ALSOINSIDE: COMPETITION: P11. INSIDE: Glamour and style at new clothes shop’s opening P8 May 26, 2011 Soccer: Sports Awards: May’s nominees for Dublin prizes are announced Bluebell denied league title as Wayside strike horses had been on an open public space when they were “rounded up”. The council said that the protests had caused so much disruption that they had been forced to take unprecedented steps. PAUL HOSFORD RECYCLE THIS COPY. KEEP DUBLIN TIDY. Full Story on Page 7 Page 32
YOUR COMMUNITY • YOUR PAPER May 26, 2011 ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES ......... 2, 8 & 10 MOTORS ........................ 18 BUSINESS ................... 20 TRAVEL......................... 22 ENTERTAINMENT ........ 24 CLASSIFIEDS ............... 26 Soccer: Bluebell denied league title as Wayside strike Page 32 RECYCLE THIS COPY. KEEP DUBLIN TIDY. INSIDE: Glamour and style at new clothes shop’s opening P8 SCRAM, KIDS: End-of-year fun and games at Colaiste Chilliain See Page 4 Third week of sit- in at SDCC offices Horse owners protest over their seized animals PAUL HOSFORD CLONDALKIN horse own- ers are now entering the third week of their sit-in at South Dublin County Council’s (SDCC) main foyer, with the council taking out an injunc- tion to prevent the protests. The sit-in began on Tues- day, May 10, after Alan Mur- phy and Christopher Chriss- ley’s horses were impounded by the council from a field at Lough View Road, Baw- nogue. SDCC gave the horse own- ers five days to pay the €1,300 fee to release the horses from its pound, and said the horses had been on an open public space when they were “rounded up”. The council said that the protests had caused so much disruption that they had been forced to take unprecedented steps. Full Story on Page 7 A First for this trio: Dressed up for a big day YOUNG gentlemen, Kian Clare Martin, Quinten Doyle and Tristan Howell cut quite a dash as they stepped forward for their First Holy Communion at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Rowlagh recently. They were joining their fellow pupils from St Bernadette’s in Quarryvale to make the mile- stone event, with fun, games and a prize-giving ceremony at the school afterwards. Picture: Paddy Barrett Full Gallery on Page 10 FREE GAZETTE GAZETTE Clondalkin Sports Awards: May’s nominees for Dublin prizes are announced Page 29 Your tempting chance to win tickets to Taste of Dublin 2011 COMPETITION: P11.
Transcript
YOUR COMMUNITY • YOUR PAPER May 26, 2011
ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES .........2, 8 & 10
MOTORS ........................18
BUSINESS ................... 20
TRAVEL ......................... 22
ENTERTAINMENT ........ 24
CLASSIFIEDS ............... 26
Soccer: Bluebell denied league title as Wayside strikePage 32
RECYCLE THIS COPY. KEEP DUBLIN TIDY.
INSIDE: Glamour and style at new clothes
shop’s opening P8
SCRAM, KIDS: End-of-year fun and games at Colaiste Chilliain See Page 4
Third week of sit-in at SDCC officesHorse owners protest over their seized animals
PAUL HOSFORD
CLONDALKIN horse own-ers are now entering the third week of their sit-in at South Dublin County Council’s (SDCC) main foyer, with the council taking out an injunc-tion to prevent the protests.
The sit-in began on Tues-
day, May 10, after Alan Mur-phy and Christopher Chriss-ley’s horses were impounded by the council from a field at Lough View Road, Baw-nogue.
SDCC gave the horse own-ers five days to pay the €1,300 fee to release the horses from its pound, and said the
horses had been on an open public space when they were “rounded up”.
The council said that the protests had caused so much disruption that they had been forced to take unprecedented steps.
Full Story on Page 7
A First for this trio: Dressed up for a big dayYOUNG gentlemen, Kian Clare Martin, Quinten Doyle and Tristan Howell cut quite a dash as they stepped forward for their First Holy Communion at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Rowlagh recently. They were joining their fellow pupils from St Bernadette’s in Quarryvale to make the mile-stone event, with fun, games and a prize-giving ceremony at the school afterwards.
Picture: Paddy Barrett
Full Gallery on Page 10
FREE GAZETTEGAZETTEClondalkin
Sports Awards: May’s nominees for Dublin prizes are announcedPage 29
Your tempting chance to win tickets to Taste of Dublin 2011
COMPETITION: P11.
2 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 26 May 2011
Fun launch is streets aheadM
INISTER Frances Fitzger-ald was a special guest of honour at the Mill Centre
recently where she was delighted to officially open the Streat Cafe.
The local deputy was joined by a number of other local representa-tives and members of the local Chamber of commerce, not to mention lots of locals and fam-ily members and friends of the
owners, for the opening, all keen to carry on supporting one of Clondalkin’s newest venues.
In the short time that it has been opened, the popular cafe showed it was Streats ahead of the rest with its delicious range of pro-duce, family-friendly surround-ings, and even a Kids’ Corner, making it a popular new addition to Clondalkin’s business circle.
Minister Fitzgerald with the outlet’s staff
Barry Kelly, franchise owner, oversees Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald; Amanda Cox; Labour Deputy Robert Dowds and Fine Gael
councillor Therese Ridge. Pictures: Paddy Barrett
Minister Fitzgerald cuts the opening ribbon, with Robert Dowds, Therese Ridge,
Gerry Mulcahy, Stephen and Amanda Cox, Thys Kavanagh and Barry Kelly
Paula Cullen and Lorraine Hannon
Eimear and Juliette
RETAIL Politicians gather to help welcome The Streat cafe
26 May 2011 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 3
LADIES A local party night of beauty and style
Make up your mind for a great night outALIARA, one of the com-panies featured on Drag-ons’ Den in March, and which has a full range of jewellery, handbags and fashion accessories, is running nationwide style parties over the next few weeks.
The Silver Granite’s upstairs lounge, Palmer-stown, will host an Aliara party on Friday, May 27, from 7.30pm.
There is no cover charge, and each of these parties are attended by hundreds of ladies, who come along to see the Aliara range of products, enjoy free style tips and have their nails, hair and make-up done on the night for free.
These are described as “look good, feel great girly nights”, but also act as an opportunity for ladies to speak to mem-bers of Aliara about how they can build their own Aliara business, and cre-ate a steady source of income for themselves.
Tara Lane, Aliara-co-
founder, says: “We run these events to bring the Aliara range of products direct to the customer, and to give them a great night out.”
As well as saying that a local charity benefits from a percentage of the pro-ceeds, she says: “Poten-tial distributors can see how an event is run, and hear about the income opportunities that Aliara can bring them.
“Everyone benefits, including the local dis-tributor and the local charity [Crumlin Chil-dren’s Hospital], and local salons, who can promote their business on the night, and, of course, the ladies who attend, as
Aliara’s co-founders, Alison Cummins and Tara Lane
they get a great night out for free,” says Tara.
Aliara was pitched to the Dragons in January, and received a very posi-tive reaction.
“We were delighted
with the follow-up from Dragons’ Den, and this coverage has allowed us to grow our team of distributors significantly over the last few months; today, 75 people have
their own Aliara busi-ness,” says Tara.
For further informa-tion, see Aliara.ie on Facebook; telephone 087 937 3032, or see www.aliara.ie.
Cleanup prevented by teensANTI-social behaviour is preventing the Old Mill in Corkagh Park from being cleaned up, South Dublin County Council has said.
Cllr Trevor Gilligan had asked the manager “To agree to the cleanup of Corkagh Park, Cher-rywood Avenue at the Old Mill on behalf of the South West Community Safety Forum?”
Responding, the coun-cil said the area was a lit-ter blackspot.
“This somewhat seclud-ed area is popular with groups of local teenagers who frequently engage in anti-social behaviour, loitering, drinking, dump-ing etc. and much of this activity takes place after park opening hours.
“It is unfortunate that the resources expended on these cleanups cannot, in the current circum-stances, be reallocated towards more positive improvements to Corkagh Park,” said the council.
‘We run these events to bring the Aliara range direct to the customer, and give them a great night out’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
4 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 26 May 2011
Man gets sentence adjourned
COURTS: WAS CAUGHT WITH COCAINE IN HOME
A YOUNG Clondalkin man, who was caught with cocaine and drug paraphernalia at his home, has had his sen-tence adjourned at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
G a r d a P h i l i p p a Cantwell revealed that she and colleagues with confidential information went to Alan Wai’s home at Corkagh View with a search warrant and found €1,535 of cocaine, €188 of amphetamines, €5 of MDMA, empty plastic bags, plastic cut-outs and a notebook containing names and amounts in his bed-room.
Wai (23) pleaded guilty to possessing the cocaine for sale or supply at his home on March 21, 2008.
He has three previous convictions for simple drugs possession and violent disorder, which were all dealt with by
fines at District Court level.
Gda Cantwell told Mr Fergal Foley BL, prose-cuting, that Wai accept-ed responsibility for the drugs, but during inter-view claimed he didn’t know how they had got in his room.
The garda agreed with Mr Eoin Lawlor BL, defending, that Wai has not come to adverse attention since and had no other matters pending against him in court.
Mr Lawlor submit-ted to Judge Tony Hunt that his client had got into drugs and alcohol in his teens out of peer pressure and curiosity and got more heavily into cocaine around the time of a family bereave-ment.
Judge Hunt adjourned sentencing on the matter pending a probation and welfare service report in July.
Having some fun on a quirky sports day
PAUL HOSFORD
RTE 2fm’s Rick O’Shea show was on hand as transition year students from Colaiste Chilliain in Clondalkin celebrated the end of their school year and the beginning of their summer holi-days with a sports day entitled, La Spoirt Crai-ceailte!
The students took part in this quirky sports day as part of Kellogg’s Fun Raise 4 Kids to raise funds for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin.
The students took part in a variety of alternative sports such as Dallamul-log, otherwise known as animal noise blind man’s bluff; rothlu na gcamain, an arm strength test; bouncy castle races and a tug-of -war competition with the teachers.
Aishling Ni Raghal-laigh, event organiser and transition year coordina-tor said: “We are really excited to be taking part
in Kellogg’s Fun Raise 4 Kids. The enthusiasm and energy of the stu-dents and teachers is fantastic to see and we are optimistic that our La Spoirt Craiceailte will raise much-needed funds for Our Lady’s Children Hospital, Crumlin.”
Secondary school stu-dents have raised more
than €2million over the past 12 years for the hos-pital by organising fun, creative events, including sports days, basketball tournaments and high-heel races.
Louise Sullivan, com-munications manager Kellogg’s, said: “Over 75 schools nationwide have signed up to participate in Kellogg’s Fun Raise 4 Kids.
“It is great to see the initiative grow bigger and better and we would like to thank all of the stu-dents that put so much effort into raising funds for Our Lady’s Children Hospital, Crumlin.”
In 2011, this support is needed by the hospital more than ever before.
Funds raised by the Kellogg’s Fun Raise 4 Kids campaign, in associ-ation with the Children’s Medical and Research Foundation, will help improve services for the teenagers who attend Our Lady’s Children’s
CHARITY Colaiste Chilliain celebrate end of school year
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
‘It is great to see the initiative grow bigger and better and we would like to thank all of the students who put so much effort into raising funds for Our Lady’s Children Hospital,
THE long-awaited offi-cial opening of Adam-stown Community Col-lege took place this week, with Minister for Chil-dren Frances Fitzgerald on hand to perform the duties.
The school, costing an estimated €14 mil-lion, is a co-educational, non-denominational, multicultural school and Minister Fitzgerald was pleased to be on hand to open it.
“It is a great privi-lege for me to have been invited to officially open Adamstown Community College. At a time of dif-ficulty in our nation’s
history, it is immensely optimistic to be opening a venture of this size and complexity. Adamstown Community College is a wonderful project, which incorporates all that is good and progressive in our society at present, and we should be thank-ful that it has got off to such a promising start,” said Minister Fitzger-ald in her address at the opening.
