SIN Issue 5

NUACHTÁN SAOR IN AISCE VOL. 22 Issue 05. 01 DEC 2020

Student Independent News

WINNER: BEST NEWSPAPER AT THE NATIONAL STUDENT MEDIA AWARDS 2019

University to INSIDE stay online for Semester Two Paddy Henry Editor

NUI Galway have announced that Semester two learning will continue online.

In an email circulated to all students last week, signed off by President of the University Dr Ciaran Ó’ hÓgartaigh the university stated that they,

The University have opened the door for increased on campus teaching next year, acknowledging that they will support the maximisation of on campus activity in line with public health guidelines. However, they noted that any in-person teaching would be optional, and students unable to make it on to campus would be able to complete their modules entirely online should they wish to do so.

“expect to continue next semester with the current levels of on-campus activity still in place.”

They urged students to plan in advance for this scenario and reassured students that the current supports in place this semester will continue into next semester.

The news comes months in advance of the start of second semester teaching on February 8th after the University were widely criticised over delays in announcing plans for semester one in September.

NUIG informed students just three days before the start of Semester One on September 28th that following recommendations from the Irish University Association that they would be delivering lectures online initially for a two-week period.

However as cases of Covid-19 continued to spike NUI Galway announced that lectures would be delivered online for the remainder of Semester One. The University were one of the few third-level institutes who were yet to make an announcement on plans the second semester with UL, DCU and Maynooth all ruling out a return to on campus activity after the Christmas break ahead of NUIG. The University have opened the door for increased on campus teaching next year, acknowledging that they will support the maximisation of on campus activity in line with public health guidelines.

However, they noted that any in-person teaching would be optional, and students unable to make it on to campus would be able to complete their modules entirely online should they wish to do so.

Students’ Union President Padraic Toomey welcomed the announcement, “ I think students are delighted that there has been some decision made on this, obviously we would have liked a decision to have been made as early as possible so that students could make decisions for next semester, especially International students who have to decide if they’re going to travel home and stay home or if they’re going to fly back here afterwards.

Toomey also called for further clarity on what exactly the announcement means telling SIN,

“There’s still an awful lot of information that we need to know. We need to know how this will reflect at a college level and will students actually have more time physically on campus next semester, and if so, what will that look like? It’s about drilling into what this letter is saying because it does from what I understand say that it is going to be the same as this semester, but increased in-person activities that are optional to attend but how much is that for every student, and is it worth it for a student to continue paying for their accommodation? It answers some questions, but it also raises some.

Some students expressed their disappointment at the news. Speaking to SIN, a final year Human Rights student said, “It’s disappointing that I won’t get to finish my final year in University on campus, especially considering the cost of fees. “ The outbreak of Covid-19 in Ireland and the closure of college campuses last March led to a

SIN speaks to craftsperson on the importance of buying Irish this Christmas. Page 20

rush by Universities to makes plans for end of semester examinations, and the SU President expects the recent announcement to signal that semester two exams won’t take place in an exam hall.

“If I was reading between the lines I would understand that the exams would be online exams because they don’t expect you to be in Galway, so it would be hard for them to expect you to be there for physical exams, I’d imagine it will be the same kind of online exams as it was last year.

It’s worth noting though for first years that its going to be particularly difficult because they don’t actually have Christmas Exams this year so it’s going to be a confusing time for them next summer when it’s the first time that they’ll be doing University exams and we will need a lot of support and guidance for them so that they don’t feel lost.” , he said.

2 N E WS & F E AT U R ES

SIN Vol. 22 Issue 05

INSIDE

International Students for Change launch petition to Minister for Justice to improve Covid-19 response: 4 THE HOUSING DISASTER: Analysing Our Generation’s Defining Crisis 6–7 Students’ Union launch Random Acts of Kindness Challenge 8 New report by NUIG student highlights impact of Direct Provision on children’s rights 9 COPE Galway’s #swimwhereyouare Christmas Event 10 Will You Take The Covid-19 Vaccine? 11 Student Diaries 12 Well, thank God the Toy Show wasn’t cancelled! 14 Top non-fiction watches and reads for American politics 15 Grab your paddleboard – we’re going to ‘Dawson’s Creek’ 16 CREATIVE CORNER: Brighter 17 Leave Diana alone 19 Support Local this Christmas 20 Midterm stress? My best tips to breathe 21 Vegan Eats 22 Beauty bag end of month review: November 23 The Blame Game 24 The pandemic that stole Christmas 25 Unlocking your full potential and refusing to cruise by at forty percent — Lessons can be learned from Ultra-Runner David Goggins 26 NUIG students aim for the summit in charity climb 28 AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR: Predicting the All-Ireland semi-finals 29 Galway United Season in Review 31

And just like that December has come around. Many may ask, “Where has this year gone” the usual refrain would be something along the lines of “hopefully as far away as possible”. But fear not, SIN is here to save December, which may not seem as dour as November given the recent easing of restrictions.

Personally, I’ve always liked December. The month that brings with it the onset of Christmassy cheer, the warm drinks, and of course the end of teaching for the Semester. The festive season will be different this year, without doubt, but I’m sure that the joy at the conclusion of what has been a long hard and tough year will help bring some festive cheer to people’s lives.

The imposing conifer that stands tall in front of the quad and the majesty of Shop Street dressed in Christmas lights, and the streets covered in grit in preparation for the chilly nights ahead would be enough to motivate anybody to kick on and get through to December 25th with a sense of encouragement that there is a light at the end of the long tunnel that is 2020.

With the recent easing of restrictions it is vitally important that we do not let out guard down, while a vaccine will on the horizon there is still a mountain to be climbed before we can

watch the sun set on Covid-19’s hold over the world.

As I write this introduction, I have just been left shocked by the news of the sad passing of Diego Maradona, perhaps the mention of the man in an editorial of a college newspaper will look out of place when the dust settles on the news, but tributes must always be paid to greatness, and Diego was a great in every sense of the world. A hero in his native Argentina and revered as a god in his former stomping ground of Naples.

That god may well have returned to his rightful home in the eyes of the religiously inclined, Away from that, there’s plenty inside SIN issue 5 and once again huge credit must go to all the writers and sub-editors that make SIN what it is.

This year has undoubtedly brought its challenges, but the writing team have done Trojan work in getting the paper published every fortnight, so fair play to every one of you.

As always if you have any interest in contributing to the paper don’t hesitate to contact either me or any of the sub-editors. We’re all very sound people here at SIN and we would only be delighted to have you on board. See you in issue six, where we will draw the curtains on a truly woeful year!

The majesty of Shop Street dressed in Christmas lights would be enough to motivate anybody to kick on and get through to December 25th.

There is a light at the end of the long tunnel that is 2020.

University to give partial refunds on parking permits University announces that permit holders will be given €20 back as demand slumps for on-campus parking Paddy Henry

EDITOR: Paddy Henry editor.sin@gmail.com LAYOUT: Shannon Reeves An bhfuil rud éigin le rá agat?

Cur litir chuig an Eagarthóir chuig editor.sin@gmail.com

Find us online:

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The University are also cutting the cost for new permits by the same amount.

NUI Galway have announced that stuEarlier this year SIN reported that dents and staff who have paid for a the costs generated from the collection parking permit on campus will be given of the parking permit were used to cover a €20 refund. the cost of the University’s Park and Ride The permit which costs €50 per service which was “indefinitely paused” year for students and €55 per year at the beginning of the semester. for staff has been a contentious issue Student’s Union President Pádraic among many within the University of Toomey praised the University’s decilate with an abundance of car parking sion to provide the partial refund, but spaces left vacant due to a lack of activ- said more needed to be done, telling SIN; ity on campus.

“We’re delighted with the University’s decision to refund students and also to reduce the cost to people who will be getting parking permits.

“This is well overdue, students should have been paying for full parking permits, especially when the University had previously quoted that money from the permits goes to the bus service which is currently not running this year. We still have a lot of work to do and we believe that all spaces should be equally shared between staff and students, Both staff and Students will be eligible for the €20 but we are very glad with reimbursement from the University as mentioned the announcement “

Students living with disabilities were vocal in their criticism of the University over their decision to pause the Park and Ride service earlier in the year and Disability Rights Officer Trish O’Mahony welcomed the news that students were getting something back.

“I think it’s brilliant for all students, but most especially for students with disabilities. To get something back like that is great especially when fees and registration and all of those things are all the same, when students aren’t even in college.

“I suppose the only way I can put it is that it’s a start. And whether it will go any further later on, I don’t know but it is a start. I suppose here is nobody parking there really, and it is a bit of a nuisance.” she said.

One student who paid for a permit at the start of the year welcomed the decision “t’s very helpful to be able to park on campus however this year with the pandemic affecting on campus learning there’s a lot of vacant parking spaces so it’s frustrating having to pay the full amount for the permit. I am glad to hear that permit holders like me are going to be getting some money back as every little helps in these difficult times.” he said.

N UAC HT

December 01 2020

NEWS EDITORIAL

By Conor Brummell Hello everyone! I hope you are all keeping well these days. There’s only two more weeks left until Christmas well and truly kicks off, and I hope the studying and assignments have not built up too much. It won’t be long now until we are tucking into some Christmas dinner and enjoying some classic holiday movies. SIN is back again this week, with another issue of news about campus and beyond.

Caoimhe Killeen reports on research carried out by NUI Galway Masters students and supervised by Dr. Maeve O’Rourke about Direct Provision. It is an interesting piece that shows the downfalls of Direct Provision in our society, and I would highly recommend reading it.

NUI Galway have announced that there will be some face-to-face classes come next February when we’re all back to semester, and I’ve written an opinion piece about how this first semester online has gone and what NUI Galway needs to do to make next semester bearable for students. As well as that, former USI President Síona Cahill has joined the Gaisce Award as Public Relations and Communications Manager, which you can read about in this week’s issue. To top it off from me, there’s also a report on the petition that ‘International Students for change’ have penned to Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, which gives an insight once again to the struggles of International students this semester.

Editor Paddy Henry details the University’s decision to reimburse student and staff parking permit holders by €20 and reports on the new Executive Dean appointments made by the University.

Also inside is a collaborative piece between SIN, University College Dublin’s ‘The College Tribune”, University College Cork’s ‘University Express’, and the University of Limerick’s ‘An Focal’ where together we delved into this generations defining issue, the housing crisis. Give it a read it really is an excellent piece of journalism.

Chomh maith leis, tá agallamh iontach eile déanta ag Eimear Nig Oireachtaigh le Siún Ní Dhúinn, a bhíonn ag craoladh le RTÉ ar an gclár Beo Ar Éigean. Tá an t-agallamh iontach dearfach, agus mólaim go mór duit é a léamh.

As always, it’s great to hear from new writers.

If you want to get involved please do email deputy. sined@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!

FEATURES EDITORIAL

By Saoirse Higgins Hi and welcome back to the next issue of SIN! Midterms have taken over our lives for the most part, but SIN is here to offer you the latest news between your assignments. From the start of the Christmas chatter to your regular columnists, here is what Features have in store for you.

Aine Fogarty is back with her First Year Diary and talks Midterms and Christmas. Tom Molloy continues with his witty takes on Covid-19, vaccines and Lockdown 2.0. while Gary Elbert offers some wise insights in his Mature Student Diary.

We then delve into what the new NUIG style soc fashion magazine has in store for us with Neasa Gorrell. Niamh Casey tells us how NUIG students have found Christmas shopping under Covid-19 restrictions and Tom Molloy asked all of you how you are reacting to the news of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine. Then I take you through Cope Galway’s adaptation on their annual Christmas swim in Covid-19 times.

All that and more in this issue of SIN. Tuck and enjoy, and if you ever want to send in an idea or article to Features feel free to contact me at ­features.sined@gmail.com.

ARTS AND ENTS EDITORIAL

By Alice O’Donnell Hello guys, and welcome to another issue of SIN! Hope ye have all managed to stay busy and sane with lockdown and all the essays flying about.

Yesterday I took a walk through town (listening to Philip Pullman’s ‘The Golden Compass’, because if a talking armoured polar - bear doesn’t get me in the Christmas spirit I don’t know what will).

It’s very odd to think that any other normal year Galway would be bustling, with the Christmas market in full swing, but hey, I guess this year is far from any other normal year.

Speaking of Christmas, Rachel Garvey looks at is it too early to be blasting Christmas songs, or should we wait until Christmas is right around a corner before we once more know what Mariah Carey wants for Christmas. And what would Christmas be without The Late Late Toy Show?

Fiona Lee looks at what makes the Toy Show so special, no matter your age.

We also have a bunch of reviews; recommendations ranging from books, TV shows, and films.

Valerie McHugh reviews ‘Dawson’s Creek’, a hidden gem from the 90s which explores topics we are all acquainted with (even if we wish we weren’t) such as friendship, heartbreak, school and first loves.

Aicco Sapi also brings us some fabulous news from the world of 90’s sitcoms – a Friends’ reunion!

Aicco looks at why the TV show has remained so popular decades after it first premiered.

This issue is absolutely jammed packed with some fab articles. A big thank you to everyone who contributed and helped make this section one I’m so proud to present. If you have any interest in writing for SIN, the arts and entertainment section accepts creative writing, reviews and basically anything to do with entertainment. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in getting involved with, for sure shoot me an email at artsentertainment.sined@gmail.com.

FASHION & LIFESTYLE EDITORIAL

By Anastasia Burton Hello, everybody, how are you keeping?

Midterms should finally be wrapped up and you are hopefully relaxing and taking time to yourself.

End of semester assignments are either already posted or will be posted soon, it seems like this year never stops coming for us. I hope you are checking in with your loved ones and have a good support system around you.

The festive season is just around the corner now and I have to admit I already have my pink Christmas tree up! This issue had been a little slow due to everyone being so busy, but I’d like to thank all my contributors this issue! I am so lucky to have such great writers taking up pieces for my section and I hope to continue seeing familiar names taking up some pieces.

I have made it my goal from the beginning of my term as the Fashion and Lifestyle editor to bring attention to mental health and give plenty of room for our contributors to express themselves in any way they liked. I believe that fashion and lifestyle is more than just make-up and fashion, but it is also about correct nutrition and budgeting advice as well as sharing your favorite habits or things about Galway, like your favorite charity store or how you keep your fashion and beauty lifestyle sustainable.

I hope you enjoy our selection of articles this issue and I look forward for our more festive issues!

Anastasia

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GNÉ -ALTANNA

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Finally, as always I want to thank all the writers for making the paper what it is and if you would like to get involved or just have any questions about the paper, you can email me at opinion.sined@gmail.com.

OPINION EDITORIAL

By Darren Casserly Hello everyone and welcome back to Issue 5 of this year’s edition of SIN. It’s amazing to me that we now have less than a month left in this semester, it seems like it was only yesterday that in-person lectures finished back in March. We have plenty of great opinion pieces to keep you entertained in this issue.

Anastasia Burton writes about the controversy surrounding Amber Heard and Johnny Depp, with Depp being fired from the Fantastic Beasts franchise due to the court case Depp recently took against The Sun. Eoin Gallagher gives us his opinion on whether or not NUI Galway should completely stop online learning when this pandemic is over, he brings up some interesting points in favour of keeping it an option for people and could change college and eliminate some of the obstacles people have when trying to attend college.

Eoin also writes about how with the announcement from Pfizer about a 90% effective vaccine do we need to take a step back and not be overly optimistic as of this moment and hold it until people start to receive it?

Sophia Hadef tells us why we need to support local businesses during this pandemic and also gives us some worthy stores that could do with our business during this time.

Rachael Garvey writes about how Covid will affect our Christmas celebrations this year and how to celebrate the holidays safely while enjoying it at the same time. We have these and lots more articles for you to enjoy in this issue.

SPORTS EDITORIAL

By Oisín Bradley Hello one and all, and welcome to Issue Five of SIN for the 2020/21 Academic Year! Mid-term assignments are barely in the rear-view mirror, and we are already being thrust into the world of exams and final assignments. Fear not, as we in sports have plenty for you to dip your toes into this issue.

NUIG student Darragh Burke spoke to us last week on his huge endeavour, as he plans to complete the huge task of scaling Mount Kilimanjaro next year. Darragh plans on doing so to raise funds for the Meningitis Research Fund, a cause we can all agree is a very worthy one.

Elsewhere, as sporting seasons round up and all is said and done, some teams are already looking to the future. One such team is Galway United, and we’ve kept an eye on their incoming faces in the door as they shape up for 2021.

It’s nice to look back too, so we’ve taken a broader look at Galway United and the Galway gaelic footballers’ 2020 and how they’ve both fared.

The All-Ireland SFC semi-finals are also just around the corner, and hopefully we have predicted them a bit better than our provincial predictions! Finally, earlier in the month we headed to Eamonn Deacy Park for Galway WFC’s last home game of the season vs Wexford Youths.

Happy reading!

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SIN Vol. 22 Issue 05

International Students for Change launch petition to Minister for Justice to improve Covid-19 response

By Conor Brummell International students in Ireland have launched a petition addressed to Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, calling on her to improve the Covid-19 response to international students who moved to Ireland for University in

September. According to the petition, “International students have not been adequately considered in Ireland’s Covid-19 response� and that students who moved to Ireland from other countries have faced a myriad of problems because of this.

The petition claims that “due to closed immigration offices, some students have remained stuck in

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Ireland for months, with unanswered emails and calls to INIS and University Immigration Offices� among other problems. As well as this, there have also been reports of passports being lost in the mail due to an online renewal system that requires applicants to mail in their passports, or in some cases, it has been held up to 3 months after it was mailed in.

Despite permission extensions, a valid upto-date residence card is required to allow most non-EU international students to exit and re-enter the country. These delays have meant some students have they not been able to return home to care for sick family members or say goodbye to dying loved ones for fear of not being allowed to return. According to the petition, “heart-breaking stories of isolation, frustration, and loss currently fill the international student community.�

In addition, the petition describes a recent ruling by the Court of Appeals, classifying international students who reside in Ireland for more than one year as “Ordinary Residents,� as “putting considerable financial burden on international students.�

Despite bringing in some 400 million euros to the Irish economy, the petition states that international students are already required to pay 300 euros per year out of their own pockets for residency cards that must be renewed yearly. This ruling now additionally requires international students to purchase health insurance for immigration purposes costing 600+ euros per year. “It is illogical and excessive to classify students as Ordinary Residents and expect a yearly renewal fee - especially when students (Stamp 2) can’t avail of social service benefits,� the petition says.

A spokesperson for the group spoke to SIN about the troubles facing international students in Ireland, “Before COVID, international students in Ireland were already facing challenges, and the pandemic has further worsened them. “Currently, non-EU students outside of Dublin have been facing immigration backlogs for months.

Those within Dublin - where a partly online system is available - have had the passports they mailed in for renewal lost. This has meant that many are unable to travel home for emergencies, for the holiday break, or to study remotely because they cannot enter without a valid residency card. Some students, especially postgrads, have been stuck in Ireland since March. In addition, a recent ruling by the court of appeals classifying international students as ordinary residents has resulted in a health insurance hike of 150 to 600+ euros per year, a 400% increase, in the middle of a pandemic.

They also spoke of the disparity in supports received by Irish students and their counterparts from outside of Ireland, particularly in terms of lack of access to University schemes and supports such a NUI Galway’s recent laptop loan scheme “In general, international students don’t have access to proper supports through their universities. For example, the recently announced laptop loan scheme (NUIG) and emergency fund are not available to international students. The 250 euro assistance is also not available to non-EU international students.

Furthermore, students regularly struggle to find housing in an increasingly costly markets. And, while many students would like to work to gain valuable experience during their education, securing employment as an international student is almost impossible. “To rectify these issues, we believe that Irish HEIs and relevant government departments should work quickly to implement a fully online immigration renewal system and declassify international students as ordinary residents. We’re asking our

Image: ISC neighbours to advocate, though our petition, for further support for international students, and by extension, Irish students as well. We don’t contest the value of an Irish education and are pleased to benefit from the experts we are able to learn from here. But this pandemic has highlighted how precarious our position is and the reputation of Ireland as a welcoming country is at stake.�

The petition is calling on Minister McEntee to amend the following in Ireland’s Covid-19 response to International students:

Resolve the immigration appointment and application backlogs This could be accomplished through the implementation of a fast, secure, countrywide, fully online renewal process. To avoid passports being lost or held for excessive periods of time, this could be accomplished via a “sticker system,� whereby applicants submit their details online and are issued a “sticker� in the mail that makes their permit valid until the COVID crisis is over.

In addition to the online “sticker system,� issuing residence permits for non-EU students that last for the duration of a student’s study, as done in the United States and the Netherlands (for example), would help improve the situation; additionally, removing the yearly renewal process would help with the immigration appointment backlogs. As non-EU students are already under an obligation to report and change in details, and can only work 20 hours per week and thus would be unable to support themselves financially in Ireland’s high cost of living, there is little risk of these students using their residency cards to stay in Ireland under false pretences. In addition, these issues have been addressed through simple mechanisms already done in other EU countries.

Re-classify international students to avoid unreasonable healthcare costs Under no circumstances should students be forced to pay healthcare costs of 600+ euros following the Court of Appeal ruling. We therefore request that international students be declassified as Ordinary Residents.

Consider international students when making policy decisions Take care to consider issues concerning international students when making future decisions regarding residency, visas, GNIB, health, housing, and the overall Covid response, to prevent further issues from arising.

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6 NEWS & F E ATU R ES

SIN Vol. 22 Issue 05

THE HOUSING DISASTER:

Analysing Our Generation’s Defining Crisis Conor Capplis Paddy Henry Conor Brummell Maeve McTaggert Elisha Carey Chloe O’Keefe Edited by Fiona Keeley

— Senior Reporter at The College Tribune — Editor at Student Independent News — News Editor at Student Independent News — News Editor at University Express — Features Editor at University Express — Editor at An Focal — Editor at University Express

We are living in a world with a growing housing crisis around the student population; something that is troubling to young people, parents, and guardians as a problem once someone reaches third-level education. This is not a unique problem that targets a single part of the country; tens of thousands of students return to education each year and face a housing crisis that is affecting their demographic across the country. As a collaboration of Irish student journalists we delve into the story from different corners of the country and illustrate the story of the housing system that students navigate each year.

Double the Rent – Same Accommodation Ireland’s capital has become infamous for its rents, affecting students every year who make the move to Dublin. In February 2019, University College Dublin (UCD) moved to increase on-campus rents by over 12% over the next three years, much like other universities. The move was met with universal condemnation by student groups nationwide. The question is, how do these increases compare to previous years?

According to The College Tribune, back in 2006, a room in UCD’s cheapest accom-

modation block cost €3,544, with a further €353 for utilities and insurance. Fast forwarding to 2019, the main fee increased by 88.57% to €6,683, a raw increase of €3,139. The average yearly increase of 4.81% dwarfs the inflation levels of less than 1% annually. At UCD during the academic year 2019/20, it cost between €6,745 and €11,591 for two semesters to stay at on-campus accommodation - this is a rent increase of 76% in the last ten years.

According to the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), the national rent average in Ireland in Q2 2020 was €1,224 per month.

The highest rent average by county was in Dublin county with €1,709, and lowest in Leitrim with €599 per month. The rent averages in the other major college cities in Ireland lie at €1,653 in Dublin city, €1,169 in Galway, €1,209 in Cork city, €971 in Limerick city and €799 in Waterford.

