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September 4, 2014

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Month XX, 2012 Palmerstown • Celbridge • Leixlip • Adamstown • Dodsboro • Liffey Valley • ballyowen

INSIDE: TV3’s Lucy Kennedy is getting ready for a Blind Date – hosting the show, that is ... P14

rock of ages: Powering up the best of your favourite Eighties sounds Page 17

Viva village!

Vintage fun at annual festival Soccer:

Lucan United welcome O’Shea at coaching day Page 32

Cycling:

Sundrive medal success for Adamstown Page 30

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ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES....................... 8 DUBLIN LIFE....................11 OUT&ABOUT...................17 CLASSIFIEDS.................26 SPORT............................27

the 2014 Lucan Festival has been launched by Minister for Justice and Equality Frances Fitzgerald and Italian Ambassador to Ireland Giovanni Adorni Braccesi Chiassi as they posed beside a vintage car at his residence, Lucan House. The festival takes place in the village from September 11 to 14, and will feature a walking historical tour, an exhibition and falconry display.

The final day will be a family day that will feature a Garda station open day, vintage car display, street entertainment, a duck race and many more activities.

‘How can school open without traffic plan?’

Residents concerned as new school begins term at Esker Lane

 Ian Begley

There is growing concern among Lucan residents about an increase in traffic following the opening of a new school at Esker Lane.

Anxiety over traffic impli-

cations grew earlier this year when the council sought planning enforcement action against the Department of Education for failing to submit a traffic and parking plan for Kishoge Community College.

Lucan CllrWilliam Lavelle (FG) told The Gazette that he has already been contacted by many residents in Esker Lodge, Park and Glebe estates who are concerned about the traffic management and parking implica-

tions of the new secondary school. Myles Towers of Esker Lodge residents’ association said: “How on earth can a school open without meeting residents about traffic management?”

Full Story on Page 2

2 LUCAN Gazette 4 September 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.

Esker Lane Council will review situation

Traffic concern after new school opening  Ian Begley

There is growing concern amongst Lucan residents regarding an increase in traffic following the opening of a new school at Esker Lane.

Anxiety over traffic implications grew earlier this year when South Dublin County Council sought planning enforcement action against the Department of Education for failing to submit a traffic and parking plan for Kisogue Community College, which opened earlier this week at Esker Lane.

Lucan CllrWilliam Lavelle (FG) told The Gazette that he has already been contacted by many residents in Esker Lodge, Park, and Glebe estates who are concerned about the traffic management and parking implications of the new secondary school.

Myles Towers of Esker Lodge residents’ association said: “It’s absolutely crazy, I can’t understand this. How on earth can a school open without meeting residents about traffic management?

Residents are concerned about the traffic management and parking implications of the new secondary school. Picture: Eamonn Farrell/Photocall Ireland

“We should have had a meeting with the school and the council before they opened the school.

The traffic around this area is only going to get worse.

“We hope to have a meeting with Esker Park residents and the council this September. All of this should have been resolved before the school opened.

“The school has only been open a week and people have already come

into our estate to park and it’s hard enough to get out of the estate in the morning anyway,” he said.

Commenting on the residents’ concerns, Cllr Lavelle said: “I have made repeated representations to the council regarding the need for traffic management and parking measures at Esker Lane, above and beyond what is being carried out as part of the construction of the school.

“The council roads

department have indicated to me that they will review the traffic and parking situation when the school opens and that additional traffic management measure will be introduced as required,” he said.

At the time of going to print, this paper received no comment from South Dublin County Council in relation to this matter.

Meanwhile, there has been an additional surge of controversy regarding

the planned works at the Elmbrook/Willsbrook road roundabout.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) have stated that they have decided to proceed with the Willsbrook Road Cycle Scheme Phase 2, which will involve changes to the Mount Bellew/ Willsbrook Road/Elmbrook roundabout.

T his decision had been taken without the approval of councillors and without any prior public consultation, on the basis that these works are deemed to represent “exempted development” not requiring planning consent.

Commenting on these works, a NTA spokesperson said: “Last year the NTA funded the council’s upgrade of roundabouts in the Willsbrook Road area of south Lucan, to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists, particularly school children accessing the four nearby schools, with minimal loss in junction capacity for cars or buses. Speeds have also been reduced.

“The scheme has been very successful,” said the spokesperson.

4 September 2014 LUCAN Gazette 3

toddlers

ardeevin: estate a construction zone for the second time

Unique play area opens up

Residents angry at Irish Water activity  ian begley

LOCAL residents have been left disgruntled after seeing their estate become a construction site for the second time.

Irish Water workers were recently seen digging up concrete footpaths in Ardeevin estate, Lucan just months after meters were installed there.

Digging machinery, trucks and security fences rolled into the estate to break up concrete that had been laid during the installation of meters.

An Irish Water spokesperson commented on these works, saying: “There are currently some remedial works being undertaken in this

area following the installation of water meters earlier this year.

Strict

“Irish Water has a strict auditing programme of all works carried out as part of the programme.

A team of field inspectors carry out frequent audits of the contractor’s reinstatement. All reinstatement works have to comply with the reinstatement specifications as outlined in the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government guidelines.

“If audits show that the reinstatement is not up to this standard then the contractor must repair at his own cost. Members

of the public can also report any issues during the works directly to Irish Water by contacting 1890 278 278,” said the spokesperson.

Lucan-Palmerstown Cllr Ruth Nolan (PBP) told The Gazette that: “My opinion on this wouldn’t be very positive. I’m totally against Irish Water and the privatisation of water. “ I ’m p l a n n i n g o n putting on two meetings in Lucan in the coming weeks and one in Palmermerstown in the Silver Granite. “[People Before Profit Alliance] is going to be building for a mass demonstration on October 11 against the water charges,” said Cllr Nolan.

Race for the prize: Musgrave staff cycle, swim and run to raise a tonne more than 500 staff and suppliers of Musgrave’s SuperValu, Centra stores, including staff from Moriarty’s SuperValu store in Palmerstown, took part in the annual Musgrave Triathlon in Farran Woods in Cork. Now in its 13th year, the participants took part in the challenge in aid of Cancer Research and Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin. Over €3.5m has been raised by the event over the years, and this year they are hoping to raise €250,000. The challenge involved an 800m swim, followed by a 33km cycle and a 10km run. Picture: Michael MacSweeney / Provision

A new unique indoor playground for toddlers combined with a cosy cafe for adults is set to open its doors in Lucan on September 10.

Operating from Sarsfields GAA club, parents can enjoy a comfortable atmosphere and sip on a tea or coffee, while their children play freely in a stimulating environment.

For its opening celebration Playhouse Cafe is holding a morning of fun with free tea, coffee and tasty treats for those who attend.

Opening hours of Playhous e Cafe are Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm For more information, visit w w w.facebook. com/theplayhousecafelucan.

4 LUCAN Gazette 4 September 2014

tour Public to have opportunity to meet therapists and ask questions initiative:

community policing

Pieta House to show off centres Gardai  Ian Begley ibegley@gazettegroup.com

Pieta House will throw open the doors of their suicide and self-harm crisis centres in Lucan on September 6 ahead of Suicide Awareness Week.

The Lucan Centre will be open to the public from 2pm to 4pm, and people will have the opportunity to take a tour of the counselling rooms, have a cup of tea, meet some of the therapists and have any of their questions answered.

Chief executive of Pieta House Joan Freeman said: “With Suicide Awareness Week coming up we’re excited to welcome the local community into our centres, bring them beyond the hall door and help them

learn more about the free service we provide.

“We want to show people that Pieta House is an accessible, comforting and compassionate place where everyone is treated with respect. Seeking help is not something to be afraid of,” she said.

Pieta House’s focus for Suicide Awareness Week is on the “SIGNS of suicide”. They will run an educational campaign to help the public recognise the signs of suicidal behaviour and offer advice on what to do if a loved one is in crisis.

Pieta House have four Dublin centres in Lucan, Finglas, Ballyfermot and Tallaght, and centres throughout the country in Limerick, Cork, Tuam, Roscrea and Castleisland.

Visit www.pieta.ie for addresses and contact information.

Suicide Awareness Week runs this year from September 8 to September 14.

M e a nw h i l e , Wa l k in Ireland are looking for participants to sign up for their Ben Nevis Challenge in aid of Pieta House. Taking place from September 8 to 12 the challenge will take the highest mountain in the UK, Ben Nevis.

Cathal McNicholas of Walk in Ireland said the climb is challenging but doable: “You will be guided on both climbs by experienced guides, giving you the best opportunity to complete these challenges,” he said.

Each participant is asked to raise €500 for Pieta House in order to

plan group forum  Ian Begley

Pieta House will throw open the doors of their centres

register.

Pieta House provides a professional, one-to-one therapeutic service for people who are experiencing suicidal ideation or engaging in self-harm.

Anyone can make an

appointment; a doctor’s referral or a psychiatric report is not required and the service is completely free of charge. Pieta House has nine centres nationwide.

If you think you have

what it takes to complete this challenge and want to raise funds for Pieta House while you’re at it, contact Cathal McNicholas on 0505 24845 or walkinireland@live.ie for an information pack.

Efforts are currently being made by local gardai to reach out and work with neighbourhood watch groups and resident associations in order to improve community policing.

Garda Supt Dermot Mann is planning a community policing forum in the coming weeks in order to bring together local groups to discuss local crime and anti-social behaviour concerns.

This initiative is being made following the recent success of Operation Tempest – a Garda/ community effor t to combat the sale and supply of drugs in Dublin’s north inner city.

With the assistance of the Garda national drugs unit, community policing offers planned a blitz on suspects involved in the sale and supply of drugs, resulting in the arrest of 30 individuals and the seizure of a large quantity of drugs and cash.

Lucan Cllr William Lavelle (FG) welcomed the announcement, saying: “Gardai benefit greatly from gaining invaluable local information from residents on issues such as where drinking parties are occurring and local patterns of anti-social activity.

“The recent success of Operation Tempest in Dublin’s north inner city, which led to a large number of drugs arrests, stemmed directly from information picked up by community gardai working with residents,” he said.

4 September 2014 LUCAN Gazette 5

Punchathon Student’s fundraising event packs a punch

Courtney’s cash boost for local club  Ian Begley ibegley@gazettegroup.com

A local transition year student who managed to raise €1,000 in a charity “Punchathon” for a school trip to South Africa has donated €500 of it to Lucan Boxing Club.

Courtney Mahoney of Adamstown Community College intends to travel to Cape Town next April with several of her classmates to work with several charities as part of a school incentive.

She had to fundraise €1,000 altogether for the trip with the first €500 needed for Sep-

tember.

Speaking to The Gazette, Mahoney said that she was really eager to come up with a way to get donations and decided to organise a “Punchathon” at Lucan Boxing Club.

Together with her friend Gwen Hammond and cousin Luke Gerathy, Mahoney punched a boxing bag all day long, equating to over a hundred thousand punches between them.

With the money they raised through this event, Mahoney also raised donations through collections at her local Centra and through sponsorship

cards.

Amounting to twice the amount she intended to raise, Courtney then decided to give €500 to Lucan boxing club.

Speaking to The Gazette, Mahoney said she is very much looking forward to her trip away, saying: “I’m going to South Africa around Easter with eight other students from my year and we’re going for two weeks.

