swords

Bargain hunters: Turning clutter into cash at a salePAT TIERNEY, Liz McKenna, Ella, Zoe and Rebecca McKenna were among the many bargain hunters at a recent car boot sale at The Old Borough National School in aid of St Columba’s Church.

The event was a great opportunity for locals to get rid of the clutter from their homes and raise some much-needed money.

See Gallery on Page 9

Travel money ruling queried by Daly� NATALIE BURKE

LOCAL TD Clare Daly (SP) has hit out at claims that she was not entitled to use part of her travel and accommodation allowances for a nationwide campaign against water and household charges.

Deputy Daly was one of three Dublin-based TDs who have questioned the provisional ruling by the

Houses of the Oireachtas Service that says they were not entitled to do so.

“A TD on a worker’s wage gets the same money as I was on in Aer Lingus and we choose to use the rest of our expenses to further a lot of the campaigning issues that we were elected on. And we make no apologies for that whatsoever,” she said.

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ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES ..................... 9

BEAUTY .........................16

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

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ENTERTAINMENT ........ 24

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

INSIDE: Great summer

holiday ideas for the

whole family P19

BOOK LAUNCH: Escape from Syria is launched at Carnegie Court See Page 6

Shirley Lanigan

updates guide

to our many

horticultural gems

SEE PAGE 14

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Football: Ravens revival continues with Syl’s victoryPage 31

2 SWORDS GAZETTE 12 July 2012

� NATALIE BURKE

[email protected]

LOCAL TD Clare Daly has hit out at claims that she was not entitled to use part of her travel and accommodation allow-ances for a nationwide campaign against water and household charges, and welcomes the spot-light that has been put on TDs’ allowances.

Deputy Daly was one of the three Dublin-based TDs from the United Left Alliance who used their allowances for similar campaigns and who have questioned the provisional ruling by the Houses of the Oire-achtas Service that says they were not entitled to do so.

Advice

A statement made by the service last week revealed that allowanc-es of €1,000 a month were paid to Clare Daly and Joe Higgins of the Socialist Party and Joan Collins of People Before Profit, which should have only incorporated costs incurred within their own constituen-cies, except when travel-ling to and from Leinster House. The statement also noted, however, that the service is currently seeking legal advice to clarify the position.

Following the recent statement, Deputy Clare Daly says she is happy to see the controversial issue of TDs’ expenses highlighted.

“We were quite happy to see the spotlight put on expenses because [the United Left Alli-ance] were a lways looking to have that reformed. It is exces-sive and the salaries are ridiculous, and the

idea that people would claim expenses and not receipt for them is abso-lutely outrageous. That is the system that’s there at the moment and it’s completely wrong and needs to be changed. There is a huge amount of money paid to the big parties and that needs to be looked at as well.”

No apologies

Deputy Daly says she has always been upfront about how she spends her expenses and prior to the election, made it clear that she did not benefit financially from the elected positions. “A TD on a worker’s wage gets the same money as I was on in Aer Lingus and we choose to use the rest of our expenses to further a lot of the campaigning issues that we were elected on. And we make no apologies for that whatsoever.”

Although the house-hold tax was one of the campaign issues, Deputy Daly insists it is not an issue that can be defeated only in Dub-lin North. “I can bring the benefit of having the privilege of meeting people around the coun-try back to my own con-stituency and vice versa, and I think it’s a really positive thing actually because we are elected to national parliament.

“The others [TDs] spent the same thing, and they chose to spend it on their car tax and tyres, which other work-ers pay for out of their wages as I do. And, in that sense, I think it’s more productive to use [the allowances] to sup-port our campaigns on the basis of the platform I was elected on,” she concluded.

REFORM: ALL CLAIMS SHOULD BE VOUCHED FOR, SAYS SOCIALIST TD

Daly ‘happy’ spotlight is trained on TD expenses

PRE-SCHOOL Links Montessori rewards little leavers

Kerrie Gilla, Deirdre Kelly, Roisin Ni Ghribhthin and Natasha Williams. Pictures: Una Williams

Sophie Miller, Alannah Rochford and Una Drury Byrne

Ludia and Nuria Vallue and Orla O’Dwyer Carmel, Cian and Willie Prizeman

Jake Staunton and Jamie Lynn

Starting on the road to learningT

HE Grand Hotel in Malahide was host to the Links Childcare Montessori graduation ceremony recently, when the children, dressed in full cap and gown,

received an educational parchment in front of guests. The ceremony included children performing songs that they had learned throughout the year through Montessori and in Spanish and speech and drama classes. This year was the largest group of children to graduate

since 2004. This year children graduated from Abington Wood, Malahide, Seabrook Manor, Portmarnock, The Links, Portmarnock, St Olave’s, Cornmill, Clonee and the newest branch at Balbriggan.

Since opening their newest branch in Abington Wood, Malahide in August 2009, Links Childcare has become one of the largest childcare facilities on the northside of Dublin.

12 July 2012 SWORDS GAZETTE 3

WASTE WATCH Local concern over Fingal’s image

Sewage plan attracts over 1200 objections� NATALIE BURKE

WITH the Flavours of Fingal festival on the horizon, Lusk Waste Watch has voiced its fears that promoting Fin-gal food may not be sus-tainable in future years, should the massive sew-age plant planned for the area go ahead.

The final batch of submissions was sent to Greater Dublin Drainage last week as the dead-line on the proposal to build the treatment plant passed.

Over 1,200 letters detailing objections to the plan were collected from concerned Lusk residents and were brought to the

council’s head office in Swords.

Speaking just before the submissions were handed in, local cam-paigner Lorcan O’Toole said it was “ironic” to see the council planning to build a huge sewage plant in the heart of hor-ticultural Fingal, while also planning an event to promote Fingal food.

“It’s great to see a pro-motion like Flavours of Fingal and just what the council should be doing. In a few years’ time, it may not be so easy to stage such an event; the image of Fingal will be radically affected by the location of a sewage plant in its heart,” he said.

Regarding the plans for the campaign, O’Toole added: “Fingal County Council will have to answer to the people of Fingal generally, and particularly the people of Lusk, if they persist in their plan to go ahead with this insane proposal. They have so far ignored the very real and justifi-able concerns of the very people they are meant to serve. They have admitted that they have not even given any consideration to the issue of the burden on the community.

“They don’t seem to be listening and seem hell-bent on imposing this horror on a village that has done more than its

Local campaigner Lorcan O’Toole: FCC will have to answer to the people of Fingal

if they persist in their plan to go ahead with this insane proposal

fair share already. If the final selected site is in Lusk, there will be a very serious response from the people. We simply cannot accept our village being sacrificed like this,” he concluded.

In response to the concerns raised by Mr O’Toole, a spokesper-son for Greater Dublin

Drainage confirmed that community overburden-ing has been taken into account and known environmentally desig-nated areas and sensi-tive receptors have been mapped for potential constraints. The Alter-native Site Assessment (ASA) process aims to avoid and where this is

not possible, to mitigate against any associated impacts.

When the planning application for the project is submitted to An Bord Pleanala, the inde-pendent adjudicator will make a determination as to whether the project is compliant with sustain-able planning.

A busy summer for local guide dogsTHE Balbriggan branch of the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind (IGDB) have a busy summer peri-od ahead, with a number of events set to take place in the area.

The charity’s first fundraising event is the IGDB annual dog walk, which will take place in Malahide Castle at 3pm on Sunday, July 15, and all members of the com-munity and their dogs are welcome to join in the fun.

The charity is also set to host a car raffle at the Blanchardstown Shop-ping Centre on the week-end of July 19, before they appear at the RDS Horse Show on Thursday, August 16.

Anyone interested in volunteering their time and helping out with any of these events should contact the IGDB, Bal-briggan Branch, on 085 766 3107.

EVENTS


Reservoir works may disrupt traffic ROAD works due to take place in Balbriggan this week are likely to cause disruption for road users over the next month, Fin-gal County Council has warned.

A one-way traff ic system will be in place along the Harry Rey-nolds Road in Balbrig-gan from July 11 until August 17, as part of essential works to the Balbriggan High Level Water Supply Scheme.

As part of the project, a new reservoir is being constructed which will be connected to the existing water network. To facili-tate this, a new water-main is being laid along the Harry Reynolds Road during this period.

Access to individual premises will be main-tained at all times during the course of the works and extensive signage will be displayed.

SCHEME

Chernobyl kids to enjoy a carefree visit� SUZANNE BYRNE

FAMILIES across North Dublin have been rolling out the red carpet for the arrival of 20 children from Belarus, who have jetted into the area for a month of rest and recuperation with their new “Irish fami-lies”.

The children, eight boys and 12 girls between the ages of seven and 13, are here as part the 26th anni-versary of Adi Roche’s Chernobyl Children Inter-national (CCI) Rest & Recuperation Programme, which gives the children a break from the still high-radiation environment in western Russia.

The summer is a partic-ularly dangerous time for the children, as the intense heat in Belarus contrib-utes to the redistribution of radioactive materials in the atmosphere. Research has shown that the chil-

dren’s radiation levels fall by 30-50% during their stay in Ireland.

All the host families are based around Oldtown, Roganstown, Kilsalla-ghan, Swords, Castle-knock and Ongar.

The arrival of this sum-mer’s group of 500 chil-dren to Ireland brings the total number of children who have benefited under the scheme to over 22,000 since 1991.

A group of volunteers have spent the past eight months fundraising to make the trip possible, with local businesses get-ting on board in helping out to provide everything the young visitors need.

Among the businesses who have donated their time are Specsavers Swords, dentist Dr David Patton and the Plaza Medical Clinic.

The children will have little time to themselves,

with plenty of activities planned, including a trip to the fire station, courte-sy of Finglas Fire Brigade; a party in Cork’s Cafe Bar in Ashbourne; a day out in Fort Lucan; a fun day with food and play organ-ised by Little Moo Moos playschool; a swimming trip, courtesy of Sport-slink Santry, and a fancy dress night in Oldtown House.

Trina Gilchrist, the North Dublin CCI chair-person, has taken in two girls, Dasha and Vika. Trina told the Gazette that this year, many of the children have been brought over from Gomel and Mogilev, two of the areas worst affected by the ongoing fallout from the nuclear accident in 1986, which released large quantities of radioactive contamination, which spread over much of west-ern USSR and Europe.

Enchanting Ella: Hitting the beach to raise awareness of dog fouling issuesDOG OWNERS and walkers along Rush Main Street and beach were treated to the sight of Fingal County Council’s latest recruit in the war against litter and dog fouling last week. Ella, a two-year old golden retriever, accompanied by her owner, Fingal Litter Warden Wendy Byrne, were out and about meeting dog walkers and mem-bers of the public and raising awareness of dog fouling issues, and encouraging responsible behaviour. Ella and Wendy will be visiting Swords on Thursday, July 12.

HOLIDAY: 20 CHILDREN JET TO NORTH DUBLIN FOR REST AND RECUPERATION


New Lusk grave site a possibilityA NEW graveyard site could be on the cards for the area of Lusk, Fingal County Council has con-firmed.