“Bizarre” Price Increases The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) is one group championing affordable accommodation. Speaking to The College Tribune, USI’s Vice President for Campaigns Craig McHugh says students require affordable housing – not luxury.

McHugh wants universities to receive

This article is the first in a new series of collaborative efforts by Irish student journalists. The team comes from four student newspapers across Ireland’s largest four cities. We aim to tell the key stories of our generation, starting off with this in depth look at Ireland’s housing crisis. funding from the government to subsidise the construction and maintenance of purpose-built student accommodation, which will help control the average prices and keep it affordable for students.

After its latest increase, UCD’s most expensive accommodation will cost almost €13,000 between September and May. Despite university management maintaining this “will contribute to longer term rent stability”, students can’t help feeling hard done by in the midst of a housing crisis.

In response to UCD’s defence of building luxury accommodation, McHugh comments on this, saying “this idea that ramping up supply will bring down price is correct, but what is the type of supply and what’s the market price in which you’re introducing?”

“We are seeing a reverse effect”, McHugh explains, as supply increases so does the price. “It’s bizarre.”

The Rise of Student Accommodation As recently as August 2019, tenants in student-specific accommodation gained largely the same rights as private tenants in all but their security of tenure and right to remain. Under Irish law, private tenants

are entitled to certain minimum standards of accommodation. A property must be free from damp, with all internal and external structures such as walls, pipes, tiles, windows, floors in good condition.

Every room must be adequately ventilated, with heating tenants can control. In addition, private tenants must have access to a washing machine and cooking facilities, this includes items such as a fridge, microwave and kitchen cupboards. To meet these minimum standards of accommodation, a landlord must provide a sink with hot and cold water, a fixed heating appliance in each room, and access to a separate room with a toilet, washbasin and fixed bath or shower. Local authorities are responsible for inspecting and enforcing these minimum standards.

According to the RTB, there were 28,414 Student Specific Accommodation tenancies registered in 2019 because of changes to the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) introduced on June 4th last year. This legislation placed a requirement on all providers of Student Specific Accommodation to register their student tenancies with the RTB. These registered tenancies were found across 169 Student Specific Accommodation developments, 13 of which were managed by higher education institutions, and 156 were private developments.

The student specific accommodation providers are currently in the process of registering their tenancies for the 20/21 Academic Year. In response to the ongoing pandemic, as of midnight on October 21st 2020, a general ban on evictions was renewed by the government for the duration of Level 5 and any future restrictions of movement of up to 5 kilometres in response to the pandemic.

Supports For Some, But Not All

Statistics compiled by Hugh Dooley College Tribune

Even with the help of the Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) many students across Ireland will often find themselves still pretty strapped for cash on a month by month basis. It’s all down to budgeting, but when rent has nearly doubled in the last five years, and SUSI hasn’t increased in near the same amount of time the budgeting skills (or lack thereof) may not be the real issue.

This accommodation crisis is not unique to undergraduate students; masters students around the country face uphill battles too. SUSI having different thresholds for postgraduate courses restrict many students in further pursuing their education unless they have at least a part-time job.

Though the margin for postgraduates receiving SUSI is quite high it’s not only postgrads that may suffer the consequences of not getting maintenance. Many undergraduate students are not in receipt of SUSI, and these in particular may face unnecessary stress. SUSI data shows there was a 6% fall in the number of recipients to the grant from 2015- 2018. This fall in applications means a lower percentage of students are now receiving SUSI compared to just a few years ago. This fall in applications and awardees is likely down to the income thresholds for grant eligibility being static for near 10 years.

In a report carried out last year by the ESRI (Economic and Social Research Institute) and Trinity College Dublin it was revealed that over 2 thirds of 20- year olds still live with their parents, and most of them depend financially on them also.

44% of the 20- year olds surveyed said their main worry was access to housing.

One postgraduate student, Clara* was advised to reconsider doing a masters if she was going to be balancing a part-time job along with the full-time masters, “I was told to give a serious rethink of doing the masters along with a part-time job, but the reality is that I needed the part-time job to fund the masters, and I would need the masters to get higher on the career ladder,” she stated.

Living in “Constant Fear” We spoke to a former Students’ Union Sabbatical Officer about her housing struggles throughout her time in college. Sarah* began college commuting 2.5 hours each way to Dublin. For logistical reasons and due to a tough home situation, she decided to move out – although without financial support from home. Sarah moved in with a friend in a “very, very small apartment”.

“The rent was just about manageable with the 15 hours of work that I was doing, but it was very tight.” Sarah sees it as “a bit fucked up” that she was forced to cut college classes to afford rent, in order to attend college.

The heating broke down one winter, and with the old building’s single pane windows, Sarah says “you could feel the wind from outside”.

“The amount of money that I had to put away for rent, those margins were very tight. So, if I wanted to get anything more comfortable, it was just outside of my reach.

She said that their rents were lucky enough to stay stable while the rest of Dublin’s were increasing, however, there was a “constant fear” that if she brought

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up maintenance issues, she would be kicked out for subletting. She says that if the rents were increased, they would have been “fucked”. As per the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2015, rent can be increased every 2 years.

Trapped in a mould-ridden house, with the “kitchen falling apart” and the windows not closing properly, she couldn’t afford a better option and was too afraid to complain to the landlord, for fear that being kicked out would force her back home.

Fortunately, Sarah’s situation has improved now, but not without years of hard work and a successful tenure on a Students’ Union team. “I learnt a lot in the process, but the thing is, I shouldn’t have had to learn that.”

What Are Your Rights?

While letting, a landlord is legally bound to give tenants a rent book or written legal agreement or lease to track and schedule all payments throughout the tenancy.

There are obligations a tenant must follow while renting, to breach conditions of tenancy has the potential to impede any assertion of rights. These include avoiding damage, granting the landlord access to the property by appointment only for routine inspections, and to pay rent on time. All landlords must register with the Private Tenancies Board (PRTB), if a tenancy is not registered then substantial fees can accrue - increasing for each tenancy.

Payment of security deposit is the norm amongst renters - a sum usually equal to one months rent held by the landlord to cover rent arrears, bills owing or damage - this deposit is not regulated or capped by legislation. Upon leaving the property, this deposit must be returned in full.

Rent Pressure Zones (RPZ) were introduced in 2019 as a mechanism to make the rental market more predictable as rents rise exponentially across the country.

Such zones - which currently include Cork City Council and Cobh, most of Dublin and Galway City, Kildare, parts of Meath, Wicklow and Louth, as well as Limerick and Waterford cities - dictate that rent cannot be increased by more than 4 per cent per annum. As per the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2015, rent can only be increased every 2 years.

Cork Students Take Action Things in the south of the country cast a mirror image of what is happening in the capital. In February this year, 200 University College Cork (UCC) students rotationally camped on the Quad to protest the planned 3% rent increase for campus accommodation for the 2020/21 academic year. The protestors braved the elements for 17 days before the onset of the pandemic ended the occupation.

As September approached, a new host of troubles unfolded for student renters as the new academic year began, set against the backdrop of an unwaning global pandemic. With the uncertainty surrounding timetables and on-campus hours, many UCC students reported feeling unsure of whether it would be necessary for them to rent accommodation in Cork or not.

We spoke with 1st year Government and Political Science student, Danny Sheehy, who expressed his frustrations over the puzzling messages coming from the Cork University in relation to

accommodation. Danny spoke about an email he received from UCC as part of his registration, which instructed him to organise his accommodation “as you would have done if Covid-19 did not exist.” The email indicated that the University was “planning to implement face-to-face teaching where safe and possible” and urged students to be “proactive” in their search for accommodation. “I was 100% excited and rearing to move”, Danny said, and after receiving the email he proceeded to take out a student loan to pay for his housing.

“An email like that” Danny said, “confirms the dream you have of having a normal year.”

Indeed, as some might have expected, it was not a normal year, with all thirdlevel institutions being moved to Level 3 before the new semester even began. Students, just like Danny, who felt assured of face-to-face teaching, suddenly found themselves no longer needing accommodation in the city but having paid for the semester, or even the full year. With rent hikes of 19% in the last three years across all their complexes, UCC Campus Accommodation has been the subject of some of the highest rent increases in the country.

While one can be critical of some of the early messages coming out of UCC in relation to accommodation, the University could be commended for its decision last month to offer refunds to any student living in campus accommodation who decides to return home due to the ongoing pandemic/lack of campus hours. This decision came following a UCC Students’ Union meeting with UCC Campus Accommodation after the announcement by the university that the majority of courses will be taking place entirely online for the remainder of the semester.

Joe Leogue, Media and PR Officer for the University explained the rationale behind the decision: “UCC understands that for many students, campus accommodation is their home. However, the university acknowledges that some students in campus accommodation are living away from support networks such as family, relatives and friends and may wish to return to these environments during the current public health restrictions.”

Reacting to this, Council Chairperson Mr. O’Riordan said: “It’s encouraging to see compassion from the University by offering refunds for Campus Accommodation, however UCC should follow the lead of statements from colleges in Limerick and elsewhere and let students know what second semester will look like so they can adequately prepare. It’s also now time for our politicians to pick up the slack and implement similar protections for student renting in private accommodations.”

prices were a huge worry for students long before Covid-19 came into our consciousness. Commenting on the matter UCCSU Council Chairperson Stephen O’Riordan said: “The cost of campus accommodation can be exorbitant and only acts to create further barriers to education.” UCC spokespeople continue to assert that “campus accommodation rates are significantly below rates provided by private operators.”

In 2017, the Higher Education Authority estimated that there was a demand for 57,104 student bed spaces in 2014. It was projected that by 2024, such a number should rise to 68,670. The level of income generated by the university sector from student accommodation was estimated to increase from €51 million in 2014 to just under €120 million in 2024.

The sector is growing exponentially as the numbers of students seeking accommodation increases.

A tendency by property developers to build ‘luxury’ accommodation complexes has been a key characteristic of the student accommodation crisis in Ireland. Over recent years planned developments across the country have been offered student lodgings with incorporated elements of grandeur not typically associated with student living.

Complexes advertised as ‘state of the art’ have been seen to demand higher prices, by comparison to the standard student house.

One such example is Cúirt na Coiribe, a privately owned student accommodation facility in Terryland in Galway City that currently provides 405 bed spaces to students in NUI Galway. In 2018 a decision to impose steep rental hikes, some as high as 18% in the facility caused controversy. Cúirt, which advertises itself as a provider of ‘luxury’ student accommodation defended the increases at the time stating that they were imposed to bring the complex in line with the wider student rental market in Galway City.

Earlier this month, plans for a major expansion of the Cúirt na Coiribe were granted by An Bord Pleanála which would see the facility double in capacity. Crucially however, within the plans provisions for the construction of a gym, games room, lounge facility and study spaces for residents were also included.

The necessity of these facilities have been widely questioned and criticised by the student body and their representatives.

NUI Galway Students’ Union President Pádraic Toomey expressed his hope that the trend of accommodation providers offering costly luxury accommodation to students ends.

“We just hope that we don’t continue to see massive luxury accommodation that’s

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costing too much. We just hope that for students and for their families that the prices go down with the likes of this planned development.”

Cúirt na Coiribe is not the sole example of expensive luxury accommodation being rolled out across the city either.

Recent on campus developments in NUI Galway such as Goldcrest Village have also seen hikes in prices coming hand in hand with opulent lodgings.

Fighting For Housing Rights Students who have not been able to secure accommodation turn to organisations like Threshold. Threshold is a registered charity, established in Ireland in 1978 with the aim of securing a right to housing, particularly for households experiencing the problems of poverty and exclusion.

New research from Threshold suggests Irish renters are increasingly unable to afford permanent housing. The findings also show higher percentages of income demanded for rent and just 15% are renting by choice. One expert heavily criticised the “lack of trajectory” from the Housing Ministers, demanding departmental reforms. Carried out in July of this year, the survey of 150 renters “paints a grim picture”, according to Threshold’s Policy Officer Ann Marie O’Reilly.

A spokesperson from Threshold commented on the situation: “Young workers and students, living in house shares or as licensees, were the first groups hit by the impact of COVID19. Even before the country went into ‘lockdown’ Threshold advisors were receiving calls from young people, forced to leave their accommodation with a few hours’ notice. [...] Licensees had zero protections, even under the moratorium on evictions. These groups have been hit again by the second ‘lockdown’ with the retail, tourism and hospitality sectors shutting down and the colleges going online.”

“Threshold’s Student Housing Survey 2020 found that 21% of those seeking accommodation for the new academic year were asked to pay four months’ rent or more in advance. We see now as the colleges closed down students out of pocket and forced them to return to the family home.” Whilst Covid-19 has shone a light on the shortcomings of the private rented sector as a place to live and make a home, organisations like Threshold say that young people are expected to rent until they “settle down” and buy a home.

“Co-living has been proposed as a suitable housing

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option for young people. Such complexes, where a developer’s goal is to the maximise profit per sq metre, are not suitable for most people, with high rents and limited living spaces. They do not provide homes. Unfortunately, housing policy does not address the needs of young people and those who do not buy, whether out of choice or not, their own home. Policy makers do not treat renting as a legitimate tenure. [...] Rented homes are real homes,” the spokesperson finished.

With the growing housing crisis in the country, and the student housing crisis branching off, another aspect to consider is the cost of living for a student in Ireland.

“From 1st to 4th year I’ve seen properties go from less than €300 to over €400 for poor quality houses. As a working professional now, I’ve seen more poor quality houses advertised for over €500 per month,” says Mark* a 2018 graduate of the University of Limerick (UL).

“As a student the prejudice was if something went wrong - students were always to blame. There is an age bias. Experiences are much more pleasant now; landlords are more cooperative and understanding.

I don’t have to pay by cash.”

However, students have experienced that working professionals, or recent graduates going into the working world can either experience prejudice or see a prejudice towards students when living with them. James*, a Business graduate at UL says he got a nicer and cheaper house when he took a year out for his Co-Operative placement, he was with all working professionals and believes that the location he secured for his placement year was far superior due to him being considered a working professional. The rise in demand in houses has always been evident but the lack of a rent cap could see them potentially increasing furthermore.

Claire McCarthy, a recent graduate at UL speaks of how her part- time job didn’t cover her rent and bills month on month. “If I didn’t get support from my parents then I would have to work endlessly to make ends meet, and as a result would probably have failed college.” Similarly, Erin Smyth a recent graduate at the UL says she struggled with trying to find affordable accommodation with rent being around the €500-600 mark, having increased from between €360-480 from last year. *Names have been changed at the request of the individuals.

Expensive Accommodation A ‘Barrier To Education’ The level of income generated by the university sector from student accommodation at large was estimated to increase from €51 million in 2014 to just under €120 million in 2024. The sector is growing exponentially as the numbers of students seeking accommodation increases. These soaring

Like Galway, Limerick as well as other cities across Ireland have seen massive hikes in rental costs over the past few years.

8 NEWS & F E ATU R ES Students’ Union launch Random Acts of Kindness Challenge Paddy Henry In a month where cheer, kindness and festivities are spread across communities the Students’ Union have sought to do their bit with the launch of December’s edition of their Charity Challenge initiative.

This week, the Union formally launched their Random Acts of Kindness Challenge, which encourages students to spread kindness throughout the month of December.

The initiative, which is the second of the union’s six charity challenges is running from December 1st until New Year’s Eve. Money raised from the programme will go towards supporting the Students’ Union’s charitable partners, Galway Autism Partnership, Galway Rape Crisis Centre and Helplink Mental Health.

The aim of the Challenge is to encourage participants to commit to completing a target number of Random Acts of Kindness (RAKs) throughout the month! Some of the RAKs that are planned include beach clean-ups, letter writing to nursing home residents, a giant Secret Santa, getting to know neighbours and reaching out to those in need.

So far, the Charity Challenge initiative has proven successful. November’s Kilometre Challenge, which encouraged participants to stay active and connected while raising almost €2,000 for local charitable causes last month.

December’s edition of the Charity Challenge has already proven to be popular with over 250 participants registered already.

Students’ Union President Pádraic Toomey spoke of his excitement at the launch of the month long initiative, and spoke of the accessibility of the challenges, stating that each challenge is adaptable to one’s own ability “We are very excited to start our RAK Challenge to support three amazing charities. These events will help our students and staff to feel part of the NUIG community, have fun and keep active while fundraising. Our challenges are not one size fits all events - each participant can adapt them according to their own capabilities.”

Vice-President and Welfare and Equality Officer Róisín Nic Lochlainn also spoke of her delight at the being involved in the initiative, and spoke of the importance of spreading positivity and kindness around the wider community “It’s great to see students and staff coming together as a community for a project like this even if we are apart.

Spreading positivity and kindness is going to have an amazing and lasting impact on everyone involved. It will also raise vital funds for three very worthy charities.”

Participants can still register online on the Students’ Union’s website while donations can be made online via the NUIGSU Charity challenge GoFundMe page.

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Mixed reaction to online language learning Mary Raftery Many students feel that in-person interaction is crucial to their learning of a language at Third Level. Language students have been hopeful for the return of language labs on campus for semester two.

Unfortunately, this looks unlikely as the use of headsets and microphones are essential in labs and it would prove quite difficult to disinfect them after every student.

First-Year students are bearing the brunt of the absence of in class teaching. Some argue they do not know any different, but it is fair to say they are in an unfavourable position relative to previous years. They have not yet met their classmates or lecturers in person and have not been able to participate in faceto-face group activities, a vital component of language learning.

However, under the circumstances which have become our new normal such as facemasks and social distancing, group work may be more effective online. SIN spoke to Dr Tina-Karen Pusse, Head of the School for Languages in NUI Galway, who agreed that in the interim, online languages classes will be the only recourse.

“I would say that learning languages entirely with online tuition is a challenge, but it is the better option compared with students having to remain at one spot in a classroom not being able to engage in group activities, which are central for learning, and at the moment easier to organise in Blackboard breakout groups than on site at sufficient distance.”

Dr Pusse also acknowledged that students can benefit from being in the comfort of their own home and from recorded lectures; “What works particularly well is that there is a subset of students who might have been intimidated to talk in front of a classroom, but feel more encouraged to get involved from the familiar surroundings of their bedrooms” “Students who have struggled with attendance issues in the past, or who were sick for an extended period now have the opportunity to access recorded sessions that they have missed.”

Dr Michaela Schrage-Frueh, Coordinator of BComm. International with German, also believes online learning is proving to be successful, “I actually think that online language learning can be quite interactive and effective. I use a mix of asynchronous and synchronous classes.”

“It’s a lot more work to make the learning experience effective and varied and to create a sense of class community but it’s possible to achieve this. My students (in Second-Year) seem to be happy enough with the experience according to various polls and surveys over the past weeks.”

SIN spoke to a Final Year French student who feels she is not reaping any benefits of online language learning, “It’s weird because it is meant to be really interactive, but we just end up reading notes, so it is not working. I feel I have lost my French. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever spoken this little French.”

Leanne Younge, a Final Year student studying BComm. International with Ger-

man also feels online language teaching fails to promote conversation, “It’s hard to properly grasp what she’s asking us to do with tasks and stuff, so it is hard to keep concentration. We don’t talk as much or practice speaking as we would in class’” A difficulty for the lecturers in this regard is that students can be unwilling to switch on their cameras and microphones. Dr Pusse spoke about these challenges, “The biggest challenge is that students are reluctant to switch their cameras on, and therefore for us as lecturers it is hard to judge whether something we explain is understood or not. Also, even if cameras are switched on, it makes a difference that there is no direct eye contact, and therefore no nonverbal understanding cues,” The Language Department envisage a blend of on-campus and online language learning post-Covid. Dr Pusse described how this would work, “For the future, we are therefore thinking about combining the advantages of online tuition with classroom settings, for example by not offering all classes on site in years to come.”

“For lecture formats with little interaction, an asynchronous online option might be an advantage as it produces fewer timetable clashes and students can watch grammar introductions or consult discussion boards as often, or as slowly as they need to. If we can then combine these with life conversation classes, role play and performative modules such as our drama groups, this would be the best of both worlds.” she added.

University announce New Executive Dean appointments Paddy Henry NUI Galway have announced the appointments of Professor Rebecca Braun and Professor Geraint Howells as Executive Deans of their respective colleges.

Braun, a professor of Modern Languages and Creative Futures at Lancaster University, and co-director of the multi-disciplinary Institute for Social Futures at the University will take up her role in the College of Arts, Social Science, and Celtic Studies.

The professor who grew up in Ireland is a graduate of French and German at the University of Oxford and has had an illustrious career in academia, having been awarded an Arts and Humanities Research Council Leadership Fellowship at the University of Liverpool, a Scatcherd European Scholarship from the University of Oxford and an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship to work in Berlin.

She has published widely in the area of German literature and world literature in leading international venues, is one of the lead editors of German Life & Letters, and routinely works with partners in government and the creative sector.

Speaking about her appointment Rebecca said, “I am honoured to be joining NUI Galway as the Executive Dean of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies. The College has a fantastic wealth of ideas and expertise across an enviable range of disciplines. I am really looking forward to working with all College members to amplify this work, bring in new voices, and grow our audiences across the university, region and wider world.”

Joining Professor Braun is Professor Geraint Howell who will take up the role as

Executive Dean of the College of Business, Public Policy and Law. Howells, a Professor of Commercial Law and Associate Dean in Humanities for Internationalisation at Manchester University. He brings with him a wealth of experience having served as Dean of Law at the City University of Hong Kong and Head of the Law School in Manchester, and, previously, in Lancaster.

He has published extensively on consumer law, product liability and European private law and was a member of the Acquis group developing common principles of European contract law and tort law. Howells is also a former President of the International Association of Consumer Law and edited the Consumer Law Journal for many years.

Commenting on the new appointment, he said: “I have been heartened by the warmth of the welcome extended to me by the NUI Galway community. I was attracted by our strengths in Business, Public Policy and Law that make us well placed to promote inter-disciplinary research into the great challenges facing our society alongside other leading international research institutions. This research base feeds into innovative and topical teaching programmes that attract a diverse student population. I hope we can continue to serve our local community, whilst ensuring our excellence is available to the global community.”

President of NUI Galway Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, welcomed the new appointees and expressing his confidence in their abilities to strengthen their new departments, stating: “I am delighted to welcome Professors Braun and Howells to NUI Galway. Both bring a great breadth of experience and I look forward to working with Rebecca and Geraint to strengthen and build on the strong, collegial foundations in the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies and the College of Business, Public Policy and Law, to living our values of respect, excellence, openness and sustainability for the public good, and to further developing new programmes of research and teaching.”

Both will assume their new roles in January.

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New report by NUIG student highlights impact of Direct Provision on children’s rights

By Caoimhe Killeen Seven graduates of the LLM (International Rights) degree at NUI Galway have collaborated with the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI) to research and author a report entitled “Direct Provision’s Impact on Children: A Human Rights Analysis” through NUI Galway’s Human Rights Law Clinic.

The report highlights how children’s human rights are being impacted on in the Direct Provision system and was also presented to Roderic O’Gorman, Minister for Children, Disability, Equality, and Integration. It was submitted to assist him in showing how Direct Provision separates children seeking asylum in Ireland from their peers, as well as a violation of human rights on a national, European, and international level.

It highlights a breach of rights in a wide range of areas from isolated accommodation, barriers to mental health and social care services, high costs for educational materials, lack of proper nutrition in centres and a lack of transparency in vetting and staff training for child protection.

