Castleknock

YOUR COMMUNITY • YOUR PAPER April 19, 2012

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INSIDE: Elegant fashionsat a fundraising show

for Ethiopia Pages 8-9

FCC pays out €4m for public liabilitiesCouncil’s claims cost for past three years is revealed

� LAURA WEBB

PUBLIC liability claims have cost Fingal County Council more than €4 million in the past three years, new figures have revealed.

In a report to councillors, the local authority has paid out €4,329,500 in compensation

claims between 2009 to 2011.It was revealed that, in

2009, the council had its highest payout in the three years, with claims costing €1,917,300. The lowest pay-out was in 2010, when claims cost the council €836,000.

However, last year, the council paid out €1,576,200

in public liability claims.The claims arose in rela-

tion to fallen trees, footpaths, roads, manholes, social hous-ing, parks and open spaces, environment (including burial grounds), flooding and others not specified in the report.

Full Story on Page 3

FREE GAZETTEGAZETTECastleknock

OPINION: Why Ireland should ratify the Fiscal Compact Treaty See Page 6

ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES ..................... 2

BUSINESS .................... 19

MOTORS ........................21

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

ENTERTAINMENT ........ 24

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

Lacing to help:Launching aFunky campaignCASTLEKNOCK’S Jason Sher-lock was joined by rugby legend Malcolm O’Kelly to help launch the Funky Feet Friday fundrais-ing campaign, in aid of Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital.

The two sports figures laced up to help out with the campaign, joining with lots of other sports stars and familiar faces to help the hospital raise funds for the repay-ments of its 3T MRI machine. The nationwide Funky Feet campaign asks people to buy, or wear, multi-coloured shoelaces for €2 on the day, Friday, May 11.

Hurling: St Brigid’s take bragging rights in derby tiePage 31

Soccer: Castleknock Celtic progress in Top Flight CupPage 30

2 CASTLEKNOCK GAZETTE 19 April 2012

SPORT Local schools enjoy a Skills’ Challenge event

St Patrick’s NS principal Padraig Clerkin, Ger Haskin, AIB Blanchardstown, Colm Cooper and St Francis Xavier principal TP Parker.

Pictures: Ania Sherlock

Fifth and Sixth class pupils were invited to the Skills’ Challenge morning with Colm Cooper passing on some great tips

Top tips from class act CooperT

IR Na nOg park was the venue for a special Skills’ Challenge event which saw pupils from St Patrick’s NS and St Francis Xavier NS compete

in some friendly games. Kerry Gaelic football player Colm Cooper, was in attendance to support the chil-

dren and pass on a few hints and tips, to the delight of all who attended. The emphasis on the day was firmly on fun and it certainly was enjoyed by both sets of pupils, as well as showing support for local clubs and communities.

Cllr blasts Park road proposals

OPW: PLAN TO CLOSE CHESTERFIELD AVENUE

� LAURA WEBB

PROPOSALS by the OPW to close a section of the main route road through the Phoenix Park to traffic at weekends would mean the recent upgrading work on the road was a “waste of public money”.

That’s according to Fianna Fail councillor David McGuinness, who believes the proposal to close the section of Ches-terfield Avenue at the weekend will also serious-ly affect local businesses.

During the Easter bank holiday weekend, the OPW closed a section of Chesterfield Avenue, between the Phoenix roundabout and the Mountjoy roundabout, to accommodate an outdoor event. This closure was the first week of the OPW’s pilot pedestrian-only area which is to last for the spring/summer period.

Speak ing to the Gazette this week, coun-cillor McGuinness said: “The OPW reported that this stretch of road took five months to repair while they said it would only take three - and then bizarrely blamed bad weather. This was during the mildest win-ter spells in recent years. They can hardly impact business and community life in Dublin 15 for half a year and then try to make local residents swallow this latest proposal. Not to mention that these works would be noth-ing short of a scandalous waste of public money.”

According to a spokes-person for the OPW, the closure from 10pm on Friday to 10pm on Sun-day will “facilitate greater public recreational use of this area and allow pedes-trians to cross Chester-field Avenue safely and utilise the amenities on both sides of the Park”.

“The specific objectives and actions relating to the restriction of unnecessary and/or through traffic at weekends are recommen-dations within the Phoe-nix Park Conservation Management Plan 2011.” Adding: “The benefits or impact to the public will be closely monitored and in order to minimise dis-turbance to commuters.”

Cllr McGuinness went on to say: “Whether the OPW like it or not, Chesterfield Avenue is a major access route to city centre - seven days a week - particularly for residents of Castleknock and Carpenterstown. In addition, the closure at weekends will invari-ably mean that business in Castleknock village, particularly the food and drink establishments, as well as opticians, bou-tiques and others will be seriously affected.

“It’s time for the OPW, and Minister Hayes, to see sense. Their undesired, misguided, policy for the Phoenix Park will be fought. Minister Varadkar, in opposition, was hugely critical of any works in the Phoenix Park. In Govern-ment, his silence is worry-ing,” he said.

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19 April 2012 CASTLEKNOCK GAZETTE 3

FCC paid over €4m in public liabilities� LAURA WEBB

FINGAL County Coun-cil has paid out over €4 million in public liabili-ty claims during a three-year period, a report has revealed.

B e t w e e n t h e years 2009 to 2011, €4,329,500 has been paid out in compensa-tion claims. The cause o f cla ims includes fallen trees, footpaths, roads, manholes, social housing, parks and open spaces, environ-ment (including burial grounds), flooding and others not specified in the report.

In 2009 , i t was revealed that the coun-cil paid out €1,917,300 in public liability claims

for the year, the high-est pay-out during the three-year period. The lowest pay-out over the three years was in 2010 when the coun-cil reported a pay-out of €836,000. However, the lower rate of pay-outs did not last long, with figures revealing that last year – 2011 - the council had to hand over €1,576,200.

Broken down into the causes of public liability claims in 2009, roads came in as the highest area of payouts with €701,200. This reduced in 2010 to €130,500 and rose again in 2011 to €270,300

Last year, the council had to pay out €697,600 because of footpaths.

This figure is the highest for this cause over the last three years. In 2010, the council paid out €314,400 for this, while in 2009 it was reported to be €540,400.

Flooding was another big payout in 2009 with €341,600 being claimed. The following year it was just €46,500 but bad weather in 2011 brought it up again to €140,500.

The lowest claim consistently over the three years was for fallen trees. In 2009, the council paid out €4,000, but this rose to €27,000 in 2010 and went down again in 2011 to €24,000.

Manholes were respon-sible for the council pay-ing out €158,700 last year,

€107,200 in 2010 and in 2009 €144,500 was claimed.

Social housing claims have gone down since 2009. That year FCC paid out €53,200 and a further €54,400 in 2010. This went down last year with the council paying out €43,700.

P u b l i c l i a b i l i t y claims in the category, Environment, which includes burial grounds, has r i sen over the three years. In 2009, it amounted to €48,200 in claims that year, rising to €68,700 in 2010 and to €70,300 in 2011.

Other claims not specified amounted to €8,700 in 2009, €23,300 in 2010 and in 2011 to €120,700.

REPORT: COMPENSATION FOR THREE-YEAR PERIOD

Expert nutrition advice for toddlersCOW & Gate is set to launch its Toddle and Learn Roadshow in Dub-lin 15 this weekend, where experts dish out nutrition advice for the little ones.

This Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21, the roadshow will be at Blan-chardstown Centre all day at the Upper level between H&M and Fields.

The aim of the road-

show is to educate parents on the importance of tod-dler nutrition and provide expertise and advice on it. Parents of toddlers can talk to Cow & Gate expert nutritionists about their toddler’s diet and eating habits.

While parents seek advice, the little toddlers will be entertained with interactive, fun and edu-

cational activities. Cow and Gate’s Jaime

O’Shea said: “We’re delighted to launch the roadshow. The tod-dler years are a time of such quick and frequent change and it is important that parents ask questions around the health and nutrition of their tod-dlers in order to establish healthy life-long diet hab-

its. This can be a difficult stage for some and it is important to ensure tod-dlers are getting adequate nutrition.

“The free-of-charge roadshows will be lots of fun with an interactive and educational focus for both parents and toddlers. If you’d like more infor-mation on the events, visit www.feedingforlife.ie”

LAUNCH Toddle and Learn Roadshow

Between the years 2009 to 2011, €4,329,500 has been paid out in compensation claims

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CLONSILLA Blinds has extended the family-run business with the open-ing of a new showroom in Navan.

Located at the rounda-bout on Cannon Row in Navan, the new show-room brings with it all the top-quality fabrics, styles and price tags that Dublin 15 locals have encoun-tered at the showroom in Clonsilla. Each blind is tai-lored and made to meas-ure for each customer, suiting individual needs. Accordingly, 90% of their products are crafted in a local manufacturing plant in Ballycoolin.

Clonsilla Blinds is the largest supplier of window dressing in the greater Dublin area. It’s a fully-Irish-based company employing local people in their organisation.

The showroom in Navan is open from Mon-day to Friday, 10am to 6pm and Saturday, 10am till 5pm, call 046 9029002 to chat to the team.

Clonsilla Blinds, Dub-lin 15, is located at Unit 9, Coolmine Industrial Estate; Clonsilla Rd. Phone: 01 824 3613.

Clonsilla Blinds’ new Navan store

RETAIL: EXPANSION

OVER €140,000 has been set aside by Fingal County Council for the mainte-nance and upkeep of the national road network across the county.

In a report to local councillors, a council spokesperson broke down where the council will be spending its budg-et allocation of €145,119 received by the National Roads Authority for the

national road network in the area.

The highest portion, set at €67,626, is for emergen-cy works. Work on safety barriers and fences have a budget of €55,784. Verge/median maintenance is allocated €8,899, while minor pavement mainte-nance has been allocated €4,086. Road sweeping and litter removal is given a budget of €4,724.

The report came after a question from council-lor Anthony Lavin (FG), asking FCC management to initiate a programme of litter-picking along the main motorway and approach roads in Fin-gal.

Responding to the question, the spokesper-son for FCC said the effect of the budget allocation is that the council is in a

position to carry out one litter-picking and grass-cutting operation during 2012 on the national road network, adding the most significant cost relates to health and safety.

“As the work is being carried out on high-speed roads, the safety of coun-cil staff and other road users is paramount. Crash cushions will be required to ensure the safety of

crews, in addition to which Garda vehicles may be required to ensure effective speed controls are in place as the work is carried out.”

The council spokes-person went on to say that work is also at an advanced stage in prepa-ration for a litter-removal programme on the on-off ramps at a number of high-profile locations on

the national road net-work.

“Again, as this work is being carried out on high-speed roads, a detailed risk assessment and Safe System of Works Plan (SSWP) is required for each of the locations cho-sen. It is hoped to sign off on the risk assessment in the coming week and commence the work in the middle of April.”

Over €140k set aside for roads upkeepFCC Emergency works are to be main priority of budget

Call made to scrap parking fees at Connolly Hospital� LAURA WEBB

[email protected]

A CALL has been made for the HSE to scrap parking fees at Connolly Hospital, which brought in €4 million for the hos-pital last year.

Dublin West Sinn Fein representative, Paul Don-nelly, is calling on the HSE to remove all park-ing fees within Connolly. According to Donnelly, almost €4 million was collected from parking fees paid by patients and visitors in 2011.

“I find it shocking to see how much money is being extorted by the HSE through this park-ing charge from patients and visitors to friends and relatives of sick peo-ple. I spent some time in Accident and Emergency recently and it was a common complaint from people waiting that the last thing they wished to be concerned about was being clamped,” he said.

The Sinn Fein repre-

sentative wants the park-ing charge to be scrapped “immediately”.

“People do not make a choice to attend hospital; they either must attend as an emergency patient, an outpatient or visiting a rel-ative of a patient attend-ing the hospital. They are then subject to a parking charge or, failing that, their car is clamped, as happened to over 700 cars last year. This is upsetting and unnecessary.

“The health serv-ice must be properly resourced for the benefit of the people and this is not an appropriate way to fund hospital services, one simple measure would be a 48% tax band for those earning over €100k that would raise over €420m,” he said.

In response to the Sinn Fein representative, a spokesperson for Connol-ly Hospital said: “Paid car parking was introduced in Connolly Hospital on November 1, 2009, after several months of con-

HSE: FEES BROUGHT IN €4 MILLION FOR THE HOSPITAL LAST YEAR

sultation and research by a Hospital Car Parking Working Group.

“A car park manage-ment company are con-tracted to enforce the hospital parking regula-tions. They have a clamp-ing appeal procedure in place whereby the clamp-ing can be appealed first-ly to an appeals officer in that company and to an independent appeal officer. The hospital does

not have any role in the clamping or returning release fees. Assistance is given to patients who are unable to attend to their vehicles while undergoing treatment to ensure they are not charged further periods of parking.

