TheCity

Author: Niamh Haskins

  • Don’t bark up the wrong tree this Christmas

    Don’t bark up the wrong tree this Christmas

    At the age of five, sprinting down the stairs at six o’clock Christmas morning is one of the best feelings a child will ever have. However, opening the sitting room door to see a puppy is a thousand times better – at least that is from the child’s perspective.

    Owning a pet is one of life’s most rewarding experiences. However, pets are more than just a seasonal gift – they’re a long term commitment.

    As the countdown to Christmas is truly upon us, people are searching the city trying to find the best presents for their loved ones. Many households are planning for a furry arrival come the 25th of December.

    Across Dublin at the moment it is almost guaranteed that there are children persuading their parents that this Christmas is the perfect time to get a pet.

    Trying to impress their children, parents get carried away and ignore the fact that a dog will usually live for between ten and fifteen years.

    Dogs Trust and The Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) are urging people to think long and hard about the decision and are reminding us that, ‘A dog is for life, not just for Christmas’.

    After Christmas, Dogs Trust receive more than 1,000 abandoned and unwanted dogs arriving through the doors of their Rehoming Centre.

    Back in November, the charity’s, ‘A dog is for life, not just for Christmas’ campaign launched, asking the public to pledge and promise not to buy a puppy this Christmas.

    The campaign also saw large four-foot wrapped model dogs displaying messages like “I was too old” and “They drove off and left me” scattered across key locations in the city centre.

    Mark Beazley, executive director at Dogs Trust, spoke about the importance of the campaign. He said that the model dogs were “abandoned in an aim to provoke awareness and discussion around buying a puppy as a gift this Christmas”.

    “We wanted to try something a little different for our Christmas campaign this year in order to attract the public’s attention and hopefully spread our charity’s message of ‘A dog is for life, not just for Christmas’,” he said.

    He continued: “For us, as Ireland’s leading dog welfare charity, this campaign is very much about encouraging people to stop and think really carefully about the commitment you are taking on when you consider buying that puppy at Christmas. Can you be certain that once the celebrations are over you will still feel the same way about the puppy and your decision?

    “We are at the front line of the sad reality of abandoned and unwanted dogs every day. We really would encourage anyone who is set on getting a dog this Christmas to wait until the busy festive period is over and to consider adopting from your local rescue centre, pound or Dogs Trust.”

    Emma O’Neill, a volunteer with Dogs Trust, said, “We advise people not to get a dog for Christmas because it’s such a busy time with people coming and going they can’t settle. It’s the wrong time of year.”

    She continued: “When you get a puppy for the first year or so it’s bound to be crazy. They’re just like babies in the sense they’re not trained and they teethe. At first thought it can be a great idea, but eventually the excitement fades out and the dogs are being rehoused. It affects the dogs in so many ways. Although we give them the best care we can, sometimes they need more.”

    The charity is asking the public to support and share this important animal welfare message at Christmas by joining the cause and pledging to take #ThePuppyPromise online at www.thepuppypromise.com.

  • Get your Copper Face Jocks

    Get your Copper Face Jocks

    For students living outside Dublin, it is second to none as the best place to experience Dublin city nightlife for the first time.

    It’s where all Dublin-based stag parties end up. Famous for celebrating national sporting events thanks to the Dublin Gaelic football team and the Sam Maguire Cup, it’s as Irish as a chicken fillet roll.

    Now the infamous Dublin nightclub Copper Face Jacks on Harcourt Street is more than just a Dublin night club. The iconic club released its branded underwear earlier this week dubbed Copper Face Jocks.

    The nightclub have manufactured and designed a pair of women’s briefs in a dazzling bright orange and white, along with black and gold underpants for men.

    Sadly, the public will not be able to purchase the soon-to-be collector’s items. The club intends to use these one-of-a-kind briefs as prizes during events at the nightclub.

    The night club have been asked on more than one occasion if they sell Coppers merchandise. “It’s always being bandied about and we thought we should do it for a bit of craic,” said Carl Andreucetti, marketing manager at Coppers. “I can’t quite remember where the idea of the Coppers pants came from.”

    Dublin footballer Bernard Brogan received the pants just days before he captained the Ireland squad who beat Australia to win the Cormac McAnallen Cup.

