The Edition, Thursday, 1 December 2016

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Thursday 1 December 2016

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Students Left in The Dark About New Student Centre Students express their opinions that there is not enough information being given about the development of the student centre at the new Grangegorman campus Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

Two DIT students have expressed their frustration over the lack of information being passed on to students in regard to the possibility of the planned student centre on the Grangegorman campus not including a basement.

If a basement were not included in the construction of the student centre, there may not be an adequate Performance Arts Theatre or a Multipurpose Flexible Space in the building, although alternative plans have been suggested.

Rebecca Gorman, a school rep for Biological Sciences, and Ben Hogan, Chairperson of Training and Leadership for Societies, both

expressed their frustrations about the situation to The Edition.

Gorman stated: “The student body is not being informed whatsoever by what is happening regarding the student centre in Grangegorman. I have been involved in several DIT societies and I am a member of Student Council and I am often very well-informed of events happening in DIT, however I feel like I know little to nothing about this student centre.

“I don’t know how students who aren’t involved in extracurricular [activities] would get information regarding the Grangegorman student centre. It is a huge issue that will affect students for decades, and there is little to no information being shared about these developments.”

Continued 2

NEWS Fire Drill

Students receive warning after problems during fire drill in Aungier Street

Upcoming Events

Operation Smile Club and Dance Society events taking place tonight

Hannah Barkhoff, Grace Tedford, Kate O’Dowda, Allan Burns, and Lara Broughan-Schefman of the DIT Horizons Team who will compete in the EMCup in Maastricht in February. (Page 9)

FEATURES

3 4

#RocktheRegister USI is encouraging students to register to vote before the next general election

Model Casting

DIT Fashion Society are on the lookout for models for their annual fashion show

6 7

Christmas Displays in Photos

We highlight some of the best Christmas displays in the city

Christmas Recipes Nutrition Soc detail how to make some tasty and healthy Christmas munch

10 13

CULTURE The Ultimate guide to TV this Christmas.

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We made the list you check it twice for all your TV needs

Reviews

What’s worth seeing and listening to this fortnight?

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SPORT Flag Football

DIT Spartans suffered narrow defeats against Cowboys and Reapers

Jamie Broderick Interview

20 21

First year student looking forward to life in the League

2 | www.edition.ie

The Edition Thursday 1 December 2016

NEWS THE EDITION Editorial Staff Editor Matthew Colfer editor@edition.ie

Deputy Editor Sinead Farrelly deputyed@edition.ie Online/ Design Editor Niamh Haskins online@edition.ie News Editor Conor Shields news@edition.ie Culture Editor Olivia Powell culture@edition.ie Sports Editor Cormac Byrne sports@edition.ie Features Desk Aoife Loughnane & Sarah Harford featuresdesk@edition.ie Photo Editor Hajar Akl & Hugo Fitzpatrick photo@edition.ie Contributors Ciarán Freeman Dan Grennan Donagh Corby DIT Nutrition Society DIT Rowing Club Eimear Dodd Jessica Martin John Murphy Kasper Delaney-Petersen Marc Morrison Nikki Murphy Rachel D’Arcy

Students Left in The Dark About Grangegorman Student Centre Continued 1 Hogan echoed Gorman’s statement, saying: “Your average student who goes to their lectures and then goes home is a very passive creature.

Unless the information is in their face and presented in a very easy to digest way, it will go right over their heads (and that’s not me taking a swipe at the ‘average’ student).

“I appreciate there has been stakeholder meetings to keep people up to date on developments but firstly, this information will not trickle down to students without a concerted effort from all parties and secondly, the meetings themselves are a point of frustration due to new info coming through so slowly.”

Head of Public Affairs for DIT, Melda Slattery, conveyed that DIT is doing its utmost to include students in the process as best it can and that the DIT is aware of the frustration among some members of the student body.

“DIT endeavours as much as possible to include the student body

in the process. By engaging in a totally open planning exercise, early more ambitious expectations have had to be curtailed and we are aware of the disappointment. However, the objective remains to get the best possible result within the envelope available, thereby reducing the amount and duration of student levies to support the endeavour.”

President of Societies in DIT, Roisín O’Donovan, agreed with both students that the student body is not receiving enough information about the development of a student centre in Grangegorman, but said she intends to pass on any new information to the student body and will convey students’ frustration to the DIT. “There is still a lot of issues in the air at the moment and I’ll admit that societies have been poor with sharing this information to the rest of the student body because of these issues that haven’t been fully addressed yet. This has crossed my

mind though about getting more information out to the students because at the end of the day, the student centre is for the students and they will be the ones paying for it from their fees.

“I brought the student centre issue to the last societies forum, where all the societies meet to discuss issues and raise questions about anything they wish. There was a lot of concerning and worrying feedback on the issues about the multipurpose venue and the blackbox [theatre] which I’ll be mentioning at the next stakeholders meeting.

“After we receive more information, I plan on spreading this information to the wider student body as they deserve to know what’s happening in regards to their student centre.”

DIT Students’ Union (DITSU) President, Boni Odoemene said that clear information needs to be conveyed to the student body, and stated that he has passed on any

information he holds to student representatives, as well as including information about the development in his monthly blog on the DITSU website, and actively seeking students’ opinions about the situation.

“I would like to see more information on this subject passed on to students from the DIT. Being President it has given me far more access to information related to the proposed building of the Student Centre. However, the information given by DIT has not been clear. In fact, when presented, it left myself and the student reps from Sports and Societies asking more questions and seeking further clarity.

“What I do know about the Centre as DITSU President I’ve passed on, offline at Class Rep and Student Council meetings, and online via my monthly President’s Update blog which is emailed to all DIT students and put up on our website. As well as that I’ve spoken to students to get their thoughts on the situation.”

The Edition Thursday 1 December 2016

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NEWS Cathal Brugha St Library Finally Opens on Saturdays

Dates Changed for Societies Christmas Appeal

Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

Matthew Colfer Editor

@mcolfer1

The dates of the DIT Societies Christmas Appeal had to be changed recently to allow societies more time to plan events and to avoid any clash with DIT Students Union’s (DITSU) 30 Days of RAG. Originally planned to take place from the 16 November to the 2 December, the appeal was postponed by one week and is currently running from 21 November to 7 December.

Although DITSU’s 30 Days of RAG Campaing is still running during some of the new dates, Volunteering Chairperson, Ciarán Freeman, and DITSU Vice President for Events, Diarmuid Cleary were in contact with each other to ensure events did not clash.

This year the appeal will be raising money for St Vincent de Paul (SVP), Focus Ireland and the Simon Community, all of whom help homeless people or people in danger of becoming homeless.

Societies were asked to nominate which charities the appeal should donate to before the most popular charities were shortlisted

by Freeman and voted on by society members.

Every active society in DIT is required to host an event to raise money for the Societies Christmas Appeal and Freeman previously stated that there will be an abundance of events during the campaign.

“There are over 60 societies and with each one of them running an event there’ll be plenty to choose from, so keep your eyes out for them.”

During last year’s Societies Christmas Appeal, students managed to raise an incredible €7,000 for that year’s three chosen charities, SVP, The Irish Cancer Society and Pieta House.

Having exceeded their target last year, the societies are aiming higher again this year and are hopeful of surpassing their target.

“This year we hope to raise even more than last year and have set a goal of raising at least €6,000 for the three chosen charities,” said Freeman.

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Dublin Fire Brigade. Credit William Murphy via Flickr CC.

Students Warned for not Evacuating During Fire Drill Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

A number of students on the Aungier Street campus refused to leave or took too long to evacuate the campus building during a recent fire drill according to Aungier Street College Officer, Pierre Yimbog.

Yimbog said he was “summoned” to the office of the building manager following a fire drill on Thursday, 10 November, to discuss the issue.

According to Yimbog, the building manager explained to him that “many people in the SU [Students Union] Common Area either refused to leave or took too long to exit the building when the alarm sounded,” resulting in the buildings manager confiscating their student cards as they were ushered out of the building.

Yimbog said he was told by the building manager that the reason the building manager took their student cards is because the building manager is responsible for the safety of everyone in the building in the case of a fire and it is his duty to report to first responders if the building is cleared.

Yimbog also said the building

manager explained to the students that they “could have been heavily disciplined” for taking too long, or not leaving the building during the fire drill but decided only to give them a warning on this occasion before returning their student cards to them.

Head of Public Affiars for DIT, Melda Slattery, stated that not evacuating the building during a fire drill can result in disciplinary action being taken against offending students and that it is a serious matter.

“We do not take such issues lightly, and in the event of non-compliance, a disciplinary issue may result. This would normally be referred in the first instance to the Health & Safety Committee and depending on the seriousness of the incident may then be referred to a Head of School.”

Slattery explained that regular fire drills are necessary to identify any potential problems should an emergency evacuation be required.

“There is an onus on DIT to carry out fire drills on a regular basis in all of our buildings. The

purpose is to ensure that we can be confident in the case of a real emergency that we have the systems and the ability to evacuate every single person safely from the building.

“A fire drill is a way of identifying any bottlenecks, any breaches in health and safety and any faults in our buildings that could limit an individual’s means of escape if there was a real fire or other danger.

“The only way we can be sure that we are capable of doing that is if every person in the building at the time of the fire drill complies with the evacuation order. While DIT has a duty of care to everyone on our premises, each individual also has a responsibility to respond. By not doing so, they may endanger their own safety or that of others.”

Yimbog added that he plans on raising awareness around evacuation in an attempt to prevent such issues reoccurring.

The Aungier Street building manager had not responded to a request for comment at the time of going to print.

The library in the Cathal Brugha Street campus will be open on Saturdays from this week, Saturday, 3 December, according to DIT. Head of Public Affiars for DIT, Melda Slattery, stated: “From 3 December onwards, the library in Cathal Brugha Street will once again be open on Saturdays.”

The library on the Cathal Brugha Street campus has yet to open on a Saturday this semester following staff shortages.

“We regret that it was not possible to provide a Saturday service until that date. This has been due to staffing requirements across all of our campus locations,” Slattery added.

It has been expected since mid-October that the library would open on the first three Saturdays in December and the first three Saturdays in January in the run up to the exam period.

DIT Students’ Union Vice President for Education, Kieron Pierson, stated back in October that he has made the improvement of access to libraries across DIT, with a focus on library opening hours, part of his work load for the year.

“This year, I’ve made the improvement of library access and resources a part of my work load specifically.

“Right now we’re specifically focused on having the libraries open on a Saturday, especially in Cathal Brugha Street, while they’re open on a Saturday everywhere else.”

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NEWS Operation Smile Club Mission Talk Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

A founding member of the DIT Operation Smile Club will be giving a talk about her recent mission to China with the charity tonight, Thursday, 1 December.

The event will take place in room 4-082 on the Aungier Street campus, commencing at 6:30pm.

