The Edition, Wednesday, 22 February, 2017

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Humans Of DIT - Pg 9

Talkin bout my generation - Pg 8

Wednesday 22 February 2017

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Men’s Soccer Update - Pg 23

DIT to hire two new full-time counselling staff - Page 3

DITSU to adopt neutral stance for USI Referendum

At the monthly Student Council meeting last Thursday, Student Councillors voted for DIT Students’ Union to adopt a neutral stance for next month’s USI referendum Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

DIT Students’ Union (DITSU) will adopt a neutral stance for the upcoming referendum on the union’s Union of Students in Ireland (USI) affiliation.

The decision to adopt a neutral stance as opposed to campaigning for a stay or leave vote comes following a vote by the DITSU Student Council last Thursday, 16 February, at the monthly DITSU Student Council Meeting.

At the meeting, Councillors were presented with three motions: that DITSU run a “leave” campaign; DITSU run a “stay” campaign; or DITSU adopt a neutral stance on the issue of USI affiliation.

The floor was opened to councillors and guests in attendance before

councillors voted on the issue with each motion being presented with the same number of opportunities for those in attendance to express their opinion on the matter.

The result of this vote may come as a surprise to many as at the DITSU Student Council meeting on Thursday, 26 January, a straw poll of councillors present at that meeting showed a majority of the Student Council favoured dis-affiliating from the USI. Speaking after that Student Council meeting in January, and before the vote for DITSU to adopt a neutral stance in the referendum, DITSU President, Boni Odoemene, said he was not surprised with the result of the straw poll as he is aware of a number of concerns students have in regard to USI affiliation.

Continued 3

NEWS New Societies

With more than a dozen new societies, we shine the spotlight on DIT Feminist Society

Brendan Behan Award

Plans for two more Brendan Behan Awards to be presented this semester

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Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur

PhD student reaches the final of Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur, 2016

Irish Scholarship

Applications are open for a new student scholarship which aims to promote the use of the Irish language in DIT

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DIT Camogie team celebrate after winning the Purcell Cup. Image courtesy of INPHO Tommy Greally.

FEATURES

CULTURE

Food for Thought

Charity Gig

Aoife Loughnane chats with young, up-and-coming chef, Essa Fahkry

Erasmus Diary

Lisa Martin shares some of her experiences since arriving in Ireland

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Charity student raises over €600 for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland

Reviews

We keep you up to date on what you should and shouldn’t see this fortnight

SPORT

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Rugby Semi-Final

DIT’s Men’s rugby team beat DCU to progress to the Brendan Johnston Cup semi-final

Horse Racing

David O’Farrell looks into the ITBA Next Generation Project

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The Edition Wednesday 22 February 2017

NEWS THE EDITION Editorial Staff Editor Matthew Colfer editor@edition.ie Deputy Editor Sinead Farrelly deputyed@edition.ie News Editor Conor Shields news@edition.ie Culture Editor Olivia Powell culture@edition.ie Sports Editor Vacant sports@edition.ie Features Desk Aoife Loughnane & Sarah Harford featuresdesk@edition.ie Online/ Design Niamh Haskins online@edition.ie Photo Editor Hajar Akl & Hugo Fitzpatrick photo@edition.ie Contributors Aoife Ni Cheallaigh Catherine Devane Dan Grennan David O’Farrell Eimear Dodd Gary Ibbotson Joseph Ryan Kevin Leavey Lisa Martin Niamh Lanigan Salammbo Marie Apology In the last issue (The Edition 8/2/2017) the article entitled “Fashion Soc’s annual charity Fashion Show postponed” was accredited to the wrong contributor. The article should have been attributed to Nikki Murphy. We at The Edition wish to apologise to Ms Murphy for this error and thank the Fashion Society for bringing this error to our attention.

Credit Jay Morrison via Flick Creative Commons.

Feminist Society one of more than a dozen new societies established this semester

With the beginning of the new semester came the formation of over a dozen new societies in DIT, including a new Feminist Society, writes Catherine Devane.

More than a dozen new societies have been formed in DIT this calendar year, including DIT Feminist Society.

DIT Feminist Society is the idea of Aoife Kearns, a second year journalism student in Aungier Street, which she said came about after she noticed the obvious lack of a society that is common in many colleges across the country.

Chairperson of DIT Feminist Society, David Beattie, and Events Organiser, Katie McNamee, further explained some of the reasons why they decided to form the Feminist Society.

“I’ve been passionate about feminism for years and I think it’s very important in a college setting to have someone monitoring and helping to ensure equality is happening,” explains Beattie.

McNamee agrees, “I was surprised when I came to DIT and they didn’t have this type of society.”

One of the main issues which the society is hoping to be involved in this semester is the Repeal the Eighth movement, an issue which Beattie said is “the main feminist

issue in Ireland” at present.

This is not the first feminist society in DIT as XY Society was running until last year when the students running the society graduated and no one took over the responsibility.

Although this is the first time they’ve been involved in running a society in college, both Beattie and McNamee are looking forward to the challenge and state they have gotten off to a positive start.

“I’m really optimistic and I think we’ll get a good reception and this time next year I can see the society being a lot bigger”, said McNamee.

“We had our first meeting last week and I was really positive afterwards. A lot of people had ideas and were enthusiastic to get involved; as we are only starting out it was only a small meeting but I think everyone is united with the aim to grow the society and do as much as we can,” Beattie continued.

Fem Soc also hopes to begin a blog centred around any issues to do with feminism, be it through a movie review, a recap of an event or feature pieces. Video and audio projects are also being talked about.

The committee is also planning on holding other events which Mc-

Namee talked about, including the plans for a major event next month.

“The main event that we are going to focus on is a panel discussion at the end of March, where we’ll hopefully have a few speakers and a discussion afterwards with questions. And other than that we are currently working on little events to have on throughout the rest of the semester,” Katie said.

Both Beattie and McNamee agree that there can be misconceptions of what feminism is and often announcing you’re a feminist can be received with a negative response, both shared their own personal definitions of feminism.

“I think very basically put, feminism is just gender equality and that’s the only way I’d ever explain it to anyone,” McNamee said.

“For me a feminist is someone who is passionate about equality for everyone, men, women and anyone else. I know there can be misunderstandings as to what feminists stand for, but we as a society want to overcome them and show the positivity and importance of feminism,” Beattie concluded.

The Edition Wednesday 22 February 2017

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NEWS

DITSU to adopt neutral stance for USI Referendum Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

“I was not surprised to see most of our Student Councillors vote in favour of disaffiliation from the USI during the mock vote. However, I see this as an opportunity for the USI to really address the concerns of our Councillors.

Concerns that are shared amongst the wider DIT student body,” said Odoemene.

DITSU will now undertake a role similar to the Referendum Commission which distributes non-biased information about referendums to the public in the run up to the vote on USI affiliation.

President of the USI, Annie Hoey, said after the Student Council Meeting in January that the USI will be canvassing DIT students to vote to remain affiliated to the USI in the upcoming referendum.

“We will of course be canvassing DIT students to

remain a part of USI. DITSU has a long and proud tradition of being involved with the national student movement, and we are incredibly grateful for the valuable contribution DITSU makes.

“We will be making the case for the importance of being involved in the national movement, and the crucial role DITSU has and will make on national issues, such as funding of higher education and independence of students’ unions,” Hoey stated.

DITSU holds a referendum on USI affiliation every three years to ensure every DIT student has the opportunity to voice their opinion on the matter.

Should students vote to disaffiliate from USI, DITSU will be required to give one year’s notice of their intention to break away from the national union.

“

“The Referendum will definitely be taking place, and they will be ongoing during the DITSU officer elections.”

Odoemene added: “The referendum will definitely be taking place, and they will be ongoing during the DITSU officer elections.”

The referendum will take place on Tuesday, 14 March, and Wednesday, 15 March, with the count taking place on Thursday, 16 March.

DITSU elections will take place simultaneously on these dates with four fulltime positions available for

candidates, President, Vice President for Welfare, Vice President for Education, and Vice President for Events.

There has been wide spread speculation that many of the individuals currently filling these positions have intentions of running for re-election this year.

In addition to these positions, there is also one parttime College Officer position for each of DIT’s six campus-

es open to those who will be registered DIT students for the 2017/18 academic year.

The position of Post-Graduate Officer is open to any registered Post-Graduate student for the 2017/18 academic year.

Nominations for all of the above positions have been open since Monday, 13 February, and will close this Friday, 24 February.

DIT to hire two new full-time counselling staff

Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

It was announced earlier this month that DIT is to hire two new full-time counselling staff as part of its Counselling Service.

The announcement comes following the identification of support for the mental health of students as a priority issue in the Campus Life Development Plan and following the submission of an application for a new counsellor to be hired last year according to Head of Campus Life, Dr Brian Gormley.

The number of students using the college’s counselling services has doubled since 2008/09 according to the Counselling Service’s recent annual report which was presented at a recent Student Experience Committee.

DITSU Vice President for Welfare, Tara O’Brien also played a significant role in ensuring the counselling ser-

“ “The

vices in DIT were improved.

O’Brien was often questioned on the issue by Student Councillors at recent Student Council meetings.

The hiring of the new counsellors will take some time still and it is expected that sessional counsellors will

assist the current staff until the new positions are filled according to Gormley.

“The recruitment process can take around four months – with advertising, interviewing, notice periods and Garda vetting. We hope the new counsellors will

recruitment process can take around four months...We hope the new Counsellors will start over the summer.”

start over the summer.

“In the interim period, a budget has been set aside for sessional counsellors to assist in managing waiting lists for the service,” said Gormley.

Which campus the counsellors will be based at has not yet been decided, and this decision will be left to the Head of the Counselling Service to decide what location should be prioritised according to Gormley.

Speaking as Head of Campus Life, Gormley expressed his delight with the decision to hire two new counsellors.

“The request for additional resources for the Counselling Service received wide support across DIT – from senior management, DITSU and staff and students – and we’d like to thank everybody for that support.

“Mental Health has been identified as a priority issue, and we’re working to provide students with the tools to improve and support their mental well-being.

“Free mindfulness sessions are now being provided, the Mental Health Society is doing great work, and we’re working with Jigsaw to provide additional training for staff and students.

“The additional staff in the Counselling Service will assist in developing outreach services and managing waiting lists for the service.”

DITSU VP for Welfare, Tara O’Brien had not responded to a request for comment at the time of going to print.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised please contact Samaritans free of charge on 116 123, visit www.samaritans.org, or visit https://dit.ie/counselling.

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The Edition Wednesday 22 February 2017

NEWS

Tara Kelleher presenting Glen Hansard with the Brendan Behan Award. Credit DIT Societies.

Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

Brendan Behan Awards up for grabs “

The Chairperson for DIT Student Media and Arts Committee, Tara Kelleher, has said she hopes the committee will be able to present the Brendan Behan Award to two more recipients this semester.

The inaugural Brendan Behan Award was presented to Irish singer-songwriter, actor, and The Frames frontman, Glen Hansard, in early November last year at a ceremony in Gleeson Hall in the Kevin Street campus.

Speaking about the plans for this semester, Kelleher said: “There’s no certainty that there will be two more awards but we are hoping that two will go ahead this semester.”

According to Kelleher, should it

be possible to present two Brendan Behan Awards this semester, the presentations will take place on separate dates, rather than present the two awards to both recipients on the same occasion.

“It’s going to be a different ceremony for every recipient. The plan is it will again be held in Gleeson Hall but it all depends on the guest and the size [of the] audience that they will yield,” said Kelleher.

Dates for the presentation of the awards have not been decided yet, as Kelleher stated it will depend on the two potential recipients’ availability before the dates of the presentations are announced.

Founded by DIT Societies in

For someone to receive this award, the committee and I feel they can’t just be ‘famous’, they have to have impacted lives be it through art, literature, music or otherwise.

2016, the Brendan Behan Award aims to recognise individuals who have had a positive impact on society, the arts and culture in Ireland.

“This award was set up to not just necessarily recognise people’s talent but also their impact on the arts and society,” said Kelleher.

“For someone to receive this award, the committee and I feel they can’t just be ‘famous’, they have to have impacted lives be it through art, literature, music or otherwise.

“I think what is so special about Glen Hansard was not only his immense talent but also his charity work.”

Potential recipients of the award are suggested by the committee

Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur national finalist Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

A PhD student in DIT has won the Best Business Idea category in the Dublin Country Regional Final of Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) 2016.

Brian Henderson, a PhD student in the School of Biological Sciences in DIT’s Kevin Street Campus, was presented with the award at a ceremony last month.

