swords gazette

ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES ......................8

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

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

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

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

Month XX, 2012

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May 9, 2013 Find us on

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Jobs have been secured at Sword’s Pamela Scott store

SEE PAGE 2

paUl hoSFord

A GArdA investigation is under way after thousands of copies of the Lucan Gazette were removed from stores last week.

The pictures above show Tommy Morris, parliamen-tary assistant to Fine Gael’s derek Keating Td, who was captured on CCTV, taking substantial numbers of Gazettes from different stores during last Thursday and Friday.

The paper’s distribution staff believe that over 3,000 copies were taken across Lucan, including the Village, Ballyowen, Hillcrest, dodsboro and Griffeen Valley.

This week Tom Curran, general secretary of Fine Gael, said: “[The party] condemns in the strongest possible terms the actions of Mr Tommy Morris, who is an employee of derek Keating Td, in removing copies of the Lucan Gazette from retail outlets. His actions have no place in politics. We are deeply disappointed by these events.”

Local residents, advertisers and distributors of the paper are angry at the actions. One reader of the pub-lication said: “I looked for the Lucan Gazette on sev-eral days in Marks and Spencer and I couldn’t find it there. This is censorship and it smacks of underhand-edness.

“They should let people read what they want. If I had advertised this week I would have been incensed.”

Continued on page 5

BUSTED!Soccer: Swords Celtic crowned as league winnerspage 30

Football: Local players help Jackies to minor titlepage 31

2 swords gazette 9 May 2013

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reserve the right to omit or suspend or alter any advertisement(s) in any of its publications. we also decline any responsibility in the event of one or more of a series of advertisements being omitted for any reason whatever, nor do we accept liability for any loss or damage caused by an error or inaccuracy in the printing of any advertisement. if your advertisement appears incorrectly, contact the Advertising department immediately, as responsibility cannot be accepted for more than one week’s incorrect insertion. responsibility cannot be accepted if the complaint is made more than two weeks after insertion. if one places an advertisement for more than one week and then cancels it after the first week, no refund or credit will be given for weeks cancelled. The advertiser undertakes to indemnify the proprietors against any liability for any civil action arising out of the publication of the advertisement or any other matter printed or published in the blanchardstown Gazette, Castleknock Gazette, Clondalkin Gazette, dundrum Gazette, dun laoghaire Gazette, lucan Gazette, Malahide Gazette and swords Gazette. The placing of an order or contract will be deemed an acceptance of these conditions.

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dublin gazette Newspapers publish eight weekly quality free titles, covering the greater

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Good nEws swords welcomes resolution

Pamela scott stores will be celebrating the good news with a thank You 20% discount weekend for customers nationwide this weekend

137 jobs secured at pamela scott storesA totAl of 137 jobs has been secured at Pamela Scott stores nationwide this week, including the jobs of those working in the Swords branch of the popular retail store.

t he news comes after Flairline Fash-ions, owner of Pamela Scott released a state-ment earlier this week announcing that the company has success-fully exited examiner-ship.

Speak ing to the Gazette, director of F l a i r l i ne Fash ions Scott Barron confirmed the good news for the Swords area.

“Flairline Fashions, who ow ns Pamela Scott, is delighted to announce that the com-pany that houses Pame-la Scott stores in Ireland have successfully exited examinership today. one of these stores is in the Pavilions in Swords and all the girls’ jobs are safe.”

Mr Barron said he hoped the Pamela Scott store would remain in the local shopping centre for the coming years, saying: “Pamela Scott will be there for the next 10 to 15 years, please God.”

the news that 12 of the 24 Pamela Scott stores in Ireland suc-cessfully exited the examinership process was announced earlier this week.

the announcement was welcome news to those working in the local retail store, who all hail from the local north Dublin area.

“We’re absolutely delighted, we’re ecstat-ic. there are just no

words ,” said Fiona Macken, assistant man-ager of the Pamela Scott Swords store.

“It was very worry-ing for a while but we’re actually over the moon. It’s fantastic news and we thank customers for their support. We thank customers for coming in and giving us the business and support in general. It’s brilliant news,” she said.

t h e s t a t e m e n t released earlier this week from the parent company, Flairline Fash-ions, said that despite previous concerns, the 12 shops would remain open and all 137 jobs at these stores have been secured.

the company said that negotiations with i t s l and lords have resulted in a 40% reduc-tion in overheads since 2007.

the 12 shops, which trade under the compa-ny name Arzac Devel-

opments, are located in the Pavilions Shop-ping Centre in Swords, as well as in locations in Dundrum, Grafton Street, Blanchardstown, limerick Crescent and limerick City, tralee, Carlow, Drogheda, Ark-low, Sligo and Mahon Point in Cork.

“Renegotiation of leases has been crucial to the success of the restructuring process,” said Barron in the state-ment. He said that all 12 shops had upward only clauses in their rent contracts.

“Subsequent to land-lord negotiations as part of the examinership process, approximately 65% of these upward only clauses have been replaced and these leases are now market rent leases and can be negotiated both up and down depending on market conditions,” he added.

Flairline Fashion also

announced that it has plans to open another four to six new stores for later this year and is now trading in North-ern Ireland for the first time.

Pamela Scott stores will be celebrating the good news with a thank You 20% discount weekend for customers nationwide this week-end.

M ea nwh i l e , j o b s have also been saved this week at eight B&Q stores across Ireland after the company also success fu l ly ex i ted examinership.

the move will ensure that 640 jobs country-wide have been saved, including a number of jobs at the Swords-based branch.

B&Q Ireland sought the appointment of an Examiner on January 31 this year, in a bid to res-cue the business which was significantly loss-making.

NataLie [email protected]

9 May 2013 swords gazette 3

North Dublin festivals set to receive €7k natalie burke

[email protected]

Festivals across Dub-lin are set to benefit from arts Council support, it was revealed this week, with two north Dublin festivals to receive a total of over €7,000.

the scoil sheamuis ennis festival and the skerries soundwave Festival committee will be two of nine festivals around Dublin to ben-efit from €36,000 in arts Council funding.

the arts Council

supports local festivals throughout ireland and this particular funding was made through round two of the festivals and events scheme 2013. the festi-vals and events scheme is aimed at locally-based events which might oth-erwise find it difficult to take place without the support.

the skerries sound-waves Music and arts festival is set to receive €4,000 in support. the festival is a 10-day celebra-tion aiming to bring many different music genres

and art forms to the town and surrounding areas of skerries. events range from classical concerts to rock music and street entertainment, while other highlights include spectacular fireworks at skerries Harbour.

scoil sheamuis ennis will receive €3,500 in funding from the council.

speaking after the announcement last week, Orlaith McBride, direc-tor of the arts Council, said she was “delighted” that the arts Council has the ability to support the

the skerries soundwaves Music and arts festival is set to receive €4,000 in support

important festivals. “the arts play a vital

role in our economy, espe-cially in local job creation, driving economic activity for local businesses and for local tourism. When ireland doesn’t have the weather in summer, many good memories are cre-ated for tourists, for fami-lies and for young people through these hugely

important local events.” Despite funding for

the arts being cut by 30% since 2008, Orlaith says she sees it as vital to counties such as Dublin, and other areas across the country, that support for the arts is maintained within limited resources as much as possible.

“the range and ambi-tion of the festivals fund-

ed under the arts Coun-cil’s festivals and events scheme demonstrates how central the arts are in all our lives and the excit-ing talents that are in ire-land,” says Orlaith. “From an array of traditional and multi-disciplinary arts fes-tivals to niche events in film, literature and circus there is something for eve-ryone to enjoy.”

Enchiriadis Treis set to performan acclaimed commu-nity choir based in Mala-hide will be performing a special concert in swords this weekend.

enchiriadis treis, which has over 100 members, will perform Mozart’s Coronation Mass and vivaldi’s Gloria, two of the composers’ best known and loved works with orchestral and solo accompaniment at the newly opened Riasc Centre in swords on sat-urday, May 11, at 8pm.

the local choir, which celebrates its 20th anni-versary next year, has pre-viously performed in the national Concert Hall, as well as various venues in europe.

tickets are priced at €20 and are available by emailing [email protected] or calling 085 8498442.

coNcertsupport Arts council ‘delighted’ to help support important events


Rush fails to meet EU water standards natalie burke

[email protected]

A locAl beach has failed to meet manda-tory water quality stand-ards, it has emerged this week.

This is according to the Environmental Protec-tion Agency (EPA) who said that of 136 bathing areas across Ireland; just four have failed to meet the standards set by the EU, including that of Rush South Beach in Fingal.

The EPA launched their report on The Quality of Bathing Water in Ireland – An overview for the Year 2012 last week, which listed Fingal’s beaches as either having sufficient,

good or insufficient qual-ity status.

The EPA said last summer’s wet weather is to blame as low levels of pollution were caused by wastewater storm overflows. They said the bathing water season coincided with the wet-test summer for over 50 years with many areas recording two to three times their expected summer rainfall.

The news was greeted with disappointment by local cllr Darragh Butler (FF) who described it as being more bad news for the local town of Rush.

“It is very disappoint-ing that Rush South Beach failed to achieve

sufficient water quality status,” he said.

“This continues the bad news for Rush with the loss of the Garda station and bank, reduced library hours and now this. More will need to be done by Fingal county council to rectify this as soon as possible.

“In addition, we need to try and improve the areas that received ‘suffi-cient’ water quality status up to ‘good’ or higher,” he added.

The findings of the EPA showed that despite the bad weather, the quality of Ireland’s bath-ing waters remained high overall, with over 97% of identified bathing areas

meeting the EU manda-tory standards.

Balbriggan beach, loughshinny and Sker-ries South Beach were three beaches in Dublin North to receive “suffi-cient” water quality sta-tus in the report, while Balcarrick in Donabate, Malahide Beach, Velvet Strand at Portmarnock, Portrane and Burrow Beach in Sutton received “good” water status.

Fingal county coun-cil also designated one new coastal bathing area – claremont Beach in Howth - for the 2012 bathing season, raising the total number of iden-tified bathing areas to 136 in the report.

rush south beach failed to achieve sufficient water quality

EPA REPoRt: AREA onE of foUR of 136 to flUnk tEst

Groups urged to apply for Dublin Bus funding initiAtivE Applications sought for grants of €1,000, €2,000 or €5,000

natalie burke

VolUNTARY community groups in Fingal are being urged to apply for funding to the Dublin Bus community Spirit Initiative, which is now seeking applications.

local Fine Gael TD Alan Farrell this week welcomed the initiative saying not enough people in the

local area are aware that Dublin Bus runs the community Spirit Initiative which grants financial awards to voluntary community groups in order to make a mean-ingful contribution to the towns in which it operates.

