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YOUR COMMUNITY • YOUR PAPER

INSIDE: Launch of an exciting new kids and teens area P8

May 3, 2012

OPINION: We should reject the Fiscal Compact Treaty, says Sinn Fein Page 6

A cutting edge: Richie cuts his way to finals Football: Dublin success delays Ravens in championship Page 32

Sports Awards: April winners are announced inside Page 29

ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES ..................... 2 BUSINESS .................... 19 MOTORS ....................... 20 TRAVEL......................... 22 ENTERTAINMENT ........ 24 CLASSIFIEDS ............... 26

RICHIE Lawlor (right), from Style Club, Swords, showed he had a cutting edge when he took part in the L’Oreal Professional Colour Trophy Eliminator event recently.

He pitted his skills against competitors from salons across Ireland while a high profile judging panel had the task of selecting the finalists to go forward to compete at the L’Oreal Professional Colour Trophy Grand Final on June 11.

He is pictured with judge Steve Rowbottom (left) and his model for the day Brooke Wright.

Swords now officially Dublin’s largest town Census reports show population rises to 36,924

I NATALIE BURKE

SWORDS is now officially Dublin’s largest town, after new figures were published by the Central Statistics Office this week.

In a series of Census 2011 reports published by the CSO, figures show that

Swords is the largest town in Dublin with a population of 36, 924.

The announcement comes as no surprise to Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Gerry McGuire (Lab) , who believes the town has a lot to offer its ever growing population.

“It is the capital town of

the county and always was so I’m not surprised that it has been named as the largest town. Swords is a very good town to live in, thanks to its excellent community spirit and goodwill all round,” he said.

Full Story on Page 7

2 SWORDS GAZETTE 3 May 2012

EVENT Local students take part in World Book Day CONTRACT: COUNCILS CHOOSE UK WHOLESALER

Booksellers lose out as UK firm gets library deal LOCAL booksellers are set to lose out on up to €575,000 worth of business this year, with local county councils about to award a contract for library book suppliers to a cheaper UK wholesaler.

Fingal County Council, Dun Laoghaire/ Rathdow n County Council and South Dublin County Council are to award the tender to supply adult fiction and adult non-fiction to Bertram Library Services in the UK, which could potentially result in the loss of jobs for smaller Irish suppliers.

Local Labour councillor, Ciaran Byrne, admitted that while he would be “very disappointed” to see a contract going out of the country, especially where there were jobs involved, he understood local county councils were under severe financial pressure.

“Obviously we have to be very conscious of tax payers getting the best value for money, but having said that, I think there’s a question to be asked as to why it was necessary to go abroad.

They may have been obliged under EU regulation if they tendered across the EU but I think it’s worth investigation as to why it was done.”

According to a spokesperson for DLRCC, local authorities are legally obliged to procure goods and services in a competitive process carried out in an open, objective and transparent manner

in order to achieve best value for public expenditure.

“The decision to aggregate purchasing spend across the three local authorities to achieve better value for money is entirely consistent with Government policy,” they said.

Out of the four categories tendered – adult fiction and non-fiction and junior fiction and non-fiction – two categories were awarded to Irish firms and two to a UK firm.

The spokesperson confirmed that the award criteria were chosen to select the most economically advantageous tender and that the split between price at 65% and service at 35% reflected the fact that the bidding firms had been through a selection process and all were deemed capable of delivering an acceptable level of service.

As a result of the value obtained under this tender, libraries will be able to buy significantly more books and other materials for the same expenditure than under the previous supply arrangements.

“The council appreciates the Irish book sector is under significant pressure in the current economic climate and, in particular, due to recent trends in customer purchasing behaviour.

“However, no allowance can be made for this in the public procurement process,” the spokesperson concluded.

Celebrating the value of books S TUDENTS of 1 Ree in Fingal Community College, celebrated the recent World Book Day with style when they formed four publishing houses: Ignis, Aqua, Terram and Aeris and created four original books.

Each group had authors, illustrators, editors and deputy editors on staff and worked at home and in school for two weeks to get the project completed. The books produced

ranged from a collection of short stories to novels to an account of the 1916 Rising. The publishing houses launched their books at a sophisticated soiree packed with VIP guests including parents of the students, the principal Ms McGrath, the deputy principal, Ms Donnellan, and the school librarian, Caroline Farran. Evelyn Lennon gave a heart-warming talk about the value of books in our lives.

3 May 2012 SWORDS GAZETTE 3

EDUCATION Pre-school recognised for efforts

Creative Day’s delight with two awards I NATALIE BURKE

A LOCAL pre-school in Swords has received two much-coveted awards for its hard work and dedication to childcare from the professional organisation, Early Childhood Ireland.

Creative Day’s preschool in Baskin Cottages, Cloghran, Swords, won an Innovation Award given to childcare providers who make outstanding contributions to the early childcare and education sector.

The Innovation in Outdoor Learning 2012 was awarded to the Swords pre-school for the innovative approach it took in creating outdoor space,

supporting language and literacy outdoors. Children, parents and teachers planned and worked together to create their storytelling circle complete with storytelling throne and outdoor story prop boxes, used by the children to dramatise the stories.

Learning

The second award they received was a Learning Story Award 2012, awarded to childcare providers for stories of significant learning moments the children experience through play.

According to the manager of the pre-school, Rachel Oglesby, the staff

were honoured to receive the prestigious award and to be recognised for the educational content of their curriculum.

“The whole idea of the awards is to try and recognise quality and the people trying to lead in the childhood sector by thinking of innovative ways of working. That’s really what we try to do; we try and bring something fresh and new to the pre-school sector.

“We were delighted about winning the award for outdoor learning because we use the outdoors so much in our pre-school. Outdoor play is valuable for healthcare reasons and also has an

Rachel, Thamzen and Rebecca of the Creative Day’s pre-school in Swords

educational content and we were delighted that we were recognised for that.”

Rachel and her team first started on the road of achieving quality services after taking part in Siolta, a quality assurance programme, two years ago.

“We took part in the pilot of Siolta and it was from that, that we heard about Early Childhood Ireland award,” said Rachel.

“The key is to stay engaged in professional development because that really motivates you to do better and it really inspires you when you listen to the research and see what’s working and what isn’t.”

Its new sister service, Appleseed’s pre-school and afterschool, located in Applewood Community Centre, was also delight-

ed to receive an award for Innovation in Enterprise, which was given for its inclusive approach to planning their service. It demonstrated best practice in consultation with all stakeholders, including children.

Creative Day and Appleseed’s pre-school are now taking enrolments. For enquiries, phone 0876373989.

EVENT

Seminar proves a success ABOUT forty small and medium food business owners and managers gathered at the Carnegie Court Hotel in Swords last week to learn the tools to implementing a successful publicity campaign.

The two-hour information seminar was held by the Dublin Food Chain with Fingal County Council and provided local business owners with information relating to the opportunities and challenges of communicating with target audiences using both traditional and digital media including social networking site, Facebook. The event featured food industry speakers, a review of diverse PR techniques as well as a question and answer session for those attending.

The next Dublin Food Chain event will take place on June 7. For more information, see www. dublinfoodchain.ie

4 SWORDS GAZETTE 3 May 2012

TOURISM Major boost for Malahide as Fry Model Railway

Malahide railway is back on track I NATALIE BURKE

nburke@gazettegroup.com

LOCAL politicians, residents and community groups have breathed a heavy sigh of relief this week with the news that the Fry Model Railway is set to return to its new home in Dublin North as the centerpiece of a new €2 million tourism development.

The Fry Collection and Model Railway, which was put in storage last year when it was removed from Malahide Castle during restorations, contains a model of every type of train that ran on the railways of Ireland and is now set to return to its home town of Malahide.

Final negotiations With Failte Ireland and Fingal County Council in the final stages of negotiations over the return of the model railway to the seaside town, it will now be open to the public at the heart of a new tourism development at the site of the old Casino House, which will also involve the restoration, preservation and conser vation of the thatched 17th-century Casino House.

T he breakthrough news was welcomed by a number of local politicians in the Dublin

North area, who together with many Malahide residents, as well as the Gazette Newspaper have been involved in one of the biggest campaigns in the area to bring the Model Railway back to Fingal, as oppose to the alternative choice of Busáras in the City Centre.

Minister for Transp o r t , To u r i s m a n d Sport, Leo Varadkar, welcomed the news for the Fry Collection and Model Railway saying he was delighted that the matter had finally --------------------------

‘I look forward to visiting the Fry Model Railway when it moves into its new home.’

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Minister Alan Kelly

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been resolved. “The Fry Collection and Model Railway will be a valuable addition to the growing range of tourist attractions which Malahide has to offer,” he said.

The proposed €2 million development has four major components which include plans to construct a purposebuilt museum building to house the Model Railway, as well as other

children’s educational displays, a shop and visitor toilets.

Other plans for the development include the restoration, preservation and conservation of the historic Casino House thatched building, the professional conservation of the Fry models and the upgrading of the presentation and treatment of the entire site as a heritage, educational and recreational amenity for the community of Malahide.

Labour Party TD for Dublin North, Brendan Ryan, also welcomed the good news, after receiving a letter confirming the plans from the Minister of State in the Department of Transport, Alan Kelly.

“I am thankful for the residents of Malahide and North County Dublin all of whom will welcome a wonderful tourist attraction back to its natural home in Fingal.

“I look for ward to visiting the Fry Model Railway when it finally moves into its new home”.

Residents part Commenting on the significant work that has gone into securing this project, Fine Gael TD for Dublin North Alan Farrell said: “I am

The Fry Collection and Model Railway contains a model of every type of train that ran on the railways of Ireland and is now set to return to its home town of Malahide

aware of the significant part that Malahide residents played in bringing the Fry Railway Museum home. “ I a m ve r y m u c h looking for ward to seeing the realisation of this project, and the securing of a unique and worthwhile attraction that will be part of the history and future of Malahide.”

The importance of the development was echoed by Fine Gael Councillor Anthony Lavin, who added that, “This announcement is an extraordinary success for Malahide, its residents, the Fingal County Manager and senior staff in the Department of Transport and Tourism, and for those of us who have been working quietly and consistently on this project.

“However it is a particular success for the late Michael Gaffney and the trustees who have represented his wish to have Fry Model Railway back in Malahide.”

Generosity Cllr Lavin was not the only person to acknowl-

edge the generosity of Michael Gaffney, a 9 3 - y e a r- o l d r e t i r e d farmer whose generosity facilitated the development when he donated €1.5 million to buy and upgrade the old Casino House building. In a statement following the latest announcement.

Extraordinary

Deputy Alan Farrell noted that the development of the Casino and the re-homing of the Model Railway was “made possible by the extraordinary donation’ from the late Mr. Gaffney, while Local Fianna Fail Senator Darragh O’Brien described him as the one person we all have to remember.

“Without his contribution, none of this would actually happen,” he said.

Community input Senator O’Brien went on to commend North Dublin residents and surrounding areas as well as the Chamber of Commerce, the Historical Society, the Community Forum, the Malahide Gazette and other local groups for their

effort in lobbying for the move. “Six to eight weeks ago, it looked like we hit a brick wall but the community effort in actually getting this was phenomenal.

“Not only will the model railway be back in its rightful place, but really importantly, it’s going to secure the Casino house building,” he said.

