congratulations
Couture beauty Win Business of the year at tallaght person of the year awards by RACHEL LYNCh
____________________________ @INTALLAGHT #INTALLAGHTRACHEL
Couture Beauty located here in the heart of Tallaght have celebrated over four years of success and just last month salon owner Danielle Millea was not just nominated for ‘Business of the Year’ but also won.
We at InTallaght spoke with her as she told us of her delight at being named the winner of such a prestigious award. “It was a huge surprise to be nominated for such a fantastic award in Tallaght. Just the nomination itself was a huge acknowledgment in how far my business has grown over the last four years. The salon started off with a team of three girls including myself and has expanded up to a team of seven. When the nomination certificate came in we were all over the moon.” Danielle explains how it was her first time to be nominated so was shocked to win the award. “As it was my first time to be nominated I really wasn’t expecting to walk away with the award. I was absolutely delighted when they called my name and all the girls from the salon were thrilled. There were so many amazing businesses nominated for the business category so when we walked away with the award it was a huge achievement.” Danielle explains how Couture Beauty cater for everyone and is your one-stop-shop for all your beauty needs. “We only use brands we believe in. We have the most modern up to date treatments to the good old reliable ones. The staff here in Couture are highly trained, efficient and very professional. We are continually updating our treatments and constantly
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PROPRIETOR DANIELLE MILLEA WITH HER TEAM WITH THEIR TROPHY FOR BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
retraining. The atmosphere here is relaxed and friendly while keeping its professionalism. Couture Beauty also pride themselves in the relationships they have among their staff and customers. “Not only do we have a great relationship with our clients we also have a great relationship amongst each other as a team. I feel mutual respect is the key between each other which is very important in a small business”. Check out their “All wrapped up” Christmas package, which includes a full body spray tan- choose from Thetan or Crazy Angel, Gel polish on hands OR toes – choose from CND Gelish or the brand new exclusive polish Entity – and occasional lashes all for just €65.00 (terms and conditions apply). Drop down to the girls today who are on hand to help with all your beauty needs. Take a look on their Facebook page Couture Beauty or through Instagram on Couture Beauty Dublin and finally on Twitter @CoutureBeauty24.
TEETH WHITENING
OCCASIONAL NAILS
MAKE UP
OPENING HOURS CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR 2015 Monday 21st Dec..........9.30AM-9.00PM Tuesday 22nd Dec.........9.30AM-9.00PM Wednesday 23rd Dec....9.30AM-9.00PM Thursday 24th Dec.......8.00AM-4.00PM Friday 25th Dec........................CLOSED Saturday 26th Dec....................CLOSED Sunday 27th Dec.......................CLOSED Monday 28th Dec.....................CLOSED Tuesday 29th Dec......................CLOSED Wednesday 30th Dec....9.30AM-9.00PM Thursday 31st Dec........8.00AM-4.00PM Friday 1st January....................CLOSED Saturday 2nd January...............CLOSED december 2015 //
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welcome ADDRESS
Level 3, The Square Tallaght, Dublin 24, Ireland
telephone
A NOTE FROM
01 451 9717
THE EDITOR Welcome to the final issue of InTallaght for the year.
So it’s December and the festive season is well underway already. We feel very lucky to have our offices in The Square Tallaght as we got to see Santa’s Arrival, start our Christmas shopping on Black Friday and absorb the buzz around the place. Have you still to start your own shopping? If you have a bookworm in your family we recommend Cecelia Ahern’s latest novel The Marble Collector. Cecelia spoke to us about it being her 12th novel and her delight that it was nominated for an Irish Book Award this year. Cecelia was an absolute pleasure to interview and I was quite star-struck in advance of speaking to her but she was a lovely, funny lady and beyond humble in her accomplishments. Turn to page 16 for the full interview. We also spoke to another star in our midst, the 32nd Tallaght Person of The Year Philip Preston. Philip is a member of the Tallaght Rugby Club and has been an instrumental figure in the club who has broken down class barriers around rugby through the Rugby on the Green program. The man is full of energy and positivity and will no doubt be an asset as the Tallaght Person of the Year!
website
www.intallaght.ie @INTALLAGHT #INTALLAGHTGENNA
As usual we have reviews of the best movies out right now including the epic finale to The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, The Good Dinosaur and Tom Hanks in spy thriller Bridge of Spies and lots more! For the music reviews we have LeAnn Rimes’s new Christmas album (yes another one!) and Glen Hansard’s latest single Winning Streak. As Shamrock Rovers are on hiatus, we spoke to Singing Priest Father Ray Kelly about his year following the start of his internet fame. From all of us at InTallaght Magazine, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We hope to see you all in the New Year.
_______________________________
Genna Patterson Editor
general email
admin@intallaght.ie
registered in ireland 480606
vat number
IE 9706242N
ISSN
2009-4574
proud members of directors
Edward Lam edward@intallaght.ie Riyadh Abdelkader riyadh@intallaght.ie
editor
Genna Patterson genna@intallaght.ie
DESIGN
Edward Lam edward@intallaght.ie Gwen Taylour gwen@intallaght.ie Riyadh Abdelkader riyadh@intallaght.ie
advertising
Laura Maher laura@intallaght.ie
Journalists
Padraig Conlon padraig@intallaght.ie Rachel Lynch rachel@intallaght.ie Colm O’Muirí colm@intallaght.ie
accounts
accounts@intallaght.ie
Photography George Kelly
Contributors
GET SOCIAL with intallaght All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited without written permission. Opinions expressed in InTallaght are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. All resonable care is taken to ensure truth and accuracy, however mistakes do happen and the editor and publisher cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions in articles, advertising, photographs or illustrations.
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Fergus McNally Kelly Evans Paddy Houlihan Susan Perrem Anthony McGee Linn Therese Heldal Kiera Pitts
this is what’s in me
MOVIES
MOTORS
44
58
Cecelia Ahern
16
Philip preston
22
SQ.MAGAZINE
28
culture
76
10 NEWS
50 Music
62 Book
14 HUMANS OF TALLAGHT
52 Tech
We preview upcoming 2016 video games and the new Sony Xperia Z5
64 Writer’s Corner
Sepia Days by Susan Perrem, originally published in Circle & Square
48 Entertainment
54 GAME
70 Business
A round up of all the most recent news and events locally, nationally and internationally Taking inspiration from Humans of New York, we chat to locals in the area. This issue we spoke to Mayor Sarah Holland The Lighthouse cinema presents Naughty or Nice Christmas program, Star of 50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy wins Emmy and James Corden to receive Irish honour
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We review LeAnn Rimes new album and Glen Hansard’s single Winning Streak
We review the new book by Mindy Kaling, Why Not Me?
Colm O’Muirí previews Just Cause 3 and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
We take a look at some of the most recent events in the world of business both home and further afield
60 PROPERTY
72 Sport
REA detail how rising rents are affecting the Dublin buyers market in their Average House Quarter 3 survey
A round up of local and national sports news
NEWS
thousands of new homes for south Dublin By padraig conlon ____________________________ US firm Hines will get the ball rolling on a €2 billion town centre development in Cherrywood when they submit a planning application to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Dublin County Council for a major road network investment for the new town. The company say they will eventually deliver 3,800 new homes. This first stage will create 150 new construction jobs when work begins next year. Permission for 5.4 km of new roads is the initial request while additional applications for three large parks serving the new Cherrywood town are to be submitted in the coming weeks. The applications also propose the building of pedestrian footpaths, cycle paths and greenways and the planting
of over 3,000 mature trees including oak and cherry varieties which will make for a well established landscape prior to people moving into the area. Tenders are underway with contractors to commence the multi-million euro construction project of the roads and parks in spring 2016. Hines is a giant Texas based property company which considers itself a specialist in building largescale new residential communities. Hines says it expects up to 30,000 people will live and work in the new town of Cherrywood, which will have four stops on the Luas Green Line and be adjacent to the city’s motorway network.
Public transport fares in the capital increase By padraig conlon ____________________________ Dublin commuters are hit further in the pocket from December 1st as fares increase on the Luas and Dublin Bus with some paying as much as 15% more. Dublin Bus users paying in cash will have to pay an additional 5 cent in the 1-3 zone area, while the 4-7 stage and 8-13 stage bands for cash fares have been merged into one single band. The fare for the merged band will be €2.70, an increase of 15 cent for the 4-7 stage, but a decline of 10 cent for what was once the 8 to 13 stages. School children using Dublin Bus will have to pay an additional 5 cent each day if they pay in cash, but the regular child fares will not increase. Some users of the Luas service will be hit with increases of €60 a year, although they will be able to travel further on the network at no additional cost. As it stands, passengers with three zone annual
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tickets pay €850, but the three zone tickets are being scrapped in favour of an all-zone ticket which will cost €910. Short Hop zone train fares are to go up by between 1.4% and 4.2%. The National Transport Authority (NTA) have given the go ahead for increases in some fares in an effort to get more people to switch to the cheaper Leap card. The NTA said that in spite of passenger growth in 2014, the fare increases were necessary to complete the restructuring of the fares, to encourage a switch to the Leap card and to contribute to the additional cost of providing services.
Tallaght to develop Youthbank programme By genna patterson ________________________ Tallaght has been given the opportunity to develop its own Youthbank programme in the area. Youthbank is a grant-making programme for young people supported by the Irish Youth Foundation and State Street Bank. It’s also an opportunity for young people to really get involved in creating positive change in their communities. Foróige are currently recruiting young people (16-21 year olds) for the Tallaght Youthbank programme to give power to the youth of the area. The funding distributed by the Youthbank will support projects designed and run by young people that address issues and concerns relevant to them and their community.
top tourist towns in Ireland By rachel lynch ____________________________ So finally we know where the best places are for tourists to visit when they come to Ireland. According to Fáilte Ireland Tralee has been named as the best large tourism town, while Lismore has taken the accolade of best small tourism town. Tralee in Co. Kerry and Lismore in Co. Waterford were chosen from a shortlist of ten towns, with the remaining towns all receiving certificates of merit. Both Tralee and Lismore will both receive winning certificates, along with a €5,000 grant each towards further developing the towns as tourism destinations.
NYF launch Ireland’s biggest New Year celebration By genna patterson ____________________________ NYF Dublin have launched a three-day citywide festival celebrating the best of contemporary Irish talent in Arts, Music, Culture and Live Entertainment. Now in its second year, NYF Dublin has expanded to include many new elements and events for all ages. Running from December 30th to January 1st, NYF celebrates a multiplatform experience inspired by the diversity and complexity of Ireland’s contemporary culture. NYF showcases the evolution of its shining talent in music, design, art, and spoken word over the last 100 years as we approach the celebration of the centenary of our nation in 2016. Lord Mayor of Dublin, Críona Ní Dhálaigh, endorsed the variety of the NYF Dublin programme: “The partnership approach between Dublin City Council and Fáilte Ireland in recent years has ensured the growth
ECB launches new €20 note By Rachel Lynch ___________________________ Have you seen the new €20 yet? It was launched this month and is slightly more colourful than before. The European Central Bank is putting a new €20 banknote with enhanced security features to foil counterfeiters into circulation. A new “portrait window” near the top of the hologram stripe becomes transparent when seen
of the Festival to its position as one of Dublin City’s annual headline events that appeals both to locals and visitors. I am looking forward in particular to the free public events and would encourage the general public to turn out in numbers to enjoy the festivities in the unique atmosphere of the City Centre. Finally, I would like to extend the warmest Cead Mile Fáilte to all visitors who join us to celebrate the New Year. Ath bhliain faoi mhaise dhaoibh go léir.” Participants in this year’s festival will be able to join in the magical candlelit Procession of Light and take part in the World Record Attempt for the Biggest Bodhrán Session amongst other activities. Festival-goers can also watch as city streetscapes come alive with Luminosity 3D animations and be spellbound by the outstanding Spoken Word Festival and Story@work and check out the Love Dublin events and culture trails happening across the city. Revellers can ring in the New Year at either the Three Countdown Concert or the NYF Street Fest and, the day after, look to the future with positivity at Resolution Day. All special events will be announced over the coming weeks, for more information visit nyfdublin.com. against light and reveals a portrait of Europa, a figure from Greek mythology. The new notes, 4.3 billion of which have been produced so far, will gradually replace the €20 banknotes of the first series, which will however remain legal tender.
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NEWS
Tallaght Person of the Year Winners 2015 By fergus mcnally ____________________________ The Tallaght Person of the Year awards for 2015 took place at a Gala evening on November 20th in the Red Cow Pavillion. The winners were announced across a number of categories and was MC’d by Sean Connors and Tallaght’s very own Al Porter!
THE WINNERS WERE: Arts and Culture: Micheal J. Whelan Business: Danielle Millea, Couture Beauty Sgt Andrew Callanan Community Award: An Cosán Micheal Dooley Environment Award: Kiltipper Ramblers Heart of Gold: Ross-Lee Fennel and Simone Hiney Special Needs and Carers: Layton Kelly Sport: Christy Banks (Greenhills Archery Club)
PHOTO CREDIT: THE ECHO NEWSPAPER
Youth: Tallaght Deaf Club Special Merit Awards: Nicola Ward (VISIT), Benny Myers, Jack Collins, Johnny Fox, Sean Lambe. Tallaght Person of The Year 2015: Phillip Preston (Tallaght Rugby Club) Phillip is an energetic, vivacious member of the Tallaght Rugby Club an instrumental figure in the club who has helped to break down class barriers around Rugby through the “Rugby on the Green” program. As well as being a very proactive, welcoming and enthusiastic ambassador for the club and the sport in Tallaght, growing the club from having just one team to the six it now has. Congratulations to all the Award winners and to the Tallaght Community Council for organising another amazing night!
Same-sex couples can finally get married in Ireland By rachel lynch __________________________ The day has finally come, from November 16th same sex couples can now register their intention to marry. It has been a long wait for those who wanted to tie the knot officially on the island and the commencement order for the Marriage Act 2015
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was finally signed in November by Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald. A referendum in May this year saw 62% of voters say ‘Yes’ to marriage equality.
All day Tattoo-A-Thon to raise money for DEBRA Ireland By genna patterson __________________________ Tallaght Tatoo artists Tallaght Ink hosted a fundraiser in aid of DEBRA Ireland on Sunday November 22nd. For 12 hours from 10am the artists ran a tattoo-a-thon to raise money for the charity DEBRA Ireland. The charity supports patients and families living with the painful and rare condition epidermolysis bullosa (EB). Their logo is a butterfly as children born with EB have skin as delicate as a butterfly’s wing. There were seven designs to choose from – four butterfly designs, along with the words “hope” and “love” and the DEBRA butterfly logo. Tattoos were reduced in price for the day starting from €25 to €35 per tattoo. This is the second time the tattooists have organised this fundraiser. Tallaght Ink Owner Vinny McEvoy says: “We wanted to do
DCC officially opens homeless accommodation service for 100 By fergus mcnally ____________________________ Dublin City Council has opened Brú Aimsir, one of the core services of their Cold Weather Initiative (CWI) in Dublin 8. The service is provided by Dublin City Council and the state-funded organisation Crosscare has operational responsibility for the day-to-day management of the service. The CWI is in place to provide a humanitarian response to persons, who are at risk of rough sleeping, with
TWITTER’S REACTION TO THIS YEAR’S BLACK FRIDAY SALES
something for charity coming up to Christmas and due to the success of our last event, Ink for Autism, we decided to do another tattoo marathon but this time for DEBRA Ireland, a great charity doing amazing work for people living with this painful skin condition. The artists give up their time for free as they know it’s for a great cause.” If you would like to support DEBRA in other ways, you can Text BUTTERFLY to 50300 to donate €4. (100% of your donation goes to DEBRA Ireland across most network operators. Some operators apply VAT which means that a minimum of €3.25 will go to DEBRA Ireland. Service Provider: LIKECHARITY. Helpline: 076 680 5278) the aim of preventing fatalities and/ or serious harm from cold weather temperatures. The service will provide accommodation for 80 single men and separately for 20 single women. All referrals and bookings into the service are managed by Dublin City Council’s Homeless Central Placement Service. Persons accessing the service will be provided with a light meal in the evening and breakfast in the morning. Showers and laundry facilities will also be available. A range of health supports will be available on-site, including nursing, GP cover, and holistic therapies. Voluntary groups are participating in the delivery of social and recreational activities including art, photography, music, etc.
