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ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES.................... 10 DUBLIN LIFE.................. 13 SUPPLEMENT ................17 CLASSIFIEDS ................26 SPORT ...........................28
DIARY: Pippa’s as happy as a fashionista can be at Dublin Fashion Festival P14
Estate vexed by lack of buses KEITH BELLEW
RESIDENTS of Knocksedan have expressed their frustration at the fact that they have been waiting 11 years for a bus in their area, and Dublin Bus still will not commit to a service for the area. The estate, which was built around 2004, lies in an out of the way area at the back of Swords and is not within convenient walking distance of local shops and services.
Speaking to The Gazette, a resident said: “Our estate is a little off the beaten track, but we were assured there would be a bus to service the estate. “Most frustrating of all is that buses actually pass by the estate every day.” A Dublin Bus spokesperson said the area would be considered for service only if it expands further. Full Story on Page 2
It’s a record: Mick makes his mark in Fingal 10km Road Race WITH just one more step, Mick Clohisey of Raheny Shamrock AC, set a new record at the Fingal 10km Road Race recently when he won with a time of 29min, 44sec. The race winner was just one of thousands taking part in this year’s race,
part of the Dublin Marathon Race Series, which saw runners from all across the city, Ireland and further away take to the roads through and around Swords. Maria McCambridge was the women’s winner, with a time of 34min, 11 sec.
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stop! Frustrating delay continues for Knocksedan estate
Residents waiting 11 years for a bus RESIDENTS of K nocksedan have expressed their frustration at the fact that they have been waiting 11 years for a bus service in the area. The estate, which was built around 2004, lies in an out of the way area at the back of Swords and is not within convenient walking distance of local shops and services. A local councillor has said he will continue to fight for a bus service for Knocksedan, following confirmation from Dublin Bus that it has no plans to extend services to the area, but will
keith bellew kbellew@dublingazette.com
re-evaluate this decision if the area is developed further. Many residents moved in during 2004, and Cllr Darragh Butler (FF) said they have been trying to get Dublin Bus to include Knocksedan on their route for years but have not succeeded in convincing them, to date.
He said one of the arguments against extending services to Knocksedan put forward by Dublin Bus is the lack of a turning bay in the area. Cllr Butler said: “They could always continue on and turn at the roundabout at the Naul side of the airport. Even if every fourth bus was to do this, and make Knocksedan its first and last stop, it would make a difference. We will keep up the fight to get a proper bus service for Knocksedan.” Speaking to The Gazette, a resident who
moved into the estate in 2004 said: “Our estate is a little off the beaten track, but we were assured there would be a bus to service the estate. “Over the years we have lobbied politicians, some of whom have contacted Dublin Bus, and the reply is always the same: ‘Dublin Bus has reviewed this issue on a number of occasions and has not been able to offer a satisfactory solution due to a number of factors, including passenger demand, resources [buses] and infrastructure deficit [turning point for buses, layover area and bus stops/footpaths etc]’,” said the resident.
Inivestment Such frustrations have been further exacerbated by the fact that the Department of Transport recently announced a €35m investment in
In response to residents’ concerns, a Dublin Bus spokesperson said: “Dublin Bus has no plans at present to extend services to the Knocksedan area. However, Dublin Bus will re-evaluate the matter if further development of the area takes place.”
public transport, which sees Dublin bus getting 90 new state-of-the-art buses. The resident said: “Unfortunately for the residents of Knocksedan, we don’t seem to feature in their plans at all. I think at this stage we have set some sort of world record – we’ve been waiting 11 years for
a bus. Most frustrating of all is that buses actually pass by the estate every day.” They went on to say that demand for bus services are now higher than ever as new families have moved into their estate, following the completion of the second phase of building earlier this year, and
that such bus services are “not too much to ask for in this day and age”. In response, a spokesperson for Dublin Bus said: “Dublin Bus has no plans at present to extend services to the Knocksedan area. However, Dublin Bus will reevaluate the matter if further development of the area takes place.”
Local aims for success with Big Shot keith bellew
LAURYN Gaffney, a 22-year-old Malahide resident and musical creator, recently received outstanding critical acclaim at the US premiere of her original Irish musical, Big Shot, at this year’s San Diego International Fringe Festival. Big Shot, the musical, was awarded the prestigious Spirit of Fringe award at San Diego International Fringe Festival.
Performed by a cast of mostly Malahide and Swords natives aged 21 to 25, the musical tells the story of a New York city defence lawyer whose career is threatened when a love affair with a struggling Irish artist compromises a new case he has taken on. Gaffney started writing the piece two years ago while spending the summer in Boston. She decided to use her time in college wisely to
Dublin Gazette Newspapers, Second Floor, Heritage House, Dundrum Office Park, Dublin 14 Tel: 01 - 6010240. Email: sales@dublingazette.com news@dublingazette.com web: www.dublingazette.com twitter: @DublinGazette Visit us on Facebook at DublinGazetteNewspapers
recruit people interested in musicals for her cast and after several workshops, the show was performed at DCU. This gave her an idea of what worked and what didn’t. She then spent time tweaking it to perfection before performing it at the O’Reilly Theatre in Dublin in February to great acclaim. Kevin Charles Patterson, executive producer and director of the festival, said the Big Shot cast were an “absolute success”. “It’s amazing to see these talented artists taking the initiative to fly all the way to our part of the world and tackle as much as they did,” he said.
Following a successful five-night run in California and one night in Mexico, the Irish cast were also part of world theatre history as they took part in the first ever bi-national Fringe Festival. Patterson said: “It’s wonderful to see how they’re all able to add international touring to their resumes as they’ve premiered in the United States and Mexico. “Upon their arrival, they hustled their show, busking on the streets and to their avail, they ended their run with a full house that jumped to their feet for an overwhelmingly monstrous standing ovation.”
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don’sdublin Sharp, salty air is peerless for walkers in Dun Laoghaire GENERATIONS of people have been taking a walk on the pier and it is something that I have always enjoyed. Whether the day is warm with a gentle breeze blowing or you are wrapped up against a bracing wind, taking the air is a real pleasure. The sharp, salty air never fails to clear a stuffy head, and the long walk is a favourite for thousands. In the past, the waters in Dublin Bay often silted up making it difficult for ships to land and they would have to stay moored off-shore for days. A small pier was opened in 1767 (Coal Harbour Pier) but it soon became useless. After two disasters in November 1807 when the HMS Prince of Wales and The Rochdale sank with the loss of 400 people there was an outcry for something to be done. In 1815 an Act of Parliament was passed for the construction of “a harbour for ships to the eastward of Dunleary’” and the foundation stone (East Pier) was laid in May 1817 by Earl Whitworth, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. The granite was quarried in Dalkey and transported by a funicular railway that later became the Atmospheric Railway. By 1820 the original plan was amended by engineer John Rennie to add a second pier – and the West Pier was completed in 1827. The East Pier (red for port) is 2.6km (out and back) while the West Pier (green for starboard) is slightly longer at 3.01km. They enclose a 250-acre harbour and the gap between them is 232m. The East Pier is the more popular with walkers and has a bandstand (built 1890s) where, weather permitting, music concerts take place. There is also a memorial to Captain Boyd and his crew who drowned in 1861 during a rescue. And you can see a plaque in honour of Samuel Beckett who also liked to walk the pier – Happy Days!
