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Sharing the excitement at the Swords parade: Katie, Elizabeth, Conor and Emily Fox with Leanne and Margaret McLoughlin. Picture: Niall Griffin

Forty shades of green Town awash with shamrockers as 25,000 celebrate St Patrick’s Day

 keith bellew

THE St Patrick’s Day festival in Swords reached new heights this year with a sea of revellers totalling around 25,000-strong sweeping from the Dublin Road to

North Street.

A number of new elements were added to this year’s itinerary; the most notable of these was the opening of Swords Castle to the public.

The entire grounds were opened, including the chap-

el and constable’s tower.

The parade started at 11.30am and was led by Dublin footballer Paul Flynn.

It lasted about an hour and a half. There was an array of marchers, from Mayor Mags Murray (FF) to pipe bands,

dancing groups and a convoy of colourful floats.

Councillors Duncan Smith (Lab) and Darragh Butler (FF) said it was the biggest and best parade yet.

Full Story on Page 2

2 swords gazette 19 March 2015

heritage St Patrick’s Day festivities a hit in the community

25,000 party for St Pat in Swords  keith bellew

and ian begley THE St Patrick’s Day f e s t i v a l i n Swo r d s reached new heights this year with a number of new elements added to the itinerary; the most notable of these was the opening of Swords Castle to the public.

The castle, along with the council offices and numerous community centres, was lit up with green lights.

The entire grounds were opened including the chapel, and the constable’s tower, and different posters telling the

history of the castle were hung on the walls.

The parade started at 11.30am and lasted about an hour and a half, with an array of pipe bands, dancing groups, community/spor ting groups and a convoy of colourful floats.

According to Cllr Duncan Smith (Lab), this year’s festival and parade were the best attended of all he had been to.

Meanwhile, in the city, a sea of green, white and orange poured through the streets for the annual St Patrick’s Day Parade and festivities.

Approximately half

a million people lined the city streets between Parnell Square and St Patrick’s Cathedral to witness the nation’s largest celebration.

This year’s parade adopted the theme of Celebrate Now, in recognition of Ireland’s contemporary arts and culture exploits. Featuring bands and performers from around the world, this year’s procession was led by the grand marshal, comedian Brendan O’Carroll.

At noon on the dot, the Lord Mayor’s horsedrawn carriage started the parade, trailing

behind St Patrick himself Loud cheers then followed as O’Carroll and his wife, Jennifer Gibney, rode past in a vintage car, waving and shouting classic Mrs Brown lines that many know so well.

The day was soon brought to life by leading pageant companies from around the world, displaying some fantastic creations and thrilling performances.

Amidst the colourful pageantry, bands from the USA, Mexico, Germany and Ireland delivered uplifting scores and inspiring rhythms.

This spectacular procession then followed its route through the heart of Dublin city, bursting with colour and theatrics.

Throughout the duration of the parade, The Gazette asked a number of foreign visitors how their day was going and what they thought of the

All kinds of groups and marchers swelled the parade in Swords. Picture: Niall Griffin

city on this national day of celebration.

Prasanth Sukumar, from India, attended the parade with his wife and two young children.

Speaking to The Gazette he said that this year’s festival was by far the most colourful he had seen.

He said: “The floats and performances are really fantastic and there seems to be a lot

of life from everyone taking part in this year’s parade.

“Out of all the St Patrick’s Day parades I’ve seen, this one is definitely the most colourful.”

A high school class from Florida who came to Dublin especially for the parade and its festivities said they were overwhelmed with the friendliness and hospi-

tality they received during their stay.

Ramon Garcia, from Spain, who went to the parade with his wife, daughter and twin sons said: “It was a really good idea to come out to the parade this morning.

“Everyone seems to have smiles on their faces, and you get so much more out of the parade compared to watching it on the TV.”

Work to conserve painting begins  keith bellew

THE National Gallery of Ireland (NGI) recently launched a major conservation project on Jan Wyck’s painting of The Battle of the Boyne at Malahide Castle and Gardens.

The conservation of the painting is being carried out through grants from the William E Connor Foundation, the Heritage Council and assistance from the Ireland Funds of

China.

It is the first major offsite conservation project being carried out by the National Gallery of Ireland, in collaboration with Malahide Castle and Gardens.

This historic painting was left to the National Gallery in 1936 and has been on loan to Malahide Castle since 1976.

O ve r t h e c o m i n g months, the NGI conservation department will carry out full-scale con-

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servation work in situ, and visitors to Malahide Castle will have the opportunity to view aspects of the conservation work in progress.

Speaking at the launch, NGI director Sean Rainbird said: “The National Gallery of Ireland is delighted to have gained substantial support from the William Connor Foundation and a grant from the Heritage Council to undertake a major conservation treatment on one of the gallery’s most important historical paintings.

“Following completion of the project, the painting will return to the gallery for a period and will be one of the key works

in our 2016 exhibition, Creating History: Stories of Ireland in Art, before retaking its place in the historically significant surroundings of Malahide Castle, where it has been on show for many years.

“We look forward to working with our partners, and also invite members of the public to see conservation work in action during their visits to the castle in the coming months.”

For information about the project, painting, the artist and on the historical event itself, see www. nationalgallery.ie. There will also be a weekly blog and podcasts by the conservators on the progress of the project.

19 March 2015 swords gazette 3

schools

community: praise for locals’ hard work to lobby for facility

Team put boot in – and win

Rush playground plans go on display  keith bellew

PLANS for a long-awaited playground at Harbour Park, Rush are now on display for public consultation.

The plans will remain on display at Fingal council offices in Swords and online at Fingal.ie until April 21, while anyone who wishes to make a submission or observation on the plan has until May 5.

Locals have been seeking a new playground in the area for quite some time and the Rush Playground Group was established to lobby for the facilities to be provided.

Local resident and Minister for Children and Youth affairs Dr

James Reilly said that he is delighted with the advancements of the Rush Playground Project.

He said: “Many members of the community, including the Rush Playground Group, have campaigned tirelessly for this development. With more than 700 primary schools in the greater Rush area, amenities such as this are essential.

“The group have also confirmed that the proposed project would cater for children with special needs. The Rush Playground Group is currently commencing their fundraising drive and I would like to encourage everyone in the Rush Community to do what they can to help. I would

like to congratulate all of those involved on their exceptional hard work,” said Minister Reilly.

Cllr Barry Martin (PBP) commended the Rush community on the hard work they put into lobbying the council to get the project off the ground.

He said: “It was driven by families in Rush and Rush Tidy Towns helped set up the campaign. All credit should go to them; they pushed for it and it’s great news for Rush.”

Cllr Martin said the new playground is necessary because: “In 15 years, the population in Rush has grown from around 3,000 to around 10,000 people, and the amenities didn’t reflect how much the town has grown.”

A black and white issue: Liam shows his excellent piano skills in concert LIAM Cunningham, of St Finian’s Community College, Swords was looking relaxed as he prepared to perform Maple Leaf Rag, by Scott Joplin, in the Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training board Festival of Music in the National Concert Hall recently. He was taking part in the festival alongside students from primary and secondary schools across north county Dublin, building on the longstanding popularity of the festival, which has been running since 1999.

Whether perfoming as soloists or in ensembles or choirs, the young musicians greatly impressed at the national venue, adding their unique voices and skills to the area’s musical heritage. Picture: Andres Poveda

A BALBRIGGAN student was part of a team of four that claimed the winning spot at the 2015 BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp with their project, entitled An Tionchar (The impact hurling boot).

The boot – the brainchild of team member Shiofra Ryan, of St Brendan’s Community School, Birr, Co Offaly – is designed to help with injury prevention.

The boot currently worn by hurlers is designed to meet the needs of soccer players and does not protect the ankle.

Renuka Chintapalli (15) from Loreto Secondary School, Balbriggan and her teammates presented a mock pitch on the boot’s usefulness to a judging panel.

4 swords gazette 19 March 2015

contest Local girl named as a top artist NINE-year-old Katie O’Brien from Holy Family Senior National School in Swords has been recognised as one of the best young artists in Ireland for her entry to the Sightsavers Junior Painter of the Year Awards 2015.

Her painting, entitled I Want You to See Books Fly, has won her a place among 15 others who will have their painting displayed at an awards ceremony on March 25 at the Science Gallery, TCD. She will receive a special regional prize in recognition of her achievement. The 15 regional winning and 17 highly commended certificate paintings can be viewed online at www.sightsavers.ie/junior-painter-firstwinners-announced.

council Action requested for playground’s users

Funding sought for junction at Brackenstown  keith bellew

FINGAL County Council is currently seeking funding from the National Transport Authority for the installation of a signalised junction at the location of Murrough Road/ Brackenstown Road.

There has been much concern locally due to the proximity of a playground to the road and the dangers faced by children when crossing.

Last March, the council said it would monitor the area with a view to assess-

ing what measures should be taken after a number of reports of narrowly avoided accidents with children crossing the road.

In October, Cllr Darragh Butler (FF) had requested that immediate traffic-calming measures be installed there, but the council replied that funding was not available. The council has since engaged with the NTA and the process is moving along positively.

A spokesperson from Fingal County Council said: “Brackenstown

Road is being examined in the context of improvement for vulnerable road users, including pedestrians and cyclists.

“Discussions have taken place with the National Transport Authority in relation to the provision of funding for the installation of a signalised junction at the location of Murrough Road/Brackenstown Road.”

Cllr Butler said he was really pleased that progress was being made, and that hopefully plans could proceed if and

Local concerns about dangers faced by children using a Branchenstown playground close to a road have led to the council seeking funding for traffic-calming measures

when funding became available.

He said: “A new playground went in there about a year and a half ago, so with that we were looking for a safe place for children to cross.

“It’s a busy enough junction at the best of times, and it’s a stretch

of road that speed does build up.”

He said there were traffic-calming concerns with that stretch of road previously which became more urgent when the playground was built.

The houses closest to the playground are all on the opposite side of the road,

so children are obliged to cross it when coming or going.

Cllr Butler said: “There was that concern that kids have to cross that dangerous road, so that is what is being addressed now.”

He said that it looks as if the funding would be allocated.

19 March 2015 swords gazette 5

6 swords gazette 19 March 2015

FastNews Portmarnock Art Group to hold its 39th exhibition THE Portmarnock Art Group will hold its 39th annual exhibition at the White Sands Hotel on Sunday, April 19.

The exhibition will be officially opened by auctioneer Denis Drum at 8pm and will remain open until 10pm. The exhibition will be open on Monday, April 20 from 10am to 8pm, and there will also be a charity raffle in aid of the Simon Community on the night.

For further information on Portmarnock Art Group, see visit www.facebook.com/pages/ Portmarnock-Art-Group.

Local man hopes not to get pipped in Le Crunch contest TERRY Quinlan from Swords has been shortlisted for the semi-final of Le Crunch Apples 7G Jingle contest.

The competition invites people to compose a short song promoting Le Crunch apples, to be in with a chance of winning €7,000.

