ALSOINSIDE: INSIDE: Euphoria at gold medal win for euphonium player P3 SEE BEAUTY: P15. May 12, 2011 Rugby: Football: Clon RFC hail successful 2010/11 season Round Towers hold on for SFC round two win See story on Page 2; full gallery on Pages 8-9 anti-social behaviour issues in parks. The bye-laws, which will be brought to public consul- tation later this month, will give Gardai powers to enter parks and seize quad bikes and scramblers being used in council parks. The move to tackle the
YOUR COMMUNITY • YOUR PAPER May 12, 2011 Football: Round Towers hold on for SFC round two win Page 31 Rugby: Clon RFC hail successful 2010/11 season Page 32 RECYCLE THIS COPY. KEEP DUBLIN TIDY. INSIDE: Euphoria at gold medal win for euphonium player P3 HEALTH: Minister Fitzgerald helps launch a mental health initiative P7 New park bye-laws tackle quad bikers Council plans new gardai powers on bikes, scramblers PAUL HOSFORD SOUTH Dublin County Council has vowed to crack down on the scourge of quad bikes and scramblers in local parks. The council this week said that it plans to bring in new bye-laws to tackle ongoing anti-social behaviour issues in parks. The bye-laws, which will be brought to public consul- tation later this month, will give Gardai powers to enter parks and seize quad bikes and scramblers being used in council parks. The move to tackle the problem was welcomed by local Fine Gael council- lor Emer Higgins, who said: “There are ongoing anti- social issues in parks and open spaces throughout the county, and these new pro- posals are aimed at tackling these issues to make our parks safer.” A credit to their school: Students open own ‘bank’ DENISE McNamee, business teacher, Collinstown Park Com- munity College, joined students – and “staff members” – to official- ly launch the school’s new credit union, believed to be the second such initiative in the country. Run in association with Row- lagh Credit Union, these students are running their financial facility to enable students to save money in an easy manner while in the school, and foster an interest in regular saving. See story on Page 2; full gallery on Pages 8-9 FREE GAZETTE GAZETTE Clondalkin ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES ......................8 MOTORS ........................ 18 BUSINESS .................... 21 TRAVEL......................... 22 ENTERTAINMENT ........ 24 CLASSIFIEDS ............... 26 ‘Relaxation rooms work wonders at modern spas’ SEE BEAUTY: P15.
Transcript
YOUR COMMUNITY • YOUR PAPER May 12, 2011
Football: Round Towers hold on for SFC round two winPage 31
HEALTH: Minister Fitzgerald helps launch a mental health initiative P7
New park bye-laws tackle quad bikersCouncil plans new gardai powers on bikes, scramblers
PAUL HOSFORD
SOUTH Dublin County Council has vowed to crack down on the scourge of quad bikes and scramblers in local parks.
The council this week said that it plans to bring in new bye-laws to tackle ongoing
anti-social behaviour issues in parks.
The bye-laws, which will be brought to public consul-tation later this month, will give Gardai powers to enter parks and seize quad bikes and scramblers being used in council parks.
The move to tackle the
problem was welcomed by local Fine Gael council-lor Emer Higgins, who said: “There are ongoing anti-social issues in parks and open spaces throughout the county, and these new pro-posals are aimed at tackling these issues to make our parks safer.”
A credit to their school: Students open own ‘bank’DENISE McNamee, business teacher, Collinstown Park Com-munity College, joined students – and “staff members” – to official-ly launch the school’s new credit union, believed to be the second such initiative in the country.
Run in association with Row-lagh Credit Union, these students are running their financial facility to enable students to save money in an easy manner while in the school, and foster an interest in regular saving.See story on Page 2; full gallery on Pages 8-9
SOUTH Dublin County Council (SDCC) has confirmed that the terms of the deal to privatise waste collection in the county are confidential.
The council sold off its waste collection services to Greyhound Waste and Recycling last month, and, since then, has dealt with a number of ques-tions from local repre-sentatives regarding the particulars of the sale.
The issue arose under two headings this week at the SDCC meeting, with both councillors Breda Bonner (Labour) and Maire Devine (Sinn
Fein) raising the issue under separate ques-tions.
Cllr Bonner asked “the manager for an account of the deal between South Dublin County Council and Greyhound Waste, which resulted in the recent privatisation of the bin service”.
She asked specifically for the price paid by Greyhound, what exact-ly is included for that price, what commitment has been made by Grey-hound in relation to the waiver scheme, and what commitment has been made by Greyhound in relation to maintaining a free Green bin service.
However, the council
COUNCIL SDCC says terms cannot legally be revealed, but best tender acted on
could not comment on large parts of her que-ries.
In response, a council reply said: “In relation to the consideration for the sale of the service, the detailed financial terms of the sale are legally confidential.
“However, the price paid by Greyhound was the highest of the bids received, and is com-parable with other suc-cessful disposals of large waste collection busi-nesses by our colleagues in other local authori-ties.
“The final sum – including savings accru-ing to the council arising from the sale – will be available when all con-tractual obligations are resolved, and following a customer numbers verifi-cation process.
“Replies [to other,
related parts of Cllr Bon-ner’s questions] are not, therefore, available at the present time,” said the council.
In relation to waivers and the green bin serv-ice, SDCC confirmed the retention of waivers for a 12-month period, along with the green bin serv-ices staying the same.
“As part of the bidding process, the council sought, and received, a commitment that waiv-ers would remain in place for a 12-month period following the sale.
“Existing waiver cus-tomers will, therefore, receive the same benefit for that period.
“There were no out-standing applications when the sale was com-pleted, and the total number of waiver cus-tomers in the county is 18,884.
“The green bin serv-ice, formerly offered by the council, is a key part of the service now being offered by Greyhound.
“It is a requirement of the waste bye-laws for this county, and, therefore, of the waste collection permits for all domestic waste pro-viders, that a green bin service be provided to customers as part of any domestic waste collec-tion service,” said the council.
THE students of Col-linstown Park Commu-nity College officially launched their school’s credit union last week.
The facility, which is run in association with Rowlagh Credit Union, offers students the chance to save money in an easy manner while they’re in the school.
The schoolchildren involved received exten-sive training from Anne Ford, of Inchicore Credit Union, as well as Marga-ret Ryan, from the edu-cation committee of the Irish League of Credit
Unions’ Chapter 25.Denise McNamee,
business teacher in the school, has put in many hours organising the facility, highlighting the community ethos and volunteering spirit at the heart of the Credit Union as a movement.
“As far as we know, we are the second school credit union in the coun-try,” says Denise.
At the event in the school, the work of the credit union was outlined to those in attendance, which included the direc-tors of Rowlagh Credit Union.
The event was com-pered by Warren Davis,
who called on a number of speakers to give an overview of the various branches of the organisa-tion.
Carly Ward, chairper-son of the board of direc-tors of the credit union, spoke of the workings of the board and her respon-sibilities as chair.
MembershipSarah Obafemi, of the
membership committee, then outlined the work that goes into getting peo-ple joined up and into the membership of the credit union.
Orla Garland, of the tellers, then outlined the skills that they had
learned, in terms of han-dling cash, recording totals and updating mem-bers’ books.
Laura Keeler then took the audience through the work that goes into marketing and creating awareness of the enter-prise within the school.
Ashley Kelly, of the supervisory committee, then thanked all those who made the credit union movement within the school possible, pre-senting bouquets to both Anne Ford and volunteer, Esther Jacobs, who comes in every second week to help the staff.
Anne spoke of the immense hard work that
goes into running the students’ credit union, saying that it is “nothing philosophical; it’s just a very simple idea to put the idea of saving, the idea of credit unions into students’ heads”.
“I’m reminded of the athlete, Jesse Owens, who won four gold med-als at the 1936 Olympic Games.
“When he was asked how he did it, he said it was: ‘Commitment, hard work and doing what I love’, and what I can see every time I come up to Collinstown Park is that spirit,” she said.
Gallery on Pages 8-9
Denise McNamee, business teacher, with Collinstown Park Community College’s “staff” of the school’s new credit union for students
Give credit to school idea
12 May 2011 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 3
THE Quinlan’s Black Lion Clondalkin annual cycle races take place on May 22 and May 29.
The cycle race is to help raise funds for Irish Autism Action, and is organised by Niall Kelly, from Quinlan’s.
Entry for one or both races is €25, which goes to Irish Autism Action. Sponsorship cards will be issued on registration.
There will be training sessions held every Sun-day from now until the event, starting at 10am outside Quinlan’s.
The first race will see riders set out on a 70km cycle from Quinlan’s to Blessington and back, cir-cling Blessington Lake.
The main race will be from the Round Tower in Clondalkin to the Round Tower in Glendalough on May 29.
For further information, contact Niall Kelly at 086 806 0433.
A MOYLE Park College student was celebrating recently, having claimed a gold medal at the ESB Electric Ireland Feis Ceoil festival.
Adam McGrath, who is due to sit his Junior Cert in the school next month, is a 15-year-old eupho-nium player who plays in Clondalkin Youth Band.
At the Feis, he was awarded the gold medal for his skill with the instrument, which is a brass instrument similar in look to a tuba, though it has a higher pitch, and a somewhat mellower sound.
Despite being young enough to compete in the junior ranks, Adam took to the stage in the
senior grading, coming away as the overall win-ner, delighting Vincent Dolan, who leads the Clondalkin Youth Band.
“It’s a magnificent achievement, especially for somebody so young.
“It’s rare that at his age you would reach such a level of ability.
“The Feis had him competing against musi-cians of all ages and experiences,” he said.
As for what got Adam to this point, Vincent is certain that his innate ability is the key factor.
“He has fantastic tech-nical ability, which has gotten him through. He is a very talented musi-cian who has performed for the President of Ire-land,” he said.
Adam, who is also a talented basketball player, was part of the Clondalkin Youth Band which was recently crowned 2011 Parade Champion at the interna-tional band parade and competition in Limerick, making this an excep-tionally successful spell for the youngster.
The ability of the play-ers in the band is some-thing Vincent takes great pride in.
“It raises the profile of the band, and it shows the strong ethos of musi-cal education and accom-plishment that we have.”
‘The gold medal is a magnificent achievement for Adam’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Vincent Dolan, who leads the Clondalkin Youth Band, congratulates euphonium
player Adam McGrath on his impressive gold medal win at the ESB Electric Ireland
Feis Ceoil festival, adding to the notable skills of the band’s members
4 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 12 May 2011
Live Register falls by 0.1%
JOBLESS: NEW FIGURES
PAUL HOSFORD
IN keeping with the national news that the Live Register had dropped for the month of April, the signing-on office in Clondalkin experienced a small decline.
Nationwide, the 0.1% decline in unemployment was attributed to a slight decrease in the number of people signing on the Live Register.
The nationwide picture for the year to April 2010 saw an additional 50,781 people join the register.
Cont ra r y to the national picture, how-ever, Clondalkin’s yearly figure has dropped in the last year. In March 2010, 10,058 people were listed as on the Live Register, with this month’s 9,884 marking a decline on 12 months ago.
In February, however, the figure was at 9,771.
November 2010 marked a yearly low for the Live
Register at the Clondalkin office, when 9,544 people signed on.
Since then, every month has seen a rise in the num-bers in Clondalkin, with April marking some res-pite for that figure. Strik-ingly, the burden on the rises is evenly borne by both sexes and all ages, with relative rises similar across gender and genera-tion ages.
The Live Register is not designed to meas-ure unemployment as it includes part-time work-ers, seasonal and casual workers entitled to Job-seekers Benefit or Allow-ance.
Unemployment is measured by the Quar-terly National Household Survey, the latest of which shows that the unemploy-ment rate was 14.7 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2010, with the average unemployment rate dur-ing 2010 being 13.6 per cent.
SHOP LOCAL The Gazette examines the many
How supporting also supporting T
HE Gazette is never backward about coming forward when it comes to our sup-
port for the local commu-nity – in fact, it is the very essence of what we do.
By bringing together news, features, pictures and reports about local politics, sport, social events and enterprise, we do what we can to sup-port all of these areas.
role in our quality of life than one might imagine.
On a very basic level, the commercial rates that even the smallest of such local businesses pay, goes directly to our local coun-cil.
Without these rates, the quality of public ameni-ties, from parks and play-grounds to sports facilities and community groups, would simply not be of the standard we currently enjoy.
Taking this train of thought a little further - by keeping one local business open when we shop local, we are sup-porting local jobs for local people.
