Malahide

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November 15, 2012 Find us on

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Soccer:

Portmarnock keep unbeaten run going Page 30

Football:

Sylvester’s fall to Skerries in championship Page 31

ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES......................6 DUBLIN LIFE...................11 OUT&ABOUT ..................17 CLASSIFIEDS ................26 SPORT ...........................27

SEA RESCUE: Volunteers called on to help stranded seal pups See Page 2

Village, Castle links to improve  NATALIE BURKE

LINKS between Malahide Village and the recently redeveloped Malahide Castle Demesne will improve in the coming weeks, a move that will be welcomed by local businesses in the area.

A new pedestrian pathway linking the village to the demesne is set to be completed before the end of November, while new directional signage will

2012

also be put into place in the next few weeks, according to Fingal County Council.

October saw the opening of the new Avoca store as well as the reopening of the demesne, which has attracted a large number of tourists to the area in recent weeks. While some directional signage is already in place, further signage is to be erected to direct tourists to the nearby village.

Full Story on Page 9

All dressed up: Raising funds and having fun at fancy party DANIELLE Cooke and Laura Doyle got into the Halloween spirit when they got all dressed up for a special fancy dress party held by Peter Mark in Malahide.

The pair were joined by many

other colourful characters who came to enjoy the dress up event as well as show support for the ISPCC. Picture: Una Williams

See Gallery on Pages 6 and 7

2 MALAHIDE Gazette 15 November 2012

dublin GAZETTe newspapers i n f o r m at i o n

sea rescue Foster homes sought for pups

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An orphaned seal pup might need rehydration, food and rest for a few weeks until it is fit to be released

Volunteers called on to help stranded seals People in north Dublin and around the Irish coastline are being called on to help assist with seal rescues in their local areas.

The Irish Seal Sanctuary (ISS) are seeking the help of volunteers in order to help rescue and care for distressed seal pups as the peak of this year’s seal season approaches.

Between the months from October to December, there is a swell of seal pup strandings due to the coinciding factors of the grey seal birthing season and high storm tides.

Young seal pups that

 natalie burke nburke@gazettegroup.com

are not yet weaned are sometimes washed away from their mothers by storm surges and can end up miles away, often dehydrated, hungry, orphaned and in need of rehabilitation.

Last year, two seal pups were rescued on beaches in Skerries and Howth and were provided with care and rehydration f luids at

Malahide Castle, before being taken in by the ISS. Brendan Price, chair of the Irish Seal Sanctuary, said: “We’re looking for ‘first responder’ volunteers to help us respond when a distressed seal is found in your area. If you think you can help us transport, accommodate or care for seals, please call us on 01 835 4487 or 087 324 5423.”

He continued: “We’re ver y concerned that unless we can find more volunteers and local communities to help with seal rescue and rehabilitation, seals

that might otherwise have been given a second chance will be lost.

Some seals have already been lost this season due to a lack of capacity to respond in time.”

Ty p i c a l l y, an orphaned seal pup might need rehydration, food and rest for a few weeks until it is fit to be released. Five seals are currently in foster homes and the ISS hope to find more foster homes both here and across the Irish Sea. “Please let us know if you think you can foster a seal, for a season or even a few weeks. You don’t need any thing

fancy, just a backyard at least 4m by 2m in size, some wooden pallets to make an enclosure, some lino, a bathtub and tap, a towel and a few fish,” Price said.

The ISS has rehabilitated and released over 800 seals since they began operating in 1986.

Ever y year they respond to over 2,000 wildlife distress calls and run educational programmes for schools and community groups throughout Ireland.

Advice for members of the public is available from www.irishsealsanctuary.ie.

New seating and bins planned for Seabury Residents of Seabury in Malahide will see new litter bins and new seating areas in their nearby green area in the coming weeks.

This is according to Fingal County Council, who confirmed that two new bins and

two benches will be erected in the Seabury amenity.

One bin will be located at the gate to the public area, while the second will be located near the multi-use game area.

Local councillor Eoghan O’Brien (FF) welcomed the

report, which was given at a recent area committee meeting, and said it was a positive step for the community.

“I absolutely welcome the report but this is going on a long time since the commitment was given.

“I’m glad to see a contract has been appointed.

“There’s a lot of work being done by the Tidy District Committee and I’m sure they, and the residents of Seabury, who use the amenity, will welcome the news.”

15 November 2012 MALAHIDE Gazette 3

R1

tax Household charge concerns expressed

council

Ramp repairs proposal

‘Duped’ homeowners fear prosecution – FF  Natalie Burke nburke@gazettegroup.com

H o u s e ho l ds i n Dublin North are concerned that they may be forced to face prosecution because they were “duped” into not paying the household charge, according to local Fianna Fail councillor, Darragh Butler.

The concerns of local residents emerged at a Fingal County Council meeting held earlier this week, when Cllr Butler said he had been approached by members of the public who were worried about the repercussions of not paying the charge.

According to Cllr Butler, homeowners were

Cllr Darragh Butler

getting bills for the charges and felt they had been “duped” by various parties who had told them the household charge was “going to go away”.

“I’ve had questions from people who are getting the letters and want to pay but can’t afford to pay. They took a chance at the start, they believed the Socialist Party view

that this was going to go away but now that they see other counties issuing summonses for people to pay, they’re getting worried and want to pay it.”

Cllr Butler said that people are worried they will risk criminal prosecution and large solicitor fees because they have not yet paid.

“I wasn’t a big fan of this tax from the start. It is a tax. Whether we like it or not, we have to pay it.

We can’t pick and choose our taxes,” he said, telling the meeting there were people who had been “tricked” into believing the tax would go away. “ M ay b e t h e r e a r e certain politicians that want to end up in jail because they’d like the

publicity out of it, but there are people now who are terrified of that happening to them,” he continued.

M r B u t l e r a s ke d whether any leeway could be given to those who wanted to pay the charge but who could not currently do so.

He asked whether the council could guarantee that prosecutions would not be taken.

The council meeting heard that the household charge, including penalties and interest, currently stands at €128 and that close to 59,000 homeow ners in the local area have paid the charge. This is just over 65% of the total number eligible to pay.

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B e c au s e L o c a l M at t e r s

Xtra good: Pippa and Keith in autism drive pIPPA O’Connor, who is married to Clondalkin’s own Brian Ormond, was joined by Keith Duffy as they visited Xtravision to launch their Christmas Card Appeal. For every Christmas Card sold, Xtra-vision will give a donation to Irish Autism Action. Also, as an ongoing effort Xtra-vision donates funds to Irish Autism Action on every greeting card sold across its extensive range for every occasion of low cost, top quality cards.

Da m ag e d s p e e d ramps at the entrances to both a Malahide and a Baldoyle estate will be considered for repair or replacement in next year’s Programme of Works budget.

The ramps, which are located on the Seabury Road in Malahide and at the entrance to the Georgian Hamlet Estate in Baldoyle, were not included in the 2012 Programme of Works due to priority being given to schools, bus routes and crossing points.

Fingal County Council, however, has confirmed the ramps will be put forward for consideration for 2013.

Ramp repairs will also be carried out on a priority basis subject to available funding.

4 MALAHIDE Gazette 15 November 2012

vote Row breaks out in chamber between councillors

Council calls for action on X Case ruling Fingal County Council this week called on the Government to legislate for abortion in Ireland under certain circumstances.

The motion calling for legislation on abortion,

based on the “expeditious consideration” by the Government of the proposals of an expert group, was carried by eight votes to two, with three abstentions.

Eleven councillors

were absent from the meeting during the vote.

During a discussion of the issue, a row broke out in the chamber as councillor Ruth Coppinger of the Socialist Party spoke on the motion which she

had tabled calling on the Government to legislate for the X case Supreme Court ruling.

Labour councillor Tom Kelleher said he was unable to hear the proceedings due to a protest

outside which he claimed had been organised by Cllr Coppinger.

Cllr Coppinger said the protest was organised by the Balbriggan campaign against the household charge.

Cap it off: Brian gets his degree Professor Philip

Nolan, the President of NUI Maynooth, and Brian McGeough from Portmarnock who was conferred with an MSc in IT Management, a new course which is run by the Innovation Value Institute at NUI Maynooth. Brian is an IT engineering manager at Intel and is one of almost 1,000 students who graduated this week.

diversity awards: local school earns yellow flag

St George’s is honoured for promoting inclusion  Natalie Burke

A Dublin North school is one of the most recent schools in the country to be awarded a Yellow Flag last week, an achievement which recognised their work in reflecting diversity in their school.

St George’s National School from Balbriggan was one of just two Dublin schools to be recognised at the Yellow Flag School Diversity Awards, which honours schools for promoting equality and inclusion through an eight-step accredited programme.

The programme works to develop a school environment where every child is valued and included, and racist bul-

lying and discrimination is challenged. The initiative was developed by the Irish Traveller Movement.

Four Irish primary schools and one second level school were awarded a Yellow Flag at the recent ceremony, which were presented by Olympic silver medallist John Joe Nevin and Labour TD and former school principal, Aodhan O’Riordain, who also made the keynote address.

Speaking at the event, Jenny Corrie, 3rd Class teacher at St George’s National School, said that the initiative has proven to be very successful at the school.

“I feel that it has been great to give the children opportunities to share

their culture in class. It opened the doors for many interesting discussions between the children themselves,” she said.

“As a teacher, I felt it was okay to discuss and teach about Travellers, whereas prior to this I would have been a little nervous. The whole school approach was a great way to learn about the different cultures in the school.”

The Yellow Flag Programme provides a practical series of eight steps that brings issues of interculturalism, equality and diversity into the school programme and allows schools to apply them to the day to day running of the school. It focuses

on practical intercultural achievements as well as providing the essential formal and informal framework to schools through an equality and diversity award scheme.

Diana Bunici, a presenter of TRTE’S elev8 programme, acted as the official MC for the event which was attended by students, parents, educators, politicians, community representatives and other stakeholders.

It showcased a colourful and multicultural ceremony with visual, musical and narrative presentations of the programme by pupils from each school.

According to Yellow Flag coordinator Paula Madden said: “The Irish Traveller Movement

believes that a teaching body should reflect today’s diverse school population. The 2011 Census showed that 544,357 non-Irish nationals were living in Ireland representing 199 different nations and Travellers as Ireland’s indigenous minority, combine to reflect a broad, multi-cultural Ireland.”

The Irish Traveller Movement is currently seeking applications from schools that are interested in running the Yellow Flag Intercultural Programme in their school in September 2013 to June 2014.

This is open to both primary and secondary schools. For more information, see www.yellowflag.ie.

15 November 2012 MALAHIDE Gazette 5

playgrounds: signage scheme

Cllr Cian O’Callaghan said he was delighted that a scheme would be put in place

Signs aim to curb anti-social acts  Natalie Burke

A county-wide signage scheme is set to be installed across Fingal playgrounds in an effort to discourage anti-social behaviour in local areas.

Fingal County Council intends to have signs installed at all Fingal playgrounds advising that they are for use by children under the age of 12, and that no one is permitted to access them after dark.

The announcement follows concerns raised by local residents and councillors, and recommendations made by An Garda Siochana.

The news was welcomed by Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Cian O’Callaghan (Lab) who, at a recent area committee meeting, said he was “delighted” that

there will be a scheme put in place.

