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

information drive: Kathleen Lynch on Budget ’15 benefits for senior citizens P6

Fair play: Having fun and raising funds Soccer:

Malahide United appoint new senior manager Page 32

Basketball:

Good league win keeps Swords Thunder on roll Page 30

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

over 300 people got dressed up for the Snowball at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Santry. The ball was held to raise funds for Snowflakes Autism Support, and was hosted by Fair City’s Sorcha Furlong (centre). She is pictured here with some of the committee members: Nicola O’Dea, Damian Higgins, chairperson Robert Brown, Carrie Brown and Emma Berigan. Guests were treated to a wine reception, a five-course meal and entertainment on the night. Picture: Niall Griffin

Swords pub venture creates 115 new jobs keith bellew Empire Bar & 115 new Grill set to open Approximately jobs are set to be created on Swords’ Main Street when a on Main Street new bar and restaurant venue opens next month. next month 

The Empire Bar Grill and Venue will be located at the former premises of the Slaughtered Lamb, and is the result of the purchase of the premises by the owners of the Bridge House Hotel in Tullamore.

When fully operational, the venture will create more than 115 positions, including chefs, bar and waiting staff and duty managers.

Cllr Darragh Butler (FF) said: “Not only is it bringing

jobs to Swords, it will also mean that this building is opened up once again and will lead to a big improvement in the appearance of the Main Street.”

Full Story on Page 7

2 swords gazette 27 November 2014

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Burton ‘Social protection record

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Labour’s Deputy Brendan Ryan at the launch of the new website

Labour flags ‘crucial’ back-to-work site

Unemployed pare n t s i n F i n g a l m ay benefit from a recently launched website to promote back-to-work schemes.

The website, gettingback2work.ie, which was launched by the Labour Party, provides information on how local parents may benefit from the new family dividend announced in Budget 2015, that is designed to help unemployed parents if they gain employment.

At present, over 25,000 people are r e c e i v i n g o n e p a rent family payment in Greater Dublin, many of whom are living in Fingal.

Those availing of the back-to -work family dividend will particularly benefit from this website, a local TD has said.

Following the website’s launch this week, Deputy Brendan Ryan

 keith bellew kbellew@dublingazette.com

(Lab) said: “Too many parents in Fingal remain unemployed today and part of that reason can often be the punitive cost of moving from welfare to work.

“To help curb this, we have introduced the new back-to -work family dividend, which allows parents retain their qualified child increase of €29.80 a week per child on a tapered basis over two years.

“T he new website will be a crucial tool in providing parents in north County Dublin going back to work with information and advice as to how they can benefit from back to work schemes that

are out there. The site is extremely user-friendly and it’s name, gettingback2work.ie, is easy to remember too. “[Tanaiste and Social Protection Minister] Joan Burton has done a huge amount of work in tr ying to remove welfare traps from the system which disincentivise people from going back to work and the back-to-work family dividend is one of those steps and I hope it will be a significant help to people in our local community return to work.”

Senator Darragh O’Brien (FF) welcomed the incentive but disagreed with Deputy Ryan on Minister Burton’s performance as Social Protection Minister.

He said: “Any measure that promotes job options and opportunities is of course a welcome move but Deputy Ryan cannot disguise

the fact that the Tanaiste’s record in social protection has been a dismal one.

“There are over 7,600 people signing on the Live Register at the social welfare offices in Balbriggan and Swords at the moment.

“Over 1,000 of these are people under the age of 25 – a group of people being fundamentally failed by Labour in Government.

“T he Budget 2015 announcements are only restoring a small fraction of the reductions already intro duced since 2011.

“Even with the changes announced in Budget 2015 there has been approximately €1.8bn worth of cuts in social protection since Joan Burton became Minister.

“The Government has not rectified its attacks on the elderly or young p e o p l e w h i c h we r e

conducted in the first three years of office.

Poverty has increased by 120,000 since the beginning of the recession. Core social welfare reductions still remain lower than 2011.

“Jobseekers’ allowance for young people under 25 has been reduced to €100. Even after this Act is passed, child benefit remains €5 less per month than when this Government took office and maternity benefit remains taxed.

“Over 74,000 young people are still not in employment, education or training while over 370,000 people remain on the Live Register.

“The number of long term unemployed has remained static at 180,000 for the past three years. Tanaiste Burton’s labour activation measures have failed to get those people back to work.”

