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INSIDE: Keeping an eye on the prize at

St Ciaran’s P8

Dublin West changes but holds four seatsLocal politicians welcome news on representation

� LAURA WEBB

DUBLIN West will remain a four-seat constituency as part of boundary changes recom-mended by the Constituency Commission.

However, there are changes to the boundary as a part of Swords reunites with Dublin

North and two electoral areas from Dublin Central join the electorate.

The report, which recom-mends reducing the number of TDs by eight – from 166 to 158, changes the boundary of Dublin West by removing the electoral division of Swords-Forrest and River Valley and

joining two electoral divisions from Dublin Central.

Local politicians have wel-comed the fact Dublin West’s representation will remain intact and that the part of Swords will move back to Dub-lin North, which many resi-dents there campaigned for.

Full Story on Page 7

Getting robotic:Students learn about IT worldDEREK BROWNE, Lucy Hiseman and David Oleman of St Philips School, Mountview, Dublin are just three of the 90 young students who completed their 10-day programme at the ITB (Institute of Technology Blanchardstown) Robotics Sum-mer School. The goal of the summer school is to introduce children to the exciting and challenging worlds of information technology. The children work together on building robots, as well as learning how to create a web page and how to use Multi Media Game Building.Picture: Andres Poveda

GAZETTEGAZETTEBlanch

JUNE 28, 2012 Find us onFREEBLANCHARDSTOWN • BLAKESTOWN • HARTSTOWN • COOLMINE • TYRRELSTOWN • DUNBOYNE • CORDUFF • MULHUDDART • ONGAR

Picturesque perfection at the base of the Pyrenees

TRAVEL: P22-23

OPINION: Frances Fitzgerald on child protection services reform See Page 6

Cycling: Local rising star Lavery remains on the climbPage 30

All-Ireland: Feile success for St Brigid’s U-14 footballersPage 32

2 BLANCH GAZETTE 28 June 2012

DUBLIN Z00 Mum nose best for day-old tapir calf

Little bundle of joy and mischiefD

UBLIN Zoo welcomed a very cute addition to their animal family with the birth of this lively little male Tapir calf. Born on Tuesday, June 5, he

is mum Rio and dad Marmaduke’s first calf together. While this is Rio’s first time as a mother, Marmaduke is an old hand at this - having already fathered 17 calves to date. Dublin Zoo team leader Eddie O’Brien

said: “We are delighted with the birth of the tapir calf. Mum and calf are doing very well, and we are really happy with how well Rio is doing as a first-time mum. The calf was up and about quickly after he was born - he is really inquisitive!” These nocturnal mammals are native to the tropics of South and Central Ameri-ca and eat branches, leaves and fruit.

Welcome to the world...Mum Rio looks after her first-born calf in Dublin Zoo. Below, the day-old youngster explores his surroundings

and finds his feet. Pictures: Patrick Bolger

Yum, yum...I could get to like this

Extension to planning sought

SHOPPING CENTRE

THE developer behind plans to redevelop Hart-stown Shopping Centre has applied for a planning extension to its approved planning permission.

The project is for a three-storey, over base-ment extension to the front and side of existing single-storey supermarket premises. It includes five additional retail units and 24 apartments on the first and second floors with roof terrace and balcony, and basement car parking for 54 vechicles.

Fianna Fail council-lor David McGuinness described it as an “elabo-rate” plan for the local centre. “Applicants can

ask for an extension of their planning permission if they can cite economic difficulties as the reason for not completing the works within the given time frame.

Fingal have had a mixed response to grant-ing extensions. When questioned about this by me, Fingal plan-ning officials stated that sometimes renewing certain permissions in their existing format is not compatible with the Ireland of 2012.

Given this, these plans for Hartstown Centre may not be an ideal can-didate for an extension of permission.

28 June 2012 BLANCH GAZETTE 3

Niamh set for DraiochtIRISH singer/songwriter Niamh Kavanagh will perform at Blanchards-town’s Draiocht Theatre this weekend, showcas-ing her amazing voice through a number of dif-ferent music genres.

Niamh and her band are back with a blend of rock, soul, r&b, Eurovi-sion hits and a number of tracks from her successful albums.

The Dublin singer won the hearts of the nation when she represented Ireland for the first time back in 1993.

She later went on to represent her country again at the song contest in 2010.

This event takes place on Saturday, June 30 in the main auditorium at Draiocht at 8pm. Tickets for this event cost €20 and €16 with concession. An early bird price is available for €14. Check out www.draiocht.ie for booking information.

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I NS IDE YOUR F REE LO CA L G A Z E T T E T H U R S DAY 23 R D AU G U STU GU ST

POLITICS Castleknock councillor is Deputy Mayor

Labour’s Hamill is honoured to serve county� LAURA WEBB

[email protected]

A LOCAL Castleknock councillor has been elected Deputy Mayor of Fingal County Coun-cil and is “honoured” to serve her county.

Labour party coun-cillor Peggy Hamill was elected Deputy Mayor on Friday, June 22, while her party colleague Howth/Malahide coun-cillor Cian O’Callaghan was elected Mayor for the year 2012/2013.

Speaking to the Gazette this week, Cllr Hamill said she was delighted with her new role.

“I feel it’s a great honour to serve as deputy mayor

and I am delighted to do so. Hopefully it will be a more promising year; we have shown great leader-ship in providing every service for the people of Fingal and we will con-tinue to do so.

“It’s a difficult time for all local authorities but FCC has been very prudent in planning for the people and because of that ability to plan in a proper manner we have been able to continue to facilitate and provide for the citizens of Fingal. We have also suffered the cutbacks but fortu-nately Fingal have been quite proactive for its citizens.”

During her year in

office, Cllr Hamill is hop-ing facilities for younger residents and retired citi-zens will be looked at.

“There is a need for more facilities to suit needs of young people. We need to try and get more [facilities]. There is a huge need for more indoor activities for young people. I would like to look at more ways to accommodate them.

“Also for active retire-ment – I’m one myself. Fingal is very good at promoting that area. People don’t just stop and want to do nothing. There is a huge need for them to evolve their tal-ents and be active.”

Congratulating her

Councillor Peggy Hamill says she is delighted with her new role

party colleague, Cian O’Callaghan on his elec-tion, she said it was great to have a young mayor.

“I think it’s good for young people to see a young person be mayor. He is very committed to politics and no doubt this is part of a long future in politics,” she added.

On his election, Cllr Cian O’Callaghan said he was “honoured” to be elected as Mayor of Fin-gal. “I will endeavour to use the role of Mayor of Fingal over the coming year to highlight the many positive aspects of living and working in Fingal. I also wish to highlight

areas that need urgent attention from central government including unemployment and job creation; resolution of the pyrite problem; and great-er enforcement powers for local councils to ensure that living communities replace unfinished hous-ing estates.”



Derek delighted at being chosen for gig�LAURA WEBB

[email protected]

A FORMER X-Factor contestant turned solo artist is set to perform at the Olympic Village as part of a special gig for the London games.

Dublin 15 native, Derek Darker, was one fifth of boyband Princes and Rogues, who made it to judges’ houses dur-ing X-Factor auditions in 2010.

Unfortunately, the London-based band did not impress hotshot Simon Cowell enough to get through to the live rounds, but in the end it was the best thing for Darker. He soon realised his love for music was not

with a band but as a solo artist.

“A lady who works in music promotion was keeping up-to-date on my progress on YouTube. She recommended me to the committee from the Olympic Village who got in touch and asked would I perform during the Olympics and Paral-ympics, I said yes. I will be performing at the opening of the Olympic Village – it’s a private event this Friday for shareholders so it’s not open to the pub-lic but there will be about 700-800 people. I have been rehearsing non-stop – I’m delighted,” he told the Gazette.

Speaking about his transition to solo career

he explained what hap-pened. “We did the X-Factor and we gigged for a few months after, but for me it was some-thing to do at the time. It was fun and it was a great experience and I am glad I did it, but I am enjoying playing my own music.

“When you are in a band like that it is manufactured and is a little false, because in a sense it’s not all about the music, but more the image and that isn’t for me. I just wanted to do my own thing.

“I started gigging in April and I have been working with my gui-tarist and we have been getting a lot of bookings here in London. I started

at open mic nights and then people started ask-ing can I play at this night and this, so it started like that.”

The London-based singer/songwriter said it’s great to be able to showcase his own songs and not be solely cover-ing other musicians.

“Some people love the ballads and some people hate it. But when people come up to you and are crying about a song you sang it’s really nice; it’s leading to bookings so I hope people like what they hear and are enjoy-ing it,” Darker added.

Check out Darker’s music by logging onto http://www.myspace.com/derekdarkermusic

OLYMPIC VILLAGE: D15 NATIVE SET TO PERFORM

� LAURA WEBB

A PROGRAMME that has helped to raise the standards of language learning in primary schools throughout the country, including schools in Dublin 15, has come to an end this month.

The Modern Languag-

es in Primary School pro-gramme began in 1998 as a pilot scheme with 500 out of 3,200 primary schools getting involved, including St Mochta’s NS in Dublin 15.

Spanish teacher Mary Galvin, who teaches Spanish in a number of schools in D15, and

taught the programme in St Mochta’s NS said it is sad to see the programme go.

“It has aided and pro-moted language learning among primary school children lucky enough to have it taught in their schools, for over 12 years now. It has raised the

standard of modern lan-guages in general - espe-cially of spoken compe-tency - facilitating the teaching of languages to children at an age when they are most open to language learning; it is the end of an era,” she said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Education

said funding for the initia-tive was cut in last year’s budget.

“The initiative is now finished. Given Ireland’s economic status, resourc-es must be prioritised.

“This funding will instead go towards the cost of implementing the National Literacy and

Numeracy Strategy in all schools, which is a top priority.

“This decision was informed by a 2008 Report by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) which identified serious issues with curricular overload at primary level

and consequently recom-mended that the initiative should not be extended to all schools.

“The NCCA’s advice recommended that, for the present, modern lan-guages should not be part of the primary curriculum as an additional and sepa-rate subject.”

Language scheme funds to go to literacy, numeracy

Derek was a contestant on the X-Factor as part of boy band Princes and Rogues

PRIMARY SCHOOLS Language programme ends after 12 successful years

The Homework club migrates to the cityIT’S the end of an era for educational organisation, The Homework Club, as they move after over three years in Blan-chardstown to the big city.

Founded in 2009 by educational devel-oper Dr Naoise O’Reilly, the award-win-ning organisation offers a new approach to after-school tuition and helps strug-gling students learn in a smaller safer environment.

It was announced last week that the Blanchardstown-based organisation is to move to the city centre this August.

According to Naoise, the main pur-

pose for the move is “to have access to many more students and to focus on what we really love and have developed from our experience over three-and-half years”.

“In setting up the club I always wished to create an environment where we all continued to learn. I would like to think that everybody has expanded their hori-zons by being part of this experience - including me.”

For further information on the Home-work Club log onto www.homework-club.ie

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It is a terrible tragedy to lose a child, no matter

what the circumstances. It goes against the natural order of things. I appreci-ate therefore that the publication of the Report of the Review Group on Child Deaths is par-ticularly difficult for the families of the 196 chil-dren and young adults who died in HSE care, in “aftercare”, or who were

“known to the HSE” in the decade up to 2010.

Before this Govern-ment took office, there were conflicting data about the numbers of children who died in State care. This lack of trans-parency and accountabil-ity was shocking. It was utterly unacceptable that the State could not even tell how many children had died in its care.

