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December 4-10, 2014

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2 DUNDRUM Gazette 4 December 2014

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HSE to reopen Mount Carmel

 bairbre Ni Bhraonain

MOUNT Carmel hospital, which closed eight months ago, is to reopen as a 65-bed facility, the Health Service Executive has announced.

The HSE, which bought the hospital for €11m, said the reopening of Mount Carmel is part of its new service plan.

It said the 65 beds would be available as stepdown beds for patients who were no longer in need of acute hospital care.

Communications Minister Alex White said: “I am personally delighted that the Mount Carmel campus will be renewed…and will serve our local community.”

SIPTU sector organiser Kevin Figgis said the reopening could give former local Mount Carmel staff an opportunity to go back to work. He said the hospital would have a new future and provide positive service to the surrounding community.

Full Story on Page 12

Engaging couple: Pair agree to wed at the finishing line the RNLI Reindeer Run at Marlay Park was a memorable one for this couple who got engaged at the finishing line. Conor Hayes popped the question to

his girlfriend, Edel Higgins, after they completed the 10km race.

Over 1,000 people took part in the charity run last Sunday, November 30. Picture: Rose Comiskey

4 DUNDRUM GAZETTE 4 December 2014

INVESTING Council to spend €4.25m on house and gardens

Fernhill estate to become an amenity for public use

FERNHILL estate in Sandyford has been bought by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council for €4.25m.

The estate consists of a house set on 40 acres of gardens, with some specimens of plants growing there dating from the early 19th century.

Since March, councillors have been anxious for the council to buy Fernhill as a public park.

Nama put the property on the market for a reputed €5m in April of this year but the council paid €4.25m for it.

A spokesperson for the council said: “I can confirm, in relation to Fernhill Gardens, that the council has entered into a contract for the purchase of the property at a cost of €4.25m.

“The sale has not yet closed but we expect that it will close shortly.”

 BAIRBRE NI BHRAONAIN bnibhraonain@dublingazette.com

Cllr Lettie McCarthy (Lab), whose motion for the council to acquire Fernhill was unanimously agreed, said: “We’re very fortunate to have both Marlay and Cabinteely parks on this side of the county but they’re not easily accessed by public transport.

“I don’t know yet when these gardens will be opened but I’m content in the knowledge that they will belong to the public and be of major benefit to the area which has become home to thousands of families over the last decade.

“It’s right and fitting that a public space like this should be for their

benefit and I’d love to see Sally Walker’s legacy live on.”

Fernhill was sold in 2007 to the property developer David Arnold for a rumoured €40m to €45m, which is 10 times more than the council paid.

For 65 years, custodian gardener Sally Walker lived on the estate and died in 2010.

Arnold sought to have the land rezoned for housing development but this plan was opposed by former county manager Owen Keegan, councillors and the then Minister for the Environment John Gormley.

The property is zoned F for preservation and the provision of open space, and B to improve rural amenity and provide for the development of agriculture.

When the property market crashe, the Fernhill estate was taken

over by Nama.

It has been closed to the public since.

Cllr Neale Richmond (FG) said: “I am delighted that the council has been successful in their bid to bring these wonderful gardens into public ownership.

“This will provide a much needed additional recreational facility for the Stepaside area and help preserve the wonderful gardens which were developed with such care by Sally Walker for so many years.

“I look forward to seeing the council’s plans for Fernhill soon.”

Fernhill gardens are regarded as a national treasure and are the product of 150 years of cultivation.

In addition to the formal gardens, the estate also boasts some wild pastureland, wild heath and 13 acres of woodland.

Fernhill house dates

Cllr Lettie McCarthy (inset) had called on the council to buy the estate. Main picture: Google Maps

from 1723 but has been altered over the years.

The house is in need of considerable refurbishment.

It has 26 rooms, including five principal reception rooms: a drawing room, billiard room, dining room, study and a large

entrance hall.

In addition, there is a two-storey wing to the

rear of the property that has a a central threestorey tower.

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4 December 2014 DUNDRUM Gazette 5

sandyford

housing: 30 homes in Ballyogan Vale EXPERIENCING THE PROBLEM

School lunch for seniors

Council set to deal with damp homes  Bairbre Ni Bhraonain

WORKS to address the damage done by dampness to 30 social housing units in Ballyogan Vale in Dundrum are due to be done in 2015 following a structural engineer’s report recently completed

by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

News of the remedial works was revealed at the Dundrum environment, culture and housing and community area committee meeting which was held on December 1.

Cllr Chris Curran (SF) asked the chief executive to provide a report detailing the extent and severity of the dampness in simplex and duplex housing units in Ballyogan Vale.

He asked the council to formulate an action plan to remedy the problem.

A council spokesperson said: “An extensive examination from our structural engineer in relation to the above issue was carried out recently. His recommendations and our drawings are currently being developed into a tender package and we hope to issue same to our established framework of contractors in the near future.

“The works will be done in a two-phase approach and will encompass locations covering all the issues in relation to dampness problems for the 30 ground-floor and duplex housing units for that estate. This work will

be carried out as part of the 2015-16 works programme.”

Cllr Curran told The Gazette: “This work is long overdue. I heard about the problem of dampness in Ballyogan Vale when residents contacted me. The dampness is very bad and remedial work was done by the council but it was only plasterboard. And that’s all it was, a cover for the wound beneath. Now a proper full assessment has been done, that should be the end of the problem.

There’s a strong health aspect involved too.”

The spokesperson told The Gazette work on Ballyogan Vale had gone out to tender with work due to start in January 2015.

Water babies: Rathfarnham school is awarded their third Green Flag ballyroan Boys’ National School in Rathfarnham received its third Green Schools Flag recently as part of the Green Schools Programme supported by South Dublin County Council and An Taisce. The school has reduced its water usage over the course of two years, and worked to spread awareness about water conservation. Mayor Fintan Warfield (SF) congratulated staff and pupils on their achievement. He said: “Taking part in the Green Schools Programme involves a lot of hard work, but it is so worthwhile and you should all be very proud of what you have done to help conserve water.”

STUDENTS and teachers at Rosemont School in Sandyford are hosting a lunch for senior citizens from Sandyford, Stepaside and Kilternan on Friday, December 5.

June Meehan, school general manager, said: “We had a trial run last year and it was very well received. We wanted to give something back to the community and thought it would be nice to invite the local senior citizens to a lunch at the school.”

The lunch will be served at 12.30pm in the school’s conference block where transition year students will be doing the cooking, and will also serve the meals, with the help of students from other years.

Diners will also be treated Christmas songs and carols during lunch.

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luas stop New kind of online shopping  bairbre ni bhraonain

COMMUTERS using the Stillorgan Luas stop can now save time by shopping on the go with Tesco’s new click and collect service.

Tesco has partnered with Luas to introduce the free shopping service at two Luas stops: Sillorgan and Red Cow. Customers select Click and Collect on Tesco.ie, place their grocery order online for collection the following day at the Luas at Stillorgan.

Customers who use the service in the first week, ending on December 5, will be entered in a draw to win free Tesco Click and Collect shopping vouchers valued at €2,700 and a Luas adult all zones annual ticket that costs €910.

council ‘We are over the moon with the win’

Community award goes to Stepaside club  bairbre ni bhraonain

THIS year’s community awards took place last week with 75 community groups being recognised and honoured by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

This is the council’s 19th annual award ceremony. Cois Cairn Youth and Community Facility was the overall winner.

Community groups from around the county were recognised for the valuable work they do throughout the year and

the civic contribution they make to community life.

Stepaside Youth Project won the award for Children and Young Adults.

The Gazette spoke to founder and chairperson of the club, Jean EllisKing. “We’re over the moon with the win. With the €1,000 we can buy some new equipment.

The children are all local and a lot of them live in apartments with extremely small balconies, so that’s another reason we started up the club, to cater for these kids. We’re

in Belarmine and Stepaside Community Centre, and are open every Friday. We took them on bio-diversity trips to Powerscourt waterfalls and Glendalough during the summer. This is our third year up and running.

“I was involved in setting it up as I live in an apartment myself and have a young daughter, and it started as a way to get her out [of the apartment].

“We’ve a youth cafe as well for the teenagers, so they have somewhere to

Club founder Jean Ellis-King and Kelly McElroy with crocodile friend. The club takes young people on bio-diversity trips.

go. They even did a djing course and now have a permanent slot on the radio each Saturday, on Dublin South FM.” Other award winners included Autism Initiatives, which won in the community services category. Dun Laoghaire Active Retirement won

the Older Persons in the Community award.

In the category of environmental awareness in action, the winner was Meadowland/FitzGerald Park Estate Management.

Ballyogan Community Development Management Committee won in the children under-10

category, while volleyball club Dalkey Devils took the Recreation and Physical Activity in the Community prize. In the arts and culture category, Raging Hormones, Loughlinstown community drama group, won. Shanganagh Park House was the Community Facility winner.

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advertise your business to our readers call 01 60 10 240 planning Notice Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council

We Aidan and Karen Fitzgerald intend to apply for planning permission for new vehicular access and entrance g a t e s a t Ky l e m o r e 84 George’s Avenue, Blackrock, Co. Dublin.

The planning application may be inspected or purchased for a fee not exceeding a reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the Planning Authority, Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the Planning Authority, on payment of a fee of €20 within 5 weeks of receipt of the application by the Planning Authority 22583

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8 DUNDRUM GAZETTE 4 December 2014

OPINION There’s a lot we must do to help others – Sr Stan

We can’t ignore the homelessness crisis THIS week Sr Stanislaus Kennedy writes on the worrying dramatic rise in homelessness, both in Dublin and across the country.

CHRISTMAS is a special time of year for many reasons. It is a time we all think of our home and family. However, not everyone has a home, and sadly more than 800 children and their families have become homeless in Dublin this year.

The harsh reality is that as you read this, at least one family lost their home today. Some single people would have also become homeless. I have never seen it so bad. These families live under terrible stress and it’s the children who suffer the most.

Rents have shot up by between 15 to 17% across Dublin over the past year.

Many people can’t manage as rent supplement is too low.

Families struggle to keep a roof over their heads. Then, one day, they lose this fight. They have been called “the new homeless” – people who become homeless for purely economic reasons.

Some families who are homeless are squeezed into hotel rooms – five or six people in one room, with nowhere to cook or for children to play. It would break your heart to see where children are forced to live.

It’s not just families – many single people and couples are homeless for

months, and even years.

Focus Ireland is the organisation supporting families who are homeless in Dublin. We do this on behalf of Dublin City Council. We support families around the country, including in Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Sligo.

Our charity also supports single people and many others.

Focus Ireland is working hard to help and we depend on the generous support of the public and businesses to help keep our services and housing going, so that we are there to help people when they need us. I am asking people to please give what they can afford to support our urgent Christmas appeal – please see the details at the end of this piece. We need your support more than ever, as Focus Ireland supported

more than 10,000 people last year, which was a massive 25% rise since the previous year. We all know there is much work to be done to help prevent homelessness and to lift people out of poverty.