“The first week we’ll do touristy things and stay in a hostel, then for the second week we’ll go to a township and visit a local school and get involved with differ-

ent charities,” she said.

M a h o n e y ’s m o t h er Marie said she is extremely proud of her daughter, saying: “She’s a fantastic little kid. Boxer Pascal Joyce also donated an Ireland jersey for her and that’s how she’s going to try raise the second €500 for her trip, she’s going to be selling raffle tickets for that.”

Ka rl B ra ba zon of Lucan boxing club said he is extremely pleased with Mahoney’s generous donation.

He said: “The money Courtney raised is going back into the club and back into the kids. We set up a trip for our kids

Courtney Mahoney presenting a cheque to Karl Brabazon of Lucan boxing club

to box against Drogheda boxing club, and we’re taking the whole crew down and we’re going to be having an adventure activity day after the boxing event. It will be great experience for the lads to travel down

there and get involved with other clubs.

“What she did was amazing for the club and I’m so impressed that she was able to get that amount of money t o g e t h e r. O u r cl u b doesn’t receive any type

of grants or anything like that so all we can really depend on are donations like these. I hope Courtney gets on great in South Africa and I’m sure she’ll do a lot of good work over there,” he said.

6 LUCAN Gazette 4 September 2014

4 September 2014 LUCAN Gazette 7

8 LUCAN Gazette 4 September 2014

gazetteGALLERIES

Mark Thompson, Ciara Daly and son, Mark Thompson

Mary O’Neill is given flowers by her eldest son, Bernard, at her 90th birthday party at The Lucan Spa Hotel. Mary has lived in Lucan all her life and says she is extremely proud to have six daughters, six sons, 50 grandchildren, 50 great grandchildren and three pending arrivals.

Pictures: Cathy Weatherston

Blowing out the candles

Posing for a group shot

xyxyxyx y xyxyxyx xxyxyxyx y xyxyxyx x. Pictures: Xxxxx Zzzzzz

Mary, Paul, Alisha, Danika and Alannah O’Neill

4 September 2014 LUCAN Gazette 9

lucan spa hotel: Mary O’Neill’s 90th birthday

Celebrating a milestone event Abbey and Holly O’Neill, Aoife Quinn, Emily, Helen and Mark O’Reilly, Juliet, Cathy and Teaghan O’Neill

Lydia and Katie Honniball, Jessica Byrne, Elaine Pollard and twins, Eabha and Kasey Byrne Heeney

Lewis Thompson Uzice

Sinead, Kelly, Lee and Keith O’Neill

10 LUCAN GAZETTE 4 September 2014

GAZETTEGALLERY

Molly O’Toole and Taylor Flanagan

TV presenter Stephen Byrne

Anita and Jack Murphy (above) and Caolainn, Jenny and Laura Carmody (below)

PREVIEW: DUBLINERS GET MOVIE’S EARLY VIEWING Ines Szulc and Miriam Sarzynska were amongst those who attended the preview screening of If I Stay at Cineworld in Dublin. The romantic drama, starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Mireille Enos and Jamie Blackley, is now being screened in cinemas nationwide. Pictures: Brian McEvoy

If I stay, what next?

4 September 2014 Gazette 11

asdfsdaf business P27 P16

diary P14

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

A DAY IN THE LIFE: radio and TV presenter ray foley talks to the gazette

what’son

An algorithm for balance in a busy life  laura webb

It’s hard for many to peel themselves out of bed in the mornings but for presenter Ray Foley, catching the first worm in the wee hours of the morning is something he has gotten used to.

Being a radio presenter, TV presenter and father-of-two, it seems Foley has managed to balance his busy lifestyle with ease.

Currently working on his new game show, The Algorithm, which sees contestants go up against a computer to see who knows their friend better, Foley m a n a g e d t o t a ke a breather during TV3’s autumn programme launch to speak to The Gazette about a day in his life.

“Generally my day, based on the radio show, sees me get up at 5am to be in work for

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

‘I am generally one of these people who doesn’t eat until they get hungry’

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

6am. I wouldn’t be a breakfast person at all.

“I am generally one of these people who doesn’t eat until they get hungr y, which is really bad.

“Then I do the radio show until about 10am, I would usually have a coffee or a muffin during the show or something like that.

“Then it’s into meetings and I would try to get out by about lunchtime. Then after the show I would get something to eat.

“On the TV show I wouldn’t be working in

radio on the same day.

We film two shows a day, I would be in for midday and then finish up at about 8pm, that would include rehearsals, meeting contestants and then filming the shows,” he explained.

The one thing he likes to do with his free hours is spend time with his two children and also get sneaky rest periods whenever he can.

“When I finish up the radio show I get home about 1pm and my eldest is two-and-half now and he is still napping during the day, hopefully he is going to keep it up until he is about 20!

“And my youngest is nearly two months now, so between the two of them they are napping pretty well between 12pm and 2pm so generally I get home about 1pm so I would hope to get an hour’s kip but



Gazette

dspca dog walk P12

oktoberfest returning to the docks

Radio presenter and TV presenter Ray Foley has managed to balance his busy lifestyle with ease

any later I don’t get a snooze. Then we just spend the day together.

“The great thing about working on a breakfast show, it probably is the only good thing about working so early, is that

you get to come home in the afternoon and spend time with the kids and actually parent for a bit,” he laughed.

When he gets home he cooks dinner before watching his favourite

show, the 6.01 news on RTE, and then it’s off to bed early at about 9pm.

Foley’s new show The Algorithm, set to air in early 2015, is one of a number of new shows coming up on TV3.

THE original Oktoberfest will come from Germany to Dublin, giving Irish people the chance to experience the authentic Oktoberfest festival from September 28 – October 5.

A marquee – representative of that in the Oktoberfest in Munich – and German markets, as well as 24 authentic Oktoberfest barmaids, will descend on Georges Dock for some German fun, food and entertainment and authentic Bavarian beer.

The traditional German market will feature more than 30 German speciality food producers and German traders, who are all travelling to Dublin for the Oktoberfest.

Visitors will be introduced to the very best of Bavarian food and specialities, from sausages, meat, pastries, kasespatzle (cheese noodles) to mountain cheese and gingerbread hearts.

Learn to sing a yodel or dance a polka, as traditional Bavarian musicians, Die Alpenshow, will also play throughout the 18-day event. For further information on this free event, see www. oktoberfest-dublin.de.

Gazette

12 Gazette 4 September 2014

dublinlife

features

great walk: dspca in bid to enter guinness annals

Dogs doing the right thing for the record D o g l ove r s e ve r y where are being given the chance to get their pets into the Guinness Book of Records by taking part in the DSPCA’s attempt to break the record for the Largest Dog Obedience Training Lesson.

The record attempt is part of The Great Irish Dog Walk taking place on Saturday, September 27 in the Phoenix Park from 9am-4pm.

RTE dog whisperer and founder of King of Paws training academy, Alex Petrilli, will lead the record attempt.

It currently stands at 390 dogs and was set in Madrid two years ago.

Owners can sign up for the world record attempt when they register for the overall Great Irish Dog Walk event, and are being asked to raise a minimum of €25 to take part.

All participants will receive a commemorative medal and gift bag for themselves and their dog to say that they took part in the record breaking attempt.

Announcing the walk, Brian Gillen, chief executive of the DSPCA said:

“The Great Irish Dog Walk is a very special event and is a celebration of the special place that pets, especially dogs, have in Irish people’s lives.

Awareness

“T he DSPCA estimates that there are over 5,000 animals neglected, starving or homeless at any one time in Dublin city alone and this event will help us to reinforce the need for awareness of proper animal welfare.

“Last year ’s event was a huge success and we’re really looking for-

ward to a large turnout this year.

“We’re especially excited about our attempt to create a new Guinness World Record. It’s going to be a great day and we can’t wait to see everyone there!”

The Great Irish Dog Walk, organised in partnership with Purina, pet care specialists, consists of a fun 3km walk and a doggie-themed family festival featuring doggie fun zones, face painting, goody bags, and free giveaways.

All dogs and kiddies are invited to take part

At the launch of the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Great Irish Dog Walk 2014 are DSPCA Dog Whisperer Alex Petrilli and Ryan Tubridy, broadcaster

for free, while adults will be charged a €10 registration fee.

The aim of The Great Irish Dog Walk 2014 is to help raise awareness of the unnecessary suf-

fering of animals, to help the DSPCA raise much-needed funds to rescue neglected and suffering animals.

D o g ow n e r s w h o wish to take part in The

Great Irish Dog Walk can register on line at www.dspca.ie.

All dogs attending must be on a leash, with rules and regulations applying to the event.

4 September 2014 Gazette 13

Gazette

14 Gazette 4 September 2014

dublinlife

diary

Lucy realises her ‘biggest dream’ as blind date host We’ll all be having a (assume Liverpool accent) “lora lora laughs” soon enough when Lucy Kennedy steps into the dating game by bringing back Blind Date, the show once made famous by veteran presenter Cilla Black.

Expect sliding doors, dodgy questions and some romance as TV3 look to make dreary nights a little more heart-warming with this show that was a hit back in the 90s.

Kennedy said this gig has been her “big-

gest dream” and after much pressure put on the bigwigs at the station she finally got the seal of approval making her dream a reality.

Not giving too much away about the show she said it will be similar to the old format but there will be an Irish twist to it, with Kennedy adding her own little gems too to make it her own.

Smithfield set for Street Festival BlueFire Street Fest 2014 takes place in

Smithfield Square from 12pm to 10pm on Saturday, September 20.

The free festival of music and the arts will showcase the diverse range of people and cultures that now call Dublin home, with performances by musicians and artists from across Ireland and the world.

Now in its second year, the festival is expanding with more workshops and fun educational activities in the education zone, group exchanges in the comedy picnic tent,

traditional food exchanges, inter-generational storytelling, dance classes (including capoeira and salsa) and much more.

This year the festival will also feature VitalTalks: A fresh take on Speakers Corner.

This is a collaboration between BlueFire and VitalSigns by the Community Foundation for Ireland that provides a space for young people in Dublin to voice their opinions on life in Ireland today.

For more information, visit www.BlueFireDublin.ie, www.facebook. com/BlueFireDublin or www.twitter.com/BlueFireDublin.

bucket of ice with enda’s name on it An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, has been nominated to take the icebucket challenge.

Chief executive of the Irish Motor Neuron Disease Association, Aisling Farrell has reportedly nominated Enda to brave the bucket.

Participating in the challenge might do his image some good in the eyes of voters who see him as a bit too conservative.

But considering his hero Barack Obama has declined to participate coupled with the fact that he has well-honed ducking and dodging skills he will more than likely avoid it.

However he might find himself the victim of a

Lucy Kennedy at TV3’s Autumn Schedule 2014 launch at The Mansion House, Dublin.

Pictures: Brian McEvoy

stealthy drenching.

Many of the female TDs in the Fine Gael ranks might see it as an opportunity to exact some revenge under the guise of charity for his snubbing of them in the reshuffle. Catherine Byrne, Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, and Regina Doherty might ambush him as he stands on the plinth at Leinster House and dump a bucket over his head.

spiralling obesity problem grows School uniforms with 40-inch waistlines are now on sale in Ireland to cope with the country’s growing obesity problem. Apparently it is now common for shops which specialise in school uniforms to provide trousers and skirts with a 40-inch waist.

According to Temple Street Children’s University Hospital, about one in four primary school children are overweight or obese.