It also criticised Tusla for their “lack of involvement” which “fails to properly address potential risk to children.” The students also criticised the new National Standards for Direct Provision, due to take effect next January, as it fails “to acknowledge the unsuitability of communal education for children” and does nothing “ to remedy the structural poverty enforced by the system.”

Róisín Dunbar, one of the seven graduate students who was involved in the project stated that this research was undertaken as part of the year-long Human Rights Law Clinic module supervised under Dr Maeve O’Rourke and took about six months to complete. “This module allowed LLM students to use our knowledge and skills to assist communitybased projects focused on social change,” stated Roisin. The Clinic has also allowed students, like us, to develop and learn new skills needed for lawyers interested in human rights and social change.”

Evgeny Storn, an activist from MASI and sociologist, was responsible for creating the research project idea and working closely with the students on this project. ““This was one of the most useful collaborations I’ve had in the years of campaigning against the segregation which is Direct Provision,” stated Storn. “What has been done here, is an elaboration of a solid, robust, and well-grounded argument as to why Direct Provision needs to become a matter of the past. This is a fruitful collective action, where our expertise as activists has been fiercely supported by scholars of the Irish Centre for Human Rights.”

MASI’s mission is to provide “a platform for asylum seekers to join together in unity and purpose.”

Their experience with the Direct Provision system and as people undergoing international processes of citizen application makes them “uniquely placed

Meave O Rourke. Photo: Dara Mac Donaill Irish Times

to offer direction to the Committee on Justice and Equality on these issues.”

“The abolishment of Direct Provision is something MASI have been advocating on for many years,” added Róisín.

“Evgeny of MASI highlighted the issues facing children in Direct Provision. Our initial literature review of our previous report found a lack of child rights material on Direct Provision further confirming the need to highlight the impact of Direct Provision on children.”

Róisín also shared her hopes for the report following its submission to Minister O’Gorman and the Government’s commitment to the abolition of Direct Provision. “We hope that this report will not only highlight the need for Direct Provision’s abolishment on a government level but also with the public- that this report will highlight the inadequacy of the National Standards and inform future asylum-seeker accommodation policy in Ireland, particularly the White Paper on Direct Provision due to be published in December 2020.”

The research was conducted under the supervision of Dr Maeve O’Rourke through the Human Law Centre at the Irish Centre of Human Rights based at NUI Galway. Dr’ O Rourke stated the report was part of a larger project started by last year’s students to highlight awareness about Direct Provision, and to make it a key issue for the General Election held earlier this year. She hoped that “this year’s students will keep a focus that last year’s students identified in Direct Provision…Public pressure is badly needed to make sure that change comes about.”

She also highlighted how the purpose of Human Rights Law clinic was to introduce students to movement lawyering, a practice in which students “work directly and completely with human rights and grassroots organisations on social justice and community issues.”

The report also coincides with the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Emily Logan, Adjunct Professor at the Irish Centre for Human Rights as well as Chief Commissioner on the Rights of the Child penned the forword to the project, stating that it was “heartening to see young people taking such a genuine interest beyond their immediate scholarship to seek to influence and vindicate the rights of children in this state.”

Students’ Union launch SHAG Week Paddy Henry The Students’ Union have formally launched this semester’s edition of Sexual Health and Guidance (SHAG) Week.

Owing to Covid-19 restrictions SHAG Week, which runs from the 1st to the 4th of December sees the Union host a series of online events, looking at key issues impacting on the Sexual Health and Wellbeing of students including consent, image based sexual abuse, victim blaming, period poverty and STI awareness The workshop on Image Based Sexual Abuse will explore what “revenge porn” is, legislation, and how victims can be supported both emotionally and practically. This is an issue that is on the rise rapidly in Ireland and we need to work to ensure people understand that this act can have very damaging consequences.

The launch of this event is timely following the uncovering of an online platform which contained thousands of intimate images of women and underage girls last week.

The news sparked outrage online and led to the proposal of a bill by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee which would outlaw the making and sharing of intimate images without consent and punishable by fines and a prison term of up to seven years.

Other events taking place include the Active* Consent workshops which provides a safe space to explore the nuances of sexual consent and how best to negotiate active sexual consent.

The Union say that these workshops give young people engaging and up-to-date information and skills that are practical and relevant for their own relationships.

Students’ Union Vice-President and Welfare and Equality Officer Róisín Nic Lochlainn spoke of the importance of SHAG week and highlighted the need for student representative bodies and Universities to take strong action in helping to bring to an end many prevalent societal issues in the area of sexual harassment, stating;

“We have some great workshops and events coming up this week for SHAG Week. Students’ Unions and Universities need to take a strong lead in ending the culture of victim blaming as sexual violence and harassment are still prevalent issues in today’s world. Consent is Ongoing, Mutual and Freely Given – this is the core message of the NUIG Smart Consent courses.”

Students’ Union President Pádraic Toomey expressed his hope that the initiative will help encourage students and said that Ireland still “has a long way to go” when it comes to talking openly about sex, stating , “We hope that our SHAG week events will encourage our students to take a responsible attitude to sexual health and healthy relationships. We still have a long way to go in Irish society in terms of breaking down the taboo of talking about sex. We want our students to be educated about their sexual safety.”

More details on the events are available online at the Students’ Union website.

Former USI President Síona Cahill joins the Gaisce Award

By Conor Brummell Former President of the Union of Students in Ireland, Síona Cahill, has joined the President’s Award Gaisce team as head of Public Affairs and Communications. With over six years’ experience in advocacy, campaigns, and public affairs, Síona has been described as a perfect addition to the young people’s award. She was shortlisted alongside activist Greta Thunberg in the Women of Europe Awards in 2019 and is a recipient of an NXF GALA for her work on LGBT+ advocacy.

Ms Cahill is also a graduate of BCL Civil Law and Sociology at Maynooth University. She has previously sat on the Department of Education’s expert group on consent at third level, on the Department of Justice and Equality’s steering group on the strategy for Women and Girls, as well as contributing to Ireland’s first LGBTI+ Youth strategy. She spoke to SIN about her appointment to the position, and how her previous advocacy work will help in her new role.

“The power of the youth voice has been at the heart of my career to date across the charity and NGO sector, from access to education to youth advocacy, to reaching marginalised and underrepresented groups.2,” said Siona.

“I am so excited to join a dynamic team with Gaisce – The President’s Award led by Yvonne McKenna, CEO. 2020 has been a fiercely challenging year for young people; and strong mentorship, educational programming and support needs to be visible and accessible to them regardless of where they live or their means.

“The Gaisce Award is an opportunity to challenge yourself through personal skills development, physical recreation and community engagement, and thousands of young people are doing incredible stuff at every corner of the country right now – I can’t wait to share their stories with the world,” she finished.

CEO of Gaisce – The President’s Award Yvonne McKenna welcomed Síona’s appointment, remarking that she was ‘delighted’.

“I am delighted that Síona is joining our staff team to lead on Gaisce’s public affairs and communications. She has already set an ambitious agenda to engage with public representatives and those working for and with young people across the country to enhance the experience of Gaisce – The President’s Award and encourage more young people to participate in Ireland’s leading youth selfempowerment programme.”

“Síona will play a leading part in driving our public facing activity and we are delighted to have her on the team.”

The Chair of Gaisce – The President’s Award Council, John Cunningham also stated, “I am so delighted to have Síona join our team - her values, energy and professional expertise has already had an impact, as we trended across the day for ‘Lá Gaisce’ celebrating over 20,000 young people participating this year so far.

“Gaisce - The President’s Award is so important as we all fight Covid-19, and Síona is going to help bring that message to the widest audience using her skill and wealth of experience representing young people,” he finished.

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Mol na Meáin: Siún Ní Dhúinn

COPE Galway’s #swimwhereyouare Christmas Event

Le Eímear Nig Oireachtaigh An tseachtain seo, bhí deis agam labhairt le Siún Ní Dhúinn, a oibríonn le RTÉ. Níor tógadh le Gaeilge í, fíric a thugann dóchas do dhuine cosúil liom, nach raibh tógtha le Gaeilge ach an oiread. D’fhreastail sí ar Ghaelscoil, agus is as sin a d’fhás a grá don theanga. Mar a dúirt sí féin, “bhí ‘fhios agam go raibh draíocht ag baint leis an teanga mar gheall ar an oideachas a fuair mé”.

Tar éis na scoile, bhí an Ghaeilge fós lárnach ina saol. Rinne sí céim sa Bhéarla agus sa Ghaeilge, agus ansin máistreacht i scríobh agus cumarsáid na Gaeilge. Leis an máistreacht sin, fuair sí go leor taithí praiticiúla sna meáin, agus mhúscail a suim sna meáin as sin.

Caithfidh mé a rá, tá post an-suimiúil aici: Comhordaitheoir Digiteach Gaeilge.

Níl an post sin ann le fada, ach tá sí ag déanamh sároibre leis. Cé go bhfuil a post iontach spéisiúil, ceapaim féin go bhfuil níos mó cáil uirthi mar gheall ar an bpodchraoladh ‘Beo ar Éigean’ a chuireann sí i láthair le Sinéad Ní Uallacháin agus Áine Ní Bhreisleáin. Thosaigh an podchraoladh i mí Deireadh Fómhair 2017, agus tá sé ag dul ó neart go neart ó shin. Tá lucht leanúna dílis acu.

Ceapaim féin go bhfuil siad chomh mór seo mar gheall ar a gcairdeas. Tá sé soiléir, agus tú ag éisteacht leo, go mbíonn siad ag labhairt dhíreach mar an gcéanna agus iad ag caint go príobháideach. Tá siad oscailte agus fuinniúil, agus tá sé deacair gan a bheith ag gáire leo. I ndáiríre, mothaíonn tú go bhfuil tú féin cairdiúil leo faoi dheireadh an eagráin.

Ach tá ról níos tábhachtaí ag an nGaeilge ina saol ná díreach amháin mar obair. Labhraíonn sí í lena cairde agus lena céile, freisin. Mar fhreagairt de cheist a chuir mé, luaigh sí rud éigin an-suimiúil faoin gcaoi a mothaíonn sí agus í á labhairt aici. “Braithim níos mó saoirse ionam féin agus mé ag labhairt Gaeilge”. Is mothúcháin coitianta é sin, go mothaíonn daoine go hiomláin difriúil agus iad ag labhairt i dteanga eile. Tarlaíonn an rud céanna dom!

Chuir mé an ceist chéanna sin – “Céard é an rud is fearr leat faoin nGaeilge?”, agus arís fuair mé freagra den scoth.

“Mo chairde. Murach an Ghaeilge, ní bheadh mo chairde áille, craiceáilte agam. Déanann siad an saol deich n-uaire níos spéisiúla, níos bríomhara agus níos greannmhaire. Ina dhiaidh sin, braithim go dtugann an teanga an ‘súil eile’ dom ar an saol, mar a luaigh TG4 fadó!” Tá sé chomh suimiúil dom go luann sí an ‘súil eile’ ansin. Aontaím léi, tá sé soiléir dom go bhfuil ort smaoineamh i gcaoi eile chun an teanga a thuiscint ina hiomláin.

Má tá tú ag iarraidh éisteacht le Siún, is féidir leat ‘Beo ar Éigean’ a aimsiú ar shuíomh RTÉ, Spotify nó Podbean.

Cuireann sí é i láthair le comhoibriú óna cairde, Sinéad Ní Uallacháin agus Áine Ní Bhreisleáin ó RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.

Pléann siad gach rud ó thábhacht ‘fancy stationery’ go dtí an ceann is déanaí faoi dhuine atá ag mothú díomhaoin le linn an dara dianghlasáil seo.

By Saoirse Higgins For the past 30 years, wide-eyed, cold, and brave Galwegians have gathered at the winter shores of Salthill for an annual Christmas swim in aid of COPE Galway. However, this year things will run differently.

Like many other organisations, COPE Galway have had to adapt to the new reality under Covid-19.

A charity who provides support for the homeless, domestic abuse victims and the elderly, they have had to change the way they raise their funds.

The annual swim on Christmas day is one of the biggest fundraisers for COPE Galway with it raising almost €50,000 last year and with half of that from bucket collections on the day. However, this year with many people not able to leave their hometowns they have launched a #swimwhereyouare Christmas event.

This event is a creative way to have people still involved in the Christmas swim without breaching Covid-19 restrictions. Community fundraiser, Lynia O’ Brien explains; “We’re asking Galwegians at home and abroad to register online at www.COPEgalway.ie/swim and

we’ll post out a t-shirt. You can swim at your nearest beach and post a photo on social media of you braving the cold winter waters”.

The event will run for 10 days between the 21st and 30th of December. They’re hoping as many people as possible will attend. Even if you don’t want to face the chilly waters, you can still help out by sponsoring a swimmer.

Presenter of Rugbaí Beo on TG4 and COPE Galway board member, Máire Treasa Ní Dhubhghaill will be one of the brave swimmers bracing the water for the event. She commented, “I’m very excited that 2020 isn’t going to rob me of the traditional Christmas swim! It’s one of my Christmas highlights and it’s amazing that we can all join together and support this fantastic cause from wherever we are”.

All funds raised from this event will go towards COPE Galway and the work that they do. In 2019, COPE Galway worked to help 2,984 people in Galway. This includes homeless families, women and children experiencing domestic abuse and they also served 61,016 meals to older clients and services and Galway. Their work is vital to the community in Galway.

Although COPE Galway are disappointed that the normal way they do things can’t go ahead, they’re glad they’ve found at least some ways to keep the Christmas swim tradition alive, “Although we can’t be together in Salthill on the day, shaking a bucket and handing out warm cups of tea, we are giving everyone an opportunity to continue their Christmas Swim tradition”.

Community is at the heart of the work that COPE Galway do, and they hope this event is way for people to stay connected, “With so many people unable to travel home this Christmas, we are hoping that this is something families can do together to stay connected – even though they are apart.”

“We’re asking Galwegians at home and abroad to register online at www.

COPEgalway.ie/ swim and we’ll post out a t-shirt. You can swim at your nearest beach and post a photo on social media of you braving the cold winter waters”. The event will run for 10 days between the 21st and 30th of December.

TG4’s Máire Treasa Ni Dhubhghaill is supporting this year’s COPE charity swim.

GNÉ -ALTANNA

December 01 2020

11

Will You Take The Covid-19 Vaccine?

By Tom Molloy In this past fortnight both Pfizer and Moderna announced that their Covid-19 vaccines have efficacy rates of 95% and 94.5% respectively. Although some experts have said that we are still some time away from the vaccines being mainstream, it is most definitely good news. SIN asked some NUIG students about their hopes, fears, and other thoughts about a potential vaccine.

Darren, a third-year arts student, gave his opinion, “Basically, I think that it’s promising but I’m not overly optimistic until the public actually start to get it. I wouldn’t put too much hope in this government though, but hopefully I’m wrong.”

Maebh compared getting the vaccine to doing an interview for your dream job, “a lovely hopeful thought, but you need to make sure you have other means of getting by until it actually happens.”

Nonetheless, she was cautiously optimistic, “The vaccine is a beacon of hope at the end of a dark and difficult year, but I think it’s still a little too soon to get overexcited about it. We thought we’d all be able to go back to on-campus teaching at the end of March 2020. It’s clear that, unfortunately, these things don’t always pan out as we hope they will.

Ireland’s population is ageing considerably, especially in rural areas, and I think it’s most important that the elderly and those with underlying health conditions are given the vaccine first.

The safety of this vaccine, being brand-new, is of course a concern, but every medical procedure is new at some point and unfortunately if we want to properly eradicate Coronavirus, we’ll just have to trust the experts on this one.”

Arts student Chloe was concerned about the ‘antivaxxer’ movement taking advantage of people’s fears, “People are scared because they think it’s too fast for vaccines to be ready and anti-vaxxers are honing in on that fear to spread misinformation about the vaccines which is terrible. I would hope the government and health officials would make sure to assure people that they are safe and have been tested.” She wanted to point out that getting the vaccine is not just about protecting ourselves but also protecting those who are unable to get it.

SIN also managed to get in touch with The Other Admin (TOA) and NUIG Gossip Girl (NGG) from online metaphorical office water cooler “NUIG Confessions”.

TOA was frank about his views, “Obviously I’ll get it. We need a return to campus because the page desperately needs everyone back in the library, Sult, and lectures for the thirst posts.” TOA was also concerned about fringe elements, “Not looking forward to the anti-vaxxers in our inbox at all.”

Meanwhile, NGG was concerned with the impact 2020 is having on people’s mental health and the loneliness lockdown brings, “We’ve seen a real trend emerge of students struggling with online learning and their mental health suffering because of that. I think we’ve all had a hard and lonely few months in lockdown and there’s a fear that without an actual vaccine we’ll just be in a perpetual cycle of lockdowns. I’d definitely get it to return to some sense of normal, I think we all miss friends and family.”

Gráinne, also a third year, found the idea of anyone being against a vaccine rather mystifying,

“The vaccine is what we’ve all been waiting for so we all can return to the things we miss.

I don’t know how quickly it’ll become available to everyone, but I will take it once it does. I don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want to get it.

If you’ve missed anything during lockdown surely you’d jump at the first opportunity to go back to it and the vaccine offers this opportunity.”

Gráinne agreed with NGG about the importance of loneliness, “Not being allowed to meet up with friends has been difficult. I really miss catching up with friends over a few drinks and being on the college campus attending lectures.

Darragh, a journalism student, was happy to affirm his trust in the experts, “I’ve enough trust in the people responsible for making [the vaccines] that they know

what they’re doing and have done enough research that a vaccine will be safe.” However, he expressed reservations about who might get a potential vaccine first, “I fear [the vaccine] is going to go the same way a lot of other drugs do, where it’ll be cheap and easy to get here but prohibitively expensive in parts of Africa and Asia.”

There is a general consensus amongst the students SIN spoke to that they would be willing to take a Covid-19 vaccine should one become available mainly because of the unprecedented circumstances this virus has brought and the loneliness involved in adhering to government measures, but also that they hold some reservations about conspiracy theories and people being disenfranchised when, and if, a vaccine is released.

Christmas Shopping in Covid Times

By Niamh Casey The general consensus this year is that Christmas can’t come soon enough, and that mindset is very understandable. The sooner the festive season starts and there’s a reason to celebrate, the better.

The things we all associate with this time of year, like the Late Late Toy Show, cosy PJs and Christmas shopping, are things that give a lot of us great joy and a sense of merriment.

However, not unlike everything else at the moment, the majority of our Christmas shopping is all taking place online. Those in particular who chose to get a head start this year have so far made all of their purchases online, and that will likely remain the way people buy things until December 1st.

Currently, there is much speculation as to how much the country will actually open back up come the long awaited date, so a lot of individuals, including students, are not planning to hold out on starting their shopping until then. Having spoken with students, many agree that there are a lot of pros and cons to Christmas shopping this year. It seems that the main pro to having to shop online is the convenience of having everything at your fingertips.

Students say that the great thing with shopping online is that there is a site for quite literally everything and anything you can think of that you would want to buy. If you couldn’t find something you wanted to buy in local shops, there was always the option of searching the internet for it. If someone had a specific niche item in mind as a gift for someone, many would have turned to searching online anyways. You’re never not going to be able to find something online.

However, many students would agree that in previous years, they would have done the majority of their shopping physically, which was especially preferred if they were unsure as to what to get someone. Now with everything being online, you have to have a more specific item in mind in order to search for it, browsing shops for ideas is no longer possible. Because of this, many students say that the majority of the jolliness and excitement has gone out of Christmas shopping. People used to take trips up to Dublin, or into bigger towns and cities to do their shopping, or (possibly more accurately), as an excuse for a day out. Now with all purchases being online, it’s another thing students feel like they’re missing out on this year, and it’s easy to see why.

As well as feeling like they’re not getting the full shopping experience this Christmas, students also said that it is much more expensive this year in comparison to others. Students are finding that they are spending more money on each person. Many cite the reason being when you buy something online, it is not the same as physically handing over money, or even your card. Students find that they are inclined to make more purchases.

Another factor that is adding to this is the wait to actually receive your purchase. Obviously when you purchase something online, especially if it’s coming from overseas, there is a wait for it to actually arrive. So, students say that they are inclined to keep purchasing things online while they are waiting for their other items to be delivered.

Delivery estimation times are also very unreliable. One student said that everything they had already purchased had come much later than the expected date, which is another push for people to start shopping earlier this year. Naturally, courier companies and the postal service are inundated this year with packages, so it’s very understandable that things are arriving late. However, nobody wants to risk buying something and having it not arrive on time for Christmas. This is a big reason as to why students aren’t waiting to shop local this year.

Many students say that they have already got a lot of their Christmas shopping done, as they didn’t want to leave it all until the last minute.

Especially with the uncertainty surrounding how much shops will be allowed to reopen come December 1st. Although a few have said that they plan to save some gift purchases for when the retail sector opens back up again.

People have said that if they know of a certain shop that will have specifically what they’re looking for, they will buy their item once the shop opens back up.

Many students also say that they made the effort to support local shops by purchasing from them online, or at least purchasing from an Irish company.

However, for the majority, it was wherever was the easiest and cheapest place to buy from. It’s not that students don’t care about supporting local, it’s mostly down to the fact that they were just more inclined to shop online where they have before.

Many businesses have only set up online platforms this year, and people are not as aware they exist.

It will be interesting to see if shops will be allowed to reopen for the Christmas season, and if so, for how long. Until then most students plan on making the best of the situation and continue to shop online for gifts.

12 F E ATU R E S Launch of New Style Magazine with NUIG Style Soc

By Neasa Gorrell In this article, SIN talks to the Editors of the New Style Magazine that is set to launch online in December 2020 and hoping to be in print edition from early next semester - 2021.

The NUI Galway Style Society has been a successful organization for like-minded people from all walks of life, who have diverse sets of interests and experiences in various avenues, lifestyles, topics, and hobbies. Still, most importantly – they all have an eye for style.

With that said, we here at SIN would like to wish the Style Society the very best of luck in their new venture. Since its announcement, there has been much excitement about the new Style Magazine, so SIN spoke with the Editors on various topics to give us an idea of what sort of magazine it will be and what to expect inside each edition.

Inspiration and Vision for the Style Magazine The Editors felt that the community of students here at NUI Galway were full of fascinating, talented, diverse and innovative young people. Yet, they didn’t think students had enough outlets for their creative capabilities. With that in mind, they decided that creating a magazine through the Style Society would be a brilliant way to bring this creative community together in a judgement-free and open platform.

In the vision for the Style Magazine, the Editors would like the creative community to know that their opinions, styles, skills and ideas would always be taken on board. They aim to release an edition of the magazine every month and cover different themes in each edition.

What is Unique about Style Magazine?

This magazine will cover honest topics that will come straight from the students that need to be heard and will aim to represent all members of the NUI Galway community, giving a voice to all groups and identities. It will be a magazine by the students for all the students, and hopes to create a “happy community where everyone involved can all become friends.”

What to expect in each edition – The Content in each edition, the Editors aim to include an Astrology section, An Agony Aunt Advice column, Mental Health Advice column, a Styling section that promotes body diversity, positivity and sustainability. You can also expect a Letter’s from the Editors section about their vision for each edition, a new theme in each edition, a Food Recipe section, a Playlist suggestion section, and a Creative Corner section with an in-house poet as well as poetry submissions. They also hope to have graphics and artworks submissions from students to display further the abundance of creative talents in the community here at NUI Galway.