“It is what the local residents have asked for and what the local gardai have recommended as well. It will be a deterrent, not a massive deterrent, but it will be clear that the playground is not for use after dark or by people other than children,” he said.

The recent decision came following a meeting between FCC, An Garda Siochana and the residents association of Holywell housing estate, a location where anti-social behaviour has become an ongoing problem.

“As the council knows, there’s a long history about the siting of the [Holywell] playground, as the original location wasn’t considered appropriate.

“Given its entire history, I think small requests from the residents for signage, especially since they are acting as a passive supervisor for this playground, is the least we can do to support them,” Cllr O’Callaghan continued.

Fine Gael councillor Anthony Lavin also welcomed the signage plan.

“This playground is the scene of a certain amount of anti-social behaviour and annoyance to local residents. Probably more action is needed, but it is a start and it is recognition that the residents are being listened to,” he said.

As a result of anti-social behaviour in the playgrounds, FCC also confirmed that a number of tree guards will be placed as an additional protection against vandalism.

Noisy neighbours advice FINGAL County Council has offered advice to the local community on how to best deal with disruptive neighbours.

At a recent council meeting, FCC stated the best approach to dealing with loud music and other noise nuisances is often to contact the person responsible.

In the few incidents where the nuisance continues, FCC recommends the complainant keeps a record of the nuisance, which may be used as evidence in a possible legal action.

A log sheet can be downloaded from the council’s website.

According to FCC, the legislation governing noise nuisance is the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1992 and section 108 of that Act enables people who have to endure noise nuisance to make a complaint to the District Court.

An official notice of intention to make a complaint to the District Court and a leaflet outlining the steps open to complainants are also downloadable from the FCC website.

FastNews

Council to examine damaged boardwalk

Table quiz to raise funds for society

Damaged sections of a boarded walk in Portmarnock will be examined and replaced, according to Fingal County Council.

The announcement was made at a recent area committee meeting following concerns raised by local Labour Cllr Peter Coyle. The council said that the boarded walk and steps to the beach across the Portmarnock dunes, at each end of the Portmarnock Hotel Golf Links, will be examined and that any damaged sections found will be replaced.

The Portmarnock Musical and Dramatic Society will be hosting a table quiz this weekend to raise funds for the club. The quiz will be held at 8pm on Saturday, November 17, in the Blackwood Room in the Portmarnock Sports and Leisure Centre, Blackwood Lane. The society recently finished their autumn production of An Inspector Calls, and will be presenting their annual musical in the spring. Tables of four can enter for €32. For more information, visit www.portmarnockmds.net.

6 MALAHIDE Gazette 15 November 2012

gazetteGALLERIES

Patricia Sharkey, Jennifer Jones, Charlene Curran, Michelle Connell, Adrianna Brennan and Adrian Sharkey. Pictures: Una Williams

head turner: new local salon radiance is set to make waves

R

adiance Hair Salon in Belmayne held an open day recently to let the public see what the new hair and beauty salon has to offer. On the day the salon was offering complimentary L’Oreal conditioning treatments with every hair service.

The salon also offers a complimentary skin test for hair and beauty services. The event was a great opportunity for the public to pop in and have a chat with the team.

Danielle Cooke and Laura Doyle

Trish Robinson and Katie O’Dwyer. Pictures: Una Williams

Eimear Kirley and Gerry Sharkey

Jennifer Jones and Michelle Connell

Livvy Kairns and Gemma Kenny

Eugene Lewis and Barry Attwell

fringe benefits: raising funds for the ISPCC Charlene Curran and Adrianna Brennan

Good hair night for fancy revellers P

Kitty and Betty Sharkey

Patricia and Adrian Sharkey

eter Mark in Malahide held a fancy dress party recently as part of their fundraising efforts with the ISPCC to raise funds for Ireland’s most vulnerable children. Following on from their amazing 2011 fundraising success, the Peter Mark team are once again grabbing their good hair days, plugging in their hairdryers and manning their styling stations in a bid to raise much-needed funds for Ireland’s most vulnerable children. The Petermarkathon fundraiser took place from November 1 to 4 in Peter Mark salons throughout the country and this year, all money raised will go to support the work of the ISPCC.

15 November 2012 MALAHIDE Gazette 7

Have you seen yourself in the Gazette? Buy photos online onlinefrom fromonly only€6.99 6.99 at www.gazettephotos.com

Rachel Edwards and Beth Kelly

Karen O’Neill and Beverley Caparra

Ciara McGoldrick and Trish Robinson

Leah O’Neill and Tracy Gibney

8 MALAHIDE Gazette 15 November 2012

FastNews

seminar Benefits of Facebook and Twitter trees:

ash dieback

Plan for new temporary tourist office considered

Public urged to report disease

Howth could be set to see a new temporary tourist office located in the town. This announcement was made at a recent area committee meeting where Fingal County Council confirmed that plans for the office are currently under consideration. According to the council, the Architect’s Department of FCC has completed a design plan for a new temporary tourism office in Howth. This temporary office will be located on the green space along the front of the harbour. Details of the design have been forwarded to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for approval and the council is currently awaiting a response.

Court date for Fitzpatrick The former chairman of Anglo Irish Bank along with two former directors of the bank have appeared before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Sean Fitzpatrick (64), William McAteer (62), and Pat Whelan (50) appeared in the new mention list of cases sent forward from the District Court. They have been charged in relation to allegedly providing unlawful financial assistance to individuals to buy shares in the bank.

Judge Martin Nolan gave Mr Fitzpatrick, of Whitshed Road,

Greystones, Wicklow, Mr McAteer of Auburn Villas, Rathgar and MrWhelan of Coast Road, Malahide a further mention date of January 23 next.

Malahide parish Christmas fair The Malahide Parish Christmas fair will take place in the Parish Hall on Sunday, December 9, from 10.30am to 5pm. There will be a range of stalls selling a variety of products such as homemade jams, cakes, clothing, fresh fruit and vegetables. There will also be a monster raffle on the day.

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Fingallians are one of the clubs who have embraced the positive benefits of using social media

Clubs encouraged to use social media

 natalie burke

Local sports clubs in north Dublin are being asked to sign up for the 2012 Social Media Seminar, which is set to take place at the Red Cow Inn on Saturday, November 17.

With many local clubs aware of social networking websites Facebook and Twitter, but unsure how best to use the free PR tools associated with them, the seminar will look at these platforms and will show sports clubs how to use them.

The seminar will also highlight the do’s and don’ts and outline

examples of where ordinary sports clubs have embraced it for positive benefits and how local clubs can also benefit in similar ways.

Commenting on the seminar, Marion Brown, Fingal County Council’s principal sports officer said: “This year, the London Olympics and Paralympics showcased the importance of social media in a modern sporting arena, allowing members of the public to send messages of support directly, to follow progress, updates and results and to enable the athletes to connect directly with viewers and supporters. At a time

when we’re all looking to increase engagement with what we do, it’s essential that we understand the role social media can play in this.”

T h i s y e a r ’s e ve n t will run from 9.30am to 1.30pm followed by lunch and a chance to network with other local clubs. The main speaker on the day will be Liam Horan, a former journalist at the Irish Independent and RTE, who will be getting clubs more familiar with the various social media platforms and encouraging them to look at using social media as a promotion and recruitment tool.

Sports club members including administrators, committee members, coaches and volunteers who are involved in the running or governance of sports clubs are invited to attend.

For more information on the event or to register your club, log on to www. e ve n t e l e p h a n t . c o m / socialmediaforclubs.

Clubs can register online for a fee of €20 per person (plus an online registration fee of €1.70) which includes lunch, free parking, an information pack and supporting material. Clubs can also pay into the event on the day for a fee of €25.

Members of the public are being urged to report trees with suspected Ash Dieback disease to Fingal County Council.

The professional horticultural and arboricultural staff working in the council are requesting that the local community watch out for and report any suspected incidents of the disease, Chalara fraxinea.

Ash Dieback, a fungal disease that attacks ash trees, last month appeared in Co Leitrim.

The Department of Agriculture has identified sites where these trees were planted and is destroying plants at these locations in an effort to contain or eliminate the disease.

According to a spokesperson for the council, the recent mild and wet summer is favourable for the spread of the disease.

“We are not aware of any outbreaks in Fingal, but continue to monitor for symptoms,” the spokesperson said.

Sy mptoms can be viewed at www.forestry. gov.uk/chalara. To report suspicions of Ash dieback, contact FCC on 01 8905000 or email parks@ fingalcoco.ie.

Play area CCTV cost put at €5-€20k  natalie burke

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The cost of installing closed circuit television (CCTV) systems in local playgrounds could cost between €5,000 and €20,000, according to Fingal County Council.

This is according to a response given to a question raised by Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Cian O’Callaghan (Lab), at a recent

area committee meeting.

The possibility of installing CCTV was hoped to be used as a deterrent to anti-social behaviour at night in playgrounds across north Dublin.

CCT V has already been installed in a number of regional parks where there is already a park ranger service and monitoring facilities in place.

Fingal County Council con-

firmed, however, that CCTV has not yet been installed in playgrounds outside these areas.

In a report given to councillors, a spokesperson for the council stated that the estimated cost of installing CCTV systems range from €5,000 to €20,000, depending on the system chosen.

“There would be additional maintenance and monitoring

costs estimated at €6,000 per annum per playground. The cost of installing CCTV systems is considered prohibitive in the current climate,” the spokesperson said.

The council also noted that CCTV systems already in place were chosen for locations that would allow for passive supervision, without being located “too close to existing residents”.

15 November 2012 MALAHIDE Gazette 9

malahide New directional signage to be put into place in the next few weeks

Castle pathway to open at end of November  Natalie Burke

There will be good news for local businesses in Malahide Village in coming weeks, when links between the village and the recently renovated and reopened Malahide Castle Demesne begin to improve.

A new pedestrian pathway linking the village to the

demesne is set to be completed before the end of November, while new directional signage will also be put into place in the next few weeks, according to Fingal County Council.

October saw the opening of the new Avoca store as well as the reopening of the Malahide Castle and gardens, which has attracted a large number of

tourists to the Malahide area in recent weeks.

In a response to a query raised by local Fianna Fail councillor, Eoghan O’Brien, at a recent area committee meeting, FCC said that some directional signage is already in place in Malahide Demesne to direct tourists to the nearby village.

However, following a

Changes to routes are part of the Dublin Bus Network Direct review

transport: bus changes welcome

Altered routes to boost service

 Natalie Burke

Dublin Bus routes in Malahide, Portmarnock and Baldoyle are set to improve next week, as revised route services are due to come into place on Sunday, November 18.

Route 42 will be realigned to significantly improve the frequency of service to Portmarnock, Malahide and Seabury, while Routes 42 and 43 will be integrated, in an effort to improve service on the Malahide Road.

The Route 31/a/b, 32/a revised services are also expected to be introduced on the same date, while 32b will no longer

operate.

The changes were welcomed by local Labour Cllr Peter Coyle, who said: “These changes will have a significant impact in the Howth/Malahide electoral area. Through the revised service, Dublin Bus aims to provide a bus service that better meets the existing level of customer demand in the Dublin North area.”

The popular 29A bus route will also be extended to include Baldoyle, in a move welcomed by Fine Gael TD, Terence Flanagan.

