Gazette dundrum
July 23 - 29, 2015
FREE
Dundrum •Churchtown Churchtown••Nutgrove Nutgrove••Rathfarnham Rathfarnham••Ballinteer Ballinteer••Sandyford Sandyford • Leopardstown • Stillorgan Stillorgan PLUS:
INSIDE: Former Irish rugby union hooker Shane Byrne has plenty of ways to escape the mayhem P15
Football:
Naomh Olaf move closer to promotion place Page 31
Athletics:
McCambridge wins at Fingal 10km race Page 30
Find us on
ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES..................... 10 DUBLIN LIFE................... 13 OUT&ABOUT...................17 CLASSIFIEDS.................26 SPORT............................28
eighth Amendment: Clare Daly argues against in first of a two-part series P8-9
Marlay damage claims rejected eoghan mcneill
DUN Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has this week denied allegations made by South Dublin Protect Our Parks (SDPOP) that “irreparable damage” was caused to Marlay Park as a result of last weekend’s Longitude festival. The war of words broke out this week when the group alleged that “mature trees were chopped down to facilitate bars and stages”. It also alleged: “No environmen-
tal study has ever been done, even though it is required by law.” In response, the council said that an environmental impact statement was not required when applying for an event licence, and that mature trees were not chopped down to facilitate the concerts. Meanwhile, local councillors remain divided on the issue of the ongoing Marlay Park concert series. Full Story on Page 4
Ice to see you: Tucking into a tasty treat at Dundrum Festival ZARA and Lloyd Smith were a couple of cool kids as they tucked into ice creams at Dundrum’s Main Street recently, where they were among the crowds enjoying the sights and sounds of the last day of Dundrum Festival. With
the street closed off to traffic, lots of events spilled out across the village centre, with children particularly well catered for thanks to a large number of familyfriendly activities. See Gallery on Page 10
2 DUNDRUM Gazette 23 July 2015
charges A needless intimidation of residents, says Gill
Council slammed for €41k outlay on debt agencies eoghan mcneill
IT HAS emerged that Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council was the only Dublinbased local authority to employ debt collection agencies in 2014. More than a third of local authorities nationwide used debt collection agencies, with DLRCC spending €41,000 on such contractors. While the figure is
in the upper reaches of that spent by authorities on debt collection agencies, it falls considerably behind Roscommon County Council’s €92,500 – the highest local authority spend on the agencies. Cllr Karl Gill (PBPA) said the reason the council was the only Dublin authority found to have used debt collection agencies was due to a decision being made
Dublin Gazette Newspapers, Second Floor, Heritage House, Dundrum Office Park, Dublin 14 Tel: 01 - 6010240. Email: sales@dublingazette.com news@dublingazette.com web: www.dublingazette.com twitter: @DublinGazette Visit us on Facebook at DublinGazetteNewspapers
“to punish people who had been engaged in the anti-bin charges movement”. Cllr Gill continued that the decision was “entirely political in nature,” and that council resources could be better spent. According to Cllr Gill, a number of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown residents involved in the campaign continue to receive letters from debt collection agencies and solicitors relating to bin charges from more than seven years ago: “Anything older than seven years is statute-barred. It’s a complete waste of council money.”
He went on to say that the “dirty tactic” of using debt collection agencies “needs to be ceased immediately”, and said that it amounted to “needless intimidation” of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown residents. “When you receive these letters, it can be frightening. You mightn’t know that they’re not legally binding in any way. “It’s a really ruthless move, to try to chase down people with these underhand tactics. “I’ve spoken with constituents who are being sent letters from debt collection agencies informing them that they owe as little as €50,” said Cllr Gill. A spokesperson for the council said that the figure of “€41,000 was paid to three collection agencies for the collection of waste charges, the breakdown of which is commercially sensitive”. T he spokesperson continued that the use of debt collection agencies “relates to historic debt” and said that agencies “are used when in-house collection efforts have been exhausted”. “Collection processes are continually reviewed. If the use of agencies are considered to be of benefit in the future, they will be used. “The arrears are historic, and budgetary provision was made in previous years which does not affect the current budget,” said the spokesperson. With a mass boycott of water charges already under way, it is understood that the Minister for the Environment, Alan Kelly, is keen to see local authorities equipped to deal with the considerable non-payment of the charge. However, Cllr Gill
maintained that the antiwater charges and the anti-bin charges movements are not comparable. He said: “The antiwater charges movement is a massive mass movement – the biggest movement this country has seen in some time, and it has already forced the Government to row back on policy three times. “The water movement has already built considerable momentum, and, aside from anything, Irish Water is totally out of the hands of local authorities.” The council did not wish to respond to Cllr Gill’s comments.
Cllr Karl Gill (PBPA): “I’ve spoken with constituents who are being sent letters from debt collection agencies informing them that they owe as little as €50”
23 July 2015 DUNDRUM Gazette 3
courts
leopardstown: route welcomed for impact on pedestrians, cyclists
Woman awarded €12,000
New link road open at busy roundabout keith bellew
THE new Leopardstown link road, which provides access to Leopardstown Race Course, Leopardstown Park Hospital and South County Business Park, was opened on Wednesday, July 22. There is now a new road layout on Leopardstown Road East in the environs of Leopardstown Roundabout. The existing access to South County Business Park and Leopardstown Park Hospital off Leopardstown Roundabout will be closed, as will existing access to Leopardstown Race Course. The chair of the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown transportation strate-
gic policy committee, Cllr Gerry Horkan (FF), said one of the factors that necessitated the link road is that South County Business Park has evolved from a location used predominantly by industrial companies to one used for offices, which has increased traffic flow in the vicinity. “The link road is part of a process that will allow the roundabout to be replaced by a signal light junction and that will also facilitate better movement for pedestrians and cyclists,” he said. Traffic accessing the new link road from Leopardstown Road East/N11 will turn left at the new traffic lights, while those coming from Brewery
Road will take the first exit on Leopardstown Roundabout, and turn right at the new traffic lights. Traffic accessing the link road from Burton Hall Road will take the second exit on Leopardstown Roundabout and turn right at the new traffic lights. Traffic coming from Leopardstow n Road West/M50 will take the third exit on Leopardstown Roundabout and turn right at the new traffic lights. With the exception of closing the access/egress to South County Business Park and Leopardstown Park Hospital, the Leopardstown Roundabout will operate as normal.
A competition to bite at: Tuckatoos visit in search for young presenters SPIN 1038’s Aisling O’Connor joined Tuckatoos’ Emily O’Farrell and Alec Jordan, Spin’s Phil Harrison and Jessica Rowe at the Tuckatoos’ Roadshow in Dundrum Town Centre recently. Tuckatoos, a new savoury snack, visited the busy shopping centre as part of a nationwide tour. In visiting six shopping centres across the country, Tuckatoos has been “auditioning” children between age eight and 14 to put their presenting skills to the test, all in the name of winning a competition. The best double act who read the provided script, as voted by a panel of judges and the public via the Tuckatoos’ Facebook page, will win a VIP trip for two (and one parent/guardian each) to a show by a certain boyband featuring one blonde man from Mullingar.
A WOMAN who suffered panic attacks after being pepper-sprayed by gardai has been awarded €12,000 in damages in the Circuit Civil Court. In January, Sharon Joyce (32), of Deerpark Avenue, Tallaght, was pulled over by the Garda traffic corps, who found that the car Ms Joyce was driving was not taxed, nor registered in her name. H av i n g e x p l a i n e d she had bought the car from her brother and had not yet registered it, Ms Joyce alleged she was dragged from the vehicle, handcuffed and pepper-sprayed. She was brought to Rathfarnham Garda Station, later suffering panic attacks, hyperventilation and a skin rash.
4 DUNDRUM Gazette 23 July 2015
row Campaign group, council and representatives differ
Fresh complaints over Marlay gig eoghan mcneill
A WAR of words has once again broken out between the local campaign group, South Dublin Protect Our Parks (SDPOP), Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and local politicians over use of Marlay Park for last weekend’s Longitude festival. The council has this week denied allegations that the event caused damage to the park and that they had to chop down mature trees to facilitate bars and stages. Its comments come
on the foot of claims made by the parks group which accused the festival of causing “irreparable damage”. A spokesperson for the group alleged: “Mature trees were chopped down to facilitate bars and stages, pontoon bridges were built across ponds, and there were thick layers of acidic mulch on the woodland floor. “No environmental impact study has ever been done, even though this is required by law.” The Protect Our Parks group further criticised local representatives, saying “very few have
acknowledged our concerns”. In response, the council told The Gazette: “An environmental impact statement (EIS) is not required when applying for an event licence. “Schedule 5 of the Planning and Development Regulations sets out what works require an EIS and concerts are not included on this list.” T he spokesperson continued: “Mature trees were not chopped down to facilitate the concerts. There is a dedicated tree care programme in place in Marlay Park, and trees that
are diseased or decayed are removed. “The council is willing to meet any group for a pre-concert consultation, if requested. The council met with SDPOP twice before the concerts, and addressed issues raised at the time, mostly concerning wildlife.” T he spokesperson added that very few complaints about the festival had been received, and said: “The majority of emails coming in this week are in a positive vein.” Local councillors had different perspectives on the festival, with some saying they received complaints, and others saying they felt the concert series went well.
Complaints Cllr Neale Richmond (FG) said he “personally received about 10 complaints, including comments on Twitter, down considerably from last year”. While he had engaged with all complaints, he added: “Most of the objections were of course legitimate, but some were perhaps a little over stated. “The staging of concerts are of course an inconvenience; however, I believe the financial, social and cultural benefits far outweigh these inconveniences.” Cllr Tom Murphy (FF) echoed Cllr Richmond’s sentiments, saying that he had received one complaint regarding Longitude “as opposed to many, last year”. He said: “I feel that the council and the festival promoter engaged well this year and the results could be seen.” Cllr Mur phy did accept, however, that
While thousands have enjoyed concerts at Marlay Park (above) in recent years, locals are continuing to raise a number of concerns at issues relating to the gigs
Marlay Park was a public park, and that residents’ grievances needed to be dealt with adequately. Cllr Lynsey McGovern (Ind) said that of the two complaints she received, one concerned wildlife in the park.
She said: “I answered both complaints, explaining that the income received from the concert goes back into the local area and the park. “ T h e f r e e e ve n t s throughout the year in
the park are funded by the concerts.” Meanwhile, a Garda spokesperson told The Gazette “There were no public order arrests, and no complaints were made by local residents.”
23 July 2015 DUNDRUM Gazette 5
council Sinn Fein motion for tenants’ website passed at meeting campaign ‘Milltown needs a school’
New plan for housing transfer aisling kennedy
CLLR Chris Curran (SF) put forward a plan to regulate and efficiently manage how the transfer of social housing is processed in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown at the area’s recent meeting. Currently, if a person who is living in social housing in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown constituency wants to apply for a larger/smaller home, they have to go through an administrative process, which can take some time. Cllr Curran has proposed an innovative idea for a website whereby if someone would like to explore the idea of a transfer, they can create their own account, log into the website, and
upload photographs of the property. In this way, they will be able to enter into an exchange with somebody else who may also want to transfer, while ke e p i n g w i t h i n t h e council framework. Cllr Curran’s motion was passed at the recent council meeting and the local authority is currently preparing a report into the viability of the proposed plan. Cllr Curran told The Gazette: “The policy of the council will still be reflected in the website, but what it will do is it will remove the administrative element in the council and it will automate a chunk of the work for them.” Currently, some people are using Facebook to discuss information
about possible transfer of housing, and this can provide a security risk as there is no council policy provided for this type of situation. “What we’re trying to do is regulate it in a good environment. The intention is to put in place a more efficient use of technology at local government level and I am very thankful to the council for taking on board this proposal,” he said. Cllr Curran also said that currently, people who availed of social housing could not transfer between other councils in Dublin. His hope was to eventually close that gap and make the website inter-operable with other council areas, in time. “That’s what this is
Cllr Chris Curran (SF): “The intention is to put in place a more efficient use of technology at local government level”
really about. This is the first step. “The [council] manager is going to prepare a report on its viability, and we’ve been in communications with the council about this on
an ongoing basis. “We’ve highlighted some websites in Britain where this practice already takes place, so that’s the intention behind this proposed plan,” said Cllr Curran.
