The Edition 26/01/16 by The Edition

DIT’s Independent Student Newspaper

Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

THE RISE OF DRAG IN DUBLIN

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THE PRO CHOICE SIDE PART ONE OF TWO ABOUT WHETHER IRELAND SHOULD LEGALISE ABORTION

A LOOK INTO THE GROWING DRAG INDUSTRY IN DUBLIN

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THE ADDITION- OUR NEWEST SECTION FOR ALL YOUR ARTS, CULTURE & LIFESTYLE NEEDS - P 13

TUI schedules strike action across Institutes of Technology Teachers’ Union of Ireland’s (TUI) IT members will stage a one-day strike on Wednesday, February 3rd Patrice Brady EDITOR

Teachers’ Union of Ireland’s (TUI) IT members will stage a one-day strike on Wednesday, February 3rd to launch their industrial action campaign over a number of issues within their sector. Last month, third level TUI members voted in a national ballot in favour of a campaign of industrial action up to and including strike action. 92 per cent voted in favour. The TUI members have resorted to strike action to highlight the current problems in the third level IT sector. The main concern for the Union is the rise in student numbers attending ITs while the numbers of lecturers have been cut and there is uncertainty of employment status with many lecturers. Cuts to support services also mean more vulnerable students are at a higher risk of dropping out of college, which was highlighted in a recent USI survey. The TUI has pressed the Depart-

ment of Education to address the issues before the General election. In a statement, the Department of Education said it was always available to engage constructively with unions and other stakeholders on the funding of higher education and that an expert group is currently working on arranging funding for the sector and has been asked to find a sustainable funding base into the future. In the last Edition, we reported that Lecturers across DIT took to the picket lines to protest the severe cuts made to the sector and ensure that quality education in IT’s are protected, warning the Government if they continue to damage the sector, industrial action would be taken. Speaking to The Edition, Gerry Quinn, President of TUI said that the Government is damaging the quality of education if the issues are out on the long finger. “Every day, Institute of Technology lecturers see first-hand the damage

NEWS Doombridge

More delays for the DIT sports ground

SUSI Grants

Student grant scheme is on target with this year's payment

TUI against TU

TUI expressed concerns over technological University Bill

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Another Empty Election Promise Labour targets students

Designer Drugs

USI appeals to students to educate themselves about 2CB

Tinder Rules apply

USI launches new app for voters

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that an era of austerity cuts wreaks on the student experience of higher education. The Institute of Technology sector has been brutalised by an era of anti-educational cutbacks and the latest figures speak for themselves. Funding was cut by 35 per cent (€190m) between 2008 and 2015. Over the same time period, student numbers rose by a staggering 21,411 while lecturer numbers actually fell by 535. This has had a direct, detrimental effect

on the quality of service to students and the working conditions of academics. “It’s unfair and unsustainable and it will damage the education quality that IT’s are renowned for. What we’re saying to the Government is that this problem needs to be addressed and it needs to be addressed urgently. This can’t be put on the long finger, this problem can be and should be addresses and our campaign will address it before the

FEATURES

LIFESTYLE

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Gender Recognition Trans Gender rights in Ireland

Trip of a Lifetime DIT Graduate talks Simon Cumberland

Is it a question?

The taboo around sexual consent

Erasmus Diary Next stop Utrecht

Home or Away?

Pros and cons of leaving home

Fashion Show

DIT students rock the catwalk

general election. “While the vast increase in numbers participating in third level education is most welcome, the complete failure to provide appropriate funding and to maintain appropriate staffing levels is having a direct, negative impact on the student experience of higher education. “Meanwhile, lecturer workload has increased significantly and in-

Continued

CULTURE

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The Adventure of Iggy Stardust

Reviews

Bowie's Career and legacy

Luck of the Irish

The Irish are coming up trumps at this year's award shows A quick look at what's in the cinema this weekend

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NEWS THE EDITION editorial staff Editor Patrice Brady editor@edition.ie Deputy Editor Sinead Farrelly deputyed@edition.ie Feature Editor Laura Somers features@edition.ie Culture Editor Rachel D'Arcy culture@edition.ie Sports Editor Sinead Farrelly sports@edition.ie Features Desk features@edition.ie Online Editor John Patrick Kierans online@edition.ie Photo Editor Lauren McColgan photo@edition.ie Production Editor Maggie Gethings production@edition.ie Contributers

Jessica Ní Mháirtín Nick Moloney Iona Shearer Olivia Powell Louise McLoughlin Jack Popeley Claire Brides Rebekah Tunstead DIT Photo Soc Rian Mooney Aoife Gallagher Catherine Devane Matthew Colfer Donagh Corby Mark Donlon

Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

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EDITORIAL

PATRICE BRADY EDITOR

As we're all finally heading back to college this week after the Christmas break, we could have a day off sooner that we think with the plan strike action from Teachers' Union Ireland (TUI) to protest the anti-educational cutbacks being made in the Institutes of Technologies across Ireland (IT). According to statistics, DIT has seen a 44 per cent cut in services since 2008, the IT sector is suffering and the question is will our standard of education suffer too? Why are student contribution fees at an all time high and DIT Students are facing the harshest of cutbacks in college services? With the lectures of DIT and oth-

er ITs taking industrial action and it makes me question should student have done more to protest fees or will we be relying on empty Government promises for another four years, students, who seem to be forgot about in the Budget last November with the Government deciding to spend on every other area but third level education. However with election 2016 just around the corner political parties are turning to students to give them the overall majority in the next election. It's all well and good promising lower fees, with the Labour Party stating they will reduces fees by €500 in the next Budget but if we remember former Labour Minister for Education, Ruairi Quinn, promised that student fees would not rise if his party was elected and currently our registration fees sit at an all time high of €3,000, a cost that is causing students to drop out of college course, as seen

in the USI's most recent survey. On to more exciting news with The Edition is launching it’s newest section this week, The Addition, (Yes we love keeping DIT in the name), and we’re hoping to keep it packed full of lifestyle, arts and culture while keeping students’ interests in mind. Hopefully over the next few weeks we can continue to add on to the Addition. (Pardon the pun) Elsewhere we have some good and bad news at the paper, firstly a warm welcome to our new features Editor, Laura Somers, who we’re happy to have on board and she is delighted to get more contributors on board for the section and sadly we’re saying goodbye to our Sports Editor and Deputy Editor, Sinéad Farrelly, who is leaving on her semester abroad tomorrow. While wishing her the best of luck in Utrecht, we’re also hoping she’ll come back to us next year.

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Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

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NEWS

TUI STRIKE ACTION

In Numbers €72 million

Continued from p1 tolerably in recent years. Findings of a survey carried out by TUI (April 2015) show that lecturers are experiencing high levels of work related stress as a result of cutbacks and rationalisation measures. “The sector has made an enormous contribution to social, economic and cultural development, yet this success is being dangerously undermined by short sighted and vicious austerity cuts. In the absence of any move towards remedying this unacceptable situation, academic staff in the institutes have been left with no option but to take strike action. We urge the Department of Education and Skills to engage with us on these crisis issues.” The USI is supporting the TUI in their plans for strike action, as the union believes “that poor pay, combined with a rise in temporary or part-time jobs for new or recent entrants, is pushing many into income poverty.” Speaking on Newstalk, USI Deputy President, Annie Hoey, said that students understand why teachers need to take industrial action on the issue. “Students on the ground have an air of sympathy towards teachers taking strike action. They may have families who may be affected by working conditions. So, I think there's a level of understanding about why they need to do this,” she commented. “The TUI also pointed to issues surrounding increased workload for

Viewers who tuned into watch the People's Choice awards, where former DIT student, Caitriona Balfe won best Sci-fi/Fantasy Actor.

€6.5 million The original estimated cost of the purchasing and development of Broombridge

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TUI President, Gerry Quinn

teachers and collapse of various student support systems, such as the availability of guidance counselling for students and the provision of pastoral support. “Teacher workload has increased significantly and administrative duties are deflecting teacher time from the core roles of classroom teaching and learning. The volume of box-ticking and form-filling duties imposed on teachers has grown exponentially over time," a statement from the TUI read. "Meanwhile, the continuing block on the filling of posts of responsibility such as year head and cuts to guidance counselling provision have made it increasingly difficult for schools to support students struggling with aspects of their education.

“Despite the current rhetoric about economic recovery, anti-educational cutbacks continue to have a devastating effect on the quality of service to students in terms of larger class sizes, less access to one-to-one attention and less pastoral support,” the statement concluded. DITSU have yet to be approached by the TUI Union but they are available to any student on the day of strike action. DITSU President, Graham Higginbotham explained that, “The TUI have not approached DITSU to date on this issue. DITSU has not given the matter any detailed consideration, however our services and SU offices will be available to all DIT students on the day of the strike should they need them.” A spokesperson from DIT, stated that they acknowledge the efforts

made by DIT staff, when dealing with the education cutbacks. “DIT recognises the huge efforts made by staff of all grades, academic and non-academic to minimise the effects of reduced resources on delivery of teaching, research and administration. While all areas of education have been affected by budgetary changes (including public sector salary reductions), DIT seeks to maximise other income sources to augment resources.” The union’s executive committee is due to meet on Friday to discuss the possibility of further forms of industrial action over the coming weeks and months. TUI represents 4,000 lecturers and researchers in Institutes of Technology

Doomsbridge...

The opening of the GAA pitches at Broombridge, giving DIT their first home GAA grounds, have been delayed yet again due to electricity and admin issues on the site. The pitches, which were due to open last year were delayed due to the ball stop nets in place not being high enough to keep in line with GAA requirements, now the sports office are saying that it is still unable to open despite their most recent predicted opening date of January 2016. Sinéad McNulty, head of sports at DIT, has said “the facilities in Broombridge are not open as yet, as we are awaiting ESB connection and completion of the dressing rooms and

admin space.” In October 2015 Ms McNulty stated that the building of the site was “on track” and that it would be completed by November 2015 with the facilities being officially opened to the public this month. “The development of the all weather playing pitch in Broombridge is on track – we are looking at the pitch and dressing being completed in November 2015 – so will likely be open to the students, staff and general public in Jan 2016” She said. The land for the site was purchased in 2011, with the initial estimated cost of purchase and development of the site being €6.5 million with construction of the playing fields then beginning in January of last year. Plans were originally put in place in 2010 with the site being taken over

The number of albums that Rock'n'Roll god, Bowie released in just 10 years in the 1970's.

8 The number of points DIT defeated All Ireland champions Kilkenny by in the Walsh Cup

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ESB Connection, dressing room facilities and admin space are being citied as the current issues. DEPUTY EDITOR

Quote of the day

Further delays with DIT's future GAA Grounds

Sinead Farrelly

Of January the closing date for business plans submissions for the Docklands Innovation/ DIT Student Enterprise Competition

in 2011. However amid consultation in 2012, the facilities were expected to be ready in September 2013 with that date then being pushed back to September 2014. This was delayed due to the time taken in developing a business plan, while also needing more time to clean up the dilapidated grounds on which the pitches are being built. Currently there are all weather and floodlit training and playing pitches

open at the Grangegorman campus, however, the 17 GAA clubs in DIT are only able to use these as a training ground and are not able to play on them for competitive matches. For all home GAA matches DIT are currently renting pitches around Dublin from clubs such as Parnells in Coolock and Clanna Gael Fontenoy in Ringsend, thus putting pressure on the club’s budget as they have to pay for pitch rental.