“A pay-by-phone sys-tem is operated by the private company and allows drivers to pay or extend their parking by credit/debit card via

mobile phone. The calls are charged at local call rate,” the spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, a protest took place outside Con-nolly Hospital on Friday, April 13 to mark the clo-sure of the 31-bed ward at the hospital. Paul Don-nelly led the protest for one hour to mark, what he called, the “shame-ful shutting down of the ward” that will put the

hospital staff and patients under more pressure.

Speaking in advance of the protest, Don-nelly said: “The closure this week of the ward is another serious blow to health service provision in Dublin West. I am call-ing for the full restoration of services cut over the past year and the imple-mentation of a universal health care system that puts people first.”

Connolly Hospital

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SPORT Phoenix Park hosts SPAR Great Ireland Run 2012

Best feet forward to have a great dayR

UNNERS from all across the city and county of Dublin – and from much further afield – took part in the SPAR Great Ire-

land Run 2012 at the Phoenix Park last week-end, which saw an estimated 10,500 runners of all ages and abilities set forth on the run.

While some athletes used their impressive

skills to compete for the best times, for most participants, the event was a fun event indeed, as all kinds of colourful characters joined parents, children, fundraisers and walkers to complete their chosen routes, with the mild weather helping everyone to stay one step ahead of any tiredness they may have felt.

Six-year-old Aoibhinn Dunne shows her two-year-old sister, Orlaigh, and Fiona Murphy how to run in style

Dundrum woman Linda

Byrne, after winning the

AAI Women’s National

10km Championships

Mark Kenneally,

after winning the AAI

Men’s National 10km

Championships

Max O’Neill

Joesph Sexton makes like a banana and splits

Former Dublin footballer, John O’Leary, and Leinster

rugby star, Eoin O’Malley, lend their support to

Emilian Kiba and Edelle Monahan (both in orange) of

the Jack & Jill Foundation


Why I will be voting Yes on the Fiscal Compact

TREATY Minister Joan Burton gives us her view

Joan Burton: “Voting Yes will show Ireland is willing to play its part in building a more financially stable Europe.”

WHEN I speak to big multina-tional employ-

ers, many in Blanchard-stown in my own constit-uency, they tell me that one reason they continue to locate in Ireland is because they believe the country is committed to the European Union.

We have punched well above our weight when i t comes to attracting foreign direct investment here.

One of the reasons companies like PayPal, Google and Facebook come here is because they see Ireland as a committed member of the eurozone.

I believe that voting Yes in the referendum will show that Ireland is willing to play its part in building a more financially stable Euro-pean Union.

StabilisingVoting Yes will help

stabilise the euro and boost investor confi-dence in Ireland.

To vote No would bewilder American and other foreign compa-nies that are planning their European invest-ments.

It could threaten the hard-won business opportunities we are

building in China and elsewhere.

There is a big advan-tage of staying the course with Europe.

For starters, collective action to boost growth and investment offers a much better prospect to restore the health of national budgets than sole reliance on auster-ity.

Our previous experi-ence of such joint Euro-pean action through the Regional and Social funds was entirely posi-tive.

Our roads and col-leges are the legacy of those funds that we con-tinue to enjoy today.

Ireland is not alone in its current troubles. Bank debts and unem-ployment haunt many European economies.

Inside the tentThere is more to be

done to help belea-guered countries.

I believe we are far better off making that case along with like-minded Governments inside the European tent than being a lone voice outside.

This Government has put painstaking effort into rebuilding Ireland’s reputational capital in Europe, in the

USA and the emerging global powerhouse that is China.

There are some indi-cations that this effort is bearing fruit, notably in the confirmation by leading international companies that Ireland continues to be as much a magnet for inward investment as it was a decade ago.

A No vote would upend that process. Countries don’t have friends, they have inter-ests.

That is particularly true of a small coun-try that has success-fully chosen to base its development and pros-perity on being a trad-ing nation.

It is in our interestIt is in our interest to

be inside every Europe-an Council, committed to national budget disci-pline as one significant – but far from exclusive – part of a strategy to promote growth and job security in every corner of Europe.

It is entirely contrary to our interests to take a reckless gamble now that would leave Ireland isolated, perplex our friends and exasperate those who are currently funding our State till we

restore our capacity to do so ourselves.

Plugging the gapWe are current ly

borrowing €50 million a day to plug the gap between what we raise in taxes and what we spend.

There is no escape,

one way or the other, from fiscal restraint in our present situation.

To pretend otherwise is dishonest.

Voting Yes gives Ire-land an insurance pol-icy in terms of access to a special European assistance fund if need-ed.

A No vote may give the appearance of inde-pendence.

But it could require Ireland to negotiate emergency funds that might have tougher conditions attached.

It will be up to every voter, every family and every community to

consider very carefully how they cast their vote in the referendum on 31 May.

For the reasons I have explained, I will be voting Yes.

Joan Burton TD Minister for Social Protection

JOAN BURTON, Minister for Social Protection and newly-appointed Director of Elections for the Yes campaign, tells us why Ireland should ratify the Fiscal Compact Treaty and why it works for us

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


EVENT Dublin Rose 2012 at the Carlton Hotel Blanchardstown

Search gets under wayT

HE search for the Dublin Rose and Rose Buds is now on, and this year organisers have changed the format for choosing the capital’s rose by dedicating

a three-day festival to finding someone to represent their county at the Rose of Tralee later this year.

Applications are now open and everyone who applies will be featured in the three-day festival in May. Girls aged 6-12 years can also experience the festival by becoming a Rose Bud. As part of the selection proc-ess, the Gazette is running a colouring competition in association with Dublin Rose. For further information on Dublin Rose log onto www.roseoftralee.ie/centres and click Dublin, or find Dublin Rose on facebook for dates of information evenings.

Applications are now open for this year’s Dublin Rose. Pictures: Ian Fleming

Dublin Rose, Siobheal Nic

Eochaidh, with Rose Bud, Ava

Duignan


Helping a worthy causeT

HERE were plenty of the latest trends on show for followers of fashion to enjoy at the recent Fashion Show organised by Castleknock Col-

lege. The event was held in the beautiful surround-ings of Luttrellstown Golf Club and the money was raised in aid of the Vincentian Immersion Project in Ethiopia.

This was a very worthy cause and a great opportu-nity to meet up with friends and have a very enjoya-ble evening. The host for the evening was past pupil and Dragon’s Den mogul, Bobby Kerr.

Michel Brannigan, Pauline Greville, Catherine Salmon. Pictures: Ian Fleming

Grainne Hawkes and Eimear Keane

The event featured the latest trends available in shops

EVENT At a fashion show and wine reception in aid of the


Trish, Pat, Joanna and Angela Malone

Laura Donnell and Margo Murphy

Fr John Kelleher, Bobby Kerr and Grainne McConville

Monica McGinn and Sharon Mohan, Shamon Boutique

Rosemarie Stafford, Louise Casey, Eilish Stafford, Phil Bergin and Paula Downey

Thresa Hawkes and Noreen Keane

Modelling some stylish fashions

Vincentian Immersion Project in Ethiopia


EVENT Students present art piece to St Francis Hospice

The pictureof happinessT

RANSITION Year students in Mount Sackville recently handed over a piece of art that will hang

in St Francis Hospice, Blanchards-town. The school is following on from an initiative from St Mochta’s NS, who themselves presented the hos-

pice with a piece of art that will hang on the walls of the centre.

Dee Kinane, of St Francis Hospice, said that the art works “are great story pieces to have hanging on the walls” and that the work had been warmly received.

Steven Dredge, Joan Cullen, Pamela Cullen, Threasa Garty, Melissa Finnegan and Fiona Buggy.

Pictures: Ian Fleming

Ann Farren, Danielle Palmer, Kim Ward, Sophie Boucher and

Sarah Baird

Magerate Cashman, director of

nursing

Art teacher, Mrs Brady

Students present Art to St Francis Hospice, Sarah Baird,

Sophie Boucher, Sarah Cashin, Meg Elwood, Deirdre Fallon,

Sabrina Gavin, Clodagh Kiernan, Sadhbh Kenny, Clodagh Knight,

Ellen McDermott, Kiva Mc Namara, Lisa Moynihan, Danielle

Palmer, Aoife Prendiville, Rebecca Sweeney, Sarah Towers, Kim

Ward, Laura O’Grady, and Eimear O’Donovan Ryan

19 April 2012 GAZETTE 11

12 GAZETTE 19 April 2012

Taoiseach Enda Kenny with former Irish Rugby international Mick Galway, Michael Dawson from One4all,

founder of the Soul of Haiti Foundation and TV3 presenter Aidan Cooney, help kick start Haiti Week 2012

Gearing up to go in Cycle4HaitiCALLING all cycling enthusi-asts. Make 2012 the year you give something back by taking part in the Cycle4haiti challenge this May.

There are just three weeks left until the third annual Cycle-4haiti charity which aims to raise €300,000 for the Soul of Haiti Foundation.

The cycle will take place dur-ing the May bank holiday week-end, beginning on Saturday, May 5 at three locations – Dublin, Sligo and Tipperary.

All three will then meet at Ath-lone for an overnight rest to start again on Sunday, May 6 for fur-ther 85kms to finish line in Eyre Square, Galway.

Anyone interested in taking part from Dublin still has time to register at www.cycle4haiti.com, and there is also information on training events across Ireland in the run-up to the cycle.

Some of the large number of teams taking part from Dublin include Rowdy Riders, MRFC, Topbuzzers, Team Smiles, Glo-bal Diagnostics, Kellogg’s, TBA, Team Slattery and The Cycle-paths.

ROG meets dog, asks you to get involvedIRISH rugby legend Ronan O’Gara was on hand with TV star Sinead Desmond to launch the Pedigree Adoption Drive, which will run through to May 31.

Recent statistics released by the Department of Environment, Com-munity and Local Government, have shown that 1,058 dogs were abandoned in Dublin City in 2010 with 79% of these dogs finding new homes.

This is a slight drop on the previ-ous year’s figure when 80% of aban-doned dogs were re-homed.

On a national level, statistics have shown that, on average, 44 dogs are abandoned and a further 10 dogs are put to sleep every day in Ireland.

In order to help curb these shock-ing figures, Pedigree has once again launched the Pedigree Adoption Drive.

Now in its fifth year, the Pedigree

Adoption Drive continues to raise awareness of animal welfare.

To find out more on dog adop-tion, from how the adoption proc-ess works, from training to everyday care, visit www.Facebook.com/PedigreeIreland

Joining Jamie to run 10k for Calcutta’s poorTHE 2012 Calcutta Run was launched by Irish rugby star, Jamie Heaslip in Dublin last week.

The run is being held once more to raise money for the homeless in Dublin and Calcutta.

The 10 km route is from Blackha-ll Place, through the Phoenix Park and back to the start.

There will be a great post-race party and barbecue waiting for all of the participants at the finish line.

Now in its 14th year, the popular fun run has raised more than €2 million for the Peter McVerry Trust and GOAL since 1999.

The 2012 Calcutta Run will take place on Saturday, May 26. People can register at www.calcuttarun.com.

DIARY

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EVENT A breathtaking display of piano music

Tinkling the ivory in this jubilee event� BAIRBRE NI

BHRAONAIN

THE 25th anniversary of the Dublin International Piano Competition takes place in May.

The prestigious com-petition is a member of the World Federation of International Music Com-petitions and is ranked in the top five piano compe-titions in the world.

This year, 60 pianists from four continents, all under the age of 30, will compete in Dublin from May 4 to May 15 for the acclaimed title and gen-erous monetary prize.

Artistic Director and co-founder John O’Conor said, “We have received tremendous support since the foundation and the 25th Dublin Interna-tional Piano Competition

promises to be our most exciting to date.”

The competition has been running since 1987 and takes place in Dublin every three years.

To date there have been eight competitions.

The first two prelimi-nary stages of the four stage competition is open to the public and will be held in The Royal Dublin Society, from Friday May 4 to Thursday May 10.

The National Concert Hall will host the semi-final and final, both of which will be recorded by Radio Telefis Eir-eann and offered to the European Broadcasting Union for transmission throughout Europe.

This event is esteemed throughout the world and attracts enormous attention.

Some of the contestants in this year’s Dublin International Piano Competition

The semi-finals will take place on Saturday, May 12, and Sunday, May 13, in the National Concert Hall.

All twelve semi-final-ists must perform one of the five specially com-missioned Irish pieces of music for this year’s competition.

After this, four finalists will compete for the title in the final concerto per-formances taking place on Tuesday, May 15, with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland under the baton of James Cavanagh.