Purpose

“The historical building will now have a purpose and will be secured for all future generations.

“It just shows that when you work together we can achieve very significant improvements for our area.

“Myself and my colleague, Cllr. Eoghan O’Brien, couldn’t be happier; we got the result that we wanted.”

Creation The Fry Collection and Model Railway was created by Cyril Fr y and his family over the space of almost 40 years and contains a model of every train that ran on the railways of Ireland, including experimental

turf-burning trains.

The Dart and Luas are both represented within the collection.

It was acquired from the Fry family by Dublin Tourism in the 1970s and housed in a purpose-built unit in the courtyard of Malahide Castle until 2010.

Closure

Its closure two years ago prompted an outcry from the residents and councillors of Malahide, as well as from train and toy enthusiasts from around the country.

In his statement, Minister Varadkar acknowledged Cyril Fry’s lifelong work in developing the collection and also thanked the Fry family for their commitment to the collection and to ensuring it was properly looked after and displayed.

“I know the local community has been fully behind the efforts to preserve the Casino House and to bring the Fry collection back to Malahide and I am delighted that this will now be possible.” Minister Varadkar concluded.

3 May 2012 SWORDS GAZETTE 5

looks set to come back to town

EVENT: BLUES LEGEND

Mary Coughlan at cultural centre IRISH theatrical torchblues legend, singer Mar y Coughlan, will be performing at the Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre, Naul, on Friday, May 4.

Unique

Mar y is set to tell her unique story in her inimitable style through the many songs she has recorded over the last 25 years of her career,

including a selection from her most recent album, The House of Ill Repute.

The latest album was promoted alongside the release of her recent autobiography, Bloody Mary, when she embarked on a British tour.

The performance will take place at 8.30pm and admission is â‚Ź18.

For more information, call 01 8020898.

GOT A STORY? Councillor Anthony Lavin and Alan Farrell TD outside Malahide Casino

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

6 SWORDS GAZETTE 3 May 2012

TREATY Sinn Fein’s Paul Donnelly gives us his view

Why the Fiscal Compact is extremely dangerous PAUL DONNELLY, Sinn Fein representative, Dublin West, tells us why Ireland should not ratify the Fiscal Compact Treaty and why it will not work THE Fiscal Treaty will not work, what’s worse is that it will enshrine cutbacks and austerity policies into our constitution. This, in my opinion, is extremely dangerous for us all.

Article 3 of the treaty is the most important. It states that government budgets must be balanced or in surplus. The article makes significant changes to the existing EU treaty rules on fiscal policy known as the Stability and Growth Pact.

However, by placing them in an inter-governmental treaty, they are more binding and permanent. This means that, if ratified, future governments will have to implement pro-austerity anti-stimulus budgets in perpetuity. This significantly limits the freedom of decision making of governments in the future, irrespective of the mandate they receive from the electorate.

Interestingly, if the Fiscal Treaty had been in force over the past

number of years, it would not have prevented the current crises and collapse of the economy in Ireland because we had a budget surplus of billions of euro each year.

The Fiscal Treaty is very clear, it will embed cutbacks and austerity into our future budgets.

We will have to endure more stagnation in our economy and, despite promises at the last General Election by Labour and Fine Gael to provide a jobs stimulus package, we still have massive

unemployment that currently stands at close to 500,000 and the resultant mass exodus of our young people through emigration.

There will be more cuts to public services in areas such as health.

This will result in more bed closures similar to the recent closure of the Redwood ward in Connolly Hospital and the now annual closures of day surgical and outpatient services.

It will mean that the current waiting list for speech and language therapeutic ser vices will either remain at 15 months or will indeed get worse.

It will mean more cuts to our children’s education from primary schools to third level.

Sinn Fein was at the forefront of the recent campaign against the cuts to DEIS schools; we have lost SNAs by the hundreds.

Dublin West was particularly hit with the massive reduction in English support teachers. “ [ T h e Tr e a t y ] i s the worst imaginable response to the challenge of recession and stagnation. The agreement will have a far reaching effect on people’s lives by reducing pension provision, cutting public services, eroding people’s rights at work and driving down the cost of labour.”

These are not my words but the words of SIPTU president Jack O’Connor.

With just a year away from the 1913 Lockout anniversary, public service and private sector workers are faced with the same attacks on their rights, their terms and conditions, as recently experienced by workers

Paul Donnelly: “I am urging the people of Dublin West to come out strongly against this treaty”

in the GAME store in the Blanchardstown Centre and the workers of Vita Cortex in Cork.

The Fiscal Treaty will not deal with the debt or the banking crisis. It will mean at least more than €6bn in cuts from future budgets.

As we approach the centenary of the 1916 Rising, one wonders what the leaders of that rebellion and all those men and women who fought and died so that we might be free to determine our own future would make of this treaty and how it significantly undermines our sovereignty.

Solving the Eurozone Crisis We need to solve the Eurozone Crisis by investing in jobs and growth, sorting out the debt crisis by not paying the promissory notes of €31bn to Anglo and unguaranteed senior bondholders in Anglo and other banks. We need to get the exchequer deficit sorted by taxing the massive wealth still in this state and those on higher incomes, eliminating waste whilst protecting those on low and middle incomes.

We need to support Ireland getting back into the bond markets,

through existing EU treaties. The European Central Bank must take action to stabilise sovereign bond interest rates and ensure market access for all members.

After all, the foundation stone of the EU was to build a Europe of partners. This has been sadly lacking over the past four years.

I am urging the Irish people and in particular the people of Dublin West to come out strongly against this treaty.

Paul Donnelly, Sinn Fein representative, DublinWest

3 May 2012 SWORDS GAZETTE 7

CSO: NUMBER OF PEOPLE LIVING IN AREA HAS GROWN BY OVER 8% SINCE 2006

EVENT

Marking World Book Day

Swords tops largest towns

I NATALIE BURKE swords@gazettegroup.com

SWORDS is Dublin’s largest town, it has been revealed after new figures were published by the Central Statistics Office this week.

Further results were published by the CSO earlier this week in a series of Census 2011 reports, setting out details of the population by geographic area and the recent figures show that Swords is the largest town in the county with a population of 36,924.

The number of people living in the area has grown by over 8% since the last census in 2006, with an increase of 2,926.

The latest announcement comes as no surprise to Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Gerr y McGuire

(LAB), who believes that Swords has a lot to offer to its ever growing population.

“Swords is a very good town to live in thanks to its excellent community spirit and goodwill all round,” he told the Swords Gazette.

“There are some really great services within the proximity of the town.

The airport is really close and residents can commute quite readily to their employment as well as having a lot of sporting amenities in the area.

“It is the capital town of the county and always was so I’m not surprised that it has been named the largest town. Any capital town generally has the largest population but Swords has definitely expanded in recent years.”

According to Cllr

McGuire, Swords will continue to grow and will most likely hold on to its title as the largest town in Dublin for years to come.

“It will continue to grow as a town because the population is constantly growing and if it follows the normal course of events, children who already live and grow up in the area will become adults, get married and want their own homes.

“If they want to stay in the area and have their own children, it will continue to be a town of growth.

“They will want to stay where they have access to employment and even though employ ment isn’t great anywhere at the moment, people in Swords will be in a position to commute from where they live,” he said.

Flag bearer: Conor called on to play his part in Bosnia clash NOT MANY people can say they will share the pitch with the Repub-

lic of Ireland Senior team but Conor Purdue, aged 11, of Balbriggan will on May 26 when the Republic of Ireland take on Bosnia in the send off game before the Irish team set off for Poland and Euro 2012. Conor won the FAI/Fingal County Council in conjunction with Swords Pavilions “Road to Poland” competition that took place for 10 weeks in Balbriggan, North County Dublin and he will act as an FAI flag bearer on the hallowed Aviva turf. Pictured with Conor is Ian Hunter, Swords Pavilions centre director.

BUDDING writers at Fingal Community College marked World Book Day, when a number of students formed four publishing houses and launched their ow n books at a special VIP evening held recently at the school.

The Fingal students created four different publishing houses and worked together to create four original books.

With ever y group having authors, illustrators, editors and deputy editors, they worked both at home and at school for two weeks in order to complete the project.

The range of books written and produced included a collection of short stories, novels, and an account of the 1916 Rising, and were then launched at a literary evening at the school held for parents, students and teachers.

8 SWORDS GAZETTE 3 May 2012

EVENT Local bookworms flock to Easons for a Launch Party

Derek drops by for fans

HERE was plenty of excitement at Swords Pavilions recently when Easons held the launch party for their exciting new kids and teens area.

And local bookworms were in luck as Irish author and screenwriter, Derek Landy, was in attendance to sign copies of his books for fans.

Derek is famous for the Skulduggery Pleasant series of children’s books.

Since the release of the first novel, Skulduggery Pleasant, in 2007, the books have achieved immense popularity among teenagers and young adults. The series has been praised by both readers and critics.

T

Patrick and Caroline Cole with their son Ben. Pictures: Peter Doyle

Liam Corr

Carol and Jason Dooley

Elliot and Olga Lambert

Micheal and Oisin Fitzpatrick

Patsy and Alex Russell

3 May 2012 SWORDS GAZETTE 9

to celebrate the opening of their exciting new kids, teen area

Author Derek Landy signing books for his fans

Jasmine, Donovon and Lorna Bentley

James and Peter Dee

Orla and Eimear Mulligan

Katylynn and Darren Kelly

Rima Macken and Oliver Juchnevicius

Odharnait and Emer Tumbleton

Luke and John Burke

10 SWORDS GAZETTE 3 May 2012

SPORT: HEINEKEN CUP

CAMPAIGN Being an ambassador of Irish language

Bod is voted greatest player BRIAN O’Driscoll has been voted the greatest Heineken Cup player of all time in a study conducted by Heineken that analysed the latest opinions, habits and trends of Irish Heineken Cup fans.

In the all-Ireland study, a massive 76% of fans voted Brian O’Driscoll as their favourite Heineken Cup Player, while team mate and Munster rival Ronan O’Gara pulled in 15% of the votes. Martin Johnson and Diego Dominguez each snagged 1% of the fans votes and the remaining 7% of nominations was made up of votes for Rocky Elsom, John Hayes, Peter Clohessy, Yannick Jauzion, Peter Stringer and Stephen Ferris.

The study found that rugby in Ireland is very much alive and kicking, with fans considering themselves to be very passionate when it comes to their favourite sport – 39% of them rate themselves on top of the scale when asked to rate how big a rugby fan they consider themselves to be on a scale of 1 to 10.

Heineken rewarded the fans’ passion last weekend when Heineken Cup Green Zones were set up in a number of participating Dublin pubs, to enhance the excitement and experience of the semi-final which was held on Saturday.

W h e n a s ke d h ow important it was that their province did well in the Heineken Cup, over half of Irish rugby fans surveyed admitted it was “a matter of life and death” while only 2% claimed it wasn’t important.

When asked if their own province was eliminated would they support another Irish province, a massive 66% said they would support another Irish province while a diehard group of 10% said never, choosing to stick by their province no matter what.

Bernard Dunne’s Brod Club was a huge success when it aired on RTE

Dunne delighted with the reaction to show I PAUL HOSFORD

HE is best known as a former WBA Super-bantamweight champion, but Neilstown hero Bernard Dunne has taken on a new role in recent months, as an ambassador of the Irish language.