Don Cameron
www.donsdublin.wordpress.com
Dun Laoghaire’s East Pier is still very popular with people, with many taking the full 2.6km return walk
community Lots happening to highlight Fingal’s past
Plenty to take in at Heritage Week HERITAGE Week runs from August 22 to August 30 this year and Fingal Heritage Officer Gerry Clabby is urging everyone to “get out and about and explore your local heritage”. During the week, there is an exhibition in Swords Castle’s chapel, entitled Swords Castle: My Castle,
which explores the castle as part of the community. This is in addition to the archaeology project, Swords Castle: Digging History – a month-long excavation at the castle led by Fingal community archaeologist Christine Baker, which began on August 17 and continues until September 11.
For further information, see www.fingal.ie/ planning-and-buildings, or follow the project on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fingalcoco. Throughout the week, there are many events happening across Fingal, one of which is a whale watch organised by the Irish Whale and Dolphin
Group in Howth on Sunday, August 23. This will be followed on Monday, August 24 and Tuesday, August 25 by walks in Ardgillan and Newbridge demesnes, led by Tom Hussey of the council’s parks division, to look at some of Fingal’s oldest trees. There are also many
talks throughout the week in local libraries and, from Monday, August 24 to Friday, August 28, there will be a series of lunchtime talks by council staff in the council chamber, County Hall, Swords to celebrate the week. For a full list of events, see the heritage week site at www.heritageweek.ie.
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community Thousands enjoy relaunched event’s activities
Donabate festival hailed as a big hit keith bellew
THE relaunched Donabate Portrane Summer Festival took place recently and proved a huge success, with bumper crowds turning out for all the events over August 7, 8 and 9. The festival was launched at the Waterside House Hotel by Cllr Adrian Henchy (FF) and committee chairperson Wayne Hand. This was followed by the Festival Queen competition, which was MC’d by special guest Adrian Kennedy of 98fm. Local woman Leanne Hunt was crowned queen at the event, and acted as
ambassador throughout the weekend. Saturday was dedicated to children, and began with a hockey bonanza on the new all-weather pitch at Ballisk Donabate, followed by a teddy bear picnic, attended by more than 500 people at Newbridge House and Park. There was live music throughout the evening with the Beat on the Street event at the Donabate Portrane Community Centre, led by local DJ Earl Fitzgerald, who had the crowd dancing in the car park. Both local Donabate pubs, Smyths and Keelings, ran separate music events with a large turn-
out at both venues on the night. The festival reached a peak on Sunday afternoon on Portrane Green as a huge crowd of up to 2,000 people attended the fun fair and the various other activities, including a tug o’ war in which Portrane defeated Donabate. The grand finale of the festival was a country and western night, with a marquee on the green beside the Brook pub. Cllr Henchy paid tribute to the local volunteers who worked to make the event a success, saying: “It was a great honour for me to be part of an unbelievable team of volunteers
who put in enormous work over the past 12 months to ensure the festival was a success . “The community of Donabate/Portrane are very fortunate to have people like Wayne Hand, Carolyn Smyth, Bridget Kealy, Katrina Rogers, John Lynders, and members of the Collins family – Mary, Claire and Niall – who freely and selflessly gave their time, effort and ideas to bring together a wonderful family-focused community festival over the weekend.” He went on to commend Fingal County Council, and both its corporate affairs and community department, and
Members of the Donabate Portrane Summer Festival committee, whose hard work for the relaunched festival paid off with a great turnout this year
chief executive Paul Reid in particular, who supported and worked with the committee behind the scenes. Cllr Henchy said: “We also received invaluable help and advice from Angela Byrne and the
Rush Harbour Festival committee. “The committee are now looking forward to a well-earned rest but are equally excited at the preparations for the 2016 festival. Many thanks to all the local businesses
who supported the event this year,” he said. He said the highlight of the festival for him was the opportunity for family, friends and neighbours, old and new, coming together and showing pride in their community.
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environment: county allocations for two initiatives welcomed
balbriggan
Centre to host a fun day A COMMUNITY consultation and family fun day will take place in Flemington Community Centre, Balbriggan on Sunday, August 23 from 2pm to 4.30pm. There will be free entertainment for all the family, with bouncy castles, magician, face-painting, a children’s train, DJ and demonstrations from various groups using the centre. A community consultation will be held in which people can give their views on activities they would like to see in the centre and on things that need improvement in the area. The event will also give people the opportunity to see the facility, which includes a dance studio, meeting rooms, creche and a fully equipped 600sq m sports hall.
€45,000 funding to clean up Fingal keith bellew
Fingal footie heaven: Children tog out to test soccer skills in Clonshaugh alli Joyce and Aoibhe McEvoy from Kilnamanagh Rockets playing in the girls Under-9 tournament in this year’s Fingal Football Festival. Hundreds of children tested out their football skills at the event recently in the AUL grounds in Clonshaugh. Now in its 13th year, the festival was initially developed as a cross-Border event for boys. It now boasts over 70 teams including boys, girls and events involving powerchair and Special Olympics. This year’s event was the fifth for the girls Under-9s to Under-13s soccer festival and the second running of an Under-8s event for boys and girls. Picture: Orla Murray / Ark Photography
SOME €45,500 has been allocated to clean up Fingal by way of two environmental grant schemes. The first sum, €28,000, goes to Fingal County Council under the 2015 Anti-Litter and AntiGraffiti Awareness grant scheme. This supports public education and awareness initiatives in relation to both litter and graffiti. It puts a particular focus on voluntary initiatives involving schools, young people and community groups. The local authority is getting a further €17,500 under the Local Agenda 21 Environmental Partnership Fund.
This supports smallscale, non-profit local environmental initiatives by communities, individuals and not-for-profit groups. As part of the arrangement for this fund, Fingal County Council will provide matching funding for successful projects. In previous years, these have included community gardens, allotments and compost schemes, rainwater harvesting schemes, educational initiatives and environmental exhibitions. Deputy Alan Farrell (FG) welcomed the funding, saying it would help clean up Fingal and make it a better place to live. “It is vital that we support the many committed
voluntary groups that do such great work in keeping our towns, villages and countryside clean. We all should have the right to live in a clean, well maintained environment.” Any groups seeking funding under the Local Agenda 21 Environmental Partnership Fund should send an application form to the council by 5pm on Friday, August 28. Application forms, local authority contacts, and further information on the LA21 Environmental Partnership Fund can be obtained from the Department of Environment website at http://www. environ.ie/en/Environment/LocalAgenda21/, and will also be available from the council itself.
20 August 2015 swords gazette 7
business State-of-the-art facility on way for Lusk
Food firm’s new plant to create 100 jobs keith bellew
SOME 100 jobs are due to come on stream in Lusk as local company Bally maguire Foods begins construction on a new state-of-the-art food plant in the area. The new facility will take about nine months to complete and the jobs, which will supplement the existing workforce of 150, will be worth just over €4m per year to the local economy. They will include graduate positions in sales and
marketing, food scientists and technicians, research and development, new product development, chefs and general operatives, with a further 100 jobs being generated in the construction of the new food plant. Founded in 2008, Ballymaguire Foods, part of the Country Crest Group, is the largest chilled ready-meals producer in the Republic of Ireland. The new jobs and investment will be used to expand the company’s presence in the UK, which
is leading the world market in the development of chilled convenience meal solutions. Announcing the expansion, managing director Ed Spelman said: “This is a really exciting time for Ballymaguire Foods as we reach a landmark in our growth and development, with strong plans and targets now in place to expand production over the next five years. “Our production capability will now grow to more than 500,000 meals per week, and this will
Ballymaguire Foods’s managing director, Edward Spelman, and chairman, Michael Hoey, survey the site of the firm’s new food plant. Picture: Maxwell Photography
mainly be used to fuel the opportunities we see in the UK and add to our existing business there.” He went on to say that while many companies struggled and collapsed during the recession, Ballymaguire Foods used the time to find new opportunities and grow. “We are now backing ourselves with this
new investment which will help us continue to improve and innovate new food products. Our Irish suppliers will also benefit in the future, as all ingredients, where possible, are sourced on the island of Ireland.” Deputy Brendan Ryan (Lab) welcomed the announcement and praised the work of Bal-
lymaguire Foods. He said: “The Country Crest Group is an important employer in north County Dublin and it is great to see the group continue to grow. “There are exciting times ahead for Ballymaguire Foods and I look forward to these new jobs coming on stream as soon as possible.”