@FamilyGuyMem
Woman Snatches Box From Child’s Hands In Black Friday Hysteria
@cultofmac
Apple scores its strongest Black Friday sales in history
@comedyasylum
Guess I missed Black Friday & Cyber Monday, good thing I’m cheap all year round.
@DressBlueDarlin
I didn’t buy a single thing on Black Friday or Cyber Monday and I feel like I deserve an award. Well done. Much adult. So save money.
@ConfessionOCHS
Everyone at school has all their new stuff from Black Friday shopping and the only new thing I have are bags under my eyes
@ForbesTech
In retail stores, sales on Black Friday dropped to $10.4B this year from $11.6B last year:
@funnybrad
I didn’t shop on black friday, but during thanksgiving dinner I said “Syrian refugees” then stole my Uncle’s flatscreen in the ensuing chaos
@philwahba
Talk about a seminal change: online Black Friday shoppers outnumbered store visitors for first time @ FortuneMagazine
@Independent_ie
#BlackFriday falls flat with sluggish sales despite deals.
@DantteSmith
What day does Black Friday fall on this year? I don’t want to miss it this time.
december 2015 //
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HUMANS OF TALLAGHT
HUMANS OF TALLAGHT
Sinn Fein have gender quotas, for every two candidates running one has to be a woman
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MEET sarah by RACHEL LYNCh
____________________________ @INTALLAGHT #INTALLAGHTRACHEL
“I’m from Belfast City, I moved down here about 13 years ago. I graduated from University of Ulster with a diploma, it was only a one year course. I left school with no qualifications, went into childcare, decided to go back and start to educate myself a bit better. When I finished that I went on a six month working holiday to Amsterdam and met my fiancé James, so that was life-changing and then after that we came back to Dublin and got jobs, that was 13 years ago, so that’s us, we have been here ever since. He’s from Limerick so this is our halfway point. I live in Ballyboden and I love it. I joined Sinn Fein only about three years ago and then I ran for elections, got elected and was chosen to become the Mayor and I was delighted, it’s a brilliant job. I enjoy everything about the job, meeting people, being out and about. Before that I was working in financial services and it was an office bound job but now I’m meeting everybody, I’m going to bridge club lunches. Looking towards the future I am running in the general elections. It was something I thought long and hard about. Sinn Fein have gender quotas, for every two candidates running one has to be a woman, so all of the women in the area thought about it, so I put
myself forward and have challenged myself to do it. The aim of my Mayorship is womens’ rights and social inclusion through sports. So I am doing a lot around that at the minute, I was really excited yesterday to go and meet the Irish women’s team playing in Tallaght Stadium and there was brilliant atmosphere at it too.”
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Cecelia Ahern
The Story of Cecelia InTallaght caught up with one of Ireland’s most successful authors Cecelia Ahern to talk about writing, having it all and her brand new novel The Marble Collector by GENNA PATTERSON
I think I have to write a novel as a novel and if the film people see potential then that’s great, but I don’t write them to be films
@INTALLAGHT #INTALLAGHTGENNA
They say never meet your idols, but what of phoning them? I found myself in such a position when interviewing Cecelia Ahern, one of Ireland’s most successful authors and one of my own personal favourites.
Thankfully she was everything and more that I’d hoped she would be; kind, funny, thoughtful and forthcoming. She was also incredibly patient when we lost phone signal four times throughout the call, something that a writer of her calibre shouldn’t have to put up with, but did with grace and generosity of her time for the readers of InTallaght. Cecelia has just brought out her 12th novel, called The Marble Collector and at only 34 years of age, the Dublin writer couldn’t be more excited about it than if it was her first all over again. When I ask if she truly ‘has it all’ (career, kids, husband), she laughs and says, “No, I’d never say that! I’m absolutely delighted with where I am career-wise of course. The Marble Collector has been out a week and the
other day we made the short list of the Irish Book Awards. I mean it’s a really brilliant beginning for a book. I’m incredibly lucky and working hard too, but feel so lucky. I’d never say that expression but I’m very happy with where I am.” The Marble Collector, like many of Cecelia’s other works, has a slightly fantastical essence to it, telling the story of Sabrina Boggs who stumbles upon a mysterious collection of her father’s possessions, discovers a truth where she never knew there was a lie
and the father man she grew up with is suddenly a stranger to her. The Marble Collector was nominated in the Irish Book Awards for the Popular Fiction Book of the Year but is not the first nomination or award Cecelia has been honoured with. When asked if it ever becomes ‘old hat’ for her considering the numerous accolades she has achieved, she is modest and self-effacing. “It’s never old hat for me and I haven’t won that many awards!” she laughs. “They’re always an honour though, particularly the Irish Book Awards, they are massive, and everybody who was there the other day was just so incredibly excited. There was an amazing buzz in the room as often we [writers] work alone which
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Cecelia Ahern can be really hard as there’s not always a huge amount of feedback unless you’re speaking with readers, so it’s kind of this lovely acknowledgement and recognition for the work we are doing. It’s just really encouraging I think and really helpful when you sit down to write that next book and it’s a bit of a boost to the ego! So it’s never old hat, it’s always such an honour to be called up and nominated.”
MOVIE MAGIC
To add to her joy and achievements Cecelia received some more good news recently in that her first Young Adult novel Flawed - out in March 2016 - has been optioned for movie rights by Warner Bros. Cecelia says she is beyond excited about the news as it’s the same people (Warner Bros and Wendy Finerman Productions) that optioned her first novel PS I Love You. “I’ve known them since then so we’ve had a relationship for the past ten years and we wanted to work together on something since then and every book I’ve written since then we’ve talked about and we just finally got the right one that worked. I’m just really, really excited about it and it’s great for the book, hopefully, if they make it! It would bring a wider audience to it and that’s a great endorsement to have.” As for expanding into the Young Adult genre, Cecelia says it wasn’t entirely a planned move. “The thing with me is that I don’t necessarily plan what genre or what market. I don’t think in those terms, it’s not in my creative head, you know, it’s not my world. It’s more that the publishers think about that side of things. I just think of stories and whatever stories come into my mind.” Cecelia is clearly thrilled at the prospect of having another piece of work transferred to the big screen. Another of her novels, her second one in fact, Where Rainbows End was turned into last year’s release Love Rosie, and she loved how it turned out despite never writing her books to end up as films. She explains, “I think I have to write a novel as a novel and if
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I’m an observer so I always say that the things that I write are from experience, observation and imagination so there’s those three different things the film people see potential then that’s great, but I don’t write them to be films. So when they do make them they adapt them in a way that’s more appropriate for film and on screen and I’m really open to that and have read enough of their adaptations to know how things can change. I loved the movie version of PS I Love You and I particularly love how Love Rosie turned out. I thought it was very young and cool and moving at the same time, and naughty as well as being a little bit edgy so I really liked that! It was a young and modern story and I really enjoyed that, like it had an independent movie feel which is very much the kind of stuff that I watch anyway.” With so much creativity and talent as a writer, you would think that it would be difficult for Cecelia to allow others to adapt her work, and she admits to being precious in certain ways, but not in a way that she badgers the studio with phone calls and emails, she jokes. She says, “I think that when I work with someone who I think is very passionate about the story then they’re not going to butcher it.” However there are three things that she expects studios to respect: “The heart of the story that’s very important that people feel it when they read it, I want people to feel that when they watch it, so getting the tone of it is essential. Then keeping the core characters, and you can introduce new characters but as long as the core
characters are there I think that’s ok, and then I don’t like that to be messed with and so those three elements are things I want to stay the same.” Another of Cecelia’s works that made it to screen is also finding a cult following now, years later. Samantha Who? was created by Cecelia with Don Todd, was a US TV show starring Christina Applegate as a woman who wakes up from a coma to find that she was a horrible narcisist. I express my dismay at the show’s cancellation back in 2009 after only two seasons and Cecelia admits she would love to see it resurrected herself. “It was so massive and so popular and some people are only discovering it now!” she says. “It was just really bad timing, it happened during the Writers’ Strike. It was up for Golden Globes, it got the Emmy award for Jean Smart who played Christina Applegate’s mother and it was doing fantastically well, had a massive audience and then the Writers’ Strike happened and nobody was allowed to write any more episodes.” Cecelia says that by the time that everything came back on a lot of shows had suffered and it was a case of whether to cancel it, salvage it or do something new. “And so the decision was made to cancel it and they made another show - I think what came after was Modern Family so… they kind of made a good decision but it was a pity that it’s not still going. I would love it if it would come
back but maybe that ship has passed, or maybe not, but that’s just me wishing it and I wouldn’t want to say it could never happen either but there’s really nothing in the works for it.”
CORE OF CREATIVITY
While it’s sad that nothing more is to come from Samantha Who?, we can take assurance that Cecelia has a lot more up her sleeves for us. But where does she get such endless creativity from and does she have a muse of sorts to tap into for new ideas? Cecelia says, “ I think as a writer you’re kind of a person who taps into other people and feelings and other peoples’ stories. I mean I’m an observer so I always say that the things that I write are from experience, observation and imagination so there’s those three different things. And I have a creative mind, a thoughtful mind, an analytical mind, a curious mind, and all those things come together to help come up with ideas and writing stories.” Noise and other people usually hinder this creative process, and Cecelia says she enjoys the isolation of writing alone. “I wouldn’t be able to write a novel if I did have any banter with anybody! But I do go out to work in an office and there is an office
environment where there are other people around me so I’m not in a cave somewhere! There is life around me so that’s good to be near other people too. But I really love the isolation of it, it must be hard for other writers who don’t want that because for me that is as much the part of the job that is really appealing, to be alone with your thoughts and as well as that you’re creating new worlds and characters and conversations.” Cecelia explains that writing different feelings and emotions is actually quite exhausting so she’s really not alone as there’s so much going on in her head, and that even when she’s finished for the day she even needs to just be alone to clear her head. “It really is [like being with people all day], it’s a busy head with all the characters. No, but for me I like to be alone, I’m a sociable person but I very much like to be alone and recharge my batteries and be me.” Indeed Cecelia knows what works for her when writing but is also interested in how other writers approach things. “More than anything it’s what I ask (other writers), what their methods are because it’s so fascinating, you know, things that absolutely wouldn’t work for me work for other people. They could have all the noise and all the music and which
is everything I couldn’t do. And it is interesting and probably what we talk about the most! Boring author conversations!” A lot of people will think that Cecelia has a dream life getting to be a novelist fulltime, and a successful one at that, but she herself says that writing isn’t just about talent or creativity. “It does take confidence and it does take time, motivation and focus. And it takes recognising opportunities, I think. You know I could just sit there and write a book and not do anything about it. You have to meet the right people, you have to put yourself in the position where you make things happen and I’m constantly doing that. And not everything works by the way. I try lots of different things and a lot of different ideas for TV or screenplays, so for every one thing that’s getting made, there are an awful lot that aren’t. Certainly not everything works but you have to keep going until something does. A lot of it does take confidence and I suppose for me it’s about recognising opportunities and making things work for yourself, making it happen because you’re the only person that can do it, it’s not going to magically fall on your lap. You have to go out there and be active in your own life and make your dreams happen.”
SUCCESS STORY
In spite of what many people might think, the success Cecelia has achieved didn’t come because of her family connections. She actually wrote PS I Love You for herself and was so proud of it that she decided to see if it could be published. She says that it was a funny time for her. “I’d just finished college and I was about to do a Masters in Film Production, that’s the area I wanted to get into, I wanted to be in production, either in TV or film. And so I was getting my CV together to send out to production companies, you know, hoping I could be a runner somewhere or something. And then I started writing PS I Love You, and I wasn’t writing it to be published, I wasn’t saying ‘I want to be a writer’, I was just writing. And I
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Cecelia Ahern
think that’s the whole point of writing, it’s not necessarily about having a book on a shelf. If you want to wake up and write everyday then you’re a writer. It’s something that you feel compelled to do, it’s not something you choose to do.” She, like any other aspiring writer, looked up agents in the publishing handbook and sent it off to publishing agent Marianne Gunn-O’Connor on the suggestion of her mother’s friend who worked in publishing. Cecelia says, “I think what happened is she saw my name and thought ‘uh oh this is going to be terrible’ and I think people thought it must have been the opposite for me because of who my Dad was at the time –that things would’ve been easier for me, but actually people felt the opposite. So Marianne thought it was going to be awful and she was getting a rejection letter ready in her head before she even read it. But she read it and it moved her to tears and that was the moment that she felt it was really special, because it moved her in that way.” Fast forward 13 years and Cecelia is one of the most successful Irish novelists both here and internationally. As such she has evolved her style since
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But I really love the isolation of it, it must be hard for other writers who don’t want that because for me that is as much of the part of the job that is really appealing, to be alone with your thoughts and as well as that you’re creating new worlds and characters and conversations
the first book and thinks that her most recent ones are moving away from the magical element of the first ones. “They are very different and I think sometimes people think that they’re all so similar because they are all about identity and love and maybe the first seven or eight had that fantastical feeling to them but the last five books I’ve written haven’t and have been more grounded in reality. I’m enjoying staying along those lines for the next while.” Cecelia also maintains a strict schedule, writing for four or five months a year, then editing for a month or so before doing promotional tours. She is however thankful for the flexibility that working for herself affords her and laughingly agrees when I suggest that every parent should be a full time writer. She says, “I am strict with myself but because I work for myself I can take a day off if I need it or if I need to bring the kids to something I can. I am in charge of my own hours so I can be very flexible but when I am writing I am quite strict. If I have a really good day writing one day then as long as I feel I’m getting a chapter done at each sitting then I can relax at other points.” For now though Cecelia is on her promotional tour for The Marble Collector for the next two months before starting work on her next novel, then promoting the release of Flawed in March. She admits, “Next year is going to be pretty crazy. It’s pretty intense, sometimes you do interviews in one room all day from 9am to 6pm, other times it’s over to somewhere like Germany for a few days for book signings, readings and interviews.” But she does have a rule that she doesn’t go away for more than two days at a time while her kids are young. “The schedule is pretty intense but that’s the only way it works right now because I don’t want to be away from my kids for too long.” Despite her protestations, it seems like Cecelia really does have it all, and with all the hard work she’s done to earn it, there’s nothing wrong with that.
The Marble Collector is out now in bookshops nationwide.
Little fairies creche
This September saw Little Fairies Crèche and Montessori open its doors right in the heart of Tallaght by RACHEL LYNCh
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Little Fairies Crèche and Montessori caters for children aged from three months up to after schools.
Their opening times are also extremely generous with their days starting from 7.30am and finishing up at 6.30pm. At Little Fairies their main focus is a “home from home environment” rather than just a Crèche. Their team of highly qualified and experienced staff aim is to focus on the learning, development and happiness of your child. The team are well aware that every child is different and although there is a routine put in place every day, everyone is prepared to adapt to the personality and attitude of each child. It is said that children learn more when they are having fun. The atmosphere among not just the staff but the children is fun, warm, safe, friendly and stimulating.
