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INSIDE: Let The Gazette’s gift guide ease you into a festive shopping spree P22-23

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Castleknock promoted to Div 2 after play-off Page 31

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Women’s game in good health at Westmastown Page 31

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ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES..................... 10 DUBLIN LIFE................... 13 OUT&ABOUT...................17 CLASSIFIEDS.................26 SPORT............................27

information drive: Kathleen Lynch on Budget 2015 benefits for senior citizens P6

Garda station to get 17 new cars  keith bellew

A major upgrade of resources is in store for Blanchardstown Garda Station after it was announced this week that the station is set to get 17 new squad cars and some additional gardai from the 100 new recruits announced in the last budget by 2016.

The announcement is being welcomed by local people following several burglaries in the area and a recent sexual assault of a woman in Tir na nOg Park, Carpenterstown.

Cllr Roderic O’Gorman (GP) welcomed the upgrade of policing resources in the local area.

“The increase in burglaries across Dublin 15, combined with some very serious assaults in recent months, demonstrates the need for extra policing in the area,” said O’Gorman.

The additional gardai will not only serve Dublin 15 but other areas in the county, including Ballyfermot, Cabra and Finglas.

Full Story on Page 2

Somalia in spotlight: Christmas smiles for Trocaire fundraiser three-year-olds Heidi Lawler

from Hollystown and Tiernan Butler from Skerries helped TV3 presenter Lisa Cannon launch Trocaire’s Christmas school kits for children in Somalia. The school kit is one of Trocaire’s many Christmas gifts, and for €30 it supports school

fees, books, pencils and teachers’ salaries in Somalia, where Trocaire runs 15 primary schools. The kit can be purchased online at trocaire. org, selected Easons stores, in Veritas stores, and in Trocaire centres.

Picture: Sasko Lazarov / Photocall Ireland

2 BLANCH Gazette 27 November 2014

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www.dublingazette.com Dublin Gazette Newspapers Ltd. Terms and Conditions for acceptance of advertisements Reserve the right to omit or suspend or alter any advertisement(s) in any of its publications. We also decline any responsibility in the event of one or more of a series of advertisements being omitted for any reason whatever, nor do we accept liability for any loss or damage caused by an error or inaccuracy in the printing of any advertisement. If your advertisement appears incorrectly, contact the Advertising Department immediately, as responsibility cannot be accepted for more than one week’s incorrect insertion. Responsibility cannot be accepted if the complaint is made more than two weeks after insertion. If one places an advertisement for more than one week and then cancels it after the first week, no refund or credit will be given for weeks cancelled. The advertiser undertakes to indemnify the Proprietors against any liability for any civil action arising out of the publication of the advertisement or any other matter printed or published in the Blanchardstown Gazette, Clondalkin Gazette, Dundrum Gazette, Dun Laoghaire Gazette, Lucan Gazette and Swords Gazette. The placing of an order or contract will be deemed an acceptance of these conditions.

blanch Cars and recruits on the way

Garda station set for resources upgrade  keith bellew kbellew@gazettegroup.com

BLANCH Garda Station will soon get 17 new cars and is set to be one of eight stations to get some of the 100 recruits currently training in Templemore, it has been confirmed.

Many local people will be glad of this news given the number of incidents been reported in the area in recent months, including the sexual assault of a woman which took place in Tir na nOg Park in Carpenterstown recently.

There have been many reports of burglaries in

Blanchardstown Garda Station is to benefit from new Templemore recruits

Dublin 15 over the last few years also with many constituents raising the issue with candidates during the local elections in May. A f t e r a f i ve - y e a r recruitment embargo, 100 recruits entered

training at the Garda College in Templemore, County Tipperary, on Monday, September 15.

Some will be assigned t o B l a n c h a r d s t ow n Garda Station when they have completed their training. However,

as this takes two years to complete, it will be at least be 2016 before they are on the streets.

They will not just be responding to calls and patrolling Dublin 15 however, as the Blanch station is responsible for the entire K-District which also encompasses Ballyfermot, Cabra and Finglas.

Cllr Roderic O’Gorman (GP) welcomed the allocation of extra resources to Blanchardstown Garda Station as positive news for the area.

He said: “I warmly welcome the extra resources for Blanchardstown station. The increase in burglaries across Dublin 15, combined with some very serious assaults in recent months, demonstrates the need for extra policing in the area. It is crucial that the new gardai are deployed in frontline positions, with a particular emphasis on community policing.”

Cllr Paul Donnelly (SF) also welcomed this news and stressed the impor tance of community policing saying: “That’s great news for the community. It is to be warmly welcomed that we are finally getting new gardai after years of cuts and no new recruitment. I would also hope that the vehicles required to enable them to carry out their jobs are also

provided.

“I also hope that the seriously depleted community Garda section would get the majority of these new gardai. We have had that section cut by two-thirds with several essential community guards recently being assigned to normal duties. This must be reversed.

“The community have been exceptionally frustrated with constantly being told that there are not enough resources and yet day after day we see dozens of gardai standing around protecting contractors who are putting in the deeply unpopular water meters.

“We must have more consultation with the public and public representatives so that Garda priorities match community concerns now that we are getting more gardai. This must also mean more visibility and feet on the streets.”

Cllr David McGuinness (FF) said that while the allocation of 17 new cars was welcome the fact that the policing of the entire K-district is under the remit of Blanchardstown Garda Station means it will need a large allocation of extra staff.

He said: “Blanchardstown Garda Station is now responsible for a much larger region with responsibility for Blanchardstown, Finglas, Cabra and Ballyfermot.

“Resources are stretched so thinly and we need a large allocation of the new recruits.

“While the additional 17 new police cars are to be welcomed, the community need more gardai on the beat and maintaining a strong presence within our communities.”

27 November 2014 BLANCH Gazette 3

it’s a gift Festive fare at Aonach pageant

castleknock: €2000 raised in Localise and Halfords venture

300 new sleeping bags for homeless  keith bellew kbellew@gazettegroup.com

Forty young people in Castleknock provided rough sleepers in Dublin City with sleeping bags to last them throughout the Christmas period and into the New Year.

Through their Sleeping Bags for the Streets Campaign, Castleknock Localise raised €2,000 in its area and has teamed up with Halfords Retailers in order to provide 300 quality sleeping bags for the homeless of Dublin City.

The young people in the Castleknock parish centre along with Halfords staff formed a giant chain of sleeping bags as they handed them over to the Peter Mc Verry Trust.

Senator Eamonn Coghlan (FG) was present to start the handover.

According to the Winter Rough Sleeper Count, last year there were 139 people sleeping on the streets of the capital on November 12, and this number has increased considerably in the past 12 months.

A sleeping bag lasts about six weeks on the streets, so Castleknock Localise hopes to provide an average 150 of those in need with enough sleeping bags to last them well into the new year.

Localise director Derek Cleary said: “Giving back can be the way forward in 2014 and it’s great to see our Localise members giving these bags to those in need – a big thank you to

Halfords for their support.

“By providing new sleeping bags now we can at least go some small way to ensure rough sleepers are warm coming up to and during Christmas. Giving back can be the way forward in 2014 and our young people are very aware of their responsibility in community involvement and helping those in need.”

Last year, Localise engaged over 1,070 youth volunteers in over 80,000 volunteering hours for 240 community service projects which generated the equivalent of €1.75m worth of community service work.

Localise is funded by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the Department of Justice and Equality.

Eye on the ball: Coolmine RFC pick up top tips from rugby legends these young members of Coolmine Rugby Football Club were delighted to play alongside Connaught rugby stars Jake Heenan and Mils Muliaina at the recently held Mazda Rugby Roadshow in Carton House, Maynooth. The rugby stars, alongisde fellow player Ronan Loughney, put children from local rugby clubs through their paces on the day. While the children learned the top tips from these players, adults were test-driving Mazda cars. Picture: Tony Keane

The Scoil Oilibheir Annual Aonach (Christmas Fair) takes place this year at the school in Coolmine on Sunday November 30 from 1pm to 5pm.

Punters can relax in the Christmas Cafe, visit Santa in his grotto, the children’s arts and craft room, and the kids games room which includes a room dedicated to Minecraft.

There will be face painting and games, Christmas stands with lots of different gift ideas, great value books for all ages and cards, children’s toys, DVDs and CDs, cake stands with a variety of Christmas cakes, buns, Christmas cookies and more.

For further information or to take a stand at the fair call Vivienne Meade on 087 1824845.

4 BLANCH Gazette 27 November 2014

FastNews

New Millenium Park ice rink biggest in the country Ireland’s newest and largest ice rink opened recently at Millenium Park, Blanchardstown.

The ice rink is being run by Cool Running Events Ltd, which has been behind some of Ireland’s most successful rinks over the last eight years, including Cork on Ice and iSkate at the RDS. Blanchardstown was chosen as the location due to its central location and transport links.

The rink has all ancillary services, including first aid, cafe and food provision for customers within the marquee.

The planning permission is for temporary use and will be operational until the end of January with site works before and after this operational period. The temporary permission for the Ice Rink is for a period of three years.

A spacious 800sq m rink and 200sq m kiddie rink will be open daily for public skate sessions, and the facility will also act as a playing field for local ice hockey and figure skating teams.

Special themed events will also be scheduled such as student nights, kiddie skating clubs and skate with Santa.

For information, call to the ticket desk in Blanchardstown Centre , call 0818 919 807 or see www.iceskating.ie, www.fb.com/Ice-Skat ing-Blanchardstown or Twitter (@iceskatingdub).

riversdale 2014 College Awareness Week

Push to promote local ‘college-going culture’  keith bellew kbellew@gazettegroup.com

T h e 2 014 C o l l e g e Awareness Week was launched recently by Tanaiste and Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton in Riversdale Community College.

Students from Riversdale were joined by colleagues from Blakestown Community School at the launch.

College Awareness Week aims to promote higher-education learning opportunities for students and their families, by highlighting role models and creating a “college-going culture” in all communities. It

is being supported by the Higher Education Authority, the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, the Confederation of Student Services Ireland and the Trinity Access Programmes.

At the launch in Riversdale, Minister Burton said: “I am particularly pleased that the launch of this fantastic initiative is taking place here with the staff and students of Riversdale and Blakestown community schools.

