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YOUR COMMUNITY • YOUR PAPER March 1, 2012

ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES ......................8

MOTORS ........................18

BUSINESS .................... 21

TRAVEL ......................... 22

ENTERTAINMENT ........ 24

CLASSIFIEDS ............... 26

Gaelic Games: Local side go from strength to strengthPage 30

RECYCLE THIS COPY. KEEP DUBLIN TIDY.

INSIDE: Students present The Soundof Music P8 & 10

TRANSPORT: Reduction in board members delays decisions See Page 4

New home is found for Youth Service Negotiations have secured place at community centre

� LAURA WEBB

THE Tyrrelstown Youth Serv-ice has found a new home, fol-lowing an agreement with Fin-gal County Council to move the vital service to the newly-opened community centre.

The service was operating out of a vacant commercial

unit at Tyrrelstown Shopping Centre for over a year with the consent of the developer. Con-cerns that the service would have to cease came recently, when it was told they had just weeks to leave the premises.

However, the developer said they could stay on until they found alternative premises.

Thankfully, the service didn’t have to wait too long to do that. After successful negotiations with FCC and management at Tyrrelstown Community Cen-tre, the service has a place at the newly-opened Tyrrelstown Community Centre.

Full Story on Page 3

Leaping for joy:Local sisterscelebrate their birthday in styleLOCAL sisters Robyn (4) and Lara (8) from Clonsilla got to celebrate their first and second leap year birthdays with the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Andrew Montague, during a special ceremony at the Man-sion House this week for people born on February 29. The duo not only celebrate their birthday on the same day, but they also have to wait four years to celebrate the actual date.

Full Story on Page 6

FREE GAZETTEGAZETTEBlanch

Rugby: Coolmine XV win league title and set up doublePage 32

Family funat the lodges in Fota Island Resort

TRAVEL: P22-23

2 BLANCH GAZETTE 1 March 2012

THE National Aquatic Centre is fast becoming the place to be this sum-mer, with the announce-ment that five more countries have chosen the state-of-the-art facil-ity as a training base for the London Olympics.

South Korea, Poland, Venezuela, Surinam and Cayman Islands are the five countries set to train at the NAC.

The South Korean Olympic swimming team will train in the NAC in Dubl in in March, while individual swimmers from Poland, Venezuela, Surinam and Cayman Islands will train here in July.

According to Dublin West TD and Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varad-kar, this is “fantastic news for Dublin West and the NAC”.

“It shows once again that we have a world-class facility on our doorstep. I’m delighted that so many interna-tional teams have cho-sen Blanchardstown as their training base for the Olympics.

“Thir ty swimmers and seven coaches from the South Korean swim-ming squad will train in the NAC from March 11 to 20.

“The South Korean team will stay locally in Blanchardstown at the Carlton Hotel.”

Meanwhile, The US Synchronised Swim-ming Team is holding a training camp from April 10 to 18 at the centre and will return in July and August for fur-ther Olympic training.

NAC is chosen for training

SWIMMING: LONDON OLYMPICS

Leading the way: Clare’s clearly over the moon after winning an awardCLARE O’Neill, Clonsilla, is congratu-lated by Phoenix-Tara Toastmasters’, Dunboyne, president, Marion Smyth, on receiving her Competent Leadership award at a recent meeting.

Clare is currently the club’s education

officer. Phoenix-Tara Toastmasters have members from Dublin 15 and South Meath, and meet on the second and fourth Monday each month (excluding bank holidays) in Dunboyne Castle Hotel at 8pm sharp.

� LAURA WEBB

RESIDENTS are being urged to nominate local carers for this year’s Car-ers’ of the Year award, recognising the amazing work and commitment of family carers throughout Ireland.

The Carers’ Associa-tion is asking residents from Blanchardstown and Castleknock to take

time out to make nomi-nations and highlight the invaluable work family carers provide.

The Carers’ of the Year Award 2012 was recently launched by patrons of The Carers’ Associa-tion, Mary Kennedy and Marty Whelan. The Car-ers’ of the Year Awards and the Young Carers’ of the Year Award 2012 celebrate the dedication

shown by family carers who provide care at home to loved ones throughout Ireland, including those in Dublin 15.

The awards are based on a national nomina-tion process that invites the public to nominate their chosen local family carers.

All entries receive a commemorative cer-tificate and four regional

winners are chosen. The award recipients

will be announced at a special ceremony being held in Dublin this May.

Jacqueline Millman, Blanchardstown Cen-tre manager of The Car-ers’ Association said: “While caring for family members and loved ones can be very rewarding, the cost of that care in

physical, emotional and psychological terms can be immense. At a time when Ireland’s family carers are under increas-ing pressure with State cutbacks, the awards are an opportunity to highlight and recognise the invaluable work they provide, saving the state billions.

“We urge people across Blanchardstown

to nominate their carers of the year.”

To nominate a family carer for the Carers’ of the Year Awards 2012 log on to www.carersireland.com or drop into the local carers’ association centre in Blanchardstown at The Rise, Main Street, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 or email [email protected]

Residents urged to nominate for awardsEVENT Recognising the amazing commitment of family carers

Man jailedfor stabbingguest at partyAN uninvited guest stabbed a man twice in the stomach after been thrown out of a party, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard.

David Quinn (25), was sentenced to four years after he forced his way back into the house swing-ing a knife at guests.

He wrestled with one of the guests, Matthew Mill-er, stabbing him twice and leaving him with two deep wounds in his stomach.

Quinn of Wellview Park , Mulhuddar t , pleaded guilty to violent disorder and threaten-ing to use violence at Coolmine Lawns in Blanchardstown on January 19, 2010.

Garda Stephen Byrne told prosecuting counsel, James Dwyer BL, that Mr Miller and his friends were invited to the house party and arrived around 3am.

They knew all of the guests, bar three strangers, including Quinn, who were in the kitchen and not known to the party host.

One of the host’s friends told all the guests they should leave, including

the uninvited guests.Quinn left but tried to

push his way back into the house through the front door. He began waving a knife with a six-inch blade at guests and swung towards Mr Mill-er’s brother.

Mr Miller wrestled with Quinn on the ground and Quinn swung the knife towards his stomach, stabbing him twice in the lower abdomen.

Quinn, who has 37 previous convictions, ran from the house and was arrested by gardai a short time later.

He told gardai he “couldn’t remember much” about the incident as he had been drink-ing and taking drugs but claimed he was “acting in self-defence”.

Judge Martin Nolan suspended the last two years of the sentence and said it is “lucky more seri-ous consequences did not ensue” as a result of the stabbing.

“Any crime with a knife is a serious crime,” he said but noted that Quinn has “good prospects of reha-bilitation.”

1 March 2012 BLANCH GAZETTE 3

Youth Service has found a new home� LAURA WEBB

[email protected]

TYRRELSTOWN Youth Service has found a new home, and is staying with-in the local community.

The good news follows an agreement with Fingal County Council to move the vital service to the newly-opened commu-nity centre.

The service was running out of a vacant commer-cial unit at Tyrrelstown Shopping Centre for over a year with the consent of the developer.

Concerns were raised a couple of weeks ago, when the youth service was told they had just weeks to vacate their premises. However, in a

kind gesture the devel-oper said they could stay until they found alterna-tive premises. Thankfully, the service didn’t have to wait too long to do that.

After successfully nego-tiating with FCC, man-agement at Tyrrelstown Community Centre said, the service has a place at the newly-opened, state-of-the-art facility.

Tyrrelstown Youth Service, which is part of the Blanchardstown Youth Service, is hoping to move in to their new premises in two weeks time.

Welcoming the news, local councillor David McGuinness (FF) said the future of Tyrrelstown Youth Service has been

“secured” through “quick, committed negotiations between the council, management of the cen-tre and Blanchardstown Youth Service”.

“I stressed the need to find a longer term solution to this issue. Blanchards-town youth Service, FCC and County Dublin VEC have simply been fantastic and are a credit to them-selves in the effort they have shown over recent weeks,” said McGuin-ness.

The councillor went on to say: “The management of the new Community Facility in Tyrrelstown has now established itself as an efficient and caring body which has put the needs of the community

to the fore on this issue. This is a good-news story for Tyrrelstown with the youth services entering the community facility in two weeks time.”

Tyrrelstown Youth Service was established four years ago and has been, and will now con-tinue to be, a vital serv-ice in the area. Speaking to the Gazette before the new premises was secured, Miriam Ryan, o f Blanchardstown Youth Service said: “It is one of the only serv-ices for young people, bar the sports services, catering for young peo-ple in the area; to not have a presence would be quite devastating for the young people.”

MOVE Service hopes to move in two weeks

Agreement with council will see Tyrrelstown Youth Service move to the newly-opened community centre

FCC’s support for planning websiteFINGAL County Coun-cil is supporting a new website that maps plan-ning data over the four Dublin City and County Councils.

The website, www.mypp.ie, aims to make planning information easier and faster for all users looking for plan-ning files that are of interest to them.

It lists planning appli-cations for all Dublin City and County Coun-

cils in the one place. According to the web-

site, it “takes planning data from Fingal, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, South Dub l in and Dublin City Council, and presents this infor-mation in a clear and concise format on one map”.

Mypp.ie was found-ed by engineer and project manager, Ciaran Gilsenan.

A spokesperson for

Fingal County Council said that while this is not a council initiative, “the website has been enabled by FCC initially publish-ing planning application information as open data for reuse by others through Fingal Open Data website http://data.fingal.ie and subse-quently the four Dublin local authorities each publishing their planning application information through the Dublinked

website http://www.dublinked.ie”

Adding: “The council supports this initiative and any similar initia-tives to maximise the economic potential of public sector data through its reuse.

“This is the reason that we organised the Apps4F-ingal competition http://data.fingal.ie/apps4fin-gal in which mypp.ie has been shortlisted in the Enterprise category.”


Delay for Hansfield Train Station ‘another setback’

Mulhuddart councillor Michael O’Donovan at the Hansfield Train Station

TRANSPORT Facility is idle due because of no access road

Major boost for hospice

CHEQUE: PRESENTATION

THE Blanchardstown St Francis Hospice received a welcomed boost when a cheque for over €12k was presented to the service by Hermitage Medical Clinic.

The clinic hosted a charity ball in the K-Club last November and raised an impressive €12,380.

The cheque was pre-sented to CEO of the hospice, Ethel McKenna last week by Eamonn Fit-zgerald, CEO of the Her-mitage Medical Clinic. Speaking at the presenta-tion, Eamonn said: “We are delighted to be able

to help St Francis Hos-pice in a very practical way by helping to raise funds for their work”.

Ethel Mc Kenna com-mented: “The support of the management and staff of the Hermitage Medical Clinic for St Francis Hospice Blan-chardstown has been fantastic and is very much appreciated by all at the hospice.

“We are all facing challenging times in the current financial climate and to receive a most generous donation is very welcome indeed.”

� LAURA WEBB

THE temporary reduc-tion of board members at An Bord Pleanala has led to delays in deciding whether a car park at Hansfield Train Station will be built, another set back for a community waiting for the promised station to open.

