blanchardstown gazette

Riding high: Blanch firm reaches final line-up for business award

Protest disrupts council meeting Hiromi mooney

ALMOST 30 campaigners from the Campaign Against Household and Water Tax disrupted the Fingal County Council meeting this week to stage a protest against the govern-ment’s austerity measures.

Gardai were called to the scene, but no arrests were made.

Cllr Michael O’Donovan (Lab)

said: “The decision in relation to property tax is not the decision of the councillors. That, if it is voted through, is the decision of the Dail.”

Campaigner Eileen Gabbett said: “The councillors are the people on the ground and they report back to the TDs, and the TDs aren’t obvi-ously taking any notice of them. Maybe he should shout louder.”

Full Story on Page 4

ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES ......................6

DUBLIN LIFE ...................11

OUT&ABOUT ..................17

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

SPORT ...........................27

Month XX, 2012

ROADwORThy: Local transport projects get €1.8m investment boost See page 2

Football: Castleknock epic run ends in second replayPage 31

Rugby: Coolmine claim cup double over MalahidePage 32

INSIDE: St Brigid’s National School celebrate opening of their new extension P6

February 14, 2013 Find us on

Blanchardstown • Blakestown • hartstown • coolmine • tyrrelstown • dunBoyne • corduff • mulhuddart • ongar

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padraig McCormack and Paul Rawlins from Celtic Rider, Blan-chardstown, have every reason to look pleased as they have been short-listed as finalists for the SFA National Small Business Awards 2013. The frim are up for

the Outstanding Small Business Award. The event highlights the entrepreneurship, innovation and achievements of small enterprises in Ireland and the winners will be announced at an awards ceremo-ny which will take place in March.

2 BLANCH GAzette 14 February 2013

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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 first 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.

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royAl CAnAl Cycle, walking paths planned

Hansfield Station: Funding will help start work on the pedestrian crossing at the station

€1.8m transport boost to finance d15 projects HiRoMi MooNey

DUBLIN 15 is set to benefit from €1.8 million in funding for a range of public transport projects.

The major funding announcement came this week from Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Leo Varadkar (FG).

The funding will help start works on the new cycle network which is planned for the Ongar-Castaheany area, and on the pedestrian crossing at the new Hansfield Station access road.

Tyrrelstown playground reopensTHe playground at Tyrrelstown has been reopened after a number of incidents of vandalism.

According to Councillor Mary McCamley (Lab), the playground at Park View was closed for about nine months leaving children with-

out playing equipment.According to a council spokes-

person, there have been many instances of “low-level vandalism” in relation to “both playgrounds at Tyrrelstown”.

A number of repair works have

been undertaken by the council.“It appears in this case that there

were ongoing issues with the safety surface of the playground, but these have now been resolved and the playground has now reopened,” the spokesperson said.

Work will also start on the new cycle and footpath along the Royal Canal between Ashtown and Blanchardstown, while detailed plans are being drawn up for the two cycle routes planned for Blanchardstown.

“I’m delighted to con-firm this funding. The schemes will make it easi-er to leave the car at home and to walk, cycle or take public transport around Dublin 15,” said Minister Varadkar.

“The new cycle routes and crossings in the Ongar-Castaheany area should be ready for use by next year. Work will also start this year on a pedes-trian crossing at the new

Hansfield Station access road, while planning has started on two new cycle routes in Blanchard-stown. All of these proj-ects will make a small, but significant difference to local residents,” stated Minister Varadkar.

The projects were submitted by Fingal County Council (FCC) to the National Trans-port Authority, which approved the funding.

Works for the €1 mil-lion Ongar cycling net-work project for the Ongar-Castaheany area will include a toucan crossing, pedestrian and cyclist facilities along the western side of Hansfield Road, access to Scoil

Pobail Setanta / Phibble-stown Centre from north west, and four redesigned roundabouts to improve cyclist and pedestrian movement.

The €500,000 Royal Canal cycling project proposes using the ame-nity within the FCC area as a pedestrian and cycle route, and the reconstruc-tion of the canal towpath between Ashtown and Blanchardstown to a high-quality walking and cycling route.

€100,000 will also be allocated to design and develop two strategic primary cycle routes in Blanchardstown and the D15 environs.

€200,000 will be allo-

cated to the Dublin – Maynooth Rail Level Crossing Project, which will see the design of replacement transport links and traffic manage-ment proposals required for the permanent clo-sure of five rail level crossings on the May-nooth rail line, and the completion of the part eight process for the clo-sure of the Porterstown level crossing, including planning approval for a new footbridge there.

Other schemes in Fin-gal which will benefit D15 include the €250,000 cycle network schemes and the €100,000 traf-fic ramps renewal pro-gramme.

14 February 2013 BLANCH GAzette 3

Tree recycling change a success Changes to the Christmas tree recy-cling service have been described as a success, with a large volume of trees being dropped off.

The Christmas tree recycling service, run by Fingal County Council, changed locations this year following a number of incidents in recent years, including trees being set on fire.

The revised system for Dublin 15 residents gave the option of bring-ing trees to Millennium Park to be shredded.

council

Vatican singles out local man for praisea Dublin 15 man is “honoured and humbled” to have received a medal from the Vatican in recog-nition of his long service in a blanchardstown Par-ish.

Peter Reynolds received the benemerenti medal from the Vatican on Feb-ruary 2 during a special presentation at his parish church st brigid’s blan-chardstown.

Peter has been the organist in the church for many years and has made a lasting impression on everyone he meets.

Commenting on his award, he said he was very “honoured and humbled” to receive the medal.

“i feel shocked to receive it as i was only doing my bit for the par-

ish. i have had many years of enjoyment from playing the organ and have made many wonderful friends,” he said.

he went on to thank his family, wife alice, chil-dren sinead and Patrick, and the choir members without whom, he says his music would be noth-ing, especially Maureen O’hely, Clare Molloy, Carmel Mooney, Richard O’Connell, John Quirke and John Reid.

Peter also thanked all priests he has had the pleasure to know and said he felt he had accept-ing this medal on behalf of the choir, too.

“i have many memories of my association with the choir, including playing at ordinations, anniversary

Masses, Christmas eve Mass and carol services and being a member of the congregation of choirs that played and sang at Pope John Paul ii’s visit in 1979,” he added.

in the parish newslet-ter, Peter was praised by the parish priest, Rev Cyril Mangan, who said his “faithfulness, dili-gence, and dedication are a blessing to generations who worship in blan-chardstown”.

“For over 40 years, Peter and the choir have enriched our liturgical life by their rich repertoire of music as we celebrate the great mysteries of our faith.”

he added, Peter is a “worthy recipient of this honour.

Fair play: Women in the spotlightpiCtured At City Wall space Wood Quay for the launch of The Y-Factor, the new national Women’s Council of ireland youth initiative were, from left, music journalist una Mullally, rap artist Temper-Mental Misselayneous and aoife Campbell, all members of the national Women’s Council Y-Factor project which was launched in Dublin recently. The project aims to empower and support young people to become leaders for women’s equality. The project works with young people through schools, youth groups, young feminist organisations and via social media platforms.

recipient: blanch organist ‘honoured and humbled’ by aWard


Campaigners entered Fingal County Council offices to stage a peaceful protest

Protest held over the property tax Hiromi mooNey

ALMOST 30 campaign-ers from the Campaign Against Household and Water Tax (CAHWT) disrupted the Fingal County Council meeting at the council buildings in Swords last Monday, February 11, to protest against the property tax.

The campaigners arrived around 4.30pm and stopped the meet-ing for approximately five minutes when they entered the building and staged a peaceful protest. Although they could not enter the council cham-ber where the meeting

was taking place, they remained outside the building until around 8pm.

Gardai were at the scene, but no arrests were made.

According to council-lor Michael O’Donovan (Lab), the protesters had megaphones and whis-tles and shouted at the councillors through the glass of the chamber door. He said that he shared a “reasonable exchange of views” with some of the protesters after the meet-ing, and said he “certainly didn’t feel at any stage under threat”.

“The protesters were

council offices Meeting is suspended

WOrk on the upgrad-ing of Hartstown Park is set to continue as the council look to provide more parking spaces at the existing car park.

Management at Fingal County Council is look-ing at the costs involved in providing extra park-ing at the popular park, and say its implementa-tion will be dependent on the capital funding available in 2013.

Last year, much of the work at Hartstown Park was concentrated on the completion of the all-weather pitch and the installation of the changing facilities in conjunction with the various sports clubs using the facility.

The counci l a l so plans to improve the entrance to Hartstown Park at the Blakestown road/ Hartstown road junction and says it is “preparing a plan” for the provision of tim-ber knee rail fencing to prevent parking on the verges and the removal of undergrowth within the park to improve vis-ibility. These improve-ments will take place “early in 2013,” the council added.

uPgrade: Hartstown Park

Bid to provide more parking spaces

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outside the chamber – outside the hall itself, and they were kept out there by our officials. But, some-how, they managed to get into the foyer,” he said.

“One of our officials, I saw him actually pinned up against the door by the crowd as they tried to surge through, and I was a bit upset for him because he’s not a security man – he’s just an ordinary council official, and he didn’t deserve that. So that annoyed me a bit, I have to say.

“The decision in rela-tion to property tax is not the decision of the coun-cillors. That, if it is voted through, is the decision of the Dail. So I did point this out to the protest-ers.”

Campaigner Eileen Gabbett from Blanchard-stown said: “It was very peaceful and there was absolutely no acrimoni-ous conflict at all.

“There was a bit of a scuffle initially when we

went to get in, to stop us from going in, but there was nobody pinned any-where.

“The councillors are the people on the ground, so to speak, and they report back to the TDs and the TDs aren’t obvi-ously taking any notice of them. Maybe he should shout louder.”

Campaigner James Faulkner from Balbrig-gan said: “If the politi-cians aren’t going to come to our campaign, we’re going to go to theirs. We, the anti-austerity move-ment, will now be stand-ing candidates - anti-aus-terity candidates under the Campaign Against Property Tax and Aus-terity heading, in both the forthcoming council elections and the general elections. If they’re not prepared to hear what we have to say as a group of people, we’re going to take the seats from them, and we’ll remove them from power.”

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Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton (Lab) greeted the school’s pupils. Pictures: James Devon

the children waved the school’s flags in excitement

St Brigid’s sports hall finally readyPUPILS at St Brigid’s National School Castleknock recently celebrated the official opening

of their new school extension and sports hall, which was dedicated to the memory of the late local TD and Minister Brian Lenihan (FF).

The extension was 10 years in the making and took 18 months to build. As well as the school’s pupils, the local community can also use the sports hall as it will be a shared resource.

