Malahide

Malahide Gazet te FREE

Tell your minions this Despicable sequel is pretty delightful, actually

CINEMA P20 July 4, 2013

Find us on

M a l a h i d e • P o r t m a r n o c k • K i n s e a ly • C l a r eMonth h a lXX, l INSIDE: Horse-riding fans neigh where to see some of the very best equestrian skills in the country P10

2012

Pageant: Malahide teen to represent Ireland in Miss European 2013 See P5

All aboard: A street train named Toots Tennis:

Malahide LTC claim a famous Dublin victory Page 32

Golf:

Island player makes mark in the Irish Open Page 30

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

annie Kinsella, a pupil at St Sylvester’s Infant School in Malahide, was one of two winners of the name the train competition.

Kate Coghlan, a pupil at Pope John Paul National School, was the second winner who together with Annie, named the train Toots: The Malahide Road Train.

Users of the new tourist attraction in Malahide wearing the train’s special wristbands, can now avail of a 10% discount at participating retailers in Malahide.

Social media firm to create 100 jobs Kinsealy-based Phlok promises positions over next 18 months

 natalie burke

A social media firm based in Dublin North is set to create 100 jobs over the next 18 months.

Phlok, which operates from its premises in Kin-

sealy, will be hiring software programmers, sales account managers, administrators, operational and promotional staff during this time.

The company is an internet and mobile-based platform whereby customers

build up a virtual currency to spend in businesses that have signed up to the network.

According to managing director Paul Graham, businesses that have signed up have already generated more than €200,000 worth

of sales.

“We’re turning into some sort of utility [that] people are using us in different ways and it’s pretty amazing what’s happening out there,” he said.

Full Story on Page 4

2 MALAHIDE Gazette 4 July 2013

dublin GAZETTe newspapers i n f o r m at i o n

trek Fundraiser takes three days to finish

Block 3A, Mill Bank Business Park, Lucan Tel: 01 - 6010240 Dublin Gazette Newspapers publish eight weekly quality free titles, covering the greater Dublin area from Swords to Dun Laoghaire

c o n ta c t s Managing Director: Michael McGovern mmcgovern@gazettegroup.com Editor: Mimi Murray mmurray@gazettegroup.com Production Editor: Jessica Maile jmaile@gazettegroup.com Acting Picture Editor: Laura Webb picturedesk@gazettegroup.com Sports Editor: Rob Heigh rheigh@gazettegroup.com Financial Controller: Carly Lynch clynch@gazettegroup.com Advertising Production: Suzanne Sheehy ssheehy@gazettegroup.com Advertising Sales: 01 - 6010240 sales@gazettegroup.com

Find us on

www.gazettegroup.com Gazette Group Newspapers Ltd. Terms and Conditions for acceptance of advertisements Reserve the right to omit or suspend or alter any advertisement(s) in any of its publications. We also decline any responsibility in the event of one or more of a series of advertisements being omitted for any reason whatever, nor do we accept liability for any loss or damage caused by an error or inaccuracy in the printing of any advertisement. If your advertisement appears incorrectly, contact the Advertising Department immediately, as responsibility cannot be accepted for more than one week’s incorrect insertion. Responsibility cannot be accepted if the complaint is made more than two weeks after insertion. If one places an advertisement for more than one week and then cancels it after the first week, no refund or credit will be given for weeks cancelled. The advertiser undertakes to indemnify the Proprietors against any liability for any civil action arising out of the publication of the advertisement or any other matter printed or published in the Blanchardstown Gazette, Castleknock Gazette, Clondalkin Gazette, Dundrum Gazette, Dun Laoghaire Gazette, Lucan Gazette, Malahide Gazette and Swords Gazette. The placing of an order or contract will be deemed an acceptance of these conditions.

Some of the Malahide Sea Scouts who made the 125km journey from the Wicklow mountains to Dublin Bay

Sea Scouts take a hike for den and Pieta House  Natalie Burke

A group of local sea scouts have completed a challenge recently a f ter they nav igated 125km of land in a bid to raise funds for the refurbishment of their Scouts Den. T he Ma la hide Sea Scouts trekked from the source of the River Liffey in the Wicklow mountains to its estuary in Dublin Bay, in a Source to Sea challenge that took three days to complete between Friday, June 28 and Sunday, June 30.

The group was made up of Scouts, Ventures, C ubs, Beaver s a nd Leaders aged from six years upwards and the 125km distance was covered by kayaking, row i ng, cycl i ng a nd sailing with camp sites set up each night.

According to a

spokesperson for the Source to Sea Challenge, the trek went “brilliantly” with the Sea Scout s a r r iv i ng at the Liffey estuar y on Sunday afternoon, “very tired but happy”.

The challenge, which was sponsored by Europcar, began with a hike from the source of the River Liffey at the foot of Kippure in the Wicklow mountains.

This was followed by a sail and row across Blessi ng ton L a ke, a kayak, a hike and cycle through Kildare, Newbridge, Celbridge, Leixlip and Lucan, finally concluding w it h a kayak and hike through Dublin City.

The group finished by trekking past the docks and continuing all the way to the sea at the tip of the South Wall.

The aim of the Source to Sea Challenge was

to raise funds to refurbish the Malahide Sea Scouts den. Currently home to t he la r gest scout g roup i n I re land, the Malahide Sea Scouts have outgrown their den.

T he cu r rent faci lity was built almost 30 years ago and is in need of modernisation and redevelopment . T he €60 0,0 0 0 ref u rbishment plan includes lifts to accommodate wheelchair access, the installation of an insulated roof, new changing and shower i ng f aci l it ie s and the introduction of technology to help in the running of the group’s programmes.

The plan also aims to increase the capacity of the den to accommodate the 455 people who are currently on a waiting list.

Speaking about the f undraiser, Rob-

ert McKernan, Group Leader of Malahide Sea Scouts said that raising €600,000 was a challenge but he felt confident that the team will raise the money.

“After 30 years since we la st developed Malahide Sea Scouts Den, we are embarking on a challenging refurbishment but as Ireland’s biggest scout g roup, we w ill, as a team, raise the money.

There is fantastic goodwill in our community, from our parents and guardians and former members who are rallying behind us to ensure another 93 years of sea scouting in Malahide.”

Colm Brady, business development director of Europcar Ireland, principal sponsor of the Malahide Sea Scouts challenge, commented, “Malahide Sea Scouts is a fantastic commu-

n it y g roup t hat ha s provided an invaluable service to north County Dublin for almost a century. Europcar are delighted to suppor t this initiative and we encou r a ge ever yone to support this worthy cause.”

A total of 80% of the money raised through the Source to Sea challenge will go towards the ref urbishment project while 20 % of the money raised will go to Pieta House.

Pieta House is a nonp r o f i t o r g a n i s a t io n that prov ides a free, specialised treatment prog ram me for people who have suicidal thoughts or engage in self-harming.

For more infor mation on how to make a donation following the recent challenge, v isit w w w.malahideseascouts.ie.

4 July 2013 MALAHIDE Gazette 3

Donabate Over 1,000 people sign up to petition

FF leader lends support to bid for local pool  Natalie Burke nburke@gazettegroup.com

A local community campaign fighting for the development of a swimming pool in Donabate has been heightened after Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin recently showed his support for the project.

The TD paid a visit to the town of Donabate last week, when he met with the swimming pool committee and signed their petition to help further the campaign.

The committee now has over 1,000 signatures on the petition and is over two-thirds of the way towards meeting its target.

T he committee is made up of a number of local residents in the Donabate area, who have come together in recent months to fight for the funding and development of a swimming pool for the local community.

Speaking to the Gazette this week, local area representative, Clara La Combre (FF), said

that Deputy Martin’s visit helped the committee make significant progress in their campaign.

“We were delighted to have the leader of Fianna Fail endorse our campaign and he has offered to assist us in any way possible,” she said.

Clara says the committee has also met with an architectural company which have offered advice on the cost of the feasibility study which would need to be carried out on the area.

“We have requested

Alison Herlihy, Anna Kiernan, Micheal Martin TD, Clara La Combre, Paul Nevins and Senator Darragh O’Brien (FF)

a meeting with Fingal County Council to gain some understanding from them as to what we need to do to move this project forward,” she added.

Earlier this year, Clara joined forces with determined mums Anna Kiernan and Alison Herlihy in order to estab-

lish the swimming pool committee. The women felt there was no place to bring local children swimming in Donabate, Portrane and the surrounding areas and so the group aimed to collect a total of 1,500 signatures over the summer period in order to put together a petition to fight for a

swimming pool.

The group hopes to meet with Fingal County Council over the coming weeks. “What we need from the council is to know what we have to do and what they would demand from us, so we can get all our ducks in a row and get cracking,” said Clara.

Summer Bright Sparks in Malahide A Malahide-based Montessori will be hosting a series of camps for kids over the summer months. Bright Sparks summer camps are run

by Bright Sparks Montessori which is located on Kinsealy Lane, Malahide. They are aimed at kids aged from two years and six months, to five.

The camps will be held on a weekly basis on July 15, July 22, August 12 and August 19. Activities will include arts and crafts, outdoor activities and sports, drama, music and dance, as well as puppets, games and stories. Classes will be held from 9.45am until 1pm.

For more information, phone 086 8540870 or visit www.brightsparksmontessori.ie.

4 MALAHIDE Gazette 4 July 2013

Performance New members needed in September

Summer break for music and drama society Malahide Musical and Dramatic Society are set to take a summer break after their June production of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple has come to a close.

Following a busy year,

the local musical society said they have had a hugely successful production, which was held in the Portmarnock Sports and Leisure Club in June.

“Despite the sunny weather, we were thrilled

with the turnout for our play,” said Marissa Magner, PRO for the musical society.

“We had a great audience every night and we would like to thank everyone that came to support

our show in particular, our patrons. We had fantastic feedback from our audiences and on Thursday evening, members of Prosper Final were in attendance.”

The local society is

encouraging members of the local community to join them when they return in September, in particular anyone willing to lend a hand behind the scenes and new male members.

Exercise: One step at a time pictured are

Eileen O’Sullivan, Frank Tierney and Paddy O’Mahony who were on hand to help launch the 2,000 Steps a Day Challenge by the Irish Lung Fibrosis Association.

Developed by Irene Byrne, the programme is geared towards encouraging patients to try reaching an extra 2,000 steps per day.

Social media: Phlok encourages users to shop local

Why advertise with the Gazette?

Let our advertisers tell you why:

Kinsealy based firm to create 100 new jobs  natalie burke nburke@gazettegroup.com

“

Trabolgan Holiday Village, Cork have used the Dublin Gazette Newspapers for the last few years to advertise various aspects of our holiday village including special offers. We have always had an excellent reader response from the advertisements run and have found the area’s covered by all 8 papers of great value to Trabolgan. The help and guidance we have received from the staff has made it easier for us to communicate our message efficiently and cost effectively ensuring we get the maximum from our budget. We would have no hesitation in recommending the Gazette to any business.

“

B e c a u s e L o c a l M at t e r s

A social media firm based in Dublin North is set to create a 100 jobs over the next 18 months.

Phlok, which operates from its premises in Kinsealy, will be hiring software programmers, sales account managers, administrators, operational staff and promotional staff during this time.

The company is an internet and mobilebased platform whereby customers build up a virtual currency or Phlok points, to spend in businesses that have signed up to its network. Its prin-

cipal aim is to encourage people to shop local.

The company launched six months ago and now has 300 businesses on the platform, including the McCabes Pharmacy Group and The Wright Group. According to managing director of Phlok Paul Graham the businesses that have signed up have already generated more than €200,000 worth of sales with over 10 million social media impressions through the platform.

“Phlok is flying and we’re solving two real problems,” Paul told the Gazette this week. “The business is all about connecting local busi-

nesses with local people and encouraging them through incentives to shop local more often.

Social media and Facebook don’t really work well for local businesses but we’ve solved that problem. We’ve also solved the problem of getting more people to shop local.

“Every time someone collects Phlok points, they advertise that business to their friends and the people on the Phlok network.

It’s amazing,” he said.

“The guts of €250,000 has been spent by Phlok customers in Phlok stores in North Dublin over the last six months. It’s pretty impressive.”

