Dundrum

Super Cooper: Offering some support and advice for studentsIN HIS ROLE as Youth Ambassador for AIB, GAA football legend Colm “Gooch” Cooper offered his top tips for students involved in the AIB Build a Bank Challenge when he visited Oat-lands College Secondary School.

Colm held a coaching session with the students and afterwards offered

his support and advice for students involved in AIB’s Build A Bank Chal-lenge. Michael Shaw, captain of Build a Bank Team, thanked Colm by pre-senting him with a jersey.

Pictures: Geraldine Woods

See Gallery on Page 8

� BAIRBRE NI BHRAONAIN

THE refusal of certain vol-untary housing associations to deal with residents’ com-plaints, and their snubbing of councillors as the representa-tives of those residents, has outraged council members.

Concerns over such asso-ciations in the county were raised at this month’s meet-ing of Dun Laoghaire County Council.

Councillor Lettie McCa-rthy (Lab) was concerned by “these bodies’ lack of efficien-cy and care” in her own ward

of Glencullen-Sandyford.Councillors agreed that

the attitude and methods employed by certain agencies have been very inadequate, and in some cases “arrogant”, according to Councillor Rich-ard Humphreys (Lab).

The Director of Housing for Dun Laoughaire-Rathdown, Charles McNamara said that he had been unaware of the problems mentioned and that he would contact the CEOs of the housing bodies to organise a meeting with the council.

Full Story on Page 4

YOUR COMMUNITY • YOUR PAPER March 22, 2012

ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES ................. 2, 8

PETS ..............................16

MOTORS ........................17

BUSINESS .....................18

ENTERTAINMENT ......... 24

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

RECYCLE THIS COPY. KEEP DUBLIN TIDY.

INSIDE: Find fresh, new styles at Spring

Design Fair P6

FREE GAZETTEGAZETTEDundrum

GAZETTE COMPASS: Choose your ideal travel destination Pages 19-22

MMaar

Hockey: Ireland miss out on Olympic place by two secondsPage 28

Football: Local stars shine but Dublin denied victoryPage 31

Council to meet housing bodies on concerns

2 DUNDRUM GAZETTE 22 March 2012

THEATRE Peter Schaffer’s unique and powerful Equus

George Rafferty, Joe Cassidy, Richie O’Reilly and Brendan Lynch. Pictures: Geraldine Woods

Play inspired by a true storyI NSPIRED by a true story, Peter Shaffer’s unique psy-

cological thriller, Equus, explores the complex rela-tionships between worship, myth and sexuality. Fol-

lowing in the footsteps of the immense success enjoyed by the play’s West End revival in 2007, Shaffer’s powerful, absorbing drama is touring the Ireland this spring, with a vibrant new ensemble breathing fresh life into this theat-

rical masterpiece.Amongst those attending the performance in the Mill

Theatre were composer Bill Whelan, Cllr Jim O’Dea, Cllr Richard Humphries and Cllr Lettie McCarthy.

There was a post-show talk on the opening night with London Classic Theatre artistic director, Michael Cabot, and the cast of Equus.

Cllr Lettie McCarthy and Sue Cook

Des Keogh and Aisling Sullivan

Bill Whelan and Gerry Lynch

Ingrid Blake and Cllr Richard

Humphreys Laura and Elizabeth Montgomery Beaumont

Arthritis talkHEALTH: FREE Q&A

A FREE public talk on arthritis will be given by Professor David Kane, consultant rheumatolo-gist from the Beacon Centre for Orthopaedics this week.

The talk has been organised by the South Dublin Branch of the Committee of Arthritis Ireland.

It will take place at the Stillorgan Park Hotel, Stil-lorgan Road, on Wednes-day, March 28, at 8 pm.

All are welcome to attend and admission is free. Questions from the floor are encouraged after the talk has been delivered by Prof. Kane. For infor-mation call Paddy Burns on 01 2831504.

22 March 2012 DUNDRUM GAZETTE 3

Speech and Drama Feis to be heldTHE 2012 Speech and Drama Feis will be held in the Stillorgan Park Hotel on Saturday, March 24, and Sunday, March 25.

This is the associa-tion’s 30th anniversary, and, to celebrate, there will be a special Com-posing your own Poem competition included as part of the event.

Concert

There will be a prize-winner’s concert in all categories.

The competi t ions include poetry, drama, sight-reading, improvisa-tion, drama monologues and duologues.

The weekend-long event will begin at 9am and continue until 6pm each day on March 24 and 25.

Those interested in fur-ther details of the event can contact (087) 933 3804 or email: [email protected]

ANNIVERSARY

A Daffodil Day dinner danceTHIS Daffodil Day you can support the Irish Cancer Society at a din-ner dance in Lansdowne Rugby Club.

Guests can enjoy a great night out with family, friends and col-leagues while helping the Irish Cancer Society to reach their target of €5,000.

The event is been organised by Geraldine O’Connor and Mark Kenna, who was recently diagnosed with cancer.

Ireland’s cancer rate is one of the highest in the world. One-in-three of us will be diagnosed with cancer during our life time. It is estimated that, by 2020, 43,000 new cases will be diagnosed.

According to lat-est findings from the National Cancer Reg-istry (NCRI), nearly 30,000 people were

diagnosed with cancer in Ireland in 2011.

These stark figures mean that there is an ever increasing demand for the direct patient care services provided by the Irish Cancer Soci-ety.

Early detection

Early detection and the research carried out by the Irish Cancer Soci-ety and the medical pro-fession have made great strides in both preven-tion and cure.

“Since the establish-ment of the Irish Cancer Society 25 years ago, we have seen an increased awareness among Irish people of all cancers and especially oesopha-geal cancer,” says Prof John Rey nolds , S t James’ Hospital and the head of the Barrett’s Oesophagus Register

project. “This is a difficult can-

cer to treat, but, as with all cancers, the earlier it is caught the easier it is to cure, and prevention and early diagnosis are our best strategies for the future.”

The Daffodil Day Din-ner Dance in aid of the Irish Cancer Society will be held in Lansdowne Rugby Club, Dublin 4 on Friday, March 23, at 8.30pm.

Music on the night will be by Mack Fleet-wood. The fun will go on until late with danc-ing, food, a monster raf-fle with fantastic prizes and special appearances by Irish rugby legends past and present.

Tickets cost €50 each, or you can purchase two for €90. To get tickets go online at www.qudos.ie/daffodilday

Say cheese! Local photographer helps create some Happy FacesOVER 100 Irish Professional Photographers are participating in the Nationwide IPPA Happy Faces 2012 National Portrait Fundraiser this March and April in aid of The Jack & Jill Children’s Founda-tion, in association with Canon Ireland.

This is the seventh year running that Foxrock-based photogra-pher, Lorcan Brereton Photography, is participating in the event and 100% of all proceeds raised this year go to supporting local Jack & Jill families. Lorcan’s event is on Saturday, March 31, 2012 and promises to be a great day for all. For more information, ring 01 2893520 or go to www.lorcanbrereton.com

CHARITY: SUPPORTING THE IRISH CANCER SOCIETY WHILE HAVING FUN


Concerns over local housing associations� BAIRBRE NI BHRAONAIN

CONCERNS over volun-tary housing associations were aired at a meeting of Dun Laoghaire Rath-down County Council last week.

The council was rati-fying the Disposal of Properties section on the council’s agenda to ratify several apartments at Belamarine Plaza and Rochedale under the affordable housing scheme.

However, Councillor Lettie McCarthy (Lab) raised concerns that resi-dents of her own ward of Glencullen-Sandyford had in this regard.

Cllr McCarthy said that, although the asso-ciations in charge of these housing units were termed “voluntary”, they were being paid to do a job that, according to Cllr McCarthy, they were not doing.

“Tenants have no real representation at council anymore, and it’s not sat-isfactory. This should be addressed before we dis-pose of any more units,” Cllr McCarthy said.

Councillor Neale Rich-mond said that the hous-ing associations didn’t have the resources and were not giving the serv-ices needed to the resi-dents under their care.

Councillor Richard Humphreys (Lab) agreed

COUNCIL Disposal of Properties section

Concerns over voluntary housing associations were

aired at a recent council meeting

with Cllr McCarthy, say-ing that there was a “loss of accountability” which can sometimes happen “when things are priva-tised,” he said.

He referred to one company as arrogant and ignorant as they had a policy of simply not talking to councillors. He claimed that this blanket ban on councillors denied residents their rights.

In a recent email to the company, Cllr Hum-phreys said: “I am afraid that your flawed position on not communicating with me as my constitu-ent’s representative, com-bined with (... confiden-tial matter...) gives me lit-tle confidence in the pro-

cedures being operated by [your company]. This is particularly of concern where my constituent is the beneficiary of social housing.”

Councillor Melisa Halpin (PBP) agreed that the transfer of power from the council to these associations was a form of privatisation. She said the voluntary hous-ing associations simply didn’t have the expertise to deal with the volume of complaints they were receiving.

Councillor Hugh Lewis (PBP) cited an example of this lack of know-how in the form of the National Association of Building Cooperatives’

(NABCO’s) policy on house transfers.

In the past he said the council would very easily transfer a family with little fuss. “Today, if someone in Loughlinstown wants to transfer to Ballybrack, the closest they can get through this association is a transfer to Tallaght, which is a totally differ-ent area,’ Cllr Lewis said.

He went on to say that the council seems to have signed these residents’ rights away by going with NABCO and other hous-ing associations.

Councillor Denis Cal-laghan (Lab) questioned the legitimacy of some of these housing bodies. He exhorted the council not to “wash our hands of tenants we advised for those housing units”.

It was agreed that the organisations under discussion should be brought into the council chamber to discuss what the council members and residents expect of them.

Cllr O’Callaghan went on to say that, “a real bug-bear of mine is why we can’t raise money to build houses on the land we own but voluntary bod-ies can borrow money to do so”, recognising it was an issue for other fora, he thought this catch 22 regarding the council’s inability to raise money to build on its land must be eradicated in the future.

New showroom to be opened in DundrumCOMPOSITEDOORS.IE are opening a new door, floor and window show-room in Dundrum on Thursday, March 22.

The opening will take place from 6 pm and the showroom will be officially launched by local Fine Gael TD, Peter Mathews.

Compositedoors.ie is a company which specialises in unique, warmer, safer doors made of a composite of many materials.

To celebrate the opening of the new showroom, there will be a reduced

price on offer for the solid Palladio composite door.

The new showroom will be located at No. 3, St Gall Gardens South, Dun-drum, Dublin 14.

The composite doors are environmen-tally canny, as they not only conserve heat, but also appear like real wood.

They are incredibly secure, too, and carry a 10-year guarantee and multi-point locking system.