I believe it is a national disgrace that the number of children in poverty increased by 130,000 between 2008 and 2012.

This did not just happen out of the blue – political and economic choices were made which caused this. Cuts to health, education, housing and welfare supports have caused this.

During 2008 and 2012, the Irish State paid back billions to unsecured bondholders; some of these [payments] on bonds that were actually bought after the banking collapse. These children in poverty, and the grow-

ing homelessness crisis, are the human result of these decisions.

I believe it makes moral sense to tackle these issues now to help the people in question.

It also makes economic sense, as it will save much future State spending across emergency accommodation, State care, the judicial system and many other areas by lifting children and families out of these conditions now. It will help to build a more just society.

We must remember the Government has the power to prevent more people from becoming homeless. They must raise rent supplement payments to match market rents. They didn’t in the budget [2015], and more people have become homeless.

The Government must

also regulate rents to provide better long-term security for tenants in their homes. Any system must work for all, and we have called for tax breaks for landlords to make it feasible and affordable for them to rent.

T h e G ove r n m e n t has taken steps to help some families – which is welcome – but far from enough is being done.

On the positive side, Focus Ireland welcomed the launch on November 26 of the new social housing strategy, which maps out the €2.2bn social housing investment over the next three years announced in Budget 2015. This is the investment and long-term planning that was needed for years.

It must be built upon to make up for decades of social housing neglect.

However, it will take 18 months until the first homes are delivered.

Until then, we need an effective short-term strategy to tackle the current crisis in family homelessness and in access to affordable housing for single people. We must all work together to end homelessness and build a society where everyone has a right to a place they can call home.

Sr Stanislaus Kennedy Life president and founder, Focus Ireland

To help support Focus Ireland’s Christmas appeal, please donate at www. focusireland.ie, or telephone 1850 204 205.

If you are worried about your housing situation or have become homeless, you can contact your local service at www.focusireland.ie, or phone 01 671 2555.

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12 DUNDRUM Gazette 4 December 2014

services Hospital will have stepdown and step-up beds

Mount Carmel to reopen as a transitional HSE facility  bairbre ni bhraonain

EIGHT months after it closed down with the loss off 350 jobs, Mount Carmel hospital in Churchtown is to get a new lease of life, it has been announced.

The Health Service Executive (HSE), which bought the hospital for €11m, has announced that the 65-bed facility will reopen.

Mount Carmel will be used as part of the HSE Service Plan for 2015 for patients who no longer need acute care.

This plan allows for 115 additional beds for

transitional and rehabilitation services being provided across the Dublin area and Mount Carmel is to provide 65 of these beds.

The HSE, which said it had acquired the facility for €11m, stated: “The property, which requires some renovation, offers an excellent opportunity to develop an integrated pathway of care for patients of the acute hospitals in the greater Dublin area.

“The site will be developed to enhance services to support both the acute hospitals and community services in the area.

“It is envisaged that short stay community beds, including stepdow n/step-up beds, assessment beds, transitional care beds and rehabilitation beds can be provided on the site.

“Given the original purpose of the building, the facility may also provide potential for the delivery of elective acute services for day procedures such as endoscopy and day surgery.

“The HSE has established a project advisory group to develop a design brief and oversee the development of the site.”

Kevin Figgis, sector organiser of SIPTU health division, said the union welcomed the news that Mount Carmel would reopen.

He said: “Mount Carmel has a long tradition of service in the community and is going to have a new future within the HSE and provide positive service to the surrounding community.

“We also note that a lot of staff of Mount Carmel live locally and have a lot of experience giving healthcare to the community.

“The reopening will be good news for them therefore as they will see it as an opportunity to go back [to work].”

Minister for Communications Alex White said: “As a local TD, I am personally delighted that the Mount Carmel campus will be renewed as a health care facility, and

Minister Alex White is “delighted” that the hospital “will again serve our local community long into the future”

will again serve our local community long into the future.

“T he Churchtow n campus will now be brought back to life in 2015 as a much-needed stepdown facility for patients who no longer need acute hospital care.

“I’m glad that public

money is being used in a smart and strategic manner to meet the long-term healthcare needs of Dublin South.

“After a number of tough years, it is positive to see that the benefits of the recovery is taking hold in our community.”

Cllr Peter O’Brien

(Lab) said: “I am delighted and welcome the renewed use of Mount Carmel Hospital as a dedicated community hospital for Dublin…

“I am glad that public money is being used in a smart and strategic manner to meet the longterm healthcare needs of area.”

Taoiseach praises school’s welcoming atmosphere  bairbre ni bhraonain

P U PI L S f r o m O u r Lady’s Clonskeagh Parish National School welcomed Taoiseach Enda Kenny to their school recently.

The Taoiseach visited the school to launch the students’ art exhibition and to raise their fourth Green Flag for recycling and waste reduction.

In his speech, Mr Kenny commented on the lovely, warm, welcoming atmosphere in the school.

He also encouraged the pupils to always strive to reach their full potential.

Principal Gerard

Heneghan said: “It was such a great honour and privilege that the Taoiseach accepted his invitation to visit the school.

“The fact that the Taoiseach’s office receives 15,000 invitations each year for prospective visits puts into context the school’s marvellous achievement in procuring such a visit.”

As well as displaying their paintings, pupils also proudly exhibited an impressive array of pieces they had knitted, which they had completed during the year under the guidance of Sr Nora Bourke.

The Taoiseach Enda Kenny at his recent visit to the school. Picture: Damien Maddock

Mr Kenny was entertained during the course of his visit by the fifth and sixth class pupils, who sang songs and played musical instruments in

his honour.

Before he left, the Taoiseach was presented with two paintings depicting Cluain Sceach in his native Mayo.

4 December 2014 DUNDRUM Gazette 13

ASTI TUI STRIKE: action unnecessary and disproportionate - Minister

FastNews

Hanafin awarded a Masters at UCD ON December 1, UCD conferred an MA in American Studies on Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Cllr Mary Hanafin (FF).

The former Minister was elected to the council in May in controversial circumstances as another Fianna Fail candidate Kate Feeney (also elected) was running for the same Blackrock

General Secretary of the ASTI Pat King (third from right) with the picketing teachers at De La Salle College in Churchtown. Picture: Rose Comiskey

Teachers take to pickets over exam changes  bairbre ni bhraonain

TEACHERS in the Dundrum area came out in force on December 2 to join in a nationwide ASTITUI protest involving 27,000 teachers, over concerns about the proposed new Junior Cycle.

The main bone of contention for teachers is being responsible for marking 40% of their own students’ Junior Certificate exam papers.

About 900 members of three ASTI and TUI union branches, Stillorgan, Dun Laoghaire and Dublin South, joined the first of two one-day national protests.

Changes to the Junior Certificate include a heavier emphasis on continual assessment and teachers marking the exam for their own school students. This last factor is what most of the protesting teachers object to.

Groups of four to six teachers took hour-anda-half shifts to picket outside their schools.

Brian Masterson, a physics, science and maths teacher of more

than 30 years at De La Salle, Churchtown told The Gazette: “I was on the picket line earlier and the mood was good.

The issues are clear and are being well supported by the media, and parents realise the difficulties teachers have if any compromise is reached on assessing our own students, even by 40%.

“The main reason is that teachers don’t want to be involved in marking their own students because of the fact that there can be all sorts of pressures on teachers from parents.

“We’d be prepared to allow continuous assessment if there’s external marking. We’re already involved in bits and pieces of continuous assessment; for example, we do a science project which comprises 25% of the marks but it’s marked externally at the moment…so there’s tremendous pressure on teachers just to get them done by the deadlines.”

On the day of the strike, ASTI president Philip Irwin said: “[Teachers] are reluctantly taking strike

action today in protest at what they see as a significant threat to education standards and education quality in Ireland.”

Minister for Education Jan O’Sullivan said in response to the strike action: “I believe the strike could have been averted and I think it’s very disappointing that the teacher unions didn’t come and have meaningful talks.

“I’ve offered very significant proposals which involve the best of both worlds as it involves a final written exam and also school based assessment...I do think the strike is unnecessary, I do think it’s disproportionate and I think it’s disappointing that the schools were closed today.” ​ Responding to charges of the strike being a disruption to parents and adults, Masterson said: “That’s not the kind of feedback we’ve been getting and kids like a day off anyway. I can’t see how a day off coming up to Christmas would be a disruption.” Another one-day strike is due to take place in January.

ward. Cllr Hanafin received her postgraduate degree from the college’s Clinton Institute where she was joined at her conferring by her mother, Mona. Afterwards she called on the Government to reintroduce grants for students.

Burton gives journalism tips UP and coming journalists from Jesus and Mary College in Goat-

stown Dominican College Sion Hill, Blackrock were among pupils from five schools who took part in a new initiative, News Academy, in Dun Laoghaire Further Education Institute recently.

News Academy’s Dublin conference was launched by Tanaiste Joan Burton, a former journalism lecturer in business reporting.

The Tanaiste gave advice to the DLR students, who were among 140 aspiring journalists at the event.

14 dundrum gazette 4 December 2014

gazetteGALLERIES

The Club 92 Massive Crew dance troupe. Pictures: Rose Comiskey

HAPPY FEET: FANCY FOOTWORK IS STRICTLY FOR LAURALYNN HOSPICE

A

TOTAL of 13 dance couples took part in a Strictly Come Dancing night at Leopardstown Race Course recently.

Club 92 at Leoparstown Race Course hosted the event to raise funds for LauraLynn children’s hospice.

Isabel Fox-Reynolds, Robin Murphy with Amberley and Lily Fox-Reynolds say hi to Santa. Pictures: Geraldine Woods Ana Rae and Ailbhe Clooney Annette Green and John Corcoran

Anastasia Perelighin and Anthony Cassidy

The snowman has fun in the shopping centre Wendy Cassidy and Ciara Cullen

The judges: Ryan Andrews, Leanne Moore, Stuart O’Connor and Ryan Dolan Sarah Mullen gets a cuddle from Mischief

It’s a thumbs-up from the Polar bear

4 December 2014 dundrum gazette 15

Natasha Kavanagh with Mrs Claus

Arkady and Evelyn Krant with the Sugar Plum Fairy

Families queuing to meet Santa in his grotto

Deck the halls: SANTA AND FRIENDS SWING BY

Cead mile failte for Man in Red S

ANTA Claus has made it to Nutgrove Shopping Centre with Mrs Claus and their festive friends.

Shoppers were delighted to see Santa arriving with Rathfarnham Fire Brigade and then parading through to his grotto where

Savanna, Natasha and Jackie Kavanagh meet Santa

they had balloon modellers, a few Sugar Plum Fairies, some elves, a juggler and other cuddly characters. This year Santa’s Grotto is supported by charity Bothar. Each child gets a gift from Santa and all proceeds from a Photo with Santa go to the charity.