“Fingal has a rich community voluntary sector and this is a unique and terrific opportunity

for volunteers to apply for some additional support to develop new projects, grow services and help raise community spirit,” he said.

To date, up to 1,300 community voluntary groups in Dublin have benefited from these awards.

The Dublin Bus community Spirit Initiative is seeking applica-tions for grants of €1,000, €2,000

or €5,000 for voluntary groups that work in the area of children and youth, sport, people with disabili-ties, older people, environment and local community and education.

Deputy Farrell says investment such as the awards offered by Dub-lin Bus have a knock on effect for the local communities involved.

“Investment in community

groups has a positive knock on effect for the public at large and raises community spirit and I am pleased that Dublin Bus has con-tinued to recognise its role in play-ing a part in local development.”

The closing date for applications is Friday, June 7. More information can be found online at www.dub-linbus.ie.

stet

Free electrical recycling daysTHE European Recy-cling Platform (ERP) in association with Fingal county council will host two free electrical recycling days at Tesco car park, Rush on May 10 and Tesco carpark, Balbriggan on May 11 from 10am to 4pm.

Householders are encouraged to bring along their electrical waste including any unwanted electrical items with a plug or a battery, where they will be recycled free of charge.

ERP recycling officers will be on hand to help with the unloading of items. For further information visit www.erp-recycling.ie.

New fitness group launchesA NEW fitness group has launched in Swords and is currently holding classes for new mem-bers.

lyte Fitness Swords hold classes in boxer-cise, circuit boot-camp, busta-move aerobics and fab-abs in colum-cilles GAA club in Swords.

To celebrate their launch, lyte Fitness is introducing an offer of unlimited classes for a month for €60, which includes weigh-ins, body-fat analysis and nutritional advice.

For more information, contact [email protected].

FastNews

S e r v i N g 8 t h r i v i N g c o m m u N i t i e S o F S u b u r b a N D u b l i N .F o r u P t o D a t e N e W S v i S i t : W W W . F a c e b o o k . c o m /D u b l i N g a z e t t e N e W S P a P e r S


Ban is lifted on cyclingAfter being prohib-ited in Newbridge Park for some time, local area activist Clara La Com-bre (ff) for Donabate a n d P o r t r a n e h a s recently welcomed the news that cycling is once again permitted in the local park.

According to La Com-bre, a cycling ban was placed in the park last year following a number of minor accidents but has reported that the decision has recently been reversed by fingal County Council.

following the deci-sion, new signs have since been erected in the park.

“these new signs allow for cycling as long as cyclists respect the right-of-way of pedes-trians,” she said.

local park

The Write stuff: Girls take a firm lead in handwriting competitionCeCilia Leo from St Colmcille’s GNS in Swords was among the prize winners in this year’s 2013 National Handwriting Competi-tion. the competition, which is running for 21 years, was open to all national schools throughout the country and focused more than ever on keeping the art of handwriting alive. this year the girls took a firm lead in the handwriting stakes with 13 of them taking prizes out of the 21 on offer. Pictured with Cecilia is televi-sion presenter emma O’Driscoll-Cronin.

Taking of newspapers sparks Garda inquiry Continued froM Cover

GAZette managing director Michael McGov-ern said: “We will take whatever steps are neces-sary to protect our brand, the people who read the paper and the people who spend money advertising with us.

“the Gazette is a group of eight papers, with a weekly print-run of more than 40,000 copies. We employ 22 people, as well as freelance and agency workers.

“that someone would attempt to jeopardise their livelihoods in these times is particularly shocking.

“We have sought legal advice, and reported the matter to the Garda. We are determined to ensure that the person or persons

responsible are made accountable,” he said.

the Gazette made many attempts to contact Mr Morris, but he had not responded by the time of going to press.

Barry McCall, presi-dent, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), said it was “astonishing and bizarre behaviour by an individual being paid by the taxpayer”. He added: “respect for media free-dom is a hallmark of a modern democracy.”

the Gazette NUJ chapel said: “As a local paper, we seek balance in our coverage of all stories and give space to as many points of view as possible.

“We are shocked at the consequences of this course of conduct which, in effect, we believe is an

attempt to censor our reporting.”

When asked if he would apologise, Deputy Keating said he had initiated an internal investigation.

Deputy Keating said: “following legal advice, I am now initiating an internal investigation into these allegations. this internal investigation may lead to disciplinary proce-dures against Mr Morris.

“I wish to be unequivo-cal that, at no time, in this alleged incident, did Mr Morris act with my knowl-edge or consent.”

At the time of going to press, there has been no effort made, nor has any confirmation or undertak-ing been given, to return the papers to the Gazette and/or not to repeat such conduct.

reacTion: fG condemn acTions of keaTinG aide Tommy morris


As of April 30, 2013, following an amendment

to the Ombudsman for Children Act 2002, over 180 additional public bod-ies were brought within the remit of the Ombuds-man for Children’s Office. This is a positive develop-ment meaning the office

can now investigate a far greater number of public bodies and organisations that provide services to or make decisions about children or their families on behalf of the state.

Established in 2004, the Ombudsman for Children’s Office is the independent statutory

dr Niall Muldoon, director of Investigations, ombudsman for Children’s office

body with responsibility for promoting and moni-toring children’s rights in Ireland.

The role and functions of the Ombudsman for Children’s Office as set out in legislation, the Ombudsman for Chil-dren Act, 2002 are to provide an independent, impartial and free com-plaints handling service; to advise Ministers on policy and legislation; to consult with children directly on matters that affect them and to high-light their concerns.

After almost 10 years of investigating the actions of public bodies within remit, it was clear to the office that the core principles of best inter-ests and respect for the views of the child were not always respected in Ireland.

When the office inves-tigates a complaint, our intervention has consist-ently provided oppor-tunities to increase accountability, to pro-mote transparency and improve the quality of the decision-making that directly affects the lives of children and families.

Clearly ensuring that more bodies are sub-ject to our investigatory powers means that there will be opportunities to ensure that children and families are receiving better services from the state.

The Ombudsman for Children’s Office first raised concerns about the number of public bodies excluded from the remit of the office in 2005. We continued to raise these concerns both at a domestic level with

180 additional public bodies under Ombudsman’s remit

opinion promoting and monitoring children’s rights

Government and at an international level, with the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Under the Ombuds-man for Children Act, 2002 the Ombudsman for Children is obliged to monitor and review the operation of the Act and can make recommen-dations to the Minister and or the Oireachtas for change.

In March 2012, the Ombudsman for Chil-dren’s Office submitted a formal review of the Act, setting out our concerns about the current legisla-tion and making recom-

mendations to address these concerns. In July 2012, the Ombudsman for Children’s Office began direct engagement with Minister Brendan Howlin and his depart-ment, and the Depart-ment of Children and Youth Affairs.

The result of this engagement i s the Ombudsman for Chil-dren Amendment Act and we are pleased that the Oireachtas has addressed the main con-cerns and brought the 180 new bodies under the remit of the office. Accessibility to a free,

independent mechanism of redress for people who cannot avail of redress in the courts is fundamen-tal to a well-functioning democracy.

The role of the office is even more important in providing a low cost, independent mechanism for parents and children through our complaints function.

By identifying and rec-ommending the resolu-tion of systemic problems and extending the remit of the office, this statuto-ry function will continue to assist even more chil-dren into the future by

going towards creating a culture where children are treated properly.

T h e r e a r e ove r 1,100,000 children and young people in Ireland and, as a society, we have responsibility to them, to ensure that when decisions are made that will directly impact on these lives that the deci-sion makers really think about what is best for young people.

dr Niall Muldoon

Director of Investigations

Ombudsman for

Children’s Office

Just Ring 01 491 62 62

or visit our website www.chefdirect.ie

Enquiries/Sales for Dublin area only

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9 May 2013 SWORDS GAZETTE 7

Loughshinny Harbour set for major revamp NATALIE BURKE

[email protected]

LOUGHSHINNY Har-bour is set to see major works take place this year after a €50,000 invest-ment was announced for its improvement.

The bulk of the fund-ing was granted to Fingal County Council by the Department of Agricul-ture, Food and the Marine and will go towards much-needed works at the local Fingal harbour.

According to local Dublin North TD Alan Farrell (FG), a total of €37,500 will come from

the Department, while the remainder will be funded by the council itself.

“This grant was sought by Fingal County Council in order to resurface the pier at Loughshinny, and to remove stepped access and to upgrade recessed ladder access,” Deputy Farrell explained.

“The works, when com-pleted, will improve the appearance and safety of the harbour, and is part of Government’s Fish-ery Harbour and Coastal Development Programme 2013.”

Deputy Farrell said Dublin Fingal harbours

received a major Govern-ment stimulus package of €400,000 in 2012 as part of the programme, where “shovel-ready” projects were selected for works in order to create local employment while also benefiting the area.

“Seaside communities such as Loughshinny are very proud of their har-bours,” Deputy Farrell continued. “Projects such as this will ensure that they are protected and maintained and can con-tinue to be a focal point of our landscape.”

A spokesperson for Fingal County Council

Alan Farrell TD: “This grant was sought by Fingal County Council in order to

resurface the pier at Loughshinny, and to remove stepped access and to upgrade

recessed ladder access”

confirmed that earlier this year, the council applied to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for funding under the Fisheries and Coastal Infrastructure Develop-ment 2013 for local har-bours.

“Last year, we were pleased to receive grant funding for essential maintenance works for

four harbours - Balbrig-gan, Loughshinny, Rush and Skerries – which enabled us to make very efficient use of a special-ist engineer/contractors to work across all four harbours,” the spokesper-son said. “Unfortunately, for 2013 we have only received grant funding for works at Loughshinny, the works include civil

engineering works on the harbour and removal of stepped access and upgrade of recessed lad-der access.”

The spokesperson con-firmed that the council plans on continuing to apply for grant funding in future years to carry out essential harbour and public spaces mainte-nance works.

Open auditions for local talentTHE Balbriggan’s Got Talent open auditions will take place at the Bracken Court Hotel this Saturday, May 11.

The competition is being organised by Bal-briggan Summerfest, and if you’ve got what it takes, you will have the chance to perform in the Grand Final on Sunday, June 2.

Entry costs €2 to help towards the 2013 Balbriggan Summerfest which takes place from Friday, May 29 to Sun-day, June 3. The organis-ers hope that the 2013 festival will be “the big-gest and best that Bal-briggan has ever seen”.

Fore more informa-tion, log on to www.balbriggansummerfest.com.