Henderson has developed an inexpensive, portable test kit which can determine if a bacterial infection is antibiotic resistant via a Centrifugal Microfluidic Platform, also known as lab-on-a-disc.

Henderson explained his idea in more detail when he spoke to The

Edition back in November. “[It] uses small CD sized test cartridges to test for specific pieces of DNA which correspond to a virus or bacteria. The doctor takes a swab of your throat then puts the sample into the test cartridge and presses play (in a nutshell).

“This is something you will see more of in the coming years, it’s called ‘lab-on-a-disc’ (personally I prefer ‘lab-on-a-Frisbee’), we use the centrifugal force to drive liquid through channels and chambers in the disk, by making a complex network of these channels we can replicate how a lab technician would usually move fluid from one tube to the next to conduct a test on a sample.

“These types of tests are starting to find their way out of research and into practical settings these days so

it’s a good time for me in terms of spinning out a company based on the technology.”

Henderson founded Baon Diagnostics as his company while developing his idea, something which he says came about as a “result of my love of new Diagnostic technology and Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria.

“The company will design diagnostic tests to be used in GP clinics around Ireland and the UK, with the main aim to lower the number of unnecessary prescriptions for antibiotics.

“Most people today are aware that viruses like influenza or a cold do not require antibiotics but since the symptoms of a virus can be so similar to a bacterial infection, a lot of the time a doctor will prefer to prescribe antibiotics just to be safe.

“Although this can be good for

the patient it has big consequences for society, like the emergence of MRSA and other nasty super bugs.

We will provide the tests so that doctors can make the call based on laboratory grade tests.”

Baon Diagnostics was part of the inaugural I-Cubed DIT Incubator for Start-ups last year.

Speaking of Henderson’s time with I-Cubed, David Gardiner, I-Cubed Programme Manager, said: “DIT Hothouse was very impressed with Brian, his business idea, and progress made whilst part of DIT’s Student Incubator, I-Cubed.”

Henderson will now compete against seven other regional finalists for the Best Business Idea national title as well as competing against a further 16 regional finalists for the title of Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur 2016.

and Kelleher revealed some of the people whose names have been suggested to receive the award.

“J.K. Rowling, the President [Michael D Higgins], Brendan Gleeson, Liam Cunningham, Cillian Murphy, Saoirse Ronan, Ruth Negga, amongst others. Whether we can reach or secure any of these is another story.”

However, readers are also encouraged to recommend potential recipients to Kelleher by emailing her at mediachairperson@socs.dit.ie.

“Absolutely anyone can make recommendations on recipients. If anyone has any links to people they think are worthy of the award, even better.”

The Edition Wednesday 22 February 2017

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NEWS

Law & Debating Soc host debating Grand Final

DIT undergrads recognised for innovative research Matthew Colfer Editor

@mcolfer1

Three DIT undergraduate students and recent graduates presented their respective innovative research at the UPresent: Island of Ireland 2017 event held in DCU at the start of the month.

Gordon Geraghty, Paulina Biskup, and Sayed Saeed presented the findings of their research at the event having received the honour of being Highly Commended Entrants in The Undergraduate Awards (UA) 2016.

Geraghty presented his research ‘A Study of Traditional and Non-Traditional Marketing Communications: Target Marketing in the Event Sector’ in the Business category.

‘Adrian Frutiger: Signs, Symbols, their design and meaning’ is the title of Biskup’s research in the Visual Arts and Design category.

While Saeed entered the Built Environment category presenting his research entitled, ‘Analysis of The Existing Operation of Walkinstown Roundabout and Traffic Impact of Its Conversion to Signalized Junction’.

All three also received their certificates marking their achievements at the event, alongside two more DIT undergraduates, Marta Pisarska and Matthew Tang, who also received their certificates for their Highly Commended work in the

Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

DIT staff and students at the UPresent: Island of Ireland 2017. Credit The Undergraduate Awards.

Life Sciences Category.

At the event, Geraghty, Frutiger, Saeed, and other Highly Commended Entrants from across the island of Ireland made three minute presentations where they briefly outlined the findings of their work.

DIT’s involvement in the event did not stop there as Director of the Higher Education Policy Research Unit (HEPRU) in DIT, Professor Ellen Hazelkorn, was a keynote speaker at the event.

Professor Hazelkorn spoke on the topic of ‘The Role of Higher Education in the Age of Populism’.

UPresent: Island of Ireland 2017 is an event which showcased work from students and recent graduates from across Ireland, all of whom are The UA 2016 Highly Commended Entrants.

The UA aims to mark the incredible achievements and highlight the talented work of top undergraduates from around the island of Ireland.

UA Highly Commended Entrants are students and recent graduates who were placed in the top 10 percent of their field globally in The Undergraduate Awards 2016.

The Undergraduate Awards (UA) is an Irishbased, global awards programme for undergraduate students of all disciplines.

With 25 different categories, UA awards the world’s best undergraduate research in Humanities, Business, Sciences and The Arts.

The Undergraduate Awards 2017 programme is now open for submissions. More information, and links to register and submit work are all available at www.undergraduateawards.com.

DIT Physics Society to host STEM Fair Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

DIT Physics Society has announced it will host a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Fair exhibition and awards ceremony later this semester.

The STEM Fair exhibition will take place on Friday, 31 March, with the awards ceremony taking place the following Monday, 3 April.

Speaking to The Edition last November, DIT Physics Society Chairperson, Sufyan Huma outlined the concept of the STEM Fair.

“STEM Fair is an exhibition where first and second year students will do a project in their respective field and exhibit it. It is a novel idea and DIT Physics Society will be the first in the country to do it.”

STEM Fair is aimed at first and second year students as they tend to have more spare time to undertake projects for the competition compared to students in later years of study; the fair also presents a great learning opportunity to entrants according to DIT Physics Society.

The STEM Fair will feature four categories, physics (energy, environmental, and astrology), engineering (mechanical engineering, robotics,

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electrical engineering), computer science (programming, software engineering), and physical sciences (food science, sport science and digital photography).

Students who “have an innovative passion for a given field” can undertake projects to enter the STEM Fair as individuals or as part of a group.

Physics Society are hoping to have 40 entries on display at the STEM Fair exhibition in March, all of which will be judged by accredited individuals whose fields reflect the respective category.

The society will host an informative presentation detailing how the STEM Fair will be run for entrants tomorrow night, Thursday, 23 February.

The deadline for entering the STEM Fair is Tuesday, 28 February, the date on which Physics Society will host the first of four STEM Fair workshops.

According to DIT Physics Society, “STEM Fair is the first STEM related competition set up for university students in Ireland with the overall goal of developing forward into an annual intervarsity event held for students to participate across several universities.”

Last semester, Physics Society held a Silly Science Fair in Gleeson Hall, Kevin Street as part of Science Week and as preparation for hosting

the STEM Fair this semester.

DIT Physics Society are affiliated with the Institute of Physics Ireland, Optical Society Association, and the Department of Physics in DIT. For more information about STEM Fair or DIT Physics Society you can contact the society directly by emailing them at physics@socs.dit.ie.

Credit Elayna Bulgina via Flickr Creative Commons.

DIT Law & Debating Society hosted the Grand Final of The Irish Times Debate 2017 last Friday evening on the Bolton Street campus.

The event took place in the Michael O’Donnell Theatre on the Northside campus, with the theatre reaching its 350 person capacity before proceedings got underway.

Four teams of two and four individual speakers took part in the Grand Final with Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Katherine Zappone, acting as Chairperson for the evening.

The team category was won by Dara Keenan and Aisling Tully of UCD Literary & Historical Society, with Sandi Ndeble and Kevin Brennan also of UCD Literary & Historical Society finishing as runners-up.

It was a double in the individual category also as SADSI students, Leah Morgan and Danielle O’Riordan finished first and second respectively.

The motion of the debate was This House believes the women of Ireland should strike to repeal the eighth amendment.

Judges on the night were Editor of The Irish Times, Kevin O’Sullivan, Head of Law in DIT, Dr Deirdre McGowan, and Chair of Communications, Carroll College Montana and Debating Coach, Professor Brent Northup.

During their respective speeches, Minister Zappone and Mr O’Sullivan praised DIT Law & Debating Society on a job well done for hosting the event.

Speaking after the debate, Chairperson of DIT Law & Debating Society, Pierre Yimbog, expressed his delight with the event.

“It went wonderful, it’s just the amount of people that came and the high quality of the speakers. The debate went as planned so I hope everybody enjoyed it.

“I enjoyed it myself as did the rest of the committee and it’s just wonderful how well it came off.

I’m so happy that DIT and DIT Students’ Union sponsored us to host the event,” said Yimbog.

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The Edition Wednesday 22 February 2017

NEWS

New Irish language scholarship for DIT students Use Irish in DIT, or Bain Úsáid Aisti, is offering DIT students a €500 scholarship for promoting the use of the Irish language in DIT during the 2017/18 academic year.

Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

A new initiative to promote the use of the Irish language in DIT is now accepting applications from current and prospective DIT students who will be studying in DIT in September 2017.

Use Irish in DIT, or Bain Úsáid Aisti (BÚA), is a new initiative organised by Oifig na Gaeilge, DIT’s Irish Language Office, for DIT students with Irish to encourage, inspire, promote and develop the use of Irish across DIT. Oifig na Gaeilge, with the help of the BÚA in DIT students are aiming to organise exciting and inspiring opportunities to speak and to engage with the language.

Scholarships will be offered to students with Irish to promote the use of the language in DIT’s six main campuses.

Successful students will have the opportunity to actively organise social and cultural Irish language events across DIT, develop communication skills by promoting Irish in DIT communications such as social media, print, and visual content, and seek and support the development of Irish language services and the visibility of the language in DIT.

Scholarships of €500 will be awarded to each student who successfully participates in the BÚA in DIT initiative during the academic year 2017/18 and meets the conditions of the scheme.

Applications are open to current DIT students from all courses in DIT, as well as those who will begin studying in DIT in September 2017.

The Application Form, which is available on line at www.dit.ie/ gaeilge, must be completed and returned to Oifig na Gaeilge on the Grangegorman campus.

DIT Seachtain na Gaeilge 2017 will run next week from Tuesday, 28 February, to Thursday, 2 March organised by An Cumann Gaelach, DIT’s Irish Language Student Society, and Oifig na Gaeilge, DIT’s Irish Language Office.

Seachtain na Gaeilge is an “annual international Irish language festival celebrating and promoting the use of Irish” and the national

Images courtesy of DIT Oifig Na Gaeilge.

festival runs from Wednesday, 1 March, up to St Patrick’s Day on Friday, March 17.

As part of Seachtain na Gaeilge, there will be Gaeilge Coffee Mornings open to all students on different campuses each day at 11am with free tea, coffee and cakes.

The proceedings will start in the Courtyard in Grangegorman on Tuesday, 28 February, moving to The Courtyard in Aungier Street and The Rest in Cathal Brugha Street on Wednesday, 1 March, and concluding in the Coffee Dock in Bolton Street on Thursday, 2 February.

Rossa Ó’Snodaigh from Irish music group Kíla will conduct a free drumming workshop next Thursday, 2 March, from 1pm to 2pm in The Courtyard in Aungier Street.

Highest levels of sustainable travel recorded in the last 10 years Matthew Colfer Editor

@mcolfer1

The bi-annual DIT Travel Survey showed that the percentage of staff and students using sustainable transport to get to college are at the highest level in the ten year history of the survey.

According to the results of the survey, 93 percent of students and 81 percent of staff are walking, cycling, or using public transport to travel to DIT. Ciarán Cuffe, Lecturer in Planning, who chairs the DIT Green

Campus Committee, welcomed the results of the Travel Survey.

“The high levels of sustainable travel are to be welcomed, and reflect the focus on smarter travel taken by the Institute over the past number of years.

“It is noticeable that Cathal Brugha Street and Kevin Street have the highest levels of sustainable travel, and it’s important that these levels are maintained after the move

to Grangegorman.

“For this reason, the opening of the Cross City Luas, and the extension of the Dublin Bikes scheme to Grangegorman are vitally important for DIT.” Last year, over 1,600 staff and students completed the survey which was conducted in conjunction with the National Transport Authority.

Bus is still the most popular mode of transport for respondents, with 43 percent travelling via this means.

Cathal Brugha Street is the site where the highest proportion of people travel by bus or train.

Grangegorman has the highest proportion of cyclists at 16 percent, just pipping Kevin Street.

In addition to this there will be lunch and music performances by students from DIT TradSoc, Coláiste Mhuire, Coláiste Eoin, and Iosagáin in the Courtyard Restaurant in Grangegorman on Tuesday, 28 February, and the Courtyard in Aungier Street on Wednesday, 1 March.