“For me, this epitomises the great sense of community and collaboration we have here in Blanchardstow n.

Central to this are the great schools and teachers and students that we have in the area, and the excellent college-going opportunities available to people locally through the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown.”

Kathleen O’TooleBrennan, campaign

An Tanaiste Joan Burton with director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals Clive Byrne, and College Awareness Week campaign founder Kathleen O’Toole-Brennan. Picture: Naoise Culhane

founder and programmes manager with Trinity Access Programme, said: ‘Having a college education is becoming more and more important.

“College Awareness Week aims to inspire and inform students of all ages and to get the message across that a college education helps students to fulfil their potential, to acquire new knowledge

and meet new people.

“A college education also helps greatly in securing employment and a decent standard of living.”

Clive Byrne, director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals said: “College Awareness Week is all about creating a conversation about post-secondary educa-

tion plans.

“We not only want to encourage young people to make college a part of their future plans, but we also want to show those people, who may not normally have considered further education, that it is a viable option for them too.”

Tom Boland, chief executive of the Higher Education Authority said: “College Awareness Week is a great initiative and I am particularly interested in college awareness activities which target communities where participation in higher education is low.”

The campaign will encourage students of all ages to become “college ready” by raising awareness of the benefits of a college education and showcasing local role models who have attended college.

As part of College Awareness Week, over 300 activities are taking place in schools and communities across Ireland.

For more information on College Awareness Week 2014 visit: www. collegeaware.ie

27 November 2014 blanch gazette 5

courts Assaults took place after incident over €50 debt

Three years’ jail for knifing two women A DUBLIN father, who stabbed two women over his partner’s €50 debt, has been sentenced to three years in prison, with the final 18 months suspended.

Anthony Hannon (39) claimed he acted in selfdefence when he stabbed Joanne Teeling and her friend, Leanne Gleeson, a few doors up from his former home.

Garda Ciara O’Brien said Ms Gleeson lost her spleen because of the stab wound to her stomach and Ms Teeling has no feeling in her left small finger from a slash to her arm.

The garda said because of the numbness, Ms

Teeling finds tasks such as putting socks on her children difficult.

Hannon, of Scholar’s Walk, Lusk, pleaded guilty on his trial date, at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, to assaulting the women, causing them harm at Wellview Avenue, Ladyswell in February 2011. He has no previous convictions.

Ms Teeling had called to Hannon’s home earlier that day to see his partner about the debt owed to her. She later received text messages from Hannon and went back to the house, where she said he tried to throw “a dig” at her.

Ms Teeling said she

had again returned to her own home when she saw Hannon running up the road, shouting “you’re dead”.

Gda O’Brien told Caroline Cummings BL, prosecuting, that Hannon and his victim ended up in a “tussle” on the grass outside her house when Ms Gleeson arrived to separate them.

She suffered a punctured lung and lost her spleen in an operation after the attack.

Ms Teeling had a stab wound in her left arm and stomach, and had surgery to check her bowels.

Gda O’Brien told the court that Hannon admitted fighting with the two

women. He claimed Ms Teeling had attacked him with a glass bottle at his house, and had pulled him into her garden.

The garda agreed with James Dwyer BL, defending, that Hannon said he was “very protective” of his family, which includes two of his own children and nine he cares for with his partner.

His partner, Esther Faye, said Hannon was a “kind, loving person” and that their children miss him since he went voluntarily into custody Mr Dwyer told Judge Mary Ellen Ring that Hannon had abused heroin in the past but was now drug free. He said

Anthony Hannon claimed, in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court , that he acted in self defence when he stabbled two women

his client volunteered to work with children at his local GAA club.

Judge Ring had remanded Hannon in continuing custody and ordered a probation report having heard evidence earlier in the year.

She accepted he had no previous convictions but said she couldn’t ignore the seriousness of the assault and the possession of a knife, which led to the injuries.

She imposed a threeyear prison sentence,

which she backdated to February this year.

She suspended the final 18 months on strict conditions including that he remain under the supervision of the Probation Service for 12 months upon his release.

6 BLANCH Gazette 27 November 2014

opinion ‘The recovery is for all’

Budget 2015 will help support the State’s pensioners THIS week Minister Kathleen Lynch discusses a number of ways that the latest budget measures should help ease the burden on older people, and highlights a number of existing supports.

OLDER people make a huge contribution to our local communities.

That is why it is vital we strive to meet their home support and continuing care needs so we can enable pensioners to live in comfort in the community for as long as possible.

At a time when the number of people over 65 is increasing by 20,000 people a year, with the over-80s population growing by some 4% annually, we need now more than ever to be planning for their futures and supporting their needs.

As Minister with responsibility for the elderly, I know fully the sacrifices made by thousands of pensioners across Dublin over the past few years as the Government steered this country back from the brink.

Now, with the economy improving, I want to ensure every one of those benefits as the recovery emerges. Put simply, they deserve no less.

In Budget 2015, the Labour Party worked hard to win supports for pensioners and hard-pressed families. I am pleased that, for example, the partial restoration of the Christmas bonus means that, in Dublin, some 128,400 pensioners will now have extra money in their pockets in the runup to the holidays.

Often in the immediate aftermath of a budget,

details about measures like the Christmas bonus can get lost in the noise as people digest the bigticket items.

Therefore, to ensure that pensioners are fully aware of the supports introduced in Budget 2015 to help them, I have launched a grassroots information campaign to advise them on changes made to their entitlements.

These are changes that will have a tangible, positive effect on their everyday lives. It will run for a number of weeks and is being co-ordinated by the Tanaiste and Labour Party leader, Joan Burton, who has for four consecutive budgets protected the State pension and the free travel allowance.

Information Working with my colleagues in Labour, we aim to target 80,000 pensioners nationwide with this campaign through a series of information leaflets, local radio interviews and social media activity.

As the old saying goes: “knowledge is power”.

Information is power.

My main motivation is to communicate with pensioners in Dublin about the new budgetary measures designed to support them.

There has, for example, been a slight adjustment to the living alone allowance in recognition of the difficulties people face while living on their own. It is a small increase, but it’s the first increase of its kind since 1996, and underlines how we want to support those who have little left at the end of the month.

Minister Kathleen Lynch

The decision to end the 0.6% pension levy this year and the additional 0.15% levy by the end of 2015 also highlights this.

This levy was introduced at a time when the Government was under intense financial pressure, so we are glad our stronger position now enables us to wind down both levies.

Ensuring that our elderly neighbours can live safely and confidently in their own homes is something we should always strive to achieve in society.

To this end, Joan Burton sought to secure funding for the important seniors alert scheme in the budget as part of an overall commitment to invest €133m in community programmes.

This money supports the installation of more monitored alarms in older peoples’ homes, bringing greater security to people in their elder years.

And, finally, Budget 2015 reaffirmed our pledge to extend free GP [care] to people aged over 70. In 2015, it is our plan that 2.1 million people – nearly half the entire population of Ireland – will have either a GP or a medical card.

This recognises the

contribution and the sacrifices made by our pensioners over the economic crisis. I will continue to work with our new Minister for Health to ensure free GP care gets over the line soon.

Labour has always been deeply committed to supporting pensioners and older citizens. Previous budgets have shown how anxious we are to protect many of the vital supports provided to older people, which many rely on for their everyday lives.

For example, previous budgets maintained core payments such as the old-age pension, while we also ensured that all those aged 65 and over are entitled to free public travel.

The first phase of the economic recovery is complete and we are now starting the second: restoring living standards for all Irish families. A key priority is that people start to feel the benefit of the recovery in their pockets – I very much want older people in communities across Dublin to be fully part of that process.

Kathleen Lynch Minister for Equality, Disability, Mental Health and Older People

27 November 2014 BLANCH Gazette 7

Corduff Community centre revamp is likely

Accessibility audit of Fingal units on cards  KEITH BELLEW

REFURBISHMENTS are likely to be carried out at Corduff Resource Centre to make the toilet facilities accessible to people in wheelchairs, according to Fingal County Council.

A review of the county’s older community centres will soon be carried out to ascertain those most in need of upgrades.

Cllr Paul Donnelly (SF) had raised the issue some weeks ago but was told a decision could not

be made until the Revenue Budget for 2015 was adopted. Cllr Lorna Nolan (Ind) raised the issue again at a recent area committee meeting asking if the possibility of carrying out the works could be re-examined since the budget had been adopted.

A council official said: “We do have some money in the budget next year to try to carry out works on some of the older community centres.”

He added that the council would carry out

a survey of community centres, develop a schedule of works and make a priority list based on the age and needs of each community centre.

He said: “We will start the process next year, and I would expect that because of the age of Corduff Resource Centre it is likely to feature very high up on the list. I wouldn’t like to pre-empt the absolute outcome yet, but we are actively looking at it.”

The meeting took an interesting turn at that

“Money in the budget next year” to carry out work

point, with area chairperson Cllr Eithne Loftus (FG) quipping that she didn’t understand “how people who voted against the budget can be looking for funding”.

This was directed at Cllr Nolan who voted

against the budget. Cllr Nolan took exception to the remark saying: “People in wheelchairs have a right to use a toilet.

Whether they are in a wheelchair or they walk in they still have that right, so if I have to bring

that up at every single meeting and put it in for every single motion I will.”

At that point Cllr Loftus assured Cllr Nolan that she had been joking and the exchange ended amicably.

winners ‘Junior Nobel’ awards top students from across the globe met at Farmleigh for the three-day UA Global Summit as part of The Undergraduate Awards 2014 recently.

The awards are the world’s only pan-discipline academic awards programme. Now in the third year, this Irishfounded “junior Nobel Prize” recognises and rewards innovative young thinkers across 25 disciplines from business and economics to visual arts and design.

The students who visited Farmleigh were all winners or highly commended entrants this year.

They were presented with the George Berkeley Gold Medal for their research and course work at a gala event in Christ Church Cathedral.

8 BLANCH Gazette 27 November 2014

27 November 2014 BLANCH Gazette 9

planning Sought redevelopment of pre-Famine building

Outrage as historic house is demolished  keith bellew

A local councillor has hit out after an old house on Blanchardstown Main Street which predates the famine was demolished recently.

Cllr Roderic O’Gorman (GP) has criticised the demolition of Beechview, at the junction of the Castleknock Road and the River Road, which was built in 1840. It was meant to be incorporated into a new medical centre and apartment development, but has now been completely razed.