Quinlan said: “It’s brilliant to be included in the final shakeup for the competition. Huge thanks to Today FM and Le Crunch Apples.

Please visit Le Crunch Facebook and Twitter pages and give [me] a vote.”

council All parties oppose removal motion

‘Fire brigade must keep its ambulance service’  keith bellew

FINGAL councillors have shown their support for Dublin Fire Brigade’s ambulance service by voting in favour of a motion opposing any proposals that could see it removed from the capital’s brigade.

A review into the ambulance service is currently being prepared through the National Ambulance Service Capacity Review, which has caused concern over the future of the ambulance service provided by the Dublin Fire Brigade.

The HSE has said until the National Ambulance

Service Capacity Review is completed, it would be “inappropriate to comment” on any aspects of the review.

This statement was made in response to the motion which was passed unanimously at a recent Fingal County Council meeting.

The motion was put forward by Fianna Fail councillors and received the support of all parties in the chamber.

Fianna Fail leader on Fingal County Council Cllr Darragh Butler said: “This is a strong vote of confidence in the fire brigade’s vital role in Dublin’s ambulance services.

“Fingal Council is sending out the message that it is completely unacceptable to essentially undermine Dublin’s ambulance services by removing the highly trained paramedics provided by Dublin Fire Brigade.

“Councillors from all sides agreed with Fianna Fail that this is an extremely short-sighted and potentially dangerous decision. The HSE is effectively trying to reduce the capacity of Dublin’s ambulance services by cutting out the involvement of the fire brigade.

“Given that unlike the national ambulance service, the fire brigade has a base in every single town and village across Dublin, this decision makes abso-

Cllr Darragh Butler (FF): “Dublin needs more skilled paramedics and more emergency resources, not less”

lutely no sense.

“We need to be looking at getting the most from what the fire brigade has to offer in terms of responding to emergencies. Dublin needs more skilled paramedics and more emergency resources, not less,” he said.

Minister for Health Leo Varadkar said HIQA, who are carrying out the review, had concerns that the two Dublin ambulance services were not integrated, and calls that were passed between the HSE and fire brigade were

sometimes missed.

He said: “There is room for improvement and Dubliners deserve the best from their ambulance service.”

A HSE spokesperson said: “The National Ambulance Ser vice Capacity Review was established to independently determine the resource requirements, and optimal deployment of resources, to meet the needs of a modern ambulance service and to assist in the delivery of the target response times.

“This is the first time that such a review has been conducted in Ireland and will explore the resource requirements required to improve response times across the country as a whole.

“It will determine what resources are required and how they can be used in the most efficient manner.

“The capacity review will determine the optimal system for the Irish setting, and it is expected that this report will be completed in due course.”

Schools chosen for student awards YOUNG entrepreneurs from schools across Dublin North have been awarded for their work after being announced as winners at this year’s Fingal Student Enterprise Awards.

Students from Sutton Park School (senior category), Skerries Community College (intermediate category) and Santa Sabina Dominican College in Sutton (junior category) now

have the opportunity to bring titles in their respective categories home from the national final set to take place in Croke Park on April 22.

Head of Fingal Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Oisin Geoghegan praised the work of participating schools, saying: “By fostering an enterprising culture in the classrooms of today, the Fingal LEO – in partnership with teachers and

schools – are helping to support and encourage the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.

“As the ‘first-stop-shop’ for businesses and new start-ups in the region, we will continue supporting entrepreneurship at all levels, from primary school to third level.”

For further information, see www. localenterprise.ie/Fingal, and www. studententerprise.ie.

19 March 2015 swords gazette 7

8 swords gazette 19 March 2015

gazetteGALLERY

Lynn Daly and Sandra O’Grady

Lauren Rodgers, The Body Shop, with Kristina Juzbaseva, The Perfume Shop

Mary Maples, Triona Lilly Dunne and Theresa Glynn. Pictures: Niall Griffin

Shay Byrne gets in on the Mother’s Day pampering Ciara O’Donoghue, Benefit, with Lisa Murphy, No 7 at Boots

action with some help from Catherine Fitzgerald of Gillian, Molly and Saoirse O’Reilly

Elizabeth Arden, Boots

Pavilions helps to pick a present to pamper mum T

HIS year’s Mother’s Day saw lots of fun celebrations at the Pavilions shopping centre, where retailers got into the spirit of the day by offering a range of treats and special offers for shoppers and their mums.

Make-up demonstrations were particularly popular, with expert advice from staff from MK Studios, Benefit, Smashbox, Elizabeth Arden, The Body Shop and Boots No 7 on hand to help get the perfect look, while The

Perfume Shop was also able to offer advice on the latest trends.

A number of competition hampers were also presented, with their delcious food and wine sure to go down a treat.

19 March 2015 swords gazette 9

10 gazette 19 March 2015

gazetteGALLERIES

Paul Fitzsimons, Henry Anderson, Robbie Smith, Marieclaire Sabogal, Denis O’Brien, Martin Mulholland and Gerald Robbie and Helen Smyth

McCavanagh. Pictures: David O’Shea

key to success: Clefs d’or serves up honours

Five-star gala for top concierges

T Valerie Bagnall, Rachel Meehan, John Goldrick and Jacqueline Goldrick

here was no sign of the Grand Budapest Hotel’s Gustave H at a recent gala dinner to pay homage to the work of the top tier of hotel concierges in the Clontarf Castle Hotel. But then the annual Les Clefs d’Or was an exclusive affair and confined to the Irish

hotel sector. Among those honoured on the night was Clontarf’s own Vijay Shetye, who was nominated for an award. Overall the night was a huge success with more than 100 guests in attendance and celebrations running into the early hours.

Paul and Laura Kavanagh Jason Ormston saying well done to employee Vijay Shetye for his work on the event

23390

Paul Fitzsimons, Antony Lynch and Jim Clayton

Tom and Teresa Doyle

Declan and Keiva Mc Farlane

19 March 2015 Gazette 11

escape the mayhem p13

dublinlife Let Dublin Gazette Newspapers take you on a tour of the news and events taking place across the city and county this week

asdfsdaf P27 interview P14



Gazette

diary p12

a day in the life: ireland’s number 1 Badminton player, Scott Evans

what’son

Courting a place at the top

a celebration of dublin’s music

 keith bellew

Dubliner and twotime Olympian Scott Ev a n s i s I r e l a n d ’s number 1 ranking Badminton player and following his recent performance at the AllEngland Open Championships has climbed to number 24 in the world.

This week, the Gazette caught up with Evans to find out what an average Day in the Life of a professional badminton player consists of.

He likes to get up at 7am and take his dog for a quick walk before he has his breakfast which usually consists of porridge, muesli and bananas. No greasy fryups for him as he needs to keep fit for competitions which he competes in very regularly.

Originally from Ballinteer, Evans now lives in Denmark where he trains.

He said: “My club is only about 10 minutes away. I normally train at 9am or 9.30 so I always

have to leave a little bit before because I have a programme I do to warm up which takes a bit of time.

“From 9 to 11 everything I do would be badminton based. That can be everything from exercises which are physically tough to technical exercises which are a little bit easier where you focus on the technical side of your game.

“That’s always normally two or two and a half hours.

“I probably get home around 12 or 12.30 and then I have lunch and relax for a while. I like going to cafes and having a coffee and meeting friends and stuff like that.”

He said that during the week he usually doesn’t get up to much because he has further training sessions later in the day.

“On the days that he has evenings free he goes to concerts or football matches to watch FC Copenhagen.

“Monday, Wednesday

and Friday I go to the gym in the afternoon at about 3pm to do a physical session, that’s like biking or running or weights.

“On these days I usually have dinner at about 7pm and go to bed a lot earlier because I have the whole evening to relax. “ O n Tu e s d ay a n d Thursday evenings I have another badminton session, so I won’t do anything during the day, I’ll just relax all day.

“There’s not much time to do anything during the day because otherwise you are not really rested for your next session. I usually eat about 5pm and then eat again at 9.30 when I finish training. I don’t normally get home until 10pm or 10.30 and then I’ve got to go out with the dog, so generally 11pm would be a normal time for me to go to bed.”

In the coming weeks Evans will travel to Asia to compete in competitions in Malaysia and Singapore.

Scott Evans: “There’s not much time to do anything during the day because you are not really rested for your next session.”

THERE’S a new music festival coming to town, and it’s set to take place in Dublin next month with more than 50 musical events taking centre stage.

The inaugural MusicTown Festival will run from April 10-19, with musical events for all ages and tastes – all inspired by the capital’s musical heritage and vibrant music scene.

Being organised by Dublin City Council, there will be live and contemporary opera performances from Wide Open Opera on the streets, while buskers will be celebrated in a Busker of the Year competition being organised by DublinTown.ie. The festival aims to develop a greater appreciation of Dublin’s music.

The Deputy Lord Mayor, Larry O’Toole, said: “The festival is about discovery, exploration and education.

Whatever your taste, we want to encourage people to experience new genres of music and to journey deeper into their preferred music of choice.”

Some events are free, while others have a nominal charge.

For further information, see www.musictown.ie.

Gazette

12 Gazette 19 March 2015

dublinlife

DIARY

Novelist and TV personality Amanda Brunker was on hand at Il Posto restaurant on Stephen’s Green to launch the first ever PAWS for a Cuppa campaign, a week of tea in aid of PAWS Animal Rescue this April. PAWS founder Gina Hetherington (left) is encouraging people to register online to host a tea party. Picture: Susan Kennedy / Paul Sherwood Photography

Time to paws for a cuppa Novelist and TV personality Amanda Brunker was on hand recently to launch the first ever PAWS for a Cuppa campaign at Il Posto restaurant in Stephen’s Green.

PAWS for a Cuppa is a week of tea parties being held in aid of PAWS Animal Rescue running from April 13 to 19.

PAWS founder Gina Hetherington is urging people to register online to host a tea party and those who do so will receive an organiser’s pack containing everything needed for it.

She said: “At the moment, we have over 100 dogs in our care and as you can imagine that’s a lot of hungry mouths to feed!

“Hosting a PAWS for a Cuppa tea party gives you the opportunity to

spend some quality time together with family and friends, but the money you raise will help us in our never-ending struggle to find forever homes for wonderful dogs.”

To register online visit: www.paws.ie/paws-fora-cuppa/

bring your dream dress to reality What girl hasn’t, at some point in their childhood lives, drawn their dream Cinderella dress and wished they could see it become a reality?

Well Disney is giving Cinderella fans the chance to do just that.

To mark the release of the new film based on the classic fairytale, Disney is inviting fans to submit a creative design for their ultimate Cinderella dress and one lucky winner will

see their design brought to life when it is made to wear and keep forever.

Fans can also vote for their favourite dresses, with the top 10 being judged by a panel who will choose the dress they feel should be brought to life.

The winner will have their dress presented to them at an enchanting afternoon tea at London’s beautiful Langham Hotel.