If this proposed plan is brought into place, the council would regulate the website and it could potentially reduce delays in the social housing transfer process.
IN 2014, parents in Milltown applied to about six primar y schools and received no offer in return, a recent survey has found. Conducted by the Milltown School Initiative, the group claims the survey’s findings highlight the “urgent and real need” for a national school in Milltown – something the area has not had since the closure of St Anne’s in 1995. Lorna Lynch, Milltown school initiative spokesperson, said: “As it stands, the children from Milltown are currently attending 19 different primary schools across 10 different suburbs of Dublin.” The group held a family fun day on Sunday, July 19 at Milltown Green to raise awareness of the issue.
6 DUNDRUM Gazette 23 July 2015
politics Dublin South deputy gathers politicians to raise Alliance awareness
Ross hosts Independents meeting in Tullamore aisling kennedy
A GROUP of 80 people attended an Independent Alliance meeting in Tullamore last week that was hosted by local Independent TD for Dublin South, Shane Ross. Politicians from Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
played a central role in the meeting, which was organised to raise more awareness around the Independent Alliance. In attendance at the meeting were Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Independent councillors Kevin Daly, Deirdre Donnelly, Seamus O’Neill and Victor Boy-
han. Cllr Donnelly told The Gazette that she was “delighted to be in attendance at the event to look at the possibility of widening the alliance of like-minded public representatives”. She said: “I really feel that the Independents are a force to be reck-
oned with as the General Election looms. There were more Independent councillors present in the room than there are Labour and Green Party councillors combined in all the councils in the country.” She added: “I have never been a member of a political party, and
have no interest in joining one. This event was not about forming a party, but having a common vision of change in Irish politics united behind agreed principles.” She said that she felt that the public had been let down by larger political parties, to date, and that the upcoming election was a chance for the public to take a look at alternatives available to them.
Statement After the meeting, a statement was released and signed by Independent Oireachtas members Michael Fitzmaurice, Tom Fleming, John Halligan, Finian McGrath, Shane Ross and Senator Gerard Craughwell, which read: “There are no other radical, but responsible, forces for
At the gathering of Independents in Tullamore were Cllr Deirdre Donnelly, Deputy Shane Ross and Cllr Kevin Daly
change in today’s Oireachtas. We intend to fill that void.” The statement also stated that the meeting was not a launch or a
forming of a political party, it was simply a meeting of delegates who “shared a common vision of radical change in Irish politics”.
23 July 2015 DUNDRUM Gazette 7
don’sdublin Erwin Schrodinger’s journey from Vienna to Baile Atha Cliath FOR A man interested in colour and who published scientific papers on the subject, the adjective colourful certainly applies to Erwin Schrodinger. The famous scientist lived for 17 years on Kincora Road, Clontarf and certainly left his mark. His lecture What Is Life, given in Trinity College in 1943, was inspirational to many younger scientists and led to the discovery of DNA in 1953. He was an only child born in Vienna in 1887 to middle-class, educated parents and was tutored at home until age 11. Later he attended school, then university where he excelled and gained a PhD in physics. World War I interrupted his progress and he spent it as an officer in the Austrian army. After the war he had a number of different positions, married Annemarie (Anny) Bertel in 1920, before he was offered the chair in theoretical physics at the University of Zurich in 1921. His 1926 paper explaining the movement of an electron as a wave provided a theoretical basis for the atomic model, and he was awarded the Nobel prize for physics in 1933. By that time he was aware that many of his Jewish colleagues were being dismissed from their posts and he decided to leave Hitler’s Germany. He went to Oxford University for three years before returning to Austria in 1938. The following year he accepted Eamon de Valera’s offer of coming to Ireland and helping establish the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. De Valera, himself a mathematician, got his man and made sure that Schrodinger’s visa arrangements were processed speedily. For Schrodinger’s needs were indeed complicated and had previously stymied him at Princeton and Oxford, as he lived with both his wife and his lover, Hilde March, with whom he had a daughter. Of his relationship with the fairer sex he said: “Poor things, they have provided for my life’s happiness and their own distress. Such is life.” Colourful indeed!
Don Cameron
www.donsdublin.wordpress.com
Erwin Schrodinger, the famous scientist, lived for 17 years on Kincora Road in Clontarf
council Hopes to identify new ways to support citizens
Older people to the fore in survey DUN Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has announced plans to survey 500 households, with the aim of determining how to best support older people living in the locality. A council spokesperson said: “For many years, there has been a gap in the knowledge of local
authorities and the HSE about the lives of older people across the country. National data collected has not provided specific information on how the people of Dun LaoghaireRathdown are ageing, how many are active and healthy, or how many feel lonely and isolated.” For the first time, the
council and the HSE will devise a set group of questions that will result in standardised results, which can then be compared with data collected nationally. It is expected that the survey will deal with a range of areas covered by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown’s Age Friendly Cit-
ies and Counties Strategy, including outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, housing and social inclusion. The Age Friendly Cities and Counties programme brings together a wide array of organisations and agencies that can help to implement more elderly-friendly strategies
at local level. These include health service providers, local authorities, the gardai, local businesses, and voluntary organisations. While all researchers conducting the survey will carry photo ID, anyone with doubts as to their identity can freephone 1800 50 55 60.
8 dundrum gazette 23 July 2015
council Have your say over libraries
opinion ‘It’s time to repeal the 8th Amendment so
Abortion
aisling kennedy
DUN Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is currently running a public consultation for submissions into how they can expand and enhance their library services around the Dundrum and Dun Laoghaire areas. The council wants to know what areas you feel are in need of change and improvement. They will then try to tailor the services they provide to suit the needs of the locality, under a library development programme to guide the service for the next four years. To submit your suggestions, fill out a short survey at https://dlrcoco. citizenspace.com/libraries/our-library-services/ consult_view.
Deputy Clare Daly: “When I moved legislation to propose a referendum on the 8th Amendment, it was voted down by all the political parties, not for the first time showing how out of touch they are with the real lives of citizens”
A RECENT Red C poll, commissioned by Amnesty International, revealed that 90% of Irish people agree with abortion in certain circumstances, with 81% of those believing that abortion should be available in circumstances beyond the current right to abortion when a woman’s life is in danger. Some 68% of people recognise that the constitutional barrier of the 8th Amendment to the Constitution, which equated the life of a woman with that of a foetus, has not stopped Irish abortion – it has just meant that it takes place in England or Holland, or with a packet of pills bought over the internet. This hypocrisy has gone on long enough. It’s time
to repeal the 8th Amendment so that we can protect women’s lives, health and choices. Every day, between 10 and 12 Irish women and girls travel to the UK to access abortion. The majority are aged between 20 and 34. The women who have abortions are the women who have children – your mother, sister, friend, daughter, partner. Their reasons for terminating their pregnancies are all different, and all valid, but their reasons for travelling are the same: they cannot access safe and legal abortions in Ireland. In the past, women with crisis pregnancies could be sent to Magdalene Laundries – now, they are sent to other countries in order to exercise their right to health and bodily
23 July 2015 DUNDRUM Gazette 9
that we can protect women’s lives, health and choices’
laws must reflect our society
Amnesty International and the United Nations have called for changes to Ireland’s legislation, writes Deputy Clare Daly integrity. The 8th Amendment does not stop abortion, but it means that those women who are too poor or too sick or of precarious immigration status and therefore can’t travel can be forced to carry a pregnancy to full term against their will, sometimes endangering their lives. When Alan Shatter was Minister for Equality, he said: “The reality is that there is no impediment to men seeking and obtaining any required medical intervention to protect not only their life but also
their health and quality of life ... it can truly be said that the right of pregnant women to have their health protected is, under our constitutional framework, a qualified right, as is their right to bodily integrity.” But no proposal to deal with this discrimination was put forward by the Government. In fact, when I moved legislation to propose a referendum on the 8th Amendment, it was voted down by all the political parties, not for the first time showing how utterly out of touch they are with the real
lives of citizens. The 8th Amendment has negatively affected the quality of care that pregnant women receive in Ireland. This was evident not only in the tragic case of Savita Halappanavar, but also in the many cases of fatal foetal abnormality where women and couples are effectively deserted by our health services. Left with a choice of continuing a pregnancy when the foetus has no chance of survival or travelling to the UK to avail of the health services in that country, Ireland has failed
these women and their families. Amnesty International criticised this double standard in their report, She is Not a Criminal, published last month, which highlighted how Ireland’s abortion laws violate human rights. [It stated] “These laws violate women’s and girls’ rights to life, health, privacy, non-discrimination and freedom from torture and other ill-treatment.” Within weeks of the Amnesty report, the United Nations’s Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights called for
Ireland to hold a referendum on abortion. The committee was concerned at Ireland’s “highly restrictive legislation on abortion”, and called for a referendum to repeal Article 40.3.3 of the Constitution. The UN committee was also particularly concerned at the criminalisation of abortion, including in the cases of rape and incest, and of the risk to the health of a pregnant woman, the lack of legal clarity on what constitutes a real and substantive risk to the life, as opposed to the health, of the pregnant woman, and the discriminatory impact on women who cannot afford to get abortion abroad. Next month, tens of thousands of young adults will be getting their
Leaving Cert results. They will be starting college or looking for jobs – most of them were born 14 years after the 8th Amendment was passed! It is beyond ridiculous that we can allow this restrictive legislation to remain in place for these young adults. Not a single person of present reproductive age has had a say on this issue. Decisions for women about our health and bodies has no place in the Constitution. With a General Election on the horizon, let’s make Repeal of the 8th a reality. Deputy clare daly
Independent Socialist Next week, The Iona Institute will provide an opposing view.
transport Bus app’s users hit a million IT HAS been revealed that the most searchedfor bus routes on Dublin Bus’s popular iPhone and Android apps are routes 15, 16 and 75. T he 15 (ser vicing Clongriffin to Ballycullen Road), the 16 (which runs from Ballinteer to Dublin Airport) and the 75 (which operates between Dun Laoghaire and Tallaght) came out on top in a recent user survey. It was further found that Dubliners are most likely to use the app when commuting between 7am and 9am and 4pm and 6.30pm, while 95% of sessions involve using the Real Time Info section. It is expected that the app will this week hit its millionth download.
10 DUNDRUM Gazette 23 July 2015
gazetteGALLERIES FOLLOW US TODAY ON OUR SOCIAL NETWORK Visit: Facebook: www.facebook.com/DublinGazetteNewspapers Twitter: @DublinGazette
Rani, Shanti, Jaan, Shona and Dharma Somasundrum were among the many families taking in the sights and sounds. Pictures: Geraldine Woods
Set dancing at Main Street was fun for all
Onlookers were impressed by the O’Donoghue/Pepper School of Irish Dance show
23 July 2015 DUNDRUM Gazette 11
All the winners in the Little Princess competition
Sadhbh Duffy and Anna Cappelli
Deputy Alan Shatter (FG), An Cathaoirleach Barry Saul (FG) and his daughter, Kate
Peter Keaveney and Cllr Lettie McCarthy (Lab)
dundrum: festival is a hit in the village centre
Celebrating true community spirit
John Dowling
D
UNDRUM Festival drew to a close recently, having delighted thousands of people with a wide range of activities and events for all the family to enjoy, as well as visitors to the busy community. Young and old alike were treated to all kinds of events across the week, with everything from opera to Belgian folk dancing to entertain. However, the highlight of the week was the community-focused closure of Main Street to facilitate many kinds of events at the street and by Dundrum Town Centre, from Irish dancing displays to rock wall climbing, appearances by Shrek and Barney, face painting and heritage walks, making it a week to remember.