BALBRIGGANFUNDS Announcement of €50k investment promises to improvements

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


shauna Brennan, greta Jakubynait and Corina Jecliu

representing the gazette was andrea rooney who was the eventual winner

AS part of the Fashion Rules weekend in Swords Pavilions, Sweet Nails held a nail bar for under-12s. The event saw a number of pre-teens show up to have their nails done and

join in the glamour of the weekend.The Fashion Rules weekend featured four fashion shows per

day and was a great opportunity for fashionistas to get a look at the hottest trends for the summer.

A sweet deAl: children enjoy some glAmour At pAvilion

angela and Natalie Harvey. Pictures: Una Williams

sarah, gillian, tara and anna Cowap

Maia gabbieeabha McBride and Laura devlin

Isabelle Pugh and Hannah williams

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


sonya dignam, Kimberley Behan and Philip Penns from tV show tallafornia. Pictures: Una Williams

A teeny-weeny bit of fun in RougeTemperatures in swords were high

recently as rouge Nightclub held the launch party for miss Bikini North-Dublin.

special guests on the night were Cormac and philly from tV3’s hit show tallafornia. the search is on to find a representative who can

emulate the success of last years winnner, Niamh aughney who went on to represent the county at the miss Bikini Ireland final. this year the winner of the final, due to be held in Dublin in september, will travel to america to compete in the swimsuit usa International.

Carly Mahady and Jessica Powell

search: looking for miss bikini norTh-dublin

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

Clara Hilliard, Lauren Byrne and Lucy Brady

shauna Lyndon, Janine Moran and Clare doherty

Paddy Fitzpatrick and Cormac Branagan from tV3’s

tallafornia


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

THE Gala Irish premiere of Byzantium was recently screened at the IFI in Dublin.

Byzantium is directed by Neil Jordan, and stars Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Arterton, Jonny Lee Miller and Sam Riley. This gothic thriller was also shot on location in Ireland.

The film is based on a play by Moira Buffini, A Vam-pire Story, and it tells a mysterious story of a mother and daughter with a dark secret who live in a coastal town.

Byzantium will be released in cinemas nationwide from May 31.

Sink your teeth into Byzantium premiere

director Neil Jordan at the premiere of his latest film Byzantium in dublin. Pictures: Patrick O’Leary

Juanita wilson Billy thorne, dashiel Jordan and Ben donohoe Natasha rocca devine Lauren Fee and Nicholas Marnitz

Lorraine geoghegan and gemma doorly

Michael and Jane Collins

9 May 2013 Gazette 11

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

recruiting: organisation adds 10 new locations

More teachers needed as summer camp expandsThis year, Let’s Go summer Camps are tak-ing on 120 additional teachers to work in their 12 camps dotted around Dublin.

The camps will be set up in various locations throughout the capital including sandyford, Rathfarnham, Foxrock, Knocklyon, Terenure, Castleknock, Malahide, swords and others.

Organisers of the exer-cise focused camps are

currently recruiting pri-mary, secondary and PE teachers which will bring the total number of Let’s Go employees this sum-mer to 280 to service an expansion plan which includes 10 new loca-tions around Dublin.

The camps, which operate during the months of July and August are aimed at children aged between five to 13 years and have been running nationwide

for 20 years.Their multi-activity

programme offers a cur-riculum of events spe-cially designed by physi-cal education teachers.

Let’s Go co-founder Eileen sheehy said: “The camps are a great oppor-tunity for teachers to gain experience and learn activities that they can take back to their schools after the summer.”

The camps will run in Malahide and Portmar-

nock and sandyford July 1–5, in Rathfarnham July 8–12, in Foxrock and Knocklyon July 15–19, in Terenure and sutton July 22–26 and July 29– 2 and finally in swords and Castlenock August 6–10.

Primary, secondary and PE teachers who are motivated, energetic and have an interest in sports, are asked to visit www.letsgo.ie for more information.

the camps offer a curriculum of events specially designed by physical education

teachers

gaze

tte

schools P14diary P12 asdfsdaf P27feature P15

12 Gazette 9 May 2013

dublinlifeGaze

tte

diary

Marvelling at an incredible virtual iron Man experienceSuperheroeS, fans of the Marvel universe and Gazette reporters were excited to become one of The Avengers at the Dundrum Town Cen-tre last week when the Become Iron Man virtu-al reality booth arrived to coincide with the launch of Iron Man 3.

Speaking to Gazette Diary, chief technolo-gist Jared pepall from Marvel, who brought the experience to Ire-land said: “The software was written for Disney/Marvel especially for the movie and it’s so smooth, people think it’s a game.

“The technology is

effectively a highly-advanced version of the Kinect, and a much smoother experience. It renders amazingly and it’s stunning.

“people’s reaction is amazing when the suit goes on. It’s a real experience once you get in there. It tracks your

Gazette reporter Paul Hosford (right) fulfills a lifetime dream as he prepares to

transform into Ironman, courtesy of a Become Iron Man virtual reality booth at

Dundrum town Centre

entire body, and the soft-ware will map the suit to your exact measure-ments. Whatever you do, the suit will do on the screen in front of you.”

having been in the suit, we have to say: Be yourself. unless you can be Iron Man. Always be Iron Man.

CataloGue to ConCentrate on enerGy Costs hArvey Norman have launched a new Future home catalogue which focuses on the benefits of smarter and more effi-cient home appliance technology.

According to harvey Norman, the home fur-niture retail giant, con-sumers are more aware of their energy costs than ever before. homes are becoming smarter and more efficient with home appliance technology changing how we live, cook and entertain.

Following the launch of the new catalogue, a spokesperson for the store said: “A common question that we are asked in store is ‘how much will this appliance cost me to run?’

“In light of this we came up with our Future home concept, where we wanted to present a range of products that could save a household up to 40% on their ener-gy bills.”

The store hopes to advise customers about the money they can save with a new eco-friendly purchase.

For more information, and catalogue details, see www.harveynorman.ie/the-future-home.

sIGn uP for tHe fIrst fIt CIty run serIesAS thousands of run-ners lace up their shoes and take to the streets in preparation for a fast approaching summer, FIT Magazine, Ireland’s leading fitness magazine, is calling on all joggers, runners and walkers to sign up for the inaugural FIT City run Series.

The inaugural FIT Magazine event; FIT City Series is a 10k run which will take place in the phoenix park on Sunday May 12, with a prize fund of €3,000 up for grabs.

Suitable for runners of all levels it is the ideal way to shape up this summer - or get some fit-ness practice before the larger events of the run-ning season.

With a special entry

fee of just €25, including booking fee, (normally €31.50) is being offered by entering the code cit-yseries2013. visit www.fitmagazine.ie to regis-ter.

The event will also benefit Athletics Ireland Fit4youth programme which aims to foster an awareness of fitness and running among teenag-ers.

entrIes BeInG souGHt for fIlM festIvalFIlMMAKerS from across Dublin are being called on to enter this year’s Stranger Than Fic-tion documentary film festival at the IFI.

The festival, which was announced officially this week, will take place September 26 – 29 and is looking to include origi-

nal and exciting docu-mentary films from Irish and international film-makers.

If your film fits the bill, now is that time to pre-pare your entries as sub-missions have opened with a deadline of 6pm, June 14.

This year IFI Stranger Than Fiction plans once again to premiere some of the best documenta-ries from Ireland and around the world, fol-lowing on from 2012’s successful festival which included Dublin pre-mieres of The Imposter, 5 Broken Cameras, The Interrupters, one Mile Away and Detropia.

Details of the 2013 programme wil l be announced and go on sale in early August 2013. For more details, see www.ifi.ie/stf.

9 May 2013 Gazette 13R1


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Helping students to deal with exam pressuresAs always, English starts off the Leaving Cert this year on June 5 and by the end of the two weeks, culminating in the last exam, technology on June 21, 56,584 students nationwide will have sat the most important and therefore most pressu-rised of all state exams.

steve Gray, manag-ing director of Dun L a o g h a i r e ’ s Tu t o r Experts, a grind service with an online facility, gave his top tips to The Gazette for Leaving Certificate students fac-ing into the exams next month.

“I could say to parents – take the fuse out your child’s Xbox, but I tried that myself with my own

On June 21, 56,584 students nationwide will have sat the most important of all

State exams

son and he came home the same day announcing he’d learned how to fix a plug in physics. My advice to parents is: “Encourage the student to get some exercise breaks – impor-tant for stress relief. Watch out for consumption of sugary caffeinated drinks, they can cause mood swings and adversely affect concentration.

“Ask your kids to make a list of priorities for the next month. If Facebook is in there, say “put it away until after the exams – you have all summer for that.”

steve also had some tips from his project maths team.

“This advice is like finding gold as the projects maths is new and unfamiliar territory to teachers, parents and pupils.

“On the new project maths exams there is a choice on some of the papers, so make sure to read the paper very care-fully so you know which questions to do and so

you use your time effi-ciently.

“It is hard to predict questions on the new exams, so while students might be faced with dif-ficult / unfamiliar ques-tioning, don’t panic.

“The new course s t i l l awards marks for attempts but also encourages students to work towards the

answer using any logical approach so make sure to give all your selected questions a try.

“Also, most of the marks in a particular question are allocated for the first few parts of the question.

“That is, by the time you get to the more com-plicated parts (d) or (e) at the end of the question,

you have already picked up most of the marks for that question, so while completing that last sub-section will certainly pull up your grade, if you have got all the parts up to this correct, you have cer-tainly already passed the question.”

For more advice and tips go to www.tutorex-perts.ie.

Get involved with our schools pagesCALLING all students! We want all budding writers and photographers from all of our schools to help fill the pages and, in order to encourage the next generation of journalists and snappers to get involved, we are partnering with Harvey Norman to present the Dublin Gazette Newspapers’ Cub Reporter and Cub Photog-rapher of the Year awards. For more details, contact [email protected] or telephone Rob Heigh at 01 601 0240.

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feature

Owners urged to pick up after their dogsLocaL councils are coming together to pro-mote the Green Dog Walkers programme that aims to change attitudes towards cleaning up after pets.

The Green Dog Walk-ers programme was launched by South Dub-lin county council mayor cathal King (SF) in Sean Walsh Park, Tallaght, recently.

He was joined by mem-bers of the DSPca, The Kennel club, council dog wardens and local resi-dent dog owner Sharon Murphy.

The programme is regional involving SDcc,

and the councils of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, Meath and Wick-low.

It is a non-confron-tational, friendly way to change attitudes about dog fouling in South Dub-lin county. Green Dog Walkers is a community-based scheme that volun-teers in the community can adopt in their own area and promote.