An Bord Pleanala were due make a decision on a planning appeal against the construction of a temporary car park facilitating 300 spaces at the vacant train station at Hansfield.

The state-of-the-art station is complete, but has been lying idle since 2010 because an access road to the station was not built.

Following a series of discussions between Fingal County Council,

Irish Rail and two local developers last year, an agreement was reached between the parties on building the access road and car park.

However, a planning appeal against amending the area’s strategic devel-opment zone to facilitate a temporary 300-space car park was lodged to the planning authority in October, 2011.

This halted plans to

construct the car park, and also the much-need-ed access road.

A decision was due to be made on February 21, but in a letter this week, the planning authority is hoping to “determine the appeal before April 4, 2012”.

The letter explains the reason for the delay, saying it will not be pos-sible to determine the case within the statutory

objective period (with-in 18 weeks) “due to a short-term delay being experienced generally in determining cases, aris-ing from a temporary reduction in the number of board members avail-able to assess and deter-mine cases.”

It added: “The Board will take all such steps as are open to it to ensure that the appeal is deter-mined before that date.”

C o m m e n t i n g o n the delay, Mulhuddart counci l lor Michael O’Donovan (Lab) said it was another “setback” for the community.

Luckily the park and ride along Clonsilla Train Station is in and the 100 spaces there are being used.

But 300 spaces [at Hansfield station] will make a huge difference to the community there, Hansfield, Barnswell and Ongar. It would encour-age people to leave the cars behind and take public transport.

Puzzled by the delay, Cllr O’Donovan said: “I would imagine, at this present time, that An Bord Pleanala have less business now than before.

“They would have far fewer applications and appeals to get through. I don’t really understand the delay.

“It [Hansfield Train Station] is not going to open until this and the access road is built. It’s another setback for the people of Dublin 15,” he said.

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Local sisters Lara (8) and Robyn (4) McKeon both celebrate their birthday on February 29. They are pictured

with leap year birthday boy, Lord Mayor Andrew Montague

D15 girls’ leaping birthday bash� LAURA WEBB

TWO local sisters got to celebrate their first and second leap year birth-days with the Lord Mayor of Dublin during a special ceremony at the Mansion House this week.

Lana (8) was born on February 29, 2004, and four years later, her sister Robyn (4) arrived on the same leap day, marking a very rare situation.

The duo not only cele-brate their birthday on the same day, but they also have to wait four years to

PARTY Mayor invites locals to celebrate at the Mansion House

celebrate the actual date.To mark this year’s leap

year day on February 29, Lord Mayor of Dublin Andrew Montague, who celebrates his eleventh leap year birthday, host-ed a special birthday party at the Mansion House. He invited other people with birthday’s on that day to celebrate with him. Accepting the invite were the Dublin 15 leap year girls, Lana and Robyn.

Speak ing to the Gazette this week, their mother, Suzanne, said

their birthdays were definitely not planned. “Lana was due on Feb-ruary 25 and its normal on the first child to go over and she arrived four days after. Robyn was also due in February. I

didn’t want them to have the same birthday, but not in a million years did I think it would happen on the February 29.”

When asked how they feel about having the same birthday, she said:

“They don’t mind, but Robyn, the youngest, is under the impression that everyone celebrates their birthday with their sister, while the eldest is “a bit miffed” by it and asks why she can’t have

her own birthday. “They are very much

chalk and cheese. When they are older I want them to decide what date they want to celebrate their birthday each year,” she said.

Fingal set for film fest

ARTS: INAUGURAL EVENT ATTRACTS 300 ENTRIES

� LAURA WEBB

[email protected]

THE inaugural Fingal Film Festival attracted nearly 300 submissions from budding film mak-ers at home and abroad, with some making their way to the event’s excit-ing line-up.

The eagerly anticipated festival will take place for three days this month.

The festival celebrates the art and business of making films and aims to bring the Fingal commu-nity together with nation-al and international film makers.

Over the past few months, festival officials have been inundated with creative and inter-esting submissions for the three-day event. “We have received nearly 300 submissions from Ireland,

Fingal, America, Brazil, Nigeria, India, all over the place really,” Dave Byrne, creative director, Fingal Film Festival said.

“There are really some good ones in it. A lot of documentaries and fea-ture films, the standard is very high; we have selected the submissions for screening and the win-ners were notified on Sat-urday. The public will have to wait until next week to find out the festival’s excit-ing line-up, when the fes-tival puts up the schedule online. I am really proud of the schedule. It’s going to be an interesting three days.”

This event takes place from March 21 until 23. Visit www.fingalfilmfest.com to keep an eye on the schedule, get further information or become a member of the festival.

Areas are to be reseededLOCAL grass areas used as Christmas Tree Recy-cling facilities are to be reseeded, after being damaged because the trees were set on fire.

Labour councillor Mary McCamley asked Fingal County Council to ensure the surround-ing grass areas at the recycling centres for Christmas trees will be reseeded, in particular at Littlepace where the trees were set on fire.

In response to the counci l lor, counci l spokesperson said: “All of the damaged areas have been examined. They will be rotovated and reseed-ed once ground condi-tions have improved.”

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Michelin man gives Discount Tyre and Auto Services the thumbs up

1 March 2012 BLANCH GAZETTE 7COMMERCIAL FEATURE

STAFF at Blanchard-stown-based Discount Tyre & Auto Services are celebrating being named as Irelands first Michelin Certified Centre – a prestigious new accolade being given to Europe’s best performing tyre and service centres.

Michelin is reward-ing those specialists who meet exception-ally high standards of customer service and expertise with a mark of excellence, and invit-ing them to join the Michelin Auto Profes-

sional network. To attain the tyre

manufacturer’s official approval, Discount Tyre & Auto Services had to undergo a thorough audit which examined every part of the busi-ness from the cleanli-ness of the workshop to the quality of advice given to customers. Checks were also made on the standard of equipment used and the level of training staff receive.

Managing Direc-tor, Robert Ferguson, says: “Being named

a Michelin Certified Centre reassures our customers that we are the very best at what we do. It’s an exclusive seal of approval from one of the best known brands in the world, and to achieve it has required a lot of hard work at all levels – it’s been a real team effort.

“The independent audit was rigorous and left no stone unturned. We are delighted to have proved our-selves and display the Michelin mark with pride.”

Robert adds: “The tyre market is fiercely competitive and ini-tiatives like this help customers to easily rec-ognise top performers. We’re immensely proud of our new Michelin Certified Centre status and we’ll be working hard to maintain it.”

Mark Coleman, Pro-gramme Development Manager at Michelin, explains: “Michelin approval is only given when an organisation is among the best in its field. It is a guarantee

of quality service and professional standards and which will be re-assessed on an ongo-ing basis.

Located in Rose-mount Business Park, close to the National Aquatic Center, Dis-count Tyre & Auto Ser-vices is the first Irish tyre specialists in the Michelin Auto Profes-sional network. All members benefit from full access to Michelin’s extensive training pro-grammes, rated among the best in the industry, as well as a range of business support ser-vices.

Discount Tyre & Auto Services was established in 2005 and operates the largest fast fit and car servicing centre in Blanchard-stown, and has a strong team of staff respon-sible for maintaining your car, van & 4x4 vehicles with real cus-tomer care.

Further information on Discount Tyre & Auto Services is avail-able from www.dis-counttyres.ie


Show is music to their ears

Tara and Aisling Breen Anita O’Brien, Cillian Dervan and Kate Donegan

Castleknock College students Luke Reilly and Colm

Hawkes

Dancers Lauren Farrell and Anna Peters. Pictures: Ania Sherlock

Niamh, Nicola, Laura and JenniferMalik, Adeh and Zaynab

AFTER all the months of preparation, the time had finally come for the students at Mount Sackville’s Transition to perform their production of The

Sound of Music. The assembly hall was packed with family and friends who had come to lend their support as well as to enjoy a great show. The show tells the story of Maria Rainer, who captures the hearts and minds of the seven children she is asked to govern, as well as their strict father, Captain Von Trapp. It was great entertain-ment for all ages with the audience enjoying some classic songs, such as Do-Re-Mi, Favourite Things, Climb Ev’ry Mountain and the title song, The Sound of Music.

For more pictures, see Page 10

LIVE Mount Sackville students present The Sound of Music



The event was a joy for all, especially all the students who had put huge efforts into preparing for the show

Students performing on-stage

Aideen and Maura Walsh

LIVE More memorable moments from The Sound of Music

1 March 2012 GAZETTE 11

12 GAZETTE 1 March 2012

A HOST of colourful characters were on hand in Dublin this week to launch St Patrick’s Festi-val 2012, which will take place from March 16 to 19.

Drawing inspiration from Dublin’s status as The City of Science, the Festival parade and ever-popular city Treas-ure Hunt are this year inspired by the how, what and why of science.

Celebrating the very best in Irish and interna-tional talent, Dublin will come alive with pageant-ry, culture, carnivals and free entertainment.

With an audience of over one million, Ire-land’s leading pageant companies will animate a selection of science questions posed by children, such as “How is a rainbow formed?, What makes the weather change?, How is electric-ity made?’’ and each will present their imaginative, colourful, remarkable and thought-provoking creations on the streets of the capital during the festival parade.

Minister for Trans-port, Tourism and Sport Leo Varadkar said: “St. Patrick’s Festival is a fantastic showcase for Ireland and for Irish tour-ism, and a centre piece of our tourism calendar.

“This festival makes the most of the unique international profile of St Patrick’s Day.

“There’s a great sched-ule of free events taking place over the four days of the festival with the very best of Irish and international talent.

“It will reinforce Ire-land’s reputation as a friendly and fun destina-tion for visitors.”

Susan Kirby, CEO of St Patrick’s Festival, feels the 2012 programme of events will have some-thing for everyone: “Our St Patrick’s Festival is one of the largest artis-tic presentations of its

kind in the world and the atmosphere in the city is always electric.

“This year, we will be hosting some of the best events that the capital has ever seen, with something for all ages, nationalities and tastes and the major-ity are free!

“The collaboration with Dublin City of Sci-ence 2012 also links us to a year-long celebra-tion and will open up the city in a whole new way for many people, with the parade in particular answering everyday ques-tions in a colourful way.

“Above all, this is a national celebration and a chance for everyone to come along and enjoy all of the fun of the festival.”

In preparation for the big day, primary school children from across the country have also joined the fun, with discussions based around science questions in the class-room.

Responding with draw-ings, stories and video, a selection of their inter-pretations will be availa-ble to view on the festival website.

Everyone can take part by downloading the resource pack from the festival website, www.stpatricksfestival.ie, from March 1.

The How? What? and Why? resource pack explores child-centred answers to the questions being animated by the pageant companies.

Professor Patrick Cun-ningham, chief scientific adviser to the Govern-ment, feels the theme to the parade and treasure hunt is an exciting plat-form for science.

“What better way to demonstrate the reach of science into our eve-ryday lives and culture than through Ireland’s national festival.

