Dundrum 21 1 16 by Dublin Gazette

Gazette DUNDRUM

INSIDE: As the election nears, politicians talk to The

Gazette about the housing and homelessness crisis P6

Learning Curve:

Boxing’s film fans gather for the launch of ‘the new Rocky’ Page 12

Picture: Peter Cavanagh

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Creed night:

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UCD AFC sign League of Ireland legend Page 30

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authors have all the write stuff in anthology THE launch of the first anthology from Dundrum Library Writers – Writeaway Dundrum – took place in Dundrum Library recently. Author Selina Guinness, 2015 Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Writer in Residence; Cllr Barry Saul (FG), Cathaoirleach of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and Elizabeth McCloskey, one of the contributors, were among the many attendees at the event, which saw the upper floor of library packed to capacity. Author Guinness introduced the collection and congratulated the group, singling out McCloskey in particular for her hard work editing the anthology and ensuring the project came to fruition, while Cllr Saul praised the calibre of the works.

Our supplement has plenty to help build on any college plans

January 21-27, 2016

Leo’s latest film, The Revenant, is a brutal, primal tour de force

€18k damages for girls caught up in mock raid Young sisters, mother in ‘terrifying incident’ at training incident in H&M Dundrum

 emma nolan

TWO sisters, who fell victims to a mock armed robbery during a staff training exercise in a Dublin H&M store, were awarded €18,000 damages between them in the Circuit Civil

Court. The court heard that in March 2013, Abbie (11) and Casie (6) Kennedy were at H&M in Dundrum Town Centre with their mother, Claudia McGrane, when the “terrifying incident” happened.

The family had been in one of the store changing rooms when they heard someone shouting: “Everybody get down on the ground, open the f***ing till, get down on the ground, what are you looking at?”

The scene had continued for several minutes while the family was still in the changing room, and Abbie and Casie had been terrified and in fear for their and their mother’s lives. Full Story on Page 3

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meeting | ‘If you can’t make your point in three minutes, you’re doing something wrong’

Council votes to halve speaking time  emma nolan

DLRCC councillors voted to reduce their speaking time from six minutes to three at their recent council chamber meeting

Du n L ao gh a i r e Rathdow n County councillors voted to reduce their speaking time from six minutes to three at the council chamber meeting held on January 11. The motion which was a proposal from the Organisation, Procedure and Protocol Committee passed 32 to five. People Before Profit councillors at the meeting voted against the motion which Cllr Karl Gill accused those in favour of wishing to “gag themselves” and “reduce democracy”. Speaking at the meeting Gill said: “The idea that councillors would support the reduction in their own rights and therefore curtail their ability to represent their constituents is akin to turkeys voting for Christmas. “The rationale from the proposers of the motion was to make the business of the council more efficient, however, the majority of councillors rarely ever take up the full amount of speaking time allocated.” He said that if councillors from Fianna Fail and Fine Gael stopped “holding up meetings by making pointless pedantic comments and speeches that lack any sense of substance, then maybe we would be able to be more efficient in our work.” He also criticised the atmosphere in the cham-

ber, saying it is often “jovial and blatantly far more to do with scoring empty political points than it is to getting business done”. Sinn Fein councillor Sorcha Nic Cormaic was in favour of the motion which she believes will improve overall efficiency at the meetings which she says rarely get beyond the first few motions as time is often taken up with councillors commenting on managers’ reports and debating issues. She said: “While it is important to allow councillors speak on issues, it is not unusual for many councillors to stand up and repeat ad nauseam what has already been said. After some debate it was agreed to reduce the speaking time from six minutes to three minutes for proposers of motions, and from three minutes to two minutes for other speakers on motions and reports. Nic Cormaic said: “If you can’t make your point in three minutes, you’re doing something wrong. Something has to be done to improve efficiency in council meetings, as we never get the business finished in the time allowed. Many other ideas were bandied about at the OP&P (Operations, Procedures and Protocol) meeting, but none were agreed as they were deemed unfair. This is a fair and workable solution.”

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dlr grant scheme

Over €492k in funding for groups and organisations Last week, DLRCC announced that they are awarding €492,659 in funding to a wide range of local groups and organisations under the DLR Grant Scheme 2016. Over €100,000 was awarded in sports grants, €20,000 of which went to Leopardstown Racecourse. Councillor Sorcha Nic Cormaic, (SF) has called for a decrease in council funding to Leopardstown racecourse and a redistribution of the funding into local social and sports facilities. Nic Cormaic said: “It is believed that the racecourse generates millions in revenue each year from this event, and that the grant money given to them in this amount is unnecessary. In a response to Nic Cormaic’s criticism, a spokesperson from DLRCC told The Gazette: “The council approved an amount of €100,000 for sports / major sporting events. Along with a number

of other organisations, Leopardstown Race Course applied for funding, met the criteria for the award of funding under this category and, having regard to these criteria and the potential for economic activity to be generated by the race course, were awarded a grant of €20,000.” However, Nic Cormaic said she wants the grant money given to Leopardstown racecourse to be reduced to €5,000 with the remaining money being invested into other sporting and social groups in the DLR area. Commenting on the grant they received, a spokesperson from Leopardstown Racecourse said: “We are delighted that the councillors are continuing the support of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival. The Christmas Festival is a wonderful community event and we are very grateful for the support.”

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21 January 2016 DUNDRUM Gazette 3

camp Looking for future young stars

courts | staff training exercise in H&M store “terrifies” sisters

€18k for girls caught up in mock robbery

Two sisters, who fell victims to a mock armed robbery during a staff training exercise in a Dublin H&M store, were awarded €18,000 damages between them in the Circuit Civil Court. The court heard that in March 2013, Abbie, 11, and Casie, six, Kennedy were at H&M in Dundrum Town Centre with their mother Claudia McGrane when the “terrifying” incident happened. The family had been in one of the store changing rooms when they heard someone shouting “everybody get down on the ground, open the f**king till, get down on the ground, what are you looking at?” The scene had continued for several minutes

while the family was still in the changing room, and Abbie and Casie had been terrified and in fear for their and their mother’s lives. Ms McGrane, of Foxborough Road, Lucan, had waited until there was silence to open the changing room door and look out, but she saw nothing. The family had remained in the changing room for several more minutes. Judge Rory MacCabe was told the family went out of the changing room when they heard people talking in the store. A store manager had later told Ms McGrane that an individual had been training staff in the event that there was a robbery, and what they had heard had been a robbery

simulation. Later that day Ms McGrane had called H&M head office in England. The court heard that a representative for the company had apologised for the incident and had offered Ms McGrane a €30 voucher, which she had refused. Through their mother Claudia, Abbie and Casie sued H&M Hennes & Mauritz (Ireland) Ltd for personal injuries. They claimed the company had failed to ensure there were no customers in the changing area during the training course. The court was told that H&M had made settlement offers of €10,000 for Abbie and €8,000 for Casie, which the judge approved.

Knitwear gets creative

Ireland’s International Creative Expo returns to the RDS from Sunday, January 24 to Wednesday, January 27, marking the 40th year of one of Ireland’s largest trade shows. This year, for the first time, Showcase will introduce The Knitwear Project, modelled here in Airfield, Dundrum-an exciting presentation of innovative Irish knitwear created by emerging and leading Irish designers and manufacturers. The Knitwear Project aims to highlight the potential of the Irish knitwear industry as a driver of Irish design, culture and exports. This new initiative has been led by the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland (DCCoI) working closely with both Enterprise Ireland in setting the brief and with an external panel of fashion and design experts, including Deirdre McQuillan, Catherine Condell and Angela O’Kelly, as advisors to the project.

Children’s performing arts network Starcamp is to host a variety of summer camps in South Dublin locations next July and August. Supported by banana importers Fyffes, the week-long camp for boys and girls aged four to12 is designed to teach performance and build confidence through song, dance and drama. Dates and venues are Ballinteer (Aug 2-6, venue to be confirmed); St Conleth’s College, Ballsbridge (Jul 18-22); Loreto Abbey, Dalkey (Aug 2-6); Monkstown Educate Together School (Jul 11-15); Loreto College, Foxrock (Jul 4-8); Knocklyon Community Centre (Aug 8-12); Ranelagh (Jul 4-8, venue to be confirmed); Educate Together, Rathfarnham (Jul 25-29); and Queen of Angels, Sandyford, (Aug 8-1).

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health Enjoying a run in Marlay On Saturday, January 9, Marlay Park was a hive of early morning activity and enthusiasm as over 600 parkrunners came out to enjoy the Free 5km timed run that is Marlay parkrun. Amongst the runners were some very special guests. Paul Sinton-Hewitt (the founder of parkrun) was present, along with around 40 Operation Transformation parkrun ambassadors from all over Ireland. Each week the ambassadors will be welcoming followers of the Operation Transformation TV programme at their local parkrun in one of the 44 parkruns around the country. If you’d like to take part in the event visit www.parkrun.ie/register for more details.

nutrition | stillorgan entrepreneur’s business keeps growing

Giving food for thought about Mummy Cooks  ian begley ibegley@dublingazette.com

Local entrepreneur, Siobhan Berry has successfully managed to develop and sustain her own business despite the economic downturn and now sells her childfriendly food products throughout Ireland and abroad. Speaking to The Gazette, the Stillorganbased business woman talked about how her company, Mummy Cooks, has significantly grown since she first set it up in

2012. “It all started back in 2012 when I was running classes for mums who were beginning to wean their baby onto solid food. There weren’t any other classes like it around at the time and so with my experience as an asset manager I decided to take a leap of faith. “It’s very important to get your child to develop a positive attitude towards food at an early age so they become a happy eater.” As well as running mummycooks.ie, Berry

is the resident feeding and weaning expert with MummyPages.ie – Ireland’s largest parenting website “In 2013, I started to sell portion pot products, which provide solutions for parents looking to store food for both toddlers and adults. We’re also an online resource for parents and have recipes, advise and product solutions on our website. “We have also recently announced the launch of our new Mummy Cooks food flask, which can store food for children

Siobhan Berry, owner of Mummy Cooks, has successfully managed to develop and sustain her own business thorugh the economic downturn

going to school, so parents can include vegetables and more variety in their lunches. It can also keep food hot or cold for up to six hours. “I found it very difficult

to come up with different lunches every day for my own children and I found that many other parents struggle with this task. It just gives parents a better option and would be a

nicer alternative to ham or cheese sandwiches. “I’m now selling my products all over Europe and also in SuperValu. It’s all very exciting and going well, which is great.”