Bernard Dunne’s Brod Club was a huge success when it aired on RTE in recent months and Dunne was delighted with the reaction the show received, especially from people who had forgotten their native tongue through the years.

“It’s been amazing. I’ve had people coming up to me on the street saying how they were inspired by the show to start using the Irish again. They say things like they wish

they had the Irish again or that they wish they’d never lost it and the show has given them a way to get it back.

“It’s been really positive and I think that starting it at St Patrick’s week was a big thing because people are generally feeling more patriotic around then,” says Dunne, who rose to fame as a fearless and gutsy fighter, but took on a completely different challenge.

The campaign is founded on the belief that there are people with a huge sense of latent pride in the Irish language, people who don’t use Irish but would like to.

It is an appeal to show your pride or your “brod” in the language.

However much or

however little you have, the message is to use it.

Use What You Have is the motto of the show.

While the series may have ended, the campaign lives on. There are still a number of events and activities that can be signed up for on the website, w w w.rte.ie/ brodclub The show reached over 1.2 million viewers in its run and Dunne is keen to highlight the importance of a national language.

“I think it’s extremely important that we have our own language. It’s part of our identity, part of who we are.

“I think the show approached it well in that we asked people just to use the cupla focail that they had. Just start

to throw it in to conversation and see what you can pick up yourself. It’s amazing what people remember of the language once they get going,” says

up a meaning wrong, but you soon become more and more comfortable as you realise that all those years in Irish class were not solely leading up to

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‘I think it’s extremely important that we have our own language. It’s part of our identity, part of who we are’

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Dunne.

Indeed, speaking to him is enlightening as he tends to drop in and out of Irish, which is unsurprising given how he has spent the past few months.

It honestly can feel somewhat intimidating at first, as you worry that you miss a word or pick

writing a letter about your summer holidays.

On that point, Dunne feels that, from his experience, school children and students want to learn Irish, but as a mode of communication, rather than as a school subject.

“The schools we were in, the kids would tell us that they wanted more

conversation, that they wanted to be able to speak the language, as well as write it.

“We’ve talked to a lot of schools and a lot of people involved in education and we feel like it’s important that it is taught as a spoken language.”

Asked whether putting Irish back in the mainstream would be as big an achievement as a world championship, Dunne looks at it another way.

“It’s not about that, really. It’s about doing your own little bit. I’m speaking Irish at home with my kids and getting better at it every day. I’m not fluent yet, but I would love to be.”

For more information on the Brod Club, log on to www.rte.ie/brodclub

3 May 2012 GAZETTE 11

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SNAPSHOT The local stories of the day

Jamie to open food festival TASTE of Dublin 2012 is back with a bang for its seventh consecutive year this summer with world renowned chef, Jamie Oliver, opening the festival.

Taking place from Thursday, June 14 to Sunday, June 17, in the stunning Iveagh Gardens, this year the stylish and popular food spectacular is acknowledging all things Irish with a stellar line up of restaurants, suppliers, produce, food and drink.

Visitors can look forward to great dining opportunities from some of Ireland’s lead-

ing eateries, enjoy high-calibre wine tastings, learn from the best home-grown and international talents, get involved at live chef demonstrations and meet with over 100 industry experts and taste exhibitors.

Paying homage to Ireland’s strong reputation on the international culinary scene, Taste of Dublin 2012 will showcase the stars of the Irish food industry as well as welcoming international culinary guests, who believe in the philosophy of using only the best Irish produce on offer.

Well-known chefs, Catherine Fulvio and Clodagh McKenna, officially launch Taste of Dublin 2012

Commenting on his visit, Oliver said: “Taste of Dublin is a fabulous platform for showcasing the best in Irish produce and cuisine and I can’t wait to kick-off the summer in true Irish style at Taste of Dublin this June.”

Home-grown talent including Rachel Allen, Clodagh McKenna and Neven Maguire, along with Darina Allen, Paul Flynn and Catherine Fulvio, will join forces with internationally acclaimed chefs, Jean

Christophe Novelli and Valentine Warner.

Together, each will aspire, not only to entertain casual dining guests throughout the weekend, but also tantalise the taste buds of the most discerning of food lovers.

Watch out as Volvo, the official car partner of the festival, whisks them across the city throughout the weekend in a fleet of stylish Volvo Ocean Race edition cars.

This year’s new headline sponsor, Electrolux,

will bring the Electrolux Cookery School and Electrolux Chef’s Theatre, a must see for any food enthusiast who wants to learn from the experts.

Tickets are on sale now at www.tasteofdublin.ie or call 0818 30 00 30; with all advance standard tickets only €20 discounted from the 2011 price of €25.

Sign up to the Taste of Dublin Newsletter at www.tasteofdublin.ie for special ticket offers and event information.

3 May 2012 GAZETTE 13

MILESTONE A number of events planned for Dublin Fire Brigade anniversary

Celebrating 150 years of service LAURA WEBB

THE Dublin Fire Brigade is celebrating 150 years servicing the citizens of Dublin city and county, and to mark the milestone anniversary a number of events have been organised for the coming months.

Serving the community since 1862, Dublin Fire Brigade is one of the few fire services in the world whose members are all trained paramedics. Each year the fire brigade receives over 133,000 fire, emergency ambulance and rescue calls.

To honour the fire fighters, commemorative events have been organised, with the first kicking off on May 31 at the Mansion House.

Some of the highlights include the reception with the Lord Mayor of Dublin, a Dublin Fire Brigade Colour Party and visiting pipe band

parade throughout Dublin’s city centre and an An Post official commemorative stamp.

Not only are there events happening across Dublin, but there is also a TV series called Fire Fighters scheduled for autumn on RTE1.

Support

The series goes behind the scenes with the men and women of the Dublin Fire Brigade as they support the community and embark on life saving missions, rescues and non-stop action responses.

The series was created by the same production company, Moondance Productions, which brought the successful series The Zoo to our screens.

Stephen Brady, chief fire officer, commented: “Dublin Fire Brigade has a long and proud tradition of serving the citizens of Dublin city and

county since its early beginnings in 1862.

“The brigade has experienced many changes throughout its history from the early steam fire engines and h o r s e - d r aw n a m b u lances to the current modern fire, rescue and emergency ambulance service.

Proud

“Our 150th anniversary gives us the opportunity to celebrate all aspects of our service both past and present and I am proud to be chief fire officer during this momentous year,” Stephen added.

To find out more about the Dublin Fire Brigade 150th Anniversary Celebrations please visit http://www.dublinfirebrigade150.ie or like them on https://www. facebook.com/pages/ Dublin-Fire-Brigade150

Fire fighters Cormac Wickham, Derek Clare and Dermot Murray from Tara Street Fire Station

14 GAZETTE 3 May 2012

GazettePETS PETS THE FACTS: DEAFNESS CAN CAUSE CONCERN, BUT

Dealing with the fact E all know that cats can be wonderful, yet stubborn creatures.

I mean, all you lovely cat owners reading this will know how frustrat-

W

ing it is when you call Kitty and she simply ignores you, kinda like you don’t matter at all.

But have you ever stopped to think that perhaps Kitty is ignoring you because she is

If your cat ignores your call – she may be deaf

unable to hear you?

Perhaps Kitty may be deaf!

Deafness in animals is not unusual, and sometimes at the shelter we rescue dogs, cats, horses and ferrets

that already have this condition. However, while it may cause concern initially, and bring about certain challenges, there is no reason whatsoever why both owner and pet cannot adapt and lead happy, healthy lives together; especially where a cat is concerned because felines generally deal pretty well with physical impairments.

Here are some guidelines which I hope you’ll find useful.

How will I know if my cat is deaf?

• She doesn’t respond when called.

• She doesn’t realise you’re in the room unless you physically touch her.

3 May 2012 GAZETTE 15

Brought to you by Miriam Kerins of the DSPCA

OWNERS AND PETS CAN ADAPT AND LEAD HAPPY, HEALTHY LIVES TOGETHER

that your feline friend could be deaf • You have difficulty wakening her up from her nap.

• Her walk is unbalanced.

• She appears to be disoriented.

Why are some cats deaf?

Ver y of ten, white cats are born deaf. It’s usually hereditary and is associated with the same gene that makes the cat’s fur white and is common among those white cats with blue eyes.

It’s believed the problem happens at around three to four weeks of

life and is linked to the cochlear blood supply.

However, loss of hearing can be associated with illness, old age or other health-related problems like ear mites, polyps, or even a side effect to certain medications, a visit to your vet will determine this.

Communicating with a deaf cat • Many owners parenting a deaf cat will be amazed they even have the condition. This is because Kitty’s sense of feel is amazing and highly developed and she will pick up the vibrations of

other animals as well as humans.

• A deaf cat will be easily startled so make sure to pound your feet heavily on the floor.

• Try wearing the same per fume or deodorant every day; after all, there’s nothing wrong with Kitty’s sense of smell and she’ll immediately recognise your approach.

• All cats flick their ears when they react to noises but your deaf cat will flick and move in unison in order to communicate with you and other household pets.

Watch her and study the

signs in order to understand what she wants to say to you.

• Make sure you give your deaf cat the space she requires.

All cats like to climb, however, a deaf cat will feel more comfortable climbing higher and sitting on a high shelf will give her security.

Try building a shelf or

seating area in the hot press or suspended from your ceiling; that way she can survey her territory.

• If she’ll allow you, (and make sure she is totally comfortable with this), gently place your mouth against her tummy or her head but do take care not to startle her and whisper some terms of endearment;

over emphasise certain words so that she will know you love her. Once she associates this action with love, she will purr.

• Touch your cat gently every time you enter or leave the room; this will alert her to your movements.

• Never allow your hearing impaired cat outside on her own.

I do hope you’ve found this article helpful; however, please bear in mind, it should be used as a guideline only and is not a substitute for professional veterinary advice.

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

16 GAZETTE 3 May 2012

GazetteBEAUTY BEAUTY Refreshing scent of Yves Saint Laurent’s elle WE already love the signature smell of YSL’s elle, but when limited edition smells come out to play, we have to get our hands on them.

The 2012 limited edition of Yves Saint Laurent’s elle frangrance will be on shelves this May 16.

Always stylish in its bottling, the water colour bottle looks great, with its artistic brushstrokes of vibrant flashes of the YSL shades.

The scent, according to its makers, is sensual and refreshing, with its sparkling notes of grapefruit, sambac jasmine and a spicy savour of pink pepper berries.

For YSL, the woman who wears this fragrance is radiant, impulsive, who plays with light and colour.

Don’t forget to try it for yourself when it hits stores this May 16. RRP for YSL elle Limited Edition is €45 for 90ml.

Showing off that beach body SHOWING off beach bodies means firming and toning hips, thighs, bums, tums and bingo wings, but that doesn’t mean wasting energy in the gym.

A new range of skin products by quirky skin care range, Cowshed, has the answer for anyone a little gym-shy.

The new Slender Cow Range is, according to its makers, “a functional, targeted three-step program to detoxify, firm and tone skin – the ultimate pre-bikini skincare ‘workout’, designed to tone the parts that other treatments can’t reach”.

