Aug-Sept 2018 NewsFour

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‘M

Peter McNamara en don’t talk face to face; they talk shoulder to shoulder.’ These are the words of Men’s Shed founder, Professor Barry Golding. It is often this simple insight that resonates most with people when they wonder what Men’s Sheds are and why they have been such a phenomenal success in Ireland over the last few years.

With over 400 Sheds in Ireland, at least three in each county, north and south, we enjoy the greatest concentration anywhere in the world. And now, thanks to the efforts of dedicated Ringsend locals, Dublin 4 may soon have a Shed of its own.

Men’s Sheds are informal spaces where men can come together and engage in hands-on activities and socialising. You might learn something new, teach something to someone else or just pop in for a chat and a cup of tea.

Sheds in Ireland run many diverse activities, but woodwork and crafts are often the most popular. The Dublin 4 project is looking to harness the skills and knowledge inherent in Ringsend, namely the connection to the river. To that end, it will be called the Ringsend Community and Maritime Men’s Shed.

According to Jimmy Murray, one the project’s key organisers, it makes sense to tap into local knowledge and traditions.

“For the Ringsend Shed,” he says “we envisage a dry dock.

It could be somewhere to repair boats. Down here, we have so much unique experience in don

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August / September 2018

ACTION PLAN FOR A DUBLIN4MEN’SSHED

ing that kind of thing, you could really help people.” All the same, Murray stresses that the focus wouldn’t simply be on maritime interests. “The Shed might be somewhere you could borrow a tool. Or you might drop in and get one of the lads to fix something small, like a crib, or a radio. Say you have a DIY question – you could throw it out there and someone might come back with an answer for you the next day.”

As it stands, the project is split into two tasks. The organisers are looking to build a Men’s Shed on a permanent site and during the time that will take to complete, they are also looking to set up a temporary Shed.

For a long-term site they’re considering the vacant area in the marina, near to the Stella Maris and Poolbeg clubhouses.

This neglected tract, wryly nick-

Page 32: Dublin Horse Show

named ‘Area 51’ would be a nice fit for the D4 Men’s Shed. “We’d be setting up on the foundations of the old Poolbeg Club,” says Murray. “One community centre following on from another. It feels very appropriate.”

However, funding will be needed to build the Men’s Shed.

In order to set-up at the marina location, a safe access route needs to be created in to the site, also ‘Area 51’ must be cleared out before any work could begin.

Sorting out these problems could take another year at least. For that reason, the team want to set up a temporary Shed.

Fortunately, on that front things are further developed.

“We have our structure,” says Martin Byrne, another key player in the project. “We’re going to set up in a shipping container.

And we have different tools and things to get activities up and

running.” The biggest obstacle for the temporary Shed is a location. “We’ve been trying to think creatively. We only need space enough to house a regular-sized shipping container. You could tuck it away anywhere, even in a car park. Once we find that, we’re away.”

Byrne became interested in setting up a Dublin 4 Men’s Shed after his brother opened one in Mullingar. He’s been working on the project since last September.

“I started out talking to friends, and then to local councillors,” he says. “Dermot Lacey has been a big help, right from the off.

There’d be no hope of a Shed without him.” Byrne also credits councillors Pat McCartan, Kieran Binchy, Frank Kennedy and Dublin City Council’s Declan Hayden. “Mary Doolin at the Spellman Centre has been great to us as well,” he adds.

IN THIS ISSUE…

Page 13: Profile: Dermot Morgan

Page 29: Getting Connected

Men’s health – both physical and mental – is a big issue in Ireland. Men continue to be at greater risk of a range of diseases and conditions than women, and their life expectancy is shorter by as much as five years. The success of the Men’s Shed movement in this country is a testament to their effectiveness. According to the study, Men’s Sheds in Ireland undertaken by Dr. Lucia Carragher at the Dundalk IT, the outcomes from taking part in a Shed are very positive.

Respondents to the study said that a Men’s Shed provides them with a place to get out of the house, and that they felt happier at home as a result of going along. The majority of people interviewed said that their wellbeing had improved. For many, over 88%, Sheds play an important role in facilitating access to male health information, not just leaflets or classes, but crucially through informal chats and the camaraderie that develops between the men themselves.

Christy Barry, another of the Dublin 4 project organisers, is passionate about helping others enjoy better health and happiness. Barry is a personal trainer, specialised in fitness and diet instruction for older people.

“When we get a Dublin 4 Shed up and running,” he says, “I’ll be glad to share what knowledge I have. Staying healthy in older age is all about food and movement. I could do a class for people, it could be something good.”

Continued on page 2.

Pages 30-31: Quietway Debacle

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ACTION PLAN FOR A DUBLIN 4 MEN’S SHED CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

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Sandymount Community Services, 13A Fitzwilliam Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4.

Barry is also interested in ways to maintain good mental health.

“Human beings are designed to be together. If someone felt lonely, they could come down to the Shed to have a chat. And they’ll go away feeling better.”

This is something else proven by research. According to the Dundalk IT study, the existence of a Men’s Shed in a community addresses one of the biggest challenges facing both rural and urban Ireland today: social isolation. While Sheds are primarily spaces for small groups to come together and connect, over 90% of men felt they were more connected to their wider community from being a member of their Shed.

“Everyone needs a bit of company,” says Barry. “To have a place to go, even for an hour a day, would give a person something to look forward to.” He believes a Ringsend Shed could be especially important for older people. “In the dark winter months, when you’re locked inside most of the day, dropping in for a cuppa would make a world of difference to someone’s mental health.”

Men are beginning to embrace healthier lifestyles. They are eating better and exercising more. They’re cutting down on smoking, alcohol consumption, and other risky behaviours. With more men willing and encouraged to seek help with their personal issues, suicide rates are beginning to fall. Men’s Sheds are part of this positive change.

The D4 Men’s Shed team are determined. “There are obstacles,” says Jimmy Murray, “but it will be worth the effort.” Alongside the many benefits that come with a Shed, Murray believes the Ringsend Shed will play a special role in the future of the area. “With people coming to teach and learn different skills, the Shed could be a place to pass on our local traditions. Life always changes,” he adds, “but traditions don’t. They’re something solid we can look to. And if we don’t make the effort to pass on local knowledge and skills, we could lose them altogether.”

In theory Men’s Sheds are places to come and do a few hands-on activities. In practice they are so much more. With such a passionate organising team behind it, and such a tight-knit community to draw upon, the Ringsend Men’s Shed could become something very special indeed.

For those interested in taking part in a Shed, you need not wait until the Dublin 4 Shed gets started. A Men’s Shed is currently running in East Wall. If you, or someone you know would like to go along, call Paul Graham at (01) 899-3985.

Pictured, from left, Dublin 4 Men’s Shed Project Organisers: Christy Barry, Jimmy Murray, Anthony O’Riordan, Michael Curry, Henry Hicks, Phil Ryan, Dave Kelly, Ryan Harridge, Martin Byrne, Vincent Byrne, little Ruby Byrne.

Photo: Peter McNamara.

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August / September 2018

The Editor’s Corner

W

e had a few dry weeks of sunshine that approximated a summer but rest assured rain is never far away. We are rich in it. So it was disconcerting to see mainstream media using hysterical terms such as drought and water crisis, insults to the places that actually suffer these disasters. Water is an important resource, one we have an abundance of or should have.

What the dry spell highlighted is the appalling and inexcusable mismanagement of it. Central and local government should be using the tariffs and taxes they already collect to invest in environmental and agricultural engineering; deep wells, good storage tanks and a network of highly efficient, securely constructed and well maintained water pipes. This work should have been underway for many years and should be ongoing, carried out in the interest of public service; serving the country and future citizens. This is government’s job and we the people employ them to do it on our behalf.

What we do not employ them to do is to take a public ‘commons’, a natural supply of elements that nobody owns because everybody owns it – and package it for sale to a company that, during 3 weeks of sunshine in a year, tell people to turn off their hoses, enforce restrictions and have farmers worried for crops.

To put it on the householder is a nonsense and for the media to collude with the propaganda is more than disingenuous, it is corrupt. And don’t cite climate change, that’s the devil using scripture for his own end.

Because it is clear when it comes to caring about sustainability we are morally bankrupt. The lawmakers, the profiteers and the public. Read the superb report on the Quiteway (pgs 30-31) and weep. Nimbyism at its worst. The breathtaking fallacies argued beggars belief; they are afraid to let children cycle to school due to the volume of traffic, a volume of traffic they create driving their children to school. But the public gets what the public wants.

And it’s not all bad. There is a demand for a return to better values, services and shared resources. The Men’s Shed cover story is a vital, local development. The new libraries’ policies (pg 18) is a heartening and encouraging read. As are our features on health, personal development and the great many successful achievements in local arts, businesses, policy making and infrastructure. Plus we feature local sports and community efforts of all kinds. We also have our regular sections for readers to enjoy as well as previews of upcoming events through August and September. What is clear in reading this issue is: Ego does not serve the public interest, communities or our future: Vision, honesty and cooperation does.

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Telephone: (01)6673317 E-mail: newsfour@gmail.com Website: www.newsfour.ie Opinions expressed in NewsFour do not necessarily represent the views of Sandymount Community Services.

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August / September 2018

COMMUNITY NEWS

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Funding floats Scouts’ boats Heritage Week Exhibition at St John’s Church

S

n Alyson Gavin

T

n Geraldine

Smith he tradition of rowing features strongly in the life of members of 4th Port Dodder Sea Scout Group.

So when their East Coast skiff was deemed unseaworthy, the group knew they had to do something to ensure the members would be able to row on the river Dodder for the summer season.

Luckily, two opportunities arose which led to them being able to order two replacement rowing boats.

The Aviva Stadium Community Fund contributed €3,500 towards the cost of one boat and Aerial Slattery and Staff of Slattery’s Pub do-

nated €2,000, as part of the Good Friday Good Turn initiative they introduced this year. The balance of the costs came from the Group’s 12 Days of Christmas ticket sales.

When it came to choosing names for the boats, all members contributed their ideas. In the end, one boat was named ‘Discovery’ and the second ‘Endurance’ in memory of the ships Tom Crean the Irish explorer sailed on. Ciaran Murphy, a Cub Scout in the group had the honour of launching both boats.

The boats were built in Cavan and are suitable for all the age ranges and loved by the Beaver Scouts, Cub Scouts and Sea Scouts alike.

t John’s the Evangelist Church, Park Avenue, Sandymount will host an exhibition, ‘Turbulent Priests, Anglican Nuns and a Boy with a Bicycle: Stories from Sandymount’, during National Heritage Week 2018, from Thursday 23rd to Sunday 26th August.

The exhibition recalls significant moments in the history of St John’s between 1900 and 1940, when the controversial Anglo-Catholic clergymen the Revds. Fletcher Le Fanu and Randal Colquhoun were Vicars. Protests and court cases took place arising from opposition to their alleged ‘Romish and Papistical’ liturgical practices. The suspension of Fr Colquhoun by the Church of Ireland authorities in 1937 was reported worldwide.

Also on display is a history, illustrated with rare photographs, of the Community of St John the Evangelist, an order of Anglican nuns, who had a convent, orphanage and school of embroidery on St John’s Road until the 1960s. The poignant story of Alfie Knight is also featured. Alfie was a nine-year old local boy from Park Avenue who responded to Lord Kitchener’s recruiting campaign in 1914 by offering to go to the Front with his bicycle.

The theme of Heritage Week 2018 is ‘Share a Story – Make A Connection.’ This exhibition at St John’s Church is a great opportunity to make connections with new people and stories and to learn more about Sandymount’s unique history and heritage.

St John’s is an unusual, if not unique, church. It was founded in 1850 as a trustee church by Sidney Herbert, brother of the Earl of Pembroke. It has no parish but is a landmark in Sandymount, a coastal

suburb of South Dublin City. There is still a pew reserved for the Earl of Pembroke.

Since its foundation, St. John’s has embraced the high church Anglo-Catholic tradition. Built in the early Norman Romanesque style, there is much for the visitor to see. Apart from the unique architectural features, there are several stained glass windows by Joshua Clarke and Sons, and by other prominent workshops. Behind the altar there is a striking mosaic by Whitefriars Glass based on a work by Benozzo Gozzoli, an Italian Renaissance painter.

Uniquely for the Church of Ireland, the stations of the cross, by French art deco sculptor Roger de Villiers and originally presented to St John’s by Irish artist Evie Hone, are displayed on the walls.

Poet Laureate John Betjeman regularly attended St. John’s with his family while he was British Press Attaché in Dublin during the Second World War. A letter written by him expressing his views on the interior of the church will also be displayed during Heritage Week.

Admission to the exhibition is free and everyone is welcome. Opening hours are: Thursday 23rd, Friday 24th and Saturday 25th August, 10am to 4pm. Sunday 26th August: 12 noon to 4pm St John’s Church is located on Park Avenue, Sandymount. Sydney Parade is the nearest DART Station. Buses 1 and 47 stop at the church. Buses 4, 7, and 8 stop nearby (Ailesbury Road stop).

Email: Stjohnssandymount@gmail.com Web address: www.sandymount.dublin.anglican.org Facebook: Saint John the Evangelist, Sandymount, Dublin 4.

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Sandymount School of Art

S

n David Prendeville andymount School of Art on Londonbridge Road offers an array of excellent classes for both children and adults and is an invaluable resource of creative learning in the area.

The school was founded by Triona Sweeney in 2007. Triona has a vast background in the art scene, having graduated from NCAD and subsequently worked extensively at teaching art at primary level, secondary level and adult education.

The school promotes the individual as key and sees each person’s development as being unique. Each student works at their own pace while one-on-one tuition and support allows them to uncover their creativity and to develop skills. I caught up with Triona to find out more about what they do and to hear about her unique vision for the school.

“My focus is very much on creativity,” she tells me, “whether it’s children or adults that I’m dealing with, the approach is the same.

Skills are demonstrated, we talk about the work but their response is their own individual response to something. The result is nobody’s work looking the same, so it’s not like a production line, it’s very much about individuality and creativity.”

Triona is passionate when talking about the potential in art in allowing people to blossom and find their own path in life, particularly when harnessed from a young age: “For kids, it allows them to think a certain way so that you question or you allow things to develop. You make a plan and start on a path to something, then along the way you decide you’re going to go this way instead. You could apply that to anything. You react to situations instead of saying there’s one direct route you can go down, you can have a more divergent way of thinking and that can apply to anything.”

The children usually start at the school from the age of seven and the school provides an outlet that allows for a healthy balance in a

CULTURE

child’s development: “I think a lot of parents like to get a balance between sporting activities for their children and just being calmer and more thoughtful, which you would associate with art or doing an art project.”

The school is unique in offering courses to both children and adults.

Triona tells me that this inclusivity has resulted in a terrific sense of community, something which you can tell goes hand-in-hand with how she views art. “A lovely thing is starting to happen now that I’m here so long – that some of the

Summer times-a-changing?

O

n Kathrin Kobus ne thing is for sure, this year the summer holidays were definitely not a washout. On the contrary. A heatwave came in the last week of June at the beginning of The World Cup in Russia and decided to stay on for basically a month up to the finals.

The sky was a block of blue day in, day out, barely a cloud to be seen after the early morning fog had dissipated. Night temperatures didn’t dip below 15 degrees.

For three and a half weeks words like rain, shower, isolated or downpours were missing entirely from our weather forecasts. Even when it became overcast again for most of the long daylight hours.

There had been a beautiful midsummer night, when it appeared as if there was still a band of brightness above the horizon around 11pm and dawn broke again before 4am next morning.

Or should that be 3 o’clock in the morning? Because right now we are all on summer time, i.e. one hour ahead of normal time to which we switch back in autumn.

It was an EC directive back in 1984 to harmonize the summer time switches for the common market area. Before that, each country had their own summertime arrangements.

The change forward happens annually on the last Sunday of March and the switch back to winter time on the last Sunday of October for all member states.

There are three time zones within the Union. There is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), which applies for Ireland, Portugal and Central European Time or GMT+1 and Eastern European Time/GMT+2. Most of the gadgets we use day in day out, from PC’s, tablets, smartphones et al do the switch without human input required.

That clock on the kitchen wall might need its hands moved manually and of course one hour forward can play havoc if you arrive too late for check in at the airport or have to spend extra hours on the train station because you missed the morning one.

The majority of scientists assure us that our biological rhythm is not severely disrupted by this.

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children who came to the very first art camps are now coming to adult classes. Some of them have been to art college and some are even finishing art college now.”

Whoever the student and whatever they’ve been up to in the intervening years, once they come back to the school their focus is purely on their art: “It’s their time to kind of shut off from everything else.

They come in for that couple of hours and lose themselves in their work and their painting.”

While the school is doing great work in fostering creativity for all But there have been several demands over the years within the EU parliament to abolish the regulation for daylight saving altogether. So back in February this year, the EU Commission looked into the matter and came up with a questionnaire. “In response to the European Parliament resolution, the Commission has therefore committed to assess the two main policy alternatives available to ensure such a harmonised regime, which are: 1. Keeping the current EU summertime arrangements as set out in Directive 2000/84/EC, or 2. Discontinuing the current bi-annual time changes for all Member States and prohibiting periodic switches; again this would not affect the choice of time zone, and it would ultimately remain each Member State’s decision whether to go for permanent summer or wintertime (or a different time.)”

That is the official wording of the proposal. It’s been out on the world wide web since the first week of July and is open until the 16th August, so you can have your say, if and how the one hour switch hinders or helps you in daily life.

August / September 2018 ages in the local community, positive word on its name has spread far and wide, with many people travelling long distances to take part in classes. “Some people travel to the school. They come in from Swords or Greystones. The way they hear about it is word of mouth. They know somebody or they saw something someone was doing while they were here and they try it out. So it’s all been word of mouth and reputation.”

With the school’s reputation going from strength to strength and Triona’s unbridled passion to continue to create, I ask her what she hopes the future holds for the school, “Just to keep going. One of the things that’s really encouraging and satisfying to me is the standard of work and the loyalty people have to the place. Just more of that and just to keep going and keep pushing the standard up and have the people continue to come back.”

We hope this excellent cultural outlet continues to go from strength to strength in the future.

You can find out more about Sandymount School of Art and see what classes they’re holding at sandymountart.ie Above: Triona Sweeney.

Photo Courtesy of Sandymount School of Art. Here is the link https:// ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/2018-summertimearrangements?survey On the beach, below: Brandon, aged four, from Dublin.

Photos: Kathrin Kobus.

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August / September 2018

LOCAL EVENT

Page 5

Big day out in Donnybrook

A

n Eoin

Meegan t one time, the small hamlet of Donnybrook was known for the infamous Donnybrook Fair, where all kinds of shenanigans took place, with riotous behaviour and partying late into the night.

Eventually, the good denizens of Donnybrook (who apparently hated the Fair) decided to get rid of it. That took a few years, mind, but by 1866 the Fair of Donnybrook was no more. Unfortunately, the name “having a Donnybrook” has gone into the English lexicon, with some thinking that’s where the village got its name.

It’s not. It’s from the Irish Domhnach Broc.

However, back there in the baking Saharan summer we’ve all enjoyed so much

attempts were made to revive this ancient nefarious tradition. This took the form of a certain group of party-goers congregating on the tiny green just off the village’s main street hell bent on having a lot of fun.

However, worry not, because instead of rioting, sword fighting and bear baiting this event had music, balloons, and children’s laughter. I am of course talking about the Donnybrook Street Festival (this year known as the “Sizzler” due to the unseasonably good weather we’ve been enjoying) and which has now become something of an annual event.