“We are delighted to be working with St Patrick’s Festival, combining sci-ence and creativity in a

Pictured are Emily Parkes, aged 5 (left), and Mia Parkes (right), aged 7 from Dunboyne, Co Meath and Jake Murron (centre), aged 3, with

characters from the Artastic street troupe who will be appearing in this year’s parade, Moe Coakley (far left) and Emily Archer (far right)

joined by Leo Varadkar, Minister of Transport, Tourism and Sport and Susan Kirby, CEO of St Patrick’s Festival

Artists, performers and collectives, such as Donal Dineen, Dublin Laptop Orchestra, UNESCO City of Literature and many more, will perform on March 16 and 17.

I Love My City head-line events will take place in The National Gallery, The National Museum, the RHA, The Nation-al Concert Hall, The National Library and Leinster House, while city-wide, cultural institu-tions and venues will also be offering a variety of activities and interesting events that are a must-see at Festival time.

The programme will also see an eclectic Trad

Stage in Meeting House Square, a busy outdoor music and street per-formance schedule and an Irish Craft Beer and Artisan Food Market in Custom House Quay.

On March 16, Dublin’s Creative Quarter (from Georges Arcade via Pow-erscourt Townhouse to South William Street) will be bustling with activity and the best of Irish design and making will be on show.

The full I Love My City programme will be launched on March 6, headline events are free but reserve spaces early to avoid disappointment, check www.stpatricksfes-

tival.ie for updates.Other Festival favour-

ites, such as the St Patrick’s Festival Ceili are back in the line-up for 2012.

Kicking off the festival in style on March 16, visi-tors will be immersed in Irish culture and craic at this outdoor celebration of traditional Irish danc-ing.

This popular event offers a unique and fun-filled way to spend an afternoon dancing on the streets of Dublin.

Expert callers will lead the crowd through danc-es such as the Siege of Ennis, the Walls of Lim-erick and lots more.

Exploring science of fun EVENT City gets ready for pageantry, culture, carnivals and

A host of colourful characters were on hand in Dublin this week to launch our national holiday celebrations

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‘There’s a great schedule of free events taking place over the four days of the festival with the very best of Irish and international talent’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

new and exciting way,” he said.

This year’s jam-packed St Patrick’s Festival line-up aims to cement the world-class reputation of the Irish national holiday with four days and nights of celebration and enter-tainment, for young and old.

New initiatives have been added to this year’s festival, such as I Love

My City, a distinct cel-ebration of Irish culture during the festival.

This special pro-gramme of unique, free Irish cultural events takes place in the beauti-ful surroundings of some of Ireland’s prestigious cultural institutions, venues and spaces in the Georgian Quarter from Merrion Square to Kil-dare Street.


Emily, Jake

and Mia take a

closer look at

what’s coming

up at this year’s

festival

Characters from the Artastic street troupe help to launch St Patrick’s Day Festival

for St Patrick’s Festival free entertainment to run from March 16 to 19

GazetteBEAUTYBEAUTY by

Laura Webb

Kiehl’s Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution

THE Kiehl’s brand has been on the market since 1851 and is renowned

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Youthful

Enhanced skin clar-ity, to even out skin tone and give a more youthful appearance, is provided by peony extract. This is a traditional Chinese medicinal antioxidant that also helps to protect against damage to the skin.

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Brushing up on those make-up skillsBRUSHING up on DIY make-up is something many of us can raise our hands high and admit we need some help, and, thankfully, it is out there.

LA Creative Academy is Ire-land’s leading training institu-tion for make-up, fashion, beauty,

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Art studio

Based in Dublin’s Chatham Street, it is now running Sunday classes in make-up, fashion and beauty in their state-of-the-art studio.

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For further information on the Sunday course, call LA Creative Academy on 6751999 or visit www.lamakeupacademy.com

Kiehl’s keeps skin healthy and youthful

LOCALMATTERSS U P P O R T L O C A L B U S I N E S S

A D V E R T I S E W I T H T H E G A Z E T T E C A L L 6 0 1 0 24 0

FastBeautyIron warning: Look out for signs of deficiency A RECENT study by the Department of Health and Children has found that Irish women were twice as likely as men to have an iron intake below recommended levels.

The latest figures show that as many as 91% of women aged 16-64 do not get their recommended daily allowance of iron in their diets.

Staff at Lucan Village Pharmacy advise that iron is used to make haemoglobin, which carries energy around the body, and that symptoms of iron deficiency can include tiredness, poor con-centration and dark circles under the eyes. If you require further information regarding iron sup-plements, consult your local pharmacy or doctor.

Chic event: At BT’s storeBROWN Thomas’s French beauty experience, Vive la Beaute, is running until Sunday, March 4, celebrating Parisian beauty and style.

Exclusive product launches, bespoke themed events and fabulous gifts with purchases are adding to the stylish celebrations. For further information, see www.brownthomas.com.


GazetteMUSICMUSIC

Pink Floyd’s The Wall in concert

Songwriter Club united in creativity

Members of the Songwriter Club gather at the last meeting of the collective

� ROB HEIGH

LOCAL supporters of the Dublin music scene, radio presenter Keith McLoughlin and singer Sinead McNally, are set to host the next session of the The Songwrit-er Club on Saturday, March 10 at the Teach-ers’ Club, 36 Parnell Square West.

The idea for The Songwriter Club came about in late 2011 when Sinead and Keith spoke to each other about set-ting up a meet-up group for people involved in the music industry to bring them together to chat about all aspects of the industry, including songwriting, gigging, recording and promot-ing their music.

Sinead said: “The idea for the Songwriter Club came about in late 2011. I wanted to be able to meet with people in the industry to chat infor-mally about all things related to my work as a singer/songwriter.

“Although it’s so easy to connect and network with people across the internet and at gigs, I thought that a meet-up group for us to meet face to face every cou-

ple of months would be very beneficial.

“The first-ever meet-ing was held at The Vil-lage on Wexford Street. The club is now set up so that songwriters, musicians and profes-sions connected to the industry can meet face to face to share infor-mation and advice and to discuss topics and issues of importance to us.”

After the success of the previous meetings,

LOCAL TALENT: A GATHERING OF TALENT MAKING THEIR MARK

the club has had to move to bigger premis-es for this next meeting to allow the number of people interested in attending a place in the conversation.

“There has been a lot of interest expressed from songwriters in Cork and Ga lway regarding a similar club being set up in those cities.

“It is hoped that over the next 12 months, there will be at least two

other locations in Ire-land where The Song-writer Club will exist so that people who want to be part of the club don’t always have to travel to Dublin.

“There has also been a lot of interest expressed at the meetings that Songwriter Club gigs should be considered in which members of the club come together to perform at a suit-able venue occasionally throughout the year.

“As you can see, there are lots of topics and issues to be addressed and we hope to cover as much as possible in the coming months,” said Sinead.

All musicians, and people involved in the music industr y are welcome to attend, and the Songwriter Club posts its news its own Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/The-Songwriter-Club/228119757249977

DUNDRUM band, Cry Monster Cry, were certainly not drying their eyes last weekend when they were asked to play the Hot Press 2FM stage at the RDS Music Show.

The band, who are set to release their debut EP, The Fallen, in May, were one of the top ten acts out of 600 who took part in a Hot Press competition to get a showcase spot at the RDS.

You can keep up with the band on Facebook and Myspace.

Monsters of rock: Local band take stage at RDS show


THE ANNUAL guilt-fest that is Lent has kicked off, and seeing as you’re supposed to give up something that’s hard to do, I think I’ll give up paying for stuff. Actually, it’s easier than it sounds — if you look for free entertainment, you can find it.

One great example is Hard Rock Rising, which is taking place every Thursday until March 8 at The Hard Rock Cafe, Temple Bar.

There is no cover charge so it’s basically a free gig as you’ll witness bands battling it out for the chance to perform at The Hard Rock Calling Festival in London’s Hyde Park.

The Saturday night at Hard Rock Calling will be headlined by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, and is set to be a great platform for the successful band to share the stage with one of the best in the business.

And they’ve made it this far, so you can be guaranteed decent music from the likes of Johnny and the Beep Beeps and Eazy Tiger.

For more information, log on to www.hardrock.com and search for the Dublin loca-tion.

The Australian Pink Floyd played three shows at The Olympia last week, and they didn’t disap-point. Okay, you didn’t think you were looking at David Gilmour or Roger Waters but they sure did a good impression of sounding like them. They may have been singing someone else’s songs but they sure were playing like they wrote them.

If you missed Australian Pink Floyd, then be sure to catch the splinter group, Brit Floyd, at The O2 on May 4. They played a blinder at The Grand Canal Theatre last year and return to the bigger venue, apparently with the infamous Floyd inflatables. I’ve High Hopes!

Listen to Dee Woods from Radio Nova every weeknight from 7pm to 12am on 100.3FM

FastTunes with Radio Nova’s Dee Woods


GazettePETSPETSBrought to you by Miriam Kerins of

the DSPCA

THE FACTS: MICRO PIGS HAVE VERY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS WHEN IT COMES TO CARE

This little piggy is not going to marketTHEY’RE mini-pigs with a massive price tag, and, although these gorgeous little porkers are not going to market, I’m concerned for their welfare. You see, now that the designer “handbag dog” phenom-enon is soooo last month, these adorable, pint-sized creatures look set to become the latest fad.

Therefore, following a number of calls to the shelter, some of which I’ve taken personally from people asking such questions as: “Eh, do you know where I can get my hands on a micro-pig for my mate’s 18th birthday?” to: “Can I bring my micro-pig out in my handbag?” My answer to both ques-tions by the way is “No” and, er “Absolutely not.”

If you read on, you’ll

understand why. I’m going to outline a

few guidelines, which I hope prospective micro-pig parents will take into account before they decide to purchase one of these animals and then find out, when it’s too late, that they are unable to provide for their well-

being and very specific requirements.

What is a micro-pig?It is quite simply a pig

that, over generations, has been bred to be smaller in adulthood than other spe-cies of pigs. They are usu-ally described as being “knee-height” when fully

grown. However, as not every human is the same height, this is obviously difficult to judge.

Can anyone own a micro-pig?

No. A pig is a farm animal. This means in accordance with the legal requirements; before you purchase your pig, the Depart of Agriculture Food and the Marine will need to be contacted in order that the local Dis-trict Veterinary Office, (DVO), can arrange an inspection of the owner’s premises to establish suitability. You will then need to be registered as a “herd owner”. A herd owner is someone who has just one pig or several pigs. According to the Department’s guidelines,

A micro-pig has been bred over generations to be

smaller than other species of pigs

“Only persons registered with the Department and issued with valid pig herd numbers are allowed to own or trade in pigs. This provision applies to any-one who wishes to own pigs, however few.”

Can I bring my pig out with me when I’m social-ising?

No. You will need to contact the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine, and fill in a dis-patch document to notify them of a pig movement. So, if your pig becomes ill, how do you take him to see a vet if you don’t have a legal permit stating you’re a herd owner or a dispatch document giving you permission to move him? The vet will need to visit you, so do take into

account expensive, out-of-hours, house calls.