Steinway and Sons are providing all of the pianos for the 2012 com-

petition and, over the 12 days of the competition, 60 hours of music will be performed in total.

T he compe t i t i on affords young pianists the opportunity to com-pete at an elite level. In addition, it offers Irish contestants an oppor-tunity to hold their own on home ground.

The competition’s first phase will go on for four days after which 24 competitors will be selected to go forward to the second stage of 40-minute recitals over two days.

The Dublin Interna-tional Piano Competi-tion is adjudicated by

illustrious international members of the music profession, chaired by John O’Conor.

The winner of this year’s competition will be offered a number of international engage-ments, including debut recitals at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Wigmore Hall in Lon-don and other prestig-ious venues around the world.

To find out more infor-mation about the event and for ticket details, you can go online at www.dipc.ie.

Tickets for the RDS rounds are €5 per ses-sion, or €12 per day.

They are available at the box office in the RDS Concert Hall on the day before each event.

Tickets for the semi-finals in the National Concert Hall cost €10 per session, or €30 for all four.

Choir Balcony tick-ets are €7 per session and are available online at www.nch.ie or at the NCH Box Office 01-4170000.

Tickets for the finals in the National Concert Hall are €45 and Choir Balcony tickets cost €20.

All are available from the National Concert Hall Box Office.

Petmania reminds sponsors MANY people and dogs braved the harsh weather on Easter Monday to take part in the Petma-nia National Dog Walk 2012.

Walkers are now reminded to return their sponsorship cards before Sunday April 22 to claim their walker rewards.

For those that regis-tered to take part, but who were unable to make it on account of the weather, Petmania are urging them to take their four-legged friend on a 5KM walk over the next few days and col-lect the sponsorship, which could get walkers a number of rewards.

Walkers can collect a €10 Petmania Store voucher if they reach €50, while getting to €120 will get 10% off Allianz Pet Insurance, €200 will get a free bag of breed specific 12-15kg Royal Canine Dog Food, €400 will get a €40 voucher for Petmania Grooming Studios and €800 will get a fabulous break for two adults and one dog at Harvey’s Point Hotel in Donegal. This break includes two nights B&B plus one evening meal, and is worth €400.

Sponsorship cards can be returned to any local Petmania store, or online by debit or credit card at www.petmania.ie

CHARITY

GazettePETSPETSBrought to you by Miriam Kerins of

the DSPCA

THE FACTS: WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN YOUR CHILD ASKS FOR A HORSE

Horseplay can cost, so bewareS

o your little dar-l ing thinks it would be “fun” to saddle up and

ride her own pony. Ah, bless. I mean, you’ve scrimped and scraped your few euro together, sacrificed your monthly manicure and sent her to horse-riding lessons every Sunday morning for the past six months. But it’s backfired. Now she’s begging you until you’re a t breaking point. What’s a hassled mam to do?

Should you buy her a pony, I mean; it’s nice for her to have an interest in ani-mals. Right?

To be honest, as a mam I would want to make sure my child had a “passion” for horses, rather than just an “interest”.

You see , having raised two children to

adulthood, I know that an “interest” is nearly always just a passing phase, that will fizzle out and become so last year; kinda like that whole major Blondie look you had going on when you were 14. (Or was that just me?).

So mammie dearest, before you take your daughter horse shop-ping next Saturday, keep the following guidelines in mind.

Riding lessons for at least six months to a year.

This will give your daughter the oppor-tunity to learn from a professional who will be familiar with her abilities and who can be available in case she requires help. It will also give her an insight into grooming, han-dling, safety, etc., as well as the obvious, riding.

What type of horse does she want? Can you afford it?

A mare or a gelding should only be consid-ered. A stallion will be far too difficult for her to handle and can prove dangerous.

Remember there is no such thing as a bad horse and all horses need training; patience and quality t ime is the key. Personality is important. Ask your daughter to have her instructor give her a selection of horses to ride over the course of her lessons, and have her list the things she l ikes/disl ikes about individual ones.

Does she like the quiet, laid back animal or does she feel the need for something a tad feistier? Would a pony be better suited to her needs?

Horses can cost and be time-consuming, so weigh up the pros and cons before buying

What type of riding is your child inter-ested in?

Competit ive show jumping? Trail riding? Does she just want a companion animal?

Where will she keep her horse?

Do you have a boarding stable on your land? If not, is there one locally? Can you afford the rent?

Remember mam, if WW111 breaks out every t ime you ask your daughter to clean her bedroom or do her homework; is she really likely to give a commit-ment to this horse?

She’ll need to give the animal two hours a day, five days a week – minimum. Half an hour to groom and tack up, at least one hour to ride (remember a happy, healthy horse is the one that is ridden at least five times a week), another half an hour to cool him down and settle him back into his stable.

Monthly Budget?Boarding! Do you

have a stable at home? Do you need to rent stables? There will be a cost for feed, hay, stall bedding, etc.

What happens i f your horse becomes ill? You’ll need to have

access to an equine vet. They cost money. You’ll have recurring expenses like a farrier, vaccina-tions, worming, tack and other supplies such as grooming brushes, first-aid kit, a good quality shampoo, etc.

Worst Case Sce-nario?

When you take own-ership of a horse, or any animal, you give an undertaking to care for him for the entire duration of his life-time. However, what if something happens to your daughter and she can no longer ride her horse; or you lose your job and can no longer afford his upkeep.

You can’t just aban-don him and hope for the best. Abandonment is cruel and punishable by prosecution.

Horses can live until they are 30 years old so, in the event you can no longer take care of him, it’s your responsibility to find him a new home in an environment best suited to his needs, with an owner you can trust implicitly.

Remember, finding that special new owner can take time and lots of research.

For more informa-tion, contact your local equine vet or log onto www.dspca.ie or email me at [email protected]



Slim down yourbulging wardrobes� LAURA WEBB

SLIM down bulging wardrobes while helping a good cause, as Enable Ireland and TK Maxx join forces to raise a quarter of a million euro for charity this month.

Give Up Clothes for Good, is Ireland’s larg-est charity drive, which aims to raise €250,000 throughout April. Dub-liners are being asked to drop their unwanted quality clothing, acces-sor ie s and house -hold items to any TK Maxx store. Donations received throughout the month of April will go on to be sold in Enable Ireland shops to raise funds for vital services for children with disabil-ities across the country.

A recent survey car-ried out by TK Maxx

revealed over half of Dublin shoppers have clothes, shoes and acces-sories in their wardrobes that they have not worn in over a year.

This revelation expos-es city slickers to have the highest quota of unworn cloths in Ire-land. Dubliners were also exposed to be the worst impulse buyers in the country, with a third of residents admitting to splurging on a whim.

The research was conducted in support of the Enable Ireland/TK Maxx initiative, Give Up Clothes for Good.

The survey, which was carried out by Amarach Research, found that over 40% of Irish adults exper ience buyers ’ remorse. It also showed 20% of Irish women have more than six pairs

of trousers and of shoes that they have not worn in over a year. This sug-gests there are many top-quality items perfect for the cause. Each bag filled with clothes could potentially raise up to €30 for Enable Ireland, so every donation makes a difference.

Fionnuala O’Donovan from Enable Ireland commented: “We are delighted to be work-ing in conjunction with our partner TK Maxx on Give Up Clothes for Good this year.

“We are confident that the Irish public will really get behind the campaign with their generous donations of clothes and homeware.

“We urge the Irish public to clear out their wardrobes and cup-boards and part with

items that they may not have worn or used for a time.

“We will put your gifts and donations to good use in the Enable Ire-land shops to support our work for children with disabilities and their families.”

Founded in 1948, Enable Ireland provides services for 3,541 chil-dren and 219 adults. The charity also supports people with disabilities and their families in 15 counties.

TK Maxx is Enable Ireland’s biggest retail partner. Since the part-nership began back in 1997, the retail giant has raised over €900,000 for Enable Ireland.

Give Up Clothes for Good donation bags are available in all TK Maxx stores but any bag can

CHARITY Enable Ireland and TK Maxx join forces to raise €250,000 for charity

Pictured are Chloe Monaghan, aged 6, with RTE 2 Children’s presenter, Diana

Bunici, at the launch of Give Up Clothes for Good

be used, from supersize carrier bags to bin bags. For the nearest store, or to find out more, visit www.tkmaxx.ie

Enable Ireland can-not accept any electrical

goods, furniture or any items that are broken or require repair due to health and safety regula-tions.

There is an added incentive to this year’s

initiative, as those doing their bit by bringing in a donation will be given a chance to enter a draw to win €1,000 TK Maxx gift card via www.tkmaxx.ie

GazetteBEAUTYBEAUTY

TAKE in summer’s scent through an explo-sion of fresh smells with Emporio Armani’s new fragrance, Diamonds Summer for women.

The spring/summer season is when great smells come to life, from flowers to newly cut grass. It’s also the time when people find their own signature smell by choosing the right fragrance. One fragrance for Gazette Beauty this season is Emporio Armani’s Diamonds Summer for women. The fragrance is a musky, floral scent that gives a sense of freshness to the air. Hints of raspberry and green apple sorbet turn it into something that is good enough to eat.

What’s even better about this fragrance is that it is also available for men – Diamonds Summer for Men. This scent awakens the senses with its crisp, fresh mint and iced lemon aroma.

Each Emporio Armani Diamonds Summer is enclosed in a special limited edition bottle which sparkles – exquisitely faceted to assert the audacity of a true summer scent, loud and full of delight, and Emporio Armani Diamonds Summer for Men comes encased in a bottle inspired by ice sculptures radiat-ing light and a sparkling energy.

Discover a delicious new scent for summer with Emporio Armani

Falling in love with Vernis in Love’s bright, block colours

Love Rose Manicure

GAZETTE Beauty has never been one to shy away from a manicure, or let nails go unnoticed, so when we saw Lancome’s new range of striking nail colours we knew we had to put our hands up and take notice.

Bright block colours are the way forward this summer, so why not accentuate that fact with even bolder nails. Lancome’s new Vernis in Love range claims to reinvent nail polish application by making it simpler, faster and more stunning than ever. The collection takes chic neutral colours and com-bines them with captivat-ing brights – just like our summer wardrobe.

Innovative

Its innovative pat-ented brush, a grooved stem, allows the nail polish to flow directly to the centre of the brush. The round base and flat bristles allows the nail contour to be perfectly followed and a uniform coat of varnish to be applied in just a single stroke. The fluid texture creates a smooth, streak-free finish and a flawless film of colour.

“The bottle is a fan-tastic shape and size, which fits perfectly into the palm of your hand. The stem of the brush is the right length, which allows you enough time to place the brush into the bottle pick up your polish and apply it to the nail plate without it running down the stem causing drips and flood-ing the nail plate,” said Glenis Baptiste, celebrity manicurist.

The col lect ion is

availabel in 20 stun-ning shades and has been divided into three colour universes to suit three different moments of the day.

JOLIS MATIN: All the beauty of an awakening dawn in Paris is captured in fresh and featherlight shades for luminous, natural colour.

BOUDOIR TIME: Deep , v ibrant and euphoric shades, perfect for early evening cock-tails with friends.

TONIGHT IS MY NIGHT: A Parisian night, infused with promise, is mirrored by intense and magnetic shades.

Here are two stunning coloured manicures by Lancome to try at home:

French Rose Manicure

1. Apply a drop of the darker Bleu de Flore


polish to the base of the nail. Paint a neat cres-cent, paying particular attention to the outer borders, as if “framing” them with a rose petal. The brush should be held at an almost vertical angle.

2. You now need to per-fect the inner and outer borders using the branch-wood stick wrapped in cotton wool.

3. Next, apply Rose Boudoir to the centre of the nail to create a colour contrast, using the flat of the brush.

4. To finish off, apply a top coat to achieve uni-form shine. This will also allow you to even out the surface texture.

Love Rose Manicure

with contrasting on

trend shades “Aqua-

marine” blue and

“Rouge in Love” red:

1. Apply a block of red all over the nail (2 coats for sufficient coverage).

2. Next, apply a coat of Aquamarine on top so that only a “comma shape” of red remains visible.

French Rose Manicure

Edited by

Laura Webb

Indulge in a little bit of chocolate for your skinEASTER brings out the best in chocolate, so why not indulge in it for a bit longer with Organique’s Chocolate collection.

Ok, it’s not the edible kind, but anything that smells and looks like chocolate must be good, right? Organique is an award-winning interna-tional cosmetics compa-ny. The Chocolate collec-tion uses real cocoa butter that aims to relax and firm skin, calm irritation and stimulate blood circula-tion. Not only does it do this, but it also moisturises and contains anti-cellulite elements.