Organised by the indefatigable David Doyle and the Donnybrook Residents’ Association it was a fun day for kids and grown-ups too. As well as overseeing proceedings, David (also no mean DJ) provided the music which kept everyone dancing on the green all afternoon, while Fr. Christy was the most popular man on the day, taking on the role of Gordon Ramsay (but without the swearing), as he dispensed sizzling sausages and delicious burgers to all hungry mouths with aplomb.

Paul Doyle was the excellent MC, keeping things moving along smoothly with the intrepid Owen Walker on hand, selling raffle tickets, handing out prizes, blowing up balloons and ensuring everyone was looked after. Multitasking, as all

who know him can attest, is second nature to Owen.

As mentioned, there was a monster raffle with loads of fabulous prizes, all generously donated by local businesses, with the proceeds going to help local amenities.

But the big attraction of the day was undoubtedly Waffles the Magician. Waffles kept everyone entertained with her stunning feats of magic, and even taught some of the children to do one or two magic tricks. There are a few budding Harry Potters among the younger residents of Donnybrook – I’m certain I saw someone do a Patronus spell. And by the amount of laughter and merriment emanating from them, it can truly be said that these kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

The Donnybrook Residents’Association (DRA) would like to thank everyone concerned; all who came along and especially those who helped out, the businesses of Donnybrook (too numerous to mention) for generously donating so many excellent prizes for the raffle, and also to the Gardaí for closing the roads and ensuring

everyone was safe during the event. The street festival went on most of Sunday afternoon in the brilliant sunshine and everyone had a fabulous time.

Having a Donnybrook – perhaps not, but a really great fun day out. Definitely.

If you want to book Waffles for children’s parties, or any magic event, you can contact her at www.birthdayparties.ie or on (01) 496 7798 or 086 83 54321.

Photos: Eoin Meegan.

Page 6

Natural Energy Healing

A

n Eoin

Meegan

s a race, the Irish have always had an interest in healing. Going back in time we have all heard of a local wise woman (or man) who had what was known as the ‘healing touch.’ A lot of today’s new healing methods, variously categorised as Alternative Healing or Complementary Medicines may have their roots in that ancient, worldwide tradition.

One such healer is Noirin Callanan. Noirin works in various modalities, but specialises in a form of therapy known as natural energy healing. NewsFour recently dropped into her clinic here in D4 for a chat.

The first thing I asked was what exactly is involved in natural healing energy.

“We are all made of energy,” Noirin explains, “there is an energy field that surrounds and interpenetrates the body, and if, for any reason, a blockage occurs in this energy field, it can result in illness.”

The energy field Noirin speaks of is most commonly referred to as the meridian system. It works like a series of channels through which vital energy, sometimes called Chi flows.

In the Indian Vedic tradition, they are known as nadi (channels).

A recent Korean study found verifiable links between the meridian system and the “primo-vascular system”, which comprises part of the cardiovascular system. So even in Western medicine, traditionally shy in embracing this theory, there is an ever-growing acceptance of these energetic channels. And of course Chinese medicine, well known for acupuncture and acupressure, has known about it for centuries. Essentially, it seems, we are all energy

beings.

So, how then do blockages occur in this system?

Noirin continues: “This can be the result of trauma, maybe something that happened in childhood. The loss of a loved one also can impact on it, especially if we have suppressed the grieving process. Sometimes I ask clients what happened when their mum died, did they release that trauma, or is there still a wound there.”

She feels it is important to address the whole person and not just try to fix the symptoms. “I work on all levels, mental, spiritual and physical. I believe our persistent thoughts create our reality, and this includes our feelings. When a client comes in, often the first thing I will want to know is what their dominant emotion is.”

Is it necessary to believe in healing for it to work?

“I get asked that a lot,” she smiled, “and the answer is no. Everyone thinks it’s a question of faith, or maybe the placebo effect, but I have seen animals heal, and of course people who were in a coma, so how do you explain that? You don’t actually have to believe, but you do have to have an openness to change, not to stand in your own way. Have you noticed how some people love to talk about their illness? They dwell on it all the time, like it’s giving them something to hold on to. Deep down, these people may not want to get well.”

As well as past trauma, Noirin claims breathing noxious chemicals, for example, in the workplace, can also cause energy blocks, as can much of the food we eat. Nutrition is high on Noirin’s list of priorities. She firmly believes we are what we eat.

Also what we allow into our personal space. For instance, looking

HEALING / CULTURE

at violence or disturbing pictures on TV, (and that includes the news) can have, over time, a detrimental effect.

“When we’re watching the suffering of others at a distance and unable to do anything about it, we’re left in a sense of helplessness. Of course bad things always happened, but in the past when a neighbour was in trouble we could help them. Now that, that ability is taken away, what is left is a feeling of disempowerment.”

Noirin is a healer in the traditional sense. Her grandmother was a psychic and she was born with the caul (this is ‘the waters’, the amniotic sac, fully intact around the baby.) One time when she was around seven she was sitting with a neighbour who had severe arthritis when suddenly a great feeling of compassion for the lady came over her. Almost involuntarily, she reached over and touched her hand and the woman felt great relief. From then on, looking after her elderly neighbour was a task assigned to Noirin, even when sometimes she would prefer to be out playing!

However, it wasn’t until she was in her thirties that she began to practice healing professionally. Prior to that, Noirin held a senior position in a pensionable job, responsible for

Gender equality plan at The Lir

L

n David Prendeville

ast week, The Lir Academy, as well as a number of other Dublin and Irish-based theatre companies launched their plan to tackle gender inequality in the industry. The policy is described as “The Lir’s commitment to maintaining gender equality across the organisation and ensuring the dignity and respect of all staff and students.”

It has been constructed as a considered response to the Waking the Feminists grassroots movement in Irish theatre launched in

November 2015.

The strategy is set to run up until 2022, with statistics published each year until then and a thorough review to take place afterwards. Elements covered under the policy include: Governance, programming, casting, technical show roles and professional placements, curriculum development, student recruitment, staff recruit-

ment, facilitating non-binary students, harassment and bullying,

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a large number of employees and earning an excellent salary. But deep down she wasn’t happy. “My soul felt shrivelled like a dried prune,” she said.

Around this time she was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis, a condition that affects the neck and lower back, and for which there is no cure. The doctors said they would have to operate, a decision Noirin set her face against. However, her diagnosis forced her to explore other options, including alternative healing. Following a circuitous route, she discovered a healer who told her her condition wouldn’t improve until she began doing the work she was born to do. That is to become a healer. Her illness was simply her body’s way of telling her that she needed to follow her life’s calling.

Sometimes, bad things happen to us for a good reason. In this case, to point her in the direction she was meant to take. She gave up the job forthwith and started training as a healer, which led to the work she’s doing today. From that day, her condition healed up never to return again.

Noirin describes herself as a conduit for the energy or healing to flow into people.

tools and support, industry and wider sectoral issues.

Key points raised include a commitment to having a fifty-fifty gender split between programming plays directed and written by living artists, as well as working to improve the balance of programming classical works by researching, reading and producing neglected works by female playwrights.

Policies are already in place to ensure that there is full protection and support resources for anyone who is subjected to sexual harassment or bullying. It is their aim to also have gender-balance on the staff and board, as well as gender

August / September 2018 “The healing doesn’t come from me, it always comes from The Source. You can call it God if you want. I feel there is something that is loving and kind that surrounds and interpenetrates everything. If we tune in, we can draw from this energy. I see myself in the fashion of a pair of ‘jump leads.’ I simply plug myself into Source and it does the work.”

What happens when you go for a healing with Noirin?

First she scans the person, standing, by running her hands up and down a few inches from their body.

If there are any imbalances in their energy field Noirin experiences it as a kind of pressure on her hands.

Next she has the client lie on a table or plinth and begins to draw out this stuck energy, thus allowing the person’s own natural healing ability to do its work.

After the process, she scans them again standing to see if any blocks remain. Treatment can take several sessions depending on how stubborn the blockages are. The process is completely non-invasive, you do not have to take off your clothes, only your shoes.

Noirin’s work has been documented in the media, and she has many testimonials to her success as a healer. Among them is a very heart-warming story from the family of a child from Wexford who had a tumour on her lung, and following healing by Noirin made a full recovery without the need for surgery.

It is, of course, not suggested that people should use any healing treatment in place of their doctor’s advice, or any prescribed medication they are on.

Noirin is someone who radiates compassion and professionalism for her work.

She operates out of Oscailt here in Dublin 4 and you can contact her healer.ie. or Tel. 087 614 0411.

Pictured above: Noirin Callanan – photo courtesy of Noirin.

parity in terms of students admitted to the academy.

The strategy was launched by Minister of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan in the Lir. She said of the policy: “It is vital that women’s voices are allowed to reverberate on stage, across the cultural sector and across society as a whole. The theatre organisations here today are pioneering what I hope will become standard practice across the sector and across society as a whole.”

Other theatres committing to the policy include The Abbey Theatre, The Gate, and The Everyman Theatre in Cork.

www.newsfour.ie

August / September 2018

GREEN BUSINESS

Page 7

Sandymount Hotel retains accolade of ‘Europe’s Leading Green Hotel’ at World Travel Awards

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By Sandymount Hotel thens, 30th June 2018: Sandymount Hotel, Dublin’s largest family run hotel, has retained the top accolade as ‘Europe’s Leading Green Hotel,’ scooping the award for a second year running at the prestigious World Travel Awards.

As the worthy winner of ‘Europe’s Leading Green Hotel’in 2017 and now again in 2018, Sandymount Hotel beat stiff competition from some of the world’s most renowned hotels and resorts including ICE Hotel in Sweden, Vila Vita Parc in Portugal and Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo in Cannes, positioning the hotel as a green leader in an elite category of environmentally friendly hotels worldwide.

Renowned as the Oscars of the travel industry, the World Travel Awards are celebrating 25 years this year, honouring a quarter of a century recognising leaders across all sectors of the global travel and tourism industry. A special anniversary World Travel Awards 2018 red-carpet event took place at the Zappeion Megaron Hall in Athens, Greece.

John and Gerard Loughran, Family

Directors at Sandymount Hotel, were joined by their wives and colleagues, Ciara Kelly (Marketing Manager) and Ann McCabe (Green Team leader), to celebrate their prestigious win: “We are truly honoured to again scoop the award for Europe’s Leading Green Hotel. 2017 was a successful year for us; achieving a four-star upgrade from Fáilte Ireland following significant refurbishment and winning this award for the first time. Heading into 2018, we wanted to ensure we progressed our eco-friendly and sustainable approaches and have a green team in place at the hotel. Our dedicated green team ensure we continuously find ways to introduce additional measures to offer the best environmentally friendly practices, in line with our overall guest offerings and experiences.

We are delighted to be recognised as ‘Europe’s Leading Green Hotel’ 2018 and we thank everyone who voted for us. We would also like to congratulate our friends at the Convention Centre Dublin on their award win for Europe’s Leading Meetings and Conference Centre. A great night for the Irish hos-

pitality industry and proof that not only are we competing on a world scale but we are also setting international standards for others to follow.”

Sion Rapson, Vice-President from World Travel Awards says: “Going eco-friendly and having a sustainable business practice approach is vastly important in today’s hospitality industry. The environment has never been as topical as it is currently – showcasing the effects of our lifestyle decisions on animals, the planet and our health.

Whilst a positive consumer experience is at the heart of hotels, it is encouraging to see those, such as Sandymount, and fellow nominees, have managed to combine both, reducing their impact on the environment and giving back through global initiatives whilst also ensuring guest satisfaction and value for money.”

In 2013, Sandymount Hotel took an eco-friendly and sustainable approach to achieve a greener, cleaner hotel by reducing both energy and water consumption. Fast forward to 2018 and the green award winning Sandymount Hotel is a European front-runner.

As part of the waste prevention system, the Loughran family and green team members have: • Reduced, reused and recycled 95% of the hotel’s waste.

• The hotel uses biodegradable compostable coffee cups and lids. When catering for large conferences and events and with busy guests looking to grab a coffee on the go, it’s important to the hotel that these are 100% recyclable.

• And… only 100% compostable eco-friendly straws are used in the Line Out Bar. • The hotel collects and recycles soap and toiletries discarded in the hotel every day and through the global ‘Clean the World’ recycling programme, these items are distributed, preventing millions of hygiene-related diseases worldwide.

• Did you know? A tap dripping at

one drip per second wastes up to 25 litres in one day! Modifications were made throughout the hotel, including the installation of aerator shower heads, reducing water consumption of the showers by 47% per guest!!

• Through its sustainable approach, 26% of the electricity used by the hotel comes from renewable sources, whilst the hotel now uses 22% LESS electricity than it did in 2013, largely due to a switch to 100% energy efficient light bulbs.

• The hotel offers rewards and incentives to guests who help the hotel to take a greener approach i.e. housekeeping opt-out.

Above, from left: Gerard Loughran, John Loughran, Ciara Kelly, Audrey Loughran, Emily Loughran and Ann McCabe at the World Travel Awards.

CULTURE / ARTS

Page 8

www.newsfour.ie

August / September 2018

Capital Credit Union is delighted to announce the launch of the Capital Credit Union Community Fund

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he Community Fund re-affirms the commitment of Capital Credit Union as a core service to its members and community.

The aim of the Community Fund is to assist non-profit organisations in their community to widen their horizons and aim for what might seem to be unachievable.

Do you have a project that additional funding would complete or would assist in expanding services within your organisation?

Is lack of funds preventing your School, Club or Association from achieving its goals?

Would you like to put forward a proposal to Capital Credit Union for funding to complete your project?

TO APPLY: Complete our Application Form, outlining your proposal for funding.

Be sure to tell us why your project is the one we should consider funding. We’ll review your submission and contact you if additional information is needed.

Download the Community Sponsorship Application Form from www.capitalcu.ie/download-forms/other or collect one from any of our offices.

Closing Date for Applications is Friday 18th August 2018

CAPITAL CREDIT UNION OFFICES

Sandyford: Balally SC Sandyford Dublin 16 Ballinteer: Ballinteer SC, Ballinteer, Dublin 16 Drimnagh: Galtymore Rd, Drimnagh, Dublin 12 Dundrum: Main Street, Dundrum, Dublin 14 Knocklyon: SuperValu SC, Knocklyon, Dublin 16 Sandymount: Bath Avenue, Sandymount, Dublin 4

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Yeats Day in Sandymount Green

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Peter McNamara he annual Yeats Day celebration took place in Sandymount Green on June 13th.

Organised by Anthony Jordan, the focus of this year’s event is Major Robert Gregory, the son of Lady Augusta Gregory. This year marks the centenary of his death.

Coming in the middle of the wonderful summer heatwave, the morning was bright and warm. The grass of the green was almost straw.

Festivities opened with the sixth class of Schoil Mhuire. Led by their teacher Donncha Cleary, the girls read A Cradle Song and Words.

The chorus of voices made for a lovely recital.

Unfortunately, June being a busy school-term, they were all whisked back to class soon after performing.

Over the course of the morning, attendees were treated to stirring recitals of some of the poet’s best work. Participants read from The Wild Swans At Coole, Byzantium, and The Lake Isle Of Inisfree, to name a few.

Charles Lysaght discussed the short life of Major Robert Gregory, and recited with touching pathos Yeats’s elegiac poem about him – An Irish Airman Forsees His

Death. Dark and mystical poems were balanced by lighter romantic ones, making for a morning of rich variety.

There was also a wonderful baritone rendition of Down By The Sally Gardens by Michael MacAuliffe. Added to this was a reading by Felix Larkin from Yeats’s senatorial speech to Dáil Éireann in 1922, on the soon-to-be-enacted law prohibiting divorce. In this speech, the poet touched on the then-pressing question of partition, and how a law forbidding divorce in the emerging Free State was certain to drive a wedge between the north and south of the island. To forbid divorce, the poet argued, would be to deprive the Protestant population of Ireland of a right they had enjoyed since the time of Henry the VIII. He spoke of the need for tolerance and understanding between the Catholic and Protestant communities of Ireland. It is remarkable (and somewhat disheartening) to find such immediacy to Yeats’s words: That there are still-unresolved tensions between them in 2018.

Halfway through proceedings, Anthony Jordan – the MC for the day – announced a special guest:

Her Excellency Mrs. Vijay Thakur Singh, Ambassador of the Republic of India. Taking to the stage, Mrs. Singh discussed the connections between Yeats and India. She noted the poet’s fascination with Indian literature and Hindi Gods and read work from the Indian poet Tagore – a fellow Nobel laureate and a favourite of Yeats.

For the grand finale there was a stirring dance set to the Waterboy’s song The Stolen Child, which is based on the Yeats poem of the same name. Dressed in colourful flowing clothing, the two dancers performed beautifully, giving physical expression to the rolling guitar-led music. They completed graceful spins and lifts, and gathered into an irresistible crescendo.

Without doubt Yeats Day 2018 was a great success. Congratulations are due to the organisers and all who took part. For those who missed out, there’s always next year.

protagonist speaks to them from the other side. The prose of this onesentence book, (it eschews all usual grammar to read as one long sentence) can be challenging at times and demands focus. A quick flick through, summer romance it is not.

Just think about the words in the title, Solar as an adjective to bones?

How is that possible? In reality, in fantasy or just in a dream? Then the reading experience is an otherworldly zone of words, phrases and juxtapositions that cling to each other form sentences, paragraphs

and pages that form seamlessly into one, long stretched out, meandering thought, about the meaning of life itself.

The quality of the writing had already been recognized, scooping the prestigious Goldsmiths Prize, the Novel of the Year Award and Book of the Year Award at the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards and was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize.

With four awards now and prize money of €100,000 it is easy to forget that the manuscript had gone through the hands of several publishers and was rejected several times before Tramp Press published it. The publishers, Sarah DavisGoff and Lisa Coen celebrated with Mike McCormack at the ceremony at the Mansion House. It was a triple success on the day for Irish au-

thor, agent and publishers.

Most of all the Dublin Literary Award is a celebration for libraries everywhere and highlights the necessity for them. Mike McCormack underlined this, when he remembered how his interest in reading started in his local library. “The library there was a single room in the town hall. Since then, I have been to libraries all over the world, but they are just a bigger echo of that first library.”

The ceremony for 2018 may be over, but the nominations for next year are already under way. Libraries from 177 countries will again choose their literary favourites.

Solar Bones by Mike McCormack publishers Tramp Press is available at booksonthegreen.ie €15.00

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Solar Bones

n Kathrin Kobus iterary Dublin, literary Ireland. The month of June sees one event after another, sometimes two or more in one week as is the case with Yeats and Bloomsday. These celebrate the canon but contemporary literature also leaves its marks.

The Dublin Literary Award is a highly regarded and coveted prize, for a novel written in English or translated into English. The award has been made since 1996. Previously called the IMPAC, Dublin City Libraries manages the awards and sponsor the substantial prize money of €100,000 (since 2015.)

All books that are put forward are nominated by readers via libraries all over the world.

Since November 2017 a panel of five judges patiently read through 150 books, written in 18 languages

coming from 37 countries and 111 cities. This longlist was whittled down to a group of ten by April this year and among them two Irish entries, Eimear McBride’s The Lesser Bohemians and Mike McCormack’s Solar Bones.

It was the latter, who was declared the winner for his novel. He recounted in his acceptance speech at twelve minutes to twelve, before the midday Angelus bells (and readers of the book will understand the significance of this) how he got the news. “I was on my way home on the bus. Got off and walked towards our house. I suffered my own disbelief. So I double checked by text with my agent that it was really true before I told my wife.”

The novel details the life reflections of an engineer, Marcus Conway, after his death. The reader knows from the outset the main

Pictured above: Participants and organiser of festival third left of centre Mr Anthony Jordan.

