Dun Laoghaire

Skiier we go: Katherine’s glory to represent Ireland at GamesDALKEY woman Katherine Daly and Barbara Cahill had the hon-our of holding the Ireland banner aloft at the opening ceremony of the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea earlier this week.

Katherine will put her notable skiing skills to the test as she com-petes in the Alpine Skiing section of the games, joining two fellow Irish skiiers to represent Ireland with their peers at the prestigious games in South Korea.

New bid to tackle suicide praised BAirBrE Ni BhrAoNAiN

A NEW campaign announced this week by Minister of State with respon-sibility for mental health, Kathleen Lynch, to tackle young male suicide in Ireland has been warmly welcomed by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown politi-cians.

The announcement of the Govern-ment’s National Suicide Prevention campaign followed the publication

of a cross-Border report that revealed the suicide rate in Ireland is one of the highest in Europe.

Of the campaign, Councillor Neale Richmond (FG) said: “While there are services available for people suffering from mental health problems, there is a need for greater communication, both to the general public about their ability to offer support, and between the services themselves.”

Full Story on Page 2

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

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

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

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

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

Month XX, 2012

LOCAL ENERGy: DLR’s planning for a year to remember is Gathering pace Page 9

INSIDE: Thar be entertainment galore at a recent production of

Snow White at the Pavilion Page 6

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hEAlTh politicians unite to support move

Following the publication of a cross-Border report that revealed the suicide rate in ireland is one of europe’s highest, Deputy richard Boyd-

Barrett (PBP) said: “the countries with the highest suicide rate increases were those most affected by the recession [including] ireland”

Anti-suicide campaign is welcomed by localsT W O l o c a l D u n Laoghaire-Rathdown representatives have welcomed the news of a forthcoming nationwide campaign against suicide, while expressing their concerns that the high rate of suicide in Ireland may be attributable to the effects of the recession.

The announcement of the Government’s National Suicide Pre-vention campaign fol-lowed the publication of a cross-Border report that revealed that the suicide rate in Ireland is one of the highest in Europe.

Last week, Deputy Richard Boyd Barret (PBP) said: “The coun-

Fire destroys Dalkey secondhand clothes shop BairBre Ni BhraoNaiN

[email protected]

A FIRE that broke out in a sec-ondhand clothes shop, New To You, destroyed the business and an upstairs apartment in Dalkey village last week.

The fire broke out at about 2.15pm last Thursday, Janu-ary 24, and the owner of New To You, as well as all staff from Paddy Power Bookmakers next door on Convent Road, were all safely evacuated.

A spokesperson for Paddy

Power said: “We had some smoke damage to our prem-ises in Dalkey and some wiring issues because of the fire, but we were back open fully the next day at lunchtime.

“Thank God nobody was injured, and everyone was safe-

ly evacuated. There were two or three employees working at the time and the rest were custom-ers.”

Three Dublin Fire Brigade pumps dealt with the blaze over the course of several hours. Nobody was injured.

tries with the highest sui-cide rate increases were those most affected by the recession, namely, Greece and Ireland.

“Is it the case that the policies of cuts and aus-terity are leading directly to the sense of despair and hopelessness felt among young people which is leading to this increase in suicide rates?

Councillor Neale Rich-

mond (FG) agreed with Deputy Boyd Barrett that economic factors and unemployment were adversely influencing the suicide rate in Ireland.

“The downturn in the economy has impacted on suicide rates. Com-mon problems which impact on young men in particular include income, family and peer pressure, failure in school and low self-esteem.”

Cllr Richmond wel-comed the announcement of the suicide prevention campaign, and urged that it be widely publicised.

“While there are servic-es available for people suf-fering from mental health

problems, there is a need for greater communica-tion – both to the general public about the service’s ability to offer support, and between the services themselves.

“Road deaths in Ireland have declined in recent years thanks to a visible and focused campaign. It is my hope that we can see similar results in this area, too.”

Kathleen Lynch, Min-ister of State for mental health, said: “We need to get involved in a massive public information cam-paign, specifically geared toward specific groups. We have gone past the notion of not speaking

about [suicide in Ire-land].

“In the coming year, plans will be in place to have specialist nurses in hospitals so that when someone presents with issues of self-harming and feel they have no option but suicide, these people are trained for interven-tions and follow-up care to make sure the person continues with treat-ment.”

Ciaran Austin, director of services with Console Ireland, the national sui-cide charity, said: “We welcome it absolutely. Statistics are at an all time high, and we need to get the message out there.”

BairBre Ni [email protected]

31 January 2013 DUN laoghaire gazette 3

EU award for local centre bairbre Ni bhraoNaiN

[email protected]

REHABCARE in Dun Laoghaire has won a top European honour in rec-ognition of its standard of service.

The local RehabCare centre won the European Quality in Social Services (EQUASS) award.

Michael O’Connor, general manager of RehabCare, said: “We are delighted to have received [this award] for our cen-tres in Dun Laoghaire.

“The award is a tribute to our committed and flexible staff who each day work to enable the people who attend our services to achieve their goals, what-ever they may be – such as moving into their own home, finding a job or learning how to drive.”

health

Average councillor pay for 2012: ‘€27k’ bairbre Ni bhraoNaiN

[email protected]

THE average earnings for a Dun Laoghaire-R a t h d ow n C o u n t y councillor last year were €27,003, according to local councillor Neale Richmond (FG), who has decided to publish his complete earnings for 2012.

Cllr Richmond issued a statement detailing his earnings and expenses during 2012 “in the interests of transpar-ency”.

Last year, Cllr Rich-mond earned a total of €25,729.72, whereas he calculated that the aver-age total earnings for a DLR councillor for 2012 were €27,003.

On top of a coun-cillor’s gross salary of €16,724.04 were addi-tional expenses cover-ing travel, conferences, mobile phone, training and broadband.

Cllr Richmond’s trav-el and subsistence for attendance at confer-ences for 2012 came to €1,583.41, his confer-ence fees were €615, his mobile phone expenses were €600 and his broadband from August 2010 to February 2012 amounted to €479.

MemberCllr Richmond also

receives a separate annual payment of €851.20 from the Dub-lin Regional Authority, of which he is a mem-

ber. This is not factored into his overall earnings total.

He said: “This pay-ment is for Dublin Regional Authori ty meetings which occur once a month in City Hall. In my opinion, it’s a waste of time.

“We meet to discuss matters relating to the entire Dublin region, taking in all four local authorities.

“There are five DLR board members, but when the local govern-ment reforms are imple-mented in 2014, there should only be a total of eight board members on this authority.

“There are currently 26,” said Cllr Rich-mond.

Clock this: Group calls for action on policy published seven years agoWith help from fellow Mental Health Reform volunteers Hannah Ryan, Stephen Garry, Donal Browne, Kate Purcell, Andy Haughey and Christine Hynes, Aisling Concannon (centre) took the time to help highlight the seventh anniversary of the publication of the mental health policy, A Vision for Change. Mental Health Reform are calling on the Government to prioritise its implementation, with the group’s director, Orla Barry, saying: “It is striking that, despite the Government’s stated commitment to developing community mental health services, the years since the publication of A Vision for Change in 2006 have seen the proportion of spending on mental health serv-ices decrease from 7.2% to 5.3% of the overall health budget.”

politiCs: Cllr neale riChmond (fG) publishes his Complete earninGs

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Councillor Victor Boyhan (ind) requested that the Boundary Commission limit the increase in councillors for

Dlr to 36, rather than 40, as was proposed for the county by the Minister for the environment, Community and

local government, Phil hogan, last year

Councillors give views on boundary changes BairBre Ni BhraoNaiN

[email protected]

DUN Laoghaire-Rath-down councillors have submitted their recom-mendations to the Bound-ary Commission ahead of its report on boundary realignment and potential changes to electoral areas this May.

Councillor Victor Boy-han (Ind) has requested that the commission limit the increase in council-lors for DLR to 36, rather than 40, as was proposed for the county by the Min-ister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Phil Hogan, last year.

At present there are 28 DLR councillors, rep-resenting six wards. Cllr Boyhan said it seems logical to have six coun-cillors for each of the six electoral areas.

Cllr Gerry Horkan (FF)

submitted his opposition to an additional 12 coun-cillors for DLR. He said: “It is hard to imagine that any organisation can be more efficient or effective with a 42% increase in elected members.”

Cllr Horkan submitted that the county be split into two area committees of 20 seats each, and also asked that the commis-sion retain Stillorgan as an electoral area.

“The Stillorgan Local Electoral Area (LEA) includes a very significant commercial and social centre within the county.”

Cllr Richard Hum-phreys (Lab) also submit-ted a recommendation to the commission that the Stillorgan ward be retained.

“It has been in exist-ence since 1985, and although the boundaries are shifting it has its own identity. Its district centre

is a vital part of the county development plan, so it is crucial to retain the Stil-lorgan ward as viable, whether as a six- or seven-seat [constituency].

“I also support the alignment of boundaries with permanent transpor-tation features, as does the county manager.

“The main one is the N11 which currently acts as a separating fea-ture between the two area committees [Dun Laoghaire and Dun-drum].

“I want that to remain in position, and am not in favour of Cllr Marie Baker’s (FG) suggestion to transfer Foxrock into the Ballybrack ward, as it would breach the N11 boundary, cut off that natural relationship and render the Stillorgan ward unviable.”

Cllr Jim O’Dea (FG) said: “As a local repre-

sentative, I don’t wish to lose any constituents who might vote for me in the next election.

“Councillors sim-ply don’t like boundary changes but, in this case, we have to accept that there will be changes.

“Councillors have no say in the changes to be made; we may submit our own recommenda-tions, but the independ-ent commission has the authority to completely disregard the views of any or all councillors on the boundaries of electoral areas.”

The Constituency Commission recom-mended last June that Dun Laoghaire-Rath-down “should form two constituencies, a four-seat constituency to be called Dun Laoghaire, and a three-seat constituency to be called Dublin Rath-down”.

wards Commission set to report in May

EntErprisEnEws

THE word Mentor, originally Greek, means “trusted advisor, friend and confidant”.

Everyone running a small business encounters issues – specific or general – where another view would help, especially if this is coming from some-one experienced who is able to take a detached view.

For this reason, the Enterprise Board has a panel of Mentors who are appointed to small businesses for a series of meetings on a one-to-one basis, to help the entrepreneur through what ever issues are of concern.

The Mentor assigned to the company has a clear objective – to help the owner manager grow and develop skills to enable them to overcome barriers which are impeding the business’ development.

The Mentor is able to give the business the ben-efit of a vast amount of experience, together with an objective view of the issues which it is facing.

The Mentor’s role is to guide and advise on the course of action to be taken in a given situation.The Mentor doesn’t become actively involved in the day-to-day running of the business, nor do they take on a role of an executive of a company.

Typically, an assignment is of six months dura-tion and during this period, the business owner will meet the Mentors five times. Further details on the Mentor Programme, and an application form are available on the Board’s website: www.dlrceb.ie or please call (01) 494 8400

Do you need a friend to help you start or grow your Business?

SUPPORT dUN LaOGHaIrE BUSINESS

Call ThE GazETTE ON 60 10 240

ShOP lOCallY

BairBre Ni BhraoNaiN

[email protected]

T WO branches o f the formal wear hire shop Blacktie in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown are among 11 due to close as the company goes into voluntary liquidation on Friday, February 1.

Both Goatstown and Dun Laoghaire Black-tie branches employ two staff members each and these, along with 46 other jobs, are now in jeopardy.

Owner and Dragon’s Den panellist, Niall O’Farrell, who founded the formal wear company in 1985, has said that the shops will continue to trade until a buyer can be found.

O’Farrell said the eco-nomic downturn, along with market changes, has resulted in the group’s closure.

high ratesHe said the liquida-

tion had come as a result of a “decline in the for-mal wear rental market, increased lower-cost retailers from the high street, higher utility and branch operating costs, and unaffordable high levels of rates”.