View designs, vote and submit your dream dress at: www.disneycinderella.co.uk

volunteers sought for fundraiser Special Oly mpics Ireland’s national Collection Day fundraiser is coming up on April 24 and organisers are now looking for volunteers to

lend a hand.

This is the biggest fundraising event in aid of Special Olympics Ireland, as they aim to raise over €500,000 for athletes with an intellectual disability.

Special Olympics Ireland launched its Volunteer Recruitment Drive and needs over 3,000 volunteers for the fundraising day.

All the money raised on April 24 will be used to ensure that Special Olympics Ireland can continue to realise its mission of offering people with an intellectual disability the opportunity to participate in sport in their area.

Special OIympics Ireland is looking for volunteers for the entire day, so whether you can commit to the full day or even just an hour, organisers

would be pleased to hear from you.

Volunteer by contacting Emma Horgan on 085 803 1112 or by emailing eastern. region@specialolympics.ie.”

National Yokes Day shortlived During the recent temporary legalisation of a number of class-A drugs including ecstasy, magic mushrooms, “head shop” drugs and methamphetamine, a strange individual appeared outside Leinster House wearing a sign which read “I have yokes”.

For those not familiar with the parlance of the drug trade, yokes is a slang term for ecstasy.

A Government regulation declaring these drugs illegal was found to be unconstitutional by

a ruling at the Court of Appeal.

The ruling provided a two-day window where it was legal to possess these drugs, though sale or supply remained illegal.

The ruling prompted Twitter users to dub March 10 as National Yokes Day. The madness didn’t last long however as an emergency Dail sitting recriminalised possession of the drugs on Thursday, March 12.

SAying farewell to a legend Celebrities of all sorts took to Twitter last week to pay their last respects to Tony Fenton, a legend of the Irish airwaves, who died on March 11 at the age of 53.

F r o m Ho l l y wo o d A-lister Chris O’Dowd to radio presenter Matt

Cooper, the stars came out to honour the memory of Fenton, who had been such a strong presence in their lives through his radio shows on RTE’s 2FM and more recently on Today FM. Chris O’Dowd tweeted: “Thanks for the chuuuunes Tony”, while The Script tweeted: “Just heard the sad news about Tony Fenton :( We grew up to him on our Airwaves. Our Thoughts and Prayers go out to his family X” and Pat Kenny, who echoed Dave Fanning’s tribute to Fenton: “He was a pilot of the airwaves.”

Others who took to Twitter to say farewell to Fenton, were Amy Huberman, Kodaline, Jason Byrne and Ronan Keating, all of whom remembered the well-loved DJ with great fondness.

19 March 2015 Gazette 13

escape the mayhem: celebrity stylist zandra Rhodes

Gazette

FEATURE

Cooking up a recipe to stay stress free  Laura Webb

Travelling between continents for work and pleasure, it’s little wonder that celebrity stylist and designer Zandra Rhodes needs to remember to take a break and cooking is one of her “escapes”.

Recently in town to promote her capsule collection for Colebrooke by Windsmoor at Arnotts, Rhodes took some time out of her busy schedule to sit down and tell The Gazette about what she does to take her mind off the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

“Cooking and gardening. In London, I look outside my terrace, and I

have a terrace and towering above it is the Shard and there is ivy on the walls and my camellias are sitting there in the rain, I have white camellias and pink ones – they are just lovely. I also have a cactus in my house that was in the wrong light.

So I got that moved and now have an orange tree in its place. I just love to sit around and watch them,” she said.

When it comes to cooking her favourite dish is simple yet tasty.

“I just love making soups, dead easy soups at that. I can make a pea soup where you use frozen peas. You put the onion in, lightly fry it, add

the frozen peas, water, a Knorr vegetable or chicken cube and I always add a teaspoon of fennel seeds, with a tiny bit of sugar, blend it – delicious.”

And what is the point in making such lovely dishes without enjoying them with friends?

Rhodes likes to entertain - and often.

“If I am in London, I would do a dinner party for about 15 people.

“The other day I had friends over and we had hot pea soup, salmon and salad and then homemade bread and butter pudding. It was great.”

If she’s not cooking or in the garden, Rhodes

likes to draw, something she doesn’t get enough time to do.

“I like cooking and I like drawing, I never get enough time to do it.

“In my spare time I am doing a book with my sister, like the flower fairy books.

“They were done in the 30s, I think, and I was given one when I was little and it helped me know all the flowers. I am in California a lot so I am doing one on the flower fairies of California.

“They are little baby flowers, tiny little flowers.

I am really enjoying it.”

Rhodes latest collection is available in Arnotts now.

Zandra Rhodes: ““I just love making soups, dead easy soups at that.”

14 Gazette 19 March 2015

politics ‘I gave a commitment to a full term in Europe’

Hayes steadfast to election vow

 laura webb

BRIAN Hayes, Minister for State at the Department of Finance, is happy with his current position and will remain in the European Parliament despite a General Election coming up next year.

“I will not be standing in the next Dail election.

No one believes me but I am not.

“I gave a commitment to a full term in the European Parliament,” he tells The Gazette.

The political system at home can, according to Hayes, be very “Punch and Judy-ish”, which is

not what he experiences in Europe.

“If you go and shout and roar and scream your head off in the European Parliament looking for a headline, they are just not bothered by it. It is a bit more serious than that.”

He says his former post as Minister of State for Public Service Reform and the Office of Public Works has helped him in Europe.

“I spent three-and-half years when in government, every second week in Brussels because of the negotiation we had with the troika, and I learned a lot from that.

“So going into the European Parliament, I had some background and experience in that, so that helps me understand what the bottom line issues are for Ireland,” he says.

The key task for Hayes in Europe is to represent the city and county of Dublin and the people who elected him. A key issue for him is social housing.

In recent months he has had meetings with the European Investment Bank to get funding for social housing initiatives.

“The Department of the Environment has to

plan out additional housing across the country and I am trying to argue that they should draw down European Investment Bank funding for that…

Up to now, EIB funding has been for things like Grangegorman and Luas.

This EIB funding is hugely important for Dublin right now, and the comeback of Dublin in economic terms.”

One regular complaint involves the steep prices for car rental abroad.

Hayes has heard this from a number of Dubliners and he is working to “get a better package” for people. He says the European Commission is bringing in a new voluntary code in May that will “make sure consumers in Dublin know exactly what they are entitled to” when it comes to such packages.

Hayes says he enjoys the “freedom” of the European Parliament. “There is a view that whatever your party says you will back it.

I believe I am fundamentally first and foremost, a Dublin MEP. Secondly I am a Fine Gael MEP so I see myself in the first instance trying to get the best outcome [for the people I represent].”

On water charges in Europe, he says a meter system is the most common way of charging.

Such charges, he says, are a reality throughout the EU but it is not up to Europe to tell us what to do here, it’s a national thing. Supply is a crucial issue in Dublin. Huge amounts of water are wasted, he says, and we need to invest in a public utility. He accepts that it is difficult for people to pay.

For Hayes, being an MEP means he has to work with the Government no matter who holds the reins. “The issues don’t change and the solutions, by and large, don’t change either. It is hugely important that you work with Government on the key issues, no matter who it is.”

Brian Hayes: “If you go and .. scream your head off looking for a headline, the European Parliament is just not bothered by it. It’s a bit more serious than that.”

12 March 2015 Gazette 15

Gazette

16 Gazette 19 March 2015

dublinlife

business

Dun Laoghaire company wins big at Dockland’s Innovation Awards A young company based in IADT’s Media Cube in Dun Laoghgaire has won the Best Investment Proposal 2015 award and a prize of €10,000 at the Docklands Innovation Awards last week.

CheckVentor y is a cloud-based auditing service for the banking industry to check that inventory at such companies as car dealerships tallies with loans acquired for them.

CheckVentory was a winner at the Docklands Innovation Awards, which is sponsored by PwC (audit, tax and advisory services), Docklands Innovation and DIT Hothouse. Adrian Walsh, the chief executive of CheckVentor y, made

his winning pitch at the PwC offices on March 11, 2015, competing against Artomatrix, an early-stage company that develops art tools, for the video game and animation industries and FenestraPro, which provide a software tool for designing building facades.

Adrian Walsh said it was “a real honour to win the Best Investment Proposal”.

“I would like thank my incredible team for their hard work over the last 12 months and Enterprise Ireland, DIT Hothouse and Media Cube, IADT for the support I received. I would recommend the New Frontiers programme to anyone thinking of starting their own business.”

Walsh, originally from Malahide but now living in Foxrock, told The Gazette he moved to the southside after marrying his wife Niamh, a director of CheckVentory. He said: “I crossed the Liffey for love.”

The company is currently working with 11 customers in Ireland and plans to expand to Britain by the end of 2015.

It is a graduate company from the 2014 Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers programme for entrepreneurs.

The company has also been supported by the Local Enterprise Board, Dun Laoghaire and has secured an investment of €50,000 from Enterprise Ireland’s Competitive Start Fund.

Kevin Sheehan, Deloitte, with Oonagh O’Hagan of Meaghers Pharmacy at the awards. Picture: Jason Clarke Photography

management: high standards of excellence awarded

Companies honoured for top performance Eleven Dublin companies were among 110 companies from across Ireland honoured at the recent Deloitte Best Managed Awards.

Now in its seventh year the awards were attended by over 800 members of the Irish business community. Winning companies from Dublin included Extraspace Solutions Ltd, IT Force Ltd, Meaghers Pharmacy, Openmind Networks, IIS Ltd, System Dynamics and Eason and Son Ltd. Easons and Openmind, both of which are first time recipients of the award, were singled out for special recognition in the areas of commitment and excellence in strat-

egy respectively. Both of these areas are cornerstones of the Best Managed Companies Awards criteria.

Eighteen companies were also presented with the gold standard accolade having all secured Best Managed status for the fourth consecutive year. An additional 64 companies re-qualified as a Best Managed Company, having upheld the standard of a Deloitte Best Managed Company, following a comprehensive review process.

These companies have a combined turnover of almost €10bn and the largest proportion, 21%, are drawn from the technology, media and tel-

ecommunication industries. This group is made up of companies from all around Ireland, in industries including construction, manufacturing, ICT, hospitality and catering, among others. Former chief executive of Enterprise Ireland Frank Ryan chaired the independent judging panel that took a holistic approach to measuring the complete company performance that went beyond a focus on financials.

Jobs Minister Richard Bruton congratulated the winning companies saying: “At the heart of our jobs plan is creating a powerful engine of Irish enterprise alongside the multinational sector. Over

the past three years we have seen major progress in this area, with well over 15,000 extra people at work in these companies over that time.

“The quality of management in Irish companies is an area which we have specifically targeted, as it makes a major difference to the performance of our indigenous businesses.

“This programme shows what is possible in Irish businesses with improved management and I congratulate all involved on their excellent achievement,” he said.

For a full list of winners, see www.deloitte bestmanaged.ie.