For all information on free Irish classes, BÚA, Gaeltacht scholarships, and upcoming Irish language activities and events, go to Oifig na Gaeilge’s website: www.dit.ie/ gaeilge, or Facebook page: https:// www.facebook.com/oifig.nagaeilgedit, or go to Cumann Gaelach’s Facebook page at: https://www. facebook.com/cumanngaelach.dit.

As new secure bike parking has been installed in DIT Kevin St, they may challenge Grangegorman when the survey is repeated in the future.

Interestingly, a higher proportion of staff cycle than students – 14 percent versus 9 percent.

The number of students walking to college has consistently decreased from 20 percent in 2010 to 12 percent this year.

This may reflect high rents which are forcing students to live at home and commute via bus or rail, rather than renting close to campus.

The full travel survey results are available from the Sustainability Office (sustainability@dit.ie).

The Edition Wednesday 22 February 2017

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Goldilocks

Zone

Hugo Fitzpartick PhotoEditor @HugoFitzpatirck

When is a shortfall also an oversaturated market? When it’s a gold rush of developers seeking to exploit a controversial subset of the population when the timing and market are right out of a fairytale. In the midst of this folktale are students, and future students with nowhere to live, and foreign students seen as gold mines by housing companies and third level institutions.

The Goldilocks “zone” is a term from astronomy that refers to the perfect conditions in other star systems for an Earth-like planet. Not too hot, not too cold, just right. The same fabled phrase can be applied to the current market of student housing.

In a presentation to the Dublin City Council Area Commit-

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OPINION

tee for the Northside on the morning of Valentine’s Day, City Planner, Paul O’Hara, laid out the conditions of student housing currently being developed, and currently existing in the city.

In the 12 year period before 2008 only three developments of student housing took place. This under concern for student needs in the good times was not so pressing when rent was still climbing, houses and apartments were mushrooming, and the now scarce bedsit could be found all over Dublin.

In Mr O’Hara’s presentation he outlined that if Dublin housed student’s at a similar ratio to Edinburgh in “purpose built student accommodation” (PBSA), it would mean a shortfall in the current Dublin market of between 16,000 and 18,000 student beds.

Around 15 percent, or 80,000 people, of Dublin’s (City Council) population currently attend some form of third level institution. The figure nationally is expected to climb to 210,000 in the next 10 years.

Student housing is currently spread around the city in sites such as Trinity Hall (1,000), Griffith college (650), and UCD (3,000) among others with around 9,000 bed spaces currently in existence.

Then we get to the private market. Between 2008 and the end of 2016 some 5,600 additional units have sought and been approved for planning permission. Several are already under construction, or have been built in the past two years.

Even more surprisingly, since the beginning of 2017, applications have been lodged for approximately 2,000 more

units. The market really is rushing in to this head first, and it looks kind of scary when you just talk numbers.

The Dublin City Development plan has several conditions attached to the development of student accommodation. In the ensuing questions and answers, councillors present expressed deep concern about the viability and concentration of these developments; six developments alone surround Stoneybatter and Grangegorman, sensing DIT’s long delayed move.

Communities are rightly worried. Many successful plans won their fights through the appeals process.

But, with six international companies being the main players, successful permissions, do not equal building. Some sites have already been “flipped” to new buyers. While hedge funds and development companies may see a quick buck, the conditions of planning permissions still apply. Good management and upkeep being one of them.

One concern of several councillors was also that student accommodation under national guidelines is exempt from Part 5 of the planning law. This controversial segment is how planning insists that developers provide social housing with each new development.

The ratio of current policy is that 10 percent of all units must be social and affordable housing. For instance a scheme of 2,600 apartments in the Docklands must supply 260 social housing units. But any PBSA built nearby, no matter the scale, equals none.

8 | www.edition.ie

The Edition Wednesday 22 February 2017

OPINION

Gary Ibbotson

Talkin’ bout my generation Music back in the day was great, wasn’t it? Unlike today, where the airwaves and dance halls are saturated with sanitised, manufactured pop music, the olden days produced music that people could be proud of.

The Fifties was the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll, the Sixties had The Beatles and The Kinks, while the Seventies brought us Led Zeppelin, The Sex Pistols, and Joy Division. We’re not finished there, however. The Eighties came with a wave of infectious dance music and the Nineties brought grunge and hip-hop. Ah yes, those were the days. If only I was born back then when real music was popular and when real music ruled the ears and minds of the common people. I was clearly born in “Le Wrong Generation”. But is this really the case?

In the past few years there appears to be a growing phenomenon among a certain demographic of music listeners, who categorically believe that they were indeed born in “Le Wrong Generation” (the “le” comes from an online meme, mocking such people). They adamantly believe that contemporary music is somehow less fulfilling, less innovative, less inspiring and perhaps less real than popular music of decades past.

For example, if you browse through YouTube right now you will find thousands of comments on a Beatles or Sex Pistols video proclaiming how cursed one is having to live through a period of history where everybody listens to Justin Bieber and how there is no good music anymore.

Now, it seems that there are two types of people who write these comments on forums, YouTube videos or just apply this rhetoric to their everyday dialogue. There are the people who possess a misplaced nostalgia for a time gone by, dreaming of a world where they never lived, yet romanticise with the aid of parental anecdotes, Hollywood movies, pseudo-history lessons, and popular music.

The other people are merely just lazy. They are the people who paint this entire generation’s music catalogue with the same brush because of what is played on daytime radio, MTV (that’s still a thing, isn’t it?) or the dancefloor of the nearest nightclub. These are music fans who have little or no desire to explore new and interesting music that is being written, produced and released by today’s artists.

Instead, they spend their time re-listening to ‘Who’s Next’ for the 211th time, while typing an impertinent comment under

“

We currently inhabit a world where all of that great, ground-breaking music is available for us to consume with the click of a button.

the music video of ‘Baba O’Riley’.

They are ignorantly comfortable with what they know and like, highlighted by their belief that Nicki Minaj represents all of twenty-first century music.

Although I am a firm believer in not judging people by what music they enjoy and listen to, in dismissing an entire decade of musical output you are denying yourself the pleasure of hearing truly great music.

Music that in 40 or 50 years time will not be seen to have ruined the landscape forever, but to have imposed its own imprint on the music world.

It is at this point that I have to make vehemently clear that I am not mocking or understating how influential and immensely talented these legendary bands were. Groups such

as The Beatles, Black Sabbath, The Who, and Nirvana played a massive part in shaping and moulding our modern society, with culture-shifting records that sound as fresh and invigorating today as they did when they were first released.

But that’s the thing, rock ‘n’ roll didn’t die once the last grunge band disbanded. Rock ‘n’ roll didn’t dissolve away as soon as the members of Linkin Park decided to pick up guitars.

Great bands such as Queens of the Stone Age, The White Stripes, Radiohead, The Strokes, PJ Harvey and many more continue to release breathtakingly good music in the twenty-first century.

Modern hip-hop, believe it or not, doesn’t just consist of Lil’ Wayne rapping about how rich he is. Outstanding MCs and artists such as Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, MF Doom, Madlib, Run the Jewels, and a plethora of others have proven that they are raising the standard of the genre. Kendrick Lamar’s ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ (2015) has been regarded by many critics as an instant classic and an album whose social-commentary on the plight of black lives in America has drawn serious discussion from politicians and activists, including Barack Obama.

This discourse is not confined to rock ‘n’ roll or hip-hop.

There’s singer-songwriters such as Father John Misty, Julia Holter, and Norah Jones, psychedelic pop/rock bands such as Tame Impala, Pond and The Flaming Lips, and electronic acts like Flying Lotus, LCD Soundsystem, and The Chemical Brothers.

For all the criticism that it receives, even the pop music streaming through our radios can also boast some fine artists, from Adele to Florence and the Machine. Just because this style of music has become “popular”, doesn’t mean that it is without merit or unworthy of praise.

So do you believe that you were born in “Le Wrong Generation”? Forced to live through a time where The Rolling Stones aren’t in their prime, or Cream aren’t travelling the world?

Well, I say this to you: we currently inhabit a world where all of that great, ground-breaking music is available for us to consume with the click of a button. We not only have access to the music of the Fifties, Sixties, Seventies, but also to the marvellous pieces of work that are being composed today.

So, no, I think we live in a fantastic generation, where we get to enjoy all of what music, past and present, has to offer.

The Edition Wednesday 22 February 2017

www.edition.ie |

HUMANS HUMANS OF OF DIT DIT Hajar Akl caught up with a whole host of DIT students to share their unique experiences

Stories

Margot Deville, 24 Brian Monahan, 19 Alex Ainsworth, 19

‘‘

“I think a piece of advice that I’ve been given that I really cherish is to just be positive about what happens. When it’s difficult, you have to always remember that something more positive will happen after that. You have to go on and things will get better.

“Two or three years ago, all my grandparents died at around the same time. I thought that things could never get better. But after a few months, things began to change. When you have positivity in your life, other things happen.

“I was very close to my grandparents. My grandmother was like my mother, she raised me and taught me everything. We are a very close family.

All the members of my family are very important to me, even more important than friends or boyfriends. I never thought anything bad could happen to my family, so losing all my grandparents at the same time, that was a big thing. I didn’t deal with it very well. I went through depression but my family and friends were there for me and helped me.

“My advice to anyone who’s lost a loved one...I think it’s the order of life. And when the pain is gone, when you remember them a few months later, sometimes a year later, they will be joyful memories. Now the memories of them are more happy than what they were at first, which was only pain and sadness.”

‘‘

“Advice that I’ve been given that I cherish is anytime I’ve been told not to care what people actually think. I get a lot of preconceptions about myself because of my appearance, my hair and stuff. People tend to assume things about me so you learn to not care and be confident about it.

“My advice to people who are dealing with preconceptions made about them. A lot of people are going to say to you to ‘just ignore it...Just do this...

Just do that’ but the most powerful thing you can do is to just learn not to care. Words can hurt. What people say about you can travel and can affect you really badly. I guess just learning not to care and not to let it get to you and kind of embrace the attention rather than what they’re actually saying.

“I grew up in the middle of the country down in Wexford. It was not exactly very orthodox to look different. I used to dye my hair and stuff and it was the adults such as teachers and principals and stuff who bullied me more than the students did.

They were quite traditionalist. It was a Christian school. They weren’t exactly very progressive. The one thing I could say is to not pay any attention and embrace the attention but not what they’re actually saying. Things change. It’s only one period of your life, things are going to get better from there.”

‘‘

“My granddad taught me to not care what people thought of me. When I was in school, people had this really weird idea about me. I’m actually a very quiet person but I come across as very loud and vibrant, but I’m actually really shy. People would kind of pick on me like ‘you’re so loud, what are you doing?’. My granddad was always like ‘no. This is who you are. You’re just a bubbly person. Don’t let people be mean to you. Don’t care what they say.

It’s not worth it, they’re not going to be in your life forever, so why care?’.

“I really regretted not spending more time with him. He lived down the road from me, and I really took that for granted. I always thought oh he’s there, I could just see him whenever, and I just didn’t. And then one day I was in college, I got a call and they told me to come home and they’re like ‘he’s gone’.

Even if the person isn’t necessarily gone, even if you just don’t speak to them anymore... The one piece of advice is: don’t regret anything. Just appreciate the time you spent with them because dwelling on not saying certain things and not spending more time with them, there’s no point. You’re not going to get that time back. So the one thing that really helped me was reminding myself of all the good times and all the times I did spend with my granddad and the people who aren’t in my life anymore.

Just appreciate that time even when they’re gone, because there’s no point in dwelling on it.”

9

10 | www.edition.ie

A

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

The Edition Wednesday 22 February 2017

Contact me on naggynora@ edition.ie

gony unt

Wrong guy on my mind

Dear Naggy, How’s it going for ya? Listen, I love your advice, it always gives me a good giggle and always makes me think about life ya know?

So thought I’d finally bite the bullet and send ya a letter myself, so here goes...Basically I have this amazing boyfriend, he’s such a lovely guy, great in bed, buys me chocolate all the time and I do love him I swear...But he has this ride of a bessie mate who to be quite honest, I find myself thinking about every now and again in a way that I probably shouldn’t, not in a sexual way or nothing, but sometimes I catch myself thinking what if I had met the mate first instead of my own fella ya know?

I know I need to stop this behaviour cause I’m terrified that I’ll accidentally say the wrong name or something...

Could ya imagineee? Gimme some help here please cause I’m feeling mad guilty and need to know how to get out of this sticky sitch.