Following a local council meeting held ear-lier this year, the council confirmed that the land to the rear of the existing burial ground in Lusk, at Katy Hunter’s Cottage, would be assessed and tested to determine if it would be suitable for use as a burial ground.

Completed

According to the latest report given by the coun-cil, the assessment for the proposed graveyard site will be completed by the end of September this year.

It has been acknowl-edged, however, that a significant amount of funding will be required to carry out the neces-sary construction works involved, should the lands be deemed suitable.

COUNCIL

A mother’s bravery: Stolen - Escape from Syria is launched at the Carnegie CourtTHE OFFICIAL LAUNCH of the book Stolen - Escape from Syria by Louise Monaghan was held at the Carnegie Court, Swords recently.

Stolen - Escape from Syria is the harrow-ing story of Louise’s walk across the heavily guarded border of Syria to save her six-year-old child from the father who had snatched her from her home in Cyprus.

It is a story of survival as Louise and her daughter were led by illegal people-smug-glers in a journey through bomb attacks and sniper fire in the dead of night to safety.

Pictured at the event are Frankie Mona-ghan, Outgoing Mayor Gerry McGuire (Lab), author and Swords native Louise Monaghan, Daragh Butler and Louise’s daughter, May.

A big win for Keogh’s crisps

GOURMET: THE NATIONAL START-UP AWARDS

� NATALIE BURKE

A LOCAL company that commenced trading less than eight months ago has scooped a major award at the National Start-up Awards 2012 held recently in the Bur-lington Hotel.

Keogh’s Crisps, based in Oldtown, received a significant investment from Fingal County Enterprise Board when they started a new gour-met crisp manufacturing business last year.

Unique

Since then, they have gone from strength to strength, with the Keogh brothers even mak-ing an appearance on RTE One’s Saturday Night Show, where they launched their unique Shamrock f lavoured crisp range, just ahead of St Patrick’s Day.

The Keogh’s brand of

home-grown potatoes has been a staple part of most Irish homes for generations. Spotting a gap in the market for Irish home-grown luxury gourmet crisps, they cre-ated a plan to branch into the production of hand-cooked snack foods. The crisps can now be seen in many retail outlets throughout Ireland and the company has major plans to export the prod-uct internationally.

Speaking on the suc-cess of Keogh’s Crisps so far, the CEO of Fin-gal Enterprise Board, Oisin Geoghegan, said: “Keogh’s have shown that even in the middle of a recession, a small business can success-fully create a new prod-uct range with enormous market potential. Inno-vative businesses like this one will help to provide much-needed jobs in our local economy.”

DublinGazetteNewspapers

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publisher, with 8 titles covering the M50 from Swords to Dun Laoghaire.

We are currently looking to recruit:

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dept in our Lucan head offi ce on a number of Dublin Gazette titles. Experience in

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If you can work on your own initiative within a

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with an excellent work ethic, please send your

cv to: [email protected]


Two local schools target of EU funds� NATALIE BURKE

TWO schools in the local area, Holywell Educate Together, Swords, and Scoil Chormaic, Balbrig-gan, are set to benefit from the latest funding announced by the Euro-pean Investment Bank (EIB).

In a formal announce-ment made by the EIB last week, over €100 mil-llion will be provided to the Government to fund the construction of 550 classrooms across the country.

Holywell Educate Together and Scoil Chor-maic are just two of the Irish schools set to receive new classrooms over the next two years as part of the latest capital invest-ment.

The initiative was

launched in Dublin last week by Minister for Edu-cation and Skills, Ruairi Quinn TD, and EIB presi-dent, Werner Hoyer.

The programme will see the building of more than 550 classrooms, and involve modernisation and construction works in 35 primary and 12 secondary schools across the country. It will sig-nificantly improve teach-ing conditions and will provide new facilities for a total of 5,500 primary pupils and 6,650 second-ary students.

The 25-year loan from the EIB, the long-term lending institution of the European Union, will form part of the Irish Government’s €219 mil-lion schools expansion programme, to be man-aged by the Department

of Education. According to Minister

Quinn, the funding will support the implemen-tation of the five-year construction programme which he announced ear-lier this year.

“The long-term loan provides a more efficient and cost-effective means of funding this pro-gramme than would oth-erwise be possible. It is a very welcome develop-ment and is good news for the taxpayer, not to men-tion pupils and teachers across the nation.”

While an increased enrolment capacity of 70,000 additional school places is expected over the next seven years in Ireland, local Labour councillor Tom Kelleher believes the latest funding is simply matching needs

with figures. “We know how many

children are about to go into the education sys-tem, we know what pro-visions have to be made, so it’s just a question of doing it in time. All it is is responding to an obvious need,” he said.

“According to the Cen-sus returns, Fingal has the fastest growing popula-tion in the country. Pro-visions have to be made on a continuous basis for more and more children entering the education system and it’s important the Department keeps abreast of all the figures, that the corresponding buildings required are put in place and that this is done in advance of, or at the very latest, simultane-ous with the kids going to school.”

THE Pavilion Shopping Centre will play host to some golden sunshine this summer, when the Swords-based McCabe’s Pharma-cy will be the only Irish stopover of the St Tropez “Spray-cation” tour.

The tour will come to the Pavil-ion Shopping Centre on Friday and Saturday, July 13 and 14,

and visitors will be treated to a bespoke spray tan, product dem-onstrations and a consultation with celebrity tanning expert, Jules Heptonstall, who has tanned a host of celebrities.

He will be joined by representa-tives from McCabe’s Pharmacy and St Tropez who will be offering hints and tips on how to achieve a

salon-perfect tan at home.Commenting on the event,

Ciara McCabe of McCabe’s Phar-macy said: “We’re delighted to be hosting the only Irish stopover of the St Tropez Spray-cation tour. We’re dedicated to bringing the leading brands and latest beauty products to our customers so they look and feel their best.”

‘Spray-cation’ tour on the way

Local Labour councillor Tom Kelleher believes the latest funding is simply matching needs with figures

EDUCATION Long-term loan is welcomed


BARGAIN HUNT Searching for a good deal at car boot sale

Turning unwanted clutter into cashT

HE Old Borough National School in Swords was the venue for a recent car boot sale in aid of

St Columba’s Church. Locals were encouraged to fill up their cars with all the bits and bobs they don’t want

anymore and turn the clutter into cash. The rain stayed away which helped bargain hunters in their search for something special. The event will continue every Saturday during June, July and August.

Robert Keane, Thomas Traynor and Gerard Fallon. Pictures: Una Williams

Mervyn Darlington,

co-ordinator

Noel and Pamela Murphy Pat Tierney, Liz McKenna, Ella, Zoe and Rebecca McKenna

Irwin and Janice JohnsonDylan and Cian Bowbrick


Birthday bash for the USA O

N July 4, US Ambassador to Ireland Dan Rooney and his wife Patricia celebrated American Inde-pendence Day by hosting the Third Irish Ameri-

can Flag Football Classic. Over 2,500 guests were in attendance for the Independence Day celebrations. The football was delivered by professionals who sky dived from a plane overhead.

Then it was time for The Phoenix Park Pirates to take on the Dublin 8’s.

The Dublin 8’s took the title this year winning 44 to 37. Guests of all ages enjoyed hamburgers, hotdogs, red, white and blue cupcakes and other traditional American treats. The Kids Zone was a huge success with face painting, story-telling, science demonstra-tions and the giant inflatable slide.

William Cummins, Eddie Goggins, Ref Tony Rivers, Dan Rooney and Barry Bolton. Pictures: Peter Doyle

Peter and Mary Tiernan

Dublin 8’s Youth with Martin Kane, head coach, and Heather Sanchez, team

manager

The game featured plenty of end-to-end action

Dave Duffy approaches and then lands with

the Steelers’ FlagUncle Sam with Avril and Nathan Byrne

CELEBRATIONS The Phoenix Park Pirates take on the Dublin 8’s

Phoenix Park Pirates Youth with head coach Gerry Bourke and team manager Elizabeth Morrisson

Katrina Morrisson, US Ambassador to

Ireland Dan Rooney, and Aidan Kelly

Jimmy Kloda, Zoe Gibson, Karen Doyle, Alan Munnelly, Justyna Kloda and

David Vincent French

Louise McKiernan, Margaret McKiernan, Mairead Butler, Dylan

Butler and Conor Butler with Snap, Crackle and Pop

Lee Gibson was a favourite with all those red, white and blue cup cakes

Hadar Levy from the Israeli Embassy

enjoying the celebrations

Blaithin Ruadh, Sinead O’Neill and Sarah Daly

Little Caoimhe McDonald,

three months old, on her first

Independence Day

Peter Killalea

Derek Byrne and Andrew Bradford

Zoe Gibson, Karen Doyle and Justyna Kloda

in American football game to mark USA’s birthday

12 July 2012 GAZETTE 11

Letting celebrate � PAUL HOSFORD

OVER 2,000 people gathered at the resi-dence of the American Ambassador to Ireland, Dan Rooney, last week, to celebrate the birth of the USA.

The residence fea-tured a taste of eve-rything American on the day, with hotdogs, burgers and American Football taking centre stage.

The residence, on 62 acres of ground was completed in 1776.

Built by Col John Blaquiere, chief secre-tary of the British gov-ernment and bailiff of the Phoenix Park, it has been the home of the American ambassador to Ireland since 1928.

Extensive renova-tions to the house and property were made by the U.S. Government in 1952.

The property now consists of orchards and gardens on which are located three cot-tages and a gate lodge.

The lower ground floor of the residence has a ballroom, recep-tion and dining room, library, office, kitchen’s pantry, staff room and laundry.

S ix su i te s which each have a bedroom, bathroom and dress-ing room, plus a sitting room are located on the upper floor.

The residence has fur-niture and equipment obtained in Ireland, the United States and many other countries.

This year, the staff of the American embassy in Ballsbridge, their families and assorted guests, American, Irish and otherwise, were in attendance for the American national day.

S i n c e A m b a s s a -dor Rooney owns the most successful team in American Football history, the Pittsburgh

Steelers, it is hardly surpris ing that the showpiece event of the day should be a gridiron game.

The third Irish Amer-ican Flag Football clas-sic was played on a spe-cially constructed pitch in what is, essentially, the ambassadors back yard.

The pitch, complete with American Foot-ball goalposts, two big screens, bleachers and impressive pitch mark-ings that included a 4-metre wide ambassa-dor’s seal at midfield.

Patrick McKenna and Alan Gallagher from Croke Park both put immense work, with their team.

They made sure the pitch was ready and up to the standard a man whose team plays in a $300 million, 65,000 seater stadium would expect.

There was much jok-ing that the Rooneys could pay Croke Park back by securing a Steel-ers game for HQ in the future, as has long been rumoured, but official word on such a move is still not forthcoming.

The game itself is a non-contact version of the gridiron game.

Many players on both the defending Phoenix Park Pirates and chal-lenging Dublin 8’s had never played the game before at all.