SIN Vol. 22 Issue 05

First Year Diary Final Year Diary

By Aine Fogarty Welcome back to my First-Year diary everyone! I hope you’re all doing well and surviving these midterms. It’s only a month until Christmas break so you’ve got this.

Speaking of midterms, I know this is a stressful time especially for first years since these are our first assignments we’re submitting. We’ve a lot piled on for these next few weeks and by the end of it we’ll be drained of all our energy. Thankfully we’ve the best time of the year to look forward to after all this stress.

It’s nearly the end of November and that means it’s Christmas time!

Shop windows are already decorated and decorations have been in stock since October. Christmas music is starting to slowly make its way onto the radio and will soon be on a loop.

Remakes will start to be released but nothing beats the originals. I seem to already have White Christmas stuck in my head but Girl in Red’s new song ‘two queens in a king size bed’ is high up on my list of Christmas tunes.

It’s time to unbox the Christmas tree and spend hours trying to untangle the lights. It’s no doubt that Christmas will be different this year but if you’re anything like me, you’ll make sure the Christmas din-

ner stays the same. I have a stack of books ready to take all my attention over the break and thankfully I have all my shopping done which only leaves the dreadful process of wrapping. The Late Late Toy show and Black Friday are on the horizon and I’m sure I’ll have a lot to say about both in the next issue.

I hope everyone still staying down in Galway is being safe! We’ve all received the email about a few blocks needing to be tested and I hope you’re okay. I moved back home at the start of this level 5 lockdown and in many ways I miss being down in Galway but with the news of these outbreaks I know it was the best decision I could’ve made. We now know that semester 2 will be online, so I might not be returning to Galway until next year depending on the progress of the vaccine and the number of cases. I keep reminding myself that if I keep following the guidelines and social distancing, I am doing my part in fighting this virus. It’s a struggle some days and it’s sad to think of the first year college experience I missed out on but if all goes to plan maybe we can all have some semblance of normality for our second year.

Thank you all for reading my diary this week and once again I hope you’re all doing good and please stay safe!!

by Tom Molloy Welcome to the fifth edition of my final year diary. I hope your mid-terms went well and your brain isn’t half as fried as mine. I still haven’t come up with the general rule for resolving moral conflicts no matter how hard I’ve tried.

Roll on Christmas exams or assignments or whatever they come up with.

Lockdown 2.0 is ticking into its final stages, although there seems to be no huge reduction in daily Covid-19 cases which is a worry for those hoping to see loved ones this Christmas. Keep washing the hands, wearing the masks and, for God’s sake, no house parties. Imagine the sheer embarrassment of giving some vulnerable person Covid-19 because some lad from Swinford coughed on you in Corrib. I’m all for enjoying people’s company but they’re most certainly not worth getting Covid-19 over.

Speaking of Covid-19, some good news from Pfizer and Moderna in relation to vaccines. It was almost like a “my dad is bigger than your dad” argument going on when they were announcing their effectiveness rates. Can’t wait for the Russians to announce their vaccine has a 200% effectiveness rate.

One of the many downsides to this constant studying is you feel like you’re missing out on more important things.

How can I juggle online classes and

assignments with Bake Off, Netflix, re-watching The Office, playing boardgames, and drinking three bottles of ale per evening? Don’t worry though I still manage to fit it all in, but it’s a lot to expect. In all seriousness though, it helps immensely to have someone you care for with you through it all. I’m well aware how lucky I am in that sense, and I try my best to make sure she knows it.

If you read the last issue of my Final Year Diary, you’d know that I’ve been keeping an eye on the All-Ireland Football and Hurling Championships this year. Imagine, Tipperary in a football semi-final and getting knocked out of the hurling in the quarters. You love to see a good underdog story. Also, keep an eye on Liverpool in the soccer.

Utterly depleted yet utterly dominant.

Again, you love to see it.

It’s going to be harder than usual to get into the Christmas spirit this year, especially if you’re fairly sure you won’t have the full family around because of travel restrictions. I know talk is cheap but my advice is to make the best of it, enjoy the company of the people you will be spending Christmas with, keep in touch with the ones you won’t be, and keep in mind that things will be back to normal soon. Also, just because you won’t be seeing certain people at Christmas doesn’t mean you don’t have to buy them a present.

All the best!

Final Year Diary: Transformation Gary Elbert The concept of transformation fascinates me. The journey to enlightenment and transcendence is one very few seem to begin, never mind commit to or complete. Picture this scenario: You are a person in your mid-thirties contemplating a major life change. You’re leaving Mountjoy after a two year stretch or maybe you are a brave and courageous survivor of domestic abuse or childhood trauma looking to start afresh. Your brain is wired and conditioned by years of dysfunction, trauma, violence, cruelty, and abuse. You are now looking to change and transform, to grow and to transcend the misfortune of your early life.

Perhaps your situation is not so stark. Perhaps you are simply bored and uninspired You know life should be and could be more but when it’s 8pm you’re sinking into the couch flicking and scrolling the evening away. We have all been there. That sting of under achievement. The greyness of mediocrity.

You’re tired. Your life runs on a work -reward axis but spiritually you are impoverished. Older readers will recall the novel and movie “Fight Club”. The main character finds sustenance in accessing his primitive animalistic roots. After the daily

descent into corporate drudgery he seeks his soul swinging haymakers in the basement of a grubby pub. Whatever life is meant to be in its optimal form it has got to mean something, it has got to feel awesome from time to time.

This recent Covid lockdown serves as a timely reminder of how fragile our lives are. Our narcissism, reflected in absurd political and religious dogma, is rendered meaningless in the forcefield of Mother Nature who operates upon a rulebook without rules, without principle, on the continuum of timelessness and chaos.

Mother Nature shows us that we are no more important than the spiders web in the corner of our room nor the heron patrolling the waterway. We have no more planetary significance than the rams of Connemara. Except we pose a deep threat to the continued existence of our planet. The argument has already been made. Maybe we deserve to be extinguished from Earth. The thought crossed my mind recently when reading about hundreds of parrots stuffed into coke bottles destined for illegal exporting.

If anything emerges in a post Covid world a lasting humility will be most welcome. In the age of Instagram and shameless boasting-of which I too have sometimes fallen into-I expect

If anything emerges in a post Covid world a lasting humility will be most welcome. the opposite. Once the vaccines are dished out there will be a fleeting humility before the race to pleasure and hedonism begins.

Can we as a species transform? Can we transcend our psychological fragility in a post Covid world?

Adversity can produce heroism.

Adversity can tigger an awakened consciousness and an urgency. An urgency to live, to truly live. To overcome and transcend our petty ways, our gossiping, our tribalistic chimp nature while ranting and raving red faced in front of a computer screen, alone and spiritually impoverished.

The psychology of transformation involves the individual building a new life from scratch. The individual must discard deeply ingrained instincts and socially conditioned behaviours while forging a new path.

The individual must also contend

with accusations of snobbery from former friends and acquaintances not on board with the new plan of renewal.

The individual must transcend him or herself.

That task cannot be underestimated.

And yet in these days of adolescent online political tribalism past mistakes are latched onto as proof of current defects. Tweets from a decade ago are presented as evidence of a permanent moral stain that no amount of good intentions can ever repair.

What the woke warriors are saying is.

If you have ever made a mistake, we will use it against you.

Unless you agree with our demented ideology.

If you ever wondered why the working class became political maybe it is not just because of the welfare state and anti -intellectual worldviews. Maybe they realise that in the new politics its mainly middleclass malcontents engaged in a power game, with socially liberal totalitarianism the end goal.

Ignore their narratives.

You can change. You can improve.

You can overcome.

You can transcend, Gary.

GET INVOLVED Ways to get involved with your SU this year Bealaí le páirt a ghlacadh i do Chomhaltas i mbliana



Take the Charity Challenge Glac páirt sa Dúshlán Carthanachta Join the Welfare Crew Glac páirt sa Chriú Leasa



Run for Election Seas sa Toghchán

♥

 

Become a Class Rep Bí i d’Ionadaí Ranga

Join the Event Crew Glac páirt sa Chriú Siamsaíochta

way.ie

on@nuiáil

Contact studentsunion@nuigalway.ie for more info Déan teagmháil le studentsunion@nuigalway.ie le tuilleadh eolais a fháil

@nuigsu

NUIGalwayStudentsUnion www.su.nuigalway.ie

14 A RT S & E NT E RTAIN M EN T

SIN Vol. 22 Issue 05

Well, thank God the Toy Show wasn’t cancelled!

By Fiona Lee To outside nations, Irish culture seems utterly bonkers, and I have seen this to be true. Despite spending a wintery semester in Canada last year, I had no intention of missing out on the Late Late Toy Show.

I told my newfound friends from a variety of different countries across Europe about it and convinced them that it would be a fun afternoon of Christmas jumpers, drinking cans, moving performances and hilarious children messing about with their new toys.

They simply did not understand it. At all. Which is no shock frankly, when you think about it, how can one explain it and do the show justice? But, thankfully, they took my word for it, I would imagine mostly to humour my childlike excitement.

Thank heavens for RTÉ Player!

It was an amazing experience watching someone watch the Late Late Toy Show for the very first time.

There was hysterical laughter, tears shed, and sheer confusion but adoration towards Ryan Tubridy’s manic antics on screen. They still struggled with

the concept as it was utterly ridiculous to them, which I found utterly hilarious.

It made me appreciate the little quirks that our country has ingrained in its culture. It made me reflect on what made the Late Late Toy Show so special and why people of all ages look forward to it every year. It started off with me pulling out the Smyth’s catalogue all those years ago to make my Santa list, and I have been hooked ever since.

Here are all the reasons everyone loves The Late Late Toy Show…

Ryan Tubridy I remember the first year Tubs hosted the Toy Show for the very first time. I remember people saying he must have been on cocaine.

I admit, he probably did overdo it a bit, but over the years he has settled into his role fabulously and is now a beloved feature of the festivities. His mad Christmas attires, banter with the children and respect for all involved make the show so wholesome and enjoyable.

Twitter This is more of a modern phenomenon but has added to the experience of the Toy Show so much. Anyone watching the Toy Show should have their phone by

By Rachel Garvey

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The Children They are the jewels of our little island. Some will have you in absolute fits of laughter and others will make you so emotional that you need a tissue handy. Their humour and talents showcase what we value as a nation beautifully. We all miss experiencing Christmas as a child, but watching this show lets you return to that magical atmosphere for a night that only children can harbour.

The Mishaps Toys breaking, plastic cars crashing and dodgy comments from the children who seem to forget that they are on television truly make the show what it is. It wouldn’t be the same without the flaws that come with live television.

I hope you all enjoyed the show this year despite the necessary changes. It goes to show how important our mad little traditions are that they will still carry on during a pandemic, and how determined we are as a country to keep on laughing through all the struggles we currently face. Stay strong, stay safe and stay festive.

The subject of the acceptance of Christmas songs in November

! d e e N u o Y g n i th Every STUDENTS’ UNION

their side to flick through during the ad - breaks as the live - tweets and updates will have you belly - laughing and frantically sharing memes and funny comments with all of your friends and family. As it is the internet, some comments will be totally out of taste and just cruel towards the children, but overall it’s a great way for the Irish community to come together on this special night like never before. Call out the horrid comments so we can keep our little country safe for everyone!

CAFE

Léinn

December looms just around the corner with the days becoming shorter and colder. As people face either Covid - 19 seems to be replacing the well - loved isolation or voluntary staying at home, they become children’s character, The Grinch, as the roles have reliant on the little things to bring them happiness. been switched with the new title emerging as “The If a poll was cast with the question being “Do you pandemic that stole Christmas”, but according to think playing Christmas songs in November is too BBC News, the virus isn’t succeeding in dampening early?” How would you vote? It’s acceptable to say people’s Christmas spirit for the fast - approaching yes; Santa isn’t going to drop off a bag of coal at your festive season. A widely read article on their web- house. It’s also acceptable to say no too. Everyone is site reads, “Mariah Carey’s festive hit ‘All I Want for different in the lead up to Christmas. There’s a perChristmas Is You’ has returned to Spotify’s Top 40 last centage of the population that would say that playing Sunday on November 8th which was a full two weeks Christmas music in November is way too early, but earlier than November 2017 three years previous.” then you’ve the other percentage who disagree and The article continues - “The song reappeared they have their Christmas songs blasting from their on the iTunes chart on 2nd November and is cur- Spotify playlist before Hallowe’en concludes. rently among the UK’s Top 50 downloads. Behind As mentioned previously, people are trying to Carey in the Spotify charts are six more Christmas find joy in the little things nowadays and a lot are songs, including The Pogues’ ‘Fairytale of New York’ finding joy in preparing for Christmas 2020; it and Michael Bublé’s ‘It’s Beginning to Look a lot like won’t be the same this year as every other ChristChristmas’. Between them, the songs have more mas celebration in the years previous, but Covid than 500,000 daily plays”.

- 19 will not take away one’s Christmas spirit. If A search on Spotify Ireland’s charts shows ‘All I you think about it, November is part of the winter Want for Christmas Is You’ is close to being in the Top season and winter season is Christmas season, so 20 as the hit holds its spot at number 21 in Ireland’s individuals aren’t expected to abide by the unwritTop 50. November is nearing the end of its time as ten rule of “no Christmas songs until December”.

Scrooge and the Grinch would gladly change their attitude towards Christmas if they lived among us in this time of uncertainty; they would agree that Christmas cheer needs to be spread no matter what date it is, be it November or December. We were all dreaming of a white Christmas this year just like the ones we used to know, but this year there is a major alteration due to the pandemic, but we will still have ourselves a merry little Christmas and need to learn to push our troubles away and one Chistmas songs such as the iconic ‘Fairytale of New York” day soon we can have our friends and famhave are being listened to earlier every year. Image: RTÉ ily gather near to us just like before.

C U LT ÚR

December 01 2020

7

SIAMSAÍO CHT

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Top non-fiction watches and reads for American politics

By Alice O’Donnell Arts and Entertainment Editor America, America, America. It seems like the last few months it’s impossible not to hear of the country. From the election, to (most likely/definitely fake) rumours of voting fraud, to Covid - 19 vaccinations, America has permanently been in the news as of late. In a sense of lockdown boredom, I decided if you can’t beat them, join them, and decided to explore media steeped and set in America. I was especially interested in watching non-fiction or dramatized real life stories of the cultural history of American politics. Below is a book, documentary and film which I found to not only to be extremely interesting, but also highly enlightening on the history of American politics, as well as its turbulent relationship with race.

Novel – ‘Antisocial’, by Andrew Marantz This is honestly one of the best books I’ve read for quite a while. Andrew Marantz is a young, thirty something journalist who has written for The New Yorker since 2011. This journalistic experience is palpable when reading the book, but Marantz also has a very lyrical and witty style of writing. The book chronicles Andrew as he embeds himself into a group of people who call themselves “the Deplorables” (after Hillary Clinton’s disastrous choice of words in a 2016 interview). More trolls than journalists, they work mainly on Twitter and other social media sites, trolling legitimate politicians, spreading conspiracy and QAnon theories, and supporting the likes of Donald Trump as president. The book looks at the dangers of social media in the spread of extreme views, and can be summarised with this line from the book as Marantz describes the men and women who self-proclaim themselves as ‘the Deplorables’ –“They took for granted that the old institutions ought to be burned to the ground, and they used the tools at their disposal – new media, especially social media – to light as many matches as possible. As for what kind of society might emerge from the ashes, they had no coherent vision and showed little interest in developing one.” Even though most of us

“They took for granted that the old institutions ought to be burned to the ground, and they used the tools at their disposal – new media, especially social media – to light as many matches as possible.” are not American, I would still recommend young Irish people read this book. It shines a light on the role social media plays in the advancement and growth of extreme political ideologies and parties, and forces the reader to examine the forms of media they themselves consume.

nominated for dozens of awards, including an Academy Award, and eight award categories in the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards (winning three of those nominations). The film is really eye - opening, and explores the cold manufacturing of mass incarcerated, and the lasting racial injustices present in America.

Film – ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ Directed by Aaron Sorkin, this film depicts the Chicago Seven, a group of men who were charged with conspiracy and inciting violence during an anti Vietnam War protest in Chicago. The film follows the seven men, as well as one Black Panther member, and focuses mainly on the court proceedings, with flashbacks serving to illustrate what happened at the protest as it’s being told in court. There were times I found myself pausing the film and googling how accurate it was. ‘Surely that wasn’t allowed in a courtroom’, I thought numerous times, only to find not only did it happen that way, but in some instances the film lightened the situation. Although the film only looks at this very specific instance, it gives great insight into American society at the time

– the blatant racism, the controversy surrounding the Vietnam War, the class divide, the hippy movement and the massive distrust between political parties. Sorkin, who also wrote the screenplay, balances this all out to make a fascinating historical film. There’s also a fair dash of humour in there, mixed with all the gravity of the situation, creating a very enjoyable but also thought-provoking film.

DECEMBER

Documentary – ‘The 13th’ ‘The 13th is a documentary film directed, produced and written by Ava DuVernay. The documentary gets its name from the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, which outlaws slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. The documentary explores in depth the history of race relations, with a particular focus on the American issue of mass incarceration of people of colour. The documentary is truly fascinating, and DuVernay manages to employ a number of techniques to get her message across while keeping the viewer interested through a mix of interviews, scenes from films, facts and even lyrics, such as the line from Usher’s Chains; “You act like the change / Tryna out me in chains / Don’t act like you saving us / It’s still the same.” It was an immediate hit on Netflix when it was released in 2016, and has been

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SIN Vol. 22 Issue 05

Is it Thyme to let go of old Irish stereotypes in film – a look at the ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ trailer

By Mary - Kate Barrett Hollywood has a long history of getting things wrong when portraying Ireland on-screen. From flat stereotypical characters to atrocious accents, films that depict Ireland are almost satirical in their attempts to be authentic. ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’, written and directed

by John Patrick Shanley appears to be the latest romantic comedy to cause a stir with its awful representation of Ireland. The movie is set in rural Ireland and follows the romance between Rosemary Muldoon, played by Emily Blunt, and Anthony Reilly, played by Jamie Dornan. When Anthony’s father reveals his reluctance to let his son inherit the farm, a rich, smooth - talking American cousin threatens to woo Rosemary before Anthony works up the wits to prove his real feelings for Rosemary, as well as taking the land.

The film has already garnered widespread attention following the release of the initial trailer last week. The trailer trended on Twitter and was heavily criticised by those sharing their reactions, mainly because the movie has all the makings of a bad Irish film. It opens with Failte Ireland worthy shots of scenic cliffs and idyllic green pastures, overlayed with Christopher Walken’s unfortunate attempt at an Irish accent and a dramatic fiddle score. What follows is a baffling series of scenes

that would lead any viewer to believe the film is depicting Ireland in the early 20th century. However, viewers quickly realised this was not the case when Rosemary laments about freezing her eggs, and a skyline of modern - day New York City is shown. Despite the presence of anachronisms such as tartan shawls and terrible sideburns, it seems as though this movie is trying to represent life in modern Ireland.

Therein lies the problem with many of these films. In a bid to romanticise the traditional and rural aspects of Ireland, they ignore the increasingly urbanised, multi - cultural reality of the country. As a result, Ireland is presented as rigidly lodged in its past. This longing for Ireland’s romanticised past is likely because the movies

are the product of Irish American immigrants, as is the case with ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’. In an article for The New York Times John Patrick Shanley (the director and writer of the film) describes an upbringing pervaded by Irish influences. His Irish relatives served as inspiration for ‘Outside Mullingar’, the play the film is based on, but he admits that he did not intend to write an honest depiction of their lives, and rather wished to explore the farm his father grew up on as he had always imagined it. “I’d be telling my own truth, using them.”

The truth is that films such as these are not concerned with being accurate to modern Ireland, or the experience and identities of those living here. They are inspired by a generational longing for Ireland passed down in tales of the old country. Stories such as ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ might resonate with the diaspora who were raised on memories of a glorified and inaccessible homeland, but the nostalgia simply feels cheap and disingenuous to those of us that grew up in Ireland.

Shanley has shown awareness that this is an imperfect depiction of Ireland, but that doesn’t excuse the inaccuracy of the film. ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ appears to perpetuate harmful tropes and stereotypes that have been rooted in films about Ireland for decades, joining the ranks of other romcoms such as ‘P.S. I love you’ (2007) and ‘Leap Year’ (2010). One of the primary fail-

ings of these movies is the lack of Irish talent involved.

Not only do they rely heavily on American stars doing poor impressions of Irish people, but they are also missing the influence of Irish writers and directors. As a result, the stories lack the nuance required to make them genuine.

The claim that American talent is needed to guarantee a film’s success is not only a disservice to Irish artists but is also simply untrue. In recent years movies and series that have relied on Irish talent have performed well, garnering critical and public acclaim. ‘Brooklyn’ (2015), ‘Sing Street’ (2016), ‘The Young Offenders’ (2016, 2018 - ), ‘Derry Girls’ (2018 - ), and ‘Normal People’ (2020) are just a few examples of stories that benefit from celebrating Irish talent, exploring a variety of Irish experiences thus gaining popularity in Ireland as well as abroad.

‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ might be a heartfelt letter from the diaspora that has fallen victim to terrible advertisement, or else it is truly an accidental parody of its genre that shares a scary number of similarities with Foil Arms and Hog’s, A Very Irish Film sketch. If you are willing to give the movie the benefit of the doubt, or simply fancy devising an easy drinking game, (because of course, the Irish are fond of the drink), give it a watch when it is released on 11th December.

Grab your paddleboard – we’re going to ‘Dawson’s Creek’

By Valerie McHugh We all need cheering up at the moment, and for many of us, channelling our boredom and frustration with the world into our Netflix binging sessions is the quickest way to crack a smile on our faces. After a lot of late nights and TV snacks, I have discovered that ‘Dawson’s Creek’ (1998) is everything you didn’t know you needed in your watch list. This heartfelt drama follows 15 – year - old Dawson Leary and his best friends as they begin High School and learn how to deal with more than just quadratic equations. From teenage hormones to unrequited love, Dawson and his companions struggle through their cumbrous teen years in Capeside, Massachusetts; a tiny town with an archetypical small - town mentality.

I’d heard of this show before it arrived on Netflix this month, but I had never given it enough of a chance. It’s as old as I am, and I presumed the plot would be a tad bit unrelatable for some of us millennials. Nonetheless, I took a look at the tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes where Sea-

son 1 scored a respectable 73% , also receiving an audience rating of 87%. It’s undeniably a highly rated television series, so I gave it a chance, and it was the best decision I’ve made in weeks. The characters are infectious, the plot easy to follow and the soundtrack has some mega throwbacks that will fill you with a warm fuzziness any day of the week.

James Van Der Beek plays charming Dawson Leary, and a young Katie Holmes stars as his confidant partner in crime, Joey Potter. These were break out roles for both actors, with Holmes going on to achieve global stardom in roles such as April Burns in ‘Pieces of April’ (2003) and Rachel Dawes in ‘Batman Begins’ (2005).

Both stars have a strong social media following, with Van Der Beek standing at 1 million followers and many of his fans tuning in to watch him on ‘Dancing with The Stars’ in 2019. Both actors along with the other main cast were regularly nominated for various television awards due to their excellent portrayal of relatable characters and their on - screen chemistry.