The planning permission granted for the site in 2012 sought the redevelopment of the house to

consist of the erection of two two-storey extensions to each side, to contain a two-storey medical centre to the west and two twobedroom apartments.

The works were to include the demolition of a single storey one-bedroom dwelling to the side and the demolition of a single storey extension to the rear of the two-storey house.

However the developer Dr Mohammed A Taufiq Sattar has demolished the house entirely, in direct conflict with conditions stipulated by the planning department when permission for the development was granted.

Cllr O’Gorman said:

“I’m deeply angry that Beechview House, at the start of Blanchardstown Main Street, was demolished. I do not believe that this demolition had planning permission and I have asked Fingal County Council to undertake a planning enforcement investigation into the matter.

Redeveloped “The planning permission granted for this site in 2012 made it clear that the existing structure was to be “redeveloped” and incorporated into a new medical centre and two apartments. It is absolutely outrageous that some developers still think they

can ignore planning permission and do what they like.

“This was a historic building, actually dating back to before the Famine. While buildings have to change and make room for the growth of Blanchardstown, this can be done in an appropriate way, as was seen with the redevelopment of the cottages on Main Street to create the Bicycle Shop and the Cottage Cafe. Indeed, the plans for Beechview were quite sympathetic and would have allowed for the retention of the old building.

“I look forward to the planning officials providing local councillors with

Beechview House: inquiries being made to ascertain how demolition occurred

a full report of what has happened at this site.”

A spokesperson for Fingal County Council responded saying: “The inspectorate division of Fingal County Council is aware of the alleged unau-

thorised development and the matter is currently under investigation.”

Deputy Mayor of Fingal Ted Leddy (FG) said he fully supported calls for investigation into the demolition of the house.

He said: “I don’t know what happened and I am trying to find out myself.

I have made enquiries at the planning department in Fingal and I do support the calls for investigation.”

10 blanch Gazette 27 November 2014

gazetteGALLERIES

David Moore and Ann Dunne of Astronomy Ireland. Pictures: Ronan O’Sullivan

Over the moon: ASTRONOMY IRELAND GETS INTO SCIENCE WEEK

A

stronomy Ireland held a special moon watch at its Blanch HQ recently as part of science week. It was a great opportunity for the public to view, through powerful telescopes, one of the night sky’s most amazing objects.

It made no difference that they didn’t actually get to see the moon because of the clouds! Free posters and back issues of the group’s magazine compensated on a fun night.

Mairead Walsh, Sarah Laferm, Niamh Prendergast, Elaine McDonnell and Sandra Howell. Pictures: Simon Jeacle

lucky gym: OVER €20,000 RAISED AT DINNER DANCE Brothers Oran, Tiernan and Cian O’Donovan

Tony Gannon

Happy times for three charities

L

Eamonn O’Ferachain and Bernadette Pierce

Andrew Langton

OCAL gym Anatomic Fitness Castleknock hosted a fundraising dinner dance for charity at the Castleknock Hotel recently.

The gym, owned by James Farrelly and Mick Daly, celebrated its first year in business this month. The owners decided to mark the occassion with this charity event, and all 330 tickets were sold out within a day.

The local community and businesses donated over 100 spot prizes and special guests on the night included Health Minister Leo Varadkar and Dublin Senior Football manager Jim Gavin.

Over €20,000 was raised and €10,000 was presented to Cystic Fibrosis Ireland, €5,000 to the Bubblegum Club and €5,000 to the CF unit in Tallaght Hospital.

27 November 2014 blanch Gazette 11

Megan Palmer Hardy, Nadine Talbot and Aishling Talbot Becca Gill, Conor Pearse and Shauna O’Gara

Michael and Rebecca Daly with Minister for Health Leo Varadkar

Kyle Delavari and James Faralley

Sonia Slevin, Christine Keane, Attracta McMenanin and Sarah Tiernan

SCHOOl

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what’son hey buddy, here’s an elf to remember ...

Former Emmerdale and Fair City actor Liam O’Brien. Picture: Kieran Clancy

A DAY IN THE LIFE: multi-tasker liam o’brien, Bottom Dog Theatre Company

Busy night owl flies along  keith bellew

FORMER Emmerdale and Fair City actor Liam O’Brien is currently touring the country with his annual yuletide celebration of the Swing era, Crooning at Christmas.

This week, The Gazette caught up with the co-founder and current director of Bottom Dog Theatre Company to discuss what he does on an average day.

He said: “I am not the earliest riser in the morning – I get up between 9am and 10am; I wouldn’t get up any earlier than that.

“I know people always say you should have a big breakfast, but I don’t really. I have fruit and yogurt in

the morning – that’s kind of my staple breakfast – but sometimes, when it’s cold, I have a big bowl of porridge.”

O’Brien said that working in the entertainment industry means his schedule can vary greatly.

“In my lifestyle as an entertainer I am continually doing different jobs.

So sometimes I will be getting up and going straight to work somewhere.

“If I am not working that particular day, usually after breakfast I am straight on the laptop or something, checking emails to see if anyone is contacting me about work.

“Basically, I work for myself so I’m straight on [the laptop] and taking care of business. I run the Bottom Dog Theatre Company in Limerick, so

nearly every day I’ll have something to do for that.

“Entertainers, like everyone else, spend a lot of time in front of the computer getting all the boring businesstype things done,” he said.

Most days, O’Brien will take a walk to clear his head.

“I quite like big walks and listening to music. That’s a big part of my life, so that’s my main exercise.

“I tend to take care of myself in November, so I’m in the middle of going to the gym three times a week.

“I tend to keep my head down in November because I have such a busy December, particularly when I’m going on tour. I mind myself, I eat well, stay away from the pub and go to the gym.

“I love meeting people for coffee, sitting around cafes talking to people over several cups of coffee. I am a bit of a night owl, and I’m a social person, so when I’m out and about I stay out late.

“Apart from November, I like going to the pub. I never go to the pub alone – for me it’s all about going out to meet friends and just sitting down and having the good old Irish banter, enjoying the company of others,” he said.

Liam O’Brien and The Million Dollar Swing Band will perform their Crooning at Christmas show at Draiocht Theatre on Saturday, December 13.

For further information, see www. draiocht.ie.

JUST in time for Christmas, the Bord Gais Energy Theatre is hosting Elf The Musical, based on the beloved 2003 movie hit starring Will Ferrell.

Elf tells the tale of Buddy, an orphan who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole.

With no idea that he is human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities eventually force him to face the truth.

True identity With Santa’s permission, he travels to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity, and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas This modern Christmas classic should help us all to embrace our inner elf this Christmas.

Elf The Musical takes place at Bord Gais Energy Theatre from December 16 to January 10, with tickets priced €20 to €60; under-threes are not permitted.

For further information, see www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie.

Gazette

14 Gazette 27 November 2014

dublinlife

Simon Delaney with Gavin Doyle, Arron Scully, Darly Kelly, Habbab Ahmed, Keith McDaid and Aidrian Lupu all from Plunkett College

DIARY

Homegrown talent to bask in the spotlight WELL-known Irish actor Simon Delaney will be one of the judges for the 2015 Bord Gais Energy Student Theatre Awards.

No stranger to the industry, the Dublinborn star, who featured in Bachelor’s Walk and Moone Boy, is also a writer and director of stage musicals.

Delaney will be joined on the judging panel by Harry Potter star Evanna Lynch, Marten Jonmark from Brown Bag Films, Irish fashion designer Emma Manley, manager of the Bord Gais Energy Theatre Stephen Faloon,

and Bord Gais Energy Theatre sponsorship manager Tanya Townsend.

He will also act as the MC at the awards ceremony on March 4 next year.

Delaney said he was “delighted” to be involved.

“These awards have been set up to reward and encourage participation in drama in schools and I think it’s really important that we recognise young creative talent from an early age.”

The deadline for entries is January 12, 2015. See www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie for entry details.

Kennedy to attend concert PETER McVerry Trust’s annual Christmas Carol Concert takes place on Saturday, December 6 in St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin.

The charity has recently announced that the event, the largest fundraiser the charity organises each year, will be headlined by Belfast-born singer Brian Kennedy.

Over 1,000 people are expected to attend on the night.

Other performers include the children’s choir, RTE Cor na nOg,

folk specialists Cantoiri, soprano Eileen Coyle and the Lassus Scholars all of whom will be singing seasonal favourites.

Doors open at 7pm and seating is unreserved.

Tickets for the event are now on sale through Peter McVerry Trust’s fundraising office on 01 823 0776.

Tickets cost €30 (€25 for OAP, unemployed, students, and children).

For more information visit www.pmvtrust.ie.

top tips to help with shopping WITH the Christmas season fast approaching and everyone gearing up for the annual gift buying scramble, motoring solutions specialist, Easytrip, offers Christmas shoppers some tips to alleviate the stress.

It has revealed that the busiest times at car parks in November and December are between 11am and 3pm, with Saturday being the most popular day of the week for parking.

The group has published five tips for beating the holiday rush and they are in no particular order: conduct online research in advance for gift ideas and retailer locations; plan your shopping route by the retailers you plan to visit against your car park location; ensure your last shop is the closest to the car park thus reducing the walking distance while laden down with shopping bags; wear comfortable footwear; take coffee breaks allowing you to stay hydrated; keep energy levels up and, finally, navigate the shops efficiently by asking shop assistants where product is located in the store.

27 November 2014 Gazette 15

Gazette

16 Gazette 27 November 2014

dublinlife

Q&A

amy gallagher, founder, juices by ginger

Pouring her energy into a healthy business plan MORE than any other food trend of late, juicing has become the go-to choice for anyone trying to lose weight or looking for a healthier alternative to fizzy drinks, says Juices by Ginger founder Amy Gallagher, who named the company after her red hair. After finishing a law degree and working as an account manager at her father’s print firm, Amy started making juices in her kitchen at home, but now works out of a premises in Dun Laoghaire, employing three juice makers and three drivers.

Her home deliveries packages are particularly successful, with her juice drinks popular with clients ranging from cancer patients to KC Peaches.

How long have you been in business?

For one year.

What makes your business successful?