The chocolate pigment of the product is also known to give a natural bronzing effect that leaves skins looking healthy with a lasting glow. The collection is packed with

endorphins to stimulate the release of serotonin – also known as the happy hormones. Any sweet smell from these products will instantly put you in a better mood after a long day.

In a bid to help people get the spa experience at home, the chocolate col-lection from Organique includes:

Organique Chocolate Sugar Peeling 200ml, RRP €40: Perfectly clean-ing and soothing the skin, this sugar-peeling product is the ideal way to prepare your skin for treatments. Its sugar crystals gently remove excess oils and dried skin, while its shea and cocoa butters will leave skin moisturised and elastic.

Organique Chocolate Bronzing Body Butter

200ml, €49: What bet-ter way to indulge after a long day than covering your skin in chocolate! Suitable for all skin types, the shea butter content of this product intensely moisturises and soothes the skin while the cocoa extract contains firming and anti-cellulite proper-ties.

Organique Chocolate Endorphine Serum, RRP €27: This serum is easily absorbed into the skin to leave it feeling strong, firm and moisturised. The high cocoa content stimulates, nourishes and firms the skin, while also helping to soothe irritation.

Enjoy this treatment at top spas nationwide or visit your local Organique supplier to try these fabu-lous products for your-self. Organique’s Chocolate collection which uses real cocoa butter

WE all have difficulty remem-bering to take our tablets, especially if we are required to take a variety of drug treat-ments. Around 20-30% of elderly patients take three or more medicines daily and, to ensure optimum treatment-outcomes, good compliance is important.

Non-compliance is a major health issue, resulting in sig-nificant increase in the risk of disease and mortality. If you, or someone you know requires help with your medicines, then have a chat with your pharma-cist. They can give you appro-priate advice and prepare your medications in a suitable way (for example the blister packing of medication) helping you to ensure that you never forget to take your tablets.

With Thanks to the Staff of Lucan Village

Pharmacy

Helping to manage your medicines



GazetteMUSICMUSIC

Spiritualised reach for the light and the heart

Spiritualised’s Jason Pierce: Sweet Heart Sweet Light is an impressive and enveloping work of genius

� ROB HEIGH

IT’S BEEN almost a quarter of a century since I was first intro-duced to Jason Pierce. At that time, he was J Spaceman, co-lead singer and creative force behind the psych-pop noise of Spacemen 3.

Their epic t rack, Revolution, six minutes of drone and a guitar phrase that made you think that it was The Stooges from another planet, was a signature tune that would appear in DJ sets from that day to this.

It’s fine to be nostal-gic, but we all grow up, and so J became Jason and, in the course of the Nineties, made what was one of the most inven-tive and epic records of the decade, the pharma-ceutically-inf luenced Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space. Record of the year it came out, record of the decade for me, and still one of the most life-affirming and soul-ful records ever made in the genre.

That was, until now, and Pierce has returned after a decade that has seen his health becom-

ing the creative fodder for his output.

Having technically died twice during a bout of pneumonia, and hav-ing been diagnosed with acute liver problems that led to him being housebound for a year in which he was treated with cutting-edge, but untested, drugs.

The focus and clarity that such life-threaten-ing experiences bring has led to Pierce once again making one of the most impressive and uplifting records of his

REVIEW: NEW RELEASE FROM ENDURING ROCK ‘N’ ROLLERS

career. While Ladies And

Gentlemen was driven by a broken heart, Sweet Heart, Sweet Light is shot through with the sound of a body and soul being rebuilt after the most harrowing of experiences, and it is such an emotional and powerful record that at times it can be over-whelming.

Once again, using a combination of the p sych t ropes tha t Pierce has relied upon throughout his career,

gospel choirs and a canny understanding of what makes a good pop melody, Sweet Heart is a record like very few that will be released this year, for the simple reason that it is utterly heartfelt and created with uplift in mind.

Lead single, Hey Jane, recalls the Velvet Under-ground, but the constant here is the archetypal Spaceman template, where the naive melody is almost lost and over-whelmed by layers and layers of sonic coating,

which builds to a monu-mental conclusion, or breaks down to a sweet heartbreaking minimal-ism that is just as effec-tive and just as involv-ing.

It is no accident that the first Spiritualised album was called Laser Guided Melodies; it’s a motto that Pierce still holds close to his creative heart and this album strikes as another incredible summation of his talents at a time of hardship, and salvation is close at hand.

FRESH from inducting duties at the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame last week, Green Day have announced that they are to release three new albums between Sep-tember and January 2013, entitled Uno!, Dos! and Tre! “We are at the most prolific and creative time in our lives. This is the best music we’ve ever written, and the songs just keep coming,” said the band. “Instead of making one album, we are making a three album trilogy.”

Three-vival: Trio of albums on way from Green Day

WHAT a week in the rock world: an age-ing rocker is shunning the limelight while a deceased one is asked to appear!

Axl Rose refused to show up for last week-end’s Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame induction of Guns N’Roses after refusing the invitation - and the induction - via Facebook.

It seems the frontman wanted to distance himself from the awkward situation of being faced with old band members and fans’ calls for a reunion at the ceremony.

In a lengthy statement, the prickly singer said: “People get divorced. Life doesn’t owe you your own personal happy ending espe-cially at another’s or, in this case, several oth-ers’, expense.”

No reunion then. Is the Rose beginning to wilt? After a

string of disastrous gigs a couple of years ago, including one at The O2 where he threatened to walk off stage amidst booing and heckling, I wonder if Rose is just a thorn in some fans’ side these days?

Time will tell if he’ll redeem himself at this summer’s gig, again at The O2 on May 17. With Thin Lizzy supporting, and another Academy-Award-worthy Axl outburst a pos-sibility - it’ll certainly be interesting!

Another reunion that will definitely NEVER happen is that of the original line-up of The Who. But try telling that to the organ-isers of the London Olympics. They contact-ed The Who’s manager asking if Keith Moon could perform at the opening ceremony this summer. Bill Curbishley replied saying they could find the legendary drummer at Golders’ Green crematorium...where he’s been since 1978. There are no words!

FastTunes with Radio Nova’s Dee Woods


Interview: Chantal Fay, senior consultant, Bond Personnel Group

CHANTAL Fay is a sales and market-ing graduate with more than 11 year’s recruitment experience.

She joined Bond Personnel Group Ltd five years ago and, as a senior consultant, she recruits for positions at all levels across various industries, including sales, customer service, IT and telecoms, finance, hospitality and engineering.

She is a preferred supplier for numer-ous organisations, from small and medium businesses to large multina-tionals, based locally and countrywide, and through her professional approach

she has established many enduring cli-ent relationships.

Chantal is also the go-to person for jobseekers who are searching for a new position, or in need of advice to veer their career in the right direction.

Applicants can be assured that they will receive full guidance and support through every step of the recruitment process, resulting in increased success rates.

Putting her clients first, Chantal’s work ethic matches Bond Person-nel’s company motto: “Our word is our Bond”.

Q&A

Fay’s way helps Bond

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

Q: What was your first job?A: At 15, after school

and at weekends, fold-

ing clothes and sweep-

ing floors at a local

department store.

Q: And your first pay cheque?A: It would be the

equivalent of €1.96 now

... Seems like peanuts,

and it’s not even that

long ago!

Q: When did you start your present job?A: January, 2007.

Q: What is the best thing about your job?A: It always gives great

satisfaction when you

helped someone find

their dream job, or an

employer find their

perfect employee.

Q: What part of your working day do you ‘delegate’?

A: I am a bit of a con-

trol freak and perfec-

tionist, so I like to do as

much as I can myself.

Q: What sport do you follow?A: Football and the Six

Nations’ rugby.

Q: What sport can you play?A: I’m not the sporty

type, although I

recently started jog-

ging (again), and have

signed up to run the

5K John Davis Run at

Malahide Castle in aid

of Our Lady’s Chil-

dren’s Hospital this

May.

Q: What is your guilty music/TV or movie pleasure?A: I have seen all epi-

sodes of Doc Martin.

Q: Who best repre-sents modern Ireland – David Norris or Jedward?A: David Norris.

Q: What music/pic-

tures/movies do you have on your iPod/iPad?A: The likes of Rod-

rigo y Gabriela, Paolo

Nutini, Jack Johnson,

Caro Emerald, Cold-

play, etc.

Q: Who do you follow on Twitter/Facebook?A: Lots of industry-

related people and

companies.

Q: What was your last Tweet/status update?A: Undoubtedly some-

thing positive that is

happening on the jobs

front.

Q: Describe your dream meal?A: A table full of tapas/

meze and a good glass

of red wine makes me

very happy.

Q: Who would you rather have dinner with – Enda Kenny or Dame Edna?A: Enda Kenny. I would

tell him what I think

should be done differ-

GazetteBUSINESSBUSINESS Supported by AIB

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO SORT OUT MY DUAL MORTGAGE TYPES?

Q – What is the best way to sort out insurance

for both commercial and domestic mortgages?

My current lender is desperate to get me to talk

to their in-house consultant. Tom – Artane

A - Life cover on your home loan is mandatory,

unless ill health precludes you taking it out (some

lenders will waive cover if the premiums are loaded

... higher because of the greater risk). Over-50s

could also ask their lender to waive it but, ordinarily,

it is prudent to take out on your home, especially if

you have dependents. Residential investment prop-

erties do not have to have life cover attached, but

most lenders look for it. Commercial properties are

the same – some coercion can be applied by lenders

for borrowers to take out life cover on commercial

loans. You should always ask for a quotation, and

check with an authorised adviser. You can always go

back to your lender and say you have now put cover

in place, but cheaper and hand them the policy.

Life cover should really be a simple exercise. Confu-

sion reigns when advisers start to add in the bells

and whistles that complicate the cover. Here are

some of the issues:

• Mortgage protection/decreasing cover – only

covered at the time of death for the outstanding

balance ... This is the cheapest type of cover. Curtail

the term of the policy to the term of the loan.

• Level term cover – for when you are not repaying

capital and the outstanding amount owed never

decreases. This is more expensive than decreasing

term, but is convertible (you can tinker with the

term or amount during the life of the policy – with

decreasing term you cannot);

•Dual life/joint life – dual life means even after the

first party has died and the policy has paid out, it

will also pay out the same amount again when the

second party dies.

� 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

Chantal Fay, senior consultant, Bond Personnel Group

ently in this country.

Q: Where do you enjoy spending money frivo-lously?A: I rarely splash out,

but when I do it is

always on nice clothes

or accessories – you

have to treat yourself,

sometimes.

Q: How many pairs of shoes do you own?A: I’d have to go home

and count them, but

I’d say I have collected

about 20 pairs over the

years.

Q: What was your worst holiday experi-

ence?A: Six years ago, we

went camping in

France. Thunder, light-

ning, rain, hailstones –

we had it all. After the

third night, I insisted

on checking into a

B&B

Q: What do you plan to do when you retire?A: That’s a long, long

time away, but I hope

to be healthy, sur-

rounded by people I

love and have invested

enough money in my

pension to enjoy my

well-deserved time off.


Classic casa on sale in Mulberry Drive

Number 1, Mulberry Drive, is on sale for €370,000

SHERRY FitzGerald are bringing No 1 Mul-berry Drive, Castleknock, Dublin 15, an extended double-fronted, five-bed family home with a south-west facing rear garden and patio area, to the market for the asking price of €370,000.

The property is situ-ated in a cul de sac and is presented in showhouse condition throughout. Upgrades that have been carried out to the property are a light-filled kitchen/dining room, a large utility room and solid oak tim-ber flooring, all ensuring a quality finish throughout.

The accommodation comprises entrance hall with a feature hardwood staircase with understairs storage, solid oak timber floor, and decorative cov-ing. The living room also features solid wood oak timber flooring, as well as a timber surround fire-

place with cast iron and tiled inset, bay window, and double doors to the kitchen, dining and fam-ily rooms. There is also a playroom with oak timber floor and a bay window.

The kitchen-cum-din-img room is a large open plan kitchen/breakfas-troom space, which fea-tures a fully-fitted oak shaker-style kitchen with granite worktops, inte-grated oven and grill, gas hob, extractor, dishwash-er, plumbed for American style fridge freezer, fea-ture breakfast island. The kitchen also has a tiled floor, recessed lighting and feature skylight Velux windows with black-out blinds.

There is also a utility room with fitted work-top and shelving, stain-less steel sink, and which is plumbed for washing machine and dryer.

Upstairs, the master

CASTLEKNOCK: A FIVE-BEDROOM HOME IN CASTLEKNOCK

WITH property rent-als at a premium, and getting away from it all becoming a more attrac-tive proposition all the time, there is good news for those looking to do just that.

