Sin Volume 14 Issue 2 by Student Independent News

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VOL 14, ISSUE 2

01 OCT 2012

Councils Cannot Legally Withhold Grants, Taoiseach Confirms By Roisin Peddle The Fine Gael/Labour government has been forced into another embarrassing climbdown over student grants. A number of county councils had planned to ask students whether their parents had paid the household charge before processing grant applications. An Taoiseach Enda Kenny said although councils were entitled to ask people if they had paid the household charge, it was illegal for them to withhold any payment from students.

“[Councils are] not entitled by law to reduce or withhold a portion of the third-level grant but as a matter of course it is entitled to as much information about the numbers who have paid the household charge as is required in law,” Mr Kenny told the Dáil. Government ministers, including Environment Minister Phil Hogan and Education Minister Ruairi Quinn, had said that councils were entitled to question whether people had paid the charge. Minister Quinn said it was “reasonable” to ask whether families had paid the house-

hold charge. Minister Hogan praised the council’s original decision and said local authorities should use “whatever means necessary” to ensure compliance with the household charge. The climb-down came after the Union of Students in Ireland threatened legal action against any council which withheld payments from students. The payments are the remit of the Higher Education Authority, but they are processed by councils and VECs. Following legal advice, the

councils concerned backed down from the original plans. Clare County Council had planned to withhold grant payments to students whose families have not paid the controversial €100 household charge. South Tipperary County Council had said it would ask students whether the charge had been paid but would not withhold or delay grants if it had not. South Tipperary county manager John O’Mahony told the Journal.ie that following legal advice, the council had decided not to proceed. Continued on page 2…

Being Young and Irish 2012

Quinn Confirms Further 5 Increase of Fees EA Jobs Make Galway a Centre for Gaming Industry

World News

Interview with an SU Officer

Students Speak

50 Shades of Bogger

Ancient Remedies and Modern Cures: How to prevent a cold

A group of NUI Galway students, led by Education Officer, Conor Stitt, protested against Clare Co. Council for withholding grants.

Former GMIT Student Arrested For Attending Lectures By Claire Devaney A former mature student of the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Castlebar, has narrowly avoided prison by acknowle d g in g a c o ur t o r de r barring her from GMIT. Ms Anna Marie Flana-

gan, who has addresses at both Tullamore, and Upton House Clara, in Offaly, lost her place in the undergraduate nursing and midwifery degree, after failing her first year and neglecting to take repeat examinations. Despite not being allowed to attend the

college, she had continued with second year lectures the following academic term. In May 2011, GMIT received a High Court injunction from Ms Justice Mary Laffoy, to prevent Ms Flanagan from being present at lectures, lab

work or practicals at the GMIT campus in Castlebar; the latter had agreed to these proceedings. Since the start of the new college term this September, however, Ms Flanagan – who is no longer registered or enrolled with Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology – persisted in attending third year undergraduate nursing lectures on four separate occasions. Continued on page 2…

Partying at the Freshers’ Ball. Photo by Denis Wettman

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Councils Cannot Legally Withhold Grants, Taoiseach Confirms Continued from page 1… “Our initial legal opinion [...] was that we would have had an entitlement under general local authority legislation to withhold money,” he said. “But when the matter was looked at more closely on a national level… on that basis it was decided not to continue.” The plans were widely condemned by the USI and Students’ Unions around the country. NUI Galway SU, along with unions from GMIT, LIT and UL, picketed Clare County Council’s offices in Ennis on Septem-

ber 19. A delegation then met with council officials to discuss the issue. Education officer Conor Stitt said that Clare County Council’s decision was unfair on students. “We believe that the household charge is a charge on homeowners, and the third-level grant is a basic social support for students,” he said. “There is no link between the two, and our main issue of concern was that households that could not afford the €100 [household charge]… would be financially disadvantaged in the first place, so that they’d

need the grant for basic social support and maintenance.” NUI Galway SU President Paul Curley said that the targeting of students was unfair and a “short-sighted and ridiculous move”. “The payment of third level grants, which have already suffered massive cuts, is already late and this terrible attempt at efficiency is only going to make things worse,” he said. “Students don’t own houses and linking the payment of the household charge to their grants is a cheap shot. “It’s on the same level as

requesting proof of payment of the Household Charge before dispatching the fire brigade to a house fire,” he added. FEE (Free Education for Everyone) joined the United Left Alliance and Occupy Galway in a protest against Galway City Council’s crackdown on those who have yet to pay the household charge. “The city council itself has a legal bill of over €1m stemming from the financial disaster that was the redevelopment of Eyre Square,” a statement from FEE said. “Yet with the backing of government and with the excuse

Former GMIT Student Arrested For Attending Lectures Continued from page 1… According to lawyers for the college, her presence was “quite disruptive” to other students. As a result of this, the I.T. sought to have Ms Flanagan before the court on the grounds of contempt of court order. The staff has refused to comment on the matter. Mr Justice Kevin Cross ordered Ms Flanagan to

appear in relation to her persistent breach of High Court ruling. He was informed that Ms Flanagan had been served with solicitors’ letters and a court order. It was also declared that Ms Flanagan had refused to leave the campus when asked to do so by security staff and the Gardaí, and was arrested. She represented herself in front of the High Court. Mr Justice Cross stated

that her failure to comply with the court order was “a very serious matter.” Ms Flanagan claimed that certain procedures had not been followed correctly and that she had been wrongfully arrested. She also declared that her High Court injunction from the previous year had expired and that her suspension from GMIT had been lifted. The Judge warned her

that even if she were no longer suspended under the terms of the court order, it would not be until GMIT readmitted her that she would be allowed to return. “If you do not obey the [court] orders, you will have a penalty to pay,” he told her. “If you do attend [the college again], I don’t believe any judge will do other than imprison you for contempt.”

that it’s a necessity of the IMF programme, they feel free to scapegoat and threaten poor families who haven’t paid the household charge and who are struggling daily to cope.” Around 44% of households have not paid the household charge, and they currently face a fine of €27 for non-compliance. The household charge, which was due on March 31, led to controversy after several campaigns were organised around the country encouraging non-payment. It will be replaced next year with a property tax.

This controversy comes as Minister Quinn confirmed that college fees will be raised to €3,000 by 2015. During a pre-budget briefing, he said he was seeking cuts of €77m to the education security. The student contribution charge, which is currently €2,250, will rise by €250 year on year until 2015. Despite pledging that there would be no increase in fees before the 2011 election, Minister Quinn said last February that there had been “a squeeze” on administrative services, which would necessitate a rise in fees.

Merging of Trinity College and UCD Postponed By Jessica Thompson A report, which recommends the merging of Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and University College Dublin (UCD), has been put on hold. The controversial report, commissioned by the Higher Education Authority (HEA), was due to be circulated among University Presidents, and college heads last week. Its release was postponed following discussions between the HEA and the Department of Education. Carried out by an international panel chaired by Dutch professor, Frans Van Vught, the report proposes the State’s 20 plus higher education colleges should be consolidated into six. A series of changes, including the merging of UCD and TCD, and the creation of a national technological university with campuses in Dublin and Waterford, are recommended in the report. Meetings between college heads, the HEA and the international panel, which were due early this month, have been postponed to an unspecified date. In a letter to university presidents and college heads, HEA chief executive Tom Boland said more time was needed for “clarification on policy issues and for wider

consultation.” Mr Boland went on to say that the report is designed to “provide an external perspective… on an optimal configuration of the Irish higher education system.” At present, Ireland is not represented among the top 100 universities in the Times Higher Education World Reputation Ranking. The report states that the joining of UCD and TCD would give the merged college the critical mass and expertise needed to secure a higher ranking. The international panel says that the aim of the report is to ensure that institutes will be large enough to be serious contenders in the global higher education community. In their task, the HEA will be guided by submissions from the colleges themselves as well as the forthcoming ESRI report that predicts an increase of 25 per cent in student numbers by 2030. The panel says that their proposals would assist institutional diversity, expand capacity with constrained budgets and ensure less duplication, while also ensuring each institution will be of a sufficient size to sustain a comprehensive range of research programmes and teaching.

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Editorial By Jessica Thompson So here we are; we’ve made it to October, and issue two of Sin already. It’s been an amusing two weeks to say the least, with Neil Delamere playing a sellout gig in the college; tunes pumping at the Freshers’ Ball; first years getting to know college at the Failte Festival; Societies Day; Clubs Day; the Volunteering Fair. The past two weeks have been so busy in NUI Galway, and life at Sin headquarters was no different. I have a large number of welcomes to make since my editorial in issue one. Firstly I’d like to welcome the fifty new volunteers who signed up on Socs Day, and the thirty-five volunteers who signed up at the Volunteering Fair. That’s a whopping eighty-five new sinners. News team assemble! As well as the eighty-five new writers we signed up, it is very important that I welcome and introduce my editorial team, which was assembled between the first and second issue. Marese O’Sullivan is the news-editor. She may be in her final year and bogged down with assignments and essays, but it certainly doesn’t stop her from finding a good news story, or spotting plagiarism. Being the news-editor is a tough job, and it’s certainly not for the faint-hearted. But fainthearted she is not, and her hard work can clearly be seen in the news section of

this paper. Features are edited by Orla Ryan and Sean Dunne – two Masters in Journalism students who work well together, and have some great ideas. Be sure to flick to the features section – page 14 to be precise – to see how they’ve managed to engage you, the reader, in Sin newspaper. With a new ‘Students Speak’ column, Orla and Sean intend to provide a means for the students to express themselves and share opinions. After all, Sin is your paper. Sticking with the MAJ crowd, I’ll move on to Mark

Higgins, the sports editor. Mark has a passion for sport and a way with words that makes his sports articles interesting to read – even for the likes of me, who doesn’t know one end of a ball from the other. It’s a relief to have someone who knows what he’s talking about to help with the sports section. The new arts and entertainment editor, James Falconer, has some great ideas for the entertainment section of Sin. Keep an eye out for some interesting interviews with artists based in or visiting Galway. James is also working hard to organise a short-story competition, with a fantastic prize. So if you’re a creative

writer, have a look at page 20 for more details. Denis Wettman is the photography editor. Denis will never be seen without his camera. Where most people wear chains or necklaces, Denis will wear his camera. Always ready to take a picture, Denis has produced some fantastic photography, and his skills will be extremely valuable to Sin newspaper throughout the year. Of course the paper you hold in your hand right now wouldn’t exist without Shannon Reeves, the designer, and an important member of our team. It’s Shannon who makes the paper look pretty.

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As for me; I just sit in my office, answering emails, bossing people around and helping my team to produce the paper that you are now reading. So what’s in store for the next two weeks? One of the most important events – or, indeed, series of events – is Mental Health week, which takes place this week. Check out our Students’ Union pages to see what interesting activities your SU has in store for you. This issue also deals with exercise and how important it is for your mental health. Cycling is being promoted more and more among students as many ditch their cars in favour of the harder,

but healthier method of travel. Check out James’ article on page eight for more on this. You should also flip to page 25 for advice on how to keep fit and healthy. After all, your physical health can often have an effect on your mental health. You can be sure that whatever happens in the next fortnight, Sin will cover it in some shape or form. Remember to drop me an email at editor@sin.ie if you have an interesting story you’d like to contribute. Or you could pop into my office for a chat. I like my tea with milk and no sugar. Until next time, Jess

At the recent NUI Galway Volunteering Fair were (l-r): Robert Hogan from Ballaghaderreen, Co. Roscommon and Danielle Doherty from Culdaff, Co. Donegal.

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Smiles all around as President Michael D. Higgins, who is a former SU President of NUI Galway, greets our current president, Paul Curley.”

Curley meets President Higgins to Discuss Being Young and Irish Initiative By Isabella De Luca NUI Galway Students’ Union President Paul Curley met with President Michael D. Higgins on Tuesday, 18 September in Áras an Uachtaráin, along with other representatives from the Union of Students in Ireland and its member Students’ Unions, to discuss the Being Young and Irish 2012 initiative. Being Young and Irish is the first of a series of seminars by President Higgins, who is a former president the Students Union in NUI Galway, aimed at shaping Ireland’s shared future. It seeks to advance the national discourse on inclusion by harnessing the power of young people, enabling them to participate and be more involved in that dis course. The central goal of the project is to engage young people as active and reflective citizens in contemporary Ireland and to endorse them as one of the sources of wisdom in solving core social, political, economic and cultural issues confronting Ireland. During an online consultation period that lasted from May to September, young people aged 17 to 26 were invited to contribute practical suggestions for the improvement of Irish society. Four regional workshops also took place as a part of the programme. The USI’s Officer Board and Presidents from 23 Students’ Unions attended last Tuesday’s meeting. They have all welcomed the president’s initiative

and his willingness to engage with young people in a meaningful and constructive manner. Union of Students in Ireland President John Logue said: “USI and our member Students’ Unions are proud to support and promote the president’s Being Young and Irish 2012 initiative. At this time in our country’s history we are more in need than ever of the creativity, inventiveness and enthusiasm of young people. “ Yo u n g p e o p l e a r e rarely engaged in the decision making process at government level. Indeed, successive governments have deliberately held General Elections on days that are inconvenient for college students who are not registered to vote in

the city or town in which they attend college. “With this initiative the President has shown a genuine willingness to listen to ideas from young people and to present them as a way for our country to move forward from the regressive malaise that has taken hold for too long.” Students’ Union Presid e n t o f N U I G a l w a y, Paul Curley, agreed with Logue’s sentiments: “After talking to the President, I was surprised by the willingness of someone in his position to listen and engage an age group that is normally overlooked by people in power. “It was a privilege to meet someone who formerly held my position and I believe having such an honourable man as

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President of our country makes everybody feel that the nation is moving in the right way in these days of current economic hardship that both students and their parents

are facing.” The Galway regional workshop took place in the Bailey Allen Hall here on campus last Saturday, 29 September. The project is culminating with a Presi-

Members of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) stand proudly outside Áras an Úachtarain.

06/09/2012 16:22

dency seminar, which will take place later in the year. A final report of the consultation will be published and delivered to the relevant authorities and agencies.

