Sin Issue 2 Volume 15

News

INSIDE Hailo and drinkaware.ie launch Get Home Safe Campaign

2

Galway moves up three places in the QS Rankings

4

Should the Seanad be abolished?

8

Yes Equals Sex!

Features

Free Student Newspaper | VOL 15, ISSUE 2 | 30 SEP 2013

is and how important it really is,” he added.

“University is a time in life when people learn a lot about sexual relationships and sexuality. Students

NUI Galway students fight for their future at Sligo march

By Jenna Hodgins Fight for Your Future is a national student campaign organised by the Union of Students of Ireland (USI) to protect the future of third level students in Irish institutions.

The aims of the campaign are to fight the government for a National Jobs Plan for students, to invest in the European Youth Guarantee whilst leaving the grants and fees alone.

A call for fairer postgraduate loan schemes has been made alongside the campaign in a Pre-Budget Submission.

Regional protests have been arranged to take place on the National Day of Action, October 1, in Sligo, Dublin and Cork.

The aim of these marches is to protest against the widening gap between the cost of education and the supports available to students.

Above all, the marches will demonstrate the solidarity of Irish third-level institutions and their student body. NUI Galway will be part of the Sligo march.

Maintenance grant rates have been cut and thresholds raised over the past four consecutive budgets. The minster for education, Ruairi Quinn, is said to be under pressure to save €40 million in the coming 2014 budget.

Rumours say that over €6 million is set to be saved from the maintenance grant, alongside other student supports including the Back to Education Allowance. Student supports are likely to be cut once again for the fifth year in a row.

The USI began campaigning online and on-campus in September, urging students to take part in five stages.

“There may have been an impression in the past that students made a lot of noise but didn’t back it up at the ballot box. That ends now,” says USI President, Joe O'Connor.

Firstly, students were encouraged to sign up to SERD (Student Electoral Registration Drive), the USI's new voter registration database.

Continued on page 2…

Continued on page 2…

Arts sport

NUI Galway Students’ Union have launched a new media campaign on sexual consent. The Y=S campaign was launched on Tuesday 17 September.

Created by alumnus George Kaar, ‘Yes Equals Sex’ takes a positive approach to sexual experiences, while also highlighting that sex must always be consensual, and describing what exactly that means. “ The objective of Y=S is to encourage people to see consent as something that is every bit as essential to any and every sexual experience as something like contraception. It’s one of those things that’s taken for granted in sex education, but it really shouldn’t be, when you consider how many people think that there are grey areas,” said Mr Kaar.

“We aim to clarify those grey areas, to make people aware of what consent

come to college to develop as people, and part of that development process should include encouraging better and healthier attitudes to sex.”

A new approach to tackling sexual assault in Irish Universities is especially timely in the wake of the ‘Say Something’ report on sexual assault published by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) this month It included worrying statistics that 16% of students had suffered an unwanted sexual experience while in third level, and only 3% of rape victims reported to the Gardaí.

Posters will be the main element of the campaign. There are several different posters, each with a different focus on essential elements of sexual consent that have a reputation for being subject to mitigation.

“This is an important initiative that is being launched by the SU. Tackling the stigma that exists about rape culture and informing students that rape isn’t always [like] the violent scenes that are pictured on TV. Rape is simply sex without consent,” SU President Sean Kearns told Sin last week.

Final Word

By Isabella De Luca

Lifestyle

New sexual consent campaign launched by SU

Jeremy Irons lacking steel

12

Zombies Descend on Shop Street

14

Tutorial: Fishtail Braid

20

Style Spotter

21

Paula Meehan elected into Ireland Chair of Poetry

27

Review: My Home is Your Home

28

The Battle for Manchester

33

Ronaldo vs Bale

33

Diary of the Smokey’s Pigeon

35

The fifth annual Zombie Walk took place in Galway recently. Check out page 14 to see more photos.

2 News

Sin Vol. 15 Issue 1

NUI Galway opens its doors for Autumn Open Days NUI Galway will hold their annual Open Days on Friday 4 October and Saturday 5 October. The Open Days will provide an opportunity for prospective students to talk to NUI Galway students and staff, explore the campus and its facilities, and find out more about courses of interest.

Friday's Open Day on 4 October will run from 9am to 3pm and is aimed at school groups, although individuals are also welcome to attend.

Running from 10am to 3pm, Saturday's Open Day on 5 October is for students thinking about university along with their parents and families.

The Open Days are expected to attract some 8,000 visitors and are tailored towards Leaving Certificate and mature students who are interested in studying at NUI Galway. Parents, guardians and teachers are also invited on campus to sample life at university.

With over 60 degree pro-

grammes on offer at NUI Galway, lecturers and students will be on hand at more than 80 exhibition stands to answer questions on courses, CAO points, employability, and career progression routes.

Many of the newer courses at the University have been designed to be responsive to the changing needs of the employment market and meet the needs of the Smart Economy.

Mature students are also welcome to attend the Open Days to meet with current mature students and lecturers and to learn more about the third-level options available to them.

This year’s Open Days include a dedicated talk for mature students, highlighting the wide range of support available at the University.

NUI Galway has currently over 900 Mature Students studying across all degree programmes and make up approximately 16% of the

student undergraduate population.

Trish Bourke, NUI Galway Mature Students Officer, said: “Embarking on third-level education can be quite a challenge for many mature students.

Some may have been out of formal education for some time but it is important to highlight that mature students still perform very well academically each year with 30 mature scholarships awarded for excellence in September 2013.

“Open Day is the opportune time to meet with lecturers and find out all you need to know before applying through the CAO.” The Saturday Open Day also includes a Parents’ Programme including an introduction to the University life and a panel information session on key issues such as fees, funding, accommodation, as well as looking ahead to the jobs market for graduates.

The Open Days will feature a

mix of taster sessions and short lectures to provide a feel for university life. Events will include hands-on science workshops, interactive demonstrations with cameras, media equipment and podcasts, an expert panel to talk about jobs for Arts students, and interactive sessions with IT systems and robotics.

Commenting on the importance of the NUI Galway Open Days, Caroline Loughnane, Director of Marketing and Communications, says: “Choosing a university is one of the most important decisions a student will ever make. Parents play a key role in supporting students as they take this important next step.

“Open Day is the perfect opportunity for parents to ensure they have access to all of the information they need to support sons and daughters through their university career.

We are encouraging anyone with an interest in studying at NUI Galway to come along,

talk to our lecturers and current students, find out about the courses, check out the facilities and decide for yourself whether NUI Galway feels right for you.”

During the Open Days, tours of the campus will allow prospective students to visit the Engineering Building, the largest of its kind in Ireland; state-of the-art sports complex

and gym, home to 45 student sports clubs; and Áras na Mac Léinn, the base for over 100 student societies. Tours of the University library and student accommodation will also be available to visitors on the day.

For further details on NUI Galway Open Days, or to view the full programme, visit http:// www.nuigalway.ie/opendays/.

Visiting NUI Galway ahead of the Autumn Open Days, which take place from 4-5 October, are students from St Enda’s College, Galway City (l-r): Shane Kelly, Conor Elliot, John Ugwu, Alice O'Donnell and Sorcha Whyte. Photo by Iain Shaw

Yes Equals Sex! New sexual consent campaign launched by SU Continued from page 1…

“I hope to see these striking posters across campus and also spread to the clubs and pubs in town to act as a constant reminder that consent should be ongoing, enthusiastic anc always, always present,” he added.

There are no excuses for sexual assault, or situations in which it can be considered defensible. A yes must always be ‘Enthusiastic’, ‘Ongoing’ and ‘Sober’.

Consent has to be enthusiastically given. It is always your responsibility to ensure that your partner is comfort-

able with everything that you are doing. Sex that is forced or coerced is rape.

If a person withdraws their consent at any time, you are obliged to stop, no matter how turned on you are. Consent for one sexual act does not mean consent for another.

Similarly, just because you have had sex with someone before does not mean that you are automatically entitled to it again. Sex with a willing partner is ongoing; they are entitled to change their mind at any time.

The relationship between alcohol and sexual violence

is particularly pertinent for college students. The Rape and Justice in Ireland report, published in 2009, found that alcohol was present in the majority of rape complaints in the country.

Alcohol is the most common drug used to facilitate sexual assault. The USI’s ‘Say Something’ survey found that 63% of victims were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.

Y=S emphasises that even though sexual activity while intoxicated is considered the norm among students, sex with someone who is too drunk to consent is always

rape. It is vital to obtain a sober yes before having sex.

A significant aspect of the posters is that the models are of diverse gender and sexual orientation, emphasising that the message of consent is relevant to everybody.

The language of the campaign is gender neutral; in contrast to other campaigns that explicitly target men, such as ‘Don’t be that Guy’.

Y=S aims not to alienate the intended audience but to spread information about consent in a positive, affirmative way.

Y=S leaflets will be on display in the Student

Health Unit and health information points on campus as part of the campaign.

Messages of consent will also be attached to the free condoms available in the Students’ Union office.

Campus Garda Liaison Officer Norah Brady, who was present at the launch, was very supportive of the university taking a stand on the issue of consent.

“I think the campaign is an excellent way of helping people understand that consent means a variety of things,” she said.

“The number one message is that no means no.

If there’s alcohol on board, as often happens, it’s not really consent. If that person isn’t fully in control of themselves they don’t have consent to give. Most importantly, always remember to respect one another in sexual situations.”

Mr Kaar hopes that success in NUI Galway will pave the way for other third level institutions around the country to pick up the campaign.

He is currently in negotiations with WIT, DCU, DKIT and the USI. For more information on Y=S, visit http://www.yesequalssex.com.

NUI Galway students fight for their future at Sligo march Continued from page 1…

The intention is to have more and more students register to use their vote and make the government recognise students as another vote in the ballot box.

Secondly, students were asked to share their experiences of third-level education cuts with their local TD via deardeputy.ie, a website run by the USI especially for this campaign.

Stories that have been shared include the toll financial

pressure has taken on families, student welfare and general well-being of those affected.

The main event takes place on the National Day of Action, where colleges across the country will unite at their designated march location and protest against these austerity measures that are targeting students in Ireland.

“Decisions made by [the] Government in the upcoming Budget could have potentially dire consequences for students and their families.

76,600 students depend on maintenance grants to support them through college.

These students and their parents form a voting block of approximately 214,480 voters across every constituency, enough to have a decisive say in the outcome of any election,” said Mr O'Connor at the launch of the campaign.

Currently, the average level of the maintenance grant gives a student €84 per week. This is €16 less than the lowest rate of Jobseekers Allowance and

another €60 below the weekly average cost of living.

This financial strain leaves many students under pressure to afford to live whilst attending a third level institution.

Not only does this campaign focus on the current student, but it targets past and future graduates. In 2012, over 200 people emigrated per day and a shocking 120,000 young people aged between 15 and 24 have left Ireland in the last four years.

Now, more than 50% of cur-

rent students feel pressured to emigrate after they've completed their degree, which is no surprise considering the 30% youth unemployment rate and that includes recent graduates with relevant honours degrees.

The campaign website includes an animated infographic containing horrifying statistics compiled by the ‘Cost of College’ survey: 84% of families struggle to meet the cost of third level education; a massive 18,500 students worry about dropping out due to financial

problems and even 43% of mature students describe their financial situation as “difficult”.

Personal testimonies of students who have been affected mentally and physically with the financial strain they've suffered can also be found on the infographic.

Information about the campaign can still be found on usi. ie/yourfuture. Students are to remain strong and willing to protest furthermore after the impending budget which will be released on October 15.

News 3

September 16 2013

Editorial: Have you seen my leprechaun?

By Jessica Thompson It’s been a busy two weeks for Sin – so busy in fact that I’ve barely had time for anything else. Since I spoke to you in issue one, I have been hypnotised by Michael McCoy, I have spoken at a Careers with Media event, I have manned a stall at the Volunteering Fair. But most importantly, I have gathered my minions (also known as my editorial team) and I am training them in the art of sinning to the fullest.

Yes, it’s been a very busy fortnight for Sin and I predict many more busy fortnights in the future.

On Monday 16 September, Michael McCoy graced NUI Galway with his presence. A well-known hypnotist, he managed to place several students under his spell.

I spent most of the show asleep, but my fellow victims were not so lucky.

While I didn’t do anything overly stupid, some of the others were subject to ridicule and mockery.

Poor Louise was convinced that that was his name for the whole show, and don’t get me started on the guy who thought his testicles were talking to one another whenever the hypnotist said the word

‘Facebook’.

Yes, I was very lucky that I wasn’t ordered to do anything ridiculous, like go in search of an inflatable, naked James Bond and perform outrageous acts on him, or dance like a ballerina in an attempt to be the Black Swan, or speak Martian.

In fact, aside from sing into someone’s shoe, ride and invisible motorbike and run around the lecture hall in search of my leprechaun (if anyone knows his whereabouts by the way, please inform me immediately), I got off very lightly.

Now Freshers’ Freshtival is over and it’s time to get stuck in to the real business – college. We’ve covered all the main happenings around NUI Galway, including the launch of the Yes Equals Sex campaign, advocating for consensual sex; the student march which takes place in Sligo or took place in Sligo, depending on what day you read this editorial; the zombie walk which took place in Galway for the fifth year in a row recently.

The changes I have made to the paper this year are coming together nicely. First of all, we have two sports editors, which is great news considering I don’t know one end of a football from the other.

This means our sports section will be a lot better than it was in issue one, with plenty of interesting information.

More excellent content on Sin.ie: The fangirl phenomena: unhealthy obsessions or just teenage infactuaitons?

The Syrian Revolt International Students Embrace Galway GDP: Is it all it’s cracked up to be?

Pat Kenny vs Sean O’Rourke: A Critical Analysis

The Lifestyle section is also coming together nicely, with plenty of articles on fashion, beauty, health and fitness to keep you going until next issue.

I’m particularly proud of the fashion and beauty section, which is packed with photographs.

We’ve brought the much-loved style spotter back. We’ve gather information on body shapes and how to maximise your assets. We’ve got a hair tutorial for you to try out. We’ve even got photographs of the Galway Bloggers Party that took place in the House Hotel recently.

But if fashion and beauty isn’t your thing, don’t worry. We’ve got plenty of interesting features and opinions for you to agree or disagree with.

Our features section is now split in two, with serious, political and opinion pieces at the beginning, and the funnier, more student-life-orientated articles at the end.

I’m very excited about my new editorial team, who are currently learning the ropes and will hopefully be in full swing by next issue.

The team is huge this year, with several people jumping on board to help me out with production, and there’s room for a couple more.

Jenna and Conor are working hard at the news section, with Jenna covering everything campus and local, while Conor scouts

for national and international news that will interest you and keep you informed.

Leigh and Michael are in charge of the Features section, with the serious articles falling on Leigh’s shoulder while Michael looks after the lighthearted stuff.

Ciara is bursting with great ideas for the fashion and beauty that I think will interest anyone with a love for style.

Karen and Tracey are working hard at the arts and entertainment section, with help from Shannon McNamee who is in charge of the online entertainment content.

Finally, we have Céimin and Daragh working in Sin’s sports section, keeping up to date with all the major sporting events around Galway, Ireland and the world.

That’s not all though; we’ve got Val as our new webmaster, and Helen is working as our Creative Writing editor, so if you’ve got any creative words to send in, she’s the girl to talk to!

That’s about it from me this issue. All I can say now is enjoy all the juicy content we’ve got and be sure to check out our website, www. sin.ie, like Sin Newspaper NUI Galway on Facebook and follow @sin_news on Twitter.

Until next time, Jess @Jess__Thompson

Editor in Chief: Jessica Thompson editor@sin.ie Layout: Shannon Reeves | contact via Ed.

News Jenna Hodgins | localnews.sined@gmail.com Conor Lane | nationalnews.sined@gmail.com

Features Leigh Ashmore | opinion.sined@gmail.com Michael Finn | features.sined@gmail.com

Lifestyle Ciara Treacy | fashion.sined@gmail.com

Arts and Entertainment

Tracey Halloran | artsentertainment.sined@gmail.com Karen McDonnell | arts.sined@gmail.com Shannon McNamee | entsonline.sined@gmail.com

Sports Daragh Small | sport.sined@gmail.com Céimin Burke | sport.sined@gmail.com

Creative Writing

Helen Hughes | creativity.sined@gmail.com Webmaster

Valeri Tarassov | web.sined@gmail.com

sinners Leigh Ashmore | Andrew Brennan | Ruth-Ann Browne | Céimin Burke | Ross Cannon | Isabella de Luca | Kathy Dillon |Róisín Eagan | Sinead Farrell | James Falconer | Michael Finn | Ken Glennon | Brian Glynn | Sheila Gorham | Arindam Halder | Tracey Halloran | Peter Hanna | Jenna Hodgins | Mark Kelly | Liam King | Marcus Mac Dhonnagain | Amy McDonnell | Karen McDonnell | Ciarán McGreal | Merryman | Eoin Molloy | John Mulry | Ciara O’Brien | Áine O’Donnell | Kayte O'Malley | Tomás Ó’Siocháin | Marése O'Sullivan | Niamh Prendergast | Rachel Quinlan | Kristina Reynolds | Brian Sheerin | Daragh Small | Jessica Thompson | Móna Wise

sin wants you!

Upcoming Sin Meetings

Sin is looking for people to fill the following positions: Photography Editor Photographers Lifestyle Editor (health and fitness) Lifestyle writers (health, fitness, food, fashion, beauty, etc) Sports writers Online journalists (interested in any category)

Thursday 3 October:

To apply, send a cover letter to editor@sin.ie.

Online Journalism Thursday 10 October: — No Meeting this Week — All Sin meetings will take place at 6pm in AC213 on the Concourse.

Meetings are open to everyone and new members are always welcome!

4 News

Sin Vol. 15 Issue 1

NUI Galway moves up three places in World University Rankings

Galway students have winning formulas

By Áine O Donnell

The winners of the 2013 Undergraduate Awards were announced on September 23.

Once again, Galway students have topped the lists.

From their initial inception, the Undergraduate Awards have expanded in scope to accommodate two groups of student: International students, and those from the island of Ireland.

Consequently, each academic category has a winner from both groups. Academics, drawn from international panels, assess the submissions.

The shortlist was announ­ ced some weeks ago. Galway ­students feature in five categories on this year’s list of Irish winners.

NUI Galway was represented by winners in four categories. In the Classical Studies and Archaeology category, Marcus Byrne won for his paper Inferring Status from Early Bronze

NUI Galway has improved its position in the QS World University rankings by 3 places, moving up to 284 in the rankings for 2013/2014.

NUI Galway and Trinity College Dublin are the only Irish universities to improve on their places in the rankings for this year with Trinity College Dublin placing at 61, a six-place jump from last year.

President of NUI Galway Dr Jim Browne welcomed the

news of the university’s climb in the QS rankings; “this is good news for NUI Galway and further acknowledgement of the developments in teaching and research that have taken place at this University in recent years”.

While Dr Browne recognised that the QS ranking system lacks a holistic approach to its review of universities, he concluded that “the QS World University Rankings is one of the best regarded evaluations of higher

education in the world, and it is great to see NUI Galway continue to make its mark on that ranking”.

While NUI Galway and Trinity College Dublin made progress in the rankings, the other six Irish institutions included have fallen in the rankings this year.

Most notably, University College Dublin (UCD) dropped eight places to 139, University College Cork (UCC) declined to 210, a drop of 20 places and Dublin City University (DCU) slipped 25 places to 349.

QS stated that while NUI Galway and Trinity College Dublin had made progress, “the rest of the sector is in free-fall”.

The cause of the drop in rankings for the majority of Irish universities was denoted to a cut in third level funding by 25% which has led to a higher ratio of students to staff, one of

the markers that the QS rankings take into account.

The other criteria include reputation, the number of research material published by staff, citations per paper and the number of international staff and students. Irish universities have experienced a fall in the number of international applicants this year.

NUI Galway is in the top 300 universities in the fields of Technology and Engineering (placing at number 251), Arts and Humanities (placing 276) and Social Sciences and Management (288).

The university is in the top 350 universities for the disciplines of Life Sciences and Medicine (at number 307) and Natural Sciences (number 348) in the QS University Rankings.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology topped the rankings followed by Harvard in second place and Cambridge in third.

By Karen McDonnell

Age ­Burial, and John Birrane took the award in the Psychology category with his essay Is There a Need for Positive Psychology?

There was only one award in the Irish Language, Literature and Folklore category, and it went to Aisling Ní Churraighín, for her essay Seán Ó hEochaidh – Bailitheor Béaloideasa in Iardheisceart Thír Chonaill sna 1930aidí: Léargas ón Dialann.

Khai El Baba Jones won the Philosophical Studies and Theology category with his paper Faith in Kant: The religiosity of moral faith and its relation to ecclesiastical faith in Kant’s thought.

Finally, GMIT student Katharine Griffith brings a fifth Undergraduate Award t o Ga l way . He r p ap e r Design and Manufacture of Ergonomic Primary School Furniture, won the top Irish award in the Engineering and Mechanical Sciences category.

NUI Galway lecturer wins MIT Innovation Award for research on ideas

By Tomás Ó'Siocháin NUI Galway Lecturer in Business Information Systems Dr Eoin Whelan is the winner of the prestigious 2013 Richard Beckhard Memorial Prize awarded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan Technology Review for the ‘most outstanding’ article published on Enterprise Social Media.

The article titled Creating Employee Networks That Deliver Open Innovation is authored by Dr Eoin Whelan, Salvatore Parise, Jasper de Valk and Rick Aalbers.

They examine how companies such as Procter & Gamble, Cisco Systems, Genzyme, General Electric and Intel are often acknowledged innovation leaders.

The authors argue that others have failed to match them because the mix of external and internal ideas for innovation doesn’t happen as efficiently.

The authors identified, and mapped, the mix of real-life and virtual connections that go into bringing an idea to fruition.