“A lot of constituents have been in contact with me over the years in

relation to this bus route, especially elderly residents, who highlighted how important the extension of the bus route will be for them. The changes provide for a more frequent service for Baldoyle residents into the city centre and a connection between Baldoyle and Donaghmede Shopping Centre,” he said.

“I am confident that everyone will welcome the announcement that the changes will happen shortly.”

The amendments to these local routes will be made as part of the Dublin Bus Network Direct review.

recent meeting between Malahide Chamber of Commerce and the local council, further signage will be erected.

In a separate response to Cllr O’Brien, a spokesperson for FCC confirmed that works are at an advanced stage in the provision of a new pedestrian link through the Parks and Heritage Prop-

erties Depot area to Malahide Castle and Gardens.

“The depot area is screened off and secured from the public.

“The main outstanding works are the lighting of this route and some minor surfacing works so as to provide a secure surface under foot for visitors.

“The Architects Depart-

ment repor ts that these outstanding works will be completed by the end of November,” the spokesperson stated.

Upon completion, this pedestrian access will be open to the public from 9am to 7pm from October 1 to March 31, to 8pm in April and September and until 9pm from May 1 to August 31.

10 MALAHIDE Gazette 15 November 2012

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RTE presenter Miriam O’Callaghan, Fr Peter McVerry and comedian Barry Murphy recently hosted the Peter McVerry Trust’s Annual Gala

Sarah Gannon and Alex Crean

Ball in Clontarf Castle

McVerry trust raises €15,000 for homeless

T

HE Peter McVerry Trust’s Annual Gala Ball recently took place in Clontarf Castle, and raised over €15,000 for the charity.

The Peter McVerry Trust provides a wide range of services to homeless individuals.

The money raised will go directly

Patrick and Janice Peake

towards providing housing and support services to help young homeless people.

The charity expects to work with 1,500 individuals in 2012.

More than 300 guests turned out for the annual ball, which is now in its sixth year, and there was a lot of glam-

orous fashion on the night.

The charity ball was hosted by RTE Presenter, Miriam O’Callaghan, and comedian Barry Murphy was the auctioneer.

For more information about The Peter McVerry Trust, log on to their website www.pmvtrust.ie.

Geraldine O’Sullivan, Pat Doyle and Valerie Ronan

Alec and Aveen Colvin

Alicia and Celine McGivern

15 November 2012 Gazette 11

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charity: lUCY KENNEDY lends a helping hand

Calendar to raise funds for Friends of the Coombe CELEBRITY mum of two, Lucy Kennedy, recently launched a heart-warming 2013 calendar on behalf of Friends of the Coombe, the charitable organisation which raises funds to assist in the development of the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital.

The calendar features 19 children born at the hospital who spent a sig-

nificant period of time being cared for in the Coombe’s neo-natal unit, which looks after more than 1,000 babies each year. Each month of the year shows a before and after image of the children illustrating their size when they were born and a current image of them, exploring their dreams of what they want to be when they grow up.

Speaking at the launch,

Kennedy said she was delighted to launch the initiative.

“I am always struck by how small and fragile new-born babies are but seeing how tiny some of the children in this calendar were at birth was a real eye opener.

It is truly wonderful to see them now – thriving and running around. I am delighted to be able to support this initiative

to help raise money to allow children who are born prematurely or ill to blossom and be allowed to dream of the future.”

The calendar, which features photographs taken by award-winning Giggles and Smiles Photography in Malahide can be purchased from both www.friendsofthecoombe.ie, and www. gigglesandsmiles.com for €10 including postage.

Lucy Kennedy with Tanya Crosbie from the Giggles and Smiles Studio and twins Alexandra and Taylor Hanley (4) from Celbridge, Co. Kildare.

Gazette

12 Gazette 15 November 2012

dublinlife

diary

Sew much help to mark 1913 Lockout A NEW tapestry commission, commemorating the 1913 Lockout, was launched by President Michael D Higgins in Liberty Hall on November 6.

The tapestry is a largescale collaborative visual arts project to commemorate the Dublin Lockout, and painters Cathy Henderson and Robert Ballagh were commissioned by

SIPTU, and the National College of Art and Design, to create a visual narrative of more than 30 panels.

The panels will be laid out in storyboard-style, and will be multimedia

textile pieces measuring two feet by two-and-ahalf feet.

The panels are being made by a wide range of volunteers, bodies, schools and societies across the

city and country.

share the joy of diwali DIWALI, the Indian Festival of Lights, is being celebrated at CityWest Convention Centre this month.

The multicultural event, which has been organised

by Unitas ISAC – a voluntary organisation set up and run by the Indian community in Ireland – will feature live music, performances celebrating Indian cinema, authentic Indian cuisine, and plenty of stalls and children’s entertainment, before a closing fireworks display.

Standing for the reaffirmation of hope, a celebration of the joys of life, and a renewed commitment

President Michael D Higgins is caught in the spotlight, as he helps to launch a specially commissioned tapestry series to commemorate the 1913 Lockout

to friendship and goodwill, the Irish Diwali celebrations will be held on Saturday, November 17 from 12pm. Tickets cost

€13 for adults, with free entry for under-12s.

For further information on all the activities, see www.festivaloflights.ie.

15 November 2012 Gazette 13

promote your school

tell us about your s c h o o l’ s e v e n t s

c o n tac t t h e G a z e t t e call 60 10 240

Gazette

14 Gazette 15 November 2012

dublinlife

trip: bellringing at christ church

An appealing visit  Kathryn Mullen Castleknock Community College

ON THE cold morning of October 25, some 20 students – including myself – from Castleknock Community College made a trip to Christ Church Cathedral.

Although the day required a much earlier start than usual, the excitement outweighed our tiredness.

After arriving at the cathedral on time, we were met by our tour guide, Lesley.

She shared with us a lot of knowledge about the history and architectural structure of Christ Church.

She showed us around the cathedral, and she also brought us down to the tombs, which hold a collection of costumes used in the popular television series, The Tudors.

O u r t e a c h e r, M r Stanley, then met us back at the entrance and we were introduced to a man, also named Lesley, who is the head bell ringer at the cathedral.

He brought us all the way up to the top bell tower, which was a very interesting experience.

We climbed the 86

Former Rose of Tralee winner, and noted Irish traditional musician, Aoibhinn Ni Shuilleabhain, puts her musical skills to good use to help Castleknock Community College students ring the bells at Christ Church Cathedral, as Colum McGovern, Conrad JonesBrangan, Georgina Duffy, Una King, Cian Hegarty, Liam O’Driscoll and Kathryn Mullen look on

steps – to be precise – and we banged a few heads along the way, but we eventually got to the top.

He then explained to us the method of scientific change ringing.

All of this information was very new to us, and it made us realise how exact the science of bell ringing really is.

Lesley then allowed us to ring the bells by ourselves. All of the stu-

dents suddenly became children again.

The prospect of ringing an enormous bell appealed to everyone, and it was a race to the ropes.

Everyone got a turn but, regardless of Lesley’s attempts, we could not ring in time with one another.

It was a fantastic day out, and we highly recommend it for any and every school.

schoolLife Get involved with our new schools pages As part of the recent relaunch of the Dublin Gazette Newspapers, we are reaching out to all the schools in our catchment areas to become a closer part of our community than ever before.

Schools are the beating hearts of communities, one of the last places around which a community can gather.

We are calling on budding writers and photographers from all of our

schools to help fill the pages and, in order to encourage the next generation of journalists and snappers to get involved, we are partnering with Harvey Norman to present the Dublin Gazette Newspapers Cub Reporter and Cub Photographer of the Year awards.

For further details, contact me at rheigh@gazettegroup.com, or telephone 01 601 0240.

15 November 2012 Gazette 15

Gazette

schools dail na nog: more than 2,150 pupils take part in survey

Body image matters  emma storey, rosa barrell and fiona stinson Mount Sackville

A SURVEY was undertaken recently by Dail na nOg and aided by researchers from the School of Applied Social Studies in UCC on the subject of body image.

T h e r e s u l t s we r e based on the answers of 2,156 young people, aged between 10 to 21.

Mo r e t h a n t h r e e quarters of the participants said body image was important to them.

The main findings were that those under 12 were most content

with their body image, and 15-year-olds were the least.

It also showed that girls’ view their body image by comparison with others, whereas it’s bullying that most influences boys.

Activities More than half said their body image interferes with them taking part in certain activities, such as swimming.

There was a higher percentage of girls than boys that exercised for their appearance rather than enjoyment.

It’s clear that teenagers today have a poor body image. Drastic

action needs to be taken to alter the statistics of the survey’s results.

A recommendation is to introduce a body image module into SPHE class in schools – this would promote self-esteem and a positive body image.

Having noticed that bullying influences the way boys see themselves, it seems that it would be beneficial if schools were stricter on their anti-bullying policies.

Suggestion Another suggestion is to have a body image week, once a year, where everybody wears a stick-

er, on which they write a few positive things about themselves.

This way, people will think about their body

image and pick out the good aspects.

It should also raise confidence among the youth of today.

A survey on body image was undertaken by Dail na nOg and aided by researchers from the School of Applied Social Studies in UCC

GAZETTE

16 GAZETTE 15 November 2012

DUBLINLIFE

Q&A

JAMES KENNEDY, SAPORI ITALIANI

Bringing authentic Italian fare to Ireland GROWTH in the economy is slow to take off, but one local entrepreneur’s business is booming. Sapori Italiani, a new Dundrum company, imports high-end, authentic, fresh Italian foods to the Irish market.

James Kennedy started the company 18 months ago after returning from a trip to Italy. Having spotted a niche in the market for high-quality Italian fare, Kennedy started import-

ing and selling at markets stalls around Dublin city.

The company’s fare comes from the Liguria region of northern Italy, where pesto originated. The range is the only authentic non-pasteurised pesto imported to Ireland, and is certified by the Italian food board to call the long-shelf life products “fresh”.

For further information, see www. saporiitaliani.ie.

How long have you been in business?

customers informed of our products and where they are available from.

We regularly post recipes to show customers how versatile our products are.

My current business has been running since the beginning of 2011.

What makes your business successful?

Simple: good products.

What do you offer your clients that differs from your competitors?

We import the only fresh authentic Italian pesto range available in Ireland; all our competitors’ products are pasteurised, but pasteurisation kills the authentic taste of pesto.

How has the recession impacted your business?

Not a great deal, to be honest; it’s my belief that a good product at a good price will always sell.

How has the recession impacted your business?

The recession has made us very careful of what products we import, and in what quantities. Our product range has been reduced and our stock level also.

What law or regulation would you change overnight to help your business?

Nothing that I can think of.

How do you use social media (Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, etc) to help your business?

We use Facebook to keep our

What is your ambition for the business?

My aim is to offer a range of highquality Italian food products, and maybe, one day, start selling Irish foods into Italy.

What is the best piece of business advice you ever received?

“It’s not the price you sell your products for that’s important – it’s the price you buy them for.”

What is your favourite thing about doing business in your local area?

Getting to see my products on my local shop’s shelf every time I do my shopping.

What living person do you most admire?

Valentino Rossi – a motorcycling legend!

What is your favourite Dublin restaurant?

JD’s steakhouse, Terenure.

