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The Duality of Brigid

from ancient goddess to sainted abbess,
how Brigid still has relevance today
n Eoin Meegan
Brigid - one of the most important god-
desses in the Celtic pantheon who tran-
sitioned seamlessly into the new Chris-
tian hagiography, is a towering figure in
the Irish psyche. The name Brigid (or
Brid) means ‘exalted one’, or ‘she who
shines’ and fire and milk are her sym-
bols. Her feast day February 1st was
known in the ancient calendar as Im-
bolc (meaning ‘ewe’s milk’, or ‘residing
in the belly’), and signifying purification;
a time when life begins to emerge from
the pregnant earth. At her birth a spark
of light (Breo-saighead meaning fiery
arrow) shot out from her head, and she
drank the milk of a mystical unearthly
cow, the supreme totemic animal of Im-
bolc. Later she would preside over the
sacred flame, and her name would be
synonymous with light. Her association
with the earth gives her particular rel-
evance for modern times when it was
never so much at risk. Set on the cusp
of spring Brigid is the perfect incarna-
tion for the transition from the Winter
Solstice to the Vernal Equinox.

Two-Brigids courtesy ancient origins.net Continued on page 26

I N T H I S I S S UE …
Pg 3: Ireland at the Oscars Pg 6: Subliminal art Pg 18-19: Valentine’s Pg 30-31 : Grease Extravaganza

* YOU CAN ALSO READ NEWSFOUR ONLINE AT WWW.NEWSFOUR.IE *

Page 2 www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023

DART Customers to Share Journey with

NewsFour Newspaper
is part of a DEASP
Community Employment
Programme
Wildlife of Dublin Bay UNESCO Biosphere
Animal, marine and plant biodiversity of Biosphere on display to rail commuters
There are some new com- lin’s Connolly Station to un- lighted to partner with Iarn- through, and work in a UNE-
muters on Dublin’s DART veil the campaign.  ród Éireann, an organisation SCO-designated Biosphere
service from this week, as which offers sustainable trav- such as we have in Dublin

NewsFour
seals, goats, newts and more The illustrations, on display el to Dublin commuters and Bay.  We are excited to work
appear beside rail customers throughout 2023, give a visitors alike. This project will with the Dublin Bay UNE-
on their journeys. glimpse of the character of bring our wonderful wildlife a SCO Biosphere partnership
Editor the animal and marine life, little closer to DART passen- to bring the biodiversity of the
Eoin Meegan Iarnród Éireann has joined and displays some of the gers and we hope these cari- Biosphere to life for our cus-
with the Dublin Bay UN- flora that thrives within the catures will pique people’s in- tomers with these fun illustra-
ESCO Biosphere partner- Biosphere also. terest to discover more about tions.   Kids and adults alike
Journalists ship to raise awareness of our internationally important will love them, and we hope
Brian Quinn the Biosphere which tens of Dean Eaton, Biosphere Co- wildlife and the biosphere it encourages our customers
Louise Whelan thousands of rail customers ordinator for the Dublin Bay they call home.“ to explore the biodiversity
Niamh Byrne
travel through on DART jour- Biosphere Partnership said: on their doorstep, and travel
neys daily.   “The Dublin Bay UNESCO Jim Meade, Chief Execu- sustainably while doing so.”
Biosphere is committed to tive of Iarnród Éireann said:
A series of 12 specially de- supporting sustainability de- “DART customers and A great idea, bringing nature
Contributors
signed window illustrations velopment activities within Iarnród Éireann staff alike closer to the city.
Gavan Bergin
will promote the biodiversity Dublin Bay and we’re de- are privileged to travel to,
Teresa Weafer
which exists just outside the
Elaine Corcoran
windows of the DART, as the
Ken Richardson various wildlife “hold on” to
Alice Leahy the windows on their journey,
Lorraine Barry across 32 of the carriages on
Helen Walsh the iconic green fleet.   The
Glenda Cimino Lord Mayor of Dublin Car-
Michael Green oline Conroy; Cllr Mary
Hanafin, Cathaoirleach, Dún
Crossword Laoghaire Rathdown County
Gemma Byrne Council; and Mayor of Fingal,
Cllr Howard Mahony joined
Design and Layout with Iarnród Éireann at Dub-
Kieron Stynes

Ad Design
Ian Davis
The Editor’s Corner

Photography
Keith Brennan
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S
o, Valentine’s day is
just around the cor-
ner for those of you
feeling all starry-eyed and
planning a romantic even-
ing over a candlelit dinner
in some subdued restaurant
(bit hard to find these days,
I know), I hear corks pop-
ping already. And for those
of a more sporting nature
it’s that time again when the
Six Nations kicks off. Ireland
will hopefully do well, but the
real test will be in France in
September. We wish them
well. And for GAA lovers the
Allianz League has just got
under way. So lots of activity
ahead.
And then as we head into
March there’s the big one: St
Patrick’s day. The National
holiday will be shored up
by a week of cultural and
fun-filled activities, with of
course the Big Parade tak-
ing center stage. There is
something special in seeing
all the beautiful buildings
around the city bathed in
green. And not only here
but all over the world, from
the Taj Mahal to the White
House, a world clothed in
emerald to celebrate the
Irish. It gives one a warm
fuzzy feeling, recalling the
struggle to get here. One
thinks particularly of those
who left these shores out
of necessity, many never to
see their home land again,
who arrived as refugees on
the streets of New York and
Boston, asylum seekers in
Sydney and Wellington. So
let’s turn our fierce love and
pride in where we came from
into compassion, kindness
and generosity to those who
are now arriving on these
shores today, fleeing war-
torn countries and places of
persecution, and put an end
to these ugly - but mercifully
small - protests. Exclusion
has no part in what it means
to be Irish.
And of course this year we
have two bank holidays
coming up during the life-
time of this issue, as we
celebrate the new Febru-
ary, or Brigid’s bank holiday,
which just happens to be
the subject of our cover and
main feature (pgs. 26-27).
Elsewhere we talk to local
Physical Therapist soon to
be Neuromuscular Therapist
Mairead Walsh about her
many healing modalities
(pg.10), and explore sacred
geometry and abstract spac-
es with exciting new artist
Grace Sophia Rose, a name
most definitely to watch out
for (pg. 6). And keeping the
bubbly flowing on page 3 we
celebrate Ireland’s increased
hopes at the forthcoming
Oscars.
There’s nothing quite like
live entertainment, particu-
larly live theatre, and with
that in mind we give you a
taste of Donnybrook’s latest
offering ‘Moving On’ (pg.12).
And speaking of live perfor-
mances, the combined Mar-
ian College Musical Society
and Muckross Park College
recently blew everyone away
with their performance of
Grease - get the chills on
pages 30-31. And where
would we be without the
flicks? Well, with Valentine’s
just on the horizon you
simply have to gear up for
a romantic movie (or three!)
Pages 18-19 is the place to
go for all the best pointers.
Make sure and share your
popcorn with someone you
love. Have a fabulous bank
holiday(s).
 www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023
Unprecedented Oscar Nominations at this year’s ceremony
I
reland has received the
most nominations for this
year’s Oscars ever with
The Banshees of Inisherin
scooping an incredible nine
of them. The Banshees
nominations are: Banshees
of Inisherin for Best Picture,
Martin McDonagh for Best
Director, Colin Farrell for
Best Leading Actor, Brendan
Gleeson and Barry Keoghan
for Best Support Actor, and
Kerry Condon for Best Sup-
port Actress. The film is also
in for Best Original Screen-
play, Best Original Score,
and Best Film Editing. With
such a cache it’s hard to see
them not picking up at least
one. It’s obvious the film has
made a big impression on
Hollywood.
And the other equally deserv-
ing nominees are: Paul Mes-
cal for Best Actor in Aftersun,
An Irish Goodbye for Best
Page 3
Oscar Expectations high for the Irish
Live Action Film. And the one tional household to live with care. But in this house where the very best of luck. Oscar
everyone’s talking about, An distant relatives for the sum- there are meant to be no night will take place on March
Cailín Ciúin for Best Interna- mer. She is welcomed with secrets, she discovers one 12 and will be eagerly await-
tional Feature Film, the first open arms by Eibhlín (Carrie painful truth. An Cailín Ciúin ed by Irish viewers. If any (or
time an Irish-language film Crowley), but her husband was directed by Colm Bairé- all!!) of the above walk away
has been given the nod. (Andrew Bennett) keeps Cáit ad and produced by Cleona with a statuette on the night
The film’s star, 12-year-old at arm’s length. Slowly, how- Ní Chrualaoi of Inscéal. it will be a hell of a Paddy’s
Catherine Clinch, a local girl ever, a warmth grows within weekend here.
who attends Scoil Bhríde this makeshift family and Cáit We at NewsFour wish Cath-
here in Ranelagh, told the begins to blossom in their erine and all the nominees
media: “I’m so grateful to be
part of this very special film.
My grandparents would be
really proud that the Irish lan-
guage will be heard all over
the world.”
Based on Claire Keegan’s
novella Foster, An Cailín
Ciúin is an intricate, deeply
felt coming-of-age drama
that delves into the meaning
of family through the eyes of
a neglected young girl. Set
in rural Ireland in 1981, the
film follows Cáit (Catherine
Clinch) as she is sent from
her overcrowded, dysfunc-
Catherine Clinch & Carrie Crowley
 Page 4
Reflections on The Royal City of Dublin Hospital, and Homelessness
n Alice Leahy
Reading a recent edition of
NewsFour, brought to my
attention by a D4 reader, I
was reminded once again of
times past.
I spent my student nursing
days living in the Nurses
Home of The Royal City
of Dublin Hospital (Baggot
Street), now the site of the
Dylan Hotel.
I still vividly recall those nights
when I worked as Night Sis-
ter, and later being sent by
the hospital’s Medical Board
to spend time in the London
Hospital prior to setting up
the first Intensive Care Unit
of its type in Ireland with the
Consultants.
This was at a time when the
small voluntary hospitals
played a huge part in the de-
livery of health care to people
from all over the country. All
the main hospitals had Emer-
gency Departments back
then. The loss of those hos-
pitals has never been quanti-
fied, and is not likely to ever
be.
When I trained as a nurse in
the early 60’s my training was
based on an apprenticeship
system. Student nurses in
Baggot Street Hospital, like
most other hospitals at that
time, cleaned floors and toi-
lets, pulled out beds to clean
underneath, learning while
doing so about bed space
and cleanliness before ever
even attending classes.
The once proud building
where everyone worked so
hard under the stewardship
of the Matron and the Board
taking pride in what they did
SOCIAL COMMENTARY
– whatever the discipline --
is now just a memory. Four
years ago I visited the sad,
decaying building that is no
longer The Royal City of Dub-
lin Hospital, where I spent a
day with well-known journal-
ist Catherine Cleary when
we worked together on my
memoir “The Stars Are Our
Only Warmth”, published by
O’Brien Press in 2018. The
experience was both painful
and sad.
On leaving I leaned against
a lamppost and said to my-
self, I would contact some
altruistic patron and ask if he/
she would buy it, give it to us
in the Alice Leahy Trust and
I would organise a group to
run it as a shelter or recovery
centre for homeless people .
How many buildings like The
Royal City of Dublin Hospital
could be revitalised in our
Capital City and beyond?
Does it just need more vision
and cooperation or courage
to take a leap of faith? How-
ever, I quickly realised I no
longer have the energy I had
in 1973 when I left the hos-
pital to work with homeless
people through the then Si-
mon Community.
The limited vision involved
in developing services in to-
day’s world ruled by bureau-
cracy, getting the right staff,
getting adequate grant aid,
and much more, led me to
walk away without a back-
ward glance and continue
to work as we still do in the
world of homelessness.
Back then, a group of doctors
from the Baggot Street Hos-
pital and I started working
in a voluntary capacity with
homeless people. We cycled
around the hostels, providing
an outreach medical service,
always aware that we cannot
look at homelessness in iso-
lation from the community.
In our early days when we
were dealing with people
who were homeless in hos-
tels and on the streets, we
were naively certain that the
problem would be solved
within a year. Nearly half a
century later we’re still here
– see our website www.alice-
leahytrust.ie
I welcome the fact that nurs-
ing has become an academic
discipline while not forget-
ting that one of the benefits
in the old system was having
somebody to turn to when
the going got heavy. Having
a mentor can be a lifeline,
and is now more important
than ever before.
Writing that memoir gave me
time to reflect on decades of
being a frontline worker be-
fore the pandemic focused
everyone’s attention on that
great profession. Maybe we
somehow haven’t been able
to get across the importance
of spending time with people,
of holding someone’s hand,
when that was possible.
Finding time to treat people
properly is the one thing that
is increasingly difficult to jus-
tify in a business-as-usual
healthcare system governed
by performance indicators,
benchmarks and outcomes.
Time spent with people is in-
creasingly seen as “wasting
time with people!”
As a nurse it was good to see
people applauding all these
frontline workers. But should
that show of appreciation
make us think about the sup-
port that nurses and other
frontline workers need to do
their jobs? A fair and proper
www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023
income, linked to a greater
understanding of what health
and healthcare means, is
surely a better show of ap-
preciation than applause?
Since the pandemic it’s qui-
eter in our reception area
in the heart of the Liber-
ties these days. We had, of
course, to close our doors for
a time due to Covid. When
we reopened the doors of
The Alice Leahy Trust on
Dublin’s Bride Road, we had
to put new practices in place
for Covid times. The staff to-
day all continue to wear face-
masks and we ask everyone
to wash their hands as they
come through our basement
door. We treat everyone with
civility and courtesy and ex-
pect the same in return.
The first person who came
in to us when we re-opened
was a man who hadn’t had
a shower since we closed in
March 2020. He said he had
been washing in streams or
at public toilets whenever
he could. He’s a very bright
man. In normal times you
wouldn’t know from his ap-
pearance that he was home-
less. But we were the only
place where he felt he could
have a shower or soak his
feet during those long weeks
of lockdown. So, without us,
he went without. (We have
been campaigning for public
toilets and public showers
since 2006 – see our website
www.aliceleahytrust.ie)
On our first morning back af-
ter our Covid closure we had
three phone calls in one hour
from members of the public
who were concerned about
people on the streets. They
had been given numbers but
encountered answering ser-
vices everywhere, were told
to press one button, and then
the next. Technology is very
useful but robots have no
feelings and can’t measure
the frustration of people on
the other end of the line. This
remains the case for many
services today.
Continued next page
 www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023
The instructions to stay at
home in the severest stage of
lockdown led to a scramble
to find “homes” for people.
Some of those people have
gone back to overcrowded
accommodation while a num-
ber remain on the streets.
A lot of empty commercial
properties like B&Bs, Airbnbs
and hotels have been used
to house people. This tempo-
rary solution is starting to un-
ravel now that tourists have
returned. We are now clearly
seeing the results of cut-
backs over the decades. Cut-
backs have resulted in the
offloading of State services
to the NGO sector, making it
virtually impossible to differ-
entiate between the two.
While of course there is a
distinct lack of houses be-
ing built to accommodate the
number of people requiring
homes we have always said
that homelessness is not just
about housing alone. To that
end we made a submission to
SOCIAL COMMENTARY Page 5
the Oireachtas Joint Commit-
tee on Housing, Local Gov-
ernment and Heritage when
it met to discuss homeless-
ness on 29th January 2021
– see below link to same
https://aliceleahytrust.
ie/2021/02/alice-leahy-ad-
dressed-the-oireachtas-joint-
committee-on-housing-local-
government-and-heritage-at-
a-meeting-of-the-committee-
when-it-considered-home-
lessness-on-friday-29th-jan-
uary-2021/
An important part of our work
in The Alice Leahy Trust is to
build connections and one of Alice Leahy and President Michael D Higgins
the most important of these is nice to believe an apprecia- to mind. His words capture
the connection to the messy tion for that kind of frontline what many of us felt during The Stars are Our Only
realities and basic needs of approach could be a lasting lockdown and continue to as Warmth, a memoir by
people who find themselves legacy of tough times. we struggle together through Alice Leahy is published by
“homeless”; the need for hot these strange times. O’Brien Press
showers, regular basic health The words of the late Tony
care, warm clean clothes, a Gill, street poet who was TODAY Alice Leahy
cup of tea and someone to known to many of your read- Director of Services
whom they can talk if they ers and who used our service Today I spoke to no one, Alice Leahy Trust
wish and respect their right for many years and rests in And nobody spoke to me.
to not engage. It would be our plot in Glasnevin, come Am I dead?
 Page 6 ESOTERIC ART www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023

Bridging the physical and ethereal

Emerging young artist Grace Sophia Rose
ARTIST BIO

Grace Sophia Rose is an artist, healer and seer,

born and living in Dublin. She holds a joint B.A De-
gree in Fine Art & History of Art from The National
College of Art & Design from which she graduated
in 2010.
 