For those who could dare it, the rock wall offered a Lefah and Nina Ballo
Members of the O’Donoghue/Pepper School of Irish Dance
challenging climb
12 gazette 16 July 2015
gazetteGALLERY
Helping to choose the healthier options
T
op blogger and model Pippa O’Connor teamed up with GAA All Star Henry Shefflin at House in Leeson Street recently to help launch Centra’s newest initiative, Centra Live Well. The latest initiative aims to redefine everyday convenience retailing
in Ireland by providing shoppers with choices and information about healthy and nutritious food. Under the new Live Well banner Centra is offering shoppers healthy and nutritious choices across a range of 300 plus products whatever their needs are throughout the day.
Speaking at the launch, Sarah Keogh, consultant dietician with Eatwell.ie, said: “I am delighted to be working with Centra on Live Well. “I find too many people are confused about healthy eating or think that it is simply too difficult.”
Henry Shefflin with Hugo Kirley and Ely Kirley from Maighread Cremin and Niamh Scally
Kilkenny at the launch
Andrea Smith
Henry Shefflin with Pippa O’Connor. Pictures: Brian McEvoy
Michelle O’Connor and Laura Curtin
Sarah Keogh and Liz Costigan
23 July 2015 Gazette 13
escape P15
asdfsdaf feature P27 P16
dublinlife Let Dublin Gazette Newspapers take you on a tour of the news and events taking place across the city and county this week
Gazette
diary P14
what’son Rockin’ And A Rollin’ and a runnin’: Run-
Alan Ardiff: “We don’t get much of a summer here in Mayo so I have to find sunshine somewhere”
day in the life: jewellery designer Alan Ardiff is a coffee and muesli man
Making sunshine in Mayo Aisling Kennedy
Living on the beautiful west coast of Mayo, Artane man Alan Ardiff is one of the most well-known jewellery designers in Ireland and he took time out this week to talk to the Gazette about a day in his life. “I normally get up at about 8am because we have young children so it’s all part of the routine of being a parent. I’d like to stay in bed longer though. “I’m a coffee and muesli man in the mornings as I like to try and stay healthy.” When he is not busy designing his kinetic and delicately hand-carved character jewellery, Ardiff is a family
man who enjoys spending time with his wife and three children Zoe (17), Sam (14) and Sophie (10). “They keep me young at heart,” he explains. Every day, Ardiff drives his daughter Sophie to school in the morning and then he makes his way to Mount Falcon Estate where he goes for a swim and does a workout. “We don’t get much of a summer here in Mayo so I have to find sunshine somewhere and I find that at the swimming pool. “After that I make my way back to my studio where I work on the current design I’m developing. “I just recently finished my woolly jumper pendant (€350) which took
time as I wanted to incorporate a sheep jumping over a fence into the design. “There’s a little cog on the inside of the design and as the chain roles over it, it actually moves the sheep to allow it to jump over the fence. “That piece fits quite well to reflect my rural background.” Ardiff explains that a lot of time goes into the production process of a design but it’s worth it when he finishes a piece. Ardiff takes his lunch break each day at 1pm and explains: “I usually just go into the house and make a ham sandwich or something like that for myself.” He then works until 6pm most days
perfecting the design he is working on and at 6pm he looks forward to joining his family for dinner. “After dinner I usually go back into my studio and if I’m not working I usually use the studio as a bit of a man cave where I listen to music, create a drawing or read a book. I love listening to Lyric FM.” At the end of a busy day, Ardiff gets into bed at about 11pm and recharges the batteries for another creative designing production day the next day. Alan Ardiff will be at the Kilkenny Shop in Swords on Saturday, July 25 where he will be launching his new jewellery range in store from 11.30am to 2pm.
ners and rockers mark your calendars as the Dublin Rock ’n’ Roll Half Marathon is set to take place again this year on August 2. Starting from Dublin’s Docklands and heading to the Phoenix Park, participants will race past the city’s famous sites, including Ha’penny Bridge, Christ Church, the Brazen Head Pub, the James Joyce Museum and the Guinness Brewery. The top three male and female finishers will receive €500 (first prize), €300 (second prize) and €100 (third prize). Volunteer opportunities are also available on the day at the water and medical stations on the route, and at the start and finish line. All volunteers will receive a race crew t-shirt. To find out more about the run and to sign up for the price of €49, visit www.runrocknroll.com/dublin or the Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon Facebook page. Online registration closes on July 26.
Gazette
14 Gazette 23 July 2015
dublinlife
DIARY
Molly Malone is ‘too sexy’ for Facebook Apparently Molly Malone is too sexy for Facebook as the social media site refused to let a Dublin author use a picture of the iconic Dublin statue to advertise his new book on the site. F i r s t- t i m e D u b l i n
author Frank Whelan submitted an image of the cover of his debut novel, Diar y of the Wolf, which shows two wolves, a full moon, and a picture of the Molly Malone statue, to the Facebook Ads Team but was told that Facebook
is no place for the scantily clad maiden. A member of Facebook Ads Team wrote to the author, stating: “Your ad was rejected because the image doesn’t follow our ad policies. “Ads may not use
overly sexual images, suggest nudity, show a lot of skin or cleavage, or focus unnecessarily on specific body parts.” He argued that the statue is located in one of Dublin’s busiest thoroughfares, but Facebook was having none of it.
bank holiday food festival Attention all food lovers – the Temple Bar Food Festival is set to take place over the August bank holiday weekend and it’s one not to be missed. This is the first time The Temple Bar Company has run this event and it promises to be a great weekend for all the family with dishes from some of the best restaurants in the area including the Boxty House (traditional) , The Chameleon (Indonesian), Klaw by Niall Sabongi of Rock Lobster (Seafood), Bar Pinxto (Spanish) and Monty’s of Kathmandu (Nepalese). The festival will take place in Meeting House Square and will see the area transformed into an urban picnic area with games for the young and old such as a giant Jenga, giant Connect 4, giant chess, face painting and a DJ. The food festival will take place on August 2 and 3, 2015. For more information
Frank Whelan’s cover of his debut novel, Diary of the Wolf, shows a picture of the Molly Malone statue
see www.templebarfestival.com.
outdoor yoga at Stephen’s Green Every Saturday at 11am, outdoor yoga classes take place in Stephen’s Green by the bandstand. Each class is donation-based and every weekend the event supports a different charity. Recently, participants were required to write down an act of kindness that they promised to do during the week and then hand it to their teacher as an exchange for the lesson. If you have ever done outdoor yoga you’ll know exactly what all the fuss is about, and if you have never tried it here is the perfect excuse to give it a go.
Yoga is a great way to work on your flexibility and strength. Just about everyone can do it, too - it’s not just for people who can touch their toes or want to meditate. For more information on the weekly event, visit w w w.facebook. com/OutdoorYogis or www.theyogahub.ie.
The Happy Prince at Bewley’s Cafe If you’re a fan of Oscar Wilde then make sure you don’t mis s the upcoming performance of The Happy Prince in Bewley’s Cafe Theatre at Powerscourt in Dublin city centre. This widely acclaimed show has been one of Bewley’s Cafe Theatre’s most successful productions to date. The show will run for
three weeks and will be performed by Michael James Ford with the composer Trevor Knight performing his haunting piano score live on stage. The Happy Prince tells the story of a gregarious swallow who befriends a melancholy statue while en route to Egypt. The bird helps the prince to alleviate the suffering of his poor citizens and in doing so learns profound truths about the nature of love and suffering. The show will run from July 27 to August 15, 2015, with tickets ranging in price from €8 to €12 depending on the day. For more information log onto www.bewleyscafetheatre.com or call 0868784001.
16 July 20154 Gazette 15
ESCAPE THE MAYHEM: Former rugby star Shane Byrne leads quite a hectic life
Friends and family help the ‘Mullet’ to tackle stress Ian Begley
Former Leinster, Ireland and Lions hooker Shane Byrne leads quite the hectic life keeping up-to-date with the latest rugby news on top of running his family’s waste disposal business in Wicklow. In this week’s Escape the Mayhem, The Gazette catches up with the former Irish rugby union hooker to see what he does to unwind from his day-today life. “I have twin daughters – Alex and Kerry (12) and two dogs in the house so whenever I’m free I seem to always end up on the beach in Killiney or wherever with them. “I like to spend as much time with my girls as possible because I’m at work so much, but I also really like getting out and unwinding with the lads at night. “There is always so much to do in Dublin. Myself and my girls were in Tayto Park and on the Viking Splash recently, which they really loved. It must have been their third time on it at this stage.
Former Irish rugby union hooker Shane Byrne says he loves spending time with his twin daughters
“They’re going from primary to secondary school now and have now developed into proper characters.” Nicknamed the “Mullet” for his renowned hair style, Byrne is a director with ArklowWaste Disposal, his family business, and is also head of operations for Focus
International Property. In June 2014, Byrne made his acting debut with the release of Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie on top of being featured as a regular rugby pundit on television and radio. “We’re now leading into a huge time of rugby which is something
to look forward to, but at the moment I have a lot of family time but every now and again a good old blow out is something I really like to have with my friends. “I’m honestly too busy at work to dedicate much time for watching telly, but I have a house full
of girls so whenever I do get the chance to sit in front of the TV they always dictate the things I watch. “I do, however, love a good movie and when myself and the wife get a few hours to ourselves we often run away and go to the cinema.”
Gazette
ESCAPE THE MAYHEM Lynott’s mother donates artefacts
Phil Lynott’s mother Philomena has presented several sentimental artefacts belonging to her son to Dublin’s Rock ’n’ Roll Museum. Philomena made the presentation at the museum in Temple Bar recently, where she presented three of Phil’s guitars, four of his beloved leather jackets, and a collection of gold discs will now be exhibited in the newly-opened museum. The new memorabilia items that are now featured in the museum also include a school report that reveals that the iconic star got a grade of 88% in arithmetic when he was a schoolboy. Speaking after the presentation, Philomena said: “It was just so good to know that Philip’s prized possessions are now safe. “I spent a long time with a duster shining them up this morning and I can tell you Philip used to shine those guitars himself. “In fact, he would put a mirror on the guitars and every time I went to see him play in concert he would make sure I had a front row seat or a balcony seat and he would get the lighting man to shine on that mirror on his guitar and he would direct it at me,” she said.
