The agreement sees Vodafone join Paralympics Ireland as the official telecommunications partner of the 2012 Irish Paralympic team. Announcing the sponsorship, Vodafone Ireland Sponsorship Manager, Robert Hyland said: “We are delighted to come on board with Paralympics Ireland and are looking forward to supporting the organisation and Irish Paralympic athletes as they target success at London 2012.

“Irish Paralympic athletes deliver outstanding performances at world and Paralympic level across various sports and in doing so, they represent extraordinary role models. For example, 5-time Irish Paralympian, Catherine Walsh has overcome her visual impairment to become a top tandem paracyclist, winning bronze at both UCI World Championships in 2011 (Track and Road) and Catherine is targeting the podium at London 2012.”

Catherine Walsh said: “It is fantastic that Vodafone are getting behind the Irish Paralympic team, they are a huge international brand and will help Paralympics Ireland to bring Paralympic sport to a new level in Ireland and their support of the athletes in London will be invaluable.”

As official telecommunications partner, Vodafone will provide Ireland’s Paralympic Team with telecommunications solutions and support during the games in London and aim to bring the performances and experiences of Irish Paralympic athletes to wider public attention. A variety of platforms will be used to help build that recognition, including blogs, brand ambassadorships and social media.

Patrick Haslett, Partnership Manager of Paralympics Ireland, said: “Vodafone’s brand message is ‘Power to You’ and Irish Paralympic athletes embody this on a daily basis. Our partnership will help them towards the podium at London 2012 and inspire support for their journey to the 'Home Games'. The achievements of the Irish team next summer will show an incredible ability to overcome challenges, break barriers and produce world-class performances.”

Ends

Note to editors

The Paralympic Games is the premier multi-sport event for elite athletes with a disability. Over 4,200 athletes from 148 countries competed in the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Ireland has competed in every Paralympic Games since 1960:

• In 1960, Ireland sent one athlete to Rome
• In 2008, Ireland sent 45 athletes to Beijing
• Ireland will send a similar number to compete at the London 2012 Paralympic Games

Since Sydney 2000, Irish athletes have won 18 medals at the Paralympic Games

• Ireland won 5 medals at Beijing 2008 (including 3 gold) and finished 36th in the overall medals table
• Next year, Ireland is aiming for the same number of medals in London and a top-30 finish
• Ireland is well placed to meet that target with 5 current Paralympic or World Champions:
• Jason Smyth – 100/200m gold, Beijing 2008 (T13)
• Michael McKillop – 800m gold, Beijing 2008 (T37)
• Mark Rohan – World Handcycling champion, 2011 (HC1)
• Colin Lynch - World Paracycling champion, 2011 (C2)
• Catherine O’Neill – World Discus champion 2011 (F51)

For further information, contact:

Tracy Godfrey, Corporate Affairs, Vodafone (087 9691118) or Eugene Hogan (087 2497290)

Tuesday, 8th November 2011: Vodafone Group Plc today issued an interim management statement for the quarter ended 30th September 2011. The following information relates to Vodafone Ireland's performance during the period and should be read in conjunction with the Group press release available at: http://www.vodafone.com/content/index/press/group_press_releases/2011/h1_2012.html

Vodafone Ireland remains Ireland's leading total communications provider with 2.22 million mobile customers and a total base of 2.45 million customers in the quarter ended 30th September 2011. Vodafone Ireland's total customer base increased by almost 17,000 customers in the quarter ended September 30th 2011.

The Company has witnessed a fivefold increase in pay as you go data usage in the last 18 months, largely due to the availability of a broad range of affordable smartphones and a high quality, reliable network experience for data users.

Demonstrating continued commitment to network investment and a first-class data experience, Vodafone Ireland has recently been independently re-certified as Number 1 for Mobile Broadband in Ireland by Surecom2. The Company has also received an additional Smartphone Certification of Excellence for the performance of its range of data devices, strengthening the Company’s credentials as the best network for smartphones.

During the quarter, Vodafone Ireland launched Performance Pro, the fastest mobile broadband in the Irish market. With Performance Pro, Vodafone Ireland was the first operator in the market to enable HSPA+ Dual Carrier technology and offer a Quality of Service (QoS) feature. The new technology has enabled the network with a 42Mbps1 data download speed capability which is up to four times faster than a standard mobile broadband connection.

Minutes of use per customer grew 0.6% quarter-on-quarter to 268 minutes, compared to a European average of 179. Despite recent growth in access to instant messaging and social networking platforms on smartphone devices, Vodafone Ireland customers continue to consume more voice minutes and send more texts than their European counterparts. Vodafone Ireland customers sent twice the European average on text with 220 messages sent per customer versus 111.

A total of 1.46 billion texts were sent by Vodafone Ireland customers in the quarter. ARPU decreased marginally to 32.60, down 0.9% on the previous quarter, representing 15% more value for customers year on year.

Ends.