Not everyone, how-ever, was a pigskin neo-phyte.

Taking the reins at quarterback for the 8’s was a young man by the name of Dan Rooney.

The ambassador ’s grandson has just fin-ished a stint as the backup quarterback at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and was coached on the 8’s by his uncle, Dan Roon-ey Jr.

Along with some US Marines and other

embassy staff , both teams had a mix of new-comers and vets, with some Irish American Football players thrown into the mix as well.

The game itself start-ed with the arrivals of the teams as announced by Today FM sports reporter Paul Collins.

Then followed armed forces from both Ireland and the US marching the colour (or, on this day, color) before the singing of the national anthems.

T h e n , t h e g a m e ball was delivered by

members of the Irish Parachute Club, who jumped from high over the residence.

A typically low-key arrival for such an event as this, then.

Game onThe game itself was a

thriller, with the young Rooney leading his team into an early lead by finding Joe Grey for an early touchdown, before finding Danny Ferens Jr, whose father is a member of the Steelers’ front office.

The Phoenix Park Pirates, led by Eddie Goggins, were strug-gling to get into the rhythm as they sought to defend the crown which they wrestled

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

‘The relationship between our two countries is stronger than ever...we never stopped imagining a brighter future’------------------------------------------US Ambassdor Dan

Rooney- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

US Ambassador Dan Rooney with Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Aidan Prendergast of the Mayoman’s Association

(top) and with Social Protection Minister, Joan Burton

INDEPENDENCE DAY Over 2,000 get together to mark July 4

12 GAZETTE 12 July 2012

freedom ring to a special friendship

from the 8’s last year.Just before half time,

Shaun Douglas, a player with Castleknock’s own West Dublin Rhinos, caught a pass before weaving his way through the despairing reaches of the 8’s defence and in for a touchdown.

That left the score at 23-14 at the break.

At half-time, a group of youngsters from both Ireland and America took part in a small-sided game, thrilling the crowd in a 14-7 win for the 8’s.

The Pirates would receive the ball to start the second period and after one play, Douglas had hauled his team back into the game.

election this year, it is unclear if this will be the last year of this event or whether Mr Rooney will be returned to the Chief Secretary’s Lodge by Barack Obama or Mitt Romney.

It is clear, however, that Rooney has the appetite to stay in the Phoenix Park, praising the strong relationship between the country of his birth and the nation of his heritage.

“Our relationship is stronger than ever,” he said before echoing the words of Barack Obama who, during his visit to Ireland last year, spoke of countries that have “never stopped imagin-ing a brighter future”

“I have travelled all over Ireland and visited every county. US confi-dence in Ireland’s econ-omy has never wavered and our investment in Ireland’s future remains strong,” Mr Rooney said.

In the end, all that was left to do was sit back and look at how well put-together the day was.

Embassy staff had worked long and hard at producing a special day and they certainly suc-ceeded.

Many in attendance, particularly those from this side of the pond, remarked at how over the top it all seemed, but were reminded swiftly that over the top is what America does.

The teams would go back and forth before the Pirates would level things with just under two minutes to go.

With consummate c a l m n e s s , R o o n e y

showed why the family business was American Football and led his team into the endzone with just seconds to go.

In the end, joint-Most Valuable Player Ferens

would show why he is being highly touted for some major colleges in the States with a stun-ning interception to end the game.

With a presidential

The victorious Dublin 8’s team

the American way - with football and hotdogs

AN annual motorbike charity run is set to take place later this month, when a group of motor-cyclists will travel from Dublin to Tullamore in order to raise money for a very worthy cause.

After a successful charity event last year, the fundraising motor-cyclists “15 to 1” are set to hit the road again, but this year in aid of spina bifida.

The group is inviting any motorcyclists who wish to take part to come along and donate €20 towards the fund-raiser.

Any motorcyclist who would like to join in the run is asked to meet at the Mansion House in Dublin at 9.30am on Sunday, July 29.

The run will official-ly start at 11am with refreshments available on arrival to Tullamore.

Motor bike run for spina bifida

CHARITY



Antibiotic use must be curbed, says study� SUZANNE BYRNE

SCIENTISTS are call-ing on the government to step up their current campaign to curb the use of antibiotics in humans and animal healthcare.

According to an Envi-ronmental Protection Agency (EPA)-funded report detailing new links between water quality and health, the problem of antibiotic resistant bac-teria has become increas-ingly widespread.

The study, Enhancing Human Health through Improved Water Quality, demonstrates the extent to which acquired anti-microbial resistance in E. coli and Enterococci bacteria has spread in Ireland’s water sources.

Lead author of the

study Professor Mar-tin Cormican told the Gazette the health risk lay in the fact that these bacteria, which live in humans and used to be sensitive to antibiotics – had now become resist-ant – primarily due to the overuse of antibiotics.

These bacteria are then spread between humans and animals through contaminated water sources – as well as other inter-animal contact, and can turn up in others that have not been on courses of antibiotics – thus accel-erating their spread.

The study further details the potential role of intensive health care settings, such as hospi-tals as a focus for phar-maceutical and bacterial contaminants.

The hospital super-bug MRSA is a strain of bacteria that has become resistant to conventional antibiotics.

Among the report’s key findings is a connection between heavy rainfall and sudden changes in water quality – as bacte-rial contamination gets washed into groundwater from farm sources and septic tanks.

Researchers have also stressed how poorly-protected wells or water treatment facilities can have an adverse impact on the health of families and business owners.

In light of this, the report recommends the classification of water sources to highlight those at risk.

It further advises the

implementation of a total quality management sys-tems approach to water treatment plants, where operational failure is identified as a major risk.

During the period of the study, some rural populations were exposed to piped water that was substantially contaminated with fae-ces all of the time, with the additional problem of exposure to E. coli that had an array of acquired antimicrobial resistance mechanisms.

It noted in this regard however, that overall improvement in drinking water quality was reported in the recent EPA report The Provision and Qual-ity of Drinking Water in Ireland – a Report for the Year 2010.

Capital comes up roses in garden world

TOP 100 Author updates guide to our horticultural gems

� SUZANNE BYRNE

WICKLOW may be the Garden County – but Dublin’s gardens are still among the best in the country.

That’s according to writer Shirley Lanigan, who’s just published an updated edition of her book, The 100 Best Gar-dens in Ireland.

Airfield Garden in Dundrum, Ardgillan Demesne in Skerries and Dillon Garden in Rane-lagh all make the grade

in her 100 best list, which has now been made available as a pocket guide for wandering gar-den enthusiasts.

The latest edition explores the history of Ireland’s gardens, their design, flora, fauna and

includes interviews with owners, curators and gardeners themselves.

It’s also a great guide to practical information on fees and opening hours and quite simply bursts with information on the cornucopia of horticul-tural gems just waiting to be dug up.

Speak ing to the G a z e t t e , L a n i g a n explained her idea of what made a garden truly great.

“My favourite gardens are big wandering ones

where you can get lost. “Where you actually

have to sort of turn left and right and go down laneways and tunnels. For me, they’re the Mecca of great gardens,” she said.

“There’s an untam-edness about the best of Irish gardens, they always give you the feel-ing it sort of happened by mistake.

“I think it’s because of all the rain our gardens tend to be extremely lush

and it’s easy for an Irish garden to develop a jun-gle-like feel – unlike Brit-ish gardens where they go in for much more for-mality that’s more man-nered and hemmed in. Ireland’s a bit scruffier,” she said.

Explaining how she drew up the list, Lani-gan said she initially made her selection from memory and experi-ence and then revisited the gardens. Some still made the grade – and

Dublin’s gardens are still among the best in the country, according

to writer Shirley Lanigan (left)

some didn’t. “What I like now is the

wall-planting. There’s a lot of good design now, using the walls of a new buildings as a vertical build – it gives you the chance to let plants look as if they have the upper hand.”

Of the Dublin gardens on her list, she said the Dillon garden was a par-ticular wonder.

“It’s one woman and her husband’s garden. There’s this most extraor-

dinarily beautiful garden behind their home. She really is an amazing woman with plants.”

As for the ideal recipi-ent of the book, Lanigan said: “Anyone who likes to go out for a drive. Very often, you’ll pick one or two things. Though you’d be hard pressed to repro-duce them.

“But we can all dream,” she said.

The 100 Best Gardens in Ireland is published by Liberties Press.


CHAMPIONSHIPS 350 sailors set compass for title success

Sailing elite to drop anchor in Dun Laoghaire� SUZANNE BYRNE

THE cream of the world’s young sailors are set to drop anchor in Dun Laoghaire this week as the borough plays host to the International Sail-ing Federation’s (ISAF) World Youth Sailing Championships.

Dubbed the Youth Olympics of Sailing, the event is taking place in Ireland for the first time in its 42-year history at locations across Dun Laoghaire Harbour and Dublin Bay between July 13 and 20.

The 350 budding sea-farers, all aged between 16 and 19, are represent-ing 63 flags from across

six continents.Accompanied by 120

coaches, they will sail 250 boats across five classes in their race for the eight available world titles.

Brian Craig, who’s chairing the event, told the Gazette the organ-ising committee first made its application to host the championships back in 2008 and faced stiff competition from six other countries.

The key factor in their successful bid, he believes, was that Dun Laoghaire “had it all”: “A marina, plenty of hotels, a yacht club – all within short walking distance – while other venues may have had two of these,

but not a third.”Organisers hope the

championships wil l bring €5 million into the local economy with 100,000 visitors expected to attend over the dura-tion.

Along with the com-petitive events, the week-long championships, sponsored by Four Star Pizza, will double up as a music and cultural fes-tival, offering visitors the chance to peruse market stalls, enjoy street music and take in the bracing sea air on a trip around Dublin Bay.

The opening ceremo-ny takes place on July 13 at 7.30pm and will be addressed by Tanaiste

The cream of the world’s young sailors are set to drop anchor in Dun Laoghaire for the International Sailing

Federation’s (ISAF) World Youth Sailing Championships

and local TD Eamon Gilmore (Lab), Cathao-irleach Cllr Tom Joyce (FG) and ISAF President Goran Petersson at the Harbour.Plaza.

The welcoming of the teams will be followed by the ceremonial raising of the championships flag and the mixing of the waters brought from the homelands of the 63

competing nations.The ISAF World Sail-

ing Championships have long provided the world with its first glimpse of future sailing stars and Olympians – with 15 of the competitors who won medals at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games past medallists at the youth champion-ships.

Expected to top the medal table this year are the French, New Zealanders, Americans, English and Spanish – although local girl Sophie Murphy from the Royal St George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire is thought to be in the running in her category, the Laser Radial Girls.

The week’s events will

conclude with a fire-works display which will crown the closing cer-emony.

After the medals are awarded, the official flag will be lowered in readi-ness to be handed over to Cyprus who host the event next year.

For further information on the events logon to http://www.dlrcoco.ie/

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GazetteBEAUTYBEAUTY Edited by

Laura Webb

GETTING the perfect smile could take just one day, thanks to a revolutionary treatment by a Blackrock clinic.