Amy Amy hun, a fan of my hard work. Thank you very much. Glad you wrote to me if there’s one woman you can count on it’s yours truly. This is a tricky one. By the sounds of it your guy ticks all the right boxes. He is lovely, buys chocolate and is great in bed. What more could you want?

What I would say is don’t eat yourself up or feel guilty about having thoughts like this. It happens the best of us, trust me. Just because you are on a diet doesn’t mean you can’t look at the menu.

It will only become a problem if you act on those thoughts.

As the best friend is constantly on the scene keep reminding yourself how great your guy is and how much you love him.

Naggy Nora xoxo

Dear Naggy Nora,

I’m not really the type to send things like this but I really need your help. I’ve been seeing this girl quite a while now, well over six months to be exact . She’s not the relationship type which I totally respect because things are really good as they are.

There is a downfall though. She refuses to tell me anything about her long term plans. She keeps beggi ng me to “take one day at a time” and to live in the moment. But I’ve heard rumours from her close st friends about her wanting to move to New York and I need to know where I stand. All I want to do is prove to her that I love her and need her to stay with me. Which isn’t too much to ask for. I don’t think . But what can I say when the woman I love won’ t be straight with me about our future? What do you think I should do?

Lucas

What Nora says...

Dear Naggy Nora,

Oh Lucas, two words. What future?

Does she need to stand there with a sign sayi ng she’s leaving you or are you that in deni al?

Although she may be quiet and disc reet about her plans it’s pretty blatant wha t she’s at here.

She’s making a total mug of you whic h you can’t allow. What I would suggest is talking to her about the issue. If she refuses to tell you the truth, then I’d talk to her closest friends. They seem to know way more than you so get as much as you can from them then piece it all together.

Their responses will tell a lot. It’s like a gam e of Cluedo which is very boring but bein g about your life will make it so much more interesting.

If it turns out that the move to New York is a done deal and her new life is sorte d without you, I would leave her to her own devices and bow out. Keeping you out of the loop is a cowards way out in my opin ion.

But maybe she felt that you would stop her from following her dreams.

I’d say she’s thinking I’ll stick with him right up to the last minute. However , the jokes on her because you now know . Maybe some good old fashioned revenge is in store.

First you need to toughen up. All the cards are firmly in your hands. Wha t I would do is concentrate on building a new future and let her become part of your histo ry before you become part of hers first.

I really hope this helps.

Naggy Nora xoxo

Heya Naggy, so ov er the summer I sta rted seeing one of pen and it did. I’m my friends she push not out to my pare ed for it to hapnts so things have really good but las be en under the radar. t week she called it Things had been off saying I wasn’t knew what she wa enough which reall s getting into with y hurt me. She me and over the pa her friends and no st few months she w has nobody. Wha has pushed away all t should I do? I’m hope you can put m really worried abou y mind at ease. t her being alone.

I Kelly xo

What Nora says...

Heya Kelly, how’s things? Oooh now that is a toughy alright, sounds like she’s having a bit of a ‘mare at the moment since she’s pushing away all the folk who love her most?

Bit of a cheek for her to say that you weren’t enough for her though, like what’s up with that?

You seem like a right sound hun and you’re more than enough

for anyone lucky to have you so don’t you go forgetting that now.

Just sit her down, grab a bottle of wine, ask her ‘what’s the craic?’ and wait for the tears to start flowing in true deep meaningful conversation style, you need to have the chats with her cause to me it sounds like she has a couple issues of her own going on and no matter

what someone does to ya, ya can never leave a good hun behind, ya know?

Don’t ever let anyone tell you you’re not good enough. I think she’s trying to make herself feel better by shifting the blame to you.

Definitely Keep me updated chicky.

Naggy Nora xoxo

The Edition Wednesday 22 February 2017

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11

FEATURES

Credit Gttexas via Flickr Creative Commons.

Aoife Loughnane

Feature Editor @AoifeLoughnane3

Food for thought To be a young chef on the cusp of your career in Dublin in 2017 is a very exciting place to be. Before the age of the hipster, going for brunch was just a phrase you heard in films.

Now, it's a seven day a week thing, in places filled with people ready to snap their dish with the perfect Instagram filter.

Essa Fahkry, chef at Super Miss Sue, encompasses the kind of fresh young talent that is cooking up a storm in Dublin. The 22-year-old left school at 17 to dive full-time into a career as a chef. Now he divides his time between working at the busy Drury Street restaurant and completing his Philosophy degree from University College Dublin.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with him to talk about the ever-growing cuisine scene, why he absolutely loathes the term “foodies”, and how everyone underestimates a good old fashioned omelette.

Being at the epicentre of Dublin and Ireland’s food scene means Fahkry has witnessed a lot of growth and development in the industry during his time as a chef, something which excites him.

“The Irish food scene has really exploded over the past five years. We don’t have the same culture around food in Ireland like most places in Europe have. There’s no real inherently ‘Irish’ cuisine so all that’s happened in the past few years has been really exciting. I think we have a long way to go in terms of the produce available to what people should really be expecting from an eatery.

“I don’t really have any favourites, in terms of chefs. I’ve gotten to know so many talented chefs, young and old, each doing their own thing that it’d be too difficult to pluck one from the crowd. Also people need to stop calling chefs ‘foodies’. We don’t call photographers ‘snappys’ and we shouldn’t call chefs foodies.”

When it comes to dining out, Fahkry is similar to most other people as he has a preferred eatery depending on how he feels. “There really are so many great places popping up that it’s hard to keep on top of it all. It also depends really on what I’m in the mood for eating.

“If I want to go for something a bit decadent, I love to visit Luna on Drury Street If I want to go for some really great food and wine but in a more casual setting, I like to go to Forrest and Marcy on Leeson Street, or The Butcher Grill in Ranelagh Village. If I’m just looking for something tasty without any of the airs or graces, I always go to Bunsen, normally the one on Camden Street, or Featherblade on Dawson Street. Great value for incredible food.”

Although Fahkry appears Italian cooking and the simplic-

“

People need to stop referring to chefs as ‘foodies’. We don’t call photographers ‘snappys’ and we shouldn’t call chefs foodies.”

ity of the ingredients in many of their dishes, there is no one dish that he feels is his speaciality. “I don’t really think I have a ‘speciality’ per se. I like to focus on Italian cooking mostly. as I think that the simplicity with which they approach food should be commended. If you can make a main course taste great with only 3 ingredients then you’re doing something right.”

With this admiration of Italian cuisine it should come as no surprise that Fakhry’s three of his choice ingredients to have with him on a desert island are a southern Italian form of pasta, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil.

“Oh that’s a tough one. First off I’d have to take pasta, preferably orecchiette. Then, since I’m not on a budget, I’d have to take white truffles with me.

They have an unreal flavour but are unfortunately often out of my budget. Olive oil is a must, because it goes with everything.

Parmesan would be coming with me for sure and I think I’d take parsley too. They all work together so well and each one alone can work with the pasta by itself.”

Back to civilisation and Fakhry’s go to tool isn’t much of a surprise as he says a good chopping knife is essential for him. “A good chopping knife is definitely the most essential. It will do any job in a kitchen from dicing onions to filleting fish to peeling carrots if you need it.

People now seem to be buying some bizarre gadget for every different ingredient they could

buy. Like there’s no need for anyone to own a ‘herb scissors’ – just cut them with a knife.”

When it comes to cooking for himself, Fahkry keeps it somewhat simple as he admits to being fond of omelettes. “I suppose the thing I cook the most at home that I never cook at work is an omelette. Most places won’t have them on their menu because I think that most people don’t realise that a proper omelette is not like what they make at home. It’s an underestimated skill to be able to make a proper omelette.”

The UCD student has a few pieces of advice for any budding chefs out there when it comes to making the colours and flavours of your dishes more appealing and satisfying.

“Most chefs will swear by green to really lighten the look of a dish. It clashes really well with white plates and also if you have meat with jus on it a plate can look really dark so green tends to make the plate look slightly less daunting at first sight.

I personally always like the look of red on a plate as I think it always looks really inviting.

“Textures again are quite difficult to consider objectively but it’s always nice to contrast red meats with quite soft foods and fish with something that crunches.

“For me, the best combinations of flavour have to be of savoury and bitter ingredients. Again, it’s that sharp contrast in your mouth that just livens a dish up. Try putting some balsamic vinegar on a piece of parmesan and see how well they work.”

As well as having a fondness for Italian cuisine, Fahkry also enjoys cooking French cuisine and enjoys experimenting by mixing Asian ingredients to these dishes. “Dublin is such a multicultural food market that you really can try to mix and match with so many different cuisines. I personally prefer Italian and second to that is definitely French cuisine. However, I do really enjoy using Korean or Japanese ingredients in those dishes just to see how they work with one another. It’s all about experimentation.”

The celebrity status of chefs only seems to keep rising and Fahkry believes this has had a positive impact on people’s food choices and opinions. “I think it’s been beneficial overall really.

People are starting to view going out for dinner in a completely different light now. Before, dinner was an obligation before the cinema or a play, now people are saying ‘f**k that, lets just go for a really nice meal’.

“It also opened people up to the idea behind what a lot of chefs are doing and different levels of eating out – from a good burger to an eight course tasting menu. I still think we have a long way to go here in Ireland but we’re definitely on track.”

12 | www.edition.ie

The Edition Wednesday 22 February 2017

FEATURES

The

Aoife Ni Cheallaigh writes about her success with her New Year’s resolutions so far, while probing some other DIT students to outline the successes and failures of their own respective journeys of self-improvement.

Misinformation

Resolutions

on

‘New Year New Me’: No doubt we’ve all known people who’ve used this phrase. Perhaps on Snapchat as they prepare to eat scrambled eggs, salmon and avocado; or on an Instagram caption as they sport their flashy new gym gear; or, at parties when people say they’re going to get there lives in order for the coming year. But let’s all get real for a second. Do these promises and goals we set at the start of every year actually work or do we just love making empty promises? And how in God’s name did this come about?

Well, here’s a little interesting fact for you. Back in eighteenth century BC, Babylonians (you’ve probably heard of Babylon before) would promise their gods at the start of every year to give back any objects they may have borrowed from each other and pay off any debts they may owe. I know, you’re thinking ‘Thank God we don’t have that rule anymore’, as you would have to give back all the clothes and PlayStation games that you “borrowed” from your friends.

This tradition was then kept by the Romans who would also begin each year by making different promises to their god, Janus, from whose name ‘January’ is derived. That fact will do nicely for your next pub quiz. Thank me later.

Although we only rang New Year just over a month ago, many of us have already forgotten what we promised ourselves. In a University of Bristol study in 2007, 88 percent of people making New Year resolutions fail even though half of them were confident that they would succeed. I suppose we’re only human. “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” But not all of us fail. No, some of us have kept up to date on our wonderful plans and hope we continue to do so.

This year, my fabulously motivated friends and I resolved to meet once a month and set goals for ourselves. The goals can be big or small. It could be something as small as updating our LinkedIn profile, or making more of an effort with our family.

Or perhaps we commit to applying for that dream job we have always wanted. I know we’re only in the second month of 2017 but we’re doing pretty well…so far. It’s great because we give each other the motivation we need to achieve our goals. And if we don’t meet them, we are allowed to roast each other (in a friendly way, of course).

The key to keeping your New Year’s resolution is committing the time and effort to stick to it. There’s no point setting a goal that’s outrageous; for example, going to the gym for three hours a day, seven days a week. Unless of course you are an aspiring athlete and you have the diligence to do these things, and if you are, I applaud you. But if you’re someone like me who eats healthily, takes the occasional walk but also likes a good Domino’s pizza after a night out on the town, then make something you’ll stick to.

Late last December, I saw a little article on my Facebook

feed about New Year’s resolutions. It suggested a very simple approach that I think everyone could keep. It suggested you get a jar and, every week or so, you write on a little piece of paper something you did or a funny event or story that happened and you put it into this jar. Then at the end of the year, you empty out the jar and look at all the wonderful and fun things you’ve done over the year. Good idea, right?

I decided to inquire what goals other people had set for themselves. So I scoured the halls of DIT’s colleges last Friday evening. I bumped into a fourth-year, Ellen, who is studying in Kevin Street. She explained to me that her New Year’s resolutions in the past have been very unsuccessful, describing them as a “crash and burn”. She promised herself that this year she would stick to her new promise. She resolved to stop buying coffee while she was in college. She says her reason for this was to save money as she was spending far too much on coffee. She continues to say she spent nearly €35 alone on coffees and “that wasn’t including the snacks I would buy with it”. When she was asked how she was getting on so far, she replied with a smile “It’s been hard since so many new coffee shops have opened up all around Dublin but I’ve been trying my best”. You go, Ellen. Keep up the good work.