If you would like to see the doors, just visit the showroom or go online at www.compositedoors.ie

RETAIL: DOORS, FLOORS AND WINDOWS



EVENT New season at Sandyford’s Beacon South Quarter

Find fresh, new styles at Spring Design FairSTEP into style with the Spring Design Fair at Beacon South Quarter in Sandyford this month, over the weekend of March 24 and 25.

Ireland’s leading furni-ture designers will show-case their wares. Also on display will be the designs of international stores, Kube Kitchens, Roche Bobois, from France, Danish collec-tion, BoConcept, Calli-gari’s Italian furnishings and the newly launched SOUL, a Scandinavian furnishing house.

All of these labels will be launching their newest collections some of which have been designed by Pininfarina, who designs for Ferrari.

Kube will host an Ital-

ian pastry-making dem-onstration over the week-end and there will be a host of free family enter-tainment on both days, including musical per-formances, craft beer and wine tastings and port and chocolate match-ing in O’Briens, food art for children, make-overs and cosmetics consulta-tions, vintage cars and an Audi display and chil-dren’s face-painting and nail art.

Imaginosity, Dublin’s Children’s Muesum, will hold a Design, Create & Decorate weekend, to help the little interior designers amongst us cre-ate their own miniature palaces. Booking is essen-tial for this, as places will be limited.

To celebrate the fair, retailers are also offering one-to-one consultations with leading architects and interior designers who will offer advice on home renovations.

The Design Fair is also offering you the chance to enter the Beacon Spring Competition to win a fantastic prize val-ued at €3,000. For more details you can go to their website at www.beacon-southquarter.ie.

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

‘Ireland’s leading furniture designers will showcase their wares’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Redemptorist Missions held

RETREAT: BALLINTEER

BALLINTEER church was the venue for the Redemptorist Missions last week.

Parishioners from Meadowbrook, Marlay Grange and Dundrum took part in the retreat which began on Sunday night, March 11, until Fri-day, March 16.

Themes

The themes covered included reconciliation,

healing, welcoming in the community and teen issues.

Masses were extreme-ly popular with a huge attendance, especially for the evening reflec-tion which took place at 7.30pm each night of the retreat.

Parishioners from the four parishes were delight-ed to experience the event and thank the Redemptor-ist Missions for their visit.

April fun at ImaginosityIMAGINOSITY, the Dublin Children’s Muse-um in Sandyford, has a new line up of events and workshops for April.

During the Easter holi-days, from April 2 to 13, there will be a Humpty Dumpty musical work-shop, planting work-shops, no-sew felt purse making, farmyard mosaic workshops, Farm Animal Frenzy art workshop, Three Little Pigs drama workshop and the Imagi-nosity Easter egg trail.

During this time, between April 2 and April 6, there will be Easter camps exploring role play with theatre director Liz Tyndall. These camps are tailored to children aged four to seven years.

Between April 10 and

13, an exploration camp of science and nature called The Science Play-ground will take place for children aged four to six years.

Then the Wild Week-end takes place between April 14 to 15, complete with a jungle puppet story and talks on bugs and beasts with ecologist Dale Treadwell. There will also be speakers from Dublin Zoo and Sealife Bray.

April rounds off at Imaginosity from April 16 to 22 with Puppet Week. The puppets will range from peg doll and finger ones to marionettes.

To find out more about what’s happening in April and to book your favourite workshops or events, go to www.imaginosity.ie

Model Sarah Morrissey gets in a stylish mood ahead

of the great Design Fair coming up at Beacon South

Quarter this month

ENTERPRISENEWS

“An Elevator Pitch is a concise, carefully planned and well-practised description of your business that your target market will understand and remember in the time that it would take to go up in an eleva-tor!”

An Elevator Pitch should be Brief, Re-adaptable, Impressive and Memorable. When you are happy that it is, you will BRIM with confidence every time you are asked to deliver it.

To help small businesses develop their own pitch, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Enter-prise Board are arranging a ½ day workshop, in their offices in Nutgrove Enterprise Park, on Tuesday, April 3rd 2012. The session will focus on providing those attending with the tools and tech-niques needed to convey a value-oriented, compel-ling and memorable message that will encourage your listener to take action. The workshop will be highly interactive, providing each participant with constructive feedback on their presentation style and impact. Everyone taking part will be given the opportunity to prepare and practise their skills on delivering their own Elevator Pitch with intensity. A 60 second video will be given to each participant following the workshop.

This is a morning workshop (9am – 1pm), and will be followed by a light lunch and networking opportunities. The cost for the session is €25 per head. Places are strictly limited, so apply early to ensure a place.

For further details, and to sign up, visit our web-site – www.dlrceb.ie .

Perfect your Elevator Pitch and Lift your Sales!



PROJECT Cooper offers support and advice for students

Getting involved with Build a Bank

Colm with the First Year Gaelic football team. Pictures: Geraldine Woods

Sean Allen

Michael Shaw, captain of Build a Bank Team, presents

Colm with a jersey

Lee Condon, who is taking a Log-on-

and-learn computer course with

Transition Year Students at Oatlands,

and her husband, Seamus Condon, with

Colm

Colm Cooper and Marcus Sweeney (AIB

Stillorgan Youth Co-ordinator) and the

Oatlands Build a Bank Team

I N his role as Youth Ambassador for AIB, Colm “Gooch” Cooper offered his top tips for students involved in the AIB Build a

Bank Challenge when he visited Oatlands Col-lege Secondary School.

Colm held a coaching session with the stu-dents and afterwards offered his support and advice for students involved in AIB’s Build A Bank Challenge.

Colm said: “ The AIB Build a Bank Chal-

lenge is a fun, rewarding and enjoyable project for students to take part in. I am amazed at the hard work, effort and creativ-ity that the students put into their banks and the very stiff rivalry it creates among the schools in each locality. My advice to the students is to be creative with their bank, make full use of new ways to market their bank through social media tools and, most importantly, have fun.”

Gerry Barr welcomes

Colm



St Vincent de Paul is looking for volunteersTHE Society of St Vincent de Paul is the oldest and largest, voluntary, charitable organisation in Ireland. The Society is a volunteer organisation that is always in need of volunteers. The work is chal-lenging but very rewarding.

The SVP is involved in a wide variety of works in support of those in need, which means there are many ways that the public can give their time to help the Society.

The kind of activities that people can become involved in will depend entirely upon their own personal interests.

Some activities the Society partici-

pates in are home visitation and hospital and prison visits. The Society also has 34 Vincent’s shops spread throughout Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare.

Volunteers generally give a couple of hours a week to their work, so volun-teers can give as little or as much time as they want.

In the Society of St Vincent de Paul, too few people are trying to do too much. The society needs the public’s help to help people in need.

Anyone interested in volunteering some spare time to help can contact Claire Banks at (01) 8198414.

EVENT Great opportunity to plan for your big day

The Ardboyne Hotel is hosting a Spring Wedding Fair

A wedding fair at the stylish Ardboyne HotelTHE Ardboyne Hotel is hosting its Spring Wed-ding Fair on Sunday, March 25, from 2pm – 5pm. The event, that takes place throughout the hotel, promises to be one of the top wed-ding fairs of 2012, with an opportunity to speak with a variety of wedding suppliers from the local area.

The Ardboyne Hotel management team will also be on hand to show you around this most attractive venue, giving guests information on the hotel’s special wedding offers that are currently available.

On the day, the beauti-ful Boyne Suite will be set up with a host of exhibi-tors from the local area that can provide guests with their services and help in all things that are important for the perfect wedding day.

There will be entertain-ment – from Irish dancers to a stunning bridal fash-ion show by McElhinneys of Athboy.

The Ardboyne Hotel is traditionally known as a premier destination for weddings, and is synony-mous with weddings of the highest quality.

The hotel’s relaxed atmosphere in the open

plan lobby, to the luxu-rious ballroom, The Boyne Suite, with its crystal chandeliers and windows overlooking their beautifully land-scaped gardens, there is no question as to where guests will want to cel-ebrate saying “I do”.

The Ardboyne Hotel is registered for civil wed-ding ceremonies and the Tara Suite will be set up in the day as it would be for a wedding ceremony. The room is a perfect setting for an intimate, relaxed wedding ceremony with family and friends.

Enchanting

The hotel’s enchant-ing gardens create an astounding backdrop for all wedding photos. With 29 well-appointed bedrooms available, as well as a beautiful bridal suite, guests can avail of a reduced rate on a wed-ding night.

There are a host of packages available, with the Three Ring Package proving extremely popu-lar. The Bronze Ring Package costs €3,295, with the Silver Ring Package costing €3,595 and the Gold Ring Pack-age priced at €3,895, all based on 100 guests attending.

All packages include red carpet on arrival, champagne reception for the bridal party, compli-mentary tea/coffee and homemade biscuits on arrival, five-course din-ner, two glasses of house wine served with the meal, evening buffet, bar extension, floral centre-pieces for all tables, chair covers and gold bows, bridal suite and two bed-rooms for parents, free parking and anniversary dinner.

This year, for the hotel’s Spring Wedding Fair, guests can avail of a spe-cial offer, with an oppor-tunity to enjoy €200 off their wedding day or a complimentary day-after wedding party for those who book between now and May 31 for a wedding in 2012.

Bookings

The hotel is also tak-ing bookings for Christ-mas weddings and have limited dates available between Christmas and New Year.

For those unable to attend the wedding fair and are interested in the hotel’s special offers, con-tact the wedding co-ordi-nator, Michelle, on 046-9023119 or [email protected].

SEE PETSPAGE 16

�

Pet care:

Natural

remedies for

keeping pets

healthy

22 March 2012 GAZETTE 11

GazetteContacts

Block 3AMill Bank Business Park

Lucan Tel: 01 6010240 Fax: 01 6010251

Managing Director: Michael McGovernemail: [email protected]

Editor: Cormac Curtisemail: [email protected]

News Editor: Dawn Loveemail: [email protected]

Production Editor: Jessica Maileemail: [email protected] Editor: Rob Heigh

email: [email protected]

Financial Controller: Carly Lynchemail: [email protected]

Advertising Production: Anita Wardemail: [email protected]

Advertising Sales: 01 6010240email: [email protected]

Gazette Group Newspapers Ltd.

Terms and Conditions for acceptance of advertisements

Reserve the right to omit or suspend or alter any advertisement(s) in any of

its publications. We also decline any responsibility in the event of one or more

of a series of advertisements being omitted for any reason whatever, nor do

we accept liability for any loss or damage caused by an error or inaccuracy in

the printing of any advertisement. If your advertisement appears incorrectly,

contact the Advertising Department immediately, as responsibility cannot be

accepted for more than one week’s incorrect insertion. Responsibility cannot

be accepted if the complaint is made more than two weeks after insertion.

