clondalkin

YOUR COMMUNITY • YOUR PAPER October 6, 2011

ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES ................. 6-8

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

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

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

ENTERTAINMENT ......... 25

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

Soccer: Peamount show mettle in UEFA Champions tiePage 30

Football: Towers’ ladies progress in Leinster chasePage 32

RECYCLE THIS COPY. KEEP DUBLIN TIDY.

Councillor calls for early rates review Labour’s Tuffy seeking changes to help businesses

PAUL HOSFORD

LABOUR Councillor Eamon Tuffy has pledged to push for a review of South Dublin County Council rates.

Following a question by Cllr Tuffy, the council said that they were only able to change valuations in 2013

at the earliest, with the most recent valuations starting in 2008 and being legally enshrined for a period of “not less than five years, not more than 10 years”.

According to Cllr Tuffy, the actual amount council-lors can do is limited, but he hoped to help businesses in

the discussions for the next budget.

“In the past two budgets, we have managed to reduce the Council’s multiplier fac-tor, albeit by a small amount, and thus reduce the rates paid by businesses, slightly,” Cllr Tuffy said.

Full Story on Page 2

Munier’s mates:TV judge hails local service MASTERCHEF judge and celeb-rity chef, Nick Munier, was on hand recently, to launch a series of talks for men being run by Aspen Counselling, and to be announced as a new patron of the service.

The service is a non-profit counselling and psychotherapy practice which has been oper-ating from the heart of Lucan since 2001, but which serves the whole city and the surrounding counties.

Full Gallery on Page 8

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

INSIDE: Recipe for success at local

charity event P6-7

2 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 6 October 2011

PAUL HOSFORD

LOCAL groups have received a boost as Dub-lin Bus has awarded over 100 charities and commu-nity groups in the Greater Dublin Area grants rang-ing from €1,000 to €5,000 under its Community Sup-port Programme.

A special recognition ceremony held in Croke Park was hosted by RTÉ Personality Mary Kennedy with special guests, Minis-ter of State with respon-sibility for Public and Commuter Transport, Alan Kelly and chairman of Sunderland F.C. Niall Quinn, who honoured the shortlisted groups for all their hard work and their valuable contribution to their local communities.

Local groups that received money included Palmerstown Boxing Club, who were awarded €5,000. Alongside them, LGBT Synergy, Cumas, Dublin Bus FC, Sonas Housing Association, Clondalkin Travellers’ Development Group and Retired Active Men’s Social (RAMS) all received €1,000, while St Patrick’s GAA, Deansrath Community Garden and Lions Basketball Club, received €2,000 each.

Now in its eighth year,

the event saw a wide varie-ty of charities in the Great-er Dublin Area receive funding under the scheme, including a Glenageary GAA club, a youth march-ing band from Swords and gospel choir in Dublin 1. To date over 1,100 various local community groups and charities have ben-efited from this initiative through grants.

Minister Kelly paid tribute to all of this year’s winners stating: “I am truly delighted to support the Dublin Bus Commu-nity Support Programme. Those who are being honoured today deserve the highest praise for the work they have done for their community, which often goes unrecognised. They are the real heroes of Ireland and I sincere-ly hope that we always maintain a very strong community spirit and togetherness in our urban communities.”

Under the terms of the programme entrants sub-mit a proposal with details about their organisation and the project they wish to have funded. Each application is then judged independently and grants ranging from €5,000, €2,000 and €1,000 are awarded.

CHARITY: DUBLIN BUS COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Dublin bus grants are awarded

BUSINESS Report on the system of rateable valuations

South Dublin County Council offices

Tuffy pledges to push for review of council rates

PAUL HOSFORD

[email protected]

LABOUR Councillor Eamon Tuffy has pledged to push for a review of South Dublin County Council rates.

Cllr Tuffy had asked at the most recent council meeting “if [the man-ager] will make a short explanatory report on the system of rateable valuations which is now applied by the National Valuation Office to com-mercial /business premis-es in South Dublin Coun-ty, if he will confirm that the valuations applied are based on imputed rental income assigned

to premises and if the scheme in operation is subject to change/review in rateable valuation if actual levels of rentals derived from commer-cial/business premises in the county fall?”

The council said that they were only able to change valuations in 2013 at the earliest, with the most recent valua-tions starting in 2008 and being legally enshrined for a period of “not less than five years, not more than 10 years”.

According to Cllr Tuffy, the actual amount coun-cillors can do is limited, but he hoped to help businesses in the discus-

sions for the next budget.“The amount of rates

charged to a business owner is dependent on two factors, the rateable valuation determined by the National Valuation Office and the “multi-plier factor” determined by councillors in adopt-ing the annual council budget.

“In the past two budg-ets, we have managed to reduce the council’s mul-tiplier factor, albeit by a small amount, and thus reduce the rates paid by businesses slightly.

“The fact is that, because of the system of funding of local authori-ties, councils are very

dependent on income received from businesses in payment of rates. In the case of South Dub-lin, approximately half of our annual spending of about €250 million is derived from the com-mercial rate. As the reply to my question shows, the legislation provides for a review of the rate-able valuations every five years, at most.

“Nevertheless, I will be pushing for a review of the South Dublin valua-tions at the earliest possi-ble date,” said Cllr Tuffy.

Tuffy went on to say that the issue of the amount of funding to South Dublin County

Council was still holding the council back.

“In the meantime, our capacity as a council to provide another small reduction when we deal with the 2012 council budget would be boosted if the amount of money allocated to the council by Government through the Local Government Fund, was at the same level as the allocation of neighbouring and similar counties such as Fingal.

“For years now, South Dublin has received the lowest amount per head of population of all the county and city councils in the country,” said Cllr Tuffy.

6 October 2011 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 3

EVENT Marie Keating Foundation supporting women

Campaignto advise on breast health

PAUL HOSFORD

DIG out something pink to wear and come along and treat yourself in the name of breast cancer awareness.

That’s the message for women throughout out the area from local Minister, Frances Fit-zgerald, who has again teamed up with the Marie Keating Foun-dation to bring you a coffee morning with a twist.

“After the success of last year’s events, I thought it was impor-tant to continue this local breast cancer awareness campaign. The events the Marie Keating Foundation holds offer local women the opportunity to come along and hear expert advice from the Marie Keating Foundation’s breast health nurse in a fun environment.

“There are massages

on offer and celebrity life coaches and nutri-tionists on hand to dole out encouragement and advice and there will even be one of two surprises on offer for guests. Health aware-ness, and breast health awareness in particular, is the focus of the cam-paign but we want to promote this message in a fun and friendly way,” said Minister Fit-zgerald who is using her profile to increase awareness of breast cancer, early detection and the importance of attending mammogram appointments.

Feel-good

Women are being invited to attend the coffee morning billed as “feel-good events” vari-ous locations through-out the area.