I got talking to a very hipster looking guy called Brian who was sitting down outside the college having a smoke.

He was wearing his tight black jeans, a black polo neck and a puffy denim jacket. When I asked him what his New Year’s resolution was, he laughed a little. He said that he decided to take a baking class for the year as his new hobby. He continued by saying he was never much of a sports type: “Being the youngest of six brothers made me feel like a bit of an outcast in the sports department. While they were all playing football and mastering their judo skills, I would be in my room looking up the food network or watching The Great British Bake Off with my mother.” Brian explained how he would jump to any opportunity of making any sort of muffins for the bake sales he would have in school. When I spoke to Brian about his passion for food, his eyes lit up. He added that “baking is the new cool thing to do,” and assured me that there was a good mix of male and female in his new baking class. He’s hoping if he gets better that he will take his baking to the next level. Who knows, we might see Brian on a cooking show on the future.

Others unfortunately were not so successful. One group of girls said they all joined Flyefit gym in town and have gone only once. One girl added: “I walked into the gym and ran on the treadmill for five minutes and left.”

But fear not, if you are like these girls and haven’t stuck to your resolutions, please don’t give up just yet. After all it is only February and you have ten more months to go. It’s never too late to start. You’ve got this.

In the words of the self-help and New Thought author, Robert Collier, “Success is the sum of small efforts - repeated day in and day out.”

The Edition Wednesday 22 February 2017

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13

FEATURES

All images courtesy of Alison Phillps via Facebook.

Stranded in San Fran on a Shoestring Budget Sarah Harford Feature Editor @saz_harford

Each year over 8,000 Irish students go on a J1 visa to work in America for the summer – it’s become a rite of passage. They return with tales of beach parties, road trips, unfortunate tattoos, and hazey memories of Four Loko benders. But my experience was slightly different.

In summer 2013 I found myself stranded in San Francisco with no job, no money, and four chickens (long story). I was miserable, and just a few weeks into my three-month adventure I was ready to give up and come home.

I had no idea what to expect going to San Francisco. I’d travelled to several cities and states in America before, but the place is so unique compared with anywhere I’d ever been.

Only seven by seven miles, San Fran somehow manages to pack it all in – a bustling city, expansive beaches, breathtaking views, and a rich cultural scene.

I thought it would be easy to get a job in such a big city, so I really didn’t prepare before I left Ireland. I didn’t even have a CV. But in all my planning for this big trip I hadn’t even considered what would happen if I didn’t find a job - everyone manages to find somewhere crappy to work on J1, right?

I got a few interviews and job trials, but nothing seemed to be working out. I started to panic.

Suddenly it was July, and I realised there was a chance that nobody would hire me at this stage.

I Skyped my parents in floods of panicked tears - how would I survive the whole summer with no job and no money? What would I even do to pass the time in this strange city?

Soon I realised that this was a once in a lifetime experience. I was living in an amazing place with a couple of my mates, very few re-

“

I saw my first baseball game in the cheap seats of AT&T Park, ate In-N-Out burgers in North Beach, cycled across the Golden Gate bridge, and relaxed with the sea lions on Pier 39.

sponsibilities, and luckily a little bit of savings left in my bank account.

I needed to make the most out of it even though everything hadn’t gone as expected.

Last year there were concerns when changes to the J1 visa programme were introduced. Students now have to secure employment before travelling to the US. While this may pose a bit of a challenge for many, I think it’s a positive step.

I know I would have had a very different experience if I was more organised before I simply jetted off to the other side of the Atlantic without a care in the world.

According to the US State Department, Ireland avails of the highest number of J1 visas per capita each year. It is a consistently popular choice for young Irish people looking for a summer adventure. The visa is meant to provide a “cultural and educational exchange” rather than a holiday or work experience, and for me, that’s really what it became in the end.

I like to think that I tried all things quintessentially San Fran on my very modest budget. I saw my first baseball game in the cheap seats of AT&T Park, ate In-N-Out burgers in North Beach, partied on the streets at the Gay Pride festival, cycled across the Golden Gate bridge, and relaxed with the sea lions on Pier 39.

Exploring the city wasn’t difficult, and I found I could navigate my way around on my own without too much hassle or reliance on wifi for directions. It’s a great place for walking, if you manage to avoid all of San Francisco’s infamously treacherous hills. And unlike many other parts of the US, the city has a great public transport system, with ample trams, trains, buses, and the iconic cable cars. The locals were always complaining about it, but compared to Dublin Bus it was a revelation.

Finally, in August, after I’d practically given up on my dreams of successful J1 employment, I somehow stumbled into a job as a security guard. I worked at music festivals and sports events, alongside massive, six-foot tall, ex-Army guys, who constantly made fun of me - the tiny, pasty girl with the Irish accent, who kept describing things as “grand” and “a bit of craic”.

But to this day, I still tell people it was the greatest job I’ve ever had. I was happy to work crazy 14-hour shifts, because it led to amazing opportunities, such as meeting people I never would have had a chance to otherwise, wearing a slick ‘SECURITY’ jacket, and legging it through a field at midnight to catch a glimpse of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Overall, my J1 experience was genuinely the best of times and the worst of times. Initially I had been so homesick and thought I had made a terrible mistake. But when the time actually came to leave, I was devastated.

So I encourage everyone to get organised now: find a job, save a bit of money, and roll on summer ‘17.

TIPS Find a job early - you won’t be able to secure a visa without one - Have some money saved for emergencies - Head somewhere other than the typical big cities - Do your research - know about the place you’re going to - Mix with the locals and meet new people - Go explore!

14 | www.edition.ie

The Edition Wednesday 22 February 2017

FEATURES

Relationship status: It’s complicated Eimear Dodd explores the range of services that can support you to develop healthy relationships

“Getting a relationship is easy. Staying in one is hard.” I recently overheard a guy offering these words of wisdom to his mate who had broken up with his girlfriend. I recognise that it’s morally dubious to listen in on other people’s conversations, but it’s interesting to hear what gets talked about in the queue at the restaurant on the DIT Aungier Street campus.

However, he has a point. My social media feeds have been full of posts about relationships over the last few weeks. I know what you might say - we’ve just had Valentine’s Day, DITSU just had SHAG week. It’s to be expected at this time of year.

But is it? Maybe everyone should define their relationship on Facebook as ‘it’s complicated’.

Some of the posts about relationships are fairly tame. A lot of hand-holding and re-posting quotes about love. Everyone has their relationship goals. And then there are those that are a bit more NSFW. But I find myself wondering if we don’t underestimate the importance of having healthy relationships with others. This includes all your connections: parents, siblings, family, friends, housemates, colleagues, bosses, and acquaintances.

Research shows that the quality of relationships matters to a person’s overall health. A 2010 review of 148 studies identified a correlation between strong social relationships and long term health outcomes. It suggests that having good connections with others is crucial to long-term wellbeing.

So let’s just concentrate on having a good relationship with your boyfriend, girlfriend, partner, or however you describe that special someone. College romances can be intense. This might be the place where you meet the love of your life. Then again, it might not be.

There is no such thing as a perfect relationship. The quality of every relationship will vary depending on the experiences and expectations of the persons involved.

Some characteristics of healthy relationships include: trust; mutual respect; open communication; mutually supportive of one another; interested in one another’s activities; giving one another space to be themselves.

This isn’t to suggest that healthy relationships aren’t without their rows. In fact, dealing with arguments and disagreements is important. Otherwise, unresolved tensions can build into pressures.

Anyone can find themselves in a difficult relationship because it can be tough to identify when something has gone wrong. It can be confusing because the unhealthy behaviours may not happen all the time.

But, let’s start by looking a number of signs that everything might not be well in a relationship:

Maybe everyone should define their relationship on Facebook as ‘it’s complicated’

If something doesn’t feel okay, you need to trust that awareness.

you feel you can’t trust them; you feel lonely when you’re with them; you feel unsafe with them; they are physically, verbally or emotionally abusive towards you; you don’t feel they respect when you say no; your partner displays jealous or controlling behaviours; you feel unable to end the relationship; your partner has an addiction.

If you’re concerned that your relationship may not be healthy, it can be even more difficult to know what to do about it. And the same is true if you’re worried about a friend’s relationship.

First up, respect your intuitions. If something doesn’t feel okay, you need to trust that awareness. Then speak with someone about your concerns. Choose someone who you feel will listen. This might be a trusted friend, your parents, a family member or your GP. DIT has a number of services that can also provide supports.

There is a dedicated Student Support Adviser based in each Student Union office. They can provide practical information and direct you to other sources of help and support.

All full-time students can attend appointments at the DIT Health Centre. You’ll need to bring your student ID to use this confidential service. General consultations are free though there are charges for specialised services and clinics.

The Student Counselling Service also offers individual counselling in a safe, confidential and non-judgemental space.

If you’d like to make an appointment, you’ll need to complete the online form available at dit.ie/counselling. At the first session, the counsellor will discuss your needs and make an assessment. They can also provide further information about external counsellors and relevant services that are available in Dublin. The Student Counselling Service also offers a drop in service for emergencies.

There are also a number of online resources such as Reachout Ireland, an online mental health resource for young people aged between 15 and 25 years old. The website contains information on available advice and supports. Their ‘Inform Yourself’ pages contains a series of articles on relationships and sexual health. SpunOut.ie’s health pages include an online directory of services and supports. Yourmentalhealth.ie also has a number of online tools. Organisations such as Safe Ireland, Amen (for men), and Women’s Aid can provide information and support.

As painful as it is to admit, not every romantic relationship will last. Sometimes, it might be better to be single than in a bad relationship. But that’s your decision .And the guys in the Aungier Street restaurant? As they got their chips, the broken-hearted fellow told his friend that “I don’t think I want to go out with a girl who’d want to go out with me.”

The Edition Wednesday 22 February 2017

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FEATURES

Erasmus Diary: Somebody’s always watching you Lisa Martin If you enter the keywords “behave like a local” in Google, you get over 55 million results. Before starting my Erasmus semester abroad I never got why people are obsessed by the idea of transforming into a local while being abroad. Since I arrived in Dublin one month ago, I kind of understand why people want to adapt to a different culture in every single way.

On so many occasions I feel insecure in my everyday life here, because I don’t know how to pronounce things or how certain matters are settled in Ireland. There is always this little fear of acting in a strange fashion. And it leads to the impression that every local is constantly watching you, realising in a glimpse, that you can’t be from Dublin.

One of the things that highlights me immediately as a foreigner, is the traffic light system. In Germany, people would normally stick to the rule, not to cross a street until the traffic light turns green. That’s why it happened to me that I would spend at least 45 minutes of my first days in Dublin waiting to cross the street, although the cars were waiting as

well and there were dozens of locals just passing by.

After one month in Ireland I kind of lost that feeling of being watched though. First, because step by step you know how things work here and second, because you can’t always be worried about what other people may think of you. I also stopped constantly comparing Ireland and Germany to each other.

When you come to a foreign country you will have all these different culture shocks.

And very often you tend to find everything better in your home country. Maybe because you feel a little homesick from time to time. But time goes by and you stop comparing everything to your home country. Indeed, I find a lot of things that suit me even better than they do

back home.

For example, going out in Dublin.

I like the idea of going to a pub at around five or six in the afternoon.

That’s what my friends and I did last Sunday. We just went to a pub, listened to some music and then went home again at around eleven o’clock. And the nice thing is you are not wasted on Monday since you

had enough time to sleep. Unless you don’t want to be seen as an alcoholic, you should never do this in Germany. We normally go out at around nine or ten and by the time you get home again you can probably see the sunrise. Needless to say,

that you spend the next day doing absolutely nothing but binge-watching TV-series on Netflix.

There is only one place left in Dublin, where I still have the feeling of being watched, my flat. I live in an apartment with four other girls, one of them is even my roommate.

To a 25-year-old girl, who has never shared her room with anybody else, the idea of a stranger sleeping just one metre away from you didn’t seem tempting at first. Especially since you don’t have any privacy at all. You either share your guilty pleasures with everybody or you do without them for four months. So, I decided to go with all my pop cultural vices...honestly, I have way too many of them to skip them all.

I guess a shared room is the price you pay, if you want to live in

Dublin 2. Still, paying over €600 is ridiculous compared to the price I pay for my room in Germany. It would only cost me €280 with water, heating and privacy included.

