Dublin Gazette: Fingal Edition

DublinGazette DECEMBER 13-19, 2018

DUBLINMAGAZINE: ’Tis the season for endless pantos and carols – and we have some of the best festive features PAGE 17

Fingal Edition FREE

THE LATEST NEWS & SPORT FROM THE FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL AREA

DublinGazette DECEMBER 13-19, 2018

DUBLINMAGAZINE: ’Tis the season for endless pantos and carols – and we have some of the best festive features PAGE 17

Fingal Edition FREE

THE LATEST NEWS & SPORT FROM THE FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL AREA

Education SWORDS parents are being urged to have their say on the patronage of two new primary schools for the area, to be established in 2019.

Fingal TD Alan Farrell is urging parents to have their say, helping to ensure that the schools are delivered to meet the needs of the area for many years to come.

SEE PAGE 6

SPORT

SWIMMING: Aer

Lingus’ swimmers soared at the Irish short course championships in Lisburn with a spate of medals SEE P37

PICK UP PRETTY PORTMARNOCK PICS: Deputy Darragh O’Brien (FF) was on hand with Portmarnock Intergrated Arch Club figures Sinead McGowan, Adrienne Ryan and Andrew Nolan Chairman to officially launch its 2019 Portmarnock calendar. All proceeds will go directly to the Arch Club, with the calendar featuring stunning images of Portmarnock taken by local photographer Alison O’Hanlon. Buy your copy for €10 from Sinead at the Arch Club.

panto-RIFFIC

WE ROUND UP SOME OF THE BEST FAMILY SHOWS IN TOWN P16

Dog owners staging sit-in protest at park Fury as FCC fences off off-leash area

SYLVIA POWNALL

Find us on Keep reading, keep recycling – thank you

DOG owners are staging a sit-in protest for the fifth day in a row at a Swords park over the council’s decision to fence off an area for off-leash activity.

Members of Fingal Dog Owners’ Group

(DOG) are barking mad over the move which they claim was supposed to be on hold pending discussions next week.

The group wants Fingal County Council to reverse a byelaw governing public parks and open spaces which restricts off-leash dog walking to designated areas.

Spokesperson Ciara Deery told Dublin Gazette: “We were due to meet with the council next Monday December 17, and then they went ahead and put up fencing.

“The gardai were called but we’re not moving. We feel this new law is restrictive and discriminatory and is causing great stress to law-abiding citizens.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

A g’day for Mens Shed members

TALENTED members of a Balbriggan Men’s Shed group hopped to it to put their skills to the test – with some handcrafted kangaroos they made now gracing the Australian embassy’s Christmash bash.

Their six white ’roos are pulling Santa’s slight at the embassy in Killiney, with the embassador no doubt left feeling Oz-static because of the great work by the men.

The woodwork is just one more feather in the cap for the Men’s Shed, which continues to go from strength to strength in the area.

SEE PAGE 5

4 DUBLIN GAZETTE  FINGAL 13 December 2018

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RESIDENTS HIGHLIGHT FEARS, IMPACT ON AREA

‘Don’t close the R121 by our quiet estate’  SYLVIA POWNALL

spownall@dublingazette.com

RESIDENTS who fear heavy traffic through their estate will put children’s lives at risk are urging their local authority not to close the R121 in Dublin 15.

Fingal County Council is proposing to close the road although the newlyintroduced 40E bus route has a stop on it to serve commuters living in Hollystown.

Residents of Hollywoodrath estate say the closure will force heavy traffic through the ir

Hollywoodrath residents are calling on the R121 by their estate to be kept open. Picture: Google Maps

estate, which does not have the infrastructure to cope with the influx.

The council has started a public consultation pro-

cess with plans on display at Blanchardstown Civic Offices until December 28, and submissions invited until January 11.

To date, there have been 46 submissions, with just four in favour and the rest against closing the road. The matter will come back before area councillors for consideration early in the New Year.

One objector warned: “There are kids aged between two and ten years that play around the estate. There is already a need for speed ramps and traffic-calming measures.”

Several more agreed and pointed out that the area had been crying out for a direct bus link for more than a decade. The 40E linking Tyrrelstown and Hollystown with the Luas terminus at Broombridge is described as a “vital link”.

Another objector points out that the road provides easy access to the back roads, making it easier to navigate north Dublin especially during peak hours.

Yet another notes: “The closure of that road will further isolate the community of Hollystown from the shops, schools and facilities in Tyrrelstown.”

Meanwhile, those in favour say the R121 is a dangerous road with blind spots and sharp corners and there is a dual carriageway providing local access to Tyrrelstown which adds just minutes to the journey.

In previous local area plans the council stated its intention to make the road a cul-de-sac and incorporate it with Hollywoodrath. However, the estate has not yet been taken in charge.

Cllr Tania Doyle (Ind) urged local residents to have their say on the issue. She told Dublin Gazette: “It is always about what the majority of residents want and what is clearly in the public interest and benefit.”

FASTNews

Bob Dowling (third-left) with Fine Gael colleagues and supporters

FG is backing Bob Dowling for ward FINE Gael local area representative Bob Dowling has been selected by the party to contest the local elections in 2019 in the newly-formed Donabate, Rush and Lusk ward.

He got the nod at a selection convention earlier this month which heard that he was just 27 votes short of winning a seat in the Swords ward in the last local elections.

The candidate stated he was anticipating a positive campaign over the coming months and that he has already received a lot of public support.

He added: “It is incredibly heartening to have received such support from people all across the new ward, in Donabate, Rush and Lusk.

“I believe people want to see change, they want to see a hardworking person in the council, not only someone who turns up for ribbon-cutting ceremonies, but a councillor who will always prioritise the needs of the people.”

Outlining key issues, he said he would continue to fight for infrastructure to be put in place to support development, alongside proper planning and schools.

Alleged assault in Malahide GARDAI are investigating an alleged sexual assault on a woman by a taxi driver in Malahide at the weekend.

The woman in her 30s had been picked up by a registered taxi from the Main Street in Malahide after socialising in the area and was heading in the Swords direction.

The taxi driver allegedly sexually assaulted the woman in the car shortly after midnight when they were alone in the car, shortly after dropping off the other passengers.

Earlier this week, gardai confirmed investigations into the incident are ongoing but no arrests have been made.

A Garda spokesperson said: “We are investigating a report of an alleged sexual assault on December 2 at 12.30am.”

Join D15’s last toasts of the year

DUBLIN 15 Toastmasters will hold its last meeting of the year on Wednesday, December 19 in St Mochta’s Parish Pastoral Centre, Porterstown at 7.45pm.

Three of the four speeches scheduled will be given by new members – a first speech, second speech and a wedding speech.

A humorous speech will be given by an experienced Toastmaster.

Besides that, there will be jokes, poetry, and table-topics with mince pies and festive refreshments provided at the interval. All are welcome and there is no charge for one or two meetings so that you can see how you will benefit.

The meetings are open to all adults and you do not need an invitation. Just come along on the night, of for further information contact Tony at 086 822 1274.

13 December 2018 FINGAL  DUBLIN GAZETTE 5

ASDFDFD PETS

Dog-owner group slam council on off-leash area access CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 Fingal DOG protested outside the November meeting of Fingal County Council and has launched on online petition which has more than 5,000 signatures.

Members with mobility issues have expressed concerns about the suitability and accessibility of the proposed designated off-leash areas, which represent just 1.4% of park space.

The area which was fenced off in recent days in the Ward River Valley park in Swords runs between two bridges, without access to trees, and access is on a slope.

Fingal DOG argues that the new byelaws are unfair to both dogs and their owners because “it prevents them from providing adequate exercise for their dogs while alienating them on a social level from other park users”.

It claims dog parks have been proven by experts to be a dangerous environment for both owners and dogs forced to walk in close proximity.

The group has received messages of support from ISPCA chief executive Dr Andrew Kelly and a number of animal welfare experts including TV vet Pete Wedderburn.

The local authority adopted the new byelaws after an extensive public consultation process.

There were a large number of submissions voicing concern, in particular from dog walkers who use Ardgillan demesne in Balbriggan.

A spokesperson for Fingal County Council told Dublin Gazette: “Following local observations the matter was revisited by the area committee in October and a decision on two new areas within the park was made. The council is now implementing that decision.”

BALBRIGGAN: LOCALS’ HAND-CRAFTED ’ROOS HOP OVER TO OZ EMBASSY BASH

What a g’day to be part of Men’s Shed SYLVIA POWNALL

IT’S not exactly a short hop from Balbriggan to the Australian Embassy in Killiney, but the two are forever linked thanks to the skills of the local Men’s Shed.

Members crafted six white boomers (kangaroos, to you and me) for the embassy to pull Santa’s sleigh and their impressive efforts were handed over last week.

The Balbriggan shedders proved they were no pouch potatoes or wallabies in the creative department, designing a template

for the one-metre-high kangaroos.

Spokesman Sean Corrigan told Dublin Gazette: “It took us about three weeks to do the work, from the template to cutting them out to sanding and painting them.

“They are going to be at the ambassador’s residence this week for a Christmas party, so it’s the first thing guests will see.

Then they will go on display in the embassy.”

The Balbriggan group first met with Australian ambassador His Excellency Richard Andrews in September, 2017 when

they were chosen by the national association to receive a visit from Australia’s Governor General.

The movement was founded in Australia and there are currently more than 1,000 Men’s Sheds Down Under – though Ireland now has upwards of 400 of them.

Sean said: “We have 18 members and our target is 40. We have approval for a €17,000 grant from Fingal County Council to build an additional shed.

“The plan is we will have a work space and another to eat and socialise and hold classes. Anything you

‘If you love your kids - don’t give a quad bike or scrambler’ TWO Dublin councils have joined forces to highlight the dangers quad bikes and scramblers pose to children and to urge parents not to gift them this Christmas.

The campaign by Fingal and South Dublin County Councils supports the initiative by the Road Safety Authority, which includes an advert featuring motocross rider Stuart Edmonds. The advert outlines the correct environment, and care to be taken when riding these vehicles, and will be shown in cinemas throughout Fingal and South Dublin.

This message is strongly supported by An Garda Siochana and Motor Cycling Ireland.

Unless the bike has been registered, taxed, insured and brought up to the correct standard it is illegal for it to be used on the public road. It is illegal to use these bikes in public parks and open spaces.

Three of the four people who died in Ireland as a result of an incident involving a quad bike or scrambler were aged 18 or under, in the period 2014 to 2017, according to provisional statistics published by The Road Safety Authority (RSA).

The casualty figures also show that between 2014 and 2017, there were 39 people killed or injured in collisions involving a quadbike or scrambler on a public road. Some 16 of these (or 41%) were 18 years of age or under.

The painstaking work to hand-craft kangaroos paid off for the dedicated members of the Balbriggan Men’s Shed group. Pictures: Martin Fanning

can think of we’ll be doing – computers, basket weaving, the lot. I’m glad I’m retired so I can fit it all in!”

The Balbriggan Men’s Shed has crafted a Buddy Bench for each primary school in the town and built wooden planters for the Tidy Towns group.

Projects in the pipeline include an allotment and

greenhouse as well as working closely with the parish and local voluntary organisations.

Sean said: “It’s great craic, and the best thing is you get to meet other people. There are members who live less than 100 metres from me but I never knew them until I joined.

“One of the biggest prob-

lems right now is loneliness. Some of the lads have nobody at home, but the kettle is always on here and the only skill you need to join is to be able to drink a cup of tea.”

Balbriggan Men’s Shed meets three times a week at the back of St Peter and Paul’s Church. New members always welcome.

6 DUBLIN GAZETTE  FINGAL 13 December 2018

SAFETY: CALL FOR ACTION TO SAFEGUARD WEST DUBLIN SCHOOLS

‘Gardai needed now as reckless motorists endangering children’ Glamour and glitz to help people with CF CELEBRITIES and fashionistas were out in force for the The Julian Benson CF Foundation Winter Wonderland Ball at the Clayton Hotel recently, which drew some of Fingal’s finest into town to help support the cause.

Rory Cowan and Anette Carroll (above) were some of the stylish faces spotted at the event.

GARDA enforcement is needed outside schools in west Dublin to safeguard children in the path of reckless motorists, it’s been claimed.

Solidarity Cllr Sandra Kavanagh called for action to tackle “the dangerous and irresponsible parking” outside St Philip’s School in Mountview, Dublin 15.

She also called for measures to be put in place along the Shelerin Road

“to address the very serious health and safety concerns for both pupils and crossing wardens”.

Cllr Kavanagh told an Area Meeting of Fingal County Council: “At the crossing, the warden would say that cars come up and go around her because they get fed up waiting.

“They are stopping on double yellow lines halfway up on the path. I can see an accident happening because there is just complete and utter disregard for road markings.”

Council officials said the area around the entrance to the school has all the necessary road markings including yel-

“

If people could park on the school wardens, they would. It’s utterly frustrating. low box junctions, school crossing markings and double yellow lines.

The local authority recently upgraded the school warden crossing on Shelerin Road as part of the 2018 programme of works.

A report indicated that gardai have powers of enforcement which do not require statutory signage or road markings.

Cllr Paul Donnelly (SF) said there was little more

the council could do since it had installed plastic bollards along the road for some distance on either side of the school.

He added: “I find it astonishing that people are going to park in an area that will put children in danger. It’s pretty much every school you pass.

“If they could park on the school wardens, they would. It’s utterly frustrating.”

Have your say on two new schools’ patronage

SWORDS parents are being asked to express

their preference for the patronage of two new primary schools to be established in 2019.

The schools serving Swords north and Swords south are due to come on stream next September and Fine Gael TD Alan Farrell is urging parents to have their say.

He said: “I encourage parents of children who will be starting school in the next five years to engage with the process. This is your opportunity to make your views known and help to shape the education of the future.

“This system has been developed to provide objective information to all parents and guardians which will allow them to make an informed choice in expressing a preference for a patronage model and language of instruction for their child’s education.”

The patronage process for new schools is overseen by the independent New Schools Establishment Group (NSEG) which was set up in 2011 to advise the Department.

