Dun Laoghaire

YOUR COMMUNITY • YOUR PAPER October 6, 2011

ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES ................8-10

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

MOTORS ....................... 23

TRAVEL ......................... 24

ENTERTAINMENT ........ 25

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

Aussie Rules: South Dublin Swans claim national titlePage 30

Football: Crokes players get All-Star nominationsPage 32

RECYCLE THIS COPY. KEEP DUBLIN TIDY.

Supervalu move is praised by businessRetail chain to replace Tesco in shopping centre

MICHAEL HANNAN

DUN Laoghaire businesses have welcomed the announce-ment by Irish retail chain, Supervalu, that they are set to move into the Dun Laoghaire Shopping Centre in the space recently vacated by Tesco.

Supervalu will completely

refit the supermarket and have indicated that they expect to have the branch open by the last week of November, in preparation to take advantage of the Christmas trade.

Speaking to the Gazette, Independent Councillor Vic-tor Boyhan, said the develop-ment was “super news for Dun

Laoghaire Town Centre”.Supervalu had entered into

an agreement with the Dun Laoghaire Shopping Cen-tre management team and have circulated a letter to the other retailers indicating their intent to move in at the end of November.

Full Story on Page 2

INSIDE: Internet entrepreneur wins

board award P3

Fun day angels:Seraphim in Cabinteely ParkHEAVENLY Helen Wallace and Niamh Kavanagh, from the Bui Bolg group, greeted visitors to the recent Cabinteely Carnival at Cabinteely Park, which saw a free family fun day of activities and colourful characters set up at the park, courtesy of DLR Events, that included bouncy castles and inflatable games, face painters, clowns, unicycles and street performance shows.

Picture: Edna Doran

Full Gallery on 0

FREE GAZETTEGAZETTELaoghaire

YOUR PENSION: Our essential guide for planning your future See Pages 19-22

2 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 6 October 2011

UCD STUDENTS were blindfolded in the UCD student centre on Sep-tember 29 during a workshop organ-ised by Making Connections as part of their volunteer drive to help elderly people living in isolation.

Making Connections is a not-for-profit befriending service based in the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown com-munity.

Their objective is to enhance the quality of an older person’s life by offering a trusting relationship with a young person.

Speaking to the Gazette, Mary O’Donohue, project manager of Making Connections, explained the background to the concept.

“Volunteers visit an elderly person on their own, or who just feels iso-lated, on average once a week for an hour for a chat or to share an interest or hobby. We had a stand in UCD to explain what the service was about and to encourage people to volunteer for the coming year.”

The concept behind the blindfold-ing was to encourage communication and listening skills, she explains.

“We had a workshop where a facilitator came in to the group who were interested in volunteering and she was doing communication skills with them.

“What happens is they get blind-folded and have certain different plas-

tic shapes in their hands. They had to explain to each other what they had in their hands without looking at it. It was really an exercise in listening to each other. They had to see how well they could describe them. The facilitator was trying to highlight the importance of listening skills.”

TrainingO’Donohue explained that there

are regular training nights for those who are interested in volunteering.

“All our training nights would have some aspect of visiting people on their own. One day, it could be a focus on Alzheimer’s. It’s about aspects of volunteering.”

The workshop was the last of three events organised by Making Connec-tions in order to foster better relation-ships between the younger and older generations in the community

“The very first one was a Star-bucks-sponsored coffee morning in July in the company’s Blackrock branch in Blackrock. It was between older people and students and was very enjoyable on both sides,” she said.

The second event was lunchtime stand in UCD in September to talk to students about volunteering for the coming year, at which the organisa-tion got a lot of expressions of inter-est from the students.

The third event came out of that, as O’Donohue explains: “We promised the students this event, as they can be a bit apprehensive about communi-cating with elderly people.”

The workshop lasted an hour and the blindfold exercise went on for three or four minutes, she explained

“The facilitator did a lot about listening and communicating skills, we’re really pleased with how it went.”

For more information about vol-unteering for Making Connections, please contact them on 01-2951053, by email at [email protected] or via their website at www.makingconnections.ie.

EVENT UCD students take part in special workshop

Blindfolded to make connections with elderly

Supervalu to replace Tesco store

RETAIL: NEW SHOP TO OPEN BY END OF NOVEMBER

SUPERVALU have announced that they will move into the site in Dun Laoghaire Shop-ping Centre that was previously occupied by British retail giants, Tesco.

The British super-marke t cha in had announced the closure of its branch in the shopping centre in May of this year. The inten-tion was to merge the branch with the existing one at nearby Bloom-fields Shopping Centre.

Supervalu will com-pletely refit the super-market and have indi-cated that they expect to have the branch open by the last week of Novem-ber, in preparation to take advantage of the Christmas trade.

Speak ing to the Gazette, Independent Councillor Victor Boy-han, said the develop-ment was “super news for Dun Laoghaire Town Centre”.

“I met with a number of the retailers and there was generally great excitement there, there was a worry that the shopping centre was going to be without a major retailer following

Tesco’s departure. It was no secret that Supervalu had carried out some surveys in town; they had people doing ques-tionnaires and I was stopped myself.”

Supervalu had entered into an agreement with the Dun Laoghaire Shopping Centre man-agement team and have circulated a letter to the other retailers indicating their intent to move in at the end of November.

The reaction to the news has been “excel-lent”, according to Cllr Boyhan.

“It’s good news for the town, it’s good news for jobs and for the shop-ping centre who were missing a major tenant.

“I raised the issue at the last council meet-ing and the general feeling was it’s going to revitalise the centre, which had experienced a major drop in sales and income since Tesco closed. Nobody goes into a shopping centre unless there’s an anchor tenant there.”

He s t ressed that another plus is Superva-lu’s level of community commitment.

“They sponsored the

Supervalu will open a new store at Dun Laoghaire Shopping Centre

Councillor Victor Boyhan

national Tidy Town, and they’re involved in a lot of community activity wherever they are.”

He said he was par-ticularly pleased that Supervalu were com-ing to fill the gap in the shopping centre, as Dunnes Stores had recently shut their retail outlet in the heart of the town as well.

Tesco had been pay-ing an annual rent of €525,000 for the 1,858sq m (20,000sq ft) super-market, located in the basement of the centre. The lease expired at the end of last year. It was not known at time of going to press how much will be paid by Supervalu.

DEAR EDITOR,

With regards to the Letter to the Editor of September 29 from Mr Breasal O’Caollai, we would like to make clear that the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Chamber of Commerce did not object to Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett opening an office in Dun Laoghaire.

On the contrary, our submission clearly stated that “we support and applaud Deputy Boyd Barrett’s goal of opening a constituency office in Dun Laoghaire town”.

We are disappointed that some people sought to politicise our observations for their own end. In representing the concerns and interests of our members we reserve the right to comment, and advocate on their behalf both locally and nationally.

As for other deputies with offices in this area, none were in ground-floor, street-front locations in the core retail area of Lower George’s Street and none to my knowledge required planning permission.

We recognise and agree that the planning process should be objective, free of discrimina-tion and openly representative of all the com-munity whether home owner, business person or politician.

We support the County Council’s decision to approve the Constituency Office subject to conditions that limit any precedent that might weaken the retail core of the town in the long term.

I would be grateful if you would please pub-lish this letter to correct a serious error in Mr O’Caollai’s earlier correspondence.

Hal LedfordChief Executive OfficerDun Laoghaire Rathdown Chamber

No objection to office

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

6 October 2011 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 3

Students: Avail of special offers at local AIB!CONOR Farrell (12) was the lucky winner of a HP lap-top in a recent draw at his local AIB branch in Dun Laoghaire.

All Conor had to do was open a Student Account, and he was automatically entered in the draw.

Pictured with Conor is student officer, Sonya Bai-ley, and branch manager Sinead Murphy.

For more special stu-dent discounts, offers and advice on student life, including student travel cards and Golden Ticket giveaways, just visit AIB’s dedicated student website www.stuff4students.ie where a wealth of useful stuff awaits.

COLLEGE: IADT APPOINTS NEW CHAIRPERSON

DAWN LOVE

SERIES Producer of TV hits such as Celebrity Bainisteoir and Secret Mil l ionaire , Ronan O Muirthile has been appointed as chairper-son of Dun Laoghaire’s Institute of Technology, Art and Design.

The five-year appoint-ment by Minister for Edu-cation and Skills Ruairi Quinn was announced last week.

R e a c t i n g t o h i s appointment O Muirt-hile said he was “very excited about his new and challenging role and that he is looking forward to working with the Governing Body, the President of the Institute, the staff and, most par-ticularly, the students of the Institute”.

“This is both a chal-lenging and exciting time for IADT as it reaches its 15th birthday. IADT is

entering into the devel-opment of a new strat-egy within the context of the HEA Strategy for Higher Education. IADT faces the future from a position of strength with growing student num-bers and expected excit-ing new developments on its campus in Dun Laoghaire.”

Key element

We l c o m i n g t h e appointment, Dr Annie Doona, President of IADT said: “I look for-ward, along with the staff and student body of the Institute, to working with Ronan in this new phase of IADT’s development. Ronan’s appointment is a key element of the governance of the Insti-tute and ensures that the Institute remains close to the creative and cultural industries for which it provides high-quality graduates.”

Dr Annie Doona, president of IADT, and Ronan

O Muirthile, chairperson, governing body, IADT

Celebrity Bainisteoir producer heads IADT

AWARDS: DUN LAOGHAIRE-RATHDOWN COUNTY ENTERPRISE BOARD

Web Teamfounder wins big

DAWN LOVE

[email protected]

THE founder and CEO of a Dalkey-based web com-pany was celebrating this week after she was named as Female Entrepreneur of the Year at the Fly Higher Awards, organised by the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Enter-prise Board.

Mary Cronin, the founder and CEO of Web Team International (WTI) launched her company in 2008 which provides bespoke web services to small and medium businesses to enable them to manage their own web content. WTI also holds contracts from UK clients who out-source their IT services.

Cronin studied elec-tronic engineering at Waterford Institute of

Technology prior to working in the UK as a software engineer, spe-cialising in graphics and robotics. She later moved into the financial sector as a Technical Project Man-ager with major finan-cial institutions, includ-ing Barclays Merchant Bank and Thompsons Financial Services and, by 2004, had become the Technical Director of a cutting-edge b2b online service in the fashion advertising industry.

Maintain

Returning to Dublin in 2008, Cronin decided to pursue her ambitions in entrepreneurship and founded Web Team Ire-land, which provides affordable web develop-ment services to SMEs. Clients were offered web site set-up and training,

Mary Cronin, nominated in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Enterprise

Board Awards

which allows them to maintain the content of their sites without the need for technically-skilled staff. The unique offering appealed to a growing number of Irish companies.

“WTI actively empow-ers each client by offering tools which enable them to ‘own’ their on-line assets and their ability to administer and manage these assets without the need for technical staff,” the thrilled business-woman told the Gazette

this week.In December, 2010,

WTI expanded its serv-ices when the company secured a contract to provide outsourced IT services to UK clients. It was re-launched as Web Team International and a phase of rapid expansion followed. “Clients of ‘WTI Outsourced IT’, con-tract all or part of their IT activities to us and as a result can reduce their IT overhead and place a greater focus on their core business activities,”

she explained.WTI also offers clients

a full software devel-opment service, which includes research, proto-typing, modification, re-engineering and mainte-nance.

Since its inception WTI has grown from being a sole trader to employing seven highly skilled IT specialists, and Cronin says she is hope-ful that further expansion in activities and employ-ment will continue over the coming year.

WE HAVE 146,000*

READERS EACH WEEK

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESSYOUR BUSINESS TO

OUR READERS CALL 60 10 240

*based on standard industry measurements


ENTERPRISENEWS

DLRCEB announces additional Financial Support for New Jobs

DLRCEB has just received an additional special allocation form Government in respect of new job creation in Micro Enterprises.

The allocation of €3.1 million nationally which must be approved and drawn down by companies by the 31st December 2011 can be used to offset the costs associated with the creation of new jobs.

The qualification criteria for support are the same as normal - with priority given to Enterprises that can show potential for internationalisation and export. Michael Johnson, the CEO of DLRCEB welcomed the initiative as a much needed shot in the arm for locally based enterprises, he indicated that €200,000 had been allocated to DLR and the intention is to fund the creation of 20 new jobs.

The funds are open to both start up companies and existing companies seeking to grow. Each application needs to have a business plan and financial projections showing the sustainability potential for the jobs and viability projected for the business.

DLRCEB has already approved over €500,000 investment in local enterprises in 2011 and this additional allocation means that it can continue to support businesses that are having severe dif-ficulty in sourcing the funding necessary to start or grow their activity. Full information can be found on www.dlrceb.ie or by contacting [email protected] or calling 014948400

Michael Johnson, the CEO of DLRCEB

The perfect way to feed children

DAWN LOVE

A HOST of events aimed at highlighting National Breastfeeding Week have been organised through-out Dublin South this October.

The HSE National Breastfeeding Week was officially launched last Friday by TV personality and new mum, Pamela Flood.

HSE National Breast-feeding Week will run until Friday, October 7. The theme this year is Breastfeeding Friendly, which aims to portray breastfeeding when out and about as a normal, natural part of daily life.

Speaking about her experience of breastfeed-ing, Pamela Flood said: ‘Breastfeeding has been brilliant for both me and my little boy. Not

only has it been the best for him nutritionally, it is so handy and easy to do anywhere. As a first-time mum you constantly wonder if you’re doing everything right but, with breastfeeding, there are no doubts or worries that it’s the very best you can do for your child.’

The HSE will lead the Breastfeeding Friendly initiative by supporting breastfeeding in HSE premises. HSE centres and hospitals will display Breastfeeding Friendly posters and other promo-tional materials demon-strating that they support breastfeeding and provide a welcoming atmosphere for breastfeeding mums.

Amongst the events taking place in Dublin South will be a coffee morning on Friday, Octo-ber 7 at the Foxrock Pas-

toral Centre adjacent to Foxrock Church. For fur-ther information you can contact Grainne Gallwey on 087 7596718.

There will also be an evening event with Sue Jameson on making con-nections for new mums and mums-to-be entitled Laid back Breastfeeding. This will take place at 7.45pm on Friday, Octo-ber 7 at Mount Merrion Community Care adja-cent to St Theresa’s

Church in Mount Mer-rion. For further infor-mation contact 086 8565787.

