Sin Volume 16 Issue 8 by Student Independent News

FREE STUDENT NEWSPAPER | VOL 16, ISSUE 8 | 26 JAN 2015

NEWS

INSIDE ‘We have to shame the university into supporting gender equality’

Emma Newell (5) with NUI Galway second year Medical student Katie Lynam at the launch of NUI Galway’s 10th Annual Teddy Bear Hospital which took place on campus from 22-23 January. For more, see page 2.

LIFESTYLE

port and move it forward. A lot of students messaged me who said they had no idea that this was happening. They were outraged that this can happen in the 21st century, and said they don’t want to be a part of a university that maintains this type of gender imbalance.” At NUI Galway, the President, Registrar and all deans of the university are male and the directors of all five principal research institutes are men. The NUI Galway Academic Council, which the campaign group described as the most important body in determining university promotions, is 85 per cent male in composition. Out of the staff they make decisions for, 51 per cent of these are female. Dr Sheehy-Skeffington spoke of the importance of students having a voice in the campaign. “If they want to live in a gender-balanced society, it’s in their hands to bring about change and to change this university. They can say more about how they see their lecturers being treated because they are not employed by the university.” The campaign is already backed by 25 of NUI Galway’s student societies and the NUI Galway Students’ Union has voted to support the campaign. “We had no idea how awful it was,” explained Patricia Prieto Blanco, one of the students who organised the launch. “It’s time for the university to do its homework. Students are here for education but what are we teaching them? That women don’t count as much as men?” Cliodhna Hallissey, another student behind the launch, commented: “Dr Elizabeth Tilley is the most brilliant lecturer I have. It’s ridiculous they won’t promote her. I hang on every word she says.” Continued on page 2…

ENTERTAINMENT

Those in attendance at the talk were encouraged to sign a petition in support of the campaign. Leaflets were also distributed with the President of NUI Galway’s email address on it, encouraging those who felt strongly about the issue to contact him and express dissatisfaction at practices within the university. According to recent figures from the Higher Education Authority, NUI Galway has the lowest percentage of women in senior posts of any Irish university. Although NUI Galway has the highest percentage of female lecturers in any Irish university, only 13 per cent of professors are women. An EU report ranked Irish universities second in gender imbalance only to Malta, which has one university. Speaking at the launch, Dr Sheehy-Skeffington spoke of the reception from both students and staff following the publication of the Equality Tribunal findings. “I’ve received an overwhelming level of support, and it’s time to take that sup-

SPORT

NUI Galway students have initiated a campaign for the university to implement gender-balanced practices, as the university “cannot shut them up like it can employed staff”. Those were the words of Dr Micheline Sheehy-Skeffington at the launch of the campaign on Tuesday January 20 in the Arts Millennium Building on campus. In November the Equality Tribunal found that Dr Sheehy-Skeffington had been discriminated against by the university in her application for the post of senior lecturer in 2009. In an interview process which was described as “ramshackle”, the Botany lecturer was not promoted in her fourth time making an application. The Tribunal forced the university to immediately promote the lecturer and award her €70,000 in damages. She donated the compensation to five female colleagues so they too could take legal action against the university.

Dr Adrienne Gorman, Dr Sylvie Lannergrand, Dr Roisin Healy, Dr Margaret Hodgins and Dr Elizabeth Tilley all felt they had been discriminated against in their applications for promotion within the university. The women are unable to take part in the campaign as their legal case has already begun. “I feel that those women may never be promoted,” D r Sh e e hy -Ske f f i n g t o n said. “They shouldn’t have to donate the energy to this battle, to say nothing of the expenses.” She also appealed for fundraising for the “enormous legal bill” the women will face; “€70,000 disappears into the ocean.” “We should have those women at the fore. It’s difficult for staff, who are employees and are therefore limited in what they can say. I’m retired so I can say what I like. It’s not just about me but about changing the system,” said Dr SheehySkeffington.

FINAL WORD

By Ciara Treacy

FEATURES

NUI Galway students organise campaign to support lecturers

NUI Galway student entrepreneurs compete for €20,000 prize fund

AKUMAKON: Japanese convention captivates college

Nurses in UHG to carry out work-to-rule action in wake of trolley crisis

NUI Galway’s Múscailt Festival returns

THIS WEEK’S DEBATE: Charlie Hebdo and freedom of expression

Ireland’s love-hate relationship with Charles Haughey

Things Irish people say vs what they mean

Marty McFly got it all wrong - what will 2030 look like?

Bearded Backpacker: Weekend Breaks

Justin Bieber’s Calvins: Photoshop pressurizes men too

Coconut Oil: The one beauty product you need in your life

Retro Rewind: The 40s

REVIEW: Birdman

If kids’ films had adult sequels…

NUI Galway student a favourite to win The Voice of Ireland

Why I love Murakami

NUI Galway Kendo Club Profile

NUIG Mystics Basketball

CONNACHT RUGBY: Chiefs scalp the westerners

The NBA season so far

Diary of the Smokey’s Pigeon

College Insider

2 NEWS

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 8

Teddies grin and bear it at hospital’s tenth anniversary By Ciara Treacy Overcrowding and delays were not an issue at one particular hospital recently, with over 1,500 sick teddy bears treated in the space of two days on the NUI Galway campus. The annual Teddy Bear Hospital took place from 22-23 January in the Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn. This was the tenth year of the event which invites local primary

school children and their cuddly friends to the university, with the aim of helping 3-8 year olds feel more comfortable around doctors and hospitals. It is organised by Sláinte Society, the NUI Galway branch of the International Federation of Medical Students Associations. This year 22 local primary schools participated in the event which was run by over 200 student volunteers. Katie Lynam, a second year Medical student at NUI Gal-

way and co-auditor of Sláinte Society, said:; “This year we are celebrating ten years of Teddy Bear Hospital and it has been our biggest ever with 1,500 children attending over the two mornings. We tried to create a fun, friendly atmosphere for both the children and our volunteers.” Upon arrival, school children went to the waiting room where they were kept entertained by jugglers and face painters. A team of Teddy Doctors and Teddy Nurses then met the chil-

dren and examined their teddy bears, using specially designed X-ray and MRI machines where necessary. Sore ears and sick tummies were the most common ailments affecting the stuffed animal population, and thankfully the trained professionals were on hand to examine and stitch up the bears before home time. As part of their recovery, teddy bears were provided with goods from the Teddy Bear Pharmacy, stocked with healthy fruit

from Total Produce and medical supplies sponsored by MPS and Bank of Ireland. After the brave visit to the hospital children enjoyed a bouncy castle and entertainment from the university’s Juggling Society. Further sponsorship for these came from Medisource and Electric Garden and Theatre. Ríona Hughes, NUI Galway’s Societies Officer, spoke highly of the event; “The Teddy Bear Hospital is a magical opportu-

nity for the society to invite the children and their teddies on campus and provide a valuable learning experience for all. “It is one of the NUI Galway societies’ most colourful and endearing community outreach programmes and we are thrilled with its success. Congratulations to Sláinte Society who engage such a large number of our students in this event for such a positive purpose and we hope it was a rewarding few days for all involved.”

‘We have to shame the university into supporting gender equality’ Continued from page 1… Nick Scott, Micheline’s partner, has been helping her with the campaign from the beginning along with a few close friends. He spoke of the battle his partner faced in gaining recognition for her work in the university.

“She reckons it’s hardly any different now than it was when she first came here. She’s been trying to bang herself against a wall for the past 30 years. With the interest she has gained, she has enough momentum now that she can embarrass them into doing something.”

She said the problem in the university is not just one for academics but is also faced by those working in administration, cleaning and buildings among other areas in the university. Dr SheehySkeffington feels that with clear targets of equal representation, NUI Galway could

NUI Galway student entrepreneurs compete for €20,000 prize fund The NUI Galway Students’ Union Enterprise Awards competition is now entering its second stage as six finalists battle it out for a €20,000 investment fund to turn their ideas into reality. Now in its fifth year, the competition seeks to promote entrepreneurship and innovation among the students of NUI Galway in both social and business enterprise. Each of the six finalists, all NUI Galway students, now receives investment capital of €500 to develop their initial ideas further. A series of workshops hosted by members of the business community in 2015 will let the finalists develop their ideas ahead of the final judging session in March. Galway City and County Enterprise Board, Online Marketing in Galway, Hammond Good Solicitors, Gareth Williams Accountant and Starlight Solutions are just some of the groups providing workshops. “We have been overwhelmed by the number and standard of entries to the NUI Galway Students’ Union Enterprise Awards again this year,” said NUI Galway Students’ Union President Declan Higgins. “The entrants are testament to the exceptional initiative and creativity of students in social and business enterprise. At a time when real innovation and flair is needed, students are leading the way in creating the big ideas that will help fuel our recovery.

“The Students’ Union is delighted with the support that the Awards have received from the local business community and the university.”