Inviting input in relation to 12 new schools nationwide Education Minister Joe McHugh said: “We are fortunate in Ireland to have a growing population. However, this growth puts pressure on our public services. If we are to have a world class education and training system, we must ensure that we adequately prepare for this future need by planning necessary modern school facilities now.”

Parents are invited to express their patronage preferences using the Department’s new Online Patronage Process System (OPPS) website at https://patronage.education.gov.ie.

The process will run until January 15, 2019.

CINEMA, PAGE 24

The Golden Globes: Few surprises as nominations for January revealed



SYLVIA POWNALL

Cllr Tania Doyle (Ind) said gardai should be more present in the area and Cllr Howard Mahony agreed, suggesting community gardai could monitor the situation.

Solidarity Cllr Matt Waine said he had witnessed wardens who challenged people parking illegally being “verbally abused and threatened”.

He called for gardai to take a month-long action outside the school and issue fines.

Officials agreed that the problem now seemed to be “universal” and the behaviour of parents needs to change. The council will raise the issue with An Garda Siochana.

An arresting book praised AN TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar has hailed a book by Lusk photographer Mark Condren as “not just a book, but almost a work of art”.

The Fine Gael leader was describing NYPD, a photo book which depicts 24 hours in the life of a New York city cop and took two years to complete.

Mr Condren was given unprecedented access to the police force in the Big Apple. At the launch he described the experience as “really fast-paced”.

Mr Varadkar said Mr Condren has “an artist’s eye” when it comes to capturing the humanity of a given moment.

13 December 2018 FINGAL  DUBLIN GAZETTE 7

8 DUBLIN GAZETTE  FINGAL 13 December 2018

GALLERIES OF THE WEEK

Ella and Ava Kane

Catherine, Kevin and Finn Lawlor. Pictures: Alison O’Hanlon

Cousins Layla and Niamh Daly

Paidraig O’Dea, Pat Keane and Dermot McCarthy Chairman St Francis Hospice

A night to remember

S

T Francis Hospice Blanchardstown hosted their Tree of Life ceremony last week to remember those they have cared for over the years. During the service the lights of the Hospice Christmas Tree were turned on to remember all those cared for both past and present.

Josephine O’Connor, Anita Cheevers and Jennifer O’Connor

Jimmy and Celine Doyle with Detta Sharky

Scott, Heidi, Deirdre and Cahill Timmon

13 December 2018 FINGAL  DUBLIN GAZETTE 9

CASTLEKNOCK: TAOISEACH CONFIRMS SIX-ACRE SITE BEING ACQUIRED FOR CLOSE TO €20M

Deal struck on purchase of site for Edmund Rice Trust School THE Department of Education has struck a deal on the purchase of a site for the new Edmund Rice Trust school in Castleknock.

Confirming the agreement, An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said a six-acre site close to St Brigid’s GAA on the former Phoenix Park racecourse was being acquired.

The Fine Gael leader revealed that the site would cost close to €20 million to purchase and service.

Mr Varadkar added: “Currently, there is no non-fee paying school in Castleknock, east of the M50, an area which has a rising population due to new housing developments.

“Other secondary schools such as

Castleknock Community College and St Vincent’s College Castleknock are over-subscribed.”

The next steps involve legal transfer of the land and planning permission.

Fine Gael Dail candidate Emer Currie also welcomed the news. She told Dublin Gazette: “I’m delighted the Department of Education is proceed-

ing with the purchase of this large six-acre site easily accessible by kids in the vicinity of Castleknock village, which is what parents wanted.

“This news is a huge relief to parents who have been struggling with oversubscribed school places affecting the entire Carpenterstown and Castleknock area.

“The site is the old Phoenix Park Racecourse, but it’s been zoned for housing for many years now.

“So it’s a good catch, as there are very few sites available in Castleknock that would fit a state-of-the-art school.

“Hopefully, we can move swiftly to the next stage of planning.”

Fingal’s bright young sparks test their knowledge THESE bright young sparks were among the children from third class in Tyrrelstown Educate Together National School and St Luke’s National School, Dublin 15, who took part in the annual Big Sports Quiz in Blanchardstown Library recently.

Authors Alan Nolan and Rod Smith were the quizmasters on the day in Blanchardstown Library, with the teams answering questions on their books and on the ‘Sporting Facts’ workbook from the Sports Office, which looks at the physical, social and mental benefits of sport.

Lots of kids took part in the quiz, the culmination of a programme run by Fingal County Council’s Sports Office and Fingal Libraries, which promotes children’s literacy and encourages them to be physically active.

Donabate bridge widening works terminated by FCC SYLVIA POWNALL

ROAD widening works at Donabate railway bridge have ground to a halt after Fingal County Council terminated the contract for the Hearse Road upgrade.

The local authority has parted ways with Tilbury Construction and now intends to retender for the project, which is unlikely to resume before next March.

The council’s director of planning and strategic infrastructure, AnnMarie Farrelly, apologised for the inconvenience the delay will cause, adding that the project “continues to be a key priority”.

Funding for the road upgrade, which forms part of the planning conditions attached to the construction of the National Forensic Hospital, has yet to be transferred to Fingal County Council from the HSE. Supporting Proper Development in Donabate (SPDD) expressed out-

rage over the latest set-back and said residents had been assured that a contractual issue that arose had been rectified and works would be completed by March.

A spokesperson for SPDD said the traffic situation for residents on the peninsula was intolerable, with long tailbacks now a regular feature at rush hours, adding: “It is unacceptable that the area is under such strain at a time when the council is granting permission for so many construction projects.”

Cllr Adrian Henchy (FF) said while he was “extremely disappointed” to hear the council had taken the “drastic decision” to axe the contract, it came as no surprise.

He told Dublin Gazette: “The contractor was supposed to have commenced these works in June with a completion date of August.

“This was pushed out month by month and I understand in recent months the contractor gave a defi-

nite commitment to start works in October.

“However, little to no progress has been made and in fact, the one day we did see activity on site, this brought utter chaos to the village.”

Regrettable decision Cllr Henchy said although the council’s decision was regrettable, he fully supported it, though he would have preferred the move sooner rather than later.

He said it was his understanding that no monies had been transferred to the contractor.

Cllr Henchy added: “If anybody deserves the anger of the local community it is the Government and An Bord Pleanala for the monumental catastrophic decision of granting permission for the construction of the National Forensic Hospital in 2015, without the distributor road or a construction bypass road being put in place first.”

10 DUBLIN GAZETTE  FINGAL 13 December 2018

DONABATE: GO AHEAD TAKES OVER DUBLIN BUS ROUTE

FASTNews

Skype not a suitable tool for psychiatric care, blasts SF SKYPE calls cannot replace real clinics in mental health, a Fingal TD has warned.

Sinn Fein health spokesperson Louise O’Reilly has slammed claims made by Minister of State for Health Jim Daly that psychiatrist vacancies in child and adolescent services can be dealt with by phone.

She said: “Telemedicine can supplement direct in-person healthcare but it has major drawbacks and is not the solution to Ireland’s problems. It is not a replacement.

“Minister Daly cannot seriously be

claiming that in a country with serious broadband problems that children in need of psychiatric care can be treated with Skype calls.

“In Fingal, there is almost a twoyear waiting list for mental health services, with areas of Oldtown, Balscadden and The Bower in Balbriggan without broadband provision.”

Deputy O’Reilly pointed out that telemedicine was developed for isolated areas in developing countries, adding: “It is not the solution to the issues facing our mental health services in Fingal.”

At the end of one chapter for Donabate’s long history with the 33B. (Above left) Cllr Adrian Henchy with 33B driver Zoltan at the end of its last Dublin Bus run, and (above) with Go Ahead driver Kris, as the 33B switches.

Fond farewells as 33B switches SYLVIA POWNALL

TRIBUTES have been paid to Dublin Bus workers for their service to commuters in Donabate and Portrane as the 33B route switches over to private operator Go Ahead.

Cllr Adrian Henchy (FF) decided to capture the changeover as a little piece of local history unfolded on the peninsula by chatting to the last driver to complete the route, and name-checking some of those who went before him.

He said: “Like most people living in Portrane Donabate of my generation and above, the 33B was an essential mode of transport and on a regular basis got us to school, to Donabate, the train, Swords and the city centre.

“At 11pm on Saturday night, December 1, the last Dublin Bus 33B left the Burrow, Portrane for Swords so I took the opportunity to thank Dublin Bus and its driver for the wonderful public transport

service they have provided.”

Dublin Bus took over the route in 1987 from CIE, which had been operating it as far back as the 1940s.

Cllr Henchy said: “Last night’s final service was driven by a gentleman by the name of Zoltan, originally from Hungary, who has made Ireland his home over the past 10 years.

“This prompted me to carry out an exercise with my own father to remember as many of the former drivers/conductors that operated the 33B over the decades as we could.

Many of them sadly have gone before us.”

The list of conductors includes Sean McGee (1950s), Mick Neary (1960s), Sean Foley (1960s-80s), Sean Cronin (60s-80s) Oliver Bentley (60s-80s) and Tommy Groves (50s and 60s).

The list of drivers includes Bill Rafter (50s-70s), Larry Boylan (50s, 60s), Jimmy O’Hara (50s-70s), Willie Hoey (60s-80s), Mick Savage

(60s-80s), Frank Marry (60s-80s), Tom Channing (80s, 90s), Hughie Sheridan (70s-90s) and Jack Nulty (80s/90s).

Cllr Henchy revealed: “My own personal memories growing up in Portrane are of drivers Mick Savage, Frank Marry and Hughie Sheridan – three lovely men who knew everyone and would, if they could, pick you up and drop you to your house.

“On Sunday, December 2, I once again made my way down to the Burrow, Portrane to welcome and give my very best wishes to Go Ahead and its first driver of the 33B, Kris, who departed at the exact scheduled time of 09.07am.

“The notable change is that it’s now a single decker bus from the double decker we are all familiar with from Dublin Bus.” Dublin Bus have not severed their ties to the peninsula as they continue to operate the daily 33D service to the city centre via the Port Tunnel.

GAA clubs could win a €2,500 prize GAA clubs across Fingal are in with a chance of winning one of six €2,500 prizes for environmental initiatives.

Fingal County Council is holding a competition for clubs which introduce environmentally-sustainable measures for waste management, water or energy use.

Mentoring will be provided to assist the six winning clubs to achieve the targets set and the scheme aims to

raise awareness of how communities can act together to tackle climate change.

Entrants can find the application form at http://www. fingal.ie/environment/campaigns/gaaclubcompetition/ and return it to gaa.comp@fingal.ie or hand-deliver or post to the Swords or Blanchardstown main council offices before the deadline of 4.30pm, on January 11.

13 December 2018 FINGAL  DUBLIN GAZETTE 11

12 DUBLIN GAZETTE  FINGAL 13 December 2018

SF SLAM UNFULFILLED 2017 PLEDGE

Still no bin subsidy for sick residents SYLVIA POWNALL

Official launch event for the 2019 Portmarnock Calendar DARRAGH O’Brien TD was on hand with Sinead McGowan Hon Treasurer, Adrienne Ryan Hon Secretary and Andrew Nolan Chairman (pictured) at the Portmarnock Intergrated Arch Club on Sunday to officially launch their 2019 Portmarnock Calendar. All proceeds

from the calender will go directly to the Arch Club. With stunning images of Portmarnock taken by local photographer Alison O’Hanlon it makes the perfect gift for family and friends abroad or as a stocking filler. You can buy your copy for just €10 from Sinead at the Arch Club.

VULNERABLE Fingal re s i d e n t s w h o we re promised a €75 support to subsidise bin charges 18 months ago are still waiting for the payment, it has emerged.

Sinn Fein Cllr Malachy Quinn said the Government has failed those living with medical incontinence by failing to make good on its June 2017 pledge.

At the time, Minister Denis Naughten said an annual support of €75 would be introduced under the new scheme for those with long-term medical incontinence.

The grant was promised in tandem with the new waste collection charges as pay-by-weight will impact heavily on

those who use incontinence products.

Cllr Quinn said: “The annual support is yet to be introduced. This has left those who have seen increases in their waste collection charges without any financial support to meet these increased costs because of their medical condition.”

New charges The Balbriggan-based Cllr said he was contacted by residents who have specific health issues that were affected by the new waste management charges.

He a d d e d : “ I wa s informed that arrangements were due to be finalised at the end of 2017 to address this.

Clearly difficulties arose and instead of doing

anything to assist those who would suffer financially without the waiver, the Government stayed silent.”

Data protection issues are the cause of the delay according to the Government but this has not gone down well with the Opposition.

Cllr Quinn said Sinn Fein had proposed a bin charge support of €100 for households in receipt of incontinence supplies in its alternative budget this year, He questioned if they had made the announcement “before ensuring that such a waiver was possible to introduce in the first place”, adding: “As a result, some of our most vulnerable citizens and families in Fingal are left to suffer.”

13 December 2018 FINGAL  DUBLIN GAZETTE 13

Check out Richard’s top award THE Dublin branch of the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) hosted its annual Branch Employee of the Year awards recently.Richard Tolan (right), Grand Hotel, Malahide received a special merit award for his contribution to the hotel and in appreciation of the positive impact he has made to the tourism industry in Dublin. Richard is pictured with the IHF President, Michael Lennon, and chair of the Dublin branch, Peter Collins.

COURTS : 2014 MALAHIDE INCIDENT ENDS IN CONVICTION

Unanimous verdict on tiger kidnapping A MAN who took part in a tiger kidnapping in which a postmistress, her daughter and a visiting student were abducted from their Malahide home has been convicted.

Paschal Kelly (53) had pleaded not guilty at the Circuit Criminal Court to trespass and false imprisonment of An Post worker Susan Lawlor, her daughter Emma Carter and Italian student Gabriella Saisa.

One of the women said the incident in which they were taken from their home at Seabury Drive in Malahide on September 25, 2014 “felt like a horror

movie”.

Kelly, of Cootehill, Co Cavan, had denied robbing Ms Lawlor of cash at Bayside Post Office and threatening to kill all three women at an unknown location.

But after a nine-week trial, a jury of seven men and five women returned unanimous guilty verdicts on all charges relating to the €90,000 tiger kidnapping.

Judge Karen O’Connor remanded Kelly in custody ahead of sentencing in January.