Upon graduating Grace co-founded BLOCK T, one
of Ireland’s largest artist-run studio spaces and gal-
lery, and for six years, curated and produced an
extensive number of events, exhibitions and pro-
grammes in support of emerging artists, musicians
and performers.  She continues to work in the realm
of community and culture with Dublin City Council,
alongside her other practices.
 
Advocating for the appreciation of arts and culture
throughout her life, Grace holds closely the idea that
the arts and our creative potentiality act as a key to
the 5th province  - the province of the heart - helping
us to understand, remember and express who we
truly are.

Grace has undergone several training programmes

to explore methods of energetic and magical prac-
tice from the Spiritual Arts Academy with Joseph
Holzer, and holds a diploma in consciousness stud-
ies from the Jungian Centre, Dublin. She is currently Grace in her studio
training with the Temple of Éiriú as a shamanic cer-
emonialist.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Grace’s work comes into form through her connec-

tion and exploration of the astral ‘dream’ worlds, her
meditation practice and visionary experiences. Her
work is often symbolic, as she draws from the in-
ner and metaphysical worlds or planes of existence.
Her work translates and bridges these realms into a
physical expression through the medium of oil paint,
channelled drawings and script. Grace’s work ref-
erences and explores sacred geometry, archetypal
imagery, abstract symbolism, the cosmic and the
metaphysical. 

​hroughout her artistic career, Grace’s practice

T
sought to interrogate and understand liminal space
- the space in between spaces, exploring the in-
terplay and phenomenology between physical and
non-physical reality. ​During her time after college
Grace experienced profound shifts in conscious-
ness which led her interests to develop and deepen
into an extensive study of metaphysics, alchemy,
esotericism and mysticism. ​

Her path has taken her on many adventures around

the world, and she has dedicated a lot of her life to
exploring these mysteries and our celestial origins
on her journeys throughout Ireland, Europe, Egypt, Gráinne - Sovereign
Mount Shasta C.A, Mexico and Avalon, UK.  Triple Goddess of The Sun
All of these threads and many more are weaving her
life into a rich tapestry from which she draws from in
her current work. Celestial Elements
www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023 Page 7

BADRA Function
 Page 8 MOTIVATION www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023

Life is Full of Amazing Possibilities

Helen Walsh Coaching
Helen Walsh is an international life and health
coach and one of Ireland’s leading wellness ex-
perts - her portfolio includes some of the biggest
names from entertainment, politics, media and
business.
Helen teaches Coaching and Self Development
at Transition Year level in one of the most pres-
tigious schools in Dublin.  She also gives back
to society in big ways with her PASS IT ON ini-
tiative that she has run for over 20 years.
Helen has received Community Awards from
the Lord Mayor and an acknowledgement from
the President, Michael D Higgins back in 2019.

Best known for motivating and supporting thou-
sands of people to achieve their individual goals,
Helen became a coach as a result of working
for a long time in the Health and Fitness indus-
try and discovered a connection between their
mind, body and their nervous system, teaching
people how to step into their personal power to
make their lives easier, more fulfilled and full of
energy.
She has also written two books during lock-
down, titled, ‘The Coach - Finding a New Kind
of Normal’, and ‘The Coach - A Practical Guide
to Starting Over’. Both  are available on Amazon
to download on Kindle.
Here, she shares some tips for goal setting and
making small changes to your daily life, which
can result in a more positive way of being.

n Helen Walsh
Our New Year resolutions at this
stage, are for the most part, a distant
memory. Statistics tell us that only 2%
out of the 25% of people who make
resolutions will make the changes
that they promised themselves as the
bells rang in the New Year.
 
