Lucan

YOUR COMMUNITY • YOUR PAPER March 22, 2012

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

BEAUTY..........................14

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

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

ENTERTAINMENT ........ 24

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

Sam on tour: Maguire cup comes to St Pat’s for visitPage 28

Boxing: Local club star hoping to make pro debut in AprilPage 32

RECYCLE THIS COPY. KEEP DUBLIN TIDY.

WHEEL FUN: Naomh

Padraig cycles to

school P8-9

Split social welfare claim days - Keating‘Local post office is ideally suited to meet town’s needs’

� PAUL HOSFORD

CALLS have been made to split the collection days for social welfare claimants in Lucan.

Fine Gael Deputy Derek Keating raised the issue in the Dail last week, with Minister of State John Perry confirming

that the issue had been raised by An Post.

“Lucan post office, which is well-run and efficient with friendly staff who conduct their business in a well-run way, is ideally located to suit the needs of local residents and businesses in the heart of Lucan village,” said Deputy

Keating, “I ask the Minister to give

consideration to the following suggestion that payments be spread over a number of days.”

In response, Minister Perry said that the issues were “important” but had largely been addressed.

Full Story on Page 2

Cooking up a storm: Confey MasterchefsSTUDENTS in Confey College recently clashed in their pursuit of the title of Masterchef.

Each student had to research suitable recipes and the students worked in groups for their pres-entations.

The finals were judged by the principal, Mr Hare, and some of the teachers who teach the tran-sition year group.

The competition was a huge success for all involved.

Full Story on Page 5

FREE GAZETTEGAZETTELucan

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

MMMaaarc

2 LUCAN GAZETTE 22 March 2012

COURTS 23-year-old stole equipment from his own father’s workplace

A 23-year-old, who burgled the fire station where his father works, and stole over €80,000 worth of equipment has been given a three-year sentence with 28 months suspended.

Darren Snee was caught after his father recognised him on CCTV. He had taken his father’s fob key without his knowledge and, along with an accomplice, opened the shutters to remove the equip-

ment, which he then sold on for €600.

Snee, of Oak Court Close, Palmerstown, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to burglary at Dublin Fire Bri-gade Workshop in Grangegor-man on August 26, 2010.

Garda Denis Ellard told prosecuting counsel, John Quirke BL, that the manager of the station called gardai after the break-in was discovered.

Gardai viewed CCTV foot-age at the station and Snee’s father, David, recognised his son.

Snee was arrested and admitted to gardai he took his father’s keys and he was aware of the layout of the station as he had visited it numerous times as a child.

He admitted stealing two water pumps, batteries, drills, boxes of brass and copper, a

radiator and a €4,500 diag-nostic machine for servicing ambulances and fire brigades. The equipment was valued at €83,000.

Snee, who has no previous convictions, admitted to gardai he did not need the money he got from selling the equipment for anything specific.

Gda Ellard agreed with defence counsel, Gerry Burke BL, that Snee “wouldn’t be the

sharpest of individuals” and said he didn’t think he “com-prehended his actions”.

“The accomplice would be a lot sharper and the brains behind the operation,” said Gda Ellard.

“He knew the cameras were there yet he made no attempt to conceal himself,” said Mr Burke. “He acted in a naive manner.”

Judge Martin Nolan noted

that Snee stole “valuable, use-ful and lifesaving equipment” from the fire station and sold it on for the “paltry sum” of €600.

“He took advantage of his father and put him in a very embarrassing situation, betray-ing him in a very amateur fash-ion.”

“It was almost inevitable he was going to be detected,” Judge Nolan said.

Three years for thief who robbed Fire Station

New bins to be placedCOUNCILLOR William Lavelle, Fine Gael coun-cillor for Lucan, has wel-comed the installation, and planned installa-tion, of additional litter bins at locations across Lucan as requested on behalf of local resi-dents.

Residents“In recent weeks I

have met, and spoke, with many residents and community groups to discuss local anti-litter initiatives. On foot of these discus-sions, we have secured installation of new bins outside the Roma takea-way in Lucan Village, as requested by Lucan Tidy Towns, and at Larkfield as requested by the resi-dents association,” Cllr Lavelle said.

He added that further bins would be situated on Castle Road.

“In addition, I have now also secured agree-ment for the installa-tion of further new bins at Castle Road (outside Abbeydale estate) and at the inbound bus stop opposite the lay-by at St. Joseph’s College.

“I hope these new bins will help in the local fight against litter,” he said.

Call to move claim days

WELFARE: KEATING ASKS FOR CHANGE

CALLS have been made to split the collection days for social welfare claimants in Lucan.

Fine Gael Deputy Derek Keating raised the issue in a Dail debate last week, saying that there were numerous issues in relation to the collection of social welfare.

“The number of people collecting welfare pay-ments in Lucan village amounts to approximate-ly 1,200 every week. The current arrangement is that payments are collect-ed by this large number of people on a couple of days every week.

“Lucan post office, which is well-run and efficient with friendly staff who conduct their busi-ness in a well-run way, is ideally located to suit the needs of local residents and businesses in the heart of Lucan village.

“The nearest social welfare office, commonly known as the employ-ment exchange, is in Clondalkin, which is six

km away and there is not a good bus service between the two communities.

“At times, the queue of people collecting pay-ments stretches out onto the street and around the corner in Lucan village in all sorts of weather. I am sure the Minister of State appreciates the fact that, in these times when an increasing number of people are dependent on social welfare payments, this is a far from ideal way to protect people’s dignity and avoid embarrassment, particularly if the weather is inclement,” said Keat-ing, who asked that the days be spread out.