For further information:

Cara Twohig, Vodafone Ireland: Tel: 087 688 7315
Eilish Joyce, FTI Consulting: Tel: 087 791 4641

Note to editors:

1. In common industry terminology the HSPA+ Dual Carrier standard is attributed a network download speed of 42Mbps however in practice the peak customer experience will be limited to 32.4Mbps of the design threshold after overheads and signalling are removed. In real conditions we would expect peak speeds to be 27Mbps and an average of 10Mbps in good conditions
2. Certification provided by an Irish Company, Surecom. The tests were conducted across 260 randomly selected locations nationwide with Vodafone Ireland out performing competitors on all 5 metrics: FTP download; FTP upload; Web browsing; 15s download stress test via FTP; ICMP PING.

About Vodafone Ireland

Vodafone is Ireland's leading total communications provider with 2.45 million customers across mobile, fixed line and DSL. At 30th September 2011 Vodafone Ireland's mobile telecoms base was 2.22 million.

Tuesday, 20th September 2011: Vodafone Ireland has today announced another first for Ireland with the launch of the fastest mobile broadband on the market. The Company is the first operator in Ireland to enable HSPA+ Dual Carrier technology and offer a Quality of Service feature. This feature means customers will get proportionately more network resource than customers on an alternate Vodafone mobile broadband tariff – essentially an express lane for those who need a faster connection. The new technology will enable the network with a 42Mbps1 data download speed capability delivering a significantly enhanced network experience.

Performance Pro is the innovative new tariff on the HSPA+ Dual Carrier technology and will offer customers a premium service on Ireland’s best data network. Customers who opt for the new Performance Pro tariff will achieve download speeds up to four times faster than a standard mobile broadband connection. Performance Pro is available now and costs €34.99 per month including VAT.

Vodafone, the first to market with the fastest mobile broadband speeds, has introduced Performance Pro primarily to meet the ever changing connectivity requirements of business customers. With greater speeds, customers will have faster access to business critical applications and documents when working away from the office.

“Listening to our customers who use our network for key business needs, we've addressed both their request for the "express lane" option and a higher speed. Our customers tell us the combination of both is important to them and our pilot customer testing has had a very favourable response”, said Fergal Kelly, chief technology officer, Vodafone Ireland.

“Businesses are changing the way they work due to the dynamic operating environment, they want to be connected and they want have real time access to office systems no matter where they are. Businesses are under more time pressure and greater mobile broadband speeds will allow them to complete tasks faster,”

“The market is moving towards using more flexible working practices leveraging business applications hosted in the cloud where speed of access will be increasingly important – the market is driving the demand for this type of service. All businesses want to ensure they keep close to customers, deliver a first class service to customers and they need to be able to react to new opportunities as fast as possible. With the introduction of Performance Pro they can and Vodafone is the only operator to offer those greater speeds.”

Vodafone continues to invest in its entire national network, anticipating the demands for data intensive services, such as uploading or downloading large image rich presentations, from business and personal subscribers. The Company has already enabled HSPA+ Dual Carrier technology on its network in the major cities of Dublin2, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford and Kilkenny, and major urban areas of Bray, Carlow, Drogheda, Dundalk, Ennis, Greystones, Naas, Navan and Swords. The remaining rollout will be completed over the next 12-18 months. Customers can visit www.vodafone.ie/coverage to determine whether Performance Pro is available in their area.

Vodafone maintains its level of investment regardless of the challenging environment ensuring the best customer experience and delivery of best in class products and solutions for all customers. For further information visit www.vodafone.ie

Ends.

Note to editors:

In common industry terminology the HSPA+ Dual Carrier standard is attributed a network download speed of 42Mbps however in practice the peak customer experience will be limited to 32.4Mbps of the design threshold after overheads and signalling are removed. In real conditions we would expect peak speeds to be 27Mbps and an average of 10Mbps in good conditions In Dublin, Performance Pro will be widely available in the city centre and north Dublin. Areas of South East Dublin are also covered, with the remainder of South Dublin to be completed by October.

For further information:

Andrew Brennan, Vodafone Ireland: Tel: 087 222 8841
Eilish Joyce, FD: Tel: 087 791 4641

About Vodafone Ireland

Vodafone is Ireland's leading total communications provider with 2.4 million customers across mobile, fixed line and DSL. At 30th June 2011 Vodafone Ireland’s mobile telecoms base was 2.2 million.

History may remember Steven Cluxton and Kevin McManaman as heroes of Dublin’s amazing recovery late in yesterday’s gripping All-Ireland senior football decider but a statistical breakdown of the cliff-hanger shows both Alan Brogan and Michael Dara McAuley as two men who led the way in terms of possession for the Dubs.

In-depth Vodafone Big Match stats on yesterday’s game reveal that Brogan and McAuley won possession a total of 16 times each over the course of the game, with elder of the Brogan brothers only failing once to deliver a positive outcome - either pass the ball to another Dublin player or finish with a score. McAuley was not far behind, with a negative return from just two of the 16 times he won possession.