Sarah Douglas was in China with Operation Smile for a week long mission with two Irish secondary school students and an American high school student where she undertook the role of a U-voice, helping to publicise the work of the charity.

Speaking about the event, Douglas said: “I’ll be showing videos, photos, talking about what a mission is like, even though it is different for everyone, I’ll be telling some stories about patients and setting up a view about what it could be like if you went on a mission as a student.”

Operation Smile is a charity organisation which provides surgery for children who are born with a cleft lip and cleft palate and other similar facial deformities.

Children who are born with a cleft are often unable to eat, speak, socialise or smile and in some countries they are shunned and rejected, while in others, their parents are unable to afford the required surgery.

Douglas established Operation Smile Club in DIT in September of this year having been involved with the charity from a young age.

“I was born with a cleft myself and I wanted to start a club because I’ve been involved with Operation Smile since I was a kid and I’m very passionate about it.

I want to spread the word about it, not that many people know about it in Ireland but it’s big in America,” Douglas said.

“A lot of students aren’t aware of what it is, they think it’s a mental health thing. Not enough people know about it, they’ve heard the name but they don’t know much.”

The society also has plans for a number of events next semester including the possibility of holding a uLead style conference and a sponsored walk to one of the children’s hospitals in Dublin which caters for children born with a cleft.

The Edition Thursday 1 December 2016

LGBT Safe Spaces will be Implemented in Coming Weeks LGBT Safe Spaces will be introduced in DIT before the end of the semester according to DITSU VP for Welfare, Tara O’Brien Marc Morrison LGBT safe spaces will be implemented within DIT before the end of the semester revealed DIT Students Union (DITSU) Vice President for Welfare, Tara O’Brien, during the monthly Student Council Meeting on Thursday, 10 November.

A motion was put forward to the Student Council last April by Thomas Butler proposing safe spaces be implemented in the first semester of the 2016/17 academic year.

DITSU Vice President for Welfare, Tara O’Brien, will run the safe spaces in conjunction with the DIT LGBT society.

“At DITSU’s last Student Council, last academic year 2015/16, a motion was passed for the VP Welfare, to run in conjunction with the LGBT Soceity, where possible, to provide the safe spaces.

“The first safe spaces will be happening before the end of this semester, as that is in the madate that was passed at council.”

The motion put forward to the Student Council last April stated: “It is estimated that 10-15 percent of DIT students are members of the LGBT community.”

The common consensus is that

safe spaces are areas of free expression where people can feel safe and welcome regardless of gender identity, ethnicity, sex or religious views.

O’Brien explained: “The idea around the LGBT safe spaces is to create a space in which LGBT students could come and meet other friends and people from the community and feel safe.

“The idea of the safe space is not to make one specific area safe for LGBT students, but rather to allow members of the community to come on a regular basis to make their overall college experience a cultural safe space.”

DIT LGBT Society Secretary, Roisín O’Donovan, welcomed the addition of the safe spaces.

Pride Flag. Credit-Ben via Flickr CC. “It’s very reassuring and welcoming to know that DIT supports An example of this happening at the other students’ actions and personal these students by providing these moment is DITSU lobbying on beopinions so we feel that these safe spaces for the community within half of the gender neutral bathroom spaces are necessary.” the college.” signage.

The argument is often made The reason for the need for safe “I have been working closely that the concept of a safe space spaces differs with each individual, with DR Brian Gormley, Head of suppresses debate or that they can however, ultimately it is important cause an echo chamber effect as a that members of the LGBT commu- Campus Life, on this for the last few months.” result of the repetition of similar nity have a shared space that they When asked if DIT should views. can feel safe in. concentrate on making LGBT However, the DIT LGBT Society “The safe spaces can be implepeople feel safe in all areas of DIT, believe the safe spaces will raise mented as cultural safe spaces too.

O’Donovan said: “DIT can’t control awareness and encourage debate

Dance Soc Showcase Event Tonight Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

DIT Dance Society are hosting their annual Dance Showcase in Gleeson Hall Theatre on the Kevin Street campus tonight, Thursday, 1 December, as part of the DIT Societies Christmas Appeal.

This year, the DIT Societies’ Christmas Appeal is raising money for three charities which aide homeless people or people who are in danger of becoming homeless, Saint Vincent de Paul, the Dublin Simon Community and Focus Ireland.

Dance Society members will

perform their piece from the DCU Dance Experiment, an event which DIT Dance Society took part in earlier this month alongside dance societies from other colleges across Ireland.

Guest speakers from the three aforementioned charities will also be attending the event.

DIT Dance Society Chairperson, Laura Kerr, outlined more about the event: “We will have roughly 10 performances and guest speakers from the three charities. Perfor-

mances are mainly DIT students and alumni, but there may be other guest performances.

“Last year we had about 15 performances and 100 attendees, so hopefully this year will be another huge success.”

Tickets will be available at the door on the night and cost €3 with the event beginning at 7:30pm.

In addition to their showcase, Dance Society are also hosted Movie Night, last night, Wednesday, 30 November in Aungier Street,

screening the Will Ferrell Christmas comedy, Elf. On Tuesday night, 29 November, the society hosted a commercial/hiphop dance workshop with renowned dancer, Adam Fogarty.

On Monday night last, 28 November, the society held its weekly contemporary and jazz dance classes.

All four events are part of DIT Dance Society’s Dance Week which culminates with the Showcase event tonight.

The Edition Thursday 1 December 2016

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NEWS

Mixed Results for Law & Debating Soc Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

around LGBT issues.

As of the date of publication it is unclear where the safe spaces will be.

DIT LGBT Society has approximately 100 members, and frequently runs events which attract attendances of over 50 people. The society’s aim this year is to educate non-LGBT students about the issues faced by their LGBT peers.

The society were also delighted to

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announce that so far this year they had no reports of anti-LGBT behaviour within DIT, although they were not aware if there had been any incidents reported to the DIT chaplaincy or counselling service as they do not receive reports from either body.

If you have been affected by any issues discussed in this article, please contact the DIT LGBT Society or the DIT counselling service.

Mark McMorrow has progressed to the semi-finals of the Irish Times National Debating Championship, while Michael Fitzgerald was knocked out in the quarter-finals.

There were mixed emotions for the McMorrow’s success is all Law and Debating Society recentthe more impressive as he never ly as one member progressed to formally competed in a debating the semi-finals of the Irish Times competition before commencing National Debating Championship training and entering the Irish Times while another lost out in the quarDebating National Championships ter-finals. this year.

Mark McMorrow reached the semi-finals stage of the competition after he won his quarter-final in Griffith College on Thursday last, 24 November.

The Irish Times National Debating Championship is one of the premiere debating competitions for third level students in Ireland since its inception in 1960.

Speaking to The Edition, McMorrow expressed his joy at being involved in the competition and the positive result for him: “It’s been so enjoyable so far and it’s exciting to be part of a competition with such history and renown.

Credit: DIT Law Society “Debating isn’t that much a common skill, and I definitely think our society places too little “The Irish Times [National emphasis on it, glorifying echo Debating Championship] is the first chambers of opinion over meaningdebating competition I’ve taken part ful discourse with opposition, so it’s in, and I was never formally trained such a joy to see the level of skill in debating until this year. of the participants in building cases “My only knowledge comes and arguments and dismantling an from the Debating Workshops that opponent’s. the Law and Debating Society put “I was prepared to accept a loss on every Wednesday night, led by in the quarter-finals when I first Eoin MacLachlan and Clíodhna walked in, but I felt pleased with Ní Chéileachair, both Irish Times my performance after my speech, [National Debating Championship] and was delighted when the results winners themselves. came through.”

“In my teenage years I developed

a love of logical argument and rhetoric, particularly regarding international social issues.

“I remember once replying tongue in cheek to my mum’s question of ‘any idea yet what you want to do career-wise?’ with ‘anything that’ll let me make a living out of telling people that they’re wrong’. Both of these loves seem to have met with a happy medium in debating.”

Speaking about McMorrow’s success, Law and Debating Society President, Pierre Yimbog, conveyed the society’s delight: “We are extremely happy as a society that for our first year entering this competition, we have someone progress to the semi-final. We’re even more happy that it’s one of our committee members.”

A week before McMorrow’s success, fellow Law and Debating Society member, Michael Fitzgerald’s, time competing in the competition came to an end after his quarter-final heat in RCSI. Yimbog said: “Unfortunately Michael did not progress to the semi-final, but he thoroughly enjoyed being involved in the competition and we’re extremely proud as a society that he managed to progress so far considering it is his first time debating.”

The semi-finals of the competition will take place sometime after the Christmas break, with the finals taking place in February.

The Law and Debating Society are planning on applying to host the finals of the competition having hosted one of the earlier rounds.

6 | www.edition.ie

The Edition Thursday 1 December 2016

NEWS

Africa Day a Great Success

Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

DIT Africa Society hosted a tremendously successful and engaging Africa Day on Tuesday of last week, 22 November, on the college’s Aungier Street campus.

Speaking about the event, Public Relations Office for Africa Society, Taofeeqat Olanlokun, conveyed the society’s committee’s joy with the success of Africa Day. “We were all thrilled with the success of the event and the turnout of people. The event was successful as it allowed people to learn more about the different cultures of Africa and see that there is more to life in Africa than what we are presented with in the media.”

The event aimed to give students the opportunity to learn about the vast array of cultures from across the continent of Africa according to Olanlokun.

“Africa Day gave students a chance to learn about different cultures and by this we mean that there is a common misconception that the whole of Africa share the same cultures but this is false as each country has its own traits and attributes that distinguish them from each other.

“The continent of Africa is rich, vibrant and lively which we got the opportunity to show the students of DIT through entertainment and education.

“We gave students an insight of this by playing music from different countries, allowing them to sample treats from all

over Africa and by holding a display where people could read about different cultures around Africa.”

As well as providing upbeat music, and delicious food from across Africa, there was also a fashion show, which showed off a range of African attire, students could get their face painted, have their hair braided or buy traditional African print clothing known as a Dashiki.

The event was organised by a number of members of Africa Society with the assistance of DITSU President, Boni Odoemene, and DITSU Vice President for Events, Diarmuid Cleary.

Olanlokun was quick to praise both Odoemene and Cleary for the part

they played in helping to run Africa Day and make it such a resounding success.

“We got a great deal of engagement from the student body. Diarmuid was of fantastic help to us. He was involved in the planning and preparation stage, helped us set up the foyer and also filmed and took photographs of the whole event.

“Boni was also great help to us. He was the one who brought the idea to us to begin with and helped by spreading information and providing us with models for our fashion show.

“Boni also modeled his own cultural attire which was superb as when people saw that the [DITSU] president was involved, they wanted to be involved too.”

Tonight, December 1, Africa Society will host a general knowledge table quiz on the Bolton Street campus.

