DIT’s Independent Student Newspaper
www.edition.ie
Friday, December 12th, 2014
IN SPORT:
DIT STAR OF THE FALL
LETTERS TO SANTA, TOP XMAS FILMS AND JUMPERS
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PAGE 23
MINI FASHION SHOW
CAMOGIE SETBACK AS LIGHTS GO OUT ON LEAGUE SEMI
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edition.ie
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL:
IN LIFESTYLE:
COLM 'THE GOOCH' COOPER LAUNCHES DIT SHIRT SPONSORS
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NEWS DIGEST – THE EDITION IN 5 MINUTES, ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW – P2 NEWLY BUILT PITCHES
Credit: DIT Students' Union
Low fence height halts teams from using new pitches
DIT has second highest percentage of male staff
Top dog
Teams look set to continue using local clubs for 'home' competitive fixtures until end of season
EDITOR
DIT sports clubs remain without home grounds for competitive matches as fences at the newly constructed all-weather pitches in Grangegorman are too low for certain sports. Teams will have to continue using other clubs’ facilities as the pitches, which were expected to be completed by mid-October, remain unsuitable until higher 13m 'ball-stop' netting is constructed.
NEWS Exam Clash
DIT schedules exam to clash with ski trip
BBC 1 legend at DIT
The Radio Society invites renowned DJ Annie Mac
Writing centre open New academic support service now open
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The 2.5m high fence is too low for competitive soccer matches which will have to wait until netting – to protect passers-by in the area – is erected. When opened in January 2015, the pitches can only be used for 'drills, skill development and competitive matches of a small-sided nature'. DIT will have to apply for planning permission to Dublin City Council for
Continued
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iStory kicks off
Rudolph comes early to Grangegorman VP for Events, Ciara Murnane poses with reindeer that visited the college on Wednesday
Original Rude Boys kick off DIT radio coverage
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NOT THE PAGE 6 NEWS LIFESTYLE
CULTURE
SPORT
6 The college dictionary 6 One sod turns another 6
16 Festive top five 17 December Gig guide 19
Date with Dubs
12 Christmas explained 13 The hill of Tara 15
DIT's letters to santa
Where's me jumper
Interview: Versive
The complex language of DIT decoded
Ten things you didn't know about Christmas
The best films and songs during the festive season
Presidents write to the man in the red coat.
The start of Grangegorman construction remembered
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At last puppy room makes visit to DIT
DIT awaits planning permission for ball-stop netting to protect passers-by at Grangegorman Barry Lennon
Gender issue
The top five shops to buy your Christmas jumper
Former DIT student, from BBC's The Fall, interviewed
New Dublin band sets to buck trend
What's on in Dublin this month
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DIT set for Dubs as Walsh & Sigerson Cup announced
Bloodied Sunday
Book on1920s tragedy reviewed
Leg-up
Mountaineers give youth group a start
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Friday, December 12th, 2014
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NEWS
News:
In Numbers 8 minutes
DIT camogie played eight minutes before lights went out
74%
Percentage of male senior staff in DIT, second highest in Ireland
THE DIGEST
editor@edition.ie
Five minutes before class, this Edition summed up in brief
NEWS
NEWS
Dr Ellen Hazelkorn on the recently released figures of male/female ratios at the top levels in irish universities which shows the college as bad as everyone else.
DIT Radio Society invite legendary BBC Radio One DJ Annie Mac to give a questions and answers session at the college
BBC Radio One legend visits DIT
Second highest rate of male senior staff
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1939
The year Rudolph was given his red nose
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NEWS
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Puppies at last for stressed students
Number of DIT archers at recent intervarsities
After jumping the red tape a puppy room for DIT finally became a reality. Dog owners from canine therapy group, Peata were invited to show off their prized pets to students.
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Number of sleeps left until Christmas
The Brown Thomas voucher on offer in Socs Christmas raffle
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It's not a question of better or worse, we're all really bad. A couple of percentage points doesn't make a difference – Dr Ellen Hazelkorn
CULTURE
OPINION
The New Maynooth band that is ready to set the world alight writes culture editor, Rachel D'Arcy
Ciarán Hyland discovers the ideal hipster success story in a Dublin based sandwich bar
New kids on the block
Killer Sandwiches
NOT THE PAGE 6 NEWS
Letter to Santa
OPINION
More than in class
Dublin MEP Brian Hayes writes about how Erasmus can teach you more than you might learn in a lecture theatre
Seachtain na Gaeilge
Tá tús curtha le Seachtain na Gaeilge 2015 le lámhleabhar Sheachtain na Gaeilge 2015 scaipthe ar grúpaí agus eagraíocht pobail ar fud an domhain le seachtain anuas. ►Page 11
LIFESTYLE
Counties and colleges clash in January, during the annual O'Byrne and Walsh cups, with the DIT Senior hurlers in for a tough test at Parnell Park.
Rebekah Tunstead speaks to a DIT student who is finding it hard to cope with day to day life, but where is the help coming from?
Depression sets in
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SPORT
Crazy Cat walks
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You'll be delighted to know, there's nothing Christmassy about this quiz. Tackle our last one of 2014. Can you get full marks? ►Page 21
SPORT
Lights out!
Blackout at Parnells GAA club saw DIT lose home advantage for their camogie semi-final. If only we had our very own facilities. ►Page 24
GOOD OLD DAYS
LIFESTYLE
Acceptable in the 80s
...or just tip us off to the scéal.
LIFESTYLE
The Fashion Soc got cracking with their first big event of the college year, with a mini catwalk.
The GAA quiz
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SPORT
DIT v Dubs
AN T-EAGRÁN
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THE ED I T ION .
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Brian Norton writes to Santy, but what do you get the man who has everything?
Write for
DIT's doc maker Aoife Kelleher, maker of 'One Million Dubliners', advises DIT students
€50
Quote of the day
CULTURE
Exclusive: The fall
The Edition takes a look at past student publications during the 1980s. Featuring deep throat columnist and a note from Bolton Street SU shop
Tara Lee, the singer/songwriter who is making herself known as an actress in the Fall, speaks to the Edition.
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Friday, December 12th, 2014
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Christmas count down celebrations at DIT
NEWS Credit: The Reel Society and DIT Students' Union
750 in DIT on register for equality vote DIT have registered 750 students to vote with their campaign in association with the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), ahead of the marriage equality referendum in 2015. The numbers are significantly lower in comparison to that of the other large colleges in the country, with University College Cork registering 3,500. LGBT chairperson, Toryn Glavin has defended the college’s campaign, insisting that the large number of campuses around the city made it difficult. “We don’t have representatives in all of the campuses so it’s difficult to get around to each one. We also have an older population at DIT, so a lot may have registered prior to this,” said Glavin.
Exam numbers to be reviewed
Edition Reporter The count-down to Christmas kicked in DIT with the arrival of Santa Claus in Aungier Street as part of DIT Societies Christmas Appeal. Pictured above is Michael Batton, the man in the red coat and Societies President Kaytee Behan. While pictured right is Taz Kelleher, Michael Batten and Owen Costello oustide Santa's Grotto in Aungier Street. DIT Students Union were also busy arranging for Reindeer to arrive at Grangegorman ( pictured left).
Original Rude Boys kick off iStory radio with in studio performance Michelle Dardis As DIT FM made it’s way back to our airwaves via the iStory App, numerous bands came in to play live, but one in particular act which drew an audience, was The Original Rudeboys. The band, consisting of Sean “Neddy” Arkins, Rob Burch and Sean Walsh AKA “Walshy”, came into DIT to perform on Topical, Monday December 8th. The group took time out of their busy schedule for a chat and to preform a couple of songs, including a spur of the moment cover of Runaway by The Corrs and their latest single Never Alone. Their new song is currently raising money for charity, with all proceeds raised going to Walk In My Shoes and Console, two charities which the group are heavily involved in. “With the new single, we wrote it
News Bulletin
Original rude boys
when we were building up to album number two, All We Are. We never had the intention of it being a charity single, but the more we listened to it, the more we realised it was open to that interpretation. It’s just to remind people that you’re never alone really no matter what you’re going through.
Walk in my Shoes is definitely one of the best charities around. Mental health is so important in young people and they are fighting the battle,” said Rob. Neddy continued, “We were already tied in with Console. We had a song about suicide on the first album and
the proceeds from that went to Console. It’s something that’s close to the three of us, so we for the second album, we wanted to help out a few more charities.” The Original Rudeboys were able to support and promote the charities while on DIT FM, and the band were happy to be able to do it in such a laid back environment. Walshy admitted that the band “never really went through college properly”, so they were happy to come for a couple of hours to chat, play a game on air and perform an acoustic set. According to Rob, “It’s always fun. We go into the big radio stations and we love doing sessions, so to come into college where it’s a little bit more laid back and a little bit more chilled and people are your age or just thereabouts, it’s really fun.” The group could enjoy some downtime before getting back to business and stuck into rehearsals for their show this coming weekend in the Academy, Dublin.
DIT is reviewing its system for identifying students during exam periods as it continues to integrate its exams offices over. Different colleges in DIT use different systems, with some using student numbers and others using seperate exam numbers during examinations. Concern was raised that a student could be more easily identified using their student number, at a recent Student Council meeting. However Head of Administration Jennefer Farrell said that student numbers were in fact more secure. "Bar the first letter and two digits, student numbers are completely randomly generated, makin it harder for a student to be identified," she said. "Whereas the exam numbers used in DIT are assigned in alphabetical order of a students name within a class, making it much easier as an identifier."
DIT student for best entrepreneur DIT student Ian Coleman has been shortlisted for the final of Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur competition with his new enterprise 'Life Bites'. 'Life Bites' is an an online dietician clinic which allows the user to monitor their physical activity and nutritional intake on regular basis. "Using our website, the customer can have an initial video call with a dietician," he said. "Their nutritional intake is then tracked on an app made by our partner 'Nutritics' while their physical activity is tracked by an app made by our partner 'TickerFit' - both brilliant Irish Companies." The prize winners of the Best Young Entrepreneur competition, which is run by Local Enterprise Offices around the country, can win an investment of up to €70,000.
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NEWS
“
News:
THE EDITION
HAVEYOURSAY
I have one exam on the 15th of December and then another on the 7th of January. I’d rather have the exams before Christmas because then you can relax and spend the time with your family instead of having to study for exams. Leanne Salmon, 18, Journalism
Friday, December 12th, 2014
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editor@edition.ie
Liam Kennedy asked DIT students would they rather have exams before Christmas or afterwards?
Definitely before Christmas. You just want to get it over and done with so there’s nothing to worry about, and you get longer Christmas holidays as well. During Christmas you don’t want to study.
After Christmas. I’m in my final year now. They’ve always been after Christmas and this year they were moved to before Christmas. I prefer to have them after because you have more time to study and to enjoy Christmas.
Sadbh Ní Nualláin, 22, Film and Broadcasting with a Language
Lorcan Ahern, 23, Business Studies
Probably before, because you want to have time to relax after the semester and see the family. It would be a bit annoying having it weighing over you throughout the time you have off
Niall Reynolds, 19, Film and Broadcasting
BBC Radio 1 legend, Annie Mac visits Radio soc Conor Shields Superstar DJ and BBC Radio 1 presenter, Annie Mac gave an insightful and interesting talk to DIT DJ and Radio Societies, held in DIT Aungier Street. Ahead of her gig at The Academy that same night, the Irish presenter graced our presence last Wednesday night for an hour-long Q&A session about her career as the presenter of both her Friday night electronic music show Annie Mac and her Sunday night show, The Musical Hot Water Bottle. She also took questions about her other job as an international DJ and her iconic compilation record entitled Annie Mac Presents. Annie started with her time studying broadcasting at Queens University in Belfast before moving onto her first job working as a producer in BBC Radio 1. “No matter how good you are, there’s always a strategy or system with them, it was hard work”, said Annie as she recalled her first job
Annie Mac with students (pictured left) and (above) being interviewed by Nathan O'Reilly and Graham O'Toole. Credit: The Radio Society
interview with BBC Radio 1. Annie Mac is best known for her iconic Friday night dance music show, Annie Mac, where she previews the newest dance music tracks from the biggest names in electronic music and is credited with launching the careers of such big names like twin duo-act Disclosure. When asked
about this, Annie described this as a highlight of her career. “Breaking in a new artist is somewhat like your currency in BBC Radio 1, that’s what you become known for”, she said. Annie also spoke about her upcoming music festival, Lost & Found festival, which will take place on April 3rd to 5th in 2015 in Malta. When
asked about her incredible line-up, which includes the likes of Ten Walls, Duke Dumont, Kerri Chandler and a set from the woman herself, her response was both humorous and honest. “ I just made a list of people I wanted, gave it to the promoters and they did it. It was really quite amazing!”
