Tallaght InformerApril 2011 Unit 38, Northwood Court, Santry, Dublin 9 Tel: 01 813 8786 Email: info@informer.ie Web: www.informer.ie

kilnamanagh tymon firhouse oldBawn JoBstown Belgard

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and IT company Softech, Barnardos ceO Fergus Finlay praised Lindas energy and unique spirit and said that the children have learnt they can trust her and rely on her.

When shes not volunteering with Barnardos, Linda works in youth projects and at a childrens hospital. She doesnt get as much time as shed like to practise her art she says, but when she can, she oil paints.

childrens charity Barnardos has 247 volunteers nationwide who the charity rely upon to raise funds, staff shops, run the board and work alongside staff with children and families.

Barnardos ambassador Liam cunningham said of the volun-teers: I have seen first-hand the impact that [they] have on the chil-dren they work with. Their com-mitment is outstanding. They are without doubt an inspiration. What I saw gave me hope and belief in communities in Ireland and what can be achieved together.

volunteer of the year Award for Tallaght

A VOLUNTeer at the Barnardos Millbrook project in Tallaght has won the Barnardos Volunteer of the Year Award.

Linda Foy shared the prize with 6th year student John DArcy. She accepted the award from Irish actor Liam cunningham. Foy says she is still in shock after winning the title for her work teaching art to pre-schoolers: Ive been so lucky to be part of it, its kind of strange to get an award because it really wasnt necessary, she says hum-bly.

Foy became involved with Barnardos after walking into their head office on christchurch and asking if they needed any volun-teers:

I didnt necessarily know if it would be possible but I went in one day and thought, what the hell, is there any chance I could volun-teer?

She first worked at various Barnardos centres in Dublin, including a stint at a centre on Buckingham Street, before arriving in Tallaght.

Art graduate Foy says that its

important to work within the abili-ties of the children, who are aged between three and five. We make bows and stick stuff on plates, nothing thats beyond their abilities but things that can get them think-ing as well.

At the awards ceremony, spon-sored by Beauchamps solicitors

By Kim O'Donnell

Tallaght Personal

n Award winning: Linda Foy

time we said 'whoa' to horse cruelty

opinion page 3

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hitting the ton

2 The Informer

The Drift

Dublin by

Numbers 17.22This is the amount of CO2 in megatonnes emitted by Irish companies participating in the Emissions Trad-ing Scheme (ETS) in 2009. Greenhouse Gas emissions from ETS companies had declined from 22.43 Mtonnes CO2 in 2005 to 17.22 Mtonnes CO2 in 2009. The decline was largely down to the crash in the ecomomy. The data for 2010 shows emissions have risen slightly to 17.36 Mtonnes CO2, so perhaps that's a mixed blessing.

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Time we said 'whoa' to horse crueltyThe month in QuotesFrom a personal point of view, and I think I speak for a lot of Irish sports teams, not just cricket, beating England in any form of the game in any sport not only at a World Cup is always a fantastic occasion.Ireland cricketer Kevin O'Brien hits the spot.

The context of these words has been causing deep trauma in a community for years and continues today. This is just a glimpse of the reality of the intimidation and the violence the community has been facing for years.Jerrie Ann Sullivan, Corrib gas protester on the controversial garda recording in Mayo.

The person who placed that bomb in the footwell of young Ronan Kerr's vehicle, may from their own warped version be deemed to be somebody of stature, is so false, and so wrong, and so utterly removed from the future of the peoples of this island, that we, by our attendance there, will condemn this unilaterally and without question or hesitationEnda Kenny announcing his intention to go to the funeral of Ronan Kerr in Tyrone

I have already directed that funds not used by the NRA on new projects this year should be identified and diverted to repairing badly damaged secondary national, regional and local roadsTransport Minister Leo Varadkar changes priorities

I tried everything but we came to a moment that not taking this decision would bring risks we cannot afford.Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates, giving into the inevitable

They all love me, all my people are with me. They will die to protect me.Muammar Gaddafi may well be under a misapprehension

They accepted they will all probably die from radiation sickness in the short term or cancer in the long term.The mother of a worker at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan

Q

The Informer

Comment & Debate3

Time we said 'whoa' to horse crueltyThis month id like to make you aware of The Dublin sPCA National horse Amnesty Programme, launched Friday 25th March by Dublins Lord Mayor Gerry Breen. This amnesty aims to reduce the numbers of horses ending up in unregulated, unlicensed horse mar-kets, such as the one in smithfield and, we hope, prevent the unnecessary suffer-ing that many of these animals are forced to endure.

Why are we offering this Amnesty?simple! We asked ourselves where

will it all end? Why are some people so evil when it comes to the treatment of animals?

We care about animals; all animals and we estimate that the amount of horses enduring inadequate shelter, vet-erinary and farrier care could run into thousands.

For example, did you know that in 2010, the Dublin sPCA rescued 120 horses? 50 per cent of which had to be humanely euthanised. Why? They were so far beyond veterinary treatment due to sickness and/or injury because these majestic creatures had been forced to endure enormous suffering before some-body took the responsibility to pick up the phone and call us.

so, with your permission, id like to touch upon some of the most appalling incidences of unnecessary and barbaric cruelty to horses witnessed by us at the shelter. incidences so horrific, no amount of cleansing would remove them from

my minds eye. id hope that in making my readers aware of what is going on in our fair city; the lives of cruelly treated horses will improve.

What youre about to read happens on a daily basis; i know because i witness it and its clear evidence of the extraordi-nary neglect, abuse and couldnt care less attitude meted out by so called human beings.

For example: l A pregnant mare, jockeyed non stop over a number of hours, by a group of teens who then, not satisfied that she was suffering severe pain and exhaustion, decided to force her to jump a fence.

Unable to complete the jump due to her condition and exhaustion, the mare had her stomach ripped open by the spikes on the fence, causing her such severe injuries, that despite our valiant attempts to save her life, we lost both mare and foal.

The teens? Oh they left her embedded on the spikes and ran away, probably home to mammy and daddy!

l A two year old red and white pony whose throat was slashed by a thug using a stanley knife.

This criminal then stood over the ponys body and observed while his lifes blood drained from the animal and calmly, chillingly, walked away. Now i

dont know about you but i find this type of crime very destabilizing for any com-munity.

l A three year old male brown and white pony suffering from fly strike, display-ing chronic leg injuries due to an embed-ded rope which wore his leg down to the bone. Our veterinary surgeon had no choice but to euthanize this stricken animal.

i believe theres a silent place where the sad and broken heart visits; mine and my colleagues visit that place every time the phone rings with another call to attend a cruelty case.

Therefore in our search for answers

The Sound of Music Competition Winner

Keri Brady from Castleknock

and in order to alleviate this unnecessary suffering of horses, the Dublin sPCA has set up a dedicated phone number (01-4994747) where owners can ring in confidence and discuss their situation. An Amnesty Liaison Officer will assist them to take the next steps.

This will include providing support to the owner to hold on to the animal while endeavoring to find an appropriate hom-ing opportunity, taking in the horse or finding a suitable foster home for the animal if the owner is under temporary pressure but feels he/she will, in the future, be able to take back ownership of the horse.

The Dublin sPCA will coordinate this activity, identify and vet potential adop-

By Miriam Kerins Education Office, Dublin SPCA

ters as well as liaise with other welfare groups who have capacity to take in some horses.

For more information, or if you can help us help these animals phone our Amnesty Hotline on 01-4994747 or email miriam.kerins@dspca.ie. The Dublin SPCA is a charity dependent upon donations from members of the public.