This brings me to vet-erinary care.

Will my local vet be able to provide care for my pig?

Unlikely. Local vets are highly equipped and trained to deal with domestic pets like cats, dogs, rabbits, etc., When it comes to dealing with pigs, however, you will likely need a more spe-cialised professional.

What is the average life span of the micro-pig?

Approximately 10 years, although some live until they are 25 to 30 years, and that’s a lot longer than a cat or a dog.

So, you see, pigs are wonderful, intelligent ani-

mals, but, sadly, they are often purchased by peo-ple who are not equipped with the proper knowl-edge or facilities required to care for them. Owning a pig takes skill, a proper budget, land and a good deal of time and under-standing.

Also, as social animals, pigs require the company of other pigs and that means if you only pur-chase one, he is likely to become depressed.

Where can I obtain more information?

Check out www.agri-culture.gov.ie and I would advise reading their Pig Welfare Requirements Booklet.

For more info log onto www.dspca.ie or email [email protected]


GazetteMOTORSMOTORS

� CORMAC CURTIS

[email protected]

EXPECTATIONS have a way of real-ly messing with your perspective.

I can’t tell you how many nights I was dragged kicking and screaming to some party or other, swearing blind that I was going to have a miserable night. Then, lo and behold, the night turns out to be a real humdinger – the kind against which you meas-ure all other nights.

The question then remains, was it that good in the first place? Or did it simply surpass some pretty low expectations?

Well, I must admit that, for me, the Mazda5 was kind of like one of those nights.

On paper, there is not a whole lot to get excited about – family car, seven-seater, 1.6-litre diesel engine. Yawn.

This car was first released to the public

back in 2005, and Mazda gave it its very own clas-sification – Compact Multi-Activity Vehicle, or C-MAV for short.

Don’t get me wrong, this car has been a suc-cess for Mazda, with over half a million sold world-wide, 175,000 of those here in Europe.

It has picked up no less than 37 automotive awards, and has consist-ently been voted one of Europe’s most reliable and safe vans.

Which begs the ques-tion, how come I wouldn’t recognise one if it jumped

up and waved its motor-ing awards in my face?

Well, even as a father who needs to ferry around my kids, their friends, and bags of toys, bikes and sports gear, I wouldn’t really be too bothered about the look or image of the family car – I’m just interested, quite rightly, in the prac-ticalities.

Which means I am also left feeling a little resent-ful when I am forced to buy a car I need instead of a car I want.

This is all a very drawn out way of saying that the latest incarnation of the Mazda5, well, surprised me.

I took a moment to consider the looks of the car, and, to be honest, I had to nod in approval – I may have even grinned a little.

Even in the original Mazda5, the designers went to some lengths to keep the sliding rear doors look as non-com-mercial as possible, by

keeping the rail they move on nicely hidden.

In the new model, Mazda’s award-wining Nagare-flow design ele-ments have given the pro-file an attractive, sculpted “wind and wave” feel.

The model I tested boasted the Sport spec. Among other features, it included attractive 17” alloys, air con, very efficient bluetooth con-nectivity (it hooked up to my iPhone a good deal more easily than a few premium saloons I have tested), cruise control, power rear sliding doors, rear spoiler, side skirts and front fog lights.

All this, and a very fuel efficient 1.6 litre die-sel engine delivering a claimed 5.2L/100 miles, or 54mpg in old money. Either way, that’s attrac-tive fuel economy by any standards.

So, it sounds like the whole package, but I still wasn’t looking forward to driving it (those pesky expectations still hanging

around).I was wrong to be so

negative.This fairly big tank had

no problem moving when asked, and the six-speed gearbox was very well matched to the 1.6-litre diesel motor.

You’re never going to take any quick corners in this car (which begs the question, why do they call it the Sport model?), but it drives a hell of a lot better than I was expect-ing.

Add to this the leath-er trim, with very eye-catching red piping, well laid-out dash, strong air con with air vents that you can point anywhere, heated seats, arm rests, big rear view mirrors and even a reverse parking sensor – you really begin to see what all the fuss is about.

Mazda could have given the old model a nip, a tuck, and a few botox injections and jacked up the price – they did, after all, already have a winning

formula on their hands.But in fairness, this

car was rebuilt from the ground up, and you can feel it.

Of course the real lit-mus test is what my kids say.

My six-year-old said: “Papa, this is a very handy car.” Her younger sibling, after some thought came out with: “I love these doors,” and I’m forced to agree with both of them.

This is a terrific family car. It leaves you want-ing nothing (apart from, perhaps, automatic trans-mission), but it has class-leading extras, and acres of carry space, with the option of folding all the seats in case you ever need to move half of IKEA’s store room.

The electric sliding doors made me smile – and they really are useful, but I felt the boot should have a hatch option so you can just open the glass section; that would have made it that little bit more complete.

Changing expectations

Mazda have rebuilt

their award-winning

Mazda5 from the

ground up. The Sport

version of the car

comes with incredibly

useful powered

rear sliding doors,

and an incredibly

comfortable leather

interior. Folding seats

offer plenty of load

capacity when needed

MERCEDES-BENZ LET THEIR STARS SHINE: MERCEDES-BENZ have said that “all the stars will be out” this weekend, when members of their main dealer network are set to host a used car sale.

Recognising that March can be the best time for cus-tomers to source a top-quality used car, every Mercedes-Benz dealer in Ireland is remaining open from 9.00am until 6.00pm on each of the four days of the event, (12.00 noon – 4.00pm on Sunday).

All cars presented for sale will be cov-ered by Mercedes-Benz’s own Star Select Approved used car warranty.

It is estimated that some 500 cars will be offered for sale over the four days of the event, from Thursday, March 1, until Sun-day, March 4.

RoadRoadSignsSigns

� Engine: 1.6L (115ps) diesel

� Transmission: 6-speed manual

� Economy: 5.2L/100km� CO2 emissions: 138g� Road Tax Band: B� Price range: €25,495 -

€30,495 (model driven)

SPECS: MAZDA5 SPORT

Edited by

Cormac Curtis



Plug in to the appeal of electric vehiclesE

LECTRIC vehicles are becoming a more regular sight on Dublin roads,

and now you now can test-drive the Renault Fluence ZE saloon and Kangoo ZE mini van at Bill Cullen Liffey Valley to see if “electric” is up your street.

Robert Dunne is the Electric Vehicle (EV) ambassador for the South Dublin region, and is based at Bill Cullen Liffey Valley, where he is dedicated to the Renault range of electric vehicles.

His role is to help build awareness and assist customers in making informed choices about owning an EV.

He says: “Renault has made EV attainable and affordable for everyone. The first 2,000 customers who purchase an EV will have a free home wall box installed at their home or business, providing them with their own fuel sta-tion.

“Home charging is the preferred method of charging an electric car or van, and an overnight charge of six to eight hours will cost around €2, based on night rates.

“Renault believes that EVs should be affordable to all and, with the SEAI offering grants of up to €5,000 to purchase an EV, people are very inter-ested in learning more,”

“We are currently offering free extended test drives of the Kangoo ZE van and Fluence ZE, and I would definitely recommend that people who believe an EV vehi-cle may suit their lifestyle should drop in and have a drive.

“It’s an incredibly smooth driving experi-

ence, and we can advise on costs and savings to be made by owning an EV, and also how to finance your EV,” says Dunne.

He has a long history with Renault, and started off his career at 12, wash-ing and cleaning out cars as they arrived into the country. He joined City-Gate Renault in 2006 as a sales consultant, before taking a year out in 2007 to travel the world.

In 2008, he returned and took up a position in Bill Cullen Motors Liffey Valley, before becoming an EV ambassador in 2011.

Dunne has taken part in a charity white-collar boxing fundraiser in aid of Crumlin Children’s Hospital, with Crumlin Boxing Gym, and, from this, he has developed a passion for the sport.

BenefitsAs an EV ambassador,

he is faced with the chal-lenge of informing cus-tomers on the benefits of the EV range, determining whether EV is the right fit for them, and demonstrat-ing the vehicles.

A personal highlight for him was his trip to the Seville Motor Show last October, where he drove the full Renault ZE range for the first time.

The range is to be expanded later in 2012, when Renault will launch the Twizy – an urban two-seater quadricycle, and the ZOE – a stylish com-pact hatch.

Renault is the only manufacturer to intro-duce a range of electric vehicles from light com-mercial vans to passenger cars, and aims to be the leader in the field of elec-tric vehicles.

GazetteMOTORSMOTORSwww.gazette group.comwww.gazette group.com

All of your latest

local news, sport,

features and

pictures

are now

just a

click

away Robert Dunne, Electric Vehicle (EV) ambassador, Bill Cullen Liffey Valley, is ready

to advise everyone on whether “electric” is right for them, depending on their

lifestyle, while (inset) Al Pacino is one of those already enjoying the EV experience

Edited by

Cormac Curtis


BABY Body Fit was started in Decem-ber, 2010, by Stephanie Sinnott, after she spent three years working in the fit-ness industry.

This week, Stephanie spoke to the Gazette about how she started her busi-ness. “I gave birth to my daughter in March, 2008, and while trying to lose that weight, I decided to learn more about fitness, and retrained as a fitness instructor and personal trainer.

“I quickly found my niche within the fitness industry. I decided to turn my passion for fitness and pregnancy into a career, and conceived Baby Body Fit.

“Noticing the trend for pregnancy yoga and pilates, I saw a gap in the market, as there was a lack of a mater-nity exercise programmes available. I wanted to provide women with a safe and effective exercise routine for during and after their pregnancies,” she says.

Stephanie was keen to develop a wide-ranging and beneficial pro-gramme for her clients.

“In Baby Body Fit’s prenatal, Prepare classes, we combine light cardio work with strength and toning exercises. We

work on strengthening legs, arms, upper and lower back, along with core mus-cles and posture. The classes help to control excessive weight gain through light strength training,

“In our post-natal, Regain classes, we use a mix of interval and circuit train-ing, brisk walking and light jogging, and body-toning exercises to give you a fun, full body work-out. The beauty of this is that you can bring your little one in their buggy, saving you getting a babysit-ter! This has become a great social time for the mums, with lots of coffees had afterwards.

“We have also launched our ‘Main-tain’ classes, which are held on weekday evenings and Saturday mornings. Main-tain classes are open for females of all ages and all classes are suitable for all fitness levels.”

Baby Body Fit have classes running, or starting soon, in Dun Laoghaire, Cabinteely, Stepaside, Sandymount, Firhouse, Lucan, Phoenix Park and Swords.

To find out more, visit www.baby-bodyfit.ie.

Interview: Stephanie Sinnott, owner of Baby Body Fit

Q&A

Finding her niche in the fitness industry

Stephanie Sinnott, owner of Baby Body Fit

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be?A: Actress.

Q: What was your first job?A: Lounge girl in local pub.

Q: And your first pay cheque?A: It was £12 for a seven-hour

shift! I thought I was loaded!

