Swords

Swords GAZET TE FREE

Gazette Style and Littlewoods Ireland help readers with fashion dilemmas

SEE PAGE 23 February 28, 2013 Find us on

Month XX, 2012 SWORDS • BALBRIGGAN • APPLEWOOD • BOROIMHE • AIRSIDE • RIVERVALLEY

INSIDE: Make sure mum’s the word on March 10 with our Mother’s Day feature P18

Stars:

Fourth annual Gazette Sports Awards preview Page 28

Boxing:

Fagan set for a crack at world championship Page 30

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

LOVE IS IN THE AIR: Swords Pavilions plays host to romantic Valentine’s Day Page 6

Locals act to combat erosion  NATALIE BURKE

PORTRANE residents are taking matters into their own hands in order to address the ongoing erosion problems along the coastline at the seaside town.

Members of the local community took to the coast once again in another bid to combat further damage.

Armed with sandbags and a JCB, local residents began remedial works

in an effort to provide a short-term solution to the problem.

“Over the last 10 years we’ve been trying to stop the erosion, but Mother Nature has taken over,” explained Raymond Brett, chair of the Burrows Residents Association.

Residents will take to the coast once again this Saturday, March 2 and are calling on local people to help out.

Full Story on Page 2

On the ball: Shelbourne FC sign up a Swords sponsor SWORDS-BASED McAllister

Volkswagen have announced that it has entered into a sponsorship deal with the iconic Irish league football team Shelbourne FC. Like Shelbourne FC - McAllister Volkswagen is also enjoy-

ing a period of resurgence since December 2012 when it became part of the Joe Duffy Motor Group. Pictured, from right: model Tiffany Stanley and Gavin Hydes, group managing director, Joe Duffy Motor Group.

2 swords gazette 28 February 2013

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

portrane True community spirit shown

Block 3A, Mill Bank Business Park, Lucan Tel: 01 - 6010240 Dublin Gazette Newspapers publish eight weekly quality free titles, covering the greater Dublin area from Swords to Dun Laoghaire

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JCB driver Brendan Cahill helps to fill sand bags. Picture: Una Williams

Residents in battle to stop coastal erosion The people of Portrane have showed true community spirit in recent weeks working together to combat the issue of coastal erosion.

The erosion has plagued the town’s coastline for decades and, despite numerous efforts by the local community in recent years, residents took to the coast once again last week in another bid to prevent further damage.

Short-term solution On Saturday, February 16, local residents a n d r e p r e s e n t a t i ve s began remedial works in an effort to provide

 natalie burke nburke@gazettegroup.com

a short-term solution to the increasingly dangerous problem.

Armed with sandbags and with the help of machinery, the residents began to build a wall to help prevent immediate and future erosion. “ We k n ow F i n g a l County Council are doing what they can at the moment, but we were in a situation where we

couldn’t wait any longer and had to make some kind of effort to save what is left,” explained Raymond Brett, a local resident and chair of the Burrows Residents Association.

“We had the goodwill of some local men who gave us the use of a JCB and other machinery, as well as some of the politicians who helped source a ton of empty bags.

“But as a community, we have done a lot off our own bat and with our own money.

“Over the last 10 to 12 years we’ve been trying to put in measures

to stop the erosion but Mo t h e r N a t u r e h a s taken over.

“The sandbags aren’t a permanent measure – they’re an interim measure to help stop any further erosion,” he said.

Local Swords Councillor Darragh Butler (FF) said he is urging people to help at the next organised effort.

“I applaud everyone who turned out and I urge people to come out and help on the next occasion too.

“It seemed to go very well on the day, there was a good turnout and they got a lot done, but it is going to take many

more weeks,” he said.

“It isn’t something that can be achieved in just two or three weekends and it is only a short-term solution to provide immediate cover to stop the bank being breached.”

According to Raymond, the project is down to the goodwill of the community.

“It’s frustrating but we ’ ve a l w ay s d o n e it. We always get our hands dirty to get the job done. The next date is to be confirmed, but we hope more people will come out and help us,” he said.

See Gallery on Page 7

Finance Bill can create airport jobs - Farrell LOCAL TD Alan Farrell (FG) has welcomed the new Finance Bill 2013, stating that it can help promote job creation at Dublin Airport.

According to Deputy Farrell, measures introduced in the Bill, which passed through the Dail

last week, will benefit jobs and growth at the airport.

“There will be an increase in tax allowances for facilities, and an acceleration of investment schemes for maintenance and repair operations, in order to incentivise this sector to invest in

construction or refurbishment, and therefore stimulate job creation,” said Deputy Farrell.

“I am pleased that the Minister has recognised the importance of our aviation industry within this category. For every one job created in Dublin Airport, four

jobs are created in the region as a direct result and this quantifies the value of investment in this sector for Dublin Fingal.

“I very much welcome the fact that government is supporting Dublin Airport and its related services.”

28 February 2013 SWORDS GAZETTE 3

TK MAXX

ACTION PLAN: SMALL BUSINESSES AND START-UPS BEING TARGETED

Give up yer oul clothes

Job creation move wins FG deputy’s praise

www.

GOVERNMENT plans to build on last year’s Action Plan For Jobs and make a major impact on job creation this year have been welcomed by Fine Gael TD, Alan Farrell.

The 2013 plan aims to target job creation in small businesses and start-ups, as well as multinational companies.

Deputy Farrell also welcomed the JobsPlus initiative, which is one of seven disruptive reform measures included in the plan, which will help to get the long-term unemployed back to work.

“The Action Plan For Jobs 2013 is an ambitious document containing 333 actions to be implemented across 16 government departments and 46 agencies aimed at stimu-

lating job creation. The plan contains actions to support business, reduce costs, improve access to finance and target key growth sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and ICT,” said Farrell.

“This is the government’s blueprint for boosting the number of jobs by 100,000 by 2016 and will build on the progress made in 2012, when 12,000 net new jobs were created in the private sector.”

While last year was also a record year for job-creation by Irish and multinational exporting companies, Farrell says unemployment rates continue to remain too high.

“We are determined to

push ahead with radical reforms that will make it easier for people to get back to work.”

The JobsPlus initiative will provide an incentive for employers to hire those who have been unemployed for a long time. The State will pay €1 for every €4 it costs an employer to take on a new staff member from the Live Register.

“While there are already a range of measures in place to help employers take on people from the Live Register, there has been low take up on some schemes. JobsPlus will provide an easy to understand scheme to encourage employers to give job opportunities to the long-term unemployed.”

Pleased as punch: Swords’s Shauna wins portrait of Olympic Champion SWORDS resident Shauna Brady was pleased as punch recently. As well as being at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre to witness Olympic Champion Katie Taylor return to the ring as part of her Road To Rio campaign, she also was the lucky winner of an amazing painting of Katie in action.

The bout saw Taylor start on The Road to Rio, a journey she hopes will end with a second Olympic Gold at the 2016 games in Brazil.

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TK Maxx are to once again host their charity event, Give Up Clothes For Good, to raise funds for Enable Ireland.

They are asking the public to donate bags of their unwanted clothing, accessories and household items to any TK Maxx store, including the Swords branch, until March 18.

Donations will be given to Enable Ireland to be sold in their shops, and they anticipate that each bag could raise up to €30 for the charity. The funds raised will support their vital services for children with disabilities across Ireland.

Cash donations can also be made at TK Maxx from March 1.

For more information, visit www.tkmaxx.ie.

4 swords gazette 28 February 2013

FastNews

charity Local school’s efforts applauded

Swords/Baldoyle Youth Service opens new centre

Dog warden patrols increase

THE new premises of the Swords/Baldoyle Youth Service was officially opened last Friday, February 22, by Minister for Health James Reilly (FG).

The youth service moved from their original building in August to a bigger premises adjacent to 17 Main Street in Swords.

The youth service organise a diverse range of activities, which include cookery, arts and outdoor sports. They also run various programmes such as the Copping On programme, which deals with issues surrounding drugs and alcohol.

The youth service have a lunchtime dropin service every day from 1 to 2pm, and they run a youth cafe for young people over 14 and 15 on Friday evenings from 8 to11pm. To get involved, you can call in to the youth service at these times or you can call them directly on 01 840 5100.

For more information, log on to www.cyc.ie.

Book place at volunteer expo in Fingal ORGANISATIONS across Fingal are being encouraged to book their stands early for the Fingal Volunteer Expo, which will take place at Blanchardstown Centre on Thursday, April 11 from 11am to 7pm. The expo aims to help organisations attract people who are interested in becoming volunteers,

and to give them information. It can also help organisations showcase their work and their volunteering opportunities, as well as networking.

An expression of interest form must be completed and returned with the booking fee of €25

by Friday, March 15.

Places are available on a first come, first served basis.

For further information, log on to www.volunteerfingal. ie.

swords: pet fouling warning

 hiromi mooney

The King and Queen of Lesotho were warmly welcomed by Portmarnock Community School principal and deputy principal Patrick O’ Riordan and Eithne Deeney on a visit last year

Lesotho trip makes ‘tremendous impact’  natalie burke nburke@gazettegroup.com

Following a successful trip to Lesotho in Africa in February, Portmarnock Community School and Action Ireland Trust are said to have made a significant impact on the lives of disadvantaged communities in the country.

The team of teachers and students, as well as representatives from Action Ireland Trust and other local partners, made the trip in an effort to improve education and resources for disadvantaged schools in the African country.

Other partners included Fingal County Council, Country Crest, the Dublin Fire Brigade and the Royal College of Surgeons.

According to Ambassador Paramente Phamotse, the Lesotho Ambassador to Ireland, the charity programme has made a

“tremendous impact” on the lives of those in Lesotho.

“This is the first programme of its kind that has been undertaken by communities in Ireland and Lesotho, facilitated by our embassy. We believe that it provides an enriching experience on the lives of all those who are involved, particularly the students from the two partner schools – Portmarnock Community School and Hlalele Secondary School.

“We are excited by the increasing number of community sectors that are involved in the programme since its inception. This definitely adds huge value to the government of Lesotho’s determination to reduce poverty through education, good health and human development in general,” he said.

Over 33 transition year students from Portmarnock joined a total of 50

volunteers to travel to Lesotho, helping to provide the much-needed range of opportunities in education, healthcare, agriculture, facility management, construction, planning and development and fire service training.

The Portmarnock students helped Lesotho students learn knitting, science, hurling and English, while the education team worked with Hlalele High School and the Lesotho College of Education in Maseru providing practical support to teachers, pupils and lecturers.

Country Crest also supported Hlalele School in developing keyhole gardening, a polytunnel and a chicken run in the school grounds.

According to Michael McGlynn, Action Ireland Trust’s educational director, the students who travelled to Lesotho had a life changing experience.

“This unique project allows the students to sample many career opportunities and work closely with strong teams in so many areas.

“The interaction with students from Hlalele creates a vision for the students in leadership skills and appreciation for life in Ireland and a high regard and respect for the least well off in the world.”

Tony Doyle of Country Crest said the Lusk-based company was proud to participate in this year’s project.

“Having the skill and expertise to produce food in a sustainable way is a basic human right.

“Hopefully our involvement with Action Ireland Trust in educating the local community and schools in Hlalele to grow and provide nutritious, fresh vegetables will bring long-term benefits to both the school and the community.”

FINGAL County Council have requested that their dog wardens increase patrols of the River Valley area and to carry out a dog licence check.

T h i s f o l l ow s C l l r Darragh Butler’s (FF) request for FCC to erect additional antidog-fouling signs there, alerting owners to the possible fines, and to ensure greater enforcement.

At the Balbriggan / Swords area committee meeting on Thursday, February 14, FCC replied that the litter warden will also inspect the area and erect these signs.

“You can put up all the signs you like, but at the end of the day it’s down to personal responsibility – and it is very frustrating.

“The vast majority of dog owners are very compliant, and it must be very frustrating for them well, especially that the other dog owners are letting them down,” Cllr Butler told The Gazette.

Solution “I think at the end of the day, we need enforcement, and unless there’s enforcement, it looks like some people are going to keep trying to get away with it. But it’s for health reasons.

“Not only is [dog excrement] unsightly and unpleasant, but God forbid a child falls in it – it is very unhealthy, and people have lost their eyesight in the past [as a result],” he concluded.