On Thursday, December 8, Africa Societies from DIT and DCU will combine to host a charity dinner in DCU with tickets costing €5.

USI Looking to #RocktheRegister Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) was over the coming months.” the Marriage Equality referendum last year. on DIT campuses a fortnight ago to register Ian Power, Executive Director of SpunOut. “The USI has done a terrific job over the students to vote as part of the #RocktheRegisie said: “There are so many pressing issues last few years in making this argument and ter campaign. we’re seeing at the moment that have clear getting young people signed up to vote. We’re The USI is expected to register over 10,000 political solutions; whether it be the lack of very proud to be supporting them again. Camstudents to vote before the formation of the student housing and affordable rents, the very paigns like Rock the Register are essential in next government after the next scheduled high cost of education, the difficulty young encouraging more young people to stand up general election in 2021. people still face in finding good quality jobs or and be counted in the democratic process.

USI has teamed up with SpunOut.ie and the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) for their #RocktheRegister campaign and said this is a strategic move to empower students and to get political parties to prioritise funding in third level education.

USI has registered over 80,000 new student voters over the past two years and held an active campaigning day on Wednesday, 16 November, in third level institutes across the country.

“The amount of students USI has registered to vote over the past few years is outstanding,” Annie Hoey, USI President, said.

“We are encouraging students to register to vote at their local students’ unions and are drilling home the message that their vote is their voice and their vote is what shapes the composition of the next government.

“The figures of new registered student voters in the past two years outline the hunger young people have for getting involved in current affairs, politics and issues that directly affect them like educational matters.

“Students are really energised to vote #RockTheRegister badge. Images credit The Scarlett Standard via Twitter. in this election and to make sure their voice is properly heard. We’ve seen across Twitter any number of other things.

“Next time out we can hope to see a bigger and Facebook how many students are excited “The only way any of these problems [are] youth vote than ever before, one that ensures to register their vote, and voice, but today going to be fixed is through young people mowe finally deliver an Ireland that works for its [Wednesday, 16 November] is only the bebilising and having their say in changing this youngest citizens.” ginning of our campaign to #RocktheRegister country for the better, just like they did with James Doorley, Deputy Director of NYCI

echoed Power’s sentiments: “We strongly support this campaign to promote voter registration among young people, so that they can have a vote and a say in decisions and policies that will affect them and all in our country.

“Based on CSO data almost 60,000 young people will turn 18 this year and this National Voter Registration Day is a great opportunity to reach and register this cohort and the other young people who are still not on the voter lists.

On the 19 October, 15,000 students took part in the USI National Demonstration against a loan scheme and in favour of publicly-funded third level education, with support from unions like IMPACT, TUI, IFUT, SIPTU and NYCI to mention a few.

At the most recent DIT Student Council Meeting, Hooey addressed attendees and informed them of an upcoming Lobby Day taking place next Tuesday, 6 December, to encourage students to talk to their local TDs about issues which affect them such as third level education funding.

If you are unsure if you are registered to vote you can check at www.checktheregister.ie, or ask to see the Register of Electors at your local post office, Garda Station, library or city/county council offices.

If you are eligible to register to vote you can find out more info from DIT Students’ Union, the USI or by visiting www.spunout.ie or www.vote.ie.

The Edition Thursday 1 December 2016

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NEWS

Successful Pink Training Weekend for LGBT Soc Ciaran Freman This past weekend, 27 members of DIT LGBT Society travelled to University College Cork for the annual Union of Students in Ireland (USI) Pink Training.

The event was organised by USI Vice President for Equality and Citizenship, Síona Cahill.

Pink Training, which is held in a different location each year, is a weekend of workshops and events for the LGBT* community.

The weekend is very much centred around members and allies of the LGBT community learning more about their community and what can be done to help and protect it, while also including everyone in it.

Alison Hilley, Chairperson of the LGBT Society, was the DIT Delegation Leader for the weekend, and was respsonsible for ensuring that everyone felt included throughout the weekend.

DIT Students’ Union (DITSU) Vice President for Welfare, Tara O’Brien, also attended the event as a representative of DITSU. Events that took place during the weekend included workshops about how to be a better LGBT ally, Trans* 101, which was facilitated by Toryn Glavin, former Chairperson of the DIT LGBT Society, how to be a better LGBT and human rights activist, and safe spaces for all LGBT*

Fashion Society Model Casting

DIT Fashion Society are hosting model castings for their annual fashion show next Tuesday in Aungier Street, with the opportunity to win a modelling contract from a top Irish modelling agency

Nikki Murphy

DIT Fashion Society will hold its Model Castings on Tuesday, 6 December in the courtyard of the Aungier Street campus from 6pm.

This year, models who are cast will have the opportunity, of a lifetime, to win a modelling contract from a top Irish modelling agency.

This year, Fashion Society are looking to recruit models including plus size as well as those who are more mainstream and conventional models.

The successful models will be cast to model in the DIT Fashion Show which will take place next semester.

Speaking about the Fashion Show, Chairperson of the DIT Fashion Society, Rian Mooney, said: “Last year, the fashion show was absolutely incredible, given that we didn’t have a sponsor and it was pulled off independently.

“So much work was put in and it all paid off. But this year, this year is going to be a lot different from previous shows. Watch this space.”

Students from all DIT campuses are encouraged to enter as the castings present an opportunity to win a modelling contract with a coveted Irish model agency which is based in Dublin.

Guest judges include Irish fashion journalist, Rob Kenny, and freelance fashion stylist and winner of the Irish Fashion Stylist of the Year at the Irish Fashion Industry Awards 2016, Brian Conway.

With over 200 students from all across DIT campuses taking part last year, it’s an event not to be missed.

Students who have previously won the model casting are Paris Brown, Conor Griffin and Zack O’Rourke.

DIT LGBT Soc before their trip to Pink Training in Cork. Credit- DIT LGBT Soc. people.

Colm O’Gorman from Amnesty International was also at the event to give a talk to attendees, as was former USI President, Laura Harmon.

There was even a Lip Sync

competition, with Ciarán Freeman and Róisín O’Donovan from DIT syncing ‘Bop to the Top’ from High School Musical.

Over 250 students attended the event this year.

This year Pink training has been a huge success, and while there was many a tired and sore heads on the bus back to Dublin on Sunday, the consensus was that it was a fabulous weekend.

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The Edition Thursday 1 December 2016

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PROBLEMS? Tell Naggy Nora about them and she’ll give you a very honest answer...

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Should I Stay or Should I Go?

gony unt Dear Naggy Nora,

Alas it is me again. I’ve gotten myself into yet anoth er pickle. So the Latin lover who I was obsessed with moved back to sunnier shores and as you know I was devastated to say the least.

I took your advice to get over someone you need to get under someone else. And that’s exactly what I did. Problem is now I think I’m starting to like the rebound. Worse still, my milkshake clearly brings all the boys back to the yard as the Latin lover has declared that he’s moving back to be with me. What oh what do I do?

Emily xo

What Nora says...

Dear Naggy, I have a great job but want to go see the world. I’m thinking about a graduate visa to the States but worry about whether or not a job in the company will be here for me when I’m back. Do I risk it for a chocolate biscuit?

Jason.

Jason? It’s so nice to see a young fella in my inbox instead of my usual girlos... all those huns think they’re priority but I’d do anything for a lovely young man like yourself! Can I come too? I’ll just pack my bikini and meet ya at the airport!

Ya ask “Do I risk it for a chocolate biscuit?” and the answer is of course, chocolate biscuits are life didn’t ya know?! It’s all well and good having a great job, but a good instagram account is even better #Wanderlust.

As much as I’d love to tell you to just quit your job and go, I can’t, it’s not that easy. There’s this thing called money, and you’re going to need it to travel.

A graduate visa lasts a year possibly two which is an awful long time for a company to keep a position available.

If you do decided to go don’t let that hold you back. If you were good enough before they’ll take you back. Without a doubt.

If I was you I would bite the bullet and go especially if it’s what you really want.

Travelling provides so many opportunites. And who’s to say you’ll come back?

I really hope this helps.

Naggy Nora xoxo

Dear Naggy Nora,

“My milkshake clearly brings all the boys back to the yard” you are one classy bird, Emily, I will give you that. By the soun ds of it one has their cake and is eating it at the same time which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

TBH with you, none of this was your doing, he left so you had fun. Well mor e than fun in your case but you were broken hearted and did what any girlo would’ve done . Find a desperate man, ride them, then fall in love.

I hate to be stereotypical but we both know it’s true.

I’m glad you took my previous advi ce.

I’m right because the best way to get over someone is to get under someone. The re’s nothing wrong with what you did but if that’s how you’re going to do things no strin gs can be attached especially feelings. That’s how

I know the tragedi es keep on coming.

I’ve run into a bit kinda literally. Ye of a pickle, literall know? So me mate y, not literally but , who is kinda a lil cr mistake and ever sin acker, sent a dicky ce I’m not gunna lie piccy to me by , I’ve found him to more of me mates be a little wetser. If from work I’ll just I fancy one bloody drop dead.

Hope you’re well And so will me mate hun. s if I tell them.

Bekki x

What Nora says...

Heya Bekki, missed hearing from ya last week, glad you’re back and that the tragedies are still rolling, you give me something to live for #HupTheBekkiSaga.

First of all, I have a really serious question, is this a job you’re working or the corner of Leeson Street? I didn’t even know what a dicky picky was until I looked it up on the Urban Dictionary.

Oh Emm Gee the youth of today, it was far from that Naggy was reared!!

Did ya screenshot it though, I know you Bekki hun, I bet you did! Now for the real advice, keep yo lips sealed, nobody needs to know how you’re feeling and nobody needs to know what you’re thinking, especially if they’re dirty thoughts! Not even your closest girlos, don’t go sending it into the work Whatsapp...even if he pisses you off!

Now go to your app store and download this new fangled thing called Tinder, I’ve heard it’s all the

things get painful.

It’s one hell of a pickle you are in I’m not going to lie. I’d be having a nervy-b if that was me. On one hand you’re falling for a rebound and on the other you’ve a big hunky latino moving to Ireland just to be with you.

Personally I feel he needs to get his head checked.

I have a solution though. You have naggy’s deets. I’ll help a sista friend out.

Let me take one of them off your hands.

From what you sent me, there is still the desire there for the foreigner. If he is where your heart is then follow it. Just be sure what he told is the truth before making any reckless decisions. Until then, there’s no harm in going out to the rebound just try not to get too attached.

I’m off to buy a hat for the wedding .

Naggy Nora xoxo

rage with the single girlos these days. Here’s a little advice on how to use it, if he works with you swipe left, and if not, swipe right, that’s one way of solving your problems. You deserve the world Bekki hun, not a fella who ignores ya or sends ya dicky piccys by mistake, but a real man...if there is such a thing!

If all else fails, send him a little piccy ‘by mistake’ too and see what he does. Just make sure to keep Naggy updated!