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin conducted a blessing ceremony before school teacher Tony Hegarty addressed guests.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin delivered a speech

gazettegaLLeRIeS

great sPort: sCHooL oPeNs NeW eXteNsIoN

tommy the bus driver

Actor David WilmotCathy Weatherston

the film crew ensured that they captured the best scenes for the new

film. Pictures: Cathy Weatherston

Actor James Nesbitt with Gazette reporter Laura Webb

tHE Gazette caught up with movie stars James Nesbitt and David Wilmot recently as they filmed scenes for the new Irish film, Gold, at St Catherine’s Park. The actors braved the cold

weather in Lucan for the scenes.Wilmot plays the role of Ray who tries to track down his ex-

partner and teenage daughter so that his dying father can see her one last time, but he discovers that his family has built a new life with his former PE teacher (Nesbitt).

Gold is scheduled to be completed by September and released theatrically next year.

LIgHts, Camera, aCtIoN!: goLd fILmINg at st CatHerINe’s Park


Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton (Lab) greeted the school’s pupils. Pictures: James Devon

the school choir performed at the official opening ceremony of the new extension

Have you seen yourself in the Gazette? Buy photos online from only €6.99 at www.gazettephotos.com

Minister for transport, tourism and Sport Leo

Varadkar (FG) was impressed by the school

Mayor of Fingal Cian O’Callaghan (Lab) and Archbishop

Diarmuid Martin were amongst those in attendance

tony Hegarty unveiled the commemorative plaque to the late Brian Lenihan

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NAtALie Burke

Following a successful year in 2012, the Fingal Film Festival has already announced its deadline for submissions for what is expected to be another premier event in 2013.

The festival will take place from May 8 to 10, with the

deadline for submissions being Friday, March 15.

The festival team are already viewing content for this year’s festival, which is due to take place at the odeon Cinema and the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Blanchardstown.

As well as traditional events, new highlights for the festival

will include a showcase of the latest technology and equip-ment demonstrated by indus-try professionals.

A new networking event will also provide filmmakers with a chance to meet with fellow artistic and technical creatives.

Also being introduced at

the 2013 festival is the new Student Award, which is open to short films and documen-taries, as well as a feedback option, where submitted films can receive comments on their project.

This year, oscar-nominated Dublin company Brown Bag Films is supporting the festi-

val by facilitating two anima-tion workshops designed spe-cifically for young filmmakers with a passion for animation.

Managing director of the fes-tival liz Kenny says organisers will be announcing “an amaz-ing line-up” of industry profes-sionals who will be facilitating this year’s workshops. “we are

advising people to keep an eye on the website, as places for these workshops are limited and will fill up fast.”

All filmmakers are encour-aged to submit their work as early as possible. For more information on how to submit your film, please visit www.fin-galfilmfest.com.

Hiromi mooNey

FingAl County Coun-cil has no plans to pro-vide for more allotments in the Dublin 15 area.

T h e a n n o u n c e -men t f o l l ows two motions which were passed by Cllr Michael o’Donovan (lab) at the Castleknock/Mulhud-dart Area Committee meeting last Thursday, February 7.

C l l r o ’ D o n ov a n passed the motions “that the manager give an update on the allot-ment on Powerstown Road” and “that this

committee recommends that the manager report on a plan for allotments at St Catherine’s Park, in the light of the suc-cess of the allotments at Powerstown.”

The council replied that there are a total of 197 allotments in Power-stown, of which 166 are allocated, and are all up for renewal this month. The remaining 31 allot-ments will be offered to those on the waiting list, which currently has 44 applicants.

The council further stated “given the short waiting list for allot-

ments in Powerstown and the likelihood that there might be spare capacity in the Pow-erstown allotments in 2013, the county council has no plans to provide for more allotments in the Dublin 15 area in the near future. Fur-thermore, the adopted Fingal allotment strate-gy does not recommend the development of any more allotments in the Dublin 15 area.”

Reacting to the coun-ci l ’s response, Cllr o’Donovan said: “The suggestion i had was that we would try and find a

site at the southern end of Blanchardstown, because the Powerstown allotments are very much at the north, and are not as accessible to people at the south of Blan-chardstown; for places like Clonsilla and ongar for example, which have quite a big population. [i had hoped] that we could try and look for a few acres within St Catherine’s Park that we could develop for allot-ments and rent them to people.

“if you turned over about four acres for allotments, you would

actually facilitate 60 to 70 people because the allotments are only either a twentieth or a tenth of an acre.

“That’s the sort of site that i was looking for, and i intend to investi-gate further. i think that a second site for allot-ments would actually generate new demand.”

Cllr o’Donovan cited the development plan on public display at present for St Catherine’s Park as a way for people to express their desire for more allotment space.

“i would hope that if there were any allotment

bands at the southern end of Blanchardstown, at places like ongar and Castaheaney and Clon-silla and Hartstown which would be much closer to the St Cath-erine’s Park area, if any of them were interested that they would maybe express an interest before the plan is final-ised.

“in the meantime, i would myself go out and look for a few acres of land there on the site that i think might be suitable, and come back with a second proposal,” he concluded.

Short waiting list means no council move on allotments

dublin 15: councillor callS for more SiteS at St catherine’S park

Viking visitors: marking 18 yearsto celebrate their 18th birthday in ireland, Viking, supplier of office supplies to small and medium-sized businesses in ireland, are on a countrywide tour of some of their long-standing custom-ers dating back to 1994. Among them is CARi in Drumcondra, whose chief executive Mary Flaherty is pictured with Michael walby, director of Viking.

film feaSt highlights to include display of latest technology and equipment

Clown Choir rehearsalsDRAioCHT Theatre will host weekly rehearsals for Hallelujah!, the Commu-nity Clown Choir, with the theatre’s artist in resi-dence Veronica Coburn, from Monday, February 18 from 7pm to 10pm in the main auditorium.

The choir say that they “sing, laugh and celebrate what it is to be human”.

For more details, visit www.draiocht.ie.

Easter sports camp for kidsTHE sports centre at the institute of Technol-ogy Blanchardstown (iTB) will be hosting a four-day Sports and Athletic Development Easter Camp from March 25 to 28.

The camp is suitable for children aged six to 12, and will take place from 9.30am to 3pm each day.

As places are limited, book a place by contact-ing iTB’s sports devel-opment officer Ronan Keaskin on 01 885 1153 or email [email protected].

FastNews

Movie makers alerted to Fingal festival deadline

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testing sample results on ePA site

Council reports no issues with tap water

Councillor Kieran Dennison (FG) who called for the report on water quality

management

Hiromi mooNey

FINGAL County Coun-cil (FCC) have reported that there have been no compliance issues detected in the drink-ing water network in the Castleknock / Mul-huddart electoral area during 2012.

The announcement was made at the Castle-knock/Mulhuddar t area committee serv-ices meeting last week, when Cllr Kieran Den-nison (FG) asked FCC to report on water qual-ity management in the local area in 2012.

The council replied that drinking water in the Castleknock / Mul-huddart electoral area, and in most of Fingal, is produced in the Fingal water treatment plant in Leixlip.

The water is tested and

monitored daily in pro-duction to ensure that it meets the strict require-ments of the drink-ing water regulations, and the Water Services Department sample the water at customer’s taps throughout Fingal every day on a random basis to ensure a good spread of samples.

These sample results are reported to the EPA which oversee their compliance with the drinking water regula-tions, and they produce national reports on each county’s performance, which are available on the EPA website.

FiguresThe 2011 figures are

the latest available on the EPA website, and the 2012 figures are cur-rently being collated.

“I’m quite happy with

FCC bid to take charge of gardensFINGAL County Council (FCC) is continuing with their efforts for Shakleton Gardens at Beech-park in Clonsilla to be taken in charge, and expect this process to conclude later this year.

This was revealed when Cllr Michael O’Donovan (Lab) asked FCC for a progress report on Shakleton Gardens at the Castleknock/Mulhuddart Area Committee meeting which was held last week.

FCC replied that works are

continuing under licence to clear weeds and unsuitable plants from the gardens, and to record plants that remain from the original plant collection.

“I’d like to see the gardens opened to the public before the summer, even if it’s for a few days just to let the public see what an asset it is in what we’re doing. But I’m also conscious of the fact that it has to happen with-in the park’s budget,” said Cllr O’Donovan.

“There are some counties in Ireland that don’t actually have a service whereby they have so many parks and so many sports pitches open to the public, as Fingal does.

“We now have an application in for a grant with the Depart-ment of Tourism. Minister Leo Varadkar has visited it, and has shown a great interest in the work that’s going to be done, so we’re optimistic about a grant there very soon.”

the council’s response in that they are doing spot checks on water quality on household taps, and that they’re getting them tested.

“But the testing is being done by Dublin City Council’s lab, and I would like to think that they would use outside labs as well, just as a reference point and as a back-up to the council system,” Cllr Dennison told the Gazette.

“From time to time … it’s not necessar-ily down to the water coming down from the reservoir – it could be problems picked up along the lines or actu-ally in people’s own water tanks or water

systems. “But it’s something

that I just want to get a bit more detail on, just how many spot checks were taken, and I just think that we should be using other places to test our water rather than just the one labo-ratory all the time.

“If people have a problem or suspect that there may be a problem with the water coming out of their tap, they should contact the council and also their local councillor so that we know about it, and the council will investi-gate any problems that arise – and we were assured that at the meet-ing,” he concluded.

Adult Learners’ FestivalTHE Blanchardstown Area Partnership (BAP) and County Dublin VEC will celebrate the Adult Learners’ Festival 2013 on Thursday, February 28 at 11am at the Fingal Library in Blanchardstown. The festival is coordinated by AONTAS – the national adult learning organi-sation, and takes place nationwide from Mon-day, February 25 to Saturday, March 2. It aims to celebrate the achievements of adult learners, showcase the collaborative work of providers, promote the value of adult learning and provide information about adult learning opportunities. It is suitable for adults who would like to gain a qualification or update their skills and improve their job prospects. For more information, visit www.bap.ie.

FastNews

Spring Break FestivalSAFER Blanchardstown will host their first Spring Break Festival at the Fingal Plaza on Thursday, March 28 from 7 to 10pm. Tickets for this music festival for young people cost €10. For more information, log on to www.facebook.com/BlanchardstownSpringBreak.Further details will be announced in next week’s edition of the Gazette.


Have you seen yourself in the Gazette? Buy photos online from only €6.99 at www.gazettephotos.comGazetteGaLLeRY

TEAM Ireland did us proud abroad as they earned themselves numerous medals competing in the 2013 Special

Olympics World Winter Games held at Pyeongchang in South Korea.

Katherine Daly from Dalkey, County Dublin won a silver medal in the novice

grade giant slalom, and Rosalind Connolly from Portadown, County Armagh won a gold medal in another final at the same divi-sion.

Gary Burton, from Sallynoggin, County Dublin competed in the intermediate giant slalom and won a gold medal.

