgrade, afraid to ‘kill’ some apps.

(And that’s not to mention that older tech, such as the iPhone 5 or

5C, and iPad 4, will also be cold-shouldered for any new features and security updates from now on.)

No matter what, you’ll probably still have to upgrade in the end anyway – but for now, you can easily check on your IOS phone or tablet which apps are probably on ‘the Dodo list’. Just navigate to:

GAZETTE

TECH

Scorpio is dead – but long live the XBox One X?

Settings > General > About > Applications > App Compatibility and, if your app is listed there, there’s a good chance that it either no longer works, still works (but not very well any more), or will soon stop working. Either way, they’re in trouble.

It’s the nature of tech that once in a while it gives its master an unexpected bite, but on the whole these occasionally painful upgrades create a better-behaved beast that can do more tricks and perform better.

Good luck with the new lease of life your apps may be about to get – and my commiserations for those you could be about to lose ...

TCD talk on how tech affects us

THERE’S an interesting public lecture coming up at TCD next Monday, June 19, on tech and its increasing impact on our day-to-day lives.

Professor Shannon Vallor – a well-known awardwinning Silicon Valley figure with particular expertise in philosophy and ethics with a robotics and technology bent – is jetting over to Trinity for a lecture on Technomoral Virtues and the Future of Human Flourishing.

The fancy title is an overall way to describe her talk, which will discuss new technologies from digital media and surveillance to robotics and artificial intelligence, and how they are reshaping human institutions, providing lots of food for thought.

It’s on at the Trinity Long Room Hub in TCD, from 12.30pm to 2pm.

PROVING that Sony don’t have the monopoly of unimaginative platform names, Microsoft have followed its rival’s PlayStation 4 Pro by just announcing the sequel to its XBox One console: the XBox One X. Previously widely known as the coolersounding Scorpio, a souped-up sequel to the XBO has been in the works for some time, with arch nemesis Sony stealing a march with its PS4 Pro – itself a more powerful (but not otherwise terribly different) version of its hugely successful PS4 console.

However, the XBOX – ah, now I see what they did there – that Microsoft announced just before E3 (see panel below)

 SHANE DILLON sdillon@dublingazette.com

hopes to build on several advances that have begun making inroads into consumer tech in recent years and, one hopes, will have learned some big lessons from where the XBO went wrong.

For starters, the XBOX will ship on November 7 with an slightly steep initial price – $499/£449, which one can only imagine will have a striking euro price.

I n

Gathered in LA for the planet’s top games expo

development for quite a while, the new XBOX is smaller than the previous Xbox One models, with its refined build packing in much greater power, while (in a big win for Microsoft) being compatible with all current games – something which even Sony can’t boast.

Your eyes would glaze over as much as mine if I started blathering about its teraflop processing power and CPU speeds, so let’s just say that it’s significantly more powerful than the XBO or even the impressive PS4 Pro, packing in a lot of extra power under the hood.

Interestingly, it also features a UHD BluRay player, and will play games in native 4K resolution alongside HDR lighting effects,

THE greatest gaming show on Earth – E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) – is taking place right now in downtown Los Angeles, putting the likes of other events to shame.

At the time of writing, many of the world’s top games devel-

and beefy Dolby Atmos surround sound.

With 4K TVs and channels slowly but surely beginning to make some inroads into consumer territory, this puts it on a great footing to help futureproof its growth.

While the vast majority of us still don’t have 4K-anything, those without such high-end screens and TVs will still see some smoke and mirrors processing give their graphics a noticeable boost.

There’s much more that can be said about the XBOX, and no doubt I’ll be returning to it in coming months.

For now, the initial reactions h ave been

opers, companies and businesspeople are gathered in LA for the biggest annual international games and tech expo on the planet.

Every year, E3 sees all the next top titles, new tech, trends and deals unveiled to the indus-

warm, with its impressive specs garnering plenty of interest. However, the new console’s name has already been criticised, prompting fears of consumer confusion, as the almost identical name doesn’t quite move the brand along enough.

More than that, given Microsoft’s blunders when launching the XBO – spooking gamers by plugging it as an all-round entertainment hub rather than an impressive games console (which it is) – many are hoping the new console will be marketed and promoted with a purer, games-driven focus this time round.