The final six projects are: 1. The Creative Native: “The Creative Native” project is a business development idea to create innovative digital educational resources for the modern learner. “The Creative Native” team consists of two final year PhD students, Eilis Flanagan from Donegal and Ali Mc Namara from Limerick. 2. Tidy Shower: Sean Mc Garry is in his 3rd year of Physics with Advanced French for Science. His business, “Tidy Shower”, designs and manufactures household personal storage units. 3. Part Locater: “Part Locater” is an online space for sourcing used car parts. The project team consists of two final year Bachelor of Arts students, Olivia Mc Evoy from Renmore and Roisin Lally from Dangan. 4. EduCode: “EduCode” is an innovative business that integrates coding, programming and computer competency into engaging classes for young students. The “EduCode” team members are

Joseph Walsh a 3rd year Commerce student from Richardstown, Co.Louth and Daniel O Loughlin a 2nd year Commerce student from Roscommon town, Co.Roscommon. 5. Bike Back: "Bike Back" will reduce bicycle theft on campus initially and ultimately promote cycling around Galway by installing a GPS unit into bicycles allowing them to be tracked. There will be an accompanying marketing campaign aimed to deter opportunistic thieves. The three members of the “Bike Back” team are Billy Delaney, from Newbridge Co. Kildare, a 3rd Year Energy Systems Engineering student specialising in Civil Engineering. David Van Story a 3rd Year Biomedical Engineering who was born in Washington DC and grew up in rural Wicklow. Niall Rutherford, from Ennis, Co Clare, is a 3rd year Energy Systems Engineering student specializing in electrical energy. The team at Enactus NUI Galway are also involved in this project. 6. Clutch n Bolt: “Clutch n Bolt” consists of a newly designed bolt that aims to improve farm safety and convenience when attaching machinery onto tractors. Aaron Duignan a 4th year student studying Corporate Law (International) from Carrick on Shannon in County Leitrim is the creator of “Clutch n Bolt”. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony dinner on Saturday 28th of March 2015 in the College Bar, NUI Galway.

be the leading university in gender equality. “Currently it tends to focus more on its standings in university rankings. I’m sick of hearing commitments from this university, it’s time for change.” In response to the Tribunal findings, NUI Galway is in the process of establishing a Task

Force to review the university's existing policies and procedures with regard to gender equality and to make recommendations to enhance those policies and procedures. The NUI Galway Feminist Society, who helped to plan the launch, hope to continue the campaign over the next

few months with the help of volunteers. Dr Sheehy-Skeffington concluded the talk with a reference to her grandmother, the famous Irish suffragette Hannah Sheehy-Skeffington. “Women still have a long way to go but we must remember what she fought for 100 years ago.”

Japanese convention captivates college By Micheál O’Brien Anime and Manga, Japan's distinctive traditions of animation and comic books, were celebrated in NUI Galway last weekend. Akumakon, the West of Ireland's largest convention for Japanese culture took place from 16-19 January in Áras na Mac Léinn. Organised by the Anime and Manga society in the college, the convention boasted over 800 attendees and events which ran daily from 10am to 10pm such as screenings, signings, video game tournaments, workshops, a cosplay contest, Japanese and nerd culturerelated events, a pub quiz and special guests.

The special guests in question were Yutaka Yamamoto, the founder and director of Studio Ordet which also produced Fractale, an anime series set in 22nd Century Ireland and used familiar Galway landmarks as a setting for a number of episodes. He gave a talk on the Saturday on how the animation industry works in Japan and how Galway inspired his work in general. Another special guest was Patrick Seitz, a prolific Voice Actor, Script Writer and Director from California who has worked in the anime and gaming industries in America for almost 15 years. He has voiced characters in several animes like One Piece, Bleach, Attack on Titan, Naruto and video games World of Warcraft, League of Legends and Mortal Kombat.

Also in attendance were Spike Spencer (Evangelion, Bleach,Vampire Knight, Durarara!, Nura) and Cosplay star Giada Robin from Italy who judged the cosplay competitions. Public Relations Officer of the convention, Conor Roberts said that “the weekend was absolutely brilliant. We had more attendance than any other year, which is amazing. People had a great time, meeting the guests and going to panels, and the atmosphere was really down to earth and relaxed. We were really happy with how the weekend went in general” Proceeds from the ticket sales will go to Jigsaw Galway, a free, non-judgmental and confidential support service for young people (15-25) in Galway city and county.

Award winning blogger coming to NUI Galway By Aisling Bonner Next month NUI Galway opens its doors to fashion blogger extraordinaire, Suzanne Jackson aka So Sue Me. The event will be run by NUI Galway BizSoc in collaboration with the College Bar, and will see Suzanne discuss her rise to prominence as an entrepreneur and give a hair and make-up demonstration. Suzanne created her fashion, beauty and lifestyle blog, SoSueMe.ie, in July 2010. The blog takes a look at the latest trends, celebrity news, and beauty

reviews and tips among others. There is a strong emphasis on Suzanne’s own style which is the inspiration of many. The blog expanded gradually and has risen to become one of the most popular and significant fashion websites in Ireland with SoSueMe.ie winning Ireland’s Best Blogger and Vlogger in the 2014 Stellar Shine Awards. Suzanne recently released her second book entitled ‘SoSueMe What Happened Next: The Lifestyle, the Business and the Secrets’ and has taken over the social media scene. SoSueMe.ie has over 1 million monthly readers and 300,000

followers across social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The BizSoc are extremely excited for the arrival of Suzanne claiming that “it is set to be a very insightful evening”. The beauty and blogging seminar will take place in the Bailey Allen Hall at 7pm on Tuesday 3 February. The event is sponsored by Jack & Jones and Vero Moda. Tickets are limited costing €7 for students and are available from Smokeys, the College Bar, the SocsBox, Belissimo, Vero Moda, eventbrite.ie and BizSoc members.

NEWS 3

January 26 2015

Have you visited sin.ie yet?

The calm before the storm

By Jessica Thompson The Teddy Bear Hospital is one of my favourite events of the year, and with Sláinte celebrating ten years of existence this year, last week’s event was extra special. Everyone has a teddy somewhere. Go on, admit it. Maybe it’s on your bed, or on a shelf beside all your books, or hidden away somewhere nobody will see it. But you know it’s there, because it’s special to you.

Maybe it’s a lifelong friend that you’ve had from birth, or a stuffed animal a loved one bought you, or something funny you picked up on a trip away with friends. Maybe it’s one of those vending machine teddies. I have several teddies. Many of them are pigs, but we won’t get into the details of my love for piglets… They say a picture speaks a thousand words, so I’m going to keep my editorial short and sweet this issue and let the photos of happy children and teddies tell the story of last week’s Teddy Bear Hospital. It’s hard to believe we’re on issue eight already. This issue, while packed with interesting articles, is what I like to call ‘the calm before the storm’. Sure, we’ve got plenty to report, like the aforementioned Teddy Bear Hospital, and the upcoming event the SU will be holding to raise money for cancer charities (see page 16).

32 pages once a fortnight simply isn’t enough when it comes to covering all the great stories on campus and entertaining our readers every day. This year, we’ll be ensuring our website is constantly updated with great news stories, opinion pieces, fashion, sport and much more. Visit our website at www.sin.ie or simply scan the QR code. But after this issue, we’re onto our Valentine’s Day issue, which is always a busy one. And then it’s the big, bad SU Elections issue which results in many an all-nighter and much rushing around. On that note, I’d like to direct your attention to page 15 where Tomás M. Creamer has written up a very easyto-follow guide to the Students’ Union Elections. Thinking of running for SU

Editor in Chief: Jessica Thompson editor@sin.ie Layout: Shannon Reeves | contact via Ed. NEWS Ciara Treacy | localnews.sined@gmail.com Chelsea Tabert | nationalnews.sined@gmail.com FEATURES Eoin Molloy | opinion.sined@gmail.com Áine O’Donnell | features.sined@gmail.com LIFESTYLE Jenna Hodgins | fashion.sined@gmail.com

President? Have a read and get the wheels in motion – I’ll catch up with you for some promotion in a few weeks. For now though, I’m going to bask in the calmness that is issue eight, because when the busy issues begin, I may not remember the meaning of the word ‘calm’. Happy reading! Until next time,

Jess @Jess__Thompson

WEB EDITOR John Brennan | web.sined@gmail.com

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Photos by Eibhlin Seoighthe

4 NEWS

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 8

Nurses in UHG to carry out work-to-rule action in wake of trolley crisis By John Brennan The recent hospital trolley crisis in Galway has eased these past few weeks, with the numbers of people waiting having dropped substantially from their peak earlier in January. Problems facing the hospital are far from over it seems however, after this past Monday the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) at the University Hospital Galway voted 100

per cent in favour of work-torule action due to excessive overcrowding, limited space, lack of beds and dangerously low staffing levels. Anne Burke of the INMO spoke of the work-to-rule decision unequivocally: “The Emergency Department (ED) crisis has had a huge and negative impact on the timely delivery of Nursing care to patients in the ED.” “The decision to engage in work-to-rule is the end of the line for INMO members

who have, for years, raised serious concerns with Hospital Management regarding the gravity of the crisis in our Department. It is no longer sustainable to continue to work in these conditions.” The work-to-rule action is due to go ahead on the 3 February, which would see the nurses on duty do no more than the minimum required by the rules of their contract. In effect, they will provide clinical care to patients but they will not get involved

in administrative or clerical work as they do at present. This form of industrial action is seen as less disruptive than a strike. The trolley crisis may have eased considerably, but waiting times are still clearly a concern. The nurses staged a lunch time protest in September after a 118 per cent increase in patients on trolleys over a 12 month period. This came to a head over Christmas after patients were left waiting in ambulances as

The Turnover Project Enda Kenny’s ‘secret’ list By Cathy Lee The stigma of mental illness rises right to the top of society. A 2011 study among service users conducted by St Patrick’s University Hospital showed that many people live with the symptoms of mental ill-health for long periods without accessing mental health advice or treatment. This is due mainly to the stigma that surrounds mental health as well as lack of knowledge about mental health problems and sources of help. 41 per cent of those surveyed had lived with their symptoms for at least one year before seeking help, while Forty-one per cent of people surveyed would not discuss their mental health problems with their employer. On 7 January, six transition year students from Donegal decided to take on the issue of mental health, and the stigma the today surrounds those suffering with illnesses. They have created a website that has been up and running since early November having gotten a huge response both online and offline.