Private Villa Rent-als have announced a range of seven-day deals on their range of qual-ity holiday properties to suit any budget, in qual-ity villas with pool facili-ties in Portugal, Greece and Lanzarote.

The company, which has been running for 30 years, is fully-bonded agency and is run by highly-experienced pro-fessionals in the field.

Villas start as low as €525 per week for

Get away from it all with PVRFOREIGN RENTALS: HOLIDAY-MAKERS AND OWNERS’ OPPORTUNITIES

a three-bedroom with pool in Vilamoura, Portugal, ranging up to €10,000 per week for a super luxury property in Quinta Do Lago.

There is also a great

se lec t ion o f v i l l a s throughout Greece, Cor fu , Zante , and Mykonos.

Potential renters can choose from three to seven-bedroom villas

Vista Golfe Vilamoura in Portugal is one of the properties for rent

GazettePROPERTYPROPERTY

from a wide selection of properties – plus they have a villa in Vilamoura that will accommodate up to 20 people. A selec-tion of villas in Greece even come with your

own personal cook.Private Villas also

provide a service to owners of foreign prop-erties, and can act as an owners personal online marketing, sales and service team, handling every facet of the vaca-tion rental marketing process - creating list-ings, reaching a network of travellers, and offer-ing a seamless booking process with full travel-ler support.

For more informa-tion on properties and overseas rental service, contact Brian Nevin on 01 5543641, or email [email protected]. You can also visit www.privatevillas.ie for more information.

bedroom boasts an attrac-tive bay window, wall to wall fitted sliderobes, feature bay window, semi-solid oak floor. The master bedroom has an en suite, which is fully tiled, with WC, WHB and an electric shower.

The other bedrooms all feature solid oak timber floors and most feature fitted wardrobes.

The main family bath-room is also fully tiled, with a WC, WHB, a fea-ture jacuzzi Vogue bath, and an electric shower.

Outside, the garden enjoys a sunny south-west-facing orientation and a high degree of pri-vacy. The front garden is bordered by trees and flowers and also offers off-street parking.

Mulberry Drive is in close proximity to Castle-knock village, with its growing choice of shops and restaurants, along with having Mount Sack-ville, Castleknock College and Castleknock Com-munity College close by.

For more information, contact Michelle Curran at Sherry FitzGerald on 01 820 1800.

Get rid of all your electrical clutter for goodWe all have those discarded items that hide in cupboards and sheds — the kettles, toast-ers and lamps that have come to the end of their lifecycle but that, for some reason, we have trouble parting with.

Now, there is an opportunity to have a clear-out, when WEEE Ireland, the Irish compliance scheme for electrical and bat-tery recycling, hold two free recycling events in April in association with Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

The collection events will take place at the Nutgrove Shopping Centre from 10am to 4pm on next Saturday, April 21, and at Dun-drum Village Centre car park from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, April 28.

These free WEEE Ireland events allow people to get rid of any household electri-cal equipment and batteries in a safe and environmentally friendly manner.

Anything in the home with a battery or a plug can be recycled at these collections.

Waste collection specialists from WEEE Ireland will be there on the day to help you send your toasters, vacuum cleaners, fridges and every other electrical item imaginable to a better place.

As a consumer of electrical items, you are entitled to bring your waste electrical equipment to your electrical retailer when purchasing an item of similar type, i.e. on a one-for-one, like-for-like basis.

Waste batteries can be brought back to any battery retailer that sells similar bat-teries, even if you don’t purchase anything. All WEEE and waste batteries can also be brought to your local civic amenity site free of charge.

For further information on all future recy-cling events in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown, or to find your nearest civic amenity site, please log on to WEEE Ireland’s website www.recyclefree.ie.

RECYCLING: DLRCC TO HOLD TWO FREE EVENTS

WEEE love electrical waste


GazetteMOTORSMOTORS

I HAVE a habit of comparing the cars I test to other models before I even finish

my first sentence. There’s every chance it doesn’t please the manufactur-ers one little bit, so, in an effort to change my ways a little, this week I’m holding off on the com-parisons until paragraph two at the very least.

When BMW first launched their 1 Series, there were more than a few comparisons made with the Mazda3 – doubt-less Mazda were happier about this than BMW.

While such compari-sons can be flattering, they can also take away a little of the character and individuality of a car.

So it is very encourag-ing to see how the Maz-

da3 has been given so much presence in its lat-est design.

I recently took the Maz-da3 Sports SE for a week and got a taste of what it had to offer.

When I first set eyes on it, I was gobsmacked by how attractive the rear of the car was.

The light clusters have an aggressive, swoop-ing design with lines that

are closely followed by the rear bumper that sits proud of the boot, leaving a kind of shelf at the back. Along with the boot spoil-er, all of this makes for a very eye-grabbing look.

The design of the body-work suggests that glass was at a premium when they were putting this car together. They really have gone minimal with the side and rear screens – which makes the look that little bit more men-acing.

At the front end, another set of beautifully-designed lights add to the flared wheel arches and rally car-like air scoop that finished off the exte-rior’s menacing look.

Mazda say that this new front bumper design improves aerodynamics,

either way – it looks the business.

This model carries a few nice touches as standard, including 17” alloys, auto-matic air con, bluetooth, cruise control, rear LED lights, sports seats and sports trim, heated seats, rear spoiler, side skirts, front fogs, all topped off with a five-star Euro NCAP rating.

I was not looking for-ward to being squeezed on all sides by the sports seats in this car, but the seating afforded my larger-than-normal frame with a comfortable amount of room.

This car is labelled as a sports model – and it doesn’t let the name down.

Under the hood is a 1.6-litre diesel engine twinned

with a six-speed manual gearbox – all of which provides a drive that you could describe as,well, a little mad.

You can scoff at a company’s press release when they claim to have “Mazda’s agility and handling carried over, with improvements to ride quality and stabil-ity. Changes to suspen-sion, a more rigid body, optimised dampers and stiffer wheel contribute to improved handling,” but, I must admit that, whatever they have done, this car is a blast. And they haven’t skimped on comfort.

As I said, the seats are a delight, and are heated for the winter months.

The overall trim has a far better level of quality than I was expecting, but

certain points of contact do let it down.

For all the fuss made about improved handling, stability and control, they could have come up with a more inspired steering wheel. For me, the wheel speaks volumes about a car and how we feel about what we drive.

In this case, it’s just a bit limp. It has a plastic feel and it’s very thin in your hands. I think a special edition car, like the Maz-da3 Sports SE, should have spotted this as a potential let-down.

That aside, we are talk-ing about a sexy, fast and practical (five doors) car that comes in well under €24,000. Compared to some of its peers, this is a very attractive prospect indeed.

New presence for Mazda3 The Mazda3 Sports SE 5-Door Hatchback got a sport make-over which includes improvements to handling and stability

TOMTOM HAVE RELEASED NEW APPS: SAT NAV giants, TomTom, have released the latest version of its app for iPhone and iPad. The update includes the addition of TomTom Places, and fully inte-grates TomTom navi-gation with social media applications.

TomTom Places provides a naviga-tion-based search facility, helping driv-ers to find nearby shops and restau-rants and choose the best places to go.

According to Ger-ard Hinds, Director Mobile at TomTom: “Searching with Tom-Tom Places whilst on the move is a big time-saver.”

The TomTom navigation app for iPhone and iPad is now available for pur-chase from the Apple App Store for €59.99. Existing customers can download the update for free.

RoadRoadSignsSigns

GIVEN how expensive everyday motoring is becoming, it comes as no surprise that many manufacturers are doing everything they can to offer more value to their customers.

This month sees Ford announce a package of special offers that should keep their showrooms busy for a while.

The package comprises a special 4.9% low finance offer for models across the range; fuel vouchers of up to €1,300 on Mondeo; a “no worries” for three years package and extended warranty, roadside assistance and free servicing for three years on selected models, including Ireland’s top-selling car – the Ford Focus.

“This package is designed to show customers that there is still some very good value in the market,” said Eddie Murphy, chairman and managing director of Ford Ireland.

“With fuel prices becoming an even more weighty burden for motorists, our offer of a voucher for 400km worth of fuel for anyone who test drives a

Mondeo is sure to strike a chord. “Equally, we have been hearing back

from customers that access to good value finance is an ongoing problem and, to rectify this, we have worked with our finance house, Ford Credit, to provide an attractive 4.9% low APR loan rate available for deals on all of our passenger models.”

Ford is giving more value with special offer to customers

� Engine: 1.6L (115ps) Diesel� Economy: 4.3L/100km (65mpg)� CO2 emissions: 115g� Road Tax Band: A� Price as tested: €23,645� Price range: €19,795 - €23,895

SPECS: MAZDA3 SPORTS SE 5-DOOR HATCHBACK

Cormac Curtis reports

A Titanic event in

heart of Belfast� LAURA WEBB

THE sky was alight at Belfast’s Slipways, when a cutting edge digital experience presented a light show to thousands as part of the Titanic Bel-fast Festival 2012.

Northern Ireland tour-ist board and Belfast City Council joined forces to mark the centenary of one of the world’s most famous ships – Titanic. The Titanic festival saw a number of events com-memorate the 100-year anniversary of the ship’s sinking.

But the must-see Titan-ic Belfast at the Slipways is not just open for the festival, it is open all year round for all to visit. The six-floor building is locat-ed in the heart of Belfast, right beside where the famous ship was con-structed, definitely some-thing worth taking a trip to.

One event during the festival, which officially ends on April 22, was a light show on April 7, which took place at Bel-fast’s Titanic Quarter.

Before heading to the show that night, there was a pre-event in the original Titanic drawing rooms, where engineers worked on plans for the doomed ship.

A number of local talents entertained the crowded room, which looked just as it was 100 years before. Informa-tion about the room was available to see across the walls allowing everyone to take in some knowl-edge of what went on all those years before.

One talent that shook the room – in all the right ways – was Silhou-ettes, the band behind the ad soundtrack for the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.

After a great set, we left the drawing room and went outdoors towards the slipway at the water-front.

Crowds led the way and, on the way out, we received much-needed plastic ponchos to keep the rain away. Ear plugs were also provided in case the noise got a bit too much for the kids – thankfully, there was no need to use them.

Fire-breathers enter-tained while the crowd waited for the spectacu-lar show to begin. There was also a bunch of performers wandering through the crowd on stilts dressed in Victorian clothes.

World’s biggest

What was being touted as the world’s biggest light show was about to begin.

The slipways went black and then blue spot- lights lit the new Titanic Belfast visitor attraction. Music filled the air and the show began.

The introduction to the show was a bit long, but once it kicked into overdrive and it was defi-nitely a sight to see. Col-ours gleamed on the side of the visitor centre and, to the surprise of many, an explosion of fire-

works filled the air. Kids shouted with delight and the crowd “wowed” at every firework that shot into the sky. Each stage got better than the last and the show finished with a spectacular array of lights.

The Titanic projec-

tion show was produced by Culture Creative and designed and creatively directed by seeper.com, will use 3D motion graphics , synchro -nised pyrotechnics and bespoke sound design - all inspired by the RMS Titanic. It aimed to cre-

ate an unforgettable 40 minute audio-visual performance to celebrate Belfast’s culture, heritage and bright future.

Check out discover-northernireland.com for further information on the tourist attraction – Titanic Belfast.

Enjoy unspoiled Mediterranean

landscapes and enchanting towns

on the historic island of SardiniaSARDINIA, the second largest island of the Mediterranean, has successfully escaped mass tourism and offers a unique combination of unspoilt Mediterranean landscapes, historical sites, enchanting towns, history, traditions and, last, but not least – superb cuisine.

This wonderful city of Alghero maintains a year-round economy outside of the busy summer months. To the north of the marina is the fine sandy beach of Alghero, which provides good bathing opportunities and is just a short stroll from the historic centre.

Go with Concorde Travel this April and stay at the two-star Bouganvillea Apartments, Alghero, on a self-catering basis from €383pp; Stay at the three-star Hotel La Playa, Alghero, on a B&B basis, from €560pp, or at the four-star Hotel Punta Negra, Alghero, on a B&B basis, from €682pp. If five-star is for you, stay at the Hotel Carlos, Alghero, on a B&B basis, from €696pp or the Hotel Villa Las Tronas, Alghero, on a B&B basis, from €1050pp.

FastTravel

GazetteTTRAVELRAVEL22 GAZETTE 19 April 2012

The Titanic festival saw a number of events commemorate the 100-year

anniversary of the ship’s sinking

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

‘The slipways went black and then blue spot-lights lit the new Titanic Belfast visitor attraction. Music filled the air and the show began’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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The five-star Hayfield Manor in Cork’s university district and their luxurious spa (right)

Edited by

Mimi Murray


A perfect pampering for mothers-to-be� ELIZABETH CAROLAN

BEING a mother-in-waiting can be tough. The morning sickness, head-aches, growing pains and hormones are enough to derail the best of women. So, it is no wonder mum- to-be pamper pack-ages have become more prevalent in recent years around some of the best hotels in Ireland.