As well as Blacktie, the local business commu-nity has also suffered the loss of A1 Computers, a computer shop and serv-ice company in Dalkey which also closed after 22 years in business.

StatementIn a statement, owners

Melanie and Jukka Kove-ro said: “Over the past few years our overheads and taxes increased while our customers have less to spend, and business customers are closing.”

ECONOMy: bLaCktIE jObs LOst

Formal wear outlets to close

6 dun laoghaire gazette 31 January 2013

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

thea de geus with hannah Coleman as Snow White. Pictures: Geraldine Woods

Some of the other cast members

Happily ever afterARCLIGHT Theatre as recently staged

their production of Snow White, as their 10th annual panto at the Pavilion

theatre. The local group’s twist on this classic

fairytale sees the beautiful Snow White

escape from the wicked queen of Foxrock, the hairy huntsman of Glenageary and the seven dastardly pirates of Dalkey.

The audience enjoyed being entertained by the humorous performance, that had a local touch.

biting the Apple: snow white At the pAvilion

orla Byrneniamh Prior and Julie lyons

Sarto Kiernan and Sam Brett Karl o’Sullivan

31 January 2013 dun laoghaire gazette 7


honour: high level of patient care with dr vard

Dr David Vard and his special award with orla

Sheehy, representing Sensodyne

Award for Killiney dentist BairBre Ni BhraoNaiN

Killiney dentist Dr David Vard has received a special award in rec-ognition of his patient care.

Dr Vard received the honour at the Sensodyne Sensitive Dentist awards.

each year, patients from all over ireland can nominate their dentist if they feel he or she has shown special care dur-ing their treatment.

Dr Vard was nomi-nated by his patient, youth worker Melissa O’Halloran, who has attended him for years.

Melissa met Dr Vard 23 years ago after she suf-fered an accident on her bike. David was a dental student at the time and, over many visits to the Dental Hospital, Melissa

regained her confidence.Of the nomination,

Dr Vard said: “i was flat-tered by Melissa’s corre-spondence in nominat-ing me. i try my best to make a trip to the den-tist less daunting, and my ethos has always been to treat all of my patients with the same high level of care.

thankful

“i am thankful for all my patients’ trust, which is steadily built up through clear, sim-ple communication, in a relaxed manner.

“i encourage parents to bring their kids at an early age, so as to make their first visit a pleasant experience. it is impor-tant to build confidence in the dental profession from childhood.”

coding around: fg deputy launches a computer club for local childrenDePUtY Mary Mitchell O’Connor (FG) and Sandra McGuire put their coding skills to the test at the launch of a local CoderDojo at Dun laoghaire institute of Art, Design and Technology recently.

The local deputy was happy to join organiser Sandra

McGuire for the launch of the local CoderDojo club, which as a free, non-profit computer club for children set up in Cork in 2011 sees Dun laoghaire join the ranks of dojos in 24 countries around the world, where more than 10,000 children attend weekly dojo classes.

Top employee award scooped by local residentBlACKROCK resident ludmila yakimova has been awarded the Sodexo UK and ireland employee of the year award.

Of her win, ludmila, who is hospitality floor manager in Davy Stock-brokers in the city centre, said: “i was surprised and amazed to be given such an honour, as i was not aware that my line man-ager had nominated me.”

Social entrepreneurs urged to seek share of €500k fund BairBre Ni BhraoNaiN

[email protected]

lOCAl social entrepreneurs have been encouraged to apply for access to half a million euro of new funding.

The Social entrepreneurs ireland programme is now open for appli-cations for this year’s awards, with a total cash fund of €500,000 available to support individuals with new solu-tions for social challenges in ireland.

Dun laoghaire-Rathdown Fine Gael TD Mary Mitchell O’Connor is encouraging entrepreneurs in the county to avail of the financial sup-port by applying for the grant.

She said: “A substantial sum of €500,000 is up for grabs. This awards programme will see eight social entre-preneurs selected to partake in one of two support programmes – the impact programme and the elevator programme.”

The Gazette spoke to eamonn Fitzgerald, programme co-ordinator with Social entrepreneurs ireland, who discussed the funding applica-tion process.

“impact and elevator are two fund-ing streams for social entrepreneurs. We expect to receive around 200 applications, and that will be reduced down to a final eight candidates.

“These top eight social entrepre-neurs will receive funding at different

levels. The impact fund is the higher grant, and three of the eight finalists will get this grant, which offers direct funding of €130,000 and non-mone-tary support amounting to €70,000.

“The remaining five finalists will receive the elevator grant of €20,000 in direct funding, and a further €10,000 non-monetary assistance.”

As far as the selection process is concerned, Fitzgerald said that the procedure is rigorous and takes vari-

ous criteria into consideration.“Which grant stream [the entrepre-

neurs] get depends on many things, but it comes down to how developed an organisation is. The final eight have to pass through a three-month pro-gramme after they are selected, which assesses their needs and weighs up all the information at hand.”

For further information, see www.socialentrepreneurs.ie. The deadline for applications is February 18.

Imagine winning a story competitioniMAGinOSiTy, the children’s museum based in Sandyford, is launch-ing its first children’s sto-ry-making competition.

What’s The Story aims to encourage chil-dren between three and nine to use their wildest imaginations to create a magical story.

The children can use any medium they choose to tell their tale, from a traditional story format to poetry or even painting.

The competition is a

way to celebrate chil-dren’s imaginations as well as the importance of family time, the imag-inosity team have said.

The competition will be open to all children, anywhere in ireland, to enter individually and there will also be a school’s category open to every school through-out the country.

There are themed categories in the com-petition which will have their own age ranges. Parents are also being

encouraged to ge t involved in the com-petition and help their children to create their masterpieces.

Judges

The panel of judges who will pick the ulti-mate winner includes such luminaries as play-wright and author Peter Sheridan, children’s author Chris Judge, TV presenter Blathnaid ni Chofaigh and more.

What’s The Story will run from February 5 to

March 8, and the win-ners will be announced on April 15.

Winners and run-ners-up will receive a selection of prizes spon-sored by Walker Books, Hughes & Hughes Bookstores, Halfords and Barton’s Coaches, along with prizes from imaginosity themselves.

if you want your child to get involved you can find out more informa-tion from imaginosity on 01 217 6138 or log on to www.imaginosity.ie.


community new funding puts new energy into events

Schedule for the Gathering keeps growing bairbre Ni bhraoNaiN

[email protected]

Director of environ-ment for Dun Laoghaire-rathdown county coun-cil richard Shakespeare is busy organising the logistics of large and small Gathering events set to take place in the county this year.

He spoke to the Gazette about how plans for the diaspora events in DLr were progressing so far.

“the council had 40 applications [for Gather-

ing funding] and six didn’t meet the criteria.

“For the remaining 34, we wanted to add an extra €30,000 [from the coun-cil’s business grant fund] to top the funding up our-selves, as we wanted to help make the events as good as they could be.

“if we hadn’t, each event would only get the minimum grant allow-ance of €500. So, we went to the council to get the additional funding as a matching [financial] exer-cise for the events.

“As well as all of these

personal Gatherings, the council will also be putting on public Gather-ings. the first is Bratacha, on May 9. it’s a flag and emblem event being run by the Genealogy Soci-ety, who will also be help-ing people to search their lineages on the day,” he said.

Bratacha 2013 will be an international sympo-sium on the history, herit-age, culture and identities associated with flags and emblems.

it will be held on May 9, europe Day, and goes on

Donal Connell, chief executive, an Post, leo Varadkar tD, Minister for transport,

tourism and Sport and Jim Miley, project director, the gathering 2013 at the unveiling

of an Post’s new postage stamp celebrating the gathering ireland 2013 at the gPo

until May 11. the three-day symposium is being jointly organised by the Genealogical Society of ireland and the National Maritime Museum of ireland, along with Dun Laoghaire Harbour com-pany and the council.

Shakespeare added: “Bratacha will also cel-ebrate ireland’s eU Presi-dency. and we will plant

herbaceous arrange-ments in all seven or eight colours of the euro-pean flags. We’ll also ask embassies to contribute herbaceous pieces in their own language.”

Shakespeare spoke about the voluntary nature of all Gathering events.

“it’s really a large-scale community activation

programme. i suggested to those putting on events to get their relatives home, that they link it up with a public event and that could be the hook to get people over to ireland.

“We are also trying to get the small Gatherings and the public ones to fundraise for the Forgot-ten irish [charity], in eng-land.”

Dogs for ‘blind’ evening bairbre Ni bhraoNaiN

[email protected]

AN iNForMAtioN information evening for Guide Dogs for the Blind is being held on tuesday, February 5, at St Patrick’s Parish centre in Monks-town village.

the evening is for those who wish to apply for guide dog support for a family member, and there will be a presenta-tion on the night outlin-ing the work guide dogs do.

if you are interested in attending, the evening runs from 8 to 9pm. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet the local guide dog team, sign up to volunteer for fundraising activities, or simply to learn more about the service.

Support


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

HUNDREDS of people gathered outside the Savoy Cinema in Dublin recently to get a glimpse of the star-studded red carpet at the European premiere of Lin-

coln. World famous director Steven Spielberg and the film’s lead actor, Daniel Day-Lewis, were joined at the screening

with guests including U2’s Bono and the Edge, Chris de Burgh, Rosanna Davison and Olympic gold medallist Katie Taylor. Some of the guests later went to the Burlington Hotel where props from the film were auctioned off in aid of the Wicklow Hospice Foundation.

Lights, camera, action! Watch out for Spielberg

Daniel Day-lewis, Sally Field and director Steven Spielberg

President Michael D higgins and his wife Sabina rosanna Davison with her parents, Diane and Chris de Burgh

Shane Byrne and his wife Caroline

Shane Macgowan and Victoria Clarke

oliver Callan with his sister, aine

olympic boxing gold medallist Katie taylor with her

parents Peter and Brigid

31 January 2013 Gazette 11

dublinlifeGa

zett

e

let 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

centenary: events should be marked in ‘appropriate fashion’

descendants of 1916 heroes call for creation of museum paul hosford

The direct descendants of two of the leaders of the 1916 Rising have called on Taoiseach, enda Kenny, the Minister for Arts and Culture, Jimmy Deeni-han, and the Minister for Finance, Michael Noo-nan, to back their pro-posal for the the creation of a 1916 Museum at 16 Moore Street. The group is also calling for the site’s National Monument sta-

tus to be protected.The group want the premises to be ready so that the museum can be delivered in time for the 1916 centenary.

The members of the descendants group include Nuala O’Rahilly-Price, the granddaughter of The O’Rahilly, the only leader of the Rising to be killed in action. he died on what is now O’Rahilly Parade, just off Moore Street.

Also in the group is John Connolly, the son of Roddy Connolly, a former Labour TD for Louth and grandson of James Con-nolly, who was the de facto leader of the rising.

The O’Rahilly and both Connollys were present in the GPO in easter 1916.

John Connolly said that the museum would be a lasting legacy of a pivotal moment in Irish history.

“We want the centenary of 1916 to be marked with

a lasting legacy, not just another passing parade. The proposed museum will be the centrepiece of an enduring legacy for our citizens and for visi-tors alike.”

Ms O’Rahilly-Price added; “The pivotal events of 1916 need to be marked in an appropriate and fitting fashion.”