The mayor welcomed the initiative and said he was “delighted” to offi-cially launch the Green Dog Walkers programme in Sean Walsh.

“Dog fouling is a very serious health issue.

Young children are par-ticularly at risk. Dog own-ers should take responsi-bility for their dogs and make sure they clean up after the dog.

“The Green Dog Walkers programme is a great way to raise awareness of the way to look after your dog. I look forward to meeting lots of green dog walk-ers in the county.”

a spokesperson from Tallaght Hospital said: “We welcome the launch of the Green Dog Walk-ing Initiative. We support the objective to improve our local environment by the responsible man-

agement of dog foul-ing by dog owners. We believe this initiative will help enhance the well-being of our community by reducing the risk of infection posed by dog fouling.”

Tony Kavanagh from Rathfarnham Tidy Towns was also present at the launch and said: “Tidy Towns welcomes this programme as dog foul-ing is a real problem and a health risk.”

Volunteers wear a Green Dog Walkers armband which signi-fies that they have “taken the pledge” to always: clean up after their dog,

Mayor of South Dublin County Council Cathal King at the launch

wear the armband or put the Green Dog Walkers collar on their dog when walking, carry extra dog waste bags, be happy to be approached to “lend” a dog waste bag to those without, be a friendly reminder to other dog walkers to clean up after their dogs.

T h e g r e e n a r m band acts as a friendly reminder to pick up after your dog.

all dog owners have to do is sign a pledge form which can be got through www.social-credits.ie then a Green Dog Walker armband and a GDW bone dog

bag dispenser is posted out.

If anyone is interested in rolling out the cam-paign in their local neigh-bourhood or would like some more information on the programme, then call 01 4149000 or email [email protected] or see www.socialcredits.ie


More than a mere mortal BairBre Ni BhraoNaiN

Although his nationwide tour is winding down, people still have the chance to see Neil Delamere’s new show, DelaMere Mortal in Draiocht this month.

Neil spoke to the gazette about how the tour went and all about the inspira-tion behind his current show.

“My brother just said to me one day, ‘You know, you’ve lived as long in Dublin now as you have in offaly” and this got me all introspective about which version of me, the first 16-year part or the last 16-year me was the best. So, I went back and found some footage of myself at 16 when I appeared on Blackboard Jungle

with Ray D’Arcy in 1995.“I created the show for the Edinburgh

Fringe Festival, so I performed it there first and although they could under-stand the idea of Blackboard Jungle, it was much more craic doing it in Ireland where everyone was familiar with the show.

“I recreated the whole Blackboard Jungle show with my original team mem-bers, got Ray D’Arcy to host it and filmed it all again to see if we’d learned a small bit over the intervening time.”

Neil recently appeared in two televi-sion documentaries, one on St Patrick and the other on the Vikings.

“they were comedy documentaries with serious experts putting the facts

across and me doing sketches to deliver the material in bite-sized pieces so peo-ple could digest it better.

“It was a probiotic of history really, Ninja history where people don’t even realise they’ve learned anything until afterwards.

“It gave me the chance as well to get involved in something I was interested in and play with swords and ride chariots and things any 12-year-old boy would love to do.”

he has also appeared on a number of tV shows in Britain, chief of which was Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, a platform that has launched many an Irish comic’s career in Britain. Yet Neil has no plans to leave our shores for the

bigger British market.“You have to live over there to crack

Britain, or at least go over and do tV there every couple of weeks. You also need a combination of luck, talent and to be in the right place at the right time. the Panel here in Ireland was great for me and I do Edinburgh every year, which keeps me sharp because it’s the hardest comedy festival in the world.

“At the moment, though, I’ve no plans to move to Britain because I have a nice life here and I have work here. But then again, who knows what will happen? Never say never.”

DelaMere Mortal is on in Draiocht on May 23 and tickets, costing €20 are avail-able at the Box office on 01 885 2622.

Comedian Neil Delamere, who appears in his show at Draiocht this month

OUT&ABOUTasdfsdaf P27

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

azet

te

comedy: Neil delamere oN what he has learNed siNce he left offaly

caN you Give lovely Nala a New home?The Gazette Newspaper has teamed up with Dogs Trust to help find homes for unwanted and abandoned dogs.

Our Dog of the Week is Nala, a two-year-old female boxer. Nala came into Dogs Trust pregnant, and had six beautiful pups. All Nala’s babies have found homes, so now it’s time for her to find hers.

Nala loves her comfort and can’t wait to snuggle up on the couch for some well-earned TLC. She can be quite shy when meeting new people and other dogs, but once she gains your trust, she will love you forever.

She needs a home with someone there during the day, and wouldn’t mind sharing the rubs and cuddles with another dog. Nala would be suitable for a family with older children. If you think you are that special person then please contact Dogs Trust on 01-879 1000. Map and directions can be found on their website www.dogstrust.ie. You can also find them on Facebook www.facebook.com/dogstrustireland or Twitter @DogsTrust_Ie.

Pets

motors P24music P23travel P22


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ALL things style and beautiful filled Blanchardstown Centre recently when they hosted the U-Style event, in conjunction with U Magazine.

The catwalk – which was filled with colour, floral, monochrome, holiday essentials and bold pieces – was the focal point for shoppers throughout the weekend.

Shoppers were also treated to beauty and style masterclasses, and there was a range of discounts across many of the retail stores.

Commenting on the event, Ciara Daley, marketing executive at Blanchardstown Centre, said: “U Style was a huge success, and a fabulous weekend of style, beauty and fun.

“Our spring/summer catwalk shows showcased the wide range of fantastic brands available at Blanchardstown Centre, with eve-

rything a girl could possibly need in her wardrobe to keep her on trend this season.

“All items featured in our shows are in store, and available to buy, now.

“Over the weekend, we had great discounts from BT2, A/wear, Die-sel, French Connection, MEXX, Debenhams, Boots and Specsav-ers, to name but a few.

“There were some seriously styl-ish ladies over the weekend who walked away with some amazing spot prizes, and, of course, our Covergirl winner, Anastasia Per-elighin [see inset].

“Anastasia won a €500 shop-ping spree in Blanchardstown Centre, a feature in U Magazine, an overnight stay plus dinner in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, a beauty hamper from Inglot, and a gift from McCabes Pharmacy.

“All that, plus complimentary beauty treatments! It was a great weekend all round. To check out all of our pics and videos, see www.facebook.com/blanchardstown-centre,” said Ciara.

This week, Gazette Style is showing readers just some of the highlights from the weekend.

Covergirl winner anastasia

Perelighin

Competition winner Grace Murphy

The very best of beauty makeovers in Dublin 15

Fashionista Sean Munsanje and U Magazine editor,

Jen Stevens. Pictures: Paul Sherwood

Jules Fallon, First Option, presenting Sweet Jeans

U-Style delights for all

Well done ... Jen Stevens, the editor (second left) of U Magazine, with competition winners

9 May 2013 GAZETTE 19

STYLE

GAZETTE

Nora Casey and Anita Whyte

The models showcased a wide range of fresh styles and colourful summer outfits from Blanchardstown Centre’s stores

Bright colours and bold designs helped set the tone for some of this summer’s hot new styles

Catwalk styles

U-Style delights for all

Well done ... Jen Stevens, the editor (second left) of U Magazine, with competition winners


OUT&ABOUT Gaze

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CINEMA

TheatretHe pavilioN tHeatRe 01 231 2929liam o’MaonlaiLIAM O’Maonlai is one of Ireland’s best-loved musicians and singers, both in rock and traditional music. Bono once described Liam as “The best white boy soul singer in the world” and he has been also been described as one of Ireland’s best sean nos singers.May 11, tickets €20/€18.

DRaiocHt 01 885 2622the Great GatsbyTHIS is a classic fable – of America, of the breathtaking glamour and decadent excess of the Jazz Age, of enchantment and illusions, of a world where love and dreams are pursued and betrayed. Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire, passionately pursues the elusive Daisy Buchanan. May 10 and 11, tickets €16/€14.

Mill tHeatRe DuNDRuM 01 296 9340the odd coupleClassic comedy opens as a group of guys assemble for cards in the apartment of Oscar Madison. If the mess is any indication, it is no wonder his wife left him. Late to arrive is Felix Ungar, fastidious, depressed and none too tense. Another Taney Drama Society production very deftly directed by Niall Jordan. From May 22-25 tickets €15/€12.

C OL I N FA R R E L L has had an interesting career.

Early om, it seemed that the Castleknock bad-boy would spend his career shackled with the label Castleknock bad-boy.

As well known at the outset for who he was sleeping with as his actual job, Farrell has nonetheless proven to be head and shoulders above many of his peers in terms of sheer talent.

From his blistering Hollywood debut in Tigerland, Farrell has turned in an impressive slate of performances.

Minor i t y Repor t , Phone Booth, The New World and In Bruges spring to mind, with his turn in Irish ensemble classic Intermission a personal favourite.

With Dead Man Down,

Farrell begins the first of four 2013 releases and, on a personal level, the

Going down hard

Dublin 15 native sets the bar pretty high.

Here, Farrell plays Victor, an efficiently brutal gangland enforc-er who has infiltrated the gang of demented crime-lord Alphonse (played with delirious glee by the always-excel-lent Terence Howard).

We as the audience, of course, know that Victor’s motivations have less to do with his love of the criminal lifestyle than they do with gaining revenge for the deaths of his family at the hands of Alphonse’s thugs some years before.

This being the first English-language work

of Niels Arden Oplev, the director of the original Girl With The Dragon Tattoo trilogy, violence is often not too far away and every char-acter has an abundance of shades of grey.

The arrival on the scene of Oplev’s Lis-beth Salander, Noomi Rapace, sparks the film to life as her Beatrice draws Victor into a revenge plot of her own, casting a pall over Vic-tor’s own plans.

It’s here that the film slightly loses the run of itself as the script becomes more and more complex, with all

of the lead characters wrestling with moral dilemmas.

In truth, it feels like a modern day version of The Long Good Friday, with Howard’s Alphonse acting as a stand in for Bob Hoskins.

Strangely, the pres-ence of Rapace holds the film back some-what.

In her best English-speaking role yet, she delivers a solid per-formance, but the film’s tonal similarities with the Dragon Tattoo tril-ogy mean that all the while she is on screen, you’re expecting her to

be meaner, to show the demented streak of Lis-beth.

It is akin to casting Sylvester Stallone as a boxing agent. Sure, he could do it, but all the audience will see is Rocky.

It makes you wonder how good the film could have been had Rapace and Farrell’s characters switched places.