On top of this, every local business, and their employees, will naturally tend to support their
neighbouring businesses – be it by buying a sand-wich, renting a DVD, getting their dry clean-ing done, or filling a pre-scription – the hustle and
bustle that goes hand in hand with local business is mutually beneficial.
Greenogue, along with its neighbouring indus-trial estated, is a vibrant hub of business, with a vast array of local, home-grown businesses running in the area.
Even at a time when money is scarce, there is a plethora of local busi-nesses for residents to get behind.
Thyes Kavanagh, chair-man of the Clondalkin Chamber of Commerce, says that the Chamber hopes that jobs can be preserved and business can grow if people can be convinced to Shop Local.
“In these difficult times, Clondalkin Chamber of Commerce is calling on people to Shop Local.
“Please support local business, not only do they offer great value for
Support is the key to a thriving local community, and every member of the public can contribute to this support.
Simply put, shopping locally benefits the local area.
By shopping locally, without any of the expedi-tion involved in travelling across the city, we can sup-port local business, enter-prise and industry, all of which play a far greater
12 May 2011 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 5
benefits of spending what we can a little closer to home
our local economy is our local community
money but also a personal service. These businesses employ a large number of local people, both full and part-time, and need your
support.“Clondalkin Cham-
ber of Commerce is at present working on their own campaign to pro-
mote local business and are also updating their website.
“We would like to thank the Gazette for their Shop
Local feature and hope that shoppers will support the advertisers within the supplement,” Mr Kavan-agh said.
6 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 12 May 2011
SOUTH Dublin County Council (SDCC) has no say in lowering noise levels along Palmerston Avenue.
Local Independent councillor Gus O’Connell had asked the Lucan Area Committee to “ini-tiate the process for the erection of a suitable and robust sound barrier to the rear of Palmerstown Avenue, where it bounds the N4, in lieu of unful-filled promises in the 1980s to provide a wall along this section of the busy traffic artery”.
Cllr O’Connell said that the sets of traffic lights on either end of the road made the problems worse.
“The residential area in question that suffers the anomaly is located between two sets of traf-fic lights, at the Oval and Kennelsfort Road, which exacerbates traffic noise,” he said.
“In addition, the former barriers or fences have totally deteriorated, and the present ‘shrubbery’ is no deterrent to those bent
on anti-social behaviour,” said Cllr O’Connell.
In response, SDCC said that the issue was one for the National Roads Authority (NRA), and that regulations don’t exist to enforce the idea.
“This is a national pri-mary route, and responsi-bility for the maintenance and upkeep of this route lies with the National Roads Authority. The council undertakes these works on their behalf, on receipt of funding.
“The council has no resources to carry out any such works [inde-pendently].
“As there are no traffic noise regulations in force in this country, there is no process whereby ret-ro-fitting noise barriers to such roads puts an obli-gation on the council.
“T he NR A have already indicated that they have no plans for the installation of such noise mitigation.
“If the motion is passed, the matter will again be taken up with the NRA,” said the council.
THE waiting lists for social housing in Clondalkin have become “chronic”, Sinn Fein councillor Matt McDonagh has said.
Speaking at the recent Clondalkin Area Com-mittee meeting, a number of questions were raised in connection with the issue, which has been a mainstay of council busi-ness for many months.
Fine Gael councillor Therese Ridge asked “that a report be presented outlining the numbers of housing units available to applicants on our waiting lists in the Clondalkin electoral area” with a specific focus on the new schemes brought on by South Dublin County Council (SDCC).
The council’s figures showed that the new ini-tiatives had brought on nine units, with more on
the way.In response, SDCC
said: “To date, under the Social Housing Leasing Initiative, nine proper-ties in the Clondalkin electoral area have been procured under agreed lease arrangements from private property owners, and made available for tenanting to persons on the Social Housing wait-ing lists.
“A further 14 properties
in this area are currently being processed under lease arrangements, and will be made available for tenanting to housing applicants, on completion of lease agreements.
“At present, there are currently 17 council stock dwellings avail-able for allocation in the Clondalkin electoral area. Tenants have been identi-fied for seven of these dwellings. Tenants will
shortly be sourced for the remaining 10 dwellings,” said the council.
SDCC also said that it has recently been informed of two new housing policies by the Department of Local Government.
“These policies relate to the Housing Needs Assessment, and the Allo-cations Scheme.
“The Housing Needs Assessment relates to the criteria and eligibility of new applicants, and the Allocation Scheme is, essentially, a new scheme of letting priorities that has to be adopted by the council.
“The council, at its last meeting, agreed to arrange for an advisory committee of the council to be set up, to include members of each political grouping in the Chamber to exam-ine the new allocations scheme, in line with the directive of the Depart-
ment of the Environment, Heritage and Local Gov-ernment (DOEHLG),” said SDCC.
“It was agreed as the correct approach, hav-ing regard to the tight timeframe available to the council, as the new scheme has to be adopted by June 13 – the date of the June council meeting.
“The Housing Depart-ment is currently work-ing on a draft scheme to present, using the cur-rent scheme of letting priorities as the base, and incorporating the neces-sary changes, as advised by the DOEHLG,” said the council.
The council also said that there are currently 5,251 applicants on the council housing lists who have expressed a prefer-ence for accommodation in the Clondalkin area, although the true need for units will be ascertained with the new schemes.
‘At present, there are 17 council stock dwellings available for allocation in the Clondalkin electoral area. Tenants have been identified for seven of these dwellings, and will shortly be sourced for the remaining 10 ...
‘The council said that there are currently 5,251 applicants on the council housing lists’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Brushing up
on a litter
league: IBAL
launch 2011
campaignWHILE the grown-ups talked behind him, Clondalkin lad Cillian Young O’Loughlin showed how happy he was to be helping to launch the 2011 Irish Business Against Lit-ter (IBAL) anti-litter league at the Merrion Hotel.
Behind him, the chairman of IBAL, Dr Tom Cavanagh, was discussing the workings of the litter league with the Minister for the Environment, Commu-nity and Local Govern-ment, Phil Hogan.
As part of this year’s nationwide league roll-out, IBAL is calling for an Adapt A Road scheme to be taken up, which could see local businesses being advertised at roads that they help to keep clean and litter-free.
12 May 2011 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 7
SOUTH Dublin County Council (SDCC) will pro-vide funding for 35 sum-mer projects this year, the council has revealed.
Labour councillor Eamon Tuffy asked this week for confirmation that such a scheme will operate this year.
SDCC said: “Summer projects traditionally provided the opportu-nity for children to avail of healthy activities and educational trips outside their areas, who might not normally do so.
“Now, more than ever, there is a need to provide such activities.
“The council has allo-cated funding from the community budget to provide for 35 projects across the county.
“Meetings have been held recently with project leaders to assist with the planning, administration and other arrangements in relation to events.”
Plans for summer projects
COUNCIL: FUNDING
HEALTH Fundraising for a vital, supportive service
THE Minister for Chil-dren, Frances Fitzgerald, was on hand to support efforts by the business community in Citywest to raise funds and aware-ness for the locally-based counselling service, The Beacon of Light.
The initiative was spearheaded by Ama-rach Research, and was launched last Friday in Citywest Business Cam-pus, with Minister Fit-zgerald happy to be on board, tackling the main barriers to seeking help.
“I was delighted to launch this fantastic initiative to help raise funds for The Beacon of Light counselling service, based locally in Clondalkin.
“Cost and stigma are the main barriers for people with mental
health issues who wish to seek help.
“As Minister for Chil-dren, I will continue my campaigning to help break down such stig-mas, both locally and nationally,” she said.
Minister Fitzgerald went on to say that the plan to raise funds for The Beacon of Light comes at a very impor-tant time.
“At a time when busi-nesses and families are struggling to make ends meet, this programme, co-ordinated by Ama-rach Research, is a very welcome initiative that shows the generosity of our business commu-nity.
“The programme aims to raise €50,000 this year for this local service, to help break down barriers for those seeking help.
“Any business inter-ested in becoming
involved in this initiative should contact Amarach Research in Citywest,” she said.
Survey results present-ed by Amarach Research at the event show that Irish people know some-one who has suffered from mental health vul-nerabilities over the past 12 months, with depres-sion (at 38%) the most widespread issue.
BereavementThis is followed by
bereavement (26%) , stress-related issues (21%), alcohol or drug addiction (15%), bully-ing (8%), and emotional abuse (7%).
However, the survey shows that only half of people affected with mental health problems (49%) in the last year have sought professional counselling – with those most exposed to the
economic downturn less likely than those in high-er social class groups to seek help.
Minister Fitzgerald said: “As a co-founder of the cross-party group on mental health, this is an issue that is of particular interest to me, and I am delighted to support this programme.”
The Beacon of Light service provides a pro-fessional counselling service to the people who need it in Clondalkin, and surrounding areas, at a cost appropriate to the circumstances of the individual or family.
They offer individual and child counselling, as well as functional family therapy, through a link with the Family First Team.
To make an appoint-ment, telephone 01 457 8700, or see www.bea-conoflight.com.
Launching the Beacon of Light initiative at Citywest Business Campus were Gerard O’Neill and Orla Murphy, Amarach Research; Tony Bates, Headstrong; Minister for
Children, Frances Fitzgerald; Michael McLoughlin, Amarach Research, and Sr Carmel, from Clondalkin
LOCALMATTERSS U P P O R T L O C A L B U S I N E S S
A D V E R T I S E W I T H T H E G A Z E T T E
C A L L 6 0 1 0 24 0
8 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 12 May 2011
SCHOOLS Students at Collinstown Park Community College
Saving facility is a credit to studentsA
S REPORTED on Page 2, credit is due to the enterprising staff and students of Collinstown Park
Community College, who have cre-ated their own credit union, thought to be the second such initiative in the country.
The financial facility, which is run
in association with Rowlagh Credit Union, offers students the chance to save money in an easy manner while they’re in the school, and should help to foster a greater appreciation of money, the importance of saving, and help focus the students on saving towards a more stable future.
The facility was officially launched with an informative presentation at the school, which saw several key figures present talks to the students explain-ing how the credit union works, what it could mean for them, and offering a great insight into the important new school facility.
Denise McNamee, business teacher, with Collinstown Park Community College’s students involved in its new credit union. Pictures: Peter Doyle
Lisa Currivan and Dannielle Courtney
Margaret Ryan, from the education committee of the
Irish League of Credit Unions’ Chapter 25Students listened attentively to a number of presentations on the new credit union facility at their school
12 May 2011 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 9
launch their own credit union, to help promote saving skills
Daniel Breen, Dylan Hillary and Dean Tuohy
Luke Ledwith and Lauren McEneff
Winnie Neary, Walter Doolan and John Paul Reilly
Orla Garland, Laura Keeler and Owen Brennan
Warren Davis; Anne Forde, Inchicore Credit Union; Ashley Kelly, director, Collinstown Park Community College
Credit Union, and Esther Draper, Rowlagh Credit Union
Jasmine Canning, Dylan Wall and Danielle Harcourt
Margaret Ryan, Irish League of Credit Unions’ Chapter 25; Anne Forde, Inchicore Credit Union; Danny O’Connor, Helen Mountaine and
Esther Draper, Rowlagh Credit Union
10 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 12 May 2011
www.gazette group.comwww.gazette group.comAll of your latest local news, sport, features and pictures are now just a click away
Green Flag for King’s Hospital
ENVIRONMENT Minister heaps praise on Palmerstown school
Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald (pictured inset), was on hand at King’s Hospital to congratulate the school’s students on winning a
Green Flag recently
MINISTER for Chil-dren, Frances Fitzger-ald, was on hand to help raise a Green Flag for the King’s Hospital School in Palmerstown last week.
The Minister, who was the guest of honour at the event, praised the pupils and staff for their hard work and enthu-siasm in bringing the award to the school.
The Green Schools project, known inter-nat ional ly as Eco -Schools, is an interna-tional environmental education programme, environmental manage-ment system and award scheme that promotes and acknowledges long-term, whole school action for the environ-ment.
It is promoted in Ire-land by An Taisce.
Min i s te r F i tzger-
ald praised the whole school approach taken by the King’s Hospital School.
“There was ample evidence that every stu-dent, teacher and visi-tor was involved in this project,” she said.
“The contribution and support of school man-agement was particular-ly critical in bringing the award to the school.
“At a wider level, this award can be seen as bringing about not just change for the school but change in the green-ing of Ireland.”
She also went on to point out the economic value of the work and outlined the project’s wider benefits.
“Recent research on the economic value of the Green Schools programme to schools in Ireland has revealed
that the programme has saved schools in Ire-land a minimum €2m in waste, electricity, water and fuel costs this year.