The opening ceremo-ny heard from Dr Marie Griffin, of the VEC, prin-cipal, Des Newton, the deputy principal, Shane Foley, as well as repre-sentatives of the Bord of Management, Parent’s Council, staff and student body.
Member s o f the schools’ choir and dance class were on hand to provide the music and entertainment and the Minister paid special trib-ute to their creativity.
“Adamstown Commu-nity College is a defini-tively 21st-century school. It is run on modern lines with ICT at the heart, not only of the instruction, but also the administra-tion of the college, with the facility for parents to become involved through a special e-portal as a window to the progress made in the college.
“Wireless broadband is available throughout the school, and students will keep track of their work, attendance, their
Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald with Dr Marie Griffin, chief executive,
County Dublin VEC, after the unveiling of the plaque
books and equipment, the library – and all using a swipe-card system. This is the way forward, and is only currently available in a relatively small number of schools. It will become the norm, and remember the beginnings in Adam-
stown when it does. It is very exciting to be in at the ground floor,” said Minister Fitzgerald.
The Minister went on to acknowledge the excel-lent work of the staff and VEC and claimed that Adamstown is a shining
example of the way for-ward,
“It is a co-educational, non-denominational, multi cultural school, with the aim of achieving inclusive and integrated education in this area of greater Dublin.”
Concernedresidents form action groupFOLLOWING a strongly attended cross-commu-nity group of concerned Palmerston residents on Thursday, May 12, a new neighbourhood action group, Friends of Glenaulin Park, has been formed.
The meeting, which was arranged with Bally-fermot Gardai and South Dublin County Council Parks Authorities, prima-rily discussed the ongoing disruption and antisocial behaviour occurring in Glenaulin Park.
Sergeant John Edge-worth of Ballyfermot Garda Station reported to the meeting of the arrest of 22 people in the park since March, mainly on the Palmerston side of the park.
He also reported that there were two plain- clothes gardai on duty in Palmerston at present in order to deal with recent break-ins.
CBEEBIES’ presenter Cerrie Burnell, the first-ever person with a disa-bility to become a regular presenter on the televi-sion channel for children aged six and under, was on hand recently to high-light her involvement in the upcoming Disabled Drivers’ Association of Ireland Annual Confer-ence and Access, Care and Mobility Expo on Friday, June 10 and Satur-day, June 11 at CityWest.
Cerrie will be speaking at the conference on the Friday morning, then vis-iting the exhibition after-wards.
Both events are open to the public, who are very welcome to come along, and more details can be found on www.ddai.ie and www.acces-sandmobility.ie
Presenter, actress, sing-er and playwright Cerrie is half-Irish and has vis-ited Ireland many times,
but the opportunity to be involved in such a project has delighted her.
“I’m delighted to be part of these two impor-tant events and it’s won-derful to have the oppor-tunity to come back to Ireland. I’m just learning to drive at the moment, which is slightly daunt-ing in central London. But driving an automatic actually makes it a bit easier – at least I don’t have to worry about the gears.
“I’m hoping to get some good tips from the con-ference audience and the exhibition about all the latest developments in assisted mobility and I’m looking forward to hav-ing a really lovely day.”
Cerrie’s career began when she left drama school at 22 and, at the age of 25, she secured a place on the BBC Talent Fund, run by the BBC, Channel 4 and the Actors Centre, introducing direc-tors to disabled talent. Cerrie was soon noticed,
landing television parts in Holby City, EastEnd-ers, Grange Hill, The Bill, and Comedy Lab.
A natural
Shortly after her first child was born, Cerrie landed a presenting job at the BBC on Cbeebies and with her warm and friendly demeanour, she proved to be a natural.
However, within a month of starting, she attracted controversy from a small number of parents regarding her disability but received overwhelming support
from many others, as well as from various disabil-ity groups. Subsequently, Cerrie appeared on The One Show, raising aware-ness on disability and the prejudice that can sur-round it.
Cerrie was named in The Observer’s list of the top 10 children’s present-ers, earning a favourable comparison with veteran television and radio pre-senter, Valerie Singleton.
Cerrie also featured in The Guardian’s list of the 100 most inspira-tional women, where she received praise for “tack-
ling disability head on”. Alongside her work for
Cbeebies, Cerrie has host-ed Radar’s People of the Year Awards, presented at the AMI Awards and con-tinues to make regular tel-evision appearances. She has featured on shows such as BBC One’s Celeb-rity Mastermind, Channel 4’s Beauty and the Beast and STV’s The Hour.
Cerrie also recently fea-tured alongside other top television talent, includ-ing Reggie Yates and Konnie Huq, on Chan-nel 4’s Diverse Nation, a documentary celebrating
the on-screen talent that showcases the rich diver-sity of the UK.
The Disabled Drivers’ Association of Ireland (DDAI) was founded over 40 years ago by a group of people with disabilities to lobby for equal rights, opportunities and entitle-ments in the workplace and other areas of living such as driving.
Initiatives
The organisation has been involved in many high-profile initiatives over the years, includ-ing the very successful Shopmobility scheme, which lends manual and powered wheelchairs and scooters to members of the public to shop and visit leisure and com-mercial facilities within a town, city or shopping centres.
CEO Ken Fox said: “Cerrie’s presence at the conference and expo is a great boost to the organi-sation and we are very pleased and delighted
that she was able to come over for us.
“She is very well-known and popular with a lot of our members, par-ticularly those with young children. They are really looking forward to meet-ing her, hearing about her experiences and chatting to her.”
Cerrie will also be visit-ing the Access, Care and Mobility Expo 2011, run-ning alongside the confer-ence and now celebrating its tenth anniversary. The Expo is free of charge, open to everyone, and is Ireland’s only event for healthcare, disability and rehabilitation.
It is aimed at health-care professionals, carers, people with disabilities and their families. There are over 40 stands show-casing the latest trends in vehicle conversions and scooters, wheelchairs, specially adapted phones, zero-gravity chairs and furniture aids. It is open from 10 – 5 pm each day and parking is free.
Cerrie Burnell, television presenter for BBC children’s channel CBeebies, is pictured with the Lalor siblings, Lucy (7), Nancy (3) and Sonny (6)
Top TV presenter Burnell to highlight conference
EVENT Disabled Drivers’ Association of Ireland Expo
26 May 2011 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 7
MORE than 90 members of the West Dublin busi-ness community attended the Ulster Bank Econom-ic Roadshow at the Red Cow Inn recently, to gain insight into how global decisions will impact on how they do business in Ireland.
Economic Recovery at Home and Abroad – Where do we stand? was led by Simon Barry, chief economist at Ulster Bank, who gave his analyses of the outlook for exports, domestic demand, the labour and housing mar-kets, inflation and public finances.
He said: “The recent stress test and bank-ing sector restructuring announcements repre-sent important progress in addressing market con-cerns about the health of the banking sector, and in setting out estimates of the extent of the burden the sector will place on the sovereign [debt].”
More information about Ulster Bank’s Eco-nomic Roadshow is avail-able from Ulster Bank branches and business centres.
Looking to fiscal futures
COMMERCE: BRIEFING
Red-dy to impress: ITT students are set for their graduate degree showRUA Red is the theme of the upcoming gradu-ate degree show for Institute of Tech-nology Tallaght’s Creative Digital Media graduates, who are showcas-ing their work at South Dublin Arts Centre, Tallaght from Tuesday, May 31 to Saturday,
June 4.The exhibition
features an outstand-ing line-up of film, photography, audio and multimedia productions, and will
be open from 10am to 6pm, with daily video screenings hosted by students at 3pm, and will showcase their already impressive creative skills.
PROTESTS have con-tinued in the main foyer of South Dublin County Council (SDCC) through-out the week to highlight the impounding of horses in the Clondalkin area.
The sit-ins began last Monday after local resident, Alan Murphy’s horses were impounded by SDCC.
The council had said that, in order for Murphy to reclaim the two cob horses, €1,300 has to be paid by Wednesday, May 25. If the fee isn’t paid the horses will, more than likely, be put down.
In the last week, friends and family of Murphy showed their support for his case and stayed with him throughout the day in the main foyer.
Last Wednesday, after negotiations with council officials, Gardai and the protesters broke down, five people were arrested for refusing to leave the council building until SDCC would give them a guarantee that the horses would be not destroyed.
All five were later released without charge.
People Before Profit councillor Gino Kenny, who is supporting Mur-phy’s plight, said: “The council are refusing to budge on the issue of the fee.
“We have pleaded to officials that Alan’s fam-ily can’t make up €1,300 in a few days. We have asked could it be possible to pay it in instalments over a short period of time; again, this has been turned down,” he said.
“It will be a crime if these perfectly healthy horses, which have been well cared for, and have access to land and sta-bles in the South Dublin area, be put down simply because somebody hasn’t got the ability to pay in a confined time,”said Cllr Kenny.
“It will be a grave mis-take if the council pursue this course of action. The protest will continue in the meantime until such time that the issue is resolved, and the horses are given back to their rightful owners,” he said.
In response, a council spokesperson said that the animals had been on a public space when they were rounded up, add-ing: “The horses were brought to the council’s horse pound, where the owners have five days in which to come forward and reclaim them, under Section 6 of South Dublin County Council Control of Horses Act 1996 – Bye Laws.
“If the horses are not reclaimed within the five days, the council arranges to have the horses dis-posed of.
“In order to reclaim the horses, owners must pro-duce a valid horse licence and horse passport for each horse impounded, including a letter from the landowner. The loca-tion where the horses are kept must also be in accordance with Section 5 of South Dublin County Council Control of Hors-es Act 1996 – Bye Laws.
“No information in relation to an applica-tion for the licence was
COUNCIL Dispute over animals
received by the council and, therefore, no inspec-tion of any proposed facil-ity could take place by the council’s vet.
“The council does not accept payment by instal-ments. The council, in conjunction with the ani-mal welfare bodies, have re-homed the animals,” said the SDCC spokes-person.
The council said that the protests had caused so much disruption that they had been forced to take unprecedented steps.
The spokesperson said: “As a result of the horse seizure, there have been protests by the owners and a group of their sup-porters each day since the seizure at County Hall.
“These protests have been extremely disruptive to the normal workings of the council, and, on six occasions, the protes-tors have refused to leave when the building closed.
“The Gardai have been called each evening to deal with the situation, and arrests have been made on two occasions,” said the SDCC spokes-person.
‘These sit-in protests have been extremely disruptive to the normal workings of the council, and, on six occasions, the protestors have refused to leave when the building closed’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -SDCC spokesperson- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
8 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 26 May 2011
Fashion and fun at Bawnogue launchM
INISTER Frances Fitzger-ald was on hand to officially open Siopa Lara at Bawnogue
Enterprise centre recently, where she was joined by Labour deputy Robert Dowds, and a host of fashion-loving locals, family members and friends.
Specialising in new, “good-as-new”
and vintage clothing, shoes and acces-sories for all occasions, Siopa Lara had something to appeal to everyone. Indeed, after cutting the ribbon to officially open the new shop, Minister Fitzgerald was happy to play her part in supporting local business, swapping her beautiful blue outfit to try on a
stylish outfit she spied amid the racks.Lara Darbey, the shop’s owner, told
the Gazette that there was an outfit and a price for everyone, with some looks for children, and that, despite the difficult economic climate, the Clondalkin community had been very welcoming of the new store.
Helena Markey and Vivienne Dempsey
Olga Dargetty and Lara Darbey, owner, Siopa Lara. Pictures: Paddy Barrett
Deputy Robert Dowds, Lara Darbey and Minister Frances Fitzgerald
Minister Fitzgerald and Lara Darbey
Lara’s husband had lots of praise for the stylish venture
Catherine and Charlie
Thornberry Anna Kerslake
RETAIL Minister Fitzgerald opens Siopa Lara clothes shop
26 May 2011 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 9
10 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 26 May 2011
A holy day for St Bernadette’s pupilsI
T was a day of celebration for pupils from St Bernadette’s in Quarryvale as they made their
First Holy Communion at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Rowlagh.
