malahide

Divine inspiration: Fashionistas flock to boutique’s seasonal showsarah Faulkner and Claire Craig were at Divine Bou-tique recently to check out the autumn/winter collection at a special fashion show.

The pair were joined by plenty of locals who came to discover

what to wear and when to wear it. And guest weren’t disap-pointed as the show featured a wide range of eclectic labels and quirky styles which ensured that everyone left with plenty of ideas for their next shopping trip.

Malahide asked to go local this yearThe people of Malahide are being urged to shop locally this Christ-mas in an effort to boost local busi-ness and community morale.

Councillor Anthony Lavin (FG) this week asked the people of Mala-hide to try and do as much of their Christmas shopping and socialis-ing as possible in their village.

“Given that everyone is watch-ing their money, particularly at this time of year, I would ask people to

give our local traders, bars and res-taurants the business where possi-ble,” he said.

President of the Malahide Chamber of Commerce Patricia Murtagh also encouraged people to shop local, saying: “I think it’s very important to remind people how good the village is. We need people to be out and about.”

Full story on Pages 4-5

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

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

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

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

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

Month XX, 2012

Soccer: Malahide star lines out for Ireland U-16sPage 32

Football: St Sylvester’s fall just short in league pursuitPage 31

FREE GAzEttEMalahide

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november 29, 2012 Find us on

INSIDE: Author Michelle brings Christmas message of hope for

children’s charity Barnardos P2

ChILLING OUT: Malahide’s snowman a big hit with local businesses Page 8

Samantha Barks’ role as Nancy in Oliver! will leave you wanting more

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2 MALAHIDE GAzEttE 29 November 2012

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ChrisTMAs GifT ‘The best is yet to come’

Author brings message of hope for barnardos

giving hope.” Being a happi ly

married mum-of-two, Michelle says she drew her inspiration from a time when she felt hopeless at Christmas.

“I’m very fortunate to have a very loving fam-ily. I’m happily mar-ried and I have lovely children but I drew my inspiration from proba-bly the worst Christmas I ever had, which was many years ago.

“I was at my low-est point but on St Stephen’s night I met my husband and every Christmas has been wonderful since.

“I wanted to show that sometimes, when things are really bad, the best is yet to come.

I wanted to make it a hopeful story.”

“Christmas is a very difficult time for people for so many reasons, they’re missing loved ones or someone’s passed away or they’re finding it difficult with finances but it’s also a time of great hope as well, and one night can turn everything around for you.

“You need to keep in mind that the darkest hours are before dawn,” she says.

Fresh perspective

Having just released her fifth novel, 5 Pepper-mint Grove, Michelle said it has received a great response.

D r a w i n g f r o m life’s real experience, Michelle wrote the book after one of her closest friends emigrated to Australia last year.

“There are so many people emigrating at the moment, and it’s about how people cope

when they are missing someone.

“This time last year

my friend announced she was leaving and I was really upset. But I booked a trip to see her and based my new book in Perth.

“All my books are set in different countries that I have travelled to.

“The plot is different as it’s about two single girls, but the places they go and things they see are places I went to with

my friend.”

travelling wellM iche l l e i nve s t s

a huge amount o f research into her books, ensuring every place included in the stories is a real place she has vis-ited, even down to the menu choices made in restaurants. 5 Pepper-mint Grove is based on a real, exclusive suburb in Perth and the book is dedicated to the Irish diaspora.

“I think at this time, people are touched by emigration so much and that’s my little contribu-tion to give someone a sense of solace.

“There are people all over the country missing loved ones,” she said.

Michelle is currently working on her sixth novel.

Her short Christmas story appears in All I Want for Christmas, published by Poolbeg and is available at book-stores for €16.99.

NAtALIE [email protected]

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

‘christmas is a difficult time for so many reasons, but it’s also a time of great hope as well...one right can turn everything around.’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A POPULAR local author has made her mark this festive season after one of her much-loved sto-ries featured in a book for Barnardos.

Michelle Jackson, a native of Howth and a teacher in Malahide, joined a host of other bestselling Irish authors in creating All I Want For Christmas, a collec-tion of heart-warming stories published by Poolbeg, in aid of the Irish children’s charity.

The wri ter, who recently launched her fif th novel, told the Gazette she was delight-ed to be involved in the Christmas project.

“I was delighted to do a story for the Poolbeg collection. Christmas is a time which is in many ways about taking, buy-ing nice presents and doing nice things. As an author, I’m very fortu-nate to be able to con-tribute in this way.

“It’s a different way of giving and it’s a way of

29 November 2012 MALAHIDE GAzEttE 3

Santa Dash for charityTHE Santa Dash Dub-lin in aid of Make-A-Wish Ireland will take place at Bull Island next Sunday, December 9 at 2pm.

The event is organised by IrishFit, and there will be plenty of family fun and entertainment on the day.

The runners will all receive their own Santa suit and a timing chip, and dress up for the run.

The r unners can choose to run or walk a 5km or 10km race, and all of the participants who finish the race will receive a giant Santa medal.

Registration is avail-able online at www.santadash.ie, and is €25 for adults and €20 for children.

bull island

Ho! Ho! Ho! sophie gets up close with the man of the momentpIcturED At the arrival of Santa to Arnotts, was Santa himself and Sophie Law from Malahide. Santa arrived to a huge welcome outside Arnotts in his horse-drawn Victorian carriage and was escorted along Henry Street by circus entertainers from Fosset’s Circus including the famous ringmaster, Marian Fossett, leading a cast of circus characters. Santa then headed to his special grotto on the first floor of the store, where he will be meeting children and eagerly listening to their Christmas present wishes until Christmas Eve. Admission to visit Santa is free.

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Support is sought for girls’ education NAtALIE burkE

[email protected]

A NoRTH Dub l in native representing the international children’s charity, Plan Ireland, is appealing for local support to help ben-efit women and young girls in the developing world.

Sarah Harte, who hails from Beaumont, is helping to launch the charity’s Christmas gift appeal and is appeal-ing to the population of north Dublin to support the cause.

In line with Plan Ire-land’s Because I Am A Girl campaign, the focus of this year’s Christmas appeal is aimed at sup-porting girls’ education

and women’s nutrition-al and economic secu-rity in the developing world.

AppealT h e a p p e a l w a s

launched last week and, according to Sarah, who works as the char-ity’s communications officer the local com-munity would be sup-porting gender equality and girls’ rights across the globe by purchasing a Christmas gift.

“These gifts are essen-tial and, for girls, it can mean the difference between a life of pover-ty and a life of prosper-ity for themselves, their families and their com-munities,” she said.

This year, Plan Ire-

land’s Christmas gift range includes Super Seeds, which can grow an acre of soya beans for just €15, ABCs And 123s, a numeracy and literacy education kit which costs just €30 or a School Pack For Girls, which gives girls the support they need to stay in education, priced at €100.

T he Wes t A f r i ca Women’s Community Agriculture Kit will also enable mothers to grow food for their families.

To purchase a gift, or to buy Plan Ireland’s charity Christmas cards, designed exclusively by Dublin-based illus-trator orlagh Murphy, visit www.plan.ie or call 1800 829 829.

cHarity: Plan ireland launcHes cHristmas gift camPaign


Shop local The Gazette continues its focus on the many ways that sustaining retailers in turn helps the community

Supporting ourlocal businessT

he community of Malahide and s u r r o u n d i n g areas are being urged to shop

local this Christmas in an effort to boost local business and commu-nity morale.

The campaign i s being championed by local (FG) councillor Anthony Lavin, who this week has asked the people of Malahide to try and do as much of their Christmas shop-ping and socialising as possible in their local village.

“Given that everyone is watching their money, particularly at this time of year, I would ask people to give our local traders, bars and restau-rants the business where possible,” he said.

“Local businesses are feeling the pinch more than ever and any

support given to them would benefit the whole area.”

According to the local councillor, there are many benefits to shopping locally and

socialising in Malahide village. These include local business owners investing in the com-munity, the creation of competit ion and diversity which in turn

results in greater con-sumer choice, and the stimulation of the local economy.

“The ripple effect of supporting our local traders is greater then

you might imagine. Local businesses are more likely to utilise other local services and suppliers so the money you invest is re-invested in other businesses. Shopping locally could also help create and maintain jobs in Mala-hide. Small local busi-nesses are the largest employers in Ireland. The less people that have long distances to commute to work, the better it is for the econ-omy and the environ-ment,” he said.

With Malahide boast-ing a host of popular shops and restaurants, Cllr Lavin said that nobody wants to see anymore store or busi-ness closures.

“We have wonder-ful boutiques, pharma-cies, hair salons, pubs, cafes and restaurants in Malahide Village,


The Gazette continues its focus on the many ways that sustaining retailers in turn helps the community

with traders who are to be admired for their resilience and innova-tion. So given this is a time of year where we will all spend money on presents for others, whatever the budg-et, please give some thought about using your Euros to the best advantage for every-one,” he concluded.

President of the Mala-hide Chamber of Com-merce, Patricia Mur-tagh, also encourages locals to socialise and shop in Malahide.

“A couple of new shops have opened over the last couple of months, so there are a few new additions to the village,” she said.

“The staff working in the independent small stores have such a wealth of knowledge of their products and what they do that far outweighs any [other] kind of service or any

kind of product knowl-edge - whether it be buying a special dress for a Christmas present, or something for your Christmas night out.

“Staff in the independ-ent stores know their stock so well, and know their

customers and what they do so well, that the level of service is far beyond any shopping centre that you would go to, or any high street retailer. It’s some-thing that you can’t get online, you can’t get it in a big store; you can only

get it in small independ-ent stores.

“As well as that, peo-ple love our village. I think it’s very important to remind people how good the village is. They love our village, but our village will only survive

if they support our vil-lage. So they need to be here, we need the footfall. We need peo-ple to be out and about, choosing to have your coffee here, to choose to meet your friends here.”

Derek Fowler, tony Scully and Alison Howard of

Fowlers Malahide

Aine Relihan and Hugh McGivern of Gibney’s

Style shines atDivine BoutiqueDIVINE Boutique recently held a fashion

store in store to help locals discover what to wear and how to wear it. The autumn /

winter collection was modelled by some of its loyal customers. There was a range of eclectic labels and quirky styles on the night.

Divine was founded by Mary Greene in 2005 with a vision of creating a shopping experience that focused on individuality, allowing women to express their own sense of style. She opened its first store opened in Manor Mills Shopping Centre in Maynooth.

Fashion show: Glitz anD Glamour on catwalk

Paula McGarvey, Vicky Flanagan and Breda O’Connor. Pictures: Una Williams

Edel Timmons and Lesley KeeganMary Green and Susan Booker

Freya Drohan and Rebecca Kearney

Fiona Pugh with Jimmy and Breda

O’Connor

Senator Darragh O’Brien (FF)

and Louise Hall

Catherine Morgan and Marita

Murphy

Kieran, Maureen, Joanne and Suzanne Maher. Pictures: Una Williams

BOOK LaunCH: Conor Hall, Kathleen Pierce, Darragh and aisling Hall

and Katie Grace at the launch of Medjugorje: What it means to me

lOCAL author Louise Hall recently launched her book Medjugorje: What It Means To Me at the County Hall in Swords.

The book is a collection of testimonies and personal stories from Irish people about how they came to find out about the holy village of Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Contribu-tors to the book include Daniel O’Donnell, Mary Kennedy and Liam Lawton.

The book is now on sale for €11.99.

sworDs: close encounters oF the meDjuGorje kinD

6 MaLaHIDE GazETTE 29 november 2012

gazettegaLLeRIeS

Paula McGarvey, Vicky Flanagan and Breda O’Connor. Pictures: Una Williams

Pauline Sheridan, Roz Flanagan and Mary Kelly

Nuala Curran and Claire Hogan

Sarah Faulkner and Claire CraigNiamh Grace, Jane Loughrey and Clodagh McKernan


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


the snowman has been taking part in many activities around town

No cold shoulder for new celebrity HIroMI MooNEy

THERE’S a new man in town who is becom-ing quite a celebrity in Malahide recently.

He has been making numerous appearances at local businesses and events, and is gaining recognition. But this is no ordinary man. This is a snowman.

T h e s n o w m a n escaped from children’s clothes shop Mischief in Malahide earlier this month, and has since become a huge hit with local businesses.

He has been taking part in many activities around the town, such as welcoming Ir ish author Roddy Doyle at his book signing at Manor Books, getting exercise tips from the ladies at Curves, taking part in quiz nights and checking out the latest gadgets at the O2 store.

