Lucan

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JUNE 14, 2012

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LUCAN • PALMERSTOWN • CELBRIDGE • LEIXLIP • ADAMSTOWN • DODSBORO • LIFFEY VALLEY • BALLYOWEN

INSIDE: Lions’ County Colours night is another roaring success P8-9

Golf: Local ace reaches Amateur Open Championship Page 32

Soccer: Ballyowen Celtic celebrate their 2012 season Page 28

ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES ......................8 BUSINESS .................... 19 MOTORS ........................21 TRAVEL......................... 22 ENTERTAINMENT ........ 24 CLASSIFIEDS ............... 26

GDANSK YOU: Local boy to carry the Tricolour for Ireland at Euro match P7

Armed robbers strike at BoI in village I PAUL HOSFORD

GARDAI are appealing for information after bank workers and customers were threatened by armed robbers in the Lucan village Bank of Ireland on Monday afternoon.

The robbery took place during the lunchtime rush, at around 1.58pm.

A senior Garda spokesperson told The Gazette: “Two fellows, both wearing helmets, entered the bank; one armed with a breadknife and the

other appeared to have a firearm. One of the bank workers was approached by the man with the breadknife.

“We are anxious to know where they went after they left the bank.

“We believe they made off on a motorcycle in the direction of Lucan Bridge. Very little cash was taken, and CCTV footage is being looked at.

Both men had good English.”

Anyone with information can contact Lucan Garda Station at 01 666 7300.

Garda of honour: Local carried the Olympic Torch on its relay LOCAL garda, Brian Brunton (secondleft, pictured with Pamela Lacken, Alva Nolan and Gary O’Brien) had the great honour of being one of four Special Olympics representatives to carry the Olympic Torch on its relay run through the streets of Dublin.

Chosen as one of the torch’s 40 bearers, the Lucan garda, who is also a member of the Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run committee, was a perfect choice, given his tireless Special Olympics work for many years.

Full Story on Page 5

2 LUCAN GAZETTE 14 June 2012

SCHOOLS Sixth Years complete their studies in style

This group of students had all kinds of imaginative fancy dress costumes to celebrate the end of the year

Costumed fun galore at Confey C ONFEY College’s Sixth Year students certainly turned heads when they dressed up for their final day of official classes recently. In a now annual tradition, the fancy dress fun saw the students (and some sporting teachers) dress up in all manner of wild and wacky costumes, with imaginative make-up to match.

Not to be outdone in the spirit of fun and celebration, Mr Hare (principal) and Mr O’Byrne surprised everyone by arriving in an ice cream van, ready to give a free ice cream to all the students. It was a great way to have a fun end to the official academic year, and to help create a relaxing, upbeat mood before the students’ final exams.

Hannah Dunne and Sean Cunnane

Hayley Nolan and Stephen May received Sixth Year Shonagh Mullins

Jack Reynolds and Sean Cunnane

LCVP awards

The students really excelled in capturing a diverse cast of characters from all kinds of pop culture

14 June 2012 LUCAN GAZETTE 3

CHILDCARE Boost for local services is welcomed

Local creches to benefit from €100,000 fund I PAUL HOSFORD phosford@gazettegroup.com

LOCAL creches will receive a combined €100,000, under a new funding scheme.

The funding was announced as part of €6 million in capital grants allocated to 290 childcare settings throughout Ireland.

Local Fine Gael TD, and Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald said she was delighted with the award.

“These funds are part of the €6 million I secured in childcare capital funding under Budget 2012.

“The Oval Creche in Palmerstown; Cocoon and the Bush Centre

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in Lucan, and Naionra Chronain in Clondalkin will, between them, receive just over €100,000 of this funding.

“This capital programme represents my commitment, and that of the Government, to the ongoing development of the childcare sector, and I know the money received by local childcare providers will be of huge benefit to the families who use these creches.

“It’s great to see local creches benefiting from this grant system,” said Minister Fitzgerald.

The Oval Creche and Montessori School in Palmerstown has been awarded €43,300 to upgrade its facilities in

Palmerstown Avenue.

Tanya Ward, manager, said: “We are delighted to receive this funding, and we are looking forward to improving the quality of our facility.

“I’d like to thank Minister Fitzgerald for her support, and Pobal for approving this funding.”

The Bush Community Playground in Balgaddy was awarded €24,893, while Cocoon in Lucan is set to receive €24,740.

Naionra Chronain, in Clondalkin village, has been approved for €8,684.

Minister Fitzgerald said: “It’s not possible to approve all applications, but I am satisfied that the creches which have been

The Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald (second-right) is pictured with her Fine Gael party colleague, Councillor Emer Higgins (right) and staff of the Oval Creche, Palmerstown, which has been awarded €43,300 to upgrade its facilities

approved for grants are deserving of them.

“It’s great that so many creches in our area will benefit from this funding, which I fought very hard to secure in Budget 2012.

“I’d like to thank all of those who took the time and effort to apply for funding under this programme, and to compliment them for their commitment to improving the

quality of the early years and childcare sector.

“I would also like to pay tribute to the work of Pobal in managing the significant volume of applications in a very professional, timely and efficient manner,” said Minister Fitzgerald.

The aim of the fund is to provide support to childcare settings to address remedial/maintenance/

renovation work and/ or equipment for early education and childcare services.

The Department said the programme was oversubscribed, and extremely competitive and applications that were successful were those that represented the most complete, coherent, precise and compelling cases for funding.

FUNDING

‘Green’ projects notified THE council is accepting applications for the funding of projects that focus on environmental awareness.

The funding will be made available under the Local Agenda 21 Partnership Fund 2012, which promotes sustainable development by assisting small-scale, non-profit environmental projects at local level.

Projects should focus on environmental awareness and actions that complement national environmental policies, such as those on waste, biodiversity, water conservation and climate change.

A wide variety of projects and schemes has been supported under the fund in previous years, including community gardens and allotments, compost schemes, rainwater harvesting and biodiversity projects.

For further information, see www.sdcc.ie.

4 LUCAN GAZETTE 14 June 2012

COMMUNITY Griffeen Valley Park could benefit from plan Council applies for funding to extend Grand Canal Green Route SOUTH Dublin County Council (SDCC) managers have made a preliminary application for funding to extend the Grand Canal Green Route, including CCTV cameras, to the remainder of Griffeen Valley Park.

At the May meeting of the Lucan Area Committee, council managers provided an update on a proposal reporting that “an application for a further extension of the green route through Griffeen Valley Park was made to the Department of Transport and Tourism under the National

Cycle Network Scoping Study”.

Managers also advised that “subject to the outcome of the application to the Department of Transport and Tourism, a further proposal could be considered for submission to the NTA later in 2012”.

Councillor William Lavelle (FG) asked the council to make the application and has started a Facebook page – Extend Grifeen Valley Park CCTV – to gain local support.

He welcomed the news that the council is aiming to attain the funding, and said: “I have been a con-

sistent supporter of both the Green Route project and of calls to install CCTV in our parks to deter anti-social behaviour.

“I actively supported the first phase of the Green Route extension from the Grand Canal to Griffeen Avenue, which included CCTV in the southern section of the Griffeen Valley Park, and the provision of a pedestrian crossing at Griffeen Avenue close to Grange Manor estate.

“However, I believe there remains a need to continue the extension of the Green Route, including CCTV,

from its current end point at Griffeen Avenue through the remainder of the Griffeen Valley Park as far as the footbridge at Esker Glebe,” said Cllr Lavelle.

“I believe this initiative would further encourage cycling in the Lucan area, including by visitors, as well as improving the safety of Griffeen Valley Park.

“Last week, I attended a Neighbourhood Watch meeting in Griffeen Glen, where both residents and gardai expressed support for my proposal for extended CCTV in the park.

“In March, I initiated a fresh campaign for this extension of the Green Route and CCTV when I tabled a motion at the Lucan Area Committee meeting requesting council managers to apply for funding for this project,” said Cllr Lavelle.

He added: “I am delighted those council managers have come on board to support my campaign.

“I know the application for funding is still at a preliminary stage, but I hope it will prove successful as this initiative would be very beneficial for Lucan.”

Lucan Library to stage talks on business

SCHOOLS: ADAMSTOWN

Students petition minister

STUDENTS from Adamstown Community College have presented a signed petition to Minister for Education and Skills, Ruari Quinn seeking the approval of a sports hall.

The college, which opened in September, 2009, has had a steady increase in the numbers enrolling, and is lacking an adequate sports facilities to accommodate this influx of new students.

The school is preparing to take on its first senior cycle next year.

It is also facilitating two new programmes, in the Leaving Certificate Applied programme and the Transition Year programme.

The following year, the school will provide for its first Fifth Year group.

The petition was handed over in the presence of the County Dublin VEC CEO, and was supported by local Fine Gael TD, Derek Keating.

Speaking to the Minister, Deputy Keating said: “I fully support the students’ petition for Minister Quinn, as this dynamic and highly-advanced community college is lacking in a sports facility.”

Minister Quinn replied that he will examine the proposal, but did not want to mislead people, as his first obligation is to ensure that every child in the State will have a desk, a seat and a classroom that is adequate to meet their educational needs.

The Minister was visiting the school to open a new, fully-equipped library with a broadband connection to facilitate children’s research projects.

Deputy Keating said that there may be options that will not involve extra funding from the Department, and he plans to meet Minister Quinn in the coming weeks to discuss these.

He’s Dunne broadcasting: Tom to (briefly) swap the mic for the stage with a musical fundraiser LEIXLIP native Brian Tighe was happy to

throw some Madness-inspired shapes when he joined Kelly Marie Ni Cheallaigh and broadcaster Tom Dunne at the Iveagh Gardens in the city centre recently.

The trio were publicising Tom’s upcoming role in the hit West End musical, Our House,

based on the music of Madness, which runs at the Olympia Theatre this Friday, June 15 and Saturday, June16. A lifelong Madness fan, Tom will be singing many instantly memorable tracks, with all proceeds from the musical helping to fundraise for Console, the suicide prevention charity.

LUCAN Library will hold two events this month aimed at helping businesses.

It begins with an Introduction to Inbound Marketing on Wednesday, June 20 at 10am, with a talk that will be facilitated

by Jim Nolan, manager, IE Network.

Registration is from 10am and the talk will commence at 10.30am.

There will also be an opportunity to network before and after the talk.

The talk will discuss the difference between in-bound and out-bound marketing, and what ways to drive business and customers to you. The talk is open to anyone who wishes to attend.

Later that day, the library will hold a Starting Out seminar at 7pm.

The talk will focus on Starting Your Own Business, with Ina Coleman of the South Dublin Enterprise Board.

All are welcome to attend this event.

14 June 2012 LUCAN GAZETTE 5

PEOPLE Lucan garda’s honour to bear the Olympic Torch PARKING: MOVE TO BRING REVIEW FORWARD

Brian’s Special support in relay I PAUL HOSFORD phosford@gazettegroup.com

A LOCAL member of An Garda Siochana had the honour of representing Special Olympics Ireland in the Olympic Torch relay.

Brian Brunton, from Lucan, is a member of An Garda Siochana, and is also a member of the Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run Committee.

He has carried the Flame of Hope in the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics in Carolina, in 1999; Alaska, in 2001; in Japan, in 2005; and in China, in 2007.

Brian was the lead Garda organiser of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics World Summer Games, which were held in Ireland in 2003.

After last week’s historic event, he has added the Olympic Flame to that impressive list.

Sarah Joyce, special events and promotions manager with Special Olympics Ireland, said:

“Brian has been involved with the Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run for the past 15 years.

“He is hugely dedicated in his support of Special Olympics Ireland, and has continued to fan the flame enthusiastically for our athletes.

“We were delighted that he was selected to carry the Olympic Torch during the relay last week,” she said.

Brian joined other Special Olympics representatives, Gary O’Brien (a Special Olympics athlete from Portmarnock), Alva Nolan (a Special Olympics volunteer from Killiney) and Pamela Lacken (a Special Olympics volunteer from Ballina) in carrying the torch through the streets of Dublin on the historic day.

Thousands of people also turned out for events in Howth, Croke Park and O’Connell Street.

A collection of sports stars, and other famous faces, carried the torch throughout the morning.

Irish soccer legend

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An arresting sight ... Local Garda Brian Brunton had the honour of representing Special Olympics Ireland in the Olympic Torch relay – just one of a number of ways in which Brian has selflessly supported Special Olympics

Paul McGrath received a heartfelt reception from the crowd, and Lucan twins Jedward were also on hand to run with the torch along O’Connell Street.

The flame was finally brought to a public celebration at St Stephen’s Green, where Sonia O’Sullivan lit the Olympic Cauldron to commemorate the visit.