It is the relationships between the friends and their unbreakable loyalty to one another that strikes me most

when watching this series. Like all teenagers, various disagreements test their relationships often leading to a breakdown in communication (and this was before online messaging). It highlights friendship, the classic frenemy bond and the hidden love between two best friends from opposite sides of the creek. Although the show considerably centres around the love triangle of Dawson, Joey and Jen (Michelle Williams), the relationship between Dawson and his best friend Pacey (Joshua Jackson) is nothing short of iconic. Both boys share a brotherly bond, and their moments together on screen are nothing but enjoyable for the viewers to watch.

Their relationship, like other relationships in the show, develops and matures over time as the teenagers grow into adults and leave High School behind.

Although the cast are all grown up now, it hasn’t stopped the show gathering a new audience some 23 years after its initial release. After having an original viewing of up to 6.6 million, it now remains the 8th Most Popular TV Show in Ireland on Netflix for November 2020, as well as creeping into the top ten in Canada.

‘Dawson’s Creek’ actress Mary Margaret Humes, who played Dawson’s mother Gail, shared a picture last week of her and on - screen partner John Wesley Shipp (Mitch) at the Toledo Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1999, including the hashtag #foreverfriends. It’s clear that even over 20 years since the show launched, the cast remain close friends which is continuously obvious in their on - screen portrayal of their characters.

So, why not give this teen melodrama a go? It will appeal to many audiences and is highly addictive so make sure you don’t have lots of projects piling up before starting it. Trust me, once you start watching it, you won’t be able to stop.

‘My Wife Said You May Want ‘to Marry Me’, a grief and love story by Jason Rosenthal

By Sophia Hadef On 3rd March 2017, Amy Krouse Rosenthal wrote an op - ed piece for ‘The New York Times’ “Modern Love” column: ‘You May Want to Marry My Husband’. She died ten days after its publication. A heart - rending, sincere, and original piece on a personal ad, in which a dying wife encouraged her husband to find happiness after her death, to write a new page of his life without her. The column went viral, with more than five million readers worldwide.

In ’My Wife Said You May Want ‘to Marry Me’, Jason narrates what arrived next: his respect to Amy’s wish, even while struggling with her loss.

Recounting his life before, with and without Amy, he contemplates on love and the pain of watching a beloved one suffer, and the process of healing.

How he and his children, in spite of their deep grief, dealt with it. An emotional journey which offers insights on dying and death and the agonising pain of losing a soulmate, while Jason explains the lessons he learned.

As he reflects on Amy’s present to him, a new start to fill his blank space with a new story, Jason details how he continues to praise Amy’s story and her ultimate wish, how he seeks to enjoy every day and live in the moment while aspiring to help others coping with grief. ’My Wife Said You May Want ‘to Marry Me’ is the emotional, and encouraging story of a true love, the result of a marriage stopped too soon, and how a surviving companion finally found a new perspective about life and its joys in the wake of enormous loss.

This story was indeed touching at parts but also inspiring. Jason is an excellent writer, and it’s evi-

dent from his book that Amy was creative, with a powerful force, and she was loved by so many. What I admired the most was the fact they chose to live the life they wanted, with a great effort. We all talk about living fully, but are we even trying? ”I am capable of doing many things on my own, but two people can accomplish so much more together and also support each other through life’s ups and downs.”

A lot of reviews of this book are calling it too sweet. It is sad to see that some people don’t have the respect for what it is—an intimate perspective on love and loss. No relationship is perfect, but I believe that Jason and Amy’s marriage was close to it, at least they thought it was, and it is essential.

‘My Wife Said You May Want ‘to Marry Me’ is a beautiful tribute to an incredible life and a story of resilience, about writing a new page and moving on

to a new life. The writer Jason mentioned the idea of “family help” many times, and each time I thought it what a good thing to have such an essential circle, because we are not all so lucky. To exist without toxicity, without opposition and with the full support in all our endeavour is something most of us are dreaming to have.

I recommend this powerful story to help you to move on if you are suffering and grieving. It’s a light of hope and a strong love letter to living.

“Talk with your mate, your children and other loved ones about what you want for them when you are gone.

By doing this, you give them liberty to live a full life and eventually find meaning again. There will be so much pain, and they will think of you daily. But they will carry on and make a new future, knowing you gave them permission and even encouragement to do so.”

C U LT ÚR

December 01 2020

7

SIAMSAÍO CHT

17

CREATIVE CORNER: Brigghter

By Fiona Lee I visit my girlfriend’s grave every Tuesday. My mum was understanding and sympathetic at the beginning and a few weeks beyond that, but she started to get upset by me picking all of her lovely garden roses. I lay bunches of daisies now instead.

We had only been going out for eight months, but when you’re sixteen that’s the equivalent of eight years, maybe even more given my own attention span. It was going so, so well, much to the jealousy of my friends, much to my delight. I have never been considered terribly cool by my classmates, despite being a whizz on the oboe and being so well ‘connected’ that I could eat my lunch in the teacher’s lounge. When Niamh started to go out with me, it was nothing but a sheer miracle, a new star in the sky, forever a warm summer’s evening. When she stepped out onto the road and got knocked down by a gang of electric scooters, the universe seemed to fall back into place.

One typical Tuesday, there was a soft breeze, but it was still quite pleasant in the cemetery.

It was slightly less depressing to walk around when the sky was a clear blue and fresh flowers lay on many graves. This was a joyful change to the flowers turning grey and sludgy during the winter months when families came to visit less often. I found myself counting how many ‘Walsh’ gravestones I passed, but this time my eyes caught something more worthy of my attention. It was a shared gravestone, ‘Joseph Whitty 1830 - 1847, Maureen Whitty 1831 - …’. Blank. What? My heels stuck into the gravel and dust scratched my throat as I gaped at the questionable dates. Had my eyes tricked me? Had I walked into a time - warp, or are my mathematical skills failing me yet again? Puzzled, I began to reach for the rational part of my brain. She must have emigrated, or remarried, or been kidnapped! Many explanations could explain away this funny and strange grave, but my curiosity burned at the sight of fresh lilies lying on its soil.

I started to linger every Tuesday and would arrive a little bit earlier than usual. After a few weeks of nothing, I began to visit every day, hoping to catch a glimpse of some fresh lilies being laid. Maybe the figure would share a little tale with me, an old love story between two teens who were torn apart by tragedy. It was hard for me to imagine that being true. Maybe it was a prop for a film that was left behind or a prank by some hoodlums skilled in stone - carving. I would have believed that sooner than someone moving on from heartbreak.

Niamh would have found my curiosity funny, she would have waited with me and made daisy chains, or drawn a sad comic about it.

I lingered and lingered, for a fair few weeks.

I learned Hamlet quotes and digestive diagrams with Niamh by my side. One Monday, a rustling hit my ears. I heard gravel stirring, crows’ wings flapping, and then I saw her. She was a short woman, maybe more of a girl. Her dark curls bounced with little sections pinned back, but a few strands of hair tickled her face still. She wore a dusty blue dress with white buttons and lace pleats. Her delicate hands lay the very same lilies, watering them with little tears that managed to slip away. I dropped my highlighters and jogged over, growing timid as

I approached. She looked my age, plump skin and pale. Quite pretty, actually.

“Miss? Sorry, hi”, I stammered. She jumped, dried her eyes, lost her footing and stumbled backwards in a frilly heap.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I’m so stupid, I don’t know why I’m bothering you at all!” I helped her up and held her hands until she found her balance.

“Are you okay?” She brushed her hair out of her eyes, clearly a bit breathless and looked at me with wide eyes.

“Well, I suppose so, yes.”

“Are these your grandparents?”

She dusted off her skirt and glared at me.

“Nope, that’s just me and my boyfriend, Joe”.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself lying on the ground and she was tickling my nose with dandelions. My head hurt and my palms had little scratches on them.

“Ah, you’re back, do you faint often? That’s a bit worrying”.

“Maureen?” I mumbled.

“Yeah, Maureen. I probably should lie and I generally do, but I feel a bit funny today and didn’t fancy it. It’s nice to be honest every decade or so.”

I introduced myself to prevent her from speaking for a second, to buy some time and work out if I am in fact me, and that this is not my imagination going haywire in a dream, or that I’m not concussed.

“Why aren’t you six feet under my feet right now?” I stuttered.

“Well that’s a bit of a rude question, would you rather I was buried, dead and rotting underneath you?”.

She sat down beside me, started to pick dandelions and sighed.

“Well, this is mo chroí, Joe. Back in 1847, we were utterly mad for each other, but typically enough, our parents did not like us being together. A wealth gap was a factor, though the famine did put stress on every family. I wasn’t allowed to see him, not even when he started to get sick. He died and I wasn’t even allowed to say goodbye”. She looked at me and I looked at her, and I think she knew I wanted to listen.

“When I heard the news, the pain was unbearable. I couldn’t imagine the rest of my life without him. Literally. My heart became as heavy as stone, my veins dried up and my skin stiffened with shock. My spine splintered and everything became numb. Unfortunately, this was not death. Not really. I have been frozen like this since, frozen as I was when he was still with me, still loved me. I ran away from home and carved my name into this stone, with his name, and I’ve been visiting ever since”.

We sat there for a while, twiddling our thumbs and playing with the patch of grass beside us.

“That’s a lot of information”, I said.

“I’m glad you don’t think I’m crazy”, she said.

“I’m worried I am”.

I started to visit her every Monday. When it rained we would sit under the thick trees on the hill overlooking the cemetery, and on sunny days we would walk around the grounds. She would tell me how Joe’s messy hair would fall into his eyes, and I’d tell her about Niamh’s missing molar she lost during a hockey match. We would cry, remembering our favourite memories of them, our hardest moments without them, and take turns having particularly bad days.

“Does it ever get better?” she asked.

“I’ll let you know”, I answered.

It wasn’t always a tragic conversation though. I would tell her about funny moments from school, and she would tell me about her school days; they differed to say the least.

She would tease me for saying ‘chimney’ like ‘chimley’, and I’d tease her when she squealed about her shoes getting muddy. We talked about heartbreak, but we talked about our friends too. We talked about our annoying parents and the homely things she missed.

She made me laugh, a lot, and I think I made her laugh too. She rarely gave me the satisfaction, but I couldn’t miss that sweet smile. She actually cried with laughter when I fell out of that slippery tree. I thought I would look cool, but it made me happier to see her laugh like that.

After a few weeks of chatting and laughing, I began to notice changes. Her curls weren’t as bouncy as before, and her roots had faded to white. Her beautiful eyes appeared more sunken, and lines stretched across her cheeks

with every smile. She couldn’t walk as far as before, and her back began to bend with every step. When I held her hand, I could feel it grow rough, veiny and frail.

“I’m so comfortable with you.”, I told her, “you make me feel warmer and brighter”.

“You’re not too bad yourself” she said, and then a smile made her lips melt, “I feel that way too. Like I did with Joe, is that awful to say?”

“I think that’s only natural to say”.

She passed away that night, feeling bright and light and unafraid. She was buried by the groundskeeper, who asked no questions after I paid him some hush money I had saved for a Leaving Cert holiday. I don’t think he was too bothered anyway, which is a bit worrying. The only attendees were myself and my friend, Liam, who asked no questions because I asked him not to. He was quite good at that and even bought me a muffin to try to cheer me up afterwards.

I went back later on, on my own, and carved ‘2020’ under her name, wondering should I lie, but I felt a bit funny and I didn’t fancy it.

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C U LT ÚR

December 01 2020

7

SIAMSAÍOCHT

19

Leave Diana alone

By Fiona Lee Despite being born in 1998 and Princess Diana passing away in 1997, I have always had a fascination with her life, who she was and what happened to her. To the public, she was coy, charming, caring, loveable and so very human. She was the breath of fresh air that the Royal Family lacked.

In her own words in the infamous interview she gave in 1992 with the BBC, she was a threat to the Crown and everything it stood for: formality, rigid tradition, and class separation.

The public have always admired Diana for her kindness towards others, her openly warm relationship with her sons and for seemingly wearing her heart on her sleeve throughout her life. There is nothing wrong with admiration. I am sure the love shown for her is appreciated still by the people who were close to her.

However, true admiration is far from how we should describe how the public talk about Diana. Fascination with the tragedies she faced show nothing but disrespect. So many women in history have been treated like more of a muse for art than they have as real people: a story that we can inflict our own emotions on in order to explain our own feelings and intellectual thoughts. We talk about Diana as if we cared for her, but really, none of us ever knew her at all, and only care about her life story in the way we enjoy a good crime novel or look forward to a Netflix series to binge (i.e. ‘The Crown’).

It’s the same kind of curiosity we have with the life of Sylvia Plath; more interested with the fact that she died with her head in an oven with her children in the next room, after a life of depression and mania, instead of the masterful works

The depiction of Prince Charles in the Netflix series is trivial when we think about the impact this frivolous show will have on her sons... The luxury of our entertainment comes at the expense of those who loved her the most. she created in her short lifetime. Again, Britney Spears is remembered for infamously shaving her head in 2007 after an emotional breakdown, instead of the immense talent she has showcased both before and after that moment. Everyone loves a good tragedy, despite the real pain that these people suffered. It is easier to turn a blind eye.

I watch the new season of ‘The Crown’ because of my desperate curiosity with the tragedy that was her marriage and her life thereafter. I watch this depiction of her life with utter shame, but for some reason I need to watch it anyways. How can so many people believe that this was an appropriate season to create and make public? Why can’t we stop watching?

Her ex - husband still lives, yet he is being depicted so maliciously, with no regard paid to the truth of how he felt.

Despite the public’s utter dislike towards him, I feel we could sympathise with Prince Charles. He may be lucky to live with wealth, but as we all should know at this stage, there is nothing easy about being a Royal. The inescapable responsibility and pressure the role involves is unimaginable. Prince Charles loved Camilla long before he ever set eyes on Diana, but because of his standing as ‘Future King’, he was forced into a loveless marriage as Diana was more ‘suitable’. Yes, his treatment of Diana was appalling and cruel, but we can’t fairly put all this blame on him and

Camilla when they were all victims of the Royal Family’s heartless rules.

The depiction of Prince Charles in the Netflix series is trivial when we think about the impact this frivolous show will have on her sons: Prince William and Prince Harry. The loss of their mother will forever be the most traumatising moment of their life. Coming from a broken home prior to this, they have not had an innocent upbringing by any means.

How is it possible that no one dared to think of the impact this production of their mother, unravelling and suffering before the entire world would have on them? They are still young men and there is no doubt that they still carry the pain of her death. The luxury of

our entertainment and cravings for a sad story comes at the expense of those who loved her the most.

It is difficult. We all feel as if we love Diana and wish to be more like her.

But we must admit to ourselves, being inspired by someone does not mean we respect them. We criticise the media for forever reporting on her decades after her death, yet we engage with these articles, documentaries and TV shows anyway, and therefore encourage them to continue. She was an exhausted prop to the Royal Family from the horrifying age of 16 to the day she died. It’s time to hang up our obsessions with her life and her story and let her rest in peace.

They have suffered enough.

Tantrums at the dinner table – the TikTok drama that’s being blown out of proportion

By Alice O’Donnell Charli D’Amelio. A name which a year ago would have been meaningless, but

now is firmly cemented in the joint consciousness of our generation. Despite only being sixteen, Charli has been catapulted to fame through her short dances

on TikTok, and as of the time of writing this article has the most followers on Tiktok with 99.3 million.

Recently, she has found herself and her family steeped in controversy, all surrounding a video put up on her family’s YouTube channel, captioned Our First Mystery Guest: Dinner with the D’Amelio’s. The video is the first (and most likely the last) part of a new series the family are planning, where each video they have a new guest for dinner while dining on a gourmet meal.

The guest for this video was James Charles, and their meal was centred around Spanish cooking, with dishes such as toasted bread and paella being served up. However, the video has brought fame and attention to the family for all the wrong reasons, with people attacking Charli and her 19 - year - old sister Dixie’s behaviour throughout the meal.

The girls seem bored throughout the video, with Charli going on her phone at points and Dixie ignoring what’s being said. They also at points seem disinterested in what their guest James Charles was saying, and ignore their parents.

However, what most people take offense to is the apparent ungrateful attitude they have for the gourmet meal they are served.

The focal point of the video can be seen as the moment where Dixie finds a snail in her paella, and reacts dramatically, including retching at the table and subsequently throwing up outside. The girls seem disgusted by the food, and at one point Charli asks if there are any chicken nuggets available.

Although their behaviour is far from that of an ideal role - models, it is important to remember that at the end of the day they are two teenagers. Although they could have behaved a lot better in the video, and shown more grace and gratefulness to the chef and his food, I don’t think they are deserving of the amount of hate they are receiving.

To me, watching the video, it seemed like it was just two tired teenagers acting out at the table. None of us are virtuous all the time, and it seems that the video just happened to be filmed at a point when the two girls were not in their best moods. They should acknowledge their behaviour, and strive to show more gratefulness to their followers

(one of the main arguments people had was that Charli seemed to view her followers as simply numbers, as she looked forward to hitting the 1 million milestone), but it is also important to remember they are both young and have been thrust into the public viewpoint extremely quickly.

We all make mistakes, especially when we’re teenagers. Our mistakes allow us to grow into better individuals, and are vital in the process of becoming a good person. The D’Amelio’s should be forgiven. They are teenagers, and despite being famous icons can still be moody, bratty and tired. Their parents and editors should have picked them up on their behaviour either at the dinner table or later in the editing room.

It’s unfair to both them and their fans that it’s been left to the public to critique their behaviour, but no matter how much they may wish to, they can’t undo the past. But the death threats, harassment and bullying are uncalled for and should be stopped. As long as the girls acknowledge their mistakes, they should be allowed to grow and move on from this behaviour.

20 FA SH IO N & L I F EST Y L E

SIN Vol. 22 Issue 05

“It is apparent that the idea of buying Irish and supporting small business is of paramount importance this year.” SIN speaks to a local craftswoman about her “Wire-Wrapped” jewellery business and the importance of supporting local this Christmas.

Support Local this Christmas Paddy Henry It truly is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Crisp dry December days give way to early sunsets where main streets are draped in decorative lights that illuminate the cityscape in the evening twilight.

Labradorite Pendant

The scenes are picturesque to say the least and are normally accompanied by the customary Instagram snap of a Christmas market, where local retailers thrive off the sale of carefully crafted handmade goods and artisan foods that delight the festively inclined passer-by, Unfortunately, the beloved Christmas Market has fallen foul of the Covid-19 this year, leaving many local craftspeople at the mercy of big online retailers who have thrived off the pandemic and picked away at the bones of local vendors and artists.

However, many creative minds are themselves moving their trade online to combat the ever growing trend towards online shopping.

One such person is Gemma Henry, who, having left school early due to a severe social anxiety disorder, turned her attention to jewellery making.

Speaking to SIN, Gemma spoke about how she first got into her craft giving credit to the DES Home tuition scheme and YouTube tutorials for helping her.

“In 2015 I was diagnosed with a severe anxiety disorder which led to me being unable to complete my second level education. My main strength lay in the area of creativity and helped me to occupy my days. The DES Home Tuition scheme also afforded me the opportunity to be tutored by two skilled artists over a three-year period.

“Their influence led me to explore many artistic avenues and one day I stumbled into the wonderful world of jewellery making. I found myself watching tutorial after tutorial on YouTube

and was inspired to have a go myself. I bought the basic tools and equipment needed and the rest is history. I have my own studio at home, overlooking the rolling callows sweeping down to the broad majestic Shannon. An inspirational view for any artist. Here I am in my element, surrounded by myriads of glassy beads and spools of fine filigree wires of silver and gold” , she said.

The 20-year old credits a meeting with her Occupational Therapist as the trigger to starting her fledgling career in the jewellery industry. The Therapist told her to set up an online Etsy shop, Silver River Gems to market her wares and helped her advertise her business.

“When I turned eighteen I was lucky to meet with an Occupational Therapist who felt that I had a real talent.

She helped me to believe in myself. She helped me navigate my way through the world of technology and set up my own Etsy account to showcase my work and sell to the surfers of the Worldwide Web. “I will be forever indebted to her for coaxing me out of my shell and cajoling me into putting my work out there for all to see. It was, and still is a big step for me given my anxieties. I mainly make necklaces and earrings. “ She notes that her materials are sourced in Ireland and gave an insight into the time and dedication required to craft a piece of wire-wrapped jewellery, telling SIN, “My jewellery is classified as “Wirewrapped”. I source most of my materials from a small company in West Cork.

Some pieces are more intricate than oth-

Pink Opal Pendant

Tree of Life Millefiori Pendant

Jingle Bell Christmas Tree

Czexh Glass Earrings ers and therefore take longer to make.

My signature piece, “Tree of Life” takes just under an hour to make. More complicated pieces can take two to three hours to make. Earrings usually take about half an hour to one hour depending on the design.”

Gemma has said that the pandemic has caused a spike in sales on her site taking her first international sale from the United States recently. She also gave credit to the online community, after being granted permission to advertise her jewellery on the Facebook platform “Shop in Ireland”, Gemma says she has been “kept busy” with requests from across Ireland.

“The pandemic has definitely seen an increase in sales. I was recently accepted onto a Facebook group called “Shop in Ireland”. From here you can access my full range of jewellery on “Silver River Gems”.

I have been inundated with orders from the four corners of Ireland since joining the Facebook group. I also had my first international sale with an order placed from Jackson, Tennessee. My Christmas range of necklaces and earrings are proving to be very popular.”, she told SIN. The cancellation of Christmas markets may dampen the spirits of the onlooker or passer-by this December, but undoubtedly their absence will be most felt in the pockets of those who rely on them financially over the festive period. While Gemma says she has never sold her products at Christmas markets she acknowledged the impact that their cancellation will have on many traders, and encouraged them to follow in her footsteps and move their craft online,

“Although I have never displayed my wares at a Christmas market, I believe that many crafters will be severely impacted by the lack of these markets this year. My advice to these people would be to take the plunge and advertise their creations on an online platform. The pandemic and lockdown have altered people’s shopping habits.

With the Christmas season just around the corner most people find themselves having to shop on-line. People’s attitudes to shopping have also changed. It is apparent that the idea of buying Irish and supporting small business is of paramount importance this year. With more time to ponder and browse various websites people are making more informed choices about their purchases.”

The county Roscommon native praised the goodwill of the Irish market for supporting local craft industries, but feels that the sector needs to be given “more air-time” to further encourage people to buy Irish over the festive period.

There is a lot of goodwill around this year and a willingness to support small businesses, coupled with an increased appreciation of handcrafted items. The power of advertising can never be underestimated. As a country Ireland has always been supportive of the Arts but I feel that more air time needs to be given to promoting people’s work and encouraging more people to “Buy Irish” this year.

Gemma’s full range of Wire-Wrapped Jewellery can be found on her Etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/ie/shop/ SilverRiverGems?ref=simple-shop headername&listing_id=898048572

FAIS EAN

December 01 2020

7

MIDTERM STRESS?

My best tips to breathe

By Sophia Hadef Stress, the best enemy of students? Let me share with you the tried and real techniques to reduce anxiety during exams, but also in everyday life. The stress felt by students can be connected to lots of factors: a transition period, learning autonomy, the uncertainty of the future, the pressure of getting good academic results, financing your studies, and romantic and friendly relationships.