Mrs MacManus then rounded off the session by taking a few questions from eager fans, but not before the legend herself offered guestlist to everybody in the room for her gig that night. Annie Mac Presents 2014 is available now to download on Itunes.
Friday, December 12th, 2014
DIT has second highest percent of senior male academic staff New HEA report does not make good reading for the college Ryan Nugent DEPUTY EDITOR
DIT have the second highest proportion of senior male academic staff in the country, a report has found. The report, published by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) last week compared DIT to other Irish colleges, details a ratio of 3:1 in all lecturer roles. 76%, 74% and 73% of senior lecturers in categories one, two and three, respectively, are men, giving an average of 74% of male senior lecturers in the college. The figures shown above don’t make for good reading for DIT, when it comes to gender equality. However, given the nationwide statistics of the report, it’s a national issue and not one that is specific to DIT. And Director of Higher Education Policy Research Unit at DIT, Ellen Hazelkorn thinks that colleges need to look at whether they are following the nine levels of equality in the national equality legislation and believes that DIT’s statistical position is irrelevant because each college has to
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NEWS
How DIT ranks
Gender divide of senior academic staff in Ireland 21 79
26
27
28
28
29
74
73
72
DIT
UCC
DCU NUIM UCD
72
71
33
67
33 67
UL
TCD
look at themselves. “It’s not a question of better or worse. We’re all really bad, so a couple of percentage points either way won’t make a difference,” Hazelkorn explained. “Are the nine levels of equality being followed? And if they are, are
“Are equality measures being followed? If so, why aren't women getting positions?” - Dr Ellen Hazelkorn women applying for these senior positions. If so, why are they not getting these positions? And if they are not applying for these positions, why not?” said Hazelkorn. Diversity was mentioned a number of times by Hazelkorn, who is also
NUIG
Male Percentage
Female Percentage the policy advisor to the HEA, and has also questioned whether DIT should have an equality committee. No equality committee “There used to be an equality committee and there isn’t anymore, but should there still be one? If colleges are saying, ‘we’ve got one black person, we’ve got one woman, that’s enough’, that’s not enough,” Hazelkorn continued.
“The President needs to look at the DIT – is it getting better or is it getting worse, when it comes to equality and diversity. And whether the situation at senior management level mimics that of senior academic staff, because senior management sets the tone for an institution,” said Hazelkorn. Out of the 26 major colleges (Universities, ITs and colleges linked to the universities), there are only three female presidents, all of which rep-
resent institutes of technology, only 12%, meaning 88% of management staff at third level are male. According to the book ‘Management and Gender in Higher Education’, released earlier in the year, by University of Limerick’s, Professor Pat O’Connor, 81% of senior management are male, an even more harrowing percentage than that of senior academic staff in the country’s third level colleges.
Clubs continue to face difficulties as newly built all-weather pitches' fencing too low for use
Teams must continue to use other clubs as an alternative for home venues Continued from p1 new netting surrounding the pitches which would further delay the project for teams wishing to use the site competitively. It is expected that it could be ready for competitive use in springtime – at the end of the season. The ball-stop netting was not in place in the original masterplan before other sports said they wished to use the pitches. The need for netting was not realised until after construction contracts were signed, Head of Sport Sinéad McNulty explains. "Following consultation with key stakeholders, the pitch specification was altered to incorporate multi sports, and thus the additional requirements for ball-stop netting occurred. This change took place af-
ter the construction contracts were signed," she said. Securing funding (thought to be €100,000) for the netting is unlikely to be an issue unlike the funding for the planned sports centre at Grangegorman. This project looks set for a cut-back, with the current plans in excess of funds available. The situation remains difficult for GAA and soccer teams which have had to use other clubs' facilities for training and as home grounds for competitive fixtures. A situation which Senior Camogie Manager Stephen Hoary described as a ‘struggle’ when speaking to the Edition in September. GAA teams take second pick of these borrowed pitches, having to cancel and rearrange competitive matches to suit the needs of the clubs whose facilities they are using.
DIT hurlers last week at the new all-weather pitches in Grangegorman
Last week the camogie team lost home advantage against WIT due to a floodlight failure at their ‘home’ venue in Parnell’s, already delayed by an earlier match running overtime. Using other clubs has led to teams having to travel greater distances, with one recent DIT hurling challenge match against Dublin being
scheduled at the County Wicklow club, Bray Emmets. Difficult This coupled with the housing crisis has made it difficult for the college to attract high profile sports scholars this year, such as Dubliner and Ireland soccer international Niamh Re-
id-Burke. Burke opted for Jordanstown in County Antrim ahead of more local DIT, despite living in the capital city. The all-weather pitches were the first of the new pitches expected to be ready. Grass pitches at Grangegorman are not expected until Summer 2016 – to allow the grass to grow.
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Friday, or whenever, 2014
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NEWS NOT THE PAGE 6 NEWS
DIT's letters to Santa Claus
Who's been a good girl or boy and who'll end up with a bag of coal?
...BECAUSE WE MADE IT UP
Lookalikes
A bearded Roy Keane and Ayatollah Khomeini Dear Sir,
Brian Norton DIT Rathdown House Grangegorman Lower Dublin 7 Dear Santa,
Dear Santy,
My name is Brian Norton and I have been a very good boy again this year. Thank you Santa for your earlier pre sent of Grangegorman. But I thi nk it would look really cool with some more stuff. This would put the icing on the Christmas cake. . . 1. A technological univer sity
I only want two things for Christmas this year: 1. Everyone to get along and be frwiends 2. An academic calendar that works
2. IT Tallaght 3. IT Blanchardstown 4. The rest of Grangegorman (Especially the last one bec ause the Government are bei ng real slow pokes with the mon ey for this)
The bestest boy in the whole world, Fiachrรก Duffy
Lots of love, Brian
Coming to a cinema near you this Christmas... FROM THE CREATORS OF 'TANGLED' AND HOSPITAL DRAMA 'WRECK-IT-REILLY'
DIT's dictionary 'Water under the broombridge' - (phrase) a topic not worth pursuing anymore due lack of funds.
Ayatollah Khomeini
I wish to bring to light a likeness between Assistant Ireland manager, Roy Keane and former ruler of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini. The pair have a reputation for causing revolution in their own camps and rule with an iron fist. Both are also quick to issue their own personal fatwas against writers. Yours etc, Miss T. Aiken
Fish nets deemed 'wholly inappropriate' for pitch fencing at Grangegorman O Dear
MORAL STANDARDS EDITOR
DIT has deemed it 'wholly inapproriate' that fish net tights would be used as fencing surrounding the new all weather pitches at the new Grangegorman site. The fish nets, donated by staff and students to make the fencing, fail to meet the required 25m height - the minimum for sports played on the new grounds.
FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR DIT SPORTS AND OTHER FACILITIES IS
AT CURRENT LEVELS
Grangegorman - 1) Gone bananas. Origin North Dublin. 2) DIT's future home of its single campus site. DITSU Shops - The Bermuda triangle of DIT. Eideition - How the editor spells Edition (in a rush with little time for proof reading).
DIT will revise its plans on the fencing material, after a number of fuddy-duddies complained that the fish net tights would encourage loose morals among students. Clubs are annoyed this with this delay to the pitches completion. "How are teams are supposed to progress in their tournaments without the appropriate fencing in training? I don't know. Even nylons would've been better than this," said a sports officer.
One sod turning another Turning the Grangegorman sod remembered...
'Getting turkeys to vote for Christmas' - The outcome of the vote on a possible levy for student services at Grangegorman. 'We've enough committees, thanks' rarely said. Not native to DIT.
Roy Keane
Now, there's a hole to put your water meter in Not nearly as big as the hole you're in
Friday, December 12th, 2014
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PUPPY ROOM IN DIT
NEWS Puppy room visit caps off Welfare November campaign Barry Lennon EDITOR
A puppy room for DIT became a reality for a day. Dog owners from canine therapy group Peata were invited to show off their prized pets to students at DIT as part of the last week of DITSU's November Welfare campaign. Queues (bottom right) started forming before a single dog was on site at Aungier Street with many students dropping by wanting to meet man's best friend.
Academic writing centre opens to students Edition Reporter DIT launched its academic writing centre last week, offering one-to-one advice in Kevin Street and Bolton Street to students writing assignments and doing college work. Maria Jose from the centre explained the new services on offer:. "We have a team of five trained tutors who help students brainstorm, edit and review their work," she said. "We don't write the essay for students but we try and get them to think from the readers point of view." "We only started last week and we're not opening during exam times so we hope to expand the service in the coming semester," she said. "We also do group sessions for people who prefer that." The centre originates from a motion brought forward to DITSU's Student Council. DITSU's Vice President for Education Graham Higginbotham was pleased to see the centre set up "It's fantastic to see up-and-running; the next step is publicising it," he said. "Finding the funds for it were an issue intially. but the union lobbied to keep it to the forefront."
Exam clash Win big in the DIT societies' shakes trust Chirstmas appeal raffle in timetables Stephen Whelan
Snow sports' faith in DIT timetables shook after exams timetabled to clash with planned ski trip Barry Lennon EDITOR
The Snow Sports club's faith in DIT's exam timetabling is 'shaken' after members' exams were sceduled to clash with a pre-booked ski trip. Members had booked the trip to Pas de la Casa in August for January 10th, seeing that they had a review week then with exams scheduled to start beforehand. However, when timetables were published online in mid-November they discovered that some exams clashed with their plans. DIT was forced to reschedule the exams to before the trip after members complained.
Aishling Byrne of DIT Snow Sports. was relieved that a solution was found. "Thankfully, afer we complained we were able to get this changed. Our members could have been in trouble," she said. "If our members had pulled out of the contract with the booking company, they would have been out of pocket and I'm not sure we could have got any insurance." "My worry for the future is that we mightn't have a schedule we can trust when we or anyone else is booking similar trips." The issue comes to light as students prepare for exams before Christmas and afterwards - a change due to change in the academic calendar.
The DIT Societies’ Christmas Appeal Raffle 2014 will take place today. This annual event is always popular with students and staff alike and this year should be no different. All proceeds from the raffle will be used to support this year's Societies’ Christmas Appeal. This year the Appeal is supporting four worthwhile charities; Saint Vincent de Paul, The Simon Community, The Irish Cancer Society and Dogs Trust. Prizes are still coming in, and the Societies Office greatly appreciates the support of it’s alumni, sponsors and partners. Volunteer students have also made a great contribution to collecting prizes and providing for the raffle's success. Tickets for the raffle can be picked up at the Societies Office in Aungier Street, or by getting in touch with any of our Societies. You can also email stephen.whelan@dit.ie if you are interested in collecting tickets, but don’t know who to talk to.