27 November 2014 swords gazette 3

charity

Focus: public asked to donate quality clothing and goods

Mental health coffee morning

Boutique’s takings to help homeless  keith bellew

FOCUS Ireland will open its first retail store in Ireland on December 3 in Malahide. The Beloved boutique will sell high-quality fashion for women and children as well as home ware and gifts. Focus Ireland is appealing for stock donations for the boutique.

Focus Ireland retail channel development manager Sinead Price said: “Homelessness is at crisis point in Ireland – since last January, 800 children and their families have become homeless – and there has been a rising demand for our services over the past two years. We had to do

something to raise additional funds and decided to go into the area of retail. Through retail we can raise awareness of the work that Focus Ireland does among local communities and we can build relationships with volunteers and customers.”

Beloved boutique will stock unworn clothing, including end of line stock from designers and retailers, and new or gently worn quality items from private donors. Of every euro spent, 89c will go to frontline homeless services.

Price said: “We have had some great stock donated by designers and retailers but we now urgently require quality

stock from the general public. We are appealing to people who have quality items in their wardrobes they have never, or rarely, worn, or unwanted gifts and homewares to donate them to Beloved... as the funds raised by them will help people back to a home.”

Items for donation can be dropped off at the Beloved boutique at Townyard Lane, Malahide. The store is the first in a series of Beloved boutiques planned throughout the country. The second store is to open in Cork in February 2015.

For more information visit www.focusireland.ie, or www.facebook.com/ shopatbeloved.

Stars come out: St Margaret’s pupils are looking for your help gaelic footballers Denis Bastick and Killian Young, and

RTE presenter Ryan Tubridy joined pupils from St Margaret’s National School to launch the St Vincent De Paul’s annual appeal, We Need Your Help Now. According to the charity, its volunteers will help about 140,000 families nationwide between now and Christmas through donations of food, fuel and clothing. A full list of ways to help the charity can be viewed at www.svp.ie. Picture: Colm Mahady / Fennell Photography

Nurture, the charity which offers supports and counselling for pregnancy and childbirth related mental health illnesses is hosting a Christmas coffee morning at Malahide Library on Monday December 1.

The event, scheduled for 10.30am to 1pm, is being held to raise funds for its frontline critical support services for women, and their families battling with illnesses such as: post natal depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, miscarriage and other related illnesses.

All local families and children are welcome and encouraged to attend. For further information on Nurture and its services visit www.nurturepnd. org.

4 swords gazette 27 November 2014

FastNews

Demand for must-have toy doll causes scuffles Gardai were called to Smyth’s toy store at Airside Retail Park in Swords recently as violence erupted between customers who wanted the same toy. The toy that caused all the trouble was a singing Elsa doll from the Disney film Frozen, which is apparently on almost every child’s wish list this Christmas.

Parents had queued up outside the store overnight and when it became apparent that there were not enough Elsa’s to go around things took a nasty turn.

Gardai confirmed they were called to the toy store as customers fought to get their hands on one of the coveted dolls.

No arrests were made but gardai are reviewing the stores CCTV footage.

The demand for this particular model of Elsa doll is so great that some unscrupulous characters who got their hands on the toy early are advertising them for sale online for extortionate prices.

One such opportunist sparked widespread outrage when they advertised the doll which sells at the retail price of €45 on DoneDeal.com for €500.

The ad has since been removed.

On the bright side, organisers of the Christmas Toy Show at the RDS will be giving the dolls away in a series of raffles until Sunday November 30.

yellow flag School diversity plan praised

Commitment to equality a winner for Bracken ET  Bairbre Ni Bhraonain bnibhraonain@gazettegroup.com

BRACKEN Educate Together in Balbriggan received honours for its participation in the Yellow Flag programme at a ceremony in Liberty Hall recently.

The Yellow Flag programme, pioneered by the Irish Traveller Movement, provides eight practical steps that bring issues of interculturalism, equality and diversity into the school and allows them to be applied in the day-to-day running of the school.

Special performances by pupils hoping to achieve the flag included a choir of diverse nationalities and cultures performing One World; a stencil display of world human rights leaders; and a drama on identity bullying.

B r a c ke n E d u c a t e Together teacher Rosemarie Stynes said: “To me the Yellow Flag symbolises the acknowledgment and respect given to the huge diversity in our school. We have worked together as a school and

whole community to bring everyone together with a common focus.

“We have celebrated our difference and our similarities. We have shared our knowledge and most importantly, we have recognised areas where we can improve on so that we are constantly moving forwards together.”

Junior Minister for Justice and Equality Aodhan O Riordain said: “I warmly commend the Irish Traveller Movement on its Yellow Flag programme. It is so important to promote the inclusion of minority ethnic groups and intercultural interaction between different groups in our society based on the principles of equality, cultural awareness and respect. I want to support the Yellow Flag by providing funding of €49,000 towards the programme.”