They identified ‘idea scouts’ who, often sourcing information on the web, combine that with their company’s expertise to come up with an idea.

The authors also ident i f i e d , h ow e v e r, ‘ i d e a connectors’ who have the interpersonal skills and informal contacts to get the buy-in to make those ideas a reality.

Interestingly ‘idea connectors’ aren’t necessarily employed as such, or can come from any level, senior or junior, in the organisation.

Dr Eoin Whelan said; “We’re very honoured to receive this prestigious award, and hope that it will focus further attention on our research in social media in enterprise. The research is, we feel, of particular benefit to senior managers and R&D leaders to identify, encourage and reward the idea scouts and connectors for their work in bringing ideas to life.”

A member of the award winning NUI Galway Cairnes School of Business, Public Policy and Law, Dr Whelan, from Portlaoise, Co. Laois, lectures in Busi-

Pictured; Dr Eoin Whelan, Business Information Systems, School of Business, Public Policy and Law, NUI Galway.

ness Information Systems, and his research focuses on how technologies such as social media and big data both enable and constrain organisational innovation and productivity.

The NUI Galway Business Information Systems degree course in the Cairnes School is one of only eight European undergraduate programmes to receive five-year EPAS (European Foundation for Management Development) accreditation.

News 5

September 16 2013

Child beauty pageant goes ahead despite controversy

Woodquay residents subjected to “loutest” behaviour

By Michael Finn

By Jessica Thompson

A controversial beauty pageant for children took place on Saturday in Co. Monaghan recently.

Close to 50 contestants took part in the contest, which is one of the first of its kind in Ireland, but popular in the United States.

The event was originally supposed to take place in The Bracken Court Hotel in Balbriggan, Co. Dublin. The event was cancelled due to the amount of controversy surrounding it, with the hotelier stating that; “it wasn’t in keeping with the family ethos of the business”.

The hotelier also specified that the organisers, Universal Royalty Beauty Pageants, went through great lengths to keep the venue secret.

After the cancellation, the pageant was moved to Corrigan’s

Pub in Castleblayney. Opponents of the child beauty pageant industry include Minister of Children Frances Fitzgerald, who views contests such as this as the “sexualisation of children”.

While already widespread in America, particularly in the Southern States, awareness of these events stem from TV shows such as Toddlers in Tiaras and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, while the independent film Little Miss Sunshine criticises the culture.

Event organiser, Annette Hill, has responded to accusations of exploiting and sexualising children by saying; “We’ve been around for eighteen years. Don’t you think if we were sexualising kids, someone would have said something by now?”

Her company was founded in 1995, and her website states

that her pageants are “a positive learning experience for contestants to learn competition, positive self-confidence and striving to be the very best.”

She made an appearance on The Late Late Show, along with two other ‘pageant mums’, defending her stance.

She made the claim that Ireland is the third biggest fan base of her company. She also defended the ‘swimwear section’ that is abundant in the American contests, claiming that it is “perfectly acceptable”, in the same context as a child at the beach.

Her defence didn’t go down well with the crowd. The French government has passed a law banning child beauty pageants, making it illegal to enter someone under 16 years of age. The law was passed in the French Senate, 197 – 146.

Hailo and drinkaware.ie launch "Get Home Safe" campaign for Universities

By Ciara O'Brien To mark the beginning of the 2013/2014 college year, Hailo have teamed up with drinkaware.ie to launch a "Get Home Safe" university campaign.

Hailo is a free smartphone app that puts people just two taps away from a licensed taxi, alongside drinkaware, the responsible drinking program – whose aim is to promote safe

enjoyment of alcohol – will be campaigning throughout Irish university campuses in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway.

Many go out and don’t give a second thought to how they’re going to get home. The reality is that 20% of over 18-year-olds aren’t likely to plan their transport in advance.

This figure is what prompted Hailo and drinkaware to promote this initiative in an attempt

to encourage students to plan ahead, and help them make the most of their nights out.

As part of the campaign, drinkaware.ie and Hailo will be distributing goodie bags on university campuses over the coming weeks. Students should watch out for the Hailo team on campus, then just tweet #SafeHome13 or post it on the Hailo Ireland Facebook page to collect their free goodie-bag.

Residents in Woodquay have expressed concerns about anti-social behaviour in the area since the beginning of the academic year, and have reported several incidents of students misbehaving.

Galway City Mayor Cllr Pádraig Conneely, who met with residents recently, said the population of Woodquay is made up mostly of elderly residents and there are now several properties on the rental market in Corrib Terrace, Walsh’s Terrace, St Brendan’s Avenue and St Vincent’s Avenue.

These rented properties have been filled by students returning to college and this has caused several problems with the residents of the area.

S t u d e n t s h av e b e e n reported to be hosting late night parties on a “nightly basis”. They have also been consuming alcohol in public, open spaces and causing prob-

lems for the elderly people who reside in the area.

There have been several incidents where students, who are under the influence of alcohol, bang on doors and ring doorbells of elderly residents at 4 o’clock in the morning in search of house parties in the area.

In an attempt to solve the problem, the residents are compiling a list of houses that are known to host parties. This list will be given to Gardaí and also the NUI Galway authorities and the concerns will be raised with Superintendent Marie Skehill.

“Elderly residents should not be subjected to such loutest behaviour in their area and those offenders should be dealt with severely when they misbehave,” said Mayor Conneely.

“I want it to be dealt with severely and I want it to be stamped out. Elderly people are entitled to sleep in the peace and quiet of their own

homes.

“It is important that this is stamped out early in the year.

It needs to be nipped in the bud so that it doesn’t continue for the rest of the year,” Mayor Conneely concluded.

NUI Galway Students’ Union President Sean Kearns has said that NUI Galway SU has been recruiting people to launch a residence scheme where it will be distributing information to local residences about the consequences of anti-social behaviour.

“We have information prepared on the effects of anti-social behaviour and it includes a letter from the Vice President for Student Experience [Dr Pat Morgan],” he said. “[The scheme will include] regular reminders of antisocial behaviour and it has worked well in the past. I would also like to highlight that this is a minority of students as opposed to the majority,” Mr Kearns concluded.

“This is a really exciting time for students and it can be easy to get caught up in the excitement and forget to plan ahead. When it comes to getting home safely, we’ve teamed up with Hailo to make sure that students have easy access to a taxi home,” said Fionnuala Sheehan, Chief Executive of drinkaware.ie.

“Downloading the Hailo app means that you won’t end

up waiting alone or walking around town trying to flag a taxi down by yourself—you can call the driver to your location with the tap of a button, and even pay by card so you don’t have to worry about having cash in your wallet,” she added.

Hailo only works with licensed and trustworthy taxi drivers and approves each one individually. Each journey is recorded and tracked, with

the driver’s photo and roof sign number displayed on screen, so customers can be assured of their personal safety during their taxi trip.

The campaign also includes safe drinking tips such as: ditching the drinking games, eating enough food beforehand and not participating in rounds.

The app is free to download on the iTunes app store and Google Play.

Ryanair Vow to Improve Customer Service First Galway Tattoo and Art Show a huge success By Áine O Donnell Ryanair have reacted to being placed last in a recent UK poll reviewing the biggest British brands by stating they wish to improve their image and reputation.

They hope to do this through improved customer service and an updated website. This is the first time the company had admitted that there is a problem with customer service.

The poll, collated by computer magazine Which, ranked the biggest brands serving the UK market and Ryanair placed last.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary stated that he realised there were significant problems with the way the company deals with customers; “we should try to eliminate things that unnecessarily piss people off” – a

message he relayed at the annual general meeting (AGM) of Ryanair.

The ways the company have decided to improve experiences for the customer is by being more lenient with customers with regards to baggage size and a complete communication overhaul involving an improved website, making the mobile app free (it currently costs €3) and interacting with customers via Twitter.

Mr O’Leary outlined his plan for a digital marketing strategy over the following year; “Our primary focus this winter will be to significantly invest in, and improve the Ryanair.com website, our mobile platform and our interaction with passengers using social media.”

He also revealed that the recaptcha security feature will be removed to allow individual customers quicker access to the site.

Mr O’Leary specifically stated that Ryanair staff will be less stringent on customers’ carry-on baggage that minimally exceeds the minimum sizes.

He accepted that “a lot of those customer services elements don’t cost a lot of money” and they would not infringe on the airline having the lowest costs across Europe.

The company has devised these improvements in order to win back customers from other airlines as Ryanair may fail to meet its annual targets for 2013.

However, Ryanair remains one of the most profitable airlines in the world and aims to carry 110 million passengers by 2019.

At the AGM, Mr O’Leary also announced that more cases of defamation would face the company in the coming weeks with regards two a Dispatches programme which will air on Channel 4.

By Jessica Thompson The first annual Galway Tattoo and Art Show took place last weekend in the Radisson Blu Hotel and featured 90 of the biggest names in Irish and International tattooing, including celebrity tattoo artists and TV personalities.

Tattoo fans from all over the country and all over the world took to Galway on 21 and 22 September to view the work of various tattoo artists and to soak up the atmosphere of the weekend.

“We actually have quite an alternative scene [in Galway] when you think about it. We have a lot of tattoo shops in a very confined area,” said Áine O’Reilly, an NUI Galway student and tattoo apprentice who attended the show.

“If you walk down Shop Street, you have Victor’s; you have Inkfingers; you have G’s. If you go down the road another little bit you’ve got AWOL ; go down the road another little bit, you’ve got Galway Bay Tattoo. That’s not even half a mile and that’s five or six tattoo shops,” she added.

The show featured a family fun and kids area, a Tattoo Art Gallery, live bands, entertainment, fun photo booth, a unique Tattoo cinema showing exclusive films, interviews and entertainment, awards, competitions and much more.

Following the success of TV shows such as Miami Ink, and celebrities adorning themselves with body art, tattooing is finally being recognised as the art form it is and is now the fifth largest growing retail

business in the world with some tattoo shows in the UK now attracting 8,000 to 10,000 people or more.

“Galway is Ireland’s home of the arts, so it seems fitting for a world class tattoo art show,” said Martin McIver, who organised the show.

“Tattoo shows are some of the most creative, friendliest and entertaining days out you can have, so it doesn’t matter whether you are old, young, tattooed or non-tattooed, we guarantee a brilliant weekend and an experience you will never forget,” he added.

Galway has a very high standard of tattoo artists and was represented by some of its best tattoo studios and artists, including AWOL Tattoo, G’s Tattoo, Inkfingers, Galway Bay Tattoo and Victor Tattoo.

LOOK WHAT’S NEW! You will have noticed the new - and very purple - addition to the campus called Spin Bikes. Spin is NUI Galway’s very own bike hire scheme - the first in Ireland outside of Dublin, and makes getting around campus easier and quicker whilst at the same time keeping you fit and healthy.

Spin is a self-service system and completely automated. You’ll find hire stations along the length of the campus, from the Quadrangle at the south all the way up to the Park and Ride at the north so you’ll never be too far away from one.

Registration & Usage Online registration costs €10 per year but each hire is then FREE for the first 30 minutes. After that the longer your hire, the more you pay. Simple. You can monitor your usage online by logging in to your account and any additional fees are billed monthly using the card you signed up with.

Once you have completed your registration you can then ride the Spin bike for as long as you want and wherever you want. Please visit the Spin Bikes website for more information on registration and full usage guides.

www.grandscheme.co.uk/galway In the first 6 weeks since it’s launch, Spin Bikes have been hired over 1,000 times and counting so why not join in, register today and enjoy the ride!

Ireland’s first bike hire scheme

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Features 7

September 30 2013

Syrian civil war escalates international tensions Egypt’s struggle for

By James Falconer It is daily news – Syria is in the middle of an extremely violent civil war. Protests began in 2011 amidst the backdrop of the Arab Spring uprisings and then escalated into the ensuing conflict between the Assad regime and rebels. What is really going on in Syria – how can we know for certain? There are so many interests at play in this conflict that one hears the term World War 3 thrown around. One might ask, “Where exactly is Syria?”

Syria is a country in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. To its north lies Turkey, east is Iraq, south is Jordan and Israel, and west is Lebanon. With a population of 22 million, Syria is very diverse, ethnically and religiously, but most Syrians are ethnic Arab and follow the Sunni branch of Islam. Civilisation in Syria goes back thousands of years, but the country which exists today is relatively new. Its borders were drawn by European colonial powers in the 1920s.

When Syrians revolted against the tough military dictatorship of Assad, who has ruled their country for the past four decades, few

could have imagined that their country would turn into a proxy battlefield for great powers pursuing their own vested interests.

We have seen a residue of the Cold War being played out with the US and Russia both taking opposing sides of the conflict. Why do the US and Russia feel that they need to be involved in this civil war? They both have imperial agendas; however, US interests in this area are of more concern.

There exists a special relationship between Israel and the US. It seems that the US is happy to do Israel’s fighting for them due to the massive Jewish lobby in the US. The world’s most cherished, yet quickly vanishing resource, is oil. Oil is the blood of the earth. Syria possessed 2.5 billion barrels of crude oil as of January 2013, which makes it the largest proven reserve of crude oil in the eastern Mediterranean, according to the Oil & Gas Journal estimate. Moreover, Iran has massive resources of oil and is a likely target for Western imperialism especially considering that Western powers are successfully encircling it, Afghanistan to the east and Iraq to the west; now they want Syria.

The US with the help of NATO, Britain and France has already toppled Iraq, and subsequently Libya. Both Iraq and Libya have totally disintegrated as functioning societies and the rule of law has been almost completely eradicated.

During the bombardments of Iraq and Libya, constant news dominated the front pages and was the first news item on every western television station. There was 24-hour coverage of the US invasion and the Libyan Liberation miracle and the great victory achieved by US, British, NATO and the, ‘revolutionaries’. Nowadays these countries are forgotten about. They have been left wide open and in smithereens by Western imperialists. Will Syria suffer the same fate?

With the use of chemical weapons in this conflict, can we really be more outraged by their use as opposed to the conventional weapons used for killing and maiming people? Killing is killing. Surely all modern day weapons are manufactured from chemicals, therefore all weapons are chemical weapons.

This anti-chemical rhetoric is mostly coming from the US who have talked about “crossing a red line”. Didn’t

they drop two atomic bombs on Japan? And more recently carpet bomb Iraqi cities? The speech made by President Obama was seen around the world and is written to appeal to people’s emotions, which are stirred much more quickly by our intelligence.

Of course, it is much easier to have sympathy with suffering than it is to have with thought. The US has huge double standards. They support Israeli genocide in Palestine and their use of chemical [white phosphorus] weapons against Palestinians. You will never hear of the U.S. going into Israel to end their acts of genocide. Moreover, they comply with it.

It isn’t clear who is responsible for the chemical weapons use in Syria, and the UN currently does not have a mandate to investigate. An appeal to the UN to remove Assad will not work because of Putin’s security interest.

It would be great if diplomacy always came before any call for force, but when force is used, rich people get richer. The arms industry is a huge business and as long as it remains so profitable we’ll always have conflicts. Why not let those in Syria sort it out themselves?

capable of self-sustainment; I fear it will disintegrate into anarchy and has the potential to simply slip back into another dictatorship, again much like the Congo.

A further worry is in fact the morality of the rebel groups involved in the war, each has a sizable following, but each has been linked to great atrocities such as viscous attacks on innocent civilians.

The evidence got me wondering was intervention simply an exercise in futility?

With the supposed handing over of all chemical weapons by Syria to the western world, I’m now wondering; is the whole war simply an exercise in futility?

Should the war persist and should Aasad’s regime eventually fall, I hope that a stable government is established, I hope that the ravaged country can rebuild itself and learn from the experience, I hope that no further violence ensues.

I hope. But I know that none of that will happen and that in fact the country will be worse off in the conclusion than it was at the beginning.

And should Aasad remain in power, then I’ll know that I was right. The Civil War was nothing more than an exercise in futility.

I hope that I’m wrong.

Syria Post War

By Brian Glynn Three weeks ago the news in all formats was dominated by one story and one story only; Syria’s civil war, the use of chemical weapons and what western society was going to do about it all.

Among the fairly standard “crisis talks” and “televised political debating” the main topic of discussion was “should the western world invade, in order to restore stability to the country and its long suffering people?”

That sounds pretty reasonable right? I mean Chemical weapons are illegal to use under any circumstance, surely invasion is the correct debate to be having.

While this was taking place it occurred to me that I seem to be the only person contemplating an alternative debate; what about when the civil war ends?

Every single time a war threatens the world the first

port of call is what action to take, no one ever thinks of the fall out. To me Syria is in danger of being the modern equivalent of the Congo, namely a country that falls apart after independence (or in this case liberation).

Like the Congo, Syria is a deeply tribal country, with each tribe being deeply territorial.

Also like the Congo, this could lead to tribal warfare after the fall of the cruel oppressing dictator (coloniser in the case of The Congo).

These tribal wars have already been hinted at during the civil war as the two main opposing rebel groups are both tribal/religion based.

This similarity to the Congolese situation in the 60s has gotten me thinking that post-Aasad, Syria will not be

democracy continues to polarize its civilians

By Kathy Dillon The Egyptian army recently carried out an assault on Kerdasa, a pro-Morsi village on the outskirts of Cairo.

The village was under the control of Islamist militants, where 11 police officers were assassinated earlier in the month.

Egyptian police surrounded the village, backed by military support, in an attempt to crackdown on pro-Morsi sporadic violence.

House-to-house searches were conducted, and those suspected of involvement in the killings and or ‘terrorism’ were arrested.

The killings were considered an act of retaliation for the bloody and brutal removal of pro-Morsi camps, on August 14th by the army.

Hundreds of Morsi supporters were killed during the dismantlement of the camps, and since then, violent clashes have continued to escalate within the evermorefractured nation.

Egypt’s socio-political situation has appeared to come full circle since Egyptians demanded the end to former president Mubarak’s authoritarian rule.

In July, the Egyptian army once again stepped in to remove Egypt’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, following widespread protests against his presidency and his party, the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Egyptian army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, who is now the de facto decision-maker of Egypt, declared a state of emergency and installed an interim government. A new constitution and fresh elections are expected by early 2014 Fair elections appear more and more implausible as the population becomes more and more polarized, by increasing retaliatory violence and often unjustified ruthlessness of the army towards pro-Morsi supporters.

A military coup will not bring stability to Egypt. Branding all Pro-Morsi supporters, as ‘terrorists’ and isolating the Muslim Brotherhood from elections will only result in the radicalization of its sup-

porters, while encouraging armed violence as a means to gain political influence.

Illegitimate sources of political power will only deepen divisions in Egypt. After two years of instability, the country is directionless politically and on its knees economically.

Its tourism industry is non-existent, and continued violence has discouraged foreign investment. On top of the direct consequences created by the sectarian conflict for Egypt, there is also the threat of the violence spreading across the Gulf, radicalizing other Islamist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Egyptian security is important for peace security across the region. Egypt still controls the Suez Canal and has a mediating role in the Gulf.

Prolonged chaos in Cairo will strain international relations between neighbouring states; a widespread Islamist insurgency would be catastrophic.

Egypt’s military needs to try and legitimately reduce sectarian violence in order to prepare for elections; a fairly elected government is essential in kick-starting the economy by means of securing investment and returning a sense of normality to daily Egyptian life.

While radicalism cannot go unpunished, Morsi supporters will never acknowledge election results they feel alienated from.

Economic growth rests on a legitimate government; a government that is elected through a process supported by all Egyptians, not one that acts as a front for military totalitarianism.

Mubarak repressed the Muslim Brotherhood throughout his dictatorship. Morsi may have been elected democratically but he was far from a democratic leader.

His abuse of power, his inexperience and inability to address economic issues and his defiance of public opinion insured his own fall.

Sustainable Egyptian democracy can never be possible through the repression of any one party or group and political power established on a fractured society will always be self-defeating.

8 Features

Sin Vol. 15 Issue 2

This week’s debate: Should the Seanad be abolished?

Yes: Tearing it down brick by brick No: Government prepares for extension of Dáil bar into Leinster House once pesky Seanad is gone

By Marcus Mac Dhonnagáin

Have you ever had a dream? I know I have. I sometimes dream about an Ireland whose political woes are gone, and that we live in a utopic society where the Seanad serves a practical purpose.

But that’s all it is – a dream – and that’s what the anti-abolition argument rests on. They argue that a no vote will lead to its reform – they argue that the Seanad does serve a real purpose; safeguarding our democracy from the boisterous Dáil. It is time to wake up.

The Yes side recognises the Seanad for what it is; an unnecessary, undemocratic institute that has contributed little to our democracy. The No side either believes it is crucial to how our political system currently operates, or they see its flaws, yet believe that it can be changed – despite the long history of Irish political parties side-lining and subverting any significant reforms.

I agree that our Dáil needs oversight. In theory, the Seanad should provide this, serving as a means to keep power in check. In an ideal world the upper house would ensure that there would be no abuse of the democratic process, and it would protect the people from potentially harmful legislation. This would be the ideal, but the reality is much different.

The Seanad does not provide any real oversight of the Dáil. It most certainly does provide extra debate on bills being passed, and does at times propose certain amendments. There are certainly some cases where it has served its function over the years, but by no means has it ever been substantial. Not only those, debates on legislation, or political issues are covered

by the media; arguably providing a more substantiated public discussion than the Seanad does.

Consider this; have successive Irish governments have ever had cause to fear the Seanad? No. The Taoiseach does not fear the Seanad; why should he? He’s able to nominate 11 of the candidates himself, ensuring that the government always has a means to control it.

Not only that, the party whip system that applies to the Dáil applies to the Seanad, ensuring that Senators very rarely vote against the official government line. Its power to delay bills by 90 days is very rarely used.

Opponents against Seanad abolition also argue that it is important to democracy that it remains in place. This is a fallacy. The Seanad is an undemocratic institution, filled with professional politicians that have been placed there by other professional politicians.