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ask the politician | in the build up to the general election the gazette Question: How would you deal with the current housing and homeless crisis in the city if elected?

Introduce rent controls and increase rent supplement

 Mary White (Fianna Fail)

 Richard Boyd Barrett

(People Before Profit)

Firstly, we would take all NAMA-owned properties and other publicly-owned buildings and immediately house the 1,638 children and 744 families currently in emergency accommodation. We would immediately introduce rent controls and increase rent supplement to realistic levels and ban economic evictions. We would declare a national housing emergency in order to be able to get around EU rules which are preventing us from directly building council houses in large quantities. We would start an emergency public housing programme with the aim of building a minimum of 10,000 council houses

150,000 new homes nationwide by 2021

every year for the next five years. As new council houses are built and come on stream we would phase out reliance on private landlords and schemes like Rental Accommodation Scheme and Housing Assistance Payment. Families need permanent, secure homes of their own, not to be prey to private landlords.

We have never before seen the extent of the current escalating homeless crisis. At present there are over 800 families and 1,600 children sleeping in emergency homeless accommodation, with 80 new families becoming homeless in Dublin each month. Mike Allen, Focus Ireland’s director of advocacy, has described this as “the changing face of homelessness” as many families are now becoming homeless, as distinct from individuals. The Government’s failure to take even simple measures, such as increasing rent supplement thresholds or refurbishing vacant council housing, is forcing people out of their homes in the short term. However, even more worryingly, there appears to be no long-term coherent plan for supplying homes to those who need them. Last December, NAMA announced its plan to build 20,000 new homes over the coming years. However, the Government is allowing NAMA to sell off these vital assets to private vulture funds while delivering less than 2,000 social housing units. While I welcome the use of modular

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homes as a temporary solution to the housing emergency, we need to invest in permanent homes. There are 3,000 vacant units under the control of local authorities across the country which could be refurbished relatively cheaply and used as a permanent home thereafter. It’s baffling to see the Minister spend €191,000 on a temporary modular home while at the same time refusing to spend €30,000 to refurbish a vacant unit controlled by local authorities. Investment needs to happen now. Fianna Fail proposes to build 150,000 new homes nationwide by 2021, which would include 45,000 social housing units.

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relaunches its q&a with election candidates on the topics that matter

Removal of sale as a reason for ending a lease

Accelerate action to provide houses for those on the social housing list

 Deputy Leader Cllr Catherine Martin

(Green Party)

 Cllr Carrie Smyth (labour)

The sad fact is, despite all the fanfare around the current government’s plan to tackle homelessness, this crisis is a long way from being solved. There are many factors which cause homelessness, and we will never be able to treat them all, but the pressure on housing waiting lists is having an undeniable effect. The backlog of people waiting for a home, in a market with rapidly inflating prices, is contributing to a situation that worsens by the day. To combat the current housing crisis, the Green Party has proposed solutions in the short-term including the removal of sale as a reason for ending a lease; better resourcing of the Private Residential Tenancies Board to resolve disputes; paying rent supplement in advance; making deposits and rent-in-advance available to all rent supplement tenants; and a housing trust scheme to acquire encumbered buy-to-let properties for social housing, through purchase or lease. We also need the state to directly intervene

and use, Dublin Bus and NAMA lands to address our growing housing crisis. Moving bus garages out of the city centre would also be a win-win solution for both transport and housing policy. It makes no sense for bus drivers to have to come in early each morning to bring a bus back out to the start of their route on the edge of the city. Far better to build purpose-built garages on the edge of the city and use the vacant lands for new housing developments. At the start of its existence there was a clear agreement that NAMA’s mission was to progress a social as well as economic return for the state. It is now time for them to deliver that social dividend. What’s missing is the political will and vision for how we could do things differently. We’ve had enough words, promises and launches; what we need are houses.

If I am elected, one of my key priorities is to accelerate action to provide houses for those on the social housing list, and to increase the supply of houses at affordable prices for those who wish to buy their own home. In my twenties when I was a volunteer coworker with Dublin Simon for two years, I saw first-hand the homeless situation in Dublin on the Tuesday evening soup run. The action plan for homelessness has provided new beds for rough sleepers, established a night cafe facility for those who do not attend emergency accommodation and extended the Tenancy Protection Service which helps prevent families from becoming homeless. The Housing Assistance Payment has been increased for those who find themselves homeless to assist them in finding rented accommodation. While I am pleased that this has resulted in a decrease in the number of rough sleepers, I believe the long-term solution to homeless-

ness is to increase the supply of homes. The Government’s Construction 2020 strategy seeks to provide 35,000 new social housing units by returning to direct housebuilding by local authorities and approved housing bodies. In addition, the strategy aims to deliver up to 75,000 units of long-term quality accommodation to meet housing needs through local authority housing support schemes. I fully support the implementation of this strategy and the introduction of measures to improve the rental sector and to help tackle mortgage arrears. I will work to ensure we make securing your own home a reality for everyone.

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Gazettegallery

| Tommy Tiernan presents Out of The Whirlwind

Sarah-Louise O’Neill and Ryan Kenny

Aoife Daffy and John Boland

Mags Jennings, David Heffernan and Dylan Jennings. Pictures: Pearl Phelan

Brendan Redmond and John Keating

Michael Sammin, Ryan George, Amy Sammin and Lydia Moles

Tommy lands a blow with show

Suzanne and Rebecca O’Neill

21 January 2016 DUNDRUM Gazette 11

12 Gazette 21 January 2016

commonGazettegallery | movie fans enjoy creed Premiere

Niamh Ryan and Catriona O’Connor

Laura O’Neill

Olympian Kenneth Egan and Kyle Kearney. Pictures: Brian McEvoy

Hits above the belt

Becky Godfrey and Sophie Gorman

Andrew McCabe and Romy Carroll

Joanna Richards

21 January 2016 Gazette 13

asdfsdaf diary P27 P16

Trad Festival P15

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

cinema: The Revenant – a vengeful ‘inspired by true events’ epic

Haunting tale of survival How far would you go in the pursuit of justice? That is the question that lies at the bloody heart of The Revenant – a visceral and vengeful “inspired by true events” epic that sees Leonardo DiCaprio as a frontiersman abandoned in the bleak American wilderness with revenge as his sole fuel for survival. In a performance that sees its star crawling naked through the snow and consuming raw buffalo liver, it could be argued that the real question being asked here is – how far will DiCaprio have to go to in order to bring home that elusive Oscar? And with The Revenant securing 12 nominations for the awards next month, including a Best Actor nomination for DiCaprio, this looks like it could be the year that finally does it. It is a fitting follow on from last year’s ceremony which saw director Alejandro G Inarritu take home an armful of awards for the effervescent and psychedelic tour-de-force that was Birdman. A plethora of award nominations is one of the only discernible links between both of Inarritu’s recent films.

 Dave phillips

While on the surface Birdman was whimsical and surreal, The Revenant is gritty, gruesome, and at times, overwhelmingly raw. Based on a novel of the same name, which in turn was based on early 20th Centur y retelling of Wild West tales, this is a story that has had several layers of aggrandisement heaped upon it on its way to screen. Hugh Glass (DiCaprio) is a tracker who embarks on an expedition to gather furs in the frigid depths of South Dakota under the command of Captain Andrew Henry (Domhnall Gleeson). An intense opening scene depicts the absolute carnage that follows when the trappers are waylaid by a Native American war party, whose land they are pillaging. The muddy, bloody battle becomes stupendous in its scope, and the few remaining fur trappers left in its wake

The Revenant is dominated by DiCaprio’s terrifying and primal performance

are forced to forge a path through the wilderness in an attempt to reach home. Much like Inarritu brought the cityscape to life in Birdman, here the tall pine forests and snow-laden slopes become vitalized. T he Revenant is thronging with stunning shots that at once capture both the inherent beauty and peril of the natural world. Hugh Glass is scouting alone when he is attacked and utterly mauled by a Grizzly bear. Barely alive, the

crew are loathe to leave him, but do not have the resources to get him back to safety. One of the frontiersmen, John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) is paid to stay behind until Glass dies and give him a proper burial, but chooses to abandon him, crippled and defenceless some days later, setting in motion Glass’ astounding journey to seek revenge. Played out over almost two-and-a-half hours, The Revenant may be a gruelling tale, but it makes for an easy

watch. Dominated by DiCaprio’s terrifying and primal performance, and bolstered by Hardy and Gleeson’s also excellent turns, The Revenant is a film that strips things down their base components. T he natural world becomes both exquisite and treacherous. Human beings become both angelic and monstrous. And brutality becomes both heinous and routine. An overreliance on CGI at times mars what otherwise feels like a

deeply grounded and at times horrifically real film. But that should not discourage viewers too much. Inarritu has managed to craft something special in The Revenant – by focusing on this small but extraordinary piece of history, he manages to obliquely tell a much larger story of the birth of the American frontiers. It is a story dominated by men, exploitation, greed, and blood; and a story that you won’t regret watching. Verdict: 9/10