The women described being abducted by two masked and armed intrud-

ers in the early hours of the morning and driven to various locations before the post office raid.

Two men broke into the home, tied the women’s hands with cable ties and bundled them all into Ms Lawlor’s Nissan Qashqai.

“freaked” and asked: ‘Who the **** is ringing you at this hour of the morning?’”

She said that this raider, who she called ‘Number 1’, had initially come into her room after breaking in and had demanded to know if she had made a call.

They were later joined by a third raider at a field in an unknown location.

On the way to this field, Ms Lawlor told the jury her phone rang in her handbag. She said the driver

She denied doing so but told the jury that she had managed to ring a special ‘tiger raid hotline number issued by An Post.

“I feared for my life because the Number 1 guy

“

The women described being abducted by two masked, armed intruders

kept saying he was going to shoot me if I’d made the call,” Ms Lawlor testified.

Ms Carter said it had “felt like a horror movie,” while Ms Saisa said she had felt nauseous on the car journey and thought the men were going to kill her.

Ms Lawlor said raider ‘Number 1’ beat and threatened her when she told them the post office safe was on a timer.

She described how she spat in the back seat of the car and plucked one of her hairs on the journey, adding: “If I died, I wanted gardai to know I’d been in the car.”

Man followed female shoppers to film up skirts

A MAN who followed two female shoppers to film up their skirts has been convicted of harassment.

Philip Brown (46) pursued two women around a pharmacy in Blanchardstown while he took the secret footage.

He later told gardai he wanted to see the women’s underwear, not anything explicit, and denied the charges.

The defendant, with an address at Warrenstown Walk in Blanchardstown, was found guilty of two counts of harassment at Boots Pharmacy in Blanchardstown Shopping Centre on July 1 and July 3, 2015.

Both women were unaware they’d been targeted until they were contacted by gardai.

The court heard Brown was caught by an eagle-eyed security guard who reported the matter to detectives.

The first victim gave evidence she was browsing in Boots on July 1. She was wearing an orange t-shirt and a short denim skirt.

The woman in her 30s said she was unaware of anything until Detective Garda Mark Ferris contacted her and showed her some CCTV footage.

In it, the man was following her and holding his mobile phone down, and “holding the cam-

era at an angle where he could view under my skirt”.

The second victim was shopping with her two young children on July 3, 2015. CCTV footage showed her standing in the aisle looking at sunglasses and “he’s [Brown] lower than me and his mobile phone is recording under my dress”.

The woman said the defendant’s behaviour was “quite disgusting”, and now when she takes her little girl shopping, she doesn’t want her to wear a dress.

Judge David McHugh adjourned sentencing for the preparation of victim impact reports.

FASTNews

A Wright good way to help a sick mum THE Wright Venue at Airside in Swords is hosting a fundraiser for a young mother who is battling cervical cancer.

The Saving Yana event takes place on December 16 from 6pm and 100% of the proceeds will go towards Yana Navarene’s treatment.

The 42-year-old, who is originally from Russia but has lived in Balbriggan for the past 12 years, is a single mother to 15-year-old Vincent (both above).

Her next line of treatment involves Pembro, the same drug used to treat Vicky Phelan, which is not available through the HSE and costs €6,000 per round.

Next Sunday’s event will feature stilt walkers and fire eaters as well as a make-up masterclass, fashion show, spot prizes and a charity auction.

The dress code is cocktail and the theme is glitz and glam. Tickets, priced €20, can be purchased at Natasha Beauty Therapy Swords, ZavadeniE night club, Sunrise Beauty Bay in Blanchardstown, and online at https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/savingyana-tickets-52992965386.

Minister Innovative opens room scheme for at school jobseekers THE EDUCATION Minister visited St Mary’s Secondary School in Baldoyle recently to officially open its new meditation room.

The room is the result of a very generous donation from the O’Brien Trust and the school extends its gratitude to the Very Rev Msgr Daniel O’Connor from the Archdiocese of Dublin for supporting the initiative.

The meditation room forms part of a strategic plan to improve the facilities for the wellbeing of students.

It was designed with specific needs in mind and incorporates research on sensory room design initiatives.

Deputy principal John Moore said: “We are delighted that our sensory grass floor, calming forestry decal, mood lighting and bespoke seating, has been a great success.Our next stage is the installation of an integrated sound system and overhead projector.”

AN INNOVATIVE scheme aimed at bringing longterm jobseekers in Fingal closer to employment was launched last week.

One Step Closer provides training in skills areas where there is employment, such as the construction of the new North Runway at Dublin Airport, as well as assistance in housing and advice on social supports.

The initiative, which is coordinated by Empower, the North Runway Construction Project and the Department of Employment Affairs, was officially launched at a Meet the Contractor event in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dublin Airport.

Up to 300 jobs will be created with the construction of the new 3.1km runway, and according to Empower, this presents a strong opportunity for local job-seekers.

Further information about Empower and the One Step Closer programme is available at www.empower.ie.

14 DUBLIN GAZETTE  FINGAL 13 December 2018

GALLERIES OF THE WEEK

Aoife and Alan Mangan with Declan Walsh

Unice, Neemia and Louis Hepes with firefighters Declan Walsh and Paul Stanley. Pictures: Alison O’Hanlon

Reaching the D summit in aid of Debra Ireland

UBLIN Fire Brigades Recruit Class climbed the height of Mount Everest in aid of Debra Ireland in Blanchardstown Centre last week. The recruits continuously climbed a 100 foot turntable ladder at Blanchardstown Shopping Centre until they had scaled the 29,000 feet of the world’s highest mountain.

Alan Walsh, Andrew Connolly, Christopher Parkes, Stephen McBride and Alan McCarthy

13 December 2018 FINGAL  DUBLIN GAZETTE 15

GALLERIES OF THE WEEK

Niamh Carroll and Paula Kelly

Tina Lavin and Mayor Cllr Anthony Lavin

Prosper Fingal’s 40th Anniversary P

ROSPER Fingal, the North Dublin intellectual disability organisation celebrated their 40th anniversary with a Gala Evening at Roganstown House Hotel, Swords on Friday, 30th November last. The evening was a great success and was attended by many supporters of the company, which has grown from very humble beginnings to become a leading service provider to adults with an intellectual disability.

Nuala Ui Dhuill and Vivienne O’Herlihy

Ray Murphy and Kay Delaney

Ciaran Nolan, Michelle Conway and Sinead Farnan

Fiona Reen, Terri Dowling and Mary Murphy. Pictures: Alison O’Hanlon Asdf asfd sdaf dasf dsaf dsaasdfasfafasfsdafsafasfasdfasdff dsaf sdaf sd

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16 DUBLIN GAZETTE 13 December 2018

LOVE YOUR DUBLIN: THE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE BEST SHOWS TO TAKE IN THIS CHRISTMAS

GIANTS, SNOW QUEENS AND DAMES, OH MY - IT COULD ONLY BE PANTO TIME AGAIN WITH DUBLIN’S FAMILY SHOWS

DUBLIN MADE EASY T

AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT CHRISTMAS PANTOS (OH YES IT IS)

IS the season to be jolly when Dublin families hit the theatres for their annual dose of panto.

Almost everyone who grew up in Dublin will remember the buzz of being brought to the Christmas panto and seeing crazy characters in outrageous costumes, dancing and singing and joking while the audience interacts with them.

Theatre snobs may look down on the time honoured panto but it is the first taste of theatre for many people, and brings great joy and pleasure when done well.

As an artform, pantomime can trace its roots back to the ancient Romans, but it was the Victorians who created the form of panto we know and love today by taking fairy tales and retelling them in a humorous way.

Well-performed pantomime can be brilliant, creating a special bond between performers and the audience. Here’s our verdict on three of the best Christmas pantos in Dublin...

THE CIVIC THEATRE

THE HELIX

THE GAIETY

HIGHLIGHT: Its impressive kid cast dancers

HIGHLIGHT: A brilliant fundraiser for sick kids

HIGHLIGHT: Guaranteed to wow

THE Civic’s panto in the heart of Tallaght this year is the ever hilarious Jack & The Beanstalk, a spectacular treat for the whole family.

Its cast includes YouTube sensation Enya Martin (Giz A Laugh) as the hilarious ‘Instafairy’, Sorcha Furlong as the evil Baroness (best known as Orla in Fair City), Morgan Crowley as Dame Dottie (a West End veteran and EastEnders actor).

Jack & The Beanstalk is now running until January 6 with two performances daily including seven schools’ shows and a sensory-friendly performance. A family ticket costs €55 with free parking in The Civic car park from 4pm; contact the Box Office at 01 462 7477

AT DCU, Robin Hood opened in the Helix at the end of last month, impressing audiences with all its usual wit, magic and fun.

Once again produced by TheatreworX Productions, the cast includes Ireland’s premier tenor Paul Byrom as the Sheriff of Nottingham, Chris Corroon as Dame Lola, Ciara Mackey as Maid Marion and Gavin Ryan as Robin Hood.

Best of all, 100% of the proceeds from this show will go directly to Temple Street Childrens University Hospital – last year’s panto raised €12,000!

Robin Hood runs until January 20 and tickets are €19.50. Call the Box Office at 01 700 7000.

LAST but definitely not least, The Gaiety has really outdone itself this year, as The Snow Queen is one of the coolest and funniest pantos in Dublin this Christmas.

Hosting Christmas pantos each year since 1873, The Gaiety is an old hand at staging superb shows, with this year’s stellar cast included West End star Louise Bowden as the Snow Queen, Nicholas Grennell as Jack Frost and Joe Conlan as a hilarious Panto Dame.

Tickets are on sale from €19.50 (including booking fee) from Ticketmaster outlets and the Box Office; see www.gaietytheatre.ie and www.ticketmaster.ie.

13 December 2018 DUBLIN GAZETTE 17

MAGAZINE

DUBLIN

DINO SHOW SURE TO BE A ROARING HIT... P24

LOOK AHEAD TO WHAT’S ON TV FOR CHRISTMAS P25

Make it Malta for Christmas P26

LET DUBLIN GAZETTE NEWSPAPERS TAKE YOU ON A TOUR OF THE NEWS AND EVENTS ACROSS THE CITY AND COUNTY

PANTOMINE CAST VISIT KIDS AT TEMPLE STREET CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL THERE was a magical surprise at Temple Street Children’s University Hospital recently, when the cast of The Helix Pantomime, Robin Hood arrived in character to spread some Christmas cheer this festive season among the young patients, families and staff.

Pictured are Jack Farrell meeting with Ciara Mackey as Maid Marion and Gavin Ryan as Robin Hood. Picture: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

18 DUBLIN GAZETTE 13 December 2018

FOOD&DRINK BUSINESS | IS IT TIME RESTAURANTS STARTED CHARGING DEPOSITS?

Think of the damage your careless ‘no-show’ can do REBECCA RYAN

ONE Dublin restauranteur who had a huge no-show at his restaurant on a usually busy Friday night recently has reignited the debate over whether restaurants should take deposits for bookings.

Social media posts went into a frenzy on November 30 when the owner of Michael’s in Mount Merrion, Gaz Smith, tweeted to say that he was “gutted” when 14 people failed to show up for their booking.

Gaz said: “We’ve just had a group of 14 cancel last minute for our early sitting, absolute nightmare. Nearly half of the restaurant. If anybody would like a last-minute table early this evening, we’d love to have you.

“I feel like I’m going to vomit, so gutted”, added the small restaurant’s owner.

It was not long before people got behind Gaz online to vent their disgust at the incident, and thankfully the “phone hopped” and the seats were filled.

One person even offered to make a donation to the restaurant.

Michael’s, Mount Merrion

Commenting on the kind gesture, Gaz said: “I’m not going to dwell on noshows tonight, not after your support, and look at this email – what a lovely, lovely gesture.”

Speaking to Dublin Gazette, Gaz said he was grateful for the support of the community and people online.

He said: “We were lucky to be able to turn last Friday night around, but that was due to lots of goodwill from locals and Twitter.

“The neighbourhood of Mount Merrion descended upon us as they have done in the past when the storm

hit us. We are so lucky to have been welcomed within the community here. It was very heart-warming!”

Gaz said that when people fail to show up for a booking it is a big hit for his restaurant and it makes him “nauseous”.

He said: “We’ve had a couple of cases recently of groups either cancelling very last minute or simply not turning up; this hurts us so badly.

“Losing a big group in a small suburban restaurant with barely any footfall means trying to fill those spaces last minute is a problem and having empty

tables on what should be a busy night has enormous ramifications, and can skew the [profit] margins for the month.”

Gaz added that it is getting to the point where he might have to take deposits.

“My hospitable side doesn’t want our first interaction with a guest to be asking for credit cards.

“However, a small independent like us can’t absorb the losses, and we will have to look into taking credit card deposits for larger groups.

“We hear stories of larger groups booking parties

at four or even five places, and then they decide on the day which one they all prefer. The thought of that makes me nauseous.

“I would love to live in a world where we don’t need to demand deposits, but it’s getting to the point that we’re left with no choice.”

He added: “Please, please, please don’t double-book; please call us if there are significant number changes or if you can’t make it. We really depend on it.”

The incident reignited the debate of should deposits be taken when booking a table in a restaurant, with social media posts jumping straight in to the debate.

One person wrote: “Enough is enough. Restaurants have to start taking a non-refundable deposit. This is people’s livelihoods we are talking about.”

Another pointed out that other industries suffer as a result of no-shows: “Deposits should become mandatory in the industry. [No-shows] will keep happening unless all restaurants come together to tackle it.”

Delight at fresh win for gourmet chain

Lorraine Heskin, Gourmet Food Parlour, Skerries

A RESTAURANT in Skerries has won big at the Fingal Business Excellence and CSR Awards..

The newly opened Gourmet Food Parlour branch won an award for Best Presented Business Premises, which recognised both the interior and exterior of the premises as well as the presentation of staff friendliness, quality of food and general ambience.

Owner Lorraine created GFP 12 years ago with the inspiration to serve a funky style of food, using simple, locally-sourced ingredients whilst serving it all

in a fun, relaxed way.

GFP locations include Dun Laoghaire, Swords, Skerries and Malahide, as well as a catering and events division.

