Fingal

Gazette WIN  FINGAL

March 16 - 22, 2017

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Motoring: Suzuki’s new S-Cross in the market REAL BODIES: We have four family impresses tickets worth €56SUV to give awayP19-24 Pg10

A 3 COURSE MEAL FOR FOUR AT THE NEWLY TRANSFORMED TOM’S TABLE RESTAURANT FOR MOTHER’S DAY Treat T reat your mum to a slap-up meal at the stunning new Tom’s Table at the Red Cow Moran Hotel.

Tom’s Table Restaurant, “where great food and great company go hand in hand,” offers delicious local and seasonal produce in a bright, warm, atmospheric setting.

It’s the perfect place to eat, drink and relax with family and friends.

To enter this great competition, just email your contact details to competitions@dublingazette.com or simply visit the Tom’s Table post on our Facebook page.

SPORT Skerries’ comeback kings 30

Locals get in a flap as seagulls terrorise town  SYLVIA POWNALL

Keep reading, keep recycling – thank you

GULLDUGGERY: Balbriggan’s bad birds

FEARLESS seagulls are attacking children and older people in Balbriggan as they fight for scraps of food, it’s been claimed.

There were calls in the

Seanad last week for lasers to be used to deter the aggressive birds from nesting and scavenging in urban areas.

Senator Lorraine Clifford Lee (FF) said: “They are dangerous, dirty, and it’s impossible to get a night’s sleep for several months each summer

as they nest and rear their young.

“They have a tendency to attack, and reports locally suggest that they viciously attack for scraps. This is potentially quite dangerous for children.”

Concerns over the rising

seagull population in Balbriggan have been mounting since the nearby dump in Lusk closed.

Cllr Malachy Quinn (SF) told The Gazette: “Without a shadow of a doubt, something has to be done.”

Continued on Page 4

2 FINGAL GAZETTE 16 March 2017

ST ITA’S | POSSIBLE IRREGULARITIES IN PATIENT ACCOUNTS CHECKED

Gardai probe as €50k allegedly goes missing  SYLVIA POWNALL THE HSE says it is cooperating with a garda probe at St Ita’s in Portrane after €50,000 allegedly vanished from the bank accounts of vulnerable patients.

The HSE confirmed it had discovered “what may be irregularities in service user accounts in one of the community group homes” at St Joseph’s Intellectual Disability Service.

An employee at the centre of the investigation is believed to be a trusted staff member who assisted residents with withdrawing money from cash machines.

The staff member is

The Catholic chapel at St Ita’s Hospital. The alleged disappearance of €50,000 from patient accounts has sparked separate probes. Picture: Ophelie Ferlier

understood to have been suspended from duty while the investigation – which centres on allegations of withdrawals from six accounts over an 18-month period – is carried out.

A spokeswoman for the

HSE said: “Staff have spoken with the relevant service users and their families to advise them of the suspected irregularities.

“The HSE deeply regrets any upset which this alleged incident might cause but has reassured

service users that if any discrepancies are discovered in any of their personal accounts, they will be fully reimbursed.

“The HSE has contacted An Garda Siochana and a garda investigation is proceeding. The HSE has also begun its own investigation.”

The intellectual disability service at the hospital caters for older people with intellectual disability offering home support services, assistance for those with challenging behaviour, residential care, day care and respite beds for adults.

Deputy Alan Farrell (FG) issued a statement on the hospital two days

before the reports of missing money, outlining other concerns.

The deputy said he was anxious to hear of the “poor condition” of the hospital for service users after a Mental Health Commission inspection report. He added: “The HSE has stated it now plans to work with the service users and their families ... in order to find them a place to live which is more suitable to their needs and which will provide quality of life.”

After news of the garda investigation broke, Deputy Farrell issued another statement describing the allegations as “very worrying”.

FASTNews

Shopping for a new sofa has been made EZ for you WITH the retail year now well under way, savvy bargain hunters have been out and about, looking for bargains ahead of the pre-summer sales, with many furniture shoppers turning to EZ Living Furniture at its outlets around the city.

Store managers have been reporting a brisk interest in sofas, with the chain promoting what is for most of us one of the key pieces of furniture in the home, while its Sofa Madness sale has focused shoppers’ attention on getting their next vital furnishing for the home. Managers also reported that their EZ Living Furniture experts were particularly busy assisting shoppers with choosing between fabric and leather, depending on their family or individual needs, with their advice helping to balance the need for ‘familyproof’ material with comfort and style.

The Sofa Madness sale also saw an impressive variety of sofa-related furnishings sold, as managers and EZ Living staff were kept busy assisting customers to get the right fit and furnishing to suit their home, character and lifestyle. For further furnishing needs and regular sale bargains, drop in to your nearest EZ Living Furniture store.

Drumanagh site works start in bid to protect site FINGAL County Council this week began works at the historic Drumanagh site in Loughshinny in a bid to prevent vandals from damaging the site.

The council aims to secure the site and prevent unauthorised access by vehicles, such as motorbike scramblers, while continuing to allow pedestrian access to the scenic headland between Rush and Skerries.

FCC acquired the 18-hectare site at Drumanagh last year for a sum believed to be in the region of €1 million, following lengthy negotiations with the former owners of the land.

The site contains a promontory fort and is one of the most impressive monuments of its type in Ireland. Some historians believe there is evidence to suggest that Drumanagh may have been used as a Roman trading post.

Fashion guru has advice all sewn up No funding for footpath at

A FASHION PR masterclass takes place at the Grand Hotel in Malahide on Monday, April 3. The event is being hosted by PR and events expert Orla Diffily, from Portmarnock. The one-day seminar costs €180 (plus VAT), but there is an early booking offer of €140 (plus VAT) valid until March 24. The course content has been created for independent fashion designers, boutique owners and those working in the lifestyle industry. For further information ot to book, see http://www.orladiffily. eu/workshops/, or telephone 086 839 9115

road to link with 83 bus

THE local authority has no funding to provide a footpath on the R122 linking Dunsoghly, St Margaret’s and Newtown Cottages to the 83 bus service.

Mayor Cllr Darragh Butler (FF) had raised the issue at an area meeting of Fingal County Council.

However, he was told that a footpath can only be provided “when funding for such works is identified and in this regard it will be listed for consideration in future works programmes”.

16 March 2017 FINGAL GAZETTE 3

ST PATRICK’S DAY | YOUR TWO-MINUTE GUIDE TO GOINGS-ON AROUND THE CAPITAL ON FRIDAY

 AENGUS O’HANLON

WHEREVER you are in Dublin this St Patrick’s Day, the craic won’t be far off. Tis tradition after all, so it is, to be sure.

The traditional parade will go down a treat as always, and there’s even been talk of a warm day turning up for a laugh. So as you don’t miss out on at least some of the action, we’ve put together a two-minute guide to goings-on around the county on the Greenest Day of all.

From a diddly-aye day out in Swords, the fireworks at Tallaght Stadium, to meeting the snakes our patron saint banished to Dublin Zoo, we’ve got you covered. More or less.

TOWN: The whole place will be green and everything will look great. The GPO, the Four Courts, the Dail, the Guinness Factory. Green as Kermit the lot of them.

The world-famous parade starts at the northern corner of Parnell Square at midday.

It makes its way down O’Connell Street, winds past Trinity and up Dame St before finishing up at St Patrick’s Cathedral around 2pm.

Dublin Zoo are having a special family event from 12-4 which the children will love. There’ll be face-painting, leprechauns and fairies floating around, lots of fun activities and special zookeeper talks will run throughout the day.

And then there’s the animals!

FINGAL: The north county is a parade lover’s paradise – they’re everywhere! The biggest is in Swords from 11:30am, and then there’s

GO GREEN the Rush parade (13:00), Lusk (13:30), Balbriggan (2pm), Skerries and Blanch (both 3pm).

Swords Castle will host the Castle Fleadbh from 1-5pm so if a traditional festival of music, dance and merriment is your thing, you know where to be.

SOUTH COUNTY: The Clondalkin Parade gets bigger and better by the year. Get down to the stage area at Tuthills car park for live music from 2pm, before the parade starts a half hour later.

Lucan’s parade begins at Tesco Hillcrest at 3pm and

heads into the village for the annual feast of festivities.

The council has organised a celebration day at Tallaght Stadium from 4pm. TV star Brian Ormond will MC the event, which will see performances from a plethora of fine local talent including the Tallaght Youth Band, Dizzy Feet Dance Co and more. And then, to top it all off, there’s FIREWORKS! DLR: There’s plenty going on around Dun Laoghaire Rathdown. One of the highlights has to be the Leprechaun Chase in Blackrock. It gets starts at midday,

and heaps more fun stuff is promised throughout the day in the village, thanks to great work from the Blackrock Business Network.

The Stepaside parade is always a great day out, while Dundrum Town Centre is having a mini festival with traditional music and facepainters galore, and you’ll never guess what colour the Mill Pond is at the moment.

If you feel like a nice briskwalk, the 12th annual Harbour to Harbour walk from Dun Laoghaire to Howth (or vice versa) is a fantastic day out and a brilliant way to view our wonderful city. The Dublin Port Company are kindly sponsoring the event this year and will host the ‘Halfway Hooley’ at Berth 18.

GETTING AROUND Luas: The Red Line bears the brunt of inevitable disruptions on Friday. Trams will only run between Smithfield and Tallaght/Saggart from 10:30 to 14:30, or until the parade is over, so don’t be rushing to Connolly for no good reason.

And as with the bus and trains tomorrow, Sunday’s timetables apply (meaning trams leave town every 12-15 minutes from 7am until 23:30).

Bus: There are several diversions in place on routes between today and Sunday because of goings on in town. The Nightlink will run from Thursday to Saturday.

DART: Trains operate a Sunday service on Paddy’s Day and both Tara St and Docklands are out of action until 4pm. There’s no service between Newbridge/Hazelhatch/Grand Canal dock.

 For a full list of events running over the weekend, visit www.stpatricksfestival.ie

4 FINGAL GAZETTE 16 March 2017

PEOPLE | FORMER COUNCILLOR FIGHTS BACK AGAINST HIS PARKINSON’S DISEASE BALBRIGGAN

The sky’s not the limit for skydiving fundraiser Frank

Demand for action over gull ‘threat’ to locals

 SYLVIA POWNALL

Continued from Page 1

A FORMER councillor who has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease is set to fly to Australia and jump out of a plane to raise awareness of the debilitating condition.

Frank Snowe, who was An Cathaoirleach of Balbriggan Town Council in 2010, will skydive in aid of the Parkinson’s Association of Ireland in Jurien Bay, Perth.