education Creative writing at a castle A COURSE in creative writing for adults is being run in Ardgillan Castle, Balbriggan starting Tuesday, September 15. The same course is also on Thursdays, starting from September 17, and Fridays, from September 18. All courses last 10 weeks and run from 10.30am to 12.30pm, with a fee of €100 for each course. Tutor Ros Campbell promises that participants will find an exciting and fun way to learn the craft of writing, all done in the inspiring surroundings of Ardgillan Castle. For further details on the course, contact Ardgillan Castle at 01 849 2212 or contact Ros at 085 1395 320, or email ardgillan.castle@fingal. ie.
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10 swords gazette 20 August 2015
gazetteGALLERIES
Jillian Munnelly, Sinead Weldon and Sinead Brady
Aaron McConnon and Laura Brennan
Paul Gillart and Peter Murtagh And they’re off ... The runners surge as the flag gets waved at the starting line. Pictures: Stephen Fleming
swords: fingal athletes flow down main street
Stepping up to an energetic 10k run A
Noel Fitzgerald with his children, Senan, Charlie and Keelin
SEA of colour flowed down Main Street in Swords recently, courtesy of the mass of runners taking part in the Fingal 10km Road Race as part of the Dublin Marathon Race Series. Attracting participants from all across the city, the island of Ireland and even further afield, the run saw many harrier club members and dedicated runners taking part, as well as more casual runners who were happy to push themselves to meet, and exceed, their own limits. Once Bootcamp Ireland figures had helped the crowd of runners to warm up and prepare their muscles for the run ahead, the runners were soon coursing down the street, onto the motorway and then looping around through a number of quieter back roads around the town. The runners welcomed the sight of the wonderfully restored Swords Castle at the finish line, with the historical treasure and the contemporary run brought together to help celebrate the energy of Fingal.
Ken Norgrove, Patrick Moriarty and Paul Moran
Clonliffe Harriers Joyce O’Hare, Emma Harding, Aisling Andrews and Alison O’Sullivan
20 August 2015 swords gazette 11
Denise Kelleher, Lorraine Byrne, Liz Keary and Ann-Marie Woods
Daryl D’Art
Gary Mortimer
Brendan Pollard
12 gazette 20 August 2015
gazetteGALLERY
Jenny Fogarty
Susan Roldao and Keitia Ne a Guisar
Anna Walsh, Laura Faulkner, Eamon Fennell, Belinda Kelly and Fergal Finge. Pictures: Brian McEvoy
A sweet evening
B
ULMERS poured on the charm for guests at the recent launch of its new Forbidden Flavours line at The Sugar Club in the city centre recently. The popular cider has introduced a number of new flavours – Cloudy Lemon, Strawberry & Lime, Juicy Pear and Berry Berry – and while the summer has been
distinctly underwhelming, the new drinks went down a treat with guests at the launch. Mode Teo Sutra, Dublin GAA star Eamon Fennell and his fiancee Fiona Creely, and TV3’s Patrick Kavanagh were just some of the guests on the night, with a Mediterraneaninspired BBQ adding to the flavoursome fun.
Ali Tyrrell
Fiona Creely
Tracey Byrne and Edel Maiben
Paula Lyne
20 August 2015 Gazette 13
Gazette
diary P14
asdfsdaf learning curve P27 P17
dublinlife Let Dublin Gazette Newspapers take you on a tour of the news and events taking place across the city and county this week
escape the mayhem P16
a day in the life: actor steven houghton
Working hard to excel at his art aisling kennedy
PERHAPS best known for playing the love interest of Gail Platt in Coronation Street, Steven Houghton is an Olivier-award nominated actor who will be appearing as Captain Von Trapp in the Sound of Music this August. He took time out to chat to The Gazette this week about a typical day in his life. “I usually get up at about 7am and then I make my daughter, Ella, some breakfast. I usually make her some lunch to bring with her to school and then I drop her off at the gates.”
Houghton has two children with his wife Samantha, 15-year-old Ella and 19-year-old Daniel. He said that he likes to stay fit and healthy, so he makes himself and his wife eggs on toast every morning for breakfast, and then he goes for a run at about 10am. “I usually run for about 50 minutes each day around the fields where I live. I live in Hertfordshire, and there is beautiful scenery all around here.” Once he’s finished his morning run, he then heads back home and has a shower. Houghton runs a performing arts school
with his wife Samantha, called Excel Performing Arts Ltd, which is based in the local primary school that his own children attended when they were young. He said that a lot of planning goes into the school, as there are 400 children who attend it. “We teach ballet, jazz, drama, singing and performance techniques for ages from three up to 17. “It’s really hectic, but it’s brilliant and it’s a really good antidote for me when I’m not performing because it allows me to do the acting jobs I want to do rather than having to do it for a living.
“I take acting roles now because I want to do them, which is really nice.” Houghton spends the morning and afternoons planning and working at the performing arts school. He breaks for lunch at about 1pm and always tries to eat something healthy. “We start work at the school at 3pm and we usually finish on a week night at about 9pm, and we also work a half day on Saturday.” Houghton manages to find time in between this hectic schedule to pick his daughter up from school, and he and his wife take turns cooking dinner for
Actor Steven Houghton will be appearing as Captain Von Trapp in the Sound of Music this August at the Bord Gais Energy theatre
their children at about 6pm each night. In the evening, Houghton likes to relax with his family by watching a movie on his iPad. “I love my iPad! They’re absolutely brilliant and
have changed my life. I like watching dramas, thrillers and documentaries. I usually have a glass of wine or a cup of tea to unwind at night and then I head to bed most nights at about 11pm.”
Steven Houghton will appear as Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music at the Bord Gais Energy theatre from August 17 to August 29. Tickets are on sale through the theatre now.
Gazette
14 Gazette 20 August 2015
dublinlife
diary
Dublin Fashion Festival picks a perfect Pippa THIS week saw the launch of Dublin Fashion Festival 2015 in the stunning surrounds of City Hall. Pippa O’Connor was announced as this year’s face of the festival, and had a cutting-edge look in a stunning black jumpsuit. Cocktails flowed with the help of the gang from The Meeting House, and delicious canapes from San Lorenzos were served. Pippa, Rosanna Purcell and a range of other famous faces took in the beauty of City Hall and all commented on how fan-
tastic a location it was for the fashion show that took place later in the night. Clyde Carroll, from Dublin Town, told those gathered that we can expect the best year yet from the festival, which will run all across Dublin city from September 7 to 13.
Computing a way to help ethiopia INTERNATIONAL charity Camara recently fulfilled its commitment to provide 17,500 computers to Ethiopia and train a minimum of 1,750 teachers over five years.