Ultimately, it’s a welcome move by MIcrosoft that could be gamechanging for the sector – pun intended ...

try, gamers and media alike, along with plenty of surprises and all the usual shenanigans, fights, feuds and fun that the huge expo always brings.

Look out for my E3 special and analysis of its biggest stories in my next issue ...

26 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 15 June 2017

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SPORT

FastSport IRISH DUO SIGN TERMS WITH BELGIAN CLUBS: JEREMY Duncan and Lee Cole will both play their hockey in Belgium next season, switching to Herakles and Royal Oree, respectively, for the 2017/18 season.

Duncan moves from UCD following four seasons at Belfield having previously played with Railway Union.

He has linked up with the Lier-based club from the outskirts of Antwerp, signing terms with a club on the rise following their second place finish in the Audi Hockey League.

Cole, meanwhile, switches to Brusselsbased Oree from Monkstown where he has played his entire career to date.

Both players have been major parts of the Irish team since the turn of the year, lining out in the gold medal run at Hockey World League Round 2 in Stormont and in the series victory over Pakistan last week in Lisnagarvey. Next on the agenda is the Hamburg Masters in a fortnight’s time.

PENTATHLON: DUNDRUM STAR ADDING TO IRISH GROWTH IN FIVE-PRONG SPORT

Coleman Lenehan gunning for Dublin Laser-Run battle

 sport@dublingazette.com

DUNDRUM’s Kate Coleman Lenehan is hoping to raise her profile as one of Ireland’s rising pentathlon stars when Dublin hosts a major international event – the Laser-Run World Championships – in the unique city-centre location of Smithfield next year.

Laser-Run, a combination of running 800m loops and target-shooting with laser pistols, is usually the fifth element of modern pentathlon but is also a standalone sport.

The championships will take place in September 2018 and will attract 450 athletes from over 20 countries to Dublin and will also include a new competition for Irish schools.

And Coleman Lenehan was on hand to launch the event, saying: “I’m delighted to see this event come to Ireland.

We never had the opportunity to try out a dynamic sport like the laser-run when I was in school so I think it’s fantastic that children across Ireland can now have a go and even compete in a nationwide competition. The track will be

Kate Coleman Lenehan at the Laser-Run world championship announcement. Picture: Morgan Treacy./Inpho

open to the public on the eve of the 2018 World Championships so it’s an ideal opportunity for anyone to try it out!”

She recently qualified for the World Cup finals, joining the likes of Donnybrookbased Arthur LaniganO’Keeffe and former King’s

Hospital student Natalya Coyle in the upper realms of the sport.

Coyle hailed her protege, Coleman Lenehan, for her efforts: “It’s her first time to qualify for that and it’s really great to see that there’s more people coming through. She’ll

be competing in the individual event and is part of our high-performance squad who all train together.”

Coyle and LaniganO’Keeffe recently won gold on the World Cup mixed doubles circuit but their hopes of this variation of the sport

were dashed last week with news that the International Olympic Committee would not be adding it to the schedule of events for Tokyo 2020.

Individually, Coyle – who also swims with the NAC club – was ninth on her Olympic debut in London 2012 and has just been upgraded to sixth in Rio 2016 after the fourth-placed Chinese finisher was disqualified for doping.

Lanigan-O’Keeffe won the European title in 2015 and finished eighth in Rio yet they are even better as a pair.

The won relay gold at pentathlon’s World Cup Finals in America last year and travel to Lithuania on June 22-25 to defend that title after topping the relay podium again at the latest World Cup, in Poland.

“We are really well suited to relay because it is half the distance that we usually do individually and we’re both naturally ‘power athletes’ who are best suited to shorter, sprint distances,” Coyle explained.

Pentathlon Ireland is offering free training programmes for Irish schools. For more details see: www.pentathlon. ie.

Leinster Lightning blitz Knights with batting display  BERNARD DUFF sport@dublingazette.com

Leinster Lightning captain John Anderson saw his side home against the Northern Knights.

FOR Leinster Lighting, it was back to T20 cricket action on Friday evening in Merrion Cricket Club with the second round of games in the Hanley Interpro T20 Trophy.

Leinster had completed out a drawn first class fixture just 48 hours earlier in Belfast against the Northern Knights and it was the same opposition who did battle on Friday.

The Knights chose to bat and were given a head start by Leinster opening bowler Eddie Richardson

who gifted five separate wides in the first over leaving Knights, 13/0. The rest of the powerplay was a struggle as the Lightning claimed a wicket in each of the next three overs.