Patr ic ia Mur tagh from Mischief, who is also president of the Malahide Chamber of Commerce, said that the snowman, who as yet has no name, is very popular amongst

locals. “He’s had dates with

somebody up at The Grand Hotel and some-body up at McGovern’s, and he’s been buying flowers,” she said.

“He had a bit of a cold this week; he was under the weather and wasn’t seen for a couple of days. But he went off to McCabe’s Pharmacy and got sorted out, the girls up there looked after him.

“So he was out and about at the weekend and enjoying the Santa events. He’s also been

Lions Club Tribute NightMALAHIDE Lions Club recently hosted a tribute to local poet, author, artist and histo-rian, Vincent “Vinnie” Caprani at the Mala-hide Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Vincent has been a stalwart of the National Union of Journalists for many years. His books have been published in several languages, and have sold over 250,000 copies. Secretary of National Union of Journalists (NUJ) Seamus Dooley was the compere, and trib-utes were paid by old friends Senator David Norris and writer Ulick O’Connor, who read and recited from Vin-cent’s books. President Michael D Higgins was unable to attend the event, but sent warm greetings to Vincent and those gathered on the night.

Malahide hotel at London eventTHE Grand Hotel Mala-hide was among 40 tour-ist organisations from across the country that showcased their serv-ices and products in a workshop and network-ing event in London last week. The event was organised by Tourism Ireland, and allowed the Irish organisations to meet top British conference and meet-ing organisers. The Irish organisations included hotels, professional conference organisers and convention bureaux. Business tourism is the most lucrative form of tourism, with visitors travelling to Ireland for business purposes spending about 2.5 times more than the average visitor. The event also gave Tourism Ireland the opportunity to highlight The Gathering Ireland 2013 to top-level decision-makers from the British business tour-ism sector.

FastNewssNowmaN man about town is a hit with locals

off to a pilates class as well, and he’s feeling very fit now.

“He’s a bit of a celebri-ty. He loves Facebook. He

loves people taking pic-tures of him and putting them up on Facebook.

“He was in Gibney’s after the Santa event, and he was in Fowler’s on Sat-urday night… and people were coming over asking to have their photographs taken with him. He’s very popular. He loves getting photographs taken,” she

continued. Patricia said that the

snowman has a busy week ahead of him, with one of his events being a fashion shoot at Gig-gles and Smiles.

You can follow what the Snowman is get-ting up to at www.face-book.com/pages/Mala-hide/67777333514.

History book is launched

old malahide: over 160 images aNd photos

HIroMI MooNEy

OLD Malahide, a book about the history of the local area, was launched this week Councillor Cian O’Callaghan (Lab) at the Malahide Yacht Club.

The author is Roger Greene, who has been a resident of Malahide for over 40 years.

He publ ished his first book, Around and About Malahide, three years ago.

“[The book is] about the history of Malahide and the Talbot fam-ily who resided at the Castle, and it deals with various aspects of the village – the history of buildings and houses and things that hap-pened there and the

development of the vil-lage,” he explained.

“It’s about 20 years since the last book was written about the his-tory of Malahide, and there seemed to be a demand for information about it.

“A lot of new peo-ple had come to live in Malahide at that time and, when I published Around and About Malahide, it sold out very quickly.

“Also, since writing that, I’ve found out a lot more information, so I decided to do a new book.”

The book contains over 200 pages and 160 images and photo-graphs. It is now on sale at Village Books and Manor Books for €10.

LoCaLmattersS u p p o r T L o C a L b u S i N e S S

a d v e r T i S e w i T h T h e G a z e T T e C a L L 6 0 1 0 24 0


New dress rental boutique opensA NEW dress rental boutique has opened its doors in Malahide.

Cari’s Closet Dress Hire and Sales first opened its doors in Malahide in May, but has now relocated to a larger retail unit, where they held their official launch earlier this week.

Cari’s Closet is a dress-hire shop founded by Lisa Duffy, and

boasts a vast selection of design-er and vintage collectibles for rent at a fraction of their retail price. The designer labels in store include Badgley Mischka, Sherri Hill, Herve Ledge, Alex-ander McQueen, Vera Wand and Jovani.

Dress rentals range from €30 to €250, and dry cleaning is

included in the price. The prices are based on a three-day rental, although they also have a week-long rental option.

Their services include tempo-rary alterations, insurance on the dresses and a courier service to deliver the dresses to your door.

For more information, visit www.cariscloset.ie.

Choir’s Christmas showTHE Enchiriadis Treis choir will host a Christmas performances at the Malahide Community School at 7.30pm on Friday and Saturday, December 14 and 15. The audi-ence will be seated around circular tables, and the singers will wander among them and make their way towards the stage. The 110 choir members will put on both solo and group performances of Christmas carols, and a candle-lit procession. There will also be mulled wine and minced pies served on the night. Tickets cost €15 and are available from the Malahide Library next Friday and Saturday, December 7 and 8. For further details visit www.ench3.com.

FastNews

Three tenors performanceA SpECiAL Christmas concert is to be held at St Sylvester’s Church, Malahide, on Wednes-day, December 12. The Three Tenors will perform in aid of raising much needed parish centre funds. Tickets for the event are available at the parish centre for €30. For more informa-tion call 01 845 1244.

transport Monies held for Metro north

€13.6m in levies kept on deposit by FCC

Fianna Fail councillor Eoghan O’Brien

NAtALIE BurkE

[email protected]

MiLLioNS of euro taken in development levies in anticipation of the Metro North system has been called a “trick by the Government” by local Fianna Fail coun-cillor, Eoghan o’Brien.

A total of €13.6 mil-lion has been collect-ed by Fingal County Council alone in Metro North development lev-ies, despite the fact that the proposed rail link, which was due to be constructed between St Stephen’s Green in the city centre and Swords, is yet to commence con-struction.

The transport project was postponed indefi-nitely by the Govern-ment, but FCC, along with Dublin City Coun-cil, has still collected

fees from property own-ers living within 1 km of the proposed line.

F C C c o n f i r m e d that while the project has been delayed, the amount collected by the local council to date is €13.6 million plus interest, and the money is currently being held on deposit.

According to Cllr o’Brien, however, the scheme is a “three-card trick” by the Govern-ment.

“My view is that it is all set up to allow the local authorities to keep that money on their books and the Govern-ment then will do what they did before the last election when they said they would review it in 2015,” he said.

“They think they’re being clever by not offi-cially cancelling it. But,

it will then allow them to say in 2015, that they will deliver Metro North if we re-elect them.”

Cllr o’Brien said the unused monies are a “seri-ous issue” for those who have paid the levies.

“if i was a person who had expanded my busi-ness, i’d be extremely annoyed that the money is basically sitting in the council, and i have no faith in the Government to deliver Metro North.

“They lied about it from the get go. They have set it up so that it can be reviewed in 2015 so that they can say again, in advance of the next general election, that they will deliver it. They have no inten-tion of delivering it, full stop,” Cllr o’Brien con-cluded.

A c c o r d i n g t o a spokesperson for Fin-

gal County Council, the Metro North project has been delayed but the scheme is still in place. The spokesperson also stated that the council is not in a position to refund monies until the Minister, the National Roads Authority (NRA) or the Railway procure-ment Agency (RpA) decides that this should be done.

“if a decision is taken by the above authorities to abandon the scheme and to refund money, then refunds includ-ing all interest accrued will be processed,” the spokesperson added.

The concerns were originally raised during a Dublin City Coun-cil meeting earlier this month, when a council-lor called for the scheme to be cancelled and the levies to be returned.

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10 malahide gazette 29 November 2012

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

HARVEY Nichols recently hosted the first of a series of Newstalk-led events in aid of Enable Ireland which works with children and adults with disabilities. The

event was hosted by TV3’s Sybil Mulcahy, following her return to The Morning Show this week after giving birth to her third baby last Easter. Over 100 women attended the charity event including Newstalk’s marketing director

Emma Gavagan, chief executive of Enable Ireland Fionnua-la O’Donovan, and food critic Orla Broderick. The evening kicked off with a champagne reception, and guests were treated to complimentary mini facials, makeovers and gifts. There was plenty of style and glamour on the night, and the ladies thoroughly enjoyed being pampered while they were supporting a charitable cause.

Newstalk does it with style, beauty and bubbly

audrey lodge, anita hanlon and linda Brady

Sybil mulcahy marie heverin, Charlotte Upton and Olwyn Cassells Kerrie loughran helen O’Brien and marie Rafferty

Sonya manzor and Caitriona mcgonagle

Janice Ryan and grainne Kelly

29 November 2012 malahide gazette 11

Bristol-based company action hero will perform

dublinlifeGa

zett

e

three-night microfestival to give a taste of FringeThe Lir Academy, on Grand Canal Quay, in association with the Dublin Fringe Festival and the British Council, are present-ing Forest Fringe – a three-night performance festival in Decem-ber.

Forest Fringe was set up in edinburgh in 2007 as a space for artists and performers and has built a strong reputation as a creative, not-for-profit, artist-led

organisation since then.Forest Fringe performs at the

edinburgh Festival each year and, in 2010, began organising microfestivals to allow the shows to move to other venues.

Dublin’s December micro-festival starts with performance group, Action hero, featuring daredevil artists from Bristol in the Irish premiere of their show, Watch Me Fall.

Also on the bill will be Dan Canham, the winner of best male performer at Dublin Fringe Festi-val 2012, who will return to Dub-lin with this dance-theatre.

Fringe Festival nominee Veronica Dyas will be reviving her solo performance of In My Bed. Also on the Forest Fringe programme is artist, performer and writer Tim etchells with a new installation piece, and 2011

Dublin Fringe winner Amy Con-roy in hotForTheatre.

Another Irish premiere, Kieran hurley’s hitch, will be staged, depicting a journey from Glas-gow to the G8 summit in Italy in 2009.

Forest Fringe runs from December 13 to 15, and shows start at 7pm at Lir Academy. To book tickets see www.fringefest.com/programme/forest-fringe.

schools P14diary P12 asdFsdaF P27business P16

lir acadeMy: action hero to KicK oFF eVent

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

Children invited to help celebrate 200 years of A Christmas Carol classicDUBLIN’S children’s cultural centre, The Ark, is celebrating the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens by staging their version of A Christmas Carol in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

The condensed play lasts for 45 minutes and is performed by award-winning actors, Aaron Monaghan and Bryan Burroughs, who are responsible for the adaptation of the clas-sic Christmas parable.

In the hands of Monaghan and Burroughs, Dickens’s tale of goodwill triumphing over greed is playfully stripped back to its bare bones and retold using only the duo’s physical and vocal skills, as well as a lot of hats, scarves and fairy lights ... and a coat rack.

Cautionary taleTold with an unbridled passion for this most

famous cautionary tale, experience A Christ-mas Carol’s unforgettable characters and enduring Christmas spirit.

If you are interested in getting into the spirit of Christmas past, present or future ahead of the big day, here’s your chance.

The show runs in the Ark at 11a eustace Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 with a range of family performances on Saturdays, December 1, 8, 15 and 22 at 2pm and 4pm, and a variety of schools performances every Tuesday to Friday from December 4 to 21 at 10.15am and 12.15pm.

The show is for children aged eight and over, and from third to sixth class.

Tickets for the family performances cost €10, or €8 concessions (adults and children require tickets) tickets for the schools per-formances cost €6.50, or €4.50 as concessions for DeIS schools and those travelling from outside Co Dublin.

Schools and groups should call 01 670 7788 to book. Saturday performances can be booked online at www.ark.ie, or by phone.

fastNews

12 MALAHIDE gAzEttE 29 November 2012

Return of festive station is music to our ears

Ronan O’Brien, owner Clothing.ie, Keith Shanley, chairman, Christmas FM, with Emma

Hunt-Duffy, CSR and marketing manager EBS, Lloyd Byrne, director ISPCC

It’s that time of year again and we at Gazette towers can’t wait to have some festive tunes jingling down the air-waves!

Christmas FM is hit-ting our radios once again this year having gone live on November 28. sponsored by EBs and Clothing.ie, the festive station brings seasonal cheer to thou-sands of radio listeners around Ireland.

the station is staffed entirely by volunteers to raise awareness for this year’s chosen charity, IsPCC Childline.

Director of Christmas FM Walter Hegarty-

said: “A loyal following of thousands of fans around the globe and across the nation listen to Christmas FM on the drive to and from school, at work, or just as a backdrop whilst wrapping their presents and getting all festive.”