Bank survey shows lending rates are increasing Bank lending rates to SMEs increased in the first quarter of 2015 according to the latest ISME, Quarterly Bank Watch Survey.

This is the fourth successive quarter of improvement in the success rates of SMEs which apply for bank loans. The survey also showed that demand for credit

has remained high at 43%; which ISME says is proof that SMEs are attempting to expand and develop their businesses as the economy shows signs of recovery.

ISME chief executive Mark Fielding said: “Bank credit was largely unavailable to SMEs during the recession. This made a difficult business environment even

more perilous for small businesses. It seems improvements in the economy have inspired the banks to reopen their purses and move towards healthier lending policies. SMEs are currently exploring ways to improve and expand their businesses and greater access to credit will certainly help this process.”

19 March 2015 Gazette 17

style P20

asdfsdaf P27 arts P22

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



Gazette

travel P18

Pets

who is super sweet and brainy? Bailey!

Cinderella director Kenneth Branagh will be a special guest for the showing of his movie on Saturday

jameson film festival: Russell Crowe and Julie Andrews to attend event

Celebrating diverse cinema

 Keith Bellew

The 13th Jameson Dublin International Film Festival will take place from March 19 to 29, offering attendees the chance to visit over 38 countries including Korea, Denmark, the US, Brazil, and Russia from the comfort of their cinema seat.

Events will be held throughout Dublin in places like: Smithfield Square, the Pavilion Theatre, Riverbank Arts Centre, Movies@Dundrum, and the Board Gais Energy Theatre, showcasing both homegrown and international talent. With a galaxy of stars in attendance including Russell Crowe and Julie Andrews, it promises to be a fantastic few weeks.

This week the Gazette caught up with festival director Grainne Humphreys who filled us in on what’s new

about this year’s festival and what the main highlights are.

For her, what’s great about the festival is that every year the organisers try to make things different. She said: “One of the things that I’m really delighted about is that our South American strand is significantly bigger this year.

“That in a way kind of inspired the theme of the festival which is the idea you can travel to nearly 40 countries around the world without actually leaving Dublin.”

She went on to say that cinema is a very comfortable way to see new countries and experience new cultures.

“This year we’ve tried to find ways of giving people maps and pathways.

That’s the thing that’s interesting this year, that idea of celebrating

the diversity of it rather than putting things into various strands and focuses.”

Of the main highlights of this year’s festival she said: “The South American strand is fantastic, there are some beautiful films, August Winds for instance. We have Portuguese film maker Pedro Costa, who’s fantastic.

He’s going to be in with a film called Horse Money. Kim Cattrall is coming with her new series Sensitive Skin.

“We also have a wonderful programme of French films [like] Next Time I’ll Aim for the Heart – which is a really, really smart thriller. I think it will be one of the films everyone is going to be talking about in a couple of months.

“We have a really strong documentary strand, there is a doc called Last Man on the Moon about an a astro-

naut called Eugene Cernan who was the last man on the moon and it’s one of those huge, big epic 2001 [A Space Odyssey] like stories.”

Hollywood heavyweight Russell Crowe will once again grace the festival, this year with his directorial debut The Water Diviner.

Speaking about some of the other stars who will attend the festival she said: “Kenneth Branagh is coming for Cinderella. He is going to be talking about his films both in front of and behind the camera.

“We’ve got Danny Huston, we’ve got Alan Rickman, and we also have Julie Andrews who is going to be here for the 50th anniversary of The Sound of Music.”

For more information on the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival visit: www.jdiff.com

the Gazette Newspaper has teamed up with Dogs Trust to help find homes for unwanted and abandoned dogs.

Our Dog of the Week this week is handsome crossbreed Bailey, who is just over a year old.

He is a super sweet dog, who has been working really hard with his carers to build up his confidence.

He is a super brainy young man and playing fetch with his tennis ball is just one of his favourite things to do!

With the right family, we just know that Bailey will be a happy, loyal and lovable dog.

For more information on beautiful Bailey and his Dogs Trust pals, please call Dogs Trust on 01 879 1000 or pop into the centre. They are based in Finglas, just off exit 5 on the M50.

You can also find them on Facebook www.facebook.com/ dogstrustirelandonline or Twitter @DogsTrust_IE.

Gazette

18 Gazette 19 March 2015

OUT&ABOUT

malta: a definite place for your bucket list

Sea, sun and culture, the Maltese Islands are like nowhere else

 Ian Begley

When I first revealed my plans of escaping to Malta for a three-day break the main response I received from people was “that’s an Island near Spain, right?” and “Isn’t Malta a very quiet holiday destination?”

To be perfectly honest I couldn’t give them a straightforward answer, but to be even more honest I was just thrilled about getting away from the bitterly cold climate of Ireland.

A quick Google search revealed that Malta lies 93km from the south of Sicily and its archipelago consists of three islands: Malta, Gozo and Comino

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‘The Ggantija Temples, which are the oldest freestanding structures in the world, are potentially Gozo’s single most marketable landmark, dating back to 3,500BC’

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with a total population of over 400,000 inhabitants. I was also delighted to learn that most of the locals speak English, use the euro and drive on the left-hand side of the road – sold!

I slept like a baby during the three-and-a-halfhour flight and when we landed my party hopped onto a coach which took us directly to the elegant

five-star Corinthia Hotel, which was a majestic spectacle overlooking the entrance to St George’s Bay in the seaside town of St Julian’s.

T he hotel offered breathtaking views of the bustling town of St Julian’s and the shimmering Mediterranean Sea. I must have spent over 20 minutes the next morning gazing at the fantastic

sight before me, letting my mind wander and drift away from faraway Ireland.

We took a ferry to Malta’s sister island of Gozo, which according to legend was the home of the beautiful nymph Calypso depicted in Homer’s Odyssey. Here, Odysseus was imprisoned for several years, but given the remarkable cliffface views and dramatic orange-red beaches I found it very hard to pity him.

We were then treated to a Segway tour of the Qbajjar Salt Pans along the coastal regions of island. Exhilarated at the prospect of exploring the island on a Segway

The Corinthia Hotel offers spectacular views overlooking the entrance to St George’s seaside town of St Julian’s

our party took in all the charms that Gozo had to offer, while whizzing past the locals on our super high-tech vehicles.

Immersed in the marvels of the past and present, we then proceeded to the Ggantija Temples, which are the oldest freestanding structures in the world and potentially Gozo’s single most marketable landmark, dating back to 3,500BC. Building up a hearty appetite, we then found ourselves at Ta’Mena

Estate for an outdoor lunch and wine tasting session. This traditional Maltese estate welcomed us with a grand display of typical Maltese foods, wines and extra virgin olive oil. I found the food very rustic in character and full of the flavour, typical of a central Mediterranean island.

Proceeding onwards to Dwejra we then gazed upon the Azure Window - an impressive natural arch standing some 20m high. Being a Game of

Thrones fan I was also very pleasantly surprised to recognise this site from the TV series.

After a long afternoon, our party retreated to an Irish pub (of all places) in St Julian’s to see the second half of the England – Ireland rugby match. The bar was swarming with both Irish and English fans and in those brief 80 minutes we couldn’t have been further away from Malta.

Celebrating our landslide victory, we proceed-

Take a hands-on approach to relaxing  aishling phelan

THE drive into the picturesque village of Borris, Co Carlow was a treat in itself as the sun sliced through the clouds and beamed on the glorious mountains.

Sitting in the valley of the river Barrow, the Step House Hotel faces the main gate to the Tudorstyle ancestral home of the former Irish Kings of Leinster.

The spacious bedroom was of a dainty old-world design and the cream decor, with gold accents in every piece of furniture and sweeping mint-green curtains, made for the perfect atmosphere of

tranquillity.

I stepped out onto the large private balcony and took in the magnificent view. As small clouds floated across the expanse of Mount Leinster, it truly took my breath away.

Surrounded by luxury and character in every pocket of the hotel, it made for an extra special weekend trip away.

First, it was time for a hands-on bread-making demonstration in the ballroom with head chef Alan Foley: curry bread.

No, I hadn’t heard of it either, but I would later experience that culinary sensation at dinner.

Later, it was on to the

opulent surroundings of the private cocktail lounge for some bubbly treats and then the small but intimate restaurant.

After scanning the menu, filled with an array of local produce, I chose organic herb risotto and succulent roast plaice.

I passed on the luscious dessert offerings, and opted for the selection of ice-creams instead.

Sound boring? Not at the Step House Hotel, where I was presented with a divine combination of coconut, caramel and passion fruit flavours.

The following morning, we delved into the widespread woodlands

Enjoy perfectly pitched luxury at the Step House Hotel

of the 16-acre Blackstairs Ecotrails to take part in a foraging workshop.

We ducked under swinging branches, crossed wooden planks and tip-toed over mossy carpets, discovering the Celtic history of the towering trees and picking wild garlic, enjoying its tangy aroma.

We later returned to the workshop to make mouth-watering wild garlic pesto and sweet sloe gin.

Back at the hotel, I collected my brown bread made the previous day, and left feeling like a master chef after my culinary weekend at the Step House Hotel.

19 March 2015 Gazette 19

Ian at the Azure Window - an impressive natural arch

Bay in the The Ggantija Temples date back to 3,500BC

ed to nearby Paceville which is essentially Malta’s take on Ibiza. The strip was literally dotted with discos, lounge bars, and clubs which we vis-

ited for a few sensible drinks. If you’re looking for a wild holiday away then this place is certainly worth your while as most of the clubs have

free admission.

Up bright and early the next day, we took a trip to Malta’s capital city Valletta, which was nothing short of an

open-air museum. With an unsurpassed collection of original Baroque architecture, fortified city walls overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, and the spectacular CoCathedral of St John, we were overwhelmed with the sights before us.

We took a short trip to the three cities of of Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua, via “dghajsa” a typical Maltese gondola shaped boat, used extensively at Grand Harbour to ferry sailors and seamen. Again, the sites of these towns were beautiful and the boat ride really gave us an authentic feel of the Maltese culture.

On the final day of my Maltese adventure my party proceeded to Mdina, which was Malta’s first capital city during the time of the Knights of Malta. The town itself was a joy to stroll around

and many of the alleys really gave the sense that nothing had changed here for more than a millennium.

It’s a mix of medieval and baroque architecture and its fortification walls and its location on high grounds make it one of the most enchanting places on the island.

The Maltese islands are like nowhere else I’ve ever been to.

Here you’ll find great prehistoric temples, fossil-studded cliffs, beautiful blue lagoons, and incredible nightlife and wonderful Mediterranean cuisine.

I found the people very warm, hospitable and it is definitely a destination to put on your bucket list.

Visit www.visitmalta. com for further information and details of events that will be taking place in Malta.

Gazette

TRAVEL

Tugs greet Stena Superfast X at Dublin Port

Stena Line ready to make waves with its new ferry  ian begley

STENA Line has officially launched a new ferry on its Dublin-Holyhead route at Dublin Port which will operate on an all-year-round sailing schedule.