Camara Education is a social enterprise which uses technology to deliver digital literacy skills and equal learning opportunities to children in disadvantaged communities around the world. Camara recently sent its final container of more than 900 computers to Addis Ababa. The charity is working with Ethiopia’s ministry of education to close not only the huge gap in ICT access in remote areas, but also to provide much needed capacity building and teacher training.
The charity is now finalising another agreement which will see the delivery of education continue to spread across Ethiopia, thanks to technology. For further information, see www.camara.org.
a rare chance to study the rising A SELECTION of rare photographs and letters documenting the impact the Easter Rising had on Dublin City has been compiled by TCD. Each week, diaries, letters and photographs will be highlighted in a new
blog entitled Changed Utterly, which is inspired by the WB Yeats poem, Easter 1916. The blog showcases previously unpublished records of the Rising written by ordinary people, from blow-by-blow accounts to comprehensive scrapbooks. Previous posts have included the story of Eileen Corrigan, one of four female students who dodged sniper bullets to make it into TCD to sit exams, and a collection of photographs taken by Thomas Johnson
Pippa O’Connor – the face of Dublin Fashion Festival 2015
Westropp which were taken in the days and weeks following the Rising. They show the damage inflicted on the city and the architectural fabric
of central Dublin, including the GPO, Liberty Hall, the Four Courts and Clerys. T his blog can be viewed at: www.tcd.ie/ Library/1916/
C O M M E R C I A L F E AT U R E
20 August 2015 GAZETTE 15
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while Colour Stay prevents clothes from fading in the wash. Kids will be kids, but our schoolwear outsmarts dirt. Stormwear+ repels mud and oil, while Stainaway (high per-
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Gazette
16 Gazette 20 August 2015
dublinlife
ESCAPE THE MAYHEM
escape the mayhem: singer-songwriter mick flannery
Playing to his competitive chess streak Each week The Gazette speaks to Dubliners about how they like to unwind in a bustling, busy city. Mick Flannery tells us how an uncommon hobby actually stresses him ... keith bellew
RENOWNED singersongwriter Mick Flanner y is a busy man, recording and touring. T his week, T he Gazette spoke with Flannery about what he likes to do to escape the mayhem of his rigorous schedule. His favourite activity is a rather unique one – while some like to exercise or jet off on sun holidays, Flannery
prefers to pit his wits against those of anonymous opponents in online chess battles. He says that while he enjoys this, it doesn’t do much for relieving stress, as there is a leader board system and he tries his very best to maintain or increase his score. “ I ’m a d d i c t e d t o online chess! There’s a website called Chess. com, it sounds really boring, but it’s actually quite exciting.
“I do that to de-stress, but it stresses me out because they have this marking system and you lose points every time you lose a game, so it’s very stressful! “If you go on a losing streak, your score goes below 1,100 and you cry,” he said.
Shouting He went on to say that he plays online chess too much, and his girlfriend hates it because he’s constantly giving her a fright by shouting at the computer. “It’s ridiculous. I shouldn’t actually be talking about this because it’s the one
thing that actually brings me stress,” he said. He currently lives in County Clare but says that he tries to get down to his native Cork every two weeks or so to visit friends and “drink too many pints”. There are a couple of particular haunts he likes to frequent when he’s back in the rebel county, but he doesn’t allow himself to be talked into impromptu performances. “They [the pubs] would be quiet, and I’d be a regular, so most of the people would know me and know that I’m too grumpy to do something like that,” he
On his love for online chess, Mick Flannery says: “It’s the one thing that actually brings me stress”
laughs. You can catch Mick Flannery at the Spirit of Folk festival at Dunder-
r y Park next month, September 18 to 20. For further information on the festival, see
www.spiritoffolk.com, or http://w w w.facebook.com/spiritoffolkfestival.
GAZETTE
20 August 2015 GAZETTE 17
LEARNINGCURVE
FAIR: GET ALL THE LATEST INFO AT THE RDS ABOUT COURSES
Visit Which Course Expo for adult learning advice
WHICH Course Expo is Dublin’s annual adult course fair, and takes place every September. This year’s event takes place at the RDS on Saturday, September 5 and Sunday, September 6, and promises to be the largest event yet in its eight-year history. Attendees can expect to meet numerous course providers offering courses of all descriptions, from IT, languages and sports and fitness to health, beauty and wellbeing, distance learning, business and holistic
studies, to name but a few. The event will include the Seminar Zone – a dedicated area featuring talks on courses and careers such as law, journalism, dream interpretation, angel therapy, broadcasting and many more topics. Which Course Expo 2015 will also feature the ever-popular Career Clinic, where attendees can receive free one-onone career advice from qualified career coaches. Event organiser Kevin
Branigan says: “A wealth of people in the Greater Dublin area – some 150,000 people – will enrol in a part-time course this autumn. “There are many reasons why people enrol in part-time courses, such as for career advancement, self improvement or simply to learn a new hobby or meet new people.” Attendees can meet exhibitors from a wide variety of education bodies and facilities, such as National College of Ireland, City Colleges, Gael
Which Course Expo is Dublin’s annual adult course fair and will take place at the RDS on September 5-6
Linn, Gaiety School of Acting, LA College of Creative Arts, Solas eCollege, Emergency Services Training Institute, DCU Connected, Dorset College, Hibernia College,
Irish Payroll Institute, and many more. Admission to Which Course Expo 2015 is free to those who pre-register at www.whichcourseexpo.ie.
18 GAZETTE 20 August 2015
www.dublingazette.com All of your latest local news, sport, features and pictures are now just a click away
GAZETTE
20 August 2015 GAZETTE 19
LEARNINGCURVE
Learning how to live on your own
BUDGET: SURVIVING YOUR FIRST YEAR AT SCHOOL
KEITH BELLEW
MANY first time students will be living alone for the first time and will have no experience of budgeting and paying bills. Managing your finances is just as important as managing your timetable and study plan. The following is a list of tips for first time students to survive their first academic year. Always pay bills on time to avoid late fees. You don’t want to find yourself in a position where you have several bills to pay at once which cannot be put
off any longer. If you have a credit card, make a personal note of every purchase you make as you don’t want to be taken by surprise with a huge bill. When this dreaded bill does arrive, try to pay it off as quickly as possible, as bad credit follows you everywhere. Never go food shopping when you are hungry, as you will invariably buy too much, some of which is bound to go to waste. Don’t make impulse purchases, always make a shopping list and buy in bulk. Just because food is
cheaper in discount supermarkets doesn’t necessarily mean its unhealthier so shop there whenever possible. Also, these are great places to save money on things like toiletries and household supplies. Always bring lunch from home and try to avoid eating out often. Limit the number of times you allow yourself to eat out over the period of a month. Create a budget, contact your student union to see if it runs second hand book schemes, take full advantage of student discount’s and always
enquire if one is on offer. Look for special offers everywhere and check out second-hand shops for clothes, books and furniture. Investing in a Leap card is a great way to save money. Many students will have to get four buses or more a day, and those few cents saved on each journey add up very quickly. According to Dublin City University: the most recent figures show that the total cost for a student living away from home in self-catering shared accommodation for the eight-and-a-half month academic year is almost €7,000. For those who stay at home the total cost is €3,433. A further nontuition fee, in the region of €400, must be added for non-grant holders attending certain institutions.
Loans to help you in college STILLORGAN Credit Union is offering its members low-rate education loans to help finance college or university fees and other associated costs. Full-time third level students can apply for a loan from the branch from either their own account, or their parents can opt to apply for a loan on their behalf. The branch are also offering another rolling loan – the annual rolling education loan – at a rate of just 6.5% APR. This loan provides students with the option of a loan top up each year for the duration of their course. See www.stillorgancu.ie for info.