DIT Societies' Christmas appeal is not over yet
Prizes on offer: Tickets for: - Hot Sprockets (Dec 21) - Tommy Tiernan(8thJan) - Jason Byrne(Feb12) - Neil Delamere(Feb20) - Des Bishop(Feb2)
• 40" HD TV • 7" Tablet • Blue Tooth Speaker • A Cycling Hamper • €50 Voucher for Brown Thomas
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Friday, December 12th, 2014
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OPINION
Opinion:
Erasmus is everything you learn outside lecture theatre
EU funding for studying abroad is available now and is a unique opportunity for personal development writes Dublin's MEP
BRIAN HAYES Stephen Fry said that a 'university education' was everything you learnt outside of the lecture theatre: talking to friends and meeting new people. If you were to write about those conversations in an essay, instead of quotes from text books, it wouldn’t help you pass exams but there is an element of truth in what Fry says. Meeting new people, being challenged by alternative points of view, learning about different cultures from a person (instead of Wikipedia) and generally getting out of your comfort zone is the essence of third level education. International travel is a crucial part of that. For generations a J1 in the States or doing an academic exchange has been a traditional rite of passage for Irish students. When I was in college a flight could cost a month’s wages and you needed a doctoral degree in international relations to get all the different visas required to travel across Europe. While this is an alien concept to students now, simply changing from curren-
Travelling to Brussels regularly, Hayes recommends studying abroad
THE EDITION editorial staff Editor Barry Lennon editor@edition.ie Deputy Editor Ryan Nugent deputyed@edition.ie News Desk Senior Reporter: Donal Lucey, News Feature writer: Jack Roland news@edition.ie
cy to currency in each country was a major task and a big cost. That is all a thing of the past. The development and expansion of the European Union and cheap flights through competition have made travelling across Europe much easier. It is still not free, but by being creative with your study options you can give yourself a chance to explore Europe. Funding available The European Union provides funding to students who want to do an exchange in a European university abroad. These exchanges are known by the EU programme that funds them – Erasmus. There is €14.7 billion given by the European Union to fund the Erasmus+ programme from this year until 2020. Erasmus exchanges depend on what subject you are studying. This will determine where you can go. Students who 'do an Erasmus' can study for an academic year in another European country. You are guaranteed that the time spent abroad is recognised by your college when you come back. The choice is huge; There are 4,000 colleges involved. While it might seem like an Erasmus exchange is something for the elite, in 2012-13 over a quarter of a million students took part in Erasmus. The most popular destinations for students were Spain, Germany and France. The most important part is that there are no extra tuition fees payable to the university you visit. You can also apply for an Erasmus grant to help cover the additional expense of living abroad. Everything you need to know is waiting for you in the college’s International Office: International Student Office, DIT, 143-149 Rathmines Road, Dublin 6. You can email them on erasmus@dit.ie or find them at www.dit.ie/study/erasmusandexchange/outgoingstudents/ It’s not just about study or seeing the world. While there is no doubt that studying abroad will help your CV stand out from the crowd when you leave college, there is so much more to the experience. For the vast majority of students on an Erasmus, it will be the first time they have lived abroad. Living in a new country, with a new language and new culture, it is impossible not to develop new levels of independence and self-reliance. These are not the only personal traits that can be gained. Becoming 'culturally competent' is a huge advantage in a world where employment, entertainment, sports and socialising increasingly involve people from all over the world and are multi-cultural. I visited Google’s office in Dublin recently and of the 4,000 staff they employ, many are from overseas. Almost each of the thirteen floors in
editor@edition.ie
Eagarthór Ghaeilge Grayce Ní Lionáird gaeilge@edition.ie Opinion Editor opinion@edition.ie Features Desk features@edition.ie Lifestyle Desk Editor: Rebekah Tunstead, Chief Lifestyle writer: Sarah O'Shea, Books Editor: Rachael O'Brien lifestyle@ edition.ie Culture Desk Editor: Rachel D'Arcy, Chief Culture writers: Lauren McColgan and Daniel Waugh culture@edition.ie Sports Desk Editor:Sinéad Farrelly, Colour writer: Ben Finnegan, Chief sports reporter: Liam McInerney sports@edition.ie Chief Sub-Editor Liam Kennedy Erasmus is everything you learn outside the classroom as Stephen Fry (above) said about university
their Dublin HQ spoke a different language. 'Cultural competence' is vital in the work environment of the future.
“
When I was in college a flight could cost a month's wages and a doctoral degree in international relations to get into a college abroad
”
Total emersion in a country can dramatically improve your foreign language skills. But living abroad is so much more than that. What do you call the Guards in Italy? When
do Germans exchange Christmas presents? What’s the Dutch for ESB? Do the Spanish celebrate two birthdays? While a foreign language is not essential there is no doubt that travelling in Europe will dramatically improve your communication skills. This is helpful for future job applications but also, more importantly, will make a big difference to your relationships for the rest of your life. As an MEP I'm back and forward to Brussels every week. I cannot recommend working and studying abroad highly enough. I will be supporting the continued funding of the Erasmus+ programme in the European Parliament so that as many Irish students as possible can take part in this journey. It’s not just a journey across Europe but also a journey of personal development. I hope you take the first step on this journey and contact the International Office in college today. Brian Hayes studied in NUI, Maynooth and TCD. He is a former Fine Gael TD for Dublin South-West and a former Minister of State in the Department of Finance. In May of this year he was elected a Member of the European Parliament for Dublin.
Sub-Editors Sorcha McManigan, Jack Roland, Stephanie Costello, Laura Bonar
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Friday, December 12th, 2014
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OPINION
A little bird told me about a Killer Sandwich
and newspaper print, I received a free copy of the days Times. I headed back towards the pub, hipster sambo sack and reading material in hand, ready to taste the eagerly anticipated “Gonzo”. Here I was, officially an active participant in Killer Sandwich mania I laughed to myself as I moved through the city streets seeking out other Gonzo disciples. Despite my excitement and anticipation however I found the ‘Gonzo’ to be slightly underwhelming. The sandwich as a whole was quite dry and lacking in flavour. The bread was surprisingly dense and cloy proving for a difficult eat. The chutney was a brilliantly vibrant purple but lacked that face-smacking and lip-curling sharpness needed to pronounce itself. The sprouts were definitely the highlight and were in no way overcooked, providing a nice texture and citrusy flavour.
Killer Sandwich are Dublin-based sandwich makers where place your order on Twitter and pick up your lunch at different locations around the city
CIARÁN HYLAND
I
f there is one thing that I love about Dublin, it’s the eclectic mix of people you’ll encounter living here. One day recently I got talking to a poet on the bus, a conversation which no doubt began with a quip about the ever-worsening weather; the most Irish of all conversation starters. I was captivated by this poet’s take on our city. She described it as a vibrant and living organism, which as if parasitic in nature, absorbs the passion and creative energy from the people residing in it. The result is an ever-evolving, creative and artistic hub which is constantly spawning new ideas and concepts. I was intrigued by such a description of my home, which in contrast to most encounters on the 150 route, made me think of issues other than that of personal safety. Does my poet friend’s theory extend beyond the realm of our exploding theatre scene, IT industry or renowned literature culture I wondered? What about my favourite aspect of our city, the food! Having followed the majority of Dublin’s celeb chefs, bearded baristas and food fanatics, my twitter feed certainly suggests so. Day after day it reads like a rich digital tapestry bountied with beautiful food photography, coffee art, recipes, the “next big things" and foodie
Next time in the...
fads. Everybody is tweeting about what they have eaten or plan to eat. It reveals that this vibrant city of ours is inhabited, and one could argue dominated, by a pack of food obsessed hipsters. If there is one concept which confirms this, it is the brainchild of creative brand developers ‘Mr & Mrs Stevens’, the ‘Killer Sandwich’. “A fuck off sandwich almost every week” is the brazen title which sits atop their twitter page. Killer Sandwich is an intelligent and innovative concept which has successfully exploited our cities unapologetic food obsession. In a nutshell, they produce one sandwich every week which is ordered via twitter and picked up at a location
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It ticks all the boxes of a hipster success story; quality, quirkiness, social media presence and exclusivity
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around the city on Fridays. Both the flavour and collection point change each week. The price always remains the same at six euro. There is only a limited number of sandwiches available though, and its
Killer Sandwich: perhaps it was always destined to be anticlimatic
foodie realm by storm. I had observed the hoopla of Killer Sandwich from my laptop screen for some time and considering my relentless quest for our cities best sambo, decided that enough was enough. I ordered last weeks #41 , “The Gonzo”, a tempting thanksgiving tribute snugged between two slices of bread. Turkey two ways, citrus-roast sprouts and cranberry-pumpkin relish on Arún corn bun was the flavour; Irish Times HQ Tara Street the collection point. Along with my quirkily packaged sandwich ,which was covered in rustic brown paper
first-come first-put on that all exclusive list. The flavour is announced on Wednesdays, sparking a refresh button clicking frenzy across the city. It really is a clever concept. Killer Sandwich avoid paying rent for retail and their one menu item allows them to focus on quality. All sandwiches are prepared using Arún bread for example, Dublin’s popular artisanal sourdough bakery. It ticks all the boxes of a hipster success story; quality, quirkiness, social media presence and exclusivity. They have taken the city and our digitalised
TU4 DUBLIN ES I R E S
A visit to DIT's merging partners, ITT and ITB
Pedestal Perhaps the social media explosion surrounding them pitched Killer Sandwich on a pedestal of unachievable expectations. Perhaps it was always destined to be anti-climatic. Nonetheless Killer sandwich is a perfect example of a by-product of the creative parasite my poet friend spoke of. The concept has fantastic potential in a city overcome and overrun by food. However Mr and Mrs Stevens have in some regard underestimated the progression of Dublin’s sandwich scene in recent months. Mr and Mrs Stevens claim via twitter that Dubliners are quite happy to settle for “mediocre mouthfuls” and that they aim to unleash some “really legit sandwiches” out onto the streets. They certainly are a confident bunch. This time around it was a case of substantial bark and not a lot of bite. I believe we need to start cutting the Dublin sandwich scene a bit more slack. The days of the only bread-housed lunch being a chicken fillet baguette are gone I'm delighted to witness. We have joints such as 147 Deli on Parnell Street and Ugly Duckling in the Epicurean nowadays who are churning out their very own unapologetic “killer” sandwiches in the same price range. Overall though Killer Sandwich is an intriguing, innovative and intelligent concept born from our ever-creative and evolving Dublin. I will definitely try sandwich number 42, that is if I can get on the list. Hopefully it will complete the package by providing the bold flavour the media frenzy suggests has been there in the past, justifying their killer reputation.
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THE GOOD OLD DAYS
www.edition.ie
Friday, December 12th, 2014
Acceptable in the '80s The 1980s was the last decade before the technical colleges which now make up DIT, merged. The Edition takes a trip down memory lane to discover some of the more unusual elements from student publications at this time. A cartoon showing the sabbatical officers of Bolton Street Students' Union as an alternative 'A-Team' - Bolton Street Students' Union Christmas magazine, December 1985
Ever faithful shop assistant George writes in The Parnell Press telling the 'moogs' about the SU Shops - The Parnell Press 1983
Deep throat speaks... A deep throat columnist, inspired by the film 'All the President's Men.' However, it turned out to be more of a self confessed gossip columnist (left) and one of the other bizarre entries from previous student publications (right) -The Parnell Press, 1983
Friday, December 12th, 2014
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11
AN T-EAGRÁN
Seachtain na Gaeilge 2015 Grayce Ní Lionáird
EAGARTHÓR GHAEILGE
Tá tús curtha le Seachtain na Gaeilge 2015 le lámhleabhar Sheachtain na Gaeilge 2015 scaipthe ar grúpaí agus eagraíocht pobail ar fud an domhain le seachtain anuas. Tá gach eolas maidir le conas imeachtaí a eagrú agus a phoibliú chomh maith le go leor cluichí agus acmhainní taitneamhacha le fáil ann. Dúirt Sinéad Ní Dhomhnaill, Bainisteoir Gníomhach Sheachtain na Gaeilge: “Tá an-áthas orainn lámhleabhar Sheachtain na Gaeilge 2015 a sheoladh! Tá go leor leor oibre curtha isteach ann agus is deas an rud é toradh na hoibre sin a fheiceáil. Tá súil againn go gcabhróidh an lámhleabhar seo le grúpaí agus iad i mbun pleanála d’fhéile 2015. Léiríonn sé
Seachtain na Gaeilge
Ealaín Sráide i mBaile Átha Cliath Grayce Ní Lionáird
EAGARTHÓR GHAEILGE
Tá ealaín sráide I Baile Átha Cliath ag dul o neart go neart. Má théann tú timpeall le súile gear tá go leor píosaí álainn suimiúil le feiceáil. Cuireann ealaín sráide dathanna agus íomha deas ar na sráideanna nuair atá daoine ag súil timpeall gach lá. Ó na blianta beaga anuas tá ealaín sráide níos coitianta sa cathair agus tá níos mó daoine ag úsaid é mar fógraíocht. Tá an píosa seo á úsaid ag Kenco Caife in a bhfuil siad ag tabhairt deiseanna do daoine óga I Honduras a bheith ag obair ar feirm caife in ionad a bheith faoi brú a bheith páirteach le dronganna. Chomh maith le sin beidh siad ag tabhairt deiseanna oideachas agus fostaíocht. Bhí an píosa sin ar sráide Camden ach anois tá sé imithe. Bhí an píosa sin deanta ag an ealaíontóir sráide cáiliúil Fintan Magee as an Astráil. Tá go leor píosaí ag Magee ar fud an domhain. Tá teachtaireacht iontacht I gconaí an le Fintan Magee. Tá an píosa seo in aice leis an Bearnard Shaw scriosta ag an comhairle, ach bhí sé go hailainn. Sin é an rud is suimiúil le ealaín sráide ní bíonn sé an go deo tar éis tamaill imigheann sé.
