Sink or Swim

The country's most famous bridge will be transformed into an unlikely diving arena tomorrow as dozens of swimmers plunged into the River Liffey in the centre of Dublin.

Dressed in togs and plastic caps, more than 50 swimmers will dive from O'Connell Bridge into the murky waters below to raise money for cystic fibrosis sufferers.

The annual spectacle dates back 27 years and was started by Dubliner Robert Clarke, who has lost three of his four children to the disease.

The 92nd Dublin Liffey Swim takes place tomorrow the 18th of August starting with the mens race at 11.15am

Are you brave enough to tackle the cold waters?

Heroes Homecoming!

GOLD medallist and flag bearer Katie Taylor rounded off her Olympic dream by flying a Tricolour from a plane as Team Ireland returned home.

The champion boxer smiled and waved from the cockpit of the Aer Lingus jet with her medal on show and revealed that it has not left her neck since the success.

"I haven't let it out of my sight. I've been sleeping with it," she said.

The five medallists - Mullingar boxer John Joe Nevin with a silver, double bronze boxer Paddy Barnes, fellow Belfast boxer Michael Conlan and redeemed show jumper Cian O'Connor, also both with bronze, led the team of 66 athletes to a private reception with scores of family and friends and dignitaries.

A hero's welcome greeted the athletes on the runway at Dublin Airport - but the homecoming seemed slightly muted compared to what's in store outside the Mansion House on Wednesday afternoon.

Get In The Spirit

Spirit of Folk Festival officially launches and announces new acts to the bill!

Festival organisers Natasha and Emily Duffy have officially launched the second year of the Spirit of Folk Festival and announced over a dozen new acts to the line-up. The festival will return to the lush surrounds of Dunderry Park, Co. Meath from September 21-23, and looks to build on the success of last year to create an original, intimate, and inspiring event.

The line-up, which also features two-time Meteor Award winner John Spillane, was extended significantly with the additions of an exclusive Irish date from award-winning, folk-rock Glastonbury favourites ‘Treetop Flyers’.

Kildare singer-songwriter Ross Breen, and Dublin based folk-pop group Little xs for Eyes were also added to the line-up along with The Cujo Family, David Hope, Coscan, Lynched, Wicker Bones, Easy Buoy, Gordon Reeves, Corner Boy, No Bread, Wyvern Lingo, Mark Maxwell, The Greasy Coates, Polly Barrett, and John Blek and the Rats, bringing the number of acts performing over the weekend to over 40.

The festival also acts as a ‘celebration of all things folk’. This includes a strong focus on activities that run alongside the music. Some of Ireland’s best seanchaí, including Eddie Lenihan and Pat Speight, will perform throughout the weekend in a replica megalithic cairn, Astronomy Ireland will give festival goers a chance to view the stars from the perspective of our ancient ancestors, and The Wildlife Trust will run interactive activities for kids of all ages. Festival goers will also have the chance to learn ancient skills such as archery and falconry and will get to test their wits in ‘The Hall of Heroes’; the area of the festival where gaming and competition is expressed through unique games such as bicycle jousting, folk aerobics and the anicent art of table tennis!

For those that prefer to relax and take in the beautiful surroundings there is a whole forest and field dedicated to holistic lifestyle with a healing area offering treatments from acupuncture to massage and tipis open all weekend for drumming and mandala workshops.

Natasha Duffy, one of the festival organisers, explained the rationale behind attempting to create an event that is more than the average music festival: ‘we want festival goers to leave feeling better than they came, full of optimism and new ideas. For that reason we have curated the event to include alternative activities you might not usually find at a festival while still providing stellar entertainment from some of the most inspiring artists in Ireland and the UK at the moment’

This year the festival is set to explore new ground by staging a play, in collaboration with the Gaiety School of Acting. 'The Return of the Fianna’ is an original comedy featuring characters from Irish mythology that will be performed on Saturday and Sunday.

With the additions to an already strong line-up, Spirit of Folk, which is being supported by Meath Partnerships LEADER programme, promises to be a unique, boutique event which can offer a spot of sunshine before the end of the summer.

Spirit of Folk runs from Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd September. Weekend camping tickets start at €85. Day tickets cost €45, and children under 14 can go free. More information on the festival, including the full line-up and range of activities can be found at www.spiritoffolk.com

The Girls have set up a Fundit page to help with the funding of the festival, drop over and help them out if you can - >> http://www.fundit.ie/project/spirit-of-folk-festival

GOOD LUCK!!

I'd like wish Katie the very best of luck in the Olympics! I had the pleasure of shooting her before she left - Keep your eye out for the billboard!

Never Alone

ALMOST 150 people have been buried in a plot maintained for older people who die with no family or friend to claim them, according to the charity which maintains it.

Alone, the organisation that provides support to older people in need, yesterday marked its 35th anniversary with a commemoration ceremony at Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin where its redesigned and landscaped millennium plot and plaque were unveiled.

The Ireland Funds provided finance towards the plot’s refurbishment. The plot was established in 1988 when Alone founder Willie Bermingham made a commitment that the charity would ensure no elderly person in Dublin would be buried in an unmarked grave. Since then 148 people have been buried in the plot.

Independent Senator David Norris, who unveiled the plaque dedicated to the memory of the charity’s service users and volunteers, said: “I have long been a supporter of Alone’s vital work in the community, and their commitment to the older people in need who they provide services for.”

During the ceremony individual flowers with the name of a person buried in the plot were laid by the plaque as music was played.

Be Brave

Three year old Cara Breslin and friends, having fun at a Visit Scotland promotional tourism event in the Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin.

VisitScotland recently launched its biggest ever global campaign in an attempt to cash in on the launch of the animated movie Brave.

The film tells the story of a young Highland princess and has been made by the same studio behind the Toy Story series.

What do you Aspire to?

Captain Leo Cullen with the help of Allie Madden was on hand to help launch Laya Healthcare's brand new scheme Aspire.

Laya healthcare announced a new, unique scheme, developed specifically with Dublin-based consumers in mind. The new scheme provides the 5 star cover you do need, without having to pay for the cover you don’t! This new innovative scheme, Aspire, is part of laya healthcare’s consumer-centric focus on listening to its members and delivering the range of schemes they are looking for, at exceptional value. In other words this is part of laya heathcare’s commitment to looking after its members always.

Through listening to their members and, indeed, to the wider marketplace, laya healthcare learned that there is a significant requirement for access to private hospitals at a competitive price. Laya healthcare’s new scheme provides access to two of Dublin’s premium medical facilities, the Beacon Hospital and the Sports Surgery Clinic, as well as all public hospitals in Ireland.