CHANGE and GROWTH
CHANGE and GROWTH are really
important to us as human beings;
however, we don’t like forced change
or when someone tells us we have to
do things differently, but when we de-
cide to do it for ourselves and follow
through it can be very empowering,
and give us a sense of control.  ply mean we have outgrown certain
Setting little goals and following
through on them can build self es-
teem and confidence and sometimes
give us the courage to go on to do
something even bigger.
As a life and health coach, the peo-
ple that come and see me are usu-
ally stuck.  Sometimes we have no
choice about our situation for now,
only about how we see it…but being
stuck can be really good, it can sim-
aspects of our life and it is time for
change.
So how do we know which direction
to go in next?
The first thing we have to acknowl-
edge if we are worried about making
changes are the feelings around it.
Are we letting fear or what other peo-
ple think of us get in the way? If that
is the case maybe you can do it any-
way and tell nobody till you are ready
to.
Helen Walsh
If you are not sure what it is you thanks to our phones now give us a
would like to do, start small.  If there huge advantage.
is an area that you might be interest-
ed in, maybe start with buying a book Start by breaking it down into small
on that subject or talk to someone steps or goals that will get you there
who has done it already or check out and just take your time. Having some-
some YouTube videos. thing to work towards is really good
for your mental health and will help
When you are on the right track you you feel like you have a purpose.
will be able to feel the excitement
and nervousness in your body when What I know for sure is that in over 30
you think about doing it, and this is a years working with people who want
great sign. to change not one of them has ever
Anytime I tried something new in the regretted trying. 
past, I would be excited and nervous
about it, this is a totally normal reac- Life is full of amazing possibilities and
tion. great experiences if you give yourself
a chance to be open to them…so go
Change for you might be a new job, for it, sometimes the worst outcome
a new skill or learning a new sub- we can have is regret. 
ject. It could be travelling or going on
an adventure, joining a new group Helen Walsh
or course or re-inventing yourself, Health and Life Coach
the opportunities are endless and www.helenwalsh.ie
the information we have access to
 www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023
Watch out for the SIGNS of Suicide (SOS) - says Pieta
P
ieta - Ireland’s na-
tional suicide preven-
tion charity - is once
again raising awareness
for its bi-annual ‘SIGNS of
Suicide’ campaign. The or-
ganisation’s Helpline team
received 99,042 calls and
texts last year and delivered
over 51,000 therapy hours,
highlighting that it is more im-
portant than ever that people
are mindful of the ‘SIGNS of
Suicide’ and know what to
look out for in loved ones.
Warning signs to watch out
for include:
· Sleep Disturbance
· Isolation
· Giving Away Possessions
· No Interest in Anything
· Speaking of No Future
Currently, 35% of Pieta’s
clients are under the age of
18, while in Ireland, the over-
all suicide rate for males is
three times higher than that
of females according to CSO
data. This indicates that men
are less likely to reach out
Barnardos calls for immediate
reform of CAMHS for children in care
B
arnardos is calling on
the Government to
improve support for
children in care experienc-
ing mental health issues in
response to the report by the
Mental Health Commission
which has highlighted signifi-
cant deficits in the Child and
Adolescent Mental Health
System (CAMHS).
The mental health commis-
sion’s report yesterday was
extremely concerning. When
children are refused CAMHS
support, for example for fail-
ure to meet thresholds, there
is often nowhere else appro-
priate for them to go to get
appropriate mental health
support. Their mental health
and ask for help.
Pieta is encouraging people
to ‘swap the small talk for
the big talk’ and open up to
a family member, friend, or
trusted confidante. Talking to
loved ones about emotions is
a difficult, but important, first
step and can help alleviate
distress before things spiral
or escalate. It is essential
that anyone struggling with
suicidal thoughts seeks help
from a trained professional.
As part of this year’s cam-
paign, Pieta has partnered
with wellness influencer
Nathalie Lennon and Singer
Songwriter Aaron J Harte
with both in attendance at the
campaign launch.
Speaking about the ‘SIGNS
of Suicide’ campaign, Steph-
anie Manahan, Pieta CEO,
said: “While mental health
struggles aren’t confined to
any one period of the year,
we do know that January
can be especially difficult for
anyone experiencing a men-
tal health crisis or suicidal
ideation. That is why Pieta
is keen to spread the word
and wellbeing can deteriorate
as a result.  their mental health as well
Freda McKittrick, Head of
the Barnardos Guardians ad
Litem Service said: “Nowhere
is this more concerning than
for children in the care of the
State. Guardians ad Litems
working with Barnardos rou-
tinely report that there is a
failure of the current system
to provide adequate mental
health support to children in
care, particularly in relation to
CAMHS.  in a position to advocate
These children are often
among the most vulnerable
in the country. In addition to
mental health issues they
will often have experienced
significant trauma and be
suffering from additional ad-
versities. The lack of a multi-
disciplinary approach for chil-
dren in care around mental
MENTAL HEALTH Page 9
about the SIGNS of Suicide
and to reiterate the mes-
sage that it’s okay to not be
okay. We encourage people
all over Ireland to ‘swap the
small talk for the big talk’ and
look out for the ‘SIGNS of Su-
icide’ in family members and
friends. If someone you know
is struggling, remember to
follow the three simple steps
of A.P.R - Ask, Persuade,
Refer. Doing so could help campaign ambassador Aaron J Harte
save your loved one’s life.”
ing to them openly and hon-
Pieta and Sam’s Barbers estly is one of the best things Pieta’s qualified counsellors
you can do. Even just listen- specialise in suicide preven-
As part of the campaign, Pi- ing is one of the most pow- tion and tackling self-harm.
eta has an ongoing partner- erful tools available. Once The charity operates centres
ship with Sam’s Barbers. you have asked the question, at 20 locations across Ireland
With many young people calmly and gently Persuade as well as a Free 24/7 Crisis
viewing the barbers as a safe them to seek help or to allow helpline. All services are pro-
space where they can be you to assist them in getting vided free of charge and no
vulnerable and speak freely help. If you cannot persuade referral is needed.
about their feelings. Pieta them, remember that Pieta’s  
and Sam’s Barbers are con- 24/7 Crisis Helpline is open For more information
tinuing to remind young men 24 hours a day. As soon as and help, please visit:
of the importance of reaching you can, Refer or guide them www.pieta.ie
out and talking to someone, to Pieta – if you can, make
particularly in times of crisis. the call with them or travel
with them to the appointment.
Remember: If someone
opens up to you, don’t be
afraid to Ask them directly if
they are thinking of suicide or
want to kill themselves. Talk-
health support jeopardises
as the care they receive for
other needs they have such
as in relation to a disability
diagnosis. A lack of adequate
mental health can exacer-
bate their issues, further
traumatise them, and lead to
a deterioration of their health
and wellbeing. In this way the
state can fail in their duty to
protect these children, par-
ticularly concerning as their
families and parents are not
further on their behalf. This
needs to be addressed as a
matter of urgency.
The Barnardos Guardians
ad Litem Service was estab-
lished in 1997 – the service
is based in Dublin and Cork,
and covers all areas of Ire-
land.
 Page 10
n
Mairead Walsh – Empower Sports Therapy
Louise Whelan
H
ow many people today
are living their dream
life?
Smashing goals left right
and centre and still room for
more? Mairead Walsh is that
person.
Living in Irishtown with her
two children, Mairead is a
qualified physical therapist
and soon to be known as a
neuromuscular therapist af-
ter she completes her stud-
ies in April.  She runs her
own full time business from
Lloyds Pharmacy in Ring-
send, offering her services of
sports massage, dry nee-
dling, deep tissue cupping,
sports taping and strapping.
Mairead has always wanted
to work with people but she
had to wait for the right time
to put her skills out there.  dium for getting where she is
Having finished school at
17 after her Leaving Cert,
she went straight into work
in the finance industry for
the next 18 years.  She was
always interested in sports
and fitness and that was
her real passion, so about
eight years ago she decided
to sign up for a physical
therapy course which she
absolutely loved and learned
loads, but at the time she
couldn’t leave a well-paid job
to start a business so she
put that idea on the back
burner as it wasn’t the right
time.  called ‘magic hands’ by her
When Covid hit, Mairead
started a sports massage
course, then dry needling
and deep tissue cupping.  This is because Mairead
She committed herself to do
course after course to gain
all the knowledge and know-
how of her chosen field and
she soaked it all up.  She
also started working with
a couple of local sporting
clubs in the Dublin 4 area to
get her experience and then
it all came together when
Mairead was made redun-
dant from her job so she
took that as a sign to get her
new venture off the ground
and let her journey begin.
Mairead credits St Patrick’s
CYFC up in Irishtown Sta-
today.  They allowed her to
use the space in the club-
house and were so accom-
modating and helpful to her
during the beginning of her
career; she still works with
them every Monday evening.  not otherwise be able to
It all seemed to go uphill
from the minute she de-
cided to go on this new path
and Mairead knew this was
where she was meant to
be, what she was supposed
to be doing, and that this
career was her calling.  She
HEALTH AND FITNESS
puts her heart and soul into
her business and has been
clients in the sense that she
works to such a high stand-
ard on the muscles, know-
ing what each client needs. 
has such a special gift, like
a sixth sense when it comes
to dealing with injuries or
soreness and can know
straight away which part of
the body needs to be worked
on as everything is connect-
ed.  She is all about injury
prevention and finding the
root of the problem, rather
than someone going to see
her with a sore foot and just
working on that, then send-
ing them off to do some
exercise, that is not the way
Mairead works.  She likes to
educate people about their
bodies as that’s what she’s
qualified to do.
While providing the highest
of standards, Mairead keeps
her prices low, because she
knows a lot of people need
treatment that they might
afford, and she is eager that
everyone who needs correct
treatment gets it, without
having to worry unduly about
the cost. Helping people
in this way makes her very
happy, and she gets joy and
satisfaction knowing she is
reducing someone’s discom-
fort and pain.
There is also a mental health
aspect when it comes to
what Mairead does.  If you
are injured your mental
health can suffer as a result
as you may not be able to
move around as much which
can affect your endorphin
levels.  So Mairead works
really hard to help those who
have injuries or ailments and
get them back to feeling fit
and healthy.
Sports massage is the main
treatment she does and
she has a great client base
with regulars, athletes and
non-athletes alike.  You don’t
have to be athletic or sporty
to see Mairead as sports
therapy works the muscles
rather than the skin so it’s
www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023
more beneficial in the long
run.  She recently has added
a new tool called RIP (recov-
ery, injury and prevention)
for tight calves and allows
for deep muscle penetration,
releasing tightness through-
out the body.
Mairead is a very energetic
person and loves to train
4/5 times a week. She is
enthusiastic about men-
tal well being and looking
after herself so she enjoys
cycling, hiking, boxing on
the beach, sea swimming,
yoga and pilates.  She is a
firm believer in moving the
body to help the mind and
is always pushing herself to
be the best version she can
be.  When Mairead is not
working, she hits the books
and loves to learn. There
is always something new
to know in her line of work,
as the more she learns, the
more she can give to other
people.  But she learns from
others also which is wonder-
ful as she’s happy to take
on board and work together
with the person she is treat-
ing.  She loves a challenge
and is already thinking of her
next course.   giving back and more impor-
Mairead also has a deep
spiritual side and a deep
faith so she enjoys medita-
tion, reading self-help books,
and Reiki healing in her
down time.  She goes to
local girl Sinead Kavanagh
for Reiki whom she recom-
mends as amazing,
(@sineadshealingjourney
on Instagram) and always
feels the benefits of the Reiki
session with Sinead straight
away, releasing the stagnant
energy that can get picked
up from everyday life, and
bringing in the new fresh
energy to feel revitalised and
renewed. 
Mairead has wholeheartedly
embraced her spirituality. It’s
who she is and she’s not go-
ing to hide it away.  She has
completed a 10-week course
on Tarot Reading which is
separate to her physical
therapy work but something
that she wanted to pursue
and explore, and hopefully in
April she can start launching
that.
Her next goal in life is to
have her own Empower
Sports Therapy premises
in Dublin 4 and whether it
be this year or next, it is
something that Mairead sees
happening and she is very
excited about the next plans
in her career.  She hopes
to continue doing a job that
she is absolutely devoted
to, keep on learning, keep
tantly, keep living the life she
loves.
Empower Sports Therapy
can be found on Instagram.
If you would like to get in
touch with Mairead to book a
session you can also contact
her on 0863765267
 www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023
D
o you (or your partner)
notice that you snore
loudly? This (or the
constant elbowing) could be
affecting your sleep quality.
It is caused by a fluttering of
soft tissue at the back of the
mouth, nose or throat area. It
is often easily solved by an
oral appliance which holds
the jaw in a forward posi-
tion, stopping the fluttering.
Dr Saoirse O’Toole, Prostho-
dontist from Northumberland
Dental Care in Ballsbridge,
provides these bespoke oral
appliances which are also
used to treat mild to moder-
ate forms of obstructive sleep
apnoea.
She answers a few frequent-
ly asked questions below.
What is obstructive sleep
apnoea?
Obstructive sleep apnoea
occurs when the soft tissues
in your airway collapse dur-
ing sleep. This causes you
to stop breathing for a brief
period of time. When this
happens the body comes
Snore No More!
out of proper sleep to re-es-
tablish breathing. This hap-
pens multiple times an hour,
every hour, every night and
it means you don’t get rest-
ful sleep. Because your body
oxygen levels drop, it also
affects your heart health. As
we are increasingly recognis-
ing the importance of sleep,
we are increasingly finding
different conditions that un-
treated obstructive sleep ap-
noea makes worse.
I snore. Do I also have
­obstructive sleep apnoea?
Snoring is very common,
particularly when you are on
your back when the jaw and
soft tissues fall back or when
you have consumed alcohol
and the soft tissues are more
relaxed. While we all snore
from time to time, habitual
snoring affects about 44% of
males and 28% of females
between 30 - 60 years of
age. Obstructive sleep ap-
noea on the other hand, af-
fects about 4% of the popu-
lation. It is more common in
the following groups
• Being overweight/obese
If you are overweight, your
risk of developing sleep ap-
noea greatly increases. This
is because excess weight
around your neck and air-
ways can make breathing
more difficult.
• Older age
While sleep apnoea can af-
fect people of any age, you
are more likely to develop the
condition if you are aged 40
or above.
• If you take sedative
medications
Certain medications may
have an effect on your air-
ways which can cause sleep
apnoea. This includes medi-
cations with a sedative effect
such as sleeping tablets.
• Being male
Males are more likely to have
obstructive sleep apnoea,
particularly if you have a
large neck size.
• Family history
If a family member has sleep
apnoea, you may be at high-
er risk of developing the con-
dition.
How do I know if I have
­obstructive sleep apnoea?
The main complaint from
those with obstructive sleep
apnoea is tiredness. Be-
cause they are not sleeping
properly at night they are
often sleepy during the day.
However, some people do
not feel tired. In this case,
you often won’t be the one
to notice symptoms as they
occur while you sleep. These
symptoms can include loud
snoring, gasping or snort-
ing. This may cause you to
wake up frequently through
the night. Even if you don’t
awaken, you may be brought
to a light sleep. You also tend
to wake up more to go to the
toilet.
Page 11
About the author
Dr Saoirse O’Toole qualified
from Trinity College Dub-
lin in 2009. After 5 years in
general dental practice she
started her clinical PhD in
erosive tooth wear at King’s
College London and Guy’s
Dental Hospital. She remains
a clinical lecturer at King’s
where she underwent further
clinical training in Prostho-
dontics while continuing her
research.
Dr Saoirse O’Toole has pub-
lished two book chapters
on tooth wear, over 40 peer
reviewed papers, has a pat-
ented device for detecting
gastric acids intraorally, a
software for detecting in-
traoral changes with 3D scan-
ners and lectures internation-
ally. She regularly appears in
the media and her research
was featured on BBC’s “Trust
me, I’m a doctor”.
 Page 12
Book Review: Horizon, Journey of the mind! by Harry Cavendish
n Niamh Byrne
T here are only trees on this
winter scene
Their upward pointing leaf-
less twigs are
Shrill with the calm of loveli-
ness,
And the Sun laughs down,
baleful, with a bleary smile.
Former NewsFour Journalist
Harry Cavendish has pub-
lished ‘Horizon’, his first book
of poems. Harry who now re-
sides in Wicklow spent some
time ‘living on the edge’,
which included a year living
off-grid on a remote island
off the coast of Connemara.
That the poet is well-travelled
and is very in touch with na-
ture, and able to convey its
beauty and power, shows in
his work.
In his poem ‘Acorns’ he com-
pares something naturally
Beaver Row Heritage Players are ‘Moving On’ and Branching Out
n Glenda Cimino
A
fter the doldrums of
covid lockdowns, Bea-
ver Row Heritage Play-
ers has regrouped. They will
present the premiere of their
latest project, a rehearsed
reading of a new play by
writer and director Glenda
Cimino of Donnybrook, FOR
ONE NIGHT ONLY, in the
Boys School of Smock Alley
theatre [Exchange St Low-
er, Temple Bar] at 9:45 pm
on Thursday, 16 February.
“Moving On” runs 45 minutes
straight through, and tickets
are €8 online from Smock
Alley and €10 at the door on
the night if not sold out.
The play is about the ‘tragi-
comedy of love,’ in which
all the characters are at a
turning point in their rela-
tionships and their different
understandings of love. The
entire play takes place in
and around a park bench in a
public park [inspired by Her-
bert Park]. There are eight
actors in the play - and a cat:
Melusine, named after the
alleged ancestor of Britain’s
monarchs dating back to the
15th century.
made as being more beauti-
ful than what architects could
build, for example, some-
thing as massive as the Eiffel
Tower that people pay a lot
more money to see cannot
compare to the inexplicable
creation of the acorn.
“In a thousand years no Ar-
chitect could emulate it,”
Elsewhere he meditates on
religion and the afterlife. In
doing so he compares his
knowledge of how he looks
at life now to the way he did
while growing up, and how
he then saw it very differ-
ently. One of my favourites
in the collection is his poem
‘The Dead.’ It’s a poem that
speaks of the dead and how
they now know what we
don’t. Talking about the bed-
time stories we tell, he won-
ders if that is one of the many
“About 30 years ago I dis-
covered and was fascinated
by legends connected with
Melusine, as a woman, a
dragon, a mermaid-like fairy,
and wrote a play about her,
which was lost and thus
never produced. In that play
a journalist goes up into the
mountains and finds Melu-
sine, now a dragon living in
a cave, and she tells him her
true story. In recent years, I
discovered through genea-
logical research that I am a
direct descendant of two of
her alleged descendants,
Jacquetta of Luxembourg
and her daughter, Elizabeth
Woodville - both of whom
were accused of witchcraft.
Makes you wonder where
‘inspirations’ come from,
doesn’t it?”
Glenda and James Martinez
co-founded Beaver Row Her-
itage Players in 2015, and
their first production was
‘Wesleyans and Hatters of
Beaver Row,’ a site-specific
historical play with audience
participation, also written by
Glenda. In this play, part fan-
tasy and part history, due to
POETRY - DRAMA
reasons why we are so afraid
of death, even though it is
inevitable and something we
know nothing about.
‘Bird’ recalls the savage and
primitive yearning of nature:
What primitive yearning to
see as she sees?
With a head that can twist to
alarming roundabout,
And what skill as a hunter,
stuffing her face
Carnivorous and terrifying,
the unfortunate mouse torn
asunder!
Loneliness is a leitmotif that
permeates this collection,
none more so than in ‘Aloy-
sius’, as it peers into the ritual
and severity of the Benedic-
tine order. While ‘Acorns’ re-
joices in the cyclical nature
of the world and humanity as
an illness of the actor who
was cast, Glenda played
‘The Mad Hatter’ and James
played the Dormouse. Re-
becca Blomfield, who was
the Queen of Hearts in that
first production, plays Liz, the
husband-stealing neighbour
in ‘Moving On.’ Mary Pat
Moloney, a Heritage Players
regular, some may remem-
ber, played Molly Woods in
our Donnybrook Patriot Trail
Walk in 2016 - in front of and
behind the house where Mol-
Cast of Beaver Row Heritage Players’ new play, ‘Moving On’.
left to right, Joe McKinney, Rebecca Blomfield, Mary Pat Moloney, Deirdre Jones,
Lorna Fox, Ciaran Daly, Nicholas Lane, and Sienna O’Dea.
www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023
part in it.
At the beginning of the book
sidering Harry’s a former NF
stallworth we wish him every
best success with his collec-
in thanking a friend for putting tion of beautiful poems.
his work forward as a poet,
he says it “occasioned the
wind in my sails at exactly the
right time.” This quote stuck
with me reading through the
book as it is echoed in so
many of the poems, particu-
larly pertaining to nature, and
how everything happens at
the right time.
The publishers described this
collection as “A book of poet-
ry with imagery and concepts
polished over a lifetime of in- Horizon, Journey of the
tellectual inquiry. At 58 years mind! by Harry Cavendish
old, it is Cavendish’s first col- is published by Austin Ma-
lection of poetry and repre- cauley (2022) and costs
sents the start of his career €10.41 paperback. Also
rather than the end.” If you available to download on
love poetry this is definitely Amazon.
one to consider buying. Con-
ly lived. In ‘Moving On,’ she EVENT: Rehearsed reading
plays Lucy, a wife who has of ‘Moving On’ – one night
to start life all over again after only
30 years of marriage. TIME: 9:45 PM - 10:30 PM
DATE: Thursday, 16 Febru-
‘Moving On’ is one of the 108 ary 2023
new productions chosen from LOCATION: Boys School,
several hundreds of propos- Smock Alley Theatre, 6-7
als by the ambitious Scene Exchange St, Temple Bar
and Heard New Play Festi- TICKETS: €8 online from
val, which begins on the 9th Smock Alley, 10 on the door
February and runs through
the 26th, with all shows in Scene + Heard Festival at
Smock Alley. Smock Alley Theatre
www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023 Page 13
 Page 14
Banksy World Tour Comes to Dublin
A collection of artworks by Banksy is making its way to Dublin next year
n BJ Quinn
F
ollowing a successful
world tour, including
London, Melbourne,
Tel Aviv and San Francisco,
the critically-acclaimed Art
of Banksy exhibition has an-
nounced it will be opening in
three further cities in 2023:
Glasgow, Birmingham and
(cue drumroll) Dublin!
The exact date and the lo-
cation have yet to be an-
nounced, however Banksy
fans can join the advance
waiting list over at quaytick-
ets.com to be amongst the
first to find out.  protester throwing a bouquet
The Art of Banksy is the
world’s largest touring col-
lection of authenticated and
unique Banksy artworks,
made up of 145 iconic pieces
from across the globe. The
tour is neither curated nor au-
thorised by the famed graffiti
artist, rather the works are on
loan from private collectors.
So what can you expect to
see from this Banksy world
Hugh Lane Gallery Award 50k Commission to Filmmaker
n BJ Quinn
Artist Jijo Sebastian
L
ast month, Hugh Lane
Gallery and Create (the
National Development
Agency for Collaborative Arts
in Social and Community
Contexts) announced Jijo
Sebastian as the successful
recipient of their commission
2022-2024. Sebastian is a
collaborative filmmaker with
more than ten years of expe-
rience in participatory, collab-
orative and transcultural film-
making in community-based
contexts.
tour? Well, if you’re at all fa-
miliar with Banksy’s work,
there’s plenty here to gar-
ner your interest. Produced
by Starvox Entertainment,
The Art of Banksy chronicles
some of the highlights of the
provocateur’s career, offering
a rare opportunity to see an
overview of Banksy’s work
from 2002 to 2017, includ-
ing pieces that brought the
artist international recogni-
tion such as Girl With Bal-
loon (2002), Flower Thrower
(2003) which sees a young
of flowers, and Rude Cop-
per (2002) which depicts a
policeman holding up his
middle finger. Also among
the pieces is Brace Yourself
(2010), which made head-
lines when Banksy gifted the
painting to the band formerly
known as Exit Through the
Gift Shop in exchange for the
rights to their name.
Jijo Sebastian recipient of outstanding award
“Hugh Lane Gallery is de-
lighted to once again col-
laborate with Create and
congratulates Jijo Sebas-
tian as the successful re-
cipient. As a filmmaker, Jijo’s
work is deeply embedded in
transcultural communities
and the complexities of mi-
grant identities. Through his
collaborative and engaging
approaches to filmmaking
he pushes the conventional  Participation Bursary (2020).
boundaries of the medium
and we are very excited to be
working with him on this com-
mission” — Barbara Dawson,
Director, Hugh Lane Gallery.
Following on from their suc-
cessful partnership on the
prestigious CAPP Commis-
sion in 2017 – awarded to
Seamus Nolan’s Traveller
Collection – The Hugh Lane
Gallery and Create came to-
gether last year with a new
commission inviting sub-
missions from artists from a
minority ethnic background
ART
The exhibition’s tour abroad
was met with rave reviews.
Harper’s Bazaar advised
“This isn’t one to miss,” Marie
Claire proclaimed it “A must
see!” while TimeOutToronto
described The Art of Banksy
as “a welcome reminder of
the explosive impact of the
artist’s works, and of the
powerful potential of street
art.”
The last time Dublin hosted
Banksy artworks was as part
of the ArtSource showcase
back in 2019 at the RDS.
Of course back then at-
tendees could only enjoy 12
screen prints by the anony-
mous British-based artist.
Still, this modest collection of
works managed to draw over
15,000 people to the event,
proving Dubliners are des-
perate to catch an eyeful of
the elusive artist. 
Back in 2016 many thought
and/or who have lived expe-
rience of displacement and/
or are shaped by histories of
intergenerational migration.
Previously, Jijo Sebastian
was awarded an Artist in the
Community Scheme Project
Realisation Award in 2015
and an Arts Council ‘Next
Generation’ Bursary Award
in 2016, in addition to an Arts
He has co-written, directed
and edited eight short films
and one tele-film collaborat-
ing with individuals, groups
and families from the Keralite
Indian community and oth-
ers in Ireland. His practice
and films find coherence in
their shared immigrant-ori-
ented themes, participatory
methodologies and suburban
Dublin geographical context.
The key concerns that under-
pin his practice and current
thematics are transcultural
space, intercultural relations,
the complex nature of immi-
www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023
Banksy was responsible for
a mural which sprung up on
Moore Street. This came dur-
ing a flurry of protests cam-
paigning for the preservation
of the historic street. The
work was a riff on the famous
image of Rising Leader Pád-
raig Pearse surrendering to
the British forces in 1916. In
this version, however, which
bore the artist’s signature,
Pearse is depicted surren-
dering to men in hi-visibility
jackets, presumed to be
builders. Banksy’s work has
often dealt with contentious
Banksy in Boston (Source-staticflickr)
grant identity and its trajec-
tory of transitioning.
“Create is really delighted to
work with Hugh Lane Gallery
in awarding Jijo Sebastian
this important commission
and supporting him during
the process ahead. Our es-
tablishment of this commis-
sion speaks to both Create
and Hugh Lane’s commit-
ment to durational and rela-
tional collaborative work, in
place. Jijo is recognised as
a talented collaborative film-
maker with an inspiring track
record of meaningful en-
gagement with diverse com-
munities. We look forward to
seeing him bring his unique
approach to this timely work,
and the communities of Dub-
lin city.” — Damien McGlynn,
Director, Create.
Sebastian intends to use this
commission opportunity to
engage with families from di-
verse backgrounds in Dublin
subjects and features satire
on political and social sub-
jects, so all the hallmarks
were there. Unfortunately
for Dublin art fans Banksy’s
agent soon came out, an-
nouncing “this work is NOT
by the artist Banksy.”
To see a bonafide origi-
nal Banksy piece, the Art of
Banksy exhibition is where
to be, a showcase offering
a rare opportunity to experi-
ence the works of one of the
world’s best-known contem-
porary artists up close.
city, working collaboratively
to make a film sharing sto-
ries happening in the liminal
space between cultures, and
communities. Jijo will bring
these families together into
a common creative space
where stories and experi-
ences will be shared to gen-
erate connections across
differences. Conceptually,
this will be an opportunity to
explore, question and medi-
ate the existence and nature
of a transcultural space and
interrogate how the global
and local both affect commu-
nities in Dublin in transcend-
ing cultural boundaries. This
work is intended to forge true
and lasting relationships and
go past the ‘event’ culture by
practising intercultural living
via organising social activi-
ties with and among mem-
bers of the group and par-
ticipating in cultural events of
different communities.
 www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023 CULTURE Page 15

NCH Set For “Once-in-a-Generation” Redevelopment

Government announces redevelopment and
restoration project for the National Concert Hall
n BJ Quinn

T
he long-planned re-
development of the
National Concert Hall
(NCH) took a step forward
this past December as the
Government announced its
support for the largest rede-
velopment project ever in a
National Cultural Institution.
The project was brought to
Government by the Minister
for Tourism, Culture, Arts,
Gaeltacht, Sport and Media,
Catherine Martin and is a
major project under her Na-
tional Cultural Institutions in-
vestment programme.