The pupils were joined by their
parents, teachers and extended families who came to show their support on this very special day.
Everyone was looking fantastic in their suits and dresses as they arrived for this very special occa-sion.
Back at the school there was a special ceremony to mark the day, with prizes being given out to students from each class for the best attendance and it was also an opportunity for the pupils to pose for some pictures.
Leah Moore, Junior Infants, Best Attendance Last Week
Ms Sile O’Freil with 2nd Class. Pictures: Paddy Barrett
Jamie Nash, Bryan Okolo, Peter O’Neill and Tori Rafferty
Kirshe Dutton, 2nd Class, Best Attendance Last Week
Esther Nduribe, Ist Class, Best Attendance Last WeekKian Clare Martin, Quinten Doyle and Tristan Howell
Ms Michele Fleming’s 2nd Class Tori Kealy and Rebecca Leddy
EVENT Celebrating Communion Day at St Bernadette’s
26 May 2011 GAZETTE 11
Working as hard as ever, nearly 30 years on
PAUL HOSFORD
NOBODY really notices a 29th birthday. It’s a bit like having a big party for a 20th or a 15th, it’s just not the done thing.
With that in mind, it would be easy for a band like Aslan, just a year shy from celebrating their 30th year as a band, to take the foot off the gas for the 2011 calendar year.
But really, that is not, and never has been, the style of the Dublin heroes. Their voracious appetite for live shows is legen-dary, with Aslan arguably covering more ground now than was covered in the Showband era.
With that much effort gone into gigging, it must surely get old. Not so, says the group’s guitarist, Billy McGuinness, who, along with Christy Dignam, Joe Jewell, Alan Downey and Rodney O’Brien, will rock the Clarion in Liffey Val-ley this Saturday.
“Not at all. We’re about
to enter our 30th year as a band and there is only one reason for that. We gig everywhere because we love playing live. We love the buzz that we get from playing our music live.
“We play a lot of places that other bands would ignore. When you play places, like Midleton in Cork, or Donegal towns that wouldn’t get a lot of gigs, people appreciate it.
“It means that when you’re playing a bigger gig – a Vicar St, Olympia or Point for example – peo-ple will come out for it.”
The mantra of play any-where and everywhere is one that many bands are beginning to adopt in an Irish music scene more and more reliant on live shows for both exposure and money, but most bands will never see some of the venues that Aslan have.
“I suppose the weird-est gigs we’ve ever played were in Mountjoy and
ASLAN Dublin heroes make time for Champions League
Wheatfield Prisons. “We were asking when
they wanted us, the war-den told us we could play whenever, the audience weren’t going anywhere.
“We also played a gig for Irish troops in Kos-ovo, which was odd. We really enjoyed it, but couldn’t go anywhere because there was still fighting going on.
“But really all gigs are brilliant. Even the last
time we played the Clar-ion, Bernard Dunne was there, we had a drink with him and that was great.”
The ability to appeal across age lines, as well as to the Irish Diaspora, are also key reasons for Aslan’s enduring stint at the top of the Irish music pile.
“The age range that we see can be nine to 90 and we see so many young people at gigs, knowing
the lyrics to our songs.“Anywhere there’s Irish
people, we can play. We did a tour of Australia last year, we were playing in Sydney, Canberra, Mel-bourne and that’s because anywhere you go, there’s an Irish bar that will either have Crazy World or This Is on it.
“I think we’ve done everything, including break-up!
Continues on Page 12
Aslan, top, Billy McGuinness, above left, and Christy Dignam
FOLLOWING a difficult General Election, Fianna Fail faces a magnificent challenge in the months ahead, particularly in Dublin.
I believe that we will meet this challenge, renewing the party and reconnecting with com-munities across our capi-tal city, because Fianna Fáil stems from a great tradition. It stems from a tradition where the needs of the people and the country come first. It will be no easy task, but it will be done.
I have been the leader of Fianna Fáil for less than four months and, in that period, I have travelled the length and
breadth of Ireland. I’m currently meeting mem-bers of the party and the public all across Dublin in every constituency. The message I am getting from the thousands of members and supporters is loud and clear.
It must now be our objective to do our out-most to rectify past errors and to secure a better future for every single person on this island.
If we return Fianna Fail to the core principles that for so many years won the support and loyalty of the Irish people, we will not only renew our party, we will renew a vital, posi-tive force in the life of our nation.
For example, in the area of education, Fianna Fáil was founded as the party
of the ordinary work-ing person 85 years ago and became a vehicle for educational opportunity and social advancement across Ireland. Almost every major milestone in education expansion at all levels owes its origins to visionary Ministers for Education, such as Paddy Hillery and Donogh O’Malley, to name but a few. As the new leader of Fianna Fail, educational advancement for all citi-zens is at the core of my political philosophy.
I want Fianna Fáil to be the great party it once was and to be in touch and responsive to the needs of people in Dub-lin and across Ireland.
For this reason, I am determined to open up the Fianna Fáil Party and
COMMENT Leader of the opposition reconnects with the party
30 years of musicContinued from Page 11
“I think people like us because we’re so real. Every mistake we’ve made, we’ve been honest about. People see X-Fac-tor, and those people aren’t real.
“People see everything we’ve gone through, we’re honest that we’ve made mistakes. Christy’s book, and the Aslan book, are both very real. And then people see us give 110% to everything we do.”
At the minute, it is all systems go for Aslan, as they prepare to mark an historic 30th year in the business, looking to “tell the story of Aslan”.
These celebrations will be marked with a film, a new studio album and, possibly, a 30th anniver-sary gig.
ASLAN
Micheal Martin TD talking with Cllr Cormac Devlin
I want to see more young people and women becoming active in our organisation.
Eamon de Valera said when Fianna Fáil was founded: “We hope in particular that the young people of the coun-try, the young men and women, who have not yet definitely affiliated themselves to any politi-cal organisation, will join Fianna Fáil and use it as
a medium through which they will give their servic-es to the community and to the nation.”
I am determined that, in today’s Ireland, Fianna Fail will nur-ture and promote the involvement of more young people in poli-tics. In Dublin this will be particularly impor-tant in the years ahead. For people interested in making a positive differ-
ence in their community, and for those who want to improve the quality of life in this country, my message is clear: Fian-na Fáil is the party of opportunity - where you can help shape policy and where you can make a real difference. Fianna Fáil wants to hear from you. Email your ideas or get information on join-ing the party at [email protected]
“We want the album to be perfect so we’re taking our time over it. Years ago, we’d lock ourselves away for weeks at a time to do an album, but we can now take our time over it and do days here and there.
“It would be nice to mark the 30th anniver-sary.”
Aslan play the Clarion Liffey Valley on Satur-day, May 28, taking to the stage after the Champions League final. Tickets are €15 and available from the hotel on 01 628 5000. On July 2, they take to the stage in Vicar St, with tick-ets available from Ticket-master, priced at €33.60.
Rodney O’Brien, Joe
Jewell and Alan Downey
26 May 2011 GAZETTE 13
14 GAZETTE 26 May 2011
GazetteBEAUTYBEAUTY Edited by
Dawn Love
AN Ultimate Girl’s Night Out will be held in Embody Wellness Centre on May 27.
Free mini-massages, tarot and angel cards, five-minute make-up transformations, wine- tasting and cool cup-cakes will all be avail-able on the night.
Admission is free and all are welcome from 7pm.
For information, phone Grainne on 01 8076795 or find out more on www.embody.ie
Ultimate
Girl’s night
out in MayKeeping skin healthy and radiant the natural way
Some 60% of what we put onto our skin is absorbed into the bloodstream, so
natural products are an option for giving skin a natural glow
DO you want to be a na tura l beauty? With a reported 60% of
what we put onto our skin absorbed into the bloodstream, it’s easy to see why Hollywood stars, such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Anniston, are big fans of natural skincare brands.
Amongst the most pop-ular is leading German range, Dr Hauschka.
For more than 40 years Hauschka, which is free from synthetic chemical fragrances, colours and preservatives, has estab-lished itself as one of the leading natural skincare brands.
Already famed for its Rose Day Cream, Hauschka recent ly launched its Melissa Day Cream (€23.85) which
is designed to help com-bat combination skin prone to shine. Its daily moisturiser is perfect for those with oily and sensitive skin, helping it regain a healthy balance by stimulating the skin’s natural activity.
The fast-absorbing, oil-free moisturiser with lemon balm provides lasting hydration and oil control, leaving you with a balanced matte com-plexion. It features other ingredients, including kidney vetch and carrot designed to help smooth the skin’s surface to min-imise pores, while witch hazel and revitalising daisy helps refine the skin and leave your com-plexion soft and even.
In addition to its Melis-sa Day Cream, Hausch-ka has also released
three new additions to its Regenerating range this summer, includ-ing Regenerating Eye Cream (€65), Regenerat-ing Neck and Decollete Cream (€60) and Regen-erating Body Moisturiser (€40).
According to Hausch-ka, the Regenerating Eye Cream formulation keeps the delicate skin around the eyes, which is thinner than the rest of the face, smooth and supple and minimises the onset of early wrinkles.
The company, which also includes Madonna and Julia Roberts as its devotees, says its Regen-erating range helps slow down the skin’s ageing process and restores your natural radiance. Other products include its oil-free Regenerating Serum and Regenerating Day Cream.
Tantastic
And with your skin in tip-top natural shape, it’s time to make sure its Tan-tastic.
Founded by Dragons’ Den success, Noelle O’Connor, TanOrganic, has is a 100% natural moisturising fake tan. Noelle originally set about creating her range of products when she couldn’t find a 100% natural moisturising tan on the market.
“Being a pale, fair- skinned, freckled Irish woman, and having worn fake tan for over 20 years, I noticed my skin was drying out prematurely. I did not notice it on my face, as I had only ever applied fake tans to my body.
“Being a beauty thera-pist, I have always looked after my skin. On my quest for a sunless, tan-ning product that was nourishing, moisturising and healing on the skin,
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I noticed there were little or none. There were very few organic tans and, on closer research, there were no 100% natural tans. Hence TanOrgan-ic was born. I spent 17 months and a lot of cash researching and test-ing formulas until the final formula was c racked and that is now TanOrganic.”
O n t h e i n c r e a s i n g number of people turn-ing to organ-ic fake tans, Noelle says: “Consumers are becom-ing increas-ingly ingredi-ent-conscious
these days. We are now in the same place with organic cosmetics as we were with organic food in the 1990s, and the trend is growing year on year.
“Like food, people want pure ingredients and the knowledge
that what they are using is natural and organic. Many cli-ents have allergies
to mainstream tanning prod-ucts and they
can cause irri-tation, where n a t u r a l a n d organic tans can be worn with nearly always no reactions.
“Because TanOrganic is genuinely 100% natu-ral and organic there are no synthetic ingredients in the tan. There are also no perfumes, which are the number one cause of allergies in skin care.
“I am constantly work-ing on improving my for-mulae and love to get feedback from my con-sumers as to what they like and don’t like,” she said.
And, on people who may be dubious about trying organic tanning treatments, Noelle says: “Unfortunately, we have to educate them about the negatives of not using natural and organic, and that many ingredients in mainstream tan can be bad for the skin and cause undue irritations and allergies.”
TanOrganic is priced €34.99 per 240ml bottle. For more information on TanOrganic visit www.tanorganic.com
For details on your nearest stockist of Dr Hauschka log onto www.drhauschkaireland.ie.
Dr Hauschka Regenerating Range
100% natural
TanOrganic
26 May 2011 GAZETTE 15
GazettePETSPETSBrought to you by Miriam Kerins of
the DSPCA
THE FACTS: WHEN, AND WHEN NOT, TO INTERFERE WITH FLEDGLING BIRDS AND NESTS
Time for baby birds to leave their nestT
HIS week I ’ve received many calls regarding f ledg-
ling birds. This morning alone, I received at least five and all from inexpe-rienced members of the public who’ve discovered that, hey, it’s summer and it’s the time of year when birds tend to breed, with fledglings appearing in some of the most peculiar places.