The launch and naming ceremony of Stena Superfast X was performed by Stena Line chairman Dan Sten Olsson, and Irish broadcasting personality Kathryn Thomas, along with more than 170 guests at Dublin Port on March 9.

Welcoming the launch, Sten Olsson said: “As the leading ferry operator on the Irish Sea, we are confident in our ability to help stimulate this upward trend further.”

Stena Superfast X will operate a twice daily return sailing schedule departing Dublin Port at 2.15am and 3.10pm, and departing Holyhead at 8.55am and 8.30pm.

Gazette

20 Gazette 19 March 2015

OUT&ABOUT

Time to leave your orange streak behind, thanks to Elizabeth Arden’s help  mimi murray

SO MANY Irish wo m e n we a r t h e wrong shade of foundation and there is nothing worse than that orange streak running along the neckline/face – a faroff shade from the rest of the body!

Elizabeth Arden now offer a shade match service, which is absolutely brilliant if you are always looking for the correct foundation colour for your skin.

24 hours coverage Their Flawless Finish, Perfectly Satin make-up offers up to 24 hours coverage and I can attest to this.

This make-up stays on my face throughout the day, and when I scrub my face at night, it almost looks as good as it did at 8am. Unbelievable, but true.

It provides quite a lot of coverage, which I don’t normally like, but with the correct shade matching it really doesn’t look like I am wearing that much make-up.

It also feels lightweight and flawless on my skin, making it a winner all round.

This retails at €38 in Debenhams.

Duster jacket €50; lace crop top €56; culottes €47

Navy top €38; striped culottes €47

Abby Harris wears lemon lime crop top €35; lemon lime skirt €53 Krystal Mahon wears strawberry print dress €45

Fresh styles bloom in Oasis collection

 laura webb

Beige military shirt €42; khaki trousers €56

Pink floral dress €60

TO SHOWCASE its very colourful SS15 collection, Oasis Ireland teamed up with the winners of the Shoot Style Smile 2014 competition for a very stylish photoshoot.

Shot by Dublin-based photographer Alex Sheridan, the looks were styled by Laura

O’Brien and modelled by Krystal Mahon.

The trio were chosen from hundreds of entrants to shoot style and star in the Oasis Christmas campaign.

Professional model Abby Harris joined Krystal for her commercial shoot debut, and we think the results are fabulous, dahling!

19 March 2015 GAZETTE 21

GAZETTE

STYLE

White embellished shirt €47; floral midi skirt €50

Urban Decay manager at Debenhams Blackrock, Meg Young expertly tends to Laura Webb

Time to face some Urban Decay for a beautiful look  LAURA WEBB

The all-Irish, all-natural skincare range to refresh and revive skin  LAURA WEBB

NATURE is a wonderful thing and for some people, the only thing they look for in a skincare product is natural ingredients.

With this in mind, Irish-owned skincare company Bia Beauty, founded by Herbal Science graduate Tracey Ryan, use all-natural ingredients, including nut and seed oils, fruits, herbs, spices, cocoa butter and avocado butter in the range.

Basically, all of nature’s goodness is condensed into a delightful skincare range that feeds the skin with vitamins and goodness.

Two of their best sellers are Natural Skin Repair Cream – Skin Superfood 50ml (€12.95), and Orange and Grapefruit Exfoliant and Cleanser 60ml (€16.95).

The natural skin repair cream is being

used by a lot of people as a night cream or a serum.

This product is great for dehydrated skin, as it really moisturises and plumps up skin.

Meanwhile, the orange and grapefruit exfoliant and cleanser is gentle enough to use every day, yet strong enough to remove even the most stubborn mascara.

To find out more about their full range of products, as well as stockists or to buy online, see www.biabeauty.com.

WHEN there is a special occasion coming up, or you just feel like treating yourself before going on a night out, there is nothing better than getting your make-up done by a professional.

I recently had the opportunity to have my make-up done dation (€34) in 3.5 – a

by Urban Decay’s manager at light shade for a pale face like Debenhams Blackrock, Meg mine. Naked Skin Concealer Young.

(3) in light neutral and Naked Not only did I feel like a Skin Powder Foundation (2) star with my own make-up in light warm was also used for artist, Meg was also a bundle that matte finish.

Flushed Palette of knowledge, offering great advice about what products Naked (1, €29.50) to use and how each product was next; a great threesome with can benefit my skin type.

This is exactly what you bronzer, highneed when it comes to make- lighter and blush all in one. up – advice, rather than The brand’s trial and error – so leave it eyeshadow primto the professional to tell er potion original you what suits. (€21/€11) was put on For my look, Meg before colours from all prepped the skin with B6 the Naked Basics palette Prep Spray (€28/€14), (€30) were applied. with vitamin B6 which Then, 24/7 waterabsorbs oil, minimises proof liquid eyeliner pores and reduces redPerversion (€19.50) was ness. subtly administered for From there, she used my look and the eyes Brightening and Tightenfinished off with Subing Primer (€27) to make version eyelash primer sure the skin was prepped (€18.50) and Perversion before foundation was Mascara (€22). applied.

Not forgetting the The foundation used 3 eyebrows, Meg used was Naked Skin foun-

1 Brow Box Brow n Sugar €25 to enhance their colour and shape.

And the piece de resistance – the lips – were lined with Lip Liner in Rush (€18.50) and Lipstick in Rapture (€19,) before a little Lipgloss (€19) was

2

applied.

To set it all and make it last, Setting Spray Chill (€29) was lightly sprayed on. I loved the look, and it lasted the whole day and well into the night (excluding some more lipstick applications).

A make-up appointment with Urban Decay is €40, but the cost is redeemable against products based on a two-product purchase. Find out more from your nearest Urban Decay counter.

GAZETTE

22 GAZETTE 19 March 2015

OUT&ABOUT

ARTS

Step up to a spectacular Chinese show  BAIRBRE NI BHRAONAIN

A SPECTACULAR Chinese dance show, Shen Yun, comes to the Convention Centre for two nights only this month.

Shen Yun performs classical Chinese dance, ethnic and folk dance, and story-based dance, with orchestral accompaniment and solo performers.

The show takes place at The Convention Centre Dublin on Wednesday, March 25, and Thursday, March 26 at 7.30pm.

Mythical lost land Shen Yun will take audience members on an extraordinary journey to the mythical lost land of the ancient Middle Kingdom.

The story is told through classi-

cal Chinese dance, which is one of the most rigorous and athletic dance forms in the world.

Not only is the event a unique treat visually, but also aurally, as the orchestra combines music of the east and west.

The show is backed with stunning animated backdrops and exquisite costumes which bring the magical Chinese legends to life, and 5,000 years of civilization.

Tickets cost from €53 to €126, through www.ticketmaster.ie.

The Harry Clarke original stained glass piece, Mr Gilhooley (above), has equisite detail throughout

ART: STUNNING HARRY CLARKE WORK ACQUIRED

Rare beauty wows  BAIRBRE NI BHRAONAIN

A “SCANDALOUS” stained glass panel by famous Irish stained glass artist Harry Clarke, which was recently acquired for €40,000 by the State, has gone on public display this week at the Hugh Lane Gallery on Parnell Square.

T he work depicts a scene from Liam O’Flaherty’s controversial novel, Mr Gilhooley, and was created by Clarke as a section of his Panel No 6 for the Geneva Window.

It was commissioned by the Irish Government for the League of Nations building in Geneva – the UN’s forerunner – in the late 1920s.

Clarke chose scenes of novels by contemporary Irish writers as his themes for the window.

Hailed as a masterpiece, the sumptuouslycoloured panel shows the figure of a nude female dancer draped in diapha-

nous pink. The work’s striking colour cannot be reproduced in print, and must be seen in person to be truly appreciated.

It is a glorious work, and a perfect physical rendering of the dancer, Nelly, described so beautifully by O’Flaherty in the novel as pale, slender, lithe and Bacchanalian with “a thick mass of sparkling golden curls”, advancing across the floor, barefoot, wearing “nothing but a veil”.

Dr Margarita Cappock, head of collections at the Hugh Lane Gallery, told The Gazette: “This is an acquisition that had been in a private collection in the UK, and the gallery acquired it before [last] Christmas. We bought it through the Fine Art Society.

“It’s a very important piece, because it was done for the Geneva Window, [and was] the first panel that was done for it in 1926. The window was a

commission that Harry Clarke got from the State [via] President Liam Cosgrave. He was asked to produce this window for the League of Nations in Geneva as a gift from the Irish State. “[Clarke] decided he would look at literary themes and ran into controversy with this particular panel, [inspired by] Mr Gilhooley by Liam O’Flaherty, and Cosgrave got cold feet because of the naked female.

“So, he was asked to redo it, and at that time Harry Clarke had been suffering from TB and had spent time in a sanatorium in Switzerland. He was reluctant to change it and was very disappointed [being asked to redo it],” she said.

“This panel was actually cracked – a hairline crack developed when he was making it, and it’s [still] a beautiful panel. He did a second panel, and that is the version that is in the

Geneva Window.

“Unfortunately, the Geneva Window never ended up in the League of Nations [building] in Geneva and instead, ended up being purchased back by Clarke’s widow in 1931.

“She bought it back from the State for the same amount they had paid [Clarke] for it: IR£450. It eventually ended up being sold [to a buyer] in Miami in the States, and that’s where it is now. So, it’s wonderful to have this little piece.”

Clarke had been given free reign by the Irish State for the commission, and wanted to represent a literary theme depicting the work of 15 writers.

WB Yeats was very enthusiastic about the Geneva Window at the time, but the Irish Government found that it wouldn’t have been an appropriate gift to the League of Nations for a number of reasons,

19 March 2015 GAZETTE 23

FESTIVAL: CELEBRATION OF FOOD HITS 10-YEAR MARK

GAZETTE

FOOD&DRINK RECIPECORNER CORNER

serves up Get ready for Taste M&S a dish that will  LAURA WEBB

IT’S the most anticpated food event of the calendar, and this year Taste of Dublin event has something extra to dish out as it celebrates its 10-year anniversary.

Returning to the Iveagh Gardens from Thursday, June 11 to Sunday 14,Taste of Dublin has an unbeatable line-up to celebrate the milestone event.

The four-day festival will showcase the best of Dublin’s culinary scene, including top restaurants and artisan producers, as well as home-grown and international chefs.

Due to popular demand,

Taste of Dublin is launching an extra session at 12pm on Thursday 11.

Chefs making an appearance this year include Clodagh McKenna, Edward Hayden, Kevin Dundon, Mark Moriarty, Michel Roux Jr, Monica Galetti, Neven Maguire, Paul Flynn, Paul Kelly, Rachel Allen, Richard Corrigan, Ross Lewis and Sunil Ghai.