Indian Ambassador Mrs Vijay Thakur Singh reading from Tagore.

Photo: Peter McNamara.

Pictured: Author Mike McCormack.

Photo: Chris Bellew / Fennell Photography.

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Page 9

LOCAL INTEREST / CULTURE

Page 10

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Peter McNamara fter a long application process and weeks of building, the renovation of the Stella Maris Rowing Club is complete.

The interior of the old clubhouse has been entirely modernised and an upper floor has been added to the building to house a gym. As well as the changes to the clubhouse, there’s an all-new boathouse, built in hard wearing steel and concrete.

The ground-floor level of the renovated clubhouse features changing and toilet facilities for members, along with a multi-purpose workshop for oar making and boat repair. It also contains a kitchen.

The first-floor gym space opens onto a long balcony, which overlooks the river. It boasts rowing machines and exercise bikes, as well as weight lifting and TRX equipment. “It’s one of the most advanced gyms of any rowing club in Dublin,” says Liam Bannable, chairman of Stella Maris.

Bannable made the initial application to Dublin City Council, and to Covanta and won funding from both sources. Kennedy Woods Architects are in charge of n

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the build. “They’ve been great,” says Bannable, “all the way through.”

There were many reasons to undertake the build. The old clubhouse had issues with damp and cold: The new one is fully insulated and features a disabled toilet. “One of the main reasons we wanted to upgrade the clubhouse,” explains the Chairman, “was to reflect the growth in the club. We want to harness our momentum. And keep on growing.”

Without doubt, the Stella Maris Rowing Club has been going from strength to strength. Membership is up 40% since 2013, something Bannable puts down to the hard work of the youth section. “Kids are training here every morning, every day. The parents have been great to give them the chance.”

He reckons the competitive success of the club is something else that has generated interest.

Stella Maris have won the East Coast competition every year from 2012 to 2017, and have taken home the Overall Shield from 2012 to 2015. And there’s no denying the role of the O’Donovan brothers. National interest in rowing has been on the rise since the charming pair won silver at the

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August / September 2018

New Stella Maris clubhouse completed

2014 Rio Olympics. Liam grins at their mention: “They’re great ambassadors for the sport.”

A rower since he was 18, Bannable’s passion for the sport is obvious. He has even won an AllIreland gold medal himself. Elected as chairman by the members of the club, all his efforts on behalf of Stella Maris have been voluntary. “It’s an important part of the community. And at the club we really believe in giving back.”

He’s true to his word. This summer the Stella Maris ran a free camp where kids could learn to sail two days a week. There have also been family fun-days with bouncy castles and a BBQ. “We love the community here, and we

want to contribute to it to keep it vibrant as ever. And with these new facilities we know we can do even more.”

Taking part in sport is so beneficial, physically and mentally.

Bannable is very encouraged to see so many young people taking up rowing. “We even have older members returning,” he adds.

Annual subscription fees are €50 for an adult and €25 for a child. Members have all rowing equipment provided, and have the use of the renovated clubhouse and balcony. “There might be a small charge for the gym,” explains the chairman, “you might throw a euro in a box or something.”

Since the days of the nobblers guiding trade ships into port, skiff rowing has always been part of Ringsend. With an all-new clubhouse, and rising excitement in the sport across the country, the time might be right to visit the Stella Maris Rowing Club, and take part in this proud local tradition.

The HOPE Row and Run takes place at the Stella Maris on the second week of September.

Above: The new clubhouse balcony overlooking the river.

Left: The new gym on the first floor of the renovated clubhouse.

Photos courtesy of Stella Maris Rowing club.

Local companies win big at Film Fleadh

n David Prendeville his year saw the Galway Film Fleadh celebrate its thirtieth edition. Will Fitzgerald took over from the longserving Gar O’Briain as this year’s programmer. It was the familiarly excellent, diverse lineup of films, showcasing a wide variety of talent, old and new.

It was a busy year for locally-based businesses at the Fleadh with Element Pictures, Samson Films and Wildcard Distribution all featuring prominently and taking home some of the biggest awards. The festival opened with the hotly-anticipated premiere of Wildcard’s The Belly of the Whale, starring Pat Shortt and Peter Coonan.

Irishtown-based Samson Films screened the horror Cellar Door, directed by Viko Nikci and starring Kelly Hassen, Catherine Walker and Mark O’ Halloran, to a packed house in the prime-time Friday evening slot.

It also secured the award of Best Irish First

Feature. The film adopts a fragmented narrative in telling the story of a woman who is searching for her baby while imprisoned in a religious institution. All is not what it seems as the film jumps backwards and forwards in time as it tackles the issue of the Magdalene Laundries in a genre setting.

Wildcard, whose offices are in Merrion Row, scored another hit in the prime-time Saturday slot with the Katie Taylor documentary Katie. The hugely-acclaimed docu nabbed the prize of Best Documentary. A revealing and honest account of the iconic female boxer, the film was directed by Ross Whitaker and is sure to be a big hit when released later on in the year.

Element Pictures, located on Mespil Road, took home a prize for their contribution to Irish cinema. The company has produced a huge volume of successful work over the years from The Guard, Cannes award winners The Lobster and The Killing of a Sa-

cred Deer, to the Oscar-winning Room.

The two men at the helm of Element’s success story, Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe, also took part in an in-depth public conversation. This was also the first year that the Element-run arthouse Cinema Pálás was used as a venue for screenings.

In other awards, Best Film went to the Tohill Brother’s debut The Dig starring Moe Dunford. Best Short Drama went to Wren Boys by Harry Lighton, Best First Irish

Short went to Boy Saint by Tom Speers while Jessica Patterson’s The Wiremen took home award for Best Animated Short. Jordanne Jones won the Ray Bingham rising star award for her turn in Hugh O’Connor’s coming of age drama Metal Heart.

The Fleadh also carried on the tradition of holding insightful masterclasses with leading people in the industry. Andrew Scott was on hand to give the actor’s masterclass while Madeleine Olnek and Ed Solomon gave the director’s and writer’s masterclasses respectively.

Other notable guests who attended the festival this year included Brendan Gleeson, Marisa Tomei and Melissa George.

Pictured: Vico Nicki (right) director of Cellar Door, winner of First Irish Feature Film, with William Fitzgerald, programmer of Galway Film Fleadh.

Photo courtesy of Samson Films.

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August / September 2018

LOCAL INTEREST

Page 11

Goodbye to all that

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n Eoin

Meegan iely’s pub in the heart of Donnybrook village is about to close its doors for the last time. The pub has been part of the history of Donnybrook for many long years with the present owners Pat and Mary Cremin at the helm for over 30 years.

They are both looking forward to a happy retirement and maybe, at last, getting some time to themselves.

Considered by many as Rugby’s unofficial HQ, perhaps because of its proximity to Bective, Wesley and with the added advantage of having the RDS almost in its back garden, this pub became the mecca for socialising and watching games for rugby and soccer fans alike.

It certainly was a favourite gathering for rugger heads, who have been known to drop in before, during and after a match to slake their thirst. And it didn’t only mark the Internationals; the pub could legitimately argue to be the home

of Leinster Rugby, and was something of an institution for Schools rugby too.

After a match between Blackrock, St. Michaels or Clongowes, families would congregate here to parse through the finer details of the game, both on days of rejoicing and heartbreak alike.

But there was more to Kiely’s than just sport. The pub was a place where locals would meet and discuss all the local news, chew over the thorny political conundrums of the day, or inquire about an elderly person who hadn’t been seen for a few days; all the usual things people do in their local hostelry.

NewsFour contacted the owners a few times but they were unable to give an interview, however Mary posted a valediction on Facebook: “Yes it’s official folks, Pat and I have decided to retire and we are giving our four wonderful children their shot at living their own lives. It took a lot of soul searching to make this de-

cision as we have had 30 wonderful years in Donnybrook and made lifelong friends not just in Ireland but across the world. We want to thank everyone for your support in that time and especially our hard working staff. It’s not goodbye yet as we expect to be around for several months yet so drop in for a chat.”

But that time is sadly coming to an end as the pub is set to close its doors for the last time in August. Already the main lounge is closed and only the bar, known as Ciss Maddens remains open.

Ciss Maddens was an innovative extension by Pat and Mary, by cordoning off a part of the old lounge and creating a separate bar, supposedly a reconstruction of a pub from the country. It was an attempt to create an old world bar, which some people found to have a unique charm and others considered tacky.

One of Kiely’s most loved characters was the fictional Ross O’Carroll Kelly, created

by Paul Howard and brought to life by Rory Nolan in such productions as Postcards from The Ledge and Breaking Dad. According to Mary in an interview with Ryan Tubridy when Ross heard the news of the pub’s imminent closure he was “devo.” There is even a plaque over the gents commemorating the great man which reads: “This plaque has been erected to Ross O’Carroll Kelly who hit and missed here for many years.”

The pub has been facing rising losses over the last decade. The firm behind it, Donnybrook Inns Limited, having recorded losses of just under three million euros in recent years.

What will happen to the pub now? Who knows? There may be plans to build an apartment block on the site, which would be a great shame and another body blow to a village that is already depleted in traditional pubs.

The aforementioned Ross mused in a recent tweet that it might even become a café, as he bemoaned the loss of his favourite watering hole, from which he was barred many a time, but always allowed back in by its kindly owners.

As a pub and an institution it will be sadly missed. NewsFour would like to wish Mary and Pat all the best in their retirement. Sláinte!

Photo: Eoin Meegan.

ENVIRONMENT

Page 12

Could YOU live a waste-free life?

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Peter McNamara ero-wasters aim to send nothing to a landfill. They reduce what they need, reuse as much as they can, send little to be recycled, and compost what they cannot. It’s hard to believe, but there is a community of people who can fit their annual non-recyclable waste in one glass jar! n

Everyday Changes Admittedly, to live entirely waste-free is a challenge. But there are many easy, everyday changes that we all could make to dramatically cut down on waste, and save on costly bin charges.

Ruth Doyle from Zero-Waste Mission has a few tips on living a zero-waste lifestyle. “It takes time to change your habits.” The first thing you can do is to check through your bins. “See where most of your non-recyclable waste is coming from and make a conscious effort to reduce this.

Educate yourself on what can and can’t be recycled. You’d be surprised that a lot of plastics are still non-recyclable, so try to avoid these.”

It’s a good idea to avoid singleuse disposable items like batteries and wipes. Another easy fix

is to say no to junk mail: put a no junk mail sticker on your letterbox.

You can also avoid excess packaging by buying loose produce, and buying in bulk where possible. New options are emerging around Dublin for bulk purchasing of dry goods packagefree (e.g The SuperNatural Food Market in St Andrew’s every Saturday). You might even bring your own bags and containers to the grocers or butchers to avoid unnecessary wrappings.

A general change in outlook can also go a long way. Aim to buy quality clothes, shoes and goods that will last. Such a move doesn’t always require patient saving and high costs. For one thing, cheaper, more unique, and often high quality fashion can be found in second-hand charity shops: you might find a great designer piece, while cutting down on waste, and contributing to a charity, all at once.

Even something as simple as learning to cook can allow you to cut down on the mess that comes with pre-packaged meals. The same can be said for learning to sew. Instead of replacing damaged clothes (which you might be quite fond of) you

could learn to make simple repairs and enjoy them for much longer. And with so many free sewing guides on YouTube, it would only cost you the price of a needle and thread.

Cleaning products are also a source of regular plastic waste.

You could save money, and avoid exposure to nasty chemicals, by making your own steriliser and detergent. All you have to do is pour white vinegar into a spray bottle, along with about 20 drops of an essential oil (e.g. lemon zest) to mask the smell. You can use that mixture to clean glass, counters, and steel surfaces.

An old toothbrush and baking soda makes a cheap and effective cleaner for tiles and ceramic sinks. Castile soap is as effective as a shop-bought toilet cleaner.

Pour it over the bowl and brush the dirt away.

In our consumer-focused capitalist society, we are always pressured into buying the newest thing. This is particularly true of technology. So many tech purchases are made out of impulse – now and then you might ask yourself whether you really need that new phone, with all it’s often-exaggerated upgrades.

On the other hand, if you’re looking to replace something that’s broken, see if you can get it fixed instead. And if it turns out you do need to make a purchase, see if you can get it second-hand and recycle the item you’re replacing. You can often make money by selling parts from the item you’re recycling too; a lot of companies, including Apple, have take-back programmes for your old phones, tablets, and other tech items.

The Problem of Plastic It’s important to cut down on waste where you can. Waste, particularly the plastic kind, is becoming a serious problem worldwide. Anyone who watched David Attenborough’s Blue Planet Two will recall the shocking pictures of the ‘plastic seas’.

It takes five seconds to produce a single-use plastic bottle, five minutes to consume whatever it contains, and five-hundred years for it to break down. Ireland is one of the largest per-capita users of plastic in the European

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Union. Globally, more than 110 million tonnes of plastic are produced each year, and only half of that is ever recycled. The rest ends up in landfill, in flames, or in our oceans.

And, now that China has refused to accept plastic and paper waste from other countries, it is increasingly urgent to find a solution to the problem. China accepted seven million tonnes of scrap plastic in 2016 – more than half of all waste produced globally that year. Up to 97% of Irish plastic went to China because of our inability to deal with it at home.

Thankfully, there is growing awareness around the issues of our disposable culture. Most Irish people back measures to cut plastic waste: 88% of us say we are worried about it’s environmental impact, while 81% are worried about the impact plastics can have on our health, according to Eurobarometer. On top of that, 72% of the Irish people polled believe they and other consumers should be charged extra for single-use plastic knives and forks.

This summer, Dublin City Council ran a campaign to encourage less wasteful living.

The ‘Don’t Be Dick’ campaign highlighted the serious problems caused by disposable coffee cups, and encouraged a switch to reusable options.

Speaking about the campaign, Fionnghuala Ryan, Executive Environmental Scientific Officer,

August / September 2018

Waste Management Services at Dublin City Council, said: “The issue of single-use plastics is very topical at present; research suggests that we use well in excess of 200 million disposable cups in Ireland every year, which is a shocking number for a country of our size. These cups cannot be recycled in Ireland and can only be disposed of to landfill or incineration.” Bringing your own ‘keep-cup’ to your favourite café is another zero-waste fix that can be easily incorporated into your daily routine.

Without doubt, the simplest solution to the global problem of waste is to avoid creating the stuff in the first place. By re-using what you have, by repairing it, and by buying quality, longlife goods, we can do a lot to solve this problem. Buying in bulk might take a little planning, and learning to cook and sew could take time that we might not be able to spare, but doing a little is so much better than doing nothing at all.

Local resources are The Repair Cafe Sandymount and SuperNatural Food Market, St Andrew’s online resources zerowasteireland. com & zerowaste.org Above: reusable bags and loose produce at Ballinroan Farm Left: Tamale, a delicious rice dish wrapped in its zero-waste, plastic-free ‘plate’ from My Little Columbia.

Photos courtesy of both producers.

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August / September 2018

PROFILE

Remembering Dermot Morgan T n David Prendeville

wenty years on from his death, the legacy of iconic local writer, performer and satirist Dermot Morgan still lives on strong.

Morgan was born in Mount Merrion on the 31st March in 1952. He studied at University College Dublin before he went on to be a teacher at St. Michael’s College on Ailesbury Road. He pursued comedy, initially, as a hobby, at a time when the comedy scene in Dublin and Ireland was virtually non-existent.

Morgan soon focussed on his passion full-time when his anarchic talent was discovered by Mike Murphy and he became a regular on Murphy’s show The Live Mike. The show mixed a serious centrepiece interview with candid camera pieces and comic sketches performed by Morgan amongst others.

It was here that Morgan first introduced the nation to memorable characters such as Fr. Trendy – a cringe-inducing, newage priest and precursor to Fr. Ted - and also a GAA man – a bigoted, soccer-fearing fanatic.

Despite the show’s popularity, its run came to an end when Mike Murphy quit to host The Arts Show in 1982.

After The Live Mike, Morgan was next seen on television screens when he brought his comedy sketches to Kenny Live. Presented by Pat Kenny, Kenny Live was a long-running talk show that was initially designed to fill the gap on Saturday nights, after The Late Late Show moved to Friday nights.

Morgan’s sketches on Kenny Live proved too controversial and the decision was made to axe the comedy routines from the show. A strained relationship with

RTE would become a common theme of the great man’s career.

Father Ted aside, Morgan is probably best remembered in this country for his outrageously irreverent radio sketch satire, Scrap Saturday. First airing in 1989, the show was co-written

by Morgan and Gerard Stembridge. It was performed mainly

by Morgan himself but also featured contributions from Pauline McLynn (later Mrs. Doyle in Father Ted) and Owen Roe. The show became famous for its uncanny impersonations and wild sketches surrounding notable figures of the day, most notably and frequently, Charlie Haughey and his assistant PJ Mara.

Other figures that were often impersonated included Eamon Dunphy, Gay Byrne, Morgan’s old friend Mike Murphy and many others. Despite its huge popularity, RTE’s uncomfortable relationship with the provocative comedy of the show and with Morgan himself led to the show being cancelled after three seasons in 1991. One could argue that since the cancellation of Scrap Saturday there has been a gaping hole in terms of properly fearless and topical Irish satire.

RTE continued to be fearful of Morgan’s satire, cancelling his topical comic quiz show Newshounds at the eleventh hour.

Morgan’s big international breakthrough came when he took on the timeless role of Father Ted in Channel 4’s surreal comedy show in 1995. It was unlike Morgan’s other work, in that he was performing a part without being involved in the writing.

Morgan would have been reluc-

tant about this had it not been for the great admiration he had for the show’s writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Matthews, who he felt had succeeded in creating an absurdist world in which anything could happen. Morgan once described the show to The Independent as: “essentially a cartoon. It’s demented. It has its own world and as much integrity as The Simpsons.”

Morgan tragically died of a heart-attack shortly after filming the last episode of season three of Father Ted, twenty years ago last February. It is very sad that Morgan was not able to utilise his new-found international fame to create more work.

He had a multitude of projects in the pipeline, including a feature film script titled Myth of the Magyars, which was based on the true story of how in the 1950s the Archbishop of Dublin forbade Catholics from attending a football match between Ireland and Yugoslavia.

He also had a sitcom in the works. Sadly, we never got to see these come to fruition. His legacy, however, lives on in his highlighting of the hypocrisy and contradictions of Irish society. Morgan’s attitude is as relevant today as it was in his time, even if we seem to have moved into becoming a more liberal society.

Ireland as a nation has sometimes showed a tendency of being closed off and often of being fearful of expressing ourselves.

Morgan’s brilliantly chaotic and bold brand of humour contradicts this and remains something for today’s artists to continue to look up to and draw inspiration from.

His progressive, thoughtful views are clear to see in an interview with Hot Press in 1993.

Here he outlined his antagonistic relationship with RTE and how he felt they should service Irish society: “We’re not as open a society as we should be. I personally believe that broadcasting has an important role to play in opening up society. I also fundamentally believe that we need choices in television because that’s the top of the broadcasting pyramid.”

In the same interview, Morgan was candid in his views on the church: “I have a very, very poor view of the role that the clergy

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played in keeping this country backward.” Morgan, throughout his career, through his satire and in interviews, was always very outspoken against the powersthat-be, be they the government, the Catholic Church or broadcasting.

In light of his rebellious nature, it is perhaps unsurprising that he had to go to the UK to have his biggest hit. He remains, however, a distinctly Irish artist and one who had a profound effect on comedy at home and abroad.