Ealaín Sráide i mBaile Átha Cliath
na tacaíochtaí agus an cabhair atá ar fáil ón oifig agus mholfainn d’éinne ar mhaith leo imeacht a eagrú chun Seachtain na Gaeilge a cheiliúradh teagmháil a dhéanamh linn san oifig.” Is féile idirnáisiúnta Ghaeilge í Seachtain na Gaeilge a bhíonn ar siúl i mí an Mhárta gach bliain agus a chuireann úsáid na Gaeilge agus an chultúir Ghaelaigh chun cinn, anseo in Éirinn agus thar lear. Bhunaigh Conradh na Gaeilge an eagraíocht sa bhliain 1902. Tá an fhéile tar éis neart fuinnimh a bhailiú le blianta beaga anuas, agus tá sí anois ar an gceiliúradh is mó dár dteanga agus dár gcultúr dúchais a bhíonn in Éirinn gach bliain, agus in go leor tíortha eile. Tugann an fhéile deis go gach uile dhuine spraoi a bheith acu leis an nGaeilge, idir chainteoirí dúchais, fhoghlaimeoirí agus lucht an chúpla focal araon. Déanann eagraíochtaí, comhairlí áitiúla, scoileanna, leabhar-
lanna, agus eagrais cheoil, spóirt agus chultúrtha a n-imeachtaí do Sheachtain na Gaeilge a chlárú leis an oifig gach bliain, agus reáchtáilfear féile na bliana seo chugainn ó 1 – 17 Márta 2015. Tá Seachtain na Gaeilge buíoch d'Fhoras na Gaeilge, príomh-mhaoinitheoir na féile, as an tacaíocht a thugtar don fhéile gach bliain. Gach Bliain bíonn Seachtain na Gaeilge plodaithe le imeachtaí ar súil ar fud na tíre as Gaeilge. Tá lógó agus mana úr forbartha do Sheachtain na Gaeilge 2015: Bain Triail Aisti – Surprise Yourself! Tá foireann Sheachtain na Gaeilge ag súil go láidreoidh seo íomhá agus teachtaireacht na féile agus molann siad iad a úsáid agus imeachtaí á bpleanáil do Sheachtain na Gaeilge 2015. Más maith leatsa imeacht a chur ar siúl chun Seachtain na Gaeilge 2015 a cheiliúradh, déan teagmháil le foireann SnaG arsnag@cnag.ie.
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Friday, December 12th, 2014
www.edition.ie
LIFESTYLE
Lifestyle Editor: Rebekah Tunstead
lifestyle@edition.ie
Where's me Jumper? 4. Funky Christmas Jumpers on William Street. If you’re not an extremely Christian person, I would definitely recommend picking up this gem. Slightly more expensive than your average jumper at €40, I still think this will definitely turn some heads on the street, even if it isn’t in a good way.
From full on Eoin McLove to hipster classic, Conor Shields finds Dublin's top five Xmas jumper shops It’s officially December lads and lassies and that can only mean one thing - it is now finally acceptable to talk about Christmas. It’s time to put up that tree, get those presents in and, most importantly, dig out your favourite festive jumper. Ah yes, the return of the Christmas jumper over the past couple of years has seen an increase in wallies strolling around Dublin donning what looks like their nan’s knitwear. However, I can’t say they haven’t grown on me. From the full on Eoin McLove chest protector to the hipster classic, these festive favourites will be hard to avoid this Christmas. Therefore, I’ve compiled a list of my top five favourite jumpers from across Dublin City to help you survive the festive fashion season.
3. Now ladies and gents, please calm yourselves with this one. This extremely desirable geansaí can be located in George’s Arcade next to Bubblicity. Now at €35, who wouldn’t want this? How else would you display your love of The Gosling (pictured left)? 2. A personal favourite of mine and one I own myself, this very fashionable jumper is only €25 in H&M and is definitely the classiest jumper I’ve seen. Despite its slightly confusing imagery, it’s definitely deserving of the number 2 spot.
5. I found this festive minion jumper in Catch on Middle Abbey Street. At €15, you can’t argue that this isn’t good value. By combining two of the
greatest things on the planet (Christmas and Despicable Me) this jumper covers all the bases when it comes to the Christmas jumper.
Some of the Christmas jumpers on offer in Dublin
1. Drumroll please… At the number 1 spot we have this absolute belter. What’s more festive than Walter White, the king of crystal meth, in a Santa hat? Surprisingly, this can be found in Penneys for €15. A bargain for such a magnificent jumper.
A DIT student's dream letter to Santa Claus Something to eat other than noodles, Tesco Vodka and Wifi make up David Pheasey's dream letter to the man in the red coat
Dear Santa, With Christmas just around the corner, I thought I’d better send you my letter just to be on the safe side. Moving to Dublin has been a real experience and I think that this list could really help with the remainder of the year. I have been a good(ish) boy this year, so if you could swing it and sort me out with cans and naggings to last for the rest of the academic year it would go down well. I'll let you in on a secret that only us students know: the cheaper it is...the better it is. Tesco Value vodka and Carling/Dutch Gold is a good benchmark to go from. Santa, as you know I've been spending a lot of time in the library, also known as ‘my quiet place to watch Netflix’. If you could possibly sort my Netflix subscription for the next year, that would be great. I still need to re-watch Prison Break for the nineteenth time. Finally Santa, what I would really love this Christmas is a wallet, stuffed full of One4all vouchers and cash, and coupons for discounted food and drink. If you're struggling to find a wallet, don't worry - a wad of notes will do just fine. Enjoy your trip around the world Santa, you'll know my house because I'll leave you out a shot of Jager. Love David. X PS, I'd also like · Something to eat other than noodles · Good WiFi · Panadol · An unlimited bus ticket.
Friday, December 12th, 2014
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LIFESTYLE
Christmas explained
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Aimee Walsh tells you ten facts you didn't know about the festive season
ith the Christmas lights gleaming on Grafton street, people scurrying around trying to find presents and Mariah Carey's ‘All I want for Christmas is you’ playing on repeat, Christmas 2014 has crept up and is just around the corner. So why not get in the holiday spirit with some interesting facts you didn't know about Christmas.
packed with food for St Nicholas' donkeys. He would leave small gifts in return. 6. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer got his start in advertising in 1939. Copywriter Robert May created him for Montgomery Ward department store to attract shoppers. 7. X-mas: We usually write Merry Christmas as "Merry X-mas." Where did this abbreviation come from? X actually originates from the Greek letter Chi, which is similar to Christ.
1. Christmas whitewashing: Around Christmas time, you'll still find the odd farm building out in the Irish countryside that looks like it's just been whitewashed. Long ago, farm families cleaned and then whitewashed every building on the farm in December. They were covered in white paint or lime wash, to symbolically purify them for the coming of the Saviour. 2. Carols began as an old English custom called wassailing, or toasting neighbours to a long life. ‘The Wassail Song' is among the best known of the traditional wassail songs, and was well known throughout England by the middle of the 19th century. Its roots however, certainly go back even further. 3. The 'NORAD' Santa tracker started as an error in a newspaper ad. In 1955, a Sears ad printed the phone number of a Colorado Springs store so children could tell Santa Claus what they wanted for Christ-
8. Christmas Dinner: Before the typical turkey and ham dinner, the traditional Christmas meal in England was a pig's head and mustard.
Christmas facts explored: KFC is a Christmas tradition in Japan, Cocacola did not create the current image of Santa
mas. The number was a misprint and instead sent children to the hotline for Colonel Harry Shoup, Director of Operations for the US Continental Air Defense. The calls poured in and instead of blocking the number, the Colonel kindly ordered his staff to
give the children updates on Santa's flight coordinates. The tradition has continued to this very day on the local news, the Internet and with a special ‘NORAD Tracks Santa’ iPhone app.
4. Santa Claus originated in a newspaper ad: Santa Claus first appeared in a newspaper ad for toys and ‘gift books’ in the mid-19th century. 5. Hanging stockings comes from the Dutch custom of leaving shoes
9. Coca-Cola did not 'create' Santa: Many people think that Coca-Cola's iconic portrait of Santa has shaped the way we describe him to children. In reality, he's actually more of an ‘evolutionary figure’ whose look has been shaped by writers, artists and even historians. Images of the familiar, bearded, fat man in a red suit appeared in magazines, posters and ads long before Coke's jolly portrayal of Saint Nick. 10. The Japanese traditionally eat at KFC for Christmas dinner: Thanks to a successful marketing campaign 40 years ago, KFC is so popular that customers must place their Christmas orders two months in advance.
The festive season: How they do it over there Elsewhere Christmas is done differently, Gavin Hyland discovers Christmas is coming and bringing the usual traditions along with it. Christmas trees, presents, stockings, Christmas music and turkey are back on the shopping list as the preparations are well under way. Tradition is a big part of Christmas but not everybody has the same traditions. Some people go to mass, some watch television with their families and others see their grandparent. However, there are more unique traditions. It may sound odd but Louise Burn and Cara Croke, both Dublin natives and DIT students, say they eat at McDonalds every Christmas Eve with their families similar to the Japenese tradition of eating. Louise says it’s an annual tradition to kick off the ‘non-stop eating’. There are many variations of Irish
or American Christmas traditions. In India the people who celebrate Christmas are known to decorate a banana or mango tree. In France children leave out shoes for their presents to be put into, much like a stocking here in Ireland. Valentine Chaudron, a French Erasmus student here in DIT, tells us how Christmas for her is very similar to how we celebrate here in Ireland. She says, “we have the same exams and the same parties . . . for me it’s the same”. She lists attending church, dressing nicely and enjoying food as the memorable moments from Christmas in France and as we know these traditions are not too dissimilar to our own. Christmas is also associated with snow and all the products of the cold winters; snowmen, snowball fights
The traditional Christmas dinner: one of the traditions of the Christian holiday.
and snow angels. However, in some parts of the world snow doesn't come at Christmas, so in places like Australia it’s not unusual to see Santas on the beach surfing or playing other beach sports. Christmas markets are recently becoming more and more popular here in Ireland, but it has long been a tradition in Austria where some families make an annual trip to the Christmas markets. Interestingly, another tradition in Austria is the idea of Krampus. Krampus is a beast-like figure who arrives around Christmas time and either gives misbehaving children coal or he takes them away in his sack. He is the exact opposite to Santa Claus. It must be remembered that Christmas is a Christian tradition and although widely observed, not everybody celebrates the holiday. It is clear that many countries and people have different traditions, but none too extreme; they are often just a variation on what would be considered normal here in Ireland.