If one places an advertisement for more than one week and then cancels it

after the fi rst week, no refund or credit will be given for weeks cancelled.

The advertiser undertakes to indemnify the Proprietors against any liability

for any civil action arising out of the publication of the advertisement or any

other matter printed or published in the Blanchardstown Gazette, Castleknock

Gazette, Clondalkin Gazette, Dundrum Gazette, Dun Laoghaire Gazette, Lucan

Gazette, Malahide Gazette and Swords Gazette. The placing of an order or

contract will be deemed an acceptance of these conditions.

SPRING It’s time to get tooled up to tackle your lawn

Gardening greats at new centreWITH Dubliners enjoy-ing the first signs of spring over the weekend, it’s no wonder they are taking to their gardens in their droves to prepare for what, we hope, will be a summer of long, lazy afternoons enjoying our own patches of green.

For all those green-fin-gered enthusiasts, there is an all-new new Husqvar-na Centre opening up in a prime Dublin location on the Longmile Road this weekend, March 24.

From ride-on mowers, lawnmowers, blowers, hedgetrimmers, chain-saws, automowers and trimmers, to name but a few, Husqvarna Ireland

have all your garden needs wrapped up.

The Husqvarna range are a household name in Ireland and are known for their excellent design, attention to detail and long-lasting perform-ance.

The Husqvarna lawn-mower is tailor-made for both you and your garden needs. It mows lawns to perfection leaving your garden without a blade of grass out of place. The Husqvarna lawnmowers have a 3-in-1 cutting sys-tem, comfort handle and a robust design.

The Husqvarna Auto-mower® recently fea-tured on a Channel 4 pro-

gramme, entitled Home of the Future, and it truly is a revolutionary product, becoming increasingly more popular by the day.

Husqvarna developed the Automower®, the original robotic lawn mower and the undis-puted leader. With the Automower, there is now no need for compost heaps, the grass cuttings produced are so fine that they decompose quickly, providing a natural fer-tiliser for the lawn. Also, the Automower is well equipped to work in the rain.

A Rider from Husq-varna can go almost anywhere, and has an

extremely small turning circle. It’s both easy and fun to drive, whether it’s fitted with a cutting deck, broom, sweeper or one of the many other attach-ments.

Liffey Distributors are the exclusive dis-tributors of Husqvarna Forest, Garden and Construction products, Flymo, Jonsered, Partner, McCulloch, Aspen Fuel, Gardena and Oregon.

Established in 1970 by Vincent Brady, Liffey Distributors started in a portacabin on Iona Road in Glasnevin. Liffey Dis-tributors is still run by Vincent and supported by all of his family and employs over 30 staff from a 40,000 sq ft base in Blanchardstown.

For your information on your local supplier, please log onto: www.husqvarna.ie.

The Husqvarna Automower, top, and Rider, above

12 GAZETTE 22 March 2012

GazetteFITNESSFITNESSBrought to you by

Derry Templepersonal trainer and

pilates instructor

How to reach your own fitness peakL

IVING a busy daily life is challenging in itself and succeed-ing in your life’s

goals on top of that can be extremely demanding.

Throughout my life, I have been lucky enough to witness many people succeeding against seem-ingly insurmountable odds.

Whenever I see this, it inspires me.

I find it is important to engage and spend time with people who have demonstrated that inner strength to achieve their goals; people who can inspire you to reach yours.

When you feel like quit-ting, it is worth reminding

yourself of stories where people have persevered and achieved their ambi-tions. Sometimes it can be just a small thing or, in the case of my friend, Cian O’Brolchain, it can be a big thing.

Cian is preparing to ascend the summit of Mt Everest later this year and he has already overcome odds beyond any that I had ever imagined. In the last year he has endured some of the world’s high-est and most treacherous mountain climbs.

On a recent excur-sion to scale Cho Oyu, he described how some fellow climbers not only didn’t make it to the sum-mit but lost their lives in

the process. Climbing in extremely bad weather, and having witnessed several of his colleagues drop out due to altitude sickness, dehydration and exhaustion, Cian still succeeded in reaching the summit.

Seeing the frozen body of a climber who had per-ished in the ice, and hav-ing to climb past the dead man’s body, was his big-gest test. He knew he had to concentrate and put the tragic events around him out of his mind to prevent another fatality. He struggled on despite dehydration, exhaustion and lack of food. His legs and upper body ached from carrying his heavy

pack, but he knew that, if he stopped, he might not get up again.

Cian used powerful visualisation techniques to remember past sport-ing achievements and reminded himself of all the support from family and friends that made it possible for him to be there. Staying focused on these positive and powerful images kept his determination focused as he closed his mind to the negative thoughts.

He describes as amaz-ing the experience of standing atop the treach-erous mountain peak, gazing at the horizon where he could see in the distance his ultimate

ambition – Mt Everest. The hardship and effort was worth this truly amaz-ing experience.

Stories like Cian’s are what inspiration is all about. Sometimes ordi-nary people just like you have persevered to beat the insurmountable. Remember, that what-ever roadblocks life puts in your way, you should

never let them stop you. Ignore the temptation to quit and do not allow neg-ative thoughts to drag you off course. Stay focused and determined and you too will reach Your Peak.

You can follow Cian’s remarkable journey on www.irelandtoeverest.com.

If you are looking to get fit and healthy and

are looking for someone to inspire you, then sur-round yourself with those who have done it already. Temple Training provides a FREE assessment and can advise on what fit-ness regime could help you reach your physical peak. See www.temple-training.ie, email [email protected] or call 085 7131417.

Cian O’Brolchain will attempt to scale Mount Everest later this year


GazetteBEAUTYBEAUTY Edited by

Laura Webb

TWO out of every five Irish adults are over-weight and obesity is now the most common childhood disorder in Europe. A weight reduction of 10% dras-tically improves your energy and mental health and also helps reduce blood pressure and cholesterol. The aim of a weight loss programme should be to reduce fat whilst maintaining muscle tis-sue. CLA 24/7 tablets, in combination with healthy meal planning and increased physi-cal activity, help opti-mise the relationship between body fat and muscle mass. Contact your local pharmacy for advice on healthy weight loss. With thanks to the staff of

Lucan Village Pharmacy

Don’t weight

- Lose It Now! Getting some Olympic-style locksSHAPE up your hair with Olympic-style locks like Pantene Pro-V ambassa-dor Olympic and World Champion cyclist, Victo-ria Pendleton.

Although we would all love to be on the same fit-ness and health level as an Olympian, getting the same beautiful glossy hair will do just fine thanks to the Pantene Pro-V smooth and Sleek range. It con-tains micro-smoothers which work with hair to silken each strand and to lock out humidity to help keep frizz from forming and leaving hair feeling smooth and silky.

Victoria shares her top tips on how she keep her hair looking amazing, despite a gruelling exer-cise routine.

What is your greatest hair challenge?

Training every day means my hair is prone to a lot of frizz, so I need a hair care regime that helps combat frizz throughout the day.

How important is hav-ing healthy looking hair?

Having healthy hair is really important to me and I always like to look and feel good on, and off, the bike. Pantene Smooth & Sleek range helps give me gorgeous-ly, healthy-looking hair every day.

How often a week do you wash your hair?

Training with a hel-met on every day means I wash my hair most days. I love to leave in a hydrating smoothing product after washing, to help combat frizz.

I’d recommend the new Pantene Smooth & Sleek 24h Frizz Fighter, it’s really light and smells gorgeous.

What hair products do you swear by?

Working with Pantene has reminded me of just how effective and amaz-ing their products are. I especially love their new Smooth & Sleek 24h Frizz Fighter, and also the mousse in the range- both products help to really deliver a smooth and moisturised finish.

What would be your best hair care tip?

My best hair care tip would be to choose a hair care range that is right for your hair structure. Working with Pantene has made me realise the importance of this, and it

really does make a differ-ence. I have quite thick hair, so I use the Smooth & Sleek range.

What is your favourite

hair look?I always think a time-

less elegant look is a really smooth, sleek blow dry. This is so much eas-ier to achieve at home if

you use styling prod-ucts, Pantene’s Smooth & Sleek hairspray and mousse are my go-to products to achieve this look at home.

Pantene Pro-V ambassador Olympic and World Champion Cyclist, Victoria

Pendleton




GazettePETSPETSBrought to you by Miriam Kerins of

the DSPCA

THE FACTS: NUTRACEUTICAL TREATMENTS CAN BE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE

Natural remedies for keeping pets healthy

T HIS week I decid-ed to write about a problem very close to my own

heart – in fact it’s break-ing it. Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD) or in lay persons terms, dog dementia.

Yep, after 17 years of faithful companionship, loyalty and unselfish love, our eldest Jack Rus-sell Terrier, Sophie, has begun to display strange behaviours.

Ever since I rescued her as a six-week-old, frightened puppy from a lift shaft in an area of north Dublin, Sophie has showered me with love and been my best friend. No matter what obstacles life throws at me, Sophie stoically sees me through them. Now, although physically healthy, my darling little friend is often in a state of confu-sion, doesn’t greet me the way she used to, stares into space and bites and

snaps at me when I feed her or offer her treats. I’m around animals long enough to realise what’s wrong with Sophie and don’t really need our wonderful vet to confirm that she is displaying signs of CCD.

Similar to Alzheimer’s in humans, CCD tells me there are physical chang-es taking place in Sophie’s brain – the result of which means a deterioration of how she remembers, thinks and acts, all caus-ing great upset to our lives.

Sophie has other “old lady” problems too, but none of them is life-threat-ening. Therefore, while my duties as her Mom may be more demanding due to her problems, the fact is my best friend still enjoys a good quality of life.

She eats well, she sleeps well, in fact she sleeps quite a lot, she drinks adequately, her coat is good and she

lets me know when she needs to relieve herself. So, in the grand scheme of things, her dad and I reckon great-aunt Sophie deserves a little extra help and that is why we’ve con-sulted our lovely vet with regard to providing alter-native remedies, such as herbal and nutraceutical treatments that contain brain sustaining supple-ments.

And no, I’m not trying to teach an old dog new tricks, rather help her extend the happy, good quality of life she already enjoys with us.

So, what is a nutraceu-tical? Basically, from what I understand, it’s a term used for a product isolated or purified from food(s) that is generally available in medicinal forms, which are not usually associated with food.

What are the benefits of herbal remedies to your dog? I believe they can be of great benefit

– especially as the gap between natural reme-dies and traditional treat-ments is not very wide. Traditional medications are actually synthesised from herbal compounds that have been used to treat the same problems for centuries.