The report’s findings

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald

Report on child deaths is ‘deeply disturbing’

OPINION Helping families in crisis should be a top priority

FRANCES FITZGERALD, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, highlights the need to reform child protection services

in need of such reform.The report highlights a

range of failures includ-ing poor risk assessment; poor co -ordinat ion between services; poor flows of information, and limited access to special-ist assessment and thera-peutic services.

Evidence

If ever evidence was required of why we need a totally reformed system of State care and inter-vention, then this report is it. And if ever evidence was required of the need to take child protection away from the HSE, and to set up a new agency, then this report is it.

As Ireland’s first ever Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, I am committed to rectifying this situation. Work on the establishment of this independent body, the Child and Family Sup-port Agency, is now well advanced and my inten-tion is that it will be fully operational from January next year.

Clearly early interven-tion for vulnerable chil-dren in families in crisis is critical. The report highlights key identifiable risk factors which under-scored those vulnerabili-ties. In 56 of the cases, alcohol and drugs were prevalent in the home; in 46 cases alcohol or drug use by the young person was a factor. In 30 cases, domestic violence was a feature of home life; in 29 cases criminal activ-ity was a feature of fam-ily life, while non-school

are deeply disturbing. We read of children and young people and families, often vulner-able, often in crisis; who needed support. We read of services often willing, but fragmented and not comprehensive in their response. The question must arise, how, after a period of such unprec-edented economic pros-perity we were left with a child protection service

attendance was a factor in 20 cases.

Another lesson from this report is that young people with a need for aftercare should, and must, receive the sup-port they require when they leave State care. I believe the law needs to be strengthened in this regard, and with advice from the Attorney Gen-eral, I will be proposing legislative change later this year, in the Bill to establish the Child and Family Support Agency.

Access

I am also commit-ted to extending access to 24-hour social work assistance. Child protec-tion crises arise 24-7. So why should child protec-tions services operate any differently?

Structures and systems

are all very well, but the Government is also deter-mined to ensure that the underpinning legislative and policy framework is also right. The Govern-ment is committed to holding a referendum which will strengthen children’s rights in the Constitution. Work is also well under way on the advancement of the Children First Bill. This will make it mandatory to report all suspected cases of child abuse, and this is another critical milestone for 2012.

The report I published [recently] makes for stark and uncomfortable read-ing. As a society we need to help families in crisis and protect vulnerable children. We also need to recognise and support the critical role played by carers including the

many, many foster fami-lies that we are so lucky to have in Ireland.

We can never put every-thing right; to suggest that we can would be wrong. However, we must seek to ensure that children who receive State care and support the move onto a more positive pathway in their lives.

We cannot change the tragic outcomes for the children covered by this report. However, a great many changes have already been put in train for other vulnerable children because of what happened. The Govern-ment is committed to transparency and hon-esty in getting children’s services right, and I am passionately committed to delivering this vital out-come.


Official openingTYRRELSTOWN Edu-cate Together National School marked a mile-stone occasion when they officially opened their new school building on June 15.

Pupils from the school joined Dublin West TD and Minister for Social Protection Joan Bur-ton (Lab) and Educate Together CEO Paul Rowe for the opening.

The school celebrated their official opening with a variety of performances in front of a crowd of 800 pupils, staff and parents, which also included a very memorable rendi-tion of Dublin in the Rare Ould Times.

Tyrrelstown Educate Together National School is a multi-denomination-al, co-educational, child-centred school and is a member of the Educate Together School system.

The Dublin 15 school currently has 500 stu-dents ranging from junior Infant to Sixth Class.

SCHOOLREPORT Phoenix Park is reunited with Dublin West

If approved, the changes only come into effect following the next general election

Dublin West to retain four seats as boundaries change� LAURA WEBB

[email protected]

THE constituency of Dublin West is to retain its four seats as part of boundary changes rec-ommended by the Con-stituency Commission.

The changes see a part of Swords reunite with Dublin North and two electoral areas from Dublin Central join the electorate.

The Constituency Commission report rec-ommended the bound-ary changes last week, and include cutting the number of TDs by eight - from 166 to 158.

In the report, Dub-lin West remains a four seater but there are some changes to its boundaries – the removal of the elec-toral division of Swords-Forrest and River Valley and the joining of two electoral divisions from Dublin Central.

The report said: “The Dublin West constitu-ency, minus population of 17,291 transferred to Dublin Fingal (known now as Dublin North), has a population of 99,923 and is not sus-tainable as a four-seat constituency. The Com-mission recommends the transfer of two elec-toral divisions and part of another, with a total population of 13,256, from Dublin Central into Dublin West to provide for Dublin West

to remain as a four-seat constituency.

“The areas joining the Dublin West constitu-ency include: Ashtown A and B which make up parts of Cabra, the Navan Road up to Cabra Garda Station and up to Skreen Road. It also includes the entire Phoenix Park and parts of Chapelizod.”

Commenting on the changes, Dublin West TD Joe Higgins (SP) said the Rivervalley part of the original Dublin North constituency should never have been trans-ferred to Dublin West and so welcomed the reversal of that decision. “The residents from that area were fully against this decision from the outset. On that basis we would welcome a reversal of that decision if implemented.”

Labour TD Patrick Nulty welcomed the fact that Dublin West repre-sentation would remain intact.

“I know people in Rivervalley and St Mar-garets were very keen to move back into Dublin North (Fingal) and while it is an honour to repre-sent this area, the wishes of the people have been listened too.”

He added that he looked forwards to rep-resenting the communi-ties around Ashtown and the Phoenix Park.

Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton

(Lab) said the constitu-ency has returned to the constituency of Dublin West as it was in the 80s when she first entered politics.

“It reunites Phoenix Park to Dublin West and Chapelizod, and means the President of Ireland will be back voting in Dublin West as it was many moons ago. I am also pleased Hollystown and Tyrrelstown stay with the constituency.”

Fine Gael TD and Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar said: “I am glad that Swords is being

reunited into Dublin-Fingal (currently Dublin North). However, I want residents in the south-western part of Swords to know that I will con-tinue to fully represent them at national level over the next few years. I would also like to wel-come residents of Black-horse Avenue and Navan Road to the constituen-cy, and I hope to be able to represent them in the future.”

I f approved , the changes only come into effect following the next general election.

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Imaging system for Connolly� LAURA WEBB

CONNOLLY Hospital is to get a new electronic imaging system which is used to improve patient safety and speed diagnostics, before the end of the year.

The National Integrated Medical Imaging System (NIMIS) will be rolled out in 35 hospitals nation-wide over the next three years at a cost of €40 million.

The system allows doctors to electronically view patient’s diag-nostic images, such as X-rays and CT scans in a quick and easy man-ner. According to Fine Gael coun-

cillor Kieran Dennison, the rapid access and availability of patient records is a “significant step” for patient safety.

During a recent HSE forum meeting in Kells, Cllr Dennison said he was “anxious” that Con-nolly would get the new equipment “as soon as possible”.

“The hospital serves a very large catchment area and we need sys-tems like this if we are to give our patients a first-class health service,” he said.

The local councillor went on to say he has been informed that Con-nolly is listed for Phase 3 imple-

mentation of NIMIS. “The NIMIS National Team visit-

ed the hospital at the end of March and were happy with the progress to date. Connolly has met all time-lines with regard to the require-ments from the National Team.”

In a statement to the Gazette, a spokesperson for the HSE said it is anticipated that the system will go live in Connolly Hospital at the beginning of October 2012. Add-ing: “NIMIS will make Ireland’s radiological services ‘filmless’ and enable secure and rapid movement of patient image data throughout the health service.”


Keeping an eye on the prizeS

T Ciaran’s Primary School, Hartstown, celebrated the various prizes and awards which they received during the year recently. The school hall was awash

with buntings and balloons as the children and their teachers gathered to acknowledge their successes and achievements. St Ciaran’s earned its third green flag for water conservation recently. This flag was presented to the Principal Tim McAuliffe. The fifth class children were winners in the Greater Blanchardstown Response to Drugs National Media Awards. The children wrote essay, stories, poems and cartoon strips and earned the school this prestigious award. This competition was coordinated by Ms Phelan. The school was presented with a beautiful trophy and a cheque by Philip Keegan. The children each received individual trophies which were all individually engraved.

Sixth class children present a cheque of €1000 to Temple Street Hospital. Picture: James Devon

Posing with the green flag Showing off their awardsBeing presented with the green flag

Ms Phelan and school principal Tim McAuliffe with the St Ciaran’s

Blanchardstown Response to Drugs National Media Award

The pupils are rightly proud of their award-winning year

Principal Tim McAuliffe with award winners Ava O’Neill

and Kelsie Larkin

BUMPER YEAR Students at St Ciaran’s Primary School


This year has seen the school win many awards

School principal Tim McAuliffe with the winner of

the All-Ireland handwriting competition

Philip Keegan and Martin McEntee of Greater Blanchardstown Response to Drugs , Ms Phelan and principal McAuliffe

Some students at the school also showed their support for the Irish football team

Another proud student shows off his award with principal McAuliffe

The deputy principal with Max Suryn and his art award

take time out to celebrate their winning ways


CYCLING Dublin shows it’s no slouch by getting the bikes out

Get on your bikeO VER 2,500 cyclists working in and

around Dublin joined Lord Mayor of Dublin Andrew Montague, Minister for

Public and Commuter Transport Alan Kelly (Lab), and event brand ambassadors and 98FM DJs Claire Solan and Aidan Power as they put their foot on the pedal for Dublin City Council’s Bike to Work lunchtime cycle.

The cyclists took a spin around Dublin on bicycles to promote health, fitness, money saving and stress free travel. The day also featured prizes for the best dressed male and female, and for the company who had the most representatives on the day. For more information on future events visit www.dublincitycycling.ie/

Aidan Power, Minister Alan Kelly (Lab), Lord Mayor of Dublin Andrew Montague (Lab) and Claire Solan. Pictures: Conor McCabe

Participants took off from Grand Canal Square in Dublin’s Docklands at 12.45pm on the leisurely (for some)

6km cycle ending up back where they started where food stalls had been set up

Jonathan Killeen and Monika Wojtek

Stephane Capdela and Geraldine Fore

There were many colourful characters

present on the day

Ger and Meadhbh Seery

Lord Mayor of Dublin

Andrew Montague (Lab)Best dressed male winner Gary Tyrrell

28 June 2012 GAZETTE 11

TRANSPORT Travel card a big hit

Jumping ahead of costs with the LeapTHE new Leap card, which takes you any-where in the city on Dublin Bus, Luas, DART services as well as com-muter rail in Dublin’s Short Hop Zone, has exceeded 100,000 sales.

The handy, all-round ticket, which is simi-lar to that used in cities all across Europe, was launched only six months ago, and has proved so popular that more than 4.5 million journeys have been clocked up on it, while €9 million has been spent on the Leap card in travel credit, to date.

Sales remain strong, and the number of peo-ple using Leap continues to jump ahead, as around 2,000 people per week pick up their cards.

Leap cards save users up to 11% on the price

of Dublin Bus fares, up to 17% on Luas singles, and up to 18% on DART and Commuter Rail sin-gles.

Another feature of the card is that users no longer have to worry about planning their journey and having the correct change – they can jump on participat-ing transport services around Dublin when it suits them.

The Leap card is described as “the ticket of the future”, when all payments will be done by card and online in advance.

Leap scheme director Tim Gaston welcomed the encouraging sales. He said: “It’s great to see more and more Leap cards being used around Dublin.