The Cowshed Slender Cow range consists of: detoxifying body scrub €39.95, body sculpting serum €44.95, extra firming body butter €34.95 According to a spokes-

person for Cowshed, this range contains: “A bespoke seaweed blend of fast-working functional ingredients; Norwegian kelp to help detoxify, pearl moss to rejuvenate and bladderwrack proven to improve skin elasticity. Slender Cow’s body sculpting serum and Slender Cow’s extra firming body butter each contain the unique super-ingredient dermochlorella – a freshwater micro algae, clinically proven to improve skin tone and firmness by up to 46% and decrease the appearance of stretch marks by up to 32% after 12 weeks continual use.”

Here are Cowshed’s three key steps to getting that bikini ready body: Step 1: use detoxifying body scrub – to detoxify, tone and smooth skin,

The Cowshed Slender Cow range consists of the detoxifying body scrub, body sculpting serum and extra firming body butter

with this lu xurious Himalayan pink salt and Dead Sea salt scrub. It purifies the skin, removes toxins and prepares skin for the next sculpting step.

Step 2: use body sculpting serum – to target cellulite, firm, nourish and tone. This

cellulite boosting formulation contains a trio of nourishing oils including tamanu, macadamia nut and borage seed to help strengthen skin, whilst reducing the appearance of cellulite and stretch marks. A blend of uplifting essential oils of sweet orange and petitgrain,

ylang ylang and carrot seed oil all effectively target stubborn areas, stimulating and conditioning the skin, whilst also breaking down vexing toxins.

Step 3: Use Extra Firming Body Butter – to target cellulite, firm and condition.

3 May 2012 GAZETTE 17

Edited by Laura Webb

Shop until you drop with Wonderbra’s brand new website

The new Heidi Klein spring/summer swimwear collection is now available at Brown Thomas

Stylish swimwear for summer ST YLISH swimwear can be hard to come by, but when you find the perfect match it boosts confidence for holidaying in the sun, one brand bringing confidence to the beach is Heidi K lein and the new collection is now available.

T h e d e s i g n s h ave been worn by celebrities all over, from Sienna Miller to Kate Moss, Kelly Brook to Gwyneth Paltrow, just some of the stylish women working the brand.

Launch

To launch the fabulous spring/summer collection Heidi Gosman, co -founder of Heidi Klein brand, will visit Brown Thomas Dublin on Thursday, May 10.

The visit coincides with the launch of Oh Buoy! The summer event at Brown Thomas. Heidi will be on hand to meet customers to chat about the best styles for the many different body shapes that are out there.

What’s great about this design of swimwear is that her designs feature hidden suppor t functions to flatter and enhance.

The look of the 1960s French Riviera is inspi-

ration for both resort and summer collections.

These timeless styles h ave c o n t e m p o r a r y details that add to the elegant shapes and pieces designed for the

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

‘What’s great about this design of swimwear is that her designs feature hidden support functions to flatter and enhance’

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

collection. The hidden support and secret padding with under wiring ensures every fit is perfect for each unique body shape.

Colours of olives, golds and elegant dark grey provide rich earthy colours, while the turquoise of the Mediterranean Sea is referenced in the best selling signature coral and snake print. Nautical navy and white are always well suited to the summer season.

The new collection is available exclusively at Brown Thomas.

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SHOP til you drop online with Wonderbra, after the global brand re-launched its website for customers in Ireland and the UK. Let’s face it, if we are not shopping in the high streets, we are shopping online to find the latest in fashion, beauty, and eyeing up what is on trend. Knowing this was the best tool for its Irish customers the world’s most well known underwear brand – Wonderbra – has done tailored to our needs. www.wonderbra.eu showcases the full Wonderbra collection, replacing the previous site wonderbra.co.uk.

The new site is transactional, allowing Wonderbra to effectively meet the needs of its target consumers who are heavy online users.

On the site there is a store finder and it features the full range of products modelled by face of Wonderbra, Adriana Cernanova, with simple navigation for ease of shopping.

18 GAZETTE 3 May 2012

GazetteMUSIC MUSIC FastTunes with Radio Nova’s Dee Woods

HOMETOWN GIG: THREE OF BEST NEW BANDS COME TOGETHER

Dublin’s finest join up as JD supergroup I ROB HEIGH

EVER hang out with Adam Clayton in Malahide Village? Did you audition for a band at Mount Temple along with Paul Hewson and Dave Evans? Ever make music with Larry Mullen Jnr in the Artane Boys’ Band?

Then congratulations: you know one of the fifth richest musicians in the world!

U2 are sitting at No 5 in The Sunday Times’ Musical Rich List. Bono, Edge, Larry and Adam collectively worth a whopping €625 million.

Although there is a sense of pride (excuse the pun) to see our lads so high up on a list of mostly English and American richies, I do have to wonder — in these tough times — what is the point of publishing a list that may as well be called “People That Will Always Be Richer Than You But Probably Work A Lot Less”?

Yes, I know the likes of U2 and Paul McCartney are worth millions. Sure, haven’t I been giving them my cash since I was old enough to walk to the record shop on my own?

But in case you don’t mind having your nose rubbed in others’ wealth: Just ahead of U2 on the list is Andrew Lloyd Webber with a wealth worth singing about at €720 million; Paul McCartney’s in at No 3 with wife, Nancy Shevall, with €810 million; the second richest musical figure is theatre producer, Cameron Mackintosh, with €885 million, and top of this very high pile is record executive Clive Calder, with €1.65 billion in his pockets.

Maybe I’m being excessively sensitive to this annual printing tradition.

If I’m honest, my biggest problem with this Musical Rich List is the fact that David and Victoria Beckham are on it (in at joint-tenth place with Daniel Ek with €232 million) In fairness, I’d say David’s pre-match mumbling of England’s national anthem has contributed more to the music world than Victoria ever did. I wonder does he ever serenade her at home? “God save the Lean”, maybe?

DUBLIN has been long recognised as a hotbed of talent for young bands who make the jump from the local scene to the international stratosphere, and that tradition looks set to continue with the success and buzz about upcoming new bands, including Delorentos, The Minutes and We Cut Corners.

These alt-rock pioneers are set to take the stage in salute to their hometown roots as part of JD Roots, an innovative new music initiative by Jack Daniels that celebrates the unique influence of home towns on the music and character of some of the most exciting and talked about bands on the current music scene, which takes place in a unique, one-off, free live performance in The Button Factory, Dublin on Friday, May 18.

In what promises to be an intriguing process, the three bands will collaborate for the first time ahead of the gig to explore artists and songs from Dublin who have inspired and influenced their musical style and direction.

The bands will then play what promises to be a thrilling show in The

Delorentos, The Minutes and We Cut Corners line up ahead of their JD Roots gig

Button Factory, where they will perform a selection of songs from their own set lists as well as a selection by Dublin artists who have made the greatest impact on them and their music.

This unique show - the first and possibly only time all three acts will perform on the same stage together - is sure to make its own contribution to Dublin’s rich and evolving music scene.

Fresh from the critical acclaim of their third studio album, Little Sparks, released in Januar y, Delorentos are at the very top of their game.

Lauded as ones to watch in 2012 among music critics across Ireland and the UK, The Minutes have been blazing a trail on the live music scene over the past 12 months, and they were personally picked

by Noel Gallagher as support for his first-ever solo live show with The High Flying Birds at The Olympia.

We Cut Corners were winners of The JD Set Unsigned in 2009 and the Dublin duo have been amassing fans ever since, and received a Meteor Choice Prize nomination for their debut album,

Today I Realised I Could Go Home Backwards.

Delorentos co-lead singer, Ronan Yourell, said: “We are genuinely excited about the chance to work closely with two of Dublin’s great new bands, The Minutes and We Cut Corners, on JD Roots.

“Dublin as a city and a place has a magical and powerful history, something which has had a massive influence on all of us for different reasons.

Through our conversations to date, we’ve all got just a little bit excited about the possibilities and the chance to pay tribute

to some of the artists, which have been shaped

by Dublin was too tempting to resist for all of us.

“The challenge will be to settle on a shortlist of songs and then bringing something new, fresh and personal to them. It should be a really exciting live show.”

Tickets for this exclusive JD Roots performance at the Button Factory are free and are available now at www.jdroots.ie. All those who register will go into a draw for tickets. A limited number of tickets will also be available on the Jack Daniel’s Ireland Facebook page.

3 May 2012 GAZETTE 19

GazetteBUSINESS BUSINESS

Supported by AIB

Interview: Ronan Doyle and Tony Mallon, partners, Compositedoors.ie

Only the very best in doors and windows COMPOSITEDOORS.IE have opened a new stateof-the-art showroom, conveniently located at 3 St Gall Gardens South, Columbanus, in Dundrum, The business, owned by partners Tony Mallon and Ronan Doyle both locals to the Dundrum area, has grown so much over the past 18 months that they decided to open the showroom so that prospective clients can see the superior quality of the Palladio composite doors at first hand.

The partners realised that after the severe winter conditions of 2010 – 2011, there was a market for energy-efficient products, particularly since most of the business in the construction market was now to do with refurbishment/retro fitting. Home owners have also become more knowledgeable about the need to conserve energy in their homes. They also realised that there was no website on the Irish internet which was user-friendly for home owners thinking of changing their entrance door or back door.

Tony has been involved in the manufacture, supply and installation of “A” rated windows and doors to the domestic market throughout Dublin and the surrounding areas for over 15 years, and also supplies to the window and building trade.

Ronan has been involved in the hardwood flooring business for 12 years and has supplied and installed plank and design floors throughout the Dublin region.

REPOSSESSION Q – The arrears on my mortgage will never be paid, let alone the normal repayments. Currently, I am on an interest only facility but this ends next month. My partner lost his job and we can just about afford to feed our two children and ourselves. If our home is repossessed, how long does the process take and can they still pursue us for any outstanding debt on the property?

Theresa - Mulhuddart A - My sympathies to you on your situation. First of all, you are not alone. There are many many borrowers with similar stories. Like Robins Williams in Good Will Hunting AND Enda Kenny said “it’s not your fault” and what is really important is your family and surviving this period of time.

Cash is king and income is your number one asset and you have to protect and prioritise both. Under the Central Bank guidelines, lenders are holding off repossession of homes for up to two years. What is crucial is both budgeting – put down on paper all your expenditure irrespective of income – and communication.

As regards outstanding debt, your names are already on the Irish Credit Bureau for missed payments – and stay there for five years – and if you have a judgment against you, it stays there for life.

But, you may never want to borrow again. If there is a deficit on the home after the lender has repossessed, sold the property and put the proceeds against your mortgage, you then have three options:

Compositedoors.ie is a new venture by Ronan Doyle and Tony Mallon, supplying doors, floors and windows

1. The outstanding balance may be written off by the lender if it is decided not to pursue a bankruptcy

Q&A

course.

2. The lender may ask you to repay an unsecured

When you were a kid, what did you want to be?

Ronan: A fireman.

Tony: A pilot.

What was your first job?

Ronan: Helping the milkman on his rounds delivering milk.

Tony: Grocery shop assistant.

And your first pay check?

Ronan: £14.

Tony: Half a crown.

Ronan: Too many.

Tony: 35.

Ronan: Volkswagen Passat Estate.

Tony: Lexus.

At what time does your working day begin and end?

Ronan: Begins at 7am, when I get up and it doesn’t end!

Tony: 8:30am to 7pm.

Would you ever bungee jump?

Ronan: No. Tony: Yes.