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LIFESTYLE
T
he hype for Christmas that started in the middle of November is rapidly getting closer to its climax. The Christmas shoppers have already pillaged and plundered their way through the shopping centres in the search for some serious bargains. The thought of good and happy times spent around the people you love beside a nice warm fire is almost certainly on most people’s minds. However, for some people Christmas time brings with it a fear of failure and a feeling of anxiety concerning exams and due assignments; the stress can be more than any person should have to deal with. The queue to speak with counsellors in DIT is long and with the average appointment lasting only thirty minutes it can be difficult for students to open up in the short period of time they have been allocated. I spoke to Karen (her name has been changed) a sufferer of depression about how she is dealing with it in DIT. In a conference room in the upstairs of a DIT library, on a foggy afternoon, I sat down opposite Karen and took out my pen and paper. The building was completely lifeless; the only sound to be heard was silence itself. I began the conversation by asking the most obvious question: “When did you begin to suffer from depression?” She took a second to think: “When I was around 13, I received a lot of bullying in secondary school which caused the depression to begin.
Friday, December 12th, 2014
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Lifestyle Editor: Rebekah Tunstead
Depression: a hidden illness While many students will enjoy happy Chirstmas others are less fortunate as Lifestyle Editor, Rebekah Tunstead discovers
lifestyle@edition.ie
website. Unfortunately it took her four days of persistent phone calls to get through to the secretary to make an appointment. “I wanted the help but nobody was reaching out to me. I was at the end of my tether”. Finally Karen got her appointment and she was overwhelmed by the relaxed atmosphere and the welcome that she received. The counsellors themselves are highly educated and skilled in their profession. They explained everything on the first day and made Karen feel more than welcome.
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Counselling services are available to DIT registered students
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ears ago I thought that the depression was because of the bullying but I still have it even though I’ve dealt with the bullying. I think it’s got more to do with genetics.” Karen was very upset in her teenage years and unsure why she felt this way. She confesses that her mother was unsupportive through those difficult years until the depression came to
a peak and Karen had no option but to seek professional help. She went to voluntarily-run counselling for a number of years and she found it beneficial. It was six weeks into her first academic year when Karen realised that she once again needed help. “First year in college is hard; you don’t know anybody and I felt that I was distancing myself from people. I was afraid that they wouldn’t get to see what I was really like.” Karen
remembered that on the induction day Femi Bankole, the Vice President for Welfare, had mentioned the free counselling services that DIT has to offer for registered students. She got in contact with him and he gave her all the information that she needed. However, she expressed concerns that she would not have known about the services if he had not brought it up at the induction. The services are advertised on the SU welfare website and the DIT
IT has been actively promoting Mental Health in the last few months from the talk with Bressie to the SU welfare campaign for November. The Christmas exams are taking their toll on Karen but she remarked that her lecturers have been very understanding. “Well, I feel scared in a way because this has only been semester one and I haven't been able to keep up to date with assignments.” While many are grateful for the continuous assessment, Karen struggles to feel the confidence and self-belief to get the job done. “I don't want to be 'the girl that can't keep up with assignments like others because she's not mentally able to’.” Looking into the future, and how she will cope with the new challenges that college presents, Karen knows that it will be difficult: “I guess how I'll deal with it is how I've always dealt with it: just keep going to counselling and hope one day I'll wake up and I'll no longer be depressed.”
Glamour and drag: mini fashion show Sarah O'Shea
CHIEF LIFESTYLE WRITER
The DIT Fashion Society had their first show of the year in association with Wells for Zoe for the societies Christmas Appeal. For many models it was their first time taking to the catwalk and a range of nervous and excited emotions was the general feeling before the show. The production for the show began early in the day with a lot of pressure to get everything ready in time for the start of the show. Decorations and the design of the catwalk had to be ready for model rehearsals in the afternoon; Finishing touches were still going on as the stylists and models prepared for their dress rehearsal. Creative Officer Amy Monahan and Martin O’Neill were in charge of the set design and decorations for the day. “We went for the winter wonderland theme,” said Martin as he was putting up tinsel around the catwalk. “It’s been a stressful day so far with lots going on, but it’s picking up and coming together now,” he added later as the catwalk was ready for rehearsals. A lot of hard work went into the production of the show. People were busy all day setting up and organising everything while juggling college work at the same time. Alen Sejkic,
The highlight of the fashion show: male models dressed in drag
a new style team member, says his involvement is a ‘good opportunity for the future as I want to work in the industry.’ Clothes were on sale before and after the event, along with bags, jewellery, books and DVDs. Over €400 was raised for Wells for Zoe from sales on the day. This will be put towards helping provide food and water for people in need in Malawi, as well as teaching and training programs for teachers. “Lots of warm winter
clothes were sold and we raised a lot more this year”, described Laura Bonar, Chair of Wells for Zoe. All clothes were selected from the Wells for Zoe second hand shop on Queen Street, Smithfield. Sebastian Mora, Co-Head Stylist for the show, described the look as ‘retro smart casual’ while incorporating the ‘vintage second hand clothes.’ All clothes from the show then went on sale where members of the Wells for Zoe society had set up.
After the last finishing touches were in place and people started to arrive, the show kicked off. The models looked well styled in the Wells for Zoe clothes. While one model described his experience as nerve-racking, others were quietly confident. It was a great first experience for those involved in the production and modelling, but they will be hoping that their big show coming up in April will be even better. The highlight of the night was dur-
ing the interval where LGBT dressed up a line of male contenders in drag. This got a great response from the crowd as bucket-shakers went around to try and raise more money for their entertaining effort. Juggling Society also added to the excitement of the interval. The pun of the night was proudly given to Mark O’Reilly when he was bent down searching under a chair and said ‘sorry I lost one of my balls’ to an older member of the audience.
Friday, December 12th, 2014
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LIFESTYLE
The hill of Tara
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Since leaving DIT, actress Tara Lee has appeared in RTE's Raw and the BBC's The Fall, writes Emily Noone
ara Lee is an actress and singer/songwriter hailing from Blessington in Co. Wicklow. She made a name for herself in the acting world by starring in hit RTÉ drama Raw as Emma Kelly and recently nabbed the part of Daisy Drake in the BBC’s award winning show The Fall. This multi-talented lady has somehow found time in between filming to independently release her debut song ‘soundtrack’ which reached number two on the alternative music charts. The Edition caught up with Tara Lee to chat about her new found stardom after a busy day in the studio. The burning question on everyone’s lips, according to Tara is what it was like to work with Jamie Dornan. Jamie is lined up to hit the big screen on Valentine’s Day 2015 as Christian Grey and has become an overnight sensation for his good looks and even better acting. While Tara didn’t expect to actually speak to Jamie, she admitted she was “a little star struck when the moment came” but he made her feel at ease because he was “such a genuine guy.” While the book 50 Shades of Grey isn’t exactly her thing, she is looking forward to seeing her co-star being 'epic' after viewing the 'awesome' trailers.
replied “F*** them! There is literally no advice that worked when I was surrounded by negative people. The only thing that worked was accidentally finding people that loved me for who I was. The people who changed the world and blew our minds were never normal. Make sure to stay you and your moment will hit you.” Tara is clearly flying the flag for strong women by staying true to herself and her style definitely reflects that. As a dead ringer for a young
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Madonna, she takes her fashion inspiration from the oldie but goodies and tries to steer clear of modern fads. She loves Debbie Harry, Joan Jett and Audrey Hepburn to name just a few. She likes to find staple pieces like “a fur coat, but then I’ll style it like me, I think I’m settled into my own buzz.”
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hen asked about her yo-yo career between acting and music, Tara exclaimed that she is “definitely going to keep doing both, they both tug on different heart strings.” While music is her 'true love' and acting is something that just happened by accident, if she finds a character or script with an 'honest quality' and something she can relate to she can’t say no. Recently, Tara’s two worlds joined together when she appeared in a music video for Sinéad O’Connor who has always been one of her idols. Tara described Sinéad as a “living legend who is such a beautiful person, inside and out” especially seeing as she didn’t mind Tara sneaking in to her green room to get some photos with her after shooting. Tara herself was a DIT student where she spent some time at BIMM. While she didn't finish the course, she stressed that it was “such a beneficial course where you learn so much and are offered so many opportunities” from attending.When she started, Tara was in the midst of shooting RTÉ show Raw. She felt like she was always playing catch
Every time I perform it, new people have different reactions which is pretty cool
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While music is her true love. Acting happened by accident
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up and she didn’t want to be the girl that missed lectures. While trying to juggle a hectic college life and filming a hit TV series, she had to decide whether to “learn about doing it, or do it.” Luckily for us, Tara is still making music. She recently appeared on Sunday Sessions performing ‘Soundtrack’ and talked about the experience saying it was “daunting performing live with just a camera, knowing it was going to be put out to a huge audience.” Despite this, Tara performed phenomenally and the reaction with viewers has been extremely positive resulting in Her.ie dubbing her ‘one to watch’. Although she admits to being “so sick of the song” having written it a couple of years back, she
Former DIT student Tara Lee has just finished filming her first feature film, 'A Date for Mad Mary' which is due out next year
is still touched by how often it is requested. “Every time I perform it, new people have new reactions, it’s pretty cool.” ‘Soundtrack’ is a very personal song about when Tara was in school. People would attempt to prevent her from fulfilling her wildest dreams. After proving them wrong, I asked Tara what she would say to someone in a similar position, to which she
o, what’s next for Tara Lee you ask? She is certain that it’s “world domination”, but until then, we have to settle for seeing her on the silver screen. Tara has just finished filming her first feature film, Element Picture’s ‘A Date for Mad Mary’ which is due to be out in 2015. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in this film, we had a good team.” While she is over in London this week for meetings, she claims she has some acting jobs in the pipeline which she is very excited about. Until then, Tara will continue to write as much as possible and will be “releasing something cool very soon.” This girl is indeed one to watch. Follow Tara on twitter at @TeeLeee to see her sassy opinions, fabulous photo shoots and keep up to date with her upcoming work. As a home grown artist, Tara is so positively true to herself maybe she will bring a refreshing change to an industry so corrupted by conformity.
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Friday, December 12th, 2014
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Culture Editor: Rachel D'Arcy
culture@edition.ie
Interview: Versive
While many local acts have broken-up in recent years, they've come back even better with Versive, writes Culture Editor Rachel D'Arcy
he alternative music scene in Dublin is a small, close knit one, however in the last few years it seems that new acts on the scene were few and far between. Despite only having formed this summer, Dublin post-hardcore outfit Versive have been on the scene for a long time – vocalist Kelan O’Reilly was keyboardist/vocalist of pop-rock heavyweights Jody Has A Hitlist and The Upgrades, while the other guys in the band were formerly members of All It’s Worth. While the demise of these acts was a loss to the local scene, they’ve come back even better with Versive. “There was no set plan to actually start a band,” vocalist Kelan explained. “Dan (Duggan, drums) and Conor (Walsh, guitar) invited me to the studio to cover vocals on a track they were doing, which came to be (EP track) Blackout, and it worked out so well we knew we had to try it out for real”. Versive bring to the table what the international music scene has been vibing off for years, but never seemed to manifest in homegrown Irish bands. Combining soft, melodic vocal with heavy guitar riffs and drum beats to produce a sound similar to that of Pierce The Veil and Taking Back Sunday, they create a sound that nobody on the Irish scene has managed to create – a helping
“I can’t talk too much about what’s going to come up, but there’s definitely been discussions of support slots and possibly a headlining show in early 2015, and more recording I hope,” he said, more than happy to discuss the future for the band, one that’s sure to be bright. If their self titled debut EP is anything to go buy, it’s going to be a
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of melodic post-hardcore with just a dash of a pop-rock/punk edge, a major difference from the previous pop-rock that saturated local gig lineups for years. “A few years ago, the Irish scene was really strong. All ages shows happened most weekends, and bands like Steer Clear and Home Star Runner were playing big enough venues, but now you barely see that happening, and bands are breaking up – it’s going through a slow stage, I think,” Kelan said. When asked if
he thought Versive could be a band to bring back the ‘golden days’ of the Irish pop-rock scene, he was tentative in his response, but with the passion and excitement expressed in his tone, it’s clear that the Dublin four piece have big plans for the next year. “I’d like to hope so. With bands like Only Rivals breaking out of the local scene and supporting bands like New Found Glory and All Time Low, it definitely looks like it could be making a comeback,” he said of his peers.