The Clondalkin Event takes place on Monday, October 10, in Round

Minister, Frances Fitzgerald with members of the Clondalkin Carers Association at Aras Chronain event

Former students reunionBALLYFERMOT Sen-ior College is holding a reunion for all students who attended in the 80s and 90s in the Red Cow Hotel on Saturday, October 22, from 8pm until late.

N o m a t t e r w h a t course you attended come along and meet all the old gang again.

Perhaps you were a teacher there, then come along and see how everyone is doing now.

Tickets, priced €12, are available from Sars-field Tyre Centre, Bal-lyfermot, or by phoning 087 098 9253 to arrange purchase

Log on to the Face-book page “Ballyfermot Senior College 1980 - 1990’s” and see photos from the hikes and the Debs.

Spread the word and come along for a great night of music, dancing, fun and old friends.

SOCIAL

Towers GAA Club and the Lucan Event takes place on Thursday, October 13, in Kenny’s Lounge.

The events offer a line up of lifestyle experts to inform, advise and pam-per and are being held to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Each event will hear from a breast health care nurse, RTE nutri-tionist Aveen Bannon and Life Coach Brian Colbert.

“Breast cancer affects one in eight women. It is a startling statistic and this month we are

asking women to stand together and show solidarity as we cre-ate awareness of this dreadful disease that has affected so many women in our commu-nity.

“The Marie Keating Foundation, who do such invaluable work in this area, are running a campaign all month to encourage women to put their health first. The message of their campaign is simple – cancer won’t wait, eve-rything else can,” said Minister Frances Fit-zgerald.

“I am hoping that women throughout Clondalkin, Lucan, Palmerstown and New-castle/Rathcoole will turn up to their local event to support this message and learn all there is to know about protecting themselves

from developing breast cancer. Between the celebrities, the goodie bags and the massages it will be a fun-filled morning for women in Clondalkin, Lucan, Palmertown and New-castle,” said Minister Fitzgerald.


SOCIAL: GLENAULIN PARK INCIDENTS

Call for upgrade to Park entrance

PAUL HOSFORD

LOCAL Fine Gael Cllr Emer Higgins has called for the Glenaulin Green entrance to Glenaulin Park to be upgraded.

The motion tabled by Cllr Higgins asked the council to “provide a report on the council resources being used to tackle the ongoing anti-social issues in Glenaulin Park, the measures being considered for imple-mentation in the Park and communications with Friends of Glenau-lin Park and the Gardai”.

The report detailed the actions already taken by the council to improve the situation and referred to the need for funding to be made available to upgrade the entrance to the park at Glenaulin Green.

“The Parks Depart-ment maintains Glenau-

lin Park as part of the regular maintenance wo r k s p r o g r a m m e for the Palmerston area. While significant resources are expended on the after-effects of anti-social behaviour in terms of litter picking, sweeping of paths, etc, additional resources are also expended on proac-tive methods to reduce and prevent anti-social behaviour from occurring in the first instance.

“Measures have been implemented following requests by residents, elected members, An Garda Siochana and Friends of Glenaulin Park and also identified by parks staff,” said the council report.

“For too long residents in the estates surround-ing Glenaulin Park have had to endure anti-social behaviour and serious disturbances to their

peace, including late at night. This summer, the Community Coun-cil, supported by local politicians and Gardai, brought together affect-ed members of the com-munity and formed an action group ‘Friends of Glenaulin’,” said Cllr Higgins.

“This group has worked very hard to stamp out anti-social behaviour in the park. The Glenaulin Green entrance was identified as one of the entrances to the park where this behaviour needs to be, and indeed could be, tackled.

“The installation of automatic timed gates, additional railings and new piers have all been recommended for this location.

“It is estimated that €15,000 needs to be earmarked, as part of the 2012 works pro-gramme, to del iver these improvements,” said Cllr Higgins.

“I will continue to push for this funding to be made available as early as possible in the new year in order to help tackle incidents of anti-social behaviour in Glenaulin Park,” said Cllr Higgins.

Cllr Higgins fights for upgrade of Glenaulin Park entrance to help stamp out anti-

social behaviour

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‘For too long residents in the estates surrounding Glenaulin Park have had to endure anti- social behaviour and serious disturbances to their peace, including late at night’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

INVESTMENT: NEW GOOGLE €75 MILLION FACILITY

Labour TD Robert Dowds

Clondalkin receives a jobs boostLOCAL politicians have warmly reacted to the news that Google is to make a €75 million invest-ment in Clondalkin.

Labour TD Robert Dowds said the internet giant’s decision to invest €75 million in a new state-of-the-art facility in Clondalkin was proof that the Government is making progress in getting Ireland back to work.

The investment in Profile Park, which will create 200 local and national construction jobs at peak, and 30 full time and contractor jobs, comes hot on the heels of a planning applica-tion by Microsoft to build a large new facility in nearby Grange Cas-tle Business Park. Both Pfizer and IT company Digital Realty Trust are also set to expand their operations in Clondalkin in the near future.

Once operational, the centre will employ peo-ple in a variety of full-time and contractor roles, including computer tech-nicians, electrical and mechanical engineers, and catering and security staff.

“This fantastic news that Google is to invest €75 million in Clondalkin is further proof that the Government is making progress in getting Ire-land back to work. With Microsoft, Pfizer, Dig-ital Realty Trust and now Google all planning new

facilities in Clondalkin, our community has established itself as a world class location for high tech investment.” Said Dowds.

“As someone who voted in favour of the Profile Park development while on the council, I am delighted that joined-up thinking between local and national Govern-ment is now delivering huge rewards in terms of jobs and investment in our community.

“South Dublin County Council showed consid-erable foresight in devel-oping suitable locations for high tech investment such as this, centred on their own Grange Castle facility.”

Dowds said that there were a number of agen-cies to commend for the news and that the Gov-ernment was working hard to set the country to rights.

“I want to commend the IDA, South Dublin County Council and the Government for their hard work in secur-ing this investment for Clondalkin.

“This Government is working hard to clean up the mess left behind by Fianna Fáil, and with such confidence being shown in Ireland by com-panies such as Google, there is no doubt that the new Government is mak-ing progress in getting Ireland back on to work.” said Deputy Dowds.

Top shop: Scooping major awardDAVID Brigette Griffins Londis, Fonthill, accepts the award for Best Deli and Hot Food in a Londis store at the 2011 Londis Retailing Excel-lence Awards. This year’s Awards were announced at the Group’s Annual Conference held at The Malton Hotel in Kil-larney on September 27. These prestigious awards acknowledge Londis stores that promote best practise standards across their business

Children’s Book Festival 2011HURLERS and Hug-glewugs, Authors and Artists, Poets and Per-formers all add up to a wonderful programme of events in South Dub-lin County to mark Children’s Book Festi-val 2011.