“The results reveal that a minimum of 12 tonnes of waste is diverted from land-fills in Ireland every
school day by schools undertaking the pro-gramme.
“As well as that, 3.7 million units of elec-tricity will be saved this year, 200 million litres of drinking water saved this year and around 500,000 litres of transport fuel saved this
year. “Because the pro-
gramme also involves the wider community, the overal l savings to the wider commu-nity could be several times the €2m saved by the schools involved,” said Minister Fitzger-ald.
“As the number of schools participating is growing every year subsequent years’ sav-ings are expected to be higher.”
Minis te r F i tzger-ald thanked science teacher, Mr Ciaran O’Connor, and head-master Mr Michael
Hall for their hard work on the project and commended the school for ensuring that every aspect of the school’s curriculum is designed to influence for good the life-long develop-ment of the young citi-zens passing through its doors.
Marshfield House goes on the marketONE of the locality’s most historic homes has been put on the market.
Marshfield House, which is located just off the Lucan/Leixlip Road, is a six-bedroom home set on about eight acres of land.
T h e g r o u n d s a t Marshfield are a feature, with lawns rolling down
to the river, interspersed with flower beds and colourful shrubs, and with two particularly striking 200-plus-year-old blue cedars.
Situated on the banks of the Liffey, the period home has almost 1/4 mile frontage of the river and also boasts associ-ated fishing rights.
It is handy that the river comes as part of the lands, given the historical implications of trout fishing on the home.
The original lease stated that its leasee is “obliged to produce two dozen trouts yearly and every year at Christ-mas”.
From 1711 to 1713, Marshfield House was constructed on behalf of Benjamin Rayner, a local innkeeper from Leixlip.
Rayner is recorded as having obtained a 90-year lease from a Joseph Marriot.
A s p a r t o f t h e l ea se , Ray ner was
contracted to con-struct a “house of lime and stone and other improvements”.
The name Marshfield refers to Archbishop N a r c i s s u s M a r s h , founder of Marsh’s Library, the oldest pub-lic library in the country, which was founded in 1701. Historic Marshfield House has been put up for sale
12 May 2011 GAZETTE 11
GazettePETSPETSBrought to you by Miriam Kerins of
the DSPCA
THE FACTS: CHECK YOUR ANIMAL’S TEETH REGULARLY, AND BE ALERT FOR PROBLEMS
Brush up on your pet’s dental careD
ID you ever sud-denly become aware o f an offending stench,
and wonder where it’s coming from?
You get yourself to a quiet corner, and exam-ine your shoes for some-thing messy, or discreetly raise your arms above your head to check for nasty pit stains, and then realise: “Oh, thank God – it’s not me who stinks, it’s my dog’s breath!” Sound familiar?
Few pet owners make the effort to educate themselves in their pet’s oral hygiene, but did you know that dental disease is one of the most com-mon disorders in our canine companions?
Keeping your pet’s teeth in check has lots of health benefits – the obvious being minty-fresh breath.
Remember, bad breath in dogs is rarely related to last night’s rich food!
More often, it’s an indicator of poor dental health, and/or an infec-tion that needs investigat-ing by your vet.
For example, did you know that if your cat or dog suffers an infection of the gums, teeth or oral cavity, this can spread via the bloodstream and into their heart and liver, and could cause additional health problems, such as kidney failure, endocardi-tis and abscesses in vital organs, possibly resulting in a shortened lifespan? You didn’t?
Take precautionsWell, now that you do,
it’s time to take precau-tions.
Brush your pet’s teeth at home using a special brush and veterinary toothpaste, available from your vet.
Gently introduce your pet to the new taste by rubbing some of the tooth-
paste along his gums, and then repeating the process with a toothbrush.
Aim the bristles along the gum line of the upper back teeth, and angle them slightly upwards, making sure the bristles get right under the gum line.
Working back to front, make little circles; as you would with your own teeth.
However, remember, even with the best home care your pet may still require some profession-al dental de-scale and polish.
*** Feed your pet a crunchy diet, and appro-priate chew treats. It’s always worth checking with your vet before you change your pet’s diet; especially if the animal has breed-specific dietary requirements.
I would recommend you make these changes gradually; particularly
Remember – your pets and animals are relying on you to help keep them healthy
12 GAZETTE 12 May 2011
with puppies, and always try one food at a time.
Check your pet’s mouth regularly, and observe signs of an inflammation known as gingivitis. This can be seen as a redden-ing of the gums adjacent to the teeth. It will also cause bad breath.
Dental disease is not just a problem for dogs; other companion animals – such as cats and rabbits – suffer, too.
Conditions such as feline stomatitis – which is very painful, and can be life-threatening for many cats – can occur in all breeds, and at any age. ***
Cats with this condi-
tion usually experience inflamed gums which, if untreated, can spread to areas at the back of the throat, making eating and swallowing difficult.
So, if your cat’s breath smells, get to the vet immediately and seek his/her professional advice on how best to rectify your kitty’s condition.
Rabbits can also suffer. This is usually due to a bad diet.
You may not know this, but rabbits need lots of fibre in their diet; so give those bunnies plenty of hay and help keep bad oral hygiene at bay.
A rabbit’s teeth con-tinuously grow, and must
be checked regularly by your vet to ensure they are wearing down properly.
If a rabbit’s teeth are not kept in check, and go untreated, the poor crea-ture will not be able to eat properly, and there is a danger it could starve to death.
For those horse owners reading this, did you know that a horse’s teeth will also grow continuously, so it’s important to keep an eye on them?
Your vet is the best per-son to advise you, regard-ing this, but if you notice your horse has difficulty chewing, is dropping more food than he actu-ally manages to swallow,
and there are signs of undigested food in his poo, then it’s likely he may be suffering from dental problems, and you need to seek expert help.
So, you can see why proper dental care is a priority for all companion animals and, as preven-tion is better than cure, perhaps the next time you visit your vet, you’ll ask his/her advice as to the best way of examin-ing your pet’s teeth so that you can keep an eye on his oral health.
If you’d like more infor-mation log onto www.dspca.ie or email me at [email protected].
Patricia Murphy can help detox mind, body and spirit
Are you a tonic, or are you toxic?
PATRICIA MURPHY
IT IS amazing how some people have the ability to light up a room when they walk in. Others light up the room when they walk out.
We allow other peo-ple’s moods and atti-tudes to have such a powerful influence over our personal wellbeing. Sometimes we join in with the rise of the happy tide, and other times we get pulled down into negativity and unhelpful thinking. It pays to ask ourselves: ‘Am I a tonic, or am I toxic?’
It is very easy right now to pick fault with just about everything. Nobody we know has escaped the negative effects of the struggling economy and political change. Nor should we ignore or deny the issues that challenge us daily and which need to be addressed.
But none of this is an excuse or a reason to carry a negative attitude with us into every interaction we have, including with our own selves. After all, we live with ourselves 24/7. Left untreated, toxicity spreads, causing damage within and without.
What you really need is a daily tonic. Something to pep you up physically, mentally and emotion-ally. The ingredients are simple and available to us all.
Here are some sug-gestions to help you look and feel great every day.
Feed Your Body
Paying attention to
exercise and nutrition is essential to support the body.
Food nutrients sup-ply us with the energy to carry out daily functions, including the repair and renewal of organs and tissues. The increase of oxygen during modest- intensity exercise floods the cells with vitality and increases our ability to get rid of toxins.
It conditions the heart and lungs and even makes us smarter. Dis-cipline is the essential ingredient here. At least 20 minutes of brisk walk-ing, plus three balanced meals per day, is a must. No excuses. Remember to keep it simple and include 6-8 glasses of water to keep you float-ing along.
Personal Care
A simple shower, clean clothes and a spray of scent can lift your mood by tenfold. It also makes it more pleasant for oth-ers to be around you.
Feed Your Mind
Include constructive thoughts and behav-iours towards happi-ness and health. Step by step and easy does it. It is far more effective to change 100 things by 1%, than to change one thing by 100%. Smile
and keep your conver-sations upbeat, even if you don’t feel like it. Act as if you mean it and, pretty soon, you won’t just be faking it, you will be making it.
Feed Your Spirit
Immerse yourself in the fun stuff for a few hours each week. Hobbies and recreational activities are a great way to give you something to look for-ward to and a break from the routine. Socialise with family, friends and work colleagues, keep-ing alcohol within the weekly recommended allowance.
Develop an Attitude of
Gratitude
Sometimes we for-get just how blessed we really are. Give thanks for the big things and lit-tle things that make our lives so special. Acknowl-edge your achievements, including your own valu-able input into your hap-piness, health and well-being.
These simple lifestyle changes can have a really positive influence on how you look and feel day in, day out. The best predictors of your future happiness and health are the actions and attitudes that you are practising right now.
‘Left untreated, toxicity spreads, causing damage within and without. What you really need is a daily tonic. Something to pep you up physically, mentally and emotionally’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SEE MOTORINGPAGE 18
Mega Mini: Michael Moroney falls in love with the Countryman
LOCALMATTERSS U P P O R T L O C A L B U S I N E S S
ADVERTISE WITH THE GAZETTE CALL 60 10 240
14 GAZETTE 12 May 2011
GazetteBEAUTYBEAUTY Edited by Dawn Love
Confessions of a beauty addict
MY life-long addic-tion began when I first clapped eyes on my glam-orous air hostess Aunty Mary’s bathroom cabinet, brimming with shiny and expensive looking tubs of wonder.
On family trips, I would gulp down glasses and glasses of Coke, just so I could go up and investi-gate each tub, tube and bottle, carefully assessing the smell, texture and col-our of each.
Less exotic potions were to be found at home, where they were kept out of reach from my grubby little hands following an incident at my weekly
Kathleen Rowley
This week the Gazette chats to media analyst Kathleen Rowley about her beauty addiction
teddy bear’s picnic, where Big Ted enjoyed a facial, compliments of Mam’s new Clarins cream and a more-then-healthy spritz of the ever-cherished Chanel No.5.
Big Ted was eventually donated to a Children’s Hospital, where I am sure he still is reeking of the classic scent. Mam’s potions were moved to the top shelf.
During my teens, a bag-packing job in Super-quinn gave me the means to splurge in the Body Shop, where body but-ter and a bottle of white musk was the ultimate sign of sophistication.
For teenage discos a bottle of Exclamation and a frosted lipstick were my chosen weapons, as they were for most of the girls attending, resulting in the small community hall
practically heaving with overpowering teenage fragrances, or maybe it was just the pheromones and teenage lust! If it dis-tracted from my heavy Gallagher-like eyebrows and braces, I was in – ‘dramatic’ eye shadows and liners, along with an over-enthusiastic use of bronzer was the order of the day.
Despite a stringent budget and a barrage of feminist anti-beauty industry propaganda, my love of all things beauty-related continued
through college. To fund a trip to the
land down under, I got a beauty addict’s dream job, fragrance and cos-metics consultant on counters in Brown Tho-mas, Arnotts and Dublin Airport. I learned about the construction of a scent, along with skin types and the most up-to-date make-up trends.
With the exception of a two-month stint stand-ing freezing at the front of Brown Thomas spray-ing Stella McCartney’s perfume (to this day it
still gives me the shivers when I get a whiff of it), I thoroughly enjoyed the role.
Working for renowned brands such as Arma-ni, Lancôme and Pout greatly improved my knowledge of products but, even more impor-tantly to a beauty junkie, my collection of samples became legendary.
Vichy Essentielles
I was astounded at how this lightweight, quick-drying lotion kept my skin soft and moistur-ised 24 hours after appli-cation. With sensitive skin, this was ideal as the
fragrance was gentle and lady-like with-out irri-tating my skin even after de-f u z z i n g the pins.
Model Inc
Lip and
Cheek tint
At €7.50, this is the recessionis-ta’s answer to Benefit’s Benetint, giving you a nice burst of rasp-berry colour. The colour lasts on the cheeks, but was a little drying on the lips and the fragrance is strong and powdery. However, for €7.50, it is a welcome addition to any hand bag.
Revlon PhotoReady
I ’ m a foundation slapper. I have tried them al l , from Rim-mel to Yves Saint Lau-rent, and can
safely say I have found my perfect partner – smooth, long-lasting and reliable, this product delivers on its promises. My skin had a nice glow with medium coverage, thanks to the ‘photocromatic pigments’ and it evened out my skin tone without feeling too heavy.