Naggy Nora xoxo

The Edition Thursday 1 December 2016

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FEATURES

Hospitality Students Bring New Horizons Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

DIT’s Cathal Brugha Street campus is home to one of Ireland’s premiere hospitality management courses, and five final year students from International Hospitality Management are Maastricht bound next February to represent DIT in a prestigious European competition, the EM Cup. The EM Cup, or European Mise En Place Cup, is an annual competition which pits teams of students from the best Hotel Management Schools in Europe against each other to demonstrate their understanding of the industry, and put into practice the skills and knowledge they’ve accumulated.

This year, Hannah Barkhoff will captain her DIT classmates - Grace Tedford, Kate O’Dowda, Allan Burns, and Lara Broughan-Schefman at the competition in the Dutch city. Before jetting off, the group must complete five assignments, with three of these being marked by the judges and counting for 40 percent of their overall score, with the final 60 percent being assessed at the competition.

The initial assignment requires the group to build awareness around their brand, DIT Horizons, through social media. The more likes and followers the group receives the better mark they will earn. Their overall presence on

All images courtesy of DIT Horizons.

“You learn

more real world skills than you would sitting in a lecture hall. It’s more hands on and practical and using your own innovation and ideas

”

social media is judged using the Klout system, which combines all the groups’ social media accounts’ influence to measure their overall influence.

Following this assignment, the group is required to write an academic paper on the topic of recruitment and retention in the hospitality sector, which is the theme for this year’s competition, while the other assignment will see the students apploy their practical skills to a hotel simulation, acting as hotel managers required to solve problems that arise.

As well as giving the group the chance to apply some of their skills to practical situations, competing in the EM Cup counts as five credits for next semester, an element Barkhoff believes makes the competition appealing and is an improvement on the day-to-day routine of attending lectures.

“I think that’s something that’s really good about it is that it is a module and it is an option. The other options are you go into class, you go to the lectures, it’s the same thing but this is something different.”

Burns echoes this sentiment, stating: “You learn more real world skills than you would sitting in a lecture hall. It’s more hands on and practical and using your own innovation and ideas.” While Tedford makes the point that as well as being part of their college curriculum means they have to take it seriously, this group of friends is ensuring they have fun along the way, “we’re taking it seriously but we’re keeping a fun element because if you’re not having fun then there’s not much point in doing it.”

Tedford believes that some people may think the group can be partial to conflict due to how close they all are as friends outside of college, but she insists that their friendship

allows for an easier work environment. “It’s good that we’re comfortable with each other.

We can put out ideas, get shut down, and not take offence because they’re my friends as well.” Barkhoff reinforces this point: “I think because we’re all quite headstrong and we all get along that when we tell someone ‘no’ we just get on with it, it’s nothing personal.”

The group are being counselled by Clement Ryan and John Ryan, lecturers in the School of Hospitality Management in DIT, and Barkhoff conveys the group’s praise for their guides: “They’re supportive if you need something, they don’t just leave you to do it yourself, they’re great at coaching us with the right amount of support but leaving us do our own thing at the same time.”

Following the EM Cup, the group are planning on competing in the Irish Hospitality Institute’s Business Hospitality Management Games a few weeks later, a competition the group feels brings with it a lot more pressure as DIT representatives have won four out of the last six competitions. “We’ve big shoes to fill. I’m very confident, I think we can do it, I think we can do it in Europe as well,” said O’Dowda.

Burns was quick to point out that DIT’s recent success in this competition is a testament to the International Hospitality Management course, lecturers and students in DIT: “The Hospitality School in DIT is so well known and then winning these competitions and performing so well reflects well on the lecturers, on the programmes and the students who get into these programmes and succeed.”

You can keep up with the group’s progress by searching for DIT Horizons on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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FEATURES

Light It Up Sinead Farrelly captured all the colour, sparkles and bright lights from this year’s Chirstmas window display.

Words: Matthew Colfer

Passers by take in the display from Arnotts.

Dublin’s Brown Thomas and Grafton Street shining bright like a diamond.

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FEATURES

Walking along Dublin’s streets can sometimes seem drab, and become repetitive and mundane; the same old grey or red brick footpaths which is oftentimes in the shadows of the surrounding buildings, the architecture of which, in fairness, can be somewhat more alternating.

The more contemporary areas of Dublin such as Grand Canal Dock and the IFSC provide something entirely different to the more classic and protected architecture of Georgian Dublin around Fitzwilliam Square and Leeson Street.

Although December has only begun, Dublin has had a Christmas atmosphere in the air for almost a month at this stage.

Gone are the days when the 8 December was the start of the Christmas period, although many people from outside the capital still make

Dunnes Stores with that dark Winter feeling.

Brown Thomas giving this Christmas some glamour.

The fantasy and magic of Christmas.

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their way to the capital to get their Christmas shopping done on this day.

With shops now indulging in the American tradition of Black Friday perhaps shop owners feel an onus to have their outlets decorated well in advance of Christmas in these modern times.

Walking along the streets of the city at night at present, the footpaths are illuminated by decorative and festive window displays from shops like Brown Thomas and Arnotts to name but a few.

While overhead, the twinkling lights capture pedestrians’ attention and bring a sense of festive grandeur to the streets.

This is a collection of some, but certainly not all, of the most eye catching displays you can set your eyes upon in Dublin City.

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FEATURES

An Elf-ish

Christmas

All images credit Flickr via Creative Commons.

Eimear Dodd explains how the scout elves who decipher the naughty from the nice are quite the little mischief makers themselves Have you ever wondered how Santa Claus compiles his list of naughty or nice children? All we used to know was that it was magic. But in recent times the North Pole has shared more of its festive secrets.

The robin has traditionally played the part of helper to Santa Claus in Ireland. Many probably remember one in the back garden when they were younger. An adult would point out that the bird would tell Santa about the good (and not so good) children.

It appears that the robin isn’t the only one who reports to the North Pole on the behaviour of little and not so little children. Scout elves also assist in the process of compil-

ing information for the naughty and nice list.

As December must be the busiest time of year in the North Pole workshops, why would Santa ask these elves to visit homes around the world? Accuracy is crucial to ensure that all children are included on the list. Possibly because the elves play a vital part in making the list and checking it twice.

The work of these scout elves was first recounted in 2004 by Carol V Aebersold and Chanda Bell in their book Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition.

There have been numerous sightings over the years, particularly in the United States. There were

some rumours that these scout elves were also spotted around Ireland last Christmas. It looks like this year these festive helpers will really make themselves known to us.

Scout elves don’t mind being seen by people because they possess elf magic. This allows them to freeze whenever any human in the house is awake. Santa Claus has asked that they remain silent, so they listen and watch what’s happening.

At night when everyone is asleep, anything can happen. And it has.

They make icing sugar angels on counter tops. Spill flour on the floor then skip through it. They lift marshmallows as home-weights. They eat cookies. They change duvet covers

while children sleep.

They can be naughty. Very naughty.

Over the years, the elves have developed unique ways of fulfilling their duties. Google “Elf on the Shelf” and you’ll find plenty of evidence of their peculiar ways.

What should you do if you spot one in your home? The advice is clear. Don’t touch them. They might lose their Christmas magic. The elves need it to get back to the North Pole for the busiest night of the year.

Some might find it a bit creepy to imagine that an elf is watching them.

The elves themselves are sensitive to these fears. They have no wish to scare anyone. And they’re very kind.

There’s a rumour that they make breakfast for very lucky children.

The scout elves might only spend a few days in a house. Wherever they are, they know they have to be back to the North Pole to help with the final preparations for Christmas Eve. The sleigh needs to be packed and the reindeer must be prepared for the long journey around the world.

But until then it’s best to remember the words of a Christmas favourite because each word is true.

He knows if you’ve been bad or good because the elves are able to tell him. So be good for goodness sake.

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FEATURES

Christmas Recipies DIT Nutrition Society presents their favourite Christmas recipes that are not only delicious but a little nutritious too Spiced Butternut Squash Soup This nourishing, comforting soup is the perfect thing to have by the fire with a wedge of buttered brown bread. It’s not too spicy, but feel free to add some more harissa for extra heat.

Ingredients: 1 Butternut Squash 2 carrots 1 tablespoon of honey 4 tablespoons of olive oil 1 medium white onion 2 cloves of garlic 2 tablespoon of harissa Zest and juice of a large orange 1 litre of stock (veg or chicken) Salt/pepper Flaked almonds (optional) Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius.

2. Chop the butternut squash and the carrots and add to a baking tray.

3. Toss in the honey and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.

4. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes or until lightly golden and soft.

5. While that’s in the oven, add the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large pot on a medium heat.

6. Dice the onion and add it to the pot.

7. Cook for 5 minutes or until the onions are soft.

8. Add the garlic and harissa and cook for 2 minutes.

9. Add the orange juice, the zest, and the stock and simmer for 15 minutes.

10. Add the cooked squash and carrots from the oven and boil gently for a further 5 minutes.

11. Leave to cool and blend either using a hand blender or in a NutriBullet.

12. Reheat in a pot and season to taste.

13. Scatter a handful of flaked almonds on top and serve with brown bread. Enjoy!

Leftover Turkey Chili Apart from pressies taking the number one spot, leftovers are the second best thing about Christmas.

Why is it that everything tastes so much better the next day? This recipe may not be a classic Christmas

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recipe, but it’s a welcome change when you’ve reached your festive food limit.

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons of olive oil 1 white onion 2 red peppers 2 cloves of garlic 1 teaspoon of chili powder ½ teaspoon of cumin ½ teaspoon of ground coriander 400g of leftover Turkey 2 x 400g of tinned tomatoes 400ml of turkey or chicken stock 1 x 400g tin of kidney beans Method: 1. Dice the onion and chop the peppers.

2. Heat a large pot on a medium heat and add the olive oil.

3. Add the onion and the peppers and let them cook for a few minutes until the onions have softened.

4. Mince the garlic and add it to the pan.

5. Sprinkle in the spices and stir well.

6. Pull apart the turkey meat into small pieces and add it to the pot.

7. Add the tinned tomatoes and the stock.

8. Stir and leave to simmer for 15 minutes.

9. Drain and add the kidney beans and allow to simmer for another 15 minutes.

10. Serve with fresh coriander and avocado.

Healthier Chocolate Bark So we all know that Christmas is a time for treats but why not try to combine your treat with something a little healthier? Nuts and dried fruit are a great one to add to your desserts as they are naturally sweet and full of vitamins and minerals which will nourish your body. This bark is super yummy and makes a lovely Christmas pressie when wrapped in some brown paper and tied with a ribbon.

Ingredients: 300g of dark chocolate (70% cocoa is great) 40g of Almonds 40g of Dried Cranberries Any other nuts or fruits you like (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, etc.)

Method: 1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (a tray or a serving plate will work as well).