Meditation can be an especially powerful tool for handling stress: breathing exercises can work on the physical consequences of stress, and by reducing your heart flow, your body can send a positive signal to your brain.

Most of us can easily recognise our stress: the heart beating a little faster, trouble concentrating, a loss of appetite and sleeping problems.

Stress and anxiety can be explained as a physiological effect. Our body responds to danger, to a challenging life.

Feeling stressed can be totally natural when an exam approaches, for example, or when you have to hand in an assignment. The key is to be able to deal with that tension so that it doesn’t become too overwhelming for your day-to-day life.

This is possibly the simplest yet most complex exercise in the world. When you feel a peak of stress, take the time to bring your mind back to practical things: what is the worst possible situation, right now, at this moment? For example, you feel the stress about approaching an exam.

In this case, the gravest possible scenario would be to miss this exam. Do you have another plan? It is likely that this exam alone will not define your semester. And it may be possible to compensate for that mark with other modules.

By practising imagining the “worst possible scenario on the moment” (and only at the peak of stress), we can recognise that the “gravest” is not that serious.

That’s also the perfect realisation to start making a possible plan B. Studies may seem like a “priority” to you, personally, when the exams are approaching, I remember sometimes leaving my whole life aside. No more sport, no more excursions - basically doing binge-revising!

Your priority must be you and yourself at all times. By taking care of yourself and your health. Then, it is likely that

the revision will be easier, and your performance will improve. If you hesitate to take some time for yourself, to go for a run, remember that many studies suggest that frequent physical activity can increase our concentration and reduce the symptoms of “mild” depression.

If you know that the next few days will be dedicated to your revisions, plan some nice ideas for the following few weeks. Meetings, to grab a coffee with a friend, to watch a great movie in a cosy atmosphere... Knowing that something nice is going to happen can boost endorphins production and help you to get through this stressful time.

Meditation can be an especially powerful tool for handling stress: breathing exercises can work on the physical consequences of stress, and by reducing your heart flow, your body can send a positive signal to your brain.

Reading is in my opinion, the best antistress activities. (And as a bookworm, I know what I’m talking about). Culture and literature, and the stories it tells, help us shape our memory over reality. It helps to build us as individuals serves as a reference in the crucial times of our life.

Writing is also a very good and relaxing activity. Paying attention to our sensations and emotions. Writing helps to relieve pain and to gain in optimism. Listening to some music can be motivating and a source of satisfaction.

Music can also communicate positive emotions. Whatever you choose to do to relax, take care of yourself, take a breath, press pause when you feel the need and stay safe.

NÓS MAIRE ACHTÁLA

21

Mental Health Column; The importance of seperating your relaxion space and study space Ellen O’Donoghue Hi everyone, I don’t know if anyone noticed, but last week I didn’t actually write my column. I was absolutely swamped with college and I tried, but to be quite honest I just said no. I put myself first which is exactly what I needed to do for myself in that moment in time.

I’d apologise, but I actually worked for years to be able to actually put myself and my own wellbeing first, instead of suffering through and jeopardising my own health for the sake of others. Sometimes you have to be selfish, and that is okay too.

I’m currently listening to a prerecorded lecture while writing this.

(But if you’re a lecturer reading this, I’m definitely not. I give my full undivided attention to every minute of every lecture and am definitely paying attention. Always) To be honest, the mid-semester burnout is real. This year, I find more so than any other. With it comes the question; ‘ Is it online college or is it just final year? Who knows? Would I feel differently if life were normal right now and I was able to attend lectures in real life, and go to the pub, and see my friends? Or indeed, would I feel differently if I were to invest in a pair of blue light glasses to help cope with staring at a laptop screen for upwards of eight hours a day? In my opinion, they should be provided by the college at the very least, because my eyes are sore and it is not my fault that I have to do the entirety of the most important academic year of my life to date via a laptop screen.

But anyways, that is enough complaining. I can actually get into the nitty gritty stuff now my lecture has ended.

College is really hard. So is the uncertainty of the world we currently live in. The only easy thing about this is how easy it is to stay in bed all day and not miss any classes.

But I do not recommend this, at all.

One of the most important things I have learned this year is the importance of creating a proper study space for yourself. I am blessed enough that I am able to set up shop in the spare bedroom in my house, but not everyone has that luxury. However, it is so important to separate your relaxation space from your study space.

Research has proven that if you don’t, then you can’t effectively do either.

Meaning that you if you’re doing lectures from bed then not only will you not be able to pay attention properly, but you probably won’t be sleeping well or be able to relax in bed properly

either. This in turn, has another knockon effect on your studies as relaxation is a necessity.

Keeping stress to a minimum is crucial. As stress levels increase people are unable to fully appreciate the enjoyable things in life. Finding yourself under stress is such a vicious cycle; one that is incredibly difficult to get out of once you’re in.

I was going to write that if you take anything from this column this week, let it be the above paragraph.

But I actually have a few more points to make. One on time management, and one on extensions.

Sorry, I really don’t want to start my essays.

We’re in it for the long haul now.

Time management is not one of my best qualities, hence the procrastination. But, to-do lists are my forte.

I always have two to-do lists on the go. One is of the things I had to do the week before, which never gets finished in a week, and the other is of things I have to do that current week.

One list gets completed each week.

I have these lists glued to the wall in front of my desk to make sure I don’t forget anything. I also wrote out all of my deadlines on a flash card and stuck it to the wall at the start of the year, marking off each one as I go.

It’s nice, to be able to acknowledge doing something. It might just be me, but knowing exactly what I have to do and when I have to do it by, always makes doing it easier.

Now, onto extensions.

I feel like there’s this stigma around getting an extension on your essay for any reason other than physical illness. Like, if I were to be bedridden with food poisoning, I’d get an extension. But, if you were to be seriously struggling with the workload, and have external factors playing into the quality and quantity of your work, you’d probably be too afraid to ask for one. I know that I always used to be anyways.

But you shouldn’t be. Like, you really shouldn’t be. Sometimes, you need an extension to make yourself feel like you can get the work done; it makes the work so much less daunting. You may not need always avail of the extension, but the option is always there, if you need it.

Now, I’m not saying to go work away and get an extension whenever you want one, but it is important to know the option is there, and it isn’t anything to be ashamed of.

I don’t know if this column is going to be of much help to anyone, but I hope it is. I’m writing it as much for myself as for the reader.

Take a break; don’t think you don’t deserve it.

22 FA SH I O N & L I F EST Y L E

SIN Vol. 22 Issue 05

Budgeting advice Veg gan Eats

By Anastasia Burton Hello and welcome back to my budgeting advice column! We learned how to create budgets, how to shop efficiently and sustainably. Now, let’s learn how to deal with savings accounts and why it is important to have more than one account. The main reason as to why you need to create more than one account is because it will stop you from tapping into your rainy-day fund.

Now the main banks you should be looking at are: AIB and Bank of Ireland for budgeting without a savings target. Credit Unions are also great If you want to save money but don’t have a certain goal you’re saving towards; The Credit Union will be your friend, helping you save your money and prevent you from tapping into your savings because there is no contactless card that comes with it.

Credit Unions are very secure and great if you are looking to take out a loan in the future! AIB and BOI both have the option to create a student account which means you will not incur fees each time you use your card. Both cards can be contactless which is very handy when you don’t want to touch the keypad and if you’re in a rush.

If you are a recipient of the SUSI grant, I recommend that you use your grant to pay for your necessities like rent, bills and groceries. This is

of course applicable to students who receive the full maintenance grant. If you have some money left over after you have paid for your necessities, why not save a bit of that money into your other bank account? This will help you in case there is one month where you are truly struggling and are falling short. Never ever live pay check to pay check, if Covid has thought us anything it’s the fact that nothing is permanent. So be mindful with your money!

Now for example, you may be receiving your SUSI into your Bank of Ireland and are using AIB as a backup. If by the next time you receive SUSI you still have money left over why not throw something into the AIB account for emergency purposes? You never know you might misplace your card and it is better to be safe than sorry!

If you are working while also receiving SUSI, try living off your SUSI payments and then saving the money you get from work. That way you have a constant flow of money coming into your savings account and you won’t be stuck or desperate if things were to go south in terms of bills or rent increases! We are coming closer to the festive season and most of us are worrying about gift shopping, but never fear, big momma budget is here!

CHRISTMAS HOT CHOCOLATE SPECIALS €2.20

Hot Chocolate

with Marshmallows & Cream

White Hot Chocolate

€2.20 with Marshmallows & Cream

Aero Mint Hot Chocolate

€2.70 with Marshmallows & Cream

Kinder Hot Chocolate

€2.70 with Marshmallows & Cream

€2.70

Simply Vegan Hot Chocolate

Staple foods in any Vegan or Vegetarian diet that are quick, cheap, versatile, and most importantly... Delicious!

Neasa Gorrell In this week’s Food Recipe section, Neasa Gorrell introduces us to a staple food combination of carbs, vitamins and proteins that is suited to any vegan or vegetarian diet – Stir-Fried veg and Soya Chunks.

Recently on social media, an Instagram account I follow called @veg.queenz introduced me to the wonderful food that is soya chunks. Having been vegan but for a while now, I was shocked that I had not heard of this protein-rich food before, so of course, I had to try it.

Luckily, for me, the girls over at @veg.queenz are NUI Galway students and therefore shop locally, so I quickly discovered that I could purchase soya chunks in the Holland & Barrett Store on Shop Street. Amazingly, I could buy the huge 375g bag of soya chunks for as little as €2.29, what a bargain!

The girls shared a recipe for a Vegan Kung Pao over on their Instagram page, which is worth checking out, using the soya chunks. However, I thought I would try to introduce this food in a few quick and simple meals to see how versatile and easy it is to cook.

Generally, if I am going to cook, I like to cook my meals in bulk and keep it refrigerated for a few days, and then use it as the main component that can be adapted for various meals, lunches, and snacks. This helps with the pressures of student living and frees up more of my time to study. So, I made a few of my favourite vegan meals using the main dish of stir-fried veg and soya chunks.

Stir-fried Veg and Soya Chunks INGREDIENTS Making a stir-fry can be quite adaptable to your preference for veg, so feel free to experiment or stick to your favourite vegetables, those that suit stir-fries are: • Baby corn • Sugar-snap • Broccoli • Tomato • Peppers • Cauliflower • Onion • Mushroom • Whatever • Carrot else you like

Choosing Veg In meals like this, the quantity of veg to use is entirely dependent on how many days you want the meal to last. For this, we also need to consider how many days we can keep the food refrigerated and fresh. (Normally 3-4 days is safe) So, the amount of veg you would like to use is completely up to you, and this adds to the simplicity of the dish.

I wanted to use up as much of the vegetables that I already had in my fridge, so I used: • Red Cabbage • Plantain • Tomato • Red & Yellow • Cauliflower • Onion pepper • Broccoli

METHOD 1. Ensure that you have washed and chopped all

METHOD 1. Heat the pan and add the Rapeseed oil.

2. Once the oil is sizzling, add the fresh spices for flavouring – Garlic, Chilli, Ginger.

3. Then add the Onion and the larger vegetables – Cauliflower, Broccoli, Carrot, Pepper, and Mushroom.

4. As these begin to fry, add in the rest of the oils and flavourings, as well the remaining veg.

Soya Chunks On a separate pan, you will need to start preparing the Soya Chunks. They are quick to cook so this shouldn’t take too much time. Simply heat the pan, add a handful of soya chunks and water so that they are almost covered and leave to rehydrate. Once they look ready, add the soya chunks to rest of the veg and stir-fry sauce mix, and sauté for flavour.

As you can see, this recipe is super adaptable and straightforward, and you can use it to make many meals.

STIR-FRY NOODLE DINNER: For this, you can buy Asian style noodles of your preference, egg for vegetarian diet or rice noodle for vegans. Simply follow the preparation instructions for the noodles, and once they are ready, add them to a pan with the veg and soya chunk mix. Then add a stir-fry sauce of your choosing, and it will be ready in a matter of minutes.

STICKY HOISIN AND RICE DISH: For this, start by boiling the rice. Meanwhile, add the veg and soya chunk mix to a pan with a sticky hoisin sauce or any other Asian sauce of your choosing. Once ready, keep on a low heat until the rice is fully cooked.

After 10/12 minutes, the rice should be ready. Simply plate all together for an Asian style rice dish.

VEGETABLE GYOZA DISH: This is a fun dish to make.

Start by going to your nearest Asian food store, Galway has a number of them to choose from, and buy frozen Gyoza wraps (You can also buy the frozen Bao Buns here) Defrost as many as you think you’ll need, and finely chop the veg and soya chunk mix, and heat.

Spoon the mixture onto the wrap, fold and press the edges with a fork. You can then fry these on a pan or steam them using a strainer over boiling water. Once they are golden brown, they are good to go. I recommend a sweet chilli or soy dipping sauce.

STEAMED BAO BUN: Buy frozen Bao Buns in any of the Galway Asian food stores. Defrost as many as you will need and steam them using a strainer over boiling water until they look fluffy. As you are doing this, heat the veg and soya chunks mix on the pan and prepare a salad of your choosing to fill the bun.

Once all is ready, fill the bun and add a sauce of your choosing – I went for a soy, ginger and chilli dressing.

veg to preferred size

2. Keep refrigerated until the sauce is prepared

Stir-fry Sauce If you did Home-Economics for the Leaving Cert, then I am sure you are aware of the few staple ingredients that create a stir-fry flavouring. If not, don’t worry, as I will tell you below what it is you will need to make the world’s easiest and tastiest stir-fry sauce.

• 1 tsp. Diced Garlic • 1 tbsp. Light Soy Sauce • 1 tsp. Fresh • 1 tbsp. Rice Vinegar Chilli Paste • 1 tbsp. Sesame oil • 1 tsp. Fresh • 1 tbsp. Rapeseed oil ­Ginger Paste • 1 squeeze of • 1 squeeze of Honey half a Lemon

PITTA BREAD LUNCH DISH (HOT OR COLD): This is a lovely lunch idea. You can do this with any bread - I chose a pitta bread. Simply toast the bread, use a spread of your choice for flavour. I went for hummus and a spicy tomato spread. Add salad of your choosing and add the veg and soya chunk mix either hot or cold.

ASIAN CHILLI LETTUCE WRAPS: This one is really simple. Heat the veg and soya chunks mix on a pan but add extra chilli to add more spice. Once it is ready, fill the mixture onto a gem lettuce cup and add some fresh fruit or veg for crunch. I added pomegranate and fresh passionfruit. I also recommend using an Asian style pouring sauce of your choosing.

FAIS EAN

December 01 2020

7

NÓ S MAIRE ACHTÁLA

23

I can’t get enough of Oxfam Galway Charity shop and here’s why

By Neasa Gorrell When I first came to Galway, secondhand shopping was just on the brink of becoming destigmatised and normalised. In a world where many people are very materialistic and shop only for branded items, it was refreshing to see the sustainable fashion movement become popular.

Since then, being a woke and environmentally aware young person, like many of the students in the NUI Galway community, I have limited my shopping from unethical companies and fast-fashion brands.

To be quite honest, shopping from fast-fashion companies has become increasingly unfashionable as we hear more and more about just how unethical they are.

That is where the Galway charity shops come in, they are plentiful with stylish and on-trend clothing, and an ethical way of purchasing fast-fashion pieces as you are supporting a charity and not the brand directly, as well as

saving the items from landfill. Other ways of purchasing cute clothing ethically include online resources like Etsy stores, Ebay, DoneDeal and Depop, and don’t forget Facebook Marketplace and Swap-shops.

My absolute favourite for the coolest on-trend and vintage fashion pieces has to be the Oxfam Galway shop on Abbeygate Street Lower.

Their window displays are always very fashionable, showcasing selectively designed outfits that always pull me in. The staff are always very friendly and helpful, and the store offers a 20% student discount, which is amazing!

The clothes are organised in coloured order in spacious rails. The women’s clothing is on one-side of the shop and men’s is on the other so that it is easy to find things. They have a sale

section and an outerwear section for rain jackets and winter coats. They also have sale baskets beside the till with hats, scarves, and other unique pieces.

The back of the store has a selection of new jewellery and offers for buying a few pieces at a time. They have sunglasses and loads of other accessories including handbags and headscarves.

They also offer a wide range of secondhand books and DVDs. I cannot stress this enough – the Oxfam Galway store offers so many cool and stylish pieces of clothing. So much of my current wardrobe is owing to this store alone and I get so many compliments for how unique my wardrobe is, and it truly feels good to look good when you know you’re supporting a charity and the environment by shopping second-hand.

So, if you are like me, and really interested in becoming more sustainable, and just being a better person in general, ethically – shopping from charity shops is a great place to start because doing good feels really good.

Besides, we as young people need to do all we can to make Ireland a better place for all, environmentally and socially. We need to support the ecology of this special little island but also, and just as importantly, support the people of this Island.

We are the future, and the choices we make today will impact how we live in years to come – so let’s all be that cool generation that said no to fast fashion, no to damaging industries, yes to the people, yes to the environment – and done so looking real good in statement fashion pieces.

Beauty bag end of month review: November

By Anastasia Burton

Anastasia Beverly Hills- Subculture palette- hit another pan!

Illamasqua precision ink eyeliner- Currently using

November is already over. Can you believe it? This month has been slow for me in terms of pan hitting and make-up usage.

The reason for that is very simple, midterms! I was a shell of my former self with the stress of midterms taking over my entire existence, but it’s okay! They’re done now so I can play around with my palettes. I’ve got some big news in relation to my make-up collection; and that is that I’ve received my Jeffree Star Hallowe’en mystery boxes. Now I know that JC is a controversial influencer, but his make-up products were always praised for their quality and before this I have never owned anything from JC cosmetics before. Perhaps later in the year we will talk more about the products.

For those who are new to this column, beauty bag reviews are my mini article series where I share with you the products I use and how close I am to using them up as well as whether I will be repurchasing or not. I find this motivates me to do more for my project pan and I thoroughly enjoy it. Each month I do about two of these. One where I introduce you guys to what I begin the month with and another where I talk about how the month went in terms of usage and whether I am enjoying the products.

I have made great progress with this palette which makes me happy! I started using some of the shades as eyeliner as I feel like it is very flattering due to the hyper pigmentation of the shades. So far, I have hit pan on shades: “Cube”, “Dawn”, “Adorn”, “New wave” and “Electric”.

There are 14 shades in this palette and I feel like I have made great progress. I believe I will hit pan on the shades: “Edge” and “Mercury” next. I will do my best to use more of the shades I have yet to hit pan on, luckily they are all green and browns which I am currently in love with.

Although I’m not a huge fan of how messy this eyeliner is, I have learned to be more precise and gentler with it. I do not go crazy with my wing and keep it to a minimal curve. I believe I will have it used up by February 2021.

Essence Fresh & Fit awake primers- Getting rid of This primer is horrible. It comes on shiny and made me break out really badly. I was trying to recover the damage from this product for about a week and a half. I think there is some sort of ingredient in here that clogs pores and causes irritation in certain skin types.

This has been my go-to cream and powder contour palette for some time now, and I have already used up one shade completely, and finally hit pan on shade three which is the powder shade.

I believe I am very close to hitting pan on shade two, the contour cream shade and shade six the contour powder shade. I cannot use shade four as it is too light for me.

Essence #insta perfect foundationCurrently using Great foundation! I’m glad I started using it instead of the flormar foundation. I am currently taking a break from foundation to give my skin a break, but I think I will have it used up by February 2021.

Balm Beach long wearing blushCurrently using

SoSu complete contour palette- Hit pan!

of its packaging and is very messy. I am close to hitting pan, but I think I will only stick to this highlighter for another month before binning it.

Love this blush! I feel like I will hit pan in the next couple of months as I do not use a huge amount of blush.

Topshop highlight- mother of pearl- Currently using The usage on this highlighter is quite good and I am proud of myself for it.

However, the highlight has fallen out

Essence Lash princess mascaraCurrently using I have almost used up this mascara, I believe t h a t by t h e e n d o f December I would have used it all up!

Revolution Skincare London- Tropical Quench essence spray- Currently using I hate the smell of coconut and sadly this product is heavily coconut fragranced. I have gotten about a fifth of it used through and love how it makes my face feel hydrated and keeps my make-up on.

Simple micellar cleaning water- 400ml- USED I finally got through my micellar water and must say that I prefer my Garnier one instead. I found Simple great for my sensitive skin, but it was not as affecting at removing my make-up and was not as gentle on my skin as I would have hoped.

Freedom professional London eyebrow pomadeCurrently using I’ve made great progress this month with the premade, but I don’t expect to finish it until possibly February of next year.

That is my wrap up for November 2020! Did I inspire you to start your own beauty bag?

24 OPI NIO N

SIN Vol. 22 Issue 05

Shop local, Shop Irish

By Sofia Hadef We live in a difficult time, this pandemic and level 5 forced many companies to close their doors for a while. All these restrictions are affecting small businesses the most. As Christmas is coming, let’s all support local businesses by ordering presents from them.

Click-and-collect possibilities accessible and stores providing online delivery, there are lots of ways to buy locally and from Irish-owned companies, if you need this Christmas.

Guaranteed Irish made a new website called guaranteedirishgifts. ie which brings together hundreds of Irish companies throughout the country. Guaranteed Irish is a membership group for more than 1,200 companies based in Ireland. Their gift catalogue site has divisions for all types of products, from clothes to beauty, and artisan food or drinks.

The site also has sections for children, women, and men as well as choices for corporate presents for businesses to choose from. The organisation said this site gives “a collective shop window” for people who want to purchase locally.

Justbuyirish.com also have a catalogue with hundreds of independent Irish companies that deliver all across Ireland. They also have plenty of sections, from alcohol to books, but also home and design. It’s the perfect website if you want to buy something different, like games or jewellery.

When you support a local business, you are boosting the local economy, which is especially crucial during this time of restrictions. Every 10 euros spent locally on Irish products gener-

ates 40 euros for the local marketplace, according to Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association 2020. This keeps finances within the community.

Our local businesses stores, cafes, restaurants, and specialised shops are all help define the special character of our community. The people involved in running them and their clients contribute to the community spirit. Local shops bring special advice and knowledge on products as they are generally specialised in their field. They also source their ingredients and materials. They often protects the local land and its wildlife. It is also greener to shop local.

In Galway, you can click and collect from companies such as Charlie Byrne’s, Ireland’s best-loved independent bookshop, books are in my opinion the best gift to offer, as you give a special and unique present full of knowledge and emotions, books can change a life too. You can also offer stunning and artistic products from 2 Wild Geese who work with incredible Irish artists and designers. For the foodies, Gourmet Tart Co. are selling tasty treats like their gourmet cookies, festive mince pies etc. They will definitely make your Christmas happier. McCambridge’s have also got a beautiful selection of food and gift hampers that you can order for delivery. Francis’ Soap Shop are here to deliver the best and natural health and beauty products you need.

Hazel Mountain Chocolate is one of my favourite places in Galway, delivering delicious chocolates for your family and friends, their cacao beans are directly sourced from farmers, and it’s all crafted in the Burren.

Shop locally and savour the best Irish products.

The Blame Game Nina Deacon

It was recently reported that thousands of Irish women had their sexual and intimate images, along with personal details leaked online without their consent. This occurred after a victims’ support group uncovered nearly 140,000 stolen images from women online. It is believed that Irish women were targeted, as shockingly there is no law against this type of violation in the country. This scandal opened up a broader conversation about consent,

The outcry and anger of the leakage of these woman’s images was equally matched by slut-shaming, judgment, and fury about this being made into a “big deal.”