Yellow Flag co-ordinator Paula Madden welcomed this and invited “other interests at local government to secure the programme for schools in their area. The Irish Traveller Movement pioneered the initiative and

Amariah Eneh, Abbie Bell, Sarah Jane Dunne and Mohammed Zain from Bracken Educate Together school in Balbriggan. Picture: Tommy Clancy

supported it to moderate growth over the last six years through investment from philanthropic groups such as the Community Foundation for Ireland and the One Foundation. However, these groups are leaving Ireland, and it is timely

and necessary that State partners provide alternative investment to secure its future...12% of the Irish population is of non-Irish national heritage and cultures, including 40,000 Travellers, which is reflected in a culturally rich and

diverse schools environment...This presents challenges and opportunities, for example tackling racism, discrimination and disadvantage, to enable all citizens and communities to participate fully and equally in society.”

27 November 2014 swords gazette 5

courts Assaults took place after incident over €50 debt

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

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

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

The garda said because of the numbness, Ms

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

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

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

Ms Teeling said she

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She imposed a threeyear prison sentence,

which she backdated to February this year.

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

6 swords gazette 27 November 2014

opinion ‘A key priority is restoring living standards for all’

Budget 2015 will support pensioners OLDER people make a huge contribution to our local communities.

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

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

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

Minister Kathleen Lynch

from the brink.

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

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

Often in the immedi-

ate aftermath of a budget, details about measures like the Christmas bonus can get lost in the noise as people digest the bigticket items.

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

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

Working with my col-

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

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

Information is power.

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

There has, for example, been a slight adjustment to the living alone allowance in recognition of the difficulties people face while living on their own.

It is a small increase, but it’s the first increase of its kind since 1996, and underlines how we want to support those who have little left at the end of the month.

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

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

Ensuring that our elderly neighbours can live safely and confidently in their own homes is something we should always strive to achieve in society. To this end, Joan Burton sought to secure funding for the important seniors alert scheme in the budget as part of an overall commitment to invest €133m in community programmes.

This money supports the installation of more

monitored alarms in older peoples’ homes, bringing greater security to people in their elder years.

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

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

Labour has always been deeply committed to supporting pensioners and older citizens. Previous budgets have shown how anxious we are to protect

many of the vital supports provided to older people, which many rely on for their everyday lives.

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

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

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

27 November 2014 SWORDS GAZETTE 7

BOOST Vacant premises on Main Street to undergo revamp

Bar and grill set to create 115 jobs  KEITH BELLEW

THE owners of the Bridge House Hotel in Tullamore have recently purchased a vacant premises on Swords Main Street which they are reopening as a bar and restaurant venue.

When fully completed this new venture will create more than 115 jobs in a range of different roles including chefs, bar and waiting staff and duty managers. There are 90 workers currently on site and many local suppliers are also being used including Euro Refrigeration, AKK for CCTV, Pat

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Hobbs Fire extinguishers, Fingal Steel, Audio Tech for sound and lighting, LES Electrical, and Sea Clean.

Empire Bar Grill and Venue will be located in the middle of Main Street Swords and is set to open early next month.

It is modelled after trendy bars in cities like New York and London and owners describe it as “the place for glamorous, sophisticated dining and cocktailing in north County Dublin.”

Fingal County Council and Fingal Chamber of Commerce and its president, Tony Lambert, have

been helping out with the project and there is much anticipation and excitement about it in the area.

As well as creating employment it is hoped the new venue will bring much needed activity to the centre of Swords Village.

Developments This is one of a number of developments in Swords in recent months along with British pub group Wetherspoon purchasing the Old Boro pub and the sale of Swords Town Centre. This will be welcome news to many in the area as businesses on

the main street have been struggling in recent years.

Cllr Darragh Butler (FF) welcomed the announcement, not only in terms of creating jobs in the area but also because reopening a vacant premises will add to the visual appeal of the main street.

He said: “I am really delighted by this news.

Not only is it bringing jobs to Swords, it will also mean that this building is opened up once again and this will lead to a big improvement in the appearance of the Main Street.

“Along with the recent investment in Swords

Empire Bar Grill and Venue is expected to open in early December

Castle and the surrounding cultural quarter that we passed in our recent budget meeting for 2015, this also is a huge boost for the area.

“I would like to thank both the Fingal Chamber of Commerce and their

president Tony Lambert and Fingal County Council for the assistance that they provided.