Versive are a new band from Dublin and of the Dublin music scene
Years ago the Irish scene was really strong ... now many bands are breaking up. It's going through a slow stage I think
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show that nobody’ll want to miss – just so you can say you were at their first gig when they start making it big over the next year. Versive’s debut EP is available to stream now on Spotify, and is also available at http://versiveofficial. bandcamp.com/.
Saint Stephen's Green Christmas Market A new venture for Dublin offers plenty of baked goods and other nice things Emma Callaghan A very magical evening took place in Dublin city on Thursday 13th December. Along with the annual turning on of the Grafton Street Christmas lights, which is magical enough in itself, the evening also saw the opening of St. Stephen's Green first ever Christmas Market. The market is located along the north side Saint Stephen's Green. With the lights sparkling over the crowds who made their way through the stalls of the market, a definite Christmas buzz was in the air. There are over 60 little wooden huts in the market and each one has something
special and unique for all to enjoy. There are food stalls selling anything from a juicy beef burger to all our favourite baked Christmas goods, including gluten free and dairy free treats for those of us with sensitive tummies. If you are bringing children along make sure to bring them to the sweet stall, they'll love you for eter-
60 wooden huts in the market and each has something special to enjoy nity! Mulled wine is a must during the Christmas season and of course there are stalls where this and other
alcoholic beverages are available. A whole stall dedicated to hot chocolate can also be found if you're in the mood for a hug-in-a-mug to get you through those chilly winter days. Trinkets and homemade bagatelles are essential to any Christmas Market and this one is no exception. There are many cute little Christmas gifts you can pick up from knitted scarfs and hats to unusual photo frames and one of a kind jewellery. It is clear that people are very happy about the fact that there is a traditional Christmas market in the city centre for the first time ever. "I absolutely love the Christmas lights but the Christmas Market really adds to the festive atmosphere in the city", said Charlotte Coen, a visitor to Dublin.
One of the many huts around St Stephen's Green
The Christmas Market is open everyday from 12pm-8pm until the 23rd December and entry is free of charge. Make sure you visit the
Christmas Market with your family and friends for an enjoyable evening that's sure to get you in the festive mood!
Friday, December 12th, 2014
The best Christmas songs Culture Editor, Rachel D'Arcy discovers the five best festive tunes
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hat time of year has come again, when our ears are plagued with the sounds of jingle bells and things about mistletoe and sentimental feelings. That’s right folks, Christmas time is in full swing, with festive cheer for all to hear being blasted on every radio station in every shopping centre around the country. To get into the festive spirit, here’s a list of my top five Christmas songs; some you know, some you might now. Ho-ho-hope you enjoy! 1. Mistletoe – Justin Bieber Now, typically I’m not a Bieber fan – or a belieber, as it were – but I can’t fight the fact that I’m in love with this song. It’s got that slight hiphop edge that accompanies Christmas perfectly, with a young Justin referring to his significant other as ‘shawty’, a true sign of love during the Christmas season. In all seriousness though, try to find someone that can resist singing along, or something that can sit still without tapping some limb along to the kick drum and finger clicks. I dare you. 2. All I Want For Christmas – Mariah Carey The Christmas song of our generation, Mariah Carey’s rendition of All I Want for Christmas is a song that no matter how often it infiltrates our earlobes over the Christmas season, you can’t resist a sing along. Any other song, at any other time of the year would probably drive you insane, but there’s something about Mariah’s pining for Santa to get her
Any other song, at any other time of year would drive you insane. There's something about Mariah's pining for Santa to get her a boyfriend that embodies Christmas a boyfriend that embodies Christmas. Be it the melodic harmonies or repet-
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CULTURE TOP FIVE CHRISTMAS FILMS Mary Kate Hickey
Elf (2003) If you love Will Ferrell, and Christmas funniness then Elf is the movie for you. Suitable for all ages, and levels of maturity, but it really brings out the big kid in you. If you haven’t seen this you clearly haven’t lived! Feel good movie about Will Ferrell an adopted elf who goes to New York to find his parents. You will feel better about your Christmas diet after seeing him put chocolate on spaghetti.
Home Alone (1990) No list of Christmas movies would be complete without Home Alone. Before going off his rocker, Macaulay Culkin played Kevin McCallister, a cute little kid who got left home alone at Christmas. When two thief’s show up trying to rob the house, Kevin comes up with ingenious plans to stop them getting in and chaos ensues.
The Santa Clause Justin Bieber's Mistletoe: a true sign of love during the Christmas season
itive jingle bells, Mariah has earned her title as Queen of Christmas. (Sorry Ms Claus!) 3. Baby, It’s Cold Outside – Tom Jones & Carys Matthews Many have tried to replicate the magic of Tom and Carys, but many have failed. With it being one of the most frequently covered Christmas songs of all time, it’d be a sin not to include it here. From the Glee Cast to Cee-Lo Green and Christina Aguilera, everyone and their mother has attempted to cover this at some point - though there’s nothing as good as Tom and Carys’ version, released all the way back in 1999. Except maybe, y’know, the original. 4. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays – N*Sync If you have a fondness for Justin Timberlake and the lads, you’ll want to give this a listen. A little known Christmas gem, taken from N*Sync’s neglected 2002 album ‘The Meaning of Christmas’, it embodies all that 2002 stands for.
Report
Boybands, that faux-r’n’b melody everyone wanted to emulate, and sexual innuendos made to sound that little bit innocent for the kids. Only this time, they’ve thrown in the iconic sound of bells and a constant reminder that this is a Christmas song, not just your standard N*Sync hit. It’s one that makes you want to bust out the drunk dancing, even when you’re sober. 5. 8 Days of Christmas – Destiny’s Child I very often forget that there was a Beyoncé pre-Beyoncé, meaning I forget that Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams exist, alongside the enigma that was Destiny’s Child. This song is a blessing, as it reminds us all that Beyoncé is just one of the lads, as they say – she sings about getting a nice back rub, and her baby massaging her feet, all over Michelle and Kelly’s back-up vocals and a nice trumpet. There’s a distinct lack of jingle bells, but there’s more than enough Queen B sass and Christmas spirit to make up for it.
Film,Music, & TV reviews
(1994) Tim Allen in the Santa Clause is probably one of my favourite actors ever; he’s so funny and suitable for the role. When Santa falls off his roof, Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) has to take on the role of Santa to save Christmas. While there is a second and third one the first one still remains the best in my eyes.
Frozen (2013) The new kid on the block, everyone has had Frozen fever this year. Snow queen Elsa and her sister Anna are the most wanted presents for Christmas this year. And it’s no wonder, with the popularity of Frozen. The first Disney movie to show girls they don’t need a man and to promote girl power has been a hit with all ages.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1971) Always on TV at Christmas, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a family favourite. Whether you’re a fan of the original, or a lover of the remake with Johnny Depp, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a movie that just screams Christmas.
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rom politicians to authors, and architects to business people, graduates of DIT have gone on to excel in their respective fields. Recently, graduate of Film and Broadcasting, Aoife Kelleher has come into the limelight with her award winning feature documentary One Million Dubliners. The Edition spoke with her to find out about her progression from DIT dreamer to dazzling director. During her time in DIT, Kelleher admits that she wasn’t the most involved when it came to clubs and societies. “I was briefly involved in the Drama Society... but I wasn’t the most exemplary society member.” But she still is an advocate for extracurricular activity. “I took a course in the IFI on documentary where we would view feature docs once a week and then have a lecture after. It was a really brilliant experience and it was the starting point for me in becoming more interested and more immersed in the world of documentary.” Aoife’s first job in the industry actually came from a fellow DIT student. “I was looking for work and it just happened that one of the other people from my class in DIT sent around a text saying ‘Is anyone interested in a job as a runner on The Afternoon Show?’” The industry has changed, accord-
Friday, December 12th, 2014
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Culture Editor: Rachel D'Arcy
DIT's documentary maker
culture@edition.ie
DIT graduate and maker of One Million Dubliners, Aoife Kelleher talks to Chief Culture Writer Lauren McColgan
Chief Culture Writer Lauren McColgan asks if Dapper Laughs was having a laugh or just inappropriate
Kelleher was inspired by the work she did in DIT when creating One Million Dubliners
ing to Kelleher. “ I think it was more difficult to get your first job whereas I know now that it’s relatively easy to get roles as runners and assistants. But I think that it’s more challenging now.” In fact, Aoife told me that her work in DIT has directly influenced her work in her professional life. “The very first documentary I ever made was in DIT. We had to make a doc
casting, regard yourself as being in the industry from the moment you start the course.” She recalls her talented classmates whose ambition was inspirational. “They’re all still in the industry which is not typical. What was really great about my class was that some people really saw themselves as being in the industry from first year.” Aoife’s passion for documentary making rang through in her voice,
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Whether it's journalism or broadcasting regard yourself as being in the industry from the moment you start about ‘Hidden Dublin’ and mine was on the dead .” Death and the dead are topics dealt with in One Million Dubliners, I asked if she had drawn on that work while making the documentary. “I really did! A lot of what I was reading at the time when I was in college has been really formative.” The one piece of advice that Aoife would give was to get started now. “Whether it’s journalism or broad-
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“One Million Dubliners was really a dream and it is something that I’d like to do as often as I can for the rest of my career.” But our star director has an open mind and revealed to The Edition that she has plans to make a feature drama within the next year, which I myself definitely await eagerly.
Out with the religion, in with the television Materialism is the new religion and that is in no way good for any students CHIEF CULTURE WRITER
Sunday dinners: the turkey, the ham, the chicken, the potatoes, the peas, the sprouts and that gravy.
When the presents have all been opened, and you’ve eaten your second helping of the sublime Christmas feast - it’s loose-pants time in front of the television. Christmas Day has a stellar line-up of films and Christmas specials that captures us when we are most vulnerable – stuffed. Now our culture is saturated with gadgets and information. We have left religion behind in the white noise and under all that shiny wrapping paper. I’m not religious. I don’t believe in forcing beliefs and religious holidays onto others either. I also don’t object to attending religious events or ceremonies. But feeling proud that Christmas has begun to steer away from a Christian event to a more inclusive one is laughable. We have replaced Christian beliefs with materialistic
Kicking religion With our culture kicking religion out head first into the street, we left a gap to fill. We like to pretend we’re kind animals and fill the void with kindness and giving. Giving gifts makes us feel good, and getting gifts makes us feel good too. So has it become more about feeling good than making good? Sounds a bit selfish. It’s not beginning to look a lot like Christmas, is it? No one can escape the new 'Holly Jolly' Christmas culture. Not even me. I will be proudly bearing my tacky Christmas jumper, drinking hot drinks and listening to Christmas melodies. I will be merry post dinner. And I will be anticipating the Doctor crashing onto my screen in his TARDIS. I will pray to my new religion: the television.
DANIEL WAUGH
From baby Jesus to iPhones: a new era of worship
ones. We have jumped from a religious exclusivity to a financial one. To me Christmas is being excited about spending time with friends and family not worrying about money to spend on friends and family. The pious consumer invented this
shift. The prophets on the widescreen explained that self-actualisation is achieved by worshipping things. Shopping centres have become our temples, and the Good Samaritan hurries past those who need help to buy the iPhone 6. Adam and Eve? Who
cares! It’s Kim and Kanye. The Christmas culture is undergoing a transformation. It is about the great television, winter mega-blockbusters, the Late Late Toy Show, the new phones, the new clothes, and the shopping. We have the feast to end all
Friday, December 12th, 2014
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CULTURE
Fresh Re: New kids on the block New Maynooth band to set world alight, writes Culture Editor Rachel D'Arcy
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hile the Cheerios Childline Concert might be associated with being a ‘kid thing’, it’s also a great place to discover fresh new Irish talent. Enter Fresh Re, a five piece from Maynooth, formed just a little over two years ago. “We actually got together for a talent show in our school, just four of us at first, then we found out that Robert (Scanlon) could sing. With Ashlee (Scanlon) already in the band, and Robert being her little brother, we knew it had to be that talent ran in the family,” said Daryl Bengo, keyboardist of the band. With a youthful essence amongst all the members, the oldest, Cian, only out of secondary school just a year, you could tell they were more excited than anyone to be performing at Childline. Their faces lit up with any question asked; talking continuously and throwing in little stories of how they came to be. However, the second their music was mentioned, a passion appeared to ignite within each of them that couldn’t be ignored. “What nobody knows about Fresh Re is that when I went to upload that video of Robert and me singing We Found Love, it wouldn’t upload the first time.