Neither Brogan nor McAuley, however, topped the charts on the day in terms of the number of times on the ball, with Kerry’s Tomás O’ Sé a clear leader here, having been in possession 22 times in all in the game and recycled the ball successfully on every occasion. Barry Cahill was the sole Dublin player who managed to keep the ball in a teammate’s hands 100% of the time, having passed the ball successfully on each of the 13 occasions he won into possession.

The success of Dublin’s high pressure game reaped significant rewards for them in terms of turnovers, with Kerry spilling possession – either through losing it to a Dublin player, kicking it wide, etc. – a total of 29 times, compared to Dublin’s 17.

The intensity of the game also shows through in the tackle count, with a total of 113 – 19 more than last year’s final between Cork and Down, with Dublin making 63 tackles compared to Kerry’s 50 over the 70 plus minutes.

Another telling stat to emerge related to the level of success Dublin achieved in shutting-out the celebrated Kerry attack yesterday. In their four previous matches Kerry averaged 15.25 shots at goal from inside the 21 yard line but on Sunday this was down to as few as six.

Kerry’s domination of the possession stakes overall, with 55%, was reflected in the higher number of passes they made in the game – 233 compared to Dublin’s 166 – and they relied far more on the hand-pass than Dublin, with 78% of their passess coming from the hand compared to the now champions 62%. There was also a significant contrast in the number of short-kicked passes (under 25yards), with 30% of Dublin’s and only 16% of Kerry’s total number of passes being made this way.

Vodafone Championship Big-Match Stats

(Individual & Match Analysis)
All-Ireland Football Final, 2011
Dublin vs. Kerry

Responding to a series of questions on the Vodafone Hill16 Facebook site, including ‘What Kerry player do you fear the most’, there was little surprise when the Kerry captain emerged with an overwhelming majority as the biggest concern for Dublin fans.

Over 200 fans alone responded to this question, with 144 stating that the Dr Crokes clubman is their biggest concern. Wing forward Paul Galvin, who will start on the bench was their second biggest concern with Darran O’Sullivan third.

The Facebook poll involved fresh questions being posted every second day, starting Thursday of last week.

The biggest response to the poll was in relation to what county Dublin fans most like to taste victory against. And despite it being 26 years since Dublin and Kerry clashed in an All-Ireland senior final, the ‘Kingdom’ remain the number one rivals with 53% citing them as Dublin’s greatest rivals.

There was no surprise, however, with regard to what county came in second - Dublin’s provincial rivals Meath with 30% of the vote. Tyrone were third with 9% and Cork fourth with 4%. The only other counties to feature were Kildare and Armagh.

However, the most satisfying victory for Dublin fans who responded was last year’s XX point defeat of Tyrone in the All-Ireland quarter final. Some 25% of fans who responded plumped for the victory over the ‘Red Hand’ county, with the second most popular victory recalled by fans being against Meath in the 1995 Leinster Final. The 1995 All-Ireland final victory over Tyrone came in third.

Recently retired Ciaran Whelan is still very much the fans favourite with the Raheny clubman coming out on marginally on top in responses regarding fans’ favourite player. Whelan just pipped Brian Mullins to the post with Bernard Brogan Jnr and Jimmy Keaveney joint third.

An open question on what is Dublin GAA fans favourite memory saw fans recall many glorious days of the past, with the 1983 drawn and replayed semi-final against Cork the most prominent, followed closely by the 1995 victory over Meath.

One fan recalled: “I remember being on the canal end when Dublin played Cork at Croker in 1983 and Barney Rock got the equalising goal in the last minute. We went to Cork in the replay and hammered them!! Magic moment that when Barney got the goal. I was only 8 at the time.”

Another cited the same semi-final but his/her fondest memory related to the radio commentary of the famous ‘Lark by the Lee’ in the replay. “My favourite Dublin GAA memory was listening to the radio with Dublin playing Cork in the semi-final replay in Cork and the commentator being amazed at the step over Joe McNally did to score the 3rd or 4th goal. Couldn't wait to see it on the Sunday Game that night! I was 12!”

Road-trips for Dublin fans are rare but they certainly generated great memories, with the 2001 clash with Kerry in Semple Stadium again generating much commentary in responses. Other memories were more nostalgic ones, including one fan recalling being able to stand at the goalposts pre-1974 and talk to Paddy Cullen during the match and another simply stating “Watching Heffos lads beating Kerry”.

Ends

Dublin’s high-tempo defensive game versus Kerry’s high possession game; Kerry’s ability to penetrate close in compared to Dublin’s long range shooting preference – just two of a range of significant contrasts that have emerged from a statistical analysis of Sunday’s All-Ireland finalists games this year.

The second round of Vodafone’s Big Match Stats in the run-up to Sunday’s All Ireland final – a direct comparison of Dublin and Kerry’s last four games – reaffirms there will most definitely be a clash of styles in Sunday’s decider.