Dermot Morgan has a chair known as the “Joker’s Chair” (pictured) in dedication to him in Merrion Square. There is also a plaque outside of McGuire’s Mount Merrion Stores which pays tribute to the “actor, writer, iconoclast, satirist.”

These are fitting tributes to such

an influential and visionary man.

Incidentally, the enduring appeal of Father Ted has been highlighted once more by the announcement that it is about to be adapted into a musical. The show’s cocreator Graham Linehan tweeted the announcement on June 2nd saying: “Pope Ted – the Father Ted musical written by Arthur Matthews and myself, music by Neil Hannon, is almost written. I just thought you’d like to know.

THIS IS NOT A DRILL!” It remains to be seen as to who will fill Dermot Morgan’s shoes in this show, but if they can capture even a fraction of his spirit, they are likely to have a huge hit on their hands.

On left: Photo of Joker’s Chair by David Prendeville.

Above: Morgan as Fr. Ted.

LOCAL

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New home for a generous gift

W n Eoin

Meegan e are always moved by acts of kindness and generosity and one such particular incident revolves around a doll’s house.

The house was created by a master craftsman who lives near Dún Laoghaire. Apparently, it was a one-off creation, which took several years to complete

and which he described as a labour of love. It is a three-storey house, complete with fittings and furniture, all meticulously hand carved.

Not wanting to keep this treasure to himself, he decided to give it away. So he got in contact with a friend who worked in Lidl. A team from Lidl got the idea of rafflling the house to

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house. However, acts of kindness are infectious and gain momentum the more they keep going. This is certainly true in this case because the particular lady in question thought to herself she would donate the house to the Ringsend playschool.

The doll’s house is currently residing at the Fair Play Cafe in Ringsend, situated in the Old Mission Hall, which comprises a café, a garden centre, and the playschool. This will become the permanent home of the doll’s house, where young chil-

August / September 2018 dren from the area, both girls and boys, can enjoy it, and will have hours of fun and fantasy playing with it.

Joe Donnelly, owner of the Fair Play Cafe is quoted as saying “when you drop a pebble in a pond you don’t know how far the ripples are going to travel.”

Very true words and in these, often, disheartening times, lovely to receive such a joyful story.

Left: Sharon and Joe Donnelly with the doll’s house.

Photos by Rosalie Sunderland.

raise money for Jigsaw, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health. The raffle was advertised in shops around Dublin and here’s where the local interest comes in.

A lady from Ringsend who wishes to remain anonymous (as does the craftsman), bought the winning ticket and landed herself with a beautiful doll’s

Dublin Blues, Roots and Brass Festival

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he Dublin Blues, Roots and Brass Festival returns for its 4th year, bringing some of the best and most unique acts from around the world to perform at this FREE ENTRY festival from the 17th–19th August.

20-plus bands will play over the three days, both in the upstairs and downstairs of the famous Dublin music venue.

Although a relative newcomer to the scene, the festival has gone from strength to strength, and has become a must for those who like down-home blues, roots and brass music.

This year’s lineup includes; Bronagh Gallagher and her band, highly rated blues guitarist Mike Brookfield and his band, local blues legends The Mary Stokes Band, Australia’s Ukulele Death Squad, Catfish Blues Orchestra, US band The 502’s and more to be announced.

The Dublin Blues, Roots and Brass Festival is an annual event, which takes place in the iconic Whelan’s on Wexford Street, in the Camden Quarter district of the city, and this year is supported by the good people at O’Hara’s Irish Craft Beer.

Seamus O’Hara, CEO and Founder of Carlow Brewing Company commented on the partnership, “O’Hara’s is delighted to support the Blues, Roots and Brass Festival again this August. As an independent craft brewery we understand the drive to be pioneers in your field, and to do things a little bit different. The team at Whelan’s consistently work towards offering their customers high quality music and entertainment, they are an institution on the Irish music scene and deservedly so. I personally look forward to checking out some of this fantastic line-up.”

Whelan’s can always be relied on to put on a great show, and with three stages going at once, there will be plenty of choice to keep

people entertained. The Main Stage, newly revamped Upstairs Venue and The Front Bar Stage will be home to over 30 bands throughout the weekend, with performances taking place from 7.00pm to the wee hours.

The Dublin Blues, Roots and Brass Festival is one of the few FREE ENTRY festivals on the summer calendar so there is no need to book tickets, but early attendance is advised to avoid disappointment.

For more information check out www.facebook.com/dublinbluesrootsbrass. Whelan’s, 25 Wexford St. Doors: 7pm Tickets: FREE ENTRY. Ad banner courtesy of Whelans music venue.

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S

August / September 2018 TIDY TOWNS & ENVIRONMENT

n Kathrin Kobus ince July 18th this year, Ringsend and Irishtown now have their own official Tidy Up Committee. The ball started rolling when Margaret Dunne showed the initiative and, instead of complaining of the lack of one, decided to take action, and found, within hours, supportive voices for her plan to do what is an already established routine in Sandymount and Donnybrook.

Additionally, she made phone calls to local politicians and DCC. And on Saturday morning, July 14th the fledgling group met at the gates of Ringsend Park near St. Brendan’s Cottages. “Start with little steps. If everybody just does their bit outside their house or on their stretch of road, then hopefully others will follow.” She advises.

So gloves, pick-up sticks and the high-viz vests were quickly distributed, together with the

Adopt the street

light blue bags. There was no standing around. In twos and threes, the volunteers set out to pick up the rubbish from the kerbs, greens and footpaths, do the necessary weeding and word of mouth spread quickly through the village.

The idea caught on. In the few days between the Saturday and the Wednesday evening at The Merry Cobblers, messages with pictures trickled in from Ringsenders and Irishtown residents who had done their part on their patch or road.

Regrettably, how quickly and mindlessly rubbish was again dropped in places within only hours after the tidying up. It is also not the first attempt for Ringsend regarding Tidy Towns.

A previous one fizzled out, after the scheduled weekdays for

clean up proved to be unsustainable in the long term.

Now there is an established group R.I.T.E (Ringsend Irishtown Tidytowns & Environment) and with the right amount of energy and cooperation, it will work wonders. Word is spreading and more than double the numbers headed out on the second official meet at the Library a week later.

After a quick group chat, the groups headed out again and on the following days as well.

It doesn’t have to be that fixed time and day, people or groups can meet informally when it suits them, the most important thing is to get it done.

Equipment is provided by Dublin City Council and you can pick up the light blue bags, gloves, pickers etc at the Com-

munity Centre in Thorncastle street. So you can do your bit at whatever time suits you – and perhaps your neighbours too.

Far easier and more efficient in the long-term is to adopt new habits and not to drop any litter while walking through the village. Chocolate wrapping bars, empty crisp packets, plastic bottles, used nappies and cans are just some of the items I myself come across walking towards the office in the morning. Keep it, until you can bin it. Let’s get

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it right this time.

RITE meets every Saturday morning 11am. Email RITE@gmail.com, for meeting place or join RITE on FB group at / Ringsend & Irishtown TidyTown & Environment.

Above: Two large, enthusiastic groups ready for action.

Below, top row, from left: Margaret, Sueann, Sandra; Sandra Murphy and Margaret Gray.

Middle row: Chris Andrews on left; Kevin Humphries on right.

Bottom row: Aidan Sloan; two at Tesco; Debora Shaw.

Photos: Kathrin Kobus.

HEALTH

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August / September 2018

St Vincent’s Community Health Fair

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n Eoin

Meegan

he public had the opportunity to learn more about health, especially preventive health, at the Community Health Fair which was run in St Vincent’s University Hospital earlier this year. The theme was ‘Prevention, Early Detection and Self Care.’

NewsFour went along and talked to Sinead Stynes of the Dept for Preventive Medicine in St Vincent’s, who organised the event.

Firstly, she was very happy with the turnout. “It’s all about raising awareness of health issues and a chance for the public to get information for free,” she said, “as well as an opportunity for students and staff here in St Vincent’s to learn what other departments are doing, and avail of services they might not be aware of, such as the Couch to 5k, an event for staff who may be new to running or have lapsed for whatever reason.”

Among the thirty plus stalls on offer, I stopped at a few that were of particular interest.

DeafHear Ireland While it’s important to point out that deafness is not an illness, it is a condition that affects approximately 4,000 people in Ireland. The information on view was aimed at those with full hearing and the message was very much about reaching out.

Apparently, many people feel intimidated by deafness and thus may avoid direct contact with a deaf person. Often it’s because they’re unsure of what to say. This can leave people with deafness feeling isolated. The important thing is not to be afraid to approach a deaf person, even if it’s to just smile and shake their hand. They will understand more than you do the difficulties of communication.

You may not be aware that there is a deaf village in Cabra, which boasts a sports centre, conference hall, chapel, lounge, café, and much more. It is a vibrant hub and of course not exclusive to deaf or hard of hearing. Both Irish sign language and spoken English are used there. It is known as Deaf Village Ireland. The Irish DeafHear organisation has been in existence since 1964 and is still going strong.

Sleep Apnea Sleep apnea is a condition whereby the air waves get blocked and breathing stops, anything from 10 seconds to a minute while we sleep.

As the mouth and throat become relaxed during sleep, the soft tis-

sues in the throat can coalesce (the same cause of snoring) resulting in a temporary shortage of oxygen to the brain. This causes the body to awaken abruptly, and it can take anything like thirty seconds before the person is breathing normally again.

This, as you can imagine, is a very frightening experience because if feels like they’re going to die. If it happens several times throughout the night, then what may seem like a minor irritation becomes a serious problem. On the other hand, a person can be unaware they have sleep apnea, and one of the symptoms is feeling tired and sluggish the next day due to interrupted rest.

Obesity is a major cause of sleep apnea and the condition can be fatal combined with other concerns like heart conditions, but don’t worry unduly if you have the condition as there are various treatments. These usually employ some kind of nasal or mandibular device.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) uses a type of mask worn over the nose that keeps the airflow constant and prevents the airway from collapsing. Your GP’s advice needs to be sought before using any of these. Sleep apnea is not the same as regular snoring, which is harmless, although it will annoy the hell out of your partner!

Asthma Another illness that affects so many of us today is asthma. Over 450,000 people in Ireland are affected with asthma, not only adults but children too. The most common type is probably allergic rhinitis, or hay fever as it’s commonly known.

On show were a range of information booklets, including what to do if someone is having an attack, a dvd containing seven short videos on child asthma, and leaflets for pregnant women who may be worried about taking medication.

Ashling Jennings, the Health Promotions Officer, says, “as long as it is managed correctly, there is no reason that people with asthma cannot live a full, active life.”

I was surprised to hear how many

well known sports people suffer from asthma, including David Beckham, Paula Radcliffe and former Irish rugby internationals Denis Hickie and Ronan O’Gara, as well as footballer John O’ Shea.

With correct management this is an illness that need not prevent anyone reaching their full potential.

A Pound of Fat We hear so much today about losing weight and staying fit that I had to pay a visit to the Health and Nutrition stand, where student dietician Liadh Timmons was on hand to demonstrate what actual fat looked like, using plastic replicas.

Liadh showed me the rough equivalent of a pound of fat, which looks smaller up close than you might expect. I was somewhat taken aback as we all think it’s so hard to lose those few extra pounds, and it didn’t look so much. Could it be our own thinking is all that’s preventing us from having the figure we desire?

Men’s Sheds Men’s Sheds is a communitybased organisation which began in Australia, and started here in 2011 It is open to all men regardless of age or background. The idea behind it is to create a safe space for men to meet and talk in a non judgmental environment.

The rate of suicide is five times higher in men than in women in Ireland, a very disturbing statistic.

Traditionally, men found it difficult to talk about their feelings, which is something Men’s Sheds wants to change, and their approach is one that is apposite to the male species.

Their motto being: “men don’t talk face to face, they talk shoulder to shoulder”.

With this ethos, the sheds engage in a variety of activities; including woodwork, arts, crafts, and gardening. They also enjoy social outings, and have choral and walking groups. Each man brings his own unique skills and talents to the sheds, and there is a big emphasis on encouraging men to talk about and look after their health.

The organisation upholds the autonomy of the individual shed.

Each one elects a committee and is run by its own members, who decide what activities they will engage in. Currently there are over 400 sheds in Ireland, about 50 in Dublin, benefitting some 10,000 men each week.

Osteoporosis There is a perceived notion that only women get osteoporosis. Not only is this untrue, but it’s a factor that is putting men at risk due to ignorance. While one-in-two women over fifty have osteoporosis, onein-five men in the same age bracket also suffer it.

Osteoporosis occurs when the insides of the bones become fragile and lose much of their density and mass becoming more brittle. There are nearly 200 causes of bone loss, including radiation, chemotherapy, certain treatments for breast and prostate cancer, and some medications; particularly those containing cortisone.

A contributing factor is low calcium and low vitamin D intake. So anyone who’s had cancer is particularly at risk. A DEXA scan of the spine and hips is the standard screening test for detection.

Susan van der Kamp from the Irish Osteoporosis Society recommends this. She says it’s important to have a DEXA test, especially if you’ve had chemo. Also she warned of the link between steroids and osteoporosis. “This is something of a contentious issue at present and is not getting as much attention as it ought to,” she says, “anyone on steroids should have a DEXA test.”

It is estimated 300,000 people in Ireland have osteoporosis. 90% of

broken hips are due to the disease.

As there are no outward signs or symptoms that a person has osteoporosis, it is often called the silent disease. However, loss of height can be an indicator, as can back pain, or a curve on the upper back, also unexplained broken bones.

Any of these can be indicators that the bones in the spine are collapsing. And because you will not feel your bones getting thinner, it is important to get screened if you feel you might be at risk.

The good news is that osteoporosis is preventable and the best means of this is to take calcium, vitamin D and protein in sufficient amounts, preferably from food and not supplements. Susan reckons children today are not getting enough calcium or vitamin D and drink too many sugary drinks.

Irish Heart Foundation The Irish Heart Foundation were on hand to advise on maintaining a healthy heart, and also emphasised food’s important role.

Saturated fat can lead to high cholesterol and the risk of heart disease or stroke. Trans fats are deadly because they not only lower HDL, the good cholesterol, but also raise LDL, the bad cholesterol.

Sometimes the information overload on health issues today can be confusing, but the truth is we do need to get the correct information.

Overall, the Irish Heart Foundation emphasised the importance of prevention, sensible diet, cutting back on salt and sugar, and regular exercise. “Everything in moderation” was the advice of their cheerful Health Promoter Nicola Murphy.

The Fair had raffles and prizes throughout the day, and everyone had a relaxing and fun day out. It was last held in 2011, so kudos to Sinead and the others for reviving it. Let’s hope it returns next year.

Top: Sinead Stynes and Ailsa Lyons, Dept. of Preventive Medicine and Health Promotion.

Below: Nicola Murphy, Irish Heart Foundation.

Photos: Eoin Meegan.

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August / September 2018

Page 17

LIBRARIES

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New library strategy with no fees and late opening

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Peter McNamara o you have a habit of forgetting to return library books? Does the prospect of a sizeable fine keep you from visiting your local library? Now that the government has decided to get rid of late fines, to remove all service charges, and to extend opening hours, the time may be right to reconnect with the library.

These changes are part of a new strategy plan, Our Public Libraries 2022. The plan aims to increase membership. Although membership of all public libraries has been free since 2016, just 16% of the population are curn

rently joined. According to Rural and Community Development Minister Michael Ring, efforts will be made to bring that up to 30% by the end of 2022.

Using the library is already entirely free: there are no charges for ordering books from the catalogue and having them delivered to your local branch. It is also a local service with a nationwide reach; members can use all library services, including borrowing and returning items, at any library in the country.

One measure is a plan to extend a self-service technology scheme called the My Open Library Service. Mr Ring plans to see this

service extended from three pilot locations to 100 of the country’s 330 library branches in the lifetime of the strategy. This would see facilities open from 8am until 10pm all year, with kiosk facilities for checkout and return of books.

Understandably, these proposals have raised some industrial relations issues. The Fórsa union of Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) have insisted on safeguards that prevent the expansion of staffless library services until completion of a joint review by the union and management.

Local Landmarks With so many user-friendly services on offer, the time may be right to take a fresh look at your local library.

The Ringsend Library, built in 1936, is something of a landmark in the locality. This simple building has Art Deco styling around the doors and simple modern window treatments. Bright and spacious inside, Ringsend library offers a host of facilities and services to its members. Not only are all the latest literary, romance, crime, and science-fiction books available to borrow, the library also offers email and printing services, book clubs, and reading groups.

Pembroke Library is another Dublin 4 staple. This graceful brick building stands just off Merrion Road. It was built in 1929 by the Pembroke Urban District Council on part of the site occupied by Pembroke Town Hall.

The library was funded by the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust; the first librarian was Irish short story writer Frank O’Connor.

The Ballsbridge, Donnybrook and Sandymount Historical Society was founded in Pembroke Library in 2006 with the aim of promoting an interest in local history

in the area. The Society arranges lectures, exhibitions and walking tours. Lecture meetings are currently held in Pembroke Library, at 1.00 pm on the last Wednesday of each month. Details of the complete programme are on the Society’s website bdshistory.org Dublin City’s Pearse Street Library was built in 1909 with the financial support of American millionaire Andrew Carnegie.

Today it features a public library downstairs and a special study area upstairs. It’s a place where visitors can trace their family trees or look up the history of their area, as well as archival material and old newspapers.

Another feature is the stone head of Admiral Horatio Nelson; Nelson’s Pillar on O’Connell Street was blown up in 1966, and

the head of the statue was saved.

Pearse Street Library also houses the Dublin Collection, including Dublin and daily newspapers and periodicals, dating from the 18th century. As well as that, the library houses the Irish Collection and the City Archives, the latter of which dates all the way from the 12th century.

Health, Employment and Literacy Programmes As part of a Dublin City Library scheme, each library in Dublin 4 is currently running a host of initiatives, all of which are free to members.

The Healthy Ireland pro-

August / September 2018 gramme is designed to encourage people to enhance their health and well-being. This service provides brand-new books, e-books, e-audiobooks, and e-magazines, as well as talks, discussions and workshops. Healthy Ireland will focus on a range of areas, including obesity, tobacco use, healthy eating and sexual health. It aims to establish libraries as the “goto” place for health information in communities.

Also ongoing is the Right to Read campaign. This is a national initiative to deliver systematic literacy support at local level.

Rolled out nationally in 2017, Local Literacy Action Plans are being developed for each local authority area to provide continuity and reinforcement outside of formal education, supporting children, parents and adults with low levels of literacy.

On top of this, libraries are also running the Work Matters programme, which provides a range of business and employment supports for locally-based entrepreneurs, start-ups and job seekers.

Time for a Visit?

With over 17 million visits annually, libraries play an important community role as centres of knowledge, information and culture. As a result of ongoing investment in the public library service, there are new opportunities for education, life-long learning and personal development, through enhanced multimedia services.

It’s very easy to misplace a library book, or forget to return one. Now that the government has decided to forgive fees and remove charges, there’s nothing to stop people returning to their local library, and enjoying the rich benefits of membership. And with later opening hours and selfservice kiosks, it’s never been more convenient to drop by.

Below, three outstanding local libraries, from top left: Pembroke Library, Ballsbridge Pearse Street Library Ringsend Library Photos by Peter McNamara.

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August / September 2018

LOCAL

Page 19

NEWENTERTAINMENTVENUEATTHEIRISHTOWNHOUSE

A

Peter McNamara fter much anticipation, the Irishtown House has finally opened its brand new venue. Formerly the lounge, this restored and refitted space looks set to become the new go-to spot for music and entertainment in Ringsend. The venue, which is adjacent the pub, has a capacity for nearly two hundred people. Inside, the place is unrecognisable.