The aim of the website they set up is to de-stigmatize the way mental health is seen and to promote a more positive attitude towards mental health. They want to enforce the idea that mental health is not a negative thing in order to promote positive mental health among young people. The aims of this newly established project are to bring mental health and young people to the forefront. The website provides simple step-by-step guides on how to deal with issues surrounding mental health. It contains basic tips for improving your mental health and also outlines more serious issues such as signs and symptoms, and where to seek help if needed. The site provides more information for those who wish to know more about mental health looking toward certain helplines. If you or anyone you know is seeking help, please contact Samaritans toll free at 091 561 222. Fo r m o re i n f o r m a tion please visit http:// theturnoverproject.com/ or on twitter @turnoverproject

By Yvonne Clinton December 2014 brought about the emergence of Enda Kenny’s ‘secret’ list of potential general election candidates which caused major displeasure within the Fine Gael party. The twenty-four members of the list, mostly sitting local councillors, are being offered advanced training by the party, ahead of the general election due by April 2016. Fine Gael anticipates that some of them, but not all, will be candidates. The group has been given economic briefings by senior advisor to the Taoiseach, Andrew McDowell, and media training by Terry Prone’s PR firm, The Communications Clinic. Amongst numerous sessions planned and held is a “day away” in Kerry, rumoured to be in the spring of this year. The group communicates frequently on a Facebook group called ‘Advanced Councillors’, with the training course officially entitled ‘Councillor Training Course’, despite one of its members not being a councillor.

Tom Curran, Secretarygeneral of Fine Gael, has attended the course in order to monitor the progress of potential candidates. With the majority of the group women, they have been dubbed ‘Enda Kenny’s secret list of women’. The introduction of gender quotas by Fine Gael means 30% of their candidates must be female, or they face losing up to €2m in public funding. Failure by party headquarters to divulge the list to the national executive, has raised disquiet within Fine Gael - the women in particular, which may be added to tickets after local selection conventions in order to meet the quota. Some backbench TDs fear that they may lose their seats in consequence. Within the group, there was annoyance at the leaking of the list. A source remarked that there was “shrieking” and demands that the leaker come forward, saying it was necessary to find out “who did it and why”. Other members were less distressed, commenting that it was never said that “this list of members was never a secret”.

Good news for travellers to South-America Galway Language School is the name of the new school at The Crescent. It opened its doors in summer 2014 in this historic location at just 10 minutes’ walk from the seaside and 10 minutes’ walk from the City Centre. You can learn Spanish, French or English, at all levels at the school and if

you wish there are tailored courses for professionals. “We are a small school so we are not like other language schools in that we try to make a difference with the small things. We give a much more personalized service, our classes have maximum eight students and we provide a homely

atmosphere,” says Owner Ursula Cisa, who is a native of Chile. The classes are varied and interesting; for example, Latin-American Spanish is a course specially designed for people travelling to South America, which includes not only the Latin-American Span-

ish and pronunciation but also its history, literature, arts and culture, society and current affairs. For those who are not natives of Ireland, there is a Conversational English course; a two-hour class where the teacher proposes a theme and the students discuss around a hot coffee.

there was no room or trolleys for them. This was part of a country wide crisis, but UHG in particular suffered badly from the crises. The Emergency Department in Galway is a Tertiary Referral Centre serving a total population of 700,000 people from Donegal down to the Clare- Limerick border and as far east as Athlone. The INMO have been backed by Derek Nolan, local Galway West TD who echoed some of the nurses concerns,

saying “the current situation is simply unacceptable and steps must be taken to address these serious concerns immediately. This includes increased staffing and a plan of action to deal with overcrowding” . Mr. Nolan went on to say that he will be “supporting the call by nurses for measures to ensure patient and staff safety - and dignity for all users of the Galway A&E”.

NUI Galway spin-out company, Aquila Bioscience, to wage war on disease By Kieran Kilkelly Aquila Bioscience – an NUI Galway spin-out company – and the European Defence Agency have signed a deal to develop portable decontamination products that are both non-toxic and environmentally friendly. These products, which will be created by Aquila, will aim to combat against diseasecausing bacteria, viruses and biotoxins. Founded in 2012 by Professor Lokesh Joshi and Professor Afshin Samali (both of NUI Galway), Aquila is an expert in the field of cell biology and in particular the innovative area of glycoscience and its application of fighting against pathogens. Specialised sugars (glycans) and sugar-binding proteins (lectins) are displayed on the surface of pathogenic bacteria, viruses and many biotoxins. This allows the interaction and invasion of host cells by means of carbohydrate-protein mediated attachment and invasion. In response to this, Aquila is using it proficiency in glycobiology to construct strategies that inhibit pathogen binding to host surfaces. According to Professor Lokesh Joshi, this will be achieved by “turn[ing] the tables, by using glycans to neutralise pathogens' approach.” Professor Joshi also has plans to take this approach to the fight against the Ebola

virus. He is quoted as saying that: “Aquila and the glycoscience group in NUI Galway are looking at different strategies to prevent Ebola binding and to decontaminate surfaces infected with Ebola. These strategies can also be used for other virus and bacterial pathogens that may cause serious threat to the society.” The initial project, in association with the European Defence Agency, is expected to last two years and was partly developed using a Science Foundation Ireland funded TIDA Award. Aquila themselves have made major progress in the last two years, most notably securing an EU-FP7 Project aimed at developing novel, high throughput strategies to detect and identify pathogen contamination in water using carbohydrate-based approaches. This has led them to attract attention internationally with many private companies and academic institutions looking to help them with their research. This highlights the importance of the extension, by Aquila, of the initial work the Alimentary Glycoscience Research Cluster undertook five years ago. The information gathered has technological developments has led to important research of other infectious diseases as well as cancer, immune system, inflammation, neuroscience and biomaterials research.

NEWS 5

January 26 2015

Potential lift on ban of gay men donating blood Galway Oxfam urges By Mark Laherty The Department of Health is currently examining a policy paper which sets out a range of options for reviewing the ban on blood donations for gay men. The options include complete removal of the ban, a time deferral on donation, and a continuation of the existing ban. The ban was first introduced in 1985 as part of a worldwide response to the emergence of HIV and AIDS.

On Saturday 10 January, Tiernan Brady, policy director with gay rights group GLEN, said this review represented a significant and positive development. He said that the ban was “introduced at a time of international fear and lack of knowledge about AIDS and HIV.” Brady said that “in the subsequent years, science has made major advances in understanding, identifying, and treating HIV, and it is right that we take those scientific advances into account.”

He also made clear that the all-encompassing lifetime ban “continues to stigmatise” men of sexual minorities. He described the policy document as “the first real step” in addressing that stigma. Brady believes the foremost priority in this issue is that “there is a safe blood supply which has the confidence of the general public. An essential part of that is keeping up to date with the scientific developments.” The report comes a month after the Food and

Drug Administration (FDA) in the US announced that it would move to ease its ban by allowing gay men to donate after a year of abstaining from sex. The policy was compiled by the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) and recently handed over to the Department for consideration. A spokesperson confirmed it had received the policy paper and that it is being considered, although they added that “it will take time” before any decision is made.

Terrorism fuelling anti-Muslim movements By Mark Laherty The week of 7 January held the Charlie Hebdo shooting, and 54 additional anti-Muslim incidents that were reported in France. These reports included 21 shootings and grenade blasts directed at Islamic buildings such as mosques. Justice officials said multiple shots were fired overnight in the western city of Le Mans, and a blast destroyed shops in the central town of Villefranche-sur-Saone. A survey in 2014 found that the French believed immigrants make up 31 percent of the population, roughly four times the real number. Although France

collects no ethnic or religious statistics, a reliable estimate published by the Pew Research Centre, held the Muslim population at about 7.5 percent. For contrast, this number is 6 percent in the Netherlands, 5.8 in Germany and 4.4 in Britain, yet groups hostile to immigration and Islam, which often conflate with terrorism and crime, are on the rise in all those countries. Comedian Bill Maher has become the darling of the American Christian right for his rants about Islam. Within hours of the Paris attack, he claimed that “millions of Muslims” support the Charlie Hebdo attack. Primarily

Islamic nations - Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Morocco, Algeria, and Qatar denounced the incident, as did Egypt’s Al-Azhar University, the leading Sunni institution of the Muslim world. Anti-Muslim reactions are hardly exclusive to the Charlie Hebdo shootings. Award-winning journalist Linda McQuaig stated that there was "a lot of hype about Canada and [their] institutions being under attack — even as it got harder to explain the difference between the ‘terrorist’ murders of two soldiers and the ‘nonterrorist’ murders of three RCMP officers in Moncton. The main difference appeared to be that the

shooter in Moncton was not a follower of Islam". Bill Donohue, president of the United States Catholic League, described Charlie Hebdo’s "long and disgusting record" of mocking religious figures. According to Donohue, he "didn't understand the role he played in his tragic death. ... Had he not been so narcissistic, he may still be alive." The rise of anti-muslim movements has grown substantially over the late months of 2014. Experts and government officials have predicted that more ‘terror like attacks’ are yet to come if the situation is not taken more seriously and action is placed in time to come.

people to donate unwanted Christmas presents By Laura Roddy Oxfam Ireland is looking for people to donate their unwanted Christmas presents. The charity that runs 51 shops around Ireland undertook a survey which revealed that more than eight out of 10 people have received presents over the Christmas period that they will never use. Over half of the population of Ireland have been gifted clothes that did not meet their expectations, along with beauty products, toiletries and books. Other unwanted presents include jewellery, gadgets and homeware. The Oxfam shop on Lower Abbeygate Street in Galway is appealing for donations of these gifts after this survey also uncovered that 86 per cent of adults in Connacht said they would consider donating their presents to the charity. Its manager, Agnes Sage, told Sin Newspaper: “A lot of people didn’t know they could give their unwanted Christmas presents. We are accepting any donations at all, a scarf or a candle. We have been getting lots of unwanted perfumes. Even kids toys are welcome.”