I recently sampled Hayfield Manor’s spa package, which is new to the hotel, but has really taken off and is proving to be very popular.

The five-star hotel is located in the univer-sity district of Cork city, which is really pretty and mostly Georgian.

We arrived on a sunny Saturday and the hotel

was buzzing with tour-ists. Our executive suite was drenched in light and sunshine and was tastefully decorated with lots of nice extras like a Nespresso machine, fairly standard in hotels nowadays, but always a welcome sight.

The outside jacuzzi is out of bounds for preg-nant women, but my husband made good use of it, whilst I swam a few laps.

It was almost time to start the pampering and the spa is conveniently located just off the pool area. I was asked what dessert I would like fol-lowing my treatment (part of the package) but passed on this lovely offer, instead looking for-ward to dinner in Perrotts

Garden Bistro.The mum-to-be pack-

age includes a pedicure and leg massage, a facial and a back neck and shoulders massage. It lasts around two-and-a- half hours and really is very relaxing.

Soothing Elemis prod-ucts are used, which are perfect for pregnant women as the scent in not particularly overpow-ering. I certainly enjoyed it and so did baby, as it became very active dur-ing the treatments, kick-ing away happily.

After over two hours of bliss the relaxation room allows you to prolong the experience with some herbal tea and fresh fruit.

I was so relaxed after-wards that I really wished we had ordered room

service, as I was practi-cally falling asleep dur-ing dinner and all I could think of was my bed.

Dinner consisted of fish and chips for me and Turbot for him, before making a hasty retreat to the room.

I was sleep-walking by the time I got into bed, the sign of a really excel-

lent treatment. I would highly recom-

mend this trip for any weary pregnant ladies. After all,, it could be the last me-time you get in a long, long time!

For more details on Hayfield Manor’s Spa Treatments and rates go to www.hayfieldmanor.ie.

An executive suite at Hayfield Manor


Goes swimmingly

Amr Waked and Ewan McGregor can be seen discussing the finer points of salmon fishing, and how best

to create this timeless sport back in dry, dusty Yemen in Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, while, right, run

as she might, Amanda Seyfried is still trapped in a pretty duff movie, in Gone

GoingOUT

GazetteENTERTAINMENTENTERTAINMENT

Our first film’s tale seems a little bit fishy in Yemen, but it’s tasty enough, compared to our second film’s offering

�THE PAVILION THEATRE 01 231 2929Comicbook with Maeve Clancy

COME along to The Pavilion and find your inner (comic) artist, courtesy of Maeve Clancy. The Dublin-based artist and writer, who produces comics, illustration and animation in a variety of ways, will be hosting a great 1.5-hour workshop for eight to 12-year-olds on producing comics, with her whirlwind of a workshop covering everything in comic book design, from devising the initial concept to a completed four-page book. Ink this midday event in your diary for Saturday, April 21, priced €10.

MILL THEATRE 01 296 9340 Encore! Showtime 2012

FRESH from clearing away the comic cooking calamity of the Faulty Towers Dining Experience, and The Mill promises an equally entertaining upcoming event, courtesy of the Encore! School of Performing Arts. There’ll be nothing Faulty about this highly-polished production, which features a wide selection of work and shows from the school’s many talented young performers, running right through from Friday, April 27 to Saturday, May 5. For full list of dates for the great shows, see www.milltheatre.ie.

CIVIC THEATRE 01 462 7477Tea Chests and Dreams

REGARDLESS of the year, one things remain universal – the hopes, nerves and dreams surrounding moving house, and (re)making a home, where “moving in” also means “moving on”. Dermot Bolger’s tender new play examines the process; how we begin again once the last box is unpacked, and, each night, an audience member’s experience will help to enrich the deep tapestry of the play. Axis: Ballymun’s production plays at 8pm on Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21, with admission €16/€12 conc.

DRAIOCHT 01 885 2622Baglady

FRANK McGuinness’s rarely-performed play has an extra poignancy in the current economic climate, given the social exclusion that some citizens continue to face. Here, True West, in association with Eska Riada, take a “baglady” (as memorably played by Maria McDermottroe) – someone you might walk past in the street – and reveal the person inside, stripping away the layers of alienation to find the isolated woman inside. Catch this moving play at 8.15pm on Wednesday, April 25, with tickets costing €15/€12.

� KATE CROWLEY

OH, TALK about tough choices. Faced with not exactly stellar choices of new films opening this week, what’s a gal to do?

I feel like taking a leaf from Brucie’s book (For-sythe, that is), and asking all my lovely readers to start shouting what they’d like to know about, this week: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (Obi Wan Kenobi goes fishing), or Gone (Charles Blonde-son vigilante thriller).

What’s that? One from the top? Higher? Lower? Cuddly toy? Fridge freez-er? Coffee maker? Teddy bear? Higher? Lower? What? Oh dear, this’ll never work – I can’t decide with both of you shouting at the same time.

Tell you what – as nei-ther of them is particularly great, I’ll do a quick run-through on both.

In Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Obi Wa- sorry, Ewan McGregor

stars as Fred Jones, a man who knows a thing or two about fish. This proves especially handy, as he’s soon dispatched by ’Er Majesty’s Government to Yemen – not a coun-try especially known for its wonderful salmon expanses, on account of it being a desert country.

A rrrich local sheikh’s passion for fishing soon sees Fred working with similarly fish-friendly locals (oh, including Har-riet, AKA Emily Blunt), whose fish-whispering ways are able to work wonders, with both gov-ernments reaping kudos

from the watery wonder of salmon fishing in Yemen.

If everything kept going so swimmingly, your inter-est might go paddling towards the expert but, like a rock thrown into a pool, there’s soon an almighty splash or two – in the form of Harriet’s just-found, had-been-missing boyfriend, as well as some meddling militants.

However, Fred’s pretty much fallen hook, line and sinker for his new life, so can he overcome all the obstacles in the project’s path and end up with a fin-tastic outcome for him and his fishy friends?

Short of me walking off to Cineworld with a tin of red paint to start sloppily painting “Date movie” all over the posters until the Gardai show up, it’s pret-ty obvious that this film expects to reel you in with its gentle plot, mild melo-drama and lovely shots of Yemen’s dusky desert landscape.

There are certainly worse things to splash out on at the cinema, so three stars it is.

Charles Bronson would turn in his grave with the maverick-vigilante-seeks-justice-or-retribution-or-vengeance-or-whatever genre that keeps stag-gering on, like one of the Walkers in television’s The Walking Dead.

Why? Because here comes another Bron-sonite, in the pretty form of Amanda Seyfried. Poor old Mandy, as Jill, is having a tough time, in Gone.

Why, not only had someone abducted and tried to kill her a year ear-

lier (where she learned he’d killed others, too), only for the police to dis-believe her (on account of her having had mental health problems, previ-ously), but the would-be killer’s only returned and snatched her sister, in what seems like a warm-up to having another stab at her? Err, yes.

With no one to turn to, Jill’s soon out of control, living on the edge, as she tracks down the kidnap-per-killer. And kills him, and saves her sister, and now the police know that she was right all along. The end.

There you go – I’ve just saved you all your hard-earned clams by going straight from A to Z with this one, as even the least demanding bumpkin who’s never seen one of them-tharr Talkies afore would feel short-changed with this violent, nonsen-sical, one-star flick.

(You owe me some Moonshine, Jethro.)

FILM OF THE WEEK: Salmon fishing in the

Yemen �� (12A) 106 mins

OUR VERDICT:THESE two tales couldn’t be much more different; however, the first, main film seems plausible enough, concerning attempts to grow a previously overlooked indigenous sector in a country’s economy, and – wait, come back! It’s also a decent enough date film, or for McGregor’s fans. However, the second film will probably make you wish that you’d gone fishin’, or something else, instead ...

Director: Lasse HallstromStarring: Ewan McGregor, Amr Waked, Emily Blunt, Kristin Scott Thomas, Yemen, lots of fi sh, more Yemen

t


GazetteGAMINGGAMING

� SHANE DILLON

SEEING as I randomly step aside to look at tech and internet-related con-tent, what better time than to look at an inter-esting story featuring Facebook?

Many readers may have noticed the somewhat eyebrow-raising news last week (at the time of writing) of Facebook’s one billion dollar acqui-sition of Instagram, the popular 18-month-old photo-sharing app that has 30 million users – but which doesn’t actually make any money. Yet.

With a cheque for one billion dollars on the table, it’s no wonder that Instagram’s two found-ers sold up, with Face-book now adding the tiny company to its roster of services.

No doubt the com-pany has a strategy in place to monetise as much as possible of the current 30-million-plus users, as well as to grow and develop revenue streams through bring-ing hundreds of millions

more users to the app’s charms.

With a Dr Evil-ish price tag of “One Beel-yunn Dollars!”, it has to.

Still, industry pundits have been busy chat-tering about the deal, with various amounts of head-scratching going on, given that, for many of Instagram’s users, you take your photo, and then post it to Facebook (or other sites) – and that’s it. A distinct termination of “the engagement proc-ess’”

Currently, anecdotal evidence suggests that users aren’t expecting to, or looking to, somehow “monetise” their Insta-gram usage through, say, seeing a cool pic taken by their friends/some-one, and then buying a poster of the picture. Or a keyring with it on it. Or a cup, a jigsaw, a t-shirt, and so on.

How then, is Facebook to create one billion dol-lar’s worth from some-thing that, before selling, made zero dollars in rev-enue, and had no adver-tising? (And that’s just to

start with – it has to make one billion dollars just to break even with the deal, let alone add to Face-book’s coffers.)

Let’s look at this from another point of view. Facebook has an inte-grated suite of methods, primarily based around advertising, designed to pick up on what you’re generally interested in, or which seems most likely to suit you as an individ-ual, and encourage you to follow the ad, click-through and, ideally, pur-chase something.

TrendThis kind of advertis-

ing, and tangible monetis-ing of product, is a natural fit for Facebook, which follows the user’s own data trail to suggest goods and services of interest to them – a similar trend for YouTube, also a young company with enormous worth, which also tracks, and then suggests, similar targeted advertising.

However, Instagram presents a more challeng-ing landscape to strip-mine for value, whether

in the short-term or long-term.

For example, users’ pics may be helpfully filed with one or several identifying tags, such as ‘london’, ‘red’, ‘bus’, ‘routemaster’ and so on – which could suggest to Facebook (now) that, say, the user is a London-er, interested in public transport – in which case are they (say) aware of a special and unique Face-book/Instagram-only travel card deal offering 10% off public travel, Monday to Thursday?

A rejigged Instagram /Facebook delivery sys-tem – or “advert”, in other words – could thus be triggered, generating rel-evant charges and data for both Facebook/Insta-gram and London Trans-port, in this example.

However, on the other hand, many millions of Instagram users don’t tag their pics with anything – they simply take, or later edit, a photo and either post it online somewhere (again, not necessarily through the Facebook platform), or simply

download to their own hardware, cutting out the middleman – now Face-book – altogether.

Although such eco-nomic theories and prac-tises are sound, it still seems like an awfully high price to have paid for something with, cur-rently, no fiscal worth, in the present day.

Still, while Instagram currently – and one would expect this to change very sharpish – generates no revenue, Facebook has something in abundance that does. It’s called “You”.

With hundreds of mil-lions of its users to draw upon, and no doubt major plans under way to integrate Facebook and Instagram together in mutually beneficial ways, you, the Instagram user (whether current or future) can be relied upon to start generating payback for the $1 bil-lion deal in the very near future.

Perhaps Instagram’s future under Facebook looks like a pretty pic-ture, after all ...

Although there are several photography apps available, Instagram has worked its way to the forefront as a genre leader, with users sharing

photos that can be simple point-and-shoot shots, or have one of a large number of filters applied. For instance, this Pacman Ghost figure (made

of Post-it notes - the author’s own creation) has had basic shots (far left) presented in alternative, filtered form (subsequent shots); all of this

image-sharing interest among the app’s current 30 million users led Facebook to acquire the tiny company for one billion dollars.

Even more value Forza moneyFORZA Motorsport 4, , the terrific Xbox 360 racing game that’s left plenty of competitors in its wake, has been enjoying a number of great DLC (downloadable content) packs recently, adding to the already hefty oomph under than particular fran-chise’s bonnet.

Even though I’m someone who, more or less, thinks “car” and doesn’t get much further than a mental picture of Del Boy’s banana-yellow Reliant Regal, I’ve been pretty impressed by Forza’s ever-grow-ing stable of top-notch motors, which have added greatly to the already huge amount of content available on the premium racer for the 360.