The framework they focus their teaching on is the ever popular Aistear and Síolta, which is implemented throughout the centre. Little Fairies owner Aine Byrne told us exactly why this really is the place for your children to enjoy going every day: “We are all about the children having fun through play and we encourage the children to wear slippers throughout the day for comfort. We have an additional indoor room for when weather is bad so there is the option for them to move around all the rooms so they aren’t in the one room all day. We provide all the meals completely covered within the price. All the meals are freshly made here throughout the day and we do a menu rotation as well every week so they are eating something different every day”. For parents looking to enquire about pricing they should check out the Little Fairies website littlefairies.ie today or how about checking out their Facebook page for all the latest updates. It’s also important to note that there are free preschool places on the ECCE scheme and allocated spaces for parents returning to education on the CET scheme. To enquire about enrolling call: 01 451 2569 today. Little Fairies are located at Belgard Square West close to both Tallaght Hospital and The Square Shopping Centre.
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philip preston
Tallaght Person of the Year 2015 Philip Preston became the 32nd winner of Tallaght Person of The Year this month for his outstanding work with Tallaght Rugby Club in his role as Youth Development Officer. InTallaght Magazine met up with him to hear his story and how he is working to get local children interested in rugby. by PADRAIG CONLON @INTALLAGHT #INTALLAGHTPADRAIG
“I’m loving every minute of it, as I said in my speech, even to be nominated I was over the moon. “It caught me completely off guard
to be honest! I just look at this award as a privilege there’s that many good people in Tallaght that i don’t want to let them down, I want to go and show people, this is what Tallaght is.” I’m sitting opposite Philip as he describes his first week since receiving his award in the Red Cow and his positivity and huge personality are apparent straight away. A big man who has been described as vivacious (he reckons it should be “curvaceous”!) he is one of those people who is instantly likeable. It’s 5.30 on a Friday evening when we meet and I tell him I wasn’t expecting him to be this lively. “Someone said to me the other day, ‘do you ever stop smiling’ and no I don’t think I ever do,” he says. “If you have a positive mindset, positive things happen, it’s as simple as that. If you have a choice between being positive or negative, positive is better, feels better. There’s no point being negative.” Philip lives with his wife Aoife and daughter Kayleigh in Jobstown, the place he’s lived his whole life. “We were
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PHILIP MAKING HIS ACCEPTANCE SPEECH AT THE TALLAGHT PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2015. PHOTO CREDIT: THE ECHO NEWSPAPER
one of the first families to move into the new estate in Kilclare Crescent, I was about a year old. My Ma and Da have been there ever since and I bought a house around the corner from them in Drumcannis.” He has warm memories of his childhood. “I loved growing up in Jobstown. Back when I was a kid, yes it had its problems, it was a rough area and I’m not disputing that but it was also a beautiful area. It was a lovely place to grow up. We had neighbours that would do anything for you. We had men and women who ran different clubs, there wasn’t a club I wasn’t involved in growing up.” His love affair with rugby began when he started playing for the
Guinness under 12s in the Iveagh Grounds. “I loved it from the word go. Everything about the game. The fantastic camaraderie of the lads, the fantastic social scene, it was a unique experience. We had a good team, we had some fantastic players with Guinness, we were a force. I played second row with a lad called Gareth Logan and he went on to become a serious contender in the rugby scene. He played and captained St Mary’s.” His move to attend college in Athlone didn’t stop him turning out for his club in Dublin and he made the trip home every weekend to play for Guinness. He was also making waves with his college team. “In my first year
I just look at this award as a privilege there’s that many good people in Tallaght that i don’t want to let them down, I want to go and show people, this is what Tallaght is at AIT we won the All Ireland, that was a fantastic experience.” As time went on however he began staying in Athlone on weekends and this led him to play with legendary west of Ireland club Buccaneers where he worked his way up to through their teams.
TALLAGHT RUGBY CLUB
When he moved back to Dublin he got involved with Tallaght Rugby club but it was a very different club to what it is today. “They were a pub team who played out of Molloys,” says Philip. He played for them for five years before a serious knee injury put paid to his ability to represent the club on the pitch anymore. “The consultant told me that if I kept playing I would need a knee replacement when I was in my 40’s so I decided to knock it on the head and concentrate on coaching. I dived into the youth section. This was around three years ago. I’m delighted with it, it’s a great decision I made.” Two years ago the club’s Youth Development Officer had to step down and someone suggested Philip should take on the role which meant he would be responsible for getting young children into the club. “I absolutely love it, it’s something my wife Aoife
LOCAL COMEDIAN AL PORTER CONGRATULATING PHILIP ON HIS AWARD. PHOTO CREDIT: THE ECHO NEWSPAPER
encouraged me to do, God bless her she was a rugby widow when I was playing and now she’s a rugby widow again! I love meeting the kids and parents of Tallaght, they’re so positive. Tallaght is this massive entity with massive possibilities and opportunities for every club and every sport and the problem was people didn’t know that Tallaght actually has a rugby club.” I tell him that surely it’s only going to be a matter of time before Tallaght produces an Irish international rugby player. “Well that’s what I’m hoping for!” comes the reply from Philip. “If you come down and see our training sessions you’ll see that potential there. We have kids under eight years of age and some of them are unbelievable, they have great skills. In Tallaght rugby we’re in a unique situation. Up until under 12’s you can mix boys and girls and our under 12’s is actually a 50/50 split, which is quite unique. Our girls are brilliant, they destroy some of the
opposition. When I started back in 2012 with a couple of other coaches we had 10 children in under 12s, my daughter as well. Since then the club has grown, we have under 10’s, 8’s and under 6’s who start from age three. The club is growing and growing. I do the leprechaun’s rugby on a Sunday morning with the kids, no games, non contact, you see their enthusiasm every Sunday.” Philip says the great thing about rugby, in comparison to other sports is “it has a position for all sizes, all shapes all fitness levels. Rugby has that potential for every child.” Three years ago he set up an initiative called Rugby On Your Brain which takes place during the summer months. “We rock up to an empty green area, usually in the middle of a housing estate and we say to all the kids, “come out and play some games with us,” he says. “We just start throwing a ball around, having a bit of fun with it and then if you enjoy it we
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Philip Preston
tell them to join the team in September. The response has been fantastic. Last summer we did it in Kilnamanagh, Tymon North and in Ballycullen. If you can get children involved and interested in rugby at a young age they tend to stick with it. In the youth section we train on a Sunday morning because I know children do have other sports and I don’t want to take them away from that, I love for them to have three or four sports. If you’re free on a Sunday morning come down to Tallaght Rugby Club, come down to Tymon North, 11am Sunday mornings, any age from 3 to 12, boys and girls. Rugby is really growing in Ireland right now, we’re seeing clubs popping up all across Leinster.” As we finish up our chat I tell him his pride in his community almost shines out of him. He agrees with me and explains why he loves his home place so much. “99% of the people of Tallaght are out to do nothing but good,” he says. “People want to change that image of Tallaght and the only people who don’t want to change that are the haters, they’re not a part of the community. This community really wants to build and show the great things. What struck me on the night of the awards was the huge amount of people here who are involved in volunteering. “That tells you all you need to know about the people of Tallaght, they want to do good work for other people. Volunteers inspire so many. My family has always been involved in volunteering and I was lucky enough to marry a woman who does exactly the same, that has the same ethos to be good, to be positive. How long are you dead? Make a difference now!”
THE REMAINING FOUR MEMBERS
PHILIP WITH LAST YEAR’S WINNER MARY MC LOUGHLIN. PHOTO CREDIT: THE ECHO NEWSPAPER
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Father Ray Kelly
Heaven Sent Singer
Padraig Conlon speaks to The Singing Priest AKA Father Ray Kelly about the year following his discovery via a viral YouTube Video and how it feels to record Christmas songs in the summer. by PADRAIG CONLON @INTALLAGHT #INTALLAGHTPADRAIG
Father Ray Kelly became an overnight sensation in April 2014 when a video of him singing Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah at a wedding went viral. The video is still being watched on YouTube and currently has been viewed over 46 million times. A recording deal with music industry heavyweights Universal followed his internet big break and his debut album Where I Belong was released this time last year. To coincide with its release I interviewed Father Ray for our November 2014 edition. Now a year on he has released a collection of Christmas songs entitled An Irish Christmas Blessing. I caught up with him to see how he’s getting on with his new found fame. “When it was suggested that I record a Christmas Album, my innerchild smiled with joy and shouted YES, YES, YES. My heart jingled as a flood of Christmas songs came to mind. I wanted to record them all… There can never be anything as magical as Christmas. A time full of memories, that hold a sense of nostalgia for good times long gone, and for loved ones no longer with us...’
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The last year has been a bit of a blur for Fr Ray Kelly. He has travelled the world promoting his debut album Where I Belong and performed for fans in the US, UK, Germany and Austria. He has just recently returned from doing a gig in Orlando, Florida and still can’t quite believe it all. “To even get to record one album has been a dream come true but now here I am on my second! It’s a wonderful feeling,” he says. “An Irish Christmas Blessing is a mixture of some of the traditional old Christmas songs and then a couple of newer Christmas songs that people mightn’t be aware of. Christmas is always a special time for me, I suppose
more so when your parents are around. When your parents aren’t around I suppose it gets less so but none the less the memories are still there and they’ll always be special. Being a priest it’s a busy, busy, busy time but I absolutely love it.” The album was recorded during the summer, and was produced by Nigel Wright, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s long time music producer. Father Ray spent July and August recording his favourite Christmas songs at Nigel’s studio, all the while flying back and forth to Oldcastle to fulfil his parochial duties. Was it surreal singing Christmas songs in summer time? “Yes it was a bit,” he says. “Singing Silent Night and Little Drummer Boy in August was a bit weird alright but sure that’s what I had to do!” Now in his early 60’s he is finally getting to follow his dream. What advice would he have for other people thinking of chasing their passion? “You’ve got to follow your dream.” Fr Kelly says. “I’ve always loved to sing and singing has been part and parcel of my life even growing up as a child. We were a very musical family. I had my voice trained when I was younger and then I kind of let go of the music side a bit until I became a priest and
To even get to record one album has been a dream come true but now here I am on my second! It’s a wonderful feeling I gradually began to sing at funerals, weddings or masses and it all went from there. It’s been a phenomenal experience,” he says. “Part of me kind of wishes I was 20 years younger doing this! But sure look it I could have been 20 years older when it happened and wouldn’t have been able to do much about it. I think when you get a chance to do something you really love you have got to embrace it as part of your journey. Being a priest and being in the public eye all the time probably did help, so the two do sort of complement each other which is great.” His life hasn’t changed too much in the last year, just got a “little more hectic.” He says, “It’s tough trying to find the balance but you try to do the best you can.” I ask him is there any chance of the bishop moving him to a parish in LA or anything?! (laughs) “No, but I could be moved anytime to another parish. I’m nine years in Oldcastle now, I hope I won’t be moved but there’s always the possibility,” he says. “My bishop is very understanding and very supportive, he has been great about the whole thing. He’s from the parish of Oldcastle anyway and I keep him posted on everything I’m doing but he has been great.” Fr Kelly would love to make more albums. “I suppose it would be nice to build up a repertoire of music,” he says. “I would have ambitions to do an album of songs from the musical shows. I was in the musicals for many years in Navan when I was a priest there. I
love Les Misérables; Bring Him Home is one of my favourite songs. I also love The Phantom of the Opera and Chess, there are some great songs in those as well. As you get older it’s harder to do musicals, they’re fairly demanding. When I was younger, back in Navan in the early nineties, when I was there as a curate there were five priests in the parish, it was great because I could skip off and do my rehearsals and the other priests would cover but when you’re on your own it’s a different ball game.” Finally, Father Ray revealed that he will be donating a percentage of the profits of the sales of this album and his live concerts to the Kiltegan Fathers St Patrick’s Missionary Society, where he started his journey as a Catholic priest.
Ray travelled all over the world to work for the society and he wanted to use his musical journey to benefit the society that he loves. “I was educated as a priest there and I always said when I left South Africa and came back I always felt I’d like to be able to do something,” he says. “I just wanted to give something back. They’re working in Kenya now because there’s no vocations in Ireland and all their vocations are coming from Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. They still have their buildings down in Kiltegan in Wicklow as a retirement home for older priests.” Fr Ray Kelly’s album An Irish Christmas Blessing is out now.
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sq.magazine
Welcome to December’s issue of Sq.Magazine.. Well here we are in December already, and there’s definitely a festive buzz around The Square this month! What with our best ever Santa arrival, complete with fireworks on November 19th, followed by an amazing Santa Sale, it was impossible not to feel the Christmas cheer here in the Centre. We also had a very lively day on Black Friday November 27th, with so many of our stores giving brilliant discounts to you our shoppers and so many of you came to bag a bargain and start off your Christmas shopping. We were excited to welcome two additions to the Centre this past month too, with Thérapie on Level 1 opening their doors on Monday November 30th and SPAR on Level 3 arriving mid November. Both are very welcome and we’re sure you’ll find lots on offer from laser and skin treatments in Thérapie to delicious food-to-go options in SPAR. There are also some great new renovations to the Centre unveiled this month! Firstly the new West
entrance on Level 3 was upgraded along with our Square logo, and we revealed the newly refurbished toilets on Level 3 as well, which are part of our ongoing developments to the Centre to keep it in tiptop condition!
As always we had loads of prizes to give away this month and a whole lot more this December with a 12 days of Christmas prize-fest! Keep your eyes on our Facebook page to be in with a chance to win and who knows, it might be you! All of us at The Square Tallaght would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and hope to see you very soon here in the Centre. Happy shopping,
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Cathryn McMenamy Commercial Manager The Square Tallaght
CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK & INSTRAGRAM FOR MORE PICTURES
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sq.news
Santa’s Arrival to The Square Tallaght Santa has finally arrived here at The Square Tallaght and to welcome him thousands of people filled the South West Car Park on Level 3 on November 19th where a spectacular live show took place with some special guests such as the Minions, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Darth Vader, some Storm-troopers and a body-poppin’ robot. Thousands of boys and girls gathered with such excitement to the event. The magical pantomime show for all the family featured chart songs, dance numbers and some really great gags all
of which were streamed live to our Big Screen on the Centre Mall for people who couldn’t face braving the cold weather. The show was followed by one of the most impressive firework displays that Tallaght has ever seen illuminating the Centre’s feature pyramid. After the live show, The Good Dinosaur Themed Centre Mall was revealed and the kids were so enthusiastic to see the life-size dinosaurs along with Arlo and Spot, who star in the upcoming Disney/Pixar movie and who were projected onto the Centre’s huge sails! There was also a kid’s disco with free face-painting for the kids which was attended by the Minions and some of their Elf friends. A lot of children said that they had a great time and cannot wait for the big day to arrive so they can leave goodies out for Santa Claus. There was a plus side for parents who attended the event as Santa’s Secret Sale also took place on the night with most stores offering discounts of up to 20%. Some amazing discounts were to be had and The Square was thriving with people out to bag a bargain. Also everyone seemed so excited to meet Santa at Santa’s Grotto and the event was a complete success. Santa will be with us until Christmas Eve before he has to get back to his work shop to get his deliveries ready. You can check out the Grotto Opening Times on our website at thesquare.ie
RECENT EVENTS HERE AT THE SQUARE TALLAGHT JOIN US TO BE PART OF THE STORY...