Phlok is currently based at Kinsealy Business Park and according to Paul, there are no plans to move. “We’ve good offices there so as far as our central base is concerned, it’s great. We’ve no plans to move that office to some other location. It’s about expanding that and having a longer term hub there.

The company itself has been built and funded for international expansion,” he said.

“I want to get the message out there that we are here to help every business that we come across. And every business that comes on this, can get something out

of it. We’re turning into some sort of utility and people are using us in different ways and it’s pretty amazing what’s happening out there,” he said.

Welcoming the news of the job creation, Fingal Dublin Chamber chief executive Tony Lambert said it is “wonderful news”.

“Phlok, since it was launched earlier this year, has grown and grown as a business and expanded throughout the country.

It’s great to see locally based companies doing so well in social media service. It’s a great help to local businesses in encouraging loyalty from their customers.”

4 July 2013 MALAHIDE Gazette 5

Hopeful Team Ireland are Malta bound

Shauna set to compete in Euro pageant nburke@gazettegroup.com

A loca l Malahide teen will be representing the local area at the Miss European 2013 competition later this year, when she travels to Malta as part of Team Ireland.

Shau na Doyle, a n 18 -ye a r - old f rom Malahide, was recently selected as part of Team Ireland at a selection evening held at T he Green Isle Hotel. She will be one of 10 girls on the team who will represent her country in Malta at the prestigious competition.

T he 10 g i rls come from all corners of Ireland and will compete against 10 other countries for the title of Miss European in Malta in November.

“I was doing some charity fashion shows for my friend and came

across t he compet ition on Facebook and that’s how I became i n v o l v e d ,” S h a u n a explained.

“For me, taking part in the competition is about bu i ld i ng you r c on f ide nc e , ge t t i n g experience and making a lot of friends. I wouldn’t have had that much confidence but it’s really helping me build that and I’ve met some really nice people. The other girls on the team are great.”

Shauna has recently completed her Leaving Certificate and hopes to start college in September to become a social wor ke r. U lt i m a t el y, Shauna says she would like to become a model.

“I want to get into modelling and I think taking part in the competition is great experience for me.”

In the run-up to the competition in Novem-

Midsummer in Malahide Chapterhouse Theatre Company, a professional touring company, will present Shakespeare’s best-loved romantic comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, later this month in Malahide. The production will be aired on the West Lawn with Malahide Castle as the backdrop on Wednesday, July 31 at 8pm. Ticket prices are available for adults at €17, children at €12 and family (two adults and two children) at €48. A 10% discount is available for groups of 10 or more. For more information and tickets visit www.malahidecastleandgardens.ie.

Good sounds from camp

Shauna Doyle, left, with two of the other Miss European Team Ireland

ber, which w ill ta ke place over the space of a week, the team will gather together to take pa r t in a number of different fundraisers, pageants and events, and continue to work and communicate as a team. In Malta, all the contestants will meet each other and ta ke part in gala dinners, a fancy dress competition, photo shoots, trips around the beautiful Island of Malta, dance competitions and finally t he Gra nd f inale, where Miss European 2013 w ill be chosen along with a European Princess of Ireland and two deputy Princesses.

“Words can’t explain what it would mean to me to be named Miss European 2013,” said

Shauna. “But just to have made it this far and to be part of the team has made me the happiest person. I was t he la st na me to be called out on the selection night so was very emotional.”

Speaking ahead of the competition, Team Ireland manager Marion Little said she has high hopes for Ireland in this year’s competition. “T his year Ireland has a very strong team. Miss European is unlike any other pageant held in Europe and Shauna is sure to have a fantastic time.

I’m sure everyone will wish Shauna and the team the very best and who k nows, Irela nd may well have the next Miss European 2013!”

SUPPORT

Local BUSINESS

SHOP LOCALLY

Calling all green fingers for competition Over 600 exhibits are expected to feature at this year’s Fingal Horticultural Show, taking place this August.

With over 150 competition classes for projects such as hanging baskets, cut flowers, pot plants and flower arranging, to name just a few, the show will also host competitions for fruit, vegetables, bak-

Sounds Good Music Summer Camp is returning once again this year in Malahide RFC, with more fun-filled activities which are hoped to inspire and encourage all children to enjoy the benefits of music-making.

The first camp will be held from July 22 until July 26, while the second week will be held from July 29 until August 2. For more information or to book your child’s place, call 0872139056 or email info@soundsgood.ie.

representatives



 Natalie Burke

FastNews

ing, homemade wine and photography. The show will take place on bank holiday Monday, August 5 and will be held in St Columba’s Parish Centre (the Old Borough National School) on Church Street in Swords.

T his year, the show is an official event for The Gathering Ireland 2013 and two new

gathering themed classes have been added to the show.

The show will be open to the public from 2pm to 5pm, with presentation of trophies at 5pm.

Anyone can enter the show, and more information, including a full catalogue of classes is available on www.fingalhorticulturalsociety.com.

Call the Gazette on

60 10 240

LocalMatters S upport local business

Advertise with the Gazette call 60 10 240

6 MALAHIDE Gazette 4 July 2013

Athletics

On your marks, Swords Following on from the huge success of the launch in 2012 which saw over 4,000 runners take part, Swords is set to once again host the Fingal 10K road race as part of the Dublin Marathon Race Series.

The only race in the series to be held outside the Phoenix Park, the Fingal 10K will take place on Sunday July 21 and will commence at 10am from Swords Main Street.

Runners from local, national and international groups are invited to participate in the race while non-runners are encouraged to take to the local streets in support. For more information or to register for the event, see www.dublinmarathon.ie.

Eu entry Car rental firm’s support for Croatia hailed

Hertz Europe gets visit from ambassador  Natalie Burke nburke@gazettegroup.com

T he Croat i a n Ambassador to Ireland was guest of honour at the Hertz European Centre in Swords recently, in order to mark the car rental provider’s new campaign.

Ja sna Og njanovac, T he A mba s s ador of Croatia, was on hand at the centre last Friday, June 21, to highlight the Focus on Franchise Campaign, which featured Croatia in May.

The Focus on Franchise Campaign is a program that encourages Hertz service agents to promote sa les to the countries of Hertz licensee partners.

The destination focus for the month of May was Croatia and the incentive proved very successful with sales up 48% from the same month in 2012.

A mba ssador Ja sna Og njanovac met the European sales staff and presented the winning employee Fanfan

Maf umba, who hails f rom Sa nt r y, w it h a prize of a week for two in Croatia, including f lights with Ryanair, seven nights’ accommodation in the fourstar Valamar Bellevue Hotel and Residence, and a week’s car hire with Hertz Rent a Car. The visit from Ambassador Jasna Ognjanovac happened to coincide with Croatia’s entry to the European Union on July 1 of this year.

Speaking at the event, Ambassador Jasna Ogn-

Croatian ambassador Jasna Ognjanovac with Hertz staff member and incentive prize winner Fanfan Mafumba

janovac said: “W hen I hear about the great success of businesses in Ireland working with Croatia, it seems as if we are already a part of the EU. Thank you very much to Hertz in both Ireland and at home for working so hard to support travel to Croatia.”

A lso speaking at the event, Tara Mar-

tin, franchise services director of Hertz International, said the sales campaign creates visibility for Croatia and promotes growth and tourism for the country.

“At t he sa me time it is engaging and fun for our service agents.

Through education of the geography, promo-

tion of the culture of the country, the agents a re a r med w it h t he tool-kit for maximising the conversion of calls into sales. We are very proud and delighted to have the ambassador visit our European Service Centre and to celebrate the success of the Campaign for Croatia with her.”

100% Guaranteed Frozen Irish Meals.

To Your Door Cooked Wholesome and Nutritious Frozen Meals Delivered Weekly To Your Door, Ready To Heat Straight From Frozen in the Microwave or Oven All Meals are only €5.50 including Free Delivery

4 July 2013 MALAHIDE GAZETTE 7

CALL ‘Could we manage a Boston bombing?’

THEATRE: ACTING TROUPE TOURING AROUND DUBLIN

‘Proper, workable’ plan Leaving on a Magic for emergencies sought Carpet ride nburke@gazettegroup.com

FOLLOWING the Boston bombings in April, a local Swords councillor has called on Fingal County Council to ensure an emergency plan is prepared in the event of a similar incident taking place that could lead to multiple casualties.

C l l r Eu gene C op pi n ge r ( SP ) w a s i n Boston at the time of the marathon bombings, af ter he took a la r ge g roup of Ir ish and English r unners to the Massachusetts city, along with Sports Travel International, to take par t in what would quickly become a catastrophic race.

The local councillor called on the council recently, to make sure the county was liaising w ith all the relevant authorities to ensure they had a “proper and workable emergency plan in place to cater for any serious incident in the county, which m ig ht have mu lt iple c a sua lt ies or fat a l ities”.

T he council said a new major emergency plan was implemented in September 2008 which was based on the guidelines set out in A Framework for Major Emergency Ma nagement ( publ i she d by the Department of the Environment Community and Local Government 2006).

Under what is known as Framework, the local aut hor it y ex pla i ned that it is one of the principle responding agencies (PRA) along with A n Ga rda Siocha na and the Health Service Executive (HSE). “ T he major emer -

g e n c y pl a n f o r t h e county is based on an all hazards approach to emergency management. There are specified roles set out for the local authority under framework and Fingal Cou nt y Cou ncil ha s staff trained to fulfil those roles as required.

Framework was established to aid the PRAs in preparing a coordinated response to any major emergency,” the council said.

According to t he cou nci l , t her e wer e five major emergency exercises held in 2012, with two more planned for later this year.

“An annual appraisal is retur ned to the [ Depa r t ment of t he E n v i r o n me nt] e a ch year detailing the state of preparedness,” the council added.

Speaking to the Gazet te, Cllr Coppinger said he has read through the “extensive emergency plan” and is “happy enough” that there is a good plan on paper. “I also have no doubt that the council are meeting their statutor y obligations by attending exercises and putting the properly trained people in place.”

However Cllr Coppinger believes there are still questions that need to be answered. “ L a r g e nu m b e r s o f people in the HSE, An Garda Siochana and ou r Defence Force s took early retirement or severance packages in the past 12 months.

A lot of those were senior personnel. Could we manage incidents like the Boston Marathon bomb, a building col lapse or a major incident at Dublin Airport?”

 NATALIE BURKE

The scene of the bombings in Boston with Cllr Eugene Coppinger (SP) inset who was in Boston during the attack

W h ile t he Boston mombi ng was the main reason for Cllr Coppinger’s concerns, he said he was also troubled by the building collapse in Bangladesh. “It highlights the impor tance of planning. We get ex t reme weather conditions like f looding, so notifying people of upcoming possible events is very important.”

During his time staying in Bos-

ton following the terrorist attacks, Cllr Coppinger said he was “lucky enough” to be able to listen to voice recordings from the point when the situation was taken in charge. “The first response was unbelievable, how they took control of the whole situation. It was a great lesson and I’d love to think that we are equipped and ready to cater for such an incident here,” he said.

Why advertise with the Gazette?

Let our advertisers tell you why:

THIS SUMMER, the Magic Carpet Theatre Company from Skerries will take to the road on what will be their most ambitious project to date.

After 10 years of staging shows, the theatre group will embark on a t hr e e - mont h t our with children’s show Jake and the Sleeping Beauty. The show tells the tale of Prince Jake’s journey through the enchanted forest as he battles to save his princess from the clutches of the wicked Queen Evilena.

Described by the theatre group as “magical, enthralling and hilarious”, Jake and the Sleeping Beauty is the perfect family show

for the summer. Opening Thursday, July 4 in Balscadden Community Centre, the show will then move to Garristown Community Centre on Friday, July 5.

Other venues set to host the show include Skerries Mills on Sunday, July 7, Ballyboughal Community Centre on Thursday, July 11, The Viking Theatre in Clontarf, on Thursday, July 18 and Friday, July 19 and finally, Ardgillan Castle on Saturday, July 20 and Sunday, July 21.

The show will then finish off in a number of Dublin City libraries for the week commencing July 22. For information on bookings, dates and show times contact Magic Carpet on 086 2355107 or email magiccarpet.irl@gmail.com.

