Swords InformerMarch 2012 • Unit 38, Northwood Court, Santry, Dublin 9 • Tel: 01 813 8786 • Email: info@informer.ie • Web: www.informer.ie

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Mater Children’s Hospital plans rejected by planners

An Bord Pleanála’s decision to reject planning permission for the pro-posed national children's hospital at the Mater site has been met with dismay and outrage across the northside.

describing the plans as "a domi-nant, visually incongruous struc-ture", An Bord concluded that it would have a "profound negative impact on the appearance and visu-al amenity of the city skyline."

over €35 million has already been spent on the early phases of the project and construction of the €650million facility was due to be completed by 2016, making it one of the largest undertakings in the history of the state.

Revised planning applicationthe government has expressed

its desire to deliver a new hospital as planned at the Mater location and it is believed that a revised planning application will be sub-mitted within three months to get the project back on track.

chairman of the Joint committee for health and children Jerry

Buttimer has expressed his disap-pointment at the decision to reject the project.

"Given that six years of work and over €30 million has gone into this development we are disap-pointed with An Bord Pleanála’s decision," he said.

Review group"we welcome the Minister’s

commitment to developing the national children’s hospital and his decision to appoint Frank dolphin, former chairman of the children’s University hospital, temple street, to chair a review group to examine this decision.

"the committee indicated to the Minister that it is available to play an active role in assisting him and his department in delivering this

By ed diggins

priority project,” said Mr Buttimer.

Minister for health dr James reilly said that a revision of the plans to include a smaller construc-tion without a reduction in num-bers of beds was a possibility.

"We are going to build this "chairman of the national

Pediatric hospital development Board, harry crosbie said he was confident that the project will go ahead.

“we are going to build this on the Mater, on the site,” he said.

“we may have to reduce it in height a little bit which I believe personally is silly.

“we have already started work and now need the government to get An Bord Pleanála to get us a decision as quickly as possible because we can make up the lost time and get it open on time and way under budget,” said Mr crosby,

Over €35 million has already been spent

Non-payment campaign can force change

clare daly - opinion - page 3

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louise heraghty interview page 10

rocking theradio waves

win 2 tickets to see legally Blonde

The international award-winning hit Legally Blonde

The Musical is coming to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre (formerly the Grand Canal Theatre) from April 10th – 21st 2012 and we have a

pair of opening night tickets (Tuesday April 10th) to give away to one lucky reader!

legally Blonde competition Back page

2 The Informer

The Drift

Dublin by

Numbers 6thDublin Informer

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The month in Quotes

Primary teachers know how to teach children - secondary teachers know how to teach subjectsRuairí Quinn puts his finger on something important. It is clear from the facts of the case on the documents before the court that, while a decision has been made in France equivalent to charging the appellant, that decision does not incorporate a decision to try him for the murder of Mme Toscan du PlantierThe Supreme Court decides not to extradite Ian Bailey to France.

To me, this whole issue is about the fundamental future of Ireland and I believe it's much bigger than any one individual. Therefore, it would be impossible for me to stay as deputy leader and not have my heart and soul in what I would consider to be an absolutely fundamental decision that we have to make.Eamon-O-Cuiv steps down as Deputy Leader of Fianna Fail.

Deputy Martin isn't the first Cork man to be shot in the back by a de ValeraFine Gael's Tom Sheahan sticks the Civil War boot in.

Apologising for things that your great, great, great, great-grandfather or grandmother did seems to me a complete exercise in moral vacuousnessJeremy Paxman is not impressed with Tony Blair's apology over the Famine

This is not a charge to fund your local community, it is a tax to fund private speculators, bondholders and the bailoutThe Socialist Party's Ruth Coppinger doesn't like the household charge

If I had pulled out a gun, I would not have had the same reaction from gardai as showing the 'Free Tibet' placardSinead Ni Gairbhith who was protesting against the visit of Chinese leader Xi Jinping on her treatment by gardai

From the astroturf to the sideline was like concretePaul O'Connell on why the France-Ireland match was called off

Q

Dublin has been ranked as the sixth riskiest city for cyber crime and cyber crime factors, according to a survey by internet security firm norton and Sperling's bestPlaces.

The survey of 100 cities looked at factors such as malware attempts, unsecured Wi-Fi hotspots, use of social networking sites and numbers

of PCs and smartphones.Dublin had a lower level of PC and

smartphone use than other cities.However, the cities with the great-

est cyber crime risk factors did not necessarily mean they had a higher rate of computer virus infection. This may be the result of users taking precautions to protect themselves.

The Informer

Comment & Debate3

Campaign of non-payment can force changeWith the Government’s first major deadline passed (the 29th of February, the last day for paying in instalments) and less than a month to go until the overall deadline, over 90% of people have still not registered for the household charges.

Even if the rate of registration was to increase by 1000% there would still be hundreds of thousands of people unregistered. the Government is worried, as well they might be, they are now in a very weak position.

their own campaign to get these charges imple-mented as an interim measure, before bringing in a full property tax next year and water charges from 2014, is under serious pressure. their information leaflet has still not been delivered in huge areas of the country and there is a question mark over whether all the leaflets have been printed. they may decide to extend the deadline and make the excuse that they will introduce ways that make it easier and more practical to pay. But this perspec-tive fails to recognise the anger and the resolve of people in relation to this issue.

Decided to make a standUp and down the country, hundreds of thousands

of people have decided to make a stand on this issue and they will not pay. People recognise the inherent injustice of this charge. the Government says, for example, that the money will go to fund local serv-ices. Nothing could be further from the truth.

the Council’s budgets have been cut by more than what could be possibly raised from the house-hold charges. the charges collected go to a central fund; they are not allocated to the County Councils.

Bailout moneythe reality is that this is simply bailout money.

Several weeks after the registration process opened, the Government handed over €1.25 billion of tax-payer’s money to pay the debts of unguaranteed, unsecured bondholders of Anglo-irish bank. that represents eight years’ worth of household tax. On the 31st of March, the Government will hand over a €3.1 billion promissory note relating to debts of Anglo-irish and irish Nationwide. this is the con-text in which we are being asked to register for these charges.

the context of the household charges and the campaign against them is also all of the austerity measures that have been implemented since the crisis began, and the disastrous effect that this aus-terity is having on the lives of ordinary people.