Gazette

charity challenge P14

Pets

can you give avocado a loving home? The Dublin Gazette has teamed up with Dogs Trust to help find homes for lost and abandoned dogs. Avocado is a threeyear-old female German Shepherd cross. She had a beautiful litter of puppies who have all found their forever homes and now it’s Avocado’s turn! She will need an adult-only home and it’s really important that someone is home for most of the day. Avocado forms very strong bonds with people and really panics when left alone. If you think there is a place in your home for this bright, beautiful and loving girl, please contact Dogs Trust on 01 879 1000. They are based in Finglas, just off exit 5 o n 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

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dublinlife

Revup4dsi: flatley set for motorcycle challenge

The Lord of the Dance takes to the open road

 ian begley

ibegley@dublingazette.com

The lord of Irish dance Michael Flatley took time out of his busy schedule to help launch Down Sy ndrome Ireland’s (DSI) annual charity motorcycle challenge Revup4DSI. Motorcyclists across the country are preparing to take to the open road for the DSI event which takes place over the May bank holiday weekend, April 30 to May 2. The successful event was co-founded in 2005 by a pair of keen motorcyclists, Michael McCor-

mick and the late Aidan Lynam, both of whom have daughters, Megan and Robyn, with Down syndrome. Michael (CEO of DSI at the time) was looking to run a motorcycle event for DSI and Aidan (managing a bar at the time) was thinking along similar lines. So after a fairly brief but enthusiastic meeting Rev-up was born. The round Ireland road trip has grown to become one the biggest and most popular fundraising events and has raised over €1.5m in much-needed funds for Down Syndrome Ireland over the last 10 years.

Down Syndrome Ireland are currently planning a number of special events for next year’s RevUp to honour the passing of their esteemed colleague Aidan Lynam. Aidan was the instrumental part of a strong team behind the very first RevUp4DSI and was tragically killed during last year’s event. In memory of Aidan, DSI intend to have their most successful motorcycle challenge yet come May 2016. Secret checkpoints

The event is a point-topoint navigation ride that takes in over 1,000km of

stunning Irish views within a three-day period. On the Saturday, motorcyclists will gather at Joe Duffy’s BMW dealership in Finglas for their first in a series of route cards that will lead them through a number of secret checkpoints and to their base for the night. The following day’s ride will take on a poker run format where a playing card is collected at each checkpoint and the best hand will win. All of which will add to the excitement and camaraderie on the road over this fantastic fundraising weekend. Entry to the three-day

The lord of Irish dance Michael Flatley with Mark Reilly and David Clarke from Drogheda pictured at the launch of Down Syndrome Ireland’s annual charity motorcycle challenge. Picture: Gerard McCarthy

event is by donation, with a minimum requirement of €500 sponsorship per rider and €500 per passenger. Accommodation

and meals are all booked in advance to make it a very relaxing and rewarding weekend of twowheeled fun.

For further information, visit www.revup4dsi. ie, email revup@downsyndrome.ie or call 01 4266500.

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features

Warm up winter with a banjo and Bovril  emma nolan enolan@dublingazette.com

Wave goodbye to the January blues and start the new year with music, dancing and… Bovril! The Banjo and Bovril Trad Festival is making a welcome return to The Harbour Bar in Bray this January 27 to 31. The festival celebrates the old tradition of the Banjo and Bovril nights that took place back in the day and is completely free to attend. When the winter days were coming to a close, the fishermen would arrive in from the sea and head for The Harbour Bar to warm up with steaming mugs of Bovril, before they settled in for a night

of singing and playing music. With some of Bray’s favourites and a few of Ireland’s very best, the line-up includes Moxie, The Bonny Men, Mundy, Ye Vagabonds, John Spillane, Lisa O’Neill, Ronan O Snodaigh and Pete Pamf, Pine Marten, Sheila Garry and Elaine Hogan, Pete Cummins, Hank Wedel, Darren Eedens, Bunoscionn and Old Hannah. Moxie are five young Irish musicians making waves on the Irish music scene with their fresh blend of jazz, rock, bluegrass and world music and The Bonny Men, will bring their set of trad tunes bursting with energy.

Mundy is sure to get the crowd going and brothers Brian and Diarmuid Mac Gloinn of Ye Vagabonds are just back from a tour with Glen Hansard. A c cl a i m e d s i n g e r songwriter John Spillane will also take to the stage. Also performing, with her natural flair for storytelling and combined with a unique sound, Lisa O’Neill’s show promises to be something special. K ila’s Ronan O Snodaigh joins forces with Pete “Pamf” Ruotolo on guitar and Dublin based trio Pine Marten will be bringing their Scandinavian, bluegrass influenced folk to the bill.

Singer songwriter John Spillane will take to the stage

Hailing from Clare, the admired talents of musicians Sheila Garry and Elaine Hogan will be performing and

Grammy Award winner Pete Cummins will be in the house. New York-born and C o r k- r a i s e d s i n g e r

songwriter Hank Wedel will be warming up with some Bovril and guitar slingin’, banjo pickin’ Canadian Dar-

ren Eedens, who has been known to stand on tables while belting out tunes will also be paying the Harbour Bar a visit. To round off one hell of a festival line up, some Harbour Bar favourites will take to the stage with the amazing tradsters Bunoscionn and from Sligo with their own brand of roots, it’s the brilliant Old Hannah. The Banjo and Bovril Trad fest is the perfect way to spend a long, cold Januar y night, dancing away to worldclass Irish acts in a cosy pub with a steaming mug of warming Bovril bringing the traditional banjo and Bovril nights back to life.

Gazette

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dublinlife

diary

Witnessing a C-Section birth a big eye-opener for students

The live Caesarean Section was broadcast to students via video link from an operating theatre in the Rotunda Hospital. Picture: Maxwell Photography

Last Tuesday January 12, more than 180 students from 90 secondary schools across Ireland witnessed a baby being born via a live caesarean section as part of the RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) transition year (TY) programme. The week-long interactive RCSI TY MiniMed training programme was held between RCSI on St Stephen’s Green and Beaumont Hospital, Dublin. The live caesarean section was broadcast to students via video link from an operating theatre in the Rotunda Hospital and was performed by a team led by Professor Fergal Malone, the new Master of the Rotunda Hospital. During the procedure, students asked questions to Professor Malone and his surgical team, who answered them while guiding the students through the C-section procedure. Now in its ninth year, the RCSI TY MiniMed programme, gives Transition Year students the opportunity to step out of their usual classroom setting and experience what it is like to train and work as a doctor in the setting of a real hospital.

DSPCA start off 2016 with special Tom cat tenner The DSPCA are delighted to start 2016 with a special Tom Cat Tenner Event which will see the neutering of male cats for just €10 Euro per animal. DSPCA head of Education Gillian Bird said: “Cat populations in Dublin and surrounding

counties has gotten out of control and the DSPCA are urging pet owners and people who are feeding feral cats to act now before the breeding season begins.” Each year the DSPCA take in over 1,500 cats and kittens most of which are born to wild or semi-feral parents. By starting the neutering early in the year, the DSPCA hope to see a reduction in the numbers of feral and unwanted cats. “A healthy and fertile male cat can father thousands of kittens each year, by being active every night of the breeding season. “By neutering the male cats in a territory, the rival males will be kept away and the females will not become pregnant thus cutting down on the numbers of kittens born,” Bird said. Male cats as young as 12 weeks of age can be neutered by the DSPCA Veterinary team. Visit dspca.ie to book your tom cat in for this discounted neutering.

in research carried out by Coyne Research on behalf of Irish Life. The research found that 77% of the Irish workforce believe they deserve more money for the job they do, while 61% of the Irish working population have made friends for life through work and 46% socialise with their colleagues after work. The research was published to mark the launch of Irish Life Empower, an improved workplace pension plan.

domestic water revenue to date hits over €110m Irish Water has confirmed that 61% of customers are now paying water charges at the end of the third billing cycle compared to 55% at the end of the second cycle and 44% at the end of the first billing cycle.

Some 928,000 customers have now paid part or all of their bills, an increase of 98,000 customers who began paying charges for the first time in the past three months. Total revenue from charges paid to date by domestic customers is €110.8m. Revenue received during the third billing cycle was €42.3m, an increase from €38m in the second billing cycle and €30.5m in the first billing cycle. Irish Water plans to spend €522m in starting to address the major deficits in Ireland’s drinking water and wastewater quality and capacity and repairing the most critical infrastructure in need of urgent investment in 2016. Irish Water Customers can find out more on www.water.ie or by calling LoCall 1890 448 448.