“I ask the Minister to give consideration to the following suggestion that payments be spread over a number of days. This would help the service to be run in a more efficient way.”

In response, Minister of State John Perry said that the issues were “impor-tant” but had largely been addressed.

“The quality of cus-tomer service that people receive at post offices is important to the Depart-ment and to An Post, which has responsibil-ity for that service. The Deputy referred to the high numbers of custom-ers collecting welfare payments at Lucan post office on Thursdays and Fridays.

“The Depar tment is aware that there are instances of queuing at Lucan post office on Fridays, but An Post has advised that there is no abnormal or extensive queuing on Thursdays.

“An Post and the Department have taken a number of measures to address the problems evi-dent on Fridays. Lucan post office now opens at 8 am on Fridays.

“The Department is also examining the scope for moving some pay-ments to alternative col-lection days in an effort to alleviate the situation,” said Minister Perry.

Shave yourselves: Courtney’s Shave or

Dye event raises huge charity fundsTHE ever-popular Courtneys Pub in Lucan held a charity Shave or Day event recently, and they raised a whopping €4,100 with still more donations coming in. Pictured above are Shane, Rob, Nigel, Johhny, Steve, Alan and Mary, the brave souls who volunteered their follicles for the event.

22 March 2012 LUCAN GAZETTE 3

Keating boxes clever DEPUTY Derek Keating has wished Lucan Box-ing Club the best in their event, which will take place this Friday at 8pm.

The boxers of Lucan BC take on the best of Dublin in the Spring-field Hotel, with Deputy Keating extending his congratulations.

“I recently wrote in the Gazette Newspa-per an article related to obesity in young people. I cannot think of a bet-ter way for a young per-son to take care of their health by joining a box-ing club.

“Boxing is one of the great Irish successes in the Olympics and it is clubs like the Lucan Boxing Club that help start young athletes to train, along with giving them a direction in life, which could result in them ending up repre-senting our country at the highest level,” Dep-uty Keating said.

EVENT

Helping hand: Local Muslim group lends their support to Paddy’s Day festivalTWELVE members of the Lucan-based Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, Ireland, volunteered their time and effort for Annual St. Patrick’s Festival event organ-ized by South Dublin County Council.The festival had over 3,000 people partici-pating, comprising adults, men, women and children of all ages. A large number of local community groups and organisations took part in the parade within the Tallaght Stadium. “A number of different tasks were car-ried out by our volunteers, which included serving refreshments to the participants and

teams, bringing participants from and to the performance area, assisting SDCC staff with spectators entering stadium, checking of their tickets, assisting with parking and general stewarding of the festival. “This is our second year running volun-teering with the South Dublin Volunteer Corps and we are very glad and delighted to be part of it. We feel it is our duty to volun-teer and be part of the wider society where we live in order to increase understanding, tolerance and peace. We hope to continue in coming years,” said the group’s spokes-man, Imran Ahmed.

Sistaz to teach Lucan kids

CLASSES: BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT STARS COMING

TWO stars of Britain’s Got Talent, The Bruce Sistaz, will be visiting Lucan Leisure Centre on April 14.

The two sisters, Chloe and Grace Bruce, are famous for their spectac-ular and energetic per-formances of Martial Arts mixed with gymnastics.

This event will be a unique opportunity for Irish fans to train along-side them and learn some of the techniques that have made them the stars they are today.

Chloe Bruce, famous for her Scorpion Kick, ho ld s a Gu inne s s World Record for her speed-kicking and has appeared on numerous TV shows and in mov-ies such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter and John Carter.

She is also a Euro-pean and World Martial Arts champion and has

grown to become one of the most recognised female martial artists in the world today.

Famous for her amaz-ing flexibility and very fast, yet powerful kicks, Chloe has blown up into a world-wide icon, inspiring many other martial artists all over the globe.

Grace Bruce is also a very accomplished mar-tial artist known for her high kicks, gymnastics and also a European champion. Along with her sister, Chloe, The Bruce Sistaz have toured alongside Diversity and performed all over the world.

This is your chance to learn Super Stretching and spectacular kicking from the Bruce Sistaz.

For tickets please call Jimmy on 087 2968021 or Andrew on 087 6528735.

WE HAVE

135,000*

READERS

EACH

WEEK

ADVERTISE

YOUR YOUR

BUSINESSBUSINESS

TO OUR

READERS

CALL

60 10 240

*based on

standard industry

measurements


Get ready to pay bin charges, say councillors� PAUL HOSFORD

LOCAL councillors have reminded residents that bin waiver entitlements end this month.

Clondalkin Labour-party councillor Breeda Bonner said she was con-cerned that locals were not aware of what was happening, adding that a leaflet drop would be tak-ing place in the coming weeks notifying people that the waiver entitle-ments will end on March 31.

“My first concern is that many of these custom-ers are not really aware of what is happening. I raised this issue at the January meeting of the Clondalkin Area Com-mittee of the council. I asked that the council would engage in a public information campaign to

inform their waiver cus-tomers of the fact that they need to choose a bin provider because the free service offered by the council taken on by Greyhound for one year after the privatisation is coming to an end. The council eventually agreed to organise a leaflet drop to all homes in the South Dublin area.