The redevelopment was orig-

inally announced in 2018 as
part of Project Ireland 2040,
with €78 million initially pro-
posed for the project. At that
point it was hoped that the
NCH would close in 2021 for
the works to commence and
reopen its doors in 2023, but
then the Covid-19 pandemic
scuppered those plans. The
Government has now said
the budget will “be elabo-
rated and refined as the pro-
cess proceeds.”  space for music, for lifelong
The project will see the resto-
ration and redevelopment of
the Earlsfort Terrace site, ex-
pand the stage and seating
capacity (increasing the over-
all auditorium space by 40%)
while also providing much-
needed universal access.
The ambitious plans will see
large parts of the site, many
with buildings which pre-date
the foundation of the State,
restored and repurposed to
provide for new recital and
rehearsal spaces, new and
restored public areas, and a
new centre for Learning and
Participation.
Speaking at the announce-
ment, the then-Taoiseach,
Micheál Martin said: “The
landmark buildings, which
house our National Cultural
Institutions, need our sup-
port and, more importantly,
our investment to ensure
that they are sustainable and
meet the evolving needs of
the communities they serve.
Dublin’s National Concert Hall (Source-Wikicommons)
This redevelopment will al-
low the National Concert Hall
to fulfil its purpose as a living
enjoyment, connection and
participation in music, for all
our people.”
Substantial buildings within
the grounds have long been
unused and are in disrepair.
Originally the Exhibition Pal-
ace from 1865, it was the
home of University College
Dublin for decades and be-
came the National Concert
Hall in 1981.  worldwide as a one of the
Minister Catherine Martin
said the ambitious project
will futureproof the concert
hall and allow it to engage
greater and more diverse
audiences. “This is a once-
in-a-generation opportunity
for our National Cultural In-
stitutions, for all those who
love the National Concert
Hall, and to recognise the
central role that music plays
in all our lives,” said Ms Mar-
tin. “Not only will the project
restore this unique heritage
building, iconic in its own
right, but it will also establish
the National Concert Hall as
a centre for music and per-
formance to match any in the
world.”
Maura McGrath, Chairperson
of the National Concert Hall,
added: “This investment will
not only enhance the musi-
cal landscape in Ireland but
inspire a new generation of
music lovers. It will see the
National Concert Hall be-
come a cultural landmark
for the nation, and realise
our ambition to be regarded
great centres for music and
a symbol of national pride for
Irish people everywhere.”
The next step of the project
will be to complete the ex-
ternal assurance process,
a core element of the public
spending code, and to com-
mence the preparatory work
for a planning application in
2023. The OPW, as archi-
tects to the project, are un-
dertaking the design of the
redevelopment.
For further details, please
visit www.nch.ie.
 Page 16
Here are the films that we’re most excited to see in 2023
n BJ Quinn
I
don’t know about you, but
I’m finding it difficult to let
go of 2022. What a year
of cinema. From blockbust-
ers to artsy delights, we were
spoiled with a wide range of
stellar pictures. But it’s hard
to sulk while looking at the
line up for 2023, which of-
fers plenty to look forward to.
While a handful of these films
are coming in fresh, others
arrive after many set-backs
and delays due to COVID.
And then there are films qui-
etly waiting on the sidelines
with no official release date,
mega movies ready to touch-
down at any moment. The
following is a handpicked
selection of the most antici-
pated films coming to a thea-
tre near you over the next 12
months.  to bring us this devastating
The Fabelmans (Out now)
The year is already off to a
glitzy start with Oscar hope-
fuls desperately trying to
stay fresh as possible in vot-
ers’ minds by releasing just
as award season ramps up.
Premiering at the Toronto In-
ternational Film Festival this
past September to rapturous
reviews, The Fabelmans is a
coming-of-age story about a
young man’s discovery of a
shattering family secret and
an exploration of the power
FILM www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023
2023 Film Preview
of movies to help us see the
truth about each other and
ourselves. 
The film follows the recent
trend (Roma, Belfast, Em-
pire of Light) of directors
penning love letters to the
power of movie magic. It’s
been a mixed bag, but let’s
hope Steven Spielberg’s ef-
fort fares better than what
came before. The film’s en-
semble cast, which includes
Michelle Williams, Paul Dano
and Seth Rogen, is cause for
intrigue, if not excitement. 
Saint Omer (Feb 3)
Alice Diop is back after her
2020 documentary Nous
(currently streaming on Mubi)
courtroom drama, which fol-
lows a woman accused of
murdering her infant daugh-
ter. Saint Omer premiered
Joaquin Phoenix
at the 79th Venice Interna-
tional Film Festival last year,
where it won the Grand Jury Cocaine Bear (Feb 24) wrong, embarks on a drug- years now, and was once ru-
Prize along with the Luigi De fueled rampage, complete moured to have a runtime of
Laurentiis Lion of the Future Yes, you read that right. And with cops, criminals, tourists, a staggering four hours. So if
award. The film screened in if you think the title sounds and teenagers running for you thought Avatar was too
Dublin back in November dur- nutty, you need to see the their lives.  long, prepare yourself. 
ing the IFI French Film Fes- trailer – it’s chaotic! Cocaine
tival. Come February, how- Bear follows – you guessed It’s hard to know what to ex- Indiana Jones and the Dial
ever, cinemagoers will have it – a 500-pound black bear, pect, to be honest, but with of Destiny (June 30)
a better chance of catching it who, after consuming a sig- Ray Liotta, Brooklyn Prince
when it becomes part of their nificant amount of cocaine and Keri Russell starring, this He’s back! The Indy film is
monthly programme. thanks to a drug deal gone horror-comedy mashup is a the fifth in the beloved Har-
film you don’t want to miss.  rison Ford-starring franchise,
and the first to be helmed
Beau is Afraid (April 28) by James Mangold (Logan,
Ford v Ferrari), taking the
After terrifying audiences reins from Steven Spielberg. 
with Hereditary and Midsom-
mar, director Ari Aster is back The film follows the events of
with Beau is Afraid, a night- the divisive fourth film, 2008’s
marish epic starring Joaquin Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,
Phoenix as a paranoid man taking place in 1969. Little
who embarks on an epic is known about the plot, and
odyssey to get home to his the trailer – a jumble of fast-
mother.   cutting action sequences –
doesn’t give much away.
Phoenix comes into the new What we do know, however,
Aster film after his best actor is that Ford will be joined by
win for Todd Phillips’ 2019 a fine cast of fresh faces,
film Joker. Other confirmed including Phoebe Waller-
cast members include Na- Bridge as Indy’s goddaugh-
than Lane, Amy Ryan, Park- ter, Mads Mikkelsen as Vol-
er Posey, Michael Gandolfini ler (yes, he’s a Nazi – as if
and Richard Kind. Originally you needed to ask) and The
titled Disappointment Boule- Predator star Boyd Holbrook
vard, Beau is Afraid has been as Voller’s lapdog Klaber.
Steven Spielberg
hotly anticipated for a few
 www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023 FILM Page 17

Barbieland.

Oppenheimer - (July 21)

July 21 is set to be a busy

day for cinema goers with
Christpher Nolan’s Oppen-
heimer opening alongside
Barbie. Starring Cork’s own
Cillian Murphy, the film fol-
lows physicist J. Robert Op-
penheimer as he works with
a team of scientists during
the Manhattan Project, lead-
ing to the development of the
atomic bomb.

Harrison Ford
Barbie (July 21)
When it was announced that
Gerta Gerwig would be di-
recting a Barbie movie star-
ring Margot Robbie and Ryan
Gosling, many doubted the
project would ever come to
fruition; it was too bizarre.
Gerwig, whose films up to
now, Lady Bird and Little
Women, have been ground-
ed and intimate, is taking a
big swing with Barbie. How-
ever, if the trailer and public-
ity leaks are anything to go
by, we’re in for a dazzling,
campy treat. 
The film is set in Barbieland.
Gosling’s Ken is obsessed
with Robbie’s Barbie, but
loves the real world for all
the reasons Barbie hates
it (beauty standards, sex-
ism, etc). The movie soon
becomes a fish out of water
comedy as Ken and Barbie
leave Barbieland for the real
world and the Mattel CEO
(Will Ferrell) goes after the
duo to bring them back to
Murphy is supported by a
large, starry cast which in-
cludes Emily Blunt, Robert
Downey Jr., Matt Damon,
Rami Malek, Florence Pugh,
Benny Safdie, Michael Anga-
rano, Josh Hartnett and Ken-
neth Branagh.
Killers Of Flower Moon Margot Robbie
(TBA)
cues a beat-up guitar from a to expect. Carney is known
After working wonders dumpster and finds that one as the filmmaker behind such
with The Irishman, Martin person’s trash can be a fam- features as Once, Begin
Scorsese is back in the di- ily’s salvation. Again and Sing Street, so get
rector’s chair for this west- ready for a charming musical
ern drama, adapted from the Even though I’m writing this with shades of good ole fash-
best-selling novel Killers of prior to the film’s premiere, ioned schmaltz.
the Flower Moon: The Osage it’s safe to say we know what
Murders and the Birth of the
FBI by David Grann. De-
spite wrapping in September
2021, the $200 million film
won’t be ready in time for this
Oscar season. Instead, it’s
now rumoured to be eyeing
a big 2023 festival debut at
Cannes or Venice. 

Starring Leonardo Dicaprio

and Jesse Plemons, Killers
of the Flower Moon is set in
1920s Oklahoma and depicts
the serial murder of members
of the oil-wealthy Osage Na-
tion, a string of brutal crimes
that came to be known as
the Reign of Terror. Crime,
greed, Scorsese – yep, this
is ticking all the boxes for a
stone cold classic.

Flora and Son (TBA)

John Carney’s new fea-

ture film, starring Joseph
Gordon-Levitt, Jack Reynor
and Eve Hewson, recently
had its world premiere at
the Sundance Film Festival.
The film follows single mom
Flora, who is at war with her
teenage son, petty thief Max.
Cillian Murphy Encouraged by the police to
find Max a hobby, she res-
 Page 18
n BJ Quinn
(Source-staticflickr)
T
rying to pull off the per-
fect Valentine’s Day
can be stressful: get
the card, pick the flowers,
grab the chocolates, book the
restaurant, book a different,
less expensive restaurant.
Our advice: skip all the hus-
tle and bustle, and instead,
curl up for a cosy night-in
with a film that will make
you feel all warm and fuzzy.
Whether you’re in the mood
for a sweeping romance, a
cheese-tastic rom-com, or
a family favourite, we’ve got
you sorted with the best mov-
ies to stream right now. With
six recommendations, you
and your partner are bound
to find something you both
agree on.
Love Streams
The Six Best Valentine’s Day Movies Currently Streaming
Netflix
Pride & Prejudice (2006)
A story of love and life among
the landed English gentry
during the Georgian era. Mr.
Bennet is a gentleman living
in Hertfordshire with his over-
bearing wife and five daugh-
ters, but if he dies their house
will be inherited by a distant
cousin whom they have nev-
er met, so the family’s future
happiness and security is
dependent on the daughters
making good marriages.  filment movies go, this is as
17 movies have been made
of Pride and Prejudice since
1938, and Joe Wright’s
modern classic, which has
finally arrived on Netflix, is
Emma Thompson
FILM
often seen as the best of the
bunch. Wright is one of only
a handful of working directors
who knows how to handle an
epic romance. To their credit,
though, both Keira Knightley
(Elizabeth Bennett) and Mat-
thew MacFadyen (Mr. Darcy)
are on hand to spice things
up. Keep your eyes peeled
for a fresh-faced Carey Mul-
ligan, as Kitty Bennet, in her
screen debut.
Dirty Dancing 
Expecting the usual tedium
that accompanies a sum-
mer in the Catskills with her
family, 17-year-old Frances
‘Baby’ Houseman (Jennifer
Grey) is surprised to find her-
self stepping into the shoes
of a professional hoofer—
and unexpectedly falling in
love with the instructor, John-
ny Castle (Patrick Swayze).
It’s easy to write Dirty Danc-
ing off as pure “fluff”, but as
far as broad teen wish-ful-
good as it gets. Two solid
leads, a fun soundtrack and
dazzling choreography. It’s
also full of iconic moments:
the watermelon; the prac-
tice sessions; Baby’s cor-
www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023
Pride & Prejudice star, Keira Knightley
ner seat; that song; the lift;
Jennifer Grey’s pre-surgery
nose. Don’t get fooled by the
copy-cats, the sequels and
remakes; 1987’s Dirty Danc-
ing is the original horny and
corny masterpiece.  make it a flick worthy of a Val-
Disney +
West Side Story (2021)
For the unfortunate few not
familiar with Jerome Rob-
bins and Leonard Bernstein’s
masterwork — West Side
Story is a musical in which a
modern day Romeo and Ju-
liet are involved in New York
street gangs. On the harsh
streets of the upper west
side, two gangs battle for
control of the turf. The situ-
ation becomes complicated
when a gang member falls in
love with a rival’s sister.  Guillermo Del Toro pushes
When it was announced that
Steven Spielberg would be
directing an adaptation of the
famous musical, it felt like a
sure lock for Best Picture at
the Oscars. As it turned out,
Spielberg left empty-handed,
but fortunately Ariana De-
Bose would come away with
the Best Supporting Actress
award for her brilliant perfor-
mance as Anita. Her turn in
a role made famous by Rita
Moreno in the 1961 version
(who also makes a cameo
here) is one of the film’s
many bright spots. While the
romance at the film’s centre
never rings true, the dance
numbers and supporting cast
entines’ night in.
Shape of Water
An other-worldly story set
against the backdrop of Cold
War era America circa 1962,
where a mute janitor working
at a lab falls in love with an
amphibious man being held
captive there and devises a
plan to help him escape.
It’s easy to forget that this
quirky film won Best Picture
at the Oscars back in 2018.
With hands endlessly twirling
the escape hatch of certainty,
us into the deep end of his
imagination. A technicolor
realm of delight, there’s no
ignoring the craft involved
here, the sets glisten, the
soundtrack twinkles and all
the actors are on top form.
Sally Hawkins proves why
she is one of the best actors
working today. Her subtle
expressions skip along the
spectrum of human emotion
with such transcendent ease
it becomes quietly mesmeris-
ing. 
Continued bottom next page
 www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023 FILM Page 19