There are plush new couches and chairs. Underlights illuminate the space in soft colours and paired n

with the shelves of books that line the walls the effect is very atmospheric. The old wooden floor has been freshly sanded and lacquered, making for a smooth, glossy surface that’s perfect for dancing and twisting.

According to Neil Cummins, a manager at the Irishtown House, there were many reasons to do the refit. “The old lounge was stuffy and dull. And it was all blocked up in the middle. We wanted to create a more open space.”

Cummins is quick to credit Alan

Barry, the head manager, and Shane McAleer, the owner of the pub.

“They’re great. They’re ushering in a new era.”

Things have gotten off to a good start. The opening of the new venue took place on July 6th with the celebration of Dave Lawless’s 50th birthday. Entertainment on the night came from a team of glammed-up drag artists.

“It was good craic,” grins Cummins. “But that’s what the Irishtown House used to be like,” he adds. “It was a proper Dublin venue, where

all kinds of people used to perform.

One week you could have Brendan O’Carroll, the next there would be Big Tom. And with this new refitted venue, we want to tap back into that.”

The venue is set to host different themed nights throughout the week for bingo, for darts and for poker.

There are plans for comedy and karaoke. Friday will be the big night of entertainment. The Irishtown House will host a joker jackpot, a quiz, and all sorts of music and dance.

“And on Saturday,” says Cummins, “we’ll keep on doing the parties. We love having groups in.

With the bigger space here, we can fit nearly two hundred. “And,” he is careful to stress, ‘booking this venue will still be free.”

On Sunday afternoons the venue will show all major sporting events, and offer a pizza-and-pint deal. For Sunday evenings, there are plans to bring in live music.

There seems to be no shortage of energy and ideas for the new Irishtown House entertainment venue.

“It’s always been successful and busy,” says Cummins, “but we want to grow even more. Most of all, we want to offer more fun and variety to our loyal customers, and to the wonderful community we have around here.”

Above: A drag artist helps to wish Dave Lawless a happy 50th birthday.

Below: The new venue, with its plush modern trimmings.

Pictures courtesy of the Irishtown House.

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PHOTO DIARY

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August / September 2018

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August / September 2018

PHOTO DIARY

Page 21

BOOKS

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August / September 2018

And the cow jumped over the Moon Journal of Old Dublin Society

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n Kathrin Kobus riting competitions often use a prompt to encourage people with an interest in writing stories to get going.

It can be a phrase, quotation or just a single word. Brid Fitzpatrick got her inspiration for “The book of the born calf Moo Calf” from a story competition of a UK newspaper.

“It was a short story competition in The Guardian. And then it just expanded and got longer and more elaborate.” She chronicles the adventures of the brown calf Moo Calf, which featured as a drawing in girls comic series during the 60’s and 70’s and shifted the focus from the three girl heroines Bunty, Judie and Jackie to one particular add on of those magazines.

So the slightly overweight, plain speak, fat, Moo Calf which is forever stuck on the crayon drawn page on an evergreen meadow, constantly chewing the green grass and not getting enough exercise.

Until, of course, one day, or rather night, the library book of “The Adventures of Bunty, Judy and Jackie on their Summer Holidays” is left on top of the pile overnight and the particular page with Moo Calf gets bathed in the magical light of the moon.

“It was as if the moon was bestowing its reflective light especially on our heroine.

She wished, oh she wished, she could slip and slide up and down those moonbeams, jump over the moon and make her way to the Milky Way. It was amazing the way knowledge seemed to come with light.

Without really trying, a consciousness of the names of all the beings that existed in the night and sky was becoming clear.”

Moo Calf comes literally to life and be-

K

n David Prendeville urt Kullmann’s newest history book is an exhaustively researched, passionate and evocative look at the first railway in Ireland, which ran from Dublin City to Kingstown (which would later become known as Dun Laoghaire.)

The book is a compilation of meticulous facts combined with passionate writing and a dry, subtle wit. Excellent use of photographs throughout add further to the sensation of watching history unfold in front of our eyes.

Kullmann discussed his process and the extent of the research undertaken when I caught up with him at his packed book launch. “I have a lot of photographs and I’m interested in local history. I take photographs even if I don’t have a book in mind yet. When I get an idea for my book, I check through

gins exploring her new pathway to liberty and onto her very own adventures. It is a children’s book and a fantasy novel rolled into one. “My nephew, when he was eleven said it was for nineteen-year old students!” Maybe students who have read James Joyce’s novella of “The Artist as a young man” will find another hook to relate to the Moo-Calf. Though obviously, it is a light hearted, easily told, children’s whodunnit story starring the little brown calf.

It encourages the imagination and lets the words create the pictures. It is a world of words and accompanying pictures that allows that unhappy, overweight MooCalf an adventure all on her own, to defy all the stereotypes the original writer put down for her in those dull-describing characteristics, colour brown and eats too much grass.

In Brid Fitzpatrick’s story the Moo-Calf turns detective, goes to Tirbook, meets new friends, encounters foes and at the end takes a final leap into a new existence.

Libraries are magical places (L-Space as Terry Pratchett used to describe them) stories can take you somewhere else without leaving a comfortable couch, chair or bed. The adventures of brown Moo Calf are a light-hearted joy for young readers who will discover a revelatory answer to the nursery rhyme question: Where did the cow go when she jumped over the moon?

Read the book to find out.

The Book of the brown calf Moo-Calf is published by Swans Press and available through them or to order at booksonthegreen.ie €10.

Photograph of cover: Kathrin Kobus.

R

ecently Professor Frank Barry, Professor of International Business & Economic Development, Trinity College Dublin, launched the Spring/Summer issue of the Dublin Historical Record, edited by Dr. Séamas Ó Maitiú, the twice yearly journal of the Old Dublin Society, at a reception in the Chocolate Factory, Dublin, attended by members, their friends and guests of the Society.

Ms. Catherine Scuffil was presented

by Professor Barry with the Old Dublin Medal for her article ‘All Quiet on the Southern Front: South Circular Road on the eve of World War 1’ which was judged as the most outstanding article published in the Dublin Historical Record during 2017.

Articles featured in this issue of the Dublin Historical Record, which has the wider world of Dublin’s industrial business and economic life as a common

theme, include the following ‘Around the Town’, by Dr. Séamas Ó Maitiú.

‘The Leading Manufacturing Firms in 1920s Dublin’, by Professor Frank Barry.

‘Dublin’s precious relic recovered’, recalls the recovery of the heart of St. Lawrence O’Toole stolen from Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin, in 2012.

‘The lost village of Milltown and its houses’, by Patrick Salmon.

‘Buried in the archives: A history of Dublin undertakers and their records from the late eighteenth century to the present’, by Lisa Marie Griffith & Ciarán Wallace.

‘A Huguenot in late seventeenth century Dublin: the world of David Cossart and his family’, by Professor Raymond Gillespie.

‘So Many Sweet Flowers: From Clontarf to Killiney – Watson’s Nurseries 1882 – 1967’, by Bernardine Ruddy.

‘Three Whiskies and a Coffey’ by Kurt Kullmann.

‘World War 1 servicemen from Capel Street, Dublin’, by Clare Beausang.

‘Pre-Famine Dublin: A Calamity Waiting to Happen?’, by Vincent Ruddy.

‘The Friar’s Walk, Tallaght’ by Tomás Maher.

‘The case of the Fenian Joe Poole’ by Robert Delaney.

Also included are book notices and reviews.

Copies of this issue of the Dublin Historical Record can be ordered from the society by emailing: olddublinsociety@gmail.com. Website: ​www.olddublinsociety.ie​ Photo cover issue courtesy of Old Dublin Society.

The First Irish Railway all the photographs to see what will go with what.”

Kullmann tells me that generally the research process takes him “eight months to a year.” The hard work he put in is certainly clear to see in this strikingly comprehensive tome.

As well as painting a vivid historical picture, the book also shines a light on issues at the time this first railway was built. Kullmann confirms that an examination of these social issues was a key motivating factor behind the book. He says that while it’s not possible to know how much the workers earned, nor to compare this with modern times, he describes the working hours as “appalling” citing their 90-110 hour working days per week leaving them with only “seven to eight

hours to sleep or eat.”

Similarly, a story that stood out for me while reading the book was how a devastating breakout of cholera affected the areas of Ringsend,

Irishtown and Sandymount.

The manual building of the railway should have been a godsend to local people and led to much-needed employment for them, however, such was their weak condition, they were ignored in favour of healthier people from the country.

The scale of the book’s insight ranges from the socio-historic (such as the above example) to personal tidbits like the fact that William Dargan – described in the book as “the father of Irish railways” and “the most important Irish engineer of the nineteenth century,” – turned down an offer of a baronetcy from Queen Victoria on the grounds of his nationalism.

It also engages with the passage of time in a quietly philosophical way: How a relic of the steam

engine era, the water tank, is now used by graffiti artists as an object on which to spray their art. This notable example is one of many rich juxtapositions that highlight Kullmann’s astuteness as an observer, as well as, his intelligence as a writer.

In person, Kullmann exudes a drive, hunger and passion to work.

As I ask him how he feels now the book is finally being released, he tells me with a chuckle: “It’s my fourth book. I’m quite glad it’s over so I can concentrate on the fifth.”

We look forward to seeing what he does next.

The First Irish Railway: Westland Row to Kingstown, Kurt Kullman, The History Press of Ireland, €18.99 Available at Books On The Green www.booksonthegreen.ie

Book cover photograph courtesy of The History Press.

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August / September 2018

The NewsFour Crossword Compiled by Gemma Byrne

Name:…………………………… Telephone:…………………

Address:…………………………………………………………

ACROSS: 1) Troubles (12) 6) A steed bred for speed (9) 9) Her majesty’s favourite type of canine (5) 10) Ladies fingers (4) 11) Pre-meal tipple (8) 13) Edible aquatic crustaceans and molluscs (9) 14) Hotel (3) 15) Not likely! .. if (2) 16) Flat kitchen implements (8) 19) The colour of sadness? (4) 20) Bitumen (3) 21) Magical cure-all (6) 22) You might get money for an old piece of this? (4) 23) Popular brand of hair straightening tool (1.1.1) 24) Midday meal (8) 26) Not quite a gallop (6) 29) Go horribly wrong (8) 30) Panache (6)

Across: (1) Breadwinner; (7) Tag; (9) Lid; (11) Optimism; (12) Apiece; (13) Sing Song; (14) Music; (15) Unit; (18) MMR; (19) Sate; (20) Etna; (21) Pinter; (23) Side; (25) Cochineal; (27) Femur; (28) Noisier; (30) Caribou; (32) Effective; (33) Tried.

DOWN: 1) Dappled coat of a cat (13) 2) Internment (13) 3) Manners (8) 4) Sharp turn (7, 4) 5) Electric stop/go signal (7, 5) 7) Similar but not the original (7) 8) Our planet (5) 12) Thrive (8) 15) Disorder that causes hair loss (8) 17) State revenue (3) 18) Odd (7) 25) The states (1.1.1) 27) None (by mouth)? (3) 28) Pinch (3)

Prize of €25 Book token. Post entries to NewsFour, 13A Fitzwilliam Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4 (above Clyne’s Butchers) by 19th Sept 2018.

SOLUTIONS FOR THE JUNE/JULY 2018 CROSSWORD

Down: (1) Bioluminescence; (2) Extension; (3) Damascus; (4) Insensitive; (5) Elaborated; (6) Rip; (8) Green Grocer; (10) Dingo; (16) Nap; (17) Ten; (18) Minim; (22) Fiji; (23) Senior; (24) Duro; (26) Chief; (29) Eat; (30) Cue; (31) UCD.

The winner of our June/July crossword is Al Altman, Milltown, Dublin 6.

FOOD

Page 24 n The SuperNatural Food Market always feel that September is the real New Year. After the more laissez-faire summer, the change in the air ushers in a more purposeful feeling and a cohesiveness after a season of unbuckling.

Post sunshine and rest, there is renewal and reinvigoration. The fact that schools are back, work is resumed and routines take hold only add to the feeling of a recharged cycle beginning with fresh energy.

Food-wise, we are slap bang in the middle of a harvest season, when there is a wide variety of produce available, abundant, ripe and delicious. It is an ideal time for shopping and meal planning.

With the usual routines back in swing doing the weekly shopping and preparing packed lunches will not only save you money but also keep you healthier and eliminate waste by shunning packaging.

It’s not all about work, though, the foods you choose can be tasty treats packed with goodness, like nut free – because most schools have banned nuts – energy balls.

They are high in protein and nutritionally virtuous but also hit the mark for sweetness when you are craving that mid-morning or afternoon energy surge.

One of the easiest ways to stay on track with good food is to make extra of any hot meal, salad or soup that you cook. If you find yourself short on time, some of the better quality noodles such as Biona spelt flour ones or Clearspring soba noodles, made with buckwheat (no wheat – it’s gluten free) are ideal.

Slice up some fresh veg, a quick shake in a hot pan with some coconut or avocado oil and season as you like, makes for quick lunches and dinners, either at home or to take with you.

The Irish tomato season is now upon us and we cannot urge you enough to partake of this delight.

We’ve included one of the simplest but tastiest salads below and it is supreme added into a burrito, wrap, piled onto good bread or as one of the fillings for savoury pancakes.

Canned, drained and rinsed, pulses, beans and lentils are also an amazing way to eat clean, lean and very conveniently when you are assembling dishes, salads and toppings, whether for on the go or for when you arrive home and are starving but too tired to cook!

Just keep a couple of cans in the cupboard at all times.

As mentioned, Irish tomatoes

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August / September 2018

I

Ready, Steady, Reset

are in season from July to November. Never has a vegetable suffered at the hands of commercial growers as much as this delectable kitchen essential. A homegrown or organic tomato is a divine thing. The taste is incomparable. They are high in vit C (uncooked) vit A, lycopene, antioxidants, beta carotene, folic acid and B vitamins, as well as high in fibre, low in fat and carbohydrate.

This delectable salad is testament to the power of simplicity.

The taste derives from simply using 3-4 ingredients of pure quality. Wonderful alone with bread or as part of a selection of mixed tapas, vegetarian (dressed beans, olives, etc) or not (including sliced meats or anchovies.) Or accompany with a green salad, baked fish or omelette.

It can be cooked in a baking dish in the oven at 180–200ºC for 15 minutes or so for a wildly, tasty, fresh pasta sauce, topping another grain or on homemade pizzas. You can adjust it and play around with it too, use the classic fresh basil alone or use a mixture of fresh or dried herbs from marjoram to thyme or add pungent coriander.

The same goes for the tomatoes, use cherry tomatoes quartered or plum or beef tomatoes diced or another variety. Feel free too to swap the garlic for finely-

diced onion or add both if you like! You can make a small quantity if serving only one or two or a batch of it to feed more or for keeping over.

Fresh Tomato Salad 200g–300g (or more) of the best Irish-grown organic tomatoes 2–3 cloves of organic garlic A handful of fresh organic basil leaves Top quality virgin, organic olive oil

apart before you chop them. This is important to fully release their oils and fragrance, then finely dice into small bits.

Add to chopped tomatoes and stir in. Take fresh basil leaves and tear into rough pieces, or finely chop coriander or add herb mix, stir into mixture. Finally, pour 1–2 tablespoons of pure olive oil (or a homemade high quality dressing of oil and vinegar) into mixture and stir. Season and serve.

On a clean chopping board, quarter the cherry tomatoes and roughly chop some again, reducing their size further into nonuniform smaller sizes. Push off into a serving dish.

Peel the garlic gloves and using the flat of the blade of the kitchen knife, press down firmly on them with the knife to smash them open by cracking them

Nut Free Protein Energy Balls These taste great and again are so easy to make. All the ingredients are 100% natural and support and boost your health, while being an indulgent treat.

They are also safe for nut allergies and schools. If sesame seeds are a problem, you can coat them in cacao powder, hulled hemp or poppy seeds.

1 cup dates, pitted ½ cup oats ¼ cup sunflower seeds ¼ cup pumpkin seeds 1 tsp vanilla extract Zest of an orange 2 tbsp honey (optional) 2 tbsp sesame seeds

Soak the dates in hot water for fifteen minutes. Add all the ingredients, except the sesame seeds to a food processor and blend into a sticky dough. Form the dough into 12 energy balls.

An ice cream scoop is ideal for this or two tablespoons.

Sprinkle the sesame seeds on a plate and roll the energy balls in the sesame seeds to coat each of the energy balls. Place in the freezer to set and then remove to the fridge.

These will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to seven days. For the lunchbox, they are best wrapped in some greaseproof paper or re-useable beeswax wrap.

The SuperNatural Food Market is the local, organic, farmer’s market. It takes place every Saturday at St Andrew’s Pearse St. 9.00am– 3.00pm www.supernatural.ie Twitter; @supernaturalU / Instagram & Fb; The Supernatural Food Market Photos courtesy of: For tomato salad – For The Love Of Good Cooking.

For energy balls – Skinnyfood.

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Page 25

August / September 2018

DCC NOTES

For SEAC meetings June/July 2018 Compiled By Alexander Kearney JUNE On the 11th June 2018 the monthly South East Area Committee (SEAC) Meeting took place with Rose Kenny as South East Area Manager.

Environment: Cllr Dermot Lacey (Labour) requested a report on the recent EPA findings on the water quality of Sandymount and Merrion Strands. The Committee was informed that following assessment of bacteriological results from bathing water samples over the period 2014 to 2017, bathing prohibitions would apply to both beaches for the entire 2018 season. Water quality will continue to be monitored each week from the 1st June to the 15th September.

Traffic: Cllr Chris Andrews (Sinn Féin) asked the Area Manager to address the issue of trucks (HGVs) on the roundabout at Sean Moore Road, fearing it was “an accident waiting to happen.” He inquired whether HGVs might be denied access to the roundabout from 4 6.30pm. The response came that Sean Moore Road is a designated route for HGV vehicles to Dublin Port and such a restriction would not be recommended.

Memorial Tree: Cllr Patrick Costello (Green) called for the planting of a tree in memory of Savita Halappanavar in a park in the South East area. A previous motion to have a street named after her was deemed not to meet the naming criteria.

He was informed that if SEAC agreed the area office would liaise with the Parks Department.

Cycling Quietway and Dodder Greenway: Following the voting down of the East/West Quietway audit in May (featured on pages 30 and 31 in this issue), Cllr Paddy Smyth (Fine Gael) requested that the Environment and Transportation Department seek “expressions of interest from residents and residents’ associations” in a North/South Quietway, i.e. from the Dodder to the Grand Canal.

The Council responded that initiating another Quietway project was “unlikely to gain the support

of the elected representatives.”

Cllr Ruairí McGinley (Independent) asked the Area Manager when work would commence on the Council’s portion of the Dodder Greenway. He was told that consultants are now developing a preferred option for the entire Dodder Greenway in both the DCC and Dun Laoghaire Rathdown areas. It is intended that a non-statutory public consultation will take place in the third quarter of 2018. Work on a previously granted section of the Dodder Greenway between Herbert Park and Donnybrook Road should begin in the first quarter of 2019.

Houseboats: Various councillors raised issues concerning houseboats on the Grand Canal. Cllr Claire Byrne (Green) called on the Area Manager to liaise with Waterways Ireland and houseboat residents regarding recent changes in leasing agreements/berthing fees. Cllr Mannix Flynn (Independent) requested a report on the number of houseboats using the Canal and Canal Basin and how many had permanent status as a home. Cllr Kieran Binchy (Fine Gael) urged SEAC to support houseboat residents and called upon Waterways Ireland to ensure that sufficient berths are provided for live-aboards.

