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Month XX, 2012 Dun laoghaire • Blackrock • Cornelscourt • Deansgrange • Dalkey • Glasthule • Monkstown • Glenageary

INSIDE: Motoring fans attend a wheely good Honda CR-V launch at Clonskeagh Motors Pages 6-7

Athletics:

Hutchinson and Byrne win Euro gold in Hungary Page 29

Hurling:

Kilmacud line up titanic tie with Boden Page 31

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

budget 2013: Local politicians give their reactions to the latest austerity cuts P2

Shatter defends station closures  Bairbre Ni Bhraonain

THE closure of two Dun LaoghaireRathdow n Garda stations announced by Minister for Justice and Equality, Alan Shatter last week has sparked protests in Kill O’The Grange and Stepaside.

Minister Shatter announced the closures to the local stations in a statement outlining a series of cost-cutting measures as part of the

Annual Policing Plan for 2013, which he outlines in this week’s Gazette.

However, local people, councillors and the Garda Representative Association’s spokesman, Ultan Sherlock, all spoke out against the closures, and want the Government to reverse the decision.

Sherlock said: “The whole area is being abandoned by the State, and will be extremely vulnerable, now.”

Full Story on Page 9

She’s set to impress: Local art student to design new pavilion LOCAL Fine Gael Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor offered her congratulations to Tatiana Mordukhov following her success in being chosen to redesign the pavilion at De Vesci Lawn Tennis Club. The interior design

student from Senior College Dun Laoghaire was presented with a cheque, as Tatiana’s design impressed judges with its scope in celebrating the heritage of the club, as well as creating a pavilion to address its future needs.

2 DUN laoghaire Gazette 13 December 2012

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economy Sharp divisions on national plan

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c o n ta c t s Managing Director: Michael McGovern mmcgovern@gazettegroup.com While there has been widespread national condemnation of many elements of Budget 2013, local Fine Gael deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor

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changes that will allow people to access 30% of their pension’s additional voluntary contributions

Mixed responses to Budget 2013’s details IRELAND’S sixth austerity budget – Budget 2013, delivered by Finance Minister Michael Noonan last week – has drawn varying reactions among local Dun LaoghaireRathdown councillors and TDs. People Before Profit Councillor Melisa Halpin slammed budget day as: “A day of shame for the Irish Government”.

She said: “Budget 2013 is not ‘tough but fair’, as [Tanaiste] Eamon Gilmore would have us believe. Instead, it is hugely unfair.

“A hospital consultant who earns in excess of €180,000 a year loses €20 per month from his pay packet, and a worker earning over €18,000 a year loses the exact same from his or her pay packet.

“Pile on top of that the regressive property tax, cuts to child benefit, increases in motor tax and

 Bairbre Ni Bhraonain bnibhraonain@gazettegroup.com

you have an average loss of €100 per month from people’s take-home pay.

“If you consider that 1.8 million people in this country had only €100 left over at the end of the month before the budget, it is clear that the new measures are far from fair and, instead, will drive more and more people into poverty,” said Cllr Halpin.

However, Fine Gael TD for Dublin, South Olivia Mitchell, supported the budget in the main, with some reservations.

She said: “I’m pleased that the general thrust of the budget is to secure jobs through a range of

measures to help smalland medium-sized firms and, also, as best we can, provide a social safety net.

“However I’m not happy that Dublin people will be paying a higher property tax than anywhere else in order to fund not only their own local services in Dublin, but to subsidise rural county services as well.”

Independent councillor Victor Boyhan said: “I am disappointed that the Government did not reverse the financial cuts to home help hours and home care packages, and to return [their] funding to pre-Budget 2012 levels.”

Labour councillor R ichard Humphreys reflected on what he saw as his party’s inheritance when they took office.

“The Labour party would prefer not to be in this position, but we

inherited €1.7 trillion in foreign debt, which works out as €300,000 for every man, woman and child in the country.

“We had no choice but to make difficult decisions, but people are realists, and want the Government to tackle the problem.”

However, Cllr Gerry Horkan (FF) said: “The property tax in the budget is going to do significant harm to South Dublin.

We’ll be hit badly in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown more than anywhere else, because the tax will be based on the valuation [of the house], and not on the ability to pay.”

Cllr Jim O’Dea (FG) spoke of a need to meanstest children’s allowance in the future.

“Obviously, if you have less income you will feel the effects of the cuts to a greater degree. Families with young children on

low incomes, or depending on welfare benefit, will feel the effects of the cut in children’s allowance.

“Hopefully, the day will come in the near future when such allowances can be income-related and those who really need children’s allowance can benefit accordingly.”

Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor (FG) welcomed changes that will allow people to access 30% of their pension’s additional voluntary contributions (AVC).

She said: “Under Budget 2013 proposals, people with pension AVCs will be allowed to withdraw up to 30% of the value of their contribution, until 2016.

“This will give people access to money they have saved towards their pension, so that they can spend it now when they need it, and help to stimulate job creation and economic [growth].”

13 December 2012 DUN laoghaire Gazette 3

childcare

enterprise: initiative announced to aid companies in local area

Creche firm wins top award

DLR business hub hailed by Councillor  Bairbre Ni Bhraonain bnibhraonain@gazettegroup. com

A LOCAL councillor has applauded the creation of a new centre of excellence for small businesses, which is to be established by Enterprise Ireland, claiming it will help to create jobs in the Dun LaoghaireRathdown area.

The business initiative was announced by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton and Minister for Small Business, John Perry on December 3.

The new micro-enterprise and small business division makes up a key par t of the Govern-

ment’s plans to revise suppor t ser vices for small businesses and is part of its action plan for jobs.

Councillor Neale Richmond (FG) said: “ I t ’s a n a t i o n w i d e programme that will present great opportunities to local businesses, especially those in the Sandyford Industrial estate, and developing businesses in particular, as that what it was set up for.”

Under the new model, one stop shops will be set up in the local a u t h o r i t y n e t wo r k .

These new local enterprise offices (LEOs) will combine the local knowledge that exists within the authori -

ties, with expertise and industry-specific knowhow from Enterprise Ireland.

Cllr Richmond said: “Our economy is being completely rebuilt, from the broken, old model to a new model based on sustainable success.

We have identified sectors that have a high potential for growth. We are helping enterprises enter lucrative export markets, a number of s c h e m e s h ave b e e n introduced to improve access to credit, and we are doing everything possible to ensure the relevant supports are in place so small businesses across this country can maximise their potential.”

The force is with her: Local woman celebrates her 100th birthday Margaret McNaught recently celebrated her 100th birthday with her family at her grandaughter Dervilla Power’s home in Foxrock.

Members of An Garda Siochana joined in the celebrations as her late husband, Neal McNaught, was a garda, and her two sons and one grandson are also working as Gardai.

The Assistant Commissioner, Fintan Fanning, chairman of Dun Laoghaire Branch Garda Retirement Association, Brian Kelly, and Superintendent Martin Fitzgerald congratulated Margaret.

Brian presented Margaret with an inscribed bowl on behalf of the GSRMA.

THE Park Academy, which has creches in Cabinteely, Sandyford and Booterstown, has been awarded Creche of the Year in the 2012 SMA Maternity and Infant awards, with judges citing the Park Academy’s child-led curriculum as winning attributes in the division.

The award was accepted by Park Academy Childcare co-founder, Geraldine Cobbe.

“We are so proud to receive this award for Creche of the Year” said Cobbe.

“We work hard to ensure the best education and care are given to our children, and this award is a testament to the hard work, dedication and passion of the team.”

4 DUN laoghaire Gazette 13 December 2012

FastNews

sit-in

Anger over tractor repossession council: ECo art awards

Michell among the 33 TDs at Constitutional Convention

Six win out in green contest

LOCAL TD Mary Mitchell O’Connor (FG) was among the 33 Oireachtas members of the Constitutional Convention, the body which was set up to interrogate the Irish Constitution and propose possible changes to the Dail which met for the first time on December 1 in Dublin Castle.

The convention was addressed by both Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore, and discussed shortening the President’s term of office from seven to five years, and lowering the voting age to 17.

Deputy Mitchell O’Connor said: “Our constitution has served us well, but we need to look at it now having regard to 21st century experiences and views.”

Postcard plan DUN LaoghaireRathdown libraries are involved in a postcard project called Then And Now, bringing together photographs of wellknown landmarks in the county taken in the 19th century and

today.

The initiative is part of The Gathering and people are encouraged to pick up a postcard and invite those abroad to visit Ireland in 2013.

The postcards which are available at local libraries throughout the county.

 Bairbre Ni

Bhraonain

Former Fianna Fail TD Mattie McGrath, left, seen here with former Taoiseach Brian Cowen and others

McGrath occupies Loughlinstown site  Bairbre Ni Bhraonain

THE headquarters of Friends First Finance in Loughlinstown was the scene of a recent occupation by Tipperary South TD, Mattie McGrath, and five supporters who were protesting after an incident in Wexford where a family’s tractor was repossessed by agents acting for the finance firm.

Deputy McGrath staged his sit-in at the offices for over 10 hours on behalf of the family.

He was seeking a commitment from the bank that it would not send agents to carry out any further repossessions.

The situation on the Wexford site became heated and gardai were called in and took statements from the repossession agents and the family.

In a statement, Friends First Finance said: “Friends First Finance can confirm that official salvage agents acting for the company attempted to repossess a tractor on Thursday, November 29, in Co Wexford. This vehicle was acquired using funds advanced

by Friends First Finance under a hire purchase agreement.

“The repossession was made necessary because

of the persistent failure by the borrower from the commencement of the agreement in 2007 to honour the repayment terms of the agreement.”

During the sit-in, Mr McGrath said: “The family are devastated. I saw them on Friday night.

They need support. Two young children had left the house, their younger children, young girls.

“We want a guarantee that they can sleep in their house over Christmas in relative peace and left alone.

“This is a democracy we are supposed to have.

The public are bailing out the banks, not these

banks but other banks, and the banks are meting out his treatment to Irish citizens,” said the independent TD. Deputy McGrath and his supporters stayed in the building until they secured a commitment in writing from the company, with Friends First Finance providing a letter to Deputy McGrath and his group stating that they “will not contact the family in any form until the police investigation has been completed”.

Friends First Finance also said it “has acted legally at all times and is not in breach of any code of conduct”.

THERE was six talented winners in an ecological decoration competition organised by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council this month.

Layla O’Connell from Ballybrack, Emily Riordan from Kilmacud, Anna Walsh from Killiney, Eimear Prendergast and Amalia Naughton from Blackrock won awards.

Mount Anville Primary School was the school with the most entries in the competition.

Presented The Eco Decoration Certificates of Achievement were presented in the Assembly Room of County Hall, and were part of the Sustainable Travel Art Competition.

An Cathaoirleach, Cllr Tom Joyce said: “The standard of decorations this year is exceptional, and that made the judges’ job of selecting the overall winner harder than ever.

“It is important to remember, although there can only be one county champion, you are all winners.”

DLRCC rolls out greener concrete option  Bairbre Ni Bhraonain

DUN Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is one of 33 local authorities which will be introducing a new low-carbon option in their local authority tender process to encourage greener environmental practices in construction projects.

Within the new framework, the tendering for concrete now

provides an option for local authorities to request low-carbon concrete products.

DLRCC engineers and architects can now choose the more sustainable option of low-carbon concrete, which not only offers environmental benefits, but also has a number of additional performance benefits.