I wasn’t surprised though. People who studied in Dublin before kept telling me about the apartment market over here. But you keep ignoring it, thinking that they are just exaggerating. So, reality hit me hard when I studied flat advertisements on the Internet. There were basically two options: live in the city centre and be broke by the end of the semester or have a room in the middle of nowhere. It really cost me a lot of sleepless nights back in Germany. That’s why I finally went with the first room I visited here, even if I didn’t get to know my roommate before moving in.

Living like this for one month now, you’re kind of getting used to the situation of never being alone in your own flat. I just plug my headphones in and listen to music.

Hearing nothing but the voice of Alex Turner in your head, gives you the feeling of having your own room. Even if it disappears again the minute you turn off the music.

16 | www.edition.ie

The Edition Wednesday 22 February 2017

FEATURES

The Liberties’ hidden gem

The entrance to Marsh’s Library in the Liberties, Dublin. Credit Catherine Ann Cullen.

Marsh’s Library is Ireland’s first public library – it opened its doors in 1707. Marsh’s is one of the few eighteenth century buildings left in Dublin that is still used for its original purpose.

The historic building is located in St. Patrick’s Close, beside St Patrick’s Cathedral in the heart of Dublin 8.

The library shelves approximately 30,000 books and 300 manuscripts and its reading rooms hold between six to eight people at a time. Bram Stoker and James Joyce were among the famous faces who frequently read in the library’s reading rooms.

A tour of Marsh’s Library will teleport you back to the eighteenth century, early in the years of the Enlightenment.

Visitors come from all over the world to gaze at the impressive architecture, inhale the distinctive smell of old books and take a step back in time.

While touring the library, it was hard to ignore how cold the building was; it felt warmer outside than it did inside. The reason for this is for preserving the books. The library cannot have central heating because it will damage the leather of the books.

The temperature needs to be controlled, as does the sunlight.

There cannot be direct light shining on the books and certain blinds in the library need to be closed most of the time. There is a little more warmth to be found in the adjoining reading

room.

“Marsh’s is great, it really feels like you’re stepping back into centuries gone by,” says Helen Brady, 22, a History and English student in Trinity College Dublin who has worked at Marsh’s Library since November. She loves her job: “it doesn’t feel like work” she states.

While searching for a place to work or volunteer, Brady came across the library, “As soon as I saw it, I knew I would like to be involved in it… it really complements what I’m studying as well.”

Brady conducts tours of the library and finds herself learning more about Marsh’s every day, while also informing visitors. She finds that visitors are keen and interested in learning about the history of the library.

Marsh’s Library has been called a hidden gem of the Liberties, but is it still hidden? “For sure,” says Brady, “because all I had heard of was the National Library, Trinity’s library, the National Gallery, and all these places in more mainstream areas. The term ‘hidden gem’ has come up a lot.”

Readers come from near and far to learn about or read in Ireland’s oldest library, “We get more international visitors and certainly more people who are visiting Dublin know about it than those who live here.” On this particular day, there were visitors to the library from the United States and Hungary.

Olivia Powell Culture Editor

@powell_olivia

About 1,000 books were stolen from the library within its first decade of being open. As a result, there are three alcoves, or cages, in the library which were used to stop readers stealing the books. Readers were locked in a cage while they read their book and once finished, the cage would be unlocked. Certainly an interesting and today-unimaginable solution to theft.

‘The Unicorn and The Fencing Mouse – An Exhibition of Marginalia Annotations and Doodles’, is the current exhibition being shown in Marsh’s Library. The exhibition shows pages of books which past readers have doodled, drawn or written on.

One of the reasons for doodling was due to blank paper being expensive at the time. The exhibition’s name was inspired by a sketch in a book of a unicorn and mouse who look like they are fencing. Other examples of doodles include medical and culinary recipes in Latin and English.

Another exhibition held in Marsh’s Library is John Rooney’s comical illustrations of ‘The Real History of Marsh’s Library’. The upcoming exhibition will focus on the lost and found books from the library.

Marsh’s Library is open five days a week – closed Tuesdays and Sundays. The entrance fee is €3 for adults, €2 for students and free for under-16s.

Marsh’s Library is a must-see attraction for tourists, locals, history-lovers and book-fanatics.

The Edition Wednesday 22 February 2017

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CULTURE

Student raises over €600 for charity Olivia Powell Culture Editor

@powell_olivia

Peach State guitarists on stage. Image courtesy of She Bop Imagery.

Ciara Brennan, a second year BIMM Student, held her second charity gig in The Workmans Club on Valentine’s Day and raised €657.53 for her chosen charity, Cystic Fibrosis Ireland.

The event ‘Purple Hearts Night’ was in aid of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland which is a charity very close to Brennan’s heart. Speaking about the charity, Brennan said: “I love the charity because they are one of the nicest charities, they really care about the people who have raised money for them. I have raised money for them over the years and always receive a handwritten letter to say thank you.”

Speaking about the reason and inspiration for choosing Cystic Fibrosis Ireland, Brennan said: “In secondary school I had a friend with Cystic Fibrosis, her name was Keely, and she died five years ago this year, she would have been 21 this year, so I want to do as much as I can for the charity. Keely really was my inspiration, the way I live my life is because of her, she taught me that life is short and to go for what you want.”

Purple is the colour of Cystic Fibrosis which gave Brennan the inspiration for the event name ‘Purple Hearts Night.’ Brennan, who was rocking her purple Cystic Fibrosis t-shirt on the night, said: “Purple is the colour for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland so I wanted to incorporate that into the night and I thought you do not have to be in love to go out on Valentine’s Day.” The purple rose is the Cystic Fibrosis logo because sixty five roses is how the charity teaches children to say the term Cystic Fibrosis.

The bands who played on ‘Purple Hearts Night’ were Chinese Newspaper, The Girl Talk, Young Earth, and Peach State. Brennan decided not to reveal which band was on first

or last because she felt all the bands were special and should be appreciated equally. She said: “They are all bands with a good buzz around them, they are all great, and they have a great buzz around them for a reason.”

Brennan held her first event in Sin É in aid of Focus Ireland. She admitted after that gig she was disappointed with the amount of money raised therefore her goal this time round was to raise a lot more money.

Brennan organised the event under her photography business, She Bop Imagery, where she takes photographs at gigs and photographs bands. Speaking about She Bop Imagery, Brennan said: “I just set up a photography business called She Bop Imagery, so I decided to do it under that umbrella, it’s not Ciara Brennan who is running this event, it is She Bop Imagery.”

Brennan continued: “It’s really taking off, it is affordable photography for music students and for new bands because most bands need this type of photography to promote themselves to look professional on social media.”

It was clear from speaking to her, just minutes before the event was about to commence, that Brennan was delighted to have the gig held in Workmans. “Workmans is just a great venue...For this type of gig, you want people on the floor, you want people to be able to move around, get up and dance, and if they’re not dancing, there are places to sit,” she said.

Brennan is hoping to organise more gigs over 2017, with Keely being her inspiration for doing so. “It’s Keely’s fifth anniversary so I want to go all out with my fundraising. If this goes well tonight, I plan on doing more gigs, I have an idea for an acoustic night where electric bands do acoustic sets.”

Chinese Newspaper frontman. Image courtesy of She Bop Imagery.

The Girl Talk. Image courtesy of She Bop Imagery.

18 | www.edition.ie

The Edition Wednesday 22 February 2017

CULTURE

Roar of the Lion Joseph Ryan

FILM REVIEW Film: Lion Starring: Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara Genre: Drama Director: Garth Davis Running Time: 1h 58min Lion is the kind of smug Hollywood didacticism-masquerading-as-soul that spends its two-hour runtime salivating over the prospect of its audience’s eventual tears. A peculiarly shallow and psychologically inert drama, devoid of perspective, one wishes it were merely anodyne; instead, it’s calculated, reductive, vacant, and phoney.

The film is an adaptation of A Long Walk Home, the memoir of Saroo Brierley, an Indian-born Australian who somewhat famously located his birth mother using Google Earth.

It’s a fairly extraordinary story, but director Garth Davis and screenwriter Luke Davies suppress its breath-taking scope by locking its focus squarely on Saroo, bifurcating the film between the circumstances that led to his being adopted by Australian parents, and his later-in-life search for his birth family.

It’s a frustrating mismanagement of intrigue; there’s no room in this narrow vision for Kamla Munshi, Saroo’s profoundly patient and resilient birth mother, nor more than a tertiary acknowledgement of the original

Brierleys’ unique and deeply commendable convictions as adoptive parents. The film rather moronically panders to whomever is unfamiliar with the story, puzzlingly electing to recount Saroo’s plight with a mostly linear and utilitarian structure that treats the film’s blatant raison d’être (to deliver unto us weepy catharsis) as a surprising turn of events.

Here, Brierley is but an emblem of melancholy.

Dialogue goes some way towards more sharply defining his sorrow, but ultimately the script lacks the acuteness necessary to realize the enormity of Brierley’s situation; the onus is lazily thrust on the audience to surmise, and be satisfied with the bare minimum – one can even imagine Davis and co defensively asserting: ‘He’s sad, y’know? I mean, wouldn’t you be sad?’

Unsurprisingly, in playing the older Saroo, Dev Patel’s performance seldom amounts to more than slightly emotive modelling.

Little is

asked of him, and he offers even less. His work is as perfunctory as the film around him; strike a halfway convincing posture of sadness and longing, and steadfastly maintain till moving climax. Infinitely better is newcomer Sunny

Pawar, who tracks Saroo’s gradual despondency nimbly – his abilities too nascent, too sincere to be corrupted by the mawkish machinations at work around him.

Elsewhere, Nicole Kidman (as Sue Brierley) valiantly strives to extract dimensions from a character that’s written so schematically, her defining characteristic becomes that she’s played by Nicole Kidman. Radiating warmth and love from every frame she occupies, Kidman lends a refreshing flicker of fluency to a film that otherwise exhausts all resources cultivating an uncanny pretence of credibility.

For therein lies Lion’s insidious façade; it maintains a stately composure throughout, expertly constructing a thorough illusion of plaintiveness, all the while barrelling eagerly towards its tearjerker dénouement with all the guile and dignity of a furious masturbator breaking a long-held vow of chastity, chasing the unparalleled ecstasy of a sure-fire, slam-dunk, God-sent, positively decadent “POWERFUL MOMENT”.

It’s callously efficient in its streamlining; it testily dispatches with those pesky, inhibiting notions of “complexity” and “nuance”, shrewdly aware that such things would only serve to muddy the purity of the ending’s uncomplicated gut-punch n’ heart-swell. It dilutes all psychological depth till it achieves the most satisfactorily insipid distillation.

Make no mistake: its cast and crew subsumes on your sweet eye-juices.

The boy with three mothers

Olivia Powell

Culture Editor @powell_olivia

FILM REVIEW Film: 20th Century Women Starring: Annette Bening, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig Genre: Comedy, Drama Director: Mike Mills Running Time: 2h Set in Santa Barbara, California in 1979, Dorothea Fields (Annette Bening) is a single mother in her mid-50s raising her teenage son, Jamie. The film is based in-part on the director’s childhood as he tells the story of his own mother.

The film opens with Dorothea and Jamie in the supermarket, they look out the window and see their ancient car up in flames. A sad beginning, however the relationship between mother and son is heart-warming as they stay calm and laugh off the event.

As Dorothea and Jamie make it home we are introduced to Abbie, Julie and William.

The Field’s house is very old fashioned and is being renovated with the help of William, a subtle but important character.

Abbie is a broken young girl who is recovering from cervical cancer and has no relationship with her mother. Abbie is certainly

unique with her bright red hair and quirky clothes. Abbie was adamant on leaving Santa Barbara when she was younger so she went to art school in New York and felt she belonged and the people understood her.

However, she was forced to leave due to her illness.

Dorothea rented a room to Abbie when her relationship with her mother hit rock bottom. It is clear Dorothea and Abbie have developed an honest, caring relationship.

Julie is a 17-year-old girl who, like Abbie, does not have a good relationship with her mother and frequently visits the Fields for company. Julie and Jamie have a will-they-

won’t-they type of relationship, but let’s just say Julie is a little more “experienced” than Jamie. Most nights, Julie sneaks into Jamie’s bedroom for regular sleepovers.

Jamie and Dorothea have a strong relationship, but it is 1979, the height of a cultural change movement - punk rock. Jamie is becoming a typical teenage boy to the point where Dorothea, Abbie and Julie sit down to discuss what is best for him. The conversation

brings up the question, does he need a male figure in his life? Dorothea is firm and says no immediately, she is divorced and proud.