The public has a miniscule role in voting for Senators. This has served to turn it into a system of training potential candidates that wish to run for the Dáil, or providing a retiring home for those that wish to stay active in politics, but have little influence on causing actual change.

The argument being provided is that the Seanad must be kept in order to retain a pillar of our democracy, yet the Senators that operate within it are not directly elected, and thus do not represent the actual views of the people of Ireland. This in fact raises the question of who these Senators are, and what kind of agenda they’ve been propagating without fear of being held accountable by the Irish public?

This comes back to the heart of the issue; reform.

This would be an agreeable position if not for the fact that history has shown

that numerous Irish governments have paid little heed to instituting any real substantial changes to our system of governance. And it will continue to remain this way if we vote No. There are rumblings of high voter apathy towards the issue in general. This is proven by the fact that more attention is being focused on this coming budget, and what impact it will have on the local and European elections. This inspires little confidence that a No vote will lead to an outcry for reform.

The manner in which we can progress forward is by allowing the Dáil to become a more democratic, and transparent institution. Fine Gael and Labour’s proposals of changing the manner in which bills would be proposed seems sound.

Empowering committees comprised of different community groups and opposition TDs to rigorously assess legislation seems like a far more efficient process, as opposed to the undemocratic system we currently have in place Why does a country the size of ours require two political houses – especially when one of those chambers isn’t even directly elected?

Voting Yes will do away with it, and proposed changes to the Dáil will compensate for its loss. Voting No will change nothing, and will keep our political system the same way it has always operated.

The idea that a No vote will lead to its reform is a sham. The idea that the Seanad is a necessary institution is an idealistic dream.

And it is time to wake up.

By Eoin Molloy On 4 October, the people of Ireland will go to poll to decide whether or not the Seanad should be abolished. Should the coalition achieve the Yes vote it is fervently campaigning for, the articles in the Constitution relating to the Seanad will be removed and all articles relating to the Houses of the Oireachtas will be replaced by a reference to Dáil Eireann.

The idea to abolish the Seanad was first propagated as part of Fine Gael's Election Manifesto of 2011 (the same one that promised not to legislate for 'X'… just saying).

Fine Gael is campaigning with the slogan of 'Save Money, Fewer Politicians.' Now while this is undeniably not intended to be self-deprecation, it certainly comes off as such. However, the argument of saving money is hard to tangle with. As a cashstrapped nation, shouldn't we be trying to save as much money as we possibly can?

In real terms, the cost of the Seanad to the taxpayer is quite low. It costs less than €20m to run annually. When you consider that our external debt is averaging out at $512,000 per capita, this is really a drop in the ocean – maybe even half a drop.

There doesn't seem to be much point in abolishing a functioning institution of our government that in actuality runs up such a modest cost in comparison to the money that was shovelled into toxic banks (I'm looking at you, Anglo).

Aside from money, there are other genuine arguments for retention. Five out of every six European citizens are governed

What will you be voting? Send us your opinion on Facebook, via email or post a comment on www.sin.ie/2013/09/31/seanad-abolition

under a bicameral system, ie: two houses of government. The Seanad has been in place since its inception in the 1922 Constitution of the Irish Free State, apart from a one year period of abolition in 1936 when it was dissolved by de Valera for disagreeing with his proposed Constitutional reforms.

Should this referendum be accepted blindly, we would be left only with the Dáil – a house that has proven itself time and time again to be incredibly flawed. From expenses corruption to the Tom Barry incident, the Dáil has never been a stranger to scandal.

Our TDs seem to spend more time debating what kind of drink to get in the Dáil bar than they do our legislation.

There is simply no reason to entrust sole, exclusive and unscrutinised legislative power on such a drastically defective enterprise.

It has to be said that the Dáil has become a mere passenger to the executive.

Free-thinking is not permitted. As per the abortion debate and subsequent Fine Gael schism, politicians must follow the party line or face expulsion. Therefore a TD cannot condemn an unjust bill for fear of losing his livelihood. This has caused our parliament to become filled with self-serving, careerist politicians who do not represent the wishes of the people.

The 1937 Constitution envisioned an Executive that was responsible to the Dáil.

However, provisions were not created for the government to be properly held to account.

This impotence can clearly be seen in the fact that the Dáil review committees are appointed by the government of the day.

To that effect, the government effectively controls the mechanism that is designed to be a check on its own power.

It has also become common

practice for governments to answer parliamentary questions with a combination of secrecy and obfuscation, the kind of 'politician's answer' that is no real answer at all.

While I don't advocate the abolition of the Seanad, I certainly don't advocate retaining it in its current form. As of now our upper house functions is somewhat of a graveyard for lost and unwanted politicians. If the current coalition were committed to anything other than shameless austerity, this referendum would be about reform of the Seanad and the Dáil.

As things stand, Ireland’s politician to citizen ratio is three times higher than the European average. That has to change, but it can be done without granting unchecked power to an irresponsible house of government.

Drastically cutting numbers in the Dáil would significantly stem the drain on the exchequer without hindering productivity. I mean, how many times have you tuned in to a Dáil debate and noticed the shocking level of absenteeism?

In an idealistic world, the Seanad would be democratically elected and would be given full powers of inquiry akin to that of the American Senate. It would be granted a more potent brand of veto and given the power to enforce binding changes to legislation should a two-thirds majority vote be reached. It could even be granted the power to initiate legislation, together with a citizen’s petition signed by 75,000 registered voters, as envisioned in the 1922 Constitution.

I would suggest that if Enda, Eamonn, Bruton and Co. were so intent on scraping together an extra 20 million for unsecured bondholders, they should simply abolish pension and expenses schemes for both houses, as well as lowering politicians salaries and imposing term limits.

Features 9

September 30 2013

The Holy Land, a not-so-holy death: Death of the Two State Solution?

In an article published in Haaretz on the June 17 of this past summer by Barak Ravid and Jack Khoury, they reported, what many believe is foreign policies worst kept secret, that the Two-State Solution was dead.

The article quoted Knesset member and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett stating that “the idea that a Palestinian state will be formed in the land of Israel has come to a dead end”.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the time tried to distance himself from the comments but as Bennett is a part of Netanyahu’s cabinet, he conveyed an opinion held in Netanyahu’s Government.

brings settlements to the centre of the Two State Solution.

Is ra e l c o nt i nu e s t o promote residence in settlements for Israeli’s through incentives, welfare benefits and secured areas completely segregated from Palestinian access. Israel continues to insist it is not an occupier but through legality, Israel, by pre-emptively invading the West Bank and East Jerusalem on the eve of the 5th July 1967 constituted itself as the aggressor and thus occupier. This is very important from a legal standpoint because Israel’s action dismisses Israeli discourse that settlements are built on disputed land which has been repeated over time.

BACK TO COLLEGE

Under the 4th Geneva Convention an ‘occupying power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies’ as to prevent permanent transformation of that territorial identity, demography or culture.

Bennett’s belief that the Two-State Solution is pointless, that Palestinians have no right to self-determination or a state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea reiterate the hawkish notions of Jewish nationalist policy which has been laced with the Israeli Zionist legacy.

Israel is perhaps the most prolific and adept at doubletalk which continues to flow without hope of cessation like a deluge swelling a river.

Israel’s volume of discursive language is so severe that any credibility regarding topics of Palestinian dialogue or diplomacy is null at this stage.

Haaretz reported that the charming and discrete savvy Bennett had so cleverly suggested; “it's important for there to be an Israeli presence everywhere”. Bennett postulated that Israel’s principle problem is the unwillingness of Israeli leaders to overtly declare Israel belongs to the Hebrew people, securing Israeli identity in Israel. This

Today there are around 500,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and 250,000 settlers in Eastern Jerusalem. Both territories are recognized by the highest judicial body in the world, the ICJ, as occupied territories and not disputed lands as Israel spouts.

The establishment of settlements is regarded as an act of colonialism and are illegal.

Under the 4th Geneva Convention an ‘occupying power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies’ as to prevent permanent transformation of that territorial identity, demography or culture.

Israel’s settlement policy has long been scorned by the UN, unrecognized by the international community and the bane of the Palestinians plight. Settlement construction guarantees the strengthening and growth of the identity of Israel and simultaneously alters Israel’s territorial demarcation concurrently.

This continued construction of Israeli colonial settlements prevents any defined borders of Israel to be established, closes off Palestinian access to vast quantities of land and justifies I.D.F. presence around these settlements allowing a permanent militarized environment.

The Palestinians desire to negotiate but will not stand anymore settlements being built especially since all the current settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are deemed illegal.

Israeli wishes to negotiate already form a very uneven vantage point as with one hand it extends with a purpose of compromise and dialogue while with its other, Israel circumvents the geography and territorial identity of Palestinian lands thus assimilating them into a territory of Hebrew identity.

This continued construction of settlements is what is ending the Palestinian’s ability to have a unified state. As Israel strives for ‘Eretz’ or a ‘Greater Israel’ as countless Zionists like Hertzl or Weiss desired as well as nationalists like Begin, Ben Gurion, Barak and Netanyahu, Palestinians lose their ability to have a sovereign territory with territorial contiguity or a unified country.

Israel seems bent on ending this hope by constructing East-1. This is the most contentious settlement Israel has ever proposed and a multitude of international governments have pleaded with Israel not to implement East-1.

East-1’s construction would split the West Bank into a northern and southern part and completely annex East Jerusalem by sealing an immersive circle of settlements around East Jerusalem that could not be reneged.

Is the Two State Solution dead? With the construction of East-1 beginning, the Two State obituary is being scripted. As East-1 is formed, the Two State Solution dies and with these peace talks once more going stale we all should get our funeral suits ready.

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10 Features

Sin Vol. 15 Issue 2

Unpaid internships: thriving on the desperate No Future with the Establishment Parties

By Michael Finn

As competition for work grows in a post-boom Ireland, unpaid internships are on the rise. The Jobbridge scheme was introduced in 2011 by the government to help people get their foot into the workplace. Just two years in, it has been abused by opportunistic employers looking for free labour from the desperately unemployed.

Unpaid internships can be a great way to learn skills to get your foot into an industry that you are interested in. Unfortunately, what was meant to be a good intentioned scheme to promote work turned into a job-blocking site. After all, why would you pay someone for work people are willing to do for free?

The unpaid internship scheme has been abused by the likes of Eurospar, Tesco, Easons and even various government departments. There was even a job posting for a

Principal’s Assistant in Letterfrack.

Supporters of the unpaid internship scheme include Joan Burton, who said; “Its goal is to help people seeking employment to gain valuable work experience and enhance their prospects of getting a job.”

Of course the government would encourage this practice, because when someone takes up an internship position, it means that they are taken off the live register. When the numbers on the live register go down, that looks very good for the Fine Gael/Labour government.

But what about the people who are already working?

When their unskilled jobs come under threat, why should they support the scheme?

For example, five advertisements for forklift drivers have appeared on the site. Eurospar even posted up an internship for their deli counter.

One of the biggest opponents of the growing culture

of unpaid internships is Paul Murphy, Socialist MEP for Dublin.

“In the government’s own report, 3% of companies admitted to abusing the scheme”, Paul Commented on his website.

“Given that over 7,000 companies have taken part, this means over 200 companies admitted to taking advantage of the scheme yet only 23 have been banned. The real figure is probably much higher, as these are only the companies who admitted to it in the report.”

Bill Cullen, former owner of the Renault Ireland franchise, has been a vocal advocate of unpaid internships. This view became apparent when he made an appearance on RTÉ’s The Frontline.

His rant included many “bitter old man” clichés, calling Ireland’s graduates “molly-coddled” and “lacking people skills”. He even went as far as to say that he “worked in

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[his] bare feet for free”.

It would appear that Bill Cullen has a chip on his shoulder, thriving on the fact that he had a poor childhood, using that background to attack college age people, who he assumes are all entitled and well-travelled.

Not only does it put existing jobs at risk, it sends the message that the Irish public are only too happy to get any kind of experience with a prospect of getting a job.

As you approach your professional life, there is a good chance you will have to deal with one of these unpaid internships. But while unpaid internships thrive in Ireland, top public figures in the UK are pushing to legislate on the practice.

Labour MP Hazel Blears’ new bill, if passed, will put a ban on advertising unpaid internships. The bill has received support from job seeking websites in the UK. UK universities, such as Oxford and Reading, are also on top of the campaign to have unpaid internship advertisements banned.

"In the interests of equality and fair access to all students, we do not endorse or promote unpaid internships, and employers are advised that this is our policy,” says Alex Brannan of Reading University.

When laws are being passed to limit such practices in the UK, while the Irish government encourages it, we must be extra vigilant of these unethical practices.

By Leigh Ashmore I remember the general election of 2011. After 14 years of uninterrupted power, Fianna Fáil looked like they were on the verge of extinction. As a Labour supporter, I was cautiously optimistic about the coalition, about college fees being capped, about protecting benefits and about living in a country I could describe as equal without a hint of sarcasm.

But that never happened.

There was no cap on fees, social benefits weren’t protected and Fine Gael/ Labour have proved to be just as autocratic and servile to big businesses, failing to bring the ‘Democratic Revolution’ as Kenny had promised. ‘ B e r t i e’s Te a m’ wa s m e re l y re p l a c e d w i t h ‘Enda’s Team’. The Gombeen politics of Fianna Fáil is now the Gombeen politics of Fine Gael. Transport Minister Leo Varadkar’s bold statement that ‘not another cent’ would be paid to the banks has been replaced with the cold reality of Fine Gael’s servility to the wealthy and powerful.

Instead of a ‘democratic revolution’ we’ve seen TDs whipped into place as nothing more than rubber stamps for Fine Gael’s eurocentric austerity policies and instead of ‘not another

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NUI Galway Twelfth Annual Volunteering Fair Opening the NUI Galway twelfth annual Volunteering Fair last week (Wednesday 25 September) was Ruairí McKiernan, Social Innovator and member of the Council of State. Also pictured are NUI Galway student volunteers (l-r): Ciara Treacy from Galway City; Dean McCole from Scotland; and Omotoysi Yakub from Blanchardstown, Co. Dublin.

The Fair is part of a week-long celebration of volunteering at NUI Galway with over 80 charities and community organisations showcasing the wide range of volunteer opportunities in Galway.

cent’ being paid to the banks, we’ve seen household and water taxes bring in new tiers of economic inequality to this country, as well as the death of the post-grad grant.

N U I G a l w a y ’s Ó g r a Fianna Fáil treated the campus to a visit from Micheál Martin for Societies Day. He was once a proud member of Bertie’s Team and follower of the party’s Celtic Tiger politics but that was a long time ago. Once he was a cog in the system, now he’s taken to fighting the system.

With a level of cynicism that would make the most opportunistic Fianna Fáiler blush, Martin is seeking to make himself the voice of the people, the hero Ireland needs, not the one it deserves. He’s rallied against the coalition’s narrowing of Dáil democracy and its aggressive system of cuts and austerity.

Speaking in the Dáil last July, Martin raged against the delay of social welfare payments, claiming that it was “insulting” and the people cannot stand the “mumbo jumbo coming from government departments on a daily basis”.

Despite these damning words, with Fianna Fáil on a 21% popularity rating, there’s little doubt in anyone’s mind that if Martin were to lead, he would place himself firmly back within the system from which he came. As Martin walked from society table to table on Socs Day, there was an awkwardness to his movements and a nervousness that didn’t exactly inspire confidence. No-one had forgotten the past he represents.

Sinn Féin, a self-described ‘anti-austerity party’, are looking likely to jump into a coalition with Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael, so it’s difficult to see them building the Socialist Republic that’s on their election literature. It’s hard to predict where this political loss of innocence will lead this country, but it’s even harder to see the public marching behind Micheál’s team, in the belief he’ll turn this mess around.

Features 11

September 30 2013

Child Beauty Pageants Are Wrong

By Róisín Egan The Late Late Show, favourite of the Irish mammy, is not a show that usually arouses any kind of emotion within me, unless you count boredom. However, after watching a segment about child beauty pageants on Friday night, I was nothing short of seething.

The segment involved the organiser of a child pageant that was due to take place in Dublin this weekend and two mothers attempting to justify the event, claiming that pageants make children ‘happy’ and require ‘talent’. They did not seem to understand the reaction of many Irish parents, and indeed the wider public, who were horrified at the idea of a competition where girls as young as 8 years old parade around in bejewelled dresses and inchthick make-up showcasing their supposed ‘talent’.

The phenomenon of child pageants is relatively new to Ireland but has been thriving in the USA for years.

The first ever child beauty pageant took place in 1921 in Atlantic City but it is only recently that such pageants have been thrown into the limelight worldwide by the TV show Toddlers & Tiaras.

This programme follows the contestants of child beauty pageants and their families as they take part in contests all over America.

Contrary to depicting contented and happy children, the programme often shows how exhausted they become by the endless preparations involved in achieving the required ‘look’ to be considered for the crown.

The publicity the show has brought has been good for the industry, which is now spreading out of the USA into Ireland and other countries and looks set to

expand as more parents buy into the dream that doesn’t really exist.

The premature sexualisation of children has been discussed time and time again in the media but the negative effects of it cannot be underestimated, and child beauty pageants are adding to the problem.

A generation of young people are growing up with serious self-image problems and the aforementioned Late Late segment demonstrates that parents can be to blame.

One of the parents tried to compare achievement and endeavour in the Olympic Games to winning a pageant. It is alarming that anyone could make such a comparison. No matter how much ‘pageant parents’ may protest, anything involving make-up, skimpy clothes and a swimsuit competition will invariably be linked

to sex and through the medium of pageants they are imposing adult activities and models upon their children. That is without mentioning how images of children in pageants can be misused when they appear on the internet.

It is not only the sexualisation of the participants that makes these pageants wrong but the way in which they encourage children to believe that physical appearance is of central importance in life. One of the mothers on the Late Late said that she had spent €30,000 kitting her daughter out with clothes, make up, fake tan etc for beauty pageants.

This kind of spending on physical enhancement is absurd but it also sends the message to children that it is ok to go to any length in order to fulfil society’s idea of beauty and that in order

to ‘achieve’ by winning a pageant a person must alter themselves physically.

Young people come under enough pressure as it is to look and act a certain way without further pressure from pageants and parents. Childhood should be a time of innocence and discovery, and children should not be treated as glorified dress-up dolls as they are in pageants.

If a child grows up and decides to take part in a pageant then so be it but there is a time for us all to take part in the adult world and childhood is, quite obviously, not that time.

The motivations of parents who enter their children into pageants are warped in my opinion. It seems that many of them are living through their children, basking in the honour and glory of the victories as if they were their own.

Their pride at seeing their ‘little darlings’ on stage clouds their judgement and stops them from seeing that being a child beauty queen is of no benefit to their child and may in fact be damaging them.

They claim that their children ‘like’ taking part in pageants but that excuse is ridiculous because children do not have the same judgement as adults and cannot fully understand what they are taking part in.

And what for those who never get the crown? Well they are most likely feeling dejected and worthless, believing that to be happy they must have the ‘beauty’, the winning smile and the brimming personality.

Sadly, it seems that child pageantry will continue to be popular and unfortunately the signs indicate that parents will not see how wrong they were until it is too late.

‘how actively engaged are we as citizens of a republic: what is a republic?’

Tragically, the first person to speak from the audience remarked “Didn’t they try Socialism in the Soviet Union and it failed?” No, the Communist Party never succeeded in implementing socialism which, incidentally, is not a political system; it's a way of distributing goods and services.

Moreover, as this person seems to have swallowed the Western propaganda that socialism is evil, one might wonder if he’s aware that the newly founded “Republic” of Ireland allowed the Catholic Church to incarcerate with-

out trial a higher proportion of its citizens than the Soviet Union did, but don’t worry, our “republic” came wrapped in a green flag!

Socialism in Ireland is for the rich only. One of the state’s many dark secrets is that founding father, James Connolly, was a Marxist Socialist Republican, and his vision of a socialist society was one of total democracy.

On the eve of the 1916 rising he warned the Citizen Army that “in the event of victory, hold on to your rifles, as those with whom we are fighting may stop before our goal is reached. We are out for economic liberty as well as political liberty.”

Connolly’s socialism was written out of Irish history by Fianna Fáil/Catholic Church, who portrays him as Connolly the nationalist hero – wrong.

Those suffering the hardest from unlawful austerity are the most vulnerable in society. Moreover, the gap between the lowest and highest earners has widened significantly. Rob’s innovative idea was met with a wary conservatism, which also persists throughout Irish academia. Sadly, there seems to be more fervour to see a film star than to create a fairer, more equal society; needless to say, the debate was seriously lacking.

Jeremy Irons lacking steel

By James Falconer The opening night of the university’s 167th year of the Literary and Debating Society welcomed Jeremy Irons and Rob Heyland. The topic: ‘the responsibility of the privileged to be involved in public discourse and to help shape society.’

After the few introductory pleasantries by the auditor and his colleague, both clad in their fine Victorian garb, Jeremy Irons was invited to the podium.

Remember the title of the debate, ‘the responsibility of the privileged…’ One would have to admire Mr Iron’s honesty when he said that he didn’t have a lot to say politically and came along “to act as bait” for his friend, Rob Heyland.

Oh the irony - did the selfconfessed privileged star of the debate – the reason so many people turned up – abscond from his ‘responsibility’ in fear of people tweeting his opinions? Yes, he did, this was a concern which Mr Irons categorically stated.

Where is the authenticity? It vanished in his fear of creating a stir on social media.

Jeremy spoke about his early life, career, and donations to charities. When he opened it up to questions from the floor, people asked him fairly trivial questions about his career as an actor. One student proudly confessed to signing up for the Disney Society at Socs Day two days previous, referring to Iron’s voice of Scar in The Lion King.