The fundraising jump

will take place in April while Frank (right), a former Green Party and Independent councillor, is on a trip down under to visit relatives.

He said: “I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 18 months ago. My knowledge of the disease was ‘You get a tremor’ and that was all I knew.

“I wasn’t aware of the depression, loss of muscle strength, falling, frozen face, stiffening of your joints ... the inability to

carry out simple tasks, loss of tone of voice, difficulty to speak and swallow, night terrors, or a higher risk of dementia, and other symptoms.

“No two people have the same sy mptoms.

There is no cure for Parkinson’s Disease – you just get progressively worse. It won’t kill you itself, but usually deaths can be a result of a fall or choking etc.”

However brave Frank, a well-respected figure in the north county Dublin town, said he’s determined not to let his illness define him and has set up an everydayhero. com page where people can donate online.

He said: “I’m not rais-

ing this money to cure Parkinson’s, but to help the work of Parkinson’s Association of Ireland.

“The more people that know about them, the greater their impact, so please also spread the word by sharing my page with your friends and family.”

Cllr Malachy Quinn (SF) said there was a groundswell of support locally for Frank, who has done a lot of good work for Balbriggan over the

past 30 years.

He said: “Frank’s in the early stages of Parkinson’s and he’s determined to fight back. He refuses to let it mark him out.”

Frank will cover all costs associated with the skydive himself.

He also wants to set up a support group and is urging those interested to get in touch by contacting 087 268 0953, or email franksnowe@gmail.com, or via Facebook.

Putting their tree-mendous interest to use for campaign

WILDLIFE expert Eanna Ni Lamhna joined kids at St Laurence’s NS in Baldoyle last week to help mark National Tree Week. The schoolchildren planted saplings and broadcaster Eanna launched the Irish Tree Trail – a film guide to Ireland’s 28 native trees. Filmed in St Anne’s Park and the Botanic Gardens, as well as the school grounds, the project was inspired by the “Dublin Tree Trails”, currently available in nine Dublin parks.

Film creator and green schools co-ordinator Orla Farrell said: “A further aim of the project is to encourage children to plant native trees. The children wanted to expand the Dublin Tree Trails inexpensively, starting with their local park in Fingal where they planted 300 trees in January in Ireland’s first ‘Plantfor-the-Planet’ Tree Acad-emy.”

The school hosted five local, two US and one UK school as part of the global initia-tive to plant a million trees in every country of the world by 2020 – a challenge is-sued by a nine-year-old German schoolboy. Picture: Maria O’Donoghue

Cllr Quinn said the gulls – a protected species under an EU directive – posed a threat and in some instances school children were kept indoors during break-time rather than playing in the yard.

He said: “Their habitats have changed since the closure of the dump in Lusk, which means they have to go and scavenge elsewhere for food.

“They’re causing terrible damage. Some of the children in the schools can’t even go out and play at times because of them.”

Earlier this year, students from Loreto Secondary School in Balbriggan put together a study on ‘lunch stealing gulls’ as an entry for the Young Scientists’ Competition.

Alarm system Enya Anderson, Cleo Gallen and Kirsty Burns devised an alarm system to tackle pesky gulls who prey on unsuspecting students and swipe their sandwiches.

They found 39 % of students reported having their lunch stolen, while 82% found the winged scav-engers “annoying or intimidating”.

Culling is prohibited under EU regulations and Senator Clifford Lee is not in favour of such extreme measures – but she is demanding action.

She told the Seanad: “Many look on this problem as a bit of a joke, but it’s far from a joke for those living with the problems posed by aggressive seagulls.

“In the UK, scientists have been studying the use of lasers in deterring gulls from nesting in urban areas. I hope similar options will be explored to deal with the problem in north Dublin. A strategy is needed.”

16 March 2017 FINGAL GAZETTE 5

6 FINGAL GAZETTE 16 March 2017

Out and About

Mayor of Fingal Cllr Darragh Butler, senior customer advisor Lorna Gallagher, Cllr Eoghan O’Brien and branch manager Stephen McConnell. Pictures: ALISON O’HANLON

SMEs come together for networking event P

Ailish Hughes and Fran Geoghgan

Mike Walter, Phil Roache and Ciaran Keohane

Karen O’Neill and Paula Costello

Paul Kavanagh, Conor Dunne and Gerard O’Flynn

ERMANENT TSB’S proposition to small business customers was the talk of Malahide town on Tuesday evening as the bank unveiled its SME Information Evening. Aimed at informing local businesses about the services available from Permanent TSB, the event was well attended by a range of local business owners keen to find out about supports and products available to them. Branch manager Stepehen McConnell told The Gazettee: “Our SME Information Evening is about showcasing the facilities in the branch to the local business community and showing how we can serve the needs of local businesses.”

16 March 2017 FINGAL GAZETTE 7

Out and About

Great craic agus ceol for Seachtain na Gaeilge T

HE Atrium in County Hall Swords came alive to the sound of traditional music and singing last week as Fingal County Council celebrated Seachtain na Gaeilge. The evening, featuring music and singing from Antaine O Farachain and Nollaig MacCarthaigh was one highlight of a varied programme of events in the council for Seachtain na Gaeilge. The evening was an opportunity for Fingal staff to enjoy using the Irish language and many former colleagues joined them on the night. There are many Irish language groups active on a weekly basis in the Fingal community and their members were well represented on the occasion also. People got up to sing and dance and everyone really enjoyed the night.

8 FINGAL GAZETTE 16 March 2017

DONABATE | LOCALS CONCERNED AT IMPACT OF DEVELOPMENTS ON COMMUNITY

Plans for 4,000 homes put on hold over fears

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 SYLVIA POWNALL

SEVERAL planned housing schemes in Donabate have been put on hold amid residents’ fears of overdevelopment.

A number of developers, including Bernard McNamara, have been temporarily prevented from constructing new homes in the seaside suburb.

The council’s Local Area Plan for Donabate anticipates the construction of 4,000 new homes.

A key piece of infrastructure – the long-awaited bypass – is needed to accommodate any large-scale development in the area. Cllr Adrian Henchy (FF) said: “The delivery of the bypass road will open up lands at Ballymastone and Corballis, which will benefit the new Central Mental Hospital. This bypass is a critical piece of infrastructure for new houses in that strip of land.”

However, locals are concerned that the area will be overwhelmed by the level of planning applications.

Within the last month alone, Fingal County Council has put on hold plans

by Oakston Property Company Ltd for

‘The facilities can’t support the current population – so how can a dramatic increase in population without the supporting infrastructure be justified?’

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

Local resident Nicholas Brown

----------------------------------------Locals are concerned Portrane will be overwhelmed if planning schemes in the works proceed. Picture: Google Maps

286 homes close to Beaverstown Golf Club.

The local authority has also placed on hold plans by developer Bernard McNamara’s Roxtip Ltd to construct 36 homes off Beaverstown Road.

The council has also put a stay on plans by Keelco Ltd for a mixed-use development at Turvey Avenue to include 33 apartments, while new plans

have recently been lodged by McGarrell Reilly Homes for the construction of 196 houses and 62 apartments on lands off the Hearse Road.

In an objection against the Oakston plan, local resident Nicholas Brown highlighted what he saw as the pressures on all aspects of local infrastructure. In his submission, he wrote: “I recently registered my one-week-old daugh- t e r

for primary school for 2021 entry and she is already on a waiting list with no guarantee of a place.

“We can’t get her into pre-school, despite her starting date being three years away. This is an example of how the facilities can’t support the current population – so how can a dramatic increase in population without the supporting infrastructure be justified?”

Fingal County Council is due to make decisions on the planning applications later this year.

Darragh-lighted to help spread the word about Fingal’s great St Patrick’s Day festivities TOWNS across Fingal will come alive this weekend with parades and events to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. This year’s theme is Celtic Creatures, and parade participants will be getting into the spirit with their unique interpretations of the theme.

Pipe bands, dancing, community and sporting groups, an array of colourful floats, carousels, entertainment and street performers will fill the streets in each location.

T his year, Swords Castle will come alive to the sound of traditional music as it plays host to the Castle Fleadh. There

will also be a funfair on Friday 17 and Saturday 18 in the car park beside the courthouse.

Mayor Darragh Butler, pictured busy at work helping to spread awareness about the festivities, said: “St Patrick’s Day will be one of the highlights of my term!

“I am very much looking forward to getting to as many of the festivities across the county as possible and enjoying the atmosphere at the parades.”

Details of road closures can be found at www. facebook.com/EventsinFingal.

FASTNews

€70k available for summer projects in Fingal FUNDING of €70,000 will be given to summer projects by Fingal County Council.

The programme was launched last week by Mayor Darragh Butler and council chief executive Paul Reid.

Summer event organisers were invited along to find out about the supports available to the community and voluntary sector.

This year’s allocation has been increased to €70,000, capped at €2,000 per project.

Cllr Butler said: “It was a great opportunity for groups to meet up and to share ideas of what is working well in their summer projects and to find out what Fingal’s community, arts, sports, libraries and heritage sites have to offer in terms of activities for young people.”

For further information, see www.fingal.ie.

Pinnock Hill may get pedestrian crossing – FCC

DETAILS OF PARADES: Swords Parade, 11am, Dublin Road – Main Street – North Street; Rush Parade, 1pm, Main Street; Lusk Parade, 1.30pm, Main Street; Balbriggan Parade, 2pm, Main Street; Skerries Parade, 3pm, Main Street; Blanchardstown Parade, 3pm, Castleknock Road – Main Street – Snugborough Road – Westend – Blanchardstown Town Centre; Swords Castle Fleadh, 1 – 5pm in Swords Castle; Funfair, 10am – 6pm on Friday and Saturday, car park beside Swords Courthouse.

A PEDESTRIAN crossing at Pinnock Hill is being considered by the council.

Officials said a safe crossing point north of the roundabout “will be given consideration if a source of funding can be identified”.

Mayor Darragh Butler had raised the issue at an area council meeting, warning: “We cannot wait any longer or be dependent on the arrival of the long-overdue Metro North.”

16 March 2017 FINGAL GAZETTE 9

Man ‘ruined his family’s Christmas’ by drink-driving, crashing car A YOUNG man who “ruined his family’s Christmas” by driving drunk and crashing his brother-in-law’s car into a wall has been put off the road for three years.

Aaron Scully, 21, was more than eight times over the legal limit when he crashed close to an area where young children were playing on Christmas morning.

He pleaded guilty to a series of offences including causing €1,560 of damage to the property of a resident in a Swords estate who he paid compensation.

Garda Amanda King gave evidence that she responded to a call of a single vehicle collision in Pine Grove Park in Swords at 8.50am on December 25.