What is the greatest thrill of your working week?

Ronan: Confirmed sales.

Tony: Getting great feedback from happy customers.

When did you start your present job?

Ronan: After being made redundant in 2010, I started my first business Architechural Flooring, and then set up Compositedoors.ie with Tony at the beginning of 2011.

And what part of your job do you dislike the most?

Ronan: I don’t dislike any of it.

Becoming self-employed was the best move I ever made.

Tony: Making the tea.

Tony – I have been supplying and installing windows for 15 years, but set up Compositedoors.ie with Ronan in early 2011.

Do you fly Ryanair or anybody else but Ryanair?

Ronan: I’m not fussy, once I get there I don’t mind who brings me.

Tony: Whoever is cheapest.

How many people do you have to talk with every day?

What car do you drive?

Do you play any sport?

Ronan: Golf.

Tony: Golf.

What is your favourite food?

Ronan: Steak and chips.

Tony: Seafood.

And drink?

Ronan: Heineken.

Tony: White wine.

What is the name of your favourite shop?

Ronan: Compositedoors.ie Tony: House of Fraser.

How many times each week do you go the “hole in the wall”?

Ronan: No idea.

Tony: Twice

How many times each year do you shop for clothes?

Ronan: Three.

Tony: 10.

Where is your favourite holiday destination?

Ronan: South of France.

Tony: Laguna Beach, California.

loan over an agreed period for the outstanding balance on a monthly basis.

3. You can go to court via the personal insolvency route, declare bankruptcy whereby the debt is wiped and after three years, you may start afresh.

Whereas in the past, there was a stigma attached to being declared bankrupt, over the coming years it is going to be a norm. In the US, they nearly clap you on the back on bankruptcy (at least they tried) and they dust themselves down and start all over again.

How many pairs of shoes do you own?

Ronan: Three.

Tony: Six. What other job in the whole world would you really like to have?

Ronan: Professional golfer.

Tony: Taoiseach.

When do you wish to retire?

Ronan: Never.

Tony: As soon as I can afford to.

What will you do then?

Tony – Play more golf!

Keep communicating with your creditors – they cannot get blood from a stone but compassion has to be the order of the day.

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

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20 GAZETTE 3 May 2012

GazetteMOTORS MOTORS RoadSigns Road Signs

Range Rover Evoque-s Car of the Year Award with writers THE Range Rover Evoque has been named Supreme Winner of the Women’s World Car of the Year 2012, as well as the top-ranked model in the luxury car category.

This latest success sustains the exceptional acclaim with which Evoque has been greeted around the world, reflected in more than 110 separate honours.

The Women’s World Car of the Year is judged by a panel of 17 women motoring writers from around the world.

Each vehicle considered for an award is rated according to criteria which reflect issues that are important to women car buyers.

These include practical elements, such as safety, the amount of storage space, childfriendliness, environmental performance and value for money, and also elements such as design aesthetics.

Having achieved the highest marks in the luxury car section, the Range Rover Evoque went on to be named their Car of the Year.

Although the results have been announced this week, official presentation of the trophy to Land Rover will take place at the Paris Motor Show in September.

Responding to the news of this latest honour, John Edwards, Land Rover Global Brand director said: “The Women’s World Car of the Year title further reflects the great market reach of Evoque.

“Across the world, women are a customer base in their own right, so it is vital for any manufacturer to ensure their products meet their preferences and requirements.

“As a vehicle designed, engineered and built in Britain, the Range Rover Evoque continues to demonstrate its world-class appeal.

“We are delighted that as well as the 111 honours it has received for its design, engineering and performance, it has proved just as successful in terms of excellent global sales.”

Mazda’s new compact SUV, the CX-5, is an exceptionally complete car

Mazda’s impressive new compact SUV I CORMAC CURTIS

INBA Ittai… don’t worry, when I first heard those words at April’s launch of Mazda’s new compact SUV, the CX-5, I hadn’t a clue what they were on about either.

But, according to Mazda, Jinba Ittai is the state of “oneness between car and driver” that the company has gone to great lengths to achieve.

Such a lofty and ambitious target is admirable, and, no doubt, the suits in the top-level boardroom at Mazda HQ all nodded their approval when the concept was pitched.

But, as with all visionary developments in the motoring world, it was the engineers and designers who were, no doubt, left scratching their heads when this new and innovative direction was decreed.

It has to be said, those same engineers and designers really did push the boat out on this one.

J

Working from a completely clean slate, the company’s new direction was approached with four key elements in mind: emotional and appealing design, interior functionality and craftsmanship, predictable and responsive driving dynamics, and sustainability. All of which makes for quite a mouthful.

Lucky for us, all of this “blue sky” thinking has brought together each of Mazda’s Skyactiv technologies together into an all-new and very impressive compact SUV. The Gazette was lucky enough to be invited to the launch of the CX-5 in Vienna, where two variants were available for test drives.

Easing into the day, my driving buddy and I opted for the less powerful option, a two-wheel drive, 150bhp 2.2-litre diesel engine with an automatic transmission.

This is Mazda’s first foray into the segment, but everything about the

car suggests that they are past masters at it.

Starting with the allimportant looks, we are talking about something that is unmistakably Mazda, but with an allnew excitement and edge to it.

For me, the design of the CX-5 is absolutely spot-on.

My first glance at the car – well, about 50 of them actually, all lined up at the launch – was a side profile of the “black mica” coloured version.

Even though it’s their first SUV, you wouldn’t mistake this car for anything other than Mazda, while at the same time, it has just as much impact and presence as a BMW X5, but a whole lot more current.

We’re told that the inspiration for the front end of the car is the cheetah, and, even if you never see the resemblance, the look does evoke a slight sense of menace.

All-in-all, pretty much every box in the looks

department is well and truly ticked.

The power comes from a choice of engines, and those available in the Irish market are set to be a 2-litre petrol with 165bhp, a 2.2-litre diesel with 150bhp and a 2.3-litre diesel with 170bhp.

The days of SUV cars coming with 3-litre, gas guzzling engines would appear to be a thing of the past, and the 165bhp automatic version of the CX-5 we tested is rated to achieve a combined fuel consumption of 5.3l/100km, whereas the higher-powered 175bhp version with the manual six-speed transmission can still achieve an impressive 5.2l/100km.

These figures are partly due to the 14:1 compression ratio that the engines achieve – a world-leading achievement in a massproduction vehicle.

Clearly Mazda’s engineers have put some serious work in to the performance and efficiency of these new engines, but putting

all these stats and figures to one side for a moment, it’s also worth noting the features that Mazda have included elsewhere in the car.

It may not be something you will need to use all that often, but the sat nav system in the car is of the TomTom variety – one of my personal favourites.

The interior of the car offers some very useful cargo space, with a threeway split for the seats, all folding down with ease to cater for a variety of load options.

With the seats up, the CX-5 actually offers classleading space in the boot, with space for four fullsized suitcases, beating both the VWTiguan (twothree cases) and the Ford Kuga (three cases).

For those moments of musical indulgence, there is a terrific Bose sound system with nine highperformance speakers and background noise compensation technology.

On the safety front,

3 May 2012 GAZETTE 21

SUPPORT

LOCAL BUSINESS

Mazda’s smart City Brake support feature is also included – offering automatic emergency braking at a 6-metre distance when travelling between

4 and 30 km/h.

Other safety features are a rear vehicle monitoring system, that lights up an LED in your rearview mirror when another

vehicle is passing, as well as a lane departure warning system, where the steering wheel vibrates if you stray too far from the centre of your lane.

This is an exceptionally complete car, and with prices starting at €25,195 for the petrol version, it will appeal to an awful lot of people.

Donation: Raising funds for Guide Dogs IRISH Guide Dogs for the Blind officially

launched their annual fundraising car draw at the Cork City Ford Centre recently. The winning prize is a brand new Ford Focus valued at €20,000 donated by Ford Ireland.

A number of Irish Guide Dog’s staff and their dogs took time to attend the launch. Tickets can be bought on the charity’s website at www.guidedogs.ie or from volunteers who

are selling them nationwide. Tickets are €5 each and the draw will take place on Saturday, December 1.

Pictured are Eddie Murphy, chairman and managing director of Ford Ireland, and Padraig Mallon, chief executive of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, at the launch the car draw with a little help from dogs in training: Hector, Megan, Kuta and Creem.

SKODA have announced their new compact saloon will be called the Rapid.

The car will make its debut in Europe before the year is out.

A Chinese version of the Rapid will be built and sold in China from 2013.

The close to series concept car MissionL China, which Skoda are displaying at Auto China 2012 in Beijing, provides a specific preview of the new Chinese model.

“As part of its growth strategy, Skoda has initiated the largest model offensive in its corporate history and will bring a new vehicle to market every six months on average in the years ahead,” Skoda CEO, Winfried Vahland, said at the brand’s press conference in Beijing.

“The Rapid is our next new model at the starting gate. It has a central importance for our growth and will provide us with a strong tailwind on international markets,” said Vahland.

With the Rapid, Skoda offer an attractive and family-oriented model in a world’s growing segment between the Fabia and the Octavia.

The MissionL design study provides a specific preview of the car’s design and concept.

For the design of the interior Skoda did an extensive research in China and asked customers about their individual wishes to build for them a car they exactly want. MissionL China and the future compact sedan are the ideal combination of Skoda genes and Chinese demand.

Skoda showed the MissionL’s European variant at IAA 2011 in Frankfurt and are displaying a version modified for Chinese market in Beijing.

“MissionL China is true Skoda. It perfectly embodies the brand’s values: fresh design, functionality, roominess, ingenuity, and price to value ratio typical for our cars,” Vahland added.

“This car makes a clear statement: precise and emotional. Lots of room for the driver, passengers and luggage. An ideal car for families. Simply clever.”

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SHOP Skoda make a Rapid leap forward LOCALLY

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22 GAZETTE 3 May 2012

GazetteTTRAVEL

Edited by Mimi Murray

Bath’s Pulteney Bridge (above) and The Old Parsonage (right) highlight the beauty and history in the town, while Bristol (top right) is a walker’s dream, with plenty to see and do. Pics: VisitBath/Dave Pratt

WEST COUNTRY: WITH COUNTRYSIDE IN TOUCHING DISTANCE, BRISTOL AND BATH HAVE IT ALL

West is best with breaks, shopping and sightseeing RAVEL to the west country couldn’t be easier these days with direct flights to Bristol, your gateway to the region.

Whether it’s a short city break to Bristol or Bath you’re after or seeking out the lush quaint honey coloured countryside of the Cotswolds, the English west country offers a fascinating and diverse range of experiences for all travellers.

With a plethora of things to do and see, visitors are also spoilt with excellent quality accommodation, places to eat and drink, histor y, culture, the great outdoors as well as exciting shopping outlets, sure to provide genuine retail therapy.

After your short flight

T

to Bristol (less than an hour from Dublin) , the first port of call for any dedicated shopper is the Clifton Village area of Bristol, offering up many up-market independent shops and boutiques selling jewellery, art, gifts, furniture, fashion good food and more.

For those after a genuine bargain, try one of the many outlet stores in the region, including the Mulberry Factory shop which is close-by.

If your legs haven’t given in, you will be spoilt for choice with a wide range of award winning and reasonably priced restaurants and gastropubs in the area, ser ving some of the many locally brewed craft beers and ciders

from the region.