Survey reveals the habits of the irish workforce A survey has revealed that nearly half of the Irish workforce regularly ‘dine al desko’ and can’t start work without a coffee or tea, while four in 10 people believe they could do a better job than their boss and over a third of employees admit to having had an office crush and an office romance at some point in their career. The habits and opinions of Ireland’s workforce have been revealed

The DSPCA is offering a special Tom Cat Tenner event which will see the neutering of male cats for just 10 Euro per animal

Gazette

21 January 2016 Gazette 17

Learningcurve

courses: expanding your educational horizons in another country

Are you dreaming of studying abroad?

 ian begley

If you dream of studying in Australia or New Zealand then you’re in luck as it has become increasingly popular and accessible in recent years due to the exodus of Irish young people to these countries in search of work. Even though Australia’s environment is vastly different from that of Ireland, its geography and culture present opportunities to study subjects that might be difficult to access in Ireland. This is one of the most interesting aspects of choosing to study abroad and there are a range of unique courses to choose from in the Study in Aus-

tralia section of Studyoptions.com. New Zealand’s geographicalenvironmentalso provides unique opportunities for Irish students, particularly in the medium of science. Irish students can study physical geography among volcanoes, geothermal areas, geysers, glaciers and fiords; orlearn about the unique challenges to civil engineering in an active tectonic zone. For more information see the Study in NewZealand section of Studyoptions.com. For those who are interested in studying abroad, but do not want to stray so far from home, many of the top European universities are actively seeking Irish

students. Places are available on degrees, in a wide range of subjects including: arts and humanities, engineering, life sciences, social sciences, business, IT and health sciences. Students can study degree programmes in a full range of subjects in English, with lectures, books and projects in English. In addition to the educational advantages there are cultural and adventurous aspects of studying abroad also and the young people of Europe are fluent in English in many cities. Entry requirements in Europe are lower than those in Irish universities, as are the entrance fees

Going abroad to study has many advantages such as experiencing new cultures, lower entrance fees and requirements an can look impressive on a CV

in many cases. There are no fees for Irish students studying in Scandanavia, while in Austria, Germa-

ny and Switzerland, fees are below €1,500 per annum in state funded institutions. Fees are also

reasonably low in Italy and the Netherlands, and some countries also offer Tuition Fee Loans

or grants to contribute to living expenses. Irish students who qualified for Maintenance Grants can take them with them, to public programmes on the continent. Along with all of the other advantages, the standard of education is also very high. Programmes are offered by some of Europe’s leading research universities, as well as some top universities of applied sciences and career-oriented university colleges. Additionally, a qualification from a European institution looks very impressive on a CV. For more information on studying abroad visit: www.eunicas.ie/

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IT Tallaght hold Open Day What differentiates an institute of technology from a university? Traditionally there have been three main factors; the additional entry options for students in the form of the Level 6 and Level 7 courses which can be used as a ladder to progress on to the Level 8 Honours Degree, the increased focus on exposing students to more practical skills through industry-style projects and assignments and, finally, the supportive learning environment which is achieved through smaller class sizes which facilitates more individual support. IT Tallaght’s Open Day is taking place on Saturday,January 23from 10am – 1pm. According to IT Tal-

laght, the 2015 computing graduates had an employment rate of 90% within three months in the ICT sector, with an additional 5% going on to further study. This is an exceptional progression rate of 95% after less than three months, with typical salaries in the region of €35,000. The college itself has three schools; Business and Humanities, Science and Computing and Engineering with a total of 41 courses across all levels. In 2015, the Culinary Arts department launched their own Masters Programme, the first of its’ kind globally. For more information on the courses on offer, as well as the new initiatives in the college, visit www. ittdublin.ie.

money: the importance of budgets and paying bills on time

Learning how to manage finances  ian begley

Many people going to college this year will be living alone for the first time and will have no experience of budgeting and paying bills. Managing your finances is just as important as managing your timetable and study plan. According to Dublin City University, recent figures show that the total cost for a student living away from home in self-catering shared accommodation for the eight-and-a-half month academic year is almost €7,000. For those who

stay at home the total cost is €3,433. A further nontuition fee, in the region of €400, must be added for non-grant holders attending certain institutions. According to director of student affairs at DCU Barry Kehoe: “The total cost-of-living figures are approximate. Some students will spend more on travel or food, while others may splurge on books or pay a higher rent.” While the total spend seems like a lot of money, Kehoe says these are minimum amounts for survival with a small portion allocated to social life. The following is a list of tips for first time students to survive their first academic year. Always pay bills on time to avoid late fees. You don’t want to find yourself in a position where you have several bills to pay at once which cannot be put off any longer. If you have a credit card, make a personal note of every purchase you make as you don’t want to be taken by surprise with a huge bill. When this dreaded bill does arrive, try to pay it off as quickly as possible, as bad credit follows you everywhere. Never go food shopping when you are hungry, as you will invariably buy too much, some of which is bound to go to waste. Don’t make impulse purchases, always make a shopping list and buy in bulk. Just because food is cheaper in discount supermarkets doesn’t necessarily mean its unhealthier so shop there whenever possible. Also, these are great places to save money on things like toiletries and household supplies. Always bring lunch from home and try to avoid eating out often.

Limit the number of times you allow yourself to eat out over the period of a month. Create a budget, contact your student union to see if it runs second hand book schemes, take full advantage of student discount’s and always enquire if one is on offer. Look for special offers everywhere and check out second-hand shops for clothes, books and furniture. Investing in a Leap card is a great way to save money. Many students will have to get four buses or more a day, and those few cents saved on each journey add up.

Creating a budget is just one way of managing your finances

21 January 2016 Gazette 19

series: Literature and revolutions

Spring evening lectures at Trinity  ian begley

T h e Tr i n i t y C o l lege School of English is hosting a range of spring evening lectures throughout the next several months, titled Literature and Revolutions. The series is inspired by the centenary of the Easter Rising. Some of the talks will focus on this historic occasion and its impact on Ireland’s literature and culture while the rest will explore other revolutions along with their literary dimensions. On Tuesday, January 19, Professor Patten will discuss the representation of the 1916 Easter Rising in fiction, looking at a range of novels from 1917 to the present day, and from Eimar O’Duffy to Roddy Doyle, to assess the role of the novel in depicting the revolutionary generation of Ireland’s early 20th century. On Tuesday, January 26, Brendan O’Connell will present a lecture entitled The Beastly Rebels of 1381, which will examine works by writers such as Gower, Langland and Chaucer, exploring the various ways each uses animal imagery to convey the motives and

All lectures take place in the Jonathan Swift Lecture Theatre, Arts Building, Trinity College Dublin

actions of the rebels, and to articulate a wider political vision. Professor Dawe will talk about his latest book Of War and War’s Alarms on Tuesday, February 16. His volume presents a multifaceted study of war and revolution and their impact on the writing lives of Irish poets and novelists from WWI and the Easter Rising through the War of Independence to the Spanish Civil War, WWII and the Northern Troubles. DrEmaVyroubalova will host a lecture on the literary and cinematic afterlives of the Prague Spring on Tuesday, March 8. She

will look at how the events of one of the revolutions taking place across Europe in the 1960s – the Czechoslovak Prague Spring of 1968 – and its suppression by the Soviet army the following summerwas re-presented, re-worked, and re-imagined by writers, playwrights and film directors. On Tuesday, March 22, Chris Morash will also discuss an interesting topic on how time effected the 1916 rising. “At 12.20 noon onApril 24, 1916, the first group of volunteers stormed the General Post OfficeinDublin;inLondon, the clocks read 11:54am. From 1880 until Octoberof

1916, Ireland had its own time zone - a situation that was changed at least partly in response to the Rising.” This lecture will look at the ways in which Irish literature of the time, particularly theworks ofWBYeats signaled the sudden slipperiness of time itself. The cost to attend the entire series of lectures is €50, with individual lectures priced at €6 each. Concessionary rates for the full series will be €35 with individual lectures €5 each. A full programme and booking form is available on the OscarWilde Centre website at www.tcd.ie/ owc.

Open day at Stillorgan College of Further Education  ian begley

Stillorgan College of Further Education are hosting an Open Evening on Wednesday, January 27, from 5.30 to 7.30pm, with details on what the college has to offer on display during the event. The college offers courses in areas such as multimedia, animation, travel and tourism, journalism, media production, art, photography, business and computer skills and event management.

Stillorgan College recently developed a new course in multimedia production with games design. The interactive media and games sector has been identified as a priority area fortraining,as there is currently a skills shortage in this growth industry. Another recent addition to the list of courses is a Level 5 course in animation.This introductory course prepares students with little or no experience for a third level course in animation production.With a dual focus on drawing and computer skills, the

course will cover all the fundamental areas required fora successful portfolio submission. Students will learn to visually develop and communicate their ideas through life drawing, storyboarding, character design, background design and planning. Stillorgan College is also hosting a second Open Day on Wednesday, March 9, from 10.30am – 3.30pm. More details about the college and the courses on offer are available from the college website at www.stillorgancollege.ie.

Gazette

Learningcurve

Irish Student Summit 2016 to take place in February  ian begley

The Irish Student Summit 2016 will take place on February 4 in Dublin Castle and will have over 600 students, 40-plus start-ups, 22 workshops and powerhouse business speakers from Silicon Valley and Ireland, with speakers from Twitter, Paddy Power, Silicon Republic, Ireland AM and Humans of Dublin. One student start-up will also walk away with a €1,500 investment in their business idea. A panel of judges will narrow down applications to the 10 best applicants from the online submissions and the public will be able to vote for their favourite two on Twitter and Facebook. The final two applicants will go head-to-head in front of an audience and a panel of judges, who will

vote for the winner. Students interested in applying for this investment are asked to upload a two minute video to YouTube with their business pitch and send the linkto Fiona. omalley@usi.ie. Applicants must put ‘Student Summit 16’ in the video title before their name and ‘application’ at the end. The judges are looking for new product ideas, new business ideas or new service ideas – either at infancy or development stage. The rules of the competition state that all applicants must be second or third level students, must be the owners or founders of the company that the application is for or they must own the intellectual rights to the product idea they have. To booktickets to the Student Summit, visit www.studentsummit2016.eventbrite.ie/

Gazette

20 Gazette 21 January 2016

Learningcurve

Special interest rates for education loans at St Patrick’s Credit Union St Patrick’s Credit Union offers an education loan at a special interest rate of 6.7%APRdesigned primarily for members who have a child going to third level (it can also be used for adult learning, primary and post-primary education costs). Members can apply for approval for the full amount that will be incurred over the duration of the course (typically from one to fouryears) and then draw down the loan in various stages and amounts as and when required during this period. This gives the member peace of mind knowing

they have the financial resources to put their child/children through college, and avoids the uncertainty of having to apply for a loan each year. The credit union has offices at 22 UpperErne St (Pearse) 1a UpperOriel St (StLawrenceO’Toole)and 27/28 Herbert Place St Patricks Credit Union. See their website www.stpatrickscu.ie for opening times and more details, or contact them on Free call 1800 94 00 77. Credit union membership is determined by where you live and/or work. See their website to see if you qualify to become a member.