My juices are freshly pressed daily, and no additives or preservatives are used, making them 100% raw and natural. In general, people are taking a lot more interest in their wellbeing and so juicing is an easy way of getting your “five a day”.

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

I offer a personal touch to my clients – the phone is always on for support when on a detox, or for queries prior to ordering.

I also make most of the juices myself with the help of my team, so I like to think most of the time the clients are getting the juice designed, created and pressed by “Ginger”.

How has the recession affected your business?

As I’ve only been in business for a year, I haven’t noticed much turbulence in the business, but what I have noticed is the amount of money people are willing to spend in order to take care of their health and image.

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

I would implement some form of copyright law for my recipes – some of them have been copied very openly by other juice businesses, and it’s so frustrating!

What is your ambition for the business?

For Juices by Ginger to be your “go-to”’ brand for a tasty, healthy and nutritious alternative. To educate people on the importance and the benefits of drinking fresh vegetable juice.

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

I use Facebook and Instagram very regularly, both as sales tools and as information channels from myself to the customers. It’s great to be able to get feedback from clients via social media. Facebook is probably the main driver of traffic to my website.

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

My juices have been selling quite well in local cafes and shops, and I love meeting people, or friends of friends, and to hear them say: “Oh, I tried one of your juices the other day – it was delicious!”

It’s nice to be able to contribute to someone’s health and well-being.

I also love the sense of community in local shops and restaurants.

People love to support local.

business Focus on your staff’s mental well-being  ian begley

THE award-winning Irish company, MyMind, which provides online mental health therapy as well as face-to-face counselling, is calling on businesses to place a greater focus on the mental well-

being and mindfulness of their staff.

MyMind at Work is aimed at promoting resilience and emotional wellbeing in the workplace.

According to a report published by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, more

than half of European workers find work-related stress to be common in their workplace.

Tess Brady, project manager at MyMind, said: “Research has shown that stress is one of the highest reported work-related health issues in Europe.

By investing in the mental well-being of their employees, businesses will benefit by increasing productivity through better stress management, and enhancing employee performance.”

For further information, see www.mymind.org.

transport: Benefits of card’s pricing raised

Leap to it to save on public transport costs THE National Transport Authority (NTA) is urging public transport users to get a Leap card for best value fares.

Fare increases, decreases and simplifications come into effect from December 1. The Leap card will continue to be better value than cash tickets, so the NTA wants to encourage all public transport users to avail of the cheaper card fares.

A major feature of the upcoming changes are the simplification of the cash and Leap card fares on Dublin Bus. Currently, there are eight adult cash fare types and eight Leap fares. This will reduce to four different adult Leap fares and five adult cash fares.

NTA chief executive Gerr y Murphy said: “With more than 750,000 Leap cards now in circulation and almost €2m per week used in travel credit, the Leap card has

Leap cards offer transport users cheaper fares than cash tickets

clearly been welcomed by the travelling public – both for the convenience and for the value it offers.

“In fact, Leap card fares in 2015 will nearly always be the same as or lower than a cash fare was in 2012.”

A few important points to note in relation to the new fares structure include that Leap fares will be at least 20% cheaper than cash single fares across Dublin Bus, Luas, DART, Commuter Rail, and Bus Eireann.

In addition, Leap fares multiplied by two work out 12 - 20% cheaper than return tickets on Luas/DART/commuter rail service.

Leap card fares in 2015 will also nearly always be the same as or lower than a cash single fare was in 2012, while Leap daily and weekly caps for 2015 will be unchanged in comparison to 2013 Leap cap prices.

In many cases, Leapcapped fares are lower than weekly tickets.

For instance, a Dublin Bus five-day rambler is priced at €29.50 whereas the Dublin Bus weekly cap on the Leap card is unchanged, at €27.50.

The Leap card has relaxed the age rules to buy a child Leap card.

Now, child cards can be used by people up to 18 years old. This means that young people can avail of significantly cheaper child fares for three extra years.

For further information, see www.nta.ie.

27 November 2014 Gazette 17

asdfsdaf P27 health P24

gift guide 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

ARTS P22

Pets let sociable abbey steal your heart

Sir Jack Leslie holding his uncle’s sword which he was carrying when he died in the war. Picture: Marc O’Sullivan

heritage: major exhibition examines ireland’s world war one volunteers

Honouring fallen soldiers  Bairbre Ni Bhraonain

A MULTIMEDIA exhibition on Irish involvement in the First World War was launched recently in the National Library by Minister for Arts Heather Humphreys.

World War Ireland: Exploring the Irish Experience will remain in the library for the next four years and expects to attract 200,000 visitors – a figure that corresponds approximately to the 210,000 Irishmen who enlisted in the British Army in the war.

It comprises interactive multimedia elements including computers with research and photographs from wartime in Ireland and an audio guide featuring songs of war.

Several interesting artefacts of the time are featured, including a hand-

written draft of declaration of the Irish Brigade in Germany by Joseph Plunkett in 1915, and a handbill distributed by Inghinidhe na hEireann (Daughters of Ireland), founded by Maud Gonne and which supported suffrage, was anti-war and called on Irish girls to steer clear of military men.

At the official opening, The Gazette spoke to curator Nikki Ralston about how the First World War affected Ireland.

“The exhibition focuses on how the war impacted across Ireland. Those who enlisted to fight in the war did so by choice, as there was no conscription in Ireland, and the exhibition explores the results of that choice on families and children in Ireland.

“When putting the exhibition together, we found nearly every Irish family today

had some involvement in the war but this was not spoken of freely before.

“We have included the personal experiences of four soldiers, which brings it home to people. One is Norman Leslie, an officer who was the heir to Castle Leslie in Monaghan.

“Another was Michael O’Leary, a farmer’s son from Cork. We also have Mary Martin, who had 12 children, three of whom got involved in the war. Her two sons joined up to fight and her daughter volunteered as a nurse in Malta.

“Finally, to show the opposing side of what was then a minority element in Ireland, we have Joseph Mary Plunkett, who was very vocal in his stance against Ireland’s involvement in the war.

“The exhibition also shows how this rebellious minority became the majority in Ireland and how that shift played out.

It was a time of great change in Ireland, as the war coincided with the Home Rule issue.”

Several relatives of these four people attended the launch, including Sir Jack Leslie, the nephew of Norman Leslie, who died with his sword in hand while charging a German machine gun. At the time, it was deemed ungentlemanly for officers to carry guns.

Sir Jack Leslie, aged 89, arrived in green tartan with a peacock feather in his beret, and armed with his uncle’s sword.

He told The Gazette: “A German sniper saw him running and shot him through the heart, so he died instantly.

As he was shot, he said: ‘Oh! They’ve got me!’, and dropped dead.”

This latest presentation at the National Library promises many fascinating hours’ browsing for the history buff.

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

Our Dog of the Week is Abbey – a young German Shepherd cross. She is super playful and full of energy; is very sociable and just loves playing with her doggie pals, and running around chasing.

Abbey can be a little shy of new people and would be best suited going to a home where there is already a confident dog to help her settle in. A quiet home with sensible older children and a doggie pal would be perfect!

She is a beautiful dog with plenty of potential and just needs a chance to blossom into the gorgeous dog we know that she will be If you think you could offer Abbey a loving home, 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. Treats and toys are always welcome!

Gazette

18 Gazette 27 November 2014

OUT&ABOUT

ARTS

theatre: a bittersweet, human play

Fused

An atypical tale for an alternative Christmas  Bairbre Ni Bhraonain

THIS December, Bewley’s Cafe Theatre is putting on an unusual Christmas play which deals with lesser discussed elements of the festive season, entitled Harry’s Christmas, by Steven Berkoff.

The play runs for three

weeks from December 3 at the theatre on the top floor of Grafton Street’s most famous cafe, and will be performed by Malcolm Adams.

The Gazette spoke to Adams about what audiences can expect from Harry’s Christmas.

He said: “I did the

play a few years ago and wanted to return to it as an alternative Christmas story. It really deals with reality and the fact that, for lots of people, Christmas is a problem to solve.

“Harry is trying to figure out what to do for Christmas and considers a variety of alternatives, arguing with himself as he walks his way through different strategies.

“He asks himself if he will spend it with his mother – which he’s not keen on – or will he get invited to someone’s party, which is always a good option, or will he invite someone over?

“It all comes down to the fact that what he really wants is to have someone special to share it with.”

Berkoff’s writing is bitter-sweet, with a dark element along with the dark comedy. The play is an interesting alternative to standard Christmas fare as it shows a more human side to Christmas – it is not a fairytale.

Berkoff talks about the pressure that people feel to conform to certain etiquettes of behaviour over Christmas, and even when they do conform, it

Now you can control the outcome of a live theatre performance

Game on for exciting new live theatre  Bairbre Ni Bhraonain

Malcolm Adams in character for Harry’s Christmas, which will take place at Bewley’s Cafe Theatre. Picture: Steven Berkoff

can be a struggle for people to do so.

“It’s about what we’re required to do and what we want to do and I’m drawn to that nonconformist aspect,” said Adams.

There is huge pressure on people to be happy at Christmas or to seem to be happy, and Berkoff is showing us that there are some people who have no families, and these are not included in this thing that is “Christmas”.

There is an existential aspect in it too, with questions of whether or not to continue, but there is also a spiritual element, which is gentle and surprising from Berkoff.

At one point, Harry says: “This is Christ’s

birthday”, which Christmas is, in essence. The play explores a lot of different things in a short time and is a rollercoaster for Harry – he really puts himself through it.

In the end, it all comes down to love, and he faces that at last.

This is the bitter-sweet element I mentioned before.

Asked if he thought Bewley’s Cafe Theatre showed bravery in deciding to put on such a nonconformist interpretation of Christmas, Adams said: “Yes, and they like to do that sometimes; they put on an unusual piece once in a while just to mix it up a bit.

“The theatre is an ideal performance space

for this play because it’s an intimate drama and Christmas is the obvious time to stage it, too.

“It may get people thinking of something else, something different at Christmas,” he said.

Are you a bit of a “Bah, humbug!” person about Christmas? Then go along and celebrate your ambivalence with Harry’s Christmas.

Harr y’s Christmas opens on December 3 and runs until December 20. From Monday to Saturday the show is on at 1pm, and tickets cost €8 on Mondays, €10 from Tuesday to Thursday, and €12 on Saturdays.