That’s not to take away from Farrell ’s performance, which is indeed a fine one.

He handles this kind of silent fury brilliant-ly and has seemingly found his comfort zone in mid-budget films, burned by the one-two of Alexander and Miami Vice.

Overall, the film is a decent calling card for Oplev and Rapace and a piece of excel-lent work from Farrell, Howard and the under rated Dominic Purcell.

Dominic Purcell and Colin Farrell try to out do each other in the poorly-dressed stakes

Review: coliN FaRRell Has beeN wRoNGeD aND He’s out FoR ReveNGe

Paul hosForDour VerDICt:WHEN it is good, it is very, very good. When it’s bad it is just plain confusing. The overly complex script hampers what could have been a top-quality revenge thriller. It features some excellent performances, an assured visual hand and a gratifying burst of violence in the denouement. It’s just a shame that it doesn’t really know what it’s about.

Director: Niels arden oplevstarring: Colin Farrell, Noomi rapace, Dominic Cooper, terrence howard

Film OF The Week: Dead Man Down h h h (12) 130 mins


CINEMA

GazetteGAMING

I’M SO old, I remember the very first compact disc I ever saw, way back in 1980-cough-something.

My peers and I couldn’t have known then just how ubiquitous the CD would become, let alone how comparat ively quickly the format would become almost obsolete, as the music world moved on to valuable yet (argu-ably) intangible virtual products, such as MP3s.

The reason why I’m freewheelin’ down Mem-ory Lane like Grampa Simpson, is because we’re on the cusp of seeing another potential giant step forward in consum-er technology, via Google

Glass, which is likely to create a long-lasting memory, once sighted.

Well, perhaps. Tech watchers are hedging our/their bets a little at the moment, as Google Glass could indeed turn out to be the vanguard of

a bold new move in the convergence of technolo-gies, and could soon be as comparatively common-place all over the world.

Then again, that’s what soothsayers said about 3D televisions, too, and we all know how well they’re doing. (Just about as well as Remington typewrit-ers, by all accounts.)

So. Google Glass. What is it, and why mention it now, when only a few exist? First things first.

Continuing Google’s interesting progress as a company driving some innovative ideas forward, “Glass” is the company’s attempt to create a new product – and for many,

preview: a summary about new tech just around the corner

Look out for the Google Glass(es)

this model shows one of the current Google Glass models (close-up, below), which

look at first glance like a snazzy pair of glassses – perfect to saunter around

Manhattan with, as she’s doing – yet, at second glance, reveal a tiny camera and

slight lens overlay; with which to film and record data, or to watch and receive it

BYTES&PIECES

shane [email protected]

augmented glasses that also function as a weara-ble computer seems like a natural fit. Pun intended.

Glass has a tiny cam-era that’s capable of taking photos as well as HD recording. as well as boasting data projection capabilities, courtesy of a discreet projector unit in front of one lens.

In other words, what feels like, in effect, a lit-tle monitor in front of the user can display informa-tion as needed.

Using specific com-mands, users can also take photos, start filming, call up certain types of data, and perform a number of other applications.

It’s an interesting move by the technology and data giant, as many companies have been tinkering with mobile, wearable computing for many years, but with no appreciable success, bar limited, simple sports-related tech.

However, if Glass takes off as expected, the tech could become a high-prestige product all over the world, with Glass’s abilities adapting and developing as time goes by, and other technolo-gies develop.

For example, who’s to say that the tech driving Glass couldn’t be adapt-ed in time to suit, say, presciption or contact lenses, specific industry needs, medical proce-dures, and so on?

But first, we have to

look at how well Glass performs. (Yes, yes, another pun.)

Right now, a limited number of Glass units are out in the field, undergo-ing extensive testing, as Google works to both work out early kinks and establish any issues to resolve, and raise aware-ness – certainly, it doesn’t need to raise interest, as a great deal of global atten-tion is already focused on the glasses.

While initial price points suggest the $1,500 (€1,150) mark, con-sumer prices (possibly for slightly stripped-back versions) are certain to be lower, but all has yet to be fully revealed by the company.

So – last pun, I promise – make sure to look out for Google Glass, soon ...

aliens taken to court in californiaclass action lawsuit based on game’s finished qualityWHILE lawsuits and legal problems are common enough within the gaming industry, as people fall out, deals fall through, or contracts are snapped over a knee like kindling, it’s rare enough for anyone in the industry to be sued by ordinary gamers.

This being so, the news that aliens: Colonial Marines developer Gearbox Software and publisher Sega are facing a class action lawsuit has sparked widespread coverage across the media, with everyone from Forbes to Eurogamer picking up the story.

A lawsuit is under way in California, filed on behalf of gamers who bought the widely-criticised game, which saw a number of articles focusing on its graphics.

The class action lawsuit claims that gamers may have been misled by pre-release footage of the game that wasn’t matched by the game’s graphics in the final version, thus misleading them into buying the game.

Although pre-release footage is generally a work in progress, and not a guarantee of final quality, it’s still an interesting case to watch, as gamers regularly see adverts for games showing graphics, or footage, that bear no resemblance to the actual game (albeit generally presented with a caveat of “Not actual gameplay footage”, or somesuch, buried in tiny writing somewhere on the screen).

Regardless of the case succeeding or failing at the court, it could see those responsible for game advertising pause a little, and consider using more specific, actual footage of the finished title – less glossy cinematics, and more gritty, actual footage, which is certainly something that would be welcome.

space out your Gameplaytest your captaincy skills with star commandWITH the next Star Trek film almost upon us, and the (somewhat underwhelming) tie-in Star Trek game just released, this seems like the perfect time to mention star Command. Available for €2.69 for your IOS gadgets, Star Command very much has that Star Trek vibe as you captain your own starship, boldly go about the universe, meet aliens, put together a great crew –

And then watch everything fall apart, as your best-laid plans for starship management, crew rostering, damage control and alien diplomacy get sucked out the nearest airlock when the nearest bad-tempered aliens attack.

Presented with charming pixel graphics, the real-time sim-slash-space ’em up has had a colourful and extended development period on Kickstarter, but the final product was worth it, as Star Command has plenty of character that compensates for its slightly niggly controls.

potential pitfalls for GooGle Glasstech isn’t even out yet, but already some concerns are emergingWITHOUT wishing to go all Chicken Licken and start running around like a headless chi– well, you know, a number of concerns have already emerged about Google Glass, primarily focused on security and data privacy. For example, some analysts have questioned whether people’s privacy will be invaded, should Google Glass wearers record data without their knowledge, while others have questioned how susceptible Glass may be to hacking, or malicious spyware – as cool as the tech seems, its appeal would take a blow if there was, say, any issue of someone hacking into your Glass to, say, watch your bank PIN number being entered. Of course, without Glass being widespread – or even properly, publicly available, just yet – any such concerns or problems have yet to be seen ...

EARLYGLASSCONCERNS


OUT&ABOUT Gaze

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natalie burke

THE recession has affect-ed us all in one way or another, but it seems that there has been no let-up in recent years in the numbers of young people flocking to the sun from Ireland.

Club 18-30 is gearing up for a similar wave this year and, for anyone hop-ing to let off some steam with a sun holiday com-bined with the very best in music and partying, May 31 appears to be the date to keep in mind.

It’s the day that Club 18-30 officially opens its summer parties, and starts the summer season with a particular focus on music and party mecca, Ibiza.

The number of Irish partygoers hitting their sunspots has continued to grow recently and, with the opening parties bringing events such as an open water party at Es

Paradis, and Jake Bugg performing at the Ibiza Rocks hotel, you can see why.

There’s a lot more going on in various music venues such as Amnesia, DC10, Eden, Pacha and Space, which help to give the popular island its well-deserved standing as Europe’s party capital.

If nightclubs aren’t your thing, you can choose instead from sunset cruis-es, foam parties and silent Sundays, or Full Moon celebrations and poolside parties.

There’s a huge amount of entertainment, as well as a great variety of water-based activities to enjoy, and the best part is that it all takes place in the beautiful settings of Ibiza, surrounded by temperatures floating around 25C.

Even when the sun goes down, you can chill out by the shores of the bay of Calo des Moro in

San Antonio, to the back-drop of the ambient and eclectic sounds of local DJs.

However, the rush to the sun doesn’t have to take you just to Ibiza, since Club 18-30 also offers a range of sun holi-day packages to other popular destinations, including their brand-new destination in Tenerife.

As the most popular of the Canary Islands, Ten-erife boasts the best in nightlife, having hosted DJs such as Tiesto and Judge Jules in the past.

And, during the day, the island has a huge range of beaches to bathe on and water sports to try.

Siam Park, Europe’s most spectacular water park with its 28m Tower of Power vertical drop, is also a must-see for holi-day-goers.

Two-sharing at the Parque Cattleya can enjoy a seven-night geta-way from just €529 per

club 18-30: europe’s party and music capital awaits younG irish visitors

TRAVEL

TRAVELfast

Wing it to a beautiful Turkey spa and resort natalie burke

THE new Palm Wings Beach Resort and Spa in Kusadasi, Turkey, is opening its doors for the very first time this month, offering its inaugural holiday-makers seven-night all-inclusive breaks from only €559 per person.

Located on Paradise beach, the hotel is just 80m away from the water’s edge, and is situated just minutes from a range of near-by cafes, markets bars and restaurants.

Ideal for families and couples alike, the hotel offers an all-in-clusive plus service, 24 hours a day. Travel on May 19 and stay at the four-star Palm Wings Beach Resort and Spa for seven nights on an all-inclusive plus basis from €559.

PriceThe price includes

return f lights from Dublin, seven nights’ accommodation as stated, return airport transfers and taxes.

Prices are per per-son and are based on two people sharing. An extra €3 govern-ment tax is required per person, and terms and conditions apply.

For further informa-tion, see www.wingsa-broad.ie, or telephone 01 871 9444.

Club together and visit Ibiza

person – with the addi-tional option of going all-inclusive with meals, local drinks and cock-tails and various activities included.

Club 18-30 Ireland is offering seven nights’ accomodation in the three-star Four Seasons in Crete on a self-catering basis, from €395 per per-son, departing from Dub-lin on June 7.

The price includes return flights from Dub-

lin, and all transfers.There are also options

for all-inclusive packages, with meals and drinks included for most Club 18-30 destinations, as well as special group deals.

Since music is always at the core of the Club 18-30 holiday, this year, party lovers need only look to the new Club Life hotels for endless beach BBQs, poolside DJs and pool parties that are exclusive to guests.

