meath echo

ECHOECHOMeath

Issue 138 - August 2011

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New Ashbourne Lotto MillionaireThere were great celebrations at National Lottery offices last week, as Ireland’s latest Lotto millionaire picked up her prize worth €1.3 mil-lion, which was a half share of last Saturday’s Lotto jackpot. The lucky €6 Quick Pick ticket was bought in Applegreen, the Rath, Ashbourne, Co. Meath on the day of the draw.The delighted lady from Co. Meath, who wishes to keep her win private, was watching the draw live on Sat-urday night when she realised her numbers were being called out. “I watched the draw live on Satur-day night,” explained the lucky lady. “I was in complete shock when I re-alised I had won. I still am. We must have checked the ticket 100 times just to be certain I had won.” The lucky lady who is a regular Lotto player plans to continue play-ing the lottery: “I have already done Monday Million and Lotto this week. You’d never know, I might be coming back in here to collect an-other cheque.” Plans for the win include “Paying

off a few debts including the mort-gage and some bank loans, going on a nice holiday and possibly upgrad-ing the car.”National Lottery good causes ben-efit from all National Lottery draws, with one third of all sales (approx.) going to fund Beneficiary projects around the country, as designated by Government.

Since the National Lottery was launched, over €3.6 billion has been raised for good causes. This level of funding has made a significant difference to communities, pro-jects and individuals in the areas of Youth, Sports, Recreation, Ameni-ties, Health, Welfare, Arts, Culture, National Heritage and the Irish Lan-guage.

Book Your Tickets For the Semi - Final of

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Adults€8 Children €5

Address: 2 Main Street, Ratoath, Co. Meath Tel: 01-8257204

Email: [email protected]

ReginaDOHERTY TD

Office HoursMonday - Friday

9.30am - 5pm

Meath Echo Advert.indd 1 11/08/2011 16:17:23

4 years - 6 Years 3.15 - 4.00 Tuesdays Ratoath Community Ctr

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TAEKWONDO, A Way Of Life

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Ratoath Chamber of Commerce are delighted to be hosting another fes-tival for the community & businesses of Ratoath this September. On Sep-tember 10th, part of the main street will be transformed into a vibrant & buzzing hub of activity with an array of stalls, entertainment and festival fever. Businesses are being encour-aged to get involved by either selling

raffle tickets from their base to help raise funds for the festival (for which there are some fantastic prizes!), hir-ing a stall to promote their business or helping to officially kick start the festivities on the Friday night. Chair-person for the festival committee, Bee Flanagan hopes to see businesses do their bit on the “Fiver Fridays”. ( Cont. Page 3 )

Two Festivals For South Meath

File Photo

Call 01 [email protected]

JohnHenderson

To advertise phone: 01 8254434 or 086 33 555 60. The Meath Echo is the best read FREE Newspaper in County Meath. Sub Editor, Gordon Adamson. Proofing, Lynsey Dreaper. URL www.meathecho.ie email: [email protected] EC

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Next Issue Details

Printing: 16th Sept 2011Advert deadline: 10am Wednesday 14th Sept 2011

Next Issue 17th Sept 2011

To advertise in the Meath Echo, call 01 8254434 or email [email protected] Meath Echo, the best read column-based newspaper in the County.

Ghost Towns

Sub EditorGordon Adamson

www.Tele.ie

A sign has recently appeared in SuperValu Ratoath that says something along the lines of ‘We are missing 25 red bas-kets, please return’. For God’s sake people, I know times are hard but really is this what we’ve been reduced to, stealing red baskets from supermar-kets. What are you using them for anyway? Are there children waking up on their birthdays and instead of the requested PS3 or iPhone find themselves unwrapping a red plastic shopping basket. I keep think-ing I’m going to walk through the housing estate of Ratoath and see a group of forlorn chil-dren desperately trying to en-tertain themselves with a red shopping basket because their parents have had to sell their BMX’s to pay the mortgage.Since I saw that sign in Su-perValu I must admit I have become quite obsessed with it. 25 baskets missing ... so

did 25 different people come to SuperValu and make off with a basket or did one per-son steal all 25 baskets and if so what in the name of God is he or she doing with them? Is this basket pilferer restrict-ing his basket appropriation to SuperValu in Ratoath? It stands to reason that if he’s collecting baskets from one supermarket he’s more than likely doing the same in oth-ers. Who has a need for all these baskets? Maybe it’s the owner of another SuperValu. No not really, that is of course is just a joke. Let me make it clear that, neither the Meath Echo or any of its affiliates think that the owner of any other SuperValu is responsi-ble for the theft of baskets. We know they didn’t do it be-cause we hacked their phones. But this is a measure of my obsession with the baskets. It has me casting a suspicious eye over everyone I come in to contact with. Also I would urge the people at SuperValu to keep us informed. I don’t want that sign to remain at 25 missing baskets and then

be taken down. I want up-dates. I want to know how many are being returned and how many new ones are go-ing missing. I want other su-permarkets to get involved so we can have some sort of league table. Then we can set up a fantasy basket league. It’s a bit like the obsession I had a few years ago with those signs at the side of the roads that told you how many people from that county had died in the last couple of years. Man I was completely obsessed with them for a while. I’d be driv-ing along and I’d see a sign saying, 64 people have died on the roads of Kildare in the last 2 years.’ And I’d think to myself, ‘not bad, not bad at all Kildare ... but you’ve got a lot of catching up to do if you want to get close to Offaly’s figure. They must be throwing themselves in front of trucks down there. And as for those Wacky Racers in Tipperary, come on Kildare ... you can do better.’ So that obviously was an unhealthy and, I real-ise, highly offensive obsession. Which is why I’m quite excited

about my new missing basket obsession. Think of the fun we could have if other supermar-kets got involved and we set up a fantasy basket league. Think how much more fun going shopping would be. For once men would be delighted to go and do the big shop. The lovely ladies could put their feet up for an hour while all the men headed off to the supermarket and we’d meet up at the deli

counter and compare notes and swap baskets or super-markets or whatever way it will work. I’m not sure, I haven’t worked out all the details yet. But whatever way it works it’s got to be more fun than the upcoming football season where we’ll just be watch-ing Manchester City buying up the entire Arsenal squad in the ‘who’s got the biggest cheque book’ competition.

The War Of The Baskets

Students from ChungDoKwan Ireland during their training seminar in Portugal in July. (L-R) Kellie Walshe - Ratoath, Master Joeo Correia - Portugal, Carly O’Neill- Ratoath, Adam Daly - Finglas, Matthew Short/Doyle - Ratoath, Master Nuno Damaso - Portugal & Alan Mc Loughlin - Finglas.

Last week, Joe Doyle post-ed a picture on Facebook of a kid’s buggy-type car in the Riverwalk in Ratoath and asked did anyone know who owned it. The child’s toy had obvously been taken from a nearby housing estate and left in the Riverwalk. It got me to thinking about the amount of toys that are left out in people’s front gardens not only in the summer, but all year round. Bikes, cars, scooters and flickers are so sought after by children for Christmas and birthdays and once received, are left in the front garden. I was speaking to a garda friend who said that the thieft of children’s toys is on the in-crease and people should take care to either lock them away or bring them into the house. When I was first moved to Meath, I was at a resident’s meeting when one of those at the meeting stated that it was like living in North Belfast during the troubles when you had to check under your car before you moved it. In his case, he was referring to children’s toys being left behind his car in his garden. With any recession comes crime. May I suggest, for no other reason than that children’s toys are expen-sive, that you bring in your children’s toys or lock them away at night. It would be not be nice to see your child heartbroken if they discover that their birthday or Christ-mas present has been tak-en.

ChunDoKwan Taekwondo Irealnd

Bettystown flood prevention

measures a wel-come move

says Hannigan.

A move to prevent flooding in flood prone housing estates in the Bettystown area, has been welcomed by Meath TD Dominic Hannigan.

A fund of €22,500 has been allocated un-der the Flood Works and Coastal Protec-tion Scheme, to relocate pipes at the East-ham Stream, Bettystown.

“Some parts of the Eastham Road have had significant problems with flooding in recent years. From time to time residents have had to sandbag their driveways in an effort to keep water from the overflowing stream, out of their homes,” said Hannigan.

The Office of Public Works had now given Meath County Council funding to remove and relocate parts of the Eastham stream’s pipework.

“I understand the work will take about four weeks to complete and I would urge the council to make it a priority,” Deputy Hannigan concluded..

Deputy DominicHANNIGANFor AppointmentCall 041-980 1801e-mail [email protected] www.dominichannigan.com


03

From Front Page by having a “Fes-tival Friday” and offering special festival packages to create an at-mospheric start to the festivities.“This festival is for absolutely everybody, busi-nesses, clubs, schools, patrons young & old and to give the people of Ratoath a chance to come together & celebrate their village while also giv-ing a much needed boost to the local economy”, Bee told the Meath Echo.“If you would like to hire a stall on the day please let us know asap as there are only a handful left. You can contact us on [email protected] or [email protected] to book or for any queries you may have”, she added. For full information regarding the festival please visit our blog on www.ratoath-chamber.ieMeanwhile, just down the road from Ratoath the organisers of the Dun-shaughlin Harvest Festival (www.Dun-Fest.com) have formally announced details of this dynamic inaugural event, which will take place from 18th – 25th September and coincides with the Solheim Cup at neighbouring Kil-leen Castle.The Dunshaughlin Harvest Festival will be a “fusion of food, folk and fun”, and is intended to demonstrate that Dunshaughlin is ‘the friendliest village in the world’.The packed and exciting festival pro-gramme includes a Craft & Heritage Village, an International Food Village and a Trade Village.There will be two separate FREE enter-tainment stages – from trad, rock and jazz to dance, drama and even celebrity cookery demonstrations with Kevin Dunden. Plenty of well known Irish artists will grace the stage including Don Baker and Brush Shields.There is a wide variety of cultural and heritage events spread throughout the week including a limited-capacity concert from award-winning multi-platinum artist Liam Lawton. An ex-hibition of especially released artefacts

from Ireland’s museums will also be open to the public. In addition, there will be several other cultural evenings and a number of local heritage tours including a fun midnight ghost tour.The bumper programme also includes drama, comedy, pub entertainment, a Guinness’s World record break-ing attempt, street theatre, a carnival, traditional Village Games, an inflat-able playzone and a full children’s pro-gramme.“The whole village has got behind this wonderful festival and have even pro-duced a festival promotional video, which will be released on YouTube and on the festival website dunfest.com very soon.” Says Dave Robinson, the Festival Committee Chairman.According to Robinson, “the Dun-shaughlin Harvest Festival is the first festival to be held in Dunshaughlin in more than 30 years: The opening of the M3 last year gave the residents an opportunity to revive village life. In recent months we have seen the open-ing of the Dunshaughlin Heritage Trail – and now the village has been Nomi-nated to represent Meath in the Co-op-eration Ireland Pride of Place Awards. Through the competition, local people work together to create civic pride in their local community.”Mr. Robinson concludes: “We’re also organising a Gala Festival Fundraiser on Friday 15 July at the County Club offering 4 zones of entertainment plus dinner for only 10 euro.”The festival organisers are also now taking bookings for the festival Craft & Heritage Village, the Food Village and the Trade Village. For further in-formation on these please contact the Festival Secretary, Patricia Lynch on 085 821 8908 or [email protected]

www.Tele.ie

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Back To School With Selected Schools Bags €9.99Selected Lunch Bags €3.99Selected Pencil Cases €1.99 Buy the bundle for €15.00Lever Arch Files from €1.99A4 Ring Binders €1.49Copies 88 page €0.29Pencils HB €0.19Pens Assorted colours €0.19Hard cover Note Books from €1.89Plastic Document walletfrom €0.79and Many More fantastic Offers.