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Quinn Confirms Further Increase in Fees LM_Ire_Student_Union_(w)250x(h)161mm.indd 3

By Ciara Treacy The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn, has confirmed that students in third level institutions are set to face fees of €3,000 a year by 2015. The student contribution fee, which at present stands at €2,250, will rise to €2,500 in 2013 and €2,750 in 2014, Minister Quinn informed the Oireachtas Education Committee. This year’s contribution fee increase of €250 is expected to generate an additional €18 million for the Exchequer. However, Student Unions nationwide have expressed worry about the financial implications further fee increases will have on students and how this may prevent some

students from pursuing third-level education. “The increase in fees to €3000 will not only stop many of us from being able to continue in university, or stop many others in coming here, but will ensure that those who cannot afford it will face lessened opportunity in life if they cannot attain a degree,” NUI Galway Student’s Union Education Officer, Conor Stitt, told Sin exclusively. He also argued that Minister Quinn’s decision would not just take a huge toll on students. “It also burdens [many] parents to make further personal sacrifices to send their kids to college.” In addition, concern has been raised about the

25/09/2012 18:45

Roaring with laughter at Neil Delamere’s sell-out gig on Monday 17 September. Photo by Cormac Staunton steps students may have to take in order to finance their education. “Fees, at this level, give huge levels of apprehension that a student loan system will be the next logical step for a government,” Mr. Stitt added. He warned that

this is not recommended as a source of finance for students, based on its previous performance in other education systems. “Every attempted student loan system around the world has failed, due to the burdening of students with

private debt and footfall in tuition fees, as a result of prolonged payment.” Minister Quinn has also confirmed that he will be seeking cuts of €77 million in the upcoming budget. “This is before taking account of any

further upward pressures on expenditure that may emerge in 2013,” he has stated. The Minister has also identified protecting frontline education services, especially for the most disadvantaged, as his current priority.

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EA Jobs Make Galway a Centre for Gaming Industry By Sinead L. Healy The largest gaming publisher in the world, Electronic Arts (EA), is to create 300 jobs at its European base in Galway. The digital interactive entertainment provider – which has produced games such as The Sims, Need for Speed and FIFA – plans to provide “a multilingual international customer support and services” at their European Customer Experience Centre of Excellence. An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, who opened the EA facility in Galway in 2011, said that the announcement was “a real endorsement of Ireland’s ability to meet the needs of leading multinational companies in the digital media space.” The Industrial Development Agency (Ireland) has also estimated that a further 210 jobs will be created in retail and hos-

pitality sectors as a result of EA’s announcement. The EA’s Chief Operating Officer, Peter Moore, stated: “The EA European Customer Experience Centre is the focal point of our strategy to serve gamers on a global basis. Galway’s mix of technology infrastructure and talent availability, combined with a pro-business environment, will help us expand on our existing foundation here.” The company is looking for candidates who are “infectiously passionate about creating a genuinely unique and special experience” in gaming, and even offer an on-site massage therapist and beautician to any successful applicants. The Arts Council believes that the creative industries are vital to Ireland’s development, as there are now over 2,000 people employed in gaming in this coun-

try. “This is a fantastic boost for Galway and for Irish jobs,” said the Chairman of the Arts Council, Ms. Pat Moylan, who reported to the Government in 2009 that the arts and creative sectors combined support 95,649 roles nationwide. “Gaming brings together [both] creative and technological skills and Ireland is well placed to lead the world in this area.” Fine Gael Galway West TD, Brian Walsh, commented that these job creations in Galway may spark further investment in the West. “There is immense potential for Ireland to establish itself as a global hub for the digital games industry, and I expect Galway to be central to developments in that regard.” For more information on job opportunities available with Electronic Arts in Galway, see www.jobs. ea.com.

GMIT and RTÉ form Partnership By Eileen Cameron Media students at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology’s Centre for the Creative Arts and Media will benefit from a new alliance with Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). In an effort to reduce costs, the broadcaster has announced the closure of regional studios and their relocation to the Institutes of Technology. In addition to the Cluain Mhuire campus in GMIT, studios in Waterford, Dundalk, Athlone and Sligo will be set up in their regional ITs. The RTÉ offices in Cork and Limerick will remain, while the Belfast office will be scaled down. The broadcaster’s London office will be closed; the staff there has been given the opportunity to relocate to Dublin. The restructuring of the state broadcaster will not create any job losses, with all correspondents being retained.

With a budget deficit of nearly €17 million in 2011, the €1 million a year saving from the restructure will go some way towards alleviating a forecasted shortfall of €50 million this year. Mr. Noel Curran, DirectorGeneral of RTÉ, said the company is trying to maintain its level of content from the regions and open itself up to mutually beneficial partnerships. “What we’re trying to do here, first and foremost, is to preserve our regional presence, preserve our correspondents and preserve our output from the regions,” he said in a statement to RTÉ News. “Third level institutions are obvious partners. […] We’re advertising for a Regional Correspondent in the West, a position that has remained vacant since last January, so we’re now going to fill that, which is a real commitment to our coverage in the West of Ireland.”

The President of Galway-Mayo IT, Mr. Michael Carmody, declared: “This collaboration is an important step in establishing the Centre for Creative Arts and Media as a focal point for media-related higher education in Galway. The association with RTÉ and its expertise in modern media technologies will add a new dimension to our B.A. in Film and Documentary degree programme, along with providing work experience and employment opportunities for our students and graduates.” RTÉ said the changes would place it at the centre of technological and educational innovation and link it to a future generation of media industry leaders. Discussions will take place over the next few weeks to establish the new collaborations and plans are scheduled to commence in January 2013.

To Arthur! A large number of students gathered in the college bar last Thursday 26 September to raise a toast to Arthur Guinness.”

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Galway City & Athenry Faigh Caidreamh Libia Agus Mheiriceá Níos Measa Thar Scannán ‘Frith-Ioslam’ Le Paul Cassidy Ar an 11ú lá Méan Fómhair, tharla agóidí foréigneacha san Éigipt agus Benghazi, Libya, mar gheall ar an fís-idirlíonach ainmnithe Innocence of Muslims, a bhí taifeadta í Meiricéa. Scaoileadh é chuig an méain chumarsáide trí Youtube agus tá sé feicthe ag beagnach ceithre déag milliúin duine. Feictear é mar scannáin ionsaitheacha, mar gheall ar an dhóigh a léiritear Muhammad mar "amadán, saobh, agus fáidh bréigeach" (de réir Reuters). Ar an 9ú lá de Méan Fómhair, craoladh sliocht as an fís - aistrithe go Araibis - ar staisiún teilifíse Ioslamach-Éigipteach darbh ainm Al-Nas TV. Is cosúil na raibh abhár

ar bith frith-Ioslamach ann sa chéad ait, agus gur cuireadh an abhár sin ann nios déanaí sa fó-thairgeadh den scannán. Scríobhfadh agus tairgeadh an scannán faoin léasainm 'Sam Bacile'. Faigheadh amach níos déanaí gurbh é fhear Éigipteach darbh ainm Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, agus cónaithear Méirceanach, a bhí ann. Í Libya, d'ionsaigh fir ghunnaí chlós an ambasáid Méiriceanach, armtha le radhflaí, agus pléascáin. Caithfeadh na bpléascáin seo isteach sa h-ambasáid, agus maraíodh ceathrar oifigígh Meiriceanach le linn an ionsaí. Dúirt agóideoir Miosláim í h-Islamabad í seo: "Is ár n-éileamh é go mbéidh an duine

sin a mhasláigh ár fáidh tugtha dúinne, sa dóigh agus gurbh fhéidir linn é a ghearradh suas ina píosaí beaga os comhair ar naisiún uilig." Fosta, is cosúil gur dhúirt cléireach Afgánastáineach í seo le slua mór: "Má mharaíonn tú Meiriceanaigh, tá sé dlíthúil agus ceadaithe." Dhearbhaigh an ríaltas Phacistáineach Méan Fómhair an 21ú lá ‘Is Breá an Fáidh’, agus lá saor pobáil. Sé an rud a bhí uathu nó agóid síochanach a spreágadh í n-éadan an scannán. Ach, ón am sin, mharaíodh cúig duine dhéag, deich acu ina bpóiliní Phacistáineach, agus gach duine acu Miosláim. Í h-Afganistáin, cuireadh cosc i bhféídhm ar féacháint an scannán, chun níos mó aghóidí

The Irish Government is getting ready to assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first half of 2013, taking over from Cyprus, which currently holds the EU Presidency. Ireland’s term will run from 1 January 2013 to 31 July 2013. The Presidency is seen as an opportunity for the Irish Government to repair its reputation after the negativity of the bailout. The Presidency will also coincide with the 40th anniversary of Ireland’s accession to the E.U. Ireland last held the Presidency in 2004, when the E.U. expanded to incorporate Cyprus, Estonia, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, Hungary and the Czech Republic. The powers of the Council Presidency include: deciding on the order in which propositions are discussed after their submission by the European Commission; brokering compromise between the Commission, European Parliament and

“

the Council; negotiating between the member states; and managing and administrating the Council. Ireland’s presidency looks set to be an eventful one. The E.U. is currently discussing reforms in light of the financial crisis. In December, the President of the European Council and former Belgian Prime Minister, Herman Van Rompuy, will put forward a paper on economic and monetary reform to the E.U. leaders. President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, is in favour of the creation of a new federation. The main issue under discussion is the creation and adaption of new laws, which will give the European Central Bank (ECB) more power over euro-zone banks. The direct re-capitalisation of struggling banks by the European Stability Mechanism fund depends of the agreement of these new laws, but as of yet, no agreement has been forthcoming. The issue is further complicated by the fact

Í Libya, d'ionsaigh fir ghunnaí

”

chlós an ambasáid Méiriceanach,

armtha le radhflaí, agus pléascáin.

foréigneach a shéacháint. Bhí na h-agóidí eile fríd an chuid eile den Méanoirthear ciúin agus thárláigh siad gan díobháil chuig duine no rud ar bith. Léirigh póiliteoirí h-Éigipteach príomhshruthach, a bhfuil ceangáileacha mór acu leis an Bráithreachas Miosláim, a n-gráin do léiriú Muhammad sa scannán, ach ag an am céarna, spréagann siad freagra siochánta agus cuiditheach chuig an scannán, in áit cinn de foréigin neamhshrianta. Dúirt uachtaráin an páirtí Al-Nour le CNN

gur ba chóir mhásláigh í n-éadan Iosláim a dheanamh neamh-dlíthúil, ach dhúirt se fosta gur chóir idirdhealú a dheanamh idir an ciontóir agus tsochaí an ciontóir a bhfuil i gceist: "Tá a bhfad níos mó daoine reasúnta san Iarthar ná siúd néamhreasúnta; ba chóir teagmháil a dhéanamh le siúd a bhfuil reasúnta. Tá sé bómanta go dtagann ná frithgníomhartha chuig an scannán seo trí coirloscadh agus dúnmharú. Fulaingíonn gach duine mar gheall ar na n-gníomh seo.”

that the new measures will require the approval of MEPs. The European Parliament does not have an upfront role in the ECB, but the new laws will require a change in the mandate of the European Banking Authority, and this requires the approval of the parliament. While many E.U. nations would prefer agreement was reached before the end of the year, current progress suggests that it may still be unresolved when Ireland assumes the Presidency, indicating that reform will be a key theme during that time. Also on the E.U.’s agenda is their next budget, set to take effect in 2014. Presently, there is a summit scheduled for November, which will seek to reach early agreement on the budget. However, if it is unsuccessful, it will fall to Ireland to take charge of the negotiations in January. Ireland has previously held the EU presidency in 1975, 1979, 1984, 1990, 1996 and 2004. Dúirt urlabhraí an Teach Bán, Jay Carney, í seo: "Sílim gurbh é (de bhrí sainmhíniú) ionsaí sceimhlitheoirachta é, nuair a bhfuil ionsaí fada diríthe ar ambasáid intéacht le h-airm.” In agalláimh le clár ABC, The View, ar an 25ú lá de Méan Fómhair, dhiúltaigh Uachtaráin Méiricea Barack Obama an ionsaí a lípeadú mar ionsaí sceimhlitheoirach. "Tá muid go foill ag déanamh imscrúdú. Níl amhras ar bith ann, le na cíneal h-airme a bhí usaidthe, gurbh rud níos mó ná 'dul i bhfiáin' a bhí anseo. Anois, níl an eolas uilig agáinn faoi latháir – tá muid go fóill a mbáiliú – ach tá rud amháin soiléir: thart an domhán uilig, tá go leor dáinséiracha amuigh ansin.”

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You will drive yourself crazy, for being so lazy By James Falconer What’s the point walking, cycling or taking a bus to college when I own a car? Some of the grievances students and members of staff have are “Oh, it’s raining outside, I’m too tired to cycle or walk, the bus is uncomfortable”. If they were to sit down and do the calculations they would discover that by the time they drive into college, find a parking space, and get to their lecture hall or office, they would have probably been quicker using another means of transport. This might not be the case in everyone’s experience, but there is a lot more than time to consider. It is proven that mental health depends a lot on physical well-being. If a person can get exercise, particularly in the morning, it is beneficial to the quality of their day (is there any point driving to the gym and then spending time warming up?). With this in mind, the Galway Transportation Unit is launching a campaign to encourage people to break their habit of driving to college or work. In a recent census, it has been shown that people traveling to both NUIG and UCHG comprise the largest amount of people who travel the shortest distance to their place of work or study. Over half of undergraduate students (who account for 70% of the cam-

pus population) live within 2 km of the university. Is there any need to drive a car such a short distance? You may have noticed that new and existing infrastructure has been improved and linked, making the university and hospital more accessible. Greg Power from the Buildings Office stated that ‘we have been attempting to change the culture of traveling by car to college. We initiated the ‘Bike, Bus or Walk’ campaign here at NUI Galway and are working closely with Galway City Council’s Transportation Unit to bring about a positive change in people’s attitudes towards commuting.’ For those of us coming from further afield, do not despair because Bus Éireann and City Direct provide a direct and frequent (10-15 min) service with several bus stops at the wall of the University. Bus Éireann routes include 402 (Seacrest, Taylor’s Hill, Shantalla; stops on University Road), 404 (Newcastle, Westside; stops on Newcastle Road & University Road), 405 (Western Distributor Road, Seamus Quirke Road; stops on Newcastle Road & University Road). City Direct provide route 411 from Cappagh Road, through Knocknacarra and Westside, stopping on Newcastle Road & University Road. Staff can avail of the Tax Saver Scheme for discounted travel and a bike-

purchase scheme through a reduction in taxable income. What better way to work off those excesses, than cycling to college. Final year student, Liam McGaley believes that cycling to campus gives him ‘a great boost of energy for the day’. He went on to add ‘I cycle in from Knocknacara every day in my wet gear in case the clouds decide to burst’. In contrast to Liam, a lot of people complain about the weather. There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. Keep an eye out in low cost supermarkets for affordable rain gear. Walking and cycling, in particular, result in a wide range of benefits to the commuter and to society. There are the obvious health benefits as a result of increased physical activity. Motorists also see a reduction in congestion and the decreased carbon emissions would be a huge benefit to all of us and our children. If you wish to re discover the benefits of cycling, Galway Transportation Unit welcomes feedback on your experience. Simply email your comments and feedback to gtu@galwaycity.ie Also watch out for incentives in Galway University Hospital and NUI Galway in the coming weeks which is aimed at encouraging people to travel by ‘Bike, Bus or Walk’ in tandem with the opening of the new Seamus Quirke Road facilities.