The Breastfeeding Fr iend ly campaign seeks to highlight that breastfeeding is the per fect way to feed children and also fits in with the demands of modern life and that women should be sup-ported to continue to breastfeed as long as they wish.

EVENT HSE National Breastfeeding Week

Pamela Flood, left, with little seven-month-old James Slevin and mom Denise . Picture: Mark Stedman

Pamela Flood with Coveney and Hourigan families

THE magic of Christ-mas will be in the air from mid-November at Dundrum Town Cen-tre as Hamley’s will be hosting their Breakfast with Santa event.

From November 12 until Christmas Eve, the store will be hosting a delicious breakfast for children from 7.30 to 9.00. They will be waited on hand and foot by a troupe of Santa’s elves who will greet guests and make them feel welcome, enter-taining them throughout the morning.

The children’s par-ents will be invited to watch as afterwards each of the little guests will have the chance to have an individual chat with Santa. They will be regaled with sto-ries about Lapland and Christmas, where Santa will draw upon his long experience of travelling the world by reindeer sleigh on Christmas Eve.

When he’s finished entertaining the chil-dren and has to go back to Mrs. Claus, his special guests will still be able to get into the Christmas spirit further. They will each get an exclusive Hamley’s goody bag to take home.

The venue is in Ham-ley’s Party Room. Any child, big or small, aged above three is welcome to come for what prom-ises to be a magical Christmas event.

Breakfast with Santa at Dundrum centre

EVENT: HAMLEY’S PARTY

Call our NEWS TEAM

on 60 10 240

or email

[email protected]

TELL US ABOUT

YOUR LOCAL EVENT,

CELEBRATION

OR FUNCTION

GOT A STORY?

WE HAVE

146,000*

READERS

EACH WEEK

ADVERTISE

YOUR BUSINESSYOUR BUSINESS

TO OUR READERS

CALL 60 10 240



Welcome for new licences

DRIVING: NEALE RICHMOND

PLANS to introduce w ide - rang ing road safety laws, including a brand new plastic driv-ing licence, have been welcomed this week by local Fine Gael Cllr Neale Richmond.

“This new plastic card driving licence will bring Ireland into line with EU requirements,” he said.

“This will be of huge benefit to Irish tourists who at present have difficulty using their Irish driving licences abroad. I also welcome the other proposals that Minister Varadkar is bringing forward, as lower alcohol limits and higher penalty points,” he said.

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

‘This is a celebration of equality, inclusion, participation; a celebration of community and of togetherness’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

STAFF REPORTER

BROADCASTER Olivia O’Leary got Social Inclusion Week off to an official start when she launched the week’s action packed programme at the New Civic Square “The Metals”, Dun Laoghaire.

The programme, which fea-tures more than 70 events, will showcase best practice social inclusion initiatives across the

county and hopes to encourage residents to more actively par-ticipate and engage with others in their local community.

Speaking at the launch Oliv-ia said: “This is a celebration of equality, inclusion, participa-tion; a celebration of com-munity and of togetherness. Above all, it is a celebration of people.”

Meanwhile Cathaoirleach of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown,

Fine Gael Cllr John Bailey will kick-start Social Inclusion Week’s celebrations next week at the DLR Community 5k in Kilbogget Park, Ballybrack, and everyone is encouraged to

join him there at 2pm on Octo-ber 8. The full programme runs from Saturday, October 8 until Saturday, October 15.

“The full programme this year includes a huge range of

public events that have been developed with the support of many local bodies, and I am heartened to see yet another example of the co-operative approach that exists between local statutory and voluntary groups to support inclusion in the County,” said Cllr Bailey.

Programme highlights include the Shorts Film Fes-tival, Victor and Gord, Latin American Dance Classes, dis-

ability and business events, “Suitcase Stories” , soccer tour-naments, an international ten-nis day, theatre and drama.

There will also be music from the Muslim National School Choir and The Raging Hormones, Rehabcare and Carmona Services, Phaze 3 and many more.

Go to www.dlrcoco.ie/socialinclusion for full pro-gramme details.

Over 70 events on offer in this celebrationSOCIAL Social Inclusion week kicks off this week, from October 8-15

Fascinating stories DAWN LOVE

FASCINATING sto-ries of survival and safe haven take centre stage at an exhibition being brought to Dun Laoghaire this Octo-ber by the UN Refugee Office in Ireland.

The exhibition will take place as part of Social Inclusion Week, from October 10 until October 14, marks the 60th Anniversary of the UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, established in 1951.

The photos tell the story of 11 refugees

who came to Ireland from many parts of the world over the past 60 years and were taken by award- winning pho-tojournalists from The Irish Lightstalkers.

Speak ing to the Gazette, Sophie Magen-nis, Head of Office, UNHCR Ireland said: “We are delighted to bring the UNHCR Ire-land ‘60 Years - Stories of Survival and Safe Haven’ photo exhibition to Dun Laoghaire for Social Inclusion Week follow-ing its very successful run during World Refu-gee Day 2011 in June and

its appearance as part of the PhotoIreland festival in July.

Protection“The exhibition shows

Ireland’s long history of solidarity with people in need of international protection from persecu-tion, terror, fear and con-flict. Ireland has offered a safe haven to refugees even in the most difficult economic circumstances of the 1950s and 1980s. We think the exhibition might surprise people with how deep this bond has always been.

“Social Inclusion

Week shows that when we come together in a spirit of friendship, we can create a fairer and more equal society that supports and involves everyone, including the most vulnerable. This exhibition also shows the great contribution refu-gees have made to the communities in which they now live, as doctors, pharmacists, school chil-dren and parents.

“I believe that people in Ireland have long held a shared humanity with those who are suffering in the world. While we wish that UNHCR did

not have to exist today, there are currently over 43 million people dis-placed by conflict and persecution who still need our help. Even one refugee without hope is one too many,” she said.

The exhibition will open Monday, October 10, 2011 in the Pop Up Shop in Park House, Upper George’s St, Dun Laoghaire (beside the People’s Park). It will run from 10am-4pm daily until Friday, Octo-ber14. UNHCR will offi-cially launch the exhibi-tion at 12 noon Friday, October 14.

EVENT: ‘60 YEARS - STORIES OF SURVIVAL AND SAFE HAVEN’

Children at Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Social Inclusion Week. Picture: Jason Clarke

GOT A STORY?WE WANT TO KNOW!

Call our NEWS TEAM on 60 10 240 or

email [email protected]


Ireland’s largest Water Colour Society’s

A BOOTERSTOWN student is celebrating following his win at the Ri Cheile public speak-ing forum for Scottish and Irish students held in Clondalkin recently.

Transition Year stu-dent Colm O’Nei l l attended the forum, along with team-mates Cillian O Seanain, and Aindriu O hEachtairn and teacher Ciaran O Duinneacha.

O’Neill is a member of Colaiste Eoin’s junior debating team who won the 2011 Junior All-Ire-land Title of Gael Linn’s debating competition Comortas Ui Chadhain.

Ri Cheile means “together” in Scots’ Gaelic or “le cheile” in Irish, and the purpose of this annual event is to foster ties between young people from both coun-tries and to give them an opportunity to explore similarities between their two languages.

Local win for public speaking

AS GAEILGE ART

Wonderful art event STAFF REPORTER

[email protected]

ORGANISERS of the Water Colour Society of Ireland exhibition prom-ise that this year’s event is set to be one of the best yet.

The event sees many new members exhibit-ing, and boasts a wide range of traditional and contemporary style art on offer. An even greater number of well-known Irish artists are involved, and the paintings are on sale at prices reflecting the current economic downturn.

The 157th exhibition of watercolours –Ireland’s-largest– is to go on show to the public in Dublin for two weeks in October. It opens at the Concourse Arts Gallery at the Dun

Laoghaire County Hall on Monday, October 10 and runs until Saturday, October 22.

There will be more than 110 watercolour-ists exhibiting this year, among them nine new members, which will add fresh, new depth to the exhibition.

Finest

Among the many lead-ing Irish contemporary artists from various parts of the country and over-seas showing are Royal Hibernian Academy and Royal Ulster Academy members, who are also members of the Water Colour Society of Ire-land, an illustrious body founded as far back as 1870 that includes some of Ireland’s finest water-colourists.

A wide range of tradi-tional and contemporary art will be on offer with as many as 290 paintings in watercolour, gouache and pastels, as well as draw-ings and prints, on sale to the public this year at affordable prices for top-quality art.

One of the country’s biggest annual group art shows, the WCSI exhi-bition presents a real diversity of work with an immense variety of styles and subjects in watercol-ours, the most difficult of artistic media, with each artist showing one or more works selected from individual submis-sions. It is the only large exhibition in Ireland con-sisting entirely of works on paper.

Subjects

Subjects featured will include landscapes, sea-scapes, still life, portraits, animal and floral stud-ies, as well as botanical and architectural works, in representational, con-temporary and abstract treatments. Prices range from about €250 for a small etching upwards, with most priced at around €350 - €850.

A landscape painting by well-known water-colourist George Oak-ley has been chosen for the catalogue cover and exhibition posters this year. Member artist Patrick Cahill has very kindly donated a street-scape in watercolour for the raffle (tickets avail-able during the exhibi-tion at €5), which will be drawn on the closing day, Saturday, October 22.

Well-known artists showing include: Des-mond Carrick RHA, William Carron ARHA, Brid Clarke, Ivor Coburn ARUA, John Coyle RHA, Chris Dearden RUA, Joe Dunne RHA, Edward Freeney, James Hanley RHA, Olivia Hayes, Les Jones ARUA, John Keating, Vincent Lambe, Grania Langr-ishe, Nancy Larchet,

Anthony Loughran, Fergal MacCabe, Brett McEntagart RHA, James Nolan RHA, Terence O’Connell, Marc Ray-naud, Tom Roche, Tom Ryan PPRHA, Susan Sex, Neil Shawcross RUA and the Society’s new president, Pauline Doyle ANCA.

Awards

E i g h t s p o n s o r e d awards, including the Water Colour Society President’s Prize, will be

presented to exhibitors in recognition of distinc-tive work again this year. These will be chosen by the various sponsors and awarded at the opening on Sunday, October 9.

An Art Activity Day open to the public free of charge will be held on Saturday, October 15, with watercolour dem-onstrations by exhibiting artists Kate Bedell and Vincent Lambe in the morning (11am to 1pm), followed by a Draw In,

a drawing session in which the public can join, in the afternoon, 2pm to 4pm.

The Water Colour Society of Ireland’s 157th Exhibition is admission free to the public Mon-day to Saturday, 10am – 5pm (October 10 – 22). The exhibition closes on Saturday, October 22 at 1pm. Details of all the events during the exhi-bition can be found at www.watercoloursoci-etyofireland.ie

O. Roche - The Czech Girl

J. Short - Fortyfoot Diving Sandycove Co Dublin


exhibition at the Concourse Arts Gallery Hall

to draw in the public

B. McEntagart RHA - Dun Laoghaire Sunset

J. Dunne RHA - October Near the City J. Dunne RHA - Portrait Study of Elena

A PLANNED diaspora centre at Dun Laoghaire harbour will cost up to €50 million and will need donations of up to €15 million, according to the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company (DLHC).

The centre has been touted as a rival to the Guggenheim and Syd-ney Opera House by the company, who are aiming to complete the project in time for Ireland’s EU council presidency in 2013.

Sean Costello, chair-man of DLHC, and Gerry Dunne, its chief execu-tive, have held meetings with the American Ire-land fund, the New York-based Irish Voice news-paper, and Susan O’Neill & Associates, a firm that specialises in fundrais-ing, with a view to rais-ing the €15 million. The company are also hop-ing to raise €30 million from the EU and request the remaining €5 million from the State.

Funds for diaspora centre

HARBOUR


COMMUNITY Beechfield Manor Nursing Home, Shankill, hosts

Sociable seniors get together for a causeR

ESIDENTS of Beechfield Manor Nursing Home, Shankill were joined by friends, family, staff members and locals for a recent fundraising coffee morning in

aid of Age Action Ireland, to help celebrate ESB Electric Ireland Positive Ageing Week.

With a tempting range of fresh cream scones, teas and coffees to savour, everyone was delighted to help play a delicious part in supporting the initiative, sitting in the comfortable surroundings of Beechfield’s newly-refur-

bished dining room. With an extensive renovation and extension programme under way, it was no surprise that the builders were also keen to join Mary Clear, director of nursing, and everyone else in supporting the event. The morn-ing was a great way of highlighting the initiative, and the positive contribution that elder members of the local community make every day.

Rose Rowsome

Des Tierney

Builders Willie Nugent, John Hore and Graham Purcell were happy to try their hand as waiters

Mary Clear, Director of NursingMargaret RyanMargaret Jenkins

Joan Turner

Karen Kelly, activities co-ordinator, with Doris Timbs.


a coffee morning to help support a positive ageing initiative

John Hore steams ahead with the task of tea-pouring

Pictures: Geraldine Woods

Alma Aughney Patricia Freeman, activities co-ordinator

Maureen O’Hanlon Elizabeth Waston

James Mooney and Ross Duffy

The Barren Carousel delighted onlookers with their

wacky acrobatics and feats of agility


Easing families into the autumnM

ANY Dun Laoghaire faces were spot-ted in the crowds enjoying the the Cabinteely Carnival at Cabinteely Park

recently, hosted by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

The free family fun day saw a host of activi-ties and colourful characters set up at the park, courtesy of DLR Events, as lots of families and other locals took in the sights and sounds at

the bustling location.The carnival featured free bouncy castles

and inflatable games, face painters, clowns, unicycles and street performance shows by the McGilligan Brothers, Johnny the Juggler and The Barren Carousel, with everyone helping to create a late burst of summer fun to go with the Indian summer weather. It was a great way to ease everyone into the cooling autumn days.

COMMUNITY A colourful carnival sets up in Cabinteely Park

Angelic Helen Wallace and Niamh Kavanagh, from Bui Bolg Group, greeted passersbys with a heavenly “Hello”. Pictures: Enda Doran

John and Ben O’Hanlon have fun on the carouselOne of The McGilligan Brothers in action

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BUSINESS

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY

CALL US ON 60 10 240

Dun LaoghaireGazette

LEILA JOHARI

FOR many people autumn can be a gloomy time. Summer has ended, holidays are over, days are getting darker and colder. There is not much to look forward to and often people feel slightly depressed and low.