Chisom Ezeh

Gary Butler senior and junior, and Olivia Fitzimons meet Santa

The Snow Queen towering over shoppers

16 DUNDRUM GAZETTE 4 December 2014

GAZETTEGALLERY

Yvonne Harrington and Aifric Murphy

Stephen, Hannah and Trisha Williams meet everybody’s furry friend at the Savoy’s Irish premiere of Paddington. Pictures: Patrick O’Leary

Laila Boufarsee

Sam Meephan

SAVOY PREMIERE: PADDINGTON COMES TO TOWN

It’s bear-y funny!

Director Paul King and Louise King smiling with the bear of the moment

y, and Ryan Kelly Lyndsey, Faolan and Tristan Barr

Thelma and Rh ian Byrne with their cuddly fri end

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diary P18

asdfsdaf P27 business P20

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

a day in the life: Actor Frank kelly lets us in on his day to day routine

what’son

The real Fr Jack Hackett Bairbre Ni Bhraonain

He is best known as the cantankerous Fr Jack Hackett in Father Ted but the reality of Frank Kelly is very different, as The Gazette found when chatting to him about an average day in his life.

“I have seven adult children and 17 grandchildren and my unfortunate wife spends most of the year buying presents for family occasions of one kind or another. We’re all very close and surprisingly enough we all live roughly in the same area.

“I’m an early riser if required. Other than that I like to lie on but it depends on how busy I am.

“I am a breakfast person and I have wholesome food. My wife gives me slender porridge cereal with apple and cinnamon and a poached egg and toast and a cup of tea. I’m very wellminded.

“Then I do a lot of paperwork and

like a lot of actors, I spend time at the kitchen table and I phone people everywhere who are all contacts of mine.

I consider myself a one-man business as an actor.

“Of course, I use my agent but if you don’t get your ass in gear and contact people and keep your contacts alive they’ll forget. It may seem like selfpromotion but it’s just like work.

“I also pay bills and have to answer enquiries and I get a great deal of fan mail for Father Ted, all of which I religiously answer. They send off for autographs too, so I do that and it’s not for ego reasons.

“I get fan mail from every part of the world. One of the most moving contact I had was from a young teacher who spent a winter with a very remote tribe of Indians and he was the only non-Indian in the place. He wrote to me telling me that tapes of Father Ted had kept his sanity… the amazing



Gazette

yule love our helpful gift guide P22-23

hospital close to poet’s heart in fundraiser

Frank Kelly leads a very busy day and not a priest’s collar in sight!

thing is its appeal has such an extensive spread.

“At lunch I work on my second book called The Next Gig and I’ll have a nice snack my wife has prepared for me.

“I go out for walks up over Killiney Hill and Dalkey for exercise. In the evening we’d go out by invitation mostly and I love the company of friends in the evening by the fire with good wine and then getting a taxi home.

“We watched Love/Hate recently and loved it. I’m over 50 years acting and my wife and I are 50 years married, which we celebrated recently in grand

style in my daughter’s house in Foxrock.

We both watch Time Team and late at night we’ll have a cheap snigger at Graham Norton and Jonathan Ross.

“We would go to bed at about 11pm as we have a dog and let her in and tickle her tummy, so we give her an innings for a while in front of the fire before going to bed.”

Frank Kelly appears in John B Keane’s Moll at the Gaiety Theatre from January 27 to February 14. Tickets, at €22.50, are available from the Gaiety Theatre booking line at 0818 719 388.

THE Mater Foundation has been presented with a cheque for €8,382 by Blanchardstown poet Kieran Eager.

Eager organised a charity race night at Harold’s Cross Greyhound Stadium in memory of his granddaughter, Ella Bury, who died in July from sudden adult death syndrome (SADS).

Eager raised the funds for two appeals that are close to his hear t: the cancer appeal and the heart appeal at the Mater Foundation.

Speaking about the fundraising event, Eagar said: “I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who attended the charity race night on October 24 and everyone who helped support me in raising these vital funds.

“I was overwhelmed with the generosity.”

This appeal raises much needed funds for the Family Heart Screening Clinic at the Mater Hospital, which aims to reduce the incidence of sudden cardiac death in young people in Ireland.

Visit www.materfoundation.ie to find out more about these appeals.

Gazette

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dublinlife

DIARY

A sneak peek behind magic of the Big Top thrilling way.

Performances are by members Ken Fanning and Tina Segner, accompanied by harpist Ursula Burns, known as the most dangerous harpist in the world.

Damn the Circus is on at Axis, Ballymun on December 5 and 6 and tickets are €10 are available at www.axis-ballymun.ie.

Tis the season for donations Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin are appealing to the public to donate toys and help

out children in hospital this Christmas.

The hospital has made a list of toys and games it is seeking for its donation day on December 18, including art and craft items such as paint materials, small tubes of play dough, glue sticks, pipe cleaners, glitter, crayons and colouring pencils.

Toys such as dolls house furniture, cars, trains, tractors, farm animals, plastic teasets, jigsaws puzzles, and baby toys are needed as well as board games like daughts, Battleship, Con-

nect 4 and Guess Who. All toys must be brand new to guard against infection.

However, Xbox’s, PS 2/3’s and controllers, which are also sought, may be second hand.

For more information contact info@childreninhospital.ie or call 01-8780448

to russia with love? it’s a date This Christmas Irish charity To Russia With Love is helping 12 single men in their quest for love.

With the support of

New show from Tumbler Circus comes to the Axis Theatre in Ballymun

Irish people, the initiative works with some of Russia’s most vulnerable children in one of the most desolate regions.

Shying away from modern methods of dating, the charity is asking single women from across

the country to write a “sweetheart’”letter to their chosen man and post it for consideration to “With Love”, To Russia With Love, 2 Vernon Avenue, Clontarf, Dublin 3.

On December 10 the

men and chosen ladies will come together in a Dublin venue where they will all meet as a group for the first time.

To donate to To Russia With Love’ text HUG to 50300 or visit www. torussiawithlove.ie.

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Winner of the Best Circus Show at the Adelaide Fringe Festival 2012, Tumble Circus’s new show, Damn the Circus, comes to Axis in Ballymun this December.

The show is a tale about three youngsters from Dublin, Belfast and Sweden who grow up to join the circus.

The performers explore the dream of joining the troupe and deal with the harsh reality behind the beautiful illusion.

Hailed as contemporary circus at it’s best, it takes it into the 21st century in an intelligent and

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4 December 2014 Gazette 19

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20 Gazette 4 December 2014

dublinlife

Q&A thomas stone, President of ITT

Educational investment must be a priority Thomas Stone was appointed president of the Institute of Technology Tallaght on September 1 this year.

He is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) as well as having degrees in commerce and strategic management and planning from UCD. He worked as a professional accountant in practice and industry befoer joining the Revenue Commissioners as an inspector of taxes for over five years. He then commenced his academic career in IT Tallaght as a lecturer in accountancy specialising in taxation and progressed to establish the Department of Accountancy and Professional Studies in the institute. He was then appointed secretary / financial controller and held that post for the past nine years.

How long have you been in business?

IT Tallaght, which registered its first students in 1992, offers undergraduate, postgrad, professional and in-company workplace accredited programmes from level 6 (higher certificate) to level 10 (doctorate) recognised nationally and internationally on the National Framework of Qualifications.

The institute currently has 4,768 full and part-time registered students on a diverse range of academic programmes.

What makes your business successful?

The institute has a very student centred approach and culture to support participation on our academic programmes, provided by dedicated academic, administration and support staff.

Success in higher education is where the institution focuses on the student and his or her development to maximise their potential.

Our programmes and supports deliver successful outcomes for our students and is recognised by employers who repeatedly engage with the Institute and return again and again to source and fill job vacancies.

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

IT Tallaght is focused on addressing and providing opportunities in higher education.

The institute not only targets school leavers but also supports businesses, public and private enterprises, as well as community activities and projects, such as through the Synergy Centre on campus and our step up facility in Synergy Global in the Citywest Business Campus, As well as a vibrant and expanding part-time and distance education programme, we have a long history of meeting regional needs in terms of bespoke workplace accredited academic and training programmes, par-

business Increase in residential property prices The latest CSO Property Price Index shows that, in the year to October, residential property prices at a national level, increased by 16.3%.

This compares with an increase of 15% in September and 6.1% recorded in the 12 months to October 2013.

However, Dr John McCartney, director of research at Savills Ireland, cautioned against reading too much into the data as the lag time in compiling the index means that it is referencing deals that happened when trading is naturally slower in August.

He said a scalingback of investor demand should lead to a damping down of the rate of house price growth: “Over the past two years, strong demand from cash-rich investors – who have been willing to pay more due to capital gains tax [CGT] incen-

tives – has fuelled sharp house price growth.

“However, falling yields have caused investor demand to halve over the last 12 months, and this trend will accelerate in the New Year with the withdrawal of CGT incentives for investors.”

ticularly in the multinational pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.

How has the recession affected your business?

Everyone here has tried to minimise any possible negative impact on the services and programmes provided.

We have not reduced the number of places or programmes on offer to date and have offered some new programmes, for example a BSc in data analytics and interactive marketing.

Like all public sector organisations, we have seen Government funding reduced. The moratorium on new staff has also been challenging for us.

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

I will suggest a more optimistic perspective regarding possible changes in existing law. IT Tallaght is at a very advanced stage in planning to merge with IT Blanchardstown and Dublin Institute of Technology to become a Technological University in Dublin and the second largest university in the country.

The legislation is being drafted by Government to facilitate the creation of this new type of university.

It will enhance and provide more opportunities in the provision of higher education and research activity particularly to the south Dublin region and IT Tallaght would like to see this legislation enacted as soon as possible.

As the country leaves recession, capital investment in higher education should be a priority. The demographic shift in Dublin’s age profile is moving to increasing numbers in primary and second level education, leading to an increased demand for higher education places.

Now is the time for investment to take place to accommodate the expected increase in student numbers.

IT Tallaght is ready to accommodate such an investment programme.

Intel staff in celebratory mood as the company celebrates its milestone event

intel: 25-year celebrations for Leixlip-based plant

‘An incredible journey’ Intel recently celebrated it’s 25th anniversary of operations in Ireland.

To mark the occasion, a number of external guests joined with Intel Ireland employees at the Leixlip campus to commemorate the day and reflect upon the milestones of the past 25 years.

Intel based its technology campus in Ireland in 1989 and the production of motherboards and systems began the following year. Since then, €12.5bn has been invested in the 360-acre former stud farm, turning it into the most technologically advanced industrial location in Europe.

Over the past two decades Intel in Ireland has come to represent a range of activities across the spectrum of Intel business from advanced manufacturing to cutting

edge research and design.

Today, the company has 5,200 employees across the country.

The celebratory event was attended by a number of special guests including Mayor of Kildare Fiona O’Loughlin(Ind); US ambassador to Ireland Kevin O’Malley; Minister for Business and Employment Gerald Nash; vice president of the Intel technology and manufacturing group Ann Kelleher; and Intel Ireland general manager Eamonn Sinnott.