BENJAMIN Millepied, the French principal dancer with the New York City Ballet and cho-reographer for the recent blockbuster, Black Swan has been unveiled as the face for the next male fra-grance from Yves Saint Laurent, available from September, 2011.
Described as one of the most gifted dancers and choreographers of his generation, Millepied enrolled with the New York School of Ameri-can Ballet at the age of 16 and became princi-pal dancer at 18 with the prestigious New York City Ballet.
On his new role with YSL Millepied said: “I’m happy and proud to have been chosen by Yves Saint Laurent, one of the world’s most pres-
tigious brands. I admire the world of this House, its elegance and moder-nity. Monsieur Saint Laurent was a fashion genius, a lover of the arts, he also knew how to use his talent to serve the art of dancing.”
Benjamin Millepied will represent the new fragrance for men from Yves Saint Laurent, the 3rd facet of the men’s olfactive trilogy, along-side Olivier Martinez for L’Homme and Vincent Cassel for la Nuit de L’Homme.
New face unveiled for Yves
Saint Laurent fragrance
Benjamin Millepied
12 May 2011 GAZETTE 15
Relaxation is never too far away in Ireland’s top spas
The Relaxation Room at the spa in Druids Glen
Resort’s spa
DAWN LOVE
IRELAND is now widely recognised as one of the world’s gourmet capitals, but our luxurious spas are also making head-lines. Set in some of the country’s most spectacu-lar hotels and resorts, it’s easy to see why we our spas are fast becoming something of a Mecca for those on the lookout for top-class beauty and relaxation treatments.
This week, the Gazette’s Beauty pages takes a look at some of the country’s top spas and the luxuri-ous treatments on offer.
Druids Glen Resort, Co
Wicklow
Just over half-an-hour south of Dublin, but an entire world away, set between the Wicklow Mountains and the Irish Sea, Druids Glen Resort’s beautifully natural sur-roundings will have you feeling calmer before you even set foot inside.
The atmosphere is one of calm, suggesting you take a deep breath and relax, settling into a place where you will find your own personal corner of pleasure – whether that is in the lovely spa, the pool, on the two championship golf courses, in one of the bars and restaurants, or curled into a comfy chair with a good book by any of the grand windows looking out onto the grounds, and the beauty of the changing seasons outside.
For the month of May, the spa at Druids Glen Resort is offering an Advanced Elemis facial, with a complimentary back massage, for just €99.
For more information, call 01 2870848, or visit www.druidsglenresort.com
Radisson Blu Hotel,
Galway
At the Spirit One Spa in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Galway, they are famed for their Elemis Lime and Ginger Salt Glow and Cleopatra Milk Bath.
Scrub up for summer with their exotic exfolia-tion ritual designed to invigorate and revitalise the body. Elemis exotic Lime and Ginger Salt Glow deep cleanses, pol-ishes and softens skin to perfection.
TraditionAfter your body scrub,
soak in the age-old tradi-tion of the Elemis Cleo-patra Milk and emerge drenched in moisture, scented like a dream. There is also a full-day pass to the Thermal Suite, with full use of the swimming pool, outdoor hot tub and jacuzzi.
Price: All for €85 – normally €140 – save €55.
For further details on the range of treat-ments available call 091 538423
Treatments are avail-able seven days a week.
Hastings Hotels
Spring is nature’s time of renewal and rebirth and the perfect time to reju-venate your body and soul with a self-indulgent escape to one of Hastings Hotels’ fabulous Spas at Culloden Estate, Belfast, or Slieve Donard Resort, Co Down, and experi-ence their world-famous ESPA treatments and therapies. To put a little extra spring in your step, they are also offering a £10 voucher off your next visit!
The Spring Spa Expe-rience includes:• ESPA Welcome Foot Ritual• ESPA Upper Back, Shoulders and Neck Massage• ESPA Boutique Facial with Indian Head Scalp Massage• Delicious light lunch in the Juice Bar• Full use of all the spa facilities• Use of robe, slippers and towels• £10 voucher off your next spa treatmentOffer available until May 31, 2011. For more information, visit www.hastingshotels.com.
IRISH breakfast meat producers, Rudd’s, are re-launching their tradi-tional Irish brand with a modern new look, as well as adding new products to their portfolio.
The relaunch cam-paign is part of Rudd’s new marketing strat-egy for the brand. John O’Brien, commercial manager at Rudd’s said: “We’re delighted to announce the relaunch of our range to include some popular breakfast favourites, giving it a contemporary new look, while retaining our tradi-tional values.
“We are proud to use 100% Irish pork, sourced from Bord Bia-approved Irish farmers to produce
the Rudd’s range, which now offers all you need to create the ultimate full Irish breakfast, while sup-porting Irish jobs.”
Bill O’Brien, manag-ing director of Rudd’s said: “We understand the importance of support-ing Irish jobs, therefore we continue to use only 100% Irish pork to pro-duce our range which, we firmly believe, has been the best-kept secret in breakfast, until now.”
To support the Rudd’s re launch campaign, a number of tasting events will be taking place throughout Dublin this month. The tastings will take place from May 12-14, and again from May 26-28.
FOOD: NEW BRANDING FOR BREAKFAST
Rudd’s take on new look
16 GAZETTE 12 May 2011
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If your advertisement appears incorrectly, contact the Advertising Department immediately, as responsibility cannot
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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
BLOOM, Bord Bia’s gardening, food and family festival returns to the Phoenix Park this June Bank Holiday
Ireland’s largest gardening, food and family festival, Bloom, is set to celebrate its fifth year when it takes place this June.
At the heart of Bloom are 27 stun-ning large, medium and small show gardens, which will be judged by international independent judging panels, and gold, silver gilt, silver and
bronze medals will be awarded. Dublin will be well represented
at the event, which takes place between Thursday, June 2 and Monday, June 6, with a number of top garden designers creating some of the stunning show gardens.
Amongst those taking part will be John Sweeney, from Lusk, and Rachel Freeman, from the Blan-chardstown Institute of Technol-ogy.
Meanwhile, from Dalkey, Sheena
Vernon will also be taking part, as will Brian Cleary, from Dundrum, and award-winning gardeners Liat and Oiver Schurman, from the renowned Mount Venus Nursery.
The event will also showcase the best of Ireland’s food industry with the new Bord Bia Food Village.
Bloom is open daily from 10am-6pm. Advance tickets are on sale now from €15 – kids go free! Visit www.bloominthepark.com.See feature next week
EVENT Festival returns to the Phoenix Park
It’s time to Bloom
Pictured at the launch were Ella McSweeney, broadcaster and MC of the Chef’s Summer Kitchen at Bloom,
with Flower Fairies (all aged 5), Isibeal Fitzpatrick, Ava Callan, Nessa Last and Kayla Cooke. Picture: Gary O’ Neill
12 May 2011 GAZETTE 17
GazetteMOTORSMOTORS
MINI’S first four-door car is the new Country-man, a car that
has grown up in terms of size and stature. This is now the biggest car in the Mini range, and it brings a new opportunity to the BMW-owned brand.
I’ve had the All4, or four-wheel-drive version of the car, on the road and I’m impressed. I know that the car is expensive for its size, but it does drive superbly and retains that Mini car handling appeal from the past.
BMW has added lots of good bits to this new, bigger Mini. The engine is a new 1.6-litre BMW turbo-diesel engine that’s thrifty and lively. And, while I know that there’s
a bigger 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine on the way, I found that the 1.6-litre engine was more than adequate and a dream to drive.
And that was after almost 1,400km on the clock, where I drove the Mini Countryman up
and down the country, national roads, motor-ways, and the occasional boreen were tried to test the car’s ultimate per-formance. The All4 sys-tem had to be tried and, luckily, the sun shone for me and crossing a dry field was effortless.
The four doors for the Mini Countryman make a huge difference in terms of passenger space and accessibility. The car now takes on a new image. That, coupled with the larger wheels and Bridge-stone Dueller run-flat tyres for mild, off-road use, makes the Mini All4 a very versatile car.
The test car had lots of kit included in the Chili pack that Mini offers. This included 17-inch
alloy wheels and lots of multifunction kit with an impressive Bluetooth phone kit that was easy and clear to use. It also came with leather seats and Xenon headlights, which, in total, rounded the price up by an extra €8,000 – now that’s get-ting expensive.
Power
The engine power was impressive, with 112bhp pumped out at ease. On the motorway, the engine allowed the car with its sixth gear to cruise at just around 2,000 rpm.
That’s what delivers the good fuel economy figures. Despite being a bigger car than the standard Mini, it’s still economical. I returned
a figure close to the rated figure of 20.4 km per litre of diesel (4.9l/100km), which I consider to be a good performance, and I drove the car long and hard.
The economy figures are helped by the stop/start system that stops the engine in traffic or at traffic lights. This, along with brake regeneration, gives a measure of the BMW EfficientDynamics technology to give good economy figures from the Countryman.
The car is rated in Band B for motor tax pur-poses, as its CO2 figure is 129g/km. Again, that’s a reasonable figure and gives an annual motor tax charge of just €156.
And, with all that, the
Countryman is lively. The acceleration pace is as good as many bigger cars at 12.9 seconds in a 0 to 100k/hr race. So, while it may look like a hot hatchback car in design, it does not match that kind of performance on the road.
The power is, however, well-developed for the car allowing for the 270Nm of torque, so much so that the car is well able for all driving conditions.
The All4 off-road tech-nology will have lim-ited appeal, but it could have been useful in last winter’s frost and snow. It adds about €2,000 to the price and provides a compromise of sorts without opting for a full heavy-duty 4x4 system.
Meet the CountrymanMini has grown up in size, accessibility and performance in the new Mini Countryman All4, but it’s pricey at €28,980 even though it’s still a great car to drive
RENAULT VAN RANGE IS APRIL BESTSELLER: RENAULT, Europe’s best-selling van range, hit the number one best-selling spot in Ireland in April with 14.9% of the overall market, and featured on the podium in 14 counties, including number one in Cork, Kerry, Westmeath and Cavan.
With prices start-ing from just €8,990, with a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty across the range, it is not sur-prising that Renault is performing well each month. Renault now has three ver-sions of the Kangoo, the new Trafic, with its increased per-formance 2.0-litre dCi engine and the all-new design Mas-ter, which comes in either front- or rear- wheel drive specifica-tions and has one of the lowest running cost in its segment.
RoadRoadSignsSigns
WITH a 14% increase in sales volume in first three months of 2011 compared to the same period in 2010, the motor industry has claimed pole position across all retail categories in Ireland to date.
The latest Consumer Market Moni-
tor has reported that the industry has experienced a major boost as 50,000 new cars have been sold right up to mid-April 2011. No doubt the conclusion to the invaluable scrappage scheme in June has contributed to the motor industries
excellent start to the year; as has price discounting from dealers and distribu-tors in order to encourage new car sales.
UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School and the Marketing Institute of Ireland (MII) released the
results, which detailed that, apart from the motor trade, the only other sector to experience any form of growth in Q1 is clothing, footwear and textiles, which experienced an increase of 2.6% in vol-ume.
Motor industry revs to a good start first 3 months of 2011
Top speed: 180 km/hr
0 – 100km/hr: 12.9 sec
Economy: 20.4 km/litre
(4.9l/100km)
CO2 emissions: 129g/km
Road Tax Band: B (€156)
Scrappage Eligible: Yes
Warranty: 2 years
Entry Price: €28,980
SPECS: MINI COUNTRYMAN ALL4 1.6D
MICHAEL MORONEY tested the new Mini Countryman across a range of conditions, but his heart won out over his head in his love for the new car
18 GAZETTE 12 May 2011
12 May 2011 GAZETTE 19
Magnificent Mill on market
Number 37, Eden Park Drive, in Goatstown
SHERRY FitzGerald are presenting No. 37, Eden Park Drive, Goatstown, a semi-detached family home in a highly-sought after area, close to the best of schools and with-in easy access of excellent local amenities, with an asking price of €425,000.
Built in the 1950s, this three-bedroom semi-detached family residence has airy, bright accommodation and a west-facing rear garden.
The property offers a spacious interior, includ-ing a hall, living room, dining room, kitchen, three bedrooms (two of which are doubles), bathroom and, outside, a garage to the side of the property offering prospective owners the potential to convert (sub-ject to planning permis-sion).
Overall, there is a good internal flow to the lay-
GOATSTOWN: ASKING PRICE OF €425,000
GazettePROPERTYPROPERTY
COONAN Real Estate All iance are bring-ing Mill Cottage, an unique residence set on approximately 0.7 acres of land in South Naas, Co Kildare, to the mar-ket for an asking price of €820,000.