GAZETTE
20 GAZETTE 20 August 2015
LEARNINGCURVE
Use Springboard to further studies THE College of Computing Technolog y (CCT) in Westmoreland Street is providing higher education programmes in computing, information technology, and business, and is now part of the Springboard national initiative, which offers access to free higher education programmes.. The five Springboardfunded programmes commencing in September include a Level 6 certificate in science in IT support and development (one year), a Level 6 certificate in web development (one year), a Level 7 diploma in big data technology
skills (one year), a Level 7 bachelor of science in information technology (one year add-on), and a Level 8 bachelor of science (hons) in information technology (one year add-on). Variety
With a variety of additional learning supports provided throughout programme durations, including job-seeking skills training, professional development (STEPS programme), and a work placement, CCT is a great choice for those looking to kickstart their ICT career. For further information, see www.cct.ie.
HOUSING: FINDING THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT PRICE
It’s not easy to find student digs AISLING KENNEDY
SEARCHING for student accommodation in Dublin can be a difficult task with soaring rent prices and high levels of students in need of somewhere to live for the coming year. Firstly, the price of accommodation is a massive factor that needs to be considered when looking for accommodation. Rent prices can range from €300 for a shared room and continue up to €700 or more for a more luxurious apartment. It is therefore, very
important to start searching for accommodation as early as possible before the start of the first semester as the closer it gets to the beginning of the college year, the less availability there will be and the higher the rent prices will be. Tips when searching for accommodation: Do as much research as you can online but also make sure to view the areas and accommodation you are considering renting in. Ask friends or family living in Dublin about what the area is like and ask them for alternative recommendations. Thoroughly check out public transport connections between the college and the accommodation. Some areas can look close to the college on the map but may be difficult to reach by bus or Luas. Also, make full use of any accommodation support offered by the college or students’ union as they will be able to offer practical help and advice. It is important to be aware that there have been scams on students seeking accommodation in Dublin, for example people who pose as landlords and try to take payments online for accommodation that is not for rent. Always watch out for these types of scams and remember if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Know your rights
In most cases, rent is usually payable monthly and in advance. At the beginning of a letting period, tenants are required to pay a deposit of one month’s rent which will be refunded when the lease is up or if the tenant decides to leave once the
lease is up. If, however, a tenant causes any damage to the property, the landlord has the right to hold onto the deposit to fix the damage. Make sure that the landlord gives you a rent book so that tax relief on any rent paid can be reclaimed. Ask the landlord if they are registered with the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB). By law, landlords must be registered with the PRTB and if they have not registered there may be problems down the road. Remember that good preparation is key to
Finding student accommodation in Dublin can be a difficult task
avoiding problems. Don’t forget: There are other ways to rent in Dublin which i n cl u d e o n - c a m p u s accommodation, long-
term student hostels, and accommodation with a family. Make sure to investigate all options to find the best solution to suit you and your budget.
20 August 2015 Gazette 21
GAZETTE
22 GAZETTE 20 August 2015
LEARNINGCURVE
Greenhills College offer QQI courses WHETHER you have just done your
networking and PC maintenance are
Leaving Certificate or are return-
on offer. A Level 6 course in this area
ing to education after a long absence
offers the internationally recognised
you may be interested to know that
Comptia A+ qualification as well as the
Greenhills College are offering full and
QQI Level 6.
part-time courses with certification by QQI (Quality and Qualifications Ireland). The courses, which are eligible to students on full-time basis, offers
The college’s business courses are at Levels 5 and 6, including a medical secretary course. Students at the college can also
nursing studies, healthcare support
take part in the IT Tallaght Scholarship
and community care with the chance to
scheme, whereby one student from
develop practical skills in these areas.
Greenhills each year is awarded a two-
The pre-university courses in the
year scholarship of €2,500 for their
areas of science, business, arts, sports
first two years in ITT. This scholarship
science, art portfolio and engineering,
will be in addition to any other funding,
are also designed to give a solid foun-
such as the SUSI (Student Universal
dation for those wishing to continue to
Support Ireland) grant, which they
third level.
may avail of.
For those interested in informa-
Full details of courses are available
tion technology, courses in software
on www.greenhillscollege.ie or email
development and gaming as well as
admin.greenhills@ddletb.ie.
DUBLIN CITY: THE PEOPLE’S COLLEGE CAN HELP
Courses are on offer for people from all walks of life
IAN BEGLEY
THE People’s College in Parnell Square is offering courses for people from all walks of life and ability for learning. The college has experienced tutors covering a wide range of languages, social and political studies, literature, art appreciation and cultural activities as well as personal development, basic education and communication skills. New courses this year include felting and Qigong, which is an ancient Chinese health care system. On offer again this year is the introduction to hill walking and wildlife, as well as genealogy
and mindfulness which have been very popular in the college over the last few years. Other popular courses are creative writing, languages, music and art appreciation, yoga and pilates. Morning classes in creative writing, yoga, wildlife, and public speaking will continue to take place this year. Important
The People’s College in Parnell Square
T he student committee, elected every two years, also plays an important role in the life of The People’s College. The committee participates in the preparation of the syllabus and with administrative duties in the college. Various activities that take place
are also organised by the committee during the year, which include Saturday outings and social and cultural events. T he societies that the college has include a choir group, a debating society and a drama group.
Find a course that suits you and sign up today by sending an application form or by contacting the college by email or on social media. V i s i t w w w. p e o p lescollege.ie for more information.
20 August 2015 Gazette 23
24 gazette 20 August 2015
GAZETTE
20 August 2015 GAZETTE 25
LEARNINGCURVE
SUPPORT: RANGE OF SERVICES FOR STUDENTS TO AVAIL OF
There is always access to mental health help
ď Ž AISLING KENNEDY
ACCORDING to Aware, a charity helping those suffering from depression, more than 450,000 people experience some form of depression at any one time in Ireland. Students and young people in general, comprise a large portion of those who go through depression as many people experience the first symptoms of depression during their college years. Factors such as living away from home
for the first time, dwindling career options and declining living standards can leave some students feeling lost and alone. This can lead to some students feeling like there is no hope and no help for them – but this is not the case. There is help available on most college campuses in Ireland and students embarking on a college course should be aware that these services are always accessible to them. For any students who may be struggling, here
are a list of helpful services you can access if you feel you need to talk: UCD Student Counselling Service is a free ser vice and is open Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm. For further information, call 01 716 3133, or call into the student health centre in the student centre. UCD also has a programme called Please Talk which is a voluntary organisation run by students and staff. Its aim is to provide information and support to students.
For further information, email ucd@pleasetalk. ie. Trinity College provides support, guidance and treatment options for students suffering from mental health issues through its college health service and their counselling service. To contact the college health centre, call 01 896 1591. DCU runs a counselling and personal development service, which is a confidential and free service and is available to all students. For fur-
ther information, call 01 700 5165, or email counselling@dcu.ie. Alternatively, there is a listening support service called Niteline that is a confidential phone service run by and for the students of DCU, NCAD, RCSI, TCD, NUIM and their affiliate colleges. Niteline is open every night during term time from 9pm to 2.30am, and you can call about any problem you may be experiencing. For further information, see www. niteline.ie, or call 1800 793 793.