Olympic triumphteam Ireland’s Gary Burton from Sallynoggin, Co Dublin

team Ireland’s Katherine Daly, from Dalkey

Pat Savill from Mayfield in

Cork whose son played on the

floorball team

Gary Burton with his parents Michael and Mary,

and his brothers Darragh and Dale

Rosalind Connolly from

Portadown, Co Armagh

14 February 2013 Gazette 11

dublinlifelet dublin Gazette newspapers take you on a tour of the news and events taking place across the city and county this week, as well as the latest from our schools

non-profit: Ulster Bank CommUnity impaCt fUnd

new €75k grant now open to voluntary organisationsA new €175,000 grant fund is now open for application by all vol-untary and community organisations in Ireland.

The Ulster Bank Com-munity Impact Fund was announced last week and has been developed through a partnership between Ulster Bank, The Community Foundation for Ireland and The Com-munity Foundation for northern Ireland.

The Ulster Bank Com-

munity Impact Fund is open to all non-profit, voluntary and communi-ty based organisations to support the development of local enterprise activity, financial education and financial inclusion initia-tives.

Successful applicants will be awarded individu-al grants ranging between €1,000 to €40,000.

Applications to the fund will be shortlisted by The Community Foun-

dation for Ireland and assessed by the Commu-nity Impact Fund judging panel.

Speaking at the launch, David Thomas, managing director of Ulster Bank’s corporate banking divi-sion, said: “This is another step in our long-standing relationship with The Community Foundation for Ireland in our support of communities and indi-viduals across the country. Specifically the fund will

enable voluntary organi-sations enhance financial education programmes and foster enterprise in turn creating a more vibrant and progressive economy.”

The application process is open until March 8 and successful organisations will be informed in April. For information log on to www.communityfounda-tion.ie/our-grants/apply-for-ulster-bank-commu-nity-impact-grants.

the €175,000 Ulster Bank Community Impact Fund has been announced by David

thomas, managing director of Ulster Bank’s Corporate Banking Division, and Jackie

Harrison, fund development associate at the Community Foundation for Ireland

featUre p13diary p12 asdfsdaf p27sChools p14

Gaze

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12 Gazette 14 February 2013

dublinlifeGaze

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diary

Late-night kebabs and microwaveable meals are just a few of the staples which feature heavily in the average irish student’s diet, but these culinary crimes have inspired one food company to attempt to revolution-ise student cooking this spring.

italian food brand Sacla are on the hunt for a special Dublin resident – an italian mother – to help educate students and prepare them for life away from home.

She must have pas-sion and a flair for cooking, in order to be able teach the city’s students about the joys and benefit of creating deli-cious dishes.

any italian mothers interested in applying,

who will receive a fee for their time, should send a photo, a picture of their kitchen and the reasons they would like to take part, to samantha.craw-

[email protected].

a look at the lives oF healers on rte a faith healing documentary set to air on Rte in april is currently

looking for contributions from the people of Dublin.

in the forthcoming pro-gramme, the Maccana teor-anta production company will be exploring the many aspects to the tradition of faith healing and will look at the lives of healers, the healed, as well as exploring the understandings of what it is.

ireland has witnessed a huge change in the traditional following of both the Catholic and Protestant faiths, but one element of spirituality and faith remains strong and that is healing.

the documentary is looking for information from people

who have had an encounter with a healer, those who heal or those who have a story to share.

Contact [email protected].

jobs expo makes a return to dublinthe Jobs expo is returning to Dub-lin this weekend following its huge success in recent years.

this year, organisers are promis-ing an even bigger array of jobs for future employees, as companies from ireland and abroad compete over the weekend for the cream of irish jobseekers.

among the employers lined up are Sky ireland, who are looking to fill 600 positions, the Department of health Western australia, which will be recruiting doctors, nurses and health professionals, and hourglass education Recruitment for primary and secondary school teachers.

the exhibition features irish and international job opportunities, free career clinics and topical seminars.

it runs on february 16 and 17 from 11am until 5pm in the hogan Suite in Croke Park.

bid to revolutionise student cooking

piera Campanelle ercole who founded the italian food brand sacla

Easytrip to raise funds for Irish Guide DogsE a s y t r i p h a s announced a charity campaign to raise much-needed funds for the irish Guide Dogs for the Blind (iGDB).

the electronic toll and parking payment service provider will donate €5 to iGDB for every new Easytrip account opened between now and March 31.

the campaign kicked off at the East Link and Dublin port tunnel toll plazas on February 4. Motorists can pick up a leaflet when passing through these plazas and sign up at www.easytrip.

ie or lo call 1890 67 67 68 until March 31.

speaking at the launch of the initiative, Dermot MacEvilly, chief executive officer of Easytrip servic-es ireland, said: “Easytrip is committed to support-ing the friends and fami-lies of irish Guide Dogs for the Blind.

“these dedicated car-egivers commit them-selves to helping people who are blind and vision impaired, and also families of children with autism, to achieve improved mobil-ity and independence.

“We are proud to be announcing this fund-

raising campaign and hope it can contribute to the continued success of the charity. this is only the beginning of what we hope will become a flourishing partnership with irish Guide Dogs for the Blind into the future,” said MacEvilly.

also commenting on the campaign, padraig Mallon, chief executive of irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, said: “We are delighted that Easytrip have chosen us for this promotion. Our staff uses the tags as they travel the country to support our clients and volunteers.

“We know how con-venient and cost effec-tive the Easytrip facility is and would recommend that all motorists who use tolled roads should open an account. When you do, you will be helping us to train and support people who are vision impaired and families of children with autism, everyone wins, now that’s a good deal,” Mallon added.

to find out more on this fundraising initiative check out www.easytrip.ie or for more details about irish Guide Dogs for the Blind log on to www.guidedogs.ie

Jim Geraghty, Eastlink operations manager, with

Dermot MacEvilly, chief executive officer, Easytrip

Services Ireland, guide dog Kirby and Sinead O’Keeffe,

commercial manager, Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind

DONATION: PARKING FEE FIRM BACKS CHARITY Eurovision acts are announcedrtE have confirmed the five acts bidding for a place to represent the nation in the 2013 Euro-vision song Contest.

the five irish acts are Zoe alexis Bohorquez, ryan Dolan, aimee Fit-zpatrick, inchequin and Kasey.

the public got a chance to hear each of the five songs for the first time on Mooney on rtE radio 1 last thursday.

Last November, rtE nominated five mentors who each worked with an act and a song which they believe could be a Eurovi-sion winner.

the winning act will be selected on Eurosong 2013 on the Late Late show on February 22.

FEATURE

14 February 2013 GazEttE 13


dublinlifeGaze

tte

schools

Samantha JakStonyte,

nicole hanratty and

JenniFer evbakhavbokun

St Finian’s Community College

On February 4, 2013, the fifth year Leaving Cert Vocational Programme (LCVP) students from St Finian’s Community College went on a guid-ed tour of Dublin Port, organised by Michael Mooney, the LCVP co-ordinator, organised the visit with head of human resources Pat Ward. The Port Authority were very generous with their time on the day, the students accessed all areas and were treated like VIPs.

They first visited Dub-lin Port Authority head

Getting all-access to dublin Portst finian’s: students visit port authority offices

schoollife

AS PArT of the relaunch of the Dublin Gazette newspapers, we are reaching out to all the schools in our catchment areas to become a closer part of our community than ever before. Schools are the beating hearts of communities, one of the last places around which a community can gather.

We are calling on budding writers and pho-tographers from all of our schools to help fill the pages and, in order to encourage the next generation of journalists and snappers to get involved, we are partnering with Harvey nor-man to present the Dublin Gazette newspapers’ Cub reporter and Cub Photographer of the Year awards.

For more details, contact [email protected], or on 01 601 0240.

Get involved with our new Gazette schools pages office and were shown a

video of the history and importance of the port in Ireland – its past, present and future.

Charlie Murphy, com-munity liaison and media officer at Dublin Port, spoke to the students. He has worked at the port his whole life and is passionate about the port and the local com-munity. He has a wealth of knowledge and stayed with the students all day to answer questions.

The students were then brought to the Customs Office within the port to see how they operate. They were shown another short film about all aspects

of customs control in Ireland – from sea, air and land. For the stu-dents, the most excit-ing part was seeing the portable X-ray machine which can x-ray a truck or container without opening it. The students

then met Molly the sniffer dog who demon-strated her expertise by detecting planted coun-terfeit money carried by an employee mingling amongst the students.

Finally, the students were driven around the

vast port before tour-ing the Harbour Masters Control Centre. This is where all the ships are monitored and controlled in and out of the port.

The students had very positive feedback. Sami Bouakkaz commented: “Customs was fasci-nating, I never thought about how difficult it is to monitor illegal goods and substances coming into an island. The Cus-toms Office do an amaz-ing job considering the challenges they face”

This was another excellent opportunity for LCVP students to see the world at work and make contacts with business.

St Finian’s fifth year students taking a tour of Dublin

Port. Picture: Clara Kinsella


Festival sets out to prove you're never too old to learn bairbre ni bhraonain

[email protected]

AONTAS (National Edu-cation Through Volun-tary Unification) Adult Learners Festival 2013 starts on February 25 and ends on March 2 and adult education groups throughout the country are being encouraged to get involved by setting up an event based around a theme.

During the festival, trainees from the FAS local training initiative in

culture and heritage stud-ies at the national print museum will lead special interactive tours of the museum’s permanent print collection.

The tour will give the trainees the chance to work directly with the public for the first time and show off their new training as they become fully f ledged tour guides.

This is the seventh nationwide Adult Learn-ers’ Festival which has become a focus over the

years for adult education in Ireland. The festival hosts events around the country offering informa-tion, lectures and work-shops for those interested in pursuing an adult learn-ing course.

Any adult learning organisation or group can take part in the festival by holding an event or get-ting involved in the festi-val in some other way.

There is a different theme for each day of the festival.

On Monday, February

the free interactive tour of the print museum has been set up as part of the

learning for work theme in the festival

25, the theme is to cel-ebrate learning, Tuesday. February 26 will be given over to green learning, learning communities will feature on Wednes-day, February 27, Febru-ary 28 will be learning for work while lobby for learning day is Friday, March 1 and the festi-val ends with family and intergenerational learn-ing day on March 2.

According to organis-ers, the week-long festi-val aims to promote the work of and the adult education sector and ensure that adult educa-tion is placed firmly on the political agenda by showcasing all the work done by adult learners throughout the year.

The free interactive tour of the print museum has been set up as part of the

learning for work theme in the festival and will take place on Thursday, February 28 from 11.30 am to 1pm.

If you are part of an adult education organi-sation and would like to involve yourself in the adult learners’ week, you can get more infor-mation by going online to www.adultlearners-festival.com

aontas: promoting adult learning Donate unwanted goodsAgE Action is urging the public to undertake a spring clean this week, and donate their unwant-ed goods to charity.

The national charity for older people currently has three charity shops taking donations of furni-ture, clothes, books, shoes, bric-a-brac, rags and many other items.

“If you’d like to make a donation of stock you can either drop it off at your nearest shop, or alternatively take advan-tage of our collection service which operates within the M50 in Dub-lin,” shop manager Edwi-na Brady said.

To arrange a collection, contact 01 475 6989 or email [email protected].