T h e g r o u p a l s o launched a newwebsite www.1916rebellion muse-um.com

Nuala o’rahilly price and John Connolly, grandson of James Connolly, with members

of the save No 16 Committee and Moore street traders’ association at the launch of a

new website and virtual tour for a proposed museum. Photograph: Eric Luke

feature p14diary p12 asdfsdaf p27business p16

12 Gazette 31 January 2013

dublinlifeGaze

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diary

Healthy way to cook and eat

award-winning chef Neven Maguire was joined by Sophie Sherlock from

Collegiate Grammar School and tully Irvine from Portora Royal School,

enniskillen, to launch safefood’s take away My Way cookery competition for post-

primary students

StudentS from across dublin have been invited to take part in the take-away My Way contest once again this year.

t h e n a t i o n w i d e schools cookery com-petition, which was launched by award-winning chef neven Maguire, along with Safefood and St Angela’s College in Sligo, chal-lenges post-primary stu-dents to cook a healthier version of their favourite takeaway dishes.

now in its third year, the competition is open to al l post-primary school students, includ-ing students in Youth-reach centres.

Launching the com-petition, Fiona Gilligan, director, marketing and

communications Safe-food, said: “Learning to cook and eat healthily are skills that can last students a lifetime and we would encourage all students, whether study-ing home economics or not, to grab an apron, pick their favourite take-away dish, show us their passion for food and enter the competition.”

to enter, students can submit their recipe online at www.safefood.eu/takeawaymyway or complete and return by post the entry form sent to their school before February 22.

JIGS aNd ReelS GuaRaNteed to Get you MovINGIF you are looking for

something a little differ-ent and bit more ener-getic this Valentine’s day, then a Gathering event called Ceili for

Valentine’s could be just up your street.

You and your beloved can dance the night away to a live ceili band and, whether you are a set dancing aficio-nado or just like to leap around, the craic is sure to be mighty.

As well as live music from traditional Arts Col-lective (tAC), there will also be sean nos dancing displays on the night.

tAC’s aim is to bring ceili back with jigs and reels guaranteed to get you moving.

Special guest for the night will be Amaliya Morgan-Brown from Bandon, Oregon in the uSA – named after Ban-don in Co Cork.

the entrance fee is €10 at the Grand Social, 35 Lower Liffey Street on Valentine’s night from 8pm to 11.55pm.

CallING all voluNteeRS foR lollIPoP dayWIth just one month to go until the 12th annual Lollipop day, the Oesophageal Can-

cer Fund (OCF) is call-ing for the help of vol-unteers across dublin this February.

Lollipop day sees thousands of people selling lollipops for €2 nationwide every year, in an effort to raise vital funds for oesophageal cancer research, and the OCF are seeking the help of volunteers on Friday, February 22 and Saturday 23, 2013.

“We are very fortu-nate to have an ever-increasing number of dedicated volunteers, all of whom make Lol-lipop day a success every year,” said noelle Ryan, chairperson of the OCF.

“But we still need more volunteers, so if anyone or any group is interested in helping out, please contact us on www.lolli-popday.ie or on Lollipop day’s Facebook or twitter page.”

For more informa-tion on Lollipop day, to volunteer or to make a donation, go to www.lollipopday.ie or, to vol-unteer in dublin call Sara on 087-2320970.

Call our news team on 60 10 240 or email [email protected]

Got a Picture?

THE annual Hotel Stars Awards for Crowne Plaza Hotels in Europe were recently held in Dublin for the first time, and at this annual event, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) recog-nised hotels and people for their outstanding performance and con-tribution to the business and the local community in which they operate. The winners are the best performing IHG hotels and individuals across Europe.

At the awards cer-emony, Crowne Plaza Blanchardstown was awarded both the Torch-bearer Award and more importantly, the Crowne Plaza Hotel of the Year award for the Europe Region.

Hotel of the Year Award This category recog-nises hotels that have achieved outstanding results and have gone the extra mile to exceed expectations and bring their brand to life when looking after guests, employees and the local community.

31 January 2013 GAzette 13

Prestigious award for the Crowne Plaza

C o m m e r C i a l F e a t u r e

torchbearer Award T he To rchbea r e r

Award recognises hotels that have achieved the highest levels of excel-lence through outstand-ing service.

The guests at these hotels have responded with extremely high g u e s t s a t i s f a c t i o n scores.

Garret O’Neill, Gen-eral Manager, of Crowne Plaza Blanchardstown accepted the award at the IHG European Con-ference which was held in Dublin for the first time and said “I was very proud to accept these awards as it recognises all the hard work and team effort we’ve put in

this year.“We’re constantly striv-

ing to go the extra mile so guests can expect a con-sistently high standard when visiting our hotel and we’ll continue to work together to keep delivering the same expe-rience year on year”.

Angela Brav, CEO Europe said, “Our hotels are only as good as the people working in them, so we are fully committed to supporting and devel-oping our people.

“We aim to provide the right environment, sup-port and inspiration they need to fulfil their capa-bility and these awards are a reflection of the fantastic talent we have working in our hotels across Europe”.

Crowne Plaza Blan-chardstown is based at the Blanchardstown Cen-tre with 188 guestrooms and conference facilities for up to 600 guests.

For more information please contact: Jenni-fer McKenna, Director of Sales & Marketing, Crowne Plaza Blanchard-stown, Phone (01) 897 7741; email – [email protected].

tifco Group Photo – Mary Buckley (Group Operations Manager, tifco Hotels), Pius Furlong (GM, Crowne Plaza

Northwood), Niamh Murphy (GM, Crowne Plaza Dundalk), Garret O’Neill (General Manager, Crowne Plaza

Blanchardstown), Magda Rybka (Deputy General Manager, Crowne Plaza Blanchardstown), enda O’Meara

(Managing Director, tifco Hotels)

All of the staff at the Crowne Plaza Blanchardstown were delighted to learn that

the hotel has been awarded the acclaimed european Hotel of the Year Award by

the InterContinental Hotels Group

Receiving the Award – Angela Brav, CeO of IHG

europe, Garret O’Neill (General Manager, Crowne

Plaza Blanchardstown), Richard Solomons (CeO IHG

Worldwide) at the Bord Gáis energy theatre.

blanChardstown: EUroPEan hotEl oF thE YEar


dublinlifeGaze

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feATURe

When talking to the Gazette about his upcoming role in the musical, High Society

at the Bord Gais energy theatre, Michael Praed was happy to reminisce about his

roles in some of the smash-hit tV shows of the 1980s

BairBre ni BHraonain

[email protected]

WHAT a swell party this is! The stage version of Hollywood musical, High Society, is coming to the Bord Gais Energy Theatre for five nights this February with a cast that includes Michael Praed – one of the heroes of 1980s TV show, Robin of Sherwood.

The show is packed with well-loved Cole Porter songs such as True Love and Did You Evah, and also stars Sophie Bould as Tracy Lord, Daniel Boys as Mike Con-nor, and Keiron Crook as George Kittredge.

Ahead of its Dublin run, The Gazette spoke to Praed, who plays Dexter in the musical. He started by reminiscing about his love for the city.

“It’s been a long time since I was in Dublin, and that was for the musical, Carousel – it must be 19 years ago now. I can’t wait, because Dublin is my all-time favourite venue and I really don’t give false praise.”

He discussed the gen-esis of the current stage musical version of High Society. “It’s very similar to the 1956 film version, but its true origin was a play called The Philadel-phia Story in the 1930s.

“It was commissioned for Kathryn Hepburn on Broadway, and was then made into an award-winning film with Jimmy Stewart.

“Then, 17 years later, High Society was made and some changes were made to the original

story, such as the Bing Crosby character – that I play – had been a yacht builder in the original, but is a jazz pianist now in High Society.”

For Praed, who has been in a string of musi-cals throughout his career, the music in High Society is the main star.

“It has such a beautiful score. Now, when I say that, I mean that there are very few composers who are truly iconic, and Cole Porter is one of them.”

Praed has been per-forming in plays and musicals since the 1980s. “I got my lucky break with the Pirates of Pen-zance years ago. I love musicals, because there is a certain alchemy that can happen with them – when the music is good and the production is well done – that goes to the heart of truth.

Magic

“There is a magic in music that is different; it moves people in a dif-ferent way, and with an evocative scenario, can have a huge impact on an audience.”

Harking back to his TV days, he recalled his time as Robin of Sherwood in the mid-1980s show.

“There were two sea-sons of it and, to be abso-lutely truthful with you, it was incredibly hard work. We’d to be up at dawn and doing a fight scene, and work right through till evening. Yet, it was unbelievably rewarding, too, and the talented peo-ple I worked with were extraordinary.

“There was no time

From Pirates to Porter, Praed’s played them all

theatre: hiGh society star talks to the Gazette

for a private life though. It was brutal going but, having said that, it wasn’t like coal mining or fight-ing the Taliban or even driving a bus.”

Praed then went on to play Prince Michael of Moldavia in the smash-hit television show, Dynasty.

“It was the number-one show in the world,

and was a very well-oiled machine. I was welcomed with open arms and the crew was delightful.”

Special buzz

He does not have a preference between TV work and stage work. “I like them both, and you can’t really compare them. Yet, theatre does give you that special

buzz, thanks to the pres-ence of an audience, and I can’t wait to feel that with a Dublin audience again.”

High Society runs in the Bord Gais Energy Theatre from Tuesday, February 5 until Satur-day, February 9. Tickets are available from Tick-etmaster at 0818 719 377, and cost €20.


Gazetteschools

Dublin Gazette Newspapers are continuing to reach 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 communi-ties, one of the last places around which a com-munity can gather.

We are calling on budding writers and pho-tographers from all of our schools to help fill the schools pages and, in order to encourage the next generation of journalists and snappers to get involved, we are partnering with Harvey Norman to present the Dublin Gazette News-papers’ Cub Reporter and Cub Photographer of the Year awards.

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

Get involved with our Gazette Schools pages

HReporter of the

MoNTh

cub reporters and photoGraphers: december 2012 winners

dublinGazettenewspapers

HPhoto of the

MoNThclara kinsellaclara kinsella from st Finian’s community college in swords snapped a very jolly michael carruth when the olympic gold medallist visited the school for its annual awards evening. michael encouraged the students in a motivational speech that included the wise words, “if you believe, you achieve”. well, clara must have believed in her skills as a snapper, as she has achieved glory with this month’s prize picture.

conor whiteconor white from st conleth’s college proved neither shaken nor stirred when he told us all about the school’s build a bank challenge which was given a special agent sheen with a James bond theme. the mission was achieved and the project a big success, as was conor’s article about the event, which wins him this month’s prize.


dublinlifeGaze

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business

Q&a

The beauty of caring for your customers

laura webb

EXPLORING Dublin has taken on a whole new dimension, thanks to two film-makers who are behind a new smart-phone app that sets out to tell the capital’s hid-den stories.

The Storymap App was launched last week and aims to rejuvenate the old tradition of sto-rytelling, while combin-ing the latest technology in film and mobile apps to capture a portrait of Dublin life, past and present.

The app includes a library of 80 stories, presented in audio or HD video, each tied to a particular location in the city and told by a differ-

ent Dubliner. Co-founders Tom

Rowley and Andrew Fla-herty first launched the project in 2011 as a web-site, www.storymap.ie. They discussed how they came up with the idea.

“We both arrived back from working abroad and we were really frus-trated with the way the city was being represent-ed – bleak, empty and finished,” says Flaherty.

“For us, the things that made Dublin truly spe-cial were still there to be celebrated – its people, its stories, its humour and its charm.

“We couldn’t find work, and so we began Storymap as a way to use our skills to showcase the real cultural wealth

Each life stage needs a plan

GWEN O’Donoghue of Fresh Imag-es beauty salon in Churchtown is set to celebrate 20 years in business next month.

She qualified in 1989 at Loriam Beauty Therapy College in Daw-son Street, with ITEC, CIBTEC and CIDESCO qualifications.

When she spoke to Gazette Busi-

ness this week, she said: “I worked in a couple of salons before running a salon in Rathgar for three years, before opening my own in Church-town.

“I started with just a couple of rooms out the back of a tanning salon, and, after three years, I took it over. And here I am today, 20 years on.”