In order to cater for this, uniform suppliers have had to increase waistline, and shirt collar size.

In order to combat this growing problem Temple Street Children’s University Hospital runs a programme called W82GO to teach children and their parents about nutrition and the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

Parents learn to make positive changes in the family’s lifestyle, provide a balance between nurturing and limit setting, and act as positive role models for their children.

The programme also teaches children to lead a more active lifestyle and make healthier choices without feeling deprived.

For more information see: www.w82go.ie.

get walking and make a difference The Dublin Way To Go Hill Walk in aid of CARI takes place on September 27 this year. CARI is the

volunteer organisation which provides therapy and support for children and families affected by child sexual abuse.

Participants can choose between short walk or long walk, and can do so as an individual or in a team of four.

The individual short walk costs €50, and the long walk €75, while for a team of four the short walk costs €175 and the long walk €250.

The short option is an 11km walk from Shankill Village to Johnnie Fox’s pub in Glencullen.

The walk will take about three hours and starts at 12pm.

The long option for more seasoned hikers is a 23km walk from Tallaght Square to Johnnie Fox’s.

It begins at 9am and will take about seven hours.

Participants have the opportunity to make a positive difference in the life of a vulnerable child.

Visit www.cari.ie for further information.

4 September 2014 Gazette 15

Gazette

feature ESCAPE THE MAYHEM: mayor of South Dublin County Council on getting away from it all

Film fan tunes in to tune out  Ian Begley

.

The lifestyle of being a mayor for a local authority in Ireland is a hectic, challenging and eventful role for anyone elected to do the job, let alone for a 22-year-old first time councillor.

This week The Gazette spoke to the mayor of South Dublin County Council, Fintan Warfield (SF), about what he does to unwind and escape the political mayhem of his weekly routine.

“Things have slowed down a bit in August, but when I was first elected in June I was very busy because there was so much stuff happening

within the council and around the county.

“One of my favourite things to do to unwind is [being] in work when nobody else is there [in the evenings]. It probably sounds weird but when I know that the phone won’t ring or that I won’t receive any emails it gives me a chance to clear my head and focus.”

Warfield, who studied film and TV production in college, naturally uses movies and TV shows as a way to unwind.

“I’ve been watching a lot of Robin Williams’s films lately since he passed away. I went to the Happenings event in Merrion Square where

they showed the Dead Poets Society. It was a very fitting emotional tribute to him and it was in aid of Pieta House.”

Warfield added that sport is a great way for anyone to relieve the stress of their day-to-day lives, and being a goal keeper for St Jude’s GAA club he continues to stay active and fit.

“I don’t really have that much time to make training any more since I started my campaign, but I still play the matches on Sundays.

“It’s amazing how playing football makes you just forget everything even for a while. It’s probably why they tell people not to give

up [sports] during their Leaving Cert year.”

The number one thing that Warfield admits he does to escape the mayhem is play music. In 2010 he teamed up with Derek Warfield and The Young Wolfe Tones and has since performed extensive tours throughout Ireland, Europe and the United States as well as having numerous recordings.

“I love just going home and having the opportunity to practice the violin or guitar. Even if I’m in a fit of rage I can take it out on an instrument to clear my head. No one interrupts me when I’m playing either which is great.”

Mayor of South Dublin County Council, Fintan Warfield (SF), on his weekly routine

Gazette

16 Gazette 4 September 2014

dublinlife

Q&A

business Jobs Expo is returning to Croke Park  ian begley

JOBS Expo 2014 – Ireland’s leading employment and recruitment fair – returns to the Croke Park Conference Centre from September 5 to 6.

Running from 11am to 4pm, attendees can meet

with numerous employers seeking prospective employees as well as careers experts at this free event.

For the first time, Jobs Expo will feature competitions giving people the chance to win thousands of euro worth of

free courses, laptops and Kindles.

As well as jobs and career opportunities, expert careers advice will be available at the Career Clinic, where candidates can avail of free one-onone-advice on interview skills techniques, CV

preparation, career guidance, and information if they wish to change from one working sector into another.

Jobs Expo 2014 looks set to provide plenty of information needed for career advice. For more, see www.jobsexpo.ie.

Nicola Ring, newpark sports centre

Exercising strategies to keep business healthy Nicola Ring is from Dublin and lives with her husband and two small children.

She has been working in the leisure industry for the past 22 years and has been general manager at Newpark Sports Centre since July 2000.

Nicola studied sports and leisure management in Inchicore VEC and How long have you been in business?

For 41 years! Newpark Sports Centre, that is – I was appointed general manager in July, 2000.

What makes your business successful?

Our staff, first and foremost, and then our location and the facilities.

The sports centre offers activities for both members and non members and has a very loyal customer base.

We are known in the local community, and we know our customers. We listen to them, and constantly try to improve what we do.

Customers who learnt to swim at Newpark, or who did gymnastics, are now sending their own children to Newpark, so we must be doing something right. Maintaining our standards while remaining competitive is key.

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

Affordability and adaptability, with staff who enjoy what they do.

We have been successfully teaching adults and children how to swim since we opened in 1973, and we genuinely care about providing excellent services, facilities and activities.

As a business, we have achieved the White Flag award for the past 11 years in a row, which is the only award for leisure facilities in Ireland at the moment. It’s the swimming pool and leisure centre equivalent to the Blue Flag for beaches.

then went on to college in Birmingham, where she completed her honours degree; today, she is a qualified swimming teacher, fitness instructor and personal trainer, bringing these skills to bear on her work.

A keen football fan, Nicola also loves swimming, badminton, outdoor sports and activities with her family.

We are right in the middle of Blackrock, but there are still people living in Blackrock who don’t know that we are a public leisure facility open to all users.

The sports centre is primarily a school PE facility, but is also a successful sports centre with a 25m swimming pool, sports hall, outdoor pitches, a fully equipped gym and a wide range of fitness classes.

How has the recession affected your business?

Like all sports and fitness facilities, we have noticed a difference. We are conscious that customers are always looking for value for money with services to match, and rightly so. Our prices are competitive, and there is no obligation to take out a membership.

Customers can pay as they visit, which is important, as disposable income isn’t as it used to be.

The sports centre is also temporarily closed until mid September for refurbishment work. The front of the building will be more accessible and will receive a general facelift. All areas will be thermostatically controlled and our changing rooms will be extensively refurbished with new sanitary ware, showers and changing cubicles.

Also parking has been a big problem for us, and when we re-open in September the car park will be complete with even more parking on site when the school building is completed next year.

At the release of the Summer 2014 Business Sentiment Survey were Pat Costello, chief executive, Chartered Accountants Ireland with Austin Hughes, chief economist, KBC Bank Ireland

economy: ‘healthy gains; not a return to boom’

Business confidence steady in Q2 – survey  keith bellew

ACCORDING to the KBC Bank Ireland/ Chartered Accountants Ireland Business Sentiment Survey for Summer 2014, business confidence remained steady in the second quarter of the year.

This indicates that the economic conditions which affect the Irish business sector have not changed much over the past six to nine months, following a noticeable improvement during the second half of last year.

The survey indicates ongoing increases in activity levels in Irish business, and improved activity in the months

ahead is also expected, even if the pace of growth slows.

The survey details show a further increase in activity levels in Irish business in the past three months, with 56% of companies reporting a rise in their output – the highest number since the spring of 2007.

Additionally, decline in activity is at its lowest in seven years, with just 12% of companies reporting a drop-off in activity. According to the survey, these findings point towards healthy conditions across a broad range of Irish business.

Commenting on the results, Pat Costello, chief executive of Chartered

Accountants Ireland, said: “Irish companies are reporting steady rather than spectacular increases in output in mid-2014, but this should be seen as the continuation of very healthy growth, rather than any pointer to weaker conditions.

‘Upswing’ “The business sector was relatively early to see and signal the emerging upswing that is only now being captured in indicators such as GDP. “As such, the sentiment survey suggests further gains in GDP and jobs as 2014 progresses. The survey signals that hiring is now at its strongest since mid-2007, and is particu-

larly encouraging in this regard.”

Austin Hughes, chief economist with KBC Bank Ireland, said: “The marginal decline in the business sentiment index may be disappointing, but it isn’t at all surprising, given the dramatic improvement reported in the second half of last year.

“The survey is designed to capture changes in business conditions. So, these results point to step gains of late, rather than any seismic change in activity levels.

“In turn, this reflects the reality of a recovery that is healthy but far from a return to the boom,” he said.

4 September 2014 Gazette 17

cinema P21

asdfsdaf P27 arts P22

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



Gazette

travel P19

Pets

intelligent roxy’s ready to high-five a caring owner

From power ballads to full-on rawwwk, Rock of Ages has plenty of smash hits

that music fans of all ages will love

don’t stop believin’: smash hit musical gives 1980s classics a live airing

Rock is rolling into town  laura webb

DUBLINERS – get ready to dust off those leg-warmers and clean off that leather jacket, as rock ’n’ roll’s best ballads are being revived, thanks to former pop star Noel Sullivan and the rest of the Rock of Ages cast.

The award-winning musical turned movie is making its way to the Bord Gais Energy Theatre this month, featuring some of the 1980s’ best songs, such as Don’t Stop Believin’, We Built This City, and I Want To Know What Love Is. Set in LA’s Sunset Strip in 1987, the show tells the story of Drew, a boy from South Detroit, and Sherrie, a smalltown girl, who are both chasing their dreams of making it big in the city.

The Gazette caught up with Noel Sullivan (former HearSay member) who plays Drew Boley, the lead character in the show.

He said: “I really can’t wait to bring the show here. It is definitely a fun show that Dublin is going to love.”

With its 1980s setting, the show features some very well-known songs that will bring back memories for many audience members.

Sullivan said: “This show features some of the most iconic American rock songs of the 1980s. You still hear them on the radio, but you don’t get to hear them live any more.

“For some people it’s about going back to when they were young, when they heard the songs for the first time, while others have just heard the songs

through their parents’ love for the music, so it would be interesting [for them] to see just how they sound live.

“It’s a comedy musical. It pokes fun at itself by being a ‘jukebox musical’, with its cheesy love story and funny moments,” he said.

Big in the West End Theatre in London, the Dublin audience isn’t going to lose out with the show’s run over here.

Sullivan said: “It is a really big set. It is as close to the West End show as it’s going to get.”

Starring in musicals such as Grease, and We Will Rock You, and now this show, are these roles an indication of what type of music he likes? Well, actually no, according to Sullivan, who says it’s all just a “coincidence”.

“I have done a range of different

shows, but I have managed to get a few rock musicals. That’s how the dice has fallen for me, really.

“Growing up, my mum loved soul music, so I was brought up on that type of music,” he said.

Working almost every night means his vocal chords are getting more than enough exercise, but resting his voice is something he has to do to make sure he is ready for the next show.

“When doing a show like this, you really just have to get vocal rest as much as you can – that’s not very rock ’n’ roll!” he laughed.

Rock of Ages runs from September 15 to 20 at Bord Gais Energy Theatre.

For further information and booking details, see www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie.

The Gazette Newspaper Group has teamed up with Dogs Trust to help find homes for lost and abandoned dogs. This week’s feature dog is Roxy, a two-year-old female Collie cross.

Roxy is a super intelligent dog and has already mastered many commands, such as “paw”, “sit” and “down”.