Meath students attend International Youth Leadership Conference

Two Meath students were among a group of nearly 300 young adults from across the world who attended the ‘Albert Schweitzer’s Leadership for Life’ (ASLFL) conference last week. The conference was run by Foróige, the National Youth Devel-opment Organisation and ICCUSA Foundation Inc. (Irish Chamber of Commerce, USA) at NUI May-nooth. Daniel Duffy (Navan) and Seamus Hogan (Duleek) secured a place for the week-long confer-ence based on the strength of their written application supported by a nomination to attend from a youth

worker or volunteer leader from the county. The programme for the conference is based on Foróige’s youth leader-ship programme and is run in part-nership with ICCUSA Foundation Inc). Students have been learn-ing about the importance of com-munity service, inter-culturalism and health and well-being, among others. The conference included lectures by eminent leaders in the business, health and community sectors as well as workshops on team building, critical thinking and communication skills and peer

discussions on matters of global im-portance. The Meath natives were chosen for their innate sense of justice, deter-mination, passion and ability to lead and make positive changes in their own community. “The con-ference was amazing. I’ve learned so much and met teenagers from all over the world. It has really made me appreciate the many cultural differences and shared values that exist across the world“, said Seamus Hogan who participated in the con-ference last week.

Daniel Duffy, Navan of Syddan Foróige Club and Seamus Hogan, Duleek & Ratoath Senior Foróige Club.

Festivals For Meath

September is the time when the chil-dren go back to school, the nights draw in and people sign up for classes and courses. This September, The Meath Echo will run a four page Course and Classes in Meath centre page pull out. You can advertise from

as little as €25 + VAT for a 50mm X 50mm advert. Just email [email protected] further details before the 29th August. Bigger advert sizes can also be purchased. Remember, the Meath Echo is the BEST READ Newspaper in this area.

Give Your Classes Or Courses The Kick They Need This September

Call 01 [email protected] www.Tele.ie

ASHBOURNE CREDIT UNION (serving Ashbourne, Ratoath & surrounding areas)

Phone: 8351177 Fax 8353213 E-mail: [email protected] www.ashbournecu.ie

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Ashbourne Credit Union Launches Student Loan-

Leaving cert results are due out on the 17th August with first round offers expected to be made on the 23rd August. To link in with this, the Irish League of Credit Unions is launch-ing a national marketing campaign for Student Loans and Ashbourne Credit Union is launching a special discounted student loan. This will be for a 2 month period only from the 22nd August to the 22nd October. The loans will be given at the very reasonable rate of 7.99% (typical apr). They will be available to either 2nd or 3rd level students but the student must be a member of the Ashbourne Credit Union to avail of it. You still have time to join. They will also, for the first time, be awarding 2 third level scholarships to the value of €750 each this autumn.Full details of all of the above, plus application forms, can be found on their website www.ashbournecu.ie Ashbourne Credit Union will also be having an Open Day on Saturday 20th August when you can call in and discuss any queries you might have be that in relation to loans, savings, nominations, insurance etc. Privacy and confidentiality will be assured.

15 SuperValu Own Brand Products top the Great Taste Awards listSuperValu’s Own Brand Range of products has come up trumps at the internation-ally renowned Great Taste Awards.Fifteen products from the SuperValu Own Brand range secured the prestigious inter-national title, ten of which are supplied locally in Ireland by Irish Food Suppliers.The awards announcement signifies an independent en-dorsement in the quality, taste and great range available from SuperValu Own Brand. Not only is SuperValu’s Own Brand range 33% cheaper than similar branded goods, the Great Taste Awards mark a superb vote of confidence in the range.SuperValu’s Supreme Orange Blossom Honey, produced by Healy’s Honey which is lo-cated in Ballincollig, Co. Cork was awarded the highest ac-colade for taste and quality,

receiving a 3 star rating. Few products achieved this mark of quality; out of a record total of 7,482 entries, just 114 prod-ucts were awarded 3 stars. The Orange Blossom Honey is also nominated for the Award for the Best Special-ity from Ireland; the winners of which will be announced at Specialty & Fine Food Fair which will be held in London in September.Healys Honey is a family run business established in the late 1970’s by Patrick Healy, a keen beekeeper, cultivating his hobby into a successful award winning business. The family strives to continue the traditions and values initiated with quality and excellence remaining their primary fo-cus.Speaking about the awards, Martin Kelleher, Managing Director, SuperValu, said: “We are incredibly proud that our

SuperValu Own Brand range has featured so prominently at the Great Taste Awards. To have 15 of our products receive stars, ranking from 1 to 3 is a tremendous achieve-ment; it marks a huge vote of confidence in the quality and taste credentials of this range.”“SuperValu continue to rec-ognise excellence, quality and innovation within the Irish food and beverage sector. As a business we are committed to supporting Irish as much as possible; we are incredibly proud of the fact that 75% of everything on our shelves is sourced or produced in Ire-land. Recent research has shown that consumers want more Irish produce and want to support local in this diffi-cult economic period. Super-Valu is a business that prides itself on listening to what the Irish consumer wants and we are continuing to shape our

own brand offer in response to the changing demands of the Irish public. Importantly we are doing this without compromising our support for Irish suppliers, brands and jobs. By being committed to supporting local and Irish we can fulfill our consumer re-quirements, offer great choice and value and help build and sustain vibrant local com-munities. No one can match SuperValu’s credentials when it comes to supporting Irish in addition to providing great value to our consumers,” he continued.The Great Taste Awards is widely regarded as the most trusted and recognised food and drink awards. Each food entered receives feedback from a panel of over 300 judges, helping food produc-ers and suppliers constantly improve and refine their food offerings.

06 www.Tele.ieChungDoKwan Taekwondo - Ratoath Summer 2011

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Business Focus

Franco DeBonis

The saying about buses is true. I hadn’t done any business- naming projects in ages and then 3 came along together! I follow a very specific process when coming up with names for businesses that involves briefing with the client and then researching names that match the brief.Typically, the companies who come to us are start-ups, but they are what I call “Major Start-Ups”. In other words they have investment funding behind them and can afford to spend a few thousand coming up with a brand identity.But it doesn’t matter whether

you own a corporate busi-ness and you’re re-branding a product or you’re just starting a new small business; the pro-cess is the same.However, the cardinal sin of business or product naming is picking the name without checking the availability of the domain name. In our modern interconnected, online world, not having the domain name that relates accurately to your business or product name is a major issue. An example is a client who came to us with a name already chosen and wanted a logo and website. He had already registered the busi-ness name and so was none too happy when we informed him that the domain name for his business name was already registered! We then had to find an acceptable addition to the name, so “Widgets” (not the real name) became www.widgetsonline.ie. Not a good outcome because how many of his potential clients were just going to visit widgets.ie and

get very confused.The moral of the story is to come up with a list of potential names and then go check the availability of those names as domains. It doesn’t matter if it’s the best name in the world, if the domain is already taken then it’s probably better to move on (unless the additional word you add helps). For in-stance, let’s say you run a med-ical centre that delivers every-thing under one roof and you wanted to call your company “Total” (I know it’s a terrible name, just work with me here). You could use “totalmedical.ie” for your domain as “total” is a very generic word anyway and the addition of “medical” helps to more accurately define your business in the domain name. Just don’t make the do-main name too long and don’t go for words that are hard to spell either.You also need to be sure you get the right domain suffix (the part after the “.” In your domain name). The one most

people know of is “.com”, but there are many more. Here is a short list with a little informa-tion on each:

.comThe best known domain suf-fix. Very hard to find available domains as all the good ones were snapped up years ago. Also very U.S. oriented, so not so good if your main business is local to a country outside the US.

.co.ukThe same as .com, except this is pretty much dedicated to UK based companies. Similar suf-fix is .uk.com, which is rela-tively new.

.ieSpecifically Irish domain suf-fix. These domains cannot sim-ply be purchased but must be approved and you must have a valid company registration number for most domains.

.coA relatively new domain suffix that was created to provide a more global (non-U.S. centric) domain option for people.

.euA European domain, which al-though global helps to identify you as a European business.orgA domain suffix that identifies you as an organisation, such as educational establishments, charities and not-for-profit companies.

.netKind of seen as the poor broth-er of the domain suffix family. Rather unkindly I feel, but it is true to say if .com and .eu do-mains are the Beverly Hills of domains, then .net is the Skid Row purely because of the cal-ibre of websites that are typi-cally found on .net domains.

There are many, many other suffixes, but these would be the main ones to consider (unless you live in Djibouti, in which

case you should consider .dj)The moral of the story is don’t decide on a business or product name in a vacuum. Your VERY FIRST thought should be the domain!Franco De Bonis has worked in the field of sales and market-ing promotion since 1990 and was most recently the global marketing manager for a ma-jor international technology company before setting up The DG Group in January 2007.The DG Group is dedicated to delivering all the marketing solutions any company may require. Whether it’s a website or leaflets and brochures, or even some product packaging; The DG Group will manage the whole project, providing sound guidance along the way.

Domain First – Business Name Secondwww.Tele.ie

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Vitality Health is delighted to welcome ‘Fit For You” Personal Fitness Training and Weight Management Specialist - And World Body Building Champion, Noel McPharlin. Noel, who is based in new gym in our Studio Two, will be you personal trainer and will take you through a fitness routine to shape your body into the better looking you. Using his years of experience on the world stage, Noel can help you man-age you food intake and give helpful advise to you on the correct excer-cises to tone and sculpt your body. You can call Noel in Ratoath on the number below.

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Many of you will be taking ad-vantage of the summer weath-er. You may be walking, run-ning, or playing sport, shin pain can be one condition that may hamper this but can be treated easily.

What are shin splints?Shin splints is the general name given to pain at the front of the lower leg. Shin splints is not a diagnosis in itself but a description of symptoms of which there could be a number of causes. The most common cause is inflammation of the periostium of the tibia (sheath surrounding the bone). Traction forces occur from the muscles of the lower leg on the perios-tium causing shin pain and in-flammation. Symptoms of shin splints:Tenderness over the inside of the shin. Lower leg pain, which

goes after a period of rest but comes back when running starts again. Sometimes some swelling. Lumps and bumps may be felt when feeling the inside of the shinbone. Pain when the toes or foot are bent downwards. A redness over the inside of the shin. Shin Splints Treatment Treatment for shin splints is a simple as reducing pain and inflammation, identifying train-ing and biomechanical prob-lems, which may have helpedcause the injury initially, restor-ing muscles to their original condition and gradually return-ing to training.

What can the athlete do about shin splints?Rest to allow the injury to heal. Apply ice or cold therapy in the early stages, particularly when it is very painful. Cold therapy reduces pain and inflammation. Stretch the muscles of the lower leg. In particular the tibi-alis posterior is associated with shin splints. Wear shock-absorbing insoles in shoes. This helps reduce the shock on the lower leg. Maintain fitness with other non-weight bearing exercises such as swimming, cycling or running in water. Apply heat and use a heat re-

tainer or shin and calf support after the initial acute stage and particularly before training. This can provide support and compression to the lower leg helping to reduce the strain onthe muscles. It will also retain the natural heat, which causes blood vessels to dilate and in-creases the flow of blood to the tissues. Visit a sports injury clinic for treatment and rehabilitation.