FEATURE


dublinlifeGaze

tte

business

john lowe

The Money Doctor

THIS week, I conclude my examination of financial planning for each stage of your life, with retire-ment, and start examining insurance.

RetirementWith luck and/or judge-

ment, your debts should

all be paid. You should have a range of assets, not least your own home and a pension fund.

You should have spare cash to indulge your cho-sen leisure activities.

If this is the case, your priorities are likely to include any or all of the following:

Creating an emergency fund; funding any benefits

lost following retirement, such as health insurance or a company car; plan-ning for long-term care; tax planning; investing for income or finding other ways to boost income.

If you aren’t as well-off as you would like, then, naturally, your priority will be making the most of what you have availa-ble and trying to improve

leap into a way to save on transport

Stay focused on finances for life

Car insurance is one obvious expenditure we all attend to. however, there are

many other vital outlays in life that we should also plan and account for.

your situation as much as possible.

This concludes my analysis of the main life stages of financial plan-ning. Next ...

Insurance made simple

Life is a dangerous busi-ness – and so, insurance was born. Every day, all

around us, terrible things are happening.

Some of these terrible things happen to pos-sessions (for instance, houses burn down, cars crash, roofs are blown off, holidays are cancelled because of strikes and bicycles are stolen).

Some terrible things happen to people (for

instance, people fall ill, get hurt in accidents, and die). More in the Febru-ary 28 edition.

Contact John with your

money questions at jlowe@

moneydoctor.ie or visit www.

moneydoctor.ie. John Lowe, Fel-

low of the Institute of Bankers,

is founder and managing direc-

tor of Money Doctor

aDvICe: LOOK at RetIReMent, InSuRanCe

WE ARE all looking for ways to save a few euro these days, and especially when it comes to travel.

To this end, the Leap card has been introduced – a reusable plastic smart card that can be used instead of paper tickets to pay-as-you-go on public transport in Dublin.

A spokesperson for Leap said: “Using the Leap card can save you money. It is up to 15% cheaper than Dublin Bus single tickets paid with cash; up to 17% cheaper than Luas singles, and up to 18% cheaper than DART and commuter rail singles.

“It also works out cheaper than return tick-ets on Luas, DART and commuter rail services.”

Cost-cappingA recent innovation

for travellers in subur-ban Dublin is the cost-capping option for Luas users. If you make lots of Luas trips with your Leap Card in one day or during a week, the Leap system will automatically cap the price so you don’t spend any more than you need to.

Similar functionality is being developed for Dub-lin Bus, DART and Com-muter Rail services and will be enabled shortly.

Other operators, such as Bus Eireann, and pri-vate bus services are being approached to join the scheme.

A wide range of ticket options, such as annual and monthly tickets, will also be made available on Leap cards later this year.

The Leap card is avail-able at more than 400 shops in Dublin, or online at www.leapcard.ie.

COMMutInG

14 February 2013 GAZETTE 17

Happy to be cold for Gold LAURA WEBB

WAKING up on a cold Tuesday morn-ing in February to shoot a scene that sees one man get thrown into the icy waters of the River Liffey hardly sounds appealing, but it’s all in a day’s work for actors James Nesbitt and David Wilmot.

Well, kind of ... the stunt man does most of the work, but Hobbit star Nes-bitt was also planning on making a splash on set by getting pushed into the chilly February waters during a scene being shot in St Catherine’s Park in Lucan last week.

Nesbitt, and Shadow Dancer actor Wilmot, lead an all-star cast for Irish feature film, Gold, which is currently in production.

The comedy/drama, developed by Dublin-based production company Subotica, is about the life of wander-ing loner Ray, played by Wilmot, who desperately tries to track down his estranged ex-wife so his dying father can see his teenage granddaughter one last time.

However, Ray soon discovers his ex has built a new life with his former PE

teacher, played by Nesbitt.Last week, The Gazette went down to

the popular Dublin West Park to get a glimpse behind the scenes and have a chat with some of the cast members.

The scene being filmed at the park involved a stunt man falling into the river and being washed down through the rapids.

Setting the scene, one of the on-set production team members, Anne, explained what was about to happen.

“The two leading actors, Frank (Nes-bitt) and Ray (Wilmot) go for a walk down the river, a little argument hap-pens and one of them falls into the river.

“We have our stunt team ready, water safety [crew] and the ambulance [crew] ready for the scene. Donal, our stunt-

man, is doubling [as] James Nesbitt. He is going in the water, and he will shoot all the way across the river.”

During their rehearsal time, Nesbitt and Wilmot took a moment out to talk to The Gazette about their latest film project.

Nesbitt said he was loving filming the movie, and was geared up and ready for his day ahead.

“It is a beautiful location here [at St Catherine’s Park]; I really can’t wait [for this shoot]. We have been filming for about a week now, and I think it is going to take about five weeks to complete.”

Nesbitt was enthusiastic about the project, saying that the script is “fabu-lous”, and praised his fellow actors and crew.

Continued Overleaf

In talking with The Gazette’s Laura Webb on the Lucan set of his new film, Gold, James Nesbitt praised the production’s location – if not

quite the bitter weather. Then it was back to work (right) as he, and co-star, David Wilmot, prepared to splash in the freezing Liffey ...

OUT&ABOUTMOTORS P23MUSIC P22 ASDFSDAF P27

Never be out of the loop on what’s happening in Dublin! Let Out&About be your guide to all that is stylish, cultural and essential across the city and beyond this weekG

AZET

TE

CINEMA: THE GAZETTE TALKS WITH ACTORS JAMES NESBITT AND DAVID WILMOT

TRAVEL P24

PetsHELP BELLA FIND A LOVELY NEW HOMEDUBLIN Gazette Newspapers has teamed up with Dogs Trust to help find homes for unwanted and abandoned dogs.

Love is in the air, and our Dog of the Week, Bella, is a two-year-old pointer crossbreed. A real beauty – both inside and out – this lady is a clever girl who even knows how to open gates!

Bella’s ideal match would live in an active home with plenty of space for her to be able to run off-lead and stretch her paws. Her pawfect owner would be able to spend time helping her with her socialisation skills and basic training, as she adores learning new things.

As a playful pup, she would cherish a canine companion to keep her company and goof around with, and would be happy to share her new home with big kids, aged 10+.

Please contact Dogs Trust at 01 879 1000. They are based in Finglas, just off Exit 5 on the M50. A map and directions can be found at www.dogstrust.ie, and you can also find them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/dogstrustireland), or on Twitter (@DogsTrust_IE).

THE GAZETTE TALKS WITH ACTORS JAMES NESBITT AND DAVID WILMOT

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‘It is a beautiful location here at St Catherine’s Park; I really can’t wait [for this shoot].’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -James Nesbitt, actor- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

18 GAZETTE 14 February 2013

Ready to make a splash with roles

Perfectly understandably, David Wilmot was relieved that his character only had

to wade into the freezing Liffey a little bit – unlike his co-star, James Nesbitt

GAZE

TTE

OUT&ABOUT Continued from Page 17

“I am working with some brilliant people, including David Wilmot and Kerry Condon [actress from This Must Be The Place, the Sean Penn film that was partially filmed at the Blanchard-stown Shopping Centre], so I am very thrilled to be here. It is lovely.”

Asked if he had filmed in the park before, the Ballymena-born actor said it was his first time there.

“I filmed a lot [in the Republic] years and years ago – it is a beautiful place, but never here. It is cold but very exciting – it’s great to be a part of it.”

Remaining tight-lipped about the film’s storyline, he said all he could tell us was that it’s a “comedy about a family”.

“I don’t think I can say any more ... But today,

we know two people are walking along, and I am getting in the water later, so it’s gonna be a cold day,” he laughed.

A chilly David Wilmot was wrapped up in a duf-fel jacket and hair clip in

his hair to keep it from sweeping in his face. Asked how he was, he bounced about, saying “very cold”.

For him, filming is going well. “It’s hard to tell, but people seem happy. Today is the first bit of snow we have had, and we have to climb into the river.

“I have to wade in a lit-tle, but Jimmy has to go all

the way in,” he said, shud-dering at the thought.

Working together for the first time, Wilmot said working alongside Nesbitt has been “great”, as has working with Con-don and young Game of

Thrones actress Maisie Williams, who plays his daughter.

Their day at St Cather-ine’s Park was set to end at 4.30pm when daylight turned to night, which is a short day for movie mak-ers.

“Working in film, you would work longer hours. Films are like marathons, so it’s sort of an endur-

ance test,” said Wilmot.It seems the test is not

just for working long hours, but also enduring sub-zero temperatures.

“I was thinking about that the other day. I am kind of cold – a lot. I can’t remember the last hot day I worked in. I should sort that out,” joked Wilmot.

Other supporting actors in the production include Eileen Walsh from Pure Mule and Steven Mack-intosh from Small Engine Repair. Gold was written by and is being directed by IFTA winner Niall Heery.

Filming is ongoing in various locations around Dublin since it com-menced on January 30, and principal photogra-phy is scheduled to wrap on March 5.

Gold is hoped to be completed in Septem-ber, and goes on general release in 2014.

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‘Working in film, you would work longer hours. Films are like marathons, so it’s sort of an endurance test’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -David Wilmot, actor- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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

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STYLE

Gazette

“Your health is your wealth” is a very wise old saying, but one of the re-sults of Ireland’s economic woes has been that many people cannot afford to look after their most valuable asset – their health.

Most people don’t realise that there is a proven link between a person’s dental health and their general health. Problems with your teeth or gums can cause serious auto-immunisation diseases of the joints, kidney and heart. Statistics reveal up to half of the children in Ireland have tooth decay by the age of five, but public dental screening service does not start until a child is at least seven.

Baby teeth play an impor-

tant role in helping adult jaws and teeth develop into the right position. If lost early, it can create prob-lems in how the adult teeth align.

KBM Dental is helping to drive down dental costs for Irish people. KBM Dental can offer your child a dental check up for €25 (if you mention this article) which includes a gentle exam of the child’s teeth, oral tis-sues, and jaws.

the centre also offers root canal treatments and tooth whitening. For more info email [email protected] or call the clinic at Grange road retail park, rathfarnham on 4957 844. Centres also located at tal-laght and Skerries.

Look after one of your most valuable assets – your teeth

MONO CHROMECeleBrItIeS like Beautiful Creatures star emmy rossum, Homeland’s Clare Danes and reality superstar Kim Kardashian, to name just a few, are all rocking out the monochrome look that is about to take over our wardrobes (again!) So this week, Gazette Style has found some great looks to show our readers just how good you can look in black and white, without any worries of looking like that 1980s character from Beetlejuice or that zebra out of Madagascar!

health: kbm dental service

Marks and Spencer €40

Awear €50

Miss Selfridge TBA

Penneys €20

Heatons €20

Awear €55

20 gazette 14 February 2013

OUT&ABOUT Gaze

tte

CINEMA

I AM not a man who believes that f i lms, or any entertainment media, need to be scru-tinised for political stance, gender repre-sentations or any other societal concerns.