Gazette
16 Gazette 23 July 2015
dublinlife
feature
Calling all Dubs – help the capital win culture title Keith Bellew and Ian Begley
The European Capital of Culture for the year 2020 will be hosted by Ireland and Croatia. Dublin, Galway, Limerick and the south east are now competing to win the coveted title. Dublin2020 is Dublin’s campaign to make sure our city wins. The European Capital of Culture is awarded for a period of one year, highlighting the diversity, richness and integration of cultures in Europe and the chosen city. While 2020 may seem like a long time away, the judging is happening in mid-October of this year when a panel of European judges will arrive in Ireland and shortlist their favourites. A number of projects is being undertaken by the Dublin 2020 team, one of the most interesting of which is a mini series of short films made by Dubliners called We Are Dublin 2020. Each We Are Dublin2020 film concentrates on one person, their Dublin story and the reason they love Dublin. Two films have been made so far, the first of which is The Unofficial Lord Mayor of Ballymun, a film which focuses on 16-year-old Jamie Harrington, who talks about his belief in community, his love for Ballymun and his desire to make it a place where everyone wants to live. The latest film is called More Than One Million Hits and focuses on taxi
driver John McCartney, who gives wise words on maintaining the balance between his love for Dublin and his blog, which can be viewed at www.dublin2020.ie. Another interesting initiative is Dublin: Let’s Chat, which is a series of conversations with prominent Dublin figures about what Dublin means to them and why they love the capital. The first in this series was Senator David Norris who said: “I think Dublin is a wonderful city. If you look at it in the European context it has made an absolutely disproportionate contribution to literature: Yeats, Shaw, Wilde, Joyce, Beckett, Colm Toibin, Roddy Doyle, it’s just an endless list of people. We’ve made an utterly amazing contribution to 20th century literature, written some of the greatest poetry with Yeats, we’ve contributed the greatest novel of the 20th century: James Joyce’s Ulysses.” The second in this series was former Lord Mayor Christy Burke who said: “What makes Dublin home for me is, when I’m away and I’m coming in on the plane and I see Howth or Dublin Bay, then I know, this is home. It’s that sort of pride that hits me, makes me proud to be a Dubliner.” According to the Dublin2020 team: “The reason we are competing for the European Capital of Culture 2020 is to build a new story for Dublin, based on
A number of projects is being undertaken by the Dublin 2020 team, one of the most interesting of which is a mini series of short films made by Dubliners called We Are Dublin 2020
--------------------------------------------------------
‘What makes Dublin home for me is, when I’m away and I’m coming in on the plane and I see Howth or Dublin Bay, then I know, this is home’
--------------------------------------------------------
Former Lord Mayor Christy Burke
--------------------------------------------------------
shared ideas, inclusion and confidence. Dublin can be a leading city in Europe. We can take advantage of our talented young population, our informed older population and everyone in between to
initiate major progress in communities and neighbourhoods. We need everyone in Dublin to join in. If you are part of Dublin you are part of Dublin2020.” Dublin’s distinguished Artane Band also
showed their support for Dublin 2020 recently in Connolly Station by performing in front of hundreds of morning commuters who were on their way to work. Keith Kelly, director of Artane Band, told The Gazette that the young members of the band really enjoyed the experience and said that the public really showed them their support. He said: “In the runup to the performance we were all a little nervous as we considered that it could go either
way. At eight in the morning you’re going to people in good or bad forms. “When the band started to play some people just walked past with their heads down, but the majority of commuters stopped and listened and seemed to really enjoy what we had to offer. “Some people even started dancing while the band were playing. “The band enjoyed it so much that the kids asked could if they could go outside the sta-
tion and play outside the Luas. “The kids then picked up their instruments and started playing out towards the street. It was great fun and a really worthwhile experience. “We’ve offered our support for Dublin 2020 since Artane would be considered one of the most visual parts of Dublin, especially considering our connection with Croke Park,” he said. For more information on the Dublin2020 bid see www.dublin2020.ie.
23 July 2015 Gazette 17
travel P20
asdfsdaf P27 food P22
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
style P18
Pets quiet ritzie is looking for a calm home
Dublin band The Hot Sprockets will play at Whelan’s
festival: live music, automobile displays, fashion exhibits and more!
Get ready to rock and roll! Keith Bellew
A festival celebrating the sights, sounds and styles of 1950s and 1960s era rock ’n’ roll will take over Dublin’s Dame Street and surrounding areas from July 31 to August 2. Now in its second year the Rock ’n’ Roll Conference returns as the Dublin Rock ’n’ Roll Festival with music performances, automobile displays, barber’s conventions, fashion exhibits and banging live music. Crowds can avail of live music throughout the weekend with the best of rockabilly and rock ’n’ roll bands performing in various venues. Speaking to The Gazette, festival organiser Kieron Black said: “This year
I decided to do this because I have a passion for that genre of music and style. It’s all [about] good people coming together for the love of rock ’n’ roll, and rock ’n’ roll is so huge, it can be something from the 1950s and other people consider Rock ’n’ Roll as something from the 1980s.” The festival kicks off on Friday, July 31 with the Rock ’n’ Roll Dance Off presented by SwingScene.ie at The Mercantile from 8pm. Pulp Fiction fans can show off their Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace impersonations at this event which will see Dubliners exhibiting their skills in the art of swing, lyndy hop, boogie and woogie, the twist and more. Dancers of all skill levels are urged to
take part in the dance off which will be followed by live music from the Jive Cats. Giants of the American motor industry dating from its unrivalled glory days will be on display at Hot Rod City Vintage car show at Dame Court from 12 to 4pm on Saturday, August 1. Classic American Motors Ireland V8 will be on hand with 18 of the most amazing hot rods and streetcars straight from the vintage days of the USA. Black said that this event was one of the highlights of the festival, with around 10,000 attending last year. Visitors to The Mercantile on Saturday, August 1, will be lost in a sea of quiffs as the rock ’n’ roll fashion show will see Dubliners decked out in frocks
and bobby socks, blue jeans and Brylcreem and plenty of plaid and polka dots. Sunday, August 2 will see a motorcycle rally across Dublin, as a convoy of motorcycles roars through the city from the Garden of Remembrance to the Phoenix Park where it will coincide with the finale of the rock ’n’ roll half marathon. The festival ends with a bang on Sunday, August 2, with the Dame District Rock ’n’ Roll closing party at The Mercantile from 11pm. There will also be free live music all night from 10-piece big band Sweeneys Jazz Men at Sweeneys and The Hot Sprockets, The Mighty Steph and The 45s at Whelan’s.
The Gazette Newspaper has teamed up with Dogs Trust to help find homes for unwanted and abandoned dogs. Our Dog of the Week this week is Ritzie, a three-year-old female Staffordshire Bull Terrier crossbreed. She is quite wary of unfamiliar people and dogs, but with time, love and commitment from her new owners, her sweet, affectionate and playful nature will emerge. Ritzie loves playing ball and will happily trade one ball for another and play tug with soft cuddly toys. She is looking for a home with older children and, if possible, a calm canine companion. If you think you could offer Ritzie a loving home please contact Dogs Trust on 01-879 1000. They are based in Finglas, just off exit 5 on the M50. Map and directions can be found on their website www. dogstrust.ie. You can also find them on Facebook www.facebook.com/ dogstrustirelandonline or Twitter @DogsTrust_IE.
GAZETTE
18 GAZETTE 23 July 2015
OUT&ABOUT M&S Hat €47.50
Five of the best bronzer brushes
Races f House o
House of Fraser Untold jewel neck top overlay dress with pleated skirt €143
t €143
Debenhams Preen dress €112.5 0
kir ral print s versize flo Fraser O
Penneys Party kabuki brush €5.69
Harvey Nichols Issa dress €643
House of Fraser Top €124
M&S Autograph brush €15
Mint Velvet Lucia print dress €145
WITH sunshine supremely lacking this summer, a bit of bronzer is essential if we don’t want to look anaemic for the entire year, that is. While a fingertip will suffice to put on eyeshadow, a good bronzer brush is crucial in the application of bronzer. Here are my top five ...
De by S benha teph ms en J Top one hat s€ 120
MIMI MURRAY
OFF TO THE
BT Mac brush £40
MIMI MURRAY
NARS Yachiyo kabuki brush €55 Available in Brown Thomas The Body Shop Face and body brush €25
THE Galway Races are almost upon us and it’s time to take the fascinator out of the box, get the best guna to the dry cleaners, and practice walking in stiletto heels in mud and muck. Alternatively, splash out on a fabulous new frock – especially if you want to be in with a chance
to win a best-dressed ladies competition, of which Kilkenny Shop is this year’s sponsor. I have picked some of my personal favourites, with a few curve balls thrown in there. Who says you can’t wear a trouser suit to the races? Thanks to these great outfits and accessories, we’ll get you trotting straight to the winner’s post in style. And they’re off!
River Island Bag €33
23 July 2015 Gazette 19
Gazette
STYLE River Island Dress €80
Lucy Kennedy with Caoimhe Barrett and Kyle Doyle
La Roche-Posay wants you to take a selfie and help Temple Street Children’s Hospital
The Kilkenny Shop Aideen Florence dress €215 River Island Heels €75
Mint Velvet Textured biker coat €209, Wrap top tunic €89, Wide leg trouser €89
TV PRESENTER Lucy Kennedy joined dermatological skincare brand La Roche-Posay to call on fans of the brand to share a “selfie” with their favourite La Roche-Posay product. She was joined by Caoimhe Barrett and Kyle Doyle to launch the campaign, which will help to support Temple Street Children’s Hospital. La Roche-Posay is known for developing products formulated for sensitive skin, ensuring the highest tolerance and safety. The brand has committed to donating €1 to Temple Street Children’s Hospital for the first 10,000 selfies shared on its website: www.laroche-posay.ie/ yousharewecare. Kennedy is calling on fans of the skincare brand to get involved with the initiative. She said: “This campaign provides people with a really quick and easy way of helping the hospital. “I visited Temple Street, and it was plain to see the fantastic work that goes on in Temple Street and this campaign will provide much needed funds to the hospital. Every selfie shared will make a big difference.” Denise Fitzgerald, chief executive, Temple Street Foundation,
said: “We are so grateful to have the support of La Roche-Posay this year through their You Share, We Care campaign. “By taking a selfie and sharing it, each individual has the power to make a difference to the lives of sick children in Temple Street. “For years, the hospital has delivered worldclass care in challenging -------------------------
‘This campaign will provide much needed funds for Temple Street Children’s Hospital’ -------------------------
Lucy Kennedy
-------------------------
conditions and many of the facilities are struggling to cope. “The support of La Roche-Posay will help us to continue to fund specialist equipment, and the redevelopment of critical wards, that will save a lot of little lives,” she said. To make your €1 donation to Temple Street, firstly, take a selfie with your favourite La Roche-Posay product, then click on www.laroche-posay.ie/ yousharewecare and upload your photo, and explain why you love the product.
Gazette
20 Gazette 23 July 2015
OUT&ABOUT
fast
TRAVEL NEWS
Cruise through two countries in style ian begley
IF YOU fancy a romantic getaway this September, a cruise along the River Rhine might be the perfect trip for you and your other half. The trip, organised by Travel Department, offer passengers a cruise that will take you through Germany and Holland along the River Rhine on September 25. This €1,529pp offer includes all transfers and one night at the four-star Maritim Hotel Cologne in Cologne on a half-board basis, and seven nights on board the four-star Superior A-Rosa Aqua on a full-board basis, with an unforgettable trip taking in fascinating cities. In Cologne, you will see the magnificent Grand Cathedral and its rivalling neighbour, Dusseldorf, the City of Fashion. Afterwards, you will travel to Holland and visit Rotterdam, from where you can visit beautiful Delft. Then it’s on to Amsterdam, the Venice of the North, before returning to Cologne via Arnhem and Bonn. For further information, see www.traveldepartment.ie.
Stena Line offers for a family getaway ian begley
FAMILIES who are still looking to book a summer break may be pleased to know that Stena Line has launched a new holiday package offering travel by car and seven night’s accommodation from €525 for a family of four – €131 per person. This offer includes return Stena Line travel from Dublin to Holyhead, Rosslare to Fishguard, Belfast to Liverpool or Belfast to Cairnryan for a car, two adults and two children, and seven nights’ self-catering accommodation in Pontins Prestatyn Sands in North Wales, or Southport in Merseyside. For those who don’t want to drive, a coach option to Prestatyn is also available from Dublin on selected dates. For further information, see www.stenaline. co.ie/pontins.
northern ireland: game of thrones’ lands are part of the lovely province
Visit some of the best sights in Westeros ian begley
NORTHERN Ireland is renowned for its inspirational locations, stunning landscapes and the friendliest of welcomes. A summer break within the Six Counties will leave you spoiled for choice with things to do and see. This week, The Gazette has compiled a list of the main attractions in Northern Ireland this summer.