The Children’s Book Festival is an annual national celebration of all that is good about children’s books.

South Dublin County Libraries have consist-ently produced a high quality programme of events for the festival.

This year, the coun-cil are offering a pro-gramme of Irish and international authors and illustrators designed to whet the appetite of young readers from tod-dlers to teens.

Activities will be run-

ning in all their libraries throughout the month with everything from readings by popular authors, to writing and illustration workshops, plus storytelling, quiz-zes and competitions.

The festival com-menced last Wednesday at an exciting launch event.

People from all over donned their county colours and hurled themselves down to the County Library Tallaght to meet launch guests from the Dublin hurl-ing team.

Old favourites like Niamh Sharkey, Sarah Webb and Bob Burke and many more are joined by some first-time visitors to South Dublin Librar-ies, who are thrilled to welcome Judi Curtin, Adrienne Kennaway

and Chris Judge and are looking forward to their appearance throughout the festival.

Welcomed in par-ticular is Darren Shan, author of the Tunnels of Blood and Demonata series of books.

Teen author Melvin Burge s s comes t o Clondalkin Library on October 18 for an inter-esting session around his latest title Kill all Enemies.

SDCC are delighted this year to mark Maths Week, which falls in the middle of Children’s Book Fes-tival, and we have some very exciting maths based activities lined up; and this is maths like you’ve never seen it.

Little Bigtop Theatre Company will present their Soctastic Math-

o-matix show in the County Library, Tallaght on October 18 and in Clondalkin Library on the October 19.

Young children are invited into a sumptu-ous environment full of colour shapes and fun. A mischievous Peg-a-sauras, an urgent shape hunt and a bubbly finale all add up to make this the most engag ing maths lesson ever for our young members.

So… beat the reces-sion, admission is free to all events, and pre-pare to be entertained.

Ask for details at your local South Dublin library or download a Festival brochure, Children’s Book Festival 2011; Words and Numbers from the web-site – www.southdublin-libraries.ie

SDCC High-quality programme of events

The icing on the cake: Iseult wins an awardISEULT Janssens, from The Cake Stand, Newcastle, County Dublin, who won an award for her ‘macarons’ at the annual Blas na hEireann Food Awards as part opf the Dingle Food Festival in County Kerry recently.

The festival took place on October 1 and 2 and this year included a series of cookery demonstrations, a food market, wine tastings, food-related workshops, a foraging walk and much more.

Praise for news of traffic lightsMINISTER Frances Fit-zgerald has led the praise after the news that new pedestrian lights are being installed at Mon-astery Gate and will be switched on in the com-ing weeks.

“I am delighted to see the pedestrian lights being progressed at Mon-astery Gate. This site was deemed the safest and most appropriate location for a pedestrian crossing linking Clondalkin to the Red Cow LUAS stop,” said Fitzgerald.

“The lights are cur-rently being worked on and will be switched on in the coming weeks. This pedestrian crossing will be of huge benefit to Clondalkin residents who use the LUAS and will serve to make their route a safer and easier walk,” she said.

ROADS



Recipe for success T

HE Angler’s Rest was the place to be recently when eager supporters filled the upstairs of the traditional pub and seafood restaurant located

in the Strawberry Beds. Over 100 guests came out in all their glamour,

ready and willing to support the very worthy char-ity, Playing for Life.

Clondalkin native and RTE personality, Mary Kennedy, donned the white chef’s coat as she took to the floor and gave people a bit of background to the charity, which is close to her heart.

“As you can imagine, I’ve been slaving over a hot stove all day,” Mary joked to the large crowd.

After thanking everyone for coming along to support the night, the much-loved host gave some information about the charity and the good work it carries out.

Among some well-known people who showed their support for Mary and the charity were Gary Kavanagh, creative director of Peter Mark, who gra-ciously went around the tables selling tickets for the raffle that was held after the meal; music composer Bill Whelan and friends filled a large table and Assets model Mary Moore, who is married to David Wright, also joined the guest list on the night.

Anyone who is interested in fundraising for the charity, or those who would like to find out more, can log onto www.playingforlife.ie

Emer Wickham, Maureen Maher, Gertie Holden and Esther Hall Pictures: Una Williams

Francie Gorman, Pat Hennessy, Sinead Hennessy and Peter Luttrell

Ping Li Kelly, Elanor Shanley and Paul Kelly

Paul McGaley and John Lynch

Mary Kennedy, Gary Kavanagh and Theresa Rocca

CHARITY Mary Kennedy donned the white chef’s coat specially


Kay Whelan, Padraig Keenan and Niamh Whelan

Linda Kennedy, Bill Hughes and Marion McGaley Eva Foster, Ann Walsh and Catherine Ryan

Mary Kennedy showing her chef’s coat

for the charity event, Playing for Life, at The Angler’s Rest


Offering support and guidanceM

ASTERCHEF judge Nick Munier was in Lucan recently to launch a series of talks for men being run by Aspen

Counselling. Aspen Counselling is based in Lucan

village and serves not only Dublin but the surrounding counties.

The talks were free of charge and formed part of the activities for the Lucan Festival,

which ended this week. Aspen is a not-for-profit organisation and

welcomes donations.Should you wish to contact Aspen

counselling for a consultation, please call 016217063 or, should you wish to donate, please send a cheque to Bank of Ire-land, sort code 90-12-04 account number 80776094.

EVENTS Masterchef judge Munier launches a series of talks

Nick Munier, masterchef and Linda Balfe, Aspen Centre

Christina Keegan and Anita Courtney Deputy Keating, Karl Melvin, Nick Munier and Brendan Lynch

Deputy Derek Keating, with Karl Melvin and Brendan Lynch

Paula Richards, Garda Alice Kennedy, Linda Balfe and Ger Kennedy

Paula Richards and Brendan Kane Linda Balfe and Liam Lynch

Denise Munier and Trudi Carberry


COMMUNITY Muslim Annual Convention

South Dublin Council Mayor, Cllr Caitriona Jones, opened the conferences , along with Labour Deputy, Joanna Tuffy and Sergent Kelvin

Courtney, from Garda Radical

An ‘amazing’ level of engagement in society

PAUL HOSFORD

[email protected]

THE Ahmadiyya Mus-lim Association, Ireland, held its 10th Jalsa Salana (annual convention) recently in the Glen Royal Hotel & Confer-ence Centre in May-nooth.

The whole-day event was attended by over 250 community members from all over Ireland, as well as eminent guests and friends of the com-munity.

It began with a flag-hoisting ceremony at 9.45am, where the Irish flag, along with flags from all four provinces, were raised along with

Ahmadiyya Musl im Community’s flag by Dr. Aleem Uddin, National President and Imam Ataul Mujeeb Rashed.