Of course, all of these caring callers wanted to know how to help these cute, fluffy little “aban-doned” creatures!
First of all readers, thank you so much for your calls and for your concerns regarding fledgling birds, we really do appreciate them. As a humane society, and the country’s oldest and larg-est animal rescue shelter, we strive to promote the compassionate treatment of all animals – baby birds included.
However, the fact is, the baby birds don’t need your interference. They are not as helpless and clumsy as they look and for you, a human, to intervene is not neces-sarily the best course of action to take.
So, if you’re a con-cerned citizen who hap-pens to come across a baby bird, here’s what you should do!
Difficult though it is…LEAVE IT ALONE! It is not abandoned. If you discover a nest, under no circumstances should you touch or move it. This will cause the parents to abandon their babies and such an action by you could be deemed to be illegal.
A Few Facts
Young birds usually leave the nest about two weeks after hatching, just before they’re able to fly. And round about now,
we’re nearing the end of the first batch, with the second clutch about to be laid.
The fledgling birds will have all, or at least most, of their feathers and will be mobile enough to walk, run and hop from branch to branch. They are being fed by the parent bird, who will not be far away col-lecting food and will not return to the babies until you, the human intruder, has gone away.
Please bear in mind that the parent bird, (and usually in the bird world it’s both mum and dad who take care of the babies) will encourage the fledglings to disperse into different areas or hideaways, but they still carry on feeding and tak-ing care of them.
They move the babies around because they know predators, such as other birds, cats and foxes will attack them, so
Please bear in mind that the parent bird will encourage fledglings, like this baby thrush, to disperse into different
areas but will still take care of them
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they try to limit the risk and hide them in various locations around your home and garden. This is a natural system and it has worked successfully for thousands of years. Do not touch them, move them, or try to “rescue” them.
If you’ve got a cat or a dog who is a danger to the baby birds, then keep your pet indoors or on a lead – this is a temporary measure, the birds will be gone in a couple of days.
And another thing …
If you come across an owl or a hawk that’s on the ground, is alert, is
standing and has feath-ers, even a few, do not approach. Mum and dad are nearby and teaching him to hunt for ground insects. However, if he’s still there the following day, something may be wrong, so speak to your local vet or animal rescue shelter before you inter-vene.
If there’s grounded waterfowl in your area – geese, ducks, etc., this is normal. They’ll head off within a few hours of hatching, so don’t worry if you spot little downy babies running around – it’s normal, but you must leave them alone.
I know members of the public have good inten-tions but, think about it, would you want your new-born babies taken away from you? No! Nei-ther do the birds’ parents.
So, when should you
interfere?
• If the bird is clearly in harm’s way, is on a road and there’s a danger of being knocked down, then gently move him to safety to the nearest hedge/bush/garden, but no further and then walk away.
• The bird is clearly injured/incapacitated – call your local vet or res-
cue shelter or the Dublin SPCA – 01-4994700 for help and advice.
• You know for a fact that both parents have been killed or are inca-pacitated. Again, call your nearest vet/rescue shelter for advice and help.
• If a wing appears sub-stantially droopier than the other wing, if the bird is unable to grip with one foot or if there’s blood, then seek professional help from your vet or ani-mal shelter.
For more information, log onto www.dspca.ie or email me at [email protected]
Yes, he most certainly can!OPINION An historic day in an extraordinary week for Dublin
GazetteContactsBlock 3A, Mill Bank Business Park, Lucan Tel: 01 6010240 Fax: 01 6010251
IS FEIDIR Linn. Yes we can. Those were the words that sent the most rous-ing of cheers through an already captive audience listening to the words of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama.
He took to the stage with his wife, the First Lady, Michelle Obama, around 5.45pm on Mon-day and the crowd went wild for the man whose great, great, great grandfa-ther first set off from Mon-eygall in County Offaly over 150 years ago in order
to seek his fortune.The crowd had queued
from around 12pm, while some hardy souls spent the night on College Green, eagerly awaiting the man who made his-tory by becoming the first black president of the United States of America.
A cheery crowd were kept upbeat by an array of Irish artists, actors and sports people, all intro-duced by RTE’s Ryan Tubridy.
Whilst waiting for the main man, several musi-cians, including Ryan Sheridan, Imelda May, Westlife and the unstop-
pable Jedward warmed up the crowd, which was good as there was a wind blowing on the day that made the First Lady’s hair resemble the blond duo’s wacky quiffs.
The crowd waited with bated breath, wondering if they were going to have an opportunity to shake the hand of someone who has made history.
Tubridy, who spoke excitedly about Obama’s visit, kept giving the crowd regular updates on his impending arrival.
In the meantine Daniel Day Lewis, Stephen Rea and Brendan Gleeson
said a few words or recit-ed poetry. Saoirse Ronan also drew huge cheers from the crowd.
The President’s seal, seen so often on televi-sion and in the movies, was placed on the speak-ing platform and the audi-ence knew it was almost time.
Then, quite suddenly Taoiseach Enda Kenny and his wife Fionnuala walked on to the stage, and the weather-beaten masses knew the wait was almost over.
Kenny gave a rous-ing speech and looked as proud as punch as he
introduced the most pow-erful man in the world to the waiting Irish audi-ence.
Barack and Michelle walked on stage, holding hands and looking happy and relaxed. Perhaps it was the drop of the black stuff that he had sampled earlier in Moneygall but Obama couldn’t stop grinning and protectively rubbed Michelle’s shoul-der as Kenny finished his speech.
The chant “Obama, Obama, Obama” rippled through the crowd and finally everyone got their first words from one of the world’s great orators.
“Hello, Dublin, hello, Ireland. My name is Barack Obama – of the Moneygall Obamas. And I've come home to find the apostrophe that we lost somewhere along the way.” Yes, the man certainly knows how to charm an audience.
From there he went on to say that both our nations have faced great trials in recent years, “including recessions so severe that many of our people are still trying to fight their way out”.
However, he left the audience with this part-ing shot: “Ireland… if anybody ever tells you that your problems are too big, or your challenges are too great, that we can't
do something, that we shouldn't even try, think about all that we've done together. Remember that, whatever hardships the winter may bring, spring-time is always just around the corner. And if they keep on arguing with you,
just respond with a sim-ple creed: Is féidir linn. Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Is féidir linn.”
With that note the crowd started to disperse, looking weather-beaten but with a lighter spring to their step.
President Barack Obama charms the Dublin crowd
GazetteGAMINGGAMING26 May 2011 GAZETTE 17
WIN a Kinect sensor for Xbox
THE Gazette is continuing its incredible Xbox Kinect sensor competition this week, as we give away the
second of four prizes. Kinect for Xbox 360 brings
games and entertainment to life in extraordinary new ways, with-out using a controller
With Kinect, technology evap-orates, letting the natural magic in all of us shine. Controller-free gaming means full-body play.
Kinect responds to how you move. So, if you have to kick, then kick. If you have to jump, then jump. You already know how to play.
All you have to do is get off the couch, “plug in” to your Xbox 360 console, and jump in to experience game play.
Kinect Sports allows you to say goodbye to the buttons and controllers, and play six full sports games just as you always
have, using your entire body.Become the heavyweight
champ of the living room with boxing, or take to the sand with some high-flying beach volley-ball action.
EveryoneWith soccer, field and track
events, and even bowling, Kinect Sports has something for every-one.
Meanwhile, Kinect Adven-
tures will have you jumping, dodging, and kicking your way through 20 pulse-pounding adventures, set in exotic loca-tions around the world.
Kinect Adventures gets you to work with your friends and navigate through roaring rapids, challenge obstacle courses, and even save a leaky underwater laboratory.
The spirit of adventure awaits!
WIN A KINECT SENSOR AND TWO KINECT GAMESTo be in with a chance to win a Kinect Sensor and two Kinect games,
to use with your XBox 360 console, just answer the following question.How many adventures are contained in Kinect Adventures?
Post your answer to Kinect Competition, Gazette Group Newspapers, Block 3A, Mill Bank Business Park, Lucan, Co Dublin. Alternatively, you can email [email protected]. All entries must be received before Wednesday, June 1.
LAST WEEK’S WINNER:
Congratulations to Clive
Stone of Dublin 15, who
was the Week One winner
of the Xbox Kinect
Sensor and games
GazetteMOTORSMOTORS
LEXUS and qual-ity have been syn-onymous, but that emphasis has been
at the more expensive and bigger car end of the market. Enter the CT200h, a car with more compact dimensions that’s still comfortable on the quality street.
This new car is a hatchback that retains the Lexus premium badge. Lexus see the car as a solid competitor to smaller diesel cars, where running-cost efficiency is so important.
I had seen photographs of the car long before I took it for a lengthy test drive. The photographs didn’t give the feeling for its size and style – it was a little smaller than
I had expected, a little less SUV or crossover in appearance.
This is a neat, five-door hatchback that has all of the features you expect, topped off with Lexus smooth and very quiet driving style. To me, it’s a real competitor with some of the current die-sel-powered small hatch-back cars.
Like all Lexus models, there’s loads of technolo-gy in the CT200h. I would prefer if they could think of a better name – there’s no ring to the CT200h, it just doesn’t roll easily off the tongue.
The CT200h is a petrol hybrid car designed to compete against the likes of the diesel-powered Audi A3, BMW 1 Series and even the Volkswagen Golf. Lexus has set new and impressive petrol-efficiency standards with this car.
The 1.8-litre petrol engine is incredibly smooth to drive. The hybrid system engages without effort to give a power boost that’s lively but not trend-setting.
But you will notice
when you want the engine and hybrid drive to work together; the car sort of roars at you, but not in a strong way, more as a way of telling you that it’s doing some work. That’s the only time that you realise that there’s an engine under the bonnet.
The car scores well in terms of economy. With an achievable figure of 26.3 km/litre (3.8l/100km) this is the envy of diesel power.
In terms of running costs, the CT200h is a match for modern diesel engines.
Add to that the low annual tax rate of €104, plus a once-a-year serv-ice or 10,000km, and you have a car that can com-
pete in cost terms with the diesel competition.
And all that is achieved with a 0 to 100km/hr rating of 10.3 seconds – that’s fast enough for most of us. That’s a shade slower than the BMW 118d, Audi A3 2.0-litre TD Sportback and the VW Golf 2.0-litre TD, but there’s only a mere sec-ond in the difference.
I took the CT200h for some lengthy drives covering almost 600km through a range of roads. The outstanding feature is its smoothness. The comfort is good, if not a shade soft, on some of the smaller rural roads – that’s not really a com-plaint.
The car drives through an automatic gearbox
that’s controlled by a short stubby lever on the centre console. I found that it was very sensitive and took a little getting used to, and then it was a pleasure.
The car is smaller than I had expected from the photographs. I found that the headroom front and rear was a bit tight. Rear legroom is not over-generous either, but that’s the same for the BMW 118d, with which it competes.
This car can truly com-pete in purchase price, and running costs, with the diesel competition. The car is competitively priced at €28,450 or £23,485 in Nothern Ire-land, but it just doesn’t seem to look expensive.
Lexus hatches CT200hThe new Lexus CT200h is a premium smaller car that has a quality-build feeling to it in terms of smoothness. With an entry price of €28,980 it’s still competitive in price
and running costs with some of the other turbo-diesels on the market.
AUDI Ireland turned the sod for a new Audi dealership in Sligo scheduled to open at the end of the year. Audi Sligo will be owned and operated by Kevin and Neil Connolly, who have invested €5 million in the dealership, which hopes to create 20 new jobs in the
Sligo region.The future Sligo dealership is major
part of a five-year investment plan by Audi in Ireland to become the number one prestige car brand in Ireland by 2015. Audi is undertaking a restructur-ing of the franchise retail network with
a collective investment of €80 million over the next three years. This will result in a nationwide network of 10 dedicated Audi dealerships servicing the whole country.