Game of Thrones With Northern Ireland playing a starring role in HBO’s Game of Thrones, Tourism Northern Ireland has welcomed news that The Causeway Coast and the Glens of Antrim have
been placed third in a list of 30 film and TV destinations adults most want to visit. Thanks to Game of Thrones, Northern Ireland’s stunning mountains, forests, lakes and countryside are now familiar to millions of people around the world, having helped create the magical backdrop that much of the show’s action is filmed against. Some of the locations based across the Causeway Coast and glens that Game of Thrones fans can visit for themselves include The Dark Hedges, in Stranocum (which is used to portray King’s Road), Downhill Beach
See for yourself why places like Murlough National Nature Reserve attract visitors from all across the island of Ireland, and much further afield
(Dragonstone), Larrybane (The Stormlands), Ballintoy Harbour (Pyke, The Iron Islands), Cushendun Caves (The Stormlands), Cairncastle (North of Winterfell), Murlough Bay (Storm’s End) and Slemish (Dothraki Grasslands).
A geological jewel One of the jewels in the crown of the Causeway Coast has to be The Giant’s Causeway, with its famous basalt columns, dramatic cliff faces and spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean. Just along the coast of Antrim is the dramatic Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, which was first built by fishermen 350 years ago and is suspended nearly 100 ft above the sea. These days, it’s a popular attraction for visitors, but crossing is not for the faint-hearted. Further round the coast, take time to enjoy the delights of Portstewart Strand – one of Northern Ireland’s finest beaches, with two miles of golden sand.
With their use in early series of the smash-hit show, area. However, wherever any visitors roam, they will
It’s much more than just a beach though, with its sand dunes forming an important nature conservation site with fantastic walks. From the beach, you can see Mussenden Temple, and it is worth continuing your journey to explore Downhill Demesne, where both the temple and Hezlett House are situated. With amazing ruins, endless woodlands and stunning gardens, you won’t be disappointed.
Festivals There is also a vast range of festivals taking place this summer in Northern Ireland, which cater for all ages. August Feile, which takes place from July 30 to August 9 in Belfast, is Ireland’s largest community festival, which features headlining music as part of a diverse range of events including com-
edy, sporting, exhibitions, tours, drama and debates. The SunFlowerFest is set to return again this year in Hillsborough, County Down, from July 31 to August 2. This well-established and family-oriented festival will feature superb live music, storytelling, poetry and interactive art, dance and music workshops, in a beautiful setting with on-site camping at Tubby’s Farm near Hillsborough. From August 28 to 30, the Hilden Beer and Music Festival will occur once again in the Hilden Brewer y in County Antrim. Enjoy more than 20 acts across three music stages, with three bars serving more than 30 ales, stouts, lagers and ciders from Ireland and Britain, plus a food village in the front garden. The much anticipated Carnival of Colours will also be making a comeback this year at St
23 July 2015 GAZETTE 21
GAZETTE
Travel fast
TRAVEL NEWS Detox – take time out from digital living IT’S set to become the new buzz term: “digitally detoxing”. We know that we all need to do it, but somehow it always seems that tiny bit too difficult not to check your Facebook page for another Like, or your mobile for a response to a text message. Dunderry Park (above) in County Meath is putting on a digital detox weekend that will require you to do just that – switch off from all things digital. We spoke to the founder of Digital Detox, Emily Duffy, who gave us her top five reasons to detox.
Game of Thrones (inset, lower-right), Stranocum’s The Dark Hedges (main) have become a fixture for the show’s fans visiting the find lots of places with outstanding natural beauty.
Columb’s Park, Derry, from August 29 – 30. This flagship circus, arts and music festival will be filled with top treats for all the family. Highlights include the very best of international and local street theatre, storytelling, workshops and international foods, with evening cabaret, music and comedy.
Local beaches Within Northern Ireland, you will find some of the most spectacular beaches in Europe. The naturally stunning formations of the coastline provide long stretches of golden sand and impressive sand dunes. The Causeway coastal route has more than 10 magnificent beaches alone, and views to match. Whitepark Bay’s sandy beach forms a white arc between two headlands on the North Antrim coast.
In this secluded location, even on a busy day there is plenty of room for quiet relaxation. The beach is backed by ancient dunes that provide a range of rich habitats for bird and animal life. Downhill Beach offers a wealth of activities, including water sports, scenic walks and facilities for that perfect family day out, as well as the prominent Mussenden Temple – one of the most photographed buildings in Northern Ireland. Tyrella Beach, a small enclosed beach and dune complex within Dundrum Bay, is situated alongside the Mourne coastal pathway. The stunning waters invite water sport enthusiasts all year round, and it is one of the top beaches in County Down. The Murlough National Nature Reserve is a fragile, 6,000-year-old
1. We are too connected to the opinions of others. “Whether other people’s opinions of you are good, bad, or indifferent, relying on what they think to determine how you feel about yourself makes you more vulnerable and less capable of maintaining your self esteem.” 2. We are less capable of having real conversations. “When was the last time you had a full, uninterrupted conversation with a friend that didn’t involve someone checking their Facebook, taking a selfie or messaging other people? “Our smartphones have become such a part of who we are that, at times, we use them to ignore what is right in front of us.”
Hillsborough, Co Down, is set to once again welcome the SunFlowerFest in late July
3. We suffer from information overload. “The internet has made information more accessible, and that’s great, but the trouble is, we have access to so much information that we can’t process any of it.” 4. Our privacy has disappeared. “One only has to look at the Jennifer Lawrence photo leak to know that what we share with our friends privately isn’t safe from hackers, snoopers or creepers.” Must-visit Benone Beach is just one of the North’s many welcoming, golden strands
sand dune system owned by The National Trust, and is perfect for walkers or anyone interested in bird watching due to its spectacular location at the edge of Dundrum Bay and the Mourne Mountains.
Benone Beach is also a must-see when visiting Northern Ireland. With seven miles of golden sand and a magnificent backdrop of mountain and cliff scenery, and stunning views across to Donegal, this is an attractive
sightseeing environment along with the usual seaside activities, including picnic spots, watersports, and fishing. For further information on Northern Ireland holidays, see www.discovernorthernireland.com.
5. We need fun, non-digital hobbies! “That’s why we’ll have mindfulness meditation, laughter yoga, falconry, storytelling, art and much more on the weekend, which takes place in Dunderry Park from August 14 to 16. The rate for the weekend is €200.” For further information, call Emily at 087 747 2147, email emily@spiritoffolk.com, or see www. digitaldetox.info.
Gazette
22 Gazette 23 July 2015
OUT&ABOUT
BITESIZEDNEWS
FOOD&DRINK
Chop House (Shelbourne Road) Prime Irish Hereford cote de boeuf €60
L’Gueuleton (Fade Street) Chargrilled 10oz rib eye steak and chips with bearnaise or cafe de Paris butter €26.50
This cucumber mint margarita is perfect for July
Make a margarita (for when summer arrives) THE sky out there may think it’s October lately, but we have a recipe for a lovely, refreshing cucumber mint margarita that you’ll be glad to whip up whenever the summer finally arrives for more than a day or two. This drink recipe serves two.
Ingredients Half cup chopped cucumber, peeled and seeded 2 tablespoons sugar Quarter cup key lime juice Quarter cup chopped mint One-third cup tequila reposado 2 tablespoons orange liqueur One-eighth teaspoon Tabasco sauce 6 ice cubes Garnish Salt to rim glasses 2 cucumber slices Preparation • Blend ingredients in a blender for one minute. Divide between two 6-ounce salt-rimmed glasses. • Garnish each glass with a cucumber slice, then serve, and enjoy!
Bord Bia survey shows rise of local suppliers MORE than 95% of Ireland’s leading restaurateurs have increased the amount of local suppliers they work with in the past 12 months, and 85% spend in excess of 40% of their monthly budgets on local food and drink. A Bord Bia Just Ask! survey has indicated that leading Irish restaurants actively promote local supplier details to their customers. From name-checking suppliers on menus and websites, to including supplier photos in their restaurants, to spreading the word via social media and arranging “meet the maker” events, restaurateurs have recognised the merit in showcasing their support of local producers and the resulting bottom-line effect on their business.
Take5
Brookwood (Baggot Street) 28oz porterhouse steak for two, served with sides and a glass of wine or craft beer €50
james martin
WHEN it comes to good beef, Ireland is very lucky. Our rainy, evergreen fields mean that we are in a position to create some of the best and tastiest farmed produce in the world. This, of course, means great steaks! Coupled with a rise in top-class restaurants devoted specifically to the bovine banquet, we are indeed punching well above our weight. From thick and juicy filet mignon to the hefty t-bone for two, Dublin city has a fantastic range of eateries offering chargrilled perfection. We have compiled our list of top-five places to get a super sumptuous steak in the city. Have we missed anywhere? Let us know on the Gazette Newspaper’s Facebook page, or on Twitter at @DublinGazette. Next month, we will be unveiling our top pizza places in the city.
FX Buckley (Pembroke Street and Temple Bar) Rib eye on the bone 22oz, served with cajun onions €38
Asador (Haddington Road) Dry aged cote de boeuf for two €60
23 July 2015 Gazette 23
BUSINESS PROFILE
Gazette
COMMERCIAL FEATURE tom browne, Salus Training Services
A whole world of skills and experience Salus Training Services was formed in 2005 to service a growing market in safety training, consultancy and traffic management. Tom Browne (above) was one of four directors who took the lead in developing the business so that Salus could provide the services to a range of existing clients from his previous company, Aztec Training Ltd, and new clients through
the partnership of South Midland Construction who at the time were working on behalf of Bord Gais, ESB, local authorities, the RPA, NTL and many more. Salus provided specialised training in partnership with our technical associates in the UK. Salus is now in the process of seeking approval for City & Guilds qualifications including
confined space, poly pipe welding to start with and progressing to a number of others. Managing director Browne has a wide range of skills and experience not only in Ireland but in the US, Australia, Asia, the Middle East, UK and across Europe. He also studied at UCD, Maynooth College, Salford University and in Australia. Salus also has an operation
in Australia and can deliver training for persons hoping to emigrate to Australia/New Zeland and can have their qualifications converted and recognised through their associate companies based in Australia. There is also a traffic management division at Salus which has been successful since 2008 and growing continually.
How long have you been in business?
ents that differs from your competitors?
minimised the effects.
the business to a sustainable level offering more programmes to our existing and new clients.
Salus Training Services has been in business since 2005.
What makes your business successful?
Strong customer focus and quality service provided.
What do you offer your cli-
We offer our clients a strong understanding of their needs and willingness to adapt to their needs. How has the recession affected your business?
Our strong relationship with existing clients has
How do you use social media?
We use Facebook/Twitter/ LinkedIn to promote our business. What is your ambition for the business?
Our ambition is to grow
What is the best piece of business advice that you ever received?
Offer a good service at a fair price and be honest throughout.