We need to recognise that drug use happens and young people experiment. We need to ensure that young people are being educated on the risks in a way that is relative to them. That is how we keep them safe by arming them with information. – Kevin Donoghue, USI President speaking about the 2CB drug

Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

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NEWS

Is the Technological University Bill being passed in 'reckless haste'? Teachers' Union Ireland members raise concern over Technological University Bill. PATRICE BRADY EDITOR

Lecturers and staff that are members of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) are to vote over whether or not to strike over certain aspects of the new legislation about the Technological University that has currently gone through it’s first reading in the Dail and the committee stage. Last Friday the TUI said the Bill contained “ significant threats to the institute of technology sector and to the working conditions of the academic staff”. It said the legislation was “being rushed through the enactment process with reckless haste and without the provision of adequate opportunity for the deep and considered engagement and debate that is required”. The TUI had early expressed concern over a lack of consultation over plans to merger institutes of technology to create a new category of “technological university”, because of current underfunding in IT’s. The union said the requirement that institutes of technology must merge before they can apply for technological university status “is more related to rationalisation than to any academic considerations based on the particular missions, values and ethos of particular institutes”. “The exact rationale for this requirement has never been clearly established and it must be removed from the Bill. ‘Those mergers which

are envisaged must be appropriately funded and the regional mission including multiple programmes which is central to the institute of technology ethos must be retained,” it said. The union said it would withdraw from all talks on mergers with immediate effect. Members of the TUI have already scheduled a one- day strike on February 3rd, in response to the Government’s underfunding in third level IT’s across the country increasing because of increases in student numbers and decreases in lecturing staff. TUI president Gerry Quinn said he was critically concerned about the potential consequences of the Bill “given the current crisis of underfunding, understaffing and precarious employment in the institutes”. “Between 2008 and 2015, funding for the sector was cut by a massive 35 per cent, or €190million. Over the same time period, lecturer numbers fell by 9.5 per cent (535) while student numbers rose by a staggering 32 per cent (21,411).” However DITSU President, Graham Higginbotham, told The Edition that it is DITSU’s policy to support the amalgamation of the IT’s and he and Lysette Golden are currently meeting with the Minister for Education about the bill. “It is DITSU policy to support the amalgamation of DIT/ITB/ITT and the re-designation to TU status through TU Bill. We have continued to lobby Dail Eireann on that premise, which was mandated to us as

The TUI had early expressed concern over a lack of consultation over plans to merger institutes of technology to create a new category of “technological university”, because of current underfunding in IT’s. elected officers by the students of the DIT,” said Higginbotham. “I have personally questioned, Minister for Education & Skills Jan

O'Sullivan on the matter of the TU Bill. I have most recently spoken to Tanaiste Joan Burton on the topic of the Education Manifesto for 2016 to reflect students needs. DITSU's most recent interaction with the process was when my Deputy President Ms.Lysette Golden met with Minister for Education & Skills Jan O'Sullivan last week on the matter. DITSU will continue to monitor the bill as it moves through the Dail and Seanad. The TUI represents 4,000 lecturers and researchers in Institutes of Technology. The ballot of members will take place in February.

DIT Conservatory of Music & Drama to bring Cabaret Musical to life DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama is proud to present in association with the Irish College of Music Theatre the hit musical “CABARET” on the 30th and 31st January in the Helix, Dublin. The iconic musical CABARET is ultimately about life, passion and despair in Berlin under the darkening skies of approaching fascism. Set in 1931 Berlin as the Nazis are rising to power, it is based around the nightlife at the seedy Kit-Kat club, and revolves around the 19 year old English cabaret performer Sally Bowles and her relationship with the young American writer Cliff Bradshaw. CABARET is based on true events and real lives, and the story of the carefree nightclub-singer Sally Bowles in the glittering yet shady milieu of the Golden Twenties immortalised the city of Berlin as the city of historical fractures, caught between dreams and despair. The artistic team comprises of Director, Christine Scarry; Musical Director, David Wray, Choreographer; Mary MacDonagh and Producer Deirdre Masterson. With a combined cast of IMT musical theatre and DIT orchestral students, this ensemble production combines the skills and expertise to produce what promises to be a unique and entertaining production of this iconic show. According to Producer Deirdre Masterson “The show will break your heart and lift your spirits more wildly than anything else you can see in the city right now." Performances of Cabaret are scheduled for Saturday January 30th and Sunday January 31st at 8:15pm in the Helix Theatre, Dublin, with a matinee Saturday the 31st at 3:00pm. Tickets are available from www.thehelix.ie

DIT Library kicks off colleges’ 1916 commemorations Saff Reporter

Jacob’s Factory was one of the key locations during the 1916 Easter Rising, and DIT Aungier Street now occupies a large part of original factory site. Drawing inspiration from “The Ballad of James Larkin” by Donagh McDonagh, the DIT Library Service has launched a fascinating online exhibition that aims to tell the story of the workers in the factory during the 1913 Lockout, and the rebels actions there in 1916. The stories of four leaders of the rebellion who were present in the factory during Easter Week – Máire Nic Shiubhlaigh, Thomas Mac Donagh, John McBride and Michael O’Hanrahan – are highlighted, including with audio interviews and readings.

By recalling the history of Jacob’s Factory the exhibition offers some insight into social and industrial history of the time. It also traces the family history of one the many families from the area who had an association with Jacob’s for several gen-

“

By recalling the history of Jacob’s Factory the exhibition offers some insight into social and industrial history of the time.

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erations. Members of the Kernan family from Kevin Street worked in Jacob’s over a century, from the mid 1800’s to the mid-1900’s – with the exception of Patrick Kernan, born in 1918, who later became a tailor in the Dublin Technical Schools, later to become DIT. A visual timeline, created by Fiachra Mangan in the DIT Library Service, allows the viewer to scroll across the decades from 1850 to 1920 and to click on significant developments in the evolution of the Jacob’s Factory, from the purchase of a 5-horse power steam engine in 1862 to enhance production; to the first cream cracker baked in 1885; to the lock-out in 1913 and the Rising in 1916; and the resumption of full production at the factory following the ending of the Great War.fore deselect modules like regular students,” said Mullhall.

Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

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NEWS

High Dropout Rates linked with Lack of Student Support Financial Pressure is causing third-level students to dropout of college. USI President warns that student voters will prioritise education in the upcoming General Election. PATRICE BRADY EDITOR

The number of students who dropped out of college is set to rise unless student fees are addressed in the up-coming General Election. According to the latest survey by USI, 22.1 per cent of student who dropped out of college said the main reason for doing do was financial difficulties. The survey showed a direct link between high drop out rates and lack of student support. Also in the results of the survey, three-quarters of students were worried or concerned about money prior to starting college, with 46.6 per cent being very concern with finances. 84.5 per cent of those surveyed said they were concerned about their future at the time of leaving their college course. The USI is now calling on political parties to address the high student contribution fees in the run up to the General Election, emphasising that students will vote for parties who priorities education. “High dropout rates in third level education are directly linked with the lack of student support,” said Kevin Donoghue, USI President, said, “Three-quarters of students who dropped out of college in 2014/15 were worried about the cost of college before they even started their

course. “The cost of college came into the top three reasons people dropped out. It proves that the lack of student support such as the Student Assistant Fund, grants and counselling has a direct impact on the student retention rates.” “We seriously need to address the support that is available at third level,” Donoghue explained, “Fees are far too high and grants are insufficient. Political parties say we can’t reduce fees or increase grants, but every other country in the EU, with the exception of the UK, has significantly lower tuition fees than us. “We now see that financial strains are driving people out of college and the government still isn’t doing anything about it. These results show that education is unaffordable

Fees are far too high and grants are insufficient. Political parties say we can’t reduce fees or increase grants, but every other country in the EU has significantly lower tuition fees than us. for many students across Ireland. “USI has registered over 80,000 new student voters in the past two years alone, and students are keen

to use their voice and vote in a party that prioritise education in the General Election. The new government needs to follow the example of other EU countries and introduce free, publicly-funded education.” DIT's Student union backed the USI’s statement, saying that the rising student contribution fees and the grant system is the main factor that students struggle with in third-level education. Speaking to The Edition DITSU President Graham Higginbotham said, “As members of USI, we would support that statement. DITSU each year helps students who find themselves financially burdened by the cost of education. With increasing

contribution charges and no real improvement to adjacency grants, post-grad funding or financial support mechanisms like the SAF, the drop out rate, I fear, will continue and even rise as pressurized families and students struggle to find the means to complete a third-level course.” The survey also showed that anxiety about college life is more common in females, 54 per cent than males 28 per cent and the top three factors leading to the decision to leave college were ‘stress’, ‘the course was not as I expected’ and ‘financial difficulties’. Other factors included ‘commute/ distance to college’ and ‘living away from home’.

Another Empty Election promise from Labour? Current Minister for Education, Jan O’Sullivan promised to cut third level fees to €2,500 in 2017 if her party is returned to Government. Speaking last week the Minister for Education made the promise there would be a €500 reductions in student contribution however this reduction would not take place until 2017 as the figure is already set for September 2016. However is not the first time Labour has promised to cut third level fees, with Ruairí Quinn proclaiming in the last General election that his party would not increase student contribution, contrary to this the current Government increased fees several times while in power. Minister O'Sullivan said the proposed reduction would be introduced, pending consideration of an expert group's report setting out options around higher-level funding in the longer term, while also promising that in 2017 Labour in Government would provide €25m to improve staff-student ratios, which are much higher than international norms. The Minister said the "significant increase" in the fees "was one of the many difficult choices that were made in recent years" but she now wanted "to begin a reasonable conversation about where we go next".

Jan O'Sullivan, Minister for Education

Student Grant Payment well under way Jessica Ní Mháirtín For the academic year of 2015/16, Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), have already awarded almost 80,000 grants to-date to students in higher education. SUSI have received just under 108,000 applications for this academic year. Mr Graham Doyle, a spokesperson on behalf of SUSI has said, "The processing of applications for the 2015/16 academic year has run very smoothly. "We received almost 108,000 applications (16,500 of which were received late , after our priority processing deadlines). We have completed 100,500 applications, awarding almost 80,000 to-date. Of the remaining applications, we are waiting for documentation to be

submitted from students in 6,700 cases. We will continue to finalise grant applications as this documentation is received. "We have paid students attending Higher Education in September 2015, the first time that maintenance grant payments have been made before October. In total, 74,851 students in both Further and Higher Education have been paid to-date." This academic year is the first time SUSI have made any payments in the month of September, to the eligible students in Higher Education. Prior to this process, there were 66 local awarding authorities in Ireland that processed the student grant applications. This process has since been changed. Since 2012, SUSI is the "single national awarding authority". The numbers for applications for

students wishing to attend higher level education are on the rise and statistics prove that they are increasing each year. However, with the system now running more accordingly this certainly relieves students of some financial stress. There are now only two reasons as to why students would not have received their grant payments on time. Firstly, students must be vigilant with their checklist for their relevant documentation. Sending the incorrect bank details or forgetting to post off the documents before the deadline will most certainly slow the processing of your grant payment. Secondly, the college that you are attending may be behind on their own schedule and might not have confirmed the details with SUSI before the first payment dates. This

means you will not receive a payment as soon as you'd like to. SUSI are currently reviewing their process for applications and they are "constantly striving to improve systems and performance and in

that regard will make some process changes to provide a more timely, efficient and student focused service once again for the upcoming 2016/17 academic year."

APPEALS "If a student is unhappy with SUSI’s decision he/she can seek a Review/Appeal of that decision from SUSI. And where an appeal is lodged and the student is still unhappy then he/she can go the independent Student Grants Appeal Board (SGAB)." FURTHER ASSISTANCE: If any student would like further assistance or advice you can contact any of the following for advice: SUSI on, 0761 08 7874 or, support@susi.ie Lysette Golden (DIT's Student Welfare Officer) on 083 105 2061, or, welfare@ditsu.ie

Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

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NEWS

Students need more education in designer drugs PATRICE BRADY EDITOR

Students are being advise to stay away from the “designer drug”, 2CB after taking the drug led to six people being hospitalised in Cork. The six young people consumed the drug at a house party last week and the Union of Students in Ireland, USI are urging students not to take the drug. The hospitalisation of the six young people in Cork backs up the statistics about Ireland’s drug culture and young people. According to the 2015 National Student Drug Survey, 82 per cent of students have at some point used illegal drugs.

94 per cent of the 2,701 people surveyed who said they have used drugs in their lifetime have shared drugs with another person. Addressing the use of drug use the USI stated that they understand drug use happens however young people need to be educated about the effects, both long term and short term, of illegal substances. "We need to recognise that drug use happens and young people experiment.” Kevin Donoghue, USI President, said, “We need to ensure that young people are being educated on the risks in a way that is relative to them. That is how we keep them safe - by arming them with information. The ‘just say no’ campaign simply doesn't work. Young people don’t connect with it. We are urging

ccredit: Google Images

students to stay away from the 2CB drug because it can have serious side effects, both psychologically and physically, such as paranoia, hallucinations, kidney problems and gastrointestinal effects.” The HSE issued a statement saying the full details in relation to the 2CB drug are not yet available but it is thought to be one of the new psychoactive substances similar to those products previously sold in ‘Head-shops’, like an ecstasy substitute. According to the 2015 National Student Drug Survey, the majority of students reported taking drugs at a party or with friends but the USI is urging students to be ‘vigilant’ when they’re at parties or nightclubs for dangerous substances. “Young people are advised that there is no quality control on these drugs.” The HSE said in their statement “There are problems with purity and contaminants, and there is no way of checking that what is purchased or consumed is the intended substance. Given the serious side-effects experienced by the young people in Cork, the HSE Addiction services are issuing a warning about possible contaminated ‘party pills’ and advise people to not consume any unknown substances that they are offered at this time.”

