Lucan

Gazette WIN  LUCAN

March 16 - 22, 2017

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

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

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

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

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

SPORT Local duo off to World Games P32

Illegal dumping costing Balgaddy area dearly  MARK O’BRIEN

Keep reading, keep recycling – thank you

Events have been cancelled due to the sheer amount of rubbish in the area

ILLEGAL dumping has taken over Balgaddy despite the best clean-up efforts of locals.

There have been issues with illegal dumping outside the community garden since

late last year but the problem has worsened over the past six weeks, with a huge number of rubbish bags disgracefully being left on the footpath.

Balgaddy Tidy Towns have said that the illegal dumping is interfering with

their efforts to improve and clean up the community.

A spokesperson for the group said: “There’s 800 houses and you could count on one hand the people that are leaving their rubbish out (on the footpath).”

The group have been

forced to cancel events in the town due to the sheer amount of rubbish polluting the area.

The spokesperson added: “Over the last six weeks it has gotten worse.”

Full Story on Page 4

2 LUCAN GAZETTE 16 March 2017

CONGESTION | WORSENING TRAFFIC PROBLEMS A MAJOR CONCERN

FASTNews

 MARK O’BRIEN

Shopping for a new sofa has been made EZ for you

Residents meet in a bid to tackle traffic LUCAN residents have come together in a bid to put an end to the worsening traffic problems in the area.

A number of residents associations from the area met last week at a meeting facilitated by Cllr Liona O’Toole.

All of the groups were encouraged to put forward their ideas on what the best ways were to ease traffic congestion in the area.

Tom Newton of Acra – the national body for Residents Associations – was one of those in attendance.

Mr Newton is a resi-

‘The economic upturn has had a negative impact on the traffic situation in Lucan’

dent of Hillcrest and he said that the economic upturn has had a negative impact on the traffic situation in Lucan.

He said: “The recession eased the traffic for a while but now we have

the traffic back almost as heavy as ever.”

A number of solutions were put forward at the meeting.

One of the solutions that was agreed upon wa s the completion

of the link road from Blake’s Cross on the Newcastle Road to the Celbridge Road be made a priority.

This road has planning permission but the last mile of the road has not been built due to a lack of funding.

There is already funding in place to upgrade the Newcastle Road from Lucan Sarsfields GAA ground to Nangor Road and it is proposed that some of this funding is diverted to complete the Link road.

Mr Newton said he felt that upgrading this road first did not make sense and that priority should be given to com-

pleting the link road at Blake’s Cross.

He said: “There’s no point in upgrading that road first because it would let all the traffic in to Lucan and make the problem worse.”

He acknowledged the fact that funding was an issue but implored South Dublin County Council to: “take the money from that project and build the road we need” rather than prioritise the upgrade of the Newcastle Road.

The final report is due to be presented to the management of South Dublin County Council within the next few weeks.

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

Store managers have been reporting a brisk interest in sofas, with the chain promoting what is for most of us one of the key pieces of furniture in the home, while its Sofa Madness sale has focused shoppers’ attention on getting their next vital furnishing for the home.

Managers also reported that their EZ Living Furniture experts were particularly busy assisting shoppers with choosing between fabric and leather, depending on their family or individual needs, with their advice helping to balance the need for ‘family-proof’ material with comfort and style.

The Sofa Madness sale also saw an impressive variety of sofa-related furnishings sold, as managers and EZ Living staff were kept busy assisting customers to get the right fit and furnishing to suit their home, character and lifestyle.

For further furnishing needs and regular sale bargains, drop in to your nearest EZ Living Furniture store.

Artists, crafters sought for a brush with art fair

DIVINE Mercy SNS will host an art fair to raise funds for the school. The event will take place from Friday, May 19 to Sunday, May 21 and they are currently looking for artists and crafters who would like to exhibit over the weekend..

The cost for crafters is €20 while the cost for artists is €30. For further information or to book your place, contact Miriam at 086 057 3820, Brid at 087 921 3520, or email lucanartfair1@gmail.com.

Glitz, glamour and special little heroes

LITTLE super heroes Josh McCabe and Namuun Natsdorj went above and beyond as they helped Miriam O’Callaghan and Alan Hughes launch the LauraLynn Heroes Ball which takes place on Saturday, May 6. The gala evening will take place in the Intercontinental Hotel in Ballsbridge raising much needed funds for the specialist palliative care LauraLynn provides to children with life-limiting conditions and their families. With a focus on enhancing quality of life, LauraLynn provides support from diagnosis, to end of life, and throughout bereavement with a range of practical, emotional and medical care for the whole family.