Who would your three dream dinner guests be, and why?

Valentino Rossi, just because he’s my idol; John Bishop, as he would provide the laughs and Jennifer Maguire, funny and good-looking.

BUSINESS

Supported

by AIB

Investment made simple THE idea of not spending some of your money now, so that you can use it later, is called “saving”. Okay, okay, I know you know, but it had to be said.

But, to what end? So that you have cash on hand for emergencies, major purchases and irregular expenses.

You will also need savings if you want to buy property.

How big should your savings pot be? I would say enough to support yourself and your dependants for between three and six months (with such net annual income kept in a rainy day fund, or RDF).

Where should you keep your savings? Where you can get your hands on them quickly – an accessible, ondemand deposit account. Remember, with savings up to €100,000 per person, you are covered by the Deposit Protection Scheme via the Government (via the taxpayer – you and me).

The two best demand accounts currently are KBC Bank (at 3.25%), and AIB Direct (at 3.1%, with two withdrawals per annum allowed).

Investments differ from savings in that they represent money you either don’t need in a hurry or, if you are a risk-taker, you don’t mind losing. All investment involves risk, because either you are giving your money to someone else to make money for you, and there is always the chance they will turn out to be crooks or idiots (or both), or you are buying something that may be worth less when you come to sell it.

However, there are lots of investments that aren’t really risky. Normally, the more money you stand to make from the money you invest, the higher the risk.

As a general rule, if you do invest outside of deposit accounts, you should at least be aiming for double the return of the best deposit account (12-month fixed rate – Ulster Bank 3.75%) to justify this decision.

You will often hear people describe investment as being a case of “risk versus reward”. What they mean by this is how much risk they want to take for what sort of reward. The key things to remember about investment are that you should diversify. In other words, don’t keep all your eggs in one basket, but make sure you are spreading the risk by investing in different areas.

Over the long-term, the highest returns have come from the stock market.

The majority of your money, say 90% for most people, should be in relatively low-risk investments, such as the stock market, property, pensions and bonds (a posh word for Government and public company IOUs).

Start saving if you haven’t already and, once your RDF coffers are full, you can then plan an investment strategy to suit your needs.  Contact John with your money questions at jlowe@moneydoctor.ie or visit his website at www.moneydoctor.ie. John Lowe, Fellow of the Institute of Bankers, is founder and managing director of Money Doctor

UNIQUE ENVIRONMENT: MALTHOUSE CENTRE PRAISED

Shared designer space inspired and inspiring THE best of Irish design is set to flow at the old whiskey distillery building on Dublin’s North Circular Road, after a shared space for Irish designers was created recently.

T he brainchild of Arthur Duff and Greg Tisdal, the Malthouse Design Centre is creating a name for creative thinking, attracting designers of all disciplines including architects alongside interior, furniture, lighting, industrial and product designers, as well as textile, graphic and brand designers.

One of these, Bennis Design, has been nominated for an IDI award for excellence in design for the Enterprise Ireland Annual Report &

Accounts 2011.

Bennis Design & Brand Partners were founded in 2002 by Caroline Murphy and Alan Bennis.

Together, this husband and wife team help to bring brands to life, across a full range of digital and print media.

Over the past 10 years, Bennis Design has helped companies such as Enterprise Ireland, An Post, SEI, Visual Artists Ireland, BreastCheck, Cervical Check, The National Library of Ireland and Elan.

Murphy said: “The Malthouse Design Centre has a unique environment where the lines between design disciplines are allowed to be blurred.

“We each inspire and

Alan Bennis and Caroline Murphy, of Bennis Design

support each other, which is a huge positive as business people in today’s market.”

As a way of promoting the importance and value of design for Design Week, the Malthouse Design Centre invited well-known Irish design professionals to choose gems of beautifully-designed objects that hold a personal meaning for

them, familiar as well as unexpected objects, and concepts that have revolutionised the life of designers or their way of thinking.

The Living with Design exhibition is running until December 21 at the Malthouse Design Centre.

For further information, contact Alan Bennis of Bennis Design at 086 835 5494.

15 November 2012 Gazette 17

asdfsdaf P27 TRAVEl P24

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OUT&ABOUT Never be out of the loop on what’s happening in Dublin! Let Out&About be your guide to all that is stylish, cultural and essential across the city and beyond this week

US election night: a tense climax to the presidential campaign in D2

Pets

Dublin’s own Democratic convention  PAUL HOSFORD

“What’s at stake? The entire future of the United States.”

Dennis Desmond, the chairman of the Irish Democrats Abroad is unequivocal. It is just after midnight in The Arlington Hotel on Dublin’s Bachelors Walk and a group of about 70 Barack Obamasupporting Americans and Irish have dedicated themselves to staying up until the early hours of Wednesday morning to see the results from the anticipated American election roll in.

As the conversation carries on, burgers and hot dogs are served and a big screen displays CNN. The air of tension is palpable. Though most polling has Obama ahead, the race has been closer than anticipated, and that has set some supporters of the 44th president on edge.

“I don’t want to say it out loud, but if Romney can take Ohio, we could

be in trouble,” says one woman at the bar. It is the first time I’ve heard a mention of a possible defeat, but the theme of the night is recurrent — Ohio, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, Wisconsin, Colorado, Virginia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina — swing states.

The two words that dominated the final week of the campaign coverage have become so used that they have almost lost meaning, but all eyes here are firmly on those states holding the balance of power.

To understand why states like Ohio matter so much, you have to take for granted that certain states vote certain ways. In fact, before polling opened fully across the States last Tuesday, 41 states, plus Washington DC, were already coloured red or blue, depending on their allegiance to the Republican or Democratic parties.

With just nine states

that are likely to change from one election to the next, those states are bound to take a disproportionate amount of the media’s, and candidates, attention.

So, as Connecticut, Vermont, Delaware, DC and Maryland go in the president’s favour, there is little more than polite applause and barely an eyebrow is raised as the Republican challenger Mitt Romney takes Montana, Georgia, Louisiana and Alabama.

When New York goes to Obama, as it always was going to, the place erupts. There is a healthy New York contingent here.

“I think it’s about going forward with the president, rather than a candidate who wants to limit women’s rights, limit social welfare and squeeze those who have the least,” says Desmond. For him, the choice tonight is clearer than it has ever been.

With the 2010 victo-



Gazette

MUSIC P19

can you give Molly a home?

Irish Democrats Abroad chairman Dennis Desmond is all smiles after the result

ries of the far-right Tea Party, Dennis bristles at the notion they are in any way similar.

“There was a perception that we weren’t so far apart some time ago. But, now, you have a Republican Party that is so far radicalised to the right, without any idea of compromise.”

Picking up on Denni’s Boston accent, I ask how Romney’s links to Massachusetts, where he was governor, colour his view of the president’s opponent.

“Back when he was elected, we knew he was full of it. We knew he was just using Massachusetts to get to the presidency.”

Overall, most here are happy with the first four years under Obama.

“I’m happy, particu-

larly given the cards he was dealt. He stopped the haemorrhaging of 800,000 jobs every month and passed the Affordable Care Act, extending health coverage to 45 million Americans.

“He has got us going in the right direction. It’s hard to undo eight years of George W Bush in four years.”

That is the ongoing theme here; satisfaction rather than outright joy at the job done by the president. But, Dennis is far more bullish about the incumbent’s chances; he wants to win and win big.

With tiredness setting in, people begin to step outside into the frigid Dublin air just in order to wake up, to stave off the fatigue.

The first swing state

goes to Romney, North Carolina goes red and, for a brief minute, there is a chance he may win. My initial thought is of what the atmosphere in this room would become in that event.

That thought is quickly erased as Pennsylvania is comfortably won by Obama, with Wisconsin and Iowa following swiftly. The closing of west coast polls gives Obama California, Oregon and Washington.

The announcement that Ohio is won causes the Arlington bar to erupt.

At 4.28am Irish time, this is a room full of joy.

Dennis Desmond embraces all around him and tells me he’s glad it’s all over:“It has been such a hard few months, but it’s over now. We won.”

DUBLIN Gazette Newspapers has teamed up with Dogs Trust, Ireland’s largest dog welfare charity, to help find homes for unwanted and abandoned dogs.

Molly is a one-year old Labrador crossbreed.

This stunning young lady is extremely affectionate and adores company.

She would love to go to a forever home that has big kids and possibly another dog as Molly finds being alone quite worrying so would cherish a canine pal to hang out and play with.

Long walks on the beach and splashing around in the water makes Molly a very happy dog indeed.

This lady is a true gem and a real favourite in Dogs Trust.

If you think you can give Molly a loving home for his twilight years, contact Dogs Trust at 01 879 1000.

Further information about their work can be found on their website at www. dogstrust.ie.

All dogs that are adopted from Dogs Trust are vet-checked, vaccinated, neutered and micro-chipped before being re-homed.

GAZETTE

18 GAZETTE 15 November 2012

OUT&ABOUT

STYLE

€59

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ew h t s d a e l lamour

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STYLE focus Take a peek at the new Kardashian Kollection as it comes to Ireland  LAURA WEBB

THE wait is finally over, Kardashian fanatics are jumping out of their stilettos with joy and making their way to Dorothy Perkins stores across Dublin to get their fashionable hands on items from the long awaited Kardashian Kollection.

Kim, Kourtney and Khloe have brought their own style into their collection for Dorothy Perkins. Leather, leopard print, studs, oversized shirts, boho frills and figure hugging dresses are just some of the styles that can be seen throughout the collection.

The three girls, each so different in style and shape, are making it easy for

women of all shapes and sizes to find something that best suits their body within the collection.

The sisters are fast becoming style icons and their own collection started out in Sears in the US. Now they have landed in Ireland and are bringing some LA glamour and style to the streets of Dublin. The Kardashians shot to fame starring in reality TV show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which followed them and the rest of their unconventional family.

Speaking to Gazette Style this week, Dorothy Perkins store manager at Liffey Valley, Emer Macken said there is a great buzz about the place. “People were calling weeks in advance to the collection coming in, asking questions about when it’s going to be in, have we seen it ourselves, what’s it going to be

like? There is just a great buzz.

“The collection is going to be available here in Liffey Valley, Blanchardstown and Jervis Street in Dublin and we also have it in Killarney, Limerick and Galway.

Working in Dorothy Perkins the staff got a sneak preview of the fashion which Emer says just looks “fab”.

“It is very leopard print, black, purple – that’s a big colour. The bags are all very studded, it’s just gorgeous. It’s very them. You can pick out outfits and say that is what Kourtney would wear or Kim. There is even a Kourtney jean, a Khloe jean and a Kim jean and you just know by the look and the cut of the jean who it belongs to,” she told Gazette Style.

15 November 2012 Gazette 19

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exclusively with Dorothy Perkins Asked what makes the girls so likeable, Emer said: “I think it is that they are so real. They are so normal. I watch their show, Keeping up with the Kardashians, and they are just so very true to themselves, they are very - this is who I am, I have a big bum, I have the boobs and this is the figure that is going to inspire curvier women to wear the dresses they have always wanted to wear. Why shouldn’t they? just because they have big hips – just embrace the body that you are in. I do think the cut of the dresses is fabulous, they are all just gorgeous.