What can a sports injury clinic or doctor do? Prescribe anti-inflammatory medication e.g. ibuprofen. Always consult a doctor before taking medication). Tape for support. - A taping worn all daywill allow the shin to rest prop-erly by taking the pressure off the muscle attachments. Ana-lyse running style for over pro-nation and other biomechanical problems of the foot. Use sports massage techniques on the posterior deep muscle compartment but avoid the in-flamed periostium. Operate ImportantAnti-inflammatory drugs along with rest and ice can help re-duce inflammation, particularly in the early stages. However if the underlying causes such as tight muscles are not treated

through stretching and sportsmassage techniques then the likelihood of the injury return-ing is higher.

Shin Splints FAQ’sI rest until I have no pain but every time I try to go back to training the pain just comes back again!Answer:This is a common complaint. One cause of recurring shin pain is failure to get the mus-cles of the lower leg in a good condition before returning to training. Tight, knotted calf muscles will increase the strain on the muscle attachments of the lower leg. Regular stretch-ing and sports massage can help make the muscles supple

and more effective at absorb-ing thestresses placed on them. Anoth-er cause of recurring shin pain may be poor foot biomechan-ics. See a physical therapist for a biomechanical assessmentif this is suspected Related Condition Over PronationWhat is foot pronation?Pronation is the movement of the subtalar joint (between the talus and calcaneus) into:• Eversion (turning the sole outwards) • Dorsiflexion (pointing the toes upwards) and • Abduction (pointing the toes out to the side). When standing, pronation oc-curs as the foot rolls inwards and the arch of the foot flattens.

Pronation is a normal part of the gait cycle(walking/running), which helps to provide shock absorption at the foot.The opposite movement to pronation is supination. This is also a normal part of the gait cycle and can be excessive (oversupination)

If you are suffering give the Fordeclinic a call.Littlepace Medical Centre, Clonee: 01 8225630Energie Fitness Centre, Ash-bourne: 0876032911www.Fordeclinic.comAidan Forde Bsc ph.th miapt

Physical Thearpist

Aidan Forde

Shin Pain?

www.Tele.ie

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RATOATH COMEDY CLUB

Friday 11th June8.30pm in The VenueStudio TheatreRatoath

UPCOMING RATOATH COMEDY CLUB NIGHTS:

JULY 3, SEPT 3, OCT 1, NOV 5, DEC 3…

Hosted by Ratoath comedianJOHN HENDERSON

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Tickets €15 - limited to 100 - Box Office: 01-6895600

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Happy Valentine’s DayAll in all this meal, which was served

with efficiency and professionalism,

was of a quality I’d only before en-

countered in Singapore. It wasn’t

just the lack of culinary cliches - like

shredded duck with plum sauce - it

was novel, skilful and very sophisti-

cated cuisine. Finding such authen-

tic and excellent Chinese food in

Ireland would be remarkable in it-

self, but finding it outside the capital

made was all the more of a surprise.

An Extract From The Review By Food Critic Paolo Tullio

Do We Need To Say More?Book Now 01 8352110For Valentine’s Weekend

Live Music From 7.30pm on Valentine’s Day

“This is the best Chinese meal I have had in years.

Make a trip there soon, it’s really is worth it.”

Happy Valentine’s DayAll in all this meal, which was served

with efficiency and professionalism,

was of a quality I’d only before en-

countered in Singapore. It wasn’t

just the lack of culinary cliches - like

shredded duck with plum sauce - it

was novel, skilful and very sophisti-

cated cuisine. Finding such authen-

tic and excellent Chinese food in

Ireland would be remarkable in it-

self, but finding it outside the capital

made was all the more of a surprise.

An Extract From The Review By Food Critic Paolo Tullio

Do We Need To Say More?Book Now 01 8352110For Valentine’s Weekend

Live Music From 7.30pm on Valentine’s DayFollowing an update of the unauthorised de-

velopments along the N2 to the Dunshaugh-

lin Area Council, Cllr. Regina Doherty has

told the Meath Echo that it is time for Meath

County Council to get serious with anybody

in breach of the Planning and Developemnt

Act, 2000. “There are a large number of unauthorised

developments operating all along the N2,”

Doherty siad, “some of which have been

there for seven years or more. Whilst I ap-

preciate that there is a legal process to be fol-

lowed there are some developments where

we have not even managed to serve a notice

on yet, even though they are there for more

than 3 years. “This sends out completely the wrong mes-

sage to all the law-abiding people who apply

for planning in the correct manner, some of

which find it extremely difficult to secure

planning even on their own land.”Doherty stated that even though there is

no planning permission for some of these,

Meath County Council are actually collect-

ing Commercial Rates from some of these

developments. “I am putting down a Notice

of Question to the Manager for Junes Council

Meeting to seek clarification on this matter. It

would beggar belief that we would be collect-

ing rates from unauthorised developments,

thus giving them validity whilst pursuing

then through the courts.” Doherty concluded.

Council Collect Rates From Illegal Developments

Mary Wallace TD has, over the past 12 months, expressed very serious concern about the fact that there remains vacant Local Government offices in Ashbourne funded by the Irish taxpayer, while Meath County Council continue to rent offices from the private sector in Na-van. Speaking to the Meath Echo, Deputy Wallace siad, “This makes absolutely no sense to me what-so-ever, in the present financial circumstances that we continue to fund renting accommoda-tion from the private sector while we have high class accommodation in the County funded by the taxpayer lying idle in Ashbourne”. Meath County Council, last week re-

sponded to Deputy Wallace, concerns with confirmation that plans are now well advanced in the process of devel-oping the Ashbourne Civic Offices/Li-brary as an Adult Learning Centre via a partnership arrangement with FAS and the Library Services. The County Manager has also con-

firmed to Deputy Wallace that addi-tional facilities for community groups will be identified once the space and IT requirements of the Library Service and

FAS are catered for in the Ashbourne Offices. The development of the Adult Learning

Centre will involve alterations to the in-ternal layout of the offices with connec-tions to the Ashbourne Library at first floor level. Two very positive meetings have been

held between MCC and FAS officials over the last three to four weeks and the last meeting was facilitated by an architect. A preliminary report from the architect is expected at the end of this week which will identify modifications and associated costs. Once revised lay-outs are agreed it will then be necessary to carry out the alterations and to put in places an interagency agreement for the operation and maintenance of the cen-tre. “I am delighted with the plans for these high quality government offices in Ash-bourne and the Adult Learning Cen-tre when fully developed will provide improved interagency public service facilities to Ashbourne citizens”, said Wallace. “These developments are important, as

we are determined in Ashbourne to look ahead positively and my substantial

complaint with Meath County Council will be resolved with the honouring of this commitment in September of this year.”Wallace said that she was very annoyed with Meath County Council for allow-ing these offices to “virtually close to the public” and “I was simply not in a

position to tolerate the neglect and waste of such a fine facility in our town,” she concluded. It is envisaged that the proposed centre

will be operational in September 2010 subject to concluding agreements. FAS are fully committed to the project.

Ashbourne Adult Learning Centre Planned For September 2010By Gordon Adamson

Above: Bobby, 6 years, and his sister Emily Mas-terson, 3, from Oldcastle, Co. Meath, relax before the Athletics Ireland Family Fitness Festival at Farmleigh. Phoenix Park, Dublin. Picture credit: Ray Mc-Manus / SPORTSFILE

Right: Aoife McCormack, age 7, from Dunboyne, again at the Athletics Ireland Family Fitness Festival at Farmleigh. Phoenix Park, Dublin.

Running In The Park Athletics Ireland Family Fitness Festival at Farmleigh in the Phoenix Park took place on the July 31st and was an excit-ing day of fun events that also highlighted the importance of regular physical activity for both children and adults.The Athletics Ireland Family Fitness Festival was the perfect opportunity for the whole family to experience a variety of sporting activities in the beautiful surroundings of the Farm-leigh Estate.The day began at 10am with the Family Mile Challenge, an event that welcomed Walkers, Joggers and Runners. The Fam-ily Mile Challenge was held within the grounds of Farmleigh, with the finish of the mile outside Farmleigh House.

Call 01 [email protected] 11www.Tele.ie

Red (bad) and Green (good) switches are a simplified way to help you understand how you lose weight. Red switches stop fat being burned and cause fat storage. Green switches allow access to fat and help prevent fat storage. In the last article I focussed on the key things that turn on the red switches. Now let’s focus on the positive and the key things you can do to turn on the green switches:

1. Eating little and often is su-perb for turning on the green switches and keeping the red switches off. This alone can transform your weight loss. Try to eat 4 to 5 times daily at 3 to 4 hour intervals and never exceed 400 calories (ladies) or 500 calories (men) at any given meal.2. Fibre is fantastic for the

green switches, so look at how much fibre you are getting and aim for 25g per day. The aver-age intake of fibre in only 10g daily. Fibre is found mainly in wholegrain cereals, grains and breads, fruits, vegetables and nuts and seeds.3. Water turns on the green switches, so don’t forget your 1L daily per 100lbs you weigh!4. Aerobic (cardio) exercise is vital to turn on the green switches.

5. Toning turns on the green switches and especially in stubborn fat areas if you select exercises for those areas. Try to do toning exercise for all the major muscle groups.6. Minerals especially calci-um, magnesium and zinc are vital for having your green switches on. Many of us are low in these especially mag-nesium and zinc and they be-come even more important if you are exercising.7. A one day fruit only day can

really kick start the process of turning on green switches and turning off your red switches. Contact us for instructions!8. Your liver is the major de-tox organ of the body and a balancer of the body’s en-vironment and so has a big influence on your green and red switches. Keep you liver strong and healthy by using a milk thistle supplement on a regular basis.

And some more things that turn on your red switch-es……..

1. Constipation is one of the most destructive metabolism problems of all and intoxicates the whole body from head to toe, turning on all your red switches!2. Stress turns on your red switches especially in your stomach area, giving the beer belly appearance. You can’t avoid stress but you need to start taking control of it!3. Wine turns on your red switches so be careful! For some reason people separate

wine from other alcohols in their minds but the metabolic effects are arguably more de-structive for some people.

I hope you can see from this article and the last one some of the things that have been undermining your weight loss and possibly wiping out your diet and exercise efforts. It is all about getting the balance

right and tipping it in the right direction to see some move-ment on the scales.

If you would like more infor-mation or would like to book a free consultation call me to-day on 086 259 8867 or visit www.system10weightloss.com you will not get a better plan tailored to your body type and individual needs

Your Red and Green Weight Loss Switches!......Part 2

Ask Dr. Gott:Foot problem makes walking painful

The Meath Echo 27Christmas Issue 86

echohealth

Dear Dr. Gott: I have two foot-related issues. I know that you are not a podia-

trist but hope you can help any-way, since I reserve doctor visits for physicals and severe illness.

First, my daughter has flat feet and regularly suffers from leg pains that her doctor says are due to her flat feet and overac-tivity. She is only 5, and I worry that this is something she will have to suffer with for the rest of her life. Is there anything I can do to help her? I also worry that this will only worsen, as she is estimated to be nearly 6 feet tall when she is done growing.

Second, I have high-arched feet. I have recently developed a heel spur on one foot that over the course of about eight months caused worsening pain. It no longer aches the way it did, but it is still painful to stand on it after sleeping at night. The stiffness and feeling of swelling usually disappears within about 30 to 60 minutes. What do you recommend?

Dear Reader: You are correct that I am not a doctor who spe-

By Peter H. Gott, M.D.

cializes in foot disorders. I can, however, offer you some general advice.