Organisers say the trip South of the Border to Dublin, and the Republic, was aimed at illustrating both the success of the Peace Process, and the all-island nature of the Irish Olympic team.

Speaking about the fact that Special Olympics Ireland was represented in the Olympic Torch Relay event, Special Olympics Ireland’s CEO, Matt English, said: “We were delighted to be so well represented in the Olympic Torch Relay.

“This time last year, it was the turn of our athletes to represent Ireland on the world sporting stage.

“We would like to wish the very best to all of Ireland’s Olympic athletes, who are competing at the Olympic Games in London. We know you will do us proud,” he said.

‘Not guilty’ plea on robbery TWO men are on trial for the attempted robbery of a cash van, during which their alleged accomplice was killed and shot.

Darren Keane (25), of Foxdene Avenue, Clondalkin, and John Boylan (25), of Gandon Court, Lucan, pleaded not guilty to attempted robbery and possession of a sawn-off shot gun at Foxborough Road, Lucan on May 15, 2009.

Alexander Owens SC, prosecuting, told the jury it would hear evidence that two men were “tucked around the corner in a Ford Mondeo” at the Centra supermarket on Foxborough Road, when a cash van pulled up to refill an ATM. Counsel said the armed men, Garrett Molloy and Keith Murtagh got out of the car and approached cash van worker, Tim

McDonald and demanded money. Colleagues in the back of the cash van threw a cash box out.

Mr Owens told the jury it was the State’s case that Mr Molloy then “discharged a shot into the air and gardai intervened”.

He said the men were told to drop the gun but they refused and shots were fired, wounding both Mr Murtagh and Mr

Molloy, who later died.

Counsel told the jury that the attempted robbery was “a joint enterprise” involving Mr Molloy, Mr Murtagh, brothers Derek and Gareth Hutch, Mr Keane and Mr Boylan.

The trial, which is expected to last three weeks, continues before Judge Mary Ellen Ring in the Circuit Criminal Court.

SOUTH Dublin County Council management has said that it is possible to begin a review of the county’s parking byelaws in 2012 if this move is given the seal of approval by all councillors.

The confirmation came in response to a question

by Cllr Emer Higgins (FG) at last month’s Transport Special Policy Committee meeting.

The parking bye-laws are up for review next year, but Cllr Higgins asked that the process begin earlier than this in order to facilitate residents and businesses that are unhappy with current arrangements.

She said: “Businesses and residents in, for example, Palmerstown, Lucan and Rathcoole, have particular issues with the parking bye-laws and, unfortunately, these issues cannot be addressed by amending the bye-laws.

“The only way to bring about changes to support local businesses in these areas is to change the byelaws as part of an overall review.

“This review is scheduled to begin in 2013, but I have asked that we bring the process forward in order to progress this issue,” said Cllr Higgins, who was hopeful the issue could be resolved soon.

“I was delighted that the manager confirmed at our Transport Committee [meeting] that this would be possible, and I will be seeking approval from the council to begin this process ahead of schedule.

“As changing bye-laws is quite complex, I think we should begin the process as soon as possible to expedite the matter.

“It would be a positive and progressive move to start this process ahead of schedule,” said Cllr Higgins.

6 LUCAN GAZETTE 14 June 2012

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POLITICS Eoin O’Broin on his passion for his party

‘People judge you on what you do’ I PAUL HOSFORD phosford@gazettegroup.com

EOIN O’Broin should be more tired – the Dublin Mid-West Sinn Fein representative has just finished a stint as the campaign director for the No side in the Fiscal Compact Treaty, a position that saw him take to the roads, trying to convince the electorate of the merits of a No vote.

When that campaign proved unsuccessful, O’Broin could have been forgiven for taking a long break, far away from Irish politics.

But, as we meet on a grey Friday in O’Broin’s office in the Dail, he is upbeat and eager to get back into his constituency work.

The Dun Laoghaireborn O’Broin spent time in London before returning to Ireland and decamping to Belfast in 1995, where he would become a Belfast City councillor for four years –

a period that saw him on the frontline of the Holy Cross dispute.

After returning to Dublin, O’Broin was seen as one of the leading lights of the “new” Sinn Fein, and took more than 5,000 first preferences in the 2011 General Election in Dublin Mid-West.

However, the sight of a Blackrock College-educated, middle-class man arguing the “Shinner” cause made some internet wags uneasy.

He said: “When I joined Sinn Fein in 1995, there wouldn’t have been many South County Dublin, Blackrock College-educated, university graduates joining the party.

But, now, as the party has grown, it has changed.

“What I found, both inside the party and out, is that people judge you on what you do.

“Nobody cares where you went to school, if you have a degree or not – people want to know what work you do, what

Eoin O’Broin, Dublin Mid-West Sinn Fein representative

you say, if you’re honest. “[These people] want to attack Sinn Fein because they’re not ‘left wing’ enough, or attack policies, but they know that they can’t do that, so they attack Mary Lou [McDonald] because of her sun tan, or they attack me because I went to school.

“That’s fine, I’m not worried about people in internet chatrooms,” said O’Broin.

O’Broin is a combatively intelligent thinker, who sees a need for a “new Republic”.

He said: “If you look at the people advocating a republic in the early days, they were part of a small

movement.

“People began to support the idea when they realised that their social and economic well-being was inextricably linked with a new political and constitutional dispensation, and that’s part of what Sinn Fein is doing now,” said O’Broin.

“The type of society we live in is framed by the constitutional and institutional framework. Our task in Sinn Fein is to convince people of that.

“I want to live in a new Republic. I want to live in an Ireland where the diversity of the island is reflected in our political system.

“One of the great trag-

edies of Partition is that it denied Ireland the chance, from the beginning, of being much more diverse, much more plural, and much more multicultural.

“I think there is a real value in that diversity,” said O’Broin.

Away from politics, O’Broin says that he is a cinephile who “cooks a lot”, but that “this [politics] is what I like to do”.

“I remember walking out of the only Leaving Cert exam that I sat, and the school principal accosting me!

“But I always had this idea to find something you love doing, and do it well,” said O’Broin.

Council plan for new Esker route SOUTH Dublin County Council is examining a project that it hopes will curb anti-social behaviour between Griffeen Road and the Outer Ring Road.

Residents this week received letters from South Dublin County Council (SDCC) to inform them that the council is investigating the feasibility of replacing the Esker along Cas-

tle Riada and Moy Glas estates with a walking and cycling route.

According to the letter: “It is proposed to create a new pedestrian and cycle access onto Ballyowen Road (RI36) and a route along the line of the Esker, creating a link between Ballyowen Road (R 136) and Griffeen Road.

“Public lighting, landscaping and CCTV will be provided in association

with the proposed route.

“The aim of the proposal is to improve the existing routes and increase the walking and cycling links in the area, in accordance with the policies of the National Transport Authority and the council.”

The letter goes on to outline what the next steps are.

“In the coming weeks, each resident in the area

will receive an information brochure outlining a preliminary design for the route and inviting feedback on the proposal prior to the commencement of the Part 8 statutory process.

“Additionally, the council will liaise with the local residents’ associations, and will be available to meet and discuss the project,” said the letter.

Local Labour coun-

cillor Eamon Tuffy was happy with the news, saying the area had been “a source of concern to residents in both estates for a number of years, mainly due to incidents of antisocial behaviour.

“The council is proposing a project which, it is hoped, will enhance the amenity value of the Esker feature, and ameliorate the problems associated with it up to now.”

14 June 2012 LUCAN GAZETTE 7

PRIZE Local boy to help carry the Tricolour for Ireland V Spain game RECYCLING Dispose of waste, batteries

Gdansk you very much, says Luke I PAUL HOSFORD phosford@gazettegroup.com

A LUCAN boy has been honoured by being selected to carry the flag for Ireland’s second European Championships game against Spain this Thursday.

Luke Farrell, from Rochfort Park, will lead the boys in green after he won a Coca Cola competition, which he entered in his local Eurospar.

The football-mad 13-year-old will carry one corner of the Tricolour to the pitch in Gdansk, getting the chance to rub shoulders with some of his favourite players, including Shay Given, Robbie Keane and Kevin Doyle.

As a massive Liverpool fan, Luke is also look-

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ing forward to getting the chance to see former Reds favourite, Fernando Torres, up close.

“I’m so excited – I really wasn’t expecting it at all!

I just couldn’t believe I’d really won, that they [Coca-Cola] had picked me,” said Luke, who will be joined in Poland by his mother, Siobhan.

The competition was open to youngsters across the country, with Luke’s name coming out of the hat as one of the lucky winners.

He will spend two days at a forest resort in Poland, where he and other competition winners will be kept entertained for the duration.

Asked about how he reacted to the news, Luke says that he “screamed and shouted” due to the

excitement. The Colaiste Padraig student said that it was beginning to sink in that he will be part of the pre-game festivities, but that he didn’t think he would win the dream prize.

His mother also mentioned that, when she told him he’d won, and that he was attending the Ireland V Spain encounter, he was: “unbelievably excited, as he loves Given and Torres”.

Siobhan added that Luke “screamed and was running around the kitchen asking if he’d really won the Coca-Cola competition!

“He’s so excited, he can barely sleep. It is a huge honour for him,” she said.

Luke will join Rebeckah Heary, from Ballyraggett, Co Kilkenny, and Darren

Maddock and Clara Mai Doyle, who both entered in their local town of Taghmon, Co Wexford, in carrying the flag to the pitch in Gdansk as Amhran na bhFiann is blasted around the Polish city.

Tony O’Connor, of Eurospar in Ballyowen, said that it was great for the locality to see Luke win.

“His mother is a regular shopper in the store, and Luke and his friends are in every week, so it’s fantastic to see him win a prize of such magnitude.

“After he was selected, Luke and his friends came down to thank us, which is not something you often get, so that was nice. If any of his friends were too jealous, they didn’t let on!” said Tony.

13-year-old Luke Farrell, from Rochfort Park, was picked as a winner in a Coca Cola competition at his local Eurospar, in Ballyowen

WEEE Ireland, the Irish compliance scheme for electrical and battery recycling, is holding a free recycling event at the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre this weekend, in association with South Dublin County Council.

The collection event will take place this Saturday, June 16, from 10am until 4pm in the Green Overflow car park.

This free event allows people to get rid of any household electrical equipment and batteries in a safe and environmentally-friendly manner.

As a consumer of electrical items, you are entitled to bring your waste electrical equipment to your electrical retailer when purchasing an item of similar type. All WEEE and waste batteries can also be brought to your local civic amenity site, free of charge.

For further information see www.recyclefree.ie.

8 LUCAN GAZETTE 14 June 2012

COMMUNITY County Colours night at Lucan Sarsfields sees

Olympic gold medallist - and, now, also Olympic torch the members of Lucan Lions and Lucan Sarsfields

Olympic gold medallist, Michael Carruth; local Fine Gael deputy Derek Keating, and former inter-county Gaelic footballer for Dublin, Keith Barr

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Chris and Gerry O’Grady sported fine county colours

Matty and Mags McCabe examine Michael Carruth’s Olympic torch, which he bore as one of the relay runners for the torch’s arrival in Dublin

Rita McCabe and Moira Bolger

Boxing clever with a fun night

SEA of colours flooded Lucan Sarsfields GAA clubhouse at last weekend’s fundraising County Colours barbecue, organised in a team-up with Lucan Lions Club.

Whether you wanted to cheer “Up the Dubs!” or “The Wesht is Besht!”, there was a colour to suit all corners and counties of Ireland, as residents proudly paraded their home county colours.

Special guest, Olympic gold medallist, boxer

A

Michael Carruth, was warmly welcomed by everyone, keen to see both his Olympic gold medal, and his Olympic torch, which he had borne as one of the torch’s relay runners upon its arrival in Dublin. The event’s organisers had certainly boxed clever with Michael and the evening’s entertainment, with locals tnrhusiastic to support the evening. Last year’s County Colours event raised more than €1,000 for the Nagarhope charity in Nepal.

14 June 2012 LUCAN GAZETTE 9

the diversity of residents’ home areas celebrated in style

Ray Barnes, Tom Kelleher, Ann Murtagh (Lucan Lions) and Eileen Tucker

bearer - boxer Michael Carruth shows his gold medal and golden torch to some of

Tom Waldron

Sean O Conghaile, Jerry McNamara and Paul Stapleton

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R1

OLYMPICS Dublin gets its eager hands on the Olympic torch

Kenny Egan with the torch and his cheerleaders

Paul McGrath holds up traffic and the torch

Niamh Reid Burke with her parents and brother

We didn’t start the fire. Niamh Reid Burke with Alva Nolan Pictures: Fergus McNally and Andreas Poveda

Carrying the flame LYMPIC fever gripped Ireland (and in particular, Dublin) as the official torch relay took place on June 6. Dublin boxer Michael Carruth received the torch from fellow boxer, Olympian and medal winner, Wayne McCullough at the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

From there it travelled by bus to the

O

capital where it was formally received by the President, Michael D Higgins.