Meet Blossom - a simple case of before and after

Meet Blossom. This is Blossom before - she is tied to a fridge and we estimate she was left that way without food, water, shelter or veterinary care for up to 10 days before we were informed and rescued her. She was suffering appalling mal-

nourishment and rain scald amongst other injuries. And this is Blossom now as she is today, recovering at our animal rescue shelter following the care and veterinary attention and love she so desperately deserves.

Green Scene4 The Informer

Green shoots... GMOs cause a new danger to health and world food supplies The extraction of natural gas from

the Corrib gas field now has a long history of raising new issues.

The original exploration license was granted in 1993 when Ireland was a different country in a different world. Few people took seriously the claims of environmentalists that the world was running out of oil so prices were fixed at a level which would be regarded as very low nowadays, the planning process was extremely slow, and difficult for ordinary people to access, and environmental issues were almost entirely ignored during that process.

It is hardly surprising therefore that local people worried about the impact of a high pressure pipeline and processing facilities on their homes, fishermen about the impact on their livelihoods and environmental issues were seen as an irrelevant nuisance.

This led to a dismissive attitude on the part of industry and government towards those who objected, without much investigation of the real issues that underlay the concerns.

Those who continue to campaign against the way in which the project

is being managed are inheriting the legacy of fifteen or more years of this dismissive attitude. More than a hun-dred complaints against the gardai have been dismissed, An Taisce are currently seeking a judicial review of the way in which An Bord Pleanala granted planning permission for Shells latest application, and mem-bers of the body charged with our protection dont see any harm in making jokes about sexual violence when they are discussing those who raise environmental issues crust-ies are fair game.

We know that a lot of work has been done throughout the public service to prevent bullying and sexual harassment, but as long as a culture continues where it is acceptable to make jokes that derogate women, the old, people with disabilities or those who are willing to spend their lives in tents in muddy fields to pro-tect the waters around the coasts of Ireland - even when the victims arent present, we are not going to get the clean and open society we all thought we had just voted for.

By Kathy Marsh, Sonairte

A few weeks ago Professor Don M. Huber, who coordinates the emergent Diseases and Pathogens committee of the American Phytopathological Society, noticed a trend in the scien-tific papers he was reading about genetically modified crops and glyphosate the weedkiller you can buy in your local garden centre under the name of RoundUp.

what he was seeing was some-thing so worrying that he didnt even wait to finish his research but wrote immediately to the United States Secretary for Agriculture, Tom Vilsack. The letter was leaked and a campaign began to discredit the con-tents.

Now hes published a more detailed paper will a full content of citations to peer reviewed articles in quality journals the gold standard for sci-entific research.

Basically, Dr Huber has found that the regular use of RoundUp, both directly and in the so called RoundUp Ready genetically modified crops that we import to feed animals in

Ireland, actually makes at least 25 crop diseases more virulent while weakening the plants resistance to them.

It also makes it more likely that trees and shrubs will die when they are stressed. At the same time nutri-ent levels in food crops are actually lowered. Glyphosate also kills earth-worms, frogs and fish.

Professor Huber has now sent a more detailed warning letter to both Secretary Vilsack and the european Commissioner for Agriculture. while our own new government has not stated its position on genetically modified organisms since coming to power fine Gael has in the past been very pro-GMO, and non-organic

livestock in Ireland is routinely fed genetically modified feeds. RoundUp is available in every hardware shop and garden centre in Ireland.

So what can we do? well to start off with we can stop using glypho-sate in our own gardens. Thanks to this work we know it will take 20 years for soil organisms to fully recover even under optimum condi-tions but we can stop things getting worse.

we can also demand that meat produced with genetically modified feed is labeled so we can avoid it. And we can demand that the use and import of all genetically modified organisms is banned throughout the european Union.

Read your local

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Garden Growing6 The Informer

Gerry Norton, Living Landescapes, 97 Church Avenue,

Drumcondra, Dublin 9Tel: 087-2462724

or emaillivinglandescapes@eircom.net

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 livinglandes-capes@eircom.net.

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

AT last the long evenings have arrived and with it an opportuni-ty for us all to do some work in our gardens when we get home from work, if were not too exhausted that is!

The daytime temperatures will get progressively warmer from now on but beware night time frosts. Fruit tree blossoms for example can be damaged. i would also suggest to people not to buy any summer bedding plants yet, wait until the end of April.

ive just planted my early pota-toes called Orla. The ground

temperature has increased so they will be fine. ive also put some spuds into containers, they will grown very well and are great if you live in an apartment or if space is restricted. Dont forget lots of drainage at the bot-tom of the container. All the seeds that i started to germinate in my small greenhouse are doing fine and should be ready to plant out at the end of the month.

Work on your pondif you are lucky enough to

have a pond, April is the best time to clean it out and divide

Gardening in the long eveningsyour plants, for example water lilies. Once you remove all your plants, use a pump if you have one or bail out the old water or use a bit of hose and siphon the old water out.

Do be careful, a mouth full of old pond water isnt very pleas-ant! Cleaning out old mud isnt much fun, but it only has to be done once a year. Using a sharp knife, divide the lily root or rhi-zome into sections and you will increase your plants for free.

When filling up the pond it should be done using rain water. however, as i discovered last weekend my water barrel was only half full as weve had little or no rain for weeks. i therefore had to top the pond up with some tap water.

Save the rainspeaking of rain water, we will

all soon have to pay for whatever water we use so it really makes sense to collect rain water for ponds and for watering plants. Water barrel or butts are cheap

and very easy to install. My bar-rel catches rain from a small shed, the roof area is 10 feet x 4 feet. if you intend connecting a water collector to the main roof of your house, make sure to get a very large butt as the quantity of water will be vast.

Keep treating your lawn with moss killer and rake out the dead moss called thatch.

A great way to treat the moss is with a top dressing of sand rather

With Gerry Norton

than the usual feed which con-tains the moss killer. This sand is available from all garden shops.

vine weevil have become a serious pest in our gardens and they will start to appear over the next few weeks. They live in the compost and eat the roots of plants. There is a biological way to control these critters called nematodes which will be availa-ble in a few weeks in garden shops.

n Don't let the rain water in your garden go to waste

n Start the pond's year by cleaning it out

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All About Dublin (1)8 The Informer

Edited by Zoz

iN Leixlip the Liffey is joined by a major tributary, the rye Water, which flows in from Maynooth. The royal Canal crosses the rye near the confluence on another rather fine aqueduct.

On the embankments are a curious series of stone bordered ponds and the remains of an ancient swimming pool - the stones are coated with brown ochre. The water entering the highest pool comes from a thermal spring and is not only warm but also mineral rich. This is the remains of one of the spas that made Leixlip and Lucan fashionable and pros-perous villages in the eighteenth century. The only other memorial to this era is the name of the spa hotel, which still operates.

The area around this spa is botanically rich with fen plants and plants of lime-rich grassland, many of which have become quite rare. There's a variety of wild orchid species, dyer's madder, wild marjo-ram and vetch species. The plants support an insect population that includes the common blue butterfly, which is nothing like as common as it used to be.

The name Leixlip is Old Norse for salmon Leap. The vikings established a base in Dublin, and at the mouth of many of the country's other large rivers. They first arrived at the mouth of the Liffey on a raid in 837AD but established a settlement in 841. They then pushed inland to trade and raid. They used small, light boats and had techniques involv-ing rollers to get them up rapids and shallow places. it must have been quite slow going but if they got into trouble they could shoot back downstream to their base relatively quickly. They arrived in Leixlip

over a thousand years before the dam was built and discovered that near the junction of the Liffey and the rye Water there was a cascade with a narrow neck that obstructed the migration of salmon. This was very significant.