“Everyone here just wants to get their hands on everything, but we [staff] are under strict instructions not to purchase on the

first day. It is just great that we have it, it is going to be a really good boost for Dorothy Perkins and for retail,” Emer said.

An online preview of the collection was available to view on the Sunday before the official launch day Thursday, November 8, with 14 of the 100 item collection for sale it sold out completely within two hours.

This week, Gazette Style has chosen some of the collection which we think is going to be a hit with shoppers and fly off the shelves to replace items in the wardrobe.

The Kardashian Kollection is now available at participating Dorothy Perkins stores or online at www.dorothyperkins.co.uk.

Gazette

20 gazette 15 November 2012

OUT&ABOUT

CINEMA

theatre

THE pavilioN THEATRE 01 231 2929 Murdered to Death

THIS hilarious spoof of the best of the whodunnits, complete with a well-meaning amateur sleuth in twinset and pearls, is set in a country manor house in the 1930s.

The butler, an English Colonel, a shady French art dealer and his moll, and a bumbling police inspector are among the characters whose side-splitting antics follow the mysterious death of the house’s owner. It soon becomes clear that the murderer hasn’t finished yet, but will the murderer be unmasked before everyone else has met their doom, or will the audience die laughing first?

November 14-17, tickets are priced at €18/€15.

Draiocht 01 885 2622 Paddy Cole

PADDY Cole is legendary in Irish show business, ever since he first came to prominence in the 1960s with the Capitol Showband. He still attracts many of the people who danced in those days to his shows today. Paddy and his All Stars are renowned for giving audiences a good time - whether it’s jazz, rock ‘n roll, sixties or swing – the result is always the same – a thrilled and ecstatic reaction. November 20 at 8pm, tickets are priced at €22/€18.

Ben Affleck tries out as Jesse’s replacement. Walt is unimpressed

cinema: Ben affleck tells a weirder than fiction story of the cia

Get up and Argo  paul hosford

phosford@gazettegroup.com

REMEMBER Paycheck?

How about Bounce?

Surviving Christmas?

Gigli?

That many absolute turkeys would be enough to bury most careers, never mind them being coupled with being half of the most maligned showbiz couples ever.

How is it, then, that Ben Affleck is flying high as both an actor and a director, has received a slew of awards and nominations and is now generally loved?

T h e a n s we r, o f course, is simple; he is, and always has been, a supremely gifted man.

Affleck won an Oscar for the Good Will Hunt-

ing screenplay at the age of 25 and for his first major feature took on the adaptation of a Denis Lehane novel.

So, as well as being gifted, he is not short in the confidence stakes.

Which is why Argo makes perfect sense in a lot of ways.

The story of a CIA plot to rescue six hostages from revolutionera Iran, Argo mixes 1970s spy thriller with a bumbling farce comedy.

Based on a true story, the film takes us inside the CIA plot to remove the hostages from the grip of Ayatollah-friendly students.

To do so, it is decided to make a film.

Not a real film, but a fake, Canadian sci-fi blockbuster.

If the storyline seems too far-fetched, it is important to note that this all happened and the US government declassified the files in

Film of the Week: Argo h h h h (12A) 120mins Director: Ben Affleck Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Alan Arkin, Kyle Chandler, Chris Messina, Tate Donovan

OUR VERDICT: OK, so Ben Affleck had that run of truly awful, awful films.

Addressing that is important because, for the last six years Affleck has stood head and shoulders above most of peers as an actor, a writer and a director. Argo, the third entry to his directorial canon, is a fine film which finds the one time Bennifer cohort establishing his style and signature as a film maker.

1997.

The film plays out very like the spy thrillers of the 1970s, arguably the heyday of American film making.

T he paranoia and clandestine dealings, not to mention the hair, give the film the perfect grounding and Affleck has clearly been watching his Parallax View and All The President’s Men. Whereas his previous directorial efforts, Gone Baby Gone and The Town, were set in Affleck’s Boston back yard (or, rather, yahd),

nailing a period drama with a comedic second act and a tricky, messy climax is a completely different challenge.

Again, we come back to the Bostonian confidence coursing through Affleck’s veins.

The film is led by Affleck’s steady hand and an understated lead performance.

A ff leck’s company man Tony Mendez is the antithesis of the Pearl Harbor Ben. He is all crumpled shirts, bad facial hair and slumped shoulders, a downtrodden

everyman thrust into an insane situation.

The star turns come from Alan Arkin as fading producer Lester Siegel, recr uited by the CIA via renowned make-up genius John Chambers, with John Goodman playing the Oscar winner, to provide a fake space opera that would provide the cover story for the agency’s Tehran-based exfiltration operation.

The Hollywood corner of the film, playing off the CIA side, means that the film becomes a balancing act of farce and drama, of comedy and suspense, For Aff leck, whose previous efforts were hardly known for their light-hearted notes, the achievement of turning in a genuinely funny film cannot be understated.

In the end, Argo is one of the year’s finest films and marks Affleck at the top of his game.

15 November 2012 gazette 21

Gazette

GAMING halo 4: the best yet in the popular series

Shoots for the very top  shane dillon

Apart from cutscenes, Halo 4 is, as ever, played from a first-person perspective (above) – all the better to face the challenging enemies in its expertly realised worlds and scenarios, which are presented with very pretty and engaging graphics – and gameplay throughout

THERE’S not much that can tear me away from shivering my timbers in the naval missions of Assassin’s Creed 3 at the moment, but Halo 4 has seen me swap Revolutionary America for (well, an almost) revolutionary shooter.

A while back, I shamelessly namedropped here my preview experience of playing Halo 4 in Madrid – oh look, I’ve done it again – and, now, the XBox 360-exclusive title has finally hit the shelves.

And it’s been worth the wait, indeed.

Developed by 343 Industries, it’s both a familiar, yet fresh, instalment in the popular franchise which, in my eyes, had become somewhat over-familiar.

Indeed, although Halo

 shane dillon sdillon@gazettegroup.com

2 and 3 had some great features, they never had the same impact as the original title did.

Luckily, Halo 4 builds upon the strengths of all of the best parts throughout the series, to date, but makes 4 very much its own game, with a sense of confidence driving the game ever forward.

For those who haven’t already snapped up the just-released title, or for those looking to buy a great Christmas gift, or for those new to the Halo universe, what’s it all about?

Well, I could sit here

filling the rest of the page with the plot alone, which is (sorry, Halo scribes), as ever, Sci-Fi tosh of the nth degree, although expertly presented.

Playing as the eponymous Master Chief, and largely accompanied by a helpful AI companion, you wander through a variety of superbly-created worlds and settings, stepping out (again) as the last, best hope for humanity (again), as an old, alien nemesis race goes to war (again), with, this time around, an ancient alien race also added to the mix (agai– err, actually, this is kind of a new element for the series).

In short, the singleplayer game sees a lot of terrific, and frequently challenging, setpieces and

challenges throughout, with a notably high level of visual polish.

Most importantly, the same cunning, antagonistic – and occasionally amusing – AI for which the series is famous is very much in place, presenting an occasionally formidable, and always entertaining challenge.

However, it’s the multiplayer side of Halo that many gamers will be gunning for and, again, Halo excels here.

With a wealth of game options that go beyond the usual multiplayer features, there’s a lot of highly-competitive fun in the war games on offer.

Interestingly, there’s a pretty detailed and diverse way in which to level up your Spartan-IV

BYTES&PIECES needs more vita-lity

Handheld’s performance still disappoints CASTING an eye over the latest quarterly sales figures for Sony’s Vita handheld, it’s hard not to wonder what Sony will do to give its sales a boost.

I’ve mentioned before that the Vita – in Dublin, at least, not to mention several other capital cities I’ve been in this year – seems rarer than hen’s teeth on the ground; a little like Bigfoot, I know that it’s out there, somewhere, but it’s proving frustratingly elusive to spot as I roam around ...

While the PlayStation 3 continues to do well enough with its strong gamer base, as well as offering its own platform-specific

triple-A titles (whether already available or upcoming in 2013), the Vita is a very different beast.

Despite having some excellent titles – some of which are variants of popular Sony/PlayStation franchises, others of which are quirky new franchises – the Vita

continues to struggle at retail.

(To be fair, I note Nintendo also dropped projected sales for its underperforming 3DS.) A diverse choice of gaming platforms is always to be welcomed, so I hope that Sony has better luck in 2013 with its handy handheld.

supersoldier to create a unique online soldier, with upgrades and loadouts that are anything but spartan on offer.

In short, while Halo purists may disagree, this feels like the quintessential Halo – the game it was always meant to be.

With an awful lot here to praise, Halo 4 definitely deserves taking a shot at on the XBox 360 this Christmas season.

Gazette

22 Gazette 15 November 2012

OUT&ABOUT

FASTtunes with Radio Nova’s Dee Woods

Walls of wonder with Waters set to return to Dublin for Aviva show Concerts come and go but every so often a gig comes along that has the potential to actually change you. Pink Floyd founder Roger Waters brought The Wall tour here last year, and to say it wowed crowds at The O2 would be an injustice.

I had the pleasure of playing chauffeur to my other half for the journey home as the radio station is right beside The O2. As envious as I was, I was glad I was there to pick him up though, because his reaction to what he had witnessed has always stayed with me.

Still in awe, he could barely string the words together as he tried to recount what he’d just seen on stage.

I remember shaking my head and cursing mid-week concerts, thinking that kind of show was a once-in-a-lifetime event. Happily, I was wrong.

Roger Waters and his band return to Dublin next year for an even bigger, more dramatic performance of The Wall. Run Like Hell for tickets.

MUSIC

Harmony and hope on devastating debut  ROB HEIGH rheigh@gazettegroup.com

THIS week was all set to be about the virtues of pop music and its lineage from the 50s to now, leading into a review of a new release from a returning hero of the form.

That was until I heard The Staves’ debut album.

History be damned, it’s time to embrace the future.

I wrote at the start of the year that The Staves were one of the acts to watch throughout 2012, and as we hit the home stretch of this annus mirabilis, they see fit to make everything just a little bit better and drop this astonishing record.

North Londoners Emily, Jessica and Camilla have a strong pedigree as far as their influences are concerned – among them Fleet Foxes, Simon and Garfunkel and Buffalo Springfield – but their unique harmonies and melding of bright English folk and sublime West Coast pop was something to mark them out as ones to watch.

Seemingly endless touring, on their own as well as in the company of fellow newcomer Michael Kiwanuka and esteemed luminary Bon Iver - who invited the girls to join him on stage this week at one of the gigs of the year at the O2 - has spread the good word. Justice will be served, however, when people get to hear this record in full.

The Staves - Emily, Jessica and Camilla Stavely-Taylor

Dead and Born and Grown gathers together everything that made them an act who would stop you in your tracks to listen and adds another layer to their appeal. The shuffling drums bass, as well as the mandolin and banjo fills, give depth to the sound behind the stunning vocal harmonies that the Staveley-Taylors were first acclaimed for.

There is a great variety within the tracks here, but all of them have in common the fact that these are some quite beautiful and goosebump-inducing songs.

Opening with the understated Wisely And Slow, and winding a gentle path to Mexico, the song that put them on my radar last year, this is top notch music by a trio who clearly adore and understand the form.