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stem subjects: Developing new approaches to teaching

Learning with Lego at Dublin City University  ian begley

Dublin City University is partnering with Lego Education to create an interactive learning hub that will help DCU student teachers and Irish schools develop innovative and creative approaches to teaching STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects in the classroom. The creation of the flagship Lego Education Innovation Studio (LEIS), will see the new Institute of Education at DCU’s St Patrick’s Campus, Drumcondra become the first centre of teacher education in Ireland to mainstream these innovative approaches across all its programmes. The Institute’s students will develop new approaches to teaching that can be replicated in

Dan Gilbert, IT Services , DCU and Nicola Broderick, Science Education, DCU at the DCU announcement of a flagship Lego Education Centre

schools throughout the country, igniting a passion for STEM subjects from early childhood education right through to third level. By adopting Lego’s playful learning tools,

teachers graduating from DCU Institute of Education will be fully skilled in helping schoolchildren develop Hands-on Mindson’ 21st century skills such as creative thinking, problem-solving, teamworking and communication. Professor Brian MacCraith, president of DCU and chair of the STEM Education Working Group said: “High quality STEM education is of pivotal importance to a knowledge-based society and economy such as Ireland. Our ultimate purpose at DCU Institute of Education is to inspire and develop students to think creatively, reason systematically and release the potential to shape their own future and the future of their students in turn. “This unique collaboration with Lego Education can play a key role in transforming the future of STEM learning in Ireland, helping future generations to develop

a sense of wonder about the subjects that allow us to understand, measure, design and advance our physical world.” The new studio will have the capacity to develop research projects through linkages with existing DCU research centres such as the Centre for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Teaching and Learning and to explore cross-faculty research possibilities with the faculty of Engineering and Computing. Internationally the Lego Education Innovation Studio at DCU will lead a European teacher education network to develop new teaching methods across Europe and exchange ideas and best practice. The network will include existing partners from Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland. Speaking at the announcement of the new initiative at DCU St Patrick’s Campus, Dr Deirdre Butler said: “This

flagship innovation space is a wonderful example of a smart partnership enabling the Institute of Education to be the first to mainstream the Lego Education principles across the full spectrum of teacher education. “It brings together Lego Education’s range of expressive learning materials with the Institute’s creative, innovative leaders in teaching and learning to design exciting learning environments in which our children can develop the range of skills necessary to thrive in this globally connected digital world.” Outreach activities of the Lego Education Innovation Studio will include a range of continuing professional development for teachers; opportunities for teachers to bring their classes to use the resources in-studio; open days and evenings for schools and local community groups and hosting the first Lego and Junior Lego Leagues.

21 January 2016 Gazette 21

Gazette

counselling: being on your own can be tough for students

There is always hope and help when dealing with depression

î Ž ian begley

More than 450,000 people experience some form of depression at any one time in Ireland, according to Aware, a charity helping those suffering from depression. Students and young people in general, make up a large portion of those who go through depression as many people experience the first symptoms of depression during their college years. Factors such as living away from home for the first time, dwin-

dling career options and declining living standards can leave some students feeling lost and alone. This can lead to some students feeling like there is no hope and no help for them but this is not the case. There is help available on most college campusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in Ireland and students embarking on a college course should be aware that these services are always accessible to them. For any students who may be struggling, here

is a list of helpful services you can access if you feel you need to talk: UCD Student Counselling Service is a free ser vice and is open Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm. You can call (01) 7163133 or call into the Student Health Centre in the Student Centre for more information. UCD also have a programme called Please Talk which is a voluntary organisation run by students and staff and its aim is to provide information and sup-

port to students. For more information email ucd@pleasetalk.ie Trinity College provides support, guidance and treatment options for students suffering from mental health issues through their College Health Service and their Counselling Service. To contact the College Health Centre call (01) 8961591. DCU run a Counselling and Personal Development Service which is a confidential and free service and is available to all students. For more

information, call (01) 7005165 or email counselling@dcu.ie Alternatively, there is a listening support service called Niteline that is a confidential phone service run by and for the students of DCU, NCAD, RCSI, TCD, NUIM and their affiliate colleges. Niteline is open every night during term time from 9pm to 2.30am and you can call about any problem you may be experiencing. For more information, log onto www.niteline. ie or call 1800793793.

Students and young people in general, make up a large portion of those who go through depression. Picture: Annifer Photography

Gazette

22 Gazette 21 January 2016

Learningcurve

More options in higher education The recent formation of a Regional Cluster Strategic Partnership, with DCU, Athlone Institute of Technology, Dundalk Institute of Technology and Maynooth University, is expected to provide “exciting opportunities for the development of higher education across the Midlands-East and North Dublin Region”. The creation of this cluster is in line with the HigherEducationAuthority’s Towards a Future report which sets out a vision for the higher education landscape in Ireland. The four parties to this agreement have distinctive yet complementary visions for higher educa-

tion across the region. Each organisation will continue to function independently, but will collaborate on activities that are mutually beneficial to help them achieve national educational objectives. Professor Ciaran O Cathain, president of Athlone Institute ofTechnology said: “Each of our organisations have clearly demonstrated a leadership role in our local environments. Maynooth University and Athlone Institute of Technology already have a shared history of successful collaboration on bi-lateral projects, as have DCU and Dundalk Institute of Technology.

student digs: research is key to finding accommodation

Finding a home away from home  ian begley

Searching for student accommodation in Dublin can be an arduous task with soaring rent prices and high levels of students in need of somewhere to live for the coming year. The price of accommodation is a massive factor that needs to be considered when looking for accommodation. Rent prices can range from €300 for a shared room and continue up to €700 or more for a more luxurious apartment. It is, therefore, very important to start searching for accommodation as early as possible before the start of the first semester or the closer it gets to the

beginning of the college year. It is advised to do as much research as you can online, but also to make sure to view the areas and accommodation you are considering renting in. Ask friends or family living in Dublin about what the area is like and ask them for alternative recommendations. Thoroughly check out public transport connections between the college and the accommodation Some areas can look close to the college on the map but may be difficult to reach by bus or Luas. Also, make full use of any accommodation support offered by the college or student union, as they will be able to offer practical help and advice. It is also very important to know your rights. In most cases, rent is usually payable monthly and in advance. At the beginning of a letting period, tenants are required to pay a deposit of one month’s rent which will be refunded when the lease is up or if the tenant decides to leave once the lease is up. If, however, a tenant causes any damage to the property, the landlord has the right to hold onto the deposit to fix the damage. Make sure that the landlord gives you a rent book so that tax relief on any rent paid can be reclaimed. Ask the landlord if they are registered with the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB). By law, landlords must be registered with the PRTB and if they have not registered there may be problems down the road. Don’t forget there are other ways to rent in Dublin which include on-campus accommodation, longterm student hostels and accommodation with a family. Visit www.rent.ie/ student-accommodation/ for more information on what lettings are available.

Soaring rents can leave students bewilderd but starting your search early can help

21 January 2016 Gazette 23

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24 Gazette 21 January 2016

Learningcurve

investment: budget increase will support important initiatives

‘We are at a critical time for education in Ireland’ We are at a critical time for education in Ireland. The economy is recovering, employment is increasing and tax receipts are ahead of targets. While we cannot afford to take this newfound recovery and stability for granted, those of us with a passionate interest in educationcanlookforward to increased investment over the coming years. Budget 2016 saw important investment in education. The current education budget increased by €144m. This additional expenditure allowed for important initiatives including a reduction of one point to average primary school class sizes, increasedguidancecounselling in second-level schools, the provision of 600 additional resource teachers, improvements to school leadership, ring-fenced funding forapprenticeships and some additional support for disadvantaged students at third level. The education sectorwill also benefit from €3.8bn in capital spending up to 2021. Budget 2016 was a good start in responding to the needs of the education system, but we will need to go much furtheroverthe coming years. There is,of course,a need for investment in charting a renewed vision for education in Ireland,but money is not the only lever required. We also need a commitment to reform. Overrecent years, despite the paucity of available funding, we have led a hugely significant programme of reform through all sectors of education, and

the commitment of each of the education partners to delivering that reform has been commendable. This reformwill lead to long term change in the education system. We have created greater choice in school patronage, literacy and numeracy scores have improved for the first time in a generation, school self-evaluation has been introduced and significant changes made to school inspection. The era of unqualified teachers working in our classrooms is over, and underperformance amongst teachers will be tackled with new fitness to practice hearings. We have reduced by 50% the amount spent on the inefficient renting of prefabs. We have published and funded a new digital strategy forschools thatwill transform our approaches to teaching, learning and assessment.

Measures This Government has taken several measures to expand and improve the provision of high quality early years education, including the establishment of a new educationfocused inspections of early years and the publication of the Aistear Siolta Practice Guide. Initial teacher education has been dramatically overhauled and improved, with the number of teacher training colleges already reduced from 19 to 12. We have created 16 local education and training boards to replace 33 VECs, and cre-

para control 4. Dui el euguerostrud tie vel ullaor adio conullandrem inim dolorperit lorer sed magna alis nonum el dipis non

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‘In the coming months, we will be facing the conclusion of this Government’s mandate, and our collective thoughts must turn to the choices we will face in electing the next government’

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ated SOLAS to replace the discredited FAS. Four consortia are now working towards achieving Technological University status. QQI has been created to replace four different accreditation and quality assurance bodies. Regional skills fora are being established, to deepen the links between ETBs, Higher Education

institutes and local industry. Regional clusters have been put in place to improve cooperation between HEIs, while we have started to systematically analyse the performance of each University and Institute of Technology. These are not individual, disconnected reforms, but all form part of a

system-wide programme of change that is designed to meaningfully improve educational outcomes at all levels. Through these reforms, we have four simple objectives: to improve quality and accountability; to support inclusion and diversity; to encourage learning for life; and to build the right systems and infrastructure.