“My second concern is that many of the waiver customers might not themselves be in a posi-tion to research the serv-ices being offered by rival bin companies in order to decide which company is offering the best package for their particular cir-cumstances,” Cllr Bonner said.

The councillor went on to say that she hoped local people would do some research into which

provider would be the best for them.

“I would urge custom-ers to think carefully about which operator suits them best and not just to proceed with their current operator. Signifi-cant differences in cost and service exist between operators, and now that the bin service is priva-tised the customer’s only loyalty should be to the lowest price.

“At time of writing there is no definite time frame for a national waiver scheme. The set-ting up of such a scheme is part of the Programme for Government and it’s being looked at by Envi-ronment Minister Phil Hogan. However, there is no way this scheme will be in place by the end of this month, so I would urge residents who are

currently in receipt of a waiver to choose a bin company to replace the service they now receive.

“If any waiver customer would like information in relation to what is on offer from the various compa-nies, I can send them a copy of the information in leaflet form if they contact me by phone 087 4132627, or by e-mail, [email protected],” Cllr Bon-ner said.

Cllr Bonner was echoed by Fianna Fail councillor Trevor Gilligan, who was particularly upset at the Minister for the Environ-ment.

“This whole episode has been a farce and I reiterate that the Minister fulfils his promise before elections of a national waiver scheme. It begs the question: ‘What does the Minister for Local Gov-

ernment actually do?’ “I’m grateful that

the council is inform-ing every household in South Dublin of the dif-ferent competitors. At least residents feel now they have a choice, but what has the Govern-ment done? Come April 1, 17,000 waivers will be removed. This will not help the Council’s Litter Waste Management plan one bit.”

The council told coun-cillors that the informa-tion would be circulated and be up to date.

“As advised, the cir-culation will be to every household – including those with ‘No Junk Mail’ signs. Please note that the information provid-ed on waste collectors is the current position and may/will change from time to time.”

WASTE COLLECTIONS: WAIVERS TO END ON APRIL 1

AS part of the European Week against Racism, South Dublin County Council’s Social Inclusion Unit and Sports Officer, along with the FAI Football in the Community Development Officers, Rugby Officer and Cricket Officer, will hold a sports blitz in Clondalkin Sports and Leisure Centre on Friday, March 23, and

Thursday, March 29.He event intends to utilise

sport as a medium to high-light the anti-racism theme and to promote cultural integration and social inclu-sion through sport.

The council are targeting second-year pupils in sec-ondary schools in the coun-ty area, and sixth classes in primary schools, with an

emphasis on fair play and equality.

In a statement, the coun-cil said: “One of the main objectives of the council is to facilitate initiatives to

promote integration in the county and it is one of the reasons why we have organ-ised the sports blitz.

“The day is about having fun whilst being conscious

of the need to promote cul-tural integration and social inclusion through sport.”

RacismThe council says that

“discrimination, racism, the intolerance of others is borne out of ignorance. Be it in our workplace, our schools, our homes, our clubs, a willing-ness to learn about others and

to communicate with others is the key to a successful, fair and open society.”

For further information contact Maria Finn, Social Inclusion Officer, on 086 3803060, or email [email protected] or Alison Cas-serly, Sports & Recreational Officer, on 086 8516669 or email [email protected].

Sports blitz for European Week against RacismSPORTS Development officers come together for special event

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

‘Discrimination, racism and intolerance of others are borne out of ignorance.’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Local councillors Breeda Bonner and Trevor Gilligan

GOT A PICTURE?

Call our

NEWS TEAM

on 60 10 240

or email

A GOOD PICTURE TELLS

A GREAT STORY, SEND US

YOUR PICTURES!

[email protected]


� ROSALEEN POWER

PRO

Confey College

MS. NIAMH Condron had a novel idea of get-ting her transition year students interested in cookery, she set them the task of doing Masterchef in the class room.

Each student had to research suitable recipes and the students worked in groups for their pres-entations.

The finals were judged by the principal, Mr Hare, and some of the teachers who teach the transition year group.

The students loved the project and their cookery

skills excelled in the heat of the competition.

As a conclusion to their nine-week Transition-Year module in Home Economics, TY3 recently competed in TY Master-chef.

This was a huge suc-cess and was a very enjoyable experience for all involved. A big thanks to all our judges, Mr. N Hare, Mr. M OByrne, Ms. C O'Byrne, Mr. B Hanley, Mr. M Summerell and Ms. J. Logan.

The winners on the day were – Best Presentation, Paddy Hayes, Seadna Mc Grillen and Calvin Tang; Best Main Course, Adri-an Stegarescu, Markus

Flanagan and Sean Far-rell; Best Dessert, Jenny Brophy, Evelyn Hayes and Marie-Ann Cox; Best Overall (TY3 Master-chefs), Aislinn Ramsey, Aoife Fitzsimons and Clara Hughes

A similar competition was also run with TY1 on Friday, October 21, 2011. Judges on the day were Mr. B Hanley and Ms. R Reynolds.

Winners of TY1 Mas-terchef were: Ian Dow-dall, Tariq Khan and Michael Finglas

It is hoped to have one final Masterchef com-petition with TY2 when they complete the Home Economics Module.

SCHOOL Confey College students vie for the title of Masterchef

A culinary test of skill for the TYs

NCA allerted to areaTHE National Consumer Agency has confirmed that it is monitoring the waste sector in the area.

In a letter to council-lors, South Dublin Coun-ty Council said that the issue had come up on the NCA helpline.