Examples include the Laura S’Atalaya in Ibiza, from €415PP; the Paloma Studios in Cyprus, from €589; and the Quayside Village, in Corfu, from €495PPS.

Prices are for seven nights, flights departing from Dublin.

For further details on prices, packages and des-tinations, call Club 18-30 in Dublin at 01 514 0318, or see www.facebook.com/club1830Ireland.

With so much variety and choice in ibiza, from beach types to nightclubs, it’s no wonder that so many young irish are happy to holiday there

relax with some chilled-out beats at San antonio, in ibiza

9 May 2013 SWORDS gazette 23

GazetteTRAVELFASTtunes

with Radio Nova’s Dee Woods

Happy Birthday, Bono! The Dublin rocker is ringing in his 53rd year

with the news the planned U2 Tower in the city’s Docklands will not be constructed, but what is building is fans’ hopes ahead of U2’s next album.

The working title for U2’s thirteenth studio album is 10 Reasons To Exist, and with the band in their 37th year together, it’s clear that making music is their raison d’etre.

However as a die-hard U2 fan, I’m always a little nervous ahead of a new album release. U2 are a band that have always maintained that their success is down to experimenting with different sounds and constant reinvention to keep their music alive, saying no album is released until they are good and ready.

Their last record No Line On The Horizon, from 2009, had a Moroccan influence and con-tained solid singles like Magnificent and I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight.

However, sales were disappointing and only five million copies shifted worldwide. The good news on the horizon for Bono and Co was the world tour that followed. U2 360° became the highest grossing tour in history, proving the quar-tet most certainly have still “got it”.

So what will their thirteenth album sound like? Word has it U2 have been working with producers will.i.am (of the Black Eyed peas) and Danger Mouse, indicating they could be going uber-contemporary with their next record. and if you’re to believe internet rumours, some of the album has already been leaked online.

In the last few months they’ve been recording here in Dublin as well as New york and the south of France, and the album is due out in Septem-ber. Will it be lucky 13 for the Dublin fab four? I’ll be buying it regardless.

Dee Woods presents Nova Nights on Radio Nova Mon-Fri 7pm-12am & Sundays 12-2pm. Follow her on Twitter @radeeoh

MUSIC

New line on the horizon as U2 loom into view

ONE OF the greatest misconceptions the world ever experienced is that Dexys are a one-trick pony.

The infamy that came from “that song” has led to a generation thinking that the raggle-taggle, dungaree-donning 1982 vintage of the Midnight Runners is all they ever were.

However, DMR, or simply Dexys as they are now, have forever been one of the most inspired and inspiring acts on the planet. They are purveyors of soul, in its purest and most emotional sense.

This fundamental truth was borne out last week on the stage of the Olympia when Kevin Rowland and his trou-

badors returned to Ire-land for their first head-lining show since 2003.

That night in Vicar Street marked a hugely welcome return to the stage for Rowland after far too long off the radar, and led, eventu-ally, to the release of last year’s One Day I’m Going To Soar, Dexys first record since 1985’s classic Don’t Stand Me Down.

It is last year’s album the show is based around, and all of the

drama and theatricality of the record plays out live, with a stunningly fa i thful recreat ion, played in its entirety and in sequence. The core band — vocalists Row-land and pete Williams, together with Dexys legend “Big Jimmy” paterson — along with Lucy Morgan on vio-lin, Tim Cansfield, Sean Read, Dave Ruffy, andy Hobson and Mike Tim-othy nail every nuance throughout act 1 of a memorable night.

It is a theatrical event like no other rock show, a drama with vocalist Madeleine Hyland cast as Kevin’s romantic muse, and he does what he has throughout his career in music, asking questions of himself and

challenging the band and audience to come along.

It’s a challenge well worth accepting, as Dexys deliver an deep-ly emotional blend of vocals, brass and keys reminiscent of the Northern Soul greats who inf luenced the band since their incep-tion, with the Celtic presence of Morgan’s violin adding another level to the uniqueness of the sound.

One Day... was a mas-terpiece on record, it is a Van Gogh live.

The standing ovation that heralded the end of the One Day... section was utterly deserved, and kept on coming as the band delved into their back catalogue,

opening with The Waltz from Don’t Stand Me Down.

The eternal Officer and a Gent leman skit bookended Until I Believe In My Soul and Tell Me When My Light Turns Green, and the band again shone while per forming a latin-tinged version of Geno, a meltingly beau-tiful and faithful version of Old, before closing on an epic rendition of This Is What She’s Like, which saw Kevin take to the Olympia’s box seats to help the audi-ence acclaim the play-ers as he introduced the band.

all this and no Come On Eileen, despite the baying of the balcony. Long may they run.

concert review: a triumphant return to ireland for dexys

Soaring soul music ROB [email protected]

Kevin Rowland, Pete Williams and sax and keys man Sean Read express themselves onstage at the Olympia last week


OUT&ABOUT Gaze

tte

MOTORS

n CorMaC Curtis

Audi ireland is delighted to announce the arrival of the Audi S3 hatchback, which is now available to order from Audi dealer-ships nationwide.

Orna Conway, general manager of product and marketing, Audi ireland, commented: “The all-new Audi S3 has it all and we are hugely excited about its arrival to the irish mar-ket. Sporty, elegant and powerful, this new model

epitomises the Audi brand and brings stylish design and world class engineer-ing together with leading edge performance.”

T he S3 de l i ve r s impressive perform-ance. The sprint from zero to 100kph is com-pleted in 5.1 seconds when equipped with the S-Tronic transmis-sion (5.4 seconds with the manual transmis-sion), and top speed is electronically governed at 250kph. Combined

fuel economy stands at 6.9l/100km (manual 7.0l/100km). This corre-sponds to CO2 emissions of 159g/km (162g/km in the manual version).

The S3 is equipped as standard with a manual six-speed transmission with a lightweight magne-sium case. The optional S tronic transmission boasts high efficiency and a tall sixth gear.

The lower gears are short in the interest of dynamics, as is also the

case with the manual transmission.

Another innovation in the Audi S3 is progressive steering. The steering rack is geared in such a way that the ratio varies. it is somewhat more indirect around the centre and very direct when steered sharply. For the driver, the result is a pleasantly smooth character when

driving straight ahead and fittingly rapid response in tight corners.

The three-door body of the S3 is also very stiff, crash-safe and quiet. A noise-insulating wind-screen is standard. The coefficient of drag is just 0.33.

Audi has designed a variety of infotainment elements for using the

new services, topped by MMi navigation plus with MMi touch.

The high-end system boasts a super-flat, pow-er-retractable, seven-inch monitor and a new oper-ating concept in which MMi touch is integrated into the rotary pushbut-ton. The Audi Phone Box connects mobile phones to the vehicle in a conven-

ient way, and the sound system from Bang & Olufsen offers pure hi-fi enjoyment, with LEd light guides accentuating the woofers in the doors.

The assistance systems in the S3 come directly from the full-size class.

The Audi S3 is open for irish order now. its price is €45,260 OTR for the manual version.

the audi s3 hatchback is now available to order from audi dealerships nationwide

audi: new S3 hatchback arriveS

An impressive performer

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ALSOINSIDE: GALLERIES ......................8BUSINESS .....................18MOTORS ....................... 20TRAVEL ......................... 22ENTERTAINMENT ......... 24CLASSIFIEDS ............... 26

Swimming: Murphy ready for London Olympic GamesPage 32

Fingal 10k: O’Doherty wins as thousands run Swords racePage 30

INSIDE: Novelist has last word on The

Other Woman P8-9

FRIDAY’S GOT TALENT: Lucky contestants set to do battle See Page 7

€2.5m investment for social housingFunds to benefit elderly, homeless and disabled

� NATALIE BURKE

THERE was good news for Fingal this week with the announcement that over €2.5m will be invested in Fin-gal’s social housing scheme over the next two-and-a-half years.

The news was confirmed

earlier this week by the Minis-ter for Housing and Planning, Jan O’Sullivan, who said the funding of €2,534,302 will pro-vide new social housing units, as well as providing homes for people with special housing needs, such as the elderly, the homeless and the disabled.

The funding was welcomed

by Deputy Brendan Ryan (Lab), who said the provision of units for people with spe-cial housing requirements has been an important issue over recent months. “This funding announcement will provide local families and individuals with certainty.”

Full Story on Page 5

Wright place, right time: Beauty chases World crown THE WRIGHT Venue was the per-fect place for friends and family of Miss Wright Venue, Rebecca Maguire, to give her a big send-off as she got ready to take on the world and hopefully bring home the Miss World crown. Rebecca arrived in China on July 18 for a month of filming, training and rehearsals, with the final taking place on August 18.

Picture: Una Williams

Full Gallery on Page 2

Month XX, 2012

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Irish Olympian discusses basketball way back when

SEE PAGE 15

T O P L A C E A N A D I N T H E S W O R D S G A Z E T T E C A L L F I D E L M AO N 6 5 1 6 2 3 9 O R E M A I L F C L A R K E@ G A Z E T T E G R O U P. C O M

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COUNTY COUNCILPermission sought for change of use of circa 33.4 sq.m. of existing single storey dwelling to Montessori preschool use at Fatima, Seatown Lane, Swords by Ross Maguire. The planning application may be inspected or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy at the offices of the planning authority during its public opening hours and a submission or observation may be made to the author-ity in writing on pay-ment of the prescribed fee (20 Euros) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the author-ity of this application.

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DUBLIN GAZETTERECRUITMENT26 SWORDS GAZETTE 9 May 2013

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9 May 2013 SWORDS Gazette 27

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

zett

e

sport mash-up: a new blend of the world’s favourite Games comes to dublin

fore! fore! two! – golf and soccer come together Have you ever dreamed of being Lionel Messi and Rory McIlroy – at the same time?

That might just become a reality after Footee Ireland launched their new sporting venture at the old Dub-lin City Golf Club, Ballinascorney, last weekend.

Footee is a game that blends two of the world’s best and most popular sports – football and golf – which is described as “a competitive, skilful and addictive sports game that mixes the passion and strength of football with

the elegance and tradition of golf”. Footee is played on a 12-hole golf

course by teams or individuals but instead of swinging golf clubs and hit-ting golf balls, players kick footballs.

The game rules are identical to golf – each hole carries a par (3, 4 and 5) and the aim is to get the football into a (bigger) hole in as few shots as pos-sible.

The scores from each hole are accu-mulative and the player with the low-est score at the end of the round wins. The usual golfing lingo applies: bogeys,

birdies and eagles, with the exception of a hole in one which is now called a “goal in one”

Footee is the brainchild of Ronan Cunningham who had been toying with the idea for a few months last year before applying to study for a Postgraduate Certificate in Innova-tion, entrepreneurship and enterprise at university College Dublin last Sep-tember.