Dublin International Film Festival 2023

n BJ Quinn
a showcase for future talent
and as an exciting and dy-
namic art form. Help us cele-
brate the wealth and diversity
on offer.” — DIFF Artistic Di-
rector, Grainne Humphreys.
There will be five short film
presentations throughout the
festival, including a selection
from Screen Ireland’s fund-
ing scheme recipients and
the return of the Glasgow
It’s showtime! Film Festival highlights, join-
Sound of Song/Sound of
Musicals/Movie Musicals/
TV and Radio 4 Film Pro-
gramme regular) was one of
the first special guests to be
announced for the festival.
He’s presenting the Fam-
ily Gala screening of Buster
Keaton’s Steamboat Bill Jun-
ior (Saturday, February 25,
2pm). Except, Brand won’t
be merely introducing the
film; this is more like a Buster
masterclass. The audience
ble bill of Peleshyan joints
including Four Seasons and
La Nature, with a Q&A host-
ed by Irish director Tadhg
O’Sullivan (To The Moon). La
Nature, made in 2020, is the
filmmaker’s first production
in nearly 30 years. Often re-
ferred to as a genius by his
peers, Peleshian is known for
films which are devoid of any
narration and are composed
of black and white documen-
tary images. These images,

A
showcase of the best
in contemporary world
and Irish cinema, the
Dublin International Film
Festival (DIFF) is back for its
21st anniversary. Running
from Feb 23-Mar 4, cinema-
goers can look forward to
screenings from Irish film-
makers Clare Dunne and
Hugh O’Conor, along with
exciting special guests from
overseas. As always, expect
red carpet events, Q&As,
workshops, and an online
programme, so you can en-
joy the festival from the com-
fort of your own home.
While details are still being
kept under wraps until the
launch of their full festival
programme, DIFF have an-
nounced select highlights
which should whet the appe-
tites of Dublin’s movie lovers.
So far, what we do know is
that this year’s event has an
eclectic shorts programme.
Featuring short films from
well-known names like Clare
Dunne (best known for her
role on RTÉ’s Kin), Mia Mul-
larkey, Emma Martin, and
Hugh O’Conor (Metal Heart),
DIFF will showcase an im-
pressive line-up of 25 shorts
from Ireland and across the
world.
“The short film format has
always been a vital part of
the festival, acting as both
ing three DIFF presentations,
offering numerous opportuni-
ties to celebrate this unique
artform.
The three DIFF shorts pres-
entations offer a diverse and
powerful selection of shorts
from Ireland and around the
globe. Selected from over
750 submissions by pro-
grammers Aisha Bolaji and
Mohamed Tarek, this year’s
programme offers some of
the best of international cin-
ema, with works from China,
Colombia, Egypt, Ghana,
Norway, Iran and more.
Composer, musician and
broadcaster Neil Brand
(BBC4 Sound of Cinema/
will journey with Neil through
Buster’s early life, his funni-
est gags and most death-de-
fying stunts, then will get to
enjoy Steamboat Bill Junior,
which just so happens to be
my favourite Keaton picture.  the highlights listed above.
On 4th March, DIFF will wel-
come Artavazd Peleshyan,
one of the most visionary art-
ists to have emerged from
the Soviet Union, to the festi-
val. Audiences will see a dou-
often taken from archives,
are reworked, reframed, and
edited together to produce an
essay film.
Tickets are on sale now for
Be sure to get your hands on
the festival’s full programme
when it officially launches.
Please visit www.diff.ie to
find out more information on
upcoming announcements.

Prime Video
Good luck to You, Leo
Grande  es. It packs a lot into a tight
Nancy Stokes doesn’t know
good sex. Whatever it may
be, Nancy, a retired school-
teacher, is pretty sure she
has never had it, but she
is determined to finally do
something about that. She
even has a plan: It involves
an anonymous hotel room,
and a young sex worker who
calls himself Leo Grande.
Starring Emma Thompson
and Dublin’s own Daryl Mc-
Cormack, Good luck to You,
Leo Grande is a great twist
on the classic rom-com for-
mula. It’s structured like a
play, which may turn some
people off, but this really has
a lot of things going for it. It’s
both intimate and simple and
brims with chemistry, thanks
to two fine lead performanc-
90 minutes, including themes
of intimacy and ageing, so
it might sound too heavy for
Valentine’s Day, but it’s all
done with a light and tasteful
touch.
Licorice Pizza  soundtrack is a glorious mix
Tells the story of Alana Kane
and Gary Valentine growing
up, running around and going
through the treacherous navi-
gation of first love in the San
Fernando Valley, 1973.
This is one of the best films
from last year, so it’s surpris-
ing to see it streaming so
soon. It’s a wonderful hang-
out movie, containing break-
out performances from both
Alana Haim and Cooper
Hoffman. I think of it as the
flipside of Paul Thomas An-
derson’s previous work, the
fabulous Phantom Thread.
Licorice Pizza is about the
messiness of young love
and how much of it is rooted
in wanting to find someone
who makes you feel mature.
Of course, it helps that the
of ‘70s favourites and curious
deep cuts. A special mention
to the supporting cast – Sean
Penn, Bradley Cooper and
Harriet Sansom Harris – who
are clearly having a delightful
time stealing scenes at will. If
you ever doubted Cooper in
the past, Licorice Pizza will
set you straight.
 Page 20 GOOGLE www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023

Google Community News Update

Students Proudly Graduate
the 2022 Maritime Skills Training Programme

Google Ireland representatives, Dublin

Port Co, Covanta and Irish Nautical
Trust joined Minister Eamon Ryan,
Deputy Chris Andrews, Deputy Ivana
Bacik and Cllr Claire Byrne at the
Graduation of Google.Org sponsored
Marines Skills training programme for
local employment.

Minister Eamon Ryan, Deputy
Chris Andrews, Deputy Ivana
Bacik and Cllr Claire Byrne joined
the Google Ireland Leaders and
Community Engagement team
in marking the graduation of the
final cohort of students complet-
ing the local 2022 Maritime Skills
Training Programme. Google.Org
the main sponsor for the training
programme noted on the day they
were delighted to support the Irish
Nautical Trust. The Employment
Task Force defined the programme
with Jimmy Murray as the lead rep-
resentative for the programme on
the task force. The programme
has already created employment
opportunities, opening the door to
a wide range of maritime possibili-
ties. Dublin Port Co and Covanta
also proudly supported the project
and were in attendance on the
day. The valuable collaboration be-
tween businesses and community
has proven to provide incredible
impact for students and the wider
community.

Jimmy Dent, Sandra Bridgeman,

and Minister Eamon Ryan.

Graduates from Marines Skills training Programme

 www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023 GOOGLE Page 21

Google Education Task Force News

Following requests from Deputy Chris An-
drews encouraging the Task Force to pro-
vide an opportunity for the local community,
Google hosted the local community second-
ary schools Transitional Year students. 45
students in total gained one full week expe-
rience in Google accessing various depart-
ments and experiencing a day and a life as
a Googler. The students were broken up into
teams with each assigned a task to present
to Googlers, teachers, students and parents
with Deputy Ivana Bacik providing a speaking
engagement on the value of education and
work experience. Overall it was a fantastic
week and Google plans to continue working
with the local schools to develop work experi-
ence in broader areas.

The Google Education Task Force is made

up of local community schools hosted by the
Google Community Team.

Photos this page: Students from local

schools - Ringsend College, Marian Col-
lege, CBS Westland Row and Larkin College
gained work experience in the one week
Google TY programme 22
 Page 22
AVOCA’S CREAMY CHICKEN, HAM & LEEK BAKE
The epitome of comfort food. The perfect family
winter warmer, you can swap out the crumble
for a creamy mashed potato ­topping if you’d like
to change things up.
Ingredients
• 600ml Chicken Stock
• 100g Butter
• 50g Plain Flour
• 175ml Cream
• 2 Tbsp Wholegrain Mustard
• 2 Tbsp Rapeseed Oil
• 1 Large Leek, White Part Only, Sliced
• 500g Cooked Chicken Fillets, Cut Into
Bite-Sized Chunks
• 250g Cooked Ham, Cut Into Bite-Sized
Chunks
• 2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley
• 150g Fresh Breadcrumbs
• 40g Grated White Cheddar Cheese
• Fine Sea Salt And Freshly Ground
Black Pepper
Clues
ACROSS:
1) Blustery epic novel (and 1939 film) (4, 4, 3, 4)
8) The process of making or enacting law (11)
10) A spring blooming perennial from Amster-
dam (5)
11) Categorising/naming (9)
12) Sphere (3)
13) Sufficient (6)
15) Does this bird fly low? (3)
16) Dublin’s version of this is a Luas (4)
19) Caught sight of this toothy tool (3)
20) Gateau au fromage (10)
21) Leaves of a palm or fern (6)
22) Satiety (8)
23) Use a razor (5)
24) Vegetable from Jerusalem or elsewhere
on the globe? (9)
DOWN:
1) Jelly-like (10)
2) TV chef, partial to a midnight feast (7 6)
3) Mayo town and tourist destination (8)
4) One who paves the way (11)
5) Cup-shaped finger cap (for sewing) (7)
6) Suspicion/idea (7)
7) Remove weeds/debris from a river bed (6)
9) After Willy or before Mandela?
14) Practical carryall used by hikers or sol-
diers (9)
17) This cocktail is just peachy (7)
18) Taint or stain (a reputation perhaps) (7)
20) A Dublin stew of breakfast meats?
21) Bother (4)
22) This golfing call sounds numerical (4)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Bring the chicken stock to
the boil, then reduce the heat
to keep it simmering gently.
3. Melt half the butter in a sepa-
rate large saucepan over a me-
dium heat. When it’s foaming,
stir in the flour with a wooden
spoon and cook for about 5
minutes to create a golden-
brown roux.
4. Add half the hot stock to the
roux and cook for 3 to 4 min-
utes, whisking continuously,
then pour in the remaining
stock and cook for 3 to 4 min-
utes more, still whisking until
thickened and smooth. Re-
move from the heat and whisk
in the cream and mustard, en-
suring there are no lumps of
roux in the sauce.
5. Remove the pan from the
heat and set aside.
Crossword Feburary/March 2023
Name:......................................................................................
Address:..................................................................................
................................................................................................
Telephone:..............................................................................
www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023
6. Heat the oil in a frying pan
over a medium heat. Add the
leek and cook for about 5 min-
utes, until softened.
7. Put the cooked chicken and
ham in a large bowl with 1
tablespoon of the parsley, then
pour in the white sauce and mix
well.
8. Season to taste, but go easy
on the salt as the stock, ham
and butter are already salty.
9. Transfer to a baking dish and grated Cheddar.
spread it out evenly. A 25cm
square Pyrex dish is ideal but 11. Bake in the preheated oven
use whatever you have. for 10 to 12 minutes, until the
breadcrumb topping is golden
10. Melt the remaining butter brown and the cheese has
in a frying pan over a medium melted.
heat. Add the breadcrumbs
and the remaining tablespoon 12. Serve straight to the table.
of parsley and toss to coat
the breadcrumbs in the but- From Avoca’s new cook-
ter, then scatter this over the book  AVOCA at Home. For
chicken and ham along with the more info see www.avoca.com
Prize of €25 book token.
Post entries to:
NewsFour,
13A Fitzwilliam Street,
Ringsend, Dublin 4.
by the 16th March 2023.
The winner of our Dec/Jan 2022/23
crossword competition is
Connor Dolan, Blanchardstown.
Solutions to the Dec/Jan 2022/23
Crossword
ACROSS:
1) Mariah Carey, 6) Ham, 8) Roast
Potatoes, 9) Okra, 10) Opting,
11) EEL, 12) Gap, 13) Far, 14) Old
Timer, 16) Art, 17) Onus, 19) Ken,
21) Emma, 22) Eat, 23) Deer,
25) Weakest, 28) Itch, 29) Herd,
30) Monotonous, 31) Snow
DOWN:
1) Merlot, 2) Instagram,
3) Hippopotamus, 4) Aptitude,
5) Extension Lead,6) Hostelry,
7) Mistletoe, 15) Lukewarm,
18) Serious, 20) Neaten, 24) Shrew,
26) Exit, 27) Thin
 www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023
n Louise Whelan
T
he Sandymount Community
Centre on Newbridge Avenue
is establishing a Sandymount
Culture Night Programme on the
first Friday of each month - Starting
on February 3rd at 7.30pm.  This is
a free event.
The Sandymount Culture Pro-
gramme is a very exciting devel-
opment growing out of the newly
revamped Sandymount Community
Centre, working in collaboration with
STTCA and DCC.  It is an oppor-
tunity to bring accomplished per-
formers to the cultural space and in
addition, as a venue for local talent
in a wide range of areas to find an
audience to hone their skills.
LOCAL EVENT
The Sandymount Community
Centre aims to connect and bring
together people in the local commu-
nity and through this to foster com-
munity spirit and to provide a sense
of inclusion and belonging.
The Sub-Committee of the centre
is chaired by Ros Morgan (SCC)
with members, Claire McElvaney,
Cormac McGinty, Maxine Pilking-
ton, Sheila Mooney (STTCA) Kalle
Ryan, Rodney Devitt and Eleanor
Collier.
All are welcome to enjoy so keep
the dates in your diary!
Page 23
Sandymount Culture Programme 2023
7.30pm Sandymount Community Centre, Newbridge Ave, Sandymount
Entrance Free [Donation box available], Light refreshments after event.
INAUGURAL EVENT
February 3rd: The Importance of Being Oscar – Devised by Micheál
Mac Liammóir and based on the writings of Oscar Wilde, this is a one
hour performance by actor, Michael Judd, which has had two
successful runs at Bewleys Theatre.
March 3rd: Emilie Conway Jazz Duo – One hour of popular jazz tunes
from this duo (vocals and piano) who have performed at the National
Concert Hall.
March 17th: St Patrick’s Day Event 
 
April 7th: Poetry Event. (To be confirmed) Local poets perform.
Curated by Kalle Ryan
 