She has also been muzzle trained, and loves T-touch relaxation techniques.

Roxy can be quite a worried young dog, so would need an understanding home, with no other dogs or children.

If you think that sounds like you, please call the centre at 01 879 1000 and speak to the Rehoming Team. You can also pop up for a visit; Dogs Trust is open six days a week from 12 noon to 4pm. The centre is closed all day Tuesday.

You can also follow the work of Dogs Trust on Facebook www.facebook. com/dogstrustireland, or on Twitter, @dogstrust_ie.

GAZETTE

18 GAZETTE 4 September 2014

OUT&ABOUT 13

hirt €

ck s s Che

ey Penn

STYLE Arnotts Tara Jarmon skirt €280

Lilttlewoods Ireland Sheer relaxed blouse €28

te River Island Navy slim cigaret

iClothing Monochrome jum psuit €38

THIS autumn/winter season, 90s grunge is making a comeback – and with it comes the “check” look. (Yes, again!) This week, Gazette Style takes a little look at some of the check- and tartan-patterned clothes that are making their way to street style. Check it out!

coat €87

It’s baaack

ed River Island Navy oversiz

pants €55

grunge

Let your personal style show and walk off with a big Ilac prize  LAURA WEBB

THINGS are getting even more stylish in the Ilac Centre as the popular shopping destination gets set for its fashion competition – Stylathon.

Taking place September 4-6 as part of Dublin Fashion Festival, the competition is open to aspiring fashion stylists, female or male, aged 16 years and over.

The lucky winner will receive a place on LA College of Creative Arts diploma course in professional fashion styling, a €1,000 shopping spree in the Ilac Cen-

tre, and a week working with Maria Kelly, from TV3’s Xpose.

“Entering couldn’t be easier,” said Ann Sheehy, marketing manager of the Ilac Centre.

“All you have to do is to style either yourself or a friend in an autumn/winter 2014 trend from any store, or combination of stores, in the Ilac Centre and come along to the catwalk in the Ilac Centre on Thursday, Friday or Saturday between 3.30pm and 4.30pm and flaunt your flair for fashion.

“Host and compere for the Ilac Centre’s Fashion Festival

events, Maria Kelly will be judging those taking part and picking one lucky finalist each day.

“At 4.30pm on Saturday afternoon, one lucky winner will be chosen to win this fantastic prize and launch, or boost, their career in fashion styling,” added Sheehy.

Last year’s winner, Zita Kelly, is encouraging fashion followers interested in working in the industry to enter.

She said: “It’s been a great year. It really gave me great experience. I worked on fashion shows and shoots with Maria

and the course in LA College helped me to build my portfolio, because you got a chance to do a few photoshoots there too. Since then, I have got a bit of work, so it’s been fantastic.”

Offering advice to anyone thinking of entering, Kelly, who runs award-nominated blog, Zee-Railed, said: “I wouldn’t go too over the top – [demonstrate] a good street-style look so you show your personal style; that unique style that makes you different. Be yourself.”

For further information, see www.ilac.ie.

Last year’s Stylathon winner, Zita Kelly, with Ann Sheehy, marketing manager of the Ilac Centre

4 September 2014 Gazette 19

Gazette

TRAVEL cavan: chill out at farnham estate

A midlands rendevouz with luxury  dave philips

DRIVING along the N3 as it winds through Virginia, I caught sight of a poster for one of Co Cavan’s most famous attractions – the Virginia Pumpkin Festival, which runs each October.

The festival, along with fishing and canoeing at the hundreds of lakes smattered through the county, remains one of the strongest tourist draws to the area.

And, just a little further along the road, I was due to arrive at another Cavan icon – the Farnham Estate.

An easy drive down the motorway from Dub-

lin, the estate is set over 1,300 acres of serene countryside.

Farnham House sits impressively in the midst of it, with its early 19th century facade tastefully incorporated into a much larger structure that contains much of the hotel, as well as a swimming pool and health spa.

Ancient woodland The long driveway gives a glimpse of the 18-hole golf course set on the estate, as well as the ancient woodland that spreads out from the house.

It was the forest that initially captivated me,

and after settling in I left my guest to indulge in the health spa while I laced up my walking boots to take on some of the trails that crisscross the estate.

However, a sense of captivation by the outside world can be surprisingly short-lived.

En route to reception I couldn’t help but notice several blissfully content people wandering back to their rooms in their robes and slippers.

Suddenly, the call of the wild wasn’t quite so strong, and before I knew it I had ditched the boots and found myself a spot by the pool.

Happily, I found out

From its pool to top-notch spa treatments, Farnham Estate has incorporated some of the most modern ways to relax into its welcoming setting, while its countryside setting provides a rustic link to ancient Ireland

there is a huge amount to do at the Farnham spa.

Aside from the long menu of treatments, there are thermal suites to stimulate one’s circulation, and a heated outdoor infinity pool that looks out across the estate.

I can testify to the fact that hours can easily vanish by intermittently swimming, reading, and snoozing in the spa.

Reconvening with my guest later in the after-

noon, I found her awash with that same look of contentment I’d seen on so many faces at Farnham.

Over dinner in Botanica restaurant, situated in the old part of the house, she gave me the play-byplay of Farnham’s twohour signature treatment, Crann na Beatha (Tree of Life) that included being covered in organic peat, a body wrap, heated stones, and a head-to-toe massage.

While my walking boots returned to the car boot relatively unscathed, I took a quick scout around in the morning before heading on the road back to Dublin, pledging to return soon to explore it more.

Between the spa, walking, biking, golfing, and eating, there’s so much to take in at Farnham that there’s no sense in trying to experience it all at once.

Driving back home

by a spectacularly calm Lough Ramor, and still thinking of my newfound love of thermal suites, I quipped aloud that that there’s so much of the great outdoors in Cavan, and so much great indoors there, too.

However, there was no response from my passenger, who was still lost in a world of blissful contentment ...

For further information, see w w w.farnhamestate.ie.

GAZETTE

20 GAZETTE 4 September 2014

OUT&ABOUT

FOOD&DRINK

BITESIZED

Woollen Mills

European restaurant

Top award for dripping with flavour JAMES Whelan Butcher’s beef dripping has won a 3-Star Great Taste award and has been shortlisted for a Great Taste Golden Fork award.

Of 10,000 entries for the Great Taste awards, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, just 153 were awarded a Great Taste 3-Star win, with James Whelan Butchers’ beef dripping now also selected as a 2014 Top 50 food, seeing it shortlisted for a Great Taste Golden Fork award.

Angus beef The beef dripping is made from the suet of grass-fed Angus and Hereford cattle, rendered down and clarified into a pure fat.

Pat Whelan (above) , of James Whelan Butchers, said: “Our beef dripping is nutrient rich, high in Omega-3 acids, clean, pure and carries great flavour, whether for frying a steak, roasting potatoes or simply slathered onto good bread.”

The beef dripping, priced €3.99, is available online at www.

JamesWhelanButchers.com, or from James Whelan Butchers at Avoca Food Market, Monkstown or Avoca, Rathcoole.

Lower Ormond Quay

Bustling with diners, Woollen Mills Eating House’s menu was as busy as the restaurant, with an impressive range of dishes to enjot in its welcoming setting

The Picky Eater THE recently opened Woollen Mills restaurant is housed in the building of the same name, on Lower Ormond Quay, with great views across the Liffey.

We dined there on a busy Saturday at lunchtime, with queues out the door. I was pleased to see that the seasoned waiters – many of whom I recognised from other stalwarts around the Dublin food scene – were still attentive and didn’t seem the least bit addled.

The food is inventive, with lots of influences from all over the world, but is also focuses on some old-skool Irish dishes, too, with the likes of coddle and ham and chips.

We went for a portion of Jerusalem artichoke hummus, served with deep-fried wedges cooked with sprinklings of crispy sage (€7) to start.

This was an unctuous dish, and I found myself scraping the remains of the hummus from the bowl when all the wedges

were devoured.

For the main, my friend plumped for the beef cheek burger, served with beef tomato, red onion, pigs on the green bacon and mature Irish cheddar (€11).

This was a big, bold dish with meat heaped out over the sides. I couldn’t wait to tr y this dish, as I love beef cheek.

However, my friend’s face said it all after one bite. The flavour of the meat was too strong for her and she decided, with much mortification, that she couldn’t eat it.

I made sure to sample it before the friendly waiter removed it from the table and offered something else instead. It was delicious, but if you prefer a burger straightup (the old-fashioned way), this may not be for you.

Instead, she went for the pigs on the green pork shoulder, served on a bed of iceberg lettuce, with caramelised onions, Young Buck’s Blue Cheese buttermilk

dressing, and crispy bread (€10).

The pork was succulent, and was nice and stringy and oozed with buttermilk dressing. It was delicious, but very rich.

My main course of black sole tongues, deep fried with saffron mayo and caper berries (€14) was presented with skill.

Two chunky pieces of fish were assembled on a wooden chopping board with some lettuce and whole caper berries (inset). The batter was paper thin, light and crispy, and the fish perfect.

However, I was half way through my second piece of fish when I discovered that some of the batter had not cooked fully, and was oozing out of the fish.

I explained to the waiter that the dish had been delicious up to that point, but I was now full.

However, he presented me with another piece of fish that was more wellcooked and explained that sometimes the bat-

ter gets caught within the fish, and this can cause it to not cook fully.

Everything was washed down with a nice bottle of Gruner Vetliner, Weingut Markus Huber 13, Niederosterreich Austria (€32), which actually comes from casks and not a bottle. It was very smooth, and easy to drink.

To finish, we had two delicious cappuccinos and the kitchen sent out a plate of treats, on the house, as the maitre’d knew there had been some “messing” with the food.

It was a kind gesture, but it probably would have been better to just remove the fish from the bill, which they didn’t.

In my opinion, some of the flavours and dishes need tweaking, but the food has the potential to be amazing; there were just a couple of mishaps on the day.

I most definitely will be returning, and I think this place will become a regular on the food scene

Despite the batter proving more troublesome than expected, the fish was perfect. Picture: The Picky Eater

Conclusion

THERE was nothing woolly about the service at Woollen Mills Eating House (at 42 Lower Ormond Quay, Dublin 1; tel 01 828 0835), with attentive staff keeping the powerfully-flavoured but generally delicious food coming. It’s definitely one to savour ...

4 September 2014 Gazette 21

Gazette

CINEMA

ReelReviews

sin city 2

Noir of the same SHOWING up approximately seven ice ages after the first film (2005), Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For (Cert 16, 119 mins) is more of the same. A great cast (with an unrecognisably craggy Mickey Rourke once again delivering a powerhouse performance), striking visuals and gritty, stylised violence deliver an ice-cool serving of hard-boiled pulp fiction – but it’s probably not one to take Mammy to.

Is daily amnesiac Christine’s (Nicole Kidman) loving husband Ben (Colin Firth) quite as benevolent as he seems? If only she could remember ...

before i go to sleep: kidman’s deja view sinks into familiar film fare

Forgettable, unfortunately BASED on a best-selling novel of the same name, Before I Go To Sleep is a grim psychological thriller revolving around the theme of memory loss.

After an accident in which she sustained head injuries, Christine (Nicole Kidman) suffers amnesia, thereafter keeping complete memories only up until her mid-20s – a decade of her life is a total blank.