Dublin’s high-tempo defensive strategy and how it constrats with Kerry’s game emerges prominently, including in the possession stakes where the Leinster Champions’ average over the four games was 47.75% compared to Kerry’s 57.75%.

Further evidence of this comes from Dublin’s high level of turnovers - they achieved 80 over the four games compared to Kerry's 42. The Munster champions’ heavier reliance on retention of possession is also backed up by their higher number of solo-runs, 435 compared to Dublin’s 253.

Another glaring contrast from the past four games is the shooting patterns. Kerry carved out over three times (61) the amount of attempts from inside the 21 yard line as Dublin (20), whereas Dublin show a greater propensity for long range shooting (outside the 21 yard line) – although not near as stark as the close-in ratios - with 93 attempts compared to Kerry’s 72.

The long range shooting, however, would not appear to affect Dublin’s accuracy as they had just one more wide (34) than Sunday’s opponents over the four games. However, Kerry’s scoring total was significantly higher than Dublin’s, with the Kingdom achieving a 23.25 (4-81) average per match compared to Dublin’s 16 points.

Passing ratios also show up some notable contrasts, with Kerry relying far more on the hand-pass (664) compared to Dublin’s 475 but with little difference on short or long-kicked passes. On the ‘frees against’ count, Dublin conceded 95 compared to Kerry’s 78, while Kerry fielded three times (18 to 6) the amount of kick-outs over the four games.

Dublin’s averages were, however, significantly skewed by the semi-final clash with Donegal against whom their possession dropped to as low as 42%. The Donegal game, although best forgotten, threw up a number of irregular statistics, not least on the hand-passing ratios, with the Ulster champions (with 247 hand-passes) having almost three times the number of Dublin in that game. Indeed, in just one game against Dublin, Donegal had more than half the total number of hand-passes from teams against Kerry over the four matches. There were a total of just seven shots from inside the 21 yard line in the Dublin v Donegal semi-final, compared to the average of 25 in each of Kerry’s last four games.

Ends

Note to Editors:

The following stats tables are available and will be sent to your email address on your request:

• Dublin v Donegal, Tyrone, Wexford, Kildare and Laois
• Kerry v Mayo, Limerick, Cork and Limerick
• Combined Dublin stats over four games
• Combined Kerry stats over four games

For further information, contact:

Eugene Hogan +353 (0)87 2497290

Vodafone is delighted to announce an all-star line-up for the biggest and most important Dub Hub Live event of the year, Friday's All-Ireland preview night at Flannery's Bar on Lower Camden Street.

The 'blue' side of the panel will be ably manned again by host of the Dub Live series this year Jason Sherlock and his ever present fellow panellists, former star Paul Curran and award winning GAA journalist Cian Murphy. But they will have their hands more than full on the night as they will be joined by legend of Kerry football Darragh Ó Sé.

Throw in a partisan home crowd but with, no doubt, a sprinkling of some vocal men from the Kingdom, and it will be a night that will raise the temperature gauge ahead of the clash of GAA's greatest rivals just two days later.

The event takes on further appeal for fans as two precious tickets for the All-Ireland football final will also be up for grabs courtesy of Vodafone.

Said Sherlock, the star forward in Dublin's last successful All-Ireland campaign: "It should be a fantastic night. The build up to the match is already at fever pitch and it will go up another few notches in Flannerys for sure.

"The Dub Hub Live events have been great fun all year but this is the one we all wanted as it means Dublin are in the All Ireland final. The fact that the final is against Kerry, Dublin's greatest rivals, adds even more to the mix. Having Darragh with us on Friday tops everything off.

"On the field of play Darragh was always able to come back with as good as he got and more over the years on the field of play and I've no doubt he'll be able to handle the heat on Friday night too."

The first half hour of the hour-long panel discussion will be broadcast on FM104, with the entire discussion being streamed live on www.hill16.ie/thedubhub

Throw-in for the event is at 7 p.m. but those with tickets are asked to be there at 6 pm to ensure they gain a good vantage point.

Said Anne Mulcahy, Head of Brand and Marcomms at Vodafone: “Fans really couldn't have hoped for more from our All-Ireland Final Dub Hub Live than this. We've got our own resident team and having Darragh Ó Sé on board will add a great bit of spice to the event. It should be a night to remember."

The event is ticket-only but fans still have an opportunity to win tickets for the event on the Hill 16 Facebook site http://www.facebook.com/Hill16Dubs

Ends

The build-up to Sunday’s All-Ireland final may lead to inevitable comparisons with one of the golden eras of the game but a Vodafone Big Match stats comparison between the styles of the current era and that of the 1970s shows that much has changed.

Released for today’s Vodafone All-Ireland Final preview lunch with two legends of that era - former Dublin captain and manager Tony Hanahoe and former Kerry player and manager Mick O’Dwyer - the stats show, in particular, just how much the short-passing game has come to dominate.