GAZETTE
24 GAZETTE 23 July 2015
OUT&ABOUT
HEALTH
FURTHERPREPARATION JIMMY’S TOP TOOL KIT AND ACCESSORIES WHILE everyone has their favourite musthave item, some equipment is essential to ensure you’re fully prepared for anything that might happen out on the course. New products have come on line in the past few and they’ll help you save time. Happy pedalling! Tube and tyre levers: For mechanical problems, you’ll need the right kit to help you get back on your bike. Remember that no one can help you in the race so you absolutely have to know how to use your kit. The original and can’t-do-without kit is a tube and three tyre levers. Why? Obviously a puncture is your most likely source of problems. Make sure you have the right tube size to match your bike and valve style and only use plastic tyre levers. So you’ve nothing to inflate this? That brings us neatly to our next item. Co2 inflator: A very simple device that will inflate your wheel in seconds to the
correct pressure. Mini pumps simply don’t do the business, using mini pumps to attempt to inflate a tyre can take a lot of your energy and never fully inflate the tyre fully. Multitool with chain-splitter: These guys will suit all fittings on a modern bicycle. If your saddle slips or handlebars turn in transition out on the course the multitoll will come to the rescue. Getting one with a chain-splitter is crucial also to cover that eventuality. Powerlink for chain: The powerlink is designed to quickly rejoin a broken chain. Using your chain-splitter to clear broken debris from your chain, then install the powerlink to instantly reconnect your broken chain.
Castelli Retro Cap €19.00 The retro cycling cap features a classic eight-panel design and styling that harks back to the old days of European racing. Italian or multicolor strip and screen printed Castelli logos. Universally sized.
Compressport Race Belt €12 The new compressport race belt is functional, adjustable and easy to clip on and off. It has three clips for attaching a race number and four elasticated gel holders on each side.
LOUIS GARNEAU TRI SPEED €75.00 Interchangeable HRS heel retention system 2 reversed velcro tabs for easy slip-on and quick attach patented ergo air. Compatible with SPD, SPD-SL, TIME, LOOK and SPEED PLAY cleats, Weight (size 41/1 shoe): 281 g/10 oz Ergo Air.
Elasticated laces LockLaces €7.50 Elasticated shoe laces feature an adjustable toggle fastener that provide a custom fit. Replace your race day trainer’s laces with these elastic alternative and never tie your laces during a race again.
Specialised PROPERO II €99.99 This race-inspired design is known for its great fit and great value. The composite matrix internal reinforcement allows larger vents for greater cooling.
The bike section is the longest part of the race going from Dun Laoghaire out as far as Kilcock in County Kildare
IRONMAN: PART 2 OF 3 TO GUIDE YOUR TRAINING
It’s onto land as the race really gets going GARY CROSSAN
SO Ironman wannabe – you’ve completed the 2km swim. This week, GazetteHealth picks up where we left off with Gary Crossan of Triathlon Ireland. And he recommends that competitors take a moment to steady themselves on dry land after the swim. One swift change later and this is where the race really starts.
Time to face the 90km bike ride (shown above). Crossan advises that the course is flat, fast and consists of a single lap with total elevation gain of 240m. It leaves Dun Laoghaire, heading out towards Finglas and taking in Counties Meath and Kildare. Anyone who has cycled the course before May, be aware of a slight change around Kilcock which was made to make it safer. Things he reminds us to be aware of during the bike section are drafting and nutrition. Last week, we recom-
These products will help you to get the best out of any bike or foot race and are all available from Base2Race, Unit 46, Fashion City, Ballymount, Dublin 24.
Keane claims 21st place at championships BRYAN Keane battled to a 21st place finish at the European Championships in Geneva recently, finishing in a time of 1.57.27. Keane admitted to a poor swim which resulted in the leading pack opening up a gap and pulling away throughout the 40km bike leg.
The Cork man found himself in the second chase pack in which world number one Javier Gomez of Spain was also to be found. Once off the bike, Keane produced one of the fastest runs of the day in 33.03. For more info visit www.triathlonireland.com
The run section takes place in the beautiful Phoenix Park
mended drafting. But on the bike leg of a triathlon this is illegal and will result in a time penalty and a possible disqualification. Official draft marshals on the course enforce these rules. The bike section is also the longest part of the race, and therefore it is the best time to give the body some needed fuel and hydration. You can either stick gels to the cross bar of the bike or have premixed drinks in the fuel bottles on the bike. All this should be practised in training. There will also be a fuel station in Maynooth at the University Campus. The final section of the very flat three-lap half marathon race takes place in the beautiful Phoenix Park (shown left). The run section’s main feature is the pacing strategy runners must employ. With crowds of spectators and the adrenaline rushing, it’s tempting to start out too fast, says Crossan.
When it comes to running races the best strategy is to run negative splits which means running the second half of the race faster than the first. Keep taking on fluids and fuel at all the feed stations to ensure you keep as well hydrated as possible. A main area for all competitors to be aware of and something most people will not have experienced before is the split transition. Have a check list of everything you need for transition one – after you come out of the swim. This should include bike gear, for example helmet, sunglasses, cycling shoes. Then have a separate check list for transition two – after the bike leg in Phoenix Park. This should include running gear, for example runners, vaseline, socks, sun cap. Make sure you are not the person without your runners in transition one in Dun Laoghaire. It will happen to someone, warns Crossan.
23 July 2015 gazette 25
Gazette
GAMING
WEEBYTES
The late Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo
Tributes paid to late Satoru Iwata
shane dillon
IT SEEMS that The Caped Crusader (aka Batman, aka billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne) is never far away from popular culture, including videogames, as a number of products demonstrate at the moment. While cinema fans look forward to Ben Affleck putting on the cape in next year’s Batman V Superman, and TV watchers delve into the murky city that the newly orphaned
child Bruce Wayne grew up in, gamers have never been left wanting for some great Batman games, with Batman: Arkham Knight
(developed by Rocksteady Studios, published by Warner Bros Interactive) delivering Bats and “friends” in style. The recently released game has been a smash hit on next-gen (now current gen) platforms, delivering a visual tour de force as one of the flagship titles to really show what the Xbox One and PlaySta-
tion 4 are capable of. PC owners, however, experienced a different Gotham (see panel, below). The title’s stunning graphics have really brought the seedy, criminal underbelly of gothic Gotham to glistening life. This week, we take a look at the rain-slicked streets, towering architecture, interesting characters and chaos of Gotham in Arkham Knight that have created such a stylishly memorable dark knight ...
‘Holy unplayable, Batman! now what?’ WHILE Arkham K night is indeed a pretty spectacular title – on next-gen consoles, at least – PC fans weren’t happy after the game was released, as it was extremely buggy and crashed or froze a lot, even on high-spec gaming rigs. Indeed, Warner Bros and Rocksteady have temporarily suspended PC sales, offered refunds, and issued a statement,
apologising to fans. “We want to apologise to those of you who are experiencing performance issues with Batman: Arkham Knight on PC. “We take these issues very seriously and have therefore decided to suspend future game sales of the PC version while we work to address these issues to satisfy our quality standards.” At the time of writing, PC sales
are still suspended while the developers try to fix the bugs and performance issues, with PC Batman presumably left to practise his Batarang aim rather than face his adversaries on Gotham’s mean streets. Who would have thought that Batman’s greatest adversary could end up being just a few lines of problematic code?
TRIBUTES have been paid around the world to Satoru Iwata, Nintendo’s president, who recently died of cancer, aged 55. Nintendo released a short but respectful statement, simply saying: “Nintendo Co Ltd deeply regrets to announce that President Satoru Iwata passed away on July 11, 2015 due to a bile ductgrowth.” Earthbound director Shigesato Itoi’s tribute was particularly poignant, saying: “When I’m parting with a friend, regardless of the circumstances, I find it best to just say, ‘See you later.’ We’ll meet again. After all, we’re friends. That’s right – nothing unusual about it. I’ll see you later.” During his time with the company, which he joined in the 1980s, Iwata oversaw some of the highs and lows in the company’s fortunes, seeing it introduce a wide range of consoles. Its hardware and titles may not always have set the gaming world on fire, but they always showed the company’s singular vision at work. Popular with the industry and gamers alike, Iwata was the embodiment of Nintendo’s willingness to experiment in the name of fun, and was a driving force in gaming. He will be missed.
26 dundrum gazette 23 July 2015
DundrumCLASSIFIEDS
BUILDING
ALL BUILDING SERVICES ROOF REPAIRS CHIMNEYS POINTING / PAINTING WINDOWS & DOORS ALL MEASUREMENTS ALTERATIONS Call Michael: 086 2561436
planning Notice
landscaping Ca l (01 l Dav 08 ) 62 id He 6 0 0 8 nry 41 75 43 8 43
www.atozlandscaping.ie
DÚN LAOGHAIRE RATHDOWN COUNTY COUNCIL
10% OFF
for first 10 customers
● Garden Clean ups ● Paving● Landscaping ● Tree Cutting ● New & Instant Lawns Fully Licensed and Vat registered.
cleaning
roofing
ACTIVE PAVING planning Notice
planning Notice
DÚN LAOGHAIRE RATHDOWN COUNTY COUNCIL
DÚN LAOGHAIRE RATHDOWN COUNTY COUNCIL
I Ms. Xiaolin Yu, am applying for planning permission for the Removal of the existing rear bedroom window at first floor level & install a new Corner window with increased depth to rear & side elevation of the existing two-storey semi detached dwelling at 3 Seaview Wood, Shankill, Dublin 18.The planning application may be inspected or purchased at the offices of the Planning Authority, County Hall, Dun Laoghaire. A submission/observation may be made on payment of €20 within a period of 5 weeks from the date the application is received by the planning authority.
Permission is sought for the construction of a 60 Sq.M. two storey extension to the rear (West) of No. 81 Ballinteer Park, Ballinteer, Dublin 16 by Ivan O’Brien and Suzanna Dooley. The planning application may be inspected or purchased for a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the Planning Authority, County Hall, Dún Laoghaire during its public opening hours. A submission/observation may be made on payment of €20 within a period of 5 weeks from the date the application is received by the Planning Authority.