Opening the event Sinnott expressed pride in the successes of the past 25 years.

He said: “It has been an incredible journey since Intel first decided to locate here in 1989 and since then we have gone on to become the largest private investment in the

history of the state, something of which we are very proud.

“Intel’s investment in Ireland has had a significant impact on the country with an average of €880m being contributed each year to the economy, more than 7,000 full-time jobs supported and almost €2m each year being contributed to both community and education initiatives across the country. It really is exciting to think what the next 25 years may hold”.

Most of the Intel workforce in Ireland is based at the Leixlip campus which is the location for Intel’s high-volume, advanced manufacturing facility which is currently preparing to produce Intel’s latest 14 nano metre process technology.

There are 250 employees at the Intel Shannon

campus who work to deliver Intel’s strategies in the communications and storage infrastructure, automotive and retail spaces.

Dublin headquartered games technologies company Havok is also an Intel company with 120 employees focused on servicing the most demanding technical requirements for leading customers in the commercial games and entertainment industry.

This event marks the culmination of celebrations throughout 2014 to mark the 25th anniversary of Intel in Ireland and the celebration comes on the back of a special achievement for Intel in Ireland as it was named as the Multinational Corporation Initiative of the Year at the ISA Software Industry Awards.

4 December 2014 Gazette 21

cinema P29

asdfsdaf P27 music P30

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

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Gazette

travel P26

Pets help shy dora explore a new life with a loving home

Elf the Musical stars Ben Forster, who plays Buddy, and Aoibhinn McGinnity, who is Jovie. Picture: Brian McEvoy Photography

families: elf the musical gets ready to run at bord gais energy theatre

This’ll sleigh audiences  ian begley

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

Running from December 16 to January 10, Elf is the hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan child who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole.

Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toymaking abilities cause him to face the truth.

With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity, and help New York

remember the true meaning of Christmas.

British actor and winner of the 2012 ITV show Superstar, Ben Forster is starring as Buddy in this year’s production and he told The Gazette that he’s very excited about taking on this new role.

He said: “It’s probably the most fun I’ve ever had in a rehearsal process and it’s really hard work and there’s a lot to do and lots to learn.

“In every respect, the show is rising from the ground up in the last four weeks, and there’s hundreds of people involved in this production.

“Throughout the weeks of rehearsal we’ve been watching the set being built, the costumes being made, the Christ-

mas trees being decorated and the band practising their musical score.

“You can be so creative with something like Elf and we’ve stuck to the magic of the movie and have expanded on all the silly little moments in the film that people have come to love.

“The show was [staged] on Broadway a few years ago and was a huge hit, and now that we’ve bought the rights to bring it from America, the production has become really well known,” said Forser.

‘An amazing score’ “It has an amazing score that was written by a brilliant Tony Award-winning team of writers and is very much like old-school Broadway, with Big

Band music with singers and dancers.

“It captures every magic moment of the movie, and all the famous oneliners in the movie have been turned into whole songs.

“My fellow cast members are a lovely group of people, which is something I always worry about when beginning a new production!

“With theatre companies, you become like a family and are always left wondering what type of people you’re going to be working with, but, honestly, this is like a dream cast,” he said.

Elf the Musical tickets are priced from €20 to €60; under-threes are not permitted. For further information, see www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie.

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

Our Dog of the Week is gorgeous Collie cross Dora who we think is about four years old.

She arrived at Dogs Trust pregnant and had a gorgeous little litter of pups, who’ve all gone to homes. Dora is a typical Collie: super intelligent and a bundle of energy.

However, she’s shy and would love a quiet home, one with perhaps another doggie friend already present.

If you think you could offer Dora a loving home, please call Dogs Trust on 01 879 1000 or pop into the centre. They are based in Finglas, just off exit 5 on the M50. You can also find them on Facebook www.facebook. com/dogstrustirelandonline or Twitter @DogsTrust_IE. Treats and toys are always welcome!

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THE countdown to Christmas is continuing, and this week, The Gazette has another selection of possible presents to help bring a smile to a loved one’s face in a few weeks’ time.

Whether looking for a fun gift, or something that’s a little easy on the pocket – either way, the spirit of Christmas should make your gift a treasure to receive – this week, we have a range of gifts that range from the practical to the fun, with something for readers of all ages ...

Sant a bli

Presenting more gifts...

Vikingdirect.ie Letts A5 diary 2015 €14.95

om

Avoca Gift pack soap €14.95

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OUT&ABOUT

Fun k

Gazette

22 Gazette 4 December 2014

Craftbay.ie Bog oak clock €70

Widely available Barbie Malibu house €130

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€69

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The Body Shop By teaming up with War Child, the global charity for children affected by war, The Body Shop is aiming to provide more than six million lessons in war-torn areas.

For specially selected Body Shop gifts, the chain will make a contribution that funds a class for a child. See in-store for products/ranges.

4 December 2014 gazette 23

Gazette

GIFT GUIDE MOTORING

Charity card Available from LauraLynn children’s hospice, and from www.lauralynn.ie, these unique 12 Days of Christmas cards celebrate the life of baby Daniel Farrell, who died in 2007 of an undetected heart condition. The Irish designers’ cards have, to date, raised more than €300,000 for the children’s hospice. €10 x Pack of 12 cards

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Fox ford sc

Avoca Hill socks €16.95 pair

arf

Treasured Dolls Princess Elsa-inspired blue dress and silver shoes €35 Available at Dundrum Town Centre, and www.treasureddolls.ie

Vikingdirect.ie Apple TV – perfect for streaming lots of content from your Apple gadget (eg your phone or iPad) to your TV €110.69

Widely available Fisher Price crawl around car €90

€20

Gazette

24 Gazette 4 December 2014

OUT&ABOUT

STYLE

Say ‘Hello, possums’ to the latest in high-warmth style  ian begley

incredibly durable.

At 57 inches, the long, elegant wraparound accessory is perfect to dress up a coat or jacket, providing lightweight comfort and style.

For a full range of what K iwi Countr y Clothing has to offer, see www.kiwicountryclothing.ie.

Create your own individual look this Christmas courtesy of YSL, using the seven harmonious shades of the Palette Collector – Wild Edition (top, €85), or the striking Rouge Pur Couture Vernis a Levres Collector (above, €35)

YSL Opium Eau de Parfum 50ml €95

KIWI Country Clothing, which has just opened up at Number 18, South Anne Street, h a s a n i m p r e s s i ve selection of luxurious possum fur accessories for lightweight, stylish winter warmth.

For those who are unaware, possum fur if of a very high quality, with hollow fibres that trap warm air, creating outstanding heat retention.

It is luxurious to the touch, feeling softer than mink, and very durable. The pest – which is humanely culled in New Zealand – has fur which is rec-

ognised for producing warm, hard-wearing, stylish luxury items.

Kiwi Country Clothing, r un by Elizabeth McGuinness, is the home of possum merino and possum fur clothing in Ireland and is offering value for money items for the winter months.

For some examples, try the Kossack hat with reverse velvet (€255) and long possum fur scarf (€179, both inset, right).

The stylish, full fur r e ve r s i b l e K o s s a c k hat is hand finished to a high standard, with premium grade possum fur, making it lightweight, warm and

YSL Touche Eclat Collector – Wild Edition €35

WITH less than a month to Christmas, the party season is almost upon us and, as any girl knows, we all want to look our best when we catch up with friends, or go out with colleagues.

And so, ’tis the season ... for a wide range of top-of-the-range new makeups to hit the high street from all of

Lancome Poudre de lumiere €45

face up to new marvellous make-ups our favourite brands.

This week, GazetteStyle features some of the luxurious new make-ups from a couple of our favourite brands, with all ensuring that no matter which look you go for, you’ll definitely be a Christmas cracker over the coming party season ...

Lancome Lip Lover set €25 Lancome Venus in Love nail polish X 3 €19

4 December 2014 Gazette 25

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26 Gazette 4 December 2014

OUT&ABOUT

As we’ve all seen from the movies, parts of Hong Kong are an overwhelming assault on the senses, as towering streets can be full of colourful lightbox signs, strangely-shaped buildings crammed into any available space, and elevated walkways over the crowded roads

hong kong: iconic city has endless amounts to see and do

Eastern adventure  kate crowley

SO THERE I was, out at midnight in Soho – Soho, Hong Kong, that is – discreetly wiping sweat from my forehead, while my phone showed: “Temperature: 29C. Humidity: Perfect for fishes.” My acquaintance leaned over and said, conspiratorially: “Ah, but it gets really hot here in summer…” Phew.

Gasp. Hot then, eh?

Thanks for that.

Heat and humidity aside, if you’re looking for a terrific destination that offers a fascinating mix of bustling city life and laidback relaxation – and set in one of the world’s iconic cities, to boot – then Hong Kong rings all the right bells this Christmas.

With October to January recommended for visitors looking to avoid the city’s worst summer heat and the effects of seasonal monsoons, I recently spent more than

a week there as a firsttime visitor.

Truth be told, apart from a vague feeling that I “knew” what Hong Kong was like, courtesy of Hollywood, television and random cultural references (something about views from The Peak, endless high rise towers, super-dense cityscapes, Bruce Lee, Godzilla attacks – or was that Tokyo?), I really didn’t know what to expect.

However, Hong Kong turned out to be a wonderful, fascinating city, thanks to its endless activities and fusion of cultures, creating a city that’s very tourist-friendly while simultaneously retaining a strong individual identity.

With HK loosely divided into two parts (HK Island, and everywhere else over on the mainland, bordered by China proper), I stayed in

the heart of HK Island, in Soho: a bustling, cosmopolitan spot with lots of tourists and ex-pats in the area, and a busy nightlife.

Being just up the road from Central’s main Metro station – or, rather, up several steep hills and sets of steps, as Hong Kong island contains approximately 83.7% of the world’s steps – Soho was a great location to set off from each day.

I t ’s wo r t h pointing out that Hong Kong’s urban footprint isn’t all that big, which partly

explains why so many people are crammed into a comparatively small area. This compactness is useful, making HK Island easy to get around, with many parts easily accessible and within walking distance of Metro stops.

For many people, Hong Kong is well-known as a shopping mecca, with something to suit all tastes and budgets.

Helped by a conversion rate o f 10 HK dollars to €1, it’s very easy to get an instant understanding of the price

and “worth” of anything, and although Hong Kong can be a ludicrously expensive city for some people, it’s also very reasonable and downright cheap for many things (hello, public transport).

I steered my way past the enormous flagship stores for every luxury brand you can think of (so big and ostentatious, they make Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue look provincial), sidestepped the endless High Street chain shops from home that sit alongside their eastern counterparts, and made sightseeing and exploring the focus of my trip, rather than shopping or getting lost in one giant ultra-luxurious shopping centre after another.