"Then the second time, it gave up half way through. I said ‘I’ll give this one more shot, and if it doesn’t work that’s it,’” said rapper Harrison Dodo. Thankfully, the video went up, got over four million views on Youtube, and was the making of the band’s success.
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aving performed on The Late Late show, then onto the Aviva Stadium, one would assume that Childline would just be another day in the office for the five-piece, but the way their expressions relaxed and beamed at the mention of performing was captivating. “We’re really excited to play tonight. It’s our first time playing the 3Arena, and soundcheck went really well. "We can’t wait to play with McBusted, especially because they play instruments live like we do,” said Daryl, earning nods of agreement from the rest of his bandmates, except Cian Francois. “I used to think McBusted were just McFly with a new name, it took me a while to get it,” he laughed, the rest of the group playfully mocking him. Fresh Re might only have two siblings, but it’s clear that they’re like a little musical family, just happy to be together and living out their dreams with each other. “We’re going to be recording more
Fresh Re pose for a promotional photograph
original stuff next year, to take a bit of a break from touring I think,” said Daryl. “We’ve done a lot of covers, but I think we’ve to focus on our
own stuff now going forward. I’m excited,” reiterated Harrison. With their passion and dedication, it’s evident they’re going to be here
for some time to come, trying to get their name known on a larger scale here, with only time telling if Fresh Re will become the next big thing.
December gig guide for Dublin city With warm clothes and hot drinks being plucked off the shelves, it’s that wonderful time of the year for events across Dublin. Here are some of the events happening between now and we speak again in the New Year.
MUSIC Tuesday 18th Once star Glen Hansard will welcome fans to Vicar Street for a 3-hour show. That is a lot of Hansard, but for the die-hard fans it will never be enough. This intimate evening will only cost €17.50 as well. That very same evening, Doyles will throw the Ruby Sessions with the Heathers, Kodaline, Hudson Taylor and Gavin James. This mainstream homegrown line-up will only
cost you €6 so you will have plenty of cash to buy those last-minute gifts. Friday 21st Stop! Music festival favourites Delorentos tackle Vicar Street for a wintery gig at the bargain price of €20. Woolley jumpers and hats will stay firmly on during this gig despite the dancing and bouncing you will be doing for the indie-kids. Saturday 22nd Rarely Seen Above Ground (R.S.A.G) takes to the well-known Button Factory stage alongside Ocho and Plutonc Dust. Plutonic Dust is a Dublin based space/disco group, so how could you resist? R.S.A.G is an Irish multi-instrumentalist who triumphs across festivals each year. Did I mention this
one is free?
COMEDY Fans of the Mighty Boosh, rejoice! Hyper-surreal comedian and actor Noel Fielding flies into the Olympia Theatre with his anticipated show An Evening with Noel Fielding. The show runs on the 11th and the 12th, and tickets sit at €30.50. You will laugh, and be confused at the same time. Prepare for outrageous stories of space travel on a dragon that wears a monocle that likes oranges (probably). Irish comedy legend Tommy Tiernan brings Out of the Whirlwind to Vicar Street in the early days of
2015 running from January 2nd until the 24th. The show claims to “literally [be] a whirlwind of Tommy’s thoughts and observations. Profound, sometimes dark yet whimsical and silly too”.
THE PANTO Why should we grow up? Peter Pan has already landed in the Gaiety Threatre but DIT students still have the chance to experience the predictable and comforting clichés of a musical panto. Matinees and evenings range between €26 to €36 (students, save the coppers and attend the early shows). Follow the joyful impish boy who never grows old as he tackles Captain Hook with his trusty London companions and Tinker Bell.
- compiled by Daniel Waugh
All newspapers end up as chip wrapper. But this chip wrapper could have your name on it. Write for
Contact: editor@edition.ie
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SPORT
Sunday, Bloody Sunday DIT graduate and journalist Micheal Foley's book on Bloody Sunday reviewed
The book split into five parts like ‘Politics and War 1918-1920’, ‘The Bloody Sunday Inquiries and the search for truth, 1920-1921’. But the most incredible part was ‘Croke Park and Bloody Sunday, November 21st, 1920’, where he documents almost hour-by-hour of what happened on the day of the massacre. The best thing about this book is that it is completely intended to be a factual book. He doesn’t try to take sides or he doesn’t try to persuade you towards the IRA side or to make out that the British were the victims
SPORTS COLOUR WRITER
On Twitter: @_BenFinnegan head of what happened. And then I’d have to say, looking at the newspaper reports and the eyewitnesses – that didn’t happen that way. “The more I looked at it, the more I found out that what we thought we knew was wrong; even simple stuff, like the surnames of the people that died. Some of them were just plain wrong. There were notions that it was an All-Ireland Final. It wasn’t. It was a challenge game. Now, it was a big challenge game between two teams who were in the top three or four teams in the country at that time. Michael Hogan wasn’t the captain [of Tipperary], small things but when you add them all up together they’re wrong.” At the beginning of the book, Foley lists the cast of principal characters and what they mean to the story, for example in the IRA section a man called Dan Breen was listed as “Quartermaster, Third Tipperary Brigade” and in the Police section he cited Sir Henry Hugh Tudor as “Police Advisor to Dublin Castle”. All this adds to the authenticity of the book.
in this, he just tells it how it was and allows the reader to make up their mind. The story of Perry Robinson, who I mentioned above really stands out to me. He was a young boy in a tree innocently trying to watch a football game from the best view he could find, at the end of telling the story Foley writes, “Now he lay in hospital, damaged by a violent, adult world. A doctor finally emerged with news. Perry had died before noon.” This completely epitomises the unnecessary actions of both the IRA and the Black and Tans and Auxiliaries on the day of November, 21 1920. Both sides were at fault, and those who suffered were innocent.
Christmas soccer on TV
5. Where is the Emerald GAA Grounds? 6. What is the name of the cup given to the victors of the Ladies Senior Football Championship? 7. What was so unique about the 1947 All-Ireland Football Final between Cavan and Kerry? 8. What were the original county colours for Roscommon? 9. What county are sometimes referred to by their nickname of ‘The Goat Suckers’?
10. When was the first football final played at Jones Road (now Croke Park) in Dublin?
- compiled by Ben Finnegan Answers
8. Black and amber. 1. Micheal O’Hehir Tunnel.
Wellington FC. You also have the opportunity to watch the current Asian Champions League winners Western Sydney Wanderers, who incredibly only formed in 2012 and play a terrible style of football similar to the exploits of the Greek national team in 2004 while they struggled their way to winning Euro 2004. Could you think of any better way to spend your Christmas?
2. Clare.
count it). However, if you feel inclined you can even watch a total of 10 Australian A-League games on BT Sport between Friday [December 12th] and the New Year – if you ever feel compelled to view the exploits of former Irish internationals Damien Duff and Liam Miller line out for Melbourne City FC, the affiliation club with Manchester City, Or watch the Costa Rican Kenny Cunningham play for
3. Padraig Joyce in 2001.
Catch Duffer in the Australian A league games if you're so inclined
4. 1904.
Sky Sports have announced their live soccer schedule for December, from Wednesday there are 48 live games before 2015, with BT Sport showing an additional 37 games. The only issue I see with the entire thing is the lack of Premier League fixtures being shown on either channel. On Sky Sports, out of the 48 live games, there are only 11 English Premier League games. Meanwhile, BT Sport are showing a mere four Premier League games out of their scheduled 37 live games. This is largely due to neither being allowed to broadcast a Saturday 3pm kick-off, which has the most amount of fixtures in a game week. Setanta
4. In what year was Hurling part of the unofficial programme of the Olympic Games?
9. Wicklow.
SPORTS COLOUR WRITER
Sports have the rights to these games and will only broadcast two between now and 2015: this Saturday Burnley face off against Southampton, and the following week Aston Villa welcome Manchester United. It sounds like I’m complaining that there isn’t enough football on this Christmas; that isn’t what I’m saying. The Premier League is the most followed league between Britain and Ireland, but we are being shown more Serie A, and La Liga – and who wants to watch the Australian A-League? Do the FA not want to promote their own league and make sure there are more Premier League games being shown instead of foreign leagues (I say foreign because the Airtricity League is on a completely different level to the Premier League so I don’t
3. Who was the last man from Connacht to win the GAA & GPA AllStar Footballer of the Year award, and when?
10. March, 21 1896.
Ben Finnegan
2. Who won the 1992 Munster Football Championship?
5. Ruislip, London.
of Bloody Sunday, and whom the Hogan Stand is named after), his childhood in the bleak and unnaturally cold Aughvaneen of County Tipperary. The amount of journalistic work that went into this book was evidently amazing. Two weeks ago, Foley was on Second Captains to talk about the book, and he said: “The idea of doing a Bloody Sunday book was always in my head, but number one I didn’t think I was good enough to do it, and number two I didn’t think I knew enough. Eventually, in 2011 I though, right let’s have a rattle at this.” And what a rattle he made, the all-consuming three years he put into the book is well worth it, and is something that not only Michael Foley can take pride from, but every Irish person can. Before Foley attempted this book, not much was known about the Bloody Sunday massacre, as he went on to explain: “Myths grow out of the thing. A lot of people I talked to in Tipperary or wherever had a certain idea in their
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Foley has put something that was misconstructed numerous times into stone
1. What is the name of the tunnel in the Hogan Stand in Croke Park?
6. The Brendan Martin Cup.
Perry Robinson was the first casualty of the Croke Park massacre. A young boy who was sitting in a tree at the corner of pitch to watch the game changed the course of Irish history on November 21st, 1920 – known as Bloody Sunday. DIT journalism graduate, Michael Foley has done something incredible with this book. He has put in stone something that was misconstrued numerous times. But after years of research, many trips to the military archive in London, and to the National Archives on Bishop Street – Foley has produced a masterpiece of literature. The unique thing about this book isn’t that it tells the events of that day. It tells the stories of the people involved in that day. The book starts off with Foley telling the story of Michael Hogan (one of the victims
The Dublin team that lined out on Bloody Sunday 1920
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BEN FINNEGAN
“When he heard the rumble of trucks on the bridge behind him, Perry Robinson turned around from his seat in the crook of the tree. A shot rang out. The bullet whizzed through the air into Perry’s chest and through his right shoulder. He fell from the tree.”
GAA quiz
7. It was played in the Polo Grounds, New York. The only time the All-Ireland Final was played outside Ireland.
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SPORT
Sports Editor: Sinéad Farrelly
sports@edition.ie
Women in Sport F
rom Katie Taylor’s 5th world championship to Stephanie Roche’s world class goal, there has arguably never been a better time for Irish women’s sport. That is also the case here in DIT with record numbers of females signing up to sports clubs, the most female captains we have ever seen in the college and the introduction of a woman to the athletic council. Just last week, DIT’s ladies soccer team took home the Division 1 A league title and the senior camogie team are en route to a league final of their own. However, this is not entirely unusual for DIT’s female athletes to be holding their own on a national level. Last year the camogie team reached the final of the league, the ladies basketball team won Division 2 and gained promotion, and countless athletes have represented county and country on even higher stages. DIT’s Sports Office has a strong female presence with a female Head of sport, Sinéad McNulty, as well as senior sports officers Caragh O’Buachalla and Niamh O’Callaghan working closely with the clubs within the college. Caragh is particularly thrilled with the increase in female memberships in DIT saying that all the feedback that she has gotten from captains and coaches has all been hugely positive so far.
There has never been a better time for women in sport, especially in DIT, writes Sports Editor Sinéad Farrelly Amy admits that trying to command respect from males in the sport can be quite difficult at times as she races more for enjoyment rather than competition and therefore feels that those who are more competitive may not take her seriously.