From here the relay really took off. Carried by the likes of Paul McGrath, Kenny Egan, Jedward, Sonia O’Sullivan, Niamh Reid Burke and many more, it truly was a memorable occasion that culminated in a celebration event in St Stephen’s Green.

Niamh Reid Burke and Kenny Egan

Michael Carruth

14 June 2012 GAZETTE 11

12 GAZETTE 14 June 2012

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TV and radio personality, Hector O hEochagain (left) and legendary GAA and sports broadcaster Micheal O Muircheartaigh launch the Calor Community Champion 2012

Searching for heroes THE search is now on to find local champions across Dublin who work tirelessly each and every day to improve the lives of the people around them.

Calor, Ireland’s leading supplier of rural energy solutions, has launched their inaugural Calor Community Champion 2012.

Calor believe it is time that these people were recognised and celebrated, and have set aside a prize fund of €10,000 to do this.

The search for local unsung heroes will be led by TV and radio personality, Hector O hEochagain.

This summer, Hector and the team at Calor are looking for your help to choose the Calor Community Champion 2012.

To enter and nominate your local Dublin hero, all you need to do is “like” the Calor Facebook page, once you become a “fan” you can enter the Community Champion app.

Then, just provide the name of your nominee, contact details and in 250 words why you think they deserve to win.

Dublin SPCA special information day THE Dublin SPCA is encouraging all animal lovers to go along to a special information day of all things pet-like on Saturday, June 16.

The fabulous Miss June Rodgers (panto star) is making a special guest appearance on the day.

She is hoping to help raise the charity’s profile and promote awareness of animal welfare and owner responsibility.

Families will be spoiled for choice of entertainment on the day with a diverse variety of enjoyable activities, demonstrations, food stalls, face painting, body art and bouncy castles.

DIARY There will be doggy style fashion, artwork, pet photography and grooming products for the fussiest pooch and owner.

If you’re interested in going along to the event, then head down to the SPCA Animal Welfare Charity, Mount Venus Road Campus, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16 on Saturday June 16, between 12pm and 4pm Contact Miriam Kerins, PR, Dublin SPCA for more information on 01-4994710 or 0867900894. .

A cornucopia of Irish food on the way TASTE of Dublin 2012 is on from June 14 to17 in Iveagh Gardens in Dublin and it promises to offer a cornucopia of Irish food from some of the bestknown chefs from Ireland and abroad.

Launching the festival this year will be Jamie Oliver who is due to open a restaurant in Dundrum this year.

He said: “Taste of Dublin is a fabulous platform for showcasing the best in Irish produce and cuisine and I can’t wait to kick off the summer in true Irish style at Taste of Dublin this June” Electrolux Ireland is sponsoring Taste of Ireland and visitors will be spoilt for choice with wine tastings and food samplings and workshops galore from over 100 industry experts.

Irish talent includes Rachel Allen, Clodagh McKenna and Neven Maguire.

Tickets are on sale now at www.tasteofdublin.ie or you can call 0818 30 00 30. Prices range from €20 (plus booking fee).

LOCALMATTERS SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS

A D V E R T I S E W I T H T H E G A Z E T T E C A L L 6 0 1 0 24 0

14 June 2012 GAZETTE 13

SAILING A host of nautical activities to enjoy

Get on the water for the weekend SAIL Spree, which takes place on June 23 and 24, was officially launched last week by the Irish Sailing Association (ISA) and TV presenter, Kathryn Thomas in Dun Laoghaire harbour.

It is a new, weekendlong initiative, designed to get people out on the water to enjoy water sports of all kinds.

At the launch, she enjoyed a small boat trip with three young sailors from the Irish National Sailing School.

The weekend’s activities take in all areas around the Dublin coast, from Sutton to Dun Laoghaire, so there is bound to be something nautical happening near you.

It kicks off on Saturday, June 23, at the Sutton Dinghy Club which will run a sponsored sail down Sutton Creek and back to their club headquarters.

A barbecue will also be available to the participants following the event as well as music and prizes.

The Sutton Dinghy club will also run an Access Sailing evening on Tuesday June 26 to follow on from the weekend.

This event is focused on those with disabilities and is intended to open them up to how accessible water sport fun can be for them.

Rush Sailing Club will get involved on Saturday 23 also as it is running On the Water which are taster sessions for the novice in a choice of yachts, dinghies and power boats.

More taster sessions are organised for Malahide Yacht Club which will run a two-day event during the spree weekend and will lay on entertainment in the form of music and games for all.

Malahide Yacht Club’s junior sailing section is very strong and the club also boasts two sailors, David Burrows and Scott Flanigan, who are bound for the London Olympics next month.

On the southside of Dublin, Dun Laoghaire Harbour will be running spree events such as taster sessions with the Irish National Sailing School on Saturday, June 23.

Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club is running a two-day event for the weekend and will open at 11am and close at 8pm to allow people to relax in the bar and take part in their games and activities or trips in a motor boat

Kathryn Thomas fights to keep her balance

which will be free.

The Royal St George Yacht Club will also be providing, “On the Water” taster sessions on both Saturday and Sunday.

The club regularly holds national and international competitions such as Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth World Championships this July.

For Sail Spree they will offer sailing and power boating taster sessions as well as providing onshore activities, food, drink, music and entertainment from their clubhouse overlooking the marina.

Dun Laoghaire Powerboat School will give you the chance to try the excitement of power boating in the safe, calm waters of the harbour on Sunday, June 24.

The National Yacht Club’s Sail Spree event will happen a bit later on the evening of Wednesday, June 27.

Sailing taster sessions will be offered from their clubhouse at Dun Laoghaire harbour and food and drink dispensed later.

To book your place or find out more about Sail Spree events in your area you can check it out online at www.sailspree.ie.

M

I BAIRBRE NI BHRAONAIN

Turning heads: Citroen hit it out of the park with the DS5 TV presenter Kathryn Thomas in Dun Laoghaire harbour

MOTORING PAGE 21

14 GAZETTE 14 June 2012

BUSINESS: ENTERPRISE BOARD’S TOP TIPS WHEN MEETING NEW CONTACTS

Networking can pay off

SOME top tips for networking were issued by the Fingal County Enterprise Board (CEB) to more than 100 business owners and managers gathered at the Kettles Country House Hotel in Swords last week.

The board focused on using networking skills to increase and build company sales.

With opportunities for networking today more than ever before, the Fingal CEB is encouraging all small businesses to seek more opportunities for their businesses, and have issued advice for entrepreneurs on the Golden Rules of Effective Networking.

The board suggests small companies move networking to the top of their list of priorities, and to take time to attend the many events held across the country on a regular basis.

While they are often geared specifically at new start-ups and the small-business owner,

they can provide a great introduction to help new and fledgling businesses to hone their networking skills.

Before attending a business evening, the board recommends researching the people who will be attending – in particular, competitors, customers and suppliers.

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

‘Ask the right questions and focus on the right people’ --------------------------

Attendees should prioritise the people that they want to meet, and find the moment to introduce themselves, as well as making sure they can easily communicate what they do, and their key selling points enthusiastically.

While there are certain considerations to take into account when attending a networking event, there are common

mistakes the board recommends attendees to do their best to avoid.

Building a personal relationship is extremely important, and it’s easy to miss opportunities by chatting about social topics.

Remember to ask the right questions and to be prepared to focus on the right people. If someone is clearly wasting time, find an excuse and politely move on.

Effective networking is not about ensuring attendees give equal time to everyone at a business function – it is far more effective to focus on those they feel will be a useful contact, or who will help the attendee or their business.

Following a networking event, always follow-up the valuable contacts that are made, and as quickly as possible after an event.

Send an email or make a call to such new contacts within a couple of days, to keep both businesses on the radar.

PRODUCE You’re growing to love

Highly praise

MICHAEL KELLY has some seasonal advice to get the best of summer growing THERE are some vegetables that you grow yourself and you really wonder whether it’s worth the hassle, particularly if there are good commercial alternatives available.

However, given the fact that most of the tomatoes in our supermarkets are the super-bland, all-yearround Dutch variety, and taste of – well, nothing at all – having a good crop of your own tomatoes is really one of the most rewarding things you can do.

Tomatoes that you grow yourself taste a million times nicer than anything you will buy in the supermarket – period.

This is because the overwhelming majority of commercial tomatoes are grown for superficial uniformity and shelf-life, rather than flavour.

You are more likely to eat your own tomatoes, as you would an apple, rather than slice ’em up and put them in a sandwich.

They are a sweet, sumptuous treat, best eaten warm and freshly picked.

I like being in touch with the seasonality of tomatoes, though it is a bitter-sweet affair given how short the season is –

tomatoes are basically in season for just a quarter of the year, or four short months.

Ours are starting to ripen, now, and they will go on producing hopefully into late October, and then they will be no more, and we will shed a tear.

We try to extend their season a little by getting the first seeds going on a warming mat in early spring at one end, and by preserving the produce at the other end (by storing, bottling, freezing etc).

If you want to really embrace seasonal food consumption, you could do worse than starting with the tomato.

Grow as many plants as your space will allow – nurture them, harvest, eat and store.

Enjoy them fresh, from July until October, and then in the winter enjoy your own “processed” tomatoes too, in whatever form you have converted them in to – then give yourself a break from them.

They are not in season, so don’t be tempted to buy them.

When you have sampled the delectable taste of your own tomatoes, I promise you that you won’t find this hard.

Speaking of tomatoes, here’s a real date for the diary.

On Sunday, September 2, Fingal Gardener’s Group and GIY Naul are holding an event – Totally Terrific Tomatoes – celebrating all things tomato.

It takes place at Seamus Ennis Centre, Naul, Co Dublin from 12 noon until 5pm.

For further information, see www.nickykylegardening.com.

Things to do this month To do: Any ground that has finished cropping must be quickly cleared away to take more vegetables. Use your produce – eat it, freeze it, process it, exchange it, give it away.

Continue to water and feed plants, and practise good weed control. Earth up brassicas such as Brussels sprouts – these plants will grow tall and require a good deal of support.

Net plants to keep butterflies and the cabbage moth away.

Cut dow n legume plants that have finished cropping – leave the roots in the soil, as they fix nitrogen in the soil. Give pumpkins plenty of water and apply a high-potash liquid feed.

Sow: Continue successional sowings and use quick maturing varieties for autumn use – Swiss chard, lettuce, rocket, salad onions, radish, turnips, peas, French Beans (dwarf), carrots.

Sow for winter use – spring cabbage, Hungry Gap kale, parsley, perpetual spinach, chicory and coriander.

Plant strawberries now for a good crop next June.

Propagate rosemary, sage and mint from cuttings now.

Har vest: July and August are peak months for produce – enjoy it!

When there are hundreds when you could so easily

First crops of French and runner beans, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, courgette and aubergine, marrows, beetroot, globe artichokes.

Continue to harvest new potatoes, calabrese, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, carrots, turnips, shallots, garlic, radish, spring onions, salad crops, strawberries, raspberries, tayberries, currents (black, red and white), gooseberries, loganberries, peas, broad beans.

Ask yourself – do you really need to go to the supermarket?!

Tip of the month Make use of your grass cuttings. Here’s how to make great compost, using two great wastecreators in the home and garden – newspapers and grass cuttings.

Build an open heap of alternating 10-inch layers of crumpled newspaper and grass cuttings.

Allow to get quite tall – four to fix feet – and then leave to rot down for a year.

Michael Kelly is a freelance

journalist, author and founder of GIY Ireland

14 June 2012 GAZETTE 15

these top tips for getting some gardening glory

the humble tomato Recipe of the Month: Green Tomato Chutney FAR from being a waste, the tomatoes that don’t ripen can be one of the most important assets you will get from your veg patch this year.

The beauty of this recipe is its exclusivity – because you can’t buy the primary ingredient (green tomatoes) in the shops, it can really only be made by a GIYer.

of varieties of tomatoes, why settle for the bland, uniform variety in supermarkets grow your own delicious tomatoes, full of flavour?

Ingredients: • 3kg green tomatoes • Six large onions (about 1kg) • Three or four large green peppers • 700g brown sugar • 1.2 litres of vinegar • Spices: Three tbs mustard seed; one tbs coriander seed; one-half teaspoon celery seed; one teaspoon turmeric

Instructions Chop the onions and slice the tomatoes finely. Layer them in a very large bowl – ie, start with onions, then tomatoes, then onions etc, seasoning each layer with plenty of salt and a little pepper as you go.