Low-carbon concrete is stronger than normal concrete

and offers greater resistance to fire, de-icing salts, acids and sulphates.

David O’ Flynn of Ecocem Ltd, a provider of low-carbon cements said: “It is a welcome initiative by Ireland’s local authorities to implement greener procurement. It means that local authorities, their agents and suppliers, can now play an important part in

reducing Ireland’s CO2 emissions, securing a greener future for Ireland and leading the way for other European countries to follow.”

This new tendering framework will come into effect on January 1, and is part of the Government’s action plan on green public procurement policy launched in January this year.

13 December 2012 DUN laoghaire Gazette 5

fundraiser RNLI Reindeer Run attracts over 600

Red noses lead the way at charity event  Bairbre Ni Bhraonain

OVER 600 people took part in the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Reindeer Run which took place at Marlay Park on December 2.

This year, the run featured local Olympic sailor Annalise Murphy as guest of honour.

The event will raise around €22,000 for the charity, all of which will go to RNLI lifeboats.

Participants got into the Christmas spirit by

wearing novelty antlers and reindeer T-shirts during their walks and runs around the park.

The event, supported by participants from all over Leinster, also featured runners from Wicklow and even a tourist from California on holiday in Ireland.

Michael Purcell from Jones Lang LaSalle was the fastest male finisher in a time of 37 minutes and 36 seconds, and the fastest female finisher was Kathy Grassick from Pulse Triathlon club in Celbridge

with a time of 44 minutes and 54 seconds.

Michael dedicated his winning run to his friend, Vinnie O’Brien, who died in September in a diving accident.

Vinnie was passionate about the sea and admired the work of the RNLI. As well as Michael Purcell, 31 of Vinnie’s colleagues from Green Properties Ltd also took part in the run, and raised over €5,000 in memory of their late friend.

In the 5km group, Dermot Gorman from

Some of the children who took part in the Reindeer Run

Raheny Shamrock Athletic Club finished first with a time of 17 minutes and 2 seconds, while Anne Burke was the fastest female finisher with a time of 21 minutes and 40 seconds.

Commenting on the event, RNLI Reindeer Run co-ordinator Rose

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Michael said: “We are delighted with how the day went and that so many people turned up.

“The atmosphere was great, with children and adults all getting into the Christmas spirit and enjoying the different events.

“The sight of groups

of children and runners taking off around the park in antlers was something special and I hope we can continue to organise this event in years to come.

“Thank you to everyone who took part and raised vital funds for the RNLI.”

event Take a sea stroll with Mr Claus DUN Laoghaire’s East Pier will be the setting for a Santa Stroll this weekend when an abundance of people dressed up as Saint Nick will go for a walk along the pier in aid of the Barnardos children’s charity.

The walk begins at 1.30pm on Sunday, December 16, with prize and medal-giving taking place from 2.30pm to 3.30pm. Later, the Dun Laoghaire Christmas Festival fireworks display will take place in the harbour at 5pm.

Adults will receive a free Santa suit on the day of the event, and entr y fee is €10 for adults, while children go free.

Those interested can register at www.barnardos.ie.

6 Dun laoghaire Gazette 13 December 2012

gazetteGALLERIES

Tanya McGilton

Gordon D’Arcy at the launch of the Honda CR-V at Clonskeagh Motors

clonskeagh motors: launch of new honda cr-v

D’Arcy gears up for greener travel Hannah Murphy

Roughan and Edel Banim

I

RISH rugby star Gordon D’Arcy was among the large crowd that attended the recent launch of the Honda CR-V at Clonskeagh Motors.

The new CR-V has been engineered to be significantly more efficient.

A host of enthusiastic rugby and motoring fans turned out to get a glimpse of the new car, as well as the Ireland rugby centre at the launch.

Sharon Murphy and Liz Carton

Originally from Wexford, D’Arcy has made his home in Monkstown since establishing himself as first choice with both Leinster and Ireland, representing Ireland 71 times, so the launch wasn’t too far from home.

The new CR-V is the fourth generation of the car and is the world’s first hybrid sports car.

It was also named in the final ten for the Continental Irish Car of the Year 2012.

Maire Anne Howard and Grainne Hamilton

13 December 2012 dun laoghaire Gazette 7

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concert Clannad singer’s fifth time to perform for Monkstown Parish Church

Moya Brennan to raise funds for restoration  Bairbre Ni Bhraonain bnibhraonain@gazettegroup.com

CLANNAD singer and Dun Laoghaire resident Moya Brennan is to perform to raise funds for the Monkstown Parish Church for the fifth year running.

The concert will take place

on Thursday, December 20 at 7.30pm in Monkstown Parish Church in Monkstown village and proceeds will go to the restoration fund of the church.

The south Dublin yuletide festivities have now become a Christmas staple, and Brennan will once again perform

with her band and special guests from the local Comhltas traditional music club.

As in previous years, the Monkstown concert will also feature the talents of local traditional music club, Craobh Phiarais uí Ghreagain, who are based at the Comhltas Ceoltori na Eireann head-

quarters in Monkstown.

“This is always a wonderful night,” said Moya. “The kids’ groups are incredibly talented and it’s wonderful that they have a stage to show it off. This church has a special atmosphere which makes the evening all the more atmospheric.”

The Monkstown Christmas show is one of six Irish concerts for Brennan, which will culminate in a special homecoming performance in Gweedore, Co Donegal.

Speaking last week, she said: “At this time of the year, I’m usually in Germany or Holland but, after a marathon

Charity: Hits €19k target

FastNews Draw with Don in People’s Park ARTIST and broadcaster Don Conroy is exhibiting his cartoon characters at the Tea Rooms in the People’s Park in Dun Laoghaire this week, with part of the proceeds going to mental health charity Aware.

The exhibition will be launched on Saturday, December 15 at 2pm and all are welcome to attend.

The show will feature original cartoons by Don Conroy and include some characters made popular on RTE’s The Den. The exhibition ends on Sunday, December 16, at 5pm.

Council issues winter booklet DUN Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has issued a Winter Ready booklet for severe weather challenges that may lie ahead.

The booklet gives information on being prepared and practical tips such as contact details of emergency organizations.

The information booklet was prepared by the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning.

According to the council: “The main message is simple – be prepared, stay safe and know where to find help should you need it.”

The booklet can be downloaded at www. dlrcoco.ie

tour around America, I just wanted to be home with my family close by and not having to face endless travel.

“We embrace Christmas so well here – creating warmth when it can get so gloomy outside – and I love bringing a seasonal glow to my audiences.”

pictured at St

Michael’s House’s annual Christmas party held at Leisureplex are Leisureplex’s resident Junior Irish Bowling Champion Sarah Finaly with Paul Durran from Raheeny. St Michael’s House announced that Leisureplex has raised €19,500 for them, and Leisureplex has supported the charity for 10 years now.

environment: special area of conservation designation for dublin bay

Deenihan decision puts Dalkey Island drilling licence in doubt  Bairbre Ni Bhraonain bnibhraonain@gazettegroup.com

LOCAL politicians and environmental groups are calling on the Government to reverse the licence granted to Providence Resources, to drill an exploratory well off Dalkey Island.

T h i s f o l l ow s t h e announcement last week by Minister for the Arts, Heritage and the Gaelteacht Jimmy Deenihan that the area from Rockabill to Dalkey Island is to be designated as a special area of conservation (SAC) to pro-

tect the harbour’s porpoise population.

A spokesman of action group Dublin Bay Concern said: “We have contacted all the local Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown councillors and asked them to send a loud and clear message to the Government that they support Dublin Bay being classified as a special area of conservation, and that they demand an immediate withdrawal of all licenses to any oil and gas company attempting to drill and exploit Dublin Bay for their gain.”

Cllr John Bailey (FG)

said: “I do not want this to happen to Dalkey.

Jimmy Deenihan has designated Dalkey an SAC; there’s no way a drilling licence should be granted. I was totally opposed to it all along.”

Obligation At a recent Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown meeting, Cllr Jane Dillon Byrne (Lab), said: “We have a European obligation to protect our waters.

“When making my submission objecting to the granting of the provisional licence, I talked

about our commitment to the environment and the foreshore, and this is exactly the same issue.

We wish to protect all our water, including our seawaters.”

However, uncertainty about the future of the drilling continues, as developments have been permitted in the past

by An Bord Pleanala in some SACs, subject to stringent planning conditions.

According to the designations and legislation section of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS): “Works

liable to destroy or to significantly alter, damage or interfere with the ecology of the [SAC] site can only commence on the grant of the Minister’s [Deenihan] consent.”

Works in SACs needing consent from the Parks and Wildlife Services include acoustic surveys, which is what Providence Resources hopes to do as part of their exploratory drilling. Yet, in the event that a licence was granted before the SAC was designated, consent is not necessary from the Parks

and Wildlife Services.

A spokesperson for Providence Resources said in a statement: “We haven’t been notified of anything by the department [Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht] and haven’t seen any detail of the proposed designation yet.

“If and when we are notified, we’ll review the detail in the context of our plans.”

T he spokesperson further stated that Providence has successfully operated three wells in the British South Downs National Park.

13 December 2012 DUN laoghaire Gazette 9

Opinion Justice Minister on the Garda

Reform is key for an efficient force AS Minister for Justice, I am determined to ensure that an Garda Siochana uses all of its resources in the fight against crime in the most efficient and effective way possible.

Reform of the Garda station network is the result of a comprehensive operational assessment carried out by the Garda Commissioner over the past 12 months.

The objective of this reform is to enhance the effectiveness of the force, ie increasing Garda visibility and patrol hours, improving Garda mobility and flexibility and using limited resources better.

Community policing goes to the very heart of this reform agenda. Two stations in Dublin are due to be closed.

Stepaside Garda Station has 34 garda members who will be primarily allocated to Dundrum Garda station.

The closure of the station will not result in a loss of gardai to the Stepaside area. Smart policing is no longer about bricks and mortar.

It is about having gardai working, not behind desks, but out and about in our communities engaging in frontline policing – preventing, detecting and disrupting crime.

Artists to donate to SVP TWO artists currently exhibiting in Dun Laoghaire Art Gallery as part of a special Christmas art exhibition, will donate all proceeds from the show to the St Vincent de Paul society.

The exhibition showcases the work of Grainne Dowling and Rosemary Burns.

Grainne’s abstract paintings are done in oil and acrylic, whereas Rosemary’s work is a selection of watercolours of Connemara and sailing landscapes. The show opened on December 3 and will continue until December 23. It is open from Monday to Saturday from 9am until 5.30pm in the Dun Laoghaire Art Gallery on the first floor of Brian S Nolan on Lower Georges Street.

Hospital calendar on sale

This strategy is working: Minister for Justice Alan Shatter says that he wants to reform the Garda network

•31 Garda stations were closed last year and 167 gardai were freed up for frontline operational duties •Most recent CSO crime statistics show that crime has reduced across 11 out of 14 crime groups, including homicide, assault, theft and drug offences •Operation Fiacla, set up in February 2011 to combat a rise in burglaries, has resulted in 3,217 arrests and 1,737 charges •In excess of €90m of drugs were seized in the first nine months of the year, including the largest ever in-land seizure of cocaine in Ireland

No loss of gardai Kill O’ the Grange Garda Station which has 28 garda members will also close in 2013. Again, the closure of this station will not see a loss of gardai to the area.

Instead, local residents will see a greater number of gardai patrolling our streets and ensuring that people feel safe in their homes, on our roads and in our communities.