And the Smedia goes to…

National Student Drug Survey 2015 •

82% of students have tried illegal drugs. While it is common for some students to try illegal drugs at least once in their lifetime, recurring drug use is lower for illegal drugs compared to alcohol.

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When taken over the past 12 months, 49% of all respondents have consumed normal strength cannabis compared to 44% who have used high potency cannabis.

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Respondents reported that the common reason why they do not use illegal drugs is 16% health consequences and 9% due to criminality.

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The most common reason why students are consuming drugs is fun (27%), curiosity (19%) and “switching off” (13%). Among the lowest is peer pressure at 6%.

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35% of people that have used illegal drugs in their lifetime have sold illegal drugs.

The Oscars of Student media has returned this year, with sponsors KBC Bank, looking for talented students interested in media.

Student Summit 2016 offers €1,500 for Start-up Pitch

Staff Reporter

The Student Media Awards, Smedia is in it’s sixteenth year and is looking to celebrate gifted media students across Ireland and to have their work recognised at a national level. Receiving an award is a huge distinction and over the past sixteen years the Awards have provided Ireland’s hardworking young people with a unique platform from which they can announce themselves to the world. Last year’s awards had over 1,000 entries and an exceptional turn out on the night with over 600 students, sponsors, celebrities, and media icons in attendance. Aidan Power, Director of Customer, Brand & Marketing at KBC Bank Ireland said, “KBC Bank is delighted to return as the title sponsor of the Smedia awards for a second year. The Awards provide a great platform for the next generation of journalists, filmmakers, photographers and

producers to grow and develop. “As Ireland’s retail bank of the future, we understand the importance of supporting and encouraging students on their chosen career path from an early stage. We look forward to celebrating with this year’s applicants and winners at what promises to be a fantastic event for all involved.” The Awards are hudged every year by national journalists and broadcasters with 2015 judges including; Fionnan Sheehan – Editor of the Irish Independent, Tim Vaughan -Editor of the Irish Examiner, Cathy Fox – Executive producer of The Late Late Show, Lenny Abrahamson – Multi-award winning director, and Darragh O'Connell - Founder of Brown Bag Animation and Multi-Academy Award nominee. This year’s panel promises to be even more impressive. Organiser Colman Byrne said "We are delighted to once again be returning to the

Aviva Stadium for the awards. The venue is so iconic and is a fitting setting for awards which announce the media stars of tomorrow. Thanks to the generous support from our title sponsor KBC Bank Ireland we hope that this year will be the best year yet for the Smedias". Entries open on the 1st of February with a deadline for receipt of the 3rd of March, with the awards being presented in the Aviva Stadium on April 7th.sively on students’ success rate. I think it is interesting that DIT seem to have no formal data in regards to those factors”, she said. “Personally, I think that would impact on a student's chances of completing a course. There is definitely a connection between the likelihood of you getting a job and whether gender would impact on that, the kind of environment you are studying in and potentially working in and your chances of completing a course.”

The Irish Student Summit 2016 will take place on February 4th in Dublin Castle and the event will have over 600 students, 40+ start ups, 22 workshops and powerhouse business speakers from Silicon Valley and Ireland, all looking for the next break through business idea. The Summit has hand-picked some of the most influential speakers to help inspire the generation who will shape the world of tomorrow. This year the Student Summit has taken a tailored approach to focus on purely the entrepreneurial capacity, showcasing personal stories, interesting tips and facts to equip students with all the right ingredients they need to start something special. Many speakers will be giving workshops with the aim of giving students an advantage on their own entrepreneurial adventure. Speakers attending the summit include individuals from Twitter, Paddy Power, Silicon Republic, Ireland

AM, Mór Gin, Cool Beans and Humans of Dublin, As well as this one Student Start-up will walk away with a €1,500 investment in their business idea. The €1,500 start up prize is being sponsored by Enterprise Ireland and the winner will be selected by the public through social media. A panel of judges will narrow down applications to the ten best from the online submissions then people can choice their winner by Twitter and Facebook. At the Student Summit, the final two applicants will go headto-head in front of an audience and a panel of judges, who will vote for the winner. The start up pitch requires students to upload a 2 minute video to YouTube with their business pitch and send the link to the Union of Students in Ireland, USI. The idea must be a new product, business idea or service that is in the early stages of development.

Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

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NEWS

From DIT to Hollywood NICK MOLONEY TWITTER: NICK_N7

Caitriona Balfe, a DIT graduate of Conservatory of Music and Drama has gone on to win the ‘2016 People’s Choice Award’ for best sci-fi/ fantasy TV actor and has also been nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in the hit TV series “Outlander”. Balfe began acting in the popular TV series in 2014. She plays the character ‘Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser’, a mid-20th-century nurse who is sent back in time to a war torn mid-18th-century Scotland. The popular ‘STARZ’ original series was first premiered in August 2014 and has already won awards such as ‘The People’s Choice Award’ for favourite Sci-fi/fantasy TV series and ‘Most Exciting New Series’. The 2016 Peoples Choice Award is Balfe’s biggest achievement of the year so far. It is an award that the public vote for who they would like to see win an award in the various categories. 72 million people voted in this years. Balfe had the most votes in her section which also had actresses like Lady Gaga for her role as a 115-yearold "vampire" Elizabeth/The Countess in American Horror Story and Emilia Clarke for her role as Daener-

google images

ys Targaryen in the HBO series Game of Thrones. Caitriona took to the same stage that many actors/actresses like Channing Tatum and Johnny Deep who both received awards on the night. Peter McDermott, the head of Drama in DIT said, “It was just fantastic to see Caitriona Balfe's recent Golden Globe nomination and her win at the People's Choice Awards, He also added, “to see her steadily building such a successful career is truly inspiring, especially for our cur-

Balfe’s acting career has seen her star along side some of the biggest actors in Hollywood. She was in 2013’s “Now You See Me” where she starred in the movie along side Morgan Freeman and Woody Harrison.

rent drama students.” Balfe’s mother, Ann expressed an overwhelming pride for her daughter’s achievement. She said in a live interview to local radio station, Northern Sound, that she was “absolutely delighted” for Caitriona and that she has finally “got the recognition she deserved” Balfe’s acting career has seen her star along side some of the biggest actors in Hollywood. She was in 2013’s “Now You See Me” where she starred in the movie along side Morgan Freeman and Woody Harri-

son. She also played a lead role in Escape Plan the same year where she got to star beside the action movie legends, Silvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Balfe also had a successful career in modelling before acting. These highlights include walking in twelve shows for Dolce & Gabbana, eight shows for Chanel and also being a part of an advertising campaign for Calvin Klein.that home is a button refreshed every ten minutes or so on Facebook.

Tinder Rules to apply for General Election Students can now use the swipe right theory to choose their ideal candidate in the upcoming election PATRICE BRADY EDITOR

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) have unveiled their new website app to modernise students' voting experience. Labelled ‘The Tinder of Politics’, the app matching the public with political candidates that best share their views. The app, in association with SmartVote, works by asking all political candidates their opinion on 30 topical issues. The user gives their opinion on the same issues and SmartVote then matches each user with the candidates who best represent their views. This app allowing voters to have similar voting assistance tools are already successful around Europe, the Stemwijzer app in Holland is used by 80% of 18-25 year olds, during election time and is rated highly by young voters. With SmartVote partnering with the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) for the General Election, the aim is to encourage students to engage in politics and #MakeASmart-

Vote, USI contributed to the app by coming up with student related questions, to modernise the voting processs Speaking about the app USI President, Kevin Donoghue said; The Union of Students in Ireland is extremely excited to be working with SmartVote. It will revolutionise the General Election and the voting process. It’s quick, simple, easy-touse and will educate the public on who their political candidates are, what they stand for and why they’re worthy of their vote. “Lines can be blurred leading up to the General Election about where different political candidates stand on important issues. This app cuts through any confusion and gets straight to the point.” The app was first tested with Irish students in UCD, in their Student Union elections last March, over 2000 students used the app and 83 per cent of those who gave feedback said they would use the app again. App founder Keith Moore explained the innovative behind the app to help students make an in-

formed decision, “I had a problem in the local Elections. There was no one place where I could go, to easily compare the 23 candidates in my constituency. For the first time in my life I didn't vote. I thought to myself: ‘There has to be a better way to make an informed voting decision than posters and flyers’.” “In the past two years USI have registered over 80,000 new student voters.” Donoghue said, “SmartVote is a free and efficient way for us to empower both the public and polit-

ical candidates through a national platform modernising voting and allowing fast, accurate and direct messaging on the key issues that will sway votes.” SmartVote has already had two pilots - the first during UCD’s Student Union Election and the second in the recent Carlow-Kilkenny by-election. Users will be more engaged and have more confidence to make an informed vote and decision. Co-founder of the App, Gordon Rose also said the app work well be-

cause it is keeping up to date with election policies and is faster that any other method. “Users get up to speed on the issues and candidates in just 5-10 minutes, about the same time it takes to read one manifesto.” To use the app, students just need to type in their street or town and SmartVote will tell them their constituency and their candidates in their area as well as the candidates’ policies. The app is now available at http://www.smartvote.ie/

Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

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OPINION

The debate continues....

As reported in the last Edition, student councillors debated whether DITSU should take a stance of Prolife or Pro-choice similarly to other 3rd level institutions. While the debate continues, the Edition’s Iona Shearer argues the pro-choice side of the debate in the first article in a two part debate. IONA SHEARER

rying to argue the precise moment that a bunch of cells becomes a life is tired and futile, within the abortion-rights framework. It is a theory subject to myriad beliefs, whether religious, scientific, or philosophical. In Arizona a life begins two weeks before conception, whereas elsewhere in the world, a pregnancy can be terminated at up to twenty weeks gestation. However, while the presence of one life in the abortion-rights argument can be contended, the other life involved – the mother's - cannot. And it is this life we should be focusing on when we consider whether women should have the right to terminate pregnancies in Ireland. The Eighth Amendment states that it gives both mother and unborn child an equal right to life – it cannot prioritise one life over the other. As such, abortions in the Republic of Ireland are illegal, as the procedure is viewed as undermining this equal right. What the State does not consider, is that forcing a woman to bear a child against her will does, in many senses, undermine her right to life. This is not solely a reference to the dangers inherent to pregnancy and labour – we all know about the death of Savita Halappanavar – but the idea that forcing a woman to have a child is much like forcing her to have sex, and can carry equally profound psychological consequences. Comparing a forced pregnancy to rape may sound extreme, but both acts involve putting the body under physical duress and undermining a woman's right to bodily autonomy. And then there is the aftermath, having a child when you don't want one or giving a child up for adoption both carry psychological stresses. Pair this with fluctuating hormones, possible postpartum depression, and the experience of a forced pregnancy can only be described in one word – traumatic.

It's hard to believe, when it's spelled out, that pro-life campaigners really understand what they are asking women to go through. That's not to say that every unwanted pregancy results in a psychologically traumatised woman, but for the State to claim that

physical or mental damage – even if the person causing the danger is innocent of bad intent. Although most pro-choice campaigners do not believe the foetus should be considered alive, it is arguable that to terminate any unwanted pregnancy is an act of self-defence - and

child. While pro-life campaigners might gleefully jump on the sentiment that the pro-choice side advocate killing babies to save their own skins, the truth of the matter is, that while the life or personhood of a foetus can be debated, the per-

the Eighth Amendment provides an equal right to life, that it doesn't actually prioritise the unborn child's life over the mother's, is, well, naive. The philosophy of abortion in self-defence explains that, even if a foetus is accepted as a person, abortion isn't necessarily wrong. It is acceptable for a woman to have an abortion to defend herself from

thus not so morally reprehensible as pro-lifers would have everyone believe. In a lot of Western medical practice, if a woman's life is in danger, during pregnancy or labour, doctors will work to save the mother over that on the unborn child – in essence, the life of the mother is prioritised over the life of the unborn

sonhood of the pregnant woman is indisputable - and as a result, it should be prioritised. In her article for The Irish Times, Breda O'Brien, rightly states that “women do not choose to take their baby's life lightly.” Although rather dramatically worded, the sentiment that women do not choose an abortion easily is definitely true. How-

ever where O'Brien goes wrong is in implying that women only terminate pregnancies because of social pressure. In her article, women who seek abortions are portrayed as “an animal[s], caught in a trap”, and while this, to some degree, illustrates an element of the self-defence philosophy, it's a derogatory depiction of women who are then given no credit for making their own decisions. It is important to understand that not everyone who has an abortion is a victim, but it is equally important to understand that the majority of women who terminate preganancy do so after a lot of thought and consideration. Women, unbelievably, have the ability to make calculated decisions based on what they want and the circumstances they are in. No one wants an abortion, that is true, but women want the right to choose for themselves what happens to their bodies and their lives. Alongside the Eighth Amendment, the Irish Constitution promises citizens the right to bodily integrity. This is “the right not to have your body or personhood interfered with” by the State. And although pro-lifers will say that the Eighth Amendment is there to maintain this right for an unborn child, the Amendment, in turn, completely undermines the right to bodily integrity for the woman forced to carry it. The pro-choice movement is not about killing babies, it is about making sure women are not treated as second class citizens. This means having full access to all their rights, including the right to bodily integrity and, as a result, the right to an abortion. The Eighth Amendment is meant to be about not compromising a person's right to life, but its very existence does just that. And if we are going to prioritise a life – if that's really what people believe it comes to - is it not more important that we protect the lives and rights of the women of Ireland, over that of something that may or may not be alive at all?

Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

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OPINION

Calls for the government to recognise all genders Over the last few years in Ireland, Trans rights have come forward in leap and bounds, especially with the Gender Recognition Act last year. However, The Edition’s reporter, Laura Somers, looks at non-binary and gender fluid individually how have still not been awarded the same rights as men, women and now transsexuals LAURA SOMERS

rans rights in Ireland have come on leaps and bounds in the past few years but it must not be forgotten that there are still some genders that the state is refusing to recognise. On September 4th 2015 Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton announced she had signed the commencement order for the Gender Recognition Act 2015 which would allow transgender people to be formally recognised for all purposes by the state. “From 8th September, it will be open to any transgender person to apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate from my Department, and subsequently to obtain a new birth certificate which reflects their preferred gender,” announced Burton. This came after much persistency, determination and hard work of thousands of trans rights activists. It was a remarkable achievement for these activists for transgender people to finally be fully recognised by the state for who they truly are. However, non-binary and gender fluid people have still not been afforded the same rights as men, women and now transsexuals. TENI is an Irish network that seeks to improve conditions and advance the rights of trans people and their family. TENI Chief Executive Broden Giambrone recently said “There is still more work to be done to ensure that young, intersex and non-binary people will also be afforded rights. TENI commits to vigorously advocating for those who need to be included in this Act. However, today we have taken a massive leap

forward. This is a turning point for trans rights in Ireland and I hope this leads to further positive changes for our community," Non-binary and gender fluid These two gender identities weren’t as focused on by the media until certain celebrities, such as Miley Cyrus and Ruby Rose and closer to home, RTE news anchor Jonathan Rachel Clynch came out as non-binary/gender-fluid. This has

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It’s not up to us to label them ‘gender-queer’ or ‘non-binary’, it’s up to the individual to decide how they want to be referred to – some don’t want to identify as anything.

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resulted in the different identities being discussed across all media platforms. Kay Cairns, a human rights journalist, who works with TENI explained to Edition reporter, Laura Somers, what it means to be non-binary and gender-fluid “Non-binary is an umbrella term that involves quite a lot

of different identities. Some people may identify between male and female or they might not consider themselves either male or female it tends to be something that’s fixed.” Kay identifies herself as non-binary and would consider herself more toward the male end of the spectrum and she believes she will always be more towards the male end of the spectrum. “If someone identifies as gender fluid it means their identity may fluctuate, so sometimes the may feel more male, female or a-gender, it varies,” she explains. Kay discusses how she came to put a name on her gender “I always knew there was something different about me, but it wasn’t until I was in college that I came across the term transgender and I learnt that gender can be more than what you are assigned at birth,” “I got into a relationship with a trans-guy and he was transitioning while I was with him, so we went to support groups and I got to talk to trans people about their experiences.” When someone is coming to terms with their own gender identity like Kay did it can be an extremely sensitive time. Anne-Marie O’Toole, a psychotherapist with Insight Matters explained to The Edition it is important to allow the person to self-identify. “It’s not up to us to label them ‘gender-queer’ or ‘non-binary’,” Anne-Marie explains. “It’s up to the individual to decide how they want to be referred to – some don’t want to identify as anything.” There has been an increase in research both at home and abroad into this area of research The University of Maryland found that gender is very flexible during pre-natal

development. Researchers in the study succeeded in transforming the brain of a female rat to a brain with male characteristics, proving that gender may not be as rigid as we once thought. One of the researchers, Bridget Nugent, explained, “it was thought that once established, sexual differentiation could not be undone. Our work shows that sex differences in brain and behaviour are epigenetically regulated, meaning that sex differences are not hardwired in our DNA but programmed during development.” Increased research and awareness, will undoubtedly like this in Ireland will undoubtedly help raise

awareness and put pressure on the government to recognise non-binary and gender fluid as a genders in their own right. If you or anyone you are struggling with their gender identity visit teni.ie to find your local support group or call LGBT helpline on 1890929539.the highlights. For musical society members, the real highlight of the night came at the end, when the announcement of next semester’s musical was made. As the cast of the variety show stood on stage, the music of next year’s show was played, and it was revealed that the musical will be The Addams Family.

Urban Dictionary

Genderpride

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FEATURES

Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

A dream assignment, Uganda, and the Simon Cumbers Media Fund DIT Journalism Graduate, Louise McLoughlin, was selected as one of the winners of the Simon Cumbers Media Fund for students in 2015 and travelled to Uganda to investigate women’s reproductive rights. She writes about her experiences and why this opportunity reaffirmed her career choice.

his November, 12 days before I graduated from Journalism in DIT, I flew to Uganda to write for The Irish Times. I was about to cover a story I’d developed a few months earlier, on women’s reproductive rights in Uganda, including issues surrounding contraception and abortion. I was awarded funding for the trip through the Simon Cumbers Media Fund, which is open to journalists throughout Ireland. As I was still in college, I applied through the student scheme arm, and was one of three students selected last year. The scheme gives students the opportunity to pitch a story covering developmental issues in a select number of countries, including Vietnam, Ethiopia, and Uganda. For me, the funding was an invaluable chance to explore journalism as I think it should be. I have always preferred firsthand onsite reporting, both as a reporter and news consumer. Yet, I am aware that increasingly faster news schedules and less funding mean that there is less time and money for placing journalists’ boots on the ground – especially overseas. And as a journalist straight out of college, the oppor-

tunity to be sent abroad to cover a story is slim to none. But the Simon Cumbers Media Fund was a chance to do just that. In hindsight, when I applied for the student scheme I was naïve. I had only considered the upsides of such an experience: travelling to a new country in a continent I had fond memories of, and writing for a major national publication on issues I felt mattered. The reality (although completely fulfilling all of my positive expectations) was a little rougher. Once awarded funding I had to plan every aspect of the trip, from flights to hotels, to a local driver or translator. Additionally, I was travelling completely by myself. I had travelled solo before, but it was to more familiar-feeling countries like Norway and Canada, not the heart of Africa, and normally there was at least one familiar face on the other side. However, whether out of determination, adrenaline, or necessity, the uncertainty soon alleviated and turned to focus. My flight from Istanbul to Uganda’s Entebee airport was filled with diplomats, UN workers, and volunteers, and I

Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

chatted, fascinated, with the man to my right about his work in Syria for the United Nations. A Turkish girl to my left, who looked a few years younger than me, wore a khaki overall, which identified her and the group she travelled with as aid workers. The atmosphere on the flight was contagiously purposeful, and my apprehension evaporated. Uganda itself is an immensely friendly country, with beautiful scenery (especially outside of the capital), and heart-wrenching poverty in many areas. The capital, Kampala, is a hectic, at times claustrophobic tangle of roads and neighbourhoods. It is also strongly influenced by the threat of terrorism, since a series of bombs killed 74 people in 2010, and police and military presence is always evident. Despite this, people are generally distinctly open, helpful and happy. During my eight days in Uganda I spoke with almost all of the people and organisations I had originally set out to interview, including doctors, nurses, charity workers and Ugandan women. Many of their stories truly moved me, and the conversations with two women in particular – one who spoke with inspiring defiance, and one who spoke as though she was crushing underneath sadness and guilt – will stay with me for a very long time. My personal driver, Geoffrey, also made an especially special impact on me, not only because relying on public transport or taxis (most of which are actually motorbikes) could have resulted in a nervous breakdown. He told me facts about everywhere we passed, answered my questions, and always took me the scenic route when time allowed. As we said goodbye on my final night he clasped my hand, shook it and then clasped it again, as a few of my interviewees had done before. When I asked him what it meant he told me it expresses gratitude. I had seen and experienced Uganda in a way which would have

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been impossible to achieve had I written my articles from home. Leaving at the end of my trip my soul felt particularly heavy. Looking back, my trip challenged me, scared me and educated me, not only as a journalist, but as a world traveller. It tested my organisational skills, brought more empathy to my interviewing style, and rewarded me with new experiences and interactions. Perhaps most importantly, it gave me an understanding of certain issues in Uganda, which was central to how I approached my articles. It also allowed me to incorporate firsthand insights into people’s lives into my writing – not just facts and statistics. For me, finishing college was an uncertain time, but having something ahead made it less daunting. In 2014 The Sligo Today wrote that

the Simon Cumbers Media Fund Student Scheme is the “first step on the career ladder” for students. While it’s too early to say if that is true in my case, I do know that through the experience I improved skills, gained confidence, and made connections within Irish and international media. And perhaps most importantly, I reaffirmed that this career path is exactly what I want. You can read my blog from Uganda, as well as blogs from other journalists previously awarded funding here: http://www.simoncumbersmediafund.ie/blog/ To apply for the 2016 student scheme go to http://www.simoncumbersmediafund.ie/students/. The deadline is Friday 12th February 2016.

FEATURES

Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

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FEATURES

Whether it’s sex or a cup of tea, no means no… The USI’s recent statistics show that a quarter of first year college students have an unwanted sexual experience. The Edition’s reporter, Olivia Powell, looks at the #AskConsent campaign and how the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, along with DITSU, are asking students to think about consent on a major and minor scale.

here’s an ad that went viral last year about how asking someone if they want a cup of tea and asking for sexual consent is the same thing. At the beginning of the ad you question it, mainly wondering if it’s a cup of Barry’s or Lyon’s tea. By the end of the ad it’s clear that if someone doesn’t want a cup of tea, even if they previously wanted tea, you don’t pour it down their throats. We all grow up with this logic, so why isn’t it the same for sexual consent? #AskConsent is a campaign which aims to educate students, raWise awareness and get people talking about sexual consent. This campaign encourages people to think about consent on both a major and minor scale and it’s target audience is first year college students and a recent statistic from The Union of Students Ireland (USI) shows that 25% of first year college students have an unwanted sexual experience - 20% female and 5% male.

25% of first year college students have had an unwanted sexual experience The campaign run by the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) who partnered up with USI had a three week launch last September and the Edition has followed up on where #AskConsent is now. Speaking with Jennifer Gavin, the social media and digital officer at DRCC, she explained the latest campaign and why consent in sexual encounters needs to be highlighted. DRCC get funding every year to run a campaign and to choose which campaign to run they look at what is relevant that year. Before choosing the campaign, research was done around the issue of consent and the DRCC also looked at other countries to see how they handle the issue of consent.

It was clear that consent is an issue. “This is a big issue that needs to be talked about,” explained Jennifer. Jennifer used to volunteer at the sexual assault unit in Dublin. Statistics show that in June and July of 2015, 108 people were sub-missioned to the sexual assault units in Dublin, Cork, Tullamore and Galway. Jennifer came to DIT in October to promote the campaign during the mini Sexual Health Awareness and Guidance (SHAG) week. While speaking to DIT students about the campaign and she also encouraged them to talk about their own experiences with consent. Whether there has been a rise in calls to the helpline service at DRCC since the campaign but they haven’t done a post campaign analysis yet. But the campaign is still relatively new so Jennifer said they wanted to “give it time” but she is very optimistic. However, Jennifer confirmed there has been a 25% rise of hits to the DRCC website and an extra 1,000 likes to the Facebook page since the launch of the campaign. What DRCC hope to achieve in the future, following the campaign, is to engage more with students. They hope to do workshops with young people and go to schools around the country to educate students about consent and why it is important. DRCC would love to see students speaking out openly and comfortably about consent. It is clear that the campaign has had a positive response, however there has been some complaints and negativity. Jennifer said people called into The Joe Duffy Show and complained about the word ‘sex’ being on the poster, saying that they were not happy with their children seeing this word. Jennifer’s argument is that if the children are old enough to read the poster then they are old enough to be educated about sex and consent. Others

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Sexual consent is an issue which needs to be talked about and more people need to be aware of it.