The organisation is in need of donations to raise funds for Oxfam programmes which include the emergency responses in Syria, South Sudan, Gaza and also the response to Ebola in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Oxfam Ireland’s Head of Retail Michael McIlwaine said: “No matter how small the donation, every little helps. It takes just a moment to bag an unwanted gift but it could change a life forever. “So think twice before binning that unwanted present or shoving it to the back of the wardrobe. We are calling on people to support their local Oxfam shop by dropping in those less than perfect presents and other unwanted items.” Here are examples of how donating unwanted presents to the local Galway Oxfam shop can help people: • A top sold for €6 could help purify 2,000 litres of water for a South Sudan makeshift camp; • €15 for an unopened cosmetic set could supply an eco-friendly efficient stove to a family in Democratic Republic of Congo; • An unwanted necklace sold for €30 will feed a child orphaned by Aids in Malawi for over three months

Ireland warned it is an Al-Qaeda target NUI Galway’s Múscailt Festival returns By Tomás M. Creamer and Chelsea Tabert A radical Muslim has made statements saying that Ireland is now to be viewed as a legitimate target for attack because US air force planes are allowed to land and refuel at Shannon Airport. C U K- b a s e d Mu s l i m preacher, Anjem Choudary warned that Muslims fighting US foreign policy do not see Ireland as a neutral state, despite national declarations; this is a stance which has always been contested. Choudary is solidly in the latter camp, saying “the

Irish claim that it is neutral is not something which has been bought by Muslims around the world”. M r. C h o u d a r y h a s previously called those responsible for the 9/11 attacks in 2001 “magnificent martyrs”, and was a founding member of Al-Muhajiroun, a British Islamist organisation that was proscribed by the British government in 2010. He believes that, for a long time, Ireland was considered a “legitimate target” by Al-Queda and others. “You allow the Americans, who are the biggest butchers in the world, to stop at Shannon Airport

to refuel and go on to kill people in Muslim countries... if you believe the Americans are terrorists, the Irish government is colluding with them and aiding and abetting terrorism. “You know it’s not just now that it’s become a legitimate target – I believe for a long time that in the eyes of al-Qaeda and others, it is a place which is being used to aid and abet the war [against the Middle East]. “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work it out. People will see you as aiding and abetting Americans,” he concluded.

The 15th annual Spring Arts Festival, Múscailt, will be reappearing around campus from 9 to 13 February. The highly successful festival is a celebration of visual art, music, film, literature and performance. This year’s theme, ‘Float Away’, will be exploring the sweet release art can bring by taking us away from the pressures of everyday life and setting us on a course of adventure. The flagship event this year is ‘Dreaming Vessels’, an exhibition by the Galway chapter of the Irish Woodturner’s Guild which will be showcasing a

giant sculpture of a Galway Hooker (the boat, not the other kind). This exhibition launches on Monday, 9 February, at 7.30pm with a reception and live music from the Galway Ensemble in Residence: the ConTempo Quartet. There will be various other exhibitions around campus during the festival. The Colours Street Theatre Company’s ‘Creatures of the River’ will see floating willow sculptures by the bridge near the College Bar; Art and PhotoSoc will be showcasing their work in Áras na Mac Léinn; while a Victorian

Fun Fair will be taking place Wednesday 11 in the Bailey Allen Hall. Galway University Musical Society (GUMS) will be putting on a production of Cabaret in the Black Box which runs from 10 to 14 February at 8pm each evening. Tickets are €12/10 and can be purchased in the SocsBox. The event will be launched officially by Dr Anne Byrne, Head of the School of Political Science and Sociology, on Monday 26 January at 1pm in the Cube in Áras na Mac Léinn. Most events are free while all exhibitions will be open to the public, staff and students.

6 NEWS

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Three arrested in Canada over alleged terrorist conspiracy By Cathal Kelly Friday 9 January, Canadian police arrested 24-yearold twin brothers Ashton and Carlos Larmound that were recently involved in terrorist attacks that struck the capital Ottawa. The men had been the subject of a lengthy national security investigation. Carlos was arrested at Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, “as he was intending to travel overseas for terrorist purposes,” the Royal Canadian mounted police (RCMP) said in a statement. His brother, Ashton, was arrested in Ottawa that same day. Police have also arrested a third man, 21-year-old Suliman Mohamed who has been charged with participating in the activity of a terrorist group. The lawyer representing the twins charged with terrorism-related offences said their arrest came as “a

surprise to me and to them”, and that they planned to vigorously dispute the charges. He said both brothers are Muslim, but he would not elaborate on how religion and freedom of assembly were factors in the case. No confirmation could be made as to whether or not his clients were converts to Islam. RCMP Chief Supt. Jennifer Strachan said the arrests showed there were individuals in Canada who had become radicalised by a violent ideology. The arrests come in light of two terror attacks that struck the country in October. These so called “lone wolves” terrorist attacks were carries about by individuals who were believed to have been inspired by ISIS and the Islamic state. In late 2014, a gunman shot and killed a soldier at Canada’s National War Memorial in Ottawa, then stormed parliament before being gunned down.

This attack came just two days after a man ran over two soldiers in a car park in Quebec, killing one and injuring the other before being shot dead by police. The assailant had been under surveillance by the Canadian authorities, and it had been feared he had Jihadi ambitions. Canadian officials seized his passport to prevent movement, as he tried to flee to Turkey. Canada is now taking part in a US-led air campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Although there has been speculation as to whether or not thes e attacks are related to the recent Paris shootings, this can neither be confirmed nor denied. As fear and tensions begin to grow among many French Canadians, several unity marches have begun taking place across the country in solidarity with the Charlie Hebdo victims.

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Progress has been made in the search for AirAsia flight QZ8501, with the recovery of the flight recorders seventeen days after the aircraft crashed with 162 passengers on board. The airplane disappeared on 28 December while flying from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore. No distress call was issued, making the recovery of the flight recorders essential to the crash investigation. These recorders, or ‘black boxes’, are usually housed within the tail of the aircraft, and were raised from the seabed early on 10 January. The recorders however, were not located at this time. Electronic ‘pings’ from the recorders led divers to discover them beneath the

fuselage of the jet, 3.5km from the tail, two days later on 12 January. Aviation expert John Goglia remarked of the flight data recorder : “There’s something like 200-plus parameters that they record, it’s going to provide us with an ocean of material.” This data, alongside the recordings of all conversation and sound within the cock-pit during the 42 minutes of the doomed flight, will be central to investigators finding the cause of the disaster. Supriyadi, director with the Indonesian national search and rescue organisation, suggested that the airplane exploded before hitting the sea, during a steep descent possibly caused by weather conditions.

"The cabin was pressurized and before the pressure of the cabin could be adjusted, it went down boom. That explosion was heard in the area.” Another investigator disagreed, declaring current data available did not support the theory. With decryption of the black boxes liable to take a fortnight, the true cause will not be known for some time. For the families of those on board, the discovery of a 30-meter section of the aircraft, that housed passengers and crew, raises hopes that more of the 162 bodies can be recovered. Frangky Chandry, whose younger brother was on the plane, declared: "We understand if the search becomes smaller ... but the bodies have to be found. We want to bury our family.”

OPINION 7

January 26 2015

THIS WEEK’S DEBATE: Charlie Hebdo and freedom of expression: Is there a limit as to what satirists can make fun of? Did the journalists/cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo go too far? Or is all humour justified under freedom of expression?

We must fight to protect our right to free speech By Cathal Kelly As the world slowly comes to terms with the atrocities that have happened in Paris and Belgium, the dust has finally began to settle. Many people now question the importance and role that freedom of speech plays in our modern secular society. We, the Irish people, who for centuries were oppressed and colonised, with our opinions, religion, and even our language suppressed to the point of near extinction. We of all people should realise how important the right to speak our minds truly is. However, the line between insults and satire has become swayed. The sheer scene of hundreds of thousands of people who took to the street of Paris, Europe and further afield (including here in Ireland) in solidarity with the victims of the Charlie Hebdo massacre really conveys the importance that many people hold the right to speak out against an injustice or something that we, as a collective community, oppose or fear. Many opponents of the “Je Suis Charlie” campaign have accused the magazine of being insulting. But this raises the question as to whether we cannot inquire about certain parts of our society such as religion, or must we spend the rest of our life walking on eggshells, fearing reprisal for simply making an inflammatory comment (or in this case cartoon). Must we live the rest of our life in a state of fear and panic, censoring ourselves to ensure that our opinions, words and thoughts don’t insult or offend anyone? If that is the case how can anyone say what they truly feel, will we live in a George Orwell like world where “big brother” will constantly watch what we say, draw, write or even think? I know the importance of tolerance, respect and understanding. I would never or insult anyone’s beliefs or opinions, but if we disagree, surely we should be entitled to express our thoughts. We must have the right to convey our opposition to said opinions in a serious or humorous way, with the assurance we won’t get attacked or even worse. The question of whether or not all humour is justified under satire is not a clear cut one. However I believe that in certain circumstances, the opinions expressed by some social commentators, cartoonists or other public figures may offend others.

What is more important in our modern day society; people’s ability to discuss divisive issues, or people’s feelings? Unfortunately both of these important effects cannot be adhered to. If some people’s opinions have to be censored, where do we draw the line? Do we stop people questioning our leaders, our politicians and our public figures? Maybe some of our opinions, if they are printed may offend our politicians. Those who were so offended by the cartoons of Charlie Hebdo felt that they only

Who needs freedom anyway? By Dean Buckley Let’s start with some fun facts. Less than 1% of terrorist attacks in Europe since 2006 have been Islamic in nature. Muslims comprise 90% of the victims of Islamic terrorism. Substantially more people have been killed by right-wing terrorism in the USA since 9/11 than by Islamic terrorism. Said right-wing terrorist groups, especially those of the so-called sovereign citizen movement, which has found a foothold in Ireland, are consistently ranked by military, intelligence and law enforcement as the single biggest threat to people of the United States.