Picture: Conor McCabe Photography

Decision due on new Intel chip-processing facility

A DECISION on planning permission for a new chip processing facility at Intel is expected within two months.

Kildare County Council had sought information on a number of issues associated with the new build.

These issues included information on the raw data used for traffic modelling, clarification of how peak rates of traffic were arrived at, and how traffic management will be enforced during construction.

The council also sought information on the potential effects and mitigation measures to the Rye Water, as well as a fully quantified loss/gain report on habitat calculations.

The large new building would total 88,740sq m over four floors and is believed to be worth up to $4bn to Intel. A decision on the application is expected by May 2.

16 March 2017 LUCAN GAZETTE 3

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

 AENGUS O’HANLON

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And then there’s the animals!

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

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

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

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

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

heads into the village for the annual feast of festivities.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4 LUCAN GAZETTE 16 March 2017

BALGADDY | PROBLEM HAS WORSENED OVER PAST SIX WEEKS

Dumpers stopping use of community garden  MARK O’BRIEN BALGADDY Tidy Towns have expressed disappointment that a small number of residents are scuppering their efforts to improve the community by illegally dumping rub-

bish in the area.

There have been issues with illegal dumping outside the community garden since late last year but the problem has worsened over the past six weeks, with a huge number of rubbish bags being left on

the footpath.

A spokesperson for Balgaddy Tidy Towns said: “It started last year with a few bags being left there once a week. The council would come and remove them but over the last six weeks it has gotten worse.”

There have been issues with illegal dumping outside the community garden

The group expressed disappointment that a small number of people were preventing the wider community from using the community garden.

The spokesperson said: “We’ve eight groups using the garden, it’s a disappointment. The garden is very successful, there’s lots of kids in this area, there’s lots of people who live around here.

“There’s 800 houses and you could count on one hand the people that are leaving their rubbish out (on the footpath).”

The group added that it was due to start back a range of activities for locals in the community garden two weeks ago but had to cancel them due to the exposed rubbish around the area.

The group also run a junior park rangers project

that encourages children to take pride in their area and help to keep it tidy and it was disheartening to see their good work being ruined by a small minority of people.

In response to a request from Cllr Francis Timmons (Ind), the council’s Environment, Water & Climate Change department confirmed that a culprit had been identified and fined.

In a statement to Cllr Timmons, a staff officer said: “I wish to confirm the litter warden carried out an inspection of the area, all bags were searched, one name and address was found in the bags and a fine has been issued.

“All offending material has been referred to the council’s public realm section for removal as soon as possible.”

Lucan store picks up customer award

Malachy Hanberry, managing director, Eurospar with Carol Lyons, Sarah Lyons, Ross Brennan and Tony O’Connor all from Eurospar Lucan

EUROSPAR Lucan Supermarket was presented with a prestigious Customer First @ Eurospar Award at the annual Eurospar Guild, which took place at the Mullingar Park Hotel, County Westmeath last week Customer First @ Eurospar is a new retail operations standards programme that has been implemented across the Eurospar supermarket group.

Accepting the award, Tony O’Connor of Eurospar Hartstown said: “We are delighted to receive this accolade, which is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff. Customer First @ Eurospar is not only a mark of pride for our store and staff, but more importantly, it lets our customers know that we are leaders in the field. Thank you to our customers for supporting us over the past 20 years and for helping us to continue to provide jobs in the local community.”

The essence of the new Customer First @ Eurospar Programme is its departmental breakdown by strategy pillar, enabling store management to charge staff in each department with responsibility for reaching the desired standards.

St Patrick’s Day THE annual Lucan St Patrick’s Day Parade will begin at 3pm this Friday, March 17. The parade starts at Tesco in Hillcrest, moving down past the Ball Alley pub, before finishing up at the Ulster Bank in Lucan Village. A host of local groups will take part in this year’s parade, including; Serena Brady’s Academy of Dance, the 142nd Esker Scouts, Lucan Sarsfield’s GAA, Lucan Lions Club, Lucan Disability Action Group, Beech Park FC and Lucan Harriers.

Those participating in the parade are asked to assemble at Tesco, Hillcrest at 2pm sharp to be in position for 2.30pm. The full running order for the parade can be found at www.lucannewsletter.ie/ archive/mar122017.pdf

Free WEEE Ireland recycling collection WEEE Ireland, the Irish compliance scheme for electrical and battery recycling, is holding a free public collection day in an effort to make it as easy as possible for householders to recycle their electrical and battery waste.

Any household item with a plug or battery will be accepted free of charge at Tesco Car Park, Celbridge, on Saturday, March 25 from 10am to 4pm.