Seapoint Clinic launched a brand new product that will revo-lutionise treatment for denture wearers or those with broken or missing teeth.

Teeth in a Day is a clinically proven prod-uct that allows patients to have their smile transformed in one day.

This clinic is the only clinic in Ireland offering this treatment, which is proving quite popular in the UK and USA.

Typically, when a patient decides to have implants to replace missing or decayed teeth they could be waiting six months, and have to wear temporary dentures in the interim, causing discomfort and unease. This new procedure means that appointments which normally take place over a six month period are condensed into one visit.

For further infor-mation and prices at Seapoint Clinic check out on www.seapoint-clinic.ie or phone 1800 92 7770.

Getting the

perfect smile

in just a dayFashion week celebrates four unknown stylists

Trendsetters Gavin Norton, Leanne Woodfull, Laura O’Brien and Roisin Flanagan (top) and their creations

THE finale of eBay Online Fashion Week ended on a high thanks to

four unknown stylists who were chosen to style the end of week catwalk show, Ireland’s first eBay fashion show at Smock Alley Theatre.

Leanne Woodfull , Gavin Norton, Laura O’Brien and Roisin Flan-agan were handpicked by TV personality fashion guru Darren Kennedy, founder of helpmystyle.ie.

The four young stylists were given the chance to showcase their style ideas by creating three of this summer’s hottest trends for the catwalk show.

The trends included sport luxe, printastic and tea party. Each stylist used clothes from eBay’s fashion gallery.

Gavin Norton’s take on preppy chic for men combined varsity jackets with bow-tie suits and mixed a patterned slim fitting trouser (€31) with a cardigan (€22) – add-ing a leather varsity jack-et to prep up this look (€46).

Laura O’Brien nailed the tea party look keep-

ing it feminine and sweet. One of her looks show-cased a cute yet styl-ish peter pan-collared, orange polka dot dress (€22) teamed perfectly with a flower headband (€7) to give it that sum-mer chic feel.

A printastic themed look by Leanne Woodfull stuck to the brief by high-lighting a Versace print shirt (€42). She themed the amazing summer printed shirt with retro denim shorts (€12) and a simple black belt (€65). The printed scarf used as a headband, added to the look giving it a real 80s feel.

Roisin Flanagan made sports clothes look luxu-rious. One of her looks teamed a baseball vest (€31) with a black leather skirt (€22), turning a top usually associated with lounging around into a sport luxe statement piece.

Over 300 fashionista’s took to their seats at the finale show recently including make-up artist Joanne Larby and Kellie Dalton of Burberry.

Not only did the show delight the Irish audi-ence, but it was viewed


by thousands who watched through a live stream online from areas like Singapore, USA and Italy.

Commenting on the event, eBay’s Laura Wilkinson said “eBay.

ie’s Online Fashion Week celebrated every-thing about Irish fashion and enabled everyone to be involved. The fashion talks engaged the live and online audience with over 500 Twitter interac-

tions and questions post-ed to the industry insid-ers. Showcasing emerg-ing talent of Ireland’s upcoming stylists was a great end to the week.”

The upcoming styl-ists were applauded for

their work and looked like they were having the time of their life.

To watch any of the talks or the fashion show go to: http://www.you tube . com/use r /eBayIEofficial

Always be ‘photo ready’ with Revlon’s affordable foundationBE photo ready with Revlon’s afford-able foundation that is light enough, yet tough enough, to stay intact all day and night.

Whether you plan to stay in, or enjoy a night out on the town, Revlon’s PhotoReady make-up (€19.40) will stay on skin through even the hottest summer days and nights.

Tested under the harshest lights and high-definition camera lenses, the make-up provides poreless, air-brushed skin in any light. Accord-ing to its makers, the PhotoReady foundation contains “photochro-matic pigments that bend and reflect light to help erase any flaw”.

It also contains SPF 20, protecting the skin from sun damage.

This product is also extremely easy to apply, so anyone who doesn’t have a foundation brush will love this foundation. Just press the pump to disperse formula – two to three times is enough – then apply with fingertips. Start at the center of the face and blend out-wards. Once applied, users imme-diately notice the soft luminous finish. It’s fragrance and oil free. This product is available in four colours – Shell, Nude, Natural Beige and Cool Beige.

For anyone who might need a little help with a more even and

smooth complexion, then try Rev-lon’s PhotoReady primers. The Per-fecting Primer (€19) is for anyone who thinks pores and fine lines are an issue. It can be used alone for a more even and smooth complex-ion or as a great surface area for make-up application under Rev-lon’s PhotoReady foundation.

Anyone who wants to reduce the appearance of lines and creases on lids and under eyes should try the Revlon PhotoReady Eye Primer and Brightener (€14.80). It brightens the entire eye area and ensures eye shad-ows and concealers stay in place.

Meanwhile, Revlon are giving lips a burst of colour with their lip

butter. The ColourBurst lip butter (€11.25) softens and hydrates lips, which is a much needed ingredi-ent during warm weather and cold weather periods. This lip butter glides on easily and leaves lips with the great long-lasting colour. There are seven shades available includ-ing: Peach Parfait, Cotton Candy, Candy Apple, Tutti Frutti, Lollipop, Strawberry Shortcake and Sweet Tart. Test out the whole range and find the perfect colour to make the perfect pout. For the month of July, this product is reduced to €7 at participating stores.

Revlon products are available at pharmacies nationwide.

ColorBurst Lip Butter in Lollipop

PhotoReady Makeup in Shell

PhotoReady Eye Primer and Brightener

Tall Ships are coming

Lord Mayor of Dublin Naoise O Muiri (FG), Minister for Transport, Tourism and

Sport, Leo Varadkar, and ‘First Mate’ Keith Duffy at Grand Canal Square in Dublin

as they announce details of the The Tall Ships Races 2012

TO mark the first day of the International Tall Ships Races, “First Mate” Keith Duffy was joined recently at Grand Canal Square by Minister for Tourism Leo Varadkar and Dublin’s newly elect-ed Lord Mayor Naoise O Muiri (FG).

The Bugle Babes, a 1940s-style vocal trio, provided the music as details were announced of the line-up for the cap-ital’s free four-day festival this August 23-26.

The fleet of 50 ships, which sets sail from St Malo, France, for the first race in the series, arrives into Dublin – final host port in the race – for what promises to be this summer’s biggest float-ing festival.

One of the most antic-ipated nautical events of the year, the Tall Ships Races 2012, which is supported by the Polish city of Szczecin and organised by Sail Train-

ing International, docks in Dublin on Thursday, August 23, when the city is expected to come alive with a festival atmos-phere both on and off the water.

Local organisers , Dublin City Council and Dublin Port Com-pany, are delighted that Dublin was chosen as the final host port for this year’s race and have programmed an impressive entertain-ment line-up to cater for all tastes.

Minister Leo Varadkar commented: “It’s great to see the Tall Ships Races back in Ireland again, following a highly successful visit last year. This fantastic event is set to attract thousands of people into the capital.

“It’s a rare opportunity to see so many of these great ships against Dub-lin’s striking city skyline. Events like this are very important for tourism

companies and I’d like to congratulate every-one involved in bringing it to Dublin. It’s fun, it’s free of charge and open to everyone.”

Over the week, there

will be music with Ash and the Undertones set to perform on the Bul-mers Music Stage along with other high-profile music acts as part of the spectacular free four-day

line-up. The Bulmer’s Music Stage will host a jam-packed line-up of performances from some of Ireland’s hottest upcoming acts to musi-cal stalwarts.


SNAPSHOT The local stories of the day

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GazetteBUSINESSBUSINESS

THE COMPLEX WORLD OF INVESTMENT: PART 2

Continued from last week’s Gazette Business

Keeping it simple therefore, uncluttered and easy

to understand is the key for the average investor.

What is also key is that changing nature of invest-

ment. Currently government bonds have been the

star performers over the last few volatile years.

However, they cannot continue to perform as they

have and therefore having the flexibility to be able

to swap into a different investment vehicle without

cost and without fuss is essential.

First things first – work out what is your attitude

to risk. On a scale of one to five, where one is lower

risk and five is higher risk, where are you ?

Once you have established this risk attitude,

then the choices become a little clearer. One option

launched recently is Standard Life’s MyFolio funds

where you simply choose between one of the five

funds that match five risk levels. Each fund is

designed to maximise potential returns within the

investor’s chosen risk level and is then monitored,

reviewed and actively managed by the investment

team in Standard Life.

Based on the same scale of one to five, each

MyFolio of multi-asset funds is risk based. Originally

launched in Britain over 20 months ago, the fund

has so far attracted over €1b with 40% invested in

the MyFolio 3 (the balanced choice) and c. 20% each

in the MyFolio 2 (lower to medium risk) and MyFo-

lio 4 (medium to higher risk). Annual management

charges range from 1.15% for model 1 to 1.35% for

model 5 and for those wanting to see precisely the

make up of every investment in these models, you

can access the factsheets on www.standardlife.ie or

email me for the factsheets.

This type of investment is not suitable for those

investors who do not wish to take any risk on their

money.

� Contact John with your money questions at

[email protected] or visit his website at

www.moneydoctor.ie. John Lowe, Fellow of the

Institute of Bankers, is founder and managing

director of Money Doctor

DAVID “Warren” Venter has been in love with hairdressing since 1985, and says that the one thing he loves the best is the ever-changing trends and interesting people he meets.

He says: “It never gets boring. Over the years, I have worked on photo shoots, fashion shows and TV productions. I have worked for a leading hair care company as an educator.

“If I had to sum up all my experience in one word, it would be the word that I start all my training with, and that word is: Lis-ten.”

David adds: “When you listen to the wants and needs of the client – and I mean really listen – the client will tell you all you need to know to meet all of her or his requirements.”

On building up an extremely successful business and name, he says: “I have been in Ireland for 11 years now, and I have embraced this opportunity [to establish my business] with both hands.

“[For our clients], a good experience and advice is what I base my career on.

“As well as good hairdressing, I will be offering a range of beauty services.”

Interview: David ‘Warren’ Venter, owner, David Warren Hair And Beauty, Kinsealy

Q&A

Listening to what the client wants

Known as ‘Warren’, South African David Venter has established himself as a leading name in

hairdressing and is also diversifying into beauty services too

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be?A: A postman, because post-

men could ride on the bus for

free

Q: What was your first job?A: After two years in the South

African army I started hair-

dressing

Q: And your first pay cheque?A: Although it’s all relative,

my first pay cheque was €6 a

month

Q: Have you ever done a job you loathed?A: No.

Q: When did you start your present job?A: I started hairdressing in

1985

Q: What is the best thing about your job?A: Making a client feel and

look good

Q: What part of your working day do you delegate?A: Where possible, answering

the phone

Q: What sport do you follow?A: What’s that?

Q: What sport can you play?A: As a challenge, I was told

to bounce a golf ball off a tree

on the other side of the field,

which I did on the first swing.

I think I am a natural.