Garda members currently attached to this station will be primarily allocated to Dun Laoghaire Garda Station.

While there will be

FastNews

modest savings from the closure of garda stations, mainly from maintenance and utilities, this is not a cost-cutting exercise.

The purpose is to facilitate more effective operational deployment of garda resources.

The closure of stations will also mean that, where they are State-owned, these buildings will be available for community use or disposal.

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

‘After the closures, the number of Garda stations nationwide will still be 564’

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

It is also important to say that, despite the financial difficulties, we were able to acquire 213 new Garda vehicles at a cost of €4m in 2012.

I am very pleased that a further €5m will be made available for the purchase of additional Garda vehicles in 2013.

The argument that we must retain every garda station we inherited since the foundation of the State in 1922, at a time when gardai relied

on the use of bicycles for transport, takes no account of the evolution of policing over a 90 year period – particularly with regard to developments in transport, communications and technology.

When the closures take place, the number of Garda stations nationwide will still be 564.

This figure remains very high by international standards: Scotland has around 340 police stations for a population of 5.2 million.

Northern Ireland has 86 stations for a population of 1.5 million and there is a proposal to reduce the number to approximately 50 by 2015.

Given the difficult financial environment, we must ensure that we use our resources wisely.

Sometimes this requires making difficult decisions to meet public expectation.

The Garda Commissioner has my full support in implementing these reforms which are fundamental to the public interest and are necessary in the fight against crime.

Alan Shatter, Minister For Justice

THE National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) has launched a calendar for 2013 with a little help from Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT) students.

The calendar costs €5 and will raise funds for the hospital, and is available from the coffee shop in the NRH, or for more information, email calendar@nrh.ie.

10 DUN laoghaire Gazette 13 December 2012

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Eileen O’Gorman and Mick Hanley

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Dublin City 103.2 FM celebrate 20 years on air

D

UBLIN City 103.2FM has recently celebrated 20 years of broadcasting. The radio station reflected on its beginnings, when it was set up by seven radio enthusiasts in 1992 and was broadcasting as Anna Livia FM. The station has seen many changes over the years, including changing studio locations. However,

Regiane Almeida

Suzanne Knght and Marie Johnson

the ethos of the station remains intact, and some of the original crew still remain with the station.

Since they came on the airwaves two decades ago, they estimate that over 2,000 people have been engaged in the station. It now looks forward to enjoying another 20 successful years ahead of them.

Katie Hanley

Karen O’Connor and Grainne Lynch

Paul Falvey and Suzanne Parker

13 December 2012 Gazette 11

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poetry marathon: gathering of leading lights

Paradise for poets as epic work to be fully read TRINITY College Dublin will host Ireland’s first ever full reading of Paradise Lost this weekend.

One of the longest poems in the English language, Paradise Lost was written by 17th century English poet John Milton after he lost his sight.

The reading will take place as part of a poetry marathon, which will take place at Trinity College’s Graduate Memorial Building on Friday,

December 14, and later in the Gallery Chapel at the college. The session will run from 10am until 2pm. The epic poem was originally published in 1667 in 10 books, with a total of more than 10,000 individual lines of verse.

It is based on the biblical story of the fall of man – the temptation of Adam and Eve and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden.

A number of other

poets will be reading poetry at the marathon, some of whom include the Nobel Laureate, Seamus Heaney; performance poet, Dave Lordan; Milton expert, Professor Thomas Luxon; poet and Professor of Physics at Trinity, Gerald Dawe; David Norris, Eilean Ni Chuilleanain, Macdara Woods and Joseph Wood, director of Poetry Ireland.

They will be joined by

the Provost, Patrick Prendergast, and by the students and staff of Trinity College English department, including Professor Eve Patten.

All proceeds raised at the reading marathon will be donated to the National Council for the Blind in Ireland. For more information, log on to www. vermilliondesign.com, the co-sponsors of the event with TCD’s English department.

Paradise Lost was written by 17th century English poet John Milton

Gazette

12 Gazette 13 December 2012

dublinlife

Pictured at the launch of Sing for Simon were Patricia Eposegui, Maria Oxley Boardman and Helena Steemers

diary

Come sing a song for Simon this Christmas Dublin Simon Community’s Sing for Simon carol singing campaign which this year runs until Christmas Eve is an extremely important part of the homeless charity’s Christmas fundraising activities, and you can get involved, with the charity calling on local people to get on board.

Each year, Sing for Simon brings together over 100 groups and choirs who sing Christmas carols in numerous shopping centres and other areas across Dublin.

Thanks to the generosity and goodwill of Simon’s supporters it has grown into an annual fundraising campaign.

During the days leading up to Christmas, you can hold an event in your workplace canteen, shop floor at your Christmas Party, or you can join one of Dublin Simon’s organised venues in Dublin City Centre such as Grafton Street or one of Dublin’s

Shopping Centres.

Dublin Simon will provide your group with Sing for Simon t-shirts, buckets and banners.

Sing for Simon also includes a 24-hour Carolathon on Grafton St on December 21 at 5pm. For more information on Sing for Simon, log on to www.dubsimon.ie

launch of scheme to plant trees The Tree Council of Ireland, in partnership with Balfour Beatty CLG, has launched a community tree project grants scheme.

The scheme aims to support organisations at a local level that are attempting to improve their local area through the planting of trees.

The sites available for such projects are often unused or neglected areas, which can be transformed by the planting of trees.

“While the tree coun-

cil promotes recognition of the benefits of trees at national level, Ireland’s cities, towns and villages still need more of the right trees in the right places. The provision of a funding mechanism to assist the implementation of community tree projects will enable communities to derive these benefits for themselves,” explains director of the Tree Council of Ireland, Mary Keenan.

Successful applicants will receive up to 75% towards their project costs, subject to a maximum grant of €500 per project. For more information, visit www.treecouncil.ie

moving crib opens to the public The always popular moving crib is open to the public again this Christmas at Saint Martin’s Apostolate, Parnell Square.

The crib, with its moving statues, has been a staple visiting spot for families at Christmas in Dublin for generations.

Now in its 50th year, the moving crib traces the story of the old and new testaments from Adam and Eve right to the nativity scene and finally ending with the boy Jesus questioning the elders in the Temple.

There are over 100 figures in the crib, arranged in 14 different tableaux.

The figures are made of papier-mache with concealed motors moving the arms, heads and legs and stand around a metre tall.

T h e m ov i n g c r i b will be open throughout December, except Christmas Eve to Stephen’s Day and on January 1, right up until January 6 at St Martin Apostolate, 42 Parnell Square, Dublin 1, from 2pm to 6pm on weekdays and from 11.30am to 6pm at weekends.

13 December 2012 Gazette 13

festive: centre has choirs, kids’ workshops and shows

Christmas wonderland at Powerscourt Townhouse  Bairbre Ni Bhraonain

If you like the idea of pampering yourself in the most tasteful possible surroundings, then the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre is for you this year.

It is going all out for Christmas with a variety of festive activities, entertainment, workshops and shows for the whole family.

The festivities got off to a musical start in Powerscourt as performers such as A Glor Gos-

pel Choir, Il Coro Italiano Di Dublino, as well as musicians, harpists and guitarists heralded in the beginning of the Christmas holidays.

Not only will Santa and his helpers be on hand at the centre but there will also be special storytelling sessions and Christmas themed workshops on offer.

This year, the Powerscour t Tow nhouse Centre is also inviting children to visit Father C h r i s t m a s ’s u n i q u e workroom for a behind the scenes look at an

authentic 18th century styled St Nichols’s den.

Children can visit Santa Claus and see him working hard behind the scenes every weekend from 12pm to 4pm. Tickets for this cost €12.

The Powerscourt Creative Christmas Workshops with the Magic Turtles teaches children how to make Christmas cards, gifts and decorations and will run every weekday in the run up to Christmas.

The workshops costs €5 per child and run from 2pm to 5pm in

Santa’s workroom each weekday and until 8pm on Thursday, December 20.

Theatre comes alive in the centre at the weekends, with productions for both children and adults.

On Saturdays, productions of the Gruffalo, based on the book

by Julia Donaldson, will feature followed by the show, of Ross O’Carroll Kelly for the adults.

Performance Each Saturday evening will be rounded

off with a performance by several choirs over the course of the next two weeks.

The Gruffalo theatre productions start on Saturdays at 2pm and cost €6 while the Ross O’Carroll-Kelly show is free from 3pm until 5pm.

On Christmas Eve, an exhibition called The Ort of Ross O’CarrollKelly will be held at 5pm beside Father Christmas’ workroom.

T he Powerscour t Christmas Festival is on now at 59 South William Street, Dublin 2.

Gazette

feature national gallery

View the holy family through the centuries A new exhibition of paintings, Imagining the Divine: The Holy Family in Art, is currently running at the National Gallery of Ireland.

The collection of 13 paintings follows the artistic representation of the Holy Family from the renaissance up to the 19th century.

Highlights include The Dawn of Christianity: The Rest on the Flight into Egypt

by JMW Turner the 19th century romantic landscape artist, on loan from the Ulster Museum as well as an early renaissance painted relief by Florentine sculptor, Lorenzo di Ghiberti.

Imagining the Divine: The Holy Family in Art runs until April 1. Admission is free.

Commercial Feature

milestone: a record thirty million passenger journeys this year

Luas Improvements and Investments in 2012

2012 was a good year for Luas and for Luas customers. Thirty million passenger journeys will be made on Luas this year a new record for the light rail system which opened in 2004.

Last year the Government carried out a root and branch review of all proposed capital projects.

One of the only projects to survive was the Luas linkup, which indicates the strength of the reputation which Luas has earned in less than a decade.

The Government has again given the go-ahead for the new Luas link-up, which will connect the Red and Green Lines in the city centre. Work will start on this project in 2013 and passengers will be on board in 2017.

Luas continues to operate without any state sub-

vention and continues to get exceptionally positive feedback from the Luas customer.

In addition to this, Luas has been very busy in 2012. It has completed a range of improvements throughout the year, ranging from new walking and cycling routes, improved signage, better collection and drop-off areas at Luas stops, new Luas mobile website and a whole raft of other improvements.

The Railway Procurement Agency together with the National Transport Authority has rolled out a number of improvements which will improve access to Luas stops. Simple improvements can make all the difference. For example, RPA and South Dublin County Council teamed up to improve access to the Cookstown Luas Stop for hundreds of residents in Ambervale and adjoining estates. A long

walk is a deterrent for people and ease of access benefits everybody.

Similarly, new cycle facilities have been provided at a range of Luas stops throughout the network with sheltered cycle parking at a number of locations.

Another bit of smart and sustainable thinking relates to successful trials of new energy efficient lighting technology on Luas in 2012. Next year it hopes to replace approximately 50% of existing Luas stop lighting bulbs with energy efficient bulbs.

A comprehensive survey of energy wastage will allow Luas to make future improvements that will make it more sustainable and reduce costs with direct benefits to the customer.

Luas has completed a range of improvements throughout the year, ranging from new walking and cycling routes, improved signage, better collection and drop-off areas at Luas stops

Gazette

14 Gazette 13 December 2012

dublinlife

feature

budget 2013: aN Overview of what’s ahead

Expert analysis of our financial future  mike sheehan,

tax Partner, Deloitte

BUDGET 2013 has continued on a similar path as Budget 2012, with the introduction of further incentives for the SME and agri food and farm sectors.