“People who still pay Callum Tilly and Chelsea Murphy helped launch the

Leap card at Heuston Station

cash for single tickets should really think about getting their Leap card as it could save them [money through regular usage].”

Gaston went on to indicate that many other additional features will be developed in the future.

“We’re looking for-

ward to adding more fea-tures and products onto the card later in 2012 to make it even more attrac-tive for users,” he said.

Buy your Leap card at any of the 400-plus outlets in Dublin, or go online at www.leapcard.ie to top up your travel credit.

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12 GAZETTE 28 June 2012

Can your firm claim the BestManaged title?� BAIRBRE NI BHRAONAIN

DUBLIN companies are being challenged to put themselves forward for the Best Managed com-pany award by leading business advisory firm, Deloitte.

Management prac-tices are the focus of the Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards Pro-gramme, which is now open for entries from Dublin companies.

This is the fifth year for the programme, and former winners from the first four years have total revenues amounting to more than €10 billion, with accumulated staff employed by them com-ing to more than 24,000.

Thanks to their man-agement prowess, 20 companies showing supe-rior performance will be selected for recognition at the end of the Best Man-aged Companies process in March, 2013.

This is the only awards programme to compre-hensively assess and fully evaluate the management practices of the compet-ing companies.

The judging criteria includes strategy, capabil-

ity, commitment, finan-cials and management performance across all key functions of the busi-ness.

Kevin Sheehan, part-ner, Deloitte, highlighted the benefit of joining the growing network of Best Managed Companies.

He said: “Currently, there are approximately 70 ‘best managed’ compa-nies across the island of Ireland. We are encour-aging other indigenous Irish companies to enter the programme and so be in with a chance of join-ing this winning network of companies.

Innovative“This year, the judges

will be paying close atten-tion to the innovative strategies companies are adopting to ensure their continued success.

“Some of the success-ful traits companies have demonstrated over the first four years of the pro-gramme include the abil-ity to monetise their intel-lectual property, recogni-tion of the different roles of the entrepreneur and management, in addition to an ability to recognise and act upon weaknesses

and threats and reassess necessary skills.

“Those companies who believe they are imple-menting similar suc-cessful strategies should certainly look to reap the rewards this programme can bring to their com-pany,” said Sheehan.

Deloitte is urging all kinds of companies from various industries across Ireland to submit their applications for the awards.

Last year’s winners came from sectors including IT, telecom-munications, hospitality and catering, outsourc-ing, and design and print, among others.

Winning the title of Best Managed Compa-ny is a term that carries considerable weight in marketing terms. The awards are also a great opportunity to celebrate the efforts of many busi-ness people in the coun-try in difficult economic times.

For further informa-tion, and for details of how to enter the awards, see www.deloittebest-managed.ie. The closing date for entries is Friday, August 24.

BUSINESS Deloitte contest call

At the launch of this year’s Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards Programme

are judging panel members, David Harney, CEO, Irish Life Corporate Business;

Siobhan McAleer, head of strategic partnerships, Irish Management Institute, and

Kevin Sheehan, partner, Deloitte

PREGNANCY is a special time in any woman’s life. The first visit to meet the consultant, who will be caring for you, can be exciting, but also a little daunting. The multidisciplinary team of Doctors and Midwives at the Rotunda Private Clinics are specially trained to make women feel as comfort-able as possible during the course of their pregnan-cies.

The ethos of the entire team at the Rotunda Private Clinics is to work in partnership with the expectant mothers and their partners, offering holistic care, support and advice at what can be an uncertain time for any woman.

In this, the first of three special monthly features with the Rotunda Private Clinics, we speak to the Midwifery Manager, Hazel Cazzini.

Hazel Cazzini, Midwifery Manager The modern and inviting waiting room at the Rotunda Private

Personal pregnancy care at

the Rotunda Private Clinics

Commercial Feature

It all begins during the first visit, or “booking

visit”, which begins the process of ensuring that

every mother is as well prepared as she can be

when she is expecting - and beyond. Everything,

from health promotion and diet to the booking of

ante-natal classes will be discussed, as well as

any concerns or questions that might be on the

mother’s mind.

The first visit is also important because the

mothers get to meet a midwife, who will go through

her family history and check routine elements such

as height, weight and blood pressure. Routine blood

tests are taken. All these tests help to develop a

true picture of the health of the mother at this early

stage of pregnancy.

“Maybe most importantly, the mother can have an

honest conversation with the midwife, who will find

out how she is feeling about her pregnancy and the

incredible change that a baby brings. The midwife

will also advise on the importance of a healthy

lifestyle during pregnancy, including diet, exercise,

work/life balance and issues such as smoking and

alcohol consumption will be discussed and advised

upon.,” said Hazel Cazzini, Acting Midwifery

Manager at the Rotunda Private Clinics. “It’s all

about keeping the mother healthy so she can enjoy

her journey through pregnancy”

There are a number of other useful facilities

available through Rotunda Private Clinics, including

breastfeeding workshops, which are offered free of

charge – although mothers are advised to take up

these classes later in their pregnancies. Ante-natal

classes and parenting classes are also offered as

part of the overall private service, and are available

during the day, the evening or on weekends.

Additionally, all ultrasound scans are included as

part of the private care package, and consultants

are available throughout the pregnancy by

scheduled visit. Emergency visits can be made to the

main hospital if required.

Midwives are available through the Rotunda

Private Clinics at any time during the working week

to answer any questions that expectant mothers

might have about their pregnancies.

For further information or to book an

appointment, phone: 01 874 2115


A garden full of tasty treats

EVENT Taste of Dublin returns

At the launch of Taste of Dublin 2012 were Kevin Dundon, Catherine Fulvio , Jamie

Oliver and Derry Clarke

� PAUL HOSFORD

TASTE of Dublin returned to Dublin’s Iveagh Gar-dens last weekend and, despite the gloom of Ire-land’s failed Euro 2012 bid and the unpredict-able weather, the beauti-ful park was transformed into a foodie heaven.

The his tor ic gar-dens, tucked behind the National Concert Hall, have played host to the festival, which shows off the best that the city has to offer in food and drink.

Restaurants offering fare from across the world including Mexican (777), Asian (Jaipur), Tapas (Malahide’s own Bon Appetit) and everything in between, thrilled the masses who would not let a bit of rain get in the way of the enjoyment of their tastebuds.

The four-day event was opened by Jamie Oliver, who wowed fans with a live cookery demonstra-tion using sponsors Elec-trolux new Inspiration appliance range.

That was not to be the last of the live events

as chefs demonstrated their skills over the week-end, including Pichet’s Stephen Gibson, Rachel Allen and Paul Flynn.

Drinks experts were on hand to offer tastings and advice including Pre-mier International Beers’ Dean McGuinness, the Moncrieff show’s beer guru on Newstalk.

Over the weekend, 20 of the city’s best restau-rants dished up their fin-est in an al fresco gourmet feast, while 100 producers provided a bounty of the best food and beverages, ensuring that guests sam-pled and shopped for a

range of produce in the laid back atmosphere of a boutique food market.

Restaurants were tasked with fashioning special menus of starter- sized dishes for the occa-sion, including signature dishes created by chefs to specially reflect their phi-losophy and showcase seasonal and premium ingredients.

As a Taste virgin, the first thing that struck this writer was the fantastic job done in maintain-ing the beauty of the Iveagh Gardens. After exchanging our Euros for Florins, the festival’s

own currency, we took a stroll around, scouting for food.

We both made Bon Appetit our first stop, with buffalo wings and prawn tempura both going down a treat. On to the second restaurant enclosure, where the Sad-dle Room’s Charleville Fillet of Beef proved irresistible and the Jaipur Chicken Kebab had the perfect kick.

A couple of drinks and another lap of the park before the rain set in and sent us packing rounded a thoroughly enjoyable, and Taste-y, day.

www.gazette group.comwww.gazette group.com

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


� LAURA WEBB

KEEP children enter-tained this summer by getting them involved in a summer camp they will have no problem waking up for.

Secondary schools closed ear l ie r th i s month, and national schools are set to end their school year next week for the summer holidays, so parents are busying themselves looking for ways to occupy the kids.

T h i s we e k , T h e Gazette is taking a lit-tle pressure off parents by sharing some of the many camps available throughout Dublin.

Let kids dance their heart away this summer

with dance camps. In Dun Laoghaire, dance company, Dance Thea-tre of Ireland, are offer-ing daytime courses, entitled Dance All Day.

This one-week course is designed to give young people and adults expo-sure and experience to a variety of dance styles, in a course that concen-trates on modern forms of dance.

The week is not just about dance styles, but puts an emphasis on fun through dance. This course is for all levels.

For further informa-tion, see www.dan-cetheatreireland.com.

The J ig Academy, located in Powerscourt Theatre in Dublin 2, is hosting its first Irish Why not take part in a fun FAI soccer camp this summer?

CHILDREN Prepare for summer with a look at just some of

Dance summer camp throughout the summer months.

There are camps for beginners and improv-ers, and this camp is suitable for kids aged six to 14 years.

Beginner camps are held between July 2 to July 6, while improver camps are held later in the summer, between August 20 to 24.

PerformanceCamps will run from

9.30am to 12.30pm, Monday to Friday, and there will be an end of week performance for parents and friends. For further information, see www.jig.ie.

S t agecoach r uns summer camps in sing-ing, dancing and acting, where kids learn every day, and work towards a final performance.

There are camps for kids aged from eight to 14 years, and kids aged from four to seven. For further information, see www.stagecoach.ie.

Most local spor ts clubs across Dublin will have their own summer camps, so check out their website or notice boards to f ind out more.

Each year, the FAI host their own summer camps, and this year is no different.

Running from July 2 through to the end of August, and for boys and girls aged between six and 14 (of all lev-els), the camps will see FAI-accredited coaches offering five exciting fun days.

Starting in the morn-ing, with skills-specific training such as passing, dribbling, shooting and heading, the camps will be followed by an after-noon of mini leagues and tournaments.

There are also dedi-c a t e d g o a l - ke e p e r camps, and girls-only camps.

For further informa-tion on venues and dates, see www.sum-mersoccerschools.ie.

Rugby camps are also on the agenda for the

summer season. The VW Leinster Rugby Camps take place through July and August, for kids aged six to 12 years.

Here, children learn about rugby values such as team work, commit-ment and integrity, and also become more aware of the importance of physical activity.

For those who may not be into sports, why not find out more about science with Anyone4s-cience summer camps this July and August?

This is a fun, hands-on, educational summer camp for kids, held in a number of locations in Dublin this July and August, and for kids aged five to 12 years.

Locations include Por tmarnock Com-munity School (from July 2 until July 5); Rathmichael National School (from July 9 until July 12), and Castle-knock Educate Together National School (dur-ing the week of July 16 to July to July 19).

The camps for five- to 12-year-olds run for four days, from 10am until 2pm each day, and cost €120.

There are a lso a number of camps for teens which cost €160 for five days, and which run between 10am and 3pm.

CreativeFor the arty type,

Giddy Studio’s crea-tive summer camps are ideal. Located in Dun-drum Town Centre, this camp is suitable for kids aged five to 12 years.

The pottery painting studio is a great creative destination for those who love art. Each day, kids leave with some great summer-themed works of art. Activities include pottery paint-ing, keyring-making, paper crafts, clay and fabric work and bead-ing work.

For further informa-tion, see www.giddys-tudios.com.