Q: What is your guilty music/TV or movie pleasure?A: Classical music, and horror

movies, all the way

Q: Who best represents mod-ern Ireland – David Norris or Jedward?A: David Norris, of course

Q: What music/pictures/mov-

ies do you have on your iPod/iPad?A: A serious mixture of music

for me: Rory Gallagher, Lady

Gaga, Madonna, Tony Bennett

– you name it, I’ve got it

Q: Who do you follow on Twit-ter/Facebook?A: Lady Gaga. I love the looks.

Proof that changing the way

you look and dress changes the

way people see you.

Q: What was your last Tweet/status update?A: Sanctuary Hair and Beauty

all the way

Q: Describe your dream meal?A: Pasta all the way

Q: Who would you rather have dinner with – Enda Kenny or Dame Edna?A: Dame Edna – because she

is real

Q: Where do you enjoy spend-ing money frivolously?A: Shoe and stationery shops

Q: How many pairs of shoes do you own?A: Last count, including slip-

pers – about 106. (I have a

thing...)

Q: What was your worst holi-day experience?A: None at all. I try to make

the best of every situation.

Q: Describe your dream holiday?A: Going to South Africa to see

my family, who I haven’t seen

for about eight years

Q: What would be your dream job?A: I have my dream job

Q: What do you plan to do when you retire?A: Look for a job ...

SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS A D V E R T I S E W I T H T H E G A Z E T T E C A L L 6 0 1 0 24 0

LOCALMATTERS

Q: And your firsA: Although it’s

my first pay ch

month

Q: Have you evyou loathed?A: No.

Q: When did yopresent job?A: I started hair

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SUMMERSUMMERHOME & ABROAD.....FOR ALL THE FAMILY

Summer sale offers even more reasons for a car-cationKIDS will go half-price this summer with Stena Line, which have launched a summer sale offer-ing families even more reasons to enjoy a car-cation this summer.

This latest offer is available on all crossings with Ireland’s leading ferry company, from both Dublin Port to Holyhead and Rosslare to Fish-guard, with children travelling from only €8.50 for a single fare. Children apply to 15 years and younger, while infants travel for free.

This offer is available on travel up until August 31 when booked by July 12, and fares are subject to availability. For further information on the lat-est sale offers, click on www.stenaline.ie, call 01 204 7777, or visit your local travel agent.

Enjoy a weekend of wellbeing and escape to County CarlowIF THERE has ever been an excuse to escape the daily duties of everyday life, it appears Sand-brook House in Co Carlow may be just that.

The period country home has come up with the ideal break away with a weekend of well-be-ing this August, where you are invited to stretch, strengthen and meditate your way to pure relax-ation with sessions of yoga, pilates and medita-tion in the stunning Carlow setting.

From August 17 to 19, Sandbrook House are hosting a Wellness Retreat in the tranquil and picturesque surroundings. Set on 25 acres of mature parkland, it is the ideal place to forget the stresses of daily life.

As well as classes given by talented instruc-tor Rachel Gaffey, founder of MyWellbeing.ie, guests will also enjoy breakfast, lunch and evening meals packed with home-cooked, local, organic vegetarian food and a cookery demon-stration full of delicious recipes that will help you to maintain your healthy lifestyle at home.

To take a proper weekend break and retreat to Sandbrook House, call Rachel Gaffey on 086 845 3864 or visit www.sandbrook.ie

FastTravel

SPAIN: THE DELIGHTFUL COSTA DAURADA IS A FAMILY FAVOURITE

HOLIDAYMAKERS have been flocking to Spain from Dublin, and the island of Ireland, for many years now, with a holiday in Spain still delighting families and holidaymakers of all ages.

With so many sun-drenched beaches, his-toric cities, cultural sites and remarkable scenery to take in, some holi-daymakers might almost fear they have too much choice when trying to find a great holiday in Spain.

However, one thing is for certain – with so many

wonderful resorts and regions to visit, you’re vir-tually guaranteed of hav-ing a wonderful holiday, whatever part of Spain you visit.

Catalonia remains one of Spain’s most popular regions for Irish holiday-makers – and with good reason, given the area’s mixture of sights and resorts.

Catalonia’s Costa Dau-rada (literally,“the golden coast”) is a particularly family-friendly destina-tion that has become increasingly popular with Irish holidaymakers, with families comprising 60%

of visitors to the region.Hotels there are par-

ticularly in tune with family needs, with hotels and restaurants offering high chairs and nappy-changing tables.

The area’s leisure options are endless, and include a wide range of facilities to help visitors enjoy the perfect day at the beach, from children’s play areas to the sand itself, with such delights as outdoor libraries to relax with a good book, or shops renting equip-ment for water sports.

The Costa Daurada’s natural resources mean

visitors can go for relax-ing strolls or bring the kids for one of the area’s many exciting excur-sions.

There are also a wide range of activities and adventure sports for young people, helping to cement the area’s appeal for visitors of all ages.

A l l s e r v i ce s a re designed with families in mind, meaning that the resulting accommoda-tion venues, restaurants, infrastructure and theme parks will guarantee that a family stay in Costa Daurada is set to be the most pleasurable family

experience of the year.So, for golden memo-

ries, and for a wonderful holiday in Spain, whether for a first-time or experi-enced visitor alike, the Costa Daurada promises you a wonderful holiday.

For further information on the Costa Daurada, and on one of Spain’s most enchanting regions, as well as information on hotels and activities, see www.costadaurada.info, www.costadauradae-vents.com or www.ter-resdelebre.travel (select-ing the English language site versions, where nec-essary).

Make golden memories

Whether travelling alone or with your loved ones, the Costa Daurada – “the golden coast” – is an increasingly popular Spanish treasure

Tipp has it all for a top trip away from the city� DAVE PHILLIPS

THERE seems to be a predisposition towards heading for the sea when

GLEN OF AHERLOW: ENJOY THE FRIENDLY AND INVITING ATMOSPHERE

Enjoy a couple’s break

away in magnificent Cavan

GETAWAYS! Enjoy a couple’s break

SUMMERSUMMER

Tipperary’s Glen of Aherlow offers stunning views and fantastic walking trails and the Aherlow House Hotel (right)


ENJOY a child free zone with a Couple’s Retreat at Radisson Blu Farnham Estate, Cavan, this sum-mer. Located in the heart of a magnificent estate just 3km from Cavan town, the Radisson Blu Farnham Estate is a contemporary and stylish hotel, full of country charm and character, surrounded by natu-ral beauty among acres of rolling countryside.

To enjoy a break away this summer, the Radis-son Blu is offering the Ultimate Couple’s Package with spa treatments and lunch as well as one night’s accommodation. Start the experience with a gom-mage marine scrub on the hamman table before a relaxing hydrotherapy bath to leave you refreshed and relaxed. Next, you will both enjoy the serial mud chamber, where you are covered in mud as the chamber gradually warms.

As the mud dries, it removes toxins from the skin. Steam then gently fills the chamber to soften the mud, before a warm shower is dispensed from the ceiling to wash away the mud, leaving your skin feeling luxuriously soft and smooth. Complete this wonderful experience with a massage each side by side. The Couple’s Retreat includes overnight luxury accommodation and super buffet breakfast from €210 per person sharing midweek/€235.00 per person sharing at weekends. For more informa-tion or to book, visit www.farnhamestate.ie or call 049 4377700.

looking for an escape from the city.

Perhaps the attrac-tion is part and parcel of being an island nation; or maybe it is down to the fact that for many people, the quaint coastal towns and villages of the West offer the kind of low-key, slow-living comforts that can’t be found in the city.

Until recently, I was part of the drove that left the inland counties largely unexplored in my quest for a country break, but after stumbling upon Tipperary’s Glen of Aher-low, I’m a card-carrying convert.

Set between the Galtee Mountains and Slievena-much in South Tipper-ary, the Glen of Aherlow is just a short trip off the M8, making it a relatively painless journey from Dublin.

We’d arranged to stay at the Aherlow House Hotel, which with its ivy-laden exterior and overflowing flower bas-

kets, comfortably melds into the lush green sur-rounds. As well as a large restaurant and bar, the hotel offers self-catering options in purpose-built lodges, making it a popu-lar wedding venue.

Located on the cusp of the Glen of Aherlow Nat-ural Park, it’s also a top spot for walkers, acting as a great base for the more challenging peaks of the Galtees, as well as for the multitude of gentler loop walks.

If putting your feet up is more appealing than putting them into boots, you won’t be disappoint-ed. The hotel is charming and the abundant little touches – freshly baked cakes along with the newspapers in the room – go to show that real effort has been made to facilitate a relaxing expe-rience.

Gastronomically, Aher-low House Hotel is spe-cial. The recently recruit-ed head chef, Jose Vega,

has brought culinary flair honed in his native France to locally pro-cured produce. The result is an amazing menu that is simultaneously elegant and earthy. Particularly tasty was the braised fil-let of Aherlow river trout, served with vegetables in a Sancerre butter sauce; and a wonderfully ten-der fillet of beef from the nearby Lewis farm.

After dinner we traded the mountain views of the Treetop Restaurant for the open fire and cosy confines of the Hunting Lodge Bar, which serves as a watering spot for both guests and the surround-ing community. As it was a Friday night, some of the locals were set up next to us for a small seisun. The relaxed atmosphere (and a Bulmers or two) had us pitching in on a few songs, after which we got talking to Michael Moroney, the Glen’s resident walking guide.

Having taken in an

early morning walk, we discovered the hotel can arrange plenty more activities, including fish-ing, golf trips, equestrian outings, heritage tours, or a trip to Mandy Parslow, the local potter. Aherlow House Hotel is full of character and characters.

Outdoor enthusi-asts will be in their ele-ment; food-lovers will be intensely satisfied; history and heritage buffs will enjoy its close proximity to Cashel and Cahir cas-tle, as well as the multi-tude of smaller glimpses of history that can be gleaned from the area.

Maybe it’s down to the stunning location, or perhaps it’s that sense of community pride seeping into everything that hap-pens at Aherlow House Hotel – whatever the cause, you’re bound to enjoy the honest, friendly and inviting atmosphere.

For rates and specials see: www.aherlowhouse.ie

Get more from your pilgrimage � NATALIE BURKE

FOR anyone interested in adding a little extra to the run-of-the-mill pil-grimage, Joe Walsh Tours Pilgrimage and Sun Holi-days are offering you the chance to not only soak up the unique atmos-phere and spirituality found in the ever popular shrines of Italy’s San Gio-vanni Rotondo and Ben-evento, Portugal’s Fatima or Medjugorje in Bosnia Herzegovina, but also to embrace the sunshine and

� NATALIE BURKE

FROM the tropical sands of Thailand to exclusive shopping in Dubai, Trav-elmood are giving you the chance to explore some of the world’s most beautiful locations this summer while staying in top class resorts around the globe.

Stay in the three-star Golden Sands Apart-ments in Dubai for five nights from only €693 per person.

Placed at the heart of fashionable Bur Dubai, visit the exclusive shop-ping malls, the Dubai Museum, the fashion-able night spots and the new Metro Junction.