Commenting on the win, GFP managing director Lorraine said: “Myself and the whole GFP team are extremely proud to win this award, especially as it’s for our new restaurant.

“I am so thankful to all the people in Skerries for their warm welcome and continued support.”

For further information on the eaterie, see gourmetfoodparlour.com.

Mince Pies to delight anyone KILKENNY, the home of Irish craft and design, is well-known for its Christmas offerings and one in particular – its signature mince pies.

From December 1 each year, Kilkenny sell on average more than 1,700 mince pies per week during the festive period.

The mince pies are made completely from scratch using Kilkenny Cafe chef Lynn Meehan’s family recipe, that has been passed down through the generations.

Preparation of the 100kgs of minced meat takes place in August as it takes four months for the mince to marinade in the premium ingredients, which includes 16 litres of Hennessy brandy.

Here we share with you Lynn’s recipe for marvellous Mince Pies.

Step 1: Make the pastry • 1kg plain flour • 175g sugar • Pinch of salt • 2 eggs • 500g butter • Zest of 2 oranges • Juice of 2 oranges Step 2:

• Evenly roll out the

pastry, cut out disks and place them into a lined pastry tin

Step 3: Kilkenny’s special minced meat • Fruit mix • 250g raisins • 100g mixed peel • 100g sultanas • 100g diced apple • 50g dried cherries chopped • 100g dried apricots

chopped

• 200g brown sugar • 200ml orange juice

freshly squeezed and strained • 250ml brandy (we recommend Hennessy) Step 4:

• Fill the pastry with a generous scoop

Step 5: Make the frangipane mix • 450g ground almonds • 350g icing sugar • 250g butter • 5 eggs Step 6:

• Pipe and spread the frangipane and bake for 20-25 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 160°C

13 December 2018 DUBLIN GAZETTE 19

FEATURES PEOPLE | LONG-TERM HOST DEFENDS THE CONTROVERSIAL PROPERTY-SHARING BUSINESS

‘Airbnb has helped us meet the world’ RACHEL D’ARCY

EARLIER this year, the Government proposed legislation aimed at tackling short-term rental site Airbnb in a bid to tackle the housing crisis.

The rental giant has become one of the focal points of the worsening crisis, with many slamming individuals who own entire homes solely to rent out on Airbnb.

However, a majority of the individuals who rent on Airbnb in Ireland let out rooms in their own family homes and rely upon the app to cover costs such as mortgages, school fees, bills and more.

“We’re hoping the new rules won’t have any impact on us as we rent out of the family home,” Danielle Vierling, an Airbnb renter in the Portobello area of the city, told Dublin Gazette.

“I got involved about five years ago, and at the time it was financially motivated as a lot of costs

in Dublin were quite high, so that was our incentive first of all.

“In the end, that’s what keeps us doing it – it’s the connection with people doing it.

“If it was just financial and you didn’t enjoy the

who’ve stayed with us – it makes you believe in the goodness of the world, and makes the world feel smaller, and that’s why we love doing it.

“People are sick and tired of staying in hotels; they want a human connection.

“We want to interact, we want to have friendly exchanges with our visitors, and some people want that over a hotel, which can be quite impersonal,” she added.

Danielle said that they’ve hosted people from all walks of life Airbnb host Danielle Vierling – from people visiting Ireland on holiday, people part, it wouldn’t be business people, to famiappropriate because we lies attending weddings, rent out part of the family sometimes even other home and we have chil- Irish people visiting the dren, and we don’t want capital. to just let anyone into the She said it’s a flexhouse. ible way for the family “As it turns out, the to make supplementary people have been abso- income, something that lutely fabulous. It really she’s concerned will be improves your view of the threatened under any community and the world new regulations. because there’s amazDanielle and her faming, interesting people ily rent out a basement

Danielle defended her Airbnb listing (above), citing it as a way not only to get some financial support, but to meet people from all over the world and all walks of life

apartment accessed through the home and a room in the house on a regular basis, turning to the service as a way of making extra income and for meeting new people.

She said: “I love the dif-

ferent people you get to meet through Airbnb.

“A lot of people that stay with us have told me that they choose Airbnb for a more personable experience, rather than a hotel where you might

not have a lot of personal contact.

“From a community standpoint, I really enjoy it. Airbnb is kind of a community building thing for me. I’ve lived in the area for eight years, I know all

the local businesses, and the businesses appreciate that I’m referring them all the time.

“The people who’ve stayed with us say they enjoy that local connection as well.”

20 DUBLIN GAZETTE 13 December 2018

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WHAT AN ICE LOOK: Bryan Dobson, Cystic Fibrosis ambassador joined Helen Somerville, SPAR marketing manager and Fergal Smyth, fundraising manager, Cystic Fibrosis Ireland at the launch of Christmas Jumper Day 4CF, supported by SPAR, with the trio creating a suitably colouful sight.

Taking place this Friday, December 14, companies are being asked to encourage their staff to wear their best Christmas jumper to work on the day – for a donation of €5, which will be sent to support Cystic Fibrosis Ireland’s work.

As Ireland has the highest rates of CF in the world, and some of the most severe types of the disease, Christmas Jumper Day 4CF promises to be a fun and festive way to help people with the disease. For further information, see www.cfireland.ie, or email fundraising@cfireland.ie.

CELEBRATING BOWIE A crafty way to have CALLING all Bowie fans – the Dublin Bowie Festival will celebrate 50 years of the original Space Oddity, with the festival’s programme aiming to encapsulate the profound influence and inspiration that Bowie had on both popular culture and art.

Topped by a heavyweight line-up of live music, the festival also includes movie and documentary screenings, Q&As, debates and discussions, literary events, fashion, fine art, merchandise markets, a quiz, karaoke and more.

Venues include the National Concert Hall, The Grand Social, The Olympia Theatre, The Academy, Ebow Gallery, The Lighthouse Cinema and many other creative spaces, all coming together to pay respects to one of the most important figures in our cultural history.

The festival runs from January 7-13, with tickets and more information available from dublinbowiefestival.ie/events.

fun and save money

LET your inner artist out and save money this Christmas by making your own cards at A Very Grainstore Christmas.

The Grainstore, dlr’s Youth Art facility in Cabinteely Park is sharing a little seasonal joy this Sunday, December 16.

There will be Christmas craft workshops for families with artist Tunde Toth where you can design and create your own cards and

decorations.

There will also be parent and children music workshops, a drop-in iPad workshop for young people, and a feast of music from some of the Grainstore’s groups.

The event starts at noon and is for children aged over five (children must be accompanied by adults).

For bookings, search eventbrite for A Very Grainstore Christmas, or email grainstoremanager@dlrcoco.ie.

13 December 2018 DUBLIN GAZETTE 21

SOME OF THE LATEST EVENTS TAKING PLACE IN DUBLIN

DIARY

Picture: Naoise Culhane

Vive Les Miserables

DOG OF THE WEEK

MUSICAL lovers are in for a treat as Les Misérables is now on at the the Bord Gais Theatre, until January 12.

Originally based on Victor Hugo’s classic novel, Le Misérables was turned into a musical by Alain Boubil with songs composed by

Claude-Michel Schönberg.

Cameron Mackintosh has produced a brilliant new staging of Les Mis that has travelled from Broadway to a number of cities around the United States, South America, Korea, Japan, Australia, Spain, France

and now Dublin, featuring classic songs such as, I Dreamed a Dream, On My Own, and Do You Hear the People Sing?

Tickets are priced from €26 to €74.50, and are available on the Bord Gais Website now.

DUBLIN Gazette Newspapers has teamed up with Dogs Trust to help find homes for lost and abandoned dogs. Sheeba is a five-year old Pointer crossbreed which would make a wonderful addition to most families. She is a sweet, friendly dog which will try to say hello to everyone she meets on her walks. Since she doesn’t yet know how to greet people in a polite manner, she will require some impulse-control training. Sheeba is an active Pointer and will need plenty of exercise on a regular basis to keep her body and mind in good shape.

She would be best suited to a family that spends a good bit of time at home, as she struggles when left alone for longer periods of time.

If you have room in your heart and home for Sheeba then please contact Dogs Trust on 01 879 1000.

They are based in Finglas, just off exit 5 on the M50.

Map and directions can be found on their website www.dogstrust.ie. You can also find them on Facebook www.facebook.com/dogstrustirelandonline or Twitter @DogsTrust_IE. (Remember: Always have your dog on a lead when in public.)

JOIN THE NYE PARTY CELEBRATE the final moments of 2018 with a bang under a canopy of sparks as the Liffey Lights Midnight Moment signals the end of 2018 and the arrival of the New Year.

This dazzling spectacle will be performed against the backdrop of the Custom House and features a thrilling choreography of lasers and aqua beams, with DJS and percussionists.

Tickets are also on sale now for the 3Countdown Concert at Custom House Quay.

Platinum-selling artist Gavin James will headline the 3Countdown Concert with special guests Hudson Taylor, Wild Youth and Inhaler.

Tickets – which include entry to the Liffey Lights Midnight Moment event – are priced €29.90, includ-

ing booking fee, and are on sale now from Ticketmaster outlets nationwide and ticketmaster.ie.

For additional information on all other NYF Dublin events, see www.

NYFDublin.com.

Keep up to date with news about all upcoming events by using the hashtag #NYFDublin and following @NYFDublin on Twitter and Instagram.

Red-dy to help others? IADT FILM STUDENT WINS THE iconic Coca-Cola’s Christmas Truck is coming to Tallaght, marking the last chance to catch the truck this year as it completes a nationwide journey.

It’ll be pulling in to The Square in Tallaght this Sunday, December 16 as part of its eighth annual road trip, with all proceeds from the sale of merchandise to be donated to St Vincent De

WARNER BROS SCHOLARSHIP

Paul. Look out for the unmistakeable truck at The Square from 2-8pm on Sunday.

WARNER BROS. IRELAND has awarded a scholarship to Sarah Ahern, an MA Screenwriting student at the National Film School at Dublin’s Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology.

The Warner Bros. Creative Talent scholarship will, over the

course of a year, provide Sarah with funding support and ashort, paid placement at Warner Bros.

Ireland’s Dublin offices, as well as access to screenings and mentoring supportfrom Warner Bros. executives in the country.

Previous Warner Bros. Crea-

tive Talent scholars, Allyn Quigley, Miriam Devitt, and Daniel Kelly, have gone on to enjoy success in TV and film.

Sarah is is currently the Projects Manager & Programmer at Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival (VMDIFF).

22 DUBLIN GAZETTE 13 December 2018

GALLERIES OF THE WEEK

Jane Hayes and Evelyn Walsh

Marie Jackson and Emma Cassidy

Sinead and Rhoda McDonagh Models Caoimhe O’Dwyer, Ursula Kelly and Kerri Nicole Blanc. Pictures: Brian McEvoy

Denise and Geraldine Ashe

Breast Cancer Ireland hosts Christmas lunch O

Louise O’Regan and Amy Dunne

Laura Bowe and Orla Bleahen

VER 170 glamorous guests enjoyed the style and fashion at this year’s Breast Cancer Ireland Christmas Lunch in Marco Pierre White Courtyard Restaurant. The lunch kicked off with a champagne reception on arrival, followed by a 3-course lunch with a selection of wine.

The luncheon raised vital funds for Breast Cancer Ireland.

Juliette O Connell,Adrienne McCleen and Rachel Fitzgerald Feeley

Shoshanna Hayden, Aisling Sproul and Clodagh Holmes

13 December 2018 DUBLIN GAZETTE 23

WHAT’S BIG IN MUSIC, CINEMA, TV AND BOOKS

ENTERTAINMENT GOINGOUTOUT GOING

PICKWEEK OF THE

DECEMBER 17, 18

Christy Moore @ Vicar Street, SOLD OUT Christy seems to have been around since the Vikings popped over, but his sold-out gigs at Vicar Street show that his popularity hasn’t fallen back (unlike those Vikings, the lightweights). You’re in for a treat if you nabbed a ticket, with a great Christy gig guaranteed.

DECEMBER 13 (THURSDAY)

Dino show sure to be a roaring hit with Dubs THE BBC series Walking With Dinosaurs was surreal at times. Beautifully computer-generated and based on the best guesses of palaeontologists on dinosaur behaviour, it brought monolithic beasts to life in a way that had never truly been attempted before.

The series examined likely behaviours, and set dinosaurs in the environment they would have explored, recreating the battles and struggles that could have formed part of their lives, and topped it all off with some Attenborough-light commentary from Kenneth Branagh.

What a screen can’t do, however, is give a sense of imposing scale and physical melodrama whilst shooting through 200 million years of earth’s history.

The Arena Spectacular version of Walking With Dinosaurs has been tour-

 JAMES HENDICOTT

ing since 2007, undergoing several iterations and improvements along the way, and is aimed at more than just fans of the TV series.

We grabbed a preview of the show when it landed in Belfast earlier this year, and found Michaela Strachan, an iconic nature TV presenter, in charge of the storytelling aspect of the drama.

Strachan is the sole human ‘character’, and plays the role of a palaeontologist heading back in time, uncovering the progression of dinosaurs through history, and explaining a little of their existence as the life-sized beasts roam the stage before your eyes.

Her commentary

comes across as authentically wondrous, and she heavily interacts, leaping around the arena in her rimmed hat as she dodges dinosaurs’ interest, or hiding behind rocks to give whispered commentary as youngsters emerge delicately from eggs.

It’s the lumbering mechanical side of the show that’s the main draw, however, and it is startlingly impressive, drawing gasps as the bigger animals emerge onto the stage from behind the curtains that hide them.

The dinosaurs span the eras, and you’ll meet familiar favourites in the Stegosaurus and the T-rex, the Iguanodon and the Allosaurus, as well as some lesser known beasts.

All are true to scale, with some of the slowmoving herbivores stretching towards the rafters, while the more

rapid carnivores are imposing and aggressive.

There are tiny hatching eggs, battles over food, and interaction with a fast-changing territory, before the late-era beasts meet a dramatic end.

The larger dinosaurs move on wheels, set on large bases that ‘walk’ their legs in broad, sweeping movements. They strut, seemingly independently, across the ground.

At times they’re surrounded by a plethora of detailed small dinosaurs played by actors, who are able to leap and frolic at higher speeds.