Artzone is another great art camp that works with different

Ready, set, go


themes each week, mak-ing great portfolios for kids. There are junior and senior camps avail-able in locations across Dublin including Rath-farnham, Malahide, Lucan, Castleknock and Dundrum.

Prices for this include all art and games equip-ment, and an Artzone t-shirt.

Camps take place in July and August, with five-day camps cost-ing €109 and four days, €99.

Discounts on addi-t ional chi ldren are offered. For fur ther information, see www.artzone.ie.

Don’t forget the above camps are just a sample of what is out there, so make sure to check out local schools and cen-tres for an idea of what is available before mak-ing the choice.

the range of great camps for kids

for lots of fun

Artistic children will love creating colourful work at an Artzone camp


LOCALMATTERS

16 GAZETTE 28 June 2012 R1

GazetteBEAUTYBEAUTYEdited by Laura Webb

First aid kit

essentials Face timeT

HE skin regime usually starts at the top with the one area that’s heavily on display – the face.

Using the right moisturiser is a key element to having a fresh, youthful look and finding the perfect product can take time. Trial and error is how most people figure out what best suits their skin type. One trial conducted over the past month was Lancome’s Absolue L’Extrait.

Exclusive to Brown Thomas in Dublin and Cork, this cream has been on the market since May 1.

The massage petal, which is black on one side, gold on the other, helps users apply the cream spar-ingly. Using the tool for the first time it takes time to get the tech-nique right, but once you use it the ritual is easy enough to keep up. Skin feels soft and regenerated after use. The black side of the tool is to apply the cream, while the gold side is to massage into the skin. When trying to find out what’s so special about this product, the science jargon can make your head spin, but what we do

know is that rose petal stems have a lot to do with the results. Lancome say they developed and perfected “a totally new active ingredient obtained through an exclusive biotechnology process” from Rose Lancome stem cells. These stem cells are to provide an environmentally friendly source of their exclusive regenerating active ingredient.

With an RRP at €290, it is a little steep for most – but using it sparingly makes it last much longer than most creams and the results after a month make you think it’s sometimes better to spend that little bit more.

Lancome’s Absolue L’Extrait

TRAVELLING to different climates and encountering dif-ferent conditions abroad can expose you to circumstances that affect your health. While it’s important to consult with your GP to check what vaccina-tions or antimalarial medica-tion may be required, there are some essentials that you will need for your first aid kit. • Over-the-counter medicines to treat minor illnesses (travel sickness, insect bites, traveller’s diarrhoea and headache)• High factor sunscreen• Aftersun lotion to treat sun-burn• Insect repellents• Plasters and antiseptic cream• Antiseptic wipesYour local pharmacist can provide you with assistance in assembling the kit and answer any more concerns you may have. With thanks to the staff at Lucan Village

Pharmacy


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LOCALMATTERS



GazetteMUSICMUSIC

Metric’s high-gloss hits on Synthetica

Metric miss a chance to step into the next division with their latest album, Synthetica

� ROB HEIGH

THERE are a few bands who spend entire careers burbling just under the radar of popular acclaim and the level of sales which they probably deserve.

Canada’s Metric are one of those bands, one of a few breakout acts from the Northern Americas who are mak-ing serious noises and catching the ear of dis-cerning listeners this side of the pond - Hey Ocean being another, notwith-standing the large debt they owe musically to Metric themselves.

The band’s fifth album, Synthetica, arrives on the coat-tails of what was easily their best record to date, Fanta-sies. Released in 2009 and toured relentlessly (but not so relentlessly that they reached Ire-land, dammit!) , that album was a hugely pol-ished summation of their career to date and hit all the marks — breathless canters of songs, laser sharp melodies and riffs, Emily Haines’ perfect vocal and just downright great songwriting.

By rights, it should

have been lauded as one of the records of the year (it was) and have set Metric on a path to glo-bal notoriety.

To an extent, it did - they landed the US tour support slot with Muse as they themselves went mega across the States, and were the one act to come out of involvement with any of the Twilight soundtracks without eternally soiling their place on the artistic roll call.

It also put them in a place where they got exactly what they were looking for, as all bands

REVIEW: CANADA’S ELECTRO-ROCKERS RELEASE NEW SET

ultimately are looking for - sales, publicity, press.

And those of us who loved Fantasies as a con-summately great alterna-tive pop record (imagine Garbage if they were actually good) hoped that would lead them on to the next stage.

That stage is here now, and their new release, Synthetica, sounds like a band at a crossroads instead of one hitting the highway running.

It’s as though they have the world at their feet and don’t know whether that was where they wanted it (or themselves) to be.

Emily sounds world-weary, not certain of this new fame monster she has unleashed - “Is this my life, am I breathing underwater?”

It’s not to say this is not a great record. The production by guitarist Jimmy Shaw is exem-plary and plays to their strengths. Synthetica feels l ike a missed opportunity to stamp their glam-boots all over a new set of songs, and in turn, the music-loving world beyond their exist-ing fan base.

Synthetica belies its truth in its title - it’s very

pretty and stylish and produced to within an inch of its life, but it never engages like you feel it ought to. It glides by on its electronic thrum and pretty tunes, shimmers off into the distance.

Hopefully, this is a stepping stone period where Metric work out what exactly they want to be as a band.

They well may be the Star Trek of bands - every even numbered release is a classic.They have the potential to be world-class, it’s just a question now of whether they want to be.

LOCAL band, Cry Monster Cry, have announced a September tour that follows on the success of their Malahide-recorded debut EP, The Fallen, which reached number 2 on the iTunes chart last month.

Their song, This New Country, was recently chosen by Tourism Ireland to feature on their new online campaign, Jump Into Ire-land.

The band will play The Sugar Club on September 28 and tickets, priced €11, are on sale now.

Monsters Inc: Local band line up September tour

MUSIC is a fickle business. One minute you have a band you thought would last forever breaking up, like REM, while the next there’s artists you wish wouldn’t last at all recreat-ing Beatle-mania wherever they go, like Justin Bieber. It can be hard to keep up with the speed of it all.

Nowadays, when we can download a track or album instantly or tell an artist directly what we think of them on Facebook or Twit-ter, that speed is ferocious.

The Rolling Stones are one of a few bands who have stood the test of time, and gath-ered no moss with consistent releases over five decades.

Fans are waiting with bated breath to hear just how the band plans to mark its 50 years in the music industry.

At the moment, their lips are as tight as Jag-ger’s trousers as the rumour mill hits over-drive as to what The Stones have planned.

They only thing they are saying is that they won’t be headlining Glastonbury next year — contrary to media reports — nor will 2013 be their last year in the music business, as some speculate the lads plan to go out with a bang and retire after marking their 50th year in music.

The latest rumour is that the Stones are meeting in London next month to come up with a plan of action, which some say may include a gig before this year is out.

All we can do is wait and hope we can get some Satisfaction with whatever is announced.

Meanwhile the music industry trundles on, as unpredictable as an Irish summer.

In the space of a week, Croke Park is the venue to say goodbye to Westlife and hello to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

While across the water, a stadium tour of all eight final contestants on The Voice UK has been cancelled due to lack of interest. Not sure I really care...

FastTunes with Radio Nova’s Dee Woods

SHARON Slowey has been a graphic designer for more than 20 years, running her own graph-ic design business and working with clients such as Forfas, MUTEC Mercedes, IBEC and many others.

Throughout her career, she has been giving a helping hand to friends and family by touching up photos, making collages and even restoring old pho-tos.

Sharon and her hus-band, Patrick, who is also a designer, decided that a shop helping peo-ple to get their photos displayed in their home, combined with profes-sional graphic skills to make the most of their photos, was an idea worth pursuing and

so The Pictorium was born.

Situated in the heart of Monkstown Farm, Sharon says The Picto-rium has friendly advice and help ranging from how to get the photo off your phone through to digitally enhancing photos and printing the final photos onto canvas, photographic paper or a host of other options.

The shop is in a gal-lery style, showcasing all types of pictures and collages on canvas, float frames, picture blocks and acrylic frames.

There is a section fea-turing before and after photographs that have been restored, while also featured is a gifts section displaying items that can be personalised

Interview: Sharon Slowey, co-founder, The Pictorium

Q&A

Friendly image keeps clients in the frame

Sharon Slowey, The Pictorium: Friendly advice and help with photos

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be?A: I have always loved draw-

ing and being creative, so I

pretty much am doing what

I always wanted to be – a

graphic designer!

Q: What was your first job?A: I worked in Western Ma-

rine in Bullock Harbour in

the office on work experience

Q: And your first paycheque?A: Hmmm, no idea - too long

ago to remember

Q: Have you ever done a job you loathed?A: Thankfully, no

Q: When did you start your present job?A: I have been a graphic

designer for more than 20

years. With The Pictorium,

which opened last December,

I am more involved in the

photographic end of design,

which I am loving

Q: What is the best thing about your job?A: Seeing the look on peo-

ple’s faces when we give

them a photo that they never

thought could have been

restored

Q: Have you achieved any-thing that you once thought you could not pull off?A: As a graphic designer, get-

ting that last minute job done

in record time – so often!

Q: What part of your work-ing day do you ‘delegate’?A: Cooking dinner! Although

my husband Patrick and I

work together pretty well, he

bans me from the kitchen at

home!

Q: What’s currently on your desk that shouldn’t be?A: A big piece of carrot cake

Q: Is there anything about yourself that you would like to set the record straight on?A: I am 5’ 2.5”, not 5’ 2”

Q: What sport do you fol-low?A: I can be quite a vocal

rugby fan, to the embarrass-

ment of Patrick

Q: What sport can you play?A: I am more of a walker and

a reader

Q: What habits would you

like to lose?A: Talking while watching TV

Q: At the moment, what are you looking forward to?A: Marketing – getting out

there and telling people all

about our great new business

Q: What is your guilty music, TV or movie pleasure?A: Oh no! I love Savage Gar-

den – not a popular choice

for the shop though!

Q: Who best represents modern Ireland – David Nor-ris or Jedward?A: Is this a typo? Neither

Q: What music/pictures/movies do you have on your iPod/iPad?A: Lady Gaga – don’t share

her fashion sense, especially

that infamous meat dress!

Q: Who do you follow on Twitter/Facebook?A: Stephen Fry

Q: What was your last Tweet/Facebook status?A: Not too sure – probably

something about the miser-

able weather!

Q: Describe your dream meal?

A: Patrick makes the most

divine lamb curry

Q: Who would you like to have dinner with – Enda Kenny or Dame Edna? A: Dame Edna in a heartbeat

– could have a bit of craic

with her

Q: Where do you enjoy spending money frivolously?A: See question below!

Q: How many pairs of shoes do you own?A: Ooh that would be telling

and my husband will be read-

ing this!

Q: What was your worst holiday experience?A: Not actually having one

for a few years because of

work!

Q: Describe your dream holiday?A: Easy – to go on a safari in

Kenya – bring on the Lotto!

Q: What would be your dream job? A: I pretty much am doing

my dream job

Q: What do you plan to do when you retire?A: Fill the bucket list

GazetteBUSINESSBUSINESS Supported by AIB

HOW IS MY INHERITANCE SUM TAXED? Q – I HAVE inherited a lump sum under the tax threshold. As self-employed, will this be classed as income towards the Universal Social Charge? Jim – Rathmines

A – ONCE you have received an inheritance and it is

under the tax exemption thresholds, you do not have

any further liability. Over those thresholds, the tax is

30% - no further tax is payable on the inheritance -

and these are the limits:

There are also some clarifications in the groupings.