Many people argued that these women made the choice to expose themselves in the first place and should have anticipated the risks involved. It is important to note that men are not solely to blame for these comments, as many women were equally vocal in shaming these victims.

The central issue that underlies this entire conversation is that of consent

This is precisely why so many women live in fear, and why the majority of assault whether sexual or media based go unreported. misogyny, and the slut-shaming these victims have been forced to endure since this news broke earlier this month.

The lack of protection of this type of image-based assault was illustrated in the case of Dara Quigley. In 2017 she was detained under the Mental Health Act after she was found naked on a Dublin street in what was described as a “psychotic episode” by her mother. On that day, state CCTV captured images of her walking naked and forcibly being detained, and footage was held by An Garda Siochana. Someone in the station recorded the CCTV images off a monitor and shared it to a Whatsapp group, and posted the images on Facebook, which were shared an estimated 125,000 times.

Dara became aware of the footage’s release and committed suicide on April 12th that year. To this day, nobody has been held responsible for this blatant violation of Dara’s dignity and rights.

and respect. Under no circumstances did these women consent to having their personal details and images released to the public, yet they are being treated as if what happened to them was inevitable.

What happened to them is a complete violation of their rights, and the perpetrators should be held responsible. In the era of #MeToo and the infamous Belfast rape trial, it should come as no surprise that 90% of revenge porn victims are women.

Although great strides have been made in the last few decades towards women’s rights, this is unfortunately yet another example of the countless ways in which society continuously undermines women and shames victims. This is precisely why so many women live in fear, and why the majority of assault whether sexual or media based go unreported.

This is not simply a “woman’s issue.”

Perhaps it is not ironic that this news broke on the week of International Men’s

Day, as men need to be at the centre of this conversation as much as women are, if not more. They are pivotal in driving the much-needed social change. Ireland, like much of the world has a deeply ingrained “boys will be boys” culture.

This attitude is extremely dangerous, as it reinforces gender stereotypes and excuses behaviours that allow men to act however they want without understanding the damaging effects their actions have. By speaking out against the blatant hypocrisy and misogyny this scandal has sparked, and by standing in solidarity with these women, the vicious cycle of blame and shaming can be broken. The only way to spark a societal shift is by having these difficult conversations and refusing to remain quiet- and therefore complacent.

The psychological impact that the leakage of these images has had on the victims (many of whom are underage) is inexcusable. A petition of over 40,000 signatures has gone viral, and the government are now under pressure to bring in legislation to ban this horrific violation. However, the conversation cannot end here. Why are we as a society so quick to blame the victims? Perhaps it is because as human beings we feel the need to believe that we all deserve the outcomes and consequences in our lives.

However, what these women did is not wrong, and the focus should be on those who breached these women’s confidentiality. For as stated by the poet Farida D, slut-shaming a woman for what she consents to do sexually perpetuates the idea that women should not consent to sex, and should instead accept it passively.

Both men and women need to become aware of the internalized misogyny we all possess, and change the way we talk about and treat women in our society.

Are we forced to be on screens too much during this pandemic?

By Darren Casserly Opinion Editor For many people, not just college students, but anyone who has to work from home, the laptop is their life, from talking with friends to going to lectures and then just watching Netflix or YouTube.

It is unfortunate and most people in this situation do not want to be on screens as much.

The thing about it right now is that its not a problem, but if NUI Galway were to say some modules or lectures were to be exclusively online when the pandemic ends, most people would not be on board with it. The hope is that this constant requirement to be online and always available will come to an end with the virus, but it is not a guarantee.

The thing that I would compare this situation to is during the recession when the government brought in the Universal

Social Charge, introduced by Fianna Fáil as a temporary measure, yet 10 years on there is no sign of it being changed and looks to be here for the foreseeable future, let’s hope this is not the requirement for people post- Covid.

This unfortunately seems to be the future for college students, with NUI Galway in particular trying to make the university as profitable as possible, receiving around the same amount of income from students, with less expense it could very well end up that the situations drags on beyond next semester and into the future.

The current circumstances can be very lonely, with many students being left isolated in their rooms all the time with no communication with anyone, it’s not too bad for people living at home, but for people living with roommates that they don’t get on with, or those living on their own, it’s not good to be on

screens for this long and does in some ways effect your health, particularly your mental health.

Lecturers too are not helping with this, particularly since it seems that there is far more work this year than others and this is overwhelming for a lot of people. No one can argue everyone has had a tough year, but especially people who are stuck at home on their laptops all day. It is difficult, but hopefully it is just temporary and that this is not going to be the norm going forward.

Being trapped in the house all day is an annoyance now, but if it is the norm it would be disastrous for many people. You really have to get out of the house everyday and just try and not get overwhelmed with the requirement that you have to be online all day and available all the time which is just not fair on students. It just seems to be the way society is going but hopefully I’m wrong with this thought.

TUAIRIM

December 01 2020

The pandemic that stole Christmas

By Rachael Garvey Christmas time is beginning to slowly descend upon the world, but fast approaching at the same time. It’s that magical time of year when we prepare to put up the Christmas décor, battle our way through the crowds in town to purchase presents and the city also prepares to welcome back the Annual Christmas Market.

But this year a thief is in town. We’ve all heard of the story of the Grinch who stole Christmas, but we never imagined a virus to take the Grinch’s place; a virus that has no heart.

People are still decorating their houses, people are still buying presents, but there have been numerous major alterations to how we are going to do things this year. There will sadly be no Christmas Market, no Santa’s

Grotto and no having a drink in the pub as we toast to 2020. None of us expected 2020 to be turned upside down like this. Christmas is a time of year where everyone comes together, both friends and family. But coming together is simply extracted from the equation due to social distancing guidelines and Government rules on house visits and social gatherings.

Personally, I do believe that Christmas is essential and must be celebrated and I could argue with anyone until I am purple in the face, but Covid-19 has already taken away enough from us. It will never take away the fact that we can still buy our loved ones gifts. The majority of us have been spending hours browsing and shopping online, but we know that this virus will not take away the happiness from people as they unwrap their presents on December 25th.

This virus will not take away the joy from families sitting around their kitchen tables as they surround ham, turkey, brussel sprouts and roast potatoes. We may not be able to visit the pubs for a friendly Christmas drink or admire the Ferris Wheel in Eyre Square, but I think it’s up to us to find happiness in the little things, no matter how small it may be. Here’s some food for thought; wrap some presents with your siblings or parents or housemates. Personally, my wrapping skills are atrocious, but it’s always nice to be made fun of by my mam, who is pretty skilled with wrapping paper. Blast some Christmas songs in your house while you put up some Christmas décor and I don’t care what anyone says, but as I write this on November 19th, I have no problem saying out loud how it is never too early to put up your Christmas tree. People are being told to stay indoors, some even in quarantine or isolation and maybe they are running out of things to do in order to keep sane, so why not add some festive cheer to the household? There’s zero harm in it.

Sit down with a cup of tea and Danish biscuits with Christmas music in the background and write out your Christmas cards for this year. We live in a time where some of us spend our day to day lives alone because of this virus and there is no better or heart-warming feeling than receiving a Christmas card out of the blue as it reads “Merry Christmas, just wanted to let you know that I was thinking of you, stay safe”.

Covid-19 will only steal Christmas if we allow it, so let’s take a stand and show this virus how Christmas will still be celebrated this year. It may not be the same celebration as years previous, but as the Irish say, “It’ll be grand!”.

Should we be pulling the plug on online learning all together when we don’t need it anymore?

By Eoin Gallagher.

Imagine it’s 8:10am, the a stiff Atlantic breeze is beating the outside of your window, carrying with it the heavy pelting wind of winter, your alarm sounds waking you from the sweet embrace of your sleep and you realise you need to get moving if you want to make it to campus for your 9am. What are your options? Pull your blanket up firmly around your face and return to sleep, missing your class or get up and haul off the embrace of your sheets, plunging yourself into the cold day. Of course, that is not the situation now. Now, when that alarm sounds you can just roll over, fire up your laptop and log in.

I can’t be the only one enjoying this feature of online learning, am I? There were many complaints about it before the year began, and many more are being made by students as the year is progressing, the lack of contact, expanding workloads and unclear assignments to name a few. But there are positives to this style of learning. It would be a shame that if, when NUIG is formulating a post Covid-19 strategy, inescapable 9am lectures are in the mix.

Personally, I’m enjoying the blended learning approach, no I am not a dangerous maniac, and I don’t think I have gone isolation crazy, just yet. There are benefits to this year’s college formatting, missing a lecture in the past meant and hour deciphering notes to catch up; now you can just listen back to the recording and for the information.

Of course we have all made friends and contracts when asking a friendly stranger

for notes on a class that we have missed and this can still could be done, but it would also be nice to have the option of listening back to the lecture, just in case you happen on a less than studious classmate.

The assess ability that virtual and recorded classes present to students who may be busy with other things is a massive, not that this was nowhere to be seen last year, certain lectures were already recording their lectures for the sake of the absentee students and these were an indispensable studying tool for tests and assignments. But this was not the norm.

And we are unlikely to see it become common place, any longer than it has to be, after this year. A student body that will want to put this experience of 2020 well in the rear-view mirror are unlikely to keep around the things that pained them during the pandemic, even the parts that brought them pleasure.

Moreover, it was a hard enough sell for NUIG to pitch this form of learning this year, when there was a genuine need for it, any suggestion of its inclusion in the aftermath, may seem like more trouble then the tired board of management is willing to shoulder, despite the benefits it could bring.

Also, it would certainly be a poor tactical move for NUIG to try offer online components to their course if they don’t need to , it would surely hark back questions posed to them this year about tuition fees , with the average student paying thousands of euro per year in the college. And not to mention the damage it would surely inflict to the college financially, potentially taking footfall away from on campus businesses, cafes and the like.

Despite the flexibility, some aspects of online learning give to students, there is nothing in it for NUIG, so, it is hard to imagine it being a big part of our post Covid-19 learning experience.

It will be a while before we see an end to Covid-19 regulations such as social distancing. Photo: Joe.ie

25

Pfizer vaccine optimism to be taken with a healthy dose of perspective and a grain of salt.

By Eoin Gallagher.

The German Pharma company Pfizer announced recently that it has produced the first viable vaccine for Covid-19 after their data sets indicated an efficacy of over 95% across demographics.

By the time April Fool’s Day rolls around in five months’ time the Covid-19 pandemic will be a long-forgotten memory, and life should be pretty much back to normal. The vaccine will be distributed to whoever needs it, we can start getting back to the way things were. We could even be sitting on a bar stool sinking pints by Paddy’s day, not a care in the world; after all the pandemic will be done and dusted.

Did that sound a little unrealistic to you? Possibly a fraction too clean? Or dare you say a bit naive? If so, you are correct.

Any notions that a vaccine will deal a single deadening blow to the beast that is Covid-19 are deluded, to say the least. That’s not to say that it won’t shorten our collective struggle, it certainly will. However, anyone who believes that we won’t be stepping over the entrails of our vanquished problem for months or years to come is deeply mistaken.

Our optimism may edge us towards the edge of the new year, expectantly looking to see a new ‘new normal’ that will be just like our old normal, where we can glance back at today’s normal as an unnatural memory. Unfortunately, it is unlikely to occur just like that.

I don’t mean to sound too pessimistic, after all any news on a vaccine is good news, wonderful news even. But with Pfizer only projecting to produce 25 million doses this year it is important for people to understand what that and does not mean for Ireland.

It does not mean, that we will all see our loved ones at Christmas time, that we will be sitting in stadiums enjoying sports events soon or that we can dispense with public safety guidelines. In fact, these realities may be still firmly posted in the future, until late next year maybe.

It is important that we refresh this notion in our private and public psyche, we are not done with this thing yet

To put it bluntly we will never live in a time where coronavirus did not happen. and with over 1000 new positive Covid19 cases this week clearly it is not done with us either.

A hard pill to swallow and maybe one that some people are reluctant to take. The instances of street drinking in Dublin earlier this month could indicate an area where growing frustration in the public boiled over during this second lockdown.

With the current lockdown elapsing recently, time people could be excused for feeling, even quietly to themselves, that we are into the home stretch and that our tremendous effort has yielded victory.

But remember when the vaccine is distributed across the globe people will still be getting sick and we will likely be exiting this crisis into a recession that no medicine will cure. To put it bluntly we will never live in a time where coronavirus did not happen.

In the aftermath of this 21st century plague we may see greater germaphobes, tighter boarders, more Doomsday Preppers and a far greater technologically reliant world.

It is hard to say precisely what it will all look like, but just that it will not be the same as before.

The normal we have right now is just a stop on the way to the real ‘new normal’ that’ll come sometime late next summer, though we would all like to look forwards and see the place we came from, we won’t. So, to those who believe the vaccine will bring a swift return of the prepandemic status quo or that we can take our foot off the gas, think again.

26 OPI NIO N

SIN Vol. 22 Issue 05

Third level institutions’ reliance on research distracts from the college experience Conor Brummell NUI Galway last week released findings from a ‘Schooling from Home’ study, that analysed the effects of learning online for students in primary and secondary school.

The survey results in themselves were pretty conclusive; a small majority of primary school participants (52%) and a large majority of second-level participants (73%) felt that they had learned less at home than at school, and the survey showed that interest in learning from home declined over time.

Increased stress and anxiety amongst parents and participants were also cited as a reason for why schools should remain open, regardless of how high levels of Covid-19 are within the community, The survey’s findings are stark, condemning online learning for young people. Eyebrows have also been raised over the lack of detailed research available in this area on Third-Level students, the majority of whom are undertaking their studies outside of a classroom setting this year.

Third level institutions and schools closed on the 12th of March, after it was announced that they would remain closed for a period of four weeks (two weeks of Easter, and a further two weeks to combat the spread of a virus that was relatively unknown at the time).

This obviously lasted the length of lockdown, and summer, and students from primary, secondary and third level undertook schooling remotely.

Schools however re-opened in September, in what was cited as being necessary. Universities were to follow suit at the end of September- but a government U-turn two days before lectures were to commence

stopped that plan in its tracks. Students had flocked to cities, leaving the comfort of their homes on the premise that there would be a hybrid model of faceto-face lectures and online-learning. This didn’t happen and lectures were moved online for a full semester, in what was a historic and unprecedented move, done in the name of public health.

We are now half-way through week eight of the first ever online semester for full-time college students. I am eight weeks into my final year at NUI Galway, and I must admit the transition to online lectures has been difficult. I was on work placement last year, and as such, I had no experience with online learning. I was looking in from the outside at all my friends who had progressed to final year whilst I was working, and I thought to myself, rather naively, how hard could it be? I presumed that by September that this virus would have been sorted and life would get back to normal.

Instead, this year is far from normal. It has become a checklist of assignments, and more so about keeping your head above water instead of engaging with course material. It has become blackscreened podcasts, as lecturers upload pre-recorded lectures online and students struggle to keep up.

The emphasis is more on your ability to manage your time effectively, and get everything done, rather than engaging with classmates and tutors in an immersive classroom debate. It is emails, Whatsapp group chats, and Blackboard breakout rooms.

It is Zoom Calls, and blue-light glasses to offset the headaches from so much screen-time on laptops. It is pandemic fatigue, mixed with college midterms, and suddenly it is the realisation

that you have forgotten to do tutorial readings. It becomes late nights and long hours spent trying to catch up. It has become elongated periods of not seeing your closest friends or your family members and feeling guilty for not replying to them online when they text because you’re too tired to.

Online learning has been marketed as flexible.

Sure, we have all the time in the world now that everywhere is closed, and we don’t have to commute to a physical lecture hall. That very idea has mutated, however, and it has now become a sense of having to be accessible and switched-on twenty-four seven. Once you close your laptop, the lectures stop- but the emails, and the Whatsapp groups keep going, discussing what needs to be done. Blackboard keeps on being updated. It’s a hectic existence, and it’s hard to keep going.

What is hurting students more, however, is not the online learning. It’s not the pubs being closed, or the lack of social spaces. It’s not what could have been, or what will be. We understand the times we are living in, and these are just a symptom of the times.

It’s the fact that Universities like NUI Galway can publish research about the effects of online learning on secondary and primary school students, and in the same breath charge students €295 for repeat exams they have to complete from home. It is the idea that a student contribution fee of €224 can still be charged, despite little to no access to campus for the majority of the student population (except for those who have labs to attend).

It’s the fact that the biggest consolation we have received is a weekly wellness email, which reiterates what we already know: the supports available

to us lie with the college counselling service, or by texting a confidential helpline if we are struggling to cope. Both are important and needed; but the crux of the matter is that the institution who so valiantly shows the effects of a broken model on children younger than us, also ignores us.

They have ignored the need for social spaces, and study spaces for those who did move to Galway. They have ignored the fact that there is no standardisation in teaching online, too- that some lectures are live and others are pre-recorded. That some students do not know what some lecturers look like, because they have not met them face-to-face, even in a virtual manner. They have ignored the fact they asked us to move to a city we did not need to and were not protected under law to get private accommodation deposits back for when things went online.

That is also not to say that all lecturers are out of touch. Some are great, and kind and do everything to help. It’s also not to say that the student body haven’t anyone to turn to- the Students’ Unions across the country are trying their utmost best to better the situation. It’s just unfortunate that the system they are trying to come terms with is the same one we are struggling with.

NUI Galway haven’t announced whether we will be online for semester two. They once again have delayed the communication, and left students in the lurch, much like in September when it was announced we would be online two days before college commenced.

It’s inevitable that lectures will remain online, but much has to give to make it bearable, and not make it feel like high tide has poured in from Blackrock and left us drowning in a sea of paperwork.

Unlocking your full potential and refusing to cruise by at forty percent — Lessons can be learned from Ultra-Runner David Goggins Donagh Broadrick David Goggins should have been just another unfortunate statistic in our society. Abusive father, single mother, learning disabilities, apathetic teachers in poor rural schools, a pregnant girlfriend, an African American who experienced racism first-hand growing up in Brazil, Indiana. Later in life he would be diagnosed with the sickle cell trait and discover he had a hole in the atrium of his heart.

David had every reason to quit and say he wasn’t meant to be anyone great. Today he is known as an ultra-marathon runner and triathlete, the man who set a world record for pull ups.

He is the only man in history to become a navy seal, an air force tactical air controller and an army ranger, who undertook three hell-weeks finishing on broken legs and even attempted to join Delta Force, the United States’ most elite Special Forces Unit. He also served a tour in Iraq. At age 45 Goggins is now a volunteer fighting forest fires in California alongside men half his age.

Throughout his life Goggins sought out the hard path and a lot of the time the hard path found him whether he liked it or not. He put himself in uncomfortable situations to callous his mind. This is how David refers to the process of mentally toughening yourself by doing what makes you uncomfortable or what you are afraid of. In his case, he was able to teach himself to swim and conquer his fear of the water so that he could join the navy seals. Goggins didn’t have good genes or the right background and yet has managed to do more in twenty years

than most of us will do our entire lives. The man confronted his inner demons to master his mind to push himself past the 40 percent we all cruise by in life at.

When Goggins ran his first hundred-mile marathon, he did so to raise money for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, a foundation that gives college and other financial grants to the children of fallen Special Operations soldiers.

The experience left his body, which was thick and muscular and thus completely unsuited for the endurance requirements of running, shattered and badly broken. Later in life he would discover he was so jacked up and tight that his body was beginning to shut down which would require hundreds of hours of stretching to rectify. His legs were so badly fractured after his third hell week attempt, he would have to complete BUDs training, a rigorious underwater SEAL fitness test, by binding them in tape as he would not be allowed to try for the Navy SEALs again. Despite messing himself up and mangling his body so many times he always bounced back and improved, proving that anyone can recover from setbacks no matter now dilapidating.

Goggins is living proof of what the human body is capable of when pushed to its limits. When we confront our inner fears and know how to answer the simple questions of why we’re putting ourselves through the pain on the road to improvement we can accomplish almost anything.

It’s not always easy of course. Goggins believes that most of us cruise through life at 40%, barely

scraping at our potential and this belief forms the basis of his personal life philosophy. You might break yourself, injure yourself, mess up and deal with excruciating pain, but you’ll push yourself to things you never believed you or anyone else thought you were capable of. Goggins explores his life story and his beliefs further in his book ‘Can’t Hurt Me’ which was published in 2018, a book that should make its way onto all of our reading lists no matter our path in life.

Goggins had to do three hell weeks before he could graduate from BUD’s, having been taken

down by double pneumonia on his first attempt and failing a water exercise after his second. It took him three attempts before he broke the pull up record he tried to smash. At every turn Goggins never accepted the idea that he had reached his limit, that it was not meant to be. He learned from his mistakes, unlocked his full potential and persevered.

Following David’s example we could all push beyond our 40 percent limit, master our minds and reach our full potential. To Goggins I will say what he always says to his followers online, “Stay hard!”

Coiste Gno EXECUTIVE

COMMITTEE

Vice President / Education Officer Leas Uachtarán / Oifigeach Oideachais

2020 -2021

Vice-President / Welfare and Equality Officer Leas-Uachtarán / Oifigeach Leasa agus Comhionannais

President / Uachtarán

Emma Sweeney

Pádraic Toomey

su.education@nuigalway.ie 086 385 3658

su.president@nuigalway.ie 086 385 5502

Róisín Nic Lochlainn

su.welfare@nuigalway.ie 086 385 3659

Mature Students’ Officer Oifigeach Mic Léinn Lánfhásta

Gender and LGBT+ Rights Officer Oifigeach um Chearta Inscne agus LADT+

Disability Rights Officer Oifigeach um Chearta Míchumais

Erin Mac An tSaoir

Michelle Mitchell

Maeve Arnup

Patricia O’Mahony

091 493 570 su.gaeilge@nuigalway.ie

085 853 7011 su.maturestudents@nuigalway.ie

091 493 570 su.lgbt@nuigalway.ie

085 212 0689 su.disability@nuigalway.ie

Oifigeach na Gaeilge Irish Language Officer

Postgraduate Taught Officer Oifigeach na nIarchéimithe Teagasctha

Martin Smyth

Sebastiaan Bierema

Clubs Captain Captaen na gClubanna

Kirsty Moran

087 781 0130 su.pgtaught@nuigalway.ie

091 493 570 su.pgresearch@nuigalway.ie

085 882 4797 su.clubs@nuigalway.ie

Convenor of the College of Arts, Social Sciences & Celtic Studies / Tionólaí Choláiste na nDán, na nEolaíochtaí Sóisialta & an Léinn Cheiltigh

Convenor of the College of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences / Tionólaí Choláiste an Leighis, an Altranais & na nEolaíochtaí Sláinte

Convenor of the College of Science and Engineering / Tionólaí Choláiste na hEolaíochta agus na hInnealtóireachta

Claire McHale 091 493 570 su.arts@nuigalway.ie



Postgraduate Research Officer Oifigeach na nIarchéimithe i mbun Taighde

Evan O’Flaherty 091 493 570 su.medicine@nuigalway.ie

Aoife Buckley

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Positions to be filled next semester/Poist le líonadh an chéad seimeastar eile: Societies Chairperson • SU Council Chairperson • Convenor of the College of Business Public Policy & Law • International Students Officer • Ethnic Minorities Officer

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28 SPORT

SIN Vol. 22 Issue 05

NUIG students aim for the summit in charity climb

By Oisín Bradley Sports Editor A group of NUI Galway students are undertaking a unique and fascinating challenge in order to raise money for a worthy cause.