The Minister announced a helping hand to the SME sector in the form of a 10-point tax reform plan, which includes measures across a number of tax areas.

In recognition of the ongoing difficult credit environment, several of these provisions are aimed at providing cash flow benefits, such as the increase in the VAT cash accounting threshold from €1m to €1.25m; an increase in the de-minimus close company surcharge threshold from €635 to €2,000; and a reform of the three year

corporation tax relief for start-up companies to allow unused relief to be carried forward.

Other measures are positive developments, such as an increase in the amount qualifying for an R&D tax credit without reference to the 2003 threshold from €100,000 to €200,000 and an extension of the foreign earnings deduction for work related travel to additional African countries.

The R&D credit measure should, in particular, provide stimulus to smaller organisations engaged in research and development activities.

Given the dependence of the majority of SMEs on domestic demand, however, an important factor in creating and maintaining jobs in this sector is the level of disposable income of Irish consumers. As such,

whereas the 10-point tax reform plan is certainly a step in the right direction, the impact of Budget 2013 on individual incomes will continue to play a major role in the future success of the SME sector, impacting on the demand for goods and services.

In recognition of the importance of agri food and farming sectors to the Irish economy, the Minister has extended the various stock relief measures for farmers in general, young trained farmers and registered farm partnerships for three years to December 31 2015.

Following B udget 2013, there is finally clarity on the detail of the much speculated property tax. It will be administered by the Revenue Commissioners with the funds earmarked for the local authorities.

A rate of 0.18% will apply to properties with a value up to €1m, and for properties over €1m a rate of 0.25% will apply on the excess.

Revenue has stated it will be a self-assessment tax but will issue “guidance” on the various valuations. For those owning second homes, the NPPR charge of €200 will be abolished from January 1 2014.

While the Minister has kept his promise of not altering the income tax bands and rates, he has effectively introduced a number of stealth taxes through abolishing the PRSI exemption which will cost every PAYE worker €264 per year, increasing the DIRT rate from 30% to 33% and bringing unearned income (such as rents, interest, dividends) within the scope of PRSI from 2014.

Mike Sheehan, Tax Partner at Deloitte gives his verdict on the Budget

Over five successive budgets, the capital gains tax and capital acquisitions tax rates have increased from 20% to the current rates of 33%.

In addition, over the same period, the thresholds at which capital acquisitions tax becomes payable have decreased by almost 60%.

Budget 2013 sees an increase in excise duty on the “old reliables”, which includes a 10% increase in the duty on a pint of beer or cider and

a noteworthy €1 increase on a bottle of wine.

Vehicle registration tax and motor tax across all categories will increase from January 1 2013.

These increases will have an impact on Irish consumers and consequently the domestic economy, the full extent of which remains to be seen.

An ongoing commitment to the 12.5% corporate tax rate, underpinning Ireland’s corporate tax strategy, was noted

by the Minister, who also announced some positive changes to the R&D tax credit regime, as well as the introduction of accelerated capital allowances on aviation facilities.

Overall, Budget 2013 will underpin Ireland’s commitment to getting its house in order, which in turn will serve to enhance Ireland’s credibility and reputation amongst foreign investors and the international markets.

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Gazette

schools

initiative: colaiste bride works with tidy towns to help keep clondalkin clean

Growing great ideas for the area î Ž niamh balfe Colaiste Bride, Clondalkin

IN NOVEMBER, members from the Clondalkin Tidy Towns held a meeting with the Colaiste Bride Green Flag Committee.

T he students and teachers involved had a chance to discuss their ideas with Tidy Towns about how to reduce litter in the area, and how to get more youth involved.

During the meeting, it was decided that the transition-year students in Colaiste Bride would help by doing regular clean-ups around

With hopes to achieve the Biodiversity Green Flag at the school, students at Colaiste Bride, Clondalkin, are working with the local Tidy Towns group

Clondalkin in the new year. The students came up with excellent ideas on how to help, such as clean-ups, young volunteers and using social

media to promote the cause.

The Tidy Towns members were very enthusiastic and grateful to hear these ideas and are mak-

ing plans to use these in the near future.

Members from Tidy Towns, along with some volunteers, meet outside Tuthills in Clondalkin

village every Saturday at 10am and work for one hour cleaning up the area. They do fantastic work and would be extremely grateful to have further voluntary assistance.

Colaiste Bride has received four Green flags, to date, and is currently working towards their fifth, which is for biodiversity.

This is the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat.

In the process of working to achieve this, the Green Flag committee have put up bird feeders at different areas outside the school, and plant-

ed daffodils along the entrance of the school.

They have further plans to promote biodiversity around the school, such as having a biodiversity garden.

There is to be more work between the Green

Flag members and Tidy Towns’ members in the new year, which will aid both Tidy Towns in their aim to reduce litter in Clondalkin, and also assist Colaiste Bride in their hope to receive their next Green Flag.

GAZETTE

16 GAZETTE 13 December 2012

DUBLINLIFE

Q&A

FERGAL LYNCH, CHILL INSURANCE

Taking the sting out of finding insurance FERGAL Lynch works in the marketing department at Chill Insurance and also take cares of their commercial ventures, the most recent of which was the launch of Chill Retail.

He has a BSc in Management and Marketing, and has over 20 years experience in marketing communications and business development.

Fergal said: “It is a really big challenge creating effective marketing campaigns in such a competitive

industry. “[In the campaign], the aim was to create an advertising campaign that is a little different to what we are all typically used to from other insurance providers. Our TV advertisments are quite humorous, but also get the message across to the consumer that we take the hassle out of insurance.

“I enjoy growing the Chill brand and aim to make Chill Insurance a household name in Ireland.”

How long have you been in business?

not a tied agent, which means that we don’t deal with just one insurer, we deal with 14. The fact that we are independent, also means that we will not and cannot force one particular product or insurer on a customer, thus giving the best choice and value in one go.

We also understand that not everyone wants to conduct their business online, so that’s why we give our customers the option to pop into one of our stores and have a chat face to face with a real person, or call us and let our friendly staff take it from here.

We are 100% Irish as well, which means we won’t sell out to large international companies. We are for the people, by the people. No one knows the Irish quite like the Irish.

Chill Insurance has been in business since 2007, and is one of Ireland’s largest online brokers. We compare 14 insurers to get you the best deal on your insurance. We are not a tied agent.

What makes your business successful?

Chill Insurance is unique in its offering in that it is the only broker that compares 14 underwriters to get our customers the best deal.

When everyone in Ireland knows that we are not a tied agent and the only broker that compares 14 insurers, we will have done our job!

Our customers can call us, visit us online or pop into one of our four retail stores in prominent locations in Dublin for a quote.

We employ professional and qualified sales agents who live and breathe our Chill mantra that we will do our best to get customers the best quote every time.

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

We look at insurance as the chore that everyone hates having to do, so we take the sting out of it by searching 14 insurers for customers in one go.

We are always told to “shop around” when making a purchase, whether it be a plumber, builder, or for insurance, but what makes us different is that we do the shopping around for you. Chill Insurance is

What is your favourite thing about doing business in your local area?

As I have mentioned before, we are 100% Irish and that is very, very important for us. Our head office is based in Blackrock, but through our retail stores, we can be part of several local communities.

Each of our locations are unique, and we love having the buzz of a shopping centre around our retail stores that allows us to conduct our business in local areas and bring great value insurance to the people of that area.

We want our customers to know that we are not a huge multinational company with one main office in the city centre, we bring our service to our customers and allow them to get to us in their locality.

BUSINESS

Supported

by AIB

Take action to reduce the cost of car insurance FROM December 21, a new EU ruling means insurance companies cannot price motor insurance based on gender, even though statistics indicate young males are a high accident risk.

Female drivers, in particular, may feel the pinch, although Chill Insurance says that simply “shopping around” can make a big difference to insurance costs.

The independent Irish brokers make it their business to “shop around” 14 different insurers for the best quote for customers, and, for younger drivers worried about rising motor insurance, Chill Insurance has some cost-cutting advice.

• Join a parent’s insurance as a named driver; get a safety record, and avail of discounts on ‘own name’

insurance, based on named driver records and driving experience.

• Having a full licence reduces car insurance premiums considerably.

• Choose a lower value car with a small engine; less powerful, less expensive cars are cheaper to insure.

• Opting for a higher ‘voluntary excess’, (what you pay if there is a claim), can lower policy costs and may suit safe, competent drivers rather than young inexperienced drivers.

• Ideally, pay premiums in full on taking out a policy, as monthly interest rates can be high.

• Don’t pay extra for windscreen cover, breakdown assistance, additional drivers etc. if you don’t need them.

Check what your policy covers.

• Companies often offer additional

discounts on more than one policy; so look at including car cover for other family members, or home or life insurance, with the same company.

• Third party fire and theft insurance is cheaper than fully comprehensive, and is an option for lowvalue cars and safe, ‘low-mileage’ drivers; but do remember that damage to your car is not covered other than for fire or theft • Shop Around!

For more information, log on to www.chill.ie, call 1890 30 20 20, or visit one of their stores at the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, The Swords Pavilions, Donaghmede Shopping Centre, and The Square, Tallaght, all of which are open seven days a week.

TECHNOLOGY: MONITORING WASTE TREATMENT PLANTS

Local firm works with European Space Agency TECHWORKS Marine in Dun Laoghaire has become the latest business among 40 companies to work with the European Space Agency (ESA).

The technology company has developed a set of earth-observation products which monitor environmental wastewater plants in Ireland and elsewhere on the planet.

Wastewater treatment plants are of particular interest to the ESA, due to their effect on the environment, and TechWorks Marine is focusing in on Donegal Bay, where there are a number of such plants.

T he new obser vation products are fixed onto existing ESA satellites which orbit the earth, collecting data for many different research projects.

T h e s e Te c h Wo r k s products monitor marine activity as well as watertreatment plants, and track any new ecological developments.

TechWork Marine’s managing director Charlotte O’Kelly said: “My company monitors the ocean in real time at very specific locations over very long periods of time at very high resolution.

“The ESA satellites give us the spatial coverage that our platforms don’t have and our platforms give the ESA images, the groundtruthing validation that they don’t have.”

Ireland has been a member of the ESA since its foundation in 1975.

Last month, Innovation Minister Sean Sherlock announced a €17m investment in the ESA

Astrium Metop-B weather satellite

with a view to creating up to 2,000 jobs in the sector, and growing exports up to €56m by 2015. Ireland is one of 20 member states in the ESA, which has an annual budget of about €4bn.

The ESA is funded through financial contributions from the member states and the amount each member pays is cal-

culated on the basis of gross national product.

Companies from member states can then tender for contracts up to the total value of the country’s contribution.

According to Enterprise Ireland, the spinoff export sales from Irish investment in the ESA was about €35m in 2010.

13 December 2012 Gazette 17

cinema P20

asdfsdaf P27 TRAVEl P24

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



Gazette

MUSIC P19

Pets

Nicha Maguire, Tamarin Blackmur and Terry Lyons have seen off 12 competitors to become the finalists of Masterchef 2012

Cooking: Masterchef finalists talk to the gazette ahead of showdown

To become the Master  Paul Hosford

THEN there were three.

The final of Irish Masterchef is upon us and the top 15 amateur chefs in the country have been whittled down to just three, with Terry Lyons, Tamarin Blackmur and Nicha Maguire set to battle it out for the title of Masterchef 2012.