2. Using a sharp knife, chop the chocolate.

3. In a bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water, heat the chopped chocolate until it is melted.

4. Stir the chocolate well making sure it’s totally melted.

5. Spread the chocolate evenly onto the prepared baking sheet.

6. Before the chocolate sets, sprinkle your toppings on top and using a spoon, gently press down the toppings into the chocolate.

7. Put the bark in the fridge for

about 20 minutes, or until hardened.

8. After the 20 minutes, tip the bark onto a surface and remove the parchment paper.

9. Break into lots of scrummy pieces or chunks and store or serve.

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FEATURES

All images credit Flickr via Creative Commons.

Sarah Harford Feature Editor @saz_harford

Have Yourself A Hygge Little Christmas Denmark is the happiest country in the world.

It’s a fact - the land of Lego and The Little Mermaid has been ranked number one in the World Happiness Report conducted by the UN. Many attribute the small Scandinavian country’s success to their progressive education and healthcare systems, but perhaps the real answer is far more simple - hygge.

So what is hygge? The word itself is difficult to define and even more difficult to pronounce (think hoo-guh), but the concept behind it is relatively simple. Helen Russell, author of The Year of Living Danishly, describes it as “having a relaxed, cosy time with family or friends, and being kind to yourself”.

It has become a defining characteristic of Danish culture which involves nothing emotionally overwhelming or physically taxing.

Hygge is a lifestyle choice that’s essential in the cold, dark, Danish winters. At this time of year in Denmark there is an average of only seven to eight hours of sunlight per day, which you could imagine would be pretty bleak. But while the rest of the world is stressing about seasonal affective disorders, the Danes have embraced the harsh annual descent into winter with the help of hygge.

A quick Google search reveals that hygge often conjures up images of an abundance of scented candles, cashmere socks, and a roaring open fire. But the essence of hygge does not

“Having a

relaxed, cosy time with family or friends, and being kind to yourself

”

really lie with material items at all, it’s about people. It focuses on personal relationships and shared experiences, based on the Scandinavian sociological idea of janteloven, which encourages a strong sense of community, and places little value on individual success.

Christmas marks the epitome of hygge in Denmark. The yuletide season involves spending time with family and friends, centred around an enormous meal on Christmas Eve, not to mention visiting markets, ice skating in cosy clothes, and eating Danish pastries with a giant mug of coffee by the fire. Sounds ideal.

Very hygge.

While it’s been mentioned in Danish literature since the nineteenth century, the idea of hygge has suddenly become very popular worldwide. It’s been popping up frequently on social media for weeks, and there have been about 10 books published on the subject in the last couple of months alone - you’ll probably end up with one in your Christmas stocking this year.

So why is there all this hype surrounding the notion of getting under a blanket and lighting a few candles? Haven’t we been doing that for years without the aid of the Danes and their self-help books? The way I see it, hygge is about consciously setting aside time for people, and for a few indulgences, to create a happier, more balanced life. And who doesn’t

want that?

Mental health is a major issue for young people in Ireland right now, so perhaps even a little bit of hygge could be greatly beneficial to our well-being. With the stress of assignments and exams building at this time of year, it’s important for students to remember to take a break over Christmas, recuperate, and have some quality relaxation time.

This may appear to be another seasonal fad, and it’s definitely gained some skeptics, but I think that it’s something we can happily deal with. Unlike other trends that have plagued us in recent years, hygge is more about having positive experiences than acquiring stuff there’s not a Fitbit or NutriBullet in sight. The practice doesn’t involve restricting yourself to a ridiculous diet or regime, but encourages treating yourself to small comforts for a happy life.

So perhaps you don’t need to buy fancy books or enter a zen-like meditative state to understand the art of hygge, you just need to take a little time out for yourself this festive season. If 2016 has been a bit rough, maybe a small change in attitude is necessary.

So why not take inspiration from the contented people of Denmark and invite all of your mates over, put your phone away, have that extra mince pie, and take some well deserved time to relax.

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CULTURE

The Ultimate Guide to TV this Christmas Eimear Dodd It’s the most wonderful time of the year for TV lovers. The evenings are long and it’s cold outside, so there’s plenty of reasons to curl up on the sofa and enjoy the seasonal best from old favourites and new dramas.

As most of the channels haven’t announced their final schedules at the time of writing, here’s some picks from what’s already been confirmed and what’s usually on.

Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special - BBC Fab-u-lous entertainment for Christmas evening.

The Great Christmas Bake Off - BBC Bake Off on the BBC signs off with two festive specials.

Gilmore Girls - Netflix Sshh, no spoilers! Some of us have to wait to endulge over the Christmas break.

Call the Midwife Christmas Special - BBC This is nice, gentle entertainment for Christmas night.

Father Ted Christmas Special Best enjoyed with a cup of tea or something stronger.

Miracle on 34th Street Do you believe in Father Christmas?

Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas Special - BBC and RTÉ Festive Mischief and more from Mrs Brown and her boys…hehehe It’s a Wonderful Life An angel helps a struggling businessman in Frank Capra’s 1946 film.

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CULTURE

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Niamh Haskins Online Editor @niamhhaskins

FILM REVIEW Director: David Yeats Writer: JK Rowling Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Colin Farrell Genre: Action, Family, Fantasy Running Time: 2h 13mins For any fan within the Harry Potter universe, the year 2016 has been the biggest since the series ended in 2011. Over the summer months a stage prequel launched in London - a story from JK Rowling herself.

November has seen the screen adaptation of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,

Write for the

THE EDITION ... or just tip us off to the scéal.

which was a fictional text book for Harry Potter and his classmates throughout their time in Hogwarts. With this one, fans can be rest assured that there is no shortage of magical creations.

“Newt Scamander, only meant to stay in New York for a few hours,” - the first sentence of a synopsis of Newton Scamander’s story reads.

Seventy years before the Potter series, set in New York in 1926, the film features Newton (Newt) Scamander. Scamander is endearingly uncomfortable around humans but gifted with the erumpens, bowtruckles and nifflers.

Scamander made a brief stop in New York City in December with a magical suitcase full of creatures from his travels around the world to research for his Magizoology book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. This case being the desirable answer to the wizard world’s Noah’s ark, a meek leather suitcase

which is much larger inside than outside, like Doctor Who’s Tardis or Mary Poppins’ bag.

During his first day in the Big Apple, Scamander meets Porpetina (Tina) Goldstein, an American witch and former auror for the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA). What was supposed to be a short interlude became prolonged when a No-Maj (“non-magic” - the American version of “muggle”) called Jacob Kowalski inadvertently disturbs Scamander’s magically expanded suitcase, releasing a number of his dangerous magical creatures into the city, risking the exposure of the magical community in

the United States.

The film takes place over the course of two days where Scamander, Kowalski, Goldstein and Queenie attempt to collect the runaways from the suitcase unbeknownst to the whole of Manhattan while being shadowed by Percival.

The film is perfectly adequate, with spectacular visuals and quality actors. There are some extraordinary scenes which blend meticulous effects, Rowling’s limitless imagination, and production design.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the first prequel of an upcoming series of films based on the book of the same title.

The Edition Thursday 1 December 2016

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The Edge of Seventeen Rachel D’Arcy

FILM REVIEW Director: Kelly Fremon Craig Writer: Kelly Fremon Craig Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner Genre: Action,Comedy, Drama Running Time: 1h 44 mins The Edge of Seventeen is not a clichéd teen movie. The poster and previews detail some of it’s hilarity, but the promotion doesn’t capture that this movie has the potential to be the Juno of this generation. Sure, there’s parts that are predictable, but the comedic script tied in with the serious undertone make this movie relatable, and reminds us of the Nadine within us all.

Set in an Oregon high school, the movie follows 17-year-old Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld), a self confessed outcast with a terrible dress sense, and only one friend. Enter best friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson), the human catalyst in the story as she

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CULTURE

falls in love with Nadine’s brother, Darian (Blake Jenner). Time goes on and the pair fall out, leading to Nadine’s reconsideration of all she is and who she wants to be.

Steinfeld’s performance as Nadine is unique, with her acting abilities and her connection with the role making it difficult to picture anyone else playing the main character. Her chemistry with the other characters in the film makes the movie gripping, as does her ability to hold her own on screen. This movie is Steinfeld’s strongest performance in some time, and with projects such as Pitch Perfect 3 in the pipeline, she’ll definitely be one to watch.

Jenner’s stint as the resented older brother is also a role that suits the Glee alumus, his ability to fluctuate between a cocky jock to a vulnerable teen is something other actors of his calibre would love to capture so eloquently. It’s his monologue toward the end of the movie that solidifies that Jenner, much like his co-star, is one to keep an eye out for on the big screen in years to come.

It’s a movie packed with quirky one liners – a drunk Nadine screaming “police, my brother’s trying to touch my no no hole” as he attempts to cut her off drinking, being one amongst many. Woody Harrelson as the stoic, yet comical history teacher, unfiltered yet wise, delivers a fantastic performance as Nadine’s confidante in lieu of a father, something that is key to the movie’s focal point. That focal point being the journey a teen endures as they try to figure out their true selves, a topic that writer and director Kelly Fremon Craig has down to a tee.

Making it’s way into cinemas across the country from yesterday, The Edge of Seventeen is a film you know will be unappreciated now, but will gain cult status over time.

The Masters’ of Metal Triumphant Return Kasper Delaney-Petersen

ALBUM REVIEW Released: November 18, 2016 Studio: Metallica’s HQ in San Rafael, California Genre: Thrash metal Length: 77:26 Label: Blackened Producer: Greg Fidelman, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich After eight long years, Metallica, the biggest heavy metal band in the world, have finally released a brand-new album, entitled ‘Hardwired...To Self-Destruct’. Unlike their previous album, ‘Death Magnetic’ (we don’t talk about ‘Lulu’), the band decided to take a much simpler approach to both their songwriting and their trademark sound. However, this is not to say that this current outing is simple in its integrity.

The first thing many people will notice when listening to this album is the new-found depth in James Hetfield’s vocals. The use of harmony, for the first time in Metallica’s 30 plus year career, has finally been utilised to its fullest. Songs such as ‘Moth into Flame’ and ‘Atlas, Rise!’ are almost perfect in delivery and purpose. Along with the new-found power in Hetfield’s vocals, the rest of the band members’ musicianship has been lifted to all-time highs. The drums, bass (notoriously hardly ever heard in Metallica’s music following ‘Master of Puppets’) and solos of the lead guitar all come together perfectly in this album, easily considered Metallica’s magnum opus since their 1991, 16 million selling self-titled ‘Metallica’.

The first track on the album, titled after the album itself, ‘Hardwired’, is a short and sweet

Motörhead-esque return to form for Metallica. As an opener for an album, maybe it was not the strongest choice, but it was definitely a very good one. ‘Atlas, Rise!’, like the aforementioned ‘Hardwired’ and ‘Moth Into Flame’, was released as a single prior to the release of the album.