Coming in the wake of the recent folk resurgence, there is certainly a market there for The Staves’ deeply effecting stylings, but they plough a different furrow, less the bounce-along-aMumford, and more in the direction of stopwhat-you’re-doing-rightnow-and-listen acts like

Gillian Welch and Laura Marling.

In the wake of the growing recognition of their talents, the support slots and the television and radio appearance is paying off, with the girls set to return to Dublin on November 25 and their addition to the bill in Dingle for Other Voices.

It’s only right that they should go from being one of the bright hopes of 2012 to the brightest light at the end of the year as the dark nights draw in.

The Staves deserve your attention, their talent demands it.

15 November 2012 malahide gazette 23

Gazette

MOTORS road

NOISE

FordOptions new finance programme

The Renault Fluence, described as the best car built to suit the Irish driver

renault: raft of on-board innovations highly appealing

New Fluence steers its way to top of wish list n Cormac Curtis

At its launch in April 2010, the Renault Fluence was described as the best car built to suit the Irish driver.

Over two years later Fluence has become a best seller in its category, and there are over 6,000 Renault Fluences on Irish roads today.

The new look Fluence features Renault’s new styling identity, similar to that of the recently launched fourth generation Clio.

Its front end has the vertically-set logo at the centre of a broad black strip picked out by chrome beading which provides the car with a dynamic stance.

The LED daytime running lights and chrome/ gloss black inserts also contribute to the new-

comer’s modern appeal.

The design of the new Fluence interior is also more modern, including digital instrumentation for all versions.

The boot is still one of the biggest in its class easily fitting two sets of golf clubs. The cabin is as roomy as ever, and has been enhanced by the use of new upholsteries for segment-topping comfort.

A choice of petrol or diesel engines, with automatic transmission, is available. All diesel engines, either manual or automatic have CO2 emissions below 120g, so belong to the lowest tax band as per today.

The new Renault Fluence has a raft of on-board, connected technologies and innovations including numerous driver-aid technologies – Bluetooth

compatible radio, six airbags and hands-free card with remote central locking standard all across the range, LED lights, rear parking sensors, cruise control, dual zone climate control and a brand new multimedia system available depending on trim level.

From the basic equipment level up, all versions are “connected” thanks to the availability of new Bluetooth radios equipped with USB and jack sockets.

At the higher-end of the range, New Renault Fluence features a major innovation in the form of the Renault R-Link multimedia system which will provide connected services and is ideally suited to motoring use thanks to its touchscreen display and voice commands.

Renault R-Link incor-

porates the navigation system and telephony function and can be connected to portable music players.

The new Fluence comes with a five-year unlimited mileage warranty.

Renault Finance will offer finance packages on the new Fluence from €199 per month with Renault ReFlex, a personal contract plan which provides Irish consumers with reassurance and flexibility when financing a new Renault.

Julien Lelorrain, marketing director, Renault Ireland: “The fuel efficient diesel engine with lowest tax at €160, fiveyear unlimited mileage warranty and the ReFlex finance solution from €199 per month make New Fluence a very attractive 2013 purchase.”

For customers looking to buy a new car for 2013, Ford Ireland has announced a range of offers on key models that includes an extended five-year warranty. Under the banner of Ford’s Big Four, customers are invited to visit their local Ford dealer to avail of the offers over four weekends leading up to December 2.

The offers on Ford’s top-selling models, Fiesta, Focus and Mondeo, are as follows: Free road tax on the newly redesigned Fiesta. Free 16” alloys, front fogs, premium mats and upgraded console on Ireland’s top selling car, the Ford Focus. Single price bodystyle on Mondeo: wagon, hatchback or saloon just one price starting at €26,995.

And each model comes with an extended five years full warranty.

As part of the promotion, Ford is also introducing FordOptions, a new finance package that helps customers purchase their car with the security of a guaranteed minimum future value.

24 malahide gazette 15 November 2012

Gazette

Travel

Gazette

&ABOUT OUT fast TRAVEL

See the Big Apple in style from this hotel

THE Big Apple is still definitely one of the most popular destinations for anyone planning a trip to the United States, whether it is for shopping, sightseeing, or just a chance to see the city itself.

Ideally located for anyone keen to explore the streets of SoHo, Greenwich and downtown Manhattan, nyma – the New York Manhattan Hotel – could be the place to be in 2013.

With its close proximity to the city’s famous Madison Square Garden, a trip to NYC could coincide with the reopening of the Statue of Liberty’s Crown to the public, following renovations.

Rooms at nyma start from $114.99 per night (€44 per person) in February. As part of the Apple Core Hotel group, nyma boasts free wi-fi, complimentary continental breakfast, and free US calls. See www.thenewyorkmanhattanhotel.co.uk, or call 0044 808 178 6363.

Capital treasure Clontarf Castle Hotel benefits from being so close to everything, yet offers a comfortable break from city life

dublin: Big fires, warm welcome and an alluring presence

King of the castles  natalie burke

The nyma hotel is an ideal base to explore NYC

Get in shape with a boot camp retreat WITH the festive party season on the horizon, the beautiful Lisloughrey Lodge in County Mayo is running a pre-Christmas boot camp with TV fitness expert Karl Henry, to include luxurious accommodation, energetic fitness classes and specially-designed menus to promote health and well-being inside and out.

The boot camp will take place from Friday, November 23, until Monday, November 26, and includes three nights’ accommodation with breakfast, lunch and dinner, and two and a half days of boot camp, as well as a welcome dinner on the evening of arrival.

With menus carefully planned by Henry, alongside head chef Jonathan Keane, who was recently nominated for Best Chef in Connacht, the latest package is ideal for an end-of-year break for those hoping to get in shape for Christmas.

The pre-Christmas package is available for €395pps. Places are limited so, to book your place, call 094 954 5400, or see www. lisloughreylodge.com.

THERE’S been a recent upsurge of the popular “weekend away”, but that doesn’t necessarily involve taking a short flight, as people, instead, reap the benefits of holidaying in our own fair isle.

But, before you start preparing your playlist for the inevitable crosscountry road-trip, perhaps taking a glance at what sits on your own doorstep could be the break that surprises you the most.

Clontar f Castle is already a popular choice for tourists making Dublin a must-see destination.

It has character, a certain historic allure, and wideopen fires as well as real Irish charm.

The fact that it’s just two miles from the city centre is really the icing on the cake, with the castle located in a calm spot, and within walking distance of historic sites.

For the rest of us, living blissfully oblivious to the world surrounding us, this traditional castle could be the perfect passage to times gone by.

Beneath the 12th century turreted roof, and beyond the stained-glass windows, lies a castle still clinging to its traditional past.

The castle’s self-description illustrates it is “no longer the past, not quite the future”, and, despite a recent redesign, boasts more old than new in its blend of modern meets yesteryear.

For one evening, I travelled back in time when Clontarf Castle hosted a modern-day “grand feast”.

A banquet table stretched the length of the hotel’s main restaurant, the Fahrenheit Grill, where flags draped the walls and high-backed chairs sat around the table’s distinct centrepiece: a roasted pig.

The dining room was

packed with character, where the order of the day was much more than the lively conversation and atmospheric surroundings, but focused on the culinary talents of the Fahrenheit Grill chef.

The appetisers boasted crisp pancetta ham, terrine of duck, and herbcured salmon, while the chef ensured there was something to tempt everyone’s taste with an impressive selection of main courses; a citruscrusted roast Atlantic cod; a char-grilled rack of Wicklow lamb; a serrano-wrapped Irish pork fillet, and a roast orange tea supreme of Irish chicken.

Following a tasting of the chef’s choice dessert plate, the guests of honour were summoned for after-dinner drinks at the hotel’s Indigo bar, where an open-fire welcomed us to relax and chat following the meal.

While the hotel still

Clontarf Castle Hotel has the wow factor, successfully marrying modern touches with its rich heritage

holds firm its own traditions, its warm welcome, attentive service and innovative menus are a gentle reminder that the four-star hotel has no

hesitation when it comes to keeping up with the times.

For further information on the hotel, see www. clontarfcastle.ie.

15 November 2012 MALAHIDE gazette 25

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Ireland: Never Once Twice Abroad: Never Once Twice

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to: Dublin Gazette Newspapers, Block 3A Millbank Business Pk, Lower Road, Lucan, Co Dublin Send

W I N : 2 Nights B &B for 2 Adults & 2 T ickets to see D es B ishop Live at the County Arms Hotel & L eisure Club Simply fill in our questonaiire & post back to the address above & you will be entred into a draw the win this fantastic price. Birr is your entertainment hub this November with great gigs from international stars. The 4* County Arms Hotel plays host to folk legends The High Kings on November 22nd and on November 30th, it’s the turn of Ireland’s favourite comic, Des Bishop. For further information on the County Arms Hotel visit www.countyarmshotel.com

26 Malahide gazette 15 November 2012

MalahideCLASSIFIEDS

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15 November 2012 malahide Gazette 27

gaelic games P31

asdfsdafP29 P27 motorsport

dublinsport Let the Gazette keep you up to date with all the best local sporting action from around the city as we cover all the stories that matter to you and your community



Gazette

boxing P28

FastSport Taggers open to new members:

Members from local sports around the Lucan area and members of the Liffey Sound team pose for a photo at their Talking Sport launch night

community radio: quality programming delivers listeners, says mark sheridan

Liffey Sound launch sports schedule for local listeners LIFFEY Sound 96.4FM launched their sports schedule last week at their base in Ballyowen with a well-received meet and greet session with many local clubs on hand.

It served make those clubs aware of the community station that now provides six hours of sports broadcasting each week, feeding into the weekly Talking Sport that runs from 4-6pm every Saturday.

For the show’s Mark Sheridan, it offered a great opportunity to bring together the clubs around west Dublin a

chance, he told GazetteSport.

“The population around Lucan is such, now, that there are so many sports organisations. For example, there was someone from the Westmansown bowling club which I didn’t know existed until this week. It’s fantastic.

“We love our sport in Liffey Sound.

We cover all sorts of things because of the amount of sporting organisations in Lucan and the amount of people who love sport.”

Like many of the other panellists and presenters on the show, Sheridan

brings with him a wealth of sporting background. Previously, he lined out for Beech Park for a number of years while he has returned to the GAA with Lucan Sarsfields’ O-35s team, competed in a couple of marathons and also taken on a white collar boxing challenge.

“I love getting behind that mic [to talk about sport] and expressing my view and having people responding and texting in.

It’s a great avenue and once it gets into your blood, it sticks with you.”

Talking Sport has recently linked up with Boyle Sports to provide expert

betting advice while also offering charity bets for the show each week to add to their portfolio, a significant step for Sheridan and his team.

He has been with the station, which was founded in 2006, for three years and is proud of what has developed on a fully voluntary basis across the board.

“We have the second biggest listenership and the biggest English-speaking station in Dublin. “Maybe it’s our diaspora or the demographics in the area but I like to think it’s down to the quality of the programming.”

WESTMANSTOWN Taggers Special Olympics tag rugby team are welcoming new members to get involved with the club.

They meet up every Sunday at 11.30am until 1pm in the Westmanstown sports centre with training taking place indoors for the winter.

Leinster scrum-half Isaac Boss is among the regular coaches along with Jorge Zulkouski who can be contacted on 087 284 2584 for more information. The sport is open for those aged seven and upwards.