This includes small appliances such as hairdryers, irons, power tools, children’s toys and larger household items such as fridges, washing machines and dishwashers. Waste batteries and energy saving light bulbs will also be welcomed.

These will all be accepted free of charge and the collection event is open to all members of the public.

16 March 2017 LUCAN GAZETTE 5

6 LUCAN GAZETTE 16 March 2017

Out and About

The all-singing, alldancing Dance LA D

Sisters Lorna and Adele Dempsey of Dance LA

ANCE LA students have just returned from London after some intensive training in Pineapple Studios. They enjoyed three days of dance and musical theatre master classes from performers of the hit West End musicals Matilda and School of Rock. The event was great preparation for their anniversary show which will take place in the Leixlip Community Centre from 6.15pm on April 7. Visit their website www.dancela.ie, Facebook Dance LA Dempsey or contact dance.la@hotmail.com for information on classes, events, birthday parties and Summer Camp 2017.

16 March 2017 LUCAN GAZETTE 7

Out and About

Dance LA Juniors

8 LUCAN GAZETTE 16 March 2017

SURVEY | PARKING ON FOOTPATHS A MAJOR ISSUE OF CONCERN FOR PARENTS

Safer school routes could reduce traffic problems  MARK O’BRIEN A MAJORITY of parents in the Lucan area would let their child walk or cycle to school if the routes were safer, according to a new survey.

Cllr William Lavelle (FG) surveyed parents from five schools in the Lucan Road and Chapel Hill areas.

Over 50 per cent said they would allow their child to walk or cycle to

school if the route was safer, with a further 25 per cent saying they would allow their children to walk or cycle to school when the weather was favourable.

Cllr Lavelle told the Gazette that safer routes could help ease the traffic issues in Lucan.

He said: “It is clear that parents feel the current walking and cycling routes to schools in the Lucan Road/Chapel

Hill area are unsafe, particularly at specific points.

“It is also clear that up to 80 per cent of parents would allow their children to walk oy cycle to a school if the route was safer.

“If we can get more children walking and cycling to school then we can help take short-trip car journeys off the road and help reduce local traffic congestion.”

Local resident Aileen Blackwell-Kelly, whose son attends St Andrew’s NS, said that she walks her son to school every day as it has: “Huge benefits in terms of physical activity.”

But she added that while her child was too young to walk to school on his own at the moment, she would be very reluctant to let him walk to school on his own when he is older unless improvements were made to the footpaths around the school.

Almost 300 parents of students from St Andrew’s NS, Scoil Mhuire GNS, St Mary’s BNS, Colaiste Padraig and St Joseph’s College took part in the

survey.

The main issues of concern were; vehicles being parked on footpaths, speeding and unsafe drivers, footpaths being too narrow and a lack of guard rails.

The footpaths between St Andrew’s NS and St Mary’s Boy NS and the lay-by outside St Joseph’s were highlighted as areas where parents feel that safety improvements should be prioritised.

Cllr Lavelle said that he will be using the information gathered from the survey to push for work to be carried out to make the routes safer.

“I will be bringing a motion to this month’s Lucan Area Committee

meeting seeking action on the key issues raised by parents,” he said.

“I will be focussing on measures to address the problems of vehicles parked on footpaths which was the major issue of concern for over 60 per cent of parents surveyed.

“Possible solutions could include more dedicated parking spaces close to St Mary’s Boy NS and better Garda enforcement at various hotspots identified by parents.

“I will also be seeking repairs and widening to narrow footpaths and unsafe crossings, par ticularly between St Andrew’s NS and St Mary’s Boy NS.”

FASTNews

Lucan volunteers off to Special Olympics World Winter Games TWO volunteers from Lucan Special Olympics Club were among those travelling to the Special Olympics World Winter Games this week.

Mark McInerney and Niamh Murray are travelled to Austria with Team Ireland earlier this week.

Mark is one of the coaches with Team Ireland Floorball team, while Niamh will be working as a volunteer at the games. Niamh is one of the club’s coaches and is part of a group of up to 100 volunteers travelling to Austria from Ireland to assist in the running of the games. Mark coaches the club’s Floorball athletes and is part of the 38-strong delegation of athletes and coaches attending the games in Austria.

Irish athletes will take part in Floorball and Alpine Skiing at the Games.

Fundraising fashion show

Plans move forward for new National Maternity Hospital MINISTER for Health, Simon Harris has announced that the planning application for the new National Maternity Hospital will be submitted following the recent determination by An Bord Pleanala that the proposed development of the new hospital on the St Vincent’s campus constitutes a

Strategic Infrastructure Development.