Caifé na

Gaeilge ...Do Chomhaltas, Do Sheirbhísí

...Do Chomhaltas, Do Sheirbhísí

 

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 

with Lettuce, Tomato & Mayo Hot Option of the Day 

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   Partying at the Freshers’ Ball. Photo by Denis Wettman

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EXPLORE: The Euroscience Open Forum 2012 An undergraduate’s experience at an international scientific conference By Lilian Fennell I had an amazing time attending and blogging about the largest general European scientific conference, the Euroscience Open Forum (ESOF), this summer in Dublin as part of an EXPLORE Innovation Initiative through student and staff collaboration at NUI Galway. I completed my studies in biomedical science at NUI Galway in May and I will graduate with an honours bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Science in October. When Muriel – an honorary lecturer in the school of Natural Sciences and researcher at the Centre for Chromosome Biology, approached me about being a student partner in this project in March, the first question I asked her was what is the Euroscience Open Forum? To be honest, I had never heard of it before. Like most other undergraduate students, I had not the slightest clue about the organisation or of what happens when one attends a scientific conference. Well, let me now tell you what I found out. Once our team applied and successfully attained funding from EXPLORE, we began the project. The main idea behind the project was to give an undergraduate student the rare experience of attending a general scientific conference and to share the conference highlights with the NUI Galway undergraduate, academic and research communities. So, I attended the Euroscience Open Forum with Muriel and blogged about my experience. I also promoted the project through social media, via Twitter and Facebook. Muriel acted as my mentor and advisor for the duration of the project.

I believe I made the most of the conference. I attended sessions related to my degree, to name but a few examples such as RNA as a key molecule for the origin of life, stem cells in personalized medicine, the personal genome and the future of medicine, and from reading to writing the genetic code. I attended keynote addressed by Nobel laureates such as Jules Hoffman and James Watson and by high profile scientists including the famous Craig Venter who was the first ever human being to have their full human genome sequenced. I really did have the fantastic opportunity to directly meet with world-renowned scientists by having porridge with Dr. Eric Karsenti – Head of the TARA oceans expedition and interviewing Dr Lars Steinmetz – a successful principal investigator with two research laboratories (in Stanford and at EMBL) on the very last day of ESOF. I gained an increased insight into current issues within the science world regarding research funding distribution, open access, ethics, science policy, scientific career progression and debate as well as updating my knowledge of current ongoing cuttingedge research. “Porridge with the Prof” , the “Prof” being Dr. Eric Karsenti, a leading scientist in research areas involving the cell cycle and mitotic spindle and creator of the TARA OCEANS project was a brilliant opportunity, as I got to meet and discuss any queries I had with Karsenti in a friendly, informal and unintimidating way. I had the opportunity to interview a very distinguished and successful scientist, Dr. Lars Steinmetz from the European Molecular Biol-

ogy Laboratory (EMBL), on the final day of the Euroscience Open Forum about his current research, genomics, and his views on personalised medicine and digitized medicine and on career progression. I got to see the Nobel Laureate James Watson in person and to hear him reminisce on the discovery of the helical structure of DNA and of his current views of ongoing research in science today. Seeing Watson in person, in ways made science more real to me if that makes sense, that the DNA helix structure was discovered by a normal human being and it was a hugely significant discovery, not just something you will read about in a science text book. I attended the world renowned Craig Venter’s keynote address, “From reading to writing the genetic code”, a truly rare opportunity to see how much genomic science has progressed since Venter’s genome was sequenced over a decade ago. When I began this project with Muriel a few months ago, I really didn’t know anything about blogging on the internet and I am slightly ashamed to admit that I certainly didn’t know how to use Twitter. However, I learned quickly and so did Muriel, once we were in Dublin at ESOF. So this project was not just about attending an international science conference, but it was also a project of learning, about social media and blogging and about a student and lecturer working together and creating a truly innovative experience. As a student of science who aspires to have a successful career as a researcher one day, these are moments I will treasure and will remember. I would really recommend attending the

Euroscience Open Forum to any fellow undergraduate science student I meet in the future. I began this project only briefly knowing of the importance of the Euroscience Open Forum but now I have a full understanding of what ESOF is all about, how important it is as a platform to discuss science policy, issues and debate science within Europe. I think that it is a fantastic opportunity to meet with fellow delegates from all over Europe, to discuss science and to hear important and inspiring key figures in the scientific community speak about their research and give expertise to other scientists in their research fields. Finally, I think that it is a great experience to gain as an undergraduate student, opening and nurturing your

mind to science, and may even influence your career choices as it has done with mine. When I finished up my studies at NUI Galway in May, I was interested in lots of things, from teaching, science communication to outreach regarding my career choices. After attending ESOF, I realised that my current main interest lies within research. I have now registered to study for a Masters in Molecular Cell Biology and Bio-innovation at UCC and the future looks bright. Overall it was a successful project. It would be really great to have one final-year science student sent to the Euroscience Open Forum every two years as a prize for an academic writing competition as it is an amazing opportunity and

I really do think one would gain a lot from it, not just academically but it will give you the opportunity to see and hear the successful scientists related to your area of research interest showcase their own research and may inspire you to further your training as a scientist which in turn may open many doors of opportunity so that one day, you may be just as successful. To c o n c l u d e , t h e EXPLORE innovation initiative is looking for new projects for this year. Believe me it is an amazing opportunity to allow unique sustainable pilot projects to be created and not just thought about, so don't miss the application deadline (12th of October) and make your project idea come true!

NUI Galway’s Community Volunteering Programme

Act Now • Learn More What do ALIVE community volunteers do? talk to people  work with animals  drive cars  plant trees  write letters  paint walls  host events  raise funds  cook dinners  walk dogs  engage with young people  spend time with older people  keep accounts  campaign on justice issues  office work  after school support for children and much more! Sign up to volunteer on the ALIVE website & come along to an ALIVE Session:

Tuesday 2nd October 3.00 Wednesday 3rd October 3.30 Monday 15th October 3.00 • •

Introduction to Volunteering Volunteering with Children

•

International Volunteering & Free international volunteering opportunities in Europe!

•

Volunteering and Enhancing your Career Options •

How to apply for the ALIVE Certificate – NUI Galway’s Presidential Award for Volunteering

All held in The View Aras na Mac Leinn

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Homeless in Sunny Prague By Darren McDonagh with Bridget Cheasty and Louisa Brophy Browne Days 1-4 When myself, Louisa and Bridget decided to undertake a semester in Charles University in Prague we did not realise what we were getting ourselves into. It has only been four days and we’ve managed to get ourselves into a number of sticky situations. I suppose the first indication that it was going to be an interesting couple of months came when we each received an e-mail informing us of the on-going prohibition laws in the Czech Republic. All drinks above 20% alcohol content are banned due

to methanol poisoning in the spirits, leading to the deaths of at least 21 people. Not exactly a promising start. But no matter! Upon the recommendation of others, we arrived without accommodation organised. We decided to stay in a hostel for the first four nights assuming it would be easy to find an apartment when we arrived. Our assumption was wrong. As it turns out, people aren’t really interested in letting their apartment out to three Irish students for three months – not unlike everywhere else in the world the Irish don’t exactly have the best reputation here. The student accommodation is

Do you have a Reference? A student’s volunteering experience By Eimear O’Callaghan I would unreservedly and unhesitatingly recommend any student, mature or first year, to join Lorraine and her team in the ALIVE programme. I became a volunteer with the ALIVE programme in my second year of college and it has been as important to my college experience as the academic side. While studying is vital to obtaining (and maintaining) your grade point average; employers really do prefer to see practical volunteering experience. I managed to get a job in my chosen career ares after my volunteering experience. I always wanted to get involved in the education sector, which is becoming more difficult to get jobs in. But through volunteering with after-school clubs and Ability West, I gained experience working in my field as a Special Needs Assistant (SNA). I was also Garda Vetted before applying to jobs and was fortunate enough

to get two references from the places I volunteered; these made all the difference to my applications as it showed that I was not only able to perform the job – which results would imply – but that I was passionate about a career in education. The benefits of putting relevant volunteering experience down on your CV is an obvious reason to volunteer, but really better than that, is the friends you meet and the personal value of the experiences you gain; these are the reason to volunteer. Nothing beats the feeling you get from volunteering your time to help someone do something they might not have managed alone – it’s like that feeling after exercising; you feel re-energised and ready to take on anything. In all, if you can even manage an hour a week into a packed timetable – it's worth it to take a look at the ALIVE website and see what a difference you can make and what a difference volunteering will make to you.

extremely cheap but for a reason; they look like they could have been hand-built by Stalin himself. Our search for a home led us to a letting agency called ‘Happy House’ - a misleading name, to say the least. We realise the Czech population aren’t exactly known for their hospitality but if you’re going to name your business ‘Happy House’ you could at least smile the odd time… Suffice to say we left ‘Happy House’ unhappy. We then met Jakub, a kind

of middle-man negotiating between Erasmus students and landlords. He drew us in with promises of a lovely 3 bedroom apartment in the nicest part of the city. He forgot to mention, however, that one of the beds was in the living room. But beggars can’t be choosers and it’s on the maybe list. Don’t worry, it hasn’t all been bad! On our first night we decided to check out the nightlife and have a few drinks. I ended up losing my way at one point but eventually came across the

nightclub that I knew we were meant to end up in: Karlovy Lazne: five storeys high, each with a different theme and open until 5am. What else could a student want? I, however, decided to find myself a nice cosy couch to sleep on for a while. In the meantime Louisa and Bridget were being creeped on by a set of brothers from Sheffield. A successful night for all concerned! Other issues that added to the mayhem of our first four days included Louisa’s

suitcase being 10kg overweight. Refusing to pay the fee, I rolled into Prague in a very heavy, leopard print fur coat. If that wasn’t bad enough, I lost my phone within an hour of arriving here (probably leading my mother to question whether or not I was even alive). They say bad luck comes in threes: we’re all waiting eagerly for what’s going to go wrong for Bridget. Alas, here we are – three homeless students living it up in sunny Prague!

Appreciative fans enjoying the show at the Freshers’ Ball. Photo by Denis Wettman

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The Spark of Pussy Riot Activism Ignites in Galway By Caroline Forde and Ciara Griffin, FemSoc Amnesty Ireland Galway and NUIG's Amnesty International Society and Feminist Society co-organised a Solidarity Walk in support of Pussy Riot on 15 September last. The aim of the walk was to high-

“

decision to jail Maria Alyokhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova for two years each as a "bitter blow" for freedom of expression in the country. It believes that the trial of the three women was politically motivated, saying they were wrongfully prosecuted

getic drumming and a hula hoop performer helped to gather a crowd of onlookers. Flyers were handed out detailing the need for urgent action in support of Pussy Riot. The walk concluded at the Spanish Arch, where speeches and a punk band

performance took place. FemSoc view Pussy Riot as inheritors of a deliciously disobedient form of feminist activism, with Riot Grrrls as its most notable incarnation. The punk band highlight issues such as gender equality, democracy and freedom

of expression - all currently under threat in Russia. They – and FemSoc – represent the fact that we are far from living in a post-Feminist world and feminist activism is still relevant to our political climates. This is perhaps most eloquently evidenced by the recent

attack on the female body by Republican politician Todd Akin in the United States. However, there are also many important issues of gender equality affecting women closer to home. For further information, visit amnesty.ie or freepussyriot.org.

Chants of solidarity, energetic

”

drumming and a hula hoop performer helped to gather a crowd of onlookers.

light the injustice of the recent sentencing of three of the band's members following their performance of the protest song Virgin Mary, Redeem Us of Putin in Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow last February. Intended as a demonstration against the Russian premier in the run-up to next March's presidential elections, the song criticised the dedication and support shown to Vladimir Putin by a number of Russian Orthodox Church representatives. Amnesty International described a Russian court's

for what was a legitimate, if potentially offensive, protest action. The organisation considers all three activists to be prisoners of conscience, detained solely for the peaceful expression of their beliefs. The march also drew attention to the issues surrounding freedom of speech that the legal case highlights. Dressed in colourful clothing and the trademark balaclavas of the band, an enthusiastic group of approximately fifty people made their way through Galway city centre for the demonstration. Chants of solidarity, ener-

A group of 50 students take to the streets in support of Pussy Riot. Photo by Liam McGaley.

“Wake Up!”...And Get the Balance Right By Leigh Michael Keeney As we all know, waking up with a hangover while the walls of the room spin like a slot machine is a miserable feeling. Think of the pounding headache, desert-dry mouth and over-sensitive, squinting eyes that detest light. Now throw a 10am lecture into the mix where attendance actually matters for that final percentage. There’s nothing wrong with going out and having the craic, but as a university student you need to have common sense too. Obviously if you have to wake up early the next morning you need to go easy on the recreational rampages. It’s all about getting the balance right. The alarm clock starts blaring at 9:00am, you wake up, your hand hits a

random button, you blink and suddenly it’s an hour and a half later! “How the hell did that happen?!” There are two things you can do to ensure that this doesn’t happen again: 1. As soon as the alarm goes off, wake up! 2. Put the alarm far from the bed, out of arms reach, so you have to get up to turn the bloody thing off.

“

able to rely on yourself. Too much socialising isn’t always the issue though. Over-studying may not seem like a bad thing since you’d image it would only increase your chances of getting the best grade possible. That is mostly true, but when a student is up burning the midnight-oil and burning themselves out to the point where they resemble a zombie, clearly something is wrong. Get your

life; Sleep – four S's that, if managed correctly, should ensure a smooth and successful year, any one lacking and you'll notice yourself getting stressed

out or just plain wrecked. Waking up late in NUIG may be one of the darker aspects of student life. So take care of yourselves to avoid an Olympic sprint to

a missed lecture that may just have been the difference between the grade you wanted and what a few minutes lie-in stole from you.