In this regard, Hong Kong has tons to see and

Hong Kong’s arguably most famous son – Bruce Lee – is immortalised at the Avenue of Stars, along with many Chinese film stars

Hong Kong and its environs present a diverse range of compared to the city’s dense urban setting (right).

do, given its confident fusing of eastern and western culture, fashion and food in style, creating a singular city that also feels like an internationally-flavoured version of Chinese.

That said, Hong Kong is Hong Kong – like Manhattan on steroids, many parts of the city seem like an overwhelming assault on your eyes, as you regularly face sheer cliff-like walls of buildings, with bases coated in air con units like barnacles, while shoals of red taxis scoot past.

Apart from simply soaking up the visual impact of the city’s bustling streets and towering canyon-like walls, there are very many things to see and do around Hong

Kong – and away from the city, as its many outlying islands, villages and secluded beaches are destinations in their own right, while families throng its diverse theme parks, such as Ocean Park, or Hong Kong Disneyland.

But just being a tourist by myself, I went to “bucket list” my way around the city.

I ticked off some of the main tourist attractions and things to do for first-time visitors, at least, including:  Taking spectacular views across the HK Island cityscape at day from The Peak Tower (and taking in its equally stunning views at night, despite the Bus-Aras-on-

4 December 2014 GAZETTE 27

GAZETTE

TRAVEL

Travel award winners are announced  IAN BEGLEY

THE winners of the Blue Insurances Travel Media Awards 2014 were recently announced at a gala event in the Clyde Court Hotel, Dublin.

MCd by presenter Kathryn Thomas (above), the gongs were handed out for the best travel destinations, hotels and transit companies and many more.

T he awards were organised by TravelMedia.ie and sponsored by Blue Insurances, with

contrasting environments. The serene “Big Buddha” (main) out at Po Lin Monastery offers a calm setting Whether by land or sea, you’ll never run out of things to see and do in this bustling city. Pictures: Kate Crowley

Christmas-Eve scrum of onlookers at night).  Getting dizzy wuth an incredible glass-bottomed cable car ride over rolling hills out to “the Big Buddha” at Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island, which offer serene views over the surrounding mountains and dense vegetation, all set in the shadow of the giant statue, which requires visitors to ascend dozens of steep steps.  Gazing out at the cityscapes from the side of a cheap but very pretty Star Ferry sightseeing spin around Victoria Harbour – perfect for studying the cliff-like serrated rows of skyscrapers and tower blocks marching down the sides of HK Island.

 Taking in the dizzying 360-degree looks around Hong Kong’s sprawl from the superelevated Sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck, high up in the International Commerce Centre, Kowloon (the seventh tallest commercial building in the world).  Joining the locals and tourists strolling along the Avenue of Stars, which celebrates Chinese film stars, and provides sweeping views of Hong Kong Island’s cityscape across the harbour.  Taking in the dizzying range of colourful street signs and lightboxes along Nathan Street.  Visiting famous Man Mo Temple, where incense-heavy air wafts

around scrolls, prayers and offerings from devotees.

Ultimately, I’d heard that a week is “too long” to visit Hong Kong, that “you’ll see it all in a few days”. However, this proved totally untrue, falling far short of the reality.

As a city that’s full of modern metropolis attractions and has a very

dynamic pace, yet also has quiet parks and laidback corners, Hong Kong has a lot of appeal for first-time or repeat visitors alike.

Upon arrival, its combination of familiar sights and new experiences in a modern city that feels both familiar, yet refreshingly new, make Hong Kong a delightful destination that’s well worth heading far, far east to ...

GETTING THERE There are regular long-distance connecting flights to Hong Kong; flying Dublin to Heathrow with Aer Lingus, then on to HK with Cathay Pacific for c. €780 economy return. (Seasonal flights/offers vary.) For further information, see www.cathaypacific.com.

the pre-awards reception sponsored by Amadeus.

This year, London City Airport and the Italian National Tourist Board were also welcomed as sponsors.

Aer Lingus was announced as the Best Short Haul Airline, while Stena Line was honoured with the title of Best Ferry Company.

The Best Irish Hotel award was awarded to Ashford Castle and the Red Carnation Hotel won the Best International Hotel Group.

Speaking about the event, Ciaran Mulligan, managing director of Blue Insurances, that scooped the title of Best Insurance Provider, said: “We are delighted to be the main sponsor of this great event for the third year running, and to see it go from strength to strength. Thank you to all the media who voted and to the trade for showing their support on the night.”

For a full list of the winners, see www.facebook. com/TravelMedia.ie.

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28 GAZETTE 4 December 2014

OUT&ABOUT

TRAVEL NEWS The opulent and extensive lobby

Something suitable for every taste IAN BEGLEY

THE four-star Bridge House Hotel, Spa and Leisure Centre, based in Tullamore, Co Offaly, boasts an impressive variety of dining venues, comfortable settings and leisure activities suited for all tastes and personal requirements.

I was impressed by the hotel’s interior – a lavish and extensive lobby with a beautiful red carpet stairwell and chandelier. The room my guest and I stayed in was spacious, well equipped, comfortable and clean, yet nothing out of the ordinary.

We went to the Bridge House Bar for pre-dinner cocktails on their new terrace built above a flowing river which created a somewhat exotic ambience.

Afterwards, we ventured to The Charleville Restaurant in the hotel. Our four-course meal was exquisite and the attention to detail on each culinary dish was phenomenal. For starters I had a display of prawns presented delicately on a sea shell with a touch of dressing and salad on the side. For my main I ordered the veal which was cooked to perfection. We were then presented with champagne sorbet which was soon followed by a dessert of raspberry mousse with a caramelised design towering vertically above the cuisine.

Following dinner, we returned to the Bridge House Bar to view the live band performing modern hits.

The following morning I received my first ever hot stone massage at the hotel’s spa and leisure centre.

Being a complete newbie to massage treatments I hadn’t a clue what to expect, but within a matter of minutes the hot stones did their job and for the next hour or so I was in a complete state of nirvana.

We went to the hotel’s Italian balcony restaurant for lunch where we had the opportunity to create our own traditional stone-based pizza. Despite my terrible job at kneading the dough and overloading my pizza with toppings, it turned out very nice!

Overall, my experience at Bridge House Hotel, Spa and Leisure Centre was fantastic. I will be back for the friendly service, leisure activities and dining.

HOTEL BREAKS

KINGSLEY HOTEL: A LOT GOING ON IN THIS VIBRANT HOTSPOT

On the way to becoming Cork’s top place to stay

 DAVE PHILLIPS

OPEN under new management since earlier this summer, the Kingsley Hotel is an exciting new spot to stay when visiting Cork city.

Situated just a short drive from the city centre, the Kingsley’s location overlooking the River Lee, and right next to Fitzgerald Park is one of its high points.

The new owners, who are based in Beijing and also run the gorgeous Fota Island Resor t, bought the hotel in 2013 and judging from a recent visit it was evident that they are keen to reinstate the Kingsley as one of Cork’s top places to stay.

The four-star hotel has over 100 rooms available, including several junior suites, and a two-storey penthouse, as well as several long-stay apartments, so it is safe to say all bases are covered.

One of the immediate elements that hit me when staying was the

friendliness and enthusiasm of the staff, who went out of their way to make sure everything was perfect – even when bad weather meant we arrived running a little late for a scheduled spa treatment.

One of the key features of the Kingsley for guests (and no doubt Corkonians who are fond of pampering) is the spa and thermal suites.

There are a full range of day and half-day packages and retreats available, and the hotel regularly runs special offers that include accommodation, a dinner and a treatment.

On our visit we went for the Arabian Nights treatment, which includes a body scrub that is infused with gold, caviar, and champagne, followed by a wrap, and a full-body massage – it all happens in the quiet, minimalist, and cosy privacy of the treatment rooms where you can chill out afterwards to drink a smoothie and read the morning

The spa suite above, and inset, the exterior of the Kingsley

papers.

If you fancy starting the day with a swim, next to the spa there is also a swimming pool, and once you book a treatment you’ll have access to the steam baths and thermal suites.

While the city is temptingly close, if you’re stay-

ing at the Kingsley make sure to eat there. The evening menu at the Fairbanks Restaurant is developed by chef Paul Lane and is definitely a worthwhile treat – as you might expect there is a delicious selection of seafood, the scallops were especially delicious, but

veggies and meat-eaters won’t be disappointed either.

T he rooms at the Kingsley are superb and with the standard checkout at midday, it means plenty of time to enjoy a later breakfast or get to enjoy the gardens at Fitzgerald Park – there’s a lot to keep you comfortable here – but, who knows, on our next visit we might even make it into the city.

For further information, see www.thekingsley.ie.

A winter retreat in Westmeath  DAVE PHILLIPS

IF YOU like being in the middle of things, Athlone, Co Westmeath, is the place to be.

Sitting snug on the River Shannon, the town is a draw at this time of year with plenty of outlets for Christmas shopping coupled with some gorgeous heritage sites and a gepgraphical location the locals are proud of.

Staying in the Radisson in the centre of town, we were advised that the

best way to get a unique perspective of the area is from the water.

Departing from a dock behind the hotel, a replica Viking ship takes you on a short trip of Athlone and Lough Ree, where you can learn all about the history of the area. The trip stops off at Hodson Bay and, if you’re brave enough, you can don a wetsuit at Baysports!

The water sports centre is a great way to spend an afternoon, especially with kids,as the shallow waters

aren’t near as cold as you imagine. A two-minute kayak trip from the centre will get you to a rock that purportedly lies at the dead centre of Ireland – at least according to the centre’s manager, who was enthusiastically incredulous about it!

If all the splashing about doesn’t float your boat, there is plenty to do in town, and the Radisson’s restaurant – Elements Bistro – is well worth a visit, especially since there are some

great package deals available over the Christmas season.

The Connemara Lamb confit in filo pastry, and the pork belly are particular standouts from a recent trip. Just over an hour’s drive, and with

early booking rates in the Radisson available from under €50, Athlone promises an easy and affordable escape.

For more info, see www.radissonblu.com, www.vikingtoursireland. ie or www.baysports.ie.

4 December 2014 GAZETTE 29

GAZETTE

ENTERTAINMENT

THEWRITESTUFF Weird, wacky and wonderful – yet completely true!  BAIRBRE NI BHRAONAIN

An Atlanta mother (Taraji P Henson) soon comes to regret her act of kindness when she lets a stranger (Idris Elba) into her house to use the phone ... which, in true Hollywood fashion, soon ends in a cat and mouse game as (surprise, surprise), he’s a cold-blooded killer

NO GOOD DEED: AN EFFECTIVE BUT UNORIGINAL STORYLINE

Looks good, yet feels hollow CERTAIN films may make you realise that we have a very peculiar cultural appetite.

The kind of stories that grip us collectively tend to revolve around what have commonly been thought of as the darker sides of human experience: while they may not be the most noble of themes, there is something of an obsession with film plots based around sex, violence and revenge.

No Good Deed is the kind of film that seems keenly aware of this cultural bias and is crafted precisely to scratch that itch – a fact that makes it simultaneously satisfying but also a little abhorrent.