In the simplest terms, the feet are made of four regions, the toes, ball, arch and heel. The toes aid balance, the ball and heel are the primary walking surfaces, and the arch is like a spring that connects the two sur-faces. As humans walk, the heel makes contact first, followed by the ball and toes. The arch cushions the impact by flatting slightly to absorb the weight. It returns to normal when the weight has been removed.

Flat feet refers to feet that flatten too much during normal walking or standing. They tend to roll inward, which strains the tissue on the bottom of the foot. Essentially, the arch compresses too much. This can lead to heel pain, bunions and hammertoes. It can also cause shin splints in runners and ankle swelling and pain in more sedentary people.

Treatment for adults with flat feet generally involves shoe inserts that create an arch. I am unsure whether these are avail-able in children’s sizes. Speak with her pediatrician about possible orthotics or a referral to a podiatrist or orthopedic specialist.

In my experience, high arches are not as common as are flat feet. In your case, the arch isn’t

as flexible as it should be and doesn’t absorb the shock of walking correctly. Essentially, your feet are the opposite of your daughter’s. High arches tend to cause the foot to roll outward, putting pressure on the outer ball, heel and big toe of your feet. The condition can also cause heel pain, sprains and inflammation of the tendons of the ankle, stress fractures on the outer part of the foot and pain and calluses.

Treatment generally consists of gel inserts for shoes, which act as artificial shock absorbers; avoiding running and walking on hard surfaces (use grass or dirt surfaces instead); and wear-ing high-topped shoes with extra cushioning.

Both flat feet and high arches will benefit from regular stretch-ing and strengthening exercises of the calf and foot. For severe or persistent pain, a podiatrist is the best option.

Your weight-loss success depends on your readi-ness to take on the chal-

lenge. These questions can help you judge whether now is the best time to start your weight-loss program.• Are you motivated to make

long-term lifestyle changes that require eating healthy foods and exercising more? Be honest. Knowing you need to make changes in your life and feeling up to the challenge are two different things.

• Do you currently have dis-tractions in your life that may prevent you from com-mitting to your weight-loss program? You may set your-self up for failure if you’re dis-tracted by other major events in your life, such as marital problems, job stress, illness or financial worries. Give your life a chance to calm down be-fore you start.

• Do you truly believe that slow-er is better? Losing weight at a relatively slow pace has proved safe, healthy and effec-tive over the long term. You should aim for a weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week.

• Are you realistic about your weight-loss goal? Remem-ber, losing as little as 10 to 20 pounds can improve your health if you’re overweight or obese. Ask your doctor how much weight you can safely lose.

• Do you have family and friends to support your weight-loss efforts? It certainly helps to have someone in your corner. If you don’t have someone you can rely on, consider joining a weight-loss support group.

• Do you believe that you can change your eating habits? Sounds easy to do in theory, but in practice, it’s often dif-ficult. It’s hard to cast aside established behaviors.

• Are you willing to become more physically active? In-creasing your level of physical activity is essential to losing weight and keeping it off.

• Do you have time to keep re-cords of your food intake and physical activity? Keeping records increases your chance of success. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how helpful it is to track your progress.

• Are you willing to look at past successes and failures in weight loss and other areas of your life? Learn from the past about what motivates you. Keep working to resolve barriers that might prevent success.

• Do you view a healthy-weight program as a positive expe-rience? Lose weight because you want to and not because you think it’s expected by oth-ers.

• Have you resolved any eating disorders or other emotional issues that make it difficult for you to achieve a healthy weight? If you have a ten-dency to binge, purge, starve or overexert when you exer-cise, or if you’re depressed or anxious, you may need profes-sional help.

• Do you believe that a healthy weight is a lifelong commit-ment? Achieving and main-taining a healthy weight is a lifelong process. There’s no going back to your old behav-iors. Are you ready to make a permanent change? If you answered yes to all of

these questions, you’re ready to make the lifestyle changes neces-

sary for permanent weight loss.If you answered no to one

or more of these questions, you may not be ready. And that’s OK. Explore what’s holding you back and face those obstacles. In some cases it may be a simple matter of timing. For instance, you may need to resolve other problems in your life. In other cases, you may need to work on related issues - such as your feel-ings toward weight loss or your willingness to commit to perma-nent changes.

You may be able to make these changes alone, or you may feel you need additional help. Educating yourself about the process of successful weight loss and maintenance is a start. For example, learn more about the dietary changes necessary for losing weight. See a dietitian or enroll in a behavioral-based program - a program that can help you change the behaviors that can interfere with weight loss, such as eating when you’re stressed or bored.

If you’re ready for weight loss but fear you’ll become discour-aged quickly, think toward the future. As you become more physically active and make di-etary changes, you’ll feel better and have more energy. And rath-er than thinking of weight loss as a short-term drudgery, view it as an enjoyable lifestyle change that persists indefinitely.

If you would like more informa-tion on a weight loss programme, please see advert or call Adrian on 086 2598867 or visit www.leaneryou.ie

Adrian Deane Writes

Weight-loss tip: First, make sure you’re readyAsk yourself these questions to see if you’re ready to

start a weight-loss program.

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TAEKWONDO RATOATHNEW TERMNEW BEGINNERS CLASSESAll Classes On Tuesday In The Ratoath Community Centre, opps. The Post Office. Taekwondo is one of the most sys-tematic and scientific Korean tradi-tional martial arts, that teaches more than physical fighting skills. It is a dis-cipline that shows ways of enhancing our spirit and life through training our body and mind. Today, it has become a global sport that has gained an in-ternational reputation, and stands among the official games in the Olym-pics.

Taekwondo pursues harmonious growth and improvements of life through its unique activities. This is why one could say Taekwondo is a way of life. To ultimately enable our-selves to lead more valuable lives, we would do well by finding the guid-ing principles deeply hidden in Taek-wondo.In our Chugdokwan Taekwondo, we believe that Taekwondo is for eve-

ryone. Our youngest member is 4 years of age while our more senior members are in their mid 60’s. You are invited to come along and have a go. On your first class, you will not need to fill in any forms and you won’t have to pay anything and the first class is free.

Call 01 [email protected] 13www.Tele.ie

TAEKWONDO RATOATHAll Classes Only Have A Limited Number Of Places Available. They Will Be Allociated On A First Come First Served Bases. Thereafter, A Waiting List Will Be Inplace.

Age Time When

4 - 6 years 3.15 - 4.00pm Tuesdays

7 - 11 years 4.00 - 5.15pm Tuesdays

12- 16 years 5.15 - 6.30pm Tuesdays

17 & Adults 7.30 - 9.00pm Tuesdays









to be won

The Auditions Are Now OVER!

It’s Time For The Semi- Finals

Book Your Seat TODAY

15 Call 01 [email protected] www.Tele.ie

WHAT WILL BEE

BY BEE FLANAGAN

The most important relation-ship you will ever have is the one you have with yourself. How you relate to you will determine how you relate to others in your life, both per-sonally and professionally. Treating yourself with uncon-ditional love, with respect and with kindness enables you to show the same to others and to receive the same in return. Understanding that every-thing begins with you will help you with your relation-ship with yourself and with others. Learning to love you un-conditionally means accept-ing yourself in every way. Loving yourself through all your successes and your challenges and being able to forgive yourself will bring

about feelings of happiness and fulfilment. Knowing that you alone are accountable and responsible for how you feel about you and about the people around you, empow-ers you to deal with many of life’s ups and downs. Learning to accept yourself releases the expectations you may have with others, the expectations

that others are responsible for making you feel loved and happy. Putting the emphasis on your own relationship with yourself allows you to learn to love and accept others for who they are. Think of the many relationships you have in your life at the moment. What are these relationships like, how do they make you

feel? Taking time out to look at your own relationship will help you to build loving, last-ing and fulfilling relationships with others. Investing time, energy and love into you will help you to attract the same into your life. When you start to increase your own self love and acceptance you can then learn to put that into the re-

lationships which are impor-tant to you in your everyday life. You interact on a daily basis with many different individu-als in all areas of your life, which mean some relation-ships have different priorities in your life. Realising the im-portant relationships in your life could make a huge differ-ence to how you show your love to others. Prioritise your time and energy into your close fulfilling relationships; invest your love where you know it is returned uncondi-tionally. True acceptance for who you are will help you to accept, without expectation, the important relationships in your life. You can change who you are, how you behave and how you relate to others, however you cannot change how others relate and behave towards you. The only person you can change is yourself. If you are happy as you are and have accepted yourself then all will work out with your relationships, both personally and professionally. Showing love and compassion in every interaction with others brings

an element of contentment to life. Seeing the goodness in oth-ers and in yourself helps you to live more successfully on a daily basis. Learning to understand that fundamen-tally everyone wants to love and be loved for who they are, increases the acceptance of others. This week take a look at your relationship with yourself. Look at how you treat yourself, look at how you love yourself. Look at the words and thoughts you use for yourself and for oth-ers. Become conscious of how you behave with yourself and with others and then bring about the changes required to improve your relationships across all areas of your life. Remember, it is ok to love and accept yourself for who you are right now and if you want to bring about changes, do so in a loving empowering way.If you would like to discuss an-ything written in this article or you would like a personal nu-merology life direction reading, please call me on 086 8094924 or email me at [email protected]

The Secret To A Successful Life









to be won

Summer Kick-About

Kid

s & C

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es A

t the

FA

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The Auditions Are Now OVER!

It’s Time For The Semi- Finals

Book Your Seat TODAY


By Pat Gleeson

The Civil Partnership and Cer-tain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 came into operation with effect from the 1st January 2011 creating the largest overhaul of Irish Suc-cession law in recent times. The Act introduces novel rights and obligations on civil partners and cohabitants respectively by providing a framework for a Civil Partnership Registration Scheme, a Cohabitants Scheme, and Cohabitation Agreements. The Civil Partnership Registra-tion Scheme creates a provision for persons of the same sex to become civil partners. Once registered, civil partners are then subject to automatic suc-cession law rights on the death of each other, similar to those of married persons and simi-larly limiting their testamentary freedom. Under the Act, a civil partnership can be ended in one of three ways, namely by death, by grant of a decree of nullity or grant of decree of dissolution. The Act is an attempt to place spouses and civil partners on an equal footing for the purposes of Irish succession law. These

rights exist once the parties are in a valid civil partnership at the date of death. The applica-tion can be brought by any per-son who, in the opinion of the Court, has sufficient interest in the matter and can be brought on the death of either civil part-ner within the permitted six month time frame. The orders available are de-pendent on the manner in which the relationship ended. Where there has been a disso-lution of a civil partnership, ei-ther party can, on the death of the other, bring an application for provision to be made for the surviving former civil partner from the estate of the deceased civil partner. Similarly to a marriage, a will is revoked by a subsequent entry into a civil partnership, unless the will was made in contem-plation of entry into that civil partnership. Additionally, as is the situation in divorce, there is no provision under the Act for a will to be automatically revoked on dissolution of the civil part-nership.The Qualified Cohabitants Re-dress Scheme is a novel con-cept in Irish law and governs

persons of the same or opposite sex, living in an intimate rela-tionship, where the parties are not married or in a civil part-nership with one another. The Act does not confer automatic rights upon the co-habiting couple; rather the Act allows the qualified cohabitant to ap-ply for provision to be made for them by their former partner or from their estate. An appli-cation under the Act must be brought within the permitted time frame of the relationship ending apart from certain lim-ited circumstances. Applicants must fulfill the req-uisite time periods for cohabita-tion. The relevant time periods are dependent on whether there are children of the relationship. Cohabitants who have resided together for 5 years but do not have children fall within the provisions of the Act. However, the time period falls if there are children of the relationship. The court may make any order for provision for the applicant that the court considers appropri-ate having regard to the rights of any other person having an interest in the matter.