S u r r o u n d e d b y mature trees, lawns and hedges, Mill Cottage is a 19th-century thatched cottage, located in the tranquil country town-land of Millicent, only 4km from Naas.
Rescued from der-eliction by its current owners in 2003, Mer-cury Group Architects were commissioned to oversee the exten-sive conservation and extension of the cottage
to its present condition, a process that saw the renovators incorporat-ing time-honoured tra-ditional working meth-ods and materials.
Extending to 3,300 sq ft, and featuring mod-ern amenities such as a geo-thermal heat pump, under-floor heating and pressurised hot and cold water, Mill Cottage is a magnificent blend of old world and con-temporary living under one roof.
Located only 25 min-utes from the M50, this is an opportunity of a lifetime for the right purchaser.
Presented in pristine condition and finished to the highest stand-
ards, Mill Cottage is an ideal family home with a range of very attractive features and designs.
ListedMill Cottage is a list-
ed structure, circa 200 years old, and has been meticulously restored and maintained. It fea-tures a new oat and straw thatched roof.
Having been archi-tectural ly designed throughout, it is a bright and light-filled acco-modation with rational timber windows and has the latest in energy saving and eco-friendly features built in to its design.
The area around
A garden of Eden in Goatstown demense
KILDARE: FULLY RENOVATED AND EXTENDED COTTAGE IN SOUTH NAAS FOR €820,000
Mill Cottage features an abundance of shops and the fine schools within easy reach, along with some of the most prestigious golf courses
Kildare has to offer. The exterior of the
property is also appoint-ed to a high-standard. Mill Cottage is totally surrounded by mature
The impressive, renovated structure at Mill Cottage, South Naas, Co Kildare
lawns and shrubbery, with an attractive gravel driveway on both sides, and a south-facing gar-den.
For further informa-
tion, please contact Philip Byrne Coonan, of Coonan Real Estate Alliance, on 01 628 8400 or [email protected].
out, providing an excel-lent balance of well-pro-portioned living and bed-room accommodation.
The Goatstown area the property is situated in is a quiet, leafy enclave, with both Stillorgan and Dundrum within walking distance.
O t h e r a m e n i t i e s include the popular Dun-drum Town Centre, local
shops, UCD Belfield, and excellent transport links, including bus routes, Luas and the M50. There is a good selection of schools close by, making this a desirable family home.
The property also boasts a large front garden with central driveway and lawn on either side with mature hedging. There is a private, triangular-shaped,
walled, west-facing rear garden with mature plants and shrubs and large side space and gated side access, with access to the garage.
The property can be viewed by appointment, which can be arranged by contacting Shane Des-mond at Sherry FitzGer-ald Dundrum on 01 296 1822.
20 GAZETTE 12 May 2011
LOCALMATTERSS U P P O R T L O C A L B U S I N E S S
ADVERTISE WITH THE GAZETTE CALL 60 10 240
ABDUR Rahim was born in 1969 in Bangladesh and went to college from 1988-1992. He then started a job in Dhaka, which is the capital of Bangladesh and the prin-cipal city and one of the major cities of South Asia. Two years later he relocated to South Korea, where he got a job working in a factory.
While there, he thought of the possibility of working in a restaurant. He then came to Ireland and his first job was in an Indian restaurant, Eastern Tandoori, in Deans-grange.
Working there gave him a lot of practical experience. Abdur took a job as chef and learned how to cook curry. He then had the opportunity to experience a restaurant management at Meghna Tandoori Indian Cuisine in Ter-enure. There he gained more experience and met many people and learned how to attend to customers. Abdur found that it is important to serve good-quality food at all times and to always have the highest of standards.
Abdur then decided to open his own Indian restaurant, Himalaya Tandoori Indian Cuisine, in Clondalkin. The restaurant opened in July of 2005. They have a chef menu and also have good-quality wine. The restaurant offers a gift card and take-away service, with a 20% discount on the take-away menu.
He hopes to open more restaurants in other locations in the future and would like to thank his customers for their support.
Interview: Abdur Rahim, owner of Himalaya Tandoori Indian Cuisine
Q&A
High standards at Himalayan Tandoori
Abdur Rahim
Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be?A: Businessman
Q: What was your first job?A: Factory work
Q: And your first pay cheque?A: Cash
Q: How many people do you have to talk with every day?A: Lots of people to talk to
Q: What is the greatest thrill of your working week?A: A busy Saturday
Q: What air carrier do you use when going on holidays?A: British Airways
Q: What car do you drive?A: I love to drive my Ford
Mondeo
Q: Can you swim?A: Yes
Q: Would you ever bungee jump?A: No
Q: Do you play any sport?A: I love to play football
Q: What is your favourite
food and drink?A: Indian curry and I like
drink a lot of plain water
Q: Who would you like to have dinner with – Brian O’Driscoll or Brian Cowen? A: Brian O’Driscoll
Q: How many times each year do you shop for clothes?A: Three
Q: What is the name of your favourite shop?A: Debenhams
Q: How many pairs of shoes
do you own?A: Five
Q: Where is your favourite holiday destination?A: My homeland, Bangla-
desh
Q: Have you ever met Brian Cowen?A: No
Q: When do you wish to retire?A: At age 65
Q: What will you do then?A: Spend time with family
and friends
SHORT TERM DEPOSIT RATESQ – I have € 70,000 from the sale of my house and am not
rebuying for at least 6 months to a year. Any ideas on
where to put the money to make a gain for this short
period ? I also need it to be safe. Maggie – Wicklow
A - Safety and best rates – they are the two most important
aspects to your query. Safety in that your funds MUST be
guaranteed by the deposit taker to be repaid.
All the Irish deposit takers are currently guaranteed by
Eligible Liability Guarantee Scheme for any amount up to the
end of June this year, with any of the six main Irish deposit
takers ( AIB, Bank of Ireland, Permanent TSB, EBS, Irish
Nationwide and Anglo Irish Bank), while the Deposit Protec-
tion Scheme underpins this up to € 100,000 per person once
the deposit taker is regulated by the Financial Regulator. This
includes credit unions. Rabodirect have their own parent’s
protection (Rabo Group – AAA rated, the highest rating a
bank can have), while Nationwide UK and Investec Bank are
guaranteed by the UK Financial Regulatory Authority up to
the equivalent of € 100,000 per person.
The National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA), who
look after the state savings on behalf of the government,
offer safety and good value but their offerings are more long
term.
Take An Post’s Savings Bond – it offers 10% tax free after a
three -year term, which is equivalent to receiving 4.42% each
year from a DIRT deducting deposit taker. In emergencies
you only have to give seven days notice to withdraw from this
NTMA investment with NO penalty.
Best non-NTMA deposit ? 3.5% for three months fixed from
Irish Nationwide Building Society – yields a net 2.555%. On
your € 70,000, after six months, you would receive € 70,892.50
into your hand.
Well done on selling the house – not an easy achievement in
this economy.
Contact John with your money questions at jlowe@
moneydoctor.ie or visit his website at www.moneydoc-
tor.ie. John Lowe, Fellow of the Institute of Bankers, is
founder and managing director of Money Doctor
ANSWERS TO YOUR PERSONAL FINANCE QUESTIONS
GazetteBUSINESSBUSINESS Supported by AIB
12 May 2011 GAZETTE 21
Irish company is tackling clutter with their Smart StorageAN innovative Irish home com-pany is quickly gaining momentum by eliminating excess clutter from around the home.
Smart Storage, which makes cus-tom-designed, under-stairs storage units, which fit seamlessly into the unused space under any stairwell, has had fantastic feedback already.
The slide-out units promise to “stop you tripping over everyday items such as shoes, toys, sporting
equipment, and even the vacuum cleaner, and will see an end to the age-old argument; who causes the mess in the home?”
Smart Storage provides a range of Irish manufactured products, which also includes attic storage, and they will soon launch in the United King-dom after 12 months of successful trading in Ireland.
The under-stairs storage solution ranges from a single drawer, a large
three-drawer unit to larger units, depending on available space. The three-drawer unit, which is the most popular, is custom designed specifi-cally to fit into all homes. The units are installed by expert fitters around the country.
Each drawer is ideal for a variety of storage options and can accom-modate 12 pairs of shoes, three large school bags, two small suitcases, a set of golf clubs or several bottles of
wine. So, if the clutter in your home is
caused by parents or children, the girls or the boys, Smart Storage has a common-sense solution.
Founder of Smart Storage, Paul Jacob, has worked in the construc-tion industry for 20 years and found new ways to diversify within his area of expertise.
“Smart Storage enables people to maximise storage within the home
by utilising the unused space under-neath the stairs to clear away clutter,” he said.
The process for installation is sim-ple and involves submitting rough measurements of the area under the stairs to the Smart Storage website, www.smartstorage.ie.
For further information on Smart Storage, or to receive a quote, visit www.smartstorage.ie or call (01) 201 7676.
Surprising Scottish summer road tripsSPRING and summer is a great time to visit Scotland, when the days stretch out and the first blooms and wildlife appear across the gardens and in the countryside. What better way to dis-cover some of the surpris-ing things Scotland has to offer than by car.
So, whether you’re into history or film, or simply want to enjoy the open Scottish road, there is sure to be a road trip to suit you.
VisitScotland has put together some of the most unusual road trips Scotland has to offer. Visit www.visitscotland.com/surprise for further information and the best-value travel deals.
The Electric Brae
Ayrshire lies in the south-west of Scotland and is home to some of the most beautiful sights in Britain. A must for any trip to this part of the world is the Electric Brae in Ayrshire. The Electric Brae is a quarter-of-a-mile long hill where cars appear to be drawn uphill by some mysteri-ous attraction.
The significant thing about this unusual phe-nomenon is that it is not what is commonly called a mirage, which is created by the way in which light
rays reach the eye. It is more of a Trompe L’Oeil, where the eye is fooled by the way in which things actually look.
While in Ayrshire, be sure to take a trip to town of Newmilns. This town has been thrust into the Hollywood spot-light, thanks to its famous mill – Morton, Young & Borland Mill, which is currently providing lace and fabrics for the hit HBO show, Boardwalk Empire.
Film location road trip:
Edinburgh - Inverness
If one person likes his-tory and the other is a movie buff, for a road trip with a difference, why not combine both on a
meandering drive from Scotland’s historic capi-tal of Edinburgh to Inver-ness and the heart of Bra-veheart country. With its breathtaking scenery and rich heritage, Scotland has been the perfect set-ting for many of Holly-wood’s blockbuster films, such as Harry Potter and Chariots of Fire.
Start out in Edinburgh and pay a visit to Ross-lyn’s Chapel, which was used as location for Dan Brown’s, The Da Vinci Code, before making your way to Edinburgh’s Old Town, which was the backdrop for Chariots of Fire and Mary Reilly, fea-turing Julia Roberts, and Jekyll and Hyde.
Other places to stop on the way to Inverness include the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which featured in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; Eileen Donan Castle near Loch Duich, which was the principal fortress of Christopher Lambert’s character in Highlander and the world-famous Loch Ness where the film
of the same title starring Ted Danson was made.
Loch Lomond and the
Trossachs
Writers, artists and musicians have found inspiration in the rich landscapes of Argyll, the Isles, Loch Lomond, Stir-ling and the Trossachs for generations. Loch
Lomond is surprisingly just 90 minutes from Glasgow and a little more than an hour from Edin-burgh, so this road trip is perfect for visitors who want to get out of the city for the day.
This scenic route has many surprising sights and attractions on the way. Monty Python fans should make a stop in Callander, just outside Stirling, home to Doune Castle, which was used in Monty Python’s Holy Grail . History fans should then take the A84 and 85 to Killin – via Bal-guhidder, home to the grave of Rob Roy – then follow this scenic section of loch around to Alexan-dria. If you have time pop
over to Stirling and Stir-ling Castle for views over the Forth Valley and a chance to pay homage at the Wallace Monument.
When you finally reach Loch Lomond and are looking for a place to stay, why not spend the night in a wigwam? There are several locations to choose from, including
Strathfillan Wigwam Vil-lage, which is situated on a working farm right on the West Highland Way (near Loch Lomond) and has excellent on-site facilities and lots of farm animals to see.
Enjoy the open road:
See Scotland by motor-
bike
For a fun and surpris-ing way to see Scotland this summer, why not hire your own personal trike chauffeur. Trike Tours Scotland offer one of the most unusual ways to see the famously breathtak-ing scenery Scotland has on offer.