Departing from Dub-lin on September 7, the price includes return f l ights , f ive nights ’ accommodation on a B&B basis, taxes and charges.

Visit the four-star Viva Wyndham Maya resort in Mexico for seven nights on an all

inclusive basis from just €935 per person.

Be immersed in pris-tine beaches and coral reefs while being just five minutes from bars, restaurants and the shops of Playa del Car-men.

Departing from Dub-lin on December 6, prices include return f lights, seven nights’ accommodation, taxes and charges.

Relax at the five-star Anantara Resort and Spa in Thailand for seven nights on a B&B basis, followed by the four-star Bel-Aire Prin-cess for three nights on a B&B basis from only €999 per person.

The luxurious seclu-sion of the Anantara Hua Hin Resort is rem-iniscent of an ancient Thai village, surrounded by tropical gardens and private beaches as well as being just a short dis-tance from Hua Hin’s best golf courses and the lively town centre.

Top class destinationsTRAVELMOOD: BEAUTIFUL LOCATIONS WORLDWIDE

Departing from Dub-lin on September 6, pric-es include return flights, 10 nights’ accommoda-tion, taxes and charges.

The final offer invites you to stay at the four-star Cape Town Ritz Hotel for seven nights B&B for just €999 per person.

T h e p r i c e a l s o includes return flights, taxes and charges and departs from Dublin on November 2.

Stay at the modern Ritz resort, just 300m from the beach.

Dine at The Top of the Ritz, Cape Town’s only revolving restaurant and consider the option of adding a unique Safari experience to your trip.

For more information on these offers or to book, visit www.travel-mood.ie, call their team on 01 4331020 or visit the Travelmood store in Duke Street, Dublin 2.

Antara Resort and Spa

Kevin’s class gets him to top: New head chef at Herbert Park HotelKEVIN Ramen, has been recently promoted to head chef at the four-star Herbert Park Hotel, Ballsbridge. Kevin is originally from Mauritius and has worked at Herbert Park Hotel since 2006. He had previously worked in various hotels in Mauritius before moving to Ireland.

local cultures in the idyl-lic coastal settings of Alba Adriatica, Sorrento, Lis-bon Coast or Dubrovnik.

The unique combina-tion of a religious and sun holiday allows you to spend three or four days

on a peaceful pilgrimage before moving on to a calming holiday by sandy, sun soaked beaches.

Departures from Dub-lin this summer include a four-night pilgrimage in Fatima, followed by three nights in Estoril at €649 per person, leaving Dublin on July 26, August 23 or August 30 for seven nights. The pilgrimage from Dublin departing on August 31 includes a one night stay at Benevento, three nights in San Gio-vanni Rotondo and three

GETAWAYS! SUMMERSUMMER22 GAZETTE 12 July 2012

St James’s Church,

Medjugorje

nights in Sorrento, priced at €824 per person plus tax, while the pilgrimage departing on September 17 will take you to Alba Adriatica for four nights and to San Giovanni Rotondo for three nights. The seven night trip is €784 per person plus tax.

All prices include direct flights with Aer Lingus from Dublin, one stand-ard piece of check-in lug-gage subject to airline’s conditions, all transfers and tours by luxury air-conditioned coach, a full religious programme and services of a Joe Walsh Tours representative throughout the tour.

For further information, visit www.joewalshtours.ie or call 01 241 0800.

12 July 2012 SWORDS GAZETTE 23Commercial Feature

Summer Family Holidays at The 5*Heritage Golf & Spa ResortLOTS of FREE 5* Fam-ily Fun. Pack your bags & head to The Heritage Resort for your family Staycation Vacation!

Book your August 3 night Family break with The Resort by July 20th and stay a 4th night for FREE and also receive a complimentary fam-ily pass to The National Stud & Gardens. (T&C apply).

The resort offers a pic-turesque setting, comfort-able surroundings and spacious family & inter-connecting guestrooms, self catering apartments, Kids Club Fun Club, health club with leisure

pool, a choice of restau-rants, championship golf course, world class spa and an abundance of on-site & nearby activities.

With a variety of Sum-mer Breaks to choose from your will be sure to find what you are looking for.

A three night stay with breakfast in a family gue-

stroom with family din-ner in the Arlington res-taurants on one evening starts from only €290per adult sharing (based on two adults & 2 children sharing).

A two night self catering break in a two-bedroom penthouse apartment overlooking the champi-onship golf course with

access to all resort facili-ties start from €540 per apartment per stay (maxi-mum 2 adults & 3 chil-dren per apartment).

Your family will be spoilt for choice with the selection of on site activities. The popular Kids Club Fun Club runs each week (Mon to Sat) up to the 28th August 2012 where the little ones can enjoy Arts & Crafts Classes, Fun Fit, Giant Games, Basketball, Table Tennis, Bouncy Castle & Hip Hop Dance. Tennis Court, Family Movies, Fishing, wii room, walking track & much more!

Just a short drive from

the Resort, families can explore a range of fun-filled days out including; the National Stud & Japanese Gardens, Outlet Shopping at Kildare Vil-lage, Lullymore Heritage Park, Emo Court, Pet Farm along with explor-ing the wild & wonderful Laois Countryside and nearby horse-riding.

Nestled in the beauti-ful countryside of Co. Laois, the Resort is only an hours drive from Dub-lin City and 45 minutes from the M50 making it’s a hassle free staycation! To book & enquire please call 057 8645500, www.theheritage.com


Sisters are doing itJack (Mark Duplass) learns a harsh lesson when the two ladies say that they are “fine”.

GoingOUT

GazetteENTERTAINMENTENTERTAINMENT

Carefully constructed, tenderly performed and well-written, Your Sister’s Sister just never catches fire

�

� PAUL HOSFORD

YOU don’t get a lot for $120,000 these days.

The moderate sum is barely enough to fund a purchase at a distress auction, never mind a film that would cap-ture the imagination the week that Spider-Man swings back into action.

That is the challenge set for Your Sister’s Sister, the follow-up to Lynn Shelton’s Hump-day, which was one of the finest comedy dra-mas of recent years.

In that f i lm, two men drunkenly agree to make an adult film together and are faced with the prospect of going through with it because of their male pride.

In this film, Shelton has brought Humpday star Mark Duplass back, but left the naughtiness behind.

She instead has made

a very similar film, but for women.

Instead of pornog-raphy, male pride and machismo, the issues of sibling relationships, love and who can or cannot make a good parent.

All in all, it is refresh-ing film-making in that it’s made for very little, but still manages to be engaging in a way that many big-budget films are not.

But, coming af ter such a film as Hump-day, it almost feels like a let-down.

Although Humpday was not Shelton’s debut,

this film feels like the quintessential “difficult second album” in that it tries to hit the same notes as its predeces-sor when a unique take would be more wel-come.

This is less Neon Bible than it is whatever The Darkness’ second album was called.

Actually, compar-ing the film with The Darkness is unfair as it is credible, likeable and put together by extreme-ly talented people who all seem lovely.

Loveliest of them all is Emily Blunt, current-ly stretching her main-

stream legs in The Five Year Engagement.

Here, Blunt plays Iris, who in an effort to help her best friend Jack out of mourning for his brother, suggests he take a trip to her par-ents’ secluded cabin.

There, he stumbles across Iris’s lesbian sister Hannah. A night of drunken passion between the two trig-gers an unexpected entanglement of rela-tionships when Iris suddenly arrives at the cabin the next day.

From there, the film becomes an interesting and somewhat caus-tic look at what makes relationships tick and, honestly, whether men and women can ever be truly just friends.

Although the cast is experienced and likea-ble, the film just fails to fire. Whereas Humpday felt like its 90 minutes sped through, there is the sense that every

sinew is being strained to haul Your Sister’s Sis-ter to the finish line.

When it is good, how-ever, it is very good, and when Shelton is on form, there aren’t many directors who capture the human condition as readily.

At the heart of it all, comes Shelton’s seem-ingly unshakable faith in people. She genu-inely seems to like her characters, f laws and all.

Shelton gives Duplass, star of the criminally overlooked The League, the best lines and he seems as close to a muse as the director has, but DeWitt and Blunt carry a neat three-hander to its inevitable, and well-telegraphed conclu-sion.

It won’t change lives, but this is neatly posi-tioned counter-pro-gramming to the span-dex, swinging and web-shooting.

FILM OF THE WEEK: Your Sister’s Sister�� (15) 90 mins

OUR VERDICT:IT’S a good film. There is no doubt about that. But, and it’s hard to put my finger on why, it just doesn’t feel complete. It’s a well-told, interesting story and a neat look at a very complex set of relationships and some deeply flawed people. Shelton deserves credit for her writing, but the third act lets the film down.

Director: Lynn Shelton Starring: Emily Blunt, Mark Duplass, Rosemarie DeWitt, Mark Birbiglia

THE PAVILION THEATRE 01 231 2929Singing Nina

SINGING Nina is the fabulous new show brought to you by the Chicago Jazz Queen, Karen Underwood and her band. Karen brings to you in narration and song the engrossing life story of the great legend Nina Simone, from her struggle against racism and exile from her homeland to her flamboyant and troubled relationships and her poignant life. Karen sings all the classic Nina songs, Mississippi Goddamn, Sinnerman and My Baby supported by a live band. For one show only, July 13 at 8pm, tickets are priced at €18/16.

MILL THEATRE 01 296 9340 Somewhere under the Rainbow

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

CIVIC THEATRE 01 462 7477Johnnie’s Britches

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

DRAIOCHT 01 885 2622The Connect Club 2012

THIS July, Draíocht is delighted to be back, once again, working with the Daughters of Charity’s Summer Camp The Connect Club in Laurel Lodge. The summer camp is filled with social and recreational activities catering for young people with varying degrees of intellectual disability, with the aim of providing an outlet that is fun and focused on the individual’s likes and interests.

GazetteGAMINGGAMING

� SHANE DILLON

I NOTICED this week that one of gaming’s Grand Old Men – in the grizzled, scarred, battle-weary and cynical form of Solid Snake, chief protagonist of the end-lessly-reinventing, multi-platform and cross-genre Metal Gear series – is now 25 years old.

Well, I mean, the series is now that old, but Snake himself is much older, as befitting someone who’s been around the block in his day.

That “day” has jumped around, with Snake’s adventures playing out in eras ranging from the 1960s to the present day, through contemporary settings with wildly dif-ferent global politics at play to slightly-futuristic places with impossible tech and gadgets.

A true cross-platform character, Snake’s been caught up in the coldest of Cold War realpolitik scenarios; fought fringe terrorist groups that were backed covertly by global superpowers;

tackled paranoia and rogue international agen-cies attempting to sub-vert political processes; uncovered – and buried – bizarre secrets at one hid-den base or secret loca-tion after another; saved the world, lost allies and fought former comrades – you name it, Snake has wiggled his way through one high-stakes drama after another.