“Whilst some Main Street retail outlets find it hard to compete with big shopping centres such as the Pavilions and Airside,

there is a great opportunity for ventures such as the Empire Bar Grill and Venue and other such entertainment outlets to survive and thrive and to bring life back into our Main Street and town centre.”

8 swords gazette 27 November 2014

on the double High praised for Rush school

St Joseph’s wins put it on the map  keith bellew kbellew@gazettegroup.com

St Joseph’s Secondary School in Rush was recently presented with the School of Distinction Award 2013-14 and is the only school outside the US to receive this prestigious award.

The school hosted Provost of Trinity College Dublin Dr Patrick Prendergast, Supreme Court Judge Mr Justice Frank Clarke and Dr Oran Doyle, head of the school of law, Trinity

College for the presentation ceremony.

Following the presentation, Mr Justice Clarke met 50 students participating in law programmes in Trinity College and The Law Society.

T he distinguished visitors congratulated the school’s Model United Nations debating team, who won this competition for the second year in a row. This is the first time in the history of the competition the same school

has won the School of Distinction Award and retained the title for two consecutive years.

School principal Patricia Hayden said: “We are very proud to be the first School of Distinction in Ireland. The award recognises the huge commitment of the staff and the positive, ‘can do’ culture of our school.

“St Joseph’s has a reputation for being progressive and forward thinking and our students are very lucky to have the support

TCD Provost Dr Patrick Prendergast with students at the ceremony and below, Mr Justice Frank Clark addressing the St Joseph’s students

and interest of the provost, Mr Justice Clarke and Dr Oran Doyle.

“We are glad to report that Trinity College believes this network has great potential to support St Joseph’s and students in the years to come and that

it will continue to grow.”

Following the presentations, Dr Prendergast and the second year students departed for a large mentoring showcase in the Convention Centre Dublin which is a prelude to College Awareness Week.

Around 1,200 second year students across Trinity College partner schools met more than 300 former Trinity Access Programme students who worked as mentors at this event and will continue to do so over the coming years.

malahide Annual Christmas market The annual St Doulagh’s Christmas Market will be held at St Andrew’s Parish Centre, Malahide from 10am on Saturday November 29.

Punters can choose from a range of local goods, from antiques at the curio stall, to seasonal floral arrangements, books, toys and gifts of all description. Also available at the Friends of St Doulagh’s Stall will be St Doulagh’s themed Christmas cards and decorations.

There will also be food available, including home baked cakes and deli produce and a bumper raffle, with lots of prizes including €500 spending money.

All proceeds will go towards the upkeep and repair of St Doulagh’s church.

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10 swords gazette 27 November 2014

gazetteGALLERY

Maria Donnelly and Tony Reilly, showing how it’s done, Gangnam Style

Talented hoofers showing off their moves in the men’s opening dance. Pictures: Niall Griffin

Fancy footwork raises money for soccer club

T

HE Strictly Malahide fundraiser took place on Saturday, November 15, at the Regency Hotel.

The Malahide United footballers swapped their sports gear for dancing shoes and frocks for the night to help raise money for the club.

Thirty contestants (15 couples)

competed for the local Strictly honours.

The competition was won by Lorcan Mooney and Suzanna Doughty, who also danced the Charleston.

The event was run by Kevin Rowe Events.

Celebrity judges on the night

Fiona Harte and Andy Keogh

included the FI’s John Delaney and comedian Al Porter.

The Strictly event was attended by more than 700 people. According to the organisers, a significant sum of money was raised for the football club, so the players can continue their fancy footwork on the pitch.

Sarah Woods and Heather Skinner enjoy the night

Lorcan Mooney and Pauline Dooney and Paul Fury strutting their stuff

Suzanna Doughty

Callum Riches and Lisa Fleming striking a pose

27 November 2014 swords gazette 11

Jodi Fox and Jen Halpin

Robert Redmond and Eamonn Kane

Bernadette and Aimee Hazley

Tom and Ger Murphy

Donal McDonagh and Sinead Hanna

Faye McGillicuddy and Claire O’Dowd

12 swords gazette 27 November 2014

gazetteGALLERY

Panti Bliss

Robert Finn and Aoife McCann

Denise Lavery, Grainne McNamara, Sarah Gillan and Adrienne Murphy were among almost 350 people attending the Black and White Masquerade Ball, which recently took place at the Four Seasons Hotel. The ball was held to raise funds for the Irish Cinema Trade Benevolent Fund. The fund is totally run by volunteers and helps people in the cinema trade who may have fallen on difficult times. Pictures: Patrick O’Leary

Technicolour time at big masked ball

Juan Antonio Gomez and Delia Atkinson

Anne and Paul Donovan

27 November 2014 Gazette 13

business P16

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

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

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

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

Busy night owl flies along  keith bellew

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For further information, see www. draiocht.ie.