    Brogan shared the image on his Twitter account claiming the pants to be “lucky”. He posted: “Got my lucky pants for tomorrow, how could we lose now!! #CopperFaceJocks”.

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    You can follow Niamh Haskins on Twitter at @niamhhaskins

  • Dublin Fire Brigade to fight fire with drones

    Dublin Fire Brigade to fight fire with drones

    Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) are set to use drones to fight fires by the end of the year.

    The project, announced last August, has since seen six personnel at DFB trained to operate the flying devices.

    Operation guidelines are currently being formulated surrounding the flying device. The drones will be used to calculate the best way to fight a fire, measure the extent of the fire and to locate missing people.

    Drones can climb higher than traditional fire ladders and film expansive areas, allowing officers to gather crucial information in a short time frame.

    Last April presented DFB with their first opportunity to test the drone as a severe blaze broke out at Ballymount Industrial Estate.

    According to Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Dennis Keely, the project is still quite new. “It’s very early days. We don’t want people to be scared of this.”

    He continued: “When you pull up you often have a lot of smoke, and it’s not always immediately clear where the concentration of the fire is.

    “From an operational perspective, to have an overview, an ability to step back from the situation and a quick visual of an incident from an aerial shot can be quite advantageous.”

    Drones have already been implemented by fire services in the UK where infrared and night-vision cameras are used to locate trapped people and penetrate smoke.

    Follow Niamh Haskins on Twitter at @niamhhaskins.

    Photo: William Murphy/ Wiki Commons

  • ‘One Human One Race’ launches nationwide tour

    ‘One Human One Race’ launches nationwide tour

    This week saw Show Racism the Red Card (SRTRC) launch its mobile anti-racism exhibition at the Atrium of Dublin Civic Offices.

    With over 200 schools and youth services participating, the exhibition will run from the 22nd of October to the 16th of November in Dublin, before moving to other venues.

    The aim of Show Racism the Red Card is to harness the high profiles of sports people to combat racism. The organisation works to produce anti-racism educational resources, and to educate young people through workshops, summer camps and coaching activities.

    ‘One Human One Race’ will feature work produced by children in schools and youth services throughout Ireland as part of their participation in the SRTRC Creative Competition.

    The annual competition calls for young people to develop creative messages about racism and integration using written, visual and audiovisual means.

    Garrett Mullan, Executive Director of Show Racism the Red Card, told The City: “The purpose of this exhibition is to recognise the work of schools, youth services and young people in their efforts to promote inclusion and oppose racism. The creative competition’s idea is that young people are able to come up with their own messages about racism. Some of the work on display is absolutely outstanding.

    “One primary school child made a mosaic out of 30,000 beads. Apparently it took this child 60 hours to make, but its a really interesting piece to have at the exhibition.”

    He continued: “The exhibition includes about 40 pictures and links to audio visual entries.We’ve had a huge amount of good quality work that is worthy to be shown in high profile locations. We figure it’s time to show it off and reassure others that young Irish people have a good attitude to both integration and the issue of racism.”

    Further information about Show Racism the Red Card is available at: www.theredcard.ie.

    Follow Niamh Haskins on Twitter at @niamhhaskins.

  • Media coverage in sport is an uneven playing field

    Media coverage in sport is an uneven playing field

    Irish international cricketer Shauna Kavanagh sat down with The City’s Niamh Haskins to discuss her views on women’s sport coverage.

    When a woman steps into the ring, pitch or court representing her club or country, it is one of the most exciting yet challenging tasks she can face. In the history of sport, some of the most incredible success stories came from brave and talented women, who not only faced competition from their opponents, but also battled sexism, discrimination and the constant struggle to be treated equally.

    Gender bias is an issue that occurs in many areas of life, but it is extremely prevalent in sports coverage. Internationally, only 10 per cent of all sports coverage is of women’s sports. The most recent Irish analysis by the Dublin Sport and Recreational Council revealed that only 78 out of 6,503 sports photos taken by six national newspapers over a 15 day period were of women. The same study showed that over a five year period only 3% of sports photos were of women.

    While coverage is limited, Irish international cricketer Shauna Kavanagh emphasised the need to recognise the improvements that have been made.