Pictured with a model of the proposed development during a visit to the site at St Vincent’s, is Kay Connolly, chief operating officer of St Vincent’s University Hospital with Minister Harris and Dr Rhona Mahony, Master, National Maternity Hospital. Picture: Andres Poveda

SPINA Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland’s will host a fundraising fashion show in the Lucan Spa Hotel on Friday, April 7. The theme of the show will be ‘Fashion Fits Everybody’.

The event will be hosted by Rebecca Rose Stylist and the show features the spring/summer 2017 new collections from Divine Boutique, Maynooth. Doors open at 7pm for show at 8pm.

Complimentary glass of wine, tea/coffee and canapes. Spot prizes and great raffle prizes.

Tickets priced €25 will be available on the door on the night, from Divine Boutique, Maynooth or from Aideen 087 601 8429.

16 March 2017 LUCAN GAZETTE 9

Gearing up for a musical thriller

ONE of the leading musical societies in Ireland, the Teachers’ Musical Society, have been very busy with rehearsals as they prepare for their upcoming show Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street. The show opens on Tuesday, April 4 and runs nightly until Saturday, April 8 at the O’Reilly Theatre, Dublin. Tickets are €15 opening night and €20 all other nights.

For tickets log on to www.eventbrite.ie. See next week for more pictures.

Extension joy for LCC pupils  MARK O’BRIEN LUCAN Community College’s staff and students were celebrating this week when it was confirmed that progress had been made on the long-awaited school extension.

The project is currently stuck at Stage 2A of the architectural and planning process, with the Department of Education and Skills originally saying that a decision would not be made on the project until mid-April.

However, following an extensive lobbying and letter-writing campaign, it has been confirmed that the decision has been brought forward and the process has been moved forward to Stage 2B. School principal Diane Birnie was understandably delighted with the news and thanked the pupils, parents and teachers who were involved in the campaign.

In a statement, Ms Birnie said: “We are absolutely delighted with the news that our much needed extension has moved ahead to the next stage of planning.

“This represents a huge step forward for Lucan Community College, our students, teachers and parents in getting a school building to match the quality of our teach-

ing and learning.

“We want to acknowledge the enormous effort made by our pupils with their petition and also our parents and teachers with their individual letters to the Minister for Education and local representatives in getting the extension back on track.

“We sincerely hope it now moves ahead at speed without any further delays.”

Chairperson of the school’s Board of Management, Cllr William Lavelle (FG) echoed Ms Birnie’s sentiments and expressed his gratitude to all involved in the campaign.

Confirming the news Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald said: “I welcome this latest news in the long-awaited building project for Lucan Community College.

“Since their inclusion in the six-year Capital Programme 2016-2021, they have made huge strides in the planning process.

“When the project is complete, the existing school building, which was first built in 1987, will be extensively refurbished with two dedicated special education needs classrooms as well as a much needed extension.

“Once completed, this modern campus will cater to approximately 1,000 students.”

The student council with a petition to Richard Bruton

10 GAZETTE 16 March 2017

GAZETTE GIVEAWAY

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

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

WIN WIN WIN

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 EMMA NOLAN

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some are healthy examples and some show signs of disease.

There are little factoids

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

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

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

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

Oh yes of corpse!

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

16 March 2017 GAZETTE 11

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

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

P

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

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

to 120,000

bags of unwanted clothing,

accessories and homeware items donated over this time.

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

a friend, colleague or fam-

ily member to

do the same.

Pics: Anthony Woods

GAZETTE

12 GAZETTE 16 March 2017

DUBLINBUSINESS

Dubliner’s frozen food revolution taking root

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

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

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

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

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

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

 EMMA NOLAN

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

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

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

Samuel Dennigan scooped the category title at the IBYE national final

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

Samuel officially

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

burgers, avocado halves and garlic roasted sweet potatoes.

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

Firms offered free office space in London

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

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

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

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

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

Entry to the Awards is free.

The closing date for entries is April 20.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“With Brexit dominating the news, it is

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THE BIG INTERVIEW P16 STYLE P18 MOTORING P22

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

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

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

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

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GAZETTE

DUBLINLIFE

16 March 2017 GAZETTE 13

Promising Dublin acts head West..well.. South

by Southwest in search of fame and fortune

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GAZETTE

14 GAZETTE 16 March 2017

DUBLINLIFE

DIARY

Spread a beautiful message

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Called “Pure brilliant”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

16 March 2017 GAZETTE 15

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16 March 2017 GAZETTE 17

Gazette babies are the cutest...

Gazette competition

Are you a member of a camera club?

Would you like to see your shots in print?