Yes, there are some artists who like to pep-per their work with their beliefs and opinions, but more often than not, they recognise that their first priority is to entertain.

W hich i s why I believe that Girls is just a very funny sit-com and not a building block of

modern feminism and that maybe it’s okay to enjoy The Impossible without worrying about the colour of the lead-ing family.

Which brings us to zero Dark thirty, anoth-er film which has become more than a film.

It has become a debat-

Zero to complain abouting point in a US presi-dential election, a source of investigation by both the CIA and Department of Homeland Security (who both found that the film makers had not been given access to classified information) and the basis of an argument over the use of torture in war.

Personally, I don’t real-ly care about any of that.

Yes, I believe that tor-ture is abhorrent and the US needs to look at its own rules of engagement, but was I thinking about that during the much-discussed scenes in Zero Dark Thirty? Honestly, no.

Maybe I am missing the point and the film is designed to make you discuss and debate these things, but personally I watch feature films to be entertained, to be told a story.

I believe that docu-mentaries do a better job of raising big issues and that researching a topic is much more valuable than basing an ideological position on what Kath-ryn Bigelow portrays on film.

The fact that it has been buried under all that argument has detracted from the fact that what we do have here is a very, very good film.

Based loosely on the story of the USA’s attempts to hunt down Osama Bin Laden, Zero Dark Thirty is Bigelow’s follow up to her Oscar-winning war film, The Hurt Locker.

Where that film looked at modern warfare and modern warriors, Zero Dark looks at what it took to get the informa-tion on where Bin Laden was hiding acted upon.

Reteaming with Hurt Locker writer Mark Boal, Bigelow is in control from the off here, keep-ing a short leash on the audience, all false trails and slow sequences.

While the film is the subject of much debate about its politics, it actu-ally doesn’t have any.

No political discussion is given to what to do with the intel at the spooks hands, merely that they must act on it.

Whereas most films about spying show the

Jessica Chastain: saving the world while being fabulous

review: Jessica chastain sinGle-handedly brinGs down osama bin laden

OUR VeRDICt:DON’T take it as gospel, don’t get bogged down in its political stances and don’t pay attention to accuracy. Do those three things and you will find an excellent film, a tense thriller and some breathtaking performances. Chastain should find herself an Oscar winner later this month, as her Maya fights to make herself equal in a man’s world. Which is odd because, on current form, she has no equal as an actress.

Director: Kathryn BigelowStarring: Jessica Chastain, Kyle Chandler, Jason Clarke, Chris Pratt, James gandolfini

Film OF The Week: zero dark thirtyh h h h h (15) 157 mins

PaUl [email protected]

rock star elements of the job, Zero Dark Thirty shows the grinding bore-dom and repetition that is involved in gathering

intel.Not to say that the

film is harmed for it by any stretch.

The whole thing is tied

together so tightly that it is strengthened by the slower moments.

But, really, this is Jessi-ca Chastain’s show and she revels in it.

Given the most free-dom of her career by a director who clearly trusts her implicitly, she moves the story on with a frenzied energy and an immediacy that is per-fectly measured.

After announcing her arrival over the last three years, this marks her as a true Hollywood star.

14 February 2013 GAZETTE 21

CINEMA

GAZETTEGAMING

LAND YOURSELF IN A DREAMY SETTINGProteus is a fine example of a “wander-em-up”I MEANT to get around to this PC title sooner – oh well, better late than never, right? Regular readers may note that I’m rather fond of open world “sandbox” games, and Proteus is a creative addition to this niche genre.

Available for €8.99 through Steam, the digital distribution channel, Proteus is an interesting wander-em-up, more experience than game, which sees the player wander through a randomly created island, yet one which, upon each iteration, hosts a number of common features.

By wandering around, different audio soundscapes are triggered, depending on the location and surroundings, and even by the seasons, as it’s possible – and part of Proteus’ charm – to cycle the island through a year.

There’s no goal, no missions, no side quests – just you, the land, odd creatures and sights – but that’s all. Steering away from the “Videogames as art” argument, it’s also worth noting that Proteus’ visually simplistic, yet creatively striking graphics are also memorable, helping to generate an aimless landscape that yet rewards repeat visits.

BYTES&PIECES

SOMEONE once wrote that the problem with horror is that if you write about, say, someone opening a door and find-ing a nine-foot-tall bug outside, the reader thinks: “Ah, how horrible!”

However, at the same time, they’re also think-ing: “Well, at least it wasn’t a 10-foot-tall bug.”

The point is that no matter what you cre-ate and deliver, there’s always a law of diminish-ing returns to overcome when factoring in reader familiarity and expecta-tion with horror, and hor-ror tropes.

This has been the problem with the horri-bly good (and definitely adult-rated) Dead Space franchise, in that each episode, to date, has been a smash hit in blending psychological horror with action in a sci-fi set-ting, yet, in doing so, has been reinforcing gamers’ expectations with what to expect in each game.

For “newbies” to the series, and as a quick recap, following his (mis)

adventures in Dead Space aboard the Ishimura, a giant mining spaceship, unlucky engineer Isaac Clarke found himself hot on the heels of the ship’s Unitologist members – a single-minded cult who, having dug up an alien Marker on another world, led to the deaths of eve-ryone on the Ishimura, including his girlfriend.

Later, Dead Space 2 saw Clarke escaping the Unitologists’ clutches aboard The Sprawl – a vast city complex in space also brought to ruin by the cult, and by the Marker’s strange powers – namely, not just to make most people hallucinate and eventually go crazy, but also to pretty effectively mutate and zombify them in pretty dangerous and grotesque ways.

Now, Dead Space 3 (DS3) sees Clarke return, determined to put an end to the Marker, and Uni-tology, once and for all, using his engineer skills (as in the prequels) to turn whatever he finds on his journey to deadly use, whether that’s machinery or, more often, upgrading mining equipment, raw materials and gear into deadly weapons.

He’ll need them, too, as Clarke faces an awful lot of determined human Unitologists, hideously mutated Necromorphs (um, space zombies), and more, not to mention the natural dangers of a number of fantastical and otherworldly settings, all the while as he deals with other characters and their motivations, some helpful but others not ...

While purists may disa-gree with DS3’s increased emphasis on action – not to mention the dreaded words, “computer-con-trolled partner” for some sections, which carries all sorts of negative conno-tations for many gamers – it’s a fair enough devel-opment for the popular franchise.

There’s still an awful lot of interesting game-play, great locales, crea-tive setpieces (has anyone tired of Zero-G sequenc-es yet?) and engaging aspects to make DS3 a blast upon its recent mul-tiplatform release (where, as always, prices vary in shops).

All in all, despite being a step away from the more rarified horror of its prequels, DS3 is a gaming highlight for 2013.

DEAD SPACE 3: A HORRIBLY ENTERTAINING ADDITION

Sequel is quite a blast

SHANE [email protected]

The galaxy’s unluckiest engineer, Isaac Clarke (inset, above), finds himself jetting

into another awful – in the best sense – adventure in Dead Space 3

LAND YOURSELF IN A DREAMY SETTINGProteus is a fine example of a “wander-em-up”

BYTES

PARENTS everywhere will join my nephews in rejoicing with the news that the next Sky-landers game has just been announced, and is due out some time this year.

Skylanders Swap Force will bring oodles of new characters to the hit series, with inter-changeable top and bottom halves to create even more

gaming fun.A new Swap Force peripheral

will also be released, to facili-tate the new characters, while existing characters can also join in with the next game.

Parents (and hard-pressed uncles) can look forward to tiny pleas of “I just want one more Skylanders, just one!” some time in 2013 ...

EVEN MORESKYLANDERS

Little Green Cars are in the frame for much success this year

IT’s easy to fall in love with you.

So goes the refrain from The John Wayne, the lead single from Little Green Cars Nell Harper EP.

The lifting melodies and insanely catchy chorus have made the song a constant feature on Irish radio in recent months, but the senti-ment can be as easily applied to the young band, who hail from across Dublin’s south-side.

A five-piece whose combined age barely makes a century, Lit-tle Green Cars are the most hyped band in Ireland at the moment and, unlike many recent most hyped bands, Lit-tle Green Cars are

totally worth every last superlative.

The Harper Lee EP brims with a confidence and assuredness that isn’t evident in most bands with twice the experience.

The five-part har-monies are most ly anchored around leads from Stevie Appleby and Faye O’Rourke and Faye says that the band’s current success can be a bit odd at times.

“It has been surreal at times. But I’ve never

been the kind of person who has thought too much about the future.

“I’m doing music now, going to keep doing it til I’m not.”

Typical of the Irish music scene, there have been de t rac-tors wishing to take shots at the band, with much of the criticism aimed at their collec-tive youth, but getting to their current status, signed to Island Records in the UK and Glass-note, home of Mumford and Sons, in the US, has taken some doing.

“It’s been an arduous process to get where we are. We had a lot of labels coming over to watch us before we were signed.

“We wanted to make

music as freely avail-able as possible.

“We are really lucky, lots of labels weren’t the right fit, but now we have a phenomenal team of people around us.

“It’s not about hype or quick releases, it’s about making sustain-able careers.”

While Faye recog-nises that occassionally their age is mentioned, once you get down to brass tacks, all that matters is the music. “You want people to take you seriously and get past our ages.

“But we’re making mature music at a young age, or so I’m told!

“It can be a bit strange because when you’re working at your own

pace for so long you then have to get used to

hitting deadlines.”The band are due to

follow up The Harper Lee EP with the release of their debut album Absolute Zero in April.

Produced by Markus Dravs (Mumford and Sons’ Sigh No More and Babel , Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible and The Suburbs, Cold-play’s Mylo Xyloto), the

album is as anticipated as any other this year, with Faye saying that working with Dravs was a dream.

“When we were asked who we’d like to work with on the album, Markus was a dream producer, the Maccabees Wall of Arms is one of my favourite albums, so when he showed interest, that was really surreal.

“It was great because he wanted to capture what we’d done, not change it too much.

“So we worked with him for four months straight in an isolated farmhouse in the English countryside.

“The album might make people turn their heads.

“I think people will be

intrigued.”With a slot on US

mega-festival Coachella to come in April, a sold-out gig in Dublin’s But-ton Factory on the slate and a place on the BBC’s sound of 2013 list, the next 12 months are set to belong to Little Green Cars, not that Faye is making any plans.

“I’ve never been some-one who plans that far ahead.

“We’re really happy with what we’ve done. Wherever that takes us, it takes us.

“Whether what we’ve recorded connects with three, 10, 50 or 100 peo-ple or more, then that’s great.”

Something tells me it will be a lot more than that.

Cars geared for 2013 PauL [email protected]

22 Gazette 14 february 2013

OUT&ABOUT Gaze

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MUSIC

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

‘It’s not about hype or quick releases, it’s about making sustainable careers’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

14 February 2013 BLANCH gAzette 23

MUSIC

GazetteMOTORS

Sportswagon brings style and sophisticationn CormAC Curtis

OK, so I’m about to turn 40 – that does not mean I’m getting old, practical, settled or boring, but I do have a lot more time for estate cars than I used to.