Herbal remedies are also highly cost-effective and often less expensive than conventional medi-cines.

How do they work? I believe natural remedies will strengthen the inher-ent immune system of my dog – allowing her body take care of her problems, (rather than mask them), and, hopefully, with their help, the short life Sophie has left will be enhanced, and the great thing is, without any of the side effects of conventional medications.

My love and loyalty for Sophie will never falter. We face tough times, but we face them together.

Many pet parents are seeking more ‘natural’ forms of treatment

I’ll be there for her as she has been for me. Patience and love is the key.

Many pet parents are seeking more “natural” forms of treatment for their pets. However, I would like to mention the information contained in this column is simply a guideline. It is in no way a substitute for pro-

fessional, medical advice from your vet – whom you should always con-sult before using, or treat-ing your pet with a natu-ral remedy. A specialised practitioner will best advise as to which reme-dy can interact with your pet’s prescriptions, inter-act with each other and safety and effectiveness,

etc., It is only when you are armed with your vet’s advice, that you will be able to make an informed decision regarding your pet’s healthy future.

� For more information log onto www.dspca.ie or email me at [email protected]


GazetteMOTORSMOTORS

� CORMAC CURTIS

RENAULT have a loyal fan base in the Irish market, and have always

offered their customers a little more spec than many of their competitors and for less money.

Traditionally, Renault have offered practicality and value, but wouldn’t have necessarily been the prettiest or most desirable cars on the road.

In recent years, to be fair, they have made huge improvements with their styling, most notably their 2008 release of the Meg-ane Coupe.

The dramatic and aggressive design ele-ments of this car coincid-ed with a move by Renault to invest a lot more time and mileage in to the test phases of their cars.

The brand’s reputation has improved steadily

since, and the addition of models such as the Grand Megane, especially in the GT Line spec, is bound to add to their new-found cache.

Renault have brought the Grand Megane GT Line to the Irish market powered by a 1.5-litre dCi engine producing 110bhp, with a 90bhp option also available.

I spent a week driving the Grand Megane, and was very pleasantly sur-prised, not just with the performance, but also with how the power from

the engine is matched with a well-balanced sport chassis, lowered suspension and precise steering.

In short, I wasn’t expecting what is essen-tially an estate car from Renault to put such a wide smile on my face.

Not only is the Grande Megane keeping up with its competitors in terms of performance from small, fuel-efficient engines, which help to keep cost of ownership down, but their interior design team were obviously allowed

to throw out the Renault style book, as well as the budget plan.

Sitting in the cockpit, the driver enjoys sports seats that certainly keep you in place when you decide to power through a few twisty roads.

I admit that they were a little snug for me person-ally, but I imagine that I’m a little older and wider than the target market.

The upholstery is a very attractive half-leather/cloth offering, with con-trast stitching that cer-tainly looks the part.

The overall pallet doesn’t hold any surprises, but there are some glossy panels that add some nice highlights to the cabin.

The dials are sporty and eye-catching, the steering wheel, gear knob, and handbrake are wrapped in leather and have a reassuring quality feel to them. The handbrake is at an offset angle, which is another nice touch that makes the cabin a little special.

Further attractive touches include electric folding door mirrors, col-our-coded sport bumpers and headlights with black surrounds, dark metal window surrounds and door handles.

This all adds up to a very pretty car indeed, but let’s not forget about some of the more practi-cal aspects of this grand tourer.

For that special driving

holiday, the Grand Meg-ane allows for a generous 486 litres of boot capacity with the five-seat configu-ration, and an impressive 1,600 litres when the rear seats are folded down. More than enough space for a few cases of your favourite tipple.

The car’s boot comes with a storage compart-ment system that makes it easier to organise the loading space – another nice touch that is often missing from some of its competitors.

This car is something that fans of Renault will certainly covet, and it will not disappoint those who spring for the €27,200 price tag (or €25,000 for the 90 bhp version).

Renault still offer attrac-tive trade-in and their own scrappage deals, so there are a few ways to bring that sticker price down a bit.

Touring, just granderThe new Renault Grand Megane GTline offers a far more attractive option for those who need extra load space but don’t fancy a traditional estate car

RENAULT ABOUT TO GO POSTAL: AN Post and Renault Ireland are joining forces in Ireland’s first ever on-the-road trial of electrically pow-ered post vans.

The study wil l compare the energy/fuel efficiency, main-tenance costs and overall performance of the Renault Kan-goo ZE (electric) mini van against its tradi-tional diesel counter-part over the next 12 months.

An Post operates one of Ireland’s larg-est fleets, and, in 2011, their f leet-related fuel costs were in the region of €10 million.

Commenting on the trial, An Post chief executive, Donal Connell, said: “We’re very pleased to be conducting this like-for-like trial with this calibre of vehicle and we’re looking forward to reviewing the data with Renault Ire-land over the coming months.”

RoadRoadSignsSigns

LAST WEEK saw Korean car manufac-turer, Kia, awarded two top honours for its Picanto and Rio models in the 2012 red dot design competition.

The five-door versions of Kia’s A-seg-ment Picanto and B-segment Rio were both winners in red dot’s internationally acclaimed Product Design category, in a competition that saw more than 4,500

products entered by 1,800 manufactur-ers from 58 countries across a variety of product sectors.

Judges scrutinised and tested the products in detail, with winners selected on the basis of their level of innovation, functionality, ergonomics, durability, ecological compatibility and intuitive handling.

Only products featuring the highest standards of design are eligible for the coveted red dot.

These two latest wins bring Kia’s red dot total to six, with the Soul crossover winning in 2009, Venga compact MPV in 2010, and both Sportage compact SUV and Optima sedan claiming top spots in 2011.

Optima was also named Best of the Best in 2011 – the red dot competition’s highest accolade for ground-breaking design, for which only the best products in each category are eligible.

Commenting on the awards, Kia’s chief officer, Peter Schreyer, said: “We are very proud of the red dot awards for the Picanto and the Rio.”

Kia’s Rio and Picanto red dot awards brings their total to 6

� 0 – 100km/hr: 12.9 sec� Economy: 4 L/100km (comb)� CO2 emissions: 120 g/km� Road Tax Band: A (€104)� Price: €27,200 (model tested)

SPECS: RENAULT GRAND MEGANE GT LINE 1.5 dCi

Edited

by

Cormac Curtis

GazetteBUSINESSBUSINESS Supported by AIB


Fourth tech award for Eden training� BAIRBRE NI

BHRAONAIN

EDEN Training in Rath-farnham has won the National Award for Train-ing Centre of the Year, 2012 at the 15th National IT Training Conference.

This is the fourth win for Eden Training in the six-year history of the awards.

The ECDL (Euro-pean Computer Driv-ing Licence) course at Eden Training won the ICS Skills Best Prac-tice Training Centre on

March 9, 2012.At the event, held in

the Crown Plaza Hotel in Dublin, former Presi-dent Mary McAleese described ECDL as “a huge national move-ment” and as an “enabler; it is what gives people the opportunity to advance their careers; to advance their education,” which can “empower people to avail of the advantages that technology can give”.

The award represents a standard of excellence nationally as Eden out-

flanked 1,000 other train-ing providers. The ECDL certificate is a truly inter-national qualification that is recognised in 148 countries.

The conference was addressed by Jim Friars, chief executive at ICS Skills, and Mary Cleary, professional development manager at ICS Skills, which is the organisation that oversees ECDL pro-vision in Ireland.

“It was a great honour to again have our efforts with regard to ECDL provision recognised,”

From Leftt: Michael O’Connor (ICS Board), Denise Leahy (ICS Board), James

Bannigan (Eden Training), Jim Friars (ICS CEO) and Sean Connolly (ICS board)

said Eden Training busi-ness development man-ager, James Bannigan.

“We feel that ECDL is a crucial stepping-stone for those seeking to engage with IT on a

personal or professional level. That’s why we’re continually reinvesting in this programme to ensure the maximum possible learning outcome for our students.”

Those interested in doing the ECDL course, or any other with Eden Training, can go online at http://www.twitter.com/edentraining or contact them on 01 4953155.

25 new jobs at DatapacIRELAND’S largest indigenous ICT solu-tions provider, Datapac announced last week that it will create up to 25 new jobs.

This follows the award-ing of an €8m ICT con-sumables contract by the National Procurement Service to Datapac.

This new contract fol-lows a strong start to 2012 for Datapac, enabling it to make a strategic decision to grow its business.

The new jobs will be based across all of Data-pac’s locations and 15 of the roles will be created this year, with the addi-tional 10 positions being created over the following two years. The new posi-tions will include sales, marketing and logistics roles.

��A city of delights where the east meets the west� SHONA MURRAY

ISTANBUL, aptly referred to as the most ‘western’, eastern city and the most ‘eastern’, western city is a capi-tal serving conscientious travellers

wishing to enjoy the ease and closeness of city delights with an interest in deep history and diverse culture.

As a central hub for European mar-kets, Istanbul not only economically links the Middle East to the West, but its Christian heritage makes it more Euro-pean than many other European cities.

Formerly, Constantinople, after Roman Emperor and saviour of the Catholic Church, Constantine the Great, Istanbul once served as the capi-tal of the Roman Empire.

Following the founding of the Repub-lic of Turkey, the name Constantinople was replaced officially by Istanbul hav-ing had numerous names adopted to it by its various rulers, most significantly, the Ottoman Empire from which its adaptation into an Islamic capital, began in 1453, ending centuries of Christian rule in the region.

The most startling example of the successful Ottoman siege against the Roman Empire is in the Saint Sophia Museum, or Hagia Sophia.

This is an astonishingly well-pre-served example of a Roman Catholic Cathedral during the reign of Constan-tine and during Istanbul’s heyday as a Christian capital.

It served as a Christian church until

the fateful coup by Ottoman soldiers in 1453 and was immediately transformed into a mosque.

Its Byzantine architecture and glar-ingly Christian features are what makes the Hagia Sophia all the more remark-able given its historic and bloody takeo-ver more than 500 years ago.

Although the typical accoutrements of Catholic ceremony, such as the bibles, altar, bells and sacristy, were removed to make way for prayer mats and separate worshipping sections, the stunning Christian mosaics, beautifully crafted in golds, reds and blues were left untouched.

Instead, the Ottomans merely covered the Christian iconography with Islamic wording, thereby preserving what is now

possible to see in the museum today. Despite being one of the strongest

reminders of Christian domination in Turkey, the Hagia Sophia is credited with influencing the distinguished architecture that Istanbul has today.

No greater example of this exists than the Suleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul’s second largest mosque and one of the most imposing sights in the city.