Currently, the side is building toward a showcase during the half-time show of Leinster’s Heineken Cup tie against Clermont Auvergne in the Aviva Stadium in December.

c o n ta c t s Acting Sports Editor: Stephen Findlater sfindlater@gazettegroup.com

For more information or to send in news and photos: sport@gazettegroup.com Phone: 01 651 6205

Gazette

28 MALAHIDE gazette 15 November 2012

SPORT

FastSport LUCAN leisure centre gets top award: FINNSTOWN Country House Hotel Leisure Club, Lucan was recently rewarded the 2012 White Flag Excellence Award at the prestigious White Flag Gala Awards Dinner held in the Heritage Golf and Spa Resort, Killenard, Co Laois achieving the bronze standard.

The White Flag award is an indication of excellence in the operation of leisure clubs; the award was presented

by Barry Walsh president of ILAM at a special awards ceremony. ILAM is the professional body representing the Irish leisure industry.

Ninety-one facilities entered this gruelling auditing process this year but only 86 received the White Flag Excellence 2012 award.

This mark of excellence ensures that the facility management have been independently assessed in the three key areas of safety, hygiene and customer service.

boxing: dundrum writer says taylor to retain amateur status

Myler launches new book  sport@gazettegroup.com

THOMAS Myler says he would be “astonished” if Katie Taylor were ever to turn professional due to the currently limited options for professional female boxers.

Speaking to GazetteSport about his new book, Ringside with the Celtic Warriors, the Dundrum resident said that with the current supports in place for Ireland’s golden girl, the background is there for her to stay in amateur boxing and take a shot at defending her Olympic title.

“Katie gets €40,000 a year and then endorses a lot of products – cars, sportswear and lucozade and other things like this,” he said.

“I’d be astonished if she turns pro. Women’s [professional] boxing is not very prominent in the world and there aren’t that many opportunities in the pros. As a man, yes, but there would be very limited opportunities for her to make progress, unfortunately.”

Indeed, the ability for amateur boxers to financially support themselves is a theme that spreads to the men’s game, too, with the development of the World Series of Boxing.

The competition allows boxers to retain amateur status but compete for financial incentives while not wearing headguards as required in the past.

“There was talk of Katie Taylor turning pro and then there was John Joe

Nevin, bouncing one way and another and joining up with Amir Khan.

“With the world series, they can have the best of both worlds and this could affect the pro game because people can get confused.

“Is he an amateur or professional? I don’t like the trend really. I’m a bit of a traditionalist and prefer amateurs as amateurs and pros as pros.

“These guys are going to be semi-pro in the Olympics which is basically meant to be an amateur set-up.”

Nonetheless, these boxers are well up there in the pantheon of greats that Myler chronicles in his latest book, one which traverses 200 years. It goes right back to the 1800s

Katie Taylor with Amy Farrell, age 13, from Swords, Dublin last Saturday

and Dublin boxer Dan Donnelly whose arm is still preserved in Kildare.

He started writing formally for the Evening Herald way back in 1967and has not stopped since.

From that vantage point, he got to witness many Irish greats who became the focus of this book from Jack Doyle through to Steve Collins and Barry McGuigan and subsequently Bernard Dunne.

Being so close to the action, Myler admits this book was his “favourite”

of the four he has written to date.

“I’ve written a few books on boxing, one on Sugar Ray Robinson, one on the great boxing upsets and another on the scandals, boxing’s hall of shame on general themes. But this is the first I’ve done on Irish boxing which would be my favourite because all the guys would be ones I knew and saw.”

When pushed for a favourite of all-time, he said he was fascinated by Jack Doyle, the Cork heavyweight of the 1930s.

But Steve Collins stood out as probably the island’s best ever.

“Collins was a good, gritty tough guy who could give it and take it.

He was one of the best.

It’s a pretty difficult thing to answer because the old-timers of the 1930s and 1940s were of a different era.

“There are more facilities for boxers to train, they have nutritionists and everything else so it’s different scene. But Collins might have been the best.”

DLR side make Waves with historic first win  sport@gazettegroup.com

The DLR Waves had a memorable weekend in the Women’s National League

HISTORY was made at Jackson Park as a rapidly improving DLR Waves claimed their first ever triumph in the Bus Eireann Women’s National League.

Inspired by Carla Moran DLR Waves, who had suffered five losses so far in the season, were eager to deliver a polished performance. That is exactly what they did against a Cork Women’s outfit, who actually took the lead in the 36th minute courtesy of a

Claire Shine goal.

Sylvia Gee equalised with her third in six matches and then Moran took centre stage after the restart as DLR Waves dominated.

In the 55th minute Moran edged DLR Waves in front and then she netted the insurance goal with eight minutes remaining.

Peamount United, meanwhile, maintained their blistering form with an emphatic 9-2 success over Shamrock Rovers at Greenogue.

The free scoring table top-

pers summoned a remarkable attacking display in the second period to blitz Rovers.

Stephanie Roche grabbed a brace in the first half as Peamount left at the interval protecting a two goal cushion.

That was halved within 90 seconds of the restart when the excellent Rachel Jenkins gave Rovers some hope, but Peamount were quickly back in the ascendancy.

Sara Lawlor amazingly scored a hat-trick inside six glorious minutes as Peamount

contributed to a splendid encounter.

Julie Anne Russell, sister of St Patrick’s Athletic star John, got in on the act with a 63rd minute goal and Lawlor took her afternoon’s tally to four on 74.

A minute later Russell was on target again and five minutes from time Jennifer Ferrari decorated the win with a neat goal.

Jenkins poked a late consolation for Rovers, who were soundly beaten by the current standard bearers, Peamount.

15 November 2012 MALAHIDE gazette 29

Gazette

Butler hoping to set English scene alight Churchtown biker Dave Butler hopes to keep the good times rolling by stepping up to the British Thundersport championship after a stellar performance in Ireland AFTER a life already devoted to motorsports, Churchtown man Dave Butler is hoping to make the biggest step of his career in 2013 by pursuing a move to compete in the British Thundersport series, a competition scaling 10 rounds of some of the best circuits in the world.

It comes following a stellar 2012 in which he won no less than four separate Irish championship titles as well as a second and two third place finishes.

In total, he recorded 19 wins from 43 races, setting a number of lap records on courses throughout Ireland

 stephen findlater sport@gazettegroup.com

along the way.

Despite making his debut on the Irish motorcycling scene in 2003, the past year has been the first in which wo r k c o m m i t m e n t s have allowed him to fully focus on the sport with immaculate results both on the track and on the road.

Riding a 650cc Stocktwin, he claimed the Irish/Ulster and Southern Ireland title with a

massive 15 wins while adding third in the Irish Supertwin championship.

Switching to the road for the first time last July, he secured victory at the first time of asking before making a maiden voyage to England to Mallory Park in late October.

Competing in the m i n i t w i n cl a s s , h e claimed three of the four races he entered – all televised on Motors TV – something that has whetted his appetite to try and raise his level further and contest a full season across the water.

Speaking to GazetteSport, he said pursuing

this elevated challenge is something that has been in the genes since his earliest memories.

“I’ve been around the sport all my life. My uncle still races and this year he sponsored me the bike.

“I’ve been mechanic

raced cars when I was a baby but I’ve kind of surpassed what they have done.

“Next year, I’m going to try and race in England and am trying to raise the money to do that.

“It will cost a for-

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

‘This year has been a dream, bascially achieving everything I can on a bike in Ireland. I’d like to continue that in England’ - Dave Butler

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

for him, following him all over the country, getting to know the ins and outs. My father

Champion rider Dave Butler celebrates success on the road during the summer Picture: Ryan Fegan

tune to do that as it’s something of a full-time hobby. Basically, I probably need to raise about €10,000.”

But he says that pushing these new horizons could lead to even further honours: “This year was a dream.

“It was always my dream to win an Irish championship but basically I’ve achieved everything I can on my current bike over here.

“I’d like to continue it on in England where many have gone on to be future world champions.

“The two who finished ahead of me in the supertwin championship [in Ireland] will go on to be British champions at some stage and they will probably race in the world championship in the future.”

FastSport

Celtic Clovers launch the new ice hockey season THE Celtic Clovers will be hosting a launch event for their ice hockey club in Castleknock On Ice on Thursday, November 22 with festivities getting under way at 7pm.

At the event, the club will showcase their junior section, the Dublin Ducks, as well as their senior team who will display their skills and drills.

Around the rink, a raffle will be run while there will also be chuck-a-puck games, making for a great family evening out. All are welcome to come along on the evening. For more information, contact club PRO Jamie Hickey on jamiehickey@gmail.com

Blues and Nix lead LSL bid BLUEBELL United and Phoenix will be hoping to hold up the local LSL Sunday Senior involvement in the FAI intermediate cup but they face tricky ties in round three of the competition, due to be played on December 2.

Harry Kenny’s Nix will be pleased, though, to have avoided the trip to Swilly Rovers, the draw handing them home advantage at Scribblestown for the game. Bluebell, however, make the long trip south to Douglas Hall in round three.

The early phases of the competition had obliterated clubs from the top level of intermediate football

in Leinster but there still remains plenty of local interest.

Glenville, currently topping Sunday 1A, bring Leeside up to Palmerstown as they bid to recreate the buzz that brought them all the way to a senior cup date with Bohemians a couple of years ago.

TEK United have a big ask ahead of them if they are to surprise Tolka Rovers as do Pegasus St James’s Athletic.

The recently amalgamated third tier side have lost just once this term but a trip to College Corinthians in Cork looks a daunting one.

The finalists for the last two years, Cherry Orchard and Avondale United, have been drawn against each other in the tie of the round.

Gazette

30 MALAHIDE gazette 15 November 2012

SPORT

FastSport

soccer: portmarnock make it six games unbeaten

Malahide’s Elbouzedi gets Irish call-up to Qatar MALAHIDE United’s Zachary Elbouzedi has been named in the Republic of Ireland Under-15 international team that was announced by manager Niall Harrison earlier this week for the forthcoming matches against the Aspire Academy in Qatar.

These are the first fixtures for the players, who were born in 1998, in the international structure.

“We’ve worked with the players since bringing them together for the first time in the summer, then had further trials and get-togethers in September,” explained Harrison.

“This is the first experience for them as an international team, and I’m sure they are all excited about the opportunity and looking forward to representing their country.

“There are a lot of players being constantly monitored at this age group and, for those unfortunate enough not to have made the squad for these games, there’ll be further opportunities in the New Year.

“It is pleasing to note that some new clubs are represented in international football including Lucan United, Corduff and BT Harps. Their clubs will all be extremely proud of their players and rightly so.”

They will play their first tie of the series on December 17 at 4pm (local time) in Doha, before facing the same opposition two days later at the same time in the same venue.

Previously, Elbouzedi had been selected to represent the FAI Emerging Talent Squad in the Hibernia Cup in August of this year, in which the Irish selection faced off against Wolves, Celtic and Linfield.

As a result of his performances in recent years, he has caught the eye of many scouts in England, with Middlesborough among those to have invited him for trials.

The Malahide player is included as part of a large contingent from Dublin that also includes Lucan United duo Conor Masterson and Brandon Payne, while Corduff also have two inclusions - Jean-Yves Pomme and Ismael Diallo, all of whom have been making waves on the Irish scene in the past number of years, especially in the SFAI youth cups.