For instance, take the 2013 SRT Viper, above – now you can, just one of a number of cutting-edge cars available to test drive, courtesy of a DLC pack. With such packs proving a pretty reliable cash cow for developers, and considering that these packs of stunning vehicles to race (and race badly, in my case) are as close as you’ll get to the real thing, these seem like a great way to park your Xbox points in the 360’s Marketplace.

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FINGALCOUNTY COUNCIL

Permission is sought for the retention of an single storey exten-sion to the side existing dwelling and shed at 139 Edgewood Lawns, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 by Joe & Anne Magu-ire. The Planning Appli-cation may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the Plan-ning Authority during the public opening hours of 9.30 - 15.30 Monday - Friday at Fingal County Council, Grove Road, Blanchardstown, Fingal, Dublin 15. A submission or observation in rela-tion to the Application may be made in writing to the Planning Author-ity on payment of a fee of €20, within the period of 5 weeks, beginning on the date of receipt by Fingal County Coun-cil of the Application.

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Applications are invited from suitably qualified contractors as listed above who wish to be considered for inclusion on the approved tender list - (Building Contractor). Applicants should forward by post their Com-pany CV with full particulars, please see below their Name & Address, Company Informa-tion and References to “Ann Blackwell, Ann Blackwell Associates, 95 Sandymount Road, Sandymount, Dublin 4.” (Tel: 01-667 3639). The closing date for receipt of completed applications is12 noon on 04/05/2012 It will be a condition of the award of the contract that the tenders are able to promptly produce. (include copies in CV). 1. Current Tax Clearance 2. Insurances 3. Evidence of Membership of the CIF 4. Knowledge of Health & Safety 5. Availability to work during the summer period.

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ULTRA-marathon man extraordinaire Gerry Duffy has signed up for the ARC Men’s mini-marathon 10km on the May Bank Holi-day, Monday, May 7, in Dublin’s Phoenix Park at 10am.

An incredible story, Duffy was 50lbs over-weight when he started running in 1995 and has gone on to take up the triathlon and complete

three Ironmans (3.8km swim, 180k cycle, 42km run).

In 2010, with his friend Ken Whitelaw, Duffy set himself the challenge of running 32 marathons in 32 con-secutive days – a feat described in his book, Who Dares Runs.

He followed up last June by winning the UK Deca-Enduroman after completing ten Iron-man distance (25.5km swim, 102km triathlons)

in ten days – he swam 38km, cycled 1,800km and ran 420km. His total t ime was 160 hours, 10 minutes and 37 seconds and he fin-ished 19 hours ahead of the runner-up.

Duffy is appealing to runners of all standards to join him, not only in helping raise much-needed funds for ARC Cancer Support, but in encouraging men to look after their health by keeping fit and hav-

ARC MEN’S MARATHON: TRIATHLON RECORD BREAKER SIGNS UP FOR PHOENIX PARK

Ultra-runner Gerry Duffy is preparing for the mini-marathon on the May Bank Holiday in support of ARC

Ultra-runner Duffy supports mini marathon

ing regular check-ups. ARC House is locat-

ed in Eccles Street, Dublin – opposite the Mater Hospital – and its counselling and sup-port services are on offer free of charge to

men and women living with cancer, as well as to their families, friends and carers.

T he cha r i t y was recently named as the Bay and Paypal Char-ity of the Year and also

support the Flora wom-en’s mini marathon on Monday, June 4.

To register online, go to www.arcchallenges.com. Chip timing and prizes for the first three men and women are all

on offer while walkers are welcome, too.

Entr y fee i s €22 online or €30 on day. Contact Mairead on 01 8307333 or [email protected] for more information.

GazetteSPORTKING OF EGYPT KING OF EGYPT James McGee hails James McGee hails defining moment in defining moment in his tennis career: his tennis career: Page 29Page 29


GazetteSportSport

Great Ireland

Phoenix Park hosts 11,000 great athletesL

AST Sunday,11,000 athletes of all abilities from all over the world converged on Phoenix Park for the

2012 SPAR Great Ireland Run. On a great day for running, Ethiopi-an Kenenisa Bekele was the first home in the men’s race, recording a course record of 27.49 for the 10 kilometres, with Olympic marathon qualifier Mark Kenneally (Clonliffe Harriers AC) winning the national title in a time of 29:23, while Britain’s Gemma Steel was first placed woman in a race that saw DSD’s Linda Byrne as the first Irish lady home in sixth place. There was also a well-attended chil-dren’s and junior’s event on a day that was a celebration of athletics.

Ed McGinley, from Annadale Striders, and Thomas Fitzpatrick, Tallaght AC, in action

Daniel Branigan in action during the SPAR Junior &

Mini Great Ireland Run 2012

Joy Warner, from Bray, Co Wicklow, and Sarah Lamb, from Dublin

Former Ireland and Leinster rugby star, Shane Byrne,

with wife, Caroline, and twins Kerry and Alex, age 9

Linda Byrne, Dundrum South Dublin

Former Dublin footballer, John O’Leary, and Leinster star, Eoin O’Malley, lend their support to Emilian Kiba and Edelle Monahan from the

Jack & Jill Foundation. Pictures: Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE


in association with

WHEN James McGee looks back on his pro-fessional career, one pic-ture will tell a thousand words.

The Castleknock man produced a truly inspired weekend’s work in Cairo to help Ireland maintain their place in Group II of the Davis Cup, complet-ing the job in the fifth set of the final rubber of the tie with what he told GazetteSport was “the best shot” of his life — a diving volley that slipped over the net.

The rest of the Irish team duly broke from the stands of the Gezira stadium to mob McGee, leading to a pile-on and a rendition of “Ole, Ole, Ole”.

Once done, though, McGee remained on the Cairo clay, draped in the Irish flag, exhausted but soaking in a seminal moment in his career.

“I was actually on the ground praying. I had blessed myself before that match point. I was obvi-ously nervous – everyone was. At that point, I was just thinking: ‘Oh my God,

I am bloody wrecked!’“You always have it in

your head. You’re playing for yourself but also for bigger things. It wouldn’t be something I’d do in every match but the occa-sion was there. It was such a big moment, not just in my match, but in my career. It seemed natural almost to bless myself.”

Closing out the epic win was not just the end of an amazing weekend but a two-month run of

hardcore grind on the not-so-glamorous ITF Futures tour.

Since representing Ire-land in February against Hungary, McGee has spent just one night in his

own bedroom, taking in tournaments in Morocco, Turkey, Spain and Bah-rain.

Finding form took time. “It was only the last tournament in Bahrain, I ended up not drop-ping a set all week and it was a great confidence booster and I went on to play three unbelievable matches to win it.”

The Castleknock man had to take on a bigger responsibility as Irish

number one, Conor Niland, fell victim to a hip injury, losing his rubber before pulling out of the second singles ties.

McGee defeated Karim Maamoun before work-ing well with Sam Barry in the doubles to put Ire-land in pole position.

Barry looked well set to close out the match but a five-set Egyptian surge meant, late in the day, McGee was forced back to the court.

He played controlled tennis to generate a big advantage before the ref-eree deemed the light too dull to continue against Sehrif Sabry. It broke his momentum.

“I left the court two sets to one up and was disappointed we had to leave the court because I had all the momentum. My opponent was clearly tired and all I hear is the ref saying we had to stop due to bad light.

“Everyone was pat-ting me on the back at the hotel but, in the back of my head, I was disap-pointed. I was fairly nerv-ous I didn’t get a great night’s sleep because you’re still in the match.

“The next day, I had a good warm-up but Sabryt came out playing incred-ible tennis. I don’t think he actually missed a ball in that fourth set.”

It once again left the game on a knife-edge, with the partisan Cairo crowd baying for blood, filing the stadium with

Blessed moment for king of EgyptJames McGee capped a draining two months with a beautiful crowning moment to rescue Ireland in the Davis Cup, writes STEPHEN FINDLATER

James McGee takes a moment to savour the moment on the Cairo clay

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‘You’re playing for bigger things; a big moment, not just in my match but in my career.’-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FastSport

CATRIONA Jennings became not only the fourth Irish athlete to achieve the ‘A’ stand-ard women’s marathon qualification time for the London Olympic games but also the fourth with a connection to the greater Dun-drum area.

The Rathfarnham athlete ran 2:36.14 in the Rotterdam Marathon, almost 45 seconds inside the ‘A’ standard.

As such, she leaves Athletics Ireland with a tough decision over who to take to the Games, which get underway in late July.

She joins DSDAC duo Linda Byrne (2:36:23) and Ava Huthinson (2.35:33) and former DSD runner, Maria McCambridge, (2:36:37) in achieving the Olympic standard.

Byrne also became the Irish 10km cham-pion by finishing sixth in the Great Ireland run at the Phoenix Park but now has the third quickest of the four qualifying times, which she set first back in October in Dub-lin.

Hutchinson is the quickest with her 2:35.33 in Houston in January, while Linda Byrne ran 2:36:23 and only last month Maria McCambridge ran 2:36:37 in Rome.

They all now face a nervous wait for Ath-letics Ireland to decide which way the axe falls with May 13 the cut-off date for qualify-ing times with the three marathon entrants to be named a day later.

In their selection document, the governing body states that where more than three ath-letes attain the A-standard in the one event, selection will be based firstly on quality and consistency of performances in 2011 and 2012; secondly, on statistical data (ranking/performance lists, etc); and thirdly, on his-tory of performances at previous champion-ships.

Jennings won the women’s mini marathon last June and then recorded a 2:43:08 in her marathon debut in Dublin last October.

“I knew that if I did the proper work that I could make it,” she said. “I put in eight weeks of very solid training and I was very hopeful coming here.”

Marathon conundrum as Jennings qualifies

incessant whistles and screams.

He bounced back in style, breaking serve early in the set to lead and was poised for victory.

“I had a smash right on top of the net to finish it. I just aimed too close to the line, missed it by an inch. Two of the Irish guys on the team are already run-ning on the court to cel-ebrate and the mark was literally just an inch wide on the clay; I just looked at them and said ‘I missed it’.”

Sabry fought back, got a break and the game was back on a knife-edge, on serve at 5-4.

But McGee defied his nerves to win another couple of match points, the last of which he took a moment to bless himself.

A McGee drop-shot looked to be too deep, offering the whole court to hit into. But the Dub-liner predicted the line of flight perfectly.

“I just leaped from one side of the court to the other and, at full stretch, the ball just tipped onto my racquet and went over the net.”

The delicate nature of the touch was directly contrasted by the rau-cous celebrations, mark-ing a beautiful end to two months of effort.

“It was a huge adrena-line rush. Because I’ve been on the road so long, I’m not going to lift a rac-quet for ten days and just live a normal life!”

GazetteSportSport


FastSport


CASTLEKNOCK Celtic’s Under-13As entertained Celbridge Town in Porter-stown in the fourth round of the DDSL Top Flight Cup last weekend.

Playing into a strong wind, the home side went at the visitors from the off, and got their reward with a well-taken goal from Max Trigub.

Celtic held the upper hand and went in at half-time 1-0 up. The second half was more of the same, with Celtic scor-ing two very early goals, courtesy of Ruari Patton, which puts them into the quarter-final of the Top

Flight Cup.In the NDSL Under-10s

league, Celtic welcomed Rivervalley Rangers to Porterstown. The home side took an early lead when Mark Hughes’s fine corner was toe-poked home by Leigh Reilly. However, Rivervalley raised their game and started to dominate.

Sean McClean was repeatedly called into action. Midway through the half, Rivervalley scored a deserved, though fortunate, equaliser which left the sides level at half-time.

Celtic turned on the style in the second half. After the break, Alex San

Emeterio, was well served by Leigh Reilly and Mark Hughes. San Emeterio got the breakthrough sec-ond goal with a good fin-ish from the left and, from then on, it was all Castle-knock.

Reilly scored his second shortly after following a great run by San Emete-rio who unselfishly played the ball to the unmarked Reilly who coolly finished from yards out.

Castleknock continued to dominate, with Kane in good form. Although there was always a threat from the hard-working Rivervalley team but, thankfully, Rogers, Turner and the impressive Dylan

McDonagh, who had been out for a month with a serious eye injury, were in good form and their strong interventions were inspirational to their teammates.

A clever ball was played in by Reilly to release San Emeterio but the Rivervalley defender got his head. However, San Emeterio kept running and from the left hand side burst through to hit a venomous shot into the right-hand corner.

Castleknock Celtic’s DDSL Under-16As com-fortably saw off the league challenge from Cam-bridge Boys on a dull and chilly Ringsend morning.