In the coming months, we will be facing the conclusionofthisGovernment’s mandate, and our collective thoughts must turn to the choices we will face in electing the next government. Within education, we will face furtherchoices. We have worked to deliver ambitious but achievable reform of the education sector. Some will argue for deeper, faster reform that takes less account of the views of stakeholders. And others still will argue for the retention of much of the status quo. There will be no reenergising of the Irish state, and of our social contract,

without a commitment to education and to an ongoing renewal of education. The choices we make in the coming months will make one thing clear to all: the degree to which different parties genuinely believe that the needs of those we serve in education, from the youngest pre-school child to the retired lady who decides to return to education, should dominate our thinking. I know they dominate mine.

Jan O’Sullivan (Lab) Minister for Education and Skills

Gazette

21 January 2016 Gazette 25

dublinlife

HEALTH

FlyeFit has opened their fifth franchise on George’s Street Dublin gym chain FlyeFit has opened its fifth franchise on George’s Street. The new inner city location offers the compact FlyeFit model that has become increasingly popular in recent years. Affordable and straightforward, this is a no-frills facility that gets the job done and the affordable price of €29 a month or €32 a month for roaming membership which includes access to its other locations; Ranelagh, Baggot Street, Macken Street and Swords. The new George’s Street site fea-

tures a huge high performance area with 10 squat racks, as well as a free weight area. There’s a studio in the loft fitted with TRX equipment, a cardio zone equipped with numerous treadmills, cross trainers and rowing machines, a spin studio for spin classes and an astro floored studio for classes. Classes are included in membership and are suitable for all levels of fitness. Personal training is also available with the FlyeFit trainers separate to membership.

The bones of the body become more porous and brittle from osteoporosis

Keeping your bones strong and healthy  Susan Boland Nutritional Therapist DipIHS NTOI

Fitness Coach IETA

Osteoporosis is a degenerative disease of the skeletal system that is characterised by deterioration of bone tissue, along with a decrease in bone mass making them fragile and more likely to break and affects millions of people in Ireland. People receive hospital treatment for fragility fractures every year as a result of osteoporosis with wrist, hip and fractures of the vertebrae the most common type of breaks. However, they can also occur in other bones, such as in the arm, ribs or pelvis.

Warnings There are usually no warnings an individual has developed osteoporosis and it’s often only diagnosed when

a bone is fractured after even minor falls. Osteoporosis results from an imbalance between the ingestion and absorption of calcium into the body and its excretion. Loss of bone-building materials can occur as the body ages, and is particularly prevalent among post-menopausal women, the early stage is osteopenia. The architecture of bone requires many nutrients to maintain and restore its integrity but there are at least 20 essential vitamins and minerals that have to be obtained from food. Causes include: family history/sedentary lifestyle/decrease in oestrogen. Digestion: Poor uptake of minerals from the diet due to low acid levels in the stomach or other causes of malabsorption of food Stress: may cause low

acid levels in the stomach, high cortisol, tissue acidity and inflammation also inflammatory conditions may lead

Medication: which affects hormonal balance or bone strength such as cor ticosteroids/steroids, thyroid

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‘There are usually no warnings an individual has developed osteoporosis and it’s often only diagnosed when a bone is fractured after even minor falls’ --------------------------------------------------------

to cartilage and bone destruction Diet: An acidic diet/ high cortisol may cause calcium to be leached from the bones to restore the acid/alkaline balance. Drinks: Caffeine, sugar and carbonated (fizzy) drinks affect calcium absorption or increase calcium excretion. Social: Heavy drinking or smoking/Lack of weight bearing exercise/ Lack of sunshine

hormones, aluminum containing antacids and diuretics Drug therapies for osteoporosis include bisphosphonates, these drugs are associated with a growing list of concerns, including research that suggests a link between the use of bisphosphonates and oesophageal cancer. More inf orma tion can be obtained from my website susiebwellness.ie/.

Take the pledge and make an eye test part of your routine Research shows that sight is the sense people fear losing the most and yet most don’t consider an eye test to be a core part of their health routine. Some 21% of the population have never had a sight test at all, rising to 36% of those under the age of 35. Now, as part of Healthy Eyes Awareness Week, January 18 to 24, eye health experts are urging people to take action and commit to having regular eye exams as part of a healthy lifestyle. David Hewlett, chief executive of FODO Ireland, who represents opticians in Ireland said: “An eye exam is a vital health check which can detect a range of health conditions for which you experience no symptoms and where early detection can pre-

vent sight loss. “These conditions can only be prevented if they are detected early and the key to that are regular eye exams.” Peter Coleman, chief executive of the Assoc of Opticians in Ireland (AOI) said: “We want to remind people during the Healthy Eyes campaign that even if you think your eyesight is good, you only know for sure if you get your eyes tested regularly.” Healthy Eyes Awareness Week is a chance for people to pledge their commitment to have an eye exam and encourages a positive attitude to all aspects of eye health. As part of the campaign people are encouraged to take pictures of themselves holding the Eye Pledge leaflet and share on social media #eyepledge.

26 dundrum gazette 21 January 2016

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Planning permission is sought by Mr. Patrick Walsh to extend and re-model existing house at No. 1 Nugent Rd., Churchtown, Dublin 14. The proposal involves the replacement of existing water damaged flat roof to the rear and side of existing house and its replacement with new tiled pitched roof linked into existing pitched roof complete with 2 No Velux rooflights to the front and 10 No. rooflights to the rear and side. The new re-configured attic to contain artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s studio, connecting stairs plus bathroom. Planning permission is also sought to re-configure existing side entrance and to create an additional small one storey breakfast area and inglenook to rear. The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the Planning Authority, County Hall, Dun Laoghaire during its public opening hours. A submission/observation may be made on payment of â&#x201A;Ź20 within a period of 5 weeks from the date the application is received by the planning authority. 25897

planning Notice

planning Notice DĂ&#x161;N LAOGHAIRE RATHDOWN COUNTY COUNCIL

Permission is sought for construction of a two storey extension to the side with pitched roof and single storey extension with flat roof to the front of existing house, alterations to elevations and internal layout and all associated site development works at No.4 Bellevue, Windy Arbour, Dundrum Road, Dublin 14 by Eilish McAuliffe and Mac MacLachlan. The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the Planning Authority, County Hall, DĂşn Laoghaire during its public opening hours. A submission/observation may be made on payment of â&#x201A;Ź20 within a period of 5 weeks from the date the application is received by the planning authority.

DĂ&#x161;N LAOGHAIRE RATHDOWN COUNTY COUNCIL

We, Jill and Andrew Thorn, intend to apply for permission for development at 5 Frankfort Park, Dundrum, Dublin 14. The development will consist of the construction of a dormer window to the rear of the property, a roof light to the front and side, the provision of a new vehicular entrance and off-street parking in the front garden, and all associated site works. The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the Planning Authority, County Hall, Dun Laoghaire during its public opening hours. A submission/observation may be made on payment of â&#x201A;Ź20 within a period of 5 weeks from the date the application is received by the planning authority. 25950

25934

Got a story? Call our news team on 60 10 240 and SELECT OPTION 2 email news@dublingazette.com

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21 January 2016 dundrum gazette 27

DundrumCLASSIFIEDS roofing

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recruitment

planning Notice SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

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recruitment

Permission is sought for a construction of two storey extension to the side and single storey extension to the rear and all associated site development works. To include main roof alterations; elevations alteration; 3.no of roof lights and increasing the driveway entrance to 3.5 metres at No. 29 Butterfield Close, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14 by Seamus Daly. This application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of South Dublin County Council during its public opening hours of 9am – 4pm, Mon-Fri, and a submission or observation may be made to South Dublin County Council in writing and on payment of the prescribed fee (€20.00) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by South Dublin County Council of the application. 25954

planning Notice DÚN LAOGHAIRE RATHDOWN COUNTY COUNCIL

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Permission is sought for; Demolition of existing single-storey extension to the front, construction of new extension to front to include a Oriel window projection, mezzanine floor, internal alterations and all associated ancillary site works, at 19 Millmount Grove, Windy Arbour, Dundrum, Dublin 14, by Chris Coleman. The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the Planning Authority, County Hall, Dun-Laoghaire Rathdown Co. Co. 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. 25952

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28 gazette 21 January 2016

SPORT

FastSport

basketball: woods, painter and Mcdermott on flying form

Balbirnie’s extra training ahead of PNG contest FORMER Pembroke cricketer Andrew Balbirnie recently completed a three-day batting camp ahead of Ireland’s ICC Inter-Continental Cup fixture with Papua New Guinea. Returning to Dublin for a couple of days before flying out to Australia for that match, Balbirnie took part in the camp, which was run by assistant coach Pete Johnston with the support of team manager Chris Siddell, along with six teammates. Balbirnie spoke about the importance of the camp, especially given the time of year. “It went very well, most of us haven’t hit balls since before Christmas so to get the chance to all come together before we go on tour to hit balls, either red or white balls, is key.” The batters flew out to Brisbane to join up with the rest of the squad on Sunday, with a warm up match in Brisbane on the horizon before travelling to Townsville for the Inter Continental Cup match with Papua New Guinea on January 31.