She said the defendant

was intoxicated and, when arrested, he gave a breath sample of 77mg of alcohol per 100ml.

“There were children playing with their Christmas toys nearby,” said Gda King.

Pleaded guilty Scully, of Pine Grove Park, pleaded guilty to drink driving, driving without insurance, having no driving licence, and criminal damage to a wall and gate.

His solicitor said he had “ruined his family’s Christmas” and “his parents are a nervous wreck”.

Judge Dermot Dempsey imposed a three-year driving ban, ordered him to carry out 200 hours’ community service and fined him €400 for drink driving.

COURTS | SWORDS MAN PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO FALSE IMPRISONMENT

Jury hears mum’s distraught call in alleged kidnap case THE jury in the trial of an alleged kidnapping and robbery heard a distressed 999 call from the victim, whose 10-weekold baby girl hadn’t been fed for 17 hours.

J e a n M a r i e N aw n could be heard sobbing down the phone as she tried to comfort her crying baby and explain to gardai how the kidnappers had threatened to shoot her and her partner.

Jonathan Gill, 35, Malahide Road, Swords is accused of kidnapping a postal worker, his partner and their young baby before robbing over €600,000 from the man’s workplace.

Mr Gill has pleaded

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

‘Mr Gill has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to falsely imprisoning Warren Nawn, Jean Marie Nawn and their baby girl in Drogheda between August 1 and August 2, 2011’

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not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to falsely imprisoning Warren Nawn, Jean Marie Nawn and their baby girl in Drogheda between August 1 and August 2, 2011.

The trial has heard the Nawns were taken from their home and brought to a shed where they were held overnight.

Mr Nawn, who had been warned he would get “a bullet in the head”, was then sent to An Post in the morning to retrieve the money.

Ms Nawn told the jury she was repeatedly threatened at gunpoint during the 15-hour ordeal and said that at one stage she was beaten over the head with a gun.

Afterwards, the raiders left her tied to a bedpost in an abandoned house with her baby.

She told the court she managed to free herself and run up the road to the nearby IBM factory in Swords.

G4S security company worker Gerard Whelan told the court he was working at the IBM factory and driving out to lunch around 1pm that day when he noticed a woman standing at the edge of the grounds.

He said he stopped the van to see if the woman was all right before noticing she was holding a baby and had cable ties on her hands.

Mr Whelan told the

court: “She was distressed and incoherent ... She kept saying: ‘They have Warren, they have Warren’.”

He said the woman did not want him to ring 999, but he felt he had to.

In the 999 conversation played to the jury, Mr Whelan spoke to gardai before putting Ms Nawn on the phone.

She wept as gardai told her that her partner was safe and that an ambulance was on the way for her and her daughter.

Her baby could be heard crying in the background.

The trial continues before Judge Elma Sheahan and a jury of seven men and five women.

Wifi boost plan for rural Fingal

Caremark staff celebrate a day for women INTERNATIONAL Women’s Day was celebrated in style at Caremark Dublin North recently, with a number of events arranged for all care and support workers to mark the big day, and to highlight the hard work and dedication of Caremark’s female staff all across north Dublin.

With more than 120 women employed as care and support workers, care manager Aislinn Bobbett said she and the company wanted to acknowledge their work. She said: “This is the first time we held an event like this, and it was so successful it will be a regular event.

“The day was full of care and support workers popping in between calls for a make-up treatment, which was kindly supplied by Boots, and a hand massage, while Boots Pharmacy also supplied a health check for all our care and support workers.”

Organiser Mandy Murphy

said: “The care staff work at the clients’ homes, so it was a great opportunity to meet and talk to other care and support workers over a cup of coffee at the office.

“International Women’s Day is very important to celebrate the contribution of women throughout our society.”

RURAL North Fingal could soon become a free Wifi hotspot area under a new EU initiative that plans to bring connectivity and investment to remote areas.

Fingal Cllr Malachy Quinn (SF) is backing party colleague Liadh Ni Riada, who last week brought proposals to the committee stage of the European Parliament that call for the creation of Wifi hubs in towns and villages across Europe.

The Ireland South MEP, who is the lead negotiator on the WiFi4EU project, said the initiative would help bring connectivity and investment to rural areas.

Cllr Quinn said: “This

is an important project for rural Fingal and I would urge all communities without this type of infrastructure to keep an eye on this scheme and avail of it when it is rolled out, hopefully early this summer.

“It is a very simple but effective idea. It requires a relatively small investment of some €120m that, if used wisely, will have huge returns for the local community.

“This scheme will bear huge benefits for the peripheral Fingal communities, giving disadvantaged individuals and areas access to the internet, giving local social enterprises access to a global market ... the benefits are endless.”

10 GAZETTE 16 March 2017

GAZETTE GIVEAWAY

REAL BODIES | WE HAVE FOUR FAMILY TICKETS TO THIS STUNNING EXHIBITION TO GIVE AWAY

Nice to meat you We must do this again, wouldn’t you say?

WIN WIN WIN

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Facebook pa

 EMMA NOLAN

EVER wondered what you look like under your skin? Well the Real Bodies exhibition which has just arrived in Dublin shows us just that. throughout the exhibition “Human anatomy exhibits have been around for a long time, and they’ve always been really clinical but we wanted to create something that looked at how we experience our bodies before, during and after life.”

Creative Director of the exhibition, John Zaller gave The Gazette a tour of Real Bodies which is running in the Ambassador Theatre for a limited time.

This powerful, though not for the squeamish, exhibition explores life by displaying 14 real, perfectly preserved human bodies and more than 200 anatomical specimens.

along with art installations and famous quotes on what it means to be human on the walls. The creators skilfully integrated the old theatre into the exhibition, even incorporating the underground tunnels in parts.

These kinds of human anatomy exhibitions have been subject to controversy in recent years as ethical questions surrounding the origin of the bodies have been questioned.

According to Dr Hong Jin Sui, Professor of Anatomy at the Dalian Medical University, the bodies at this exhibition

Real Bodies aims to connect audiences to a deeper sense of what it means to be alive.

Founded on anatomical, cultural, and emotional narratives, the exhibition turns the way we view the human body on its head and takes visitors on a journey through the bodies functions and structures.

“This exhibition looks at the human body from a cultural and emotional perspective as well as a physiological perspective,” John explains.

The exhibition moves through the human body using a system by system approach, displaying 150 individual human organs.

Some are healthy examples and some show signs of disease.

There are little factoids

are “unclaimed bodies” from China and have been donated to medical and physiology departments in universities from city morgues. They are all legally donated and certified to have died of natural causes.

Once in the lab, the “specimens”, or bodies are fixed in formaldehyde and maintained in refrigeration units. Our goal was to create a holistic experience of what it means to be human and to share that with Dublin,” John added.

Real Bodies is open daily to the public from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. for a limited engagement.

Tickets are available to purchase at the Ambassador Theatre box office and Ticketmaster outlets nationwide.

Oh yes of corpse!

The exhibit showcases fourteen perfectly preserved bodies and more than 200 anatomicaly specimens

16 March 2017 GAZETTE 11

Grainne and GOT A STORY? Rachael put TELL US ABOUT YOUR LOCAL EVENT, CELEBRATION OR FUNCTION! on a great Seoige for Enable Ireland

Call our NEWS TEAM on 60 10 240 or email news@dublingazette.com

P

OPULAR TV presenter Grainne Seoige got a helping hand from Enable Ireland service user Rachael Doak at the launch of TK Maxx ‘Give Up Clothes For Good’ campaign.

Now in its 20th year, the campaign has raised €2.2m for Enable Ireland with close

to 120,000

bags of unwanted clothing,

accessories and homeware items donated over this time.

To support Give Up Clothes For Good and help Enable Ireland to continue their vital work around Ireland, simply donate unwanted clothing, accessories and quality homeware i n any TK Maxx store and nominate

a friend, colleague or fam-

ily member to

do the same.

Pics: Anthony Woods

GAZETTE

12 GAZETTE 16 March 2017

DUBLINBUSINESS

Dubliner’s frozen food revolution taking root

Done Deal hands out €37k to three charities THREE Irish charities have received €37,526 from DoneDeal’s charity month initiative.

The proceeds from the money raised during the month of February will go to the Society of St Vincent de Paul, Suicide or Survive and RehabCare Waterford Resource Centre.

St Vincent de Paul is the largest voluntary charitable organisation in Ireland, maintaining a practical approach to dealing with poverty. Suicide or Survive create and deliver innovative approaches that educate, inform and inspire people to cultivate good mental health and reduce stigma leading to less death by suicide.

RehabCare Waterford Resource Centre champions the value of diversity and inclusion for people with a disability or disadvantage in their communities. Each charity received €12,508 from DoneDeal to invest in important projects over the coming months.

Commenting on the donation, Agnes Swaby, marketing manager at DoneDeal said: “At DoneDeal we are delighted to be able to help another three worthy Irish charities.

“We hope that our efforts in this regard, for these three charities, will have a positive impact on the lives of many using these services on a daily basis.”

 EMMA NOLAN

A 31-year-old food entrepreneur from Dublin City who is helping to revolutionise the frozen food sector has won the Best Start-Up Business category at Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) competition.

Samuel Dennigan of Strong Roots has won a €25,000 investment fund through the Local Enterprise Office Dublin City (LEO Dublin City) after scooping the category title at the IBYE national final.

The competition, which is supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Enterprise Ireland and run by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices,

Samuel Dennigan scooped the category title at the IBYE national final

attracted entries from over 1,800 18-to-35-yearolds, showcasing some of the country’s best and brightest business talent.

Samuel officially

launched the Strong Roots healthy frozen food brand in 2015 with ovenbaked sweet potato chips, which was quickly followed by kale and quinoa

burgers, avocado halves and garlic roasted sweet potatoes.

His products are already on sale in SuperValu and Dunnes Stores’

Firms offered free office space in London

Companies urges to enter Innovation Awards COMPANIES of all sizes from all over Dublin and from every sector have been invited to put their innovative products or services forward for this year’s Innovation Awards.

From life-saving drugs to powerful computer chips and music apps to agri devices, past winners of The Irish Times Innovation Awards, which is now in its eighth year, have come from a wide range of sectors.

Last year Dublin underlined its reputation as an innovation hub, with firms from the capital claiming four of the seven awards on offer.

The four Dublin winners were Moocall, Scriba, Mastercard Labs and Coindrum.

This year the seven categories for entry are: Agrifood; Energy and the Environment; Fintech; IT and Telecommunications; Life Science and Healthcare; Manufacturing; and New Frontiers, for innovations which do not fall into any of the above categories.