    “The lack of coverage obviously hinders the growth of women’s sport. But it’s important to recognise the strides that have been made over the years in terms of women’s sport in the media. Coverage has definitely improved. When I was younger I don’t remember many female athletes in the media, all my sporting heroes were male athletes,” she explained.

    “Obviously there is still greater coverage of men’s sport in the media and I suppose the impact of that would be young girls wanting to play with boys rather than girls, because they may feel it holds a greater importance.”

    Despite the same levels of skill, competition, training and dedication, Shauna argues that there is a lot more interest in male dominated sports.

    “The interest in women’s sport is on an upward curve and hopefully it will just continue to grow and result in more coverage. I don’t think so much in the way it’s represented in the media, but rather just the frequency of it … it’s not that the calibre of female athletes has changed, just the publicity [for] them,” Kavanagh explained.

    “Generally, I think when female athletes are represented in the media, it’s done so in a positive way. It’s just not done enough. I think Irish women’s sports can assist each other in promoting women’s sports in Ireland, which will keep encouraging the coverage of it.”

    Having represented Ireland on more than one occasion, Kavanagh said, “The Irish media has covered events that we have been involved in quite well. Our most recent series against Australia in August was live streamed. This was such a boost for women’s cricket in Ireland. It was the first time Cricket Ireland had broadcast any of the women’s games and it was a great success in terms of the number of views and coverage which it secured.

    “It’s Cricket Ireland’s intention to stream as much cricket as possible going forward which will increase the awareness of the game, along with the exposure of women’s cricket within the media.

    “The Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers are being held in Thailand in November and hopefully the Irish media will get on board and ensure there is plenty of media surrounding the event,” she concluded.

  • Have you seen MMA star Cathal Pendred’s dog?

    Have you seen MMA star Cathal Pendred’s dog?

    Irish Mixed Martial Artist Cathal Pendred has launched a public appeal to aid in the search for his missing dog.

    The Dubliner, who is currently in preparation for his UFC welterweight bout against Tom Breese on October 24, took to social media as he has not seen his beloved pet since lunch time on Wednesday.

    Ringo, who was rescued by the welterweight and his partner Michele McGrath was last seen on Griffith Avenue, Dublin 9.

    “Cathal and I are totally devastated. Ringo is still only a puppy. We love him so much. He is such a loving and adorable dog so we really hope that nothing happens to him,” Michele told The City.

    As of yet, there is no sign of the missing pet but there has been a positive response to the post.

    “We’re doing as much as we possibly can to find him and are really hopeful because the response from Facebook and Twitter alone has been great,” she said.

    “All we can do is keep searching, thank the people who have shared his photo and ask others to keep sharing the photos. We hope someone has him safe.”

    The couple have asked for anyone to get in touch with them via Facebook or Twitter if they find their pet.

  • Brides-to-be say ‘I do’ for refugees

    Brides-to-be say ‘I do’ for refugees

    A very special event is set to take place on the 28th of October in House on Leeson Street.

    “I Do, for Syria” is an auction of pre-loved wedding attire in order to raise much needed funds for the Irish Red Cross, who are currently working with Syrian Refugees.

    Roisin Kelly, the event organiser, is encouraging women to give away their wedding gowns for the good cause.

    Roisin told The City: “I don’t have a huge amount of money to donate, but what I did have was one very expensive, worn once, beautiful wedding dress. The images of Aylan Kurdi’s body washed up on a beach really made me sit up. It broke my heart. I’ve always wanted to help the refugees and now was the time to do it.

    “So far, we have received about 40 dresses from past brides and bridesmaids. Even bridal stores including Sharon Hoey, Myrtle, Ivory to name just a few have donated. I can’t begin to describe the response. Not one person or store has said no to getting involved and for the most part we’ve hardly had to ask.”

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    Parting with her dress wasn’t an easy decision for Roisin. She said: “It was hard but I’ve made my peace with it. Seeing what this has become makes me prouder than the dress ever could. It’s a beautiful dress and hopefully it will go to a good home and money raised will help aid the refugees.”

    On the night before the auction, there’ll be a fashion show held showcasing the dresses .

    “What we are doing is the tiny tip of a very big iceberg. Hopefully the auction makes tons of money for The Irish Red Cross,” she said.

    Brides who would like to donate are asked to get in contact via www.facebook.com/IDoForSyria for further information.