Many students go through depression during their college years. Picture: Annifer Photography
26 SWORDS GAZETTE 20 August 2015
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28 Gazette 20 August 2015
SPORT
FastSport Cabinteely park and NRh host games: THE third NRH Spinal Sports Championships in partnership with IWA Sport, dlr Sports Partnership and Spinal Injuries Ireland will be held on Saturday, September 5 in the National Rehabilitation Hospital and Cabinteely Park. Events include handcycling, at Cabinteely Park from 10.30am, archery, wheelchair basketball, fields athletics, table tennis (all in the NRH) and a host of others. Competitors will have been a patient of the NRH. The competition was first introduced in 2013 with 42 athletes from 16 counties taking part across a range of events. Fiona Conroy, senior physiotherapist at NRH and eEvent coordinator, said of the inaugural event: “The championships clearly highlight the huge demand for competitive events in disability sports and we in the NRH look forward to meeting this growing demand.”
gaelic games: O’callaghan, Keaney and Shefflin impart key advice
Hurlers’ healthy outlook sport@dublingazette.com
OVER 250 children lined out last weekend in Parnell Park, Dublin for one of Centra’s Champions of Healthy Living’ events this summer. Hurling stars Henry
Shefflin, Conal Keaney and Dotsy O’Callaghan were on hand on the day to give healthy eating and training tips to young aspiring hurlers from local Dublin clubs. Girls and boys from all
over the county came in their droves to take part in a very special hurling skills session and learn from some of the best in the game. This year’s event has a strong focus on healthy eating and nutrition,
Throngs of young GAA fans attended the event in Parnell Park. Picture: Piaras O’Mideach
Dotsy O’Callaghan signs autographs for young fans
with the Centra Champions providing some invaluable tips on how they can perform to the best of their ability. As well as the fun skills session, children enjoyed a great family day out that brought the whole community together with a host of entertainment on the day. On the day Lorraine O’Connor and her club, St Peregrine’s, won a place in the grand finale of the community events, taking place in October in Croke Park. They will be one of a selection of clubs to take part in the ultimate behind the scenes day
out as they enjoy a special training session, a stadium tour and lots of entertainment. Throughout the summer, Centra has been undertaking a Champions of Healthy Living survey with parents at each community event and Saturday’s event has revealed some interesting findings about Dublin’s eating habits. The children of the capital have a sweet tooth with 29% of them admitting to having a treat such as chocolate or a fizzy drink every day; this is higher than most other counties surveyed so far. However they’re still
eating their fruit and veg with the traditional options still popular. 59% of children picked apples as their favourite fruit with 29% choosing carrots as their favourite vegetable. T he sur vey also revealed that Dublin mums rule the kitchen with almost half of them claiming to do all the cooking in the house and 59% of them making their children’s lunches every day. Parents and children were in agreement that Shefflin is their favourite hurler while the Ballyhale Shamrocks’ man was also picked as their champion of choice.
Spence nominated for World Rugby player of year sport@dublingazette.com
Sophie Spence conducts a training exercise at a Leinster summer camp this week
OLD Belvedere’s Sophie Spence has been nominated on World Rugby’s women’s Player of the Year for 2015. New Zealand scrum half Kendra Cocksedge, France captain Gaelle Mignot and Ireland second row Sophie Spence have made the shortlist for the prestigious award, with the winner to be announced at the World Rugby Awards in London on November 1. Spence was recently named Women’s Player of the Year at
the Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Awards just last week. World Rugby chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “On behalf of World Rugby, I wish to extend my congratulations to Gaelle, Kendra and Sophie for securing their Player of the Year nomination, and for their skill, power, discipline and consistency required to excel at the highest level. “Women’s rugby is one of the fastest growing team sports in the world, and we’re focused on building on the incredible success of last year’s Women’s
Rugby World Cup in Paris which engaged fans like never before.” The panel selecting the shortlist is made up of former players Sue Day (England), Melodie Robinson (New Zealand) and Lucan-based teacher Fiona Coghlan as well as the Sunday Times rugby correspondent Stephen Jones and World Rugby Council member John Jeffrey. Elsewhere, former Irish international and Old Wesley stalwart Philip Orr was elected this week as the junior deputy president of the IrishRugby Football Union. Orr played for the club for over
20 years as a prop and was, for a long time, Ireland’s most capped played in the position with 58 appearances. He toured with the Lions to New Zealand in 1977 and played in the inaugural World Cup a decade later. From there, he moved into rugby administration and was the Old Wesley club president for their centenary in 1991. He also went on to manage the Irish Under-21 squad and has also been the club’s representative to the Leinster branch in recent times.
20 August 2015 Gazette 29
Gazette
Trading places for Irish super stars As Keith Fahey calls time on his superb career in the League of Ireland, Damien Duff begins a new chapter with Shamrock Rovers on Monday in Tallaght, writes NATHAN KELLY T WO of the biggest names to ever grace the League of Ireland have stolen headlines this week, but for very different reasons. Former Republic of Ireland international, St Patrick’s Athletic legend and local football star Keith Fahey announced his retirement from the professional game last Thursday due to longstanding knee and hip injuries. Fahey, who famously made the switch to Shamrock Rovers at the start of the 2015 season from St Pat’s, was also on the books of Bluebell United and earned 16 senior international caps in the Trapattoni era. In a statement about the retirement, the Tallaght native said: “Unfortunately, I have had to come to this decision after taking advice from
the doctor and surgeon. I feel that it is the right time to finish playing professional football. I’d like to thank everyone that has supported me, managed me, and played with me during my time playing football.” Current Rovers boss Pat Fenlon praised Fahey for his short but meaningful final stint at the Tallaght club. “Keith will be a big loss to Shamrock Rovers and the League of Ireland in general,” he said. “He has been a central part of our squad this season and has been a great influence on the players, particularly the younger members of our squad.” Fahey’s career began as a local schoolboy at Tymon North before switching to Dublin giants Cherry Orchard. As a promising teen he travelled to first Arsenal and
then Aston Villa but never settled in his first stint in the UK. He arrived back in Dublin and played LSL football with Red Cow side Bluebell before signing for Pat’s, which would re-ignite his career. Overall, he played 229 times for Pat’s across three spells. He was part of the Saints team who won the League Cup in 2003 but left the club in 2005 for Drogheda United. But, after just a year at United he returned to Inchicore and remained at the club until 2008. Many Irish football fans will cite the midfielder’s performance in the second leg of Pats’ 08-09 UEFA Cup first round second leg tie against Hertha Berlin as one of the best by a League of Ireland player in recent times. Performances such as that earned him a move
Keith Fahey signs on the dotted line for Shamrock Rovers with club chairman Jonathan Roche last November
to Championship side Birmingham City and he played a major role in City’s promotion to the Premier League in the 08/09 season and their League Cup success in 2011. His success at Birmingham earned him 16 senior caps in which he scored
thunderous reception in Tallaght in the 89th minute, right after Rovers got their third goal. Four minutes of injury time gave the crowd a glimpse of their new man and he looked as hungry as ever to get on the ball, drifting everywhere in between the midfield and
--------------------------------------------------------
‘Evert penny I get is going to charity. I don’t want a penny; I just want to play football’ Damien Duff --------------------------------------------------------
three goals for Ireland between 2010-12 including a vital winner against Armenia on route to Euro 2012, a tournament he would miss through injury. He returned home in 2013 to Richmond Park and helped Pat’s win the FAI Cup before moving to Rovers where he made 12 appearances, the last of which came against St Patrick’s in the FAI Cup earlier this year. But, while one former ROI international hangs up his Rovers jersey for good, another is just starting his new life for the Hoops as Damien Duff made his debut for Fenlon’s side as a late substitute in their 3-0 win over Cork City in Tallaght on Monday night. A century of caps under his belt for the national side, Duff entered to a
front-line, playing neat passes and drawing fouls. Fans will now have an anxious wait to see if the former Blackburn, Chelsea, Newcastle and Fulham star will get a starting role against Sligo Rovers on August 29 at The Showgrounds. Duff, who as a schoolboy played for Leicester Celtic, Lourdes Celtic and St Kevin’s Boys revealed prior to his debut that any money he earns from his 18 month contract at Rovers would be given away to Temple Street Hospital and Heart Children Ireland. “Every penny I get is going to charity. I don’t want a penny. “I thought it’d be something nice to do because I just want to play football,” he said as he was officially unveiled as a Rovers player last week.