N?P 8;M<IK@J< N@K? K?< >8Q<KK<6 C\k fli X[m\ik`j\ij k\cc pfl n_p

“

Trabolgan Holiday Village, Cork have used the Dublin Gazette Newspapers for the last few years to advertise various aspects of our holiday village including special offers. We have always had an excellent reader response from the advertisements run and have found the area’s covered by all 8 papers of great value to Trabolgan.

The help and guidance we have received from the staff has made it easier for us to communicate our message efficiently and cost effectively ensuring we get the maximum from our budget. We would have no hesitation in recommending the Gazette to any business.

“

 NATALIE BURKE

B E C A U S E L O C A L M AT T E R S

the mend recom audience ’t n e ays tel ca target th m alw n e Ho Marin gh. We ca azette tea ’s notice. l a y ou nt Ro eG el in hly en want. Th t a mome The e Hot e a tte hig Gaze t, when w requests oyal Marin all areas r n R an we w modate ou ss for the e impact o l has no e iv ote H e local accom g awaren ad a posit Marin ette to all in h z oyal Creat zette has a R G e e h T a th the G business. mending r m of ou ion in reco t hesita ses. es busin s, thank Many ’Brien nager O g Ma Karen Marketin & Sales

:Xcc lj efn fe '( -' (' )-( kf Y\Zfd\ Xefk_\i fe\ f] fli dXep _Xggp X[m\ik`j\ij n n n% ^ X q \ k k\ ^ i f l g % Z f d

8 MALAHIDE Gazette 4 July 2013

R1

gazetteGALLERIES

Have you seen yourself in the Gazette? Buy photos online from only €6.99 at www.gazettephotos.com

Angela and Siobhan Loscher

Nathan Featherstone

David Carruthers fights it out Diarmuid Walsh. Pictures: Una Williams

past times: medieval history comes to life

Remembering the days of yore M

alahide recently stepped back in time for a weekend of medieval mayhem at Malahide Castle and Gardens. History came to life with this outdoor event for the whole family.

Visitors saw how families lived during

Susan Cantell, Susan Clarke and Kurt Ronnkivist

Emma Purcell and Paul Maher

Jacqui Wright and Ian Barber

Gary, Sean and Shane Nolan

the Middle Ages, experienced a medieval battle through daily re-enactments and witnessed the women’s - and children’s handicraft and cooking skills. There were also falconry and archery displays and more besides.

R1

4 July 2013 MALAHIDE Gazette 9

10 MALAHIDE Gazette 4 July 2013

4 July 2013 Gazette 11

feature P15

dublinlife

Let Dublin Gazette Newspapers take you on a tour of the news and events taking place across the city and county this week, as well as the latest from our schools

asdfsdaf businessP27 P16



Gazette

diary P14

centenary: shedding light on the 1913 Lockout

Exhibition puts day-to-day tenement living in spotlight n e w ly- e l e c t e d Lord Mayor of Dublin Oisin Quinn (Lab) last week launched a new look at the 1913 Lockout.

The innovative Dublin Tenement Experience: Living the Lockout is a performance and interpretation-based exhibition on the 1913 Lockout.

Living the Lockout will be the first in a series of activities to mark the centenary of the historic

1913 Lockout and is part of Ireland’s Decade of Commemorations.

D u b l i n Te n e m e n t Experience: Living the Lockout will make use of the ground floor of a former tenement house – 14 Henrietta Street – to tell the story of the Lockout as well as portraying what day-to-day life was like in Dublin’s tenements 100 years ago.

The exhibition will tell the story of the times through the use

of drama, audio-visual presentation and exhibition materials including archival records, photographs and personal testimonies.

As well as the formal launch by the Lord Mayor, the event included a ten-minute excerpt from the Living the Lockout’s drama, a tour of 14 Henrietta Street’s groundfloor and short presentations from each of the partners in the project.

This unique project – which is a joint initiative of Dublin City Council, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and the Irish Heritage Trust – will be open to the public for two months only from July 4 to August 31, 2013, six days per week and it will be closed on Wednesdays.

Tickets are priced at €5.50 and can be bought for any admission from 10am to 5pm.

Some scenes from the Dublin Tenement Experience: Living the Lockout which opens this week

Gazette

12 Gazette 4 July 2013

dublinlife

feature

Avoid mugging by staying alert - and using Krav Maga  Natalie Burke

A lot of people have a tendency to be distracted when out and about, either because they are looking at their phones while walking or listening to music. But it’s this distraction that can result in you becoming a victim of mugging, according to Matt Comerford, an Israeli-trained instructor with the International Krav Maga Federation.

Matt, who teaches Krav Maga, a form of selfdefence, in Celbridge, Co Kildare, says that when it

comes to muggers choosing their opportunities, it is believed they will choose a target who is distracted and likely to be surprised.

W hen it comes to being prepared for any situation, Matt says prevention is the best medicine.

“Being able to prevent an attack/mugging is preferable to being able to physically deal with it. If we can successfully prevent an attack, then we have exposed ourselves to considerably less risk, even if you are trained in what to

do, prevention is always best!” he said.

To prevent a potential attack, Matt says people need to be more aware of their surroundings, take in what is going on around them, and stay alert.

Having practised Krav Maga for over six years, Matt has more than 10 years of experience participating in physical training and fitness.

In 2012, he travelled to Israel for intensive training with some of the top Krav Maga experts from around the world.

Phoenix Krav Maga

is running self-defence classes in Celbridge using Krav Maga; one of the world’s most renowned self-defence systems.

It is used by military and police units globally because of its effectiveness and simplicity. In classes, par ticipants learn to deal with a wide range of confrontations, either by de-escalating and avoiding potential attacks completely, or by disabling the attacker if necessary.

For further info, visit www.phoenixkravmaga. ie, or e-mail: mail@phoenixkravmaga.ie.

Matt Comerford Phoenix Krav Maga Instructor

awards Women in business Network Dublin, an organisation for women in business, hosted its annual Businesswomen of the Year awards.

The luncheon took place at the Dylan Hotel recently, presented by AIB, to a crowd of high achieving businesswomen, and a few men too.

President of Network Dublin, Kate Fox, said a record number of nominations were made this year and she was delighted at the high level of interest.

Winners of the three categories for the 2013 awards were: Ruth Savill - Paris Bakery and Pastry Ltd - Businesswoman of the Year (self employed), Kate Mullahy – Ormsby & Rhodes - Businesswoman of the Year (employee) and Aileen Rogers – Ready Girls - New Business of the Year.

Ruth Savill, Kate Fox, Network president Dublin and Aileen Rogers

4 July 2013 Gazette 13

GAZETTE

14 GAZETTE 4 July 2013

DUBLINLIFE

DIARY

Promoting our city for Italians BUZZ-Y SPELLING BEE CHALLENGE A STILLORGAN boy was crowned the best speller in Leinster recently, taking the title of Eason’s Leinster Spelling Bee winner .

Niall Meagher, from St Laurence’s BNS, went on to represent the province at the Eason Spelling Bee All-Ireland Final in RTE. Niall started his Spelling Bee journey in January and soared through the Dublin County Bee. The Eason Spelling Bee, in association with RTE 2FM’s Tubridy, is now in its third year

All aboard The Gathering bus at Dublin Airport ... Calogero Urruso, Roberto Rambaldelli, Valentina Salaris (of Tourism Ireland), Giovanni Carlo Rossi Barilli, Ivan Pertusi and Paolo Giovanni Bianco

and is Ireland’s ultimate spelling contest, with all four provincial finals and the All-Ireland Final broadcast live on 2FM’s Tubridy.

Although Niall lost on the day to a Galway girl, his spelling success was deservedly congratulated

by Tubridy at the event.

CELEBRATING THE ICONIC HILL 16 DUBLIN Fringe Festival is calling on all GAA fans, actors, volunteers and sports fans to get involved in a project about Dublin GAA and the iconic Hill 16 stand, which will take place as part of the festival in

September.

The project is being put together in association with Belgian theatre company CAMPO/hetKIP, which previously created a piece about local football fans in Ghent in Belgium.

This September, their local version of the

show will be all about Dublin’s GAA fans and Hill 16.

With a large ensemble cast, the production team is hoping to get fans on board with the project.

To find out more, or to get involved, email projects@fringefest.com or call 01 670 6106.

gazette

group

.com

Bar, their action-packed itinerary included traditional “iconic” attractions such as the Guinness Storehouse, Trinity College and Dublin Castle, as well as some of the city’s clubs and bars, including The George, The Dragon Bar and PantiBar. Designed by Failte Ireland, their itinerary also included visits to St Patrick’s Cathedral and the Hugh Lane Gallery, while they enjoyed some of our world-class cuisine at Cornucopia on Wicklow Street, as well as visiting the Winding Stair on Ormond Quay.

www.

MORE than two million Italians will be reading about Dublin in the coming weeks, after a group of journalists set their sights on Dublin for the gay travel market in Italy.

The Italian journalists, who write for a variety of print and online publications, arrived in Dublin recently on a three-day fact-finding visit here to check out some of the many things to see and do around the city, as well as visiting some of the city’s gay-friendly venues.

While staying at The Morgan Hotel in Temple

All of your latest local news, sport, features and pictures are now just a click away

4 July 2013 GAZETTE 15

FEATURE EQUALITY: GENDER RIGHTS IN THE EU

Homeward bound for O’Sullivan

 BAIRBRE NI BHRAONAIN

A R ATHFARNHAM woman recently got the chance of a lifetime when she was one of the lucky ones chosen to work on gender and equality issues in Brussels, during the six months of Ireland’s EU Presidency.

Fiona O’Sullivan is packing her bags to leave the EU headquarters in Brussels on June 30 as Ireland’s presidential tenure expires and Lithuania prepares to take up the position until the end of the year.

Department of Justice and Equality attache Fiona spoke to The Gazette about her time spent in Brussels working on gender and equality issues.

“I have been here in Brussels as part of the Irish Presidency dealing with equality issues relating to a few different legislative proposals on gender balance on company boards and such.

“The Commission is trying to get 40% women on non-executive corporate boards but there is a lot of controversy over it from member states.

“A lot of them think the matter should be a national issue and should be achieved through voluntary approaches.

“We had working groups set up last year on the gender balance proposal and since then the proposal has been redrafted for the council.

“We have just finished the first reading of it to all

the member states. The Lithuanian Presidency will continue to work with it from [this month] on, when they take over.”

“It’s difficult to progress the proposal when lots of the Member-States are against it. Gender balance is an important goal.

We have made progress though; and on a national level in Ireland, for instance, the female quota for the election of a political candidate is now 30% or else the parties will not get State funding. On State bodies the targets are also 30% in Ireland.

“We are concentrating now on the private sector and companies listed on the stock exchange in Europe; so these are big companies.

“Ireland opened the

Fiona O’Sullivan, Department of Justice and Equality: “The whole Irish Presidency has been seen as a great

negotiations on this in the [European] council and now the report on it is due.”

Fiona, who comes from Rathfarnham, started off doing a business and politics degree in Trinity College. It is not the first time she has made Brussels, the base of the EU Parliament, her home.

As an undergraduate, she discovered that she had a greater interest in the EU side of her degree, so she went on to read European studies for her MA before going to Brussels as an intern after her graduation.

“After that internship I spent six years working in

Ireland as a civil servant but I always said I’d love to go back to Brussels.

“This presidency has been great for me and was a way of putting forward Ireland’s position in Europe. I’ve chaired many meetings here because we had all the power due to the presidency. There is a lot of behind the scenes work here too and I’ve worked with many NGOs and lobbyists too over my term here.

“Some of the most popular gender and equality issues I came across here were to do with

equal treatment, maternity rights and the free movement of immigrant workers. Women in the media is a big issue too as, although there are a lot of women working in this field, they are not in decision-making roles and the percentages of women at the top level are much lower. Although they are not binding, we (as part of the Irish Presidency), made recommendations on all of this.”

Although she is looking forward to coming home to Ireland, Fiona is also wistful about leaving

Brussels. “I can’t believe it’s coming to an end.