Q: When did you start your present job?A: I started the business in

April, 2011, and quit my job to

build it in July, 2011.

Q: What is the best thing about your job?A: Working for myself and

teaching the classes.

Q: What part of your working day do you ‘delegate’?A: Although I love teaching the

classes, I am slowly handing

over most of mine to the other

instructors.

Q: What sport do you follow?

A: I live with a soccer fanatic so

there’s no escaping that!

Q: What sport can you play?A: No sport, but I run, do ket-

tlebells, home work-outs and

weight training.

Q: What is your guilty music/TV or movie pleasure?A: I’ve recently started watch-

ing Tallafornia and My Big Fat

Gypsy Wedding. Both hilari-

ous!

Q: What music/pictures/mov-ies do you have on your iPod/iPad?A: Mainly indie rock – Inter-

pol, Bloc Party, Arcade Fire,

Oasis, Foo Fighters, Queens

of the Stone Age, Joy Division,

Nirvana, but I like almost

everything except bubblegum

pop.

Q: Who do you follow on Twit-ter/Facebook?

A: Parenting and maternity

websites, anything relevant to

the business.

Q: What was your last tweet/status update?A: Announcing the new fran-

chise in Limerick, Clare and

north Tipperary.

Q: Describe your dream meal?A: Scallops, black pudding and

pea puree for starters, venison

for main, and poached pears

for dessert.

Q: Who would you like to have dinner with?A: Kurt Cobain. Failing that,

Jillian Michaels.

Q: Who best represents mod-ern Ireland – David Norris or Jedward?A: I would hope David Norris,

but I’d say Jedward represent

the Under-15’s population.

Q: Where do you enjoy spend-

ing money frivolously?A: Dundrum Town Centre! My

family and friends say my car

knows its own way there!

Q: How many pairs of shoes do you own?A: About 50.

Q: What was your worst holi-day experience?A: Being told that the bus

journey from Koh Samui to

Singapore was only 16 hours.

It turned out to be 34 hours!

Q: Describe your dream holiday?A: Seeing the Northern Lights.

Q: What would be your dream job?A: Pilot! But I do love what I’m

doing right now.

Q: What do you plan to do when you retire?A: Travel, staying in nice hotels,

I’ve had enough hostels!

GazetteBUSINESSBUSINESS Supported by AIB

INVESTING €10,000

Q – I have € 10,000 to put away. Where is the

safest and best place to put it ? I don’t want to

touch it for two years. Pat – Cork St D 8

A – As the saying goes, how long is a piece of string ?

With these type of requests, it is really important to

know some of the background circumstances. For

professional independent financial advisers, a Fact

Find must be completed in accordance with Central

Bank compliance and regulation requirements to

ascertain this information, so relevant advice and

recommendations can be given. Therefore age,

family situation, income details, current commit-

ments, future commitments ( e.g. did you know in

a recent bank study that the cost of sending your

child to third level education alone, excluding fees,

exceeds € 42,000 per child ! ) your present rainy day

fund (ideal to have between three to six months’ net

annual income in a totally accessible account ) all

count in making that decision where to invest that

€10,000 ! So, let’s presume you are under 30, single,

no commitments, no debt and you really do not need

this money for two years… the two best rates going

to print are:

1. Investec Bank – 18 months fixed account ( gross

6.85% but equivalent to 4.52% Annual Equivalent

Rate )

2. Permanent TSB – two years and two months

(gross 9.5% but equivalent to 4.47% AER)

� Contact John with your money questions at

[email protected] or visit his website at

www.moneydoctor.ie. John Lowe, Fellow of the

Institute of Bankers, is founder and managing

director of Money Doctor

CREDIT CARD DEBTIf you cannot manage your credit card debt, have spent up to your limit, are easily tempted with the accessibility of a credit card limit, perhaps you should switch to a prepaid card. With the Money Doctor prepaid MasterCard

1. Government stamp duty is only €5 per annum ( normal visa card duty is €30 )

2. Discounts abound ( e.g. Ryanair flights charge €12 when you use a Visa card – use your Money Doctor prepaid MasterCard and there is no charge )

3. You can only spend what you lodge into the card – there is NO credit.

The Money Doctor’s Tip of the Week

SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS A D V E R T I S E W I T H T H E G A Z E T T E C A L L 6 0 1 0 24 0

LOCALMATTERS


GazetteTTRAVELRAVELTravel EXTRA

� CORMAC CURTIS

MI D - T E R M breaks take a little getting used to. They

seem to just creep up on you, and they shouldn’t. Especially, if like me, you already have two kids in school.

I really should have a clearer idea of when the holidays are – but I don’t.

The idea of taking two days off half-way through February just doesn’t have a very “mid-term” feel to me. In late January we’re still talking about the Christmas break we just enjoyed!

On top of all that, at this time of year, I like to

Take a ‘Oui’ holiday to DisneylandDISNEYLAND Paris is celebrating its 20th anniversary and is offering some great deals, with free children’s places for the celebration party, starting from Sunday, April 1.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Disney-land Paris, Abbey Travel is delighted to offer up to 40% off Disneyland Paris hotel and park passes – plus, children under seven stay and play free.

Abbey Travel is offering family stopover pack-ages starting from €85 per adult per night. The price is based on two adults and two children under seven staying for four nights in Disney’s Hotel Cheyenne, and five-day park tickets, for arrivals on selected dates from March 29 to November 7, with the sale ending on April 30.

This package excludes flights and transfers, and the offer is subject to availability, terms and conditions. To book, call Abbey Travel on 01 804 7160, or see www.abbeytravel.ie.

Family fun at the lodges in Fota Island Resort

lessly clean double oven, microwave, fridge-freez-er, dishwasher, washing machine, en-suites off each bedroom, down-stairs toilet, heated towel rails all over – this place had everything, and taste-fully decorated to boot.

Not only that - but guests can use the hotel’s fitness centre, including the all-important swim-ming pool.

The houses are tucked away, just off the long,

tree-lined drive that runs up to the main hotel.

It was a joy to settle in to such a warm and com-fortable environment and plan our activities for the coming days – not forget-ting an appointment in the hotel’s luxurious spa for a certain wife of mine.

Usually we would have a pretty good idea of the kind of facilities and activities available at a hotel like this, long before we get there. But,

this time we hadn’t got around to it. The result of this lack of planning was that we were pleasantly surprised to find one of the houses in among the holiday homes was spe-cifically for a supervised Kids’ Camp.

Even after our first day of swimming, walking, and even a visit to a local jungle gym-style activity centre called Go Safari – our two little adventur-ers were only too keen to meet up with other kids for some arts and crafts and a movie at the free kids’ camp.

Once the movie was over, we strolled around to pick up the girls, who fell fast asleep as soon

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

‘It was a joy to settle in to such a warm and comfortable environment and plan our activities for the coming days’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Offer: Go wild with the family this EasterCOME face-to-face in county Cork this

April with free-roaming animals and

birds, as kangaroos cross your path and

ring-tailed lemurs jump down from trees.

Book an Easter family package at the

five-star Fota Island Resort and enjoy

two nights luxury accommodation with

breakfast each morning, an early bird

dinner on one evening, an in-room movie

and tickets to one of Ireland’s top ten

visitor attractions, Fota Wildlife Park.

Back at the resort, mum and dad can

also head off to the spa for some R&R with

a treatment or time in the hydrotherapy

suite, while the kids go wild in the Cheetah

Club kids’ camp (open every day of the

Easter mid-term to children aged 4-12)

where they will be kept entertained with

plenty of fun activities, including arts and

crafts, swimming, picnics and soccer.

Hot chocolate and cookies in the Amber

Lounge complete this family friendly

package, which is available from €268 per

night for adjoining or interconnecting

rooms, subject to availability.

Fota Island Resort also includes Irish

Open Championship golf courses and

Academy, self-catering lodges, fitness

classes, and walking trails. There is sure

to be something every member of the

family will enjoy. For more, visit www.

fotaisland.ie or call 021 488 3700.

Money Doctor is the trading name of Providence Finance Services

Limited and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland

live in denial. I especially like to pre-

tend that there is nothing on the horizon that will actually cost me anything, as I desperately do what I can to balance the over-draft/credit union/credit card bill from the festive season.

But a mid-term is a mid-term, so, at the beginning of February, along with every other family in the country, we tried to think of something fun to do with the kids for a couple of days.

The answer, as it so often does with my lot, involved a trip to Cork.

We tend to grab any opportunity to spend a lit-tle time in Cork with both hands – but one thing we hadn’t tried in Ireland’s “real capital” before was self-catering.

The Fota Island Resort was our destination for three nights in an incred-ibly well-appointed three-bed holiday home.

I’m sorry… that’s an unfair understatement.

The self-catering hous-es at Fota Island Resort are stunning.

Ours looked like a show-home that was kit-ted out in the very best fixtures and fittings.

Leather furniture, big f lat-screen TV, spot-


Edited by

Mimi Murray

Celebrate St Patrick’s day in style – in lovely MaltaJET off to Malta to cele-brate St Patrick’s Day this year – with direct flights from Dublin and just over three hours away, Malta is a great destination for a weekend break, especial-ly around Paddy’s Day.

Spring has a lovely mild climate in Malta, and getting around the island is easy.

Malta will celebrate St Patrick’s Day in Irish style, which will see Irishmen and “honorary Irishmen” flock to their local Irish pubs to drink Guinness and listen to traditional Irish music.

Prices for accommodation only with Belleair are as low as €41 pppn in the 5-star Radisson Blu, St George’s Bay, B&B based on two people sharing.

Mercury Direct offers a stay in the 3-star Porto Azzurro, St Paul’s Bay, in a studio on B&B basis for three nights for €315.71 per person, including flights, transfers and luggage.

Concorde Travel offers excellent packages of direct flights plus a three-night stay in the 4-star Hotel Cavalieri, St Julian’s, based on two sharing standard room, B&B for €469 pp, including all taxes and charges.

There’s lots of information, and you can book accommodation to suit all tastes and pockets, on www.visitmalta.com, or visit your travel agent.

FastTravel

as they got back to the house.

This was the end of a pretty perfect family day.

Ordinarily, I would have been happier if I could have squeezed in some time at the hotel’s driving range – but seeing my better half practically float out of the beautiful spa following her Com-fort Zone facial, I couldn’t complain.

It would be difficult not to feel relaxed at Fota Island Resort, such is the attention to detail and thought they put into a

family’s requirements, but the spa really is the icing on the cake for a little de-stressing.

It features a full fitness suite, an indoor heated swimming pool and a superb hydrotherapy suite, home to Ireland’s only “walking river”, which is apparently renowned for assisting in healing sports and fatigue-related injuries. The spa is home to 18 spacious treatment rooms and offers over 60 treatments.

I know I said that this was a self-catering holi-

as they got back to the family’s requirements butday, and we did have most of our meals in the house, but one morning we couldn’t resist pop-ping in to the clubhouse to have breakfast served to us.