It was becoming a bit of a fairy tale at this point. The first half of the “debate” ended up being a ‘Jeremy Irons, This is your Life.’ This was the result of two dominant factors: 1) he didn’t serve up much for debate 2) the audience appeared more in awe of his celebrity than concerned with the grave ills of neo-liberalism and €70 billion worth of austerity.

Rob Heyland began his address with a gripping allegory of a person (you) being in a bus going round sharp corners, looking down over a precipice. The bus isn’t slowing down. Then it goes over the edge and you’re falling into the abyss wondering why you never said anything.

Rob proposed to implement an initiative in an Irish university which would

engage various departments in designing a new way of conducting society and becoming a more self-sufficient nation.

He spoke about the very damaging results of casino capitalism and how US investment bank Goldman Sachs is running riot in the financial world.

He was clearly trying to invoke a sense of responsibility from the audience – was he speaking to the right people? Are students in Ireland so privileged these days? If you consider the continuous hikes in fees, cuts in grants, and terrible jobs opportunities, resulting in the continued tsunami of emigration, the people who appear most privileged are those who are responsible for the chaotic situation in which we’ve been left.

These are the cartel of bankers, investors, speculators, and politicians etc. who have not felt any repercussions for their actions; moreover, they’ve been rewarded with huge pay-offs and pensions. They are some of the most privileged, but there was no anger directed at these people? I think a more interesting debate would be:

12 Features

Sin Vol. 15 Issue 2 435 Explore Poster New.pdf

Have a good idea? How about ¤1,000 to make it happen?

EXPLORE is all about getting NUI Galway staff and students working together in bringing innovative new ideas to life.

Since 2012 we have helped over 200 staff and students work on almost forty projects.

We are looking to fund 25 projects this year with up to ¤1,000 in funding each.

Proposed projects can involve almost any topic and are often inspired by study, sports, technology, current affairs and social issues as well as clubs and organisations in 424 Explore Poster Badges.pdf

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which staff and students are involved. The key element is that all projects must involve staff and students working together.

Past projects include a phone app for locating nearby defibrillators, outreach programmes to encourage science among primary school children, the organising of meet-ups for entrepreneurs in Galway, workshops and training sessions, the production of various videos and websites aimed at online learning and

1

19/09/2013

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HAVE A GOOD IDEA?

many more projects which are all available to browse on the EXPLORE website.

Applications for EXPLORE are through a simple, two-page application form, available online at www.su.nuigalway. ie/explore. Applications are now open but will close on Friday 11 October. All students and all staff at NUI Galway are welcome to apply. Email Emmet Connolly, EXPLORE Coordinator, if you have any questions: emmet.connolly@ nuigalway.ie

Bring your idea to life

Staff

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Team up with a student or staff partner

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Put idea into action!

Come up with an innovative idea

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Apply to EXPLORE for €1,000 funding

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APPLY NOW ONLINE Open to all NUI Galway students and staff C l o s i n g d a t e : F r i d a y, 1 1 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 3

www.su.nuigalway.ie/explore

EXPLORE is all about getting NUI Galway staff and students working together in bringing innovative new ideas to life.

Ideas can be big or small and are often inspired by coursework, interests, hobbies, clubs, societies and whatever else makes you tick.

25 projects will be funded this year with up to €1,000 each.

The one-page applications are on

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Features 13

September 30 2013

Living the J1 Dream

By Sinead Farrell It’s becoming like another rite of passage for third level students and this summer I decided I was going to sample the J1 experience and see if the hype was justified.

I committed to the venture, along with a friend, and settled on New York City as the destination and after a few months of preparing and anticipating the journey we were flying into JFK airport to begin our 9 week stay in the Big Apple.

Officially, I was there as a J1 student, but I was also one of the summer sanction transfers for the Na Fianna Ladies GAA club. Our accommodation was pre-arranged by executives of the club and the manager even drove out to collect us at the airport.

We spent the initial days of the holiday adapting to the culture, the climate, and the time-zone change of minus five hours. Adjusting to life in NYC didn’t take long and we were navigating around with ease within a few weeks. We had endeavoured to become city slickers before returning home and overall, we made a positive start.

We timed our arrival perfectly because the Irish soccer team were scheduled to play Spain in a friendly game at Yankee Stadium a few days after we flew in. We hopped on the proverbial band wagon and snatched a few tickets to see the game.

I should be saying that we were going to the game to display national pride, but really we just wanted to see the arena. And it was worth the money and sitting through a diabolical game just to see it.

Naturally we tapped into tourist mode early on and visited the marquee landmarks of the city. Times Square, Central Park, and Brooklyn Bridge were the first to get ticked off the list. All of these can be found on the subway line, so they were easy to get to and cost nothing to see.

Later in the summer we took in a climb to the top of the Rockefeller Centre, and a ferry trip out to see the Statue of Liberty. I rounded off my tourist check list by visiting the Ground Zero memorial and adjoining museum.

Of course we made a few purchases in the famous retail boutiques, and we took a five day vacation in Boston, where friends of ours were staying. And in between all those leisurely excursions, I played a bit of ball myself in a temperature and humidity that was offensively hot.

Water breaks were practically mandatory.

There are four senior teams in New

York so we were in a straight semifinal against Cavan who beat us by a slim margin. They went on to win the competition. I didn’t come home with any silverware but I can console myself with the memories of playing in the well established Gaelic Park.

One of the first things that anyone who has visited New York will say is that it’s expensive. And when you’re staying there for three months with only $1,000 dollars stored in your bank account, your finances won’t be long draining out unless you have a bit of coin flowing in.

We needed jobs, and we needed them quickly. The club rescued me in the interim by offering me a few stints of babysitting until I found something more permanent, and then about 3 weeks later, I secured some solid employment.

The place was called ‘Pick a Bagel’ and it was located on a street corner in the mid-town region. Exaggerating your experience is one of the few white lies we tell employers when we’re looking for a part-time job. It’s pretty much unskilled work you’re looking to get and if you’re a quick learner, the boss never needs to find out you were lying.

The only person I’ve ever made sandwiches for is myself but of course I assured the manager that I had worked in delis before. Maybe it was because he believed me, or maybe it was because he was desperate to employ a girl, but either way, he offered me a trial.

After a few training days, I had the job in the satchel. Unfortunately I only lasted about a month and was forced to quit after I was switched over to the morning shift. This was the busiest commercial time of the day for ‘Pick a Bagel’ and I was still only in training.

Unsurprisingly, I struggled to match the pace of the more seasoned workers and to be honest, the staff got vicious when you made a mistake.

Having to walk through an unsafe part of the Bronx at 4am 6 days a week to catch the commuting train to work compounded my hardship so after two weeks in the new shift, I jacked in the job. The club were my salvation again when I ran out of money so I was on sturdy ground for the rest of the J1.

If I had to single out a memory from the J1 experience that sets it apart from the rest, then my Skydive in Long Island would undoubtedly get the title. One of my friends asked if I was game to do it, and I didn’t hesitate in accepting the invite.

We booked it on a Friday, and did the jump, from 13,000 feet I might

add, on the Saturday. The total cost for the day when you factor in food and travel came to about $300 and I would willingly pay every cent to do it a second time. Freefalling for sixty seconds and floating over the New York landscape – who wouldn’t get a thrill out of that?

So was the expectation equalled by the experience? Definitely, and anyone who is considering the J1 experience should absolutely go for it. It’s an experience like no other where you get to really exercise some independence and revel in a new culture.

Here are a few guidelines in going about organising one yourself: 1. Start preparing early because the process for organising the J1 is a long process.

2. Choose an agency that specialises in the provision of J1 visas.

In Ireland, you have ‘Go For Less’, ‘USIT’, and ‘SAYIT’ to choose from.

3. Check your account everyday to see if you have any payments due or if the agency needs any documents from you.

4. Book your flights well in advance of your departure date to get cheaper rates and be sure to compare different airlines to get an affordable price.

5. Arrange your accommodation in good time and if you have relatives in the city you’re travelling to, try and get in contact with them to find a safe and feasible area to live in.

6. Bring plenty of CVs because you don’t know what the employment situation is like when you get there.

7. When you’re over there, avoid drinking in public. I got caught on the train and they will pour your drink away and you could get a fine or worse.

8. Buy a phone when you get there.

You can get a standard brick for $150 dollars.

9. Don’t go out too much until you get a job. Plenty of J1ers have gone out to America presuming they’ll get work early and after a few weeks on the beer, their funds run dry and they have to return home early.

10. When you arrive in America, you won’t be dealing with your visa agency anymore. You’ll be answerable to a sponsorship company and you have to check in with them to update them on your working and living status. If you get paired with Intrax, happy days. They don’t expect anything more than a monthly update that you’ll do online.

Diary of an Erasmus Student By Áine O Donnell Having arrived in France two weeks ago, I am beginning to settle into Erasmus student life. I left Dublin after emotional goodbyes and headed off for sunny France. Or so I thought.

I got off the plane in La Rochelle to a monsoonlike downpour which was very reminiscent of Galway indeed. After dragging 30kg of luggage from airport to airport, on two buses and finally on a train, I arrived in Poitiers – my home for the next year.

After a tough journey, I thought I would find my apartment myself as an independent woman (cue Destiny’s Child). I struggled down the boulevard for a good two kilometres before I realised that maybe I should have asked for help in the first place.

I walked back up to the train station and asked a taxi man where to go and he pointed directly across the road. First European disaster? Check.

Tired, drenched and hungry, I rang the caretaker of the apartment to let him know that I was there. We had a very confused conversation in the worst French I have ever spoken but he eventually told me he would come to the building in an hour to let me in. I felt like breaking down, nothing was going my way. Until…

A young guy walked into the building and

asked me in an Irish accent; “are you Irish?” I have never been so glad to meet another Irish person in my life. He brought me into the kitchen where I met more Irish people, some Germans, Italians and a girl from Finland.

They were all very friendly and welcoming, offering me food and asking me how my journey was. I finally thought that maybe Erasmus mightn’t be so bad after all.

The people of Poitiers are so genuine and helpful, a welcome surprise from the rude French stereotype. This week, I have set up a bank account, organised my bus ticket and got myself a French sim card but progress is not going as well at the university.

We have ventured from department to department in the university but are yet to be given a timetable or told what classes to go to. After a week of asking, we still don’t have any classes and the staff members at the university have been quite rude.

The dingy university campus, the condescending staff and the lack of clarity make you appreciate how good student life is at NUI Galway.

While I am missing Galway a lot, I am willing to give the Université de Poitiers a chance because spending a year in this beautiful city is worth all the hassle…

The Town Hall and square of Poitiers.

14 Features

Sin Vol. 15 Issue 2

Zombies descend on Shop Street

By Michael Finn The Fourth Annual Zombie Walk took place on Friday 20 September to help raise money for the ‘Make a Wish Foundation’.

Over 300 people descended on the Spanish Arch in zombie make up to help a worthy cause. The walk took place at the same time as ‘Culture Night’, wish resulted in strange looks from a bewildered crowd.

The route started at the Spanish Arch, and proceeded up Shop Street at around 10:30pm.

The walk ended in Eyre Square, where the crowd were treated to a fire show by the organisers.

The ‘Make a Wish Foundation’ helps seriously ill children live out their great-

est wish. The makeup was provided at the Spanish Arch by volunteers, asking for donations.

All sorts of people participated, even families completely decked out in zombie attire.

An after party was hosted

by The Bentley, a nightclub just off Eyre Square and Zombie Walk was part of a wider celebration for Culture Night.

Culture Night is an event that takes place in 34 towns across Ireland. Supported by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gealtacht, they host a wide range of free cultural events for one night every year.

The Zombie walk has grown significantly in the past four years, and it may become a tradition in Galway for years to come.

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Features 15

September 30 2013

Eight types of freshers you’ll have the pleasure of meeting

By Michael Finn During your time in college, it’ll take time to settle in. Many freshers take on a whole new persona, while many retain the one they brought from home. Either way, it’s still entertaining to see the different breeds of fresher. Such as:

after they fought over some Facebook picture with a boy, or a missed Skype call.

During a fun night in, she may disappear away from the group into a quiet area to talk on the phone for hours until everyone has gone.

But the best part is the unexpected visit.

Make sure you have the popcorn on the ready.

The innocent one: Coming from a sheltered background, and released into the world of college not knowing what to expect. Without the leash of her parents, the ‘innocent one’ is now left to the mercy of her peers. She was a pillar of the community back home, but in college, she might start ‘having the craic’ more regularly, and BAM! She’s a viral video in the making.

She may even stop going to mass!

The ‘lads club’ from home It may be no co-incidence that four lads who happen to be best friends from the same school ended up in the same college, in the same house. They may be loud and bounce off each other, but will not win the hearts of fellow students, as they cannot survive without each other.

Completely missing the point of meeting new people in college, the lads club may seem unapproachable.

The unhealthy long distance relationship one God love you if you have to live in a house with this one. Having kept her boyfriend from home, you may enter your sitting room one day to find her sobbing uncontrollably,

The ghost An absolute creature, whose presence can be sensed but not seen. He will make no effort to meet his housemates and will retreat from class the second it finishes... if he bothers to show up.

You might have gotten a glance of his room if you happen to live with him, and it can be anything from an entertainment Mecca, stocked with every console and a fridge. Or an absolute dive. You could ask him, if you find him.

The one that won’t make it past Christmas He only came to college because that’s what he thought he had to do. That’s what his parents thought he needed to do to become a functioning member of society. Choosing a course he isn’t that interested in, he is more interested in the social side of college.

He may be fun to be around, but there’s no point in getting used to him.

The Dublin one Coming straight from, what he thinks is Ireland’s only city, this beacon of civilised society will be the first to let you know how things are done differently (or better) in Dublin.

It will be a thrilling transformation, as he slowly realises that living in a city where the centre isn’t roaming with junkies is much more pleasant.

The one that didn’t do TY, and will go most of first year aged 17 Possibly wanted to get out of secondary school as quickly as possible, only to find out that entering college below the legal drinking age has a few drawbacks.

When all his friends are having the session, he will either have to risk not getting into the club afterwards, or call it a night.

If he was a girl, at least he could use his boobs to coax a bouncer, but no. He’ll have to bide his time The one you’d swear does PR for one of the nightclubs She’ll bombard your Facebook page with invites to AWESOME CLUBNIGHTS! FREE IN BEFORE 11! WITH ¤3 JAGERBOMB PROMOTIONS! She will speak in slogans designed to attract the most impressionable students. A nice night in or a trip to the pub will never do it for her. She will insist that the only way to have a good night is to go to a nightclub.

Alumni Interview: Siún Nic Gearailt Year of Graduation: 1995 Course at NUI Galway: Higher Diploma in Broadcasting and Journalism.

Course at NUI Galway: Bachelor of Arts Degree, German, Irish (French and Classical Civilisation).

Current Occupation: Bilingual Newscaster/ Journalist, RTE News and Current Affairs.

Do you ever miss NUI Galway?

What is your fondest ­memory in NUI ­Galway?

Well of course, but I'm not revealing any juicy bits here!

There are so many! That first feeling of freedom and independence, inspirational teachers, but especially the lifelong friends I made.

Has NUI Galway changed since you were there?

Yes it's got bigger and better by all accounts. Ag dul ó neart go neart i gconaí.

How did attending NUI Galway develop you as a person?

NUI Galway is a great place to decide what you want and don't want to do in life!

It helped to develop my strengths and to identify areas of potential.

As part of my studies in NUI Galway I got to spend a year studying in Freiburg's Albert Ludwig University in Germany. It was, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the best years ever, and aside from the obvious academic and linguistic benefits associated with a year abroad, it was a very positive experience and invaluable in terms of developing a better understanding of oneself.

I'm lucky I don't, because I've been invited back to NUI Galway often, and have had the privilege of being master of ceremonies on a number of occasions at the Annual Gala banquet. It's always a great night and a good place to meet old friends.

Any juicy stories?

welc om

What advice would you give to current NUI Galway students?

e

Enjoy every minute of every day and night!

It will only happen once.

To a n e of the wly enhan ced c art bu am excitin il g new dings, wor pus with ne ld resea rch p class facil w state rogra mme ities and s for 2013 -2014

If you could go back and do it all again, what would you do differently?

I wouldn't change a thing.

u o y k n tha

r their wide fo ld r o w i funding lumn alway in on campus G To our a I U N ts n for r projec ambitio se majo e th f o many

stay

connected With the Alumni Association and support NUI Galway’s vision for the future

Did you partake in any societies?

Yes, I was a member of the best society in college 'The German Society'.

Wir haben die Zeit sehr genossen, haben viel gelacht und immer Spass gehabt! Einfach klasse!

For more information on priority projects, events & activities: Visit us @ www.guf.ie l www.nuigalway.ie/alumni l T: 091 493536 Find us on Facebook

GUF SU Diary Advert 148x210.indd 1

16/07/2013 14:11

THE SU PAGES Ask the SU:

Dear SU, I’m alone and I am finding it hard to settle into college.

What can I do?

It’s so important you get involved in clubs and societies; it’s a great way to get to know people. The union is also a great place to make friends and get involved, perhaps become a class rep or join the welfare crew it’s a great way to get to know people and make a difference.

Dear SU, I am seriously struggling financially. What do I do?

You need to apply immediately to the Student Assistance fund for financial aid. This is an anonymous online application that is evaluated by student services. You should contact the Union for advice.

Dear SU, I’m confused about my sexuality?

Take your time; college is a great opportunity to explore your identity.

Talking is key; finding that one friend or peer that you can talk to will really help you. You can always call up to the union here for support.

Dear SU, my boyfriend and I want to “do it” but we’re too embarrassed to buy condoms, what should we do?

That’s ok, they’re available for free in the Students Union, and in a friendly and non-judgemental environment.

Dear SU, I’ve been feeling really down lately, what can I do?

It’s really important that you contact one of the many student support services on campus, the welfare office provides a confidential listening and referral service.

If you’d like to send your questions to the SU, email editor@sin.ie. All questions will remain anonymous and confidential at all times.

Na ‘Chat-Up Lines' as Gaeilge: B’fhearr liom thú ná céad bó bainne! – I prefer you to a hundred milk cows.

Ar mhaith leat bheith curtha le mo mhuintir? – Would you like to be buried with my people?

Aon seans ort a chailín/a bhuachaill?- Any chance, girl/lad?

Is ionadaí ranga mé – I’m a Class Rep An dtagann tú anseo go minic? – Do you come here often?

An dtabharfaidh tú póg do mo chara? – Will you shift my friend?

18 Features

Sin Vol. 15 Issue 2

Yellow Brick Road: What’s my edge?

By Hazel Doyle This week I’ve spent more time in Careers Events than I have in lectures. And I didn’t go out last week. Am I dry now? Final Year has hit home hard. I’m suddenly acutely aware that come next September that ABBA song where the little girl has a school-bag in hand may no longer be applicable to me. Suddenly, the talk is of CVs, it’s of volunteering, transferable skills, work experience and of ‘the edge’ you can offer an employer.

(Note to self: get an ‘edge’).

But I’m still not sure what I actually want to do once I leave college.

I was at a going-away party two weeks ago and a couple of people asked me what I wanted to do when I finish my Arts Degree this year. I hazarded an ‘I might take a year out’ and it went down well, so that became

my mantra for the evening.

All was going splendidly; I sounded like I had a plan, and after I’d said it a few times, I was beginning to think that this was actually a good idea and maybe I should go with this, when someone added a ‘so you’ll go travelling then?’ and I realised that maybe I hadn’t quite thought all this through and that more planning would be involved.

So I had to admit defeat and say ‘Oh I’m not sure yet, I’ve not quite figured it out’, and all illusions of being an accomplished young lady with some idea of where she is going in life were exposed and I felt like a failure; you never realise how close you are to the top ‘till you fall, do you?

You could never pay me enough to go back and do the Leaving Cert again, or to wear that grey jumper with the school’s motto in

Latin stitched on the chest – not my colour – but actually, when you look back on it, school was a lot easier.

Those maths books had the answers in the back of them if you were stuck on a question and everyone was working towards the same goal: college.

Where is the text-book of life? Where are the sneaky answers in the back of the book and why can’t my Mam write me a note anymore? Now we’re kind of like wind-cocks in a storm; all out in the open on our lonesome, with no central heating to keep us warm and no idea exactly what direction we’re supposed to turn.

Movies always have a plan too. If I could just be sure that my life was a movie then I need not worry. I know Jim Carey maybe didn’t exactly know he was on TV, but at least there was

th Saturday 12 October 2013

Join students, staff, alumni and friends of NUI Galway for a spectacular run around the University campus along the banks of the River Corrib

For more info log on to

www.kingfisherclub.com or call 091 570 800

JOIN THIS FUN EVENT & HELP RAISE FUNDS FOR

a greater plan for him! And some characters are set specific goals in their movies, like Dorothy and Toto in The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy did actually have a plan for the future, granted, as she wanted to get home, but someone came along and told her exactly how to do it. There was an evident quest there.

She had to keep going ‘till she reached the Wizard.

Someone sorted her out with a task and she was

happy to do it for a few days.

Maybe if I had a flying house, someone would c o m e a l o n g a n d s ay ‘Look love, at the moment you’re thinking of taking a year out and hoping then you’ll have a better clue what you want to do, right? Well, best advice I could give you at this time is’ and then they’d tell me.

And then I’d wake up one day and be happy out in life, and have a new pair of shiny shoes to boot. (Ha!)

I thought maybe that by writing this, I’d have an epiphany and I’d be a bit clearer about where I’m going and what it is I want.

No such luck, but at least the word-count looks fuller.

Could that be a transferable skill? Is that something I could offer an employer?

Could this be my ‘edge’?

Or am I just another Bono, in denial in my sunglasses because, really, my future is just so bright, I’ve got to wear shades?