DCU Mercy’s Sarah Woods combined for 75 points with Chelisa Painter and Aoife McDermott

DCU close in on league title  sport@dublingazette.com

DCU Mercy took a step closer to a regular season title with a 12-point win at defending champions Team Montenotte Hotel in the women’s basketball National League last weekend. Chelisa Painter, Aoife McDermott and Sarah Woods combined for 75 points in the 82-70 win. “They’re a very motivated

team right now now and moving the ball a bit better which always makes it easier,” said coach Mark Ingle. “Our sights are set on trying to win the regular season but it is all about one game at a time. We’ve found a new way to win. We’re not as fluent on offence but we’ve picked up our defence,” he continued. Mercy recovered from a 19-6 first quarter

deficit to lead by eight points at half time. Meteors kept control of a playoff spot with a gritty 58-40 win at Courtyard Liffey Celtics. In a game which failed to ignite after a low scoring opening quarter, Meagan McGuinness and Beth Meany helped push out Meteors’ lead down the stretch. Pyrobel Killester toughed out a 64-59 win over UL Huskies in Limerick. 31 points from Sarah Benedetti put Huskies on course but with Rae Contreras on form for Killester, the Dublin side overturned the 36-33 half-time score. Twenty points from Cathy Kavanagh helped understrength Maxol WIT Wildcats to a 71-56 at home to Portlaoise Panthers, but it wasn’t enough to break the Waterford side into the playoff spots. Claire Melia top scored for Panthers. On the men’s side, GCD Swords Thunder inflicted Templeogue’s first defeat of the season

in what served as a Hula Hoops Men’s National Cup final dress-rehearsal. Thunder upped their inside game in the second quarter with a 16-6 run and pushed Jason Killeen into foul trouble. Templeogue’s efforts to regain parity were further hampered by the loss of Conor Grace to a hand injury while Thunder continued to apply tough defence. Thunder Coach Dave Baker said: “When a team is unbeaten, everyone steps up to try and knock them down. Neither side played well tonight but they only beat us by a point last time out so we felt we owed them a little. We’re just concentrating on making top four at this stage.” SSE Airtricity Moycullen are up to eighth place in the table after a 76-68 win at home to Rathfarnham’s Eanna BC. American Raheem Lemons made his debut for the Galway side but it was Ronan O’Sullivan who topped out with 20 points. Eanna had the

better start and were also closing in on Moycullen in the fourth quarter before the final buzzer sounded. The visitors had Conor Gallagher, Connor Poston and Sean Gordon in double-digits. In the last game of the weekend, C&S UCC Demons beat UCD Marian 80-68 at the Mardyke Arena. With just a basket between the sides at halftime, Lehmon Colbert’s 28 points helped Demons pull clear. The win moves Demons level on points with Templeogue, albeit with an additional game played. Pyrobel Killester shook off their cup defeat in impressive style with an 84-61 win over DCU Saints. N i n e t e e n - y e a r- o l d Eoghain Kiernan was top scorer with 19 points for Brian O’Malley’s side as they built on a 48-35 lead at half time. Martins Provizors and Duane Johnson combined for 38 points on their second appearance together for DCU Saints.

21 January 2016 gazette 29

Gazette

annual awards: rcsi set to host celebration of a stellar year

Shorlist hails Dub sailors  sport@dublingazette.com

A STRONG Dublin contingent are in the running for the annual Irish Sailing Awards which will take place at the historic Royal College of Surgeons on

Thursday, February 4. The annual awards celebrate Irish achievement and success on the water, both domestically and internationally in 2015 with Rathfarnham’s Olympian Annalise Murphy among the

star attractions. Four awards will be presented on the day – The Afloat Sailor of the Year award; the Mitsubishi Motors Club of the Year award; the ISA Youth Sailor of the Year award; and the ISA

Nominees and winners from last year’s annual Irish Sailing Awards

FastSport Peas and Shels in a pod with WNL stalemate:

Howth duo Colin O’Sullivan and Douglas Elmes have been nominated for youth sailor of the year

Training Centre of the Year award. The highlight of the day is the presentation of the Afloat Sailor of the Year.

Nominees Nominees this year include John Twomey, who qualified for his 11th Paralympics in December - an Irish record; Frenchman Sidney Gavignet, who beat the round Ireland sailing speed record on his MOD 70 MusandamOman trimaran in May; and Justin Slattery, a key crew member on board the winning boat, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing in the Volvo Ocean race, viewed by many as the pinnacle of international ocean sailing.

The nominees for the Youth Sailor of the Year award were selected on the basis of medal results from world or European championships, including those with top 10 results from the year gone by. This award is dominated by Howth YC with Aoife Hopkins, Colin O’Sullivan, Ewan McMahon and Douglas Elmes with Lough Derg’s Aisling Keller and Waterford’s Geoff Power also on the list. The nominees for the ISA Training Centre of the Year award were selected on a regional basis and will receive a regional award on the day. T h e ove r a l l w i n ner will be announced

from the following list of nominees: The Royal Irish Yacht Club (Dublin – Eastern Region); F o y n e s Ya c h t C l u b (Limerick - Southern Region); and Mullingar Sailing Club (Westmeath – Western Region). The Mitsubishi Motors Club of the Year award is given to a club with sailing success at local, national and international level; and takes into account satisfaction of club members; the club’s impact in sailing development and training; the relationship with the local community, and relevant governmental and sporting bodies, both at local and national level.

PEAMOUNT United and Shelbourne Ladies LFC played out a highly entertaining 2-2 draw in the Dublin derby at Greenogue. Noelle Murray opened the scoring for Shels - rifling into the top right corner of the Peamount net on 32 minutes. The hosts were level three minutes after the restart. Amber Barrett’s shot rattled the Shelbourne crossbar and the rebound fell for Sarah McEvitt to drive into the bottom corner of Niamh Reid-Burke’s goal. The game sprung to life and Shelbourne retained their lead on 51 minutes as Siobhan Killeen unlocked the Peas defence for Sarah Rowe to find the net. High drama was left until the final minute as Barrett’s shot again rattled the woodwork and Roma McLaughlin saved a point for Peas with the equaliser meaning both sides are unbeaten in this year’s League Cup.

Brilliant Barton strike lands Premier title for Alex  sport@dublingazette.com

The Alexandra College side that won the Senior Premier League last week. Picture: Adrian Boehm

ALEISHA Barton’s extra time goal saw Alexandra College win back the Leinster schoolgirls Senior Premier League title on Tuesday afternoon at Grange Road, edging out Loreto Foxrock 1-0 in a tense final. She swept home following a superb attack via Katherine Egan and Jan Cleary on the baseline. Cleary waited superbly before picking out Barton arriving late to finish off the move with four minutes

to go in silver goal extra time. It was the only breakthrough as both goalkeepers, Caroline Nugent for Alex, Jane ConwayKenny for Foxrock, produced fine performances between the posts. Earlier on, Foxrock had slightly the better of the first half exchanges with Christina Hamill – the Leinster Under16 captain – forging the clearest of chances when she cut through one-on-one. Nugent, though, did superbly to spot the danger and slide out and make the save low

down. She subsequently was lobbed by another effort but somehow got her glove up high enough to clear the danger over the endline. Alex were somewhat subdued in the opening period, a far cry from their semi-final when their business was all but done and dusted in a 7-0 win over Loreto Beaufort. Foxrock had gritted their way through a 2-1 battle with Mount Anville and relished the contest with Ellen Curran in midfield and Hannah McLoughlin at the back dig-

ging in. Alex, though, came out strong in the second half and dominated the play, pinning Foxrock in the 23m area for long periods. McLoughlin managed to block a number of attacks down the middle before the Milltown school started moving the ball more dramatically to the left to Ava Beatty and Sophie Roopnarinesingh. They won corners but could not convert until Barton’s precious moment in silver goal extra time.

Gazette

30 DUNDRUM gazette 21 January 2016

SPORT

FastSport

soccer: ucd afc sign goalscoring legend for first division bid

De La Salle beat Wesley to Under-19 silverware

DE LA Salle Churchtown’s Under-19 A badminton team defeated Wesley College to claim the Dublin Division 2 title, emerging victorious 4-2, writes Cillian McGinnity. The sides had previously faced each other earlier in the competition and as they played to a 3-3 draw, both sides knew they had a challenge ahead of them in the final. The first match was between De La Salle’s Kai Fai Shum and Wesley’s Evan Wolfe. Shum was unable to respond to Wolfe’s clever variety of smashes and drop shots and was defeated 30-10. Neil Angel replied for De La Salle when he claimed victory over Owen Clarke in a hardfought match, winning 30-19. Churchtown’s Michael Fitzgerald renewed his rivalry with Sean O’Callaghan after losing a close match to him earlier in the season. Fitzgerald was on form and dominated the match throughout. Despite a late rally by O’Callaghan, Fitzgerald was able to close out the match 30-22 to claim a vital lead for De La Salle going into the final singles match. Stephen Tian played Wesley’s Cameron Ruttle in a tight contest but Tian utilised the space on the court well to emerge victorious 30-17. With the score at 3-1 in De La Salle’s favour, Wesley desperately needed to win the first doubles’ match as Wesley’s Wolfe and Ruttle played against Angel and Shum. However, the De La Salle duo played with extraordinary ruthlessness and precision to counter their well-placed smashes. De La Salle triumphed 30-22 to bring the score to an unassailable 4-1 lead, claiming the Division 2 title at the same time. Fitzgerald and Tian played their doubles’ against Clarke and O’Callaghan, and Wesley, playing for nothing but pride, managed to defeat the duo 30-14 but De La Salle had already won with the final score being 4-2. The match was closely contested and both sides move into the Leinster finals with both having realistic ambitions of claiming the title. The De La Salle Under-19B team, captained by Cillian McGinnity, lost their Division 3 Semifinal against High School who went on to win the trophy. The De La Salle Under-16As, captained by Eoin Fitzsimon’s side, won their quarter final against Gonzaga and will play either Sandford Park or High School in the semi-final.