”

complained that the campaign is promoting casual sex. Despite the minor negativity, to date, the campaign has been a success. Jennifer is delighted that she can positively report back to the funders of the campaign and say there has been a massive engagement with students. DRCC is DIT’s chosen charity this year and as a result DIT will be constantly working with them throughout the year. DRCC will be working closely with Lysette Golden, the Vice President of Welfare at DIT, about the college’s involvement in #AskConsent. Speaking to the Edition, Lysette explained the difficulties the campaign is facing. To keep the campaign running after the three week launch, the USI sent college welfare officers posters, flyers and stickers of the campaign to put up around campuses. It is up to college welfare officers, like Lysette, to keep the campaign advertised and to keep people talking about it. However, Lysette feels that it is harder to advertise and promote around DIT because the college is split up throughout different areas in Dublin. Speaking about the statistics given from USI, Lysette said: “The stats speak for themselves, there was an obvious need for the campaign.” She said it is the first campaign of its type and it’s all about getting

people talking about the issue of consent. In response to how the campaign has been run on social media, Lysette said that ‘#AskConsent’ was trending on twitter and that the media tension was at its peak during the three week launch. Lysette brought up the fact that it is expensive to advertise and people get everything instantly now on their smartphones. “I would encourage people to keep an open mind about consent and to highlight the importance of the campaign.” Next month is a big month for Lysette and Jennifer because it is when the main SHAG week will occur. Jennifer will be back in DIT

promoting and talking about the campaign whilst Lysette will be organising events throughout the week. Jennifer added that this health week will be another “big hit” for the campaign. Sexual consent is an issue which needs to be talked about and more people need to be aware of it. Keep in mind that sexual consent can be anything from a touch or kiss to, unfortunately, rape. The purpose of the campaign and this article is to make sure people know that and to educate the public on the issue of consent. Remember, yes means yes and no means no, whether it’s sexual consent or a cup of tea..

VOL:1 ISSUE:4 26.01.16

THE

T HE EDIT IO N

ADDITION Luck of the Irish As the list of Irish nominations from Golden Globes to Oscars grows what does it mean for the future of the Irish film industry?

Adventures of Iggy Stardust As the world continues to mourn the loss of an icon, we look back over Bowie's career and the influences he left on pop culture today.

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LIFESTYLE

Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

Photo of the month

hroughout the semester the Photo society have planned to run a photo month competition. Each month there will be a theme and photography teacher Mark Hill will pick out a winner as well as 2 runner-up pictures. Photo Soc meet every Thursday at 6pm in The Black Box, Aungier St. Its a great environment where you can get to know your camera and learn how to capture and process that jaw dropping scene - all the while making friends with some of the most creative, friendly and enthusiastic individuals in DIT. Photo soc is open to all, whether you earn a living from photography and hope to meet new people, are an Instagrammer hoping to up your game, or you think it might be nice to take your DSLR out of auto mode for the first time! New members are always welcome.

Winner: Jimmy Kilgallen This image for me is exactly what the title of the brief suggests "Light Play". It is a beautiful image full of blasting light from complete darkness. With explosions of colour and an appealing composition for me this is 1st.

2nd: Thamara Farias

3rd: Katja P

Another low light image. Had she got the balance correct between the light on the subject and the starry night's sky she would have been first. This is incredibly difficult to do and Thamara has almost done it! What scores really highly for me is the idea, the composition and the not being afraid of shooting something incredibly difficult.

Though technically this is a very simple image, the composition of the shot is probably on of the best from the group. Composing the image, choosing the right time to press the shutter and balancing the exposure are all very good. The reason this is third is that I felt that it doesn't suit the title as well as the others, this is a very simple image compared to the others. I think the exposure could be a little better and darks a little darker. But apart from that really good shot.

ERASMUS DIARY

Next stop Utrecht JACK POPELEY

TWITTER: @JACPOPELEY

In two weeks I head out on my Erasmus and after filling out endless streams of forms and sending them here there and everywhere. Finally they have stopped and I think I’m ready. A quick tip for anyone thinking of applying for Erasmus: fill out your forms and send them off as fast as you can. It all seems to get very confusing when DIT needs one thing and your host institution needs something else and NOBODY REPLIES FOR LIKE A MONTH OVER CHRISTMAS. I am stuck in-between excitement and anxiety, but everyone is I guess. In a way, we are who we surround ourselves with, and I’m going to love and miss my friends for so many reasons. It would be so easy to just stay

“

A quick tip for anyone thinking of applying for Erasmus: fill out your forms and send them off as fast as you can.

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here and be firmly inside my comfort zone but I’ve came this far and I feel up for the challenge. I’m going to be studying European Culture and European Journalism in Utrecht, the Netherlands. I’ve been before, it’s a lovely city and a great country. I think I will really like the course. Hodgeschool Utrecht (my new university) have an amazing

and easy to use website which has everything you need personalised for you on the one page, email, timetable, assignment deadlines etc. In this respect, DIT has a long way to go. In this, the pre-departure stage, there are so many questions and worries that I’m sure will seem so irrelevant when I’m there, while ones I over looked I’m sure will come back to haunt me. Something that took me by surprise was the amount of money I needed. I knew it would be expensive but there are multitudes of hidden costs that one does not automatically think about. For example, I need to get my phone unblocked which for some reason costs a small fortune. When I arrive there, my dorm will need decorating and I will have to buy things like blankets and pillows which will all add up! Despite all this, I’m really looking forward to this exciting opportunity.

Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

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LIFESTYLE

Home or Away? Edition writer, Rebekah Tunstead explores the pros and cons of leaving home Those days when your mum used to wake you up in the morning and if you really were a lazy kid, make your lunch for you, are over for the majority of us who have moved to the big smoke in order to go to college. The fridge always containing edible in date food and the luxury of constantly having clean clothes to wear are for some of us a thing of the past. However it’s not all bad news. Endless house parties and not having to constantly give a commentary of your movements to your parents are some of the perks, but when it really comes down to it, what do the majority of DIT students think? Does the comfort of knowing that there will be a hot nutritious meal when you come home outweigh the need for independence? There are arguments both for and against. “I feel I am more organised than I would be if I lived away from home as I have more time to organise things without having all the responsibilities that come with living on your own away from home.” – Meadhbh Sinclair. Whereas David Pheasey has a different opinion “living away from home is good. Bit of independence. Meet new people. It teaches life skills”. The crisis began at the end of August when it was announced that properties to rent in the Dublin area where virtually nonexistent. The battle for student accommodation began. For many poor unfortunates they had no option but to live out of youth hostels or even commute

ridiculous lengths of journeys until the property “boom” subsided. Generally the primary thing that daunts students about living away from home is the thought of having

to cook and clean. For the majority of people (mostly boys) the dread of having to cook your own meals becomes over bearing and the local chipper/takeway seems like the only

Thanks a Latte CLAIRE BRIDES I’ve never been much of a coffee gal, having limited myself to one a week, a cheeky Saturday Latte was a must. That all changed last semester, final year requires coffee. I was introudced to the Almond Latte by a girl who works in my local coffee shack “Nicks” in Ranelagh. I had been drinking soy lattes and although soy is a great option to have in your coffee, almond milk is better. Its more subtle in flavour than soy, slightly less calorific and doesn’t produce some of the negative hormonal effects that soy is said to have. However, good almond milk latte’s are still a little tricky to find. I learnt this the hard way, one cold morning on my walk to Grangegorman. I usually choose “Nicks” to give me

my almond latte fix, at €2.50 for a large latte, it doesn’t get any better than that. One particular morning, I deicide to skip Nicks and see where else can offer my Latte. I walk into a health food shop and cafe on Cam-

“

I usually choose 'Nicks' to give me my almond latte fix, at €2.50 for a large latte, it doesn’t get any better than that

”

den Street and order my Almond Latte, only to be told they don’t make them. I look around and see a whole shelf of Almond milk. Baffeled, I walk

away and continue my quest. I skip the “Cracked Nut”. I’ve had one there before, nice but 30c more expensive than Nicks. Near Christchurch I find another Cafe that I know serves healthy treats, so I assume they’ll have almond Milk. No such luck. They offered a Soy alternative, I was goinng to accept this only to find out they were all out of Soy. Devasation hit. Would I get a Latte at all this morning? Finally, I get to Smithfield and see the bright yellow sign of “Third Space”. I walk in and the Barista tells me they do almond milk, I would have given him a hug only the counter was separating us. I left Third Space with a huge smile on my face, the Latte cost me €3.30 but tasted good and set me up for the day. What have I learned from this quest? If you find somewhere that serves you a good Almond Latte, don’t try somewhere new, Nicks i’ll never leave you again.

realistic option. I recently met a girl who confided in me that she would not be able to survive away from home because she couldn’t even cook pasta! But in a way that’s the good thing about living away from home when you go to college. College itself is a way to broaden your horizons and learn on the go through numerous dreadful experiments. Nobody is born a Gordon Ramsay, as the saying goes “practise makes perfect”. The thing that bugs me the most about living away from home is the effort of having to go home at the weekends. While many choose the faster option of going on the train I always end up taking the bus which can really test my patience especially concerning the pigeons that fly about the station. They are creatures with absolutely no fear, whose sole aim is to annoy the awaiting passengers so much that they will eventually give them food. Then there is the expense of going home but it all becomes

immaterial the minute you get a nice cup of tea into you and have a good old chat up with your friends and family. I don’t know about you but I’ve ended up in a few Bear Grylls type situations on this adventure. First week in I realised I had forgotten my hair straightener at home and I resorted to using my hair curler instead to straighten my hair, the results were not good. The ability to go into your younger or older sibling’s room to “borrow” their stuff is a distant memory unless you have really sound roommates that have good taste and are your size. Then there is the dilemma of getting along with the people you share your house with. At least when you live at home you are accustomed to living with your family’s bad habits and you know how to resolve arguments. However living with strangers or perhaps even lifelong friends is a whole new kettle of fish. The boundaries are somewhat fussier due to the need to balance friendship with standards. The thing that stands out for most students who live away from their family home is the responsibility of making decisions and ensuring that appliances in the apartment function. During your stay in college accommodation you can be certain that most things will fail to function at one time or another and it will be your responsibility to call the landlord on several occasions until whatever is broken starts working again.

Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

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LIFESTYLE

Rise of Drag in Dublin Rachel D'arcy CULTURE EDITOR

Drag is a performance art that has been around since Shakespearean times, developing into hundreds of different forms over the last few hundred years. It’s not particularly been something that’s synonymous with the Dublin night life scene, but with the rise in popularity of RuPaul’s Drag Race and with stellar Irish drag artists making an impact on a national scale, the rise of drag in Dublin is something that’s been welcomed across the board. “Drag queens always remark how good the Dublin fans are,” said Dublin’s own Victoria Secret. “It’s not even something they just say when they’re here, I’ve seen them talking to media around the world about how alive and passionate the Dublin crowds are,” she beamed, and so she should. As organiser of Dragged Up, a true staple on the Dublin drag scene in the last 5 years, as well as one of Dublin’s biggest drag queens - literally, as she’s 6”7 in heels - Victoria has been in this game for a while and is finally starting to see people open up to the idea of drag as a form of legitimate entertainment. “I started when I was in college, we got Panti (Bliss), Veda and Shirley (Temple Bar) out for a show, and when I saw it I was like ‘I want a piece of that!’ and 15 years later, here I am,” she beamed proudly, detailing how she began with a pair of size 11 heels

most of whom have starred on RuPaul’s Drag Race, headed up by one of drag’s biggest stars, RuPaul. Drag acts that have performed from the show at Dragged include Adore Delano, Milk, Jinxx Monsoon, Bianca Del Rio, Alaska Thunderfuck and Willam - and that’s not even a stiletto inch of just how many queens have graced the stages of The Dragon and then Break For The Border in the last two years alone.