But there is no reason to dismiss these motors in the way we traditionally have done.

Take for instance the Kia cee’d sportswagon.

It went on sale in Ire-land last October, and I for one started to notice it straight away.

Naturally, it has been put together with all of Kia’s current design queues in mind – the dis-tinctive front grille, the upswept headlight clus-ters and body contours all combining to give the car real modern appeal.

The Sportswagon is the latest addition to the cee’d range – follow-ing the introduction of the five-door that was

launched in May.This is a more sophisti-

cated, more efficient, and more refined car and it delivers a more engaging driving experience than its predecessor

There are no surprises with the interior – quality materials, top-notch build quality, clean lines and very comfortable seats.

While offering the same range of engines, transmissions and run-ning gear as the cee’d five-door hatchback, the cee’d Sportswagon offers increased passen-ger and cargo space, with enhanced practicality.

With a new roof, side panels, rear doors and tailgate, the Sportswagon is 195mm longer (4,505 mm) and 15mm taller (1,485mm), while the 2,650mm wheelbase, one of the longest in the C-segment, is common to all cee’d variants. When open, the new tailgate

the sportswagon is the latest addition to the cee’d range

kia: a more enGaGinG drivinG experience than its predecessor

rises to 1,888mm to allow easy, unimpeded access to the cargo bay.

And while all the extra bits and pieces sound impressive and look the part – I must admit that rear visibility was just that little bit too obscured for my liking. You can cer-tainly get used to it, but given the terrific view looking forward, it was just a pity they couldn’t have squeezed a few more inches of glass in the aft section.

In terms of cargo, the capacity is 39% greater than the cee’d five-door hatchback (528 litres compared to 380 litres) with the rear seats upright and 25% greater with the rear seats fold-ed and the cargo bay loaded to the roof (1,642 litres compared to 1,318 litres). The higher roof-line ensures that head-room is increased, by 21mm (front) and by 2mm (rear).

The model line for new

cee’d in Ireland will com-prise two trim and engine choices. Trim levels com-prise entry level TX and EX - both will be available in 1.4 and 1.6 diesel.

Standard on all models are ESP (electronic stabil-ity program), ABS (anti-lock braking system), BAS (emergency brake assist system), HAC (hill assist control) to prevent roll-back, VSM (vehicle stability management) and ESS (emergency stop signal).

Volkswagen claims number 1 spot for JanuaryVOlKSWAgEN Ireland were the top-selling passenger car brand in Ireland in January according to figures from the Soci-ety of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), claiming the No 1 position with 2,137 registrations, a market share of 12.37%.

Commenting, Paul Burke, operations director for Volkswa-gen Ireland said: “We are delighted with the strong start to 2013, which continues the momentum from

last year. The level of interest in all our model range plus our 3 Offer is very strong. In addition, the new golf has been in huge demand since launch and we expect sales to increase further as supply improves. At the moment we are selling every car we can get our hands on.”

Volkswagen Ire-land’s strong perform-ance is against the backdrop of an overall motoring industry that year to date is 18.54% down on 2012.

NOISEroad

the new golf has been in huge demand

24 blanch gazette 14 February 2013

OUT&ABOUT Gaze

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TRAVEL

Walk through history along the walls of ancient Derry Dave PhilliPs

You can’t mention the winner of the 2013 City of Culture award without being made aware of its complex history of divide. Popularly and historical-ly Derry, but since 1613 officially Londonderry, the name undoubtedly induced palpitations in the City of Culture mar-keting team, who settled on a tilde between the contentious titles to make Derry~Londonderry the focus of this inaugural year.

A year long series of events began in Janu-ary with the Sons and Daughters Concer t which brought home an eclectic collection of per-formers including Snow Patrol, Phil Coulter and The undertones. In the coming months, the city

will host the world GAA congress, an Irish lan-guage festival, the Fleadh Ceoil, and the Turner Prize alongside many smaller festivals and events, giving Dubliners ample opportunities to make the three-hour trip north for an overnight or weekend stay.

one of the first things you should do is take a walking tour of Derry’s walls, which have envel-oped the city centre for 400 years. Martin McCrossan, a local man who first started up the tours over two decades ago, provides an excel-lent commentary on the city through the ages.

An hour walking the walls will take you from the establishment of the 6th century monastery of Colmcille, through the Siege of Derry and the

the Foyle, traditionally a natural border between the catholic and Protestant

communities, can now be crossed via the recently erected Peace bridge

northern ireland: derry~londonderry celebrates its 2013 city of culture win

formation of the Appren-tice Boys, to Bloody Sun-day and the peace and reconciliation work that eventually followed for the community.

From the vantage point of the walls, you can look out over the collection of murals that have become well-known symbols of sectarianism. Some of the murals have changed over time to reflect the change from violence to peace.

The turbulent his-tory of Derry is one that nobody is afraid to shy away from, let alone attempt to forget. The great split in this com-munity and its subse-quent repair is part and parcel of a unique cultur-al identity; and the walk-ing tours and museums dedicated to what has become known as The Troubles have become some of the most popular attractions for visitors.

Staying at a hotel within the walls of the

what to do and where to stay a full list of events taking place

in Derry~londonderry during 2013

is available at www.cityofcul-

ture2013.com.

Rooms are available at the tower

hotel, Derry, from £59 at www.

towerhotelderry.com

tours cost £4 from

www.derrycitytours.com

city is recommended, as so much is accessible on foot. The Tower Hotel is a great central spot as you’ll have everything just a short stroll away.

Derry is full of little streets, arches and alley-ways, so there are a lot of nooks and crannies to explore – one of the high-lights is the Craft Village, a quiet collection of shops and cafes where you can pick up some unique jewellery or gifts. There’s also a great live music

scene in the evenings, with lots of pubs hosting bands. Aside from the Fleadh Ceoil, which is set to make its first bor-der crossing and draw up to 300,000 people to the city in August, there’s also a Hidden Voices festival, and BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend festival on the cards for 2013.

Many of the 2013 City of Culture events are tak-ing place in The Venue, a temporary arena located at Ebrington Square on

a walking tour of Derry’s walls, which have enveloped the city centre for 400

years, comes highly recommended. Pictures: Gavan Donnelly

the banks of the river Foyle, in what was once a British Army base. The symbolic relevance of this is not coincidental.

The Foyle, traditionally a natural border between the Catholic and Protes-tant communities, can now be crossed on the recently erected Peace Bridge, a massive monu-ment to progress that gently twists and turns across the river.

It’s only when walk-ing on this new ground that the rationale of br idging the name Derry~Londonderry with a tilde becomes obvious. There’s a palpa-ble sense of pride in the city and a whole list of reasons to visit.

TRAVELfast

Take a trip of a lifetime to Beijing and ShanghaiIF THIS is your year to treat yourself to the trip of a lifetime, Travel Department could have the perfect escape with a trip to Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai.

Depart April 5 from Dublin to Beijing and return from Shanghai to Dublin with British Airways (via London Heathrow).

Spend five nights at the five-star Legendale Hotel in Beijing on a B&B basis and during your stay, enjoy excursions to The Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall of China and Beijing Zoo, among other places.

You will spend three nights at the five-star Howard Johnson Ginwa Plaza Hotel at Xi’an before spending two nights at the five-star Radisson Pudong Century Park Hotel in Shanghai. Excursions in both Xi’an and Shangai are also included.

Evening meals are included every night in each city. Alternative dates are available including April 18, 23 and May 2 (prices may vary). Priced from €2,099. Visit www.traveldepartment.ie or call 01 6371600.

Derry~londonderry is a 2013 city of culture

14 February 2013 BLANCH gAzette 25

TRAVEL

GazetteHOMES

Home with unique style and warmth Sherry Fitzgerald in Bray are bringing No 4 Oak Glen Park, South-ern Cross road, in the town to the market for the price of €420,000.

This four-bedroom home has been well maintained and extend-ed and upgraded over the years, meaning that the house has a unique warmth and style.

On entering, the hall-way is indicative of the pristine accommodation to follow. The heart of this home is the open plan kitchen/family/din-ing room, which has been extended in recent years.

Flooded with natural light from the various Velux windows in the high vaulted ceiling, it is the perfect area for relax-ing and dining. Double doors bring you through to a study or playroom

which in turn brings you through to the living room at the front which has a lovely box bay win-dow.

A separate utility locat-ed off the hallway is ideal for hiding all evidence of mundane household chores!

A guest wc completes the downstairs accom-modation.

Upstairs there are four bedrooms: two singles and two doubles. Three of the bedrooms have fitted wardrobes and the fourth bedroom has fit-ted shelving and storage.

Master bedroom

The master bedroom is en suite. A hotpress and family bathroom com-plete the accommodation on this level. A further stairs will bring you up to the converted attic. This

space has been cleverly converted to provide a very bright and spacious room.

The property has a cobblelock drive to the front of the house which provides off-street park-ing. It has a wooden gate to the side, giving access to the rear garden, which is laid out with Indian sandstone paving and is the perfect haven for al fresco dining in summer months. The rear garden is bordered with plants and shrubs, and a Barna shed provides outside storage.

Oak Glen Park is only moments from the N11/M50, providing quick and easy access to both the city centre and the sunny south east. A bus at the end of the road will bring you to the Luas or the DArT. Bray

town itself has a charm-ing beach and seafront promenade that appeals all year round. An excel-lent choice of pubs, res-taurants and coffee shops are along the main street and seafront. There is an excellent choice of both primary and secondary schools close by.

Oak Glen Park is a very popular development on the Southern Cross road and has always proved popular with both young and old alike, and this is a home of the highest standard providing spa-cious living accommoda-tion ideal for a growing family.

For more informa-tion and to arrange an appointment to view, contact Joan O’hanlon at Sherry Fitzgferald, Bray on 01 286 6630, or email [email protected]

No 4 Oak glen Park, Southern Cross Road, in Bray is a four-bedroom house on the market for €420,000

the open plan kitchen/family/dining room is flooded with natural light

the cleverly converted attic space

blanchclaSSIFIEDS 26 blanch Gazette 14 February 2013

Fingal County CounCil

Planning permission is sought for Proposed attic roof space conversion with dormer window to side part of roof fitted with obscured opaque frosted glazed stair-well window, dormer win-dow to rear part of roof with all associated internal altera-tions and site development works to dwelling house at 63 Woodview Grove, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 for Suzanne Webster. The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reason-able cost of making a copy, at the offices of Fingal County Council, Planning Depart-ment during its public open-ing hours and a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of a prescribed fee (20Euros) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application.

planninG notice

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Fingal County CounCil

Planning Permission is sought by the Board of Management of St. Phillip’s Senior National School to construct a single storey stand alone structure which will accom-modate 3 x 16sq metre learning support rooms, a raised access area and ancillary work at St. Phillip‘s Senior National School, Mountview, Clonsilla, Dublin 15.The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the planning authority during the public opening hours of 9.30 – 16.30 Monday – Friday at Fingal County Council, Grove Road, Blanchardstown, Fingal Dublin 15. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the plan-ning authority on payment of a fee of 20, within the period of 5 weeks, beginning on the date of receipt by Fingal County Coun-cil of the application, and such submissions or observations will be considered by the planning authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

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dublinsport let the Gazette keep you up to date with all the best local sporting action from around the city as we cover all the stories that matter to you and your communityGa

zett

e

tennis: castleknock man aces estonia test in riverview showdown last week

iosAGAiN stAr wiNs LeiNster titLe: COLAISTE Iosagain’s Siofra Cleirigh Buttner con-tinued her winning streak as she claimed the Aviva Leinster Schools’ Cross Coun-try Championships in Santry Demesne last week.