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

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

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

Send in your baby photographs and...

WIN!WIN!WIN!

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

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

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

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

Rebecca Gibson sent in this lovely shot of baby Kai Gibson

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

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

Gerard Cronin sent in this adorable photo of little Jack

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

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

at just five weeks.

Why not send your pictures to aconway@ dublingazette. com

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18 GAZETTE 16 March 2017

DUBLINLIFE Straightener €64

M&S Shortbread tin 450g €9

BaByliss 3Q Hair Harvey Norman

STYLE

Thomas Sabo Love bridge bracelet €219

Brown Thomas Dior 5 Coleurs €60

Aldi Pata Negra Cava Rosado €12

Brown Thomas Weston Scarves - Chelsea Mineral Silk Scarf €155

Aldi 3 x Drinking glasses €10

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

It’s in the bag for

Mother’s Day  EMMA NOLAN Style Editor

Dealz Mothers Day gift €1

Arnotts Kate Spade bag €258

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

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

M50MOTORING

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GAZETTE

16 March 2017 GAZETTE 19

in association with

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Continued on next page

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20 GAZETTE 16 March 2017

M50MOTORING

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

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

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

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

You will have rev the engine a little to get to

Suzuki S-Cross 1.0 SPECIFICATIONS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

in association with

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

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

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

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

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

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

comprising 58 European experienced journalists

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

from 22 countries. The judging panel acclaimed its

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

style, interior design and performance.

This prestigious trophy joins the 20 other inter-

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

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

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

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

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

Five-star safety

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

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

16 March 2017 GAZETTE 21

in association with

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

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

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

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

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

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

at low speed.

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

free and iPod connectivity.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The SsangYong Korando SUV gets a fresh new look for 2017

the Vivaro and Movano.

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22 GAZETTE 16 March 2017

M50MOTORING

Stunning Trezor wins design award

in association with

THE new Renault Trezor concept car

The low-slung, long-nosed, rear-

is an all-electric GT that embodies

wheel drive, two-seater electric

the styling cues and technologies

Renault Trezor GT appealed to the

set to feature on upcoming Renault

panel of normally hard-to-please pro-

models and it has been crowned

fessional car designers. Judge after

2016’s Concept Car Design of the Year.

judge praised the French EV concept’s

The award is based exclusively on the

dramatic exterior proportions, its

votes of a 20-strong judging panel

interior flair and magnificent use of

featuring some of the world’s top car

materials and the strong design con-

designers.

nection between exterior and interior.

FASTNews

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

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

The new Civic is wider, longer, and lower than

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

any of its predecessors.

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

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

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

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

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

engine to the entry level

being the one of the safest cars ever made

Civic.

16 March 2017 GAZETTE 23

GAZETTE

24 LUCAN GAZETTE 16 March 2017

M50MOTORING

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

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

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

in association with

Want to reach an audience in excess of 300,000 people in Dublin each week?

To advertise in our new Motoring section, contact sales@dublingazette.com

or call

01 601 0240

16 March 2017 LUCAN GAZETTE 25

ReelReviews

CINEMA

GAZETTE

DUBLINLIFE

KONG SKULL ISLAND: LATEST REHASH HAS SOME BANANAS ACTION SEQUENCES

VICEROY’S HOUSE

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

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

LEGO BATMAN

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

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

JOHN WICK 2

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

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

Monkeys about with classic lore

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

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

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

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

When Kong is

 MARTIN MACNAMARA

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

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

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

cal survey mission.

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

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

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

they encounter an array of bloodthirsty prehistoric leftovers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Verdict: 6/10

26 LUCAN GAZETTE 16 March 2017

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GAZETTE

28 LUCAN GAZETTE 16 March 2017

SPORT

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

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

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

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

SOCCER: REIGNING CHAMPIONS STRENGTHEN FOR TITLE RETENTION CHALLENGE

Shels’ Pearl says squad even better than before

 KARL GRAHAM sport@dublingazette.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Morton Stadium on Saturday at 7pm.

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

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

looking to start well.

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

All change Peamount United have

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

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

The transition is something that the clubs will have to deal

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

UCD celebrate their winning goal. Picture: Adrian Boehm

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

initial strike on goal.

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

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

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

16 March 2017 LUCAN GAZETTE 29

GAZETTE

FASTSport

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

in 1974, 1976 and 1977.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

up or as a sort of amalgamation of other clubs.