The whole Irish Presidency has been seen as a great success and we’ve achieved a lot during the six months.

“Personally, it’s been a great opportunity and is really a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Because there are a lot more states in the EU, with the number reaching 28 as of July 1, it now takes 14 years for your turn at the presidency to come around.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to come back then but we’ll see.”

Gazette

16 Gazette 4 July 2013

dublinlife

Q&A

business

More ways to save money THIS week, the money doctor continues his series on saving cash. With more than 100 top tips to dip into, he’s sure to have plenty of ideas you haven’t thought of. However, if you have any cash-saving suggestions of your own that you’d like to share, please send them to jlowe@moneydoctor.ie.

Neill Callan, Harvey Norman

Plugged in to provide the best shopping experience Neill Callan has worked with one of Ireland’s leading retailers for over nine years. Neill began working in Harvey Norman, Dundalk, while in college, before moving to the Tralee store for three years. He is now the manager of the electrical department in Harvey Norman’s flagship store in Blanchardstown Retail Park, at Blanchardstown Shopping Centre.

He says: “Harvey Norman has made a sizeable investment into revamping the Blanchardstown store.

“The focus of the renovation was

to heighten the customer’s shopping experience within the store. Customer interaction and technology are at the forefront of the design. We have introduced a lot of new live demonstration areas so customers can experience new technologies from laptops to cameras, from TVs to docking stations and from ovens to vacuum cleaners.

We have almost everything plugged in so you can try before you buy; our technology showroom is now easily the most innovative showroom in Ireland”.

How long have you been in business?

our competitors who often try to compete on price alone.

Harvey Norman has been trading in Ireland since 2003. The Blanchardstown store opened in 2006 when we took over the old ESB unit. In November 2012 we expanded the store into the old Reids and Clerys units to create one big Harvey Norman superstore.

What makes your business successful?

There are many factors that contribute to the success of the Harvey Norman Blanchardstown store. We only stock the best quality brands, our prices are always competitive, our staff are highly trained and we aim to be first to the market with new technology. All of which has helped us to build up a fantastic loyal customer base.

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

Our biggest asset is our staff. We invest heavily in training our staff to become specialists in their relevant departments. Our staff focus on passing the relevant information on to our customers, allowing the customer to make an informed decision.

We aim to find the best product to suit the customer’s needs at the best price; this differentiates us from

How has the recession affected your business?

The recession has, in a way, been a good thing for Harvey Norman.

It has made us refocus on the core values of our business. Customer service is king. We have introduced initiatives to heighten every customer’s before and after sales experience.

As stated previously, investing in our staff continues to be at the core of our success and combined with a customer orientated marketing strategy is driving more people through our doors, growing our sales and increasing our market share.

What is your ambition for the business?

For the Blanchardstown store to be the number one store in the Harvey Norman group and the number one retail destination for customers looking for electrical, computers, furniture or bedding. With our newly renovated store, I believe that we can achieve this.

What was the worst job you’ve had?

I worked for my uncle for the summer when I was 15 in his sawmill dipping boards to make garden sheds… never work for family!

4. Check your mortgage and loan interest rates Sometimes we go to great lengths at the initial stages of obtaining a mortgage or loan trying to ensure we get the most competitive interest rate at the time. Once taken out, there is a tendency to overlook the maintenance of that loan. You could very easily find out that your lender’s original rate, or current advertised interest rate, bears no resemblance to your own.

This is also a time to check if currently on a variable rate and your lender is uncompetitive, to see whether you should switch to another lender.

5. Avail of your annual capital gains tax (CGT) exemptions The first €1,270 of chargeable gains to an individual arising from the disposal of a capital asset (eg shares) is exempt. This is allowable for each tax year, but is not transferable between spouses. The rate payable on capi-

tal gains tax is 33% over the threshold.

For capital acquisition taxes (CAT), remember the threshold from parent to child (Group A of three groups) is currently €225,000 for each child. The tax rate for CAT is also 33% over the thresholds.

6. Check your life and health cover You could be over insured. Do a review on all your insurances. Are you getting the best value ? What happens if you or your spouse die or become permanently incapacitated? If you took out life cover ( with home mortgages it is mandatory ) you may have been a smoker at the time. Once you are smoke free for 12 months, you could save yourself over 50% of the annual premiums. Worth checking out.  Contact John with your money questions at jlowe@moneydoctor.ie or visit his website at www.moneydoctor.ie. John Lowe, Fellow of the Institute of Bankers, is founder and managing director of Money Doctor

funding: boost for start-up business

Government announces new €21m commercialisation fund  Bairbre Ni Bhraonain

FUNDING worth €21 million is to be made available for start-up business in Ireland, Minister for Jobs Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton (FG) announced recently.

The new funding will be delivered through Enterprise Ireland’s commercialisation fund and will be targeted to make innovative, new products by technology start-ups commercially viable.

Commercialisation fund projects must fill a gap or market need and include developing innovations which will be ready to be launched as start-up companies in two to five years.

Making the announcement, Minister Bruton said: “Over the past decade, Ireland has built a system of research and innovation that ranks

extremely well internationally – the challenge now at a time of jobs crisis is to put in place measures that will turn these achievements into economic growth and jobs.

“Through the Action Plan for Jobs we have implemented a range of changes aimed at turning good ideas into good jobs, including the research prioritisation exercise, the creation of a central technology transfer office, a onestop-shop for commercialising research out of universities, and the establishment of new technology centres.”

So far this year, Enterprise Ireland has funded 24 commercialisation projects which have been valued at €5.3 million in a wide range of areas including ICT (information computer technology), lifesciences, food, manufacturing, engineer-

Minister Richard Bruton:

ing and energy.

Director of ICT commercialisation Gearoid Mooney said: “The [current] commercialisation fund is making a real difference in terms of business growth and competitiveness in Ireland.

“The breadth of projects targeting new market opportunities is remarkable. Projects funded so far this year

range from a vaccine to protect against harmful bacteria commonly affecting cystic fibrosis patients to the development of a fuel cell power module which will turn hydrogen into electricity in a more cost effective and efficient way.”

Enterprise Ireland is seeking applications for the new funding and the closing date is August 28.

4 July 2013 GAZETTE 17

CINEMA P20

ASDFSDAF P27 TRAVEL P22

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



GAZETTE

MUSIC P18

Pets HELP LOVELY ADELE FIND A GREAT HOME

Frances has been busy splitting her time between a number of musical performances across the country and the work of the charity she set up in 2008

INTERVIEW: SINGER FRANCES BLACK ON HER NEW ALBUM AND HER CHARITY, RISE

Big heart, stronger voice

 NATALIE BURKE nburke@gazettegroup.com

IT has been over four years since wellknown singer Frances Black set up the Rise Foundation, a charity dedicated to helping families understand the nature of addiction.

With her time split between her dedication to a cause so close to her heart, and furthering her career as one of Ireland’s most well-loved singers, Frances is feeling “stronger” than ever. And it’s no coincidence that her recently released album has been named just that.

Stronger, a compilation of cover songs, was released just two months ago.

“It is an album of cover version songs

that I have a very strong connection with. They are all songs that mean something special to me and it was just one of the most enjoyable experiences I have ever had. So far we have got great reviews and a great reaction,” she said.

Following the release of her album, Frances has been busy splitting her time between a number of musical performances across the country and the work of the charity she set up in 2008.

“I’m constantly working and constantly gigging. I’m hoping to go to America at the end of the year, so it’s very busy. It’s hard sometimes to manage both, but you just get through the days, you get through the hours. It keeps me going, that’s for sure.”

Frances has previously dealt with

alcoholism and now in recovery, has dedicated her time to helping the families of those who have yet to take the same route. The charity is so close to her heart, she went back to study as an addiction counsellor and says it helps when it comes to battling her own demons.

“Giving back is a very important part of my life. So I certainly feel very happy around the work that I do. I love working with the families and it’s very rewarding and very fulfilling, particularly when you see family members getting the support and the help that they need.”

The RISE (Recovery In a Safe Environment) foundation runs 10-week family programmes to help educate families about addiction.

With funding an ongoing problem for the charity, Frances will be taking part in a family fun day, in Baldoyle, in aid of the charity this weekend.

“I want to raise awareness about the work that we do but also to help raise much-needed funds.”

The family fun day and sale of work will take place on Sunday, July 7 at Baldoyle Community Hall on Main Street, Baldoyle.

The event will see face-painting, balloon making, angel card reading and a wheel of fortune, as well as an appearance by Frances herself, who will be saying a few words about the important foundation. The event will be held from 11am until 5pm. For more information about the charity, visit www. therisefoundation.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 Adele. She is a threeyear-old old Rottweiler.

With her super sweet adorable nature, Adele has really captured the hearts of her canine carers, and just wants cuddles at every available opportunity! She is an incredibly sociable lady who loves meeting new people, playing and chasing her toys. She would really enjoy some basic training as she is just so eager to please.

If you think you could give beautiful Adele the home she so badly needs, please contact Dogs Trust on 01-879 1000. They are based in Finglas, just off exit 5 on the M50. Map and directions can be found on their website www. dogstrust.ie.

You can also find them on Facebook www.facebook.com/ dogstrustireland or Twitter @DogsTrust_IE.

Gazette

18 Gazette 4 July 2013

OUT&ABOUT

MUSIC

tech review: a microspeaker with a loud punch

A little speaker that whips up a big e-Storm Britain’s Bitmore have been earning a reputation over the last few years of being manufacturers of genuinely solid state technology, and Gazette Music were intrigued when we heard about their new e-Storm Superbass Speaker.

Having been awarded the RedDot design award in 2012, the reviews and word of mouth about this speaker stopped us in our tracks. But that was the last time the tracks stopped since our

 ROB heigh rheigh@gazettegroup.com

e-Storm arrived, as it has been wall-to-wall music as we tested its capabilities with everything we could think to throw at it.

From its Apple-esque unboxing experience, the e-Storm surprises and

delights. It is a deliciously compact and surprising piece of bluetooth audio tech.

At a teeny six by six by five cm in size, its silver and black frame packs a surprising weight which gives a vivid hint that it packs a punch well above its division.

Having purchased a similarly-sized speaker as a birthday present recently, the e-Storm knocked it out clean, with its crisp clarity and deep bass capability.

Simply and quickly connected via Bluetooth and charged via USB connection, the e-Storm was up and running in seconds. It also has an SD slot for cards up to 8GB, and a headphone jack connection if bluetooth is not available.

But how does the speaker perform under laboratory conditions? Well, last week’s immense, complex Kanye West album Yeezus was first up to the plate, and the e-Storm

Easily sync’d with your device, the e-Storm speaker is the ideal microspeaker

more than coped with its complexities and low frequencies.

More nuanced works like Bon Iver and The Blue Nile hold all of their gentle majesty.

Being a podcast afficionado, Gazette Music’s shower listening tends to

mean taking tech into the bathroom, which has its own dangers. This makes the e-Storm a waterproof joy, as no longer do we need to worry about condensation damaging built-in speakers.

This is genuinely an alloccasions microspeaker.

It makes no sense that such a small speaker at its very affordable price point could be this good, but it is, and that makes it a solid recommendation for music lovers.

The e-Storm is available from bitmore.co.uk for £49.99 plus shipping.

4 July 2013 Gazette 19

Gazette

20 Gazette 4 July 2013

OUT&ABOUT

Theatre

THE pavilioN THEATRE 01 231 2929 Paperbelle

PAPERBELLE’S world is black and white and she likes it that way. She’s heard of colour; but would prefer things to stay as they are. The colours, on the other hand, want to play games and they want Paperbelle to join in. Paperbelle’s world is changing – will she try to stop it or might she find it’s not as bad as it first seemed…? July 6, tickets €10/8.

Draiocht 01 885 2622 Aidan Bishop

NATIVE New Yorker Aidan Bishop began his comedy career in his hometown and since moving to Dublin he has become one of the top comics working today, best known as resident MC of the International Comedy Club in Dublin for the past 10 years. July 6, tickets €12/€10.