28 February 2013 swords gazette 5

crime High trend eased in last six months

Thank you

€2,200 raised by plumber

Burglaries in Dublin North up by nearly 20% Burglaries in Dublin North have increased in the last year, according to recent reports which show almost a 20% rise in incidents in Malahide alone.

The figures come following an annual report of the Fingal Joint Policing Forum (JPF) outlining crime statistics in the area for 2012.

According to the recently announced figures, there were 260 burglaries reported to the Swords Garda Station in 2012, while a total of 215 was reported in Malahide.

W hile the figures decreased by 3% in Swords between 2011 and 2012, the figures remained high for Mala-

Cllr Anthony Lavin (FG)

hide, increasing from 180 reported burglaries in Malahide.

The results also showed that burglaries in the Balbriggan area increased from 289 incidents in 2011, to 310 burglaries in 2012. According to comments made at the recent meeting however, it was noted that despite the figures remaining high

for Malahide, the trend reduced over the last six months of the year.

With figures of theft rising in the last year, local Malahide councillor Anthony Lavin (FG) has expressed his concern for the local community and is calling on local residents to remind each other of the benefits in using the Neighbourhood Watch and Community Alert initiative.

“Following the meeting held on Friday, we have a desire to remind people how to go about getting involved once again in Neighbourhood Watch and to encourage people in the local community to get back to basics,” he said.

“There seems to be an attitude that gardai don’t have the time for it but they have said they would like to see it ongoing. It is hoped we will have another Joint Policing Committee meeting in the near future where we can look at encouraging Neighbourhood Watch.

“I’d also like to remind people that they are public meetings and we would welcome anyone from the community who would like to attend.”

Neighbourhood Watch is a crime prevention and community safety programme for residential areas which acts as a partnership between An Garda Siochana and members of the public.

Ecology: New challenge for transition students the young Ecologist Environmentalist

Discovery Challenge 2013 was launched

by Mayor of Fingal Cian O’Callaghan (Lab) at the Marine Hotel in Sutton.

This is an environmental challenge and informative educational tool for transition year students from schools in north east Dublin. Pictured at the event are David Howel, Superquinn, Una Kane, president of the Dublin North Rotary Club and Mayor O’Callaghan.

See Full Story on Page 9

EDEL Jauny would like to thank local plumber Dave Godwin for raising €2,200 for Temple Street Children’s Hospital in aid of her son.

Edel first met Dave when she was fundraising for the hospital at SuperValu with her six-yearold son, Alexandre, who was diagnosed with the cancerous eye condition, retinoblastoma.

Kind Heart She said that Dave made a donation and offered to help further, raising money by servicing boilers in the area for €50, and donating all funds he received to the hospital.

“Thank you, Dave, so much for being an amazing and wonderful person, and for such a huge heart,” said Edel.

6 swords gazette 28 February 2013

gazetteGALLERIES

Michael Davey and Holly McFarland Gabrielle, Mary, Pierce and Brandon Kelly. Pictures: Una Williams

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Trabolgan Holiday Village, Cork have used the Dublin Gazette Newspapers for the last few years to advertise various aspects of our holiday village including special offers. We have always had an excellent reader response from the advertisements run and have found the area’s covered by all 8 papers of great value to Trabolgan.

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Shay Byrne from RTE Radio 1

28 February 2013 swords gazette 7

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Michael Moynihan, Raymond Brett, Pat O’Brien and Serhiy Shalapay

battle on the beach: residents fight against coastal erosion

L

ocal residents and representatives in Portrane began remedial works recently to provide a short-term solution to the problem of coastal erosion in their area. Armed with sandbags and with the help of machinery, the residents began to build a wall to help prevent immediate and future erosion.

See Story on Page 2

Shiela Whelan and Niamh Ward

Swoon: ROMANTIC EVENT AT SWORDS PAVILIONS

Share the love on Valentine’s Day A

ROMANTIC atmosphere spread across Swords Pavilions recently, as the shopping centre hosted a free Share the Love event on Valentine’s Day. Couples and children alike enjoyed the free entertainment on offer, and some of the lucky ones won special prizes from Nandos, Movies @ Swords, Bernard John, Fields and Mango.

There was a guest DJ, Cupid’s treats and Valentine’s arts and crafts for kids to help locals celebrate love on that day.

Filling sand bags

Sen Darragh O’Brien (FF), Tony Cox and Cllr Darragh Butler (FF)

Ray and Phillip La Combre

Brian Clarke, Lorraine Field, Eamon Muldowney and Henry Donovan Pictures: Una Williams Vanessa Cambell and Amy Pawley

Shoppers enter the draw for a prize

8 swords gazette 28 February 2013

Council

Plans to extend capacity of treatment plant make progress

€23m waste water works contract to be signed soon  hiromi mooney

LOCAL councillor Darragh Butler (FF) has welcomed the news that the Swords Waste Water Treatments Works are at “an advanced stage”.

When Cllr Butler asked for an update on the works at a recent area committee

meeting, FCC replied that a contractor has been recommended, and contracts should be signed this month. The cost, including planning, is estimated at €23 milion.

Last year FCC announced that they are planning to expand the capacity of the Swords Waste Water Treat-

ment Works over the coming two-and-a-half years.

The works will include a new primary settlement tank and sequencing batch reactors (SBR) treatment processes, addition of tertiary treatment, refurbishment and upgrade of the sludge plant, as well as an extension to the storm water

tank and refurbishment of the existing plant.

“It’s good to see that it’s at an advanced stage now because the development of Swords is kind of limited without this going ahead, so in that respect, it’s badly needed,” said Butler.

“But also residents from the surrounding estates down

through the years have had some problems with odours etc coming from there. So it is badly needed for Swords, and it’s great that it appears to be on schedule and going ahead.”

According to FCC, the benefits that will arise from the project’s implementation

Music festival: Practice makes perfect

FastNews

Annual Coirm Gael Linn festival GAELSCOIL Bhrian Boroimhe in Swords and Gaelscoil Bhaile Brigin in Balbriggan were amongst numerous Irish-speaking primary schools in Dublin that took part at the annual Coirm Gael Linn festival last week.

The one-day festival of music, singing, dancing and drama took place at the Clasach theatre in Fairview, where around 400 pupils took to the stage.

Schools each chose a theme and presented a 20-minute variety show in Irish, using their variety of talents.

Soccer provides positive activity A late-night soccer tournament, run by the FAI, Fingal County Council and members of the local gardai, officially kicked off last week and will run for four weeks.

The tournament aims to help combat anti-social behaviour by providing a positive activity.

The tournament will be held each Friday night at the Rivervalley pitch, Swords, the Skerries Community Centre pitch, and the Glebe North FC, Balbriggan.

The final will be held on Friday, March 22 at Skerries Community Centre.

are towards compliance with environmental legislation, EPA requirements and the Water Framework Directive, future growth and development in accordance with the Swords masterplan, and the project will provide adequate infrastructure to encourage economic growth.

pictured are musicians

Lisanne Melchior and Katharine Barnecutt on viola with John O’Shea on guitar.

They were at an intense one-day working rehearsal as the RTE Concert Orchestra prepares to give the first Irish performance of a landmark piece of the past century, Louis Andriessen’s De Staat conducted by the composer’s friend and collaborator Reinbert de Leeuw.

The concert takes place on Saturday, March 2 as part of an exciting new music festival, New Music Dublin, taking place in the National Concert Hall March 1-3.

second case: perrin pleaded guilty to falsifying account to make a gain

Ex-judge’s defence team tried for media blackout during trial Former judge Heather Perrin’s defence team tried to have a media blackout imposed on her trial last year, it can now be reported.

The defence argued that coverage of the trial would prejudice Perrin’s second trial which was due to begin this March.

That trial has now been cancelled after Perrin last week entered a guilty plea to falsifying an account with the intention of making a gain.

At the start of her trial last November at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Mary Ellen

Ring agreed that the trial could be reported after hearing counterarguments from lawyers from several media organisations. The judge agreed to allow reporting on the condition that no mention was made of the pending second trial or of the defence application.

Perrin was later found guilty by a jury of deceiving her elderly friend into leaving half his €1m estate to her two children while she was his solicitor in January 2009.

Before the trial the defence made an appli-

cation to prevent any media reporting of the trial on the grounds that it could breach Perrin’s constitutional right to a fair trial.

The prosecution suppor ted the defence application. They didn’t concede that publicity would endanger Perrin’s second trial but said they were supporting the application because they did not want to risk the trial schedule being disrupted by delays.

Defence counsel Patrick Gageby SC submitted to Judge Ring that the case would attract a

large amount of publicity which “at minimum” would affect Perrin’s right to a fair trial the next March. He said the only option was to forbid reporting of her current trial until all matters before the court are dealt with.

Counsel said the case would attract an “avalanche of publicity” because of her occupations as a solicitor and judge. He also submitted her “unusual name” might stick in people’s heads.

He pointed to previous cases of courts restrict-

ing reporting such as the trial of Catherine Nevin where the judge banned reporting of Ms Nevin’s dress and appearance.

Mr Gageby said the alternative was to defer her second trial and that this could lead to “the media dictating the order of the court”.

A f ter hearing the application, Judge Ring adjourned the matter to allow media representatives to respond. Later that day lawyers representing RTE, The Irish Daily Mail, The Irish Independent and The Irish Times opposed the

application.

Judge Ring accepted the trial would attract publicity and noted that blogging and Twitter had added another level of reportage which cannot be regulated.

However, she said that juries were robust and did listen to the directions of judges. She also said she believed the jurors would hear about the allegations anyway.

Judge Ring rejected the defence application but told counsel they could raise the matter again if they felt any reportage was unfair.

28 February 2013 swords gazette 9

launch: education

donations Children’s hospital to benefit

FastNews Free online language courses

A new challenge for young ecologists

MEMBERS of Fingal libraries can now avail of free online language lessons through the Fingal libraries website.

Whether you’re planning a trip to a foreign land or want to brush up on your Irish language skills, the website has a huge array of languages to choose from.

For more information, see www.fingalcoco. ie/library.

 HIROMI MOONEY

THE Young Ecologist Environmentalist Discovery Challenge 2013 (YEEDC) was launched last week by Mayor of Fingal Cian O’Callaghan (Lab) at the Marine Hotel in Sutton.

This is an environmental challenge and informative educational tool for transition year students from schools in north east Dublin. It is an initiative of Forest Friends Ireland, in partnership with The North Dublin Rotary Club, and it is sponsored by Superquinn in Sutton.

Schools are invited to take part in the challenge, in which they can choose from various categories such as writing about environmental issues, designing a wildlife garden, or preparing a speech for delivery at the next Earth Summit.

The participating schools will then hold internal competitions to select a student to represent them in their selected categories, one student per category.

The deadline for applications is April 12.

For more information or to download an application form, log on to www.dublinnorthrotary.org or www.forestfriends.ie.

Fingal CEB to host workshop

Organisers of the the third Annual Portmarnock Valentine’s Ball are Rachel Bent, Ciara Duffy, Karen O’ Mara, Maire Keane, Kelli O’Malley, Deirdre Raftery, Sarah Kennedy and Shelley Eades. Picture: Eric Ronan

Annual Valentine’s Ball raises over €12,000  NATALIE BURKE nburke@gazettegroup.co

The third Annual Portmarnock Valentine’s Ball took place recently, with over 200 guests coming together from across Dublin North to raise funds for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin.

The event was held on Saturday, February 16, in Portmarnock Sports and Leisure Centre and was inspired by Mia Keane from Malahide, who was just five years old when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2008. Despite the best efforts by the staff at Our Lady’s Hospital, Mia sadly passed away

on February 4, 2012.

The recurrence of Mia’s cancer and the inability to control it highlight how crucial ongoing research and development are in the area of childhood cancer and, excluding this year, the Valentine’s Ball has to date raised over €26,000. This year, over €12,000 has already been raised, with funds still being donated.

The 2013 ball was a huge success and on the night guests enjoyed a champagne reception, a four-course meal with entertainment, which included a performance by the children from Back Street Dance Studios in Swords.

The host for the evening was actor Aonghus Og McAnally from Portmarnock who entertained guests throughout the night with spot prizes and contests, as well as selecting the winner for the top prize of return flights to Australia.