Group A applies where the beneficiary (the person

receiving the benefit) is a child of the person giving it.

This includes a stepchild or an adopted child. It can

also include a foster child if the foster child resided

with and was under the care of the disponer and they

provided the care, at their expense, for a period or

periods totalling at least five years before the foster

child reached the age of 18.

This minimum period does not apply in the case of an

inheritance taken on the date of death of the disponer.

In this case, the Group A threshold will apply, provided

that the foster child had been placed in the care of the

disponer prior to that date.

Group A also applies to parents who take an inherit-

ance from their child, but only where the parent takes

full and complete ownership of the inheritance.

Group B applies where the beneficiary is the:

• Parent (see also Group A),

• Grandparent,

• Grandchild or great-grandchild,

• Brother or sister, or

• Nephew or niece of the giver.

Group C applies to any relationship not included in

Group A or Group B.

� Contact John with your money questions 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


Capital Acquisition Tax thresholds

Group A Group B Group C

2009 (up to 7

April 2009)

2009 (on or after

8 April 2009)

2010 (up to

7 Dec 2010)

2010 (on or after 8

Dec 2010) and 2011

2011 (on or after 7

Dec 2011) and 2012

€542,544 €54,254 €27,127

€434,000 €43,400 €21,700

€414,799 €41,481 €20,740

€332,084 €33,208 €16,604

€250,000 €33,208 €16,604

with a photo and a mes-sage.

The gifts range from mugs, mouse mats, jigsaws and jewel-lery boxes through to

t-shirts, aprons and bibs.

Contact Sharon or Patrick at 01 284 6106, or email [email protected].

The Pictorium is located at Number 3, Monkstown Farm, Monkstown (opposite the Credit Union), Oliv-er Plunkett Road.

LOCALMATTERSS U P P O R T L O C A L B U S I N E S S

ADVERTISE WITH THE

GAZETTE CALL 60 10 240


RoadRoadSignsSignsLondon gets MINI Olympic boostA TRIBUTE to the capital of Britain: The new-look MINI Rocketman Concept.

This summer the best athletes from some 200 countries will gather in London for the London 2012 Games – the biggest sporting spectacle on the planet.

Premium car brand MINI will roll out the red carpet for the Olympians and Paralympians with the new edition of a spectacular small car study first presented at the International Geneva Motor Show 2011. The new design of the MINI Rocketman Concept combines innovative ideas for personal mobility in major cities with classical, unmistakably British design features inside and out.

The MINI Rocketman Concept caused quite a stir at the Geneva Motor Show 2011 as a ground-breaking new concept car majoring in driving fun in tight spaces. The 3+1-seater, with its three doors and an exterior length of just over three metres, is imbued with the timeless core values of the brand: irresistible design, clever functionality, smile-inducing agility and exceptional efficiency. In the process, it also offers a very contemporary take on the “creative use of space” principle that has held sway at the British carmaker for more than 50 years.

A very British concept

The FlexDoors system creates a safe zone for parents and children

Size doesn’t mean anything for this carEVERY car I get to review has one critical test to pass before it gets the thumbs up, and that is the rear access test.

More accurately, it’s the ease of rear access for my kids.

Al l the legroom, cupholders, flip-down tables and DVD screens in the world won’t mean a thing if my daughters can’t get into their seats and clip their own seat belts.

And this is where the Opel Meriva excels.

If I didn’t know any bet-ter, I would say that Opel drafted in a few dozen families to test every aspect of this car at every stage of design.

Far and away the most innovative new feature in the Meriva is their Flex-Doors system.

Very much a throwback to cars from the 1940s, the FlexDoors feature front doors that are hinged at the front, and rear doors that are hinged at the rear, meaning the doors open

away from each other. With both doors open, the car creates a safe zone for parents and kids next to the car.

Research by the Department of Indus-trial Design at Coventry University looked at the effects of lifting even just a 5kg object (a small baby, for example) in and out of the Meriva’s rear seats.

Compared with the previous model, the Flex-Doors helped to reduce back muscle loads by up to 58% and leaning and twisting angles by up to 48%. Back strain was reduced even just getting in and out of the car.

It really comes as no surprise that, as a result of the new design, the Meriva has been awarded a Certificate of Excellence by the highly-respected German AGR (Campaign for Healthier Backs) panel of doctors and ergonomic experts – the first time the group has certified a com-plete vehicle’s ergonomic concept, rather than indi-

vidual components.What is most impres-

sive is the whole approach that has been taken to this car.

Gone are the days when a family vehicle translated in to acres of space without any real plan for what a family actually required.

The Meriva isn’t the biggest family car – and that makes sense. The interior space and storage is designed so well, there is no need for a minibus-sized body.

Starting with Opel’s nifty FlexRail, the front seat passengers enjoy a storage system that pro-vides highly versatile, modular multi-level stor-age occupying the deep space between the two front seats.

In plain English – there is a clever set of storage drawers that can each be easily moved forwards and backwards on a clev-er rail system depending on what kind of storage you require.

The SE model that I tested featured attractive polished aluminium rails, reaching from the front centre console back to the rear footwell, plus a practical sliding tray/cup holder.

The clever use of space is also evident in the back where, in its standard three-seat mode, there is ample leg and shoulder room for three adults. With a simple adjustment, the centre seat can be stowed allowing the outer seats to be easily repo-sitioned for maximum comfort.

All of the seats can be folded flat allowing for an impressive maximum load capacity of 1,496 litres.

You can’t write about this car without making reference to the pano-ramic roof.

This is a feature that can make the transition to parenthood a little less traumatic for those used to driving convertibles.

Generally speaking, the

arrival of a little bundle of joy means waving good-bye to the soft top coupe.

With the Meriva, you can still hold on to that sense of open-road, top-down driving, but without getting cold or wet.

It really does make the car feel light and airy, and the electric shade keeps the kids from getting too hot if the sun does decide to make an appearance.

For a family, it provided all the essential, practical elements in an attractive package that didn’t skimp on features.

The model I drove was the 1.7CDTi with options including adaptive for-ward lighting, brilliant paint, heated seats and steering wheel and mobile phone system with blue-tooth. The price of this model is €26,295, the entry-level model starts at €20,495.

This range offers genu-ine value for money and shows that a family car does not need to be the size of small bus.

GazetteMOTORSMOTORS

Woman trusts her new Ford will helpDUBLINER Kathleen Fagan was announced as the winner of the Ford Fiesta in The Care Trust’s fundraising draw which, as Ireland’s biggest car giveaway, will see 36 cars up for grabs in 2012.Set up more than 50 years ago, The Care Trust fundraises to provide essential funds to the Central Remedial Clinic (CRC), Rehab and the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital. The money raised helps fund these organisations in their work with the many thousands of children and adults with physical, medical or intellectual disabilities, those who are socially disadvantaged and those requiring medical care.The Care Trust’s prize draws take place three times per month with all winners notified by post. For €3.50 per week / €15 per month, contributors are eligible for all draws. For more information, see www.thecaretrust.ie or phone (01) 200 0060.

Edited by

Cormac Curtis

Picturesque perfection where time stands still� STEPHEN FINDLATER

THE “quart d’heure bear-naise” refrain is gently murmured as we wander into the Maison du Juran-con 45 minutes late.

Since arriving in Pau, it is a phrase that rolls slowly but regularly off the tongue.

The suggestion is that people at the base of the French Pyrenees are per-ennially off time but never truly bothered; a horizon-tal attitude that lends itself delightfully to a chilled out long weekend.

Nestled 100 km inland off the Atlantic coast from Biarritz and fringing on the Basque country, Pau is often overlooked by pil-grims in search of a cure in Lourdes, just 40 min-utes down the road.

But antiquity has shown that British and

Irish blow-ins formed a love affair with the town ever since Wellington’s days.

They were attracted by the stunning vistas of the Pyrenees but with a rare, temperate climate in France’s deep south and duly set up the continent’s oldest golf club and have a vested interest in the vast national stud and equine training centre.

What they originally found was the birth-place of King Henri IV, famously baptised by the local Jurancon wine. Once crowned, his com-mitment to local produce held firm, his dictates providing every house-hold with a chicken each Sunday to ensure each French family ate meat at least once a week.

Nowadays, the evi-dence of that influence

filters down from the Chateau de Pau – where the baptism took place in a decadent, giant tortoise shell.

The town acts as the hub for agriculture, com-ing alive in Les Halles where every artisan from the environs comes together.

Whiffs of duck confit can be smelt through the

deliciously clean air out-side a maze of rustic cafes in the old town.

It is the backdrop, though, which provides most residents and tour-ists alike to do their stopping and staring, overlooked by the white-tipped peaks of the Pyr-enees – accessed best from the elevated prom-enade and the Chateau.

Signs of a faster life do adorn the streets. The red and white kerbs leading

away from the Palais de Beaumont and the start-er markings opposite the

town’s train station are a constant reminder that the city is, every May, a fully functioning racing track.

Indeed, despite the sleepy outward demean-our, Pau is the local jump-off for la vie active.

June saw the city welcome a leg of the kayak World Cup tour at the man-made Stade d’Eaux Vives and the Gave de Pau tributary draws its source from the heart of the Pyr-enees National Park

Chasing those piques – among them the Tour de France favourite climbs, the Col du Galibier and the Tourmalet – was a rush in itself, rolling through lush green areas which contrast with Southern France’s more yellow edges.

The spider-web of ski slopes provides the des-tination and becomes a summer mecca for mountain bike riders, tearing down the melt-ed pistes.

Most notably, regu-lar competitions adorn the spectacular village

The Chateau de Pau in

Pau is overlooked by the white-tipped peaks of the Pyrenees

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

‘The suggestion is that people at the base of the French Pyrenees are perennially off time but never truly bothered; a horizontal attitude that lends itself delightfully to a chilled out long weekend’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Great family holiday dealsto Montenegro in July on offerfrom Concorde Travel

CONCORDE Travel have recently announced some great deals on family holidays to Mon-tenegro, departing this July from both Knock and Dublin.

With a range of family friendly proper-ties designed with your relaxation in mind, Concorde are offering families a sun soaked break in Montenegro for as little as €1,796 (was €2,536), giving families a saving of €740, based on two adults and two children.

Just south of Dubrovnik, the Republic of Montenegro is a country of 13,000 sq km with long stretches of sandy and pebble coastline and stunning mountain scenery.

The family friendly Slovenska Plaza 3-star complex is ideally located in Budva, just 10 minutes away from the historical town centre and with the magnificent sandy beach on the doorstep.

Ideal for families with young children, the younger guests can enjoy the children’s play centre placed in Aleksandar Hotel, in the immediate vicinity of the development, as well as a children’s labyrinth and a baby corner intended for the youngest kids, with continu-ous supervision by friendly staff.

Entry is free of charge for hotel guests. Evening entertainment features various

themed parties including folklore evenings, salsa nights and karaoke parties.

From June 15 to September 15, guests can also enjoy the summer cinema at the Rondo Pool with privileged access for hotel guests.

The price includes direct return flights from Ireland to Dubrovnik, all taxes and charges, luggage, return transfers from Dubrovnik Airport to the complex in Budva, local repre-sentative assistance and seven nights’ accom-modation in a one bedroom apartment.

You will travel from Knock Airport on July 11 or from Dublin on July 18 or July 25.

For more information or to book your fam-ily holiday, please visit www.concordetravel.ie, email [email protected] or call 01 775 9300 to speak with one of the Concorde Travel representatives.