Entry to the Awards is free.

The closing date for entries is April 20.

Three finalists will be selected in each category and these will be announced in late May.

outlets in Ireland and in Waitrose and Spar in the UK. Speaking after his win, Samuel said that he and the team are “over the moon”. “ We h ave wo r ke d really hard for the last 18 months on the business for ourselves and while we have internal milestones that gives us our own victories, the public acknowledgement of a body like the LEO (Local Enterprise Office), EI (Enterprise Ireland) and the DJEI (Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation) is huge.

“For me, it has only put more positive pressure on the want to expand and grow into new markets and further develop existing ones.”

Mark Kellett, CEO Magnet Networks and marketing manager Louise McKeown at the launch of the Magnet Networks Brentry initiative. Picture: Conor McCabe Photography Ltd

IRISH businesses looking to expand to Britain are being offered free office space in the heart of London with the launch of telecoms company Magnet Networks’ “Brentry” initiative.

Launchpad For London will see 10 Irish companies establish themselves rent-free in London’s new smart city at Wembley Park, while also enjoying the fastest connection speeds in the capital.

“With Brexit dominating the news, it is

easy to forget that Britain is our largest trading partner and offers better access to funders, a better attitude to risk and a massive market for many Irish firms,” said Magnet Networks CEO Mark Kellett.

“We believe that 2017 should be the year of Brentry, giving Irish businesses a launchpad into the city that hosts many of the world’s top companies and offers the best place to test your fundraising model, product or service offering.

“Most importantly, Irish companies who are also operating within Britain will be in a stronger position post-Brexit.

“The 10 Irish companies who base themselves at Magnet’s headquarters at York House in the smart city will pay no rent for four months. They will have the fastest connection available, direct fibre optic connections from Ireland to their London desks and access to one of the largest Internet of Things and Smart City test beds in the world.

“This a fantastic area, with great connections to central London (15 minutes to Marylebone), Heathrow and the North Circular Road and hundreds of shops and restaurants.

“We are inviting interested companies to log on to launchpadforlondon.ie and complete the simple entry form before Monday April 10.”

Enterprise Ireland Regional Director for the UK and Northern Europe, Marina Donohue, praised the initiative for focusing on the importance of having a UK presence in a post-Brexit Europe.

“The UK is the largest export market for Enterprise Ireland client companies, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future,” she said.

THE BIG INTERVIEW P16 STYLE P18 MOTORING P22

Let The Gazette take you on a tour of what’s on across the county this week

Loah and fellow Dubliners Cloud Castle Lake (below left) are off to Texas for SxSW (left)

 JAMES HENDICOTT TEXAS IS CALLING for breakthrough Irish musicians as industry-focused festival SxSW – hosted in Austin, Texas this week – prepares to hone in on 2017’s most likely new stars.

The American festival will represent the capital. has come under fire in Loah, the stage name recent weeks, as several of Sallay Matu Garnett, artists pulled out in pro- will release her debut EP test at prohibitive con- in April, and is already tracts for acts that require heavily tipped to make US visas. waves locally off the back SxSW (South by of her jazz/soul mix and Southwest) does none- inventive vocals. theless remain the best She’s dubbed her location in the world to style ‘Art Soul,’ and has see major acts play tiny already worked with the venues, and the top spot- likes of Hozier and Kila. ting ground for newcomSpeaking of the event, ers to throw themselves Loah told the Gazette: “I in front of the abundant first heard about SxSW waiting music media. when I was staying in Ireland has tradition- NewYork and a bunch of ally had a strong asso- friends came back having ciation with the festival, had the most incredible with Arts Council fund- experiences. ing provided to assist the “I remember thinking travelling musicians in I really want to play that ample expenses in get- one day. So it’s always ting themselves on front been on my radar as

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DUBLINLIFE

16 March 2017 GAZETTE 13

Promising Dublin acts head West..well.. South

by Southwest in search of fame and fortune

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‘SxSW has always been on my radar as being a parallel galaxy in its vast scope of music, people and technology’ ----------------------------------------------------------------------

of their audience, provided through arts agency First Music Contact.

Past years have seen ‘Music From Ireland’ – First Music Contact’s showcase at the event – feature the likes of Hozier, Damien Rice, The Strypes, Girl Band, and Walking On Cars.

This year’s Irish contingent might be unfamiliar to those outside of music circles, but look just as likely to succeed.

Amongst those taking flight are up-and-coming pop-rock band Picture This, young rockers The Academic and lo-fi atmospheric soloist Jealous of The Birds. Globally-influenced soul singer Loah and spaced-out alt act Cloud Castle Lake

being a parallel galaxy in its vast scope of music, people and technology.

“I’d love to meet industry people working at a wider level, European and American and further afield even and get exposed to loads of other musicians.

“I’m particularly excited as Erykah Badu (my queen!) is playing, as is Goldlink, who I love. I have a really bright and surrendered outlook on it – whatever happens will be great and I’m gonna make the most of the experience.”

Cloud Castle Lake have been established a little longer on the Irish scene, with previous EP ‘Dandelion’ successful enough to feature on

Loah behold Pitchfork and in NME, building on an already sparkling live reputation.

They make a meandering form of atmospheric, dark-toned melodies, overlaid with high-pitched vocals from frontman Daniel McAuley. A follow up to ‘Dandelion’ is overdue.

“This’ll be our first time out in front of an audience since we started working on our album last year,” the band told us.

“We’re in the midst of translating all that music into an exciting live show, and we think SxSw will be a great launching pad for showing our new material.

“We’re a bit frantic getting it all together, but can’t wait to start playing live again.”

A third Dublin act, EMBRZ (the pseudonym of remix artist Jack Casey) had also been scheduled to join the party, but the slowed-down visa process has postponed his trip until

2018. All three however, by virtue of attracting enough industry interest to make their way to SxSW, can expect to play bigger stages in the coming months.

With surprise sets in recent years from the likes of Radiohead, Drake, Jack White, Muse and Justin Bieber, those acts

who head out to Texas will find themselves at the very heart of music’s buzzband drive for a few days.

They may never get a better chance to take off.  SxSW takes place annually in Austin, Texas, every March, running parallel events focusing on music, film, comedy and tech.

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14 GAZETTE 16 March 2017

DUBLINLIFE

DIARY

Spread a beautiful message

Young Social Innovators from Ardgillan Community College advocated for change at the YSI Speak Out tour, supported by Ulster Bank, in The Mansion House. The tour is part of the YSI of the Year Awards, which challenges young people to think differently and come up with ways to tackle social issues affecting them and their communities. The Ardgillan students’ project was entitled, Any Weight, Don’t Hate. Picture: Conor McCabe Photography

PORT YOURSELF IN AN UNUSUAL 10K RUN RUNNERS will soon be able to take to one of the city’s most unusual routes – and help charity with every step.

Starting from 9.30am on Sunday, March 26, the Dublin Port Tunnel will be open to runners as part of a 10k underground run, marking both the 10th anniversary of its opening and helping to support Focus Ireland.

Natalya Coyle and Bryan Keane put their best feet forward to help promote the upcoming 10k Port Tunnel Run. Picture: Dan Sheridan

The special collaboration between Focus Ireland, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, tunnel operator Egis, Dublin City Council, Dublin Port Company and Elite Event Management aims to raise €150,000 for Focus Ireland’s work to combat and prevent homelessness.

The run won’t ‘just’ be a memorable event for the unusual setting – a tunnel laser light show, aid stations with DJs and

entertainers, UV lighting and live kilometer markers will add to the underground theme and help to create an upbeat mood for all participants.

Not only that, but a vibrant urban village market with lots of vendors and family-friendly events will also make it a great day for all.

You can enter online at www.undergroundruns. com, or also see www. facebook.com/undergroundruns.

GO THE WHOLE HOG FOR A COMEDY SHOW DUBLIN comedy sketch group Foil, Arms & Hog have just announced an extra date for Vicar St on April 29 due to phenomenal demand.

Called “Pure brilliant”

by Tommy Tiernan, the group have over more than million hits on YouTube and have sold out numerous shows at Vicar St. With regular sketches on RTE, viral comedy hits and more than 70,000 online followers, Foil, Arms and Hog have established themselves amongst the new breed of Irish comedy stars.

Tickets priced €25 are available now through www.ticketmaster.ie and usual outlets nationwide.

RACE OVER TO THE VHI MINI-MARATHON AS IF the upcoming Port Tunnel run wasn’t enough to excite fitness fans, Dublin women can also look forward to the VHI Women’s Mini-

Marathon, which is now open for entries and is also celebrating 35 years this year.

This year’s event will see more than 35,000 women walk, jog or run through Dublin city on Bank Holiday Monday, June 5.

A new route is place for this year, which will see the course completely reversed, starting this year at Fitzwilliam Square and finishing at Baggot Street.

Women can enter now by registering online at www.VhiWomensMiniMarathon.ie.

TAKE A CAREFUL LOOK AT YOUR EYE HEALTH SHEDDING light on preventable blindness, World Glaucoma Week is taking place this week to highlight this major cause of preventable blindness.

Glaucoma is an eye condition that causes permanent and irreversible damage to the optic nerve, which transmits images to the brain.

However, it is one of many conditions that can be picked up by an opticians and successfully treated, if detected early.

To coincide with World Glaucoma Week, which is currently running until March 18, Specsavers stores across Dublin, and the National Council for the Blind of Ireland, are highlighting the importance of regular eye tests in helping reduce preventable sight loss.

In Ireland eye examinations are free if you have been advised by an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) that you are at risk of glaucoma, or you have already been diagnosed with the condition.

For further information, visit http://www.wgweek. net/about-world-glaucoma-week/.

REMEMBERING OUR DEAD OF WORLD WAR 1 A NEW exhibition in the Dublin City Library remembers the Irish War Dead of World War One.

Dubliners can visit a reflective and moving work that remembers and lists the names of all of the Irish who fell on Belgium soil in the war.

A large memorial book, Assembly, records 174,000 soldiers’ names and forms the central part of a new exhibit from the In Flanders Fields Museum in Belgium, now on display in Ireland for the first time.

Along with an oversize book of the names of the war dead, the installation consists of five chairs (representing each year of the war).

The exhibit will be in on view in Dublin over the next three months at three different locations – Dublin City Library and Archive, Pearse Street; City Hall, Dame Street ,and Richmond Barracks, Inchicore.

Items from the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association Archive will also be view to support the exhibit.

16 March 2017 GAZETTE 15

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16 March 2017 GAZETTE 17

Gazette babies are the cutest...

Gazette competition

Are you a member of a camera club?