Commenting af ter the ball, event organiser, Karen O’Mara said: “We are thrilled with the success of the Valentine’s Ball this year and have been overwhelmed by the generosity of both individuals and businesses in helping us raise so much for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital.

“We put out a call at the end of last year for

businesses to get involved and donate prizes for our auction and raffle and we received such an amazing response from businesses in Portmarnock, Malahide, Howth, Swords and beyond. We really couldn’t have done it without their help and I would like to thank everyone so much for their kindness and generosity.

“The night encapsulated an incredible atmosphere from start to finish.

It was a fitting tribute to the beautiful and sorely missed Mia Keane.”

Donations can be made to the Valentine’s Ball Fund through AIB a/c 29823053 and sort code 93-25-23.

Open mic night for Swords unheard talent  hiromi mooney hmooney@gazettegroup.com

LOCAL Group Swords UnAnonymous held their first Open Mic Night at the Lord Mayors Pub in Swords on Thursday, February 14, to help showcase “unheard talent” in Fingal.

The group was set up by Ken Duffy, Niamh Hackett

and Catherine Ennis to provide budding songwriters and poets with a venue where they can showcase their work in a relaxed atmosphere. The open mic night will take place there on the second Thursday of each month from 8.30pm.

Ken said that the event offers “great interaction with your peers for encouragement and

for suggestions”.

“It went very, very well, and the response was absolutely fantastic,” he said.

“Some people are more confident than others. So what we are trying to do is just to give them a venue to come to, and to encourage them to get up and recite their poetry or sing their songs, and to bring those

people out there – who are at home writing their songs and who may be singing them in front of their computers and putting them up on YouTube - and give them a venue to sit in front of an audience and give them that confidence, and build up their confidence.”

For more information, contact Ken on 086 600 8313.

THE Fingal County Enterprise Board will host an Ideas Generation Workshop in Swords on Tuesday, March 5.

The workshop will take place from 9am to 1pm at the Fingal Business Training Centre at Fingal CEB on Main Street.

The workshop is designed as a first step for those thinking of setting up a new business and will assist them on how to generate new ideas.

For bookings and for more information, log on to www.fingalceb.ie.

10 swords gazette 28 February 2013

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Nicky Byrne

Roz Flanagan and Virginia Macari strike a pose

Friends check in on the Morrison’s reopening

A

NUMBER of well-known faces and socialites were spotted at the recent reopening of the Morrison’s Hotel on Ormond Quay, following its extensive €7 million refurbishment.

Kasey Smith and Mairead Farrell

Music and the arts were well represented on the night, with several fashionistas also in attendence, all keen to support the celebrity magnet with its reopening, and with everyone happy

to wish the hotel every success.

Given the top-notch crowd of wellwishers at the prestigious opening night, there’s no doubting the great interest in the hip hotel’s future.

Stephen Wall

Kathryn Thomas

Nadia Forbe

28 February 2013 Gazette 11

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dublinlife

Let Dublin Gazette Newspapers take you on a tour of the news and events taking place across the city and county this week, as well as the latest from our schools

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diary P12

exhibition: National Gallery of Ireland

Jack B Yeats’s personal sketchbooks go on display  Bairbre Ni Bhraonain

The National Gallery of Ireland is running a special exhibition of the sketchbooks of one of Ireland’s most famous modern painters, Jack B Yeats.

This is the first time a significant collection of Yeats’s personal sketches has been exhibited.

The Sketchbooks of Jack B Yeats 1897-1955 is a look behind the scenes

of how Yeats prepared and gathered ideas from life for his paintings.

By the end of his life, Yeats had assembled a collection of over 200 individual sketchbooks, 204 of which are held by the Gallery following a bequest by his niece, Anne Yeats, in 1996.

By the late 1890s, these sketchbooks had become an integral part of his artistic process and he drew regularly upon them

for ideas and as blueprints for his paintings, the most expensive of which, The Wild Ones, sold at Sotheby’s in London for over £1.2m in 1999.

The exhibition has been digitally enhanced with tablet computers which will allow visitors to browse through four complete sketchbooks, personal letters and photographs selected from the Yeats Archive.

As well as the sketch-

books, the collection includes memorabilia such as journals, original manuscripts, photographs, postcards and letters, Yeats’s sisters’ Cuala and Dun Emer Presses are also well represented.

The Sketchbooks of Jack B Yeats 1897-1955 started on February 2 and continues until May 5 in Room 13 of the Beit Wing of the National Gallery on Merrion Square. Admission is free.

Illustration from the exhibition catalogue cover, The Sketchbooks of Jack B Yeats

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12 Gazette 28 February 2013

dublinlife

diary

U2’s Adam Clayton, former Miss World Rosanna Davison and TV presenter Lorraine Keane, are calling on the public to join them in supporting St Patrick’s Hospital Foundation for its annual fundraiser

Stars come out for St Patrick’s A host of Dublin celebrities, including U2’s Adam Clayton, former Miss World Rosanna Davison and TV presenter Lorraine Keane, are calling on the public to join them in supporting St Patrick’s Hospital Foundation for its annual fundraiser.

Money raised through Walk in My Shoes will be used to provide mental health services to vulnerable young adults.

The idea behind the campaign, which is now in its second year, originated from a young service user at St Patrick’s University Hospital who said he wished his friends could “walk in my shoes”, so they could gain a better understanding of mental health difficulties.

Walk in My Shoes also provides a free support and information phone line and aims to enhance the young adult services at St Patrick’s University

Hospital.

Walk in My Shoes day will take place on Friday, April 12.

For more information on how to get involved or make a donation, visit www.walkinmyshoes. ie or see their Facebook page w w w.facebook. com/walkinmyshoes or follow them on Twitter at @Walkinmyshoes12

Go the extra mile for the ispcc in june ISPCC Childline is appealing to women all over Ireland to show their support for the children in their lives by taking part in the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon on Bank Holiday Monday, June 3.

Runners are asked to raise funds for Childline to help them to listen to more children.

In the past number of years, the Childline service has seen a huge

increase in demand and in 2011 received over 800,000 calls.

As Ireland’s only 24-hour support service for children, Childline continues to struggle to listen to every child who needs support with around a third of all calls to Childline still going unanswered.

Childline receives no government funding and so relies entirely on corporate support and the generosity of the Irish public.

For more information or to register log on to www.ispcc.ie/fundraising or call Rita on 1850 50 40 50.

Carole Nash Irish Motorbike and Scooter Show The Carole Nash Irish Motorbike and Scooter Show takes place in the RDS this March.

From March 1 to 3,

motorbike fanatics will get a chance to see what’s what in the motorbike and scooter industry for 2013.

See all the latest and greatest from BMW, Honda, Harley Davidson, Triumph, Suzuki, Victory, Ducati, Aprilia and Moto Guzzi.

The RDS will be transformed into Ireland’s biggest motorcycle and scooter showroom with everything a biker could want, all under one roof, featuring new bike models for 2013, clothing, parts, accessories, safety advice and safety wear and much more.

There is also a live action element to the show, including the thrills and spills of the Flat Track Racers, world famous Polish daredevils Stunter13 and Monika Koch and fun and games a plenty in the “nifty fifty” speedway races.

Check out www.irish-

motorbikeshow.com for further information. .

OPen mic night at the Addison Lodge

A new month-long series of open mic nights starts this month at the Addison Lodge in Glasnevin.

Local bands, musicians, comedians, poets, storytellers and performers of all kinds are invited

to go along for the opportunity to try out their acts in front of a live audience each Friday night until March 22.

The well-known venue is located opposite the Botanic Gardens in Dublin and the open mic sessions were set up by the management to encourage and showcase talent, young and old.

There is no cover charge for patrons or

performers on open mic nights. Everyone is welcome to participate and the show starts at 9pm.

If you think you might have what it takes as a performer no matter what your special talent is or would enjoy seeing the raw talent on offer, you should contact Rory at the Addison Lodge on 01 837 2524 or email on addisonlodge@hotmail. com.

ISPCC Childline is appealing to women all over Ireland to show their support for the children in their lives by taking part in the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon

28 February 2013 Gazette 13

theatre: one-night charity concert

A special toddler, parent day

Share the stage with The Saturdays  Laura Webb

Talented Dublin dancers, musicians, magicians... in fact, all kinds of entertainers, are being given the chance to support pop sensations The Saturdays when they perform at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre at the end of next month.

Bord Gais Energy wants to put talented performers on stage with one of pop’s most successful girl groups when they perform at the theatre for a one-night only charity concert on March 28.

The concert is the theatre’s second annual

charity event, with all proceeds from ticket sales night going to the Society of St Vincent de Paul. For every ticket sold, Bord Gais Energy will also match the amount.

This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is open to entertainment acts of all sorts aged 16 and over, and three winners from across the nation will be chosen to support The Saturdays on this very special night.

Enter tainers have just days left to get their entries in as the closing date for the competition is Monday, March 4. To enter, simply upload a

video of your performance to the Bord Gais Energy Facebook page https://www.facebook. com/BordGaisEnergy no later than 5pm on March 4.

Una Healy of The Saturdays, who hails from Thurles, said: “We would like to wish everyone taking part in the competition the very best of luck.

“All the girls are really excited about performing at this special event and of course performing to a home crowd always makes the night extra special for me. It’s fantastic that Bord Gais Energy is supporting the Society

Gazette

FEATURE

The Saturdays will perform at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre at the end of next month

of the St Vincent de Paul which does really great work in communities throughout Ireland.”

Irene Gowing, sponsorship manager, Bord Gais Energy, said: “Not only will the winning act get a taste of the spotlight

but they will also be part of this special concert in aid of the Society of St Vincent de Paul. Last year’s Bill Bailey event was a great success, raising €200,000, and we are confident that we’ll raise a similar donation this

year.”

Tickets for the charity show are priced from €20 to €35 and are available to Bord Gais Energy customers via w w w. bordgaisenergyrewards. ie and on sale via Ticketmaster.

A number of special days just for parents and toddlers have been lined up at The Culture Box in Temple Bar until June.

The Culture Box is encouraging parents with children 18 months to five years to come along for some adventurous, creative and artistic fun for free.

The programme features music, painting, story-telling and movement.

Although the sessions are free, booking is required. The sessions are on March 12 and 26, April 9 and 23, May 7 and 21 and June 4 and 18 at 11am and last an hour.

To book a place, call Culture Box on 01 677 2255.

Gazette

14 Gazette 28 February 2013

dublinlife

st kilian’s: a fresh approach to charity fund

schoolLife Calling all budding writers and photographers – get involved with our Gazette schools pages As part of the relaunch of the Dublin Gazette Newspapers, we are reaching out to all the schools in our catchment areas to become a closer part of our community than ever before.

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

We are calling on budding writers and photographers from all of our schools to help fill the pages and, in order to encourage the next

schools

generation of journalists and snappers to get involved, we are partnering with Harvey Norman to present the Dublin Gazette Newspapers’ Cub Repor ter and Cub Photographer of the Year awards.

For more details, contact rheigh@ gazettegroup.com, or on 01 601 0240.

Ticket to ride for Peru’s poorest Two enterprising students from 10th year in St Kilian’s Deutsche Schule are redeeming money from used bus tickets in aid of the school’s charity, Project Peru.

Comhall Fanning and Brian Reynolds are busy running the ticket appeal and so far have raised €50 for the worthy charity.

Project Peru was established in St Kilian’s in 2006. The initiative seeks to involve pupils and teachers in poverty relief programmes in the South American country.

Since 2008, over 50 St Kilian’s students and teachers have made the journey to Peru, working in some of the poorest areas around Trujillo in northern Peru.

Alto Trujillo is often described as a pueblo joven (a young town).

It is an urban slum, a desert-like hillside where thousands of poor and desperate families are attempting to build a home and find work. Many of the families have left their hometowns in the mountains or rural areas in search of a better life.

St Kilian’s students Comhall Fanning and Brian Reynolds on the trail of more funds for Project Peru

To date, over €70,000 has been raised funding the building of emergency relief housing and a school and suppor ting other social projects in the barrios.

The next planned visit is in July 2014.

St Kilian’s school was founded in 1952 and has expanded to over 600 students, between

the kindergarten, primar y and secondar y schools levels. It has an excellent success rate in terms of students progressing to third level education, in Ireland and abroad.