FastTravel

GazetteTTRAVELRAVEL22 GAZETTE 28 June 2012

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of Artouste in the heart of the mountain range’s National Park.

Riders traverse a 900 metre drop in under four minutes but a more leisurely route can be traversed to take in the breath-taking scenes of the Ossau and Palsam peaks in more leisurely form.

Resembling the inter-nal transport system at a theme park, le Petit-Train de Artouste is actually a marvel of human endeav-our.

The highest train route in Europe at 1,991 metres above sea level, its eight kilometre route provides access deep into the heart of the mountains and the secrets lying beyond the auto-routes.

It was forged in the 1930s, taking two years to blast a route to Lac d’Artouste where a dam was built, providing a source of hydro-electric power to the lower-lying villages.

Beyond functionality, it provides hill-walkers and laid-back loafers a chance to sit on top of the world.

the centre of Pau where King Henri IV was famously baptised

Plenty of fun activities to keep the family happy with Stena Line’s day trips to South Wales

WITH the school holidays already upon us, Ire-land’s leading ferry company, Stena Line, is on hand with a range of day trips to South Wales, to help give parents a hand when it comes to entertaining the family this summer.

Families can enjoy a day trip to Oakwood Theme Park, Heatherton World of Activities or Folly Farm with prices starting from only €29* per person. Customers travelling from Rosslare to Fishguard can enjoy an action-packed day trip to Oakwood Theme Park from only €42* per person return by car (based on a car and 4 people) or €50* per person on foot with coach transfers.

Oakwood Theme Park is set in 80 acres of spectacular Pembrokeshire countryside with more than 30 exhilarating attractions including four world-class rides to enjoy.

Thrill seekers can enjoy the ultimate hair-raising experience with Speed: No Limits, 2000 feet of twisting and turning steel roller coaster whilst Megafobia has been voted the best ride in the UK and is the ultimate coaster challenge with 900 metres of wooden terror track.

For the younger visitor, the Lost Kingdom is a soft-play terrain providing lots of fun with jumping, swinging, scrabbling, and climbing.

Or why not enjoy an action-packed day of karting, painting, robot wars and water walk-ing from only €35* per person return by car at Heatherton World of Activities or a trip to Folly Farm from only €29* per person return by car.

Folly Farm offers six fantastic zones to visit - the Jolly Farm, a spectacular Zoo, an enormous vintage Funfair, indoor and outdoor Adventure Play and Folly Wood Country Park.

For further information or to book a daytrip, visit www.stenaline.ie/days, call Stena Line on 01 204 77 77 or visit your local Stena Line travel agent. *Subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply.

TravelBriefs

Edited by

Mimi Murray


The route back to Pau took in worthwhile stop offs at La Commande and Monein where Jurancon’s uniquely sweet wines are made to match foie gras and the ever-present duck.

Sleeping off the regu-lar four to five-course meals, though, proved scarcely an issue as the Ferme de Candeloup – one of the area’s gites, a delightfully converted barn – sits well back from the road with nothing but the crick-ets’ low click breaking the silence.

Allowing an alarm for the flight back to Dublin to break the tranquil-ity felt an uncomfortable reminder of deadlines and time being afforded an over-important value.

But Pau will remain, living at its own pace.

For more information about travelling to Pau, go to www.rendezvousen-france.com or follow Atout France on Twitter @AtoutFranceIEpr.

CityJet now fly direct to Pau three times a week throughout the summer.

Go to www.cityjet.com for more information.

The region’s uniquely sweet wines go perfectly

with foie gras


A titanic undertakingThey just couldn’t understand it, the guide book said the giant head was in this room but they couldn’t see it

GoingOUT

GazetteENTERTAINMENTENTERTAINMENT

Promising so much in the lead up to its release, here is a film that unfortunately doesn’t live up to the hype

�

� NIALL BERMINGHAM

SO YEAH… it’s good. Not great or life chang-ing or anything even close to that; just a good solid film.

For many, however, that will simply just not be enough. The majority of people who wanted to see Prometheus were expecting so much. It’s not that hard to see why either, giving everything director Ridley Scott said about it.

Planned as a sort-of prequel to the Alien franchise, this was sup-posed to answer any and all questions raised. To say it doesn’t answer them is a bit harsh as questions are answered. However the film does a better job raising more questions than answer-ing the original ones that we had.

Set in 2093 the major-ity of the action takes place on a distant moon named LV-223. The rea-

son our brave crew have made their way out to this very distant moon; to find god. Or so they think anyway.

At the beginning of the film we see an archaeological group finding a set of cave paintings in 2089. The cave painting includes an image that has been present in many other unconnected civilisa-tions’ artwork.

It turns out to be a star map with coordi-nates to LV-223 and the archaeologists (played by Noomi Rapace and Logan Marshall-Green) interpret this as an invi-

tation from humanity’s forerunners.

Cut forward four years and the pair have received backing from Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce), the chief execu-tive of Weyland Corpo-ration, and are on their way to LV-223. With a crew of different types of scientists, a Wey-land Corp representa-tive (Charlize Theron) and an android named David (Michael Fass-bender) it is a merry bunch indeed.

Ironically the only character who appears real is David, the syn-thetic man. The other

characters all seem forced and sterile.

Upon arrival on the planet the crew sets out to find out whom, or what, gave the coor-dinates to the different civilisations and what their intention was.

Of course the film takes this point to mess everything up for the intrepid space farers.

This is also where it gets very formulaic. Characters die, the seemingly nice and benevolent corporation reveals itself to be a big evil corporation, and aliens do nasty things that wil l make you squirm.

It all looks brilliant while it’s happening but it’s just too obvious. You aren’t invested in the characters and neither are you worried by their impending demises.

Except for David. David is the one fresh apple in Prometheus’ barrel full of bad apples.

Fassbender shows just why he is so in vogue as an actor right now.

A spotless perform-ance that will make you laugh, and then, in the very next scene, seethe with rage.

Like I said though, the film looks brilliant. Scott does an excellent job directing it and the cinematography is sec-ond to none. But the design of the film is what catches the eye the most.

Reverse des igned from HR Giger’s art work for Alien, the visu-als are incredible. Some of the sets are literally breathtaking and the moon world of LV-223 and the structure on it are both tremendously well thought out.

So in conclusion, just as I started, this is a good film, not a mas-terpiece, and because of that, many people will leave the cinema feeling bitterly disappointed.

FILM OF THE WEEK: Prometheus�� (15A) 124 mins

OUR VERDICT:PERHAPS the most anticipated sci-fi film since 2009’s Avatar, Prometheus lets us down. Just like Avatar. Brilliant design and excellent acting from Michael Fassbender are not enough to make this the cherry on top of the cake that is Ridley Scott’s Alien franchise.

Director: Ridley ScottStarring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, Logan Marshall-Green, Rafe Spall, Sean Harris

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THE PAVILION THEATRE 01 231 2929Five Ways to Drown

FIVE Ways to Drown looks into the interior of family life and exposes the sadness, the absurdity and the banality through vignettes of dance - theatre and installation. In this public display of the private, the choreography of everyday life becomes extraordinary. Winners of the Culture Ireland. Touring Award in 2008 and listed in both The Sunday Times and the Irish Times as a cultural highlight in 2011 for their production of Bird with Boy at Dublin’s Kilmainham Gaol. For one show only, June 28 at 8pm, tickets are priced at €16/12.

MILL THEATRE 01 296 9340 Somewhere under the Rainbow

THIS award winning, one woman, musical theatre extravaganza has captured audiences around the country. Now, in preparation for the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Biscuits for Breakfast are delighted to bring “Liza” to the Mill Theatre for one more performance before she leaves these shores. Sharon Sexton’s Liza recounts stories, memories and secrets that make up a fascinating career and an even more intriguing personal life. As she belts her way through Minnelli’s infamous song book, the audience are invited beyond the footlights. July 14 at 8pm. Admission: €20.

CIVIC THEATRE 01 462 7477Johnnies Britches

BEEZNEEZ, the popular company that brought you Tuesdays with Morrie and Don’t Dress for Dinner return to the Civic with a lovely old Irish comedy, Johnnie’s Britches. A runaway, nationwide hit when first produced in the 1940s, Beezneez bring their distinctive production values to this gentle comedy of another time. Anxious to be rid of their accident prone servant girl, Ned and Bridget are willing to allow her to be married to almost anybody, including Johnnie. July 13 and 14 at 8pm. Admission: €20/16.

DRAIOCHT 01 885 2622Niamh Kavanagh and her band

NIAMH’S back with her brilliant blend of rock, soul, r&b, Eurovision hits, tracks from her successful albums and her own favorites with that amazing voice Commitments’ director Alan Parker ‘‘had to have’’. Described as the ‘‘Rolls Royce’’ of Irish singers, Niamh Kavanagh represented Ireland at the Eurovision twice. Catch her on June 30 with tickets €20/€16.

GazetteGAMINGGAMING

� SHANE DILLON

LAST week, I free-wheeled my way through the probability of Micro-soft being about to roll out a tablet (see right), and how it might com-pete with Apple’s iPad.

Well, that feeling of deja vu that some of you may be experiencing is justified, as it’s time for another face-off, of sorts, in the form of Microsoft’s SmartGlass versus Nintendo’s Wii U.

Legendary Nintendo games designer Shigeru Miyamoto (AKA: Super Mario’s Dad, AKA pretty much the Father of Gam-ing) was talking recently about how both of the upcoming systems are broadly similar, yet may inhabit different enter-tainment ecosystems.

As a recap – and bear-ing in mind that we’re still some way off seeing either in action, or widely

available in anything like the numbers and cultural identity of, say, the XBox 360 or the iPhone, the SmartGlass and Wii U present two very differ-ent systems for gamers, and tech lovers, to look forward to.

For starters, Smart-Glass is, for the moment, being positioned as Microsoft’s secret weap-on in unifying the home entertainment system – a way to enhance and enrich the experience of everyone in the home.

Gamers can use Smart-Glass by seeing content pushed to their “smart” devices that supplement the titles they’re playing; a similar notable content push that also operates for broadcasting, where-by, say, your linked-in Windows phone could provide character bios, or maps, or marketing tie-ins to your favourite TV shows.

The Wii U, on the other hand is basically, what a lot of gamers would call “a bloody big control-ler”, with a large, inbuilt screen that neatly fits the dual-screen model that Nintendo has particular-ly focused on in the past few years.

Again, treating the TV screen as the primary content delivery system – games, if you prefer – the Wii U secondary screen can provide a wide range of supplementary infor-mation and resources, as a kind of souped-up DS set-up.

RelevantAs Miyamoto said, it’s

important for Nintendo to provide information that is relevant, rather than just “extra”,

In one sense, it sounds like the two forthcom-ing systems are broadly similar, right? Both have an ability, if not focus, on

providing the user with additional information.

However, we can expect the two platforms to take very different direc-tions, not least because, while Microsoft remains focused on a wide range of product streams, rang-ing from hardware to software, from business users to casual gamers, Nintendo still remains almost primarily focused on pure gaming, with lit-tle else to distract it.

So, while the Smart-Glass system will doubt-less be marketd as, say, a great way to enhance the home viewing expe-rience, a natural fit for gamers looking to organ-ise their play, a useful way for business users to make teir point, and so on, the Wii U is almost certainly set to be “just” marketed as a great gaming tool, facilitating interesting new types of gameplay.

In addition, Nintendo

isn’t well-known for doing very much away from its core gaming model – as innovative as its products are, Nintendo has never pushed its lighter content very hard to consumers – apart from party games, for example, its Wii ava-tars aren’t really used for, well, anything.

