John Keyes

I recently had need to acquire two ¾" flexible compression pipes. I was in Smithfield and the thought of having to get in the car to go get them wasn’t very appealing.

My usual port of call for such hardware requirements is to call into Lenehans on Capel Street. Unfortunately they only stocked ½" but they gave me the name of somewhere else I could try; Unit Supplies and Services, Dorset Street. I gave them a call and they had them in stock.

I cycled along Dorset Street for the guts of a year on my way to work and I’d never noticed this shop.

They have everything you could need plumbing wise, and the lads working in there are lovely gentlemen. After handing over the cash for the pipes (which were very reasonably priced), I thought I’d try my luck and see if they stocked the Triton T40i booster pump.

I had tried three Triton stockists in Kilkenny, and none of them stocked it. One did say they could order it, the other two told me they don’t sell them. Unit had it in stock, so I decided to give these independent traders my business.

It saddens me that shops like this are not the norm anymore. In Portlaw, where I grew up, we had a great hardware store, Phil Fogarty’s. You could get anything you needed in there (or so it seemed to a young me anyway). If a room was being repainted, we’d head down there, and Phil would mix the colour you needed. If you needed a handful of nails or screws, they’d be wrapped in newspaper for you. It’s a shame that the current crop of superstores like Woodies, B&Q, and Atlantic are making it so hard for small shops like this to survive.

Here’s hoping that Lenehans and Unit Supplies and Services remain in business for a long time to come.

Five point summary:

• Warburton
• Roberts
• Warburton
• Roberts
• Gatland

My new season of television includes the following:

• Terra Nova — meh
• Breaking Bad — excellent finale to a drawn out series.
• Dexter — potential to be a decent series.
• Pan Am — fluff with a bit of added steel in latest episode.
• Downton Abbey — I really want all of those girls to be happy (except O’Brien), they’re all lovely.
• Homeland — building up nicely, would like if Danes character was a little bit less on edge.
• Fades — the beeb continue their recent run of good shows (Sherlock, The Shadow Line)
• Boardwalk Empire — the battle for Atlantic City (and the entire East coast) is hotting up. Love the feel of this show.

Five point summary:

• Castrogiovanni’s injury destroyed Italy’s game-plan.
• Murray and O’Gara justified their positions, their replacements were excellent when they came on too.
• Mike Ross is the silent scrum assassin.
• Ferris, and O’Brien: battering rams (with finesse) carrying the ball, and tackle magnets without it.
• Donnacha Ryan impressed again for his short period on the pitch.

When you have the responsibility for place-kicking on a team you have to take the rough with the smooth. You get the kudos when things go well and when they don’t you have to take it on the chin. Everyone wants to play from the start but you have to respect the decisions that are made for the right reasons. It’s about the team, not the individual.