The Knights reached 48/3 at the end of the powerplay but next ball Shane Getkate (on four) drove the ball high into the hands of fellow Malahide product Peter Chase at mid-off off Bobby Gamble’s pace bowling. Gamble ended with figures of 3 for 25.

The Knights fought back through a hard hitting 40-run partnership by Knights’ cap-

tain James Shannon and Greg Thompson before recent Ireland debutant Simi Singh spun out Shannon on 51.

With four sixes in his 51, the Knights skipper had done his work. At 88/5 Nik Smith came to bat. A partnership was 57 runs resulted before Singh claimed his second wicket.

The tail didn’t wag for the Knights though and through unhittable spin from Singh, the Knights scored just 16 runs off their last three overs. Singh finished with match best figures of 3 for 19.

The Leinster reply, chasing 158 was swift and at times brutal.

Andrew Balbirnie opened the innings and powered to 71 not out off just 44 deliveries. Short cameos by Railway Union’s Kevin O’Brien and all-rounder Simi Singh kept Leinster ticking along.

Balbirnie was joined by Leinster captain John Anderson in the 10th over. Anderson, with a more crafty style of batting than Balbirnie, placed the ball impeccably.

He finished on 41 not out as Leinster reached 158 with a massive six at the start of the 18th over with seven wickets to spare.

15 June 2017 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 29

GAZETTE

FASTSport

McIlroy offers unique Irish Open experience THE Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation is teaming up with VOX Golf and Rory McIlroy to offer golfers a unique experience ahead of the prestigious Rolex Series event, which takes place from July 6-9.

Golf Sixes with Rory is a six-hole competition throughout the island of Ireland, with the qualifying events running until Wednesday, June 28.

The lucky winners of a six-hole competition will walk six holes inside the ropes with Rory McIlroy during this year’s tournament.

To compete, golfers need to download the VoxGolf app, select their course and enter the “Golf Sixes with Rory” competition by playing any run of six holes – it must be the first six, middle six or final six holes of any course of your choice.

After you have played your six holes, simply submit your score and view a live leaderboard.

The best six scores from each course will qualify into a draw to win a special six-hole walk inside the ropes with Rory during the opening two rounds of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.

Entry is completely free and golfers can enter as many times as they wish, with their best score counting. Entry is open to all GUI registered club members and MyGolf Group society players.

All golfers who enter the six-hole competition will receive the opportunity to purchase a discounted Dubai Duty Free Irish Open ticket and, in addition to that, will have the chance to win Nike apparel, Taylor Made equipment and tickets to the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.

The Dubai Duty Free Irish Open this year forms part of the Rolex Series events, a premium category of eight European Tour events, with a record prize fund of $7 million.

As well as McIlroy, numerous golfing superstars have been already announced for the historic championship, including World Number Nine Jon Rahm and World Number 11 Justin Rose, with more to be announced in the coming weeks.

More details can be found at http://www. dubaidutyfreeirishopen.com/competition.

Joeys and Bray plot new pathway to elite football |Nestled in the foothills of the Dublin mountains, the SJB academy is looking to streamline the development of top young players at their new, high quality Carrickmines home  STEPHEN FINDLATER sport@dublingazette.com

BLINK and you will miss it. Tucked away on the Glenamuck Road, St Joseph’s Boys and Bray Wanderers’ ambitious incubator for youth talent got the grand opening last week with John Delaney and FAI high performance director Ruud Dokter negotiating the narrow, tree-lined country lane midway up the Dublin mountains.

It opens out to reveal the new training base, the SJB academy. For Joeys Director of Club Operations Will Clarke, the reclusive nature of the venue is a key benefit that lends itself to high performance.

Previously a training ground for Bective Rangers rugby club, the venue now comprises a fully floodlit grass pitch, a goalkeeper training area, two

fully floodlit small sided training pitches, dressing rooms, a medical room, a gym area, a performance analysis suite and meeting rooms.

It has been designed with an express purpose to streamline the pathway from schoolboy football at St Joseph’s Boys through to senior, professional football with Bray, working in line with the recently introduced League of Ireland Under-17 and 19 divisions with Under-15 and 13 leagues in the pipeline.

“It’s the nearest thing he has come to an English training ground in Ireland,” Clarke told GazetteSport. “It’s so isolated and you can do everything you want here. You have your goalkeeper’s areas, your striker’s areas, strength and conditioning, gym and video analysis all in one place.”