A relaxing Bath After taking in the sights and sounds of Bristol, the next port of call has got to be the jewel in the crown of the region, the Roman city of Bath.

Built around the only natural hot spring in England, the entire area of the city is a UNESCO world heritage site.

Take a lazy stroll around the streets of this architectural treasure and view the stunning Royal Crescent, the Circus, Pulteney Bridge amongst other gems and finish up with a trip to Thermae Bath Spa, Britain’s original and only natural thermal spa where you can enjoy the warm,

mineral-rich waters as enjoyed by the Celts and Romans over 2000 years ago, now that is real therapy!

A trip to the west countr y wouldn’t do the region justice without exploring some of delights the countryside has to offer.

For golfers there is some of the finest golf courses England has, offering easy great choice and beautiful scenery.

With over 6,100km of dedicated walking and cycling tracks, along with 1000s of acres of national trust parkland there is plenty of ways to find the inner explorer in you.

Such amenities also provide an excellent area for bird watching

and other green pursuits.

The west country is also steeped in pagan, Christian and mythical history, legend and landmarks.

A number of must see experiences includes Stonehenge and the village of Glastonbury whose abbey houses the first Christian sanctuary, visited by none other than our own St Patrick and where King Arthur’s final resting place lies, so the legend goes.

No cheesy pun!

For the foodies amongst us, a visit to Cheddar, the home of cheese is top priority.

Spawning many excellent artisan cheese makers, a visit to Cheddar

offers the opportunity to sample real cheese which is creamy and delicious with a choice of pasteurised and unpasteurised.

You’ll soon forget the rubbery stuff in supermarkets!

A good base for all of these places is a lovely old bed and breakfast called The Old Parsonage just outside Bath, a grade II sandstone house built in the 1680s.

They provide great cooked breakfast with home made bread served on Wedgwood Devon Rose china, continental coffee, yogurt, fresh fruit and various cereals.

For details log on to www.theoldparsonagebandb.co.uk.

3 May 2012 SWORDS GAZETTE 23

24 SWORDS GAZETTE 3 May 2012

GazetteENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT

GoingOUT THE PAVILION THEATRE 01 231 2929 Nubes (Clouds)

EVER watched a cloud turn into a sheep right before your eyes? Enter an enchanting, joyful world full of moving objects and dream-like imagery. Nubes (Clouds) takes a wildly imaginative approach to the theme of clouds, inspired by the surrealist artist Magritte. Audiences of all ages will delight in watching vibrant dances and inventive scenes involving flippers, ladders and puppets in suits. This show can be enjoyed at 2pm and 4.30pm on May 12 and 13.

Tickets start at €40 for a family then range from €14 to €8.

MILL THEATRE 01 296 9340 Opera d’Arte EXPERIENCE all the passions of opera in one spectacular production, featuring leading voices of the Irish and International operatic stage. With piano accompaniment by musical director, DAVID WRAY (musical director: Opera in the Open, Music Theatre Ireland), Immerse yourself in a diverse programme of musical masterpieces including selections from La Traviata, Carmen, Cosi Fan Tutte, Bohème, The Magic Flute, Die Fledermaus and The Barber of Seville. May 9, 8pm, tickets priced at €26/24.

CIVIC THEATRE 01 462 7477 Fruitcake STARRING Mary McEvoy (Biddy in Glenroe) as Della Dolan, Fruitcake starts off as a cookery demonstration but develops into an account of one woman’s life with each ingredient reminding her of past memories and decisions made which ultimately change the course of her life. For two shows at 8pm and 3pm, in the Civic Theatre’s Main Auditorium on May 8, this show is guaranteed to go down well. Tickets are priced at €15 with a €12 concession. There will be €10 special Bealtaine tickets for the matinee.

DRAIOCHT 01 885 2622 Thought Once Was THIS double bill promises to be a visceral feast for the senses. The Space Where Thought Once Was, is an exploration into Dementia. The second work is entitled Scatenato, from the Italian musical term, meaning wild, unchained, and loose. Joining the dancers on stage will be the Contempo String Quartet, Galway’s Ensemble in Residence. There will be just one show, on May 8 at 8pm and tickets priced at €16 or €12 concession are sure to sell fast.

Many captions might ask is it a bird? Is it a plane? But this paper knows the difference between the Marvel and DC multiverses

Gods and heroes The biggest film of the year so far crashes, bangs and wallops its way to our screens. And boy, is it mighty I PAUL HOSFORD

YOU could be forgiven for thinking, with the past week’s inclement weather, that summer is an age away.

Or maybe, if you’re like myself, you know that a much better bellweather of the seasons in Ireland is the arrival of certain films.

Oscar-worthy contenders mean that it is one month either side of Christmas, Adam Sandler’s latest execrable offering means you are either side of the summer.

And the long, hot, rainy days of summer well and truly arrive when the first blockbuster finds its way into cinemas.

This year, the first one up is Avengers Assemble, the Marvel dream team movie that many thought would never see the light of day and has essentially had it’s

FILM OF THE WEEK: Avengers Assemble ##### (12A) 143 mins Director: Joss Whedon Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddlestone

OUR VERDICT: THIS is it. If ever there was confirmation that nerds had inherited the earth it is this. Creator of Buffy and Firefly directing? Check. A faithful comic book adaptation high on action? Check. Scarlett Johannson in leather for much of the film? Check and check. Avengers Assemble is pitch perfect action. It never stops to take a breath and will leave audiences absolutely thrilled.

story being told since the final scene of Iron Man in 2008.

Since Tony Stark’s first outing, Captain America was brought to life as The First Avenger, a reboot made The Hulk Incredible again, Thor flexed his Mighty muscles and Iron Man got a second run.

All of these films had neat crossovers and, if you’ve seen the lot, the early pace of Assemble won’t confuse you.

I f y o u h ave n ’t , i t doesn’t matter because there are super heroes on screen. Lots of

them.

Of course, the biggest reservation to be had with a project such as this is that there will be too many super-cooks to spoil the super-broth, as it were.

But, with the foundations already laid, director Joss Whedon takes the ball and just runs with it.

Not a ponderous run, either, this is full on, balls-to-wall sprinting for over two hours.

This is as close to joy as summer cinema will ever get. Whedon’s script is peppered with

comedic gold and the actors all seem to be having a blast.

Dow ney Junior as Tony Stark is a marriage made in heaven.

Downey has made a superhero role his own to the extent that many associate the hero with the actor, not the other way around, a trap that Val Kilmer and Michael Keaton know all too well.

His acerbic barbs, particularly to Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, are a pleasure, as is the warmth and sweetness that is inherent in Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner.

Ruffalo is the third actor to don the stretchy pants of the verdant monster with anger issues in only nine years.

In lesser hands, the role would be a throwaway or an attempt to ape predecessors, but this is Mark Ruffalo.

The man is simply too good to let a role like this slip by.

Evans’ Captain America keeps the group honourable, while Samuel L Jackson’s Nick Fury keeps them all in line, acting as the world’s largest babysitter.

But, what use is a cadre of heroes if they have nobody to fight?

Enter Loki, Thor’s brother and a reject of Asgard.

He is thoroughly evil and Tom Hiddlestone injects him with a smirk and a swagger that genuinely make you believe he can topple the finest collection of heroes ever.

Overall, this is what you want from the summer.

Fun, breathless and frenetic, it has an emotional depth that few directors could have attained.

Assemble some friends and go.

3 May 2012 SWORDS GAZETTE 25

GazetteGAMING GAMING Breaking down the plays for Madden’s latest run PAUL HOSFORD

WITH the NFL draft having dominated the US media - both sports and mainstream - last weekend, fans of American Football are licking their lips in anticipation of what their new players will bring to the table.

But, with free-agency, the draft and Bountygate put to bed, football fans need the next milestone to look forward to.

For a fan of the gridiron who lives 3,000 miles away from the nearest professional stadium, the marker that the season is here has traditionally been the arrival of NFL Madden on whatever console I fancied it.

From owning it on an oddly-shaped cartridge on the Mega Drive, through PS One and PS2 iterations, it is the one game franchise to which I am oddly loyal.

Part of it is knowledge based. Before I knew the game, the easiest way of getting to know who the guys on the less glamorous squads were was to fire up the XBox and go through the rosters of teams like the Chiefs, Browns and Jaguars.

But, mostly, it is blind faith.

Every year, I go back to Madden hoping and praying that it will deliver the deep, enrich-

ing football experience that I, and many others, crave.

Last year was not the year.

Don’t get me wrong, the 2012 vintage was a perfectly serviceable game, but with no real competition anymore, Madden seems to have gotten lazy.

The absence of the 2K series has allowed EA Sports more or less phone it in.

Think of the renaissance of the FIFA franchise and you think of the years the EA behemoth spent in the doldrums at the expense of Seabass Takatsuka and Konami’s Pro Evolution series.

With that in mind, Madden 12’s major selling point was an improved presentation system.

Yes, seeing your players led onto the field by mascots and announced by position and college attended was nice the first couple of times, but was it really worth a year’s development?

The commentary became repetitive to anyone who played the game regularly and a complete lack of presentation for created or modified teams meant the diamond lost its lustre fairly quickly.

The game’s biggest failing, however, was the franchise mode that was as shallow as a Kardashian and about

Bytesandpieces Nintendo continues its losses DESPITE dominating the Asian marketplace with its new handheld console, Nintendo posted its first annual losses this week, but the $460 million figure wasn’t as bad as first feared.

The losses, which were included in financial results up to March 31, were caused by poor hardware sales.

The company’s net sales dropped 36.2pc compared to the previous year. While Nintendo said it cut the price of its Nintendo 3DS console below its cost price, sales were slower in Europe and the US during the Christmas period than previous years.

It sold 13.53m Nintendo 3DS consoles and 9.84m Nintendo Wii consoles.

Nintendo has said it believes it will make an operating profit of 35bn yen (US$429m) in the coming year, and that it will release games such as New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Animal Crossing to drive up Nintendo 3DS software sales.

It expects to sell the 3DS above its cost price by the middle of the financial year and will also launch the Wii U at the end of 2012.

Madden 13 will let you live the dream – if your dream involves being Matt Cassell

half as much fun at times.

The thrill of unearthing a draft steal in the fourth round was lost because of a clumsy scouting system that requires you to whittle down all seven picks to just 75 players’ physical attributes and then five that you could get full disclosure on.

As anyone who has read War Room, Michael Holley’s seminal account of the New England Patriots success in the mid 00s will know, making a team capable of collecting a championship takes a lot more than knowing that a quarterback tipped to be a highround pick has a weak arm and poor stamina.

The amount of effort an NFL franchise actually puts in to drafting players coming from college is staggering and the art of guessing what each team will do is itself a multi-million dollar industry.

For EA to boil it down to the bare minimum makes the franchise mode feel like a lottery.

It hurts that there is no feedback on likely

weak positions in the following season, nor is there an option to see upcoming free agents like there is in the NHL series, which continues to set the bar for EA games.

While the exponentially superior NCAA Football got all of these things more or less spot on, Madden trailed.

But the good news is that EA appears to have listened to the fans, in an attempt to win back the fans deserting its star title for what is essentially meant to be a little brother.

Changes this year include:

Dropbacks The days of all snaps being identical are gone.