How long have you been in business?It’s hard to believe but it’s 20 years

this year. I opened my doors in 1993.

what makes your business success-ful?

I think it’s the personal touch. I’ve always worked in my business. There are so many salons where you are just a name. We get to know our clients, remember what treatments they like and how they like them done.

We remember their birthdays and get to know all about their families. It’s a friendship as well as a business.

what do you offer your clients that differs from your competitors?

We offer value for money and very competitive prices. We try to keep up with all of the latest trends and give the best customer care.

We really do care what our custom-ers think about us. We want them to feel that their hard-earned money is well spent at our salon.

How has the recession affected your business?

Yes, I don’t think that any business hasn’t been affected. The spending power of people has decreased, so we have to make sure that they feel that they are getting value for their money.

what have you changed about your business to combat the effects of the recession?

We invested in a new skincare brand called Guinot from Paris two years ago, and that has a large follow-

ing. We felt that people were looking for more results .

There was a time when they just wanted a massage – now, they want technology coupled with pampering.

We all want to look and feel good, and especially in a recession, morale can be low, but if you look good, you feel good too, and it reflects on in all aspects of your life.

We constantly run special offers which keep clients interested. We also have a loyalty programme that returns free treatments to our clients to thank them. This is very popular, because when you get something for free, it always feels sweeter.

Old loyalty programmes meant you had to wait forever before getting your free treatment but with ours, you see results after just a few treatments.

what law or regulation would you change overnight to help your busi-ness?

I would like to see a set standard of training across the board. When I was at college, you had to have several top qualifications to get a job; they allowed you to work all over Europe.

During the Celtic Tiger era, there were numerous beauty schools setting up and running courses, but they are only pieces of the courses instead of the full thing.

It means that not every salon has the same level of qualified staff performing treatments, but they are charging the same. That is why you get such a variation in therapists – some aren’t as qualified others.

GWEn O’dOnOGhuE, FrEsh imaGEs

Reasons to be ’appy when uncovering Dublin’s story

tom rowley and andrew Flaherty are pictured at the

launch of Storymap. Picture: Dominic Ledwidge O’Reilly

of Dublin, in a way no-one had ever seen before. The support we got from people amazed us.”

Co-founder Rowley says: “For a local person, it gives them a chance to see the city with fresh eyes.

“By using the app and seeing a well-told story on the spot, you get to see it in a whole new light, and build a new

connection with it.”Stories include The

Spire by Roddy Doyle, The Gap In The Map with Ciaran Wallace, and The Liberty Boys by Colm Keegan.

The app was devel-oped in DIT by Jamie Osler and Eoin Rogers, and overseen by Bryan Duggan, and is on sale in the Android and iPhone app stores for €2.59.

technoloGy: stoRymap tells capital’s stoRies

CONTINUING my examination of financial planning for each stage of your life, this week, I start by looking at where you may be after the “Young and free” stage (as detailed last week).

relationship and childrenIf you settle down with a partner, your financial

priorities will almost certainly alter, especially if you have children. The financial actions you may want to be thinking about include such thrills as:

• Creating an emergency fund.• Protecting both your incomes (if relevant) in case

you are unable to work.• Life insurance for both you and your partner.• Buying a home with the help of a mortgage.• Whether you should be saving money, in case you

want to send one or more child to private school, and/or in case one or more goes on to further education.

• Retirement planning.• Short-term saving for cars, holidays and so forth.If you have built up any debt, then becoming debt-

free should be a priority.

the Middle YearsFinancial priorities in your middle years will vary

according to how much money you have earned dur-ing your 20s and 30s – and how you have spent or invested it. For some, it can be a period of relative affluence with a higher level of disposable income

becoming available; for others, it is a period of worry as retirement looms. Your priorities may include any or all of the following:

• Creating an emergency fund.• Protecting both your incomes (if relevant) in case

you are unable to work.• Life insurance for both you and your partner.• Paying off your mortgage and any other debts.• Retirement planning.• Short-term saving for cars, holidays and so forth.• Planning for long-term care if you are worried that

your pension and/or the State may not provide for you sufficiently.

Although pension planning should have been a pri-ority as soon as you started work, the truth is it is not until many people are in their 40s or even their 50s that they begin to consider their retirement. Providing for a comfortable old age, therefore, may be the most pressing need. Next week: retirement.

contact John with your money questions at jlowe@moneydoc-

tor.ie or visit his website at www.moneydoctor.ie. John lowe, Fel-

low of the institute of Bankers, is founder and managing director

of money Doctor


A Presidential premiere rob heiGh

A bitterly cold Sunday in Janu-ary was brightened considerably last week when the stars and director of the acclaimed new movie, lincoln, came to town to support a cause close to the heart of lead actor Daniel Day-lewis.

the european premiere of lincoln at the Savoy theatre on O’Connell Street, and a special post-screening dinner and charity auction, were held in aid of the Wicklow Hospice Foundation, a fundraising organisa-tion of which Day-lewis, Katie taylor and Chris de burgh are among the patrons.

Wicklow-resident Daniel’s mother passed away in a palliative care cen-

tre in england and was moved to sup-port the campaign for the creation of a similar facility in his adopted county.

Speaking at the premiere, Day-lewis said: “i’m really grateful people turned out for this. We’ve been doing benefits like this for a while, but with the eco-nomic situation at the moment, we were not sure an event like this would be possible. but we explored it a little bit and it turned out we could do it. Hospices are vital facilities that every county needs. We need these places, and we need to take care of people in the late stages of their lives.”

the screening and gala event after-wards are believed to have raised over €250,000 for the foundation, bringing it ever closer to its fundraising target of €3 million.

Director Stephen Spie lberg explained how he came to debut his latest film in Dublin.

“Daniel really believed in the cause, and once he explained it to me, i believed in it as well. i’m very close to ireland. i made Private ryan here, and it’s a film close to my and tom Hanks’ heart, and that was my introduction to the culture. it was such a wonderful experience; we have come back to ire-land time and again ourselves, myself and my wife and children.

“Daniel didn’t have to convince me for long to bring the european pre-miere here. He threw it out as a pos-sibility, and i said we should commit to it now, it was a great idea.”

the film tells the story of the pass-ing of the 13th Amendment to the

Constitution that abolished slavery at a time when the country was in the midst of the Civil War, which lasted for four years and claimed the lives of 750,000 citizens. lincoln himself was committed to the reunification of the country at a time of extreme division, and his belief in democracy, the constitution and America helped to deliver peace and emancipation to the nation. Sadly, he only lived to see a few days beyond the end of the civil war before he was assassinated by John Wilkes booth.

the film has been roundly hailed as another Spielberg masterpiece, and the lead role appears to have been one that Day-lewis was born to play.

continued on Page 22

a remarkable line-up: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Stephen Spielberg at the premiere of Lincoln at the Savoy

OUT&ABOUTMOTORS P23STyle P18 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

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Red caRPeT: leGendS Of cineMa cOMe TO dublin fOR lincOln fundRaiSeR

TRaVel P24

Petscan yOu GiVe faye a new hOMe?DUBLIN Gazette Newspapers has teamed up with Dogs Trust, Ireland’s largest dog welfare charity, to help find homes for unwanted and abandoned dogs.

Our Dog of the Week is Faye, a three-year-old Lurcher cross. This lovely lady was abandoned because she was pregnant and went on to break records in Dogs Trust having the largest ever litter, 15 puppies.

All of her puppies have found their forever homes and we now hope its Faye’s turn to finally get a chance to relax and look after herself for a while.

Faye is polite, sweet- natured, affectionate with a beautiful soul. This supermom just wants to snuggle up on a big sofa with plenty of toys to occupy her.

If you think you can provide a good home for Faye, contact Dogs Trust at 01 879 1000. Further information about their work can be found at www.dogstrust.ie. All dogs that are adopted from Dogs Trust are vet-checked, vaccinated, neutered and micro-chipped before being re-homed.

LAURA WEBB

LIFE STYLE SPORTS recently launched its first Men’s Fitness and Running Campaign – No Excuses. No Regrets.

This campaign is dedicated to men’s running and fitness and is supported by the store’s top brands Nike, Adidas, Asics and Under Armour.

Basically the message to everyone that as we all decide to get fit, following some overindulgence over Christmas, the one thing we need to make sure is that we train in the right cloth-ing.

With this in mind, the retail giant is also launching Fitness

Dressing right when getting fit Product Experts in store. Their job is to advise customers on the right footwear and clothing to wear for each sport.

Mark Stafford, chief executive, Life Style Sports said: “More and more Irish people are looking to fitness and outdoor training to give them a release from the pressures of modern life. We know that participation levels are at a record high as people take to the streets, beaches, roads and bootcamps everywhere, determined to get active and be social. At Life Style Sports we are confident we have the best running and fit-ness range on the high street.” All items featured are available at Life Style Sports.

18 GAZETTE 31 January 2013

GAZE

TTE

Adidas 3 Stripe Fitness Track Top €52 NOW €35

Miss Selfridge Zip Detail Embellished Dress €85 NOW €32

Nike Shape Medium Support Bra Top €35 NOW €25

OUT&ABOUT

Accessorize Leather Driving Gloves €34 NOW €16.90

Accessorize Egyptian Stud Belt €23.50 NOW €10.90

Adidas Kanadia €70Adidas Clima Core 3/4 tight €35

Under Armour Coldgear Compression Mock €55

Nike Steady €50

Nike slim shorts €28

Dressing right when getting fit

GAZE

TTE

Miss Selfridge Zip Detail Embellished Dress €85 NOW Miss Selfridge Zip Detail Embellished Dress €85 NOW €32

OUT&ABOUT

Accessorize Leather Driving Gloves €34 NOW Accessorize Leather Driving Gloves €34 NOW €16.90

Accessorize Egyptian Stud Belt €23.50 NOW Accessorize Egyptian Stud Belt €23.50 NOW €10.90

Under Armour Coldgear Compression Mock

Model Holly Carpenter wears:

Adidas Prime Zip Hoody - €46 (Life Style Sports Exclusive),

Adidas Clima Long Tank - €30, Adidas TF Perfect ¾ Pant - €35

LAURA WEBB

LIFE STYLE SPORTS recently launched its first Men’s Fitness and Running Campaign – No Excuses. No Regrets.

This campaign is dedicated to men’s running and fitness and is supported by the store’s top brands Nike, Adidas, Asics and Under Armour.

Basically the message to everyone that as we all decide to get fit, following some overindulgence over Christmas, the one thing we need to make sure is that we train in the right cloth-ing.

With this in mind, the retail giant is also launching Fitness

Dressing right when getting fit Product Experts in store. Their job is to advise customers on the right footwear and clothing to wear for each sport.

Mark Stafford, chief executive, Life Style Sports said: “More and more Irish people are looking to fitness and outdoor training to give them a release from the pressures of modern life. We know that participation levels are at a record high as people take to the streets, beaches, roads and bootcamps everywhere, determined to get active and be social. At Life Style Sports we are confident we have the best running and fit-ness range on the high street.” All items featured are available at Life Style Sports.

31 January 2013 GAZETTE 19

STYLE

Adidas Adiviz Jacket €65

Adidas Duramo 4 €50

Under Armour Coldgear Compression Mock €50

NIke Dri Fit Cotton Sleeveless Tee €22

Adidas Clima 365 pants €45

Nike Steady €50

NIke Flex €65

Adidas Response 7in Shorts €32 €25

Accessorize Egyptian Stud Belt €23.50 NOW €10.90Accessorize Egyptian Stud Belt €23.50 NOW Accessorize Egyptian Stud Belt €23.50 NOW €10.90Life Style Sports Team Member Alvaro wears:

Under Armour Storm Hoodie - €48, Under Armour Tech SS Tee - €22, Under Armour HG Mirage Short - €22

GAZETTE

OUT&ABOUT Gaze

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CINEMA

20 gazette 31 January 2013

TheatretHe pavilioN tHeatRe 01 231 2929David Meade- Mind ReaderBBC’s fastest rising star is returning to the stage hot on the heels of his smash hit record-breaking TV series Make Believe, after three years of unprecedented success on BBC One. With a show that is as hilarious as it is jaw dropping, Meade has just returned from a US tour February 4, tickets €20.