Receiving such charm and warmth from the staff, even when you arrive at a golf club with two excited little girls, really is a treat.

But we needn’t have worried, as there was a table with a few very excited Corkonians, one of whom had hit a hole-in-one on his morning round, and they were only too happy to share

the good news with eve-rybody!

Families visiting the Fota Island Resort should make certain to visit the nearby Fota Island Wild-life Park – it is the kind of place that kids simply adore.

The only reason we didn’t pay a visit this time around, is because we had been lucky enough to spend time there late last year – and our two girls were having far too much fun with the other kids at the resort to even consider going anywhere else.

Becky and Sarah Curtis prepare for their visit to

the Kids Camp and the Teddy Bear’s Picnic, left,

as the all-important swimming pool awaits the

arrival of a horde of fun-loving families


Assorted servingsDaniel Radcliffe tries to magic up a break away from Harry Potter as he stars in The Lady In Black; Natalie Portman returns in the re-released

Star Wars: Episode 1, which has gained an extra dimension for its 3D release; and Liam Neeson wolfs down another tough-guy role in The Grey

GoingOUT

GazetteENTERTAINMENTENTERTAINMENT

This week, a look at some of the films on general release that may – or may not – deserve your consideration ...� KATE CROWLEY

FACED with a not-exactly-thrilling rota of titles for your considera-tion, this week, I’m sore-ly tempted to crack open the emergency bottle of Mother’s Ruin – AKA gin – that clinks every so often at the back of my drawer where it hides behind unwanted Adam Sandler and Jennifer Anniston DVDs – any of which make excellent coffee coasters, I can exclusively confirm.

However, given that pouring oneself a stiff drink at the workplace is A) only permissible if one is a master whiskey maker, and B) perfectly routine if starring in TV’s Mad Men, I’m faced with the sobering fact that there’s nothing new of worth to urge you all to trot off with your reces-sionist roubles to catch at the cinema, this week.

Instead, here’s anoth-er one of my irregular

round-ups where I cock a snoop at some of the currently showing films, which I haven’t previ-ously covered.

First up, and it’s Harry Pott–errr, I mean, Daniel Radcliffe, starring in The Woman In Black (��, 15A, 95 mins). Oh, and this time around, he ain’t the titular character, folks.

Sent to one of those creepy old mansions that only the rich and insane could afford to build and live in, outside a grim lit-tle town, the young solic-itor is soon in no doubt as to why the locals fear the house by the marsh.

After all – and, as I

love saying, “the clue’s in the title!” – the film’s titu-lar character is not only haunting the crumbling old place, but proving quite capable at killing the locals’ children in her supernatural quest for vengeance, of sorts.

And, Blimey O’Reilly, Radcliffe’s character only has a child of his own, hasn’t he? Err, yes, he does. It’s time for the mutton-chopped young man to face up to this spooky lady, before she strikes again ...

Based on the critically-acclaimed 1980s book, which has also enjoyed an equally well-received play, the film fails to

complete the set, with Radcliffe proving partic-ularly miscast in the role of Earnest Young Ghost-buster Solicitor Dad.

Magic, it ain’t, but at least it’s not particularly awful ...

...which neatly leads me on to Star Wars: Episode 1: 3D (��, PG, 136 mins), which has returned like Obi-Wan to our screens. In 3D.

This, of course, means that the film has finally gained an extra dimen-sion, which is pretty neat, considering how utterly two-dimensional it was without this gimmicky extra bunged on top.

Star Wars fans will lap this up, and of course the 3D polishing adds an oooh-shiny layer of gloss to the impressive visuals.

However, as one of those old-fashioned peo-ple that like films with elements such as “plot” and “characterisation” – not to mention being

one of the six billion-or so people that hated Jar Jar Binks, first time around – I sense a great disturbance in The Force regarding this one.

As with the previous film, Liam Neeson stars in The Grey (��, 15A, 117 mins). Oskar Schindler seems ever further behind him, as he coasts through a pretty daft film of Man Versus Wolf!

Here, the ever-decreas-ing numbers of survivors of a plane crash in a freezing, hostile land-scape get picked off for lunch by some hirsute hunters – wolves – while Neeson tries to get them all back to safety, which is as daft, yet deftly-made, as I’ve probably just made it sound.

Finally, Adam San-dler’s latest – oh no, I’ve run out of space. Sorry, Adam. It was going to be a � review for you, any-way. But then, aren’t they always? That’s all, folks!

FILM OF THE WEEK: Various� to ��

OUR VERDICT:WHILE Adam Sandler’s latest offering lurks at cinemas, rubbing shoulders with Nic Cage’s latest, here, instead, are a number of marginally better films to consider viewing, as cinemas and film distributors sink into their annual early-spring slump.

Directors: VariousStarring: Harry Potter, Darth Vader, Oskar Schindlier – or, at least, the actors well-known for these cinematic characters

�PAVILION 01 231 2929Macbeth

ONE of Shakespeare’s bloodiest plays will be brought to vivid life by the Icarus Theatre Collective, as the noble’s progressive lust for power gradually escalates in his bid to usurp the kingdom ... The award-winning British theatre company will bring their considerable skills to bear in an eclectic production, bringing the original verse to life in a number of imaginative ways. See Macbeth at 7.30pm on Monday, March 5 or at 10.30am on Tuesday, March 6, with tickets priced €12/€16.

MILL THEATRE 01 296 9340 Paddy Laughs - Heat 2

THE craic will be mighty – with a little luck and skill – thanks to the finalists taking part in Heat 2 of the Paddy Laughs comedy competition. It’s the next stage in the four-step contest, seeking to find and crown the best local comedian, with would-be comics, aged 18 and over, invited to come along and break a leg – or, better, some funny bones – with their very best (and worst) gags! Come along and enjoy Heat 2 at 8.05pm on Saturday, March 3, with admission priced at €5.

CIVIC THEATRE 01 885 2622A Murder of Crows

HANSEL and Gretel get in a flap with an exciting production for children aged eight and over. Based on the classic tale, actors/musicians will weave a gothic tale of two lost (but ultimately resourceful) children – but seen from the perspective of a chorus of raucous and rowdy crows, whose antics will delight children as they flap about. Wing your way over to the Civic Theatre for this lively play on Thursday, March 1 and Friday, March 2, with shows at 10am and 12.30pm. Admission costs €7.50, group rate.

DRAIOCHT 01 885 2622David O’Doherty

THE shy and retiring founding member of Destiny’s Child, little-known inventor of the iPad, instantly recognisable star of 2Fast 2Furious, and 1990 East Leinster Under-14 triple jump bronze medallist, David Doherty takes time out from his remarkable global achievements to star at Draiocht with little more than his wit, a keyboard, anecdotes, and lots of experience from performing at comedy festivals around the world. Catch David at 8pm in Draiocht on Friday, March 2, with admission costing €16.

LOCALMATTERS

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� SHANE DILLON

YOU’LL understand that I have a certain symapthy for writers. While I wait for Hollywood to discov-er what a literary genius I am, I’ll have to settle for getting my literary kicks in the gaming world with Alan Wake, the unlikely hero, of sorts, of the hit XBox 360 title of the same name.

Actually, at the time of writing, I note that the recently-released port of Alan Wake to PC, via the digital distribution chan-nel, Steam, recouped its PC development and marketing costs in just 48 hours.

It just goes to show that a great game needn’t be format-exclusive, and Alan’s bizarre adventures in a sleepy lumberjack town that’s anything but, could be a hit with any gamer interested in some-thing a little different.

I’ve previously praised the XBox 360 version of

the title, as I really liked its graphics, coupled with the imaginative setting (coming on like a cross between Twin Peaks, The X-Files, The Twilight Zone and a vintage Stephen King tale), creating a title that took an awful long time to get made – five years – but which exceed-ed expectations.

Now, once again, Wake returns to the XBox with the next chapter in his tale – Alan Wake’s American Nightmare, presented as part of XBox 360’s “House Party” of downloadable titles.

Here, the unlucky pro-tagonist has swapped the surprisingly violent setting of rural Bright Falls for a new tale in an unfamiliar new landscape.

While its parent title had a broad, wide-rang-ing plot with some liter-ary pretensions – only to be expected from dealing with a character whose twisted words seemed to be coming to horrible life

around him – its sequel of sorts has swapped the highbrow appeal for pop-corn shlock, reimagin-ing Wake’s world as seen by, say, a collaboration between David Lynch and Quentin Tarantino.

The result is a game that’s familiar for Wake veterans, yet reimagined with a healthy dose of menace and threat, cre-ating plenty of schlock-horror moments that will feel instantly familiar to any Alan Wake veteran or newbie alike.

Here, Wake has left the forests and lakes of Bright Falls far behind for the dusty plains of Ari-zona, as he finds himself once again out under a dark night sky, with lit-tle more than a torch for company.

It’s not long before Wake’s running for his life to the “safety” of a near-by motel, with a nearby diner also providing a thin slice of bright, wel-coming safety from the

dark landscape, where oil derricks tirelessly bob up and down, and The Taken – mysterious, homicidal people swathed in swirl-ing, oily smoke – lurk in the helpful darkness, ready to put Wake to sleep. Permanently.

Wake knows that Mr Scratch, his evil doppel-ganger (occasionally seen on TV sets in live footage, using the same actor for the Alan Wake model) is behind the nefarious goings on around him, and that, following his adventures in Bright Falls, his ability as a writer to manipulate reality with his words makes him the only person able to thwart such plans.

Now, all Alan has to do is find Mr Scratch – and to survive the darkness that’s all around ...

A sequel that’s not a direct sequel, Alan Wake’s American Nightmare is a highly enjoyable piece of action-horror-hokum.

Not for children (with

scenes of implied violence, murders, and more), my description of some-thing that’s Lynchian and Tarantinoish seems pretty apt for this slice of paranormal Americana.

Still, although the game has its faults – Alan again controls like a tank, suf-fers from a “roadie-run” posture when he moves, and fights the camera almost as much as The Taken – it’s good fun, with a number of blackly amusing moments, too.

Its presentation, too, is notable, with the series’ Twilight Zone homage, “Night Springs”, fram-ing much of the action in style, with a narrator’s distinctly dulcet tones occasionally describing Wake’s latest decisions.

Although not exactly the depeest or longest adventure in the world, this is an enjoyable return for Wake, while its occa-sional bursts of action certainly won’t send gam-ers to sleep ...

GazetteGAMINGGAMING

Once again, Alan Wake’s most useful defence comes from his trusty torch, as another unlikely, bizarre adventure begins to unravel around him.

However, the torch isn’t the only source of light relief in this downloadable sequel to his earlier title, with several fun moments, too.

The last word on The Last Story?NINTENDO’S Wii troubles continue, as the con-sole continues languishing at retail. It’s a pity as, although its successor is on the way, the Wii never quite hit the stride that it should have; not helped, perhaps, both by a few too many simplistic titles hitting the market, as well as not always being supported with any great enthusiasm by retailers, as a cursory walk into any games’ retailer around Dublin shows, with small Wii sections .