Having started out in the kitchen under the watchful gaze of Michelin star chef Dylan McGrath and renowned restauranteur Nick Munier, the progression of the chefs has been phenomenal to watch, culminating in a semi-final which saw each of the four remaining contestants cook a course for every Michelin-starred chef in the country.

There, Nicha, Tamarin and Terry were left standing, ready to go into a three-

way battle, cluminating on Thursday, December 13.

Though their styles are quite different, the one thing that the chefs have in common is their experience in the kitchen before the competition.

“I was just a home cook,” says Tamarin. “I just always loved to cook for family and loved food. Some people buy books to read, I buy cook books.”

Terry echoes that, though he came to cooking late.

“I think I came to cooking a lot later than most of the others, probably only in the last six or seven years.

“I was a bit of a fussy eater when I was younger, and when I got married and started trying new things that’s when I really got into it.”

Former Malahide resident Nicha is

in the same camp, having been a home cook before taking the plunge on to the show.

“Food has always been my passion, ever since I was a child. But I only cooked Thai food until I came to Ireland, then I started trying out new ingredients.”

For South African-born Tamarin, the challenge has been huge, but the rewards even greater.

“It’s been a fantastic challenge and very overwhelming. It’s an amazing feeling to get through.

“I’ve always loved the show and thought I’d go for it this year after sitting at work and noticing the application was about to go online.

“I’d always wanted a career in food, but wasn’t sure how to go about it so

this gave me the push that I needed.

Terry says that he had aimed for the top 10 and worked extremely hard to get to the final.

“When I first applied, I never thought I would get this far. I just kept progressing and pushing myself harder and harder. Next thing, before I know it, I’m in the final.

“I thought I might get to the top 10, then the top five was a goal. To get to the top three and be in the final is huge.

“Now that I’m in the final, I want to go and win it.

“I think in the last couple of tasks you can see that I’m cooking from the heart and looking a lot more relaxed because of it.”

Continued on Page 21

The DSPCA rescues thousands of sick, injured and cruelly treated animals each year, from places and situations where otherwise they may not be alive today.

Scamp arrived to the DSPCA earlier this year in very bad condition.

He had serious parasite infestations, was underweight, malnourished and had severe dental issues.

DSPCA veterinary staff immediately got to work. He was given antibiotics and medicated baths to treat his skin infections. Most of his teeth had to be removed.

At first Scamp did not want to leave his kennel and would not interact with anybody. As he began to feel better and went to a loving foster home, he realised that life has much to offer and that people can be kind.

The DSPCA works hard to reduce suffering and create meaningful lives for these animals but we cannot do it without donations and support from the public.

To make a donation, text “Donate Chance” to 57977. Texts cost €2.50, with €1.75 going to the DSPCA. For more information, see www. dspca.ie.

Gazette

18 Gazette 13 December 2012

OUT&ABOUT NEXT €21-€24

STYLE NEXT €17-€19

Barbie Fashionistas Ultimate Closet €40

Littlewoods Earmuff Headphones €15

Christmas Guide – for kids  Laura Webb

Master Moves Mickey €90

It’s the last installment of Gazette Style’s wish list for everyone in the family. Two weeks ago, we started with some subtle hints about what to get the woman in your life. Then, last week it was all about the man in your life, and now this week we bring you the fun week – it’s ideas for the kids.

Here we have picked out some great toys, festive and fun clothing and board games which the whole family can enjoy. So happy shopping everyone, we hope we have helped in your search for great presents this year.

LeapFrog Leap Pad 2 Explorers €104

PS Vista 3GB Console €379 Jake and the Never Land Pirates Pirate Ship Bucky €70

Dunnes Stores Red Coat €25 Mattel Apptivity €15 Dunnes Stores Raindeer Booties €5 Thomas & Friends Steam n’ Speed RC Thomas €60

Hasbro Monopoly Board Games €22

Uno Roboto €35

Scrabble Original €25

13 December 2012 Gazette 19

Gazette

MUSIC singer-songwriter: rising star of Lewis Watson

It’s elementary, my dear Watson  Paul Hosford

IN the pantheon of musical stories it is not, perhaps, one that is that well worn.

Young man makes an EP with his music teacher, the EP goes viral, sells a load of copies, goes to number one on iTunes and young man picks up a record deal.

Aside from not being that well-worn, it is not that well known, either.

Yet. L e w i s Wa t s o n , a

2 0 - y e a r- o l d f r o m Oxford is the latest in the stable of earnest, guitar-weilding singersongwriters.

His English twang, soft lyrics and lovesick lyrics make him a comparison to Ed Sheeran.

The fact that people are dubbing him a successor to Sheeran’s c r ow n a s t h e U K ’s number one overly-literal singer/songwriter says more about expectations for Sheeran than Watson, if you ask me but, I digress.

Wa t s o n h a s b e e n spending the last number of months travelling across Europe with a host of acts, including Swords natives Kodaline, with whom he packed The Button Factor y last week.

There, Watson held his own in front of a crowd turning out for hometown heroes, no mean feat for a twentyyear-old and his guitar.

Of course, it is easy for Watson to capture the imagination of a crowd

because his songs are so well crafted and his voice is easy-listening defined.

After the release of his May 2012 breakthrough It’s Got 4 Sad Songs On It BT W, Watson released Another Four Sad Songs, a follow-up EP, in October.

It is the eight songs on the two releases that have seen him tipped, right along with his touring mates, as one of the acts to watch in 2013.

On the evidence so

Lewis Watson is tipped for big things in 2013, including a headline date in Dublin

far, it is hard to argue the label.

A g r ow i n g o n l i n e following, a winsome voice and songs that are about as commercially friendly as they come.

Watson has to be considered one of the UK’s

fasted rising stars and with backing from the aforementioned Sheeran, Zane Lowe and a tour to look forward to, he may well turn out to be a major talent.

The songs on his two EPs show major poten-

tial, particularly Sink or Swim, which comes from Another Four Sad Songs.

Watson will follow up his Button Factory slot with a headline show at the Academy 2 on March 22, tickets are €8.20.

Gazette

20 Gazette 13 December 2012

OUT&ABOUT

CINEMA

more

theatre THE pavilioN THEATRE 01 231 2929 O Holy Night

IN this intimate and spiritual night, Eimear Quinn will bring her own special rendition of Christmas songs and carols to The Pavilion Theatre for a memorable musical experience.

Eimear’s ethereal voice will blend beautifully with the Mamisa String Quartet, which features Maria and Michelle Mason. December 21 at 8pm, tickets are priced at €21.

Mill Theatre 01 296 9340

Christmas Crooners ENJOY the fantastic cast of West End Singers, backed by the superb band The Jazz All-Stars perform over 30 well known Christmas hits including Winter Wonderland, Let It Snow, Little Drummer Boy, White Christmas and swing arrangements of the wonderful Christmas carols, God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen and Deck the Halls.

Staged with style, this brilliant production of Christmas favourites of Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra is really enjoyable.

For one show only on December 17, tickets are priced at €20/18.

The brightly rendered and lovingly created characters of Rise Of The Guardians are discovered by a new generation of fan...

review: a colourful and classy tale of real superheroes

Bright night rises BRINGING children to the cinema on a seasonal holiday weekend can be a bit of a tortuous affair.

Given that most studios are playing catch-up with Pixar when putting together their slate of films made for a younger audience, there can be some horribly disappointing experiences, not just for the kids.

There can be the awful (any film with the word “Alvin” in the title), the mediocre (too many to mention) and the just downright odd (ParaNorman — a bazillion miles from the promise of its trailers).

Equally, the experience for a parent can go between sleeping for 90 minutes, trying not to leave the theatre traumatised with the infantalised scripts and hyperkinetic editing that passes for story and character development, or suffering permanent ocular damage

Film of the Week: Rise Of The Guardians h h h h h (G) 97 mins Director: Peter Ramsey Starring: Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher, Jude Law

 ROB HEIGH

rheigh@gazettegroup.com

from the obligatory and unnecessary 3D. Occasionally, however, you get a huge surprise.

That certainly happened when I saw Rise Of The Guardians last weekend.

My expectations were confounded from the outset, with beautiful character design and a tale filled with fun and wonder that should be on every kids’ Christmas list.

The movie is essentially The Avengers for kids, with superheroes of childhood (the titular Guardians) Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy and The Sandman setting out to battle the dark influences of Pitch

OUR VERDICT: AT THE close of the year comes one of the best children’s movies of the year, taking the dynamic of The Avengers and blending it with the beautifully crafted artwork and stories of William Joyce. Laugh-out loud moments mix with genuine scares to create a movie that your kids will adore... and which won’t have you looking at the back of your eyelids for 90 minutes.

Black, an incarnation of The Boogeyman, as he attempts to re-establish fear and doubt as currencies for childhood by making the children of the world lose their faith in the Big Four.

Joining the Guardians is Jack Frost, who Santa calls on to help their cause, but who cannot be seen in the tangible world as kids don’t believe in him enough.

The story is an origins story for Jack Frost himself, and his journey to believing in himself so that others can do the same, and that is just as it

should be – a good story very well told.

The screenplay by David Lindsay-Abaire, based on the books by William Joyce, is filled with heart and packed with ideas, bypassing the need for convoluted backstories for the Guardians as they are already so ingrained in our collective consciousness.

T hat presumption allows us to dive straight into the story and credits the audience with a degree of intelligence which is pretty refreshing in current children’s cinema.

There is a whole lot of fun to be had in the character design and voicing, with Hugh Jackman’s Aussie Easter Bunny providing the biggest laughs, while Alec Baldwin’s Soviet Santa brings a fresh take to the presence of the big man.

The absence of schmaltz, along with the presence of a tangible threat that affects the group dynamic for some of the duration of the movie, makes this an almost old-fashioned film, in that there is a genuine nod to the realities of life, loss and growth – all of which are powerful and important lessons for a kids’ movie.

It might not appear at first sight the most appealing of the movies for the season, but there is a core message and stylish look and feel that makes Rise Of The Guardians a whole lot more than the sum of its parts.

13 December 2012 Gazette 21

Gazette

feature Masterchef: Finalists prepare for showdown

Three Masters, but only one winner

Continued from P17 Nicha says that making the final has been a huge achievement, but a favourite moment is hard to pinpoint.

“I’ve loved every part of the Masterchef experience, even though some of them are really precious, like the masterclasses, particularly the one with Dylan [McGrath].

“I didn’t expect to win or come this far. I wanted the apron, but everything after that

was a bonus.

“I just like cooking.

It’s never a hassle for me.”

Cooking for a Michelin starred chef is not something many get to do, so to do it for four of Ireland’s top gastronomists must have been daunting.

“I’m not normally the kind of person who gets nervous,” says Terry “but when I walked in there, I was beginning to get nervous.

“Oliver Dunne said it was a great dish and I

thought, ‘Ok one good one, the rest will be negative’, but the positives kept coming.”

“You’re back” Tamarin says the judging and waiting were more of an ordeal than the cooking itself.

“I loved it when Nick and Dylan said I was back. I felt I’d gotten over my mistakes and I felt calm in the kitchen.

“The bits before going into the kitchen were worse than the actual cooking.”

As tough as it can be to compete, when the pressure was on, that was when Nicha found herself enjoying it the most.

“Sometimes it’s up and down. You have a tough day or a tough challenge and you can think about throwing in the towel, but when the heat comes around, you say, ‘here I come again’.

“When it comes to food, I’m a bit mad, I don’t give up that easily.

I’ll try things until they work.”