The Council responded that the issue of mooring permits was for Waterways Ireland.

Vavasour Square: Responding to residents’ concerns, Cllrs Binchy, Byrne, and Frank Kennedy (Fianna Fáil) called for the removal of recently painted yellow lines in Vavasour Square outside house numbers 15 to 19. Cllr Kennedy argued that families were now prevented from parking outside their own homes. He drew attention to a letter from the Residents’ As-

sociation, which claimed unanimous support and noted that the resident who had requested the change now seeks its reversal.

SEAC was told that the Area Engineer reviewed the road and found that children were exposed to dangerous traffic manoeuvres.

As a result, double yellow lines were installed. The Engineering Technical Group reviewed the decision and found it appropriate. SEAC was told that this would be the final decision on the matter.

JULY On the 9th July 2018 the monthly SEAC Meeting took place with Rose Kenny as South East Area Manager.

Traffic and Street Changes: Cllr Sonya Stapleton (Independent) called on the Area Manager to “find a solution to the rat-running of vehicles cutting through Pigeon House road in Ringsend.” She argued that “traffic has become intolerable for residents who constantly have their own vehicle exits blocked with congested traffic.” SEAC was informed that Pigeon House road was already traffic-calmed with speed ramps, but that the Area Engineer recommends a Pay and Display scheme with staggered parking. Once written evidence from 25% of households on the road is received, a request can be referred to the Traffic Advisory Group for examination and report. Written requests/signed petitions should be sent to parkingenforcement @dublincity.ie. The area is also under review as part of the NTA’s Bus Connects Project (Ringsend to City Centre).

Cllr Byrne asked the Area Manager to arrange a meeting with the Creighton Street residents to discuss the proposed

changes to the street, citing local unhappiness. SEAC was told that reinstatement works to Windmill Lane and Creighton Street were at an advanced stage and were “agreed 18 months ago following the input of elected representatives and local residents.”

Cllr Flynn called for the segregation of cyclists and pedestrians at the crossing point on Leeson Street Bridge to the Grand Canal. He said there needed to be a “clear demarcation line here in order to avoid congestion and the possibility of an accident.” The request will be added to the Traffic Advisory Group agenda for examination.

Telephone Kiosks: Cllr Paddy McCartan (Fine Gael) requested the removal of telephone kiosks from Sandymount Green, stating that they “serve no useful purpose” and “constitute a blot on the environmental landscape of the village green.” He was told that “Eir reports that they are in the middle of a full payphone review and… will revert when the review is complete.”

Dereliction: Cllr Lacey asked the Area Manager to have the properties at numbers 2 to 8 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge examined in relation to dereliction. Cllr Lacey noted that “the ‘Sold’ signs are still up, the gates are chained shut and the buildings are looking very poorly.” Cllr McCartan also raised the derelict state of 12 Pembroke Road. Both councillors were informed that the Derelict Sites Section will inspect the properties and reply to each directly.

Concert Noise: A joint motion by Cllrs Lacey and McCartan called for a report on controls to reduce the noise

and disruption from concerts in the rugby grounds of Energia Park, Donnybrook, and to limit concerts to “a reasonable and agreed total.” Similar concerns were raised by Cllrs Byrne, Costello, and Kennedy. The Council responded that noise monitoring was carried out by Environmental Health officers and an independent noise consultant – as required by the licence. The concerts were found to be in compliance with the EPA statutory notice. Nonetheless, the councillors’ concerns would be brought forward at the “debrief meeting for the events.”

‘Men’s Shed’: Cllr Flynn called on the Council to organise a one-day seminar on the social and health benefits of the Men’s Shed initiative (see front page feature). He went on to state that “DCC is beginning to involve itself through its vacant land bank” and that “now is the appropriate time to organise a one-day information seminar.” If agreed by SEAC, the motion will be conveyed to the Irish Men’s Shed Association.

Left: Parking problems at Vavasour Square.

Above: A sunny day outside Irishtown House.

Page 26

ARCHITECTURAL / PROPERTY

Vaulting Ambition:

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August / September 2018

The process of perfection

I

n Alexander Kearney meet builder Declan Darcy outside 22 Seafort Avenue on a blazing sunny morning in mid-June. The semi-detached house is roughly midway from Sandymount Village and the sea.

“When I was a boy I used to pop in here for sweets”, he says, as he points to a broad opening in the red brick front wall. More recently it was a clothes shop.

The renovated house still retains a large glass frontage, but one now divided by slim fins of weathered steel and integral planters containing lush grasses. A clever solution – acknowledging its past life as a shop front, drawing an abundance of light into the lounge area behind, yet retaining privacy from the street. And this is only a taster for what lies in store.

We’re welcomed into a deceptively modest hallspace by Katie, one half of the couple who commissioned architects Grace Keeley and Michael Pike of GKMP to transform the house with a two storey extension. Katie and her husband had been long-time neighbours to No.22, and so knew the site well.

Declan is treated with the ease of an old friend, something that doesn’t always happen to a builder after an ambitious project. Indeed, client and contractor can often regard each other with a certain wariness, as each recalls a litany of costs and woes.

No sign of that here, though the original budget did creep northwards. As we pass into a soaring double-height lobby – the link between the old parts of the house and the new – the reason for their

shared pride becomes wonderfully clear.

The walls are lined with vertical ribs of timber, and elsewhere with painted blockwork. The floor is finished in terrazzo by Ryan Terrazzo – a nod to the original finish on the thresholds of the hall and shop floor. The cool, speckled surface rises in a series of steps to an elegant painted steel staircase ascending to a projecting gallery above. I’m struck by the exceptional refinement of the brass handrail by James Healy Ltd. Reading my expression, Declan responds, “the key word for this project was ‘care’.”

Declan Darcy is someone who knows all about the importance of preparation. As well as being a local builder based in Sandymount – with a workforce of ten – he’s the selector and right-hand man to Jim Gavin’s formidable Dublin GAA football team. The Dubs are now preparing for their fourth All-Ireland football final in just five years. Declan speaks warmly of the camaraderie of the dressing room and praises the dedication of the team, but quietly insists, “it’s not about winning, it’s about the process.”

As we tour the house I notice he speaks of construction in similar terms. “You have to plan very diligently, and concentrate on the process. You have to get it right – to make it look good.”

We pass through a large pivot door into the new addition. The kitchen / dining and living areas descend by a series of levels to the back garden. Light streams through large windows and sliding glass screens, and more discreetly

through rooflights aligned with a solid, shelf-lined wall. Dominating the space, and giving the house its name, are three broad, impressively smooth concrete vaults that leisurely spring from blockwork piers. The vaults maintain a constant height so that, while the kitchen / dining level feels securely embraced, the lower-slung living area is open and lofty.

From every angle the concrete looks to have been perfectly struck – a remarkable achievement in such a demanding medium. Declan tells me about the concrete specialist, Gerry Brennan, whose expert team prepared the formwork for the continuous pour. He describes Gerry’s total commitment to the job – how he’d sometimes come in, in the evenings, to check that all was in place, and that none of the forms had shifted or loosened, even by a fraction.

Concrete – the fine, fair-finished kind – is notoriously unforgiving.

It leaves an indelible record of its preparation and betrays a moment’s inattention. There can be rehearsals, but essentially it’s a one-off performance, frozen in time for all to see. Replays are generally out of the question. I could see why Declan Darcy so admired both the process and the result.

Out in the still generous back garden, Declan and Katie showed me an open air dining pavilion with a concrete table inlaid with ceramic tiles. Declan and his team had closely watched Gerry and his crew at work. They then cast this table with scrupulous precision – a respectful nod from one team to another.

As we walked back to the living room, Declan pointed out the dry-dashed finish of the new extension, which continues round the sides of the old house. Cut-

ting though it, just above the sliding glass screens, is an expressed external concrete ring beam. Unlike the vaults, its surface is finely boardmarked, preserving the grain of the timber formwork with the delicacy of a leaf-rubbing. The Concrete Society of Ireland recently declared the house Overall Winner and Elemental Winner at its annual awards. The prizes are richly deserved.

Back inside, we finally ascend the staircase. The children’s bedrooms are in the old part of the house, but I’m momentarily left wondering where the master bedroom is? Katie silently opens a concealed door in a timber wall, and a whole suite magically appears. A spacious bedroom, dressing room, and ensuite bathroom occupy the space above two of the vaults below – the roof of the third vault might have afforded a roof terrace, but the planning authority wouldn’t allow it.

Views outwards are nonetheless framed by blockwork walls to focus on the surrounding greenery, while views in are restricted. And the blockwork itself – painted a calm white – is a soft-spoken exercise in meticulous forethought.

The position of every block was marked on the architect’s drawings, and checked again on site.

The goal: To avoid cutting whole blocks and so maintain the visual integrity of the construction.

That’s certainly not a task that can be done on the fly, and as Declan drily observes, “you wouldn’t want to be dopey on a job like this.”

As we leave the house, I ask Declan how he managed to oversee a job like this, and prepare this year’s Leinster-winning team? He points out, with genuine modesty, that his schedule also includes regular training sessions with var-

ious boys and girls GAA teams.

His diary is often full for weeks in advance, and carries over into weekends too.

His construction firm, Darcy Bros, will only take on three, at most four jobs at a time, but here the team is even more closely knit than on the pitch. Both his father, Frank, and his uncle Johnny are deeply valued colleagues, and each of the crew is skilled in multiple trades, so the pressure is never simply on one player. The firm’s ability to work well with ambitious architects is a tribute to their close organisation. And it’s surely no coincidence that the Vaulted House has just won the Best House Award at the RIAI Irish Architecture Awards 2018.

Few builders would have been able to realise such a demanding design.

I wish Declan Darcy good luck for the All-Ireland Championship; though some critics have been grumbling that the Dubs have become too dominant of late.

He gives that notion short shrift, and says the team really deserves huge credit for their work. He’s a former player himself, who played for Leitrim, then Dublin, and captained the Leitrim team to take a Senior Connacht Football Championship in 1994.

His success on the pitch, and on the building site, have been achieved through deliberate and exacting preparation. Then, as now, luck had very little to do with it.

Above: Lower living area with kitchen / dining area beyond. The shared space is spanned by three monumental concrete vaults.

Left: The concealed bedroom suite.

Photos by Alice Clancy.

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August / September 2018

The Spellman Awards 2018

he Ringsend and District Response to Drugs (RDRD) and management of the Spellman Centre celebrated their Annual Drug Awareness Festival closing event in Ringsend College, on Thursday 10th May with awards, music and refreshments. Their main sponsor was Dublin Port Company. Presentations to the winners of the Schools Art Competition and the Junior Soccer Tournament were held in Irishtown Stadium.

The Spellman Centre is a family and addiction support service and much more as the issue of addiction cannot be dealt with in isolation away from other related issues in the local community and in the wider society. These issues can include mental health, education, homelessness, funding to youth facilities, suicide, unem-

ployment, policing and crime. We are supported through the South Inner-City Drugs and Alcohol Task Force, and the HSE and DSP. The centre networks with local community groups through the Ringsend Community Services Forum and St Andrews Resource Centre in Pearse Street and with Marie Stanley of the Annual Liberties Youth Awards, providing a range of programmes including addiction awareness training, quitting smoking, an antibullying workshop and the benefits of an alternative holistic response. On the night supporters, community activists, voluntary groups, sponsors and political representatives came together to celebrate the valuable work achieved over the year and to celebrate the graduates.

Page 27

SPIRITUAL LIFE

Page 28

Station to station – an art odyssey

J

n Eoin

Meegan oan Keogh is an artist of high standing and a longtime D4 resident. She recalls how at one time she would travel each summer from her home in Sandymount to Connemara and the West of Ireland for two to three weeks to paint.

Her early work, mostly executed in oils and acrylic, depicted waterlilies and other scenes from nature. She drew inspiration from the countryside, the bogs and wildflowers when she was painting in Connemara, Joan is happiest surrounded by nature.

“Often I would sit for an hour or so just absorbing the whole atmosphere before I’d start to paint,” she reminisces.

Sadly, some years ago Joan was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and this has understandably made life difficult for her and painting almost impossible.

In the early stages she was able to control it, but in the last four years her illness has progressively deteriorated.

She said the most frustrating thing about Parkinson’s was the loss of independence, having to get others to do everything for you. Another thing was not being able to paint, unable to mix oils and clean brushes. For a time she

gave up painting altogether.

However, she got the urge again to return to painting in watercolours. She describes her attempts during this period as mere dabbling, “I was doing it more for therapeutic reasons than anything else,” she says.

Then something began to emerge from the canvas, like it was there all along and only needed to be brought to life.

What emerged was a painting of a group of Dominican nuns standing together talking which Joan calls “After Vespers.”

Many of Joan’s friends, including fellow artists love this painting, with some mistaking the nuns for Muslims or Hindus.

“People have said they see mystical things in it,” Joan seems surprised. But looking at the painting one can see why.

Despite its bright pastel colours there is something slightly uncomfortable about the dark figures in the foreground contrasted against the bright, vibrant background. Beyond the yellows and greens of the mountain, the sky is grey and threatening.

Storm birds gather. The black of the birds echoes the women at the front. Is there something conspiratorial about their conversation? The longer you look at this

painting the more meaning you glean.

In the background there is a road going up the mountain, leading to some houses and a monastery. The road is very steep and the journey to the top arduous, the only way to get to the top is to walk. Joan felt it was symbolic of her own struggle, that since her illness it felt like she had been going up a steep hill.

All Joan’s work comes from the heart. “Anything I did, I did because it was part of myself,” she says with a gleam in her eye, “we all have gifts but some people don’t use theirs.” A charge that can certainly not be levelled against her.

Joan has worked as an artist all her life, studying at the National College of Art and Design, and later working from Blue Door Studio. For many years she gave classes for children with special needs. She has been part of a joint as well as solo show in the Kennedy Gallery, Dublin, and has had many exhibitions, including the Oireachtas Art Exhibition.

Stations of the Cross Some years ago Joan created a set of 14 paintings of the Stations of the Cross. A new departure for her, the paintings were done over a long period in her life. She feels she was called on by a higher power to create them.

Born from Joan’s deep reflection on the Way of the Cross and on personal suffering, the paintings are rich with symbolic meaning.

The paintings are unique in that they are set in a circle which is then superimposed on a cross.

The circle symbolises the crown of thorns worn by Christ, but also evokes the moon and the eternal circle without beginning or end; perfection hanging over the suffering of the world.

The positioning of the characters in each of the paintings is meticulous and symbolic, while the background colour changes with each station, sometimes red depicting the anger of the soldiers or the assault of the world on Christ, in another one it is green, for the wood or nature itself, and in others a deep blue, almost black, depicting loneliness.

The finish is almost Coptic,

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even Egyptian, yet with angles and imagery you are not expecting the overall effect manages to look modern, even abstract. Joan feels they would speak to younger people.

At present the original Stations are in a closed church in Clifden, Co. Galway. Joan is a little bit concerned about dampness and the condition the paintings may be in, although it is largely out of her hands as she sold them a few years ago while retaining the copyright. She would like to see them in a permanent home; perhaps in an oratory or a private gallery.

So, in the interest of spreading this work to a wider audience, Joan was persuaded by a coterie of very devoted friends and fellow artists to publish a slim volume of reprints of the original 14 paintings accompanied by a description or more accurately, a meditation on each piece. The book is called Stations of the Soul: An Artist’s Journey and was published in 2017. The quality is very good, considering it is a reproduction.

In the preface Joan writes, “It was at a time of intense physical and spiritual suffering in my life that I felt the Lord prompting me to walk with him to Calvary.”

Joan comes across as a very content person with a deep inner peace, which she effortlessly conveys the moment she enters a room despite her debilitating illness. She is indeed an inspiration to us all.

August / September 2018

Many people have told her that her Stations have had a profound spiritual effect on them.

I detect that any concern she has for the original Stations is less for the physical works than that they continue to be a benefit and source of comfort to others.

For this reason and because it is important that they are preserved, let us hope the original Stations find a permanent home before very long.

Stations of the Soul: An Artist’s Journey is available from the Messenger Press at €5.00, also available on Amazon. All the proceeds divided between Simon and the Capuchin Day Care Centre. Order a copy here: www.messenger.ie Clockwise from left: After Vespers, artist Joan Keogh and Vibrant Wildflowers.

Photos by Eoin Meegan.

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August / September 2018

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

The Spiritual Source

Page 29

Connecting with your inner child

J

n Eoin

Meegan udith McAdam is a Reiki healer, kinesiologist and theologian, whose new book The Source charts her own spiritual journey, as well as laying a path for anyone who wishes to achieve greater freedom in their lives.

“Everything is energy,” Judith says, “if you can feel it you can create it, you just need to be able to conjure up a feeling that matches what you want in life and go from there. Whatever you want you conceive in the womb of your mind, and provided you don’t obstruct it with fear, eventually it will be borne out.”

We are creating our reality all the time, she claims, but we are doing it haphazardly because we do not know how to effectively communicate with our subconscious mind. To do so, we need to talk to it in a language it understands.

She said there are three critical ways to connect with your subconscious mind. These are: imagery, feeling and creating a bond with your inner child.

In the case of imagery, Judith uses the metaphor of the kite. It was one I was particularly drawn to, so it was the first thing I asked her about.

She explains: “A kite is something that is up in the air, but you are the one holding the strings.

Some of these kites are away up in the stratosphere while others are right in front of your face

but these you do not always see.

However, in order to get to the really big kites we sometimes need to pay attention to the ones in front of us. Then all you have to do is bring them to the ground.”

For someone like me who has always struggled with setting goals and New Age jargon this somehow made perfect sense.

The next way to communicate with the subconscious is by feelings and we do this by recognising our sensitivity. Judith continues, “people with a lot of sensitivity are open and curious, and they tend to give of themselves generously and wisely.

But when sensitivity is channelled in the wrong way it can ferment resentment and feelings of disappointment.”

It’s a subtle difference but one Judith feels is important. “When sensitivity becomes self absorbed and turned inward, people start to worry about money and not having power. The subconscious loves loops. It creates loops around everything, and it’s all about what we loop with. So if you create a positive loop to something, you reinforce this and create momentum around it. But unfortunately people reinforce loops to old worn-out thinking instead.”

Remember the subconscious doesn’t care whether you create a loop to a positive or negative thing “in the same way water doesn’t care if you use it to bathe

in or drown in.”

I like her analogy.

What about when we get the feeling of being stuck, of not being able to move on? I ask.

“If there is something that you want to create in your life and it hasn’t come yet, this is the thing you have the most blocks about.

This is like when your kites are jammed or all tangled up. But remember you’re the one holding the string, so you can still unravel the knots and draw them down one at a time.”

Your inner child is Judith’s way of describing the subconscious mind. We all have an inner child who is in some way wounded and who goes with us everywhere.

This inner child wants to keep you safe. It’s actually looking after you. So, if it was unsafe for you to speak your mind or push yourself forward as a child, then your inner child will develop strategies to ensure you do not get too much exposure.

This is especially so if there was shame around a particular issue. There may be a reluctance to move forward because of fear of experiencing that shame again.

For example, suppose a new promotion arose at work which you know you’re qualified to do, but you don’t put yourself forward even though the extra money would come in handy.

Why not?

At a subconscious level you are still using the coping mechanisms that were appropriate and right for the eight-year-old child, but which are not only inappropriate now but even perilous to the adult. It may have been necessary for you to hide at one time and remain silent, but this is not serving you anymore. While the original event is now long forgotten, the feelings, or degree of sensitivity which accompanied it, remain.