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sq.news
Little Star
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY
DEC 07 DEC 08 DEC 09 DEC 10 DEC 11 DEC 12 DEC 13
9am - 6pm 9am - 6pm 9am - 9pm 9am - 9pm 9am - 9pm 9am - 6pm 10am - 6pm
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY
DEC 14 DEC 15 DEC 16 DEC 17 DEC 18 DEC 19 DEC 20
9am - 7pm 9am - 7pm 8am - 10pm 8am - 10pm 8am - 10pm 8am - 8pm 8am - 7pm
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY
DEC 21 DEC 22 DEC 23 DEC 24 DEC 25 DEC 26 DEC 27
8am - 10pm 8am - 10pm 8am - 10pm 8am - 6pm CLOSED 9am - 6pm 11am - 6pm
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY
DEC 28 DEC 29 DEC 30 DEC 31 JAN 01 JAN 02 JAN 03
9am - 6pm 9am - 6pm 9am - 9pm 9am - 6pm 11am - 6pm 9am - 6pm 11am - 6pm
PLEASE NOTE SOME STORE TRADING HOURS MAY VARY
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It was our pleasure to give the final Little Star award of the year to Simone Hiney from Killinarden. Simone, aged 8, is a thoughtful, understanding sister to all her siblings Jack, Sophia and Grace. Her parents Regina Turner and Vincent Hiney are so proud of her and her efforts to help them with Grace and Jack in particular as they navigate life through their medical and physical challenges of autism and cerebral palsy. Simone also won the Heart of Gold award at the Tallaght Person of the Year Awards on November 20th and attended the ceremony with her proud parents. Congratulations Simone, we are so happy to name you our Little Star this month and hope you will continue to be the best sister in Tallaght!
New Additions to The Square Did you know that SPAR has opened on Level 3 opposite the cinema? The convenience retailer has some great food-to-go options for all of you wanting to get back to shopping quickly. Pop in and see what tasty treats they have to curb your hunger pangs! Also the long awaited Thérapie has finally opened its doors on Level 1 opposite Peter Mark! The beauty specialists have a massive client base in Dublin and all the staff are really excited to be here in Tallaght to meet even more clients. Prices range from €29 and there’s an amazing introductory offer of laser on bikini and underarms for just €65. Drop in to the girls today and see what they can do for you or call 1890 650 750 to book a FREE consultation.
Free Christmas Parking We know getting all your Christmas shopping done in time can be a little bit stressful so we decided to give you all a special present this year! We are feeling very generous and are giving you three hours FREE Christmas parking at The Square Tallaght from December 1st to 31st! This means you can pop in and get all your shopping done without the worry of the extra expense of the car park and it gives you more to spend on your loved ones instead. Happy Christmas to you from The Square Tallaght!
New Toilets Block Facilities! The new toilet facilities here on Level 3 are finally open. We are delighted to announce that the fabulous new toilets have opened in the Centre and are located right beside the Cheeky Money Jungle Castle play area. The toilets are part of many improvements to the Centre over the past year. Let us know what you think of the latest improvement at The Square!
Here at The Square we will be running a spectacular 12 Days of Christmas event, from December 13th right up to the 24th! Each day we will have something exciting and magical for the family and as always they will all be completely FREE. These events will run from 1-4pm every day between Sunday December 13th and Thursday December 24th and we will have our brilliant face painters on hand as well! It’s all happening here at The Square this Christmas, so be sure to drop in and don’t miss out on the festive cheer! See thesquare.ie for more details.
Sunday December 13th Advent Calendar Making
Monday December 14th
Christmas Punch and Jellies Judy (A Festive Punch and Judy Show)
Tuesday December 15th
Hip Hoppy Christmas Dancers
Wednesday December 16th Angel Treetopper Making
12 Days of Christmas means we can also spoil you our loyal customers with lots of great prizes! We know we have plenty of events here in the Centre right up to Christmas Eve but we also have a massive selection of prizes up for grabs on our Facebook page. Each day we will give away a prize and who knows, with 12 of them up for grabs you have as much of a chance of winning as everyone else! From jewellery to gift cards and even something for the men we have something for everyone this Christmas. Remember to keep your eye on our page!
Thursday December 17th Fairy Door Making
Friday December 18th Pinecone Owl Making
Saturday December 19th
“Santa Stop Here” Sign Making
Sunday December 20th Christmas Karaoke
Monday December 21st
Christmas Chocolate Fountain
Tuesday December 22nd
Magical Christmas Magic Show
Wednesday December 23rd Christmas Lego
Thursday December 24th Christmas Cookie Decorating
Black Friday at The Square The Square was alive with plenty of bargain hunters on Friday November 27th with lots of stores offering amazing discounts all day. From the minute the doors opened at 9am until they closed at 9pm the Centre was a busy place to be. To start off the festive day a group of students from The Holy Family Community School in Rathcoole sang a host of Christmas carols in the Centre Mall while raising funds for Concern. It was impossible not to smile as each of you bagged a bargain and really kick-started your Christmas shopping.
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sq.FOCUS
The Perfect Gift this Christmas If you’re buying presents for your loved ones and just can’t decide what to get, we have the perfect gift for you – The Square MasterCard Prepaid Gift Card! It is redeemable at over 130 outlets throughout the Centre and works off the MasterCard platform. The Square Gift Card can take a lot of the hassle out of shopping and is accepted in the majority of stores that accept MasterCard here in the Centre. It is operated by RG Financial on behalf of The Square Tallaght. If you want to pick one up, just visit the Customer Service Desk on Level 2 or you can even buy it online at thesquare.ie/gift-card. Then sit back and enjoy a Christmas movie, knowing that your Christmas shopping is taken care of!
We here at The Square were delighted to welcome Thérapie Clinic to Level 1 this month. The launch of the new clinic is the 14th one and we are delighted they have found a home here with us. Thérapie is recognised as the leader in laser hair removal in Ireland along with a number of other services that they provide such as anti-wrinkle injections and filler injections. Their team of highly qualified staff are on hand to assist you in all types of treatment they feel would suit you best. All their consultations are completely FREE! They also offer an exclusive range of the most advanced and hightech, non-surgical, image-enhancing treatments for both face and body, for not just women but men too. Thérapie have something for everyone and the benefits and feedback from customers suggest that they really are the very best in the business with their specialists trained to help each customer’s individual needs. They also have fantastic offers regarding their payment plans which will suit
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everyone. Whether you want to pay it all in full or spread out over a period of time the team will help organise a system that works best for you. Clinic Manager Elaine Farrell told us how happy she is to finally open here at The Square Tallaght: “We are so excited to be here in The Square. We have been inundated with calls and enquiries from excited clients waiting on our arrival. We have had an amazing response and hope to make a big impact here in The Square Tallaght.” Thérapie Clinic believes in achieving optimal and visible results for all their clients. They pride themselves on being the innovation in the industry. Their objective is to educate, pamper and indulge their clients with their unique integrated approach. Call in today and meet the team and avail of a FREE consultation!
sq.fashion
by Kiera (justthefwordblog)
________________________ It is almost that time of year again when we wait patiently for the jolly man in the red suit. After all the gifts have been opened and the turkey has been eaten, there is only one thing left on everyone’s mind – New Year’s Eve. The night where we celebrate the year gone by and welcome in the new one to come, a night where glitter and glamour is almost mandatory, a chance to get the glad rags on and come together with our loved ones in a spectacular fashion. However, there is always the age-old dilemma of what to wear. Well fear not, as The Square Tallaght has you covered. Celebrating its 25th Birthday this year, the Centre has had no problems keeping up with the fashions! Here we show you a range of New Years-appropriate looks, some for him and some for her. Whether it’s a night in the local or spent spinning around a ballroom dance floor, there is something for everyone. Our chosen looks for this feature come from two great stores in The Square and both stores cater for ladies and gents alike – Debenhams and DV8 house
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a huge range of brands with so much choice and variety. It’s a one-stop shop for all you need this New Year’s Eve. Take the stress out of party dressing with top to toe fashions from both DV8 and Debenhams. We have a strong theme running through the looks for the ladies here – classic black glamour paired with the glitz and glitter of metallic golds. The outfits are rich in both detail and texture while still being extremely wearable. If you can’t do metallics on New Year’s Eve, when can you? For the gents the looks range from smart casual right up to formal wear. The inspiration of traditional ‘Grandad-chic’ got an update for today’s man with some great mix and match pieces for wherever your plans take you. The fabulous backdrop for the shoot came courtesy of The Red Cow Moran Hotel’s The Loft. The glamorous contemporary design of the room complemented the high-fashion looks perfectly. Get inspired and shop for your New Year’s here at the The Square Tallaght. Then all you have to decide is where you’ll be as the clock strikes 12! This shoot was styled by Kiera, a fashion blogger from Tallaght. See more from Kiera by searching Just The F Word on Facebook or by visiting justthefwordblog.blogspot.com
Featuring
DV8 Debenhams Hair
Style Club Make up
Benefit Styling
Kiera Pitts Photography
Sebastian Felisiak Models
Kelly Evans Daniel Lengyel Shoot Location
The Red Cow Moran Hotel and The Loft Red Cow Inn
Daniel
Suit Jacket €116 (Debenhams) Suit Pants €62 (Debenhams) Shirt €22.50 (Debenhams) Tie €29 (Debenhams) Tan Brogues €89.95 (DV8) Kelly
Dress €98 (Debenhams) Bag €28 (Debenhams)
sq.fashion
Kelly
Black Top €39.99 (DV8) Metallic Skirt €37.95 (DV8) Necklace €11.70 (DV8) Gold Shoes €39.95 (Debenhams) Daniel
Denim Shirt €115 (DV8) Chinos €47.99 (DV8) Boots €129.99 (DV8)
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Kelly
Fur Collar Coat €74.99 (DV8) Black Top €39.99 (DV8) Necklace €11.70 (DV8)
december 2015 //
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sq.fashion
Kelly
Cross Over Skater Dress €44.99 (DV8) Black Shoes €39.95 (DV8)
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Daniel
Waistcoat €49.95 (DV8) Shirt €42.95 (DV8) Jeans €49.95 (DV8)
december 2015 //
// 39
sq.fashion
Daniel
Coat €79.99 (DV8) Chinos €47.99 (DV8) Boots €129.99 (DV8)
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Kelly
Jumpsuit €42 (Debenhams) Bag €28 (Debenhams)
Daniel
Cardigan €37.50 (Debenhams) Slacks €62 (Debenhams) Shirt €42.95 (DV8)
CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK & YOUTUBE FOR BEHIND THE SCENES
december 2015 //
// 41
MOVIES
Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 2 by genna patterson @INTALLAGHT #INTALLAGHTGENNA
___________________________ The final instalment of the Hunger Games; Mockingjay Part 2 is finally here.
For fans of the franchise, we finally get to see how the dystopian world of Panem fairs against the rebels led by Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence). Considering Part 1 was a dreary slow burner, Part 2 is a lot more exciting, although does start out quite slowly itself. As the rebels try to unite all the districts to fight against the city and President Snow (Donald Sutherland), Katniss struggles to gain the trust of a previously brainwashed Peeta (Josh Hutcherson). Tired of waiting for something to happen in base camp, she stows away in a medical supply plane to join the front line and fight with her fellow victors and best friend Gale( Liam Hemsworth). All the major players from the previous movies are there including Woody Harrelson as Haymitch, Elizabeth Banks as Effie and of course, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch, despite having died eight days before the end of the 55-day production schedule. While it’s clear that some scenes are digitally edited to include him, it does add an edge of sadness to the film, being the last movie he ever made before his drug overdose. Mockingjay Part 2 does give fans the closure they want, but with an unlikely twist reminiscent of George Orwell’s
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Animal Farm. If you’ve come this far and watched all of the movies, you might as well finish it, but if the franchise is new to you, you’ll be lost following Mockingjay Part 2. As the very first Hunger Games movie was my favourite to date, this movie was sort of anti climax, however still worth seeing for some freaky extra ‘games’ in the Capital.
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release date: OUT NOW
Considering Part 1 was a dreary slow burner, Part 2 is a lot more exciting, although does start out quite slowly itself
THE GOOD DINOSAUR by RACHEL LYNCh
__________________________ @INTALLAGHT #INTALLAGHTRACHEL
Judging by the hype, The Good Dinosaur is set to be one of the big ones this Christmas and it certainly won’t disappoint.
When Pixar and Disney come together you know you’re going to get something special. Yes it’s a childrens’ film, but it will capture the hearts of young and old with a storyline that all ages can relate to. The story begins following the life of a young Apatosaurus named Arlo in an alternate world where dinosaurs were not wiped out. Arlo has always been a shy dinosaur who stayed away from trouble and adventure as his father (Jeffrey Wright) was whipped out by the river tide beside their home and died. However one day Arlo finds himself back at the same spot, falls into the river and gets knocked out by a rock, waking to find himself far away from his home. Alone and afraid Arlo must forget all his fears and try to get back to his mother (Frances McDormand) and siblings back at the Clawed-Tooth Mountain. His quest to get home sees him befriend a human caveboy whom he names Spot. Together, the unlikely duo embark on an epic
adventure to reunite Arlo with his beloved family. This film will see you laugh out loud and shed a few tears too. It’s a typical heartwarming film that you would expect from the likes of Disney and Pixar but they do it so well that I feel I could watch this one over and over again without ever getting bored. This is one for the whole family to enjoy this Christmas!
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release date: OUT NOW
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MOVIES
Carol by colm o’muirí
___________________ @INTALLAGHT #INTALLAGHTCOLM
Carol is a movie which is based on the Patricia Highsmith novel The Price of Salt and stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. The film follows Therese Belivet, a young American woman who works in a toy department store in New York. Belivet, portrayed by Rooney Mara, dreams of becoming a photographer who is planning a trip to Europe with her fiancée Richard (Jake Lacy). Whilst working in the lead up to Christmas Belivet serves Carol Aird (Blanchett), a well-todo married woman who purchases a train set for her daughter for Christmas. Carol accidentally leaves her set of gloves behind her on the counter in the department store. Upon returning the gloves the two women embark on a friendship that both women’s partners don’t
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approve of. Carol’s husband Harge, portrayed by Kyle Chandler, is suspicious of his wife’s intentions from the beginning while Richard is more obsessed with planning the couples’ trip to Europe, until he realises that Therese’s head has been turned by her new friend. The movie can be quite slow at times especially at the beginning although it comes alive as the two women embark on a road trip to Chicago. With some interesting twists and turns throughout the film and a stellar cameo appearance from Cory Michael Smith, known for his role as the Riddler in the Gotham TV series, being the highlight of the movie. Carol was an enjoyable movie with some great performances especially from Cate Blanchett who puts in a stellar performance as the older, married woman desperate to move her life in another direction to the one that she is currently living in the shadows.
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release date: OUT NOW
Bridge of Spies by RACHEL LYNCh @INTALLAGHT #INTALLAGHTRACHEL
___________________ As soon as I heard Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks were to reunite again I knew I was in for a treat.
This latest entertaining Cold War spy film won’t excite you with the plot but that’s ok because the film itself will do enough to see you give it a decent review. Tom Hanks takes on the role of James Donovan, a decent Irish-American lawyer who finds himself caught up in the troubles of the Soviet/USA state intelligence, during a time when relations between the two seemed at boiling point.
So have I caught your attention yet? No? Well don’t worry believe me when I say this is a film not to be missed this Christmas. Hanks pulls out a superb performance and Spielberg as we all know can tell a story like no other. The intensity of the last hour along with a plot that sees the story change from minute to minute will see you sympathising with the men forced to do a difficult job in such a dark period of history. This true story will see you leaving the cinema wanting to know more about the Cold War and I say that as someone with very little interest in the topic myself!
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CHRISTMAS WITH THE COOPERS by genna patterson
___________________ @INTALLAGHT #INTALLAGHTGENNA
Victor Frankenstein by colm o’muirí
___________________ @INTALLAGHT #INTALLAGHTCOLM
This science fiction horror film takes inspiration from the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley novel Frankenstein, also known as The Modern Prometheus.