“Further to the con-cerns that you have been raising in relation to cus-tomer service practices in the waste sector, I wish to advise that the National Consumer Agency has informed the council that it has been monitoring developments in the sec-tor and has been receiv-ing contacts through it’s helpline,” the letter says.

“Customers should be advised that the appropri-ate Agency for informa-tion on rights, concerns or complaints processes in relation to the opera-tors is the NCA.

“The council will be placing a link to the NCA website on the Council’s site,” the council said.

WASTE

Transition-Year

students from

Confey College

with their

Masterchef

entries


Pick a place, win the pot SOUTH Dublin County Tourism is offering locals the chance to win €250 on their Facebook page.

Sponsored by SDCT, Think Local and South Dublin County Develop-ment Board, the compe-tition is asking locals to pick their favourite place in South Dublin.

Select from the options and post a photo or a Youtube clip of your choice on their Facebook timeline.

You can pick your favourite local place in South Dublin County, be it a park, a building or a stretch of road, an event or place you have been to in South Dublin County, such as a festival, local gig or a match in any of South Dublin’s parks and stadia, or your favourite local place in the area where you live, with the entirety of Ireland eligi-ble.

The closing date is March 31 at midnight.

PRIZE OPINION Fine Gael councillor gives his ideas

Councillor William Lavelle with Jobs Minister, Richard Bruton

Getting our town working in a tough environment� CLLR WILLIAM LAVELLE

As somebody still in my early 30s, I have seen my generation hammered by unemployment and scattered by emigration but, as a local councillor, I have also seen my com-munity hard hit. Latest figures provided by the County Development Board suggest there are 3,644 jobseeker claimants in the Lucan area.

The recent Action Plan for Jobs highlighted the Government’s prior-ity focus on job creation, and rightly so. But as the Government acts, so must our local authorities. I fervently believe that our councils must continue to play a proactive role; and indeed a more intense role in seeking to support local jobs and economic

development.

Targeting Invest-ment

Ireland has benefited over many decades from foreign direct invest-ment. There is no reason this should not contin-ue. Indeed the stability, both political and fiscal, brought about by the new Government, cou-pled with the energetic selling of Ireland by An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny,

means Ireland may well be on the brink of a new wave of investment, in particular in innovation-led industries.

Microsoft recently announced that it is to invest €97m in a mega data-centre at the coun-cil-owned Grange Castle Business Park in West Dublin. This follows on from other announce-ments by both Google and Pfizer who, between them, are to invest a fur-ther €220m in Grange Castle. However, I feel these announcements may only be the tip of the iceberg. Last year a high-level report estimated that, by 2014, the cloud computing industry in Ireland could be worth €9.5billion and employ 8,600 people. Data cen-tres, such as those being proposed by Microsoft and Google are vital ele-ments of the infrastruc-ture required to support cloud computing.

At last month’s council meeting, I won support for my motion calling on IDA Ireland to prioritise Grange Castle for fur-ther targeted investment in developing the cloud computing industry given its ideal location and the all-important availability of a secure power supply to the business park. With vision and leadership, I believe Grange Castle could become a global centre-of-excellence for cloud computing, includ-ing or both data-centres and spin-off IT enter-prises.

Supporting Entre-preneurship

I regularly find myself meeting with unemployed persons in Lucan who wish to reskill or to use their existing skill-base to set up their own busi-nesses. At present there is a plethora of agencies involved in enterprise and training support. At this month’s council meet-ing I proposed a motion seeking integration and coordination of these functions through estab-

lishment of a single new Local Enterprise Office as recommended in the recent Action Plans for Jobs.

At that meeting I again highlighted the need for new Enterprise Centres, in particular in Lucan, to provide working space for both individuals and start-up companies. I will be intensifying this campaign over coming months.

However, it should be noted that South Dub-lin County Council has already established the Innovation Enterprise Network to provide sup-port for unemployed high-skilled profession-als. There will be an intro-ductory talk in Lucan Library on the work of the network on April 12 at 10am.

Cutting CostsEvery week I speak with

local businesses, and I am acutely aware of their concerns over costs such as council rates and lev-ies.

This year marks the third year in a row in which South Dublin County Council has cut rates. As a Fine Gael councillor I would like to have seen much larger rates cuts. However, even I must accept that the fact we have been able to cut

rates at all marks a signifi-cant achievement. The lat-est 2.4% rates reduction for 2012 was facilitated by a less-than-average cut in the central govern-ment contribution to the council as requested by a delegation of local Fine Gael councillors, includ-ing myself, who met with Environment Minister, Phil Hogan, prior to the budget.

However, another cost is that of development levies. As a local coun-cillor I have consistently argued that commercial development levies act as an unfair burden on local businesses, in particular small businesses, who, despite the recession sought to expand their operations and premises.

Last September I was the first councillor to pro-pose the scrapping of the Metro West development levy scheme and I was delighted the levies were suspended by the unani-mous vote of the council at our October meeting

However, the normal development levies for businesses are still in place. Indeed despite strenuous objections from my Fine Gael col-leagues and I, our council, in December 2009, voted through a 33% increase in these levies. The council

is now, thankfully review-ing this and I would hope that, in coming months, we can reach an agree-ment to reduce the levies.