Trike tours can take you on trips to the moun-tains, lochs and glens of the Highlands via Perth-shire, Stirling and the Trossachs National Park, Loch Lomond, Inverness and Mull.
With fabulous beaches and historical sites, Israel has something for everyoneFROM the Judean desert and the saltiest sea on earth, the Dead Sea, to ancient biblical cit-ies, covered markets and a high-rise metropolis, Israel is truly a destination with something for everyone.
Located in Western Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, Israel’s temperate climate, fabulous beaches, archaeological and historical sites, and unique geography make this country an appealing holiday destination.
Explore the amazing cities of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, by combining an eight- or nine-night stay in both cities, with Concorde Travel.
Israel (Jerusalem and Tel Aviv or pilgrim-
age) - only three departures October 12, eight
nights
• 3-star Hotel Montefiore on a B&B basis, Jerusa-lem, from €870pp • 3-star City Hotel on a B&B basis, Tel Aviv, from €1,054pp • 4-star Grand Court Hotel on a B&B basis, Jeru-salem, from €924pp • 4-star Grand Beach Hotel on a B&B basis, Tel Aviv, from €1,169pp
29th October - 8 nights
• 3-star+ Prima Hotel on a B&B basis Tel Aviv, from €1,130pp • 4-star Prima Royale Hotel on a B&B basis, Jeru-salem, from €854pp • 4-star Dan Hotel on a B&B basis, Jerusalem, from €830pp
Holy Land Pilgrimage €1,224pp
Two-centre (four nights Jerusalem + four nights Tel Aviv) from €1,174pp
Package includes return flights from Dublin, accommodation and transfers. Concorde Travel offer direct flights from Dublin to Tel Aviv. Flight- only offers also available.
To book yourself in for your holiday to Israel, visit, http://www.concordetravel.ie/featured-destinations/israel/
FastTravel
GazetteTTRAVELRAVEL22 GAZETTE 12 May 2011
Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock
Eilean Donan Castle, which is situated by the picturesque village of Dornie on the main tourist route to the Isle of Skye
There are plenty of fun things to do when you take time out to discover Northern IrelandSTUCK for something to do? If so, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) has put together a list of exciting things to do in Northern Ireland during May 9 - 22. For more details on these and other events, Callsave 1850 230 230, visit North-ern Ireland Tourist Board’s Information Office at Suffolk Street, Dublin 2 or click on www.discov-ernorthernireland.com/events
• Hidden Treasures Children’s Theatre, Waterside Theatre, Co Derry, May 8 – 19. A festival featur-ing the highest quality theatre experiences for children and their families with local, national and international acts.
• Balmoral Show, King’s Hall, Belfast, May 11 – 13. This show offers an extravaganza of colour, competition and showmanship, along with daily displays of pedigree horses, ponies, cattle, sheep, poultry, pigs and goats.
• Third Annual Maguire History Weekend, Enni-skillen Castle Museums, Co Fermanagh, May 13 – 15. This event will explore the aspects of the Maguire history of Fermanagh.
• An introduction to Basket Making, The Braid Arts Centre, Ballymena, Co Antrim, May 14. Participants will be using sorted and soaked willow to produce baskets and learn new tech-niques.
• Wild on Wildlife, Castle Ward, Downpatrick, Co Down, May 14. Fun-filled activities for all the family, including mini beast hunts, pond dipping, wildlife art workshops, speciality foods and craft stalls.
• International North West 200, Portrush, Port-stewart and Coleraine, May 16 – 21. The Inter-national North West 200 is a motor cycle road race held over a nine-mile road circuit. It is a week-long festival of sport and attracts competi-tors from all over the world.
• Garden Show Ireland, Hillsborough Castle, Co Down, May 20 - 22. Advice abounds on how to make the most of your garden, from rearing chickens or keeping bees to growing vegetables, dining in style or even making jewellery out of flowers and plants you have grown!
TravelBriefs
12 May 2011 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 23
The Balmoral Show, King’s Hall, Belfast
The bridge across the River Ayr to the town of Ayr, which is a commercial and
administrative centre on The Firth of Clyde, Ayrshire Rosslyn Chapel, Roslin, Midlothian, Scotland
A car on a single track road near the ‘Rest And Be
Send in the clowns!Don’t talk to Kate about The Depression – she’s gloomily contemplating this bygone era-set manipulative movie ...
KATE CROWLEY
EVEN though The Simpsons long, long ago turned into a mirthless, plodding cash cow, I’m reminded of some of the many things it got right along the way.
Who can forget the regular appearance of deeply cynical focus groups, lawyers, account-ants or product testers with clipboards, calculat-ing exactly how to manip-ulate everyone in Spring-field into coughing up for something useless?
Well, it seems that those clipboarders went to Hollywood, and have had a go at movie-mak-ing. With an elephant.
Hot to trot on the heels of the likes of, err... Operation Dumbo Drop, Larger Than Life and, umm... Dumbo, here comes another film with an elephant as a star – for dumbo here, yours truly, to review.
But first, back to those
FILM OF THE WEEK:
Water for Elephants (12A) 119 mins
OUR VERDICT:THE scratching noises that some viewers may hear during the film are probably from clipboard-wielding focus group managers at the back, scribbling notes on how well the audience is reacting to each obvious, manipulative point in this particularly calculated film. Five minutes with Krusty the Klown suddenly seems preferable. “Mind you, the elephant is lovely.” (Stick that on yer posters, mate.)
Director: Francis LawrenceStarring: Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz, A Charismatic Elephant
clipboard holders.I’m presuming that
they, or somebody, some-where thought: “What if ... we got Reese With-erspoon, permanently dolled up to the nines like she’s in a Max Fac-tor ad; that vampire guy, Pattinson, who all the girls ditched for the hunkier dude in that Twi-light sequel, and made some kind of predictable, cliche-ridden, forbidden-love film set in a honey-hued Depression-era cir-cus? With an elephant?”
Bingo. I think I’ve just described a more interesting film than this
one, but, with half of my review – or space – yet to fill, let’s make a trunk call to find out some more ...
Thanks to flashbacks, an old man, Jacob (most-ly played by Pattinson, as his youthful self) recounts the greatest tale of his life, back in the Depression, when his newly-penniless self hit the road – or, rath-er, a railway track, aboard a circus train – for an exciting adventure that would make the most of his veterinary skills.
August, the kind-hearted, avuncular circus owner, is a gentle – oh, no, silly me, he’s a predict-
ably cold-hearted brute of a man, who’s married to the beautiful Marlena (Witherspoon).
She’s quite a dame, being able to ride horses, work with elephants, and throw lots and lots and lots of lingering gazes at the circus’s newest manure shoveller, who, naturally, throws lots and lots and lots of lingering gazes back, all of which gets noticed lots and lots and lots by August.
Send in the elephant! It turns out that Dumb– whoops – Rosie the ele-phant responds very well to Jacob, who is soon assigned to train the cir-cus’s new, star attraction, as well as helping Marle-na to work with Rosie.
So, with plenty of gen-tle patting, ear-tickling, and soft-spoken words – and, yes, folks, I mean Jacob’s elephant-training skills – the stage is gradu-ally set for a climactic, big top showstopper.
Now, you don’t sup-
pose that an elephant, two star-crossed souls, a jealous husband and a film finale could lead to a crazy climax, do you?
Although I was happy to note Jacob’s methods of working with big, dumb, forgetful animals (which I shall apply forthwith to Mr Crowley), I can’t say that I was so happy with the rest of the film.
Pattinson – not exactly the most charismatic of actors, shall we say – fiz-zles rather than sizzles opposite Witherspoon, as both throw their best thou-sand-yard-stares at each other, past the audience and out the door, towards their pay cheques.
Waltz is so over the top, one could be forgiven for looking towards the cor-ner of the screen, in the expectation of spotting an old lady playing some penny-dreadful music on a piano each time he appears, cackling.
Two stars. And one’s for the elephant.
Animal trainer Jacob (Robert Pattinson), centre, should look worried – he knows his circus boss, August (Christoph Waltz) probably suspects
that he’s been throwing lingering looks at his wife, Marlene (Reese Witherspoon). But whatever Rosie the elephant knows, she’s saying nothing.
GazetteENTERTAINMENTENTERTAINMENTGoingOUTGoingOUT
THE HELIX 01 700 7000The Chernobyl Children’s Appeal Concert
THIS year marks the ninth year in a row for the concert, which will see children aged from eight to 18 perform a wide range of songs in aid of the Chernobyl Children’s Appeal, with this year’s concert having a special significance as the world marks the 25th anniversary.
All proceeds will help to support the many children who continue to suffer ill health. With tickets priced at €15, the concert starts at 7.30pm on Saturday, May 14 in The Mahony Hall.
MILL THEATRE 01 296 9340 The Shaughraun
TANEY Drama Society are preparing to bring their extensive skills to bear on their production of The Shaughraun, by Dion Boucicault, which is often described as a touchstone Irish play.
The Society’s players will bring the tale of a wily Sligo poacher, called Conn, to vivid life, thanks to a large ensemble, a great set and period-appropriate costumes, with Victorian melodrama, romantic comedy and more added to the mix.
The Shaughraun runs nightly at 8pm at the Mill Theatre from Wednesday, May 18 to Saturday, May 21, with admission priced €18/€15.
CIVIC THEATRE 01 4627477 The Tinker’s Curse
ANOTHER Irish-set production, The Tinker’s Curse, tells the story of Rattigan, a Traveller who climbs Croagh Patrick to do penance for the sins of a lifetime. Along the way, Rattigan’s relationship with his wife and daughter come to the fore, as he contemplates what it is to be a father, a husband, a Traveller, and a penitent ascending Ireland’s most sacred spot.
Written and performed by Michael Harding, with live music by Finbar Coady, The Tinker’s Curse runs nightly at 8pm from Thursday, May 12 to Saturday, May 14, with tickets priced €20/€16 conc, or €10 on Thursday.
DRAIOCHT 01 885 2622Fingal County Youth Orchestra
FCYO are sure to be a hit when its young – but highly-skilled – members play a wide range of concertos, pop songs, contemporary pieces and well-known favourites in this concert, which follows on from their magnificent performance at the prestigious Festival of Youth Orchestras at the National Concert Hall recently.
Founded in 1990 and based in Castleknock, the FCYO members, who range in age from 8 to 18, will delight audiences with their accomplished playing. Their concert starts at 8pm on Sunday, May 15 in the Main Auditorium, with tickets pirced €13/€11 conc.
PAVILION THEATRE 01 231 2929Young At Heart
HELD as part of Beltaine, the DLR festival that celebrates older people in the community, a special showing of the life-affirming documentary movie, Young At Heart, will be held on Tuesday, May 17, at 7pm.
The smash-hit film follows a group of senior citizens, who, despite their advancing years, sing their hearts out with a wide range of classic and contemporary pop songs, with the bittersweet wisdom of age adding an
extra dimension to some of the songs.The documentary helps to show
the creativity in older people, and how staying
active can keep you young at heart, and is sure to be a well-
deserved hit with the Pavilion’s
audiences. The film tickets are
priced at €5.
12 May 2011 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 25
ADAM MAGUIRE
IN THE past fortnight, Sony’s Playstation Net-work – which lets PS3 and PSP users play games online – was hacked.
The company has since taken down the network, and admitted that some of its users’ information has been stolen.
Not only is this a cost-ly disaster for Sony, it is also a potentially expen-sive occurrence for any-one who has had their information swiped.
The hackAccording to Sony, at
some stage between the April 16 and 19, some-one gained unauthorised access to their network, and their 75 million users’ data.
They can be sure that
things such as names, addresses, passwords and dates of birth were stolen.
More critical informa-tion – such as credit card details – may also have been taken, and there are already reports of more than 2.2 million account details being sold online by hackers.
Those at riskAnyone who has an
account with Sony’s Playstation Network may have had their infor-mation stolen.
In other words, if they have played online with
their PS3 or PSP, they have given Sony some personal information.
Naturally, a lot of those users are young, and would not have credit cards – though they may have used a relative’s information to buy something online.
Of course, credit card details are not the only thing that is dangerous to have stolen.
If hackers have a per-son’s login details and passwords, they can do plenty of damage, too.
How to protect yourself
If you think that you, or someone in your fam-ily, gave information to the Playstation Network at any time, there are some immediate steps you can take to protect yourself.
Firstly, make sure that the password used there is not the same as the one used elsewhere. If it is, change it.
This will ensure that hackers cannot log in to the likes of your email and gain additional information.
Secondly, ignore any emails, phone calls or even letters you might receive purporting to be from Sony. They are a scam.