How to eat your water

By Jessica Thompson Our bodies are made up of 70% water. Our brains are 90% water. So it’s only natural that our bodies should need water to function correctly. Without it, we are prone to dehydration which can cause fatigue, cravings, headaches, dry skin, hunger and tonnes of other less than comfortable conditions, such as constipation or muscle cramps.

There are so many benefits to drinking water. It increases energy by hydrating your brain. It promotes weight loss by keeping cravings and hunger pangs at bay. It removes harmful toxins from the body via sweat and urination.

Water naturally moisturises your skin, keeping it looking fresh, young and healthy. It aids digestion, preventing constipation and other digestive problems. It boosts your immune system and fights sicknesses like the flu or even cancer.

It prevents muscle pain by keeping the muscles more elastic and lubricating the joints. Furthermore, it relieves headaches, migraines and even back pains, which are often caused by dehydration.

Most importantly, it puts you in a good mood.

When your body feels at its best and your brain feels hydrated, it’s only natural that your mood will get a little lift too.

Yes, our bodies need water, probably more than anything else. But sometimes it can be difficult to

drink glass after glass of a tasteless drink. If only there was a way to take in water without having to sip it all day long… Well there is.

There are many delicious foods that are literally bursting with H2O. Fruit and vegetables are an excellent way to get your recommended daily water intake.

It all seems so much easier when you know you can eat a slice of your favourite melon instead of gulping down that glass of liquid.

A tasty salad will keep you more hydrated than that boring glass of H2O you’ll never drink.

So without further ado, here is a list of foods that have wonderfully high water content.

Watermelon: This is one of

my favourite fruits to drink.

Watermelon is deliciously sweet and refreshing, and best of all; it’s made up of 96% water!

Cucumber: Delicious in a salad, cucumbers contain 96% water and also provide a crunchy, tasty, delicious bite to any sandwich.

Celery: Those celery sticks dipped in hummus are a better snack than you thought.

With 95% water, this vegetable is sure to keep you hydrated while also satisfying a little hunger pang.

Pineapple: One of my favourite fruits, pineapple is made up of 95% water and is the perfect snack and a refreshing pick-me-up.

Blueberries: Great for eye health, and delicious when mixed with low fat, natural yogurt and a handful

of other berries, blueberries contain 95% water and tonnes of vitamins.

Lettuce: Salad is a delicious way to up your water intake, and with crisp, refreshing lettuce that contains 95% water, it’s an excellent substitute to a glass of water – especially when mixed with cucumber and celery!

Tomato: Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.

A little extra wisdom is knowing that it is made up of 94% water. Put it in your salad.

Pears: A delicious addition to any lunch box, pears are bursting with 92% water, making them a juicy snack for college.

Grapefruit: Many people eat this watery fruit for breakfast, most commonly when trying to lose weight. There’s some method to the madness though, as it contains 90% water and is an excellent start to a healthy day.

Melon: I’ve already mentioned watermelon has 96% water. It is therefore in a league of its own, way above all other melons. But if watermelon isn’t your cup of tea (or indeed water), you’re in luck. Other melons contain 89% water and are still more than excellent when it comes to taking in your recommended H2O. There’s bound to be at least one of the above fruits or vegetables that is to your taste, and if there is, pounce on it and eat (and drink) it to your heart’s content. I’m off to eat some salad. Keep hydrated!

Lifest yle 19

September 30 2013

How to fit exercise into a hectic college life…

By John Mulry College life is pretty hectic. What with meeting friends, going out, all the clubs and societies, all the events and not to mention actual lectures, it can be quite difficult to find time to exercise. How many times have you told yourself that you'd exercise this year and get fit, if only you had the time?

Well the great news is you can. You can still enjoy all that college life has to offer while maintaining a healthy body and mind. New and excit-

ing research is coming out in favour of shorter, more intense workouts. The old way of exercising at a slow speed, for long periods of time, is over and done.

Short and intense exercise sessions that utilize high intensity interval training get you better results with way less time invested. So there goes the time crunch excuse. You don't need to spend hours in the gym to get amazing results. A simple 30 minute workout done right is all you need.

So what does this magical 30 minute workout consist of?

As mentioned above, there's a little secret in the fitness world called high intensity interval training. This means rather than doing the same cardio exercise your entire workout; you'd alternate between short, high-intensity bursts of exercise with slower, low-intensity periods of recovery.

The research makes it clear that this method of training burns more calories and builds fitness quicker with less time invested.

Not long ago, elite athletes were the only ones benefiting from this method of training, but now the cat is out of the bag and everyone is open to reap the rewards of interval training. And you don't even need fancy equipment or special training to start seeing results with interval training.

So how long should your intervals be? The answer is; it doesn't really matter.

There are no real hardand-fast rules with interval length. Varying lengths bring varying benefits, so it's important to find which length works best for you.

Beginners should aim for no more than 30 seconds of high-intensity bursts. If you're feeling strong and are in good shape, then go ahead and push yourself a bit longer.

An interval-training workout involves four variables that can be modified to meet your goals: intensity of intervals, duration of intervals, duration of recovery intervals, and the number of interval repetitions.

Interval training can be casual, spur of the moment bursts of activity depending on how you're feeling that day, or if you're working towards a specific sports or fitness goal then you can take a more sophisticated, scientific approach.

The simplest example of interval training for walking would be to add short bursts of jogging or alternate slower walking with brisk walking. If you walk outdoors, then jog or walk faster between certain landmarks such as mailboxes or street signs, then slow down for a short distance.

The more popular, and effective, form of interval training includes alternating between resistance training exercises and high intensity

cardio exercises. You can increase the intensity of your intervals by doing any combination of the four below.

Add Some Resistance: Lunges, squats, hip bridges and even sit-ups can all be made more intense with some added resistance. A set of dumbbells, kettle bells, sand bags, medicine balls or resistance bands would do the trick. Pay attention to when the resistance starts to feel too easy, and add weights accordingly.

Increase Your Speed: If you think you could go faster, do it. The more you push yourself during your sprinting intervals, the quicker and more stunning your results will be. Remember, you can do anything for just a few seconds.

Lengthen Your Intervals: If your workout is starting to feel less challenging then add a few seconds to your intense

intervals. Start by adding 5 seconds and go up from there.

Do New Exercises: For the best results, never do the same workout twice. There are many small changes that can be made to keep a routine fresh and new. Swap out burpees for high knees, mountain climbers for jump squats and so on.

So it turns out that you really do have enough time to get an effective workout each day while still enjoying all that college life offers… and that old excuse about not having time is no longer going to work.

For more information on what you should (and shouldn’t) be doing when you’re in the gym I recommend you visit www. johnmulry.com/ultimate to get my eBook “The ultimate insider’s guide to simple, effective and permanent results in the gym”.

Wise Words: Pear Pizza

By Móna Wise The first month is all but under our belts. So you are well stuck into your studies by now, right?

Assignments are laid on thick and the deadlines for essays and exams have been posted. If you are a first year, you might be feeling well and truly overwhelmed at the thoughts of getting over the first hurdle which is submitting your first official academic essay.

Relax. It’s a numbers game.

Break it up into small bundles as follows: Introduction – 250 words. 1st, 2nd and 3rd paragraphs – 350 words each.

Conclusion – 250 words. 1550 words done.

I do not want to make light of your first attempt at writing an essay in college, I am just wanting to shed light on the fact that you should not worry yourself to death over it. You are here to learn.

Your second essay is going to be so much better than your first.

Speaking of trying and attempting things, I am hoping that some of you (especially those of you still living at home allowing your Mum to cater to you every day) will give this seasonal pizza a whirl in your kitchens this weekend.

Pears are ruling the market stalls and grocery stores these days and are full of fantastic flavour. Bosc, Bartlett, conference or rogue red, there are sometimes too many varieties to choose from. When shopping for pears, look for the slightly under ripe ones (otherwise known to us as ‘hard-as-a-rock’) and allow them a few days to ripen at home before slicing into them and savouring the sweetness they bring to the season.

Although a pizza dough base is perfect for this recipe, you can use a pre-rolled pastry crust or even pitta bread.

The main thing is to try something new. If blue cheese is not your thing then feel free to use a crumbly feta or goats cheese instead.

Now, for those of you graduating, allow me to make a few little suggestions. If you are looking for a place to go for lunch with the folks on graduation day then here is my list of recommendations for favourite and fabulous places to dine in Galway: In a hurry? 37West serves cute, local and seasonal food and fabulous friendly service with a smile. Not to mention excellent prices and quality of food.

Have a bit more time but still not too flush with your florins? Why not head to The Kings Head? With an excellent varied menu, there’s something for everyone, including parents and grandparents.

The Malt House, right next door to the Kings Head and owned by the same family is a great little nook to steal away

to for a quieter lunch with gorgeous food.

If you are wanting to go somewhere memorable and magical – then go to Kai Café.

You will be delighted with the local and changes-daily menu they have on offer there – but you will need to make a reservation. It is a small enough place but they do have a fab party room for 12 people upstairs. Tell them Móna sent you. They will hook you up.

If you are reading this and you have a graduate in the house, and you are wondering what to get them as a graduation present, cold hard cash is always the most appreciated gift so they can pay off a bit of their student loans, and get cracking on the job search.

Either way, enjoy the festivities around graduation season at NUI Galway. It is a wonderful occasion for the graduate in your life and should be celebrated to the max.

Thanks for reading along and for the feedback from last week. Glad you liked the Hummus recipe. It is one of my favourites too.

WiseMóna

Recipe: Pear Pizza Makes one pizza

Introduction You can’t tell me that this does not sound intriguing. If you are a fruit and cheese lover, then this is the perfect lunchtime recipe for you to try. The marriage of pears with blue cheese is a classic combination and the flavour reward; once bacon and mustard is added to the mix makes this a keeper.

What you will need 1 ten inch (thin) pizza crust 4 small pears, cored and sliced thinly 120g Cashel or Crozier blue cheese 6 slices smoked streaky bacon, cooked and chopped 2tbsp Dijon mustard How to prepare Pre-heat oven 220ºC. Prick the pizza base crust with a fork and bake in the hot oven for ten minutes. Remove from heat. Pour the mustard onto the pizza crust and spread evenly using a pastry brush.

Arrange the sliced pears all around the crust. Top with the blue cheese and chopped bacon. Bake for 20 minutes at 200ºC. The pears should be firm but not dissolved and the crust will have browned a little.

20 lifestyle

Rebecca Casserly, hostess of the Galway Bloggers Party.

Rebecca (left) with her supportive mother Louie Casserly and her sister Stephanie who modelled in the fashion show.

Sin Vol. 15 Issue 2

Rebecca Casserly, Lily Philippa Joyce, Shannon Barry, Meghan Jones and Orla Martyn dressed up for the Galway Bloggers Party at the House Hotel.

Galway bloggers gather at the House Hotel

By Kayte O’Malley Bloggers from around the county gathered in Galway’s House Hotel on Saturday 21 September for an afternoon of fashion, beauty and blogging.

With its hot pink furniture and mirrored cocktail bar, it was the perfect location for Galway’s first Fashion Blogger Party, organised by Rebecca Casserly of BecBoopFashionista World.

Despite the weather, on Saturday afternoon we all gathered in this chic hotel chatting, swapping business cards and inspecting the fabulous goodie bags compliments of Love my Figure, Love my Fashion, Slattery Comms, Cotton Face Vintage and Black Canvas Cosmetics.

Daiquiris were the order of the day as we browsed the pop-up shops showcasing a range of their clothing.

Cotton Face Vintage has just opened its doors in Spiddal and offers shoppers a range of unique bohemian pieces. They also have an online store so check out their Facebook or Twitter for further details.

Meanwhile Benefit and Urban Decay were on hand for all of our beauty needs. Benefit was launching a range of new lipsticks but it was their primer, the ‘Porefessional’, which stole the show for me.

Something like a polyfiller, it smoothed wrinkles and filled in pores leaving skin ‘like a canvas’.

This really has to be seen to be believed, so call into Debenhams where the lovely girls from Benefit will be more than happy to demonstrate.

Rebecca herself looked amazing in a dress which she ironically won through a competition on another fashion blog, Fashion Vent. Her accessories – spiked peep-toe heels from Schuh and a matching Penneys Limited Edition clutch bag – added a punk edge to her ensemble and are definitely at the top of my wish list!

The fashion show was the highlight of this event, with outfits from Cotton Face Vintage, Captain Torture Galway, Sunny Juddy Designs, Portobello Clothing and Mary White Millinery.

Various products from Benefit were on display during the party.

It also marked the launch of Rebecca Horgan’s clothing line, Brutal Glory. Rebecca is a Galway based make-up artist/blogger who has turned her hand to designing.

Her debut collection featured a range of beautifully designed pieces including a bright red daisy-printed jumper (ideal for staying cosy as the temperatures drop) and a white shirt with a black lace overlay – a nod to the monochrome trend that is all over the high street.

However, the trend of the day had to be headwear with everything from bowlers and fedoras to turbans being sported by models and guests alike.

A qualified accountant, Rebecca juggled organizing this fabulous event with an already hectic schedule. She admits that family and friends have all pitched in at various stages and indeed her mum, Louie, was close at hand on Saturday while her sister, Stephanie, did her thing on the catwalk.

In conversation, Rebecca said she really enjoyed putting this event together and hopes to host many more bloggers parties in future; “Most bloggers parties are based in Dublin so it’s nice to have something here in Galway. Hopefully there will be more in the future, if people are interested.”

Judging by the turnout Rebecca, I think people will be very interested indeed.

Some of the blogs represented on the day were:

Sin reporter Kayte O’Malley mingles with the fashionistas at the Galway Bloggers Party.

Our reporter Kayte O’Malley rubs shoulders with the organiser of the event, Rebecca Casserly.

Seanna Curley of illusionmakeup. com strikes a pose for the camera.

Bec Boop Fashionista World becboopfashionistaworld.blogspot.ie Rebecca Horgan beckyrox.buzznet.com Emily Fashion Fiend emiltfashionfiend.com Babs Scribbles babsscribbles.wordpress.com Illusion Makeup illusionmakeup.com Photos by ­Darachphotography and Kayte O'Malley.

Fashionistas Emily Lohan and Sinead Lally of Cotton Face Vintage enjoy the atmosphere.

Rebecca Casserly and Meghan Jones of the blog Meghan Mode.

It’s cocktail o’clock.

Lifest yle 21

September 30 2013

Tutorial Time: Fishtail Plaits

By Kayte O’Malley Since Blake Lively was recently spotted sporting a super messy braid, the Fishtail Plait has become a popular hairstyle seen on everyone from Cheryl Cole to Kim Kardashian.

These plaits, though they may appear elaborate, are surprisingly easy. With a bit of practice, fishtail plaits are the perfect style for any occasion.

They can be glammed up with a sparkly hairband for a night out on the town or worn distressed under a beanie hat and with a tartan shirt for an edgier look.

3. Take a small strand from the outside of the left section, behind the left ear. Pull this over the left section and under the right. Same as before, the strand finishes up on the outside of the opposite side, behind your right ear.

How-to: This style generally works best on day old hair. Freshly washed hair can be a little too soft and difficult to work with so try this style the day after you wash. If your hair is naturally very curly it might be worth running a straightener through it, although there’s no need for poker straight locks.

1. Divide your hair into 2 even parts at the nape of your neck. Think 4th class pigtails and you’re probably on the right track. For a more structured plait, use a comb for this step but if you prefer the messy look, simply use your hands.

With Amy McDonnell and Rachel Quinlan Moni, Linguistics.

Bronagh Harrington, 1st Year Med

Dress – Urban Outfitters Necklace – Urban Outfitters Boots – Online from Korea Tights – Penneys Shorts – Berlin Bag – Primark in London

Necklace – Dorothy Perkins Cardigan – Charity shop Top – Charity shop Boots – Charity shop Shorts – Tom Taylor Who/what would influence the way you dress?

Materials: Hair tie Many hair clips (€1.50 in Penneys) Hair spray (I prefer to use L’Oréal Elnette) Comb (optional)

Style Spotter

Step 3: Take a small strand from the left section and pull under the right.

4. Continue taking small strands from the outside, weaving them over and then under. Try to keep the hair pulled tightly so the plait doesn’t come undone.

How would you describe you own personal style?

I tend to wear a lot of black. I come from Berlin and there, everyone wears black in the clubs. It's almost like a lifestyle! I do like to add accessories to my looks though!

What are the differences between the style in Berlin and the style in Ireland?

In Berlin, it seems that people think about fashion a lot more. It's more important.

How would you describe the style in Galway?

Hmm, it would sometimes seem in Galway that the style is not so special!

Is there any particular decade of style that you would associate with?

I like the 90s kind of look. It has a cool techno vibe.

Nothing in particular would influence what I wear. There was a stage where I used to wear a lot of black. So then, I began to introduce a lot of colours into my looks.

Have you any favourite shop in particular?

I really like charity shops, I've been lucky enough to find some unique pieces! I also shop in Penneys quite a bit. A Dorothy Perkins back home had a closing down sale. I took advantage and bought loads!

Would you associate with the fashion trends of any particular period in time?

Well, I love 80s music. So I would have to say that my sense of style would be centred around that time. Or even, that sort of the class of 1977 look, back when punk bands started to become a thing. That era would definitely be an inspiration for me.

Step 4: Continue taking small strands from the outside and weaving them over and then under.

5. Once you reach the end, secure the hair using a hair tie. You may find, depending on how layered your hair is, that some strands have come loose. These can be tucked behind the ears or secured with some hair clips and a good spritz of hairspray.

Step 1: Divide your hair into two sections.

2. Take a small strand of hair from outside the right section, just behind your right ear. Pull this over the right section and under the left so it finishes up on the outside of the opposite side behind your left ear.

Step 2: Take a small strand from outside the right section. Pull this over the right section and under the left.

Fashion Poll

Step 5: When you reach the end, secure with a hair tie.

For those of you who have mastered the fishtail and are looking for more of a challenge, there are plenty of variations. My personal favourite would be the fishtail plait pulled to the side. This can be a little trickier, especially with layers as the hair may not be long enough to reach the other side of the head but some hairspray and hairclips should sort this out.

And for those blessed with super long locks, try pulling the braid around the forehead like a headband like Pixie Lott for a more ‘hipster’ feel.

Is there a trend, fashion or style trait that you simply can’t understand about the other sex? We asked two NUI Galway students about the trends they dislike.

Maeve White, 2nd Year Medicine

Eoin Himpers, 2nd Year Medicine

What guy trends do you hate or genuinely just don't understand?

I hate those Airtex shirts, or polo shirts. Is that what they're called? It's just something about the collar... Oh and flared jeans.

This guy wore them to a lecture once and I realised how rotten they were!

Is there anything that a lot of girls wear that you hate?

I don't like it when girls wear too much make up. Although, it does tend to cover a lot!

22 lifestyle

Sin Vol. 15 Issue 2

How to work with your body shape

By Ruth-Ann Browne

hips and thighs appear narrower • Avoid anything that draws attention to your hips and thighs, e.g. patterns, details or pockets • Also avoid the likes of combat trousers and sloping or narrow shoulder lines

“The dress must follow the body of a woman, not the body following the shape of the dress”

Rectangle Shape: The rectangle shape is characterised by the following: • Average tummy • Little waist definition • Straight hips and bottom • Straight shoulder line

—Hubert de Givenchy If there was ever anyone who knew the importance of dressing correctly to flatter one’s body shape, it was the famous fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy.

When it comes to looking good, it is not your size or shape that matters. As a matter of fact, it is the fit of your clothes. Choosing what makes you feel comfortable, confident and sassy is more important than anything else.

Before buying clothes you need to know what body shape you are. Your aim is simple – to create the illusion of a balanced body.

So what are the different types of body shapes and how can one best dress to suit their own unique shape?

Let’s examine the various shapes that exist and some dos and don’ts when it comes to dressing for these shapes.

Believe it or not, Angelina Jolie’s body shape is an apple.

With hips wider than her shoulders, reality tv star Kim Kardashian has a pear-shaped body.

Apple Shape:

Pear Shape:

The apple body shape is characterised by the following: • Rounded shoulders • Medium to large bust • Fullness around the middle • Good legs

Believe it or not the pear shape is the most common body shape of women all over the world. The pear shape is characterised by the following: • Full hips • Defined waist • Shoulders narrower than your hips • Small top half as well as small bust

To work with an apple shape one should follow these three simple rules: • Keep the clothing line straight to slightly fitted • Avoid detail around the bust, tummy and hips • Your shoulders need more attention than any part of your body. Try balancing them from the front and side views to create the illusion of a lean, well-balanced body

To work with the pear shape, follow these three golden rules: • As your top half is smaller than your lower half, you need to create the illusion of broad shoulders. Opt for shoulder pads, puffed sleeves, boleros and so on to make your

Why we’re (secretly) happy summer is over

By Niamh Prendergast Ladies, rejoice - it’s the only time of the year where you can get away with so much more in terms of fashion!

It’s again that time of year to tuck away those flip flops and pull out the good old reliable pieces including your knee high boots, that big warm coat and those Uggs you got for Christmas three years ago that never fail to make an appearance each winter.

Like me, some of you fellow fashionistas might not be ready to hang up those hot pants and playsuits just yet but do not fear. After all, doesn’t the cold weather mean we can get away with so much more? Men, look away now.

Okay, so we can’t pull off that wavy beach hair-do or the bright neon clothing we’ve been rock-

ing all summer and, although it kills us to say it, that post-J1 tan is starting to fade.

We can, however, stick a hat on during a bad hair day or put a neon coloured pair of tights on with those hot pants. We also have the luxury of not worrying about those dodgy tan spots on our elbows, knees and ankles.

As for perfectly shaved legs, you can think of that extra leg hair as insulation now. And from living in possibly the coldest city in Ireland we might need every bit of insulation we can get!

Put on an extra pound or two over the winter evenings? Not to worry, your coat is your new best friend for this season as they hide multitudes!