Quarterbacks are getting seven-step drops, five-step drops and so on, which will make the game feel more realistic on both sides of the ball.

Trajectories As someone who plays the game (www. rhinos.ie since you asked) , my greatest frustration has been the inability to throw a pass in anything other than a

laser or a lob.

This year, there will be 25 trajectories to get the ball to the receiver in the most appropriate way.

QB Avoidance Moves You’re going to move more slowly in the pocket this time around – at least when looking to pass – but now you have the eight directions of the right stick to move your quarterback. These little stab moves buy you time to get free and make the play.

Receiver Awareness Receivers never make mistakes. I say this as a card carrying member of the club. But, this year, the icons over receivers will light up when a player is expecting a pass.

This doesn’t mean he’s open. This just means the receiver is looking for the ball. Similarly, you can throw when the icon isn’t lit up, but the chances of a catch are lower.

Other changes include read and react defenses and better special teams.

All of which sound good, whether you know what Green Right Slot Spider 3 Y Banana is or not.

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GazetteSport Sport FastSport

CYCLING: LOCAL RIDERS IMPRESS IN LADIES LEAGUE RACES

Local winners from the Great Ireland Run 2012 DUBLIN Gazette Newspapers is once again delighted to announce the winners of this year’s local prizes for participants in the Great Ireland Run, which took place in the Phoenix Park on April 15.

Here is the list of the top local male and female finishers in the race, who win a specially designed plaque as well as prizes of sports gear - we will be in touch with you shortly.

Blanch Gazette Sean MacSeoin 34:39 Dervila Holmes 39:04 Castleknock Gazette Kieran Gallagher 35:19 Kate O’Neill 36:51 Clondalkin Gazette Mohammed Dahir 38:57 Deirdre Daly 46:56 Dundrum Gazette Peter Toomey 36:41 Aoife Clarke 44:57 Dun Laoghaire Gazette Flavio Rea 40:46 Lindsay McMillan 47:42 Lucan Gazette Karl Fitzgerald 37:40 Niamh Maher 41:43 Malahide Gazette Niall McArdle 35:55 Michelle Tyrrell 45:24 Swords Gazette David Gargan 37:06 Suzanne Sheehy 40:17

Nine different clubs were represented in the top ten finishers in the third round of the Wheelworx Criterion League A race last week

Criterion achieved sport@gazettegroup.com

ROUND Three of the W h e e l wo r x O r we l l Ladies Criterion League saw some enthralling racing, with representatives from Swords well to the fore in the final shakedown in both the A and B races.

In the B race, there was a thrilling 12-lap battle that saw Isabel Cogan from Orwell take the honours, taking the race on the final corner after biding her time behind Swords’ Vanessa Fenton, who had driven the pace in the race throughout.

The race was marked by a high level of co-operation in all of the groups and, in the early laps, the gaps were not being closed, with the Limit trio of Carmel Buckley (Lakeside), Eileen O’Sulllivan (Sorrento) and Cliodhna

Carthy (Orwell) looking dangerous.

By the halfway mark, all three groups were still apart but, with five laps to go, Colleen Foley (Swords) ramped up the pace from the middle group and rapidly reeled in and passed the Limit riders, with only Naoise Sheridan (Orwell) and Rebecca Heaney (SERC) able to stay with her. In the meantime, the six rider Scratch group were all chipping away at the gap to the riders ahead.

Just inside of three laps to go, the Scratch group finally swept up the two groups ahead of them, leaving just Foley, Heaney and Sheridan out in front.

The next move was from Fenton, who jumped across to the leaders with Isabel Cogan (Orwell) tucked onto her wheel,

and when they caught the break with only two laps Sheridan was the only one who could hang on to them momentarily, leaving a three rider leading group, with a five rider chasing group lurking less than ten seconds behind.

Going into the final lap, Fenton continued to drive the pace, while Cogan bided her time, launching her own attack from the final corner, opening up an impressive gap on the drag to the finish line.

Sorcha McKeating attacked the chasing group from the second to last corner, passing Sheridan but just running out of time to catch Fenton before the line.

Sheridan held the chasing group off to take fourth, while behind her Foley won the sprint for fifth from Heaney, Annette Dawe (Cuchu-

lainn) and Julia Carroll (Orwell).

The A race was run over 20 laps, split into two groups, and with a minute headstart given to the Limit group, the Scratch riders were going to have to work hard to reel them in.

Around the halfway mark, with the gap still showing no sign of closing, Mel Spath (Cycleways) turned the pace up in the Scratch group, and while the time gap began to tumble it came at a price as the group splintered under the pressure, leaving only a four rider group to chase, consisting of Spath, Anne Dalton and Orla Hendron (both Orwell) and Laura Banfield (Swords).

Last week’s B race winner Patricia Buckley (Orwell) launched her by now customary attack

with two laps to go, almost immediately building a massive gap which continued to open all the way to the finish.

Monica Marconi got the jump on the remains of the Limit group to take second place, while just behind her Valerie Considine (Usher IRC) won the sprint for third place from impressive newcomer McCrystal, with Niamh Stephens (UCD) and Sinead Roche (Lakeside) taking well deserved fifth and sixth places respectively.

Hendron looked to have won the sprint for seventh Spath timed her dash perfectly to pip her on the line, with Banfield rolling in just behind in ninth. Roisin Kennedy of ESB won the sprint for tenth place, leaving nine different clubs represented in the top ten placings.

3 May 2012 SWORDS GAZETTE 29

CRICKET: LADIES OPEN CAMPAIGN IN ECB DIVISION

2012 DUBLIN SPORTS AWARDS APRIL WINNERS

Batting for Ireland

STARof theMONTH CAROLINE RYAN GARDA’S cycling sensation claimed Ireland’s first elite world track medal since Harry Reynolds back in 1897, winning bronze in Melbourne, as well as setting a personal best and new Irish record for the women’s individual pursuit on the final day of the 2012 world track championships in the Australian city.

TEAMof theMONTH

MALAHIDE CS

AN all-ages golfing machine, Malahide calmly saw off the challenge of Kilkenny in the Irish Schools’ National Matchplay competition to add to the schools’ impressive run of sporting achievements at Naas Golf Club in a thrilling final set of games.

SUMMERTIME, and the living is...soggy.

In spite of the rain, the sun came out and shone on some great performances by our sports stars last month, and it’s time to honour them with the Stars they deserve.

An incredible length of time had passed between successes on the track for Ireland’s cyclists, and Caroline Ryan was a deserving candidate to revise that trend, which she did in style at the world

Ireland’s ladies Elena Tice, Emma Flanagan and Isobel Joyce at the launch of the new national cricket kit

sport@gazettegroup.com

I R E L A N D wo m e n ’s cricket team will begin their competitive season with a double header in Division 3 of the ECB County Championships this Bank Holiday weekend.

The side features an array of talent from Dublin, with representives from Malahide, Pembroke, Merrion, and Rush, and they play their matches in the English county structure, on the proviso that

they play all of their matches in England.

First up for Isobel Joyce’s side is a clash with Leicestershire on Sunday at Bardon Hill, which has a 12pm start, followed by Huntingdon and Cambridgeshire on Monday at Sawston at 11am.

Results Following their promotion last year, the side have worked hard during the winter under the watchful eye of head coach Jeremy Bray, and

are hopeful of another successful season.

Bray said: “The squad has got a great blend of youth and experience, and I’m sure will be rewarded for all their efforts during the close season.

“It’s an exciting time for Irish cricket in general and you can feel there’s a real buzz about the game at the minute.

I’m sure it won’t be too long before the women are emulating the men’s team in terms of results.”

Tag for greatness: Coolmine’s charity rugby event championships.

Meanwhile, Malahide CS golfers claimed the national title with a consummate performance at Naas that belied their young years, and pointed to a long and successful future in the game.

Let us know about your achievements in sport, so that the Gazette can tell the rest of Dublin. Contact us on 01 601 0240 or sport@gazettegroup.com to tell us all about your successes.

COOLMINE RFC in Dublin 15 recently hosted a charity tag rugby day for Mount Sackville secondary school to benefit Focus On Romania, a charitable organisation which aims to focus world attention to the inadequate care of children and young adults in state institutions in Romania.

This year more than 370 boys and girls descended on the club for a day of tag rugby, and with so many teams to look after, the Irish Tag Rugby Association stepped in to help with the organisation of the day.

This year’s Tag Day raised over €3,000.

www.gazettegroup.com All of your latest local news, sport, features and pictures are now just a click away

The squad in full is: Isobel Joyce (capt) , (Merrion); Clodagh Conway (Rush); Laura Delany (Leinster); Emma Flanagan (Pembroke); Cecelia Joyce (Merrion); Shauna Kavanagh (Pembroke); Louise McCarthy (Pembroke); Rebecca Rolfe (Leinster); Melissa Scott Hayward (Merrion); Clare Shillington (Malahide); Alison S m i t h ( P e m b r o ke ) ; Elena Tice (Merrion); Mary Waldron (Malahide).

30 SWORDS GAZETTE 3 May 2012

GazetteSport Sport FastSport

SOCCER: REPRESENTATIVE SIDE JUST MISS OUT ON TITLE

Swords Celtic set to welcome Trapattoni SWORDS Celtic Football Club are set to welcome Republic of Ireland manager, Giovanni Trapattoni, to the Balheary Football Grounds, Swords, on Sunday, May 6 at 3pm when he will launch a new club book, 50 Years of Football.

A club spokesman said: “Back in 1962, little was it thought the way the club would progress to its present size. The fact that some founder members are still involved to see the transformation is testimony of their dedication.”

Today, club membership is over 600 and includes 31 schoolboys’ and girls’ teams, three senior teams, four full-size and three schoolboy pitches, an all-weather pitch and state-of-theart clubhouse.

Swords Celtic FC is now widely regarded as one of the foremost junior soccer clubs in Ireland.

Portrane HC hosting annual fundraiser PORTRANE hockey club will hold their annual fund-raising golf classic on Friday, May 11, in Donabate Golf Club.

For the third year, participants will play for the prestigious Tommy O’Sullivan Perpetual Trophy, which will be presented by the O’Sullivan family to the winning four-ball team.

The event is a cornerstone of the club’s development policy, and is the only and most important fundraising event for the club, helping support the rapidly

increasing numbers now playing hockey in their juvenile section, with up to 180 kids in the Junior Academy from Under-6 up to Under-14 playing hockey every week.

Tee times are available from 9am to 4.30pm, with early-bird booking costing €180, while the full price is €300.

This also includes a four-course dinner, a barbecue on the tenth hole, and a gift intro pack as well as many prizes.

To sign up for a team or for more information, contact Adrian Henchy on adrianhenchy@ gmail.com or on 087 685 9260.

For more information, see portranehockeyclub.com

The DDSL representative side played to their strengths but were unable to match Cork Youths in extra-time

DDSL miss out on league title FAI YOUTH INTERLEAGUE DDSL Cork Youths’ League

1 3

I sport@gazettegroup.com

THE DDSL’s representative side just missed out in an absorbing UMBRO FAI Youths interleague final last Sunday at Tolka Park.

Cork Youths’ League came from a goal down to win the tie in extratime, denying the Dublin schoolboys the title after an impressive campaign.

Both sides came through tough semi -finals, with both teams winning by a single goal as the DDSL overcame the Galway and District

League, and Cork were pushed all the way by the Waterford and District League, winning 1-0.