The whole thing sounds like it should provide a few minutes of entertainment at most, but it runs deeper.

It’s brilliantly scripted, has eked out a plotline that’s a good mix of entertaining and educational, and wows with both its detail and its scale. Overall, the concept far out

does the various other dinosaur shows that have toured recently.

You could dismiss something like this as a kid’s show, and it certainly does hold a lot of appeal for children fixated with ancient lumbering lizards.

What impressed us most is that it’s also surprisingly strong on the more grown-up entertainment: there’s light comedy, a nice flow to the storyline, and the scale and detail of the dinosaurs is really quite impressive.

Not your typical Christmas entertainment, perhaps, but a genuinely memorable show with lots of educational detail, and a chunky, imaginative roar into the holiday season.

Walking With Dinosaurs runs for six shows at the 3Arena right before Christmas, on December 21, 22 and 23. Tickets start at €38.50.

YG @ The Olympia, €23 Ham Sandwich @ Whelan’s, SOLD OUT Ryan McMullan @ The Academy, €20 Siomha @ Whelan’s Upstairs, €12

DECEMBER 14 (FRIDAY) Ham Sandwich @ Whelan’s, €23 Local heroes play their annual Christmas shows at Whelan’s, guaranteed to be messy, melodic and wonderfully boisterous. Get in before they sell out.

2FM Xmas Ball - Hozier, Walking On Cars, Keywesy, Chasing Abbey @ 3Arena, SOLD OUT Greatest Hits of Motown @ Vicar Street, €39 Gypsies On The Autobahn @ Whelan’s Upstairs, €12

DECEMBER 15 (SATURDAY) Hozier @ The Olympia, SOLD OUT Ham Sandwich @ Whelan’s, €23 The Blades @ The Academy, €30 The Academic @ Vicar Street, SOLD OUT Bleeding Heart Pigeons @ Whelan’s Upstairs, €12

DECEMBER 16 (SUNDAY) The Academic @ Vicar Street, SOLD OUT Josh Groban @ 3Arena, €70 Hozier @ The Olympia, SOLD OUT Jerry Fish @ Whelan’s, €22 Rob Bochnik @Whelan’s Upstairs, €12

DECEMBER 17 (MONDAY) Flogging Molly @ The Academy, €32 Hudson Taylor @ Whelan’s, SOLD OUT Hozier @ The Olympia, SOLD OUT Christy Moore @ Vicar Street, SOLD OUT

DECEMBER 18 (TUESDAY) Christy Moore @ Vicar Street, SOLD OUT Hudson Taylor @ Whelan’s, SOLD OUT Denzel Curry @ The Academy, €23 The Ruby Sessions @ Doyle’s, €7

DECEMBER 19 (WEDNESDAY) Glen Hansard @ Vicar Street, SOLD OUT Ash @ The Academy, €27 Northern Irish pop rockers bring the feel-good factor to The Academy, in a show sure to stoke the 90s nostalgia as well as explore some of the band’s newer efforts Hudson Taylor @ Whelan’s, SOLD OUT Amistat @ Whelan’s Upstairs, €15

24 DUBLIN GAZETTE 13 December 2018

StillShowing...

ROBIN HOOD

Doesn’t hit the mark HERE comes the 347th attempt to make a good film about everybody’s favourite bad boy from Merrye Englande, Robin Hood (Cert 12A, 116 mins). Unfortunately, the end result is a fast-paced, kinetic mess, which turns Nottingham into some kind of mining-crazy industrial hell hole, Jame Foxx into an exposition-heavy Moor, and Taron Egerton into a Robin that it’s hard to root for. At least the film poster is lovely, though not the film.

THE GRINCH

Needs more humbugs WHAT can you say about The Grinch (Cert G, 90 mins) that’s never been said before? This animation looks to flesh out Dr Seuss’s most famous creation a little bit, without deviating much from the original, admittedly slight tale. The end result is a handsome looking film that should entertain small children, but will leave older minds as bored as the Grinch contemplating the annoyingly nice and happy citizens of Whoville below.

FANTASTIC BEASTS 2 Lacks a little magic

GOOD luck to everyone insisting on saying the full title of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (Cert 12A, 134 mins). It’s another dive back into some Potter-ish magic goings-on as the wizarding world again threatens the moral realm, building on the lore of the first film. It’s okay, but lacking the true magic of the Harry Potter films, despite the best efforts of its likeable cast.

Powerful performances abound in the Best Film – Drama nominations, including A Star is Born, Black Panther and Bohemian Rhapsody

Few surprises in Globes nods WHILE next year’s Oscars may have tripped on the red carpet with its choice of host (see panel below), the nominations for the upcoming Golden Globes in January passed by much more smoothly.

There were few surprises in the just revealed list of categories, with most of 2018’s biggest commercial and critical darlings making their way onto the list, which is still a decent barometer of how things tend to go at the Oscars months later.

While several of the nominated films haven’t made it to Irish shores just yet, many of them are known to audiences here, and most of the nominees won’t come as a surprise.

Many eyes are on Black Panther, following that film’s phenomenal global success this year, with nods in a few categories,

 SHANE DILLON

particularly for arguably the top award, Best motion Picture – Drama.

Crazy Rich Asians also nabbed a couple of nods in the categories, with that film, and Panther, suggesting that Hollywood is finally – belatedly – grasping that there’s a global market for good films with compelling characters drawn from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

In fact, four of the five Best Motion Picture – Drama nominees had stories or characters that are a little out of line with what you might call Standard White Westerner tropes, presenting some well received content.

Elsewhere, and bookies would have their work cut out for them with some of the names on the awards list – for example, who can make the call on whether A Star is Born is better than Bohemian Rhapsody, or Spike Lee’s provocative BlacKkKlansman, for example?

There are some tough choices in other categories, too, such as Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Music.

John C Reilly looks stunning as the beloved Oliver Hardy in Stan and Ollie; Christian Bale is similarly unrecognisable as warhawk Dick Cheney in Vice, and Robert Redford makes his cinematic swansong in The Old Man and The Gun. Moving on through some of the other categories, and while Glenn

SOME OF THE MAIN 2019 GOLDEN GLOBES NOMINATIONS Best film – Drama Black Panther BlacKkKlansman Bohemian Rhapsody If Beale Street Could Talk A Star Is Born Best Director Bradley Cooper – A Star Is Born Alfonso Cuaron – Roma Close’s star turn in The Wife looks like a certainty for the Best Actress under Drama award, Lady Gaga surprised and wowed with her star-making turn in A Star is Born (opposite an impressive Bradley Cooper, himself nominated for Best Actor under Drama).

An outside Best Actress bet would be Melissa McCarthy, who managed to make the abysmal The Happytime Murders in 2018 and yet also stole the show (and earned a Globe nod) as a

Peter Farrelly – Green Book Spike Lee – BlacKkKlansman Adam McKay – Vice

Rhapsody John David Washington – BlacKkKlansman

Best Actor – Drama Bradley Cooper – A Star Is Born Willem Dafoe – At Eternity’s Gate Lucas Hedges – Boy Erased Rami Malek – Bohemian

Best Actress – Drama Glenn Close – The Wife Lady Gaga – A Star Is Born Nicole Kidman – Destroyer Melissa McCarthy – Can You Ever Forgive Me? Rosamund Pike – A Private War

reluctant, frumpy forger in Can You Ever Forgive Me?, making her as ever an interesting star to follow.

Irish eyes will be wishing the best for The Favourite – the latest quirky film courtesy of Irish company Element Pictures.

The five nods attached to the film (a collaboration from The Lobster director Yorgos Lanthimos and Element) are a pretty strong endorsement for the film, which sees Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz’s char-

acters competing for the attention of Queen Anne – with the actresses simultaneously competing for a Best Supporting Actress award in a little nod at life imitiating art.

It’s good to see Olivia Colman also getting a nomination as the queen, in a rare reflection of the comic actress’s more serious chops.

You’ll easily find the full Golden Globes nominations for cinema and TV online, with the awards taking place on January 6.

Hart fiasco just another Oscars blunder WHILE there was plenty of interest in the Golden Globes nominations, culture vultures have continued circling around Kevin Hart following his ill-fated – and brief – stance as the 2019 Oscars host.

The comedian (right) lasted three days in place as the upcoming host before stepping down last week when a storm of criticism erupted over long-standing homophobic comments and jokes he’s made down the years.

Hart couldn’t quite manage to quietly step aside – a Martin Luther King Jr quote he used in a clumsy fashion irritated many people, leaving him seeming unable to do

right for doing wrong ...

Ultimately, the Hart incident draws attention to the Oscars powers that be – the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – with the latest little drama underscoring that the Hollywood gods don’t quite seem to know what they’re doing any more.

After all, a cursory check of Hart’s material would have soon revealed him as a problematic host who’d be likely to draw criticism – which happened.

Let’s also not forget the Academy’s 2018 idea to introduce a Best Popular Film Oscar – a move which angered many

actors, studios and directors, forcing the idea to get quickly shelved.

Both were moves which were blunders on the Academy’s part, with both being obvious bad ideas that, oddly, the Academy still thought would be okay.

And if the Academy doesn’t really know what it’s doing, what’s the point of having the Oscars any more?

Oscar hosts come and go, often with good coverage, sometimes with bad, and Hart will continue being a popular comedian regardless of some of his ill-advised content.

However, a bigger issue is the malaise

within the Academy itself, as it continues making poor choices even as the Oscars’ power, viewership and relevancy continues to diminish.

With Oscar viewership figures now a fraction of what they were, and with changes in audience figures and statistics, the Academy really needs to make 2019 a turnaround year, and to make the Oscars relevant again.

Otherwise, the Academy has much bigger problems to worry about than just what host is probably a safe pair of hands to give the presenting gig to ...

13 December 2018 DUBLIN GAZETTE 25

WHAT’S BIG IN MUSIC, CINEMA, TV AND BOOKS

ENTERTAINMENT

CHRISTMAS TV | LOOK AHEAD TO DIE HARD AND GRAHAM NORTON

QUIKFLIX FLIX Streaming highlights on the way

UK version of RuPaul’s Drag Race for BBC Three

There’s a huge selection of Christmas movies on Virgin Media One this Christmas, including Moonlight & Mistletoe.

Virgin Media One launch their Christmas Schedule RACHEL D’ARCY

VIRGIN Media Television will be delivering a whole host of festive programming specials and family favourite movies this Christmas.

The channel unveiled their Christmas schedule last week, and it’s set to be a treat for both young and old with a range of festive treats and retrospective looks at the year that was.

Soap addicts are getting some extra love this festive season, as Stephen Mulhern hosts the quiz that tests the stars

of Coronation Street and Emmerdale on their funniest, and most memorable soap moments of 2018 on ‘The Big Soap Quiz’ at 9pm on December 21.

Corrie lovers are in for a special treat with ‘Coronation Street: DNA Secrets revealed’ which will air at 8:30pm on Christmas Eve. In this one off, 90-minute special, Coronation Street’s DNA Secrets reveals the secrets lying deep in the DNA of one of the best-loved streets.

For fans of hit TV show The Chase, there’s a treat this Christmas as Bradley

Walsh hosts a very special edition of ‘The Celebrity Chase’ on December 26, as well as brand new ‘The Chase Bloopers Show’ with all the bits you were never meant to see in an hour long special on December 29 at 7pm.

If you’re still suffering from Love Island withdrawals, an early Christmas present is on the way in the form of a festive special where Caroline Flack reunites 19 of the most talked about Islanders in ‘Love Island The Reunion’ on Virgin Media Two on December 17 at 9pm.

The channel have got the whole family covered when it comes to movies with classics such as The Commitments, Marian Keyes Watermelon, Bridget Jones Diary, Night at the Museum, Chicken Run, Babe, The Wizard of Oz, Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar.

Music lovers are also being spoiled in the schedule, with specials such as ‘Happy Hour with Olly Murs’ on Virgin Media One at 9 on December 15; ‘Voice of Hope 2’, a special concert by Tommy Fleming on December 11 and

‘Celtic Woman: Ancient Land’ on December 16 at 6.05pm.

There will also be a look back at the most memorable parts of 2018, with Virgin Media rounding up what has been a memorable year with ‘Ireland’s Weather 2018: Climate Chaos’ airing on December 24 and ‘That Was 2018’ on December 28 at 9pm.

On December 31, ring in the New Year with Graham Norton as his special New Year’s Eve show, ‘The Graham Norton Show NYE 2018’, airs at 11.35pm.

IT WAS revealed last week that cult reality show, RuPaul’s Drag Race, is set to get a UK version in the New Year. The show will be delivered by BBC Three, the TV giant’s online channel platform, though it’s unclear if it will be streamed on a weekly basis like it’s US counterpart or available to binge all at once.

On the judging panel for the UK version - so far - are RuPaul himself and current Ireland’s Got Talent and US Drag Race judge Michelle Visage.

Visage has said numerous times she ‘wouldn’t rest’ until there was a UK version of the iconic show, which bagged RuPaul an Emmy award earlier on this year and has steadily grown in viewership.

RuPaul’s Drag Race sees a number of Drag Queens battle it out in various challenges and catwalk battles to be named the winner, with those in the final two each week strutting their stuff in a lip sync challenge in an effort to keep their place in the competition.

Drag Race US is currently on it’s 10th season. No premiere date has yet been set for the UK version.

Peaky Blinders cast actor Sam Claflin for new series FANS OF Peaky Blinders will be glued to the new series, as the Shelby family is in for a little shakeup.

The BBC have released a photo of brand new cast member Sam Clafin, who will feature in the fifth season of the show Netflix and BBC One. Clafin, who is known for his roles in the Hunger Games and Me Before You, isn’t the only new member of the cast for the next season however.

Joining him are Anna Taylor-Joy, Brian Gleeson. Neil Maskell, Kate Dickie, Cosmo Jarvis, Emmett J Scanlan, Elliot Cowan, Charlene McKenna, Andrew Koji, and Daryl McCormack.

The fifth season will be set in 1929, where the world is in upheaval from the stock market crash.

When Tommy Shelby is approached by a “charismatic politician (Claflin) with a bold vision for Britain,” it is clear his decisions will affect not just his own family, but the country as a whole.