The Mayor of South Dublin County, Cllr. Cai-triona Jones, opened and addressed the second session of event at 12pm, along with Joanna Tuffy TD from Dublin Mid-West Region and Sergent Kelvin Courtney from Garda Radical, Intercul-tural & Diversity Office in Ireland. Councillor Jones spoke on the “amazing level of engagement of the community and its members in society and appreciated the work done by the members”. Deputy Tuffy stressed

the importance of com-munity cohesion in times of hardship and said the message of the commu-nity in its motto of “Love for All, Hatred for None” should be taken to all parts of our society and to Dail Eireann.

Along with Imam Ibrahim Noonan, the community’s only Irish Imam, the conference was also addressed by special guest, Imam Maulana Ataul Mujeeb Rashed who is Imam of London Mosque (the first Mosque to be built by the community in UK in 1926). Imam Rashed is highly regarded schol-ar of Islam and of the community worldwide.

The Irish flag was raised along with Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s flag

“T he theme and speeches made in this year’s Jalsa included top-ics on how Muslims in the West manage their Islamic way of life in the midst of different cul-tures that exert many pressures and how to revive Islam as religion of peace, tolerance and learning.

“It also addressed how Muslims should engage in all aspects of Irish society, how to work with others to redress nega-tive perceptions of Islam and Muslims, what needs to be done to promote inter-faith understanding and peace. Other topics include Islamic answer to current day economic and financial crises and Proofs on Existence of God,” said Imran Ahmed Sheikh.

At the end, Dr. Aleem Uddin, who is National President of the commu-nity, thanked all who par-ticipated in the event.

A book stall and exhi-bition on the commu-nity’s history, Islamic beliefs and topics was also on display and was very much enjoyed by community members and guests.

Hotel gate is reopened at Finnstown

ACCESS: WARM WELCOME FOR RECEIVER’S MOVE

PAUL HOSFORD

[email protected]

FINE Gael Councillor for Lucan William Lav-elle has this week warmly welcomed the positive decision of the receiver appointed to Finnstown House Hotel to reopen the locked pedestrian gate between the hotel grounds and Adamstown following Cllr Lavelle’s intervention.

The gate had been locked at the start of summer at the behest of the court-appointed receiver to the Mans-field–owned hotel.

Cllr. Lavelle said the issue had been a burning one for locals.

“I had been contacted by a large number of Adamstown residents who previously used this gate to access the hotel

and gym. Its closure was a blow to many resi-dents.

“I had discussions with hotel management and identified concerns that existed over the potential creation of a legal right-of-way. I subsequently issued for-mal correspondence to the receiver clarifying the legal position with respect to rights-of-way and requesting on behalf of residents that the gate be reopened.

“I am delighted that, on foot of my interven-tion, the receiver has now decided to reopen the gate between the hours of 6am and 10pm subject to regular review. The hotel wrote to me this week advising me of the decision, which is most welcome,” said Cllr Lavelle.

LEILA JOHARI

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

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

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

The foods we eat con-tain two main categories

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

Raw materials

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

So, what foods are best

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

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

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

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

spinach and pulses. Antioxidants help to

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kick the autumn blues with some healthy eating

The Gazette’s new nutrition expert, Leila Johari

6 October 2011 GAZETTE 11

PAUL HOSFORD

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

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

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

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

amazing. “So I went home and made

a video presentation and sent it off.

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

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

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

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

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

The whole experience is one that left Seth in awe.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

12 GAZETTE 6 October 2011

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

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

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

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

WEDDINGS EDUCATION Student spends six weeks in Singapore

An internship of a lifetime

Dubliner Seth Smith

took part in a six-week

programme with the Digital

Life Academy in Singapore


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

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

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

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

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

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

GazettePETSPETSBrought to you by Miriam Kerins of

the DSPCA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

when it comes to dealing

with animals?

• Have I got lots of time

to spend with a dog?

• During the past week,

how many times and

ways have I shown

kindness to people and

animals?

• Am I responsible? (This

means, that I can think

for myself).

• Do I know when the

right thing needs to be

done and do I do it?

• Do I know when

someone needs help and

do I help them?

• During the past

week, how many times

and ways have I been

responsible?

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

when you were kind to

an animal. For example,

did you help an injured

animal? Did you feed

the birds who visit your

garden?

• Decide how much time

you’ll have to spend with

your dog and tell your

mom how you plan to

spend it. How much time

will you have to walk,

groom and play with

your dog?

• Find out what type of

food you’ll feed your dog

and how much it will cost

each week.

• Read the Dublin SPCA’s

special information

on the importance of

spaying and neutering

your dog.

• Ask your family if

everyone else living in

the house is happy to

have a dog.

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

they grow into big dogs.

Not all dogs grow big but

some do; so check with

your vet and find out

what type of dog is likely

to be large and what

type is likely to remain

small.

• Dogs bark. Some bark

an awful lot of the time.

• When you take your

dog for a walk you must

pick up the poo. You

must carry poo bags

and you must bin them

properly.

• Dogs shed hair.

• Dogs can vomit.

• Dogs can chew

furniture; especially a

teething puppy.

• Dogs can pee and poo

and make a mess on the

carpet.

• Dogs can jump up

and down on your new

clothes and chew your

favourite toys.

• Dogs need to be taken

to the vet, they need to

be groomed and bathed

and they need their nails

clipped.

• Dogs get worms, ear

mites and fleas.

• Dogs can run away

from home so they must

be microchipped.

• Dogs need to be put

into boarding kennels

when you go on holiday,

or they need a pet sitter.

• Dogs need lots of

things, like leads,

collars, a kennel, a bed

for the house because

a dog must be allowed

access to your home; he

cannot be left outside all

of the time.

• And… the saddest fact

of all kids; some day,

sadly, your dog will die.

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

For more information email me at [email protected]



GazetteMUSICMUSICMagic and hard graft the keys to music success

ROB HEIGH

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“We were looking at

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

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

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

The band came back

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

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

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

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

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


SHANE DILLON

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

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

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

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

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

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

A highly-polished Gears

GazetteGAMINGGAMING

who look behind the vis-uals and gameplay.

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

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

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

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

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

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

fairly typical scene from Gears of War 3

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

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

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

Bytesandpieces

t

p

twfut the general gam


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sean GallagherPresidential Candidate

OPINION A candidate’s Presidential vision

Sean Gallagher

GazetteContacts

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

General Manager: Michael McGovernemail: [email protected]

Editor: Cormac Curtisemail: [email protected]

News Editor: Dawn Loveemail: [email protected]

Production Editor: Jessica Maileemail: [email protected]

Sports Editor: Rob Heighemail: [email protected]

Financial Controller: Carly Lynchemail: [email protected]

Advertising Production: Anita Wardemail: [email protected]

Advertising Sales: 01 6010240email: [email protected]

Gazette Group Newspapers Ltd.