While there he met David Campbell and together they collaborated and developed the idea to bring footee to

Ireland as part of a course project in early 2013. They completed the course at the start of april and footee is now the culmination of that hard work and everything they have learned about developing business ideas and bring-ing them to market.

Footee will be announcing details of a series of League and Cup competi-tions that will take place throughout the summer.

For more information, contact Ronan Cunningham on [email protected] or see www.footee.ie

Sport fans are set to get a kick out of footee, a blend of golf and soccer, which has found a home at Ballinascorney

leGends p28david treacy p29 asdfsdaf p27

Gaelic Games p31

SiMMOnS callS On cRicketeRS tO Shine: IReLanD’S head cricketing coach Phil Simmons has chal-lenged every player in Ireland to use the RSa inter-provincial series as a route into the interna-tional team when the revamped tourna-ment gets under way.

Speaking at the series launch at Col-lege Park, Simmons said: “This is the perfect platform for all cricketers, young and old, to show the selectors exactly what they are capable of.

“We’re looking for qualities and technique that prove that guys have what it takes to perform at a higher level and in the international arena.”

Further details on fixtures in the RSa Inter-Provincial Series can be found at www.cricketire-land.ie

Fastsport

c o n ta c t sSports editor:

Rob [email protected]

For more information or to send in news

and photos: [email protected]

Phone: 01 651 6205

28 SWORDS Gazette 9 May 2013

Local stars take on United

soccer: Legends of the game come to sUpport charity

[email protected]

A MAnchester Unit-ed Legends XI came to Dublin recently and did not disappoint the huge crowd who came out to support Diabetes Ire-land when the legends played a rosemount XI at stradbrook recently. A crowd of over 2,000 people enjoyed the match in bright sun-shine, and the game lit up the crowd, keeping all the spectators enter-tained.

United had brought a

strong side with them, captained by Bryan r o b s o n , w h o w a s flanked by the likes of ray Wilkins, Day May and Frank stapleton, to name but a few.

the match was organ-ised by tony Browne and Willie simpson to raise vital funds for Diabetes Ireland, a cause close to tony, as four of his children are diabetic.

Given Wil l ie and tony’s recent involve-ment with rosemount, it seemed ideal to pro-

pose they pull together local legends from the 70s, 80s and 90s to com-pete against the Man-chester United stars.

Managed by tommy hogan, the rosemount team incor pora ted junior internationals, league representatives and many league and cup winners from suc-cessful sides from down the years.

they arrived at teK’s grounds in fine spirits and set about trying to topple the United Giants. captained by David Daly, rosemount dominated the early exchanges and scored first through Alan Ben-nett, af ter a couple of chances fell to his brother, John, and the other rosemount strik-er, stephen Doyle.

Philly Gray was quiet in the rosemount goal, but when asked to spring into the action did so with ease.

e d d i e D o n e g a n spurned a great chance to double the host’s lead but, when the goal final-ly came, it was worth the wait with man of the match Daniel Murphy volleying home from 14 yards to give the under-dogs a 2-0 lead going in

at the break. United were a differ-

ent side in the second half, with robson and Andy ritchie becoming more influential as the game wore on. robson scored first, a down-ward header at the back post to put United back into the game.

the equaliser was contentious, but ritch-ie made no mistake and slotted home from inside the box to level the game.

the game continued to ebb and f low and chances at either end went untaken and the sides played out a good spirited 2-2 draw.

the game was fol-lowed by a gala dinner at the royal Marine hotel, where an auc-tion took place to raise funds.

action from Stradbrook and the match between Rosemount Legends and

Manchester United Legends

SPORTgaze

tte

eXcIteMent is building across the country with the news that a host of amateur cyclists and GAA stars past and present are lining up to cycle across Ireland from May 19 to 26.

this is for the third race the ras, a char-ity cycle in aid of the national Breast cancer research Institute (nBcrI).

Declan Darcy, ex-Leitrim and current Dub-lin inter-county footballer selector who is tak-ing part in the cycle, is asking for former GAA players and residents to take part in the charity initiative.

“We need as many people as possible to take part in the race as we want to build on last year’s success and reach our target of raising over €250,000.”

race the ras began in 2011 to raise much needed funds for charity by allowing sponsored amateur cyclists to ride the same route of the ras, on the same day as the ras itself, except the amateurs start a few hours ahead of the pro’s.

to register for the cycle, log on to racetheras.com/event-registration.

With eight stages to choose from, cyclists can opt to do all eight stages, a single stage or opt for a combination of two or three stages.

If you wish to simply donate, you can do so by visiting www.racetheras.com/donate.

Pictured at the launch of the 2013 race the ras charity cycle at croke Park recently were Micheal O Muircheartagh, Mayo footballer Jason Doherty, Dublin ladies football vice cap-tain sinead Finnegan, Donegal footballer Mark Mchugh, Ireland International rules manager Paul earley and former Dublin footballer Paul clarke.

Call to cycle for NBCRI this year in Race The Ras

Fastsport

the Rosemount Legends squad before the match

9 May 2013 SWORDS Gazette 29

DaRaGh O COnChUiR

[email protected]

Former Leinster minor medal winner and cur-rent senior inter-county star David Treacy was on hand last week to help to support the 2013 elec-tric Ireland GAA minor Championships, and to offer his insight into the experience of playing at minor level, and how it has influenced his career in the sport.

There were heavy defeats and ground-breaking victories but it is the long-lasting bonds created that David Treacy recalls most warmly from his two years as a Dublin minor hurler.

“It’s one of the fond-est memories I have,” he declares enthusiastically. “There’s nothing else you’d [rather] be doing.

“At that age, there is

so much going on with your Leaving Cert and everything. I have plenty of friends just because of that year. It’s the best two years of your GAA life nearly because of the amount of friendships that you make. It was a brilliant experience.”

Treacy played at minor level in 2006 and 2007, and had completely con-trasting experiences.

In the first year, a richie Hogan-inspired Kilkenny laid waste to the dreams of a Dublin unit looking to emulate their immedi-ate predecessors, who had annexed a Leinster title for the first time in 22 years.

“They beat us off the park but it was a brilliant experience. We were nearly starstruck playing against lads that we had been hearing word of growing up.”

It was very different in

2007 though, by which stage, people were talking about the gifted Treacy. The Dubs accounted for Wexford before gaining sweet revenge against Kilkenny in the Leinster final.

“We had never beaten them as a group all the way so it was brilliant. We didn’t really know what to expect. We were confident but we lost every single game from Tony Forrestal up to then. I don’t know what happened that day. everything just clicked.

“I can still remember the final whistle going and it was surreal. I remember Barry o’rorke’s speech on the steps of the Hogan. He did the whole thing as Gaeilge as he’s a gaelgeoir himself. I nearly remem-ber all the pieces of it. The 21s are a transition up to senior but I think minor is a very unique competi-

tion.”The apparently inevi-

table development of Treacy as one of hurling’s true stars has been stalled by injury but he is on the way back and hoping to have a significant impact on the summer.

“I’ve been unlucky after the cruciate, in that I had

a hamstring problem. but that’s all cleared up now and my fitness levels are getting somewhere close to where they used to be. I’m really looking forward to playing Wexford on June 8.

“As far as the league went, we were delighted. The aim at the start of the year was to get back to top-flight hurling and we did that. obviously it was disappointing against Tipp (in the semi-final) but now we’ve got a nice break to go back to the basics and concentrate on Wexford. We can’t wait for it.”

The number of sen-ior panellists that came through the Dublin minor teams of 2005-7 is double-figured, and when you add the most recent graduates to another period of suc-cess (the Sky Blues will be going for a Leinster three-in-a-row this term), it is clear that the county has recognised the value of the grade.

Minor star on the jump to major levelCuala player David Treacy is one of Dublin senior hurling’s tyros, and he spoke last week about how his experience at Minor level has made him the player he is today

Leinster minor medal winner David treacy with Kevin Foley from Wexfordat the

announcement of the electric ireland initiative

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‘It was a life lesson for me when I played minor, a brilliant life experience’ - David Treacy - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“even if you look at the past couple of years, they’ve been in All-Ire-land finals in football and hurling. It’s so important to get it right at underage level and it will translate onto the senior team.

“The coaches we had at minor were fantastic – Joe Fortune, eimear Duignan

and Dwayne Walsh. They were absolutely brilliant. I wouldn’t have been a very confident player growing up and they brought the best out of me.

“It’s an awkward stage for young lads, trying to find themselves let alone trying to find a position on the team, so I think it’s very important for the management to get it right and we were fortunate enough to have a man-agement that brought the best out of us.

“It was a life lesson for me when I played minor, a brilliant life experience.”

Elec t r i c I r e land ,

sponsors of the GAA Minor championships, are giving one lucky child (aged five to 11) from Leinster the oppor-tunity to be the official ball carrier at the Lein-ster Minor champion-ship provincial finals. To enter, see www.face-book/electricireland

Gazette

repuBLIC of Ireland goalkeeper David Forde and the Irish women’s Number 10, Denise o’Sullivan, were on hand last week to help to launch the 2013 eFlow FAI Summer Soccer Schools programme.

This year’s camps are priced at €65 (€55 for second children) and come with the same high standards of coaching and care delivered by Garda vetted FAI-qualified coaches, as well as full kit, a ball and school bag for all partici-pants.

The camps will be held in 290 venues nation-wide, and are open to boys and girls of all abili-ties from the ages of six to 14. Beginning on July 1, and running through to August 23, each week-long school is run by FAI development officers and delivered by Garda vetted FAI qualified coaches in a safe and professional environment.

early online bookers will receive up to €45 worth of parent and child tickets for the sen-ior international matches in Aviva Stadium against Georgia, the Faroe Islands or Kaza-khstan, making the real cost of the camps as low as just €20 per child.

Along with mainstream camps, specialised goalkeeping camps have also been discounted this year to €50.

FAI chief executive John Delaney said: “our summer soccer schools are a great way of get-ting children out of the house and into the fresh air to enjoy themselves. I would like to thank eFlow for their sponsorship of this won-derful programme.

“96% of parents rated the enjoyment level for their kids as ‘good’ to ‘excellent’ last year and we hope that with this year’s added discounts, more parents will be encouraged to send their children this summer.”

With some camps already booked to 50%, parents are encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment. match tickets are available on a limited first-come-first-served basis.

Further information can be found at www.summersoccerschools.ie, or by calling 1890 653 653.