“

It’s come a long way, I never thought I’d be performing on O’Connell Street in the freezing cold, I just hope I don’t fall over

”

from Barretts held on with ribbon and how far she’s come since then. Victoria’s been performing in the capital for sometime, but developed her second club night, Dragged Up, back when the Dragon was looking for a regular Drag show. Dragged Up brings some of Drag’s biggest stars to Dublin on a regular basis,

“I love getting the drag race girls over because they’re always such a laugh - they all have such different styles of drag. Katya from season 7 does some amazing acrobatics, Adore from season 6 performs her own music live and Milk from season 6 as well has such an eccentric, original style. Drag isn’t just a man in heels and a dress anymore,” Victoria detailed, talking with great excitement about the development of drag not just in Dublin, but on a wider scale as well. With such a high demand, Dragged Up will move to an even bigger venue in Hangar on February 5th with Detox and Katya while Break For The Border closes for renovations. Not too bad for a night that began as a once a month show. “Dragged Up began with the Dublin girls performing, and we all still take to the stage before the Drag Race girls. I think the drag scene in Dublin is here to stay, for sure”. The Dublin girls that Victoria refers to include Regina George, Shirley Temple Bar, Veda and Pixie Woo to name just a handful of the talent that perform regularly across Dublin and even further afield. The day I spoke to Victoria, her and some of the other girls were due to take to the stage on O’Connell Street later that evening as part of Dublin City’s Christmas celebrations, something that wouldn’t have been all that common just five short years ago. “It’s come a long way, I never thought I’d be per-

forming on O’Connell Street in the freezing cold, I just hope I don’t fall over,” Victoria laughed, her nerves understandable but the excitement she delivered making even me excited for an event I wasn’t even attending. “It’s kind of cool just how big it’s gotten, Shirley [Temple Bar] used to do the bingo on the telly and I remember that was a huge thing back in the day but now there’s people so into Drag Race as a TV show, and obviously the marriage referendum played a part in it as well. How accepting people are now is really amazing,” Victoria continued, a point backed up by fellow drag queen and ‘Queen of Ireland’ Panti Bliss. Panti appeared live on Spotlight, a radio show by 3rd year journalism students broadcast across DIT and online on the 11th of December. Much like Victoria Secret, she backed up that the referendum had made people a lot more open to new and different things in Irish society. “I started my career so long ago, and I remember back then it was a very small scene, but now it seems to have grown quite a bit. People are more open to the idea of drag and what it represents,” Panti said. One of Ireland’s most prolific drag acts, Panti has become one of the predominant faces of the gay scene in Ireland in the last 20 years, having begun performing as a regular in The George before moving on to open Pantibar and directing her own performance pieces in drag.

“It’s a great thing to see people opening up to gay marriages and more alternative lifestyles like that of a drag queen,” Panti explained. This March, ‘RuPaul’s Battle of The Seasons’ will take to the stage of the Olympia Theatre for one night only. With tickets on sale for less than a week now, a large amount of the capacity for the 3,500 person venue is already sold out, with a handful of standing and seating tickets left. It will see eight of the biggest queens from Drag Race perform, some of whom are regulars to the Dublin scene at this stage thanks to Dragged Up. Courtney Act, Sharon Needles, Violet Chachki, Willam, Pandora Boxx, Katya and Jinxx Monsoon will all perform on March 5th, with the whole show hosted by RuPaul’s right hand woman, Michelle Visage. This is one of the biggest ever Drag events to hit Dublin, and with the show only touring a limited amount of European cities, this is as big a sign as any that Dublin has become a major player in the drag game, thanks to queens like Victoria, Panti and more. With drag becoming accepted by more in Dublin and some major queens coming to our shores, the scene can only grow more in 2016. Tickets for ‘RuPaul - Battle of The Seasons’ at The Olympia are available on Ticketmaster.ie now at €41, and tickets for Katya and Detox at Dragged Up @ Hangar are available at draggedup.net for €15.

Credit: The Star

Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

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LIFESTYLE

Supermodel: Rule the world, Covergirls and Coverboys

RIAN MOONEY TWITTER: @STATICSTYLEBLOG

What if every Fashion House across the world were to ditch their supermodels and hire student models from DIT instead? Well, they wouldn’t be disappointed that’s for sure! And judging by their performance in the first of the two annual fashion shows, no one had a bad word to say. With only 2 weeks to construct and deliver the annual Christmas fashion show, held in Grand Social, in aid of St. Vincent De Paul and the Irish Cancer Society, everyone on the Fashion Soc Committee had their hands full. There was no set theme for the show this year, but over all, everything was to be warm and Christmassy, and that it was. All the clothes that were used in the show were pulled from The Irish Cancer Society stores and St. Vincent De Paul stores from around Dublin city. On the day, models started to arrive as early as 2:00pm at the Grand Social where they were whisked away by the head stylist to get fitted quickly before the show starting at 7:00pm. Each model had 4 looks. Make-up and hair was complete,

and looked amazing on both the guys and the girls. Time passed by inexplicably fast and before you knew it, it was time for the show to begin. Models lined up and put on their best faces. Lights went down, music came up, and ACTION! The first model walked out and the audience was hit by a beacon of gold and black stripes, setting the tone for the whole show. After that, nothing stopped the audience from being entranced by the models and of course the outfits. Yes, there were half naked men walking about, but it still had that air of warmth about it. The coats they wore were wool and faux fur. The final walk on the runway brought out the audience’s amazement as they gave the models a standing ovation. As the models walked backstage, the outfits were briskly take off them. The clothes were to be put on sale straight after the best dressed attendee was announced and with saying that, they were grabbed from the racks as they were brought out before the audience. The show was a true success. Lara Dawson, co-chair of the Fashion Society had this to say: “I’m really excited for the year ahead and believe with our amazing committee and talented models, this year’s show will be one of a kind.”

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CULTURE

The Adventures of Iggy Stardust AOIFE GALLAGHER Last Monday, the world mourned the death of the iconic rock star David Bowie. Bowie’s career spanned over six decades with his influence visible not only in the world of music but also art, film, fashion and sexuality. He died peacefully following an 18 month battle with cancer and just two days after his 69th birthday. Described by his peers as ‘charming and gentlemanly’, he was arguably one of the hardest working rock stars of the 1970’s releasing 11 albums in ten years while constantly reinventing both his sound and image. Bowie was born David Robert Jones in Brixton outside London in 1947. His early musical influences of Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Fats Domino inspired him to learn piano, ukulele and tea-chest bass. His teachers recognised his unique talents from an early age calling his dancing ‘vividly artistic’. He studied art, music and design at Bromley Technical High and also developed a love for modern jazz from artists such as Robert Coltrane and Charles

Mingus. He learned to play saxophone, an instrument that would feature heavily in his future career. After finishing school he performed in a number of rock’n’roll and blues bands with little success. His fellow band members noted David’s flamboyant performing style and it soon became clear that he should go solo. He changed his name to David Bowie to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of the Monkees and released his first self titled LP in 1967. This disjointed mix of styles proved a flop and for a time he studied theatre and mime under the direction of dancer Lindsay Kemp. Here, he also met his future producer Tony Visconti. In July 1969 Bowie released ‘Space Oddity’ to coincide with the Apollo 11 moon landing. It became a top five UK hit although the album Man of Words/Man of Music was not a commercial success. David powered on artistically and in 1970 he released his third album The Man Who Sold the World. The album was characterised by a heavy rock sound formed by his backing band which would become the basis for the famous ‘Spiders from Mars’ arrangement on later albums. The release of Hunky Dory in 1971 saw Bowie return to the pop sound of Space Oddity and included hits

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With Bowie’s glam rock inspired and sexually fuelled performances the recording was hailed as a seminal piece of work

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such as ‘Changes’ and ‘Life On Mars’. Both The Man Who Sold the World and Hunky Dory enjoyed a relatively tame level of success but with the release of the concept album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars in 1972, Bowie changed his fate forever. On Ziggy Stardust Bowie takes on the role of a bisexual alien rock star who acts as a messenger for extraterrestrial beings. With Bowie’s glam rock inspired and sexually fuelled performances the recording was hailed as a seminal piece of work. From that moment on, he could do no wrong. His follow up – Aladdin

Sane – established Bowie as a bona fide international rock star. He once again transformed his image, discarding the role Ziggy Stardust. Bowie continued to break musical ground in the seventies with albums such as Diamond Dogs – inspired by George Orwell’s novel 1984 – and Young Americans featuring the funk-inspired single ‘Fame’ with guest vocals provided by John Lennon. At that time, he took on the lead acting role of a melancholy space traveller in the film The Man Who Fell to Earth. This role inspired his last great character of the ‘Thin White Duke’ on his 1976 album Station to Station. In the late seventies, Bowie moved to Berlin where he worked as co-writer and producer with Iggy Pop on his first two solo albums – The Idiot and Lust For Life. He also began work on three albums known as the Berlin Trilogy with Brian Eno producer Tony Visconti. These albums were Low and Heroes – both released in 1977 – and Lodger in 1979. Throughout the early eighties he had a number one hit with ‘Ashes to Ashes’ and also a highly successful collaboration with Queen on ‘Under Pressure’. His commercial success peaked in 1983 with the release of the album Let’s Dance. Co-produced by Chic’s Nile Rodgers,

it contained the huge international hits ‘Let’s Dance’, ‘Modern Love’ and ‘China Girl’. Bowie continued to make albums throughout the late eighties and nineties although they didn’t garner as much critical or commercial success as previous works. He performed in a number of successful film roles such as Jareth the Goblin King in Jim Henson’s fantasy film Labyrinth and Pontius Pilate in Martin Scorcese’s epic The Last Temptation of Christ. In 1992 he married Somalian model Iman and he began a more private and settled life in New York. His musical offerings continued to break new ground and in 1993 he reunited with Nile Rodgers on the soul and electronica inspired album Black Tie White Noise which yielded the top 10 single ‘Jump They Say’. Bowie continued to make music until his death with the release of his 25th studio album Blackstar coinciding with his 69th birthday. His legacy can be heard in all corners of the music world from Nirvana to Kanye West. As the world mourns his death, there is a silver lining; young, aspiring musicians may now turn to his music and the creative wonders that may emerge will mean David Bowie – his music and his genius – can live forever.

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CULTURE

The Luck of the Irish The 73rd Golden Globe Awards took place this month and though the Irish walked away empty handed, we were undeniably noticeable at our breakthrough in one of America’s most prestigious award ceremonies. CATHERINE DEVANE TWITTER: @CATHDEVANE

Amongst the nominations were the likes of Saoirse Ronan, Caitriona Balfe and Michael Fassbender. Saoirse Ronan the Carlow native and the youngest Irish nominee at only 21 years of age, was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture-Drama for her outstanding acting in Brooklyn, which is an adaption of the best-selling novel by Colm Tóibín. The story of an Irish girl immigrating to America in look for a better future brought the tale of many of our ancestors alive on the big screen. Her co-star in the film was fellow native actor Domhnall Glesson, who graduated with a BA in Media Arts from DIT before perusing his acting career. Not only through her nomination is Saoirse promoting great Irish literature she also promoted Irish business when she appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. When asked where she was when she heard she was nominated, the actress told Ellen and her 3.9 million viewers that she was getting her nails done in Dublin at Tropical Popical on South William St. Since then the nail salon has been inundated with calls and interviews. Another piece of Irish writing which has been turned into a movie, is Emma Donoghue’s novel Room. The gripping story follows a boy and his mother who are held hostage in a garden shed and their attempt to escape with the 6 year old boy never having seen the outside world. The movie was up for Best Motion Picture-Drama, while the author Emma Donoghue was in the running for Best Adapted Screenplay and finally the American actress Brie Larson who plays the mother in the film was nominated and won Best Actress. Unfortunately the film lost out on Best Motion Picture-Drama to Leonardo DiCaprio for his film Reverent… well I suppose it’s not an Oscar but it’ll have to do (sorry I couldn’t leave that opportunity pass). While Caitriona Balfe, a former student of Theatre at DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series-Drama, for the hit American television show Outlander. The show involves a World War II nurse in 1945 being transported back to Scotland in 1743. Outlander was also up for Best Television Series-Drama.

Finally, Michael Fassbender whose mother hails from Northern Ireland and who grew up in Killarney, Co. Kerry was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture-Drama for his portrayal of Steve Jobs. His co-star Kate Winslet described him in her acceptance speech for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role as being “a legend”, I think we can all agree there is no better compliment you could give an Irish person. Unfortunately none of these actors won a Golden Globe, though they won something which is just

Not only through her nomination is Saoirse promoting great Irish literature she also promoted Irish business when she appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. as important: recognition. We are a small nation, sometimes only being recognised as the blob on the map next to England. For Irish people to be appreciated for the great skills they have and to represent our country in America, while sitting next to acclaimed stars such as Jennifer Lawrence, Al Pacino and Helen Mirren shouldn’t be taken lightly. The focus needs to stop being put on that we didn’t win, instead it should be on the fact that we had a chance of winning.

What’s more, nominations like these are massive for the film industry in Ireland. Both Brooklyn and Room have been funded by The Irish Film Board (IFB) with a success of €52 million box office takings for Irish movies worldwide. The Irish film sector also employs 6,000 people. With all this success it can only mean bigger and better things for cinema in Ireland. And it’s already beginning to show with us being up for 9 nominations in this year’s Oscars. To name a few, Brooklyn and Room have both being nominated for Best Picture, while Michael Fassbender and Saoirse Ronan are both shortlisted for Best Actor and Actress. Unfortunately with the recent announcements that the Government are planning a 40% cut in IFB funding from €20m in 2008 to €11m in 2015, could result in halting the momentum built up for 2016.Speaking to RTÉ at the IFB launch in Dublin, Hickey said: "The Irish Film Board firmly believes that with additional funding we could continue to support the creative talent in this country. It's really great to see such a breadth of Irish talent and we believe that with greater investment success will continue to be achieved." Room, Brooklyn and Steve Jobs are all out in cinema now. While Outlander is available to stream online. The Oscars will be taking place on the 28th February.