Chr i s tmas FM is broadcast to 60% of the population across Dub-lin, Kildare, Cork, Lim-erick and Galway.

It is also available anywhere in the world online at www.christ-masfm.ie.

FREE FAMILy ARt HOLIDAyOvEr the festive peri-

od, the National Gallery of Ireland is hosting its 48th annual Christmas Family Art Holiday.

t h e a r t h o l i d ay includes family ar t workshops, tours for adults and music in the Atrium.

All events are free and children, accompanied by parents, should bring sketchpads and colours to the art workshops.

t h e p r o g r a m m e begins on thursday, December 27 with an art workshop by artist Clare Henderson from 3 to 4pm in the Lecture theatre.

On the same day, there will be a gallery

tour from 3.30pm to 4.15pm and a musi-cal trio in the Atrium will add to the elegant atmosphere from 4pm to 4.30pm.

On Friday and sat-urday, the same format applies, with artist Don Conroy giving the art workshop on Decem-ber 28 and Louise Nei-land on December 29, followed by the gallery tour and the musical trio’s performance to finish off what will have surely been a satisfy-ingly artful day out.

For more information, log on to www.national-gallery.ie or call 01 663 3505.

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29 November 2012 Gazette 13

feature

Gazette

Jedward will star in the Dublin Bus Christmas panto,

Jedward and the Magic Lamp, at the Olympia theatre

Pantomimes aplenty for ChristmasTis the season to be jolly, and what better way to make it even jollier than a trip to the theatre to see this year’s Christmas pantomimes.

Dublin is getting ready to shout “He’s behind you”, and watch familiar faces dress up in elabo-rate costumes as they star in the shows. This week, the Gazette takes a little look at some of the pantos that are grac-ing city stages in the run-up to Christmas.

This year, the Gaiety Theatre is taking a look at the classic tale of Cin-derella, but giving it a panto makeover.

There are two nasty, bullying ugly sisters, a quirky fairy godmother, a handsome prince and single glass slipper, all

the ingredients needed to complete the story of Cinders finding hap-piness and seeing her dreams come true.

This panto is spon-sored by Tayto and runs for six weeks from December 2 to January 13.

standard tickets are priced from €25 and are on sale now from usual outlets nationwide. For more information, see www.gaietytheatre.ie.

At the Tivoli Theatre, the Cheerio’s Panto is snow White and the Adventures of sammy sausages which opens to the public on Decem-ber 18.

This show stars TV3 presenter Alan Hughes as sammy sausages, singer Niamh Kavanagh

as the Evil Queen and Brian Dowling as the Mirror. Nadia Forde will star as the Good Queen, while iTV superstars finalist Niall sheehy plays Prince Charming. The show also introduc-es Molly Lynch as snow White.

The Cheerios Panto snow White and the Adventures of sammy sausages opens Dec 18 with previews from Dec ember12 and runs until January 13, 2013. Tick-ets cost from €15 and are now on sale from The Tivoli Theatre at 01 454 4472 or on www.tivoli.ie

Meanwhile, ireland’s most energetic twins, Jedward, star in the Dub-lin Bus Christmas panto, Jedward And The Magic

Lamp, at the Olympia Theatre from Wednes-day, December 19 to January 6.

The show features an all-singing, all-dancing cast of over 100.

The script is written by

scriptwriter, broadcaster and journalist Fiona Looney.

Tickets for this show cost from €25 and are available now through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.ie

FusiON sundays World Christmas markets are set to start this year in New Market square in Dublin.

Fusion sundays is Dublin’s only ethnic bazaar and has a wide array of international stalls, ethnic food, live music and entertain-ment for the children.

The market will celebrate many different Christmas traditions, with over 30 stalls selling fare from around the world. There will also be a Laughteryoga session, African dancing and several other workshops running throughout the day.

The market will be held from 11am until 5pm on sunday, December 9 at the Dublin Food Co-op, 12 New Market square, Dublin 8, and subsequently every second sunday of each month.

travel

Ethnic bazaar set out stalls for Christmas

14 Gazette 29 November 2012

dublinlifeGaze

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As pArt of the recent relaunch of the Dublin Gazette Newspapers, we are reaching out to all the schools in our catchment areas to become a closer part of our community than ever before.

schools are the beating hearts of communities – one of the last places around which a commu-nity can gather. We are calling on budding writers and photographers from all of our schools to help fill the pages.

In order to encourage the next generation of journalists and snappers to get involved, we are partnering with Harvey Norman to present the Dublin Gazette Newspapers Cub reporter and Cub photographer of the Year awards.

For further details, contact me, rob Heigh, news editor at [email protected], or telephone me at 01 601 0240.

Get involved with the Gazetteschoollife

PRoMoTEyourschoolT E l l u s a b o u T y o u R s c h o o l’ s E v E n T s

c o n Ta c T T h E G a z E T T E c a l l 6 0 1 0 24 0

erica o’sullivaN

Fingal Community College

ON MONDAY, Octo-ber 12, Fingal Commu-nity College held an art exhibition, curated by transition year students, displaying the Junior Certificate art, craft and design projects of 2012.

The exhibition was followed by an awards ceremony.

Projects from art, home economics, wood-work and metalwork were displayed in the school hall, and there was a competition for the best project in each subject.

Transition year stu-

dents Jodie Morris and Saoirse Traynor intro-duced the exhibition, which was officially opened by Julie Clarke, arts education officer, Fingal County Council.

Refreshments were served by the transition year catering team.

trophiesThe winners in each

category were awarded trophies, and they were named as Donna Foger-ty, art; Megan McK-eown, home econom-ics; Damien McGlynn, metalwork and Kyle Maguire, woodwork.

The parents of stu-dents who submitted

a Junior Cert project were invited to see their son or daughter’s work, and to hear the winners being announced.

Fif th class pupils from the Old Borough National School, Swords Educate Together, Holy Family National School and St Colmcille’s Boys School were invited to join the fun, and were highly enthralled by the quality of the artwork.

The students would like express their sin-cere gratitude to all who helped make the event such a success.

The exhibition would not have taken place without the generos-

a brush with great artexhibition: awards follow showcase of students’ work

ity of sponsors, Philip O’Neill Photography, Pat O’Farrell School Uni form Suppl iers , Woodgrey Ltd, Elliot Engineering and Zara McDonnell Boardman.

The principal, Mrs Sharon McGrath, con-cluded the exhibition with the announcement of plans for an annual art exhibition at the col-lege

Megan McKeon and principal sharon McGrath

Donna Fogarty


Gazetteschools

aisliNG O’FiachaiN

and Julia RyaN

Sixth Year, Notre Dame

ON WEDNESDAY, November 13, our school hall was transformed into a wacky, wondrous, world of science.

Throughout the room, our tansition year and sixth year students had set up amazing experi-ments to let the invited

primary schools in the area get a close-up, hands-on approach to science.

We didn’t think it was possible that this year’s Science Fair could sur-pass the success of last year’s, but it ended up being even better!

Here is what people thought of our Science Fair ...

Alison and Katie, from

Holy Cross National school, said: “We really liked the Yop experi-ment.”

Ali, from the Muslim National School, thought it was “amazing and the best school trip of the year”.

Jamie Murphy, from the Divine Word Nation-al School, found the giant bubble experiment to be “a bit nerve-racking, but

very good”.A teacher from the

Muslim National School had nothing but positive things to say about the fair. “It was excellent – I feel bad for the students who didn’t get to go.”

experimentDiane, from Holy Cross

National School, said the giant bubble experiment was “really fun – I didn’t

realise I was in a bubble until it popped”.

Sarah, a student of Notre Dame Junior School, loved the slime experiment, and found it “cool, disgusting and sci-entific”.

Lisa Walsh, Prep 6 teacher, Notre Dame Junior School said it was: “A wonderful, interactive hands-on experience for all the children.

“They absolute ly loved it, and said it was the highlight of science week.”

Ryan, Rathfarnham Parish National School, said that “seeing how things work is fun and exciting”.

Ms Byrne, another teacher from Notre Dame, thanked the stu-dents of Notre Dame, as “the fair wouldn’t have

been such a success with-out the help of the transi-tion year and sixth year students”.

As you can see, eve-ryone had a wonderful time. Now, we just can’t wait for next year’s fair!

The students of Notre Dame would like to thank the science teach-ers for all of their hard work, as it truly was a day to remember.

Bubbling with enthusiasm for teststhe experiments set up were all popular, but the giant bubble (right) was a particular hit with students, thanks to its fun, hand-on way of showing a scientific principle at work

16 GAZETTE 29 November 2012

DUBLINLIFEGAZE

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BUSINESS

FASTBUSINESS

Blanch-based PayPal wins Employer of the Year award

FOREST Enterprises Ltd (FEL), a national forestry company with its headquar ters in Lucan, has scooped the Leadership Award at the ActionCOACH Busi-ness Excellence Awards 2012, along with a merit award in the Best Team category.

FEL has been in busi-ness for more than 20 years and has become a recognised leader in forestry management in Ireland.

The Leadership Award was presented to Daragh Little, managing direc-tor, FEL and, according to Richard Cullen, of ActionCOACH: “Daragh was selected for the Leadership Award based not only on his vision for FEL, but also the forestry

sector in Ireland.“He has grown from a

forest manager to a true business leader, building the business, developing his team, influencing the industry and Govern-ment policy both at local and European level.

“As a result, he secured ongoing funding for for-estry and established forestry higher and higher on the investment agenda.

“He instil led this vision and energy in his team, which also led him to being awarded in the Best Team category.“

In 2010, forestry con-tributed to 1.3% of Irish GDP, and the sector is projected to significantly grow in the next 10 years due to a high demand in timber.

Pensions made simple

THE European headquarters of PayPal based in Blanchardstown has won Employer of the Year at this year’s Fingal Business Excellence awards.

The global online payment com-pany employs 1,500 people at its facility in Blanchardstown. The awards, hosted by TV personality Marty Whelan, took place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Santry on Friday, November 16, and recog-nised how highly PayPal values and treats its employees.

Judges said PayPal more than met the criteria for this award: “They really value their people and do eve-rything in their power to ensure that each and every employee is treated with respect, dignity and fairness in a creative and innovative atmos-phere.”

Louise Phelan, PayPal’s Ireland-

based vice president of global opera-tions for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: “At PayPal, we under-stand that our success as a company is based on how we value and treat our employees. We are very proud the be part of the business commu-nity in Fingal and hope that our phi-losophy can inspire others to keep employees front of mind, keeping them positively engaged, motivated and inspired.

“While times are tough for busi-ness, it is within everyone’s grasp to create a workplace that really brings the best out in people and ultimately contributes to a better bottom line.”

Meanwhile, the company also won two awards and were highly commended in a third category at the Contact Centre Management Association (CCMA) industry awards.

Lucan forestry firm leafs the competition behind

Marina Bleahen, managing director, ActionCOACH

Ireland; Daragh Little, managing director, Forest

Enterprises Ltd; Richard Cullen, business coach,

ActionCOACH Ireland and Vivian Peelo, business

banking, AIB

FEL has already more than doubled its size in a four-year period, bring-ing its current employee number to11.

Earlier this year, FEL opened two regional offices in Sligo and Cork, announced four new jobs, and launched an information website on commercial forestry.

In the past two years

alone, FEL have invest-ed more than €250,000 in their IT and manage-ment systems.

Speaking on winning the award, Little said: “I am delighted to win the leadership award. I have worked in forestry for more than 20 years and proactively established myself as a solution pro-vider to policy makers.”

AWARD: PRESTIGIOUS LEADERSHIP WIN FOR COMPANY

Supported by AIB

CONTINUING my analysis of pension parameters from last week, I can tell you that if you are thinking of setting up a pension plan, there are four main compo-nents that should be considered:

1. The strength of the insurance company where the pension fund is based;

2. The performance of both that company and the specific fund where the pension funds are maintained – though you would have to discount the last year or two, owing to the credit crunch impact;

3. The annual management charges associated with the pension fund by the insurance company, and

4. The commissions, or fees, payable to the interme-diary/broker who sets up the pension plan.

Outside of the complex self-employed, company owner, director and senior employee pension options, there are two basic employee schemes – defined ben-efit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) schemes.

The former are where employees receive 66% (50% if in the public sector) of their final year’s income, irre-spective of the performance of the fund to which the employee or their employer or both has been contrib-uting, and providing the full 40 years’ service has been completed.