It’s unfortunate, then, that a richly imaginative title with much to appeal to gamers looking for a bit more “oomph” for their Wii, The Last Story – a highly-imaginative and beautifully-presented action-RPG – has been dropped by GAME, removed from the retailer’s website, and won’t be available to buy in the chain’s Irish stores, as I confirmed with a number of outlets by telephone.

While the retailer’s well-publicised trading difficulties continue, its seems counter-intuitive that key, flagship and console-specific titles would not be stocked by the chain. This would be akin to, say, going to your supermarket and being told that, no, sorry, they don’t sell milk. Not a critical problem, but not very helpful, at the same time.

Of course, The Last Story is available from other outlets, and is well worth seeking out and paying the asking price for a challenging, fun and frequently beautiful, Wii title.

Bytesandpieces

Plenty of fun, schlock-horror moments here

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BRIAN O’ROURKE’S tireless efforts for Crick-et Ireland have earned him the prestigious ICC Europe Coach Award ‘Outstanding Contribu-tion to Cricket Coaching’ for 2012.

The 41-year-old Lein-ster Development Man-ager has played a pivotal role in the promotion of cricket in the country for the past 17 years - devel-oping talents such as Eoin Morgan, the O’Brien brothers, John Mooney, William Porterfield, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling and George Dockrell.

It was under O’Rourke’s influence that Dockrell switched from a medium pace bowler to spin, a move which has turned him into one of the most highly rated youngsters in world cricket.

Clearly delighted that his hard work has been acknowledged by the ICC, O’Rourke said: “It’s a fantastic honour not just for me personally but also Irish cricket. There’s a real buzz in the country about cricket at the moment, and the game is clearly on the rise.

“The numbers of coaches and participants are growing significantly, and there’s still a lot of talent out there to be unearthed. There are a lot of opportunities now for young cricketers and I’m confident that Ire-land will continue to be a major player on the world circuit for generations to come.”

O’Rourke has fulfilled a variety of roles since 1995, coaching Ireland teams from Under-15 through to Under-19 level, taking charge of Under-19

World Cup campaigns in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.

During that time he has also been heavily involved at inter-provincial level, leading Leinster Under 15s at every tournament since 1997.

O’Rourke has also instigated a comprehen-sive tour programme for Leinster youth sides, giv-ing them opportunities against quality repre-sentative sides from the UK - to date 50 such tours have taken place for Lein-ster teams aged 11 to 19, with notable wins against county opposition, includ-ing Gloucestershire, York-shire and Derbyshire.

The Pembroke club man has gained experi-ence by working in Aus-tralia and South Africa, forging valuable pioneer-ing partnerships between those countries and Irish

cricket – indeed no fewer than 20 youngsters have been placed in South Afri-can schools since 2003.

He has also organised training camps in India and Spain, helping future Irish cricketers obtain valuable overseas playing experience.

Brian O’Rourke has been involved in the estab-lishment of many new clubs over the past two years, including Adam-stown, Dundalk, Swords, Tyrrelstown, Cabinteely, Carlow, Clonee and Grey-stones.

O’Rourke’s innovative work in school’s cricket has seen thousands of children introduced to the game, and the emer-gence of the Leprechaun Cup has seen the game at the crucial Under-11 level go from strength to strength.

Indeed such has been

the popularity of the pri-mary school competition that it has been necessary to introduce an additional Super League element for schools in the Dublin and Wicklow regions..

National Development Manager, Tim Simmonite, knows just how important O’Rourke is to Cricket Ireland.

He said: “Brían con-tinues to play a key role in the creation of future coaches as part of a much greater workforce. He is a proud and passionate man, and Ireland would simply not be where it is on the world cricket stage without him.

“ B r i a n ’s r e c o r d , achievements and abili-ties speak for themselves and I’m delighted that he has achieved recognition through this prestigious award - he fully deserves this accolade.”

O’Rourke honoured

CRICKET: LOCAL INFLUENCE BRINGS INTERNATIONAL AWARD

Euro Under-19 player Paul Stirling with Brian O’Rourke, who received the Outstanding Contribution to Coaching award recently

FastSport

Ronan and son set for Great Ireland RunRONAN Keating and his son, Jack, were on hand last week to help to launch the 2012 SPAR Great Ireland Run, and to show their support for the run’s nominated charities, the Marie Keating Foundation and the Jack & Jill Children’s Foun-dation.

The SPAR Great Ireland Run 2012 will take place in the Phoenix Park on Sunday, April 15, at 1 pm, with up to 12,000 entries expected.

Every entrant will receive an exclusive techni-cal T shirt before the event as well as a generous goody bag after completing the run.

Dublin Gazette Newspapers is delighted to announce that, once again, we have teamed up again this year with the SPAR Great Ireland Run to recognise the top runners in each of our news-papers’ local areas.

This year, the Gazette will recognise the fastest man and woman from each paper’s circulation area with a specially designed plaque, as well as prizes of sports gear. After the Run, we will also be publishing a results list of the top local male and female finishers.

The 2012 Run will once again incorporate the Irish 10k road championships and will feature most of Ireland’s top distance runners. To further incentivise elite Irish athletes and raise the stand-ard of 10k running, a prize fund is being put in place for the first ten Irish men and women.

A star-studded field of international and national distance runners will compete on the day. Last year’s winners were Jesus Espana of Spain and Charlotte Purdue of Great Britain in 29:26 and 32:42 respectively.

Entries can be made online at www.greatire-landrun.org. More details and up-to-date news on the event is on Facebook and Twitter.

GazetteSportSport


�STARof the

MONTHSHANE DAGG

THE Malahide exile was

a crucial part of British

Columbia’s victory in the Las

Vegas Rugby Sevens’ cham-

pionship, scoring in both the

semi-final and the final.

LESLEY O’HALLORAN

DUN LAOGHAIRE tennis star

O’Halloran came back with

four medals, including

gold, from the ITF Senior

World Championships in

San Diego last month.

REBECCA MCDONNELL

REBECCA from

Westmanstown Gaels

became the first repre-

sentative from the club

to be picked for a Dublin

team this month.

�TEAMof the

MONTH

2012 DUBLIN SPORTS AWARDS - FEBRUARY NOMINEES

THREE ROCK ROVERS

THE Rathfarnham hockey

club proved their met-

tle and resilience in the

EuroHockey indoor cham-

pionships in Turkey, claim-

ing promotion.

CLONDALKIN GYM

THE Precision Display

Squad made history by

becoming the first club

to claim back-to-back

titles at the City of Leeds

Gymfest.

BALLYBODEN U-21S

THE St Enda’s side claimed

their fourth title at this

level in five years in an

epic final against Kilmacud

Crokes in which they pre-

vailed in by a point.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

FastSport

IRISH World Superbike star Eugene Laverty is the latest big name from the world of motorsport to confirm their participation at Bavaria Dublin City Racing extravaganza that comes to the city in June.

The 25-year-old from Antrim finished fourth in the World Superbike Championship in 2011 and has since teamed up with the Max Biaggi at the Aprilia team to push for the top spot.

Laverty will ride his Aprilia Superbike along the Bavaria City Racing city track, which starts at the Convention Centre, continues along Customs’ House Quay before crossing Butt Bridge, chicanes at D’Olier Street, zips past College Green and the Central Bank on Dame Street before reaching the chequered flag on O’Connell Bridge.

The Aprilia team joins an ever-growing line-up of international and domestic motorsport talent that includes the Vodafone McClaren F1 team and the Breezemount Motorsport GP2 team at the event.

Bavaria City Racing Dublin will take place on Sunday, June 3, and is a free public event and over 150,000 people are expected to line the streets to enjoy the best the world of motorsport has to offer.

For those who want to get closer to the action, there are three ticketed premium performance zones on the track at Customs House Quay, O’Connell Bridge and at the Main Paddock on North Wall Quay. Tickets for these areas are priced from €75.90 and are available from Tick-etmaster.

Superbike superstar added to Bavaria line-up


Lining out for Calcutta: Charity race’s 14th runningIRELAND rugby stars Conor Murray, Peter O’Mahony and Donnacha Ryan lined out last week to launch the Calcutta Run which takes place on Saturday, May 26.

The 14th running of the race will see funds being raised for the Peter McVerry Trust and GOAL’s work with homeless young people in Dublin and Calcutta. The 2011 race raised €160,000. For more information, see www.calcuttarun.com

Ireland three

for three in

T20 seriesIRELAND’S crick-eters finished their tour of Kenya with a whitewash in the Twenty20 series against the host nation in Mombasa last weekend.

The third match proved a close-run encounter, that Ire-land came out of vic-

torious by only two runs.

Ed Joyce and Gary Wilson were the main scorers for the visitors in their innings, that saw them run up a total of 107 for 9.

Kenya ran the match close, end-ing on 105 for 7, with wickets being claimed by Alex White, Boyd Rankin and George Dock-erell proving the dif-ference between the sides.

GazetteSportSport


Corking Coolmine: Trip down south for Under-12sCOOLMINE RFC’s Under-12 and 13s travelled to Cork recently to play against Middleton Rugby Club, and played a total of six matches against their hosts, both sides giving a great display of fine competitive rugby.

Middleton gave Coolmine a great welcome and showed the local club members great Munster hospitality, while the young players represented Leinster well. The clubs hope to repeat the trip next year.


PHOENIX Park-based Na Gaeil Oga CLG are one of the fastest-grow-ing GAA clubs in Dub-lin, and possibly even the country.

Founded in 2011, they are an all-Irish speaking club that has grown from one male football team in 2011 to the present set-up of two male and one female football teams, with plans well under-way for a hurling team in 2013 and camogie.

They have managed to buck the trend that has seen many clubs around the country struggle for numbers and seen entire

teams emigrate.The club was first

envisaged when Ciaran Mac Fheargusa, a Dub-lin native, noticed a lack of opportunities to use Gaeilge in Dublin. This got him thinking about a GAA club run fully through Irish and, even-tually, with the help of Ciaran O Feinneadha and Daithi De Buitleir, the club got off the ground. Training started off in venues of varied suitability but eventually a team emerged from the new recruits.

Training and playing out of Pairc Cholaiste Mhuire and the Phoenix Park, Na Gaeil Oga have

gone from debutants to championship contend-ers under the watchful eye of trainer, Marcas O Leanachain.

“It’s still early days, but everything is going well. The first year was a steep learning curve as regards the football and the administration,” says Kilkenny native and cathaoirleach, De Buitleir.

“Many of the com-mittee were new to the GAA or had been on an extended hiatus, so it took a bit of getting used to, especially for me as I missed the hurl and slio-tar!”

So far this year, Na

Gaeil Oga’s first team have performed very well and have won three matches from three, while the second team are still working away, looking for their first win.

“We had a long wait for our first win last year; hopefully, our second team won’t be so long this year,” says Eoin O Murchu, Na Gaeil Oga’s PRO.

“The ladies’ team is building up for its sea-son and they had a sec-ond win in a friendly recently.

“We have over one hundred members now, but the next couple of

years are crucial for us as a club so our doors are always open.”