On the sports fields, m a ny a c t i v i t i e s a r e undertaken, with the main team sports being soccer and hockey.

DublinGazetteNewspapers cub reporters - january 2013 winner

H Reporter of the

MONTH

Monika Mykolaityte Monika, a sixth year student at St Tiernan’s Community School, gave a great account of her experience when she was invited to the studios of RTE at Donnybrook to experience first hand the buzz of live television and the production of news with the national broadcaster. Monika is looking to further her career in journalism at university, and on this evidence, looks like she’s made the right choice for the future.

28 February 2013 Gazette 15

feature comedy: The ladykillers in dublin

children Saturdays at The Ark

Dotrice is ready to knock ’em dead in role

 Bairbre Ni Bhraonain

A BRAND new stage adaptation of the hit comedy film The Ladykillers is bringing another icon of British comedy to the stage in Dublin.

F a t h e r Te d w r i t e r Graham Linehan’s new version of the classic Ealing Studios film sees Michele Dotrice, who shot to fame in the 70s, playing Betty in Some Mothers Do Ave Em, take the role of Mrs W, the old lady who brings a gang masquerading as a musical ensemble into her home while they plan a bank heist nearby.

Today she is a stage actress, and she spoke to The Gazette about what drew her to her current role.

“He’s [Linehan] absolutely the finest, so I leapt at it when it was offered to me,” she said.

“Graham has kept the period characters but upped the story for modern audiences. The parts are so playable, they leap off the page.

“The response has been fantastic so far and it’s full of energy, it really goes at a hell of a lick.”

Michele has been a

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

‘The parts are so playable, they leap off the page. The response has been fantastic so far and it’s full of energy, it really goes at a hell of a lick’ --------------------------

Michele Dotrice

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

professional actress since she joined the R o y a l S h a ke s p e a r e Company (RSC) at the tender age of 16. Her father Roy Dotrice is also an actor, and he got his daughter into the RSC. “I was ever so lucky.

There I was at that young age working with such wonderful actors in the RSC and with material by not a bad writer!

“It’s so hard for young actors today because there are no longer any good repertory companies. In my day, they were all around the country so that up and coming actors could learn their craft.”

The inevitable question about her time playing Betty came up, and Michele mused that such success was both a blessing and a curse.

“I had come straight from the RSC into a halfhour comedy show that became a phenomenal success due to Michael Crawford’s incredible creation [the lead character, Frank Spencer].

“It really put me on the map but set me up to have to pretend never to have heard ‘Ooh, Betty!’ as endless people shouted it to me over the years.

“I look back on my time doing that show with fondness and pride, but I do think it caused future directors to be nervous about casting me as they thought that Betty was all I could do.

“I still couldn’t play this part on TV even with all the padding and wig as people would still see me as Betty.

“But it’s great to be part of this cast which is very much an ensemble and to be speaking Graham’s wonderful lines each night.”

The Ladykillers runs from February 26 until March 2 at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre.

Michele Dotrice as Mrs Wilberforce in The Ladykillers at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre

The Ark Children’s Cultural Centre in Dublin’s City Centre is now open every Saturday to meet demand for their 2013 programmes.

There is a great line-up of workshops, exhibitions and performances scheduled for the weekends and families are able to drop in between 10am and 4.30pm to take part in a Take a Trip programme.

This programme is where children and parents can collect a locationthemed suitcase packed with all the stimuli and materials needed to work on their own self-directed creative art project at The Ark. More information is available at ark.ie.

Gazette

16 Gazette 28 February 2013

dublinlife Q&A

paul kavanagh, keith mcgovern, chefdirect.ie

Duos’ tasty business idea serves up a treat SET up by Paul Kavanagh and Keith McGovern, ChefDirect.ie supplies more than 1,500 ready-prepared meals a week to a wide range of customers, including students, business professionals, and retired or elderly people living on their own.

Using 100% Irish ingredients, ChefDirect offers a range of 14 wholesome meals, with meats quality-assured by

Bord Bia, and vegetables sourced from local produce providers.

Priced from €5.50 per meal, the competitively-priced dishes are easy to rapidly reheat in an oven or microwave, adding to their popularity.

For further information about the company, or to make an order, see www.ChefDirect.ie, or telephone 01 491 6262.

How long have you been in business?

What have you changed about your business to combat the effects of the recession?

We are a brand-new business and began trading as of January 1.

Starting a new business from scratch has been an interesting process to go through – although not easy at times, we’ve really enjoyed it thus far!

What makes your business successful?

We are the first business in Ireland, in our sector, to offer only 100% quality Irish produce in every one of our meals.

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

Currently, our main competitors are British franchises, and their products are made in Britain using non-Irish produce in their meals.

We are an Irish company only delivering Irish produce.

We also think that we do more than just provide a product – we like to think we provide a friendly service, so much so that we know every customer on a personal basis, even their pets’ names at this stage!

How has the recession impacted your business?

The recession has affected us as much as the next business. It does seem now more than ever though that people are looking to purchase Irish-produced goods and services, which bodes well for us rather than our competition.

Pricing – we have kept our prices as keen as possible, and this is reflected in the increase in our customer base.

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

How commercial rates are calculated – they’re just too damaging on young businesses.

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

Our social media sites are purely used to update our customers on our services, new products and as a reminder to order their meals.

Social media allows us a personal touch when dealing with customer queries; we do like to have a bit of fun with it also.

We have a blog, using chefdirect. tumblr.com; here, we just talk about good food and how much we love it.

What is your ambition for the business?

To raise the standard of homedelivered meals, as well as changing the perception of frozen meals.

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

It doesn’t matter how hard things get – just stay on the pitch!

business

Mortgage help from AIB ONE of the biggest decisions people will have to make during their lives is the decision to buy a house, and obtaining a mortgage can be a daunting prospect.

To help people navigate through the application process, AIB is launching Let Us Help You Get Mortgage Ready – a new campaign aimed at ensuring customers are fully supported and informed.

Head of mortgages at AIB Jim O’Keeffe said: “AIB has seen very positive trends in the 2012 figures. We are exceeding

our mortgage targets and, as our ambitions for 2013 show, we continue to be very much open for business.

“Our customers have told us that the key item for them is to be fully supported through the mortgage journey, and we are launching a new campaign to ensure this continues to happen.”

As part of the campaign, the bank is providing a dedicated mortgage co-ordinator in every branch, a comprehensive guide to getting “mortgage-ready” for first-time

buyers and movers, as well as a number of podcasts delivered by experienced mortgage coordinators answering common questions and answers.

There is also a dedicated mortgage website providing support, advice and tools at www.aib.ie/ mortgages, and a mortgage advice support team on call from Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm, and on Saturday from 10am to 6pm, at 1890 724 724.

O’Keeffe added: “We continue to provide highly-competitive mortgage products at a loan to

value of up to 92%, and would be delighted to discuss financing your mortgage, whether you are a first time buyer, mover or thinking about extending or refurbishing your existing home.”

Figures released recently showed that the average first time buyer mortgage in 2012 was €160,000.

For further information, contact any AIB or EBS branch nationwide, call the dedicated mortgage phoneline at 1890 724 724, or see www.aib. ie/mortgages.

technology: cloud compare up and running

Irelands’s first Cloud brokerage is launched  aVa kenard

CLOUD Compare, Ireland’s first Cloud services brokerage firm, has been launched this week

by Michael Dowling and Eamon Moore.

They are both longterm residents in Malahide. Michael is a member of the board of Malahide Credit Union, Malahide Community Forum, and a recognised expert in the brokerage area, while Eamon has worked in the IT industry for 10 years in his IT consultancy company, E-MIT Solutions.

Cloud Compare offers businesses a refreshing and professional service to introduce Cloud services through planning, research, independent expert advice and project management, whilst filling the gap between the organisation and the Cloud providers.

The new company will create up to 12 technical and sales jobs in Dublin this year as the company grows. The company’s

Michael Dowling and Eamon Moore, launching Cloud Compare

future plans include greater expansion in Ireland and a move into the British market.

Cloud Compare already has 30 Cloud service providers, both in Ireland and worldwide on their panel of recommended providers, including Microsoft, Auxilion and Novosco.

These companies will form the panel of providers that Cloud Compare will engage as part of their cloud adoption framework.

Eamon Moore, chief

executive and founder of Cloud Compare, said: “Our aim is to provide businesses with the tools and techniques to evaluate and adopt Cloud technology within a qualitycontrolled environment.”

Cloud Compare services will include research and assessment for all clients, and the company’s consultants can also be deployed on Cloud projects to act as a conduit between the client and the technical architects in Cloud compa-

nies, through to project completion.

For independent Cloud providers, Cloud Compare provides a new route to market, and ease of implantation of Cloud services. The service provider only deals with one party in terms of contract and fee negotiations, resulting in simpler invoicing options.

For further information, see www.cloudcompare.ie, or follow Cloud Compare on Twitter: @CloudCompareIE.

28 February 2013 GAZETTE 17

ASDFSDAF P27 TRAVEL P25

STYLE P23

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

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TELEVISION: A SHOW TO ENCOURAGE YOU

Get off your couch, out of the house and into exercise!

 LAURA WEBB

MANY of us have once been, or still are, slaves to the comfy couch.

If you are finding it hard to move from your favourite spot, an Irish production company has enlisted the help of Dublin resident Teena Gates to present a new television show, simply entitled: Get Off The Couch.

The six-part sports programme, which airs this autumn on Setanta Ireland, aims to show people how slipping on a pair of trainers and opening the front door can be the start to a healthier lifestyle in the great outdoors.

There’s already a great buzz on the social media scene, with people following the six participants taking part in the

programme.

Presenting the programme, and getting back to her own fitness regime after taking a sixweek break following surgery, is Blanchardstown resident and head of news at 98fm, Teena Gates.

Teena was once 23 stone, and has lost more than half her body weight in two years – a process that helped to introduce her to the great outdoors.

She has since climbed to Mount Everest base camp, one of many challenges she has set herself and completed.

When she was asked to be part of the programme, she said she couldn’t say no and “loves it”.

“I think it is because I am doing fun things with a great bunch of people,

and I am really caught up in their life stories,” she told The Gazette.

“Get Off The Couch is produced by Athena Media for Setanta Ireland, and it is made with the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. It’s about getting people out in the outdoors who have not previously done that, or even felt they were up to it.

Discovered “It is so in my sphere!

It is exactly what I have been preaching and blogging about for the past couple of years, since I discovered that I could be sporty – which I never thought I could,” said Teena.

“I am not an ideal weight and, at the same time, I am able to get fit, get active, and enjoy

Head of news at 98FM, and exercise enthusiast, Teena Gates, and (right) with the participants of a new TV programme, Get Off The Couch

everything out there.

You don’t have to be Sebastian Coe or Usain Bolt to go and have a run – you can have a run around, and walk as well as run. [Exercise] is so much more accessible.

“The secret to getting fit is so simple – yes, you can join a gym, and yes, you can work on a treadmill, and I do all of that as well, but getting fit and enjoying the outdoors is just about getting a pair of trainers and walking out the front door. That is freedom.

“It’s not about weight loss or anything like that, it’s about getting healthy and being healthy and

just enjoying life – that’s what the programme is about,” she said.

Teena added: “No one will know what these people weigh or what their waistline is, that will never come into it.

You will see them huffing and puffing on the track, and getting faster and better.

“It depends on peoples’ targets, that some of us can do a triathlon, so that is one target we will try to aim for, but we will have a number of challenges along the way, points of focus and things we want to achieve at different levels – we will see how

everyone gets along.”

The six participants are Joe Grey, Damien McElligott and Karen Bowers from Dublin; Eamonn Waldron from Bray; Cathy Whyte from Derrynoose, Co Armagh and Maryanne Treacy from Cork.

Teena said: “They represent everybody. It is not ‘the token person’ we are going for – they have literally been selected to represent, you, me and everybody. “[They represent] those of us who have literally sat on the couch and it never occurred to them to get up and get out and be healthy

and change lifestyles.

There will be somebody you can identify with throughout the series.

“We are filming for the next six months and, over that time, people can follow our progress as we tr y out different activities – walking, kayaking, climbing mountains, and some are trying to give up the cigarettes, so that is a big challenge for us all,” she said.