To book, contact 086 878 4001, or see www. bewleyscafetheatre.com.

HAVE you ever wished that theatre had all the excitement of a video game, where you could be in control of those on stage?

Well, if so, a new show – entitled Fused, which plays at the Project Arts Centre on Essex Street in Temple Bar – can offer to make that dream come true.

The show comprises a live performancecum-gaming adventure in which audience members get the chance to take over the virtual controller to guide the hero through a variety of crazy puzzles.

However, throughout the show, the clock is ticking ...

Fused is touted by its creators as “an immersive work of fiction, a live videogame experience channelled through theatre”.

The aim is to bring back the excitement of playing classic pointa n d - cl i c k g r a p h i c adventure games such as The Secret of Monkey Island series, Broken Sword, Grim Fandango or Telltale’s recent smash-hit Walking Dead titles.

The show will open on December 1 in the Project Arts Centre and runs until December 13.

For further information, call 086 453 8792, or email joanna.derkaczew@gmail.com.

27 November 2014 Gazette 19

Gazette

20 Gazette 27 November 2014

OUT&ABOUT

FOOD&DRINK

The Picky Eater LOCALS won’t thankThe Picky Eater for recommending it, but a trip to John Kavanagh’’s pub in Dublin 9 is well worth the trek.

On the map since the 1830s and perched on the edge of Glasnevin Cemetery, it offers a good helping of history with an old-style ambience to wash it down.

A tour of the cemetery will work up an appetite for the Kavanagh’s experience while offering you an exit directly into the arms of The Gravediggers, as it is more widely known.

Stepping inside this hostelry is like stepping into a film or theatre set.

The place has a thespian flavour.

This favourite haunt of the late actor Donal McCann is the setting for scenes from the BBC’s recent interpretation of John Banville’s Quirke (think Gabriel Byrne).

And no wonder.

A no-nonsense interior with little ornamentation is easy on the eye, with rough hewn tables and chairs, wooden floors and a variety of snugs designed for winter evenings of hot whiskeys and good conversation.

On a midweek evening full of seasonal traffic and frantic shoppers, The Picky Eater and companion were catching up

in the sanctuary of the Gravediggers.

We began with conversation in the comfy hum and dimness of the old bar. The plan had not included food but on the night that was in it, hot and cold tapas Irish-style were on offer. What the heck, we thought, why not?

So we set out for the other side of the bar, wine in tow, thankful that we’d avoided the bags of crisps we’d considered at the outset. A blackboard on the wall behind the counter offered a disconcerting array of options. Choosing wasn’t easy, but we got on with it.

One helpful waiter’s

intervention later and our minds were made up: a Greek salad; a hummus plate; a fancy potato cake and a dish of fried prawns.

Hot flat bread and Italian bread sticks appeared.

We were on our way and sharing was the order of the day.

The salad was crisp, the feta well salted, olives plump and juicy, flavoursome tomatoes and a clean single-tone dressing with a hint of sage saw us greedily forking up the last scraps. Meanwhile we made inroads into the hearty potato patty with its fried golden crust that gave way to hot mash with spinach and pine nuts.

Again, we scrabbled over the last morsels…

The hummus with accompanying greenery was fragrant and fresh; hot prawns nicely doused

in lime juice went down easily.

A mutual friend made an unexpected appearance and joined us to mop up our leftovers, proving that the portions were ample, filling and healthy. Feeling virtuous, we tucked into our wine with even more gusto.

Six generations later, this family run pub (still with the Kavanaghs) can hold its own its with bigger brasher competitors.

This year, the Lonely Planet singled it out for a special gong. Secret Europe, 50 Truly Unfor-

The Gravediggers has seen the great and the good of the city pitch up for generations, thanks to its straightforward but welcoming charms

gettable Experiences to Inspire Your Next Trip, puts The Gravediggers at number 46 on any visitor’s must-see list. And here’s a nugget from Glas-

nevin Cemetery tour: the gravediggers of yore took their porter through the cemetary gates in ceramic jars, hence the term going for a jar. Slainte mhor!

Conclusion THANKS to some generous, tasty pub fare and its serving of pure atmosphere by one of Dublin’s most historical haunts, John Kavanagh/The Gravediggers (at 1 Prospect Square, Dublin 9; tel 01 830 7978) offers plenty for patrons to dig into ...

27 November 2014 Gazette 21

Gazette

22 Gazette 27 November 2014

OUT&ABOUT

Available nationwide Smirnoff Gold €28.99

We

Hasbro Scattergories €19.99 13+

h €159

lington watc

Daniel Wel ir & Sons

Kilkenny Shop Momenti locket From €90

M&S Limited edition clutch bag €47.50

Weir & Sons 2 x sterling silver and enamel cufflinks €210

candle €16

w Con ww.b tou lan r c kc om an bo va ma sco keu sm p k et it € ics 34 .co .99 m

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Hasbro Heatwave Transformers rescue bot €29.99 3+

27 November 2014 gazette 23

Gazette

GIFT GUIDE MOTORING

www.petalwell.com Petalwell Gift Set €95

er €12

owman cake slic

as Sn Classic Christm Carraig Donn

6

Alex Shop y n n Kilke

Wrap up well this Christmas

THE countdown to Christmas has begun and, as the elves get ready to prepare presents for Santa to deliver to children across the world, Dubliners are getting ready to buy gifts for friends, families, neighbours and colleagues.

To help with those hard decisions on what to buy Aunt Mary or little Tom this year, over the next few weeks The Gazette will select the most interesting, unique and fun gifts available online or in shops

€2 stone h t ir iB & An

in Benjam p Max 15 o h S € ny Kilken cented candle s e in jasm

across the capital. This week, we look at toys for kids and teens from Hasbro, bags and jewellery for mum or sis from Kilkenny Stores, and cufflinks for him from Weir & Sons, to name but a few gifts.

Don’t forget to make a list before buying presents, check it twice and make sure you know who has been naughty or nice so you know who to buy that little bit more or that little bit less for this Christmas season …

M&S Per Una opulence bath decanter €16

Weir & Sons 2 x sterling silver with blue enamel cufflinks €380

Weir & Sons Mont Blanc

Kilkenny Shop Orla Kiely shoulder bag €149 Hasbro Diggin Rigs Buzz Saw €29.99 3+

notebook €340

Gazette

24 Gazette 27 November 2014

OUT&ABOUT

HEALTH

the festive season: keeping the weight off

You don’t have to pile on the pounds The festive season is upon us and the temptation to eat, drink and be merry without thought of tomorrow is alarmingly strong. If you want to know how to resist, this week’s Gazette Health has tips from Dublin-based personal trainer Keith O’Neill of Fitness Forte.

Just because it’s Christmas, don’t stop exercising!

It’s important for your fitness to remember that it’s not only Christmas day you need to worry about – but all the days leading up to and following the big day.

Remember how you want to look and feel, not just at this time of year but all year round. By keeping a strong mindset towards exercise and good nutrition you can maintain your weight when others do not.

If you want to avoid the “holiday stone” you need to keep your sugar intake to a minimum. We

eat more sugary foods at Christmas than any other time of the year.

And it’s the hidden sugars in foods like breads and soft drinks that you need to be aware of.

If you can control your sugar intake it will help massively to control your weight.

Take control of your social events Be cautious about your intake during Christmas socialising: how much alcohol are you consuming? What are you eating? Eat a big meal before you go out and this will stop you being hungry later. You’ll not want to stop off for fast

RunningShorts Hartstown Park in Blanchardstown recently held their inaugural parkrun vent - a free, weekly 5km run/walk. The Hartstown parkrun takes place every Saturday at 9.30am and take part in a free, non-competitive 5K run. The weekly event is entirely organised by volunteers, and are currently looking for people to come on board and help out.

Email hartstownhelpers@parkrun.com for more information.

FOR someone who is always snacking, I love these Stript Snacks, which are tender, air-dried beef steak pieces seasoned with either cracked black pepper or red chili. The great thing is, they can be used after exercise to supplement your protein intake or as a healthy alternative to crisps or chocolate! They’re all natural ingredients – no artificial flavours or preservatives.

• Over 50% protein (16g per pack), more per unit weight than nearly all protein bars; • Calories (73 calories per pack), less per unit weight than rice cakes; • Gluten-free; • Paleo-friendly snack.

food later. Drink plenty of water throughout the day and also during a night out to prevent you becoming dehydrated.

We often confuse dehydration with hunger signals. I would recommend a glass of water with every alcoholic drink.

Exercise during the festive season Most people will stop exercising over the festive season.

It is very important to get some form of exercise in, whether it is a walk, jog or a gym workout.

If you’re jogging or walking, try doing intervals. So for example, do

30 seconds fast-pace followed by 30 seconds medium-pace.

Repeat for 10 to 15 rounds and you will find this very beneficial.

If you are going to the gym, make sure to cover the full body with various compound moves.

For example, squats, lunges, deadlifts, bench press and lat pulldowns.

These exercises cover every body part and will give you the workout you need to reduce body fat and tone up.

Exercising, whether it’s over the festive season or not is a great stress reliever. I would say it’s the most under used

By keeping a strong mindset towards exercise and good nutrition you can maintain your weight when others do not

anti-depressant out there and needs to be utilised a lot more.

Festive season exercise and nutrition tips My festive season tips would be: 1. Never let more than two to three days go by without exercising.

2. If possible, vary your workouts so no two days are the same.

3. Partner up with someone. Having a training partner will always push you that little bit

more.

4. Leave the car at home. Today we drive more than ever, so next time you need to go to the shop, leave the car and walk.

5. Try to avoid carbohydrates at breakfast.

Stick with protein (meat, eggs) and fats (nuts, nut butters, avocados).

6. Over indulging is something people do at Christmas. Don’t! Just eat until you’re satisfied.

Avoid that bursting at

the seams feeling.

7. After the dust has settled, set yourself some short and long term goals for the New Year.

Tell someone about these goals as this will keep you accountable.

Then go and smash them!

Get Guaranteed Results with a Personal Trainer Contact Detail: Keith O’Neill Ph: 086 3490668 www.fitnessfortept.com

Herbal tea remedies for winter  Sundara O’Higgins Manager, Nourish, Donnybrook

AS THE cold winter months creep in, more and more people are looking to the benefits of herbal teas, which are packed with a wide variety of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

Herbal teas can assist with everything from detoxifying your system to boosting your energy and improving digestion.