Jason Byrne says breaking the League of Ireland goalscoring record is very much the objective

Record in sight for Byrne sport@dublingazette.com

UCD AFC unveiled a trio of exciting new signings for their 2016 League of Ireland First Division campaign with Jason Byrne, Brian Shortall and Cathal Brady all joining the club while Collie O’Neill has also revealed Gary O’Neill will be his new captain for the year ahead. Having missed out on promotion last season in the playoffs against Finn Harps, Collie O’Neill has managed to retain the majority of his young squad, particularly with Ryan Swan and Dylan Watts both signing new

two year deals last July. He will also look to add some more experience to it with negotiations on-going with some new and existing players. Speaking about the year ahead, O’Neill said: “I’m really excited with the new signings, for the coming season we’ll have a good blend of youth and experience” League of Ireland legend Byrne joins from Bohemian and he has set his sights on breaking the League of Ireland goal scoring record as well as helping the club back to the Premier Division. He says the clear moti-

antrim 10k DSDAC produce fine runs at international race dsdac enjoyed a strong series of results

at the Antrim international 10k last weekend at Greenmount with 20-year-old Killian Mooney the first Irish man home in a field featuring six Kenyans. The club’s Under-17 boys were successful at the event, winning team gold while the junior men also had a good race, finishing second. Other results saw the Under-17 girls in second; the Under-15 girls third; the Under-15 boys fourth and the Under-13 girls, pictured, third.

vation is to bang in the goals. “That’s the objective [breaking the record], but if I can get the goals and we can get promoted back to the Premier Division then that would be fantastic.” And O’Neill is delighted to have him on board, saying he will be able to strike a great partnership with Swan. “Jason impressed me when I met him before Christmas; the whole conversation was about football, he just loves his football and loves to score goals. We almost signed him during the summer transferwindow

last season but for one reason or another we just couldn’t complete the transfer. “He has great presence in the dressing room, he’s a top quality pro and I’m drooling with the thoughts with maybe seeing a sorcerer and the apprentice partnership in Byrne and Swan.” Cathal Brady has joined UCD for the new season and O’Neill is delighted to finally get his man after trying to sign him on numerous occasions. “In all of the previous clubs I’ve been with, we’ve tried to sign Cathal so after 10 years of trying

to sign him I’m delighted to finally have him on board, because of his great attacking qualities he is one of those players that would always occupy some of my pre match talks when he was playing against us.” Brian Shortall moved to the club for a second spell after spending last season with Athlone Town. In his previous spell with the club, he played a massive part in winning the First Division in 2009 when he named in the PFAI First Division Team of the Year, and will be hoping for more of the same for the coming season.

21 January 2016 DUNDRUM gazette 31

Gazette

Interprovincials

FastGAA

Local student on hand to launch Leinster side st colmcille’s cc, Knocklyon student

Beth Molloy, right, was on hand to help launch the post-primary schools interprovincial tournament along with Finbarr O’Driscoll (President Leinster LGFA) and Niamh O’Neill from Castleknock CC. A Leinster selection will take on the other provinces in a tournament on January 23 in Kinnegad.

Picture: GAApics.com.

football: gavin’s side struggle in semi-final

Ryan sets hurlers on course before injury PAUL Ryan, pictured, added 1-2 to his early season scoring while Ballyboden St Enda’s club mate Niall McMorrow also weighed in with 0-3 as Dublin’s hurlers continued their encouraging early season form. They beat Laois 2-20 to 1-9 in Sunday’s Bord na Mona Walsh Cup round three encounter at O’Moore Park, Portlaoise, helping them progress as group winners and will face Galway in next Sunday’s semi-final at Parnell Park (2pm). Ryan started in fine form only to be replaced by McMorrow in the 29th minute due to injury. Gary Maguire also started in goal while Dotsy O’Callaghan came off the bench midway through the second half. Laois settled slightly the quicker and led 0-3 to 0-2 after five minutes but never held the lead once Dublin got in front. A seventh minute goal from Fiontan MacGibb put Dublin in front before the hosts gained parity in the 18th minute when Tadhg Dowling rattled the net. With 10 minutes to go in the opening half Ryan struck a penalty to the net and, by the break, the Dubs were 2-12 to 1-7 in front and looking good. Dublin continued to hold the upperhand and could have won by more but for some fine goalkeeping by Eoin Reilly with the impressive Eamonn Dillon denied on a couple of occasions.

Paul Schutte, Sinead Goldrick, Johnny Cooper and Ali Twomey launching Dublin’s 2016 season. Picture: Ramsey Cardy

Longford bring Dubs trophy run to an end

o’byrne cup semi Longford 1-12 Dublin 0-9  james hendicott sport@dublingazette.com

TEMPLEOGUE Synge Street man Niall Scully was in action again for the county over the weekend, putting in a solid performance as he continues his pre-season push for a regular role with the Dubs during 2016. Dublin were well below their emphatic best in Pearse Park as the home side outfought the All Ireland champions, claiming a place in the final with a

1-12 to 0-9 win. Longford’s victor y came as still more of a surprise given the relatively familiar look of the boys in blue, with Jim Gavin giving several of last season’s regulars their first run out of the 2016 pre-season. On the day, Longford always looked slightly on top, a few days after their boss Denis Connerton described the current Dublin crop as “some of the best players of all time”. The third-division side led 0-7 to 0-4 after a turgid first half, with the capital side out-scrapped

in front of a noisy home crowd, with Dean Rock and Johnny Cooper falling short of their usual standards, and Con O’Callaghan failing to build on an impressive showing last time out. On his return to the side, Stephen Cluxton’s distribution was shy of his normal high standards. There were promising moments in the second half, however, as a more fluid Dublin asserted themselves to close within a point, with Rock finding his rhythm and scoring three points in quick succession to make it a single point game with a

few minutes left. Longford were not to be denied, however, with Liam Connerton’s only score of the game – a well-taken goal – rallying the home side. Longford outscored the Dubs in the closing minutes to pull away, and earn a shot at a first O’Byrne Cup title since 2000. Last time Dublin faced Longford, their margin of victory was a breathtaking 27 points. This time, Dublin are left to nurse their wounds and look ahead to the league season opener, at home to Kerry at Croke Park a week on Saturday.

Club Noticeboard wanderers

THERE was no lotto winner. Num-

matches on Saturday morning.

bers drawn were 8, 24 and 34; €25

Nursery training for boys and girls

to Stephen Gallagher, Crina, Christy

aged four to seven on Saturdays at

Mangan, Ronnie Hayden. The jackpot

11am in Ballyroan Boys school.

next week is €2,200.

Girls football training for ages nine

Men’s training continues this Tues-

to 13 will take place each Saturday

day at 7.30pm. All new players of all

at Rockbrook Park School on the all

standards very welcome and should

weather pitch at 12 noon.

contact Stephen on 086 048 9379 for more details. If you are interested in joining the

All levels welcome. For further information, call Fergal on 087 6213142.

ladies team this year, please contact

If you would like a match report or

Louise O’Loughlin on 086 8333587; all

photos submitted to the website or

new members welcome.

press, please contact pro@wander-

Juvenile football and hurling con-

ersgaa.ie. All items for the club notes

tinues for boys and girls aged seven

must be submitted by 10am each

to 12 with midweek training and

Monday to pro@wanderersgaa.ie.

GazetteSPORT all of your dundrum sports coverage from page 28-31

january 21-27, 2016

shooting the lights out: target in sight: UCD sign legendary striker with Dublin clubs make big moves League of Ireland scoring record in his crosshair P30 in basketball leagues P28

Irish crest of a Wave Republic of Ireland’s Meabh De Burca and Savannah McCarthy. Picture: David Maher/Sportsfile

South Dublin club well represented in Republic of Ireland’s panel bound for the US for a series of high quality matches against world leaders

 Nathan kelly

sport@dublingazette.com

UCD Waves provide a strong contingent to the Republic of Ireland’s women’s national team as they jetted off stateside for a couple of glamorous friendly fixtures later on this week. Sue Ronan’s side made the trip across the Atlantic on Tuesday with current Waves Aine O’Gorman, Karen Duggan and Julie Ann Russell all onboard. Those current UCD stars are joined on the senior international panel by former club-mate Savannah McCarthy. The 18-year-old defender spent a season with UCD before departing for Galway for

the current campaign due to the extensive travel playing in Dublin. She is the current captain of the Irish Under-19 team and will be looking to impress in the games against World Champions USA on Saturday in San Diego and the USA Under23 side on Monday in Los Angeles. Having come through the ranks and playing regularly in the Continental Women’s National League, most of the squad are well known to the exciting teenager which has helped her settle with the squad. “I have a played with a lot of them at some stage or another so that has certainly helped because we all get on so well together,” McCarthy, who earned her first senior call-up to the

squad that faced Spain last November, said. “It was a great experience being around the older girls,” she said of her time around the senior squad in that Euro 2017 qualifier. “It was great for me to see what it was about and I enjoyed it, especially when I was named on the bench for the game. “That was a great feeling. I was surprised to get the call but it was a great chance to come in and show Sue [Ronan] that I am capable of playing at this level.” Being given the chance to test herself against the world champions is one that McCarthy is looking to seize and aid her development. “It’s going to be a great experience. They are

the world champions, a team full of famous players and it is great to be playing them in front of a big crowd in a big stadium. “It will be a good test for us and it also gives you a taste of what the big games are like which will help us in the future.” Following the announcement of her travelling squad last week, Ireland boss Sue Ronan spoke of the importance of these trips for the players. “Normally we go to La Manga at this time of the year for a Winter Training Camp but it is great to get the opportunity to play against the world champions and also have time to take advantage of the mild climate and get some good work done on the training pitch.”