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

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

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

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

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

For further information, see www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie.

Gazette

14 Gazette 27 November 2014

dublinlife

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

DIARY

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

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

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

and Bord Gais Energy Theatre sponsorship manager Tanya Townsend.

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

Delaney said he was “delighted” to be involved.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Doors open at 7pm and seating is unreserved.

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

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

For more information visit www.pmvtrust.ie.

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

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

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

27 November 2014 Gazette 15

Gazette

16 Gazette 27 November 2014

dublinlife

Q&A

amy gallagher, founder, juices by ginger

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

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

How long have you been in business?

For one year.

What makes your business successful?

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

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

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

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

How has the recession affected your business?

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

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

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

What is your ambition for the business?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

People love to support local.

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

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

being and mindfulness of their staff.

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

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

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

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

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

For further information, see www.mymind.org.

transport: Benefits of card’s pricing raised

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

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

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

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

Leap cards offer transport users cheaper fares than cash tickets

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For further information, see www.nta.ie.

27 November 2014 Gazette 17

asdfsdaf P27 health P24

gift guide P22

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

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Gazette

ARTS P22

Pets let sociable abbey steal your heart

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

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

Honouring fallen soldiers  Bairbre Ni Bhraonain

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She is a beautiful dog with plenty of potential and just needs a chance to blossom into the gorgeous dog we know that she will be If you think you could offer Abbey a loving home, please call Dogs Trust on 01 879 1000 or pop into the centre. They are based in Finglas, just off exit 5 on the M50. You can also find them on Facebook www.facebook. com/dogstrustirelandonline or Twitter @DogsTrust_IE. Treats and toys are always welcome!

Gazette

18 Gazette 27 November 2014

OUT&ABOUT

ARTS

theatre: a bittersweet, human play

Fused

An atypical tale for an alternative Christmas  Bairbre Ni Bhraonain

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

The play runs for three

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

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

He said: “I did the

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now you can control the outcome of a live theatre performance

Game on for exciting new live theatre  Bairbre Ni Bhraonain

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

can be a struggle for people to do so.

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is the bitter-sweet element I mentioned before.

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

“The theatre is an ideal performance space

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

27 November 2014 Gazette 19

Gazette

20 Gazette 27 November 2014

OUT&ABOUT

FOOD&DRINK

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

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

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

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

The place has a thespian flavour.

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

And no wonder.

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

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

in the sanctuary of the Gravediggers.

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

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

One helpful waiter’s

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

Hot flat bread and Italian bread sticks appeared.

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

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

Again, we scrabbled over the last morsels…

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

in lime juice went down easily.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

27 November 2014 Gazette 21

Gazette

22 Gazette 27 November 2014

OUT&ABOUT

Available nationwide Smirnoff Gold €28.99

We

Hasbro Scattergories €19.99 13+

h €159

lington watc

Daniel Wel ir & Sons

Kilkenny Shop Momenti locket From €90

M&S Limited edition clutch bag €47.50

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

candle €16

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

na opulence M&S Per U

Hasbro Heatwave Transformers rescue bot €29.99 3+

27 November 2014 gazette 23

Gazette

GIFT GUIDE MOTORING

www.petalwell.com Petalwell Gift Set €95

er €12

owman cake slic

as Sn Classic Christm Carraig Donn

6

Alex Shop y n n Kilke

Wrap up well this Christmas

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

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

€2 stone h t ir iB & An

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

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

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

M&S Per Una opulence bath decanter €16

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

Weir & Sons Mont Blanc

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

notebook €340

Gazette

24 Gazette 27 November 2014

OUT&ABOUT

HEALTH

the festive season: keeping the weight off

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Email hartstownhelpers@parkrun.com for more information.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

more.

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

5. Try to avoid carbohydrates at breakfast.

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

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

Avoid that bursting at

the seams feeling.

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

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

Then go and smash them!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

properties.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

27 November 2014 GAZETTE 25

DELORENTOS: INSIGHT INTO THE DUBLIN HEROES’ LATEST ALBUM

Eine kleine nachtmusik

 ROB HEIGH

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GAZETTE

MUSIC MOTORING FASTTUNES

3Arena rocks the bells in run up to Christmas

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

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

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

songs were born in the studio.