The Act further provides the possibility for couples to enter into Cohabitation Agreements, thereby permitting co-habiting couples to regulate their own af-fairs, creating the possibility of “opting-out” of the cohabitant scheme introduced by the Act. A cohabitants agreement may provide that neither cohabitants may apply for an order for re-dress or an order for provision from the estate of his or her cohabitant. The Act provides that orders for redress can only be made after the date of com-mencement of the act, although the period of cohabitation prior to the commencement of the Act will be taken into account. Applications must be instituted within two years from the date on which the relationship be-tween the cohabitants ends, whether by death or otherwise.

If you are affected and require more information, contact Glee-son & Associates, Solicitors, The Standhouse, Ratoath, Co. Meath. Telephone number 01-8254310 or email [email protected]. First Consultation FREE

Civil Partnership and Certain Rights & Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010

Know Your RightsQuestionI cannot find my passport but I will need it next month. How do I replace it?AnswerYou cannot replace your old passport. You will have to apply for a new one. To apply for a new passport, you must complete application form APS 1. You will find these forms at every Garda station and at any post office that displays the “Service Plus” logo.

You must give the circumstances of the loss of your passport in Section 6 of the form. The completed form must be witnessed and countersigned by a member of the Garda Síochána who must also sign and stamp Section 6.

You must include four recent identical photographs of yourself with the ap-plication. The photographs must conform to the Passport Office photograph guidelines which are available online at passport.ie . Two of these should be signed on the back by the garda who witnessed the application form. The garda should also write the form number shown in Section 9 of the applica-tion form on those two photographs.

You also need to include the following with your application:• Yourbirthcertificate• Yourmarriagecertificate,ifappropriate• EvidenceofyourentitlementtoIrishcitizenship,whereapplicable• Aformofphoto-identification,suchasyourdrivinglicence,workID, student card, social club membership, passport from another country • Documentaryevidencetoshowuseofyourname,suchaspayslips, records of unemployment or disability payment, bank statement, college registration• Evidenceofresidencyattheapplicationaddress,suchasutilitybills, official correspondence from public or private sector• Theappropriatefee

You are encouraged to use An Post’s Passport Express service which aims to deliver passports within 10 working days. You will pay a fee of €88.50 for a standard 10-year passport using Passport Express which includes postage to and from the Passport Office. If you go direct to the Passport Office or use ordinary or registered post the passport fee is €95.

Know Your RightsQuestion

We have just returned from a package holiday in Spain. Unfortunately our accommodation was poor and not as described in the brochure. How do I make a complaint and get our money back?AnswerThe Package Holidays and Travel Trade Act 1995 gives you a certain level of protection if your package holiday is not satisfactory. Also, you should have been given a copy of your holiday contract’s terms and conditions. This will outline how to make a complaint. A package holiday is defined as a pre-arranged holiday that is sold at an inclusive price and covers a period of at least 24 hours or overnight accommodation, and is made up of a combination of at least two of the following:• Transport• Accommodation• Othertouristservicesoractivitiesthataccountforasignificant proportion of the package, such as golf

You are entitled to compensation if you suffer financial loss as a result of relying on the information given to you about your package holi-day. You can also claim compensation if you are disappointed with the quality of the holiday.

If the brochure was inaccurate, or things go wrong during the holiday itself, you should make a complaint to the local tour representative or operator. If you return from your holiday and your complaint has not been resolved, you must lodge a complaint in writing with the tour operator within 28 days. If you are not satisfied with the response, you can take your complaint to the Small Claims Court providing your claim is for €2,000 or less. Most package holiday contracts state that claims above this limit may be pursued through arbitration.

Question

I’m hoping to go to college this year. Can I get a maintenance grant?AnswerA new single Student Grant Scheme has been introduced for courses starting in autumn 2011. The new scheme replaces the four main support schemes for students, such as the Higher Education Grants Scheme.Student grants are divided into two classes – maintenance grants and fee grants. A maintenance grant is a contribution towards the student’s living costs. To qualify for a maintenance grant, you must fulfil the conditions of the scheme as regards nationality, residence and means. Disadvantaged students can qualify for a special rate of maintenance grant.

A fee grant can cover all or part of the tuition fee (if any), the student contribu-tion and the cost of essential field trips. If you qualify for a maintenance grant you qualify for a fee grant. If you do not qualify for a maintenance grant due to the residence condition, you may still qualify for a fee grant.The means test for a student grant in 2011/2012 is based on your family’s income for the previous full tax year (2010). Some social welfare payments are excluded from ‘reckonable income’ for the purposes of the means test.Changes in grant rates become effective in January at the beginning of the finan-cial year. If you live 45 kilometres (24 under previous schemes) or less from the college you will attend, you will be paid an adjacent rate of maintenance grant. Otherwise a higher non-adjacent rate will apply.

You apply for a student grant to the local authority or vocational education committee (VEC) in the area where you live. If you plan to attend a Post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) course or institute of technology, apply to your VEC. Other-wise apply to your local authority. The closing date for applications is 31 August 2011.

You can apply online to a number of local authorities and VECs at the studentfi-nance.ie website. Alternatively, you can download the application form. Applica-tion forms are also available from your local authority or VEC

Further information on anything contained in Know Your Rights, contact the Citizens Information Centre Ashbourne on 01 8351806 or online at citizensinformation.ie and from the Citizens Information Phone Service, Lo-call 1890 777 121.

Call 01 [email protected] www.Tele.ie 17

Ratoath

Earlybird SpecialAppetizer + Main Course + Ice Cream (or Tea or Coffee)

ONLY €15Choose From A La Carte Menu

Only €4 extra for Fillet Beef ( Main Course )Only €6 extra for Fillet Fish ( Main Course ) Rice or Chips Are Included.

Sunday Lunch Special Main Course + Vanilla Ice Cream

ONLY €10Add A Starter For Only €3

Now Booking For Communions, Comfirmations & Mother’s Day Join us Over This St.Patrick’s FestivalWishing You A Great St.Patrick’s Day.

Celebrate The Re-Opening Of The Schools With An

End Of Summer Night Out At MIX, Ratoath.

Earlybird SpecialAppetizer + Main Course + Ice Cream

Choose from our à la carte menuOnly €4 Extra for Fillet Beef (Main Course)

Only €6 Extra For Fish (Main Course)Rice Or Chips Are Included

Only €15

School’s Back

Civil Partnership and Certain Rights & Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010

The Legends Ride AgainRacing legends Charlie Swan, Adrian Maguire and Norman Williamson are among those who have agreed to go head to head in a special race at the Bellewstown meeting on 18th August. The “Legends” race is part of a campaign to build a statue to the great Ar-kle in his home town of Ash-bourne in Co. Meath. Jock-eys competing in the race will include former Cheltenham, Grand National and Aintree winners as well as champion jockeys and local legends. As well as the above men-tioned, famous names such as Conor O Dwyer, Martin Lynch, Adrian Maguire, Joe

Byrne, Norman Williamson, Robbie Hennessy, Jason Tit-ley, Gerry Dowd, and Arthur Moore have agreed to take part, subject to a medical examination. Also riding is Dermot Mc Loughlin whose late father, Liam, was the first jockey to ever ride a winner on Arkle. Each rider in the race is being asked to collect sponsorship from friends and business contacts in aid of the fund-raising for the statue.“The Turf Club and Horseracing Ireland have been extremely helpful in the organisation of the race which we hope will become

an annual highlight of the Bellewstown meeting,” said Lynsey Dreaper of the Arkle Memorial Statue Committee. “This year’s race is in aid of the Arkle statue fund and we envisage it becoming a fun-draiser for local charities in future years after Arkle and Pat Taaffe have been placed proudly on their plinth in Ashbourne.”

The race will be sponsored by Foley’s Antiques - they have a great collection of Arkle memorabilia, including his saddle, and will there on the day with their display. Visit www.foleys.ie for more info.

Solstice Arts Centre welcomes the Abbey Theatre on their in-augural visit to the centreSolstice Arts Centre welcomes Ireland’s National Theatre, the Abbey Theatre on their first visit to Solstice with their award winning play ‘B for Baby’ on Tuesday 30th and Wednesday 31st August.Meath audiences will recog-nize one of the central actors as Louis Lovett, who plays Dieter Langer the German filmmaker in the RTE comedy series ‘Kil-linaskully’.

Written by Carmel Winters, ‘B for Baby’ is a sharp-witted new play that tenderlytouches the taboo and invites you to rediscover the joy of make-believe. Mrs C wants a baby not a Christmas tree. B wants a real hairdressers’ scissors and awife. D wants a snow globe and ‘a big head of dirty auld curls’. All of them want theirown place in the world. And if they can’t find it, they’ll create one of their own. Audiences are invited to join B and D in the care home where

they are residents, and where Mrs C is a carer, in their special journey towards happiness. Presented by the world famous Abbey Theatre, ‘B for Baby’ was originally commissioned by Theatre Lovett and pre-miered at the Abbey Theatre in 2010.B for Baby also won The Irish Times Theatre Award for Best New Play in 2010.Tickets are €18 full price and €15 concessions and are avail-able from Solstice Box Office on 046 909 2300 or online at www.solsticeartscentre.ie

Solstice Arts Centre welcomes the Abbey Theatre on their inaugural visit to the centre

By Doctor Gott

Ask Me!

DEAR DR. GOTT: I have had a burning sensation in the up-per part of my left arm for about five or six years. It came and went for a while, and some-times months passed without it happening. Recently the sensa-tion has worsened, and I experi-ence it daily. I have noticed that the burning is similar to that of heartburn but hotter (I have had a lot of heartburn lately). The arm burning lasts only a second or two and feels as if someone has lit a match in my arm and quickly blown it out. I have also started to have a slight tingling

in my left hand and fingers.I have been to two doctors for it, but they are at a loss as to what is causing it. Neither one re-ferred me to a specialist. I have not had any injuries to my arm, shoulder or hand. I do have some arthritis pain in my hand and fingers.Other than vitamins, the only medicine I take is Xalatan for glaucoma. I had the burning long before I found out I had glaucoma. Aside from occa-sional hot flashes and the glau-coma, I am pretty healthy. I am a 51-year-old black female, pre-menopausal, 121 pounds and 5 feet 6 inches. Can you please help?DEAR READER: My first thought on reading your letter is nerve impingement, likely from your spine. The nerves of the spinal cord that run through the vertebrae of your neck can often lead to arm tingling, burning and weakness. It can vary from mild to severe, and the sensations may come and go or become chronic. Typically as the impingement worsens, the

pain or weakness worsens, and each episode lasts longer or be-comes persistent. Over time, if left untreated, permanent dam-age may result.Another possibility is your Xa-latan. Chest pain, angina, and muscle/joint and back pain are known side effects. Chest pain can often be confused with heartburn and can radiate to the arm. But I think this is un-likely in your case.Heart problems can also result in chest, arm and hand pain. This commonly occurs on the left side and can resemble a muscle ache or heartburn. If you have a strong family or personal history of heart trou-ble, particularly if combined with hypertension and/or high cholesterol, this may be a pos-sibility.The most likely cause is coming from your neck or back. You already have arthritis in your hands, so you may also have it in your spine as well. Arthri-tis, aging, and/or degenerative changes to the spine can easily explain your symptoms.