Would you like to see your shots in print?

Niamh Arthurs sent in this great pic of James and Christophear Arthurs “being boys”, & above right, James at five months

Clockwise from top left: Little smiler Sophie Elsa Dowyle (11 weeks); Diana Koo sent this little red-hooded beauty; It’s bathtime for seven month old Liam; Edel McCann submitted this stunning black and white photo of two-year-old Kye; Bella Ava Lamb is as cute as a button; And thanks to Sriram Bharadwaj for sending in this little cutie.

Thanks to Celia for this stunning shot of 17-month-old Liam Kavanagh (left); while gorgeous little Ava (above) was sent in Marie HIckey

Send in your baby photographs and...

WIN!WIN!WIN!

SPRING is in the air, and the Gazette’s Bonnie Baby competition is in full swing. We’ve had a wonderful response from mums, dads, proud grandparents and family friends, who’ve shared some of the cutest photos we’ve ever seen.

The competition will run for the entire month of March, so keep sending in those wonderful snaps of your little ones – we’ll feature as many as we can in the paper each week until April 6th.

We have some great prizes to give away – including two hampers worth €90 each from our friends at NUK Ireland – and one lucky winner will win a free family or newborn photoshoot worth €180 from Gazette photojournalist and expert baby photographer Ali, of Alison O’Hanlon Photography.

So keep sending in those snaps to competitions@dublingazette.com or via our Facebook page – and don’t forget to include your details and your baby/toddler’s name and age!

Rebecca Gibson sent in this lovely shot of baby Kai Gibson

Two-year-old Olivia Gemmell is the best big sister little Isla (five months)

Thanks to Jen Brady for sending us in this lovely photo of

Gerard Cronin sent in this adorable photo of little Jack

could ever wish for. Thanks to mum Louise for sending in this lovely pic!

little Rosie Brady photo of little Jack at just five weeks.

at just five weeks.

Why not send your pictures to aconway@ dublingazette. com

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18 GAZETTE 16 March 2017

DUBLINLIFE Straightener €64

M&S Shortbread tin 450g €9

BaByliss 3Q Hair Harvey Norman

STYLE

Thomas Sabo Love bridge bracelet €219

Brown Thomas Dior 5 Coleurs €60

Aldi Pata Negra Cava Rosado €12

Brown Thomas Weston Scarves - Chelsea Mineral Silk Scarf €155

Aldi 3 x Drinking glasses €10

y italit re V 56 u P € ls Kieh Cream s t t g o n Arn Renewi n i k S

It’s in the bag for

Mother’s Day  EMMA NOLAN Style Editor

Dealz Mothers Day gift €1

Arnotts Kate Spade bag €258

MOTHER, mam, mum, mammy, ma, mom, mama – whatever you call her, make sure she’s treated like a queen this Mother’s Day. Whether she prefers breakfast in bed, Sunday brunch or a fry-up with all the trimmings, treat her to a nice gift to go alongside her day.

You can’t go wrong with the usual: flowers, perfume and jewellery, so here’s a selection of gift ideas to help you get her the perfect gift this year.

M50MOTORING

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GAZETTE

16 March 2017 GAZETTE 19

in association with

The Dublin Gazette drives you through the motoring world on a tour of the latest models, technology & industry news

MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE CROSS LAUNCHED Mitsubishi launched the new Eclipse Cross SUV at the recent Geneva Motor Show, the first of a number of new SUV’s from the Japanese brand.

The new Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is considered to be a compact SUV Coupé, and is the first of a new generation of Mitsubishi Motors cars as the brand aims to re-position Mitsubishi as a pure SUV player in Europe.

The new 1.5 litre turbo-charged petrol version will be available in Ireland from January 2018. This will be followed by an upgraded 2.2 litre turbo-diesel model later in the Spring of 2018.

The new Mitsubishi four cylinder downsized petrol engine aims to provide powerful driving performance and high level of environmental performance for the new Eclipse Cross.

The new engine claims precise control of fuel injection into the cylinder and intake port to match driving conditions results in excellent levels of fuel economy and emissions.

S-Cross signals Suzuki’s strong new SUV stature Suzuki has given the S-Cross a significant facelift, so much so that it feels like a new car. Michael Moroney took it to the roads with its peppy 1.0 litre turbo-petrol engine and reports on his experience.

SUZUKI has called the changes to the S-Cross a facelift, but in reality the new design makes the car look like an entirely new model. There’s a stronger, more off-road type look to the new S-Cross with its more solid looking grille, to give the impression that it’s always ready for action, even some tough stuff.

The new-look S-Cross sits taller on the road and feels like a bigger version of the previous SUV model along with stronger SUV identity. This one looks like it can tackle the off-road challenges and Suzuki’s optional Allgrip 4x4 will surely do just that.

The Suzuki S-Cross is considered to be a small market segment SUV and that’s a space that’s increasingly

getting crowded with new model. The Suzuki has to be one of the originals with long standing models such as the Ignis and the ever popular Jimny. So Suzuki has a reputation in this market segment and the S-Cross just enhances that even further.

And there are other changes, particularly under the bonnet. The move to smaller engines with more power and economy is a significant part of the S-Cross update.

Suzuki is renowned for being a master of small car and engine manufacture and that’s put to the test in the new S-Cross.

Continued on next page

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20 GAZETTE 16 March 2017

M50MOTORING

The lightweight, manoeuvrable S-Cross appeal Continued from page 19

Suzuki has replaced the 1.6-litre petrol engine in the S-Cross with a new 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine that gets the benefits of a turbo-charger.

Suzuki calls this engine the Boosterjet version and it has plenty of power and is claimed to have 9% more torque than the previous 1.6-litre version and comes with even better fuel economy.

T he three-cylinder engine is lively but you will notice it’s slightly difference performance especially at lower revs and in traffic. Out on the road and motorway there is no hint of the smaller engine, just plenty of power on demand.

You will have rev the engine a little to get to

Suzuki S-Cross 1.0 SPECIFICATIONS

Engine Engine power 0 – 100km/hr Economy Fuel Tank Capacity CO2 emissions Road Tax Band Euro NCAP Rating Warranty Entry Price 120km/hr motor way speeds and that pushes the power band to close to 3000rpm. That’s a level where it’s difficult to achieve economy.

Despite that I had a range of almost 750km on a full tank giving me an economy figure that was

1.0 litre 111hp 11 seconds 20m/litre (5.0/100km or 56mpg) 47 litres 113g/km A4 €200 5 star 3 years €20,995 just about 20% off the rated figure of 20m/litre (5.0/100km or 56mpg).

I considered that to be a good level of economy and I found that the car delivers its best economy with the help of an engine start/stop system in city driving.

Suzuki claims that this new engine delivers 11% lower CO2 emissions giving an annual road cost of just €200. Compared with the older bigger engine model, Suzuki is also claiming a 10% improved combined fuel consumption figure with the new S-Cross Boosterjet model.

That’s what makes the S-Cross an appealing city SUV. It’s lightweight and manoeuvrable and easy to drive. The driver seat height is not as high s some of the other SUV’s on the market, while it does give good road visibility.

The test car came with a miles speedometer as the dominant numbers where the kilometres figures were smaller and more internal.

That took a little getting used to, now that we are living with kilometres on

in association with

The doors open wide but lack that strong clunky feeling, while rear access is good

The soft touch design dash is clear and functional with a large central screen that divides into the four section menu. Analogue dials are used along with a multifunction steering wheel.

all roads so it was too easy to overstep the speed limits if you are not careful.

The controls are neatly packaged with the dominant unit being the large centre flat screen display

Peugeot 3008 SUV Crowned Car of the Year THE new Peugeot 3008 was named the 2017 Car of the Year at the Geneva Motor Show by a judging panel,

national prizes the new Peugeot 3008 has already won. The 3008 is the fifth Peugeot to win Car of the Year and the first SUV honoured

comprising 58 European experienced journalists

in the history of the COTY prize. Peugeot claims to have 100,000

from 22 countries. The judging panel acclaimed its

orders for the new 3008 SUV has since launch in October 2016 with

style, interior design and performance.

This prestigious trophy joins the 20 other inter-

84% choosing level three Allure, GT Line or GT trims, contributing to the move upmarket of the Lion brand.

that splits into four sections for easy use. The test car came with the full package including SatNav, which was simple to use. Setting the mobile phone to Bluetooth was also easy with no complicated routine.

This small S-Cross SUV is well equipped. The entry level SZ4 models come with seven airbags, ESP, Bluetooth, DAB digital radio, air conditioning, 16-inch alloy wheels, cruise control with speed limiter, air conditioning, heated door mirrors, black protective skid plates and black wheel arch extensions.

The higher specification SZ-T versions add LED headlamps, satellite navigation, polished 17-inch alloy wheels, rear parking camera, front and rear parking proximity sen-

sors, dual zone automatic air conditioning, front fog lamps, rear privacy glass, silver roof rails and silver rear skid plates.

Five-star safety

The S-Cross has come through the Euro NCAP crash test programme with a five-star rating and includes two Iso-fix seat units in the rear. The fact that there is no spare wheel in the boot is a downside for me.

The entry price is enticing at €20,995 but you have to add €4,000 to that to get the higher specification SZ-T versions with bigger wheels and more internal features. Adding the AllGrip 4x4 option is even more expensive, but looking at the design S-Cross it feels that it’s made for more off-road than on-road.

16 March 2017 GAZETTE 21

in association with

A facelift for new Korando SSANGYONG has given its Korando SUV a fresh new look for 2017 with a stylish new design, enhanced equipment and additional safety features.

The car sports a newlook front aspect, which has been redesigned to maximise the car’s robust character with a distinctive new shoulder-wing grille and headlight treatment, while safety has also been improved with the addition of a front view camera - a first in this class of SUV. European sales are set to commence from the second quarter of the year.

The new Korando SUV is designed for young families seeking an active lifestyle, and will appeal to those requiring a car that can handle the rough

and tumble of family life – plenty of interior space for growing children and a generous boot space for all their leisure equipment.

The car features daytime running lights using 11 high-luminescent LED lamps with separate lenses to improve visibility, new 18” diamond-cut wheels, a new ergonomically designed steering wheel, and a new super-vision instrument cluster allowing the driver to change the colour of the instruments to one of six colour options.

The new car also gets both front and rear view safety cameras for greatly enhanced safety, allowing the driver to monitor blind spots around the vehicle when parking or moving

at low speed.

There is the choice between a 7” colour display offering a mirroring function to connect between a smart phone or an HDMI cable, and TomTom 7” navigation: both support the video camera displays, Bluetooth hands-

free and iPod connectivity.