A stats analysis of the 1976 All-Ireland final clash of Dublin and Kerry, which the Dubs won by 3-8 to 0-10, and provincial finals played by both counties this year reveals some stark contrasts.

The most striking is the comparison in passing styles, with the long-kick losing its dominance from the mid-1970s. In the 1976 final Dublin and Kerry combined with a total of 115 long kicks, which dwarfs the total of just 20 from this year’s provincial finals from the two counties – an 84% decrease.

The flip side is the emergence of hand pass as the preferred method of distributing possession. Dublin this year used 2.3 times the amount of hand passes in their Leinster final clash with Wexford as they did in the ’76 final, while Kerry used 2.1 times the number of hand passes in their clash with Cork compared to the decider 35 years ago.

There are some other notable changes, not least at an individual level for the great rivals. Dublin, for instance, have heralded in a dramatic change in their shooting styles. In the ’76 final they had 15 shots for scores from outside the 21 yard line but by this year’s Leinster final that had almost doubled, to 29. By contrast, in the Leinster Final this year they had just five shots from inside the 21 yard line, compared to 13 in the 1976 All-Ireland decider.

The Dubs have also moved away from use of the solo run; in the ’76 final they went toe-to-hand 64 times but in this year’s Leinster final it was down by 44% to just 36 solo runs.

A notable change as well and indicative of the current Dublin style of putting men behind the ball is that they had clear dominance (55%) in the possession stakes in the ’76 final over Kerry whereas they ceded ground by achieving just 46% against Wexford in this year’s Leinster Final but still managed to regain their title.

One of the most remarkable individual statistics for Kerry is their 21 turnovers in the ’76 final compared to just six against Cork in this year’s Munster final, although they enjoyed 52% of possession in that game. Dublin, by contrast, have varied little here, with 26 turnovers in their provincial final this year and 22 as they dominated Kerry in that final 35 years ago.

Three time All-Ireland medal winner (twice as captain) Tony Hanahoe said that the game has changed remarkable and the style adopted is ultimately about what will bring success. “The game has changed, make no mistake about it. Fitness levels today certainly enable teams to adopt a more high intensity game whereas in the ‘70s there was certainly more of an emphasis on moving the ball on into the forwards quicker but it was no means aimless. If you kicked long, the intention was that it was accurate and went to the right player”.

“Today, again largely because of fitness and playing the percentage game, teams focus on retaining the ball more so the hand-pass has come more into play.”

For Kerry legend Mick O’Dwyer, who has eight titles as a manager and four as a player, the game may have been more attractive back then but it remains gr ipping. “I would prefer the more freestyle of the ‘70s and ‘80s and before that but good footballers will always play good football, whether it was back then or today.

“There are two contrasting styles for Sunday’s game final. Dublin have a high intensity game very focussed on the collective strengths of the team whereas Kerry probably have a bit more flair at an individual level. It’s really difficult to say which style will win out and the weather could have a lot to do with it.”

Vodafone Stats Review

Dublin 2011 v Dublin 1976

Matches Analysed: Leinster Final 2011 (Dublin v Wexford) & All Ireland Final 1976 (Dublin v Kerry)

Vodafone Stats Review

All Ireland Football Final 1976, Dublin v Kerry

September 26 1976, Croke Park

Vodafone Stats Review

Statistics for Kerry 2011 v Kerry 1976

Matches Analysed: Munster Final 2011 (Kerry v Cork) & All Ireland Final 1976 (Kerry v Dublin)

Ends

Notes to Editor:

For further information please contact: Eugene Hogan 087 249 7290

31 August 2011. Vodafone today unveiled the seven mobile internet start-ups that have reached the final of the Vodafone Mobile Clicks 2011 competition. They are:

Republic of Ireland HeyStaks is a one-stop mobile social search solution, combining the best of community and search engine recommendations to get you more personalized and relevant results.

Germany Wunderlist is the first cross platform task management app that supports over-the-air sync and unlimited sharing completely for free.

Netherlands Skylines offers a search platform for real-time images. Combining data from social media sites like Instagram, and Yfrog Twitpic, Skylines indexes over one million photos a day.

Portugal Hole19 is a complete mobile and web performance optimization platform for golfers, connecting them to golf instructors and golf courses.

Spain Frogtek is an app that allows shopkeepers in the developing world to set up a financial system to run their business easily and quickly.

Turkey BillGastro offers restaurant owners an affordable point of sale solution for a unique mobile restaurant app for their customers to reserve tables, to order food online and post news and events easily.

UK ParcelGenie is the world’s first Instant Gift Messaging service that makes sending real gifts to friends and family almost as simple as sending an email or a text message.