We’re introduced to Idris Elba’s character Colin in the back of a police van, where he is manacled and under the watch of an armed escort on the way from

 DAVE PHILLIPS

prison for a parole hearing. Full of hope and promising potential, Colin’s chances are scuppered once a parole board member voices his serious concerns about Colin’s rehabilitation.

The scene echoes a feeling that resonates with the viewer throughout the film - we have seen Elba on superb form, especially in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, and despite a much more limited and linear role in this film he manages to maintain a strong presence on screen – to a large extent through his sheer physicality.

And it’s the physicality of things that provides

many of the problems for No Good Deed – Colin is linked to a string of very savage assaults and murders against women and it becomes very quickly evident that there is no twist in that tale: he is a misogynist cold-blooded killer without a shred of remorse.

Elba is villainous and violent to such an extent that it makes the films tagline “first he gets into your house, then he gets into your head” seem unintentionally comical unless they meant it to be interpreted in the most literal sense – the film offers effective discomfort but little to no psychological depth.

Making a shift to a home invasion movie most of the action takes place at the house of Terry (Taraji P Henson), an affluent but lonely housewife who is planning on having a girls’ night in with her best

friend while her husband is out of town.

When a handsome stranger calls at the door to use the phone, Terry just can’t stop herself from bringing him in and filling him full of wine.

If you are one of those people who facepalms at ridiculous and frustratingly bad decisions being made on screen, for the good of your forehead wear some soft gloves during this film.

A special award for exasperation must go to the scene where Terry reveals how her job involves profiling and prosecuting males who commit domestic violence.

Despite the bad writing, Henson gives a solid performance and there is the sense that with some characters that were not two-dimensional, there could have been something a lot more interest-

ing going on.

Director Sam Miller’s background is in TV crime and that experience shows. Aside from an annoying habit of leaning too heavily on dramatic music to ratchet up the tension, the film looks and feels like a good thriller – there is a genuine sense of danger in the dark, rainy anonymity of suburbia – it is an experience that is effective but in no way original, eventually descending into that familiar realm of playing hide-and-seek with handcrafted household weaponry.

No Good Deed stands as a difficult film to rate as despite all it manages to do right ostensibly, it never manages to transcend an uncomfortable feeling of hollowness - at its best it can be meaningless entertainment.

Verdict: 4/10

IT BEGAN as popular slot on Hector O hEochagain’s Breakfast Show on 2FM a couple of years ago, and now MediumSized Town, Fairly Big Stor y has been turned into a book.

Author Ronan Casey has scoured the country to find the funniest stories taken from regional papers and the result is an amusing and interesting read. MediumSized Town, Fairly Big Story contains such gold as could only be found in Ireland and many of the stories seem straight out of an episode of Father Ted. From the off we’re transported to a scene reminiscent of Father Ted, but instead of Bishop Brennan’s face appearing on the skirting board, it is the image of the sacred heart appearing on the back of a spider in Longford.

Some of my favourite stories in the book are about farm animals. In Balinrobe, the Mayo News reported a bullock, who was due to go under the hammer, “made a break for it” and headed home, hotly pursued by its owner.

“He was like Shergar and I was like Usain Bolt,” said the owner, who followed the pointing fingers of onlookers through the town as he continued the chase.

The bullock was caught when the farmer put the animal’s mother into a field as bait and the bullock, wanting to reunite with his mum, walked into the trap.

A more surreal story in Kerry’s Eye, was the one about a Valentia Island man, who was convinced time was slowing down on the island which he thought must be slipping into a parallel dimension. It turned out that plenty more on the island were experiencing the same thing with 23 minutes being lost each week, according to their alarm clocks. The answer, however, was very simple.

Workers on the island had been using generators around the clock and sapping the ESB supply.

The great thing about this book is that it is ideal to dip in and out of and would make an ideal accompaniment to Christmas dinner conversation. It was a clever decision to publish the book in hardback as it will last for years as a resource or simply as a source of amusement about life in Ireland from 2010 to 2013.

It’s published by Gill and MacMillan and is available in bookstores for €10.99.

Gazette

30 Gazette 4 December 2014

OUT&ABOUT

FASTtunes

The Coronas go The Long Way round for new album release The Coronas have come a long way and a lot of sales since their first outings on 3u Records and their first long-playing record, Heroes Or Ghosts. Last month they released their first major label album, The Long Way, on Island Records.

The album again plays to the band’s strengths - anthemic, passionate songs and personal lyrics - but like third release Closer To You, The Long Way is precisely what it is another Coronas record.

Fans will adore the album, but a more adventurous approach is needed to give them the chance of breaking on the international stage - hint: go listen to some Puressence.

The Long Way is out now, and The Coronas play Whelan’s of Wexford Street this Saturday, December 6 before they hit the 3Arena on February 21 for what is certain to be a huge homecoming show.

Join Bell X1’s Dave Geraghty at Abner Brown’s this weekend Bell X1’s Dave Geraghty is playing a special free intimate gig at Abner Brown’s in Rathmines next weekend as his side project, Join Me In The Pines, continue to promote their debut album, Inherit.

Following sell-outs shows at the Unitarian Church and Coughlan’s in Cork, as well as a number of festival appearances, this is a unique chance to see the band in close quarters.

Geraghty has previously released two acclaimed solo records, Kill Your Darlings, which was nominated for the Choice Music Prize in 2007, and The Victory Dance in 2009, as well as being a key member of Bell X1.

Join Me In The Pines play at Abner Brown’s on Saturday, December 6, and doors open at 7pm.

MUSIC

vinyl revolution: because grooves are in the heart

Spin the black circle  ROB heigh rheigh@gazettegroup.com

Last week saw the announcement that for the first time in over two decades, vinyl record sales in Britain had gone beyond one million units for the year.

This is part of an ongoing trend that has been helped along by a combination of factors, from independent labels and acts committing to the format to fans seeking out a less intangible musical experience than the digital age offers.

Speaking to Gazett e Mu s i c l a s t we e k , Stephen Fitzgerald, the group managing director at Golden Discs explained vinyl started coming to his attention again after the format had spent years in the wilderness.

“We were hearing that managers were being approached by customers coming into stores and looking for vinyl, and in tandem with that, the record labels had been releasing more vinyl to meet the demand.”

Fitzgerald says the types of music being sought out by fans of the form are not limited to particular genres or time periods.

“It’s very mixed. People are picking up old classic albums and those they would have remembered from the past and have a nostalgic connection to, and equally a lot of current rock and indie bands are releasing on vinyl, as a badge of honour.

“Vinyl sales have been primarily driven by indie

Audiophiles and people who want more of a tangible musical experience have started to go back to black, and vinyl displays like the one in Golden Discs below are becoming a more common sight in stores across the city

labels, who started this bandwagon rolling, and the majors are all getting on that now, and more releases are appearing on vinyl as well as CD. CD sales have huge challenges, so anywhere you can see growth, whether it is in digital or physical format, has to be a good thing.”

Golden Discs have also been involved in Record Store Day, the annual celebration of record shops which has become an international event since it began in 2007, and participated in selling limited edition vinyl releases by some of the biggest acts in the world.

“We participated in Record Store Day and it was a great success. Each year it seems to get bigger and bigger. Next year, more record companies look like they are going to get involved, and it will be bigger again.”

Recent sales information has shown the diversity of acts selling their wares on vinyl. The recent Pink Floyd release has been the biggest vinyl success of the last 20 years, selling 6,000 units in a single week, and the recent U2 and Hozier albums have also staked their place in the vinyl sales charts. The bestselling vinyl album of the year to date has been AM

by Arctic Monkeys, and Royal Blood have helped to reconnect the rock audience with the revived music format.

As well as having an ordering service for customers, Golden Discs have a number of record players in store (including the Steepletone USB Norwich Retro Record Player pictured above) to help people really explore vinyl as a format of choice.

Vinyl’s appeal is a tactile and tangible thing, a music experience more real than a digital download and the sound has a warmth that is missing from the digital format, as Fitzgerald confirmed.

“People say about iTunes and digital formats that is like looking at a massive spreadsheet,

and there is no emotion or romance in it, whereas vinyl you can see the care that has gone into the creation of the artwork and inlays and lyrics, and actually just holding the record [makes it special]. The sound quality is undeniable, there is certainly something different you get from vinyl.”

4 December 2014 gazette 31

Gazette

HEALTH a new diet: reap the multiple benefits

Try the Paleo Diet: eat like a caveman  suzanne sheehy

The year about to end popularised many diets: low carb, gluten-free, the Mediterranean diet, Paleo diet and more. It can be hard to keep pace with the trends let alone make sense of them.

But GazetteHealth is intrigued by the Paleo or caveman diet. Its boasted benefits include improved muscle tone (without even training), reduced inflammation, a reduction in auto-immune diseases, improved mental clarity, better skin, nails, hair and reduced risk of heart disease. Its approach emphasises returning to a more basic approach to eating: if you can’t hunt or gather it (figuratively speaking), don’t eat it.

I spoke to Gary Kealy about the challenge of switching to such a regime. Kealy, a personal trainer, nutritionist

who has adopted Paleo, has reported significant improvements in his general health, body composition and energy levels.

Deconstructing the Paleo diet What’s in? Most vegetables, some fruit, meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds.

Unprocessed foods. Taking the time to source quality ingredients is key to good health.

What’s out? Anything the body doesn’t recognise as food such as highly processed foods along with grains, gluten, pasteurised dairy, refined sugar, legumes (this includes peanut) How can this be healthy?

Excluding grains, legumes and dairy – these are good foods and surely we need calcium and complex carbohydrates for a balanced diet?

Kealy explains: “For our body to use the calcium that we consume in our

food there must also be magnesium present in the ratio 3:1 (calcium: magnesium). Essentially, calcium needs to be consumed with magnesium for our body to absorb it. In effect, the bioavailability of calcium in milk products is far less than the dairy industry claims.

Green and leafy vegetables like kale, spinach and broccoli are a far better source of calcium.”

But what is so wrong with grains, which are good sources of fibre, minerals and B vitamins?

“Their processing by the gut can cause serious problems, for example

IBS. Grains, by their very nature, are designed to survive the digestive tract of animals. This could get very complicated but again in general, fibre, minerals and all vitamins can be obtained far more easily from vegetables, meat and eggs,” says Kealy.

If you spend an extra €20-30 a week on good quality, healthy food you will increase your performance across the board and have much more mental acuity and day-to-day vitality. So a Paleo diet, if it suits, could be valuable.

Before embarking on

Paleo has benefits and with the extra effort the rewards can be great. But give it time to allow the results to come through. For more info on Paleo contact Gary Kealy, cofounder with brother Dan (an outdoor adventure trainer) of Fresh

Start Foods. Their firm delivers food boxes with recipes, meal planners and a range of health products. Visit: www.fsf.ie or phone 086 8758758.