The new Korando is powered by a choice of a turbo-charged, Euro 6 compliant 2.2-litre diesel or 2.0-litre petrol engine (according to market), and is matched with either a six-speed manual or optional six-speed Aisin

automatic transmission for smooth, dynamic gear changing, comfortable driving and lively acceleration. The car also comes with either front wheel-drive, or a smart, on-demand all-wheel drive system, making it the ultimate leisure vehicle.

Opel is offering the Navi 80 IntelliLink with real time traffic function as an option for €1,500 extra

Opel boosts van connectivity OPEL is offering the Navi 80 IntelliLink with real time traffic function as an option to the Vivaro and Movano commercial vehicles. The system is claimed to be easy to operate via the seven-inch colour touch screen, buttons on the steering wheel or by voice control. The navigation unit can also provide the driver with realtime traffic updates and provide alternative routes before getting stuck in traffic thanks to its digital connectivity. In addition, the point of interest function suggests locations for breaks by displaying the whereabouts of shops and restaurants for example.

Opel claims that the new connected navigation system helps Vivaro and Movano drivers save money.

The timely traffic congestion warnings help them save time – which is an important expense factor. Personal smartphones can easily be connected via USB or Bluetooth, thus enabling audio streaming. Navi 80 IntelliLink is available to order at RRP €1,500 for both

The SsangYong Korando SUV gets a fresh new look for 2017

the Vivaro and Movano.

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M50MOTORING

Stunning Trezor wins design award

in association with

THE new Renault Trezor concept car

The low-slung, long-nosed, rear-

is an all-electric GT that embodies

wheel drive, two-seater electric

the styling cues and technologies

Renault Trezor GT appealed to the

set to feature on upcoming Renault

panel of normally hard-to-please pro-

models and it has been crowned

fessional car designers. Judge after

2016’s Concept Car Design of the Year.

judge praised the French EV concept’s

The award is based exclusively on the

dramatic exterior proportions, its

votes of a 20-strong judging panel

interior flair and magnificent use of

featuring some of the world’s top car

materials and the strong design con-

designers.

nection between exterior and interior.

FASTNews

Tenth-gen Honda Civic launched HONDA in Ireland has launched the new tenth-generation of the Honda Civic which it claims was the largest single model development programme in the company’s history.

The new Civic, with an entry price of €23,995, is a core model for Honda in Europe and has been at the heart of the brand’s sales in Ireland.

The new Civic is wider, longer, and lower than

Volvo Cars reveals new XC60 premium SUV VOLVO Cars revealed the new XC60 premium SUV at the Geneva Motor Show. The car replaces Volvo’s original XC60, which in the nine years since its launch became the best-selling premium mid-sized SUV in Europe with nearly a million units sold globally. The XC60 today represents around 30% of Volvo’s total global sales.

Steer Assist has been added to the Volvo City Safety system. A new safety system called Oncoming Lane Mitigation uses steer assist to help mitigate head-on collisions, while Volvo’s Blind Spot Indication System (BLIS) now uses Steer Assist functionality to reduce the risk of lane-changing collisions.

Pilot Assist, Volvo’s advanced semi-autonomous driver assistance system, which takes care of steering, acceleration and braking on well-marked roads up to 130 km/h, is available in the new XC60 as an option.

The new XC60 will be available with Volvo’s T8 Twin Engine petrol plug-in hybrid at the top of the range, delivering 407 hp and acceleration from 0-100 Km in just 5.3 seconds. The new XC60 will be initially launched with the diesel D4 engine at 190 hp and the D5 with PowerPulse technology delivering 235 hp.

Volvo’s new XC60 claims to deliver a healthy performance. The new CleanZone four-zone climate system claims to remove harmful pollutants and particles from outside the cabin to deliver Scandinavianfresh air on the inside.

Volvo Cars’ driver infotainment and connected services offer, Sensus, and the Volvo On Call app both receive a graphical update with improved usability.

The new Volvo XC60 is set to go into production in mid-April at the Torslanda Plant in Sweden. Cars will be available in Ireland later in the year.

any of its predecessors.

It has short overhangs and taut lines to deliver a high level of aerodynamic efficiency. Honda claims that the new Civic has been engineered from the ground up to give improved driving dynamics.

This new Civic is lower on the road, while the seat position is lower to give a sportier feel to the car.

The car is claimed to be 16kg lighter than that of the previous generation Civic, while exhibiting 52% greater torsional stiffness for improved crash resistance. Expect the new Civic to top the Euro NCAP crash safety tests.

Honda is fitting a new three-cylinder 1.0litre VTEC Turbo petrol

Volvo has launched the new XC60 SUV with engine and safety improvements and a claim of

engine to the entry level

being the one of the safest cars ever made

Civic.

16 March 2017 GAZETTE 23

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24 FINGAL GAZETTE 16 March 2017

M50MOTORING

Citroen has extended their 0% finance deal CITROEN is offering new value for those drivers looking for a new family car which offers comfort and style, with practicality. The make the offer of a new top selling C4 Picasso car more affordable, Citroen has extended its 0% finance deal for a limited time, to April 30, 2017.

Customers who order a new Citroen C4 Picasso before the end of April can avail of repayments starting from just €229 per month – or opt for the sevenmseater Grand C4 Picasso from just €259 per month.

The Citroen C4 Picasso comes with family friendly features, including, blind-spot monitoring, reversing camera, hands-free opening tailgate and mirror screen with Car Play. The impressive people carried comes with Citroen’s five-year warranty, five-star EURO NCAP rating and three-years’ roadside assistance, for added peace of mind.

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16 March 2017 FINGAL GAZETTE 25

ReelReviews

CINEMA

GAZETTE

DUBLINLIFE

KONG SKULL ISLAND: LATEST REHASH HAS SOME BANANAS ACTION SEQUENCES

VICEROY’S HOUSE

Just an average biopic THERE’S a great film to be made about the end of British rule in India, but Viceroy’s House (Cert 12A, 106 mins) isn’t it. Gillian Anderson is as watchable as ever as the last viceroy Mountbatten’s wife, as Indian independence looms with Britain preparing to leave. However, the short film can’t hope to pay justice to the complexities of the final days of British rule, and it falls well short.

This Kong is great and the action impresses – but despite an interesting rehash Skull Island fails to truly engage

LEGO BATMAN

Worth going batty about AS THE breakout star of The Lego Movie, Lego Batman (Cert G, 104 mins) is wholly entertaining.

Once again featuring some terrific stop-motion-like CG animation, Batman’s timeless clash with The Joker is played almost as a bromance, with the duo’s constant clashes played for laughs, while a great supporting cast – and some terrific gags – make it a hoot.

JOHN WICK 2

Firing on all cylinders KEANU Reeves hasn’t been doing much of note in recent years – however, John Wick: Chapter 2 (Cert 16, 122 mins) is a rare exception.

Following on from the wellreceived first film, Keanu ups the ante still further and delivers something fresh in the action genre, as his hitman character sets off on a trail of revenge through some wonderfully choreographed action and gunplay setpieces.

Monkeys about with classic lore

IF THERE’S one thing director Jordan Vogt-Roberts’s reboot/reimagining of the classic creature-feature can lord over its predecessors, it’s sheer scale.

The spectacle of King Kong towering above the jungle, blotting out the sun, is a terrifying delight – this Kong would make short work of the Empire State Building.

Unfortunately, despite its mostly-impressive visuals and the occasional thrilling set-piece, this is an uneven affair.

Much like the first film in Legendary Entertainment’s planned MonsterVerse (Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla, 2014), Kong: Skull Island (Cert 12A, 118mins) suffers from a distinct lack of its titular beast.

When Kong is

 MARTIN MACNAMARA

onscreen, the thrills are boundless – there’s plenty of violent, visceral action for anyone seeking wanton jungle destruction.

When the film slows down to take stock, it’s burdened with a clumsy, exposition-heavy script – “show, don’t tell” would have been a mantra worth meditating on a little longer here.

Set in 1973 at the end of the Vietnam War, Kong: Skull Island follows a team of scientists and soldiers journeying to the titular Island for a geologi-

cal survey mission.

Government agent Bill Randa (a healthy-looking John Goodman) hires former SAS captain James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston) to lead the expedition, as well as photojournalist Mason Weaver (Brie Larson) and a helicopter squadron led by the war-hungry Lieutenant Colonel Preston Packard (Samuel L Jackson).

Naturally, Randa’s intentions aren’t entirely scientific, and the “seismological” explosives he plans to drop aren’t intended for purely geological purposes.

After the 100-foot Kong swats away the helicopter squadron like so many annoying flies, the team is stranded on Skull Island, where, much like previous versions of the film,

they encounter an array of bloodthirsty prehistoric leftovers.

Despite being set during the dying days of the Vietnam War, every effort is made to link Kong to the more contemporary Godzilla.

The events here are very much spurred on by Cold War paranoia; foregrounding the theme of human discovery via technological advancement puts Kong in Japanesenuclear-lizard territory, nodding furiously toward a future franchise encounter.

The action here, for the most part, is blunt, brutal and brilliant; more exciting overall than anything Godzilla had to offer.

Kong turns human after human into mush with one fell swoop of his

fist and there’s no end to the amount of imaginative deaths a jungle-full of prehistoric monsters can facilitate.

We’re always eager to see what manner of fantastical beast the brilliant minds in the creature workshop have waiting around the corner.

Unfor tunately, the action often explodes into stylistic overdrive, sometimes evoking the sloppy, slow-motion theatrics of Zach Snyder’s superhero films.

Surprisingly, there are occasional moments of dodgy green-screen effects – unacceptable in 2017.

However, the action is a violent joy to behold whenever the set pieces are accompanied by the film’s irresistible Seventies Rock soundtrack.

The protagonists here are more ‘types’ than actual characters, though everyone does their job admirably enough – Jackson spits rage at everything that moves as a warhungry colonel with no war left to fight.

Most enjoyable to watch is John C Reilly’s affable WWII pilot, stranded on Skull Island for 30 years – he’s far and away the best thing about the movie.

Kong himself is a spectacle worth beholding on the big screen and, based on pure, violent, prehistoric thrills, Skull Island is worth the price of admission.

However, there’s little here to leave us begging for future instalments in the crossover franchise.

Verdict: 6/10

26 FINGAL GAZETTE 16 March 2017

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28 FINGAL GAZETTE 16 March 2017

SPORT

FastSport MCGEE JUMPS UP NINE PLACES ON WORLD LIST: CASTLEKNOCK’S James McGee moved up nine places in the world rankings last week at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships following a first round qualifying win over world number 102 Sergei Stakhovsky 6-4, 1-6, 6-1.