Judith claims we are the offspring of Source energy. “Source energy uses your gifts to make itself known in the world. If you’re holding yourself back though fear, then your gifts can’t be seen.”

Any negativity or upsets in your life, and this includes illness, is really your inner child trying to communicate with you.

We need to integrate this wound-

ed part of ourselves again. Judith has a special meditation to help you get in touch with your inner child, which is free to download on her website.

Before the interview ended, Judith had me do a demonstration to get in touch with my inner child. I lay down on the couch and she chanted in some strange language and I visualised myself walking through what seemed like an ancient forest. I came to an opening where there was a campfire burning. I could see people sitting around it but they were more like shadows.

Next thing an elderly man approached me. I thought for a moment he might be an older version of me, but I’m not sure. He placed a hand on my forehead and I felt a great heat pass through

me, which was very pleasant. He told me he was the Advocate and that I needed to grow my power.

Next thing, I could hear Judith calling me back. Apparently, she had been calling for quite some time!

Remember you hold the kite.

You can bring all your dreams down to earth.

You can contact Judith at www.judithmcadam.com or 087 746 3533 or read The Source available at all good bookshops & libraries. Judith charges €100 for the first session, and €80 subsequently.

Generally people come for four to six weeks. Her workshops are €120.

Photos courtesy of Judith McAdam.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Page 30

www.newsfour.ie

August / September 2018

QUIETWAY SHOUTED DOWN

O

n Alexander Kearney ver two years in the planning, the South Dublin cycle Quietway now looks to be going nowhere after a proposed public consultation was voted down by the South East Area Dublin councillors in May. We ask: Where did it all go wrong?

If one word could define the South East Area Committee meeting last May, it would be divisive. That was the word several councillors used to describe the first item on the agenda: A vote for a public consultationaudit of neighbourhoods along the proposed cycle route; a nominated Quietway from Herbert Park to Terenure.

This research, the same councillors stressed, was a pre-requisite local residents wanted and it was clearly expressed by local residents to them. Those residents feared the loss of car parking spaces, the closure of roads to through-traffic and the knockon effect of rat-runs and congestion on surrounding streets. Indeed, the committee chairman, Paddy McCartan (Fine Gael) acknowledged and welcomed the presence of the residents’ associations representatives at the meeting.

Confusion was another word that cropped up, as councillors appeared to struggle with precisely what it was they were being asked to vote on, and whether they should even listen to a presentation that had been prepared on the public audit.

The Council engineers waiting to give that presentation looked faintly bemused. One, Alec Dundon, briefly explained what the presentation would cover and exactly what the vote would be about. When the chairman observed, “I think that is reasonable,” the sharpness of Cllr Mary Freehill’s (Labour), “No, it’s not,” rang through the chamber.

Though the presentation was duly given, it soon became evident that opposition even to consultation was now entrenched.

The scheme’s original proponent, Paddy Smyth (Fine Gael) appealed to fellow councillors to back a process they themselves had said was previously lacking.

The debate was not helped by a packed agenda, which forced a vote just forty-five minutes after the session had begun, with

questions on the €15,000 audit still hanging in the air. To no one’s great surprise, the votes fell eight to five against, with just one abstention. The breakdown of the vote went as follows: Against: Cllrs Chris Andrews (Sinn Féin), Mannix Flynn (Independent), Mary Freehill (Labour), Frank Kennedy (Fianna Fáil), Dermot Lacey (Labour), Ruairi McGinley (Independent), Claire O’Connor (Fianna Fáil), and Sonya Stapleton (Independent).

For: Cllrs Claire Byrne (Green Party), Patrick Costello (Green Party), Anne Feeney (Fine Gael), Paddy McCartan (Fine Gael), and Paddy Smyth (Fine Gael).

Abstained: Cllr Kieran Binchy (Fine Gael).

If close observers of the debate were hardly surprised, the explanations offered by councillors opposing the audit seemed at times puzzling, even contradictory. Some argued that there hadn’t been sufficient prior consultation with local communities (though the audit was designed to remedy this); that the proposal was still too vague (Cllr Smyth and council officials said that

this was to keep options open in response to residents’ concerns); that the issue was already too divisive and therefore it was best not to proceed with consultation. This could be translated as: the status quo would prevail by default, that any scheme would now be rendered irrelevant by Metrolink, despite the fact that, most, if not all, South East Area councillors are believed to favour significant local amendments to that scheme. And finally, that the committee was entirely unfamiliar with the concept of street audits (Cllr Freehill, perhaps unintentionally, recalled the refrain of the old tracker mortgage ad, as she protested “I don’t know what street audits are.”)

The reaction of cycling advocates including Dublin Cycling Campaign, IrishCycle.com, and I Bike Dublin, was immediate and fierce. Across social media they denounced the result and engaged directly with several of the ‘no’ councillors via Twitter.

Dermot Lacey attracted particular criticism since, as a regular cyclist, he was viewed as a potential supporter of the proposal.

He argued that he was consist-

ently pro-cycling, but felt that the process behind the Quietway was flawed and that the impact on streets surrounding Marlborough road had simply not been addressed. Responding in a tweet, he stated, “The absence of detail killed the plan not the funding.”

On the face of it, the Quietway had seemed a simple, low-cost, and ingenious means of providing a safe route for cyclists, particularly children, to travel from Herbert road in Ballsbridge to Corrib road in Kimmage. They would proceed via predominantly residential streets such as Marlborough road, Cowper road, and Garville avenue, in a two-way East / West direction.

A second leg was envisaged to continue from Kimmage to Drimnagh, where it would link up with the Grand Canal Greenway but the focus, for now, was on that first stretch.

According to the presentation given to the South East Area Committee (SEAC) last May, this could involve: Two wall openings, six traffic restrictions, including bollards to close off through-motor traffic on certain streets with filtered permeability to pedestrians and cyclists, and seven junction upgrades.

While various alternative roads and routes had been proposed, the signal advantage of the preferred one was its proximity to a dozen or so primary and secondary schools along the way.

An overview of cycling rates amongst Irish school children helps to underline why its supporters feel so strongly about the project.

The CSO figures for the last thirty years describe a grim trajectory. In 1986, roughly 50% of primary school children cycled to school. In 2016, that figure was just over 25%. This sharp

decline has been more than matched by the rise in primary school children being driven to school: A figure of under 25% in 1986, rising to nearly 60% in 2016.

While the percentage in South Dublin is somewhat lower, at 50%, the school run has become a major seasonal contributor to traffic in the area. The most frequently cited reason for not cycling is safety, and it was this factor, above all, that the Quietway sought to address. As far as possible, cyclists would not have to share streets with commuter motor traffic.

After initial lobbying by Cllr Smyth, who first outlined his thoughts in 2014, the SEAC passed a motion on the 8th February 2016 to allocate approx €20,000 for a Quietway feasibility study. The City Council duly tendered for the study in March 2016, and an initial tentative draft version was produced

by Aecom consultants, dated August 2016.

From early on, its critics were not persuaded, despite being cited positive working examples of similar schemes in the Netherlands, London, and even the United States. The original proposed route came under determined opposition from residents on Frankfort Avenue and an alternative was incorporated into an updated version of the feasibility study.

A now-notorious public meeting was held on the 28th March 2017 in Rathgar, preceded by the circulation of an anonymous leaflet, which quoted selectively from the study to assert that half the parking spaces on Garville Avenue and Cowper Road would be removed. The study, in fact, went on to recommend filtered permeability for these roads and the retention of existing parking.

Legal threats were aired against Cllr Smyth, who remarked at the time that the idea was “well received by many, particularly those with young children,” but “badly received by others who were in the majority at the public meeting.” It hardly helped the councillor’s cause that the meeting was held on a school night at 7.30pm, when parents might be thinking about putting those young children to bed.

From there, the news got worse. An updated version of

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INFRASTRUCTURE

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QUIETWAY SHOUTED DOWN

the feasibility study, dated April 2017, now placed the estimated cost at just over €1.2 million, special toucan crossings for cyclists and pedestrians greatly adding to the original figure.

Aecom still recommended the project, but a four-page report compiled in May 2017 by Christopher Manzira, a senior engineer at the Council’s Environment and Transportation Department, came out against it.

Manzira noted an extra cost in the region of €150,000 for further ‘necessary studies’ which would raise the total budget to around €1.4 million. His report drily concluded, “Given the nature of the scheme and the number of potential end users, it is recommended not to proceed with the scheme.”

Despite that finding, the project retained sufficient momentum for a meeting to be called by local residents in Cowper road this March, which was then cancelled at short notice. IrishCycle.com claimed to have received a message that organisers feared the meeting would be hijacked by the “Cyclist lobby group” (sic). It was further reported in May that Richview Residents Association had commissioned a fifty-three page report from Transport Insights consultants to challenge Aecom’s recommendations.

At the fateful SEAC meeting that same month, virtually every councillor referred to the volume of emails they had received on the subject, mostly against.

The Quietway had attracted a committed, well-resourced, and voluble opposition.

When Paddy Smyth responded to my request to talk about the ill-starred project, he sounded

as though he was still licking his wounds. He referred to his earlier naiveté in pursuing the idea and acknowledged that perhaps there should have been greater discussion with local residents earlier on. However, he was adamant about the health impacts.

“I have an axe to grind. I’m a GP by profession.” At the May SEAC meeting, he described seeing increased numbers of obese children in his surgery and stated that “we have the lowest cycling to school rates in Europe… with linked health and environmental implications.”

In the Committee chamber, Cllr Mannix Flynn had bridled at what he took to be the implication that he and his fellow councillors were somehow responsible for childhood obesity. When I spoke to him over the phone, he remained unconvinced by Smyth’s arguments.

“Cllr Smyth is part and parcel of his problem, he’s an ardent cyclist, a complete pro-lobbyist.”

On the failure of the Quietway to gain wider support, he proffered “You simply can’t do a solo run… a substantial amount

of residents had concerns… and the present document wasn’t supported.” He warned that the “cycling lobby need to be very careful what kind of sensibility this is – it’s a very middle class sensibility… they should be building capital,” [instead] “they disempower themselves with their fury.”

I put Flynn’s point about class to Niall Toner, author of the Spokesman column in The Sunday Times. He conceded, “I think he’s right... it tends to be seen as middle class, those are the optics,” illustrating his point with an example, “Dublin Cycling Campaign had about 20 tweets about the lack of cycling places at a recent Nick Cave concert.” However, Toner feels that many of the local objectors, themselves from overwhelmingly middle class, even wealthy communities, have their own set of blinkers. “Asking people to concede privilege is always a difficult thing, [but you’re] asking people who have off-street car parking to give up on-street car parking which doesn’t seem that unfair to me... as one who

lives on a rat-run, my sympathy is limited. I live on a street with a constant flow of motor traffic.

Playing on the street is not possible.” “What Paddy was trying to do was inventive, courageous, it was a good idea... the seeming efficiency with which it was put down was extraordinary.”

Several weeks after the audit was rejected, Dermot Lacey sought a way round the impasse by issuing a joint circular with Paddy Smyth to approximately three hundred residents in and around Marlborough road. Outlining the history of the initiative, and their opposing votes, it states, “we would be grateful if you could contact either of us... if you have any recommendations or would prefer to see the status quo maintained.”

Lacey reports that the response to the proposal is still overwhelmingly negative. Smyth had recently argued that the introduction of quietways elsewhere – notably in the United States – had boosted local property prices by an average of 20%, and that any negative traffic effects were typically short-lived.

Residents along Marlborough road have yet to be persuaded, and councillors are now thinking about next year’s local elections in May. And some of those councillors will be especially wary of alienating an established and committed section of their electorate, one that cycling advocates have failed to convince or to out-lobby.

At any rate, a majority of councillors remain sceptical about the merits of Smyth’s plan. As Niall Toner rather incisively puts it “Maybe it [the Quietway] was presented as a fait accompli, but really the problem is that local politics is tight. You’re talking about very small numbers; four or five votes really matter [in the committee] – and they’re looking to next year.”

Page 30, top: Fine Gael and Green South East Area Councillors voting for a consultation audit for the proposed South Dublin Quietway, 14th May 2018. The contentious motion was defeated.

Page 30, bottom: Dublin City Green Cycle Network (SourceDublin City Development Plan 2011-2017).

This page, top: Study Area for Quietway Route (Source: Google Maps). Aecom Quietway Feasibility Study, April 2017.

Bottom left: Location of the Quietway Route along with the Proposed Dodder Greenway Route and existing Canalway Cycle Route. Aecom Quietway Feasibility Study, April 2017.

Bottom right: School locations with high level potential routing for the Quietway. Aecom Quietway Feasibility Study, April 2017.

SPORTS

Page 32

Horsing around at the RDS

T

his year’s Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup of Ireland at the Stena Line Dublin Horse Show will be on from the 8th-12th August, with lots of equine action as well as family fun and festivities throughout the week.

The Show will welcome over 1,500 horses and ponies, host 135 competitions, and with over 300 shopping stands, food and drink stalls dotted all over the grounds as well as eight world-ranking international show jumping com-

petitions, it is an amazing experience not to be missed.

Alongside five days of international competition for horse lovers, the Stena Line Dublin Horse Show has much to offer visitors, with some boutique fashion and craft offerings alongside equine products, from both home and abroad.

The ever-popular Keeling’s Kids Zone is back from 11.00am– 4.30pm Thursday 9th to Sunday 12th August, and is sure to keep children entertained, with an in-

flatable slide, bouncing castle and an activity zone, as well as face painting and pony rides.

For the adults, learn to grow your own berries at home or pop over to the Vintage Berry Bus on the Band Lawn to enjoy some strawberries and cream.

The Band Lawn at the Anglesea Road gate will play host to a wide range of acts and theatrical entertainment, where unique acrobatic and clown performers will keep the whole family entertained. With different shows

Getting the boats out

O

n Kathrin Kobus ne item moved to the top spot on the list of the stuff the kids had to bring to their various summer camps. “Don’t forget the suncream.”

It was the same case for the inaugural rowing summer camp at Stella Maris. The majority were already members with the club, but some first-timers came along as well. It was a two-hour free rowing academy where everyone of the approximately 50 kids got

time on and off the water.

The camps started at the beginning of July and ran each afternoon from 2.30 till 4.30pm. So there was no interruption of the children’s need for holiday lieins (after a night of playing in front of a screen.)

“They take every opportunity to get out for a row, so some of them took part in the camp and still came back to train later that evening. The camp is so much fun for all involved. They get out for a least two rows, are taken on boat trips up and

down the river, and have a rowing machine challenge and games of twister, pool etc.

The boys are still struggling to beat the girls on the machine challenge,” said Christine Hanway, who is in charge of the camp together with her volunteers who organize their work shifts to facilitate commitment to the club and for any junior members with some spare time to come down and help.

One leg of rowing in either the punt boat or the 20-feet skiffs takes them up to the East Link

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August / September 2018

each day, guests can look forward to everything from mindblowing magic from Brian Daly to puppet shows, dance acts and an enchanting performance by the Dublin Gospel Choir.

Guests can also meet and greet an array of interesting characters from Dancing Fish to Fiddling Foxes and Friendly Celtic Giants who will be wandering the walkways for the duration of the show!

This year, the RDS Concert Hall will provide an interactive experience for visitors from a behind-the-scenes experience by meeting and greeting the key people behind the show and riders on Wednesday and Friday, style tips during Dundrum Town Centre Ladies’ Day on Thursday and family fun throughout the

weekend.

For something really special, witness Frédéric Pignon’s inspiring equestrian show that combines flawless equine expertise and understanding, with elaborate showmanship and charisma.

Frédéric, and his wife, Magali Delgado, together with their Dancing Horses will showcase their skills twice daily at this year’s Show.

For more information visit www.dublinhorseshow.com Follow on Twitter @DublinHorseShow Instagram and FB @dublinhorseshow

and back again. That makes it about a kilometre and a half back and fro. Outside the clubhouse, which is at the moment getting a necessary refit, the rowing machines are lined up and basically not left standing still, somebody is always skulling along.

There are also the regattas throughout the summer along the coast or rivers. The fleet of blue white tops could be seen out in Bray and during their home regatta at the end of July.

The summer camp is already regarded as a success after its first month. “We hope, of course, that some newcomers will join us in our competitive teams in the juvenile section, we have a number of crews that take part in competition throughout Leinster and Ireland,” said the chairman, Liam Bannably. And Christine Hanway has a special thanks reserved for her U12 girls. “No matter what their results are on a race day, it’s great to see how much respect these girls have for each other. They display superb sportsmanship between themselves and towards all their competitors.

They really are a credit to the club.”

Finally, the annual Hope Row is on the horizon and Liam Bannably is putting the call out not just to the rowing community, “What makes this such a massive success is the continued support we get from our members, family, friends, our fellow east coast rowing clubs and the amazing community of D4 and D2. We have no doubt that same support will come our way on Sept 15th.”

Registration for the Hope event begins on August 13th.

By that time the two nominated charities will be selected.

For further information check out https://www.facebook.com/ stellamarisrowingclub/

Left: Showjumping action.

Below: A young competitor in the Connemara show pony class.

Photo, below, courtesy of Presence PR and the RDS.

Left: U12 Stella girls.

Below: Rowing on dry land before taking to the water.

Photos courtesy Christine Hanway, Stella Maris Rowing Club.

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SPORT

August / September 2018

Fun at Clanna Gael Clubs Mini

By kind permission of Michelle O’Brien, Clanna Gael Fontenoy young players are pictured during the Clubs Mini All Ireland competition

Page 33

All Ireland

that started off the busy summer holidays.

The competition ran for a week, culminating with the final on June 15th.

Photos from left: Grabbing the ball, jumping and passing the ball, keeping score.

Photos by Kathrin Kobus.

Page 34

The Bath Pub Charity Cycle

N

n Eoin

Meegan ot since the famed summer of 1976 has Ireland enjoyed such welcoming sunshine and pleasant weather. Your first preference might be to cool down in the pool, grab yourself a tall ice cream, or a cold drink from the fridge, or just sit out in the garden enjoying the Apollonian rays. Perhaps embarking on a 43-kilometre cycle would not be top of your priorities.

But that is exactly what a bunch of fearless men and women had on their minds, when, at the outbreak of the heatwave,

they gathered in Bath Avenue to do the annual 43K cycle. And by the looks of things, they had a very good time too. Kudos to manager Brendan Waldron and all at The Bath for hosting The Bath Pub Charity Cycle, now in its fourth year since its inauguration in 2014.

They are supporting a really worthwhile cause, as the money raised was divided between two equally deserving charities, Aware Ireland, and the Christine Buckley Education and Support Centre.

The cycle started from Bath Avenue and continued to Howth, with Howth Head and a detour through scenic St Anne’s park optional. Covering some 43 kilometers (depending on whether you did St Anne’s or not) it posed a tough challenge, especially as the wind was very strong (the tail end of storm Hector had just passed through a few days earlier), with everyone recounting how tough it was on the return trip.

The cycle started around 12.30pm (technically not a race

SPORT / EVENT

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August / September 2018

so the cyclists left in stages).

Most waited to see Ireland beat Australia in the rugby test match before getting on their way! The first cyclists began to trickle back, in just over two hours time.

Colm O’Toole and Barry Nolan were among the early finishers, and they told me they did it in roughly two hours and 40 minutes. “We had the wind to our backs going out,” Colm said “but it was bracing on the home run.”

As well as the seasoned cyclists, there were many who did it for the first time. Two such intrepid ladies were Alanna and Loretta. Talking to them later, they said they both thoroughly enjoyed it and despite the wind, they were glad they took on the

challenge.

“It was worth it because we wanted to support a really good cause,” Alanna said.