You blink and suddenly it’s an

”

hour and a half later! “How the hell did that happen?!”

That’s really all you can do. You can try depending on your housemates, but from personal experiences of being let down and letting others down I can say that you really need to be

time management down to a ‘T’ and don’t let your work drain your energy. Check that you’re getting your eight hours. To break it down to the basics: School; Study; Social

It’s important to get the balance right.

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Interview with an SU Officer: Paul Curly By Marése O’Sullivan

[the Student’s Union] when they need us.

22-year-old Bachelor of Commerce graduate Paul Curley was elected Student’s Union President in July 2012. Sin spoke to him to find out how he’s finding the job so far and what you can expect from him in the year ahead. Why did you want to be S.U. President? I was a Class Representative in my second year, as well as being Auditor of BizSoc (NUI Galway’s Business Society). I learned so much from dealing with the people around me during that time. I felt I could make a difference as S.U. President and that I could bring my own unique style to the S.U. I wasn’t always the best academically but, practically, I’ve always been good. I think I can engage more students, because I feel not enough of them come to

What exactly does your job involve? Day to day, my job requires responding to e-mails from students and working with the academics and authorities of the university on issues that they and the Student’s Union feel are relevant to students. I also work on planning campaigns with my other S.U. officers and work with the Union of Students in Ireland (USI). What’s your favourite aspect of the role? The sleep, I’m so busy! (Laughs.) My favourite aspect is seeing a positive result after the hard work I put in. What’s the most difficult part of your job? Time management. I’m an individual that likes to

do everything, and I see my job as either a success or failure. I push myself too far to gain success sometimes, and risk my social life and other aspects. What challenges have you encountered since you took office and how do you feel that you and the rest of the team have dealt with them? Although you try to be as proactive as possible in the job for the most part, you deal with a lot of reactive situations in a proactive way that gains a positive result.

I believe, and I want to be held accountable in public for how I do. What are your plans for the S.U. in the year ahead? We’re currently working to get through the gym referen dum and encouraging the

S.U. Council and Class Representatives to be more proactive. [One of our key aims is also to] make more people aware of what the Student’s Union can help them out with.

most NUI Galway students to realise that the increase in fees – and cuts to the grants – could end up in them leaving university.

What do you think your biggest challenge will be this year? My biggest challenge [thus far has been] getting

Do you think you’ve kept a lot of the pledges that you made for the election? I will be honest at the end of the year and say exactly how many things I failed at and how many things I succeeded at. I ran an honest campaign,

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Student Speaks

Laura Hunt Arts Student “There are s load of toples f o es ur pict s it’ , es iti celebr n o m m co un not it k in th I t bu is still an invasion of privacy.”

By Sean Dunne & Orla Ryan

This week we asked: “Should

the topless photos of Her Royal Highness Kate Middleton have been published in the media?”

ty Amy Haver dent alism stu n r u o J A M ’t think the “No, I don uld tures sho topless pic it was d, publishe ” have been a iv of pr cy! an invasion

John Donlan Theatre & Performance Student “It was an n of sio va in the by cy priva i, zz ra pa pa is ne yo ever entitled to privacy.”

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Shauna Lynch Arts Student “Kate Middleton shouldn’t have been judged so badly in the press for the photos.”

Niamh Mulbh an Arts Student “She should ha ve been more ca reful, people will do what they can to ge t a picture these days.”

Colm Kerns Arts Student “They probably shouldn’t have been published, they put Kate Middleton in a vulnerable position, but then again why should she be given special treatment because of it?”

Daniel Pierce Earth & Ocean Science Student “It’s all about supply and demand; it happened in Italy, she’s a good looking girl but should have covered herself up.”

{sin}

Paula Healy Station Manager with Flirt FM “I think it is pathetic that people buy newspapers for such pictures, it’s just sad.”

Shauna Mulligan Arts Student “I don’t think the photos should have been published, they were on a private location and she is royalty!”

Sean Ty nan Arts Student “No real opinion o n the photo s except it s media, it made for goo d press.”

S E G A P THE SU É Gaillimh O n in é L c a M a n s a lt a h Com ion NUI Galway Students' Un

www.su.nuigalway.ie

"The mission of the Union shall be to represent its members and promote, defend and vindicate the rights of its members at all levels of society." — Constitution of the Students’ Union

Hi All, Many of you will have seen me or other Exec. members in your lectures electing Class Reps. I hope you know who your Class Reps are (hint: they should be the ones wearing the Class Rep hoody). If you don’t, you should soon be able to see their details on the section on the SU website called ‘Find my Class Rep’. Having a Class Rep is very important to represent your class’ views and have issues sorted that affect you and your class, we’ve been working on such issues as lecture overcrowding and registration for subjects so far. The campaign to elect Class Reps is going very well so far, we have over 220 Class Reps elected and registered. That number should rise to over 300 and we hope to have full representation of all students by the end of October. If your class doesn’t have a Class Rep and you’re interested in becoming one, please contact me at su.education@nuigalway.ie. Lotsa Love, Conor Stitt.

SU Education Officer, Conor Stitt, leads a group of students to protest against the withholding of grants by Clare Co. Council.

Dami Adebari, Paul Curley and Conor Stitt with Neil Delamere.

Neil Delamere performed a sell-out gig in NUI Galway on Monday 17 September.

There was a massive turn-out for this year’s Freshers’ Ball.

What the SU has been up to... • Elected over 170 class reps • Sold out Neil Delamere comedy gig

• Attended Being Young and Irish Initiative held in NUI Galway

• Brought in €3 chicken rolls • Stopped Clare County Council • Organised Freshers’ Ball and South Tipperary County council from withholding • Handed out four and a half grants because of household thousand SU diaries charge not being paid • Ran a speed-dating event

• Planned out fees and grants campaign strategy for the year • Rented over 1,100 lockers • Held meetings with clubs and socs over gym referendum • Sold over 700 second-hand books

Mental Health Week 2012 For those who don’t know about mental health week: what is it?

Mental Health week is a week in which awareness is raised for general problems we can all experience in certain circumstances, for example as a college student trying to get the balance right between college and a part-time job, for a student can help us experience poor concentration, mood swings and sleep disturbance. All of us suffer mental health problems at times, and these problems limit our potential as human beings. For this reason, NUI Galway Student’s Union have partnered with student services to promote resilience as the main theme for the week as life is not about disappointment but how you react from your disappointments in order to succeed. We will be emphasising the issue of isolation and encouraging students to get involved with clubs and societies in college and posters will be allocated across campus. There are many different events taking place during the week from awareness stands on the issue being set up in Aras na Mac Leinn to councillors and other speakers coming in and giving talks on mental health. Many societies are taking part and organising different activities for the week such as the film soc who are showing a marathon of films focusing on the issue of mental health.

Schedule of Events Monday 1st October

• Giant games: Space hoppers, giant jenga, giant connect 4, giant twister, entertainments in Aras Na Mac Leinn • Have a break have a chocolate. Outside lectures • Heads up, acts of random kindness • The worry campaign, distribution of mental health packs • All day stands in Aras na Mac Leinn • Basketball shootout showdown in Kingifisher, 12pm-2pm • Free Astro turf pitch (cages) in Corrib village opened 4pm6pm

• • • • •

Tuesday 2nd October

Lecture shout outs and talks in lecture halls. All day stands in Aras na Mac Leinn foyer and Aras Moyola. Heads up fun Photo booth in college bar. 5pm-10pm Free Zumba class for all in Kingfisher. 5pm-6pm Free Astro turf pitch (cages) in Corrib village opened 4pm6pm

• • • • •

Wednesday 3rd October

Depression and suicide awareness campaign All day stands in Aras na Mac Leinn and Aras Moyola Condom Wednesdays Launch of Money and Budgeting services campaign Wear blue jeans to college day (Raising Mental health awareness) • Monster Circuits and entertainments in Kingfisher. 5pm-6pm • Free Astro turf pitch (cages) in Corrib village opened 4pm6pm

• • • •

Thursday 4th October

All day stands in Aras na Mac Leinn and Aras Moyola Mental Health reform petitions campaign Superstar challenge in Kingfisher. 1pm-2pm Free Astro turf pitch (cages) in Corrib village opened 4pm6pm

Friday 5th October

• Five aside indoor soccer tournaments. 250 Euro prize fund. 2pm-4.30pm

Dear Student, I would like to welcome you to the University, whether you are here for the first time or are returning after a summer break. We pride ourselves on providing an excellent student experience. The welfare of our students is one of our key priorities and we encourage you to make the most of your time here and develop the skills and attributes which will distinguish you as a graduate. In recent years we have had to devote significant time to deal with complaints about student behaviour, especially in social settings outside college hours. This impacts negatively on the time that can be devoted to improving the student experience. Increasingly, we have found that the majority of complaints are submitted by residents of Galway City – those who live beside our students and experience noise pollution and other anti-social behaviour. I would ask all of you to be mindful of your neighbours and to have respect for their lifestyle, although it may differ from that of a student. As a registered student of NUI Galway you are obliged to observe the Student Code of Conduct. Breaches of the Code of Conduct will result in the University implementing the Student Disciplinary Process especially when students bring the name of the University into disrepute. Additionally, your behaviour in social settings outside college hours can have a long term negative effect on your future, both professionally and socially. Not only can you be reprimanded for your behaviour by the University, under the Code of Conduct, but also by the Gardaí. The University authorities and Gardaí are working closely on these issues. All Garda warnings, fines or convictions you receive for Public Order Offences will remain on your record long after you finish university and may affect your travel and career plans. You can receive cautions, fines and convictions for numerous offences, including:

• Being drunk in a public place • Disorderly conduct in a public place • Threatening/abusive or insulting behaviour in a public place • Failure to comply with the direction of a member of An Garda Síochána A conviction for Public Order Offences may also rule out many career options for you. For careers in areas such as teaching, nursing, medical professions, counselling and working with children a Garda vetting process must be carried out. This will show up any convictions you have and may result in your not getting a job. Like a lot of students you may want to travel to the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand on a work or travel visa during your summers or when you finish university. These are great opportunities to see the world but they might not be an option if you get convicted in court of a Public Order Offence. The authorities issuing visas in these countries complete rigorous checks on applicants and are very strict on who receives one. Please familiarise yourself with the Student Code of Conduct. Let’s work together to make the University and its environs a safer and better environment for all students and our neighbours in the community. Yours sincerely

Dr. Pat Morgan Vice President for the Student Experience, National University of Ireland, Galway

AVIOUR H E b | L IA NTI-SOC quences

us Has Serio

Conse

Want to be the SU Chairperson?

Then to the Bat Cave! There’s not a moment to lose!

* The SU Council Chairperson chairs the meetings of the SU Council, represents all class representatives on the Exec and works with the College Convenors to see that each class in the University has a class representative. * The election will take place 15th October at 6pm in the O’Flaherty Theatre in SU Council. Only Class Reps may vote in the election. * You must be a registered Class Rep this year to able to run and must be nominated by at least five other Class Reps. * If you are interested in this position but need more info, call up to the SU Offices in Aras na Mac LEinn and talk to Conor Stitt.

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Heathers to play Róisín Dubh By Gillian Keating The Dublin duo Heathers, are set to play the Róisín Dubh on October 6th following the release of their second album ‘Kingdom’. The twins, Ellie and Louise McNamara have certainly made their mark on the Irish music scene over the last few years. Their debut album ‘Here Not There’, released in 2008, brought them great success with their incredible harmonies and demonstrated the power of a single acoustic guitar. Following this success, Heathers spent the next two summers touring the United States, which led

to invitations to perform at both the College Music Journal festival in New York and Canadian Music Week. When Discover Ireland picked their song ‘Remember When’ to use on a TV advertisement, their status grew. This transmitted their infectious melodies to TV viewers and radio audiences throughout the country. The success of ‘Here Not There’ saw them play Europe’s largest annual showcase festival, Eurosonic. They also performed at the Great Escape festival in Brighton where they introduced some new material and played an extended line-up. Heathers then went to London to begin record-

ing their newer material with producer Max Dingel (White Lies) and signing a record deal with Universal Music Publishing UK. In addition, Heathers have been working on diversifying their sound, which meant expanding their use of instruments, but still keeping their trademark vocals and quirky acoustics. Released this September, ‘Kingdom’ has the potential to be a great success for Heathers, and has already made it into the top ten in Ireland. The brilliant first single ‘Forget Me Knots’ has racked up thousands of hits online and national airplay. Ryan Tubridy introduced Heathers on RTE's The Late

Late Show on September 7 this year. Tubridy informed us that legendary DJ and producer David Guetta is interested in working with them. Guetta heard their single ‘Forget Me Knots’ on an American music blog and prompted his agent to approach Heathers requesting them to write a track which could appear on his next album. ‘Forget Me Knots’ is only a taste of what Kingdom has to offer. ‘Gather Up’ showcases Ellie’s and Louise’s vocal strengths in perfect harmony, while ‘Waiter’ is transformed into a totally new sound with an addition of synths and beats. Entertainment.ie called it

“unexpected – but downright brilliant”. 2012 looks to be a big year for Heathers. They received a fantastic review from The Irish Times for their performance at Electric Picnic this year as well as selling out the popular London Barfly venue earlier in May. Considering the strength of their new

album, it is no wonder that they are quickly becoming one of Ireland’s great musical acts. They are currently on their first Irish tour in twelve months headlining shows in Dublin, Belfast, Waterford, Kilkenny and Galway. Heathers will play in Róisín Dubh on October 6th and they are definitely worth checking out.

its own leading man’s admission “Killing Them Softly” often feels like a filmed play with entire scenes consisting of two people having a conversation. Yet writer-director Andrew Dominick finds a cinematic quality within this world. He confidently builds an entire scene on an actor’s monologue or elevates a simple gunshot

in a drive by shooting to a self-contained piece of slow-moving artistry. Not a lot seems to happen plot-wise in “Killing Them Softly” but as a microcosm of life in America at a time of false opportunity, it’s an effective bleak comedy bolstered by an excellent central performance from Brad Pitt.