24561
DVD TRANSFERS Video & Camera Tapes CineFilms Photos & Slides converted to DVD Music & Titles added
CITY PAVING AND LANDSCAPING Dublin – Meath- Kildare – Wicklow Offices in Santry and Stillorgan
All our work is guaranteed for 7 years. Recommended by Kilsaran Concrete
We Specialise in new installations, maintenance, repair and rejuvenation of: Driveways – Patios – Paths – Walls – Canopies View our gallery at www.citypaving.ie Email us: info@citypaving.ie Phone: 01 8427512/01 2884280 Mobile:087 2577720
%6#-*/ $*5:
24562
Psychic Medium Healer Shamanic Practitioner Carol Noonan Internationally Renowned
Angel Cards, Psychic Readings, Mediumship & more Genuine Calls Only 087 619 4275
www.ThePleiadianChild.com
• • • • • •
300'*/( (655&3*/( $0/53"$503
Specialist in roofing repairs and replacement All flat roofs repaired and replaced All types of valley and chimney work carried out All types of ridge pointing & plastering Specialists New UPVC Fascia’s & Soffits Guttering and Downpipes
All Areas Covered - Ph: 01 697179 / 01 9036952 M: 087 3905264
Visit: Facebook: www.facebook.com/DublinGazetteNewspapers
Collins Roofing Ltd
For all your roofing needs Call Sean on 0861274202
I, Daniel Magera wish to apply for Full Planning Permission for development at this site No. 16 Mount Albion Road, Churchtown , Dublin 14. The development will consist of the addition of a single storey extension to the side with dormer attic level over with bay windows on side of dwelling to the end gable of the existing bungalow, a re-configuration of the internal layout with some minor alteration to windows and doors to all elevations and all ancillary site works. The planning application may be inspected or purchased for a fee not exceeding a reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the Planning Authority, County Hall, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, during its public opening. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made on payment of €20 within a period of 5 weeks from the date the application is received by the planning Authority. 24552
23 July 2015 DUNDRUM GAZETTE 27
DUNDRUMCLASSIFIEDS STAIRLIFT
€4750 €1650
ABC CERTIFIED 57,358 COPIES EACH WEEK ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS TO OVER 200,000* READERS EACH WEEK
CALL 01 60 10 240 *Publishers Statement
(ABC: Group MFD, July-Dec. 2014)
PAVING AND LANDSCAPING
• DRIVEWAYS • PATIOS • FENCING • ASPHALT • DECORATIVE WALLING • IMPRINT • GRAVEL
FOLLOW US TODAY ON OUR SOCIAL NETWORK
Quality Paving at affordable prices, just a phone call away. Highly recommended by Clients. Testimonials available. Contact: John Maloney 087 3591000 / 01 6972087 Email: bosshomeimprovements@gmail.com Web: www.bosspaving.ie Dundrum Bus Park: Ph. 01 6971896 Pearse St, D2: Ph. 01 6972087
CLOTHES LINES SPECIAL OFFERS House rewire €2000 Extra Sockets €35 Fuseboard €250
EST. 1985
UNBEATABLE PRICES
Best Prices Periodic Testing 20% Discount with this ad Call for FREE Estimate
Ph: 01 6208992 or 087 2760894 Email: rightsparks@gmail.com
MADE FROM 2" HEAVY GAUGE BOX IRON For more info contact Pat Mob: 087 275 2175 Tel: (042) 966 3222
Gazette
28 Gazette 23 July 2015
SPORT Ryan is Ireland’s golden girl
FastSport
cycling: garda cyclist leads irish challenge at sundrive track meet
St Pat’s to face Manchester city next week:
ST PATRICK’S Athletic are delighted to announce that the Saints will take on a Manchester City XI in Richmond Park on Wednesday, July 29 at 7.45pm. Liam Buckley’s side will take on The Citizens as they continue their preseason preparations ahead of the 201516 English football season. The last Premier League sides to have faced the Saints in Richmond Park were a Chelsea XI in 2009 that featured the likes of Fabio Borini, while a Tottenham Hotspur side with Gareth Bale, Dimitar Berbatov, and Robbie Keane amongst their ranks were visitors to Inchicore in 2007. Ticket details for the game will follow and be announced on stpatsfc.com in the coming days; ticket details when confirmed will go on sale from the St Patrick’s Athletic club offices on Emmet Road.
sport@dublingazette.com
MOST of the medals and records from last weekend’s Dublin Track Cycling International at Sundrive went to international stars, but Garda Cycling Club’s Caroline
Ryan took home a gold and reduced the track record for the 3km pursuit on her way to medal success. Beating her own Sundrive best by almost four tenths of a second, the rower turned cyclist was
one of five riders to lower the track record in their events as competitors from 13 countries competed at the Crumlin venue on Saturday and Sunday of last week. The event was Ireland’s only UCI level one track
Ryan with her gold medal
Caroline Ryan on track at Sundrive
meet of the year and it attracted three current world track champions, a reigning junior road race champion, and numerous former and current medallists at world, European, and Olympic level over the two days. Ryan’s record setting victory actually came at the expense of former world road race champion Tatiana Guderzo over Italy. Aside from the Westmanstown woman, who just missed out on third in the women’s points race, there were a number of other local cyclists who tasted success over the weekend. New Zealand cyclist Regan Gough dominated the men’s 4km pursuit over Ulsterman and Dublin-based cyclist Martyn
Irvine and Gough’s ride included an improvement of 2.5s on Ryan Mullen’s venue record set at the same event last year. Irvine was also involved in the men’s 15km scratch race and started extremely aggressive. He was joined early on by Max Beyer of Germany before both returned to the bunch and Irvine was eventually reeled in. It wasn’t long before he went back on the attack, riding solo all the way to the final six laps of the 460km circuit before Beyer raced clear again to claim the gold medal ahead of Belgium’s Moreno de Pauw and Alex Frame of New Zealand. Irvine also finished fifth in Men’s omnium event. Gough added another
win in the men’s points race with another dominant showing in which he lapped the field twice. Norway’s Aleksander Perez took second while local Sundrive rider Murt Rice raced clear of the rest to claim the bronze medal. Orwell Wheelers’ Naoise Sheridan took the gold in junior women’s scratch race, while in the Men’s, club-mate Conor Murnane made it a double for Orwell as he edged out Xeno Young of Powerhouse Sport and Barry Talt of Murphys Surveys Kilcullen. To round-up the Irish interest, Dubliner Lydia Boylan mirrored Irvine’s fifth place finish in the omnium in the women’s category.
National basketball cups get boost from Hula Hoops sport@dublingazette.com
Lynn Tunnah, left, from Dublin, Dylan Phelan and Keavy McDermott help launch the Hula Hoops National Cup
THE biggest annual event in Irish basketball is to have a new partner for 2015-16 as Hula Hoops has been unveiled as official sponsors of the National Cups. The announcement of the Hula Hoops National Cups comes in a period of growth for the sport. Over 125 clubs from 16 counties are expected to take part in this season’s elite competitions while a new national intermediate club championships will give more Dublin clubs
a chance to play at the National Basketball Arena. Forty-five Dublin teams took part in 2014-15. Twenty one titles have stayed in the capital over the years but it was a lean season with UCD Marian, Killester, St Vincent’s, DCU Mercy and Oblate Dynamos were all beaten in the 2015 finals. “There are 10 national cups catering from Under-18 right up to our two senior flagship competitions, which will be televised live on TG4,” said Basketball Ireland sponsorship and marketing manager JP Montgomery.
“The national cups have been a platform for great Irish basketball players and great drama for over 30 years but we feel that Hula Hoops coming on board marks a new chapter for knockout basketball in Ireland.” The draw for the Hula Hoops National Cups takes place on September 23 with the first rounds in October and the finals played in January in the National Basketball Arena. Elsewhere, Meteors have appointed Mark Byrne to take over from outgoing head coach Eoin Chubb.
The South Dublin side took their play-off push all the way to the penultimate round of the league last season and will aim to go one better this term. Byrne has enjoyed a long and successful playing career with Delta Notre Dame ,Tridents and UCD Marian. As a coach he has had success with Maol Og and UCD Marian. He said, “I’m looking forward to working with this talented squad. Our pre-season programme is challenging and will ensure we are in the best of shape for the new season”
23 July 2015 Gazette 29
Gazette
Personal bests and the glint of bronze Dublin-based Paralympic swimmers produced a series of superb performances in Glasgow last week with Clontarf’s Ellen Keane and Daragh McDonald earning a podium place nathan kelly sport@dublingazette.com
IRELAND’S Paralympic Swim Team, packed with Dublin-based swimmers, began and finished their World Championships campaign with a bronze medal and three personal bests, repeated the feat on the event’s final day last Sunday. Last Monday, UCD’s Darragh McDonald swam a season’s best of 5.11.26 in the 400m freestyle (S6) which won him his heat and booked a spot in that evening’s final. In the final, McDonald was just over a second outside of that time which earned him third spot on the podium. Speaking after the final, he said: “I’m really happy to make the World Championship podium tonight. It’s been a tough season, and the medal makes for
a great finish to it. I’m really looking forward to the year ahead and the road to Rio.” McDonald was back in the pool on Thursday, and finished fifth in 50m freestyle heat with a time of 34.01, which left him ninth overall meaning he just missed out on the final. He also missed out on a place in the final of the 100m freestyle (S6) on Sunday by just one spot. Blanchardstown’s NAC Swim Club had three of the swimmers on the Irish squad and London Paralympian James Scully was the first Irish athlete in the pool last Monday, recording a time of 45.18 in his heat in the 50m backstroke (S5), leaving him in sixth spot. Scully’s club-mate Ellen Keane was also in the pool on Monday and swam a personal best of 1.18.69 in her 100m back-
stroke heat, but unfortunately just missed out on a place in the final in what is her least favoured event. Keane was back in action on Tuesday and produced a lifetime best of 1.22.97 in her 100m breaststroke (SB8), which won her heat and booked her place in the evening’s final. She set another personal best in the final of 1.22.50, which earned fifth spot in a race in which second and fifth spot were separated by just a second and a half. Scully was the first of the Irish in the pool on Wednesday and he swam a season’s best in the men’s 200m freestyle (S5) of 2.54.84 in the second heat to qualify seventh fastest for the final. Just like Keane the day before, Scully turned in another season’s best
Castleknock’s Ailbhe Kelly competes in the heat of the Women’s 100m Freestyle S8 where she finished seventh. Picture: Ian McNicol/Sportsfile
in the final of 2.53.77 to finish sixth in one of the most competitive events at the World Championships. The third NAC Swim Club member on the Irish squad, Castleknock teenager Ailbhe Kelly, made her world championship debut on the Thursday
of the women’s 400m freestyle (S8) of 5.37.45, beating her previous best by over five and a half seconds. She just missed out on the final but can take comfort from the fact that her time was inside the minimum qualifying standard (MQS) for Rio
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
‘I’m still in shock; I was happy with a personal best but saw the three and I couldn’t believe it!’ - Ellen Keane -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
morning in Glasgow. She showed no signs of nerves as she swam a lifetime best of 1.20.44 in the women’s 100m freestyle (S8) to finish seventh in her heat and 12th overall. Keane was also back in action on Thursday and swam another season’s best in the heats of the 50m freestyle of 31.03. Scully competed again on Friday morning and added another lifetime best to the growing personal records being broken in the Irish camp. He recorded a time of 38 seconds flat in the second heat of the 50m freestyle. In the final later that day, he beat his time from the morning by an impressive .08 of a second which resulted in an eighth place finish. Kelly recorded a lifetime best in the sole heat
2016. The next day, Kelly reached the final of the 100m backstroke (S8) event, finishing eighth and recording another lifetime best time of 1.27.24. On the final day of the championships, Keane finished second in the first heat of the 200m individual medley (SM9). In the final that evening, she set another new lifetime best of 2.40.31 which earned her a brilliant bronze in the event, which she spoke about afterwards. “I’m still in shock,” she said. “I didn’t think I got third! I looked at the clock and registered my time and was happy with my PB, then saw the ‘3’ and couldn’t believe it! “I’m just so delighted and especially for my parents after dressing up in their Irish suits all week!”
FastSport
Royal Dublin’s Devine eyes PGA Foursome final PATRICK Devine hopes to emulate the greatest week of his professional life as he bids to reach the final of the Golfbreaks.com PGA Fourball Championship. Devine, of Royal Dublin Golf Club, will team up with Killiney Golf Club’s Leo Hynes for the qualifying event to be held at Headfort Golf Club in Co Meath on July 22. And the pair will go into the competition with impressive track records. Devine is a former champion having won the final with Stuart Taylor in 2009 when it was held at Forest Pines Golf Club in Lincolnshire. And if Hynes qualifies, he will be looking to improve on his joint 16th place finish in last year’s final at St Mellion in Cornwall. They will be aiming to reach the £35,000 Skycaddie and BMW supported grand final at Carden Park in Cheshire between August 12-14. Devine has fond memories of his title win six years ago. “It was probably the greatest day as a PGA player when we won at Forest Pines,” he said. “Everything went to plan, myself and Stuart played well, we made a lot of birdies and had fun doing it at the same time. If you can’t enjoy weeks like that in golf, when can you? “It was a fantastic tournament for us and I remember it well.” Devine hopes that he and Hynes will find the winning formula. “We’ve known each other since we were amateurs, we go way back,” said Devine. “But we’ve never played together in this competition before. “I hope it’s a good combination and I know Leo played in the final last year. He did well and would want to improve on that. “If we can get to the final, we’d be trying to win it.” Devine also admits this year’s final venue - the Jack Nickalus designed course at Carden Park - is another incentive. “I’ve already had a look at the course graphics online,” he said. “When you can see the standard of the venue where the final’s going to be held, that’s something that makes you want to play there.”