The latter schemes see the employee and/or the employer contribute into a fund, out of which will fund the monthly pension when the employee retires. That is, if the fund is still there at that time.

This is why rigorous annual reviews should be

undertaken on all DC pensions. Even those in both schemes can supplement their pensions through an additional tax saving scheme called additional volun-tary contributions (AVCs).

Therefore, take steps now – have a look at the age threshold; have you room to start AVCs and, impor-tantly, can you afford it? It is very tax efficient BUT you may have more pressing priorities. Whatever you do, don’t procrastinate, and seek expert advice before it is too late. Remember, the younger you start, the better, as the following shows (with pension maturity values at national retirement age, NRA, 65) – starting at age 25, the estimated maturity value at NRA would be €679,059, providing a yearly pension of €37,114.

Starting at 35, the NRA value would be €332,135, providing a pension of €18,567. Starting at 45, the NRA value would be €145,161, providing €8,299.

If in doubt, talk to an independent and professional adviser, or email me. More next week.

Contact John with your money questions at jlowe@moneydoc-

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

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

of Money Doctor

Pictured are (from left to right): Joe Foran, Castleknock Hotel & Country Club

(award sponsor); Siobhan Moore, president, Fingal Dublin Chamber; Louise

Phelan, PayPal vice president and TV presenter Marty Whelan at the Fingal

Business Excellence awards where PayPal won Employer of the Year 2012

KEELINGS, the fresh produce company, are celebrating the launch of their LazyTown Sports-Candy range by welcoming the star of the popular children’s show, Sportacus, to stores around Dublin this week-end.

LazyTown is a children’s enter-tainment brand dedicated to pro-moting health and well-being in a fun way, and Keelings’ Sports-Candy range includes kid size apples, ready to eat mini pears, pre-sliced carrots, washed off-the-vine grapes and easy peelers, all contained in easy to carry punnets.

Keelings is a 100% Irish owned and family run business with an annual turnover of €300 million and employs over 1,400 people in Ireland and a total of approximately 2,000 people across the group.

Sportacus will be in Dunnes Stores, Cornelscourt on Friday, November 30 at 4pm, Tesco Extra in Naas on Saturday, December 1 at 10am, in Tesco Dundrum at 4pm, and at Tesco Clarehall on Sunday, December 2 at 10am. Children are encouraged to wear their LazyTown outfits and join Sportacus in his dance moves.

Keelings Sports-Candy launched


You’ll be left wanting more! hiromi mooNey

YOU can achieve your biggest dreams, even if you hail from a small place. A little girl from the Isle of Man once dreamed of becoming a big star some day, and, after many years of hard work, that dream has come true.

Now aged 22, Samantha Barks can call herself a West End theatre star and an international film star.

Samantha trained at the Arts Edu-cation School in Chiswick, and first graced television screens in 2008 on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s competition on BBC One’s, I’d Do Anything.

This was a nationwide search for an actress to play the role of Nancy in Cam-eron Mackintosh’s production of Oliv-er! To show their support for Samantha,

the Isle of Man even renamed itself for one day as the Isle of Sam.

Although she finished in third place in the competition, she is now playing Nancy in a touring production of Oliv-er!, which is coming to the Bord Gais Theatre next month. Although she is

busy with rehearsals, she took time out to speak exclusively to The Gazette.

She said: “When I first got the role, it was amazing because it had been part of my life for about four years ... It was my first insight into the showbiz world, with an audition for that part.

“I’d worked so hard when I was 17 in the TV show, so to be actually playing it just felt more special, I think, because I’ve had that long-standing sort of a relationship with the role.”

Samantha said that she loves being a part of Oliver! because it is “such a laugh”.

“You can be on stage with such a talented bunch of people, but also just have so much fun.

“Nancy is such an interesting charac-ter to play because, on the one hand, she

is the life and soul of every party – eve-ryone loves her, she’s so much fun.

“But then, on the other hand, she’s this dark, dark character that comes from a very abused background. She is very mistreated by her boyfriend, but she’s facing a moral dilemma – does she fight for the man that she loves, or does she fight for the greater good?

“She meets this boy, Oliver, who has an effect on her like nothing before – it’s greater than her love for Bill, in the end, and that’s her sort of emotional strug-gle.”

In her varied career, to date, Saman-tha has starred in the lead role of Zoe in the Disney TV series, Groove High, and she made her stage debut as Sally Bowles in Cabaret.

Continues on Page 23

Starring as Nancy in the upcoming production of oliver! at the Bord Gais theatre, Samantha Barks is a young actress with an already impressive resume. While set to delight

audiences with her role in oliver!, Samantha will soon also be seen on cinema screens alongside anne hathaway, russell Crowe and hugh Jackman in Les miserables.

OUT&ABOUTMOTORS P22cineMa P20 aSdfSdaf P27

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

azeT

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TheaTRe: excluSive inTeRview wiTh acTReSS aT The heaRT Of OliveR!

TRavel P24

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

‘Nancy is very mistreated by her boyfriend, but she’s facing a dilemma – does she fight for the man that she loves, or for the greater good?’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Samantha Barks- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

PetsdOn’T Buy a PeT ThiS chRiSMaS – adOPT fROM a cenTRe, inSTeadTHE DSPCA are urging the public to Adopt, Don’t Buy a pet this Christmas as part of a campaign to prevent trafficking and to provide a second chance to many of the pets in its rescue centre.

According to the DSPCA, Christmas sees thousands of pets given as presents, many of which are bought online from unscrupulous breeders.

The DSPCA is asking people to give pets in rescue centres, such as the DSPCA’s, a second chance by adopting them as gifts rather than purchasing.

According to Gillian Bird, head of education, the DSPCA, the society dealt with 3,319 cases of reported animal cruelty, and took in more than 4,400 animals last year alone.

She said: “We hear upsetting stories reported to us in the DSPCA every week, and the public can help in many ways.”

For further information, see www.dspca.ie.

Pets aren’t just for

Christmas, so think

carefully before you

bring one home

Awear €65

Debenhams €40

Littlewoods.ie €200

Penneys €20

Heatons €40

Stylist Easy Curl €39.99

Debenhams €153

Debenhams €47

Penneys €13


OUT&ABOUT Gaze

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STYLE

Dunnes €15

Harvey Norman €129.99

Laura Webb

the time has come to think about others and give them gifts that are, truthfully speaking, on our own wishlist. this week, Gazette Style has put together a wish-list for females in the family. From perfume, to make-up, coats to hair styling tools, we’ve got it covered.

all you Gazette Style readers have to do is chose one that will make your mother, sister, best friend or nieces Christmas, and don’t worry we won’t tell anyone where you got your ideas from.

Don’t miss Gazette Style next week, when we will showcase the men’s wish-list. happy shopping!

Awear €60

Christmas Guide - for her!

YSL See stockists for details

Lancome See stockists for details


John Paul Jones, RobertPlant and Jimmy Page of Led zeppelin, were joined on stage at the O2 in London by Jason Bonham

As A youth of some sum-mers past, I was handed a well-worn copy of a strange looking record, adorned with a photo of a painting of a man with a bundle of sticks on the wall of a partially demol-ished building. No track titles, no words at all, just four symbols.

“What is this?”“Just the best rock

record ever recorded...”“Okay,” I replied, pop-

ping it into a Woolworths bag and heading home to play it.

My fr iend wasn’t wrong. Led Zeppelin IV was an incredible record. Though I was aware of stairway To Heaven, the album opened up a por-tal to a style of rock that

did not exist before nor has been created again - epic, sometimes pastoral, widescreen and elemen-tal like a hurricane.

Though a few years disbanded when I first listened to them, Zeppe-lin became the go-to act when nothing less than rock would do.

I spent years tracking down bootlegs, savouring the BBC sessions and the Remasters box set...

Then, in 2007, 27 years after the band broke up in the wake of the death of drummer John Bon-ham, the impossible hap-pened. I joined in with the estimated 20 mil-lion people worldwide who applied for tickets for their one-off show at

the O2 Arena in London after the band were reu-nited after the passing of their long-time friend and mentor, Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, who had taken a punt on the English blues band in 1968.

A legendary night was had by all (though not me) but, five years later, Atlantic have released a recording and DVD of that night in London in the form of Celebration Day.

With the surviving members back on stage with Bonham’s son, Jason, on drums, Zep-pelin put on a remark-able show and this is a remarkable testament to their enduring legacy and

contribution to the last 40 years of music.

Featuring all of the 16 tracks played that night, sympathetically and dynamically mixed by another legend, producer Alan Moulder, the album captures all of the antici-pation, the power and the glory of one night in December when the planets aligned and Zep-pelin were once more united on stage, where they were always at their most vital.

This was no in-it-for-the-paycheck reunion, it was as though Zeppelin had never stopped play-ing together and that shows through in every single track on Celebra-tion Day.

From Bonham’s count-in and Jimmy Page’s pile-driver of a a riff on Good Times, Bad Times that opened proceedings, to the final curtain call after a triumphant Rock And Roll, there was a palpable love and respect for each other and the material among the band, a deter-mination to do not only themselves and their back catalogue justice, but to provide a fitting tribute to the man who helped make them the band who still hold so much affec-tion and regard among music lovers, critics and fans worldwide.

A simply essential pur-chase, and one that will make nations happy on any Celebration Day.

dfdfgfgdfg

Gazette

FASTtunesMUSIC

GEORGE Harrison once sang All Things Must Pass, but as we remember him on his 11th anni-versary this week (November 29), it’s clear not all things belonging to Harrison have. The so-called “quiet Beatle” features on what’s just been declared Britain’s rarest record. A recording by the band that preceded The Beatles: The Quarry Men from 1958 is the most valuable vinyl in the UK. Beatles Paul McCartney and John Lennon feature alongside Harrison on the single of That’ll Be The Day/In spite of Danger which is valued at nearly €250,000. And if you are indeed a Beatles’ fan with a few quid, then you might like to know Harrison’s infamous leather jacket is going up for auction soon. It’s expected to go for around €150,000 at Bonham’s in London on December 12. Now I wouldn’t mind that in my Christmas stocking... but that’ll be the day.

Dee Woods @ Radio Nova

review: a testament to the endurinG power of led zeppelin

Rock of ages past

Beatles for sale...

with Dee Woods

OUT&ABOUT CINEMA

20 gazette 29 November 2012

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theatremore

I AM having a crisis, dear readers.

This time of year inev-itably brings too many good films, meaning my inner curmudgeon doesn’t get the chance to stretch its legs.

With last week’s sur-prisingly excellent The Sapphires and the highs of Argo comes end of Watch.

Unlike last week’s review, there is noth-ing surprising about the brilliance on show here. Written, directed and produced by David Ayer, this is unsurpris-ingly a cop movie.

When I say unsur-prisingly, it is important to note that Ayer is the man behind the script for 2001’s Training Day, was the director of 2006’s outrageously good and criminally

OUR VeRDICt:THERE are small stumbles, small little frustrating stumbles, but all in all, this is a great piece of cinema. Brave, unflinching and superbly acted, End of Watch is as good a cop film as there is, but is abundantly more. A great dissection of character, a fantastic look at male relationships and a thoroughly brilliant piece of film-making. See it. See it now.

Director: David ayerStarring: Jake gyllenhaal, Michael Pena, anna Kendrick, Natalie Martinez, David Harbour, Frank grillo, america Ferrera

underseen Harsh Times and 2008’s decent but disappointing Street Kings.

Take into account that he also wrote SWAT and Dark Blue and you come to the conclusion that, yeah, this guy likes his men in uniform.

Which is not to say that his canon is one-dimensional. Ayer ’s experiences on the streets of South Central LA in his 20s have given him a keen eye for the realities of the street and a finely attuned

sense of realism is always attached to his films.

Except for SWAT and The Fast and The Furi-ous.

Oh, and he did write U-571, the most histori-cally inaccurate film of all time. But he’s apolo-gised for that, so we can just enjoy his LA films.

Much l ike 2006’s Harsh Times, End of Watch takes a look at a pair of cops on one of LA’s tougher beats.

And again like Harsh Times, there is a white guy and a Hispanic guy.

But that is largely where the similari-ties end. Where Harsh Times looked at the subjects with a strange-ly compelling detached air, End of Watch buzz-es with a familiarity

An exciting watch

and an almost childlike energy.

Jake Gyllenhaal plays Officer Brian Taylor, a jovial, sarcastic show-off who, along with his partner Mike Zavala (Michael Pena) stum-bles across a case that is a few stations above their pay-grade.