Meanwhile, restaurants at the event include Brioche, Diep Le Shaker, East Side Tavern, Jaipur, Pichet, Rock Lobster, and The Chop House, to name but a few. Exciting features returning to the festival include the Electrolux

go swimmingly

Demonstrations by top chefs are set to return

Secret Ingredient, Chef’s Secrets, and Taste Theatre demonstrations, as well as Chapter One Dessert bar, Taste of Thailand, O’Brien’s Wine Experience and Aldi, as the exclusive retailer partner of Taste of Dublin.

New features in 2015 include the Sony Japa-

nese Dining Experience, Skillery by the National Dairy Council, Station Works Brewery, Rioja Tapas Fantastica, and more to be announced.

Food fanatics can buy a ticket to Dublin’s hottest summer social event from April via Tasteofdublin.ie.

THIS week, we have a delicious recipe from M&S that’s easy to make and thoroughly delicious.

Note that this recipe for Super Wheatberry with Roasted Carrots and Salmon serves four, and is ready in 40 minutes.

Ingredients 300g baby carrots 2 tbsp olive oil 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 tsp cumin seeds 200g Super Wheatberry 125g Arbroath honey roast salmon slices, flaked 25g pack fresh dill, roughly chopped 50g pomegranate seeds 3 tbsp buttermilk

Preparation • Preheat the oven to 190˚C/375˚F/gas 5 (170˚C for fan ovens). Put the carrots in a roasting tin and drizzle over half the oil. Scatter over the garlic and cumin seeds, then season. Roast for 30 minutes, until the carrots are just tender.

• Cook the Super Wheatberry according to the packet instructions. Gently mix together with the carrots, salmon and dill, and arrange on a serving dish.

Scatter over the pomegranate seeds.

• To make the dressing, mix together the buttermilk, remaining olive oil and 1 tbsp warm water, then season. Drizzle the dressing over the dish to serve.

Gazette

24 Gazette 19 March 2015

OUT&ABOUT

GAMING

glittering ceremony shows WEEBYTES baftas: some surprise wins and losses

Baymax – a financial hero for Disney

Fat robot waddles to a global hit SEEING as it’s a computer-animated film, that’s enough of a link to this page to point out that Disney’s Big Hero 6 was the highestgrossing animated film of 2014, with a haul of $620m, which is about, oh, an awful lot of euro.

In fact, for a fairly low profile film, the tale of an unlikely friendship between a teenage genius and a fat, inflatable medical robot, BH6 has waddled its way towards the top with comparative ease and at a very quick pace.

Its six-month or so release window has seen it land in third place behind unstoppable Frozen, and the fondly remembered The Lion King, with its worldwide take.

That’s a massive achievement for the Walt Disney Animation Studios film, but a welldeserved result for one of the best-looking animated films of recent years.

With its fusion of Japanese design and very American details, its animators created not only the most visually-detailed animated world the studio have yet created, but also developed some cutting edge lighting and software programs.

Their next film should be even more visually stunning, and well worth catching.

A night for the underdog at annual awards

THERE aren’t many littleknown actors who could beat Hollywood and TV heavyhitter Kevin Spacey to win a best performance award, but that’s exactly what happened at the annual Bafta Gaming Awards, which have just been held.

I’ll return to Spacey later, but for now, the 2015 British Academy Game Awards threw up some surprises across the wideranging awards, which took in everything from the usual main categories (Best Game, Best Audio) to more esoteric topics (Artistic Achievement).

Let’s look at a few of the categories ...

With enormous amounts of people still insisting that they’re not gamers and don’t have any interest in games – before quietly playing the likes of Bubble Witch 2 on the bus/Luas home – the win for (best) Mobile and Handheld saw IOS/ Android title Monument Valley add yet another top

 shane dillon

sdillon@dublingazette.com

international award to its already sizable haul.

Mobile gaming saw further huge advances during 2014, with mobile gaming becoming ever more pervasive and creeping further into mainstream media – even President Underwood plays Monument Valley in the American remake of House of Cards (see pic, right) – so it was perhaps fitting that one of the finest and best known examples of mobile, tactile gaming took the top title.

Speaking of President Underwood – or Kevin Spacey – he faced stiff competition in the Baftas’ Performer category, where his much-hyped role in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare saw

him square up to some gaming heavyweights, such as Troy Baker, one of the best-known and most skilled gaming voices on the planet.

However, they were both defeated by outside bet Ashley Johnson, who, as teenage heroine Ellie in the marvellous The Last Of Us, helped to create a character that would be outstanding in any media platform, not just gaming.

With The Great War returning to public interest in the past couple of years, it was perhaps fitting that a puzzle adventure title set during World War One scooped Original Property.

It provided some real food for thought for the experiences of those on all sides during that war, Another surprise on the night was the comparative lack of success for Alien: Isolation; the night’s overall favourite at the awards, yet in the end it “only” won Audio

The team behind smash-hit Monument Valley were celebrating winning the Bafta in the Mobile and Handheld category – a game which even fellow Bafta gaming nominee Kevin Spacey plays in UV hit House of Cards (below). Main pic: Bafta

Achievement.

As someone who’s spent upwards of 15 minutes at a time hiding inside lockers or under tables in the game, listening to ... something crawling in the air vents outside the room, I can certainly vouch for its brilliantly unsettling use of audio, but unfortunately it didn’t win in its nominated Bafta categories.

Indeed, there was something of an underdog feel to this year’s Baftas, with “smaller” titles beating much bigger ones in a variety of categories. The latest Far Cry, Assassin’s Creed, Fifa and Horza Horizon releases were all defeated by lesser-known

titles in their respective categories, while Johnson’s win – against Spacey and Baker – was also unexpected, if richly deserved.

With these nominations and wins, it was clear that despite some severe turbulence during 2014.

The year saw the shuttering of several wellknown development studios, controversies over

underperforming Kickstarter-funded titles, some notable financial losses at major companies, and the industry’s usual spats and collapsed deals – still, gaming is still on the rise.

With the newer consoles now up and running, and some big games and exciting developments on the way in 2015, next year’s Baftas should be even more interesting ...

Android offers users Lollipop, but KitKat may still be sweeter FOR some time now, Android has been rolling out its latest OS update, Android 5.0, or Lollipop, in keeping with its naming conventions of picking sweet titles, with Lollipop succeeding KitKat. While Android is normally pretty good at global updates, Lollipop has been a little slow to roll out, having been available in India for several months now, yet only reaching our shores recently, for example.

Lollipop 5.0 promised users a wide range of upgrades and boosts; some of which are cosmetic – such as its slicker-looking, more swipe-friendly interface – while others are designed at integrating features better, streamlining some internal routines,

and extending battery life, amongst some features.

So, Android users should keep an eye out for news of the update’s availability on their chosen platform and device. And now a note of warning.

While users have been delighted with Lollipop, complaints about it are also emerging, too, with some who’ve upgraded to 5.0 highlighting subsequent complaints, from the trivial to the serious.

I can attest to that – last week, when prompted, I updated Android on my great budget smartphone, the surprisingly powerful and fast Moto G (first gen).

However, after updating from KitKat to Lollipop, my previously terrific phone has turned into a

barely usable device – one that’s endlessly prone to freezing, crashing and reboots, and creating huge personal frustration and annoyance – mine – making my phone now about as useful as a brick.

As such, with rumours of Android 5.01 being on the way soon – presumably, patching some of the problems that people have reported – it could be best to hold off on automatically updating from Android KitKat just yet.

After all, you wouldn’t want Lollipop to leave you with a sour taste...

19 March 2015 gazette 25

Gazette

CINEMA REELINGTHEMIN focus

Just about worth a look

chappie

Run, robot, run ...

ROBOTS take centrestage in a “family” with a difference in Chappie (Cert 15A, 120 mins), which sees the director of the brilliant District 9 (and the not so good Elysium) return with another sci-fi driven tale.

Here, the star is Chappie – an increasingly self-aware robot who one group of people are trying to protect, and another group are trying to destroy, in a film that doesn’t quite work.

Penn is great as ever, but despite the popularity of “ageing action hero” films a la Taken, this one isn’t a winner

the gunman: takes aim at too many genre points

Misses the target  dave phillips

WITH a career full of intense, left of centre performances, The Gunman sees Penn take an unusual turn, picking up the mantle of a middleaged action hero.

In much the same vein as Taken, The Gunman bases itself around that popular masculine myth wherein an ageing and dormant killing machine has a long buried murky past that’s suddenly reactivated.

Jim Terrier is the exkilling machine in question. Terrier’s murky past involves some assassination and espionage in the Democratic Republic of Congo – a mission which caused him to go on the run, abandoning his colleagues and love interest, Annie (Jasmine Trinca).

Fast forward eight years, and Terrier is back

in the DRC, this time with clean hands as part of a humanitarian mission. An attempt on his life makes him realise his past will continue to haunt him.

We then zip between Africa, London, and Barcelona as Terrier tries to sniff out exactly who is trying to take him out ...

Despite an exceptionally impressive supporting cast (Javier Bardem, Idris Elba, Ray Winstone, and Mark Rylance) there’s more ham and cheese on display here than a wellstocked deli – and that includes Penn too.

Sometimes, earnest attempts to bring more depth to a role can backfire and simply highlight the flimsiness of the affair.

As director, Pierre Morel is just as guilty of this. Interspersing the film with actual footage of violence and poverty

in the DRC, and with some subversive narrative undertones that point out the shady connections between businesses and governments, The Gunman tries at several points to escape its action film pigeon hole.

The attempts remain unconvincing – a thin cerebral veneer cannot hide the fact that it is all muscle underneath.

Perhaps the epitome of this is Terrier’s struggle with PTSD – a contrived plot device that effectively means a propensity for the camera to go blurry and cause him to drop his gun at just about every crucial moment.

It is quite unfortunate that the film takes itself so seriously because beneath the austere exterior there is some exciting action.

Penn may overplay his stern face, but there is no denying he is more

than physically capable of delivering the action hero role.

In the moments when it does come to life, the set pieces in The Gunman are vibrant, violent, and bone-shatteringly visceral.

A little of the genreawareness that is lacking throughout creeps in at the film’s finale, where Morel sets up a gloriously OTT face-off in a bullring.

Aside from providing a satisfying pay-off, it displays an indulgent and cartoonish attitude to the action that, had it been embraced throughout, would have undoubtedly made for a much stronger film.

It’s enjoyable on some level, but The Gunman provides more misses than hits.

Verdict: 5/10

WILL Smith (below) returns with Focus (Cert 15A, 105 mins), in a film that’s overblown, but has some undeniable screen chemistry between him and co-star Margot Robbie.

We’re on familiar ground here with a tale of a master con artist (Smith) crossing paths with an up-andcoming wannabe (Robbie).

However, who’s conning who? The plot loses its way halfway through, but the pair impress.

26 SWORDS GAZETTE 19 March 2015

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28 Gazette 19 March 2015

SPORT

FastSport St Pat’s to run Penalty king competition: ST PATRICK’S Athletic will host an inaugural penalty king competition for Dublin schools. The competition is designed to find the best penalty taker among the secondary schools soccer players in Dublin.

The first competition will involve six invited schools and is open to all secondary level pupils to enter.