So, why not tr y some of these teas to get a boost this winter?

For cold symptoms • Rio amazon catsclaw (below): This tea is ideal for the cold winter, with a warming blend of cat’s claw, cinnamon, ginger, cardamon and orange peel.

Cat’s claw has long been used in the Peruvian Amazon to boost the immune system, fight infection and reduce inflammation.

• Niks lemon and ginger green tea: Green tea has been consumed in Eastern cultures since ancient times for its immunity- and metabolism-boosting

properties.

This modern twist on the traditional ginger and lemon remedy provides a zesty combination of green China sencha leaves, real lemon pieces, orange peel and ginger, making it a seriously tasty blend rich in immune boosting antioxidants and Vitamins C and B. G i n g e r i s a we l l known remedy that has been used for centuries to help fight congestion associated with the common cold, strengthen immunity and fight infection.

Why not add a teaspoon of Manuka honey to the mix for some extra anti-bacterial action?

For energy • Miracle tree Moringa tea: With the packaging claiming that “Moringa tea gram for gram has 3 x the potassium of bananas, 4 x vitamin A of carrots, 4 x calcium of milk, 7 x the vitamin C of oranges, 9x the iron of spinach”, this nutritious tea is one antioxidant-rich energy booster – and what’s more, it’s caffeine free. The leaves contain amino acids, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phy tonutrients – perfect for a natural energy boost on a busy day.

• Dr Stuart’s triple ginseng tea (below): This caffeine-free tea contains a boosting blend of Brazilian, Korean and Siberian ginseng.

The revitalising properties of ginseng have long been recommended by herbalists to support the immune system, boost resilience to stress and combat physical and mental fatigue.

The information here is not designed to diagnose or cure any ailment.

If you have any medical problems, please consult your doctor.

27 November 2014 GAZETTE 25

DELORENTOS: INSIGHT INTO THE DUBLIN HEROES’ LATEST ALBUM

Eine kleine nachtmusik

 ROB HEIGH

DUBLIN’S Delorentos have had a rollercoaster journey in the music business, to date, but their commitment to the cause of the band has led to some of the best indie rock to come out of the capital in the past few years.

Their recently released fourth album, Night Becomes Light, is another collection of songs that easily stands shoulder to shoulder with their award-winning Little Sparks, in terms of quality and class.

H o w e v e r, a t t h e moment, the band are going around Ireland on their largest tour to date, which will end with a celebratory date at Vicar Street in December, and GazetteMusic spoke to K ieran McGuinness from the band about the process of preparing for the live shows with their new songs.

He said: “It’s an exciting process and we’re working through it at

the moment. We’ve delivered the best album we could, not worr ying about how they are going to sound live. Now, we need to work out how to play the songs!

“It’s com plicated, and different, and that’s the focus. We normally would have played the songs a lot and have them worked out before we recorded them, but this time, it is the other way around.”

We caught up just as the album was due to be released, and Kieran spoke about the passion that has gone into the creation of Night Becomes Light.

“I’m hoping people will like it. It had to be good and we had to be proud of it. The reality is, if you’re in a band, if you’re asking people to go to shows and buy your record, they have to be good.

“There’s a lot of ‘noise’ – there are hundreds of records released every month, every week. If you want to do some-

GAZETTE

MUSIC MOTORING FASTTUNES

3Arena rocks the bells in run up to Christmas

The lads from Delorentos, and the cover of their recently released album, Night Becomes Light

thing that people connect with and hold on to, it has to be the best you could possibly do, and you have to put everything into it.”

As far as the upcoming tour is concerned, the band are putting their all into making these dates a representation of all of the heart that went into the album, as well as what works best for the performance environment, given that these

songs were born in the studio.

“We’ve played the songs each 50 times, and every time we’ve tried to do something a little different. There are no four-part songs on the album. The songs are going to take different shapes as we play them, but we’ll work that out and get them right over the course of the gigs.

“But it’s an exciting process, and some of

the best times are the ones interacting with people.”

Delorentos play Vicar Street on December 12, and you can buy tickets from ticketmaster.ie.

For further information on the band, see www.delorentos.net.

For the complete interview, log on and listen to The AAP Podcast at theaapnetwork. libsyn.com, or itun.es/ i6gq7Jx, and download the Delorentos show.

ALL eyes are looking toward the East Wall in the lead up to the festive season as music lovers seek out the best ways of warming their musical hearts as Christmas looms ever closer - and there are treats aplenty under the 3Tree. Straight out of the box is former Smiths frontman Morrissey who has been in rare form live and on record this year (World Peace Is None Of Your Business is his best in years), and plays on December 1. Beloved icon Peter Gabriel arrives back with a show based around his classic So album on the 25th anniversary of its release and groundbreaking live tour on December 10.

And if that weren’t enough, hometown heroine Imelda May brings the Tribal live experience home on December 19 and 20 - so treat yourself to an early present!

COMEDY COMPETITION: TOMMY TIERNAN LIVE Win latest live special ahead of Vicar Street shows

REFLECTING ON GREATNESS The ultimate David Bowie retrospective arrives HE may remain elusive but David Bowie has been very visible on the release radar in recent times. The magnificent The Next Day album last year rekindled people’s admiration for The Thin White Duke and the arrival of the latest Bowie retrospective, Nothing Has Changed, brings together the greatest releases of his career from the past 50 years.

In keeping with the artwork, Bowie’s looking back, and the tracklisting for the ultimate threedisc edition is a mirror image of his work, from specially-recorded Sue (Or In The Time Of Crime) through to his very first release as Davie Jones And The King Bees, Liza Jane, in 1964.

The two-disc and vinyl editions also feature impeccibly curated collections, and all give a perfect snapshot of the astonishing artistic and musical journey of a timeless visionary. A must for the Christmas list.

WE have three copies of Tommy Tiernan’s new live DVD, Stray Sod, recorded in the stunning surroundings of The Glebe Gardens Ampitheatre in Baltimore, Cork recently.

Truly number one in his field, this captures Tiernan at his joyous and inspirational best.

To win a copy, simply answer the following question: What is the name of Tiernan’s current live tour in Ireland?

Send your answer with the subject line “Tommy Tiernan Live” to competitions@dublingazette.com by December 5.

Tiernan will be playing on various dates throughout January at Vicar Street and tickets are on sale now, and you can find out more information at www.tommytiernan. com/gigs.

26 Gazette 27 November 2014

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Permission sought for a single storey extension to the rear at Bridge House, Green Valley, Castleknock, Dublin 15. For Daniel Treacy.

This planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours and a submission or observation may be made to the Planning Authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee (â‚Ź20) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application.

22515

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planning Notice DĂşn Laoghaire Rathdown County Council

We, Pauline Morley and Ger Walsh, are applying to the above named council for permission for a new 8.3M², single storey extension to the side of our existing house; replacement of the existing defective tiled roof, to the previously constructed extension to the rear, with a new flat roof; a new window opening to the western side elevation; a new door opening to the rear elevation, and reduction in the size of an existing window to the eastern side elevation, all at ground floor level, as well as all ancillary and associated ground and site works, all at No 4, Blackwood Close, Ongar, Dublin 15 The Planning Application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the Planning Authority during its public opening hours and a submission or observation may be made to the Planning Authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application 22483

27 November 2014 Gazette 27

boxing P29

asdfsdaf gaelic games P27 P31

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



Gazette

hockey P28

FastSport dublin golfers to face turkey:

Jamie Heaslip and Alan Brogan with Goal chief executive Barry Andrews at the launch the 2013 Christmas GOAL Miles. Photo:Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

fundraising: call for dubliners to organise their annual christmas runs

Get your Goal on for the 2014 mile events and help charity Dublin people, young and old, are being urged to consider organising a Goal Mile in their area this Christmas as part of the aid agency’s bid to draw attention to some of the humanitarian crises that it is currently responding to across the developing world.

Goal miles were held in 20 locations across Dublin last year, including Clondalkin and Santry, and all the events saw more than 25,000 people raise €170,000 at 130 Goal Miles in Ireland and overseas.

Goal chief executive Barry Andrews

is asking the people of the county to try top last year’s number over the Christmas and New Year period.

Now in its 33rd year, the Goal Mile remains one of the country’s most popular annual fundraising events.

Each Christmas, tens of thousands of people run, jog or walk a mile for Goal, helping to raise vital funds for its programmes for the poor.

“Our team of Goal Mile organisers are the people who make the Goal Mile such a success,” said Andrews.

“Thanks to these men and women,

Goal is delighted to have so many Mile events taking place throughout the country each year. Hundreds of people now have the opportunity to attend miles overseas. Last year, locations such as Abu Dhabai and Melbourne, Australia staged Goal Miles for the first time.

“The more miles we organise, the more people take part; the more people take part, the better chance we have of raising funds that will help us respond better to these disasters, and our other work across the developing

world.”

Goal is currently responding to the ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone, where they will soon be managing a treatment centre for ebola patients in the west of the country. It also has extensive programmes in South Sudan and Syria, where millions of people continue to suffer from conflict and food shortages.

People who are interested in organising a Goal Mile in their area, please email Alan at fundraising@goal.ie, or telephone (01) 2809779.

NIALL Kearney (Royal Dublin) and Michael McDermott (Pure Golf Leopardstown) will both take part in golf’s seasonending Titleist PGA playoffs in Antalya Golf Club in Turkey in a three-day battle over the PGA Sultan Course on November 29 to December 1.

They secured their slot to play in the showpiece after taking the top spots in the regional Order of Merit. They will be offered opportunities aplenty heading into 2015 if they can finish among the leading players on the Mediterranean coast.

As well as a lion’s share of the £15,000 prize fund, the top 10 in Turkey will each receive a spot to play in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth next year.

c o n ta c t s Sports Editor: Rob Heigh rheigh@dublingazette.com

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

Gazette

28 Gazette 27 November 2014

SPORT

DublinGazetteNewspapers 2014 dublin sports awards november nominees

WITH Dublin in the midst of a mini-cold snap, and winter definitely peeking around the corner, we can settle back and reflect on the successes of our sports men and women over the month of November.