CULTURE

Report

Film, Music, & TV reviews

FILM

Joy

'Hard to like; Impossible to hate' Iona Shearer

Jennifer Lawrence, America's most unlikely sweetheart, has once again come out of her latest venture with an Oscar nomination and a performance lauded by critics world-over. Joy, the semi-biopic about the American entrepreneur Joy Mangano, is a testament to Lawrence's ability to hold together even the most bizarre and patchy of films. From the half-hearted omniscient narration

FILM Matthew Colfer TWITTER: @MCOLFER1

'Same old Tarantino' Quentin Tarantino’s new western, The Hateful Eight, is a slight change from his usual contemporary based works in the timeframe it takes place in, but in regard to other aspects very little has changed. Coarse language, lengthy monologues, and violence graphic and gory enough to make you wince are all prominent in this three-hour tale of eight men snowed-in in a cabin in the scenic Wyoming Mountains with the notorious Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who is under the watch of bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell). On his way to Red Rock with Domergue in his custody and a blizzard approaching, Ruth meets fellow bounty hunter and civil war veteran Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), and new town sheriff Chris Mannix (Walter Goggins) to both of whom he cautiously offers transport after both find themselves stranded with no other way to their destination. The coach journey leads the

Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

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- provided by Joy's seemingly irrelevant grandmother - to the surrealist soap-opera dream sequences that may or may not provide an allegorical reflection of Joy's life, the film is nothing if not absurd. Nevertheless, its non-Hollywoodness is part of its charm, and despite the sea of loathsome characters who make up the bulk of the supporting cast, Lawrence's charisma and general badassery manage to turn this film from a depressing illustration of the terribleness of people, to an uplifting tale of triumph against adversity. The film, we are told, is about strong women. A young Joy says she has a magic power, where she can live happily ever after without a prince. And certainly Lawrence provides a more than adequate depiction of an independent woman who knows what she wants and how to get it herself. The other female char-

acters, however, are disappointingly vapid by comparison. Even Joy's poisonous financial investor, Trudy, is only able to put on a display of power when men are involved. The portrayal of Joy's heinous family is both the film's strength and weakness. Starting at her cloyingly pathetic mother and peaking at her hateful and jealous half-sister, the members of Joy's family are hard to watch, but impossible to turn away from. They provide a wonderfully visceral depiction of the suffocation and repression Joy faces in her life – not necessarily pleasant viewing - but a factor that, in the end, sweetens Joy's overall success. Few characters in this film are exempt from the label “revolting”. However the small but sparkling performances of Edward Ramirez and the ubiquitous Bradley Cooper, not only add a much-needed lightness to the film, but help Lawrence keep it from falling down the drain that it is perpetually circling.Then there is Joy's grandmother who, while not so terrible as the rest of the family, is bewilderingly unnecessary to the entire film, even as a narrator. Yet despite these shortcomings, and some issues with structure and pace, Joy is still a film worth watching. Bearing in mind that the storyline is frustrating by nature, as most trials in life are, it is easy to forgive the unbearable family and the unjust humiliations – they are all part of what makes the story worth telling. Lawrence's portrayal of Joy Mangano not only results in a mildly inspiring feel good film, but is also an impressive display of how the young actress can take a film that's a shambles, and almost make it look like it's meant to be that way.

COMEDY

Hardest working man in comedy 'An unmissable show' Olivia Powell Jimmy Carr brought his ‘Funny Business’ tour to Dublin in December. Carr played sold out shows at the Olympia Theatre on December 11th and 12th. Such was the demand for the comedian, special late night shows were added meaning that he played two gigs in one night. Carr has been named the hardest working man in comedy and is known mostly for hosting panel shows such as 8 out of 10 cats. His famous one liners can be seen whilst he is presenting but his live comedy is where he is at his best as he is free to say whatever he feels. Also known for his controversial comedy, Carr did not fail to impress. The reception he received from a slightly rowdy and tipsy Dublin

crowd could not have been better. However, not everyone was enjoying his comedy genius, mid show a couple decided to get up and leave which Jimmy immediately light heartedly reacted to and asked them why they were leaving, there was no response. Jimmy interacts with his audience a lot when performing stand up, even before he came on stage there was interaction. To warm up the audience as they walked into the theatre, the screen on the stage read “If you want to ask Jimmy a question, send him a text or even heckle him then contact this number.” The audience did not hesitate as their witty texts and pointless heckles were read out later in the show which deemed a very enjoyable and successful part of the gig.

Askmen.com

The Hateful Eight four individuals and stage coach driver OB (James Parks) to Minnie’s Haberdashery where they soon get acquainted with Minnie’s newest employee Bob (Demián Bichir), cowboy Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), confederate war veteran General Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern) and the eccentric Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth). Roth, who previously worked with Tarantino on Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction plays a role which does not appear to be written for him but perhaps was written for Christopher Waltz (Spectre, Django Unchained) with his natural ability to portray characters with eccentric mannerisms, constant smile and whimsical storytelling such as Roth’s in The Hateful Eight. Roth excels in the role however, perhaps harnessing his inner Christopher Waltz to portray his character of Oswaldo Mobray who is the only one who offers a contrast from the rest of the group. Under the surface Tarantino appears to be trying to convey that there are no “good guys” when it comes to war. This can be seen in a confrontation between the two civil war veterans Warren and Smithers,

ultra panavision

both of whom fought on opposite sides. As well as this there are other examples in the actions of Warren later on in the film. The way in which Tarantino shot the film is fantastic with the use of overhead cameras offering a different perspective than the usual over the shoulder or close up shots in addition to the typical Tarantino style of using extended close up shots

during monologues. The most accomplished aspect of the entire film however is Ennio Morricone’s superb score. Morricone’s orchestral tracks set the mood for each scene so perfectly and help convey the mood conveyed by Tarantino’s characters. The most notable negative element of The Hateful Eight is the somewhat unnecessary narration

which occurs just after the intermission midway through the epic tale and again roughly one hour later. Overall this is a great film and lives up to the hype, although some might be put off by Tarantino’s attachment to graphic violence he does not let this overshadow an easy-to-follow storyline, earned comedy and masterful score.

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CULTURE

THE 5 MOST ANTICIPATED GIGS OF 2016

Hans Zimmer

Neil Young + Promise Of The Real

3Arena- May 26th

3Arena- June 8th

Aoife Gallagher

Adele 3Arena- March 4th and 5th

Adele is the kind of artist that doesn’t come around very often in this day and age. With the release of the highly anticipated single Hello in November and subsequent third album 25, she had the world entranced. Her flawless vocals and astonishing, yet simple melodies mixed with lyrics that could bring a sociopath to tears made 25 the biggest selling album of 2015. Adele has admitted to suffering from stage fright but is facing her fears by embarking on an 8 month tour across Europe and North America. If you were one of the very lucky people to scoop up tickets for her Dublin shows, bring your tissues and please refrain from watching the entire concert through your phone.

You know the name, and you definitely know the music, but did you realise that Hans Zimmer has provided the soundtracks to over one hundred films? His compositions have won many awards including an Academy Award for The Lion King, a Golden Globe for Gladiator and a Grammy Award for The Dark Knight. For the first time he is bringing his

live show to Ireland accompanied by his band, orchestra and full choir. Expect to be blown away by what is promised to be a ‘visual spectacle’ with world-renowned lighting designer Marc Brickman providing the optical treats on the night. Tickets on sale now

Muse

At the grand age of 70, veteran folk-singer Neil Young is still touring up a storm. Last year, he released his 36th studio album, The Monsanto Years (no doubt a middle finger to the multinational agrochemical corporation) along with his backing band Promise of the Real feature Willie Nelson’s sons Lukas and Micah. The accompanying 23-stop US

tour featured sets which often exceeded three hours with no set list being the same as the previous. Although Young doesn’t look like he’s going to slow down anytime soon, this may be the last chance to catch one of the true legends of the folk era on the live stage.

Dixie Chicks

3Arena- April 5th

3Arena- May 4th

The unmistakable vocal presence of Muse’s frontman Matt Bellamy is enough to send shivers down your spine. The English trio released their 7th album, Drones, last year and accompanied it with a 112 date world tour. The band are not only known for their flawless live sound but also their use of lighting and visual effects to create a show that will leave your senses tingling. The Drones tour sees them perform ‘in the round’ giving the audience a 360 degree view of the show.

Hallelujah! The undisputed queens of country music are back on the road. The outspoken Chicks have kept a low profile since winning 5 Grammys in 2007 for their controversial album Taking the Long Way. Since then, Natalie Maines has released a solo album titled Mother and sisters Martie and Emily continued to make music as The Courtyard Hounds. This spring, the three ladies are returning to the stage as the almighty Dixie Chicks on the MMXVI World Tour.

THE 5 MOST ANTICIPATED ALBUMS OF 2016 Aoife Gallagher

Lady Gaga

Kanye West

Metallica

TBA TBA

SWISH February 11th

TBA TBA

January 29th Lady Gaga is the queen of reinvention in today’s pop world. Since her last release, ARTPOP, in 2013 she has sung jazz with Tony Bennett, appeared in the hit TV series American Horror Story and collaborated with legendary songwriter Diane Warren on the epic ballad ‘Til It Happens To You’ for the documentary film The Hunting Ground. Gaga has been spotted in the studio with Chic’s Nile Rodgers hinting at the prospect of going disco. She also had a few studio sessions with funk-pop producer Mark Ronson and recorded a song with Beatles legend Paul McCartney. She has said that the album will be a ‘wonderful, soul-searching experience’. The wait will be worth it.

The mysterious face of Sia Furler has leant her writing skills to a number of massive artists including Adele, Rihanna and Beyonce. This year she is set to release her seventh studio album. Sia explained that ‘Most of the songs, if not all of them, I wrote for other people, and they were rejected. And so they are generally songs that are not from my perspective, and so it feels like acting’. ‘Alive’, the first single from the album was written for and rejected by Adele. Expect loud, epic tunes which will no doubt go hand in hand with Sia’s artistic and visual flare, seen before in her music videos for ‘Elastic Heart’ and ‘Chandelier’.

March 11th Little seems to be known about the Kanye West’s seventh studio album unless you count tweets from the Kardashian clan talking about how great it is. In the past year he has released singles collaborating with Paul McCartney, Rihanna, Sia and Vic Mensa but West reported having trouble picking a tracklist for his upcoming album so it is still unclear whether any of these will appear among the mix. In the past two weeks he has dropped a number of snippets including tracks with Kendrick Lamar and Ty Dolla $ign. Watch this space.

After the phenomenal success of the Dublin band’s debut Absolute Zero in 2013 which hit the top spot in the Irish Album charts, their follow-up is a welcome treat for this coming year. The first single titled ‘The Song They Play Every Night’ is now available and offers a glimpse into the contents of the much anticipated album. With a helping hand from Hozier producer Rob Kirwan, Ephemera will expectedly be one of the Irish gems of 2016. Little Green Cars are embarking on a North American tour in March before returning home for a number of gigs in early summer.

As one of the world’s most influential metal bands, they are long overdue a follow up to 2008’s Death Magnetic. They are staying tight lipped about their newest release with James Hetfield saying it can be expected in late 2016. Lars Ulrich said the group were working on more than 20 songs on the heels of their 2014 tour single ‘Lords of Summer’. They also released a teaser video of Hetfield playing a crushing new guitar riff in studio. With only one tour date scheduled for the year, they’ll have plenty of time to work on and perfect their latest tracks.