Speaking at the launch, St Joseph’s Niall O’Driscoll added: “We’d like to think this is the first dedicated academy for elite football in Ireland.

“We have a facility and an academy with the exclusive purpose of developing youth players in line with UEFA and the FAI directives.

“It is about the best of the best and developing kids into adults. If football is that medium through which they contribute to society, then so be it. If they want to be footballers, fantastic. Developing them as people is core to it.”

The facility will be used by the SJB Academy teams who will take part in the new League of Ireland underage divisions while Bray’s senior teams have been in situ since early 2017.

“The relationship with

Dennis O’Callaghan, Niall O’Driscoll, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, John Delaney, Ruud Dokter and Paul Osam at the SJB Academy launch. Picture: Karen Morgan

Bray and Joes is one which goes back a long way,” Clarke said of the link-up.

“We’ve had upwards of 70 players who have come through Joes and played professionally for Bray.

There’s a natural fit for the two clubs.

“Elite football in the country has undergone fundamental change and that effects the mindset in the club. We still have our schoolboy side of the club but there is now an elite pathway all the way through to Bray. For those who maybe aren’t yet on the elite pathway, they can continue with the grassroots of the club and enjoy the game. We’d like to think we will cater for all kids.

“It’s great that the academy guys are at the same venue as the senior side and, over a period of time, there will be a full integration of the four teams in the structure.

“We’d like to think the programme is of a standard that will allow us to achieve our objectives and be the number one academy in the country.”

It is part of a push in Irish football to raise the standard of facilities in Ireland, promoting the idea that players can reach the elite level without necessarily having to move to England in their midteens.

Shamrock Rovers have recently developed the Roadstone grounds while other schoolboy clubs are linking up with League of Ireland outfits to get their

ducks in a row for the increased League of Ireland campaigns.

“That’s what competition does,” Clarke adds. “I am sure Rovers will want to have the best academy.

We certainly want that too.

“We feel the facilities here are second to none.

Roadstone is a fantastic facility and it’s great to see clubs taking development so seriously. To be fair to the FAI, that’s what these new structures have done.”

St Kevin’s boys, meanwhile, have found their bid to link up with a League of Ireland club stymied to date which has left them worried that they will not be able to compete in the new structures.

It is a problem Clarke is thankful he does not have to deal with.

“We are lucky to have that ongoing link with Bray. It’s more of a natural hinterland; we’ve always had players from Bray and north Wicklow and vice versa. It’s just a good fit. We’re delighted to be involved with one of the best senior clubs in the country and they are delighted to be in with one of the best schoolboy clubs.

“You want everything to be as seamless as possible and that the guys don’t just play for a team but for a club.

“There will be movement between age groups, especially if we see moving someone up to aid their development. That really is the benefit of being here.”

GAZETTE

30 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 15 June 2017

SPORT

FASTSport

International Box Cup returns for fifth year MONKSTOWN Boxing Club’s fifth annual International Box Cup is set to roll into town with a record 788 fighters from 144 different clubs already registered to step into the ring at the DLR Leisure Centre in Loughlinstown from June 29 to July 2.

The tournament is Europe’s largest schoolboys / girls event for juniors and Under-18s, and has grown impressively from just 75 fighters since it first took place in 2013.

Fighters can also compete at Under-19 level with 12 countries represented this year; including five clubs from America and one each from Mongolia and India – the first from Asia to attend.

“Months of planning have gone into this event,” one of the prime organisers, JP Kinsella said.

“The tournament committee sat down last September and worked out the tournament dates/schedules and other fundamentals, then in November we sent out the invitations to every club that has attended before.

“With so much organisation needed to organise an event of this size, two separate committees were involved. The fundraising committee working on gather finances, while the parents committee will look after meals for all the boxers.

“The tournament has a great name with many boxers going on to compete at European and World Championships and a lot of interest has come from all around the globe.

“Our committee of volunteers are so hard working. It’s a massive undertaking for the club but we absolutely love every bit of it, and we are well prepared and can’t wait for June 29 to get started,” said Kinsella.

The Irish Amateur Boxing Association have been involved in supporting the event – alongside Failte Ireland, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and Globalmedics.com – which may come as some welcome relief for the under-fire organisation.