Andrew Doyle, managing director, Audi Ireland said: “Together with our
franchise partners, we will continue to make significant long-term investments in people, facilities and systems, here in Ireland. Today’s announcement is an important part of our drive to become the number one prestige car brand in Ireland by 2015.”
Audi Ireland turns the sod for new Audi dealership in Sligo
MERCEDES BENZ HAS NEW VAN FINANCE DEAL: MERCEDES-BENZ in Ireland has launched a new van purchase finance scheme, which opens up a line of funding that would assist small businesses planning to upgrade their transport fleet. The finance scheme has been designed to unblock the lending logjam that has pre-vented many owners from acquiring or replacing their van fleet.
This new scheme provides finance over periods from three to five years, upon pay-ment of a “modest” deposit. Confined to the purchase of new vehicles only, the scope of the plan can also be extended to include maintenance costs. Mercedes-Benz van dealers can facili-tate buyers by agree-ing a residual value that would be placed on each vehicle after the finance term has expired.
NEW SAAB DEAL WITH CHINA’S PANGDA AUTO-MOBILE: IT’S been a difficult few weeks for Saab and for its owners the Dutch Spyker Cars NV. Last week, they had a deal with one Chinese investor, which fell through at the last minute. The latest news is that China’s Pangda Automobile Trade Co Ltd has entered into a deal, which it said would secure Saab’s medium-term funding needs and with EU approval.
The deal involves an agreement to buy Saab vehicles for as much as €45 mil-lion and to take a 24% equity stake in Spyker for a total of €65 million.
RoadRoadSignsSigns
Top speed: 180 km/hr
0 – 100km/hr: 10.3 sec
Economy: 26.3 km/litre
(3.8l/100km)
CO2 emissions: 87g/km
Road Tax Band: A (€104)
Scrappage Eligible: Yes
Warranty: 3 years
Entry Price: €28,450
SPECS: LEXUS
CT200H HYBRID
18 GAZETTE 26 May 2011
MICHAEL MORONEY has been out in the new Lexus CT200h, which is a compact, hybrid petrol hatchback and here he gives his verdict
26 May 2011 GAZETTE 19
C O O N A N E s t a t e Agents are bringing Number 52, Straffan Gate in Straffan village to the market for an ask-ing price of €560,000.
The property is a five-bedroom dual-aspect detached house, located in a sought-after devel-opment in the heart of Straffan village.
Finished to the high-est standards and pre-sented in pristine con-dition throughout, this property boasts large, bright spacious living accommodation.
The accommodation comprises entrance hall, with reception area and guest bathroom, sitting room with bay window,
A Gate to comfort and securitySTRAFFAN: FIVE-BEDROOM HOME FOR ASKING PRICE OF €560,000
feature fireplace with a granite hearth, dining room with a double bay window, and a kitchen/dining room with solid wooden f loor, patio door to garden, recessed lights, wall and floor units, a granite work-
top, NEFF extractor fan, hob and double oven, and an integrated dishwasher.
The first f loor fea-tures a large master bedroom with built-in wardrobe and en suite with shower, four more
Number 52, Straffan Gate has an asking proce of €560,000
GazettePROPERTYPROPERTY
bedroom with built-in wardrobes, and the family bathroom.
The property also has wooden, double-glazed windows throughout, stainless-steel light fit-tings and sockets, a pressurised shower sys-
tem and a maintenance- free exterior.
The property features a large south-facing gar-den and a cobble-lock driveway with parking spaces for up to three cars.
Located only a short walk from Straffan Vil-lage and only a short drive to the University town of Maynooth, Cel-bridge and Clane, and only a 40-minute drive to Dublin City, this is an opportunity not to be missed.
C o o n a n E s t a t e Agents can be con-tacted to arrange a viewing of Straffan Gate on 01-6286128 or 01-6288400.
Discerning buyers drawn to bargains
There are a number of home types at Adamstown Square
FOR discerning property buyers looking for real value, Castlethorn’s popu-lar development at Adam-stown Square in Lucan is well worth a visit.
The price of a two-bed apartment is €135,000, and it boasts an extreme-ly high level of specifica-tion, is located close to the main attractions of Adamstown, including local shops, schools and its train station.
For those looking for a larger home, there are new, three-bed duplex units located on the sec-ond and third floors, with over 1,000 sq ft accom-modation and a spacious balcony at an asking price of €165,000.
S i m i l a r l y - s i z e d ground-floor, three-bed duplexes with private amenity areas start from €185,000. In addition, there are a small number
of three- and four-bed houses available from €235,000 and €249,950 respectively.
In total there are six fully-fitted showhomes on view at Adamstown Square, ranging from two-beds right up to four-bed townhouses, so there is plenty of choice for the price-conscious home-hunter.
Adamstown Square has an excellent level of specification in all the homes. All master bed-rooms are very generous in size and are fitted with en suites.
In addition, purchasers will benefit from modern, fitted kitchens, complete with oven/hob, fridge-freezer, dishwasher and washer/dryer. All homes are designed to comply with Sustainable Energy Ireland’s House of Tomor-row programme in terms
ADAMSTOWN: ATTRACTIVE PAYMENT PLAN OPTIONS AVAILABLE
of their energy- efficient ratios and the BER rat-ing of each home is very high.
Taking cognisance of the difficulties and con-cern’s that today’s house purchasers may be facing, Castlethorn is providing a wide range of options that will assist the homeowner in purchasing their new home, including a home-
deposit advance option, which lets purchasers reserve their home today with no deposits payable until closing, and Easi steps is also available, which lets purchasers move in today and pay monthly instalments for a period of up to two years.
These instalments are then taken off the pur-chase price of the home
when the purchaser clos-es the sale.
The Adamstown mar-keting suite and show units are open everyday, weekends from 3-5 and weekdays from 10-5.
For further informa-tion on the great value available at Adamstown Square phone Leah’ys 6011800 or log onto www.castlethorn.ie
Round up a property coup on Texas LanePROPERTY Team Noel Kelly Auctioneers are bringing 2 Texas Lane, Chalfont, Mala-hide, a four-bedroom semi-detached fam-ily home offering bright and generously proportioned accomodation and a flexible layout, to the market with an asking price of €545,000.
The property has been extended though-out and is situated in a much-sought after location.
The accommodation comprises entrance hall with guest wc, which has a cermaic tiled floor, garage conversion with wooden floors, two reception rooms and an extended kitch-en/breakfast area which has fitted wall and floor units - all electrical appliances are included in the sale.
The landing offers access to the attic, and the upper level features the four bedrooms in the property, the larger of which have built-inn wardrobes, while all have timber flooring.
The family bathroom has a tiled floor and walls and a Triton T90i shower.
Thr garden of Texas Lane has a deck area, a timber garden shed, and is fully walled.
To the front, there is a cobblelock drive-way as well as a side entrance.
Located beside Malahide estuary, the property is within walking distance of Mala-hide village, local schools and the Dart sta-tion.
Viewing is by appointment, which can be arranged by contacting Darren Kelly of Property Team Noel Kelly Auctioneers on 01 8462752.
MALAHIDE: ASKING PRICE OF €545,000
Number 2, Texas Lane, Malahide
20 GAZETTE 26 May 2011
SARAH Carberry, of Secretchic.ie, an Irish Online Designer Dress Rental service, grew up in Malahide and now lives in Portmarnock. She went to school in Scoil Iosa in Malahide and then to The Insti-tute on Lesson Street. Sarah started her career in PR six years ago with McGovern Public Relations, one of the longest established marketing and PR firms in Ireland, and is an industry she is still involved with. “PR is a passion and I love what I do but, like most girls, I love fashion!”
Two years ago she was at various events and weddings and was spending a lot of money for dresses she usually only wore once. “I thought to myself, there has to be a way you can rent dresses.” But, at that time, she was not aware of any other options. It was then she came up with the idea on an online rental store – and www.secret-chic.ie was born. No one seemed to be doing it in Ireland, but it is big business in the USA and UK.
Secretchic.ie features casual and evening styles (sizes 6-16) from labels such as Just Cavalli, Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano, By Malene Birger, Juicy Couture, D&G and many more.
Interview: Sarah Carberry, Secretchic.ie
Q&A
No secret to Sarah’s online dress success
Sarah Carberry, of Secretchic.ie
Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be?A: A singer – mind you I don’t
have a note in my head.
Q: What was your first job?A: Worked in a coffee shop in
Malahide.
Q: And your first pay cheque?A: Blew it on clothes.
Q: How many people do you have to talk with every day?A: Up to 20 people.
Q: What is the greatest thrill of your working week?A: To hear someone loved the
dress or hat that they rented.
Q: And what part of your job do you dislike the most?A: There isn’t really much I dis-
like. There will always be likes
and dislikes of running your
own company, but that is what
makes it interesting.
Q: What air carrier do you use when going on holidays?A: I am not really loyal to any
particular air carrier. I always
try to get the best deal I can
Q: What car do you drive?A: Mercedes
Q: Can you swim?A: Yes – I love it and should do
it more often.
Q: Would you ever bungee jump?A: I used to want to do one but
now I don’t think I would –
way too scared.
Q: Do you play any sport?A: I run and go to Curves and
Hot Yoga
Q: What is your favourite food and drink?A: I don’t really have a favour-
ite food. I love most food and,
in particular, food that is bad
for you. My favourite drink is a
Cosmo… yum, love them.
Q: How many times each week do you go to the ‘hole in the wall’?A: Too many!
Q: How many times each year do you shop for clothes?A: I shop for clothes on a regu-
lar basis.
Q: What is the name of your favourite shop?A: River Island and Forever
21 – I can’t choose which is my
favourite!
Q: How many pairs of shoes do you own?A: Over 20, and I don’t even
wear most of them.
Q: Where is your favourite holiday destination?A: Italy – amazing, love the
food, scenery and the people.
Really interesting place.
Q: What other job in the whole world would you really like to have?A: I would like to possibly be a
marine biologist.
Q: When do you wish to retire?A: I am not sure.
Q: What do you plan to do when you retire?A: I am not sure but I will have
to be doing something, as I get
bored quite easily.
GazetteBUSINESSBUSINESS Supported by AIB
26 May 2011 GAZETTE 21
SAVING FOR YOUR CHILDREN
Q – We have two girls aged seven and five.
We have not made any provision for their
education, though they will both be going to
a non-fee paying local secondary school. But
already the extra-curricular activity costs
are mounting up and we need to motivate
ourselves to start saving. What do you sug-
gest ? Colette – Lucan Co Dublin
A – According to a recent UK insurance company
study, it will cost over € 246,000 from the time
your child is born until the time they finish their
third level education. You have already spent a
great deal of money on your girls – since they
were born, probably, around € 130,000, but are
unaware of it! €10,000 a year per child is the esti-
mated ongoing cost. It is no wonder you cannot
save.
However, it is not going to get any better for the
next few years so you MUST start saving, and now.
A recent bank report stated third-level costs
alone, from start to finish, at € 42,000 for ONE
child, and that’s without the fees.
To put this into perspective, if you save the
current € 140 monthly Child Benefit for your five-
year-old, add € 110 per month to it and keep saving
until your child is 18, at 3% interest rate each year,
over those 13 years, the monthly saving of €250
will amount to that target of €42,000, and that’s
just for ONE child.
Therefore, you have to plan and plan to save.
Just like Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries
– they come around every year and you have to
provide for them. You certainly do not want to be
the parent that stops your daughters going on
that special school trip, those two weeks in Irish
College, that summer camp – even that hockey
stick costs at least € 70!
I would recommend that you immediately start
putting the Child Benefit into a Regular Saver
account (saving between € 100 and € 1,000 per
month for 12 months and attracting rates up to
4% - most deposit takers offer them) and when
you have accumulated at least € 2,000, deposit
this into a high-yielding, 12-month fixed rate
account.
Look for savings on everything from careful
budgeting to looking for bargains – everywhere.
Remember also the Money Doctor mantra – STOP
SPENDING, AND IF YOU MUST, ENSURE BEST VALUE.