Built over one hundred years after the Ottoman coup by Sultan Suleyman, the mosque, which is open to visitors of all creeds, also houses the tombs of the sultan and his family, as well as his suc-cessor in the marble mausoleums at the back of the Mosque.

Continued on Page 21

The Hagia Sophia is a well-preserved example of a Roman Catholic Cathedral during the reign of Constantine and during Istanbul’s heyday as a Christian capital

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Let Gazette Compass point you in the right direction

when choosing your ideal travel destination

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LONGITUDE 79° 24’ W | LATITUDE 43° 40’ N

AFTER three years under construction, the same length of time it took to build the Titanic itself, the Titanic visitor attrac-tion in Belfast is now completing its finish-ing touches and will be open to the public on March 31.

In Gallery 1, visitors step back into Edward-ian Belfast. To appre-ciate the achievement Titanic represented, visitors are immersed in the Belfast of the ear ly 1900s and become acquainted with the people who lived there. Visitors will walk through Bel-fast’s ‘streets’ towards Queen’s Island with a rising sense of expec-tation, eventually passing through a set of original Harland and Wolff gates

In the Arrol Gantry and Shipyard Ride, visitors take a 20m journey in a metal elevator up the Arrol Gantry, the enormous steel structure built to facilitate the construc-tion of Titanic and her sister ships, Olympic and Britannic. They then join Harland and Wolff’s workers on a “shipyard ride”.

Continued on Page 22

Edited Edited by Mimi by Mimi MurrayMurray

New Titanic

attraction to

be opened to

the public

GOING BACK IN TIME


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� MIMI MURRAY

AS THE crow flies, Done-gal is just as close to Dub-lin as Cork, but the fact that it lacks a really good road network makes it that little bit harder to get too, but very much worth the trip in my estimation.

I t remains qui te untapped by tourists; however, hardy souls have been making their way to Donegal’s beaches for years to make good use of the spectacular surf.

The coastline is dotted with stunning beaches, but being a large county, we only got to experience the south on a recent jaunt up there.

We stayed in the beau-tiful Lough Eske Castle, which has been renovat-ed in recent years.

A castle has been locat-ed on the hotel site dating back as far as the 1400s. The current castle was built in the 1860s, but was completely destroyed by fire in 1939.

As a focal point of the hotel, the main cas-tle building has been completely renovated and enhanced to cre-ate Lough Eske Castle, which opened as a hotel in December 2007.

The long driveway passes Lough Eske, which looks very inviting for a walk or cycle.

After a sensitive resto-ration, the building feels quite new, but the devel-opers have gone to great lengths to keep much of the old-world charm.

Our deluxe room had some very comfortable, modern features, such as under-floor heating and an open gas fire, which come in handy as Donegal weather can be changeable.

Drizzle is to be expect-ed, so bring warm cloth-ing if you want to tramp around the countryside and experience what the county has to offer.

After a hearty buffet breakfast, which I am not normally a fan of, but these guys pull it off, we travelled to Kilcar on our second day, keeping

a beady eye out for one of its famous part-time residents, Sarah Jessica Parker.

Beaches surrounding the area, such as Muck-ross and Fintragh, are breathtaking, and were completely isolated. It’s no wonder the Parker/Brodericks love this part of the world.

Further along the coast are the majestic Slieve League cliffs, dramatical-ly overlooking the Atlan-tic beneath.

We soon needed a drop of something hot to warm us up, and headed back to the hotel for a swim and steam.

The leisure area is compact, with a pool, gym and spa, and while my husband hired a bike to explore the surround-ing area, I made good use of the spa.

My rose facial was

relaxing, everything you would expect from a really good treatment.

Dinner is served in both the Gallery bar and Cedars Grill. We opted for the restaurant and it served up some tasty dishes, including duck confit for me, while my husband dined on sirloin steak.

Our desserts were deli-cious, including a platter with pecan tart, choco-late madeleines, panna cotta and home-made ice cream.

DeliciousOther guests we spoke

to said the bar food was delicious, and the bar area actually seemed like a more intimate setting, so comes highly recom-mended.

Service is second to none at the hotel and our waitress, Natalie, really went above and beyond, as did all the staff throughout our stay.

Prices start from €185 per room, per night, including breakfast for up to two adults sharing.

For more information on rates, offers and pack-ages contact Lough Eske Castle reservations on +353 (0) 74 97 25100.

LONGITUDE 8° 7’ W | LATITUDE 54° 39’ NAthlone really has everything for EasterTHE mighty River Shannon that flows through the town of Athlone is a haven for all types of water-based activity, including kayaking, fishing, boating and the ever-popular Viking Boat, for lazy afternoon cruises – perfect for girly weekends, romantic breaks or family getaways.

For a golfing break, courses abound, with the Athlone Golf Club and the popular Glasson Golf club never too far.

For families, there is loads on offer, including Glendeer Pet Farm, walks in Portlick, learn a water-based activity on Lough Ree, or just enjoy the kids’ camp in the Athlone Springs Hotel, while parents enjoy a superb meal in the Cedar Restaurant or a superb treatment in their beauty rooms.

Athlone is a place that will make a short break relaxing, enjoyable and excellent value for money. The Athlone Springs will be doing an Easter Egg Hunt and Kids’ Camp over the Easter Holidays and mid-terms. This is available to everyone, and all kids are welcome.

The Athlone Springs Hotel is an independently owned hotel but forms part of the Select Hotels of Ireland group, and offers good food and great facilities. The hotel offers a full gym, a 20m pool and beauty treatment rooms. Visit www.athlonespring-shotel.com or contact reservations on 090 644 4444 or by email on [email protected].

� MIMI MURRAY relaxing, everythild f

Making tracks for a Donegal delight

Expect relaxing spa treatments at Lough Eske Castle


Istanbul is as stunningly beautiful asit is uniqueContinued from Page 19

Female and male prayer sections and the Mecca-facing orientation of the building, remind visitors that this unusu-ally imperialistic Islamic site is in fact an opera-tional mosque, given its architectural similarity to buildings such as the Saint Sophia.

Although some argue that Istanbul resisted from becoming a truly Islamic city, dominant sites like the Suleymaniye Mosque and the similarly immense Blue Mosque, as well as the traditional call to prayer for the city’s approximately 13 million people, 90% of whom are registered Muslim, are inarguable reminders of Turkey’s omnipotent Ottoman history.

However, historic sites, such as the Blue Mosque do not observe strict dress codes or practices unlike other religious attractions in the world. The clear objective is for visitors to respectfully understand Istanbul’s deep history.

This more liberal approach towards west-ern visitors makes the city even more appropriate for tourists wishing to both educate themselves on Middle Eastern cultures and history while indulg-ing in the respite that a European city break brings.

Located south-west of the Hagia Sophia are the Underground Cisterns, the creation of Byzantine Emperor of Constantino-

ple, Justinian I. The cis-terns were used to supply water to the Emperor and other important palaces until the Ottoman takeo-ver.

Its design and craft are fascinating examples of Roman architecture sur-prisingly congruent with Istanbul’s clearly Islamic theme. In more recent years, the Basilica Cis-tern was the scene for the 1960’s James Bond film, From Russia with Love.

History

After engaging in Istan-bul’s remarkable and accessible history, a trip to one of the traditional Hamam’s, or bath houses, is the only way to end a day of learning before an evening of fine dining begins.

The traditional bath houses were construct-ed by the Romans but the tradition of ritual cleansing and socialising remained throughout the Ottoman Empire.

Each house provides separate facilities for men and women as attendees are required to fully undress in order to enjoy the immense heat from the marble stone where one prepares to be doused with perfectly tepid water and rich oil infused soap by one of the Haman’s attendants.

A trip to the Haman starts at approximately €40 for self-service where soap and exfoliating mit-tens are provided.

Otherwise, pay up for €60 to be scrubbed from

head to toe by one of the Haman’s professional attendants, and retire to one of the warmed beds for an oil massage.

For those wanting an original experience, The Cemberlitas Haman comes highly recom-mended and is a short distance from the Hagia Sophia.

When eating out, the trendy Beyo’lu district offers the best mix of European and Middle Eastern foods, including deliciously fresh fish but a selection of more unu-sual fare such as sheep or goat’s brain is also avail-able. It’s advisable to take a walk close to the famous Galata Bridge which links to the old city in order to find the most authentic, local eateries.

We flew with Turk-ish Airlines, which were recently awarded Best airline for Europe 2011 and you can see why as staff were very friendly and professional.

Before departing Istan-bul, visitors can opt for the Turkish Airlines Busi-ness Lounge, which fea-tured a business centre, private relaxation rooms, massage chairs.

City breaks to Istan-bul are available from WingsAbroad.ie or call 01 8719444 or contact your local travel agent. Fly to Istanbul with Turk-ish Airlines, Europe’s Best Airline 2011 (www.turkishairlines.com). Stay at the 3-star Seres Hotel from €319pps (excl. taxes).

LONGITUDE 79° 24’ W | LATITUDE 43° 40’ N

Istanbul’s Grand Bazaarr. Inset: some of the city’s bustling night life


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The kaleidoscope that is the modern South Africa� STEPHEN McKENNA

SOUTH Africa is a kalei-doscope of diversity, culture and colour. It is emerging from its hugely positive world cup expe-rience with a tangible sense of pride and hope for the future.

Located at the south end of the world’s most epic continent, this vast area of land is fringed by both the Indian and Atlantic oceans. South Africa’s vibrant cities, historic towns, fertile vineyards and magnifi-cent game parks provide all those who visit with a rewarding and intriguing experience.

South Africa offers so much to all those who are lucky enough to visit and is hugely popular with Irish visitors.

On this particular trip to South Africa, we started our journey in Port Elizabeth before we choose to drive to Cape Town with a number of stops along the way.

The Garden Route is a well-known, ready-made road trip that runs between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town with stunning landscapes that will take your breath away, from the awe inspir-ing safaris on offer, to sip-

ping wine and tasting the culinary delights en route to Cape Town.

Cape Town’s most distinctive feature is its stunning setting: it lies on a dramatic coastline of pristine white beaches and icy waters, over-looked by the iconic flat-topped Table Mountain, with lots to do and see of historical, cultural and general interest. If you’re fascinated in another kind of wildlife, hit the bars and nightclubs on Cape Town’s jumping Long St or sample Afri-can homebrew in a town-ship shebeen (unlicensed bar).

South Africans are some of the most upbeat, welcoming and humor-ous folk you’ll encounter anywhere, from farmers in the rural north who

tell you to drive safely on those dirt roads, to kids who wish you molo (“good morning” in Xhosa).

GoHop.ie are having a free Safari information event on March 27 in Dublin. Send an email to [email protected] with sub-ject header Gazette to RSVP.