One thing’s for sure – while gamers begin to look forward to the inevitable XBox 720 and PlayStation 4, these kind of content systems and new hardware provide some pretty interesting scope for new types of entertainment.

Personally, I don’t need an interactive map show-ing me Ian Beale’s “live” walk across Eastenders’ Albert Square, but no doubt plenty of others would be thrilled at see-ing their favourite (or most depressing) shows given an extra level of involvement.

One of the founding fathers of computer gaming (also known as Super Mario’s dad), Shigeru Miyamoto goes for a ride on a life-size Mario Kart.

However, what will the company Miyamoto-san is known for - Nintendo – drive out next with its upcoming console and gaming releases?

Bytesandpieces

Preparing for the next bit of impressive tech


IT SEEMS I don’t need a time machine, after all. Readers may have noticed last week my musings on the proba-bility of Microsoft (MS) being about to launch its own branded tablet, but, alas, I hadn’t a time machine to jump ahead and confirm that.

I was dead right, because, last week, MS unveiled its Surface tablet, with which the company hopes to

provide a serious chal-lenge to the all-con-quering iPad, as well as providing a hefty new business wing for its Windows 8 OS.

Details are still not completely f leshed out, but I’ll return to dig under the Surface – pardon the pun – in the near future.

As to whether the Surface comes with Angry Birds, too, like everything else, well ...

Digging under the new Surface

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FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL

The Institute of Technology Blanchardstown intends to apply for Permission for a development at the Institute of Technology Blanchard-stown, Blanchardstown Road North, Dublin 15. The development will consist of [1] a single storey addi-tion (plan area 25sq.m.) to the northern / western façade of the existing Block D Building; and [2] sun-dry associated works. The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of Fin-gal County Council, Grove Road, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 during its public opening hours and a sub-mission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee within the period of five weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the planning authority of the application.

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We, Catherine-Grennell Whyte & Kevin Whyte intend to apply for Planning Permission for develop-ment at this site address 22 Geor-gian Village, Castleknock, Dublin 15. The development will consist of 1. A single storey extension to the existing ground floor family room.2. The removal of the existing chim-ney stack located at the (South) side elevation of the dwelling and the construction of a two storey side extension consisting of a kitchen / utility room at ground floor and a bedroom / bathroom at first floor, with a hipped roof above (ridge level to match exist-ing) incorporating 2no. proposed dormer windows to the front and 1no. proposed dormer window to the rear. 3. 1no. proposed dormer window to the rear of the existing dwelling serving the existing master bedroom. All finishes are to match the existing dwelling. All drainage, structural and associated site works to be implemented. The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the Planning Authority during its public opening hours and a submission or observa-tion may be made to the Planning Authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee (20Euros) within the period of 5 weeks begin-ning on the date of receipt by the authority of this application.

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Planning permission is sought by Pauline Whelan at 26 Deerpark Road, Castleknock, Dublin 15 for renova-tions and extension to ground floor and exten-sion at first floor level to southern elevation.The planning applica-tion may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the rea-sonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the planning authority during its public open-ing hours and a submis-sion or observation in relation to the applica-tion may be made in writing to the Planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee (€20) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by Fingal County Coun-cil of the application.

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� [email protected]

DONABATE-ba sed golfer Mary McKenna has been appointed as an Honorary Member of the Order of the Brit-ish Empire.

The MBE was given to McKenna by the British ambassador, Dominick Chilcott, at his residence in Dublin last week.

The award, bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of McKenna’s services to

sports, comes after dec-ades as both a player and, more recently, a chief administrator in British and Irish golf.

She regularly plays at Donabate Golf Club and said: “I am very honoured to have the MBE bestowed on me.”

She added: “I love my golf and am very proud to have represented Ireland and Britain for many years, so recogni-tion of this sort is some-thing really special. It is the icing on the cake

that took many years to bake.”

Her first time on the British and Irish team was in 1969, and she was still involved up until last year.

In an unbroken 22 years challenge from 1968 to 1989, she reached 12 finals, win-ning eight, and repre-sented Great Britain and Ireland on nine successive Curtis Cup teams from 1970 and ten Vagliano Trophy teams from 1969.

GOLF: LOCAL LADY LEGEND RECEIVES MBE FOR SERVICES TO THE GAME OVER MANY YEARS

Mary McKenna, in blue, was presented with her MBE by the British ambassador, Dominick Chilcott, pictured

with Michael Galvin and Suzanne Geraghty , the captains of Donabate Golf Club

McKenna gets royal recognition for a life in sport

M c K e n n a w a s appointed President Elect of the ILGU at their AGM in January, and currently sits on the High Performance Committee, continuing

to support the develop-ment of the game at all levels.

She is never short of an encouraging word for her fellow competi-tors and in particular

talented juniors.M c K e n n a o n c e

retorted to a journalist who suggested that her 40th birthday might be an apt time to consider retirement “and why

shouldn’t I continue to do what I most enjoy and do reasonably well? Golf is a game you can play as long as you can stand up and that’s fine by me.”

GazetteSPORTSTARS ON THE RISE: STARS ON THE RISE: Dublin Sports Awards Dublin Sports Awards nominees for June nominees for June are announced: are announced: Page 29Page 29


GazetteSportSport

Westmanstown

Gaels’ fada a huge success at the picnicL

UTTRELLSTOWN Castle was the venue when the annual St Mochta’s Parish Picnic was held last Sunday,

June 24. A day of music, arts and craft, sunny spells and sport was well attended, and local GAA club, Westmanstown Gaels, ran a popular puc fada event for chil-dren from the parish. The top performers in the various categories of the small-ball competition were Conan Feeney, Tristan Downey and Aishling Carthy (Under-8), Oisin O’Flanagan, Shane Hogan and Ross O’Carroll (Under-10), and Aidan McCartney, Jed Higgins and Darren O’Keeffe (Under-12) The club wish to thank all the Gaels organisers in particular David Hanley, James Clancy, Mark O’Carroll, Matt Garrigan, Gary Meighan, Lucy Coady, Rebecca McDonnell, Aoife Byrne, and club chairman, Larry Coady, who pre-sented the medals to the competition winners and prizes in the raffle draw.

Club chairman Larry Coady was on hand to present the prizesThe puc fada was open to all visitors to the picnic

Larry presents Aishling Carthy with

her medal

Westmanstown Gael Aoife Byrne

Larry Coady congratulates Ross

O’Carroll

Big hits were the order of the day at Luttrellstown

All ages and skills were part of the fun


FastSport

�STARof the

MONTHPHIL LAVERY

A BUMPER month for the

Coolmine man, he won the

Stephen Roche GP and the

National U-23 Road Race

crown in Clonmel

EOIN KENNEDY

THE ST BRIGID’S handball

legend shook off a nine

month lay-off to finish

second at the 60x30 Open

Doubles championship

ADRIAN MORROW

PORTMARNOCK man Adrian

Morrow annexed the Irish

Seniors Amateur Open

title, leading from pillar to

post in Athenry

�TEAMof the

MONTH

2012 DUBLIN SPORTS AWARDS - JUNE NOMINEES

COLAISTE PHADRAIG

AN AMAZING season, the

Lucan school won the First

Year Dublin League, the

Leinster Cup and the nation-

al title in quick succesion.

FINGALLIANS

THE sister acts of Sarah

and Rachel Murray and

Bronwyn and Megan Keogh

claimed the 4x100 National

Junior title in Tullamore

PEAMOUNT UNITED

THE Greenogue club provid-

ed five of the MGL Gaynor

Cup team which waltzed to

the national title, sharing

27 goals between them

THE second annual Leinster Tag Champion-ship will take place on Saturday, July 7 at Railway Union RFC.

Last year saw over 20 teams battle it out to be crowned the best team in Leinster and this year the tournament is set to be bigger and better than before. Once again, prize money of €1,000 is up for grabs, as well as the coveted Perpetual Leinster Tag Rugby Championship trophy.

Along with a day of top-class tag rugby, the entry fee of €240 per team will include refreshments during the matches and a bar-becue afterwards during the prize-giving. The prize-giving will see the handing over of €1,000 cash to the winning team, with prizes also for the winners of the Plate and Bowl sections of the tournament.

Railway Union RFC club president Francis Roche said: “We are delighted to again host this event at Railway Union RFC. The rugby club has undergone huge growth this season and all potential new players, whether vastly experienced or new to the game are welcome to join.”

Registration is now open. For further details, email [email protected] or contact George Ross on 086 383 1992.

Tag tournament set to scrum down next week

Rocking out: Fennell ready for Model Croker battleDUBLIN midfielder Eamon Fennell, right, and Wexford’s Aindreas Doyle surveyed the aftermath of the Westlife concert as they prepare to go toe-to-toe this Sunday in the Leinster SFC semi-final as part of a double-header in Croke Park. Their game gets under way at

4pm while Meath and Kildare face off in the first game of the day which throws in at 2pm.



LOCAL cyclist Philip L a v e r y ( N o d e 4 Giordana) won the Stephen Roche GP in fine style last Wednesday when he edged out Mark Dowling (DID Dun-boyne) and Swords ris-ing star Stephen Halpin in a thrilling race before a huge crowd on the Meadowmount circuit in Ballinteer.

Lavery’s attention sub-sequently switched to Sunday’s National Road Race Championships in Clonmel where he won a first U-23 title, finishing third just behind three time champion Matt

Brammeier and Tour de France bound Nicolas Roche.

A large turnout assem-bled on the start-line for the ever-popular event and though Nicolas Roche was in attendance his role was restricted to that of spectator, no doubt keeping a close eye on those who are most likely to pose a threat on Sunday.

Of those, Lavery will give him most trouble; while others who rode well on the night includ-ed French-based rider Anthony Walsh as well as Halpin (Metaltek-SCOTT) and Dowling.

The race took the for-

mat of approximately 50 A3 riders being let off first with the A2’s just behind and the scratch group 30 seconds further back.

As usual, the race was run over the extremely short (less than 2 min-utes per lap) and tight circuit and though con-ditions were good, it didn’t stop a few spills occurring; but there were no major casualties.

The race all came back together after about 25 minutes of racing, pri-marily due to some strong cohesion from the scratch group, and from there to the finish it was attack after attack

with Tim O’Regan (DID Dunboyne), Robin Kelly (Water ford Rac ing Club), local man Brian Ahern (Orwell Wheel-ers) and Anthony Walsh all making useful look-ing forays.

Alas, each was brought back but it didn’t dis-suade Lavery from try-ing again and again to

get clear.But it wasn’t to be, and

when it came down to the last lap it was Lavery who positioned himself well into the last bend, turned on the power and galloped to a fine win just ahead of Dowl-ing and Halpin with the evergreen Aidan Crow-ley in fourth.

Lavery takes Roche GP titlePhil Lavery went from winning the Stephen Roche GP to taking the Under-23 road race title in Clonmel

Enduring smiles over the miles: at Dunboyne ACDUNBOYNE AC were celebrating last weekend after the success of their 24-hour torch run festival which saw dedi-cated runners and walkers making circuits of a course around the village for a full day. The club would like to thank all the participants, the organisers and to local band Room For Improvment, who performed in Slevins.

Pictured are Sean Conroy, Seamus Brady, Sean McDonnell, Eleanor Allen, Joanne O’Sullivan, Tom Muldon and Martin Cahill.