Smile again in confidence BLACKROCK’S Seapoint Clinic, a specialist in creating the perfect smile, is a dental practice popular with celebrities that has built a reputation for excellence over the years.

The clinic specialises in correcting many of nature’s dental imperfections so that people can feel confident and smile freely.

According to Seapoint, many people feel uncomfortable or unhappy smiling over issues such as loose dentures, missing teeth or even wobbly teeth.

The clinic offers a solution for all these dental problems, offering a comprehensive service including general dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, dental implants, ClickTite dentures, six-month braces and teeth whitening at its centre of excellence in Blackrock.

At the clinic, there is a strong emphasis on tailoring all dental treatments to the needs of the individual, and an onus on making dental treatment accessible to everyone.

Seapoint Clinic has a specialised and handpicked team of highly

trained dentists and staff working in relaxed surroundings.

Customers are ass ign ed t heir ow n patient coordinator to ensure their treatment and experience at Seapoint runs smoothly.

If you have any dental issues you would like to have remedied and may have put off for years, you can go online and check out all the available treatments on offer at www. seapointclinic.ie, or see Seapoint Clinic’s Facebook page, where you can read patients’ testimonials about the clinic.

Alternatively, call the clinic at 1890 837 049 to discuss the various treatments suitable for you.

All vitamins can be obtained far more easily from vegetables, meat and eggs.

the Paleo diet, remember that life is meant to be fun, exhilarating and

joyful. If a day passes and you feel none of these things, try to touch base

with what is important: family, friends and helping others.

32 Gazette 4 December 2014

4 December 2014 gazette 33

34 GAZETTE 4 December 2014

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PLANNING NOTICE DĂšN LAOGHAIRE RATHDOWN COUNTY COUNCIL

Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County council Karena O’Sullivan & Trevor Twamley wish to apply to for Permission to alter and extend the dwelling, consisting of a first floor extension to the side and a single storey extension to the rear at 134 The Maples, Bird Avenue, Clonskeagh, Dublin 14.The planning application may be inspected or purchased for a fee not exceeding a reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the Planning Authority, Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, during its public opening hours of Monday to Friday from 10: 00am to 4: 00pm.

A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the Planning Authority, on payment of a fee of â‚Ź20 within 5 weeks of receipt of the application by the Planning Authority and such submissions or observations will be considered by the Planning Authority in making a decision on the application. The Planning Authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions or may refuse to grant permission.

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LEGAL & PLANNING APPLICATION

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ANNOUNCEMENT PLANNING NOTICE DĂšN LAOGHAIRE RATHDOWN COUNTY COUNCIL

Planning Permission is sought for a two storey extension to the side and a single storey bay window extension to the rear of house, at 10 Annaville Grove Dundrum Dublin 14,

by Michael Kinsella The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the Planning Authority, County Hall, Dun Laoghaire, during its public opening hours.A submission /observation may be made on payment of â‚Ź20 within a period of 5 weeks from the date the application is received by the planning authority.

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DĂšN LAOGHAIRE RATHDOWN COUNTY COUNCIL

We can now officially accept planning & legal notices from all four County Councils in greater Dublin region

¡ Standard rate ₏75 + VAT ¡ Payment in advance Ph.01 601 0255 PLANNING NOTICE DÚN LAOGHAIRE RATHDOWN COUNTY COUNCIL

I, Kate Cotter, wish to apply to DĂşn Laoghaire Rathdown County Council for permission for an extension and renovation of existing two storey detached dwelling to include, extended study and renovated entrance lobby with new pitched roof over to replace existing single storey structure at front of house, modifications to existing front windows on house, widening of existing driveway/entrance and associated site works at 31 Kilteragh Road, Foxrock, Dublin 18.The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the Planning Authority, County Hall, DĂşn Laoghaire during its public opening hours.

A submission/observation may be made on payment of â‚Ź20 within a period of 5 weeks from the date the application is received by the planning authority.

22590

Emma and David Flynn seek planning permission for development at 57A Mulvey Park, Dundrum, Dublin 14. The development will consist of a) a 2-storey side extension including new lounge and new study room at ground floor and 2 new bedrooms at first floor, b) rear single storey extension of dining room, c) single storey front extension comprising the enlargement of entry hall and new WC. The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the Planning Authority, County Hall, DĂşn Laoghaire during its public opening hours. A submission/observation may be made on payment of â‚Ź20 within a period of 5 weeks from the date the application is received by the planning authority.

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4 December 2014 Gazette 35

athletics P37

asdfsdaf P27 gaelic games P39

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

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Hockey P36

DublinGazetteNewspapers 2014 dublin sports awards november winners

H STARof the MONTH

luke keeler Scott Evans will be attempting to replicate his success of 2012 when he takes to the court for the 2014 Irish Open in Baldoyle this weekend

badminton: top-ranked player takes on best in men’s game

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

Evans returns on world high TEAMof the to challenge for Irish Open H MONTH This weekend sees Ireland’s number one badminton player and world number 33, Scott Evans, return to Dublin in an attempt to reclaim his men’s singles title at the Carlton Irish Badminton Open which takes place this year at Baldoyle Badminton centre until Saturday, December 6.

Evans has chalked up some of the best performances of his career during recent months and hopes his winning form will continue when he competes at the open.

In 2012, Evans became the first Irish winner of the men’s title in over 25 years when he

beat French qualifier Lucas Corvee in a thrilling final. His bid to retain the title in 2013 came to an end when he lost in the quarter-finals to Lukas Schmidt of Germany.

However, Evans’s recent win at the Brazilian Grand Prix and second place at the $120,000 Bitburger Open sees him at the top of his game and poised to reclaim the title.

Despite his excellent form, the 2014 event brings no guarantees for Evans with players such as Denmark’s Rasmus Fladberg, Tzu Wei Wang of Taipei and Yan Kit Chan of Hong Kong looking to take the win

from the Dublin favourite. Finland’s Ville Lang is also back in town which is sure to delight the Irish fans.

In the women’s singles, Ireland’s Chloe Magee will be looking to make her mark against former Irish Open winner Denmark’s Line Kjaersfeldt and European silver medallist Anna Thea Madsen.

Sam Magee pairs with his younger brother Joshua for the first time at an Irish Open.

Since forming a Men’s Doubles partnership the pair have gone from strength to strength with impressive results at the 2014 Canadian Open and the

2014 Brazilian Grand Prix where they secured a silver and bronze respectively.

A total of 300 players from 36 countries have signed up for this year’s Irish Open in Baldoyle Badminton centre. With the Irish players on form it promises to be a great tournament for the home side.

The Irish Open 2014 will be streamed live on badmintonireland.net/bitv.

Results will be updated live via Twitter @bad_min_ton and more information throughout the tournament will be available at the Badminton Ireland Facebook page.

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

Gazette

36 Gazette 4 December 2014

SPORT

FastSport rovers sign four players ahead of 2015: Shamrock Rovers have completed the signing of four players ahead of the 2015 season.

The club’s 2014 Player of the Year, Barry Murphy has signed a new two-year deal to keep him at the club for another season, as has goalkeeper Craig Hyland.

Two new faces join the Hoops squad, with Gavin Brennan and David Webster also putting pen to paper on deals with the club.

Brennan (26) joins from Drogheda United, while 25-year-old Webster had a long spell at Bray Wanderers.

Shamrock Rovers manager Pat Fenlon said: “I’m delighted to have brought the two lads in and I think they’ll fit in well to the squad that we’re building for next year.

They’re both still young players but they also have a lot of experience in the league.

“I’m glad to have completed deals with our two goalkeepers.

They both had good seasons this year.”

hockey: Tense ties as clubs attempt to reach the knock-out phase

Dublin sides shine in IHL group stages  sport@dublingazette.com

DUBLIN’S sides prospered for the most part in last Saturday’s Irish Hockey League but reigning champions Monkstown still look to have a bit of work to do to progress to the knock-

out stages.

They ended up drawing 1-1 with Cookstown at Rathdown to sit fourth in the group, albeit with a game in hand as a result.

Jon Ames’ deflection put the County Tyrone side ahead on half-time but Richard Sykes nailed

Monkstown’s Peter Caruth in flight

his 12th goal of the season with nine minutes to go to earn the draw.

The Tyrone side took the game to the Rathdown hosts from the start and drew some early stops from Jamie Carr, standing in for David Fitzgerald who has a back injury.

Peter Caurth, however, was returning after a lenghty spell out of action with an injured foot. As time pressed on, Monkstown started to create their main chances but found Ian Hughes in top form.

He denied Davy Carson on the spin while another effort was cleared off the line. But the half’s defining moment came in the final minute when Ames was picked out at the near post to turn home.

Cookstow n subsequently hit the left hand

Monkstown’s David Carson challeges Cookstown’s Ian Hughes. Pictures: Adrian Boehm

post from another corner and they held the hosts at bay. Hughes kept out Stephen Cole with another top stop as well as Carson and Sykes but the pressure eventually told when the drag-flicker pushed low and true.

Carr then kept the two points intact with a top save to his right. The draw puts extra pressure on Monkstown’s back match with Pembroke.

That is because the Serpentine Avenue side outclassed tournament newcomers UCC 6-1.

Karl Lynch put them in front on 12 minutes from the penalty spot after Mick O’Connor was felled Matthias Podpera put Pembroke two up from

a corner. Fionn O’Leary pulled one back in the third quarter but the hosts duly raced ahead as Podpera scored again from Pembroke’s seventh corner.

Cillian Hynes added another couple while Tim Hill also chipped in for a comprehensive win.

In Pool B, Three Rock Rovers lead the group after they dispatched UCD 5-1. Rovers were 3-0 up at half-time and while Shane Madeley pulled one back, Rovers killed off the tie with final quarter efforts from Jonny Bruton and Ross Canning.

Canning had popped home the first goal early on with a penalty corner effort before Jody Hosk-

ing produced a brilliant second goal, roofing from a narrow angle wide on the right of the circle.

Bruton then brilliantly thrashed home a backhand shot from a powerful run to complete the first half scoring. Madeley fizzed a powerful drag-flick past his former team mates to give UCD a lifeline.

But it disappeared when Canning finished off an excellent team move and Bruton volleyed home another chance to make it 5-1.

Elsewhere, Railway Union produced amazing final quarter comeback to record their first win of the campaign, beating Cork C of I 3-2 in Garryduff.

O’Brien exits championship, lines up Legends event  sport@dublingazette.com

Fergal O’Brien is bringing together some of the best in the game to take part in the Irish Legends Cup on December 29 and 30

FERGAL O’Brien bowed out of snooker’s UK championship at the hands of Brazil’s rising star Igor Figueriedo 6-4 last week in York.

The Lucan man got off to a good start with a break of 88 in the second frame but found himself 4-1 down with the Brazilian scoring a fine 61 to win a tight fourth frame 76-51.

A century and an 89 saw O’Brien win frames six and

seven to put the game back into the balance and he was level at 4-4 when he won the eighth frame 62-53.