Follow participants’ progress via Facebook – www.facebook.com/ GetOffTheCouchIreland – or find out more about the programme at www.getoffthecouch.ie.

Gazette

18 Gazette 28 February 2013

CELEBRATINGMOTHER’S DAY tradition: showing thanks and appreciation

Make sure mum’s the word on March 10 Ballygally Castle on the Antrim Coast Road

Spoil your mother with a trip to Northen Ireland MOTHER’S Day is fast approaching, so what better time to start planning to spoil your mum.

If you fancy a trip to Northern Ireland for Sunday, March 10, you can choose from one of the six Hastings Hotels to treat your mum to lunch.

The lunch menu at Everglades Hotel in Derry-Londonderry costs £25 for adults and £12 for children. Lunch at Ballygally Castle on the Antrim Coast Road costs £30 for adults and £15 for children. You can also have lunch at the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa in Newcastle for £40 for adults and £22 for children, or for £25 for adults in the Percy French, where they have a children’s menu.

Belfast

In Belfast, it costs £35 for adults and £15 for children at Stormont Hotel, while the Europa Hotel is offering lunch for £25 for adults and they have a children’s menu, while it costs £50 for adults and £30 for children at Culloden Estate and Spa in the Mitre Restaurant. The Culloden Estate and Spa is also offering lunch for £35 for adults and £17 for children at the Cultra Inn, and there is also a special Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea in the lounge for £30 per person on Saturday and Sunday, March 9 and 10.

Each of these hotels also has a range of short break packages available, and there are many spa treatments on offer at the Culloden Estate and Spa and Slieve Donard Resort and Spa. The offers are all subject to availability.

For more information or booking details, contact 048 9047 1066 or log on to www. hastingshotels.com.

SHE has reared you, encouraged and challenged you over the years.

So there’s no better way than Mother’s Day to say thank you for all the hard work she puts in for the other 364 days of the year.

This year, Mother’s Day falls on Sunday, March 10 in Ireland and the UK. Most of us remember what we did for Mother’s Day when we were kids: we prepared her breakfast in bed, did the household chores for the day, or made her a bookmark or card. No matter what you did for her, she always appreciated every effort you made to celebrate her day.

And she still does. The older we got, our “thank you” has grown bigger than before, in the form of taking her out for lunch, buying her a bouquet of flowers, or booking her in for a relaxing spa treatment. There’s no denying that Moth-

er’s Day has become commercialised over the years. But no matter how big or small your gesture, it still means a lot to your mum.

So where did the tradition of celebrating your mum come from?

T he earliest form can be traced back to the ancient Greek and Roman times. The Greeks held an annual spring festival which was dedicated to maternal goddesses – mainly Rhea, while the Romans also celebrated a spring festival dedicated to Cybele, a mother goddess.

Dedicated

Many years later in America during the 1800s, Julia Ward Howe first came up with the idea of celebrating Mother’s Day in the USA. The poet, writer and activist expressed her idea of celebrating a day dedicated to mothers and peace by writing the Mother’s Day Proc-

Perfect gift: A night away at the K Club what better way to show your appreciation this Mother’s Day than treating your mum to a night away at the K Club in Straffan, Co Kildare.

There are lots of accommodation, dining and spa packages created especially for Mother’s Day to ensure you won’t be stuck for gift ideas.

The K Club, a member of Preferred Hotels and Resorts and a 69-bedroom hotel, is located just over a half an hour from Dublin city centre and Dublin Airport, in the idyllic village of Straffan, Co Kildare.

For further details on the Mother’s Day packages or to purchase a Mother’s Day Gift Voucher at The K Club, call (01) 601 7200 or email sales@kclub.ie – full details are also on The K Club website www.kclub.ie.

No matter how big or small your gesture, Mother’s Day still means a lot to your mum

lamation in 1870.

Since then, Mother’s Day as we know it first emerged in USA in the early 1900s. When Anna Jar vis’ mother died in 1905, she was determined to honour her. So in 1908, she persuaded her local church in Philadelphia to give a sermon in her mother’s memory on the second

Sunday of May. It was later declared a national holiday in 1914.

Today, Mother’s Day is celebrated around the world on different days with different traditions, but they are all about showing appreciation of and love to mothers. In Ireland and England, it falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Meanwhile

in Spain, it takes place during the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8 to celebrate both mothers and the Virgin Mary.

So no matter what you do on Mother’s Day, remember that the day is about celebrating your mother for who she is and what she has done for you.

28 February 2013 GAZETTE 19

GAZETTE

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LOCALMATTERS SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS

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your s h y n o t m a ke w o s , s u o ll a r ve M u m s a re m li o n d o ll a r s ? fe e l li ke a m il n o w is a p p ro ac h in g , t s fa y a D s your r’ W it h M o th e b o u t tr e a ti n g a g in k in th t to s ta r r. a g re a t ti m e e c ia l th is ye a p s g in th e m nd o m u m w it h s e e q u a ti o n a th f o t u o rk e h e lp th e h a rd w o u id e , w it h th g We’ ve ta ke n t if g y a D n M o th e r’s a r ve y N o rm a p re s e n t th is H , s n to a e H , s of De b en h a m ees. a n d B u r t’s B

Harvey Nichols in Dundrum Town Centre are offering a double gift package for special mums and daughters, with a three-course meal in the First Floor Bar & Brasserie for €35 per person and an invitation for you and your mum from Crème de la Mer to enjoy a complimentary on-counter treatment and a deluxe surprise and delight sample sized gift. Lunch reservations are available from 12.30pm to 3.30pm, and can be made by calling 01 2910488 or email firstfloor.reservations@harveynichols.com

Star handbag by Julien Macdonald €76 and Jasper Conran red leather gathered cuff gloves €18.75 from Debenhams HomedicsWhite foot spa €57.50 from Debenhams

Baylis and Harding Sweet mandarin and grapefruit two-piece gift set, €15 from Debenhams

Remington easy curl €39.99 from Heatons Heather potted flower, €8 from Heatons

Burt’s Bees Mother’s Day kits in either Tips and Toes (for hardworking hands and feet) or Head to Toe (to nourish every part of the body). From €15.95

Floral Trim robe €15 from Heatons

Gazette

20 gazette 28 February 2013

OUT&ABOUT

CINEMA

Theatre THE pavilioN THEATRE 01 231 2929 A Skull In Connemara

FOR one week each autumn, Mick Dowd is hired to disinter the bones in certain sections of his local cemetery, but is he hiding a secret? February 28March 2, tickets are priced at €18/€16.

Draiocht 01 885 2622

Three Men Talking About Things They Kinda Know About THREE of Ireland’s leading performance poets - Colm Keegan, Kalle Ryan and Stephen James Smith - take the audience on a cathartic, emotional journey into the heart of who they are. Digging into subjects that men may not traditionally explore like love, relationships, loss, family and self doubt, they explore what it really means to be a man. March 8, tickets €16/€12.

Mill THEATRE 01 296 9340 Freud’s Last Session

FREUD’S Last Session focuses on legendary psychoanalyst Dr Sigmund Freud, who invites the rising academic star CS Lewis to his home in London. Lewis, expecting to be called on the carpet for satirising Freud in a recent book, soon realises Freud has a much more significant agenda.

Catch the show on March 8 and 9, tickets are priced at €15/€12.

John McClane takes aim at someone, probably someone who said something mean about his shirt. And hair. And awful movie.

review: for the true die hard fan, this is a massive let down

Not a good time

ABOUT 40 minutes into the A Good Day To Die Hard, I thought of Kevin Smith.

The bearded director has his place in Die Hard lore, portraying Warlock in Die Hard 4 (or Live Free or Die Hard, depending on which side of the Atlantic you’re on).

But that’s not why my mind drifted to the Clerks director.

In his quasi-standup DVDs, Smith waxes lyrical on all manner of subjects and in the third instalment gets onto the subject of shooting Die Hard.

In the anecdote, Smith talks about how much toll shooting the fourth instalment took on Willis and director Len Wiseman.

In explaining why he took the film so seriously, Willis explains to Smith that he is the “gatekeeper” of the Die

Film of the Week: A Good Day To Die Hard h (15) 97 mins Director: John Moore Starring: Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Sebastien Koch, Yuliya Snigir, Cole Hauser, a load of random Russian bad guy-types

 Paul Hosford phosford@gazettegroup.com

Hard franchise, the only link from film to film.

It is odd to think, then, that at no point in the filming of AGDTDH, did any alarm bells sound about what an abomination the film was turning out to be.

First of all, moving the film out of America felt from the earliest days like a mis-step.

But, this is Die Hard, it can, like John McClane, survive just about anything, right?

Still on board after that, the complete lack of recognisable faces in the cast was a worrying sign, but then again, nothing that the presence of Bruce Willis

OUR VERDICT:

POOR. Really, really poor. As a director, Moore seems overly focused on the set-pieces that his budgets allow. Some of them are extremely impressive, but lead to Moore forgetting that characterisation, exposition and, you know, dialogue are quite important.

Initially I had hoped that bad Die Hard is better than no Die Hard, but that hope was thoroughly misplaced.

can’t overcome.

Then, came the appointment of John Moore as director.

The Dundalk native’s output thus far has been mediocre (The Omen, Flight of The Phoenix, Max Payne), but Len Wiseman’s CV was not too impressive before LFODH and that was an enjoyable romp, so nothing to fear, right?

Wrong.

Moore is a talented director when it comes to shooting set-pieces, but his handle on subtlety, nuance and characterisation is weak in a muddle of explosions,

bad jokes and cardboard bad guys.

Wa t c h i n g J o h n McClane take dow n faceless goons is great fun at any time, but when there is no sense that the bad guys could win, there’s a hollowness to the whole exercise of watching the lotech cowboy McClane go toe-to-toe with a relentless and wellresourced enemy.

The triumph of the smirking, ever-so likable McClane is made all the more sweet when the villain has access to a cadre of poorly trained henchmen or

to all of the technological advantages on the planet.

Here, the faceless Russians pose no real threat and while no Die Hard ever convinces you that McClane is really going to lose, Moore doesn’t even try.

He instead fills the time between set-pieces with sub-80s Cold War humour and an attempt at building a relationship between McClane and his son, played by Jai Courtney.

Whereas the introduction of McClane’s daughter in LFODH was a refreshing move with a charming performance by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, this is nothing of the like.

While this is poor; very, very poor, Willis should take a leaf out of fellow Expendable Sly Stallone’s Rocky book and go out on top after six films.

28 February 2013 GAZETTE 21

GAZETTE

GAMING

Postcards from the edge of a Crysis AT THE time of writing, the PlayStation 4 was about to be revealed – sadly, as my invite to the exclusive reveal was lost in the post, I’m skipping on to the just released Crysis 3 (sorry, Sony), another one of the triple-A titles that are now flying onto shelves as 2013 unfolds.

Given that there are seemingly an endless amount of first-person shooters that are all noise, bluster and angry men with beards shouting at each other – yawn – the Crysis series has created a small, but interesting, niche for itself.

True, you still wander around shooting bad guys, but Crysis has succeeded, to date, in crafting well-realised worlds and interesting scenarios for adult gamers.

As a brief recap, and for those new to the series, aliens (established in Crysis) invaded New York in Crysis 2, with you, as the protaganist, donning an enhanced cyber-suit to make your way through one set-piece after another, culminating in the destruction of an awful lot of Uptown real estate.

Oops.

Now, several years later, and with the abandoned ruins of New York safely encased under a

 SHANE DILLON sdillon@gazettegroup.com

vast dome by a somewhat nefarious corporation, everything seems quiet in the city. Too quiet ...

It’s not long before you’re back in Manhattan, investigating both what the surviving aliens have been really getting up to for all those years, as well as encountering the inevitable (human) bad guys that also have an interest in the domed, and doomed city ...

From here, you’re in familiar Crysis territory, with the game providing plenty of player choice in how you approach each scenario and set-piece.

For example, players who like to “tank” their way through can charge around, if they wish, while stealth play is also rewarded, as you gradually unlock new abilities and enhanced powers, courtesy of your suit and weapons.