Nine months from now, NUIG student Darragh Burke and a group of fellow thrill seekers plan on being nearly six thousand metres above sea level at the peak of highest free standing mountain in the world, Mount Kilimanjaro.

The group of brave climbers are undertaking the feat as part of a fundraiser for the national Meningitis Research Foundation.

Speaking to SIN, BA student Burke revealed how he found out about the challenge and was immediately hooked.

“Another NUIG student by the name of Sean Maguire got in contact with me and told me about a webinar that was going on about it. He sent on the link an hour before and told me to have a look.

“I saw the opportunity and jumped at it.”

At first, Burke didn’t know too much about the charity or their cause, however after looking into their amazing work in trying to combat meningitis, he became more and more engrossed.

“I didn’t really know an awful lot about the challenge or the charity or anything like that beforehand, but then I looked into the Meningitis Research Foundation and the work that they’re

doing. It’ll be a really good experience and challenge and I’m really looking forward to it.

It’s a win-win in my book. We’re raising awareness for a good cause and you get to do something amazing.”

Training for the group is well under-way, and even from the earlier stages of preparation some members of the group are pushing each other all the way, says Burke.

“There’s four or five people from NUI Galway doing as well a group from University of Limerick.

In total there’s about twenty or thirty of us.”

“They said you’d need a fairly basic level of fitness for it, but we’re all challenging ourselves by doing running challenges and the like. For the month of November, I said I’d run 200 kilometres over the thirty days. That level of fitness would probably be enough to get to the top.”

When asked about hesitancy in getting involved, Burke immediately dismissed the notion.

“It’s meant to be taking place in August of next year, so hopefully everything will be calmed down with Covid and all and we’ll be able to actually head out there.”

“I just jumped at the opportunity to be honest, it just seemed like a really good opportunity overall.

It combines a worthy cause with an exciting challenge and we can’t wait to take it on.”

“There’s not been much to do recently, and it’s good to try and do something productive and spread a bit of positivity.”

People who are looking to donate can only do so online at the moment given the current situation.

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Galway GAA season in review: Gaelic Football

By Oisín Bradley As the curtain falls on the first year of Padraic Joyce’s reign as Galway football manager, SIN has decided to cast our eye over the chaotic year that has been 2020 for the men from Pearse Stadium, and examine their prospects for the coming year.

FBD Insurance League: The first game of Joyce’s tenure saw a novel finish against familiar foes, as the Tribesmen triumphed in the penalty shoot-out over Mayo at MacHale Park. It may have been a case of fresh faces on the pitch, but the serial performer that is Shane Walsh was to the fore with nine points to his name, while Brian Walsh’s missed effort saw Galway through to the decider.

A 1-14 to 0-11 victory over Roscommon saw Galway to the title in what was a successful bedding-in period for the new manager and his panel, and a great momentum builder as they entered the opening fixtures of the Allianz Leagues.

Allianz League:

Fa i rt r a d e Organic

FFER

That said, the generosity of donors at the moment is strong. You can find the link to Darragh’s ‘Just Giving’ link on Darragh’s Instagram Page (@dar-

Galway came into the season with a lot of belief under their new man in the dugout, and would’ve been gunning for a result against a team of similar status in Monaghan. Salthill local Robert Finnerty’s 3-pointer left his side in the driving seat on his home patch, and a resurgent performance from the Farney Army just wasn’t enough to earn them a share of the spoils.

Heading to Tralee to take on the previous year’s All-Ireland finalists Kerry always proves a difficult task, and neutrals from Malin to Mizen keeping an eye on proceedings could scarcely believe their eyes as the clock ticked into the red with Galway leading 2-11 to 0-15. However, the Kingdom are never beaten until the final whistle, and Killian Spillane’s last-gasp goal made sure that there would be no end to their unbeaten home run.

Matchday Three saw the Tribesmen travel to Letterkenny to take on then reigning Ulster Champions Donegal, and a seven-point deficit severely tested their mettle in O’Donnell Park. Resilience took over though, and goals from Séan Kelly and Johnny Heaney breathed life into a Galway side who edged the men from the Hills by a solitary point.

Their good form wasn’t about to let up either, as they produced a scintillating display to dismantle Tyrone by 2-25 to 0-12 in Tuam. Shane Walsh epitomised Galway’s free-scoring form with 1-8 to his name, while eight different scorers got in on the act in a commandeering performance.

The men in maroon travelled to a Meath side who looked destined for the drop high on morale, and once again displayed a bad start on the road in Navan. With an eight-point mountain to climb, Shane Walsh once again displayed a talismanic performance to secure a two point victory.

Post-pandemic postponements, we saw the clash of both Galway and Mayo in the League, and while

both sides had an eye on a potential Connacht Final clash later in the year, such a routing at the hands of Mayo would have surely been some cause for concern in the Galway camp.

Galway still had an outside chance of securing League glory as Dublin travelled West on a late October afternoon, but the five-in-a-row Champions dispelled any doubts with a handy enough 2-15 to 0-15 win to cap off Galway’s League campaign.

Championship: The story of Sligo’s withdrawal from their Connacht semi-final clash is one which has been extensively covered in the National and local media so we’ll save you the bother of going into too much detail.

The impact of this is that the Galway footballers were denied the chance to play a ‘competitive’ game before they went toe-to-toe in the Connacht decider.

In truth the 2020 Connacht Final is one which Padraic Joyce and Galway will look back on with regret. Their opening to the clash was lacklustre, however they did well to drag the tie back to three points at the changeover.

Mayo looked like the more dangerous outfit for the majority of the affair, and a commanding performance from Galway goalkeeper Bernard Power played admirably to keep the Tribesmen in it as the game entered the closing stages.

However, the normally excellent captain Walsh misfired at the crucial juncture to level proceedings and it would be Mayo leaving Pearse Stadium with the Nestor Cup in tow.

Review: Overall, this strange season has plenty of positives and negatives for new man Joyce as he stares down the barrel of 2021. The earlier stages of the Allianz League pre-pandemic showed plenty of encouraging and positive aspects of a team under new stewardship, including swash-buckling attacking in the Tyrone game, a game which saw them go toe-to-toe with the best in Tralee and a never-say-die attitude to come back from the brink in Letterkenny and Navan.

However, after the resumption of football things took a turn. The spark was there in fits and starts, but the loss of Damien Comer was doubtless a crucial factor. That said, give Joyce another year to implement his philosophy in a side with its biggest stars between the four lines, and anything is possible for this new-look Galway side in the New Year.

SPÓIRT

December 01 2020

29

And then there were four: Predicting the All-Ireland semi-finals

By Oisín Bradley I think that everyone can agree that we have been treated to an exceptional Championship full of magical moments this year. To be treated to a Championship alone during these tough times was a blessing in itself. To be blessed with a Championship including the last-gasp Cork goal to send red-hot favourites Kerry out, and the magical Cork and Tipperary wins was something else.

Now that the dust has settled on the provincial Championships and our hearts have stopped racing somewhat, only four teams remain in the race for Sam Maguire. High-flying Dublin will be looking to go one further and secure a record-breaking sixin-a-row. The old guard from Ulster in Cavan stand in their way, having returned to former glories and lifted the Anglo Celt in Armagh.

On the other side of the draw are the perennial bridesmaids; James Horan’s Mayo. Mayo have been the team watching their opponents raise Sam Maguire above their heads nine times in Jones’ Road since that fateful day in 1951, and they’ll be eager to break the duck and avoid a tenth. Their lastfour opponents Tipperary will be looking to halt the men from the West in their tracks and implement their own slice of history, 100 years on from Bloody Sunday.

Here, we take a look at the risers and runners in the All-Ireland semi-finals, as well as predicting

who will be heading to Croke Park on Christmas week to do battle for the title.

Dublin vs Cavan Croke Park, Dec 5th @ 5:30pm It’s the ten-in-a-row Leinster champions going toeto-toe with the Breffni, but even in this strange, strange Championship year, I still foresee the Dubs having too much for Cavan in this one.

Cavan have displayed a propensity for the impossible as they navigated the treacherous waters of Ulster this year. First came their ferocious derby against Monaghan, decided by a free-kick from the Gods delivered by the foot of ‘keeper Raymond Galligan to kick-start a memorable campaign. Victory over Antrim followed, before Mikey Graham’s men came back from the death in spectacular fashion once more to usurp Down and perform a nine-point turnaround.

Then came the Ulster Final. The wide-spread dismissal of Cavan and the talk of an All-Ireland semi-final between Dublin and Donegal served as the perfect smokescreen for the men from Breffni Park, and they executed their ambush perfectly, flying out of the traps and catching a sleeping Donegal in their tracks, and when the final whistle went the joyous screams that pierced the Armagh sky lasted long into the night.

Diagnosed cases of HIV in Ireland continue to rise ahead of World AIDS Day Free Confidential Rapid HIV Testing available across Co Galway Alarming figures from the HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) indicate that in the early part of 2020 (up to end of March), the numbers of newly diagnosed cases of HIV in Ireland had increased by a staggering 42% (over figures for same period in 2019). Additionally, reports indicated that there had been a 11% increase in new diagnoses of Chlamydia and a further 4% increase in new diagnoses of Syphilis. These are the latest accurate figures available for 2020 as the HPSC have not been able to produce weekly reports regularly throughout 2020, due to the impact of COVID19. The numbers of new HIV diagnoses notified in Ireland in 2019 was 537 - the highest ever reported in Ireland. Official figures are likely to understate the number of people living with HIV as, according to UNAIDS supported modelling tool ‘Spectrum’ 10% of people living with HIV in Ireland are undiagnosed. These figures are extremely concerning for Sexual Health West (formerly AIDS West).

This year’s theme for World AIDS Day on 1 December, will be ‘Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Resilience and Impact’. The commemoration of World AIDS Day is an important opportunity to recognize the essential role that communities and community groups like Sexual Health West have played and continue to play in the HIV response at local, national and international levels. Sexual Health West are looking to raise awareness around World

AIDS Day with a number of events including an online seminar for people living with HIV, a ‘Run/Walk 5, Donate 5 Nominate 5’ fundraising event (with spot prizes for entrants), and an online book reading.

HIV testing is essential for expanding treatment and ensuring that all people living with HIV can lead healthy and productive lives. People who are diagnosed with HIV can receive antiretroviral therapy and live long and healthy lives, with the condition often becoming undetectable, but it is essential that people take a test to know their status. Sexual Health West CEO, Joe McDonagh states “HIV Testing is essential - people need to be aware of their HIV status and the sooner a person knows their status, the sooner they can start treatment; this then leads to much better long term health outcomes. Early diagnosis is also key, as HIV is often transmitted by people who are unaware that they are HIV Positive”.

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In contrast, the route to provincial ‘honours’ for Dublin was one we are so accustomed to seeing we barely batted an eyelid. Routine wins over Westmeath and Laois were first on the agenda, and anyone who thought Meath may have offered an inkling of a challenge were disappointed in under ten minutes as they cruised to a 3-21 to 0-9 demolition.

Dublin’s star quality from 1-15 is unparalleled, and whilst the likes of Conor Madden and the ever-excellent Martin Reilly will have been buoyed by their giant upsets already in the campaign, expect yet another All-Ireland appearance for Con O’Callaghan and co.

VERDICT: Dublin.

Tipperary vs Mayo Croke Park, Dec 6th @ 3:30pm A rejuvenated Mayo have come with something to prove in James Horan’s second stint in charge, and have dealt with any challenges that have come their way thus far. They didn’t need to get out of second gear against a limp Leitrim challenge, while any challenge Roscommon were expected to offer in the Connacht semi-final was dealt with in ruthless fashion.

Then came the Connacht final. They struggled at the very start to get to grips with Galway’s blanket defence, but managed to take a commanding lead around midway through. Whilst the Tribesmen did drag the game back to a point, it was a case of too little, too late as Mayo claimed their 47th Nestor Cup in Salthill.

Tipperary have undoubtedly been the story of the Championship thus far. All eyes were on Cork after they unceremoniously dumped frontrunners Kerry out of a Championship that even the dog on the street labelled a foregone conclusion.

However, with the weight of history on their shoulders and Michael Hogan looking down from the skies on Bloody Sunday’s centenary, produced a performance for the ages to secure their crowning moment in Pairc Uí Chaoimh.

Now, with the same All-Ireland semi-finals as that tragic year of 1920, the men from Tipp travel to the hallowed turf with the arduous task of upsetting the odds against Mayo.

Mayo are favourites for a reason. Their talent is up there amongst the best teams in the country, and their bainisteoir has proven his mettle. However, if Tipperary were to keep hold of their AFL superstar Colin O’Riordan and fly out of the blocks in Croke Park, they have a distinct chance of being the ones taking on Dublin on the big day for a crack at the biggest prize in the game.

For now though, it’s advantage Mayo.

VERDICT: Mayo

Free Rapid HIV Testing FREE testing in December in the following locations: Headford November 30 1-4pm Galway City December 3 3-7pm Gort December 10 10am-1pm Loughrea December 10 3-6pm Tuam December 17 10am-1pm Ballinsaloe December 17 3-6pm

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Sexual Health Awareness and Guidance (SHAG) Week 2020 An tSeachtain um Fheasacht agus Threoir ar an tSláinte Ghnéis 2020

Tuesday 1st December- Friday 4th December Dé Máirt an 1 Nollaig - Dé hAoine an 4 Nollaig More information from / Tuilleadh eolais ar fail ó su.welfare@nuigalway.ie

NUIGalwayStudentsUnion www.su.nuigalway.ie

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SPÓ IRT

December 01 2020

Galway United Season in Review

By Oisín Bradley The cliché of ‘a tale of two halves’ is one which is frequently bandied about in football and wider sporting spheres. That said, there are few instances where such a phrase could be more accurately applied than the 2020 First Division season for Galway United. Here, we’ll be putting the season of the men from Eamonn Deacy Park under the microscope, and examining how a team managed to turn from a side propping up the table to promotion hopefuls.

mances. However, the opposite proved to be the case, as a 0-2 home loss to Cabinteely kick-started a miserable run of games post-lockdown.

In the aftermath, four games without a victory followed, and a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Drogheda United in August proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. Murphy vacated his role at the helm of Galway United having spent two years in charge.

The start to the season could only be described as a disappointing one, as the influx of promising young talent failed to make any meaningful impact, and as Murphy cleared his desk prospects looked bleak.

Gameweek 8-15:

Gameweek 1-7: As the League of Ireland First Division prepared to swing into action in late February, there was a sense of enthusiasm that ‘United manager Alan Murphy would be able to hit the ground running as the men from the West aimed for the promotion places. The squad had seem an influx of new faces join in the off-season, and competition was healthy as the Tribesmen headed for Tallaght on matchday one.

A draw snatched from the jaws of defeat by Conor Barry vs Shamrock Rovers II was far from ideal, however it was better than defeat, and despite a goalless draw on the road against Wexford Youths hopes were still high.

A League Cup win over Athlone Town followed, however it would be the last time we would see the men in maroon walk out onto the turf of Eamonn Deacy Park for some time due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

When Alan Murphy’s men returned to league action some months later, all involved at the club would’ve been looking for an uptake in perfor-

Another goalless draw vs league leaders Bray followed, before John Caulfield took the reins midway through the campaign. Caulfield joined on the back of an impressive stint which saw him lift six honours at Cork City, and the attraction of such a high-profile name would certainly have got pulses racing amongst the ‘United faithful.

However, few could’ve anticipated the turnaround he had instrumented. A 4-1 victory over near rivals Athlone Town provided a vital first league win of the season to kick-start his tenure, with Mikey Place to the fore at Lissywollen.

A 3-0 win in the UCD Bowl followed, and from there confidence and momentum seemed to flow around the camp and dressing room. It seemed that a 1-1 draw against opening-day opponents Shamrock Rovers II beckoned again, however Kevin Farragher rose highest to capitalise on a long throwin at the death and make it three from three.

A string of 1-0 victories followed, and as Galway made their way up the table the previously unthinkable notion of promotion this season became a distinct possibility. If Caulfield and his Galway men had any plans of keeping a low profile, they blew that out of the water with a 6-2 romping of Longford Town.

Longford were 2-0 up on their home patch, before a Marc Ludden goal in the 44th-minute started a scoring spree. Galway scored more goals in this game than in the entire league campaign under Murphy, and against a serious promotion contender too. This game was a serious signal of how far John Caulfield had brought this dressing room.

Gameweek 15-18, Play-offs: Galway looked poised to keep the good run of form going as they welcomed Drogheda United to their home patch as the season entered its conclusion, and Wilson Waweru’s early strike had them ahead, however a brace of Drogheda goals flipped the script and had the hosts chasing the game. Life was made altogether more difficult by a red card which was controversial to say the least for Stephen Christopher, and from there it was near-impossible for the hosts.

Travelling to in-form leaders Bray seemed like a difficult task for anyone, however the three points were essential to stand any chance of sneaking into the playoffs. That’s where Longford hat-trick hero, Carlton Ubaezaonu became the man of the hour deep into injury time to pluck victory from the ashes.

Unfortunately, the final League game of the season vs UCD could only be described as a disappointment. UCD travelled to Galway as a side already practically secured of qualification, however Galway played themselves into a game.

Conceding two goals in the final ten minutes seemed to consign the hosts to the end of their season, and Shane Duggan’s fine strike at the death seemed to simply be a consolation. Little did they know…

Galway must’ve thanked their lucky stars when they were granted access to the playoffs at the eleventh hour, and they grasped it with both hands dispatching of Bray to secure passage to the finals.

Ultimately, failure came at the final hurdle, and defeat against Longford Town in a game where Galway just came up short signalled the end of a campaign where John Caulfield completely altered the trajectory of this club.

He instilled some muchneeded belief in a side severely lacking in said department.

Given a Winter of constructing a squad which is his own and a full pre-season, an exciting season lies in wait for the Terryland faithful in 2021.

Soccer – FAI Women’s National League GALWAY WFC 0-2 WEXFORD YOUTHS | Galway fall to defeat in final home clash

By Oisín Bradley Galway WFC’s final home game of the Women’s National League season ended in a 2-0 defeat to Wexford Youths in Eamonn Deacy Park.

Billy Clery’s charges would’ve been looking to cap their home form off on a high, however Orlaith Conlon’s first-half strike followed by an audacious daisy-cutter from Ellen Molloy secured victory for the visitors.

It was a night in which the driving wind and rain were certainly not lending themselves to free-flowing football, and both teams struggled to make their mark in the conditions not conductive to sports.

It would be the girls from Wexford who imposed themselves on the game the most with their physicality and trickery making life difficult for Billy Clery’s side, however Wexford were fortunate to draw blood with their first notable chance.

In the 16th minute, a well struck Ciara Rossiter cross following some strong build-up found the head of Aisling Frawley. Frawley showed a strong sense of awareness to head the ball into the path of the oncoming Conlon, who made no mistake with a simple conversion.

Youthful left-back Shauna Brennan was one of the few bright sparks for Galway in an otherwise

dull first half, and her marauding runs down the flank made life difficult for the Wexford defence.

In the 35th minute, such a run produced the host’s first chance, as Tessa Mullins snatched at a shot following a Brennan cross. The shot was ultimately tame and ended in Ciamh Gray’s gloves.

Galway goalkeeper Amanda Budden was forced into action only moments later and made a strong save from a Sinead Taylor attempt.

Molloy’s attempt came on the stroke of half-time, and it was a strike worthy of most stages. Following some pinball in the final third the ball came to Molloy about 25 yards out. Molloy has come in for plenty of acclaim this season and the deft first time touch to rifle the ball along the turf and into the bottom corner was a fine display of her class.

After the changeover there seemed to be no shift in momentum, as the visitors kept the women in maroon under the cosh. Following a fine save to deflect behind

by Amanda Budden, Savannah McCarthy had to be at her best to supply a goal-line clearance from the resulting corner and spare her side’s blushes.

Chloe Singleton’s attempt was a signal that Galway were picking up the pace as the clock entered the 80th minute. Aoife Thompson used her head

to send the pacey Singleton on her way. The shot was well-struck, however defender Nicola Sinnott did enough to scramble the ball from the net and maintain the two-goal advantage.

The hosts pressing up, left their rear-guard somewhat exposed, and Vanessa Ogbonna almost made it three. Budden did well to get a glove to it, and scrambled to take the ball after the initial dive.

Ultimately it would matter little, as despite Galway’s best attempts, they would be leaving Eamonn Deacy Park for the final time this season empty-handed.

Galway WFC: Amanda Budden, Shauna Brennan, Therese Kinnevey (Abbiegayle Ronayne 90’), Aoife Lynagh (Kate Slevin 60’), Savannah McCarthy, Lynsey McKey (Rachel Baynes 60’), Tessa Mullins, Chloe Singleton, Jamie Turrentine (Ellerose O’Flaherty 60’), Aoife Thompson.

Wexford Youths: Kiev Gray, Orlaith Conlon, Edel Kennedy, Ciara Rossiter, Nicola Sinnott, Lynn Craven (Breda Cushen 70’), Aisling Frawley (Kira Bates-Crosbie 70’), Kylie Murphy (Aoibheann Clancy 46’), Lauren Kelly (Vanessa Ogbonna 60’), Ellen Molloy; Sinead Taylor (Blessing Kingsley 60’).

Referee: Katie Hall.

31

Galway United welcome new faces for 2021

By Oisín Bradley Former Waterford United attacker Mikie Rowe has signed for Galway United.

The 2020 season may barely be over, however Galway United are not standing still, with Wexford native Rowe joining John Caulfield’s charges in Eamonn Deacy Park. Fresh off his return from his spells in America, Rowe has committed to the club for the 2021 League of Ireland First Division campaign.

Rowe was heralded as a versatile attacker who could play in a multitude of positions, and Caulfield will likely be looking to capitalise on his versatility as he and the rest of the men in maroon aim for the top flight of Irish football in 2022.

An impressive spell in college football in America saw him catch the eye of USL League One side South Georgia Tormenta, and he will be likely be seen as a valuable recruit by the Galway faithful in the off-season.

According to fleet-footed attacker Rowe, a simple conversation with the energetic Caulfield left him with no doubt on where he wanted to ply his trade next season.

“After speaking to John (Caulfield), I had no doubts, this is the place I wanted to be. John’s vision of where he wants the club to go and the vision I have for myself are very much in line, so it was a no-brainer to sign.

“One of my traits is I’m versatile, I like playing as a striker, maybe a number 10 or on either wing, but that’s up to John, I like to play anywhere across the front four. I enjoy playing with freedom and mobility.”

Galway will have high hopes of making it through the ranks in the upcoming year, however the 24-year-old is relishing the opportunity to take the weight of the jersey on his shoulders and run with it.

“I’m at an age and stage in my career now where I want to take the pressure on my back and be involved in getting this club back to the Premier Division.

Looking around at the stadium and the facilities, this is not a First Division club.

Galway United should be in the Premier Division and that’s where we all want to go, and I’m excited to be a part of that.”

Rowe is amongst a number of new faces in the dressing room for 2021, as John Caulfield looks to assemble a squad in his image in his first full season in the home dugout.

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