Leave it to stand for a day or so, then drain off the liquid and transfer the veg to a large stock pot.

Add the rest of the ingredients (sugar, vinegar, spices), bring the whole thing to a boil, and let it simmer on a low heat for two or three hours.

Put it back in to the bowl and let it sit for another day.

Put it back in the stock pot and cook it for another half hour so that

the liquid reduces down further – you want just enough liquid to cover the vegetables when they are transferred in to pots.

Sterilise some jam jars and ladle the chutney in to them. Don’t be tempted to eat any for about a month – it’s like a fine wine, and will get better with age.

FESTIVAL

A day for Brazilian culture WITH an estimated 30,000 Brazilians in Ireland, and more coming, now is a fitting time to welcome Dublin’s first Brazil Day. The first official Brazil Day Dublin will take place on Sunday, June 17 in Dtwo Bar, garden and club on Harcourt Street, beginning at 3pm, and running til late.

It is a celebration of all things Brazilian, starting with a performance from a traditional capoeira group, followed up by a Brazilian band, Pagode Fora De Casa.

There will also be traditional Samba Brazilian dancers, DJs, and traditional Brazilian BBQ and food, all adding to the authenticity of the day.

T he night will be capped off by the famous Carlao and Fabiano Sertaneja band, which will just be returning from Paris after supporting Michel Telo.

16 GAZETTE 14 June 2012

GazetteSTYLE STYLE Great gifts for your dad Edited by Laura Webb

CHECK ON YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE BLOOD pressure is essential for us all to survive – without it, our blood vessels would collapse.

Hypertension, on the other hand, refers to blood pressure above a defined safe limit.

This condition forces the heart to work harder, and it is the single most important risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke. Because hypertension generally has no symptoms, it is essential that you attend your doctor or local pharmacy to get your blood pressure checked regularly.

With thanks to the staff at Lucan Village Pharmacy

AVE the date, ever yone – it’s Father’s Day this Sunday, June 17, and Gazette Style is making sure dads across Dublin get the gifts they have longed for.

From simple gifts to unique one-offs, this year is going to be a cracker for giving. We all know that mothers love, love, love to get pampered, but who says fathers don’t want that, too?

Dunboyne Castle Hotel has answered fathers’ calls, and are offering a Pamper Papa treat from their spa, Seoid.

More and more men are looking for good skincare and want to look after themselves.

The Seoid spa has two great offers available for

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the week of Father’s Day. Dad’s Treat includes a 45-minute Voya Facial to detoxify the skin and brighten a dull, lifeless complexion; a 15-minute head and shoulder massage to relieve any tension in the neck and shoulders, and a 20-minute Dry Floatation (which is the equivalent of three hour’s sleep), all for €75.

The second special for Father’s Day – Father’s Me Time – includes a back, neck and shoulder massage, and a 20-minute Dry Floatation, for only €45. For further details on these offers, see www. dunboynecastlehotel. com.

Get dad started on a great skin care routine, and a good place to start is with Vichy’s Homme

Hydra Mag C+ (50ml for €18.50), which is a two-in-one hydrating care product that fights the signs of fatigue and reduces under-eye bags and dark circles.

This is also complemented with Vichy Homme Soap-Free Shaving Foam, which has a neutral PH, and glycerine for hydration.

It is formulated to protect from tightness, dryness and irritations, and is suitable for sensitive skin.

Meanwhile, we also all know how men are tuning into their fashion senses more than ever before, and are paying more attention to how they look.

We had a quick look at Marks and Spen-

cer’s (M&S) to see what clothes would go down a treat this Father’s Day. See our selection of M&S images to get some inspiration for Father’s Day looks, this year.

Why not go even bigger than usual this year and get dad a membership for their favourite football, GAA or rugby team?

That way you know they will have a great season, no matter the score!

Another great gift for rocking dads – or just to help them relive their youth – is by getting them a ticket to a festival.

Electric Picnic is definitely one for all ages, and is a great family affair.

Whatever you decide to get, make sure you pamper your dad, because they’re worth it, too.

Marks and Spencer have plenty of clothes to get dad looking dapper, such as a Blue Harbour polo shirt (€27), a smart leather belt (€35), four-pack of Collezione socks (€16)

14 June 2012 GAZETTE 17

GazettePETS PETS

Brought to you by Miriam Kerins of the DSPCA

THE FACTS: FAMILIES MAY NOT ALWAYS CHOOSE THE BEST ANIMAL FOR THEIR NEEDS

Your pet deserves to have the right owner to love it OST parents at some stage during their child’s early years will be asked the question: “Mum (or dad), can I please have a dog?

I promise I’ll look after him, walk him, feed him and clean up his poo.”

Yeah, right – hands up how many of us have fallen for that one? I have!

Our eldest dog, Sophie, was adopted from a shelter when she was six weeks old.We got her for our youngest child, who was then two.

Sophie is now going on 18 and the child, now an adult, has shown lots of interest over the years by loving, cuddling, nurturing and socialising with the animal, but has she ever once walked her (err,no), fed her ( again, no), and has the thought of picking up a piece of dog poo ever seared my child’s brain stem?

Again, no, never!

If you get a pet for your child, it’s very likely that you – the mum – will end up being the primary carer and, when your child heads off to travel the world with his/her mates, chances are you’ll be left with the dog. That’s life.

However, I still believe kids and pets go hand in hand together, especially kids and dogs.

I think most of you reading this will agree that kids who have pets make for better, more humane adults. Having a pet teaches the child to have responsibility for another living creature, and creates a bond between them and the animal.

In addition, a pet will also create empathy and raise the child’s self-es-

M

teem. Why? This is because a pet gives unconditional love to a child; a pet will stabilise an unstable world for a child, because no matter what else is going on, a dog still needs walking, feeding and grooming – it’s part of its day-to-day routine.

Routine is important to a child; it makes them feel safe, and pets force us to maintain a routine, helping the entire family structure to be more balanced.

It doesn’t have to be a dog – a goldfish swimming around in a tank can teach children the responsibility of feeding, cleaning and caring.

However, the key to enjoying the most satisfying relationship with your pet is choosing one that suits your lifestyle.

It’s very easy for your child to fall in love with a cutie-pie puppy or a fluffy kitten, but the realities are that different sets of responsibilities fall with different types of pets.

In order to help you make the right choice of pet for your family, I’ve set out a few points for you to consider.

• Families with small children or an elderly relative living with them should consider the size and energy levels of the pet.

If it’s a puppy or a kitten, it will be very active – however, it will also be delicate, and needs to be handled with extreme care.

On the other hand, a large and energetic dog can accidentally harm a small child or an adult who is unsteady on their feet by knocking them over.

• If the home environment is one of total neatness; then you need to expect muddy footprints as well as accidents and hairs from a free-roaming animal.

Therefore, a longhaired dog may not be your best choice. Maybe your best bet is a pet which is confined to quarters, such as fish, birds, or a turtle.

• With certain pets, your garden will suffer.

Dogs will dig holes, urinate and poo.

• If you’re a bit of a home bird, and spend most of your time at home, consider a pet that is happy with such an environment. What about a cat, a rabbit or a bird?

• However, if you’re

an active type of family who enjoys daily walks or loves to jog, then a dog could be your best friend.

Also, there is a social element to dog-walking.

It encourages interaction with others.

• You need to decide just how much time you have to give to a pet.

Keep in mind you are making a commitment that will last for approximately 12 to as much as 20 years if you get a cat or a dog.

My eldest dog is 18. If you get something like a parrot – well, they live up to 70 years, sometimes 80!

Here are some examples of different types of dogs, and how they could suit you and your

As adorable as Rover is, your even more adorable child(ren) may not be the best at tending to his needs, so you should think long and hard about the best kind of pet to suit your family’s life and habits

family.

• A sporty dog: Retriever, Labrador, Spaniel.

Very active, alert, like to be around people, so they’re social animals.

• Terriers: Jack Russell, Wheaton, Fox. Tenacious and brave little guys, and very determined. My “ladies” love to dig, dig and dig again.

They are quite determined and feisty, and this makes them a challenge to train. However, they’re extremely loyal, but can be a bit intoler-

ant of boisterous children.

• Wo r k i n g d o g s : Doberman, Newfoundland, Boxer. Strongwilled, independent, may be physically overpowering; small children and the elderly should be aware of this exuberance.

• Toy dogs: Chihuahua, Yorkie. Companion lapdogs, but still need exercise.

They’re fragile and can easily get crushed under people’s feet; so take

care when having them around a toddler.

They’re loyal and intelligent, and love learning tricks.

All dog breeds must be kept under effective control and exercised regularly. For further information, contact your vet or professional dog trainer.

For more information, log onto www.dspca. ie or contact your vet or email me at miriam.kerins@dspca.ie

18 GAZETTE 14 June 2012

GazetteMUSIC MUSIC FastTunes with Radio Nova’s Dee Woods

REVIEW: ROWLAND’S WANDERERS BRIDGE 27-YEAR GAP

The burning never ends for Dexys’ soul brothers I ROB HEIGH

FORGET the diamond jubilee, diamond geezer Paul McCartney turns 70 on Monday, June 18, and to say that the former Beatle is still going strong is a bit of an understatement.

Fresh from closing the show at the queen’s diamond jubilee concert in London recently, Macca is gearing up to rock the English capital once again: this time at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games.

However not everyone thinks he can do no wrong. McCartney came under fire for his vocal performance at the queen’s bash, while others gave him stick for not playing Hey Jude.

Macca’s hit back by saying he’s saving the Beatles’ anthem for the Olympics’ concert and didn’t want to play the same tune to the masses in the same city at gigs that are just weeks apart.

Fair enough, there ARE enough Beatles’ songs to go round, people! Maybe if Elizabeth was called Judy things’d be different but hey, (ob-la-di, ob-la-da), life goes on.

If you do watch McCartney at the opening ceremony on July 27 (he’ll be closing the show once again) then you’ll be in good company: four billion people are expected to tune in and they’ll see him perform Hey Jude and another song which hasn’t been named as yet.

Carry That Weight for the torchbearers maybe? Or Day Tripper for the rubbish athletes? Even with his vocals getting a bashing, there’s no denying the fact that he’s a living legend with five decades of musical genius behind him who still packs more punch than many of today’s newer artists.

Which is why I was surprised to hear The Beatles’ museum in Hamburg is closing down. The reason? Lack of interest! George Harrison once said All Things Must Pass. It’s a sad day when that includes Beatlemania.

ANYONE with any interest in soul music would be able to pick out at will the finest moments from the genre with ease. Otis Redding, Al Green, Geno Washington... all legends, all immortal.

But in the realm of soul from these isles, there would appear to be a very short roll of classic names that spring to mind.

Taking the influences of his youth — his Irish roots, his love of soul and northern soul and a burning passion to express himself musically — Kevin Rowland helped to create one of the most recognisable and influential bands of the eighties, Dexy’s Midnight Runners.

The Irish connection has always been present in Dexy’s music, and Rowland’s search for national identity — Dance Stance’s rebellious stomp, on almost all of Too-RyeAy, and most obviously on Knowledge of Beauty from Don’t Stand... — should put Dexys on a considerable pedestal in Ireland, an expression of exiled Irishness to rank alongside The Pogues as one of the finest products of the British diaspora.

The Dexys line-up includes original members Jimmy Paterson, Kevin Rowland, Pete Williams and Mick Talbot, and viola player Lucy Morgan, proving that 27 years between releases need not diminish their genius

But the misapprehension of their Celtic soul brothers-look, the caricature that the immense success of Come On Eileen created, and the criminal undermining of their 1985 release, Don’t Stand Me Down, led to Dexy’s falling off the cultural radar, and their potential was eroded, leading to the break-up of the band and a number of lost years for Rowland.

The band were reinvigorated by their 2003 tour – an unforgettable night at Vicar Street included

You can call me Paul: Graceland reissued ahead of Dublin date THE legendary Paul Simon and his equally

legendary Graceland album are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the record’s release this month in 1986.

To salute the groundbreaking album, Simon returns to Dublin for two nights at the O2 arena on July 12 and 13, with some of the original African musicians set to join him on stage.

In addition, the album is getting a deluxe re-release, with the CD accompanied by a DVD of Under African Skies, a feature length film which chronicles the creation and lasting influence of Simon’s iconic record.

— but it has taken until now for Rowland to reunite integral members from throughout the band’s classic line-ups — Big Jimmy Paterson on trombone, Mick Talbot on keys, Pete Williams on joint vocal duties — as well as a roll call of other fine musicians to record One Day I’m Going To Soar.