The two sides have enjoyed a healthy rivalry in recent years, with Cork knocking the DDSL out of the competition at the quarter-final stage in 2010, and again at the semi final stage in 2011.

And this final was no exception, with normal time ending deadlocked at 1-1. Extra-time was required, and the Rebels struck twice in the space of three minutes during the first period to seal the deal.

DDSL winger Peter Hopkins was first to

St Finian’s new supporters: U-8 sponsorship ST FINIAN’S GAA club chairman

Denis O’Keeffe was delighted to announce the sponsorship of the club’s Under-8 footballers by SanDisk, which wasrepresented

by Stephen Duignan.

The sponsorship has enabled the team to be given rain jackets and kit bags. Also at the presentation were team mentors Ciaran Crosby and Barry Shelly.

threaten on 19 minutes when he cut in from the right and drove his low effort a yard the wrong side of the post.

Alan Browne, impressive in the Cork midfield, was responsible for his side’s first real opportunity on the half hour, when his curled free-kick required Nathan Murphy in the DDSL goal to dive full-stretch and bat away.

Sean O’Callaghan had the Dubs’ defence in a spin five minutes before the break when he broke clear to draw a save from Murphy, and defender Eoin Kinsella got back to clear the loose ball off

the goal-line.

It was Dublin who began the second half the brisker, and they edged into the lead on 52 minutes when a flowing move finished with man-of-the-match Hopkins crossing from the right for Alan O’Sullivan to power a downward header into the net.

The skills of Anthony McAlavery on the wing proved to be Cork’s main attacking outlet and, when Adam Zayed tripped the flanker inside the area on 65 minutes, O’Callaghan stepped up to drill the penalty low into the bottom-left corner.

Ringmahon Rangers goalkeeper David Minhane then kept Cork on terms by saving a Jake Donnelly shot from point-blank range, and extra-time was required.

Six minutes in, Cork’s central defensive duo combined to put them 2-1 ahead. Captain Darragh Lucey floated a free-kick from the right which hung in the air for the unmarked Corey Long to get his header in past Murphy.

The tie was put beyond Dublin two minutes later after Conor O’Driscoll followed up Murphy’s save from substitute Stephen Mulryan.

3 May 2012 SWORDS GAZETTE 31

LADIES’ FOOTBALL: LEAGUE ENDS WITH DEFEAT

CLUB NOTICEBOARD FINGALLIANS OUR celebration night / awards night

final between Dublin and Roscommon

will have Sam Maguire as a special

will take place in O’Connor Park, Tul-

guest on Sunday, May 6. The night will

lamore on Sunday, May 6, at 2pm.

include a four-course meal, band,

Well done to Roisin Collins who won

DJ, club awards and a few special

a National Camogie League title with

interviews. All members from every

Dublin Senior B team last Sunday. It

section of the club are encouraged

was the Dubs’ first title in 25 years.

to attend with tickets subsidies at

Roisin also plays with the Dublin

a cost of €30 each. Tickets can be

minor camogie team.

purchased from the bar, www.fin-

The Dublin County Board is pleased

gallians.com , all team managers or

to announce the launch of the Par-

email fingallians@gmail.com.

nell Park Season Ticket for 2012/2013.

Our adult hurlers got their A and F

Existing and new members can pur-

championship campaigns off to win-

chase their pass online at http://

ning starts with a victories over Na

dcbtickets.gaa.ie or by contacting

Fianna and Lucan.

Parnell Park.

Our U-16A footballers run came to

Terrace Pass: €130; Stand Pass:

an end when they were defeated by

€175; currently there are no juvenile

Thomas Davis. Our minor footballers

passes available.

beat Whitehall by a point with a gutsy performance.

The Cadbury All-Ireland U-21FC

Fingallians’ Amy McGuinness in action against Monaghan in the NFL semi-final last weekend. Picture: GAApics.com

Monaghan monster Jackies out of final NFL SEMI-FINAL Dublin Monaghan

0-7 2-9

I sport@gazettegroup.com

THE league season ended abruptly for the Fingallians’ trio of Fiona Hudson, Amy McGuinness and Sinead Finnegan when Monaghan cruised to an eightpoint victory over Dublin in the 2012 Bord Gais Energy NFL semi-final.

Monaghan’s full-forward line of McConnell, Kindlon and Mohan were superb, scoring 2-8 of their county’s final tally of 2-9. Playing with the aid of a strong wind, the Farney pushed on from the onset and appeared in full control in most sectors of the field, with Dublin on the back pedal from the throw-in.

Dublin struggled to counteract or get to grips with the overall team performance and workrate of the Monaghan team.

Caoimhe Mohan, who was a constant thorn in the Dublin side, was unlucky not to have raised the green flag in the 13th minute of the first half. Having shaken off the attentions of her marker, Mohan let rip a thundering shot on Cliodhna O’Connor’s goal only to see the ball rebound back off the butt of the post and into the safe hands of Hudson.

Against the swirling wind, Dublin’s forwards were finding it hard to infiltrate the Monaghan defensive unit, with Sharon Courtney and Grainne McNally in unrelenting form.

I n d e e d , D u b l i n ’s only score of the first half came from Sinead Aherne in the 15th minute. At the interval, Monaghan took a sixpoint lead into the dressing room, 0-7 to 0-1.

Dublin boss, Peter Clarke, reacted to his side’s first-half performance by introducing

three substitutes, Rachel Ruddy, Sinead Goldrick and Natalia Hyland, for the start of the second half.

Despite the changes in personnel, it was Monaghan who got the decisive break and score of the second half when Mohan, in the 34th minute, blasted her shot past the advancing O’Connor.

With their backs to the wall, Dublin rallied and started to show character, with Denise Masterson, Goldrick and Finnegan all battling hard.

Their perseverance was rewarded when they were given a penalty in the 36th minute, when Grainne McNally pulled down the advancing Aherne.

But, while McNally was making her way to the sin bin, Amy Ring boomed her shot off the woodwork and the rebound also escaped the Foxrock Cabinteely woman.

It helped Monaghan continue their dominance, their victor y sealed when Grainne O’Malley fouled Mohan in the small square.

Cathriona McConnell took the resulting penalty kick and, while O’Connor guessed the right way, diving to her right, she could not prevent the ball from hitting the back of the net.

A couple of fine long-range points from Foxrock Cabinteely duo, Ring and Ciara Murphy reduced the deficit but the result was well decided at this stage.

Despite the disappointment of the manner of the defeat to Monaghan, Dublin can look positively on the fact that both injury concerns, Sinead Goldrick and Niamh McEvoy came through the game unscathed, plus it was welcoming to see the return of 2010 All Star corner back, Rachel Ruddy to the Dublin fold.

For all the latest news and fixtures why not follow @fingallians on www. twitter.com

ST MARGARET’S THE Inters are in championship action

overdue, players are now not insured

this Thursday, May 3, v Na Fianna in

if not paid up; furthermore, only paid-

Balgriffin; throw-in at 8.15pm.

up members can apply for Dublin

No lotto numbers available at time of

match tickets this season.

notes. There is an €80 and €150 annual

Finally, match reports are still not

lotto ticket available this year: Please

coming in. Please forward reports

check the website for full details, or

particularly for championship match-

contact Mary Madigan.

es and the recent Feile to info@stmar-

Club membership for 2012 is now

garetsgaa.ie.

ST FINIAN’S A LOT of fixtures were off due to the

Gaelic for Mothers and Others

weather this weekend; however, our

train on Thursdays at 8pm, and they

hurlers won their first fixture in the

welcome anyone that wants to come

junior B championship on Sunday

over for some fun and exercise.

versus Erin’s Isle.

The Lotto jackpot was €4,700 and

Congratulations to our new club

the numbers drawn were 7, 9, 13 and

member, James McKenna, who was

23. There was no winner. The €50

part of the Longford panel that won

winners were Olwyn Branigan and

Division 3 of the Allianz National

Linda Hill. Next week’s jackpot will

League this weekend.

be €4,800.

Many thanks to all those who

For all the latest news and fixtures

donated and bought cakes at our

why not follow @StFiniansSwords on

cake sale on Saturday.

Twitter.

FINGAL RAVENS THE poker classic has been changed

next weekend.

to Thursday, May 3, at 8pm in Kettle’s

Best of luck to the junior D team who

Hotel, €50 per ticket. Contact Desy

play St Brigid’s in the first round of

087-9957427 or Declan 086-2673830 to

the championship at 7.15pm at home

book your place.

this Thursday.

We are running our predictions for

Club membership for 2012 is now

the Provincial Championships again,

overdue. Non-paid-up members

only €5. Forms are available from

(adult and juvenile) will not be permit-

your mentor or committee member,

ted to play until their membership is

or can be downloaded from www.

paid.

fingalravens.com. Completed forms

Lotto numbers were 12, 19, 22 and

must be returned to a committee

30. There was no winner; €20 to Phyllis

member by May 19.

Kettle, Jimmy Browne and Pat McCo-

We are hosting the U-14 football Feile

nnell.

ALL OF YOUR SWORDS SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 28-31

FARNEY ARMY: Jackies’ league run ended by Monaghan at semi-final stage P30

MAY 3, 2012

APRIL ACCOLADES: Winners of Dublin Sports Awards announced P29

sport@gazettegroup.com

FINGAL Ravens’ opening round date with Na Fianna in the Dublin senior football championship has been put on hold for a second time with the tie now set to be played at the earliest between May 16 and 20.

It comes as a knockon effect of the Dublin U-21 side’s run to the AllIreland final which has caused another postponement to the competition, leaving worries that there will be a similar backlog of fixtures as happened in 2011.

The intention was to get a couple of rounds played before Dublin enter the Leinster senior championship but it now looks as if the county board will schedule club

games during the campaign to alleviate the back-log which occurred last year, especially for county champions St Brigid’s.

Speaking about the situation, Dublin chairman Andy Kettle – a Fingal Ravens’ club man – says a final call will be made after the weekend.

“Once the result of the U-21s was known our CCC made that call. It does put us under some pressure, but our hope is clubs and players and county management will facilitate playing a couple of rounds during the course of the Leinster championship.

“Normally that wouldn’t be the case.

Historically we would have kept that period as free as possible.

“Obviously we’d much prefer to go the straight route through Leinster, but if we do end up in the back door route then definitely we’ll have to look again at the scheduling of club games, and how we’re going to fit them in.”

The improved performances of Dublins’ panels has been the route of a series of backlogs in recent times, most notably last year when the county almost had to pull out of the Leinster club championship campaign.

Accommodation from the Meath county board averted that issue but if the senior panel were to go on another extended run to All-Ireland glory, it could well arise once more.

In any case, the county’s U-21 selection comes to its denouement against Roscommon next Sunday in O’Connor Park, Tullamore at 2pm.

They will hope to help the Dubs to a third AllIreland win at this level, following success in 2003 and 2010.

The Rossies have won the title the same amount of times but their most recent success was in 1978 and came out on the wrong side of the result when the sides last collided in the competition a year ago.

They bring plenty of experience from that date with Gary Sweeney starting at centre-forward for Dublin that day and Ciarán Reddin, both part of the current team, came on as a second half sub.

Fingal Ravens’ opening round of the Dublin senior football championship has been put on hold for a second time

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