May 5th: Constance & her Friends – Two historical monologues from
Irish revolutionaries – 9pm Constance Markievicz and Grace Gifford
who married Joseph Mary Plunkett a few hours before he was
executed for his part in the 1916 Rising.  This 30 minute perfor-
mance from Smashing Times Theatre Company is followed by a short
discussion with the audience.  
June Bloomsday Events in Sandymount
July 7th: The Charming Soubrettes – Andrews Sisters-style three part
harmony group performing Hollywood and Broadway songs from the
1940s and 50s.  One hour duration.
Sept.1st: Music – local musicians play trad and others. 
October 6th: A Galway Girl – A 35 minute play, performed by Michael
Judd and Sinead Colreavy.  It features a couple reminiscing about their
lives; how they met, their marriage and their move to London in the
1970s with related anecdotes that can be heart-rending and hilarious. 
November 3rd: Sandymount Gospel Choir or Another
December 1st: Xmas themed entertainment. Local artists.
 Page 24
Traffic Congestion
Residents of Cranfield Place
have had their work days dis-
turbed with double-decker
buses and gas tankers at-
tempting to come down the
street, knocking on people’s
doors and requiring them to
move their cars so that these
large vehicles could pass.
This is due to poor traffic
management and diversion
that has been set up along
Strand Road coming through
a narrow one-way street with
two National Schools on it,
with cars parked on both
sides of the road.
Reply:  by lorries or other curbed ve-
Whilst this is an Irish Water
Project, we are aware of the
traffic issues that are occur-
ring in the vicinity of Beach
Road and Cranfield Place.  Reply:  chardstown and all the areas
The aforementioned large
vehicles are using this road
despite large amounts of
signage deterring them from
doing so.  Notwithstanding
the above, the project team
are at the detailed design
stage of an alternative traffic
management arrangement
which we hope will alleviate
some of the congestion on
Cranfield Place.  This plan
will involve allowing vehicles
emanating from Sean Moore
Road to turn left onto Beach
Road and proceed to Merrion
Gates, by diverting the traffic
around the worksite(s).  ever, it has to be noted they
A similar question related to
the traffic and parking situ-
ation on Mountpleasant Av-
enue Lower, where, over the
past six months the traffic
situation has worsened sig-
DCC NOTES
Questions to the Manager
nificantly and has become
extremely dangerous. In re-
cent years the road has be-
come populated by many
young families, and residents
are fearful of a child getting
knocked down. Due to the
two-way flow of traffic from
the canal and from Rath-
mines via Richmond Hill,
the traffic on the road every
morning and evening is un-
sustainable. There is resi-
dent parking on both sides of
the road and residents’ vehi-
cles are regularly damaged
due to cars trying to squeeze
down the road when others
don’t give way. People are
regularly forced onto the road
hicles when pushing a buggy.
Residents are calling for one-
way traffic, permit parking
only, and speed control.
The Transport Advisory
Group (TAG) will monitor the
traffic flow on Mountpleasant
Avenue Lower at different
times of the day. Because
Residential Permit Parking
Schemes also include Pay
and Display it is not possible
to designate a public road
for residents use only.  The
TAG will investigate the cur-
rent ramps to see how they
are performing, as well as
measure the traffic speed at
this location to see if further
measures are required. How-
do not install speed cameras.
Transportation to
Ballsbridge
With Bus Connects still a way
off, and the imminent open-
DCC NOTES
ing of the Facebook offices,
what steps are being taken
to change transportation to
and from Ballsbridge? What
micro mobility solutions are
being proposed and when
will they come on stream,
particularly transportation
to and from the RDS, and
the Aviva stadium, and have
these been discussed with
local residents?
Reply: 
The Bus Connects network
redesign will see additional
routes serving Ballsbridge.
Below are the routes that are
proposed to serve the area:
The combined frequency of
the B spine will result in a bus
every four mins on Pembroke
Rd. The B spine will provide
a direct link to/from Blan-
along the Navan Rd. The B
spine will connect with all the
other spines in the city centre
where passengers can inter-
change easily and by using a
Leap card they can avail of
the 90 min fare. The S2 will
provide an important orbital
route with services operating
every 15 mins.
Bleeper and Moby bike shar-
ing schemes are operational
in the Ballsbridge area for the
public to utilise. The Council
in partnership with Bleeper is
completing a pilot project en-
titled; E-cargobikes for Busi-
ness Pilot Project. This pro-
ject was open to all of Dublin
and a number of businesses
in the Ballsbridge area have
taken advantage of this pilot,
which have hugely added to
its success. E-scooter shar-
ing schemes are not yet
intended for the city’s func-
tional area due to the lack
of supporting legislation.
Noise Levels on Strand
Road
The manager was requested
to furnish a report on noise
levels on Strand Road, Sand-
ymount following several
www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023
complaints.  Residents on
the road state that noise lev-
els are excessive as defined
by Dublin City Council’s own
noise agglomeration policy,
to include figures for the 15
noise monitors installed on
roads in the city.
Reply:  sibly lead to a fatality.
The Dublin City Council noise
network comprises 17 moni-
tors placed throughout the
city. See link Dublin City Air &
Noise  The results can be ac-
cessed in both real time and
historically. The majority of
the monitors are in locations
to determine suburban ambi-
ent noise levels.  The excep-
tions are Strand Road and
Bull Island. Both monitors
are influenced by wind (sea
breezes), and wave noise but
the Strand Road monitor is
also road side and the noise
levels are indicative of levels
directly at the road side.  The
noise level monitored is not
representative of noise levels
in the area generally.  alighting safely, and park-
An accurate picture of noise
levels in the Strand Road
area will become evident
when the latest noise map-
ping process is complete in
Q1 2023.  The mapping once
complete will provide an ac-
curate picture of noise levels
in the area and action plans
will be written and imple-
mented as required.
Cycle Lane intrusion
The problem of motorists en-
croaching on cycle lanes was
raised with a request for bol-
lards or some sort of divider
to be installed on the cycle
lane on Leeson Street Upper
(outside of the Embassy of
Portugal), which could pos-
Reply: 
The cycle lane is of insuf-
ficient width in its current
layout, the installation of bol-
lards at this location would
mean a cycle lane of just 1m
which is insufficient for wider
bikes and for cleaning equip-
ment.  This location is part
of the Bus Connects Bray
to City Centre route which
includes cycle lanes at this
­
location.
Illegal Parking
The problem of cars park-
ing at the bus stop in Sand-
ymount village outside Tesco,
which impedes passengers
ing on double yellow lines all
over the village.
Reply: 
Dublin Street Parking Ser-
vices will be asked to focus
on the bus stop at Tesco’s
and double yellow lines in
the village and carry out
enforcement on illegally
­
parked vehicles.
 www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023
Our Cosy Homes
By Mary Guckian
Pigeons sit on interweaving wires
resting, seem at peace. They gaze 
towards the Google Highrise,
in a tiny enclave of homes between  Normally at 4 o’clock on a
Barrow Street and South Lotts Road,
The maze of houses were built
over a century ago by a Belfast
developer called Beckett, building
similar homes in Belfast, we got  would probably be falling asleep
to know during the troubles.
Using family names on the streets,
Joy Street, that leads to South Dock  altogether. At precisely 4 pm I
Park, where children play on swings,
learn to climb, make new pals and
have happy times with caring parents.
Across from my door is Penrose
and parallel is Doris, at my back,  nice that I decided to move
Howard, Hope and Gerard, two  off-piste and try out my skills in
streets Somerset and Ormeau,  deep powder snow. No sooner
all connect to Gordon Street.
I watch these pigeons and wonder
had they a long day or if they travelled
a journey. Writers look for connections
now wondering if I live and walk around
Nobel winner Samuel Beckett’s ancestors.
I am a Poem
By Jonathan Roth
What am I but my master’s folly
His odd attempts at making jolly.
He fumbles as he tries to rhyme
Just to smile and pass his time.
Why does he spend all his time
To try and force me to rhyme?
Is it his poetic goal
Or just to sooth his restless soul ?
At times he thinks he is the Bard
Which makes my life very hard.
My job is to list his words
No matter if he is for the birds.
Perchance he thinks he is very smart
And really thinks he has an art.
He might well think he is doing well
But no where near John O’Donnell.
Yet look around all the world
There’s very few crafting words.
Maybe I am too hard on him
At least he is doing no great sin.
So all in all he is not that bad
Herself thinks he might be mad.
Now that this poem is done
I hope you had some fun.
*John O Donnell is a senior
counsel and Irish poet
LITERATURE
The New Year NewsFour Short Story
Christmas afternoon I would
be sitting in an armchair with
my head feeling light from over
drinking, my stomach feeling
heavy from over eating and I
from over tiredness. Last Christ-
mas afternoon however, I found
myself in a different situation
was skiing down the slopes at
Westendorf in Austria in beauti-
ful snow conditions
The conditions in fact were so
had I left the piste when I heard
cries for help coming from a
wooded area nearby. Care-
fully negotiating the steep and
difficult terrain, I moved closer
to where the cries were coming
from. With perfect angulation
and edging of my skis I man-
aged to reach the skier lying in
deep snow at the foot of a large
pine tree.
“Are you badly injured?” I en-
quired.
“I don’t think so,” replied the
skier as she rolled herself over
to face me. When I looked at
this girl I was so absolutely
stunned by her beauty that for a
moment I forgot that I had come
to help her. I had never seen
such beauty before. She had
golden blond hair falling loosely
Hand to Hand
By Paddy Byrne
Come
Walk close to me
As we journey through the mall
Don’t be minding those fools
With their false calls
Come
For I will nurse you back
From that dark fall
Ignore the screams escaping
From hell hall
Come
Walk close to me
Head up, walk tall
There be barriers ahead
But no solid wall
If thee are fair to me
I will always play ball
Love On The Slopes
By Michael Green
over her pretty bronzed face
from which two beautiful blue
eyes glowed. I also couldn’t help
noticing that she had the most
gorgeous pair of Rossignol skis
that I had ever seen before.
“ave you come to ‘elp me or just
to look at me?” She asked with
a smile.
“Oh oh Sorry,” I said as I pulled
myself together. “Don’t move
now until I check for broken
bones.” Nervously I worked
my way over her limbs, be-
ing careful not to distress her
in any way. “Nothing broken,”
I announced, trying to sound
knowledgeable. “You have just
been winded, so rest for a while
and you will be alright.” As I
looked at her lying in the snow
I realised what was meant by
‘Love at first sight’ I knew by my
feelings at that moment that I
had fallen instantly in love with
this helpless girl.
My thoughts of love were inter-
rupted as I took a bout of sneez-
ing. “Oh you poor darlink,” she
said softly, “you are catching a
cold because of me. I have a
chalet not many kilometres from
here, you must come and share
some Goulash with me, it will
warm you up a little.”
“Oh thank you very much,” I
replied as I helped her up to her
feet. “I never say no to a drop
of Goulash.” Stepping into her
Rossignols she said, ‘’I will lead
the way, you follow me behind.”
As we schussed over the snow I
felt I was skiing on air. My up ini-
tiation improved with every par-
allel turn I made and in my mind
I thanked Mario Paloni for the
wonderful job he had done in
perfecting my skills. “Be careful
of the moguls Darlink,” warned
Page 25
my new found Austrian beauty
as we approached a particularly
difficult area. “What moguls?”
I laughed as I manoeuvred
in and out like the proverbial
‘Fairy on a Christmas tree’.
If only the crowd in Kilternan
could see me now! I thought
as I hotdogged over the larger
moguls. Suddenly this thought
of Kilternan sent a feeling of
horror through my mind as I
remembered that I had forgot-
ten to leave my skis in with John
Leppard for a service before I
left home and my right binding
wasn’t as secure as it should
be. Instantly my confidence
was gone, my knees quivered, I
caught an edge, tried to recover
but over-compensated, my skis
crossed and, Ooops! In a flash
I was gone. I don’t know how
far down the slope I fell but I
can remember hitting my head
at least three times quite solidly
on the ground. As I lay dazed in
the snow I could hear my new
friend Helga crying: “Get Up,
Oh please get up Darlink.” She
cried as she gently slapped my
face. I tried to tell her it was
mouth to mouth resuscitation
that I needed but the words
would just not come out.
Suddenly her accent changed
as she shook me quite roughly.
“For God’s sake will you get
up or you will be late for work.”
Shocked by this change of ac-
cent I opened my eyes to find
my wife standing over me. “Get
up out of that bed,” she said.
“You’ve been twisting and turn-
ing like the ski champion Franz
Klammer all night.” Feeling
quite puzzled I dragged myself
onto the floor. “How does my
wife know how Franz Klam-
mer twists and turns at night?” I
asked myself. “I’ll have to keep
a closer eye on that woman in
future.”
 Page 26
The Duality of Brigid
Continued from front page
In times past people had a
symbiotic union with nature
and the land. All food came
from the earth; all light from
the heavens and fire. It was a
very different world to the one
we inhabit today, and almost
impossible for us to imagine.
The winters then were fierce
and pitiless. Snow and frost
held the world in a deathly
St._Brigid
grip, with the fear of provi-
sions for humans and the
animals they depended on
running out an ever present
threat. Death was a constant
visitor; the very young, the
frail, birthing mothers among
the most vulnerable and fear-
ful of its icy touch. The return
of the light would have been
an event of monumental sig-
nificance to the people of that
world. Brigid was the flame,
the light itself returning to the
earth. This is how important
Brigid was to the ancient
Irish.
On the eve of Imbolc every-
one would go out and gather
sheaves of corn or rushes
and fashion them into corn
dolls known as Brídeóg.
These would be wrapped in a
special cloth and left outside
during the night. The next day
was one of great ceremonies
and festivities. Bonfires were
lit and there was much feast-
ing and music. Still to this day
some people leave a piece of
clothing outside on the eve of
Brigid’s day in the hope that
she may pass by and bless
it. And of course children still
make Brigid’s crosses, a fond
memory from our school-
days. The cross, made from
rushes, is an unusual, al-
most triangular shape, more
resembling a swastika (a
very ancient religious sym-
bol found in holy sites across
the world) than the traditional
Christian cross. Does it pre-
date the coming of Christian-
ity to Ireland?
Brigid was the daughter of
Dagda and the powerful Mor-
rigan. She was the wife of
Bres, half-Fomorian, a race
that ruled Ireland before the
coming of the Tuatha Dé Da-
nann (there is even debate
as to whether Brigid herself
may originally have been a
Fomorian Earth goddess).
When Ruadan, one of three
sons she bore was killed in
battle Brigid went out into the
battlefield and wept so vocif-
erously that it was said to be
the first incident of keening,
an ancient funeral custom
of weeping and lamentation.
She is one of the Celtic ‘tri-
une’ goddesses, meaning
she is one and three simul-
taneously. She supposedly
had two sisters, also called
Brigid, but these are meant
to be aspects of the one per-
FEATURE
son, representing the eternal
female of Virgin, Mother, and
Crone, indicating unfulfilled
Potential, Nurturing, and
Wisdom, and not three sepa-
rate individuals.
The Transposition of Brigid
into St Brigid
The figure we know as Saint
Brigid was born in Faughart
just outside Dundalk around
451 AD, the daughter of a
Celtic chieftain and a Chris-
tian slave. Even her parent-
age evidences the two con-
joining strands of the Brigid
story. She is portrayed as a
person of great compassion
and kindness, often going
without food herself to give to
the poor. She is said to have
cured lepers and performed
other miracles. It is spoken
of Brigid that she saw Christ
in the face of every stranger.
We don’t know with any cer-
tainty whether there was an
historical Brigid, but the point
is probably a moot one. So
interchangeable are the vari-
ous aspects of saint and Celt-
ic Brigid that to speak of two
Brigids is somewhat anach-
ronistic and misleading. Both
stream imperceptibly into one
entity, sharing a special rela-
tionship and governance of
arts, poetry, smithcraft, mid-
wifery; but also inspiration
and creativity. Holy wells and
shrines mark their presence.
St Brigid too drank the milk
of the sacred red cow and,
in that beautiful metaphysical
aside, both were said to hang
their cloaks on the rays of the
sun; a story that is surely tes-
tament to their power over, or
oneness with nature. Brigid,
of course, also embodied the
warrior principle - she was
goddess of war and peace -
and again in some depictions
we see St Brigid holding a
sword.
In the ancient Brehon laws
women had considerable
more parity with men than
their continental counter-
parts; they could be druids,
poets, physicians, lawgiv-
ers, teachers, warriors and
leaders in their community.
A married woman owed an
equal share of their property
www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023
with her husband. And should
the couple separate by con-
sent she was entitled to keep
her share of their posses-
sions. Many of the stories
of Brigid show her advocat-
ing successfully on behalf of
women. But of all the stories
told, and miracles attributed
to her, including her ability to
turn water into beer (yes!) it
is Brigid’s love and compas-
sion that stands out most.
Perhaps of poignancy today
is the story told of a young
girl or nun who was pregnant
and came to St Brigid in a
distressed state. Brigid ad-
mitted her without any judge-
ment, and after placing her
hands upon the girl’s stom-
ach the pregnancy disap-
peared as if it had never hap-
pened. Not the kind of dour
saint we read about in those
dog-eared school books!
Brigid’s closest companion,
or anam cara (soul friend),
Darlughdach, succeeded her
as abbess of Kildare. The
name Darlughdach, means
‘daughter of Lugh’, who was
one of the most powerful
of the ancient Celtic gods,
and instigated the harvest
traditional Brigid’s Cross
festival known as the Lugh-
nasadh. Darlughdach her-
self may have been the last
High Priestess of the god-
dess Brigid. The scholar
Mary Condren goes further
and suggests Darlughdach
was actually Brigid’s original
name, as ‘Brigid’ (Exalted
One) is a title rather than
a proper name (see Celtic
Women: Women in Celtic
Society & Literature 1995 by
Peter Berresford Ellis). She
died on the same day, exact-
ly one year after Brigid.
Also, in the Scottish tradi-
tion St Brigid is known as
St Bride of the Mantle, and
“Muime Chriosd”, meaning
foster mother of Christ. (Fos-
ter parents held a particularly
high standing in early Celtic
society, sometimes equal to
the birth ones, as it was they
who often reared the chil-
dren). In popular folk legend
after Mary had given birth
to Jesus, St Brigid, who at-
tended the birth in the role of
midwife, wrapped the infant
in her mantle and laid him
in the manger. Here we see
goddess and saint morph
into one. Obviously the story
can’t refer to an actual per-
son from the sixth century,
instead it points back to older
themes and motifs, particu-
larly the ‘Son of Light’ Celtic
myth. Such stories show
that not only did Saint Brigid
adopt characteristics and
traits of her predecessor, but
that the Celtic aspect too pre-
figures the later saint.
 www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023
Monastic Brigid
St Brigid erected a small ora-
tory which became known
as the church by the Oak
(Cill Dara), after which the
town and county were sub-
sequently named on the site
of an ancient shrine to Celtic
Brigid-of-Kildare
Brigid. Perhaps the oak it-
self was the shrine, we don’t
know. But it was here, ac-
cording to an ancient Irish
text Giraldus Cambrensis,
that the sacred fire of Brigid
was located, corralled by a
fence of trees that no man
was permitted to pass, and
attended by19 virgins known
as Daughters of the Flame.
St Brigid continued the tradi-
tion of the sacred fire, now
attended by nuns, and the
custom was said to endure
until the suppression of the
monasteries by Henry VIII.
Her church grew into a mon-
astery that catered for votives
of both sexes, which she co-
facilitated with St Conleth,
an early sign of a different,
more egalitarian Christian-
ity, one we could do well to
embrace again. No trace of
Brigid’s church remains, and
the present cathedral in Kil-
dare is a restoration of a 13th
century edifice. The round
tower, standing at 33 metres,
the second highest in Ireland,
dates from the 12th century.
Incidentally, a community
of nuns known as the Solas
Brídhe (Brigid’s Light), who
administer to the needs of
those “of all faiths and none”
continue the practice of at-
tending the flame of St Brigid
in a private dwelling in Kil-
dare to this day; a nice touch
I think to the story of Brigid.
In the Vita Sanctae Brigitae,
Cogitosus describes her
monastery as “the head of
virtually all the Irish church-
es and occupies the first
place…its jurisdiction ex-
tends over the whole land of
Ireland from sea to sea.” One
would have expected such
an accolade to be conferred
on Patrick, and indeed, with
the passing of time the he-
gemony of Patrick certainly
won out, but this text seems
to suggest a different narra-
tive, perhaps betraying com-
peting tensions within the
new religion as it attempted
to establish a foothold in
this wild and unruly country
on the edge of the Atlantic,
and that at one time perhaps
Brigid held precedence. It
may be popular to criticise
the Church for reinventing
Brigid from the embers of
the earlier goddess, but for
the relatively new Church at
the time there was never go-
The Coming of Bride by
John Duncan 1917 Scottish
Symbolist Painter
FEATURE Page 27
ing to be a way around Brigid
so indelibly was she a part of
the Irish psyche, and clothing
her in the vestiges of Chris-
tian piety was more an act of
necessity than one of cultural
appropriation.
Other Spring Festivals
The Vernal Equinox seems
to hold a special significance
not only in Ireland, but across
a wider Europe, and Febru-
ary 2nd in particular. The
ancient Romans celebrated
the Februalia at this time in
honour of the goddess Ves-
tia (Greek Hestia) the origi-
nal instigator of the Vestal
Brigid by Louise Rowland the Herstory Education Pro-
Virgins. The connection with
gramme
Brigid is not immediate but
they most likely share some early German and Dutch set- struggle for equal rights and
crossover earlier lineage. tlers, and found fertile ground minority recognition today.
Here purification and rituals in the town of Punxsutawney, So it was only fitting, follow-
of expiation continued for a Pennsylvania, when in 1887 ing the devastation wrought
month, but the actual feast it reemerged as Groundhog by the cold hand of Covid
of Februalia itself ran from day, also coincidentally, on that last year then Taoiseach
Jan 30 to Feb 2. This day too February 2nd. Whatever its Micheál Martin announced
marked the Egyptian feast of dubious origins in Pennsyl- the first Monday of Febru-
Nut the mother of the power- vania the tradition has en- ary was to be a new perma-
ful sun god Ra, and spouse dured, even finding renewed nent public holiday. This was
of Geb. In a reversal of most popularity among the digi- received with jubilation as
mythologies, Nut was the tal generation following the everyone here has an affinity
sky, while Geb, her husband, mega successful 1993 Har- with Brigid, be it saint or god-
the earth whom she covered old Ramis film starring Bill dess. Meteorological spring
with her form each evening. Murray. today begins on March 1st,
She sometimes appears as a but in the Celtic calendar it
scarab beetle. Conclusion was February 1st (many Irish
people still acknowledge
Unrelated to either of the Straddling prehistoric and this day as the beginning of
above, the early Church modern times, an avatar of spring). This is a time when
designated February 2nd as hope, Brigid has a relevance the first buds of new life ap-
Candlemas day, to honour in today’s world that few oth- pear, snowdrops often being
the Presentation of Jesus at er figures from the past can the first to emerge, turning
the Temple (Luke 2:22-40), boast. As Ireland’s female the seed into the sapling,
as well as the Purification patron saint and ancient god- the implicit into the explicit,
of the Blessed Virgin Mary. dess Brigid is an unparal- and potential into manifested
It falls exactly 40 days after leled icon for women and the form.
Christmas Day, and tradition-
ally it was a day when can-
dles were blessed. In olden
times in what is now Germa-
ny the ‘Farmers’ Year’ also
began on Candlemas with
the release of a hedgehog
or badger from its lair. Leg-
end has it if the animal cast
a shadow a second winter
was predicted. A fragment of
an ancient poem records the
event:
“The serpent will come out of
the hole / on the brown day
of Bride / though there may
be three feet of snow / on the
surface of the ground.”
This curious form of proph-
ecy obviously made its way
Brigid Doll from Spiddal, Galway
across the Atlantic with the
Page 28 1992 www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023