In terms of lyrics, this song is one of the strongest on the album, much unlike the elementary lyrics of ‘Hardwired’. As mentioned before, the use of vocal harmonies on this

addiction, faith, and even horror elements such as the works of H.P Lovecraft (akin to classics such as ‘The Call of Ktulu’, ‘The Thing that Should Not Be’, and ‘All Nightmare Long’.)

‘Halo On Fire’ is especially brilliant in its execution, with some of the greatest musical emotion ever to be felt in Metallica’s music, let alone heavy metal itself.

In the second half of the album, there is to be found just as powerful, if not greater songs than the first half. ‘Confusion’, a song about

song is one of the main driving forces behind it.

Following this comes ‘Now That We’re Dead’, ‘Moth Into Flame’, ‘Dream No More’, and ‘Halo on Fire’, four equally and positively exceptional songs that harken back to Metallica’s past, with lyric subjects such as life,

the horrors of war and PTSD, “the war that never ends”, is a hard-hitting tune similar to those that might be found on the likes of ‘...

And Justice for All’ and the self-titled ‘Metallica’ albums. After this we have songs such as ‘ManUNkind’, and this journalist’s personal favourite ‘Here Comes Revenge’, two tracks

that are almost completely different in both style and pace, yet come together almost perfectly, one after the other.

The bass intro of ‘ManUNkind’ is very similar to something like the intro to ‘My Friend of Misery’ from their self-titled bestseller. The vocals especially on ‘Here Comes Revenge’ are something never heard before in Metallica’s works.

Then comes ‘Am I Savage?’ a song that seems almost like a sequel to ‘Of Wolf and Man’ in its lyrical subject, yet with a style very similar to something that could be found on one of the ‘Load’ era albums and at some points even similar to songs that could possibly be found on a Megadeth record.

Penultimate track, ‘Murder One’, is an incredibly touching tribute to The Man in Black, Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead, who passed away back in December of 2015. Very much felt throughout the song is the band’s love for and inspiration from this man and his band from lines such as “still feel your thunder feeding back”.

If one song had to be picked from this album where no punches were pulled, it would be very hard to choose between this tribute and the final song from the album, ‘Spit Out the Bone’.

This last track is the pure unadulterated thrash metal, having all the speed and riffs so fast, powerful, and angry, that all fans of this band have come to love.

What a perfect way to finish off what, this journalist feels, is an almost perfect album.

Any gripes that might be had, as almost impossible and unnecessary to mention as they may be, could only be complained about by someone who maybe isn’t the biggest fan of the band.

18| www.edition.ie

The Edition Thursday 1 December 2016

CULTURE

Extreme Rhythm Olivia Powell

Culture Editor @powell_olivia

Extreme Rhythm frontman Nick Bailey.

Extreme Rhythm, a 10 piece percussion band, performed a homecoming gig at the National Opera House in Wexford on Saturday, 26 November.

Lead by frontman, Nick Bailey, the all-male percussion band wowed the Wexford crowd with their talent.

Extreme Rhythm perform using many different styles and techniques of percussion such as - conventional drums and drum kits, Celtic percussion, Japanese Taiko drumming, African and Afro-Cuban among others.

However, this home gig was special because Extreme Rhythm were joined by violin and vocal duo, Sephira. This combined strings and percussion worked incredibly well at some points but was a buzz kill at others. Extreme Rhythm are known for playing all different types of drums (loudly) whereas when Sephira were performing solo, the atmosphere changed to a more slow tempo. However, the combination cannot be faulted, they are fantastic.

Throughout the show, Extreme Rhythm performed a variety of covers by such as Sia’s ‘Chandelier’, Micheal Jackson’s ‘Smooth Criminal’ and Led Zeppelin classic, ‘Whole Lotta Love’, which all received a positive response.

Extreme Rhythm perform with great passion and enthusiasm, there is a lot of shouting involved too. There is a high level of physical

activity in what they do.

The message which the band are aiming to get across to their audience is that ‘rhythm is universal’ and that everyone has rhythm within them whether they are aware of it or not.

The show begins with an eerie dark stage and a voice stating: “Rhythm is universal... in a world divided by borders, currencies, laws and religions, it is a part of us which can never be tainted by external, social or political factors.

Everything we do has a rhythm of its own…

Our Heartbeat; Our Breath; Hunger; Sleep…are the rhythms of our very being.”

The show closed with an incredibly loud but fantastic, drum-banging/playing finale from the lads and received a standing ovation from the audience. A show well done for Extreme Rhythm, it is clear they enjoyed the show just as much as the spectators did.

Extreme Rhythm have been performing together for almost ten years, home and abroad.

The band pride themselves on being ‘10 manic yet scrupulous percussionists’. According to Extreme Rhythm’s website, before they begin rehearsals, they endure “one hour of gruelling physical exercise”.

‘Saturn’s Shadow’ by Extreme Rhythm is out now and you can keep an eye on the Gammy nominee’s social media pages and website for announcements and details about upcoming shows.

Extreme Rhythm performing in concert.

The Edition Thursday 1 December 2016

Olivia Powell

Culture Editor @powell_olivia

www.edition.ie |

19

CULTURE

An Interview with Dan Owen

Dan Owen first came to people’s attention when a video of him covering Bob Dylan’s ‘The Ballad Of Hollis Brown’ was posted online. Owen is from a little town called Shrewsbury in Shropshire and had an interest in music from a very young age.

“I started playing guitar when I was nine. By 13 I was playing pubs with my sister. She was the singer in the family back then and we played at open mic nights all over Shropshire. I started singing when I was 16 and after about a year I was gigging on my own around pubs as my only way of making money.”

Owen certainly has a unique, husky tone to his voice, it’s quite something. “I sing (loudly), play guitar and sometimes harmonica.” Owen said he would not categorise himself in one particular genre but said: “I listen to many different types of music and am easily influenced by many genres which hopefully comes through when I play. But I’m definitely leaning towards the singer-songwriter, acoustic, blues side of things.”

Wondering where Owen’s musical inspiration comes from, he said: “What really got me playing - apart from the air guitar CDs I used to get every birthday and Christmas - would be the old guys that used to get me up to play in the pubs back home.”

Owen released his second EP ‘Open Hands and Enemies’ back in October. The EP has four songs, ‘Made To Love You’,

‘Witching Hour’, ‘Moonlight’, and ‘Closer’. Speaking about the EP, Owen said: “I called it ‘Open hands and Enemies’ because two of the songs on there like ‘Witching Hour’ and ‘Made To Love You’ are [about] having to push someone away and the songs ‘Moonlight’ and ‘Closer’ are more wanting to bring someone into your life with open hands.”

Owen’s first EP, ‘Bad For Me’, was released in 2015, therefore he opted to release a second EP before an album. Owen is planning to have an album out next year but confirmed there is no date set as of yet.

The singer has recently finished a 30-date European tour with popular singer-songwriter, Birdy. Owen said: “I really loved the gig in Madrid, the crowd were perfect and there was a really nice moment when loads of people in the crowd put their phone lights up when I was singing my song ‘Moonlight’.

That felt really special.”

Birdy was such a huge fan of Owen that she ended her shows every night by inviting him back on stage to duet on her hit single ‘Let It All Go’.

Owen performed two nights at The Olympia Theatre as part of Birdy’s European tour. Owen also supported Icelandic band Kaleo at their sold out show in The Academy on 20 November.

“I’m eas ily influe nced by hopeful ly come many g enres w s throug hich h when I play”

“I’ve found the support tours I have been on really inspiring. It has been really amazing playing to such big crowds.”

Owen is lucky enough to have his own European tour next year where he will be performing in Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich, Paris and many more cities.

However, Owen will first stop in Ireland this December for a string of dates around the country. He will be performing in Dublin, Limerick, Dundalk, Belfast, Kilkenny, Kilarney, Galway and Cork. Owen’s Dublin dates include; Ruby Sessions on 6 December and Whelan’s on 16 December.

With talent show X-Factor in full swing, which can be a successful starting platform for many artists, Owen said: “I think for some people it’s a good way to go, but I wouldn’t trade it for my way of just finding some local pubs to play in and really learning the trade.”

Owen hopes to travel the world with his music, he said: “I’ve been over to America a few times for studio stuff but I’ve never really toured over there so I reckon it’d be amazing.

Some of my favourite artists are from Australia so I would love to get over there too.”

Dan Owen’s new single ‘Made To Love You’ and EP ‘Open Hands and Enemies’ are out now.

20| Sport

The Edition Thursday 1 December 2016

DIT Rowathon Fundraises for the Irish Kidney Association

Tae Kwon Do Secure 23 Medals at DIT Open Cormac Byne & John Murphy

DIT Rowing Club DIT Rowing Club were out in the cold last Saturday, 26 November, fundraising with a Rowathon for the Irish Kidney Association (IKA).

Passers-by were challenged to row as fast as they could for 100m, with some producing impressive results.

“It’s great to be able to help such a worthwhile organisation, the Irish Kidney Association provides crucial assistance to families who are affected by kidney failure.

“Some of our own members have experienced the wonderful support provided by the IKA, so we were delighted to be able to use our sport to help fundraise,” said Vice-captain Rebekah Tunstead.

The club managed to raise close to €500 with the help of both current and past rowers.

“It’s great to see so many of our rowers involved. With both past and current rowers, it’s nice to come together again to do something as rewarding as this,” Tunstead said.

Recently DIT Rowing Club announced that it would be hosting its first ever annual online rowing machine race on the 7 December against Kungliga Tekniska Högskola (KTH) Royal Institute of Technology Rowing Club from Stockholm, Sweden.

An online rowing machine race is conducted by participants connecting their rowing machine to a laptop or computer and using the rowing machine as normal.

Online is not the only manner in which the two institutes’ rowing clubs will compete against each other, as KTH will travel to Ireland in April and the two will race on the River Liffey.

“Yes, it’s a wonderful opportunity. Usually the only time people are really aware of rowing in Dublin is the colours race [between] UCD and Trinity.

“This race against KTH is a chance for us not only to prepare for regatta season but also to make people aware of DITRC. We can’t wait for some incredible racing,” said Tunstead.

DIT Rowing Club will be in action this Saturday, 3 December for their first endurance race of the season in the Head of the Shannon, in Carrick-on-Shannon.

The DIT Flag Football Club playing in Grangegorman. Credit: DIT Flag Football Club.

Spartans Beaten in Close Run Games

Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

It was another tough weekend for the DIT Spartans Flag Football Club as they were narrowly beaten in two games in Grangegorman last Saturday, 26 November.

Both games were tight affairs as the Spartans were firstly beaten by the Craigavon Cowboys, 3027 before coming off second best against North Kildare Reapers, 29-28.