Promoting Lucan Village

Last November I wrote in this paper on the pro-posal of my Rathfarnham colleague Cllr. Emma Coburn and I to seek to establish a council sup-port programme for our traditional urban centres, including Lucan Village. I am delighted to report that significant progress has been in made in the intervening months. In the coming weeks the council will be progress-ing a project to seek to develop a unique brand-ing for Lucan Village which we can use a basis for promoting our village as a great place to place to visit and do business.

In conclusion, I would argue that the future is bright and there is a lot to look forward to. However, getting there will require hard work and determi-nation. This applies very much to the goal of grow-ing both our national and local economy. As a local Fine Gael councillor I look forward to our coun-cil doing all we can to support local businesses and sustain local jobs.

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

‘We should develop a unique branding for Lucan Village, which we can use to promote.’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


Mobile hearing clinic A MOBILE hearing clinic will be available at the Lucan Shopping Centre, Newcastle Road, this Fri-day, March 23.

The clinic will be pro-viding hearing screenings free of charge, with the state-of-the-art mobile hearing clinic being con-ducted by leading health-care specialist, Hidden Hearing.

Highly-trained

The hearing clinic is a fully-functional modern facility, staffed by high-ly-trained experts and equipped with the latest audiological technology.

The mobile clinic fea-tures testing equipment which can pinpoint exactly what frequencies a person is missing.

The Hidden Hearing mobile clinic will visit the Lucan Shopping Centre from 9.30am-4.00pm. Check www.hiddenhear-ing.ie for details of the mobile clinic.

HEALTH

COMPETITION Three-day festival to find the winner

Search for the 2012 Dublin Rose is now on� LAURA WEBB

THE search for the Dub-lin Rose is now on, and, this year, organisers have changed the format for choosing the capital’s rose, by dedicating a three-day festival to find-ing a Rose that will rep-resent their county at the Rose of Tralee later this year.

Applications are now open and everyone who applies will be featured in the three-day festival in May. “We encourage as many people as possible to enter. The major thing this year is that we put entrants up for the three-day festival at the Carlton Blanchardstown Hotel,”

Dublin Rose co-ordina-tor, Brendan Galvin, told the Gazette.

“We are doing it differ-ently this year; we used to run it on a system where we had heats in differ-ent parts of Dublin, who would then go to the grand Dublin final. We didn’t like that system, so what we are doing now is running a whole Dub-lin festival in the Carlton Hotel in Blanchardstown from May 18-20. There is a selection night on Fri-day, Saturday and Sunday and the Dublin Rose will be picked out of that.

“Instead of girls going out in heats, they will all really come in second place after the Dublin

Rose is selected. We want this to be a fun experience, which allows all Dublin Roses to be involved in it right until the end,” he said.

According to Brendan, the Dublin Rose experi-ence is more than just about getting the title to represent Dublin at the Rose of Tralee festival in August. “The emphasis we want to get across is the amount of fun the girls are going to have. It’s not a competition, it’s not about who is going to be a Dublin Rose, it’s about entering for the whole Dublin Rose experience.

“People see the Rose of Tralee as just being what is on the telly those

Organisers are dedicating a three-day festival to finding a Dublin Rose

two nights, but really it goes beyond that, that is a minuscule side of it. It doesn’t really show the whole story; there is so much more behind it and the big word is ‘friendship’. The amount of friends that are made through this is fantastic, it really is.

“Our job, as Dublin Rose coordinators, is to make sure every girl has a fantastic time. There were four girls last year, who never met each other until the festival, and now they all live together. There

are loads of stories like this. They have a fantastic time,” Brendan said.

Girls aged six to 12 years can also experience the festival by becoming a Rose Bud.

Rose Buds are paired with an International Rose, attend the first tel-evised selection night in the Dome, participate in two Rose parades and take part in their own Gala Rose Bud evening and enjoy the fun of a week-long Rose Bud Summer Camp.

As part of the selec-

tion process, the Gazette is running a colouring competition in associa-tion with Dublin Rose, details of which are com-ing soon.

For further informa-tion on Dublin Rose, log onto www.roseoftralee.ie/centres and click Dub-lin, or find Dublin Rose on facebook for dates of information evenings.

The Rose of Tralee International Festival takes place from August 17-21 and is one of Ire-land’s largest and long-est- running festivals.


PARENTS, students and teachers of Gaelscoil Naomh Padraig, Lucan, biked it to school on Wednesday, February 8, for the launch of their Cycle on Wednesday (la Rothaiochta ar Scoil) (COW) initiative.

Students came from all over Lucan, while a large number gathered at the local Eurospar to approach the school together.

A prize was given to the student who cycled farthest on the day. Sixth class student, Siobhan Ni Scolai, who is a mem-ber of the Green schools committee, cycled all the way from Palmerstown to Lucan and was awarded a new helmet for her great efforts.

On the day, over 62% of students “wheeled it”

to school (cycled, used a scooter, flicker, rollerb-lades or skates). Students are encouraged to cycle to school every Wednes-day from now on. The remainder of the students came to school in a ‘green way’ - school bus, car pool or park and stride.

The school will shortly launch a cycle rewards scheme to further promote cycling on the journey to school. This involves stu-dents taking part in COW days “la Rothaiochta ar Scoil’ and the class with the highest percentage of cyclists each week will receive the much coveted Golden Helmet Award.

The promotion of cycling will form part of the school’s sustain-able travel action plan in an effort to get its fourth Green Flag for environ-

mental initiatives from An Taisce.