Theme it with a bright coloured matching hat and scarf to brighten up your whole look. Penneys have them in all different colours at the moment

ranging from as little as €4 to about €10, so don’t see yourself stuck in the rain on the Quincentennial Bridge on a misty November morning.

The festive spell is another great aspect of this season (yes, I know it’s only the first week of October). It’s the only season where you get to dress up in all that glitz and glam and what girl doesn’t like to get dolled up every so often? Think sequins, think reds, think fur.

Also, any Scots among us will be glad to know that tartan is a big trend this season as well. Not just for the festive season but for Autumn/Winter in general, pair it with simpler clothing for the ultimate effect.

Also, don’t shy away from those bright colours just because its winter.

Rocking reds are all the go, and apparently leopard print is the new black.

Go try it out for yourself and remember that every walk is a catwalk!

If you are rectangle-shaped your ultimate goal is to create the illusion of a defined waist. To dress appropriately for the rectangle shape, follow these three rules: • Keep your silhouette uncluttered • Hip and bottom details are good

Natalie Portman’s has a rectangular body shape and really knows how to work it.

(as long as they create gentle curves) • Avoid straight lines from top to toe, e.g. a straight jacket worn with a straight leg.

Hourglass Shape Other body shapes include the neat hourglass and the full hourglass.

The neat hourglass is characterised by the same size on the top and bottom. You need to wear clothes fitted to your body line and avoid any styles or shapes that hide your body shape.

The full hourglass is characterised by big thighs and a full bust.

You need to avoid straight styles that hide your waist.

Remember the golden rules associated with your unique body shape to keep you looking sassy and classy!

With a bottom and bust like that, it’s no surprise that Scarlett Johansson’s body is hourglass-shaped.

The Style Bible

By Ruth-Ann Browne Struggling to keep up with the latest fashion and beauty trends? Fret not! As a keen and devoted follower of the latest and greatest trends hitting the world of everything fashion and beauty I am here to help.

Firstly we shall examine some of the latest fashion trends that have hit the celebrity scene and that are causing a worldwide fashion phenomenon. Then the latest beauty products that have hit the market will also be analysed.

Fashion Peplum: A peplum is a flared

ruffle attached to the waistline of a dress or jacket or blouse. Peplums are great for showing off your figure and add a touch of class to any outfit Dip-Dye: Fabric which has the illusion of having literally been ‘dipped’ into a dye. Dip-Dye tops, dresses and even jeans are all the rage at the moment.

Statement Jewellery: Any piece of jewellery that stands out and instantly catches the eye. Statement pieces of jewellery allow women to step out of the mundane and define themselves as unique, confident and interesting people. Statement necklaces are huge on the catwalks at the moment.

beauty Primer: A cosmetic primer is a cream or lotion applied before another cosmetic to improve coverage and lengthen the amount of time the cosmetic lasts on the face.

For that super smooth and professional look a primer is a must-have.

CC Creams: CC Creams are used to treat, cover or correct anything less than the perfect skin tone. Use CC creams before applying foundation for a flawless finish.

Crackle Nails: Crackle nail polish has been a massive seller in the world of cosmetics in the past few months. It’s super easy to use and the result is bang on trend nails.

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24 Arts & entertainment Review: R.I.P.D.

By Kenneth Glennon When I first read about R.I.P.D. I was relatively excited, a Men In Black style set up of undead law enforcers, Jeff Bridges in full quirky cowboy mode, and director Robert Schwentke fresh off the surprise 2010 comic action hit Red. Throw in the presence of Ryan Reynolds, a solid and generally likable comedic presence and that great master of dry wit Mary-Louise Parker and R.I.P.D. looked fairly promising.

Unfortunately the end product is considerably removed from the quality of the impossible to ignore similarly themed Men in Black, or that film’s surprisingly decent second sequel which this production feels most familiar with.

Sporadically enter­ taining, diverting at its best, R.I.P.D repre-

sents a lightweight experience that comes and goes with little of the resonance and satisfaction of the shadowy M.I.B. series.

Based on Peter M Lenkov’s Dark Horse comic series, Rest In Peace Department, Schwentke’s latest comic-action romp follows Ryan Reynolds, fallen Boston cop who is sent to the offices of the title police department following a fatal shooting during a drug raid.

Faced with Mary Louise Parker’s nonplussed supervising officer Reynolds is quickly paired with an 1800s lawman played with diminishing old west charm by the great Jeff

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Bridges. Their job is to round up the un-dead who roam the Earth, evading judgement and generally causing problems for the living.

A potentially fun set-up for sure but what follows is a predictable mismatch buddy cop romp that only occasionally manages to generate chemistry between its two leads and suffers from a lack of new tricks including a by-the-numbers supernatural show-down with special effects which at their worst invoke the memory of exposition cinematic videos that play in between levels in XBOX games.

Along the way, Kevin Bacon provides rudimentary sleaze as Reynolds’ corrupt ex-partner and Blade Runner actor James Hong s h ow s up bizarrely as Reynolds’ post-mortem, real world doppelganger on Earth (a so-so running gag largely supplemented by the form of lingerie model Marissa Miler as Bridges Earth avatar).

They spar with a predictable veteran versus rookie dynamic whist Bridges plays his Wild West lawman as something of a mix between his turn as Rooster Cogburn in True Grit and the immortally beloved Dude in The Big Lebowski.

It’s ever ything you’d expect from the pairing of the two leads and they do what they can in limited parts (Bridges in particular wearing the overblown Wild West persona for all its worth in a pastiche role).

They never touch the kind of weird resonance Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones secured in that increasingly treasured first Men In Black but most disappointingly between them I counted one single laugh over the ninety minute run time; One laugh from the director of RED and two actors who in the past have delighted in larger than life roles.

Adding to the pedestrian comic input, Schwentke’s action here is weirdly unmemorable after OAP explosives of his last film (which was a lot funnier and found a great deal more screen time for Mary-Louise Parker who is regrettably relegated to bit player here).

Where RED played with a jokey comic book aesthetic and found humour and pyrotechnics in equal measure R.I.P.D stutters from one forgettable set-piece to the next with little of the joy or abandon one would expect from a production of this size boasting this director and cast.

There’s the odd nice touch here and there, Bridges on a concertina and I liked the still effect from a characters perspective immediately after their death and Stephanie Szostak provides a handful of genuinely warm scenes with Ryan Reynolds as his character’s widow.

Those fleeting charms taken into account nonetheless R.I.P.D. still amounts to little more than the sum of a wasted cast, intermittently questionable special effects and a director who scored a hit with somewhat similar material in his last outing failing to hit the same mark again here.

Not as bad as the box office disaster and dismal reviews elsewhere may led you to believe but a major disappointment with the pedigree involved.

Sin Vol. 15 Issue 2

Review: The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza)

By Marcus Mac Dhonnagáin Italian directors are famous for the manner in which their films dissect, critique and satire their society. Post-war Italy saw the birth of the Italian neorealist movement, with great directors like Vittorio De Sica, Federico Fellini and Roberto Rossellini providing some of cinema’s most biting social commentaries.

Whether through the starkly bleak tone of The Bicycle Thieves (Ladri di Biciclette) or the more satirical Divorce: Italian Style (Divorzio all'italiana), these films strove to question Italy’s moral foundation, and illustrate the common man’s struggle in an ever-changing nation.

Though neo-realisms golden days are long over, some of the most recent high profile Italian releases have shown that modern directors are willing to continue with the work of their predecessors. Paolo Sorrentio’s The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza) styles itself as a modern neo-realist film, yet its pacing and erratic script prevents it from becoming one of the greats.

The Great Beauty follows the life of Jep Gambardella, an aging former writer and a critic covering Rome’s bizarre art scene. Gambardella’s odyssey is one of searching and reflection. He is into his 60s, and is on the edge of his own mortality.

A revisit of a person from his youth sends him reeling, causing him to look over all he has accomplished – and wasted – and rediscover the meaning of it all. As he looks

back at his life, he meets many colourful figures in his high society circles; a cardinal who craves to speak about food, a living saint, an aging stripper and a millionaire child avantgarde artist who wants to be a vet – all of which is tied together (or at least is attempted) by Sorrentio’s ponderous analysis of modern Italian society.

It is unfortunate therefore that many of the questions raised escape the director’s control, leading to a bloated film that quickly devolves into a mess.

It is disjointed, and Gambardella’s own narrative fails to hold it together. Too much is attempted to be covered –religion, gender, art, love, sex, values, age, politics, identity, happiness, life, death – and although fleeting moments of greatness are littered throughout, there is no cohesive whole – ultimately making it difficult to engage with.

Though the plot is overblown, the cinematography is excellent to say the least.

The camera moves about Rome’s sights and sounds, presenting a city whose ancient architecture has been fused with a 21st century glitzy overtone.

The combination of wide shots and close-ups, as well as the toying with deep and shallow focuses, illustrates the vastness of Italy’s capital– but also gives a sense of intimacy with that of its inhabitants.

The strength of its visual splendour is ultimately undermined by Sorrentio’s lack of discipline. Running at 142 minutes, much of The Great Beauty feels superfluous.

September 30 2013

Arts & entertainment 25

Review: Kings of Leon’s Mechanical Bull

By Tracey Halloran The buzzer sounds.

You cling for dear life. The mechanical bull rages mercilessly and takes you on a ride that – when it stops and you’re shaking violently, you must admit – was bloody fun.

It was the precise effect The Kings of Leon intended for their sixth album. Describing it as “one of our better efforts”.

Lead singer, Caleb Followill, notes the 90’s feel and “fun vibe” that their dedicated fans will appreciate.

Dripping with the old familiar southern rock, as with all previous albums, you get the feeling you’re listening in a barn somewhere with straw between your teeth. It opens

with their debut release ‘Supersoaker’ which has all the essential scraps of an instant hit, ensuring it latches on to your brain and stays there.

This residual affect can most certainly be attributed to the repetitive melody coupled with the identical guitar line. No doubt a lazy songwriting trick but effective none-the-less.

Following the hit, ‘Rock City’ slides in gracefully with sleek lead guitar and brings something original to the table. Not every song holds this charm, but none have veered too far from the mark.

Somehow the band has managed to capture the essence of everything that has gone before while adding a fresh drop of something new.

The fiery, raw edge that stole the heart of fans from the start still lingers, albeit a smaller dosage to their first two albums. The softer, sentimental side claims the majority of tracks and it’s not necessarily a bad thing.

We snuggle into the last song ‘On the chin’, a sleepy country blues track, laced with steel guitar and drowsy vocals.

It stands out as the black sheep, leading their music into unchartered waters in which we have never swum before.

Sounding more like something your old man would play, it marks respect for the older generation of country artists and certainly adds another dimension to the album.

Review: Lorde’s Pure Heroine

By Kristina Reynolds Oh Lorde!

Miley Cyrus may be starkers in ‘Wrecking Ball’, but there’s a new girl in town who has managed to bump Miley out of #1 on iTunes with her track ‘Royals’ – and she kept her clothes on!

Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you to Lorde, a young and cheeky singer/songwriter from New Zealand with an attitude that doesn’t demand your attention, but captures it.

Oh, and did I mention that she’s only sixteen?

Noticed at the age of twelve by a music scout at a talent show, Lorde, (Ella Yelich-O’Connor) has been preparing to blow us away with her unique electro-pop styled music for years now and in August 2013, she did just this when she became the first female artist in seventeen years to top the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in the USA with ‘Royals’ since Tracy Bonham in 1996. Impressed yet?

Her music, quite like her attitude, is utterly unapologetic. Influenced by artists such as Lana Del Rey, Kanye West and Etta James, Lorde has been writing her own songs and working with other songwriters since she was fourteen. She was also a member of a barbershop chorus and the use of choral

The group generously threw in two bonus tracks for good measure, although it was an unnecessary token.

The songs follow the typical Kings Of Leon formula, which after five previous albums, we are all too acquainted with.

The energy that made your foot involuntarily tap in songs gone by is not present by the time the bonus tracks drain out. Nevertheless, we heard what we came to hear.

The mechanical bull uprooted itself, took us down some avenues we didn’t expect and some we did. But when we return, we’re happy we went along for the ride.

Review: Elton John’s The Diving Board

By Tracey Halloran

effects in her singing flows through her album.

Her independence is also another trait that is to be admired. She has stated that her clothing, pictures and videos are controlled entirely by her and she is aware that she is “probably a nightmare to work with”.

As well as ‘Royals’, her album Pure Heroine also includes ‘Tennis Court’ and her latest track ‘Team’ which was released recently.

The album is something different; electro-pop meets alternative indie. Writing songs based on true events and things apply to her own

person; her lyrics are unique and the music definitely leaves us with an edgy sense of mystery and a longing for more. Lorde is bold, badass and – dare I say it – sexy, and she hasn’t revealed all to us yet!

Pure Heroine was released on 30 September. Finally, something different that doesn’t involve licking sledgehammers and calling it ‘music’.

You may not know who she is right now, but this time next month, you’ll wonder where you’ve heard that name before… Watch this space!

Who would believe that at 66, starry-eyed Elton John would be dishing up his 31st studio album?

What’s even more difficult to fathom is the overwhelming positive response that is spreading rapidly through the media, with critics even hailing it to be his best work in decades! The fullyfledged pensioner doesn’t get his kicks from a weekly crossword or a trip on the bus; instead he prefers to play 120 tour dates a year. The penny is dropping, and it’s becoming clear to us all that Elton is by no means a dead horse; he is still winning the race.

Mock the Lyric

Riff of the Week

Every issue, Sin will bring you the stupidest song lyrics we can think of, as voted by NUI Galway students. And this week’s winner is...

We’ve been discussing our favourite song riffs and this week’s favourite, as voted by NUI Galway students is...

Lyric: “She broke me heart, I took some Gaviscon.”

Song: Hanging On Artist: Ellie Goulding Suggested by: Áine O’Donnell

Riff: The bass riff from ‘Dancin’ in the Moonlight’ Artist: Thin Lizzy Suggested by: Jessica Thompson

The Diving Board encapsulates the very core of our fine Sir. It delivers music stripped down to its undies, no frills, auto-tune or synth, leaving just the bare essentials – vocals and piano.

The man himself describes his new songs as “miserable”, which is an emotion he happens to hold in high regard. This is apparent in the mournful revolution song ‘New Fever Waltz’, in which, upon hearing it, Elton admits; “I tend to weep.”

But don’t follow his lead and jump for the Kleenex too hastily. Among his darker tunes are flickers of hope and optimism, such as ‘Mexican Vacation’, a welcome upbeat number.

There is a strong storytelling element in The Diving Board that serves as a backbone for the album.

He certainly isn’t singing about ‘the club’ or any other useless topic that has saturated the charts in recent years.

Elton takes us on some interesting journeys, and showcases his range of personal interests, from Oscar Wilde to the youth of today. His style also incorporates broad diversity, one song a jazzy track about Paris, another a ballad about blind Tom, whoever he is.

Delicate piano solos and heartfelt lyrics pluck at that gut feeling most of us share deep down, the one telling us that real musical talent boils down to one person and their instrument.

It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s certainly worth a listen, if only to hear the wisdom of a man that’s been around the block and back again.

Noting that “it’s not a commercial record”, Elton John has jumped right off the diving board of expectations, risked it all, and landed somewhere pretty, beyond our boundaries of modern music.

26 Arts & entertainment Review: Grand Theft Auto V

By Marcus Mac Dhonnagáin Nearly 16 years ago, in Edinburgh, game developer DMA Design conceived what would become one of the gaming industry’s most monumental franchises.

Long since rebranded Rockstar North, the studio has released the sequel to Grand Theft Auto IV - arguably the most divisive title in the series’ long history.

Within that context, Grand Theft Auto V had to manage a number of different demands; remaining true to GTA IV’s vision, re-incorporating elements from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, while also pushing the series to break new ground. And Rockstar North succeeds in doing so.

Set in Los Santos, the GTA equivalent of Los Angeles, we’re introduced to not one, but three protagonists; all of whom are striving to make money and find meaning to

their lives. Michael, a retired bank robber struggles with life as a family man. Franklin, a former hood aspires to make something of himself. Trevor, well… He’s just demented.

T h e p l ay e r s w i t c h e s between the three while playing and each confer their own specializations. Michael is much better at shooting than Franklin, but can’t match his skill behind the wheel of a car. These differences in skills are represented by individual stats, which improve over time as you play.

While not as in-depth as GTA: San Andreas - which allowed you to become fat or well-muscled based on the food you ate and how much you exercised - it lends a sense of how their skills grow over time.

Having multiple protagonists lends other benefits as well. As opposed to having a single character serve as the catch-all conduit, it’s spread between the three, making for

a much more believable and less contrived story.

It additionally works brilliantly into the various heists that are undertaken, as it essentially allows you to edit from view to view, creating tactical opportunities as well as varying the style of gameplay.

The GTA series is no stranger to controversy. It has been accused of causing violence, corrupting the youth, marginalizing and objectifying women and perpetuating stereotypes. GTA V pushes the boundaries.

There is full frontal male nudity, topless strippers, prostitutes, violent shootouts and an interactive torture scene.

Most of this is underlined by a sense of parody or satire, often serving to mirror and critique wider Western society. Yet, sometimes GTA V teeters too much on the edge of tastelessness, with its representation of women being particularly disconcerting.

– all play excellently. A few technical issues are present such as random crashes, and an assortment of glitches, but are mostly uncommon.

GTA V is an amazing feat that manages to balance so

Controversy aside, however, it’s clear that this is the most competent and well refined GTA that Rockstar has released. The driving, shooting, and various mini-games – like tennis and triathlons

Sin Vol. 15 Issue 2

many different elements. It improves on nearly every facet of its predecessor, while also blazing its own trails. Rockstar North has ensured that this console generation ends with a bang.

Michael, a retired bank robber struggles with life as a family man. Franklin, a former hood aspires to make something of himself. Trevor, well… He’s just demented.

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September 30 2013

Arts & entertainment 27

Bringing it back to Druid

By Karen McDonnell Galway is a city of festivals.

Even as the evenings lengthen, there is always room in the festival calendar for another bash before Halloween and a settling in for winter.

This year, the Galway Theatre Festival runs from 30 September to 6 October, under the new stewardship of Kate Costello.

The festival programme stresses its commitment to ‘local, independent theatre’, in which it is supported by Galway City Council, the Galway Arts Centre, and the Arts Council.

Performances will be staged at Nuns Island Theatre, An Taib-

hdhearc, and in both spaces at the Town Hall Theatre.

Of particular interest to those at NUI Galway, is a production which brings together the festival, student drama, Druid Theatre Company, and the University.

NUI Galway @ Druid Lane Theatre is part of the collaborative connection put in place between Druid and the Drama department of the University at the end of 2010.

The three original founders of Druid – Garry Hynes, Mick Lally, and Marie Mullan – were all graduates of, and granted honorary degrees by, the University.

The Druid archive is housed at the James Hardiman Library. The college award for best original play is named after Jerome Hynes, who was Druid Theatre’s General Manager for many years.

Many alumni and lecturers will remember Jerome Hynes. As an undergraduate, he was Ents Officer with the Students’ Union.

Jerome was always buzzing around the campus, and he always seemed to have an open-faced, warm smile for everyone. That never changed, whether one met him in his later incarnation as Druid’s manager, or in his role as Chief Executive of Wexford Festival Opera.

New Ireland Chair of Poetry appointed

By Marése O’Sullivan Poet and playwright Paula Meehan has been elected to the Ireland Chair of Poetry, following in the footsteps of renowned literary greats Michael Longley, John Montague, Harry Clifton and Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill.

Meehan is just the second woman to take up the post. An English, History and Classical Civilisation graduate from Trinity College Dublin, she began to compose lyrics and poems from a young age. She gained a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Poetry from Eastern Washington University in 1983.

Her poetry collections include: Return and No Blame;

Reading The Sky; The Man Who Was Marked By Winter (shortlisted for the Irish Times/ Aer Lingus Irish Literature Prize for Poetry); Pillow Talk (shortlisted for the Irish Times Literature Prize for Poetry); Mysteries of the Home: A Selection of Poems; Dharmakaya; and Music for Dogs. She has also penned several plays for adults and children.

She has received a number of accolades, including The Martin Toonder Award for Literature, the Butler Literary Award for Poetry, and two Arts Council Bursaries in Literature. She was elected a member of Aosdána in 1996. Her work has been widely translated and set to music by

composer John Wolf Brennan and folk singer Christy Moore.

The Ireland Chair of Poetry was established in 1998, when the late Seamus Heaney was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Dr Patrick Prendergast – Provost of Trinity College Dublin, where the Chair of Poetry ceremony took place – declared that the role would “form part of [Heaney’s] legacy” and “go on to foster and deepen people’s understanding of poetry.”

Meehan will work as a Professor in Trinity College Dublin, Queen’s University Belfast, and University College Dublin for three years.

Illumination at NUI Galway’s Cube

By Karen McDonnell Anyone with an interest in theatre production should make their way to The Cube, in early October, for workshops being held in collaboration with the Galway Theatre Festival. Entry to each session is €5.

The first ‘Tech Talk’ takes place from 11am-1pm on Wednesday, 2 October. Stage Management has gone from being the job that actors used to get into a repertory theatre company, to a fully-credited subject at many drama schools and colleges.

Without the stage manager, there would be no curtain up, or lights up for that matter. At The Cube, Craig Flaherty will take participants through the functions of stage management.

He and Mike O’Halloran will also discuss QLab: a ‘world standard’ multi-functioning cue programme. From a single ‘Go’ button on your Mac, you can control vital cues such as visuals, sound and lighting. The coordinators suggest that those attending the workshop bring a laptop to benefit from downloading a free trial of QLab. On Friday 4 October, Mike Byrne and Mike O’Halloran will present an introduction to lighting for Theatre. Topics covered will include all-important lighting plans, and the rigging and placing of lights.

