The Setanta Choir will host their Christmas Concert this Saturday night at 8pm in An Táin Theatre at the Town Hall.
MC on the night will be dancer and TV presenter Dearbhla Lennon, with special guests including Anóm Dance, Conal Duffy, Jennifer Murphy, Michael O’neill and Sean Rooney.
Also back by popular demand is ‘The Snowman’.
Tickets are available from the An Táin Theatre Box Office priced €15, with a family ticket €40.
Gary O’Hanlon
Local runner Gary O’Hanlon won his sixth marathon of the year on Saturday when he led the field home in the Clonakilty Waterfront event in a time of 2:46.06.
O’Hanlon, who hails from Kilkerley but who runs for the Clonliffe Harriers club in Dublin, only took over the lead in the final three miles but finished comfortably clear of Raivis Zakis of West Waterford (2:47.59) and Rory Mooney (2:48.36).
The victory was even more impressive considering O’Hanlon had to overcome a niggling leg injury that had been bothering him for most of the previous week.
“It felt like a hamstring problem and I was hoping that I would be able to complete the distance on Saturday,” he told FIT Magazine.
“I had to run with a bit of caution but I am delighted to win what is a really brilliant event.”
This was O’Hanlon’s second successive victory in Clonakilty and comes just weeks after a sixth place finish in the Dublin Marathon that could have been better but for an incident which saw his phone stolen just hours before the race.
Action from Dundalk v Enniscorthy
Dundalk RFC ended their 2013 campaign on a high on Saturday when they bounced back from back-to-back defeats with a 36-0 win over Enniscorthy at the Mill Road.
Four early penalties from Ultan Murphy set the home side on their way and it was he who turned provider before the break as Stephen Martin crashed over for the game’s opening try. Murphy then added the conversion to leave it 19-0 at the break.
Johnny Gray then added a second try on the restart, which was again converted by Murphy.
Owen McNally then got over in the corner, with a missed conversion leaving it 31-0.
Dundalk then went in search of a bonus point, with Isaia Petelo grabbing it after getting over for his eighth try of the season.
Dundalk now look forward to a welcome Christmas break before resuming activities with a trip to face Cill Dara on January 4th.
Also on Saturday the 2nds overcame Enniscorthy by 26-16, with the 3rds going down 20-10 to Rathoath.
Another Geordie Shore star will be appearing in Dundalk this weekend.
Marnie Simpson joined the hit MTV show at the start of the most recent seventh season and she will be travelling to Dundalk for the first time when she appears in Silence Nightclub this Saturday.
Her co-star Vicky Pattison will also be coming to Dundalk on December 27th for an Intensity teen disco in Ridley’s.
Admission can be paid on the door on the night.
The 2013 senior competitive rugby calendar year concludes for Dundalk RFC at the Mill Road on Saturday with an extravaganza of rugby and festivities.
All three senior teams will be in action, followed by an afternoon and evening of entertainment in the clubhouse to bring down the curtain on another great year for the club. The day’s itinerary is as follows:
From there it will be up to the clubhouse where fantastic local band The Stormers will be playing an acoustic set from 3.30pm until 6pm, following by a live screen of the Leinster v Northampton Heineken Cup match.
All are invited along on the day.
Dave Kearney crashes over his opening try against Samoa
Dave Kearney has been omitted from the Ireland squad for Saturday’s clash with Australia at the Aviva Stadium.
The Leinster winger, who hails from Willville in Carlingford, looked like he had played his way into contention for a starting place at the weekend after coming off the bench for his debut against Samoa on Saturday and bagging two late tries.
Rather than be too down-hearted about the matter, Kearney will be hoping that coach Joe Schmidt seen enough of him in his late cameo last weekend and is using Saturday’s game as another chance to take a look at different players.
While Dave won’t be involved on Saturday, his older brother Rob has retained his place at full-back.
The Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dundalk
A Co Monaghan couple’s big day was ruined on Saturday when a gas leak at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dundalk forced the building to be evacuated for up to three hours.
Around 280 guests, including the wedding party, were forced to flee Dundalk’s tallest building shortly after 7pm after a staff member reported smelling gas.
The guests then remained locked out in the rain for almost three hours as fire crews inspected the building. The hotel was declared safe around 9.40pm but by that stage many of those who had been evacuated had already left. Indeed, The Irish Daily Mirror reports that the bride and groom were amongst those who did not return.
The Crowne Plaza are believed to have offered complimentary drinks to all those who did wait around for the hotel to reopen.
In a statement to the Irish Mirror, a spokeswoman for the hotel apologized for the inconvenience to the newlyweds but she said evacuated guests were kept warm and dry in minibuses in the car park until the hotel reopened, with tea and coffee served to them during this period.
She said the hotel had followed their full evacuation policy and procedure and that while they regretted any inconvenience caused the safety of the guests and staff was considered paramount.
Source: Bride and groom forced to flee hotel after gas leek in Dundalk, Co Louth (Irish Daily Mirror)
Brendan Bellew and Michelle O’Neill on their wedding day
Last Saturday saw Louth Village girl Michelle O’Neill tie the knot with Brendan Bellew from Crossmaglen. The ceremony took place in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Louth Village, followed by the reception in the Nuremore Hotel, Carrickmacross.
May the new Mr and Mrs Bellew have a lifetime of happiness together.
Bride Michelle O’Neill, from Louth Village, with her siblings Orla and Eamon on her wedding day
Pictures: Paddy Clarke Photography
Dundalk RFC continued their fine start to the season with a bonus point victory over Clondalkin at the Mill Road on Saturday.
The result leaves Ene Fa’atau’s side in second place, with a huge gap now opened up between them, league leaders Wanderers and the chasing pack.
Wanderers are two points clear of Dundalk as things stand, having picked up extra bonus points from their four games to date.
The two sides will go head-to-head in a top of the table clash in Dundalk’s next outing at Lansdowne Road on November 2nd.
While Dundalk were 31-3 winners over third-placed Clondalkin on Saturday, the result was not as comfortable as the scoreline might suggest with the home side having to work hard for their win by putting in a huge second half performance with tries from Jonathan Williams, Brendan Hadden, Isaiah Petelo and Paul Meegan. Ultan Murphy converted from each of them to add to his first half penalty as he continues his exceptional form.
Dundalk: Ciaran Brannigan, Darren McGuinness, John Smith, Paul Meegan, Mike Bentley, James McConnon, Brendan Hadden, Ene Fa’atau, Thomas Campbell, Ultan Murphy, Rory O’Hagan, MJ McKevitt, Isaiah Petelo, Robert Shields, Owen McNulty. Subs: Conor Williams, Johnny Grey, Robert Farrell, Jonathan Williams, Stephen Murphy.
Sisters Sarah, Emma and Ruth Clarke – all daughters of well-known local photographer Paddy Clarke – are hosting a pop up shop in Paddy’s Jocelyn Street studio this Saturday and Sunday.
The three sisters will be selling dress, accessories, shoes, handbags and more, with many of the clothes suitable for those attending any upcoming weddings.
Paddy promoted the event on Facebook as follows: “A question,why is it that when a woman buys a dress for a wedding or dinner they can only wear it once? My daughters Sarah, Emma and Ruth are having a pop up shop to sell off their dresses, accessories, shoes and handbags in our studio in Jocelyn Street on Saturday and Sunday, why not come along. The studio will be open for wedding and portrait chats as well.”
The pop up shop is open from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and 2pm to 5pm on Sunday. Refreshments will be served and the clothes are described as being in great condition and at reasonable prices.
Talk of the Town 