Gazette
30 DUNDRUM gazette 23 July 2015
SPORT
FastSport
athletics: dsdac runners produce fine performances
UCD Marian duo line out for Ireland in China TWO UCD Marian basketballers were part of a Men’s Premier League select squad which finished third place at the Sino-European Championships in Kun Shan, China last week. Conor Meany and Dan James, who both operate as guards on the court, were included in the 12-man squad for the competition that also included teams from Russia, Italy and hosts China. The tournament began for the Irish last Friday with 40-72 defeat against Team Italy. The squad picked themselves rather quickly however and recorded a fantastic one-point win over Russia the next day, with a 70-69 win. The last game for the Premier League squad was against Team China and the hosts racked up their third win of the competition, 82-46, which crowned them overall winners while Ireland’s third place finish was confirmed. Despite the defeat against China, the Premier League selection’s player-coach Colin O’Reilly remained upbeat afterwards. “We’ll take positives from it,” he said. “I think we left 15-20 points on the court today where we just didn’t finish properly. That’s what this whole trip has been about – getting used to this intensity and playing with it for 40 minutes.” Indeed, just two of the Irish squad had previous experienced at a similar level, and one of which was O’Reilly who was actually forced to sit out all three games due to a calf strain, while the other, Paul Dick, who was Ireland’s top scorer at the competition with 32 points, missed the final game with a hip injury. Also speaking after the event, Basketball Ireland secretary general Bernard O’Byrne emphasised the importance of such an event for the future. “I honestly think it has changed the perspective of a lot of players involved,” he said. People can get into a comfort zone being the best at their own level. This week has really shown us that there’s another standard to aspire to and most positively that we have the capability to achieve that standard. “This tournament was not a destination,” he continued. “It’s a step along the road. We want to drive Irish basketball to new levels and be part of a very vibrant basketball scene in Europe and beyond.”
Maria McCambridge, centre, celebrates her second victory on the roads around Swords
Maria wins Fingal 10km again sport@dublingazette.com
D S DAC ’ S M a r i a McCambridge became the first woman to win the Fingal 10km last Sunday for the second time following her course record in 2013. She completed the race in a time of 34.10. McCambridge was followed by Ciara Hickey in 36.52 in second place and Niamh Devlin in third while Swords home favourite Suzanne Sheehy 39.52 took eighth place despite a fall. Winner of the women’s race, McCambridge said: “It was tougher
than I had expected and, to be honest, I thought I would’ve felt a little bit better about it but I’m still happy with the win. “I’m a little tired due to my pre-marathon phase so I’m going to take a bit of downtime to rejuvenate both mentally and physically. “I was hoping for a better time as I wanted to use this race to help me to gauge where I’m currently at but I’m happy enough.” Team Dublin Marathon which consists of five men and five women also took part in the event in preparation for
ireland’s call Grange GC’s Corcoran in for Home International IRENE Poynton (director of junior
golf, ILGU) presented Elisa Corcoran (Grange) with her international pin at the 2015 Irish Girl’s Close amateur championship at Galway Bay Golf Club last Saturday. She will play with Ireland at the girls’ Home International in Lanark, Scotland on August 5-7 off the back of a fine run of recent performances.
Picture: Pat Cashman
the 26.2 miles later this year. Between now and race day in October each team member will be following their own individualised training programmes and weekly training schedules from two of the best marathon runners in the country, Gary Crossan and McCambridge. The Fingal 10km run is the second race marked in this year’s SSE Airtricity Dublin Race Series which kicked off on June 27 in the Phoenix Park with the Irish Runner 5 Mile. This race was introduced to help fill the gap
between the 5 Mile and the Frank Duffy 10 Mile Races and is designed to help prepare athletes for the marathon on October 26. Over 3,800 runners, joggers and walkers took part in the event with all of the participants being welcomed across the finish line by perfect conditions. Elsewhere, DSDAC’s Mollie O’Reilly produced a great run on Saturday in Scotland as part of the Irish Schools 4x100m relay team, competing at the Schools International. It was a great achieve-
ment for Ireland to beat England, Scotland and Wales. O’Reilly also finished fifth in the 200m. Exciting finishes were the order of the day on Saturday at the GloHealth juvenile relay championships with DSD taking home a large bag of medals. Gold medals were won by the club’s Under-19 and 18 girls along with the Under-18 boys in the 4x100m and by the Under-18 and 17 boys 4x400m teams. They added a further five silver medals and three sets of bronze medals for their efforts.
23 July 2015 DUNDRUM gazette 31
Gazette
Plunkett’s blemish Boden’s home record sport@dublingazette.com
B A L LY B O D E N S t Enda’s senior footballers fell to their first home AFL1 defeat of the season as they were undone 2-11 to 1-10 by St Oliver Plunkett’s/Eoghan Ruadh in midweek. Both sides were without their Dublin players for the tie that started in
tit for tat manner with Andrew Kerin and Declan O’Mahony on the mark for Boden before Plunkett’s netted a goal to build their own lead. It helped them build a five-point lead before Kerin cancelled out one of those from a free before Collie Basquel’s shot rebounded the way of Sam Molony who was
on hand to finish to the net. Further frees reduced the deficit to 1-5 to 1-4 at half-time in Boden’s favour. Plunkett’s replied with the first two scores of the second half only for Ryan Basquel to level things up once more. Parity progressed out to 1-8 each as Dan-
iel Davey got on the mark before the game was eventually cracked open by the visitors. It came amid a goalmouth scramble with the final Plunkett’s shot finding the net via a heavy deflection. Kerin got one back but Plunkett’s finished the stronger to nab a four-point win.
football: sandyford side win key game in swords
Club Noticeboard
ballinteer st john’s THERE was no winner
it is open to lotto players
on the night. Tickets avail-
of the July 16 lotto
present in the clubhouse
able on the club website.
draw for €6,400. The jackpot will be €6,600 next week. Our Joker Wild draw continues this Thursday;
ballyboden st enda’s CONGRATULATIONS to the Dublin senior ladies’ football and camogie teams on their wins in the Leinster championship this week and to the Ballyboden St Enda’s representatives on the teams. Best of luck to the Dublin senior hurlers this weekend against Waterford in Thurles and especially to our Ballyboden St Enda’s players. Congrats to all our minor hurling teams on their wins in their league games. The big gest and best summer camp
Doyle on the double as Olaf’s beat Fins
in the country begins
afl division 3
many other sporting
Naomh Olaf managed to evade the clutches of Fingallians. Picture: Kyran O’Brien
Fingallians 0-11 Naomh Olaf 2-10 sport@dublingazette.com
NAOMH Olaf’s intermediate footballers continued their fine form this season with an away win against Fingallians last Saturday. In what was a game that could prove to be key in the hunt for promotion, both sides began with 14 points each from their opening nine league fixtures. Despite being the home side and playing with a strong wind on their backs in the first
half, Fingallians were, surprisingly, a little disappointing in their play early on as it was Olaf who dominated from the off. Two fine goals from Mark Doyle, who was having real joy at left half-forward for Olaf’s, ensured his outfit went in at the break leading 2-2 to 0-6. Since Shane Smith took over the side at the start of the season, the former Thomas Davis has been receiving big praise from those at the club for bringing fresh ideas to the adult football sides. Two of the team’s
newest recruits, Galway duo Padraig Hanley, formerly of Corofin, and ex-Salthill man, Derek O’Flaherty, have also been major assets to the promotion chasers this season. Hanley, who was operating on the opposite side to Doyle kicked four of Olaf’s eight points in the second while O’Flaherty, at left-half back provided energy, skill and power in abundance. Doyle’s older brother, Colin, who played at centre-back here also roamed forward throughout the second half and grabbed two
points for himself. Fingallians did briefly threaten to come back when they had a spell of dominance about five minutes after the break which lasted about 10 minutes. The introduction of inter-county player David Byrne soon helped shore things up for Naomh Olaf, however, and the closest the Swords side got to their Sandyford opponents in the second was four points. Up next for Smith’s side is the visit of Blanchardstown’s St Brigid’s to Pairc Ui Bhriain next Wednesday night.
again in Ballyboden this July. Ballyboden
St
Enda’s summer camp continues to be not only the largest summer camp around but also the most enjoyable. Providing GAA and activities for boys and girls aged five to 12, it is a camp which puts fun and enjoyment as its number one rule. Kids get to keep up their practice, get to meet their friends, make new friends, go on day trips and get lots of freebies all in a safe and enjoyable environment. For more information on Ballyboden St Enda’s, log onto www. bodengaa.ie or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
GazetteSPORT all of your dundrum sports coverage from page 28-31
magic maria: DSDAC’s McCambridge becomes first person to win the Fingal 10km two times P30
july 23-29, 2015
sundrive sensations: Invitational track cycling event draws the best from Ryan P28
The Dublin ladies Gaelic footballers celebrate their success in Dr Cullen Park. Picture: Kyran O’Brien
Lamb a leading light Selector Bobby McNulty says Kilmacud Crokes’ starlet came close to landing player of the match gong in Dublin’s Leinster championship win
nathan kelly
sport@dublingazette.com
SHE may be named Lamb but Kilmacud Crokes’ commanding inter-county midfielder Molly Lamb performed like a lioness as Dublin ladies footballers won their fourth Leinster title in a row. The Mary Ramsbottom Cup returned to the capital following Dublin’s seven-point victory over challengers Westmeath in the 2015 TG4 Leinster senior final last Sunday. A late flurry of scores in the closing quarter, underpinned by Niamh McEvoy’s goal, proved the difference after the Lake County had reeled in the deficit to two points at one stage, ensur-
ing the Jackies led from pillar to post. Early on, Dublin kicked the first four points to build a healthy advantage before Westmeath could reply with a Maud Annie Foley free which came in the 16th minute. Greg McGonigle’s side were having the upper hand in the possession stakes but were struggling for rhythm and clocked a series of wides. They also hit the frame of the posts on five occasions, Lyndsey Davey’s effort the most unfortunate as it cannoned off the cross bar only to land into Westmeath keeper Sarah Keegan’s welcoming hands. However the industrious Davey would soon be rewarded for her efforts when the Skerries Harps ace palmed a superb McEvoy pass into
the back of the Westmeath net to give her side a 1-5 to 0-1 lead with 18 minutes gone. Westmeath bounced back with a trio of points to reduce the gap slightly, 1-7 to 0-4 at half-time. Sinead Goldrick (0-2), Carla Rowe (0-3), Kim Flood and Noelle Healy were the Dublin scorers. The momentum was firmly in the Westmeath side’s favour in the second half and they capitalised with a couple of handy frees to trim the gap. But the sin-binning of Joanna Maher proved a critical moment with 14 minutes to go. During her absence, Dublin scored 1-3 without reply with the goal coming from McEvoy who finished off a well-worked move, finishing
off from a pass from St Sylvester’s club mate Nicole Owens. Dublin selector Bobby McNulty praised the work carried out by Crokes star Lamb after the provincial decider. “I thought she was brilliant in the middle of the park,” he said. It is her second year with the senior side now and you can say she has become a real commanding presence and cemented a place in the team. “We’ve lost a couple of leaders from our squad in recent years due to retirement and other things, but Molly looks set to be a real leader for us for many years to come. She was fantastic out there and ran Sinead Goldrick close for the player of the match award in my opinion.”