Autumn doesn’t have to be this way. It can be seen as a second new year. It is the perfect time to rev up your energy lev-els and prepare for those winter months.

Poor eating habits can lead to lack of energy, anxiety and depression. By understanding bal-anced eating, it is easy improve your energy lev-els and boost your mood. To function properly, your body needs a daily intake of a full range of essential nutrients, including a vari-ety of fruits, vegetables, pulses, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, fish and healthy oils such as olive.

The foods we eat con-tain two main categories

of nutrients. Macronutri-ents include proteins, car-bohydrates and fats, and provide energy. Vitamins and minerals are micro-nutrients found in fruit and vegetables. They play a critical role in main-taining the body’s normal functions and processes. The key to achieving a healthy, well-balanced diet is to eat a wide vari-ety of different foods.

Raw materials

Levels of depression are higher among people eating mostly junk food. These foods are heavily processed and contain additives. People who eat lots of junk foods tend not to eat enough healthy food. In simple terms, your body and brain are made from the foods you eat – if you don’t give it the basic raw materials then nothing will work the way it should. If you put unleaded petrol in a car that runs on diesel the consequences would not be good!

So, what foods are best

to avoid and what foods are best to eat in order to achieve optimum health?

A high-sugar diet can affect our mood. While high levels of sugar in the blood make us feel better temporarily it is followed by a sugar crash that causes a severe dip in mood. Instead of snack-ing on sugary foods, such as cakes and biscuits, choose foods, such as oatcakes, which help bal-ance blood sugar levels by releasing energy slowly.

Junk foods contain saturated fats. Such fats are unhealthy and on digestion can release a lot of toxins into your body. Saturated fats are found in foods, such as red meat, cheese, butter and cakes.

There are certain nutri-ents that are particularly beneficial for keeping the brain, and so our moods, healthy. Iron is essential for healthy brain develop-ment and is found in lean red meat, chicken, turkey, green vegetables, such as

spinach and pulses. Antioxidants help to

protect the body from toxins and keep blood vessels healthy. The best sources of antioxidants are fresh fruit and veg-etables.

It is the perfect season for apples which help fight the effects of bad cholesterol and prevent heart disease. Next time you want dessert, why not try a stewed apple with cinnamon?

Omega-3 fats are essential for healthy brain function. They can be as effective as some antide-pressants in treating mild depression. Oil-rich fish such as mackerel, salm-on and trout are good sources.

Finally, B vitamins, especially thiamine, improve mood. The best sources are B vitamins are found in high-fibre foods, such as whole grain cere-als and bread, and in forti-fied milk and yogurt.

This autumn don’t let your mood fall like the leaves!

GazetteNUTRITIONNUTRITIONFEEDING THE BODY AND MIND: LEILA JOHARI EXPLAINS HOW FOOD EFFECTS MOOD

Kick the autumn blues with some healthy eating

The Gazette’s new nutrition expert, Leila Johari

6 October 2011 GAZETTE 11

PAUL HOSFORD

FOR any 18-year old, spending six weeks in a foreign country is an intimidating prospect, but for Seth Smith the chance to spend the summer after com-pleting his Leaving Cert in Sin-gapore was one that was too good to refuse.

The confident youngster, who begins studying Computer Science in Trinity this month, was part of the Digital Life Academy (DLA) an intensive six-week programme designed to inspire young people to start up their own companies. Even so, he bristles at the notion of being labelled an entrepre-neur.

“I think an entrepreneur is someone who takes on a risk. It’s a word that is thrown around a lot, but I would like to be a successful businessman.

“To be completely honest, it was quite random becom-ing involved. My friend got an email from his brother about the internship and I looked at it and thought it sounded

amazing. “So I went home and made

a video presentation and sent it off.

“Then I got a few missed calls and checked my email at about midnight and there was one saying I’d got the internship.”

Given that Singapore has spent S$1 billion setting up the Technopreneurship Invest-ment Fund (TIF) to attract and encourage companies to undertake risks of backing promising ideas, it is the ideal place to kick off the DLA and a place Seth had no problem going to.

“I’ve always been an inde-pendent type and I quite like that. I’m currently looking for an apartment myself for col-lege.”

The DLA aims to educate a new class of entrepreneurs, who thrive on the usage of social media. Interns are given training in areas like company formation, fundraising, product development, marketing and financial management. Talks feature key figures in internet

and business, including Yahoo! Inc’s David Gowdey, Google’s Julian Persaud and Ocean Group International’s Timur Sardarov.

The whole experience is one that left Seth in awe.

“It was mind-blowing. There was 33 people from 17 different countries and the atmosphere created was a serious buzz.

“We were all running around, working on various projects and it was amazing.

“I think Singapore is much more upbeat. We’d work from 9am to 8pm and you wouldn’t even notice. We’d all go for din-ner and then go back to work. It was never forced on us, but we felt obliged to do it because we enjoyed it.

“The DLA is an unforgetta-ble experience that will change your whole perspective on what it takes to start a company. I feel so fortunate in being given the opportunity to work with like-minded individuals who share the same passion as myself. Hopefully,

I will work with peo-ple like this in the future.

“The DLA is going to be repeated b e t w e e n January and March and I will be very involved and, hopefully, we’ll have an Irish person involved.”

For more, see here http://www.digital-l i feacademy.com/about

12 GAZETTE 6 October 2011

A big day at Green Isle HotelTHE Green Isle Hotel Dublin offers an inno-vative and elegant wed-ding programme with a trained, professional team to ensure that every wed-ding is truly memorable.

A combination of excel-lent menus and wines, the loveliest linens and floral arrangements and a choice of banqueting suites make choosing the perfect venue easy.

The team will work tirelessly to ensure the big day is a special one for all involved. The staff will help choose the best menu to suit every budg-et, and, with their years of experience, can advise on entertainment, wines or ideas on table decorations and photography.

All-inclusive pack-ages, such as a wedding reception for 100 guests for only €3,300, are avail-able. Call 01 4593406 to make an appointment to meet the team and see the room set for a wedding.

WEDDINGS EDUCATION Student spends six weeks in Singapore

An internship of a lifetime

Dubliner Seth Smith

took part in a six-week

programme with the Digital

Life Academy in Singapore


Wedding bliss: Ideal location for the big dayEVERY one wants to be somewhere special for their Wedding Day.

The five-star Radisson Blu St Helen’s Hotel is very special, centered on a fine 18th-century mansion set in four acres of formal gardens.

Guests get all the advantages of a world-class, five-star hotel with all of the character of a Georgian stately home, with stunning photo opportunities!

For that special wedding day, be it an intimate or large, traditional gathering, the Radisson Blu St. Helen’s Hotel can cater for both in the perfect surround-ings of the magnificent garden.

The hotel recently hosted a Wedding Fair including a fashion show on the lawns that featured newly crowned Miss Ireland, Holly Carpenter.

For further information contact Radis-son Blu St Helen’s Hotel, Stillorgan, on 01 218 6000 or visit www.radissonblu.ie/sthelenshotel-dublin, or see their facebook page on www.facebook.com/radissonblusthelensdublin.

GazettePETSPETSBrought to you by Miriam Kerins of

the DSPCA

PETS AND FAMILIES: DON’T FORGET, THERE IS MORE TO OWNING A DOG THAN WALKS

Kids, do you have what it takesto own a dog?A

S A small child, I grew up with dogs, and, as an awkward, geeky

teenager, most of the time the only friend who totally understood me was Kim-mie, my beautiful, faithful, chocolate brown Wheat-en Terrier whom my dad bought for me when I came home from hospital as a one-year-old toddler.

Kimmie remained my Almost all kids dream of having their very own dog, but answer our questions to

see if they have what it takes to take care of their new best friend

faithful best friend until his death from testicu-lar cancer when I was 17 years old.

So, it’s fair to say I love dogs; (regular readers will know this), and I always knew when I became a mom, my kids (now adults) would have dogs and would be brought up to love, care, nurture and cherish them, just as I was. And, no, we’re not the Brady Bunch; we’re more like The Simpsons.

So, when parents ask me if I believe kids and dogs go together, my answer is always going to be a resounding YES!

But I also ask the parents if they person-ally want a dog and if the answer is “NO,” then I advise them to consider asking their child who will “absolutely love and walk and care for the dog,” the following ques-tions in order to help them plan effectively for their new best friend.

So, if you’re a kid who’s trying to prove to your parents you’re capable of taking care of a dog, see how many of the fol-lowing questions you can answer:• Am I kind and gentle

when it comes to dealing

with animals?

• Have I got lots of time

to spend with a dog?

• During the past week,

how many times and

ways have I shown

kindness to people and

animals?

• Am I responsible? (This

means, that I can think

for myself).

• Do I know when the

right thing needs to be

done and do I do it?

• Do I know when

someone needs help and

do I help them?

• During the past

week, how many times

and ways have I been

responsible?

And then…I know I’m responsible, but how do I let my fam-ily know I’m responsible enough to have a dog as a pet?• Tell them about a time

when you were kind to

an animal. For example,

did you help an injured

animal? Did you feed

the birds who visit your

garden?

• Decide how much time

you’ll have to spend with

your dog and tell your

mom how you plan to

spend it. How much time

will you have to walk,

groom and play with

your dog?

• Find out what type of

food you’ll feed your dog

and how much it will cost

each week.

• Read the Dublin SPCA’s

special information

on the importance of

spaying and neutering

your dog.

• Ask your family if

everyone else living in

the house is happy to

have a dog.

When your child has read and understood the above, ask them to keep the following in mind:• Puppies are cute but

they grow into big dogs.

Not all dogs grow big but

some do; so check with

your vet and find out

what type of dog is likely

to be large and what

type is likely to remain

small.

• Dogs bark. Some bark

an awful lot of the time.

• When you take your

dog for a walk you must

pick up the poo. You

must carry poo bags

and you must bin them

properly.

• Dogs shed hair.

• Dogs can vomit.

• Dogs can chew

furniture; especially a

teething puppy.

• Dogs can pee and poo

and make a mess on the

carpet.

• Dogs can jump up

and down on your new

clothes and chew your

favourite toys.

• Dogs need to be taken

to the vet, they need to

be groomed and bathed

and they need their nails

clipped.

• Dogs get worms, ear

mites and fleas.

• Dogs can run away

from home so they must

be microchipped.

• Dogs need to be put

into boarding kennels

when you go on holiday,

or they need a pet sitter.

• Dogs need lots of

things, like leads,

collars, a kennel, a bed

for the house because

a dog must be allowed

access to your home; he

cannot be left outside all

of the time.

• And… the saddest fact

of all kids; some day,

sadly, your dog will die.

So, boys and girls, you’ve answered all of the above and are happy you still want a dog as a pet. Wonderful. Get Mom to get in touch with the Dublin SPCA; at www.dspca.ie we’ve lots of cuties just waiting on their forever homes.

For more information email me at [email protected]



GazetteMUSICMUSICMagic and hard graft the keys to music success

ROB HEIGH

THE playing field for new bands keeps changing as new media avenues open up, but one thing that stays true is that hard graft and dedication will get you to the next level.

This is especially true of local band, Last Second Magic, who are travelling to Canada next week to take part in Toronto Indie Week for the second con-secutive year.

The hardest working band in Dublin 15 have built up a dedicated fol-lowing across the city and across the wider world with their melodic styl-ings, exciting gigs and inspired cover versions.

But their ongoing suc-cess is based on more than just those strengths, as GazetteMusic found out when we spoke to lead singer, Paul Hosford.

“More and more peo-ple are getting interested in the band. We’re keen to make sure we know and understand what is work-ing for us, because there are thousands of bands out there, and you need to be smarter about that kind of thing to make sure you are seen.”

The band came from the ashes of Blanchard-stown band, A Careless Thief, and the collective have seen a number of personnel changes, which have led to a settled line-up who are reaping the rewards of hard work and understanding how to reach their audience.

“Since we went to Toronto last year, we have had a lot of change; we have had a member leave and two new ones join us, so we are a different band in many ways, includ-ing the way we approach making music.

“We were looking at

our sets, and we have only two or three songs that are still in the set from this time last year. We are still playing to our melodic and clever strengths, but there is a more crafted approach in what we do.

“This will be our third Indie Week, as we did Toronto last year, Indie Week Ireland in March and now back to Toronto. We’re playing a gig in Nia-gara Falls, and there will be a week of gigs for us.

“We learned a huge amount the last time we were there as a band. In terms of the business side of things — PR, design, how you portray yourself in the media and social media, getting things organised.”

The band came back

inspired by their last trip to Canada, and recorded and released their last EP, We Miss You, Black Sta-lin, and the expectation is that all they have learned since then, together with another great experience in front of international audiences, will see anoth-er burst of creativity and career building.

“The last EP was recorded with Lee Boylan, drummer with Fight Like Apes, and taking time to put a bit of effort and care into what we do is really important, as we learned in Toronto last year.

“When we come back, we’re planning to record a full album. We have a set of songs that we’re happy with, and our enthusiasm and energy is rising with

INTERVIEW: DUBLIN 15 BAND LEARNING THE ROPES ON THE ROAD AND ONLINE

Last Second Magic are on their way to Toronto to take part in the Indie Week showcase


SHANE DILLON

ALTHOUGH I certainly don’t want to get in the habit of returning to pre-viously mentioned titles, or to seem like I favour one console over another (as I don’t), I’m returning to Gears of War 3, as I said I would do so in my previous column.

By now, Gears has swept aside all opposi-tion in the charts, which was a sure-fire certainty for Microsoft, with Gears being a key franchise for the XBox in ways that, say, the Metal Gear Solid franchise is for PlaySta-tion.

So, having blitzed through the single-play-er campaign, as well as stormed through the multiplayer modes, how does this conclusion to the trilogy play out?

Fortunately, the series has reached a satisfy-ing conclusion, along with all of the manic set pieces and all-out action fans could expect, with an hour spent with Gears generally providing more action than many a film director’s entire canon.

And yet, lest non-gamers or mildly curious readers dismiss the game as just another frantic shooter, there’s a notice-ably thoughtful under-current underpinning the trilogy’s conclusion, thanks to the series writ-er, Karen Traviss.