Each school will first run its own internal Penalty King competition. Then the six school champions will advance to the semifinals which will take place at the half-time interval of an important league game at Richmond Park.

The winner will receive two season tickets for St Pat’s plus the opportunity for their school team to play any of their own league or cup games at the home of the Saints.

Pat’s midfielder Killian Brennan, the official penalty taker for St Patrick’s Athletic, said: “It’s a free kick from 12 yards out, how hard can it be?”

cricket: lewis, little, garth and grassi set for elevated training

Four Dubs added to academy  sport@dublingazette.com

PE M BR OK E ’ S K i m Garth and Josh Little, YMCA’s Gaby Lewis and Nor th County’s Jamie Grassi are among eight additions to the Shapoorji Pallonji

Cricket Ireland academy.

The new inductees will join the existing 22 academy members as part of the pathway for the next generation of Irish cricketers as they look to continue the

improvements on the world stage.

Lewis, aged just 14, last year became the youngest player to represent Ireland when she lined out for the senior side in the 2014 ICC European Champion-

The Shapoorji Pallonji Irish cricket academy was launched last September

YMCA’s Gaby Lewis receiving her first international cap from Trent Johnston

ships in the UK. She will be joined by promising North County batsman Jamie Grassi who was the stand-out performer with the bat for Ireland Under-15s in 2014, whom he helped to victory in the European Championship as Ireland completed a clean sweep across all European competitions.

The National Academy players are under the stewardship of academy manager Craig Hogan, who said of the latest batch.

“Over the past 12 months since the inauguration of the national academy, performance coach Ryan Eagleson and the Cricket Ireland coaches have been iden-

tifying young cricketers who have demonstrated the ability, attitude and desire to learn and be challenged.

“With the suppor t from Shapoorji Pallonji [who have recently invested heavily in the academy] these young players have a unique opportunity to develop as people through a programme that we trust produces future Ireland international cricketers. It is ver y exciting for the players and coaching staff.”

Commenting on the new intake, Cricket Ireland performance director Richard Holdsworth outlined that the academy would play a key role in the future of Irish cricket on the

international stage. ”T he Ireland senior squad is putting in some excellent performances at the ICC Cricket World Cup, but we are not resting on our laurels.

“Of that squad, seven of the players are aged 24 or under which shows the future of Irish cricket is looking really strong.

“Hopefully we will soon see some of our academy players taking the step up to the senior set-up in all formats as we plan for the possibility of playing test cricket, for playing more ODIs as part of ICC’s 12-team rankings table, and for qualification to WorldT20 events in 2016 and 2020.”

Woods motivated by selection for Luxembourg trip  sport@dublingazette.com

DCU’s Sarah Woods

DCU Mercy’s Sarah Woods is looking forward to representing Basketball Ireland’s women’s select team following a superb year with her club.

She has been named in the panel from the Women’s Premier to travel to Luxembourg in May to take on a number of international sides preparing for FIBA Eurobasket 2017, including Luxembourg and Scotland.

This isn’t the first time the Women’s National League

has been represented. An Irish ladies Superleague select squad travelled to Luxembourg in 2013.

A member of the squad back in 2013, Woods added that her inclusion would provide huge motivation for the coming months.

“Going to Luxembourg was huge in terms of having something else to train for,” she said.

“There are plenty of players who don’t have playoffs to look forward to and now everyone has something to focus on. It

can be easy to go through the motions sometimes when you don’t have something to aim for.

“This will help players to compare themselves against the best in other countries in order to develop.

“I learned from that trip just how much work I had to do to be a better player,” she continued.

“They have a lot more of a running game in Europe and it’s a different level of fitness.

We don’t see a lot of that in Ireland and you need those

oppor tunities in order to improve.”

Captain of the squad back in 2013 Aoife McDermott added: “It’s great to be able to play against people you’re normally up against. It’s about the quality of the training and going hard in practice as much as going out there.

“That’s what makes you better. I hope the best of the best go for it. It’s a huge honour.

A squad of 12 players as well as management will fly to Luxembourg on May 22, playing three games over four days.

19 March 2015 Gazette 29

Gazette

The Coach House’s active approach

ken’sDiary

Antonio Mantero is set to combine his coaching knowledge and experience to provide a unique after-school option that looks to get kids more active, writes Stephen Findlater THE BRAINS behind The Coach Diary (www. thecoachdiar y.com) , Antonio Mantero, is in the midst of setting up a new venture to get kids away from the television and on the road to a more active life.

Along with Robert Ryan, Mantero has recently developed The Coach House, a unique facility in the Rosemount Business Park in Dublin 15, an “after-school development centre” for kids aged five to 12.

The genesis came from his own experiences and his belief that, if we want children to be active for life, they need to develop movement skills at a young age.

“My daughter goes to an after school and the lady that runs it is fantastic,” he told GazetteSport.

“But, anytime I go to pick her up, there could be 15 to 20 kids watching a television, some are on their

touch screens. They aren’t really interacting and are all sitting down.

“Kids just aren’t moving enough. From the minute they wake up, they’re sitting. Sitting in the car; sitting in the classroom.

Some schools don’t allow kids to run anymore so have to stay in a small space.

“Fingal County Council were going into schools and giving exercise that kids can do in small spaces; it’s quite progressive by them but kids need to move to burn energy and improve themselves.”

To t h i s e n d , h e is launching a new approach to after-school centres which provide a work space for children to complete their homework before taking part in an hour of activity.

For this, the Coach House has a unique indoor Astroturf pitch where kids can take part in all-manner of activities

from football, volleyball, basketball to table-tennis and snag-golf – a sport played with soft balls and Velcro targets.

Television is out as are touch-screen tablets and phones are also left aside.

The emphasis is on developing children through play, both from providing the building blocks to movement, balance and core strength but also from the social interaction side.

Mantero’s background is initially as a PE teacher before getting involved in coaching six years ago. Quickly hooked, he started to educate himself to be “the best coach he can be”, rising to UEFA B standard.

That journey has seen him bring over coaches from Barcelona to Dublin for hugely successful workshops with as many as 250 coaches, working to raise the knowledge base of coaches within the

The unique astroturf play area at the Coach House in Dublin 15 where Antonio Mantero is looking to provide an active after school area for kids

NDSL and beyond.

The Coach House takes up some of the principles from Barca as well as Sporting Lisbon.

“European football clubs, in terms of how they educate children – it’s very much playercentred. It’s not all about winning although they do

for kids to do lots of different sports to develop their movement, co-ordination and balance.”

The Coach House will open fully next September for after-school sessions while they will have their first Easter camps in the coming weeks. At all times, the emphasis is on

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

‘From research, we know it is better for kids to do lots of different sports to develop movement and balance’

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

give the kids the tools to prepare them to win.

“I would look at a lot of what they do. They work with them in different areas, doing judo and yoga while education is the most important thing, like any kid involved in sport.

“My background would be soccer specific but this would be about introducing kids to all sorts of sports. Basketball, tabletennis, uni-hockey and so on; kids circuit-training for their core and even meditation.

“It is just to open them up to lots of things to maybe focus on sport in the future. It is very hard for parents to bring their kids around to lots of different sports and so they can tend to push them only into one. “ We k n ow, f r o m research, that it is better

creativity and exercise.

“This is about trying to get them up and moving.

They will move when they get here.

“We will do an hour of rigorous exercise every day; there will be a programme.

“But, if they are already active, there is no point in me disturbing them and messing up their games if they are being creative and imaginative which is also really important to help build their self esteem.

“When the child leaves here at 7pm, they will be tired, have their homework done and will have eaten a snack. That’s the aim, that the child will be tired and have got their exercise in.

“It is all about play and learning something every single day and preparing for life.”

Free For All as Ken makes high pace split from pack Olympic silver medallist and Irish boxing legend Ken Egan is to take part in this year’s Laurels Charity Crew Cycle from Galway to Dublin on April 19. In the run-up to the event, Egan has partnered with Gazette Sport to document his preparation for the big day, and here is his latest report from the road.

WELL, the headline for this week’s piece is “Free For All”.

We began again at the Laurels this time at the earlier time of 9.30am as the wether has picked up.

Saggart, Slade Valley, was the first hill and it would certainly put hairs on your chest. There were 30 bodies this morning at the start but not all 30 got to the top of Slade Valley as the remainder continued on towards Blessington.

The weather was perfect and I had filled my engine with a massive bowl of porridge this morning; I was going to make a statement.

We cycled through Blessington and on towards Naas where we took a quick pitstop.

We must be six weeks in as far as training is concerned and there were some new faces on the cycle so 100km on their debut was not an easy feat.

Kilcock was approaching and there was a break in the group; this was new to me. Six of us decided to motor on as we had a target to get back for the rugby match at 2.30pm.

The famous six picked up the pace and went on up through Celbridge and towards Newcastle and up to Rathcoole, down past Saggart and off to the Laurels once again. I covered 96km.

I picked up my sponsor card there on arrival so, people, if you see anyone with this type of card similar to mine, please donate because we are actually working hard for this charity.

Training for Galway to Dublin is truly on.

Watch out!

Gazette

30 SWORDS gazette 19 March 2015

SPORT

FastSport

Malahide land Leinster division five league title MALAHIDE RFC claimed Leinster rugby’s metro division five last weekend with a 37-18 win over Terenure College last Friday evening at Estuary Road.

The result backed up their regular season form that saw them top the table by 11 points from their southside opponents despite falling to the same Terenure side a week earlier at Lakelands Park 18-5.

But, with much more on the line, they prevailed with something to spare in a lively decider, continuing the second team’s excellent run in recent years.

In the old format of the Leinster leagues, they had won back-to-back league titles before making an ambitious move in the restructure to try and push for a league or two higher than they would normally be pegged at to increase the level of competition.

This did not initially go to plan as they were bumped down from division four to five. But they bounced back in some style with 13 wins out of 14 in the regular season this time around before winning last weekend’s final.

It returns them to division four where they will aim to consolidate next term.

The club’s first team just missed out on promotion from Leinster league division 1B by a couple of points as they finished third in their table behind Kilkenny and Gorey.

Their season went down to the final day with the three sides all in the mix and covered by only three points. Malahide won 19-16 against Wicklow but they could not get the favours from elsewhere to hand them a top two spot with Gorey winning in Carlow 29-6 and Kilkenny 41-0 over Longford.

Swords RFC, meanwhile, finished bottom of Leinster league division 2B as they finished on 10 points with three wins and one draw from their 14 outings this season as they were deducted eight points in the closing weeks of the season.

soccer: celtic enjoying their football in the ndsl

The Swords Celtic Under-12 side that got the better of Dunshaughlin last weekend

Swords shine in Moran Cup  nathan kelly sport@dublingazette.com

SWORDS Celtic Under12s booked their place in the semi-final of the Kevin Moran Cup last Sunday with a 2-1 win over league rivals Dunshaughlin Youths in Balheary Reservoir.