For four years now, we have experienced one cut after another, the destruction of our public services and new, unjust taxes such as the Universal Social Charge. We have seen deeper and deeper unem-

ployment and the return of mass emigration. the opportunities available to people have become nar-rower and narrower. it has become ever more dif-ficult to live on social welfare while at the same time, cuts to hours and paying high mortgages has swelled the ranks of the ‘working poor’. the house-hold charges and the campaign against them repre-sent an opportunity for people to fight back and they are taking that chance.

During the past two months, the Campaign Against household and Water taxes has held doz-

By Clare Daly TD "The Government handed over €1.25

billion of taxpayer’s money to pay the

debts of unguaranteed, unsecured bondholders

of Anglo-Irish bank. That represents eight

years’ worth of household tax"

Brit Floyd Competition WinnerLisa Ryan, Swords, Co. Dublin

Avenue Q Competition WinnerDavid Latham, Kinsealy, Co Dublin

ens of meetings all around the country in relation to the household charges and the septic tank charges and those meetings have been attended by thou-sands of people.

Grassroots campaignOrdinary people have become organisers of the

campaign in their communities, holding further meetings, weekend stalls and calling door to door to talk to people about the issue. this is a concrete opportunity for people to build a grassroots cam-paign.

the inaction of the trade union leadership over the past few years has cut across widespread protest but this is an issue which ordinary people can win on. A strong campaign of mass-non payment can force the Government back on this issue. it is real democracy in action to oppose unjust laws.

For more information, or to get involved in the Campaign Against household taxes see www.nohouseholdtax.org or contact 1890 98 98 00.

4 The Informer

By Kathy Marsh, SonairteGreen SceneDemocracy now – have your sayWhErE the environment is concerned you would think we were currently in public consultation heaven. What do you think we should do about climate policy? – head for the Department of the Environment website and fill in the consultation questionnaire.

You have until April 12th to tell the Minister what you think of our past track record, our current opportunities (or lack of them), fuel prices, green jobs and a whole host of multiple choice questions.

Set aside an hour or more of your time and gather the family round the screen while you fill it in – after your children probably know more about it than you do because they get taught about it at school. tell the government what you think of insulation grants and roof top power generation – tell them if you think windmills on every hilltop are a good idea or a bad one. And should we tax cow pats? – yes, the question really is in there in more polite form.

All over the world the weather has gone mad this winter – again – and it can only get stranger. So this is your opportunity to have your say. And you

can tick 'Newspaper' when it asks how you heard about the survey. And yes, there is a section on job creation.

Septic Isle?FillED that one in? live in the country and have a septic tank? Still at Environment, Minister Phil hogan has published draft septic tank standards and wants your comments by the end of this month.

the standards aren’t as alarming and expensive as initial comments sug-gested – you don’t have to get a tank de-sludged unless it actually needs it, for instance. So if you have a small household and a big tank it might be that it only needs emptying every ten years – which everyone who lives in the countryside knows but seemed to have been missed in the initial announce-ments.

Anyway, check it out at www.environ.ie - it’s a short, written in straight-forward language with no jargon and your own experience may mean you can give some useful feedback – email address on the document.

GMOs are back on the agendaAND the Environmental Protection Agency is also looking for some feed-back from the public because the planting of genetically modified organ-isms (GMOs) is back on the agenda.

Wikipedia tells me that a genetically modified organism is one whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engi-neering techniques. these techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from dif-ferent sources, which are combined into one molecule to create a new set of genes. this DNA is then transferred into an organism, giving it modi-fied or novel genes.

You really wanted to know that didn’t you? And to be honest it would take me half an hour with illustrations to really explain it. So let's just say that to make a GMO plant you take bits of a plant, mix it up with bits of either another plant or even an animal and you get yourself a new plant that does something you want.

A giant unmonitored field trialthe idea can be exciting, scary or boring – it just depends how you view

it. Some say 'yuk!' and others say 'wow, i want it'. the technology is very new – barely thirty years old – and at the moment a huge international experiment is going on.

GM plants are being grown in open fields all around the world and the crops that result are being fed to millions of humans and animals – yes, everyone reading this is taking part in a giant unmonitored field trial. here in Europe very few crops are licensed for growing, and food made from unprocessed genetically modified food plants can’t be fed to human beings. But in ireland the only meat that hasn’t been raised on GM grain and soya is organic – organic standards ban GM – so we are all taking part in this unofficial trial.

Teagasc wants to experimentAnd now teagasc wants to experiment on the wildlife of ireland as well.

last week, they applied to the Environmental Protection Agency for a license to grow genetically modified potatoes at Oak Park research Station so they can see what effect, if any, growing them has on the creatures in the soil, compared to conventionally bred ones. the difference is that the conventionally bred ones get regularly sprayed with fungicide to prevent potato blight and these GM potatoes are blight resistant so they won’t need to be sprayed.

Now i’m all for potatoes that don’t need to be sprayed with fungicide, whether it is the traditional copper based fungicides permitted to organic growers or the rather nastier chemicals used in conventional growing – personally i don’t use sprays at all when i grow potatoes because i don’t want either kind of poison in my garden.

But i don’t need GM potatoes to avoid blight. there are some really good varieties on the market already – you can buy the Sarpo varieties anywhere you can get seed potatoes – and there are others like Setanta out there. A really good tasty newcomer is called tibet because that’s where its parents came from.

GMO problemsi’m still trying to get the technical details on this latest offering but so

far GM crops have led to the following problems. loss of genetic diversity – everyone grows exactly the same variety and

all the others die out so there is nowhere to get plants with new genes to cross back in if a problem arises – in the past this has come close to wiping out pineapples, bananas and maize and many wild animals. You need a big gene pool for survival.

then there’s allergies – noticed how food allergies have increased in recent years? there’s a school of thought that puts it down to the altered gene structures of some basic foods – such as maize and soya. Next time you are in a supermarket try and find a packaged food that doesn’t include those two. And we don’t actually know what, if any, changes it makes when we give GM feed to meat animals.

the Food Safety Authority says GM food is 'substantially equivalent' which is another way of saying 'we don’t actually know how to test'. there are a whole host of issues around the topic and i don’t have space for them here. Can i ask you to Google No2GM or GM-free ireland and find out more?

The last big experimentAND finally can i mention a big experiment mankind carried out a while back and what it caused and how long it took before we saw the results. it happened about 10,000 BC. We call it agriculture. And in the late twentieth century we discovered it causes climate change.