Mill THEATRE Dundrum 01 296 9340 Ferguson & Barwick

KATHY Barwick is a household name in folk and bluegrass music circles in Northern California. An acclaimed master of guitar, banjo, mandolin bass, and dobro she currently performs with The Mountain Laurel Bluegrass Band and The Mike Justis Band. For this tour she teams up with singer songwriter Gary Ferguson who hails from Baltimore, USA. July 16, tickets €12.

CINEMA

review: Gru is back

Your minions will love this one THE discussion about the pantheon of animated films is usually along the lines of “best non-Pixar movie”.

Such is Lu xo Jr ’s dominance of the field, others can barely get a look in, which at times just feels unfair.

At Dreamworks, they produced the Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar franchises, as well as the excellent Croods among others.

Un i ve r s a l S t u d i o s have had their own successes, most notably a few years ago when a super-villain adopted three kids to live with him and his little yellow minions.

Given the success of its predecessor, it was to be expected that Despicable Me 2 wasn’t far away.

T h e o r i g i n a l g ave Universal the animation franchise it craved, a veritable money printing machine with its quotable leads (“It’s so f luffy!”) and toy-bait minions.

Indeed, the film joined the bona-fide Universal cash cows last year when it got its own ride at Universal Studios in Orlando, joining such luminaries as Twister and The Mummy.

O k ay, s o m ay b e

 Paul hosford

Things have really loosened up at Gru’s place (above and below)

that isn’t the ringing endorsement I made it sound like, but the ride is excellent and is proving to be one of the most popular in the park (for the record, The Mummy ride is excellent, too.

The movies were not).

So, with the sequel and blockbuster season well under way, comes the first big animated feature of the summer.

With Pixar having sent Mike and Sully back to University last weekend in the States, opening on an incredible $82 million, the bar has been set pretty high.

This time around, the script is f lipped and Gru is looking to get out of the super-villain game altogether, turning his one-time weapons of mass destruction into food processing machines and taking care of the three sisters he adopted first time around.

It is a difficult transition for Gru, with the girls growing up and

Film of the Week: Despicable Me 2 hhh (U) 98 mins Directors: Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin Starring: Kristen Wiig, Steve Carell, Russell Brand, Ken Jeong, Steve Coogan, Benjamin Bratt

OUR VERDICT:

SOME tremendously funny bits, some great visual gags and the presence of minions willl make this a thoroughly worthwhile trip to the cinema. Kids will love the slapstick provided by the minions, while Gru is a phenomenal character for adults. It’s just a shame the plot is a bit all over the place.

beginning to date.

All in all, it is a rough transition for the onetime super-villain.

That is until a shadowy organisation called the Anti Villain League ask for his help in recovering an entire lab that is making a serum that can turn people into monsters.

So, yes, the storyline is weak, but when a man in lycra is dominating the box office, is too much to ask for a bit of suspension of disbelief for a kids’ film?

In fact, the film doesn’t necessarily suffer that much from a lack of storyline, it suffers because it tries to

shoehorn a storyline in.

I would have been h a p py e n o u g h w i t h some kind of retread of the last film with new jokes, so winsome are the characters.

Kristen Wiig’s addit i o n a s G r u ’s l ove interest is particularly pleasing, but isn’t Wiig always great?

The neglect of two of the three daughters leaves the youngest, Agnes, to shine once more and the minions, who are set to get a spin-off film, get plenty of screen time, which is excellent.

All in all, it’s a very enjoyable and funny 90 minutes.

4 July 2013 GAZETTE 21

GAZETTE

GAMING REVIEW: COMPANY OF HEROES 2

A challenging game to master

IT’S been ages since I featured any PC games – apologies for that, as PC games (and gamers) are often overlooked for console games instead. As, err, I prove about 97.3% of the time ...

Of course, PC gamers continue to enjoy terrific games in many genres, with the platform proving perfect for a tactical title like Company of Heroes 2, the long-awaited sequel to the hit 2006 game that’s out now. Simply put, it’s a real-time strategy (RTS) game, based on the particularly bloody conflict along the Eastern Front around 1945.

History records how the Communists eventually crushed the Nazis with a brutal war machine from the East – under your control, however, things could go very dif-

 SHANE DILLON sdillon@gazettegroup.com

ferently.

CoH2’s meaty singleplayer campaign takes in a significant chunk of the period, from the chaotic siege of Stalingrad through to the final march on Berlin, with you directing your troops on the field through a number of historically accurate theatres of war.

At first glance, Relic’s title looks pretty similar to a hundred similar strategy games beforehand – albeit a very pretty and detailed one, at that – but a number of interesting management options,

coupled with challenging line-of-sight rules that affect what you see (and what the enemy sees), can quickly seize defeat from the jaws of victory – or vice versa.

Throw in some quirky, but slightly gimmicky, weather conditions that can affect the flow of battle, and it’s another memorable touch to have added on the sequel.

Ultima tely, CoH2 hasn’t tinkered with the winning RTS formula of its predecessor too much – but then, when you’ve crafted such an enjoyable, challenging title, why would you?

And all that is before you even try multiplayer matches to really test your armchair general skills ...

Company of Heroes 2 is available now; prices vary at retail.

The intricately-designed troops and machinery in the Eastern Front-based environments in Call of Heroes 2 will push your tactical skills to the limit

BYTES&PIECES INSTAGRAM

Photo-sharing app adds video capability JUST in case you missed the recent news (or haven’t been updating your apps), Instagram, the popular photo-sharing and editing application, can now also shoot (up to) 15 seconds of video clips, too.

While most users will just use Instagram to take photos, there’s no doubt millions will shoot video clips to share.

So, if you have any great clips from your area, feel free to let me know by emailing its link to: sdillon@ gazettegroup.com, for possible inclusion in a future best-of gallery for readers. Happy shooting!

WE HAVE 142,000* READERS IN DUBLIN *based on standard industry measurements

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS TO OUR READERS

CALL 60 10 240

GAZETTE

22 GAZETTE 4 July 2013

OUT&ABOUT

fast

TRAVEL Castlemartyr, Co Cork

Enjoy 20% off a great weekend retreat  NATALIE BURKE

A SPECIALIST for luxury self-catering breaks and holidays, Natural Retreats is offering 20% off on all stays until July 19 to guests visiting its Irish and British properties. This is a saving of up to €340.

This exclusive offer applies to the last remaining holidays in Castlemartyr, Co Cork, and The Heritage, Co Laois, as well as Natural Retreats locations across Britain – John O’Groats and West Highlands in Scotland, the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales, Trewhiddle and Fistral Beach in Cornwall, and the Yorkshire Dales.

Guests receive a complimentary welcome hamper filled with local produce such as bread, cheese and wine, and are granted full access to the five-star hotel facilities, including spa, restaurants and championship golf courses.

The Natural Retreats concierge team can discuss available dates with you, as well as offering further information.

For further information, call 01 685 3013.

Terms and conditions apply, and offers are subject to availability.

The Spa Salveo at the four-star Knockranny House Hotel in Westport, Co Mayo, offers a range of indulgent treatments to leave you feeling refreshed

WESTPORT: ENJOY FINE DINING OR SPA TREATMENT IN SIGHT OF CROAGH PATRICK

West is best for a break  NATALIE BURKE

THERE are plenty of reasons why we are all so tempted to flock to the west of Ireland when we get the opportunity to take a few days off.

For some of us, it’s the scenery.

For others, the adventure sports on offer along the west coast.

More often, it’s the ideal destination for avid golfers, surfers and anglers.

But, when it comes to treating yourself to a relaxing, rejuvenating getaway, it seems that the west of Ireland is just the place to make your escape.

Knockranny House Hotel and Spa is a fourstar hotel in Westport, Co Mayo. Perched on the outskirts of the bustling town, the hotel is located just far enough away to feel secluded, but close enough to walk into town.

With bedroom views facing the magnificent

Croagh Patrick, it was tempting to leave the mountain trekking to the more adventurous and instead soak up the intimate and cosy atmosphere of the hotel.

A handsome Victorianstyle manor, Knockranny is vast with numerous rooms, yet still manages to feel intimate and capture a warm atmosphere, which was well-promoted by the friendly staff.

The log fires, vintagestyle furniture and oldfashioned charm add to the hotel’s general sense of a traditional Irish welcome.

Comforts And it was the extra comforts that helped the huge bedrooms feel like a home away from home – the choice of old paperbacks on the book shelf in the bedroom, the reading chair in the corner, and the wide windows with mountain views.

However, it was the Spa Salveo that I was mak-

ing a beeline for; in my books, the most essential ingredient to any “relaxing” weekend away.

The award-winning spa encompasses a vitality pool with hydrotherapy stations, an expansive thermal spa suite, various relaxation areas and 12 spacious treatment rooms.

With a range of spa treatments offered, Spa Salveo has a huge array of tempting treats to choose from, with everything from facials and body wraps to manicures and massages.

I opted for the spa’s newest signature treatment – the Wellness and Radiance Ritual, which incorporates a two-hour treatment using luxury products from the Kerstin Florian range.

The ritual includes a deluxe foot soak and destressing foot massage, a full-body salt scrub, a wellness back massage and a pro-radiance facial.

Knockranny House Hotel: ideal for a romantic getaway or a weekend with the girls

To say that I felt rejuvenated afterwards would be a slight understatement.

And, since no pampering weekend is complete without feeding the soul, it was imperative that we made the most of the culinary wonders that were offered by the hotel’s impressive La Fougere restaurant.

With chef Seamus Commons – twice named Best Chef in Connacht by the Food & Wine Maga-

zine Awards – the restaurant itself has earned the title Best Restaurant in Connaught 2011, along with two AA Rosettes, making it worth the road trip purely for the food itself.

Starters ranged from goat cheese parfait to beef carpaccio, while mains included pan-fried seabass, baked Atlantic cod and parmesan gnocchi.

Grapefruit parfait, bitter chocolate tart and Carrowholly cheeses

were just some of the desserts to top it all off.

Ideal for a romantic weekend away or a getaway with the girls, Knockranny House Hotel and Spa offer a range of deals for your next ramble to the west.

The two-hour Wellness and Radiance Ritual costs €105 per person, and includes a light lunch.

For further information, see www.knockrannyhousehotel.ie or call 098 28600.

4 July 2013 MALAHIDE GAZETTE 23

MAYO: ENJOY A PERFECT FAMILY BREAK

Lots to see, and so much more to do  MIMI MURRAY

DRIVING past Castlebar with Croagh Patrick looming in the distance, we knew we had almost reached our destination – the pretty town of Westport.

It’s a hotspot for hen and stag parties, but also a place filled with outdoorsy things to do and lots to keep young folk entertained.

We stayed in the heart of the town, in the Westport Plaza and Castlecourt Hotel. We were per fectly positioned for all the activities we intended to partake in that weekend.

Westport Plaza is a friendly, family-run hotel that has a courtyard linking it to the Castlecourt Hotel.

Rooms are extremely spacious, and ours had plenty of room for our inquisitive 11-month-old to roam around in. Beds are big and bathrooms feature sleek, black marble.

One of the big draws

to the Westport region is the Great Western Greenway – a traffic-free cycling and walking trail that follows the route of the old Westport to Achill railway. At 42km, this is the longest offroad walking and cycling trail in Ireland.

After conferring with the very friendly and knowledgeable people --------------------------

‘Westport Plaza is a friendly, family-run hotel. Rooms are extremely spacious’ --------------------------

at Clew Bay bike hire, and deciding not to have the stamina for the full trip, my husband started his journey at the second leg, from the picturesque town of Newport, and on to Mulranny.

The journey is probably the most scenic leg of the trail, taking in the spectacular views of the

rugged Nephin mountain range on one side, and Clew Bay on the other.

This trail will really appeal to the leisurely cyclist as the gradient is pretty flat. There is also plenty of wildlife to see, including the odd stag and hen.

With a headwind coming in from the Atlantic, the journey to Mulranny offered a bit of a challenge in places; however, there are plenty of viewing platforms for a wellearned rest and most bike hire companies will pick you up at different points on the trail.

Myself, my mum and my little boy headed for Westport House, which is an amazing place for children, with lots to do including zorbing, archery, bouncy castles, playgrounds, a mini train ride and swan boats on a very pretty lake.