In what was a distraction from the rat race of the NDSL Under-12 Premier Division, this fixture was a chance for the sides placed second and third in that league to push on for cup success.

The game started as even as expected and was a really decent con-

test throughout.

Swords took the lead midway through the first half when Andrew Madden broke the deadlock.

The visiting Youths responded though and were amazed to be behind after Celtic’s keeper Ben Smith pulled off one of the best saves seen at such an age as he somehow managed to tip a goal-bound effort around the left-hand post.

Dunshaughlin did equalise just before halftime, however, and the game was level at the break, a scoreline neither side could complain too

thunder struck Swords club’s first season ends in silver travelodge Swords Thunder were presented with their men’s basketball Premier League runners-up medals last weekend despite defeat at home to Belfast Star while Black Amber Templeogue overtook Killester to finish third in the table with a 93-81 win at UL Eagles.

It was a superb showing from the ALSAA based club in their first season in the top tier.

Picture: Kevin McFeely

much about.

Into the second half, and the level of football and competitiveness mirrored the first half, and again Swords got in front this time through Alan O’Shea.

Dunshaughlin threw the kitchen sink forward toward the end and saw an effort come back off the post but O’Shea’s strike proved to be the winner and Celtic look forward to a semi-final fixture against Malahide, Balbriggan, or their league leaders Rivervalley Rangers.

Despite being clearly proud to reach the

semi-final, speaking to GazetteSport after the win, Swords manager Jim Gannon informed us that there were more important things for him than cup wins.

“It’s always nice to win in cups, especially in the latter stages, but what we value more is the development of young players and the enjoyment they get out of the game.”

Gannon’s side sit in third place in the NDSL Premier, but have still to play Rivervalley and Dunshaughlin twice in the division, meaning if they win their eight remaining games, they

would win the league.

On that challenge, Gannon said: “Yeah if we win our eight games, we’re champions.

“Easier said than done obviously. Rivervalley are a tough side but we have beaten them in a grading match previously, and we’ve shown we can beat Dunshaughlin a number of times recently.

“So it would be a terrific achievement to catch them and win the title but I’ll go back to my previous point that, for 11-year-old players, it’s not all about, or it shouldn’t be all about, cups and trophies.”

19 March 2015 SWORDS gazette 31

Gazette

winning start

Finian’s edge out Faughs on opening day of AHL3

Club Noticeboard fingallians A STRATEGIC development commit-

st finian’s got off to a winning start in

AHL Division 3 as they got the better of Faughs by the narrowest of margins last Sunday.

They won out 0-15 to 2-8 at Tymon Park and will look forward with confidence to their second league game on March 29 on home turf against St Oliver Plunkett’s/Eoghan Ruadh in Rivervalley Park.

In the camogie section, the under-

detailed strategic five-year develop-

age teams were out in winning style at

ment plan for all aspects of the club.

their Go Games blitzes this weekend

Further details of the committee and

with the U-10s at home and the U-8s

goals will be emailed to all members

and U-9s away.

over the next week.

This year’s Easter camp will take place on March 30 to April 2, Monday to Thursday from 10am-2pm.

hurling: somerton side win first ever ahl2 tie

on our website www.fingallians.com.

tee has been put in place to produce a

In the league, the U-16s were hosted

by St Anne’s.

Please support our 2015 Club Recycling Drive. Bags can be dropped into

It’s a combined camp of hurling and

the club bar any evening from 7pm

football for boys and girls aged four

to 9pm or into the hall on Saturday

to 13.

mornings from 10am to 12pm over the

The cost of the camp is €40 with a €10

next three weeks.

discount if you sign up before 8pm on

All clean, unwanted clothes, bed

Friday, March 27. Application forms

linen, towels, textiles etc (mobile

will be available this week from the

phones will be accepted separately).

club and during the week they will be

No household Bric-A-Brac.

fingal ravens OUR U-9s and U-11s teams both had

are now available. Please note that

convincing wins at home on Saturday

membership can also be paid online

morning against St Peregrine’s and St

via myclubfinances.com; please see

Oliver Plunkett’s/ER respectively.

the club Facebook page for further

The U-13s played St Pat’s (D) in a

The club are running a Predict the

Thanks to Stephen Manning and Isaac

2015 Provincial Football Champion-

Kiely who both made their debut as

ship competition - entry forms were

referees on Saturday morning.

distributed to all teams over the last

Our U-16 girls played some great football on Sunday afternoon but Bal-

The Castleknock side that earned promotion to AHL2

Senior status holds no fears for Knock AHL division two Raheny 0-10 Castleknock 1-10  sport@dublingazette.com

CASTLEKNOCK created another piece of history last Sunday morning, winning their first ever senior hurling league match at St Anne’s Park on a perfect spring morning, Promotion was gained last year under the guidance of Humphrey Kelleher, Kevin McCambridge, Neil Kedward and Mick Geraghty and this squad has shown no intention of making up the numbers this year.

The game started at a

frantic pace and it fell to the youthful wrists of Luke Whelan to register the first score. The defence stood tall with Ross Mullins and Paul Burke steady and calm in the full back line. Declan Tobin played a captain’s part while the midfield engine room was driven by the strong running of Shane Boland and the dynamic work of Conal Purcell.

With this platform, the Somerton side were creating chances, Colum Breslin in particular was giving his man a torrid time.

They were slightly profligate with their shooting, though, while Raheny

were far more economical and took some really good scores from distance with the aid of a slight breeze.

Kieran Duggan was getting through a pile of ball on the 50 and was ably assisted on either side by some strong fielding from Niall O’Callaghan and Jamie Tunney.

Nonetheless, at the short whistle, Raheny led 0-5 to 0-5.

On the resumption, Castleknock brought more structure and design to their play and made a breakthrough when halftime substitute Fintan Murray broke through to dispatch the ball to the

corner with aplomb.

The game took another swing then with the dismissal of a Raheny player for a second yellow card.

This brought some loose play and Raheny clocked up another few scores.

Having weathered that patch, Knock again asserted control around the middle and began to stretch the Raheny defence.

The introduction of Conor Prunty brought some solidity to the back line in front of a typically assured Colin Lynch and Dara McKiernan and Shane Coffey arrived to the forward division to replace tired legs.

information.

tough challenge game on Saturday.

two weeks. Closing date for receipt of all entries is April 30.

lyboden St Enda’s turned out to be too

Lotto results: there was no winner,

strong on the day, winning by three

numbers drawn were 8, 19, 32 and 37;

points.

€20 to Grainne Garrigan, Bernie Far-

We will be holding a three-day Easter camp starting on Tuesday, April 7-9

rell and Gerard O’Brien. Next week’s jackpot is worth €13,689.

from 10am to 2pm; only €25 per child.

Our seniors play Templeogue Synge

To reserve a place please text your

Street in Dolphin Park at 10.30am in the

name and your child/children’s name

league on Sunday, March 22.

to Desy on 087 9957429.

Memberships for 2015 must be paid in full by March 31 - membership forms

The second team play St Brigid’s at home at 12pm in the league on Sunday, March 22.

st finian’s DUE to recent changes in our manage-

For the first time in many years, the

ment team, our adult footballers are

club has a second hurling team playing

looking for some additional assistance

in AHL9, who also had their first game

with the running of the Intermediate

this weekend. During the game, one of

team.

the St Joseph’s OCB lads suffered a

Please email Jim Shelly c/o stfiniansgaaclubswords@gmail.com if you

nasty shoulder injury, from which we wish him a speedy recovery.

would like to get involved with run-

There were great wins on Saturday

ning the team’s activities (match day,

for the U-13 football girls against Fin-

training, etc).

gallians while our U-13 camogie team

This would be a great opportunity for some of our recently qualified coaches to put the theory into practice.

also had a win against Naomh Mearnog.

Congratulations to Caoimhe Keogh,

Our adult hurlers had a first match of

Shauna O’Shaugnessy, Rachel Fagan

the new season this weekend, away to

and Rachel Church on making the Dub-

Faughs. In what was a very tight game

lin Camogie U13 development squad.

the lads came away with the narrow-

Another date for your diary is the

est of victories, thanks in the main to

annual St Finian’s golf classic which is

some exceptional goalkeeping from

scheduled for Friday, May 8 in Forrest

Kevin Hammond.

Little Golf Club.

GazetteSPORT all of your swords sports coverage from page 28-31

march 19-25, 2015

super celts: Swords Under-12s continue fine form academy additions: Four Dubliners join Irish to book their place in Kevin Moran Cup semis P30 cricket’s elite group P28

Aer Lingus swimmer Andrew Meegan

Meegan claims silver ALSAA club lands series of medals at the prestigious Dave McCullagh memorial meet with Meegan, Doyle and relay teams securing awards  sport@gazettegroup.com

AER LINGUS swim club enjoyed some success at the annual Dave McCullagh Memorial Meet in Bangor which acts as one of the key events in the calendar with an international field taking part last week.

Among the highlights of the three-day meet was Andrew Meegan’s battle with Bernard Cahill for the 400m freestyle title.

Ennis’s Cahill held on to claim gold from Meegan in the race of the night in Bangor.

Cahill, who trains at Swim Ireland’s UL Sport Performance Centre held off the Aer Lingus swimmer who fought back brilliantly in the closing stages.

Meegan, though, was out-tipped at the end with Cahill finishing in 4.01.25 with the former finishing just six-hundredths of a second behind.

The senior 4x200m women’s relay team were another to land a silver medal at the event but were undone by an Ards team who were in blistering form.

They set a new Ulster senior record in the 4x200m freestyle relay, their time of 8.44.91, holding off Aer Lingus, 8.58.10, and Limerick in third place.

Benjamin Doyle was another medallist, claiming a couple of bronze medals from the meet. In another tight race, Galway’s Andrew Moore hit the wall ahead of James Brown of

Ards in the 400m individual medley final.

Moore’s time of 4.33.65 was just 0.18 of a second ahead of Brown in 4.33.83. Aer Lingus’s Doyle claimed bronze in 4.35.85.

He did likewise in the 200m individual medley in a time of 2.08.81, under a second behind Brown and Moore once again.

It was a hugely impressive weekend of racing for most of Ireland’s premier swimmers with a series of records falling.

Shauna O’Brien set a new Irish senior record in the women’s 50m butterfly final. The UCD swimmer broke the previous record of 27.33 held by Melanie Houghton, swimming in Aer Lingus colours, since 2014 in 27.10 seconds to claim gold, her time was under the

qualification for the World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea.

O’Brien’s UCD team mate Alex Murphy won the men’s 50m butterfly final in 24.85 seconds. The 19-year-old held off Loughborough’s Leo Jaggs (25.07) and Calum Bain of Ards (25.28).

Following a 50m backstroke Irish junior record on Friday, Conor Ferguson broke the 100m record twice when he posted a morning swim of 56.46 breaking Portmarnock man Karl Burdis’s 2008 record.

In so doing, he made the qualification time for the European Youth Olympic Games, he then went on to win gold in another record time of 56.36.