The amount of salmon spawning in the Liffey catchment over a thousand years ago was quite unimaginable. so when viking explorers reached Leixlip and found the obstruction in the river where fish were concentrated while they waited for the right water conditions to jump up the cascade and continue their migration to the spawning grounds upstream it was like finding a gold mine. Fish penned up here waiting for a flood were relatively easy to net, trap or spear.

'The Liffey - Portrait of a River', with paintings by Rosemary Quinn and text by Dick Warner, is published by Cottage Publications. It is available from bookshops, priced around 22.

This page was researched with the help of

Lesser known DubsA Place in the CityDr. Francis RyndThe Liffey in Leixlip

NexT time you are facing into an injection spare a thought for Dubliner Dr. Francis rynd, the inventor of the hypodermic syringe.

Born in 1801 Dr. rynd worked at the Meath hospital. At that time it was thought that drugs could only be administered oral-ly or as lotions, pastes, or ene-mas. There was no way to 'inject', so early attempts used a cut-and-drip method.

in 1844 Dr. ryan developed a method for putting drugs into a vein, the following year he came up with a syringe and published an article on how he had suc-cessfully used a hypodermic syringe to inject fluids into a patient.

"The subcutaneous introduc-tion of fluids, for the relief of neuralgia, was first practised in this country by me, in the Meath hospital, in the month of May, 1844. The cases were published in the 'Dublin Medical Press' of March 12, 1845. since then, i have treated very many cases, and used many kinds of fluids

and solutions, with variable suc-cess. The fluid i have found most beneficial is a solution of morphia in creosote, ten grains of the former to one drachm of the latter."

his invention was relatively

crude, relying on gravity to deliver the drug, and it was sev-eral decades before others refined the hypodermic syringe into something we would recog-nise today - but Dr. rynd takes the credit for its invention.

n Rynd-type Syringe. Science Museum, London

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All About Dublin (2)10 The Informer

Edited by Zoz

The Battle of Fontenoy, Austria, on May 11, 1745 was not a successful one for the British and their Allies. Among those left for dead on the battlefield as the French advanced was Irishman Captain James Vesey. he had been shot twice and knocked unconscious - his future was hanging very much in the balance.

But luck was on his side as Louis XV ordered that all captured troops should receive the same treatment as his own soldiers. Thus it was that Captain Vesey found himself getting better in Lille.

he found out that he had been rescued from almost certain death by a Private in the Irish Brigade who had personally made sure that he was given immediate treat-ment. But his rescuer made no attempt to get in touch, either to enquire after his health or to seek a reward.

When Captain Vesey was back on his feet he set out to find the soldier - identi-fied as Private Martin Vaughan.

When they finally met Capt. Vesey was surprised and horrified to see that his res-cuer was a man who he had last seen being condemned to death in Dublin two years earlier - on Captain Vesey's evidence.

Two years earlier, in February 15, 1743 Vesey was returning to Dublin with a large sum of money - 1,800 in gold and silver coins. At Castleknock he was stopped and robbed by two men, later identified as

Martin and Sylvester Keogh from the Rathcoole area.

Martin was tried, Vesey positively iden-tified him, and sentenced to be hung in Kilmainham Jail - Vesey went back to Britain and rejoined his regiment - the missing money was never recovered.

Martin Vaughan was Martin Keogh - Vesey's robber and his saviour. On the grounds that one good turn deserves another Vesey said nothing, and Vaughan continued on his military career his reputa-tion unblemished and rising to the rank of Sergeant.

Captain Vesey was freed in a prisoner exchange and went on to fight in India, America and Minorca where he again became a French prisoner in 1756.

Brought to France and having given his parole he was free to move about and set himself the task of finding Martin Vaughan again. he discovered that Vaughan had been severely wounded, and his brother Sylvester killed, at the Battle of Raucoux (1746). Since then Martin Vaughan had been an inmate of the hotel des Invalides -a home and hospital for aged and unwell soldiers - in Paris.

When they met Vaughan told the story of his escape. he had hidden the stolen gold in a weighted sack in the Liffey and had arranged his escape with one of the prison guards. But the escape - initially

planned as involving a simple rope thrown across the prison wall - would cost him most of his money and leave him a hunted man.

The condemned man came up with a much better idea. For several days he feigned severe illness and then ... he died! But even then you needed a verified corpse before a removal from jail, and there would be an inquest the following morning. But as he had died of a "putrid, spotted fever of the most infectious description", Vaughan was sure that any inspection would be carried out at a safe distance.

That night a freshly-buried corpse was dug up from nearby Bully's Acre and brought to the prison where it was identi-fied and released for burial. In the mean-time the dead Martin Keogh walked out through a side entrance of the prison - a free man!

his escape had cost him 1,500 but he had enough to travel to France where he joined the Irish Brigade, serving in Berwick's regiment.

Captain Vesey's military career was cut short in 1761 when he was wounded at the battle for Quebec - he died in Bath in 1776.

As for Martin Keogh/Vaughan, he mar-ried a 'comfortable' Parisian businesswom-en in 1758, and is last recorded in 1769.

First hand history Dead man walking! From the archives...Doctor Who?

eXTRAORDInARy Charge Of Conspiracy. - College Street Police-office, Dublin, Saturday January 15th 1859. - Pursuant to information sworn by William edward Steele, M.D., Registrar of the King and Queen's College of Physicians, two medical men, named John edward Protheroe and Charles evans Reeves, were brought up on a warrant in charge of Sergeant Keegan, of the G Division, to answer a charge of conspiracy, under very peculiar and extraordinary circumstances.

The information of Dr. Steele went to show that in the month of March, 1857, a person, who gave his name as John edward Protheroe, and repre-sented himself as residing temporarily at Store-street, Bedford-square, London, applied to the King and Queen's College of Physicians of Ireland for permission to be examined for a licence from the College to practise medi-cine. The person of John edward Protheroe was not known to Dr. Steele, or, so far as he believed, to any other of the examiners or censors of the College, or to any person connected with the College.

On the days of the 6th and 9th of April, 1857, the person representing himself to be John edward Protheroe was examined before the examiners of the College, and finally received his diploma in the usual course.

In consequence of information received by the College, to the effect that the person who appeared before the examiners, was not, in fact and truth, John edward Protheroe at all, but an entirely different person, his name being Charles evans Reeves, or Charles Reeves evans.

Dr. Steele proceeded to London in the month of December last, in order to test the truth of the information and he there saw John edward Protheroe, who was not the person who appeared before the College under the circum-stances above stated, and obtained his diploma.

The case was resumed on Tuesday last, when a long argument on the ques-tion of bail ensued between Mr. J. e. Walsh and Mr. J. A. Outran, at the conclusion of which the magistrates decided on refusing the application of Mr. Curran to admit them to bail on their own recognisances. The parties were then removed in custody, the bail not having been entered into at the time our reporter left the office. (The Lancet, January 22, 1859).

Green Works, the free educa-tion progamme for jobseekers, will play host to a special Green Building Forum on 6th & 7th May.

The forum will address many of the challenges facing the con-struction industry in Ireland as it moves away from the rampant expansion of the boom years into a greener future of retrofitting and energy efficiency. Tickets for the event can be obtained at green-works.ie. Places are free for those in receipt of unemployment payments.

Green Building Forum

Day 1: Leading national and international experts discuss the feasibility of achieving a net zero environmental impact from the built environment in Ireland by 2030. Key questions under consideration are: How can Ireland lev-erage its agricultural landmass to deliver low embodied materials to the industry? How will legislation both national and at eU level set the pace? How ready is the industry and market to transform itself to deliver this transformative change?