Waking up feeling 20 – but then rapidly coming to terms with being 40 – is a horrific fate that we can all empathise with, but things are worse for Christine.

She awakes anew each morning to a house, a husband, and a life that is completely strange – no longer a university student,

 Dave phillips

she is now living in the relatively affluent outskirts of London, with her loving husband Ben (Colin Firth), who is the head of the chemistry department at the local school.

Ben has a well-established routine that he wearily delivers over breakfast, which details their meeting, their marriage, and her accident.

Once Christine is in a suitable state of confusion, Ben leaves her in the house alone and goes to work.

However, a phone call

from a Dr Nash (Mark Strong) each morning prompts Christine to find a camera she has hidden in the wardrobe, and reminds her that it must remain hidden from Ben. Furtive self-shot video diaries are recorded on the camera from previous days, and they repeat the message that there are secrets being kept from her, and that she should trust nobody.

So begins another day of mystery as Christine attempts to build on the snatches of digital memory from yesterday to unravel the truth of the situation before sleep wipes everything clear.

Ostensibly, Before I Go to Sleep offers an interesting set-up for a thriller, with a dependent protagonist stuck

in a bind between two unfamiliar, controlling men who each feed her contrary information.

By the nature of her accident, Christine becomes the ultimate unreliable narrator, and as viewers we remain in the dark alongside her when it comes to the aims of both Ben and Dr Nash.

Sanity Each day that passes is another turn of the screw that tightens dramatic tension, calling into question the sanity of Christine and motives of the other characters around her.

Before I Go To Sleep plays out like a nightmarish version of Groundhog Day, smearing over the snowy white charms of Punxsutaw-

ney with ashen London dreariness.

To his credit, director Rowan Jeffe manages to nail the right kind of atmosphere, teasing out the tension while maintaining a subtle air of menace that lies beneath the most mundane of circumstance.

Fir th follows suit with his performance, skilfully walking the tightrope of ambiguity – we are never quite sure whether his efforts to guide Christine fulfil his best intentions or hers, or whether his outbursts of anger are the natural consequence of attempting to cope with the predicament, or if they betray some darker intentions.

As the pivotal piece of the puzzle, Kidman perhaps has too much

placed on her shoulders, seemingly never stepping off camera for the entire duration.

While her scenes with Firth play out brilliantly, capturing both the tension and tenderness of the situation, there is some jarring overkill in the use of video-diary shots that have a tendency to rapidly cool down what is otherwise a happily bubbling broth of mystery.

It is something that could be overlooked if the rest of the film held up, but an unfortunate third act sees the tension and characteristic style descend into the safety of tried and tested genre conventions, resulting in a promising but fittingly forgettable film.

Verdict: 5/10

as above, so beloW A oui bit of horror PARIS can be a nightmare at the best of times (the price of a bottle of water at tourist hotspots will leave you screaming) but As Above, So Below (Cert 15A, 93 mins) delivers something even more horrible to contemplate – unspeakable evil lurking in the sprawling catacombs under the city, as young archaeologists exploring far below the city streets are about to find out. (Hint: things end badly.)

into the storm

Running out of energy ALREADY close to blowing itself out at cinemas, Into The Storm (Cert 12A, 89 mins) is a diverting enough film, but won’t quite blow you away. A “typical” small American town faces carnage from a megastorm, with tornados just part of the problems ready to tear the community apart. Decent effects help the story rattle along, but you’ve certainly seen better twister tales ...

Gazette

22 Gazette 4 September 2014

ARTS OUT&ABOUT An inquest into Dublin’s criminal world books: carson weaves a tale of murder

 Bairbre Ni Bhraonain

“I learned theatre through my audience, and by working with great people”– Deirdre Kinahan

interview: deirdre kinahan

Spinning some insight into theatrical interests  Bairbre Ni Bhraonain

THE premiere of playwright Deirdre Kinahan’s new play, Spinning, will open at this year’s Dublin Theatre Festival in October.

The play is a dark exploration of the effects of divorce on couples and families in Ireland.

The Gazette spoke to Kinahan about her career and how she got started in theatre.

“I started going to plays with my mother when I was about eight or nine years old. She was a big drama fiend, but just as a consumer – she didn’t work in theatre.

“Then, there was an amateur drama group who used to do plays in a pub up the road in Ballinteer – The Beavers – and I lived in Rathfarnham. So, my mother used to bring me to those plays and I was just gripped by them.

“She also brought me into the Abbey and the Gate theatres, and was a big fan of the Focus [theatre], and every time she was going to the theatre she brought me, right through my teens and into my early 20s,” said Kinahan.

“I went to the Betty Ann Norton [Drama] School until I was 15, and later to UCD to do English and history. A lot of my compatriots at the time did drama in Trinity, but I didn’t get the points for that.

“I went travelling for a couple of years, and when I came home at 27 I didn’t know how to get into theatre. So, myself and a friend of mine set up Tall Tales Theatre Company, and we learned how to do it on the hoof!

“Now, I’m a freelance writer, though I’m not a trained actor or a trained playwright. I learned theatre through my audience, and by working with great people,” she said.

“The most important thing starting out is to try and put yourself in the centre of things, like the Fringe [festival]; get to know people, and start going to plays. That’s really the only way in.

‘The All-Ireland’ “So many people tell me they love drama, and it’s all they want to do, but when I ask what was the last play they saw, they look at me blankly.

It’s like wanting to play in the AllIreland, and never playing football.

“Theatre’s not cliquey at all – it’s actually brutal, as it’s all based on talent. If you’re right for the job, you’ll get it; if you’re not, you won’t,” said Kinahan.

Spinning, by Deirdre Kinahan, runs at Smock Alley Theatre from October 1 to 12 and tickets priced from €20 to €30 are available by contacting www.dublintheatrefestival.com.

Bestselling crime author Paul Carson’s latest novel Inquest is another solid portrayal of Dublin’s criminal underworld and the devastation visited on all who come in contact with it.

Paul Carson, a doctor as well as a writer, puts his own specialist knowledge to good use by choosing, as his main protagonist, pathologist Dr Mike Wilson. We meet Wilson as he takes over as Dublin City Coroner from a predecessor who was murdered because of suspicions he had during an autopsy of an apparent suicide.

Dr Wilson therefore begins his career as Dublin City Coroner under this sinister shadow and soon finds himself questioning the same case and going over old ground so dangerously walked by others.

The plot centres on the case of a young man and heroin addict, Patrick Dowling, who was found hanging in a wood. Wilson feels the scene has been set up to look like suicide and slowly pieces together a theory resulting in murder. To add more layers, Carson makes Dowling the wayward son of a government minister whose shady dealings with a well-known drug dealer turned legitimate businessman are well documented.

Dr Wilson has a dis-

Bestselling crime author Paul Carson’s latest novel Inquest is another solid portrayal of Dublin’s criminal underworld

turbing past involving family tragedy in Northern Ireland which he also carries around silently.

Unlike many detectives and coroners depicted in crime novels of today, Carson however, does not afflict his main character with emotional dysfunction and destructive vices.

He is, instead, a normal family man who works too much.

This, however, is a little too cloying at times as Wilson repeatedly worries about the safety of his wife and family.

There is also too much repetition as Carson

strives a bit too faithfully to reproduce the mundanity of life – the novel could have done with a bit more editing.

This writer really comes into his own when describing graphic scenes of violence and action. When Dr Wilson has to fight off a couple of armed hit men with nothing more than a baseball bat the reader is gripped by the realistic depiction. He turns from mild-mannered academic into an outraged, protective alpha male along the lines of John McClane in Die Hard.

The storytelling by

Carson is solid if a little bogged down at times by uninteresting domestic detail.

However, Carson insists on creating a very realistic atmosphere based on actual experience. Many of the circumstances described in the novel are reminiscent of real events in Dublin criminal history with the reader recognising similar situations such as coroners and witnesses being intimidated or attacked by Dublin criminal gangs.

This novel is published

by Arrow and is on sale in bookshops for €6.99.

4 September 2014 GAZETTE 23

GAZETTE

GAMING

WeeBytes

Mikael Hed, Rovio

HED ROLLS AWAY

Angry Birds figure quits

Whatever platform you pick it up for, Destiny is frequently a very pretty game, with levels offering their own day/night cycles and drifting cloudscapes, while the main player hub/lobby offers truly beautiful views (above). Even the “lesser” touches – such as loading screens, and designing your own character – are gracefully done.

DESTINY: CROSS-PLATFORM GAME HAS SOME GREAT IDEAS

Pretty title shoots for the top ONE thing that remains constant in gaming is the interest in first-person shooters (FPS), with there being no let-up in the hunger for, and interest in, games that let you run, jump or fly around shooting at other players, be they human or AI. It’s fair to say that, in 20-something years since first running around in the classic early FPS title, Doom, I’ve more than earned my stripes as a veteran of the genre, making it difficult to be particularly excited with new additions.

This dulling of interest is the usual fate of a longterm gamer ...

But, regardless of fate, what about Destiny?

By this, I refer to the new cross-platform game getting a major international release next week, on Tuesday, September 9, with Destiny promising to offer even jaded gamers something new.

Destiny is set in a

 SHANE DILLON sdillon@dublingazette.com

future ruined Earth, way off in the far future, yet in a world that’s still visibly human, and with many elements that feel familiar.

In fact, Destiny takes place across several parts of our solar system, affording gamers the chance to, say, take part in missions on the moon, Mars, and a number of other key hubs, with each area presented as a largish, open world area, where passage through may trigger all manner of mayhem.

Yes, ultimately, gamers are still essentially running around from A to B, shooting bad guys and taking on in-game challenges, but credit is due to its developer, Bungie, for

bringing something fresh to the FPS table.

Echoing standard MMOs – massive, online games, such as World of Warcraft – the more the gamer plays, and the more they do, the greater their rewards as they begin to level up, branch out into other skills, and unlock extra perks, buffs, weapons and so on to create a character that suits their individual playing style, and skillsets.

This isn’t particularly revolutionary, but the recent pre-launch beta testing of the game – which I had a blast playing – showed that all the systems came together to create a well-rounded, fun and somewhat different-feeling FPS title, whether playing with a single player or multiplayer focus.

Having Peter Dinklage – yes, “the imp” of Game of Thrones fame – on hand to provide a laconic commentary as an in-

game AI also helped.

With other gamers also running around in your game, as similarly ranked players are dropped in by the servers to add to the world’s life and energy, a fresh sense of curiosity comes to the fore, with you free to tag along and try and share in their mission, or help with their boss challenge – and vice versa.

Adding the icing to the cake are the beautifully rendered environments and settings, glorious lighting, atmospheric background details, and even the very pretty loading/in transit screens as you, and or friends/strangers, head off to another world or base for your next mission.

Destiny won’t appeal to everyone, but it’s certainly one of the last main highlights of the cross-platform gaming scene, before developers really throw themselves into developing for the

ONE of the most amusing headlines elsewhere on the internet neatly sums up this next gaming short: “Angry Birds CEO Resigns Because Who the Hell Still Plays That?”

Yes indeed, Mikael Hed, co-founder of Rovio (creators of Angry Birds) is to step down by the end of the year, as Rovio’s financial results have continued declining.

If it’s any consolation to Hed, and Rovio, its successors and rivals are caught in the same vicious circle that’s followed smash-hit mobile titles in the past five years or so: sudden success followed by revenues falling faster than Yellow Bird launched at a naughty Piggie.