I know the importance If you think what happened of tolerance, respect and in Paris is about Muslims understanding. I would never hating our freedom or or insult anyone’s beliefs or something, you need opinions, but if we disagree, to start rethinking. The surely we should be entitled shootings were a part to express our thoughts. of al-Qaeda’s political way they could show their anger was to murder innocent people who were simply doing their job. It raises questions, in my opinion, of society itself, as to the way these people were treated that the only way they could express their opinions was through violence, and not through the medium of peace and diplomacy. With their actions, they have caused a wave of fear and xenophobia against peaceful Muslims. They have taken the laws into their hands. This raises questions here as to whether or not we cannot speak out about certain aspects of religion that we disagree with, under our restrictive blasphemy laws. Due to the wave of Islamic terrorism that has swept from the Middle East to Europe, Charlie Hebdo showed the faults with the way some people interpret the peaceful Quran, as an excuse for terrorism, through the medium of words and images rather than swords and guns. They didn’t just attack Islam though, as they often displayed their opposition to other religion and aspects of society. They chose the peaceful option of fighting the oppression of free speech, showing that the crayon is truly mightier than the Kalashnikov.

strategy and the backlash against Muslims was exactly what they wanted. Finally, in surveys, Muslims were the group who most consistently agreed that targeting civilians is never, ever justified, far more than any socially dominant demographic in the western world. And, of course, western military intervention has killed a lot more Muslim civilians (30 times more, at the lowest estimate) than Islamic terrorism has killed western soldiers. So, forgive me if I don’t buy the claim that the attack on Charlie Hebdo was an attack on free speech. This may shock some, but alQaeda are not actually mindless ideologues living in some delusional fairy tale of how the world works. They’ve spoken openly in the past about bending and twisting the words of the Qur’an to convince people to support their political agenda. So if you think religion was even their primary concern when they sent the Kouachi brothers into the offices of Charlie Hebdo, you really need to dig a little deeper.

No, al-Qaeda is an intelligent political actor with rational goals. For example, it has a goal of recruiting more footsoldiers to its cause. How might al-Qaeda achieve such a goal? Well, one suggestion might be to send some young French-Algerian men to launch a spectacular and showy but oddly unstrategic attack (in purely military terms) on a satirical newspaper that barely sells sixtythousand copies a week and was at risk of closing down. Then, wait for the pundits and politicians to frame the attack as part of the on-going and wholly fictitious “clash of civilisations” they’ve been using to justify imperialist aggression abroad and institutional racism at home, because god forbid they stop and think about what could drive citizens of their glorious country, born and reared, to turn against that very country. Both states and their citizens (primarily their white, non-Muslim citizens) double down on the rampant Islamophobia that causes so many poor Muslim youth to seek purpose and identity with extremists and terrorists. Boom, recruiting for al-Qaeda goes up. All this to say, if you think what happened in Paris is about Muslims hating our freedom or something, you need to start rethinking. The shootings were a part of al-Qaeda’s political strategy and the backlash against Muslims was exactly what they wanted. Charlie Hebdo was and is a virulently Islamophobic publication, publishing cartoons that uphold the status quo rather than challenge it, as satire is supposed to do, and cartoons that punch down at the oppressed rather than up at the oppressors, as satire is also supposed to do. So, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say they contributed to the climate of hatred and deprivation towards Muslims that resulted in the shooting in the first place, which is obviously not the same thing as saying they are individually responsible for their own deaths, obviously. But that consideration has to be a guiding factor in our response to the shooting. We can and should decry the murder of journalists without endorsing what they wrote. What they wrote was bigoted trash. And if we really want to prevent another Charlie Hebdo, let’s end the social, political and economic deprivation of Muslims. No more wars. No more exploitation. No more hate.

8 OPINION

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 8

The end of Kenny? Not just yet By Cathal Mullaney Jittery politicians are a fact of life, particularly as a general election comes close and TDs begin to think about retaining their seats in Dáil Éireann. For a Fine Gael party that for 14 years had to sit on the opposition benches, they will most certainly want to regain office after the next general election. They’ve tasted power, now they won’t want to let it go. But, what might hold back the Dáil’s biggest party from returning to Government Buildings? Many within the party, and indeed more outside of it, will argue that Enda Kenny is a serious liability for Fine Gael, and the government as a whole. Rumours have circulated, particularly in the past year, that Kenny’s time as leader will come to an end sooner rather than later.

But, for a party that has engaged in ill-advised heaves before – against John Bruton in the 1990’s and then again in 2001, and against Kenny himself in 2010 – they should be wary of the consequences of changing leader, just 15 months away from a general election. Notoriously clumsy in attempting to overthrow a leader – just ask Richard Bruton, who effectively beat himself in the 2010 saga – Fine Gael and the would-be leaders, Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney, should bide their time. Regardless of the next general election result, it’s extremely likely that Enda Kenny won’t be leader of Fine Gael for another five-year term, and that he won’t contest the next general election. Should he win, he’ll guide Fine Gael to an unprecedented second term in office, and probably leave the Taoiseach’s office midway through the term to allow a new,

Early General Election By Siobhan Mulvey Ireland’s political landscape currently holds a shaky complexion, and there have been rumours of a possible early general election occurring in 2015. The date of the next general election is scheduled for Easter 2016, provided that the government manages to see out its full time in office. An early general election could occur if Fine Gael and Labour decide that they will more likely return a majority during the course of this year, rather than in 2016. However, it is difficult for the government to predict whether they would be more likely to win a general election in the near future rather than next year. Surprise elections generally appeal to government parties on the basis that opposition parties would be caught off guard and be forced to partake in an election with unprepared and hastily written policies. However, this is unlikely in the case of Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin as they appear to be mobilising early in response to 2015 election rumours. Sinn Féin are currently posing a major threat to government and will create a strong election strategy for 2016. Fianna Fáil’s fall from grace in 2008, and an increasing distrust of Fine Gael caused by strict austerity measures, has resulted in the Irish electorate looking for an alternative to both of the dominant ‘Civil War’ parties. Sinn Féin’s popularity was boosted by their outright opposition to many of the government’s austerity measures including the more recent controversial water charges. However, Fine Gael’s front against Sinn Féin’s handling of the Mairia Cahill case has wounded the party’s current reputation, leaving the electorate especially suspicious of the leadership of Gerry Adams. Preventing a further rise of the political party Sinn Féin could be an incentive for the government parties to call a 2015 election. An early general election would also prevent any

new parties forming in time for the election. But unfortunately, for Fine Gael and Labour, any election set in early 2015 would most likely result in their defeat. Political outrage has been caused by their controversial austerity measures and this anger would be echoed in the ballot box. Fine Gael could tie with Sinn Féin, and Labour would especially bomb out in an early 2015 election. If government parties wait until 2016 they at least have more of a chance to appeal to the electorate. There are rumours that a general election could occur directly after the reveal of the government’s budget in October 2015, as a subdued budget could help Fine Gael to regain their popularity. Also, the government’s newly discussed 2015 plan for increased employment will be crucial in terms of persuading the electorate to vote for the current government. If the government calls a general election in late 2015, they have better chance of returning a majority. This chance could increase in early 2016, provided that the government parties succeed in not causing any political outrage over the course of the next year. Sinn Fein will also have more of a chance to campaign and make heavenly promises to Ireland’s ever-trusting electorate. Possibly even Fianna Fáil could make a weakened political comeback if they begin to voice definite opinions on issues in the run up to a 2016 election. In conclusion, an early general election in 2015 would not benefit Fine Gael and Labour as government support would need to increase among the electorate. Opposition parties are eagerly preparing for a snap election in the hope that the government will make the mistake of calling one prematurely. Fine Gael and Labour will grasp on to their government power at least until very late 2015, if not until the assigned general election in 2016.

youthful leader take stock and settle before another contest; should he lose, the general consensus is that he will resign as leader and migrate to the backbenches to see out his seemingly ever-lasting political career. One stumbling block for the Taoiseach could be the interim report from the Commission of Inquiry dealing with the resignation of former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan, where Mr Kenny reportedly forced the Commissioner to resign. Should the report publicise negatively on the part of the Taoiseach, he may have no choice but to leave as leader of the Government. However, provided the aforementioned report fails to criticise Mr Kenny, and the economy continues to improve, the talk of a possible heave against the Mayo man, prior to the next general election at least, will be firmly put to bed.

Many within the party, and indeed more outside of it, will argue that Enda Kenny is a serious liability for Fine Gael, and the government as a whole. Rumours have circulated, particularly in the past year, that Kenny’s time as leader will come to an end sooner rather than later.

Ireland’s love-hate relationship with Charles Haughey By Orla Furey The RTÉ drama, Charlie, has rekindled national interest in one of Ireland’s most notorious political leaders, Charles J. Haughey. This year will mark the ninth anniversary of his death. The programme raises the notion that this former Taoiseach is remembered more so for his personal debacles than for his contributions to the nation. Charles Haughey was born into a family of seven children. He was raised in the working class Dublin suburb of Donneycarney. He displayed a high aptitude for academics and received a scholarship to attend a Christian Brother school. He went on to study commerce and subsequently accountancy in UCD. He then attended King’s Inn and was called to the bar. By the age of 24 he boasted three college degrees, a mean feat for a boy from a working class background. He was quickly becoming a rising star in Irish politics who exhibited great promise, but this was about to change. When he first entered Cabinet as Justice Minister he was still managing his accountancy firm Haughey Boland. In 1962 Fine Gael raised the question why the firm (of which one partner was the son-in-law of the Taoiseach) had received lucrative Government contracts which had not gone out to tender. This was the first in a long list of dubious incidents in his political career. Ireland, at the time, was a tribunalfree nation, and the questions remained unanswered. Speculation over Haughey’s financial affairs grew. When he bought the lavish Kinsealy estate (comprising of 200 acres and his stately home) even his closest work colleagues wondered

where the funds had come from, but dared not ask. In 1970 he was one of two Government ministers charged with helping to smuggle arms to Northern Republicans. Haughey was acquitted of criminal charges but dismissed from the Dáil. The ‘’arms crisis’’ had been a disaster for his political career. It was the main obstacle he needed to overcome if he was to continue on his meteoric rise to success and power. Through charitable deeds he re-constructed his reputation with the people of his local constituency. He worked his way back into Government and served as Minister for health and Social Welfare. His achievements are admirable, being rewarded a scholarship, receiving three degrees and being the youngest Finance Minister in Europe at the time. However, all of these actions are clouded by what he did with his power. It is plain to see that he was a man engulfed with greed. All personal flaws aside, he passed significant legislations for modern Ireland. Thanks to Haughey, pensioners received free travel for the first time. In 1965 he brought in the Succession Act, which secured the livelihood of widowed women whose husbands had not left wills. In 1969 he imposed a tax free status for poets, painters’ sculptors and playwrights alike. These actions resulted in him being seen as a patron of the arts. Contrary to RTÉ’s portrayal, his political legacy left more than shady financial deals and heated office encounters with his mistress, Terry Keane. But then again, it would appear the Irish audience prefer these events for their Sunday evening drama.