By Kathy Marsh, Sonairte

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6 The Informer

Don't be fooled by the 'Indian' spring

n Re-seed bare patches on the lawn and start mowing but don’t over do it

Garden Growing With Gerry Norton

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EArlY spring has continued where winter left off with lovely mild weather the like of which i can’t remember before. last weekend we had temperatures of up to 15 degrees in some parts.

however don’t be fooled by this as March can be a very tricky month when it comes to gardening. Don’t be tempted to plant out young vegetable plants that you have germinated indoors unless they are planted under a cloche or protected with horticultural fleece as there can be very hard night frosts in March.

Unseasonal hazardsthe unseasonal weather has not only brought plants and flowers on

but has also meant that various pests are appearing earlier this year. i was shocked last weekend to discover dozens of the dreaded Vine

Weevil larvae in a large container planted with some of last years strawberry plants. these little critters wouldn’t normally be about so

early as they can’t withstand hard frost. they kill plants by eating the roots. the only effective way to get rid of them is to use a bio-logical control called ‘Nematodes’. these are microscopic eel-worms which enter the bodies of the larvae and transmit a fatal bacteria.

these nematodes are not usually available until April, however Mister Middleton in Mary Street expect to have them available in the first two weeks of March.

You mix the nematodes with water and apply to any areas that may contain the larvae.

there are also masses of slugs and snails about which need to be controlled.

Spuds ready to plantthe potatoes that i started to ‘Chitt’ last month will be ready to

plant out in a few weeks time, usually around Saint Patrick’s day. Don’t worry if you haven’t started to get your seed potatoes ready as there is still loads of time for the early and second early varie-ties.

Keep doing a small bit of digging on a weekly basis to loosen up the soil in your veg plot and keep incorporating fertilizers. the let-tuce seeds that i started to germinate in early February are coming on nicely and will be ready to plant out under cover in or around Saint Paddy’s day. if you don’t have the time to go though the whole germination process you can buy small lettuce and other vegetable plants in the garden centres in early April.

Lawn prepthis month is a good time to scarify the lawn to try to get rid of

moss. lawn feeds which contain a weed or moss killer do exactly what they say on the pack but be warned, it’s hard work and the moss, because of our climate will always return. Applying lawn sand is another way to kill the moss.

Pond alive!Elsewhere in the garden the pond has started to come alive again

and should be tidied up soon. the pump should be cleaned and you can start to feed small amounts of food to the fish.

Prune shrubs with colourful winter stems such as Cornus (Dogwood) as this will encourage future colour. lift and divide overgrown perennials to increase your stock of plants.

re-seed bare patches on the lawn and start mowing but don’t over do it, put the blades on a high setting. Plant out hardy annuals and summer flowering bulbs.

Finally folks, if you need any information on gardening or if you have any tips or suggestions which i can pass on, please send them to me at livinglandescapes@eircom.net.

i would be delighted to quote for any/all of your garden require-ments from set-up organic vegetable plots to restoration of neglect-ed gardens, design, planting and maintenance. No charge for initial visit and i will travel within reason.

Gerry Norton, Living Landescapes, 97 Church Avenue,

Drumcondra, Dublin 9Tel: 087-2462724

or email livinglandescapes@eircom.net

Don't be fooled by the 'Indian' springWith Gerry Norton

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8 The Informer

with Miriam Kerins, DSPCAAnimal Tracks

EARLiER this week a grandmother-to-be rang me for advice. “How do i introduce my dog to my infant grand son?”, she asked.

i understood her concern. i’m a grand-mother and there’s nothing as special as the moment you welcome that new bundle of joy into your home. However, if there’s a dog in the house, this process can be stress-ful as sadly, the poor animal gets ousted out in favour of the newer, human addi-tion. This is especially true if the pet is older and hasn’t previously been socialised with infants or small children.

Here’s what i advised.While mum is still pregnant; act as if baby

is already here. Buy a lifelike doll, one that makes realistic baby noises, and allow your dog get used to the sound of a crying baby. Put the doll on your knee and hold it in your arms. This will show your dog your lap is no longer for him alone.

Leave baby products around the house and allow your dog to get used to the new smells; encourage him to give them a thor-ough inspection.

Keep a close eye on your dog and watch for any new signs of insecurity, separation

anxiety, and discomfort or, most impor-tantly, signs of aggression. if in doubt, speak to a trained professional as soon as possible.

Teach your dog important control com-mands when around the ‘baby’ doll. Commands such as “down,” “sit,” “leave it” and “heel.”

Gradually decrease time spent with your dog. This will get him used to not expecting as much attention from you when the new, peculiar smelling and noisy addition arrives.

Finally, the initial meeting with baby should be positive and calm for your dog. However, do have a lead on him as a safety precaution.

Remember; supervise, supervise, super-vise… This is not Hollywood and all dogs are not like Lassie!

Happy Grand Parenting.

For more information log onto www.dspca.ie or email me at miriam.kerins@dspca.ie© Miriam Kerins, Head of Communications and Public Relations, Dublin SPCA.

Your new baby and your dog Jupiter and venus shiningIf you haven't already noticed the two bright objects in the evening sky, there is no doubt that you soon will.

Venus and Jupiter currently lie between the west and south-west, and over the coming days and weeks they will draw closer and closer together for their ulti-mate display on the nights of March 12th & 13th. On these days Venus and Jupiter will be placed right next to each other in the same region of the sky. When two celestial objects (planets, the Moon, or the Sun) move close together they are known to be in conjunction.

As Venus and Jupiter are the two brightest objects in the sky at the moment, the conjunction will impossi-ble to miss. floating above the horizon, the two planets will be among the first objects to appear in the sky as twi-light sets in.

Watch the two planets over several days before and after the conjuction and you will notice that while they are quite close, their positions in the sky change. The stars don't move like this, and this is how the planets were rec-

ognised in days gone by: planet means 'wandering star'.

It is that exact same motion of the planets you are observing that led Galileo, Johannes Kepler, and Isaac Newton to realise that the Earth is not the centre of the Universe with every-thing orbiting around it; we are but a small cog in a great machine built of planets, stars, clusters, galaxies, and even greater structures whose sizes we can't even begin to imagine.

So when you look out in coming eve-nings and see Venus and Jupiter travel around our parent Sun, remember that the planet beneath your feet is doing the same thing, and remember that took thousands of years for us to realise our place in the Universe.

The sky over Dublinwith Conor Farrell, Astronomy Ireland

8 The Informer

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10 The Informer

From winning All Ireland medals for Art, to currently

working with Hector O’hEochagáin on the 2FM

radio breakfast show, TV and radio presenter,

Louise Heraghty chats to Kevin O’Brien about her life

Where did you grown up?Sligo town.

Where are you living now?Dublin.

Most memorable childhood memory?listening to Diana ross in the kitchen with my mum when i was about three!