Dorothea asks the girls to talk to Jamie since they, sadly, know him better than his mother now.

To experience Jamie’s mindset and the punk movement, Dorothea attempts to “get down with the kids” and asks Abbie to take her out. The punk rock scene is a whole new world to Dorothea who is used to slow dancing and good old fashioned romance.

Jamie has three strong females in his life to look up to who introduce him to many new experiences such as nightclubs and the art of women. After reading several books on women, Jamie eventually comes to the conclusion that he may be a feminist.

This coming-of-age film takes us back to another world and no doubt makes women proud. The film is bursting with family, love and laughter. Bening plays the proud, single female role wonderfully. 20th Century Women is no doubt a must-see movie for all.

The Edition Wednesday 22 February 2017

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CULTURE

Mr Grey will see you now Niamh Haskins Online Editor @niamhhaskins

FILM REVIEW Film: Fifty Shades Darker Starring: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Eric Johnson, Marcia Gay Harden, Kim Basinger, Bella Heathcote, Rita Ora, Luke Grimes Genre: Romance Director:James Foley Writer: E.L James Running Time: 1h 58min Darker is the sequel to Fifty Shades of Grey

in which young college graduate Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) has a meet-cute with Seattle’s most eligible bachelor and billionaire who’s into bondage and much more, which she experiences first hand in his ‘Red Room of Pain’.

The elevator doors close at the end of Fifty Shades of Grey abruptly ending both the film as well as Steele and Christian Grey’s (Jamie Dornan) so called “relationship”. Fifty Shades Darker picks up where this film left off.

Steele is now working as an executive assistant of an editor at a publishing company.

Within the first five minutes, a wounded Grey tries to entice a cautious Steele back into his life. But after a few weeks of heartbroken pining, Ana is easily wooed back to Seattle’s wealthiest sadist, this time, supposedly, for an actual relationship with “no rules, no punish-

Manchester by the sea Olivia Powell

Culture Editor @powell_olivia

FILM REVIEW Film: Manchester by the Sea Starring: Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler Genre: Drama Director: Kenneth Lonergan Running Time: 2h 17min Manchester by the Sea, a sad tale about a sad town full of sad people. Casey Affleck plays the role of a depressed, emotionless man who drinks too much and fights with strangers.

Set in Boston, Massachusetts, Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is a depressed man with a sad history. Lee is a handyman in an apartment block and does the same thing all day every day.

ments and no more secrets”. For the most part, she has fun with it.

Steele is firm in her refusal to let Grey get what he wants and control everything. Christian is still dominant, but he professes a desire to move away from master-slave relationships.

Ana still seems to long for the kinky stuff, while Christian is determined to make their vanilla romance work.

Christian battles with his inner demons.

He owns up to having been abused as a child.

His biological mother died due to drug use when he was young, and the cigarette burns alongside his swollen pecs testify to his hard life before Marcia Gay Harden adopted him and gave him a taste of wealth.

As the two begin to build trust and find stability, shadowy figures from his past start to circle Anastasia, who are all determined to

The film opens with beautiful scenery of a fishing town, it looks peaceful, quiet and reserved, however this is the total opposite to the tragic events which have occurred there.

We watch Lee go about his daily routine, fixing showers, pipes - typical janitor duties. Joe Chandler (Kyle Chandler), Lee’s brother, suffers from a heart disease and was told he only has so many months to live. One day whilst Lee is working, he receives a phone call to say his brother had a heart attack. Lee rushes to the hospital, but is too late.

Following the death of his brother, Lee is forced to go back to his hometown – Manchester by the Sea, a place which holds many unhappy memories for him. Lee is now responsible for looking after Patrick (Lucas Hedges), Joe’s teenage son, and stays in Joe’s home until the funeral. Patrick has no relationship with his mother due to her alcoholic past.

Patrick and Lee are afraid to open up to one another at the beginning and keep everything bottled up inside. Lee is busy arranging his brother’s funeral whilst Patrick has two girlfriends, yes two, and is eager to spend his time mourning in their company.

Lee receives news that Joe will need to be kept in freezer storage until the ground thaws in spring, therefore Lee needs to

destroy their hopes for a future together.

Darker offers much more than Grey. The sex scenes here are risqué and bolder admittedly, they were the main draw of a film like this. Johnson and Dornan’s chemistry is more playful and palpable; their sex scenes are ballsier, pushing the boundaries beyond anywhere you’d expect the movie to go.

Director James Foley couldn’t show this film for what it was - trashy, Hollywood S&M. Fifty Shades Darker tells the story of a woman who gives her man better values and a man who gives his woman better clothes and a better lifestyle.

This motion picture may be masked in leather, chains and silver balls but lacks a real plot apart from providing excuses for the chemistry-free protagonists to have sex with each other.

remain in town. Due to the sad memories, which will not be revealed in this review, Lee is struggling to remain in his hometown.

In Lee’s words, he cannot “beat it”.

Whilst watching the movie, we want it to lighten up or, at least, something positive to happen, but it is all bad news for the Chandlers. Finally, it’s the day of Joe’s funeral, Lee reveals to Patrick he cannot beat his depression and needs to leave and go back to Boston. Patrick is then adopted by a family friend.

Manchester by the Sea is no doubt a recommended movie but be prepared for sad, shocking tales and heartbreak throughout.

20 | www.edition.ie

CULTURE

The Edition Wednesday 22 February 2017

The annual Audi Dublin International Film Festival commenced last week. Salammbo Marie went along to cast her eye on some of the best animated films being showcased this year.

FILM REVIEW

Film: Kai Starring: Jinah Kang Genre: Animation, Adventure Director: Lee Seong-Gang Running time: 1h 36min Kai is the complete meeting between the modern Frozen by Disney and classic tale of The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen, with a pinch of Ghibli’s and Miyazaki’s inspiration.

When an avalanche hits Kai and his sister, Shamui, the little girl get lost in the arms of Hattan, a terrifying snow witch. Years later, the siblings are reunited to stop this evil from covering all the landscape in ice. They’re helped in their quest by The River Spirit, the protector of the village.

With a beautiful and breathtaking animation, the director Lee Seong-Gang injects life into this story.

The work of Miyazaki hovers over every shot of the Korean movie, especially Princess Mononoke and its ecological message. The spiritual music and sounds are a perfect match with it.

All the regrets are in the characters, so simple and cliché, with not even an ounce of personality to distinguish themselves. Even Kai, who is supposed to be brave, is just a joke, only successful thanks to the help of his friends. Because of him, all the comical moments become ridiculous. Fortunately, like always in Miyazaki’s movies - again a tribute to him - some little and funny creatures are there to save the hero... and the film.

Maybe with a little bit more personal style Lee Seong-Gang can make some great adventures enchanted by the magic that he began to develop here by himself.

FILM REVIEW

Film: The Red Turtle Genre: Animation, Drama Director: Michaël Dudok de Wit Running time: 1h 20min Sometimes, a long silence is worth as much as a million words. Michaël Dudok de Wit’s understanding of this saying is conveyed in The Red Turtle.

With the help of the Studio Ghibli, he wrote the story of a shipwrecked man, isolated on a deserted island, where he meets a giant red turtle who doesn’t want to let him go.

Nominated at the Oscars beside films such as My Life as a Courgette, and winner of the Un Certain Regard prize at the Cannes Film Festival last year, this silent movie is astonishing by the amazing quality of the animation, but also boring at times too.

The director begin with comical moments provided by the presence of some little crabs, both cute and foolish. But after one hour, all of this is gone and something is genuinely missing. Even if the intentions of Michaël Dudok de Wit are profound, and the loneliness of a man magnificently outlined, the sense of humour is too superficial. That’s exactly what the Studio Ghibli fans will miss, the perfect match between funny moments and a second reading.

But unexpectedly, this is precisely where The Red Turtle becomes special. This is not an animated movie for kids even if they can watch it. All the meaning of the storyline is behind what the audience can see and is deeply moving.

Audi Dublin International Film Festival

Sport |21

The Edition Wednesday 22 February 2017

Rugby team progress to cup semi-final Dan Grennan

DIT have progressed to the semi-finals of the Brendan Johnston Cup with a 26-5 victory over rivals DCU. DIT came out in flying form with powerful running from the backrow establishing the home side’s dominance as they scored 26 points in the first half while preventing DCU from getting a single score.

There were handling errors throughout the game on both sides despite the weather being dry and clear.

DCU seemed to drop the ball just as they were beginning to build up momentum which prevented them from finding a flow in the game, particularly in the first half.

Since most of the handling errors lead to scrums it proved detrimental to DCU as their scrummaging was no match for DIT’s; this also prevented DCU from finding their form in the game.

The DIT pack showed dominance in the maul and scrum from the off as they won the first scrum of the game against the head, they also made quick work of the DCU forwards with mauls off the line-outs making as many as 20 yards.

DIT’s lineout also dominated as they retained all of their own lineouts and managed to steal three of DCU’s.

There was a heavy breeze on the day which gave DIT the advantage as they gained a lot of territory through kicking for touch.

DIT’s flanker, Lawlor, had a phenomenal game, breaking numerous tackles, making tackles, and was fantastic in the air.

The same could be said about all of DIT’s backrow who proved to break down DCU’s defence and make crucial yards over the gain line throughout the game.

The momentum DIT got from their backrow won them the game as DCU simply had no answer.

DCU performed much better in the second half with the wind on their backs and used it well, but handling errors at crucial moments cost them dearly.

DCU began getting over the gain line but failed to capitalize on many of their opportunities apart from in the sixtieth minute when the visitors managed to get over the line for a try but a missed conversion put the score at 26-5.There wasn’t much more to look at after the sixtieth minute as DIT began killing off the game.

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final play of the game, DCU’s Eoin O’Neill picked up the ball off the back of a ruck with 5 metres to the try line and nobody in his way, but bizarrely O’Neill dropped the ball while attempting to place it on the try line.

This summed up the DCU performance in the second half, as they continuously failed to capitalize at the crucial moment when they got themselves into good positions.

DIT will again have home advantage in their semi-final when they play last year’s runners-up, Carlow IT, in Grangegorman on Wednesday, 8 March.

A lineout during the Brendan Johnston Cup quarter-final. Credit- Dan Grennan.

Volleyball Club experiencing spike in numbers Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

DIT Volleyball Club has grown almost twofold this academic year, as the club has implemented a number of changes and initiatives to attract more students to the sport. The club managed to sign up 115 students since September, an increase of 50 people compared to 2015/16.

This near doubling of numbers has been reflected at the club’s two weekly trainings where the average attendance is around 25 people according to one of the club’s committee members, Sara Pavanel.

Pavanel explained how the club formed a new committee who drew up a plan of action to encourage students within

DIT to join the club.

“We achieved this by organizing a committee of three players from last year and we held sign ups in all campuses.

Moreover, we encouraged participation by organising trainings for experienced players on Wednesdays and for beginners on Thursdays.

The committee also works to organize activities, trainings, funding and manage communication through the Facebook page.”

One of the events organised by the committee was a tournament for club members held just before the Christmas break Pavanel explained.

“The Christmas tournament took place in Larkin College and Belvedere college over two days. It was an internal

tournament with five teams competing. The teams were mixed and composed of both experienced players and beginners. It was a very good experience, as it enabled us to engage with our players and to give them a chance to show what they learned as well as to bond.”

The Christmas tournament also served as experience in preparation for two tournaments later this semester organised by the Volleyball Association of Ireland (VAI).

“We’re going to enter two teams in both tournaments.

One of the teams is more experienced, while the second is beginners. The goal of the first team is to win the cup in Dundalk, or at least [finish] second, as this would ensure

our participation in the final phase of the national competition. We’re really looking forward to [the] tournament [in Gormanstown] as it is one of the biggest held by VAI for mixed teams.”

The committee have high expectations off the pitch too as they intend on entering the ‘Most Improved Club of the Year’ category at the DIT Sports Awards.

“We would like to apply for ‘Most Improved Club of the Year’ as we really put a lot of work and dedication into the organisation of activities this year. Obviously the ‘final check’ will be the results of the competitions, but we feel that this year we’ve really improved our club and made it a lot better for our members.”

22| Sport

The Edition Wednesday 22 February 2017

DIT’s A & B teams beaten in pool Intervarsities final Kevin Leavey DIT’s A and B teams reached the final and shield final of the 2016/17 UPC Irish Pool Intervarsities at the start of the month.

The annual UPC Irish Pool Intervarsities took place from 3 to 5 February in the Abbey Court Hotel in Nenagh, with DIT sending three teams.