My 11-month-old was too young for many of the things on offer, but his eyes lit up, after a little trepidation, at the

GAZETTE

TRAVEL fast

TRAVEL New York is gearing up for Restaurant Week

Tuck into a Big Apple dining deal  NATALIE BURKE

If you can tear yourself away from the comfort of Westport Plaza and Castlecourt Hotel (right, below), there are many activities to see and enjoy around Westport, including the 42km Great Western Greenway (main)

sight of the soft ball and activity area. He climbed and tumbled and had a fantastic time playing, making sure mammy was always a short distance away.

The train ride, which circumnavigates the lake, extracted squeals of delight. Before we took our leave, we toured the magnificent house, which hosts the Westport Festival.

Westport is also a great food destination. On our first night we ate in the hotel, and our meal was prepared to a really high standard. My husband went for sea trout, whilst I went for sirloin steak – something I never usually order, but which was a delicious cut of meat.

My mum loved her salmon starter, which was infused with lots of coriander.

On the second night, we ate in an exceptional restaurant – An Port Mor. Our starters of crab cake and scallops were devoured with gusto, and mains included hake, blue sea trout and crab tagliatelle.

Desserts were summer y and light, and included a marshmal-

low-textured raspberry meringue. To top it all off, we had delicious homemade limoncello, which was on the house and extremely potent!

After a hearty breakfast the following morning, we packed our bags and departed for home, with a promise to return to the West for further adventures.

For details on Westport Plaza, see www. westportplazahotel.ie.

FOR a bite of the Big Apple, experience New York City Restaurant Week this summer with American Holidays.

Visitors can enjoy more than 20 days of dining deals, from July 22 to August 16, with three-course lunches for $25 ($19) and dinners for $38 (plus tip and tax) at more than 300 restaurants.

American Holidays is offering a special NYC package of a threenight stay at the threestar Wellington Hotel from just €1,059pp.

Alternatively, you could upgrade to the four-star Crowne Plaza Hotel, Times Square from only €1,075pp.

The price includes return flights from Shannon (prices from Dublin are available).

For further information, call American Holidays at 01 673 3804, or see www.americanholidays.com.

24 malahide gazette 4 July 2013

Gazette

TRAVEL MOTORS

Gazette

&ABOUT OUT road NOISE

The Citroen DS range is touring the country

Citroen roadshow to highlight the DS range LAST year, I was nothing short of bowing before the Citroen DS5, such was my love for the unique design of the car.

Thankfully, Citroen is taking the DS range on a tour of Ireland to let potential buyers get up close and personal with the award-winning models from the distinctively-styled DS line – DS3, DS4, DS5 and the new DS3 Cabrio.

The DS Tour launched in Drogheda in May and will travel the country until August, visiting most major cities and towns.

Those interested in checking it out should visit their nearest DS Discovery Tour location over the coming weeks, and get behind the wheel of one of Citroen’s most exclusive and stylish cars. For further information, you can see www.facebook.com/citroen.ireland.

Weathered logos can be replaced, free

Ford owners can avail of a logo replacement OVER time, the iconic blue oval on all Ford vehicles can become faded or damaged, but Ford Ireland has just announced a free replacement programme for the logo at participating Ford dealerships.

The replacement offer is open to anyone with a Ford vehicle that is up to 10 years old.

First introduced on the 1928 Model A car, the Ford blue oval was devised by Ford’s first chief engineer and designer, Childe Harold Wills.

Today, it is one of the most recognisable brands in the world. Like any part of a motor vehicle, it is liable to corrosion and accidental damage.

Ford drivers can get more information on the blue oval replacement programme at www. ford.ie, or by contacting their local Ford dealer.

The V40-R Design: unbelievable presence, with a visual personality that is so understated it is almost sinister

V40 R-design: volvo deliver an impressive piece of kit

Hats off to the surprising motor that oozes coolness n Cormac Curtis

PRETTY much every car company out there is trying their best to appeal to new buyers – the kind of buyer that wouldn’t have necessarily been attracted to them in the past.

Some of the larger, premium brands are making some big noises about their new models, fresh designs and outside-thebox thinking – but along comes Volvo.

They’re a conservative bunch, and they tend not to get involved in extravagant fanfare – they just do things right.

So, when it came to the new V40, I nearly fell out of my cot when I saw it. If there is one car that has taken me by complete surprise in 2013, then this is it.

In a shade that Volvo calls Rebel Blue, this little rocket looked unlike any Volvo I had ever seen.

Unlike so many cars in this segment, it’s so much more than a boy racer’s fantasy hot hatch.

It has unbelievable presence, with a visual personality that is so understated that it is almost sinister – think Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men, and you’ll get the picture.

It has a low stance, without any dramatic, over-the-top or aggressive lines, and features a purposeful front end, without resorting to wildly-angled headlights or a massive front grille.

The look is determined, purposeful, strong, and really attractive.

Highlights The lines of the car flow nicely toward the rear, with some very pleasing chrome highlights drawing the eye across the body, tapering toward the boot – and the rear end doesn’t disappoint, either.

The rear lights are a beautifully-designed, boomerang shape, and they dictate the unusual shape of the boot.

I was expecting a bit of

a sheep in wolf’s clothing, to be honest, but the V40 R design does even more on the inside than it does on the outside.

The V40 R-Design that I tested was priced at €30,865 – about €3,000 over the entry-level price, but for that you get an impressive list of kit.

In terms of visual appeal, I can’t compare it to the ES or SE specs, but this a very special car on the inside.

At this level, the interior is treated to sports floor mats, aluminium sports pedals, sports upholstery with R-design logo, aluminium trim and an incredibly cool active TFT screen with blue instrument dials.

There is a leather sports steering wheel, with a shape unlike any other I have driven, that is a delight to touch.

Front sports seats with side support were incredibly comfortable under all the conditions I drove it – including some of the nastiest speed bumps in

Unlike so many cars in its segment, this V40 is so much more than a boy racer’s fantasy hot hatch

north County Dublin – striking 17” IXON-alloy wheels, and lots of special R-Design silver pieces, including lower front nose and grille, matt grille with logo, twin exhaust pipes, an ironstone rear diffuser and the all-important lowered chassis for rear sports performance.

The controls were pretty intuitive, if not the greatest I’ve ever used, but within a day or two I could control all the important stuff without looking – which is a plus!

Despite being completely blind-sided by this car, it was truly reassur-

ing to see that Volvo were at pains to point out the extensive safety features at the top of the standard features specifications list for this car.

The first 13 features mentioned were airbag and safety features to protect both occupants and pedestrians.

Simply put – my hat is off to Volvo for the V40 R-Design.

It oozes coolness, it drives and handles like a proper driver’s car – and even the guys who run the car park next to my office stopped me to talk about it for a good 10 minutes, so it’s got to be good!

4 July 2013 malahide gazette 25

malahideCLASSIFIEDS builders BRICK,BLOCK AND STONEWORK 20 years experience, living locally.

Garden walls, sheds, brick piers, patio & paving. Decorative internal brick work, Plastering, Concrete Drives and paths.

New Builds.

Insurance quotes.

Call Dave anytime 0872917647

insulation

Pension

plumbers JT PLUMBING

HOME INSULATION ATTIC CAVITY WALL ECOBEAD / ROCKWOOL SEAI REGISTERED & APPROVED QUALITY QUALIT GUARANTEED SERVICE / INSTALLATION â&#x20AC;&#x153;ATTIC LADDERS SUPPLIED AND FITTEDâ&#x20AC;?

POLYCOMP. 01 460 2652 / 087 258 5260 SALES@POLYCOMP.IE

BEST PRICES IN DUBLIN!!

All areas covered. 15 years experience. Free estimates.

OUTSIDE TAP SUPPLIED & FITTED â&#x201A;Ź70 Water Tanks, Drippings Taps, Radiators, Burst pipes, Cylinders, Pumps, Outside Taps, Showers, Immersions, Bathroom Suites.

For your free estimate call now on 085 7555412 or email: mjrules44@gmail.com

builders

We have 142,000* readers in dublin *based on TGI-ROI 2012

Dublin Gazette will publish a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;seniorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; supplement i n J u ly

cleaning

800%&/ '-003 $-&"/*/( WOODEN FLOOR MAINTENANCE MALAHIDE

4FF XXX CBTJDDPBUJOHT DPN 'VSUIFS JOGPSNBUJPO RVPUFT FUD UFM PS F NBJM QPSFJMZ!FJSDPN OFU

Featuring and focusing on matters of interest to older people in our society, we are offering you this opportunity to communicate directly with your target audience.

For further information please contact Gerard on 01 60 10 240 or email gkenny@ gazettgroup.com

advertise your business to our readers call FIDELMA ON 65 16 239

1-&"4& $"-- 1"%%: 0h3&*--: '03 '3&& 2605& &91&35 8*5) 800%&/ '-0034

pl anning and legal To place a planning or legal notice ca l l F i d e l m a o n 6 51 6 23 9 or email fc l a r k e @ g a z e t t e g r o u p. c o m

dublin gazette newspapers We have 142,000* HAVE 169,000 READERS readers EACH WEEK in dublin *based on standard industry measurements

*based on TGI-ROI 2012

To place an ad call F i d e l m a o n 6 51 6 23 9 o r e m a i l fc l a r k e @ g a z e t t e g r o u p. c o m

Serving 8 thriving communities of suburban Dublin.

F OR U P TO DATE NE W s V i s i t : www . f a c e b o o k . c o m / D u b l i n G a z e t t e N e wsp a p e r s

Serving 8 thriving communities of suburban Dublin.

F OR U P TO DATE NE W s f o l l o w u s : @DublinGazette

LocalMatters S u pp o r t l o c a l b u s i n e ss

Advertise with the Gazette call 60 10 240

PENSION ACCESS New legislation now allows you to access 30% of your Pension Fund / AVCs. For information call European Pension Transfer Company 01 6694758 mobile: 085 2351764 www.europeanpensions.ie We offer a wide range of ad sizes See your ad here

As part of our packages you have the choice of using our complimentary design service, or supplying your own print-ready material.

With over 142,000 copies delivered to your potential target market, now is the perfect time to take up an advertising spot.

We have a range of advertising sizes and packages to suit your buget. Our Classified ad sizes range from a 5cmx1 to 10x3 Column width.

Please contact us today to discuss the most affordable option for your club, service or event.

Call FIDELMA ON 651 6239 OR EMAIL FLCARKE@GAZETTEGROUP.COM

26 malahide gazette 4 July 2013

dublin gazetteRECRUITMENT NO SHORTAGE OF CANDIDATES WHY PAY MINIUM 15% OF ANY BASIC SALARY TO SOURCE CANDIDATES. WHEN THERE ARE PLENTY AVAILABLE IN THE DUBLIN MARKET. PLACE YOUR NEXT POSITION WITH US AND GET A RESULT, ALLOW QUALITY CANDIDATES GO TO YOU DIRECT. CUT OUT THE MIDDLEMAN.

For Recruitment contact Fidelma on 01 652 3269 COMPUTER SOFTWARE DEVELOPER PHB DUBLIN SOUTHSIDE DUN Laoghaire Immediate opportunity exists Technology

We are seeking a Computer Software Developer who can convert the current DataEase 4.52 Dos working environment of our busy International Car Rental Operation to fully interface with DataEase 7.2 and our web site written in PHB language.

• The person should have strong knowledge of Dataease,SQL, RDBMS and have relevant experience of 2 years.

• The system will also interface with other Web platforms and Windows Applications in XML feed.

• The candidate will have totally fluent English at International level • Excellent communication skills • Must have at least 2 years work experience using PHB • Be available within One Months notice and available for interview 2 days notice required.

• References must be available upon request The product will be focused on operator ease of use and customer friendliness.

Please forward CV for consideration and cover letter to HR Manager, Sixt Rent a car, Rochestown Avenue Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.

NO AGENCY ASSISTANCE REQUIRED.