Cleirigh Buttner won the senior girls race, detaching herself and Linda Conroy from the field by the final lap as both athletes entered the finishing straight. Buttner made the decisive break to win the title.

Mount Anville’s Ella Fennelly showed a clean pair of heels to the rest of the interme-diate girls field as she strode to an impres-sive victory. Isabelle Odlum (Rathdown School) and Isabel Carron (Skerries CC) finished second and third respectively.

mcGee power play critical as ireland win dramatic cup tieCASTLEKNOCK man James McGee cut a dramatic figure last week in River-view following his and Sam Barry’s epic doubles victory over Estonia’s Marek Marksoo and Vladimir Ivanov in the third leg of their Davis Cup tie.

It ultimately proved the vital match as the two countries shared the four singles rubbers on the Friday and Sunday. Sand-wiched in between, the doubles was the epitome of the competition’s attraction, running the gamut of emotions in front of an enlivened capacity crowd at the Clonskea venue.

Initially, it looked plain sailing as Barry played a blinder in the first set while McGee’s two bludgeoned returns forced the key break in the final game, making it 6-4.

The second set followed, 6-3, but the pendulum swung against them as they were unable to break again for another 25 games. Marksoo, without a world ranking but a current University of Sac-ramento tennis scholar, looked all at sea in the opening sets but suddenly found a lightness of foot and deftness of touch around the net to become the key player,

pulling off a string of sharp volleys.Indeed, Estonia were claiming the big

points and raced to the next two sets, both 6-3, to send the rubber to a deciding fifth. Again, Estonia looked to be cruising after an early break of the McGee serve and they extended the lead out to 5-2.

McGee did hold to keep the tie alive before, on Ivanov’s serve, Estonia earned two match points, one of which Barry produced a stunning forehand winner down the line to survive once more.

Those saves got the crowd going and their chants of “break, break, break” grew

louder when Marksoo overhit a volley, bringing Ireland back to 5-4. Barry held and parity remained up to 7-7.

When the crucial break came, McGee let out a primal roar, leaving him with the chance to serve out the match. Two heavy second serves got him to match point and he saw it home with an emphatic ace.

A day later Barry, completed the job with a singles success, 3-2 overall and earning Ireland a date with Finland in round two of the Euro Africa section of the draw.

James McGee and sam Barry celebrate their doubles victory over Marek Marksoo and Vladimir ivanov in the Davis Cup

cyclinG P28sailinG P28 asdfsdaf P27

Fastsport

c o n ta c t sActing sports

editor: stephen Findlater

[email protected]

For more information or to send in news

and photos: [email protected]

Phone: 01 651 6205

Gaelic Games P31


Gaze

tte

[email protected]

GARDA cycling club’s Caroline Ryan has been named in Cycling Ireland’s world championship team as the country has qualified for a record six events.

She has been named in the three-person selection for the event which takes place in Minsk from February 20-24.

She is joined in the side by Skerries-based Martyn Irvine and Eoin Mullen as they finalise their preparation for the World Championships having qualified through the World Cup series.

Olympian Irvine will race the individual pursuit and the scratch race, events in which he took a silver medal at the World Cup in Glasgow last December.

In the colours of his new team, United Healthcare, Irvine is com-pleting his preparation racing in France, before joining the rest of the team two weeks before the competition begins.

Ryan, who is the reigning bronze medallist in the points race, will be racing in the individ-ual pursuit, the points race, and in the scratch race.

That was Ireland’s first medal

at a senior track cycling world championship since Harry Rey-nolds took gold in 1896 and bronze in 1897, a feat made even more incredible by the fact that cycling is the second sport at which she has competed interna-tionally having previously rowed for the country.

Both Irvine and Ryan are aim-ing to place in the top five in the world in their events, which given recent results, is a realistic goal.

Mullen will be racing in his first senior world championship, and is competing in the sprint event.

“Mullen has been based in the

world training centre in Aigle for the past year, and his perform-ances have been consistently improving.

Coach Brian Nugent said: “Eoin has created history by becoming the first sprint rider to qualify for the world champion-ships. This in itself is a fantastic achievement, and it is great to see the new generation of cyclists coming through.

“With Ireland lining up in six events, this is the largest repre-sentation that we have had, and we will be on the hunt for another world medal.”

Ryan hoping to add to world championships medal haul

Garda cycling club’s Caroline Ryan

SPORT

[email protected]

LOCAL sailors abound-ed among the 25 nomi-nees in contention for the Irish Sailing Asso-ciation’s six prestigious annual awards including the premier accolade of the Irish sailing com-munity; the ISA Sailing Achievement of the Year award.

The awards will be presented at the ISA seventh annual awards ball in the Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire on March 2 as hundreds of members and supporters of the Irish sailing com-munity come together.

2012 was an incred-ibly successful year for Irish sailing as 11 sailors competed at the London Olympic and Paralym-

pic Games and dozens of medals were claimed at events around the world. This has been rep-resented in the calibre of nominees.

The female star of Irish sailing, Rathfarnham’s Annalise Murphy, will go head-to-head against two other outstanding nominees for Sailing Achievement of the Year, kindly supported by BHP Insurance.

Fellow Olympians Peter O’Leary and Mala-hide’s David Burrows earned their nod when they won gold at the pre-Olympic Sail for Gold regatta which took place less than two months before the Games at the Olympic venue in Wey-mouth.

But both contenders

will face stiff competition from the third nominee; offshore sailor Damian Foxall who was Watch Captain on Groupama, winner of the 2011-2012 Volvo Ocean Yacht Race.

New to this year’s awards is the collabora-tion between the ISA and Mitsubishi Motors for the ISA Mitsubishi Motors Club of the Year Award. This award will be presented to the club that has significantly developed in raising the profile of the sport, improved safety stand-ards and developed ini-tiatives to grow mem-bership and community inclusion.

Amongst the nominees is the Royal St George Yacht Club which wel-

Murphy heads ISa nominees

SaIlInG: StronG local contInGent up for annual natIonal awardS

LeiNsteR CALL FoR tRio FRom AdAmstowN: ADAMSTOWN trio Hammas Habi, Hannan Mann and Ali Elahi have all been included in the South Leinster train-ing squad for winter cricket coaching ses-sions currently being held at North County Cricket Club.

Six sessions between now and Easter will give the players an opportunity to further their skills and gain selection onto this summer’s Leinster U-17 squad.

As well as playing in this year’s inter-provincial series, games have also been arranged against Aus-tralian schools – St Patrick’s, Sydney and St Peter’s College, Adelaide.

Added to the pro-gramme this year will be two South Leinster versus North Leinster fixtures due to take place on July 24 and 26 at Kilgobbet Park in Cabinteely.

Phoenix’s Thomas Anders, Eoin Cleere and Adam Chester have been named in the North Leinster selection.

FastSport

comed 350 youth sailors from 63 nations to Dun Laoghaire last July as they hosted the Youth World Sailing Champi-onships along with three other Dun Laoghaire clubs. They are up against UCD Sai l ing Club who won the student yachting world cup last November and Wicklow Sailing Club who hosted the 17th Round Ireland Yacht Race during the summer.

Paving the way for future Olympic successes are the incredibly talent-ed youth sailors who are rising through the ranks of the ISA Olympic Path-way Programme.

Among them is Laser Radial sailor Finn Lynch, from the National Yacht Club, who claimed silver at the Youth World Sail-ing Championships last summer giving Ireland its best ever result at the championship.

0He has been nomi-nated in the category of Youth Sailor of the Year, supported by Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company, along with Sarah Eames from Co Down, Dougie Power from Co Waterford and Harry Whitaker from Co Cork. Other awards on the night include Volunteer of the Year, Instructor of the Year and Training Centre of the Year.

Annalise murphy is among the nominees for irish sailing Achievement of the Year

nivea for men cupHartstown Huntstown 2

CIE Ranch 1

peter [email protected]

HARTSTOWN Hunt-stown continued their fantastic run in com-petitions last Friday by seeing CIE Ranch out of the Nivea Cup in a 2-1 victory, with the Premier C team still booked in for tussles in the Regen-cy Cup, the Liddy and their league, where they currently sit top.

“If you told me that we would still be in three cups and sitting on top of the table at this stage,

I would’ve bitten your hand off,” said assistant manager Gary Moore.

“We’ve brought in some new faces and we only have one player out injured, so we want to push for everything as much as we can.”

Darren McGrath opened up the scoring for the Hartstown Park side after the CIE right full failed to deliver an easy back pass to his keeper.

J a r v i s D o o l a n pounced on the short pass and found McGrath in lots of space to finish the move with minimal effort.

Controlling the game, HHFC played at their own pass and when the interval came, CIE had still failed to test Dar-ren Lyons between the sticks.

After Darren McCabe led his side out at the break, they looked the favourites to score next and it wasn’t long before Dan Hannon struck a hopeful ball up the left wing only to find centre forward Andy Carroll, who showed some fan-tastic flair to leave two markers for dead before slotting the ball home.

CIE Ranch’s goal came in fortuitous fash-

ion, coming from an effort struck at specula-tive distance.

Just as Lyons looked to have adjusted his position, Ed Byrne tried to make sure and went to head the ball out of play but instead let the ball skim off his head, giving it just enough momentum to get past Lyons.

“It was a tight result but I don’t think Darren Lyons was tested at all apart from the deflected goal that CIE got late on in the game.

“We’ve reacted well to the loss against Mountview and we beat

Castleknock 3-0 straight after that game to get ourselves back in con-tention.

“Next up are White Eagles on Saturday in the last 16 of the Regen-cy Cup, and even though they’ve been in great form this year, I think we can get the win.

“Then we’ll be on to Liddy cup action before we can get back to the league.

“It’s only ourselves and Donnycarney that can win every match we have left and win the league, and that’s what we want to do,” said Moore.