WATERSPORTS: DUN LAOGHAIRE TO HOST SAILING FOR ALL EVENT

Oisin Putt, Mark Pollock and Nadine Lattimore at the launch of the Watersports Inclusion Games. Picture: Morgan Treacy/Inpho

Pollock pushes boat out for inclusion sport@dublingazette.com

MARK Pollock, Commonwealth medal winner in Rowing, Round Ireland sailor, adventurer and cure for paralysis activist, has launched the inaugural Watersports Inclusion Games, organised by the Irish Sailing Association.

The Games is a free event which will allow people of all abilities from the physical, sensory, intellectual and learning difficulty spectrums to try watersports.

Hosted by the Royal St George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin on Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, June 26, the activities on

offer will include sailing, rowing and canoeing.

Pollock, who lost his sight at the age of 22 and was then paralysed after a tragic accident in 2010, said: “Watersports have played a really significant role in my life.

“The fact that I was able to continue sailing after going blind really helped me move forward not just because of the sport itself but the camaraderie and friendships it continues to provide me with.

“My focus is on helping people achieve what they believe is impossible.

This underpins the work I am part of, trying to find a cure for paralysis.

GOLDEN MOMENTS Gallagher lands quad gold at juvenile champs DSDAC had 32 gold medal winners at the Dublin Juvenile Track & Field Championships which acts as a qualifier for all of them to the National Championships in Tullamore in July.

Chief among them was Laura Gallagher who had an amazing haul of four gold medals; 100m; 80m hurdles; 250m hurdles and 200m, to add to her impressive Irish Schools hurdles title in Tullamore recently. Liam Jenkins was not far behind with a great three gold total for 100m hurdles; 250m hurdles and high jump.

“My involvement in events such as the Watersports Inclusion Games is giving people, who may have thought watersports would never be for them, a chance to give it a try and, no doubt, have some fun in the process.”

Organised by the Irish Sailing Association in collaboration with Spinal Injuries Ireland, Canoeing Ireland and Dun Laoghaire Sea Scouts with funding from the Sport Ireland, the event will attract people of all ages, demographics and backgrounds and will look to promote both the accessibility and benefits of watersports for everyone.

There will be no charge for any of the activities and experiences at the Games; sporting equipment and any necessary instruction will be provided by fully qualified personnel. No prior experience is necessary to take part.

Harry Hermon, Chief Executive of the Irish Sailing Association commented: “Watersports really do have something for everyone. We take pride in Irish sailing that it is a sport that people can enjoy no matter their stage in life or personal circumstances.

“We are encouraging anyone who thought they might like to give watersports a try to come and

join us in Dun Laoghaire on June 25 and 26.

“We are hoping that it may be the first step in a lifetime of enjoyment and friendship as part of a very vibrant watersports community in Ireland.”

Accompanying Pollock at the launch were Nadine Lattimore, London 2012 Paralympic athlete and keen windsurfer and sailor, and Oisin Putt, member of the Sailability Paralympic Pathway Team.

Both Lattimore and Putt are campaigning to bring parasailing back into the Olympics Games and keen to inspire everyone to get out onto the water amd try different sports.

15 June 2017 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 31

GAZETTE

SKILLS STAR

Kilmacud’s Kane goes West in Feile challenge

CLUB NOTICEBOARD CUALA

EMMA Kane, from Kilmacud Crokes, is pictured with Donegal’s Rory Kavanagh and Monaghan’s Emily McAnespie after participating in the boys hurling competition at the John West Skills Day in the National Sports Campus last Saturday.

The Skills Day is an opportunity for Ireland’s rising GAA stars to show their skills ahead of the John West Feile na nÓg and na nGael competitions. Picture: Cody Glenn/Sportsfile

THERE will be a Centra hurling skills

are delighted to announce details of the

workshop for kids from the academy up

2017 School of Excellence Summer Camp.

to U-12 in Thomastown Park on Sunday, June 18.

Several of our inter-county stars will be coaching and there will also be

This week’s jackpot will be €11,300. Our lucky dip winners last week were Ronan

who has the best puck. Face painting for

Flavin and Claudine O’Connor.

diate and junior C hurling c’ships last week against St Kevins and Castleknock respectively.

 sport@dublingazette.com

CUALA’S Derry hurling connections were shown off in full effect over the weekend as the Oak Leaf county came to visit the club in conjunction with the Nicky Rackard Cup final.