He subsequently bowed out at the hands of Evgeny Donskoy, ranked 116, who went on to beat Roger Federer later in the competition, showing the depth of standard in the world game. The result lifted McGee back up to 209 in the world.

He was unable to match that opening win when he switched to Dallas this week for a $150,000 Challenger event in Dallas where he came unstuck against Japan’s Tastuma Ito 6-4, 6-7, 6-1.

Nonetheless, he made the jump up from 2017 in the world with his performances as he continues to be Ireland’s leading light on the world tennis stage.

SOCCER: REIGNING CHAMPIONS STRENGTHEN FOR TITLE RETENTION CHALLENGE

Shels’ Pearl says squad even better than before

 KARL GRAHAM sport@dublingazette.com

SHELBOURNE captain Pearl Slattery is in positive mood as her team get set to go into the new campaign with hopes of landing a clean sweep of trophies.

T he Women’s National League, shield, league cup and FAI cup are all up for grabs and Slattery believes her double winning side from last year can go even further this campaign.

“After last year you have to go in with high hopes,” Slattery said at the launch of the 2017 Continental Tyres Women’s National League at the Aviva Stadium.

“I think the squad is a lot better than last year. Even though we have lost a few players, the recruitment has been excellent.

“We have top youngsters coming through also, so why not, we can win everything again.”

The opening fixtures of the league campaign take place this weekend with Shels kicking off their title defence against Cork City Women at

The captains, including Pearl Slattery, third from right, at the WNL launch. Picture: Seb Daly

Morton Stadium on Saturday at 7pm.

Shelbourne finished last season eight points ahead of second placed UCD Waves, who make the trip to Eamonn Deacy Park on Saturday to take on Galway Women.

Sunday will see one game take place when Peamount United take to the road to play Kilkenny City at 2pm,

looking to start well.

UCD go into the new campaign with a new manager on board as former Kilkenny United manager Noel Kealy replaces Eileen Gleeson, who stepped down from her position in January after three seasons at the helm.

All change Peamount United have

also changed their management structure with James O’Callaghan taking over from Pat Trehy.

In fact, of the seven teams competing in the league, only Shelbourne’s Mark Leav y and Frank Kelleher of Cork City remain in charge of their teams from last season.

The transition is something that the clubs will have to deal

with while the WNL will also hope to see less imbalance within the league in terms of standard.

Kilkenny United have only earned a single point during their first two seasons in the league, while Cork also regularly fail to reach double figures in terms of points.

A player draft system has been mentioned as a way of addressing this imbalance, and FAI Director of Competitions Fran Gavin wouldn’t rule out the idea while speaking at the launch.

“It’s something you would never r ule out and we’ve looked at models in different countries where they have a system in place.

“If there are structures that make the league more competitive then we will certainly look at it.

“As the game grows, you have to look at that all the time. Is the league aligning with the growth of the game, is the competition so one-sided that it’s detrimental to the development of the players?

“If a match is 10-0 or whatever result, it doesn’t gain anything for anyone,” said Gavin.

UCD and Hermes on course for final day showdown  sport@dublingazette.com

UCD celebrate their winning goal. Picture: Adrian Boehm

THE women’s EY Hockey League regular season title looks like it is set to go down to the final day as UCD stormed back to beat Cork Harlequins while Hermes-Monkstown won out 6-1 at Ulster Elks.

For UCD, their unbeaten run was under severe threat as Naomi Carroll’s double had Cork 3-2 up going into the final quarter at Belfield. An earlier goal from Karen Bateman and Carroll’s first had given the visitors a 2-0 advantage and despite two goals from Deir-

dre Duke, the students went into the final quarter behind.

But a Sorcha Clarke goal and a winner five minutes from the end from Abbie Russell snatched a 4-3 success.

For Quins part, they have some consolation as results elsewhere confirmed their place in the EY Champions Trophy and they do have a re-match against the Belfielders in the Irish Senior Cup final.

Hermes-Monkstown’s win over basement side Elks was a far simpler affair. Laura Pinder, Caitriona McGilp and Sinead

Loughran all got their first goals of the EYHL campaign adding to efforts from Nikki Evans, Anna O’Flanagan and Rosie Carrigan.

At the bottom, Ballsbridge club Pembroke recorded a vital win – their first of 2017 – over Ards with Eanna Horan getting the only goal in a 1-0 result.

It came 11 minutes from the end and sees them rise four points away from the automatic relegation spot and back within range of Belfast Harlequins in eighth.

She popped up to rebound off the pads following Rachel Scott’s

initial strike on goal.

Beaufort’s Loreto took a huge step toward landing the final playoff place thanks to a Hannah Matthews’ 3-2 win over Railway Union.

The international defender scored a trio of penalty corner goals to see her side beat their nearest rivals.

Zara Delany had given Railway the lead against her former club before Matthews hit home two straight corner strikes while the other was a sweep shot. Emma Smyth got one back but too late to affect the outcome.

16 March 2017 FINGAL GAZETTE 29

GAZETTE

FASTSport

Cabra lifesaving club wins 18 medals at English event DEDICATED lifesavers of all ages from Dublin made big waves at a major international swimming event in England where they achieved a string of top times and took home 18 medals.

St John Berchman’s Lifeguard Club, based in Cabra, proved itself amongst the best in Britain and Ireland at the prestigious Royal Life Saving Society’s (RLSS) international speed championships at the Ponds Forge International 50-metre pool in Sheffield last weekend.

Twenty competitors from the lifesaving section of the 150-member Dublin club took part in the event, which was organised by the RLSS, an international charity dedicated to drowning prevention worldwide.

St John Berchman’s Lifeguard Club was established in 1974 to provide training for local young people looking for lifeguard jobs in the leisure industry, as well as learning valuable life skills such as swimming and first aid. The club soon expanded to include a competitive section and swimming instruction for local children. Between June and September each year, members give up their time to run outdoor lifesaving classes at North Dublin beaches.

The RLSS speed championships involve young and old lifesavers competing in a number of disciplines and distances, including obstacle races, rescues using lifesaving equipment, rope throwing and carrying manikins filled with water to simulate adult casualties.

Winners of gold medals included and Paddy Kelly and David Browne in the Individual Line Throw, Patricia Kelly and Laura Mulhair in the equivalent ladies’ event, and the ladies team of Laura Mulhair, Michelle Butler, Niamh Ronan and Eva Harrington won the rescue rope-throw relay event, setting a British record in the process.

The club’s Director of Swimming, Sheila Mulhair, said: “Lifesaving Sport is a great way of ensuring that the Nation’s lifeguards keep up their fitness during the winter months, in readiness for taking up duties on the beaches later in the year.

“This year was one of our best performances at the international speed championships and everyone was totally elated, although the swimmers came back very tired from a really hectic weekend.”

“It was amazing to see them do so well, with personal bests recorded in several events.”

Heffo’s Army homage at heart of Dublin city Little Museum of Dublin charts the cultural significance of the return to form of the county’ senior footballers under Kevin Heffernan and how it matches the city’s development  JAMES HENDICOTT sport@dublingazette.com

THE LITTLE MUSEUM of Dublin is currently paying homage to one of Dublin football’s most extraordinary men in their latest exhibition.

Heffo’s Army - The Rise of Dublin GAA is dedicated to a man credited with turning around the fortunes of a capital side in the early 1970s, transforming them into three time All Ireland winners in a compelling rivalry with Kerry.

Kevin Heffernan’s side – many of the same players who had been representing the county for several years, but failed to make a final since their previous win in 1963 – won Sam Maguire

in 1974, 1976 and 1977.

Despite its focus on Heffernan and his playing and coaching exploits, though, the exhibition also has a broader scope. Author Mark Duncan, a GAA historian who curated the exhibit alongside his colleague Paul Rouse, described the offering as very much “a look at where Dublin was at that time”. “ We we r e f i r s t approached about putting this together in about 2011 or 2012,” Duncan recalled. “What the Little Museum does very well is pop culture, presenting a story, and it really fits well with this idea. We were keen straight away. It’s a kind of histor y of Dublin

GAA but also with a history of Dublin running in the background.”

Calling himself a “child of the 70s”, Duncan went on to explain what made Heffo’s side so special.

“The team that Kevin Heffernan played in, the one that won the All Ireland in 1963, was the first team from Dublin to win an All-Ireland with players who weren’t effectively rural immigrants,” Duncan explained.

“It was a very rural game back then and its growth in Dublin had a lot to do with Dublin’s growing population.

Around those times, clubs like Cuala, Kilmacud Crokes and Ballyboden St Enda’s were forming, either starting

Kevin Heffernan, third from the right, with members of the fire brigade and Sam Maguire

up or as a sort of amalgamation of other clubs.

“There’s no denying that Heffo’s impact was substantial and immediate, though. When he took over, Dublin were

“But, without meaning any disrespect to the current side, they were far more culturally important.

“They came around at the time of colour TV

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

‘Without meaning any disrespect to the current side, Heffo’s Dubs were far more culturally important.’

- Mark Duncan

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

not a strong side, and included many of the same players who had failed to come close to winning anything for several years.

“They weren’t quite as successful as the current team, in that they won three All-Ireland’s in four years and the current team has won four in six,” Duncan continued.

coming into houses and big changes in the culture of Dublin; the growth of the suburbs and the city’s development. You still see banners for Heffo’s Army on Hill 16 because it was really something to be a part of.”

Located on St Stephen’s Green, the Little Museum will host ‘Heffo’s Army’ until May 28.

GAZETTE

30 FINGAL GAZETTE 16 March 2017

SPORT

FASTSport

SOCCER: MANAGER COMES OFF THE BENCH TO SCORE INCREDIBLE WINNER

Colgan and Murray jet off to World Winter Games LOCAL men Matthew Colgan and Anthony Murray both flew out to Austria this week to represent Ireland at the Special Olympics World Winter Games.

They are part of a team of 26 athletes along with 12 support staff who will take part in the competition which gets under way on Saturday.

Colgan is 45 and hails from Swords, He is looking forward to his first World Games having previously represented the Eastern Region in floorball.

Floorball is only one of the sports that Colgan enjoys. He is also involved with bocce, football, pitch and putt, cycling and tennis during his 12 years involved with the Special Olympics.

He is also a big fan of music and has won various different art competitions. In the past, he has also volunteered for Special Olympics and helped others at events.

Murray is from Balbriggan and is 46. He has been involved with Special Olympics for 15 years and participates in athletics, basketball, golf, badminton and football.

Two years ago, he took up floorball for the first time and has represented his region and will now represent Ireland in Austria along with his two close friends Paddy Tuntstead and Mathew Colgan.