4 July 2013 malahide Gazette 27

feature P29

asdfsdaf gaelic games P27 P31

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



Gazette

athletics P28

FastSport Win a place on dublin ladies summer camp:

Ireland Under-18 internationals Jessica McGirr and Hannah Grieve, Sean Walsh, Electric Ireland and Ireland senior international Nikki Symmons at the launch

hockey: gathering event set to bring cream of european sport to UCD

International championship graces Dublin later in month THE Irish Hockey Association launched the Electric Ireland U-18 Women’s EuroHockey Championships this week, starting the countdown for the event which will take place in UCD from July 29 to August 4.

The tournament, running as part of The Gathering, will feature the cream of European underage hockey with Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, England, Russia, France and Wales joining the hosts for six days of competition.

Having finished fourth two summers ago in Utrecht, Ireland have good pedi-

gree at this age group and will be hopeful in a group that features Celtic rivals France and Wales.

The Dutch, however, are an imposing force at underage level and they make up the other component of the initial four-team group with the top two teams going on to play in the semi-finals and the other sides contesting the relegation battle.

Irish Under-18 players Jessica McGirr – a Loreto Beaufort student – and Hannah Grieve were on hand to launch the event in Dublin along with senior inter-

national Nikki Symmons.

Symmons spoke of her pride in playing underage hockey for Ireland and the spur it gave her to push for the senior setup: “I know how special it is to pull on the green shirt for Ireland having just received my 200th cap for the senior team last weekend and these girls will be bursting with pride when they get to do this in front of our home support at UCD in a major tournament.

“There is a great opportunity for the Irish public to see the future stars of Irish hockey in action up close and many of

these players will be knocking down the door of the senior team in the very near future. I’m looking forward to getting out and supporting them myself.”

The IHA have launched an early bird season ticket offer for the tournament to allow fans to watch the six full days of action including the finals day at a fraction of the cost of individual tickets for the tournament.

Supporters can avail of the early bird six-day ticket for €30 up until Friday, July 19. Early bird tickets will be available on www.hockey.ie

Dublin Gazette Newspapers and the Dublin Ladies Gaelic Football Association are inviting you to join in a competition for one of two places at the 2013 Dublin Ladies’ Summer Camps.

To win a place at either of the camps, which run from July 29 to August 2 at St Margaret’s GAA club and from August 12 to 16 at St Peregrine’s, answer this simple question: In what year did Dublin win the Ladies’ All-Ireland final?

Email your answer to camps@dublinladiesgaelic.ie, including your preferred week of attendance.

For more information about the camps, log on to www.dublinladiesgaelic.ie.

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

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

Gazette

28 MALAHIDE Gazette 4 July 2012

SPORT

athletics: stadium will greet internationals

DublinGazetteNewspapers 2013 dublin sports awards june winners

H STARof the MONTH

Action from last year’s thrilling Morton Games

dean carpenter Collinstown FC player Carpenter has had an impressive month, with his club side achieving a double after securing the Myles O’Neill Cup, and capped it with a call-up and appearance for the Ireland amateur side against Northern Ireland

Morton Games set to host fine field  sport@gazettegroup.com

TEAMof the MONTH H holy family national school THE St Finian’s feeder school side have had a fine year, with eight teams representing the school, six of whom reached finals, and four of those sides taking title honours in boys and girls GAA codes, including the Cumann na mBunscol crown

FastSport Ipswich Town continue Shels’ Festival of Football Mick McCarthy’s Championship representatives Ipswich Town are the latest side to take part in the Macron Festival Of Football running through July at Shelbourne’s Tolka Park.

The second match in the four game series takes place this Saturday, July 6 at 5pm, to be followed later in the month with games against SPL side Aberdeen on Saturday, July 20 at 3pm and a Leeds United XI on Monday, July 29 at 7.45pm.

Tickets for each game cost €10 for adults, €7 for students and €5 for children and OAPs, and are available from tickets.ie or from Tolka Park on 01 837 5536.-

Athletics fans from all over the city will be converging on Morton Stadium in Santry on Wednesday, July 17 for the 2013 Morton Games, which promises to be a cavalcade of international track and field, and include the classic Morton Mile and a Ladies Mile in a total of 26 events.

Fifteen London 2012 Olympians participated in last year’s event, and this year’s event will be another celebration of the sport.

Last year, the 2012 Morton Mile was won by the USA’s Will Leer in 3.56.39. A total of 10 athletes broke the fourminute barrier in a thrilling finish which had the crowd on their feet and was too close for the TV commentators to call.

The ladies’ mile saw Nicole Schappert of the USA set a new stadium record for the distance, coming home first in a time of 4.30.69.

Confirmed for the 2013 Morton Mile are regular visitors to Santry, Americans Jack Bolas and Craig

Bringing big smiles Graeme McDowell chips in at Our Lady’s Crumlin golf star Graeme McDowell took time

out before the Irish Open to make children feel way above par when he visited the Cardiac Unit at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, where he met Holly and Carol Gorey.

His recent visit allowed him to see the building changes that will transform children’s time in hospital if the urgent Fix Crumlin Appeal reaches its fundraising goal.

McDowell’s G-Mac Foundation donated a further $200,000 to the rebuild campaign.

Miller will be appearing in their fourth Morton Mile.

They will be joined by Paul Robinson (St Coca’s) and recently confirmed Riley Master (USA).

Ireland’s two-time European Cross Country Champion and European 3000m indoor bronze medallist in the ladies event, confirmed for the Mile, is Fionnuala Britton. She will lead a strong home charge against Laura Crowe and Kerry Harty while Scot Lennie Waite will look to take the title though US athletes Brie Felnagle and Debo-

rah Maier will have a say in matters.

Brian Gregan, fresh from victory in the European Team Championship 1st League 400m with Irish team mates Ailis McSweeney, Amy Foster, Shauna Cannon, Kelly Proper, Jason Harvey, Anto Lieghio and Eoin Everard will all be in action for the build up to the main event, The Morton Mile.

The event website www.mortongames.ie will provide regular news updates and tickets for the 2013 Morton Games.

4 July 2012 MALAHIDE Gazette 29

Gazette

Creating ability and strengthening ties

FastSport

St Peregrine’s GAA club’s athletic development programme St Matthew’s movie now aims to set up players with a base ability that will last them a lifetime, according to games promotions officer Gordon Ward available to view online

 rob heigh

sport@gazettegroup.com

A windy and grey afternoon at St Peregrine’s GA A club saw their Under-16s go through an extensive training programme.

To the untrained eye, it may look like a fairly routine process, but underlining the session is a strong commitment to the ongoing athletic development of their young players, a commitment that starts at a very young age level at the club.

The session is being run by St Peregrine’s games promotions officer Gordon Ward, whose background and study of physical fitness and development at Setanta College have informed a programme at the club that has positive implications for their young

players, and the club as a whole.

“The two big things we concentrate on in Peregrine’s is retaining players in the club and their ongoing improvement in fitness. With athletic development, the children do not tend to get injured as much, and the skills they are being asked to perform in the sport, if their physical literacy is fluent, are not going to result in injuries.

“Athletic development begins at a young age with children at the club, so they have history with it when they come to a stage, around 14 or 15, when they can begin strength work in the gym,” said Gordon.

“It’s something that is ongoing, starting with children in the nursery, from four years of age, right up to 16 years old. It’s

a progressive programme that has been running for around four years now.”

Gordon says that the programmes that he has helped to introduce are part of an ethos that runs through the sport in the capital.

“The Dublin County Board would be very encouraging in terms of physical conditioning and for GPOs to start programmes in their various clubs. As part of my studies, I’ve had to develop programmes, and encouraged the club to adopt those programmes.

“I could definitely see other clubs picking up on this type of programme. If a parent sees their child getting this kind of care and attention, it is only going to encourage more children into sport, not only the club.”

There is also a wider

thinking behind the athletic development programme.

“At a younger age, children are not as active as they used to be. PE programmes in schools are limited. A child lunging or squatting or having lateral movement is not a given any more, and those

there was some opposition, but with some education and presentation to the parents and players, they bought into the idea, and they love it.

“It definitely improves the players’ performance - I’m not saying that they will play for Dublin, but they will enjoy their sport

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

‘They may not play for Dublin, but they will enjoy their sport more’ - Gordon Ward

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

movements and skills need to be taught before they can get out on the pitch to play a game. “ The athletic development programme was not immediately accepted at the club, but Gordon has seen a buy-in to his way of thinking, which has beneficial effects.

“Definitely at the start

The St Peregrine’s players in action in their training session, and, inset, GPO Gordon Ward

more because they will not pick up so many injuries. The kind of injuries that occur, like hamstring and groin injuries, can cost up to €500 to deal with, and most players will end up paying for that themselves.”

There is also a positive impact beyond the GAA, according to Gordon.

“There is a big crossover here. The kind of skills we teach in athletic development are generic - so if you play rugby or basketball or tennis, the skills are applicable there, too.

Though we would love them to stay in GAA! “If you can get a child active at four or five, that makes a difference, and the chances of them staying involved in the club remain very high. As they get older, those starting the sport are few and far between. There is a level here for everyone, and for everyone to remain involved.”

After proving a knockout with a packed audience at the Fingal Film Festival earlier this year, Boxing Clever, a documentary about St Matthews boxing club has now been released to pay per view, with the proceeds going toward the building of a ladies’ changing room at the club.

The club is currently restricted from offering membership to the growing number of women interested in the sport as they have no facilities for them.

The documentary shows the positive impact the club has had on Ballyfermot since it opened its doors in 1979 and how the club continues to prove an asset to the local and wider community.

Steven Murray, the award winning screen writer and director of the documentary, believes the story of the men behind the boxing club, past and present, is inspirational, and the film was described by Dave Byrne of the Fingal Film Festival as: “A great watch, insightful, funny and compelling.”

The film can be seen if you go to the club website www.stmatthewsboxingclub.com and click the Boxing Clever documentary link.

Dun Laoghaire set to host 2013 regatta event Watersports lovers from all over Dublin are gearing up to attend the 2013 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta which runs this year on Dublin Bay from Thursday, July 11 to Sunday, July 14.

350 boats, including 112 visiting boats, across 25 classes and 2,500 sailors will compete in the biennial regatta event that is a celebration of sailing in the city and internationally.

In addition to the events on the water, the organisers and Dun Laoghaire town’s waterfront yacht clubs have put together an on shore programme combining the excitement of world class sailing, great food, and entertainment for all sailors, visiting and local, their families and friends and members, which can be downloaded from dlregatta.org/sandbox/ DownLoads/414.pdf For more information, log on to www. dlregatta.org/2013 and www.facebook. com/dlregatta

Gazette

30 malahide Gazette 4 July 2013

SPORT

FastSport

golf: local goes from leaving cert to carton house

Local quartet help Jackies to Leinster final place Naomh Mearnog’s Cliodhna O’Connor and Denise Masterson along with St Sylvester’s Sinead Aherne and Niamh McEvoy were key parts of the Dublin ladies football set up last weekend when the Jackies eased into the Leinster final with a comfortable victory against Kildare at Naomh Mearnog’s ground at Portmarnock.

In a close opening quarter, scores were levelled before Dublin went ahead with a brace from Lyndsey Davey, pictured above, and one score courtesy of Noelle Healy.

Dublin then secured a further beachhead when Sinead Goldrick scoring the first goal of the day, and Davey wasted no time in bringing up Dublin’s second goal straight after, further widening the gap between the two sides before half-time.

Kildare came back strongly at the start of the second half with the wind at their backs, but were repelled by a strong Dublin back line and the efforts of keeper O’Connor, who combined to keep the comeback at bay.

A barrage of points from the Dublin forwards propelled the home side closer to victory, but the closer came when a goal from Hyland extended the lead beyond Kildare.

Report: Sinead Farrelly, Picture: GAApics.com

Shoebridge in vice-captain role for Ireland MALAHIDE cricket club’s Cameron Shoebridge will be the Irish vice-captain at the ICC European Under-15 Championships next month following the announcement of the side’s 13-player panel.

Ireland take part in the five team tournament along with defending champions The Netherlands,

Scotland, Jersey and Guernsey. The competition is being held from August 13-18 at Rugby in England.

Clontarf have three representatives in the squad with the Delany brothers Andrew and David inlcuded and the free scoring Colin Currie. Fast-bowler Rory Anders is joined by his Phoenix colleague Ben White. In total there are ten players from the Leinster region, with Shoebridge assuming the vicecaptaincy mantle.