Terms and Conditions for acceptance of

advertisements

Reserve the right to omit or suspend or alter

any advertisement(s) in any of its publications.

We also decline any responsibility in the event of

one or more of a series of advertisements being

omitted for any reason whatever, nor do we accept

liability for any loss or damage caused by an error

or inaccuracy in the printing of any advertise-

ment. If your advertisement appears incorrectly,

contact the Advertising Department immediately,

as responsibility cannot be accepted for more

than one week’s incorrect insertion. Responsibility

cannot be accepted if the complaint is made more

than two weeks after insertion. If one places an

advertisement for more than one week and then

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

will be given for weeks cancelled. The advertiser

undertakes to indemnify the Proprietors against

any liability for any civil action arising out of the

publication of the advertisement or any other

matter printed or published in the Blanchardstown

Gazette, Castleknock Gazette, Clondalkin Gazette,

Dundrum Gazette, Dun Laoghaire Gazette, Lucan

Gazette, Malahide Gazette and Swords Gazette. The

placing of an order or contract will be deemed an

acceptance of these conditions.

Don’t be left out in the cold this winter

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

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

76, guaranteed my mortgage – I was a little

shy of the required income level then but the

bank insisted she be put on the mortgage.

Even with a recent salary reduction, I am

nearly at the level where my own income now

is sufficient for the mortgage while I also have

savings that could reduce my mortgage to even

more acceptable levels. I now want to take my

mother off the loan while my mortgage is also

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

the best way to proceed with this ? Jenny –

Malahide

A - Hindsight is a wonderful thing – accepting a

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

year home loan should never have been allowed in

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

Make an appointment to meet your

lender ( the sooner the better )

Bring your P60 from 2010, your last 3

pay slips and ideally an up-to-date status

employment note from your employer

First you should request that, based on

your current income and job security, your

mortgage be placed solely in your name

and that

Your mother’s name be deleted from the

mortgage deed – with the repayment and

loan amount to remain the same

If they deem your income insufficient to

warrant the request ( and parameters are

changing all the time ), ask them what level

of borrowing would satisfy them based on

your current income that would allow your

mother’s guarantee to be waived ?

If you have savings, offer to either pay

off the amount to the level they desire – the

bank should be delighted with the lump

sum - or if they are going to charge a fee

for breaking the fixed rate, then place that

amount in a deposit account with the bank

when they can attach a lien as security for

the mortgage until the fixed rate matures

and it can be repaid against the mortgage

at that stage. In the interim, ensure you are

receiving top deposit rates with that bank.

If you are allowed to repay without

penalty, it will also reduce your monthly

mortgage pro rata. Better for your cash

flow.

You will need to brief your solicitor to

make the necessary legal changes.

Contact John Lowe with your money ques-

tions at [email protected] or visit his

website at www.moneydoctor.ie. John Lowe,

Fellow of the Institute of Bankers, is founder

and managing director of Money Doctor

GazetteBUSINESSBUSINESS Supported by AIB

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

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

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

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

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

HEATING: TOP TIPS FOR KEEPING THE FAMILY WARM THIS WINTER


ANSWERS TO YOUR PERSONAL FINANCE QUESTIONS

NOREEN MULDOON

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

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

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

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

Five years or more in any other

case. Under the Act an “ex” may

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

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

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

is not an automatic entitlement to this.

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

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

New legislation affecting couples living together

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

Clonskeagh

Dublin 14

Tel (01) 296 4266

www.maguiremuldoon.ie

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

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

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

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

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

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

SUSAN GIBSON

Head of Pensions, Irish Life Retail

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

Saving for a more secure

future

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

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

Know your pension options

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

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

Put your pension in good

hands

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

Get some advice

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

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

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

Safety first for pensions in 2011

13 January 2011 GAZETTE 19

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

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

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

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

YOURPENSION

Susan Gibson, head of pensions, Irish Life Retail

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

DAMIAN EVANS

Fingal Financial

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

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

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

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

Performance

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

MATCHING your invest-

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do I qualify for this scheme?

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

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

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

Characteristics of QROPS

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

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

What do I do next?

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

What, exactly, is QROPS?


YOURPENSION

Hardiman’s offer real choice and security

the top 50 safest banks in the world.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“We will review your attitude to risk and invest

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

Example

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

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

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


Finding someone you can trust to help you with your

pension needs is extremely important

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

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

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

ever, these are under attack.

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

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

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

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

ship with each owning a one-third share.

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

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

Future

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

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

“My Dad’s retirement

Taking care of family firms

l P L ANN ING FOR THE F UTURE l

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

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

Complex

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

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

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

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

However, Gerry warns that this €750k figure

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

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

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



YOURPENSION


GazetteMOTORSMOTORS

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

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

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

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

competition.I took it with the slight-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Renault’s space machine

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

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

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

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

RoadRoadSignsSigns

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

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

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

Type S 180bhp is combined with a six-

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

Despite the extra power the CO2 emis-

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

Honda boosts the Accord range with a new Type S

Top speed: 180 km/hr

0 – 100km/hr: 14.3 secs

Economy: 20 km/litre

(5.0l/100km)

CO2 emissions: 124g/km

Road Tax Band: B (€156)

Entry Price: €26,790

SPECS: RENAULT GRAND

SCENIC 1.5

The new Type S boasts lots of features

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

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

WE HAVE146,000* READERS EACH WEEK

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESSYOUR BUSINESS TO OUR READERSCALL 60 10 240

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Organic beauty brand VOYA arrives at The Ice HouseTHE Chill Spa at The

Ice House in Co. Mayo

drew a host of familiar

local faces to the official

launch of VOYA last

week.

Almost 100 people

attended the event, with

general manager Claire

O’Sullivan welcoming

guests and treating all to

a sophisticated soiree.

Spa specialists,

including Chill Spa’s

award-winning thera-

pist Elaine Armstrong,

showcased the new

VOYA products and

treatments and treated

guests to complimen-

tary mini treatments,

including mini-mani-

cures, hand, arm and

head massages.

VOYA expert

Michelle Roche was on

hand to demonstrate

the amazing VOYA Sea-

weed wraps.

For full details on all

treatments and offers

please see www.theice-

house.ie or phone Chill

Spa at 096-23500.

What’sOn

Tourism Ireland’s Brian Harte and Mark Henry

celebrate reaching a half-million Facebook fans

BREAKAWAY: TAKE A SHORT TRAIN RIDE THIS AUTUMN

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

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

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

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

“The launch of the

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

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

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

Rail-ax in style - head north

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

encouraging people to leave the car at home this autumn

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For further information see www.west-porthouse.ie

Frightening fun at Westport House

GazetteTTRAVELRAVEL Edited by Mimi Murray

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

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

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

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

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

* Subject to availability

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

on Facebook, making it the third most popular

tourism board in the world on the popular social

networking site, after Australia and the UK.