Compiled by Louise Whelan

Gerry Allen and crew restored at least

60 boats from the water

Anyone remember the local group Summer review of 1992. love a bit of people spotting.
Bazaar High tec funk disco. I’d love a listen

David Gilroy, workshop manager of Cerebral

Palsy in Sandymount, was awarded Classic Julie Ann was the fashion hot-spot in
Always have great support from Hits 98fm National Irish Bank Dubliner Sandymount. Check out the preview for
locals at football matches of the Month in 1992 Spring 1993, who doesn’t love a pleat.
www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023 1992 Page 29

Kay Whelan of Ringsend Active Retirement

Group was nominated for Pensioner of the New strip for Cambridge Football Club Shelbourne sorting office team are busy
year and Citizen of the year as ever to deliver the post

Some of Clanna Gael junior division showing off their medals and trophy
Splish Spash. Open day at Ringsend Basin

The Marian Shrine at Whelan House had a band of young helpers An unemployment march took place in
to keep the grotto looking clean and tidy Ringsend District Community Centre
 Page 30 INTER-SCHOOLS MUSICAL www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023

Grease is the Word

Superb Rendition of a Classic by Marian College & Muckross Park
Words & Images Louise Whelan

M
arian College Musical Society and
Muckross Park College played an
absolute blinder of the musical
‘Grease’, over two nights on 19th and 20th
January.  It was Rydell High nostalgia with
the rock n roll style era of 1950’s America,
so cue foot tapping in your seat and hand
jiving along with the classic tunes that we
all know and love.

The young talented cast brought huge en-

thusiasm, high energy, witty one-liners and
powerful singing voices with superb chore-
ography to the stage and made this whole
production a night to remember.  

Marian College Musical Society is famous

for its outstanding productions since 1973
and is now in its 48th show.  

Sincere thanks went to all involved includ-

ing the cast of Marian College and  Muck-
ross Park College, the production team
led by Mr Bernard Lynch, Front of House
manager, Mr Karl Gough, the parents, the
sponsors, the crew, the musicians, the Cast photo before the show
background team, the students and man-
agement of both schools and all who have
committed time and energy to the show.

Can’t wait for the next one!

www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023 INTER-SCHOOLS MUSICAL Page 31

Cast after the show

 Page 32
RICC serving the Community for 33 years
n
and going from Strength to Strength!
Lorraine Barry
R
ingsend and Irishtown
Community Centre
(RICC) was estab-
lished in 1989. The Centre’s
aim is to develop and provide
a quality resource centre to
serve the needs of the Com-
munity. We have an integrat-
ed approach providing sup-
ports from crèche facilities
to active retirement groups,
as well as a wide range of
services and activities for the
community.
RICC has great plans for our
annual events in 2023. In
February we will be hosting
some events raising aware-
ness for people living with
Dementia. In March, we will
celebrate Women’s Inter-
national Day on 8th March,
and our regular afternoon
tea dances in partnership
with the Active Retirement
Group will continue through-
out the year. Working with
Billy Rourke, RICC will host
the George Michael Tribute
show on 28th April, our 2nd
fundraiser for Suicide or Sur-
Local ladies at last year’s Bloomsday
vive (SOS). Our annual May
Day parade will take place on
May Day this year with excit-
ing new additions. Following
the huge success of the in-
augural Bloomsday celebra-
tions in the Community, RICC
will host the 2nd Bloomsday
Brunch in partnership with
the Ringsend Historical Soci-
ety in June.
The RICC summer project
will take place over the usual
four weeks this year with new
exciting trips catering for 200
plus children in the Com-
munity. RICC are delighted
to be hosting the Ringsend
Rock School music festi-
val in the Summer. We are
also planning events for the
autumn which include Hal-
loween and Christmas 2023
celebrations. RICC Radio
Community Newsdesk will
continue each week with lots
of exciting plans for new pro-
grammes. Our newly devel-
oped IT hub is now offering
quality IT computer training.
RICC will continue to facili-
COMMUNITY
Everyone enjoying the Afternoon Tea dance
tate transition students for
work experience and college
students on placements for
Community and Youth Work.
The Community markets will
also feature throughout the
year.
RICC are so appreciative of
the support from our funders,
we have recruited a very
special dedicated team with
our Core Team, JI Initiative,
CSP Programme, Break-
fast Club, Afterschool Pro-
gramme, Youth Service, TUS
programmes, seconded CE
from St Andrews Resource
Centre and of course our in-
valuable volunteers. Thanks
to our key stakeholders, cor-
www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023
porate partners and public for Cardiac Risk in the Young
representatives, your input (CRY) Homelessness, Feile-
and continued support adds acain, Autism Equality, Save
great value to the work at the St Mary’s, Suicide or Sur-
Centre. vive (SOS) and currently The
Alzeimer’s Society.
We also feel it is so important
to support and give appre- Events raising awareness
ciation to relevant important for people living with de-
causes. Over recent years mentia and their families in
RICC have supported many the Community 13th – 17th
local groups in the commu- February
nity and raised awareness
Sensory Garden
 www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023
Drama at the Community Centre
We are excited that The Cloud Spot-
ter play will be performed each day
of this week at the Ringsend & Irish-
town Community Centre (RICC) this
is a powerful Community Play which
touches on issues that take place
within families and touches many
issues including the grandmother
in the early stages of dementia
and how her grandchild reacts to it.
A Q & A piece will take place after
the play encouraging young and
old alike to discuss any of the is-
sues raised. Admission is €5 and
tickets are available from Admin at
the Centre. Music will be provided
by local band The Pullovers. There
will also be other key stakeholders
on site including Dementia Advisors
from the Alzheimer’s Society pro-
viding information of services avail-
able, MABS and Clanwilliam Coun-
selling.  We will also have our usual
Erasmus Funded European Youth Exchange
COMMUNITY
EVENTS GUIDE 
Week 13th – 17th February 2023
Bingo, Movie Club and the Launch
of the new IT training hub.
What’s up at RICCY’s?  will go ahead in summer 2023, and
We are very excited for the year
ahead here at RICCYS. We are
currently running a wide range of
activities from Mondays-Sundays
for young people aged 10-25 years
of age. These activities range from
after school support, Drop in ses-
sions, Developmental work such as
sexual health and fitness, Creative
art space and Outreach with street
work.  public and of course the Community
In June 2022 we held our first
Erasmus Funded European Youth
­ at NewsFour for always highlighting
Exchange whereby young people
from Ringsend and Irishtown took
part in a project both in Greece and
Ireland called “Building Pillars of
­Inclusion”. The group got the chance
to work with other young people
Erasmus Funded European Youth Exchange
from Greece and looked at ways to
make their communities more inclu-
sive. We are hoping a similar project
we plan on more European adven-
tures and opportunities this year
and in the years to come. If you are
interested in signing up please con-
tact us through our website or Face-
book channel. 
Facebook:    https://www.facebook.
com/riccysyouthcafe
Website: https://ricc.ie/riccys
Sing A Song for Docklands Pro-
ject
RICC & RICCYS are delighted to
be taking part in the Sing a Song for
Docklands music project funded by
Dublin City Arts Office and The Lab.
Young people from RICCYs have
been working alongside Musicians
Max Greenwood & Mary Barnecutt
as well as Ringsend born renowned
Musician Jerry Fish to co-write and
perform a song celebrating their
neighbourhood and the history, vital-
ity and diverse culture of the Dock-
lands area focusing on the townland
of Ringsend and Irishtown.
afternoon tea outdoors
Page 33
We have 2 upcoming performanc-
es in Windmill Lane on Sunday
­February 5th and then the main per-
formance will be in the Bord Gáis
Theatre on Sunday February 19th
alongside three other songs from
other Dockland townlands: City
Quay, Eastwall & Sherriff Street /
Northwall.
Stay tuned to RICC social media
and website for ticket details.
RICC would like to thank all our vol-
unteers, funders, stakeholders, the
at large for your continued support. 
A very special thank you to the team
the great work in our Community.  
With best wishes
Lorraine Barry, 
Manager
Further information about RICC
call in to the Centre or contact
admin @ 6604 789 or check out
our social media platforms
www.riccc.ie 
Facebook/Instagram & Twitter
 RICC letting the work do the ­talking!
 Page 34 PHOTO DIARY www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023

Photographs by Keith Brennan

Grand Canal Grand Canal

A Passing DART

Light House

The Old Dublin Fruit & Veg Market Local Street Art
www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023 PHOTO DIARY Page 35