To plan your South African adventure, con-tact Andre on 01-2412372, email [email protected].

A 14-night South Afri-can Safari, Garden Route and Cape Town holiday in the Spring (September travel) includes hotels, lodges and meals, car rental and flights is on offer with prices from €2,329. Other dates also available.

Visit www.gohop.ie for more information.

LONGITUDE 18° 22’ E | LATITUDE 33° 55’ S

Lift off with a South African adventure that takes in the Garden Route from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town

New Titanic attraction to be opened to the publicContinued from Page 19

In Gallery 3, visitors will see the Launch of Titanic and Gallery 4 tells of the skill and craftsmanship that went into Titanic, from the fitting of its enormous boilers and engines to the fine joinery and upholstery work of its linens, carpets and cab-

ins. Visitors will experi-ence the reality of the ship’s interiors in a 3D cave that recreates the engine rooms, third-class saloons, first-class corri-dors, grand staircase, a la carte restaurant and navigation bridge, allow-ing visitors to ‘walk’ the ship’s length. There are also detailed, full-scale reconstructions of 1st,

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2nd and 3rd class cabins. Visitors are now swept

up in the celebratory atmosphere as Titanic leaves Belfast and then sets sail from Southamp-ton on her maiden voy-age in Gallery 5. The gal-lery features the extraor-dinary photographs of Father Frank Browne, the young Irish Jesuit who was given a gift of a ticket to travel on Titanic from Southampton to Queenstown and photo-graphed the journey. His images provide a unique chronicle of Titanic’s first and only voyage.

The atmosphere of the exhibition now changes radically into a dramatic sensory experience, as visitors enter a dark-ened tunnel where the temperature, soundtrack and images all evoke the tragedy of Titanic’s colli-sion with an iceberg and subsequent sinking, with the loss of 1,500 lives.

Visitors will sense the tragedy and the ending of the dream, which led to Titanic’s creation.

Given the level of inter-est in Titanic Belfast, and the accompanying fes-tival, visitors are being encouraged to pre-book tickets where possible. Tickets for Titanic Belfast can be purchased online at www.titanicbelfast.com or by phone / in per-son at the Belfast Wel-come Centre at +44(0)28 9076 6399.

The Titanic visitor attraction in Belfast is now completing its finishing touches

100 acts set to take to the stages of 15 venues across the city.

The two-day event costs €40, and the weekend ticket is exchanged for a wristband that allows unlimited access to all venues, stages and after-show parties. Arrive early as surprise guests may appear at any time or in any venue. Day tickets are also available for €25.

The London event began in the mid-90s when Britpop was king, and saw The Wedding Present and Kenickie on the bill. After a hiatus, the festival returned, and Snow Patrol, Maximo

Park, and the Fratellis were among the names who have appeared on the bill on their way to wider

mainstream success.For more information,

see entertainment.ie/camdencrawldublin.


GazetteMUSICMUSICCrawl’s lush live line-up

Leading the line-up on Friday is local band, Jape

� ROB HEIGH

THE first-ever Dublin incarnation of the iconic Camden Crawl music fes-tival held in London since 1995 has been announced for the weekend of May 11 and 12 and sees a great mix of established and fresh faces on both the international and local music scenes.

Meteor Choice Music Prize double winner, Jape, as well as fellow Choice 2012 nominees, And So I Watch You From Afar, will be in action on Fri-day, May 11. Prodigious New York indie rockers We Are Scientists and

masked maurauders, Rubberbandits, will also be on stage that day, with Bastille, DELS, Dutch Uncles on the bill.

The Saturday line up will be equally eclectic, with former Supergrass frontman, Gaz Coombes, and Choice 2012 nomi-nees, Tieranniesaur and Cashier No 9, leading the line, with Mystery Jets and Ghost Poet in action.

These names are barely a sniff of the full line-up, and the full bill is exten-sive and varied to say the least, with a treat guaran-teed for all music lovers.

The festival bill is packed to the gills with

LIVE SHOWS: METEOR SPONSORED EVENT SEES TALENT GALORE

USUALLY when an artist releases an album with as much hype as Bruce Springsteen’s, Wrecking Ball, I tend to wonder, is it because the music isn’t up to scratch? Well, if you’ve heard it, or read the review on this page last week, you’ll know that’s not true. This rock icon has got the goods.

Delivering a keynote speech last week at the a Texas music festival, Springsteen said when he picked up a guitar at the age of six, he’d only 10 years of rock history to draw on. So he started making his own.

Wrecking Ball is his eighth number one album in his home country, and he has nearly treble the number of Grammy’s.

This summer’s gigs at the RDS will be played just a few months before his 63rd birthday and if you’re going, you’re in for a treat. He’s the only artist I’ve ever seen that looks like he’s playing his first gig every time. He enjoys it so much, you can’t help but get caught up in the Springsteria!

FastTunes with Radio Nova’s Dee Woods

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A little animal magic Benjamin (Matt Damon) walks implausibly good-looking zookeeper Kelly (Scarlett Johansson) around the zoo that he has, as the title might

suggest, bought following the death of his wife.

GoingOUT

GazetteENTERTAINMENTENTERTAINMENT

Following a seven-year break from feature-film making, Cameron Crowe returns with a trick or zoo up his sleeve.

�THE PAVILION THEATRE 01 231 2929Country Roads: A Celebration of John Denver

COUNTRY Roads - A Celebration of John Denver consists of a strong live band, with backing vocals and, of course, Wayne as John Denver. Enhanced with video footage throughout, this tribute show traces the early and late music of Denver, including the legendary hits, Country Roads, Annie’s Song, Leaving on a Jet Plane and many more. Catch the show on March 25 at 8pm. Tickets €20.

MILL THEATRE 01 296 9340 The Mai

THE MAI is the moving story of four generations of women in one family in the midlands. An accomplished, beautiful forty-year-old woman, The Mai has always sought an exceptional life. We enter the world of The Mai on the day of her husband’s return after an absence of four years. In the midst of their troubled reunion are the idiosyncratic and comical characters that comprise the family. Irreverent and unapologetic, the opium-smoking, 100-year-old matriarch, Grandma Fraochlan, presides over all. Catch the magical performance from March 7 to 31, at 8pm, with tickets priced at €16/€14.

CIVIC THEATRE 01 885 2622Many Young Men of Twenty

IN Martin Mangan’s production of the John B Keane classic, Many Young Men of Twenty the scene is transposed from a 1960s Kerry backwater to McLoughlin’s Bar at Achill Sound whose clientele consists of those arriving from or departing for England. Characters include Seelie, an unmarried sister who spends her time under her brother’s thumb, serving in his bar and witnessing all those who leave for England and those who return. Catch the show on Saturday, March 24 at 8pm. Admission: €20.

DRAIOCHT 01 885 2622An Evening of Dance

JOIN these young energetic dancers from Marian Lennon School of Ballet as they demonstrate their skills in classical ballet, modern and contemporary dance. There will be something for everyone to enjoy as the young dancers of all ages perform a rich and varied repertoire, including a magical journey to Saint-Saen’s Carnival of the Animals, Sleeping Beauty and a super Musical Medley that will have you dancing in your seats! Catch this show on March 23 and 24 at 8pm. Tickets €18/€14 concession.

� PAUL HOSFORD

WITH our own Kate Crowley off on holiday, I am required to sit in the hallowed chair of Gazette movie reviewer.

So, for those of you who flip to the Ents pages to see Mrs Crowley take down Hollywood’s finest (and not so finest), I apol-ogise wholeheartedly.

For this is a review of the newest work by one of my favourite directors.

Full disclosure time – I was always going to love We Bought A Zoo.

I, like Crowe, am a Billy Wilder aficionado, firmly believing that sentimen-tal films can avoid the pitfalls of sappiness.

The first film I can remember genuinely loving is Jerry Maguire, which has as many detractors as fans and Say Anything’s Lloyd Dobler ranks in my all-time favourite movie pro-tagonists.

I even loved Elizabeth-

town. Now that the truth

is out of the way, what about Crowe’s newest effort?

Based on the true story, and book, of Englishman Ben Mee, We Bought A Zoo tells the story of a man who, following the death of his wife, buys a zoo. Funnily enough.

Transporting the story from Devon to LA, the fictional Ben is played by Matt Damon, here for perhaps the first time showing his 41 years.

But, grieving man buys zoo does not a two-hour story make, so enter a

fusty inspector played by John Michael Higgins.

Damon and his gang, Thomas Haden Church as wisecracking brother, Scarlett Johansson as potential love interest, and Colin Ford and Mag-gie Elizabeth Jones as the children, must scramble to get the zoo up to code and open to the public.

In many ways, it is a very un-Crowe film, with a straight journey to the end, rather than the meandering of Sin-gles, Almost Famous and Maguire.

That in itself is the film’s biggest weakness.

For only the second time in his career, Crowe shares scripting duties, this time with Aline Brosh McKenna.

McKenna is a fine writ-er, no doubt, but here her voice seems out of kilter with her partners.

It seems that two writ-ers, who should comple-ment each other, Crowe’s lightness and McKenna’s spot-on workplace obser-vation (The Devil Wears Prada, Morning Glory) just failed to gel.

Everytime it seems that the film has settled in an area, be it a bear on anti-depressants or Johans-son’s Kelly railing at the constant staff turnover, the other writer’s sensi-bilities take over and it becomes a little uneven in the middle.

Not that there is noth-ing to be enjoyed, even in the script.

T he re la t ionsh ip between Ben and son, Dylan, is a particular highlight, with both

Damon and Ford infus-ing their characters with enough bite and anger to create a realistic tension.

Johansson and Haden Church add excellent grounding, with Johans-son showing real selfless-ness in her role, given that it is not a straight, two-hand love story.

As always, one eye will be on the soundtrack of a Cameron Crowe film and, once more, the master of music in films doesn’t disappoint.

Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Neil Young might be standard enough fare, but the former Rolling Stone writer shows he still has a finger on the pulse by adding jonsi, Wilco, Sigur Ros and Bon Iver to the mix.

At the heart of the film, however, is a thoroughly likable performance from Damon.

His Ben is an earnest, decent man, one who we instantly root for. Kind of like the director, then.

FILM OF THE WEEK: We Bought A Zoo�� (PG) 124 mins

OUR VERDICT:IT skirts a fine line. In lesser hands, this falls into schmaltz and drowns in a sea of heavy handed imagery. But, this is Cameron Crowe. The fine line between over-sentimentality and heartfelt emotion is where he has spent his career. Beautifully acted and assuredly shot, Crowe is back and close to top form. Hopefully, the next one doesn’t take seven years.