In a competitive first half, Castleknock struck the front when Tony O’Leary pounced on a loose ball in the Cam-bridge penalty area and found the top corner 1-0. The lead didn’t last long as Cambridge came straight back and levelled within minutes.

As the half wore on, Castleknock enjoyed a period of dominance that was made to count when, firstly, Luke Lynch superbly volleyed to the Cambridge net from just outside the box.

Tony O’Leary latched onto a through ball, rounded the keeper and slotted home.

Celtic Under-13As in Top Flight

SOCCER: MORE UNDERAGE SUCCESS IN CUP COMPETITIONS

Castleknock Celtic’s Under-11Cs who are challenging for runners-up spot in the Dublin District Schoolboys League

Promotion procession

continues for Brendan’sST BRENDAN’S Phoenix Park ladies’ first eleven gained promotion to Division 6 for 2012/13 sea-son when they snagged their fifth promotion in seven years.

Coached by Tony Lowe, and captained by Emma Morley, they continued the excellent run of form they have been in since Lowe and Martin Keane revamped the coaching set-up.

The team won Division 11 on the last day of the season in a nail biting winner-takes-all fixture against neighbours, Botanic.

From there, they rose though the divisions to Division Seven by 2009/10. An initial attempt at Division 7 saw the team ending the season in sixth place, but the addition of new players, Deirdre Murphy, Philippa Leahy and Maeve Farrell to the squad for 2011/12 aided the side in pushing for the title from the off, and they vied with UCD III for the top spot to the very end.

This team has benefited from having a core group of players who originally learnt their skills in St Dominic’s College, and who tasted success there in their early hockey-playing years.

Four current team members — Carol Nolan, Claire Martin, Catherine Murphy and Captain Emma Morley — were with the team when the Division 11 title was won, and have since been joined by other St Dominic’s alumni.

Midfield has remained a key area of dominance for this team, with consistent performances from Sharon Finn and Alva Molloy throughout, both of whom have won their team-members’ vote for player of the season on separate occasions. Iso-lde Veld joined the team in recent years, and has added power up front as the team’s first-choice centre forward.

The Fitzsimons sisters, Caroline and Mairead, have injected an element of pace on the left side, balanced on the right by Emer Brogan’s skills, which the Plunkett’s player adapts with ease from camogie to hockey.

The team’s defensive record has also been impressive over the seasons, reinforced by goal-keeping stalwart Yvonne McEneff and backed up this season by substitute keeper Emma Jane Mor-rissey, who has doubled up and stepped out from the sticks to play outfield.

The squad is looking forward to the challenges that Division 6 will bring and welcomes new play-ers to assist in this task.

Catherine Murphy can be contacted on 086 377 6507 for further information on how to join the team for the coming challenge.

Tourist season 2: Coolmine travel to HuddersfieldCOOLMINE Under-21 squad and repre-sentatives of the senior team embarked on a tour to Huddersfield over the Easter holiday weekend.

From their early start, the group took in a Huddersfield Giants’ rugby league tie before their friendly match against Huddersfield YMCA, and were thrilled to welcome Lions’ 1997 legend John Bentley, who made an appearance and chatted with everyone present after he watched his son line out for YMCA.

R1

in association with

. CLUB NOTICEBOARD


OUR clubhouse appeal is continuing

to grow. If you would like to make a

donation, please contact a member

of the Executive Committee. For more

information on the clubhouse appeal,

log on to castleknock.net/fundrais-

ing or call Pearse 086 247 8961.

Championship football action this

weekend, best of luck to our three

adult teams. All club fixtures can be

found on the website the week before

the game.

Good results for the Adult hurlers

as the first and third team had league

wins. The second team were narrow-

ly beaten in a smashing game against

St Brigid’s on Thursday evening.

We wish Ciaran and the U-21 Dubs

the best of luck in the All-Ireland

semi-final against Cork on Satur-

day.

CHFC is offering a cardiac screen-

ing service to males and females,

aged from 14 to 35, at a cost of €45

per person. If you are interested,

contact the secretary@castleknock.

net or text 086 102 296.

Please keep sending in your match

reports and photos. All entries are

entered into a draw to win prizes

each month.

Signs surrounding the main pitch

in Somerton are now on sale; for

more information on how to get your

sign seen, contact Charlie on 085 110

1008.

All club fixtures can be found on the

website the week before the game.

Club lotto now stands at €3,200,

with the next draw in The Carpenter

on April 19.

2012 Registrations are now due.

Form can be downloaded from web-

site.

To subscribe to our e-Newsletters

and text alerts, send email address

or number to [email protected]

or 0877532030.

CASTLEKNOCK

ST OLIVER PLUNKETT’S

BEST of luck to our intermediate,

Junior B and Junior C footballers, all

of whom begin their championship

campaigns this Sunday.

Gaelic4Mothers and Others contin-

ues this Friday from 6.30 to 7.30pm.

Training sessions are held every Fri-

day with a biltz on Sunday, June 10.

Cost is €30 per person. Fantastic fun

and craic guaranteed!

Congratulations to Denis O’Donovan

and Lindsey Haley on their wedding.

The club Golf Society’s next outing

is to Hermitage this Friday, April 20.

Tee times: 1 to 2.30pm. Contact John

O’Donovan (087-680 2743) for further

details.

Thanks to all who supported our

Junior C footballers fundraising

table quiz last Friday.

Membership Fees for 2012 are now

overdue. Any player who does not

pay their membership is not be eli-

gible to play for the club and is not

be covered under the GAA Injury

Scheme.

All player injuries to be notified to

[email protected] within

seven days.

Need a physio? The club recom-

mends the services of Roy Brennan

(087 781 1540).

Lotto: Numbers drawn were 5, 7,

9 and 10. There was no winner. Next

week’s jackpot: €2850. €150 winner

was Brendan Carr. A Direct Debit for

the club Lotto of €5 per week can be

set up to play three lines.

THANKS to all those who helped run

the very successful Easter camps

last week.

Great league wins for our sen-

ior hurlers v Jude’s and our junior

hurlers v Castleknock. The inter

hurlers’ game was postponed.

Huge week of adult football ahead,

with four of our six teams opening

their championship campaigns.

Fixtures on website.

Club snooker tournament on our

new full-sized table starts April 28.

Details on website.

The membership deadline for

players has now passed. Players

who haven’t paid their membership

will not be allowed train / play until

membership is paid.

The annual club golf classic takes

place in Royal Tara on May 25. Team

entry is €400, while tee boxes and

greens can be sponsored for €200

or €100. For more information, con-

tact Phil on 086 773 3693.

New players are always welcome,

please contact our club coach,

Paul, on 087 915 4748 or email info@

stbrigidsgaa.com.

Brigid’s-produced coaching DVD

also now available from Paul.

Club lotto is stil l €15,000 and

takes place in the Roselawn Inn this

Thursday.

Best of luck to Philip Ryan, Daire

Plunkett, Alan Nolan and Dublin this

Saturday in the U-21 semi final and

NHL 1 play-off.

ST BRIGID’S

AHL 8St Brigid’s 2-12

Castleknock 0-14

� [email protected] ST BRIGID’S claimed their third consecutive league win with victory over rivals, Castleknock, in this enter taining AHL8 clash in Porters-town Park.

The hosts started the brighter, winning the early exchanges and were four points up inside the 20-minute mark.

Bu t po in t s f rom Ciaran O’Reilly and Neil Plunkett steadied the Brigid’s ship, though scoring opportunities from play were limited, with both defences on top.

W i t h f r e e t a ke r John Carey on song, the Somer ton men punished the Brigid’s defence to finish the first half strongly, and led by six points at the break.

A revitalised Brigid’s

team took to the field for the second half, with Alan Thyne and Eoin Mulvihill setting the tone in the midfield area.

A long ball driven in by Rory Dunne was picked up by James Campbell, who fed Alan Thyne for the first score of the second half to kickstart Brigid’s come-back. Shortly af ter, Neill Plunkett and John Cussen scored points to close the gap to three.

Castleknock added a score to extend their lead again but John Cus-sen’s energy and pace was causing problems for the Castleknock defence, and when he was hauled down, the referee was given no choice but to award a penalty midway through the second half.

N e i l l P l u n ke t t ’ s attempt was saved, but he made no mistake with the resulting 65 and pulled Brigid’s back to within three again.

Suddenly it was all one-way traffic, and a fantastic run from Fer-gal Counihan split the Castleknock defence. He laid it off to talis-man Neill Plunkett who made no mistake from 14 yards to level the game.

Brigid’s were domi-nant, and with Ciaran O’Reilly and Mossy Sweeney winning great ball around the middle, Plunkett again added a score to put Brigid’s in front.

Both sides exchanged scores as the game entered the final ten minutes to set up a grandstand finish.

Castleknock broke the Brigid’s resistance with two quick scores to retake the lead with five minutes left on the clock.

And, just when it looked like that might have been enough, Thyne raced through t h e C a s t l e k n o c k defence and fired home,

sending the Brigid’s line into raptures.

Castleknock pressed hard for a goal in the final minutes and it took an immense block from Damien Fitzsimons to keep Castleknock at bay.

The Brigid’s defence stood tall, aided by the gallant defending of Mark Hanley and David Grogan.

As the game entered injury time, Plunkett put the icing on the cake and fired over the security score to ensure that Brigid’s would come away with all two points.

Both sides can now look forward to their opening championship fixtures, which have been fixed for Sunday, April 29.

In AHL 1, St Brigid’s senior hurlers gained their first league points of the 2012 season with a vital two-point win over St Jude’s in Tymon Park.

HURLING: RIVALS PLAY EPIC AT PORTERSTOWN

Elsewhere, St Brigid’s minor hurlers were in action against Thomas Davis. Picture: Chris Lynam

Hurling derby goes to down to the wire

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Ga

zetteSPORTALL OF YOUR CASTLEKNOCK SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 27-31 APRIL 19, 2012

DYNAMIC DERBY: St Brigid’s prevail

in AHL encounter with Castleknock P31

PHAROAH-NUFF:McGee’s run leads to Egyptian glory P29


FINGAL boss Willie Bourke was left feeling “flat and stale” despite his side being awarded the Alli-anz NHL Division 3A title last Saturday evening in Lawless Park.

The north Dublin region was given the trophy after Monaghan withdrew from the scheduled final in the wake of manager Mattie Lennon’s resigna-tion.

He stood aside following a row with the county board over a clash between football games and his side’s training times.

His players duly followed suit on a point of prin-ciple, leaving Monaghan to forfeit last Saturday’s final date, which was set to be the curtain-raiser for Dublin’s national league relegation battle with Galway in O’Connor Park.

Fingal were awarded the title – adding to the Kehoe Shield also won in 2012 – but Bourke said the success is underwhelming when compared to the positives which could have been accrued, even if they had been defeated.

“Long-term, it could have a hugely adverse effect on the Fingal project,” he told GazetteSport.

“The lads are devastated. It has such an effect on them; they were building up to a league final. The goal at the start of the season was to try and win the Kehoe Shield and the league; we’d won the first and were in the final of the league and had the chance to play before the Dublin-Galway game with probably the biggest crowd the lads have ever been in front of. It was all just taken away from them.

“You had the like of the Friends of Dublin Hurl-ing and a number of the clubs organising buses to go down early who would have gone to the match. The kids going down, we could have promoted the whole Fingal idea and, down the line, there might have been an U-21 or minor team these kids could have aimed for.

“This would have been an ideal opportunity to promote it. Looking at sponsors, the DAA came on board this year and that would be a nice pay-back for them, a league final down in Tullamore. They don’t get the benefit out of it either.”

He had sympathy for Monaghan’s stance but was concerned with potential damage to the Fin-gal project, especially as their season has already been trimmed as they are no longer involved in the Nicky Rackard championship.

“We’re victims of the by-product of it. The lads have put serious commitment in, trained at all hours of the day and the morning and have really progressed, but now we don’t get the final push.

“At the start of the year, the lads were concerned there was no championship to play for. Realisti-cally, it’s a fixture problem within Dublin, and the county board had a call to make otherwise the club championships would be held up.

“But we said if we were to be successful this year, it could put pressure on for next year [to get back into the Nicky Rackard].

“We knew what we were going in for at the start of the year but we didn’t expect to be finishing this year, flat and stale.

“I think it’s a great project. There’s still a bit of tweaking to be done with it to get the utmost out of it, but it has great potential.”

Fingal take title Fingal take title without a finalwithout a finalMonaghan action hands Division 3A league to Fingal but manager Bourke frustrated by unplayed decider

Fingal were awarded the NHL Division 3A title but missed out on a big day out due to Mattie Lennon and Monaghan’s row with their county board

Castleknock

Documents

compensation claims

st francis xavier ns

st brigids

class pupils

skills challenge morning

phoenix park

special skills challenge

local clubs