Sensibly deciding that, even in such a hectic action game, the good guys don’t always win – and that heroes die just like everybody else – she’s given emotional and intellectual depth to the conclusion, for those

A highly-polished Gears

GazetteGAMINGGAMING

who look behind the vis-uals and gameplay.

And what gameplay. The single-player mode is, of course, packed full of memorable pieces, but the mutiplayer is pretty striking, In addition to the usual player-vs-player, team-vs-team modes, the most interesting, Horde,

sees a random group of people team up to fight through progressively tougher waves of enemies, requiring teamwork, skill –and a little luck.

I have to make special mention of the multiplay-er maps, with some, such as the Overpass level, providing superb visuals.

The artistry of Gears’ “destroyed beauty” in its environmental design has simply never looked better.

In short, while gamers wait for the likes of Bat-tlefield 3, and Skyrim, Gears of War 3 is a franti-cally entertaining title for adult gamers to enjoy.

Things don’t look good for Marcus and his friends as mutated Lambent attack, in a

fairly typical scene from Gears of War 3

Masterpieces re-released in HDTWO “new” PlayStation 3 titles have been re-released that are practically reason enough to buy Sony’s console. Conveniently bundled together, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus (below) are two titles that, individually and collectively, come as close to defining pure genius in gaming as any-thing else in the past 30-odd years or so.

Both titles were released on the PlayStation 2 sev-eral years ago to universal acclaim – and universally underwhelm-ing sales. Critics adored the titles, but the general gam-ing public ignored them (as the comprehensive reviews of both titles on Wikipedia may explain).

However, with both titles constantly appear-ing near the top in critics’ Best Games of All Time lists, Ico, and Shadow of the Colossus, have been re-released in HD. There’s no highly-polished rede-sign; the games re-use the same assets – but, pre-sented in crisp, widescreen glory, there’s no excuse for PS3 gamers not to grab a copy now of these two singularly memorable titles. My reason to just buy a new PlayStation 3 has hit the shelves ...

Bytesandpieces

t

p

twfut the general gam


‘It’s about all of us working together’I AM running for President of Ire-land because I

want to do for jobs and enter-prise what President Mary McAleese did for peace.

Fourteen years ago, Mary McAleese chose building bridges as her central theme and she used her back-ground, work history and life experience to help to build and consolidate peace on our island, despite there being no political or consti-tutional role for President McAleese to do this.

I have a background in farming and agriculture, youth and community work, public service, enterprise and entrepreneurship. I have worked hard to overcome many challenges, including unemployment and a visu-al impairment. Yet, I have always focused on what I can do and what I am good at.

When I travel around the country, as I have done for the past few years, mentor-ing, advising and support-ing groups of young people, those unemployed, business

networks, entrepreneurs, community, voluntary and advocacy groups, my mes-sage is always the same: We all must put our strengths to work to achieve our goals.

When I decided, to run for the Presidency, it was because, after years of chal-lenging others to be leaders in their own communities, I felt I had to stand forward myself.

After I launched my web-site, www.seangallagher.com in July and I embarked on a listening tour of the country. I wanted to hear from peo-ple in community groups, in businesses, in shopping

centres and at festivals what they wanted to see in their next President. It has been a wonderful journey. I have visited 22 counties, over 60 locations and travelled almost 20,000kms.

Those I met have told me of their greatest concerns and that has been for their jobs and for their families. They have told me that they want a President who will believe in them and in the future of our country. I heard that people want a President who is beyond politics, who is truly independent and who will be the voice and face of Ireland – not just now, but the Ireland we want to see in the future.

As President, I want to focus on what we do well. I want to highlight and cel-ebrate the work done by enterprise groups, business networks, Chambers of Commerce, those support-ing unemployed people and entrepreneurs. I want the excellent work that is being done to inspire others to cre-ate jobs in their local towns

and villages. These jobs pro-vide the glue that holds the community together – it provides money to keep the school open, the services running and the sports team on the field.

Abroad, I want to use my enterprise background to lead trade missions to help open new markets for Irish businesses, attract tourists and bring foreign investment to Ireland. All of this has the potential to increase jobs at home.

I believe that, as a country, we must focus on what we do well, including food pro-duction, tourism and new innovative industries such as technology and pharma-ceuticals. We need to tell the world the story of our success and stop wallowing in our failures. That is why I want to put enterprise at the heart of the next Presidency.

While this focus on enter-prise and job creation is important, it is even more essential for what it can do for our local communities. As our economy has suffered,

so have our communities. Yet, what I have seen on my listening tour is a fantastic reliance and a giving spirit as people have more time to offer. Just last week, I was at a World Suicide Prevention Day with Pieta House, and I was heartened by the work and energy of the volunteers who were coming together to support those in real distress. These are the real heroes in country, who need to be commended and celebrated as they can inspire such great work in others.

I am not a politician and I do not have the war chest or resources of a political party behind me. That is why I value those volunteers who are coming forward to work on our campaign, to canvass and fundraise. This campaign is not about me, it is about all of us working together to secure the Presidency for the people.

Sean GallagherPresidential Candidate

OPINION A candidate’s Presidential vision

Sean Gallagher

GazetteContacts

Block 3A, Mill Bank Business Park, Lucan Tel: 01 6010240 Fax: 01 6010251

General Manager: Michael McGovernemail: [email protected]

Editor: Cormac Curtisemail: [email protected]

News Editor: Dawn Loveemail: [email protected]

Production Editor: Jessica Maileemail: [email protected]

Sports Editor: Rob Heighemail: [email protected]

Financial Controller: Carly Lynchemail: [email protected]

Advertising Production: Anita Wardemail: [email protected]

Advertising Sales: 01 6010240email: [email protected]

Gazette Group Newspapers Ltd.

Terms and Conditions for acceptance of

advertisements

Reserve the right to omit or suspend or alter

any advertisement(s) in any of its publications.

We also decline any responsibility in the event of

one or more of a series of advertisements being

omitted for any reason whatever, nor do we accept

liability for any loss or damage caused by an error

or inaccuracy in the printing of any advertise-

ment. If your advertisement appears incorrectly,

contact the Advertising Department immediately,

as responsibility cannot be accepted for more

than one week’s incorrect insertion. Responsibility

cannot be accepted if the complaint is made more

than two weeks after insertion. If one places an

advertisement for more than one week and then

cancels it after the fi rst week, no refund or credit

will be given for weeks cancelled. The advertiser

undertakes to indemnify the Proprietors against

any liability for any civil action arising out of the

publication of the advertisement or any other

matter printed or published in the Blanchardstown

Gazette, Castleknock Gazette, Clondalkin Gazette,

Dundrum Gazette, Dun Laoghaire Gazette, Lucan

Gazette, Malahide Gazette and Swords Gazette. The

placing of an order or contract will be deemed an

acceptance of these conditions.

Don’t be left out in the cold this winter

The team at Topaz Local Fuels is ready for a busy winter

DROPPING THE MORTGAGE GUARANTORQ – Seven years ago, my mother, who is now

76, guaranteed my mortgage – I was a little

shy of the required income level then but the

bank insisted she be put on the mortgage.

Even with a recent salary reduction, I am

nearly at the level where my own income now

is sufficient for the mortgage while I also have

savings that could reduce my mortgage to even

more acceptable levels. I now want to take my

mother off the loan while my mortgage is also

on a fixed interest rate with my bank. What’s

the best way to proceed with this ? Jenny –

Malahide

A - Hindsight is a wonderful thing – accepting a

69-year-old mother to guarantee a daughter’s 30+

year home loan should never have been allowed in

the first place. You have a number of steps to take :

Make an appointment to meet your

lender ( the sooner the better )

Bring your P60 from 2010, your last 3

pay slips and ideally an up-to-date status

employment note from your employer

First you should request that, based on

your current income and job security, your

mortgage be placed solely in your name

and that

Your mother’s name be deleted from the

mortgage deed – with the repayment and

loan amount to remain the same

If they deem your income insufficient to

warrant the request ( and parameters are

changing all the time ), ask them what level

of borrowing would satisfy them based on

your current income that would allow your

mother’s guarantee to be waived ?

If you have savings, offer to either pay

off the amount to the level they desire – the

bank should be delighted with the lump

sum - or if they are going to charge a fee

for breaking the fixed rate, then place that

amount in a deposit account with the bank

when they can attach a lien as security for

the mortgage until the fixed rate matures

and it can be repaid against the mortgage

at that stage. In the interim, ensure you are

receiving top deposit rates with that bank.

If you are allowed to repay without

penalty, it will also reduce your monthly

mortgage pro rata. Better for your cash

flow.

You will need to brief your solicitor to

make the necessary legal changes.

Contact John Lowe with your money ques-

tions at [email protected] or visit his

website at www.moneydoctor.ie. John Lowe,

Fellow of the Institute of Bankers, is founder

and managing director of Money Doctor

GazetteBUSINESSBUSINESS Supported by AIB

IF YOU’VE felt the chill that has crept into the autumn air over the last few days, you know that winter is well and truly on its way. There are even predictions that there will be a cold snap as early as October, this year.

Last year, many people did not realise that their oil tanks were so low and the increased demand during the cold snaps put pressure on oil com-panies, meaning many people had to endure the harsh cold while they waited days or even weeks for their delivery. With this in mind, the message from

fuel distributors nation-wide is strong and simple. Prepare and order early.

With Christmas edging ever closer on the hori-zon, getting the expense of home heating out of the way now will ensure you are in a much better financial position come the festive season, not to mention the reassur-ance it brings that you and your family won’t be experiencing a truly cold wintry night.

First things first, get your boiler serviced. An effi-cient boiler will save you considerable money over the winter months. Next,

HEATING: TOP TIPS FOR KEEPING THE FAMILY WARM THIS WINTER


ANSWERS TO YOUR PERSONAL FINANCE QUESTIONS

NOREEN MULDOON

FROM January 1, 2011, the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 came into effect. There are over 120,000 co-habitants in Ireland who are possibly affected by this Act.

This new act allows unmarried couples apply to court for finan-cial relief similar to that allowed under the Judicial Separation and Divorce Act.

To qualify the adult individu-als must have been living togeth-er as a couple for a period of:

Two years or more in the case where they are the parents of one or more dependant children

Five years or more in any other

case. Under the Act an “ex” may

now look to court for an order of maintenance, pension and/or an interest in a property (property adjustment order). They must meet certain criteria. For exam-ple, they need to show they have been financially dependant on the other party as a result of the relationship.

An application must be brought before the court within two years “save in exceptional circumstances” from the time of the breakdown of the relation-ship regardless of how the rela-tionship ends.

A party can also apply to court to look for a share of a deceased partner's estate, although there

is not an automatic entitlement to this.

To stop rights being estab-lished a “co-habitant agreement” can be entered into, which can set out any financial arrange-ments between the parties. If a couple decide to opt out of the provisions of the Act and draft such an agreement, independent legal advice needs to be obtained from a solicitor by both people. Also be aware that, if such an agreement is fundamentally unfair and unjust, a court can set the agreement aside or vary it.

In summary, it is important to note that previously unmarried couples had no legal rights to the assets or the estate of their partner; now, however, couples

New legislation affecting couples living together

living together can automatically obtain rights under the Act even if they have not taken steps to register their relationship. Maguire Muldoon Solicitors

Clonskeagh

Dublin 14

Tel (01) 296 4266

www.maguiremuldoon.ie

make sure that draughts are eliminated. Often, we waste more heat than we enjoy. Finally, set your thermostat to a pleasant background level, some-where between 18 – 20 degrees.

Reducing temperature by 1 degree can decrease fuel usage by 10%. Also, set your timer so you can enjoy the benefits of a warm house. You should

be able to rise in the morning to a chill free bathroom and kitchen. And if you are out all day, is there anything more enjoyable than returning to a warm, welcoming home?

Last winter, Keith McGouran, the Depot Manager for Topaz Local Fuels, Dublin took the decision not to let any of their customers endure

the freezing temperatures. A lot of learnings were gleaned from last year’s experience and Topaz Local Fuels have pulled out all the stops to ensure their product offering has diversified to cater for the worsening economic and weather climates.

Visit www.topazlocal-fuels.ie or call 1850 250 650 for more informa-tion.

SUSAN GIBSON

Head of Pensions, Irish Life Retail

FOR most people starting a pension was just something we did when we started working or when we set up our business. It just seemed sensible to start putting money by while we had it, to take account of the years ahead when we wouldn’t have it!

Saving for a more secure

future

Despite the challenging finan-cial environment we all face, the critical fact remains – saving for our retirement is as important and as sensible as ever. And, for those who put plans in place, the

benefit is immediate. A recent study by Amarach Research showed that people who are saving for their retirement with a pension were twice as confident about their future compared to those who weren’t putting any-thing by.

Know your pension options

It’s important to understand that not all pension plans are the same. There’s actually a range of options to choose from when investing into a pension plan. So you should be able to choose from safer, lower-risk options right the way though to more adventurous ones. Then, as your circumstances change over time, you should be able to switch

between funds easily, whenever you need to. At Irish Life we’ve a wide range of options so we’ve got something to suit all tastes.

Put your pension in good

hands

More than 1 million people choose Irish Life to help them look after their financial futures. In fact we currently manage pen-sions and investments of over €31 billion. As Ireland’s leading provider it may not surprise you that we look after the pensions of most of Ireland’s leading companies. However, you may not be aware that seven of the 10 biggest US companies choose Irish Life pensions for their Irish employees.

Get some advice

Getting your pension sorted is one of the most important decisions you can make. With so much at stake, choosing your pension provider, and understanding all the options available, has never been more important.

For advice on planning for your retirement, talk to your independent broker, or contact your local Irish Life Financial Adviser to help you plan ahead for a more secure future.