The afternoon session will address the fol-lowing questions: How do we define zero car-bon buildings? How do we measure and rate all of the environmental impacts of buildings?

BreeAM and LeeD are already widely used internationally and sporadically in Ireland. Are these the right tools for Ireland, are they strategic enough to incentiv-ize the right moves in the Irish market towards achieving an end

goal of net zero impact in the shortest time-frame? Should we adapt these for Ireland or develop an entirely different model?

Day 2 will focus on implementing the strate-gies discussed on Day 1. This will be done in two ways, the first redesigning Our existing Built environment will look at the housing unit itself, while the second A Practical Approach to Low energy Building will look at the wider issues of the urban built environment.

Green Works courses

If you are interested in the Green Building Forum you may also be interested in the many building courses available at Green Works such as: Green Building, Ber, renewable energy Systems, Thermal Bridging, Solar Heating Systems, Small Scale renewables, Domestic energy Management and many more.

For full details and dates visit www.green-works.ie or call 01 674 5773.

Green Building Forum, 6th & 7th May, free for jobseekers

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Informer Interview12 The Informer

Hitting the tonWhere did you grow up? i grew up in sandymount, a stones throw from railway Union sports Club.

Where did you go to school / college? i followed all my brothers to star of the sea pri-mary school, and then Marian College secondary school. i attended institute of Technology Tallaght, and also DBs.

First paid job? i worked in Paddy Cullens pub as a lounge boy in Ballsbridge when i was still in school, but didnt like the job very much.

Married/family? Neither

What got you interested in cricket? Being the youngest, i suppose i was brought into a sporting family. Dad played cricket for ireland 52 times, and also played semi professional football for shelbourne. he also played provincial hockey for Leinster for many years. so i guess we were always destined to play a lot of sports.

Where did you start your career? i spent two years over in england playing for an academy side coached by the great Clive radley who played for england and Middlesex. i was there from 2004-2005.

Your brother Niall is also on the Irish cricket team, how do you get on with him on and off the pitch? it's great to have Nialler there on tours. it's another person to talk to when things arent going very well.

Any one else in your family playcricket?As i said before, with Dad having played for ireland, he follows every cricket match that is on television. Paul and Conor dont play cricket any-more, but they come down to the club in the sum-mer to watch, and whenever possible they come and watch ireland play. Gerard still plays cricket for the second eleven in railway Union, and is the President of the club for the coming year. Ciara lives in London, so obviously cant get over to watch every irish game, but she follows on the internet whenever she can.

Do you have any cricket heros? Andrew Flintoff would be my biggest idol.

If you were not involved in cricket, what other career would you be working in?i would hope to be in either advertising and/or mar-keting as i studied them at college. Or even a sports agent would be nice.

First competitive match in an Ireland shirt? i made my debut in 2006 against a english team called sussex, four days before we played england in Belfast.

Our Kevin O'Brien talks to the now world

famous cricketer Kevin O'Brien, who hit the fastest ever century in World Cup cricket in

Ireland's stunning victory over England

Hardest match? When we played in 2007 World Cup against Australia in Barbados. They were the best team in the world then and wiped the floor with us.

Worst match? Last year's irish Cup Final for railway. rain affected, and the rules were a joke!

Do you think enough is being done to promote irish cricket at grass route levels in Ireland? i can only speak form a Leinster point of view, but i think it is. We have cricket being played in a lot of schools around Dublin, and into the outskirts. Cricket is on the increase and hopefully it can keep going that way.

How do you get on with your irish team mates, whos the joker in the pack? its agreat squad to play in, we are all very comfort-able sitting around with each other. The real joker is Andrew White. he loves a practical joke.

You smashed the fastest century in World Cup history against England in March, under huge pressure, what was going through your mind at that time? Not a lot, to be honest. i suppose i was just 'in the zone' as they call it. i didnt know what i was on until i had scored 80 runs.

Beating England was seen as the shock of the World Cup. How did this feel and how did you celebrate this victory, honestly now? This really didnt feel like a shock. We knew we could beat teams like england, but i suppose the way we won, makes it all the sweeter. Yes we did party until all hours, i'm not going to lie, but i think we all deserved to do that!

Do you think the coverage of the British media were kind to Ireland after beating England? i think they were once the shock had warn off. The media did say some very complementary things about irish cricket in the end.

Is beating Engalnd the most memorable game you have ever played in? Yes. Because it was against england, in a World Cup, and the way we won. Also having a huge contribution to it, was an amazing personal feel-ing.

Did anyone famous phone you after victory over england to congratulate you and team? Mary McAleese phoned and said congrats to the team for the win.

The International Cricket Council confirmed the next two World Cups will be contested by 10 teams which will exlude Ireland. What type of effect will this have on irish cricket? it could have a huge effect on irish cricket. some of our better younger players could be tempted away to play for england, and our standard could very well drop as we wont have major tourna-ments to look towards.

Will the Icc will reverse this decision? i dont think they will, no.

How do you relax? i try and get away from cricket. i will do anything to get away from it. i enjoy reading, listening to music, and spending time with my girlfriend ruth-Anne.

Type of music? Favorite band/artist? i like all sorts really, Alicia Keys would be up there, also really loving that new song from Adele.

What other sport do you follow or like to play? i play hockey whenever i can for railway Union, and love golf, and follow American Football, rugby, soccer, and a bit of Gaelic.

Favorite food/ restaurant? All sorts, but TriBeCa in ranalagh for their chicken wings, or Diep.

If you could have dinner with three celebrities past or present, who would you choose? Andrew Flintoff, Denzel Washington, and John Mcenroe.

What advice would you give any youngster look-ing to take up cricket as a sport? Find a club, and just enjoy the game.

n Kevin O'Brien with his brother Niall after beating England in the World Cup

Hitting the ton

The International Cricket Council confirmed the next two World Cups will be contested by 10 teams which will exlude Ireland. What type of effect will this have on irish cricket? it could have a huge effect on irish cricket. some of our better younger players could be tempted away to play for england, and our standard could very well drop as we wont have major tourna-ments to look towards.

Will the Icc will reverse this decision? i dont think they will, no.

How do you relax? i try and get away from cricket. i will do anything to get away from it. i enjoy reading, listening to music, and spending time with my girlfriend ruth-Anne.

Type of music? Favorite band/artist? i like all sorts really, Alicia Keys would be up there, also really loving that new song from Adele.

What other sport do you follow or like to play? i play hockey whenever i can for railway Union, and love golf, and follow American Football, rugby, soccer, and a bit of Gaelic.

Favorite food/ restaurant? All sorts, but TriBeCa in ranalagh for their chicken wings, or Diep.

If you could have dinner with three celebrities past or present, who would you choose? Andrew Flintoff, Denzel Washington, and John Mcenroe.

What advice would you give any youngster look-ing to take up cricket as a sport? Find a club, and just enjoy the game.

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14 The Informer

Getting Fitwith Derry Temple , DT Fitness

As we grow old the loss of muscle, bone and physical strength is inevitable. This is the single most obvious marker of ageing. scientists however have recently discov-ered a cure which means this is not only preventable but also reversible. This isnt a miracle cure in the form of a pill you can take; the solution is simple, but does mean hard work and consistent effort. The solu-tion is resistance training.

sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass) and Osteopenia (loss of bone mass) are two inevitable results of old age. However these two unfortunate consequences of ageing happen earlier than you may think. After the age of 30 it is normal to lose some bone mass each year. For women after the menopause this increases when the protective effect of oestrogen is lost. Postmenopausal women will normally loose 1 per cent bone mass yearly; this translates to about a 1 to 2 per cent strength loss each year.