The film begins with Igor, (Daniel Radcliffe) stuck in a circus as a clown with a fascination with medicine, who also acts as the circus doctor. One night the trapeze artist known as Lorelei, (Jessica Brown Findlay), who is the one bright spark in Igor’s life has a fall during her act. Victor Frankenstein, played by James McAvoy, is in the audience and both he and Igor try to save the woman’s life. Surprised by the hunchback’s knowledge about the human body Victor plans to rescue Igor from the circus and enlists his help trying to build little
experiments, but with an end goal which Igor is not aware of. Irish Actor Andrew Scott, known mostly for his brilliant portrayal of Moriarty in the hit BBC drama series Sherlock appears in the film as Inspector Turpin. The Inspector is tracking a man who is stealing animal parts and believes that Victor and Igor are his main culprits, who have something sinister and unholy planned. McAvoy and Radcliffe have a great onscreen chemistry together which is one of the more enjoyable aspects of the film. Although not a terrible film, it’s not great either with a lot of the better parts of the film coming in the first half of the movie. The escape from the circus and Victor trying to cure Igor of his hunchback are the best parts of Victor Frankenstein which is essentially a reimagining of a well-known story played out like a buddy cop film that ultimately comes up short in the end.
Christmas with the Coopers is an uplifting, funny, sweet and emotional family movie that will certainly get you in the holiday mood. With an all star cast (including Steve Martin as the narrator/family dog) there’s no doubt this will be a classic Christmas movie for years to come. One of the reasons this movie is so relatable is it shows just how dysfunctional families can be, especially at Christmastime when all are forced together to interact. Parents Charlotte (Diane Keaton) and Sam (John Goodman) are hosting Christmas, for what they plan to be the last time, because they are breaking up.
Meanwhile their son Hank (Ed Helms) is managing his own impending divorce and losing his job. Hank’s sons too have their own issues while dealing with their parents separation. Add to that his sister Eleanor (Olivia Wilde) is afraid to come home single yet again and so when she meets a soldier Joe (Jake Lacy) at the airport, decides he might be the answer to her problems. The trouble doesn’t end there with Charlotte’s sister Emma (Marisa Tomei) and father Bucky (Alan Arkin) having their own issues with loneliness. As you can see the movie shows the utter chaos that family life can bring, especially during the holidays. Christmas with the Coopers is a touching and sweet movie that really put me in the mood for Christmas. It may be sentimental and a little cheesy, but there’s nothing wrong with that at this time of the year!
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release date: OUT NOW
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release date: OUT NOW
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ENTERTAINMENT
Quentin Tarantino and composer Ennio Morricone collaborate on The Hateful Eight by Padraig conlon ________________________
Matt Damon visits Dublin City By rachel lynch ____________________________ Has anyone managed to bump into Academy Award-winning actor Matt Damon on the streets of Dublin? If not well then you aren’t looking in the right places. He certainly made the most of his trip to Ireland, not least by enjoying a U2 gig in Dublin’s 3Arena on November 29th. Bono announced to the crowd that both Matt Damon and Castleknock native Colin Farrell were amongst the fans listening to the band. Damon spent some of his time in Dublin hanging out with Kodaline frontman Steve Garrigan and his girlfriend, TV presenter Diana Bunici.
Iveagh Gardens gigs for July 2016 by genna patterson ________________________ Aiken Promotions have revealed two acts for next year’s Iveagh Gardens gigs. American singer/ songwriter John Grant will play on July 9th and tickets priced €40 were on sale from Thursday November 19th from ticketmaster.ie and outlets nationwide. Also playing the gardens are Wilco on July 10th with tickets priced €50 on sale from Friday November 20th from ticketmaster.ie and outlets nationwide.
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Adele To Play Dublin Next year By fergus mcnally ____________________________ Adele fans have received an early Christmas Present with the news that the icon is going on the road and will be playing in Dublin and Belfast next February and March. It’s Adele’s first time on tour in four years. She last played Dublin’s Olympia Theatre in 2011 following the release of the album 21. The decision to go on tour isn’t an easy one as Adele has often spoken about her trouble with stage fright. Speaking in America when promoting her new album, she said: “I get so nervous with live performances that I’m too frightened to try anything new. It’s actually getting worse. Or it’s just not getting better, so I feel like it’s getting worse, because it should’ve gotten better by now.” Adele will kick off her tour with two nights in Belfast on February 29th and March 1st and then she plays two further night’s at Dublin’s 3Arena on March 4th and 5th. Advance tickets sales began on Tuesday, December 1th on adele. com with general tickets going on sale on Friday, December 4th. A perfect stocking filler for the Adele fan in your life!
Decca Records have announced the release of Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight soundtrack ahead of the release of the movie in December. The album features original compositions from worldrenowned, award-winning Italian composer Ennio Morricone. While Tarantino is a lifelong fan of Morricone’s work and has used his music in his past five films, this historic collaboration marks the first time Morricone has recorded an original score specifically for one of Tarantino’s films. It is also the first time Morricone has scored a Western film in over 40 years, since the release of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. In The Hateful Eight, set six, eight or twelve years after the Civil War two stagecouch passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and fugitive Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known as “The Hangman,” will bring Daisy to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), a black former Union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), a southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new sheriff. The soundtrack will be available for purchase on CD, vinyl, and at digital retail worldwide via Decca Records on December 18th, 2015. The Hateful Eight film will be released on December 25th, 2015.
Star of 50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy wins Emmy By genna patterson ____________________________ Baz Ashmawy’s Mammy Nancy and star of 50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy was awarded an Emmy on November 23rd in New York. The show was nominated and won the Best Non-Scripted
Entertainment award at the 67th Gala ceremony. According to RTÉ, Baz and Nancy celebrated by going for chicken wings in an Irish bar. Baz spoke to The Ryan Tubridy Show on RTÉ Radio 1 about the win: “She [Nancy] put it very well, she said as soon as they mentioned that 50 Ways To Kill Your Mammy was the one that won, she said she didn’t remember anything, that it was like floating. Then we went up onto the stage and said words and spoke to a crowd of very sophisticated television people from all around the world, and she nailed it, I’m just so proud of her to be honest.” 50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy is in its second season and broadcasts on Sky.
@AOMTHECAT
Another year where I didn’t win the competition. Stick your toys up your *rse Tubs
@JOEdotie
Tubs driving it like he stole it doing hand brakers and donuts around the floor. Guards on route
@dailyedge
James Corden to receive Irish honour by rachel lynch ________________________ This year the 11th annual Oscar Wilde Awards will see British actor and TV star James Corden honoured in recognition of his contribution to film and television It was surprising news to hear Corden was to be chosen as the award is usually given to entertainers with an Irish background. The 37 year old was selected by members of the USIreland Alliance. Speaking about the Gavin and Stacey star US-Ireland Alliance president Trina Vargo said: “He deserves to be our ‘honorary Irishman’ this year just on the basis of the courage it takes to perform with some of the finest Irish dancers in the world.” Previous honourees include Colin Farrell, Saoirse Ronan, Brendan Gleeson and Van Morrison. The Oscar Wilde awards will once again be hosted by J.J. Abrams on February 25th, the night before the Academy Awards.
THIS IS HOW TWITTER REACTED TO THIS YEAR’S #LATELATETOYSHOW
Are we high on sugar or did Ryan get the audience to chant “HAVE IT NOW” at a pregnant woman?
@AliceDiver
“Uh I want a drone” “You want Joan? Well we’ve a surprise for you Cathal” *Joan Burton emerges*
The Lighthouse cinema presents Naughty or Nice Christmas Program By genna patterson ____________________________ The Lighthouse Cinema in Smithfield is renowned for its festive programme of events and this year is no different. This year, the theme is Naughty or Nice, and The Lighthouse are offering all the classics but with a bonus Tim Burton duo (Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas) to ease you into festivities. So whether you’re feeling naughty (beer and Die Hard) or nice (candy canes and Elf) or somewhere in between (mulled wine, mince pies and It’s a Wonderful Life), we’ve got you covered. Tickets and a full list of our Naughty or Nice Season of Films can be found at lighthousecinema.ie
@RyanCullen90
“How was the #LateLateToyShow?” “It was cool until Tubridy attacked some kid in a wheelchair”
@lauraannenolan
Tubridy is your uncle who gets locked at weddings and flips your aunties over on the dance floor
@AndrewLowth1
They should have everyone on Gogglebox in the UK watch #LateLateToyShow. The scenes!
@IITZPHILIP
‘Sorry Mate go get yourself a coffee and try later’ Tubridy trying to get into copper face Jack’s right now
@gay_byrne
Well done Ryan. Excellent show #LateLateToyShow
@louiseknees
Funny, bizarre, live, unique, touching, Irish. #LateLateToyShow
@DylannD94
Tv license set to increase by 5% to cover the mountains of coke Ryan took to get through that #LateLateToyShow
december 2015 //
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MUSIC
Overall I think that the self-penned tunes clearly stand out on this album and more original songs would have been very welcome in-between all the carols LeAnn Rimes Today is Christmas by linn therese heldal
___________________________ @INTALLAGHT #INTALLAGHTLINN
Is she country or is she pop? It’s hard to tell, but she sure is Christmassy.
LeAnn Rimes decided that it’s never too soon to get into the holiday cheer and released her third selection of Christmas anthems in mid-October. As she puts it herself: “I try to remain in the Christmas spirit all year long, so I am hoping my fans will be right there with me - singing all the way into the New Year.” Her first holiday album was the jazz inspired What a Wonderful World, which was released in 2004. The EP, One Christmas: Chapter 1, which consists of six covers, was released in 2014, celebrating that it was a decade since last time. And now, only a year later, she is out with a full-blown Christmas album, which declares that Today is Christmas. The album, which contains ten old festive favorites and two original songs,
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opens with the jazzy, upbeat title track. Today is Christmas has a bustling atmosphere and with horns, organ and a warm sound, it’s a flirty and charming tune. It’s a typical cheesy Christmas song and could be in the running for the Christmas No.1 this year. The message is that we should take the love, warmth and giving feelings we have around Christmas times with us into our everyday life the rest of the year and not narrow it down to the festive season. It is follows up with a slower version of the classic We Need a Little Christmas and Ray Charles’ That Spirit of Christmas, which she sings as a duet with the I Need A Dollar and Wake Me Up super hip hopper Aloe Blacc. Unfortunately it’s not very calming to listen to, both Blacc’s and Rime’s voices have a stressful twang, especially on the high notes. The sparkle of the album is the second original song, I Still Believe in Santa Claus, which she was inspired to write after her last Christmas tour, when a fan from the audience yelled up “I still believe in Santa Claus.” It’s about never losing the childlike wonder of Christmas and it’s a well-written Christmas anthem.
She covers Celebrate Me Home together with Gavin DeGraw and if I’m putting this tune on this Christmas it will definitely be the classic Kenny Loggins’ version, as Rimes and DeGraw’s version has nothing on it. With that said, Rimes makes a good effort to honor and create awareness for veterans featuring military homecomings in the music video. The album closes with an acappella version of the sad and stunning Auld Lang Syne, which is one of the songs that best ensembles her voice and therefore is a good way to finish off. Overall I think that the self-penned tunes clearly stand out on this album and more original songs would have been very welcome in-between all the carols that are covered a dime a dozen. But, as is an established fact at this point, a Christmas album is not the time and place to be innovative and groundbreaking and the classic carols are a must for the festive season. Rimes’ covers could be enough to warm up your Christmas spirit and soothe you in to the yuletide, although the album is quite forgettable and the biggest surprise is that the guest artist is Gavin DeGraw and not Michael Bublé.
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release date: OUT NOW
GAMEWEEK 16 TOP 20 STANDINGS
Glen Hansard Winning streak by linn therese heldal @INTALLAGHT #INTALLAGHTLINN
___________________ Just when you think Glen Hansard must’ve already released his best material, ‘cause it just simply can’t get any better, he goes and does something like his newest album Didn’t He Ramble.
Winning Streak is the lead single from the album and it stirs me every time I put it on. It’s warm, courageous, inspiring and heartrending, a true gift from the wordsmith who is always able to beautifully say exactly what he wants to say, the way he wants to say it. He wrote this song to his father who was a champion boxer in his youth and who passed away not too long ago. James Hansard was also an alcoholic and was the reason why Hansard more or less spent his childhood
in battered wives homes together with his mother. “And may the devil’s evil eye/Pass you right by/Don’t you look back my friend/ And may the sisters of good charity/Take you in,” tells Hansard. The piano and guitarbased Winning Streak shows why Hansard is up there with the troubadour heavyweights such as Don Henley, Jackson Browne, Mark Knopfler and the whole lot. With its natural recording and excellent production I simply cannot recommend the song and Didn’t He Ramble highly enough. Few artists have the ability to reach listeners on a spiritual level - to get to that place far into the heart and soul where it aches and feels good at the same time. Hansard is one of the most genuine musicians and poets of our time and his own winning streak will unquestionably never end.
#
Team
Manager
PTS
1
Beechdale Utd
Thomas Reilly
840
2
The_ice_men
Michael Kelly
825
3
Manchesthair United
Gareth Foley
817
4
Karen Two Socks
Karen Greene
814
5
It Doesn’t Mata
Sinead Sweeney
812
6
The SeaSwans
Evan Sherlock
812
7
G’wan outta that.
Derek Boyle
805
8
Here We Go Again
Damien Clooney
805
9
Silva Costa 2 Much
Ben Sherlock
798
10
Blattergasted FC
Andy Knightley
794
11
Da’lian Warriors
John Whelan
793
12
JE FC
Ray Lenehan
790
13
50 Shades of O’Shea
Conor Ryan
785
14
Perlenbacher
Kevin Quinn
783
15
Be Rude Not To
Paddy Troy
782
16
GoonerFC
Stephen Cleary
777
17
Cricket
Will Roche
769
18
Disco Firmino
Paul Gordon
767
19
Wanyamas in Pyjamas
Sean Hudson
766
20
FC Fettercairn
Paul Mcquillan
765
AND LIMPING ALONG IN LAST PLACE... 84
Wham!
Charlie Hegarty
500
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TECH
Sony Xperia Z5 by COLM O’MUIRÍ
____________________________ @INTALLAGHT #INTALLAGHTCOLM
Sony have recently released their latest versions of the Xperia phone and there are three of them for you to choose from; the Z5, the Z5 Compact and the Z5 Premium.
The Z5 Premium starts from €700 and the screen size for this phone is 5.5 inches. It is also the world’s first smartphone that comes with a 4K screen. 4K for those of you who don’t know delivers four times as much detail as full 1080p HD screens. Getting technical that’s eight million pixels compared to the two million pixels that full HD offers, meaning that you can view videos and pictures on your phone in stunning detail. Not only will you be able to view pictures and videos in 4K you will also be able to record in stunning 4K also. The phone comes equipped with Sony’s patented SteadyShot technology making it easier for you to capture that memorable footage flawlessly on your phone. The camera in the phone is very good also, the Z5 Premium comes equipped with an ultra-sharp 8-megapixel camera. You can also
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screenshot any image from the videos which you record on the phone to be saved into your photos album. One of the cool features of the phone is that it features an integrated fingerprint sensor, this is located on the power button which is on the side of the phone. Sony state that you can pick up and securely unlock your phone in a single movement, seeing if the fingerprint actually works is going to be fun though. Another feature of the Xperia Z5 Premium is that it features a battery that can last up to two days, meaning that you can watch videos in stunning Sony 4K quality without the worry of running down your battery. There is a battery stamina mode which lets you layout your power management for the phone, and when your battery does die it is said to recharge 40% faster than other smartphones, meaning you can get up to five and a half hours of usage from 45 minutes of charging. The phone is waterproof up to a point meaning that the phone will be able to deal with spills and splashes, although anything more than that and it is a game of risk. The Z5 premium comes in a few different colours such as Black and Gold as well as Chrome and the Chrome version of the phone looks amazing. The Sony Xperia Z5 is a top quality smartphone and with prices starting from €700 it ought to be. Although if
you do purchase the phone you won’t be disappointed with it, especially the 4K screen which looks brilliant. The Sony Xperia Z5 Premium is available in all mobile phone stores now.