Both games were endto-end with all three teams’ offences running in score after score; in the game against the Reapers, all of the Spartans’ touchdowns came from passes.

The Spartans were missing a few players for their second game but third year Structural Engineering student, Niall Furey stepped up to help his team by scoring four touchdowns.

After the games, Spartans’ coach and quarter-back, Arun Mooney, said that missed flag tackles were one of the key areas the team needs to improve on but that he was proud of the day’s performances.

“The offence kept going back and forth, we missed a couple of

flag tackles but other than that it was good.

“The guys did a great job in the first week too, I’m proud of them, I’m even more proud of them today because they did really well but give them all props, I just threw the

ball, they did all the work. I think that flagging was the only issue.”

Despite one of the Spartans’ players picking up a head injury near the end of the game, Mooney was full of praise for how clean the games were in comparison to the

previous encounters against UCD and the Dublin Vipers.

“Just one injury, just a bangbang collision. All round though between all the games, Craigavon Cowboys, North Kildare Reapers and ourselves it was a clean game all round, there wasn’t a lot of penalties where as two weeks ago it was fairly rough there was a lot of flagging and stuff but this was fairly clean.”

These two losses leave the Spartans in a less than favourable position to make the play-offs with the season having reached the half way point, but Mooney is confident that his side are still in with a chance of qualifying for the play-offs.

“Right now our season isn’t looking good. We have four games left for the playoff hunt.

We have eight games in the regular season and it should come down to head-to-head and who has the better record. We’re going to see though.”

The Spartans travel to Athlone to face the Athlone Minotaurs and UCD this Saturday in another round of games before the league takes a break during Christmas.

November has been a busy period for the DIT Tae Kwon Do Club as their annual competition, the DIT Open, was held in Larkin College on 19 November.

Twelve DIT members of differing experience levels competed in various contests, including patterns, point sparring and continuous sparring with all members performing admirably.

The twelve competitors earned a total of twenty-three medals and each member was awarded for their participation with at least one medal.

DIT had a number of standout performers, with Angela Molina particularly impressing in her debut competition. Molina took gold in both the white belt continuous and the point sparring categories, while she also claimed a silver medal in patterns.

Kieffer Nadurate who was also participating in his first tournament took gold in both white belt categories to wrap up a very successful tournament for himself.

Adam McEnroe also had an impressive tournament and he showed his vast experience and quality as he matched Angela Molina’s achievements of taking two sparring golds, and a silver in patterns in the yellow-green belt divisions.

DIT’s Jeff Lagman and Sean Paul O’Halloran both tallied an impressive medal haul as Lagman claimed a silver medal in continuous sparring, and a bronze medal in the point sparring event, while his club mate O’Halloran took gold in both of the black belt sparring divisions. It was to be a good day for DIT as they also won the team sparring event.

Also competing for DIT were Glorhana Magcale, Conor Rogers, John Paul Laguerta, Nichol Bilog, Meshari Al Faraj, Ben McQuaid and Marcin Zatyka. All competitors performed with great skill and tenacity and proudly represented the DIT Tae Kwon Do Club.

DIT Tae Kwon Do would like to thank everyone who competed from other colleges and everyone who helped out on the day. There is plenty to look forward to for DIT Taekwondo enthusiasts as the 2017 Tae Kwon Do Intervarsity Competition will be hosted

by DIT on 4 March in Larkin College.

Sport |21

The Edition Thursday 1 December 2016

Jamie Broderick receiving his Sports Scholarship. Credit: DIT Soccer Club.

Broderick Finds his Feet in DIT Donagh Corby

Jamie Broderick has had a fantastic start to life in DIT. After just 3 months in the college, the young Dubliner has already been involved in the DIT Men’s Soccer first team and helped Cabinteely to a gradual improvement as competitors for the League of Ireland First Division in their sophomore year.

Broderick, 18, said of sporting life in the college: “One of the reasons I wanted to come to DIT was because I knew how good the football teams were. I really wanted to play for them. I knew Gavin Flemming from Cabinteely so he got me involved with the team right away. I’ve got a good course in Leisure Management which I’m really interested in, it’s got a lot of sports and stuff.

“Once I actually got involved with football in college, now bear in mind I wasn’t expecting to even be in the first team, I was starting games. I love going down and training and then getting the [sports] scholarship was just another really exciting extra boost that encourages me to keep going.”

The sports scholarship scheme has been lauded with praise by athletes in the college, and the young man from Cabinteely is no different in his praise. “It’s so great to have an academic mentor there who’s able to help me balance lectures and matches or training. They help me catch up on everything even if I do miss a lecture. Having the sports scholarship also makes things easier with Cabinteely because they know that I have it and they’re more lenient with training.”

Cabinteely manager Eddie Gormley has played and managed in the top league here in Ireland, having played a part in the development of stars such as Chris Shields and Dane Massey, now plugging away

“One of the

reasons I wanted to come to DIT was because I knew how good the football teams were. I really wanted to play for them

”

at Dundalk competing against teams such as Zenit St. Petersburg and AZ Alkmaar every week in Europe. “It’s great as a young player, still developing with another season of Under-19s football to look forward to, to have the likes of Eddie [Gormley] and [assistant manager] Dave Mackey. They’ve so much knowledge and Eddie was such a great player for St. Pat’s. They’re easy to learn from.

“The way they work really helps us young players bed into the team more quickly. It’s been hard for some of us because we’ve been thrown into the deep end the last year or so and we’re playing against the likes of Limerick FC and Sligo Rovers but having a guy like that to help us eases the process considerably. They’ve made the step-up themselves so they know what we’re going through.”

DIT’s next game is away to University College Cork, who boast numerous members of the famous Cork City Under-19 team who were narrowly defeated by AS Roma in

the UEFA Youth League this past few weeks. “They’ve some great players. I mean, loads of those boys were in the City team that competed strongly against Roma just a few weeks ago. It’s going to be a really tough game. Look, we beat Maynooth the other day and I’d personally rate them as the best team of individuals in the whole thing.”

One difference between playing for Cabinteely and the DIT team is the style of play. Cabinteely, and Eddie Gormley’s teams in general, play a cagier, more defensive game than Flemming’s side. Players such as Broderick and fellow Cabo man Aaron Brilly are forced to take on more pressure at the League of Ireland side as they look to soak up attacks. However, the Grangegorman outfit look to play a more expansive attacking game. “Players like me and Aaron can kind of express ourselves more. Gavin’s a good manager with a good philosophy and an attacking style. Yeah, sometimes we get caught out like

in the game against Trinity a few weeks ago [DIT led 2-0 at half-time only to draw 2-2], but we really could kill teams off if we took more chances.”

And what of the difference in physicality between college or school football and the League of Ireland First Division. A famously hotly-contested league, he has had to grow a lot in the last two seasons. “When you get to a League of Ireland First Team, the jump is considerable. The strength of some of these lads is incredible. You’re playing against fully grown men. It’s unbelievable some of the guys you play against it’s such a step up.

“Robbie Williams, the defender at Limerick, is probably the best player I’ve ever played against. He played for a load of teams in England and you can tell that experience. The majority of that team actually were unbelievable and UCD always have a few good lads. I’m excited for next season and improving again of Cabo’s league position.”

22| Sport

The Edition Thursday 1 December 2016

Badminton Ultimate Frisbee Tournament Raises Raising a Racket €350 on DIT Ultimate Frisbee Club hosted its anthe Court nual charity hat tournament in aid of the Niamh Haskins Online Editor

@niamhhaskins

As a sport Badminton is one that is both fast and dynamic. Physically, it can be an energetic or a light workout. Either way, your body will be leaping, lunging, twisting, turning and stretching.

For any college team the intervarsity’s are a highly anticipated competition. Speaking to The Edition, Head of DIT’s Badminton Club, Philip Britton said: “The intervarsity’s preparation is going well. We already have a good idea of the team we will be bringing to it and we feel it could be a successful one.”

At the top level, a badminton match is played best of three ends to 21 points and you can play in singles, doubles and mixed-doubles formats. In terms of speed, hurling is often regarded as one of the fastest sports in the world, but badminton is officially the fastest racket sport in the world with the shuttle often travelling faster than a Formula 1 car.

In Ireland, over 100,000 people play badminton every week in social clubs, schools and leisure centres. Badminton is one of the highest participated sports in the world, however, in Ireland it hasn’t sparked as much interest.

Britton said: “I feel Ireland needs an idol in the sport. It would definitely encourage players to take up the sport. I look at rowing for example, with the success of it in the Olympics through the O’Donovan brothers, the actual sport has been increasing with new people taking it up.”

For the DIT badminton club, the Clubs’ and Socs’ Week proved to be vital way to attract new members. According to Britton: “Sign up weeks were very successful, a lot of players joined of all standards which led to it being very busy in the opening week.”

The next few weeks will be of vital importance to newer members of the club as the Beginners tournament will be held in Larkin College on 5 December. Britton said: “We have a rough idea in our heads of about 40 players who will be participating. If it turns out to be a success, we have a lot more plans for future events.”

Movember Foundation last weekend, attended by more than 50 people and raising approximately €350 for the men’s health charity.

Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

DIT Ultimate Frisbee Club raised approximately €350 for the Movember Foundation by holding its annual charity hat tournament last Saturday, 26 November.

The tournament took place on DIT’s recently opened sports pitches on the Grangegorman campus and saw over 50 people take part in a four team tournament.

Co-head Tournament Director, Ciarán O’Brien, said despite a slight delay starting in the morning, this did not affect the rest of the schedule and players seemed to be enjoying the tournament.

“We had a slight delay this morning getting pitches set up but once we got set up and running the people started promptly playing and seem happy enough with how we’re running it.”

Although most attendees were from the Dublin and commuter belt areas, a small group travelled up from Cork to play in the tournament.

Kate Crowley, a student in UCC, and one of the group who travelled up from Cork, conveyed her enjoy-

ment on the day: “I’m having lots of great craic, the games are good and there’s a good atmosphere.”

One DIT alumnus, Stephen Gogarty used his brief time visiting from England for the weekend to play at the tournament.

Attendees were asked to rate their skill level when signing up for the tournament to ensure teams were fair; players were then placed on teams according to their skill level as fairly as possible.

Tadhg Deevy, a third year student in DIT spoke of this when he expressed his opinion on why tournaments like this are a good opportunity for newer players to take part.

“Because they grade it by experience it’s nice and evened out and you’re put on teams with people you might not know so you get to meet new people and play with them, it’s good fun.”

It was evident on the day that teams were quite evenly matched as only one of the eight games had a final points differential of more than 5.

DIT Ultimate Frisbee Club Members Marcella Barz, Emma Áine O'Leary, Emily In the final, the white team, Scoundrel, faced the yellow team, Charlatan. Having won by one point in a game between the two earlier in the day, the former took an early lead but Charlatan fought back from 10-7 down to win 11-10.