Weight bearing exercise has been found to be most effective in building bone den-sity. Louise Burton and Deepa sumukadas of the Division of Medical sciences in the University of Dundee, found in their research into the optimal management of sarcopenia that resistance training was the most effective intervention.

As people age, especially after the age of

40, most lose somewhere between one and two pounds of muscle each year and gain its equivalent in body fat. This also leads to a lowering of metabolism meaning fewer calories burnt daily. Often the true extent of muscle loss cant be seen because it is replaced and covered up by fat.

With a loss of muscle strength, we tend to spontaneously become less active because daily activities become more diffi-cult and tiring to perform. And so a vicious cycle is formed, you lose muscle mass, you gain bodyfat and become less physically fit causing you to be less active therefore los-ing more muscle tissue and in turn gaining more bodyfat.

Exercise, especially resistance training is the primary answer for preventing and reversing this process of ageing. While aerobic exercise has been shown to improve cardiovascular fitness and burn calories, it does not influence muscle mass or strength. In contrast if you weight train regularly you can actually increase muscles mass and not only prevent this ageing process but often reverse it. Derry Temple is a qualified Strength & Conditioning Coach, Pilates Instructor, Nutritionist and the founder of DT Fitness. He provides Personal Training, Bootcamp and Pilates fitness classes. T: 085-7131417; derry@dtfitness.ie; www.dtfitness.ie

Reversing the effects of muscle and bone loss

L5 technoLogy Ireland is proud to launch the L5 remote in Ireland. With the L5 remote, you have the power of a coffee table full of remotes with the elegance and simplicity of your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

out with the clutter and confusion, and in with every-thing you love about your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch: the sharp brilliant display, the multi-touch interface, the versa-tility and portability. the L5 remote is a tiny accessory and app that gives you all the power and none of the complex-ity. It works without wifi, external power or batteries. take it anywhere you want. Use it to control your tV, Sky/UPc, DVD or any device that comes with a remote control!

the L5 remote will be debuting at the Spring Ideal homes Show at the RDS from 15th 17th April with introductory offers.

For further information please call or email, details at the top of the press release.

Turn your iPhone, iPod Touch and now iPad into a universal touchscreen remote control!

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March 2011 Published by Leaflet Company Ireland, Leaflet Company House, 55 Western Parkway Business Park, Ballymount, Dublin 12 Tel: 01 460 1673 Email: info@businessstandard.ie Web: www.businessstandard.ie

StandardBusiness

Alarming reduction in Sme bank credit

Late payments are crippling small

business?Business View - Page 2

Electric cars beginning to move

Green Business - Page 3

Why does your business need a

firewall?Technical Business - Page 3

The figures indicate that the issue of bank credit remains a serious problem for the economy, with little or no improvement in the last two years.

The results also confirm that the number of appli-cations for credit remains muted, mainly due to gen-eral economic uncertainty and a perception that the

banks will not entertain their credit requests.

According to ISME Chief Executive, Mark Fielding, the results clear-ly indicate that despite assertions to the contrary from the banks, access to bank credit has deteriorat-ed.

"It is quite clear that the previous administrations

instructions to open up lines of credit to business have patently been ignored by the banks. Nothing new there. The new gov-ernment must take a much stronger position with bailed out bank manage-ment and insist on their compliance with instruc-tions.

ISME complained that the reduction in competi-tion in the banking sector is having a negative impact on the SME business sec-

ThE latest ISME Quarterly Bank Watch Survey issued by the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association, confirms that there has been a significant deterioration in the number of businesses who successfully accessed credit from their banks in the last quarter.

tor. Those who were suc-cessful in getting facilities are being penalised, with 58% of companies outlin-ing that they had to pay increased bank charges and interest rates to secure funding, with 53% having to increase security against facilities.

Other findings included 79% of firms outline banks still making it more diffi-cult to access finance, and 48% of companies refused changes in their facilities.

Refusals hit 48% in last three months say ISME

Lo Call: 1890 929 950www.leafletcompany.ie

TargeT by:Demographic Type l Catchment Area

ThE news Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, has announced the ten successful companies that have been awarded funding under Enterprise Irelands new Internet and Games Competitive Start Fund.

Speaking after meeting each of the companies to discuss their plans

Minister Bruton commented: "the ingenuity and creativity of young Irish entrepreneurs will drive our recovery. The buzz created by these ten compa-nies expresses great confidence for the future. As a government we are deter-mined to help committed young com-panies with good ideas to succeed."

Drawn from over 120 applicants,

these ten companies have shown a strong potential to trade their business internationally. With products and services ranging from games and game engines to consumer services and telecommunications, they are all rising stars in the sector and are now set to develop their businesses and grow their international presence.

Enterprise Ireland set up the new fund as a mechanism to get financial support into very early stage compa-nies at the critical product market fit stage of their projects. Each of the ten companies receives an equity invest-ment of 50,000 for a 10% ordinary equity stake, along with the support of an experienced business mentor to

guide them as they develop their busi-ness. Following on the huge interest in this first fund, Enterprise Ireland has recently expanded its offer with a sec-ond fund (Competitive Start Fund) that is also open to software compa-nies in the games, telecoms, software as a service (SaaS), cloud computing and enterprise software sectors.

Meet Irelands next generation of internet and games companies

Broadcasters want boost from new charges

Businessworld.ie have reported that the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland (IBI) has called on the Minister for Communications to seize the opportunity to use the new public broadcasting charge on Irish house-holds to boost broadcasting in Ireland. Scott Williams, Chairman of IBI said very household has at least one radio and nearly every person has the ability to listen to radio on their mobile phone, laptop, computer, ipad, and so on.

"Given the number of radio devices in each home, we believe that the Public Broadcasting Charge (PBC) set out in the Programme for Government and which will be levied on all house-holds, must be used to strengthen and develop all forms of broadcasting in Ireland".

"The TV licence fee has provided an

unfair competitive advantage to RTE. With more than 1500 people employed in the sector independent broadcasters make a significant economic, social and cultural contribution to the Irish Economy. The replacement of the licence fee with a new PBC provides a unique opportunity to the Minister for Communications to create a more competitive broadcasting landscape", he said. According to Mr. Williams, a portion of the proposed PBC should be used to help fund the operations of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. "IBI recognises the importance of a properly funded regulator, but given the financial pressures on so many broadcasters, the PBC must be used to help fund the regulation of the entire sector", he said.

For more business information sto-ries log on to www.businessworld.ie

StandardBusiness2

The new Government must put late pay-ments in commercial transactions at the top of its priorities in its first 100 day commit-ments. The ISMe Credit Watch Survey for spring 2011, shows clearly that smaller enter-prises are being placed under severe pressure by deliberately delayed payments. Despite persistent warnings from the Association, the previous government refused to tackle this issue, due to pressure from big business and state agencies, the main culprits in delayed payments.

Late payments have always been a problem for small businesses and this has intensified as state bodies and accountancy led big business take longer and longer to pay. When smaller businesses are not being paid on time, they cannot in turn pay their suppliers and the vicious domino effect ends with the small-est and most vulnerable being forced to close down, with the resultant job losses.

The main findings from 770 respondents in the ISMe Credit Watch Survey are: ActualaveragepaymentperiodinIreland

for SMes is 73 days, a slight deterioration from 72 days in the winter 2010 survey.

44%areexperiencingdelaysof 3monthsor more.

Bothbigbusinessandstateagenciescon-tinue to take longer credit.