The Ulster county’s Under-15 side travelled to Thomastown for a challenge match, one delayed slightly as the visiting side endured a puncture to their tour bus en route.

The Oak Leaf County were coming to town to watch Derry overcome Armagh and win their

latest Nicky Rackard final with Cuala’s Waldron brothers – Cian and Naoise – forming part of the side that won out 3-23 to 2-15.

Dublin heroes David Treacy, Oisin Gough and Darragh O’Connell were waiting in Thomastown to greet the Derry lads.

The full Cuala silverware was on display with hard-won cups and medals from Dublin, Leinster and from a first ever AllIreland hurling championship won by a Dublin club.

Cathaoirleach Adrian Dunne welcomed the Derry players and man-

agers onto the pitch. Photos were taken, questions asked and answered and the hurling began.

The Cuala hurlers were quicker off the mark and clipped over a number of fine long-range points on a strong breeze.

T h e D a l ke y s i d e were physically bigger and stronger than their Northern counterparts and won a lot of possession around mid-field.

Derry broke away to clipped a couple of beautiful points before Cuala responded. Indeed, the pressure from Cuala was relentless and the Derry keeper was working over-

time.

Soon the dam would burst. Cuala would take the honours and the Derry boys were taken up to the Graduate Pub for some grub then a race off to Croke Park for a 3pm start.

There, Cian Waldron started in the full forward line for Derry’s senior while Naoise came off the bench at half-time.

They helped their side stride to a fine victory with goals from Alan Grant, Gerald Bradley and Brian Cassidy, claiming the Nicky Rackard title for a second time in recent times.

Community Trust with Version 1.

The winners are entirely based on Facebook votes, so they’d very much

Adult Football resumes with three

appreciate it if you’d go to the following link and vote for them: http://woobox.

at 7.30pm when our fourths are at home

com/vredmk/vote/for/22210074

to St Olafs in the junior D championship.

Bhi an-la le grupa iomanaíocht 09 i

Cuala Coaching, in association with

gcoinne Realtai na hEireann agus Emmet

SHANKILL

U-15 CHALLENGE TIE

The Cuala 2004 boys have entered a competition to win a €500 grant from the

midweek matches, finishing on Thursday

the Sports & Social Integration Project,

Cuala celebrate Derry hurling connections

found at www.cualagaa.ie

and the Centra Speed Challenge to see

Two dramatic wins in the interme-

Cuala’s Under-15 hurlers with the club’s top stars and the senior championship trophies. Picture: John McEvoy

Kellogg’s Cul Camp. More details can be

fun activities such as shooting at goals

young and old and BBQ to follow.

HURLING: DALKEY CLUB WELCOME OAK LEAF UNDER-15S

Cuala Camps will run from July 3 to 21. The week of July 24 to 28July will be a

Bhre sa gréinne an Sathairn seo caite.

OUR academy, sponsored by O’ Donnell’s

hurling team were away to Ballinteer

Pharmacy, is in Shanganagh Castle from

St Johns and the U-13 girls footballers

10am to 11am every Saturday. The cost is

played Ballyboden St Endas in the Castle.

€2 per child, there is no annual subscrip-

Sunday saw the U-8 girls away to Ger-

tion and all equipment is provided free.

aldine P Moran’s; the U-9 girls played St

So why not come along any Saturday

Finian’s in the Castle and the U-11 girls

morning and give the Academy a try.

footballers were away to St Mary’s in

Great news, O Donnell’s Pharmacy is

Saggart. Well done everyone for getting

the sponsor for our summer camp which

all these teams turned out and to the

is from Monday, July 3 to Friday, July 7.

various venues.

Cost is €45 for club members and €60 for

Players for the adult team are very

non-club members with a €5 reduction

welcome; contact Kevin on 086 8449902.

for siblings.

Our golf classic will be held in Wood-

We are delighted to welcome back

brook Golf Club on Friday, June 30 2017.

Dublin senior footballer Molly Lamb to

Team of four players is €300 and includes

our coaching setup for the summer

a meal in Brady’s Pub. Contact Jimmy

camp. There is only a few places still

Nolan on 087 2633203; the time sheet is

available; to register your child, con-

open now.

tact camp director Steve Davis on 087 6414123.

For more information on the club, contact secretary.shankill.dublingaa.