Lighting apparatus will also be discussed. Finally, the challenges of touring a production will be covered, including budget and hiring equipment.

Galway Theatre Festival is also offering a ‘Workshop Taster

Menu’ on Saturday 5 October. You can take part in three ‘courses’ for €20 or two ‘courses’ for €10.

‘Mobile Digital Theatre’ and ‘Devising as Gaeilge’ take place at An Taibhdhearc. The Cube will be busy hosting ‘Movement in Performance’ (11am-12.30pm), presented by Ríonach Ní Néill, who is a Galway Dancer in Residence. From 3pm to 5pm, Mark Westbrook will present ‘Rehearsal is the Death of Live Performance’.

The ‘Dessert’ element of the programme is a choice from three performances that same evening: Mephisto Theatre’s Blackbird, Hang Up by Broken Crow Theatre Co., or Anam Theatre’s Low Level Panic.

You can check out the full timetable, and make bookings at galwaytheatrefestival@gmail.com

Those who encountered him at Wexford believed that Jerome had discovered the secret of bilocation. Before the opera, he could be found in the foyer of the Theatre Royal, greeting everyone by name. Then he was down the road meeting people as they barrelled up for the late-night gigs. And always the ready smile.

Jerome died suddenly at the age of 45, still doing the job at which he excelled; he was taken ill at the Theatre Royal. It is only appropriate that when the theatre was rebuilt in Wexford, the studio space was named after him. A young composers’ award and an Arts Council award have been created in his honour. Now, at NUI Galway, where Jerome organised gigs, the prize for playwriting is given in his memory.

On 4 October, at 6pm, NUI Galway comes home to Druid with a production of Killing Jack Murphy, the Jerome Hynes award-winning play by Niamh Dennis, directed by Kori Kilduff.

In the time-honoured phrase – It’s for One Night Only! Go early.

Hang around the foyer. Smile.

White House employee to visit NUI Galway The Community Knowledge Initiative at NUI Galway is delighted to host US entrepreneur and innovator, Sonal Shah for a keynote address open to the university (students and staff ) and wider community on Thursday 3 October from 11am to 12.30pm in the Siobhan McKenna Theatre, Arts Millennium Building on campus.

Sonal has worked in government, business and the non-profit sectors. Until recently Shah was the Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the first White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation focused on investing in and scaling innovative models, leveraging technology, opening information in the social sector to solve some of the nation’s toughest challenges.

Before joining the White House, Shah led Google’s global development initiatives for its philanthropy, Google. org, focusing on leveraging technology and information to help the world’s poor. Prior to Google, Shah was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs, Inc. where she worked with the Chairman and CEO in developing and managing the firm’s environmental strategy.

As part of this address, Sonal will talk about her pathway into a career in social innovation, what social innovation means to her and how to imbue within young people a sense of themselves as civic and social innovators.

For further information see http://cki.nuigalway.ie/ To reserve a place please contact Lorraine McIlrath ­lorraine.mcilrath@nuigalway.ie

ALIVE NUI Galway’s Community Volunteering Programme

An opportunity of a lifetime 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  play music  listen to people  give first aid  collect for recycling  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  Volunteer Opportunities Database with over 120 Community opportunities  Map of Galway with Community Organisations markers to help you find your way  Stories from ALIVE community volunteers  Videos and interviews with community organisations

28 Arts & entertainment

Sin Vol. 15 Issue 2

Irish authors make shortlist for Man Booker long list

By Karen McDonnell This year, three Irish authors made the Booker prize long list: Colum McCann, Colm Tóibín and Dónal Ryan. It made for an interesting cross-section of Irish writing.

Tóibín is the most established in terms of publication; his first novels The South and Homage to Barcelona were published in 1990.

In 1994 McCann’s collection of stories Fishing the Sloe-Black River was published. Dónal Ryan made headlines with the news that his debut novel (although the second submitted for publication) had been ‘rescued’ by an intern making her way through a slush pile.

The Spinning Heart was published jointly by Lilliput and Doubleday Ireland last year and subsequently won

the Sunday Independent Best Irish Newcomer of the Year at the 2012 Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards.

Transatlantic, the title of McCann’s long listed novel, might also apply to the writer himself. Originally from Dublin, he is based in New York. His This Side of Brightness (1998) and Let the Great World Spin (2009) excavate individual stories woven through the grids of that city.

Tóibín’s early career was spent in Spain, which provided inspiration for his first novels.

He was born in Co Wexford, the landscape of which works with and against the interiors of the characters in Brooklyn (2009) and The Blackwater Lightship (1999).

Ryan is from Co Tipperary.

In The Spinning Heart characters’ interior lives are shot

through by the fallout from the financial crisis. The stories of their crumbling worlds are parochial, yet universal.

Only Tóibín’s The Testament of Mary has survived to the Man Booker short list. The winner will be announced on October 15. The award is one of the richest prizes for a novel in the English language: the winner will receive £50,000.00.

Originally open to citizens of Ireland, the Commonwealth, and the UK, from 2014 the award will be open to any author writing in the English language. Since its launch 45 years ago, the consistent aim of the prize has been to increase book sales and the engagement of an ‘intelligent general audience’.

The prize has been a source of controversy – namely the decision to give the award to

Adiga’s debut novel The White Tiger (2008), in the face of competition from novels such as Sebastian Barry’s The Secret Scripture.

The Booker and its shortlisted authors can only benefit from debates that volley to and fro on all media platforms – from the Sunday papers’ reviews to village book clubs.

Hilary Mantel, who has won the Booker with the first two novels of her Wolf Hall trilogy, has proved a popular choice with readers If one avoids the ‘is Iris Murdoch an Irish writer?’ debate, Ireland’s only female winner was Anne Enright (Emma Donoghue, Julia O’Faoláin, Molly Keane and Jennifer Johnston have been shortlisted).

Enright’s The Gathering was published in 2007, winning the Booker that same year. Giles

Foden’s comment in The Guardian on the 2007 judging process is illustrative; “Enright's novel had the support in depth and range other titles were not able to muster.”

Irish writers fare well in the Man Booker listings. The Lost Man Booker Prize was awarded to JG Farrell’s Troubles (1970), 40 years after its original publication. His Siege of Krishnapur (1973) won in 1973.

John Banville was shortlisted for the Booker in 1989 and for its International prize in 2007.

His novel The Sea won in 2005.

Roddy Doyle’s Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha won the Booker in 1993.

He was shortlisted in 1991.

Other Irish writers to make the short list were Sebastian Barry, Patrick McCabe (twice), Bernard McLaverty, Seamus Deane, and Thomas Kilroy.

William Trevor holds the record

with four short list nominations.

Colm Tóibín’s The Blackwater Lightship and The Master were shortlisted in 1999 and 2004 respectively. The Testament of Mary (2013) is up against strong competition, not least from the bookies’ favourite, Jim Crace’s Harvest (2013).

Tóibín’s novella – described

by The Guardian’s Alex Clark as a “fearsomely strange, deeply thoughtful book” – had its origins in his play of the same name, which received a Tony nomination. If fortune and the judges choose to smile on him, it will be third time lucky for Tóibín on ‘Booker Night’.

Those interested in the Booker judging process can read a full account of Foden’s experience at: http://www. theguardian.com/books/2007/ oct/20/featuresreviews.guardianreview1

Review: My Home is Your Home.

A Journey Round Syria by Mary Russell

There’s no place like Holmes: Latest Young Sherlock Holmes novel set in Galway

By Karen McDonnell

By Jessica Thompson

The first lesson I learnt when I visited Syria in 2007 was how to negotiate traffic in Damascus. It was very simple, my guide, Hussein, said; “you just stand out in front of the car and then it will stop for you.”

I c ou l d s y mp at h i s e with Mary Russell as she described her pedestrian adventures in downtown Damascus. Sympathy turned to admiration as her journey continued.

Over ten years, Russell travelled all points on the Syrian compass, using public transport and a bike, driven by human curiosity, and aided by knowledge of rudimentary Arabic. Her experiences have been collected in this engaging book, which includes a short history of the country.

Russell is honest with the reader. She doesn’t view Syria through rose-tinted sunglasses. Nor does she hesitate to mention her own ability to ‘whinge’ – although there are times you couldn’t blame her.

What shines from the book, though, is her facility to connect with those she meets.

She displays a solid determination in the face of taxi drivers, bureaucrats (just to read her attempt to get a

pass to the Golan Heights is tiring), and Rabiyeh the camel-ride boy at the desert city of Palmyra.

She can tell a joke against herself: her precious notebook is left on a bus and she returns to the bus station, desperate to retrieve it. What does the driver look like? “He was wearing a keffiyeh.” The man at the station gestures around them and asks her to look. “[O]f course, every single driver is wearing a keffiyeh.”

Christmas at the relatively new monastery of Mar Mousa is a jumble of nationalities and egos, which Russell punctures while interweaving the narrative with meditations on religion, isolation, and the physical environment in which she finds herself.

The beginning of Ramadan inspires memories of Holy Communion. The account of her time in Aleppo makes one long to push the hands of the clock back, to restore the bombed and burnt Old Town and its souk to its original scruffy magnificence. Mary Russell finds stories everywhere, and tells them well.

A bibliography, index and glossary of common Arabic terms are provided, and the author has added a

postscript in light of the Arab Spring of 2011.

For anyone who has travelled in Syria, My Home is Your Home will be a bittersweet read. For those whose only source of information on Syria has been news bulletins, this book is an open sesame to a jewel of a country.

Syria has been the centre-point at crossroads of civilisations and religions.

It is a place of sand and rice fields, of grassy highlands and olive trees. It is a country where history lies supine in the grass, or straddles the landscape, and where – as Mary Russell knows – the people provide the best stories.

He’s been all over Britain and all over the world, but has rarely stayed in one place for too long. That is until he came to Galway in Andrew Lane’s Young Sherlock Holmes series.

Recently returned from the Orient, Sherlock Holmes finds himself in the City of Tribes in Lane’s new book, Knife Edge. It’s unusual for Sherlock to stay in one place for so long, especially in this series of books.

The story differs from earlier books in the series as it doesn’t contain any real historical events or characters and it’s not set in a foreign or exotic location; “well if you’re British anyway – if you’re living in the

Republic of Korea then Ireland is probably as unusual as the surface of Mars,” said Mr Lane.

After writing five books based on real historical events in various locations, Mr Lane felt it was time to settle down and stay in one place for a while, choosing Galway, “a small town with plenty of character”, as the location.

“I thought it was probably about time to set something in a more ‘invented’ location and to let [Sherlock Holmes] spend some time there rather than keep moving around,” he said.

“So although Galway is real and I spent several very pleasant days there soaking up the atmosphere, I have taken several liberties with its geography.”

Review: The Long War by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter.

By Liam King What would you do if you could disappear? That’s the question posed by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter, both well-established authors.

One day, plans for a device called a Stepper leak to the internet, allowing virtually anyone access into multiple parallel dimensions. These are similar to earth except in one respect –human civilisation never developed. This has huge economic and social implications, which

the authors are keen to explore.

This is the second novel of a rumoured five, and takes place several years after the discovery of the ‘Long Earths’.

Multiple plot threads exist, including a US military expedition to sort out jurisdictional issues, a smaller party investigating the disappearance of a dimension-hopping sentient race known as ‘trolls’, and a resurrected robot nun.

It’s not Pratchett’s trademark comedy, examining at length the consequences of infinite

resources and space, which proves both weakness and strength.

Details abound of how this world works, but characters and plot are not always given due attention. One major unresolved plot arc from the previous book is barely referenced here, and some of the present ones go nowhere.

Many characters aren’t that well drawn.

But if the mechanics of alternate dimensions interest you, this is certainly worth a read.

One such liberty is the invention of Cloon Ard Castle, where much of the plot is based. This imaginary castle is located “out along the coast road in an area known as Salthill,” according to Sherlock’s brother, Mycroft.

From the moment he steps onto Galway soil at Spanish Arch, Sherlock’s stay in the West of Ireland is filled with gripping adventure and thrilling mystery.

Subject to Mycroft’s quizzical mission of contacting the dead, Sherlock ends up in the ancient Irish castle near Salthill, where something very sinister is afoot.

Mycroft is in Galway to investigate a psychic who claims he can communicate with dead spies and is offering his services to the highest bidder. But somebody – or something – seems to be trying to silence the psychic.

What follows is a mystery that only one as genius as Sherlock Holmes can solve.

Knife Edge is a thrilling tale of adventure, allowing the reader to picture Lane’s Sherlock Holmes standing by the sea or stepping off a ship at the Spanish Arch.

Andrew Lane, an author, journalist and lifelong Sherlock Holmes fan, truly brings the spirit of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s character to life, reinventing the world’s most famous and loved detective as a teenage boy.

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Sports 31

September 30 2013

A step too far

By Mark Kelly As Mayo stepped onto the hollowed Croke Park turf just after 3pm on Sunday the 22 September, one has to wonder was the weight of expectation of a county, the thoughts of previous final experiences or a silly old curse playing on the minds of some of the players as they prepared to do battle in the AllIreland final.

We will never know for sure, but the one thing we do know is that once again Mayo choked on the biggest day of the football year. As they watched the Dublin players wheel away in delight after the final whistle we ;all knew the thought that was going through their heads, “We blew it again.”

It had started so brightly for Mayo. Each of the previous three times they have been to the final they have been hit early, be it Kerry blitzing them or Donegal, there would be none of that this time around.

Mayo settled quickly, controlling the game. They were dominating most areas of the pitch, getting a good service into their forwards. Though, a combination of sloppy finishing and

good Dublin defending ensured they didn't pull too far away.

Nevertheless, after 16 minutes Mayo were in control, leading by 0-04 to 0-01 before a horrific defensive mix up between Ger Cafferkey and the otherwise fantastic keeper, Robbie Hennelly, handed Dublin a life-line as Bernard Brogan goaled.

In recent All-Ireland’s Mayo would have capitulated but this team wouldn’t and they kept the pressure up on Dublin. All the same, more missed opportunities were driving the wide count way up. Not that Dublin were playing any better, they weren't racking up the wides; instead they were allowing the ball to drop short to Hennelly.

Still though, as comfortable as Mayo looked with the ball, whenever Dublin had it they were tearing through the defence with only Mayo’s keeper preventing Dublin from taking the lead into half-time. Mayo were up by a point, something they had not done in their 3 previous visits to Croker on All-Ireland Sunday.

Nonetheless, there was only one team in the second-half.

Dublin seemed to kick it up a gear and a good 10 minute spell

saw them lead by 3 points, 1-09 to 0-09.

However, it seemed that fate was on Mayo's side when Moran rounded Stephen Cluxton to score a goal and equal the game. Yet, Dublin were not to be out-done, and man-of-thematch Brogan finished off some nice inter-play by the Dubs with a goal to restore the 3 point gap.

From there, Mayo never looked like coming back. One prime example of their choking tendencies came when, with one kick left in the game, Cillian O'Connor decided to take his point rather than go for goal or drop it short to see what happened. It looked like Mayo were resigned to their defeat, and Dublin were more than happy to let them throw in the towel.

Ultimately, the best team won the All-Ireland. For Mayo, they have never been so close in the last 10 minutes of a final since drawing against Meath and instead of pushing on they seemed to accept the match was over.

James Horan has a lot of work to do to instil a real killer instinct in this Mayo team; otherwise this team may never get that coveted Sam Maguire.

NUI Galway Rugby score 14 tries in opening league match win

By Peter Hanna

Good support play from man-of-the-match, flanker Adam Brady meant that he was in position to receive the ball and score the first of his four tries of the afternoon. Further tries followed from captain, number 8 Darragh O’Loughlin and flyhalf Tony Hall.

try after a period of sustained pressure.

On Sunday 15 September, The teams turned around NUI Galway faced Carrick-onat half-time with the score at Shannon in the first round of 32-5 to NUIG. The second half mirrored the first with College this year’s league. The heavy starting brightly to add another night time and morning rain looked like they would contrive brace to their tally. to make the playing conditions

Flanker Max Sale and less than ideal, but O’Loughlin both crossed for tries shortly after the apart from a strong restart. Carrick then wind, the perfect sunny weather meant struck back with two that the game kicked good tries of their own.

However, the maroff in near ideal conditions for rugby. gin was too big to The Dangan surface make up, and with the NUIG Rugby recorded a 78-17 victory was also in immacugame entering its final over Carrick RFC in their opening quarter, College added late condition, and game of the Connacht League. further tries through gleamed like a brand Mattie Kavanagh, new billiard table in the September sun.

College’s fourth try, and Ronan Mulloy, Brady, Ross StaFollowing a heel against the Brady’s second came from good pleton and Brian Carey; with the head in the first scrum of the line pressure, which enabled the pick of the second-half tries a 60 game, from pack leader Luke flanker to intercept and sprint metre break from centre, mediMurphy, the ball made its way to forty metres to get the bonus cal student Mel Corbett. the backs and a set piece move point touchdown out wide.

Overall, a good start to the put James Kennedy in space To their credit, and even new league season, and a satisbefore he released winger Mattie though College were now sitting fying result for the coaches: Pete Kavanagh who carried to within on a comfortable lead, Carrick Small, Justin Conboy and Tom metres of the Carrick line. rallied and scored a good team O’Regan.

Dream day for Galway camogie

By Daragh Small Sunday 15 September will always be remembered as one of the greatest days for Galway Camogie. NUI Galway is proud of its links with the Intermediate and Senior All-Ireland teams as a total of 16 former and current students were involved in the three finals.

Tony Ward, manager of both successful camogie teams, was jubilant in light of the double success of his charges; “We said to the girls last week that we didn’t care if it finished 0-02 to 0-01 as long as we has the 2 points.

When you get to an allIreland final the important thing is to win. We had great performances in recent years and still came out on the wrong end of the results, so the win is what we wanted,” he said “It might not have been a pretty final but the O’Duffy Cup is going back across the Shannon with the McGrath Cup and that’s all that matters, it’s a great achievement for us,” he added.

“The hurt of previous final defeats played a big factor.

You could see it at half time, all we had to ask them was to believe they could win this game. It’s absolutely brilliant and crowns a great year.

“Some people say it’s unbelievable but it is believable for those girls because they’ve suffered the heartache over the last few years, and today, finally, is their day.”

NUI Galway Gaelic Games Officer Michael O’Connor is not surprised at the huge contribution of NUI Galway players on all sides on All Ireland weekend; “A significant number of players that starred on the Galway sides are part of the long running scholarship programme initiated by NUI Galway sport.

“A big cohor t of the women who played on Sunday have a past and present involvement with NUI Galway camogie, having played with the University’s many winning awards and starring in many games over the last decade, or as recent as the most recent Ashbourne cup.”

He added: “No fewer than 16 players were involved in the three finals with huge performances provided by

The Galway Senior Camogie team celebrate with the O'Duffy Cup after being crowned 2013 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Champions. all, no more so than in the Senior final with Niamh McGrath as top scorer and Ailish O’Reilly grabbing the all-important goal. I would also like to pay a special tribute to dual winning manager Tony Ward who has transformed NUI Galway camogie in his role as Ashbourne manager with his efforts over the last season.”

The day held special significance for the retiring Therese Maher. For years she battled through thick and thin with the Galway team and finally she got her just desserts. As one commentator put it, she was finally the bride.

She told of the emotions she had following the final whistle;“Relieved, ecstatic, delighted and just thrilled to finally get over the line and get the elusive medal that I’ve been trying so hard to get. Today makes up for all those defeats.

“I know it wasn’t a classic out there today but I didn’t mind if it was two points to one or five points to two.

We wanted to win and we needed to win for Galway camogie and to get the double were just thrilled.”

Both captains Lorraine Ryan and Sinead Keane, are former students of NUI Galway and played for the University’s camogie club for many years, winning a number of Ashbourne shield titles.

Current students on the Galway Senior side include NUI Galway Sports Scholarship students Niamh McGrath and Ailish O’Reilly, whilst Sports Scholarship student Aisling Dunphy was centre forward on the Kilkenny side.

Former Sports Scholarship holders Niamh Kilkenny and Susan Earner were also on the Galway side. Current student Siobhan Coen was on the panel for the game, as were former students Noreen Coen, Aoife Donohue, Colette Gill and Sinead Keane.

At Intermediate level a number of senior substitutes starred on the winning side of the All-Ireland final. Colette Gill, Sinead Keane, Caitriona Cormican and Aoife Donohue were on the starting line-up with current medical student Caitriona Lee on the panel.

A further link with the Galway success is NUI Galway Camogie Ashbourne Cup manager Tony Ward, who was the manager of both successful sides.

The NUI Galway link to AllIreland final on that Sunday was not just confined to the senior game. Apart from Aisling Dunphy on the Kilkenny side, there were a number of current and former students with other sides.

On the Kildare side that captured the All-Ireland junior side were former student Niamh Concannon and current Ashbourne player Melissa Lyons.

On the Limerick panel was Mary O’Callaghan, who is also a current student in NUI Galway.

The celebrations were capped with a tremendous home coming that resulted in thousands of fans flocking to welcome their victorious heroes back to Galway on the Monday.

The cup was paraded around much of the east of the county with bonfires alight.

The teams visited Ballinsloe, Loughrea, Cappatagle and Ballyfa before finishing off the night’s celebrations in Raford.

Read Daragh’s blog at daraghsmall.blogspot.ie

32 Sports

Sin Vol. 15 Issue 2

Solid Campaign leaves Connacht runners-up in U20 Interpros

By Céimin Burke Connacht under 20s had an inauspicious commencement to their interpro campaign against Leinster in Donnybrook. They started brightly and looked strong throughout the first half.

At the interval the match was tied at 6-6. However they were completely off the pace in the second half. Some sloppy defending allowed Leinster in for a quick try and from there things spiralled rapidly as Connacht missed key tackles and had two men sent to the sin bin. Leinster ended up scoring over forty points while Connacht didn’t score in the second half.