Constructionfirmsarewaiting87days,while Wholesale is shortest at 61 days.

CredittakeninUlstercountiesisshortestwhile Munster & Connacht busi-nesses wait 76 days on average.While the main

government depart-ments have improved their payments, the real offenders are the state agencies and big business, where delays have increased dramatically in the last year with smaller business left with take it or leave it option.

With the deteriora-

tion in late payments across the board, cash flow in the entire SMe sector is drying up and this, coupled with the lack of available, afford-able credit from the banks, is putting many small businesses at risk, with the resulting threat of closures and job losses.

The ridiculous Prompt Payment Act has hadtheexactoppositeeffectonpaymentstowhat was intended, in allowing powerful large customers to abuse their dominant posi-tion by opting out of the law and dictate unreasonable credit terms to their smaller

suppliers.ISMe recommends the following

steps:Amendthecurrentlegislation,which allows business to opt out of the law.Introduceamandatorypaymentsperiod on all national transactions, initially 60 days and overaperiodof 2yearsreducethat to 30 days across the board.

IncludeallStateagenciesandlocalauthorities in the 15 day rule for payment.

Publishpaymentmetricsforallstatedepartments, agencies and local authori-ties annually.

For far too long this issue has been ignored by previous administrations and prompt action would now clearly demonstrate the new Governments willingness to tackle the problem and assist small business, a sector that has contributed so much to the develop-ment of the economy.

LATE PAYMENTS CRIPPLING SMALL BUSINESSBusiness View...

By Mark Fielding

ISME

news in brief... news in brief... news in brief... news in brief...

Ryanair Flying High on passenger numbers

PASSenGer numbers at no-frills airline, Ryanair,roseby8pcinMarchcomparedtothesame month a year earlier, it said today.

The company carried 5.7 million people on its aircraft during the month compared to 5.3 million in March 2010. In the year to the end of March of this year ryanair carried 73.5 million passengers.

The airline's load factor, an industry wide measure of how well an airline manages to fill its aircraft, stood at 79pc, unchanged from a year earlier. The load factor for the 12 months totheendof Marchstoodat82pc.

Cheaper utility bills are on the way

ITSexcellentnewsfortheIrishconsumer,thatthe ESB from next month can lower what itcharges for electricity.

Up until now , the ESB (Electricity SupplyBoard)wereexcludedfromloweringitspricesto compete against other companies until its market sharedropped to less than60%of themarket. From this May, ESB under its new name,

electric Ireland, will offer cheaper prices and as theyarecompetingwiththelikesof BordGaisandAirtricity,Thepublicmightexpectagoodprice war which can only be good for our pock-ets.MoregoodnewsisthattheESBwillenterthe

gas market at the same time to offer lower Gas pricesthanthebiggestsupplierBordGais,whocannot lower their prices under the same rules thattheESBweretiedintobytheenergyregu-lator up to now as BordGais have too big amarket share for gas. ESBwillcompetemainlywithAirtricityand

Flogas in the discounted gas market, with Flogas being the ones to beat as they currently seem to have the best offer in the market.

All this spells good news for the consumer, so if you are looking at changing your electricity orgassupplier,waituntilApriltoseewhatESBare going to offer.

Technical Business...

By

Brian O'BrienBusiness Development

DC Networks LTD

Why does your business need a firewall?

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MenTIon the word Firewall and many of us will picture a brick and mortar structure designed to con-tain a fire in a specific part of a building and prevent it from spread-ing to another part of the building.

Well, you wouldnt be far off the true meaning of the word but in computer terms the Firewall per-forms a role quite similar to that of a Firewall in a building by ensuring that if something bad happens on one side of the Firewall, computers on the other side are not affected.

however, the types of threats I am referring to are numerous and you can read about these threats every-day in the newspapers: worms and viruses, denial of service attacks (remember theMastercard websitewas brought down?) and hackers.Believe me, these threats are outthere and are out to get us big time. hackers are roaming the internet waves like ravenous wolves in a field full of frisky lambs just waiting for

an opportunity!By default a good Firewall will

prevent network traffic from passing between the Internet and your inter-nal network. But hold on youmay say, "I just spent a lot of money to get my internal network to speak to the internet so I can send emails to my suppliers and check the latest sports results. And now I learn that a firewall blocks network traffic. Are you serious?

The answer is simple. The default settings can be adjusted to allow selected traffic through the firewall. The door is opened but safety is still guaranteed. When configured prop-erly, you create some openings that dont compromise network security but enable selected network traffic to pass through unhindered.

This is why every business who opt to protect their internal network should strongly consider a Firewall for their business security.

Standard

Electric cars moving

StandardBusiness 3

Green Business...

Revenue have recently indicated that they intend to carry out checks on the application of the universal Social Charge (uSC) on a number of randomly chosen employers.

However, they have stressed that these checks are not Revenue Audits and anticipate they will be completed within 2-3 hours. All employers would be well advised to carry out a review of how they are applying the uSC to ensure they are in compliance.

Although most payroll software packages will calcu-late the charge correctly, it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure correct employee information is input to enable accurate calculation of the charge.

For example, a holder of a full medical card will only suffer a top rate of 4% but the employer is responsible for ensuring that the employee actually holds the card

and that it is a full medical card. In this regard, it is suggested that copies are taken of the card in each case and retained by the employer.

It is also important to note that the charge is calcu-lated on gross income before pension deductions and including all BIK/notional pay. These are only two issues that may arise but there are many more. Revenue have recently updated their leaflet of FAQs on this subject and this document can be downloaded from the Revenue web site. The leaflet contains extensive guidance and practical examples and all employers should be familiar with its contents, as an inspection could be imminent.

(Barbara O Sullivan CPA, AITI is managing partner at Finn & OSullivan, Certified Public Accountants

www.finnosullivan.ie Ph: 00353 1 426 5862)

I mAde my annual pilgrimage to the energy Show at the RdS at the end of march with a particular interest in viewing the latest electric cars. While there were a few impressive demo models on display my initial enthusiasm was soon deflated as I was not even allowed to spin the motor!

I consoled myself by putting it down to the remit of the overly protective Ladies present as if they were protecting their very own mobile makeup kits. despite that little hiccup however, the undoubted message was clear, once these things start up they will be flying out the door.

When I first got involved in the energy industry in 2007 I was flabbergasted at what was being considered in relation to ecars. I remember the terrible slagging I got when I had the temerity to suggest to a Beamer dreamer work colleague that hed better get a move on before his ownership options expired.

ecars, I said, will soon be the cool dudes fancy. ecars he said, where would you get an extension lead that long! That was only the other day in 2009. now, if you really wanted, you could buy an electric car, van or scooter. How good and cool I feel now!

It may seem sur-prising that one of the main shakers and movers in pro-moting ecars in Ireland is the eSB. They have happily taken on the responsibility for installing the charging infra-structure nationwide for both public and home charging points. An obvious necessity you might say.

As well as that they have signed memoranda of understanding with most of the major ecar suppliers to encourage them to get the show on the road. Strategically, however, for the eSB there is a much larger prize in view than the mere electrification of transport. And that is the smoothing capability that ecars could add to the national electric grid once the volumes hit critical mass.

If properly incentivised and smartly managed, millions of cars taking power from the electric grid during the night, and potentially adding a portion back during the day, would create a levelling in demand on the national grid on any given day; a major generators prize not to be ignored. Thats why your ecar charging plug may come with a smiley face that says tuck me in tonight or even a slot for your makeup!