DRaiocHt 01 885 2622Beckett X 3GODOT Theatre Company London are back with three more short Beckett plays on Wednesday, February 6 at 8.15pm in the Draiocht Studio. Tickets are priced at €10.

civic tHeatRe 01 462 7477WaGFormer Fair City actress Gemma Doorly makes her directorial debut with her play WAG starring her former Fair City colleague and good friend Sorcha Furlong. Following its sell-out tour, WAG is a black comedy and modern fable. Set in the lavish surroundings of a sports star’s mansion while he is away, his wife has invited a guest around for a drink and a chat – his mistress. Running from Thursday, January 31 until Sunday, February 2, tickets are priced at €16 with €12 concessions.

IT IS one of the most famous stage musicals in the world.

It has continued to thrill audiences across the globe and has been the subject of countless school plays.

It is odd then, that Les Miserables would still, to this day, be with-out a definitive screen version.

It has been seen as unfilmable and a 1998 adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel, sans musi-cal numbers, limped to a paltry $14 million at the US box office.

The difficulty comes from a number of differ-ent factors.

Firstly, it is a story that jumps forward in time often and sud-denly.

Secondly, it is a story that is not about any one thing. It is ostensibly the story of Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) , a convict attempting to

make a better life while evading the clutches of police inspector Javert (Russell Crowe).

But the s tor y of Valjean is weak as a central strand for a film that clocks in at two and a half hours.

Jackman does an admirable job, particu-larly vocally, in infusing his Valjean with what-ever humanity he can, but the film is so scat-tergun, the exposition so wanting that he just doesn’t have the room to be a character on which to hitch such a large film.

It is a shame, ultimate-ly, because Jackman does

his best and takes the film on Valjean’s famously broad shoulders.

He is aided by a star turn by Anne Hathaway, all blotched skin and short hair.

As her Fantine becomes more and more desper-ate, selling her hair, teeth and body, Hathaway excels and her version of I Dreamed a Dream, shot in one extended close-up, is spine tingling.

In one take, she claims the song as her own, demanding that hers be the definitive touchstone for the performance going forward.

Not revolutionary

It is incredible to see, particularly given that there were some who thought that Catwoman could not play the hero-ine of Les Mis.

There are less good performances, though.

Russell Crowe’s Javert is purposely rigid and inflexible, but Crowe’s complete lack of human-ity makes any late char-acter changes completely pointless.

Amanda Seyfried is another who, while obvi-ously talented, is hobbled by the script’s inability to nail down a central nar-rative.

Her Cosette, essentially the most important char-acter in the film, is lost in the maelstrom of songs, revolution and charac-ters.

Another criminally underused is Samantha Barks, the British actress making her film debut.

Her Eponine is excel-lent, but underutilised.

With the popularity of Glee, there is a weariness of musical film and tel-evision and much of that comes down to autotune and the lack of authentic-ity it brings.

Luckily, Hooper kept a dedication to live per-formance throughout the shoot and the results are mixed, but at least they are authentic.

Jackman struggles occassionally and Crowe slips into rock power bal-ladeer, but Hathaway, Barks and the surprising-ly good Cohen and Cart-er lift the film as close to definitive as possible.

Hugh Jackman takes anne Hathaway’s Fantine to safety

RevieW: les MiseRaBles Hits tHe scReeN, leD By HatHaWay

OUR VeRDICt:AMBITION is not a problem here, as Hooper takes on a massive task. He tries to capture a definitive screen version of one of the most famous musicals ever. Unfortunately, he comes up short, with excellent performances and some nice visual flourishes not enough to compensate for a weak script, muddled scenes and rushed characterisation making for a film that feels more like a missed opportunity.

Director: tom HooperStarring: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, anne Hathaway, amanda Seyfried, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen

Film OF The Week: les Miserablesh h h (12) 158 mins

PaUL [email protected]

CINEMA

GAZETTEGAMING

FOLLOWING Christ-mas over-indulgences, I’m probably not the only per-son wishing to ditch a few, um, unexpected kilos that have mysteriously jumped onto my weight.

How did that happen? Why do I suddenly resem-ble Homer Simpson?

Well, step forward an interesting and well-de-veloped Kinect title that should get that unwanted flab moving.

Nike+ Kinect Fit-ness for the XBox 360 is something that seems tai-lor-made not just for the New Year (and all those resolutions to get fit and healthy that we all tend to make, and then ditch by the time February rolls around), but for the whole year round.

Certainly, given our gen-erally miserable weather,

and the continuing budg-etary pinch of the reces-sion, anything to help you exercise at a more than affordable price all year round at home is to be welcomed.

Enough wittering – what, exactly, is Nike+ Kinect Fitness about?

Well, as the name sug-gests, it’s all about getting fit, courtesy of a wide variety of programmes devised with Nike.

By picking a virtual fit-ness instructor, an initial fitness assessment then determines your general

Although I’m not normally a fan of such home

exercise titles, there’s no denying that Nike+

Kinect Fitness is a very well put together title –

with ubiquitous Nike branding here and there,

of course – and will reward those who want

to get fit and will make an effort. As always with

such titles, a decent amount of exercise space

is advised to help get the best results from

Nike+ Kinect Fitness.

fitness etc, right now. From that starting

point, the title – you couldn’t call it a “game”, – then puts you through your paces over the fol-lowing weeks, with a wide variety of exercises to put you through your paces.

And, believe me, there’s plenty there to face up to, as you’d be surprised how much you can do at home, and how challeng-ing it can be.

While we’ve seen plen-ty of similar titles before – the entertaining Wii Fit on the Nintendo Wii

springs to mind – there’s no doubting that Nike+ Kinect Fitness is a step beyond (no pun intend-ed), as the range of exer-cises, challenging goals, genuine sense of achieve-ment should be enough to motivate you towards becoming healthier.

Obviously enough, for such an all-round fitness title, you’ll need a decent amount of space for some of the more challeng-ing exercises (just as you would at a gym, or exer-cise spot), and also for the required Kinect sensor

attachment to properly track exactly what you’re doing.

And, of course, the big-gest “flaw” with Nike+ Kinect Fitness is you, the user – it’s a great title that’s very polished and pretty comprehensive, but, not unlike learning Latin, it’s either something you want to do, or you don’t.

However, as a well-designed title with a consistently good use of the Kinect sensor, and a genuinely motivating feeling of progress, it’s to be recommended.

NIKE+ KINECT FITNESS: STEP UP TO EXERCISE

31 January 2013 GAZETTE 21

Plenty of helpto fight the flab

A COLLAPSE OF NOTEHMV vouchers anger manyAT THE time of writing, HMV’s recent collapse in Ireland has stung a lot of consumers, angered at the now worthless HMV vouchers they have.

As was seen with the GAME chain’s collapse last year, the Irish wing of the international chain has been shut and shuttered, although the British stores have remained open and trading, as the Irish stores were placed into receivership, while the British stores entered administration – both procedures are disastrous for any company to face, yet have very different operations.

Of course, the most regrettable collapse of HMV in Ireland is the loss of hundreds of jobs across its 16 stores here (and the knock-on impact on local economies and sub-contractors). However, as extensive media coverage has shown, consumers have felt stung by its collapse, with the decision not to honour any gift vouchers sold in Ireland up to the point the chain closed its stores angering many.

This decision was not helped by the announcement that the still trading British HMV stores are honouring vouchers sold up to its administration, there.

With the news that restructuring firm Hilco has bought HMV’s debts, thus stabilising the firm – in Britain, at least, thus giving some breathing room to attempt to rescue the chain – HMV’s 90-year history isn’t fully concluded. Unfortunately, for now, it seems likely that HMV Ireland’s legacy has struck a sour note with many ...

BYTES&PIECES

WITHOUT more solid details, I’m not delving too much into this just yet, but given all the smoke sig-nals, wild speculation and pure gossip here and there, it looks very likely indeed that 2013 will see the successors to the PlayStation 3 and XBox 360 released, follow-ing on the heels of the recently released Wii U.

All of the current-gen consoles (well, really, that just leaves the PS3 and the 360, now) have enjoyed

the longest lifecycle of any con-sole, to date, and both consoles continue to see remarkable games and franchises being rolled out – 2013 has some outstanding titles on the way for both consoles.

However, it’s no secret that both Sony and Microsoft are keen to release their next consoles, and given the evidence to date, 2013 looks set to be a lucky year for gamers (with deep pockets, of course). Watch this space ...

BYTES&PIECESTHE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME

SHANE [email protected]


OUT&ABOUT Gaze

tte

MUSIC

Stephen Spielberg at the european premiere

the Joy Formidable: Matt thomas, Ritzy Bryan and Rhydian Dafydd

THERE are some things about music that are indesputab le . That Prince will always test your patience as a fan. That you will never completely get Captain Beefheart. That there are some people whose lives you’ll change when you introduce them to Tom Waits.

Another indisput-able truth is the enduring appeal of the power trio. Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, The Jam, Husker Du, Nirvana, Muse, the original PJ Harvey line-up — legends all.

Get set to reserve a place on that list for The Joy Formidable, who have just released their second album, Wolf’s Law, and who last weekend demol-ished The Academy with an astonishing live set.

The Welsh trio began to stake their claim for a place on rock’s pedestal with a couple of EPs and their debut release, The Big Roar, which collect-ed some of the stand-out tracks from their initial releases.

Their studio incarna-tion, though, is only a small part of the story — live, The Joy Formidable truly soar with an energy and ferocity few current acts in any genre can muster, and they have thrilled and awed crowds

MUSIC ReVIeW: SophoMoRe ReleaSe fRoM WelSh poWeR tRIo

Utterly Formidable and Joyous effort

at festivals international-ly over the last two years since the release of The Big Roar. You don’t get an opening slot for Foo Fighters without being a little bit special, and TJF are way more than just a little special.

Some of that lightnng has been caught in the bottle of Wolf’s Law. From the dramatic, oper-atic strings that open the record and lead into their explosive lead single,

This Ladder Is Ours, this is a stadium-sized state-ment of intent.

From Cholla onward, there is a progression through the record as TJF seem to be intent to document their growing maturity and confidence as a band. Drawing on what they have learned on stages across the globe and in the studio, the dynamic and drama that fill this record are unparalleled. Recording

in Maine in winter obvi-ously agreed with the band, and the fruits of those sessions have made for something that could well be high on the lists of the albums of 2013.

Even the beautiful acoustic Silent Treatment is filled with wisdom and power. When Matt, Ritzy and Rhydian play togeth-er, their unity of purpose comes out in the glorious rock noise they create.

Wolf’s Law is a pretty

amazing achievement for a second album. The kinds of heights achieved here are usually reserved for bands much further down their career paths.

Hopefully, this will lead to an absolutely legendary third record, which will have the added ingredients that the experience of loftier slots on festival bills will bring.

They are truly Formi-dable indeed.

ROB [email protected]

InterviewStephen SpIelbeRG fRoM p17

In the movie, Day-Lewis utterly inhabits the title role as the iconic leader Abraham Lincoln, which has led to him being tipped for more Oscar glory come February 24. Spielberg was fulsome in his praise of the actor.

“I’m so grateful Daniel agreed to play Abra-ham Lincoln. I never imagined anyone could play Lincoln other than Daniel. I approached him three times over a five-year period, and, eventually, he said yes.