Although largely pre-sented as a curious blend of James Bond, Snake Plissken, Robert Fisk and a masterless samurai,

Although Solid Snake’s adventures in the Metal Gear series have taken him around the world and through

several decades, Snake – and his younger self (inset) – has always been wearily fighting what amounts to

the same battle, as he has fought against Man’s casual willingness to corrupt, rule and destroy others ...

Bytesandpieces

Snake keeps growing

LEST readers think that picking up any of the Metal Gear games is about as light-hearted as a three-hour lecture on Middle-East politics, the series has always had a dash of pure slapstick, such as in its brilliantly daft idea for camouflage – the cardboard box.

Yes indeed, when patrolling a top-secret military base full of guards on high alert, mere hours before an illic-it nuclear launch is due against the world’s main cities, every self-respect-ing master infiltrator needs the perfect fools-everybody disguise: an ordinary cardboard box to hide under.

Simply by slipping a cardboard box over his head, and then inching/dart-ing around playing the old “Huh? Did something just move?” game with con-fused nearby guards, Snake is gener-ally able to sneak on by.

True, my attempts to sneak around, and then out of The Gazette an hour or two early in this fashion haven’t quite worked out as well, but it remains a fondly-remembered gaming sight to see, regardless.

Boxing clever with a brilliantly daft camouflage idea


A spacewalk could be a cake walkHERE’S one of those “Ronseal” IOS games – you know, they do exactly what it says on the tin or, more exactly, what the title says – in the form of Astronaut Spacewalk.

Here, a deep-sea diver has 24 hours to uncover a global conspiracy involving cats, a secret Soviet undersea base, a rusty codex from 1640 and a deadly female French assassin who –

Nah, only kidding – it really is just what the title suggests, as you take an astronaut on a spacewalk through a variety of orbital missions.

It’s a pretty simple idea, yet executed with style and, um, precision. Precision? Yes, indeed, as pre-cision is key to the title, as you guide an astronaut on their spacewalk by tapping to release just the right amounts of gas, while considering your direc-tion and inertia, as well as suit power reserves.

After all, one wrong tap in the wrong direction could send you drifting serenely towards, say, Madagascar on the planet below – and your cer-tain death, helplessly following a trajectory away from the space shuttle docking bay.

A neat little title executed with flair, Astronaut Spacewalk is available on iTunes.

Snake has remained one of gaming’s most com-plex, yet popular, char-acters.

This, despite the Metal Gear games’ tendencies to practically slap play-ers about the head with political commentary as the game plays out.

For example, one moment could find Snake creeping through the engine room of a hijacked container ship carrying biological bombs deep into the heart of a bustling city – the next, a 20-minute cut-scene could play out, as Snake, and others, discuss over his radio link European foreign policies in the 1970s, and the complex ties between the military, commercial and political wings of, say, China.

At least you c a n a l w ay s count on regu-lar breaks to go and make a cuppa, then.

It’s all pretty far-out, head-s c r a t ch -

ingly complex (and, quite simply, frequently daft) stuff, and can feel more like an abstract com-mentary on global poli-tics, and The Way Things Work, than being just, you know, a game.

All of this heavy-hitting wackiness has largely been down to the leg-endary figure of Hideo Kojima, the singularly-fo-cused figure who’s driven Snake, and sidekicks, on across the years, with each new adventure becoming increasingly out-there.

Still, Snake’s adven-tures have remained high-ly popular, as Kojima-san has always driven the games along with plenty of conventional gaming tropes, from stealth sec-tions to all-out blazing action set-pieces.

While occasionally irritatingly dense to wade through, as well as cover-ing stuff that even a con-spiracy theorist would roll his eyes at, here’s hoping that Snake’s maverick adventures in the Metal Gear universe keep grow-ing for many more years.

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DONABATE’S Pa t Doran played superbly but was just pipped at the semi-final stage of the ILGU Irish Senior women’s close cham-pionship at Bunclody Golf and Fishing Club last week.

P lay ing even tua l winner Helen Jones, from Strabane, she was undone on the 21st hole of her final four tie last Thursday to agonisingly miss out.

Jones had earlier pro-duced a stunning come-back. She was dormie two down against Doran but showed her true fighting spirit to win both the 17th and 18th with pars and bring the match down tie holes where she eventually won out on the 21st.

A round ear l i e r, Doran had knocked out defending champions Sheena McElroy, from Grange, who had put up a gallant defence of her title and a three in a

row record.Doran has been

knocking at the door in recent years and she maintained her compo-sure in an edgy match to win with a par on the 18th while McElroy found the water left of the home green.

McElroy had earlier dismissed Killarney’s Mary Geaney on an emphatic 6&5 scoreline to show she was in rude form.

The Island’s Gertie McMullen was another

GOLF: DORAN BRINGS MCELROY’S IRISH SENIOR CLOSE REIGN TO AN END IN BUNCLODY

Donabate’s Pat Doran reached the semi-final of this year’s Irish Seniors’ Close championship

Donabate woman reaches Senior Close final four

local golfer to traverse the competition in dra-matic fashion as she reached the quarter-fi-nals, too. There, she was one up against Portum-na’s Suzanne Corcoran playing the 18th but a

par from the Galway woman was enough to take the final hole and she birdied the first tie hole to win a semi-final berth.

Earlier in the com-peti t ion, McMullen

had beaten Headfort’s Pauline Walsh 4&3 and Adrienne Crowley, from Woodbrook, one up.

D u n L a o g h a i r e duo Marie Igoe and Niamh Giblin were also involved in the competi-

tion and made it safely through the first round.

Igoe bowed out to Jones in round two while Doran dismissed Giblin 4&3 in the third round of the competi-tion.

GazetteSPORTFEILE FEVER:FEILE FEVER:Dublin plays host toDublin plays host toannual U-14 festival annual U-14 festival of hurling of hurling Page 28 and 29Page 28 and 29



GazetteSportSportFeile fever descends on DublinT

HE annual Feile na nGael made its way to Dublin for the first time in over 30 years as over 3,000 hurlers, camogie players and hand-

ballers from around the country came to the capi-tal for one of the highlights of the GAA calendar. They competed in three days of competition at clubs around the city before taking part in social activities including a parade from Croke Park to O’Connell Street while Saturday saw the finals take place across the divisions in Croke Park and Par-nell Park.

Members of St Oliver Plunkett’s/Eoghan Ruadh were among huge crowds to gather in O’Connell St to support the Feile na nGael

The referee inspects the Newport team’s hurleys

Ballinteer St John’s camogie team enjoy the Bus Eireann Feile na nGael Parade from Croke Park through Dublin CityKilmacud Crokes in action against Buncrana in Silver Park


parade. Pics: Martina McGilloway/ilivephotos.com

Ballyboden St Enda’s Eoin Featherstone and De La Salle’s Lee Wall in the division one hurling competition

The St Brigid’s handball team enjoy the parade

Lucan Sarsfields’ Emily McIntyre and Newport’s Ciara Floyd

The Clondalkin Youth Band lead teams down O’Connell Street

Handballers Hannah Dagg, Fiona Tully and Anna Ni Odhrain Ni Mhurchu Kilcormack/Killoughey in action

Stephen Smith and Thomas Donohoe

Dublin hurlers Peter Kelly and Johnny McCaffrey with Peter Flannery


Fins go the distance on magic weekendBALLYBOUGHAL Pitch and Putt club’s first away evening for 2012 was held in Deer Park in Howth this week.

In spite of the bad weather, they enjoyed a lovely evening, warm and dry with a light breeze, perfect for some great P&P.

Six teams contested in a three ball scramble and some amazing results with only two stroke separating five teams on the night.

Winners with a gross 51 were Rory Homan, Frank Hughes and Marie Delaney, pictured, fol-lowed in second place by Jimmy Browne, Gerry Levins & Maura Lynch with a Gross 52.

Third place saw three teams level on 53 with the team of Vince Walker, Mick Daly and Jim Gallagher taking the prizes on a back six count.

The next club major will be the Jones Cup Club Championship. The draw will take place on Wed 11th July after the scramble game play-ers can text their entry to the secretary on 085-1743748 or put their name on the sheet in the clubhouse.

� [email protected]

AER Lingus swimming club member Barry Murphy put in a top per-formance at the Canada Cup in Montreal last weekend where he broke the Irish senior 50m But-terfly record.

Murphy was just .01 of a second off the record of 24.49 in the morning heats but went into the final and clocked a 24.42 finishing in fifth place.

Three weeks out from the London Olympic Games, Murphy is show-ing that he could go onto even greater heights on the big stage, with his finish at the Canada

Cup being more of a conditioning drill than anything else according to Peter Banks, National performance director.

“This meeting came in the middle of his train-ing camp, and the focus of the event was very much just to get him race ready, so it was a fantastic achievement for Barry to go out there and clock such a good time.

“Obviously, with these outings, focus is really not on performance, we can expect to see Barry bank even quicker times when the Games get under way.

“He was very unlucky

not to qualify for the Bei-jing Olympics in 2008, so he has had four years to get himself into peak condition and with his wealth of experience he can go on to great things in London.

“The Canada Cup performance showed that he is in good form, his conditioning is solid and it will put him in a good mindset in the last three weeks of his prepa-ration,” said Banks.

Murphy was the first Olympic swimmer to qualify for the London Games, despite not competing in this year’s European and National championships due to

complications with his illness, acute asthma.

The former Belvedere College student went to study at the University of Tennessee in 2009, where he broke many Irish records while win-ning a plethora of tour-naments, including a powerful display at the Indianapolis Grand Prix where he took gold.

In so doing, he also set the Irish national record for the 100m breast stroke at 1:00.27, which also qualified him for Olympics.

The Aer Lingus talent also enjoyed a solid per-formance in 2010’s Euro-pean Championships

before becoming the first Irishman to progress to European Champion-ship sprint final.

He qualified through the heats of the 50m breaststroke and his semi final time of 27.60 launched him to sixth in the world rankings, one of the highest positions ever held by an Irish-man.

Elsewhere, clubmate Conor Turner was in action at the European junior swimming cham-pionships where he swam the 400m freestyle in 4:06.23 while he fol-lowed up with a time of 16.12.39 in the 1,500m free.

Murphy breaks 50m recordOlympic-bound Barry Murphy produced an excellent swim in Montreal last weekend as he continues his preparations for the Games

Flying Fins: Junior relay team notch senior fourthFINGALLIANS 4x100m female relay team, pictured with the Brothers Pearse team - having recently claimed gold in the national junior championships - just missed out to Leevale on a senior medal as a photo finish put them in fourth behind Leevale in Morton Stadium last weekend in what would have been a remarkable double.Sarah Murray came fifth in the 100m,

Bronwyn Keogh and Stephen O’Connor competed in the first round of 100m.

GazetteSportSportSWIMMING: AER LINGUS MAN ON FORM AHEAD OF OLYMPICS

FastSport

FINGALLIANS U-15s produced a week to remember as they picked off a series of classy wins in quick succession.

It began late last Thursday evening when the Fingallians U-15B team fought back with great heart to beat St Peregrine’s by a single point at home in Balheary. The team, a mix-ture of 14s and 15s, battled hard for the 60 minutes to run out deserving winners.