Information is correct August 2011. Pensions are long-term savings plans that can only be taken at retirement.Irish Life Assurance plc is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

Safety first for pensions in 2011

13 January 2011 GAZETTE 19

Jedward factor: Roisin Ni Mhorain on how there are far worse role models than the twins from LucanPage 29

G A Z E T T E G R O U P N E W S P A P E R S O C T 2 0 1 1

GETTING THE RIGHT ADVICE: Are pensions still a good option?Page 20

THE FAMILY BUSINESS: Providing for your company’s futurePage 22

YOURPENSION

Susan Gibson, head of pensions, Irish Life Retail

Y O U R G U I D E T O P L A N N I N G F O R Y O U R F U T U R E

DAMIAN EVANS

Fingal Financial

OVER the last few months, I have heard a number of discussions relating to the continued use of private pension plans. This is usually related to the falls in fund values, negative sentiment regarding glo-bal economies and taxa-tion changes. My advice is that, for most people

funding long-term for retirement, pensions are still the best game in town. Some of the key points to remember are:1. Security

IT IS important to remem-ber that insurance com-panies are not banks. The liquidity requirements for insurance companies are much, much more oner-ous than for the banking sector. An insurance com-

pany must at least match assets and liabilities and, indeed, most insurers exceed this. If you have a Self Administered Fund with a Pensioneer trus-tee, your assets are held in a ring-fenced trust, so should the Trustee com-pany face difficulties or indeed become insolvent, your assets are protected.2. Investment

Performance

YES, it has been a pretty torrid time for global equity and bond markets. The credit crunch that started in the US has now turned into a European Sovereign Debt Crisis and we have had our own property and banking problems along the way. Advisers can’t pretend to be able to predict the future; however, we can plan a portfolio and guide our clients through the various behaviours of assets so that there are fewer surprises. Invest-ment markets will rise and fall. It is their nature. You can, however, have a lot of influence over how your overall investment port-folio rises and falls com-apred with global market benchmarks.3. Investment strategy

MATCHING your invest-

A pension? I’d be better off in the Post Office

l G E T T I NG THE R I GHT ADV I C E l

For most people, pensions are still one of the best options for saving for your retirement


ment portfolio to your investment term, and tak-ing into account your atti-tude to risk, should lead to fewer surprises when receiving your fund valu-ations. There have never been more investment options out there, ranging from 100% capital pro-tected to riskier leveraged investments, and every-thing in between.4. Tax Benefits

TAX relief at up to 41% is still available. Ignoring charges and investment performance, to accumu-late a fund of €500,000 outside of a pension, it would cost you nearly €850,000. Compare that to saving into a pension

plan where the equivalent cost would be €500,000 and you can access 25% of that tax-free upon maturity.5. Review – Regularly

INVESTMENT markets change. Attitude to risk changes. In my experi-ence, during the boom years, investors became overly aggressive about their own capacity for risk and many have subsequently come to realise this, to their cost. Experieneced independ-ent professional advice can offer diversification solutions and offer an impartial view to ensure that both the investment growth potential and risk

profile are within specific agreed criteria.Damian Evans is Account Director with Fingal Financial. He can be contacted at 018404012 or [email protected]

Not all recommendations are necessarily suitable for all investors and Fingal Financial recommend that specific independent advice should always be sought prior to entering any financial contract, based on the particular circumstances of the individual. Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future returns. The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise. Any person acting on the information contained in this article does so entirely at his or her own risk. All estimates, views and opinions included in this article constitute Fingal Financial’s judgment as of the date of the article but may be subject to change without notice.

ON moving abroad, many British expatriates will have left their UK pension rights retained in their existing arrangements.

These private pensions remain subject to UK pensions law with the effective requirement to pur-chase an annuity at a later stage (and in any case no later than attaining 75 years of age without the later prospect of huge tax charges otherwise). Additionally, UK taxation may be suffered on pension payments.

Under UK legislation intro-duced in 2004, effective from April 2006, expatriates or UK residents who have a demonstrable inten-tion to reside outside of the UK may transfer the value of their UK pension rights to a non-UK pen-sion scheme and thus avoid all the normal restrictions imposed on the pension fund if it remained in

the UK. The transfer must be made to a Qualifying Recognised Over-seas Pension Scheme (QROPS for short) that is approved by HMRC.

Do I qualify for this scheme?

Cases should be examined on an individual basis but the basic rules are:

The pension holder must become non-resident of the UK and remain so for at least five complete UK tax years.

The existing UK pension scheme can be in drawdown (i.e. benefit is being paid from the fund directly – an approach now referred to as “unsecured income”) before transferring to a QROPS. How-ever, there are restrictions and, if the permitted lump sum has been taken, no further lump sums are allowed.

Characteristics of QROPS

QROPS are established so that the underlying investments are not subject to tax and, with careful planning, the pension fund can be continued until retirement date on a tax-free basis.

The other principal benefit in transferring a UK Pension to QROPS is that the member can use the pension fund for his lifetime and any remaining balance can be passed on to their heirs upon the member’s death.

What do I do next?

If you have worked in the UK and left your pension behind, please contact Imperius Asset Manage-ment by telephone: 01 437 088 or by email: [email protected], to find out how to take advan-tage of the benefits that may be available to you.

What, exactly, is QROPS?


YOURPENSION

Hardiman’s offer real choice and security

the top 50 safest banks in the world.

“There are some good reasons why Hardiman’s free reviews should be considered:

“The process for our review is quite simple and we do not charge our customers an initial con-sultation fee. If we can’t improve your existing arrangements, or reduce the charges on your pen-sion, we will make you

aware of this from the start. We will provide our clients with a concise report tailored to your personal circumstances, which will outline our recommendations.

“We can arrange house appointments at a time convenient to you. Call 0877662657, e-mail us at [email protected] or visit our website www.hardimans.ie for further details.”

l F I N ANC I A L S ERV I C ES l

THE Hardiman name is a tried and trusted one in financial services, where Pat Hardiman has been providing financial advice since 1976.

Pat says: “The most important point that we want to make custom-ers aware of is: Review-ing where your pension is invested could make a substantial difference to the value of your retire-ment fund.

“Do you know where your pension is invest-ed?

“We will review your attitude to risk and invest

your pension accord-ingly. Daniel Hardiman, Chartered Accountant and Qualified Financial Advisor, who has recent-ly joined the team has observed various types of investment strategies used by the leading fund managers in his career to date and will ensure the investment funds select-ed will be suitable to the individual’s age and risk profile.

Example

“For example, it is important that when an individual is approaching

retirement, their pension is invested in a low-risk secure fund.

“We now have a plat-form to invest individu-als’ pensions in a range of 100% Capital Guar-anteed investments. For example, our cus-tomers can now invest their pension in the best deposit interest rates on offer in the market and get a guaranteed return of 4.5% AER and not expose themselves to any investment risk. For low-risk individuals, we have access to invest pensions in banks who have made


Finding someone you can trust to help you with your

pension needs is extremely important

DO YOU own a fam-ily firm and worry about providing for the future? Is your pension fund sig-nificantly depleted and/or property portfolio now floored?

“It’s time to act to ensure you get the busi-ness disposal tax relief, which may be reduced in next Budget.”

Business owners who are over 55 years of age, and over 10 years in busi-ness, can currently avail of substantial tax reliefs when selling their busi-ness or passing it on to family members. How-

ever, these are under attack.

Currently, if a business owner sells his or her business (within guide-lines) for up to €750,000, there is no Capital Gains Tax (CGT) payable – but it is likely that the tax benefits will be reduced in the next Budget – pos-sibly down to €500,000. Businesses held by hus-band and wife could avail of €1.5m.

Over the last three years in particular, many people have seen their pension funds significant-ly eroded and many own-

ers of small family firms despair of ever being able to afford to retire. “But there is a very viable way to enable business own-ers to retire even if their pensions are substantially diminished,” says Gerry O’Reilly, of Newmarket Partnership.

One of Gerry’s clients, who he helped with this problem, is Moneywise.ie – a boutique wealth-management family firm. Moneywise was estab-lished by Owen Morton in 1986 and, in more recent times, he and his two sons shared owner-

ship with each owning a one-third share.

Owen was approach-ing retirement but, like many people over the past three years, his pension fund has suffered badly. Although the business is sound and profitable, neither of his two sons – Alan and Richard – had the money to buy out his shares from him.

“Richard and I were really stressing about this as we wanted to enable Dad to retire when he chose to do so – safe in the knowledge that he would have adequate resources with which to enjoy his retirement. The company had some reserves, but, having a young family, we had no spare cash personally to buy him out. So we spoke to Gerry O’Reilly at New-market, who has been advising Moneywise for a number of years now. We had known about the relief – as, in a twin strat-egy with pension funding, we had advised clients on it ourselves but Gerry really approaches the problem in an innovative way,” says Alan.

Future

“Gerry advised us how we could use the compa-ny’s current reserves and future cashflow to fund Owen’s retirement.

“He said there were several ways to structure this, but bottom line is that Owen ended up with a good fund over time and Richard and I ended up in control of the business. We agreed a value on the shares and are paying him this in regular monthly install-ments – tax-efficiently, thanks to CGT Retire-ment Relief. Gerry calls this WIN, WIN, WIN and we agree.

“My Dad’s retirement

Taking care of family firms

l P L ANN ING FOR THE F UTURE l

Owen Morton, of Moneywise.ie, client of Gerry O’Reilly of Newmarket Partnership

issue is significantly eased –WIN. We get to take over the business with little outlay –WIN. The outcome is tax friendly – WIN. Collectively, Richard and I and the Company save the tax my Dad would have paid on PAYE – WIN. In summa-ry, Newmarket saved our family €750,000, which certainly makes for a bet-ter quality retirement for Dad. This was not some-thing we ever envisaged a relatively small company could achieve.”

Complex

However, Alan warned that it is not as simple a transaction as it sounds. “It’s actually pretty com-plex,” he says, “and this is why we needed Newmar-ket’s thorough knowledge of the Taxation Code, as well as good legal advice to guide us through share-

holders’ agreements, and what would happen in the case of default for whatever reason.”

Gerry O’Reilly com-ments: “We used the Capital Gains Tax Retire-ment Relief for this trans-action. This means that people can sell their busi-ness without incurring tax up to a maximum value of €750,000 once they are over 55 years of age, have worked for 10 years or more and are a shareholder/director in the business.

“This is ideal for small family-owned businesses in particular. In certain circumstances, people have found they have not actually retired but just passed on their shares to the next generation and realised some or all of the value.”

However, Gerry warns that this €750k figure

could be reduced to €500k in the next Budget as the Government has to claw back money from wherever it can. This measure will particularly affect business owners who have seen their pen-sion fund substantially reduced in value, or who were relying on a proper-ty portfolio, which is now in negative equity.”

So the advice to owners of family businesses who want to retire, or want to plan their retirement, is to act now. “Don’t leave it until near the end of the year and Budget time, as you need to allow time for the complexities to be worked through,” Gerry concludes.

Gerry O’Reilly can be contacted on 01 429 3600 or by email: [email protected] or log on to www.newmarket.ie for further information.



YOURPENSION


GazetteMOTORSMOTORS

WHEN it comes to our children’s safety takes pri-ority. And, for

many families, that means that when you sit down to look at what’s on offer in the MPV market you need to start by consider-ing cars with three rows of seats.

No matter what options you examine the Renault Grand Scenic will almost always come into the final running.

And that’s why I took the Grand Scenic for a test drive. The Grand Scenic is a family oriented car. It is a big car as it’s longer and wider than most of the

competition.I took it with the slight-

ly higher power 110bhp 1.5-litre turbo-diesel engine for a recent test drive. It was the TomTom version so it had all of the best features, especially the TomTom satellite navi-

gation system. And the car was fitted with Renault’s six-speed automatic gear-box that delivers extra driving comfort.

The test car was the ultimate in the Grand Scenic range, called the top-of-the-range TomTom model. This car comes with a TomTom satel-lite navigation system as standard, along with an impressive host of extra goodies.

The seating is very flex-ible and easy to use. The second row of seats con-sists of individual seats, all of which can slide and fold individually to suit the needs. They can be

folded forward for extra boot space. And, while the third-row seats are not really for adults they are very suitable for children or short runs. You can be sure that with a Euro NCAP five-star rating for the car they will all travel in safety, with proper seat belts and IsoFix fittings for baby seats in the mid-dle row.

The third row of seats is easily folded to give a flat boot area. That makes it more spacious than the Opel Zafira or Toyota Verso.

Renault is using an easy-to-read digital type layout for the dash infor-

mation, with speed and other features clearly vis-ible for the driver and pas-sengers. Radio controls are on the steering wheel stalk for added safety and there is an iPod connec-tion for those who want their own music.

I’m glad to see that Renault still fits a space saver space wheel in all Grand Scenic models, which is the only option in our road conditions.

Renault uses a 1.5-litre turbo-diesel engine in the Grand Scenic where there is an option of either 95bhp or 110bhp without much compromise in per-formance or economy.

The car has reasonable acceleration at 14.3 sec-onds in a 0 to 100km/hr dash.

It’s not the fastest mid-range MPV around but you can hold a steady 120km/hr on the motor-way at just over the 2,500rpm figure on the engine.

The Renault Grand Scenic has impressive safety features and the seating is comfortable and supported by a good suspension ride.

The car is reasonably thrifty, and very spacious while being good to drive with the benefit of the automatic gearbox.

Renault’s space machine

VOLKSWAGEN ANNOUNCES NEW TIGUAN MODELS: VOLKSWAGEN’S latest version of the company SUV, the four-door and five-seat Tiguan is now available in the Irish market, with prices starting from €27,995.

The Volkswagen Tiguan features a new look dominated by horizontal lines on the front grille, bringing the model into line with other new Volkswagen models.

The Tiguan once again bears a strong resemblance to the big-ger Touareg. At the rear, new two-part light clus-ters give the Tiguan a distinctive appearance.

Again, similar to those of the Touareg, they form an ‘L’ shape, while the lower bor-der of the lights also follows a horizontal geometry. Volkswagen offers three trim levels, Trend and Fun, Track and Field and Sport and Style. All will be available with Blue Motion technology diesel engines ranging from 2.0-litre 110hp, 2.0-litre 140hp and 2.0 litre 140hp BMT 4Motion. They all feature Stop/Start and battery regeneration systems to enhance fuel economy and reduce emissions.

RoadRoadSignsSigns

HONDA in Ireland has introduced a new 180bhp Type S diesel version of the Accord for 2012. The car aims to be an alternative to the BMW and Audi options with a more powerful engine and improved driving feel and plenty of extras as standard for a list price of €39,465, plus delivery charges.