Rowland has seldom been in better voice, effortlessly adding his unique croon to the silky layered and smooth instrumental backing that accompanies each

track. The musical motifs and progressions that appear on opening track, Now, reappear elsewhere throughout the record.

Which, combined with the lyric book for the record — the life and love of Mr Rowland — make this as close to a concept album as Dexys have ever come.

As ever, there is a sense of the confessional and a rare streak of humour and theatricality that many people utterly missed about their past incarnations.

The romanticism and dynamism that the backing — from cafe jazz to Celtic soul — provides Rowland’s lyrics and singing with a perfect underpinning for what is aimed for in this endeavour, and make One Day I’m Going To Soar as good as anything the Midnight Runners ever committed to record.

It doesn’t surpass Don’t Stand Me Down — nothing ever could — but it comes close to its spirit, and is a very much more than welcome return.

14 June 2012 GAZETTE 19

GazetteBUSINESS BUSINESS

Supported by AIB

Interview: Graham McNevin, Project Architects

Clearing up some misconceptions

Graham McNevin and Ross Quinn

GRAHAM McNevin and Ross Quinn are associates with Project Architects and have worked in their Dublin office for over 10 years.

Project Architects is an award-winning design focused architects’ practice formed in 1996 to build upon the expertise and experience of the former group established in 1976.

The practice, which employs a core of approximately 15 professional, technical and

support staff from its two offices in Dublin and Cork, has a diverse range of experience in all aspects of architecture, design, planning and infrastructural development.

Talking about the public’s view of architects, Graham says: “The biggest misconception out there is that an architect costs you money. The actual reality is that involving a registered architect at an early stage will save you time and money

and maximise your projects potential.

“I feel that most people don’t fully understand an architect’s role and therefore don’t realise what we can do for you. We have helped people receive finance from banks, funding from investors and grants from the various bodies. Residential, retail and sports clubs have all availed of our service.”

“We are trained professional designers who will lead you expertly

through the planning and building control process, ensuring that the requirements of the local authority are satisfied. We can oversee the construction of your project to better ensure completion on time, on budget and in compliance with legislation. And finally we can certify that your new home or extension is in compliance with Planning Permission and Building Regulations.”

Project Architects

will tailor their service to your financial requirements. Contact them for advice on your new project, large or small on 01-6796466.

Due to the high demand Project Architects are extending their free consultation to anyone who contacts them before August 31, 2012.

Project Architects have just launched their brand new website: www.projectarchitects.ie

Quinnsworth television advertisement.

Q: And your first pay cheque?

A: A crisp £20 note Q: When did you start your present job?

A: 15 years ago Q: What is the best thing about your job?

A: Seeing a vision become a reality for a client

Q: What part of your working day do you ‘delegate’?

A: None I am very hands on Q: What sport do you follow?

Q – What’s the latest on getting access to money in pensions ? I have a private pension with a sizeable amount of money that I could now well use.

Is there any hope of extrapolating these funds ?

Barry – Cork Street A – Mary Mitchell-O’Connor, the Fine Gael TD, recently proposed a question in the Dail to give access to those with Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) before retirement.

Currently if you have an occupational AVC, you can only access it at retirement age (minimum age 60) which could be some time away for those in their youth.

Implementation of same to access these funds could be some time away while access to the full pension before retirement has not even been mooted.

Clearly we are on a pension time bomb. Currently, there are 420,000 Irish nationals over the age of 65 – 767,000 by 2026 and a whopping 1.8m by 2051 – so there will be greater pressure on the workforce at the time to support the elderly.

In 2010 for every person who retired there were six workers. By 2051, there will be two workers. The state pension is currently € 230.30 per week and for over half the working population, this is the only money they will have when they retire.

But it still also makes sense to invest in a pension, even on 20% tax rate, for every € 100 invested, the fund would have to drop by 20% in the year before you actually lose on the investment.

On retirement, you can commute up to 25% of the fund (or € 200,000 whichever is the greater) as a tax free lump sum with a number of choices and options for investment of the balance.

Email me for a free article originally published in the Sunday Business Post entitled The Pension End Game. Therefore, Barry, I would hold off on cashing your pension and consider increasing your contributions to it instead.

Contact John with your money questions at

jlowe@moneydoctor.ie or visit his website at www.moneydoctor.ie. John Lowe, Fellow of the Institute of Bankers, is founder and managing director of Money Doctor

Q&A Q: What was your first job?

A: I was an extra in a

PENSION ACCESS

A: All, especially football

much to say lately though)

Q: What sport can you play?

A: Football and golf badly

Q: What was your last Tweet/status update?

A: Facebook status about a

Q: What is your guilty music/TV or movie pleasure?

A: Movies! Love anything with a twist!

Q: Who best represents modern Ireland – David Norris or Jedward?

A: Combine the three Jednorward!! Scary thought

sports pavilion we have just completed in University of Limerick

Q: Describe your dream meal?

A: Anything Thai Q: Who would you rather have dinner with – Enda Kenny or Dame Edna?

A: Again both would be an

Q: How many pairs of shoes do you own?

A: Over 10 Q: What was your worst holiday experience?

A: When my flight had to turn back to Australia six hours after we had left

Q: Describe your dream holiday?

A: My honeymoon in Australia and Thailand

Q: What would be your dream job?

A: Irish football team man-

Q: What music/pictures/ movies do you have on your iPod/iPad? A: Kings of Leon, The Eagles

interesting episode of Come Dine With Me.

ager

Q: Who do you follow on Twitter/Facebook?

A: Rio Ferdinand (hasn’t

Q: Where do you enjoy spending money frivolously?

A: Any gadget shop

Q: What do you plan to do when you retire?

A: See the world

GOT A STORY? TELL US ABOUT YOUR LOCAL EVENT, CELEBRATION OR FUNCTION Call our NEWS TEAM on 60 10 240 or email news@gazettegroup.com

20 GAZETTE 14 June 2012

GazettePROPERTY PROPERTY WE HAVE 135,000* READERS EACH WEEK *based on standard industry measurements

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS TO OUR READERS

CALL 60 10 240 When dealing with a large-scale renovation, it’s crucial to get an in-depth insight into the process

www.

gazette

RENOVATIONS: KEEPING UP WITH THE COSTS IS KEY TO PLANNING RENOVAT

.com

Tender is the right group way to plan a build All of your latest local news, sport, features and pictures are now just a click away

IF YOU are planning a new build or a renovation, you need to get to grips with the ins and outs of the tendering process if you want to make sure you are on top of your costings.

The tendering process or a Request for Tender (RFT) is a structured invitation where you, the home owner, invite building companies to give you a detailed quotation or cost estimate for a building job based on your plans and requirements which you have previously drawn up.

It is imperative that before you enter into the RFT process that you are decided and happy with your plans as all costings will be based on your plans and design requirements. The plan is the crucial part and it is vitally important that your budget is defined

up front and that you match your design to your budget. Bearing this in mind, there are three key steps to a successful plan.

1. Assess and design the area – know your access points, be aware of where you may need to relocate ser vices and plumbing as that will have an impact on cost.

2. Get plan drawn up by a professional. This should be well drafted, legible and logical.

Realistic in its design and matching your budget.

3. Your plan needs to be specified; the required materials from glazing, to kitchen cabinets, to light switches and sockets need to be defined up front and in detail.

Once your specifications are complete, you will send them out to the builders you have

selected, who will then price as per your specifications.

You will be getting quotations from several sources so it’s important that all involved have the same information.

Quality specification is crucial if you want an accurate tender.

Make sure you are 100% satisfied that what you need is on the costings the builders bring you back and that it matches your specifications.

If the documentation doesn’t match, you may find yourself in a situation where an element of the build may be removed from the project (as it wasn’t on the list the builder brought back) or, it could be added in later at an extra cost.

Once prices come in, you must then meet your builder. You could be entering into a three

of four month project and the building team will be onsite daily. You must be able to communicate with them.

Once you are close to making a decision, you need to go and look at prior work and talk to old customers.

But don’t let positive feedback sway you into making a decision, the quality of previous work will hopefully speak for itself.

When you come to the contracts stage ( d o n ’t a t t e m p t a ny work without contracts) ensure the fees for the Certificate of Compliance is included as part of the costings, as you will need this to sign off the completed build.

To get in touch with HSLC, find them online at www.hslc.ie or call Gerhard on 087 774 9470 or info@hslc.ie

14 June 2012 GAZETTE 21

GazetteMOTORS MOTORS

Edited by Cormac Curtis

RoadSigns Road Signs

SIGNIFICANT GROWTH FOR JAGUAR SALES

Citroen’s designers have gone to town on the DS5, crafting a car with more attention to detail and luxurious touches than you’d expect – but expect to be delighted

A head-turning motor CORMAC CURTIS

IT IS a rare and wonderful occasion when you get a taste of being a kid again – and a week spent with the new Citroen DS5 gave me just that sensation.

At first glance, I was captured by an elegance of design that is mixed with a downright brutishly low-slung stance that, coupled with the almost over-sized alloy wheels, reminded me of some kind of military vehicle.

Citroen have hit it clear out of the park with the DS5 – it has a staggering ability to turn heads.

From every angle, the exterior of this car is a design classic. But, more importantly, the interior has all the looks of a jet fighter’s cockpit, yet at the same time offers all the luxury that you could ever desire.

A beautiful blend of black and maroon leather adorned the seats and trim – the most attractive colour scheme of any car I have driven in recent years.

Every point of contact made me grin with satisfaction – just imagine a youngster on Jim’ll Fix It getting to live out a boyhood dream and you will get the idea!

The driver’s seat just

SPECS: CITROEN DS5 HDi 160bhp 6-speed manual 5-door Saloon Top speed: 215km/h 0 – 100km/hr: 8.5 sec CO2 emissions: 133gm/ km Tax Band: B – €225 Model driven priced from €36,400

seemed to wrap itself around me, preparing me for the joy of driving a very special motor.

The chunky steering wheel is wrapped in leather, boasts a flat bottom, brushed steel accents, and very useful controls for telephone, radio and cruise control.

The edges of the wheel offer attractive contrast stitching – a theme that continues throughout the car.

Under the driver’s left forearm, the “I drive”style system control for the sat nav and radio sits ahead of the brushed steel window control buttons.

Ahead of the gear shift, the centre console contains an array of chunky buttons and dials for climate control air con, heated seats etc. All of these controls have a solid, almost retro feel.

The video display for the on-board sat nav is

The Citroen DS5 interior: “The most attractive colour scheme of any car I have driven in recent years”

bright, easy to read and very accurate. The navigation system includes live traffic information and European maps.

Another feature of the video display is a reversing camera, which I found myself getting very attached to – especially as I manoeuvred this very substantial vehicle during the morning school run.

A lovely touch on the console is a beautifully designed analogue clock – something you don’t see too often in cars any more.

It may not be all that necessary, but like so many features of this car, it adds to the feeling that you are driving something just that little bit special.

Overhead is divided into three separate sunroof sections, or, as Citroen call them, “light wells”.

Each of these light wells is controlled individually by buttons in the roof console.

Also in this console are two drop-down containers for sunglasses, as well as a Citroen emergency call button – an impressive system that can alert emergency services, when activated.

It’s never certain how well the interior of a car will age, and the level of brushed steel and metallic accents here will require a little more attention than most to keep looking as elegant as they did leaving the showroom.

However, the build quality certainly felt very solid and very well put together. When I managed to drag my gaze away from the interior, I finally got driving.

The driver’s outlook reminded me of that of a car far sportier and stealthier – the outside road appears in a kind of panoramic mode, thanks to the wide, shallow windows that wrap around the cabin.

Sometimes, the view is a little compromised, but I found myself getting used to the unusual pillar positions very quickly – a small price to pay for the elegant design that is on display here.

In terms of perform-

ance, there was nothing to disappoint me here, either.

The model I was driving came with a 160bhp Hdi engine, coupled to a six-speed manual gearbox, and it had all the performance I needed.

At this level, it won’t break any speed records, but it was by no means underpowered – all in all, the power-to-weight ratio was bang on the money.

This kind of car doesn’t come around too often – and, with prices starting at around €32,500, it is not completely beyond the budget of someone looking for a car that will not only turn heads, but put a smile on your face every time you get in.

JAGUAR Land Rover Ireland has achieved significant growth in 2012, with combined sales of more than 800 vehicles up to the end of May – an increase of 39.7% versus the same period last year – encouraging growth, given that new car sales for the industry as a whole are down by 8.7%.

The sales increase is mainly owed to the response to the two award-winning models on offer from each brand – the Jaguar XF 2.2 Diesel and the all-new Range Rover Evoque.

Gerard O’Farrell, managing director of Jaguar Land Rover Ireland, said: “The increased demand for both Jaguar and Land Rover demonstrates the unique desirability and strength of our products.