With long days, mys-

Masterchef judges Nick Munier and Dylan McGrath

tery challenges, ingredient swaps and harsh judges, it can be a gruelling experience, but Terry says that all of the contestants have bonded.

“We’re always on the phone to each other or on Facebook and we

meet up fairly regularly.

“Obviously, TV shows focus on a bit of fight, but if someone was struggling or lost, the rest of us would jump in or give advice. That’s how close we were.”

All three plan to keep

working in food in some capacity, but with other careers and stiff competition for jobs, their paths are unclear as yet.

After this week, however, one will have the title of Masterchef 2012 and €25,000 to help them on their way.

22 Gazette 13 December 2012

Gazette

&ABOUT OUT road

MOTORS

NOISE

DAA goes electric for latest fleet purchase The Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) has taken a big step towards reducing its carbon footprint this week, with the announcement that they are going electric for its latest fleet purchase.

The group has purchased nine electric Renault Kangoo mini-vans for use at Dublin and Cork airports, making the company one of the largest electric fleet operators in the country. DAA’s decision to opt for the nine electric vehicles will result in CO2 savings of more than 200,000kg over the lifetime of the vehicles, which is equivalent to planting more than 6,000 trees.

“With this investment, DAA has already become one of Ireland’s leading operators of electric vehicles, and we look forward to significantly expanding our electric fleet over the coming years,” said DAA’s head of sustainability, Mary Coveney.

“The trial helped us build confidence throughout the organisation that buying electric vehicles wasn’t just good for the environment, but also made sense from an operational perspective.

Electric vehicles are perfect for an airport environment, as they have a range of 120km and will always be close to a main charging point,” Ms Coveney said.

The new electric vehicles will be used on a daily basis in both airside and landside locations by DAA maintenance crews, and staff from its car park and terminal services departments.

The Mercedes A-Class’s sporty appearance will appeal to young motorists

a-class: new model takes a giant leap ahead of predecessor

New Mercedes is in a class by itself

n Cormac Curtis

Pictured at the handover of keys were Brendan Mullins, head of asset management, DAA; Dermot McArdle, head of ESB ecars; Paddy Magee, sales and network director, Renault Ireland; and Martin Doherty, environmental manager, DAA

The hotly anticipated new Mercedes-Benz A-Class – seen as the car that will give MercedesBenz access to a new, younger generation of motorists – is here and first models will appear in dealer showrooms during December ahead of the January registrations rush.

Two models will take centre stage initially: one is an A180 petrol version which comes on the market at €26,435 (ex works) and the other, an A180 CDI diesel version at €28,550, the version likely to attract most attention due, in part, to its greener CO2 emissions of just 98g/km.

Both models will come in a choice of three specifications and

equipment lines – style, urban and sports pack.

Entr y models sold here come equipped with style pack features including items which, were they purchased separately, would have a value of €1,600.

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

The new A-Class is as different from its predecessor as it is possible to be --------------------------

Compatible with the needs of the iPhone, iPad generation, its optional on board high-tech functionality is such that iPhone Siri voice-a ctiv a ted units and iPad music

and apps can be played through the car’s infotainment system.

The new A-Class is as different from its predecessor as it is possible to be.

Sitting some 18cm closer to the ground, its low-slung posture and SL-like fascia give it a positively sporty appearance that will appeal to young male and female motorists alike.

The front-wheel drive, all engines have an idlestop system as standard, is linked to a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Its new four-link rear suspension has a range of settings that includes an optional sports setting with direct steer.

Collision prevention assist, attention assist,

adaptive brake assist and brake hold are all part of its standard safety features.

Backlog Since it first appeared at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, worldwide interest in the new A-Class has been intense, so much so that a backlog of orders already exists.

Here in Ireland, Mercedes-Benz passenger carsales manager Ciaran Allen expects supply to keep pace with demand in the initial phases, at least.

“In keeping with its high-tech image, our launch plan will include a heavy concentration on Facebook and smart phone app technology to create an interactive platform whereby prospective customers can

learn about the A-Class and scroll through its features to model the version they like best,” said Allen.

Already something of a wunderkind in terms of its environmental features, the A-Class 180 CDI is acknowledged by the German TUV organisation as offering fuel savings of up to 26%, emissions as low as 98g CO2/km, a best in class CD value of 0.27 and petrol engines that comply with Euro six emissions standard.

Indeed, over its entire life cycle from production to recycling, it is estimated that the A-Class, in the guise of the A180 BE version, will produce 5.7 tons less emissions than its predecessor and will meet the stipulated recycling rate of 95% by weight.

13 December 2012 DUN LAOGHAIRE gazette 23

Gazette

HOMES holidays: deck your halls with the m&s christmas range

The countdown to a stylish Christmas The countdow n to products, availChristmas morning is able online and definitely in full in store, have swing as we everything look around needed and see all t h i s the wonderChristful sparkling mas, and decorations what is outside homes, great is shopping centres that it is or just through busy Christmas tree all under bauble, €5.50 street corners. the one So, as people are roof. deciding just what to deck Life-size Christmas their homes with, Gazette trees, that are either plain Home has looked to or with lights, are availM&S to see just what able in a number of differtheir Christmas home ent colours. Decorations range has to offer. Their for the wonderful tree

are also available to help make it the centre point of the living area.

The fabulous lead picture this week includes: 6ft pre-lit white tree €170, baubles from €3.50, Maiko chair in Nilo Leather Red €1,199, honeycombe orbs €11 (for 2), chenille bauble cushion €16, chenille snowflake cushion €16, Fair Isle throw €47.50, Snowscene print cushion €16.

Placemats in festive decor always add a little extra to the table, while centrepieces, including candles and flower

arrangements, can really highlight the room that will entertain the guests.

Napkin rings are also available in various styles which suit the different kinds of themes that householders might be thinking of this year.

Why not make things a little different by adding items such as a gingerbread tree to the table, so people can admire and eat the centrepiece.

Crackers are definitely a must for the table too, and M&S have a wide range to suit kids, adults or the whole family.

JOY letters, €13

Faux bark tea light holder, €7

For further information on home products from M&S this Christmas, log onto www.marksandspencer.ie or visit your local M&S store.

A full list of store locations is also available online.

The M&S Christmas home range has many products on offer to spruce up your home for the holidays

Gazette

24 DUN LAOGHAIRE gazette 13 December 2012

OUT&ABOUT

city break: The Christmas Market at Belfast City Hall

Getting into the  Laura Donnelly

The variety and quality of food available at the market are excellent

Once you have passed the age of writing a letter to Santa, it’s often not as easy to get into the spirit of Christmas. However, with not long left to go, if your festive feelings are lacking, a trip to Belfast will soon change that.

As a big fan of the season of goodwill, I was like a child at Christmas on a recent trip to Belfast! The Christmas Market at Belfast City Hall will lighten even the heaviest of hearts, and will help to tick a few names off the Christmas gift list, too.

Quality gifts for all the family – including pets – can be found at the large market, with jewellery, bags, hats, scarves, gloves and more on offer.

Arriving hungry at the Christmas Market is also a great idea, as the variety and quality of food available are excellent. While Kangaroo meat is one of the more unusual snacks available, festive shoppers can also find the old reliable macaroons, crepes, cakes, sweets and

Turkish delights. Mulled wine, mulled cider and varieties of hot chocolate (with or without Baileys) will keep you warm as you spend time browsing the outdoor market.

There’s also a carousel to entertain children, as well as Santa himself, and a lively bar to keep the adults occupied.

A festive afternoon tea at the five-star Merchant Hotel is an essential part of a visit to Belfast over Christmas. Up to 20 varieties of teas are available in the elegant hotel, to accompany finger sandwiches, scones, mince pies and other festive treats, while live music provides the perfect Christmas atmosphere.

Pampering

For those tempted to pamper themselves, an express manicure from the lovely staff in The Merchant Spa topped off the recent visit nicely.

After a busy afternoon of shopping in the Christmas Market, the fire in the Fitzwilliam Hotel is just what is needed. The Fitzwilliam Hotel, situ-

ated on Great Victoria Street, is ideally located for a shopping trip, with the Christmas Market and the main shopping hub and Victoria Square Shopping Centre just a five-minute walk away.

A cocktail making class with head bartender, Johnathan Magennis, is certainly an entertaining way to spend an evening in the hotel. The class involved making, and subsequently drinking, two cocktails – a bramble and a cosmopolitan.

The bramble comprises of gin, fresh blackberries, lime juice, and sugar syrup. We were greeted with a glass of prosecco and enjoyed canapes as we learned the inside secrets from Johnathan. Did you know that when serving or drinking cocktails, drinks without ice, such as the cosmopolitans we made, should not be served with a straw?

Johnathan joked that if he saw us out and about afterwards drinking cosmos through a straw, he wouldn’t be too impressed!

The cocktail making class is practical and informative, as well as being great fun, and the tips and recipes learned will no doubt be put to the test soon.

Dinner at James Street South is a key recommendation for an upcoming trip to Belfast. Located just minutes from The Fitzwilliam Hotel, every-

The Christmas Market at

thing on the menu comes from within a 40-mile radius. The restaurant prides itself on using only local ingredients, and I would go back simply for the smoked haddock and mussel gratin starter.

Belfast is one city that has everything you need for a relaxing festive city break, while picking up some stocking fillers of course.

To find out more information on Christmas events or for further information on places to stay or things to see and do in Northern Ireland, check out the free booking and advice service and callsave 1850 230 230, or visit NITB’s Tourist Information Centre in Suffolk Street Dublin 2 or click on www.discovernorthernireland.com.

13 December 2012 DUN LAOGHAIRE gazette 25

Gazette

Travel

spirit of Christmas

Belfast City Hall will lighten even the heaviest of hearts, and will help to tick a few names off the Christmas gift list, too

26 Dun laoghaire gazette 13 December 2012

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soccer P28

asdfsdaf gaelic games P27 P31

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



Gazette

cross country P29

FastSport DLR to honour volunteers:

Denis Bastick, Niall Corcoran, county board chairman Andy Kettle and senior football manager Jim Gavin, Eoghan O’Gara and Danny Sutcliffe

hurling: after a tough 2012, Crokes’ star defender says talent is still there

Kilmacud’s Corcoran hopes Dubs summon spirit of 2011 NIALL Corcoran is hoping the Dublin senior hurlers can find the impressive form they showed in 2011 and carry this onto the pitch going into this season’s National Hurling League.

Speaking at the launch of the new Dublin jersey at Parnell Park, the Kilmacud Crokes man said: “We’re going to get the heads down this year and take it game by game and, hopefully, find the form we had in 2011.”

While 2011 was seen as one step forward for the Dublin hurlers, winning the league title and falling just short of

a place in the All-Ireland senior hurling final, they took two steps backward in 2012 with relegation in the league and a lacklustre performance in the championship.

Corcoran believes their poor start to the league campaign last season certainly had an impact on how the season went for them and their inability to cope with the high expectations set for themselves culminated in a downward spiral from which the team was unable to recover.

“Looking back on it, we had a bad start to the league against Galway and

were unlucky with a couple of results.

The confidence was dented a bit.

“We performed well in 2011 and expected a lot of ourselves, but it didn’t happen for us. You have to learn to manage that pressure. If you do well, with that there will be pressure. So, it’s up to the players to manage it.

Speaking about 2013, Corcoran feels that the team as a whole must learn from the disappointment of last season in order for them to come out on top in the big games.

“That’s a lesson we learned this year. If

you go out in these big games, you have to perform and if you don’t, then you’re going to get criticised.”