Social media played an important role in increas-

ing the impact of high-profile TV programmes

featuring Ireland this year, including BBC’s Terry

Wogan’s Ireland and Monty Halls’ Great Irish

Escape; as viewers were tweeting while they

watched, Tourism Ireland communicated with them,

highlighting some of the great places to visit that

featured in the programmes.

Mark Henry, Tourism Ireland’s Central Marketing

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

social media is about building online communities

and starting conversations that allow word of mouth

about Ireland as a holiday destination to reach a

truly global audience.

“When you consider that each of our fans has in

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

land means that we can potentially engage with 65

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

Tourism Ireland took the top eMarketing award

at the Marketing Institute of Ireland’s All-Ireland

Marketing (AIM) awards in May, primarily for their

social media successes.


GazetteENTERTAINMENTENTERTAINMENT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

lots of chaotic messing about.

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

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

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

GoingOUTGoingOUTMILL THEATRE 01 296 9340 We’ve Only Just Begun

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

DRAIOCHT 01 885 2622My Way

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

PAVILION THEATRE 01 231 2929When Jolie Met Christie

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

FILM OF THE WEEK: Johnny English Reborn (PG) 101 mins

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

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

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

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

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

work within a number of intelligence agencies.

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

Now, pay attention, English!

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

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

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

and Kilkenny hurler, Tommy Walsh.

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

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

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

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

Having been selected as an official GAA Charity

GAA CHARITY: AFRICA AID ORGANISATION TRAVELLING TO ASSIST IN ETHIOPIA

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

Playing for Life gets backing as official charity

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

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

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

Criostoir O’Cuana

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

port them in a tangible way with this excellent work.

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

GazetteSPORT6 October 2011 CLONDALKIN GAZETTE 27

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

GazetteSportSport


LEINSTER LEAGUE DIV 1BCill Dara 23

Clondalkin 21

JONNY STAPLETON

[email protected]

CLONDALKIN were one clean pass away from securing their first ever Division 1B vic-tory against promotion favourites Cill Dara last Sunday.

Clon’ fell behind for the first time in a tight tense tussle with just three minutes remain-ing on the clock.

However, just when Chris Jebb, who has substantial last-second game winning experi-ence, was in the pocket ready to claim victory with a drop goal, he received a pass to his feet rather than hands, couldn’t collect it, and the referee blew for full time.

It was a cruel end to a game that further proved Clon have the ability to compete at the highest level they have ever played at, and one that also confirmed the need for work in certain areas.

Unlike the previ-ous week where they slipped behind in the first minute and took another 15 to get into their rhythm, the visi-tors made a perfect start to their second league game of the season.

Veteran scrum-half Mark Molloy broke blind, chased and col-lected his own kick, but was stopped just short of the line. Stopping short isn’t the mind-set of last season’s top scorer, Brian Doyle, however, and the hook-er dived over from short range for to make it 5-0

with less than five min-utes played.

Jebb added a pen-alty to make it 8-0, and Clon continued to tor-ment their hosts. Before the break, winger Niall Nolan extended the visitors’ lead.

Andy Dixon fielded a high ball, quickly fed underage graduate Nolan, and his side-step opened up the entire field up, allowing him to race home and make it 13-0 at the break.

Things went from good to better straight away for the Gordon Park elite side when Jebb tacked an early pena l ty to fur ther extend the Clon score.

The good times didn’t roll, however, and an erratic 13-minute spell saw Clon lose the bulk of their advantage and allow Cill Dara back

into the reckoning. A mi s sed t ack l e

allowed the host’s big centre to romp home before Paul Nolan, who was a combative and defensive leader throughout, got ten minutes in the sin bin for tackling early from the restart.

Cill Dara sensed an opportunity to get back into the tie and, despite struggling when they put width on the play, they managed to kick to within three.

Clon’ conceded pen-alty after penalty, ini-tially gifting the former Division 1A side terri-tory, and then allowing them to slot two penal-ties to keep the score board ticking over.

T h e s i d e s t h e n exchanged penalties before Jebb, who con-trolled first half pro-

ceedings, dropped of his left foot after feint-ing brilliantly with his right to restored the visitors cushion.

Clon looked l ike they would close out the game, but a scrum five with just minutes remaining saw the home side steal a late march and eventually win the tie.

Second XVThe seconds suffered

a similar fate, conceding a late score to lose after Carl Horan scored his third try in two league games to give the side a half-time lead.

There were wins for the fourths after they came back from 13-0 down to beat reign-ing champs, St Mary’s, while the ladies and Under-19 outfits also registered victories.

Dara deny Clon again

RUGBY: LONG-TIME RIVALS DEFEAT CLONDALKIN ON TRAVELS

Clondalkin RFC were denied their first win in Leinster League Division 1A against Cill Dara last weekend

Egan exits Worlds at first stage in BakuKENNETH Egan found the step up to heav-yweight a step too far when he bowed out of the World Boxing Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan in his first international bout at the new weight.

The Neilstown man stepped up to the new level for the recent Irish box-offs in Dublin but, in the last-32 stage of the competition, he found himself up against a more expe-rienced fighter at this weight in the form of Cuba’s Jose Larduet

And the Olympic silver medallist was stopped by the referee with a minute and 41 seconds left to box in the third and final round.

Egan had kept decent pace with the Cuban in the first round, trailing by two shots at 5-7, but the second round was dominated by Larduet, who moved well clear despite a couple of decent left and right hooks from the Dubliner.

Larduet’s body shots were punishing, though, and he was in a commanding 23-11 lead going into the final round, and Egan was retired by his corner after being subjected to a standing count.

Speaking about the fight, Egan said of his high-class opponent: “He worked me out very quickly. I was attacking, catching him with counters.

“He boxed well. He caught me with some great shots. There was nothing I could do, I gave it everything I had. I know I’m good enough to be up at this weight. It’s all a work in progress. It’s not over until the fat lady sings.”

Had Egan won through this and the next round, he would have secured a place in the London Olympics. Now, though, he must wait for the qualifiers next April which offer the final tickets to next summer’s Games.

FastSport

in association with


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

Fingal league ready to run this month

[email protected]

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

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

Last year, 26 schools took part in the league,

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

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

Fun phys-edNiall McGuirk, Sen-

ior Sports Develop-ment Officer for Fingal

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ATHLETICS : PLACES STILL AVAILABLE FOR SCHOOLS

STARof theMONTHDEIRDRE RYAN

DUNDRUM South Dublin ath-

lete Ryan secured her berth

at the 2012 London Olympics,

reaching the A standard in

Daegu where she claimed

sixth place in the high jump

world championships this

month, against the best ath-

letes in the sport, and the

people she will face when

chasing the gold medal in

London next year.