GazetteSportSportCYCLING: LOCAL RIDER CONTINUES IMPRESSIVE SHOWINGS

Locals shine at Dublin Community GamesNOT even the inclement weather over the weekend could dampen the spirits at the Dublin Community Games county athletics finals supported by DAA at Morton Stadium, Santry.

Over 2,000 children, along with family and friends, from 49 areas around the city and county filled the park with the energy and excitement that have become synonymous with Community Games.

Among the top performers, local stars per-formed brilliantly in the sprint events with Mulhuddart’s U-12 100m runner Sope Oba-toyo won gold in impressive fashion, edging out Lucan’s Saoirse Eccles while Tosin Ahobe was fourth in the boys U-10 100m race.

In the 200m race, Toba Obitayo was the second place finisher, just behind Malahide’s Mark Kavanagh.

Navan Road’s entrants also had fruitful days. Alison Burke was third in the U-14 100m with Sarah Curran second in the U-16 100m race.

In the U-13 900m walk, Appie Ni Dhiarma-da was third while Ciara Hanley was fourth in the U-14 800m race.

They took down a number of other gold medals, notably in the U-16 girls relay and the boys U-14 relay along with a girls U-14 bronze.

In the field, the medals kept flowing as Ben McSweeney (U-12 long puck), Grainne Fit-zgerald (Shot Putt 3.25 Kilos U14) and Hazel English (U-16 high jump) all won gold in their respective events.

A hugely successful and enjoyable weekend was had by all and every competitor will cher-ish their memories from the 45th finals.

Tony Feeney, president of Dublin Commu-nity Games said: “It was wonderful to see so many young enthusiastic athletes competing across a range of events and at all age lev-els. Each and everyone has represented their areas with pride, and helped to make these finals such a success.”

Maura Cassidy of the DAA said: “It was great to feel the fantastic atmosphere at the Dublin Community Games Athletics finals. Well done to all involved.”

FastSport


CLUB NOTICEBOARD

FIVE superb performances over

three days saw our U-14A footballers

crowned All-Ireland Division 1 Feile

champions, adding a second title to

their Dublin crown.

Well done to all players, coaches and

parents, we are extremely proud of

you all.

Our senior hurlers drew with Ball-

inteer in AHL 1, while our inters beat

Faugh’s in the league.

Our junior hurlers recorded two

great league wins this week to remain

top of the table.

Super win for our junior ladies v Fin-

ian’s also, while our minor footballers

drew with Naomh Mearnog in MFL2.

Well done to Paul Winters who

scored 1-7 for the Dublin minors dur-

ing their Leinster semi-final win over

Kilkenny.

TG4 are doing a new programme on

Dublin supporters, and they are look-

ing for Irish speakers from St Brigid’s

to take part in the show. If you would

like to take part, email info@stbrig-

idsgaa.com.

Indoor handball courts are now fully

refurbished. Thanks to the handball

section for all their hard work.

Club snooker table now available to

rent to all members during bar hours.

More information on the website.

Club lotto is now €9,600 this week

and takes place in Myo’s on Friday.

Club lotto can also be played online

now, via the website.

New players are always welcome;

please contact our club coach, Paul,

on 087 915 4748.

Send your match reports and pho-

tos to [email protected]

ERIN GO BRAGHWELL done to our junior footballers

who beat Fingallians in the Parsons

Cup.

Our summer camps will be held

from July 23 to 27 (Kellogs Cul Camp)

and August 7 to 10. For more informa-

tion, please contact our GPO, David

Needham on 086 310 1034.

The annual club facilities fee is due

by the end of June. For more infor-

mation, contact Sinead at edgelys@

gmail.com.

Details of our club dinner dance

will be announced shortly and any

volunteers who would like to help

organise it can contact Sinead on

086 889 1551.

Lotto: Numbers drawn were 3, 6, 16

and 21. There was no jackpot winner.

Next week’s jackpot is €5,900. The

draw is to be held in The Paddocks.

We would encourage all members to

support our weekly lotto. Tickets

are €2 per ticket, or three for €5.

This is a key fundraiser for this

club.

There are tickets behind the bar

in the Paddocks, or contact John

Kinsella on 086 818 4054.

Calling all budding reporters. We

are looking for a match reporter for

2012-2013.

The volunteer would report on one

home match per week (150 words

max). They will be asked to cover

both adult and juvenile matches (only

at home). If you are over 16 and inter-

ested in this key role, please contact

Keith on 086 350 6602 or email keith.

[email protected].

ST BRIGID’S

ST PEREGRINE’SWELL done to our inter hurlers on two

great league wins this past week.

Thanks to all who helped with the

bag pack last weekend, which was a

great success.

The club lotto was not won. The

numbers drawn were 8, 9, 23 and 27.

Next week’s jackpot is €4,200.

Thanks to all who attended the

launch of our coaching policy last

night in the club, and thanks to Val

and Niall for giving talks, and also to

John for organising.

Club shop vouchers are now avail-

able.

Details and contacts on the club

website, cnp.ie, which will be finished

shortly.

Follow us on Twitter @peregrines-

gaa.

Entertainment this Saturday is

from DJ Vinny.

Bingo continues every Wednesday

night in the clubhouse from 8.30pm

and this week’s jackpot is €900.

The club raised €641 for Temple St

Hospital during the raffle of Ireland

jerseys during Euro 2012.

The club monster draw has been

put back until June 30. All tick-

ets should be returned to Lorraine

ASAP.

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

LEINSTER MHC S-FINALDublin 1-12

Kilkenny 0-10


ST BRIGID’S star Paul Winters fired a mag-nificent 1-7 to help the Dublin minors to an impressive 1-12 to 0-10 win over Kilkenny in Portlaoise last Sunday.

That semi-final vic-tory saw them advance to the Leinster MHC final , keeping alive their hopes of record-ing back-to-back titles at this level.

He was joined in the starting line-up by St Peregrine’s dual star Eric Lowndes – a mem-ber of the 2011 vintage too – who returned from a hand injury while full-forward Cian Boland, from St Oliver P l u n ke t t ’ s / E o g h a n Ruadh, was another local representative in the full-forward line.

That semi-final vic-tory saw them advance to the Leinster MHC

final , keeping alive their hopes of record-ing back-to-back titles at this level.

Shay Boland’s side recovered from a slow start to fully merit their place in the provincial final, with Paul Winters’ stunning 22nd-minute goal the catalyst for vic-tory, the boys in blue concluding the opening half with a lead of 1-5 to 0-4 at the break.

The early signs for the Dubs were less encour-aging. Three points (including one free and one 65) from Conor Martin had the Cats 0-3 to 0-0 in front after 14 minutes. It could have been worse, but for an excellent penalty save from Cian MacGab-hann in the 13th minute when he denied Martin another score.

Dublin eventually opened their account with a superb Cormac Costello point in the 16th minute and, three minutes later, wing-

back Sean McClelland split the posts as the Dubs began to build a bit of momentum.

The cr uc ia l goa l arrived in the 22nd minute when Winters brilliantly flicked over-head and into the net to catapult his side into a 1-2 to 0-3 lead.

Winters added two frees, the second from hal fway, to bolster Dublin’s lead, before grabbing one from play following some excel-lent defensive work by the impressive Shane Barrett.

So, from trailing by three points, the Dubs turned it around to lead 1-5 to 0-3 by the 27th minute, before Martin added his fourth point to reduce the half-time arrears.

A minute into the second half, Costello added the second of his three stylish points as Dublin moved five points clear.

They lost their way for

a while before the mid-point of the second half as Kilkenny got back to within two points in the 41st minute (1-7 to 0-8), but the Dubs settled again to run out win-ners despite the sending off of Caolan Conway in injury-time.

Senior defeatIn the second game

of the day, the Dublin senior panel could not emulate their minor counterparts as they were undone by the Cats 2-21 to 0-9 points in a tortuous Leinster SHC semi-final.

Now the Dubs move into the All-Ireland SHC qualifiers where they will play Clare on Saturday, July 7, after the sides were drawn to face each other in Mon-day morning’s draw. The Banner County will have home advantage in Ennis.

Cork will face Offaly as a result of Monday’s draw.

HURLING: YOUNG DUBS CLEAR THE CATS’ HURDLE

St Brigid’s Paul Winters was on hand to help the Dublin minors over the line. Picture: Chris Lynam

Local minors help reach Leinster final

ALL OF YOUR BLANCHARDSTOWN SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 27-31 JUNE 28, 2012

FLYING PHIL: Lavery races to U-23

national success and Roche GP win P30 Ga

zetteSPORT


ST BRIGID’S continued Dublin’s amazing run of Feile football finishes as they ran up a thumping 1-6 to no score against Portlaoise in the national final last Sunday in the tournament hosted in Laois and Offaly.

It now leaves them in the enviable position of possibly claiming the football/hurling All-Ire-land Feile double as the hurling side are looking forward to matching their exploits in the coming weeks.

They won the U-14 national crown in incred-ible fashion, running up a total scoreline of 14-35 to 2-9, a mark of their dominance in the competition.

Their run to the title took in initial group phase victories over Erbane/Belmont, 3-8 to 2-3, and Clara, 3-6 to 0-2, both from hosting Offaly.

A resounding 5-8 to 0-1 win over Antrim’s O’Donovan Rossa meant they progressed from the initial phases with a perfect record. They fol-lowed up with a 2-7 to 0-2 semi-final victory over

Derry’s Dungiven to take their place in the final in emphatic fashion.

Portlaoise had accounted for the champions of Kerry, Galway and Kildare en route to the final but they were up against a different pros-pect when they met the boys from Russell Park.

Tiernan McGlynn got them off to a great start, scoring all three of their first half points. With his pace very much to the fore, he grasped the bull by the horns to push his side clear while defensively Brigid’s held the Laois champions at bay.

Indeed, they were kept scoreless in the open-ing period, forcing them to shoot from tough angles and under huge pressure.

And the crowning moment came with ten minutes remaining in the tie when Mark Don-nelly snapped up a rebound to drill the ball into the roof of the net.

He would later add another point while Michael Courtney and captain Kevin Callaghan were all on the mark with points of their own as the final whistle ushered in jubilant scenes.

It was a just reward for a panel managed by Keith Barr, supported by Johnny McGuirk, Joey O’Shea, Traolach O’Sullivan, Keith O’Neill and Richie Holmes and were housed for the dura-tion of the tournament by the Ferbane/Cler-mont club.

Incredibly, it makes it five wins in successive years, by five different clubs, to win the All-Ire-land Feile.

St Brigid’s now have the rare opportunity of recording a football/hurling double, hoping to become the first Dublin side to win the hurling version since near neighbours Castleknock won out in 2007 with the competition being played in Dublin, starting on July 5.

Brigid’s have been drawn against Naomh Eanna, De La Salle and Ballyboden St Enda’s in the pool stages.

St Brigid’s: A Holmes; D Hawkshaw, D McKenna, D McCable; J

Barr, C O’Sullivan, M Tighe; J O’Neill, K Callaghan; T McGlynn,

M Donnelly, D Ryan; J McGuirk, M Courtney, T O’Shea. Subs: D

Kiely, J Connolly, A Gleeson, B Moore, S Mansfield.

Superb Saints Superb Saints soar to Feile titlesoar to Feile titleSt Brigid’s U-14 footballers’ dominant performances keep up their amazing run of form on the national stage

The St Brigid’s football Feile side that claimed the All-Ireland title last Sunday in O’Connor Park. PIcture: Chris Lynam

JUNE SPORT STARS:The shortlist is in for this month’s heroes P29

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