So far, so kind-of familiar, but where Crysis 3 once again excels is in its stunning art direction, and environmental design, with its “destroyed

Building on the idea of “destroyed beauty”, Crysis 3’s artists have created a stunning, picture-postcard vision of a destroyed Manhattan, transformed into a diverse cityscape filled with nature – and deadly enemies

beauty” aesthetics creating a New York that’s both familiar, yet alien.

Shattered and fractured, the city has been transformed, with rivers and lakes joining unexpected forests and plains, as Mother Nature, the aliens’ machinations, and the domed environment conspire to dramatically change the city – to stunning effect.

Once again, PC owners with hefty gaming rigs

get the best from Crysis, with a noticeable boost to graphics and detail.

The game’s still quite a looker on the XBox and PS3, despite some occasional glitches, making it not just a game that’s great fun to play, but one that’s also sure to impress onlookers, too, with its stand-out design and unique vision.

It’s worth pointing out that, again, Crysis has a great multiplayer side to

get stuck into, with some interesting variations on standard multiplayer gaming, courtesy not just of each players’ suit’s powers, but with a twist on some classic gaming modes.

While graphics are always less important than gameplay, its striking design, reasonably open gameplay choices and fun multiplayer options make this a Crysis that’s definitely worth welcoming.

This mostly seems to involve attacking bad guys to thwart their plans, and occasionally slicing them, machinery, mechs and more into pieces (alas, no cucumber sandwich-making bonus round), not to mention engaging in ludicrously all-out action set pieces that are about a million miles away from the densely wrought, anti-war, cynically jaded plots and characters more commonly found throughout Metal Gear games.

Given the current lack of OTT action titles at the moment, Raiden’s XBox and PS3 adventure is a breathless and welcome romp for mature gamers to try sharpening their skills on ...

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It’s chop-tastic fun ANOTHER just released game of note is Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (MGRR), which is, perhaps, best described as an over-the-top action game that also involves lots of slicing things up (which may appeal to chophappy Fruit Ninja-ists out there).

An unlikely offshoot of the longrunning and multi-platform Metal Gear series, MGRR takes Raiden – a somewhat unpopular character in recent games – then gives him a souped-up cyborg suit, a sharper-than-sharp blade, and then sets him to righting wrongs in an African country on the edge of chaos, as only a cyborg ninja guy can ...

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EMAIL YOUR PHOTO TO picturedesk@gazettegroup.com Raiden – an unlikely do-gooder, out to restore stability after warmongers kill a president, threatening peace

Or call our NEWS TEAM on 60 10 240 and SELECT OPTION 2

Gazette

22 Gazette 28 February 2013

OUT&ABOUT

MUSIC

FASTtunes with Radio Nova’s Dee Woods

He’s hailed as one of the greatest guitarists of all time and is the only person in rock who can pull off cool in a top hat.

Slash is currently storming through a string of sold-out dates across Europe and he plays The Olympia Theatre on March 2 and 3, two years after blasting the rain out of the sky at the Oxegen Festival in Punchestown in 2011.

If you’re one of the lucky ones with a ticket to the sold-out Olympia gigs, you’re in for a treat.

From Guns N’ Roses’ debut album Appetite for Destruction in 1987, Slash’s guitar work gave the band serious rock credibility.

The opening riff of Sweet Child O’ Mine gave the track anthem status, while the cutting chords of Welcome To The Jungle had every child of the 80s nodding their heads to his playing – and he was just 21 years old.

Now, post Guns N’ Roses and two other bands, Slash is well and truly out on his own.

His first solo album was the self-titled release from 2010 and featured an impressive list of guest musicians and singers including Ozzy, Lemmy and Dave Grohl.

His latest release, Apocalyptic Love, is less about the famous faces and more about getting back to basics. Slash co-wrote the record with his lead vocalist Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge who’ll be belting out the tunes at The Olympia this weekend.

I hope the theatre’s walls are good and sturdy, cos they’re gonna get rocked. Oh, and bear in mind if you are heading to either of the concerts, @Slash tweeted after playing in Sofia at the beginning of February that the city had the loudest crowd ever. Dublin: that sounds like a challenge to me!

Slash will play the Olympia on March 2 and 3

Don’t look back in angora: Johnny Marr has crafted an assured debut solo release

REVIEW: a shimmering debut from the smiths guitarist

This charming man

WE have a r unning joke in the office about the number of bands I have seen over the years. It often involves me recounting the tours I saw certain bands on and how early in their careers I caught them.

It usually ends with our Production Editor saying she saw Pink Floyd and me leaving in a huff.

One band no one in Gazette Towers, not even I, can say we saw back in the day was The Smiths. Not for want of trying, however. I was an immense Smiths fan and still am. Their sense of humour and melody, charm and Mancunian drollery, were a salve to teenage ears, and have been a go-to ever since.

 ROB heigh rheigh@gazettegroup.com

Now, too many years later, the ubiquitous guitar hero of all those years ago and many since, Johnny Marr, has released his ‘official’ solo release, The Messenger (his release with The Healers in 2003 notwithstanding).

From the off, this is as close to a return to those glory, glory days as Johnny has been involved in since the acrimonious end of The Smiths in 1987.

He has been far from

idle since, playing with the aforementioned Healers, as well as being a member of The Pretenders, The The, Modest Mouse and The Cribs.

From the opening notes, there’s no doubt as to who is responsible for the music on offer.

The jangling guitar and tubthumping drums that open The Right Right Thing are trademark Marr, and the record continues in a similar vein on several of the tracks.

That’s far from detracting from what’s going on here - Marr and the peerless rythym section in The Smiths could rock like demons when the mood took them, and it’s no different here.

Lead track Upstarts is an

almost glam stomp full of bright fills and Lockdown is another kicking track.

The title track is another that harkens back to glory, utterly reminiscent of the kind of track that Marr produced with Bernard Sumner of New Order when the two collaborated as Electronic.

Bubbling under the surface on a number of the tracks is the ghost in the room, Stephen Patrick Morrissey. With Marr having been responsible for the always magnificent Smiths tunes that Morrissey crooned upon, there are a couple of songs on The Messenger when you utterly expect the singer of yore to appear through the mix.

Marr’s music, however, remains all his own, and is strong enough to carry a full album of well-crafted and catchy guitar songs with exactly the right combination of nostalgia and invention to make something new and unique.

With Johnny set to grace the Olympia stage at the end of March, there’s a lot of expectation ahead of his live shows, not least whether some of The Smiths oeuvre will appear in the setlist. Even without those songs, there is plenty going on in The Messenger to herald a great night of celebration of one of the most important and influential figures in music over the last 30 years.

28 February 2013 SWORDS GAZETTE 23

GAZETTE

STYLE I am starting a new job after being a stay-at-home mum for four years. I don’t want to wear a suit all the time so what sophisticated and stylish outfits can you recommend to mix and match?

Jane from Castleknock Caroline’s Advice: My advice would be to invest in a few versatile staples that you can mix and match for different outfits; my top items would be a good quality blazer, a pair of cigarette pants, a pencil skirt, a classic white blouse and some power stilettos – you can’t go wrong! Make your office attire stylish and versatile – most importantly make sure you feel comfortable in what you’re wearing A chic blazer is a wardrobe must-have – it will instantly add sophistication to your

look, even worn over dark skinny jeans (if your office is a bit more casual). A pair of tailored cigarette trousers gives a contemporary edge to the ‘trousers and shirt’ combo; team this with a sharp cut blazer and you will ooze confidence.

Boucle and tweed are both hot trends this season and also perfect for officewear. I love this South Tweed Biker Jacket, €62 which brings monochrome chic to a whole new level – perfect for jazzing up a plain pair of black pants. For a splash of pastel (also key for this season), try the South Tweed Pencil Dress, €50 which is incredibly elegant and super flattering.

 Star Question!

What item can really help change an outfit from daywear to nightwear, if I’m going out straight from work?

Marian from Swords Caroline’s Advice: Accessories are the easiest (and cheapest!) way to update any outfit to take you from the desk to dinner. Add a statement necklace, ditch your oversized, everyday handbag in favour of a stylish clutch and you’re good to go! Embellished or neon pieces are perfect for a real stand out look – like the Demi Neon Collar, €22 or the Audrey Cascade Disc Necklace, €27. Also, a chic jacket or blazer can go a long way in completely changing the look of an outfit, whether it’s layering over a black dress, jeans or office trousers. And my secret – a slick of red lippy works wonders too!

Style Q&A

Gazette Style and Littlewoods Ireland have teamed up to help readers with some style dilemmas

On the last Thursday of each month, Littlewoods Ireland Ambassador Caroline Morahan (left) or their resident stylist Tanya Grimson will answer your fashion queries through great tips and looks from their many collections. So if you are stuck in a fashion rut and need answers, then email style@gazettegroup.com with your question, name and location. The top questions will be chosen to feature on the page. The reader with the one question deemed the star question of the month will receive a €50 voucher for Littlewoods Ireland.

I love jeans but sometimes it’s hard to know what shoes I should wear with my boyfriend jeans or my skinny jeans – what kind of shoes work best for different jean styles this season?

Jo from Lucan Caroline’s Advice: Boyfriend jeans are great for some fashion downtime – I love them for popping out to the shop, running errands or just lounging at home. Given the slouch shape and loose leg of the jeans, they look best worn with trainers or pumps. These South Denim Trackpant Jeans, €32 are a modern twist on the classic boyfriend-look and look great worn with hightop or wedge trainers.

I know some people can be weary of wearing skinny jeans but ladies, these were made to show off your legs so embrace the skinny jean, don’t fear it!! Skinny jeans are a must have for any wardrobe and are ideal for wearing day or night – team with some cute pumps or tuck into boots during the day; at night, simply add a pair of stilettos or platform heels.

24 swords gazette 28 February 2013

Gazette

&ABOUT OUT road

MOTORS

NOISE

GoCar car sharing sign up SEAT for fleet GoCar, Ireland’s car sharing initiative, has announced a partnership with SEAT that will see five SEAT Mii joining the GoCar fleet in 2013. The Seat Mii will be available to GoCar members to rent on an hourly basis across Dublin.

The GoCar initiative works on a pay-per-trip basis that allows the user the freedom to access a vehicle as and when they need it.

GoCar chief executive Colm Brady commented: “The SEAT Mii is a fantastic addition to the GoCar fleet. It comes in as one of our city cars and will be a great option for GoCar members looking to get around the city. They have a very high spec and provide great performance and an enjoyable driving experience.”

GoCar has also announced the opening of six new GoBases in Dublin at Clontarf, Sandymount, Donnybrook, Harold’s Cross and Miltown (two).

The total number of GoBases in the capital now stands at 23 with a further five in Cork. Five of the new GoBases are located in Dublin City Council car parks which are located close to public transport links.

“All of the locations announced today are well serviced by public transport and cycle lanes which fits with our aim of establishing GoCar as a viable addition to existing public transport links. Ondemand access to vehicles will result in fewer vehicles being used on Irish roads and this will have a positive environmental impact in our major cities and towns. The SEAT Mii will not only provide a fun driving experience for our members but it also produces low CO2 emissions so is a perfect fit for GoCar,” continued Brady.

“As a brand, we are delighted to be behind the GoCar initiative, which is a clever alternative to car ownership very much in tune with modern living.

The Mii is the perfect car for this scheme as it is so easy to drive and it has the environmental credentials to suit the car sharing ethos,” said SEAT director Cian O’Brien.

For more information check out www.gocar.ie

At the launch are GoCar chief executive Colm Brady and SEAT director Cian O’Brien

The new Fluence is priced from €19,690 and comes with a five-year unlimited mileage warranty

renault: this car features numerous driver-aid technologies

Fluence flaunts bags of quality and style

n Cormac Curtis

For every successful roll of the motoring dice there are umpteen abysmal failures.

But when Renault released what they believed to be an ideal car for the Irish driver, they got the snake eyes they were looking for as soon as they brought the Fluence to the table.

This is a car that takes real-world driving and gives it the five-star treatment.

There is a particular route that I drive to get a feel for a car – and it’s not without its challenges; think poor road surface, badly-sequenced traffic lights, blind corners, hairpin bends, steep hillstarts and you’ll get the idea.

I often find it incredible at how some very finely-

tuned motors, geared for performance and ‘real’ driving, completely come apart at the seams on this route.