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

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

the best times are the ones interacting with people.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

26 GAZETTE 27 November 2014

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27 November 2014 Gazette 27

boxing P29

asdfsdaf gaelic games P27 P31

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



Gazette

hockey P28

FastSport dublin golfers to face turkey:

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

fundraising: call for dubliners to organise their annual christmas runs

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

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

Goal chief executive Barry Andrews

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

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

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

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

“Thanks to these men and women,

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

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

world.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gazette

28 Gazette 27 November 2014

SPORT

DublinGazetteNewspapers 2014 dublin sports awards november nominees

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

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

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

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

H STARof the MONTH

jaime finn

luke keeler

amy bowtell

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

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

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

na fianna minors

st pat’s athletic

ballyboden st enda’s U-16s

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

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

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

TEAMof the MONTH H

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

their second, Ulster visibly tired.

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

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

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

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

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

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

27 November 2014 Gazette 29

Gazette

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

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

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

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

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

 stephen findlater sport@dublingazette.com

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

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

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

thrown his way as he celebrated on the ropes.

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

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

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

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

“give him a long hard night”.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Relatively, he is a novice with only seven fights.

Eddie Hearn is very

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

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

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

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

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

and then realised how good he was.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gazette

30 SWORDS gazette 27 November 2014

SPORT

FastSport

basketball: swords side take points in national league

Locals named in Irish high performance team RCD Ladies Olivia Mehaffy has been named in the Irish Ladies Golfer’s Union’s winter high performance training programme at the elite golf facilities at The Heritage Golf & Spa Resort in Killenard, Laois.

The programme will see Ireland’s top 15 female amateurs avail of the world class facilities on offer at the Seve Ballesteros “Natural” Golf School.

Under the guidance of High Performance manager David Kearney, a host of expert service providers in the areas of swing and short game analysis, strength and conditioning, nutrition and sports psychology will deliver a robust training regime to the ILGU’s elite panel of players.

The squad members will stay on site at the five-star hotel and avail of the extensive gym and spa facilities.

Their holistic programme is designed to cover all aspects of the game. Weekend training sessions will take place from November through March next year with a week long session planned for the mid-term break in February.

Swords claim losing bonus against Birr Swords RFC claimed a losing bonus point after Birr got the better of them at Riverside in their latest Leinster League Division 2B encounter.

Swords were on the back foot from the start, and were seven down after Birr ran in a try in the opening minutes. After a period of stalemate, Birr pushed further forward with a penalty on 20 minutes.

They came back

into contention, though, just before the break when Gallagher took advantage of good phase possession to reduce the deficit to three going into the second half.

However, Swords shipped another penalty soon after the turn, and another followed in spite of good hands from the Swords pack.

But they did not have enough in the tank to truly come back and challenge for the lead, in spite of a late score that came from a penalty kick to touch as the final whistle loomed.

Swords Thunder’s Spencer Mitchell controls the ball mid-air during their match against UCD Marian. Picture: SportSHOTS

Thunder battle to UCD win premier league UCD Marian Swords Thunder  sport@dublingazette.com

67 69

Travelodge Swords Thunder continued their rise up the Men’s Premier League table with a hard-fought 69-67 win over UCD Marian at the National Basketball Arena last weekend.

T he win puts the Nor th Dubliners in fourth spot but with a couple of games in hand on the teams ahead of them, Killester and BFG Neptune.

T his was a match packed with compelling

action and a final minute of all-out-drama.

Swords won the game from the free-throw line after Spencer Mitchell was deemed fouled in a mid-air collision.

Marian’s efforts to gain parity with the remaining 0.5 of a second weren’t enough, leaving them distraught at the final buzzer.

It had been an entertaining, if low-scoring encounter. UCD were without the scoring talents of their American Preston Ross through an ankle injury, and set up defensively – Connor Ross was assigned

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

Picture: Ramsey Cardy / SPORTSFILE

to limit the influence of Swords’ talisman Isaac Westbrooks.

T h a t g ave K e v i n Lacey a bit more room to manoeuvre around the perimeter and he netted 75% of his threepoint attempts during his afternoon’s work.

When it came to the half time buzzer, both sides had cause for concern as Swords led but were limited to their lowest half-time score of the season by the UCD Marian defence.

Juan Torres was the Swords player to stand up and be counted in the third quarter. The

Spaniard improvised to lethal effect while UCD were struggling for accuracy at the other end. It took a deep three-pointer from Daniel James to spark the UCD comeback.

T hey surged with belief and when Conor Meany drilled a pass into Neil Baynes for a lay-up, the sides were level.