Brad Pitt is Killing Them Softly

“America’s not a country it’s a business and in America you’re on your own.” So goes the message, to paraphrase Brad Pitt’s hit man Jackie Cogan, towards the end of “Killing Them Softly” an acidly black comedy that uses the fallout from a mob card game robbery as a sharp critique for the financial crisis in America. Adapted and updated from George V. Higgins’ 1974 book “Cogan’s Trade” it’s debatable that the main plot of the film takes place in the background on the television and radio with many scenes containing speeches from Obama and Bush from 2008 regarding the economic meltdown. As the overly optimistic response to the recession plays out in the background the same problems occur on a much smaller scale involving the card

game and its knock-on effect. On the film’s surface we have two amateurish criminals, played brilliantly by Scoot McNairy and Ben Mendelsohn, who rob an illegal card game run by local gangster Mark Trattman (Ray Liotta in a brief but very likeable performance). Given it’s known that a previous game robbery was orchestrated by Trattman it is assumed by the two thugs that any blame will fall to poor Markie. Enter Brad Pitt, whose character, Cogan, aims to resolve the issue. He is recruited by a polite middle-man (played by the great Richard Jenkins) representing the mob interest in the card game. In a fun role Jenkins’ character frequently bemoans the inefficient decision making by the committee approach adopted by his employers and his exchanges with Pitt are perfectly milked for darkly comic effect. Jackie believes Trattman had nothing to do with the robbery, but while it is believed on the street that he did, no games are allowed to go ahead. His execution will restore public confidence and allow the flow of money to recommence as it needs to. With that framework in the place the film (which is also bookended by unifying speeches from Obama

circa 2008) is free to thrive through its delightfully caustic dialogue with the work of the many fine actors on display. These characterisations include Ray Liotta’s poor goon, Pitt’s constantly engaging and oddly likeable hit-man, Jenkins’ middleman, the two robbers and an alcoholic and sex addict assassin played by James

Gandolfini. Cogan calls in a favour from Gandolfini, only to find him a bloated, useless mess. These characters operate as unremarkable and largely unhappy working men wrestling to make a living (one scene involving Pitt’s response to “recessionary rates” for contract killing is priceless). By

Appreciative fans enjoying the show at the Freshers’ Ball. Photo by Denis Wettman

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It Takes Túcan Baby By James Falconer Túcan are a Sligo-based instrumental group who will be appearing at NUI Galway on October 11 as part of Arts in Action 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 . Tú c a n h a v e recorded a series of eight live videos of interpretations of classic dance artists such as the Prodigy, Faithless and Daft Punk. They also have recorded their own original tracks called “The Factory Sessions”. Two of these receive regular airplay on the national stations: the Daft Punk medley of “Da Funk” and “Around the World”, a firm favourite, followed by their Prodigy tribute “No Good in Space”. These videos have made them one of the most popular Irish music channels on YouTube. They have recently developed a new sound combining their groovefilled acoustic power funk with a collection of brass and string-driven orchestration, making their already huge sound an unholy monster of melodic and harmonic madness! Túcan’s new brass string ensemble includes trum-

peters Donagh Molloy (Lisa Hannigan Band) and Bryan Quinn (David Kitt Band, Clown's Without Borders), Austro-Irish violin sensation Claudia Schwab and the ska-lactical Derry-based trombone player, Donal McGuinness. The band originated with Donal Gunne and Pearse Feeney. When playing live, the new additions combine acoustic instrumentalists Gunne and Feeney’s relentless energy and expertise with fat bass lines and atomic drums. The debut album “Aliquot Strings” was produced by Lance Hogan of Kila and released in 2009 on their label called Túcan Music. This reached the charts in Ireland and was critically acclaimed both at home and abroad. The album is a firecracker of driving rhythms and virtuoso guitar craft which brings the listener on a considerable adventure in a concise thirty six minutes. Túcan are currently recording their second Album with producer Torsten Kinsella (God is an Astronaut). After touring their new material

with amazing shows in Sligo, Belfast and Dublin, the band brought their new Brass String Ensemble into the Studio. The band recorded 2 tracks and then launched a Fund:it campaign to raise the rest of the funds to record the album. With the help of their fans and friends they successfully raised enough to make their second album. Túcan have also put together their most diverse live show yet, incorporating their earliest compositions, the metal (Tool and Megadeth) and dance renditions (Prodigy, Faithless and Daft Punk) of The Factory Sessions and climaxing with the big band behemoths from their upcoming new record. Túcan’s forthcoming album was born out of experimentation, but has their most accessible sound yet. They topped off 2011 by performing parts of this show in Vicar Street alongside a batch Ireland’s finest artists and entertainers to ring in the New Year. Lisa Hannigan, James Vincent McMorrow, Wallis Bird, Foy Vance and Jerry Fish were amongst the outstanding army of talent frequenting the Vicar Street stage along with the Túcan Brass String Ensemble. Túcan have attracted significant attention during their ascent through the Irish music scene. They have also performed alongside international acts such as Jose Feliciano, Regina Spektor as well as contemporaries Rodrigo y Gabriella and Alabama 3. They have played at Electric Picnic since 2007 and have been a great hit with fans flocking to see them year after year. Túcan play the Cube in NUI Galway, at 1pm on October 11. Admission is free.

Attention all you creative writers! The new Arts and Entertainment editor of Sin, James Falconer, is running a short story competition this semester. You could be in with a chance of winning a €100 voucher for Charlie Byrnes’s Bookshop and have the glory of been published in Christmas edition of Sin 2012. All you need to do is write a short story of under 2000 words and send it to artsentertainment.sined@gmail.com. The competition will be judged by Dr Patrick Lonergan from the Department of English. The closing date for entries is the 1st of November. So get your creative cap on!

Dear Darcy, I'm currently in the midst of a late-teen identity crisis. I know, it doesn't seem serious but it's really starting to get to me. I've just started my second year at NUI Galway and all of my friends seem so confident and so sure of themselves. They know what they're doing with their lives, but I just feel so lost. I already feel under pressure from my parents and my lecturers to decide what I want to do when I’m finished college - how the hell am I supposed to know this already? Sweet mother of God, I am only a child! How can I find out who I am meant to be and decide what I want to do for the rest of my life? Yours, Miss Identity Crisis Dear Miss Identity Crisis, Hey there honey, yikes this is a tough one and I think almost everyone inevitably becomes troubled by this conundrum at some stage of their lives. The education system is also quite merciless in that most school-leavers are expected to know what they want to do for the rest of their lives at eighteen years of age. I will never understand how anyone can be expected to make such a major decision at such a young age. I think of myself, at the tail end of my twenties and despite occupying my current status as wisdom dispenser, can find myself a little lost and uncertain at times. You appear to be asking me to help

Look missus worry-worts-galore, you aren’t really being serious are you? You don’t know who you are? Sure if you don’t know who you are how anyone is else supposed to know?! So you don’t know what you’re at and you don’t know where you’re going? Join the freakin’ club my dear. I’m the wrong side of twenty-five and I’m scrawling “advice” columns for absolute idiots like you, for FREE! Clearly you’re not the only one who has problems. Take a freakin’ chill-pill woman you could be worrying about a far nastier kind of worts than the worrying kind. Know what I’m saying? You were right about one thing though this problem isn’t by any possible means a serious problem, to put it in the kindest possible understandable terms for you: you’re being a twat. I can’t believe I’m going to agree with Darcy here in saying this, but get yourself out there woman and for the love of God

you speed up the process of self-discovery, an exhilarating and at times very frustrating process, which is also known as life. I understand that this current situation is frustrating and when one is not always sure of oneself and life’s direction. Please don’t let that get in the way of you living and enjoying your life. You got to go for it! Life is precious honey and I would hate to see you letting it go to waste by worrying about it. Get out there and forget about everything but living.

Hugs —Darcy

start living. There is no alternative, how the hell do you think I spend my days? Alright, to put an end to this painfully obvious advice on a less graphic note than detailing my daily activities I’ll say this: you might never live to see the morning. Now chin up little miss noname and let loose, that’s what college and life is all about.

That’s Life, Barnacle

For more advice please email advice.sin@gmail.com!

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Cultural extravaganza, in a cube! By Isabella De Luca Galway Culture Night rocked the Cube Theatre in Áras na Mac Léinn last Friday 21 September. It was an intimate taste of the talent our performing societies will be showcasing this coming year. Presented by JD Kiely, the evening was a fitting demonstration of the great cultural diversity that societies bring to campus and to Galway city alike. The show was magically warmed up with some instrumental pieces by a four-piece group from Trad Soc. There was a tan-

gible spark between the musicians who possessed a guitar, tin whistle, bodhrán and fiddle. They created a sound which was charismatic and energetic. Showing the diversity of the night, next up was a spontaneous sketch by Comedy Soc. Societies Chairperson Robin Allen made reference to the wellknown Febreze adverts of our television culture. It had the audience reaching for some air freshener of their own. Four singers from Choral Soc gave a beautiful taste of the kind music we

GUMS. They both delivered flawless performances. Aine Cahalan, Eilis Mc Carthy and Drew Dunlop of DramSoc executed passionate readings from plays, which included Shakespeare’s Richard II and Two for a Girl by Mary Kelly and Noni Stapleton. Katie and Megan Connolly from GUMS sang a soulful rendition of Tyler Hilton’s hit ‘I Believe in You’. The show was closed with another GUMS act by Dee Ní Chloscaí, whose lively interpretation of ‘Taylor the Latte Boy’ was met by great enthusiasm from the crowd. Culture Night is a nationwide initiative

can expect to hear from them soon. They are celebrating 145 years at NUI Galway this year. They were conducted on the evening by Lily McGarry, who won the Best Individual category at this year’s BICS National Societies Awards. Dave Owens and Dara Finneran’s routine for Juggling Soc was definitely a highlight of the night. It was obvious that such an intricate balanced performance required a great deal of practice and composure. The night would have been lost without appearances by DramSoc and

Finding ‘Sanctuary’ at Blue Teapot By Michelle Whyte With the college’s volunteering week just gone by we have discovered many ways we can use our free time to help others and gain invaluable experience. One particular organisation that is making great inroads through the arts scene this season is the Blue Teapot Theatre Company. From the Galway Theatre festival to the Christmas swim and the St. Patrick’s Day parade, there is plenty to prepare for and more volunteers are welcome. Third year English and Theatre + Performance student at NUIG, Aoife Donoghue says “I am currently volunteering with the company and am gaining so much from it. I am getting vast experience, ranging from directing to Public Relations to costume making. At the moment, we are preparing for the Galway Theatre Festival, so there’s a lot of excitement amongst us. Every day brings something different and I am really enjoying myself!” Founded in 1996 as a drama project for adults with learning disabilities, the aim of the Blue Teapot Theatre Company is to provide a creative outlet and a means of self-expression for the participants, to build self-confidence and achieve excellence. The school’s ethos is to give all their

students a real taste of the arts, with an equal importance attached to achieving learning outcomes. Their mission is to create a change in the public consciousness in relation to people with intellectual disabilities. They do this through the medium of theatre, allowing their members inherent talent and creativity to speak for itself. The hard work seems to be paying off for the Teapots. They won first prize for their float in the 2009 St. Patricks Day Parade and in 2010, they staged a sell-out performance of ‘A MidSummer Night’s Dream’. This play is a fusion of love, magic and good old fashioned comedy. In 2012, the Teapots had the pleasure of hosting the opening of Galway City Culture Night on the 21st of September. This was a great showcase of the Company’s new workspace and even the Mayor of Galway dropped in to unveil the new graffiti art on the front of the theatre. This winter, the Teapots will be swapping their warm woollies for a swimsuit. It will be their fourth consecutive blue-themed Christmas Day swim. Joining them in this festive splash will be Sean Conneally, East Sector Manager of Brothers of Charity Galway and hopefully many more Teapot supporters. This month, the actors

and everyone behind the scenes are busy preparing for the Galway Theatre Festival. They will produce the world premiere of Christian O’Reilly’s contemporary new play, ‘Sanctuary’. Commissioned by the Blue Teapot and directed by Petal Pilley, this poignant, funny and bittersweet play opens a window into the lives and relationships of people with intellectual disabilities (ID). The play highlights the obstacles they must overcome to be together. An ordinary trip to the cinema and a welcome break from their training centre, provides an opportunity for Larry and Sophie to steal away to a hotel room and be together, at last. But, now that they’re alone, what are they going to say and do? ‘Sanctuary’ takes place from October 4th till October 13th at the Blue Teapot Theatre, Munster Avenue. This is part of the Galway Theatre Festival and tickets are available from the Town Hall Theatre accordingly. Blue Teapot is looking forward to strengthening its ties with the students of NUI Galway through the ‘Alive’ volunteering programme. Simply contact the Alive office today and be on your way to gaining a rare and truly fulfilling experience with the Blue Teapot Theatre Company.

349-Equality-Week-Maeve-Poster.pdf

25/09/2012

over-seen by Temple Bar Cultural Trust and supported by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. It was brought to Galway this year for the first time in partnership with Galway City Coun-

cil. Culture Night aims to exhibit Galway’s rich cultural fabric and cultural institutions. Its fundamental aim is to make the Arts accessible to everyone, enthusiasts and novices alike. Wi t h p e r f o r m a n c e s ranging from choral singing to comedy, juggling to performing arts, the first Societies Showcase was a fitting presentation of the objectives of Galway Culture Night. It also displayed the quality and rich cultural aspects our university has to offer. It will be fascinating to see what else our societies have in store for us this year.