Still, given his skill and expertise in building up and managing such a smash-hit company, no doubt Hed can roll on to something that’s just as successful ...

A BILLION REASONS Amazon’s latest deal

Most of Destiny is spent running around levels, blasting away (top), a significant amount of time is also spent modifying your character’s stats (above), making it a little different to standard shooters

newest consoles only.

Its quirky twists on the FPS genre also certainly help it to hit the mark.

With the level of polish on show here, the quirky and fresh new gameplay

elements, and the unexpected twists that lie around corners, it’s hard not to bend to Destiny’s power, and to make it a must-buy for fans of the FPS genre …

AMAZON have just bought videogame streaming service Twitch for a billion dollars, with the hefty payment indicating just how seriously it takes Twitch’s potential business model.

Often described as “the YouTube of gamers”, more than 55 million users tune in to watch other people play games, as esports – literally, electronic sports, and particularly computer gaming – continues its notable growth.

With Twitch reportedly accounting for 40% of all live-streamed internet content, that $1bn could turn out to be a pretty canny investment if Amazon can successfully monetise Twitch’s reach.

GAZETTE

24 GAZETTE 4 September 2014

OUT&ABOUT

MUSIC

DEBUT: TWO NEW ALBUMS, TWO VERY DIFFERENT SOUNDS

Here’s to a harvest of great new music

AUTUMN always brings a glorious harvest of new albums from established and fledgling artists, and this year is certainly no different. From this cascade of riches, we’ve picked two brilliant debuts from two very different genres.

Royal Blood, consisting of the White Stripesesque set up of Ben Thatcher on drums and Mike Kerr on bass, have seemingly come out of nowhere and, having serious major label backing combined with savvy appearances

 ROB HEIGH rheigh@dublingazette.com

and releases, this has resulted in a significant bit of hype for what is a fairly under-represented genre in the current firmament of music. And rightly so. They rock like demons.

This is as strong a debut from a rock act as Rage Against The Machine’s

self-titled album, Royal Blood displaying a similar blend of bombast and hooks so that will mean it will be ubiquitous come the end-of-year best album lists, and with brilliant cuts like Little Monster and Come On Over already firm festival favourites, Thatcher and Kerr have already carved out an audience set to lap up this and future releases.

Like R ATM, Royal Blood reaches out beyond the hard rock genre and connects by

virtue of its great songs and simple and direct melodic structure.

There are clear debts due to The White Stripes, not just in terms of their two-man configuration, but also in song structures - see Figure It Out and Kerr’s vocal style but RB are a larger, more imposing beast. There’s no room for whimsy when they can launch riff and drum assaults this infectious.

At the other end of the rainbow entirely comes the debut record from

Royal Blood: Ben Thatcher on drums and Mike Kerr on bass are known to rock like demons

the unique English singer songwriter Tahliah Barnett, recording as FKA Twigs. Having made huge waves with her astonishing videos for Water Me and Papi Pacify, Twigs has kept the momentum up for LP1, and it’s a fluid and accomplished first

outing.

It’s an immersive listen, bringing to mind classic trip-hop purveyors Portishead and Tricky, with a large dose of Aphex Twin to keep things slightly off kilter.

Gathering former releases Pendulum and

Two Weeks for the album, LP1 is a too-brief but self contained flotation tank experience. It’s layered enough to demand repeat listening, and you’ll find yourself looping back to the start once closer Kicks come to an end, over and over again.

4 September 2014 gazette 25

A heads up for the powerful new Mazda3

 cormac curtis

One feature can say an awful lot about a car – and in the case of the new Mazda3, it is the simple but powerful Heads-Up Display that puts information like driving speed right in the driver’s field of view.

It’s a feature that gives us a clue as to who this car is aimed at.

The heads-up display doesn’t come with every Mazda3, but the Platinum spec model I road tested recently featured it, and a lot more besides.

Without being too technical or analytical, the new Mazda3 saloon simply feels special when you sit into it.

Obviously, the Platinum spec version has a vast array of features and options far and above the entry level model, but you just know that the overall design of the car has been thought out carefully to put the driver in full control and the passengers in complete comfort.

The interior of the car certainly has a bias towards performance, and I know this is an overused expression, but this is most definitely a driver’s car. From the contrast red stitching over the black leather upholstery, to the six-speed manual transmission married to the 2.2 litre diesel engine pumping out 150bhp, this is not for soft cruising, it’s for taking the road seriously.

Next up is the instrumentation. There is an optimum balance of displays and controls across the dashboard. There is

Gazette

technology: putting information in driver’s field of view

MOTORING road

NOISE

Audi tests piloted driving systems in Florida Audi has taken a big step forward with the development of piloted driving. The brand has become the world’s first carmaker to conduct a public test on an expressway in Florida, USA. The new driver assistance systems that will be used in volume production also include the congestion pilot. In slow-moving traffic up to 60 km/h it relieves the driver of the task of driving while the system automatically accelerates, brakes and steers the vehicle. It reacts cooperatively to other vehicles.

Once the traffic jam disperses or the end of the highway has been reached, the driver is prompted to take back control. If the driver fails to respond, the system safely brings the car to a standstill.

Ford Mustang coming to these shores in 2015

The new Mazda3 has a powerful new Heads-Up Display (left) as well as many other features and looks that will turn heads

no dizzying selection of buttons and dials. Instead this Mazda3 gives the driver fingertip control via a combination of the multimedia commander located just ahead of the hand brake, and the multifunction steering wheel.

Information is displayed on the colour touch screen that sits up from the dash, making sure the driver’s attention

is never far from the road.

All in all, the drivingrelated controls and information are laid out to support fast and accurate responses with no wasted movements, letting the driver do the driving.

The development of the driving mechanics of this car only add to its performance appeal.

Mazda have enhanced steering, braking, aerodynamics and handling,

in combination with the SKYACTIVE-Chassis and SKYACTIV-Body to deliver a drivability that is infectious.

What is more surprising is that all this drivability comes in a saloon that offers serious comfort for both driver and passenger, incredibly low cabin noise, top-of-therange sound and multimedia as well as exceptional boot space.

This combination of comfort, performance and practicality makes this Mazda3 a true tourer – a European road trip would be a dream in this car, so devouring the modest amount of motorway that Ireland has to offer would not even pose a challenge.

I regularly mention value for money when I’m assessing cars, and even though the Platinum spec Mazda3 saloon comes in at €29,445, the level of equipment, of which we have just scratched the surface here, and the overall build quality make this a car that will continue to excite, long after the miles reach 100,000.

Its looks are sure to turn heads for years to come, and this will always be a car that you want to drive.

Enough said.

After a wait of 50 years – the Mustang will be available in right-hand-drive to the Irish market.

For the first time ever, a right-hand-drive Ford Mustang has rolled off a Ford assembly line. The addition of a right-hand-drive Mustang to Ford’s line up will allow the iconic pony car to Ireland for the very first time.

Eddie Murphy, chairman and managing director of Ford Ireland, said: “Excitement is building around the arrival of Mustang in Ireland next year so it is great to see the first ever right-handdrive model come off the production line. Our dealers have already received a sizeable number of queries from potential customers and one Mustang fan has already placed an order for the first model that arrives into the country!”

While the United States is the largest market for Mustang with more than 9.2m sales since the car’s debut in 1964, more than 161,000 Mustangs have been sold outside of North America in that time. In 2012 alone, more than 4,000 Mustangs were sold in 35 countries outside of North America, ranging from the United Arab Emirates to Chile to the Philippines. Ford Mustang is the newest member of a very exclusive club – vehicles in continuous production for 50 years. The car has a worldwide base of fans, including more than 7.6m on Facebook – the most of any vehicle nameplate.

The Ford Mustang is scheduled to arrive in Ireland by late summer 2015

26 Gazette 4 September 2014

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4 September 2014 Gazette 27

soccer 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

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hockey P29

DublinGazetteNewspapers 2014 dublin sports awards august winners

H STARof the MONTH

rowan lester

Neil Brown, Edel Evans, Shane McGrath, Brian Kennedy and Michael McGovern at the launch of the Life Seminars event at Stillorgan Park Hotel

athletics: stillorgan park hotel to host essential event

HERMITAGE Golf Club’s Rowan Lester joined rarefied company last week as he reached the final of the British Boys Amateur final at Prestwick. In so doing, he became just the second Leinster golfer to reach the final of the event in its 93-year history.

Everything you need to know TEAMof the MONTH about running in one seminar H Running has never been more popular with literally thousands of people taking to the roads, parks and hills of the city each and every day.

The recession has witnessed a boom in running with record entries at races nationwide now commonplace.

With that in mind, Life Seminars is hosting what is believed to be the first ever running seminar in Dublin entitled Smarter Running, Better Running in the Stillorgan Park Hotel on Wednesday,

September 24 at 7.30pm.

T h e t wo - h o u r s e m i n a r, hosted by running commentator Susan Walsh, will provide runners of all levels with expert advice in the areas of coaching, nutrition and injury prevention.

Experts The seminar will feature experts drawn from the running world including Michael McGovern, head coach at Crusaders Athletic Club for the past 10 years, where he

individually coaches athletes of varying ability from beginner to international level and over race distances from 800m up to marathon.

The seminar will also hear from Edel Keaveney, a qualified nutritionist and avid runner who works with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, and Jenny Branigan, a chartered physiotherapist who runs Total Physio with branches in Stillorgan and Rathmines and who has worked with the FAI and Trinity College Rugby’s

senior team in the AIL for five years.

Attendees at the seminar will hear expert advice including running fundamentals, training tips and advice, running smarter and more efficiently, optimum nutrition for running as well as common injuries and prevention techniques.

Tickets cost €35 and can be booked by logging on to www. lifeseminars.ie.

For more information, contact registration@lifeseminars. ie.

raheny united RAHENY United’s senior women’s soccer side made it through to the last 32 of the UEFA Women’s Champions League last week, having topped their qualifying group in Romania, finishing off their international mission with a 2-1 win over Malta’s Hibernians.

Gazette

28 Gazette 4 September 2014

SPORT

FastSport clontarf get revenge in t20 championship: CLONTARF gained some measure of revenge over The Hills for their loss in the RSA Irish Senior Cup when they came out on top in the RSA Alan Murray T20 final at Sydney Parade.

Clontarf won the toss and decided to bat. A total of 142/6 in their 20 overs looked a little light but in indifferent light and overcast conditions, it proved tricky.

Andrew Poynter proved once again what an important player he is, especially in the shorter forms of the game, with 60 runs off 32 balls.

A short burst of activity from Max Sorensen and Nazeer Shoukat saw four balls in quick succession fly over the ropes, but this was soon ended when Paul Ryan (3/10) came on and bowled both batsmen. His bowling partnership with Conor D’Arcy (3/9) never let The Hills back into the match and Clontarf ran out comfortable 47 run winners.

hockey: last year’s winners look to capitalise on successes

Hooked on a feeling for new season  sport@dublingazette.com

MONKSTOWN and Three Rock Rovers look set to be the main contenders for the Leinster men’s hockey Division 1 title this season, building on their stand-out campaigns last season.

The former won the Irish Hockey League and the Leinster league while the latter were Irish Senior Cup and Leinster Mills Cup champions. Both have strengthened with Monkstown welcoming 135-cap Swiss interna-

TRR’s Jonny Bruton and Mick Maguire celebrate

tional Fabian Wullschleger and the returning David Watkins to their panel though this arrival will be tempered by the departure of Kyle Good to take up a professional contract with Dragons in Belgium.