“We had to get the research right. Lincoln is the most compelling figure on the American national landscape. He saved the American experiment in democracy, and pretty much saved the constitution. He didn’t do it alone, a lot of people helped him do what he did.

“We’re only telling a small part of the gigantic Lincoln story, on the last four months of his life, but it’s enough of an intimate focus to give you a real idea who he was as a human being,” said Spielberg.

Although the movie documents a very specific and significant moment in American history, Spielberg said that he felt there was a message in the movie for an international audience.

“The film is really about the power and responsibility of personal, intimate leadership. It’s about a leader who was one of the people. There was no firewall between him and the peo-ple who elected him, and no firewall between him and the compassion he had for the people of the United States of America, and the tremen-dous anguish and mourning [he felt] for the war that took more lives than all of the American wars combined.

“I think it’s a great story, he’s one of the most amazing characters in global history. Every country has a Lincolnian figure who was inspi-rational and did great things in its formation or during a crisis, and everyone can relate to Lin-coln, based on figures from their own nation.”

31 January 2013 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 23

MUSIC

GAZETTEMOTORS

Awe-inspiring A3 isa cut above the rest CORMAC CURTIS

AS a rule, I don’t like to know too much about a vehicle I am testing until I’ve been behind the wheel for a few days. I have even gone so far as to avoid walking behind the car entirely in case I see what size engine is under the hood.

So, a few weeks back, while I was waiting for the keys of the Audi A3 that the dealer was trust-ing me with for a week, I happened to glance at the spec sheet of the model in question.

The car was packing a 4-cylinder, 2-litre die-sel engine pumping out 150bhp (almost as much pulling power as my first 6-cylinder, 2.5-litre pet-rol saloon), it was going

to go from 0 to 100km/h in 8.6 seconds, top out at 216km/h and produce a paltry 106g of carbon per km (combined).

But that’s not all.On top of all that, this

little beauty was going to sip an average of just 4.1 litres of diesel per 100km driven (combined).

If you’re anything like me, the first time you sit in this car, the build quality alone will give you pause for thought.

Combine that with an exceptional driver’s cockpit, and you begin to feel that you are about to drive something very spe-cial indeed.

Frankly, I get the dis-tinct feeling that the tens of thousands of euros more spent on each of Audi’s executive models

somehow trickles down to each of the A3s.

I was told that the air vents alone contain 42 moving parts, just so the driver can adjust the “shape” of the airflow – to me, that sounds like the kind of R&D reserved for the A8 fleet, but somehow makes it to this incredible entry-level model.

Even in the base-level trim, the driver is treated to a clean, uncluttered and incredibly intuitive set of controls.

The now-famil iar “i-drive” style wheel just rear of the gear stick takes care of much of the adjust-ments and settings of the sat nav, stereo and phone – there is even an option that gives the surface of the controller a touch-sensitive feature that ena-

bles the driver to write let-ters and numbers in order to prompt and control sat nav, telephone and stereo functions without taking their eyes off the road.

I will fess-up that it took me at least a day to figure out how to make the LCD screen disappear back into its housing in the dash, but when I did, it was a delight.

I’m not a fan of the new big screens that seem to be in every car, the ones that stick straight up out of the console I find particularly annoying as most drivers only use them occasion-ally.

Going to the trouble of making this feature available in the A3 speaks volumes of the attention to detail that Audi have committed here.

The test model I enjoyed was in Glacial White Metallic and is just so well-proportioned it almost seems a shame to offer it in a four-door ver-sion.

The front grille is almost disproportion-ately large… almost. In reality it, along with the gorgeous, slightly jaunty headlights, gives the front end of this car a perfect look and expression.

The body looks strong without resorting to an overly “muscular” look, so it really offers something different and attractive.

I’m not sure what I was expecting from the A3, but what I drove was something special, and I would gladly sit in it every morning for many years and never get bored.

The Audi A3 has a top speed of 216 km/h and goes from 0-100kmh in 8.6 seconds

CUTTING OUT THE NONSENSE ABOUT INSURANCE: LOW-COST car insurance company, No Nonsense, has announced the launch of SmartDriver – an innovative technology aimed at cutting out the nonsense in the car insurance market by offering cash back based on individual driver behaviour. This state-of-the-art telemat-ics technology aims to

cut out the nonsense in the car insurance market by rewarding safe drivers for their behaviour on the roads. The news comes as the EU gender directive has banned insur-ance discounts based on gender and will be seen by many younger women as an ideal way to avoid the significant increase in premiums and instead get cash back of up to 30% with No Nonsense.

Fiesta, a stylish mobile workshopTHE new Ford Fiesta Van, which has just arrived in Ireland, delivers class-leading fuel efficiency and segment-first technologies for both large and small businesses.

All diesel engines in the new van achieve sub-100 g/km CO2 emissions and 3.7 l/100 km (76.4 mpg) or better.

“The new Fiesta Van is a stylish mobile workshop for light duty tools and equipment that makes great business sense,” said Eddie Murphy, chairman and managing director of Ford Ireland.

“Both local tradesmen and urban delivery fleets will appreciate its sharp, professional looks, while relying on its versatility, dependability and excep-tionally low running costs.”

Fiesta Van powertrain choice now includes the new 75 PS 1.5-litre Duratorq TDCi diesel, alongside the 95 PS 1.6-litre Duratorq TDCi diesel and 82 PS 1.25-litre Duratec petrol units.

The van’s package of leading Ford driver assist-ance and safety features includes a number of impor-tant segment-first technologies.

In Ireland, the vehicle is available in three series: Fiesta Van, Trend Van and the really stylish Sport Van. Prices start at €14,620 excluding delivery and related costs.

AUDI: ENTRY-LEVEL MODEL WITH THE FEEL OF AN EXECUTIVE MODEL

NOISEroad

Kate Cepeola and Darragh Griffin (both four) and

Jackie McMahon, general manager of No Nonsense,

pictured at the launch of SmartDriver

24 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAzEttE 31 January 2013

OUT&ABOUT Gaze

tte

TRAVEL NEWSfast

Set your heart on a romantic getaway for two Loved-up couples eve-rywhere have plenty of choice when it comes to planning a romantic geta-way this valentine’s.

W h e t h e r y o u ’ r e tempted to fly abroad for a romantic city break, or fancy making the most of the emerald Isle, there are plenty of special offers and idyllic escapes to choose from.

Romantic EscapesWhisking your one

and only off to west Cork will mean you find the perfect spot to enjoy long romantic walks at The Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery. From February 15-17, visitors will enjoy two nights’ accommodation with a full Irish breakfast and a romantic dinner in

druid’s Restaurant. The valentine’s and

R o m a n c e p a c k a g e includes some extra treats such as wine, chocolates, a love-heart balloon as well as a late check out. one night stays are available at €179.

For more information, visit www.selecthotels.ie

For those interested in spreading the love while still keeping it within the budget, the Clarion Hotel in Sligo is offer-ing the perfect escape for two.

The hotel is offering one night’s B&B on either February 15 or 16, with the addition of some subtle romantic touches.

offering valentine

dates a free upgrade to a suite – the package also includes a mini-spa treatment per person, a four-course dinner with a glass of bubbly and chocolates, as well as a complimentary drink. plus, the check-out time is extended to 2pm. Available at just €99 per person.

details: 071 9119000; www.clarionhotelsligo.com

If it’s that something extra you’re looking for, The Twelve Hotel in Bearna leaves no stone unturned with its special Lovebomb package. In keeping with its name, the hotel is offering 12 special valentine speci-alities.

First, you check into a suite. Next, petals are

there is plenty of choice in romantic getaways this Valentine’s Day. Picture: Karolina Laser

Valentine’s Day: perfect escape for two

strewn across the bed and you enjoy some bubbly, two red-iced muffins from the hotel bakers, a packed picnic for a romantic stroll and a candlelit dinner.

Then comes the pam-pering in-room treat-ments, Love potion cocktails, fun framed caricatures of you and your other half , as well as a discount gift voucher for Hartman’s Jewellers (just in case the need to drop to one knee suddenly presents itself!) and a wrapped rose on checkout… And as for the twelfth? “The wonderful 12th itself!”. At €450 per couple, the package is available from February 13-15.

details: 091 597000; www.thetwelvehotel.ie

the twelve Hotel in Bearna is offering 12 special Valentine specialities

Loved-up chicWhile the infamous

Irish countryside pulls at most heartstrings, city chic can also spell romance.

A getaway to the four-star pembroke Hotel, located in the heart of Kilkenny City, promises a two-night escape with chocolates and cham-pagne on arrival.

Couples can enjoy dinner in Statham’s Res-taurant on the evening of their choice, as well as breakfast each morning. And since it’s just a two-minute walk from Kil-kenny Castle, the stun-ning canal walk and the city’s renowned nightlife can ensure you see some of the local sights on the second day. priced at €149pp.

details: 056 7783500; www.pembrokekilken-ny.com

Whites of Wexford has the ideal package to help couples unwind

Hotels.com have it all for a city breakIF you plan on spending this year’s valentine’s day enjoying a romantic city break, choosing the right place to stay isn’t as complicated as you may think. Since love is in the air, Hotels.com are offering some great offers on some of their top hotels in some of europe’s most romantic city destinations.

If it’s passion in paris you’re looking for, the platine Hotel is situated in the heart of this romantic city. The Art deco hotel is in easy reach of the eiffel Tower and plays homage to the life of Marilyn Monroe with pictures adorning every bedroom. prices start from €252 per room, per night.

Love can also be found in Rome and staying at the eurostar’s International palace means you’re within easy walking distance of some of Rome’s most popular tourist hotspots. prices start from €84 per room per night. For more information, visit www.hotels.com.

asdfasdf

Make haste north with great offersHeAdINg up north this valentines? If so, Hastings Hotels have some great offers to help ensure your romantic getaway is one to remember.

With valentine offers available from Thursday, February 14 until Saturday, February 16, why not enjoy a luxurious overnight stay, a romantic dinner for two, a glass of bubbly, as well as a full Irish breakfast (and an exclusive valentine’s duck) from just £65pps.

Choose to stay at the everglades Hotel in derry from £65pps, Ballygally Castle in Antrim from £70pps, europa Hotel in Belfast from £80pps or the Slieve donard Resort and Spa in Newcastle from £85pps. Culloden estate and Spa in Belfast is also available to book from £110pps.

Luxury extras are available at each hotel including champagne and chocolates in your room on arrival, or why not surprise your other half with a luxury spa treatment at the Culloden or Slieve donard.

See www.hastingshotels.com or call 048 9047 1066.

LOcALMattersS U p p O r T L O c A L B U S i n e S S

AdverTiSe wiTH THeGAzeTTe cALL 60 10 240

31 January 2013 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAzEttE 25

Travel

Telling your loved one on the evening of Valentine’s Day to pack their bags for a flight the next day can only prove one thing – that your partner is clearly on to a winner.

For those looking to really spoil their partner this year, Thomas Cook Far and Away has two exotic Valentine destinations to offer.

Whisk your special someone off to the West Coast of Africa and stay in the three-star Hotel Seaview gardens in gorgeous gambia, just a short stroll from Kololi beach. A 14-night stay is priced at €1,249 per person sharing, departing on February 15 from gatwick.

Or how about celebrating Valentine’s Day itself on a romantic beach on the sun-drenched island of Cayo Coco in northern Cuba?

A hideout by buccaneers in the early colo-nial period, Cayo Coco is part of a chain of beautiful islands called King’s gardens. Thomas Cook is offering 14 nights on an all-inclusive basis at the three-star-plus Tryp Hotel, with all meals and drinks included from just €989 per person sharing, including transfers from gatwick, departing 15 Febru-ary. Connecting flights from irish airports can be arranged.

Call the Thomas Cook Far and Away team in Dublin on (01) 514 0316, log onto www.thomascook.ie or visit your travel agent.