Students who showed their support for An Taisce’s Green-Schools’ Travel programme by cycling to school on the day, were accompanied by three members from the local gardai on bikes. The majority of students on the day participated in a “Bling” competition where they decorated their bike, flicker etc, prior to coming to school with recycling material to integrate with the green theme of recycling. Prizes were awarded to those who made a great effort.

During the day the children did fun activi-ties based on cycling, along with students from third class who painted a large banner stating the schools code for cycling:

CELBRIDGE Mill Cen-tre will hold a Family Day on Sunday, April 1.

The jam-packed day will feature a free chil-dren’s magic show in the sports hall at 2pm, free children’s bouncing cas-tle and obstacle course from 11am – 5pm, as well as a small business, craft, health and holistic fair from 11am –5pm.

MarketThere will also be an

outdoor food market, with teas and coffees and snacks available throughout the day.

There will also be free parking in The Abbey car park next door.

For more information, see www.celbridgemi-llcommunitycentre.ie, email [email protected] or call 01 6288556 / 01 6276259.

Family fun day at Mill Centre

EVENT

a clear illustration of the school’s commitment to the programme”.

The overall aim of the Green-Schools Travel programme is to pro-mote sustainable modes of transport to school, including walking, cycling, car-sharing and public transport as an alterna-tive to the private car on the school run.

Since starting the pro-gramme in September 2010, Gaelscoil Naomh Padraig has already car-ried out surveys to deter-mine the patterns of travel to and from school and have held an awareness campaign on sustainable

travel, which included workshops on climate change and travel, and cycle maintenance work-shops facilitated by An Taisce.

Each class has a tree upon which the students put a green or brown leaf representing whether they travelled to school in an sustainable way or not.

The class with the most green leaves over a week are presented with the Golden Shoe award at the weekly assembly.

Gaelscoi l Naomh Padraig is one of 450 primary and secondary schools participating in the Green Schools’

Trave l p rog ramme nationwide.

The ult imate aim of the Green Schools’ Travel programme is to encourage students, parents and teachers to walk, cycle, Park ‘n’ Stride, use public trans-port or car pool instead of using the private car on the school run.

Recent research, car-ried out by UCD Urban Institute, indicates that the programme is having a positive impact nation-ally, with schools, on aver-age, reducing car-based travel to school by 27% over a two-year period (2008-2010).

IT’S YOUR STORY Gaelscoil Naomh Padraig launch

‘Na dean damaiste den domhain cuir do chlogad ar do cheann’ (Don’t damage the world, wear your helmet!) and their overall code on the theme on travel is ‘Na cuir am amu sabhail an domhain inniu (Don’t waste time, save the world today!) In addition, children from fourth class participated in work shops with Aine O’Loughlin on bicycle maintenance.

Aine, Green-Schools Travel Education Officer, commented: “This school has shown an overwhelm-ing response to the Green Schools’ travel message with such a high percent-age of schools cycling and many more walking on the school’s first action day.

“The students, prin-cipal and teachers got into the spirit of the day by supervising all exits from local estates and traffic lights en route to the school as early as 8.30 that morning. The huge success of the day is a credit to the pupils, principal, parents, teachers and Green Schools’ coor-dinator, Redempta Ni Sheoighe.

“The number of pupils who cycled on the day is

Enjoying a wheely - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

‘This school

has shown an

overwhelming

response to

the Green-

Schools travel

message with

such a high

percentage of

schools cycling

and many more

walking on the

school’s first

action day’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The students enjoyed painting their large banner


their Cycle on Wednesday initiative as they bike it to class

fun trip to school


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

N

S

E

WCOMPASSA TITANIC ATTRACTION P19 & 22A TITANIC ATTRACTION P19 & 22DONEGAL DELIGHT P2ODONEGAL DELIGHT P2O SOUTH AFRICA P22SOUTH AFRICA P22

Let Gazette Compass point you in the right direction

when choosing your ideal travel destination

Ga

zett

e

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


N

S

E

W

COMPASSG

aze

tte

Let Gazette Compass point you in the right direction when choosing your ideal travel destination

� 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


N

S

E

W

COMPASSG

aze

tte

Let Gazette Compass point you in the right direction when choosing your ideal travel destination

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,

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

‘The Garden Route is a well-known, ready-made road trip with stunning landscapes’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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

WE HAVE

135,000*

READERS

EACH

WEEK

ADVERTISE

YOUR YOUR

BUSINESSBUSINESS

TO OUR

READERS

CALL

60 10 240

*based on

standard industry

measurements


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.

gazette group

All of your latest local news, sport, features and pictures are now just a click away

.com

ww

w.

LUCANclassifiedsGAZE

TTE

GAZE

TTE

Email us at [email protected]


To advertise, call us now on 01 60 10 240

PLUMBING

DENTAL HANDYMAN

COMPUTERS

HANDYMAN

PROPERTY SERVICES

BATHROOMS

...€300* FOR 12 WEEKS!

YOUR LOCAL GAZETTE FOR THE

BEST LOW COST ADVERTISING

CALL US NOW ON 01 60 10 240

*Excluding VAT. Subject to pre-payment

YOU CAN HAVE THIS ADFOR AS LITTLE AS... !

SOUTH DUBLINCOUNTY COUNCIL

WE Derek and Orla Lamon are applying for permission for conversion of attic to storage includ-ing changing the existing hipped end roof to a gable end wall with 3 no. velux type windows to rear at 21 The Park, Grange Manor, Lucan, County Dublin. This application may be inspected or purchased at the offices of South Dub-lin County Council, Coun-ty Hall, Town Centre, Tal-laght, Dublin 24 during its public opening hours of Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 4:00pm and a submission or obser-vation in relation to the application maybe made in writing to South Dub-lin County Council on payment of the prescribed fee of €20 within the peri-od of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt of the application by South Dublin County Council.