Irish animated Christmas film showing on Netflix ANGELA’S CHRISTMAS, based on the popular children’s story from Irish author Frank McCourt, is now available on Netflix. The film created by Brown Bag Films, stars Ruth Negga in the role of Angela’s mother, and Lucy O’Connell as Angela. The film is written by Will Collins and Damien O’Connor and directed by Damien O’Connor.

Ellen McCourt, Frank’s widow, serves as an Executive Producer on the project and Malachy McCourt, Frank McCourt’s brother, an Irish-American actor, provides the narration. Set in Ireland in the early 1900s, it’s a heart-warming story about the power of family.

A sneak peak of some of the programming on Virgin Media One this Christmas, including Die Hard and a Dog Named Christmas

26 DUBLIN GAZETTE 13 December 2018

TRAVEL

OUR EUROPEAN FRIENDS WILL WOW WITH FESTIVE FUN

Make it Malta for Christmas THIS Christmas, why not do something a bit different and experience the festive season in magical Malta?

Famous as a sun-kissed island where several civilisations have fused into a memorable melting pot, Christmas is also a mustsee time to visit.

Just a short three-anda-half-hour direct flight from Dublin with Ryanair, the Mediterranean island of Malta offers an ideal short-haul destination for those who wish to spend Christmas in the sun but not too far away from home.

The Christmas season is celebrated to its fullest on the Maltese Islands with many Nativity scenes, crib displays, carol services and other events

organised throughout the islands.

As just one example of a great deal, with Budget Travel, you can depart on December 22 and stay at the 4* Gillieru Harbour, St Paul’s Bay (room only) for €389pp; prices include flights, accommodation, taxes and transfer.

In fact, with Malta and Valletta’s popularity at this time of year, many tour operators have a range of offers to whisk you there for an unforgettable Christmas break – not to mention some early New Year deals too, of course.

Fro m t h e s ta r t o f December, Valletta’s waterfront has been transformed into a Christmas village with a mix of festive decor, music and

Bustling Christmas markets, colourful lights – and one of Europe’s most fascinating cultures, surrounded by architectural jewels – it must be Malta!

food.

Free activities underneath the 35-foot Christmas tree will delights any visitor, with bands, choirs and cribs along the promenade.

Balloon modelling, face painting, crafts, games, colouring-ins, meet and greets with Santa Claus,

puppet shows and bouncy castles are all on offer as the islanders and guests celebrate.

Visitors to Malta this month have already been treated to all kinds of Christmas treats, from parades to choirs – but the Christmas celebrations aren’t the only reason to

visit Malta as soon as you can.

This December see Malta’s capital city Valletta celebrating its successful year as the 2018 European Capital of Culture.

If you’re lucky enough to get a last-minute deal, the Valletta 2018 Clos-

ing Spectacular will take place this weekend, December 15, and will feature a spectacular line-up of live shows and music.

You can join guests, visitors, artists, curators, residents, Tal-Kultura volunteers and the Valletta 2018 team as they

celebrate a fantastic year with a closing event that pays tribute to the creative diversity that exists on Malta, Europe and beyond.

Visit www.maltaireland.com for further information and details of events that taking place in Malta this December.

Find unforgettable Christmas markets in Germany Lucie Weidenauer gives readers her tips about some of the Christmas Markets back in her native Germany, where many of Europe’s best such markets are found ...

Berlin Of course, Berlin has many different Christmas markets, but the one at the Red Town hall (“Rotes Rathaus”) is very special.

It has a skating rink, where lots of children and adults have fun every year, but also visitors can find many street performers, puppeteers and sto-

rytellers, and a particularly wide variety of delicious food.

Dresden This historic town has one of the oldest markets in Germany, the “Striezelmarkt” (right).

It’s called this because of a very special biscuit, once called “Striezel” but today known as the “Stollen”.

Every year on the second Advent day, an enormous Stollen is baked and then cut in a traditional ceremony.

Essen The Essen Christmas Market is very beautiful due to a shining LED tree

Dresden’s Striezelmarkt

right in its centre of it – but it’s actually famous because it’s an international Christmas market.

People from more than 20 different countries, and from different regions all across Germany, to sell their food and wares. Here you can find every-

thing from amber jewellery to Peruvian Potatoes!

Munich The Christkindlmarkt (Christ Child Market) is the most popular Christmas Market in Munich.

A highlight at this market is the Krampus Parade, with many people dressing up as the Krampus – the scary partner of Saint Nikolaus, who scares or even punishes naughty children!

Heidelberg This city in the south of Germany is mostly known for its famous castle above the town, but also for the Old

Historic Heidelberg

Town, where every year one of Germany’s most beautiful Christmas Markets take place.

With more than 140 stalls, the take place in many parts of the historic town, so wherever you go in the old town, Christmas delights await.

13 December 2018 DUBLIN GAZETTE 27

FESTIVE CHEER AND OTHER GEAR

HOME & STYLE

Glorious gifts for gentlemen RACHEL D’ARCY LOOKING to do some last minute shopping for the man in your life?

Have no fear River Island is here.

The high street retailer have unveiled a whole ho-ho-host of Christmas gifts that are perfect for partners,

fathers, brothers, grandfathers and more at affordable prices, available online and in River Island stores now.

From chunky jumpers to leather bags, products on offer range from around €8 for cufflinks, up to €50 for a faux fur hoodie. They also have some slightly quirkier

gifts available, including a ‘Grow Your Own Festive Sprouts’ set and a game called ‘Weird Things Humans Search For’.

If you’re looking to nab any of these gifts, act quick, as they’ll most definitely begin to fly off shelves as we approach the most Wonderful Time of the Year!

RIVER ISLAND Monogram flight bag, €25 RIVER ISLAND Red chunky knit cable knit jumper, €40

All ll of these style buys are available in store now from PEP&CO at Dealz stores nationwide

RIVER ISLAND Grow your Own Festive Sprouts set, €5

RIVER ISLAND Light brown gold tone face watch , €40

pep and christmas DEALZ’S own clothing brand PEP&CO have unveiled their winter collection, with a whole host of styles perfect for the Christmas season. From glitz and glam jumpsuits for work nights out, to matching pyjamas to all the family, there’s something for everyone in the family at a great price point.

Prices at PEP&CO range from as little as €2.50 for cool kid’s tshirts, right up to €32.50 for a parka, available for both men and women. PEP&CO is available at selected Dealz stores across Dublin, with more information available on Dealz’s website at dealz.ie.

Glowing like a (green) angel RIVER ISLAND White Christmas shower kit, €20

RIVER ISLAND Black faux fur zip front hoodie, €87

RIVER ISLAND Burgundy RI monogram belt, €17

THE EXPERTS at Green Angel have been creating exclusive seaweed and essential oil based skincare, spa and haircare products by hand in Ireland since 2005.

Green Angel candles (RRP €19.95) are hand poured in Ireland and are made from 100% soy, allowing for a cleaner burn than paraffin wax, while all feature a natural cotton wick. With no harsh chemicals or artificial colours they have an average burn time of 55 hours.

There’s also a matching allnatural diffuser (RRP €29.95). An flame free option, Green Angel diffusers use natural rattan reeds and emit a fragrance that will last for up to three months.

The Green Angel range includes two stunning scents: Lemongrass & Lime and White Linen.

The range is available at all good pharmacies and lifestyle shops across Dublin.

28 DUBLIN GAZETTE 13 December 2018

MOTORS

WHAT’S NEW IN THE WORLD OF TRANSPORT

Marvellous MX-5 Mazda brings the fun

Some eye-catching stylings are the icing on a cake stuffed with impressive features

DECLAN GLYNN

MAZDA has launched a brand-new coupe-cumcabriolet derivative of its iconic sports car, the MX-5.

Called the MX-5 RF (Retractable Fastback), it is essentially an MX-5 with an electrically folding hardtop.

The idea to introduce the RF was in the plan from the very beginning, thanks in no small part to the fact that the previous-generation MX-5 Roadster Coupe accounted for almost 80% of sales.

It will come as no surprise to learn that the electrically folding hardtop on the new MX-5 RF is the car’s party piece.

When in place, it makes the car look like a coupe, but 13 seconds later the car transforms into a beautifully proportioned opentop sports car.

The Mazda MX-5 RF enhances the pure joy of driving with a superior power-to-weight ratio, rear-wheel drive and more comfort and technology than ever before.

Mazda’s signature KODO (Soul of Motion) design gives the new Mazda MX-5 RF a more aggressive and sculptured look, while retaining the classic coupe cues of a sleek bonnet, setback seating and a short rear overhang.

The all-new Mazda MX-5 RF has perfect 50:50 weight balance and a lower centre of gravity, giving it the advantage of responding precisely as the driver intends.

Mazda’s MX-5 is the world’s best-selling twoseat sports car, and it has earned iconic status in its 29-year history.

The new MX-5 RF is available with a choice of two SKYACTIV-G petrol engines – a 1.5-litre with 131bhp, and a 2.0-litre with 160bhp.

Chris Rea’s still got the best track for Christmas drivers IF YOU’VE already had more festive songs than you can take and are ready to go Christmas crackers at the merest tinkle of a sleigh bell – buckle up, as here comes a list of drivers’ favourite Christmas songs that they like to listen to as they go-ho-ho home at this time of year.

Motorcheck surveyed 1,000 drivers across Ireland to check out what Christmas choons they like the most, with few surprises revealed in the top favourites.

Chris Rea is still best for driving home for Christ-

Two trim levels are available – a standard RF and an RF GT. The RF model (only available with the 1.5-litre engine) is well equipped, with features including 16” alloy wheels, LED headlights, automatic air-conditioning, 7” touchscreen and a digital radio with six speakers.

You’ll also get Bluetooth, USB & AUX ports, multimedia commander, electric windows, dynamic stability control, front and side airbags, immobilizer, alarm and cruise control features.

Upgrade to the RF GT in 1.5-litre engine guise and you will also get adaptive front headlights, leather interior, and a lane-departure warning system.

That’s topped off with smart-key entry, rear parking sensors, heated seats, 16” Gun-Metal alloy wheels and a BOSE sound system with nine speakers.

And, on top of all this, if you opt for the RF GT

mas, Mariah’s inimitable yelping remains a hit with many, and good ol’ Shakey is still rockin’ around that tree, with a smattering of usual suspects also filling out the rest of the drivers’ favourites to listen to.

Alas, Gazette Motoring’s personal favourite (Elmo & Patsy’s 1978 classic, Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer) failed to make the cut. Better luck next year, Elmo & Patsy ...

The Mazda MX-5 RF has an undeniable wow factor, and its features also wow

with the 2.0-litre engine, you will also get Bilstein sports suspension, a strut tower bar, limited slip differential, body-coloured door mirrors and 17” alloy wheels!

On test this week was a Mazda MX-5 RF GT 2.0litre SKYACTIV-G, finished in stunning Soul Red metallic paintwork.

T h i s S KYAC T I V- G engine is punchy, sounds great and is well matched to the chassis.

A six-speed manual gearbox is standard and there is no automatic gear-

FACT BOX

1) Stunning hard-top retractable fastback 2) Excellent power-to-weight ratio 3) Latest SKYACTIV-G technology 4) 2 engines and 2 trim levels 5) Priced from €31,495 (ex-works)

box option available.

Annual road tax for the new MX-5 RF 1.5-litre is €390, while the 2.0-litre commands annual road tax of €570.

Fuel consumption as low as 6.1l/100km is possible on a combined driving cycle for the 1.5-litre engine, while this figure rises to 6.9l/100km for the 2.0-litre engine.

The 0-100km/h sprint can be completed in 8.6-seconds with the 1.5litre engine and in just 7.4-seconds in 2.0-litre guise.

Slim LED headlights and a gaping front grille give the MX-5 RF a slightly more aggressive character than its Roadster Coupe predecessor.

Whether the hard-top is up or down, the MX-5 RF has a classic silhouette, with the cockpit located

towards the rear of the car and a long bonnet stretching out in front.

The new Mazda MX-5 RF’s dash is dominated by an iPad-like, 7” touchscreen, controlled through a rotary dial on the centre console.

Underneath that there are three circular dials for the climate control. The instrument panel and air vents are designed to be perfectly symmetrical around the driver, for a cockpit-style feel.

Overall, the new MX-5 RF’s cabin is a pleasant place to spend hours of driving fun.

With prices starting at just €31,495 (ex-works) the new Mazda MX-5 RF provides drivers with an excellent fun-to-value ratio.

The RF GT 2.0-litre model on test is priced at €37,745.

Brexit, Sterling’s weakness affect new car registrations OFFICIAL statistics released on December 3 by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (S.I.M.I.) show that the total new car registrations for the month of November were down 5.72% (643) when compared to November 2017 (682).

Registrations this year are down 4.4% (125,415) on the same period last year (131,173), with some interesting figures revealed in the breakdowns of 2018 registrations, to date, as follows.

New light commercial vehicle registrations (LCV) have slightly decreased – some 1.55% (572) on November 2017 (581), although up 5.7% (25,340) this year.

New heavy commercial vehicles (HGV) have also seen a decrease of 38% for the month of November (80) when compared to the same month last year (129), although up 2.5% (2,538) this year.

Imported used cars have shown an increase 1.44% for November (8,732) when compared to November 2017 (8,608), while so far this year’s figure is 8.21% (95,148) ahead of 2017 (87,928).

Commenting on the figures, Alan Nolan, SIMI director genera, said: “As we approach the end of 2018 new vehicle registrations are in line with Industry projections. Our industry has experienced a decline in new car registrations some eight months out of 11 so far in 2018, and December will no doubt see a further fallback in new car registrations.

“The impact of Brexit and Sterling’s weakness continues to drive used car imports to a level where the volume is impacting on the new car market.

“This challenging and uncertain trading environment is set to continue into 2019,” he said.

13 December 2018 DUBLIN GAZETTE 29

CHALLENGE YOUR BRAIN...JUST FOR FUN!

CODEWORDS

You could advertise here

PUZZLES

SUDOKU EASY

MODERATE

SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

DON’T FORGET TO CHECK BACK NEXT WEEK FOR THE SOLUTIONS TO THIS WEEK’S PUZZLES

WORD SEARCH

HOW TO SOLVE Codewords are like crossword puzzles - but have no clues! Instead, every letter of the alphabet has been replaced by a number, the same number representing the same letter throughout the puzzle.