The Sony Xperia Z5 is a top quality smartphone and with prices starting from €700 it ought to be
GAME
The Just Cause series is known for the fact that most of the terrain is able to be destroyed or blown up just cause 3 by colm o’muirí
___________________________ @INTALLAGHT #INTALLAGHTCOLM
From developers Avalanche studio and developed by Square Enix, Just Cause 3 is the third instalment in the Just Cause series and the latest game in the series since Just Cause 2 was released in 2010.
Just Cause 3 is an open world action-adventure video game that is set seven years after the events of Just Cause 2. Rico Rodriquez has left The Agency and has returned home to the beautiful Mediterranean Island of Medici. However, Rico’s homeland is ruled by General Di Ravello, a dictator who has his eyes set on world domination. Rodriguez has other plans and in order to stop the evil Di Ravello he sets out on an explosive journey to destroy his plans. Just Cause 3 will have the same size map as Just Cause 2, however you will
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be able to do more vertically in this map as opposed to its predecessor. This means that there will be more caverns and buildings to explore and this aspect of the game has been improved to make it more realistic. Although the map is the same size with that verticality and more areas to explore, technically it is better. The map is set across five major areas, each of them having their own landmarks and landscapes making each area different. The Just Cause series is known for the fact that most of the terrain is able to be destroyed or blown up and this latest instalment in the franchise is the exact same, the developers have even given gamers more toys to do it with. There are old favourites such as the grappling hook and one of the new additions is the Wingsuit which lets Rico bullet through the air and attack his enemies. Just Cause 3 was released on December 1st, just in time for Christmas for the PlayStation 4 the Xbox One and also for the PC. Just Cause is €69.99 in both Gamestop
and HMV/Xtravision and €64.99 in Smyths. There is a collector’s edition of the game which is available through Gamestop which will cost you €119.99.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege by colm o’muirí
__________________________ @INTALLAGHT #INTALLAGHTCOLM
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is an upcoming firstperson shooter from developers Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft.
This will be the first Rainbow Six game to be released since Tom Clancy’s death in 2013. Rainbow Six Siege is the 18th game in the franchise and the first console game since 2008’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2. The game is set several years after the deactivation of the Rainbow Programme, however it has recently been reactivated and is under the control of a new leader known as Six. Gamers will take control of a different operator within the Rainbow team to take out a new enemy who have no known goals except to cause havoc worldwide, who are known as The White Masks. The operators within the Rainbow team differ from character to character with all of them having different nationalities, perks, abilities and equipment for you to operate in the different missions and game modes within the game.
There will be a host of different game modes like Terrorist Hunt and Hostage Mode. However, like the recent Star Wars: Battlefront game, Rainbow Six Siege will not feature a campaign mode and it will only offer an online mode. This means that if you don’t have access to the internet through your console this game is as good as useless to you. Those are two major disappointments for any game, and for a game that has already been delayed it isn’t the greatest start for Rainbow Six Siege especially after such a lengthy layoff and a cancelled game also. To make matters worse for the game it is being released into a market at the moment with plenty of quality games having been released over the past few weeks. The game is set for release on December 1st on the PlayStation 4, the Xbox One and on your PC. The game is priced at €64.99 in Smyths and will cost you €74.99 in both Gamestop and also in HMV/ Xtravision. A Rainbow Six: Siege Art of Siege Collector’s Edition is available in
Gamestop for €89.99 for the PS4 and Xbox One. The Xbox One version of the games comes with Rainbow Six Vegas One and Two included.
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GAME EXTRA MAFIA 3
2016 in Video Games: A Preview by colm o’muirí
___________________________ @INTALLAGHT #INTALLAGHTCOLM
2015 wasn’t a bad year for gamers with games like Star Wars: Battlefront, Mad Max, Batman Arkham Knight, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain all being released in the calendar year.
SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE DEVIL’S DAUGHTER
In this edition of InTallaght we thought we would look ahead to some of the games that have us most excited to get our hands on in 2016. Although some of these games don’t have definitive release dates yet they are all expected to drop sometime in 2016. Mafia 3 is far and away the game that has us most excited for next year and if you haven’t seen the reveal trailer it is well worth a watch, as it sets the tone for the game. In Mafia 3 you take control of Vietnam Vet Lincoln Clay who is an AfricanAmerican orphan whose only real family was the army. After the war he returns home to New Orleans where he is almost killed by the Italian mob and, out for revenge, he starts his own criminal organisation to try and take down the mob and build his own. Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter will be the eighth instalment in the franchise and follows Crimes and Punishments. There are not a lot of
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DOOM
details on the game at the moment, however after playing Crimes and Punishments this year and really enjoying it only good things are expected from this game. The only thing that gamers can hope for with this title is that it will have more missions and give you a little more freedom to explore the game. Doom is expected to be released within the first half of next year and judging from the gameplay trailer which was shown at this year’s E3 the game looks really good, bearing in mind that video is from a year before it is expected to be released. Although this is the fourth Doom game it will only be known as Doom, not Doom 4. It is a very gory game which is one of its plus points (for some people), and judging from the trailer this game should not disappoint fans of the franchise. EA Sports UFC 2 is expected to be released in the Spring of 2016 and my expectations for this game are quite low.
EA SPORTS UFC 2
it looks set to be another good year for gamers Having played EA Sports UFC after the stellar UFC Undisputed series of games from THQ it definitely did not live up to expectations. The game is not off to a good start either with Ronda Rousey being named as one of the cover stars, a few days prior to her first loss inside the Octagon. We can only hope that EA Sports does a Holly Holm and they come out with a knockout of a game. These are just a selection of some of the games that are coming in 2016 with games such as Tekken 7, Hitman, and Unchartered 4: A Thief’s End all being released in 2016 and it looks set to be another good year for gamers.
MOTOR
There are many new toyota corolla fresh features to the model and plenty ____________________________ of exciting technical This week I test-drove a 2014 innovations Toyota Corolla at Charles Hurst by RACHEL LYNCh
@INTALLAGHT #INTALLAGHTRACHEL
Usedirect located at Kingswood in Tallaght.
Toyota, as we all know, is a massive brand throughout the world but it is also a firm favourite here with Irish motorists. The name Corolla sells itself really, it is available in 154 countries, built in 16. Toyota have never gotten it wrong, and are used to keeping their customers happy. The Corolla has been redesigned, and yes it does look like a new car but still it is instantly recognisable as a Corolla which is exactly what Toyota want. There are many new fresh features to the model and plenty of exciting technical innovations. We have all had a chance to get used to the new look Corolla and I must complement the exterior design as it showcases the sophisticated and contemporary look excellently. The grille as always a feature piece with the now iconic Toyota badge placed in the centre and of course the LED headlamps. The chrome finishes throughout are in my opinion, what Toyota do best. The interior really is something special with the dash looking much more premium and modern than the previous generation Corolla, everything is easily readable and all located well on the model. So what about the drive? Well this model was an automatic and all I can do is complement how smooth the handling of it was on the roads. For those of you not used to driving such long cars this isn’t a problem with the Corolla as even though it’s large
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and spacious you still feel so compact inside and don’t feel as though you are travelling around in a car of its size while inside. Who will this car suit? Basically anyone, ok for its size it’s the ideal for a stylish family car with plenty of space to transport the family, but I have to say I have no children and I could still see myself driving this model too. So what about the price? This 2014 Toyota Corolla is priced at €19,950 and is a very competitive option for a nearly new car. Call Charles Hurst Usedirect Ireland today on 01-5314520 to arrange a test drive and talk to their onsite business manager about tailoring a payment package to suit you.
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PROPERTY
CHANGING LANDSCAPE by Anthony McGee
____________________________ @REA_MCGEE
Is it possible to buy your own home in today’s market? Rising rents have had a huge effect on the Dublin market according to Anthony McGee of REA McGee in Tallaght. Below we have the Real Estate Alliance (REA) Average House Quarter 3 survey telling you all you need to know about the Dublin housing market.
DROP IN VALUE
The average three-bed semi in South County Dublin has seen €15,000 wiped off its value in three months as the new deposit rules stifle the higher end of the market, according to a national survey carried out by Real Estate Alliance (REA). And spiralling rents will cut off mortgages as an option for many young couples unless the Central Bank revisit the rules, raise exemption limits and include second-time buyers, according to REA. Just as many couples cannot afford to get on the housing ladder, secondtime buyers cannot move and free up cheaper properties for new entrants and causing a logjam in the capital. Anthony McGee from REA McGee in Tallaght says, “Traditionally couples moved in together and rented for a number of years with the intention of saving up to purchase their first home. A typical couple are now being expected to pay rent of €1,200 a month on a two-bed apartment in Tallaght.” He says that the same couple would expect mortgage repayments to be less than this on a €200,000 property. “When you combine this massive rent with childcare and other expenses, there is very little chance that people will then save the 10/20% deposit required on a property,” he says,“Until
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there are more units being built in the capital this situation will continue.” While the average house price in Dublin city and county has fallen by over €5,000 in the past three months, South County Dublin has been the hardest hit in the country, with prices falling by -4.17% since the end of June. The average semi detached house nationally now costs €188,102, the Q3 REA Average House Price Survey has found – a slight rise on the Q2 figure of €186,968. The REA Average House Price Survey concentrates on the sale price of Ireland’s typical stock home, the three-bed semi, giving an up-to-date picture of the property market in towns and cities countrywide to the end of September. Meanwhile the price of an average three-bed semi in Dublin city and county has fallen by -1.47% from €339,500 to €334,500 since the end of June. REA Chief Executive Philip Farrell says, “Our agents on the ground in Dublin are reporting a growing withdrawal of couples aged between 25-40 from the market due to the new mortgage deposit regulations. When the Central Bank introduced the new rules, they stated that they could revisit them, and we believe that they need to do so as a matter of urgency.” “We believe that the new borrowing requirements are exceeding their
desired affect and are now starting to prevent the market from functioning in a cohesive manner. We propose that the price ceiling for first-time buyers should be extended to €330,000 – in line with the average values in Dublin and secondly, second-time buyers should be assisted by allowing them to borrow 90% up to €220,000 as the current requirements are too prohibitive.” Farrell explains that falling house prices are not a sign of success or affordability, they are falling because young people cannot afford to qualify for a mortgage, and second-time buyers cannot afford to move out of houses in the €220,000 band. Prices in North County Dublin have decreased by -1% to €247,500 and Dublin city by -0.83%. There has also been an increase of 5% in the amount of cash buyers (34%) in the Dublin city market, reversing an 18-month trend that has seen mortgage buyers increase. The average three-bed semi price rose by 0.71% to €206,676 in Tier two – the commuter counties and the larger cities over the three month period. Real Estate Alliance (REA) is Ireland’s leading property group of Chartered Surveyors with over 55 branches nationwide, comprising many of the country’s longest-established auctioneers and estate agents.
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BOOK
AUTHOR MINDY KALING
why not me? by genna patterson
____________________________ @INTALLAGHT #INTALLAGHTGENNA
Mindy Kaling, comedian, writer, star of her own TV show and author is back with another witty memoir of sorts called Why Not Me?
Her previous book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? showed sneak peaks into her childhood, adolescence and the start of her career in The Office, and this book delves further into her past as well as her evolution from writer to lead actress in her own comedy sitcom The Mindy Project. This book is, in my opinion, a lot more structured than her previous one, which felt scattered and a bit all over the place, but maybe that was how it was supposed to be! Why Not Me? is more enjoyable to me because it gives deeper insights to the stuff
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we all really want to know – Mindy’s personal life now, who she dates and who her friends are. She dishes on a lovely suitor who worked for the White House, her good friend B. J. Novak who played Ryan in The Office and some embarrassing situations such as the time she slagged off people who don’t vaccinate their children at the baby shower of a celebrity who didn’t believe in vaccinating children! Mindy also spills some behind the scenes information about how her show got cancelled and then picked up again by Hulu, which I’m sure many of her fans will be interested to read about. However one of the most interesting parts of the book is the letter she addresses to a fan. The girl attended a Q&A session and asked her how she finds her confidence and Mindy said she didn’t give her a real answer on the day because she was so exhausted having worked non-stop. Mindy explains that she wanted to apologise because she fobbed the girl off with a poor answer and in reality
she feels that the girl deserved a better one from the heart. It is this kind of truthfulness and openness that makes Mindy Kaling a true role model for women of this generation. That and her ease at discussing how she knows she doesn’t fit the ‘skinny’ mould of celebrities because quite simply, she doesn’t like exercise and she does like food. Add that to the fact that she doesn’t take herself too seriously and you have a brilliant story-teller. I think the best thing about this book is the total honesty – Mindy is just as impressed by other celebrities and intimidating circumstances as we would be. She also does silly things, just like the rest of us and as such is entirely relatable to, which is the book’s main appeal. She also writes with a sense of humour that reads well and often made me snort or laugh out loud to myself. Her collection of essays or chapters are wide and varied in topic, yet always entertaining. If you want to buy a book for a friend who needs cheering up or a confidence boost, this should be it as Mindy manages to make you the reader feel like a valued friend, and just like her, do anything if you try hard enough. An absolutely brilliant and witty book from one of this generation’s cleverest and honest comedian writers.
WRITERS CORNER
Sepia Days by Susan Perrem _____________ Life indoors was sepia, like old photos, not quite black, not quite white, but definitely not in colour. Brown lino, brown suite, white walls, rag rugs in the tiny kitchen, front door never used. I remember warm socks, clean clothes carefully ironed in a cold house. My mother distant, always busy, efficient, but never affectionate. The posh people lived in the brick houses up the road. We lived in the prefabs. Outdoors was a different world, a colourful world of vivid green grass, trees and plants. Birds singing in the summer, seagulls screaming in the winter as they swooped for the crusts we threw on the grass. Why was the sky so blue? What was the name of that tree? Was there a man called God? Questions, questions in my head – they did not know the answers, these city folk marooned by fields. My dad, tall, slim, dependable, my hero in uniform, brass buttons polished, peaked cap brushed, cycling home each evening tired but triumphant, his stout exarmy bag slung across his shoulders – treasures within, the tin box with a lid at each end containing both sugar and tea leaves, a handkerchief, pencils, scraps of paper, old sheets of carbon paper, ends of till rolls, and on Saturdays apples or bananas, once even an exotic fresh pineapple. My hero could mend anything from bicycles to skinned knees. He made stilts and cobbled shoes on his own father’s ancient shoe last.
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Granddad was trapped in a silent world. We dug together, the old man and the small girl. On Wednesdays, his pockets produced 100 tiny bars of Fry’s Five Boys chocolate or coconut snowballs, their marshmallow centres squashed flat. No matter. We picked out the chocolate bits and licked the packets clean. We planted seeds, more in hope than expectation, as he battled with the stony ground. We shouted conversations in the park, admiring the flowers that he never quite managed to produce. Then to the library, the answers to all my questions, and his, locked somewhere in these books. We poured over the books together, People of All Nations. Strange African faces in sepia. His gardening books were a reminder of his endless search for the missing knowledge. Enid Blyton, The Children’s Newspaper, What Katy Did – for me. My only sibling, a small brother pre-occupied with small boy’s activities, and with few friends close in age living nearby, it was a lonely childhood, lost in books. We explored the Old Town with Dad. He knew it well, Land of Green Ginger, Albert Dock, Victoria Dock and the Pier with its faded Victorian grandeur, the Horse Wash and the paddle steamers (now long since defunct), Wilberforce House and the deep brown forbidding River Humber. The statue of King Billy in shining gold, resplendent on his horse. Dad’s tall tales, ‘When Holy Trinity clock strikes thirteen, he gets off his horse and walks around,’ and did the sculptor really commit suicide when he noticed the missing stirrup?