Return to your physician to discuss this possibility and re-quest further testing, such as an X-ray, CT scan or MRI. Blood work should also be ordered if you haven’t had any recently. Depending on the results of your blood work and imag-ing tests, seeing a neurologist (nerve and brain specialist), orthopedist (bone and joint specialist) or cardiologist (heart specialist) may be beneficial to determine the cause of you burning arm and to provide ap-propriate treatment.

DEAR DR. GOTT: I recently read an article on the Internet regarding the healing powers of asparagus. It is supposed to really be a super cancer-killer. Have you heard anything about this, or is it more Internet hype? It seems to me that if it is all it is said to be, the AMA or FDA would be endorsing it, wouldn’t they?DEAR READER: Asparagus contains a protein known as histone, believed to be ac-tive in controlling cell growth. This may be the connection to which you refer. It is high in folate and vitamins K and C, and may provide the digestive

tract with unique health ben-efits. It is purported to fight depression, lower cholesterol, contain antifungal and antiviral qualities, prevent kidney stones and bladder and urinary tract infections, reduce high blood pressure, treat toothaches, in-crease the success rate of chem-otherapy, and contain anti-cancer agents — particularly in relation to the lungs.In one circulating email, The Cancer News Journal was said to have printed an article in De-cember 1979; however, to date, the article and its biochemist author have not been found. The email goes on to say the ar-ticle discussed the miraculous tales of serious bouts of cancer being overcome by asparagus therapy. That was enough to catch readers’ attention: http://www.snopes.com/medical/dis-ease/asparagus.asp.Asparagus is high in glu-tathione, an antioxidant pur-ported to defend the body against viruses, certain forms of cancer and to boost immune cells. The National Cancer In-stitute indicates that “… anti-oxidants may slow or possibly prevent the development of cancer. However, information from recent clinical trials is

less clear. In recent years, large-scale, randomized clinical trials reached inconsistent conclu-sions.”Johns Hopkins’ Kimmel Can-cer Center has stated that poor diet and obesity associated with that poor diet are risk factors for the development of cancer. “However, there is no evidence that certain foods alter the en-vironment of an existing cancer at the cellular level, and cause it to either die or grow.”This leads me to believe the jury is out on this decision and much more research is vital before conclusions can be reached. For almost every health concern, eating a well-balanced diet, exercising, con-trolling one’s consumption of products that contain alcohol and quitting smoking are the foundation for maintaining a healthy body.Speak with an oncologist or a naturopath regarding this al-ternative therapy. From my perspective, asparagus is a healthful food, and it can do no harm to consume it. Should it cure cancer, you will know you aren’t a victim of Internet hype but are on the cutting edge of history in the making.

What’s Up Doc?


18

Back in May 2010 I wrote about the Skoda Yeti and started by saying “I Love it”. Nothing has changed and this time Skoda has given me the Greenline version to tempt/tease me. Greenline is Skoda’s name for the fuel efficient and carbon reducing models across their range. Greenline models feature Start-Stop System, Recommended Gear Feature, Modified Aerody-namics, Lower Rolling Resist-ance Tyres and Brake Energy Regeneration. All very mod-ern and technically brilliant to deliver the low fuel use to

warrant the Greenline name/badge.All the above combine to deliver a Band A car for tax purposes - the lowest. Stand-ard items on the Greenline versions is Remote Central Locking, Front & Rear Elec-tric Windows, ESP (electronic stability program), Cornering Front Fog Lights, Bluetooth hands free phone connection with voice activation, 3-Spoke Multi-function Leather Steer-ing Wheel, Front Armrest with storage area, Light As-sistant, Rear Parking Sensors, 16” Moon Alloy Wheels, Rain

Sensing Wipers, Auto Dim-ming interior rear view mir-ror, Folding Table on middle Back Rest, Cruise Control and 7 Airbags including cur-tain and a driver’s knee airbag. That’s some specification for which Skoda will charge you €26,235 which is very com-petitive. The Yeti, as far as I can make out, is nearly universally loved. The overused expres-sion “fine car” is very apt for the Yeti. It is one of those cars that fits the bill of most buy-ers. It’ll serve families, sporty types, retired types, women

drivers, male drivers - a sort of a modern day Golf if you like. Ok, not as broad an ap-peal as the Golf but you get the drift. It’s extremely well screwed and welded together. It has a long-lasting feel about it. It has pretty unique looks too that are not unflattering. It has incredible versatility and flexibility and with their Vari-oFlex seats there is a seating combination for just about every motoring and load car-rying requirement.It is super comfy and quiet and has real driver appeal. I relished any reason to drive

it. Be it a long or a short trip the Yeti was a nice car to un-dertake the trip in. The high seating position is equally desirable and has all sorts of benefits - especially for your back. It feels unburstable and capable of anything the roads will throw at it. A 4wd Greenline version would be a world beater but probably not achievable - just yet.Issues with the Yeti? Only one, but it is a big one. For in or around the same money you can get hold of Kia’s eco equivalent version (ECO-dynamics) of the Sportage.

I for one would hate to have to choose as both have huge pluses in their favour and to use a horseracing expression I’d have to call it a dead heat. If you put a gun to my head and forced me to choose I’d pick the Sportage. Both of these cars are at the top of my list in the €25k to €30k bracket and they should be at the top of yours too.

Full details www.skoda.ie

Feedback [email protected]

On The Road By David Walshe

Skoda Yeti - 1.6 TDi, 105bhp, Greenline

Peugeot 308 Ecomatique 1.6HDI 110bhp

Issue 103 01 - 13 September 2009

echofeatures

The Meath Echo 21

When I test cars I usually start anticipating the next one to be tested

halfway during the current car

being tested. Sometimes the an-ticipation is exciting and some-times it’s covered in trepidation (OK, strong word). Some cars don’t float my boat and I wish I could be left with the current car a bit longer. That’s exactly what happened me when I was test driving the 200bhp VW Scirocco. The next car for testing was the Peugeot 308 Ecomatique. It only packed 110 bhp and was fitted with a semi automatic gearbox,

electronic controlled manual gearbox or whatever description describes what’s purported to be an automatic gearbox to you and me, which I was not too fond of when I tested one before. As you can imagine I wasn’t exactly filled with glee. This was so un-fair in prejudging a car before I’ve even driven it. After all, if I know what a car is going to be like before I drive it, what’s the point in driving it?

By David Walshe

The point in driving it is to accurately record the experience from an unbiased perspective, which is what I’ll do now.

Looks, however, cannot be changed by a drive and to my eye the 308 is not a looker. The rear looks like it could shed a few pounds and looks unfinished, rushed and - I won’t use the word ugly - unattractive. The front, whilst similar to the 207, is not as successful here. Its predecessor the 307, I’d have to say, is better looking but neither of them are beauty contest entrants, let alone winners.

Looking over my notes I noted that a) on the interior, Peugeot didn’t bother to fit the suit hook on the right side of the car, an at-tention to detail that scores four faults! b) the gearbox in automat-ic mode is a joke and at no stage did I like driving it in that mode using the steering wheel paddles or the floor shift to change gear and c) there was a very adjust-able steering wheel to ensure the

best possible position. Not a lot to note in a new

car you’d agree. But what I did write was that this was the best, I repeat the best, ride of the year so far. The French seem to have mastered comfort better than the rest and this was easily my most comfortable test this year. I undertook two long journeys in it and the 1.6l diesel engine had more than enough power for the trip making cruising and overtak-ing effortless. But man, the com-fort. Bumps eliminated, no wind or road noise and adhesion to the

road that made me feel very safe and secure. I’d love if all cars felt this way and made me feel this way. I didn’t record the fuel con-sumption but this Ecomatique version was parsimonious in its consumption of diesel.

The Ecomatique label denotes frugality, achieved predomi-nantly by the gearbox. It works, and more importantly, not at the expense of anything. By that I mean it felt like any other diesel I’ve driven eliminating the feel-ing that something was omitted. The gearbox in auto mode is sup-posed to adjust to your driving style. Mine must be terrible be-cause given ample time to adjust it didn’t and I used the manual shift all the time.

The Ecomatique claims to be 12% more fuel efficient than the equivalent manual version which has got to be some kind of first for a car with an “automatic” gear-box. Only recently a similar car broke the world record for fuel economy averaging 2.2l/100km (that’s 126mpg in old money) no less when they circumnavi-gated the UK (5,954kms) and used two full tanks of diesel. I’m sure the driving technique didn’t make for a pleasurable trip but the achievement is incredible. It cements Peugeot’s position as the leading low CO2 Company in Europe for the third year run-ning. In Germany the 308 was the winner of the Gold Steering Award for Quality. That’s some achievement considering the home brands it was up against. After driving it I can see why.

An old expression has been re-learned by me, “Never Judge a Book by its Cover” or slightly revised for cars, “Never Judge a Car before Driving it”.

Full details available at www.peugeot.ie

www.ashmerc.com

Call 01 [email protected] 19www.Tele.ie Call 01 8254434

[email protected]

As Slim Shady would say, “Guess who’s back”? Merc is back. Not that they have ever really been away it’s just that with the C Class they kind of lost their way. It was never as good as it should have been when compared to its main ri-vals from Audi and BMW. It had an aged image too. That’s not necessarily bad as they are the ones with the money but it didn’t appeal to those who had the “I wish” or “I want” require-ment.This is no longer the case. The C Class is now an option for all those wanting a good looking, sporty executive car. MB has given the C Class “a comprehen-sive modernisation” Fancy term for a facelift but the description is fitting. They have done an excellent job and the looks are very scaled down S Class mixed with the E Class looks for a very tasty MB Shandy. Shandy is an endearing term remember with sales of Rock Shandy as good as Orange and Lemon. Which is the sales expectation for this C Class helped enormously by of-fering the car at the price of the old model which you may recall was substantially lower than the previous model. The C Class has really tumbled in price over the last few, short years and is now an in or around €40k bar-gain. For this price you also get an estimated 31% reduction in

fuel consumption that should add to its appeal. This outcome is helped by a CD rating of 0.26 (which the manufacturers claim is a benchmark in its category), an ECO start/stop function which is fitted as standard on manual and automatic versions and fuel-efficient 7G-Tronic au-tomatic transmission. I got to drive both the saloon and the estate. Both were CDI diesel, Blue Efficiency models in Tax Band B / €156pA. This always amazes me and is a tes-tament to the promotion of low carbon emitting cars by the manufacturers and the govern-ment. I suspect the winds of change will arrive in the next budget.Driving both models is an MB idiosyncratic affair. You get a sense of over-engineering and that the mechanicals under you can cope with the bumps and dips as well as any inclines that present themselves. You are cushioned from the outside world and have enough com-fort items inside the cabin to create your ideal interior am-biance. Both were automatics that allowed you to concentrate and enjoy the driving experi-ence. Inside it’s quite with lit-tle from the outside allowed inside to disturb you. You also have a myriad of safety features that prevent you from yourself. Some standard and some to be

specified as an option that MB are the masters at. How’s this for a list:- Agility Control; Atten-tion Assist; Distronic; Pre-Safe; Neck-Pro and Thermotronic. There’s more “onic’s” in here than at an Onyx mine. Neck-Pro is new to me and this is where the headrest moves clos-er to your head in anticipation of a crash. An excellent feature.The engines in both were Rolls Royce adequate. They won’t win many races but will deliver as much as you or I might need. They are sensible. You can of course go wild and get an AMG version with a 6208cc engine. I wish I had the €98k for starters to get one, the estate of course. Speaking of which, I had to de-liver a bicycle for repair that re-quired the lowering of the rear seats. In most cars I’ve driven this requires the removal of the load compartment cover. Not so in the C Class estate. It folds forwards with the rear seats which amazed me as this should always have been the case. The large area freed up was more than enough to swallow the bicycle. Both had a wide as-sortment of features but the one I always enjoy is the cruise con-trol / speed limiting stalk. The MB way of doing this is the best and I wish it was copied more.The saloon was spacious and the boot had as good an open-ing as any others to get stuff in

and out of. Nevertheless, for the small premium for an estate I opt for it every time. The steering wheel controls are excellent too and the dials are rich simplicity. LED lights are at the front as expected but look so much classier on the C Class.