The Island Golf Club’s Gavin Moynihan missed the cut by only one shot at the Irish Open

Moynihan makes Open debut  stephen findlater sport@gazettegroup.com

THE Island’s Gavin Moynihan showed he has plenty of talent for future challenges after he put in an assured pair of rounds at the Irish Open on debut on the European Tour.

T he Malahide CS student had only just finished his Leaving Certificate a week earlier but his credentials as a rising star had already been bolstered by his victory at the Irish Amateur Open in 2012 while he followed up with a runners-up

place in the same event this year.

Due to his exams, his competitive golf had been reined in a little but he nonetheless produced some strong work at Carton House last week when many of the game’s big names faltered.

Moynihan ended up tied on one over after his two rounds along with a glittering list of Irish stars including major winners Graeme McDowell and Padraig Harrington while also finishing a shot ahead of Rory McIlroy.

After beginning the

brennan boost Dublin star becomes ambassador for SEAT DUBLIN centre-back Ger Brennan, picked up the keys to his all new SEAT Leon from Michael Barrable Motors in Swords on Tuesday.

Michael Barrable of Michael Barrable Motors said: “We are very proud to have Ger as a brand ambassador. He is one of the county’s greatest sports stars and we look forward to working with him throughout the year. We hope he enjoys driving the stylish new SEAT Leon, which is a very important car for us.”

competition with three straight pars, his sole blip on the opening nine holes was a double bogey seven at the fourth that saw him turn at two over. A further dropped shot at 11 threatened to scupper a reasonably consistent round, but he landed a pair of birdies at the p a r- t h r e e 1 2 t h a n d 17th as well as earning another shot back on the 18th to end day one on one over.

Assured And he showed a similarly assured hand on Friday to both go

out and come home in 36 with three birdies and three bogeys pockmarking his card.

It left him one shot outside the cut line in the final reckoning but the finish to his round on the 18th was greeted by a healthy reception from the grandstand w i t h m a ny s t ay i n g around for the four groups after the marquee trio of McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Thomas Bjorn.

One over was not enough to see Moynihan make the cut but did see him end in a share of the top ama-

teur slot with Kevin Phelan.

Englishman Paul Casey was the overall winner last Sunday when he finished with a five under par 67 in strong wind, heavy rain and finally sunshine to finish 14 under for the week.

That was three better than overnight leader Joost Luiten, who went round in 74, and England’s Rober t Rock – whose 71 saw him finish as a runner-up for the second time in this event after he was beaten in a play-off by Shane Lowry in 2009.

4 July 2013 malahide Gazette 31

Gazette

St Sylvester’s keep up promotion hopes  sport@gazettegroup.com

ST SYLVESTER’S kept up their promotion hopes from AFL division three with a 3-6 to 1-11 win over St Vincent’s last Sunday morning to add to a midweek draw against high-flying Clontarf.

With the wind wholly in Syl’s favour in the

first half, they set about building a first half lead with Phily Daly striking two quick goals.

They were to dominate the remainder of the half but a combination of wasteful shot selection and poor finishing meant that they could not extend their lead beyond five points at the break.

S t V i n c e n t ’s d u l y fought back and when they converted a penalty midway through the half, they had managed to overhaul the lead.

But St Sylvester ’s showed immense character to turn the tide with the elements working against them. About a minute after conceding that penalty, Ciaran

Roche got himself on the end of a great passing move and coolly slotted home his side’s third goal.

He quickly topped this up with two points to put Syl’s just ahead and record a sixth win of the season, one which keeps them in fourth place after nine rounds of matches this term.

football: saints fail to build on good opening

Club Noticeboard st sylvester’s What a great weekend for the Dub’s

Another must see game is the

with both the senior football and

minor football te am t aking on

hurling teams qualifying for the

neighbours Naomh Mearnog across

Leinster finals. Please come out

the fence on Sunday morning.

and support the hurlers next week

The ball wall is progressing nicely.

after their historic victory over

Please support the Buy A Brick fun-

Kilkenny.

draiser to help with development of

Our senior football team are busy

playing facilities in Broomfield.

this week hosting Kilmacud Crokes

Please note all fixtures are sub-

in the league on Monday and Ball-

ject to change, so check the full

mun Kickhams in the final of the

details on the website, www.stsyl-

Vincent De Paul Cup on Saturday.

vesters.ie

Naomh Mearnog IT WAS a great week for our football-

hosted at the club. Well done to Cli-

ers saw our senior’s defeat St Pat’s

odhna, Denise and the entire squad.

and Trinity Gaels while our AFL5 team defeated Naomh Barrog.

It was great to see many of our minor team in action with the AFL 5 team. Well done to all concerned.

Our senior hurlers are away to Ballinteer on Saturday evening in a vital league game at 6pm. Please support.

Congratulations to the Dublin hurlers on reaching the Leinster final. It

Our very popular summer camps begin this week. Contact Paddy Gorey for details.

Our senior hurlers enjoyed a mountain bike trip on Saturday.

Thank you to Patrick Reale who helped organise the event.

All members and friends are invited to join us for breakfast next Saturday morning and then watch the Lions in the deciding test.

was great to have them train at the

Our Scor reunion was a great suc-

club on Sunday morning. Good luck to

cess on Saturday night. Thank you to

them next Sunday against Galway.

Tim, Neasa and Tony for organising

Well done to Shane, Kevin and

the event.

the Dubs who also reached the

There are still a few people who

final. Tickets for this game must be

have not paid their membership

Sylvester’s pipped to points by Crokes

ordered immediately.

fees. Would those concerned please

afl division 1

St Sylvester’s Ronan Walsh in action at Broomfield against Kilmacud Crokes

St Sylvester’s 1-10 Kilmacud Crokes 2-8  stephen findlater sport@gazettegroup.com

K ILMACUD Crokes moved into a share of the lead at the top of AFL1 last Monday night as they picked off a narrow 2-8 to 1-10 victory over playoff rivals St Sylvester’s in Broomfield.

They managed the result by virtue of a robust defensive effort in the second half, dropping extra men deep to deny a speedy Syl’s forward line while they expertly picked off their points

when raiding forward.

Shane Horan ultimately provided the killer point five minutes from time, capping a good evening for the half-forward in a game in which both teams had to make a number of changes to their ideal line-up.

The Malahide club had got off to a flyer as Conor Daly’s excellent tenth minute goal helped them build a 1-3 to 0-1 lead, out-stripping his marker before lashing home with the outside of his boot from the right of goal.

Despite some immense Pat Duggan catches in midfield, Gary Sweeney

and Ciaran McArdle were running the show during this stage as Crokes were living off scraps. But Horan did pounce on a rebound off the post to net in the 11th minute to rein in the gap.

Syl’s once again built up a four-point lead only for Crokes to make it a one-point game at the break – 1-8 to 2-4 – when David Higgins’ clever inside ball was turned into the net by Stephen Williams.

The second half was much less free-flowing with a spate of niggly fouls. It took a while but Crokes eventually pre-

vailed as they squeezed the life out of the host’s hand-passing game, often seeing them move the ball sideways and leading to plenty of altercations and much frustration with the referee The Malahide men were limited to just two second half points which came 23 minutes apart.

At the other end, Mark Higgins and Declan Kelleher tacked on points before Horan won the game with a fine score with five minutes to go and saw Crokes join St Brigid’s and St Oliver Plunkett’s/Eoghan Ruadh on 14 points.

Dublin reached a third Leinster

contact club registrar Harry Gibson

final this weekend when the Jack-

immediately to discuss the situa-

ies defeated Kildare. This game was

tion.

Fingallians The adult footballers had a great week

Our Cuinne na Gaeilge Irish conver-

with championship wins for both jun-

sation group will be continuing over the

ior teams and our senior football-

summer every Wednesday at 9pm in

ers beating St Finian’s in the Swords

the clubhouse. The group welcome all

derby.

levels including beginners. Completely

Our first summer football camp will start next week, from July 8 at 10am.

free and fun. Contact Liam O Culbaird at 086 3814422 for further details.

Applications can be left at the bar each

A big thank-you to Ballinasloe in Gal-

evening, or please contact Nicola.fit-

way who played host to our U-11 squad

zgerald.gpo.dublin@gaa.ie for further

over the weekend.

information.

Fingallians Athletic Club throwing

A review of the juvenile/senior hurl-

sensations Anne Marie Torsney and

ing initiative is rescheduled for Friday

Fiona Tuite qualified to represent Ire-

July 5, at 8.30pm on the main pitch.

land at the weekend in the upcoming

Willie Coogan will be running through

Celtic Games on August 2. Fiona also

a number of hurling drills with men-

qualified for the World Youth Champi-

tors and senior volunteers. A handout

onships in Donetsk, Ukraine from July

of drills will be made available on the

10 to 14.

night. All hurling and camogie mentors are encouraged to attend.

The Fingal 10K will take place again in Swords on Sunday, July 21 at 10am.

The club golf classic will take on the

You can view the route at the following

July 5 in Balbriggan. The time sheet is

link (as there will be traffic disruption

close to full with three tee slots still

on the day) or sign up to run or walk:

available. Please contact the club bar

dublinmarathon.ie/race-series/fin-

if you wish to take part.

gal-10k/

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

open debut: Local golfer Moynihan delivers assured pair of rounds in Carton House contest P30

july 4, 2013

athletic revolution St Peregrine’s plan a fitter future for all members P29

Malahide Tennis Club’s victorious men’s team: James Cluskey, Simon Harkin, Maurice Kenny, Niall Baragwanath, Darragh Rowan, Stephen Nugent and Colin O’Brien

Malahide take Dublin title O’Brien and Cluskey aid cause as lawn tennis club claim second title in three years at Donnybrook in thrilling end to Summer League contest

 stephen findlater

sport@gazettegroup.com

MALAHIDE LTC completed the perfect season last weekend at the Dublin Lawn Tennis Council’s Summer League Premier final when they swept past Donnybrook in the final in Templeogue.

While just their third title in 130 years, it was Malahide’s second win in the past three years, as they benefited from the superb skills of Colin O’Brien and James Cluskey, while former Davis Cup player Stephen Nugent completed the win in emotional fashion.

Having topped the initial six-team group phase of the competition with a perfect record, Malahide qualified for the final in fine fettle, hoping to repeat their defeat of Donnybrook in the regular season.

All five rubbers – three singles ties and two doubles – started at the same time, but Malahie got off to a flyer as Colin O’Brien showed some of the form that landed him the Irish Indoor Open title at the turn of the year.

He sped to a 6-1, 6-1 win over Brendan Dempsey, while Cluskey followed soon after with a 6-4, 6-2 scoreline against Dave Gardiner.

It led to an incredible situation in which two match points were played out almost simultaneously to get over the winning line.

Doubles pair Simon Harkin and Darragh Rowan were a set and 6-5 up but missed their first match point, allowing Nugent to land his moments later, seeing off Osgar O’Hoisin, starting the celebrations in earnest as they reached an unassailable 3-0 lead.

For the record, Maurice Kenny and Niall

Baraghwanath were also in good shape in their third set with a break in their favour.

For club captain Alan Buckley, it was another top accolade which he is delighted to have landed in such emphatic style. The DLTC is traditionally, by some margin, the strongest region in the country, making this akin to an All-Ireland victory.

Indeed, the club was the only one to have three sides in finals last weekend, with their class five and six sides also contesting for silverware.

Speaking about the impact of the team’s players, Buckley said O’Brien was an incredible figurehead.

“He is born and bred, dyed in the wool Malahide. He’s been a member since he was a child, while his father Frank works in the office. He can be terrifying at this level. He

certainly didn’t lose a set in the competition and I don’t think anybody got more than two games in a set out of him.

“It’s phenomenal from a guy who has been out for 18 months injured and working his way back.”

Cluskey combined his performances for the club with playing on the international circuit and Buckley says that his commitment showed what this competition meant for the players.

“He actually flew himself back from Spain to play in the Premier final. When you consider they are professional athletes and yet they are willing to come back, they are showing a huge amount of dedication to come back and play for free. He loves the idea of playing for a club and is anxious to come back next year.”