What kind of child were you?Shy as a very young child - wasn’t long coming out of my shell.

Married or single?in a relationship for the past two years.

How would you describe yourself in three words?happy, caring, optimistic.

What else would you be if you weren't a radio presenter?Perhaps i would be doing something creative, art or design i always loved art as a youngster.

What are your favourite colours?Purple and pinks are always my favour-ite.

Your favourite piece of clothing?At the moment a pink blazer i bought recently.

Who do you consider great fashion icons?Jennifer Anniston, Eva Mendes.

Describe a typical working day for you?i start at 6am and prepare my sports bul-letins for Breakfast with hector on rtE 2FM which finishes at 9am. then i work on other bits and pieces depending on my plans for the week. i also work in rtE tV continuity so i could go straight to the studio at 9am until 4pm.

Rocking with the radio wavesWhat is one thing you must do before you leave the house?Moisturise.

If you knew were going to be put on a desert island for a month, name three things you would bring with you and why?liquorice allsorts – my favourite treat. Plenty of reading material - i love books and a radio/iPod to keep me company.

Who inspires you?Female broadcasters like Miriam O’ Callaghan, Kathryn thomas and also some irish athletes and sports stars who have done so well - rory Mcilroy, Katie taylor, to name two.

What would be the first thing you would do if today was your last day?Something unexpected like jump off the 40 Foot in Dun laoghaire which i’ve never done!!! Or maybe just spend it with my family.

How do you spend your free time?i love running and keeping fit and am a big cinema goer.

What type of music do you listen to on your iPod?Upbeat music when i’m running like rihanna and some classic 90’s dance.

What shows do you like to watch on TV?Grey's Anatomy, homelands.

If you could speak to one type of ani-mal, what would it be and why?A racehorse, to find if they know how much they are worth and what they are doing.

Who is the most interesting person you have ever met?Dustin hoffman.

if you could have lunch with three peo-ple (past or present) who would you choose and why?Maureen O’ hara – have always admired her, i think she’s an inspiration for irish women. Brad Pitt (for very obvious rea-sons) have always loved him and George Best

Where do you see yourself in three years?Still radio presenting and hopefully on tV

Tell us something people would not normally know about you?i have four brothers and one sister, i am double jointed, i won All ireland medals for art when i was under 16 in the Community Games!

The Informer Interview

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Arts AngleThEy say there’s safety in numbers. At Gallery No 6, located off Grafton Street, you will definitely feel safe. Situated in the prime shopping location of Anne Street South the new gallery, which opened last October, features an impressive number of twenty-seven artists.

Apart from the wide variety of art dis-played, your eye is bound to catch the fan-tastic ceramic sculpture which sits proudly in the middle of the gallery. Suzanne Brady is an emerging visual artist from south Dublin. Suzanne has recently finished three years studying sculpture and ceramics at Connolly house. her piece “Angst” shows a naked body of an arched woman. Breasts out and arms stretched offers a vision of tension. yet it singularly gives a soothing impression on the eye and mind.

More prominent Irish painters such as Alan Kenny or Louise Mansfield will no doubt catch the interest of the wealthier viewers.

At the end of the gallery, a range of Roisin Duffy’s work is also available. She claims to be a visual story teller and every piece does exactly that. Accompanied by a poem, every of her figurative artworks will bring either humour, imagination or colour to your world

if not all in one. The gallery also has a small selection of her Slate Sculptures.

In addition to established names the poli-cy of Number 6 is to encourage emerging Irish Artists, providing them with the oppor-tunity to display and sell their works.

If 6 was not your lucky number, it should hopefully be the case now. The gallery, run by Sorcha, Tom and Ann, boasts in having miniatures, limited edition prints, etchings, reproduction note cards and book of paint-ings. So before your number is up, come and visit by the numbers Gallery number 6.

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12 The Informer

I know, I know. Panto Season is over... hands up who encountered one of the annual ‘Christmas Check Points’?

Well ‘Operation focus’ has come to town, so you better watch out. The operation kicked off last month in Dublin, and will extend through all other regions throughout 2012, in a bid to focus road users’ attention on ongo-ing Garda enforcement of speeding, driving under the influence of drink or drugs, dangerous driving behav-iour, the non-use of seatbelts, and the illegal use of mobile phones while driving.

During the Dublin operation, mandatory alcohol test check-points will be held at the desig-nated locations from 4.30am to 5.30am, 6.15am to 7am, 7pm to 8pm and 11pm to midnight.

The M50, M1 and M11 will be patrolled on a continuous basis by six Garda vehicles equipped with automated number plate rec-ognition technology and 57 high visibility checkpoints with 19 patrol cars.

Did you know that if a vehicle is found by the Gardaí not to have a current motor insur-ance policy they have the power to impound the vehicle until such time as an insurance certificate is produced? The owner of the

vehicle will also be liable to all charges or costs incurred by the Gardaí in the removal and storage of the vehicle. So says ‘The Road Traffic Act 2006’ and by the way, these pow-ers now extend to vehicles registered outside of Ireland

Similarly, the Gardaí are empowered to impound any vehicle which has not been taxed for a period of two months or more.

you must then show proof that the motor tax has been paid for that vehicle to include the date on which it was impounded (i.e. paying the arrears due on the vehi-cle). Again, the owner of the vehicle will be liable for all charges and costs incurred by the Gardaí in the removal and

storage of the vehicle....getting worried yet ?It might be worthwhile considering more

closely the entire condition of your vehicle, now that the chances of coming across a check point have increased during this period. Defective tyres, broken wing mirrors, missing bulbs front and back all give the Gardai more reason to stop you and fulfil their duties!

As always drive safe, drive smart and.......Arrive Alive !

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14 The Informer

thE earliest settlers have remembered their ances-tors by various mean through the ages. the first farmers to our island built those huge prehistoric or Megalithic tombs as they are known. these took various forms at different periods in history.

Passage tombs seem to dominate the south-west part of the county like those at tallaght, Saggart and Kingston. these take their name from the stone passage that provides access to a burial chamber within a large mound.

the portal type of tombs seem to occupy sites on

the south-east part of the county like those at Brennanstown and Kilternan. these are recognised by their two upright stones which form a portal or entrance to the tomb chamber. the wedge tombs are later and are situated more to the east such as Kilmashogue and Shankill.