Prices from €35,055 for the sa-loon and €37,445 for the estate

– both petrol engines. Mercedes-Benz sales manager Ciaran Allen said that ‘thanks to its more attractive appearance and a very competitive position in terms of price and specifica-tions, we expect that sales of the new C-Class will grow from one-fifth to one-third of total Mercedes-Benz sales in Ireland and thereby help us to retain

our strong position within the luxury segment.’

If MB persist with the above then they may well end up do-ing a “Take That” and be ‘Back for Good”

Full details www.mercedes.ie

Feedback echomotors@gmail.

ECHO M

Mercedes C Class Saloon and Estate – CDI Blue Efficiency


Richard Forrestal recently wrote a piece in the Irish Independent cataloguing Ruby Walsh’s litany of injuries in recent years. The general gist of the column was a pondering as to how many more serious knocks – like the one which saw him sustain a crushed vertebrae in Kilarney – his body will be able to take. Now read on...For a brief period, midway through the second half of their team’s fourth clash with Kildare in 11 months, all of Meath be-gan to dream. What was always possible but highly improbable looked like it actually might hap-pen. Those of us that had weighed in at 9/4 began to wonder would we collect.Having rebuffed Johnny Doyle’s fourth minute penalty and – mainly through the shooting ex-cellence of an again on form Cian Ward – curtailed the Lilywhite lead to two points with wind ad-vantage still to come after the break, the unlikely looked as if it might actually happen.That was even though the visi-tors had accounted for the open-ing score of the second period. In every game, each team will experience a spell of dominance. It’s what you do with your su-premacy when you have it that really counts.And it is at that juncture that what might have seemed a curious ref-erence to Ruby Walsh’s latest in-jury comes into play. Meath made decent use of their time on top, no more than that though. Mainly through the accuracy of Ward – and, it must be said, the best score of the entire match from Shane O’Rourke – the managed to haul themselves back to parity enter-ing the final few furlongs of the contest.In times past, devouring such cir-cumstances was the staple diet of Meath footballers. 1991 must be regarded as the best year in the GAA’s history. It will be primar-ily recalled, of course, for the epic saga between Meath and Dublin. A snapshot of another segment of that season, however, encap-sulates the drastic and deeply saddening change that has befell football in the Royal County in the last half decade or so.Derek Duggan harpooned the Meath defence in that first half 20 years ago as the side also back-boned by the likes of Enon Gavin and John Newton and Eamon Mc-Manus and Tony McManus and Paul Earley held a seemingly un-assailable 1-08 to 0-04 half time advantage.

Difference being, the Meath team of the day simply didn’t know when they were beaten. They had the belief, ability, knowhow and men to dig themselves out of al-most any grave situation. The lat-ter two components are undoubt-edly the most important. That day, Gerry McEntee came on and gave the best display this writer bore witness to in the all too short a time the Nobber legend was seen in action in the flesh.Thereafter, the Meath old guard kicked into overdrive. Despite the Connacht side still holding sway entering the dying embers of the occasion, McEntee, O’Rourke, Stafford and Flynn somehow dragged their team back from the abyss to pull off an amazing 0-15 to 1-11 win. Nobody would have had the audacity to bet against them pulling it off either.Fast forward to 2011. The last quarter on a wet and dreary night in Pairc Tailteann. Junior O’Rourke has just sent over a monstrous equaliser. In his fa-ther’s heyday, there’d only be one outcome. In real time though, four gilt edged chances to hit the front were unforgivably spurned. Had the residents got their noses in front, it is very likely the lilies would have wilted.Things are different now though. It was almost as if Meath didn’t know how to kill the game off. The famed lethal finish wasn’t there. Instead, there seemed to be as much hesitation and panic as there was rain around Brews Hill. Wrong options were repeatedly being taken. Composure seemed non existent and things were lack-ing a degree of leadership on the field too.Which brings Ruby Walsh into our story one final time. His lat-est unwanted meeting with the ground will necessitate him to miss yet another significant por-tion of the season. The Galway Festival has already had to be passed over and although the jockey’s own stated ambition is to be back in time for the Listowel Harvest Festival, even that could be a close run thing.Of course, all these happenings have knock on effects too. With Walsh out and – at the time of typing Paul Townend still to re-turn – no matter what amount of quality of horses Willie Mullins or anyone else for that matter has at their disposal – any team will be weaker without men of the star quality of those mentioned above. Put simply, one crashing fall can drive an entire operation over the parapet for longer than there may be available for recovery.Why, you may ask, was the Rac-ing matter mentioned in the midst of a commentary on Meath’s exit from the Championship? Well here you go. Meath’s ambitions suffered every bit as catastrophic a blow as those belonging to any-one depending on the services of Walsh or Townend when Graham Geraghty came crashing down

– and with it his entire inter county season – as he ruptured an Achilles tendon in the course of a club game the week after he had justified his shock recall to the county set up only to have that justification denied to him by the ineptitude of the officialdom on duty on June 5th.Once he was ruled out, his loss stuck out like a sore thumb. Yes, he was a very strong influence in the dressing room and under-standably inspirational to the younger players. On the foot of these developments he needs to be added to the Senior manage-ment team – regardless of his stated desire to play again in the Olympic year – and also appoint-ed to manage the county U-21 team immediately.However, it was without question that what was a great impact he had around the team could have been an even more extraordinary one on the pitch. The last quarter against Kildare was crying out for Geraghty or some-body of that ilk. We’ll get back to some curiosities that cropped up later on, but for now, it is impossible not to ponder how things might have turned out had the legend been on the pitch in those closing stages. Repeatedly, those that were there panicked and took wrong options when in possession. Frankly, because once Seamus Kenny was forced off injured, there was a distinct lack of leadership among those clad in green and gold when it came to killing off the game. Or more to the point, having the in-stinct to and knowing how to. As was said earlier, once they had battled their way back to par-ity, four decent chances to go in front were sadly and most unusu-ally wasted. Had Geraghty been around, either by his influence or his own action surely some of them would have been converted.Mind you, those on the sidelines were responsible for a succes-sion of needless errors too. Let it be made abundantly clear at this point that this writer has al-ways been in favour of Seamus McEnaney as Meath manager and I feel very strongly – as do more eminent folks than myself – that he should be reappointed immediately. To do anything else would be nothing short of a farce.What has been most disappoint-ing has been a very obvious lack of backing for the Monaghan man in some quarters. Instead of getting behind ‘Team Banty’, there were times when it ap-peared every possible obstacle was put in the man’s way. Even down to what was never the way in these parts – a challenge being needlessly and rather childishly walked away from instead of be-ing met, head on, for the greater good of the bigger picture.To compound all of the above, the

new r e -

gime has been dogged by bad luck, almost from the off. Go back to the first round of National League against Laois last February. Joe Sheridan was hauled down for what should have been a blatant penalty, nothing given. Meath ended up losing the game by a goal. Had things been done as they should have, Meath would have almost certainly have got something from the game and if that transpired, what was admit-tedly a disappointing league cam-paign may not have been depicted in the glum and bleak fashion it was by some.Bigger blows, however, were shipped much closer to home. It cannot be said the decision to recall Geraghty backfired. In 11 minutes on the field against Kil-dare, he justified the faith ‘Banty’ and all right and fair thinking people had in him. Sadly, the move to bring him back never got to reach its full fruition owing to that wretched injury.The injury heartache didn’t end there either. Bryan Menton was arguably our best player in that ill-fated first Championship clash of the year with Kieran McGeeney’s side but his season was destroyed by a broken wrist sustained in training shortly after-wards. His loss might have been wrongly underestimated by many but what were ultimately two fa-tal blows to Meath’s 2011 ambi-tions occurred at opposite ends of their final night on stage.What was most galling, though, was the gut feeling that the blow which rendered Ciaran Lenihan’s evening over was no accident. To put it bluntly, the Kildare player involved made absolutely no at-tempt to evade the oncoming Skryne player who had the mo-mentum. It sits even less com-

fortably, too, that the red headed defender’s assailant wasn’t even cautioned for the vile ‘tackle’ when cards are being tossed around like confetti in other places every week of the year.As bad as losing Lenihan was,

when skipper Seamus Kenny fol-lowed him into the treatment

room entering the last quar-ter, it was a like a light switch being turned off on the Meath team. The Simonstown player seems to be look good

wine, getting better with age. Some would ques-

tion his repeated deploy-ment in the forward line

over the past year or so but the value of it was in fact best

illustrated when he wasn’t there in the closing moments of

his team’s seasonal swansong.Kenny is like a Dyson hoover when it comes to gathering up second phase possession in the midfield sector. Not noted as a prolific scorer, he had already

flashed over two excellent left footed points before being forced off. His loss

was most profoundly felt in an-other way however.And it was when Kenny went off that the errors made on the side-line were shown up very starkly. When Lenihan went off injured, Kenny was posted to half back. Now, the player is equally at home at either end of the field, but, there are times when things have to be done a little bit differ-ently.When Meath were really at their zenith between 1986 and 1991, their battles with Dublin were the stuff of legend. There wasn’t a weak link on either team. Threats lay everywhere. The Dublin half back line of the day – comprised of Paul Curran, Keith Barr and Eamon Heery – was the best I have seen to date. All three were capable of raiding forward and scoring too. Thus, among the pri-mary duties of the Meath wing forwards at the time was to keep their direct opponents pinned back.Kildare’s Emmet Bolton is a cut from the old cloth in terms of half backs. The Eadestown man gets forward and is usually good for at least one score in every game. Kenny would have been the ideal man to negate Bolton’s influence. That said, even when the captain had departed, the Meath manage-ment used the resources at their disposal very badly.Graham Reilly’s best attributes as a footballer are his speed and, in particular, his ability to run at defenders and take scores at speed. With that in mind, seeing the St Colmcille’s clubman sta-tionary in an unusual full forward berth made absolutely no sense. Reilly’s misplacing was made all the worse by the ill-informed decision to detail Stephen Bray to shadow Bolton.