Irish international Peter Caruth missed the majority of last season with a foot injury but he is available from the start with his side taking on Glenanne away in Tallaght on Saturday.

Graham Shaw’s outfit have a hectic start to the campaign with a Barcelona date for their maiden voyage to the Euro Hockey League on the agenda in early October.

There, they have been drawn to play Belgian side Daring as well as F r e n c h n e wc o m e r s Racing Club de France

Monkstown’s Davy Carson and Gary Shaw of Glenanne in action

with only the top side qualifying for the KO16 phase of the competition.

Three Rock, meanwhile, have brought in Jonathan Roberts from Corinthian while David Kane has moved from Pembroke to add to the defensive options. They are looking forward to a season in which they will hope to host the European Hockey Trophy, the second tier of club competition on the continent.

T he Grange Road outfit are understood to be the leading candidate of the eight sides taking part following the installation of their new state of the art water-based Astroturf pitch during

the summer.

The ground is set to become a major hub of activity with the Irish national squads looking at using the Rathfarnham ground for training while the club will also be opening up a new cafe, The Wooden Spoon, in the coming weeks. Rovers start with an away trip to Rathgar.

Of the other contenders, last year’s third placed finishers Pembroke have suffered some big blows with Irish internationals Conor Harte and Alan Sothern departing for contracts with Racing Club de Bruxelles in Belgium.

Railway Union will be looking to build on their

fifth place finish in the division last season and have brought in former Fingal man David Bane as their new head coach along with Polish teenager Mateusz Nowakowski to bolster their options.

Their opening tie with Dublin 4 rivals Pembroke at Serpentine Avenue is probably the pick of the ties of round one of the league.

UCD have also seen a top star move on with Shane O’Donoghue going to Dragons, too, while Ravin Nair makes a jaunt back to Railway for a second spell.

They and YMCA have postponed their start to the second to September 13.

Carton House secure Fred Daly All-Ireland title  sport@dublingazette.com

Carton House Golf Club team captain Ger Nowlan was presented

by GUI president Liam Martin. Picture: Pat Cashman

T he team from Car ton House Golf Club last week clinched the Fred Daly Trophy for the second time in a dramatic final against a valiant Galway side when the final was played at Ardglass Golf Club in Co Down.

Wins for David Carey, Marc Boucher and Darragh Walsh saw Car ton move close to victory in the final, but Galway made a resurgence with wins coming from Michael O’Farrell,

Paddy Culhane and Eoin Griffin.

The climax came when Mikey Burke and Dean Cafferty finished all square after 18. An errant tee shot from Burke on the 19th gave Cafferty the first chance at victory, but he left himself the high side of a difficult pin position and failed to get up and down.

However, he made no mistake at the short second, playing a superb medium iron into the middle of the green, and when Burke

came up shor t with his approach and failed to get up and down, two putts were good enough for victory for a relieved Carton House.

Galway had earlier accounted for a spirited Douglas side in the first semi-final, with victories coming from Colm Hughes, Cathal Nolan, Michael O’Farrell and Mikey Bourke.

Meanwhile, 2011 champions Carton House saw off Lurgan’s challenge, thanks to two vital victories in the

top two matches from David Carey and Marc Boucher.

Wins also followed for Sean Walsh, Oisin Devereux and Dean Cafferty.

Carton House Golf Club: team captains Ger Nowlan, Brendan Boucher, manager Paul Mullarkey and players Enda Cahill, David Carey, Dean Cafferty, Sean Walsh, David Travers, Dar ragh Walsh, Bill Hannan, Mark Travers, Oisin Devereux, Marc Boucher and Cian Hutchinson.

4 September 2014 Gazette 29

Gazette

Crowe keeps flying high for St Mochta’s As retirement loomed, the former Bohs star opted for one last throw of the dice with Dublin 15 soccer side, a move which has revived his enthusiasm for the game

ST MOCHTA’S or retirement? Those were the only options Glen Crowe considered two years ago when looking at what the likely last step in a storied career was going to be.

One of a rare breed in recent years, Crowe earned two international caps while plying his trade in the League of Ireland with Bohemians – the first player for 16 years to do so.

Five league titles, two FAI Senior Cup crowns and over 150 goals define a remarkable career.

Now 36, he is still very much enjoying his football back with the club where it all began having got on board with the revolution currently ongoing at Mochta’s.

When he linked up with the Porterstown club two years ago, they were sitting at the wrong end of LSL Sunday Senior 1B but back-to-back promotions, a George Moore

 stephen findlater sport@dublingazette.com

Cup win and a good run in the FAI Intermediate Cup mean he says retirement plans are on hold.

“Definitely enjoying it.

When you’re playing and winning, getting promoted, that’s enjoyable!” he told GazetteSport.

“It might be different if we were fighting relegation, I might have retired a few years ago. Lucky enough, I’m with a club going in the right direction with [manager] Brian McCarthy and the rest of the team around him.

“When I made the decision to leave Malahide United, it was probably the only club I would have signed for; either that or not play at all.”

St Mochta’s Glen Crowe in action for the Dublin 15 club

Crowe started with the club aged seven and is part of the club’s intentions of bringing back some of their most famous sons back into the fold.

To this end, Stephen Paisley – a three-time FAI Cup winner – has returned to the club of his youth while Brian Fitzpatrick, from Hartstown, has switched from Tolka Rovers.

It past of manager McCarthy’s aim to boost the club’s local “identity” “It’s important that a club has an identity,” McCarthy said of the club’s intentions. “There’s a lot of clubs with players from all over and when a manager leaves, they all leave. Whenever I leave here for whatever reason, I know the core people will stick around. It’s nice to do the best you can with people from the area.”

Crowe’s involvement has been pivotal in that, a statement of intent for

McCarthy and Mochta’s.

“Glen has been injured for a fewweeks but, twice a week, he has been cycling up for training,” McCarthy added. “This is a lad with an international cap, who is 36 and won everything in Irish football.

“To have that attitude, to be there each night

been true to his word.

Everything he said, he has produced. Since I’ve come in, we’ve had two promotions in a row so it’s been a good time.

“We were in 1B at the time and Brian wasn’t happy with that. They were bottom half of the table but the goal was still

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

‘St Mochta’s are probably the only club I would have signed for; either that or not play at all’ - Glen Crowe

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

when he is injured. I couldn’t speak any higher of Glen. For youngsters who see this lad and train with him, coming up without fail, it is inspiring.”

Team mate Aaron O’Brien – who was the subject of offers from Drogheda – attests to that influence.

“I used to watch Glenn a few years ago in Dalymount so it’s something else to be playing alongside him and I learn a lot,” the 19-year-old said. “He gives me pointers on positioning, like when he wins a header, where to run and things like that.”

For Crowe, himself, he says that McCarthy’s words to convince him to rejoin have all come to fruition and he is delighted to be part of a club that is going places quickly.

“He told me his plans for the club; I took him at face value and he has

promotion. In hindsight, it seemed far-fetched but he had been around the club a while, knew the players that were there.”

It may be a far cry from the height of his career with Mick McCarthy and Don Givens’ international set-up but the manner in which the club is conducting its business is top notch.

“When I was training full-time, your whole life revolved around football – either training or recovering. Down here, we only train twice a week and then play on a Sunday but, training with Bobby Ryan coaching – who was professional with me at Bohs and Shels.

“He knows the right way to do things and it is done as professionally as possible. It asks a lot of the players but they have all bought into it and are happy to do it.”

FastSport

Ireland U-18s set for British schools games RAILWAY Union’s Stacey Flood, pictured above, has been named in the Ireland Under-18s girls sevens squad to take part in the 2014 Sainsbury’s UK School Games which will take place in Manchester from September 4 to 7.

The 12-strong squad announced by the IRFU was selected after 200 girls, from a wide range of sporting backgrounds including GAA, hockey, athletics, gymnastics, basketball and rugby attended trials for participation in the side.

Flood is making her debut appearance at the UK School Games and plays her rugby with Railway Union RFC. She has played in three All-Ireland finals with Dublin ladies Gaelic footballers.

She and her teammates Meabh Donohoe, Irene Herlihy and Shannen Lane were part of the Irish squad which finished fourth in the tournament last year.

Announcing the team, coach Stan McDowell said: “Women’s rugby is on a high after great performances by the senior team in recent years and we were very pleased to have had over 200 girls from across the country try out for the squad.

“The UK School Games represents a fantastic opportunity for the 12 girls selected to participate in a multi-sport event with over 1,700 athletes creating an experience they will long remember.”

Elsewhere, the Irish Rugby Football Union are aiming to capitalise on the success and interest in the recent Women’s Rugby World Cup by supporting anyone who wants to develop girls minis rugby teams across the country with the launch of a new initiative - “Give it a Try - Girls’ minis”.

The IRFU developed a step-by-step guide and support pack, which includes balls, bibs and cones, to encourage parents, former players, potential volunteers and everyone else who may wish to develop a girls minis team in their locality - even if they have no background or experience playing rugby.

The guide will be issued to rugby clubs throughout the country, encouraging them to identify someone to develop a girls minis team and is also available on the Irish Rugby website.

The IRFU will also repeat its Play Rugby and Play Girls Rugby programmes, which last year resulted in almost 7,000 primary school girls and 5,500 secondary school girls partaking in variations of the game of rugby

Gazette

30 LUCAN gazette 4 September 2014

SPORT

FastSport

soccer: fai and manchester coach joins as u-8 head

Sundrive success for Adamstown cyclists ARCANE/Adamstown’s five riders all claimed national medals at last weekend’s elite national track cycling championships at Sundrive Velodrome.

Roisin Kennedy took a bronze in the individual pursuit, while Darragh Zaidan followed this up with the same hue of medal in the men’s individual pursuit.

Zaidan’s qualifying time saw him narrowly miss out on the gold/silver final and he faced his own team mate Simon Ryan in the battle for the bronze, while Philip Ryan repeated his sprint bronze of last year against Sundrive Track Team’s Hugo Brennan.

Day two started with the Keirin semi finals where ACT veteran Brendan Whelan joined the riders in the only elite event open to veterans.

Adamstown had qualified four riders (from 12) for the semi-finals and Whelan comfortably qualified for the final in heat one. He was joined by Under-23 riders Simon and Philip Ryan after a tense heat two where Zaidan narrowly missed out on a final spot. Whelan showed the younger riders that he still had plenty of speed left by taking an elite bronze medal in the final with Simon Ryan fourth.

Not to be outdone, Simon Ryan claimed a silver medal behind UCI international track star Eoin Mullen in the Kilo event.

The championships closed with the elite men’s scratch race. ACT placed two riders in the winning break with Zaidan taking bronze in the sprint finish and Simon Ryan close behind.

Peamount off to winning start in WNL vs Galway THE new-look Peamount United got their season off to a wining start in the Women’s National League as they saw off Galway WFC 2-1

as Rosie Maguire and debutant Eleanor Ryan Doyle handed them a first half lead.

Marie Curtin pulled one back from the penalty spot for Galway just after half time, though the hosts couldn’t muster an equaliser, Peas making a winning start.