“With pricing starting from €39,000 for the Range Rover Evoque, and €44,820 for the Jaguar XF, there has never been a better time to consider Jaguar and Land Rover.”

RENAULT’S JUNE SCRAPPAGE DEAL ALMOST a year after the Government scrapped scrappage, Renault has brought back a scrappage deal for June, where customers who buy a new Renault car and trade in their eight years or older vehicle will get an extra €1,500 on top of the current offer, and a five years’ unlimited mileage warranty.

Also for June, customers can avail of 0% APR finance offers from Renault Finance.

Renault Ireland pioneered scrappage. ie in late 2009 and saw their sales increase as a result of theirs, and the Government’s, scrappage scheme.

22 GAZETTE 14 June 2012

GazetteTTRAVEL FastTravel Get some guaranteed sunshine with Wingsabroad Turkish holiday specials WINGSABROAD, the Turkish holiday specialist is offering some great deals this summer if you want guaranteed sunshine.

A stay at the three-star Melissa Apartments costs €359pps (self-catering and two sharing).

This includes return flights, seven nights’ accommodation. You will travel from Dublin or Cork on June 24 or June 25, from Shannon.

The next offer is a stay at another three-star resort, Sami Beach Hotel, (B and B basis).

Prices start at €399pps and include return flights and seven nights’ accommodation.

Travel on June 24 from Dublin or on June 25 from Shannon.

Another offer is the four-star Golden Day Wings (B and B basis) from €439pps (two sharing).

This includes return flights, seven nights’ accommodation. Leave on either June 24 from Dublin or Cork or on June 25 from Shannon.

You can stay at the four-star Coastlight Hotel on a B and B basis from €449pps (two sharing).

The price includes return flights, seven nights’ accommodation. Leave from Dublin or Cork on June 24 or from Shannon on June 25.

To stay at the three-star Summer Gardens on a self-catering basis will cost €419pps (two sharing), including return flights, seven nights’ accommodation as stated. Start out from Dublin on June 24 or from Shannon on June 25.

The final offer is to stay at the three-star Marbel Hotel (all-inclusive) from €559pps (two sharing) including return flights, seven nights’ accommodation. Travel on June 24 from Dublin or Cork or else June 25 from Shannon.

For more information or to book please visit www.wingsabroad.ie or call 01 8719444 or contact your local travel agent.

Edited by Mimi Murray

INDIA AND NEPAL: LAUNCH OF ESCORTED TOURS FOR BOTH COUNTRIES

Explore a little Eastern mystery I BAIRBRE NI

BHRAONAIN

F you’ve ever thought about making that daunting trek to Nepal or India but didn’t know where to start, here’s your chance to explore these two countries of Eastern mystery with an escort to lead the way for you.

Gohop.ie have just introduced an escorted tour of both countries which takes in all of their most important historical and religious sites.

Exotic stops on the tour begin with the Indian capital, New Delhi then on to Jaipur and Agra (home of the Taj Mahal).

From here you will go onto Jhansi and the medieval riverside town of Orchha which is filled with shrines and temples.

Next the tour heads to the UNESCO heritage site of Khajuraho where the temples are of the erotic kind and finally it reaches the spiritual heart of India as you fly to Varanasi.

The first stop of the tour is in Old Delhi. You will visit Jama Majid which is the largest mosque in India, take a rickshaw ride in Chandni Chowk and visit Red Fort and Faj Ghat where the shrine

I

Bangla Sahib is the most prominent Sikh house of worship in New Delhi

and cremation site of Mahatma Gandhi.

Next to New Delhi which is a modern, vibrant city with fine examples of Indo-Islamic architecture and the world’s tallest minaret at Qutab Minar.

It also has the India Gate; a war memorial arch and is the residence of India’s president and parliament.

The tour will next take you on to Jaipur where you will visit the magnificent Amber Fort.

Rajput is famous as a complex of palaces and pavilions, gardens and

You will enjoy a sunset visit to the spectacular Taj Mahal

temples.

You will truly feel like a prince or princess of the old Raj as you ascend a hilltop on a decorated elephant.

You will then have the option of seeing Jaipur from the sky in an early morning hot air balloon flight over the pink city.

Agra is famous for its marble and also for its intricate leather work.

You will enjoy a sunset visit to the spectacular Taj Mahal.

This white marble shrine to love was built over a period of 22 years

by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for his Queen Mumtaz Mahal to house her mortal remains.

Orchha, or “hidden place” has ruins of the tiered Jahangir Mahal, a fine example of medieval Indo Islamic architecture decorated with paintings and frescoes done in the 17th century.

The Taj Mahal features more murals and frescoes depicting the life of Lord Rama and Krishna and incarnations of Lord Vishnu.

Kathmandu is next on the tour where you will enjoy an early morning boat cruise on the Holy River Ganges.

On the Ganges you will see the “bathing ghats” where thousands of pilgrims pay homage to the Sun God by immersing themselves in the river.

Sarnath is the following place and it’s where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon.

You will then visit the 2500-year-old Swayambhunath Stupa.

This is one of the holiest and oldest Buddhist

chaityas in Nepal.

The tour will then head to Kathmandu’s Durbar Square, the historic seat of Nepalese royalty.

The Gohop escorted tours to India and Nepal run from June 1, 2012 until April 15, 2013.

You can book your tour of 11 nights by contacting www.gohop.ie and prices include 11 nights’ accommodation with half board, English speaking guides, entrance fees to sights, elephant ride, a boat ride in Varanasi and transportation via car.

Prices are €1,590per person sharing (pps) until September 30 2012 (ground only); €1,890pps until April 15, 2013 (ground only); €2,490pps until September 30 2012 (including flights) and €2,790pps until April 15, 2013 (including flights).

The return flights to Delhi, which will be priced on enquiry to ensure the best fares, and visas for India and Nepal are not included in the price.

14 June 2012 LUCAN GAZETTE 23

24 LUCAN GAZETTE 14 June 2012

GazetteENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT

GoingOUT THE PAVILION THEATRE 01 231 2929 Travesties

FOLLOWING the hugely successful and popular Plaza Suite, Rough Magic are back at the Pavilion Theatre with the delicious comedy Travesties by Tom Stoppard.

Best-known as the author of the Oscar-winning film Shakespeare in Love and the plays Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and Arcadia, Stoppard is at his best in this absurdly funny masterpiece featuring James Joyce, Vladimir Lenin and Dadaist Tristan Tzara. Running until June 23, tickets are priced from €18 to €25.

MILL THEATRE 01 296 9340 Bloomsday Celebration THE Mill Theatre and Roly Saul’s presents a special Bloomsday Celebration Brunch to mark the 90th anniversary of the publication of Ulysses.

Join them in Roly Saul’s restaurant for a buffet brunch with fare inspired by Leopold Bloom’s breakfast, including a glass of burgundy. Brunch will be accompanied by theatrical readings from Ulysses read by actor Declan Brennan.

Sandra Oman (soprano) will perform Joycean songs including the famous, I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls, Bahnhofstrasse and She Weeps Over Rahoon (two poems written by Joyce). This event takes place on June 16 at 11.30am. Admission: €15

CIVIC THEATRE 01 462 7477

Anna (Felicity Jones) and Jacob (Anton Yelchin) share a tender moment under the covers

Monteverdi’s Orfeo OPERA Theatre Company, Ireland’s National Touring Opera Company continues its 26th year of touring opera with this memorable and compelling work. OTC is delighted to welcome back founding member Ben Barnes, who directed the company’s first opera in 1986 and now returns to direct Orfeo. This event takes place on June 19 at 8pm.

Admission: €28 & €25 concession

DRAIOCHT 01 885 2622 John Colleary and Patrick McDonnell THIS is a unique opportunity to see two of Irelands finest stand up’s performing live together in one explosive show.

As well as starring in the The Savage Eye, John Colleary is a writer and performer of Today FM comedy slot, Last Orders. As well as The Savage Eye, Patrick has created memorable characters in Naked Camera and of course Father Ted. This show takes place on June 15 at 8.15pm.

Admission €16.

GOT A STORY? Call our NEWS TEAM on 60 10 240 or email news@gazettegroup.com

A Crazy little thing A Sundance favourite, Like Crazy never made it to Irish cinemas. Be thankful for the second chance the DVD gives.

I PAUL HOSFORD

SUNDANCE, the indie film festival, has a chequered hit ratio in recent years.

For every Precious in recent times, there has been a Hamlet 2, which sold for $10 million dollars and made less than half that at the US box office.

With that in mind, the viewing public has become somewhat weary of the Sundance seal of approval, even given 2010’s spectacular performance, when Academy Awards rained down on Sundance picks.

One film that came out of the 2011 festival highly tipped was Like Crazy, but this intimate depiction of a long-distance relationship never found a home in Irish cinemas, due mainly to a complete lack of buzz on this side of the pond.

It can be hard to sell to most audiences a trip to a

FILM OF THE WEEK: Like Crazy #### (15) 90 mins Director: Drake Doremus Starring: Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, Alex Kingston, Charlie Bewley

OUR VERDICT: INSPIRED by director Doremus’ legal battles to get his ex-wife an American work visa, Like Crazy is an immediate, raw and close to the bone examination of relationships and distance, both physical and emotional. Occassionaly beautiful and always assured, it is a film that will stay with you beyond its 90 minutes.

film that cost less than a two-bedroom apartment in Monasterevin. Well, pre-crash anyway.

Shot on a handheld Canon EOS 7D for less than $250,000, Like Crazy tells the story of two LA college students, British rose Anna and California furniture designer Jacob.

Refreshingly, there is no meet-cute. Nothing contrived happens to bring them together.

There is merely a note on a windshield and a tentative phonecall.

From there, the two fall madly in love and, with the school year due to end, Anna makes the

fateful decision to stay for the summer, in direct contravention of her student visa.

Flying home for a wedding, she is forced to spend a few months in Blighty away from her love in LA. Upon trying to re-enter the States, however, she falls foul of immigration.

That leaves the couple with no choice but to split. Their lives are too disparate, too separate to overcome the time and space differences.

What follows is a fouryear journey through getting back together, visits to London, new partners,

engagements and constant legal battles.

This not an heroic, triumph over-the-odds story, however. This a cutting insight into two desperately flawed characters that, at times, you just want to shake.

This is, for this reviewer, the film’s biggest single achievement.

The idea that you have to fully like characters has always stuck in my craw, not that I know what a craw is.

For me, the premise is flawed. Unlikable characters, akin to unlikable people, are often fascinating.

The idea that otherwise good people would make bad choices through stubbornness, poor communication or insecurity is not bad storytelling, it is a fact of life.

W hen Anna reads Jacob’s text messages and sees communications with an ex, some will see a completely unlikeable

character, borne of black and white.

But, what Doremus has actually done is create a character of greys.

Someone driven to distraction by the thought that their partner has a life 5,500 miles away that she may never know.

Devoting all of your screen time to two characters, either together or separately takes immense faith.

Giving them flaws so obvious and exposed, is fearless.

The film is weighted brilliantly on the shoulders of Felicity Jones, as Anna and Anton Yelchin, as Jacob.

Newcomer Jones is the standout, however. She shows a deftness and subtlety that many actresses her age lack and it is no wonder she bagged the Sundance award for breakthrough performance, showing that not all Sundance recommendations are bad.

14 June 2012 LUCAN GAZETTE 25

GazetteGAMING GAMING Bytesandpieces Camera is sure to be snapped up

Using television’s Game of Thrones as an example of providing supplementary info over your smartphone for your favourite TV shows, Marc Whitten, head of Microsoft’s XBox Live division, demonstrated how its SmartGlass service aims to underline the company’s drive to master the home entertainment hub

Weee love E3’s show I SHANE DILLON

THE greatest show in town, the annual E3 sees games developers, publishers, marketeers, icons, gurus, journalists, fans and many more gather in Los Angeles for a look at what to expect in the gaming (and tech) world over the next 12 months.

It’s the biggest international such event for anyone and everyone, and, while there can be dull E3s just as easily as exceptional ones, they’re always worth paying attention to.

As always, it’s the games and players that don’t attend E3 that set

tongues a-wagging, and this year was no different.

For example, while nobody was remotely surprised that there wasn’t so much as a whisker of Grand Theft Auto V on show – frankly, GTA developer Rockstar are too big to stoop to the biggest games show in the world, and never show their wares – it was the non-showing of other notable titles that raised eyebrows.

Sony’s long-delayed The Last Guardian, for instance, once again failed to make a showing for the PlayStation 3.

On the other hand,

Sony wowed crowds with stunning gameplay from a number of PS3 titles, with The Last Of Us setting an apparent benchmark in mature gaming and graphics – just one of a number of heavy-hitting PS3-exclusive titles on show.