Gazette

TRAVEL NEWSfast

Pack your bags and enjoy an exotic Valentine destination

there is plenty of choice in romantic getaways this Valentine’s Day. Picture: Karolina Laser

Whites of Wexford

this Valentine’s. The four-star luxury

hotel is located in the heart of Wexford Town and its Valentine’s offer includes an overnight break with dinner and a glass of bubbly on arrival for just €69 per person.

Relish the time out with a treatment in the Tranquillity Spa fol-lowed by afternoon tea or candle-lit dinner in the Terrace Restaurant.

For more information, visit www.selecthotels.ie.

Sultry Spa Breakif you really want to

spoil your loved one, adding a special spa treatment to the roman-tic night away will win you major brownie points.

Just minutes from Dubl in , Dunboy ne Castle Hotel and Spa is the perfect setting for a romantic getaway.

From €112 per per-son sharing, guests can enjoy an overnight stay with a chocolate and rose-petal turn down, dinner in the hotel’s ivy Brasserie restau-rant with a compli-mentary glass of bub-bly and access to the award-winning Seoid Spa, offering a range of Valentine’s treatments, including couples mas-sages.

See www.dunboyne-castlehotel.com or call 01 8013500.

nothing else says i love you quite like a five-star escape and where better than luxury on our own doorstep at The Shelbourne Hotel.

enjoy an elemis facial for her and an indulgent hot-towel shave for him, plus full use of the hotel’s fitness and ther-mal suites.

To round off your pampering treat, cosy up in the Saddle Room

Restaurant for a gour-met dinner by candle-light before ending the evening with a night cap at the popular Shel-bourne Bar.

This overnight break is priced from €370 per room per night, and the package is available until February 17, 2013.

Details: 01 663 4500; www.theshelbourne.ie

Food LoversFood is the language

of love this Valentine’s Day, according to the Cliff House Hotel, a five-star hotel overlook-ing the historic village of Ardmore, west Water-ford.

And what other way to spend a romantic V-day evening then a feast at Martijn Kaiuiter’s award-winning, Miche-lin-starred cuisine.

The House Restau-rant showcases the best produce to be found on irish land and sea and

guests can savour the applauded delights of the prestigious chef. To complete the gourmet experience, wake in the morning to a full irish breakfast before depart-

ing for home. The Valen-tine’s gourmet package is priced from €360 per room.

Details: 024 87 800; www.thecliffhouseho-tel.com

Cayo Coco in northern Cuba

the Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery in west Cork

Cliff House Hote in Ardmore, west Waterford

the luxurious spa at the Shelbourne Hotel

DUN LAOGHAIRECLASSIFIEDS 26 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 31 January 2013

DUN LAOGHAIRE RATHDOWN

COUNTY COUNCILJune Anderson is applying for planning permission for domes-tic extensions and alterations to existing two-storey dwelling at 99 Meadow Grove, Dundrum, Dublin 16. The extensions and alterations are comprised of: removal of outhouses/sheds to rear; conversion of existing single storey garage to side to “granny flat”, including new pitched roof over; single storey extension to front and r ear of existing garage, to form new “granny flat”; modi-fications to existing porch; single storey extension to rear of house; elevational changes; widening of front entrance gateway; and all ancillary works. The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceed-ing the reasonable cost of mak-ing a copy, at the offices of the Planning Authority, County Hall, Dun Laoghaire, during its public opening hours. A submis-sion/observation may be made on payment of €20.00 within the period of 5 weeks from the date the application is received by the planning authority.

PLANNING NOTICE

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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

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football: ballyboden man admits 2012 leaGue form did not reach full intensity

LUcAN mAkE DREAm DEbUt: CHESS teams from St Jude’s, Skerries, Lucan and Malahide all took part in the first com-munity games event of the year in Jobstown last Friday night.

At U-12 level, Lucan were competing for the very first time and claimed the gold with former national champions taking silver with the former, featuring Muhtarim Ul Haiq, Jordan Mal-dianu, Andrei Buda, Mustakim Ul Haiq and Brandon Amerai, making it through to the Leinster finals.

Malahide took gold at U-16 level with a team featuring David Deneher, Killan Burke, Aaron Cum-mins, Alessio Roselli, Jacob Flynn, David Kearney. The Leinster finals will take place in Longford on Sunday, April 7.

macauley hoping for fresh dubs’ outlook for new yearBALLYBODEN St Enda’s man Michael Darragh MacAuley believes there is a much stronger resolve around the Dub-lin senior football panel going into 2013 after a tepid reign as All-Ireland senior football champions.

Speaking at the launch of Setanta Ireland’s live coverage of the Allianz league last week, he admitted that the sky-blues “didn’t reach the intensity lev-els required last year in the league and consequently didn’t get results.

“In 2011 we reached the league final on the back of our high intensity levels

and this gave us a great platform for our successful championship campaign.”

But 2012 was a lower key affair in the league and it permeated into the cham-pionship campaign.

“I think we didn’t realise it at the time, but lads’ heads just weren’t as clued in as much as the year before, simple as that.

“I knew we’d struggle with that early in the year, but thought we’d get our heads together. But in talking to people, all the panel, everyone’s heads weren’t in the right place at the right time. Eve-

rything has to be 100%.“If one player is off, and we had a few

players not hitting full whack last year, that’s all it takes. It’s only a matter of inches in winning in All-Ireland, it really is,” he added.

But the Boden man says that, with the fresh impetus of Jim Gavin at the helm, the mood is confident.

“With Jim in place there is a blank canvas for all the players, consequently new players will want to show the new management team just what they can do and Cork will offer a great test first

day out.”He is speaking of the opening day

clash against the Rebel county on Feb-ruary 2 at 7pm in Croke Park.

The clash of the Dubs and Cork is not the only action from headquarters and at 5pm Kildare and Donegal throw in for what should be a great curtain raiser between the newly promoted Lilywhites and of course the reigning All-Ireland champions.

The third and final televised game of the opening weekend is the all-Ulster clash between Down and Tyrone.

michael Darragh macAuley was on hand to launch Setanta Sports’ coverage of the Allianz National Leagues in Dublin city centre last week

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DSDAC’S Joe Sweeney stormed to another decisive win in last weekend’s AXA 29th annual Raheny 5 road race but the star of the show was undoubtedly North Sligo AC’s Mary Cullen who lives in nearby Santry.

Her career has been blighted by injury and illness in the last two years but, in her first seri-ous competitive race in over 15 months, she smashed the wom-en’s course record finishing a remarkable 12th overall in the race in 25:55.

The magnitude of her achievement is underlined by the fact that she is the first Irish female athlete to dip under 26 minutes for five miles on Irish soil. The defending title holder and Olympic marathoner Linda Byrne, another DSD club mem-ber, stayed with Cullen in the early stages of the race but eventually had to give way. She finished second in the women’s race in 26:35.

The standard at the top of the field is underlined by the fact that 119 athletes finished under 30 minutes. At the head

of affairs Sweeney and his Tal-laght AC rival Tom Fitzpatrick had broken away from the rest of the field by the one-mile marker while Kilkenny’s Brian Maher was alone in third spot.

In the end Sweeney prevailed in 23:53; Fitzpatrick was second in 24:02 while Maher took third place in 25:00. Simon Ryan was the host club’s top finisher taking fifth place in 25:11 just ahead of Cillian O’Leary while Ian Conroy was eighth.

Notable too was the per-formance of 47-year-old Mick Traynor who finished a remark-

able 17th overall and won the O-45 category in 26:10; his clubmate Damien Martin was second in O-45 in 26:46.

Of the other local clubs involved, 17 athletes from Lucan Harriers took on the race. In the men’s field, First home for Lucan was Derek Taylor, in 29:40 ahead of Patrick Holden in 32:13.

On the women’s side, Lucan’s first home was Bernie Stapleton in 37:01, she was quickly fol-lowed by Lisa Convey in 37:26 and Deirdre Counihan was sec-onds behind them in 37:50.

Sweeney and Cullen the Raheny star attractions

DSDAC’S Joseph Sweeney in the lead Picture: Peter

Mooney /flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets

HSTARof the

MONTHjames cluskeytHe swords ltc club member had an amazing january, winning an ItF Futures doubles title in Germany before finishing as runner-up at another event in Germany and also in France, making for the perfect warm-up for the Davis cup

HTEAMof the

MONTH

2013 DublIn sports awarDs january nomInees

erIc lownDestHe naomh peregrine tyro enjoyed a hugely impressive month as he made a smooth transition from minor level to jim Gavin’s senior set-up, lining out to great effect in Dublin’s run to the o’byrne cup final despite his tender years

conor mcGreGorlucan resident conor mcGregor became just the second double weight world champion in the history of mixed martial arts with a first round knock-out against Ivan buchinger at cage warriors fighting championship on new year’s eve

AMID the winter weather and a glut of cancelled fixtures, local stars from around the city braved the elements to produce some truly stunning sporting feats, starting off the New Year in breathtak-ing fashion. Conor McGregor saw in the year with one of the earliest victories, further announcing himself on the world stage. A number of Dublin’s young stars made strong impacts in the O’Byrne Cup with Eric Lowndes, stepping straight up from minor into the senior ranks, chief among them while Swords man James Cluskey is in the form of his life on the tennis circuit. On the team front, January means basketball’s cup finals with Palmerstown CS shading out a number of other Dublin schools for this month’s nomination. Malahide United claimed All-Ireland glory to add to their 26-county title of last summer while St Joseph’s, Lucan made a significant camogie breakthrough.

st josepH’s colleGe, lucanIn QuIck succession, st joseph’s college in lucan landed the school’s first and second a camogie titles with their juniors starting the run with victory over st macDara’s. their senior side followed up with a win over maryfield to match the feat.

malaHIDe unIteDmalaHIDe united’s u-16 side added an all-Ireland title to the sFaI crown they won last summer when they defeated st oliver plunkett’s from belfast at the inaugural Db sports tour national cup finals in Dundalk’s oriel park

palmerstown csa breatHtakInG display in the mid-dle stages of their all-Ireland u-19b final at the national basketball arena saw palmerstown claim the national honours with cyril kwan scooping the most valuable player title into the bargain

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WITH the number of team coaches occupying the Kilbogget car park from early on, it was clear that the joint FAI/Special Olympics grad-ing tournament, being hosted on Sunday by Cabinteely Cougars, was going to be a great suc-cess.

Despite the cold wind sweeping across Kil-bogget, it was mostly dry and a quick glance over at the riot of colour and crowds congregating in the all-weather pitch area confirmed that there was certainly something

afoot.There, under the

watchful eye of the FAI’s Oisin Jordan and Spe-cial Olympics’ Bernie McCormack, the best players from 22 clubs, including Cabinteely, were playing a sequence of games so that the teams of coaches and assessors could grade them for participation in future international competition.

Many of the players will go on to represent Ireland in forthcoming international tourna-ments.

As a community club, Cabinteely is keen to

ensure that football is open to all local children and adults and playing a full part in the FAI’s Football For All Club Programme, working with both Special Olym-pics Ireland and Enable Ireland to ensure that it’s open to the broadest possible audience.

Its Special Needs programme has been operating since 2006 and has 20 players turn-ing out every Saturday. Cougars men and ladies squads compete in regu-lar blitzes and in a Spe-cial Needs section in the club’s annual summer Mini World Cup extrava-

ganza, held in June every year.

T he P umas pro -gramme began in 2011 and caters for children of a wide range of abil-ity from mild to moder-ate in various disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy. This group now has 12 members, a number which continues to grow and which promises to absorb all the coaching and assistance the club can provide.

Cabo’s Cougars and Pumas sessions run between 12pm and 1pm every Saturday on Kilbogget’s all-weather pitch and follow the

regular fun skills, drills, shooting sessions and mini-match approach that all club players do.