Peamount’s Under-14s recorded a draw in their major league when they came back to hold St Malachy’s for a point

Peamount build foundations  sport@dublingazette.com

PEAMOUNT UNITED have unveiled experienced coach Maxi McCann as the co-coordinator for their new Under-8 section.

A former Manchester Soccer Schools and FAI Emerging Talent coach, McCann has also worked with a host of League of Ireland outfits and overseen the first team at Dublin City University.

He is the latest addition to the club brought i n b y d e b u t- s e a s o n director of football Jim Kelly, and the pair are

currently inviting young players born in 2007 to attend a registration night for the upcoming Under-8 module on Thursday, September 4, from 6 to 7pm in the clubhouse which will introduce Peamount’s plans for the section for the coming year.

The Under-8 section is the next step in the detailed player pathway in Peamount United’s academy system, and is a non-competitive environment based around development of young players and their ongoing engagement and enjoyment of the game.

Lucan on the march United hit seven to go top in LSL Sunday 1B sean Dunne’s hat-trick helped Lucan United’s LSL Sunday Senior 1B side storm to a comprehensive 7-0 win over Wicklow Rovers in Celbridge Astro Park last week, lifting them to the top of the table. Former Arsenal player Graham Barrett, Mark Rutherford (pictured), Stephen Bradley and Padraic Byrne were also on the mark in the comprehensive victory. It adds to an opening day win over Templeogue United and a draw at St John Bosco.

McCann’s presence is a massive coup for the club and one they expect will directly lead to Peamount youngsters flourishing as they head towards schoolboy football.

Ireland senior international stars likes Glenn Whelan, Stephen Quinn and Paddy Madden have all worked under McCann in the early stages of their careers.

Positive start Elsewhere at the weekend it was a positive start for Peamount schoolboy season with

t h e i r Un d e r-13 a n d Under-14 boys recording impressive results in Major.

The Under-13s came away from a trip to Malahide United with an impressive 3-0 victory to their name, while the Under-14s battled back to claim a 1-1 draw at St Malachy’s.

Despite finding themselves a goal and a man down late in the game, visitors Peamount stunned Malachy’s, a side who came down from Premier in the summer, with a late equaliser.

Defensive midfielder

Alex Salvo stole the limelight with a sensational individual goal that saw him beat three players on a mazy run through the middle and produce a fine finish to secure the draw.

Elsewhere, Paul Hennessy’s side are looking to make a big impact at major level this season and are currently looking for a starting goalkeeper (born in 2001) to join their squad.

Anyone interested in filling the vacancy in the team can contact head coach Hennessy on 086 820 1757 anytime.

4 September 2014 LUCAN gazette 31

Gazette

Lucan’s Dowling helps Dubs to Doyle Cup  sport@dublingazette.com

THREE points from Lucan Sarsfields’ Ciaran Dowling helped Dublin’s Under-16 hurlers claim their first ever All-Ireland John Doyle Perpetual trophy last Saturday in Dundrum, Co Tipperary.

In their first group game against Clare, 2-2 from Na Fianna’s Donal Burke

helped Dublin to a 2-7 to 1-6 victory.

Their second game was a tight affair against Wexford, and stellar displays from Eoin Foley and Cian O’Sullivan and three points from Dowling ensured a Dublin win.

The final group game against Offaly was more one-sided, and Dublin won out by 7-10 to 0-5.

Having topped their group, Dublin beat Waterford 3-9 to 1-3 winners with a final against Kilkenny to look forward to.

In the final Dublin went 0-4 to 0-0 down in the first half and at half time were still trailing Kilkenny by three points.

Superb second half points by Craobh Chiarain’s Conor Ryan and

Foley of Naomh Olaf kept the Dubs in touch, but with 60 seconds left on the clock they were still trailing 0-9 to 0-6.

But Johnny McGurk finished to the net to force extra time. A point each from Foley, Colin Currie and Seafra Fitzgerald in extra time was enough to give Dublin a 1-9 to 0-9 victory.

Club Noticeboard lucan sarsfields Many thanks to all the teams who

of the club. If you are interested,

sent in match reports this week-

please call Tom on 087 246 1920.

end. Full details can be found on

The club shop is open on Satur-

our website www.lucansarsfields.

days from 12 noon and Thursday

ie over 1,500 players in action in the

evening from 7.30pm. The online ver-

last week across all four codes from

sion is open 24/7.

age seven to 40 plus.

ing options are also proving very

the recent passing of his brother

successful. Click on the website link

Charlie.

for some examples of recent jersey

Congratulations to the U-13A

football: dublin hold nerve to secure victory

Our jersey packs and pitch hoard-

Condolences to Joe Leonard on

camogie girls who got the cham-

partners and many thanks to those who have come onboard.

pionship off to a good start with a

Our Lucan District Credit Union

5-7 to 0-5 win over Good Counsel at

Academy is now on a summer break

home on Sunday.

and will return on the Saturday,

Best of luck to the junior ladies football team in their championship semi-final on Tuesday.

September 6 at 1.30pm.

There was no winner of the lotto.

Numbers drawn were 4, 7, 15 and 23.

We are currently seeking volun-

This week’s jackpot is €20,000, a

teers to assist in covering the shifts

great boost for the winner after the

in the bar. Training will be provided.

summer break, with O’Grady Hear-

Volunteers must be over 18 years

ing Services sponsoring, and Mick

of age and fully paid-up members

Mulhall’s team in charge.

st pat’s palmerstown The U-14s and U-13s got off to a great

tember 7 at 10am. First draw: €10,000;

start in the championship.

second draw: € 7,800.

Lotto: There was no winner of the

St Pat’s will hold a fundraising

first draw for €10,000. Numbers

Strictly dancing event on November

drawn were 7, 9, 20 and 24.

8 in Croke Park .

There was no winner of the second The Dublin squad at Cusack Park, Mullingar, ahead of the Galway clash. Picture: Oliver McVeigh / SPORTSFILE

Jackies progress to first final in four all-ireland s/f Dublin 2-14 Galway 1-13  sport@dublingazette.com

GREGORY McGonigle’s Dublin ladies senior footballers are through to a first TG4 All-Ireland final since 2010 after beating Galway by four points at Cusack Park in Mullingar.

In his first season at the helm, former Monaghan boss McGonigle has taken the Sky Blues to within touching distance of Brendan Martin Cup glory again.

McGonigle was in charge of the Monaghan teams that lost the 2011 and 2013 All-Ireland

finals but he now has the chance to strike gold at the third time of asking.

For Galway, however, this was a third successive semi-final defeat, as goals from Lindsay Peat and Carla Rowe proved their undoing in the second half.

Dublin led by 0-10 to 0-8 at half-time and in the second half the Leinster champions managed to turn the screw.

Galway had a goal chance early in the second half as Ger Conneally forced a good save from Cliodhna O’Connor and at the other end, in the 40th minute, Peat forced the ball over the line at the

second attempt following good work by sub Siobhan Woods.

Dublin lost Leah Caffrey to the sin-bin for a yellow card offence but still managed to keep Galway comfortably at arm’s length.

And when Rowe finished a flowing move in the 49th minute, the Jackies were 2-12 to 0-10 clear and firmly in the driving seat.

Despite the best efforts of Annette Clarke and Barbara Hannon, Dublin were simply too good as they set up a final meeting with Armagh or Cork on September 28.

Clarke, one of five survivors in the Galway

team from their 2004 All-Ireland success, netted a 54th minute penalty and added two frees but Dublin held out for a four-point win.

The sides had been level five times in the first half before a pair of frees from Dublin’s Sinead Aherne opened up a two-point gap.

Galway led just once in the game, 0-6 to 0-5, but Dublin enjoyed a strong final 10 minutes of the first half to regain the whip hand.

Aherne finished as leading scorer for her side while Ly ndsey Davey and Noelle Healy collected five points from play between them.

draw for € 7,600. Numbers drawn were 14, 18, 21 and 30.

Next draw will take place in the Palmerstown House on Sunday, Sep-

We are still looking for a few more dancers.

For more information, email strictlypalmerstown@gmail.com #strictlypalmerstown.

westmanstown/garda The ladies played their last home

The nursery returned last week-

fixture of the season at home to Bal-

end with a great turnout on the

lyboden St Enda’s in the league last

day. All the juvenile teams were

Wednesday evening coming out win-

back in action too with the U-10s

ners on a 3-15 to 3-6 scoreline. Their

playing both football and hurling

final league fixture on September 10

against Erin Go Bragh and Kevin’s

is away to St Mark’s.

HC respectively (Thursday and Sat-

Training continues on Mondays and Wednesdays at 7.30pm.

urday) and winning both fixtures.

Westmanstown Gaels celebrate

The intermediates are at home to

our tenth anniversay on Saturday,

Ballyboughal on Saturday evening in

September 13, from 1.30 to 9.30pm.

league fixture throw in at 6pm.

All members past and present are

The juniors are away on Sunday

very welcome. Tickets from €10

morning to St Mary’s, Saggart also

(family €20). See www.westmans-

in league with a 10.30am start.

towngaels.ie for more information.



Got a story? we want to know!

Call our sport team on 60 10 240 and SELECT OPTION 3

or email sport@dublingazette.com

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

september 4, 2014

new generation: Peamount bring former FAI and Manchester coach to support new U-8 section P30

keep on keeping on: Glen Crowe’s new lease of soccer life at St Mochta’s P29

Lucan United welcome John O’Shea  stephen findlater

sport@dublingazette.com

LUCAN United enjoyed a day to remember last Sunday as Republic of Ireland defender John O’Shea visited Airlie Heights as the club won a FAI Future Football Coaching session with the former Manchester United defender.

Lucan member Kate Kennedy won the session for her club as part of a recent competition and the club availed of the programme to provide a fun and friendly environment for players at grassroots level to develop their skills.

It continues the feel-good factor around the club with club chairman

John Doyle telling GazetteSport that membership has just passed 500 while, during the summer, Lucan created a new record with seven players lining out for the Republic of Ireland Under-16 team.

With the club’s home thronged from 11am until 2pm with players and coaches receiving top level tips, Doyle said it was a day that will live with the club’s members.

“The big thing about bringing in someone like John O’Shea is it gets kids enthusiastic about football. You hear of so many dropping out from football for different reasons.

“You are really trying to encourage kids to keep coming up; we haven’t seen it so much but you do hear from

the FAI that the drop-out is high.

“When international players come to your club, it spurs people on. It also spurs on the volunteers; they make the club, the ones out there every week on the sidelines, maybe getting some grief from parents, doing it all voluntary.

“Every year, we have two or three new managers coming on board when you do that, you can be committing yourself for the next 10 or 12 years.”

The initiative is supported by McDonald’s which is also the sponsor of the rapidly growing girls section of the club, landing numerous titles last season.

More boy’s teams have also been

added this year, making for exciting times for the club.

“McDonald’s put a lot of money into our girls section of the club so we are delighted with that,” Doyle said.

“We are up to 500 members, have 33 teams; so we are really happy with the way things are going. There are teams at the competitive end and at the recreational end and both are flying.

“We’ve got five Under-10 teams, three Under-9s, three Under-8s, four Under-11s - so the young ones are all coming through and we have a great academy with UEFA coaches. A lot of clubs might not necessarily have their best coaches at that level but we believe kids pick up so much and it John O’Shea and Stephen Rice at stays with them. It’s gone really well.” Lucan United. Picture: Jolanta Rossiter