Nintendo, too, impressed, as people finally got to see what its upcoming console – the Wii U – is capable of.

Given the breathtaking fiscal losses posted

by Nintendo in the past year, the Wii U really had to impress, and especially when considering its somewhat head-scratching concept of a giant

controller that’s also kind of a tablet display screen and, errr, um ...

However, its capabilities became much clearer for those that picked it up and tried it out, clearly making the Wii U one to watch when the innovative console releases.

Of course, Microsoft wasn’t going to let its rivals steal the show, and, in addition to a number of hefty gaming announcements, its main one concerned “SmartGlass”.

This, it seems, fits the company’s goal of unifying home entertainment in a one-stop-shop, such that, for example, your standard smartphone/

tablet could have innovative uses to tie in to a number of home entertainment hubs.

In this way, your phone/tablet could, say, provide extra uses for your games, or control your TV, or provide supplementary information about your favourite show, and so on.

All this, and much, much more was on show at E3. Despite the difficult economic times we’re all facing - as well as gamers around the world - E3 showed that, as always, the gaming and tech worlds have an awful lot to look forward to in the coming 12 months.

Anotherweebyte...

Techies won’t be impressed – but many readers will buy this back-to-basics phone FOR all of their ever-increasing power, there’s just one thing about mobile phones that companies rarely, if ever, want to talk about – the fact that an awful lot of phone users have absolutely no interest in almost all of what their phones can do.

One such group are older citizens.

Personal experience, and anecdoctal evidence, suggests that many older people couldn’t care less about apps, Wifi functionality, and so on – they simply want to be able to make and receive calls, send occasional texts, perhaps use picture messaging, – but

that’s about all.

Step forward Vodafone, and its exclusively available emporia CLICK – a stripped-back flipscreen mobile phone with few “unecessary” bells and whistles, yet with a number of interesting, and useful functions.

It’s a streamlined, somewhat basic phone – however, these are also its strengths, as its chunky and tactile buttons, scalable screen font sizes, emergency access to key numbers, and other such functions go against the grain of what the average mobile phone does – and makes the emporia

CLICK all the better for it.

I can see how it will appeal to many phone owners looking for a phone that’s, well, just a phone, rather than an all-singing, toocomplicated “all-in-one entertainment system”. Certainly, I have older relatives who’re looking for exactly this kind of just-a-phone phone.

The emporia CLICK is available at Vodafone stores, priced from €79.99, though special offers (eg number switching) may apply.

AS I’M looking at some of the latest tech this week, whether in gaming terms or hardware, it’s a good time to point out that Sony are rolling out another top-notch camera soon (July), ready to continue blurring the lines between “amateur” and “professional” camera models.

Space prevents me from going into all the details of the highly-impressive new Cyber-shot RX100 (right), but the basics are anything but basic, and will greatly impress any other photographers out there.

For instance, with an effective sensor resolution of 20.2 megapixels, courtesy of its special Exmor CMOS sensor; 3.6x optical zoom with its F1.8 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar lens; a maximum ISO of 25600; 1,229k dot resolution for its 7.5cm Xtra Fine LCD screen; new WhiteMagic technology that uses white pixels in addition to RGB – well, there’s a long, long list of features that will be complete gibberish to non-enthusiasts, but make the Cyber-shot RX100 very impressive indeed.

It’s a great addition to Sony’s already top-notch Cyber-shot line, and is sure to be snapped up once it hits the shops.

GAZETTE

26 LUCAN GAZETTE 14 June 2012

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GazetteSPORT

AMERICAN DREAM: College matches set to light up Parnell and Donnybrook: Page 29

SOCCER: FAI SUMMER SCHOOLS SET TO KEEP THE EURO 2012 BUZZ ALIVE AT CAMPS

Super summer soccer schools set to sizzle sport@gazettegroup.com

WITH only days left to avail of the early booking discount for Dublin players, the FAI are urging future Irish internationals to follow up their interest in the Euros with the eFlow FAI Summer Schools this summer.

An estimated 4,000 budding soccer stars are due to sign up to one of the 55 designated schools which will commence on July 1.

The FAI’s discount offer will come to a close on June 15, so children from the age of six to teenagers of up to 14-years-old need to register as soon as they can to keep the Euro 2012 buzz going throughout the summer.

These week-long soccer schools are open to boys and girls of all abilities and, with three different camps on offer, including girls-only and goalkeeper camps, there is plenty of choice for all levels of abil-

ity and experience.

All of the camps will be overseen by FAI-accredited coaches who can provide an opportunity for children to learn new skills, develop existing skills, have fun and benefit from the guidance of some of Ireland’s best soccer coaches.

On the first day of camp, each participant will receive a full kit, a football and a backpack.

Encouraging local Dublin soccer players to sign-

Local soccer star Stephen Ward and friend promote the eFlow FAI Summer Schools at the Aviva Stadium

up, Portmarnock native and Irish international player, Stephen Ward, who himself participated in the soccer schools as a young player, said: “I participated in the camps when I was a kid and not only did it help

me to improve as a player, it was also great fun during the summer holidays.

“With 55 Dublin clubs hosting camps, the fully qualified coaches will help young talent to develop and improve their soccer

skills in a fun and interesting way.

As an additional bonus and to mark the beginning of the 2012 eFlow FAI Summer Soccer Schools, eFlow is offering free jersey personalisation to the

first 200 eFlow customers who book their place at any of the camps around the country.

For further information on the camps and to book a place, visit www.summersoccerschools.ie or

28 LUCAN GAZETTE 14 June 2012

GazetteSport Sport

Alana Cassells and her award

Jimmy Mwanga, top scorer for the Under-13s

Ben Walker and his top scorer award

Ballyowen’s coaches and the U-15s played out a very competitive friendly match to round off the day

Presentation Ballyowen hold a day to remember ALLYOWEN Celtic held their presentation day this week with awards being handed out to players in all the age groups of the team.

The day was marked with friendlies for all the different age groups. The under sevens played the under eights resulting in a 2-all draw, while the under tens played against their local rivals from Beechpark losing out 3 goals to 1.

The final match was played between the Under-15s and the parents and coaches ending in a massive 7-3 victory for the parents and coaches.

The Under-10s team pictured here with two of their awards on display

B

Ciaran O’Connor

Prizes and smiles all round

John Oluleye collecting his award

14 June 2012 LUCAN GAZETTE 29

Friday night lights coming to Dublin

FastSport

American football is coming to the city in force this summer, and Notre Dame v Navy is not Bike week events set the only attraction on offer, writes ROB HEIGH to re-cycle family fun IT’S no understatement to say that there is nothing like an American Football match to illustrate all the passion, the glamour and the commitment to sporting endeavour in one single event.

From the pitch to the rafters, there is a unique buzz that cannot be found in any other sport in the world.

For a seemingly privileged few who get pitchside at the NFL matches we see on TV, they experience one of the most exciting, involving and intense sports played just within their reach.

But, in a few short weeks, the thrill of American Football is coming to local pitches in Dublin. On the weekend of August 31, there will be a celebration of the sport in Parnell Park and Donnybrook Stadium, with 12 top-class US high school and NCA A Division

III college teams taking part in a Friday Night Lights event never before attempted in the city, ahead of the main event of the weekend, the regular season game between Notre Dame and Navy at the Aviva Stadium.

The double-headers

on hand to find out more about the tournament.

“I’ve brought Division 3 college sides over to Ireland to play one-off matches before, but when I saw the date of the Notre Dame v Navy game, a light went off in my head,” said Steenberge, an enthusias-

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

‘We wanted to make the event as accessible as possible.

Anyone who loves sport can come with their whole family.’

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here in Dublin, and in Pairc Tailteann in Navan, are the culmination of a plan set in motion by Notre Dame football legend, Patrick Steenberge.

Steenberge and his partners in setting up the Global Ireland Football Tournament (GIFT) American football event were in Dublin last week, and GazetteSport was

tic icon of the athletic programme at Notre Dame and founder of Global Football, who have been taking American Football out to the wider world for many years now.

“The Notre Dame and Navy game is happening right at the start of our football season. I started calling some people, and there was a great interest

in getting this tournament organised.

“I thought I would have four college teams travelling, which would have been fine, but more and more wanted to come, which means we can have these three-double headers in three great venues.”

Steenberge was clear about what impact he hopes bringing the games to local venues will have.

“Putting the sport on people’s doorsteps was very important to us. Playing in Navan, at Donnybrook and in Parnell Park is critical to that. If we had stuck to our original plan, we would have been playing at RDS, UCD and Donnybrook. But we realised that was only one neighbourhood we would be reaching.

“So, by playing at these venues and making the prices affordable for people was a key to making this event accessible and

Irish American Football Association Chairman Greg Loughran (centre left) presents Patrick Steenberge with an Ireland shirt, flanked by Brian Mullins of UCD (left) and Regis Scafe, head coach of John Carroll University (right)

as inclusive as possible.

“There is six hours of entertainment on offer, and the people who come along will get to understand that there is more to American Football than the top-level NFLtype matches. In the US, American Football is accessible to all people in local communities, and we wanted to do that here as well.

“Anyone who loves sport can come out with their whole families, and see home high-level competition. It’s not NFL or Division 1 college football, but it is very competitive and a lot of fun.”

Speaking at the event, the Irish American Football Association president, Greg Loughran, said: “We are hoping that there will be a lot of buzz about the matches taking place later this summer, from the Notre Dame and Navy game all the way through to these college matches.

“We hope that the event will mean that there will be a lot more people getting interested in American Football, which we hope to pick up on, and let people see what we are doing about bringing people into playing the game in Ireland.

“We have an U-13 and U-15 travelling to Holland for the European championships this year, which is a huge step for American Football in Ireland.”

For more information, see www.americanfootball.ie and www.gift2012. com

IRELAND’S annual Bike Week is taking place from June 16 to 24. A variety of cycling and awareness-raising events are being organised including a fun family 6km cycle from Marlay Park on June 23 at 3pm.

This free event is organised by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Sports Partnership and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council for families and any age or fitness level.

All are welcome and encouraged to attend, but places are limited, so pre-registration is essential. There will also be a goodie bag, highviz vest and refreshments at the finish line for all who take part.

The route starts at Marlay Park, down to Grange Road and along a new urban cycle route towards Dundrum Shopping Centre and back for refreshments and goodies.

According to Shane McArdle, coordinator of DLRSP: “This event will be a great way for families to get out cycling during Bike Week along a safe route that avoids traffic.”

To register your interest for this event and get a full list of the activities taking place in the County during Bike Week, contact DLRCC at 01-2047026 or fgill@dlrcoco.ie.

DLRSP are keen to promote cycling as a cheap, reliable, fast mode of transport which they say: “Keeps you feeling fit and healthy, and has huge environmental benefits. So, dust down your bike and beat the traffic for Bike Week 2012”.

Artists sought for Horse Show contest THE Dublin Horse Show is offering one lucky primary school student the chance to win a family season pass to the show if they can create a poster for the renowned equestrian event.

19 runners-up will receive a one-

day family pass for Saturday, August 18, and the winning artworks will be featured on the official Dublin Horse Show website.

2012 will be the 139th running of the show, which takes place from August 15 to 19.

For more information on the Dublin Horse Show and the competition, see www.dublinhorseshow.com

30 LUCAN GAZETTE 14 June 2012

GazetteSport Sport FastSport

SOCCER: LOCAL CLUB SHOW POTENTIAL WITH LEAGUE WINS

Harriers in action in meetings and relays LUCAN Harriers have been flying their flag at a number of events over the last two weeks, including impressive showings at the Enfield 5k on May 22, the Heart of Laois 10k, and in their representation at the Olympic torch relay.

At Enfield, Derek McVeigh and Gerry Martin posted personal bests of 17.26 and 17.41 over 5km, while Garry and Adam McCarthy finished just a second apart from each other for PBs of 19.16 and 19.17.

Ten Lucan team members finished inside the 20-minute mark, with Freda Comiskey finishing just three seconds outside that barrier. Fergal O’Brien and Philip Fay had a battle between themselves, finishing just outside the 20-minute mark.

For the 10k in Laois, Vinny Murtagh came over the line first for the Harriers in 44.38 with Stephen Rynne following closely behind with 48.40. Jim Dwyer also finished in the top 100 with a time of 59.16.

Former Harriers Jedward were part of the Olympic torch relay, while current member Brian Bruxton carried the torch through the streets of Dublin.

Lucan United call for new Academy kids LUCAN United Football Club are calling on budding young stars to come along and be part of the Lucan United Academy.