19:49

Equality

NUI Galway Students’ Union

Week 2012

presents

Maeve Higgins C

Monday 8th of October

CMY

8pm the O’Flaherty Theatre Tickets €5 from The Students’ Union

with support from Fred Cooke

W W W. S U . N U I G A L W A Y. I E

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Keep your Witless about you By Thor McVeigh The Witless ‘Battle of the Bands’ competition run by NUIG Music Soc and NUIG Rock Soc, has returned. For more than a decade the NUI Galway ‘Battle of the Bands’, first established in 1998, focused attention on the talent that often arises from the student music scene and inspires many young bands to excel in their musical careers. In 2001/2002 the ‘Battle of the Bands’ which has been known as EuroChallenge, StarChallenge, Star2000 and Livestock2001, was previously re-named ‘Witless’, a tribute to the success of the Witness Festival. In addition to the Events & Music and Rock societies, a number of other societies got involved in Witless 2012 including Dj Soc, Juggling Soc, Photo Soc and Student Television Galway. Undeniably, each one added some interesting new dimensions to proceedings. More and more societies are getting behind Witless 2013 including Choral Soc, Orchestra Soc, Art Soc and Biz Soc. Following a huge effort by all of those involved in Witless 2012 the competition

came to the fore within our university as Witless won NUIG Society Event of the Year and the best society contribution to the Múscailt Arts Festival. Those involved aim to build upon this success in the forthcoming year with further innovations and the inclusion, for the ﬁrst time ever, of a signiﬁcant charity fundraising element. The money raised will be going to Ability West which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Ability West provides services and support to 500 children and adults with intellectual disability throughout County Galway and city, respectively; and is also the patron of four special national schools. The release of a double a-side Christmas single in conjunction with Choral Soc and Orchestra Soc is one of the many Witless projects which will raise money for needy charities. A competition to design the CD cover will also be held in conjunction with Art Soc. Other initiatives include auctions, raffles, and the compilation of a charity album featuring original songs by previous competition winners and

entrants in Witless 2013. There will also be various fringe events this year, so keep your “wits” about you! The Witless 2013 competition is open to bands and acoustic acts and it is been held in the NUIG College Bar. This year, for the first time in more than a decade, it is open to bands not only from NUIG, but also GMIT. The “Witless Freshers’ Showcase” was the first Witless event of the year and took place on Tuesday the 18th September. It featured This Nachez, Storyfold and A Band Called Wanda. A Band Called Wanda won Witless in 2005 and both Paddy and Jim in Storyfold were members of a band called Waif who won the competition in 2002. After overcoming a slight technical glitch on the night, the bands put on a great show and gave a sweet taste of what to expect in the coming months. Witless ordinarily takes place after Christmas; however, this time around, the competition is returning to a two semester format, as “witnessed” between 1998 and 2006. Witless 2013 kicked off on Tuesday the 25th September with

Ignition Kid, Strawberry Blonde, Anomaly and Ragged Kings all battling it out for a place in the final. Heat 2 which includes Prospect Avenue, Cotton Ball Three, Blackmail House and Foolish Desperado takes place tonight (2nd October) at 8pm. Further band heats will be taking place on the next two Tuesdays (9th and 16th of October) and an acoustic heat on Wednesday the 17th October at 9pm. The competition then returns in semester two and for the very first time there will be a semi-final, which will take place on the 22nd of January. The final, will once again, be part of the Universities Múscailt Arts Festival on Tuesday the 5th of February. The winners of event will, like last year, be determined by a combination of judge’s scores and a public vote. Make sure you go to the College Bar for all the Witless events and give your favourite band of the night your vote. Audiences can also get involved and if they are fortunate their review (plus photos) could be published in the SIN newspaper. See witless.ie and Witless on Facebook “NUI Galway Witless” for further details.

A Band Called Wanda, former winners of Witless Battle of the Bands

Review: Dredd 3D By Kenneth Glennon Judge Dredd returns seventeen years on from the critical train wreck that saw Sylvester Stallone take on the title role in Judge Dredd. Armed with a considerably smaller budget and not a major star in sight “Dredd 3D” attempts to do justice to the character created by John Wagner whilst launching a trilogy of films based his 2000 AD comic creation.

“

Snarling his

way through the role like a cross between Clint

Eastwood and Batman, Urban

”

delivers Dredd in his entire glory.

Scripted by Alex Garland (who wrote 28 Days Later and Sunshine) and directed by debutant feature filmmaker Pete Travis this lean cinematic take on Dredd follows a day in the life of the title lawmen operating in the post-apocalyptic Mega City One within the ruins of our world following a nuclear catastrophe. In this dystopian realm exist Judges, sole enforcers of law and order amidst the chaos of Mega City One, the most formidable of which is Dredd himself portrayed by Karl Urban (familar following supporting roles in the The Lord of the Rings, The Bourne Supremacy and new Star Trek franchise). The tone is set early on with Dredd disposing of a murderer by melting his head with a small projectile grenade fired into his mouth. This is before we even get to three skinned bodies thrown from a two hundred story tower block by a ruthless drug baroness called “Ma-Ma” (“Game of Thrones” Lena Headly). First on the scene to this homicide are Dredd and a

trainee judge with physic abilities called Anderson (played very well by Juno’s Oliva Thirby). Their arrival causes Ma-Ma to lock down the entire building wherein she controls and distributes a drug which causes the users brain to perceive time at one per cent its normal speed (an effect which effectively utilises the films 3D in slow motion), leaving the two judges forced to shoot their way to the top. This premise, like Dredd himself, is simple, brutal and ruthlessly effective as the character arc and development is left to Thirbys appealing psychic. While the setup (evoking comparisons with recent hit “The Raid”) only allows for, on paper, a fairly routine action picture the main draw is Dredd himself. That his character barely changes throughout the film, this is Judge Dredd more or less as he was meant to be portrayed (endorsed by John Wagner), is the films chief asset. Snarling his way through the role like a cross between Clint Eastwood and Batman Urban delivers Dredd (helmet never off) in his entire uncompromising, occasionally deadpan comic, glory. It’s a strikingly commanding performance and when the moment comes to deliver the characters most iconic line we’re in no doubt that even outgunned and outnumbered, he is in charge. Outside of the man himself Headley provides a vicious villain but her role is minimal and beyond Thirby’s rookie judge the supporting characters are mostly cannon fodder. Something of a niche product I can see fans of John Wagner’s comic strip embracing “Dredd 3D” with open arms. Newcomers such as myself will either be put off by the largely one note lawman or as I found appreciate the character for what he is along with the solid, often bloodily visceral action.

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Processed

Hidden

By Rachel Coventry

By Jane Holland

Today we are processed with more aplomb. The corridors we walk are clean and white, there are no crannies for the dust to hide. We glide, ghost like, forgetting we’re from a crazy world just beyond the smooth walls. We are grateful, remembering we might have been dropped into a darker night. Where our dreams of comfort are met with scorn. Some listlessness is inevitable, but we’ve come so far this way together and are, for the most part, reasonable. There is no more need for the windswept fields, no need to quiver behind leather shields. No need for to beg the gods for kind weather.

Dark, glowing, honey eyes peek out from under the ink black veil.  Long fringes of fragile eyelashes flutter delicately.  Eyes so piercing that they melt through the soul.   Nothing else can be perceived.  Nothing else can be scrutinised.   The body which has been sculpted to perfection is hidden.  Silky strands of lustrous, dark hair drape the shoulders, subtly disguised.  The little button nose, rounded and short, buried beneath the cloth.  Those tender lips, so warm and so sweet.  A beautiful smile has been tucked away out of sight.   The femininity of those natural curves and arches is concealed from eager eyes.  Slender, elongated legs remain unseen by the world.    A woman like this has not made herself a slave to man,   Yet she is still treated as an outlaw, a castaway.  Placed as a subordinate in society,  Expected to feign docility, obedience.

Poet and aspiring novelist, Rachel Coventry holds a BA and an M.Litt in Philosophy from NUI, Galway. She has published poetry in various publications and was short listed for this years Over The Edge New Writer of the year competition. Rachel is almost finished writing her first novel.

...Do Chomhaltas, Do Sheirbhísí

Dissociated Lying

Beauty beyond the confinement of an appearance,   Effectively disregarded and forgotten. Convictions become malleable when given to humanity  Whilst faith is twisted into thorny brambles,   Savagely ripping apart all sacred meaning, Leaving dark, ugly scars behind.   Although mankind is judged as a whole,   Is it not mankind that consists of individuals?

Today I saw a hungry girl By Aisling Watters Today I saw a hungry girl, sitting on a wall eating a banana She wore heavy make-up which was the wrong shade She ate her banana, praying the hunger would fade Hoping that later she would not have to raid The cupboard, after another night out, still not getting laid She looked around, hoping for an appraising glance There was no chance Of returned looks of attraction, even strangers knew she was in a trance Of self-loathing, that she did not like herself a bit, not even a fraction.

By Michael Healy I knew and know none of the things I learned about you. It keeps me stable the self-depreciating ability to write it all off the volleys of what-ifs the empty back catalogue of purchased choices the fill ins. Poured in their place Dribbling off into reality. In deciding on indecision I've pleasingly bludgeoned all aspects of us deftly sustaining all the facets of our purely first-person mistruths. We could have done it all but personally nothing could be done. Many half formed personnel playing with my faculties Peering around the fabricated transparent walls stalking round corners startling each other. Saving the elongated tales of tragedy. For the back of our eyes. Any real sentiments are sediment bound. Pondering. Which will bubble up first which mind will be lost last. Remaining vaguely interested. Almost attached enough. Curiously unsure if my worst is worse than the current construction. The units flailingly safe. Self contained. Too invested in all the options to build, destroy or habitate.

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Mon - THUR: 8.30am - 10pm // FRI: 8:30am - 9pm // SAT: 9AM - 6pm

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A juggler entertains passing students at Socs Day.

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50 Shades of Bogger By Martina Gannon 50shadesofbogger.wordpress.com

Continued from issue one… Ye s , I c o n f e s s , I may have accidentally smooched him. Shame on me I know but I’m only human! I mean come on there we are complete strangers in a foreign land (well, several hours from home) re-discovering Ireland and ourselves and sharing the kind of deep, philosophical conversations that I pretty much live for. So excuse me for getting a teeny bit caught up in it. It all started after we finished talking to a fan club in a pub. After explaining our ‘unique situation’ to all of the locals, we kind of realised how crazy it was and how lucky we were that we got on so well. After a good half hour of weighing up the pros

and cons of kissing him, while he rambled on about where we should road trip to next, I decided to do it. ‘You’re here for a good time, not a long time’. It was a highly interesting, unpredictable end to the first night of our roadtrip and it was far from over… We were rudely awoken the next morning by the sound of the landlady bashing down the door of our bedroom yelling something about sausages. I resentfully lifted my head off of my pancakelike pillow a fraction to peek at the clock: half eight in the morning. I moaned several warning expletives towards the door which Teapot wisely drowned out with a friendly yell back: ‘We have our own sausages in here love!’ I was far too groggy to question just exactly what he meant by that. Needless to say she left us be in disgust. The coward that I am, I pretended to be asleep for another few hours to delay what I feared would be the inevitable morning-after-asmooch-awkwardness. Mr Farmer himself had been up since half seven

At the Giant’s Causeway

rambling around looking for things to do. He appeared to have a chronic case of ants-in-the-pants; he just could not stay still. When I finally fully awoke, I was not in the best of humour due to sleep deprivation. As for the morningafter-smoochy-smooch awkwardness, it wasn’t so bad after all. He was a tad quieter throughout the day, but I found out about that mystery later on. And so we set off again. I took out the now crumpled road map and rattled on about our next stop, not forgetting that we had gotten a few suggestions the night before from our fan-club which I had so handily scribbled down… We scooted off to the G i a n t ’s C a u s e w a y t o begin with. Apparently the Giant’s causeway was formed by a volcanic eruption 60 million years ago. As interesting as that is I think we both preferred the legend of it being made by a Giant… Teapot handed me a big lump of rock shaped suspiciously like a heart. When I questioned the legality of his actions he quipped: “Sure if they didn’t want us taking the rocks they shouldn’t have left so much of it lying around!” In the end we had to

Carrick-a-Rede Bridge in County Antrim. cut this exploration short due to the rain and the distinct incompatibility of my high-heeled boots with a million clumpy rocks. Besides once you’ve seen one weirdly shaped rock you’ve kind of seen them all. Our first road-trip spanned 3 days and brought us from Mayo all the way up to the very tiptop of Ireland – through 11 different counties in total. So far I have recounted our journey to the Giant’s Causeway. Immediately after that, we headed onto Carrick-a-Rede Bridge in County Antrim. Carrick-a-Rede Bridge consisted of a rope-bridge spanning the mouth of a volcano that had erupted about 60 million years ago. It was one of the most exhilarating and terrifying experiences I’ve ever had but also my personal highlight of our first road-trip. We headed south again after that trip so I would be back in time for work the next day. There was one thing that I was certain of after our travels: it didn’t ever matter how many miles we travelled or even what we saw – it was the company that we shared that made it exceptional. What good would it be seeing and experiencing all of these incredible sites if you couldn’t turn to someone, exchange just one glance and mentally delight in shared snapshots of life all over Ireland and store them as

memories for life? For all of those miles in between the sites we saw, we tossed philosophical conundrums back and forth. We examined our beliefs, naiveties and lives. We talked about our views of the world and what truly made us happy in life. He was shockingly honest, which is one of the things I was most impressed about in him. He made me confront things that I had been hiding from, things that I thought I was dealing with but was actually burying. He tweezed out of me my true desire in life and what was stopping me from achieving it. It turns out I was the only thing that was stopping me and that was a really liberating, empowering thing to realise. He finally confessed why he had been a little quiet throughout the day. He stumbled over his thoughts and words for a few minutes before eventually blurting out: “I’m just so lucky to be with you and be doing this.” Apparently I was an ‘angel’ to him. “It’s a bit too late for the chat-up lines now,” I joked pathetically. I was beginning to feel it all getting a little serious and closing in on me. I was looking forward to getting home and mentally sifting through the last few days to see how I really felt about this quirky guy.

He, however, had other plans. As soon as he pulled into the driveway of my house he had hopped out of the car before I could begin my rehearsed goodbye speech. I swallowed my self-defensive tripe and followed him into the house. First he over-stayed his welcome by refusing to simply drop me off and drive away again. He then refused tea and proceeded to pace around the kitchen. When he eventually left the kiss he planted on me could have qualified for a Lifetime Oscar Awkward Kiss Award, if ever there was such a thing. It was kind of inevitable that he would attempt to leave me with some remnant of lingering memory of our journey. He barged his way into my life without warning or permission and bulldozed his way back out and yet he left me feeling better for having met him and now wanting more. I adore the escapist factor of our trips. I can give up on everything that I cling onto; let go of the pressure and stress and just simply luxuriate in the sites flying past me. All the while I congratulated myself on striking up a conversation with an interesting stranger, reminded myself to talk to more strangers, not to let my prejudices rule me and to give people a chance. To be continued in issue 3…

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Interval Resistance Ancient Remedies and Training – Maximum Modern Cures Results in Minimum Time How to avoid a cold

By John Mulry

As a Fitness professional I have heard every excuse, reason or obstacle that holds people back from getting in great shape. Often one of the biggest barriers for many of my clients is a lack of time, and I’m sure it’s the same with you. It has never been a lack of desire. But with today’s exceptionally busy and hectic college schedules; fitness, health and working out too often take a back seat. This needn’t be the case however, as there is a way to stay active without wasting hours in the gym – interval training. Interval training is simply alternating periods of work with periods of rest. Studies on interval training have showed that when it came down to it, interval training proved nine times more effective at burning fat than any other form of training. One study in particular sparked attention; a 1996

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out cardio. The challenge with Tabata training is it can be very gruelling, and without a high level of intensity the benefits begin to diminish. I model my workout protocols around the study by Dr Tabata. By this I mean the interval timing which I will describe below. But I feel we can improve on the fat loss achieved if we use principles of bodyweight and resistance interval training to maximize the amount of muscle activated in a given time frame and then maximize the after-burn (a brief period after interval training during which your body burns massive amounts of calories, even at rest) with a short 20 minutes of cool down steady state cardio (this is where your “normal” cardio is useful).