OPINION 9

January 26 2015

DEEPER THAN TERROR: a look at the socio-economic factors behind the Paris shooting By Eoin Molloy We all know the facts by now. Three armed assailants gained entry into the HQ of satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, in Paris where they proceeded to massacre 12 staff members and one policeman who got in their way. The magazine’s willingness to publish cartoons mocking both the prophet Muhammad and ISIS leader, Al-Baghdadi, was widelyaccepted as the primary motivation for the attack. Some form of the word ‘terror’ featured on most newspaper front pages around the world. Sky News ran a 24 hour live-feed. We all tuned in, soaking up the rampant Islamaphobia and fear-mongering that was on offer. However, whenever you find yourself agreeing with Sky News, it’s a good idea to take a step back and sceptically re-assess the situation. Do we really believe that some people are crazy enough to wake up in the morning and slaughter others purely because of an offensive cartoon? Is the world really as black and white as that? This is where we must apply empathy. We must try to understand what put these men in a position where they believed carrying out a massacre at the office of a satirical magazine was somehow justified. Firstly, we must look at the backgrounds of the men. They were of Algerian descent. France and Algeria have a storied and bloody past. France first colonised the oil-rich nation in 1830 and immediately began a process of settling, assimilation and subjugation.

At the start of the 1960s, France and Algeria were effectively at war. Much like Ireland’s war of independence with Britain, gross atrocities were carried out by both sides as guerrilla warfare brought the North African nation to a standstill. In October 1961, the immigrant Algerian population in France organised a demonstration of some 30,000 in Paris to voice their support for the Front Liberation Nationale (the Algerian nationalists). The police attacked and massacred the protesters, killing between 70 and 200 Algerianborn protestors. The details are a little sketchy as the French government only formally acknowledged that this incident even occurred in 1998 Still, there were no newspaper headlines, no catchy ‘je suis’ hashtags. There was only denial. In spite of this, Algerian immigration to France increased with the promise of work. The French government sought to bring in cheap labour from its colonies to help with post-WW2 reconstruction, and around 500,000 Algerians obliged them. Jobs dried up in the 1980s, and tensions rose. Algerians were now competing with the French for jobs. This created racial strains because the Algerian workers were willing to work for less pay. This atmosphere of conflict led to the aptlynamed ‘race wars’ in 1980s France. Algerians were ghettoised into industrial areas. They were all but disenfranchised by successive French governments and abandoned by a police force that had long been suspected of institutional racism.

The Independent Alliance – Could it work? By Tomás M. Creamer Shortly after Lucinda Creighton’s unveiling of a new hashtag and buzzword – “#Reboot Ireland” – and all the associated jokes (“try turning it off and on again”), we’ve got another political force in the making. Shane Ross and Michael Fitzmaurice, up until they informed RTE’s Prime Time on the 6th of January, were thought to have been forming different groups – Michael Fitzmaurice a new party, Shane Ross a looser alliance of independents. However, it seems that the two are putting in their lot with each other, and are in the process of forming an alliance between different independents. According to Shane Ross, the alliance will not have a strict whip system, like a typical political party in Ireland does. Instead, it’s members would sign up to a number of principles – of which are yet to be decided – that they would vote for collectively, and force any government that relies on them for their support to implement them. And with the exception of budgets, votes of confidence, and these principles, each member can vote whatever way they wish Depending on your point of view, this could have two results. It could reduce the overbearing power of the party whip system in Irish politics, which – while not solely

responsible – has, in the past, resulted in legislation that could be innovative at best, or deeply flawed at worst, being rubberstamped through the Dáil. Or, it could result in chaos, with TDs been lobbied by interest groups – which they already are – or in governments collapsing. Although I fail to see why governments should fall if even a single piece of legislation fails to be passed. There is another problem. Quite a few independents, who could have been expected to join – such as Stephen Donnelly – have not done so. There are a few reasons cited, such as the lack of clear policies, or, among more of the left-wing TDs, the inclusion of Shane Ross. He is relatively right-wing in his economic views. If not enough high-profile independents join, this alliance could well be a damp squid. But there is a chance that that may not be the case. Christy Burke, a former Sinn Fein member and current Lord Mayor of Dublin, is at the time of writing, in talks with Michael Fitzmaurice about trying for a Dail seat. Watch this space: Irish politics have never been more fractured and volatile before now. With around half of the electorate seeking alternatives to the established parties of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Labour. For good or bad, political turbulence is a certainty.

In short, Algerians were the most downtrodden and isolated group in French society. Does any of this justify the recent Paris shooting? No. But it may go some of the way towards explaining the mind-set of young abandoned Algerians in France. The Kourachi brothers and their accomplices were murderers, it’s as simple as that. However, we must be careful how we refer to incidents like this so as to prevent hysteria. When the incomprehensible happens, we tend to try and rationalise it with very simple ideology. Whenever black people murder, it is often passed off as ‘gangland activity’. Whenever white people murder, we tend to dismiss them as being clinically insane. Whenever a Muslim murders, we attribute the act to a vague notion called ‘terrorism’. We do these things subconsciously as a means of trying to make sense of acts that seem too far removed from humanity. We attach catchy vague phrases to heinous acts so we do not have to think about the actual people involved and their motivations. This is the safe and comfortable world of TV-news influenced euphemisms. It seems far too easy to pass off a murderous act like the Paris shooting as simple, mindless terrorism.

Muslims in general do not have an intrinsic hatred for freedom of speech. Anyone who believes something ridiculous like that probably thought it was a good idea to invade Iraq in 2003. We must strive to approach crimes like these with a lateral level of understanding so we may prevent them from re-occurring. The sort of political and economic exclusion long suffered by Algerians in France creates vulnerable people, the sort of people who are easily manipulated by genuinely evil forces on this planet (Al-Qaeda in the Arabic Peninsula also exploded a car bomb in Yemen on the same day as the Paris shooting, killing 38). This entire recurring episode of lone-wolf attacks is deeper than terror. Recycling fearinducing buzz-words is a sure way to create an atmosphere of xenophobia and animosity that is likely to guarantee that these attacks continue. Don’t be a pawn of Sky News and Rupert Murdoch. And don’t just take my word for it either. Go out and read the facts for yourself before coming to an informed opinion. Remember: a scared population is easy to control, so take your time before s uccumbing to fear.

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Engage students & staff in a collaborative multidisciplinary conference environment nurturing vital research skills in presentation, communication & dissemination

Bailey Allen Hall, Aras na Mac Leinn All undergraduates welcome to participate @NuigConf undergradconference@nuigalway.ie

10 FEATURES

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 8

Mary Molloy, the Dog Road and Me By Jemima Burke In a society that so often favours the fittest, the noisiest and the pushiest it remains a sad reality that too many have been forgotten and unconsciously cast aside as unimportant and insignificant. This is true not only for the wider world but also for our own communities. Although I have changed several minor details for the sake of confidentiality, including the names of certain people and places, this story is true:

Mary Molloy lived in a dilapidated old cottage on the Dog Road. She walked the two and a half miles into Kilnagleary every day to buy her groceries in Murphy’s. I always knew it was her when I saw a thin, stooped figure with a blue plastic bag walking on the grass, well away from the roar of the vehicles on the N84. My parents used to have a couple over from Cornwall every year. I was always a kid when they came so I can’t remember how they became friends of the family. Tony was a big man with a great sense of Cornish humour and a fascination for all things marine; he never exhausted his story-supply of fish-

ing adventures and boating escapades to thrill the hearts of wide-eyed children. Stephanie was a perfect lady with her soft voice and complacent smile. Adult conversations by the fire in the sittingroom were, understandably, not always to the taste of rambunctious under-10s. When we weren’t making faces at their lively Dachshunds through the couple’s car windows, we were rambling around the Dog Road. The Dog Road wasn’t really its name. We called it that because it was the road we used to walk our much-loved Labrador ‘Rebel’ before he died. One happy afternoon we brought Tony and Stephanie and the Dachshunds around this road. My brother I were running up and down, jabbering away and picking flowers at random, enthusiastic eight and nine-year-olds as we were. Then along came Mary, her wizened face and dark eyes facing downwards. I thought she would shuffle wordlessly past like she always did. Not this time. Seeing the flowers in our hands she snapped bitterly: “Ruining the scenery!” It seemed as though a dark cloud had just come over a perfect day. We tried to explain Mary to the visitors. I think they understood. The truth is though: no one could explain Mary. Everyone in the community knew who she was, where she lived, how she rarely, if ever, spoke to anyone, that her brother owned Molloy’s Tool Hire and, well, probably a lot more trivia too.