In fact, you should be extra vigilant of any attempts to gain sensitive information from you in such a way by anyone.
Lastly, monitor your credit card to see if any-thing unusual happens on it.
If you see anything odd going on, alert your bank straight away to have it stopped.
Garageband for the iPad
Garageband for the iPad is an amazingly con-densed piece of work that lets even the most musi-cally-challenged person build an impressive piece of music.
Basically a stream-lined version of the soft-ware that many popular artists use to record their music, Garageband for the iPad lets you build a song from scratch.
Users can sing into the iPad’s built-in mic, plug in a guitar and record what you play, or use the on-screen keyboard and drum-kit to lay down additional tracks.
There are also built-in loops that you can sam-ple from and, with the right tweaking, you can layer it all together into a coherent piece of music.
However, even more impressive are the “smart” instruments, which basi-cally help you to play chords on the guitar, bass and piano without need-ing to know how to do so in the real world.
Effectively, this app can do most of the hard work for you, just like the expensive software that chart-topping (and auto-tuned) artists have been using for years.
In this regard, Garage-
band strikes the best of both worlds.
It is easy and fun to play with, but useful enough for those wanting to do something serious. It just so happens to be a bargain, too.
Garageband is avail-able from the iPad App Store for €3.99.
Visit teic.ie for the lat-est tech news, reviews and views.
COMPUTER REPAIR CENTRAL Fast Computer Repairs. Laptop Screen Repairs. Hardware Upgrades, Data Recovery. Get any PC problem fixed fast!! Phone: 01 4407573/ 086 2657160 www.computerrepaircentral.com
COMPUTERS
TOP QUALITY GARDEN SHEDS Stock Clearance Sale! Sheds form €280 8x6 Rustic @ €350 supplied and fitted all sizes available also Side Gates and Panel Fencing. Dog Kennels made to order. Call for free quotation 086-8782552
BER CERTS If you are selling or renting a property or have Grant Approval And require a BER cert. Please call Tony on 0866698706 anytime Or email [email protected]
ENERGY RATING
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SEWING CLASSES/ CURTAIN MAKING Curtain and Roman Blind making service at competitive prices. We reline and re-pleat all curtains, full selection of poles and rails available. Beginners and Improvers 6 week Sewing Classes on Dress Making and Home Furnishings resuming in September. Half Day workshops also resuming
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DOG TRAINING AND KENNELING Residential training in Obedience and behaviour problems for all breeds, ie pulling on lead, housetraining, aggression, recall, chewing, jumping up etc also personal protection training. Over 20 years experience, having trained in the UK, USA and Germany. Qualified master dog trainer, veterinarian + dog shelter recommended. Highly trained security dogs for sale. References available, watch our dogs in action and read our many references at www.Topdog-Training.com or phone 087 0514467.
PET MINDERSSafe, Cosy, Pet Boarding. 5 minutes from Castleknock,Blanchardstown, Lucan.Call now for early booking.Call 086 8126387/01 8223690. Reasonable rates.
JT PLUMBING BEST PRICES IN DUBLIN!!All areas covered. 15 years experience. Free estimates.Water Tanks, Drippings Taps, Radiators, Burst pipes, Cylinders, Pumps, Outside Taps, Showers, Immersions, Bathroom Suites. For your free estimate call now on085 7555412 [email protected]
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KC TILING & DECORATINGProfessional Tiler of 20 years experience. Reliable and Trustworthy Specialising in all aspects of tiling, incluing, Ceramics, Porcelains, Marble, Wall tiles and Floor tiles. Finished to the Highest standard. Also available for Painting and Decorating, Interior and Exterior.Wallpaper Hanging.All areas covered, Jobs large or small. Call Kevin on 085-8390313 for a no obligation quote. References available.
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HOME MAINTENANCE Fitted bathrooms, wall and floor tiling, laminate flooring, decking, wardrobe and kitchen units assembled and fitted. Call James for free estimate. 0861022818
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in September. Contact us at www.sewgreat.ie or www.pressxpress.ie, call 01 8227650 or email [email protected]
DONOVAN ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES. Bernard Donovan, Architectural Technologist, Dip.Arch.Tech., RIAI ArchTech. Free first consultation.www.donovanarchitectural.com Phone: 086 1717456
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COMPUTER REPAIRS AND SALES Virus removal, broadband + wireless setup, PC running slow, annoying pop-ups. Call Damien 0861714713 for a quote NO CALLOUT CHARGE
Including New Fuseboards,Showers, Sockets and Light Switches, Downlighters etc..Security and Garden Lighting, Extra TV pointsEnergy saving lighting upgrades Domestic CCTV.Call Steven on 087-4170481
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WORLD Cup hero Kevin O’Brien launched this year’s Leprechaun Cup schools’ cricket competition.
This year’s event will involve no fewer than 38 Primary Schools from various parts of Dublin and surrounding coun-ties.
Leinster Cricket have announced that Pre-cision Electric have become the new spon-
sors of this tournament, that will again reach out to hundreds of young cricketers in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow.
Managing director, Karl Reid, is thrilled to be involved with Lein-ster ’s youth cricket programme: “We are delighted to be associat-ed with this year’s com-petition and the whole concept of introducing boys and girls to the game of cricket.
“We will be closely
monitoring the results and look forward to see-ing some of the stars of the future featuring in the coming weeks.”
Precision Electric’s financial contribution will not only supply schools with playing equipment, but will also help to provide more coaches for schools in order to further develop the game.
Coaches currently active within schools include Reinhardt Stry-
CRICKET: LEINSTER CRICKET GIVES BACKING TO COUNTY-WIDE SCHOOLS’ CONTEST
Kevin O’Brien (right) and Brian O’Rourke (Leinster cricket union development officer) are pictured with
Castleknock NS students Iain Anders, Sarah McIntosh and Edward Vincent
O’Brien leads the line for the Leprechaun Cup
dom, Andrew Leon-ard, David Russell , Theo Lawson and Bill O’Connor.
These coaching posi-tions have also come
about through financial support received from both Fingal County Council and South Dub-lin County Council.
Matches take place
this week between Bal-lyroan Boys vs Taney NS (Dundrum) at Marlay Park, Castleknock NS v St Mochta’s NS (Blan-chardstown) in Civil
Service or Porterstown Park, St Bosco’s (Cabra) v Castleknock ET at Cabra, and St Partick’s (Diswellstown) v’s Scoil Mhuire at Civil Service.
GazetteSPORT12 May 2011 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 27
GOLD IN SIGHT: GOLD IN SIGHT: James Scully James Scully aims for double aims for double successes: successes: Page 29Page 29
CLONDALKIN fourths played Scully Cup hokey cokey last Sunday after-noon but ultimately had their party pooped by a talented Naas outfit.
Clon had one foot in the winner’s circle as they stormed into a 15-0 early lead, before promptly been forced to take it out by a rapid-fire Naas second-half performance, and it was the host who were ulti-mately dancing come full-time.
The fourth string, who were far from outclassed, did threaten to emulate their last kick of the game victory over the
same side they defeat-ed in the Spiers Cup last term, but despite a late surge they couldn’t claim a third cup win for the club this term.
With the elements in their favour Clon made a bright start. The played territory superbly and, via bril-liant lineout jumping by Collie McHugh and Dave Gilmore in par-ticular, dominated the line-out without regard for whose throw it was.
The young a mobile Naas unit were keen to keep the ball out of the tight and away from Clondalkin front row power and used the tactic to get a foot-hold in the game. Until sensational prop Conor Maloney found himself on the wing that is.
The former first team captain, who has yet to fulfil his full potential, registered a monster hit, followed it with a turn-over before powering through three would-be tacklers to instigate the move that eventually led to the opening score.
Flanker McHugh burst through the middle and offloaded superbly to Seanie Brennan, who was as creative with the ball as he was destruc-tive without it through-out.
The big lock was halt-ed as he charged for the line, but, after superb recycling young scrum-half Colin Lyons fed John Walsh down the blind to open the scor-ing.
Player of the season contender Ciaran Jones
missed the conversation and a penalty soon after but Clon were on top and soon extended their lead.
This time Maloney finished from close range after good work from the front eight and Lyons.
The ten-point advan-t a g e w a s p u s h e d to 15 soon after as Clondalkin’s very own B e n j a m i n B u t t o n , Eamon Stapleton, fin-ished touched down after another superb maul from the pack.
Just when it looked like the visitors were going to take a sizeable lead into the break Naas hit back before the turn to reduce the arrears.
The Kildare outfit, keeping the ball alive and moving it at every
opportunity, eventu-ally made irrelevant some brilliant covering tackling from the Dave Shirley, Kev Dunphy, Jones and Ritchie Mur-phy to make it 15-5 at the turn.
Naas completely dom-inated after the break and set up residence in Clon’s 22. Initially, the visiting defence held firm with Stapleton’s direct running and a break from Paddy Law-lor giving Clon tempo-rary reprieve.
However, the visitor’s pressure eventually told and they scored three tries in quick succession to steal ahead.
Clon did attempt a late comeback but couldn’t deny Naas sil-verware for the second successive year.
Clon denied Scully title
SCULLY CUP: THREE LATE TRIES SCUPPER HOPES FOR FOURTHS
Clondalkin came close in the Scully Cup final againast Naas but were unable to turn over a late rally from the home side
FastRugbyFastRugby
Leinster hail the stars of the yearISA Nacewa was named the Leinster Players Player of the Year at the Annual Awards Ball held in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin last Saturday night.
Nacewa has been a stand-out performer for Leinster again this season having featured in all but one of the province’s games in both the Mag-ners League and Heineken Cup competitions.
Just this week the 28-year-old was also awarded the IRUPA Player of the Year award and Coach Joe Schmidt hailed Nacewa’s outstanding performances over the course of the campaign.
Leinster coach Schmidt was among those to praise the one-time Fiji international, saying: “Isa’s durability, commitment, experience and rugby talent have seen him perform at a consist-ently high level in every match he’s played this season.
“As a leader, Isa is recognised by his peers as one of the benchmark players within the squad. He is professional in all that he does; his recov-ery, strength and conditioning work, analysis of opponents, attention to detail to improve his own performances. He is utterly committed to the values of the squad and readily shares his knowledge and experience with the younger players.
“Never one to rest easily with personal acco-lades, I know that Isa will be keen to point out the efforts of his team-mates this year, but he should be proud of this recognition.”
Centre Eoin O’Malley, meanwhile, took the Powerade Young Player of the Year as the Lein-ster Academy graduate fought off stiff competi-tion for the accolade.
Since overcoming a nightmare spell of injury, the Belvedere College SJ former Schools Senior Cup winner has made a positive impact in the senior panel, and his Heineken Cup debut was followed by his first Ireland Wolfhounds cap.
in association with
12 May 2011 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 29
NAC swim club’s James Scully was recently honoured as the Swim Ireland Disability Swim-mer of the Year, capping a brilliant 2010 with a fourth-place finish in the 200-metre freestyle final at the world champion-ships in Eindhoven.
But the young star is hoping that result is just a stepping stone en route to the London Paralym-pic Games in September, 2012.
For now, though, jug-gling his high-perform-ance training is sharing his preoccupation with his Leaving Certificate, making for a hectic cou-ple of months.
Soon after Scully com-pletes the State exams,
the 18-year-old will be straight back into compe-tition, looking to secure a place for Ireland in the London Games through the European champion-ships in Berlin.
And club coach, as well as Irish team manager, Dave Malone says the major issue is getting the balance between the twin concerns just right.
“He’s an internation-
ally carded athlete under the Irish Sports Council performance grants so, ultimately, James is pre-paring for the Leaving but also, just two weeks after, he will go to compete at
the European champi-onships in Berlin. That’s a phase of qualifying for the London Games in September 2012.
“He’s risen slowly through the ranks in the
past three or four years to achieving that fourth-place finish in the world last year.
“Obviously the exams are incredibly important. It’s quite a tricky year and James is at that age where he has really learned a lot over the last couple of years to get to this point.
“He’s been balancing the time management around studying and training to the standard of a performance athlete.
Balancing act
“For James, it’s about balancing the books and getting the rest and recov-ery in as well and take in a bit of a social life, too, to keep the life balance together.
“It’s difficult to man-age but James receives support from the Irish Institute of Sport, work-ing with athlete execu-tive, Ken Lynch,” said Malone
Their plan for this tricky season has seen Scully compete closer to home, more recently entering the National long-course champion-ship, held at his home pool in the NAC.