John Mullaney, who lives in Lucan, is an Energy Consultant cur-rently establishing an energy business called, The Energy Workbench. Contact John at: linkedin or john.energyworkbench@gmail.com

By Barbara

OSullivan

AccOunting REVENUE RANDOM INSPECTIONS ON USC - EXPECT THEM SOON

By John Mullaney

Irish insurance broker First Ireland announces 15 new Dublin jobsFirst ireland, one of the countrys leading inde-pendent insurance brokers, has announced 15 new sales jobs to be filled in the next 12 months.

the company celebrates 30 years in business in 2011 and it is on an aggressive growth drive through acquisitions and new hires, according to company chairman John roe (pictured right).

Co-founder roe predicts the companys Gross Written Premium, GWP, currently standing at circa 50m, will double over the next five years, hitting 100m. We are very optimistic about 2011 and beyond

We are actively looking for opportunities to increase our business through acquisition and hires and our immediate goal is to be irelands

biggest independent insurance broker by the end of 2015, he explains. in 30 years, we have seen staffing levels grow to 100 and our client base to more than 40,000. Our policy has been to target energetic insurance brokers, or books of business, and absorb management and business into our growing entity.

Key to this success has been the dedication of its Board of eight Directors, all of whom work full time in the business.

First ireland began as a motor and house insurance broker as well as a standalone mort-gage business. Over time, more schemes have been added and the Business insurance Division, which also caters for not for profit organisa-tions, is ranked today in the top 10 irish Commercial Brokers

Retail News...Massive gardening opportunity for retailers!

ALSo reported in this months Retail Intelligence general retailers and supermarkets could tap into a huge opportunity in the gardening and home improvement categories, with new data showing that Irish shoppers are increasingly willing to buy these items in non-specialist stores or supermarkets.

The latest Consumer Intelligence survey, compiled by empathy Research, shows that nearly 60% of consumers are planning to spend the same amount of money on their garden this summer as last year. In relation to total spend, a majority of the 1,005 people surveyed said they spend, on average, less than 50 on garden items, with a quarter spending between 50 and 100.

due to the economic climate and a trend towards self-suffi-ciency, more people are investing in home grown vegetables and related products such as containers and fertilisers.

Furthermore, with the decline in house prices resulting in a more subdued property market, consumers are now more likely to invest in improving their own homes and gardens. Almost half of all the survey respondents said they travel specifically to specialist garden centres to buy these type of goods, however 60% said that general retailers and discounters now had a good offering of products of this type.

irish Food Boost for Spain

BoRd Bia has launched a new programme in Spain to boost the image of Irish food? The campaign, which was officially launched by President mcAleese in late march, aims to high-light the quality and reputation of Irish food to Spanish chefs.

Spain is Irelands second largest export market for seafood and the third largest for beef and livestock.

Retail Intelligence is the weekly news service for Check Out Publications that is free and can be subscribed to at www.checkout.ie

The Alpine Reiki and Meditation Centre

Reiki is natural energy from the universe (Known as Universal life energy) an en-ergy that animates us all and is found all around us. Reiki is channelled through the practioner (like a tv signal) the energy flows in through the practitioner and then flows out through their hands to you, all you have to do is relax and enjoy the treatment.

Reiki balances, harmonises and heals all aspects of the person - mind, body emotional and spiritual levels. Reiki is an intutitive energy that goes where it is needed.

To receive a treatment, you do not have to remove any clothes, you usually lie down, a treatment usually lasts about an hour.Reiki helps to:- Promote natural self-healing- Balance the organs and glands- Strengthen the immune system- Treats systoms and causes of illness- Relieves pain

- Clears toxins- Enhances personal awareness- Relaxes and reduces stress- Promotes creativity- Releases blocked and suppressed feelings- Aids meditation and positive thinking

44 Magenta Hall, Santry, Dublin 9.Tel: 01 8620135www.thealpinenaturalhealingandmeditationcentre.ie

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18 The Informer

Health & BeautyWhat microdermabrasion can do for youMiCrODerMABrAsiON is a safe, non-surgical, 'lunch hour' pro-cedure that provides many benefits because it's a quick procedure that can be performed at a salon during your lunch hour with little or no discomfort.

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 beginning to see what a great treatment this is!

What is microdermabrasion? Microdermabrasion is a non-chemi-cal, 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 elas-tin, which further improves your skins 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.

The treated skin may be slightly pink after the treatment depending on how sensitive your skin is. At the rathgar Laser & Beauty Clinic an Algae and Menthol Casmara mask is applied after treatment which completely soothes the skin.

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 does all this with virtually no side effects.

And because non-allergenic crystals are used to treat the skin, it is also an excellent treatment for skin that is sensitive to chemicals.

The Microdermabrasion Procedure: in a microdermabrasion proce-dure, the skin therapist uses a handheld 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.

each treatment takes about an hour and on average six to eight treat-ments at two to three week intervals are recommended for optimal results.

Linda, Senior Therapist, Rathgar Laser & Beauty Clinic Tel: 014976434 www.rathgarlaserandbeauty.ie

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Family Focus

MANY parents who have two or three chil-dren can be amazed at how different they are in terms of personality and demeanour, but is there any truth in the belief that the order in which we are born in a family can determine how the rest of our lives turn out? it seems that experts disagree, but many parents find it interesting anyway. so what does the theory say about your chil-dren?

First children tend to be conscientious, serious and mature. They are high achiev-ers and perfectionists and are comfortable in adult company. Because first-borns can fear losing the undivided attention of their parents when a sibling comes along they can be unwilling to take risks.

Only children are said to be like first-borns but without younger siblings to boss around. Like first-borns, only children also have to live with high parental expectations and tend to be high achievers. They have a good relationship with their parents and other adults but need the company of other

children to develop their social skills.Middle children are often considered to

be left out between the eldest and young-est grabbing all the attention and privileges. some middle-borns can be rebellious and will spend a lot of time with their many friends. They tend to be good team players and excellent at negotiating and compro-mise.

Many youngest children get lots of atten-tion from both siblings and parents as they are growing up. some youngest children rely so much on their siblings to look after them that they find it hard to accept respon-sibility in adulthood. Youngest children are charming, creative and uninhibited.

in the end, whether you can find some truth in the birth order theory or not, chil-dren have widely varying personalities, even within the same family. Most experts agree that whats most important to all chil-dren is that they know they are loved equally by their parents and appreciated for their own personal qualities.

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20 The Informer

On the bookshelf...WE absolutely love this new book from older mum Cari Rosen. The Secret Diary of a New Mum (Aged 43 ) is a hilarious account of becoming a mum in midlife as the author tries to make the transition from experienced TV producer to utterly inexperi-enced parent.

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the first time brings with it excitement, anxiety and numerous challenges. But how do you cope when, to top it all, you dis-cover you are old enough to be the mother of everyone else in your antenatal group?

This is the story of one woman, one new baby, a slipped disc and rather too many wrinkles and what happens as you face up to menopause and new motherhood at the same time.

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Health Issues22 The Informer

Ask the Pharmacist

With Eoin MeanyEoin Meany works as a pharmacist in McCabe's Pharmacy, Ridgewood

Avenue, Swords. If you have a question you would like answered for next issue, please send it by email to

eoin@mccabespharmacy.com or by post to McCabe's Pharmacy, Ridgewood,

Swords, Co. Dublin.

Q: I've seen in the news that the Morning After Pill has recently become available from pharmacies. Is it safe to take? Does it always work? Does it have any side effects?

A: The morning after pill, also known as Emergency Hormonal Contraception or the Emergency Contraceptive Pill (ECP), is a contraceptive method which is used to prevent pregnancy after sex. (I prefer the term ECP as morning after pill implies that it can only be taken the day after sex whereas it can be taken up to 72 hours after sex).