Apart from the fact that it seemed bizarre to move one of the best scoring forwards in the country further away from goal, Reilly’s previous experience as a half back would surely have seen him better placed to keep tabs on Bol-ton than Bray.Reilly’s confidence seems to have dipped at an alarming level com-pared to the sparkling form which saw him receive an All Star nomi-nation in 2010. Being repeatedly taken off would hardly help that situation either. Often in a case like that, a spell in the half back line could be exactly what the player requires.Having decided to substitute him though, it is regrettable to say that the best option wasn’t even uti-lised when replacing him. Quite likely due to confidence issues as well, Brian Farrell has failed to make the impact he is undoubt-edly capable of in a Meath jersey for some time now. Added to that, given the running game which Kildare persist with, a more ver-satile player like Mark O’Sullivan or Peadar Byrne or even veteran Anthony Moyles may have been more effective than Farrell who is at his happiest and most efficient when close to goal.Mention of Moyles takes our sto-ry to a sad juncture on a personal level. Inevitably, with another Championship season drawing to a close, speculation is already rife regarding the inter county futures of the likes of Moyles and Nigel Crawford and Brendan Murphy. It would be earnestly hoped that all three would hang in there for at least one more year. If, as should happen, Seamus McEnaney is re-appointed, that Meath dress-ing room will need experienced voices and heads therein.Crawford’s case was particularly upsetting from a personal per-spective. My friend and fellow clubman has given sterling ser-vice to Meath for 13 years since being drafted into the panel as an unknown 19-year-old by Sean Boylan in 1998. It’s hard to know what has been harder to stom-ach over the years, the fact he has never got a percentage of the credit he has deserved for the ser-vice he has given or, even worse, the quantity of flack and down-right abuse the player has been subjected to from his own ‘sup-porters’. Some of it from quarters that should know better too.If the Kildare game in Navan does prove to be his last time to don green, it was a very sad way for him to bow out. Not only in terms of Meath losing, but also because it was something of an insult to a great player to leave him sitting on the bench for the entire 70 plus minutes. Surely it wouldn’t have hurt to give the man ten minutes. Besides, with the game still in the melting pot, Crawford may have been able to add something that may have been able to swing the tie Meath’s way and may indeed have been more effective than

On The Ball

Brendan Boylan

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some of those that were intro-duced.On a more personal and local lev-el, were that dreary night in Pairc Tailteann to end up being Nigel’s farewell to the green, it will leave something of a void as he was the only St Peter’s, Dunboyne player on the panel this year. Of course, a void is also an opening. Hopefully it won’t be too long until there are multiple representatives of the black and amber in the green and gold.As it is however, St Peter’s play-ers have been representing club and county with distinction of late. Not only in terms of Cathal Finn and Shane McEntee with the Meath Minor footballers, but Conor O’Shea, Ger Murphy and Fergal O’Neill who are involved with the county U-21 Hurling and the club’s six representatives with the county Senior Camogie team, both of which have achieved note-

worthy results of late.The most significant of all, how-ever, was the fact that during the last weekend in June St Peter’s U-13 hurlers represented the club and county with distinction in the All Ireland Feile Na nGael in Galway. It is known only too well that it might have raised a few eyebrows that there was no men-tion of the lads achievements in our last issue but that was purely because print deadlines had to be met, no other reason.To represent ones county at any time is a fantastic achievement and honour. It is a testament to everyone within the St Peter’s Club – and in this case Des Roon-ey, his fellow mentors, players, their parents and everyone else involved – to see the players from the club competing so consistent-ly and doing so well. In Galway, the team did extremely well and were very unlucky not to progress even further. They should, how-ever, be extremely proud of their achievements. Everyone within the club is and the same I’m sure goes for the whole of the county.Playing in, or being involved with a team in, a tournament like Feile is a life changing experience. Not only in terms of experience

gained on the pitch but also when it comes to making friendships that will last a lifetime. I know from talking to some of the par-ents of the kids involved that they were bowled over by the welcome they received and the hospital-ity afforded to them by their host club, Kilimordaly. It is things like that which make the GAA one big family and make it great. Hope-fully links were forged with the Galway club that will last eter-nally. To this end, it is indeed pleasing, encouraging and to be applauded that plans are afoot for host club and guests to meet again in the very near future.Dunboyne’s success at this level could hardly have been more timely either. Every club needs to have players coming through con-stantly as the age profile of their adult teams increases. County teams are no different. Indeed, Meath U-21 Hurling boss Mick

Cole recently highlighted the problems facing the small ball code in the county as talented dual players are swayed towards going with the county football teams. Although maybe Conal Keaney might have started a trend going the other way!Of course, the player drain which Cole alluded to is not something which is confined to Meath. However, on the evidence of re-cent events out west, the future of Dunboyne and Meath hurl-ing would appear to be safe and very bright in the hands of these talented and dedicated young men and their mentors. Hope and ex-pectation would be that they will go on to achieve success and dis-tinction in green and gold in the years ahead as they already have in black and amber.Let us return to the path from which we momentarily strayed. For the degree of disappointment there will understandably be at how the season ended up for the county senior footballers, it must be pointed out that – despite what many people might like to think – there were quite a few positives to be taken from Meath senior foot-ball season as well.Principal among which would

be the emergence of exciting young talents like Ciaran Leni-han and Bryan Menton and Mark O’Sullivan and Paddy Gilsenan. Allied to this, Shane McAnarney has solidified his position at cen-tre back and Shane O’Rourke has finally been put in his best and most effective position in mid-field. In short, the nucleus of a good, relatively young team is already in place. It has been said many times on these pages in recent times, but no apologies will be made for stating what is right, obvious and needed. And what is needed in Meath football at the moment is continuity and stability. Even the players would admit as much. Of course, Seamus McEnaney’s future ultimately lies with club delegates. Let’s just hope they do the right thing. If they don’t, and the county is plunged into further farce and chaos, they will only

have themselves to blame.To move on, the love for all thins agricultural in this seat will be very well known be regular devo-tees of these offerings. Getting out and observing all the farming go-ings on locally is a longed for and adored form of therapy for yours truly. That is what makes this an extremely special and exciting time of year. When the action is very close to home, it is even more especial and enjoyable.The weather in the week between Meath’s games against Kildare was the best of the year so far and the first that was conducive to get-ting out and seeing a bit of action. It was great – as it always is – to get out with the Clarke family and the way the weather went was ac-tually symbolic of how football matters were going to pan out as well during that haymaking week.A special pair of meadows were under particular scrutiny. They were mowed the morning after the Galway game, got a great week to mature on the ground and got baled up just before the weather turned decidedly worse.Sporting matters went along a very similar line unfortunately. A few hours after the hay was cut, the Meath lady footballers scored

an unforgettable, monumental and historic victory over outgoing All Ireland Champions Dublin. They did so in typical Meath/Dublin fashion too, thanks to a heroic last gasp point from substitute Ger Doherty.Now, one can only assume the very experienced St Ultan’s play-er was carrying an injury, because it was a major surprise not to see her start the Leinster Final against Laois. The classy forward did make an outstanding contribution when introduced however, post-ing three points as Paula Cunning-ham’s charges seemed to have secured a famous victory when leading by 1-10 to 1-07 with time evaporating rapidly.However, having seen the coun-ty’s male footballers ambitions washed away in the rain the night before, lightening did indeed strike twice, well partially at least. And it is impossible not to feel that malfunctioning officialdom again played a horrid part in a Meath teams undoing.To the best of my knowledge, there were no serious injuries sustained in the game and even though timing matters are taken out of the referees hands thanks to the countdown clock which should also be in use in the men’s game, where ten – yes ten – min-utes of injury time could be mus-tered from is nigh on impossible to fathom but equally cannot be argued with. What is sickening is that such a happening seems typi-cal of the cursed luck that seems to befall all Meath teams.What can and should be vehe-mently questioned, however, is what a Carlow referee was do-ing refereeing a match involv-ing Laois when a portion of one county runs into the other. Such a situation is difficult to understand and stomach churning to think of in equal measure. Not to mention that Meath had two players sin binned and no cards were shown in the opposite direction.Anyway, unlike their male coun-terparts, at the time of typing, the ladies still have the opportunity to make further progress via the Qualifier system. The problem, however, is how exactly do the players and their management team lift themselves after such a devastating and heartbreaking conclusion to their last outing?Perhaps it is just a trait in the oc-cupant of this seat, but, the ten-dency has always been to try and pull whatever positives possible from any given situation. With that in mind, Meath can take great heart from their display. They gave it their all which is all any-one can do and they were undone by circumstances outside of their control and, no doubt, will be out to put the record straight when they return to action.

Their captain, Grainne Nulty – pictured above - who is a mem-ber of the extended Clarke family mentioned earlier – was selected as Player of the Match that disap-

pointing day in Carlow. Scant consolation, I know, but with herself and others like Irene Mun-nelly, Katie O’Brien, Shauna Bennett, Mary Sheridan, Vivienne McCormack and Ger Doherty in their ranks, the womanpower is most definitely there to turn things around.The gap of a few weeks between their heartbreaking last outing and when they return to action will also be a help. Obviously, the hope would be that they would be able to pick themselves up and kick on from their current stand-point. Regardless of how the rest of the season pans out though, the year would have to be regarded as a successful one for this Meath team.They closed the gap on queenpins Dublin in the National League, ended up getting promoted with them to Div. 1 despite losing the Div. 2 Final to their arch rivals. That disappointment will have been put behind them following their epic Championship vic-tory over the two shades of blue. Hope and expectation would be that they will put this latest disap-pointment behind them and actu-ally come back stronger from it. In fact, the feeling would be that the best may yet be to come from this Meath team.On a day when hearts were be-ing broken in certain places, they were being greatly uplifted in a more sedate setting. Mind you, there was nothing sedate about the outpouring of emotion at the venue or event in question. The sporting action being referred to was, of course, Darren Clarke’s capturing of the Open Champion-ship at Royal St George’s on the same day as Meath hearts were broken for the second time in less than 24 hours.Minds were automatically cast back to similarly dreary weather at a golf course on the outskirts of Dublin and even closer to Meath. Maybe the emotion then was even stronger then, though it was im-possible not to feel that the two occasions were somehow funda-mentally linked.It hardly seems like five years ago that the eyes of a large part of the world were focussed near Straffan for the Ryder Cup. As ever, two extremely strong teams were se-lected to represent Europe and the United States.The presence of one name on that European team meant more than any other though. There are times when happenings in life transcend any sporting event. Yet, sport can be a very important source of comfort and healing at the worst of times. Indeed, no matter what the code, there are times when

sport feels and unites like one big family. We think of the outpour-ing of grief and support follow-ing the tragic death of Michaela McAreavey – daughter of Tyrone football manager Mickey Harte – last January.Similar sentiments were very much on the go around the time of that Ryder Cup at the K Club fol-lowing the death of Darren’s wife, Heather, from breast cancer in the run up to the event. Thus, all of the sporting wanted things to go well for Darren. Fate seemed determined to keep him a central figure too. Captain of the day, Ian Woosnam, chose Clarke to hit the first drive on the first hole that first day and it was ultimately his excellence on the 16th on the fi-nal day that secured the spoils for Europe.You’d have to assume that it was something of a delayed reaction to Heather’s passing, but, the popular Dungannon man’s form dipped to such an alarming degree that it was rumoured at one stage that he even considered walking away from the sport.Frankly, however, doing such a thing would not be in the man’s makeup. On the contrary, the manner in which he kept plugging away just served to prove the in-spirational figure he is and surely there was never a more deserved or acclaimed victory in Golf. Iconic figures are what drives a sport and inherently boosts its popularity. Golf lost a major one in Seve Ballesteros but maybe, just maybe, Clarke will be the man to fill that void, albeit in a different way.Once the atrocious conditions made it something of a throw-back to all those years ago and something of a war of attrition few would have betted against it becoming a third Irish Major win in 13 months. To my mind, the following motto would sum Clarke up perfectly: work hard, play hard, and party hard!All three were in evidence dur-ing his glorious week too. Hav-ing worked hard to build up what was ultimately a winning lead, he endured some tough times as Phil Mickelson came charging at him but worked hard to stave off the left handed American’s challenge and, by God, once he had the job done you can be pretty sure he partied hard too!In doing so, he endured that the current party that is the Irish Golf scene keeps on rolling. Long may it continue. As for Clarke himself, gut feeling says the best may yet be ahead of him!FOGRA: Sincere sympathy is extended to the Donnelly family, Fairyhouse Road, Ratoath.

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