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Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

SOCCER

Zayed ready to capitalise on Sports Scholarship Donagh Corby Business Management student and sports scholar, Adam Zayed has proven time and time again that he has the ability to go far in the world of Irish soccer. With experience at League of Ireland giants, Shelbourne and first division challengers UCD alongside a number of Irish Under-age international caps, Zayed was an obvious candidate for the sports scholarship scheme. Speaking to the Edition, Zayed told reporter Donagh Corby, that it was the DIT Coaches that got behind him on his sports scholarship scheme. “I was playing with the DIT team last year and as it was my first year in college I wasn't too aware of it [the sports scholarship scheme]. I got word of it through our coach who thought I had a good chance of getting it. “I knew about it before I got into college, but I didn’t really think I’d be in contention to get one. But obviously the coaches rated me highly enough and they said I should apply and I got it this year.” Zayed was on the cusp of a spot in UCD’s first team in the League of Ireland before attending DIT. Despite other players studying in different colleges and some even doing the Leaving Cert, Adam believes his educational situation made it “tricky” to play for the South Dublin side. “They want their players to be in UCD because it’s easier for them to sign people for the first team with regards contracts and money and all that. “I personally think that going to DIT is why it didn't work out for me there. But there’s been other cases like that. I played with Ayman Ben Mohammed who was going to Trinity and they more or less let him go and now look at him; he’s signed for Bohemians and he was flying at Longford Town last year.” Adam’s brother Eamon Zayed is a legendary striker in Irish football, with prolific spells at Bray Wanderers, Shamrock Rovers, Derry City, Sporting Fingal and Sligo Rovers coming in-between moves to Iran’s biggest club Perspeolis where he scored a legendary hat-trick after coming off the bench against arch-rivals Esteghal in the Tehran derby. He is also a Libyan international with 8 caps. When asked about his sibling’s importance to DIT sporting life, the forward, now at American club Indy Eleven had this to say: “Some sports people are late bloomers and I feel Adam is an example as he will get better and better. “His fundamentals are fantastic;

he’s hard-working, he has a will to improve and succeed and he has a huge passion for football. He’s got the talent and quality, I've seen it time and time again and to add to that he's one of the fittest guys I know! If he builds on the mental aspect of belief and confidence, he will go to the top of his sport in Ireland and possibly further. DIT have got a tremendous asset and role model on their roster.” Adam is confident that his brother’s goal-scoring ability runs in the family, who have many sporting links. His sister Louise was a presenter on Extratime.ie for a few years between 2009 and 2011. “When people see the name, they think I'm a striker. I suppose I'm a good enough finisher but it is definitely something I need to improve on. I like to think of myself as a box-to-box midfielder, but I tend to play higher up in the midfield. I think the closest I get to playing striker is that sometimes I can play in the hole, which is similar I guess. “I think the sporting gene runs in my family a bit. My dad was a boxer.

When you’re a League of Ireland player you’re recognizable, but nobody would stop you if they saw you walking down the street. I'm not sure how good he was but he was a boxer! Both of my sisters are quite sporty as well. One of them is always in the gym and my other sister played hockey.” While Adam was plugging away at home back in 2012, his brother was making a name for himself in Iran with his famous Tehran derby hattrick. When Adam went to visit him in the Middle East, he was surprised to see that he now had a famous brother. “When you’re a League of Ireland player you’re recognizable, but nobody would stop you if they saw you walking down the street. When I went over with his girlfriend he was a proper superstar. People would see him in the shop and ask him for photos and stuff. He’s done well for himself in a load of mad countries, but in Iran definitely it’s the craziest… Even now I get comments on Instagram asking me to tell him to join.” In most cases for a young soccer player in Ireland, the goal is to go over to England early on, or use the domestic league as a stepping stone for a move across the pond. However, with his brother having achieved success in following a unique ave-

nue, would this new method appeal to Adam? “When I was younger, because my dad’s Libyan and we have a very foreign name I’d get in touch with random agents and that happened with my brother a lot as well. I’m not sure if there was ever an official approach from a club, but agents would try to get me to go over to some mad countries. But really there was no chance of that. I was a young lad living in Ireland and I had to do my Leaving Cert and I just wouldn’t have been able to do it. “About a year and a half ago there were a lot of random people trying to get me to play in Libya because of my roots there.” Zayed’s DIT team finished second in the College and Universities Football League Premier Division North group which included Maynooth, UCD, DCU, Trinity and Athlone IT. They went out in the quarter finals to Colaiste Stíofáin Naofa losing to two penalties despite Adam himself scoring the goal for DIT. “We were really unlucky, we probably should have got something from that game. They had Danny Murphy [former Queens Park Rangers player and Cork City captain] playing for them, but still we were the better team I thought. “But we did well. Especially considering we lost our first game to Maynooth 1-0. Then we lost to UCD, but we really really should have got something from that. We’re in the cup against Athlone on the 26th so hopefully we can win that and go on to do well and win the cup.” One things for sure regarding Adam Zayed, he is a soccer player who is definitely one to watch for the future.

Exclusive Libyan Teams/Facebook

Credit Adam Zayed/Facebook

Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

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SPORT

MOUNTAINEERING

Weathering the storm SINEAD FARRELLY DEPUTY EDITOR

DIT’s mountaineering club’s most recent trip to Glendalough last month before the Christmas break found the club being battered by Storm Desmond as it hit Ireland. After arriving at the hostel on the first night of their now annual winter weekend the electricity went out cutting power to lighting and heating, however, not to be deterred they used this as an excuse to practice their camping survival skills and lit a fire so as to keep warm, but then discovered the fireplace was blocked to had to abandon the fire due to smoke filling the living room. Next up on the list of disasters that the club had to battle was the storm cutting off the water supply to the hostel leaving the club committee debating on whether or not to continue the trip, but after making it through the first night they were able to continue the weekend, with some minor disruptions, including the club members being forced to source clan water from a nearby stream. However, by the final day the weather had cleared and they were able to boulder as originally

planned. Club chairperson Ally Howard admits that while the storm did make things more difficult for the club, it lead to a brilliant experience of true mountaineering club all club members involved. “The weekend was defiantly an experience for all members. The trip may have not gone the best but you learn a lot more when things go wrong. I was very happy with the outcome of this trip. It gave our fresher’s a chance to see what it is like to live outdoors with limited supplies. It gave them the experience of being in a remote area and having to go look for supplies.” She said. More recently the Irish intervarsity rock climbing competition for 2016 has been announced and will be held in UCD on February 26th. As well as the traditional competition aspect, this year will also feature a guest speaking appearance from Nick Bullock followed by a social event. DIT will be going to the event hoping to improve upon their 7th place finish last year.

FOOTBALL

Senior footballers prepping well for Sigerson challenge Mark Donlon

This year's O'Byrne Cup campaign can be looked back on with considerable pride for DIT. While the team may not have gone all the way, they took the scalps of inter county sides such as Wexford and Louth and looked to be progressing well as a unit. The victory over Wexford was a particular high point, with the team behind by seven points as the game went to half time. It is often the nature of such games that the waves of attack don't stop and the side on the receiving end fold. To buck this trend with a fantastic comeback was a credit to the personnel and those conducting them on sideline. The performance against a dominant Kildare side is not a conten-

tious issue. Often times the county football sides can gain a foothold in a game and build on it comfortably with their firepower. It must also be acknowledged that the team rounded off the campaign with a win against Louth. A win is a welcome tonic at any juncture but with the Sigerson Cup approaching, the win over Louth was a huge confidence builder. The team pushed the boat out in these fixtures and will be the better for their experiences both positive and negative as we look ahead to the Sigerson Cup. Our footballers will face a stern test in the first round of the Sigerson Cup as they take on St Mary's of Belfast on Tuesday the 26th of January. DIT GAA Development Officer Darragh Biddelcombe said the team have worked diligently over the festive period in preparation for the

“

The team pushed the boat out in these fixtures and will be the better for their experiences both positive and negative as we look ahead to the Sigerson Cup.

”

first round tie: "The lads have been working very hard, they got together and trained before Christmas." "They had a challenge game against Bray Emmet's also." The two sides are no strangers to each other and have been involved in some humdinger affairs in the last couple of years. Darragh alluded to previous battles between the sides: " We played them in the Ryan Cup in the 2012/13 season and won after extra time... in the 2013/14 season we beat them by a point in the Sigerson Cup." Darragh also commented on the recent rejuvenation the Belfast outfit have experienced: "They're a very strong outfit and have just added Ronan O'Neill who used to play Sigerson football for Jordanstown. It'll be a very tough test for our guys."

Operation Transformation DIT’s ninth year of Operation Transformation began this year on the 15th January following five ‘leaders’, as they attempt to reshape their lives, physically and mentally and the DIT OT Team will be inspired and encouraged to follow the OT Leaders life changing journey. During this seven week period the DIT OT Team will be supported and guided by Four DIT Operation Transformation Service professionals – Sport and Recreation, Health Centre, Counselling, and Dietetics Services supported by the Department of Biological Sciences in the fields of fitness, nutrition and psychology until the grand finale at the end of February. At the end of the Challenge it is a goal of all participants to have the confidence and self-belief to participate in the Operation Transformation 3k Fun Run which will be held at DIT Grangegorman Campus on Friday 26th February.

Sport 24

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Tuesday, January 26th, 2016 Zayed ready to capitalise on sports scholarship Weathering the storm O'Byrne Cup campaign

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SPORTS EDITORIAL SINEAD FARRELLY DEPUTY EDITOR

College claims win over cats SINEAD FARRELLY DEPUTY EDITOR

DIT’s experience of the Walsh Cup this year has seen ups and downs with the most considerable high of the process coming in the form of a win over current All Ireland champions Kilkenny. DIT were drawn in group A of the Bórd na Móna Walsh Cup this year alongside Kilkenny and Offaly, with Offaly being the team to go through to the semi final stages, with Kilkenny surprisingly losing both of their group stage matches. DIT’s opening match saw them conceding defeat to Offaly as the Faithful county netted four goals and 28 points against the college side with DIT only scoring 10 points in reply. DIT came back stronger in their second match and overcame Kilkenny to claim a 4-14 to 0-16 victory

over a young side which saw none of the All Ireland finalists from 2015 making an appearance. Two goals from Wexford’s Conor McDonald as well as goals from Jack Guiney and Cian O’Donoghue were crucial to DIT as they came back from being six points down to take the win. Despite DIT taking the initial lead, after 28 minutes Kilkenny lead 0-09 to 0-03 but as DIT began to raise the

Despite DIT taking the initial lead, after 28 minutes Kilkenny lead 0-09 to 0-03 but as DIT began to raise the green flag the firmly had the control of the match. green flag the firmly had the control of the match. Speaking to the Edition earlier this season, men’s senior hurling manag-

er Eoin Brislane said that the Walsh Cup is generally used by the college so as to get match ready for the pinnacle of third level hurling, the Fitzgibbon Cup. The draw for the Fitzgibbon Cup was made last month with DIT being placed in a tough group C alongside UL, NUIG and Mary Immaculate, with the two Limerick colleges traditionally well placed within the tournament. Brislane stressed the importance of having competitive matches in the first semester so as to gel the squad together heading into the Fitzgibbon Cup campaign after Christmas. DIT reached the quarter finals of the Fitzgibbon Cup last year and one of Brislane’s main goals for this year is to reach the finals weekend which is being hosted by CIT next semester with Jordanstown being the hosts of this year’s Sigerson Cup finals weekend. Last year DIT struggled to get competitive matches ahead of the Fitzgibbon Cup as they were

knocked out of the league in the group stages leaving them with waiting until the Championship pre-season before they faced off in another competitive match. "There’s such a small window before the Fitzgibbon Cup so game time is very important to try and gel the group together as a team. Competitive matches are what you really need, you can train all you want but it’s competitive games that make the difference.” Said Brislane. Elsewhere in DIT GAA the senior camogie team will be beginning their championship action this week in a round two match against St Pats. The 2014 and 2015 Purcell Cup finalists will be hoping that this year they will finally get their hands on the trophy. The team have enjoyed successes so far this season having done well in the league last semester including wins over Maynooth and DCU as well as winning the camogie Super 7s tournament last month.

As I sit here about to embark on my next adventure on Erasmus to Utrecht in the Netherlands I am finally relinquishing control of my beloved sports section over to Donagh Corby and Mark Donlon (don’t break her lads please I’ve worked hard on this!!). There are several things I have learned from my time editing the sports section of The Edition particularly with regards to the dedication that so many people put into so many different sports here in DIT. DIT’s dedication to minority sports and non-elite athletes has always been something that I have admired within the college. There have been many people who have picked up a new sport since coming to DIT and have found themselves excelling in it and finding a real passion for the sport, while there are also numerous athletes who have flourished under the elite programmes as well. I have never found myself short of material for myself and the team of writers at The Edition to cover, and for that I must thank the club committees for always helping us out and giving us information, however, please do give us more warning of events happening in the future! Too many times I found myself receiving an email about a match that was taking place that day! Sports reporting by its nature is very much result based, and DIT has certainly had its fair share of ups and downs in that department over the past year and a half, but I can honestly say that I have learned as much, if not more, from overlooking this section than I have in my three years of studying journalism! (Apologies to Kate and all in the school of media!) Of course a huge thank you has to go to the amazing team in the sports office for having put up with me over the past year and a half! To Sinéad, Caragh, Niamh, Herbie, John and Darragh thank you all so much, you all have the absolute patience of a saint, and I will be coming back for my desk in the office in September!