“We are always excited to see the tremendous innovation coming through our Vodafone Mobile Clicks competition each year. It’s the perfect launch pad for start-ups, but it’s always challenging to pick winners because we receive so many superb entries. Through both rounds, our country winners demonstrated not only creativity and innovation, but also the value-add to customers, which really made them stand out from the competition. We’re delighted to have them all on board and we look forward to seeing what they bring to the table in this final stage” said Lee Epting, Director of Content Services at Vodafone Group.

The seven local winners will now be invited to represent their country in the live final at the PICNIC* Festival in the Netherlands on 15th – 16th September 2011, where the overall winner will be chosen by a panel of mobile industry experts. Judges include: Rudy de Waele, founder of Mobile 2.0 Europe and dotopen; Peter Barry, Vodafone Ventures; Paul Jozefak, Neuhaus Partners; Reshma Sohoni; partner at Seedcamp and Lee Epting, Vodafone Group.

Ahead of the PICNIC presentations in Amsterdam, members of the public are invited to cast their vote for the winner of Vodafone Mobile Clicks 2011. At the live final, the overall result of the public vote will be counted alongside the votes of panel members to decide the overall winner. To vote, visit www.vodafonemobileclicks.com/vote.

Helena Leite, CEO of Cardmobili, the Portugal-based start-up that won last year’s Vodafone Mobile Clicks competition, commented: “We were incredibly excited and proud to hear we had reached the final of Vodafone Mobile Clicks. When you meet the other finalists you will know you’ve already achieved a lot by being part of that group of creative and bright people, and you should remain confident that you can reach the next level. My advice to this year’s contestants is to prepare, prepare, prepare. Think about the message you want to convey but keep it clear - remember that the judges won’t be as close to your product as you are. And then make sure you rehearse your pitch lots… time flies when you are presenting to the judges!”

Jonathan Dillon, CEO of HeyStaks commented, “We were delighted to win the Irish competition and are looking forward to competing with the best of Europe in the finals. This is great timing for us as we are seeing very positive consumer reaction to our iPhone and Android phone apps, and will be releasing our new apps for iPads and Android tablets during September. The whole Vodafone Mobile Clicks experience has been very positive for HeyStaks.”

For further information about the Vodafone Mobile Clicks 2011 competition, go to: www.vodafonemobileclicks.com or keep up-to-date with recent news by following our Tweets with the hashtag #vmc2011.

- ends –

* PICNIC is Amsterdam’s leading annual international event, highlighting creativity and innovation, particularly in media, entertainment and technology. PICNIC brings together and disseminates the ideas and knowledge of the world's best creators and innovators. For more information go to www.picnicnetwork.org

About Vodafone

Vodafone is one of the world's largest mobile communications companies by revenue with approximately 382 million customers in its controlled and jointly controlled markets as at 30 June March 2011. Vodafone currently has equity interests in over 30 countries across five continents and more than 40 partner networks worldwide. For more information, please visit www.vodafone.com.

For more information about the Vodafone developer programme, please visit www.developer.vodafone.com

HeyStaks, a University College Dublin spin-out company, headquartered in NovaUCD, was founded in 2008 by Dr Peter Briggs, Dr Maurice Coyle and Professor Barry Smyth. HeyStaks is based on technology developed as part of Professor Smyth’s research group and the CLARITY Centre for Sensor Web Technologies, a Science Foundation Ireland funded research centre between UCD, Dublin City University, and the Tyndall National Institute. The company also has offices in San Francisco where Jonathan Dillon, a former Vice-President of Corporate Development of Yahoo!, is based.

For further information, please contact:

The challenge has been laid down by the executive team as part of a broader programme at Vodafone that promotes healthy activity and also marks Vodafone’s new three-year sponsorship of the governing body - Triathlon Ireland – of the country’s fastest growing sport.

Over 80 employees, broken into teams of three, will go head-to-head for bragging rights against two executive teams led by Vodafone Ireland CEO, Jeroen Hoencamp and experienced triathlete and Vodafone Business and Enterprise Director, Anne O’Leary.

The race, which is a 'sell-out' with over 1,000 competitors set to participate, starts with a swim at the Upper Liffey at Island Bridge before proceeding onto the bike and road legs of the Triathlon through the Phoenix Park.

Said Anne O’Leary: “The challenge has created plenty of good-humoured competition at Vodafone. We threw the gauntlet down to employees and were delighted to see 80 people enter. Monday morning will definitely be interesting at work."

And the St. Patrick’s Palmerstown GAA clubman, who last month won sponsors Vodafone’s inaugural Dublin’s Finest Supporter competition, says it would be a dream come true for him if the Dubs were to walk out at Parnell Park next year as All-Ireland champions.

That’s because the 74 year-old GAA stalwart will be sitting, waiting for them in his very own, specially engraved seat for Dublin’s early-season games at Parnell Park – one of the prizes for winning the competition.

“I can’t think of anything better than for Dublin to win the All-Ireland football final, except that is if they were to win the minor and U-21 hurling along with it.