Ask yourself when buying a product or service,
do you really need this and, if you do, is there a
Chevron Training launch innovative mobile training unitsCHEVRON Training, Ireland’s largest pri-vate training provider, is renowned as the leading provider of renewable energy and environmen-tal training courses.
Chevron Training’s career-focused approach to the provision of training courses was instrumental in securing the coveted Best Training Company
and Overall Business of the Year accolades at the Wexford Business Awards in 2010.
This continued rec-ognition is illustrated by Chevron Training being shortlisted for three prestigious awards at the 2011 Wexford Business Awards, namely the Wex-ford Training Provider Award, Wexford Green
Business Award and the Wexford Employer of the Year Award.
Innovation
Chevron Training is honoured to have been shortlisted for each of these awards, as they acknowledge the individ-uals and businesses that represent the entrepre-neurialism, innovation,
diversity and the talent in Wexford businesses.
Chevron Training’s innovative approach towards the delivery of training programmes is illustrated by their sig-nificant investment in the development of Ireland’s first fleet of mobile train-ing units.
These next-generation training venues allow
the practical renewable energy and environmen-tal training programmes to be delivered in any location nationwide, thus facilitating increased access to further educa-tion.
For further information about Chevron Training courses, lo-call 1890 252 647 or visit www.chevron-training.ie
The west is the best for a romantic getaway trip
MIMI MURRAY
IRISH weather, as we all know, is not to be relied upon. When Americans and Italians holiday here, they come well-prepared, not batting an eyelid when the downpour inevitably ensues.
However, for we Irish holidaying at home, it is another opportunity to screw up our noses, give the grey skies the evil eye, and curse the country of our birth.
The French and Ger-mans throw on the wind-cheaters, and nod know-ingly at each other when another torrent threatens, but we Irish despair as yet another trip falls foul of the weather.
For that reason, it is proper order to book yourself in somewhere luxurious, so that, when the inevitable happens, the plush indoor sur-roundings will more than make up for the goings on outside.
That’s not to say that we can’t button up and head for the open air on a grand, soft day – just like our foreign visitors – but for us Irish, who are so used to the constant grey and drizzle, we just expect the gods of sunshine and blue skies to shine on us when we decide to take a trip at home.
For this reason, my husband and I decided
to stay somewhere rather nice when we took a trip to the west, earlier this month.
The Atlantic coast can be stunning, but the ocean also likes to make its presence felt from time to time, as we were about to discover on our roman-tic weekend.
On our first night we stayed in Gregan’s Castle, which is situated in the heart of The Burren, and is surrounded by stunning gardens, with breathtak-ing views of Galway Bay. We arrived early on Fri-day, to be greeted by our host, Simon Haden. We
were taken straight to our extremely spacious room, which had very pretty views of both The Burren and the ocean.
We decided not to rest on our laurels, and to make good use of the slightly blue sky on offer. The Cliffs of Moher are stunning, but a word of warning – wear winter clothes, even if it is the height of summer.
The wind whips around the headland, and our
friendly host in Gregan’s said that should I find myself being lifted by a swift gust, to make sure to take the hubby with me. He was only half-joking.
It was back to the hotel for some much-needed warming up, and a pre-dinner drink, before tak-ing our table at the pretty restaurant, which, again, had lovely views of Gal-way bay.
The menu seemed adventurous, but my hus-band and I were not pre-pared for what was about to come. Why does this place not have a Michelin Star, we mused?
The chef, Mickael Vil-janens, who is Finnish, has been with the hotel for six years. Simon says that Michelin are watching them at the moment, but no stars have appeared just yet. I am certain this will be resolved in time.
My husband’s starter of cheese and onion was a delicious broth and cheese combo that was warming on a chilly day, and my lobster was deli-cious.
The pigeon, which I ordered with some trepi-dation, as it was to be cooked very pink, was stunning. I am still dream-ing about it. My hubby’s lamb was equally good, and all of the flavours are experimental, but work really well together.
A pre dessert of lime panna cotta with fennel was extraordinary, and the entire meal was a triumph. I would highly recommend this place to gourmands looking for somewhere fantastic in the west.
After a delicious meal, we took a seat beside the open fire to pore over the Queen’s visit, before retir-ing early.
On Saturday, we awoke to torrential rain and gales, and a surfing lesson which we had booked for that day was looking extremely unlikely.
My brave other half decided he was going to give it a lash anyway, but I decided the open fires and beautiful views at our next hotel, Moy House, were calling to me instead.
He went off to Lahi-nch beach for a lesson with Ben’s Surf Clinic, as I reviewed the Saturday papers, while sipping a peppermint tea.
We were staying in the Well Room, which fea-tures an original under-ground well, and a free-
standing bath tub, as well as an open fire – all you could need for a roman-tic weekend in the west of Ireland.
Our well-lit conservato-ry offered amazing views of the ocean, and the din-ner area also overlooks the sea, and we were to be treated to a sunset of sorts after the weather cleared – slightly.
Salad of crab and Dublin Bay prawns was very nice, as were his scallops. My lamb was delicious, and my husband said the turbot was a lovely light dish. The staff were really attentive and lovely as well.
We retired early, but the Atlantic had other ideas for us, and it made an almighty racket that night, but that made us appreciate the plush sur-roundings and our open fire all the more.
For information on both properties, see www.irelands-blue-book.ie.
‘We retired early, but the Atlantic made an almighty racket that night – but that made us appreciate the plush surroundings and our open fire all the more’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Travel to the stunning north of Spain on a luxury train this summer on the Gran Lujo TranscantabrianIMAGES of Hercule Poirot, cocktail hour and afternoon tea spring to mind when luxury train travel is mentioned. This mode of transport is a stunning way to see Northern Spain this summer, with several options available to the discerning traveller.
From May to September, the luxury Cross-Cantabrian train will travel between San Sebas-tian and Santiago de Compostela, an eight-day journey, with seven nights on board.
The Gran Lujo Transcantabrian is one of the five best tourist trains in the world, and the oldest in Spain. It has been transformed into a spec-tacular and seductive five-star train-hotel. It has seven sleeping cars, four lounge cars and a kitch-en car. There is an attractive panoramic lounge containing televisions, library and video library, a restaurant car and tea salon where the gastro-nomic specialities of each area through which the train passes are served. The four sleeping cars contain 14 elegant Privilege Suites, each of which boasts a large double bed, ample wardrobe space for clothing and suitcases, a small lounge, two TV sets, a video player, a games console, a music centre, a computer with free internet connec-tion, cordless telephone, double air conditioning, minibar, and a full bathroom with hydromassage shower and steam sauna.
The La Robla Express in another train that has been improved and upgraded for 2011 and offers travellers fascinating visits to the world-renowned Romanesque towns of Carrion de los Condes, Fromista and Villalcazar de Sirga. The trip, which takes four days and three nights oper-ates from March to November.
The Las Robla Express carries 54 passengers in nine coaches, with comfortable lounge cars, and a bar with large projection screens. Sleep-ing compartments have couchette style fold-out beds, wardrobe, music and telephone connec-tions and bathrooms with hydromassage shower. For maximum comfort, the train remains station-ary overnight in the stations its visits.
Further information from www.trenesturisti cosdelujo.com
FastTravel
GazetteTTRAVELRAVEL22 GAZETTE 26 May 2011
Castle (above, and below) was followed with an equally delightful break at Moy House (below, right)
Mary Black performing at Bridge House Hotel in JuneMARY Black is back and performing in the Bridge House Hotel in Offaly this June.The singer has just released her new album after a six-year gap and to celebrate, the hotel is offering guests the chance to dine, see the show and stay overnight. At her concert in the Bridge House Hotel, Mary will give a taste of her new material along with some classic hits including No Frontier, Woman’s Heart and many more.
Tickets are available for €25, but guests can treat themselves to an overnight stay and din-ner in the Bridge House’s Michelin Guide rec-ommended restaurant, including a ticket to the show for €109 per person sharing.
Also coming to the Bridge House Hotel on August 1 is a night with the Wolfe Tones. Tick-ets are available for €25 or stay overnight with dinner and a ticket to the show for €99 per per-son sharing. For more information, contact the Bridge House Hotel on 057 932 5600 or visit www.bridgehouse.com.
Mustard Seed Hotel offers a
special Box Room offerTHE Mustard Seed Hotel in Limerick has a special Box Room Offer running at the moment. One of the Blue Book’s stunning hotels, the package allows guests to stay in one of the smaller, but perfectly formed rooms at a reduced rate. Relax during the evening and avail of the hotels excellent overnight rate. Rooms include en suite with power shower, TV, telephone and regular size double bed. Rate also include full Irish breakfast. Four course dinner costs €63, or there are special value menus available. Rooms cost €65 per person sharing. For more details contact 069 68508 or email [email protected].
Park Hotel offers two-night pack-age during The Tall Ship RacesTHE Tall Ships are set to sail into Dungarven this June, with three extraordinary days of festi-val taking place, and the Park Hotel is the per-fect place to stay in order to be in the thick of the action. After three exciting days from June 30 to July 3, a Parade of Sail will take place along the Waterford and Wexford estuary, as Ireland once again hosts The Tall Ships Races.
This is one of the most spectacu-lar and colourful events in the world, and Waterford is gearing up to host over 70 majestic Tall Ships; 1,500 sail trainees and an anticipated 500,000 maritime, music and festival fans on the quays of Ireland’s oldest city. The Park Hotel has a two night package with full Irish breakfast each morning from €129pps, subject to availability. For information visit www.flynnhotels.com.
TravelBriefs
26 May 2011 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 23
Edited by
Mimi Murray
R1
24 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 26 May 2011
Not awesome/awfulKate’s heavyweight opinion squares up to A Wimpy Kid – but, she says, the kid’s not brilliant, but he’s all right ...
KATE CROWLEY
WHILE older Gazette viewers may rejoice at the release of The Hangover: Part 2 –
Sorry folks, that’s not what I’m reviewing.
Instead, as tempting as it is to wander along with shmucks with bucks and drinks, I’m going to wimp out, and talk about Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, instead.
After all, it’s been a while since we’ve had a kid movie, so, let’s tag along with an American-style “wimpy” kid ...
To use its full title, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is the sequel to an earlier chil-dren’s film which, being 103, I haven’t seen, which means I’m approaching this with fresh, if some-what lined, eyes.
In a somewhat busy film, a young kid Greg (Zachary Gordon) is hav-ing a typically awful time with his older brother,
FILM OF THE WEEK:
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 (G) 98 mins
OUR VERDICT:ALTHOUGH, perhaps, a little baffling to older viewers who may have forgetten the trials and tribulations of trying to fit in at school, and deal with older/younger siblings, as well as being steeped in Americana, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is okay. Neither brilliant nor awful, it’s a middling film that should entertain well enough, until something better comes along ...
Director: David BowersStarring: Zachary Gordon, Devon Bostick, Rachael Harris, lots and lots of ordinary children, US movie-style
the much-hated Rodrick (Devon Bostick), whose sole purpose in life seems to be to torment him. So far, so older brother.
Greg’s life is hard enough, seeing as he’s firmly locked into his school’s nerd squad; a gang comprising the usual suspects of Fat Kid, Indian Transfer Student, Bizarre Geek, and so on.
Compared to this bunch of carefree “losers”, Greg is positively normal, but he just can’t get along with Rodrick.
When their parents disappear for a weekend, leaving the boys behind
to bond (social workers can step back from the rescue wagon, as I should point out that Rodrick’s old enough to be Greg’s responsible guardian for a few days – in theory, at least), an inevitable house party sees the house filled with unruly teens, while the geeks also use Greg as their Trojan horse to get inside, and chaos ensues.
The next day, with their parents’ inevitable call to say they’re coming home early, the boys have to frantically cover up the evidence of the party, and just about get away with it, too, earning Greg
some respect from his big brother.