With the Bronze Age, man ceased to build those important tombs for their dead but it is thought that hillforts may have commenced at this period. With the Bronze Age came a change in burial rites. A range of specially designed pottery became associ-

A Place in the CityRathdown Slabs

All about Dublin 1 Edited by Zoz

This feature was researched with the help of

Lesser Known DublinersWilliam Molyneux

DUBliNEr William Molyneux (1656-1698), the second of five children, was born into a wealthy family. After a Bachelor of Arts degree from trinity College he studied law in london.

he married lucy Domville, the youngest daughter of Sir William Domville the Attorney-General for ireland. Shortly after their marriage lucy went blind. Of their three chil-dren only one, Samuel, lived to adulthood.

Politically well-connect-ed he picked up some handy official posi-tions - Joint Surveyor General of the King's build-ings and works in ireland (1684) and Commissioner of Forfeited Estates (1693). he repre-sented trinity College in Parliament from 1692 until his death.

in 1683 he founded the Dublin Philosophical Society and became its first Secretary. he was active in the proceedings of the society - recording weather data, calculating

eclipses and demonstrating instru-ments and experiments.

his publications included trans-lations of the works of rené Descartes and he collaborated with roderic O'Flaherty to collect mate-rial for Moses Pitt's Atlas. he also published several papers in

Philosophical transactions, as well as papers on optics,

natural philosophy, and miscellaneous topics.

Just before his death he published the Case of ireland's being Bound by Acts of Parliament in England, Stated. Following a

debate in the English house of

Commons, it was resolved that

Molyneux's publication was ‘of dangerous conse-

quence to the crown and people of England by denying the authority of the king and parliament of England to bind the kingdom and people of ireland’.

Molyneux was not punished but his work was condemned as sedi-tious and was ceremonially burned at tyburn by the public hangman.

his books are mostly forgotten but one question posed by Molyneux was only recently, though perhaps not conclusively, answered. 'Molyneux's Problem', perhaps inspired by his wife's blindness, asks if someone born blind, who knew through touch the a sphere and a cube, would recog-nise them if their sight was restored.

the problem with testing 'Molyneux's Problem' is that very few people born blind ever come to have sight - one study estimated that it had happened to fewer than 20 people in 1000 years.

improvements in modern medi-cine gave a chance to test the ques-tion. A programme in india (2003) in which five people were given sight allowed Pawan Sinha, a pro-fessor at Mit in Boston, to deter-mine that the answer was 'no' - they were unable to form the connection between an object perceived using the two different senses.

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ated with burial rites. Some of these burials were covered with stone cairns similar to the site on the Great Sugar loaf. in other cases, stone lined graves were used like at Edmonstown near rathfarnham.

the Vikings, possible best known for their destruction carried out on churches, did in time convert to Christianity. the distinctive grave slabs associated with the Vikings are only to be found in south County Dublin, in the vicinity of rathdown. these became known as the rathdown slabs which are recognised by their distinctive type of decora-tion. Each slab is unique with certain decorations common - herringbone and cupmark, for example. the designs are based on local Viking art styles.

they are found at such church sites as Kilgobbin, Killegar, Kilternan, tully, rathfarnham,

rathmichael and Whitechurch.An excerpt from 'Dundrum, Stillorgan and

Rathfarnham - Gateway to the Mountains,' with text by Christopher Ryan and paintings by Olivia Hayes. Published by Cottage Publications it costs around €22.

Edited by ZozYes! You can stop smokingHAVE you been battling the smoking habit? So many people made New Year resolutions to stop smoking. The New Year is gone with the resolutions and the smoking habit prevailing again. Then came Ash Wednesday and Lent with a new resolve to refrain from smoking but that also went up in smoke. Patches, pills and potions were just a mocking irritation. Is this familiar to you?

Yes! You too can easily and effortlessly succeed like thousands of success-ful non-smokers. It is easy with the proper help and the knowhow that works. Experience will have told you that otherwise it is nearly impossible. Most people who have suc-cessfully stopped smoking for good experienced failure many times before effortlessly become non-smokers. If they could do it so can you.

How can you become a non-smoker? First of all stop using the conscious struggle of willpower. You know from experience that it doesn’t work.

You have an infinitely more power-ful subconscious mind that controls the smoking habit or programme. It can now be used to switch off the habit and the craving.

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We don’t poison your body with toxic pills, patches or gums or insult you with a plastic soother. Our method is natural. That’s why it is so successful. It removes both conflict and habit so you can enjoy the triumph and the bonus of increasing good health. Don’t take my word for it. Look at what former smokers say on our website.

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16 The Informer

FIrSt haND hIStory The Dishonest BankerABOUt the year 1804-5, a young man, named M----, entered into the employ-ment of the Bank of ireland as a junior clerk. For some time after his entry into the service of the Bank, the conduct of M was exemplary. his bearing denoted modesty, mildness, and meekness; per-haps, however, it was a little too austere. he continued to be a constant attendant at chapel, was very devout, and main-tained the costume which had contribut-ed to captivate the deputy cashier - that is, he wore no collar to his coat; his hair, too, was of the least possible fashionable cut.

Within two years his appearance had changed and he had, for instance, been known to enter the shop of harry riblan, the woollen draper, on the sunny side of Dame Street, and to select stuff for coats, waistcoats, and trousers, to the amount of £100.

he was still mild, civil, and attentive while on duty, but, business over and his fustian sleeves withdrawn, he changed to the fashionable lounger after his exit from the Bank; or, followed by his groom, who attended with his horses at Essex Bridge (the Bank of ireland was then in Mary's Abbey), he took a consti-tutional ride into the country, and returned to town to dine at one or other of the fashionable taverns of the day, or at the

house of a pleasure seeking associate, and finished by a visit to the theatre or some other place of amusement or dissi-pation.

Senior bankers were curious as to the source of his wealth but accepted his explanation that he was the nephew and heir of an Earl and was getting £2,000 a year from him.

At length came the breaking of the ice. A bank-note for £500 was changed one day in the cash office for smaller notes in the usual way of business. it formed, of course, part of the balance of the teller, when, at three o'clock, he surrendered up his trust for the day.

On reference to the stock of M in the course of the afternoon (he also had left the Bank as usual at three o'clock), it was discovered that he had not debited him-self with this note for £500, nor with some 30 or 40 more of a similar amount, the chequefoils only of which were found. [Bank notes were then more like cheques, if you had the money the bank would write you a 'cheque' - it held onto the counterfoil]

On presenting himself at the Bank next morning, he was taken into custody, and after examination, the case being clear, he was committed to Newgate. One or two other clerks, suspected of being his accomplices, were suspended, and subse-

quently dismissed without arrest or pros-ecution.

in due course M was brought to trial, charged with stealing money the property of the Bank of ireland, to the extent of

fourteen or fifteen thousand pounds.M was acquitted of the felony, but held

responsible for the sum deficient in his accounts. he was accordingly immedi-ately on leaving the court arrested, and

committed to the sheriff's prison, or Marshalsea, and ultimately died there.