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

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

“They came around at the time of colour TV

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

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

- Mark Duncan

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

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

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

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

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

GAZETTE

30 LUCAN GAZETTE 16 March 2017

SPORT

FASTSport

SOCCER: COLDCUT CLUB GOING WELL ON BOTH LEAGUE AND CUP FRONTS

Hermitage Scratch Cup 2017 gets big Benz boost THE 2017 Hermitage Ladies Scratch Cup has been boosted with by the news Bradys of Castleknock, Mercedes-Benz main dealers, are the new sponsor for the 46th edition of the popular competition.

This major ladies tournament will be held on Sunday, May 7. Last year, the Scratch Cup attracted over 80 entrants with Ciara Casey becoming the first Hermitage member to win the competition at her home club.

She will be defending her title this year against a field open to lady golfers of handicaps of 12 and under. The 72 lowest handicap entrants will qualify to compete.

The Irish Ladies Golf Union have included the Hermitage Scratch Cup in their Scratch Cup circuit for elite golfers.

The west Dublin club continues to be one of the finest parkland courses in Ireland having won the best parkland course in Leinster for the third time in four years. Entry forms are available from the ILGU and Hermitage Club websites.

The closing date for entries is April 28.

Lucan one-two at Boyne GP A1 LUCAN Cycling Road Club’s Conn McDunphy claimed the laurels at the Boyne GP A1 race last Sunday.

He was in a chasing pack with Mark Reilly that reeled in a break including Dermot

White going into the second last lap of the race.

McDunphy made his move on the first drag of the last lap, building a huge gap over the remaining riders. Reilly came in second to make it a Lucan one-two while White finished in the top ten for his efforts.

Dublin Bus progressed to the last eight of the LSL Metropolitan Cup

Bus drive into Metro quarters METRO CUP

Newtown Rangers Dublin Bus after extra time  sport@dublingazette.com

1 3

DUBLIN Bus may have needed extra time but they eventually saw off the challenge of Newtown Rangers to progress to the quarter-finals of the LSL Metropolitan cup after a 3-1 win at Farrell Park last Sunday morning.

The Bus dominated large periods of the first half but needed a deflected goal from Ciaran Bissett’s corner to take the lead midway through the half.

The home side had a chance to equalise but Darren Brennan pulled off an excellent save to keep his side in the lead heading into the break.

Dublin Bus came out in the second half looking to put the tie to bed but all their effort could not result in the ball finding the back of the net once again.

With the game drawing to a close, the proceedings were thrown into controversy when Newtown were awarded a penalty that the visiting team desperately protested.

The Tallaght side converted from the spot to set up a tasty period of extra

FIESTA FEVER Fitzgerald brothers set for new Mondello season LUCAN brothers Brendan and Michael Fitzgerald are both looking forward to competing once again in the Irish Fiesta championship in Mondello Park which gets under way on Sunday, March 19. Speaking about the upcoming season, Brendan said: “This is going to be a very competitive championship with an estimated 30 cars entered for each race weekend.”

The championship consists of 12 rounds with two races on each round. The Fitzgeralds looking to build on last season when they won a race in addition to a number of third places.

time.

Dublin Bus, possibly agitated by what had gone on towards the end of regulation time, sprang from their traps when the referee got the game back under way.

They managed to retake the lead within the first minute.

Geoff Doyle delivered a cross into the box that Luke Halpin got on the end of to flick between the keeper’s legs.

Desperate to draw level once more, Newtown began to pump long balls into the opposition box from all angles of the pitch, but the visiting side did well to hold firm.

Dublin Bus eventually put the result beyond doubt when man of the match Bissett delivered an excellent crossfield ball with 10 minutes remaining that evaded Newtown’s full-back.

Aaron McGuirk had the time and space to take a touch before using his left foot to smash the ball into the back of the net and send the supporters who made the short trip from Clondalkin to Tallaght into raptures.

The game was the first time Dublin Bus had to play away from home in the cup after securing a 4-2 win over Confey FC in the first round before

squeezing past Portlaoise AFC in round two.

The Bus are enjoying a good season so far as they sit on top of the LSL Sunday Senior Division 1 after 21 games.

They hope to finally secure promotion this season after occupying mid table positions in recent years.

They have only lost once in their last seven league games to leave them top of the table by two points.

But, with several of their closest rivals holding at least one game in hand over them, the run title run-in could prove an exciting one.

16 March 2017 LUCAN GAZETTE 31

GAZETTE

COMORTAS QUEENS

Confey victorious at Somerton tournament

CLUB NOTICEBOARD LUCAN SARSFIELDS ST PATRICK’S week, including Seachtain Na Gaeilge.

CONFEY claimed top honours at the recent Castleknock GAA Comortas 7s competition in Somerton Park.

Now in its third year, the sevens tournament as Gaeilge brought together teams from Dublin and Kildare for a day of football to celebrate Seacthain Na Gaeilge.