PLANNING NOTICE

15113

CLASSES

BUILDING

ELECTRICAL

PLUMBING

DIVORCE SERVICES

DVD SERVICES

BLINDS

WE HAVE

135,000*

READERS

EACH WEEK

ADVERTISE YOUR YOUR

BUSINESSBUSINESS TO

OUR READERS

CALL 60 10 240

*based on standard industry measurements



GazetteSportSport

Sam on tour

Palmerstown painted blue for MaguireT

O celebrate the official opening of their new flagship paintstore in Super-Valu shopping centre, Palmerstown,

Johnstone’s Paints sponsored kit bags for a number of St Pat’s juvenile teams. The presentation of the bags and the offi-cial opening of the shop was performed by Dublin senior footballer Barry Cahill and St Pat’s Dublin hurling star Liam Rushe, under the supervision of VIP visitor for the day, Sam Maguire.

Members of the St Pat’s minor team with the Sam MaguireJimmy and Aoife Gilbert

Brian Mooney, Matthew Murphy and Ciaran Cullen receive their

new kit bags from Barry Cahill and Gavin Lee at Johnstone’s

The Stagg Family

Rhien Sargeant and John McCrea

Liam Rushe, Gavin Lee, Stephen Hogan, Barry Cahill and Eoin Cullen with some members of the St Pat’s juvenile teams

St Pat’s U-14 camogie players


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


� [email protected]

OVER 45 chi ldren from Lucan Silat Self Defence Club success-fully passed their self-defence grading recently in Firhouse.

The Lucan children’s section of the club opened three years ago, the adult club hav-ing been established in 2000, under the guid-ance of senior guru, Liam McDonald, and gurus, Alan Walsh and Tony Devey, in the Lucan Sports and Lei-sure Centre.

Their hard work and dedication resulted in the rapid growth of the children’s section and, in October last year, due to limited space, it was

decided to expand the club to a bigger venue.

The club has since moved to the new sports hall in Lucan East Edu-cate Together School, which has seen word spread about the club even more, with many more parents looking to enrol their children into the Silat programme.

This new state-of-the-art facility allows the children to train in a more spacious and com-fortable environment.

Silat is a self-defence exercise art form from South-East Asia. Its pri-mary goal is to help chil-dren exercise through martial arts and self-defence training.

Speaking to Gazette-Sport last week, guru

Alan Walsh said: “What makes Silat unique from the other martial arts, is its unique approach to the learning and devel-opment of the individu-al child.

“As every child is unique, individual goals

are set for each child to achieve based on their natural ability and skill level. Every child will find a path that allows them to reach their goals.”

With now over 120 children in its two Silat

Centres at Lucan and Firhouse, the club hopes to expand over the sum-mer with added classes.

For more information, contact Liam on 087 995 6569 or Alan 086 805 9036, or log on to www.urbansilat.com

MARTIAL ARTS: LOCAL INTEREST IN SOUTH-EAST ASIAN FORM

Members of the Lucan Silat Club who took part in the grading recently

Lucan Silat club expandingFastSportMini-motor ace set to begin 2012 seasonLOCAL motor biking prodigy Ryan Quinn will be back in race action in early April when he takes part in the junior class of the Minimoto Championship of Ireland.

The seven-year-old began racing at the same time last year, winning the Junior Novice cham-pionship, and is looking to build on that experi-ence.

The first round will be held at Whiteriver Park, near Collon, in Co Louth.

Ryan will face some stiff competition this year, and his team have been busy preparing his bike and kit for the forthcoming season, as they are set to travel the length and breadth of the country.

Team Quinn have requested that if any local sponsor would like to get on board and have their name advertised on the race van and bike, or can offer any help, no matter how small, to contact Wayne at [email protected] or on 086 360 9286.

in association with


CLUB NOTICEBOARD

ST PAT’S PALMERSTOWN

LUCAN SARSFIELDSTHANK you to everybody who repre-

sented us in the Lucan Patrick’s Day

Parade and made our entry such a

great success.

Please observe the markings in our

car park as one person parking on a

yellow line can cause chaos for every-

one else.

This week’s Lotto numbers are avail-

able on our website, www.lucansars-

fields.ie. Edel Mooney’s team will be in

charge next Sunday when our spon-

sor will be Newcastle Golf Centre.

Our Golf Society outings for this

year are Killeen on April 21, Castle-

warden on May 17, Castleknock on

June 9, Lucan on July 20 (Golf Classic),

Luttrellstown on August 18, Hermit-

age on September 13 and The K Club

on October 6.

The heats for our Sars’ Stars talent

contest will take place on April 14 and

21, with the grand final taking place on

Saturday, April 28.

Our school of excellence takes place

from April 2 to 5 for 12- to 14-year-

olds. Contact you mentor for more

details.

The social initiative group’s liter-

ary pub crawl is this Thusday, March

22, and their trip to Belfast will be on

April 12.

Set dancing classes are every

Wednesday from 8.30 to 10pm in the

function room of the clubhouse. No

experience required.

Our nurseries for boys and girls

born in 2005, 2006 and 2007 are every

Saturday at 1.30pm on our all-weath-

er pitch at the 12th Lock.