Mitchell’s mid-air adventures provided the drama for what happened next, although teammate Westbrooks took to Twitter afterwards to concede “No one wants to lose or

even win a game like that”.

Swords’ coach Dave Baker gave credit to his side for delivering the victor y. “Sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t,” he said. “It went our way but Spencer still had to step up and hit his two free throws.”

Baker was also quick to hail his own side’s defensive performance: “We had our stall set out to keep them to 67 because that was their lowest of the year. We’ll take wins any where t h e y ’r e g o i n g r i g h t now.”

27 November 2014 SWORDS gazette 31

Gazette

sinead’s stars Aherne helps launch St Sylvester’s calendar

 sport@dublingazette.com

Club Noticeboard fingallians

IN ONE of the success stories of 2012, S

Our end-of-season awards will take

four-time All-Star Sinead Aherne was on

hand last week with some of the stars of St Sylvester’s GAA academy to launch the club’s 2015 calendar. Proceeds will go toward the teams in the juvenile section and academy. The calendar is supported by Hughes Dental, Malahide Dental Care, Malahide Grinds Academy, Merrion Capital, Carphone Warehouse and Ulster Bank. Picture: GAApics.com

Fingallians will host the Dublin final of

evening will include a buffet meal and

the Scor na nOg Trath na gCeist (The

music from 8.30pm. Tickets (as last

Scor Quiz) on Thursday, November 27

year) are priced at €15 each.

at 7.30pm.

Many thanks to all who attended our

The knowledge of our youngsters will

AGM and contributed last Thursday

be tested against many other Dublin

evening. A summary of the AGM will be

clubs. The winners will represent Dub-

emailed during the week to members.

lin in the All-Ireland final next Febru-

Best of luck to our Scor na nOg team

football: local clubs in action at all levels

will be announced next week.

place on Saturday, December 6. The

ary. Come on, Fins.

who will be competing in the Dublin

This Friday, November 28, Texas

final at Craobh Chiarain’s, Donny-

Hold’em Turkey poker is back in the

carney. We will be represented by our

club bar from 8.30pm. Entry as usual

trad band, our solo singer and our

will be €10.

recitation.

The mobile Blood Bank will visit the

Our art competition, to help promote

club on Wednesday and Thursday this

the Irish language at the club, has been

week from 3 to 5pm and 7 tp 9pm each

so successful that we have to push

day.

out the judging by a week. We have

We had no winner of the Lotto jack-

received well in excess of 100 entries.

pot last week, so this week the pot on

Go raibh maith agaibh go leir. Winners

offer is €3,028.

st finian’s The 2015 Executive Committee met for

form from the website and returning

the first time this week and following

it to the club office.

the meeting it was announced that the

GAA National Draw 2015 tickets are

positions of treasurer and secretary

now available from team mentors and

have been filled. Pat Farrell has been

committee members. Tickets are €10

elected treasurer and Ciaran Crosby

each with 100% of the ticket revenues

elected as secretary. We wish them

going to our club funds. The prizes to

luck with their new roles.

be won are fantastic, including trips to

Membership fees for the coming

the USA, major shopping sprees and

year are now due and it is vital for the

ticket packages for All-Ireland finals.

St Sylvester’s face a replay after they drew with Ballymun Kickhams in the Division 2 league final. Picture: GAApics.com

club finances to get fees paid as early

Tickets for the draw would make a nice

Syl’s to replay after Kickhams stalemate

as possible. Remember, fees can be

stocking-filler for Christmas. Tickets

paid online through our website (www.

can be bought online through our web-

stfinians.com) or by downloading the

site homepage.

 sport@dublingazette.com

ST SYLVESTER’S will have to do it all over again after their Dublin Under16 Division 2 league final tie with Ballymun Kickhams last Saturday ended in a 1-14 draw in Broomfield.

Following Friday’s downpours the pitch was drenched, making conditions difficult. Syl’s made most of the early running with Bryn Redmond – en route to a personal tally of eight points – landing a couple of early scores.

But Sean Perkins gave Ballymun the first half impetus toward the end

of the half with his goal helping them build a 1-4 to 0-5 half-time lead.

And they built further on that lead early in the second half with Lee Fox chipping in, adding to Adam Keogh’s unerring accuracy. He finished with six free from a tally of seven points.

D a n i e l B r e n n a n ’s goal, though, helped tie up matters and send the game to extra time. The sides were still unable to be separated in the additional period, leading to a replay next week.

Fingal Ravens face an Under-21 B football championship quarter-fi-

nal replay against Thomas Davis after the two sides shared a thrilling 4-15 each draw last weekend in Kiltipper.