For a while. But, Fer-ris Bueller-types they are not; lacking that char-acter’s guile, the party is soon uncovered, and the boys are immediately back to their battling selves, with Greg trying to become cool at school, and Rodrick trying to impress with his band.
Events roll along, all leading up towards a cli-mactic talent show that both brothers want to win. Now, how can Greg impress with a magic act that might make Paul Daniels hesitate, and is Rodrick really someone that his band still want playing along in their chance for a big break?
Perhaps it’s time for “a wimpy kid” to show that other people don’t know the things he can really do, and that he can even impress his older brother. Now, that really would be magic ...
Despite my great age
and immediately obvi-ous wisdom, I confess that I’m still permanently baffled by the American grade system, or how their schools work, or how or why the kids in these films are always obssessed with break-ing out of their school’s caste/social strata system, so, in my worst nu-speak, I can’t find many of these situations “relatable”.
It’s all harmless enough family fare; predict-able and inoffensive, but I imagine that plenty of children will find it amus-ing enough – though not, I’m sure, to be really great.
On the plus side, even though it feels like a glorified TV movie, rather than a must-see children’s film, at least it’s not A) another lame computer animated film; B) presented in clumsily implemented 3D; and C) is unlikely to give any older viewers a headache. Or a hangover.
“You better think how to hide the evidence of a house party before mom comes home ...” Greg (Zachary Gordon) temporarily has the
advantage over his older brother, and chief tormentor, Rodrick (Devon Bostick), in an inoffensive new family film
GazetteENTERTAINMENTENTERTAINMENTGoingOUTGoingOUT
THE HELIX 01 700 7000YOPS and friends
MUSIC returns to The Helix with a delightful performance from Young Orchestral Pops orchestra, and friends. The Young Orchestral Pops – also known as Yops – will be demonstrating the skills that has seen them performing in such notable venues as Dublin Castle, the Salt mines in Krakow and St Nicholas’ church in Prague, and will be joining with St Clare’s PS children’s choir, Harold’s Cross, and flute group, Flutistics, to perform a selection of light classical, popular and traditional favourites
With tickets priced at €12, the concert starts at 3pm on Sunday, May 29.
MILL THEATRE 01 296 9340 Time Warp
TAKE2 Performing Arts School will draw upon the members’ considerable talents to present Time Warp – A Trip And Tweet through the decades.
Using song, dance and performance, the Take2 members will present a memorable trip through time, presenting some memorable events and eras with ease, giving the audience something to think – and Tweet – about. Time Warp runs at 6pm on Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29, with admission priced €12.50/€8.50.
DRAIOCHT 01 885 2622Bealtaine 2011
THE annual festival that commemorates older members of the community, Bealtaine is once again being commemorated at Draiocht with a range of events, before drawing to a close on Tuesday, May 31. With a wide-ranging programme of events, Draiocht has imaginatively marked and celebrated the wit, wisdom, skills and contribution of our elders, with events in everything from cinema to dance to highlight the importance of older citizens. To see the remaining events, and to help mark Bealtaine, see www.draiocht.ie.
PAVILION THEATRE 01 231 2929Gala Summer Concerts
WITH summer just a ray of sunshine away, the Pavilion Theatre plays host to Dun Laoghaire School of Music, who are hosting their 18th annual gala summer concerts, marking a musical treat for all.
With students ranging from the very young to mature musicians, the School will showcase some of the varied activities and musical styles studied and practised, all presented in a delightful programme that will cover a wide range of music, ushering in the summer in style. The concerts will be held at 5pm and 7.30pm, on Friday, May 27, with admission priced at €16, €12 and €9.50.
CIVIC THEATRE 01 4627477 Grumpy Old Women
THESE ladies are not to be messed with, as they are treading the (creaking) boards to bring some middle-aged mayhem to life and settle some scores they have with aging, men, the way things work and much more, in bad-tempered, contrary and hilarious ways.
They don’t come much grumpier than Adele King, Flo McSweeney and Una Crawford O’Brien, who are presenting their version of the hit West End show with a distinctly Irish version. Grumpy Old Women is running until Saturday, May 28, with tickets priced from €25 to €30.
MANAGED by the guru behind the rise of Suede, and with a safe pair of hands on the mixing desk in the form of Muse and Foo Fighters producer, Rich Costey, the self-recorded and self-produced, self-titled debut album from Nash-ville’s Mona finally hits the streets this week.
Having been tipped as ones to watch since last autumn, the Tennessee tyros first platter arrives with 11 tracks that drip with attitude.
The immense weight that comes from the NME, MTV and BBC
voting you as ones to watch in 2011 hangs in the background, but you sense that there is some-thing in the mix that might just see Mona rise above the hype.
The album does not hang about in making its point – clocking in at a brisk 35 minutes – that this is a band packed with an infectious ener-gy and the tunes to drive it home.
Lead tracks, like Lis-ten To Your Love, and Trouble On The Way, show their straightfor-ward rock leanings, but Lines In The Sand demonstrate that Mona already know their way around an anthem.
MUSIC: ONES TO WATCH
As with all good debuts, the question is, where do they go from here?
They have a formula that does not need tink-ering with; their power pop/alt rock shapes will have an immediate audi-ence, and their support slot at Slane next week-end will give them a shot at a wider base than their recent gig at Whelan’s allowed.
Comparisons will endure with Kings of Leon – the Followills also being from Mona’s
home state of Tennessee.There is a certain
similarity, but they have more in common with Rocket From The Crypt – propulsive rock deliv-ered with a snarl, and hearts-on-sleeves, and looking like they are the coolest gang in town.
Given the space and time to develop their obvious strengths , there’s every chance that they will achieve their intention of being the purveyors of romantic rock‘n’roll for city folk for years to come.
Mona are releasing their debut album
Mona make a brisk debut
ADAM MAGUIRE
IN WHAT is one of the biggest ever tech deals, Microsoft has bought video and voice chatting service, Skype, for €8 bil-lion.
The deal raised plenty of eyebrows, and is sure to have left Google and Facebook, both of whom were rumoured to be interested, too, scratch-ing their heads.
So, what does Micro-soft want with Skype?
There are plenty of ways to chat with people online, but Skype is one of the best.
Over the years, it has developed a robust sys-tem to let people talk via voice and video calls, and it even rivals standard landline phones when it comes to quality.
Microsoft will use this as a feature to add to its own products. It will likely become a built-in feature of Windows. and even the Xbox 360 con-sole in the future.
Skype will integrate well with the webcams Microsoft sells, and it will probably tie in with Microsoft’s mobile phone platform eventually too.
Millions of usersSkype has more than
660 million registered users of the service and, while Skype has a free option, a handful of them pay to gain extra features, such as calls to landlines.
Microsoft will likely try to encourage those users to try out other things it makes in the future.
Talk is socialMicrosoft has not done
too well in social media so far – Facebook, and Twitter, have stolen the
show, there.While Skype is not a
social network in itself, it is certainly full of poten-tial as a part of a wider social network in the future.
If Microsoft can inte-grate Skype into a web-site of its own, it could gain an edge over others on the market
Playing defence
Reports were swirling around in recent weeks that Facebook and Goog-le wanted to strike deals with Skype to integrate the product into services they already had.
Microsoft, which sees both these companies as its main online rivals, swooped to snatch up Skype before anyone else could. In the long run, it might prove to be the smartest move they have made in a long time.
HP Photosmart Pre-mium c310a
The HP Photosmart Premium c310a (above) packs in a whole host of features that will make you wonder if you have a computer, as opposed to a printer, as it is a “web connected” printer.
This device’s unique
selling point is its direct access to smartphone-like apps, which offer unique and printable content that can be downloaded and installed straight onto the printer, mean-ing you do not need a computer to be con-nected, and offers some novel features and handy resources.
For example, one app will let you print off pic-tures of cartoon charac-ters for children to colour in; another will let you print off maps, and so
on.
T he p r in t e r is also AirPrint-ready, meaning it will print doc-uments and files directly from an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, without any setting up required.
Of course, you can still print something the “old-fashioned way” – it is easy to connect to a computer, or even across a network, while the device also accepts USB keys and SD cards at the front.
The device is quick and quiet and, as the name suggests, it does a good job of photos, too. It is a bit pricey, though, and may not appeal to every-one. The HP Photosmart Premium is available online for €200 at www.store.apple.com/ie.
Visit teic.ie for the lat-est tech news, reviews and views.
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SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL Vera Cadden is applying for full planning permis-sion for a single storey rear extension to existing phar-macy with all associated site works at Unit 1, Tower Shopping Centre, Tower Road, Clondalkin, Dublin 22. This application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the rea-sonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of South Dublin County Council during its public opening hours of 9am - 4pm, Mon-Fri, and a submission or observation may be made to South Dublin County Council in writing and on payment of the prescribed fee (€20.00) within the period of 5 weeks begin-ning on the date of receipt by South Dublin County Council of the application.
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COLAISTE Iosagain’s Siofra Cleirigh-Buttner produced yet another starring performance at last Saturday’s AVIVA Leinster Schools’ Track and Field Championships in Morton Stadium when she bagged both the 800m and 1,500m titles.
The intermediate run-ner has been one of the stand-out performers at underage level over the past few years and the
Irish international added this double to a series of cross-country titles won in the winter season.
The longer distance was slightly closer than the first, coming home with 11 seconds to spare on Pres Kilkenny’s Megan Mor-rissey in a time of 5.02.48 with Mount Sackville’s Aoibhin Dowdall taking bronze.
In the 800m, she kept the challenge of Dublin underage ladies’ foot-baller Sarah Hawkshaw
– a Mount Sackville rep-resentative on the day – with a time of 2.08.27.
It means the Cleirigh-Buttner will compete for All-Ireland glory in early June in Tullamore.
Elsewhere, the second day of competition was an impressive one for the Rathdown school in Glenageary who claimed three gold medals, excel-ling in the pole-vault.
Leinster school’s hock-ey representative, Orla Macken, won the senior
ATHLETICS: LOCAL COMPETITORS TAKE TITLES AT THE LEINSTER SCHOOLS’ EVENT
Siofra Clerigh-Buttner, who claimed both the 800 and 1,500m titles in the schools’ track event
Buttner claims track and field double at Morton
title while Eve Blake led a one-two at intermediate level.
Ailbhe Kelleher – in the intermediate triple jump – made it a hat-trick with a best final distance of 10.19 metres.
Her clearance of 2.30m saw her home by one level from schoolmate Rachel Swan who recorded a jump of 2.20m. Mala-hide CS’ schoolgirl Lizzie McDowell was third.
Blackrock College’s
Oliver Jager continued his glittering school’s sporting year as he added a couple of medals to the JCT title he helped annex for his school in March over St Michael’s.
The back row showed
his strength once more in the throwing disciplines. His shot distance of 14.09 metres was well clear of Rathangan’s James Mul-ligan, while Jager added bronze with a 35.32m length in the discus.
MAY WE SUGGEST? MAY WE SUGGEST? This month’s Sports This month’s Sports Awards nominees Awards nominees are announced: are announced: Page 29Page 29
GazetteSportSport
28 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 26 May 2011
BasketballBasketball
Dublin Lions
Grrr-eat day for the LionsT
HE Dublin Lions’ basketball club’s awards day took place last weekend, honouring the clubs’ many teams and
individual players across all age ranges. The club organised a day of fun and games as well as skills competitions and shooting competitions, and the children at the club took part, with the awards presen-tations taking place in the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel in the evening. The three-point shootout was won by Shane Walsh from our U-16 boys team. The club also invited the Lucan Hedgehogs Special Olympic Team over for a game and played a mixed match with some of the club’s Seniors which was a great experience for all involved.
Dublin Lions Under-16 boys’ team, who were the league winners this season
Eoin Murphy, skills contest winner, and Paul Molloy
The finalists in the skills competition Nathan Adams, Prosper Nwafor and Randy Tamba
Hannah Moore Molloy showing off a trophy
U-12 girls winners Nicole McEvoy and Elizabeth Esan, along with Katie Byrne,
coach Hugh Byrne and Denise Broderick
in association with
26 May 2011 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 29
WELCOME to the 2011 Dublin Sports Awards, as we mark our local sportsmen and women’s May sport-ing achievements across the capital and, indeed, across the nation.