The Fins U-15A team then had two games back to back to contend with on Saturday night and early Sunday morning and while mentor David Nethaway had to dispatch Ter-esa Collins early Saturday morning to collect six of the players from the Gaeltacht for the vital weekend’s games. On Sunday morning, after the game Leyna Rodgers was tasked with the job of getting the six lads back to the Gaeltacht safe and sound.

On Saturday evening Fins U15A took on a well fancied St Jude’s team in Holywell and early on Sunday morning they were away to St Vincent’s in Fairview Park.

Games for this great team have been tough this season and they were unlucky on a number of occasions where results might have been different. With only two points so far in division one, results were needed in both games to keep hopes alive of staying in the top tier for next year’s campaign.

And they managed to earn two wins. On Saturday night, in a really tough battle, Fins ran out winners 3-9 to Jude’s 11 points, and then on Sunday morning they beat St Vin-cent’s 5-15 to 1-6.

To single out any individual performance would be extremely difficult, as it was a com-plete team effort from goals to the forward line that ensured victory.

The level of commitment and desire that each player showed was nothing short of breathtaking. Anyone that was there on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday com-mented on what an excellent game they had witnessed. There were no cameras present and the sound of the clash of ash or a well struck ball were not drowned out by 80,000 fans, but for the few that had the privilege to be there they knew they had witnessed a moment of sporting guts and determination.


CLUB NOTICEBOARD

MIDSUMMER Party this Saturday, July

14. Doors open at 8pm. Entry to the

BBQ will be €5 and includes your first

drink at the bar. At great expense, the

club has chef Paddy Mulligan flipping

the burgers and tossing the salad.

Well done to Peter Murtagh on com-

pleting the Iron Man in Frankfurt on

Sunday. No mean feat, 3.8km swim,

180.2 km bike and 42.2km run and all in

a time of ten hours and five minutes.

A big thank you to the team of help-

ers that made the hosting of the All

Ireland Feile last week.

Sunday, July 22 - Croke Park: Lein-

ster Senior Final – Dublin v Meath at

4pm; applications must be in by Friday

night, July 13 at the club bar. Stand €35,

Hill 16 €20 and Children €5.

The hurling summer camp will take

place on Monday, July 16 to Friday, July

20. Completed application forms can

be handed into the club bar each week

night from 6pm onwards or into the

club office (Monday-Friday) between

9.30am and 12.30pm. For more infor-

mation about the camps, please con-

tact the club on 01-8400125 or Nicky/

Simon. Details are also on www.fingal-

lians.com.

Thank you to all of those who took

part in the hurling school of excel-

lence. Coaching during the week was

carried out by Dublin hurlers Shane

Durkin and Ross O’Carroll who shared

their skills and knowledge of the game

with those who participated.

The summer hurling festival will con-

tinue again this Wednesday in Balheary

for U-8, U-9 and U-10s at 6.30pm-8pm.

New members are most welcome.

Our IT section has now amalgamated

www.fingallians.com and www.fingal-

lians.ie. Teams that wish to add con-

tent can email the information to fin-

[email protected].

FINGAL RAVENSOUR summer camp last week was a

great success; huge thanks to Alan,

Mick, Paul and all of the coaching team

for a fantastic week. All the juveniles

really enjoyed themselves; also thanks

to Dublin hero Paul Flynn who arrived

on Friday with Sam.

Well done to our senior team on two

great league wins last week, away to

Parnells and at home to St Sylvester’s.

Well done also to our minor team who

had good win in the league away to

Man O War and to the U-16s on a great

win against St Jude’s.

Tickets for the Leinster football final

on Sunday, July 22 in Croke Park must

be ordered by text only to Desy on 087-

9957429 by 8pm this Thursday, July 12.

Well done to our U-8s who competed

in the St Pat’s of Tullow, Carlow tour-

nament at the weekend. They lost

their final by one point; thanks to all

the parents and to our hosts for their

hospitality.

We want your old mobile phone; there

will be a box in the clubhouse where

you can leave them or give them to any

committee member or team mentor.

Best of luck to Ronan Norton who has

gone travelling for the year.

We wish Declan Hannigan and his

family the best of luck with their move

to Cork. We would like to wish a speedy

recovery to Christy O’Brien.

Anyone who is interested in apply-

ing for the job of club caretaker and

maintenance person, commencing the

first week in September, please con-

tact John McCarthy on 087-6599348.

This is run in conjunction with FAS; all

applicants must be over 25 and must

be signing on for at least one year.

FINGALLIANS

ST FINIAN’SA COMPREHENSIVE win for our adult

hurlers over Craobh Chiarain on Sun-

day puts the lads in a position to chal-

lenge for top spot in division four.

Our Intermediate footballers have

a crunch top of the table fixture on

Wednesday evening down in St Anne’s

Park versus the current second place

team, Clontarf. Come out and support

the lads.

Our ladies camogie team had a great

two point win over Naomh Mearnog;

lots of great performances on the

night, well done to all.

Congratulations to the Dublin minor

hurlers who won the Leinster Champi-

onship versus Wexford in Croke Park

on Sunday.

Clothing collection will take place

on Saturday, July 21. Please donate

all your clean unwanted clothes (in

any condition), bed linen, duvets, pil-

lows, towels, shoes, bags, belts and

soft toys. This has the potential to be

a lucrative fundraiser with minimum

input. Please give it your best support.

Bags can be dropped off to the club-

house at the following times: Monday,

July 16 to Thursday, July 19, 7.30pm-

9pm and Saturday, 11am to 1pm.

The lotto jackpot was €5,700 and the

numbers drawn were 1, 2, 9 and 13.

There was no winner. The €50 winners

were Frank McArdle and family and

Frank Egan. Next week’s jackpot will

be €5,800.

FOOTBALL: THIRD WIN IN TEN DAYS FOR FINGAL

AFL DIVISION ONEFingal Ravens 1-8

St Sylvester’s 0-9

� STEPHEN FINDLATER

[email protected]

MICK Deegan’s Fingal Ravens continued their incredible resurgence as Alan Casey’s second half goal handed them a richly deserved third win in ten days against high flying St Sylvester’s.

It lifts the Rolestown club into a share for eighth place, something that could scarcely be envisaged a fortnight ago as the club went winless over the first four months of the AFL1 season.

But their work-rate and hunger were a cut above what Syl’s could offer last Saturday morning and it could have been a more comfortable outcome.

As it was, Colin Pren-diville and Joey Morris were immense in shut-ting down intercounty stars Darren Clarke and Michael McCarthy.

Neither were to score

from play while Darren Daly was the beating pulse at centre-back. His performance was made all the more telling as he togged out with six stitch-es above his eye, sustained three days earlier against Parnell’s.

He manfully fronted up and played a defining role in tricky conditions, the pitch passed fit for play on the morning of the game.

It made scoring tough with over half the scores coming from frees and that is how the run started, Clarke lifting over a 45.

Derek Keogh (Ravens) and Conor Daly’s neat chip and kick for Syl’s were the pick of the first half efforts, advancing the score to 0-2 to 0-1.

But both managers were enduring a frus-trating time. The side from Malahide were giv-ing Gabriel Bannigan a rough time, struggling for fluidity.

Deegan, meanwhile, was lamenting a wide count of seven to two at

the break, a stat which meant his side trailed 0-5 to 0-4, while Derek Daly had drawn the best from Rob Wallace.

Ravens, though, tight-ened up on the free con-cession count in the sec-ond period while Keogh levelled matters at five each with his second neat score.

An exchange of frees kept the sides locked together – Clarke hitting his fourth – but the hosts were looking ominous.

Niall Tormey’s left-footed skidder was only denied by Wallace’s div-ing fingertips but his side hit the front for the first

time in the 44th minute when Casey popped over his fourth score.

Offaly star Nigel Dunne quickly cancelled that out off the back of Shane O’Connor’s diving inter-cept.

But it was Ravens’ time to get lucky as Morris dropped in a booming ball.

Amid a melee, Wallace could only punch as far as Casey who coolly clipped through the netting.

Aidan Relihan came off the bench to keep the tie interesting, but Ravens defended assuredly before PJ Casey rubber-stamped the result.

Swarming defence from Fingal Ravens combined to leave no way through for St Sylvester’s Darren Clarke

Casey cracker adds to Ravens flying form

ALL OF YOUR SWORDS SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 27-31 JULY 12, 2012

MURPHY’S LAW: Aer Lingus man

breaks 50m butterfly record P30 Ga

zetteSPORT

� STEPHEN FINDLATER

[email protected]

BESET by emigration, work commitments and injury, Mick Deegan – an All-Ireland winner with Dublin – believes his Fingal Ravens panel is finally getting the luck they deserved after a harrowing start to the season.

Just one point from the opening four months of the AFL1 season had seen them odds on to be occupying one of the relegation slots.

But three wins in three outings in ten days has incredibly lifted the Rolestown side into the top half of the division.

While Deegan says his side are nowhere near out of the woods yet, he is buzzing in the wake of the results against Templeogue Synge Street, Parnell’s and, last Saturday, title-chasing St Syl-vester’s.

“You can’t beat winning,” he told Gazette-Sport in the wake of the third win, once which saw them boss play for long periods against one of the county’s most consistent performers.

“I started here eight years ago and it’s a total-ly different team. Three great wins on the trot now and I think we’re into the top half of the table. St Jude’s is a big game next week. They’re below us but they won it all last year; it’s always a tough game.”

Speaking about the nature of his panel, Deegan says that being located in a small parish at the edge of Dublin means that every player moving on is of huge significance.

Add in that the club’s second team has risen to intermediate level and there is the added logistical problem of both sides playing at the same time in each round of matches.

They are big challenges to getting the balance right, attempting to blood young players in the top team while also giving requisite game time at inter level.

Ronan Glynn is one such player to have prof-ited from that situation, moving up from the club’s AFL5 team from last year to be a key part of the first team’s full-back line this term.

And Deegan says the policy of trusting in

youth is coming good: “It goes in cycles and you have to keep chopping and changing. A lot of people were worried about those emigrating but you just have to get on with what you have each week.

“If the numbers are there, they’re there but if not, there’s not usually much you can do about it.

“We started well last year and then finished poorly and fell away. The year before, we lost the first six and then came back.

“But there are a lot of young lads, five or six of them on the bench today. We do struggle now because the second team are playing at the same time.

“For us out here, it is a struggle, especially as we lost so many lads to New Zealand and London.

“But we’ve got players back, after struggling around the two championship matches with players injured, working or away. We got a run of 17 or 18 players out training and it makes a huge difference.”

Ravens flying on Ravens flying on comeback trailcomeback trailThree wins in ten days has seen Mick Deegan’s team transform their AFL1 fortunes in brilliant fashion

Fingal Ravens manager Mick Deegan is enjoying life in AFL1 after a tough start to the campaign saw his team rooted to the bottom of the table

DUBLIN’S FEILE FEVER:The capital welcomes the country’s U-14 hurlers P28-29

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