The Old Town we knew, the bridge that spanned Prince’s Dock and Maurice Lipman’s high class tailoring shop, supplier of bank uniforms and posh outfits on the opposite bleak corner. Feren’s Art Gallery with its high steps and imposing statue stands beyond. Much more intimidating than the scarcely noticeable City Hall. We rarely visited the art gallery. Were we too timid? Or perhaps, it was because we were more likely to find an attendant demanding an entrance fee. The modern city with its ugly 1950s department stores and hastily flattened bombsites held little charm. I left the grey city at age eighteen and it was to be decades before I returned and saw its struggles through more benevolent adult eyes. Sepia Days was originally published in Circle & Square to celebrate the Square’s 25th anniversary. Circle & Square is available from Easons in The Square and costs €15. It can also be obtained by contacting Eileen Casey, Fiery Arrow Press, eileencaseyhome @ eircom.net.
New Year
Tips for Achieving Your New Year’s Resolutions by lisa denby INFO@LISADENBYCOACHING.COM
After some Christmas gluttony we have only good intentions for the New Year so InTallaght sought out the advice of local life coach Lisa Denby for tips to a successful effort for change. Read on for the secret to sticking to your resolutions in 2016.
HAVE YOU GIVEN ANY THOUGHT TO YOUR 2016 GOALS OR RESOLUTIONS?
Christmas is only around the corner, and the festive buzz is in the air. It’s that one time of year when the energy really changes all around us. We are busy meeting deadlines at work, shopping for the perfect gifts, and decorating our homes in preparation for a special holiday with our nearest and dearest. Most of us don’t give too much thought to January, which can often be an anti-climax after the buzz of the festive season. We evaluate the year and decide that next year is going to be better than this year. Any disappointments or over-indulgences may be magnified, and we resolve to make a positive life change for the New Year to counteract any negative feelings we are experiencing. The New Year is that perfect time to make changes. The most common resolutions we set are in relation to improving health and fitness, finances and personal
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relationships with others. While some people are successful, a very high percentage of people who make resolutions are not. The number one reason is that many people don’t know how to set goals. The SMART goal setting method is a structured and effective way to achieve a goal. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Action based, Risk assessed, and Timed. It’s best to have a written plan to stay on track.
SPECIFIC
The goal must be written and defined clearly in a single sentence, with a clear picture of the desired outcome. For example ‘I want to improve my finances’ is less specific than ‘I want to save X amount per month’.
MEASURABLE
Break the goal down into specific steps that can be measured. The way to measure results is by knowing what you need to see, hear, feel, or experience each time you review your progress. You will need to decide if you will review your progress daily, weekly, or monthly, which will be dependent on the goal. Build in rewards for each step achieved, as this helps build momentum.
While some people are successful, a very high percentage of people who make resolutions are not. The number one reason is that many people don’t know how to set goals. The SMART goal setting method is a structured and effective way to achieve a goal
ACTION BASED
Approximately 90% of our behaviours are daily habits. This is why so many people don’t achieve their goals. Without specific new actions, it is easy to revert to previous behaviours. There are a number of factors to consider when deciding on what actions are required. • What are the things you need to stop doing? • What are the things you need to start doing, and in what order? Detail this as much as possible. • What other specific changes are necessary?
RISK ASSESSED
An important part of the goal setting process is advance preparation for any situations or obstacles that may hinder your progress. We can make decisions or set goals, yet we don’t always have a plan for XYZ that may hinder our progress. It’s important to think these things through in advance, and have a strategy in place. This is one of the main reasons why we abandon a goal and revert to previous behaviours. Risk
assessing allows for flexibility while ensuring we stay committed when we meet obstacles along the way.
TIMED
It’s easy to procrastinate when changing habits and behaviours. In order to maximise the chances of a successful outcome, it’s necessary to schedule specific actions into the daily routine. Adjustments will need to be made, considering regular actions to be taken, progress reviews, and deadlines to work towards. The first part of achieving a goal is making a decision. The second part is having a plan and resolving to stay committed. We set ourselves goals to make our lives better in some way and ultimately to attain a positive feeling. When we know what that feeling is, it can be a powerful motivator. So take some time to plan your goal with the SMART approach, and make 2016 the year you successfully achieve your New Year’s Resolution! I wish you a very happy and peaceful Christmas, and a great start to the New Year.
Lisa Denby is a Life and Business Coach in Tallaght, and an accredited member of the Life and Business Coaching Association of Ireland. Lisa works with individuals on a variety of personal topics who seek a focused approach to personal and professional success. Lisa also gives talks to groups to enhance personal development. info@lisadenbycoaching.com lisadenbycoaching.com
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it tallaght students’ union
ITTSU UPdate by JESSICA WALL
____________________________ EMAIL SUPRES@ITTDUBLIN.IE
We have been busy here at IT Tallaght Students’ Union organising campaigns and events over the past few weeks.
We have successfully just completed our annual positive Mental Health week from Monday November 16th until Friday November 20th. The Students’ Union organised activities and workshops throughout the week in order to promote positive mental health and to acknowledge the wide range of supports that are available both on campus and in the local community. We launched the week at 12pm on Monday November 16th with talks from two guest speakers. We would like to thank Finbar Walsh, who is the father of deceased Cork teenager Donal Walsh (a terminally ill teenager who had publicly appealed to young people not to end their lives) and Conor Boksberger from Jigsaw Tallaght (a free and confidential support service for young people) for being with us on the day. We ran a 12 hour cycle-a-thon in the main foyer of the college on Tuesday November 17th in order to raise funds for the Donal Walsh Live Life Foundation. We appreciate the encouragement and donations from students and staff for this great cause. In addition to this, we assisted the 2nd year Social Care Practice students in organising a table quiz on the evening of Wednesday November 18th. It was held in Molloy’s Tallaght and the money raised was split between Pieta House and Scoil Caitlin Maude. We organised many events during the week, which allowed students to unwind during the busy college semester and enjoy some free icecream and laughs while playing giant board games. Social Justice Week at IT Tallaght will be taking place from December 7th-10th and the aim of the week is to
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ITT SU WELFARE OFFICER SHAUNA HOMAN, ITT SU PRESIDENT JESSICA WALL, FINBAR WALSH OF THE DONAL WALSH LIVE LIFE FOUNDATION AND ITT SU EDUCATION OFFICER AISLING CUSACK AT THE LAUNCH OF MENTAL HEALTH WEEK ON MONDAY 16TH NOVEMBER
We organised many events during Mental health week, which allowed students to unwind during the busy college semester and enjoy some free ice-cream and laughs while playing giant board games
raise awareness of global challenges and to promote social justice. We will launch the week on Monday 7th by turning on the lights to our Christmas tree in the main foyer of the college. There will be music and guest speakers at the launch. We will hold our annual sleep out on the Tuesday of this week in order to raise funds for homelessness. We will also host a Fair Trade Hot Chocolate morning and our annual Christmas market during the week. The Thursday of Social Justice Week will be our Christmas Ball which is an event all students look forward to as it is a nice way to finish off the winter semester. We have organised the event alongside IT Blanchardstown and The National College of Ireland. It will take place on December 10th in The Wright Venue, Swords. We would like to congratulate the IT Tallaght senior men’s hurling team as they beat UCD 0-18 to 1-11 in the All Ireland League Final on Wednesday November 25th in Thomas Davis GAA
IT TALLAGHT SENIOR HURLING TEAM WON THE ALL IRELAND LEAGUE FINAL 0-18 TO 1-11 AGAINST UCD ON WEDNESDAY 25TH NOVEMBER
IT TALLAGHT SENIOR GAELIC FOOTBALL TEAM HAVE REACHED THE ALL IRELAND LEAGUE FINAL AGAINST QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY BELFAST
Club. The senior men’s Gaelic Football team have also reached the All Ireland League final against Queen’s University and we would like to wish the best of luck to them. The ladies rugby team had a fine win over Maynooth University beating them by 26 points to 10. Well done to all involved. The senior men’s soccer team were unlucky with a 1-0 loss to Letterkenny IT in the Division 1 quarter final. The IT Tallaght men’s Fresher’s basketball have played two games recently, closely missing out against UCC and UCD respectively. The score against UCC was 38-35 and against UCD it was 34-29. They were two very close and exciting games.
With this being the last edition before the New Year, on behalf of IT Tallaght Students’ Union I would like to thank all our followers and readers. The winter semester finishes on the December 19th and I would like to wish all the staff and students a Merry Christmas. You will see more of what ITT SU has been up to in the next InTallaght Magazine, but until then you can check out our Facebook page (facebook.com/ITTallaghtSU) or email supres@ittdublin.ie for more information.
BUSINESS
Ireland’s only oil refinery up for sale By padraig conlon ________________________ The parent company of Cork’s Whitegate refinery, Phillips 66, has put the facility up for sale after it reported losses of €263.13m last year. That number represents an astonishing rise on the €58.98m posted in 2013. The company made the announcement on November 24th, 18 months after taking the country’s only refinery plant off the market having failed to find a buyer.
More new jobs for Dublin announced by padraig conlon _________________________ More new jobs for Dublin were annouced on November 19th. Richard Bruton, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation said that creating “a world-class ecosystem” for scientific research is a key part of the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs. “Today’s announcement that Huawei, a truly global leader in this sector, is locating a major R&D office in Dublin and creating 50 high-end jobs is a great boost”. As well as this San Francisco-based data centre developer, Digital Reality Trust has announced the expansion of its first facility within its 10-acre data centre campus at Profile Park, West Dublin. The 10,000 sq ft extra data centre technical space will complete the first data centre facility at the campus,
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The U.S. oil refiner tried to sell it amid low refining margins, but failed to attract strong enough bids. “Phillips 66 has decided to seek a buyer for its 71,000 barrel-per-day Whitegate Refinery and associated wholesale marketing business in Ireland,” Dennis Nuss, director of media and external relations, said. “We will run a rigorous process to find the best purchaser for the business. We expect this process to last into 2016. We’ve seen a stronger margin in the Atlantic Basin this year and Whitegate has been performing well in this environment.” The company is under contract to manage the refinery until July 2016. The directors’ report details a small recovery in its refining margin during the year as the economic recovery and increasing demand helped offset “external competitive factors” such as low energy costs in the US and supply from Russia.
leaving green field space for future data centre builds. The project for the entire facility is set to employ up to 120 skilled construction workers during construction phase. In total, Digital Reality is investing €150m in its Dublin-based data centres. Mr Shanahan said: “Seeing Digital Realty expand its facility is a positive sign for Ireland. IDA has been marketing Ireland’s strong data centre infrastructure with clients abroad for some time now. This additional investment from Digital Realty proves, once again, Ireland is a great place to locate data centres.”
PICTURES COURTESY OF TOMMY CLANCY
ITT teachers protest over funding and educational concerns By genna patterson ________________________ Teachers from Institutes of Technology around the country held a lunchtime protest on November 26th outside their workplaces. The teachers were aiming to draw attention to a number of issues including: • The chronic underfunding of the Institutes of Technology (35% cut to sector – €190m – between 2008 and 2015) • The critically low staffing levels at a time of a steep and ongoing increase in student numbers and the consequential unacceptable workload imposition on lecturers (21,411 or 32% rise in student numbers in sector between 2008 and 2015 / 535 or 9.5% fall in fulltime academic staff numbers in sector between 2008 and 2015) • The precarious employment status, income poverty and associated exploitation of many academic staff and • The resulting, detrimental effect of these issues on the quality of service to students (larger class sizes, less access to laboratories, tutorials, student support etc)
Global economic forum in Dublin by padraig conlon _________________________ The 2015 Global Irish Economic Forum came to Dublin Castle the weekend of November 20th. The forum, which is organised by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, focused on growing Irish exports, job creation and entrepreneurship along with other issues related to trade. This was the fourth time the forum has taken place since its launch in 2009. The idea for the gathering was born out of the disastrous state of the economy at the time. As the country stood on the brink of financial meltdown the forum was an attempt to harness the experience and ideas of “influential members of the global Irish
The world’s largest drug company will soon be based in Ireland By Rachel lynch ________________________ There looks to be more jobs on their way to Ireland. It was reported earlier on November 23rd that drugs giants Pfizer and Allergan have agreed to merge in a $160 billion (€150 billion) deal that will create the world’s biggest drug manufacturer. The company’s official tax base will be moved from the US to Ireland. The move will allow the company take advantage of Ireland’s 12.5% corporate tax rate – rather than the top nominal rate of 35% in its home country. The combined company will be renamed Pfizer PLC.
community” in an effort to inject some life into the economy. Among those who spoke at the event were European Digital Girl of the Year Lauren Boyle, Connor Murphy, founder of Datahug and Foodcloud CEO Iseult Ward. In total there were 300 key influencers from 29 countries in attendance for the two day event. Some of the recommendations from previous Economic Forums have fed into Action Plans for Jobs and other Government strategies. Some of the most notable initiatives from previous Forums include Irish Design 2015, The Gathering 2013, Connect Ireland and the Global Irish Contacts Programme.
SuperValu reclaims top spot as growth in spend continues by fergus Mcnally ____________________________ The latest supermarket share figures from Kantar Worldpanel in Ireland, published on November 23rd for the 12 weeks ending November 8th, show that SuperValu has grown its market share to become Ireland’s largest grocery retailer for the second time this year. David Berry, director at Kantar Worldpanel, explained: “The grocery market is arguably the most competitive retail sector and the latest figures emphasise this, with the three biggest retailers each within one percentage point of each other’s market share. SuperValu now occupies the top spot, having seen sales climb by 2.5% over the past 12 weeks, increasing its share of the market to 24.6%.
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SPORT
‘Boden win dramatic final to land first ever Leinster football title By padraig conlon __________________________ Ballyboden St Endas 2-09 Portlaoise 1-11 Congratulations to local GAA club Ballyboden St Enda’s who claimed the club’s first ever Leinster senior club football title after an epic final against Portlaoise. O’Connor Park Tullamore was the venue as Boden became the eighth Dublin team in 11 years to be crowned provincial champions in front of a crowd of 3,663. The winning margin in the end was only a point and Boden can count themselves lucky to have just done enough to get over the line. The Laois champions had two gilt edged opportunities that most half decent under 14 players would have scored to take the game into extratime in the dying minutes but they shanked both of them. Paul Cahillane’s miss from a free right in front of the posts in injury time had to be seen to be believed and even he himself probably doesn’t know how he failed to put the ball between the posts. This was Portlaoise’s third Leinster defeat in four years and probably the hardest of the losses to take considering the second half performance yesterday they should have won. Boden made a great start to the match scoring two goals in the opening half. The first came after six minutes when Andrew Kerin hit a scruffy toe poke that the Portlaoise keeper Brody should have probably saved. Michael Darragh MacAuley added the other on the stroke of half time just seconds after Paul Cahillane had scored a goal for the Laoismen.