While the event is an able-bodied gala, disabled entrants were allowed enter, helping get more experience of a large meet with high-quality opposition – something which is hard to come by in the current period.
“It was an opportunity for him to swim in a high-
Preparing for the big testsSTEPHEN FINDLATER talks to mentor and coach, David Malone, about James Scully, Ireland’s most promising swimmer, ahead of Paralympics 2012
James Scully receives his Swim Ireland Disability Swimmer of the Year award
‘We’re coming into the final bit of the plan. It’s a matter of getting the Leaving Cert out of the way, and then the priority will be London 2012’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
FastSport
Iconic camp
set to take
place in JulyBASKETBALL Ireland have announced that their popular basketball camp, Gormanston 2011, will take place in the week of July 10 to 15 at Gormanston College.
The camp will once again cater for residential and day campers and the cost will remain the same as in 2010.
The national basketball camp is renowned for delivering only the best in coaching with past coaches hailing from America, Canada, and Europe, as well as the best Irish coaches. Campers get a rare opportunity to experience the valuable knowledge
from some of the best in the game.
The camp has become renowned as the place to be each summer for prospective basketball stars of the future.
Some of Ireland’s top players have come through the ranks at the camp, and it attracts the best coaches from home and abroad.
Past coaches have included some of Ireland’s greats, including Danny Fulton, Joey Boylan, and Gerry Fitzpatrick, along with a medley of extraordinary coaches from abroad, such as Brian Hill, Lazlo Nemeth and Serge Clabau.
Attendance costs €375 for residential attendees, while day- campers can take part for €200. For more information, see www.basketballireland.com
WITH the last phases of the Magners’ league and the Heineken Cup final this month, fans everywhere (including Gazette editor, Cormac Curtis, pictured above right at the RDS last week) are going blue with anticipation, and can now show their support with teamcolourson-line.com.
Team Colour’s range of waterless, press-on temporary tattoos with Leinster colours and slogans are now available. Charities, sporting clubs and schools involved in fundraising can have tattoos commissioned with their own crest to either generate profits from sales or simply raise awareness of their brand.
For more information, see www.teamcolour-sonline.com or visit their Facebook page.
Show your allegiance to Leinster (like the editor)
level event. With the com-mitments at school this year, we’ve limited James’ travel exposure to events around Ireland. He com-peted in Limerick in Feb-ruary while he was due to take part in the Welsh championships, but it was cancelled because of the conditions at the times.”
As for the route to Lon-don, individual qualifying proper begins on January 1, 2012 but countries are currently scrambling to secure places for them-selves, a process which goes right up to March, 2012.
Next month’s Euro-peans act as the first opportunity to gain an Irish place and Malone – one of Ireland’s most decorated Paralympians and a gold medallist – is hopeful over his protege’s chances.
“With James, we’re happy with the way he has approached the last number of months and kept himself organised.
“He’s very much in line to qualify. It’s a major performance meet at the Europeans but, to an end of preparing for London, this is just a stepping stone.
“We’re right in the preparation of a four-year plan but we’re coming into the final bit of that plan. James is very much on track and it’s a mat-ter of getting the Leaving Cert out of the way and then the priority will be London.”
AUL Saturday Division 3 side Collinstown’s sensa-tional cup run was halt-ed by Premier A Sunday champions elect. Sheriff YC at the semi-final stage last weekend.
Goliath finally got the better of David when the giant-killing Clondalkin side were beaten by a team that ply their trade 11 divisions above the Collinstown Park outfit.
Having seen off the challenge of St Paul’s, Artane, and Ballymun United in previous
rounds, the Clondalkin outfit had put together a run as good as any cup fairy-tale ever told.
However, the league’s top side, Sheriff, arrested the Collinstown charge at the penultimate stage.
Sheriff came to the semi-final gun-fight ready and determined to fire the first shot, and set a high tempo from the off.
It was not long before they took the lead.
With just over 10 min-utes gone, they went 1-0 as their front man fin-ished calmly after a neat touch.
The divisional superior side were simply better in the exchanges thereafter.
They moved the ball well and eventually prised open the ’Town defence for a second time, albeit after Collinstown’s top scorer Anto McCormack had a header saved.
This time, Sean Mur-phy added the final touches to a brilliant move to make it 2-0 with just 20 minutes of the game gone.
Sheriff, who are on course for the treble, put two feet in the cup final, on the half-hour mark as a frustration saw Dave Long dismissed- trans-forming the hill Collins-town had to climb to a massive mountain.
Sherriff continued to dominate after the
turn and but for some fine Graham Matthews goal keeping could have extended their lead.
With just two in it Col-linstwon always had a chance of turning things round and a hand ball in the box in the final 15 minutes granted them that opportunity.
One of Dublin foot-ballers most prolific strik-ers McCormack slotted home from 12 yards to set up a tense finale.
The Clondalkin side pushed on and thought they had sent the game to extra time when Pat Shorthall powered a header home. The refe-ree, however, chalked the effort due to some push-
ing in the box, and it was Sheriff who hit the net next to bring a nightmare end to ’Town’s fairy-tale cup run.
In what was a bad weekend in cup competi-tion for Clondalkin sides, Clondalkin Celtic and Ashwood both tasted final defeat.
Celtic lost 3-1 to near-by rivals Kingswood in the Wally Winn Cup. Wayne Killen had given his side a lead but the concession of two pen-alties eventually proved vital as Wood claimed the silverware.
Meanwhile, Ashwood lost in a seven-goal thriller to Tallaght side Brookfield.
End to Town’s dream
NIVEA CUP: LOCAL SIDES SHARE POOR FORTUNES IN CUP TIES
Clondalkin Celtic, above, were beaten in the Wally Winn Cup, while Collinstown bowed out of the AUL Nivea For Men Cup against Sherrif f YC
FastSport
Egan targets
return to
Olympic placeKENNETH Egan is determined to regain his number one status in the Irish boxing and his place at the London 2012 Olympics.
In a recent interview with The Irish Times, Egan spoke of his desire to once again be on an Olympic podium come the end of September 2012.
“I’m just keeping the head down, training hard. What will be will be in a boxing sense. If it doesn’t work out and I don’t go to London, fair enough. I went to Beijing and I got my medal. That’s the worst-case scenario. Of course I don’t want it to go that way and I’ll be gutted if it turns out like that.
“I’m still going to
give it everything and whatever happens happens. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”
Palmerstown
denied double
cup titlesPALMERSTOWN United were denied the U-11 Joe O’Leary Cup on penalties by Crumlin United at the AUL Complex last weekend.
Normal time ended level 1-1 with David Scully on the mark for Palmerstown while Kyle Rafferty was the marksman for Crumlin.
But the latter managed to keep their nerve to win the shoot-out 4-2.
Their U-10 side were also denied in a close final, too, losing out in the U-10 Lee Kavanagh Cup Final, falling 3-2 to O’Deveney Dunard.
PALMERSTOWN soccer tyro, Adam Rooney, has stated his intention to remain at Inverness Caledonian Thistle for another year.
The local star has been on top form for Caley this season, and is fourth-top scorer in the SPL this season.
He has been the target for the attentions of a number of English sides, and Young Boys Bern of Switzerland, but he is deter-mined to remain under Terry Butcher’s tute-lage for at least another season.
“I’m happy here and have enjoyed my time. I’m not desperate to get away,” said Rooney.
Rooney keen to remain with Caley for moment
A roaring success:
Clondalkin host kids’
end-of-season campCLONDALKIN RFC hosted an end-of season party for their underage stars, celebrating the end to yet another brilliant season.
The big open-day party in Gordon Park last Sunday morning was a huge success, with all of the club’s under-age teams taking part in the event.
Leo the Leinster Lion was present to roar the kids on for another year of rugby endeavour for the gold and blues.
ROUND Towers survived a late Trinty Gaels’ storm to defeat the Division 1 side by a single score, and book their place in round 3 of the most prestigious tournament in Dublin football.
Towers raced ahead and opened up a what initially looked like a comfortable four-point lead with just 12 minutes to go, but only stumbled over the line as the Stu-dents hit back late on.
The victory sees Towers’ through to the third phase of the championship and, having now defeated a team that reached the lat-ter stages in recent years, they will be confident regardless of who they draw in the next round.
Towers, and the bril-liant Cathal Carty, start-ed in sensational form. The Mayo native, who was chief point-getter, with 1-04 in the opening
round, hit the Monastery Road side’s first six points as they stole an early march.
The Black Lion FC predator split the posts from play on four occa-sions and twice scored from placed balls.
Trinty hit back, how-ever, and kept in touch, thanks to their own star man, former Dub-lin panellist Brendan O’Brien, took advantage of a defensive mix-up to raise the green flag with a decent finish.
Towers didn’t wait too long, and regained their advantage via young cen-tre forward, David Whe-lan, who started in the middle of the park in last season’s championship. Whelan rattled the back of the net, and the Hoops looked in control.
Dublin player Dean Kelly began to impose himself on the tie and twice pointed, to allow O’Brien to put a single score between the sides and make it 1-7 to 1-6 in Towers’ favour at the break.
Barry Gallagher point-ed his second free soon after the break, but the Students hit back prompt-ly, before they cancelled out Carty’s seventh score soon after.
Towers then began to stamp their authority further and raced clear. Stephen McGibney, who scored a well taken goal in Round 1, twice raised the white flag. A long-range effort from the returning Mark Taylor then made it three unanswered points and gave Round Towers a four-point cushion going into the final moments of the cup tie.
But, just when it looked like the Clondalkin side
were going to go on and record a comfortable win, Trinity made another revival.
Brendan O’Brien hit first, adding the finishing touches to a well- worked move. Then Joey McCann closed the gap further before defender Graham Dillion sent the ball over the black spot to leave the a single point between the Dublin sides.
Towers did look a lit-tle nervy at this stage but their defence held firm and put in a massive last-ditch effort to ensure their progress.
O’Brien did have a chance to level the score, but sent his effort wide.
SFC: CLONDALKIN GAA STILL IN CHAMPIONSHIP
Round Towers squeezed past Trinity Gaels by a single point in the Dublin Senior Football Championship
CLONDALKIN Rugby Club drew their most successful season to date to a close last week-end, but retiring club captain Dan Fitzpatrick has urged all involved to increase the work rate over the next few months.
Clon are currently celebrating promotion to Leinster League Division 1 for the first time in their history, as well as collecting their first ever Ladies’ trophy and a fifth senior cup victory in two years.
But Fitzpatrick has warned that, if the club are to maintain their recent run of success, they have to increase their efforts on and off the field.
The big lock is proud of what has been achieved under his two-year reign and has paid tribute to all involved in what was a historic promotion but has urged both players and com-mittee members to focus on the future rather
than on past achievements. “I know the club is thrilled with how this year
has gone, and how the club has developed over the last few seasons. We are the quickest grow-ing club in Leinster by far.
“The structures that have been put in place have helped the club develop. The last few weeks have been great, we have had big games after big games.
“The under 18, 17, thirds, fourths and wom-en’s teams were in finals. The first got promoted and it’s been a big party as the season came to a close. But we can’t get complacent. Next year is what is important now.
“We have moved up a level and will play big-ger and better teams next year. So it goes with-out saying that we have to up the work rate and increase our skill levels.
“We have to improve on and off the field and continue to set ourselves targets and goals. I have every confidence that, if the committee and players do that, we will stay up next year.”
Despite discussing the elite end of the club Fitzpatrick was also keen to stress Gordon Park remained open to any new players regardless of experience, age and gender.
The second-row powerhouse insists Clondalkin’s policy of treating every player and member the same should continue even as the club progresses.
“One the greatest achievements the club has had is fielding five senior teams yet keeping the family spirit. That has to continue. That is Clondalkin’s unique selling point.
“So many new players have come to the club of late, and let’s hope that trend continues. We welcome all people interested in rugby in Gordon Park. We are a community club,” Fit-zpatrick added, before paying homage to the local press.
“The press coverage we have received over the last few years is amazing and much appre-ciated. It help us get our name out there and helped us with sponsorship and the like.”
ALL OF YOUR CLONDALKIN SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 27-31 MAY 12, 2011
COLLINS’ CORALLED: Sheriff YC
arrest Clon side’s march to AUL final P30
A lot done, more to A lot done, more to do for Clondalkindo for ClondalkinClub captain Dan Fitzpatrick says local rugby club must keep up the work rate to maintain progress
Clondalkin have broken plenty of new ground in the past few years and are the fastest-growing club in the province at the moment
DOUBLE DREAMS: Scully tackles Leaving and Europeans P29