FastSport
Clontarf’s Cusask steps away from national team ALEX CUSACK has confirmed his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect. The 34 year-old had originally planned to retire following the World Cup earlier this year, but delayed his decision until after helping Ireland successfully qualify for the ICC World Twenty20 in India next year. “I have been thinking about it seriously for a year, especially with the bad run of injuries I have suffered in recent times,” said the Clontarf all-rounder. “Those injuries have taken a considerable toll on my body, and that’s the main reason why I’m calling it a day now. I’m also the father of three young children, and I feel I need to be around more for them. Cusack feels the team’s future is secure, with a wealth of talented young players coming through. “It’s great to see the young guys coming through and I’m certain the team has a great future ahead. “I’d like to thank all my team mates that I have played with over the years - it has been a great honour to play for Ireland with such a great bunch of lads and I wish them all the best in the years ahead.” Since his debut against Middlesex in 2007, Cusack played 174 times for Ireland, scoring 2347 runs at an average of 22.79, while also taking 180 wickets at just 21.86, putting him at 8th on the all-time leading wicket-takers. There have been many highlights for Cusack during his 8 year career in the green of Ireland. He made 47 during a stand of 161 with Kevin O’Brien in the famous World Cup win over England in Bangalore in 2011, while he also took 4 for 32 as Ireland edged out Zimbabwe by five runs in Hobart during the 2015 World Cup. He scored his only century - 130 in 2007 against Scotland - sharing a stand of 234 with Andre Botha - the third highest partnership for Ireland in all cricket. Often seen at his best in T20 cricket, Cusack was named the Player of the Tournament at the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifying tournament.
Gazette
30 SWORDS gazette 20 August 2015
SPORT
fastSport
golf: success for three north dublin clubs in august
All-Ireland chess title won by Malahide side MALAHIDE added the All-Ireland community games chess title to the Leinster and Dublin crowns last weekend, winning the Under-13 competition played in Athlone IT last weekend. On Saturday in the semi-final, they faced a stiff challenge from the Connacht Champions, Ballinasloe with both teams evenly matched. It was a tense encounter, lasting over two hours with Malahide emerging victors by 4-1. Munster champions Shannon provided the opposition in the final on Sunday. Malahide quickly established a 2-0 lead and went on to win the remaining three games for a clean sweep. The panel, which consisted of seven players, was captained by Finn Ellingboe. The other members were Conor Bosson, Isaac Flynn, William Hackett, James Kavanagh, Amelie Kearney and Aisling Ni Laighleis.
Bellewstown win inaugural Fingal pitch and putt RING Commons Pitch and Putt Club was the setting for the inaugural final of the Fingal and East Meath Pitch and Putt Championship with Bellewstown and Skerries battling it out. The pair qualified as the two top teams following a league competition that ran through May and June. Twelve players from each team took to the course in a very competitive final and luckily the rain kept
its distance. Plenty of skill was on display as Kathy Richardson from the Bellewstown Club achieved a hole-inone on the course and both teams tackled the tricky 18-hole course. Bellewstown emerged victorious over their Fingal neighbours and were crowned the first champions of the competition. Iris Cunningham, Bellewstown captain, accepted the trophy and winners plaque for her team, which was presented by Caitriona Geraghty, sports development officer, Fingal County Council.
The Island celebrate their Irish Senior Cup success. Picture: Pat Cashman
Island win Senior Cup title
sport@dublingazette.com
AUGUST has been a month glittering with success for golf clubs in north Dublin with a number of individual and team successes occurring across the country in the last couple of weeks. There were provincial and national wins for both The Island Golf Club and Malahide Golf Club with the former’s women’s team winning the Irish Senior Cup with a win over Kilkenny at Thurles Golf Club on Saturday. The Island were the championship favourites
going into the final stages and booked their place in the Thurles showdown thanks to wins over The Heath in the quarterfinal and Lahinch in the semi-final last Friday in what proved to be a thrilling day of elite golf. It finished 4-1 to The Island, with Amy Farrell, Gillian O’Leary and Gertie McMullen all their matches in between two halved games from Emma O’Driscoll and Anna Courtney. The semi-final against Lahinch finished with the same score. O’Driscoll narrowly lost the first match but Julie McCa-
boys in green Malahide recognised for super facilities AS A Thank you from the Republic of Ireland soccer team to Malahide United for allowing them to use of the magnificent facilities in Gannon Park over the last 10 years, the team took a group photo with Malahide United honorary secretary Eamonn Kane and groundsman Tony “Dicey” Reilly. Abbottstown will be the new base for the Irish team for upcoming training camps.
rthy, Farrell, O’Leary and McMullen all followed up with wins. The following morning, the final win marked the third time The Island claimed the championship and it was their first national triumph since 1929 after an exciting day of top quality golf at the Tipperary course. In the top match, O’Driscoll fell to a defeat against Mary Dowling on 16 before McMullen levelled the tie, beating Sarah Molloy on 13. Katie Aherne put the Cats ahead again, dispatching Farrell on the penultimate green but
the north Dublin club levelled again through McCarthy. The championship was then decided on when O’Leary holed from 6ft for a sand save on seventeen, much to the delight of the sizable support for The Island. The following day, Malahide were crowned Leinster Mixed Foursomes champions on their own course. Malahide booked their place in the final by beating Killeen Castle 3-2 in the morning before defeating Baltinglass in the afternoon after a tense affair.
Earlier in the month, there was individual glory for Roganstown Golf Club’s Jos hua McCabe when he won the Leinster Under-13 series final at Castle Golf Club. McCabe qualified for the finals from his club when he finished in second position. He was also a recent member of the Leinster Under-14 interprovincial Team when the championship was played at Athlone Golf Club and he has also completed with the Irish Under-15 Boys at Roscrea recently.
20 August 2015 SWORDS gazette 31
Gazette
senior success
St Finian’s win the Noel Moore Cup tournament
Club Noticeboard fingallians OUR intermediate hurling team main-
st Finian’s Over-35 side showed that
class is permanent last weekend as they claimed the inaugural Noel Moore Cup, hosted by Naomh Barrog. The side featured plenty of players with first team experience with the likes of Joe Green and Aidan Morrissey among those to shine at the new event on the calendar.
Best of luck to Sinead Finnegan,
with a nail-biting extra time win over
Niamh Rickard, Fiona Hudson, Emer
Lucan Sarsfields on Saturday. The
Ni Eafa and the Dublin senior ladies in
junior hurlers beat Na Gaeil Oga in the
their All-Ireland quarter final on Sat-
league.
urday against Monaghan at 2.15pm in
Well done to the U-10 mentors, play-
football: davey shoots 2-8 in fingal finale
girls aged four- to 13-years-old.
tained their championship status
Clones.
ers and parents who ran a very suc-
The GAA Youth Forum is open to male
cessful girls’ football festival tour-
and female club players in two age
nament on Saturday. Teams from all
groups (12 to 16 and 17 to 21). Attendees
over Leinster and Ulster travelled to
will have the opportunity to discuss
the club to play in the annual festival
and learn more about player welfare,
which is now in its fourth year.
a healthy lifestyle with a focus on
A fine display of skills was certainly
proper diet and nutrition.
on show throughout the day, with
In addition, best practice in terms
some excellent matches being played.
of strength and conditioning will be
Special thanks to all the sponsors and
looked at. The application process will
to all those who helped out on the day.
open to players and clubs on www.