Like all good movie cops, the two dive head first into it, eschewing the rules, guidelines and protocol of the LAPD.

With many scenes being shown almost entirely through hand-held camera, there is a sense of proximity and almost voyeurism in what we’re seeing.

Ayer throws off that idea whenever a scene needs more scope or scale and, far from being a jarring juxtaposition, it actually works quite nicely.

The grubby corners of LA that Ayer is obvi

Jake gyllenhaal and Michael Pena take aim at the bad guys

Cops and robbers: Jake Gyllenhaal and miChael pena Join the forCe

Film OF The Week: end of Watchh h h h h (15) 109mins

the pavilion theatre 01 231 2929rte vanburgh Quartet with nobuko imaiTHIS concert brings together the internationally-acclaimed RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet with the sensational Nobuko Imai, regarded as one of the most outstanding violists of her generation. Noted for her flawless technique and warm, expressive tone, Imai has performed as a solo artist with many of the world’s finest orchestras. December 1, tickets are priced at €17/€15.

mill theatre01 296 9340miracle on 34th stENJOY such popular songs such as Pinecones and Hollyberries, It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas and My State, My Kansas, in this joyous, heart-warming musical of pure family entertainment. Miracle On 34th Street tells the story of a mother and daughter that are much too practical to believe in Santa Claus. Macy’s hires a kind, white-bearded, older gentlemen to play Santa at the store, but when the man proclaims to be Kris Kringle and Santa himself, his sanity is called into question. Presented by Glencullen Musical and Dramatic Society and directed by Tom Ronayne. December 5-15 at 8pm, tickets are priced at €20/18.

CiviC theatre 01 462 7477abba foreverIT’S Christmas! It’s party time! It’s ABBA! From Waterloo to Dancing Queen, expect a dazzling, fantastic performance including the most iconic hits, Mamma Mia, SOS, Money, Money Money, The Winner Takes It All and many more. December 10 and 11, tickets are priced at €20.

PaUl [email protected]

ously so familiar with are easily explored with the handhelds, while the action of the film’s sec-ond and third acts can be properly portrayed with the less intrusive camera angles.

Yes, the bad guys are fairly shallowly drawn, but in this case it doesn’t matter.

Their menace is real and Gyllenhaal and Pena infuse their cops with so much likeabil-ity, their mere survival is enough to make you root for them.

Gyllenhaal is an actor who has quietly gone about establishing him-self as one of Hollywood’s most capable, and odd, leading men.

Though he will likely miss out on Oscar rec-ognition for this, his per-formance should be seen.

CINEMA

GAZETTEGAMING

29 November 2012 GAZETTE 21

NINTENDO: NEW CONSOLE IS ALMOST HERE

SHANE DILLON

THE Wii is dead – long live the Wii U. Confused? I don’t blame you, as the news that Nintendo has a new console may be, well, news for many parents and casual gamers.

N i n t e n d o h a s announced that, as of now, it no longer has any new first-party Wii games in development – this means that it will continue to support the Wii, but not to make any new games for it, while it focuses on its all-new Wii U console instead, which launches this Friday, November 30.

But, as Nintendo pre-pares to put its perfectly

decent (and particularly family-friendly) console into sleepy retirement, the company has finally unveiled its next console – the Wii U – with which it looks set to finally pose a challenge to Microsoft and Sony.

Although arriving late to the games party, at least Nintendo have finally rucked up with some hardware of note, and with, seemingly, a

more astute sense of how to position itself, and to make its console a real contender as a platform for gamers to embrace.

But first, what is the Wii U? Put simply, it’s very much a modern games console that, in many ways, is comparable to the power of the XBox 360 or the PlayStation 3 – a nota-ble step up in pure oomph from the Wii’s modest capabilities.

Nintendo being Nin-tendo, they’ve sought to do something that dif-ferentiates it from the competition; in this new console, that’s very much the case with its special controller – and how.

The GamePad is a large,

Wii U is here for, umm, you

SHANE [email protected]

WIN A GREAT KINECT GAMEYour chance to get sporty with XBoxTHE Gazette has teamed up with Microsoft again for another great XBox 360 giveaway – and, once again, there’s a fun Kinect title up for grabs (which, as you’d expect, requires a Kinect body-tracking sensor to play).

With Christmas almost upon us, family party games are always a real hit at this time of year, as well as games that you can return to time and again for lots of fun – so, what better game to pick up than Kinect Sports Ultimate?

For those who aren’t as superfit as me (cough), you’ll have lots of fun getting breathless (or showboating your skills) in a wide range of sports, including soccer, football, golf, skiing, tennis, boxing, darts, baseball, bowling, track & field, table tennis, beach volleyball and basketball – if that’s not enough to suit any sporting interest (or to get granny showing off her previously little-seen volleyball skills), well ...

Not only that, but we’ll (okay, Microsoft) even bung in some extra prizes for each

of five lucky winners: a Gold three-month XBox Live sub-scriptions, as well as 2,100 Microsoft Points.

So, to win your copy of Kinect Sports Ultimate, and the other goodies, just answer the following question ...

In which sport would you use a racket?A. TennisB. GolfC. Darts

Email [email protected] with your answer before noon on Friday, December 7. Please include your full name and address; one entry per applicant; five correct winners will be selected at random, with prizes posted out the following week.

COMPETITIONgiveawaygiveawaygiveaway

chunky controller with a centralised touchscreen, which offers all kinds of interesting options for games, once designers get to grips with it (no pun intended).

For example, that screen could show all kinds of information that directly relate to the on-screen action – such as to be an always-on map of where the player is in that game’s world, with lots of other obvious uses such as showing rankings, inventories, and so on.

AttractivenessAdd to that the tactile

attractiveness of swiping through and selecting content on this second-ary screen, which has an instant relevancy to the on-screen action, and it’s clear that this feature alone has the potential to make the Wii U a very cre-atively interesting console, and gives it a unique sell-ing point over its rivals.

What’s under the hood? Suffice to say that it holds its own against the 360 and PS3, with graphics that are a signifi-cant step up from the Wii, if programmed right.

A few points of note – it can support high defini-tion graphics, with this HD capability a first for Nintendo, as well as using Flash storage for on-board saves.

The GamePad can be used to play some games without the TV, with other peripherals also usable, and on the way.

Because nobody in the world really cares about how many tiny elves it whips on treadmills to make the machine proc-ess sub-pixel shading – yawn – let’s jump straight on to what will be a huge selling point for many.

The fact that it’s back-ward-compatible with Wii games, meaning that Wii fans, families, those trading up – and even a certain Mr S Claus – can breathe a sigh of relief, as the new console supports all those Wii games peo-ple already have.

Lastly, in what’s likely to be of most note to hard-core gamers, it’s also worth pointing out that several “heavyweight” games and franchises are also being ported to the Wii U, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Aliens: Colo-nial Marines, Assas-sin’s Creed 3, and many more.

W h i l e N i n t e n d o remains the most family-friendly console out there – to its detriment, some would say, as it hasn’t pre-sented much choice or use for more mature gam-ers – it’s great to see that the Wii U will offer a “bet-ter” range of games.

As expected for a launch console, it ain’t cheap, folks – kiss good-bye to at least €400, for the console and a few good games – but for a great, interesting new console, with some already note-worthy launch titles – this could be what Wii, or U, have been waiting for ...

STEP UP TO A CHALLENGING ISLANDMadness, mayhem – and lovely views – in Far Cry 3THIS weekend, lots of gamers will be heading to a beaufitul island paradise to get Lost (see what I did there?) with Far Cry 3 – the latest and very pretty, yet pretty violent addition to the popular open-world franchise.

Available on PlayStation 3, XBox 360 and PC, the game sees you searching for your girlfriend, and friends, on a beautiful island chain – beautiful, that is, except for some of the inhabitants – very bad men with guns – who aren’t best pleased to have some tourist interlopers ...

I rambled – or rampaged – though an extensive hands-on advance preview of the game recently, and can confirm that it’s a great shooter, with an interesting (if slightly unhinged) plot and set of characters, as well as a frequently stunning open-world setting.

So, for gamers looking for a lovely-looking (and often frenetic) shooter, you don’t have very Far to look ...

OH, DELL ...Latest results underline crisis in the PC sectorTHERE are all kinds of fascinating, bizarre – and occasionally worrying – stories happening across the tech sector at the moment, with former hardware and software giants suddenly facing into unexpected battles.

One such battle lies ahead for PC maker Dell, with a number of tech sites and reports picking up on its latest quarterly results, which show pretty hefty drops in both revenues and operating profits – these, in the same year in which its share price has also taken a drastic dive.

Former tech giants, such as HP and Blackberry-maker, RIM, have seen a drastic reversal of fortunes in this time.With traditional PC/laptop sales plateauing, at best, or simply slumping around the world, as users migrate to tablets instead – not to mention the inexorable rise of smartphones – Dell, as with rivals and allies alike, faces a challenge to turn things around, before it drifts a little too close to beleaguered MySpace territory ...

IF SPOTTED ...Tech figurehead continues to evade police in BelizeAT THE time of writing, a story that’s been fascinating tech reporters and, well, just reporters around the world has been the bizarre tale of multimillionaire internet entrepreneur John McAfee – yes, that McAfee, whose antivirus software many readers have on their PCs – who remains on the run in Belize, after being named as “a person of interest” in the shooting dead of his neighbour, Gregory Faull, with police looking to interview him for their enquiries.

Unfortunately for San Pedro police, and to help with the enquiry into the late Mr Faull’s murder, McAfee has, to use an old-fashioned phrase, gone “on the lam” around the tiny country – a curious decision to make, yet one made even stranger (and attracting intense media attention) by his decision to start a blog, and to contact international media, both protesting his innocence and detailing the ways in which he has avoided Belize police, how he has disguised himself, and so on.

Perhaps the best, last word on this continuing situation (at the time of writing) should be left to Belize’s prime minister, Dean Barrow, who has said of McAfee’s evasion: “It strikes me that he is extremely paranoid ... I would go as far as saying he is completely bonkers.”

BYTES&PIECES

The sleek lines of Nintendo’s Wii U is very much in keeping with

modern design trends – and, thankfully, it’s got plenty of power,

too, along with a potentially very interesting controller (left)


Ibiza is great value with VW reliability

n CormaC Curtis

Sit ting in to the SEAt ibiza last month was a reassuring expe-rience for a number of reasons.

Firstly, the car simply had a very well-put-together feeling to it, but what really put me at ease was that SEAt were supplying me with pretty much the most standard spec of the ibiza range that anyone on these shores is likely to come across.

no leather uphol-stery, no heated seats and steering wheel, no 22” bling alloys, no premium sound system named after an electric guitar and it certainly didn’t make coffee… this was possibly the most honest car that i have been trusted to review in some time,

and SEAt are clearly more than confident that the car speaks for itself.

And it does.As i said, the ibiza is

a solid motor from the off, and you can feel it.

i actually watched a recent British motoring tV programme where two of the present-ers were blindfolded and given the task of assessing the interior build quality of two saloons – a silly bit of tV, but it did make me

think of the cars i have driven recently and how i would rate them in terms of value for money.

After i considered points of contact, such as the steering wheel, gear knob, window but-tons and audio/climate controls, as well as upholstery, dashboard materials and how the doors felt opening and closing, the ibiza was very hard to beat.

Cons ide r ing th i s car would be a good €10,000 less than most of the other cars i have tested in recent months, it was very difficult to look past it as top of the value heap.

Praisethe highest praise

from a passenger in the car came from my highly-critical other

half – she doesn’t suffer poor quality and has a bit of an obsession with the VW golf, but that didn’t stop her taking the words out my mouth and comparing the ibiza to the classic Volkswagen hatchback.

it has to be said that the ibiza 1.2 Style has a great deal more going for it than the golf ever did back in the day.

not only is the qual-ity bullet proof, but it comes with a serious shopping list of features as standard, some of the more eyebrow-raising additions are the very pretty 16” Stratos alloy wheels that match the body very nicely indeed, a tinted rear window, up-to-date new foglights with cornering, the rear view mirrors and door handles are heated and come in body colour.

As far as the illu-mination goes, there are sparking chromed headlights and rear LED lights.

going back to com-fort and points of con-tact, the gearstick and steering wheel are both leather, and the car comes with air condi-tioning and a stereo that has Bluetooth, USB and Aux connections to its six speakers.