With spring’s awakenings making way for summer sun, we’re delighted to once again
be able to celebrate the fin-est achievements in Dublin sport, with some huge efforts at local levels coming to our attention in a variety of well-known, and some less promi-nent sports.
Every form of sporting achievement, at any level and in any sport, is valuable and
gives an impression of the diversity of sporting commit-ment there is around our fair city at all times of the year.
Let us know about your achievements in sport, so that the Gazette can tell the rest of Dublin — and give you, or your team, a chance of being one of our monthly stars.
Contact us on 01 601 0240 or [email protected] to tell us all about your suc-cesses in the month of May, and follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/gazettesport.
You can also check out the latest stories from Gazette-Sport at our new website, www.gazettegroup.com
TriathletesIF YOU’RE female, over 18, and would love to do your first triathlon, the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Sports Partnership and Triathlon Ireland are hosting a beginners’ workshop to provide you with all you need to know to take part in your first event, on the weekend of June 11 at Meadowbrook Leisure Centre in Ballinteer.
Triathlons have grown from 30 events in 2007, involving 600 members, to 131 events and over 5,500 members in less than five years according to Triathlon Ireland. Both newbies and members contributed to a target of 20,000 participants in 2010.
Events take place across the country from early spring to late summer and, last year, Athlone hosted
the first Irish ITU championship which drew an international crowd. There are high hopes for our own fine athletes to be among the top competitors in London 2012.
Patricia Murphy, a local sports and health and fitness consultant to the houses of the Oireachtas, is calling on people interested in taking part in a triathlon to come along to this special event, at which she will give guidance on equipment, training and nutrition advice, biking, running and swimming techniques, and race preparation.
You’re then ready to take part in your first local race and put your new skills into action - the Focus Ireland Triathlon - on July 31 in Dun Laoghaire Harbour.
To register for this one day workshop or for more information, contact DLRSP at 01 271 9502 or [email protected]
LOCAL stars, captain Leo Cullen, Luke Fitzgerald, Brian O’Driscoll, Shane Jennings and Devon Toner were among the Leinster stars who claimed the Heineken Cup in Car-diff last weekend, coming from behind with a mammoth second-half performance to outstrip Northampton.
The side were given a hero’s welcome on their return to Dublin on Sunday at the RDS and were presented to the faithful support-ers unable to make the trip to Cardiff.
BLUEBELL United lifted the ESB Metropolitan Cup for the first time in over a decade but despair rather than delight was the premier emotion for the Red Cow side on Sun-day.
News that Wayside Celtic had got the soli-tary point they needed to claim the Leinster Sen-ior League Senior Divi-sion crown at Bluebell’s expense tarnished ‘Bell’s cup win.
Bluebell looked odds-on to be crowned the best
side in amateur soccer, as they held league title pole for the majority of the sea-son. However, they some-how managed to press the self-destruct button in recent weeks, and were finally pipped at the post by Celtic on the final day of the season.
Sunday evening’s cup tie did give the Naas Road side a chance at a conso-lation prize, and a bullet Gerry Bambrick header helped banish Bell’s blues as they defeated Arklow Town in Frank Cooke Park.
Both sides seemed to cancel each other out in the opening 45 minutes. Bluebell may have been affected by the pre-kick
off news that Celtic had stolen a title they all but had in the trophy cabi-net five weeks ago but, in truth, neither side threat-ened to dominate.
A long-range effort from player-manager James Keddy was all Blue-bell had to write home about in a typically tense, tight and cagey opening period.
Bluebell began to stamp their authority on the tie after the break, but despite dominating the tie, failed to create any clear cut chances, as the final followed the pattern of the side’s two league encounters.
Fittingly, when the breakthrough did arrive, it
came via a set piece, and it deservedly came the way of Bluebell.
A Glen Keedy corner was deflected on its way into the path of defender Kevin Cronin, and he guided the ball home to make it 1-0.
Just when it looked like ’Bell had the goal cush-ion that would settle the nerves and increase their ability to play football, Arklow hit back.
Five minutes after Town’s net minder, Karl Coleman, was picking the ball out of his net, he had his hands raised in celebration as Ray Kenny pounced from another set piece to level the tie.
By this stage, the dour
first half was a distant memory, and the game began to open up, and it wasn’t long before Blue-bell were back in front.
Not surprisingly, the decisive goal came from a corner, and even less shocking, it came via lead marksman Bambrick.
Glen Keddy whipped in a corner, and Bam-brick rose highest to head home to make it 2-1 with a little over 10 minutes remaining.
Arklow did push Blue-bell late on, but true to the nature of the tie, struggled to create many chances in open play, and Blue-bell shut out the game comfortably, allowing Ian Cherry to lift the cup.
Bluebell temper the blues
ESB METROPOLITAN CUP: TIGHT GAME SEES UNITED CROWNED
Bluebell celebrated after winning the ESB Metropolitan Cup last week against Arklow Town
Trap s the Gazette:
Ireland boss launches
FAI press awardsREPUBLIC of Ireland manager Gio-vanni Trapattoni showed where his allegiance lies at the launch of Three FAI Communications awards at the Hilton Airport Hotel last week.
The awards have been introduced to acknowledge the excellent work at local, regional and national level by clubs, leagues, affiliates, jounalists, photographers and media organisa-tions in their reporting of soccer.
NEWLANDS Cian Curley will switch his atten-tions to the Kerry London PGA Europro Tour event at the new course in Burhill Golf Club next week as he continues his tentative steps on the professional tour.
He made his debut on the PGA EuroPro Tour at the YourGolfTravel.com European Cham-pionship at the Wensum Valley Hotel Golf & Country club earlier this month.
He missed the cut but he said in the wake of that event: “I prefer to reflect, to learn and to somehow store the experience so that I can con-tinue to develop as a player.”
Local club win
badminton
plauditsCLONDALKIN-based An Caislean Nua picked up three awards last weekend at the Badminton Ireland Club & Vol-unteer of the Year Awards 2011.
The club were honoured with the YONEX Badminton Ireland Leinster Club of the Year.
The award is not just about the club that wins the most in competition but rather who provides the best service to its members, which club is actively seeking to develop itself and its play-ers; which club uses best practice for club organisation and administration and innovatively pro-motes badminton in
their area. Club member Neil
Cody picked up the Badminton Ireland Leinster Volunteer of the Year Award, while their website also drew a top hon-our, taking the inau-gural Club Website of the Year title.
Neilstown host
fight night in
early JuneNEILSTOWN box-ing club will host a fight night in the Louis Fitzgerald hotel on June 3. Action gets under-way at 7.45pm sharp.
Tickets are now on sale for €20 for what promises to be a great night of boxing. To purchase tickets, contact club coaches. Number limited so place your order early.
DYNAMIC duo Eric Finn and Alex Darbey were Round Towers’ heroes when 14-man St Brigid’s threatened their unbeaten status in the Community Centre last Sunday afternoon.
The front pair scored all but four of the host’s scores in a tense and somewhat ill-tempered affair, as the Clondalkin side went to the top of the table.
The league leaders didn’t have all it their own way, however, as a late Saints flurry ensured a tense finish to the tie, but superior Towers finishing saw them record the win.
A b lu s t e r y w ind hampered both sides approaches early on, but Brigid’s slightly dominated.
Paul Winters was a dominant force at cen-tre half-back for the visitors in a stop-start
opening, but Brigid’s couldn’t turn posses-sion into points.
They hit five succes-sive wides, the major-ity from frees, during a scoreless opening ten minutes.
Darbey eventually broke the deadlock for-Towers with a brilliant score after great defen-sive Graham Bolger work and a clever Finn pass.
T he fu l l - fo r ward then doubled his tally before Shane Young push Towers lead three. Winters eventually split the posts for Brigid’s via a long-range free before Chris Kavanagh restored the hosts goal cushion.
By this stage, Finn had moved from the full forward to the half forward line and was reeking an abundance of havoc.
S o o n a f t e r , t h e impressive Darragh Doyle pointed for the visitors the forward burst was the catalyst behind a Darbey goal.
By that stage, Towers looked like they were going to pull away, but when Mickey McDon-ald’s effort dropped short, Cian Ryan bat-ted the sloitar home to leave just two scores between the sides as half time approached.
Darbey and Doyle then exchanged efforts to leave it 1-05 to 1-03 be fo re the buzzer sounded.
RarityJust like the start of
the first half, scores were a rarity in the early exchanges of the second.
Again, the tower-ing Winters was key in destructing the host’s attacks whilst Kevin O’Neill was defensive-ly solid in front of the other posts.
Darbey eventually pointed, and Towers embarked on a scoring run that included points from Dublin minor Jack Whelan, Finn and Darby, as well as superb Finn goal.
The forward, who scored a hat-trick in the intermediate champi-onship the week previ-ous, latched onto a deft Kavanagh flick, before making the score 2-9 to 1-3 with 15 minutes to go.
Ciaran Dolan then received his march-ing orders for chop-ping down his opposite number, and things looked ominous for Brigid’s.
However, the player reduction prompted an increase in the visitors’ action in front of the posts.
St Brigid’s got back within two points of Towers with a quick-fire goal double for Doyle and Mikey McDonald.
Sensing that their comeback was paying dividends, they then upped the tempo, but points from Finn and Whelan, who had been employed in the back line in the latter stages of the game, saw Towers over the line to claim the points.
Towers close out on Brigid’s late run
MINOR HURLING: CALM FINISHING SEES LOCAL WIN
St Brigid’s minor hurlers came close to victory with a late surge that saw them come within two points of Towers
ALL OF YOUR CLONDALKIN SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 27-31 MAY 26, 2011
WHILST he couldn’t pay tribute to a style of football that went out with Jack Charlton, Bluebell man-ager, James Keddy, had to admit that Wayside Celtic deserved to be LSL Sunday Senior champions.
Bluebell had one hand on the title with six games remaining, but Wayside won all of their games in hand to take the league title by a single point.
Keddy, who was in his first sea-son, was keen to point out that the table doesn’t lie, but stressed it might omit some truths, and felt that while his side didn’t top the league they were superior in the brand of football they played.
The former League of Ireland star also stressed he was proud of what his side achieved this season and claimed they didn’t throw the title away.
“We have to congratulate Way-
side, they are champions and deservingly so. They are the best team in the league. The table doesn’t lie. Bluebell were second best and we have to accept that and move on, but I wouldn’t like to play for Wayside. We have a totally different brand of football to them. They are playing a style of ball that went out 20 years ago. It is real Jack Charlton stuff; grant-ed, they play to their strengths and they won the league that way, but I wouldn’t even like to watch them,” Keddy told the Gazette before commenting on how his side let a nine-point lead slip.
“I don’t think we let a lead slip or threw away the league. Wayside won their three games in hand and caught us, we didn’t give it away. Again, you have to give Wayside credit for that.
“When I look back at the sea-son and assess it, I view it as a good season, but, unfortunately, we didn’t win the league.”
The may not have won the league but they did manage to put the Metro Cup in their trophy cabinet. A 2-1 win over Arklow ensured that success last Sunday, but news Celtic had claimed the title right before kick-off tarnished the celebrations.
And Keddy, who has found himself in hot water with the LSL powers that be this season, wasn’t happy in the manner in which the season came to a close.
“It was a very strange day, Sun-day. We win the cup and Celtic win the league. It shouldn’t have happened that way. We shouldn’t have had to find out before our final. I don’t want to say too much, but every league should finish at the same time and on the same day.
“Every other league in the world does it and there is a reason they do it. We finished our season and Wayside had two games left, that’s not right or fair.”
Bluebell were denied the LSL Sunday Senior title by Wayside
Celtic’s late run of form
GazetteSPORT
Blues denied LSL double
SUPER STARS: May Award nominees revealed inside P29