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The Dublin champs had led by four points after 10 minutes but then the pendulum swung towards Portlaoise with former county captain Brian McCormack taking the game by the scruff of the neck and hitting four points without reply to draw the teams level in the 22nd minute. Donegal goalkeeper Paul Durcan only arrived in Ireland from Doha, Qatar (where he’s now based) after an eight hour flight on Friday. It was the third time in the last few months he’d made the massive round trip for a Boden game and his club must be delighted he had as he made two excellent saves in the second half yesterday to deny Brian McCormack and Brian Glynn what looked like certain goals. Boden had got off to a great start in the second half going two points ahead in the opening exchanges but three unanswered points restored Portlaoise’s lead. Ballyboden levelled the match through Kerin with six minutes to go and the same player should have scored a goal when he ballooned over the bar. Both teams scored points and it looked like the game was heading for extra-time until substitute Aran Waters kicked a dramatic, and historic, late winning point for Boden. There was still time for Portlaoise to miss two unbelievably easy frees as Boden held on to win one of the most entertaining and exciting provincial finals in years. Next up for the local lads is an All Ireland Club semi final with either Tipperary’s Clonal Commercials or London’s Tir Chonaill Gaels in February.
glenanne hockey By padraig conlon _________________________ This month local hockey team Glenanne produced the biggest shock of the men’s EY Hockey League season so far as they beat Monkstown 3-2 at the Merrion Fleet Arena, ending the reigning champions unbeaten run. Gleanne showed their ability from set pieces as Shannon Boucher scored two goals from two penalty corners, adding to David Keogh’s penalty stroke to stun the league leaders. Monkstown were left rue their lack of accuracy from their routines as they fluffed seven corners. They did however take the lead in the second half as Andrew Ward scored from a Richard Sykes cross. Glenanne hung on though, and were back level when Sam O’Connor was fouled by David Fitzgerald with Glenanne’s Keogh converting the ensuing stroke for 1-1. Boucher then scored twice in quick succession in the fourth quarter from Glenanne’s only penalty corners to put them on the cusp of victory with Lee Cole’s effort coming too late to affect the outcome. Glenanne have got their EYHL season back on track in the last few weeks. After a tough beginning to the season that saw them lose their first three games and sit bottom of the table at the start of last month this victory over the mighty Monkstown should give them confidence going into the new year.
wakos 2015 By padraig conlon ____________________________ Tallaght Martial Arts were a large part of the Irish National kickboxing Team competing in the WAKO world Championships in Citywest last month. The Tallaght club had eight members on the team more than any other Irish martial arts club. Representing the women of the club was Keri Browne, Caradh O’Donovan and Shauna Bannon, the male members were Dylan Heffernan, Dean Barry, Steven Jones, Martin Bannon and Dave Heffernan. Keri at 18 and fighting in her first ever senior world championships, can walk away with her head held high having fought her heart out to be beaten by a single point by an experienced Polish athlete and the present European champion. Caradh and Shauna both received Bronze medals but these athletes have both been on the top of this podium so were not happy with the result, particularly Caradh who went out on a very controversial decision against the present World Champion. Steven Jones exited in the quarter finals after a close battle with a South African athlete who captured the fight in the closing stages with a great kicking display. Dylan, Dean, Martin and Dave all went all the way to the final of their respective divisions, a fantastic achievement for the club. Martin was first up and after a very tactical battle with a tall Austrian opponent his tournament ended with a silver medal.
St Annes GAA By Colm O’Muirí ________________________ Congratulations to St Anne’s GAA Club U16 Camogie Girls who won
Excellence in sports awards 2015 By padraig conlon _________________________
Dave was next up and after a busy week coaching and fighting it was time for this experienced athlete to finish the championships on a high, his final opponent was a Hungarian fighter and after two rounds of fighting Dave emerged the victor. It was a great end to a busy week for Dave who was coaching the national team and competing himself. Finally Dean Barry, the 2013 WAKO world Champion, and Dylan Heffernan fighting for the first time in a senior world championships were held back for the prestigious WAKO World Championships night show. Dean was up against Bulgarian Emmanuel Dimitrov and after three rounds of intense fighting was narrowly outpointed by the Bulgarian. Dylan in his first senior World final, was up against Hungarian Roland Veres, the hotly tipped favourite for the division from the start of the week. This fight was a great display of technical and tactical kickboxing and went right down to the wire with the Hungarian coming out the victor in the end. Dylan had represented his club and his country well and his display of sportsmanship at the end applauding his opponent off the mat was a lesson for all young athletes.
their league on November 21st. The girls beat their opponents St Vincents with a score line of 3-05 to 0-02. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all celebrations for the club on the day as in the U21 Championship game St Anne’s were beaten by St Margaret’s, 3-06 to 2-15.
Outstanding achievements in Irish sport in 2015 were honoured this month at the 27th Excellence in Sports Awards. The annual event raises much needed funds for the Irish Youth Foundation (IYF) and all proceeds from the evening go to the charity’s important support of vulnerable children and young people living in disadvantaged circumstances around the country. Irish golf has had a great year and this was recognised on the night when Shane Lowry and Pádraig Harrington both received outstanding achievement awards while Christy O’Connor Jnr won the Golf Digest Lifetime Achievement Award. Lowry won his first event in the US in August when he won the Bridgestone Invitational to become only the third Irishman to win a World Golf Championship. What made the win even more significant was it earned him a three-year exemption on the PGA Tour, an invitation to compete in next year’s US Masters and moved him into the top 20 players in the world. The popular Lowry was presented with his award by host Pádraig Harrington who himself received an award for his tense playoff win at the Honda Classic in March – his first PGA Tour win since 2008. Christy O’Connor Jnr’s contribution to Irish golf – which included 17 professional wins and two Ryder Cup appearances – was also recognised with a lifetime achievement award. Michael Conlan won an outstanding achievement award after he became the first Irishman ever to claim a World Championship gold medal in the 41-year history of the tournament after claiming a 3-0 unanimous decision win over Murodjon Akhmadaliev (Uzbekistan) in their 56kg bantamweight final in Doha in the summer. See our website intallaght.ie for the full list of winners.
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sports
Paddy’s Column by paddy holohan
____________________________ @INTALLAGHT #INTALLAGHTPADDYH
As I write this it’s the week in the lead up to Conor’s fight with Aldo in Las Vegas and while every Irish UFC fan is getting ready to head westwards for the States I’m going north. I’ve decided to head over to Iceland for the week to do a bit of training and chill out. Everyone keeps asking me when I’m going to Vegas but to be honest with you I’ve decided to give it a miss because it’s going to be crazy over there this week. The Irish fans are amazing and they will make it an unbelievable atmosphere come Saturday night but if I was there I’d be getting bombarded. It’d be like Paul McGrath at the Euros! I need to chill out for a bit. I’m really looking forward to watching it like a fan on TV and I’m very confident Conor can do it. I haven’t seen him this focused before, he’s in a sweet place. Since my last column I’ve been visiting a lot of local schools and getting to chat with the kids. This month I’ve been to Coláiste Éanna, St Marks, Old Bawn and St Thomas’ in Jobstown. It was a great experience to meet all the pupils and talk to them about different issues. Among the things we discussed were various life lessons and how it doesn’t matter whether you come from a poor family or a one parent family, you can do it if you really want to. No matter what is going against you, if you really want something you can get it. I’m proof of this. I was very impressed
2015 Dublin Bus/Herald Dubs Star Nominations By Colm O’Muirí ____________________________ The 2015 Dublin Bus/Herald Dubs Stars Hurling nominations were recently announced with a strong representation from the Tallaght-based
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with the pupils I met and delighted so many of them took the time to contact me to say thanks for the visit. Their messages came pouring in via social media with a lot of them saying “I’ve been thinking about what you said.” I was delighted to hear that they’d been taking in what I’d said because honestly, when I was in school, and people came to give talks, I’d usually be half asleep and not listening! We will find out this week whether our offer for the building which we hope will house SBG Tallaght has been successful. If ours was the highest bid then we’ll be looking to get the new gym open in January/February so fingers crossed there! I’m still waiting to find out about a potential fight in the new year and hopefully I will have news on this soon as well. I’m really looking forward to chilling out over Christmas. I’ll be spending it at home in Jobstown this year. For my girlfriend Chelsea it’ll be her first Christmas in Dublin so it’s going to be a special one. I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all the readers and fans a very Merry Christmas. Thank you for all your support this year, it means a lot to me. Roll on 2016! See you guys on the other side…
clubs. Gary Maguire, Stephen O’Connor, James Madden, Simon Lambert, Niall McMorrow, Paul Ryan, and David O’Connor have all been nominated for the award and they play for Ballyboden St Enda’s GAA Club. This is an improvement from the club Paul Ryan was nominated for the award last year and we wish him and all of the lads the best of luck in trying to bring the award back to Tallaght.
Jack Wooley Silvers By Colm O’Muirí ____________________________ Tallaght-based Jack Woolley recently took silver in the European Taekwondo Junior Championships 2015, in Latvia. He was narrowly beaten in his quest for gold by 25 points to 24 points against his Russian competitor. Jack competed in the >55KG Junior weight class and this was the last time he was competing in the youth section. He had five fights against some of Europe’s elite fighters at the competition and on his way to the final he beat competitors from Bulgaria, Spain,
JAMIE VARDY SCORED IN HIS 12TH CONSECUTIVE PREMIER LEAGUE GAME TO BEAT THE RECORD SET BY RUUD VAN NISTELROOY!
and the Ukraine. Following his silver medal at that event he made his senior debut at a competition in Croatia in the >54kg weight class where he again picked up the silver medal, wishing Jack all the best at future events.
@BBCSporf
Jamie Vardy: 2005: Factory worker 2011: Non-league 2012: League 1 2015: Top scorer in the PL 2015: England call-up 2015: PL record breaker
@Football__Tweet
4 years ago, Jamie Vardy scored for Fleetwood against Gateshead in front of 768 fans. What a journey it’s been.
tallaght swim team’s Antoinette Neamt tipped as a potential Irish Olympian By padraig conlon _________________________ Local rising swimming star Antoinette Neamt again showed why she is expected to be one of our most successful athletes in the coming years when she was triumphant at the national short course championships in Lisburn this month. The 14-year-old Tallaght Swim Team and Swim Ireland NAC Performance Centre swimmer has been tipped as a potential future Irish Olympian and after a wonderful performance at last year’s championships she was one of the ones to watch this time round. She kicked off the final sessions at this year’s event when she cruised to victory in the 800m freestyle. She held a commanding lead to win by over 15 seconds in 8:40.52 seeing off Portmarnock’s Therese Corry in second in 8:56.14.
She battled it out with Rachel Bethel in the 400m Freestyle final in what turned out to be a very dramatic race that went right to the wire. The two juniors were neck and neck throughout the race with Neamt eventually touching the wall just ahead of Bethel in 4:12.83. Bethel was only two tenths of a second behind in 4:13.05. The two met again in the 200m Freestyle where Bethel had her revenge winning with a time just over the twominute mark at 2:00.16 as Neamt had to settle for bronze. The last 12 months have been very memorable for Neamt. At last year’s short course championships she was the winner of the “Swimmer of the Meet” Award when she smashed the Irish Senior 1500m Freestyle Record on the final day of competition. Having set the previous record of 16:40.22 at the 2013 championships, Neamt knocked almost 8 seconds off that time to set a new record of 16:32.73 making her the swimmer closest to a world record throughout the championships and winner of the award. She finished the 2014 meet with an Irish senior and two Irish junior records and three national titles.
@_PaulHayward
Jamie Vardy, Tyson Fury and Andy Murray could be the big three winners this weekend. Wouldn’t mind sitting in on that dinner party.
@SkySportsNewsHQ
Jamie Vardy is already the highest scoring Leicester player in a single Premier League season
@JayMyers7
Vardy is winning the Ballon Dor and some gypsy lump is the heavyweight champion of the world, what a time to be alive
@ConorMcNamaraIE
Hope Vardy keeps scoring. Only to stop people boring on about PL stats being invalid. Yes, we all know football existed before 1992. #Yawn
@McNallyMirror
Jimmy Dunne’s record of scoring in 12 straight English top-flight games next target for Jamie Vardy.Sheffield Utd man’s feat set in 1931/32.
@TheOddsBible
So we’re all agreed that Jamie Vardy absolutely has to be nominated for Sports Personality of the Year, right? Nominees announced Monday.
@DustinOfficial
Right have to find out if James Vardy has an Irish Granny or an irish Red Setter.
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culture
culture highlights ____________________________ Welcome to the December Culture section of InTallaght Magazine. There is loads happening this month in Tallaght with a dress-up Frozen screening in RUA RED, The Civic’s panto Aladdin and South Dublin Libraries’ Christmas Arts and Crafts Workshops. Read on for more.
FIRST UP AT RUARED:
Get into the festive season this December as RUA RED present a very special dress-up screening of Disney’s hit movie, Frozen! Bring along your whole family dressed as their favourite characters, and come on an epic journey to find Anna’s sister Elsa, the Snow Queen and put an end to her icy spell! Tickets are only €3.50 (non film club members) or FREE for film club members, and it’s a great way to kickstart the festive feeling! We also have some excellent art classes for kids of all ages in the run up to Christmas, with a Christmas Art Trolley taking place every Saturday from Dec 5th – Dec 19th, and a special Christmas Art Workshop on Dec 23rd, facilitated by artist Sarah Jayne Reid where you can make lots of creative arts and crafts that Santa will love to see when he visits! For more info or to book a place, you can visit ruared.ie or contact reception on (01) 451 5860. As always check out the RUA RED galleries which are free of charge and open to the public every day between 9am-6pm. Don’t forget to check out December’s Winter Open Exhibition and vote for your favourite participating artist! The winner will receive the People’s Choice Award - a cash prize of €1000 sponsored by The Square Shopping Centre. Finally, from all of us here at RUA RED, we’d like to wish you a very Merry
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Christmas and we look forward to seeing you again in the New Year!
NEXT AT THE CIVIC THEATRE:
Returning to The Civic on December 8th, The Dublin Gospel Choir show contains the most uplifting and powerful gospel choir arrangements with seasonal songs to send you home full of the joys of Christmas! The Splendid Lunatics will also play on Sunday December 13th and this fantastic improv group proudly present a night of spontaneous, fun-filled festive comedy. The Civic are really excited about their panto Aladdin which runs from Dec 20th – January 3rd which is completely sold out of all 4,200 tickets! Be sure to get in early for next year’s which will go on sale in September 2016. And they will kick off the New Year with superb comedy from Aprés Match on January 8th along with Tommy Tiernan on January 9th, the perfect Christmas gift for a loved one! Other Gift ideas from The Civic: Your mother may be a drama queen, your dad might be a stand-up comic, you may have a brother who’s a Shakespearian villain or a sister who is strictly ballroom, an aunt who can be a demanding diva, or your little brother may be a budding Bocelli… play to the crowd and keep them all happy and highly entertained with a Civic Theatre gift voucher! Valid for the entire varied and award-winning programme throughout
the year including drama, comedy, music, ballet, opera, contemporary dance and children’s theatre, Civic Theatre gift vouchers steal the show when it comes to choice. Gift Vouchers can be purchased from the box office in any denominations of €10 and do not have an expiry date.
FINALLY, SOUTH DUBLIN LIBRARIES:
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas and South Dublin Libraries have lots of delightful free events to celebrate the festive season! Highlights include Christmas Arts and Crafts Workshops for children of all ages, Christmas Storytime, a Christmas Pyjama Party at County Library Tallaght and a Christmas movie for all the family. There will also be plenty of drama at County Library Tallaght with a Victorian Christmas drama workshop for children and a wonderful evening with a dramatised reading of James Joyce’s The Dead for all the family. For full details of the Christmas programme at South Dublin Libraries, contact your local library, visit southdublinlibraries.ie and follow them on Facebook at South Dublin Libraries and Twitter @sdcclibraries. South Dublin Libraries will close for the Christmas period on December 23rd and will reopen on Saturday January 2nd 2016. They would like to wish InTallaght Magazine readers a merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!
culture - CIVIC THEATRE
culture - TALLAGHT STADIUM
culture - RUA RED