So a spacious, five-door, economical motor with bang up-to-date styling and a host of extras for well under €16,000, what else are the 18- to 25-year-olds looking for these days?

this car represents some of the best value on the market and as part of the VW group, it should be every bit as reliable as its stable mates.

the ibiza comes with a serious shopping list of features as standard

Young artists invited to dream up carCrEAtiVE kids will be delighted to hear that toyota ireland have announced the launch of the annual Dream Car Art Contest. the national competition invites budding irish artists under the age of 16 to dream up their car of the future.

nine irish finalists will be awarded prizes which range from a nintendo DS, Digital Camera, iPod shuffle and art supply vouchers, as well as the chance to win an unforgettable trip to Japan if they are successful at a global level.

A panel of three judges, rtE presenter Diana Bunici, lecturer in Fine Art at nCAD Oliver Whelan and a representative from toyota ireland have the tough job of selecting three finalists in each age category (under 10 years, 10-12 years and 13-15 years) as the national winners. these winners will be announced in March 2013.

Young artists are being asked to draw or paint their vision of a Dream Car using standard art materials (digital submissions will not be accepted). All entries must be in colour and include a car and a background or setting on A3 size paper.

All submissions can be entered by dropping art work into an authorised toyota dealership or sending it to toyota ireland, Killeen rd, Dublin 12 and clearly mark it toyota Dream Car Art Contest. the submission must be accompanied by an entry form which can be downloaded from www.toyota.ie . the contest will be open until February 28, 2013.

the nine irish winners’ works will go on to compete against international winners for gold, silver and bronze in a global competition with a grand prize of a once-in-a lifetime trip to Japan.

seat: spacious, economical motor with up-to-date styling

NOISEroadOUT&ABOUT ga

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e

MOTORS

n 0 – 100km/hr: 13.9 secs

n top speed: 163km/h

n Co2 emissions : 125g/km

n tax Band: B

n Current tax rate:

€225

n Price: €15750 (metallic:

€345, as driven: €16,095)

specs: ibiza 1.2 style

at the launch of the annual toyota Dream Car art

Contest was tV presenter and competition judge

Diana Bunici. Diana was on hand at the radisson

Blu st Helen’s to help Kayla o’toole (5) and matthew

Lawless (6) kick-start their competition entries

29 November 2012 MALAHIDE GAZETTE 23

MOTORS

GAZETTEFEATURES

Continued from Page 17

However, Samantha’s career took another turn when she made her West End debut as Eponine in the classic musical, Les Miserables.

After a year in the part, she played this role again in the Les Miserables 25th anniversary concert at the O2 Arena in London in 2010.

Stunning news came when Cameron Mackin-tosh announced that The King’s Speech director Tom Hooper had cast her as Eponine in the upcom-ing Les Miserables Holly-wood movie.

Mackintosh made the announcement on stage during a curtain call of Oliver! in Manchester last February, and Samantha’s stunned reaction can be seen on YouTube.

“I was literally just as shocked and surprised as I looked,” said Samantha. “I still can’t even remem-ber [the moment]! It was just the most incredible moment of my life, where everything just changed in such a quick moment, and to have that on record

– that I can actually watch and go ‘Actually, that did happen; that wasn’t a dream’ – it’s really cool.”

Samantha later learned that she was chosen to play the part over other famous stars, such as Taylor Swift and Lea Michele.

“Whenever you go for a role, you always know that you’re up against all of these wonderful actresses – it’s just that you don’t necessarily know who they are.

“So, I just keep this as my motto: ‘I’m not going to gain anything by know-ing who I’m up against, or who’s been seen’. It’s not very productive and it’s not a positive energy to go in with into an audi-tion room.

“I just try to block that kind of gossip out of my mind, and be the best that I can be,” she said.

“You’ve got to be com-pletely 100%-focused on your audition and what you need to do – not what other people are doing.”

The Les Miserables film, which opens early next year, is set to be memora-ble for its music as all of

the singing was recorded live on set, instead of hav-ing the actors mime to the pre-recorded audio.

This allowed the actors to make their acting deci-sions spontaneously while in the heat of the moment.

Samantha appears in the film alongside Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman and Amanda Seyfried, and Barks is being touted for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination.

“It was fantastic. It was an amazing experience. The whole cast was a nice bunch of people.

Overwhelming“It was overwhelming

in one way to be work-ing with people like that, but also they were a nice bunch of people, so they made me feel as relaxed as I possibly could be,” she said.

“We were all supportive to each other, and it was amazing – just the whole fact that everybody had such support for each other. It was very excit-ing.”

So, from being a little

girl on the Isle of Man to becoming a Hollywood star on the rise, what advice does Samantha have to be successful?

“Literally, you have to work your socks off. You can’t just sort of let things happen, and sit back and go: ‘Oh yeah, that’ll hap-pen’, or ‘Why isn’t that happening for me?’

“I tend to just set my sights on something and then work as hard as I possibly can.

“Some things happen, some things just don’t. You need to not dwell on something when some-thing doesn’t work out for you. Use that negative energy and put it into the next thing that you want to happen.

“Celebrate your suc-cess, and don’t dwell on any failures that you might come across,” she advised.

Samantha has dreamed a dream, and it has come true. You can see her in action on stage in Oliver! at The Bord Gais Energy Theatre from December 12 to January 12, or on the big screen in Les Misera-bles from January 11.

Focused on her artTHEATRE: ACTRESS CHANNELS ‘POSITIVE ENERGY’

A feature of Samantha Bark’s role in the upcoming big-budget production of Les Miserables (above) will be live, on-set singing, adding extra vibrancy to her performance

24 malahide gazette 29 November 2012

OUT&ABOUT Gaze

tte

You’ll fall for lodge’s comfort and luxury laura webb

BAGS packed and ready to go – road-trip. I had heard of the stunning views of Sheen Falls Lodge at Kenmare in Kerry, so I was really looking forward to see-ing it for myself.

Checking the journey ahead, I was warned by my Sat-Nav that it would take more than four hours to get there from Dublin – so, it was time to get moving.

I picked up my friend,

Anne, and we were well on our way as we trav-elled down the M7.

Merging onto the M8 towards Cork, we decided to take a quick pit-stop.

Once we were fed and watered, it was back on the road, excited about the destination ahead.

On reaching Cork, we stayed on the N25 – or so we thought. It was our first wrong turn of the journey, and we were now heading towards Waterford – not the des-

tination we were looking for.

So, it was time to turn back and head back the way we came, but, unfor-tunately, it wasn’t the right way either.

After much circling around, we finally real-ised we should have con-tinued straight on the N25, rather than turning off to the left.

By the time we left Cork, it was dark and we were longing to be at Sheen Falls, but our nightmare journey didn’t

although tucked away in Co Kerry, the journey to Sheen Falls lodge is undoubtedly worth it, with its welcoming luxury and comfort – not to mention its wonderful location in the Kingdom

kerry: the lonG drive to kenmare is worth it – thanks to this hotel

stop there – diversion signs, oh dear!

We finally arrived and I have never been so happy to see accommodation.

On arrival, the staff were more than help-ful, and we were given a mini-tour of the lodge.

Our room was situated in the sailing quarter, and had spectacular views of the lake and forest, which were wonderfully lit to enhance their beauty at night.

Dinner at La Cascade was booked, a place where dressing up for the occasion is a must.

As we waited for our order, we were given a selection of artisan bread, which Anne was delight-ed to taste because she is currently studying pro-fessional baking.

The selection was Ital-ian herbs and seeded rye

bread, as well as some potato rolls. They were each freshly baked and cooked to perfection.

I had salmon for my starter, and venison for my main – both delicate-ly cooked, and comple-mented by flavour.

The lodge is situated just off the main road at Kenmare and is hidden away from the hustle and bustle of life.

It is an ideal place for a couple’s retreat, for those the hotel bedrooms are as inviting and comfortable as you could wish for

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

‘The whole feel of the lodge is pure relaxation, where you feel like you are a far cry from civilisation’- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

TRAVELfast

Take a oui break and celebrate the festive season in EuropeESCAPE the winter chill and embrace the festive season in one of Europe’s favourite cities with a perfect pre-Christmas getaway.

Stay three nights in romantic Prague from just €167 per person with GoHop.ie. The package includes return flights from Dublin, three night’s accommodation in a three-star hotel, and all taxes and charges, travelling on December 9.

Alternatively, see the sights of Copenhagen with a four-night stay in a four-star hotel, from just €300 per person, travelling on December 7.

Why not ring in the New Year beneath the Eiffel Tower with a five-night stay in a four-star hotel in Paris? Travelling on December 29, the package is available from just €348 per person. All prices include return flights from Dublin, accommodation, taxes and charges.

For more winter break offers, see www.gohop.ie/specials.php.

Step back in time at Strokestown ParkFOR any family looking for a Christmas Day out with a difference this festive season, then perhaps taking a trip back to Victorian times could lead you straight to Strokestown Park in Co Roscommon.

Visitors will be greeted at The Woodland Walk Cafe and travel through the secret tunnel into the underground rooms of Strokestown House – for the very first time – where guests will meet Santa’s Elves and enjoy a delicious hot chocolate.

While children will have a chance to meet Mr and Mrs Claus, adults will enjoy the old-world Christmas gift shop with Irish crafts, magical books and a chance to create a personal Christmas hamper.

A family ticket (two adults and three children) is priced at €50; single adult tickets are €7, while tickets for children availing of the whole magical experience are priced at €15. All bookings, including group bookings for larger groups and schools, can be made at www.strokestownpark.ie.

29 November 2012 MALAHIDE gAzEttE 25

Travel

Although tucked away in Co Kerry, the journey to Sheen Falls Lodge is undoubtedly worth it, with its welcoming luxury and comfort – not to mention its wonderful location in the Kingdom

who just want to enjoy each others’ company, to relax and maybe try out some of the many attrac-tions the lodge has to offer, such as fishing, fal-conry, clay pigeon shoot-ing, tennis and horse-rid-ing, to name but a few.

After some gentle exer-cise, a spa treatment is a must and that is what we decided to do the morn-ing after we arrived.

However, before our treatments, it was time for some breakfast, which was served at the restau-rant we ate at the night before.

Seeing the view during the day was even more magnificent. The whole feel of the lodge is pure relaxation, where you feel like you are a far cry from civilisation.

Again, the food was well presented and tasted

as good as it looked. We were offered a

European-style buffet with pastries, fruit, cereal and yogurts among other things, or you could order Sheen Falls breakfast specials such as pan-cakes, omelettes, French toast or a good aul’ Irish brekkie.

Full to the brim, it was time to relax and attend our treatments at the health club. The Sheen Falls Health Club offers an array of treatments, from massages to mani-cures – it caters for a full body experience.

I was treating myself to a Yonka Aromastone 60-minute massage.

This was a hot stone massage that would relax even the tightest of muscles. There are two types: a full body or a back, shoulder and neck

massage.I received the latter

massage, which is con-sidered the better option for an hour’s treatment.

Again, the staff could not have been nicer, and worked wonders on making Anne and me feel more relaxed, and we both ended up feel-ing like we were on cloud nine.

The return journey took a little over four hours, which showed that the day before had just been one of those disaster trips – but we weren’t at all put off by the journey, and would go back in a heartbeat.

While I would admit that this lodge isn’t easy on the pocket, you do have to pay that little extra for life’s luxuries and, for me, Sheen Falls is luxury at its best.

Gazette

Support Leinster Rugby in ClermontWHILE Round Three of the Heineken Cup will no doubt prove to be Leinster’s most difficult assignment when they travel to Clermont and face the former French Top 14 Champions this December, the sporting clash will be a must-see.

Joe Walsh Tours have a selection of flights and overnight packages available for the game, as well as official match tickets from €359, plus tax.

Departing on December 8 for one night, the package includes direct return flights from Dublin to Clermont, including hotel transfer, one checked-in bag and one night at the three-star Kyriad Prestige, or the four-star Holiday Inn Garden Court, in Clermont city centre, on a B&B basis. The package also includes transfer to Stadium Marcel Michelin, and back to the airport on December 9.

For further details, or to book your package, see www.joewalshtours.ie/leinster, telephone 01 241 0800, or email [email protected].

TRAVELfast

Escape to Malta’s sun for ChristmasWITH some choosing to revel in the winter weather when it comes to Christmas time, sometimes a break away is exactly the winter warmer that you really need.

Whatever your Christmas budget, Concorde Travel is offering a range of packages to whisk you away to the island of Malta. Packages are available for three or seven nights, in a wide range of accommodation.