The event is seen as the pinnacle event of the year on the Irish colleges pool calendar and DIT teams have excelled at the event in recent years, reaching the three of the last

four finals and being crowned champions in 2015.

With all of last year’s A Team having graduated, DIT Snooker and Pool Club approached this year as a rebuilding year.

The availability of places on the three teams resulted in a blend of new and existing players with the chance of representing at the highest level and they did not disappoint.

The A team which was a completely new team excelled and after topping their group, had victories

over ITB and one of the pre-tournament favourites in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.

In the final DIT faced defending champions Ulster University (UU), and in a game closer than the score line suggested, UU defended their title.

DIT’s B Team qualified for the shield event after the group stage,

DIT Pool. Image courtesy of DIT Pool vis Facebook.

going on to overcome very good DCU and ITC teams on route to the final.

In the final they faced an MU A Team that had been expected to compete at the business end of the main event. Despite the best efforts of DIT B they came up that bit short against the Kildare college.

In the singles event, there were

notable performances from Andrew Ennis, Sean O’Neill, Cathal Macken Collier, Ciaran Lambe and Luke Maguire.

O’Neill was a member of the Ireland Under 23 Team which won the Eight Ball Pool European Championships held in Blackpool, England last week.

ITBA looking to attract students to the horse racing industry David O’Farrell The Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association (ITBA) Next Generation is a non-profit organisation which aims to attract young people and students into the horse racing industry particularly the breeding section as the name suggests.

The organisation is chaired by Sean Flannery who has also recently become an auctioneer at Goffs UK, formerly DBS. Flannery has 10 fellow committee members helping him, including Madeline Burns from Rathasker Stud, and Anthony O’Donnell from Darley, and the project is supported by the ITBA. Everyone involved at the forefront of Next Generation is passionate about the industry and hoping to make a name for themselves in the future. They want to create contacts and a professional network between young people for the future of the industry according to Mr Flannery.

“Next Generation offers racing and breeding enthusiasts an opportunity to socialise, network and increase their knowledge of the industry with several informative seminars throughout the year along

with behind the scenes access to trainers’ yards and stud farms. One of the annual highlights for members is the opportunity to partake in the ‘Next Generation Experience’ which takes place over Champions Weekend and allows participants the opportunity to meet similar minded racing fans from all over Europe.”

ITBA Next Generation membership costs €20 per year and membership offers a number of benefits including free events such as educational seminars, stud farm tours, and racing tickets. Last year, for example, they gave away 20 pairs of free tickets to Ascot Racecourse on British Champions Day in October and a month later, there was a seminar on the principles of buying and selling young horses, known in the industry as pinhooking.

When the ITBA Next Generation project, formerly the Young Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association, was first established many years ago, one of its main aims was to try to incorporate those with a non-horse related background. It wanted to add a social dimension

to the industry and gather all racing enthusiasts from around the country.

It wanted to give people an opportunity to get involved where they may not have been able to in the past.

Mr Flannery said of joining the Next Generation: “The organisation is open to anyone with the slight-

est interest in the industry. Be it a pedigree expert or someone who just enjoys a flutter on a nag at Leopardstown over the Christmas period. Membership is a mere €20 a year and anyone can register on our website.”

The organisation also offers an apprenticeship scheme which is aimed at those wishing to work in the industry in the future. It is a yearlong, paid internship in locations of the interns’ choice, from stud farms to racecourses and bloodstock organisations such as BBA Ireland, and are much sought after by recent graduates wishing to break into the industry.

On the ante-post front this week, we have the valuable Betbright Chase coming up on Saturday, 25 February, across the water at Kempton Park.

At around 14/1, the Philip Hobbs trained Kruzhlinin stands out.

Images via Flickr Creative Commons.

This horse has performed well on both his starts over the course and distance, finishing first and then second. This race looks tailor made for him as it will suit his aggressive run style with an emphasis on jumping and staying. He’s generally a sound jumper which helps around this stiff track.

Having finished second last time out in Kempton, he has had a fair break since, which he usually needs between races. His mark has been left unchanged at 146 and on what we have seen, he looks capable of winning off that sort of rating.

He goes on all sorts of ground so there is no worry on that front which is a help. The race comes only a couple of weeks before the big festival in March so that should help in the field size cutting up a fair bit, like we saw in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury only a couple of weeks ago.

The Edition Wednesday 22 February 2017

DIT knocked out of Sigerson Cup Sinead Farrelly

Deputy Editor @SineadCFarrelly

Earlier this month DIT lost out to University of Limerick (UL) at the quarter-final stage of the Sigerson Cup by three points.

After 20 minutes DIT found themselves ahead 0-06 to 0-02 thanks to scores from Killian O’Gara, Conor Madden and Liam Irwin and at the break the two sides were level six points apiece.

Despite Mayo’s Liam Irwin putting DIT ahead early in the second half, UL responded with four points including one from Kerry’s Michael Geaney while keeping the Dublin side scoreless for the remainder of the half.

Earlier in the competition DIT faced Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) seeing them off despite only having 14 men on the field after midfielder Ian Fahey was sent off in the 18th minute of the round one encounter.

A goal from Galway’s Martin Farragher saw DIT rush into an early 1-03 lead after just seven minutes, a lead which they did not give up seeing them win 1-13 to 0-11.

The last two years in a row DIT have lost out in the opening round of the championship losing to GMIT in 2015 and St Mary’s in 2016.

In 2012 DIT lifted the Sigerson Cup for the first and only time for the college. This year saw St Mary’s of Belfast defeating UCD by a single point to claim their first Sigerson Cup since 1989. The Northern side lead 0-9 to 2-1 at half time and went 26 minutes without scoring before Dublin’s Paul Mannion put one between the posts in the second half.

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Purcell Cup victory Continued P24

Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

DIT scored a further eight points against the wind in the first half.

DIT drove the final nail into the Carlow IT coffin in the second half as they cruised to victory on a score line of DIT 3-15 Carlow IT 0-10.

Having reached the semi-final of the Purcell Cup last year, and the final the previous year, speaking to The Edition prior to the semi-final, Minogue conveyed how she thought this experience would stand to the team this year.

“There’s a good few girls who are in their last year this year who

would have been on the team when we got to the final two years ago and the semi-final last year. There’s probably about six girls who were on the team two years ago when we got to the final,” said Minogue.

With the victory in the final of the Purcell Cup, DIT have gained promotion to the Ashbourne Cup for next year.

This year’s Ashbourne Cup was won by University of Limerick

(UL), making it their third title in four years as they overcame UCC in the final on a score line of UL 2-08 UCC 1-07 The Ashbourne Cup is a camogie tournament played each year to determine the national champion university or third level college.

The Ashbourne Cup is the

highest division in inter-collegiate camogie.

The competition features many of the current stars of the game and is sometimes known as the ‘Olympics of camogie’ because of the disproportionate number of All Star and All-Ireland elite level players who participate each year.

The Ashbourne Cup and Purcell Cup are part of the annual Ashbourne weekend which also sees the crowning of the Fr Meaghair Cup champions.

This year’s Ashbourne Weekend was the 102nd time the competition has been held with 20 teams and over 500 players taking part across the three cup competitions at the National Sports Campus.

Institute of Further Education last Thursday as they lost 3-1 in the CUFL Division Four semi-final.

Cathal Murphy’s strike proved to be a mere consolation goal for the home side as a brace from Davis Pedro complimented a Jordan Harmon goal to send DIT ‘C’ crashing out of the competition.

Similar to their counterparts on DIT ‘B’, DIT ‘C’ topped group B beating Royal College of Surgeons, DCU ‘D’, NCI ‘B’, and annihilating Dunboyne College of Further Education 9-1 in Grangegorman back in November.

Pearse College proved to be much more challenging opposition for DIT ‘C’ in the Division Four quarter-final as the latter edged out the former 2-1 thanks to goals from Paul Kennedy and Ormond Morrissey.

On Thursday, 9 February, DIT’s

Men’s Soccer Club’s first team also secured a semi-final of their own in the College’s Football Association of Ireland (CFAI) Umbro Colleges Cup. In the quarter-final, DIT faced Dundalk Institute of Technology.

DIT went into a two goal lead thanks to John Doyle and Adam Zayed finding the back of the Dundalk IT net on a cold afternoon in Grangegorman.

The visitors didn’t lie down however, as a double from Izu Chiemeka drew the sides level again before John Doyle netted his second of the game and DIT’s third goal which proved to be the winning strike.

DIT faced reigning champions IT Carlow in the semi-final yesterday (Tuesday, 21 February) in Grangegorman after this issue of The Edition went to print.

IT Carlow are aiming to win their sixth consecutive CFAI Umbro Colleges Cup which would be their seventh title in eight years.

DIT won the competition back in 2011 before Carlow IT commenced their outstanding run of dominance in the competition.

Men’s Soccer Update: Semi-final sensations Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

There were mixed emotions for DIT Men’s Soccer teams last week in the Colleges and Universities Football League semi-finals.

In an enthralling Division Two semi-final, DIT ‘B’ beat Galway Technical Institute (GTI) by a single goal in a seven goal thriller last Wednesday at Mervue United’s ground.

A brace from Jake Daly in addition to a goal each from Michael Lynch and Vincent Ogbe ensured DIT ‘B’ are still in the hunt for silverware, despite being underdogs going into the fixture against GTI. In the other semi-final, Institute of Technology Blanchardstown ‘B’ (ITB) were ahead on a score line of 3-1 when the game was abandoned due to an injury in the eighty-second minute.

DIT ‘B’ progressed from the group stage top of Group B having overcome Ulster University, Trinity College ‘B’, and National College of Ireland (NCI), alongside a loss to group runners-up and fellow semi-finalists ITB ‘B’.

Close encounters seem to be a habit for DIT ‘B’ as they came through the group having beaten

NCI 4-2, while the other three games saw just one goal separate the teams at the end of 90 minutes.

However, DIT ‘B’ had a relatively easy time against Institute of Technology Carlow ‘C’ in the quarter-final as they beat the Midlands college by four goals to nil, thanks in part to a Jake Daly hat-trick.

DIT ‘C’ couldn’t make home advantage count against Carlow

Images via DIT Sports Facebook.

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DIT's Clare Rigney with Ali Rushchitzko of Maynooth University. Credit INPHO Tommy Greally.

SPORT

Wednesday 8 February 2017

CAMOGIE Matthew Colfer Editor @mcolfer1

In a game that remained close throughout its duration, DIT Camogie Club overcame Maynooth University (MU) to win the 2017 Purcell Cup at the Ashbourne Weekend on the 11 and 12 February.

Aoife Minogue was the star for DIT as she scored a goal and six points for DIT to earn her the Player of the Match award.

Melissa Lyons was the star for the Kildare college as she also netted a goal and six points making her MU’s solitary scorer in the final.

The final score was DIT 1-08, MU 1-06; Megan Thynne scored DIT’s other two points.

In a post-match interview with SportsTalk.ie, Minogue expressed her appreciation for her teammates.

“Couldn’t ask for a better bunch of girls to do it with.

Best bunch of girls you could ask for, everyone puts in so much at training, at games, everyone’s friends off and on the pitch, couldn’t ask for a better bunch of girls to do it with,” said Minogue in the interview.

Minogue’s performance in the final probably wasn’t a surprise to many as she was a key contributor in DIT’s semi-final fixture against Carlow Institute of Technology (Carlow IT) the day prior to the final.

Minogue scored a goal and a point for DIT early on in that match before Carlow IT even registered a score.

Continued P23

Karting in second place in Team Championship

Niamh Lanigan

DIT Karting Club finished Round Three of the Student Sport Ireland (SSI) Karting Championship in second place in the Team Championship after strong performances a fortnight ago.

On Wednesday, 8 February, 15 DIT students travelled to Nutts Corner Circuit in Belfast to compete in the third round of the SSI Karting Championship.

Track conditions were damp to start, but Andrew Flynn, Conor Bradley and Andy Hemeryck secured first place in the three first heats, with Eoghan Briody in second place and Scott Wallace third in their respective first heats.

Flynn, Sam Callaghan and Jack Doyle secured second place in each of their second heats, with Briody again finishing third in his heat along with

Ross Delaney and Ben Phelan.

Flynn and Morrison each earned another first place in their respective third heats while Briody followed in third place.

Flynn and Callaghan won their fourth heats while Briody continued his streak with another third place earning eight DIT drivers a place in the semi-finals.

Flynn drove extremely well to earn second in the semi-final with Briody and Bradley right on the pace, both coming in third place to reach the final.

In the final, Flynn narrowly missed out on a podium place finishing fourth with Briody in sixth and Bradley in seventh.