But Figueriedo finished the stronger with a narrow 68-55 win courtesy of a 56 break to nudge back in front 5-4 and completed the win with a 67 in the tenth frame.

Ea rlier in the week, O’Brien had reached the sixth round of the Kreativ Dental Ruhr Open in Germany with wins over Luke Garland, Adam Duffy and

Michael Wasley to continue his decent season which sees him currently sitting 28th in the world.

He is also busy preparing for the Irish Legends Cup, in Goff’s, on December 29 and 30, 2014. This is a match between Ireland and England, in a Ryder Cup format, with players playing singles and doubles matches against each other.

The Ireland team will be captained by Ken Doherty, with Denis Taylor, Joe Swail and O’Brien completing

the line-up.

Ireland will be playing the England team, captained

by Jimmy White, with Steve Davis and 10-times former World Ladies Snooker Champion Reanne Evans taking par t, while the organisers are still awaiting confirmation of the fourth team member; however, this is currently expected to be another world champion, Ronnie O’Sullivan.

The tournament will be played over four sessions, over the two days.

4 December 2014 Gazette 37

Gazette

Hailing the athletes on the right track The National Athletics Awards at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Santry provided an opportunity to salute the best in Dublin and Ireland after a season of positive performances UCD’S Mark English was named the Athlete of the Year at the National Athletics Awards last week in the Crown Plaza Hotel, Santry following his run to become a European bronze medallist.

On a stunning night of athletics in the Letzigrund Stadium Zurich, English claimed the bronze medal in the 800m final at the European championships. The performance by the 21-year-old was Ireland’s first ever medal in the 800m at any major outdoor championship.

Speaking at the event, Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Michael Ring said: “2014 has been another excellent year for Irish athletics with numerous distinguished performances from both established and up-andcoming athletes.

“There is no doubt that the support provided to athletes through Athletics Ireland’s High Perform-

ance system has helped athletes to deliver one of Ireland’s best performances at a European Athletics Championships.

“I am delighted that these awards also honour the people on the ground who help to make it all happen. I would like to applaud the selfless contribution that volunteers make to sport. Their considerable efforts and willingness to give of their own time is of immense benefit to the sport of athletics as well as the wider community.”

Among those to be honoured at the event were Clonliffe Harriers’ Frank Murphy who was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Murphy enjoyed multiple international successes including winning a silver medal over 1500m at the 1969 European Athletics Championships in Athens.

While the National Athletics Awards is a cel-

ebration of the many successes of our international and national athletes, it also commemorates the association’s exceptional volunteer base.

Long time Belvedere College teacher Phil Conway was named the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, the pinnacle volunteer award. Conway has played a very significant role in Irish Athletics as an athlete, coach, mentor, statistician, volunteer and organiser. Conway is above all a gentleman of our sport and the award is a fitting recognition for all those years of service.

President of Athletics Ireland Professor Ciaran O’Cathain said: “We had plenty to celebrate this year with Irish athletes delivering one of Ireland’s best ever performances at European Athletics Championships in the summer with Mark English bronze medal in the 800m being a highlight

Harry Purcell, Castleknock College, and Alannah Lally, Presentation College Athenry, winners of Schools Boy and Girl Athlete of the Year. Picture: Barry Cregg / SPORTSFILE

performance.”

He added: “It is right and fitting that we acknowledge the clubs and the volunteers who play a vital role in the development of athletes in Ireland” The Endurance Athlete Award went to Fionnuala Britton (Kilcoole AC) –

the heats and then going on to place fifth in the final in another new Irish record of 3.01.67.

The Mountain Runner of the Year was awarded to Sarah McCormack (Clonliffe Harriers AC).

McCormack enjoyed a spectacular year in 2014 including a win at the

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‘It is fitting that we acknowledge the clubs and volunteers who play a vital role in developing athletics’

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Britton had a consistent year of results including an eighth place finish in the 10,000m and a tenth place finish in her debut in the marathon at the European Athletics Championships in Zurich.

Junior Athlete of the Year was awarded to Karl Griffin (UCD AC) who reached new heights in 2014. It was a year in which he made the semifinal of the 800m at the World Junior Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA. Griffin also ran a personal best of 1.47.44 at the Morton Games which ranked him fifth in the European Junior rankings.

The Irish Men’s 4x400m Team was presented with the Performance Team of the Year Award. The team excelled at the European Championships setting an Irish record of 3.03.57 in

prestigious Snowdon International Race and she was also Ireland top finisher at the World and European Mountain Running Championships.

The Ultra Running Award was presented to John O’Regan (Le Cheile AC) for finishing first at the Energia 24-hour national championships in Belfast.

He is also ranked 38th in the world rankings for 24 hour racing.

The Tailteann Schools’ Awards were awarded to Alannah Lally (Presentation Athenry) and Harry Purcell (Castleknock College).

Maria O’Sullivan (Trinity College Dublin) and John Travers (Athlone IT) were the standout performers on the University athletics scene in 2014 and were duly recognised on the day for their achievements.

FastSport

FAI salutes participants in Castle soccer project The Ballyogan Youth Centre recently played host to an FAI achievements award evening to recognise the participants who took part in the Castle Project, a Garda Youth Diversion Project (GYDP).

These projects are local community-based activities which work with children to help them move away from behaving in a way that might get them or their friends into trouble with the law. They can help children develop their sense of community and their social skills through different activities.

During 2012 and 2013, a group of seven players from Ballyogan participated in a soccer coaching programme.

The participants in the project undertook many hours of training, learning soccer skills and drills as well as how to plan sessions for each age group, how to set up the pitches for each activity, which equipment to use, along with many other life skills such as communication skills and conflict resolution.

Their hard work culminated in them providing a free soccer camp to local children during the summer of 2013. This allowed them to use their newly acquired skills as soccer coaches but it also allowed them to participate positively within their own community, and was very successful.

Following on from this challenge, the team of coaches then went to Wexford to exchange with another Garda project, played a friendly match and put on another soccer camp for local kids over the October mid-term break in 2013.

The participants then returned to Wexford over Easter 2014, where they had three days of intensive training where they all achieved their FAI Soccer Coaching badges for both Kick Start 1 and Kick Start 2. They are all now fully qualified to coach young people from age six to nine and 10 to 12 years of age.

All have recently been invited to apply for jobs as soccer coaches with Samba Soccer, and some are waiting to hear about placements.

One has applied to become a USA Camp counsellor to travel to the United States next summer with his soccer coaching skills.

Gazette

38 DUNDRUM gazette 4 December 2014

SPORT

FastSport

hurling: close final sees crokes denied at O’toole park

United honoured by Lucozade AAA boost MOUNT Merrion’s LSL Sunday Senior One team ran up a 4-1 win over Ballyfermot FC to move into the top four of the division last Friday night at College Road.

The first half was testing for both sides. Mount Merrion dominated possession but Ballyfermot looked dangerous on the counter.

In the second half, Merrion looked rejuvenated and their constant pressure paid off with an error at the back from Ballyfermot. The defender took a cross on the chest instead of clearing and the in-form Aiden Blake swooped in to put the first of the game past the keeper.

Merrion did not sit back and kept the pressure building and were rewarded minutes later after a brilliant corner from Nick Skelly was headed in from David Guilfoyle, a well-deserved goal for the defender who has struck up a solid partnership with Jamie Hannon in recent games.

Keane Hamilton was unselfish for the third after going in on goal squaring the ball to Blake for his fourth goal in two games.

Hamilton finished the scoring for Merrion with the pick of the night, dancing through three Ballyfermot defenders and finishing with a cool strike into the bottom left corner. Ballyfermot scored a penalty with the last kick of the game.

UCD and Raheny all square in WNL encounter UCD Waves and Raheny United played out a tense 1-1 draw in Jackson Park last week in the Women’s National League.

Waves keeper Monica McGuirk was at her best to keep Katie McCabe out in the early stages with Siobhan Killeen also coming close for the champions. Two minutes before the break Aine O’Gorman

nicked the ball off Niamh Walsh and chipped Pandas’ keeper Niamh Reid Burke with her left foot.

In what was a tight contest between the FAI Continental Tyres Women’s Cup finalists, it took some time after the break before either side created a second-half opportunity.

Raheny levelled on 66 minutes when Noelle Murray slotted home from the penalty spot after Alison Brien was adjudged to have fouled Siobhan Killeen.

St Jude’s senior hurlers celebrate their victory in the AHL Division 1 decider against Kilmacud Crokes. Pictures: Conor Maguire

Jude’s secure AHL 1 crown ahl div 1 final

St Jude’s 1-13 Kilmacud Crokes 0-13  sport@dublingazette.com

ST JUDE’S held their nerve to defeat 14-man Kilmacud Crokes as Fionn O Riain Broin continued his scoring form this year to help the Tymon club land the AHL1 league title at O’Toole Park last Sunday.

Crokes were up against a big task when Bill O’Carroll was shown a straight red card when he was deemed to have interfered with Danny Sutcliffe’s faceguard in the very first minute.

With Sean McGrath, Rory O’Carroll and Caolan Conway all enduring injuries in Kilmacud’s Leinster championship loss to Ballyhale Shamrocks a week earlier, it left the Stillorgan club on the back foot.

And Jude’s subsequently took advantage to build a 0-4 to 0-1, with O Riann Broin clipping three frees. He would end with seven points in total, and a Ronan Joyce point from play moved them along nicely.

The accuracy of Ryan O’Dwyer was keeping Crokes very much in contact, scoring a couple of frees before landing a

no blues for keith Fans fire Leinster at RDS in Guinness PRO12 young Rathfarnham Leinster sup-

porter Keith Byrne got into the spirit of the occasion last week when the Blues faced Ospreys in round nine of the Guinness PRO12 championship at the RDS the game in Ballsbridge that saw the home side win 18-12 courtesy of penalties from Ian Madigan and Jimmy Gopperth, who combined to help Leinster over the line.

Picture: Ramsey Cardy / SPORTSFILE

score from a very tight angle.

His 65 levelled the tie at five points each in the 16th minute and his sixth point pushed them in front soon after but, just as Crokes edged ahead, John Ryan’s goal saw Jude’s regain the lead.

He pulled on a loose ball from close range after Crokes struggled to deal with ball fired into the danger area. O Riain Broin’s free put three in the difference but points from Barry O’Rorke and Ross O’Carroll reeled the gap in to the minimum at half-time, 1-6 to 0-8.

Crokes levelled matters on the restart with

a Barry Mulligan point but Jude’s responded well with Danny Sutcliffe scoring the first of his three points and further points from Ryan, Sutcliffe and O Riain Broin had their side four points to the good with 20 minutes remaining as they sought to end the stoic

Crokes’ resistance.

While Crokes kept going to the finish they were met with stiff resistance by the Jude’s defence as the Tymon North side went on to victory with Mulligan’s point the only score they could muster down the final stretch as Jude’s stayed clear.

4 December 2014 DUNDRUM gazette 39

40 DUNDRUM Gazette 4 December 2014