Depart on December 21 for seven nights and stay at the three-star St George’s Park & La Vallette, from €594PP; stay at the four-star Hotel Maritim Antonine, from €634PP, or stay at the four-star Hotel Cavalieri, €704PP. Travel on Christmas Eve and spend seven nights at the four-star Cavalieri, from €670PP, or treat yourself at the five-star Radisson Blu Bay Point, from €764PP.

The Christmas packages include return flights, taxes, transfers and accommodation. To book your Christmas break, see www.concordetravel.ie, or phone 01 775 9300.

Splash out on – or in – any of the hotel’s many features,

all designed to leave you relaxed and refreshed

MalahideClaSSiFiedS 26 Malahide gazette 29 November 2012

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29 November 2012 malahide Gazette 27

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

zett

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volunteers: fanaGan named adult manaGer of the year at the aviva stadium

third time uNlucky for louGhraN: FORMER Mount Anville student Sine-ad Loughran was left on the runners-up side for a third consecutive year in the NCAA hockey championship final as University of North Carolina fell to Princeton 3-2.

For each of the past three years, UNC have fallen at the final hurdle by the same scoreline after epic runs to the final of the competition.

Loughran’s univer-sity had won their regional confer-ence before beating Syracuse 6-1 – who featured fellow Dub-liners Emma Russell, Liz McInerney and Gillian Pinder – with Loughran on the score sheet in the national semi-final.

local heroes honoured for selfless services to sportLORETO hockey club member Sally Ann Fanagan was honoured this week with the Adult Manager of the Year Award at the Irish Sport Coun-cil’s National Awards to Volunteers in Sport in the Aviva Stadium.

Fanagan was awarded the gong fol-lowing an amazing service to Irish hockey, taking over as the Irish senior women’s team manager in 2006.

During her tenure, she amassed 155 caps before she retired in June, taking in three European championships, two Olympic qualifiers, two Champions

Challenge campaigns and one World Cup qualifier.

The awards are a collaboration between the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, the Irish Sports Council and the Federation of Irish Sport which represents over 70 sports in Ireland.

In attendance at the event was Min-ister of State for Tourism and Sport Michael Ring who acknowledged the exceptional work of the honoured vol-unteers in sport

“For me all our winners epitomise

true sportsmen and women who not alone get a great deal out of sport but perhaps just as importantly put a huge amount into sport,” he said.

Also on the list of award winners was Cormorant swimming club coach Mar-ian Fenton, martial arts administrator Brendan Dowling and Gymnastics Ire-land’s Mary Murray.

Blackrock Flyers founders Colm and Shelagh Leech also received one of the awards on the back of the fan-tastic work they have done in disability sports and in particular, the Special

Olympics. The Leeches have been volunteers

with Special Olympics for over 15 years during which time they have taken on a variety of different roles working at national, regional and local club levels. Their daughter, Tara, is a participant in the Special Olympics in gymnastics, basketball, athletics and golf.

In 1989 the couple were among a group of parents to establish a Special Olympics Club in Bray before they went on to found a further club in Blackrock.

former irish women’s hockey manager Sally ann fanagan, centre, celebrates her national volunteer award with, left to right, alex Speers, lisa Jacob and emma Gray

wakeboardinG P29sPorts awards P28 asdfsdaf P27

Fastsport

c o n ta c t sacting Sports

editor: Stephen findlater

[email protected]

for more information or to send in news

and photos: [email protected]

Phone: 01 651 6205

Gaelic Games P31

[email protected]

FINGAL Cricket Development Officer Reinhardt Strydom, with the help of Simi Singh, recently presented an ICC introduction to coaching course in the Fingal area.

The course was delivered at Corduff Sport Centre, Blanchard-stown last week and was attended by 13 participants who were rep-resented by clubs from different areas of Fingal and Leinster.

The course ran for four hours explaining the basic laws of cricket, how the game works

and to show different small sided games that can be played in the schoolyard.

The session started with a demonstration of how the game of cricket works along with the basic rules with a layout of a cricket field.

Following that, batting was demonstrated with the grip and stance shown along with the exe-cution of the forward drive.

The bowling element concen-trated initially on the basic action before progressing to run-ups and follow-throughs.

To finish, the teachers were

shown hand-eye co-ordination skills and games and also four dif-ferent cricket games to play with their students.

These games included Pairs cricket and Continuous cricket.

Participants arriving with lit-tle or no knowledge of cricket learned a lot over the four hours.

“They left understanding the game better, had fun, learned to bat and bowl and were all looking forward to trying out these games with their relevant classes.

This will hugely help the growth of cricket in Fingal and special thanks have to go to all

the schools and teachers who attended.

“A very successful course with many positive outcomes resulted from the day’s activities.

“The council are committed to developing sport in Fingal and cricket is a major part of that plan.

“This programme gives teach-ers the basic skills of the game and enables them to pass on what they have learned to their students through fun and active games,” said Niall Mc Guirk, sen-ior sports development office for Fingal County Council.

Fingal host cricket coaching development event

Recent participants in one of the ICC introduction to

coaching courses

SPORTGaze

tte

28 MALAHIDE gAzEttE 29 November 2012

HSTARof the

MONTHsean byrnest JOsePH’s striker sean byrne pro-duced a fine showing for the republic of Ireland as he got on the mark for the U-16s as they played out a highly competitive pair of matches against estonia.

HTEAMof the

MONTH

2012 dUblIn sPOrts awards nOvember nOmInees

barry mUrPHytHe alsaa swimmer broke a string of national records to show his form at the european short course champion-ships in Chartres, France. He topped his best mark in the 50m butterfly and the 50m breaststroke.

ava HUtCHInsOnlOndOn Olympian ava Hutchinson picked off the national intercounty cross country title, showing her form leading into the european champi-onships with victory in the senior women’s race.

WITH winter closing in, local stars are continuing to warm the sports landscape with a string of blistering performances. Dundrum South Dublin AC’s runners claimed the most of the first major cross-country crowns of the winter with Ava Hutchinson’s performance chief among them. A string of local soccer stars are forging their way into Republic of Ireland squads while Barry Murphy’s record-breaking feats were part of an immaculate Irish swimming team overall performance.

From a team perspective, November has seen numerous clubs shine on the Leinster GAA scene but none more so than Castleknock’s footballers. From a collective perspective, Lucan Sarsfields’ immaculate work at underage level has borne fruit in abundance as they annexed their 20th camogie title in six seasons. Swords Celtic have similarly blazed a trail on the soccer front.

CastleknOCk JUnIOr FOOtballleInster junior championship glory was annexed last sunday to go with dublin honours as they had too much in the tank for st Fintan’s last week-end at Parnell Park. a truly breath-taking season continues.

swOrds CeltICaFter an eighth successive win at the start of the month, swords Celtic have rocketed to the top of the lsl junior leagues and look in great shape for promotion up to the intermediate ranks as the midway mark nears.

lUCan sarsFIelds CamOGIea memOrable month for the 12th lock club, their minors won a third suc-cessive a championship - the fifth top tier underage in quick succession - while three of their senior team have been added to the dublin panel.

dublinGazettenewspapers

TALENTED Killiney native David O’Caoimh ended his year with a tenth place finish at the final wakeboarding world cup event in Palembang, Indonesia last Sunday.

Despite negotiating 33 degree heats, the teen-ager did well to storm his way through the qualify-ing heats but he came unstuck at the semi-final stage whilst performing one of his most technical tricks.

Nonetheless, the result continued his rise into the top 20 in the world in a growing sport that is looking toward poten-tial inclusion in the 2020 Olympic Games.

It is quite the achieve-ment for the 18-year-old who, despite the elements in Ireland working against the sport in many respects

– the climate one of the major factors – he has been making waves on the international scene.

O’Caoimh has been on the water for the guts of three quarters of his life, first following in his par-ents footsteps. They were keen windsurfers and introduced him to that sport initially during sum-mer holidays in Cavan but he soon graduated to the wakeboard, a hybrid of water-skiing, snowboard-ing and surfing with added gymnastics.

Pulled along by a speed-

boat at 20 to 25 miles per hour, competitors use the wake of the boat to per-form flips and spins to spectacular effect.

And, since the turn of the year, O’Caoimh has been one of the foremost protagonists, training on the ice cold waters of Ire-land year-round.

In 2012, his winning season kicked off when he won the gold medal in the junior men’s division at the European wake-boarding championships in South Africa in Febru-ary.

It led to an invite to the prestigious wakeboard world cup in Australia to which only the top 20 male riders in the world are selected.

There, he was up against full-time profes-sional wakeboarders from

all over the world, manag-ing to take fifth place.

A few weeks later he went on to compete at the US Wake Games and took bronze in the junior pro men’s category.

He then defended his national pro title in Ireland and, a fortnight

afterwards, he took the top spot at the Irish open wakeboard champion-ships.

From there, it was off to Germany to compete at the prestigious Chill and Ride international com-

O’Caoimh flying high in the wakeboarding world Killiney teenager has entered the wakeboarding world’s top 20 with stellar performances in Asia, South Africa and Australia all while continuing his studies in Ireland

Killiney man David O’Caoimh has produced an incredible year on the world wakeboarding scene

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‘I am so happy to have had such a fantastic season and I’m really delighted with my titles’ - David O’Caoimh- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

ST Luke’s National School in Tyrrelstown cre-ated history for their school by winning the first ever GAA trophy this week when they won the final of the Dublin 15 local schools league, played in Parnell Park against Tyrrelstown Edu-cate Together.

Both teams brought large numbers of support-ers who created a fantastic atmosphere in the ground.

St Luke’s shaded a close match and were inspired by their midfield duo of Michael Afuye and Chris Sombete. The match showcased a huge level of school pride and team spirit and proved a fantastic day for the young people of Tyrrelstown.

Speaking about the game, St Luke’s teacher Kris O’Connor said: “The whole school is extremely proud of their boys, who remained undefeated for the duration of the league and represented the school with great dignity.

“The victory has done huge things for GAA in the school and has provided encouragement for younger children to get involved. Hopefully, this is the first of many trophies to be won by the children of St Luke’s National School.”

O’Connor was part of the team’s coaching team along with Conor Lynch who gave their own time to train, coach and mentor the boys along the road to their success, fostering a strong commitment in the team.

St Luke’s create school history in Parnell Parkpetition where, for the

second year in a row, he won the gold.

Speaking about the incredible run of results, O’Caoimh said: “I am so happy to have had such a fantastic season and I’m really delighted with my titles.”

While many of his opponents can afford to compete full-time, O’Caoimh is currently combining competing with his studies.

Despite travelling to Asia, Australia, South Afri-ca, the USA and Europe to train and compete, he managed to find time to sit the Leaving Certificate and is currently in first year at UCD.

But he is hoping that by the time he finishes col-lege, he could be looking at an Olympic campaign. Wakeboarding has been shortlisted for the 2020 Olympic Games and the world championships are now held under the aus-pices of the IOC.

In addition, the first Wakeboard Cable Park has recently been given planning approval and is expected to open in the Dublin Docklands next spring.

stephen [email protected]

Fastsport

Gazette 29 november 2012 MalahiDe gazette 29

Polar Plunge set for 40 FootTHE fourth annual Polar Plunge will take place on Saturday, December 1 from 11.30am at the Forty Foot in Sandycove with all funds raised going to Special Olympics Ireland.

Participants are requested to raise €25 to plunge into the Irish Sea.

Refreshments will be available afterwards while the Newtown-park gospel choir and the Howth coast-guard will provide entertainment.

For more informa-tion, go to www.specialolympics.ie/easternregion while you can request spon-sorship cards from Brenda or Paul on 01 891 2000 or [email protected].

leinster league div 2aMalahide 18

Gorey 11

[email protected]

WITH just a single point separating the sides in second and third place, Malahide edged out Gorey for a vital win in their promotion bid, set-ting up a huge top of the table clash with Kilken-ny next weekend.

In a game that was always going to be tight the opening encounters were strangely one-sided with Malahide quickly on the front foot against a sluggish Gorey.

First, the Estuary

Road side disrupted a Gorey ruck and flanker Deaglan O’Connor was on hand to pounce on the loose ball and score the game’s first try.

A subsequent loose pass fell into the hands of Malahide wing Eoin Barber who easily beat the covering defenders to double the lead and, five minutes later, things got even worse for Gorey.

A sweeping Malahide move finished with Rich-ie Forbes chipping for the corner, again Barber won the foot race to put a third try on the board inside 15 minutes.