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Amy Pütz (above centre) is determined to get more women involved in Karting
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wanting more girls they were so supportive, and really recognised that at sports awards last year. [DIT mountaineering club won minority club of the year] “That was an achievement we as a club worked so hard for last year and with three girls on our committee last year, and again this year we doubled our female membership and sports office recognized that as a big achievement for our club.” She said. Niamh is passionate about more women becoming involved with sports at all levels, from memberships to committee positions and right up to the Athletic Council. She believes that DIT is a great place for women to try and become more involved with sports and that there is a lot of support for females looking to try something new. “I was encouraged to get on Athlet-
ic Council this year, and I’m so glad I did. I’m the only girl on the council , and I'm really proud to be able to represent women and a voice for women in sport in DIT.
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think the support is really there for them, DIT hold it as a major priority in sport and from chatting with people in other colleges across the country we definitely have one of the better set ups and support systems for women. “Getting involved in sport was one of the best things I did when I came to DIT. I'd definitely encourage girls to go out and try something new. Especially with the new year coming up, it could be a great new year’s resolution.” This year saw DIT’s karting club appoint their first ever female captain. Karting is a hugely male
dominated sport and new captain Amy Pütz is determined to pave the way for more women to get involved with it.
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Female involvement in Karting has always been quite low. Although, once we get girls on trips they really enjoy it
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he Athletic council in DIT has notoriously been a ‘boys club’ with very little female representation in recent years, however, this year culinary arts student Niamh Durkin stepped up to be the voice of female sports and joined the council. Coming from a background in rock climbing, and having captained the DIT mountaineering club, Niamh is very passionate about representing both female athletes as well as those from minority sports. “In my past three years being involved with sport in DIT, I would definitely say that DIT do an awful lot to promote and encourage women in sport. In the past two years, being Captain of a club, and this year being on the Athletic Council I have been quite closely involved with sports office and I want to say that I think that everyone in the sports office like Caragh, Niamh and Sinéad are really trying so hard to run programmes and support every action for girls to get more involved. “I know from my personal experience, coming from a male dominated sport as my background, when I'd chat with the sports office about
owever, she has a huge passion for the club, having been on the committee as secretary last year, and is very serious about trying to increase female membership. “Female involvement in the karting club has always been quite low, and something that we're always trying to improve on. Once we manage to get the girls to actually come on the trips, they really enjoy themselves.” She said. “I personally find karting to be such an enjoyable and fun activity and a great way to relax. There are some who don't take me seriously as the chairperson; however that is usually someone who is quite good at karting. I race more for the fun of it and while I do have an interest in motorsport, I wouldn't be near the pace of the lads who race in the intervarsities. “But I do have a huge passion for the club and I am committed to seeing it do well, and I think most of our members can see that. It is a difficult and time consuming job, especially when assignment and exam stress is piled on top of it! But I have a brilliant committee behind me and I'm really enjoying the opportunity to have this stronger role within the club.” Much like Niamh, Amy believes that sports clubs can be one of the biggest ways to improve your college experience and strongly encourages girls to join clubs in DIT in the New Year. “Being involved in sports clubs is a really positive thing for loads of reasons. As college can be such a stressful and highly strung environment, it's really important to be able to unwind and relax, and being involved in clubs is a great way to do that. You make loads of new friends that you probably wouldn't have met otherwise, some of who may be in a higher year than you and can offer loads of advice that you wouldn't otherwise receive.” With women taking charge in the sports office, Athletic Council and on every level of club participation and female DIT athletes all commanding attention on a national level, women in sport in DIT is only going from strength to strength. With national successes coming to our female teams already in just the first semester, things can only go upwards for the rest of the year.
Friday, December 12th, 2014
DIT set for GMIT in Sigerson and date with Dubs in Walsh Sinéad Farrelly SPORTS EDITOR & Ryan Nugent DEPUTY EDITOR The Sigerson Cup draw will see DIT pitted again GMIT in the first round, with the Dublin college awarded home advantage for the tie that will take place towards the end of January. The hurlers have been paired with University of Ulster, Jordanstown and University of Limerick, in what will be a tough group to get out of. Meanwhile, the draws for next year’s Walsh and O’Byrne cups have been made with DIT’s hurlers poised to take on the Dubs. The pre-season tournaments in January are held between county and college teams. Walsh Cup The Walsh Cup, which is the hurling competition, sees DIT in Group 2 with Dublin and Antrim. In last season’s Walsh Cup, 2013 champions Dublin reached the final before losing to Kilkenny by four points. Later in the season Dublin lost to Kilkenny in a final again, losing the Leinster championship title. Antrim reached the quarter final stage of the competition last year before losing out to Dublin. The DIT hurling has been strong so far this year, especially with the intermediate team reaching the league final against CIT. The O’Byrne Cup is the footballing equivalent and DIT are in Group D with Wexford, Wicklow and Carlow IT. The last time that DIT and Wexford met was when the two sides were drawn together in the O’Byrne Cup 2013. DIT took the victory then in a very tight match. DIT’s first Walsh Cup fixture is away to Antrim on January 11th, 2015 with their first O’Byrne Cup game away to Wexford on January 4th.
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Cooper launches DIT sports shirt sponsors at Grangegorman Liam McInerney SPORTS WRITER & Alastair Magee Last Wednesday Grangegorman hosted the launch of AIB’s sponsorship of DIT’s hurling, camogie, handball and soccer teams. The players unveiled the kits on the new all-weather soccer pitch on campus. Kerry footballing legend Colm Cooper, who works for AIB, was in attendance to promote the new sponsorship deal. He said, “There’s a great relationship with DIT and AIB built up and it’s great to be part of the fantastic development. It’s going to continue for a number of years and it’s brilliant to be involved, especially as sport is something that’s close to my own heart”. He also said he was ‘very impressed’ with the new ‘superb’ Grangegorman campus. He added, “This is my first time here and it looks amazing. I can only imagine how it’s going to look when completely finished. I’d say it will be one of the best campuses in Ireland”. GAA Development Officer Darragh Biddlecombe said he was excited about the sponsorship and that it would be valuable for both DIT and AIB. The grant He said: “The college grant covers all our bus trips to and from matches and we are entitled to meal allowances to feed the guys if it’s an away match, but none of our gear was covered. “We have upwards of six hurling teams, two camogie teams and a handball club so there’s nine teams that needed to be kitted out and this sponsor takes care of all that. We are over the moon they're on board.”
Colm Cooper (above, centre) launching new shirt sponsors, AIB. GAA and soccer players pose for a group photo (left)
He also stated that DIT GAA will benefit from the new pitches that will be ready in 2016 as the teams will not have to travel all over Dublin to play home fixtures. Brendan Hilliard, the student officer for AIB, was also present and was de-
lighted that the bank is sponsoring the college teams. He said, “I’m very excited about continuing to work with the college, the students and the sports teams, and getting some sponsorship through for the clubs has been great. It’s a beauti-
ful day to be here as well. I think DIT has been trying to get a campus like Grangegorman for a long time”. The DIT freshers A footballers have also received a sponsorship boost in the form of a new partnership with DTwo nightclub on Harcourt Street.
Archers take up shot at intervarsities Sinéad Farrelly SPORTS EDITOR
The DIT archery team competed in their first intervarsity competition of the year last week. The event took place in DCU and both the teams entered by DIT left with fourth place finishes. The college team also came home with an individual medal after the competition.
This was the first of five intervarsities that the club will be participating in throughout the year. The one-day competition featured over 100 participants from colleges all across Ireland. DIT entered 14 archers into the competition with seven advanced archers, four intermediate and three beginners. Each archer shoots 60 arrows in total across the day with 30 in the morning and the final 30 in the afternoon.
They shoot three arrows at a time before collecting them and adding together the scores. Pleased Club committee member James Byrne was among those who competed in DCU last week and he was very pleased with how the competition went: “The DCU intervarsity is always an interesting event. For the intermediate and beginner level archers the
DCU IV serves as a great introduction into archery competitions.” “Most of the advanced archers are just getting back into indoor shooting after the outdoor season ends and because of the way the college intervarsities are structured there is no time for a break between seasons. "As a result the scores for advanced archers tend to be lower for this particular event but pick up again in the following competitions.”
He was positive looking ahead to the future of DIT’s archery club after seeing how they performed last week: Positive “Looking to the next few competitions, I think we have a very good year ahead of us. "We are lucky to have new talent coming into the club more and more over the last few years. Now we have a very strong team of archers and we should rank very well this year.”
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www.edition.ie Walsh and Sigerson ties announced Soccer on TV this Christmas Archery at the intervarsities
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Friday, December 12th, 2014
Making it in a man's world p22
Mountaineers give Larkin Community College Youth Group leg-up on new starter
You can Bank on it
Sinéad Farrelly SPORTS EDITOR
DIT’s mountaineering club are starting up a new youth climbing group at Larkin Community College where the club currently trains. Students from DIT will be volunteering their time to help create a youth programme which is set to begin next semester. Although the fully functional climbing wall is a permanent fixture at Larkin College, the secondary school don’t have the qualified staff or equipment to allow their students to use the facility in a safe manner and DIT saw this as an opportunity to get young climbers introduced into the growing sport.
DIT hurlers, footballers and soccer players secure new shirt sponsor p23
DIT hurlers pose at launch of new sponsorship deal with AIB. Credit: DIT Sport/AIB
Camogie team set back after lights go out on league semi Sinéad Farrelly SPORTS EDITOR
The beginning of the evening match had already been delayed due to an earlier fixture on the same pitch running over time. When the game began DIT looked to be a strong outfit and they held control in the opening few minutes. After eight minutes, while the game was still scoreless, the floodlights went out on all the pitches at the grounds. As it was initially thought to be a minor fault, the players from both sides stayed on the pitch and continued training so as to keep warm. However, as time went on, it tran-
spired that it was a much bigger issue than first thought. The players had to come off the pitch and the fixture was abandoned. Groundskeepers at Parnells said that the generator that powered the floodlights had a fault and while the grounds men tried everything that they could, they were unable to fix it. They said that they would not be able to get an engineer out until the following day, as it was too big a problem for them to fix on the night, but that it was just a ‘freak accident’. DIT and Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) will now have to re-fix the match for a later date. However, DIT have now lost the home advantage and will have to travel to Waterford for the replay. This also causes
issues with finance as DIT will now have to pay transport fees for it. WIT are traditionally a very strong camogie side having won the Ashbourne Cup [third level camogie pre-
We were really fired up and had a nice lead-up to this game ... but sure these things happen mier championship] every year between 2009 and 2013. DIT had high hopes of defeating them coming into last week’s fixture, but manager Stephen Hoary does admit that the re-fix-
ing of the match will disrupt the side. “To be honest, it is disappointing. We were really fired up for this game; We were going for 10 minutes there and the girls were absolutely flying and playing really well.” “Waterford have won so many of the last few Ashbourne Cups over the years and they really are the benchmark of third level camogie. We beat them last year in the league semi-final and we had every intention of doing that again this year. “We were really fired up and we had a nice lead-up to this game; really good training sessions and some great results with a particularly super result against DCU last week. But sure these things happen and we just have to build for the replay.”
Excited Club captain Ally Howard spent her summer teaching young people how to rock climb in America and she is very excited for the club to be taking up this new role within the school: “We are so excited to get this youth club up-and-running. We want to give the students the opportunity to try a new sport.” “I know when I was in school I was bored with the limited options of sport. It would have been awesome to have been given this chance to climb from a young age. So when I see Larkin, a school that has great climbing facilities, I want to do everything I can to provide this opportunity for the students.” She continued on to say that the DIT Mountaineering Club have invested in new equipment and training programmes for the young pupils: “We hope some of the teachers get involved, as this will help maintain a strong interest in the club. We have invested in new gear, new routes and programmes for our members to get ready for the students in February. “Our main aim is to get young climbers interested in the sport and to have fun. We want the students to learn how to climb safely.”
Review: A Bloodied Sunday p21