Quadruple dream still alive

soCCER: HaRtstown movE on In nIvEa foR mEn Cup Run

SporTGazE

ttE

30 BlaNcH gazette 14 February 2013

Fastsport

tHe Ongar Chasers U-15 side beat Mala-hide 43-41 last Sunday in the Dublin men’s basketball board league to move up to sixth place in the division in their maiden season in the competition.The club currently fields two boys teams

but, due to a large amount of interest in the area, the club has also started an academy.For more information on the club, con-

tact [email protected].

new ongar team pick up win over malahide

CHasInG suCCEss

Huntstown Hartstown’s aUl premier c side continue to make waves in the cup competitionsCASTLEKNOCK Celtic’s NDSL U-9s’ first match since December was a tough encoun-ter against Hardwicke FC that produced another win, maintaining their unbeaten run in the league.

It was Hardwicke who made the first breakthrough on 10 minutes. After a flow-ing move, a clinical finish by the Hardwicke striker into the bottom left corner put them ahead.

Celtic responded immediately with a super volley from outside the box by Neil Kirtane bringing out a great save from the Hard-wicke keeper.

From the resulting corner, Brian Carolan scored with a powerful curling shot. Castle-knock began to dominate and pressed home their superiority before half time with the best move of the match.

Dylan Coyne, who was controlling mid-field, passed to Brian Carolan on the right wing. His quick pass found Kirtane who helped the ball on to Dawide Beirnat.

With excellent close control, Biernat set himself up for a low shot to the corner of the net.

Hardwicke were quick out of the blocks in the second half which required some brave tackling by Celtic to keep the lead intact.

This time Richard Ogu was masterful in defence, ably helped by Kirtane. Together they kept Hardwicke at bay. Even when Hardwick got through to the keeper, Gideon Durojaiye was in fine form with three great saves in the second half.

Following a counter attack, a quick throw from the Castleknock keeper to Dylan Thompson on the right of midfield, set up another Celtic attack. Thompson dribbled past two defenders and his pass to Biernat almost resulted in a third goal but it was saved well by the keeper.

Castleknock were dominating and their third goal came from a throw in to Biernat, who passed to Brian Carolan lurking at the back post and he finished with aplomb. 3-1 to Celtic who remain unbeaten this season.

castleknock under-9s continue winning run

Club NotiCeboard

Gazette 14 February 2013 BLANCH gAzette 31

2013 memberships are now due. Any

member with issues regarding mem-

bership can contact our club secre-

tary Mary O’Connor at maryaoc@

hotmail.com.

The club are hosting Strictly Come

Dancing this Saturday, February 16.

Tickets are sold out; however, spe-

cial TV screens will be erected in the

club bar for those who missed out on

a ticket.

The club nursery for four- to sev-

en-year-olds continues every Sat-

urday morning from 9.30am-11am.

New members and families welcome.

Contact Paul on 087 9154748 or see the

website for more info.

New adult members, male and female

are also welcome. Please email info@

stbrigidsgaa.com.

The club lotto this Thursday is in the

Vineyard; the jackpot is €14,600.

Important message regarding vehi-

cle safety now on the club website.

Our junior ladies footballers are on

the lookout for a new manager/coach.

Please see the St Brigid’s GAA coaching

development programme for 2013 on

the website.

Games for all age groups back last

weekend for the boys, U-8 to U-16 and

our adults so here’s hoping for a great

season for all our players.

A celebration evening for our 2012

teams will be on March 1. Well done to

the Feile fundraisers for their excellent

cake and goodies sale on Saturday.

Watch out for our new fitness class-

es and welcome to Damien who is a

brilliant addition to the club as our

high performance centre nears com-

pletion.

Naomh pereGriNe

westmaNstowN/Garda

st briGid’s

GREAT wins for our U-12 and U-14

boys footballers over the weekend.

All adult games were called off due

to weather apart from our junior C

footballers who had a narrow defeat

to St Brigid’s in the cup.

Membership is now due, please

contact your team mentor.

The club lotto was not won, num-

bers drawn were 7, 10, 25 and 27. Next

week’s jackpot is €2,400.

The executive committee would

like to request that members will-

ing to act as mentors with the vari-

ous club minor and adult hurling,

football, camogie and ladies football

teams and also on the various club

sub-committees for the 2013 season

contact the club secretary for full

details.

A FALSE start to new season with

the Cup match against Ballymun

Kickhams rained off. Hopefully, next

Sunday, February 17, things will get

going with two home cup fixtures

both down for 11am.

The intermediates take on Gar-

ristown in the Joy Cup while juniors

are out against St Margaret’s in the

Parsons Cup.

Training continues on Tuesdays

and Thursdays at 7pm. Ladies train-

ing continues on Mondays at 7.30pm

in Westmanstown, Wednesday in

Tyrrelstown gym at 7.30pm and Sat-

urday morning in Westmanstown at

9am.

The Gaels nursery (five to seven

years) runs every Saturday from

10am.

Sessions are held indoors in Crunch

Fitness, Westmanstown for the

duration of the winter. Ask for Ger-

aldine Cullotty.

For the latest information, visit

www.westmanstowngaels.ie.

The U-8s, U-11s and U-13s managed

to fulfill their weekend fixtures and

all started their season with wins.

Westmanstown Gaels fields boys

and girls teams from U-8 to U-16.

New members welcome. Contact

club GPO Declan Jennings for more

information at 085 8006101.

CastlekNoCkANY interested parties please contact

club secretary Lisa on 0861022296 or

by email to secretary@Castleknock.

net by Friday, February 15.

Registrations for the coming year

are still due in, and we would urge

anyone who has not done so to reg-

ister as quickly as possible, because

you cannot be insured by the club,

and cannot train or play any matches

until you have done so.

The nursery is on every Saturday

at 10am, and all newcomers and new

families are more than welcome. Just

contact Brendan at 085 1329397.

Tickets for the the club fashion

show are on sale now. It is on Febru-

ary 28.

football: o’CoNNor salvo powers keNmare wiN

Shane Boland attempts to control the ball under severe pressure Picture: Tom Russell/anoisphotography.com

Castleknock dream run ended in Crokerall-ireland semi finalkenmare 1-17

Castleknock 1-12

[email protected]

THE DREAM final-ly came to an end for Cast leknock in Croke Park last Satur-day as it proved third time unlucky as Paul O’Connor’s 1-8 pow-ered Kenmare into the All-Ireland JFC final.

It brought to an end one of the most endur-ing sagas in recent club history, the sides unable to be separated after extra time both in Cashel and Mitchel-stown over the past few

weekends.The Dublin 15 men

battled back heroically in the second half after trailing by seven points at one stage but the Kerry men ultimately had the clinical edge to claim the tie.

In the f i rs t hal f , O’Connor contributed 1-6 of his side’s decisive half-time tally - they went in at the break leading 1-10 to 0-7.

Castleknock, unsur-prisingly, made a real battle of it in the second half, and with Ciaran Kilkenny knocking over some superb scores, it looked like yet another

tight finish could be in prospect.

Ror y Corco ran ’s goal left just a point in it midway through the second half, but Ken-mare pulled away again and were five clear by the time the game entered injury time.

Cast leknock were given one late, late chance when Corcoran stepped up to a penalty with seconds remain-ing.

His shot was saved, but it wouldn’t have mattered anyway as by then time was all but up and Kenmare held an unassailable lead.

It brought to an end yet another landmark campaign for Castle-knock in their fledgling history, claiming both the Dublin and Lein-ster championship title and will look forward to competing at interme-diate level in the 2013 championship for the first time.

They will do so under n e w m a n a g e m e n t , though, as Tom McCor-mack and his backroom crew made the decision to step down after a draining but hugely rewarding campaign that will live long in the club’s folklore.

[email protected]

BERNARD Brogan led the charge for Dublin on Sunday afternoon with 0-7 when they made it two victories in two at the Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney over Kerry, who they beat convincingly by 11 points, 1-11 to 0-4.

Also in action on the day were Brigid’s men

Paddy Andrews and Phil-ly Ryan, with Andrews starting in the full for-ward line who took three points. Ryan came on as a second half replacement for Diarmuid Connolly to grab a point from a free.

Although the score line showed a very dominant performance from the Dubs, Jim Gavin believed it could have been more

on the day had there been more of a stress put on scoring and shooting in the build up to the game.

“We have a lot of work to do on the training field on their shooting. The quality was questionable at times but I suppose from a coaching perspec-tive at least we created those opportunities.

“But the Kerry defence

played quite well, they were tight on their guys, every time there was a shot going off there was pressure being put on so you have to give them credit as well.”

Dublin may have to make do without Vin-cent’s Connolly after he was taken from the field having sustaining an ankle injury.

Brogan shoots out the lights for Dublin

all of your blanch sports coverage from page 27-31 february 14, 2013

end of an epic: Castleknock’s incredible junior football saga ended by Kenmare in Croke Park p31

GazetteSPORT

coolmine celebrate a try in their spencer cup final victory over malahide in ashbrook last weekend Picture: Voicu Duma

peter carroll

[email protected]

COOLMINE landed a cup double last week-end on a memorable day for the club, the first team landing the Spencer Cup final for the fourth time, while some of the seconds may have pushed themselves up the pecking order as they defeated another Malahide XV in the Jim Byrne Cup final.

In the Spencer tie, David Stacy wasted lit-tle time in getting the Ashbrook side ahead when he was fed the ball from a lineout before opening up his legs and touching down, leaving Donal Crotty a simple kick to convert.

Brian Geraghty played a key role when Malahide were awarded a penalty try on the 20-minute mark to level up the scoring after Coolmine collapsed a number of close-range scrums.

Crotty, though, kept the score board tick-ing over for the remainder of the half with two penalties, leaving the score at the break in Ashbrook at 13-7.

It was Malahide who reacted the better of the two after the interval with Keith Harrell grounding after a lineout and a maul that allowed him to break free and get over the line to put his side ahead, 13-14.

But Coolmine’s running game became much more fluid after going behind and it

was Crotty who kicked his side back into the lead on the 60th minute with a penalty.

Geoff Mullin added to the Coolmine tally with another try on the 72nd minute, but despite Crotty being unable to convert the effort, he made up for it by taking a try of his own before converting in the final act of the game, with the score finishing up 28-14.

“In fairness to Malahide they gave us a very tough game,” said Coolmine manager Kieran O’Callaghan.

“I think our experience made the differ-ence in the end and I hope the lads can take some confidence from this game looking to next Sunday’s Metro Cup tie with St Mary’s.

“It’s going to be a tough assignment for

us, it’s always hard to play Mary’s in their own ground but I think clinching our fourth Spencer Cup will certainly keep us ticking over.

“I was delighted with the backline in the second half of the game and to be honest, I was expecting the win with us playing in a higher division and having the heavier pack.

“The seconds took a win over Malahide as well in their Cup final and they definitely have some very good players and lads return-ing from injury that we’ll be very interested in seeing.”

In a tight game, Coolmine nicked the win 10-5.

ashbrook’s gold mineDublin 15 side win big as they see off Malahide in both the Spencer Cup and the Jim Byrne Cup finals on home turf to show strength in depth

DaviS CuP DOuBleS heROeS: ireland celebrate stunning win over estonia visitors p27

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