Choosing Exercises:

There is an endless supply of movements to choose from when designing a training program. Some work great with this style of interval training while others do not. You should choose movements that fit certain basic criteria: 1. Easy to do 2. L imited or no equipment 3. Minimal space required 4. M a x i m u m m u s c l e group involvement (compound moves) 5. Low injury risk

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You can achieve truly remarkable

results with only your body weight.

study by Dr Izumi Tabata showed that four minutes of specifically timed intervals substantially improved both aerobic and anaerobic capacity above and beyond what was seen in a group exercising for 60 minutes. This means both increased fat loss and muscle gain over traditional drawn

A d m i t t e d l y, s o m e moves do not fit all the criteria. Take a bicep curl for example; in my list of requirements above it covers 1, 2, 3 and 5 but not 4. On top of that, given that it does not stimulate much muscle mass, it doesn’t work for our purposes. A power clean uses almost every muscle there is, but

as it is a relatively difficult movement to teach it violates requirements 1 and 5; thus is also not a great choice for us. Here are some sample exercises that fit all criteria: squats, push-ups, lunges, rows, mountain climbers or jumping jacks.

Equipment You Need:

One of the great things about this type of training is that you do not really need any equipment. You can achieve truly remarkable results with only your body weight. That said, workouts can be included that use dumbbells, some that use a band and an occasional jump rope. All of these can add to your results, but none of which are what I would call essential.

Maximizing Your Results:

Choose two exercises – for example, squats and push-ups. The workout protocol will be 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off for 8 rounds repeated 2-3 times. This combines for a total of 4 minutes for each round, or only 8-12 minutes for the total workout. Sounds simple right? But let me be clear about this: As with most things in life you get out of it what you put in to it; 20 seconds on means you are on 110% effort. Give that 20 seconds all that you have; it doesn’t matter what your level is; do as much as you can in that time frame. The more you put in the more you will get out.

More Info:

If you would like a FREE complete 3 week workout program using the above principles combined with college friendly nutritional guidelines and ‘Jedi Mind Trick’ strategies visit www. ExpectSuccessFitness.com for instant access to my 3 Week Home Fat Loss Transformation Course.

By Kiri Renssen

It has started alreadythe summer is over and sniffle season has officially begun. It’s not always possible to avoid those who have already succumbed to it. We have all been forced at some stage to share breathing space with someone coughing and spluttering; their nose running faster than Usain Bolt only to feel that slight, ominous tickle in our throat and know that we will be the bleary-eyed, miserable snot-pot soon. So, how are we to avoid getting a cold? Should we all be munching on vitamin C tablets and guzzling Echinacea tinctures? Is this cold-prevention/remedy malarkey worthwhile or are we all buying into fantastic marketing?

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Echinacea Purpurea Maxima. Photo by Ulf Eliasson.

several research papers has found that vitamin C does not stop you from getting a cold and it’s therapeutic effects once you’ve already caught the sniffles are slim to none. However it has been repeatedly found to have a modest prophylactic effect in reducing the duration and severity of

In the first century A.D., Pliny the Younger advised people to

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kiss “the hairy muzzle of a mouse” to combat a cold.

Wrap up warm or you’ll catch your death!” Turns out our mums were right (what’s new!?) and here’s the physiology behind it. Our airways are lined by microscopic hairs called cilia that beat together to shift mucus up and out of our respiratory tract. Think of it as a microscopic Mexican wave in your airways with the viruses and bacteria that get caught in the mucus crowd-surfing their way along the cilia up to your mouth where you swallow and send them to their death in the acidic pit that is your stomach. Cold air hampers the movement of cilia and so the nasties in the mucus have more time to do their dastardly deeds. This is why we tend to catch colds more often during autumn and winter. It would appear that the great, cold-busting vitamin C is not all it’s cracked up to be. Meta- analysis of

symptoms (runny nose and cough in particular). Essentially, once you’ve got a cold you’re in a spot of bother but if you’ve been taking your vitamin C regularly you won’t suffer as much nor as long. Echinacea has long been touted as a wonder herb for treating and preventing the common cold. However there isn’t such a thing as a bog-standard Echinacea preparation as different species of Echinacea, different parts of the herb and different manufacturing processes result in vastly differing products. There is some evidence to suggest that the aerial parts of the plant may be useful but results are inconsistent. A metaanalysis of 16 research papers found that taking Echinacea for 8-12 weeks had no clear effect on preventing a cold. It did find that taking a product

based on Echinacea Purpurea might be effective in reducing the severity and duration of symptoms once a cold has started. At least modern treatments are relatively inoffensive. Cold treatments back in the day have not been too pleasant. Hippocrates believed that the bunged-up feeling from a head-cold was caused by a build-up of waste matter on your brain, and used to bleed people suffering from a cold. The ancient Chinese nibbled on bear gallbladders. In the first century A.D., Pliny the Younger advised people to kiss “the hairy muzzle of a mouse” to combat a cold. Oh, I laughed when I read that. You likely chortled at it too. We all scoffed at those silly Romans kissing mice. Tch! What next!? But really we’re not so different. It would appear that those of us who reach for vitamin C or Echinacea once a cold has started, have been using a placebo all along. So what vitamin C and Echinacea do for people with colds now was exactly what smooching mice did for Pliny and his mates in 1 A.D. Essentially, don’t waste your money on vitamin C and Echinacea once you’ve got a cold; take them regularly instead to make your bout as quick and painless as possible. If all else fails, you can try bear gallbladders and pecking mice as placebos!

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NUI Galway Rugby Juniors Grab Win In Thriller NUIG Juniors 34–29 Connemara RFC By Mark Kelly NUI Galway Rugby Club’s Junior Team got their season off to a flyer with a deserved win in an enthralling game against Connemara RFC. After the disappointment of relegation last season, the junior squad was looking to pick themselves up and bounce straight back into Division 2 of the J1 Category. However, they were pushed all the way by a good Connemara team, hungry

to go up themselves this year. The match was very nip and tuck for the first few minutes, with both teams contesting for possession and withstanding early pressure. However, it was Connemara who had the chance to draw first blood after a spell of good inter-play and possession led to a penalty. Their hard work went unrewarded though when the kick drifted wide. NUIG started to boss proceedings then, and finally went in after a thundering run by David

Ryan followed by a beautiful offload to Stephen Dwyer took him to the corner for the game’s first score. Connemara got back into it with an extremely well worked try, but the University Juniors hit back with another amazing, powerful run by David Ryan, this time finding Max Sale to touchdown. NUI Galway were starting to dominate, and man-of-the-match David Ryan was once again involved in the college’s third try when he offloaded to outside centre Alastair Baird. Connemara were shell-shocked,

and needed a response quickly. That’s exactly what they got when they worked their way up the field to crash down over NUI’s try line to get themselves back into the game. However, the tired bodies of the countrymen were showing, and the NUIG Junior’s started to dominate the scrum and the breakdown, which lead to Tony Hall going over for a try, ensuring the bonus point for the team. Connemara found energy from somewhere to get their number 8 over the line, keeping them in touching distance of a

great win. But it wasn’t to be. NUI, inspired by their forward line, began to dominate once again. Alastair Baird held off two men to crash over their line for his second try of the day. Michael Roche went over to secure victory for the juniors, before Connemara scored a try in the last seconds to ensure a well deserved losing bonus point. However, the day was NUI Galway’s, and an impressive performance should have them full of confidence and hopeful of getting to Division 2 again.

‘Be Active’ and have a Healthy Body and Mind at the Kingfisher Club NUI Galway The worries and stresses of everyday college life can sometimes stick with you long after your day of study is done. Exercise after a stressful day is the perfect natural therapy that can lift your mood instantly. Exercise and being active are known for their production of feel good hormones which improve your mood and create a natural high. Exercise can also boost your self esteem, helps you meet new people and improve your health.

The Kingfisher Fitness Club NUI Galway in support of the SU Mental Health Week are organising a series of Free Events all this week from the 1st-5th October to create awareness and demonstrate how the benefits of being active through physical activity can benefit both the body and mind. The Kingfisher Free ‘Be Active’ Mental Health Awareness Events taking place throughout the week include the following fun activities which are open to everyone to

participate in from students and staff to those simply looking for something to do! This Monday October 1st, at 12 noon showcases a Basketball Shoot Out Showdown where you can work on your three pointer shot or even if you are a novice to simply try a sport perhaps your have not tried before. Taking place on Tuesday at 5pm in their Sports Hall there is an Open Zumba Class For All where everyone is invited to

partake in our fun Latin inspired dance workout this will suit all fitness levels from the nonexistent through to fitness fanatics! Wednesday at 5pm brings a Monster Circuits Challenge to the sports hall where a series of fun interval workouts will be completed by everyone getting energy levels soaring. At 1pm on Thursday the Kingfisher Superstar Challenge will take place where you will be encouraged to beat your personal best at sit up, push

ups and squat challenges, maybe you will even beat the instructor! As a highlight to their week and Grand Finale, taking place on Friday afternoon from 2pm is a Friday Fives Indoor Soccer Tournament where everyone is welcome to participate in this friendly mini tournament. For those interested in outdoor sports, the Kingfisher Clubs’ two state of the art floodlit synthetic Soccer Cages will be open for use at no cost all week between the hours of 4pm and 6pm. Running alongside all these events is a manned SU Mental Health week ‘Be Active’ stand located at the front of the Kingfisher Club premises all week where you can ask any questions which you might have about Mental Health Awareness along with some fun games, competitions and music provided by Flirt Fm with a daily live broadcast taking place from the Kingfisher Club premises. Showers are available for use in our facilities free of charge after all events. There are also extra bus services available both to and from Dangan Pavilion every 30 minutes on Monday to Thursday from 5.45pm-9.15pm. So what are you waiting for? Discover a physical activity at the SU Mental Health Week supported by the Kingfisher Club that you enjoy which suits your level of mobility and fitness. ‘Be Active’ at the Kingfisher Club and look after your Body, Mind and Wellbeing. For more information on the Kingfisher Club NUI facilities or membership please log onto their website at www. kingfisherclub.com or find them on Facebook.

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County Colours Night in the College Bar By Áine O Donnell The College Bar was packed full of red, green and yellow on Thursday 20 September as Donegal and Mayo fans celebrated their counties’ success ahead of the hotly anticipated All-Ireland Final clash on Sunday 23 September. Organised by the NUI Galway Gaelic Football Club, fans enjoyed an evening of music and friendly banter before the big game. The College Bar was decorated with flags and bunting from Donegal, Mayo and Galway and fans were provided with face paint upon entering the bar. Galway and Donegal natives were pitted against each other in several challenges including a lovely ladies contest and sandwich-making competition. The rivalry heated up when the DJ played each counties’ signature song: “The

Green and Red of Mayo” by the Saw Doctors and “Las Vegas in the Hills of Donegal” by Goats Don’t Shave. Donegal fans continued the sing-song long after the DJ had finished his set with the county’s new anthem “Jimmy’s Winning Matches” which is climbing up the Irish charts. Members of the NUI Galway Gaelic Football team were selling raffle tickets on the night for two of the most coveted tickets in GAA history: tickets to the All-Ireland Football final. Once students had bought a raffle ticket they were provided with a headband in the county colours of their choice. The tickets were won by a Mayo fan which was met with both cheers from the Mayo crowd and jealous looks from everyone else. The Donegal and Mayo supporters were not alone as GAA fans country-wide

donned their jerseys for the sake of county pride with the crowd representing Meath, Tipperary, Clare, Galway and a lone Dublin fan doing laps of the College Bar. The party continued in the Bentley nightclub as tickets sold for County Colours night allowed ticketholders to gain entry into the Bentley before 11:30. The nightclub was very busy with fans turning out in their hundreds to support their county. The NUI Galway Gaelic Football club were pleased with how successful the event was and have ensured another night in due course as stated on the event’s page on Facebook. Even though Sam went to the Hills of Donegal rather than the green grass of Mayo, County Colours night was certainly a winner among NUI Galway students.

There’s Always Next Year… Mark Higgins It’s the hope that kills you. A stream of All-Ireland defeats might become bearable if you come to accept them, if you stop yourself from embracing the atmosphere, believing that maybe, just maybe this could be the one. Hope is a dangerous thing for a Mayo supporter. The familiar sickening feeling that follows an AllIreland defeat has returned. Mayo were soundly beaten by an excellent Donegal team, undone in 12 frantic minutes at the start of the game. Seven points in arrears before their first score, the Mayo players showed commendable courage and character to rally and force Donegal into a contest, but, in reality, never seemed like bridging the early gap. Donegal were devastating, particularly in those opening minutes, immediately identifying Michael Murphy’s height advantage over Kevin Keane and sending a succession of long balls towards their captain. The first two

were cleared and over-hit, respectively. The third was caught and smashed into the roof of the Mayo net. Gruesome mental images of Kerry’s blitzkrieg start to the 2006 final crossed the mind. But this Mayo team seemed different to their predecessors; tighter and meaner, less reliant on individual stars and more focused on a collective work ethic. Colm McFadden tapped over a free; still no need to panic. Then he pounced on sloppy Mayo defending after the ball ricocheted off the upright and slotted it past David Clarke. Mayo responded well to the early onslaught, and had the deficit pegged back to three points at halftime, but Donegal never looked like they would be surrendering their advantage. They were alert in defence, clinical in attack and, above all, hungry to win every ball that came their way. Jim McGuinness’ charges were undoubtedly the best team in the 2012 championship, and they deserve their Celtic

Crosses. The transformation from last year’s team of dour, defence-obsessed players into this year’s potent attacking threat has been nothing short of mesmeric. If doubts still remain over Donegal’s tactics, consider the fact that their two early goals were just the third and fourth conceded by a locktight Mayo defence this summer. Where the muchvaunted Dublin forward line failed, Donegal had succeeded twice before Mayo could come up for breath. Those early goals were killer blows, and while Mayo outscored Donegal by 13 points to 10 after McFadden’s strike, the Ulster champions were confident enough to ride their lead to the county’s first All-Ireland in twenty years. As for Mayo, well, there’s always next year. That’s the general consensus and with an average squad age of only 23, there might well be some merit to it. Enough to fuel that horrible hope through another winter at least.