There will be up to 250 children
gaa.ie/youth-zone or contact Aidan
attending this year Kellogg’s Cul Camp which runs until Friday. It is a combined hurling and football camp for boys and
Scully. Well done to all our members and friends who got their results.
st finian’s
Skerries Harps celebrate winning the Dublin junior ladies football championship title. Picture: GAAPics.com
Donnelly hails Harps junior final heroics Ladies jfc final Skerries Harps 2-13 St Maur’s 1-13 sport@dublingazette.com
AFTER a tight and tense all-Fingal final in the Dublin junior ladies football championship, it was Skerries Harps who came out on top against St Maur’s with a 2-13 to 1-13 win in Lawless Park last week. Speaking to GazetteSport a week on from being crowned Dublin champions, Skerries mentor Paul Donnelly was still on a high. “I’m delighted, still delighted even though it’s been over a week now,”
he said. “There’s been a great feeling around the club and all around the town of Skerries. I knew we were capable of really good things but to win your championship is always a special feeling. “I thought our performance was very good,” Donnelly added. “It was a close game, just a goal separating us at the end and that’s heavily down to our defence. I think our defence was slightly stronger and in the end, along with the performances of Lyndsey [Davey] and Sinead [Cullen]. “This was a very good Maur’s side so we can be
proud of the win. They lost in the final this time last season and we know them well, we just performed better on the day and I’m delighted and proud we did.” Dublin star Davey opened the scoring in the final and added the second score of the game just moments later with a free. Aine Gilmore hit a third point for Harps before Davey netted the first goal of the match – she went on to total 2-8. Scoring was back and forth throughout the first half with the score 1-6 to 0-7 at the break.
Maur’s scored their only goal just moments after the restart through Olivia Leonard which put them in front for the first time. Davey then bagged another goal to put Harps back in front before both sides began to exchange points once again. Maur’s needed a goal however and it never came due to sterling efforts of the Skerries backline. Donnelly’s side will now contest in the Leinster Junior Championship in October and await to see whether they will play the Louth or Wexford champions in the coming weeks.
OUR adult camogie team had a great
13. The final camp takes place on Mon-
win during the week against Cuala,
day, August 24 and can booked online
their closest rivals in Senior League 7.
through our website home page www.
The win keeps them top of the league,
stfinians.com.
with only two rounds of fixtures to go.
We have our annual raffle for our
Congratulations to our flying fit
All-Ireland finals tickets. There will be
over 35s team on winning the inaugu-
two draws for a pair of Hogan Stand
ral Noel Moore Cup, hosted by Naomh
tickets, one draw for the hurling final
Barrog. The biggest compliment to the
(Galway vs Kilkenny) and another for
lads was that the organisers request-
the football final.
ed we forward on the birth certs of
Tickets are €5 each and each ticket
Greig Donnelly, Aidan Morrissey, Ross
bought will be in both draws. Tickets
Hainsworth and Joe Greene.
are available from any committee
The U-15 footballers had a great
member.
away win against Ballyboden St Enda’s
The lotto jackpot was €4,400 this
on Saturday. Stand out performances
week and the numbers drawn were 1,
from Brian Lynch in goal, Jack Demp-
9, 11 and 23. There was no jackpot win-
sey in defence, Brandon Caffrey and
ner.
Carl Gerrard in the forwards. The summer camps are back this week for boys and girls aged five to
The €25 lucky dip winners were Liz Fagan, Betty Cashen, Gavin Moore, Jennifer Ryan.
fingal ravens OUR Fingal Ravens GFC annual golf
ate your own Reaching Out video and
classic takes place on Saturday,
to nominate three people.
August 22 in Swords Open Golf Club. A
The club would like to send best
team of four costs €160; if you would
wishes to Darren McCarthy who suf-
like to sponsor a hole it’s €50.
fered a broken shoulder last week. We
Tee times are from 10.30am to 2pm.
wish you a speedy recovery.
We are also looking for prize donations
The Dermot Early Leadership Ini-
for the event. Please contact Alan (087
tiative is starting in September and
0651219) to book your team (members
Fingal Ravens have been successful
are encouraged to bring along non-
in securing three of these places with
members to this event if at all possi-
the following members: Alan Manning
ble), sponsor a hole or donate a prize.
(minor), Amber Keane (U-16) and Mark
Your support is appreciated.
Fitzachary (U-16/minor). Congratula-
A big thank you to all who are sup-
tions to all three. Once they complete
porting our Reaching Out campaign
the course, they will graduate with a
online. Don’t forget to like our Reach-
foundation certificate in leadership
ing Out page on Facebook and to cre-
and community action.
GazetteSPORT all of your swords sports coverage from page 28-31
august 20-26, 2015
places: knees up: The Island win Irish Senior Cup for third Trading Irish star Fahey retires as Duff time on a stunning weekend for local golf clubs P30 makes Hoops debut P29
Swords Celtic in action last season against TEK United
Swords new horizons Balheary club given permission to start season late as new manager Niall Hudson looks forward to life in the LSL Sunday Senior 1 division nathan kelly
sport@dublingazette.com
WITH the 2015-16 LSL intermediate season kicking off this weekend, newly appointed Swords Celtic boss and former Celtic player Niall Hudson insists his players are raring to go. Unfortunately for those players, Swords’ campaign will not kick-off until early September after the side were given permission from the LSL to begin later due to a number of players being out of the country and other reasons. Despite not starting this weekend, Hudson still gave us the opportunity pick his brain
ahead of the weekend. “I’m really looking forward to it,” he said. “It’s going to be a challenge in a really tough league, but we’ve some good players and hopefully we can do well.” Hudson is a local to Swords and has good pedigree despite his short managerial career thus far. Having been once on the books at Nottingham Forest, the talented full-back then spent time in lower leagues of English football before moving home to Dublin City and then Dundalk before signing up for hometown side Swords. Celtic have won promotion two years in a row, but now find themselves in the second tier of the LSL, Senior Division 1 Sunday, and the 32-year-old manager admitted promotion
may be a bit too much to ask for at the first attempt. “We’ve done really well to get back-to-back promotions but if you’re asking me is that the target again this year, I would say you’re always looking to at least get promotion but it’s probably a bit too much to ask for this year,” said Hudson. “It might take a couple of games to find our feet at this level and then see how we are. There are some really strong teams in this league but our players are raring to test themselves so it should be exciting.” Hudson previously worked as assistant manager at Duleek alongside fellow former League of Ireland star Trevor Molloy last sea-
son and only stepped into his new role a couple of weeks ago. He has managed to sign up a couple of new faces in that time but insists there is still work to be done on the recruiting front. “I’ve brought Gavin Whelan back to the club, who is a good man to have in the middle of the park and has plenty of experience. I’ve also brought a lad in from Navan, and I am working on a good few more. “I’m only in the job a couple of weeks but I have targets. The emphasis is probably on experience because we’ve a lot of good young players but need a few older heads to come in, you need a good mix of both and experience can be vital at this level.”