The hotbed of young talent is calling on children from the ages of four-anda-half to seven years old to join in on the fun every Saturday morning at 11 am in Dodsboro/Airlie Height in Lucan.

With the Academy being hosted

by League of Ireland legend, Mark

Rutherford, young players are sure to learn a thing or two.

He is accompanied by the tremendous staff of the Academy who pride themselves on giving budding stars a firstclass coaching experience that they will always remember.

Lucan United have a ratio of one coach to every eight children to ensure sufficient time is given to each child.

If you are interested in joining the Academy, e-mail lucanunitedfc@ gmail.com, call 087 908 8085, or come along on Saturday mornings at 11am to register.

Quarryvale FC’s teams from across the age ranges celebrated a series of successes in their various leagues and cup competitions

Quarryvale’s super season I sport@gazettegroup.com

QUARRYVALE Football Club enjoyed a season of great success in 2011/12, with their younger teams getting a feel for football while taking some silverware home along the way — the U-17s enjoying league glory and their senior sides finishing in very solid positions in their campaigns.

The U-8s enjoyed a great learning experience in their non-competitive league, enjoying some great results while also learning the basics of the game. John Friar will be back with

the budding superstars to have a run at the U-9 platform in September.

Ben Kearney’s U-9s grasped the league title in their first year together proving to be a very able unit that will be sure to have a crack at the U-10 prize next year.

The U-17 panel won their league at a canter, being presented with the trophy for the Major 4 Sunday division with three games left on the fixture calendar. Gareth and Anita Ennis proved to be a fantastic combination sharing managerial duties, taking some big results over a season

of dominance.

T he Saturday and Sunday Senior sides, both under the guidance of Anthony McSweeney, proved that they were capable of grabbing league titles next year with the two Quarryvale sides, finishing fourth in their respective leagues.

Secretary of Quarryvale Football Club’s schoolboy section, Martin McDermott, caught up with GazetteSport to share his thoughts on a successful year for the Clondalkin outfit.

“Our three schoolboy sides gave great accounts of themselves

this year, the U-8 squad showed great enthusiasm for the game and the U-9s did fantastically well to win their league.

“Gareth and Anita did an amazing job with the U-17s. They’re a really great side and we expect more great things from them in the future.

“There are a lot less people playing for our club these days, and we’d love to see more children from the community getting involved and even some adults digging in and giving us a hand.

“A t t h e m o m e n t ,

our senior players are doing the majority of our coaching, and they deserve a lot of praise and respect. They had brilliant performances this year, and the two sides finishing in fourth place proves there is a lot of quality amongst them,” said McDermott.

The Clondalkin side will be adding an U-15 panel and a senior ladies team to their ranks next year, and would ask anyone in the area interested in taking part to get in contact with Quarryvale Community and Leisure Centre on 01 623 3417.

Celebrating Park life: Family fun day this weekend ARTHUR Griffith Park FC are holding a family fun day this weekend, including a five-a-side tournament, on

Sunday, June 17 at Griffeen Valley Park. Festivities begin at 12 noon, and players are asked to be on time for registration, which costs €2 per person on the day.

For more information, see www.facebook.com/arthurgriffithparkfc.

14 June 2012 LUCAN GAZETTE 31

FOOTBALL: LUCAN HOPE TO REVIVE SFC ATTEMPT

CLUB NOTICEBOARD LUCAN SARSFIELDS THERE was a fabulous atmosphere in

You can now register for our sum-

the European championships. Hope-

mer camps on our website, www.

fully, we can recreate the same for

lucansarsfields.ie. The cost this year

Ireland’s next two matches.

is €55.

Our Under-13 girls’ footballers

Last week’s lotto numbers drawn

defeated St Jude’s in their final

were 3, 4, 13 and 23. There was no

league game to ensure they finished

winner. Next week’s jackpot willl be

joint top of the league for 2012.

€8000.

This is a fantastic achievement

Josephine Donohue’s team will be

by the girls who have shown great

in charge next Sunday night, when

improvement throughout the year.

our sponsor will be Matt Reilly Auto

It is unclear at the moment if a play-

Parts. A full list of next weekend’s

off will be scheduled to determine the

fixtures are on our website, www.

outright league winners but, regard-

lucansarsfields.ie.

less, the girls can be hugely proud of their achievements.

Current SFC champions, St Brigid’s, put on an impressive performance against Lucan Sarsfields . Picture: Chris Lynam

Sars stutter as St Brigid’s show form I sport@gazettegroup.com

LUCAN Sarsfields’ Senior Football Championship tilt came to a temporary halt last Thursday when they met champions, St Brigid’s of Blanchardstown, in the second round of the tournament, in a game played in Parnell Park.

Two goals from Dublin’s All-Ireland Under21 winner, Philly Ryan, put the Castleknock side well on their way in the first half, leaving a lot for Mick Bohan’s men to do, fighting an uphill battle in the second half.

The reigning champions put their first past Sarsfields’ Fergus Gordan in goal after a lovely bit of movement from Darcy, who pulled the Lucan backs away from Ryan, who found the ball in plenty of space before slipping a tidy finish past the Lucan keeper’s near post.

It was the experienced Paddy Andrews who

was the architect for the second. The intercounty player did very well to draw to Lucan backs again, providing Ryan with another inlet of space, which he was all too happy to attack putting the ball past Gordan from 10 yards.

B r i g i d s ke p t t h e pressure on Sarsfields throughout the first half, with further points from Cian Mullins, John O’Loughlin and Lorcan McCarthy, while Dermot Gallagher grabbed one for the Lucan side leaving the score at 2-08 to 0-03.

Lucan came out aggressively in the second half with two points from Gallagher frees showing their Castleknock rivals that it would be no walk in the park, reducing the lead to eight points quickly after the restart.

However, just as they had the wind in their sails, it was knocked quickly out by Odhran McCann who found the net after another lovely

assist from Darcy, with the full forward in exceptional form on the night.

Sarsfields veteran Stephen O’Shaughnessy found the towering figure of Brian Collopy with a rangy pass, which the full forward fisted past Shane Supple, giving the side a big lift in the last 15 minutes.

The game began to turn in Sarsfields favour when Alan Daly, Brigid’s wing back, saw red after receiving a second yellow card, but thoughts of an unlikely comeback were quickly extinguished when the on-form Paddy Andrews and Darcy put points over for the Castleknock side.

While St Brigid’s move into Round 4 of the tournament, Mick Bohan will have his eyes firmly fixed on this weekend, where Lucan must bank a win to keep their Senior Football Championship hopes alive.

LUCAN SARSFIELDS - F Gordan; D Kealy, B O’Neill, D McKillen; J McCormack, S O’Shaughnessy, Dan Gallagher; M Twomey, K Moran; E Ó Conghaile, Dermot Gallagher, P Casey; N Flynn, D O’Shaughnessy, B Collopy.

Subs: K Fitzgerald for D O’Shaughnessy (6), M McCaffrey for McCormack (37), S Carroll for Kealy (39), J O’Neill for Flynn (44), C Larkin for Fitzgerald (51).

until 10pm on Sunday, June 17.

our clubhouse last Sunday night for

Our nurseries for boys and girls born in 2005, 2006 and 2007 continue

Great wins for our junior A hurl-

every Saturday at 1.30pm on our all-

ers in championship and the junior

weather pitch at The 12th Lock. The

B footballers in cup matches at the

camogie nursery is at 2.30pm for

weekend.

girls aged six and over. This is your

A list to book tickets for Dublin v

child’s chance to be coached by Dub-

Kilkenny’s Leinster semi-final will be

lin senior hurling captain, Johnny

on the noticeboard in the clubhouse

McCaffrey.

ST PAT’S PALMERSTOWN CONGRATULATIONS to both junior and

Congratulations to the Dublin senior

senior footballers on their victories

hurlers and footballers on the cham-

during the week.

pionship win this weekend.

The U-14 footballers were very

Special congratulations and thanks

unlucky against Ballymun Kickhams,

to Liam Rush and Shane Stapleton for

some fine goals were scored.

their performances during the game.

The U-11s had a great game against Na Fianna.

There was an excellent display by the U-12 hurlers, beating O’Dwyer’s by 13 points.

A great day is anticipated for Monday’s fun day in Glenaulin Park.

Lotto numbers and results: First draw - numbers drawn were 16, 21, 24 and 9. There was no winner. The

Thanks to all who came to the night

second draw - numbers drawn were

at the dogs and the county colours

11, 20, 24 and 6. There was no winner.

night. It was a great night again this

Any three numbers winners were Phyl

year.

Butler and Sandra Gilbert.

WESTMANSTOWN GAELS THERE were two cup games last week in the cup competitions. The Inter-

The ladies will be training on Saturday morning at 9am.

mediates had good win away at St

it was a busy week for the juve-

Oliver Plunkett’s, and the junior 1s

nile Gaels, with the U-8s losing to

played out a draw also away to St

Kilmacud Crokes, the U-10s winning

Mary’s in Saggart.

against the Crokes, the U-12 boys

This week is a busy one with all three

beat Lucan Sarsfield, while the U-14

men’s teams in action. The Interme-

boys had a comfortable win against

diates play Ballymun Kickhams in

St Maur’s.

Russell Park in the championship on Saturday evening at 6.15pm.

The junior 1s are away to Cuala

Tickets are being distributed for the annual €1,000 Buster Draw which takes place on Saturday, June 30.

on Sunday morning at 11am in the

The Family Fun Day takes place on

league, with the junior 2s hosting St

the same day from 2pm onwards.

Peregrine’s at Westmanstown, also

The Gaels Cul Camp takes place from

in the league, on Sunday afternoon

July 9 to 13. You can register online

at 3pm.

at www.westmanstowngaels.ie.

Follow GazetteSport on Facebook and Twitter and online at www.gazettegroup.com

ALL OF YOUR LUCAN SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 27-31

LOCKDOWN: Lucan shut out by Dublin SFC reigning champions St Brigid’s P31

JUNE 14, 2012

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Top American college football coming to town P29

GazetteSPORT

Lucan Golf Club’s Richard O’Donovan was honoured by his inclusion in the Golfing Union of Ireland’s team of six to go to the 117th Amateur Championships

Richie reaches Amateur Champs Lucan man hopes to follow in footsteps of golfing greats, taking on the world’s best at Royal Troon lucansport@gazettegroup.com

LUCAN golf club’s Richie O’Donovan was offered a major honour and opportunity on Tuesday afternoon as he was selected as one of the Golfing Union of Ireland’s representatives to compete in this year’s Amateur Championship.

The 117th staging of the Amateur Championship tees-off next Monday and runs from June 18 to 23 at Royal Troon and Glasgow on the Gailes Links course.

The winner of the Amateur Championship will join previous winners such as Bobby Jones, Joe Carr and Sergio Garcia and will also receive entry into this year’s Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes, next year’s US Open and an invitation to the 2013 Masters Tournament.

And it will also offer the 21-year-old 2011 East of Ireland champion the possibility of making it onto Sky Sports, which will televise the closing phases of the competition.

He is among of field of 288 players from 32

countries who are among the upper echelons of the world’s amateur rankings.

Among them are the world ranked six, seven and eight players with Australia’s Jake Higginbottom, USA’s Corbin Mills and The Netherland’s Daan Huizing, winner of last week’s St Andrews Links Trophy, involved.

The reigning European Amateur Champion Austria’s Manuel Trappel ranked number 28 in the world also starts with Walton Heath’s Ben Taylor at number 59, the highest ranked British player.

Commenting on the quality of the field The R&A’s Director of Amateur Events, Euan Mordaunt said: “This must be one of the strongest Amateur Championship fields in recent years, and spectators will get the opportunity to see some great golf from many of the talented young players who will become the top professionals of the future”.

“The field also includes eleven squad members of the GB and Ireland team to face the Continent

of Europe later this year in the St Andrews Trophy Match at Portmarnock and two members of the victorious 2011 Walker Cup Team, Vale of Glamorgan’s Rhys Pugh and Rathmore’s Alan Dunbar, ” added Mordaunt.

Former Major Champions and Ryder Cup team members including Jack Nicklaus, Jose Maria Olazabal, Colin Montgomerie, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Henrik Stenson, Rory McIlroy, Louis Oosthuizen and the reigning Open Champion, Darren Clarke, have all played in the Amateur Championship.

O’Donovan is part of a six-strong Irish contingent with Harry Diamond (Belvoir Park), Alan Dunbar (Rathmore), Dermot McElroy (Ballymena), Kevin Phelan (Waterford Castle) and the up and coming Gavin Moynihan from The Island.

The stroke play stage of the Amateur Championship is played over the first two days of competition at both courses before the field is cut to 64 and ties and the match play format finds the Champion over the final four days at Royal Troon.