Corcoran also dismissed the notion that Division 1B is Dublin’s for the taking and believes it is a highly competitive league and that they will have to focus on their performances if they wish to make the final.

“If you look at the teams in 1B, there are a lot of good ones like Wexford, Limerick and Offaly. We also have a game away to Antrim and none of these matches are going to be easy.”

DUN LAOGHAIRE Rathdown sports partnership will host an awards ceremony to acknowledge the work of volunteers of the sports clubs and organisations in the county.

The event will take place on January 30, 2013 in the Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel in Killiney and will include an awards presentation for the individuals and clubs that have demonstrated this volunteering ethos.

If you know of a club or a club member who you believe should be recognised for their efforts, you can find nomination forms and guidelines on the Sports Partnership website www. dlrsportspartnership. ie or call 01 271 9507 for more information.

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

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

Gazette

28 DUN LAOGHAIRE gazette 13 December 2012

SPORT

FastSport Kenealy starts new role at grass roots: SENIOR women’s cricket international Amy Kenealy began work this week in her new role as community development officer for the South Dublin County area.

Her role will be specifically geared towards running programmes for those with disabilities, the running of grass roots programmes designed to further increase participation in cricket while also working to develop emerging girls’ talent by assisting with the Leinster youth coaching programme.

This initiative also represents the outcome of an imaginative collaboration between Leinster Cricket and The Lord’s Taverners Ireland who have agreed to make a contribution of almost half of the cost of the project.

Kenealy’s appointment has come about following a very successful nine-month internship that was established through the government-driven Jobbridge initiative.

soccer: FAI intermediate cup draw comes up trumps for lsl sides

Glenville set for home tie  sport@gazettegroup.com

GLENVILLE , TEK United, Phoenix and Bluebell United have all gained home draws in the fourth round of the FAI Intermediate Cup following last week’s draw, set for the weekend of January 27 in the New Year.

For rapidly rising Glenville, they have been paired against either Beggsboro or Greystones AFC in the last 16 of the competition after they dismissed the challenge of Cork’s Leeside 3-0.

It continues the P a l m e r s t ow n cl u b ’s excellent recent history in the national competitions, moving a small step closer to repeating

their memorable run in the Senior Cup when they met Bohemians in 2010.

The third tier LSL side have been in flying form in the league, too, this term as they look for their ninth promotion in 11 years, currently second in the standings at the halfway stage in the LSL Sunday Senior 1A. Should Beggsboro make it through, the Glens will have the form guide in their favour having beaten the Crumlin side in the league in August.

Greystones, meanwhile, offer a tough task after a decent first half of the Senior 1 season.

TEK United have not yet reached the last 16

and are massive underdogs for their third round date with Tolka Rovers but, should they overcome that tie, they will be the hosts in the fourth round against either Tymon Celtic or Blarney United.

Harry Kenny’s Phoenix were comfortable 5-0 winners over Swilly Rovers last week to earn a date with Cork side Everton at Scribblestown.

They will have vengeance on their mind, meeting the side that knocked them out of last year’s competition.

John Brophy kept his good form going with a couple of goals while Gareth Cooney also chipped in with a couple.

Glenville have earned a home tie against either Beggsboro or Greystones AFC

Keith Dawson closed out the list of scorers.

Bluebell also host Cork opposition when they showdown against Bandon AFC in the fourth round at the Red Cow. Their passage came at the expense of Douglas Hall in a tough away date. Robert Douglas and Dara Satelle were their goalscorers in a 2-1 success.

Bangor Celtic will travel to St Patrick’s CY

in an all-Leinster date as they knocked out UCC 2-0 at the Iveagh Grounds with two goals in a minute around the 55 minute mark, Terry Gleeson and Paul Devlin on the mark.

Verona, meanwhile, could be set for a trip to Newbridge Tow n should they get past the challenge of Parkvilla in their unplayed round three fixture.

Elsewhere, hold-

ers Avondale United, who defeated the 2011 and 2012 runners-up Cherry Orchard in the third round, have been rewarded with a home tie against fellow Munster Senior League side, College Corinthians.

Leixlip United host St Mary’s in the other tie of the round, the last 16 phase also acting as a qualfier for the initial round of the Senior Cup.

Taoiseach opens top-class Belfield facility  sport@gazettegroup.com

Rachel Breslin, Dominic O’Keefe and Enda Kenny

AN Taoiseach Enda Kenny officially opened the new €50m sports and leisure facility at University College Dublin’s Belfield campus last week.

The new development has been wholly funded by the student body that has paid a self-imposed levy since 2007.

Amongst the facilities is an Olympic-specification 50-metre swimming pool, the only one on the southside of Dublin.

The facility has been in use since the beginning of the aca-

demic term and has attracted membership from many residents living in the suburbs around the university.

The 10-lane 50-metre pool at the heart of the complex has an adjustable floor to vary pool depth for user comfort and caters for beginners and advanced swimmers alike.

The design allows for recreational use as well as lane swimming with a tepidarium area featuring a sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, vitality walk and ice fountain.

Other facilities at the new

facility include a dedicated debating chamber named after former Taoiseach Garrett Fitzgerald.

This features retractable seating, a standing gallery and acoustics that allow the voice to carry.

There’s also an 88 seat cinema (available for private hire for birthday parties or movie nights), society offices, meeting rooms and a 112-seat theatre.

Located close to the Clonskeagh gate of the campus, the complex has an ‘internal street’ design, lined with seating and

screens where students display digital advertisements for events instead of their traditional posters.

Project co-ordinator Dominic O’Keeffe is very pleased with the take-up in usage of the facility.

He said: “We are very much part of the community around us and we welcome external membership from outside UCD which will help us to finance this facility.

“It is also a tremendous infrastructural addition to Dublin’s southside.”

13 December 2012 DUN LAOGHAIRE gazette 29

Gazette

Winter wonderland

Local runners Hutchinson and Byrne help Ireland win European women’s team cross-country gold amid snow-laden conditions DSDAC runners Ava Hutchinson and Linda Byrne both tasted European cross-country glory last Sunday in Budapest amid minus five temperatures and a snow-laden course.

They were part of the Irish senior women’s team that claimed the team title, doubling up on Fionnuala Britton’s individual gold, by the narrowest of margins after a momentous performance.

Speaking soon after the race, Hutchinson said that while her team felt they were in the mix for a medal, she never envisaged that the hue would be gold.

“To be honest, not in a negative way, but no one said [we would win] gold this morning,” she said.

“We thought it would be close between second,

 stephen findlater sport@gazettegroup.com

third and fourth. The amount of times we’ve got fourth and missed out like in Dublin in 2009! So we said to ourselves, we’re not doing that again. We thought it would be close either way but never expected first.”

With Britton successfully retaining her individual title, it set the perfect base for the Irish team’s efforts.

The Wicklow woman was to the fore from the outset and pushed the pace ferociously. With two kilometres to go, the race was between her

and Belgium’s Almensch Belete.

However both Portugal’s Dulce Felix and Adrianne Herzog of the Netherlands were starting to make an impression before Britton lifted her game once again and propelled herself over the finishing line to take the title in a time of 27:45, two seconds ahead of Felix.

Following up, DSD’s Byrne was running an immaculate race as she stormed to an eighth place finish and was followed home by Hutchinson in 20th.

The rest of the team packed well with Lizzie Lee in 23rd, Sarah McCormack in 36th and Sarah Louise Treacy in 42nd.

It combined to make for a team score of 52 points, level with France

but Ireland were awarded the title on count back.

Hutchinson added that the result may take a while to sink in after her team bonded together perfectly on the day: “Everyone was cheering each other on and even Lizzie [Lee] and I were chatting in the middle of the race.

“I said ‘we have to push on’ as we found it hard at times, trying to move with some of the Spanish girls.”

“T he whole way around we were told we were in third and we always thought we’d be either second or third; we never thought first as we thought Portugal would be just too strong.

“But we knew if we could pack well, we could medal. No one had a bad run out there so it was a great day.”

Sara Treacy, Fionnuala Britton, Sarah McCormack, Linda Byrne, Ava Hutchinson and Lizzie Lee who won gold in the European Senior Women’s Cross Country Championships

On the men’s side, the senior team was led home

by DSDAC’s Brendan O’Neill in 22nd place.

O’Neill, a former team gold medallist at U23 level at these championships, performed impressively on his debut in the senior race.

He attacked the race bravely from the beginning as he occupied 12th place at the four-kilometre mark.

Although he lost a couple of places in the second half of the race.

O’Neill showed class to finish in 22nd, just ahead of his club mate Joe Sweeney in 27th.

David Rooney (Raheny) was the next of the Irish to finish in 38th place, while Sean Hehir was 52nd.

In the earlier junior races, middle distance specialist Siofra Cleirigh Buttner, another DSD runner, went across the line in 36th place in the junior girls’ race whileher club mate Clare McCarthy was 68th.

FastSport Unique fans’ gift can for Christmas: TEAM Colours online have launched their county team “Fan Can”, a can containing all the fan accessories for dedicated GAA fans to support their county team all day, every day.

Each can is available in a boy or girl version and includes, a pendant in county colours, a bar of chocolate dressed in a county jersey, a pack of four temporary tattoos among other items.

Fan cans are available online from www. teamcoloursonline. com for €24.95.

Gazette

30 DUN LAOGHAIRE gazette 13 December 2012

SPORT

FastSport

rugby: greystones peg back ballinteer old boys

O’Driscoll and Kearney on hand for SCT draw LEINSTER stars Rob Kearney, left, and Brian O’Driscoll, with the names of their former schools Clongowes Wood College and Blackrock College respectively, were in attendance at the launch of the 127th Powerade Leinster Schools Rugby Cup Competitions in the Aviva Stadium.

O’Driscoll drew his alma mater to play Gonzaga in the first round of the senior cup competition in the week of January 28, while Blackrock’s junior team will face one of the qualifiers from the Father Godfrey Cup in the week of February 3.

Volvo commits to sponsor 2013 regatta VOLVO has confirmed the renewal of its association with the Dun Laoghaire Regatta by taking title sponsorship of the bi-annual event to be held in July 2013.

It is organised by the four yacht clubs in the harbour, and is expected to attract 3,000 sailors and 400 boats from Ireland, Britain and further afield.

Confirming the sponsorship will also be a boost for the plans of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Council to mount a bid to host a leg of the Volvo Ocean Race in the future.

Last year’s Ocean Race culminated in Galway and was deemed a great success for the city. An estimated €60 million of economic value was generated but

the organisers were left with debts of over €500,000 and have said they were unlikely to be able to host the event again.

“Sailing is a global platform for Volvo with our global involvement in the sport including the Volvo Ocean Race and we are proud to continue our association with this superb in-shore regatta in Dun Laoghaire” commented Adrian Yeates, managing director Volvo Car Ireland.

“Like all events, we rely enormously on the support of our sponsors,” said Adam Winkelmann, chairman of the 2013 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Committee.

“The regatta relies heavily on sponsorship and an army of volunteers to deliver a quality event at an affordable price. We are really delighted that Volvo Car Ireland, our long-standing title sponsor, continues.”

Old Wesley were denied victory by Greystones last Saturday as they shipped two three-pointers in the closing phases of their tie

Wesley pay late penalty ulster bank div 2a Greystones Old Wesley  sport@gazettegroup.com

22 22

OLD Wesley went into the Christmas break in fifth place in the Ulster Bank League division 2A after their draw at Greystones last Saturday but know they will need to up their level of discipline and reduce the penalty count if they are to have a shot at promotion in the New Year.