An excerpt from Reminiscences of an Emigrant Milesian (Vol. 3), by Ansdrew O'Reilly, published in 1853.

All about Dublin 2 Edited by Zoz

16 The Informer

n 'Bank of Ireland and Trinity College, Dublin. R.556.' A Real Photograph postcard by Valentine's posted in Dublin in 1949. The bus in the foreground is the No. 54 to Kimmage. The No. 21 behind it (Westland Row to Inchicore) ceased to operate in February 1940, proof that you can't rely on postmarks to date postcard images.

Advertisements include Clerys, Cairnes Stouts, Shaws Sausages and Bacon, and Jeyes Fluid. On an enlargement a horse and cart, possi-bly delivering coal, can be seen inside the railings of the Bank of Ireland. The rather odd looking lorry on the left with the man enjoy-ing a free ride is identified as W & R Jacob & Co. Ltd.

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1. Switch to a cheaper electricity/ gas provider ESB (now called ESB Electric Ireland) are now able to compete with the likes of Airtricity, Bord Gais and Flogas to offer lower cost electricity and gas. There is really now no excuse for not making savings on your electricity needs. Go online to www.bonkers.ie and use their tool to see how much you can save by switching provider. It only takes a few moments

Total savings of approx €15 per month

2. Switch to a cheaper Mortgage Protection provider with SmartQuotes.ie If you have a Mortgage it is likely you will have Mortgage Protection. Life Assurance unlike car and home insurance rates have come down significantly in the last number of years due to a more competitive marketplace.

The cover you took out with the bank at the time of taking out your Mortgage may not be the most competitive availa-ble. It is important that you realise that you have a choice, and that you were not under any legal obligation to pur-chase these types of products from your lender only.

The average monthly premium for Mortgage Protection is €60 per month. A saving of 30% would equate to €18 per month. This is over €4,000 on a 20 year policy.

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Total saving of €18 per month (additional saving of €504 in the first twelve months with SmartQuotes.ie)

3. Take advantage of the Group buying sites while the deals are still around

It is still open to debate whether the retailers who adver-

tise on group buying sites such as GrabOne.ie , LivingSocial.ie and DealRush.ie get much repeat business from them to justify the big discounts. However for consumers there can be fantastic value to be had by using these sites. If you are someone who likes to eat out you can expect to pay €20 for your meal for two rather than your normal €40. It only takes a few seconds to register and the deals come directly to your email. Keep an eye out for deals on Summer 2012 holidays which may make the holiday budget stretch that bit further.

Total saving of €40 per month (assuming two meals per month)

4. Switch to e-mobile With e-mobile customers can enjoy unlimited talk and text from €49 per month. This compares with the Meteor Unlimited Offer of €85 per month. And now you can even get an iPhone or Blackberry for free as well with this contract (subject to conditions. Further comparisons can be made at www.callcosts.ie.

Total saving of €72 per month (€36 per month per adult)

5. Review your tax credits and claim a refund While you can only do this once a year you can also go back up to four years to claim a refund of monies due (medical expenses, bin charges, certain dental costs, tax relief on pension contributions/ income protection). Every situation is different but on average a refund of circa €600 is achieved. There are additional potential savings involved if you are entitled to claim flat rate expenses (Doctors, Nurses and Dentists can claim these).

Contact David Twomey at www.Payroll.ie for further details (Phone 01 2101967).

Total saving of €50 per month (€600 spread over 12 months)

The above gives a total saving of €195 per month to spend as you please without making any significant changes to your lifestyleThe above should not be construed as advice and is only the opinion of the author.

18 The Informer

Dublin Advice

Using mindfulness in psychotherapy and daily lifeWhen you surrender to what is and so become fully present, the past ceases to have any power. You do not need it anymore. Presence is the key. The now is the key.

Eckhart Tolle

DEAliNG with anxiety, relationship difficulties, work issues, depression, loss, past traumas, as well as other issues, can be ferociously difficult. Coping can be facilitated by psychotherapy. Psychotherapy offers a safe space to explore concerns and desires, and it offers support in implementing change. Mindfulness is a technique often used in therapy to facilitate this change.

Many of us live our daily lives influenced, in vary-ing degrees, by past experiences. For example, old patterns of dealing with issues around trust or com-mitment, may create an impulse to run away. Working with mindfulness and psychotherapy assists in looking at these patterns, letting go of unhealthy ones and creating conscious ways of relating to your-self, to others and to life itself.

What is Mindfulness?Mindfulness relates to turning off the autopilot

approach to life, developing and embracing aware-ness and clarity in a creative way.

it entails paying attention to the present moment - becoming aware of our surroundings, breath, sense

of touch, smell, taste, sound. to achieve mindfulness does not require all of

these things at once; perhaps even just sticking with one for a couple minutes at a time, maybe at lunch, after dinner, while in bed, so as to give you a sense of your present moment and how you are within it. Working for long periods of time with mindfulness can be facilitated by a counsellor or psychotherapist as it may require support.

We have approximately 25,000 thoughts a day, and clearing our mind of thought in order to pay attention to the present moment is no easy task. the important thing to remember is not to criticise oneself when thoughts come in – just notice them, and bring the attention back to breathing (or mindful act) again and again – is it fast, slow, coming from the chest, abdomen, notice air going in the nostrils and out etc.

What are the benefits of using Mindfulness in Daily Life?

Mindfulness can help break the cycle of destruc-tive reactions to situations and allow you to respond to situations maintaining control of mind, body and behaviours.

it can reduce anxiety and give a sense of ground-ing during times of stress and distress, bringing you into contact with reality.

it can help troubled sleep - paying attention to each

part of your body starting from feet to head, visualis-ing each part relaxing individually, breathing with awareness, clearing the mind, can allow you to drift off. thoughts may persist and that’s okay - notice them, and return your attention to breathing. it’s fine to lie in bed not being able to sleep. Worrying about not being able to sleep induces anxiety, which per-petuates sleep difficulties.

Mindfulness can help cope with anxiety and panic attacks, facilitating you to experience anxiety with-out fear. One becomes an observer noticing the symptoms, knowing they will pass, trying not to get involved with the panic or anxiety. this of course can be difficult to achieve initially.