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

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

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

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

Let us know!Let us know about your achieve-

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

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

DUBLIN FOOTBALLERS

THE sons of Dublin foot-

ball finally achieved

their potential on the

national stage when they

put 16 years of hurt

behind them to lift the

Sam Maguire trophy at

Croke Park in front of a

jubilant home support.

Stephen Cluxton’s ice-

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

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

TEAMof theMONTH

2011 DUBLIN SPORTS AWARDS SEPTEMBER WINNERS

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

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

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

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

GazetteSport and UCD are giving lucky

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

Simply answer the fol-lowing question:

Where was Villarreal striker Guiseppe Rossi born?

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

Win tickets to see UCD in friendlies

UCD’s Robbie Benson

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

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

GazetteSportSport


FastSport

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

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

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

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

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

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUEPeamount United 0

Paris St Germain 2

[email protected]

PEAMOUNT United’s U E FA C h a m p i o n s League run was put on the ropes last week when they were stung by a pair of late Paris St Germain goals at Tal-laght Stadium last week, putting them on the back foot going into the return leg.

The Irish team, the first to reach the knock-out stages of the Euro-pean competition, had matched the classy French side for the majority of the tie only

to come up short in the end.

The visitors began br ight ly but , once Peamount settled, they gave the 2,109 sup-porters plenty to cheer about.

Peamount goalkeeper Linda Meehan had to be alert on twelve minutes to turn Caroline Piz-zala’s shot around the post.

Sara Lawlor, operat-ing in the lone striker’s role, gave the PSG defence, marshalled by French international Laure Lepailleur, a lot of problems and she almost opened the scor-ing on 25 minutes.

The forward showed tremendous persistence to cut in from the right and her diagonal shot was smartly saved at the near post by goalkeeper Veronique Pons.

F r o m S t e p h a n i e Roche’s resulting cor-ner, the best chance of the opening half arrived. The delivery travelled all the way across the six-yard box but Louise Quinn couldn’t apply the neccessary touch and the ball deflected off a defender over the crossbar.

Lawlor nearly embar-rassed Pons eight min-utes before the break when she charged down

the ‘keeper’s attempted clearance yet the ball trickled a yard wide of the post.

PSG had more pur-pose to their attack early in the the second half and Jessica Houara drilled wide from a good position on 57 minutes when the hosts didn’t properly clear a cross into the box.

The French sensed a breakthrough and finally got their goal on 72 minutes. Substitute Nora Coton-Pelagie found space on the right to shoot and her effort from 25 yards took a wicked deflection off Quinn to deceive Mee-

han in the Peamount goal.

Just as the Dublin-ers absorbed that blow, they might have slipped further into arrears as Houara smashed over from six yards with the goal at her mercy.

Peamount pressed for an equaliser but were hit with a killer blow three minutes into stoppage time when another sub-stitute, Cindy Thomas, was allowed to race clear and make it 2-0.

PEAMOUNT UNITED: Mee-

han; Sinnott, Byrne, Duggan,

Murray (S. McGlone 86);

O’Gorman, Quinn, Comerford

(Russell 59), Roche, W. McGlone

(Jenkins 54); Lawlor.

Almost matching Paris

SOCCER: FIRST LEG OF TIE ENDS IN DEFEAT FOR BRAVE PEAS

Peamount United were in contention in their Women’s Champions League tie against Paris St Germain until the final quarter

CITYWEST Hotel is hosting the 2011 World Grand Prix darts tournament this week, which features the best in the oche business, includ-ing nine-time champion, Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor.

The PDC World Grand Prix has been run-ning since 1998 and has been a fixture at Citywest since 2001. The format is double in, double out, and the format has made the tour-nament ripe for shocks early on, as illustrated by Phil Taylor’s performances over the years. The Power has either gone out in the first round or won the title.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 01 401 0505, and for more information, contact [email protected].

Power out at Citywest this week for Grand Prix

Sarah makes

trip to Aras:

Special Olympics

star honouredSPECIAL Olympics athlete Sarah Byrne, from Palmerstown, Dub-lin, and family members Derek Byrne, left, and Emma Byrne, recently attended a reception for the Special Olympics World Summer Games squad in Aras an Uachtarain, with President Mary McAleese and her husband Sena-tor Martin McAleese.

in association with


CLUB NOTICEBOARD

THE senior ladies’ footballers com-

fortably beat An Ceatharlach on

Sunday in the Leinster intermediate

quarter-final.

The minor hurlers beat St David’s in

the championship.

The senior footballers face St

Anne’s in a crunch promotion match

in Bohernabreena next Saturday

evening. They then face Ballymun

Kickhams in two week’s time in round

four of the Senior Football Champi-

onship.

Congratulations to the senior cam-

ogie team who Feile Na mBan in Glas-

gow on Saturday.

Well done to the Gaelic for Mothers

team who won the Kilcock nine-a-

side tournament on Saturday.

Round Towers’ night at the dogs will

take place on Friday, October 28, and

is once again being staged at Harold’s

Cross. Tickets are available for €10

and will provide you with admission

to the races, a bus to and from the

club, and entry to a €1,000 limited

buster draw. Paddy Delaney, Jimmy

Lee, Dick Keane and Graham Hall are

selling the tickets for the event.

Football Street Leagues continue

in Colaiste Brid, with the finals on

Thursday, October 6. There is a cost

of €3 per child. Any parents that can

help out with managing teams or ref-

ereeing on any of these nights would

be greatly appreciated.

ROUND TOWERS

WESTMANSTOWN/GARDA

LUCAN SARSFIELDSCONGRATULATIONS to both Peter

Kelly and Johnny McCaffrey, who

have been nominated for All-Star

awards.

Good win for senior footballers in

championship.

Good luck to senior hurlers and

minor football in this week’s cham-

pionship matches, and also the jun-

ior A hurlers in the league final. See

bar and website for details.

A large amount of lost property

has accumulated, which can be

claimed in the club on Saturday,

October 8, from 9am to 1pm. There

are also a lot of football boots left

over from the recent fun day that

will be given free of charge to any-

one who wants a pair.

Set dancing is on 8.30 to 10pm

every Wednesday night. All wel-

come.

All tables are now booked for

the gala ball at Westmanstown on

November 12. Deposits are required

to be paid for all bookings or else

tables can be reallocated.

A reserve list is being established

for reallocated tables and any spare

places on tables that are not full.

Anyone who is not yet booked and

wishes to attend should contact

Paul Stapleton or Martina McGillo-

way to be included on this reserve

list.

The Lucan Sarsfields’ 25 Card

Drive resumes on Friday, October

14 at 9pm and will continue to May

2012 in the clubhouse bar.

Lotto: Numbers drawn were 8,

9, 22 and 24. There was no winner.

Next week’s jackpot is €3,500.