THE senior hurlers away in league

this Sunday, March 25, to Naomh

Fionnbarra at 11am while juniors at

home also on Sunday to Parnells at

3pm.

AIB senior football cup away next

Sunday at 11am to St John’s, Ball-

inteer.

Senior camogie away to St Brig-

id’s at Russell Park at 10.30am this

Sunday.

Easter Football Camp takes place

on April 10 to 12 from 10am to 2pm at

a cost of only €20.

You can register on the morning

of April 10 at the clubhouse from

9.45am.

Tickets for next Saturday’s Dubs

double header can be collected at

the clubhouse this Thursday 7.30 to

8.30pm only.

To view our website simply logon

to www.stpatricksgaa.ie

Lotto: Numbers drawn were 1, 6,

13 and 27. There was no winner of

the €9,200 jackpot.

There were no match any three

numbers winners.

The four Lucky Dips winners

were Dessie O’Brien, Maureen Hig-

gins Caroline McKenna and Pat

McLoughlin, who each receive €50.

Next week’s jackpot €9,400.

The draw is held each Sunday

night at 10pm in the Palmerstown

House.

QUIET week on the playing fields

last weekend due to St Patrick’s

Day festivities.

Our ladies were the only team to

take the field with a good win in a

challenge against Round Towers

away on Wednesday night, coming

out on top by two points in a high-

scoring game.

Ladies have challenge match away

to Ballyboden this week.

Training at Westmanstown on

Saturday morning at 9am.

Congratulations to Maria Feen

who had a special birthday last

weekend. Two home games in the

men’s cup competitions next Sun-

day morning, with intermediates

playing Thomas Davis and junior 1s

facing Naomh Olaf, both at 11am.

Training as usual on Tuesdays and

Thursdays at 7:30pm.

Visit http://www.westmanstown-

gaels.ie for the latest information.

If you would like to join Westman-

stown Gaels, annual subscription

is €60 per child and €30 per sibling

thereafter.

Contact us on any Saturda y

morning from 10am at the West-

manstown Sports Centre.

Well done to Keith Corrigan and

his award winning St Patrick’s Day

parade float team. Watch the Face-

book page for pictures of the day.

Great fun!

GARDA/WESTMANSTOWN

Follow GazetteSport on Facebook and Twitter and at www.gazettegroup.com


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

Amy Mc Guinness (Fingallians and Dublin) is chased by Amanda Casey of Monaghan. Picture: GAApics.com

Double disappointment

for Dublin’s dynamos

ALL OF YOUR LUCAN SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 28-31 MARCH 22, 2012

SMILES WITH SAM: Maguire cup visits

St Pat’s Palmerstown for store launch P28 Ga

zetteSPORT


LUCAN boxing club’s Karl Brabazon is hop-ing to make his professional debut on April 14 as part of the undercard to the Irish heavy-weight showdown between Tyson Fury and Martin Rogan.

The former amateur national champion was initially in line to make his paid bow last December, but saw the bout pulled at short notice.

But his trainers, Pascal and Steve Collins, are in talks with Mick Hennessy, of Hennessy Promotions, with a view to adding his name to the “Unfinished Business” card at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast.

Should he get the nod, a potential opponent is likely to be a decent challenge rather than the easy lead-in that most up-and-comers take, as Brabazon looks to make a quick rise up the ladder and become a prospect as quickly as possible.

“This is going to be very tough for me,” he told GazetteSport last week.

“It looks like my opponent won’t be a fight-er who’s going to be an easy win. Pascal and Stephen Collins want to move me as fast as they can through the pro ranks, I’m not going to get easy walk-over fights.

“Each fight is going to be a challenge that will lead me onto a tougher follow-on fight,” said Brabazon.

Title aspirations“The aim is to have me fighting for the Irish

title within the year, a ten-round fight, which can be very tough with my style, being aggres-sive, heavy-hitting and working at a high pace.

“It makes for very exciting fights, but I’ve got to be careful to keep gas in the tank for the later rounds.”

Promoter Frank Warren is likely to use him on the undercards with sparring partners,

Stephen Ormond and Spike O’Sullivan, on their Friday and Saturday live fight shows on the BoxNation channel.

As part of an Irish representation, the aim is to help build up Brabazon’s fanbase, and increase his exposure at big venues to larger crowds.

“It’s very exciting at the moment, fighting out of the Celtic Warrior gym owed by the Col-lins’. It’s the best pro gym down here in the Republic. I couldn’t be working with a better team, the trainers are great, the best pro spar-ring you can get, and Pascal and Steve work with the best promoter in England in Frank Warren.

“Let’s see how far I can go. I’ll take it one fight at a time; it’ll be a tough trip, but I’m going in the right direction at the moment.

“Hopefully, I can give the people support-ing me and watching my career some great fights and nights out and maybe get a few titles underneath my belt on the way.”

Brabazon hopes Brabazon hopes for pro title tiltsfor pro title tiltsLucan Boxing Club star hopes paid debut in Belfast will be the start of long, hard road to future success

Karl Brabazon hopes to secure his place on the undercard of the Tyson Fury and Martin Rogan fight in Belfast next month

LEINSTER’S FINEST:Honour for Fox/Cab football founder P29

Lucan

Documents

lucan post office

minister perry

darren snee

worth of equipment

22mmmaaarc2 lucan gazette

heart of lucan village

deputy keating

collection days