Players and teams are organised by ability, rath-er than age, using a proc-ess called divisioning. This could mean having a 12-year-old playing on the same side as a 15-year-old or 18-year-old of the same ability.

If you’re interested in getting involved in these programmes, whether as a player or as a volunteer coach/helper, contact Cabinteely’s Tommy Flynn (087 271 7475) or Declan Service (087 770 5506).

Cabo host Special blitz

SoCCer: fai Come to kilbogget for grading tournament

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spEcIAL Olympics Team Ireland athletes Gary Burton, left, from Sallynoggin, and Stuart Brierton, from Bray, Co Wicklow, are pictured at Dublin Airport ahead of their departure to South Korea where they will compete at the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games from January 29 to February 5. To follow Team Ireland’s progress at

these Games visit www.specialolympics.ie/wintergames. Picture: Ray McManus

local man gary burton set for South korea

SpeCial olympiCS

CABINTEELY football club have relaunched their always impressive website, now allow-ing increased interactive elements for play-ers and fans of the club alike.

Now located at cabinteelyfc.ie, the site fea-tures one of the best photo galleries in junior football, all the latest news and fixture times as well as allowing for comments, feedback and email news alerts to keep you right up to date.

Cabinteely relaunch top class website

Park celebrate 25 years in stylePARK Celtic’s 25th year anniversary gala dinner will take place on June 8 in Cabint-eely House.

The venue will act as an idyllic back-drop with a luxury marquee to house the festivities. Ouzos, Dalkey will provide a banquet for the occa-sion while the lively Johnnie Be Goode band will entertain long into the night.

The gala dinner takes place during the club’s two week annual mini World Cup tournament which, for the first time, will include all of the club’s age groups (academy up to Under-19s).

Tickets are now on sale at €40 each and can be purchased by post/hand from Mark Dowling at 34 Holmwood, Cabint-eely 087 6387293 or Robbie Maher at 26 Park Drive, The

Park, Cabinteely 087 2707340.

Tucker follows illustrious pathCOLAISTE Eoin stu-dent Lorcan Tucker is among a group of nine Leinster cricket players who are cur-rently residing in South Africa and taking advantage of their transition year to spend time in schools abroad and playing cricket at a very high standard.

The Leinster Union has over the past 10 years assisted young cricketers to find appropriate school-ing arrangements at various venues around the country.

Tucker lined out for Muir College second 11 last week, following in the footsteps of capped players at senior level such as Andrew Bal-birnie and George Dockrell who both have spent time at Muir College.

the cabinteely cougars last sunday in Kilbogget park where they took part in a joint FAI/special Olympics grading tournament

Club NotiCeboard

Gazette 31 January 2013 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAzEttE 31

CONGRATULATIONS to our minor hurl-

ers who won the league division one

title on Sunday morning with a close

fought but thoroughly deserved vic-

tory over Kilmacud Crokes. That this

final should have been a reflection of

the senior championship from 2012

suggests the rivalry will be well con-

tested for many years to come.

Our thoughts are with the family and

very many friends of Kevin Heffernan.

Few have made such an impact on our

games and arguably none within the

capital. Ar dheis de go raibh a anam.

Our Cuala activation fitness classes

take place this Wednesday and Friday.

There was a great turn out last week

and still room for a few late comers

who need to get in (better) shape for

2013.

Good luck to all the older juvenile

teams who are back in football action

this coming weekend. Well prepared

and ready to represent the club to

the very best of their ability.

Tickets for the Dublin spring series

are available from the club, by email

only through our new address of

[email protected].

The final work on the hall and club

buildings, for now at least, will be

completed over the next 10 days.

Access to certain areas at certain

times will be restricted.

Please keep up to date with the lat-

est by visiting www.cualagaa.ie or

keeping in touch through Twitter and

Facebook.

We are also looking for a volunteer

to take on a role of building mainte-

nance officer, reporting to an Coiste

and keeping any small improvements

and repairs on the radar.

The academy is starting off a small

recycling initiative. If you have foot-

ball boots, hurleys, helmets or Cuala

gear that is too small we’ll take it and

pass it on to someone who needs it.

If you see something you need that

we have in our recycling bag you are

welcome to take it.

Should you wish to make a €2 dona-

tion that, also, will be very welcome.

The Cuala recycling centre – other-

wise known as Ionad Athchursala

Cuala – will be at IADT from 10.15–

10.45am every Saturday.

The Cuala awards night is on Satur-

day, February 16 and details of tick-

ets and all that stuff will be filtering

through teams and on the website

and social media over the coming

days. With all that happened last year

it promises to be a great night.

The 1999 girls had a great night last

week in the club. They were presented

with their camogie league and cham-

pionship medals and enjoyed pizzas,

coke and other fizzy stuff.

They are now working hard with

Feile 2013 in mind, both on and off the

pitch. Training has recommenced and

the fundraising kicks off this week-

end.

Watch out for them at the Cuala

academy; give them a cheery hello

and support their fundraising initia-

tives.

Speaking of fundraising, our intrep-

id dance troupe are fiddling with their

foxtrots, souping up their salsas and

jumping to the jive.

Strictly Come Dancing – Coming to

Cuala in March… keep dancing!

foxroCk CabiNteely

Cuala

KILBOGGET was the place to be last

Saturday morning. A new juve-

nile pitch is being prepared for this

coming season and members were

required to come along with their

forks to improve the irrigation.

We had our new expert grounds

keeper advisor Dave there to over-

see the work. There was some great

styles in wellie boots, Linda Gallagher

won the prize for best-looking wellie

boots. Thanks to all for such a strong

turn out.

Last Wednesday, the club AGM took

place. Paul Ryan was voted in as the

new chairman of the club. Paul has

two daughters playing with the club:

Grainne is with the U-16s while inter-

county player, Niamh, plays with the

minors. Also new to the committee

is Colm Whooley who took over the

treasurer’s position.

Diarmuid Byrne has retired from

his position as registrar and was

presented on the night with an award

in recognition of the fact that he has

been on the executive since the incep-

tion of the club back in 2005. Former

treasurer. Trish Bollard takes over as

registrar.

Last Sunday, the annual medal pres-

entation ceremony took place. Many

thanks to Johnstown Girls’ school for

offering its premises for the day.

There was a record number of

medals to be presented at the end of

a great year, which saw the club win

the Dublin senior championship and

Feile.

Many thanks to senior players

Sinead and Ciara Murphy for assist-

ing with the presentations.

football: kilmaCud uNdoNe by dalkey rivals

Kilmacud Crokes and Cuala observe a minute’s silence in honour of Kevin Heffernan prior to their league final

top class Cuala win local bragging rightsMfl division one finalCuala 0-10

kilmacud Crokes 0-7

[email protected]

CUALA claimed the minor hurling division one league last Sun-day when they faced off against Kilmacud Crokes in Shankill , coping better with the strong wind to take the victory by three points, 0-10 to 0-7, claiming the local bragging rights.

K ilmacud shot in to the lead early on and Cuala showed great spirit to get back involved despite the heavy ground with Jack

Phelan and Colm Cron-in putting the Dalkey men back on terms after Mark O’Loughlin and Sean Keating initially gave Crokes the edge.

Cronin , who has recently been training with the Dublin senior panel, was in particular-ly good form for Cuala and his movement and distribution separated him from the rest of the field and a further point from him, anoth-er from Sean Treacy and one more from Cil-lian Sheanon gave the Dalkey side a one point lead at the interval, 0-6 to 0-5.

It was four quick fire points from Dalkey men that really set them apart from the opposition in the sec-ond half, and Kilma-cud were always chas-ing the game when the barrage finished with Treacy taking another two points from frees, Sheanon scoring from distance and Andrew Murphy banking the other.

Crokes battled hard and a l though they didn’t come away with the win, they showed the quality of cham-pions in their heart, resolve and determina-

tion which have made their juvenile hurling section one of the best in the country.

O’Loughlin grabbed another two points to leave his side a goal away from parity, but some spectacular last gasp defending, with Kev in K i l l ion and Ross Tierney throw-ing their bodies on the line for the result, lead the Dalkey side to the league championship in the end.

It was obvious what the title meant to the side as they celebrated with great passion on the final whistle.

[email protected]

KILMACUD Crokes Paul Mannion’s four points were unable to turn the tide as Dublin fell to Kildare 1-16 to 0-17 after extra-time last Satur-day night in the Bord na Mona O’Byrne Cup final at Parnell Park.

The tie was ultimate-ly decided by Tomas

O’Connor’s 1-2 in the second half of extra-time as the Lilywhites came back from three points in arrears.

Kildare struck for the decisive goal in the first minute of the second half of extra-time when a scramble in the square concluded with the pow-erful Clane man firing past Shane Supple from

close range.The Dubs had put

themselves in a winning position by half-time in extra-time when points from Paul Hudson (two, one free) and Crokes’ Pat Burke had carved out a three-point advantage for the home side.

K ildare had also closed out the conclud-ing moments of normal

time on the up when points from John Doyle (free) and Padraig O’Neill forced extra-time.

In normal time Dublin threatened early on but squandered several sim-ple point-scoring oppor-tunites. Dublin made most of the early running but Kildare fought back to tie the match up in the second half.

Mannion’s quartet not enough for Dubs

all of your dun laoghaire sports coverage from page 27-31 january 31, 2013GazetteSPORT

former Blackrock college student gavin thornbury is set to make his ireland u-20 6 nations debut Picture: Barry Cregg/Sportsfile

peter carroll

[email protected]

FORMER Blackrock College student Gavin Thornbury has been named in the 23-man squad by Ireland coach Mike Ruddock ahead of Friday RBS Under-20 6 Nations Champi-onship opener away to Wales.

Capped at international level for the U-19s and for the Leinster U-20s, the towering sec-ond row will be looking to impress in the new look Irish U-20 squad as one of the many newcomers to this level of competition.

Only three players that have previously lined out for the boys in green at that level - scrum half Luke McGrath, out-half Stuart

Olding and back rower Josh van der Flier, a former Wesley College student.

Speaking ahead of the clash, Ruddock was confident of the ability of the group for the elevated level of competition.

“They’re really looking forward to it, they’re a very competitive group,” said the former Welsh senior coach.

“It will be a very difficult challenge against Wales, I think they have 10 players left over from last year. They have a good fly half in Rhys Patchell who is already playing for the Cardiff Blues in the professional game.

“We’ll have our work cut out for us in Col-wyn Bay; it won’t be a holiday for us for once over there like it usually is and we’re expect-

ing a very tough game. But, my panel have prepared well, we’ve had some good warm up matches and we’re very focused on trying to get a result.”

Ruddock also claimed he will be looking to McGrath, Olding and van der Flier to lead the squad with their experience.

“Luke [McGrath] captained us against UCD last Wednesday, he’ll definitely provide some good leadership from the number nine position where it’s fundamentally important that we get some good communication.

“Josh is returning from injury so we’ll see how his form is. Obviously he’s had a few problems with his hips, but he’s a quality player and I’m sure we’ll get to see him in

good form at some stage during the competi-tion.

“Stuart Olding is a good player too who can play in a few positions, he passes accurately and he has a good left foot as well. We’ll try to get the best out of those guys and hope-fully the rest will follow,” said Ruddock.

Now with a lot of younger players making their way to the provincial and national sen-ior ranks a lot quicker, Ruddock commended the work of the academies for having their players in such remarkable shape.

“These guys are working ever so hard. They’re strong, they’re very well conditioned and it’s a testament to their academies and the hard work that they are doing.”

thornbury set for debutOpportunity knocks for the next generation as just three of last year’s Ireland’s U-20s return for this term’s 6 Nations championship bid

final face-off: Cuala and Kilmacud contest tightly fought minor division one hurling league final at Shankill P31

SPORTS STaRS NOmINeeS: January’s shining lights up for monthly awards P28

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