And it’s with that transition in mind that we present this month’s Dublin Sports Awards nominees.

It seems as though we’ve only just announced last month’s winners, but here we are, back again with another set of diverse and deserving participants who have shone in their respective disciplines and are worthy of a salute for their efforts.

As always, we’re delighted to hear your stories of sporting achievement, so contact us with your news at sport@dublingazette.com and we’ll tell the rest of Dublin!

H STARof the MONTH

jaime finn

luke keeler

amy bowtell

SWORDS’ native Finn captained the Republic of Ireland Under-17 side that progressed from the elite phases of the European Under-17 Championships in Serbia, marking her return to action after a four-month lay-off with a stress fracture.

Keeler extended his run to seven wins in succession with a first-round stoppage over England’s Gary Boulden on the Macklin undercard at the 3Arena this month. The Ballyfermot man wasted little time in dispatching his opponent.

FORMER ST Andrew’s College student Bowtell picked up a pair of ITF women’s tennis 10,000 tour events this month, winning at the Aegon GB ProSeries Loughborough before defeating Switzerland’s Tess Sugnaaux in Helsinki.

na fianna minors

st pat’s athletic

ballyboden st enda’s U-16s

NA FIANNA minor hurlers matched their AFL1 side when they wrapped up a 1-26 to 0-14 win in this month’s Dublin minor A hurling championship final at O’Toole Park, having 15 points to spare over Kilmacud Crokes following an exceptional performance.

FORMER Swords Rovers man Conan Byrne, along with Swords native Lorcan Fitzgerald, were celebrating last Sunday as they helped St Patrick’s Athletic land their first FAI Senior Cup since 1961 in the Aviva Stadium against Derry City.

BALLYBODEN St Enda’s produced a stunning performance to defeat league winners St Brigid’s and land the Under-16 A camogie championship title at Naomh Mearnog earlier this month as Boden soon got into their stride and closed down their opponents.

TEAMof the MONTH H

Leinster U-18s retain interprovincial title for fourth year  sport@gazettegroup.com

Lauren Campbell receives her U-13 player of the year award in Blakestown last weekend

LEINSTER’S Under-18 boys claimed hockey’s interprovincial championships for the fourth successive year courtesy of their 2-0 win over Ulster last Sunday at Grange Road.

They went into the final tie needing a victory of any kind to claim the title following a pair of wins over Munster, allied to a 2-0 defeat to the northern province on Friday evening.

Monkstown’s Andrew Fogarty’s simple finish allied to a powerful corner flick from Rory

Nichols propelled Leinster to the win in the first half, ultimately seeing off Ulster on goal difference in the decisive match of a hectic weekend.

After Ulster had a couple of early corners denied, Gareth Borland’s team went in front from their first corner, one worked to the right post where Fogarty was gleefully waiting.

Ulster had plenty of good baseline attacks down the right wing with Nichols required to hook one off the line. Freddie Morris charged down another couple of corners but once Leinster got

their second, Ulster visibly tired.

It came after Clontarf man John Mullins nabbed back possession on the right after his initial shot was blocked by James Milliken. From the follow-up corner, Mateusz Nowakowski provided an audacious 270 degree spin before releasing it out the backdoor to a castle on the right of the circle.

Nichols flicked high and handsome to the right corner for 2-0.

From there, the second half was an open and ragged affair with both sides struggling for rhythm at the end of a long weekend.

The tackles were messy with Ulster reduced to nine at one stage as they suffered three sinbinnings while Ziggy Agnew also took a break for taking the ball over shoulder-height.

Ulster could not take any of their chances in spite of some subline Callum Robson skills while Leinster had a few set pieces of their own but none was required as they retained the title.

At Under-16 level, the roles were reversed with Ulster winning on goal difference despite a 4-3 loss to Leinster in their final game.

27 November 2014 Gazette 29

Gazette

Corduff producing Celtic Warriors for the future The small Dublin 15 gym has the attention of the boxing world after their fighters produced some of the bouts of the night at the recent Macklin undercard - and coach Paschal Collins sees this as just the start  sport@gazettegroup.com

CELTIC Warrior Gym’s head honcho Paschal Collins is hopeful last week’s Return of the Mack will open a series of new doors for his fighters following an epic night in the 3Arena.

It is providing the Corduff-based gym with a much bigger stage to showcase some of Ireland’s best boxers.

First round stoppages for Luke Keeler and Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan along with Jono Carroll landing fight of the night victory following his war with Declan Geraghty all garnered prime real estate on Sky Sports while enjoying huge home support.

Beyond that trio, Stephen Ormond was recently named as the WBO European boxer of the year and is set to fight

 stephen findlater sport@dublingazette.com

a world title eliminator against Terry Flanagan on December 13 in Sheffield.

“All these guys are in this little gym in Corduff, hidden away where no one even knows about them,” Collins told GazetteSport but he reckons that will change in the coming year.

Indeed, American television has already also taken notice – albeit in bizarre circumstances – to take note of a big night for Irish boxing. In the wake of Spike’s grudge match win over Anthony Fitzgerald, a stool was

thrown his way as he celebrated on the ropes.

“That was a horrible incident,” Collins said to GazetteSport. “CNBC actually broke the American Football game on Saturday night in the states to show this. They say no publicity is bad publicity so we got great coverage from such an unfortunate thing to happen.”

Eddie Hearn, Matchroom boxing’s promoter of the Return of the Mack event, is right on board.

With his tie-ins with Sky, it could open up plenty of new opportunities for these fighters to gain exposure and, ultimately, better chances at moving up their respective rankings.

Keeler stretched his professional record to seven wins with a demolition of Gary Boulden who was expected to

“give him a long hard night”.

“He had gone the distance against Billy Joe Saunders and other great fighters in the UK,” Collins said. “Luke just took him apart and knocked him out.

“He’s a complete package; he looks good,

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

‘All these guys are in this little gym in Corduff, hidden away where no one even knows them’ - Paschal Collins

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

can fight, speaks well and is very clever – he’s an AC engineer – which is what you need in a fighter.

“The whole thing for this fight was, being on TV, just to put on a great performance and who knows what will happen. You don’t get many

Action from the fight between Luke Keeler and Gary Boulden at the 3Arena recently showed the potential of the young fighter. Picture: Sharon Flanagan

opportunities like this in boxing to fight on a big show on Sky. “He went out there, knew what he had to do and was comfortable and confident, showing people what he can do.

Relatively, he is a novice with only seven fights.

Eddie Hearn is very

interested while I had a call from Frank Warren’s matchmaker too. At the moment, the future looks bright.”

O’Sullivan was similarly impressive while Carroll’s victory over fellow Dubliner Declan Geraghty , by way of disqualification, offered a glimpse of both fighters’ potential.

It was something Collins could scarcely have envisaged for Carroll when he first rocked up to Celtic Warrior.

“He was the dark horse. He walked into the gym three months ago from Australia where he had one or two fights.

I didn’t know what to make of him; I had never met him before and he didn’t look much like a boxer. He wanted to fight and train and, after two or three days, I let him in to spar Stephen Ormond

and then realised how good he was.”

There was little love lost during the bout between him and Geraghty who was a senior champion when Carroll was intermediate.

But Collins felt Carroll could find a way to upset his opponent’s rhythm despite his quality.

“Declan has been to my gym to spar Stephen Ormond so I knew what he was like and how to beat him. Jono had to be in tip-top shape and he was; he’s fresh, he’s exciting.

“I was pleasantly surprised with how Declan Geraghty has grown, even in the space of the last year, as a fighter and is a big name to watch for the future. What let him down on the night, which is unfortunate that a great fight ended that way, was his temper.

“He got frustrated because I think he felt he was losing – it was close – and Jono was getting inside against the taller guy. Declan got frustrated and did one or two silly things.”

It offers Carroll a shot at the Prizefighter series and more exposure. With two more Celtic Warrior trained fighters – Frank Buglioni and Steve Collins Junior – taking part in the undercard of the Tyson Fury and Derek Chisora on November 29, it is a particularly busy time.

FastSport impressive win for bowtell in helsinki open: FORMER St Andrew’s College student Amy Bowtell won her second tournament in November last week when she claimed the $10,000 Aava Ortolääkärit Open title in Helsinki last week in some considerable style.

Bowtell had two weeks earlier won in Loughborough in England, continuing her excellent run of recent form on the court.

In Finland, she saw off Nikola Vajdova of Slovakia in the first round before dismissing Switzerland’s Margaux Deagostini and USA’s Alexa Guarachi, all in straight sets.

Her fourth round tie was trickier, sharing a tiebreaker each with Italy’s Corinna Dentoni before racing to victory in the decisive third set, 6-1.

It set up the final with Swiss woman Tess Sugnaux and Bowtell was imperious, running up a 6-3, 6-3 success.

The victory continues her rise up the women’s world rankings having reached her highest point of 435 on the list, the best of her career.

The 21-year-old ended 2013 outside the top 600 in the world and so this run of results means she is on course for her best ever finish to a season.

She has run up 42 wins from her 61 matches so far this year, to make it a particular impressive year.

Gazette

30 BLANCH gazette 27 November 2014

SPORT

rugby: club now represented at all levels of women’s game

FastSport

Somers and Crowe set Mochta’s on cup course metropolitan cup third round Maynooth Town St Mochta’s  sport@dublingazette.com

1 3

GLEN Crowe and a brace from David Somers sent St Mochta’s, seen here after their Moore Cup win earlier this year, into the third round of the Metropolitan Cup last weekend.

Crowe opened the scoring three minutes before half time with a neat finish after some excellent play by Karl Somers.

It was a good cup tie played in awful weather though the driving rain didn’t keep the supporters away and both clubs had good support on the night.

Maynooth who were missing a few regulars played some nice football but the result was never in doubt after Crowe scored his seventh goal of the season.

Jonathan Lyons, who had a fine game, came close to the opening goal when his header was cleared off the line on the half hour mark.

Karl Somers was instrumental in the Saints taking the lead, his beautiful pass found Crowe who slotted the ball into the back of the net. The Saints’ striker doesn’t miss those opportunities.

Warren Fee made a good save 10 minutes after half time when he parried away a powerful strike from a pacy Maynooth break. David Somers made it 2-0 in the 53rd minute with a ruthless finish into the corner of the net, his brother Karl set it up with another beautiful ball and an assist.