But no one really knew Mary Molloy. Every Christmas my Dad would drive over with a box of McVitie’s wrapped up in festive gift-wrap and with a message of goodwill. She never came out to greet him. If she did, it would be to open the door a crack and cry: “Away with yeh!” We’d leave the present on the step anyway. Years passed. Sweeney’s Filling Station opened nearby, meaning that Mary didn’t need to walk all the way to Murphy’s anymore. As I matured, I stopped trying to explain her. Instead, I decided to treat Mary with respect every time I encountered her. She would be a case-study on how nasty, crabby old ladies respond when you show respect to them. During the summer of 2012 I spent a lot of time mumbling French and German to myself and staring at Math problems in anticipation of the next year’s Leaving Cert exams. At odd intervals I’d cycle to Sweeney’s for an orange-flavoured Calippo and the hope of having a bit of craic along the way. One bright Saturday morning I met Mary. I saw her coming and did what I had planned to do: get off the bike, smile and say hello. The incredible happened: she smiled back. My day was made. Mary had smiled. The future was bright for me, Mary, and the world. Winter came early that year. I had a mountain of work to do with my part-time job and all those Revise Wise books to memorise. One drizzly October morning during midterm

I looked out the kitchen window and noticed that the Dog Road had been blocked off. Aoife, my nextdoor neighbour, came up at 4pm and told me why. Mary was killed by a truck-driver. He turned a sharp corner too fast on a wet day. The locals left flowers at the spot where her body was found lifeless and broken. I wondered whether Mary would ever have wanted them. Those flowers seemed a painful indication that only in death was she worth noticing. In life she was forgotten. I cried myself to sleep that night, angry at others for their blind indifference but most of all angry at myself for not trying harder with Mary. Mary Molloy’s cottage is still there on the Dog Road. The grass is as high as the windows. The glass panes are grimier than they’ve ever been. The door is shut forever. But Mary opened a whole new dimension of me. She taught me that when a life expires, my opportunity to give to that life expires too. You can only say hello or show kindness to a living being; and even the most unlovable, the one who seemingly gives nothing in return: that person is worth loving too. It is only when they leave us that the classroom seems a little emptier; the road a little lonelier; the house a little colder; that once-forgotten figure is suddenly and painfully missed. Mary taught me to think less about myself and more about others. She taught me to value life as a precious gift from God. She taught me to love; to love today because there is no guarantee of tomorrow.

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FEATURES 11

January 26 2015

Take the road less travelled… By John Mulry

Market Thyself

There’s a very famous poem repeated below by Robert Frost called The road not taken. “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both and be one traveller, long I stood and looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth; “Then took the other, as just as fair, and having perhaps the better claim, because it was grassy and wanted wear, though as for that the passing there, had worn them really about the same, “And both that morning equally lay, in leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I marked the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way I doubted if I should ever come back. “I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference.” It’s the final lines that I want to draw your attention to. “I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference”. This to me signifies everything you must do to succeed in every area of your life. You must be willing to do what others aren’t willing to do and you must go above and beyond the norm. For example, to get the best results possible in your exams you must prepare, work hard, attend lectures and study diligently all year long. This is also especially true when it comes to marketing yourself to potential employers. I mentioned a couple of issues back that in order to get noticed you must “show up like nobody else”. It’s no longer a viable option just to send your copy and pasted CV to tens if not hundreds of potential employers and hope for the best. That’s what everybody else is doing. When it comes to hiring, we the employers have all the power.

You might be thinking, why do I keep referring back to these mantras of showing up like nobody else, and going the extra mile when it comes to marketing yourself to potential employers? It’s simple really; this is what is going to get you noticed, leading to you being called for interview and if you can live up to what you’re promising, you will get the job. To help you get started I’m going to give you my blueprint for getting your dream job. The process is quite simple but it’s not easy. For purposes of this article I’m going to condense it down, but if there’s anything you’d like me to discuss further reach out to me via john@johnmulry.com. STEP 1: Choose the top 10 companies you’d love to work for What companies would you absolutely love to work for? Think about this in depth then do your research to find out everything you can about the company. Find out about the success of the company and any areas where you see opportunity. You’ll also want to get the full contact details of the key decision makers in the company because you’ll need them for Step 2 and 3. STEP 2: Put together your materials and plan your communication strategy Once you have earmarked your dream 10 companies and the contact details of the key decision makers, you now need to put together all of your marketing materials to promote yourself. You’ll need to plan your communication strategy. What kind of materials can you use? Well the obvious ones are cover letters, your strategic CV, recommendations, awards, achievements etc. The less obvious are articles of interest to the decision maker, opportunities you come across that would benefit the company, and “shock and awe” packages that demand attention.

STEP 3: Execute and follow up I recommend communicating with the company at the very least once a month (preferably every 14 days) via direct mail with a follow up phone call. Like I said this isn’t easy to execute. The sole focus and call to action of everything you send and when you follow up by phonecall is to schedule a meeting/lunch/coffee with the decision maker. Yes, I’m telling you to take the power into your own hands and engineer your own interview. This may just go against the grain of everything you’ve ever heard but so what, who says you have to accept the status quo and do what everybody else is doing? What happens if you get a rejection email, call or letter? Acknowledge it but keep executing the strategy of offering value to the company and they’ll soon realise that you’re an asset and they’ll start paying attention to you, agree to a meeting with you where you can engineer your interview, showcase how you can add massive value to the company and land your dream job. Like I said these three steps are simple but they are not easy to implement. If you do take action on these three steps, only good things can happen. At the very least, every one of the decision makers of your dream companies will have you at the top of their minds, they may even refer you other suitable positions and you’ll be networking and expanding your circle of influence in the best way possible. You may notice that I haven’t said anything about going to the latest jobs sites looking for vacancies or anything like that. This isn’t a strategy for a part time job or weekend work to fund your social life. This is a long term strategy for landing your dream position so you must take a long term approach here. 99.9 percent of people wouldn’t dream of travelling down this road and following those three steps but this is the road that will make all the difference.

246 reasons you should read this article By Ciara Treacy Over the past few weeks, current affairs junkies and those suffering from a Love/Hate hangover alike tuned in to RTÉ’s Charlie over its run of three episodes. The mini-series reignited an interest in Irish affairs in the dramatic and controversy-plagued period of the 1980s, with the aim of achieving mass appeal through its Irish take on House of Cards. My nerdy disposition was in its element; the cutthroat politics, the adrenaline rush from identifying politicians and the suaveness of journalists reporting on the various scandals. The show kept the modern-day media busy too. Radio discussion ensued and articles were published from various angles on the life and times of CJ Haughey, from the perspective of political commentators and former politicians who had witnessed El Diablo’s dealings up front. Then, so as not to lose out on views, a popular source of online content posted their own cultivated and enlightened take on the matter: ‘Ranking Ireland’s Taoisigh in order of coolness.’ Take the number of shares that article has accumulated and you can then subtract it from steps for mankind. The author seemed to pride himself on ignorance − be it manufactured or not − of actual substantial reasons to rank these characters without what appears to be conducive research. It’s all about online hits, a somewhat sad omen for the future of journalism.

The latest global State of the Internet index found Ireland to have the seventh fastest broadband in the world (the James Hardiman Library was obviously not taken into account in the study). It’s evident that strides have been taken to improve what the UN declared to be an essential human right, with dialup and internet cafés used in an ironic sense more than anything these days. We’re certainly spending more time online but what are we actually doing on it? Frequenting social media websites, yes. Viral videos are also held in high esteem (an algorithm for success would incorporate Irish mammy giving out to child + talking cat + one-liner catchphrase/song which can be used in work and social situations to demonstrate you are good fun. Jennifer Lawrence would also make a cameo). Because of that, we’re in the age where people make a livelihood from Youtube. Take British beauty vlogger Zoella whose novel Girl Online achieved the highest first-week book sales since records began. Chirpy, well-polished and apparently unassuming, this girl was revealed cleverer than may have been previously thought when she kept it quiet for quite some time that the book was ghost-written. Of course, the internet is utilised more than ever for news as well. However clickbait articles are creeping in everywhere. One I recently saw was ‘Pee Your Pants Petrifying? This Woman’s Bladder Made Her A

Viral Star’. I just don’t understand the thought process where a person thinks, yes, this woman’s seemingly acclaimed urinary organ is something I need in my day. As I was familiarising myself with the workings of clickbait, laughing at how it could be thought people would fall for an article advertised by a picture of a female’s bosom, a nearby companion perfectly illustrated how it can in fact appeal to an audience. “Aw boobs! Click into it.” List articles have the same appeal - people like them because they relate to generic ideas where they can say, that’s so me, I do that! Now as they run out of ideas the articles are becoming more tailor-made due to the drive to generate round-the-clock content, e.g., 25 things you’ll only understand if you attended St. Jude’s Community College in 1992. Irish broadsheets have begun to incorporate this into their stories too, because the rise of internet has meant people’s attention sp… Are we destined to lose all sense of personality and differentiation from fellow humans as broadband speeds become faster and the viral videos become more mindless? Does an existential crisis loom when we’re stuck somewhere with poor connection? Maybe so, as one of Ireland’s most Googled questions in the search engine last year was simply “who is this?” Catch Ciara and fellow columnist John Brennan on PDA on Flirt FM, Thursdays at 12pm.

12 FEATURES

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 8

7 Terrible excuses for missing lectures NUI Galway Pick Up Lines By Tomás M. Creamer It happens to the best of us – we all miss that occasional lecture due to one screw-up or another. Or we make the most of some of the new-found freedoms of university despite the budgetary constraints and decide to just wing the course. Whatever type of person you are, you occasionally have to explain yourself when asked why you missed this or that lecture. As I didn’t actually miss that many lectures myself (yet), I wouldn’t really be much help in recommending good excuses for those cases. However, I think that there are 7 excuses in particular you may want to avoid: 1. “I’ll get the slides off blackboard”: It’s precisely because of this that quite a few lecturers deliberately doctor their slides prior to putting them on blackboard, rendering them useless for those who didn’t attend the original lecture. So that is not exactly a safe option. 2. “Everyone’s been talking about The Interview lately – I had to watch it, even if it meant missing lectures”: Yeah, take it from me, pal, that movie just wasn’t worth it. Maybe something like The Lego Movie because if you are going to miss lectures for a movie, it may as well be a good one.... 3. “It’s raining outside...”: Ah now, c’mon, this is Ireland we’re talking about. You nearly have as many wet days as dry ones, especially in the likes of Galway, on the western seaboard. If you

are never going to brave a few raindrops, you are kind of screwed for life in general in this country. Sure, there are really bad days but they don’t happen all that often... 4. “Could I not just enjoy my cuppa tae at Smokey’s in peace?!”: …or coffee, if that’s your thing. Either way, as entertaining as the pigeons are, Smokey’s is on the concourse and if you have that many opportunities to frequent the place, it’s likely to be because all of the lecture halls are nearby and you are literally a stone’s throw away from any of them. Just sneak in the tea – who’s going to care? 5. “I couldn’t find the lecture hall/room”: For a first year in the first semester of their course, this is a pretty decent excuse, in all fairness. However, the more you progress through university, the more this excuse starts to get a bit old... 6. “Ah, sure I’ll get the notes off from someone”: This is pretty tempting, alright. You just better hope that you have friends with the same subjects, legible handwriting and a good attention span... 7. “I slept in because...”: There are a lot of things that you could put in after that phrase. Don’t bother wondering what you put in, unless it’s something like “I slept in because I was busy saving people from a burning building last night” and even then, you do not come out sounding well to anyone except yourself.