All you have to do is decide which letter is represented by which number!

To start you off, we reveal the codes for two or three letters.

As you find letters, enter them in the key and into the grid.

Cross off the letters in the A to Z list.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

FIND THE HIDDEN WORDS banana split blancmange cheesecake creme brulee crepe custard Eton mess fruit salad pavlova jelly plum duff

rice pudding roly-poly sundae tiramisu trifle yogurt sorbet shortcake souffle mousse

To advertise here please contact sales@dublingazette.com or call 01 6010240

30 DUBLIN GAZETTE  FINGAL 13 December 2018

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13 December 2018 FINGAL  DUBLIN GAZETTE 31

FINGAL  DUBLINGAZETTECLASSIFIEDS

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32 DUBLIN GAZETTE  FINGAL 13 December 2018

13 December 2018 FINGAL  DUBLIN GAZETTE 33

GAELIC GAMES P37

THE BEST IN DUBLIN

SPORT

USHERING IN NEW ERA: SNOOKER: FRESH from running Ron-

nie O’Sullivan extremely close at the UK Championship, Ken Doherty described seeing “green shoots of progress” last week, but also admitted he’s not quite sure how much longer he’ll remain on snooker’s full tour. His focus switches to the Masters tour and a return to Goff’s where his love for the sport developed no end.



GAZETTE

SOCCER P35

PAGE 34

LET DUBLIN GAZETTE NEWSPAPERS INFORM YOU OF THE HIGHLIGHTS AND SCORES OF YOUR FAVOURITE TEAMS BASKETBALL | REIGNING CHAMPS INTO NATIONAL CUP SEMI-FINALS

DCU show no Mercy to Glanmire  sport@dublingazette.com

DCU Mercy advanced to the semifinal of the ladies Hula Hoops National Basketball Cup with a comprehensive victory over UCC Glanmire over the weekend, grabbing a 77-40 point victory in second consecutive win over the Cork side.

The reigning champions stormed out of the blocks and put themselves hugely in control in the first quarter, with Sarah Woods, Samantha Hyslip and Aine McDonnell all on form as DCU established a domineering 27-6 lead.

Glanmire did hit back slightly, pulling DCU back by a couple of points to 43-24 by halftime after a much improved second quarter, but the Cork side could only hit four points in the third quarter as DCU upped their game and put the contest to bed early.

Following the game, DCU coach Mark Ingle said “in the cup it’s just about getting through, whether it’s by

one point or ten points, but I think in the first quarter we played exceptional basketball and really moved the ball well.

“Glanmire, I think they were chasing the game after that. They are a young team but I think we’re young enough as well. We’re young enough with a lot of experience, they have a lot of basketball in them.

“Our defence was good as well,” the coach added. “I think under ten points for that first quarter. They’re the sort of team that come back at you with runs.

We expected, and prepared like we’d lost by 20 last week. We had a good win over them last week, and a good win this week. We’re looking forward to the challenge of Father Matthews next week [in the league] and Liffey in the semi finals.”

As Ingle said, DCU will face Courtyard Liffey Celtics in the semifinal in January, after their rivals overcame Maxol WIT Wildcards 68-56 in a far tighter contest, to continue a promis-

DCU Saints Sarah Woods was in super form. Picture: Eoin Noonan/Sportsfile

ing unbeaten early season.

The pair will be joined in the last four by an all Cork other half of the draw, in which Singleton SuperValu Brunell and Fr Mathews face off in the New Year.

In the men’s Super League, C & S Neptune made it four wins on the bounce, winning away to Griffith College Swords Thunder 84-92.

Lehmon Colbert, Darragh O’Sullivan and Cian Heaphy combined for 71 of the total 92 points scored on the evening.

Templeogue had the better of Moycullen, DCU Saints pipped Keane’s SuperValu Killorglin in a nail-biter in Dublin, while Pyrobel Killester got the better of UCC Demons at the IWA in Clontarf.

SPORT CONTACT INFO SPORTS EDITOR: Stephen Findlater sfindlater@dublingazette.com

For more information or to send in news and photos: sport@dublingazette.com Phone: 01 601 0240

34 DUBLIN GAZETTE  FINGAL 13 December 2018

CLUB NOTES

ROUND

1

ERIN GO BRAGH MANY thanks to volunteers and all who supported the club bag packing drive at Dunnes Stores, Ongar last weekend. Your contributions help provide vital training facilities for the club.

Sincere thanks to all those who contributed to Kerri’s collection last Friday night at the clubs Christmas party in The Grasshopper. Your generosity is greatly appreciated by Kerri’s family.

EGB hosted a preseason fitness training coaching course in the clubhouse on Wednesday 28th.

Thanks to organisers, and coaches for attending.

Erin Go Bragh GAA Nursery continues in Hansfield Educate Together National School Sat morning 9.30-10.30am, Phibblestown Community Centre 11-12 and on a Tuesday evening 6-7pm in Phibblestown community centre.For further information, please contact our Games Promotions Officer Michael McWeeney 086 267429 Our lotto tickets can now be bought online through the My Club Finances/ LocalLotto.ieservice.

The lotto is a significant part of the clubs fundraising activities and this online-option Playerwill of the Match Katie complement the existing lotto sales activities.

Murray There was no winner of our lotto jackpot this and Captain Sarah week. Next weeks jackpot is €9,500 numbers Murphy after drawn were 5,14,24,25 .Thanks to everyone who LaClontarf’s dies IFC win.. supports our club lotto it is very much appreciated.

FINGALLIANS HURLING : The Club are running a new initiative to re-use any Hurling Helmets and Hurls that are lying around your Home.

Anybody wishing to donate Hurls or Helmets drop them in to the bar.

Lotto Results : The Lotto numbers were 1,4,6,16 and 34.There were three winners Grace Conway,Timmy Ralph and Linda Ni Dhuibh each receives € 862.Next weeks Jackpot is €2,218.

Children’s Christmas Party : A great time was had by all the Juvenile Players in the Club on Saturday with a visit by Santa himself he also brought along a special Elf called Sam Maguire and it was filled with treats for all the players.Thanks to all involved with organising such a super day for our Young Fins ,the Bar Staff, Dave for the Music ,the Helpers ,the Parents and Managers.

New Managers : The Committee has ratified New Management for The Minor Football Paul O’Neill and Jarlath Lennon.

The Minor Hurling Team Barry Mullane,Anthony O’Shea,Des Foley and Niall Howard.

The senior Division 1 football team Mark Gibson

Picture: GAApics. com

as manager with management team Nigel Kennedy, Rory Lyons,Barry Clarke and Michael McLoughlin.

The Division 10 Team will be Managed by Kevin O’Brady and Feargal O’Hanrahan.

We wish all the best of luck in the coming year and hope that they get the same support as last year.

New Physio: The Club Physio Paul O’Toole is to set up a practice in the Old Gym on a Daily basis .Times and Dates to be confirmed.

St Patrick’s Day: The club are looking for Volunteers to help organise and run our participation in next years St Patricks Day Parade on Swords main street.

This is a super way to advertise our club to the Town by showing our strength in numbers.It is also great fun for the younger members and some of the older ones as well. So anybody willing to help contact Liam O’Culbaird ,it is hoped that we could get one volunteer from each Team U12 down.

It was great to have Two Teams representing Dublin in the Senior, Foxrock Cabinteely and Intermediate,Clontarf All Ireland Finals which were played in Parnell Park.

SNOOKER: RANELAGH ACE TO DECIDE NEXT STEP SOON

Doherty ushers in Masters at Goff’s

Former world snooker champion set to return to Goffs in the New Year for Irish Masters Snooker Championships, embracing a venue that holds a very special place in developing his love of the game

 JAMES HENDICOTT

sport@dublingazette.com

FRESH from running Ronnie O’Sullivan extremely close at the UK Championship, Ken Doherty described seeing “green shoots of progress” last week, but also admitted he’s not quite sure how much longer he’ll remain on snooker’s full tour.

Former World Snooker Champion Doherty, from Ranelagh, came within a couple of shots of defeating the supremely talented world number three in York.

Nonetheless, he’ll wait until the end of the year to make a decision on whether he wants to continue on the tour, and is looking forward to playing the masters games that now lie ahead of him.

Those include a return to County Kildare’s Goffs on Janu-

ary 5 and 6 where Doherty worked as an usher as a teenager and watched several of his heroes.

“It’s nostalgic for me, yeah, it’s a special place,” Doherty told the Dublin Gazette of the venue.

“I didn’t do much work when I was there,” he jokes. “I was meant to be showing people to their seats but I usually just watched the games. I met Alex Higgins for the first time, one of my heroes.

“I was getting his drinks and he told me if he asked for an orange juice, that meant a vodka and orange juice, and that if he asked for a vodka and orange juice, that meant a double.”

Doherty’s enthusiasm for the masters tour is immediately evident. “It’s great fun,” he says, “Like a breath of fresh air. You never lose that competitive spir-

it, and people like Jimmy White and Stephen Hendry, we still get a kick out of playing. It’s really well supported, and we get to play at places like The Crucible,

“

You never lose that competitive spirit; people like Jimmy White and Stephen Hendry, we still get a kick out of playing

”

too. It’ll only grow, especially as people like Joe Swail and James Wattana come on board in the

Ken Doherty says he can still turn it on against the big guns like Ronnie O’Sullivan

next few years.”

Doherty’s game, he says, is not quite what it once was, but he has his days. “I can still do it on a good day, occasionally, as I think the game with Ronnie showed,” he says. “I think 1997 Ken could probably give 2018 Ken a head start of about 14, 18 points. On my day, though, I still have it, and I might cause a big upset.”

O’Sullivan’s win was followed by a debate over the format of the snooker championship, which O’Sullivan feels is too demanding. Doherty emphatically disagrees. “You don’t have to play every tournament, it’s not that tough,” the Dubliner says.

“You only have to play maybe ten tournaments in a year. There were some good ideas in there.

You could look at averaging out the best ten tournaments, for example, but you either want to play or you don’t.”

While perhaps not at the highest level for much longer, Doherty quite definitely still wants to play. We take a moment to slip into nostalgia, and he recalls his 1997 World Snooker Championship with obvious enthusiasm.

“There was no crime in Dublin for three hours,” he laughs. “It was the first time that RTE had televised the snooker and half the country didn’t have the BBC back then. I got an open top bus tour when I got back to the city, which was something else.”

“I was lucky, as I grew up next to Jason’s in Ranelagh, and I used to go in and play until my tea was ready as a kid. Sometimes I’d go back afterwards.

Now I have my own little hall in Terenure, with a few tables.”

It just might be nearing its top-tier conclusion, but for Doherty, it’s been quite the ride.

The Irish Masters Snooker Championships takes place at Goffs in Kill, County Kildare on January 5 and 6.

Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.

13 December 2018 FINGAL  DUBLIN GAZETTE 35

LEINSTER SENIOR LEAGUE: BACK TO BACK WINS IN DIVISION 1B

LOI SHORTS

UCD Wave goodbye Hartstown-Huntstown claimed back-to-back wins following victory over Mid Sutton last Sunday. Picture: HHFC

Break in Harts season comes at wrong time LSL SUNDAY SENIOR 1B Mid Sutton Sportslink Hartstown Huntstown  DAVE DONNELLY sport@dublingazette.com

1 2

H A RT STOW N Hu n tstown manager Paul Doody says the Christmas break has come at the wrong time as the LSL Sunday Senior 1B side have finally hit a vein of form.

Sunday’s win over Mid Sutton Sportslink was their second in a row – and first away from home – lifting them above their opponents and three points clear of the drop zone.

It means they go into the break with a much more positive view of the league table, having spent most of the season to date in the bottom three.

Doody – who took over

at the beginning of the season from interim boss Dave Byrne – believes things are now beginning to go their way.

“We’ve had two wins on the trot now and they were well-deserved,” Doody, who is an assistant coach with the Irish junior international side, told the Dublin Gazette.

“The break is coming at a bad time for us in the sense we’re on a good roll now.

“None of the players have lost belief in themselves, I haven’t lost belief in them, and we’re getting back up to where we feel we deserve to be in the table.”

The Blanch side left it late to take the three points at the Sportslink Complex in Santry as Ian Croft converted a lastminute penalty to seal a

2-1 win.

The striker had given his side the lead midway through the first half, but they were pegged back when Andy Nugent scored for Mid Sutton, before Croft got his second at the death.

Hartstown Huntstown had already threatened on a couple of occasions when Croft was brought down on the edge of the box with 20 minutes gone.

The all-action striker, who returned to the club from local rivals Verona in the summer, took responsibility for the set-piece himself and curled his shot into the back of the net.

Another ex-Verona man, Kenny Clince, could have doubled the lead shortly afterwards but his shot from distance was well-saved.

The home side came into the game after the break and got their reward on 75 minutes when Nugent found room in the box and finished smartly.

As injury time loomed, Croft was again the architect as he weaved through three tackles before being fouled inside, and the striker made no mistake from 12 yards.

“We’ve been on the wrong end of those outcomes a few times already this year, and a lot of times it was undeserved.

“The lads showed great character and great mental strength in terms of fighting until the end, and they got what they deserved. We’ve played better and lost games.

“We weren’t at our best footballing-wise, but we had the right attitude, we had determination

throughout, and we just kept at it until we got the reward we deserved.”

Hartstown Huntstown will play two friendlies – against Castleknock Celtic inside a month – as they bid to hit the ground running in 2019.

While Doody admits a couple of new additions are on his radar, anybody coming into the young side would need not only the ability but the character to fit in.

“We have a young group of players who are coming on leaps and bounds week-in, weekout, but we’ll look to get players in.

“But they’ve got to be the right player in terms of what we’re looking for on the pitch and also their character, to fit in with the strong group of players we have.”