“I’m still reeling after winning Dublin’s Finest Supporter but to think that I could be sitting in my very own seat next year watching All-Ireland champions run out in Parnell Park is fantastic.

“Winning the competition was a great honour for me. I just love the GAA and St. Patrick’s and if Dublin could manage to beat Donegal on Sunday and then Kerry, the year couldn’t possibly be better for me.

“I couldn’t believe it when my name was called out. It’s a fantastic feeling. Jimmy Keaveney and Ryan O’Dwyer were at the presentation event as well so it was fantastic to meet them.

“Jimmy was an outstanding footballer but I have every confidence that Pat Gilroy’s men can follow in his footsteps and win an All-Ireland. They were outstanding against Tyrone and I truly believe that if they repeat that form, they won’t be beaten.

“They have had enough tough days to stop them getting in any way complacent and if they work as hard against Donegal and, all going well, then Kerry, as they did against Tyrone in particular, then I think they have every chance of winning the All-Ireland. But Sunday is going to be so tight against Donegal but it will be a cracking match and a cracking atmosphere I bet.”

The Dublin’s competition was one of a range of Vodafone initiatives to mark its sponsorship of Dublin GAA this year.

Each club across the county was invited to nominate its own candidate for the competition in June, with the entries then whittled down by a Vodafone panel to a shortlist of five. Voting was then opened up to the Dublin GAA public via the hill16.ie/thedubhub website, with Andy coming out on top by only a handful of votes.

Ends

Detailed analysis of the semi-finalists' provincial finals and All-Ireland quarter finals reveal a number of striking similarities but also some notable contrasts.

One of the most striking similarities is in the possession stakes, with the sides enjoying an identical average over the two games of 48.5% possession.

The level of turnovers - Donegal (56) with just six more than Dublin (50) over the two games, including the extra-time period against Kildare - suggests also that like will meet with like in terms of the high-pressure defensive strategy on Sunday. The pressure game adopted by both Dublin and Donegal in their last two games contrasts with that of their opponents, with Dublin having 20 more turnovers than their opponents and Donegal 18 over the two games.

Other statistical similarities between the two are the number of times they carved out scoring chances inside the 21 yard line over their last two games - Dublin with 11 and Donegal with 10 - and the number of wides, with Dublin recording 18 in the two games compared to Donegal's 20.

Incredibly, in their provincial finals both Dublin and Donegal not alone conceded in the possession stakes to their opponents but almost the exact same amount - Dublin allowing Wexford 54% of possession and Donegal conceding 55% possession to Derry. And when it came to their All-Ireland quarter-finals they turned matters round almost identically again as Dublin enjoyed 51% possession against Tyrone and Donegal 52% against Kildare.

Also of note in terms of similarities is that in Dublin's two games, the ball was in play a total of 41mins and 11 secs compared to 42min 22 seconds for the two Donegal games.

However, the analysis also showed up some interesting contrasts between Dublin and Donegal, not least in the scoring rate, with Dublin hitting 11 more points over the two games, a combined 2-34 to Donegal's 2-23.

Other distinctions include Donegal's preference for the solo-run, with 157 solos over their two games compared to Dublin's 107. Dublin, by contrast, use the kicked-pass much more frequently than Donegal - 131 compared to Donegal's 88. Donegal's passing game, by contrast, is far more reliant on the hand-pass, with 64 more than Dublin over the two games.

The statistics also reveal that the Leinster Champions have a greater willingness to shoot from distance - they shot 56 times from outside the 21 yard line over the two games compared to Donegal's 44, including their extra time period.

Another differentiator comes in the free count, with Dublin conceding 57 frees in their two matches and Donegal 49. Over the two games, Dublin were awarded 24 frees and Donegal 31.

Said Vodafone Sponsorship Manager Robert Hyland: "The excitement is already building up for Sunday and, if our stats show anything, it should be nip and tuck right to the end. It's something for all football fans to really look forward to."

Ends

For further information, contact:

Eugene Hogan, FD
087 2497290
eugene.hogan@fd.com

Or

Andrew Brennan
Vodafone Corporate Affairs
087 2228841
andrew.brennan@vodafone.com

Over 530,000 Smartphones now on the Vodafone Ireland network as data usage grows

Additional 76,000 customers choose Vodafone as a total telecoms provider

Friday, 22nd July 2011: Vodafone Group Plc today issued an interim management statement for the quarter ended 30th June 2011. The following information relates to Vodafone Ireland's performance during the period and should be read in conjunction with the Group press release available at http://www.vodafone.com/content/index/press/news/ims_30june2011.html

Vodafone Ireland remains Ireland's leading total communications provider with 2.2 million mobile customers in the quarter ended 30th June 2011. Including the Company's fixed line and DSL business, Vodafone Ireland's total telecoms base was 2.4 million, an increase of 76,000 customers on the same quarter last year.