Director: Cameron CroweStarring: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Peter Riegert, Elle Fanning, Angus Macfadyen


� PAUL HOSFORD

IT is finally alive. I Am Alive, the newest release from Ubisoft, has had a torturous route to con-soles.

First announced as far back as 2008’s E3, the survival horror finally made an appearance on Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade last week.

The question of wheth-er it will prove worth the wait is rather a moot one. Nobody would realisti-

cally argue that a down-load-only game has been worth four years waiting.

But, if the question is whether it is worth getting, the answer is a resounding yes.

In I Am Alive, you play an unnamed protagonist, of whom little is known and who, generally reveals little.

All you know is that your character has spent a year attempting to get back to their home town of Haventon.

One year before the

game picks up, the entire world has been deci-mated by a catastrophe known simply as “The Event”.

Cities are in ruins, bridges collapsed and skyscrapers crumbling.

It calls to mind a number of games, books and films, most notably, The Road, by Cormac McCarthy.

In the same way that book was methodical and slow-paced, I Am Alive is not a run-and-gun zom-bie survival game.

GazetteGAMINGGAMING

The unnamed protagonist of I Am Alive looks out over Haventon.

It may be Alive, but is it worth downloading?

In fact, the biggest threat does not come from the undead, more from the living.

In the antithesis to the Hollywood, let’s all band together resolution of apocolypse-stricken folk, the residents of Haven-ton are, by and a large, a group of murderous out-laws.

Navigating the treach-erous ruins of the city, the sprawling skyline and the gangs intent on bashing your head in and stealing your pants, all take their toll.

With that in mind, there is a stamina meter, a novel introduction in such a game.

You are a mere man, so running, climbing, swing-ing and fighting all take it out of you, and resting or eating food the only way to revive.

This addition, as well as the scarce nature of resources, makes the gameplay as strategic as it is action-packed.

With just a few bullets,

targeting the alpha mem-bers of a gang to scare the others becomes a handy trick.

As does pointing an empty gun at a foe. Just don’t try to fire it.

Saving NPCs can garner retries or extra supplies, but much of the game’s relatively short run time is spent on your own, for-raging and scavenging for supplies, which can range from water, food, gas and medicine to cigarettes, tools, climbing gear, weap-ons, and ammunition.

Enemies don’t leave behind 30 or 40 bullets or a Gatling Gun that will help you take down 30 baddies at a time, or a key to a secret store room.

Because of that, the feeling of stumbling upon a bounty that may only include a couple of piec-es of food and a rope, is remarkably gratifying.

As is helping your fel-low stricken survivors.

If that’s the kind of post-apocalyptic survivor you are.

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Dundrum man Andy McConnell in action against Korea in the final at Belfield last weekend

� [email protected]

FOR seven days, Ire-land’s men’s hockey were catapulted into the public concious-ness for a rare moment in the limelight.

And then it came crashing down just two seconds from the end of normal time in their direct play-off for a place at the Olympic Games as tournament favourites, and world number six side, Korea nicked a gut-wrenching, fortuitous late winner.

Nam Yong Lee ’s touch was faint; faint enough to be missed by umpire Murray Grime but enough to take the ball away from David Harte and into the bot-tom corner.

Initially awarded as a corner, the body lan-guage when the video referral was called for

told the tail. Lee was ecstatic and Irish play-ers buried their heads.

“A moment like this is hard to sometimes understand,” he said. “We don’t contro l things like this but cer-tainly this is a young group, they’ve played incredibly well for a number of years now,” coach Paul Revington said afterwards.

“I t ’s going to be tough for them to face tomorrow. Sport deals us blows and we’ve got to stand up again and carry on fighting.”

It ended what was a ground-breaking week for a side aiming to make it to a first Olym-pic Games since 1908 and the first team sport from Ireland to make it since 1948.

Big wins over Chile, Ukraine and Russia, allied to draws with

Korea and Malaysia in the group phase, cap-tured the imagination of the sporting public, setting up the one-off rematch with Korea last Sunday.

But the manner in which they were elimi-nated, having twice led only to succumb to a late sucker-punch, will leave emotional scars which may take a while to heal.

For the likes of Monk-stown’s Dave Fitzgerald, Stu Loughrey, a former student in St Andrew’s College, Balally man Andy McConnell and Sandyford’s Mitch Dar-ling, the hope is they can rise again in four years time.

“We’re devastated because we’ve got so much belief in what we’re trying to do, and where we’re going,” John Jackson said in the

wake of the final.“If it’s not this week,

and this Olympics, it’s going to be the next one. This team has taken a big step this week, and it’s never going to take a step backwards again.” Our team are the strongest bunch, we’ll take it on the chin but we’re not going down.”

Stillorgan man Ronan Gormley, at 28 – captain

of the side – may find the going a bit tougher to stay in the mix as the balance between the semi-professional hockey lifestyle and work commitments may become more pressing.

But there is a hunger among them that the moment when grown men wept and the 2,000 in the National Hockey Stadium fell to a eerie quiet, will be avenged.

Last-second heartbreak

HOCKEY: IRELAND’S MISSION ENDS WITH GALLING DEFEAT

FastSport

Churchtown beaten to Leinster crownFOLLOWING the success of their Under-16 side in the Leinster Schools Badmin-ton Championships recently, De La Salle Churchtown’s Under-14 badminton side faced disappointment when they were defeat-ed by Gormanstown in the Division 3 final last week.

The team had previously won all their matches in the competition, including a 5-1 victory against Terenure in the semi-final, but, unfortunately, were outplayed by their skilful opposition.

In the opening rubber, Aras Mahdy came close to defeating Luke Carroll, coming back to match the Gormanstown player, who took the winning point at 30-28.

The next match saw Cathal Swan taking on Mark Donegan. Swan worked hard but was outplayed and lost out 30-8.

Two matches behind, De La Salle were desperate for a win. The third singles tie saw Stephen Tian play Henrique Varanoa. Throughout most of the game, Tian main-tained his lead, but Varanoa battled to a 30-24 win.

With hopes riding on Ben O’Connell’s sin-gles, he set out against Dahun Lin to keep De La Salle in the game. Lin broke away from the very start, and though O’Connell played well, Lin proved his worth by securing the final for Gormanston in a hard-fought vic-tory.

The exhausted De La Salle players could not claim a win; the already-crowned Gor-manston players were too hard to stop, which meant that Gormanston won 6-0, taking the Leinster Final trophy home, exuberant.

Although they had lost, De La Salle were pleased to have come so far, their thoughts on next year’s championship.


in association with

ONE of the architects of one of Dublin’s most community-oriented clubs was honoured at Croke Park last week, when Foxrock Cabint-eely’s Pat Ring received the Leinster Tesco Pro-vincial Club Person of the Year award.

Pat, who has been an integral part of the club’s formation and progress to it’s current level, was one of the four provincial winners whose efforts and input to the sport the Ladies’ Gaelic Football Associ-ation chose to acknowl-edge.

T he club , whose achievements in 2011 included the Dublin Ladies’ County Board’s best large club award in December, ha s gone from strength to strength since it’s for-mation in 2000.

They were runners-up in the Dublin sen-

ior ladies’ league and reached the semi-final of the Dublin cham-pionship, won the All-Ireland Sevens’ Shield competition, as well as running and support-

ing over 25 teams at all levels and ages at the club.

But the club started humbly following the merger of the small par-ish clubs, Cabinteely and Foxrock, as Pat recalls.

“I was involved in the Cabinteely side, and helped negotiate the merger in 2004. When the clubs came togeth-

er, we had a lot of work to do.

“Since I got involved, the biggest change I have seen has been the rise in numbers. It has been phenomenal. We

are unique in that we started as a girls-only club, the only club in Ireland to do so. We grew from about five teams with 80 kids, and now we are up to 550 girls playing in 25 teams, over the course of seven or eight years.

“On the back of that success, families were requesting that we start a boys’ club, instead of

them going to bigger clubs in the area, and now we have 140 boys playing in Foxrock Cab-inteely. Both sections are still growing dra-matically.”

Foxrock Cabinteely’s growth can be attrib-uted to the unique way they interact with the community, as Pat explained.

“The structure of the club is unique in that we carved out this niche in initially providing a club for girls, working closely with four local primary schools, St Brigid’s in Cabinteely, Hollypark in Foxrock, Johns-town in Killiney and St Anne’s in Shankill. It’s very much a partner-ship that works both ways. We all benefit from the relationship.”

T h e s i g n i f i c a n t increase in interest in the club led to the rapid increase in the number of teams that they have been able to field, which can equally be attrib-uted to the care with which they approach the children who come through the gates of the club to take part in Gaelic football.

“Of course, the goal is to be successful on the pitch, but, for us, to pro-vide football for all abil-ities is equally impor-tant. We are putting in a second-level team for the girls who might not be able to compete at senior level, but they

Community hero hailed at CrokerROB HEIGH talks to Foxrock Cabinteely founder, Pat Ring, who was honoured by the LGFA with the Club Person of the Year award last week

Pat Ring, of Foxrock Cabinteely, with his award at Croke Park

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

‘Although I got the award, it was very much a club effort. The contribution of the mentors, volunteers and family members is huge.’-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FastSport

THE AVIVA Stadium is set to play host to one of the longest-running rivalries in American College Football when the United States Naval Academy host rivals, the Uni-versity of Notre Dame, on September 1.

Already on sale in the US market, the interest for the Emerald Isle Classic has been phenomenal, with over 25,000 tickets already sold, resulting in a huge boost to the Irish economy with the influx of American tourists in September.

Tickets for Irish gridiron fans are on sale now through Ticketmaster, and are expected to sell out quickly.

As part of the build-up to the game, the Notre Dame band marched in the St Patrick’s Festival Parade in Dublin last weekend.

The Navy-Notre Dame series has been played annually since 1927, making it the longest uninterrupted intersectional series in college football. Navy has emerged victo-rious in three of the past five years making the fixture a lot more competitive after dec-ades of Notre Dame victories.

Most Notre Dame and Navy fans consider the series a sacred tradition for historical reasons.

Notre Dame, like many colleges, faced severe financial difficulties during World War II and during that time the US Navy made Notre Dame a training centre and paid enough for usage of the facilities to keep the University afloat.

Notre Dame has since extended an open invitation for Navy to play the Fighting Irish in football, and considers the game annual repayment on a debt of honour.

Naval Academy Athletic Directior, Chet Gladchuk, said: “We are delighted to bring this game to Ireland and we plan to bring the full show with us to make the most of this special occasion. This is one of our big-gest rivalries and, along with a great Ameri-can Football game, we plan to showcase all of the game’s traditions, including the jet fly-over, a 1,000 Midshipmen march, bands, along with a huge travelling alumni and sup-port from both sides.”