Portmarnock’s LSL Saturday Major 1A side have gone six games unbeaten and are now on a run of three successive wins

Ports in flying form lsl saturday major 1a CYM Terenure Portmarnock AFC  peter carroll

0 3

sport@gazettegroup.com

PORTMARNOCK AFC’s senior Saturday side have gotten off to a great start under new manager Brian Gregan, making it six games unbeaten to date.

He will look to continue in a similar vein to former boss, Dougie Dolan, setting the goal of a third promotion in as many seasons for the Seasiders which was bolstered by a 3-0 win last Saturday.

Left back Mark Taylor put his side on their way with a magnificent effort 20 minutes in. The wing back received the ball 25 yards out after a deft bit of control with his knee, Taylor rifled the ball into the top corner with his left peg to break the parity.

Going in with the lead at the interval, Portmarknock knew they would need another goal to secure the points and, while both sides had their chances in the second, it wasn’t until the 80th minute that Gregan’s men struck again.

Substitute Ian

tri-parish games Malahide youngsters enjoy debut day out St sylvester’s recently took part in the tri-parish U-7 football and hurling blitzes with Raheny and Clontarf with over 120 kids taking part.

Johnny Baldwin (Raheny), Dillon Shinbach (St Sylvester’s) and Tim Loomes (Clontarf) all took part in the event in St Anne’s Park last Saturday in their first games against other clubs.

Picture: Peter Hickey/GAAPics.com

O’Meara went on a fantastic run that saw him round four players and, just when he was expected to pull the trigger, he tipped the ball on to Lee Dunne who smashed the ball home from 16 yards.

Fantastic With the Terenure men’s heads down, Portmarknock grabbed one more from Simon Cash who dinked a fanastic lob home over the opposition goal keeper.

Speaking to GazetteSport after the game, Gregan highlighted that although his men are

five points off the top of the league with two games in hand, they fixtures still have to be won.

“When I started off this season, I really just wanted to get an impression of how good the team were and, now that I know, I think it’s very possible that we can gain a third promotion on the trot.

“The league speaks for itself. We’ve done well and we are within reach of the top of the league, but there are some fantastic teams in there, and we still have to win our games in hand to

challenge.

“I’ve been working very closely with Willie O’Leary who took over as the first team manager this year, and together, we have come up with a system that seems to be working for both of our teams.

“Our lads were disappointed to be knocked out of the cups and I really would have liked to have gone on a bit of a run and to rotate the squad a little bit.

“But, we can put our full focus on the league now and hopefully we can get the promotion,” he finished.

15 November 2012 MALAHIDE gazette 31

Gazette

Syl’s quartet gear up for Blue Stars wars  sport@gazettegroup.com

ST SYLVESTER’S Brian Sexton, Kian Cleere, Gavin McArdle and Miceal McCarthy along with Naomh Mearnog’s Kevin O’Brien have all been named among the football nominees for the annual Dublin Bus Blue Stars.

The Stars honour the

top performers in the Dublin senior football championship each year and Syl’s were well represented after their run to the quarter-finals, only outdone by Kilmacud Crokes in the quarterfinals on a mucky night in Parnell Park.

En route, McCarthy provided a vir tuoso performance in the eye-

catching victory over St Oliver Plunkett’s/Eoghan Ruadh. Sexton is included in the half-back selection as is McArdle while Cleere’s performances at full-back have earned him the nod.

They are all looking forward to an AFL1 semifinal playoff date against recently crowned Dublin senior champions Bally-

mun Kickhams.

T hey throw in at 10.30am in Pairc Ciceam on Sunday morning just before the club’s AFL3 side who are also in playoff action, Syl’s taking on Na Fianna on Mobhi Road at 12pm.

O’Brien captained the Dublin U-21 side this year and was one of his club’s leading lights.

football: harps account for syl’s under-21s

Club Noticeboard ST SYLVESTER’S THE Under-21 football team lost their

diate football team play Na Fianna

first championship match to Sker-

in Mobhi Road in a semi-final play

ries Harps by two points.

off for promotion to senior football.

The adult hurlers just edged it in

Don’t miss this one.

their victory over Commercials in

Also next Sunday morning, the

the Corn Ceitin. Their final score was

senior footballer team play newly

a very handsome 5-11 to 3-16.

crowned Dublin champions Ballymun

The Under-16 hurlers play Crumlin in a playoff for the league title next Saturday in Bridgefield at 2.30pm.

in the top four league semi-final.

They don’t come much bigger than this.

Bernard and Mel have kept a big

Kevin Haverty has done a fantastic

squad of players together and this

job and earned much needed funds

will be an excellent game to come

for the club from the local lotto.

along and see their skills. It could

Please support this great initiative

be the game of the weekend. Please

by joining in on www.stsylvesters.ie,

come out and support them.

the best GAA club website with all the

On Sunday morning the Interme-

latest news views and information.

NAOMH MEARNOG WELL done to our Under-21 football-

place on December 8. This is broadly

ers who defeated Na Fianna in the

a hurlers vs footballers competition

first round of the championship. This

and a great night’s entertainment is

was a great performance in front of a

guaranteed. Come along.

big home crowd.

of communication, there is a survey

and the lads in their next game in two

on the home page of our website www.

weeks.

naomhmearnog.ie. All members and

The Christmas card fundraiser is now in full swing. All players are asked to contact their managers to receive their packs.

Club members will be selling them door to door this week. We need the The St Sylvester’s U-21 footballers whose run in the championship came to an end last weekend

Dawson’s class ends Sylvester’s dreams u-21 a football Skerries Harps 1-11 St Sylvester’s 2-6  sport@gazettegroup.com

A DISAPPOINTING display saw St Sylvester’s U-21s bow out of the A football championship as they never truly kicked into top gear Two late goals could not see them overturn their Fingal rivals as Harps had the composure to see off the Malahide men and end their bid for the title.

A feature of the game was the magnificent display by Skerries full forward Harry Dawson

who looks to have a bright future in Dublin’s sky-blue.

With a wind straight down the field behind Syl’s in the first half, they found it difficult to score, shooting from far out, while Harps were working the ball better and led by a few points at the break.

They were pressed hard but missed a penalty and ran into a packed defence until Max Cassidy shipped a heavy challenge but took the free quickly to find a hole and make the first goal.

T hey got another almost immediately

punching a cross but again Skerries pointed off the proceeding breaking ball, forcing the Malahide club to try for a goal of a 14-yard free

by Fionn Cahill at the death. It was dealt with and Syl’s hopes were over for another year.

Elsewhere, the club shared a 1-12 a piece draw with St Brendan’s in the Corn Fag a Bealach. Following a six week break in competition, Syl’s got off to a slow start as Brendan’s midfielder Shane Foley caused all sorts of problems.

Towards the end of the

half, Peter Guyatt broke through on goal but was denied by a reflex save by the Brendan’s keeper and the half time score was 1-7 to 0-6 for Brendan’s.

A better second half saw the scoring equal with four points still between the sides on 26 minutes but then a Pat Hoyne 65 was followed by a goal from Karl Stacey which levelled the scores.

When Colm O’Connor scored a point on 30 minutes, they thought victory was secured but in the fifth minute of injury time Brendan’s levelled the match.

In an effort to improve our methods

Please continue to support Mick

cooperation of everybody for this project.

On November 24, beautiful jewellery will be on sale at the club at wholesale prices. All are welcome so please come along.

friends are asked to take part and let us have some feedback.

The new date for our chairman’s dinner is February 2. The date of our annual Mass will be announced next week.

We wish a speedy recovery to former chairman Declan McConnell who is making very good progress after his hip surgery.

We extend our sympathy to Jack Hughes on the death of his brother

The participants in our fundraising

Colm and his sister-in-law Sarah

boxing tournament are in intensive

(Sally). Go ndeana Dia trocaire ar a

training for the big night which takes

n-anam.

FINGALLIANS WELL done to the senior footballers

tainment assured. Further details

who defeated St Mark’s by a single

are available at www.fingallians.ie/

point after extra time to keep their

cuinnenagaeilge or call Liam at 086

division two status.

3814422.

To honour the fantastic achieve-

There will be a social media semi-

ment of Paul Flynn in collecting a

nar on Novembr 17 in the Red Cow

second All-Star, the club is inviting

from 10am to 1.30pm, designed for

everyone to the clubhouse on Fri-

sports clubs. The half-day course

day, November 23 (new date) for a

will focus on the use of PR tools and

celebration. Also present will be

best use of Facebook and Twitter.

Peter Daly with his hurling award.

Please email fingallians@gmail.com

Further information on this great

if you are interested in attending.

event to follow.

The club shop will be t aking

Some off-pitch competition: 20

Christmas orders from November

competitors from Fingallians will

10. Forms to place orders will be

be participating in the Dublin semi-

available from the club shop each

final of Scor Na nOg at Naomh Mear-

Saturday morning and also on our

nog’s on Tuesday, November 20 at

web site www.fingallians.com . All

7.30pm. Please come and support

orders must be returned to the

our team. A great night’s enter-

shop by December 8.

GazetteSPORT all of your MALAHIDE sports coverage from page 27-31

end of the road: St Sylvester’s U-21s bow out of the championship at the hands of Skerries Harps P31

november 15, 2012

Butler’s flying 2012 form: Dubliner looking to challenge best in England next year P29

Gael Force ready to rock Goodwin  peter carroll

sport@gazettegroup.com

TWO years out of the ring and at the age of 38, Oisin “Gael Force” Fagan will make his return to the squared circle when he faces off against England’s Chris Goodwin to determine the World Boxing Federation’s lightweight championship on Saturday, December 15 in the Neptune Stadium, Cork.

Fagan, who is as enthusiastic as ever, believes his opponent is making a big mistake judging him on his age and inactivity.

“I think they are relying on the fact that I’m 15 years his elder

and I’m coming up to nearly two years since my last professional bout. They think ‘this lad hasn’t fought’ and that I’m out of shape, but they’re in for a surprise come the 15th,” said the Malahide man.

As far as his style is concerned, Fagan believes that nothing much has changed on his part, although he does believe that his role as a coach has made him focus on the fundamentals for the first time, as the spirited slugger never had any experience in the amateurs.

“It’s not like I’m the crafty veteran coming out to teach the young upstart all about boxing.

I’m a fighter, I may not out-box all of my opponents, but I can certainly out fight them.

“Now, in my role as a coach, I’m forced to really dissect the basics to teach the kids and that has certainly made me think about things and I think it could really help in certain situations,” said Fagan.

Counting down the days until the big show, although Fagan has yet to study video on the young British champion, he is looking forward to having a good look at his opponent as he considers the knowledge of the challenge as one of the most important parts of his preparation.

“From what I’ve heard, he’s quite a stylist, but he could never match Spadafora and Cesar Chavez Junior in that aspect, so it’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before.

“I gave Cesar Chavez Junior one of his biggest tests and I took Spadafora to a split decision, and he’s still unbeaten. I’m going to walk out and meet him in the middle of the ring and I’ll be in his face for the whole 12 rounds.

“I’m going to take him to deep waters where he has no other choice but to try something – and when he does, that’s when I’ll have him beaten,” finished the contender.

Portmarnock native Oisin Fagan