Take them on the motorway to Cork and you can find something special, but drive them to work and you’ll be shaken within an inch of your sanity.

Not so with the all-new Fluence.

Renault are on the money with this car, and what I consider the most successful aspect of it is its suspension.

Purists might call it soft or spongy, personally I found it like driving on a cloud – nothing short of perfection for Irish roads, and that’s what 99% of people want.

Believe me, I’ll chomp at the bit for something low, balanced, tuned to

perfection and positively bulging with excessive horsepower, but in the morning, I just want a comfortable car to drive.

And that’s what the Fluence offers.

The quality doesn’t stop there. The interior has enough style and build quality to satisfy the most discerning eye, with points of contact including the steering wheel and gearshift really adding to a sense of reassurance.

The leather seats in the model I test drove would give their GT-spec cousins a real run for their money, pure comfort, and very easy on the eye.

The cockpit has been given a modern makeover, without being too fussy, and the driver is treated to digital instrumentation.

The boot is still one of the biggest in its class easily fitting two sets of golf clubs.

New look Fluence features Renault’s new styling identity. Its front end has the vertically-set logo at the centre of a broad black strip picked out by chrome beading which provides the car with a dynamic stance. The LED daytime running lights and chrome/gloss black inserts also contribute to the newcomer’s modern appeal.

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

The Fluence has a raft of on-board, connected

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

The new Fluence is priced from €19,690 and comes with a fiveyear unlimited mileage warranty and Renault Finance will offer finance packages from €199 per month with Renault ReFlex, a personal contract plan which provides Irish consumers with reassurance and flexibility when financing a new Renault.

28 February 2013 SWORDS GAZETTE 25

GAZETTE

TRAVEL GETAWAYS: GOOD VALUE ON EVENTS AND HOTELS NATIONWIDE

Time to plan your family Easter break

THE Easter holidays are around the corner, and that means that now is the time to start planning a short family break to keep the kids entertained when the schools are closed. There are many Easter-themed events happening around the country. But with so many choices, where should you go, and would there be plenty of activities to do there?

Luckily, help is at hand from travel expert website Hotels.com, which have put together some of the best value Easter events and hotel rates around the country.

In Wexford, the annual Easter egg hunt will take place at the Irish National Heritage Park in Ferrycarrig. Early booking is advised for this event, and it only costs €5 per child and is free for adults. Hotels.com recommend staying at the four star family-friendly Ferrycarrig Hotel, which

is located beside the park.

On Hotels.com, the family room was €197, but it is now €183.

In Cork, the Race Home for Easter festival in Mallow will take place for its third time, while various Easter entertainments will take place on the grounds of Mallow Castle. Hotels.com recommends staying at the four star Blarney Golf Resort, where prices start from €115 per self-catering lodge. These lodges are located close to Blarney Castle, Blarney Woolen Mills and the Blarney Stone.

In Clare, the Easter Bunny will make a special appearance on Easter Sunday at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. There will also be face painting, magic shows and bouncing castles on the day.

Tickets cost €5 and can be booked online. You can have a memorable meal at the medieval banquets in Bunratty

fast

TRAVEL NEWS

Save 30% with Hilton WorldWide

The Blarney Golf Resort in Cork and (inset) the Delphi Mountain Resort in Galway

and surrounding castles.

Hotels.com recommends staying at the three star Clare Inn Hotel at Dromoland, where prices start from €89 per family room per night.

In Galway, adventure seekers of all ages can visit the four star Delphi Mountain Resort, where

activities include surfing, hill walking and canoeing. If you prefer to relax, you can check out the spa and enjoy breathtaking mountain views from the thermal suite. Accommodation at the resort starts from €299 per family room per night.

All prices are based on

two adults and two children, and are subject to availability at the time of booking.

So, there are plenty of great and reasonable options for a fun-filled stay-cation this Easter.

All you have to do is pick which trip would suit your family the most.

A TOTAL of 6,325,800 overseas trips were made

by Irish residents in 2012. This is an overall increase of 0.5% on 2011.

According to the CSO, outbound travel peaked during the period of October – December 2012, when the total number rose by 3.8% to 1,360,400.

With this in mind, Hilton HHonors, the guestloyalty programme for Hilton Worldwide, has launched the Dream Resorts Promotion, which allows holidaymakers to save up to 30% on bed and breakfast room rates this year.

Hilton HHonors members can enjoy up to a 30% discount by booking 30 days ahead to selected properties until May 14, for stays between March 14 and December 31, 2013, while also earning Hilton HHonors points. This offer is subject to availability.

Among the promotion is a seven-night stay from May 18 to 25 to Conrad Algarve in Portugal, which offers a promotion rate of €247 per night for a King Deluxe Room. This includes breakfast and taxes, and works out to make a total saving of €743.40.

For more information on the Dream Resorts Promotion, log on to www.Hhonors.com/ dreamresorts.

Summer deals with Thomas Cook

Hotels should be a little like home

Shelbourne Hotel spa package a real treat

SPRING forward and book a holiday before the summer, with the latest offers from Thomas Cook Ireland.

Depart from Dublin and enjoy these seven-night breaks.

Enjoy the sunshine in Gran Canaria, departing on March 2, from €498 per person, by staying at the two-star, self-catering Castillo del Sol in Puerto Rico.

Holiday in Lanzarote, departing on March 3, from €607 per person, by staying at the threestar, self-catering Club Siroco Apartments in Costa Teguise.

Explore Egypt, departing on March 7, from €499 per person,

LATEST research by travel experts Hotels.com has found that global travellers seek a home-from-home experience when they stay in a hotel.

As well as free food and beverages, the must-have amenity on their list is free Wi-Fi, with 66% saying that they wish this would become standard at all hotels in 2013.

Free Wi-Fi topped the need for free parking and complimentary breakfast. Over a third of those surveyed seek to stay connected online whilst on holidays, which shows that internet access is a necessity for modern-day travel-

TREAT yourself to unwind and relax after a hard week with the luxurious Sunday night spa package at The Shelbourne Hotel, the five-star hotel at St Stephen’s Green.

Stay here on Sunday night, and enjoy one night’s bed and breakfast in a deluxe room, with dinner in the glamorous AA Rosette Saddle Room Restaurant. On top of this, enjoy a one- hour Elemis spa treatment of your choice per person at the spa. Your stay will also include full use of the spa’s swimming pool, sauna, steam room and gym.

Spa treatments must be booked when reserving the bedroom. This offer costs €190 per person and is available until June 30, 2013.

For more information, call The Shelbourne Hotel on 01 6634500 or visit www.TheShelbourne.ie

by staying in the three-star Corners Palmyra in Nabq Bay. For bookings, call 01 514 0328, log on to www.thomascook.ie or visit your local travel agent.

Or if you feel like exploring the sea, enjoy a seven-night Western Mediterranean Cruise (Liberty of the Seas) from €1,039 per person, departing May 26 with Thomas Cook Cruise. Ports of call include Barcelona in Spain, Toulon and Nice in France, Florence, Civitavecchia and Capri in Italy. For bookings, call 01 514 0336, log on to www.thomascookcruise.ie, or visit your nearest travel agent.

lers.

“With an increase in airlines and airports offering free Wi-Fi, tech-savvy travellers expect the experience to continue upon arrival at their hotel,” said Kate Hopcraft, senior PR manager at Hotels.com. “They are using their tablets, smart phones and laptops to plan activities, stay connected to family and even order a delivery meal straight to their hotel room, so it’s no surprise they require free and fast Wi-Fi.” The survey was conducted in January on over 8,600 participants across 28 countries.

26 SWORDS GAZETTE 28 February 2013

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28 February 2013 SWORDS Gazette 27

asdfsdafP30 P27 Football

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



Gazette

dublin gazette awards P28

FastSport Run FOR a cause and for paws:

The new Dublin City Council/Leinster Rugby team training session took place recently with 33 Under-15 players from all round the city converging at Clontarf RFC grounds

programme: Dublin City Council/Leinster Rugby team tap into talent

Training sessions begin for aspiring U-15 rugby players  peter carroll sport@gazettegroup.com

The first-ever training session of the new Dublin City Council/Leinster Rugby team took place recently with 33 Under-15 players from all round the city converging at the Clontarf RFC training grounds.

Players from schools, community groups and enthusiasts of the game joined together to train with Leinster coaching staff to develop the core rugby skills of kicking, catching, passing and

tackling.

Leinster rugby’s community officer for the Dublin City Council area Jack Hanratty said: “This program has started for many reasons, one being to give players from non-rugby playing areas a chance to play the sport.

“Another reason was to give players the opportunity to play for the Metro team area as a part of the Leinster player development pathway.”

This program, after its successful launch, will continue toward its end goal of playing a match the week of the

European cup final, Saturday, May 18.

“We worked on some core skills and a little bit of teamwork. We were delighted with the phenomenal turnout, it really showed us that the project was needed.

“The aspiring players that turned out were from the areas that we wanted to tap into that didn’t really have any clubs in their location – inner city Dublin, the Liberties and north Dublin.

“They absolutely loved it and they’re very enthusiastic about learning the sport and working as a team.

“We have 10 weeks to turn them into a team for the weekend of the Heineken Cup final, and with the attitude that they displayed, it’s definitely possible.

“There is just so much untapped talent in these areas and eventually we want to serve them all as a Dublin team from ages six and up to play in the metro league.

“It was the first time I’ve been at a training session and everyone that was involved put their hands in the middle and shouted ‘Dublin’ at the end and it sounded pretty good,” said Hanratty.

Women runners across the capital are being called upon to register for this year’s Flora Women’s MiniMarathon which will take place on June 3, at the slightly earlier start time of 2pm.

Registration is now open on www. florawomensminimar athon.ie, and this year, Dogs Trust are looking for athletes of all abilities to sign up and support their cause.

When you receive your registration number, email your name, address, contact details and t-shirt size to minimarathon@dogstrust. ie and Dogs Trust will pop your sponsorship pack in the post for you.

For more information, please call (01) 879 1824 or email minimarathon@dogstrust.ie.

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

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

Gazette

28 SWORDS Gazette 28 February 2013

SPORT Sports Stars

Phoenix’s John Brophy

Swords woman Catherine Walsh

DSDAC’S Ava Hutchinson

St Joseph’s Boys Dan Casey

Blackrock man Leo Cullen

Ballinteer badminton star Scott Evans

Peamount’s queen of the ring, Katie Taylor Garda cycling club’s Caroline Ryan

Finn Lynch

Coolmine’s Phil Lavery

Tennis player Lesley O’Halloran

Shining bright

O

LYMPIC and Paralympic year saw local sports stars push themselves beyond perceived limits in pursuit of reaching the pinnacle of their respective sports, some taking home the ultimate prize, others obliterating their personal bests. Beyond the Games, though, there was no shortage of achieve-

ment, with award winners honoured for their world championship success in tennis, sailing and cycling, European swimming, badminton and rugby pursuits while others have flown the Irish flag on the soccer field, making for a wonderfully diverse set of Sports Stars.

ALSAA’s Barry Murphy

28 February 2013 SWORDS Gazette 29

Gazette

30 SWORDS gazette 28 February 2013

SPORT

FastSport

Fagan ‘delighted’ with proposed fight with WBF champ Goodwin After the disappointment of not getting a bout at the end of 2012, Oisin Fagan has claimed he is “delighted” with the proposed fight with WBF lightweight champion, Chris Goodwin, which has been scheduled for early April.

North county man Fagan has not fought for two years despite attempts at getting back into the sport. The Malahide man gained international recognition for his hearty displays against topranked Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and Paul Spadafora over the years.

“As far as I know everything is sorted,” said the 39-year-old. “Goodwin wants to do it and his promoter, his father, also seems happy with the match-up.

“I’m just waiting to get the contract and, once it’s signed, it will be official, but it certainly looks like it’s going ahead.

“After last year I’m delighted that something has come along. I’m ready to go, I have never stopped training and I feel like I’m still in really good shape,” said the former national light welterweight champion.

Although there is a considerable age gap of 15 years between the opponents - Goodman is 24 - Fagan believes that the English champion will look to him as a significant challenger to his title.

“He probably looked at the age difference and thinks I’m past it. I pride myself on my fitness and if he wants to stand and trade with me, I’ll be taking him to deep waters.”