They had enjoyed a dream start when, from the first play of the match, a break by Colin Wallace brought play

up to the opposition 22.

Some slick handling led to a try in the corner by Conor Boyd with just 90 seconds on the clock.

In response, Greystones tacked on an early penalty and doubled their tally when Wesley were penalised under the posts for a scrum infringement.

On the half hour, a good Old Wesley scrum forced Greystones to concede a penalty on their 22 which Barry McLaughlin duly converted to regain the lead.

The visitor’s line out was starting to work well and they won one against

Argentine visitors Local hotel chosen to host international side ARGENTINA’s rugby team spent the week in the lead-up to their recent international test match against Ireland in the surrounds of the Radisson St Helen’s on the Stillorgan Road.

The match itself, though, did not go as smoothly as their stay in the hotel. They fell 46-24 in the last of the autumn international fixtures, a result which maintained Ireland’s place in the top eight in the world rankings.

Picture: Priory Studios

the head to launch a classic back-line movement.

McLaughlin finished the move, running 40 metres and beating a number of tackles to score under the posts.

He obliged by converting his own try to take a twoscore lead.

However, shortly after, it was Greystones who had the final say of the first half, converting a long-range penalty kick to reduce the deficit to 15-9 and there was never more than six points between the sides.

Greystones started the second half in inspired form, exerting the pres-

sure and from a series of sustained pick and drives and crossed for their first try.

The relatively easy conversion was added to give Greystones a 16-15 lead.

Once again, the pendulum swung back Wesley’s way as a neat break by scrum half Ian Cassidy brought play towards the Greystones’ 22.

He passed to Ian McGann who sprinted over in the corner.

McLaughlin kicked the tricky conversion bringing the score to 22-16 for Old Wesley with the game moving into its

closing quarter, one try off a bonus point.

But neither side truly threatened the line in a scrappy, penalty-strewn closing phase. Greystones took their opportunities, first with a 45-metre kick to narrow the scores and, then again with six minutes left, they levelled the scores with a shorter range penalty.

During the same period, Old Wesley had three penalty attempts. Whilst none were straightforward, McLaughlin was disappointed not to have scored from at least one and were left to share the spoils.

13 December 2012 DUN LAOGHAIRE gazette 31

Gazette

CBC power lands junior league title Club Noticeboard  sport@gazettegroup.com

C B C M o n k s t o w n ’s claimed rugby’s junior league title last week when they controlled the ball from the start and used their bigger runners to good effect in a 16-8 win over Gonzaga in Donnybrook Stadium.

Centre Darren Casey’s slotted a 15th minute

penalty before scrumhalf Robert Jordan’s appeared on the shoulder of number eight William Fay to strike for the first try of the game in the 22nd minute.

T h e r e we r e e i g h t points in it approaching half-time when Gonzaga used their maul and an infringement from it to find territory for the first

time.

Centre Harry Brennan gave them an edge in attack, slashing through the middle to create havoc in the CBC defence with number eight Harry O’Grady eventually bursting over in the left corner.

Gonzaga were right back in it. They just had to hold out to half-time.

But a turnover inside their own half allowed left wing Cillian Barry to fly into the left corner for a 13-8 lead at the break.

From there, the forward packs broke even, ’Zaga fly-half Oran James chipping away at the deficit from a 48th minute penalty until Casey restored the two-score lead in the 54th minute.

hurling: crokes warm up with dublin date

naomh olaf COMMISERATIONS to our minor foot-

gise to regular customers and thank

ball team on being knocked out of the

you for your support in the past.

championship semi-final. Unfortu-

Bag-packing Saturday and Sunday

nately, they came up against a strong

on December 15 and 16 in Dunnes in

Ballyboden team.

the Beacon from 10am-6pm. This has

A strong effort from our lads just

been a great fundraiser for the club

wasn’t enough and they were eventu-

in the past and we would like as many

ally shaded out in the end. Well done to

as possible to support. Teams will be

the players and mentors of the team

notified by mentors as to their times

on what was a great season and a

for bag packing.

great building block for many of the

There was no winner of this week’s

young footballers who are eligible

jokers wild. Dave Kinsella was drawn

again next year.

and selected the three of diamonds

Our minor footballers’ exit from the

so next week’s jackpot is up to €750.

championship at the semi-final stage

The draw takes place around 9.30pm

concludes the playing season for 2012.

every Saturday. Turn up on the night

It was a very successful year for Olaf’s

for the chance to walk away with the

teams on the fields of play, and great

jackpot.

praise and thanks must be given to all

Tickets are still available for the

players, mentors and supporters who

annual Christmas Draw which will

proudly represented the claret and

take place in the club on December 15.

blue during the year.

We would encourage all members to

Because of a general shortage and

support this draw which is one of our

difficulty in securing supply at a rea-

main annual fundraisers. With food

sonable cost, the club will not be selling

and music, a great night is guaran-

Christmas Trees this year. We apolo-

teed.

Foxrock cabinteely THE final match of the year for the

Captain Megan Duffy collected the

club took place last week at Bray

cup on behalf of her team. It was a

Emmet’s.

great way to finish the year, having

It was the U-14 division one league final. The opponents were Kilmacud Ballyboden St Enda’s and Kilmacud Crokes will renew rivalries in the minor hurling championship semi-final

Kilmacud face huge Ballyboden battle  peter carroll sport@gazettegroup.com

KILMACUD Crokes’ minor hurlers kept themselves fresh ahead of their semi-final clash with age old rivals, Ballyboden St Enda’s, playing a challenge match with Dublin minors last week in Ringsend to prepare for the game this Sunday.

Brian Geraghty, mentor to the Crokes’ side, claimed that the match was necessary due to the massive gulf that was left in their schedule having qualified from the round robin stages of the tournament.

“We haven’t stopped training and the sessions have been hard,” said Geraghty. “But we have had a massive gap between our championship games in the round robin stage of the tournament and this semi-final.

“Our last round robin game was played on November 3 and the Ballyboden game is this Sunday, so it’s been a month and a half since we had a competitive game.”

Having played Vincent’s, Na Fianna and Lucan Sarsfields to see them through to the knock-out rounds, Kilmacud have looked for

challenge games to keep themselves ready.

“We’ve been to Gorey and another couple of places to keep ourselves sharp, but it was fantastic to play the Dubs. A few of our lads were in the 2012 team, so we knew it would be a great test and we gave a good account of ourselves,” said the mentor.

The Boden semi-final could be seen by both sides as bigger than a final, with Kilmacud claiming last year ’s championship while Ballyboden took the league honours despite Crokes being unbeaten up until

the late play-off.

“It’s been back and forth between us for years. It’s hugely competitive and I know both teams will be up for it this Sunday,” said Geraghty.

“These lads have been meeting each other in competition since 2005.

They go to school together, they’ve played on the same teams with Dublin representative panels – they know each other very well.

“I think our lads have what it takes to win the game, and if they get by Boden they can definitely go on to claim the championship again.”

Crokes, who had beaten them in the

collected the Dublin Feile trophy earlier in the season.

The AGM will take place in January.

championship final. There was great

You can keep up to date with all the

football played on both sides with

activities of the club via Twitter or

10 county players between the two

Facebook.

teams.

However, on this occasion, Fox-Cab

See www.foxcabgaa.ie for further information.

were the victors, with goals coming

We would like to wish all our mem-

from Claire Lenihan, Hannah O’Neill

bers and their families a very happy

and Eve Reidy.

Christmas.

ballyboden St enda’s WELL done to the minor B football

picks up the €500, Mary O’ Toole (€250)

team on reaching the county final.

was just one point behind with Rory

Hard luck to the U-21 football team.

McMahon (€100) in third place just a

The Dublin Yearbook 2013 is now avail-

further two points back.

able from Parnell Park.

Boden came a respectable sev-

Sincere sympathy to senior foot-

enth in the overall club League. A big

baller Michael Darragh Macauley and

thank you to the 114 people who took

family on the death of his father, and

part. We’ll be back again with the 2013

to the family of former social member

League in the New Year.

Michael O’Connor.

The lotto week nine numbers were

Well done to the Boden Theatre

16, 25, 2 and 8. The jackpot of €5,000

group on an excellent Laughter in the

not won. Lotto week ten numbers

Lounge production.

were 23, 11, 9 and 12. The jackpot of

Many thanks to Tommy Clinton, John

€5,500 not won.

Fair and team on an excellent senior

As Christmas Eve and New Year’s

citizens Christmas party and to the

Eve fall on a Monday, there will be no

Santa Claus visit team on Saturday.

draws on Monday, December 24 or

The Sports Prophet final leader-

Monday December 31. Instead, there

board: Ken Clince hung on to win the

will be a double draw on Monday,

first Boden Sports Prophet league. He

December 17 and on January 7.

GazetteSPORT all of your dun laoghaire sports coverage from page 27-31

Hungary for success: DSDAC runners claim European team title with superb run in Budapest P29

december 13, 2012

local clubs discover fate: Intermediate cup draw sees plenty of home comforts P28

St Joseph’s Boys are hopeful their current crop can continue the excellent performances in recent times in the SFAI All-Ireland cup competitions

Joey’s hunt national glory Sallynoggin club looking forward to 2013 as three of their underage teams have reached the last 32 of the SFAI cup competitions  peter carroll

sport@gazettegroup.com

ST JOSEPH’S Boys will look to continue their fantastic tradition in All-Ireland competition with three of their schoolboy teams drawn in the last 32 of the SFAI cup.

They will look to continue on from the three in-a-row that last year’s U-16s managed to achieve.

However, the road to glory is not likely to be an easy one with all three sides drawing away fixtures: the U-12s travelling to either Ennis or Limerick pending a result; the U-13s heading to journey to Carlow to face New Oak Boys; and the U-16s going to Waterford to face Villa.

Will Clarke, committee member at the Sallynoggin club, spoke of the importance of the competition in the schoolboy game.

“It’s the pinnacle of schoolboy football,” he said. “We have a good record with our U-16s in the competition and all our teams that have made it through have a very good chance.

“It really is an important competition. For individuals, there will be scouts from all over England looking at the talent and international managers who are looking for their next star.

“To be part of an All-Ireland winning team is also a huge feather for any player to have in his cap. As far as the clubs are concerned, it is certainly the most prestigious tournament you can win.”

Speaking about the three away games Clarke believes that alothough they will be very tough games, he says if Joeys go through, they will gain the advantage of the home draw in the latter rounds.

“They’re all tough games, but if we manage to get the wins, we will get home advantage in the later stages of the tournament which can only bolster our efforts.

“Our U-12s are a brilliant team. They’ve won their last two leagues and, although it’s their first year at 11-a-side, they have settled very well.

“We’re very happy with how they’ve come on. They narrowly lost 4-3 to Leicester City in a friendly recently and they have a fantastic

manager in Niall O’Driscoll.

“The U-13s have won eight games on the trot in the league so far this season, and they really showcased their strength away from home recently by beating St Kevin’s and St Francis on their own turf.

“They also represented Ireland in the Danone Cup, so they are very experienced when it comes to knockout football.

“We have five international on our U-16 side and they are a very strong unit. Dun Laoghaire local Dan Casey, who is the Irish captain at his age group, is a big asset to them and there has been a lot of interest shown from English clubs about some of the players in the squad,” he finished.