Merrion Square tree Éire

A quite place to sit in Merrion Square Dermot Morgan memorial sculptor

Merrion Square The Victims by Andrew O’Connor

 Page 36
Q & A with Elaine Corcoran
Elaine Corcoran is a So-
licitor working in Ringsend,
she is mum of two boys and
lives locally. She is here to
answer readers’ questions
and to give some guidance
on current legal trends / de-
velopments. Elaine can be
contacted on 01 5617900 or
by email: elaine@corcoran-
solicitors.com
Relaxing at home with Mr. Tilly
n Niamh Byrne
R
ecently NewsFour
caught up with local
legend Mr Tilly, whose
display of dazzling lights
brighten up Bath Avenue an-
nually, and everyone whose
life he touches. The 88-year-
old reminished on what life
was like growing up in Ring-
send. Born in the Hadding-
ton Road tenement houses
where nine families shared
just one house, he was one
of six kids and shared a room
with three of his brothers.
“Thank god the boys came
first,” he jokes, as his mother
went on to have two girls.
Due to the lack of space, and
the overcrowded conditions
then, his mother suggested
he go and live with his nanny
as he was the eldest. The
young Liam was more than
happy, it was like an adven-
ture at the time, and he en-
joyed the years spent there.
Some time later he went
to live in George Reynolds
Irishtown flats, and it was
here that he met his late wife,
his beloved Rita (the inspi-
ration behind his Christmas
lights extravaganza), and the
Please email any questions
that you have for Elaine to
newsfour@gmail.com.
Dear Elaine
My aunt recently passed
away. She never married and
did not have children. I lived
close by and took care of her
for a number of years be-
Mr Tilly with cheque for €17,000 raised
Christmas past for Our Lady’s Hospice
couple got married when he
was only 23-years-old.
Liam is also very well trav-
elled and he talks to me
about all the trips he’s been
on, such as Benalmadena
(a town on Spain’s Costa del
Sol known for its Tivoli World
theme park). In earlier times
he would travel twice a year
with his wife and their six
children to different places
around the world, with Puer-
to Rico being his favourite.
“With six kids you can imag-
ine what it’s like trying to trav-
el, the kids running amuck!”
he says jokingly. As a lover
LOCAL
fore she eventually went into
a nursing home and died.
Myself and my other sib-
ling have been to her house
and we cannot locate a Will.
Where do we go from here?
Who is entitled to inherit here
and who can apply for the
Grant of Probate?
Sam
Hi Sam,
You will need to ascertain if
there is a Will, I would sug-
gest contacting local so-
licitors to see if they hold a
Will for your aunt. If there is
no Will, your aunt has died
intestate and the rules of
intestacy apply. Where a
person passes away with-
out spouse, civil partner or
children, their estate is di-
vided equally amongst their
brothers and sisters with a
of ballroom dancing he used
to like to attend dance halls
on these trips which he says
are some of his best memo-
ries. “The best decision I ever
made was to get married and
have a beautiful family,” he
says.
He took up ballroom dancing
as a hobby and in no time fell
in love with it, and is some-
thing of a John Travolta or
Fred Astaire when it comes
to the old shoe shuffle. Every
now and then when he goes
to the pub some of the locals
or staff will ask him to show
them a few moves, which he
www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023
deceased brother or sisters
share going to the children
of deceased brother or sis-
ter. A brother or sister of your
aunt is first entitled to extract
a Grant of Administration but
if they are unwilling or unable
to act, they can sign a waiver
to have the next person enti-
tled take out the grant.
Dear Elaine
Myself and my husband are
considering remortgaging
our house, what is involved
and how long does it typically
take?
David
Hi David,
Remortgaging in today’s cli-
mate is a wise move. Interest
rates are continuing to rise
and remortgaging at a lower
doesn’t mind in the slightest,
showing them how it’s done.
When asked if he could
live anywhere in the world
where would it be, he replied
as a true Irishman, Dublin!
“There’s no better place to
live!”
The Christmas house came
about gradually, but after his
bereavement (his wife sad-
ly passed away at only 58
years) he found he was add-
ing more and more lights to
his display as his children re-
ally enjoyed looking at them.
Then a few people suggest-
ed, because of the amount of
lights he had, that he should
start doing it for charity. Lat-
er he started doing a Santa
meet and greet for kids giv-
ing each of them a toy. Santa
would arrive in a horse and
cart and people would wait in
a queue to enjoy the full ex-
perience. One time a woman
came up to him and said this
is my daughter, you gave her
a toy when she was one and
she’s six now and still has it!
Moments like these and the
joy on the children’s faces
are the reason why he loves
fixed rate saves money and
offers financial certainty for
you into the future. The ma-
jority of banks are not charg-
ing break fees at present so
there is very little reason not
to move if you can secure a
better rate. When you start
the process of applying for
a mortgage with your bank
or broker, you should at the
same time contact your solici-
tor to take up your title deeds.
Deeds can take 4-6 weeks to
get released from banks and
can cause unnecessary de-
lay if not requested on time.
Your solicitor will check your
title documents, ensure all
is in order and arrange for
the drawdown of your new
mortgage and redemption
of your old mortgage. It is
a fairly streamline process
which takes approximately
2-4 weeks after the loan pack
issues.
putting up the lights and
­continues to do it.
All the money he raised goes
to Our Lady’s Hospice, Har-
old’s Cross. He chose this
hospice because it’s where
his uncle died. Mr. Tilly is
very grateful to the Bath Pub
who continue to sponsor him
every year, and to all those
who donate money. He is
very committed to the church
and attends regularly, in
Ringsend, Merchants Quay,
and St Rita, Johns Lane.
When asked if he would
change anything about his
life, he replied, “No! I’d do it
all again the exact same, I’ve
had a great life which is why
I’m so happy.” Spoken like
a man who has lived a truly
fulfilling life. He had to forgo
his ballroom dancing during
covid but he’s still capable
of making a few nifty moves,
and I’m sure we’ll catch him
dancing in the aisles in the
near future.
To date his Christmas
lights have raised over
€180,000. Be very proud
Mr. Tilly.
 www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023
Harry Duggan:
The one and
only right
winger
n Gavan Bergin
Part Three
I
n 1936, after ten years with
Leeds United, the great for-
ward Harry Duggan moved
to Newport County.
At that time they were in the
Third Division, having barely
avoided relegation at the
end of the previous season.
Harry’s first job was to help
them beat the drop again,
but he soon discovered what
he was up against. In his first
two matches for Newport,
they lost 7-2 at Millwall and
6-1 at Crystal Palace. Yet,
even in those heavy defeats
“he showed his class and
played a blinder,” according
to the Halifax Evening Cou-
rier. And he continued to do
the business in his first home
game for Newport, giving a
terrific performance for the
team in their 2-0 win against
Exeter. He was on top form
again in their next match, a
4-4 draw at Reading.
The scorelines in those
games showed that Harry
had made Newport a much
more effective team in at-
tack. Before he arrived, they
had scored one goal in four
games, they scored nine
goals in his first four games!
They continued to score
plenty throughout that sea-
son and Harry got his fair
share, scoring six goals in
the league, plus three in the
Cup. He had developed the
knack of scoring when his
team really needed it, like
they did when he got his first
Third Division goal, the win-
ner against Luton Town on
December 19th 1936.
That was only Newport’s
second league win of the
season, and they then lost
their next three Third Division
games. Halfway through the
season they had a desperate
record of two wins, six draws
and 13 defeats from their
first 21 league matches. At
the end of 1936 they looked
a sure bet for relegation, but
in the new year Harry’s goals
helped them turn things
around.
On January 2nd 1937 he
scored in Newport’s 6-2 win
against Southend. Then
he scored Newport’s win-
ning goal against Cardiff on
January 9th.. That was the
first time in nearly a year that
Newport had won consecu-
tive matches, it boosted their
confidence and subsequently
they won 10 and drew four of
their next 21 league games.
That vast improvement in
their results earned them
the points needed to finish
three league placings better
than the previous season, in
19th, and out of the relega-
tion zone.They were safe for
another year.
SPORTING HISTORY
1937/38 was better again for
Newport, who finished six-
teenth in the Third Division
and did very well in knockout
competitions. It was another
fine year for Harry too. At the
age of 34 he was in fine fet-
tle, still playing and scoring
regularly and still making the
difference for his team in big
matches. He scored half of
his goals that season in cup
games. On December 11th
1937 he scored the winner
for Newport in their FA Cup
second round match against
Bournemouth.
That goal got Newport into
the third round for the first
time in their history. So, on
January 8th 1938, Newport
played Bradford Park Avenue
in the FA Cup Third Round.
Bradford were in the Second
Division side, and it showed.
Although Harry got the first
goal for Newport, and they
scored four in the game, their
defence was outclassed.
Bradford were deadly go-
ing forward and they scored
seven times. The final score
of 7- 4 was no disgrace for
Newport but they were out of
the FA Cup.
Then, on March 10th 1938,
Harry scored the winning
goal in Newport’s Welsh Cup
seventh round match against
Cheltenham Town. That strike
put Newport into the Semi-fi-
nal against Shrewsbury Town
on April 26th 1938. Although
Newport lost that game 2-3,
their failure to get to the fi-
nal was overshadowed a
couple of weeks later when
the league season ended
and their Third Division sur-
vival was confirmed. By then,
Harry’s role at Newport had
evolved. Along with his abili-
ties as a player, he had great
experience and knowledge of
the game and over the years
he had become a leader on
the pitch. In the summer of
1938 he was appointed as
captain of Newport. That was
a wise decision indeed.
1938/39 was a triumph for
Newport. They won 22 and
drew 11 of their 42 league
games, and they won the
Third Division! That earned
them promotion to the Sec-
ond Division for the first time
in the history of the club. And
Harry was as good as gold
throughout: he had led from
the front, running, passing
and shooting his way to the
championship, his first trophy
as a professional. His author-
ity as skipper was lauded far
and wide, including in his old
stamping ground, when the
Leeds Mercury reported that
he played “a conspicuous
part in County’s successful
season.”
After that glorious promotion
campaign, his teammates
unanimously elected him
Page 37
captain again for the com-
ing season. And, on 26th
August 1939, when Newport
played their first ever Sec-
ond Division game against
Southampton at Somerton
Park, ol’ Harry led his team
onto the field and captained
them to a 3-2 win. On Au-
gust 31st he was in grand
form again, leading Newport
to a 1-1 draw with the mighty
Tottenham Hotspur. It was a
dandy start to the season for
the skipper and his team, and
after three games Newport
were tenth in the league table
and looking good.
Unfortunately, less than a
month into the season the
Second World War started
and the Football League sea-
son was abandoned. New-
port’s last league match of
the season was against Not-
tingham Forest on 2nd Sep-
tember 1939 and that was
their last Second Division
match until after the War.
And it was Harry’s last match
in professional football. He
played on for Newport in war-
time league football, but he
retired before the end of the
war. He had scored 20 goals
in 101 games for Newport,
which meant that he finished
his club career with 69 goals
in 298 first team matches.
The exciting story of Harry
Duggan concludes next
time.
 Page 38
All Ireland League – Banbridge 26 Old Wesley 36
n Ken Richardson
A
fter two postpone-
ments this fixture
eventually took place
and for Old Wesley it was
certainly worth the wait.
Right from the off Wesley
showed their dominance and
indeed for most of the first
half they continued to do so.
An early break by Brian Short
brought play into the Ban-
bridge 22, and further good
carries had play up to five
metres from the line. From a
maul the ball was passed to
the wing only for a Banbridge
player to deliberately knock
on. This earned him a yellow
card but the referee decided
against a penalty try, despite
there being two Wesley play-
ers in the clear outside him.
But from the penalty and line
out Wesley continued the as-
sault resulting in a try by Iain
McGann. From the restart
Wesley immediately contin-
ued the pressure with many
players carrying to good ef-
fect, and within a few minutes
they were on the scoreboard
again with a try in the corner
by Nathan Randles. The diffi-
cult conversion by Josh Miller
came back off the upright but
Wesley deservedly led 10 nil.
On the quarter time mark, af-
ter a break from deep by Reu-
ben Pim the ball was passed
to the ever-elusive Alex Mol-
loy. Some neat interplay be-
tween Molloy and David Poff
had the opposition totally
confused before Molloy fin-
ished the move, crossing the
line with ease for another try.
Miller converted and Wes-
ley were showing they were
in total control. It was just
three minutes before the next
score, by James O’Donovan
after he broke a couple of
tackles to touch down under
the posts for the bonus point
try. Five minutes later Mol-
loy was showing his skills
again with some exciting
running. He passed to Poff
who ran 20 metres to touch
down in the corner, however
play was called back for a
forward pass. But it wasn’t
long before Wesley were
on the attack again. After a
penalty kick to touch, a five-
metre line was taken cleanly
and the ball fed out the line
to Molloy who crossed for his
Old Wesley flanker Sam Pim takes on the Banbridge defence.
SPORT
second and Wesley’s fifth try.
After 38 minutes the home
side eventually paid their first
visit to the Wesley 22. They
applied some pressure but
the defence held firm. How-
ever Wesley were dealt a
blow when Iain McGann was
shown a yellow card for a
high tackle. From the ensu-
ing penalty Banbridge looked
like they would score a try in
corner only for the ball to be
knocked on. Old Wesley es-
caped leaving the score at a
healthy 31 nil at half time.
Whatever the Banbridge
coach said to his side at half
time should be bottled as
they came out a totally differ-
ent side. Indeed the game
went on to be a proverbial
game of two halves. It took
under one minute for flanker
Robin Sinton to score his
side’s first try after finding a
hole in the Wesley defence.
Now playing with the wind
advantage the home side im-
mediately upped their game
and for much of the second
half looked to be in charge.
Ten minutes later Banbridge
www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023
were over again this time
with a try by Ross Cartmill. It
wasn’t long before they were
on the scoresheet again,
this time with a penalty try
after the Old Wesley scrum
buckled under pressure near
their line. 31-19 and Wesley
needed to steady the ship
soon. This they did as they
started to reclaim some pos-
session and territory.
The breakthrough came after
30 minutes of the half. A cou-
ple of penalties saw Wesley
bring play into the opposi-
tion 22. Winning good qual-
ity possession, the ball went
out the back line to Tommy
O’Callaghan who showed
great speed to get in for a try
out wide. Not deterred, from
the restart the Ulstermen had
Wesley conceding penalties
eventually resulting in David
Poff receiving a yellow card,
for the team rather than for a
personal offence. From the
resulting line out Banbridge
showed their hunger again
crossing for their bonus point
try, by Robert Lyttle. With
four minutes to go Banbridge
were still in search of the los-
(Image: Ken Richardson)
er’s bonus point. They fought
hard but the Wesley defence
held out and after stealing an
opposition line out the final
whistle came soon after giv-
ing Old Wesley their second
bonus point win of the cam-
paign.
At the midpoint of the sea-
son Old Wesley lie 6th in the
league, however there are
just two points between 3rd
and 6th in the division.
Scorers: Iain McGann,
try; Nathan Randles, try;
Alex Molloy, 2 tries, James
O’Donovan, try, Tommy
O’Callaghan, try, Josh Miller,
3 cons.
Team: Alex Molloy; Na-
than Randles, James
O’Donovan, David Poff; Tom-
my O’Callaghan, Josh Miller;
Keith Kavanagh; Harry Noo-
nan, Howard Noonan, Cro-
nan Gleeson, Brian Short,
Iain McGann (capt), Sam
Pim, Will Fay, Reuben Pim.
Replacements: Finn Tier-
ney, Sam Kenny, Rob Loftus,
Dom McClean, Andrew Vin-
cent, Eoin Monahan.
 www.newsfour.ie Feb / Mar 2023 Page 39

4 Images by Rosalie Sunderland

“Following the death of Patrick (Percy) Thompson on Nov. 27th

2022, we, his wife Mary and his daughter Marie, would like to thank
all those who attended the funeral, sympathised, and supported us
through this difficult time. We would like to express our gratitude to
Fr. Tonge, Fr. Fergal, Mons. Dan, the local representatives, amenity
groups and clubs in the area, as well as to his former colleagues
from the IGB where he used to work, and to all our neighbours
and friends, especially Billo. We extend a very special thanks to
the staff at St Vincent’s University Hospital for the dedication and
compassion they showed to Paddy in his final days and to Fana-
gans Undertakers for their thoughtfulness and diligence. We deeply
appreciate your attendance, words of sympathy, and little touches
of kindness. A mass will be offered for your intentions. May Paddy
Rest in Peace.”

Clerys Clock
Restored and looking better than ever – Clery’s
clock stands proud over the new store which will
open later this year. I wonder how many new
romances will begin beneath it?