The cyclists were regaled upon their return to the Bath with some welcome refreshments.

And indeed both cyclists and locals alike (including those not up for the daunting task) enjoyed delicious pizza and a glass or two of lemonade in the pleasant afternoon sunshine, the festivities continuing well into the early evening.

Thanks again to Brendan and Jane and all the staff at the Bath who worked tirelessly through the day to ensure everyone had an enjoyable time. A special thanks also to everyone who contributed generously, either by

sponsoring the cyclists or giving donations. The final total raised was in excess of €5,000.

Excellent work all round, and we hope to see you all there again next year.

to the country should Ireland qualify and would ensure a very memorable summer in 2020.

Ireland failed to qualify for the scintillating action in Russia this year after losing 5-1 to Denmark in the play-off in November.

Concerns remain that we have an ageing squad that would

struggle. However, some hope has been offered recently with Clare-born teenage centreback Ryan Nolan making his debut for Italian powerhouse Inter Milan in a pre-season friendly.

There was also news that new West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini rates Ireland under 21, player of the year, Josh Cullen

and plans for him to be involved with the first team next season.

Liverpool also have an Irish teenager on their books, with Conor Masterson making the bench for the Champions League semi-final last season.

Photos by Kathrin Kobus.

UEFA Announce Euro 2020 Aviva Dates

U

n David Prendeville

EFA have officially announced the dates for June 2020 in which the Aviva Stadium will play host to the European Championships.

The Dublin 4 arena was one of 12 venues chosen for the major international competition in two years time.

The Aviva will host three group games and one last 16 tie. By comparison, Wembley is playing host to seven matches, while Scotland’s Hampden Park will, like the Aviva, see four games played there.

The group games will take place on Monday June 15th, Friday June 19th and Wednesday June 24th. The knockout game is scheduled for Tuesday June 30th.

Should Ireland qualify for the competition, they will play three of their group games in their home stadium. The format for qualifying has been slightly al-

tered by the introduction of the UEFA Nations League. Twenty teams will qualify the conventional route through their groups with the top two in each group and four best-placed third teams qualifying. The other four teams will qualify in the altered playoffs, which are now selected based on the teams’ successes in the UEFA Nations League.

FAI chief John Delaney has said the Aviva’s hosting of the games: “will comprise the single biggest international event hosted in Ireland.” He went on to say that “it allows us to showcase Irish football, the Aviva Stadium, the city of Dublin and the country as a whole.”

Dublin will also host the televised draw for the 2020 qualifying groups on December 2nd.

The event will be held in the convention centre and delegates of all 55 UEFA member nations will attend.

It would be a major boost

Photo of Aviva Stadium courtesy of Stadium Database.

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August / September 2018

SPORTS

Page 35

Charity Golf Classic for Royal Hospital

Covanta funds dress up Clanns

H

n Kathrin Kobus

T

n Kathrin Kobus

he picturesque Elm Park Golf Club lies between the N11 and Merrion Road at Nutley Lane. It is a large oasis of calmness comprising 100 acres between the two busy roads.

Trees wall off the traffic noise so that one can easily forget it is in the midst of the city. The largest tree is not an elm, by the way, but a Californian Redwood that stands close to the clubhouse, together with a Cypress-pine.

On the first Tuesday in July, 172 amateur golfers took to the green for a good cause. The Friends of the Royal Hospital Donnybrook come together annually for their charity golf event.

NewsFour spoke with Brendan Lynch, board member of the Friends group and in charge of the golf outing. “It was actually Brendan MacDonald who had started this event, 27 years ago. I only took over last year. Last year we raised nearly €40,000 which went towards the purchase of the new Andago rehab machine (a robotic walking guide) the first

in Ireland.”

The Friends of the Royal Hospital group has been registered as a charitable company since 1989. The main goal from year to year is to raise funds for research, patient care and capital projects designated by the hospital. The company has provided more than €4 million in financing for these. The golf tournament in July and the evening’s gala dinner was a sellout once again on a very hot summer day.

Early bird golfers, in groups of four, started pre-lunch on the 18hole course.

NewsFour caught up with one quartet slowly making their way back to the mansion clubhouse at around lunchtime. “You can go fishing here as well, of course,“ said one of them, Pat Grant, who paused for a moment before adding, “for golf balls, that is.” Then he smiled and carried on.

Brendan Lynch himself was looking forward to getting out putting on the green in the afternoon. “The golf itself is a great day out, plus the dinner in the evening with the silent auction

and the raffle prizes. All our participants have different levels of golfing ability, from hopeful to expert. Firstly it is all about raising money for a good cause.”

This year €35,000 came together from the golfers’ fees, raffle tickets and auction. It will not go straight to the Royal Hospital coffers, though. “Our treasury looks after it, not just from this event, but other activities. Money raised from our fundraising events supports the Hospital’s vital work by helping it to carry out research, ensuring excellent patient care, funding capital projects such as upgrading wards and developing new services.”

The next big event is already in the planning. After the hot summer holidays, invitations will soon be issued for Culture Night in the concert hall of the Royal Hospital Donnybrook on October 11th.

For more details about the Friends of the Royal Hospital check their website friendsofrhd.ie.

From top: Pat Grant in action; two golf carts follow the game.

Photographs: Kathrin Kobus.

ousing Minister Eoghan Murphy officially opened the new outlook dressing rooms at Clanna Gael in the presence of the Community Gains Fund chairman Peter McLoone. Tom Erikson represented Covanta with other local politicians Kevin Humphries and Kate O’Connell also in attendance.

Clanns’ chairman Bernard Barron outlined how the grant of €300,000 was spent. “We needed new dressing rooms, the others, well, the players, couldn’t take a shower for a year. So now we have five dressing rooms, three extra toilets and instead of the referee room – the mini cafeteria for Saturday mornings.”

He also mentioned, that Clanna Gael is currently the only GAA club left in Dublin Four, whereas for other team sports there are multiple choices.

The construction work was completed from start to finish between December 2017 and March this year. And the new changing rooms, soundproofed for pre-match and half-time talks, have been in use throughout spring.

Before he cut the ribbon, Minister Murphy recalled his only previous visit. “I was on the pitch for only a few minutes. It wasn’t my position so I came back off quite quickly and was on the bench for the rest of the game. I never returned here after that.”

Until now, that is. After the ceremony and a quick look around the much improved facilities, everybody was eager to head upstairs because an Irish team of a rival sport was playing a rather important game in Sydney, Australia.

Which brought out the smiles and happy shouts at the end all around.

Present representative for Covanta Director of Operations, Tom Eriksen has been overseeing the implmentation of the working process and will be returning home to the States by the end of this year.

Pictured above in the dressing room: Edel Currie; Senator Kevin Humphreys; Kate O’Connell TD Fine Gael; Minister Eoghan Murphy; Peter McLoone, Chairman Community Gains Fund; Bernard Barron, Chairman Clanna Gael; Estrella and Tom Erikson, Covanta.

Photograph: Kathrin Kobus.

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n Kathrin Kobus

he sports complex at Sydney parade in Sandymount is always busy.

It is the shared responsibility of two clubs pursuing two very different team sports.

From autumn until May, Monkstown RFC uses it for rugby, training and matches through the age groups. That takes its toll on grass and soil.

The Pembroke Cricketers take over in late spring and it is their gardeners who get everything in order. “There is loads to do for our committee. In particular for our grounds-keeper taking over the pitch field from the rugby club Monkstown. It takes about three weeks for the lawn to be ready. Then there are the coaches to organise for the juvenile section and the lifts needed when we go to games over the whole of Leinster. The volunteers have lots to do,” president Sean Smith told NewsFour.

Throughout the summer months cricket matches on the local, county and national levels are regularly played here.

One highlight in early June was a fundraiser for Enable Ireland.

“We came up with our very own Strictly Come (sic) Dancing competition. Fifteen couples took to the stage and found out they had some hidden talents. The event was a celebrated success and around €25,000 was raised for the charity.” The next night saw a big BBQ, the summer sizzler in aid of Crumlin Children’s Hospital Cancer Unit and Cancer Research.

Back to cricket, the Pembrokers celebrate their 150th anniversary this year. In its founding days cricket was one of the most popular sports in Ireland but got sidelined when GAA clubs took over many of the previous cricket grounds.

Now, in the second decade of the 21st century there exists some friendly rivalry with other clubs when potential young players try out the various sports in primary school. “At that age it’s all about getting them active in general.”

The casual observer might think cricket looks far less strenuous than other more popular team sports. But injuries can and do happen.

Cricket is played on an oval not an oblong layout of the pitch. Another peculiarity is that eleven players make the team for a match day, no subs whatsoever. The focus is on two players: “The bowler runs up to

SPORTS

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August / September 2018

Batting the ball

150 years of Pembroke Cricket Club the wicket and bowls or delivers (one of the idiosyncratic terms in cricket, conjuring up an image of a waiter delivering a ball on a tray!) the ball at the wicket. The batsman tries to hit the ball to score runs either by running from one wicket to the other in tandem with the other batsman or by hitting the ball past the boundary. If the ball

bounces before going over the boundary it counts as four runs, if it doesn’t bounce it is six runs.”

The waiting times can prove tempting for youngsters, just starting out in the game. “There has been the introduction for youth to play seven-a-side, instead of eleven. It makes the game quicker and allows short-

er waiting times before it’s the next turn to bowl or bat.”

Another new thing since 2003 is the T20 series. “We believe we are the spiritual home of T20 cricket in Ireland as the game was created by our very own Alan Murray.” One inning counts for twenty overs. It shortens the game considerably down to 3/4 hours. Still long,

but fewer games end up carried over onto the next day. Pembroke cricketers play competitive in Leinster and at all-Ireland level, they field five men’s teams, three ladies and some school boy squads.

“It is not that strict. Last year, for example, our Kim Garth played in the men’s first team as well. She is one of three Pembroke lady players with Ireland caps.”

Apart from competition, there are the social cricket events on practically every weekend on any of the cricket grounds. The whole club looked forward to the first weekend in July where four teams met for the T20 festival as part of Hanley’s Energy Inter-Provincial. Andrew Balbirnie and Lorcan Tucker were on the Leinster Lightning team that secured the Hanley T20 title despite a loss in the last game against the Munster Reds.

Three days with six games in uninterrupted sunshine had even the club president wishing for something that’s usually dreaded. “I never thought, I’d be hoping for rain.” Though it must be said, after the event that is and before the next cricket tournaments are scheduled.

Photographs provided by Pembroke CC.

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n Felix

O’Regan he club’s spanking new dressing rooms were officially opened by Eoghan Murphy TD and Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government.

Funding from the Waste to Energy Community Gain Fund enabled the club to completely refurbish five dressing rooms with new furniture, showers, flooring and whiteboards. In addition, one of the existing rooms was converted into toilets for players and spectators and the coffee shop got a good makeover too.

A number of public representatives, as well as representatives from the Community Gain Liaison Committee and from Dublin Port (club sponsors) attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Thanking the Community Gain Fund for its funding, Dublin Port for its sponsorship and club members, coaches and players for their ongoing support, Club Chairman, Bernard Barron, stressed the benefit of this development, not just to the club but to the wider community. “We are delighted that these new facilities make us an even better club for our players, but also an important resource for the wider community; and we hope that we will continue to have everyone’s support as we seek to further expand our sporting and social activities in the years ahead.” he stated.

Meanwhile, in wishing the club every success, Minister Murphy recounted his vivid memories of playing with Clanns in his youth.

Seniors show winning ways Both our senior hurling and football teams have had a good run in their respective leagues of late. The hurlers’ most recent victories have included an

SPORTS

Clanna Gael Fontenoy

Success for Clanns on and off the pitch

emphatic 1-25 to 1-9 win away to Faughs and an impressive 114 to 1-7 victory over a strong Whitehall Colmcilles side. As a result, they now occupy a most respectable mid-table position in their division and can look forward with confidence to remaining fixtures over the summer against the likes of Cuala and Crumlin.

At the same time, our senior footballers have enjoyed a successful recent run, with wins over Cuala (2-18 to 1-11) and Castleknock (6-9 to 0-16).

Now sitting in the top half of their division, they are scheduled to face the likes of St Oliver Plunketts and St Vincents

before the summer is out.

Division 1 titles for underage girls Congratulations to our U13 girls’ football team, who captured the Division 1 league title with considerable style and a 100% winning record. Their success put them ahead of such powerhouses of Dublin football as Ballyboden St Endas, Kilmacud Crokes, Clontarf, St Brigids, Lucan Sarsfield, Foxrock Cabinteely and Fingallians.

Not to be outdone, our U15 girls’ football team have also claimed the Division 1 league title with a string of very impressive performances, during which they scored over 60 goals and 60 points in total. Moreover, such was their impact, they could rightly call the league title theirs even before all fixtures were

completed.

Great credit is due to the players, their dedicated coaches and their supporting parents.

Mini All-Irelands a huge success A hectic week of football for a host of youngsters culminat-

Page 37 ed in keenly-contested finals in yet another hugely successful Mini All-Ireland series for the club.

A total of 32 teams participated across four age groups: the U7/8s had six teams of boys and two of girls; the U9/10s had six teams for each of boys and girls; while six teams mixing boys and girls togged out in both the U11 and U12/13 age groups.

All teams saw plenty of action in the form of five games to try and get to the final stages of the competition. The standard on display was generally very impressive. More importantly, great fun was had by all – including those watching from the sidelines.

Clockwise from top: Minister Eoghan Murphy TD cuts the ribbon on the new dressing rooms in the company of club players and Chairman, Bernard Barron.

U13 girls are proud winners of the Division 1 football league title – and with a 100% record to boot.

Great fun was had by the huge numbers who participated in this year’s Mini All-Irelands.

Our senior hurlers are showing a good run of form of late.

Photos courtesy of Kathrin Kobus, Michele O’Briain and Owen Travers.

SPORTING HISTORY

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The great Alexander Stevenson

A

n Gavan

Bergin lexander Stevenson was born in Dublin in 1912 and grew up in the East Wall area. He was a brilliant footballer as a boy and by the time he was eighteen years old he had become an outstanding player in junior football with Dolphin FC. Alex’s attacking skills helped make Dolphins into one of the best sides in the Republic of Ireland. They won the Leinster Senior League in 1931, earned promotion to the League of Ireland, and then won the Leinster Senior Cup in 1932.

By then, Alex had attracted the attention of scouts from big clubs in Britain, and he joined one of the biggest, Glasgow Rangers. He signed on the first of August, 1932, when he was only twenty years old, and it took him a little while to adapt to the higher standard of football in the Scottish First Division.

But he started his second season with Rangers like a runaway train. He barrelled through defenders like they weren’t even there and went on a scorching run of goal-scoring, seven goals in the first eleven games of the 1933/34 season.

Alex was 5’5” tall and weighed 10 stone, he was whippet-quick on the run, highly skilled on the ball – all in all a little wizard of a footballer. He was an expert at riding rough tackles from defenders, that is, when they even managed to get close enough to try and put the boot in. Mostly, they found that trying to mark him, with his size, speed and agility, was futile – like trying to catch a will o’ the wisp.

Alex could play anywhere in the attacking line, at outside forward, inside forward, on the left or on the right.

Whatever position he was selected in, he did a fine job.

He scored plenty of goals, and made plenty more, with his clever movement, powerful, accurate shooting and intelligent, incisive passing.

All in all, he was a big talent in a small frame, and every team he played for valued him accordingly.

Having shown he could do the business for Rangers, Alex was ready for the top division of English football.

In January of 1934, he was signed by Everton, one of England’s premier clubs. He went straight into the Everton first team playing at insideright and scored 18 goals in 41 games during his first full season in English football.

Such impressive consistency in quantity and quality of performance turned out to be the norm from Alex, and he continued to play game after game and score goal after goal for Everton for years to come.

By the end of the 1937/38 season, his fourth on Merseyside, Alex had become an integral part of an Everton side that the newspapers were tipping as likely contenders to become the next champions of England. The Liverpool Daily Post previewed the 1938/39 season by saying, “We shall find Everton having a grand season – better than many people expect. Shall we see major honours being brought to Goodison? It is not too much to expect.”

Everton wasted no time showing that such hopes were justified and in their first game of the season, Alex scored the winning goal against Blackpool, firing Everton to the top of the table. Throughout the season, he played like a demon, right up to the last vital games, where he really showed his worth to Everton.

On April 8th 1939, Everton travelled to play Chelsea in a game they desperately needed to win if they were to keep ahead in the championship race. The Liverpool Daily Post reported on a nervous, tetchy match that still was goal-less after seventy minutes until Alex stepped up and “banged the ball into the net at tremendous speed,” to seal a win that put Everton

within touching distance of the league title.

Two days later, against Sunderland, Alex again did the business when he “worked zealously and unobtrusively throughout the game, then scored a picture goal,” which was his thirteenth of the season and secured another important win for the team.

Two weeks later, Everton and Alex were champions.

After winning the league in ’39, Alex remained with Everton and was still playing and scoring in the top division for the club when he was almost forty years old.

Alex also had a lengthy career as an Irish international player. It began when he played for the Republic of Ireland against Holland in Rotterdam in May 1932, while he was still with Dolphin.

Although he played well in an impressive and rare away win for the Republic, that game was his last for the team for almost fifteen years.

This absence has caused much controversy and speculation. There are suggestions that Alex was ignored by the FAI on account of the fact that he was a Protestant who had played for Rangers, or that he did not want to play on Sundays, when Republic of Ireland international matches were often played.

Even now, after more than eighty years, there are claims on internet message boards that Alex was a member of the Orange Order who refused to play for the Republic.

The truth of the matter is that Alex was a victim of the disdain shown to the Republic of Ireland team by English clubs back then. The reason he didn’t play for Ireland was because Everton would not allow him to do so.

The same thing happened to some of our other best players. Jimmy ‘Snowy’ Dunne, the great striker from Ringsend, was more than once refused permission to play for the Republic by his club Sheffield United. In Alex’s

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case, the issue was complicated by the fact that Everton never seemed to hesitate in allowing him to play for Northern Ireland, for whom he made his debut at outsideleft in a 2-1 win against Scotland in December 1933.

In his fifth match for Northern Ireland, Alex played at centre-forward against England in Liverpool on February 6th 1935, and from the first whistle of the game he attacked the English with zeal and purpose in a performance of astonishing intensity. The Irish Press said, “he was the highlight of the Irish forwards, his solo run during the first half was one of the finest ever seen by an Ireland player and it drew from the home crowd tumultuous applause. Had the goalkeeper not managed to save it, Stevenson’s amazing effort would undoubtedly have gone down in history as one of the great international goals.”

For the next twelve seasons, Alex was a regular in the forward line for Northern Ireland, and helped the team to finish runners-up in the 1947 British Championship, thanks to their first unbeaten season in 34 years. He

August / September 2018

was also back playing for the Republic of Ireland again, having at long last won his second cap for the team fourteen years after his first appearance for the Republic.

In 1950, Alex retired as a player after seventeen years as a professional. He had scored 179 goals in 476 matches for Everton between 1934 and 1949, along with 5 goals in 26 internationals for the two Ireland sides between 1932 and 1948.

Retirement wasn’t the end of Alex’s career in the game and in 1953 he became the manager of the Republic of Ireland team. He spent two years in the job and, true to form, during his time in charge, the Republic had their best run of results for years.

Alex then joined St Patrick’s Athletic, who he guided to the 1954 FAI Cup final, then took over at Waterford United and with them he won the FAI Cup in 1959.

Top man as a manager and without any shadow of a doubt, Alexander Stevenson was one of the all-time great Irish footballers.

Above: Cigarette card image courtesy of Google Images.

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