A super summer of FAI soccer schools arrives for students of the game

Fastsport

lsl sunday major Swords Celtic 3

Dublin University 1

[email protected]

SWORDS Celtic are the LSL Sunday Major league champions after a 3-1 win over second place Dublin University on Sunday afternoon.

With league promo-tion already secured in last week’s 3-1 victory over Maynooth Town, Swords went into the game knowing a win or a draw would give them an unobtainable lead at the top of the table.

Their opposition, just one spot below them in

the league table knowing only a win would keep their title hopes alive for another week.

Playing conditions could only be described as perfect and with all to play for both sides, the game promised to be a thrilling encounter.

The home side start-ed brightest and were in front five minutes into the first half. Barry Caulfield slotted home after he chased down a long ball which he was able to take under control and slot into an empty net after Dublin University keeper Colin Power misjudged the

bounce and failed to control the ball.

The Students respond-ed midway through the first half when a free kick played over the top of the Celtic defence saw Gus Shaw Stewart quickest to the ball, and he put it through the legs of the Celtic keeper, scoring the equaliser and keeping his side’s title chances alive.

Both sides had chanc-es to take the lead before half time but found their opposition defence to be good form and left all to be played for after the break.

Swords started the second half like the first,

dominating possession and creating several good chances none of which they could convert for the go-ahead goal.

Just when it appeared that this might not be their day, the champions elect took the lead mid-way through the second half, Jason Smith the unlikely scorer after he tapped home inside the six-yard box following a goal mouth scramble from a Caulfield cor-ner, to the delight of his teammates and manage-ment.

With 70 minutes played, Celtic doubled their lead and put the

league title beyond doubt. Caulfield was again the scorer after good work between him-self and his midfield, and his second goal capped a fine individual and man of the match display.

The result maintains their unbeaten run in the league and is their 17th win of the season to go alongside promotion to intermediate football next year

Overall it was a per-formance worthy of league champions and after the game their man-ager, Larry Clare, praised how his side have per-formed all season.

Celtic are league champs

SoCCer: SworDS SeCUre Crown after top-of-table ClaSh

sPorTGaze

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30 SWORDS gazette 9 May 2013

Swords Celtic claimed the LSL Sunday Major league title after their victory over Dublin University secured the crown last weekend

SkeRRieS is set to host the final stage of the 2013 An Post Ras when this year’s race comes to its conclusion on Sunday, May 26. The local town will see the yel-low jersey wearer crowned race winner after what will be eight days of intense competition on the roads of Ireland, and was supported here by An Post postman Kevin Cronin and model Lynn Kelly.

For more information, log on to www.anpostras.ie.

final stage of ras to end in local town again

CyClinG to SkerrieS

FastsportFastsport

Holywell celebrate after st Finian’s sponsor new kit

ashe achieve place in championship semis THE UNDER-16 Thomas Ashe footballers have reached the semi-final of the Dublin C championship after victory against St Peter’s of the Naul/Ballyboughal.

In a close encounter throughout, Thomas Ashe remained a point or two behind St Peter’s for most of the first half and were down by a single point at half time.

However, they started well in the second half and finally got a foothold on the game.

The last 10 minutes of the game were intense and Thomas Ashe had fought back to establish a narrow three-point lead.

In the dying minutes, Shane Tynan played the ball to Carl Duffy who struck the ball into the back of the net.

ST FINIAN’S GAA club presented a new set of sponsored jerseys to the boys and girls of Scoil Tobair Naofa in Holywell last week as part of their ongoing support and promotion of Gaelic Games in the local community.

At the presentation of the new kit were boys and girls from the school as well as teacher and coach Mark Lawless, St Finian’s club secretary Frank Egan, vice-chairperson Grace Murray and school principal Maria Boyne.

Club NotiCeboard

Gazette9 May 2013 SWORDS gazette 31

Our u-14s boys footballers did us

proud at Feile 2013 on Saturday. They

progressed through their group but

were narrowly beaten in the semi-

finals.

Also at the weekend, there were

wins for the u-12Bs and u-16s foot-

ballers in the shield semi-final.

Well done to all who participated in

the world record three-legged race

on Saturday.

Summer Festival 2013 will take

place over the next few weeks. reg-

istration will take place on the first

night of each festival. Non mem-

bers are welcome and the cost of

each festival is €5 per player. All the

matches will take place in Balheary.

Players can get application forms at

training this week from their man-

agers.

Diary date: Our hurlers are cur-

rently organising a golf classic. This

wll be held on July 5 in Balbriggan.

Further details to follow.

Fingallians’ Strictly Come Dancing

Midsummer Ball is happening on June

22 in Fingallians. The dancers are

ready to go, with practice starting in

two weeks’ time. The official launch

night will take place shortly, and

regular updates will be available on

Facebook (search for Strictly Come

Dancing at Fingallians) and Twitter

(#strictlyatfins). There may still be

some slots left for dancers, so let us

know very soon if you’re interested.

Bookings are being taken now for the

limited number of tickets available,

so if you’d like to book yours, email

[email protected]. And when

they’re gone, they really are gone.

Tickets are €20 each, and will not be

available on the night.

st fiNiaN’s

fiNGal raveNs

fiNGalliaNs

IT WAS a disappointing week in

the championship for both our

adult hurling teams, but our minor

hurlers,under the banner of Swords

Gaels, continue to dominate Division

4 after their latest win, away from

home, over Castleknock.

The coming week is a busy one with

social and sporting events. There

are midweek fixtures for juvenile and

ladies teams. On Thursday evening,

we have the Garda Band coming to the

community centre.

We need to see a big turnout for this

as the band have kindly agreed to fit

us into their busy schedule. Tickets

will be available at the door (adults

€10, children €5, family €20).

We have our golf classic taking

place on Friday next in Forrest Lit-

tle GC. Please contact Denis O’Keeffe

(086 2491167) if you would like to grab

some of the very few places left.

The prize-giving will take place

in the golf club’s lounge on Friday

evening.

The coming week ends with our

adult footballers playing the first

round of the 2013 Intermediate Foot-

ball Championship against O’Dwyers

out in The Naul on Saturday at 4.30pm.

All support welcome.

The lotto jackpot this week was

€10,100 and the numbers drawn were

8, 9, 19 and 24. There was no winner.

The €50 Lucky Dip winners were

Sinead Platt and Yvonne O’reilly.

Next week’s jackpot will be €10,200.

WeLL done to our u-14s who are

Dublin football Feile Division 3 cham-

pions. Well done to the management

- Joe, Dave and Brian and captain

Brian Gleeson - and the whole squad.

We would like to wish a speedy

recovery to eoghan O’Donnell who

got injured on Saturday, and we

would like to thank the team Feile

sponsors, rolestown Motors.

We would like to thank everyone

for helping out with hosting the feile

on Saturday in rolestown, everyone

who made sambos, helped with the

tea, the referees, pitch co-ordina-

tor Paul Cready, and Brendan, Jack

and Denis for having our ground in

great shape.

Best of luck to our senior team

who play St Pat’s (P) in the champi-

onship in St Margaret’s this week.

We are also hosting a senior cha-

pionship match on Friday in roles-

town - St Maur’s vs raheny. Anyone

that can help out, please contact

Declan on 086 267 3830.

2013 membership is now overdue.

No players of any team are permit-

ted to play and will not be covered

by insurance even for training until

their membership is paid.

Dig out your tent and your camp-

ing gear, we are holding a camping

night in the club on Sunday, June

2 (bank holiday weekend); €10 per

tent.

There is a talent show in the Ket-

tle’s Hotel on Friday, May 31; for

more information, contact Willie on

086-8533855.

[email protected]

F I N G A L R a v e n s claimed the Dublin division three Feile title in Blakestown last weekend with a 1-7 to 1-4 win over Whitehall Colmcilles as they man-aged to fight back in the second half despite fac-ing into the breeze.

They went in at the

break a point down despite the best efforts of Lorcan O’Brien and Cillian O’Rourke as Michael Noonan’s goal made it 1-1 to 0-3.

But they responded brilliantly in the second half as O’Rourke netted to swap the lead and they scarcely looked back from there on.

Brian Gleeson, Jack

Roberts and Sam Gill were all key to their efforts, hustling and harrying their way to set in motion the scores, helping the side out-score Whitehall 1-4 to three points in the sec-ond half despite having the conditions against them.

Daire Sammon, mean-while, starred from wing

back as the Rolestown club closed out the tie in impressive fashion to get the better of their north Dublin rivals.

Meanwhile, Naomh Mearnog claimed the Division Two final title against Cuala with a 1-14 to 1-3 in a match which saw them capital-ise on a six-point ahalf-time lead.

Fingal claim Feile title with Whitehall win

football: stellar ruN to fiNal Capped by title

the Dublin minor football panel celebrate their Leinster success against Meath. Picture: GAApics.com

Minor miracles take the leinster crown LADIES MFC FInAL dublin 2-14

Meath 0-4

[email protected]

FINGALLIANS’ Emer Ni Eafa, Niamh Rickard and Rachel Brogan all played their part in the Dublin ladies footballers squad when they claimed Leinster minor champi-onship final victory last Sunday, getting the bet-ter of Meath in rampant fashion, with the score-line 2-14 to 0-4.

Michelle Davoren’s goal settled some early nerves after an initially shaky start to the tie as they struggled out of the

blocks.But from there, they

pulled away with plenty to spare, moving 1-9 to 0-2 ahead by the half-time break.

Leah Mullins added the second goal in the second half, swivelling nicely onto her left foot to fire home and extend the advantage, with Meath never really threatening a comeback.

Thomas Davis tyro Ciara McGuigan was to the fore throughout as Dublin completed an emphatic season, win-ning each game in the competition by at least double figures.

They opened up with a 3-17 to 2-6 victory over Kildare in the first game before running up a 4-30 to single point scoreline against Wicklow.

Wexford were next to be dismissed in the quar-ter-final when they ran up a 7-20 to 1-5 win and Laois did not fare much better as they were elimi-nated 5-11 to 1-7.

Likewise, Meath had an unbeaten record in Leinster up to this point and had the advantage of an extra tussle with Kildare in the Leinster semi final that went to a replay, with the Royals holding on to claim a one

point victory.And the t ie was

expected to be closer as, in 2012, the two coun-ties also clashed in the provincial decider with Fintan O’Curry’s charg-ers holding out for a dra-matic one-point extra time win. Dublin went on to collect the All-Ireland crown following a thrill-ing final against Tyrone.

But this time around, the Jackies were way too strong, giving them confidence in making a name for themselves on the All-Ireland stage with a semi-final date against the Ulster champions to come.

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