A week later Ulster visited the Sportground on a beautiful sun-kissed day.

The form from the second half in Donnybrook initially carried over into this match as Connacht were slow to start and Ulster exploited this early on.

C o n na c ht re ma i n e d lacklustre throughout the first half and Ulster could well have had a strong lead if not for a brilliant individual try from Connacht outhalf Sean O’Hagan.

Connacht’s intensity and inventiveness was markedly better in the second half and they thoroughly outplayed Ulster.

This was rewarded with tries from loosehead Jocob

Walshe and another from O’Hagan, who finished the match with 22 points. Connacht looked comfortable as this match was coming to a close, until with two minutes left Ulster ran in a try from deep in their own half.

This made for a nervous finish to the game however the Connacht defence held strong and in truth they were worth more than a two-point win.

Munster were the opposition for the final match of the campaign and this was where Connacht produced their best performance.

T h e i r i nt e n s i t y w a s markedly higher than in the earlier games. This paid dividends less than thirty

seconds in when flanker Rory Moloney intercepted a Munster pass and showed a clean pair of heels to run in a try from his own tenmeter line.

Connacht’s tackling and aggression was much superior throughout this match and, despite having lost a man to the sin bin for ten minutes, at half time they led 16-3.

The nature of the game c h a n g e d d ra m a t i c a l l y shortly after the restart w h e n C o n na c ht ’s t a l ismanic captain, Sean O’Brien, went down i n ju re d . Th i s b rou g ht silence to the crowd, as it looked very serious at the time.

O’Brien sustained ligament damage on his foot and will be out for six weeks. There were also

injuries to several other players including the influential tighthead prop, Saba Meunargia.

The pressure on Connacht’s defence became even greater when they had two men sent to the sin bin in quick succession.

Things looked precarious when Munster scored and converted a try on the back of the second binning as Connacht faced eight minutes with only thirteen players but the defence put in a massive display and kept the line intact.

Once restored to their full complement Connacht lo oke d ver y s olid and despite thirteen minutes of injury time they did not concede again and held on for a 16-10 victory.

Captain Sean O’Brien outlined that before the

tournament began their goal had been to win the competition and if not for one very poor half of rugby against Leinster they could have done so because Leinster were not as dominant as the Connacht match indicated; they drew with Ulster and only bet Munster by a single point.

NUIG was strongly represented on this Connacht panel, as many as eleven of the match day 23 man squad are currently in college here, and eight of those started the final game against Munster.

Sadly the end of the U20 interpro competition also means the end of their Connacht careers for many of the players, some of whom have played for Connacht since under-14.

Connacht’s greatest ever capture

By Daragh Small Let’s get those cowbells clanging, Clarke’s in town.

Arguably the greatest coup to date for Connacht Rugby, Craig Clarke made his competitive debut last week as Pat Lam looks to make our brand, global.

Since Lam was appointed as the new head coach of Connacht in January, he set about replacing Mike McCarthy and the former Waikato Chiefs captain fits the bill perfectly.

At 30 years of age, the 6ft 7inch lock is very much at his prime and he brings with him the experience of back-to-back Super 15 captain winning seasons, which will no doubt be invaluable to the men in green.

Sp e a k i n g a b o u t h i s departure from Waikato, Chiefs’ head-coach Dave Rennie was unreserved in his praise for his former general, stating that it was “a big loss to both the Chiefs and New Zealand rugby as a whole. He’s a quality player and he’s had a massive influence on the group”.

It is hard to believe that Connacht could have persuaded a player that in 2012 won the Chiefs Player of the Season award to join

them and one must question what exactly Pat Lam has in store for our beloved province. Clarke is a smart man and it’s unlikely that he would have jumped ship to the Northern Hemisphere and to a club lacking in stature unless there were a plan in place.

I’m not complaining…

Oh no, rather like any other Connacht fan, I am sitting back and relishing what lies ahead. The thought of seeing a man who could very well have lined out for the All-Blacks and still very well might do that, instead running out on the Sportsground’s hollowed turf is inspiring to those who he will team up with and will no doubt encourage them to new heights as individuals, but more importantly as a team.

Despite a disappointing loss to Ulster, Clarke’s cameo appearance has refuelled the Connacht bandwagon. If the team were to put some good performances to boot then the Connacht franchise could swell beyond all our wildest dreams.

So far this season the team have flattered to deceive as to be expected.

Pat Lam needs to be given time to cement his attacking philosophy upon the

mind-set of a team so used to playing the percentages game. With Dan Parks unusually off-colour from the kicking tee there has never been such an emphasis on trying to cross the whitewash and Matt Healy’s influence has been greatly welcomed.

Let’s just hope that English greed doesn’t upset the applecart here and prevent us rugby fans from seeing the fruits of Pat Lam’s hard work. At Connacht we deserve a break every now and again and the whole one step forward and two steps back scenario could very well come into play if the proposed AngloFrench Championship gets the go ahead.

That’s for another day however, right now let’s enjoy our rugby while we can. Craig Clarke has seen it all and done it all in New Zealand, and five years with the greatest the Southern Hemisphere has to offer will give him the attributes to slot right into the hardworking ethos here at Connacht Rugby.

One thing that he has tasted where the Connacht lads have come up short is the ability to succeed at all costs. A match-winning mentality that will change everything.

Sports 33

September 30 2013

The battle for Manchester

By Ross Cannon The Barclays Premier League has entered uncharted water this year.

It’s seen the return of Jose Mourinho, the departure of Roberto Mancini and most notably the retirement of one of football’s all-time greatest managers, Sir Alex Ferguson. The managerial positions from both sides of the Manchester divide have been promptly filled and thus it has ushered in a new era for both clubs.

Manchester City saw fit to bring in the Chilean Manuel Pellegrini; whilst David Moyes was given the daunting task of replacing Alex Ferguson as manager of Manchester United.

Pellegrini has spent the last nine years of his managerial career managing in Spain’s La Liga; coaching

teams such as Villarreal, Real Madrid and most recently Málaga, who he led to a remarkable and unexpected Champions League quarter-final last season.

This Champions League run was enough to perk the ears of Manchester City who decided to replace Roberto Mancini after his team put up a timid title defence and after the Italian had a breakdown in relations with several first team players.

Manchester United, or rather Alex Ferguson, opted to install Premier League veteran David Moyes as the new manager of the Red Devils, taking him from Everton FC where he coached for the last 12 years.

Even before a football was kicked there was the tricky task of the summer

transfer window to negotiate. Manchester City made s ome astute signings ; Stevan Joevitic, the Brazilian Fernandinho, and the Sevilla duo of Alvaro

United’s attack was crying out for an attacking midfielder, equipped with guile and creative spark, to change the game Negredo and Jesus Navas, amounted to a hefty financial splurge for the blue half of Manchester.

In stark contrast to this David Moyes and his chief executive David Woodward had a torrid summer with bids for Barcelona’s Cesc Fabregas rejected three times and the baffling attempt at signing Everton’s Leighton Baines and

Clash of the Titans

By Arindam Halder Gareth Bale arrived at the Bernabéu on the back of the most expensive transfer in the football world at a mind boggling sum of £85.3 million (€100 million) and a yearly salary of €18 million. The transfer capped a meteoric rise for Bale who started off as a left back before becoming a attacking left winger Real Madrid spent a fortune in acquiring him but one key question was how Cristian Ronaldo, the undisputed boss in the camp would react. Till Bale came along Ronaldo was the most expensive player.

Concerns were raised by the Bernabéu faithful that if both the high caliber players would be able to share the same dressing room without skirmishes.

Ronaldo is known for his legendary ego and with only two years left in his contract at Madrid speculation was rife about his next move.

Reports coming in from their first training session suggested Ronaldo didn’t like Bale intruding in his turf and a particular sliding tackle in training was highlighted.

Gareth Bale finally made his debut against Vilarreal in the La Liga and was largely unimpressive till he scored in the 39th minute to bring the scores level.

Till then he was a peripheral figure and looked lost while Ronaldo was playing like only he can.

The goal by Bale brought back the swagger and a few glimpses of the talent were on display till he was substituted. In the meanwhile Ronaldo scored too to put Real Madrid in the lead. A dream debut nonetheless despite being ineffective for larger part of play and not being in peak physical condition.

Cut to the UEFA Champions league match against the Turkish club Galatasaray in Istanbul. The Real coach Carlo Ancelotti chose to start with Bale on the bench.

Bale came on at the field at the 64th minute seconds after Ronaldo had scored his first goal of the evening. But the goal was way too easy for the man and he went on to score 2 more.

But for Ronaldo the third goal would have been the best of the lot as he waltzed between two defenders, opened up the third and slot-

Marouane Fellaini as a two for one.

In the end with seconds left on deadline day United managed to help their midfield woes with the eventual

ted in a goal using his weaker foot from an acute angle.

Again in this match Bale gave a few glimpses of his speed which induced a ugly challenge and a stinging shot to the goal in the dying moments which was saved but overall the performance wasn’t able to justify the price tag.

Bale might have immense talent but Ronaldo has done enough in this season to have the bragging rights over the world’s most expensive player. Ronaldo has found the back of the net 5 times in five games while Bale is struggling to be able to find a place in the starting XI due to both health issues and the preference of the Real coach.

It’s too early to say if Bale will live up to the billing as the world’s most expensive soccer player and if he can eclipse Cristiano Ronaldo.

Right now Ronaldo is having the last laugh both on the field and off it as he has signed a new contract to regain the most expensive player status. As the season progresses we will soon see who is the boss at Real Madrid, but till then Ronaldo will rule the roost as he is the proven performer.

acquisition of Marouane Fellaini. 1-0 to Pellegrini.

But what matters most is what happens on the football pitch and with only four games played in the Premier League each; Manchester City hosted Manchester United at The Etihad. Both City and United came into the derby having comfortably dispatched Viktoria Plzen and

Bayer Leverkusen respectively in the Champions League.

City came flying out of the blocks putting United immediately on the back foot. Fernandinho and Yaya Toure dominated proceedings in the middle of the pitch offering little room for Michael Carrick’s passing game to get going.

Wayne Rooney was bullied and frustrated by the outstanding Vincent Kompany who led his team from start to finish, putting in a man of the match performance. United were simply stunned into submission and on 16 minutes that submission was tightened when Sergio Aguero expertly turned in an Alexander Kolarov cross to make it 1-0.

Goals either side of half-time from Yaya Toure

and Sergio Aguero most certainly sealed United’s fate even with 43 minutes remaining in the second half. Samir Nasri rubbed salt in the wounds with a fourth goal on 50 minutes.

City were utterly dominant and it was a comprehensive performance.

United’s attack was crying out for an attacking midfielder, equipped with guile and creative spark, to change the game yet despite this Shinji Kagawa ended the match as an unused sub. Wayne Rooney did bring the score back to 4-1 in the dying moments with a splendid free-kick but the game was dead and buried by then.

If the result from the first Manchester derby is anything to go by, it looks like Manchester is certainly blue.

The best signing of the Transfer Window?

By Ciarán McGreal The summer transfer window was dominated by Premier League clubs so picking the best transfer is a difficult task.

Tottenham signed the likes of Roberto Soldado, Paulinho and Erik Lamela. The Gareth Bale saga seemed to last forever and Spurs eventually pocketed a world record fee of €100m for the Welshman.

Andre Villas-Boas' men seemed set to take the league by storm. Jose Mourinho was busy too. The "Special One" added Willian and Samuel Eto'o to an already talented Chelsea squad. Liverpool recruited Simon Mignolet and Kolo Toure among others while David Moyes brought Marouane Fellaini to Old Trafford.

After their opening day defeat to Aston Villa, Arsene Wenger was under pressure to add to his Arsenal squad.

Some fans wanted a defender, others wanted a striker. Little did they know what Mr Wenger had in mind. He managed to sign German playmaker Mesut Özil. For me, his signature in a £42.5m

deal was the best bit of business done this summer. Özil arrived with a big reputation. Sometimes players don't live up to their reputations when signed for big money.

Think of Fernando Torres' move to Chelsea and Andy Carroll's big transfer to Liverpool.

But after just three games Özil is living up to his reputation. In his first game, against Sunderland, he assisted Olivier Giroud's goal and was involved in some brilliant passages of play for the Gunners who went on to win 3-1.

He featured in Arsenal's first Champions League game of the season against Marseille. The German international was heavily involved, setting up several chances for his teammates. Arsene Wenger's men won 2-1 to continue their good form. Özil took centre stage in his third game in an Arsenal shirt. Playing Stoke in the Britannia Stadium is not an occasion for a faint-hearted player. Stoke are a physical side and most diminutive playmakers would be intimidated by Mark Hughes' team.

That said Özil was directly involved in all three of Arse-

nal's goals in their 3-1 victory.

His first-half free-kick was parried by Asmir Begovic and Aaron Ramsey netted the rebound. Two more Özil set-pieces resulted in goals for Per Mertesacker and Bacary Sagna. As this goes to print Arsenal are top of the Barclays Premier League with 12 points from five games.

Mesut Özil rose to prominence during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. He was one of the stars of a German team that finished third playing an attractive brand of attacking football. This tournament provided the platform for young players like Özil, Thomas Muller and Sami Khedira to make a name for themselves on the international stage.

After the tournament, Özil secured a move from Werder Bremen to Real Madrid. His performances for Madrid over his three years at the club were superb. In those three years he clocked up a staggering 74 assists. With Aaron Ramsey in the form of his life, Olivier Giroud finding form and Mesut Özil on song, who knows what Arsenal could achieve this season?

34 Sports

Sin Vol. 15 Issue 2

In Praise of the Union

America loves the NFL

By Peter Hanna

By Céimin Burke

Remember Peter Stringer’s try in the corner for Munster in the 2006 Heineken cup final?

Remember Connacht’s famous night in the sportsground when they beat Biarritz last year? Both are indelible memories from Europe’s grandest club rugby competition, the Heineken cup.

These distinctly Irish memories are repeated all across Europe. Pierre in France remembers Clermont’s guile against reigning champions Leinster last year, Luigi in Italy dreams of his club Zebre pulling off a big upset while Andy in England recalls Leicester’s dominance in years past.

So, this ominous talk of the English and French clubs pulling out of the competition is a matter of concern for us rugby fans in Ireland and across Europe.

A fragmented cup competition would no doubt represent a step backwards for the development of the game in Europe. Why? Well, a European cup competition that is not wholly inclusive is not as prestigious and therefore not as interesting to the average punter. The elation of your

team winning any competition is muted when you know that there are other potential champions out there who have not been challenged. Imagine declaring yourself a champion in the 100 metres without racing Usain Bolt.

Also, emerging countries like Italy would come out particularly badly if the Heineken Cup was dissolved. The club game there is still in its infancy and the exposure from playing the big English and French teams is crucial in garnering a loyal fanbase.

Closer to home, anyone can see the benefits Connacht have had from their inclusion in the competition. The Heineken cup attracts a huge audience in areas without a strong rugby tradition and fosters higher levels of professionalism from participating clubs.

These benefits are epitomised by Connacht, who have benefited greatly from participating in the competition. They have built a stronger fan base on the back of big European nights in the Sportsground and also the prospect of playing in the Heineken Cup has enabled them to hold on to some of their most coveted talents as well as attracting big players from elsewhere.

This is some Justification for the beleaguered European Rugby Board who have been criticised over the qualification system for the Heineken cup. Currently six teams qualify from England and France based on their performance in their respective leagues.

Due to the multinational nature of the Celtic league teams from each country qualify regardless of where they finish in the table.

Three teams in both Ireland and Wales qualify and two teams in Scotland and Italy.

The Anglo-French argument is that it should be a meritocratic system which would mean saying goodbye to the Italians and possibly Ulster and hello to Bordeaux.

Now I have nothing against Bordeaux but how much attention are they likely to give the competition? If the recent performances of Castres and Racing Metro in the competition are anything to go by, not much.

Conversely, nobody wants a situation where the French and English clubs become disinterested in the competition; so compromises will have to be made and for the future of the game as a whole in the Northern Hemisphere let’s hope some agreement can be reached.

Americans love the National Football League. Love it. They love it to such an extent that they can be at a loss when it’s not there.

The Super Bowl brings the season to a close before spring has gotten out of bed and the following season doesn’t commence until early September. Basketball is a great but that’s finished by midJune, hockey is the same.

Baseball is the only big show left in town; and, by virtue of the fact that each team plays 162 regular season games, it tends to be humming along in mid-season monotony. Again, one-hundredand-sixty-two games! Each! And that’s before the play-offs.

A perfect illustration of how obsessed America is with the NFL is the coverage preseason training camp generates. Even before the training camps begin in late July there is saturation coverage across the sports pages and television networks of how the teams are shaping up coming into the new season.

As Allen Iverson famously said; “we talkin’ about practice.

We ain’t talkin’ about the game.

We talkin’ about practice.”

The excitement builds through the pre-season and reaches fever pitch by September when the first round of games takes place.

The NFL is the most popular sports league in America by a significant distance however this may not always be the case. It is interesting to note that for much of the 20th century horse racing and boxing were two of America’s most popular sports.

There are a couple of elements that could contribute to the NFL being knocked from top spot. The most important of which is the fact that in the past few years there has been numerous high profile cases of former professional footballers suffering from concussion-related brain injuries such as dementia, Alzheimer’s and depression.

There have been several suicides; in one instance a player (Dave Duerson) purposefully shot himself in the chest so that his brain could be used for research. The subsequent research confirmed that he suffered from a neurodegenerative disease, which was linked to concussions sustained while playing professional football.

Along with performanceenhancing drug use this is the

burning issue in American sports right now. In early September the NFL paid out $765 million to retired players to compensate for concussion related brain injuries.

This was seen as a win for the NFL as they didn’t have to accept wrongdoing and $765 million, over the course of twenty years, is small change to a company that last year had revenue of 9.5 billion.

An interesting aspect of the settlement was the Machiavellian timing the NFL employed. Three days after that settlement was reached the new football season began and concussion and player welfare was all but forgotten.

It will be interesting to see how the concussion issue develops over the coming months, years and decades and will it have any effect on the popularity of the NFL. In terms of participation Football is currently only the fifth most popular sport amongst the American public. It is dwarfed by basketball, soccer and baseball which each have around three times as many participants. But participating is entirely different from watching and following, Major League Soccer is a prime example of this, so for now, at least, America Loves the NFL.

Orfevre highlights his claims for Arc redemption with easy victory

By Brian Sheerin Japanese star Orfevre strolled to an easy success in the Prix Foy last Sunday week. Last year’s Arc De Triomphe runner-up will be hoping to go one better in Europe’s premier mile and a half contest, for which he is a best priced 7-2 favourite.

Speaking in the immediate aftermath of his stable stars latest victory, his trainer Yasutoshi

Ikee said; “he’s better than 2012 and more mature. He will come on a lot for the race and we are very confident for the Arc.” Orfevre is a national hero in his native Japan and a victory in Sunday’s Arc would cause pandemonium among his followers.

Big race jockey Cristophe Soumillon will be on board yet again and wants to record a victory for the fans of the chestnut fouryear-old.

“For his trainer and fans, I really want to win the Arc with Orfevre as they deserve it,” said Soumillon.

Last year, Orfevre looked to have the race at his mercy when he powered into the lead a furlong from home. Such a manoeuvre meant that the normally cool headed Belgian born Soumillon came in for a lot of criticism, as Orfevre expanded too much energy too soon in the testing

conditions, and was eventually hauled back by 25-1 shot Solemia.

Having learned from last year’s mistakes, Soumillon and Orfevre look to have a major chance of redeeming themselves on Sunday with ground conditions looking likely to suit as well.

Of his potential challengers, Epsom Derby winner Ruler Of The World bounced right back to his best level of form when running a close second to Kizuna in

the Group 2 Qatar Prix Niel.

Jockey Ryan Moore seemed pleased with that performance and said, “I was very happy with his run. He handled the grounded and quickened away nicely but was a little babyish when the others came to him.”

Such a performance will have been well received in Ballydoyle as, for no apparent reason, Ruler Of The World had previously performed way below expectations in

the Irish Derby at The Curragh, trailing home 10 lengths behind the winner Trading Leather on that occasion.

Aidan O’ Brien could also call upon Racing Post Trophy winner Kingsbarns, St. Leger hero Leading Light, and Camelot who is bidding to get his career back on track following disappointing defeats in his previous two starts.

Tip: Orfevre to win the Arc De Triomphe @ 7-2

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Final Word 35

September 16 2013

diary of the Smokey’s Pigeon I hate September. People find it amusing to take photos of me while I sit on chairs or go about my daily crumbeating routine.

Seriously, you’d swear I was the only pigeon in the world.

I’ll admit I feel quite special at times, but when people scream and throw things at me I feel so hurt and rejected.

Last week I was going about my business, picking up pieces of muffin that had been dropped on the ground. I wasn’t bothering anybody; I was just having my lunch.

Next thing I know, I’m flying away from some crazy girl who spotted me and decided to throw water at me.

When will they get it?

I’m a bird; I can’t hurt you!

Useful facts to prepare you for the “What Do They Teach You in College?” scenario • The only 15-letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is “uncopyrightable”.

• Forest fires move faster uphill than downhill.

• Cats sleep for 70% of their lives.

• The praying mantis is the only insect that can turn its head.

• In England in the 1880s, “pants” was considered a dirty word.

Bizarre but true:

Birds stick to speed limits on busy roads A new study shows that birds can sense posted speed limits on roads and react accordingly in order to avoid collisions.

Researchers say that birds

have adapted to local speed limits as a feature of their environment, such as the risk of predators.

This means that strict enforcement of speed lim-

its could significantly lower the number of bird deaths on roads in populated areas according to a lead researcher from the University of Quebec.

Behavioural ecologist

Legagneux told news.com. au that birds do not react “to the actual speed of my car, but to the average speed of cars on these roads, to the posted speed limits.”

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