As you may have seen, it has recently been in the news as it is now available without a prescription. To get the ECP you will need to have a short consultation with the pharmacist who will usually ask you a few questions to ensure the ECP is safe and appropriate for you to take. Some of these questions will be of a personal nature, but you can be sure that your privacy will be respected at all times. All pharmacies must now by law have a consulta-tion area where you will be able to speak to the pharma-cist in private. All information you give will be abso-lutely confidential.

Should be taken earlyECP comes in the form of a single tablet which should

be taken as early as possible after sex and no later than 72 hours after the event. If taken within 24 hours of sexual intercourse, it will prevent about 95% of unwanted preg-nancies although this drops to about 58% if taken between 48 and 72 hours after sex. Therefore it is highly

recommended to take the pill as early as possible. ECP can be taken if a woman is not using contracep-

tion, if a contraceptive method has failed (e.g. a split condom) or if a woman is on the contraceptive pill but there is a concern that it might not be effective e.g. due to a missed pill or severe diarrhoea.

If you are taking the contraceptive pill you can still take the ECP. You should continue the contraceptive pill as usual although it is recommended to also use a barrier method of contraception such as condom until your next period.

How it worksECP contains a hormone which works in two ways.

Firstly, it will prevent a woman from ovulating, meaning there will be no egg present for a sperm to fertilise. If ovulation has already occurred, it may prevent a fertilised egg from implanting in the uterus, thus preventing preg-nancy from occurring. It cannot interrupt an ongoing pregnancy. In the event that the ECP fails and you still become pregnant, there is no evidence that it has any adverse effect on the baby.

Side effectsMost women take the ECP without any side effects,

although sometimes it can cause nausea which occasion-ally can lead to vomiting, headache, breast tenderness or disruption to your usual cycle. I often recommend taking Motilium along with the ECP to prevent nausea. It is important to remember that if you vomit within 3 hours of taking the ECP it is regarded as ineffective and you would need to repeat the dose.

I also usually recommend that you take a pregnancy test to rule out the possibility of pregnancy about three to four weeks after taking the ECP. This is especially impor-tant if your next period is delayed by more than five days or if it is very light or much shorter than usual.

It is also important to rule out pregnancy if your period is accompanied by pain greater in intensity than what you would usually expect.

If you are not using a regular method of contraception, you may also wish to visit your GP or a family planning clinic, or ask the pharmacist to discuss contraceptive options. It is important to remember that the ECP will not provide any protection against sexually transmitted infec-tions.

Not a suitable regular contraceptiveThe ECP should not be taken more than once in a cycle

(except for a repeat dose in the event of vomiting), although apart from that there are no restrictions on the number of times it can be taken. However, as it is not as effective as other methods of contraception it is not suit-able as a regular contraceptive method.

Disclaimer: The advice you have been given by the pharmacist should not be regarded as a clinically accurate diagnosis of any disease or a guarantee that a particular medicine is safe for you to take. The advice given is based solely on the limited amount of information provided and so should not be regarded as a substitute for a face to face consultation with a pharmacist, doctor or other health professional who is personally familiar with your medical history.

The lowdown on the 'Morning After Pill'

Celebrating How Horses Help Humans

- Therapeutic Riding - Equine Assisted Learning- Recreational Riding for children with special needs- Equestrian Vocational Training - Individualised Programmes for Youth at Risk - And how to look after the needs of the horse

Where: Festina Lente, Bray, Co. WicklowWhen: Friday & Saturday, May 20 & 21Who & Why: Anyone wishing to work with horses and humans

Festina Lente wish to acknowledge the support of Horse Sport Ireland

www.festinalente.ie jillcarey@festinalente.ie 01-2720704

THE reality of wages cuts, Budget 2011 and rising fuel costs has resulted in a major dent being put in average household earnings. For a couple, both earning 40,000 the net effect of Budget 2011 is being down 226 per month from their household take home pay. With this in mind we tasked ourselves with finding five money sav-ing opportunities to offset this recent tax hike.

While each of the items below is general in nature it will give an overall idea of where savings can be made without to much hassle:

Switch to a cheaper gas/ electricity provider Savings of 10% minimum can be made on gas and electricity. With the average combined cost at circa 150 per home per month. Switching to Bord Gais/ Flogas or Airtricty could save you 15 per month. ESB will also be entering the gas market in the coming months which should put further downward pressure on prices.Total savings of 15 per month

Cheaper Mortgage Protection provider If you have a Mortgage it is likely you will have Mortgage Protection. Life Assurance rates have come down significantly in the last number of years due to a more competitive marketplace. A recent issue of the Sunday Business Post highlighted that savings of up to 30% can be made by reviewing your Life Assurance. It may therefore be worthwhile reviewing your cover to see if you can obtain a lower monthly premium.

The cover you took out with the bank at the time of taking out your Mortgage may not be the most com-petitive available. It is important that borrowers realise that they have a choice, and that they were not under any legal obligation to purchase these types of products from their lender only.

The average monthly premium for Mortgage Protection is 60 per month. A saving of 30% would equate to 18 per month.

In addition SmartQuotes.ie also offers 70% off the first twelve months premiums. For someone paying 60 a month this is a minimum saving of 504 in the first twelve months.This saving in the first twelve months could go towards a holiday, savings or paying off your credit card for example. Contact SmartQuotes.ie on 01

6853813 to get a quick quote. Total saving of 18 per month (additional saving of 504 in the first twelve months with SmartQuotes.ie)

Switch to the corporate health insurance plan This is quite straightforward and only takes one phone call. This is particularly relevant following the recent VHI and Aviva price increases. Go to www.hia.ie (the Health Insurance Authority website). Compare what you cur-rently have versus other providers on the market and the corporate plans available.Total saving of 30 per month (based on a 400 for a family)

Switch to e-mobile With e-mobile customers can enjoy unlimited talk and text for 10 per week. This compares with the Meteor Unlimited Offer of 85 per month. There are even greater savings if you are an eircom customer.Total saving of 80 per month (40 per month per adult)

Review your tax credits and claim a refund While you can only do this once a year you can also go back four years to claim a refund of monies due (medi-cal 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.Contact David Twomey at www.Payroll.ie for further details (Phone 01 2101967) . Obtain a special lower rate by quoting SmartQuotes.ie Total saving of 50 per month (600 spread over 12 months)

The above gives a total saving of 193 per month covering 86% of the difference in income as a result of the budget. Further changes such as reviewing your home insurance or shopping habits (Lidl versus Tesco) should get the total up very close to the 226 per month that Budget 2011 has cost you.

The above should not be construed as advice and is only the opinion of the author.

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24 The Informer

Dublin Advice

FOr many people, being made redundant will constitute one of the most stressful events of their lives. The proportion of people on anti-depressants or painkillers increases by about 60% among those affected by redundancy, when compared to the general population. Understanding the emotional impact of redundancy can allow work-ers to protect themselves when they are faced with the reality of losing their jobs.

Emotional Stages in RedundancyThe experience of redundancy can be compared to that of bereave-

Maeve Halpin is a Registered Counselling Psychologist.

Appletree Health and Wellness, No 126 Ranelagh, Dublin 6.

Contact: 087-2877837

Email: maeve@maevehalpincounselling.comwww.maevehalpincounselling.com

Coping with the emotional impact of redundancy ment, in that it involves significant loss. As with bereaved people, a series of recognisable stages are undergone. First there can be shock, when it is impossible to take in the reality of the situation.

Next comes denial - this isn't happening to me. This is because when something happens that threatens our sense of ourselves and o