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The NUIG/GMIT SubConnacht 34 – 9 Leinster Aqua Club: Celebrating 50 Years Underwater! Mark Higgins in the Sportsgrounds

By Martin Timoney and Christie O’Toole Founded in 1962, the NUIG/GMIT Sub-Aqua Club is one of the oldest scuba dive clubs in the country. The UCG Diving Society was formed primarily by staff members of the then University College Galway. In the 1990s, the Club formed an alliance with what was then the Regional Technical College, Galway, and when both colleges later changed their names the Club assumed its current mantle, the NUIG/ GMIT Sub-Aqua Club. Over the years, the Club has grown from strength to strength, and in 2003 was named by Comhairle FoThuinn (CFT), the agency with which the Club affiliates itself and trains under, as the largest training Club in the country, with more trainee certificates issued than any other CFT club in Ireland. The Club maintains this success with a large number of current students, staff and alumni joining each year. Every year the NUIG/ GMIT Sub-Aqua Club holds a 30-Hour Charity Fundraiser Dive with all proceeds donated to local charities and groups involved in water safety. The fundraiser takes place in the Ocean Tank of the Galway Atlantaquaria in Salthill, where divers from the Club cumulatively spend 30 hours in the 3.5m-deep tank in one hour time slots. All money

Male Cuckoo Wrasse at St Johns Point by Mindaugas Norkus, NUIG/GMIT SAC raised this year was divided between the Galway RNLI station and the Search and Recovery Unit of Galway Sub-Aqua Club, two very important organisations for anyone partaking in on-water activities. The Dive was officially opened by Mayor Terry O’Flaherty and the first diver entered the tank at 11a.m. on Saturday, July 14th. 30 hours later, at 5p.m. the next day, the final diver surfaced to complete the Dive. The fundraiser was an overwhelming success, raising over €1,600 for the two organisations, with the money coming from bucket collections at the dive, sponsorship collected by the divers and generous online donations. The Club thanks all those who took part and especially all who donated so generously to such good causes. We hope to see you all again next year! June 2012 saw a major milestone for the Club

Sea Anemone at Coral Beach, Carraroe by Joe Hyland, NUIG/GMIT SAC

with the arrival of the new Rigid Inflatable Boat, Alice Perry. In 2009, work began on raising funds to purchase a new offshore class Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) for the Club, to allow greater access to some of the region’s fantastic offshore dive sites. In late 2011, after many applications and presentations, the NUI Galway Students Project Fund granted the remaining funds required to purchase a new RIB. With funds now secured work began on deriving a final specification for the new RIB to suit the Club’s needs. With the advice and help provided by experienced members within the Club and other clubs from across the country, the specification was completed in February 2012, and the order placed for a new 6.5m XS-650 RIB with Sean Lyons of the RIB Centre in Cork. The new RIB is named after Alice Perry, the first female engineer to graduate from NUI Galway in 1906. Alice graduated with a first class honours degree in civil engineering and was the first female to graduate with an engineering degree in Ireland or the UK or possibly the world. Alice went on to hold the position of County Surveyor for Galway, where her work included the inspection of Galway’s piers, before later moving to London and eventually Boston. To mark the arrival of Alice Perry at the end of June

A packed Sportsground played host to a magnificent Connacht victory in Rabo Pro 12 on Friday night, as the home side outscored the European champions by five tries to none to on a perfect evening for rugby. Leinster led after five minutes, with Ian Madigan converting a penalty after Eoin McKeon was judged to have gone into the rook off his feet. The visitors were applying all the early pressure and looked menacing out wide, with Fionn Carr lively on his return to the Sports grounds. Connacht’s first meaningful excursion into Leinster territory came via the line-out, with a string of phases culminating in Michael Swift crashing across the line. A consul-

tation with the video ref returned a verdict of no try, but Connacht opened their account from the resulting scrum. Kieran Marmion fed the ball to Dan Parks, who in turn teed up Dave McSharry to burst through a gap in the Leinster defence and touch down. Parks tapped the conversion and Connacht led. Leinster responded well through a beautifullystruck Madigan penalty, but Connacht were growing into the game, and had their second try after 23 minutes. A sweeping move ended with Robbie Henshaw putting Fetu’u Vainikolo into space down the left flank, and the Tongan made no mistake in finishing brilliantly from 40 yards out. Connacht were dominating, and the visitors were unable to gain any

foothold in the game. The third try came on the 36-minute mark, with Tiernan O’Halloran racing in to score in the corner. Parks missed the conversion, but the home side were inspired. A Parks penalty split the sticks to conclude the half with a 16-point lead for Connacht, who were roared off the pitch by the elated home support. The crowd had to wait until the 75th minute until the first score of the second half. A Connacht line-out deep in Leinster territory allowed the home side to establish a maul, with the excellent George Naoupu driving over for the try. They had another moments later, Ronan Loughney receiving the ball on the end of the line-out to go over unopposed. Miah Nikora added the extras to top off a famous win.

Sean Lyons (RIB Centre, Cork) and Martin Timoney (NUIG/GMIT SAC) with other Club members involved in the procurement (Photo Aengus McMahon) 2012, an official launch was held in NUIG with members of the NUIG/GMIT SAC, NUI Galway dignitaries and staff, the Galway RNLI and other local diving Clubs and divers in attendance. Alice Perry was officially launched by Dr Pat Morgan, Vice President of the Student Experience at NUIG and was blessed by Fr. Diarmuid Hogan, the NUIG Chaplain. The Club dives locally on a regular basis to such sites as Coral Beach, Bothar Bui and Killary Fjord. Larger weekend trips also

take place to dive sites all along the west coast, from Donegal to Cork. The club also provides safety boat cover at a number of marine events, such as the Volvo Ocean Race finale, which came to Galway in July, and local triathlons. The Club is open to all current students, alumni or staff of NUI Galway or Galway Mayo Institute of Technology and training starts each year in September. In a second major milestone this year, 2012 marks the Club’s 50th Anniver-

sary and to celebrate the event it is hosting a black tie gala ball in the Galway Bay Hotel on Saturday, the 27th of October. We hope as many past members from the Club will be able to attend what will be a wonderful night of festivities! For further information on the NUIG/GMIT SubAqua Club and on how to join, please visit our website at www.galwaydiving. com. There you can also sign up to receive information about the gala ball and purchase tickets.

FuTSAL Indoor soccer at the Kingfisher Club

Mondays 8–10pm

Starts soon! Limited to 32 teams. €40.00 per squad of 8.

Great Great Prizes! For further info contact Kevin Cassidy. E-mail: nuigcages@kingfisherclub.com Or text Kevin: 0861772589 Or visit: www.otc.nuigalway.ie

5-ASIDE SYNTHETIC PITCHES Cages for hire – Students & Staff

€20 PEr Hour

Located at Corrib Village For further info: contact Kevin Cassidy Email: nuigcages@kingfisherclub.com Text Kevin: 0861772589 Or visit www.otc.nuigalway.ie Kevin Cassidy is the facilitator for all your recreational soccer. Most capped player for Galway United, Manager/Coach with Galway District League.

{30} 14–02

S ports & F itness

{sin} 01–10

NUIG Success at Irish Rowing Championships By Patrick Higgins After a grueling winter’s training, NUI Galway’s Boat Club was well placed to tackle the summer’s regatta season. Training increased, and the athletes responded accordingly. Following successes across the country and a string of high quality finishes in the London Metropolitan Regatta, confidence was high travelling down to the Irish National Championships held at the National Rowing Centre in Cork. Gráinne Mhaol/NUIG produced a stunning second half performance to take gold in the senior 8s– the blue reband event of Irish rowing. The big face-off between the men from the old boys’ club of NUIG and Queen’s University did not disappoint. These two, highly experienced crews quickly found themselves

ahead of the pack, in clear water, with only each other to compete with. The two crews were stuck together until the 1250 metre mark, when the Galway cox, Ruadhan Cooke, called for a push and found a response. When Queen’s came back strong with 250 metres left, Cooke called again and his crew met him with a tremendous surge which carried them to the line, 1.78 seconds ahead of their rivals. This win was followed by an equally impressive triumph in the men’s senior 4’s, produced by the Gráinne Mhaol crew of Dave Mannion, Alan Martin, Cormac Folan and James Wall. Both these championships are a testament to and embody the spirit of the long-serving NUIG coach, Tom Tuohy, who died last year. The women’s novice 4+ proved the highlight of the Friday session. NUIG had a fast

start and found themselves amongst the pack after the first 500 metres, still in contention for the podium. Stroked by Mary Murphy, the rising stars of NUIG rowing powered down the track at thirty-four strokes a minute. Despite debilitating lactate levels, the girls broke free and made the sprint for home with less than 500 metres to row. Crossing the line in first position and retaining the Women’s Novice 4+ title was a great achievement for the club and pays testament to the women’s novice program. Great passion and experience was on show throughout the women’s double sculls final. NUIG had an excellent start but were unable to hold their lead, and by the first 500m mark the double of Skibbereen were in the lead. NUIG had one of the fastest qualifying times from the

previous day‘s heats, and were confident of a strong finish. But the line came all too quick for Cliona Hurst and Aifric Keogh. Despite a heroic second half, they were unable to close the gap.

“

remainder of the race and a final charge from both crews coming into the finish line left both the crowd and the crews themselves unsure of who had claimed gold. It was then announced that Trinity had pipped NUIG

Stroked by Mary Murphy, the rising

”

stars of NUIG rowing powered down the track at thirty-four strokes a minute.

The closest result of the 2012 Irish National Rowing Championships came in the men’s intermediate 4‘s, in the battle between two crews – Trinity University BC and NUIG BC. These two crews battled down the 2,000m course, with NUIG just pushing ahead of Trinity at the half-way point. But it remained stoke-for-stroke for the

by mere fractions of a second in a photo finish. Tensions were high going into the pair’s final, as Galway’s Men’s Intermediate 8’s also found themselves silver medallists despite a respectable performance. The men’s intermediate pair saw an all-out battle amongst the finalists, with only inches between the crews at the halfway mark. Lee Valley BC appeared favourites reach the line first but in the final 800m of the race the order changed, with NUIG’s, Conor Egan and Richard Bennett managing to squeeze past into a commanding lead. Both final year students appear bright prospects for Irish rowing. NUIG BC also found success internationally with two if its rowers, Sean O’Connor and Eddie Mullarkey representing Ireland at Under-23 level. In July, along with two others, they managed to place 11th at the world championships in Lithuania. The pair found further success while finishing 7th at the University Games held at a rather windy course in Russia’s capital of sport, Kazan. Both rowers are determined to retain their seats in the 4 and are confident heading into the first round of trials in November. The future looks bright for NUIG Boat Club as athletes from across all levels, from novice to senior, have taken to continuing the college’s winning tradition. This season brings another chance to prove themselves both domestically and further afield.

{sin}

F inal Word

14–02

Guy 1: Yeah...you could do a LOT with a kilo of chocolate... Guy 2: Really could....

Overheard in NUI Galway Kevin Banks: Front row of Neil Delamere: Neil, random question: "So, Cian, what do ya

put in your ears to get rid of wax?" Cian: "I dunno sure... I do arts..."

NUI Galway Memes

David Molloy While queuing for a lecture: "You know, I don't think I ever named one of my farts before."

Ciara Sloyan: Two Dublin guys sitting beside me in Smokey’s:

by Conor Stitt

Paul Abberton: Two girls in Smokey’s: Girl 1: So how are you finding your new diet? Girl 2: Oh, I really like it.... Apart from the starvation.

Henry Roberts: Girl walking outside the library to her friends: "Girls, I swear he must think I have the menstrual cycle of a jackass."

Eoin Mangan: In Kirwan for Skills to Succeed when a phone rings. Lecturer: "Is it Arthur? I'll feckin kill that Arthur..."

Eoin O’Connor: “I think I’m getting fatter from going to the gym.”

Book 2

Sudoku

Book 2Challenging Sudoku Puzzles by KrazyDad

Sudoku #1

Sudoku#1 #2 Sudoku

Sudoku Sudoku#1 #2

4 7 6 2 9 8 5 3 6 4 2 9 7 1 4 9

4 2 7 4

9 1 8 7 5 2 9 2 8 3 3 9 6 5 6 2

3 8 1 26 5 1 4 6 27 89 6 99 2 6 2 9 7 2 7 81 9 3 1 9 44 2 8 4 4 52 33 3 9 8 39 8

9 8 4 94 66 7 11 4 7 2 2

3 5 4 5 9 64 1 7 4 8 36 1 7 1 9 36 7 2 64 5

5 4 7

Sudoku#3 #4 Sudoku

9 1

2 8 6 7 2

31 3 86 5 9 7 4 8 1 6 2 6 7 1 9 6 2 98 49 4 1 9 9 4 4 2 4 8 8 5 82 3 4 2 1 76

2 2 4 8 3 8 5 6 6 9

Intermediate Sudoku Puzzles by KrazyDad

Sudoku #2

9 2 86 53 9 9 8 4 3 75 7 5 2 19 8 5 4 7 8 3

4 8 5 6 1 7 3 4 5 6 3 3

2 7 2 7 8 5 1 7 3 5 2

I don't have to take this abuse from you -- I've got hundreds of people Offences ought to be pardoned, for few offend willingly, but as they are waiting to abuse me. compelled by come affection. --Bill Murray, "Ghostbusters" -- Hegesippus

Sudoku #3

01–10

Jonathan Ryan: Going past the Engineering building, I heard one lad say to another “Man, I'm a peacock. LET ME FLY!”

Book 2

Easy Sudoku Puzzles by KrazyDad

{31}

Sudoku Sudoku#3 #4

"Art is the most beautiful of all lies." -- Claude Debussy

Sudoku #4

36 4 2 5 6 3 7 5 8 5 1 3 1 4

7 2

5 6

3 4 2

1 3 6 5 4 7 3 1 4

Picture this

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