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

A GROUP of 55 club members led

by Garda Assistant Commissioner

Fintan Fanning made the jour-

ney to New York last Wednesday

and undertook a hectic schedule,

including visits to Ground Zero

and the Police Museum, as well as

a reception hosted by Irish Consul,

Noel Kilkenny.

The opening games of the Tom

Langan Cup were played in Gaelic

Park on Friday, with Garda GAA

beating the PSNI in the first game,

and NYPD overcoming the London

Met in the second.

The action switched to Randalls

Island on Saturday for the finals,

with the PSNI getting the better

of London Met in the opener and

Garda beating the NYPD in a tough

encounter.

All four teams were entertained

at a banquet on Saturday night by

our wonderful hosts in the NYPD.

Normal duties resume next week

with a championship outing against

Kilmacud Crokes on Tuesday, Octo-

ber 11 at Kiltipper with a 7.45pm

throw-in.

Westmanstown Gaels were busy

too with all of the teams from U-8

to U-12 taking to the field.

The U-10s and U-11s lost to St

James’ Gaels and Kilmacud Crokes

respectively at Westmanstown last

week.

DUBLIN SFC ROUND 3Thomas Davis 2-13

St Pat’s Palmerstown 1-8

[email protected]

ST PAT’S Palmerstown bowed out of the Dublin SFC as Thomas Davis eventually shook off their challenge 2-13 to 1-8 in O’Toole Park.

It took a Ciaran Far-relly goal ten minutes from time to seal the deal after Pat’s, with Dublin senior hurler Liam Rushe to the fore, battled back to within a point after being seven points in arrears at the half-time interval.

Pat’s started the better with Paul Faughnan early on but a Sean Reilly goal helped Thomas Davis take control and by the break they led 1-8 to 1-1.

The Kiltipper Road side now face St Maur’s in the last 16.

Meanwhile, with Bal-lymun Kickhams getting the better of Erin’s Isle with a bit to spare, Round Towers finally know who their fourth-round oppo-

nent is.The club impressed

with back-to-back wins back in May but have endured a long wait to finally step back into the competition.

Neighbouring Lucan Sarsfields got through, too, with a 1-11 to 1-5 vic-tory over St Anne’s as they found scores at the vital moments to pull off a fine win over St Anne’s, keep-ing the Bohernabreena side to just a single point in the second half of their Dublin SFC third round tie last Saturday.

It meant they pulled clear after a sticky first half in which they held the slenderest of mar-gins, 1-5 to 1-4, courtesy of Brendan Gallagher’s goal.

B u t S e a n N e w-combe, Tommy Bren-nan, Gallagher, Stephen O’Shaughnessy and David Quinn all kicked scores to see Sarsfields safely through while Anne’s had a man sent off in the latter stages to end

their campaign on a low note.

Gallagher set the tone when he got his side up and running by winning, and then converting, the day’s first point from a free.

Anne’s levelled from a free but good work from Paul Casey set up Tommy Brennan to restore the advantage and the Sligo man added his second as Lucan threatened to pull well clear.

Gallagher netted soon after and added his sec-ond free for a 1-4 to 0-1 lead in the 20th minute and it looked like a date with Templeogue Synge Street in the last 16 was closing in fast.

But Anne’s rallied with Adam Doran pulling back a goal and, while Paul Casey fisted a point, three more scores were reeled in to leave the margin at the minimum at the break.

L u c a n , t h o u g h , squeezed forward in the second half, Newcombe and Brennan’s third of the

evening making it a three-point game.

Anne’s kicked their only point of the sec-ond period soon after to keep their hopes alive but a quick pair of points quelled any thoughts of a comeback and, when an off-the-ball incident saw their ranks reduced, it was all over with David Quinn copper-fastening the win.

FOOTBALL: LOCAL SIDES FACE OPPOSING FATES

St Pat’s Palmerstown’s Dublin star Liam Rushe was back in football action against Thomas Davis

Battling St Pat’s bow out of SFC to Davis

ALL OF YOUR CASTLEKNOCK SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 27-31 MAY 26, 2011

NEW GANG IN ’TOWN: Westmanstown host Leinster schools’ rugby blitz P28

SUPER STARS: May award nominees revealed inside P29

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

NEMESIS: Clondalkin RFC lose to auld enemies, Cill Dara, in Leinster League P28

SEPTEMBER STARSSports Awards winners are announced P29G

azetteSPORT

STEPHEN FINDLATER

[email protected]

ROUND Towers advanced to the semi-final of the Leinster ladies’ football intermediate champion-ship last weekend following an impressive 2-17 to 1-8 victory over An Ceatharlach in Blakestown.

It sets up a final-four date with Stabannon Par-nells in Louth at 4.30pm on Saturday in what looks to be another mighty tussle for the Clondalkin side.

Garnering information about opposition, espe-cially with the short turn-around time, can be tricky but boss Paul Burke managed to get some important background knowledge at short notice that could prove invaluable.

Speaking about the upcoming tie, he told GazetteSport he has an idea of how tough this battle will be.

“I managed to get in contact with the manager of the side they beat in the quarter-final, Killeen,

from Laois, on Tuesday morning and he said they are very strong.

“They were beaten in the Leinster final last time round and are gunning to try and win what they left behind. They’ve a very strong centre-back and midfield and a very big full-forward, who comes out around the middle, and well-organised.”

But he has plenty of stars of his own that the Louth champions will need to tame if they wish to progress through to the provincial final.

Indeed, Towers were comfortable winners, back-ing up their win over Longford and their Dublin championship success.

“It will be another big challenge but we can’t ask for much more. We’re going in the right direction.

“In the end, we had a pretty comprehensive win over An Ceatharlach. We had a few little dodgy moments but the team did quite well. Maria Kavanagh at centre back was very strong; our two midfielders Ruth Collins and Sinead Cairns were also good. Indeed, Sinead got out of her sickbed

to play and put in a player-of-the-match perform-ance. Natalie Behan and Hannah Tyrell were also extremely good.”

Tyrell snagged seven points while Suzanne Mur-ray netted after a break by the half-backs.

The key score, though, came from Emily Ham-mill when she goaled just before the half-time whistle.

“It came at a great moment because they were coming back into it and were only two points behind. The goal gave us some breathing space and we went on and played very well in the second half.”

Burke does have a couple of injury concerns, with goalkeeper Emma Redmond ruled out for the rest of the campaign, while Catherine Roche pulled a groin and so is a doubt.

“They’d both be very experienced and have rep-resented the county so we might try and bring in a couple of the younger players from the club to strengthen the panel.”

The Leinster semi The Leinster semi looms for Towerslooms for TowersClondalkin ladies reach last four of the provincial competition with win over An Ceatharlach last week

Round Towers’ ladies footballers will face Strabannon Parnells this weekend as they look to progress to the Leinster finals. Picture: GAApics.com

clondalkin

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