The club has recently circulated posters aim-ing to attract new mem-bers to the ladies football team. “The posters are a bit of fun and we hope that we will get people talking about the club,” says O Murchu.

Na Gaeil Oga are looking for people interested in playing, or helping out in any way; coaching, selectors or assistants, no previous experience necessary. For more information, see www.nagaeiloga.ie or facebook.com/nagaeiloga

Gaeil Oga building for future

GAELIC GAMES: LOCAL CLUB GROWS AND TRADES ON TRADITION

The Na Gaeil Oga first team pictured recently have started their 2012 season with a positive set of results

FastSport

IT Blanch claim the CUFL Division 1 titleIT BLANCHARDSTOWN’S soccer side claimed the CUFL Division One crown last week following a tense tussle with IT Carlow in Tullamore.

In a tight game, the only goal was scored by Darren Kehoe, who netted from Jordan Nelson’s corner on 22 minutes.

Carlow tried hard to level the tie, with Pierce Donnachie, John Yeates and Robert Sweeney all coming close to scoring the equaliser.

Man of the Match Jordan Nolan should have put Blanchardstown two up but after a good run he was stopped by the excellent Neville for Carlow.

Blanchardstown had Paddy Brophy to thank time and time again as he was outstanding at the heart of their defence throughout the game and ran Nolan close for the man of the match award.

in association with

. CLUB NOTICEBOARD


THE club regrets to announce the

death of our current vice-president

and hero of our 1958 intermediate

winning team, Eugene Tully. Funeral

details are on the website. Ar dheis

Dé go raibh a anam dilis.

Members are reminded that the

deadline for 2012 membership is fast

approaching, and should be paid

online, in the club bar or between

7 and 9 everyday this week at the

entrance to the all-weather pitch.

Great weekend for our adult foot-

ball teams, with five of our six teams

recording opening league wins.

Our three adult hurling teams

begin their league campaigns this

weekend, along with our minor foot-

ballers. See website for more info.

Club bar will be open this Saturday

from 1pm for a big day of sporting

action live on the big screens.

Our junior C footballers are looking

for a new coach / selectors. If you

are interested please e-mail info@

stbrigidsgaa.com.

Tradesmen and volunteers are still

needed for work on our new gym. If

you can spare a few hours, email

[email protected]. Work to

begin soon.

Best of luck to Philly Ryan and the

Dublin U-21s v Wexford.

Club Lotto is still €15,000 and takes

place in the Vineyard this Thurs-

day.

ST BRIGID’S

ST PEREGRINE’SWELL done to our senior and junior A

footballers on their league wins last

Sunday.

Cup games again this weekend and

best of luck to our inter hurlers in

their first League game this Sun-

day.

Club fundraising draw is now up

and running, and all members should

now have their tickets. Tickets to be

returned to club by March 21.

Congratulations to Anto Lyons who

won the club lotto jackpot of €4,800.

Numbers drawn were 3, 5, 18 and 21.

Next week’s jackpot is €2,000.

Membership for the year is now

due. Please make sure membership

is paid, as you cannot take the field

without it being paid.

The nursery is being re-launched,

details to follow.

Entertainment in the club this Sat-

urday is from Who’s Eddie.

Club shop vouchers are also avail-

able. Details and contacts on the

club website, CNP.ie which will be

finished shortly.

Follow us on Twitter @peregrines-

gaa.

Bingo continues every Wednesday

night in the clubhouse from 8.30pm

and this week’s jackpot is €950.

OUR junior 7 team lost by one point

against Bank of Ireland in the league

last Sunday. Our second junior

team made their debut last Sun-

day against Clann Mhuire. Plenty

of aching bodies around Littlepace.

Training this Thursday at 9pm in

Setanta.

Our U-11s (born in 2001) are look-

ing for new players for both football

and hurling. Training takes place in

St Benedicts Hall on Tuesdays from 6

to 7pm. Contact Karl at 087 235 2074

for more information.

Our U13s (born in 1999) are look-

ing for new players for both football

and hurling. Contact George at 087

328 7022 for more information.

Thanks to all kids and parents of

our nursery and U-8s who travelled

to the annual Gormanston indoor

tournament last Sunday.

There was no winner of last week’s

lotto draw. Numbers drawn were 13,

15, 16 and 26. Next Friday’s jackpot

will be €4,200. Draw to be held in The

Vineyard.

We would encourage all members

to support our weekly lotto tickets

are €2 per ticket or 3 for €5. This is

a key fundraiser for the club. There

are tickets behind the bar in the

Paddocks, or contact John Kinsella

on 086 818 4054.

Annual membership is now over-

due. Please note, all members fees

go directly to insurance, the day-

to-day running of the club and to

the long-term development of the

club. Subscriptions are paid annu-

ally in advance in December for the

calendar year. Members subscrip-

tions cover insurance costs.

Chi ldren and adults are not

insured to participate unless their

subscriptions are fully paid.

ERIN GO BRAGH

Follow GazetteSport on Facebook and

Twitter, and at www.gazettegroup.com


ST BRIGID’S adult football teams started their 2012 campaigns in impressive style last Sunday with five of the club’s six adult teams record ing open ing league wins.

The senior footballers came away from their encounter with Parnell’s in Russell Park wonder-ing how they managed not to claim victory as four unconverted goal chances resulted in a harsh 1-10 to 0-12 defeat.

S tephen Clu x ton made the key interven-tion when he made a late penalty save to see the Coolock side over the line.

In AFL 3, meanwhile, the inter 1 footballers produced a courageous display to overcome Naomh Fionnbarra, 2-10 to 1-10, with Stephen Moore and Warren Finnegan grabbing the headlines for very dif-

ferent reasons. Finnegan clinically

converted two one-on-one goal chances, one from an exquisite 50-yard Colin Lynch pass, while Moore bril-liantly saved a Finbarr’s penalty kick in the final quarter with the game tied.

In AFL 4, the inter 2 footballers recorded an excellent 1-12 to 0-06 win over St Finian’s, Newcastle, with Paul Whitty (1-3), Daniel O’Mahony (0-4) and the Campbell brothers (0-2 each) in fine form. Cassidy’s men dominat-ed throughout with the three Hughes brothers of Tony, Allan and Gerry superb in defence.

In AFL 5, veteran Brian Donovan, Mossie Foy and Eoin Thynne grabbed a goal apiece as the Junior As disman-tled St Anne’s with ease in Bohernabreena. They were in control from beginning to end and ran out comfortable

winners on a 3-17 to 1-8 score line.

Finally, Neil Plunkett was the star of the show for the Junior Bs in AFL 7, as his 1-4 saw Sil-ver Dunning’s soldiers defeat Robert Emmets by the narrowest of mar-gins, 1-7 to 0-9 in Green Trees Park.

The Junior C team received a walkover from Skerries Harps in AFL 10N.

M e a nw h i l e , f i ve points from Gareth ‘Nesty’ Smith, powered St Oliver Plunkett’s to an opening day victory over perennial AFL1 challengers, St Sylvest-er’s, at Broomfield last Sunday.

The Malahide men have made the heights of the regular season their own in recent years, taking the overall laurels most recently in 2010, while they came up just short in the 2011 play-offs.

But they came unstuck on home turf last week-

end against a star-stud-ded opponent who have since added Dublin sen-ior player Declan Lally to their ranks, switch-ing from Navan Road neighbours St Brigid’s over Christmas.

He entered the fray after 25 minutes while Player of the Year Alan Brogan was a tormen-tor-in-chief throughout.

They got off to a flier, starting at a fierce pace and grabbing three points before Syl’s got into the game.

Syl’s ended the peri-od in the ascendancy but the scores were not coming at this stage as Rory O’Connor and Paul Brogan did well to rush Syl’s into snatching at shots. It left two in it at half-time, 0-5 to 0-3, in favour of Plunkett’s.

But Cavan star Smith was finding his range, while the older Brogan brother showed recent injury has done little to dim his fire in the New Year.

FOOTBALL: LOCAL SIDES RECORD OPENING WINS

St Brigid’s footballers recorded five out of six wins as they started their 2012 league campaigns. Picture: Chris Lynam

Brigid’s footballers back in business

ALL OF YOUR BLANCH SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 28-31 MARCH 1, 2012

STARTING ON TOP: St Brigid’s sides

claim victories on opening day of season P31

FEBRUARY FLYERS:Dublin Sports Awards nominees announced P29G

azetteSPORT

� MARK LYNAM-LOANE

[email protected]

A WEEK after Coolmine RFC brought home their first silverware of the year with the Spencer Cup title being claimed against near-neighbours, Garda, the club’s second string claimed their league title with an emphatic victory over Skerries at Ash-brook.

Skerries got off to a great start, showing intent at the breakdown, and picking and going at every opportunity. This gave them numbers out wide which, in time, they took full advantage of to score a try in the corner and take the lead in the opening minutes.

Skerries continued to frustrate Coolmine with clever positional kicking over the next few phases of the game.

However, Coolmine seemed to get going after ten minutes when a grubber kick bounced kindly to the hands of Paul Feeney, and he broke 60 yards up the field. From the resulting play, a penalty from

Coolmine bisected the posts bringing the score to 3-5.

From the restart, a quick tap-and-go penalty led to the ball being spread to the right-hand side and, as the ball went through the hands, Brian Smyth crashed over in the corner to get Coolmine’s first try of the evening.

A great touchline conversion from Paul Feeney left the score at 10-5.

However, lack of discipline in the ruck brought a penalty for Skerries which they put over the bar to leave the score 10-8 at half time.

Coolmine got off to a great start in the second half, after James King stole the ball in the ruck and Fionn Lacey managed to score in the corner after quick hands. The conversion left the score at 17-8.

This seemed to spur Coolmine on and a great break from within their own 22 by Steo Connolly, with great linking play from John McCole, gave Coolmine quick ball in the attacking zone, leaving Colin Durkan left with little work to do to touch down. Skerries stepped it up and scored in the

corner, but the conversion was unsucessful, leav-ing the score at 22-13.

A scrum on the halfway line to Coolmine was swept right to Feeney, who broke three separate tackles, and then a fourth from the fullback was about to bring him down but he still had the wherewithal to pop a pass to Colin Durkan for his second try under the posts.

A Skerries’ lineout brought fast ball to John McCole on the left wing, who beat five would-be tacklers with a great jinking run and score under the posts. Lacey broke on the right to touch down under the posts to leave the score at 41-13 after the successful conversion once again from Feeney.

The try of the game came next with a scrum to Coolmine in the centre that gave number eight Connolly an opportunity to break from the back of the scrum to touch down under the posts.

This result gives Coolmine the league victory with a game in hand, and they will now try to secure a historic double when they take on Guin-ness RFC in the Byrne Cup final.

Coolmine set up a Coolmine set up a Seconds’ double Seconds’ double Ashbrook side claim league title after sweeping win against Skerries and prepare for Byrne Cup decider

Coolmine RFC’s second XV took the league title with a game to spare after their 48-13 victory over Skerries

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