A number of past and present Dublin players turned out to support the event including current Dublin full back Sinead Finnegan.

Monday/De Luain – cupla focal club,

The junior A hurling lost to St Maur’s

8-10pm; Tuesday/Dd Mairt – trath na

while the junior B hurlers overcame

gCeist sa club, bi ann; Wednesday/

Counsel Gaels with some ease.

De Ceadaoin – set dancing and bingo

On the minor front, the ladies foot-

(b’fheidir go mbeigh se as galilee?);

ballers drew with Castleknock while the

Thursday/Deardaoin – club night, music

minor footballers had a comfortable win

in the bar; Friday/De hAoine – music in

over Ballymun.

the bar from 5.30pm.

HURLING: O’REILLY’S DOZEN CRUCIAL FOR 12TH LOCK SIDE

The senior hurlers drew with Castleknock on Sunday in their league opener.

Laura Quinn and Katie Wisdom played

Children’s entertainment from 5.30-

a big part in Dublin’s U-16 win over

7.30pm. Bus from St Mary’s National

Meath. The Lucan pair between them

School after the parade. Barbecue in

scored 1-6 and feature heavily in the

the clubhouse (Feile fundraiser) on the

match reports. My guess is that you

afternoon/evening of St Patrick’s day.

should get used to wearing the blue!

Usual activities in the club for the day, plus club finals and Cheltenham on TV. Saturday/De Sathairn – Aisghabhail!

The set dancing is also on Wednesday at 8.30pm in the function room while the bar hosts bingo.

Academy and weekend matches resume.

The club shop opening times are Sat-

Music with Jim Quinn from 9.30pm. You

urday 10.30am to 12.30pm; Thursday

could watch the senior hurlers play

from 7pm-8.30pm. A number of items are

Castlepollard in the Leinster league at

still on sale at a reduced price including

3pm. Sunday/De Domhnaigh – juvenile

Pink Ladies jackets and tee-Shirts,

bingo at 4pm, €3.

Lucan District Credit Union Academy:

The senior footballers lost by three

Saturday 9.30am for camogie and girls’

points; Kilmacud in the latest feisty

football, 10am for boys’ football and

round of the St VdeP Cup. In the Stacy

hurling, for boys and girls born in 2010,

Cup, Lucan overcame Liffey Gaels while,

2011 and 2012 – 12th Lock.

in the O’Broin Cup, they overcame Round Towers.

There was no winner of the €1,000 lotto; the numbers were 3, 24, 25 and 27.

ST PAT’S, PALMERSTOWN The Lucan Sarsfields senior hurling team

Lucan fight back for opening AHL2 draw AHL DIVISION 2 Lucan Sarsfields 0-20 Castleknock 2-14  sport@dublingazette.com

LUCAN Sarsfields came back from a five-point deficit to salvage a draw on the opening day of AHL Division 2 as Kevin O’Reilly landed a massive 12 points at the 12th Lock last Sunday.

They conceded two goals against the breeze in the first half to put them under pressure but the gap was bridged 20 minutes into the second half.

From there, the sides went score for score before a feisty closing

few minutes in which Castleknock landed a free. From the puck-out, Lucan gained possession but their attack was cut short by the final whistle as they sought a winner.

Lucan were bolstered by the return of Peter Kelly into the team following a lengthy injury lay-off in recent times.

He joined a number of strong performers in the side with Matthew McCaffrey in midfield showing up well while O’Reilly and Aidan Roche look dangerous in attack.

McCaffrey landed four points while Roche added two.

Seanie McClelland who made a big impact when introduced for the second half, landing a couple of scores into the bargain.

Elsewhere on the hurling front, Lucan’s second team lost out by two points away to St Maurs despite goals came from Cathal O’Maolmhana and Brian Fagan and excellent performances from Rob Twomey and Rob Lambert.

Lucan played the final quarter with 14 men after a harsh red card in the second half and couldn’t close the gap at the end, falling 2-11 to 2-9 in their

opening AHL4 tie of 2017.

The junior Bs, meanwhile, scored a comfortable 3-5 to 0-1 win over Counsel Gaels in difficult conditions in Adamstown.

First half goals from Brian Mahon and Eoin Byrne had Lucan in control and another from Sujon Alamgir in the second half settled the contest.

Jack O’Toole in defence and Adam Finnerty in midfield were prominent throughout and were ably supported by “young” veterans Stevie Farrell, Joe McCarthy and Ger Twohig.