The exterior of the Type S 180PS, with its 18-inch alloy wheels and aero bump-ers and side sills, has a sporty look that reflects the power under the bonnet. The car is equipped with a high beam sup-

port system with Bi Xenon headlights and active cornering lights. Standard features include leather seating and elec-trically adjustable heated front seats. The car has an advanced dual-zone climate control linked to the satellite naviga-tion system to detect the position of the sun and set the temperature accord-ingly. Cabin noise has also been reduced through a new floating sub-frame struc-ture with insulated carpets, all adding to an enriched driving experience.

Type S 180bhp is combined with a six-

speed manual gearbox. Honda claims that the aim of the engine and transmis-sion development was to maintain the high-performance driving experience whilst improving the overall efficiency of the engine and resulting in lower run-ning costs. Power output is at 180bhp at 4,000 rpm while peak torque is 380Nm at between 2,000 and 2,750rpm. That delivers an improved acceleration per-formance of 8.8 seconds in a 0-100km/hr race and a top speed of 220km/h.

Despite the extra power the CO2 emis-

sions are below Euro 5 levels at 147g/km putting the car into Road Tax Band C with an annual road tax cost of €302.

Honda boosts the Accord range with a new Type S

Top speed: 180 km/hr

0 – 100km/hr: 14.3 secs

Economy: 20 km/litre

(5.0l/100km)

CO2 emissions: 124g/km

Road Tax Band: B (€156)

Entry Price: €26,790

SPECS: RENAULT GRAND

SCENIC 1.5

The new Type S boasts lots of features

The market for family cars that have more than five seats remains as strong as ever. MICHAEL MORONEY reports on the Renault Grand Scenic

The new Renault Grand Scenic is a competitive people carrier with an entry price of €26,790

WE HAVE

146,000*

READERS

EACH WEEK

ADVERTISE

YOUR BUSINESSYOUR BUSINESS

TO OUR READERS

CALL 60 10 240



Organic beauty brand VOYA arrives at The Ice House

THE Chill Spa at The

Ice House in Co. Mayo

drew a host of familiar

local faces to the official

launch of VOYA last

week.

Almost 100 people

attended the event, with

general manager Claire

O’Sullivan welcoming

guests and treating all to

a sophisticated soiree.

Spa specialists,

including Chill Spa’s

award-winning thera-

pist Elaine Armstrong,

showcased the new

VOYA products and

treatments and treated

guests to complimen-

tary mini treatments,

including mini-mani-

cures, hand, arm and

head massages.

VOYA expert

Michelle Roche was on

hand to demonstrate

the amazing VOYA Sea-

weed wraps.

For full details on all

treatments and offers

please see www.theice-

house.ie or phone Chill

Spa at 096-23500.

What’sOn

Tourism Ireland’s Brian Harte and Mark Henry

celebrate reaching a half-million Facebook fans

BREAKAWAY: TAKE A SHORT TRAIN RIDE THIS AUTUMN

LEAVE the car a t home th i s autumn and enjoy a relaxing break in

Northern Ireland from only £75pps* and avail of 1st Plus rail travel on the Enterprise.

That is the message from the Nor thern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) following the launch of a selection of short breaks that include breakfast and NIR Trav-el.

People can sit back and relax on the Enter-prise from Dublin Con-nolly to Belfast Central Station, enjoy accom-modation in a selection of 3, 4 and 5-star hotels across Northern Ireland and three days unlimited Metro, Ulsterbus and NI Railways travel.

“The launch of the

rail breaks from only £75pps* not only repre-sent an affordable way for visitors to enjoy a short break in Northern Ire-land, but also provide a relaxing way to get there given that rail travel is included.

“Travelling 1st Plus on the Enterprise is a fantastic way to start a short break as you can really relax in style and even enjoy a nice meal and a glass of wine,” said NITB’s market manager (ROI) Fiona Cunning-ham.

“There’s a great selec-tion of hotels available across Northern Ireland with something to suit everyone, for example visit Belfast for a cosmo-politan city break with a spot of shopping, Por-trush and Bushmills if you

Rail-ax in style - head north

Fiona Cunningham, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board’s market manager, is

encouraging people to leave the car at home this autumn

HAVE A howl of a Halloween this year at Westport House’s annual Halloween Fest, which runs for the duration of the mid-term break from October 29 to November 6.

A total of 5% of all proceeds from the freaky festival will be donated to Childline.

Families with monsters will have a haunt-ingly good time as they experience the thrills ‘n’ chills of the Pirate Adventure Park – they will board the eerie Westport House Express train ride, get into high ‘spirits’ on the swing-ing ship and swan boats on the lake, have a devilish time on the cannonball run slide, and take an exciting trip on the log flume water ride.

To really bite the Halloween apple, guests will step into the stunning 18th-century Westport House, which will be transformed into a (not too) scary haunted house for the week.

The little devils will be mesmerised by the captivating White Witch’s story time, while Scrooge and his friends will paint their faces to ensure they’re looking frighteningly good for the family workshops that are taking place all day.

Not only that, but for guests who are there over the October Bank holiday weekend, there will definitely be a treat in store (no tricks, promise) with an explosive Fireworks

Extravaganza and haunting Halloween dance on the front lawn of Westport House.

Make sure to dress to impress and look scarily good if you plan on joining in the fun, as you could be in with a chance to win some fantastic prizes in the costume competition – adults too!

All of these additional activities are includ-ed in the regular Westport House & Pirate Adventure Park ticket prices, other than the fireworks extravaganza, making Halloween Fest and the Fireworks Extravaganza fantas-tic value for the family.

For further information see www.west-porthouse.ie

Frightening fun at Westport House

GazetteTTRAVELRAVEL Edited by

Mimi Murray

would like to explore the breathtaking Co Antrim coast; Derry to find out more about the historic City Walls or Newcastle to enjoy a short break by the seaside.

“With breakfast and three days unlimited NIR travel included in the price, visitors will

be spoilt for choice on where to go and what to do, and they can really take the time to explore more of Northern Ire-land at their leisure,” Fiona said.

To find out more information on these great value breaks, or for further information on

things to see and do in Northern Ireland, check out the free booking and advice service and call-save 1850 230 230, visit NITB’s Tourist Informa-tion Centre in Suffolk Street, Dublin 2 or click on www.discovernorth-ernireland.com.

* Subject to availability

Land of a thousand welcomes reaches 500,000 Facebook fansTOURISM Ireland has reached a half-million fans

on Facebook, making it the third most popular

tourism board in the world on the popular social

networking site, after Australia and the UK.

Social media played an important role in increas-

ing the impact of high-profile TV programmes

featuring Ireland this year, including BBC’s Terry

Wogan’s Ireland and Monty Halls’ Great Irish

Escape; as viewers were tweeting while they

watched, Tourism Ireland communicated with them,

highlighting some of the great places to visit that

featured in the programmes.

Mark Henry, Tourism Ireland’s Central Marketing

Director, said: “For Tourism Ireland, effective use of

social media is about building online communities

and starting conversations that allow word of mouth

about Ireland as a holiday destination to reach a

truly global audience.

“When you consider that each of our fans has in

turn an average of 130 friends, this fan base for Ire-

land means that we can potentially engage with 65

million people world-wide each day,” he said.

Tourism Ireland took the top eMarketing award

at the Marketing Institute of Ireland’s All-Ireland

Marketing (AIM) awards in May, primarily for their

social media successes.


GazetteENTERTAINMENTENTERTAINMENT

Just hasn’t a ClouseauThis isn’t the sequel that Atkinson fans have Bean waiting for,

as the bumbling spy genre has been better done in other films KATE CROWLEY

READERS may recall that, a few weeks ago, I reviewed Tinker, tailor, Soldier, Spy - the master-ful tale of the spy game played out in the 1970s by icily-cold spymasters.

Well, the 1970s – just like a few weeks back – was aaaaages ago, and the spy game’s moved on a lot since then.

Right along to Johnny English, it would seem – or so the filmmakers would have you believe.

A curious sequel to the 2003 film that started this series (not that I’m entirely convinced that a two-film series is really a series, any more than someone riding a bicycle expects to see any further developments or wheels appearing at the back), this sees Rowan Atkinson returning to the role of a deadly, if incompetent, British spy.

After all, it’s not like we haven’t seen spy spoof tales before, right, dear readers?

(Let’s ignore everyone who starts shouting out that spy spoofs have been a lazy cinematic cliche since the likes of televi-sion’s Get Smart show – from 1965 – or even

Morecambe and Wise’s The Intelligence Men, from the same year. Hush, Mr Crowley, hush.)

Reprising his role as the brilliant but bungling British superagent, Atkin-son returns as English – the only man who could take on J***s B**d and win – albeit not without

lots of chaotic messing about.

Perhaps in a nod to the slightly long gap between the films, the film sees MI-7’s (see what they did there, folks?) top agent living life away from the agency, having retired to Ye Olde Monastery in deepest, orangest Asia.

Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson), MI-7’s greatest spy, has a licence to – well, ineptly stumble through one crisis after another, as he

attempts to save the Chinese premier’s life in the face of a deadly conspiracy, with English’s “skills” just one of many obstacles to beat

GoingOUTGoingOUTMILL THEATRE 01 296 9340 We’ve Only Just Begun

THE enduring beauty of the songs left behind by The Carpenters will be expertly brought to lilfe by talented singer, Kim Dickinson, and her band, in a show set to delight Carpenter fans, with everything from Yesterday Once More, We’ve Only Just Begun, (They Long To Be) Close To You and many, many more for fans to listen out for. The show is at 8pm on Friday, October 7, with tickets priced at €18/€15.

DRAIOCHT 01 885 2622My Way

GARVAN Gallagher’s commendable exhibition examines the “invisible” status of older citizens, with a diverse range of work examing the status and self-image of our elders. Whether personal texts, short films, or even fashion shoots replacing younger models with more mature citizens, My Way is an excellent, diverse project underlining how valuable our “invisible” citizens are. My Way runs at Driaocht’s ground floor gallery until Saturday, November 5.

PAVILION THEATRE 01 231 2929When Jolie Met Christie

THIS imaginative production marries the music of the late, great Christie Hennessy with the legendary Al Jolson. As a boy, Hennessy was fascinated with Jolson, and this toe-tapping production reunites the two in Heaven, where a meditation of their lives – and music – can play out in what’s described as “a quirky, funny and sometimes dark meditation on the price of fame”. Catch the show on Friday, October 7, or Saturday, October 8, at 8pm, with tickets priced at €19/€17.

FILM OF THE WEEK:

Johnny English Reborn (PG) 101 mins

OUR VERDICT:PERHAPS best described as a sequel that nobody was looking for, Johnny English returns with a mildly amusing – yet highly derivative – spy spoof tale. Deadly villains? Check. Ingenious gadgets? Check. Explosions? Check. Audience interest? Err ... It’s difficult to see how English can return after this adventure, which, much like English, stumbles along, but isn’t quite as entertaining as similar spoofs.

Director: Oliver ParkerStarring: Rowan Atkinson, Rosamund Pike, Dominic West,Gillian Anderson

There, English can meditate, learn more about who he is – and train in pretty predictable ways, messing up ancient oriental skills as he goes. Oh, English!

However, with this new-found affinity with Asian ways, English seems to be MI-7’s best hope of getting to the bottom of an impend-ing catastrophe, as a plot against the Chinese pre-mier’s life is uncovered, with deadly assassins on the loose for nefarious reasons.

Semi-retirement can wait, as the agency’s best spy is needed back on the beat, with – shock, horror –a sinister conspiracy at

work within a number of intelligence agencies.

With the clock work-ing against him almost as much as his lack of skills, English has to uncover the truth before an all-important heads-of-state conference, at which the premier’s life is at risk.

Now, pay attention, English!

It’s very much more of the same for this sequel, with Atkinson mugging, glaring, staring and stum-bling his way as the frosty agent who, despite every-thing – including his own ineptness – manages to get the job done, thanks to his super gadgets, super sidekicks, and a super amount of luck.

GAZE

TTE

GAZE

TTE

Email us at [email protected]


To advertise, call us now on 01 60 10 240 DUN LAOGHAIREclassifieds

TILING

MJK TILINGFor all your tiling needs.Fully insured, free estimates!No job too small. Contact Mick: 087-2772269

MAX MEDITATION ™ De-Stress, Relax, Re-Energise. Rejuvenate YOU. Be gently guided to a place of peace. All Welcome Tues. Sandymount 7:00pm 0851262032Tues. Maynooth 8:30pm 0872034619 Wed. Portmarnock 7.30pm 0860622819 Thurs. Portmarnock 10am 0860622819 Facebook “Dublin Max Meditation” www.meetup.com

HEALTH/WELL BEING

BATHROOMSBRICK, BLOCK AND STONEWORK20 years experience ,living locally. Garden walls, sheds, brick piers, patio and paving. Decorative internal brick work, Plastering Insurance quotes. Call Dave anytime 0872917647

HOUSES, PATIO’S, Garden Sheds,Garages, Garden Walls, all brick laying and block laying undertaken FREE quotation call John on 0872332723

AUSTIN & ALLEN LTD.Building and Renovations Roofing, Roof repairs, Velux Windows, Standard Windows. All aspects of building or home renovation. Painting and Decorating service available.Bathrooms Fitted, Walls and Chimneys built and repaired. Carpentry Service and guttering service.Reasonable rates, References and testimonials. Free Estimates. Contact Michael on 086 2561436 [email protected]

BUILDING

LETS TALK CLEANING LTD. YOUR LOCAL FAMILY OWNED IRISH COMPANYBASED IN SHANKILLHouse & Office Cleaning Specialists. Ironing ServicesWHOLE HOUSE CLEANING FROM 65 Euro Weekly, fortnightly or once off cleans for Christenings, Communions, Party’s,House moves or any occasion. Key Holders to 95% of all property portfolios. Very competitive rates, free quotation & no obligation. All staff are fully trained and insured References available - VAT compliant. Call Gerry 0868829824 or 012827255Email: [email protected] or [email protected] Visit our website: www.letstalkcleaning.com

CLEANING

STOP SMOKING IN ONE SESSION 150 Euro! Abbeycare Hypnotherapy & Counselling 4945439email: [email protected]

HYPNOTHERAPY

GARDEN SERVICES

WE HAVE 146,000* READERS EACH WEEK

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESSYOUR BUSINESS TO OUR READERS CALL 60 10 240


DENTAL

DIVORCE BY CONSENT Separated 4 years ? Agree on all matters ? We will draft and process your divorce documents for Court. From as little as €600 per couple.Separation Agreements - fixed fee €500 per couple.Contact: Damien Mara at 086-1211820 Email: [email protected]