Choosing more positive thoughts. Notice thoughts without getting caught up in them. Observe how you think and generate new thoughts which are more helpful to you in life.

Of course this is only a mere taste of the field of Mindfulness and it is just one of many techniques i use in therapy as a humanistic and integrative Psychotherapist. i feel it can be engaged with on varying levels in daily life and in psychotherapy to provide a more rich, aware and fulfilled life.

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20 The Informer

With Lucy Taylor

Family Focus

Babies getting into the swimBABY swimming is a safe and gentle activity which helps parents bond with their baby while giving them a lifetime’s water confidence and safety skills. Swimming from birth stimulates the brain and develops muscles in a safe, relaxed way and water is a familiar environment that babies love.

the Water Babies swimming course is very different to tradi-tional swimming lessons because they only use warm water pools (30°C or above) and this means that babies can join classes from birth. And while the emphasis is on having fun, the course is care-fully structured, with progressive lesson plans for each week.

Water Babies’ methods help babies to feel at ease, swimming both above and below the water. Babies have natural reflexes that mean they instinctively hold their breath when submerged. however, the Water Babies course teaches babies to control their breathing instead of relying on reflexes, giving them a sense of being fully in control.

the core Water Babies programme is designed specifically for babies from birth to 24 months, lasts one year and is divided into four 10-week terms.

Water Babies also holds regular underwater photo shoots so parents have the chance to own a lasting memento of this special time in their baby’s life

to book a class at 14 locations in Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow call 01-8249987. to make a booking for lessons in Galway call lisa or Jamie Cobbe on 086-7924688. Check out www.waterbabies.ie

Mother’s Day on a budgetDON’T forget Mother’s Day this year. it falls on Sunday 18th March and is fol-lowed by a Bank Holiday Monday. Here’s a few ideas for simple yet inexpensive gifts that will thrill the person who does more for you than any other:Hand-made charm – make a home-made card. She will appreciate the effort

that went into it.Food for the gods – bring her a tray of her favourite breakfast in bed.Image-conscious – sneak her favourite photo of the family out of the album

and have it blown up and framed.Singalonga magic – making her a CD or playlist of her favourite songs will

really show her you care.Luxury bubbles – buy her a bottle of divine smelling bubble bath. it doesn’t

have to cost the earth.Baking beauty - bake a cake or alternatively buy one and ice a personalised

message.

Milly-Molly-Mandy’s FamilyYOu may not remember these books from your child-hood, but they are still charming. Milly-Molly-Mandy lives with her parents and aunt and uncle in a small village and they keep hens and make jam.

it’s a look back in time to a more simple existence where everyone in the home plays a useful role – Milly-Molly-Mandy seems to spend quite a lot of time running messages for her loving relatives, in between running races with her friends Susan and Billy Blunt, rescuing rab-bits, playing tricks and outwitting a gang of naughty boys. Reminiscent of Enid Blyton.

Explorers Dinosaurs around the WorldEvERY boy’s perfect book, find out where particular dino-saurs lived, what they ate, how they fought, which dino-saurs lived in the sky and which were underwater hunters. With 50 lift-the-flap surprises this will keep they engrossed for ages.

The scandal of mis-sold payment protection insurance

(PPI) hits IrelandIN the UK, there has been extensive media coverage about the shocking scale of the PPI mis-selling scandal, and the behavior of some of it’s largest financial institutions. Banks had gained massively from the practice and weren't too pleased about being told to both stop ripping off their customers and to pay the money back!

After a landmark court case, many of the UK banks set aside billions to cover the cost of paying the money back to their customers. The Central Bank of Ireland is currently investigating the sale of PPI in Ireland and consequently thou-sands of people could be due refunds.

McHale Muldoon Solicitors have set up in Ireland to help Irish people claim back mis-sold PPI. Partner Michael Muldoon told the Informer: “We are sure that the same mis-selling tactics that were used in the UK were used in Ireland, indeed many of the same financial intuitions and credit card providers operated in both jurisdictions”.

McHale Muldoon who only opened in December 2011 has already successfully reclaimed thousands of Euros having gained expertise in its sister firm McHale & Co in Manchester.

Mrs M from New Street South, Dublin 4 was delighted after she received a refund of €3176.79 from AIB after she

instructed McHale Muldoon to reclaim PPI that she was wrongly paying on her credit card.

She said: “McHale Muldoon were great and dealt with everything for me. I instructed them in the middle of the December and I had the refund from the bank in my account by 2 February. The PPI was never going to be of any benefit to me because I was not in full time em-ployment so the bank were forced to give me a refund. Now I can really enjoy the holiday that we have booked this year”

Partner Andrew McHale commented: “In a new market like the PPI market is here in Ireland, to be able to enter with a four years head-start, in terms of how to present cases and get quick results, must be a great advantage. We’ve been there, done it, and bought the T-shirt, our competitors haven’t”.

Michael thinks that serious numbers of people have been badly treated by the banks and urged people to have a look if they were badly treated: “Regardless of who it was from, if you have taken out a loan, credit card or mortgage then check the documentation now for anything that sounds like loan insurance or payment protection insurance as you could be entitled to a refund”.

McHale Muldoon’s PPI website site is www.ppiclaim.ie

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No more nicks or scratches with ChipsAway

IF you’ve ever wondered if there was a way to repair those small nicks and scratches without an expensive trip to the body shop then the service of ChipsAway could be just what you are looking for.

The team decided to take a look at the service up close to see just how effective it is. Finding a volunteer really wasn’t that dif-ficult. In the Dublin traffic and car park road wars there is no shortage of driv-ers who seem to manage their way around the mean streets by “touch”.

"We found a Hyundai with a nasty scuff to the offside rear bumper, all the more noticeable because the car is finished in Electric Red."

A phone call to ChipsAway brought the fully equipped mobile repair cen-tre to the door at the appointed time. The first thing we noticed was how well-equipped the van was.

It looked as if the man from ChipsAway could undertake any repair without difficulty. What followed was like watching a skilled surgeon at work.

After a brief spell preparing the damage our man disappeared into the magic van to match the paint col-our.

No problem. Within minutes the exact colour match was made and the finishing touches were being put to an expert job.

Even at close inspection it was hard

to see where the repair had been, such was the attention to detail in preparing the sur-face and matching the paint colour.

Our verdict on ChipsAway is that for any motorist who would prefer to save money and have that minor repair done in the con-venience of their own home - a call to 086-8802776 or 085-1912678 is essential.