The Company has experienced a continued surge in its smartphone customer base with over 530,000 devices on the network as customers increasingly opt for more data intensive handsets. This sustained growth has been driven by Vodafone's Home of the Smartphone strategy to deliver the best customer experience by offering the best devices and great care on the best network.

The results demonstrate that Vodafone Ireland customers continue to choose high quality data centred price plans to maximize usage of data rich applications as well as making voice call and sending text messages. Both minutes of use per customer grew 1.9% quarter-on-quarter to 267 minutes while total voice calls grew 4.6% over the same period last year. Vodafone Ireland customers sent 15% more messages in the quarter ended 30th June compared to the same period last year and benchmark much higher than the European average with 224 messages sent per customer versus 109. A total of 1.49 million texts were sent by Vodafone Ireland customers in the quarter. ARPU increased slightly to 32.90, up 1.9% on the previous quarter, due to increased data usage, but showed a 6.3% decrease on the same period last year.

Vodafone reinforced its position as the leading total communications provider for business and public sector organisations with the launch of Microsoft® Office 365 on its fixed & mobile voice and data products in the quarter. The combined offer will give businesses access to enterprise-class productivity and telecoms services on a more affordable, rental basis. The Company also launched Shared Mobile Broadband for Business, a new business package that allows data to be shared by all employees within a single economical plan. Vodafone continues to provide innovative total communications solutions to enable businesses to adapt to changeable operating conditions.

The Company's broadband business continued to perform well in the quarter with 7,900 net customer additions bringing its total broadband subscriber base to 366,600 at 30th June. Broadband customer growth was driven by Vodafone's commitment to driving the best value fixed line services in the market. Vodafone maintains its level of investment regardless of the challenging environment ensuring the delivery of best in class products and solutions for all customers.

Ends.

For further information:
Rosemary Steen, Vodafone Ireland: Tel: 087 050 5050
Eilish Joyce, FD: Tel: 087 791 4641

About Vodafone Ireland
Vodafone is Ireland's leading total communications provider with 2.4 million customers across mobile, fixed line and DSL. At 30th June 2011 Vodafone Ireland's mobile telecoms base was 2.2 million.

9th August 2011– Is your true calling to work for a charity you care about? As the saying goes - find something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life! The Vodafone Ireland Foundation offers you the chance to do just that. The World of Difference programme offers four people the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work for a charity of their choice with a salary of €40,000.

The judges - Claire Byrne, Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin, Roisin Ingle, Gavin Duffy, Ray D’Arcy, Mary O’Kennedy from Fundraising Ireland and Vodafone Foundation Ireland’s Paul Ryan, each has a strong interest in the charity sector and are keen to find 4 people who they believe can make the most difference. They are now calling for entries before the closing date of 10th September.

From working in fashion to fashioning futures for people with learning difficulties ; to providing much needed support for families with a loved one in addiction; to implementing global issues workshops in schools nationwide; to building awareness of Irish athletes with disabilities. These are the inspiring directions that last year’s winners’ lives took, as they spent a year away from the “day job” and answered their true calling. For those that have always had the yearning to lend their talents to charity but haven't had the time or the financial support, the World of Difference can really open up new opportunities.

Speaking at the launch, Paul Ryan, who is responsible for the Vodafone Ireland Foundation said, “This is the fifth World of Difference programme and each year the standard of applicants has gone from strength to strength so we are very excited to see this year’s entries. On behalf of the Vodafone Ireland Foundation, I am honoured to be able to empower four people to make a positive change in their own lives by enabling them to help others. Our charity partners also benefit greatly from the additional support of a committed, passionate and highly qualified employee, which is a huge advantage during these difficult economic times”.

World of Difference judge Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin said, “I first became involved with the World of Difference Programme last year and I am delighted to offer my continued support support to the Vodafone Ireland Foundation. I am personally involved with RCSI supporting Breast Cancer Research and see first-hand the benefits you get from giving back to a charity you care about. My advice to this year’s applicants is to team up with a charity that really means something to you and your passion will really shine through”.

Patrick Haslett of Paralympics Ireland, one of the World of Difference winners from 2010, said, “Being involved in the World of Difference Programme has really changed my outlook on life. This past year with Paralympics Ireland has been more like a hobby than a job, I feel very privileged to be in that position. I’d urge anyone with a passion for the charity sector to enter this programme, if you have an idea you can reach for the sky with it!”

Applications for the Vodafone Ireland Foundation World of Difference programme can be submitted online at www.vodafone.ie/worldofdifference or at www.facebook.com/vodafoneirelandworldofdifference. The closing date for entries is September 10th 2011 at midnight.

Contact

For Further Information:

Notes to Editors

Vodafone Ireland Foundation (VIF) was established in 2003 to help support Irish charities to respond to the needs in Irish society and is the first Foundation of its kind in Ireland. It is among 27 Vodafone Foundations around the world (www.vodafonefoundation.org) and is part of Vodafone's commitment to be a responsible global citizen and member of society. To date the Foundation has committed over €6m in funding to the sector.