DIVORCE SERVICES

PAINTERS

POLISH PROFESSIONAL PAINTING AND DECORATING Best quality. Free Quotations. No job too small. Very reasonable prices. References available on WWW.MARKCOMPANY.IE find us on FACEBOOKPlease phone Mark on 087-9442445

DVD TRANSFERSCinefilms,Photos and Slides transferred to DVD with Music and Titles added.Camcorder and Videotapes edited and transferred to DVD. Phone 01-2807838Mobile 087-9132265Email: [email protected]

DVD SERVICES

SEWING CLASSES/ CURTAIN MAKINGBeginners and Improvers Sewing Classes on Curtain and Roman Blind Making and ‘Crafts & Gifts’ starting in November. Half Day Workshops on ‘Getting to Know Your Machine’ and Curtain and Roman Blind Making. We also reline and re-pleat all curtains and offer a Curtain and Roman Blind making service at competitive prices, full selection of Poles and Rails available. Contact us at www.sewgreat.ie or www.pressxpress.ie. Call 01 8227650 or email us [email protected]

CLASSES/LEARNING

CRYSTAL ELECTRIC For All Electrical Work incl. House Wiring, Immersion Heaters,Time Clocks, Showers, Sockets and Switches,Replacement Fuseboards, Security and Garden Lighting. All work Guaranteed. Fully Insured Member of RECI. Member of National Guild of Master Craftsmen. Free Estimates Grant work undertaken Ph: 01-2981573Dave: 087-9911016Russell: 087-6309354

ELECTRICAN

DOG TRAINING AND KENNELING Residential training in obedience and behaviour problems for all breeds ie pulling on lead, housetraining, aggression, recall, chewing, jumping up etc., also personal protection training. Over 20 years experience having trained in the UK, USA & Germany. Qualified master dog trainer, veterinarian & dog shelter recommended. Highly trained security dogs for sale. References available, watch our dogs in action and read our many references at www.topdog-training.com or phone 087 051 4467

PET SERVICES

CLEANING STAFF WANTED. 7-9am. Must be able to communicate in English. Dun Laoghaire area. Experience preferred. Please send your CV to HR Allpro Services 11F Ballybane Industrial Estate Tuam Road Co Galway or Email to [email protected]

RECRUITMENT

EDUCATION Graduate of The National College of Art and Design available to teach art to children and adults and portfolio prep for art college contact [email protected]

HANDYMAN From a leaking tap to a dream bathroom. We carry out all aspects of household maintenance inside and out, no jobs to small. Fully insured and registered with 35 years experience. For more information call Joe 0868256004

HANDYMAN

DUN LAOGHAIRE RATHDOWN COUNTY COUNCIL

PLANNING NOTICE

13708

Permission is sought fori) Amalgamation of cottages 3, 4, 5 & 6 into a single restaurant unit.ii) Insertion of two glass doors into the rear extension of no. 6.iii) Erection of new canopy with retractable fabric pitched roof over the rear garden of no.3, apex height 4.3m above ground fl oor level, plan coverage 41m2iv) Paving of the rear gar-dens of nos. 3 and 4 (60.2m2).v) Erection of screens with stainless steel frames and opaque glass inserts to the rear North West boundary wall of no. 3 and the rear garden party wall between nos. 3 & 4.vi) Erection of movable / remov-able steel and glass windbreak modules to the front of the cot-tages on the Pembroke District Pedestrian Walkway to delin-eate the open air seating areas.vii) Erection of two movable / removable parasols, one to the front of no. 6, one to the front of no. 3. Both apex height 3m above ground level, both plan coverage 8.9m2

viii) Discreet logos and decals on the windbreak modules to the front of the cottages. Retention permission is sought fora) Demolition of modern ex-tension to the rear of no. 4. b) Partial demolition of the mod-ern extension to the rear of no. 6c) All ducting, coolers, compres-sors and services located on the roof of the rear extension to no. 5.d) Increase in height of the rear garden party wall be-tween nos. 5 & 6 to 3m.e) Erection of screens and door with stainless steel frames and opaque glass inserts to the rear Southeast boundary wall of no. 6.f) Erection of new canopy with retractable fabric pitched roof over the rear garden of no. 6, apex height 4.3m above ground fl oor level, plan coverage 60m2g) Erection of movable / remov-able parasol, to the front of nos. 4 & 5, apex height 3m above ground level, plan coverage 17.7m2.h) Discreet logos and decals on the opaque glazing in the front windows of all four cottages

i) Discreet logos and decals on the opaque glazing screens and door to the rear South-east boundary wall of no. 6.j) Dormer style weather-ing to duct penetrations thru’ rear roof of no. 5.k) Erection of new ground fl oor fl at roofed extension to the rear of no. 4, with new access into the rear extension of no. 6, fl oor area 19.9m2, height 2.75m above ground fl oor level. all at 3 to 6 Pembroke Cottages, Ballinteer Road, Dundrum, Dublin 16 for Pintxo Pincho Ltd 3 to 6 Pem-broke Cottages are in an Ar-chitectural Conservation Area. The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the of-fi ces of the Planning Authority, County Hall, Dún Laoghaire during its public opening hours. A submission/observation may be made on payment of €20 within a period of 5 weeks from the date the application is re-ceived by the planning authority.

DUN LAOGHAIRE RATHDOWN

COUNTY COUNCIL Planning Permission is sought for the demolition of existing rear extension and outhouses, construction of new single storey extension to rear and side behind garage, conversion of garage to hab-itable use and construction of new pitched roof over, amendment of windows to side elevation, new rooflights to rear of main roof, amend-ment of main roof profile to form new gable wall at side, and all ancillary works, at 38 Landscape Park, Church-town, Dublin 14, by Lorraine Smith and Peter Murphy.The planning application may be inspected or pur-chased at a fee not exceed-ing the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the Planning Authority, County Hall, Dun Laoghaire during its public opening hours. A submission /obser-vation may be made on pay-ment of €20 within a period of 5 weeks from the date the application is received by the planning authority.

PLANNING NOTICE

13715

HALF PRICE SALEClosing down / Re Location sale. Thousands of tree’s / shrubs / roses now 1/2 marked prices while stocks last at Paul Sexton Garden Centre Cornelstown 012896396

GARDENING

FLAT ROOFING SPECIALISTSwww.longliferoofing.net life expectancy of 50+ years and it won’t leak registered, insured and approved.Phone Tom Smyth now 0872575525 all areas covered

ROOFING

MORNING EXERCISE CLASS for men 60yrs + Improve your physical wellbeing and State of mind. Maintain your Independence, a social workout. Contact Andrew for more information on 0876500815

ADVERTISE WITH THE GAZETTE CALL 6010240

LOCALMATTERS

[email protected]

GAA stars past and present lined out at Croke Park recently to declare their support for the GAA’s official charity for 2011, the Playing For Life organisation, when it announced the launch of its next project in Ethio-pia.

Dublin’s Eamonn Fen-nell, Niall Corcoran and Barney Rock attended the launch along with Limer-ick’s Gavin O’Mahony

and Kilkenny hurler, Tommy Walsh.

Playing for Life has worked in Tanzania, Kenya and Malawi since 2005. The charity’s work focuses on self-develop-ment by providing educa-tion facilities, skills train-ing and HIV/Aids aware-ness through sport.

Tracy Piggott, founder of Playing for Life, said: “As a team, we are extremely honoured, proud and pleased to have been named as an official GAA

charity. Over the years, we have had tremendous support from the GAA community throughout the country.

“On both a national and international level, Playing for Life’s success is a tribute to the sup-port and sponsorship it receives; we are so thank-ful to the GAA for provid-ing us with a platform this year to ensure that this success continues.”

Having been selected as an official GAA Charity

GAA CHARITY: AFRICA AID ORGANISATION TRAVELLING TO ASSIST IN ETHIOPIA

Dublin footballer Eamon Fennell with nine-year-old Behailu O’Chonaill, of Ballyboden St Enda’s, at Croke Park

Playing for Life gets backing as official charity

for 2011, Playing for Life’s Ethiopia Trip will take the opportunity to bring Irish and Ethiopian communi-ties together.

While the two countries may seem worlds apart, there is an uncanny simi-larity – a passion for hurl-ing! In Ethiopia, a similar

game is played with a wooden hurl-like stick and a ball, called Karsa. The Irish GAA players and the Ethiopian Karsa team will challenge each other to what is bound to be a thrilling hurling match on Ethiopian soil.

Criostoir O’Cuana

lauded the work under-taken by the Association’s newest official charity and wished it every success in its on-going endeavours. “It’s worth noting the plans that Playing for Life has for the remainder of 2011 are most worthwhile and I hope we can sup-

port them in a tangible way with this excellent work.

If you are interested in joining in the charity’s efforts on this charity trip of a life time, log onto www.playingforlife.ie or email [email protected].

GazetteSPORT6 October 2011 DUN LAOGHAIRE GAZETTE 27

SEPTEMBER STARS: SEPTEMBER STARS: This month’s Dublin This month’s Dublin Sport Awards winners Sport Awards winners announced announced Page 29Page 29

GazetteSportSport


35th birthday

Genesis celebrate anniversaryG

ENESIS hockey club began their 35th anniversary celebrations last Sun-day with a family fun day in Loreto

Foxrock as players past, present and poten-tially from the future celebrated in style. The day featured a friendly match fea-turing players from the club’s early years while a youth mini-tournament took place throughout the afternoon. Off the pitch, there were a series of activi-ties to entertain with face-painting, sumo-wrestling and volleyball games among them. The event was also attended by Irish Hockey Association marketing manager, Katie O’Neill, with the weather staying dry for the event despite the deluges a day earlier. The Galloping Green, based club was formed in the 1970s from graduates of UCD and Trinity and this week launched their new website at www.genesishockeyclub.ie.

Genesis’ ladies team made up of players from through the ages of the club

Super sumo stars at Loreto

Getting ready for the fun day

Reminiscing and ready to play

The foreheads say it all...

Training took all manner of forms

in association with


Schoolchildren taking part in the Fingal Athletics League will take part in the finals at Morton Stadium next year

Fingal league ready to run this month

[email protected]

The Fingal Athletics League, organised by Fingal County Coun-cil’s Sports Office in partnership with Athlet-ics Ireland, is set to start this year on Tuesday, October 11, in Porter-stown Park for schools in the Dublin 15 area, and on Tuesday, Octo-ber 18, in Balheary Park for schools in the north Fingal area.

The league has been running for five years, with the number of schools participating increasing every year.

Last year, 26 schools took part in the league,

with approximately 1,000 students par-ticipating. Already this year, 30 schools have registered to take part in what will be the big-gest league to date.

Schools will have four race meets in their respective venue before a F inga l A th le t i c s League Finals Day next May 2012 in Morton Stadium, Santry, which sees both leagues com-ing together to race at Ireland’s premier ath-letics facility.

Fun phys-edNiall McGuirk, Sen-

ior Sports Develop-ment Officer for Fingal

County Council, said: “This programme was aimed at creating a fun environment for chil-dren to become physi-cally active.

“It is important that at this stage of a child’s sporting development tha t the emphas i s should be on participa-tion and learning fun-damental skills, rather than competition and elitism.

“I have to give special thanks to Bart Rodgers from Athletics Ireland, who works tirelessly on the project and I’d also like to thank the teach-ers for getting involved, promoting athletics

and who are all devel-oping a strong sporting ethos in their respective schools.”

Schools can enter a maximum of 50 pupils, both boys and girls from third to sixth class, with race distances ranging from 300 to 600 metres, depending on the age group.

Race days start at 11.30am sharp and fin-ish at 1pm.

Places are still avail-able for schools to take part in the league, and to register or, for more information, contact Niall McGuirk at [email protected] or 01-890 6232.

ATHLETICS : PLACES STILL AVAILABLE FOR SCHOOLS

STARof theMONTHDEIRDRE RYAN

DUNDRUM South Dublin ath-

lete Ryan secured her berth

at the 2012 London Olympics,

reaching the A standard in

Daegu where she claimed

sixth place in the high jump

world championships this

month, against the best ath-

letes in the sport, and the

people she will face when

chasing the gold medal in

London next year.

THE INDIAN summer has been and gone, but the sun is still shin-ing for our star and team of the month for September.

In a year such as this, they have achieved two of the highest possi-ble achievements in sport - a place in the London Olympics next year, and the highest honour in the land in Gaelic games.

Deirdre Ryan’s success at Daegu was impressive, not only for the fact that she will be going to Lon-don next year, but also that she achieved sixth place in the world against the best competitors in the high jump.

Dublin have been on the cusp of Sam Maguire success for several years, and they finally took the honour at Croke Park last month with an epic performance.

Let us know!Let us know about your achieve-

ments in sport, so that the Gazette can tell the rest of Dublin — and give you, or your team, a chance of being one of our monthly stars.

Contact us on 01 601 0240 or [email protected] to tell us all about your successes, and fol-low us on Facebook at facebook.com/gazettesportII.

DUBLIN FOOTBALLERS

THE sons of Dublin foot-

ball finally achieved

their potential on the

national stage when they

put 16 years of hurt

behind them to lift the

Sam Maguire trophy at

Croke Park in front of a

jubilant home support.

Stephen Cluxton’s ice-

cold last-minute free to claim the title in front of a jubilant Hill 16

will be one of the most memorable moments of the year in sport.

TEAMof theMONTH

2011 DUBLIN SPORTS AWARDS SEPTEMBER WINNERS

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

U C D A F C h a v e announced recently that they will host two friend-ly matches at the Belfield Bowl against Scotland’s St Johnstone FC on July 10, and Spain’s Villarreal CF on July 16.

St Johnstone finished eighth in the SLP last season, and have a long tradition in Scottish football. Former players include Sir Alex Ferguson and Ally McCoist.

Villarreal finished fourth in last seasons La Liga and so are qualifiers for next season’s Cham-pions League. As well as this, they have a wide range of talented foot-ballers at their disposal with Barcelona target and former Manchester United player, Giuseppe Rossi, on the top of the list.

GazetteSport and UCD are giving lucky

readers the chance to win pairs of tickets to these matches.

Simply answer the fol-lowing question:

Where was Villarreal striker Guiseppe Rossi born?