Safe House HHHHHDirected by Daniel Espinosa. Starring: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Brendan Gleeson and Vera farmiga

MATT Weston is an inexperienced CiA agent given charge of a safe house in Capetown. When rogue CiA agent Tobin Frost is put in his care, Weston finds himself under attack by those that want Frost dead and Weston has to ask himself why, as well as keep Frost alive.

Take a bit of the Bourne movies; add a few scenes from Taken and a pinch of Ronin and you get a film called Safe House. There is very little new on show here and this film does seem tired and see-through because of that.

Don’t get me wrong, it is not a bad film by any means; it is very enjoyable but it’s nothing that you haven’t seen before. Washington seems to be channeling a bit of Liam Neeson in the action sequences and it’s good to see Reynolds in something other than a comedy again. Both actors are better than this though so it’s a little disappointing when it doesn’t live up to expectations. it also stars two of irelands finest, Brendan Gleeson (complete with annoying accent) and Liam Cunningham.

Solid, if unspectacular stuff.Advice: It’s worth a shot.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel HHHHHDirector: Bill Madden. Starring: Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Maggie Smith and Dev Patel

A DiSPARATE bunch of retirees are thrown together when they decide to abandon Blighty for the charms of a luxurious retirement hotel in india. On arrival they find the hotel to be somewhat less of a paradise than the brochure advertised.

Directed by John Madden, the man that gave us the Oscar winning Shakespeare in Love, and starring some of England’s finest actors you would be forgiven for expecting a lot of this film. So it’s a good thing that it doesn’t disappoint. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a wonderful little story that will tickle your funny bone as well as pull at your heart strings.

it’s not laugh-out-loud hilarious but it is well intentioned and quite often beautiful. Dev Patel puts in a wonderful performance as the hotel manager and Maggie Smith is at her comic best but Bill Nighy stole the show as the Hippy that never was.

This is a wonderful little film, full of charm, colour and flavour.Advice: A mid week cinema trip is required!

Graham Connor's Movie Advice Beauty for you...

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this treatment is very popular in the United States, being the second most popular treatment after botox! the Americans have known for many years how effective microdermabrasion is in helping win the war against signs of aging. We in ireland are just begin-ning to see what a great treatment this is!

What is microdermabrasion? Microdermabrasion is a non-chemical, non-invasive procedure that uses a spray of microcrystals to remove the outermost layer of dry, dead skin cells and reveal younger, healthier-looking skin. it also encourages the production of a new underlying layer of skin cells with higher levels of collagen and elastin, which further improves your skin’s appearance.

Your skin is exposed to environmental elements every day. Over the years, the sun's rays, pollution and other damaging agents can take a toll on your skin. Microdermabrasion can help to reduce or eliminate the wrinkles and fine lines, 'crow's feet', age spots, light acne scars, and some undesired pigmentation that may appear on the skin over time.

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Benefits of Microdermabrasion: Microdermabrasion reduces or eliminates fine facial lines, wrinkles, and other signs of aging; it improves the appearance of acne scars and other light scarring; and it gives skin of all colors and types a fresh, healthy-looking glow. it

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The Microdermabrasion Procedure: in a microder-mabrasion procedure, the skin therapist uses a hand-held device that sprays fine crystals onto the surface of your skin, providing gentle abrasion, or "polish-ing," to remove the outer layer of old skin cells.

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24 The Informer

swords@informer.ie

swords in Brief...More recognition for Beaumont HospitalFollowInG on from our lead story in last month’s Informer where two intensive care units in Beaumont hospitals received global recog-nition, there is more good news for the site this month.

the home haemodialysis team has won the 2011Astellas changing tomorrow Award for Innovation.

the programme which is in existence since 2009 offers renal patients the chance to carry out their own haemodialysis at home. Patients are offered extensive training prior to commencement of the treatment, leading to a much improved quality of life for themselves.

recently the hospital announced that 2011 was a record year for kidney transplants in Beaumont with 192 undertaken throughout the year, a 70% increase on 2010.

New sports and recreational facility for north Dublinlord Mayor of dublin Andrew Montague has officially opened a new multi-use games area (MUGA) in the north of the city.

the facility located at nearby drumalee road, off Aughrim street contains a football pitch and basketball court which will be used for local youth projects as well as school physical education sessions.

“I am delighted to be here to open this new multi-use games area which will be of great benefit to everyone who uses it. I’m a strong believer in encouraging people to be active and involved in sport which is very important for our health and well-being and also great fun,” said the lord Mayor.

Funding of around €120,000 was provided by the department of children and Youth Affairs through the Young Peoples Facilities and services Fund.

Three year sentence for Kilmore man.A 33 YEAr old man has been handed a three year sentence for the blackmail of former dublin city councillor liam Kelly.

wesley higgins of dundaniel road, Kilmore, had pleaded not guilty to demanding money with menaces from Mr Kelly in August 2006.

higgins had attempted to extort €5000 from Mr Kelly when pic-tures of him allegedly taking cocaine emerged after they had attended a house party together.

when the demands were refused, the pictures were subsequently sold to the sunday world, where they were later published. Mr Kelly denied taking cocaine, a fact he said has been scientifically proven.

referring to the matter as “premeditated, conniving and sly”, Judge desmond hogan said that Mr Kelly was targeted as he was a public representative. he imposed a three year sentence on Mr higging, suspending the final 18 months.

DEIS band re-think to benefit local schools.thE announcement by Minister for Education ruairi Quinn to revise the plans to impose drastic cuts on schools throughout the country has been welcomed by local politicians and parents this week.

Under proposals in last december’s budget, it was expected that over 400 teaching posts would be removed throughout the country with many local schools included. however after intense lobbying by various organisations throughout the city and beyond, it was decided to review the impact of the decision. subsequently, it has been agreed to reverse some of these cuts and it is now hoped that over 230 teach-ing posts in dEIs Band 1 and 2 schools will be retained.

local td sean Kenny welcomed the news, which affects three schools in the local community. Under the proposals, st. Joseph’s national school, Bonnybrook, our lady’s Immaculate Jns, darndale and st. Francis Jns, Priorswood were expected to lose up to another 5 teachers, despite resources already being stretched to the limit.

“the announcement today is particularly welcome news for the dEIs schools in the darndale, Priorswood and Bonnybrook areas in dublin north East. the fact is that Minister Quinn stopped what he was planning to do and revised it,” he said.

Many locals were part of crowd of 3,500 people who held a recent protest march to department of education buildings aimed at prevent-ing the proposed cuts. Minister Quinn claimed the cuts were a mistake and ordered the review.

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