Meanwhile, Fagan is just one of the pros attending a charity show on Friday, March 1.

Jim Rock, Paul Griffin and the Hyland Brothers are also expected at the event, a fight night in aid of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity campaign will take place on Friday, March 1 from 6.30pm to 11pm in Croke Park. Cost of entry is €20 and all proceeds will go to IPSC, a non-profit organisation promoting fair and sustainable peace in the Middle East.

Soccer: Malahide can’t continue their good form

Gary McGlew and Darren Craven get ready for the second half at Phoenix, but the seasiders came up short

Phoenix soar past United LSL sat major Phoenix Malahide Utd  sport@gazettegroup.com

2 1

GOALS from Paddy Collins and Graham Kavanagh ensured a vital win for Phoenix FC against league rivals Malahide United and help maintain their 5 point lead at the top of the Saturday Major league table.

The visitors looked to be in command early on, using the most of their possession and building their play quickly from the back in hopes of catching their hosts off guard.

However the first chance of the match fell to the home side, a free kick taken on the right was swung in dangerously by Robert Keegan and defender Kevin Lowe rose up highest to head the ball in on goal but it sailed over the crossbar.

From the resulting goal kick, Malahide quickly broke down the left, Connor Carberry’s pass controlled superbly by Shane Woods on his chest where he proceeded to strike a first time volley but his shot was well wide to the relief of the home side.

With Malahide con-

inter-provincials Jack gets paid a visit from two GAA heroes armagh and Crossmaglen hero Aaron

Kernan, representing Ulster, and Laois defender Kieran Lillis, of Leinster, put provincial rivalry aside this week as they posed with Jack Wynne, aged 15, from Baldoyle, and the M Donnelly Cup during a visit to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, in advance of Sunday’s final in Croke Park. Leinster’s team will feature local forward Paul Flynn, as well as Dubs star Bernard Brogan.

Picture: Ray McManus / SPORTSFILE

tinuing to press in search of the opening goal, a mistake by their defence allowed Keith Kennedy to play a through ball into Kavanagh, who held off his marker and drilled a shot towards the near post which left keeper Joseph Lennon no chance and put his side up 1-0.

The visitors were clearly stunned but regained composure towards the end of the half and will wonder how they didn’t get the equalising goal their play deserved, Colm Curtis and striker Ruairi Carberry linking up well on several occasions

only to be denied by the imposing centre back pair of Lowe and John Rogers, who were letting nothing get past them and kept the score in their team’s favour going into half time.

After play resumed, Phoenix dominated proceedings and could have scored three or four goals to add their tally. Carberry linking up with Keegan early on, the latter’s shot looked goalbound but Lennon heroically got his enough on the ball to push it onto the crossbar.

Kavanagh thought he had his second goal, when

Keegan’s long range shot rebounded off Lennon and he followed it up and tapped the ball into an empty net but he was ruled to be offside.

With 20 minutes left to play, substitute Collins chased down a long ball where he stole the ball off Lennon’s feet and tapped in the simplest of finishes to double his team’s lead.

Carberry got a late consolation goal for Malahide, in what turned out to be the final kick of the game but it wasn’t enough to dent Phoenix’s chase for the title.

28 February 2013 SWORDS gazette 31

Gazette

Gilheaney ratified as Dublin ladies interim manager  sport@gazettegroup.com

Fingallians’ stars Laura McGahon, Fiona Hudson, Denis McKenna and Amy McGuinness will be receiving orders from the sideline from Paul Gilheaney for the remainder of the 2013 season, after the St Vincent’s man was ratified as interim manager

of the Dublin ladies senior side last week.

A well-known name in the ladies section, Gilheaney was part of the backroom staff for the All-Ireland minor winning Dublin team in 2008, the All-Ireland senior finalists in 2009 and the All-Ireland senior championships winners in 2010.

The ladies manager has also been involved with the Dublin men’s U-17 development squad, making him a likely candidate for the Dublin minor job in the future.

Gilheaney has brought through a host of minor talent into the senior fold during this year’s league campaign and the side look to be gelling well

with the younger members of the panel showing their worth by filling in for an injury list of seasoned inter county players.

T he side recently handed Laois, managed by former Dublin U-21 Tom McKittrick, their sole loss of the season in the National Football League Division One.

GAA: afl 2 gets back under way, but ravens fall

Club Noticeboard fingalllians THE perfect start for our senior foot-

Congratulations to Roisin Collins on

ballers as they defeated Erin’s Isle by

winning the Purcell Camogie Cup with

four points in the league.

DCU in Limerick over the weekend.

There were wins also for our U-9,

Best of luck to the Fins boys and

U-12a, U-13, U-15, U-16 and our Junior

girls competing in the Dublin Scor na

Bs, while our minor hurlers drew with

bPaistí competition at St Peregrine’s,

St Vincent’s.

Blanchardstown on Saturday, March

Well done to our trio Emer Ni Heafa,

2 at 2.30pm. This is the GAA’s Irish cul-

Niamh Rickard and Rachel Brogan

ture talent competition for primary

who played for the Dublin ladies minor

school children. Go n-éirí go geal libh.

footballers in the championship, beating Kildare at the weekend.

Congratulations to Claire Finnegan, Dearbhla Snow and Shannon Murtagh

The St Patrick’s Day festivities are

on making the U-14 Dublin girls’ panel.

currently being organised. The parade

The very best of luck at the start of

will start at noon from Coláiste Choilm

your inter-county careers.

and finish in the club where an after-

Fingallians in association with Swords

noon of music, dance and celebration

Credit Union will be hosting the first

is being planned. Further details to

ever Credit Union Cup on April 17. It

follow.

will be a football blitz for school sen-

Good luck to our juvenile and minor

ior teams with the following schools

ladies squads as they start their

invited: St Colmcille’s BNS, St Cronan’s

leagues next weekend. Congratula-

SNS, Scoil an Dhuinningh, Old Bor-

tions to Amy, Fiona and Sinead who

ough NS, Gael Scoil Bhrian Boroimhe,

received their Leinster medals and

Swords Educate Together, Thornleigh

Laura McGahan who received her All

Educate Together, Holy Family NS and

Ireland medal at the weekend’s pres-

Holywell Educate Together.

entations.

Further details to follow.

st sylvester’s

Fingal Ravens found it difficult to get going against Kilmacud Crokes

Sharper Crokes clip Ravens in opener AFL 2

Kilmacud Crokes 0-10 Fingal Ravens 0-08  sport@gazettegroup.com

The lack of a coaching presence may have proved the difference between the two sides on the day, according to Fingal Ravens boss Ian Donnelly, when his team lost their opening encounter in the AFL 2 to Kilmacud Crokes in Bray Emmet last Thursday.

“The result was fair,” said Donnelly. “We had some chances that we didn’t take and a lot of their scores came from breaking balls that we

failed to shut down.

“We haven’t been able to coach the lads as much as we would have liked due to the state of the pitches, and we knew that Crokes would be a lot more prepared than us in that regard.”

Despite not taking the win, Donnelly did take some positives from the performance. In particular, the new boss highlighted the back line who he claims helped keep the game on close terms throughout, with the half time score 0-5 to 0-4 for the Stillorgan men.

“Crokes are a lovely

football side, they play the game ver y well.

You can always expect a tough game playing them and even though we lost I think our backline were very strong on the day.

“They kept them back to five points in each half and I think they deserve a lot of credit,” said the Ravens coach.

With two more league matches set for the north county side before the league break until May, Donnelly is hoping his side can adapt to the new style of play after the Mick Deegan era.

“This is well known to

be one of the toughest leagues to get out of, and I would certainly agree with that statement.

“The weather is a lot better now and we’ll be upping the levels in training which I know will help our results and performances in the couple of games.

“It’s a challenge because the lads need to adapt to a new approach to the game and, if we can pick up a few points in the next couple of games, hopefully, we can be up there challenging for the play-off positions,” he added.

SHANE O’Connor and Ross Hazley

renowned tipster Gary O Brien will

begin this year’s roll of honour with

be in the club to draw the winner of

Sigerson Cup winner’s medals for DIT

the trip to Cheltenham.

who defeated a highly fancied UCC in

Make sure you’re in with a chance

the final. What a great honour to be

of winning and support this fund-

part of this historic first victory.

raiser.

Two nice guys finish first.

The intermediate football team had a very impressive win over Whitehall.

The seniors play Vincent de Paul cup against Raheny on Sunday, March 3 at home at 11am.

Derek Og Roche got the vital last point

The intermediate play against Bal-

to get the win over Na Gael Og for the

lyboughal in the Loving Cup, simulta-

junior B team.

neously.

The minor hurlers got off to a winning

The junior B team play Castleknock

start with a three point victory away

at 14.30 in the Sheridan Cup also in

to Ballinteer. Goalkeeper Shane Col-

Broomfield on Sunday.

colough was the hero of the day.

Next Friday, March 1, Malahide man, At The Races commentator and

The club Lotto draw takes place every Thursday and this week’s jackpot is €2,650.

fingal ravens WELL done to our third team on a fine

€5,749. Please support the lotto.

league win against Man of War, hard

Well done to our mens and ladies

luck to the second team and the sen-

teams that played in Kerry over the

iors who were both narrowly beaten

weekend.

in their league games. The under 13s

Fixtures for next weekend as follows;

and under 14s both had great wins

Sunday, first team away to St Pat’s (D)

on Saturday and the under 16s drew

at 11am.

their match.

Result of this week’s lotto, numbers drawn were 2, 12, 15, 39 and there was no jackpot winner, the following each receive €20, K Kinsella, J Gylsenan, Deco and Bernie.

Next week’s jackpot now stands at

Second team away to Innisfails at 11am.

Third team away to St Colmcille’s at 2.30pm.

These are all cup games.

Minors play their first league game against St David’s also away at 11am.

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

Breaking lines: A new rugby training scheme looks to tap into the talent from across Dublin P27

febrUARY 28, 2013

sport star celebrations: Fourth annual Dublin Sports Awards to rock the Red Cow P28

The Ireland team celebrate in Lisswade after their win over Scotland landed them a women’s rugby first- a Triple Crown Picture: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Cantwell claims crown Swords native is part of Ireland team that took an historic victory last weekend, beating Scotland 30-3, taking the first-ever Triple Crown  peter carroll

sport@gazettegroup.com

SWORDS resident Lynne Cantwell was part of the record-breaking starting Irish XV that became the first national women’s rugby team to win the Triple Crown last Saturday in Lasswade near Edinburgh, where they saw off their Scottish opponents 30-3.

“To win anything in any sport take an awful long time,” said manager Philip Doyle after the game.

“You have to learn how to win something and we’ve learned how to win the Triple Crown over many years.”

This third successive win in the 6 Nations

tournament came just one week after the women’s team claimed their first victory over England that came courtesy of an Alison Miller hat-trick of tries that helped the Irish to a 25-0 win.

Although Ireland went into the tie last weekend as the favourites for the clash, the Scottish went ahead first, with centre Lisa Ritchie slotting a penalty, reminding the girls in green that they simply couldn’t go through the motions to take the tie and its attendant spoils.

Niamh Briggs, who was in sensational form on the day, put the Irish back on terms in the 23rd minute when she slotted over a penalty of her own, taking some pressure off

the side and allowing them to press on.

Cantwell and Briggs combined for the next score with the two trading passes before Alison Miller at left wing touched down over the line to give the Irish the lead at the interval, despite Briggs missing the resultant conversion.

Scotland certainly weren’t lying down, but their hopes took a big knock when centre Tanya Griffith was yellow carded, and it wasn’t long before Briggs added another penalty to the scoreboard, stretching the lead to eight points, 11-3.

Miller touched down for her fifth try in two games shortly afterwards and then Fleming managed to throw herself over the

line when she received the play from 5m out in the last few minutes, with Briggs converting the conversion.

Briggs then took a try of her own to cap off a wonderful performance, despite not executing the conversion on that occasion.

“This has been a collective effort over the last 10 to 15 years,” said Briggs after the game. “We have to keep progressing all the time and that’s what we’re hoping to do.”

Next up for this record breaking Irish women’s team are France, second in the standing with two wins and a solitary loss to Italy after three games, who they will have to see off to keep their Grand Slam hopes alive in the women’s 6 Nations tournament.