Gorey finally started

to get a foothold to stem the flow of attacks, man-aging to maintain some possession of their own without truly threat-ening bar one penalty before half-time brought the game back to 15-3.

Malahide bossed the early phases of the sec-ond period but, on the hour mark, Gorey opted to kick deep into the Malahide half.

Although the home side won the lineout some good Gorey pres-sure forced the home team back towards their own line.

A knock-on resulted in a scrum to Malahide

just 5m out from their own line. Pressure on scrum half Brendan Carpenter saw his pass fall at the feet of Colin Corkery and when he was unable to gather it, Gorey’s flanker had the simple task of diving on the loose ball.

Despite all of Mala-hide’s early dominance, that left just one score between the teams at 15-8.

They responded by pounding the Gorey line and were twice held up over the line and were stopped just short on a number of occasions.

Eventually, Malahide

decided to take the pen-alty points when Gorey were caught offside and Brendan Carpenter’s kick gave the home team some breathing space.

This was shortlived, however, as Gorey broke from their own half to the Malahide 22 and the home team conceded a penalty in front of the posts.

The successful pen-alty left the score at 18-11 with just minutes remaining but that was how it remained, mak-ing it six wins on the spin ahead of Malahide’s top of the table date with Kilkenny.

Malahide win six on the spin

ruGby: barber’s double propels estuary road into second

Malahide’s Eoin Barber outpaces the cover to score one of his two tries against Gorey last week

sPOrtGaze

tte


ON THE verge of a comeback fight that turned a lot of heads on the Irish scene, unfortunately it would seem that Oisin Gael Force Fagan’s dream to fight Chris Good-win for the WBF World Lightweight Cham-pionship has been stalled due to the failure of Goodwin’s promoters, Fight Options, to send the decorated 38-year-old a contract.

The fight had been scheduled to take place on Saturday, December 15 in the Neptune Arena in Cork, and speaking to GazetteSport last month, Fagan claimed that “everything has been agreed but no contract has been signed.

Fagan who has previously traded leather with legends of the division such as Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr and Paul Spadafora, was confident ahead of his comeback and believed he has every chance of pulling off a shock when he faced off against Good-win, claiming: “I think they are relying on the fact that I’m 15 years his elder and I’m coming up to nearly two years since my last professional bout.

“They think ‘this lad hasn’t fought’ and that I’m out of shape, but they’re in for a surprise come the 15th.”

The fact that Chris Goodwin’s sister had been injured in a car crash was also being cited as the reason that a contract hadn’t been sent.

“But after the champion himself declared that he was willing to fight, Fagan has been left in limbo before the fight which is due to take place in just over two weeks time.

Speaking after the contract difficulties had emerged, Fagan said: “I got in touch with his promotional company and asked them for a contract, as I hadn’t been offered one.

“Then I get a message saying it’s off. I’m gutted.

“I don’t know what the issue is. A contract should be the first thing a fighter is offered.”

Fagan angry over goodwin last-gasp cancellation

Fastsport

St SyLvEStEr’S celebrated the club’s suc-cess in 2012 on the intercounty scene with a special presentation last week.From left to right, Stephen Cunningham

(All-Ireland minor football) Kevin O’Flynn (All-Ireland minor hurling finalist), Gary Sweeney (U-21 football All-Ireland winner), Sinead Aherne, Conor Ryan (All-Ireland minor football) and Fionn Carney (U-21 Football All-Ireland winners), displayed their respective trophies.

Malahide club celebrate a brilliant year in blue

sylvester’s stars

football: bannigan’s men denied by a point

Club notiCeboard

Padraig Bracken on the charge for St Sylvester’s against Na Fianna in Balgriffin last Sunday

syl’s comeback just short in league final

[email protected]

S T S Y LV E S T E R ’ S minors advanced from group two of the A championship as they picked off a draw against St Vincent’s last week-end.

The 0-10 to 1-7 result was built off the back of a late, great point from a tight angle by Mark

Hazley, earning a home quarter-final despite always being the chas-ers against the Marino men.

Collie Byrne fisted the goal late in the second half to bring Sylvester’s back into the game before Hazley tied up the result.

They are now set for a date against Castle-

knock on December 9 in Broomfield in the last eight.

On the hurling side, the Malahide club will meet St Oliver Plun-kett’s/Eoghan Ruadh in the last eight of the B championship next Sun-day after they advance from the group stages.

They closed out the group phase with a 1-10

to 0-8 win over Erin’s Isle.

It was a very close encounter throughout and was level with 10 minutes to go, before the Malahide side kept their composure and scored two late points and a last-minute goal to pin down their place in the knockout phases of the competition.

Minor sides both into quarter-finals

afl division one finalna fianna 1-11

st sylvester’s 1-10

[email protected]

ST SYLVESTER’S came up just short of winning their second AFL1 title in three years when Na Fianna beat the Mala-hide team by one point with a late rally by Gabriel Bannigan’s men not doing enough.

It was clear that Na Fianna didn’t want to add to their 33 years without a league title when they came out of the blocks at a furious pace, considerably pull-ing away from Syl’s who

were down 0-6 to 0-1 with just over 10 minutes on the clock.

However, the Church Road men were well used to the intensity of the game having come off a big win against the seemingly unbeatable Ballymun Kickhams in the semi-final playoff.

Micheal McCarthy, Nigel Dunne and Darren Clarke pegged the Glas-nevin team’s dominance back before the interval, with the side’s going in at 0-8 to 0-5 at the break.

After another point went over for Na Fianna at the start of the sec-ond stanza, Syl’s showed

great fighting spirit again by scoring three consec-utive points to put them back amongst it, with two from Louth star Clarke and another from Dunne keeping their league hopes alive.

With six minutes left on the clock, Na Fianna smashed the ball forward to clear their lines.

Paddy Quinn man-aged to take control of the loose ball before putting it beyond the Syl’s goalkeeper to put Na Fianna a comfortable four points ahead at 1-11 to 0-10.

The ever present John Coughlan rose above all

the Na Fianna defenders to get on the end of sub-stitute Alan Foy’s floated free kick from the right hand side to fist home and put Syl’s within a point of the pace, but it proved to be too little too late.

Na Fianna played down the clock to the frustration of Banni-gan’s men who would have liked something to show from a tough season that saw them work together as a team despite some big injuries early on in the year that had the potential to push them off the pace of the league.

gazette 29 November 2012 MALAHIDE gAzEttE 31

AFL1 league final - St Sylvester’s 1-11

Na Fianna 1-12. Our senior football

team suffered an agonising one point

defeat to Na Fianna in the league

final.

Two single score losses shouldn’t

detract from a very good year of

excellent performances and results.

Congratulations to Na Fianna who

lost in last year’s final.

Minor Fooball Championship, St Vin-

cent’s 0-10 St Sylvester’s 1-7.

Mark Hazley scored the vital late

point to earn a draw. Colm Byrne

contributed the second half goal to

bring us back into contention. The

result leaves us at the top of a very

competitive group.

The minor hurlers play St Oliver

Plunkett’s next Sunday morning

December 2 at 11am in the quarter

final of the championship.

The U-21 hurlers play away to Par-

nell’s in Chanel next Saturday after-

noon December 1 at 2.15pm in the

quarter final of the championship.

At juvenile level, the U-14B team won

their league with a convincing victory

in their final match.

John Maughan lived up to his name

steering his team to produce a big

performance when it mattered most.

Well done to everyone involved.

The club house has been very taste-

fully renovated. Come in and visit.

The Lotto jackpot this week is a nice

even €2,000. Play and win on www.

stsylvesters.ie

naomh mearnog

fingallians

st sylvester’s

WELL done to our Under-21 footballers

who defeated Clanna Gael to qualify for

the next round of the championship.

This was a fantastic performance by

a group of players who have put in a lot

of hard work over the last few weeks.

We wish a speedy recovery to Eric

Stears who suffered an injury during

the game.

Congratulations also to our Under-

13 ladies football team who won their

league. This is the third consecutive

year that these girls have won the

league.

Congratulations to Portmarnock CS

on winning the Dublin Under-16 hurling

title. Virtually all of the team are club

players and they richly deserved the

title.

We send our best wishes to Fiona

and John Connor on the birth of their

daughter Aoife.

All mentors are asked to contact the

organising committee of the Christ-

mas card project to update them on

sales and progress in general.

There is a survey on the home page

of our website www.naomhmearnog.

ie. All members are asked to take a few

minutes and fill it in.

The very popular Sunday evening fun

quiz resumed at the weekend and will

take place again at 6pm next Sunday.

First prize is a turkey voucher. All are

welcome.

The white collar boxing tournament

takes place on December 8. Please

support the lads.

Further dates for your diary: annual

Mass is on December 15; married vs

singles hurling and football games

on St Stephen’s Day. The hurling is

at 12pm; the football is immediately

afterwards.

The AGM is on January 10 and the

chairman’s dinner is on February 2.

APPLICATIONS are invited for the

positions of senior team football

manager and selectors. The clos-

ing date for applications is Monday,

December 3. Applications should be

forwarded to [email protected].

A big thank you to the big crowd

who attended Thursday night’s

AGM. The following committee was

elected: John McGee, chairman;

Aidan Scully, vice chairman; Cáit

Ni Cheallaigh, secretary; Fear-

gal O’Hanrahan, treasurer; David

McKittrick, assistant secretary;

Declan Kelly, assistant treasurer;

Eoin Cullen, player’s Rep and Paul

Gormley, PRO.

Our Friday night social football

is going from strength to strength

and again we are looking to grow

our numbers. At 8pm each week we

would like to invite new members in

the 35-plus age bracket.

A midweek email will go out to all

members and friends from the club

shop with an order form for Christ-

mas. It will also be available on www.

fingallians.com

Poker Night as usual next Friday,

November 30 (last Friday of the

month) is in the club bar. New play-

ers are most welcome and entry

(Texas Hold’em) will be €10.

Our bric-a-brac sale on Satur-

day and cake sale for the U-11s were

great sucesses.

all of your malahide sports coverage from page 27-31 november 29, 2012

syl’s stopped: Malahide club’s lengthy journey in pursuit of AFL1 glory falls short at f inal hurdle p31

GazetteSPORT

malahide united’s colm deasy in action for

the boys in green

peter carroll

[email protected]

MALAHIDE United duo Robbie Duggan and Colm Deasy played pivotal roles as Ireland U-16s faced Estonia last week.

The Irish won the Tuesday game 2-0, before going on to draw the Thursday fixture 1-1.

On a blustery afternoon in Bal-lyowen Park, Ireland managed the victory through a brace from Ips-wich Town’s Cemal Ramadan.

The enthusiastic striker bagged his first on the 26th minute after an extended spell of Irish pressure in which Conor Melody was heav-ily involved, opening up the play

for Ramadan whose clean finish found its way past the Estonian stopper, Andreas Vaikla.

Playing on the shoulder of his marker, Ramadan pounced on the distracted opposition’s back four for his second on the 53rd minute, timing his run perfectly before dou-bling his tally with a fine finish.

On Thursday in game two, Ire-land and Estonia left honours even from the SDFL complex.

However, the first half did pro-vide two goals with Adam McDon-nell taking the first after Tom Fields forced a stop from the keeper from a Sean Byrne cross with 15 min-utes on the clock.

The lead didn’t last long how-

ever, with Estonia restoring parity only three minutes later when Ras-mus Tauts intercepted a pass sent out from the Irish defence, which left him one on one with Evan Gaffney who could only watch the ball sail over his head from a fan-tastic lobbed finish.

Both sides had chances to win the game, but the conditions didn’t allow the play to flow as most would have liked. But Irish man-ager Tom O’Connor took a lot of positives from the two games.

“With the changes that we made we weren’t as fluid as we looked on Tuesday but we did start off bright-ly,” said Tom O’Connor.

“It was a very good exercise.

Everybody has had a lot of play-ing time over the two games and that was the priority this week. In patches we played like we want to play but we did concede a goal from sloppy passing so we’ll have to eradicate that and the only way to do that is by constantly working on it.

“It doesn’t end now. We’re con-stantly assessing players and will continue to do that. The attitude over the four days has been excel-lent.

“We’ll look to have a two-day training camp and then look for a friendly in March before the tour-nament in the AUL at the end of the season.”

Malahide duo shine for Ireland

NOveMbeR’S SPORTS STARS: This month’s nominees for the GazetteSport awards p28

malahide

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