BUSY weekend with plenty of action out

Other games saw a great game of

on the field. Congratulations to our U-16

football by U-14s against Peregrine’s

footballers on a great display vs St Fin-

coming short by four points only in the

ian’s and a worthy win, 6-6 to 0-5.

end. Great game of hurling for the U-11

St Pat’s Cian McGrane playing with

team against Cual with everyone worked

Dublin and saw another victory for

hard. Great performances from Daniel,

Dublin as they took on Longford. Minor

Seamus and Conor.

footballers started their campaign with

Thanks to all who supported the U-14

a win over Peregrine’s and saw brothers

table quiz on Friday in Palmerstown

Chris and Brian Mooney play their first

House.

match together as mentor and player.

Registration night is Thursday, March

The adult hurlers played their first

16th at 8pm in the clubhouse. All mem-

match of season, unfortunately losing

bers are asked to submit their registra-

out to Raheny.

tion asap.

GARDA/WESTMANSTOWN ALL three adult teams in action last

next weekend but resume league action

weekend putting in very good perfor-

on Sunday, March 26 away to Kilmacud

mances but unfortunately losing all

Crokes. Training for all teams continues

three contests.

at the usual times.

The intermediates went down to St

Busy weekend on the juvenile front

Peregrine’s away in the cup competi-

despite problems with unplayable pitch-

tion in a reverse of the previous week’s

es. The U-15 boys continued their winning

league result; the juniors lost out to Na

run with a 1-15 to 2-9 success over Naomh

Fianna also away in the cup by 2-8 to 0-9

Barrog, the U-15 girls drew 5-3 apiece at

and our minors came up short against

home to Skerries Harps, the U-14 boys

Good Counsel in a home league fixture by

won away at Geraldine Morans, the U-8

4-7 to 2-9.

hurlers hosted St Kevin’s at Beechpark,

Back to league action this week-

the U-12 hurlers lost grading match

end with the intermediates away to

away to Bray Emmett’s and U-9 boys

Kilmacud Crokes on Sunday morning

scaled the heights when travelling up to

at 10.30am and the juniors hosting St

Stars of Erin in Glencullen. Well done to all

Pat’s, Donabate at Westmanstown with

the managers and coaches who ensured

a 12pm start. No fixture for the minors

all our young players played.

GAZETTESPORT

ALL OF YOUR LUCAN SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 28-31

HONOURS EVEN: Lucan Sarsfields fight back from big deficit to record opening day draw in AHL Division 2 P31

MARCH 16-22, 2017

HEFFO AT THE HEART OF THE CITY: Little Museum charts Dubs’ rise in a quickly changing landscape P29

Wildcat duo off to World Winter Games  KARL GRAHAM

sport@dublingazette.com

BALLYFERMOT duo Thomas Caulfield and Lorcan Byrne both jetted out this week to represent Ireland at the Special Olympics Winter Games in Austria on Tuesday morning.

They are both part of the 36-strong Irish delegation, including 26 athletes, to take part in the Games with the pair playing in the floorball competition.

Both have strong backgrounds in Special Olympics, playing in a number of different disciplines in the past.

The 25-year-old Caulfield

represented Ireland last year in 11-a-side soccer at the World Summer Games in Los Angeles, while Byrne, a decade older than his teammate, won four gold medals for aquatics in 2010.

This time around they will play floorball, a hockey-style game that is played in a four vs four format in the Special Olympics, compared to the six vs six mainstream version.

It originated in Sweden during the 1960s and is played indoors. It is a fast game which enables athletes to develop speed, power and agility along with team spirit.

The game was played as an exhibition sport at the previous Games so it is making its official debut at

the event this year.

Both players also play basketball together for the Palmerstown Wildcats which is where they were introduced to floorball for the first time.

Caulfield, in particular, is a sporting chameleon of sorts as he also plays soccer for United Warriors as well as competing in swimming and athletics.

He has spoken in the past about how the Special Olympics has changed his life by inspiring him to get involved in sport.

As is the case with many Special Olympics athletes, they don’t restrict themselves to one sport.

Like Caulfield, Byrne is also a man

of many talents as he takes part in athletics and bowling on top of the aquatics and basketball.

He also played soccer but had to stop after picking up an ankle injury.

The Winter Games themselves consist of nine sports – alpine skiing, cross country, floor hockey, figure skating, snowboarding, speed skating, snow shoeing and stick shooting, as well as floorball - that will see over 100 different countries compete.

Out of the 3,000 athletes who will be involved, 26 of them will be representing Ireland as they try to land medals in alpine skiing and floorball.

Lorcan Byrne, of Stewartscare Special Olympics Club, at Dublin Airport. Picture: Ray McManus/Sportsfile