College gridiron coming to Aviva in September

will be able to play at junior level. We want to ensure all our players have a path and can see how they will progress with the club at every level.

Pat Quill, president of the Ladies’ Gaelic Football Association, hailed the “dedication, inspiration and leader-ship” that the winners of the provincial prizes show: “This is one of the most pleasing and rewarding dates in our Association’s calendar, whereby we recognise the great voluntary work that takes place in communities through-out the country. It is a great personal honour and a source of pride to your family, club, county and province to be nominated for such a prestigious award. They are role models in their communities and I thank them.”

Pat himself was keen to stress the part his fel-low Foxes take in mak-ing the club the success it is.

“Although I got the award, i t was very much a team effort and a club effort. I am anxious to acknowlege all the people who put so much into the club over the course of every year.The huge amount of mentors, volunteers and family members also contribute a great deal to the success of the club.”


GazetteSportSport

SFAI ALL-IRELAND U-11Mount Merrion 3

Malahide United 2


In an epic and thrilling All-Ireland cup quarter-final, Mount Merrion’s youth side edged past Malahide United at St Raphaela’s to reach the last four of the national competition.

Mount Merrion start-ed off brightly and, after sustained pressure on the Malahide goal, took an early lead through the persistence of Ruairi Whealan, who chased down the Malahide goal-keeper’s clearance which

fell kindly for him to slot the ball home.

Malahide didn’t drop their heads and came back into the game after a good switch from right to left. Merrion were caught napping at the back and Malahide reacted well after hitting the crossbar to level the game at 1-1.

Malahide finished the half the stronger and, in spite of four corners in a row, couldn’t capitalise on the pressure they put on the Merrion goal.

Malahide again started the second half strongly and both their wingers put in a solid display, creating problems for Merrion.

After soaking up sus-tained pressure from Malahide, Merrion again went in front after a good counter-attacking goal. A quick through ball was played up to the Mer-rion centre forward who forced the Malahide keeper to make a smart low save down to his right. The rebound was finished by Merrion’s Shane Flynn was coolly slotted the ball home to put Merrion 2-1 up.

With less than three minutes to go in the tie, Malahide scored to force the match into extra-time, when a quick ball was played down the line to

the Malahide winger, who beat the left full-back and finished coolly, beating the Merrion keeper at his near post.

Extra time was a tense affair for both sides and, with few chances created, the tie looked as if it would go to penalties to decide who would progress.

With five minutes to go, however, Merrion pushed forward and scored the

winner when substitute Ahmed Jelidi pounced on a spilt shot from the Malahide keeper and coolly slotted the ball away to put Merrion into the last four.

In those final stages, Mount Merrion will face St Kevin’s Boys Sun-day side, who defeated Edenderry Town 8-0 in their quarter-final encounter.

SOCCER: EXTRA-TIME WINNER DECIDES CLOSE CONTEST

Ahmed Jelidi celebrates scoring the winner

Merrion reach SFAI semi-final

FastSportMcCambridge books her place in LondonMARIA McCambridge put in an outstanding performance last Sunday to achieve the qualifi-cation standard for the London Olympic Games at the Rome Marathon in Italy, running 2:36:37, just inside the Olympic A standard of 2:37.

McCambridge was well on track throughout the race, reaching the halfway mark in 1:17:37.

Although slowing slightly in the second half, she finished strongly and displayed tremendous courage to dip under the qualification standard.

It makes for incredible reading for Dundrum South Dublin AC as the long-time club member – now based in Donegal – joins DSDAC mem-bers Linda Byrne 2:36:23 and Ava Hutchinson 2:35:33 as the third Irish woman to achieve the standard for London.

“I really suffered over the last few miles and I thought I would never get to the finish because my feet were just killing me, and I found it increasingly hard to keep going on the cobble-stones,” she said afterwards.


in association with

a CLUB NOTICEBOARD

ST JUDE’S

BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S

CUMMAN Gailf Naomh Jude will

hold their first outing of the year

on April 6 (Good Friday) in Power-

scourt West Course. Green fees

are €50; contact Anto Gilleran on

087 645 8949.

Anybody who has medical/first

aid training who would like to get

involved with an adult team on

match days, please contact Anto

Gilleran on 087 6458949

Play our club lotto and win up to

€12,700. The draw takes place every

Sunday night and envelopes are

available from the clubhouse.

Please note the club shop will not

be open this Saturday.

Tickets for the f inal leg of the

Spring series will be available this

Thursday in the bar.

MANY thanks to all who supported

the annual Gala Night, especially

Ken Giles, Liam Deane and their fel-

low organisers; to special guests,

Andy Kettle, County Board chair;

Pat Martin, vice-chair of the Cam-

ogie board, and Maureen King, chair

of the Ladies’ Football board.

Best wishes to Brian O’Regan and

Joanne O’Sullivan who marry this

Friday.

Timesheet in bar for f irst Golf

outing of the year in Craddocks-

town GC on April 13. See website for

more details.

Camogie fundraiser: Presenting

Oliver Callan live at the Harcourt

Hotel, on Sunday, April 1.

Boden Theatre Group presents

The Hostage by Brendan Behan

from Wednesday, March 28 to Sat-

urday, March 31 in the clubhouse.

Check website for ticket details.

Ladies’ football spring clothes

collection is on March 23 and 24.

Lotto: Numbers drawn were 12,

24, 2 and 6. Jackpot of €10,000 was

not won.


ON A weekend when there were few club matches played, neither the Dubs’ hurlers nor the Jackies’ footballers could take the spoils in a pair of epic and hard-fought games that were decided in both instances by a single point.

In Aughnamullen, Dub-lin blitzed the Monaghan goal from the first whis-tle, taking an early four-point lead, with a brace from Sinead Goldrick adding to a point apiece from Fiona Hudson and Orlaith Egan.

But All-Star Ciara McAnespie majored shortly afterward, beat-ing Cliodhna O’Connor in the Dublin goal. Two minutes later, Caitriona McConnell brought the sides level when she con-verted a 20 metre free.

The Blues struggled to find their range, squan-dering numerous scoring opportunities in front of the posts both from play

and from frees.In spi te of that ,

Goldrick and Olivia Leonard raised the white flag for the Sky Blues, but the move of the first half came when the raiding Goldrick intercepted a Monaghan pass, lobbed the ball to the unmarked Egan who duly des-patched the ball to the back of Linda Martin’s net.

After going in four points ahead, Dublin again failed to find their range and were made to rue their missed opportu-nities, with Monaghan’s Ellen McCarron scoring to bring them back within a point, and then suffered a huge setback when Goldrick was forced to retire with a wrist injury.

Points from McCarron, Therese McNally and Caitriona McConnell took the Farney women ahead, but Gemma Fay goaled to put Dublin back in the match.

With four minutes left, and the sides level,

it looked as though the match was destined to finish tied. But Mona-ghan’s Sharon Courtney had other ideas, and her fisted point proved the difference between the sides, consigning Dublin to defeat.

They remain in the mix for the knock-out stages in third place, with Monaghan moving into second behind Cork, and the Jackies face Laois in their last league match on April 1.

HurlersElsewhere , Now-

lan Park saw an epic, high-scoring encounter between the Dubs and the Cats that was also decided by a single point, and the home side in the ascendancy.

In a heart-breaking finale, Matthew Ruth consigned Dublin to back-to-back single goal defeats, with a goal in the last 30 seconds that saw Kilkenny claim the points.

In spite of the defeat, Dublin can take sol-ace from the tough and uncompromising play that saw them score six goals against the peren-nial hurling favourites. But to be caught cold, having been eight points clear with 15 minutes left, must have been galling for the Dubs, especially as they showed their team unity having gone down to 14 men after Ryan O’Dwyer’s dismissal for a second booking.

Paul Ryan opened the scoring but hurt his hamstring in the process, with Danny Sutcliffe and Conor McCormack net-ting in the first half, help-ing put Dublin 3-8 to 1-9 ahead at half time.

David O’Callaghan and Sutcliffe scored early in the second half, and Eamon Dillon ended the run of majors for the Sky Blues, before goals for Richie Power and Ruth’s match-kil l ing score allowing the Cats to take the cream.

GAELIC: HURLERS, JACKIES LOSE BY SINGLE POINT

Gemma Fay (Ballyboden St Enda’s and Dublin captain) in action for Dublin against Monaghan. Picture: GAApics.com

Double disappointment

for Dublin’s dynamosNAOMH OLAF

OUR junior footballers continued their

unbeaten run in AFL6 last Wednesday

evening, defeating Trinity Gaels on a

scoreline of 4-4 to 0-7.

The Olaf’s junior hurlers had a chal-

lenge game against Cuala in Shankill

on Sunday last, with a final score

Olaf’s 2-7, Cuala 0-13. Match reports

are on naomholaf .ie.

The Dublin Male Welsh Voice Choir

in association with Balally Parish will

host an exciting musical evening in

Balally Church in aid of the Pastoral

Centre on Friday, March 23. After-

wards, the choir will receive refresh-

ments in the Naomh Olaf clubhouse.

Club member Kieran Brennan has

promised that a few extra pieces will

be sung to entertain us on the night.

The recital details are on naomholaf.

ie.

Congratulations to Naomh Olaf

senior footballer Shane O’Connor, a

noted golfer, who came second in the

amateur Spanish Open last week.

Lotto: Numbers drawn were 13, 19

and 30. There was no jackpot win-

ner. The jackpot next week will be

€1,200. The six €30 winners were

Mark Ward, Roisín McGrath, Tho-

mas Brennan,Terry Broughal, Helen

DeVeale and Tommy Duggan.

STARS OF ERINTHERE was no football for any teams

this weekend.

Stars of Erin Easter Camp 2012 will

take place at the pitch from Mon-

day, April 2, to Thursday, April 5. The

camp will be on from 10am to 2pm.

All children aged five to 13 are wel-

come. Anyone interested, contact

David Gill 087 7827144.

Lotto was not won last week. Next

week’s jackpot is €600.

€20 winners were Teresa O’Connor,

Olive Kennedy and Olive Durnin.

Lotto tickets available in all local

shops and from committee mem-

bers.

The Step Inn are sponsoring a

three-day trip for two to New York.

The draw will take place on March 30

in the Step Inn. Music on the night -

all welcome.

Tickets available from club mem-

bers and the Step Inn. Tickets cost

€3 each or five for €10.

Thanks to everyone for ongoing

support.

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Twitter, and at www.gazettegroup.com

32 DUNDRUM GAZETTE 22 March 2012 ADVERTISING FEATURE

Dundrum

Documents

housing bodies

cllr lettie mccarthy

director of housing

cllr richard humphries

cllr richard humphreys

council members

cllr jim odea

theatre peter schaffers