FUTSAL: Eat healthy focus

THE FAI, in conjunction with Fingal County

Niall McGuirk, Sports Officer, Fingal County Council, Liz Hogg, Store Manager, Dunnes, Ian Hunter, Centre Director, Swords Pavilions, and Paul Keogh, FAI Fingal County Council Development Officer, during the FAI / Fingal County Council Futsal Launch at Dunnes, Swords Pavilions Shopping Centre. Picture: Sam Barnes SPORTSFILE

Council and community Partner Swords Pavilions, are delighted to announce the launch of the 2019 Club Futsal program, which offers teams, with players aged between 8-12, six weeks of futsal in six different venues across Fingal ensuring continuity of play in the winter months.

This year sees a unique angle where the important topic of nutrition with young players will give the programme an added value. The nutritional aspect will see training on this topic for all coaches of teams taking part, a nutritional flyer issued to all coaches and players, a players’ healthy eating log, and certificate of participation for players for healthy eating habits.

DLR Waves will once again contest the Women’s National League after UCD withdrew support for the club after four-and-a-half years.

Waves, who are supported by Dun LaoghaireRathdown County Council, will re-enter the league in 2019 after the license was transferred to a South Dublin consortium.

Former Bray Wanderers caretaker manager, and longtime St Joseph’s Boys coach, Graham Kelly has been announced as manager in place of Noel Kealy.

BOHS NEW SIGNINGS FORMER Aston Villa defender James Finnerty and ex-Brighton midfielder Daniel Mandroiu will line out for Bohemians next year as Keith Long continues rebuilding at Dalymount Park.

Bohs were hit by a spate of departures at season’s end, not least the forced retirement of goalkeeper Shane Supple due to a hip injury.

The Phibsboro club have brought in goalkeeper Niall Corbet in Supple’s place, while versatile defender Michael Barker has arrived from St Patrick’s Athletic.

“There is a big void to fill with Shane Supple retiring, but Niall and James Talbot are two excellent keepers who I believe will push one another,” said Long.

Defender Paddy Kirk, winger Kevin Devaney and striker Ryan Swan have also put pen to paper on new deals as Long’s squad swells to 20 ahead of the new season.

That includes full-back Andy Lyons, who has been on trial with Wolverhampton Wanderers, but not striker Ali Reghba, who may sign back in spite of Premier League interest.

Byrne swaps Kilmarnock for Rovers SHAMROCK ROVERS pulled off the highest-profile transfer of the winter with the addition of former Manchester City and Ireland under-21 midfielder Jack Byrne.

The 22-year-old, who was called up to the Irish senior squad as recently as 2016, arrives after leaving Kilmarnock by mutual consent.

Playmaker Byrne was part of the Man City side that reached the quarterfinals of the UEFA Youth League in 201314, and scored six goals in eight games the following season.

The Dubliner spent a successful year on loan with Cambuur in the Dutch Eredivisie, but after another loan with Blackburn Rovers he joined Wigan Athletic in 2017.

Short spells with Wigan, Oldham Athletic and Kilmarnock didn’t work out, and the former St Kevin’s Boys schoolboy made the decision to return home.

“When the opportunity came to sign for Shamrock Rovers I snapped the hand off,” Byrne said.

36 DUBLIN GAZETTE  FINGAL 13 December 2018

CLUB NOTES

ROUND

2

SOCCER: CASTLEKNOCK TIE IN YET ANOTHER U-19 CLASSIC

SKERRIES HARPS Congrats to our Minor Camogie team on winning the B Championship Shield on Sunday against Naomh Brid. Hard luck to our U-21 footballers who lost out in the B championship final to Clontarf on Saturday by the narrowest of margins.

As the competitive action for 2018 is brought to a close, so many thanks to all players and mentors across the adult and juvenile sections of the club for all their effort , commitment and hard work during the year.

Well done to Hannah McGinnis who played with the Dublin U-13 Development Squad against Tipperary and to Ben Jones who played on the Dublin U-15 football team who won the Damien Reid trophy.

Juvenile & Adult Games Weekly Meetings are now on Christmas Break! See you all in the new year.

Zingo Result: 3-1-4-6-2-5-7; we had no winners of Jackpot . Next week’s jackpot €2,800.

ST BRIGID’S HARD luck to the Minor Camogie team who lost out to a stronger Skerries Harps on Sunday in the Shield final.

Nursery has now finished for this year, Nursery will be back when schools resume but all can look forward to the Childrens Party which is on Sunday the 16th December from 3 to 5pm with all U10 and younger children invited.

A huge thank you to everyone who supports St Brigid’s Club Lotto and thanks to our hard-working Lotto Committee. There was no Lotto Jackpot winner last week. Our next Lotto draw is in The

ST FINIAN’S

Roselawn Inn on Thursday 13th December when the Jackpot will be €9,000.

All grass pitches are now out of use. Don’t forget the Club Disco Fri 14th December for 11 to 13 year olds.

Fun evening in the bar on Friday to re-live the Lip Sync fun and entertainment. If you played any part in the event be sure to pop down.

The Club are delighted to be part of the GAA National Club Draw again this year.

Tickets are €10.

Keep up with all our news on our website www. stbrigidsgaa.com our Club App and our Facebook and Twitter pages.

THE Annual Club Appreciation and Adult Players Awards night was held on Saturday in Peacocks.

The night was a great success. Thanks to everyone who attended and for all the people who contributed to St Finians GAA during the year.

Congratulations to all the winners on the night.

GAA NATIONAL CLUB DRAW 2019 is now an annual event following its success over the past 5 years, in which over €6million has been raised

by Clubs.

The sole purpose of the draw is to assist Clubs to raise much needed funds to aid in the development and promotion of our games. This is an excellent opportunity for our club to raise up to €20,000.

This year, all monies raised by the juvenile teams will be staying with that particular team and used for equipment for that individual team!

All prizes provided by Ard Chomhairle. Tickets available from the Club house or all Team Managers / Coaches.

Nursery & Academy finishes with a Christmas Party in the Community Hall on Sat 15th December 2018. (Time) Nursery & Academy will resume on Saturday 12th January, 2019.

Luke Danaher, Castleknock Celtic centre forward, heads goalward against Esker Celtic.

Kaiser shows masterful poise for dramatic draw U-19 CHARLIE O’LEARY CUP Castleknock Celtic 3 Esker Celtic 3  sport@dublingazette.com

CASTLEKNOCK Celtic shared a dramatic 3-3 with Esker Celtic in Porterstown Park in the second round group stage match of the Charlie O’Leary Under-19s Cup. Similar to last week’s 2-2 draw with Maynooth Town, Castleknock were once again 2-0 behind after a very slow start.

Esker striker Euan Selkirk opened the scoring with a terrific volley from the edge of the box.

Meantime, Castleknock

scorned multiple chances to equalise through a series of corner kicks and free kicks. However, it was Esker’s Selkirk who struck again to make it 2-0 at half-time.

After the break, the next goal would be critical following three fresh substitutes being introduced by Knock at the interval.

Their impact was immediate and it was centre forward Luke Danaher who pulled one goal back for Castleknock.

The home side continued to press for an equaliser and it was Danaher again who gained par-

ity for Castleknock after he broke through the Esker rearguard, raced forward before twisting left to calmly shoot from an acute angle past the retreating keeper and defender on the goal line.

Soon after, from a free kick at the corner of the penalty box, Sean Hogan’s effort was nodded toward goal by Danaher but the striker was unlucky to see his header rebound off the post.

It was then the turn of Killian Ronan to test the excellent Jason Gibbons in the Esker goal but the keeper pushed the ball wide with a superb save

at full stretch.

Wi t h C a s t l e k n o c k chasing the winner, Selkirk delivered what looked like a decisive sucker punch to the hosts when he broke free and scored again.

His outstanding pace and clever skills enabled him to round the Celtic keeper, Oisin O’Donohue, before finishing with aplomb to earn him a deserved hat trick.

With minutes remaining, Castleknock mounted a wave of attacks.

They finally got their reward when centre-half Adam Kaiser popped up in the box to drill home

the equaliser under keeper Gibbons.

3-3 was a fair result to this very entertaining end-to-end encounter.

Both teams await their first win in this competitive group but based on this performance, they may not have long to wait.

Elsewhere, Castleknock Celtic will hold a further open day in January for players for the 2019 season, including new players to their teams that range across all schoolboys/girls age groups.

Details will be on their website soon.

Swords made to pay penalty against Crumlin LSL SUNDAY SENIOR Swords Celtic Crumlin United  ROBBIE O’NEILL sport@dublingazette.com

1 2

SWORDS Celtic pushed Crumlin all the way on Monday night as they sought to do what no one else had this term and beat the perennial LSL Sunday Senior challengers.

Indeed, it needed a late penalty save from sub goalkeeper Dave Meehan to deny

the Balheary a share of the spoils on a cold evening.

Crumlin made the early waves with Liam Brady, brother of Irish international Robbie, smashing a shot off the bar.

Their pressure paid off from a kick out which Brady won and worked into the Swords box before he was bundled over for a penalty which Alan McGreal converted.

He doubled the lead in the same manner on the hour when Jamie Hanley was judged to have taken down Brady.

Swords, though, fought back in aggressive fashion and they got on the board when Andrew Timmons robbed the ball off goalkeeper Mikey Quinn to score.

Quinn’s difficult evening continued as he was given his marching orders in the closing minutes after an altercation with Dylan McGlade, leading to yet another penalty.

This time, Meehan was swapped in between the posts and he was able to deny the spot-kick with what proved to be the last moment of the game.

13 December 2018 FINGAL  DUBLIN GAZETTE 37

SWIMMING: RECORDS TUMBLE AT LISBURN MEET

Aer Lingus Swim Club’s 200m relay team of Aisling Haughey, Lisa Cooke, Catriona Finlay and Hannah McMenamin

Aer Lingus SC’s Haughey soars SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS  sport@dublingazette.com

AER LINGUS swimmer Aisling Haughey was among the star turns at the Irish Short Course National Championships in Lisburn at a gala that featured 18 national records being broken.

Her run of success started in the 200m freestyle relays where her team – along with Lisa Cooke, Catriona Finlay and Hannah McMenamin – took gold in a time of 1.46.43, beating Ards’ Irish best which was set only three weeks ago.

She followed up with gold in the 50m breaststroke with over a second to spare over Waterford’s Eimear Doyle.

The 23-year-old subsequently dominated the 200m freestyle from start to finish posting a time of 2:24.93 for gold ahead of a much tighter battle for silver and bronze from her team mate Lisa Cooke

(2:34.09) and Enniskillen Lakelanders’ Ellie McCartney (2:34.52).

For good measure, Haughey also got silver in the 100m breaststroke just behind Mona McSharry, one of the other stars of the weekend.

On day two, National Centre Dublin’s Jordan Sloan, Robbie Powell and David Prendergast took a clean sweep of medals in the men’s 100m freestyle final.

Ir i s h re co rd h o l d e r S l o a n touched first in 48.93 followed by Powell (49.22) and Prendergast (49.26).

In the women’s 400m individual medley, Jessica Burke of NAC SC clocked 5:00.25 for gold ahead of Leander’s Emma Henderson (5:05.43) and Dolphin’s Hannah O’Shea (5:07.15).

NCD’s Rory McEvoy dominated the men’s 100m Backstroke Final.

He topped the podium by over 3 seconds touching in 53.12.

Following the close of the 2018 Championships, National Perfor-

mance Director Jon Rudd said “It’s very encouraging to see how far we have come since this event last year.

“The primary indicator of progress for the nation as a whole is that of the number of athletes at this competition compared to last year, with the qualifying standards remaining roughly the same at 2017.

“The depth to the heats and the higher requirement to perform to make an ‘A’ Final is something quite new and it’s a critical mass such as this that will see us progress as a nation over the years to come.

“Culturally things have shifted.

The club with only one or two qualifiers are now here. Athletes with only one qualifying time are now here. Our athletes based outside of Ireland are now here. All of this is most encouraging and gives us a great platform for the long course season ahead of us in 2019.”

Fingal clubs’ Green thinking  CÓILÍN DUFFY

sport@dublingazette.com

SIX GAA Clubs in the Fingal area will be rewarded for introducing environmentally sustainable measures for waste management, water or energy use in a competition organised by Fingal County Council, with €2500 up for grabs per club.

Clubs can enter by

proposing environmentally sustainable projects which can save money on utility bills for waste, water and energy.

In order to be considered for the prize, clubs must detail how they will implement the proposals, organise an action-day event and outline how they will collaborate with Fingal County Council and raise awareness of their initiatives. Mentor-

ing shall be provided to assist the six winning clubs to achieve the targets set in the application.

The competition aims to raise awareness of environmental sustainability, energy efficiency a n d h ow c o m m u n i ties can act together to address waste prevention and Climate Change.

Entrants can find the application form on the

Fingal County Council website www.fingal. ie with the deadline for submissions is 4.30 pm, Friday, 11 January 2019.

Dublin GAA Secretary John Costello acknowledged the initiative by saying: “I encourage each club to enter this competition – this is a ‘Win Win’ – where successful clubs can win cash, save money and give something back to the community.”

GAELIC GAMES

Picture: Martin Doherty

Skerries camogie finish on a high as Harps U-21s denied epic comeback SKERRIES Harps youth teams enjoyed mixed fortunes over the weekend with the minor camogie side, pictured, coming home with the B camogie championship shield but the men’s Under-21 side missed out on the B football title.

For the camogie side, they were good value for their success as they ran up a 2-11 to 0-6 win over Naomh Brid at Russell Park, ending their year on a high note.

For the men, they produced a big comeback late on but could not overhaul Clontarf, eventually succumbing to a 4-12 to 4-11 defeat at Alife Byrne Road.

Skerries had started well with Stephen Smith’s shot slotting home and they built a 1-7 to 1-2 lead.

Clontarf, though, changed the complexion of the game with three goals in quick succession, transforming the game by making it 4-5 to 1-8 at half-time. The Dublin 3 side extended their lead out to 10 points at one stage before goals from Oisin McKey, Smith and Ciaran Murphy made for a thrilling endgame but Clontarf held on by a point.

St Sylvester’s retained the Minor E crown with a 2-7 to 1-7 win over Raheny in another of the finals to be played over the weekend in Chanel. They trailed 1-6 to 1-3 at half-time but were able to turn things around in the second half and goals from Tom Killeen and Ronan Furlong proved pivotal.

38 DUBLIN GAZETTE  FINGAL 13 December 2018