Send your answer, together with your name, address and mobile phone number, to [email protected], with “UCD Friendlies” in the subject line of the mail.

Win tickets to see UCD in friendlies

UCD’s Robbie Benson

Barking for charity: Dublin ladies walk onDUBLIN Ladies’ Gaelic Football, in associa-tion with our official charity, Irish Guide Dogs, is inviting all Dublin ladies clubs, teams, players and mentors to join in the Guide Dogs’ Family Dog Walk on Satur-day, October 8.

Dublin LGFA are encouraging clubs to sell the official guide dogs high-viz wrist bands to players and members in order to raise funds for the charity. For more infor-mation, see www.guidedogs.ie


GazetteSportSport

FastSport

BLACKROCK College’s Ulster Bank Division 1A campaign got off to a nightmare start after city rivals Clontarf came away from Stradbrook with a 30-6 victory, picking off a string of late scores.

New Zealander Andy Wood, who previously coached Rock, was back on his old stomping ground in his current guise as Clontarf’s head coach and he saw his side bound to the top of the division.

It was a tight first half, with former Cork Con winger Richie Lane kicking the visitors into a 9-3 lead. New Zealander Jamie Chipman made his presence felt in the ‘Tarf second row. Blackrock could only muster a single penalty from out-half Darragh Fitzpatrick, who also kicked their only points of a ‘Tarf-dominated second half.

Blackrock open with loss in Ulster Bank Division 1A

Summerfest

set for next

weekendTHE 2011 Tesco mobile SARI Sum-merfest, the largest intercultural soccer tournament in Ire-land, is set to take part this year at the Garda and Camogie Sports Grounds, in Phoenix Park on September 10 and 11 from 11am to 5pm each day.The Summerfest will also coinciude with the CONCERN kitefest, where kite flyers from around the world will dis-play their kites and give kite workshops for children.The two-day festival also includes a wide array of entertain-ment for all the family.

For more informa-tion, see www.facebook.com/sar-ireland.

Castleknock

Celtic seeking

ladies talentCASTLEKNOCK Celtic FC’s ladies and girls section are recruiting new talent to the cllub for the soccer season start-ing later this month.

If you were born in 1996 or earlier, visit the club’s website at www.castleknock-celtic.com, and pass on your name and contact details in the How To Join section provided on the site.

The club are also looking to recruit girls born in 2001/2002 to play soccer in the Dubli-Girls Soccer League.

IRISH AR PREMIERSHIPSouth Dublin Swans 6-9 (45)

Leeside Lions 5-7 (37)

[email protected]

THE South Dublin Swans won the Jeep Irish Aussie Rules Premiership following a hard- fought victory against the Cork-based Leeside Lions in Durrow, Co Laois last week.

The Terenure-based Swans were the reign-ing champions, and got to this stage after a close semi-final victory over the Mid-West Magpies.

Their grand final oppo-nents, Leeside Lions, had a much-smoother path to the decider, with an easy semi-final win over the

Dublin Demons, and may have been slight favorites on the strength of that performance.

The Swans had lost a few players from last year’s team, includ-ing r uckman Paul O’Halloran. However, Tom Russell made the position his own in 2011.

The Swans also fielded three players who had played in the victorious Ireland 2011 Interna-tional Cup team that won the title in the Mel-bourne Cricket Ground in August — full forward, Manus Breathnach, half back James O’Byrne and midfielder, Darren Sheils.

The Leeside Lions

were aiming for their first Premiership title since 2007, and opened the game the better, playing with a moderate wind on their backs, taking the lead, which they held at quarter-time by 15 points to 8.

The Swans overturned this deficit in the sec-ond quarter, keeping the Lions scoreless and add-ing three goals to their tally to lead 4.5 (29) to 2.3 (15) at half-time.

Much to the fore in the second quarter was Swans’ full for-ward, Breathnach, who was causing the Lions’ defence a lot of prob-lems.

On the resumption

of the third quarter, the Lions came back strong-ly, with some composed play from Irish captain Cian Quigley and fel-low international, Eoin O’Suilleabhain, in the Lions half-back line.

At the end of the penultimate quarter, the Lions were right back in the game, being just two points behind.

It was now make-or-break time in the game and some committed performances all over the park helped the Swans to an eight-point victory.

On the final siren, it was elation for the Swans’ players and supporters who have now won back-to-back premiership

titles. Best on ground in the

final was Swans’ ruck-man Tom Russell, who outplayed his opponent, former Irish international Brian O’Connell.

Speaking after the game, Swans’ Melbourne-born player-manager, David Scott, said it was a keenly contested match throughout, but he felt the Swans deserved their victory and could have won by more if they had their shooting boots on.

Tom Russell expressed his delight at winning his first Premiership in his first year playing Aus-sie Rules, and hoped for many more in the coming years.

Laura makes

trip to Aras:

Special Olympics

star honouredSPECIAL Olympics athlete Laura Rumbell, from Dun Laoghaire, and family members Arthur Rum-ball, left, and Amanda Mollard, recently attended a reception for the Special Olympics World Summer Games squad in Aras an Uachtarain, with President Mary McAleese and her husband Sena-tor Martin McAleese.

Lions tamed in Laois

AUSSIE RULES: SOUTH DUBLIN CLAIM PREMIERSHIP TITLE

The victorious South Dublin Swans after victory over Leeside Lions in Laois last weekend


in association with

a CLUB NOTICEBOARD

GOOD luck to our junior hurlers who

play Ballinteer St John’s in the final

of the Dublin B championship next

Sunday.

We hope that a big crowd will head

to O’Toole Park for the 4pm throw

in, after enjoying the Cuala Family

Fun Day.

That Family Fun Day gets under

way on Sunday at 1pm and runs

until 6pm at Cuala HQ on Hyde Road.

There will be stalls, refreshments,

rides, the ever popular Soak the

Coach, and more entertainment

than is probably good for you on a

quiet Sunday afternoon. We hope

everybody will manage to get along

at least for a short spell on the

day.

This year there will also be our

very own Puc Fada competition

for all different age groups taking

place on and around the main pitch.

Check the club website closer to

the time for details of the times for

each group.

If you want to arrive early and

see the future of the club in action

the minor footballers’ A team plays

Castleknock in the Dublin A cham-

pionship at Hyde Road at 11am. The

lads are looking to maintain a 100%

record after their win against

Skerries Harps last weekend. The B

team are playing against Kilmacud

Crokes at Silver Park at the same

time.

Congratulations to the junior foot-

ballers who recorded an impres-

sive 2-14 to 1-09 victory over Fingal

Ravens in their opening champion-

ship fixture at Rolestown on Sunday.

Well done also to the U-16 hurlers.

The A team won their A champion-

ship quarter-final against Kilmacud

Crokes by 0-14 to 2-06.

CUALA

STARS OF ERIN

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

CONGRATULATIONS to the Under-

8s who braved the bad weather on

Saturday morning to record a fan-

tastic win against Round Towers

in the grounds of Colaiste Brid in

Clondalkin. Great football skills on

display. The team’s hand-passing

has really improved. Roisin Maguire

scored a wonderful team goal, build-

up play started from Cillian Doyle in

goal with the ball worked through

mid-field into the forwards where

Roisin was on hand to finish to the

back of the net. Special mention for

Ronan Walsh who had a fantastic

game at full back.

The Under-9s game was called off

by St Mark’s. The Under-11s had no

fixture.

The nursery takes place every

Saturday morning in Glencullen from

11.30am.

NAOMH OLAFOUR senior footballers had a com-

prehensive win over Fingallians (3-17

t0 0-03) in the IFC relegation play-

off in Balgriffin on Saturday.

The club would like to thank the

mentors and players for their com-

mitment and dedication throughout

the year and indeed to all the sup-

porters who have followed them

all over the county for league and

championship games.

Our minor hurlers unfortunately

were defeated on Sunday morning

by Skerries Harps (2-17 to 2-9) in the

MHC.

Elsewhere, our U-15 hurlers

reached the final of the D Shield

defeating St Mark’s in the semi-final

(3-10 to 0-08), our U-13 camógs had

a fine win over neighbours Kilmacud

Crokes in the B championship (6-01

to 0-1) while our U-11 girls football-

ers top their group in the cup fol-

lowing a great victory away to St

Brigid’s (1-5 to 3-4).

Important f ixtures this week

include the senior hurlers in action

in the quarter-final of the senior

hurling championship B on Sunday,

October 9 against Ballyboden St

Enda’s in O’Toole Park at 1pm.

Our minor footballers also play on

Sunday where they are up against

St Anne’s in the MFC with an 11am

throw-in. All support is welcome

and appreciated.

A clothes recycling fundraiser will

be held in the club over the com-

ing week. Please leave in the first

dressing room on the left up to and

including next Sunday only. Bags will

be collected on Monday at 8am.

DUBLIN MFC ROUND 1Cuala 2-6

Skerries Harps 0-8

[email protected]

GREG Egan’s late fisted goal meant that Cuala’s minors got off to a win-ning start in their Minor A football champion-ship campaign when they ran out 2-6 to 0-8 winners against Sker-ries Harps last week.

Having decided to play the first half with the aid of a very strong wind in the hope of building up a good lead, they were kept at bay as the teams played out an even period, ending it level at half time with three points each.

But the Dalkey side managed to keep their intensity intact and keep the tie very close throughout the game, with scarcely more than one point separating the teams at any given time.

With the sides level w i th f i ve m inu te s

remain ing , Cuala ’s forward Dan O’Keefe scored a great goal, but Skerries responded instantly with two quick points.

With the result still on a knife edge going into the final minute, the visitors to the seaside village were awarded a free on the Skerries 45.

The ball was kicked high into the box before being punched into the net by Egan, to the rapturous cheers of the Cuala support.

Their next game is against Castleknock in Shankill on Sun-day, October 9, with the winners set to be the table-toppers, after Castleknock got the better of Templeogue Synge Street on a 4-11 to 4-5 scoreline in their encounter.

Elsewhere, Cuala’s minor Bs lost to a very strong Na Piarsaigh in their championship opener.

The club’s U-16 foot-

ballers had a four-point victory over Castle-knock in Shankill to leave them top of the pile with two games to go in the campaign. It means victory in either of their remaining two games will see them prevail and take the title over their rivals at the head of the table.

At the same time, on the adjoining pitch, the U-16B footballers played out an enthral-ling draw against St Vincent’s.

The Bs needed a win to give them a realistic chance of winning the league, and the result means that they will now have to await other results to see where they finally finish up in the league.

The Under-14As gave a magnificent perform-ance against the All-Ireland Feile winners, Ballymun, last Saturday in Thomastown.

They ended up on the losing side, but the

scoreline of 6-9 to 1-12 does scant justice to the efforts of a hard-working group of play-ers who did themselves proud in the tie.

Fun dayMeanwhile, the club

will host its annual family fun day on Sun-day, October 9, in Hyde Road, from 1pm to 6pm.

The event, support-ed by Topaz, will see a series of events take place at the club’s home grounds, including fun and games for all ages.

There will be a Soak the Coach stand, slides and a carousel, bric-a-brac s ta l ls , face-painting, golf games, a barbecue, a wheel of fortune, a book stall, as well as a bouncing castle and many other attractions to keep the family entertained.

For more details, see the links on the club’s website at www.cuala-gaa.ie.

FOOTBALL: LOCAL SIDES PROGRESS IN CUP TIES

Cuala’s young footballersshowed their skills to progress in championship ties. Picture: Colin Behan

Cuala’s young teams show depth of talent

ALL OF YOUR DUN LAOGHAIRE SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 27-31 OCTOBER 6, 2011

Ga

zetteSPORTSWANS RULE: South Dublin side claim

national Aussie Rules title in Laois final P30

Crokes players Crokes players get All-Star nodsget All-Star nodsKilmacud’s influence on Dublin’s 2011 success reflected in football and hurling nominations released this week

Kilmacud Crokes’ Kevin Nolan was one of the Silverpark players who was nominated in the football All-Star list announced this week

[email protected]

KILMACUD Crokes were honoured with five All-Star nominees when Dublin’s fine year for hurling and football was reflected in a bumper 22 names on the two shortlists for the Sky-Blues.

Niall Corcoran and Ryan O’Dwyer were named in the first round of nominees last week when they got full-back and half-forward line nominations in the hurling shortlist as part of a group of ten sky-blues to get the nod in the small ball awards list.

And that was followed by Tuesday’s announce-ment that Rory O’Carroll, Cian O’Sullivan and Kevin Nolan were all included in the list for the footballers, in which a massive 12 Dublin players were part of the final 45 nominees on the GAA GPA All-Stars shortlist.

All have a big claims to be included in the final team but for Nolan – player-of-the-match in the All-Ireland final – it would add an amazing cap to

a rollercoaster couple of years since turning down offers to go into professional sport.

In 2008, he was offered an AFL contract at the Adelaide Crows while both Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City had come calling with possible soc-cer contracts on the table.

But he has since won three of the biggest titles in the game that have eased thoughts of what might have been,

“There were regrets, I won’t lie. There were regrets that I didn’t go over (to England) and actu-ally try it and there were thoughts a few years ago of actually going back and playing soccer in Ire-land,” the 23-year-old said on Monday.

“But with everything that’s happened - I won the Sigerson (with DCU), the club, the county all in a few years, so it’s been nice. I’d much rather that than to be playing soccer at the minute. I have no regrets any more.”

Just four members of Dublin’s All-Ireland start-

ing football team did not make the nominations list – with Cuala man Mick Fitzsimons and James McCarthy in defence particularly unlucky not to get the nod, along with captain Bryan Cullen and Barry Cahill in the forward division.

Super-sub Kevin McManamon has been reward-ed for the influence he had in the All-Ireland decid-er and semi-final, as well as his league displays, with a nomination in the half-forward sector.

After the Dubs, beaten All-Ireland finalists, Kerry, come next in terms of representation with nine, followed by Donegal with seven nominees, ahead of Mayo and Kildare with five apiece, league champions Cork with three, Tyrone with two and Wexford and Derry with one each.

On the hurling side, it was a remarkable year in which a lengthy wait for the National League and a Walsh cup title were added to by a run to the All-Ireland semi-final and that performance was reflected in the nominations.

SEPTEMBER STARSSports Awards winners are announced P29

Dun Laoghaire

Documents

Transcript of Dun Laoghaire