Dean Brennan provided the star turn with a 2-4 salvo with the tie’s replay with the tie now being pencilled in for December 2 in Rolestown.

Ravens had defeated Naomh Fhionnbarra 3-6 to 3-4 in the first round of a competition that has been beset by cancellations in recent weeks.

Waiting in line for the winner of the tie are Skerries Harps who received a walkover from St Peregrine’s to go straight

through to the semi-final of the championship.

St Finian’s, meanwhile, are still to start their C championship campaign with their first round game pencilled in for December 6.

There is a very fragmented draw with St Margaret’s waiting in the second round of the competition and St Anne’s already through to the next phase, the quarter-finals.

Fingallians will play Skerries Harps for a place in the minor B championship playoffs when they meet in a group two playoff in Lawless Park on Sunday morning.

noamh mearnog Over 250 people enjoyed our chair-

Ladies football. The late Con O’Sullivan

man’s dinner on Saturday night. This

received a posthumous award.

was a wonderful occasion and great

Our senior footballers maintained

credit is due to the organising com-

their championship status with an

mittee for all their hard work. Guest

impressive win over Trinity Gaels.

of honour was GAA President elect

This was their last game of the sea-

Aogan O Fearghail and we thank him

son and we thank the entire squad

for attending our annual celebration.

and their management team for all

Congratulations to all of our award

their hard work. The minor camogie

winners. Each was a worthy recipi-

girls were also in fine form and had a

ent. They are, Sean Madden, Hall of

good win over St. Judes. Our U-9 and

Fame, Shane Carthy, Club Person of

U-11 boys were also in action on Sat-

the Year, Siobhán and Andrew Crean

urday morning despite the inclement

Lynch Camogie, Anthony Brennan

weather.

fingal ravens The Fairyhouse raceday fundraiser

lotto jackpot. Numbers drawn were

takes place this Saturday. Thanks to

1, 8, 12 and 23. €20 to T Daly, Gerard

all who have supported this.

O’Brien and K Kinsella. Next week’s

If anyone would like to contribute a

jackpot is €12,136.

donation please contact Alan Manning

Congratulations to Ian Kavanagh

on 087 065 1219 or Joe Kettle on 086 816

and Niall Tormey on their nominations

4861.

for the Grassroots team of the year

There was no winner of this week’s

for Division 1 and 2.

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

November 27, 2014

thunder on a roll: Swords basketball aces keep up their good form with win against UCD Marion P30

fighting for the title: November’s nominations for Sports Awards announced P28

New era begins at Malahide United  stephen findlater

sport@dublingazette.com

PIERCE Walsh started his tenure as the Malahide United first team manager in strong fashion as they saw off Newtown Rangers 4-1 in the Metropolitan Cup last weekend.

Walsh took over from Peter Mahon who stepped away from the role for family reasons and has been provisionally signed up until the end of the season following his successful application for the job.

He brings with him a wealth of League of Ireland experience while has also worked with the underage section of the club in recent times.

Speaking about the new appoint-

ment, club chairman Don Butler believes it is a great fit for the club.

“Pierce is an ex-Malahide player and knows the ethos of the club and what we are looking for,” Butler told GazetteSport. “Hopefully, it will be a successful appointment. He was also running one of the junior teams and doing a bit of coaching as well with the schoolboys.

“The whole idea for us is to get back to basics and create an ethos from within of bringing through players. When you play in the top division of the LSL, you are under pressure to perform to make sure you stay there and we would hope to bring players from within our own coaching structure through from

junior football into first team football. With Pierse, we would hope to be able to do this.”

Dylan Cashin scored twice in the Newtown win and Butler says he is a “prime example” of what the club are trying to achieve, providing high quality coaching to develop players to propel the first team forward.

Cashin came up through the youth ranks before moving to Shelbourne at Under-19 level and then returning to Gannon Park.

To aid Walsh in the role, the vastly experienced Vinny Arkins – a former Irish Under-21 player along with over 500 league appearances in Ireland and Scotland under his belt – is on board while Paul Usher,

the former Glebe North boss, will provide coaching.

It gives the management ticket a good mix for the club to advance while Malahide’s Gannon Park home provides an enviable base.

“We have the facilities suitable for the highest possible level. Kevin Craven, our director of coaching, along with his committee are putting a coaching ethos through the club.

“It has been quite successful with developing players, even getting a number of players going across the water to English clubs. It’s happening slowly but surely; it takes time to come through but it’s coming Malahide United’s new manager Pierce Walsh started with a win together.”