Lyons went close with another superb effort that went just over the crossbar as the Saints started to dominate the second half.

It paid off and David Somers scored his 12th goal of the season in the 66th minute with a deft header from a terrific Jordan Lancaster corner.

Maynooth scored the final goal of the game in the 70th minute when the ball ended up in the Saints net after a corner caused some problems in the Saints defence.

It was a good solid performance and it sets the Porterstown team up nicely for next week’s FAI Umbro Intermediate Cup tie at home to Ballincollig AFC. Aaron O’ Brien returned from injury to replace Crowe with 10 minutes remaining and looked sharp and ready to get his season going.

Members of the Garda Under-12s side who took part in the blitz at Westmanstown and inset, Molly McCabe and Jenny Bowler

Garda make more history  sport@dublingazette.com

Westmanstown/ Garda RFC made a little bit of club history last weekend when their Under-12 team took part in a blitz competition in Westmanstown. They can now claim to be one of the few clubs in the country who field a team at every level in girls’ and women’s rugby, and the women’s game at every level is burgeoning at Westmanstown.

The Under-21s were followed onto the pitch by the senior women’s team, who narrowly lost to Old Belvedere. Elsewhere in the province, the Under-

15 and Under-18 girls’ sides lined out in Ashbourne in their respective competitions.

These teams have all benefited from having former senior women players from the club at the helm in their playing development, meaning that the old guard are passing on their knowledge and experience to the next generation.

Under-12s and Under10s minis teams are the newest additions and are proving very popular among girls who would traditionally have been expected to play with the boys at this age level, and are learning the

rally behind roche Stephanie in Dublin as Puskas voting continues 2014 fifa Puskas award nominee, Stephanie Roche, pictured with seven-year-old Angus and 10-year-old Tom who play for Drumcondra FC, was in Dublin this week to challenge members of the public to a penalty shoot-out competition in association with Continental Tyres. Stephanie’s goal is one of 10 shortlisted for the 2014 FIFA Goal of the year, and the only one by a female player on the shortlist. You can vote via www.fifa.com/puskas.

Picture: Ramsey Cardy / SPORTSFILE

game from coach Aine O’Sullivan. They played in the blitz last weekend against teams from Skerries, Ratoath and Wicklow.

The Under-15 girls’ numbers are growing weekly and while it is still developing, the talent in the squad promises a bright future. The Under15s are in an area league, shadowing the Under-18s and were unlucky to lose to Greystones in the closing minutes of their match at the weekend.

The Under-18 girls had the honour of having two of their number, Molly Scuffil McCabe and Jenny Bowler, line

out with Leinster this season, giving them to opportunity to line out in provincial colours at an interpro blitz held at their home grounds earlier in the year. The Under-18s had a convincing win over Greystones at the weekend, after a slow start to the season.

The Under-15s and Under-18s are coached

by Lorna O’ Connor and senior men’s team player Eddie Fallon, and both the senior men’s and women’s head coaches were on hand to help with some scrummaging coaching for the girls at their last training session, and have also provided

positional coaching in the past.

The senior women’s team folded in 2013, but have been revived by Geraldine Flannery and coach Ray Murphy this season. Although it is a new development squad, they have had some positive results and are competing for a place at the top of Division 3.

Although all the teams are up and running, every age group is recruiting and need new players to ensure they continue to grow. Details can be found on the club website, www. westmanstownrfc.com, or by contacting Lorna on 086 232 3344.

27 November 2014 BLANCH gazette 31

Gazette

hurling: st peregrine’s pipped to promotion

Club Noticeboard st brigid’s

Castleknock’s hurlers attained senior status after their AFL 3 success against St Peregrine’s. Pictures: John Conway

Castleknock go senior after derby success ahl div 3 play-off Castleknock 0-17 St Peregrine’s 1-13  sport@dublingazette.com

K i e r a n D u g g a n ’s scrambled point two minutes from time saw Castleknock stumble over the line, earning senior status in dramatic fashion ahead of St Peregrine’s last Sunday morning in Somerton.

It continues the club’s incredible rise through the ranks, attaining senior league status for the first time just 16 years since the club’s formation.

Former Dublin senior manager Humphrey Kelleher was at the helm this year and he paid tribute to the side’s guts to dig out the playoff win when it looked as if Peregrine’s were on course to snatch the result.

“Heart, that is what was needed,” he told GazetteSport. “We were against the wind and under pressure in the second half but, when it came down to it, they kept fighting and throwing their bodies around.

“Especially when the tide was going against them, they were able to stand up and get that point. There were lads there with great heart.

We had one objective

from the start of the year and that was to go senior.

“I’m so proud these lads have done this for Castleknock. We’ve now created history and all credit must go to the lads for the way they did it. They never gave up.

With the youth in this team, there’s maybe 10 of them still Under-21, that augurs well for this team and the club.

A f ter a dominant opening 40 minutes, the hosts looked all but home and hosed with a 10-point advantage – 0-14 to 0-4 – only to endure serious heart tremors as Eric Lowndes and Colm Foley inspired their Blakestown opponents.

Lowndes came off the bench to land three big points while Foley’s 1-2 in quick succession made for a thrilling finish.

But, just as they levelled for the first time since the second minute, Duggan broke a run of five straight Peregrine’s points to nab the result.

Such a finish scarcely looked on the cards in the opening half in which Castleknock won every break and every collision.

Conal Purcell kept them ticking along with six points before half-time, four from placed balls,

including one particularly classy effort from the left corner.

Jamie Tunney was a towering presence in midfield while Conor Corcoran mopped up everything from centreback to ensure they were constantly on the front foot.

Were it not for some touch-tight marking from James McAnaw and Shane Sweeney, it could have been worse than the seven-point gap at half-time.

Indeed, it took Peregrine’s 20 minutes between their fourth and fifth score as a couple of wides stalled their progress despite becoming more competitive

after the change of ends.

Lowndes was instrumental in one of his first appearances of the year due to his intercounty commitments. After Cillian Byrnes landed a free, Lowndes scored from distance to build some hope.

That quickly built as Foley clipped a point after Fiachra Byrnes had drawn an important stop from Colin Lynch.

Foley’s 55m free then wriggled its way through a clatter of hurleys to really up the ante.

Purcell’s free briefly stemmed the tide but five more Peregrine’s points in-a-row tied things up before Duggan’s last gasp salvo.

Huge congratulations to our minor A

The Vineyard. Make sure you have

footballers who reached the champi-

your tickets. Two great social events

onship final after a 2-8 to 1-7 win over

this weekend in the club – The East-

Sylvester’s.

ern Harps Trad band play in the club

Hard luck to our inter hurlers who

on Friday night from 9pm and the club

lost their AHL4 promotion play-off

vinyl night takes place on Saturday

final, 2-13 to 0-14 to Ballyboden.

night. See website for more.

Our U-21 hurlers face Lucan in the

HPC is closed on Monday evenings

U-21A semi-final on Saturday after-

from 5 to 7pm until January. Mem-

noon at 2.30pm in the 12th Lock.

bers are asking to use gym outside

Please support our teams.

this two-hour period.

Our club nursery continues this

2014 AGM is scheduled for Sun-

Saturday morning from 9.30 to 11am.

day, December 7 at 7.30pm in Russell

We welcome all four- to seven-year-

Park.

olds in the Castleknock and Blan-

Anyone ordering any St Brigid’s Club

chardstown area and new members

gear for Christmas from the club

are especially welcome. Contact Paul

shop need to place order with Breege

on 087 915 4748 or email info@stbrig-

on 086 405 0964 this week.

idsgaa.com for more info.

Finally, well done to club legend Don

The club lotto jackpot remains a

O’Mahony on receiving the Sean Gael

huge €15,000. Our next draw will take

award from Tipperary GAA at the

place on Thursday, November 27 in

weekend.

castleknock It was yet another historic weekend

morning at 10am in Somerton, with

for the club, with the adult hurlers

the club shop also open at the same

gaining promotion to Division 2 and

time. All new families and players

senior status for the very first time,

are welcome. National club draw

after a really tough win against local

tickets and 2015 club calendars are

rivals, St Peregrine’s.

now on sale in the shop.

Well done also to our minor B Foot-

Tickets for the Cube fundraiser

ballers who won their championship

on December 5 in Westmanstown

quarter-final against Crumlin, also

are now on sale. See the website for

on Sunday morning.

full details.

Loads of support is needed this

Hard luck to the U-13 boys who

Wednesday in the 12th Lock when

lost their Division 2 football play-off

our first team footballers take on

final against Clontarf after extra

Lucan Sarsfields in the Division 2

time.

promotion semi-final. Throw-in at 7.45pm.

Please continue to send in all tax donation and bond scheme forms

GMT have moved for the winter

for the clubhouse fund, as we look

months, now meeting every Tuesday

to push on after the awarding of the

and Thursday in the Carpenter car

sports capital grant recently.

park at 6.30pm. All new members of any level are welcome as always.

The nursery is on every Saturday

There was no winner of the Lotto Jackpot , which now s t ands at €6200.

erin go bragh OUR Gaelic4mothers and others

Our club AGM will be held at 8.30pm

pitchs at Ongar Community Centre

on Monday, December 1 at the club-

(St Benedict’s School) from 8 to 9pm.

house. Please note that only fully paid-

This is a chance for ladies to play Gael-

up adult members are entitled to vote

ic football in a fun, non–competitive

at the AGM. If you are unsure as to

and social environment combined

whether you are fully paid, please con-

with getting exercise in a fun way and

tact the club registrar, Sinead Edgely

meeting other ladies in the area. If you

on 086 889 1551.

have any queries, call Ciara 087 914 7154.

Action from the match at Somerton

818 4054.

starts this Thursday on the astro

We hope everyone enjoyed our Christmas party on Saturday night.

In conjunction with Colaiste Pobail

Thanks to The Paddocks for hosting

Setanta, the club will be holding a

and a big thank you to our organisers

Strictly Clonee. We are looking for

Maria Padden, Carol-Ann Burke, Tash

volunteer dancers, both male and

Flood and Julie O’Sullivan. Well done to

female. For more contact John on 086

all who won awards on the night.

32 BLANCH gazette 27 November 2014