Following the success of the tournament, O’Brien stated people should “stay tuned for next year’s tournament”.

The tournament came exactly one week after the club sent two teams to compete in Open Indoor Intervarsities in NUI Galway.

DIT1 were seeded fifth going into the tournament, but only ratained one first team player from last year’s squad.

The group stages were run in power pools with DIT1 coming up against UCD1, Trinity 1 and DCU1,

Ladies’ Soccer Top Group B Niamh Haskins Online Editor @niamhhaskins

The DIT Ladies Soccer Team’s love affair with the League continued in dramatic style this season as they have completed the group stage with maximum points, topping the group for the third successive season.

For the past two months this side’s gloriously bold march towards topping the table unfurled like a slow-breaking wave.

Coming off the back burner from a harrowing 9-3 defeat to Maynooth University (MU) at home three weeks ago in the Intervarsity’s Qualifiers, where passing errors abounded and free-flowing football was at a premium, the ladies got back to their winning ways last week as they beat

MU ‘B’ team 6-0 in the WSCAI Division Two Group B game.

Mistakes, however, were at a minimum in this crucial reverse clash as this DIT side scored two goals in the first half then pulled clear with a glut of goals in the second.

Speaking about the squad, the ladies’ Captain, Lisa Donnelly said: “Back in September when we started up we lost a huge number of players from last year’s squad. Both the management and team were anxious to know if we would replace them. The potential of players who have came in this

year has been tremendous.”

In recent games the squad have been a tactic born of experience against the opposition. Donnelly said, “some players will always perform better by the quality of players around them but that would be the norm in any team. Amy Murphy of course gets our goals and that’s what helps us to win our games, but every player who is in a match day squad contributes to a victory in their own way.”

Within this season this formidable side has won all three league games, netting 22 goals and conceding exactly half that tally.

Although they have been knocked out of the Intervarsities, a humble Donnelly said: “We’re taking each game as it comes, but being knocked out of the Intervarsity competition means we can put our focus into finishing the League campaign strong when we play our quarter-final in February, we’ve a lot of time to prepare.”

From here on in the ladies have the possibility of playing three more games, but only one is guaranteed as it’s now a knockout format.

Looking forward to the rest of the season, Donnelly said: “Hopefully the rest of the season brings a good run in the Cup, we’ll take each game as they come, and a good showing of ourselves at the futsal competition in two weeks.”

Sport |23

The Edition Thursday 1 December 2016

Premier Men Secure Cup Passage Continued P24

Cormac Byrne Sports Editor @CMacByrne

O'Brien and Henry Ballinger at the tournament. Credit: Marcella Barz. who were seeded first, third and seventh respectively.

The young DIT1 side struggled against the much more experienced opposition and finished bottom of their group.

UCC2 came out on top on a scoreline of 12-6 in their crossover game leaving DIT in the 9-16 bracket on the Sunday.

DIT1 lost to UCD3 and Queens1

before comprehensively beating UL2, 14-5 to finish in fifteenth place.

DIT2 lost to Queens1, UL2 and Trinity2 in the group stages, before losing to UCD3 in the crossover.

On Sunday morning they started with a win over UL3 before losing to DCU2 and Maynooth University2 by a single point in both games to finish in twentieth place.

Maynooth were undefeated up to this point, they sat on 10 points, and a win against DIT would have seen the Kildare side finish on level points with eventual group winners UCD. The DIT lads clearly didn’t read the script as they ran out 2-1 winners in this clash, against a side that contains an abundance of Irish International underage talent, including St. Patrick’s Athletic starlet Jamie Ahearn.

DIT took the lead through Joe Doyle and battled fiercely to defend their slender advantage. In the 89th minute, Maynooth grabbed an equalizer through David Doyle, at 1-1 DIT’s quarter-final aspirations were over. With the last kick of the game DIT grabbed a winner from a well worked free kick which Jordi Ebandi finished. A goal that ensured that the three points came back to the Capital.

After the game a delighted Gavin Fleming was full of glowing praise for his team: “We got stuck in, they’re a very good side, their striker Jamie Ahearn is a class act.

We worked really hard as a team and things seemed to click. We scored and they threw the kitchen sink at us, we were holding out and they scored with minutes to go to equalize, but we got a free kick and scored from it, they had a lot of possession, but we were more clinical, everyone did really well.

For them to equalize and for us to score on the final whistle shows great character.”

This win sees DIT finish the group phase in fourth position which has guaranteed them a crunch Premier Cup quarter final

clash against UCC in January. The Cork side boasts quality all over the park with many of their squad being part of the history making Cork City under 19’s UEFA Youth Champions League team.

Fleming was keen to point out that DIT have already beaten Maynooth, one of the top teams

DIT’s Aaron Brilly in LOI action. in the country. This result will surely stand well to the Premier’s in the upcoming clash. Fleming had this to say about the prospect of travelling south to play UCC: “The travel down to Cork will be tough, they’ve half of the national team there and Cork City under 19s was in the UEFA Youth Champions League. We’ve a young team, we’re glad to be qualified, it was enjoyable and good for the new lads coming in, we showed our quality and we really clicked as a team.”

The Premier team also have a CFAI Cup clash against Dublin Rivals Tallaght IT on today to look forward to.

Football in DIT is continuing to flourish and the future looks bright, the majority of the starting team from the Maynooth game are first years and with the right direction, this team can go far. Fleming was keen to praise the standard of young players in his squad: “Six or seven of our starting 11 are first years, we got a few lads from the sports scholars like Darragh Noone and Jamie Broderick, we’ve so many attacking players of real quality, we’ve got a really good young team.”

With exams coming up players can feel the pressure on and off the pitch. Cools heads are needed in order to balance both education and a high level of football, Fleming praised the commitment of his team: “Many of the lads were under a lot of pressure to get out to the games, it’s tough for the players to represent the college, we’re up against colleges with huge sporting infrastructure, the mentors have been fantastic in helping the lads, it’s a huge effort.”

The Premier team aren’t the only DIT football team impressing at the moment. The ‘C’ team topped their group in Division Four while the ‘B’ team have also progressed to the next round and will now play Dublin Business School in the CFAI ‘B’ Team Cup on today.

Fleming also praised the hard work of these two teams and he maintains that many of these players will be able to take the step up to the Premier team, with some of the ‘B’ and ‘C’ team players recently being called up to the Premiers as they continue to impress.

DIT Rugby back to winning ways Dan Grennan

The DIT rugby team are back to winning ways after back-to-back wins away to Carlow and Ulster University in the first division of The Colleges’ Rugby League.

After a heavy loss against Garda College back in October, the DIT side got back to winning form with a 35-5 win over Carlow last week and a 37-17 win over Ulster University the week before.

These two phenomenal wins puts DIT in good contention in the Colleges’ Rugby League First Division as they now break up for Christmas.

Speaking to The Edition, team manager, John O’Donnell, commented on the recent victories: “After the Garda College game we really had a push in getting numbers

down and targeted these two fixtures form of James O’Donovan when he to take us up to the Christmas break. came off injured in Coleraine two The lads buy into helping each other weeks ago. out and have worked unbelievably hard balancing their studies and having the craic down with the rugby club.”

The return of their star out-half, The DIT Squad. Credit DIT Rugby Club.

Fergal Cleary, after injury has brought the nuance Cleary has shown this season back to their attack that they missed that he is well capable of playing against Garda College. However, the rugby at a high standard, among DIT side suffered a big loss in the other players in the squad, such as

Shane Byrne and the two French imports Baptiste Lemioeux and Remi Darti. Surprisingly, Darti has never played rugby before joining DIT. The two French men have added some European flair to DIT’s game.

Star out-half Cleary has been a revelation this season and has kept DIT ticking over, Cleary came in for some special praise from O’Donnell: “Fergal is a quality player and after taking a year out last year is using DIT to top up his game-time alongside Lansdowne.

He can, and will play at a high level and he has helped a lot of the lads out in the squad who haven’t had much exposure in rugby.”

The togetherness of this squad has been one of its best attributes this season, after that loss against Garda College, other teams would have found it difficult to pick themselves up. Yet this team keep pushing forward and are always exploring new boundaries.”

O’Donnell was keen to compliment his squad’s hard work and dedication this season: “Just to keep a consistent squad going now is the main aim. We have a great group of players who work hard for each other even though we have limited time together which is great to see and be a part of.”

After the Christmas break, DIT will return to action for the Colleges Cup, commencing in the new year.

EDITION T HE

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The DIT Premier Men’s team playing in Grangegorman.

SPORT

Thursday 1 December 2016

SOCCER Cormac Byrne Sports Editor @CMacByrne

The DIT Premier Men’s team have retained their Premier Division North status and secured a place in the quarter finals of the Premier Cup after a string of good results against Dundalk IT and Maynooth University.

A 2-2 draw away to Dundalk IT, followed by a fantastic 2-1 victory away to Maynooth has seen the DIT Premier team finish their season in fourth place. They can now look ahead to a Cup clash against Southern Division table toppers, University College Cork.

Before the double header of fixtures, relegation looked a real possibility for Gavin Fleming’s charges, who had only picked up one point in their opening three games, although to their credit a 2-2 draw against Trinity, and a 2-1 defeat to UCD may have gone their way on different days.

Fleming’s men needed at least four points from a possible six to ensure Premier Division survival. First up was a daunting away fixture against Dundalk IT at Oriel Park.

DIT looked to be in position to claim three of the four needed points as they led 2-1 with goals coming through Joe Doyle and Aaron Brilly, however a late equalizer came from DKIT, and the Premiers had to settle for a 2-2 draw.

This result saw DIT sit two points behind Trinity College and outside of the Cup qualification spots.

A huge result was needed in the last game of the league group stages, away to a highly rated, title chasing Maynooth team.

Continued P23

Ladies Gaelic Football Fundraiser Nets €1,500 Jessica Martin The DIT Ladies Gaelic Football Team had their first fundraiser of the year last Tuesday, 22 November.

The quiz night was held in Dtwo nightclub and it was a huge success as the team raised a total of €1,500 on the night through door admissions and raffle tickets. There was also free finger food on the night and free admission to the Dtwo nightclub afterwards.

The manager of the football team, Seán O’Reilly, said: “There was a great effort put into the organisation and the money we have raised will definitely benefit us throughout the season. We’re glad that everyone who came had a great night and we’d like to thank

them for taking the time to support us.”

Along with the quiz, on the night there was a raffle, a mannequin challenge and some quick games that kept the night interesting with some spot prizes from Inglot, Flyefit, LEAF Physio, Gmale Barbers, Gaelic performance and more.

Although the quiz was very successful, the ladies have already began organising their events for the rest of the year which includes a comedy night, training day, an end of year awards ceremony and much more that is yet to be finalised. Be sure to keep an eye on the club’s social media pages to stay up to date about future events.