Loads of action this week: On Satur-

ie or call 086 4010438. Follow us on Face-

day, the U-8 boys were in Ballyboden

book and Twitter. Join Shankill GAA Club,

Wanderers for a blitz which included Kil-

your community, your GAA club where

macud Crokes and Naomh Olaf; the U-9

everybody knows your name.

KILMACUD CROKES

KILMACUD Crokes ladies football are

Well done to the AHL2 team who had a

delighted to welcome Chill Insurance as

great 3-13 to 2-14 win over Lucan Sars-

our new sponsorship partners for our

fields on Saturday.

U-14 All-Ireland 7-a-side tournament.

Fergal Lynch from Chill Insurance commented that “we are excited to

Hard luck to the AHL3, AHL6 and AHL8 teams who all lost out to Erin’s Isle, Cuala and St Sylvesters respectively.

sponsor the competition and we look

Best of luck to the Junior D team who

forward to developing this new partner-

play Thomas Davis in the Championship

ship over the next three years”.

this Thursday in Silverpark at 7.30pm.

NAOMH OLAF GREAT week for the senior hurlers, win-

ballers against Kilmacud Crokes and the

ning a fantastic senior B championship

U-10 girls against Erin’s Isle.

match against Castleknock and fol-

The two U-14 hurling teams recorded

lowing up with a Division 2 league win

solid wins against Parnell’s and Crumlin

against Naomh Barrog.

in midweek as well.

Well done to the 2010 girls on taking

The junior D championship team travel

part in their first football blitz. Great

to Hyde Road to play Cuala on Thursday

performances from the U-12 girls foot-

with a 7.30pm throw in. Best of luck to all.

GAZETTESPORT

ALL OF YOUR DUN LAOGHAIRE SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 28-31

BOX CUP: Monkstown gearing up to big highlight as they welcome fighters from all around the world P30

JUNE 15 - 21, 2017

SJB ACADEMY’S BIG LAUNCH: Joeys and Bray come together with superb new facility P29

Siofra Cleirigh Buttner in action for Villanova in March of this year

Siofra’s soaring success Former DSDAC and Colaiste Iosagain star named Mid-Atlantic athlete of the year following a spate of personal bests and big victories on US scene

 sport@dublingazette.com

SIOFRA Cleirigh Buttner has been making a name for herself on the American college athletics scene, with the South-Dublin native excelling for Villanova as a junior middle-distance runner.

Formerly of Dundrum/ South Dublin Athletics Club and Colaiste Iosagain in Booterstown, Cleirigh Buttner was named Mid-Atlantic athlete of the year earlier this month as a college junior in advance of her trip to the American national championships.

Cleirigh Buttner then went on to appear in the 800 metres at the career-making NCAA (National College Athletics Association) Cham-

pionships for the second year in a row, running her fastest collegiate time of 2:02.11 in her quarter-finals on the way to the showdown.

Despite the build-up, the main event proved less successful for the runner, however, as she failed to advance from the semi-finals, finishing fifth in her heat to narrowly miss out at the 800 metre finale. The result appears to be a one-off setback in a fantastic season full of times and trophies for the Dubliner.

Her latest ‘athlete of the year’ title, awarded by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, marks Cleirigh Buttner out as a real one to watch in a thriving American college athletics scene.

It also makes her the third athlete from the

impressive Villanova College Wildcats to be handed the title in the past four years, and the fourth in seven, a product of their curated team and top-end coaches.

As well as her successes at 800 metres, Cleirigh Buttner has also excelled at 1500 metres this year, winning the Big East Championship, as well as bringing home the final leg for the title winning Villanova 4x400 metre team in their conference at their home town Villanova Stadium.

Cleirigh Buttner’s times of 4:28.17 in the 1500 metres and 54.58 on the anchor leg of the 4x400 metres were clocked despite adverse conditions on event days.

Earlier in the season, the Dubliner had also

been key in helping Villanova pull a real college rarity, a distance triple in the Penn Relays, as they took home all three of the mixed-distance races that make up the event, with Cleirigh Buttner key in each.

Still more impressively, Cleirigh Buttner’s times have been falling consistently this season, with the south Dubliner cutting key chunks off her best times at a number of events and clocking several school records in the process.

With Villanova a long-established powerhouse of college athletics, the string of achievements looks like the start of something bigger for the expat, whose training regime and intensive racing schedule is clearly paying off in her new home.