Murray says he loves being part of a team and travelling with his friends to training and competitions around the country. He is so excited to be travelling to Austria and is proud to be representing his country.

Despite all the training and competitions, he still finds time to be involved in the Eve Centre XFactor and entertains the crowds with songs and dances from Nathan Carter and Grease the Musical.

The event will be the world’s largest sports and humanitarian event in 2017, taking place in Graz and Schladming, Austria.

Austria will welcome 3,000 Special Olympics athletes from 110 nations to compete in nine Olympic-type winter sport. The Special Olympics movement is committed to creating a world where every person, regardless of their ability or disability, is accepted, welcomed and valued.

Skerries Town’s first team are building to a busy end of season push for promotion while the Saturday side bids to avoid relegation

Lynch mobbed in Major win LSL SAT MAJOR 1C

Skerries Town Skerries Harps  sport@dublingazette.com

4 3

SEVEN goals, a late red card, and an injury time winner from the manager were just some of the talking points as Skerries Town produced an amazing comeback from 3-0 down to defeat St Mochta’s 4-3 in the LSL Major 1C Saturday.

The Fingal side also gave their survival hopes a shot in the arm, while putting a spanner in the works of their opponents’ title quest.

The previously unbeaten St Mochta’s side took

a three nil lead into the half-time break but Skerries produced a scarcely believable comeback, including a 95th minute winner, to secure their third win in the league this season.

The visitors took the lead after just seven minutes when Glen O’Donnell produced an excellent finish, before Dylan Sweeney doubled their advantage shortly afterwards.

It only got worse for Skerries on 17 minutes when a simple back pass bobbled over keeper Ian Tolan’s foot and into the net for 3-0, leaving the tie looking dead as a compe-

SPANISH AMATEURS Consistent McMullen shows strong form THE ISLAND Golf Club’s Gertie McMullen

finished in a tie for fourth place at last week’s Spanish international senior amateur championship.

She hed the field by one shot after round two and continued to produce steady and consistent form in the final round saw her end with scores of 77, 78 and 79.

Dutch player Nan Croockewit Roland Holst captured the title by two shots from Welsh golfer Jane Rees with an excellent final round.

tition.

St Mochta’s had several chances to increase the score line further before half time but they were wasteful, and were in fact lucky not to concede a goal themselves.

Skerries made changes at the break as they looked to find some way back into the match, and it proved successful.

They had Mochta’s pinned into their own half and pulled their first goal back on the hour mark when Farrell brothers Seamus and Kevin combined to put the ball in the back of the net via the head of the latter.

A little over 10 minutes

later and it was game on when Skerries broke from a Mochta’s corner and Barry Davey’s shot looped over the keeper and into the net.

Skerries weren’t finished there, however, and drew level through an excellent free kick from Seamus Farrell two minutes later – an excellent strike that went in off the post.

Mochta’s were rocked but managed to pull their heads together and try to re-establish their dominance that was so prevalent in the first half. They went close on a couple of occasions and seemed to be provided a boost when

Graham O’Flaherty was sent off for Skerries in the 94th minute.

Skerries manager Sean Lynch decided he had seen enough so put himself up top. It proved an inspired move when he broke through the St Mochta’s defence and finished with aplomb to secure all three points for his side.

The result saw Skerries move off from the bottom of the table and now turn their attention to their remaining seven games as they look to complete a great escape, while St Mochta’s drop eight points behind league leaders Rush Athletic but with a game in hand.

16 March 2017 FINGAL GAZETTE 31

GAZETTE

ALL-IRELAND CHAMPS

Maur’s honoured by Fingal County Council

CLUB NOTICEBOARD FINGALLIANS

ST MAUR’S, Rush, were honoured with a presentation held in the Council Chamber Fingal County Council, Swords to mark their success of in winning the 2016 All-Ireland Ladies Junior Football Championship.

This is the first All-Ireland title won by the club in its 88 year history, beating the Cork and Munster champions, Kinsale, by 2-13 to 3-8 in the final at Dr Cullen Park in Carlow.

ST PATRICK’S Day parade: Assemble at

ers beat St Jude’s and Division 9 beat

Colaiste Choilm (club colours of red and

Erin’s Isle. Next Sunday, our Division 3

white is our theme) from 10.30am (same

footballers start their league campaign

as last year). Parade starts at 11am.

at home on Sunday morning v Clann

We will finish at the clubhouse before

HURLING: RED CARD PROVES COSTLY FOR SKERRIES

Mhuire at 10.30am.

kicking off the Coisir Mor/Big Party. This

1 cent to 20 draw: Due to the delayed

will run from 1pm to 4pm (DJ, dancers,

distribution of tickets, the draw will now

musicians, singers, etc).

take place on the Easter weekend.

Our U-14 ladies football team will be

Championship Football Draw: Sen-

running a Feile fundraising cake sale with

iors v Skerries, Junior A v Round Towers

raffles and great prizes available.

(Clondalkin), Junior D v St Pats (Palmers-

We want to give all our young mem-

town).

bers their chance to shine. If they play

Championship Hurling Draw: Inter-

instruments, dance or perform, let us

mediate group 2, Naomh Mearnóg, Na

know and we’ll arrange a slot for them

Fianna, Kilmacud Crokes, St Vincents, St

with DJ.

Peregrines and our Junior F team have

Guimid beannachtai na feile ar ar

drawn Round Towers (Lusk) and Raheny.

gcairde agus ar mbaill ma ta tu sa bhaile

Giles Cup and Donaghy Cup: Well done

no i gcein. La Fheile Padraig shona daoibh

to DCU on beating Athlone IT by two

go leir o ghach duine ag CLG Fine Ghal-

points in McHale Park, Castlebar with

lainn.

the club represented by netminder Emer

New York New York: Bon Voyage to

Ni Eafa and Caroline Nee. Also, Marino

our U-16 girls who departed on Wednes-

Institute tasted success with Aoife Law-

day. The girls will represent the club in

less on the team.

the parade and they will also play three

Easter Camp detail: This is open to

games in Gaelic Park in the Bronx. The

girls and boys aged four to 13 years. It

club will have a daily picture diary of the

will take place from Monday, April 10 to

trip on Facebook.

Thursday, April 13 from 10am to 2pm.

Both hurling teams got off to winning starts over the weekend. Division 4 hurl-

Applications forms are now available from the club bar.

ST FINIAN’S Skerries Harps began their AHL5 season with a one-point defeat.

Harps unstrung by Ballinteer juniors

AHL DIVISION 5

Ballinteer St John’s Skerries Harps  sport@dublingazette.com

0-19 1-15

SKERRIES Harps came close to an opening day victory away to Ballinteer St Johns but fell agonisingly short as they lost 1-15 to 0-19 in the AHL division 5 at Marlay Park.

The visiting side have finished in eighth or ninth position in their league for the last three seasons and are hoping to compete higher up the table this year but they couldn’t get off to the perfect start they wanted.

Playing into the wind and rain during the first half, Skerries performed exceptionally well and Aidan Kehoe got their first point after Ballinteer had opened the scoring.

T hat score kicked off a 10 minute purple patch for Skerries with Andrew Smith and Kian Coleman particularly impressing in the halfback line.

Ciaran Smith scored the only goal after Daniel Graham’s persistence forced a turnover deep into the opposition’s half. The goal complemented well the other four points Skerries man-

aged during this spell.

The last 10 minutes of the first half saw Ballinteer come into the game as they began to win more ball in the middle of the pitch.

T h e y l ay s i e g e t o the Skerries’ goal but couldn’t put the ball between the posts frequently enough.

That was until Coleman committed a rash tackle, for which he received a straight red card.

Ballinteer took advantage to score two more points and leave the score level at 1-7 to 0-10 going into the break.

Skerries had a strong wind at their backs in the second half but they struggled to cope with the loss of a player. Ballinteer were taking advantage by finding more consistency with their kicks.

They led by five points with 10 minutes of the game remaining but the introduction of Rogan brothers Jason and Stephen inspired Skerries.

The visitors scored five points to the home side’s one during the final period but the deficit proved just too much to claw back as they missed several good opportunities.

ST FINIAN’S GAA club would like to extend

are invited to walk with their team in the

sincere sympathies to the McGrath

Swords St Patrick’s Day parade accom-

and Murphy families on the passing of

panied by their parents wearing their

Mairead McGrath, nee Murphy, who died

St Finian’s colours. The parade starts

on Sunday morning. Funeral arrange-

at 11am and all parents and children are

ments to follow. Ar dheis De go raibh a

requested to meet in Colaiste Choilm car

h-anam dilis.

park on the Forest Road at 10am.

It was a good weekend for the adult

Team mentors will be in touch with

hurling teams who both won their

parents over the coming days. Thanks

matches in close encounters. The AHL4

as always to Nick Collier from Collier

team beat St Vincent’s by a point on

Transport who provides the truck for

Sunday morning in Ridgewood. The AHL9

the club members to stand on and in

team beat Scoil Ui Chonaill by 3-11 to 3-9

always ensuring that it adheres to the

in Ridgewood on Sunday afternoon.

required safety standards.

Well done also to the Thomas Ashe

Everybody is invited back to the

Minor team who beat St Peter’s in River

clubhouse for some ceol agus craic and

Valley on Sunday morning.

refreshments afterwards from 12.30pm

There were wins also for the U-15 LGFA

onwards; all are welcome.

and camogie teams who beat St Sylvest-

The nursery and academy, sponsored

er’s and Na Fianna respectively in away

by Sky Handling Partner, will take a break

encounters.

on Saturday, March 18 but will resume at

Congratulations to the U-14 Division 6 team who beat St Monica’s in Edenmore.

the normal times on the following week at 10am and 11.30am respectively.

Well done to the U-13 LGFA who played

Please note that the pitches in River

their first league game in Division 3 on

Valley are closed until March 17 and

Saturday versus Balinteer St John’s.

teams cannot play games or use the

Congratulations to the U-10 girls who took part in a blitz with Lucan Sarsfields,

River Valley GAA pitches for training until the March 17.

Kilmacud Crokes, St Mary’s, Ballymun

A reminder that the Easter Camp will

Kickhams and Garristown to mark the

take place from Tuesday, April 18 to Fri-

official opening of Trinity pitches on

day, April 21.

Santry Avenue. A great day was had by

Prices are €35 for a first child mem-

all. Check out the club Facebook for some

ber, €60 for a second child member and

photos of the occasion.

three children plus €70. For non-mem-

A reminder that all juvenile members

bers, it’s €50.

32 FINGAL GAZETTE 16 March 2017