By Heather Robinson The art of flirting is a complex recipe of dos and don’ts with terms and conditions as changeable as the weather here in Galway. For some, it can be scary and confusing while other people can stroll confidently up to anyone and get things going. It all boils down to intuition and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise – there isn’t one trick to trick them all. Isn’t that what makes it exciting? It’s the thrill of going up to that someone you’ve been eyeing and initiating a conversation. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for the shift or new love; flirting is exciting. If it was always the same we’d get bored and wouldn’t bother anymore. Sure there’d probably be a lot less cheesy pick-up lines floating around but let’s be real… they make good stories. When I asked a couple of my friends about their own encounters with pick-up lines, the memories ranged from hilarious to elaborate to clever and cute. Grace McKeever recounted her initial meeting with an equally tall member of the opposite sex; “I'm pretty tall and so when I wear heels I'm like six foot three. Once when I was out, this extremely tall guy came up to

me and said ‘Wow, did they put fertiliser on you?’ He then gauged my reaction and frantically covered his tracks ‘Oh god nah nah I'm only messin'! You're lovely and lengthy’. In conclusion, it worked.” While Katie Byrnes divulged her own experience delivering pick-up lines to a prospective shift; “I wrote out like 15 chat up lines on a sheet of paper and brought them out with me. I was using them on this guy but he took my sheet of paper and used them on another girl.” You see, it’s all about having fun. If you’re stuck for inspiration in the chat-up area, never fear because here’s a list of pick-up lines with NUI Galway students in mind. It may not guarantee you a phone call but it may help weed out the prospects that lack a compatible sense of humour. If they laugh, you know you are onto a winner! 1. Are you in the ‘BakeSoc’? Because those are some nice buns. 2. Do you know what my Medicine class of 2018 hoody is made of? Relationship material. 3. I study science and my timetable says we have chemistry together this semester. 4. Forget the others; I’ll be your College Bar Favourite.

Things Irish people say vs what they mean By Kieran Kilkelly Regardless of accents, colloquialisms or any other such aspect that makes the English spoken language vary from place to place, there is no region as inexplicable as Ireland. The reasons for our bizarre and nonsensical sayings (in terms of proper English) are unknown. It could have perhaps been an act of rebellion against the British rule or maybe we just couldn't get the hang of it but either way – and despite its humour to other nations – it is our identity and something to be cherished. Here are some of the best known sayings that make sense only to us. GO 'WAY OUT OF THAT It can be categorised historically that the first time this phrase was used was when Mary and Bridie found out that Noreen's daughter down the road was pregnant out of wedlock. People unbeknownst to the quirks of the Hiberno-English dialect would think this an offence or that it was a result of something offensive they had said to the Irish native. That is not true. In fact, the opposite is meant, it is almost a term of endearment; instead of going away – as is suggested – you are wanted to come closer and elaborate on what you've just said. Perhaps, this apparent term of endearment is just because of the need and want for gossip that us Irish have. But even still, you'll be kept in their company until all details are disclosed. COP ON No Irish man, woman or child has escaped their waking lives without these words being uttered to them at least once. Frequently it is the Irish mammy that says it when she is on her last nerve with her children with the next step being the much-feared wooden spoon. Alternatively to that your friend might say it

when he or is she isn't in the form for having the craic or the craic itself has run its course. For two simple words with no correlation to one another they do hold power. Basically, if you are told to “cop on” it means to stop messing or play-acting. The Irish are known for having a laugh or two but when things get out of hand these are the words that bring everything back to normal – keeping Ireland in relative order for all these years. WE'LL GO FOR ONE Never in the history of the Irish Free State (and everything that came before it) has this sentence been adhered to. It holds about as much validation and truth as do pub closing times in Ireland. If you're not familiar with this phrase you are in trouble. Mentally, you prepare yourself for one and, perhaps, one for the road when in fact you could be in it for the long haul. Most famous examples of “going for one” end up with the people involved waking up in the toilet of the local the next morning, going to a completely different county or ending up at an unknown wedding in Wales – all of these are true stories and thus warnings that if you're going for one, you better be prepared. I'M GRAND Just as the potato is the staple food of the Irish dinner this is the staple phrase of Irish conversation. It can be claimed that it is the most used sentence in the history of the English language – even more so than “I love you” or “what's your name?” Just like “we'll go for one”, nobody has meant this when they've said it, it is merely a way of answering the question of “how are you?” without provoking anymore questions that involve feelings and the likes. It is probably the most useful phrase to learn if you are planning on visiting Ireland or you're just not fitting in. Keep repeating this and pretty soon people will think you lived here all your life.

FEATURES 13

January 26 2015

Hazel Doyle on Being Carrie Bradshaw By Hazel Doyle I’m sitting here watching Sex and the City, trying to be the next Carrie Bradshaw, but I don’t have a thing going on with a man named ‘Big’ or an apartment in New York. I also don’t have her collection of bad nineties clothes or her extensive array of handbags. And I don’t have a seemingly endless supply of cash. So, this is the part which you need to skip over if you’ve not seen the first film yet; Big leaves Carrie at the altar. Oh no! It’s awful sad, awful upsetting, and leaves us all screaming at the telly wondering what is he doing?! But, like any good, responsibility-free, successful young fashionista, the gals head off with Carrie to Mexico, to live-up her honeymoon, Sleepover Club style. It’s quite heart-warming to see Samantha spoon-feed a broken Carrie, but I couldn’t help asking myself ‘who actually has friends like that?’ So, ‘Hello Friends!’ if anyone of you are reading this. You are all fabulous. Fabulous Friends. And I love you all dearly. We’ve had our moments, but we’re great pals always. I’m sure that I have always been the perfect friend. I know; hard to believe right? I mean look that that Minnie Mouse hat! How could that fun-loving gal ever fail to be a fantastic friend? But there has been the odd Facebook mail that I haven’t replied to, because I’m so easily distracted. What I’m getting at is that it’d be so much handier to be a great friend if you didn’t have a job that tied you down all the time, or another essay or presentation to finish. What if we all had fabulous jobs like the Sex and the City gals, and we could flit off to Mexico for a holliyer, without having to take work with us? Or without having to type like Billioh in two weeks to get your coursework done in time? Picture the scene: Mary and John have just broken up and Mary is heartbroken. You’ve known Mary for years now, and known John almost as long, since he came into Mary’s life. He was a grand lad, and he and Mary were always cute together, but never in an annoying way, and so they were actually fun to be around when it was just the three of ye. Now, you didn’t see it coming either. What was John at? He just dumped Mary out of the blue. And you’re kind of dumped by default too, because he won’t be around to change the lightbulbs in your gaff now. Bummer.

Mary needs some serious cheering up, stat! It’s time to break out the big buns: you’ve put the Minstrels in the popcorn, you’ve got Frozen all loaded up, and you’ve got a secret supply of tissues in case of any snotty accidents. You will clear your schedule to allow more Mary-time and you’ve got the Sally Hanson all ready to go for when Mary is eager to head out and shift someone, give him her number, text him a little, and then regret it in a few days when she stalks him on Facebook and finds out he’s from Leitrim. Now, you are a good friend. You gave Mary your time, your tissues and your texting advice (Mary has been out of the game too long; she didn’t have a clue how to flirty-text). But what an unreal friend you’d be, if you’d transplanted that night out to a weekend at the south of France, and that Sally to a real tan. If you could’ve cleared your schedule and booked the most convenient – not the cheapest – flight on skyscanner.ie and hit the runway. Programmes like Sex and the City are great because they show us strong female friendships, and strong female professionals, but do they show us something achievable? Who can actually do that craic? Who can head off to Mexico at a moment’s notice? Who can splash designer wads of cash around to cheer up a chum? I’ve still sat in front of the telly and watched almost all of this movie, and I’ll probably stay and watch the very end of it at this stage (spoiler alert: I do love a happy ending!). I feel like I’d love to make merry a mate like the NYC gals do, with their unlimited stash of dollars. What a spectacular friend I’d be if I were rich. If I were Carrie Bradshaw, my final narration would be something like ‘and then my friends made me realise that they’d love a spa-day to beat the January Blues, and wouldn’t it be great if we could all afford it? They’ll have to settle for a face-mask bought with my Boots advantage points’.

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14 FEATURES

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 8

Marty McFly got it all wrong – what will 2030 look like? By Mark Laherty 2015? You mean we’re in the future! Or perhaps not. The western world has been left disappointed by the misguided predictions of acclaimed scientific documentary Back to the Future Part II. Our cars are still firmly rooted on the ground and skateboards, hovering or otherwise, are so antiquated that some doubt they ever existed.

John Beddington, the UK government’s chief scientific advisor in 2009, stated that the world population would have risen to eight billion by 2030. Since we now sit at 7.22 billion, this seems a believable claim. As such, demands for food, water and energy would all rise while those resources decrease. Therefore, an awful lot of us will be dead or dying. The United States is also expected to decline as a superpower due to continuing economic

The bad news is that the future may not be as chipper as we would hope. Just as 2015 has denied us robot maids and given us economic misfortunes in their place, we can expect things to have gotten much worse by 2030... In the face of this crushing betrayal, we can only resolve our woes if we go, yes, back to the future. Not this shoddy excuse for a future but a real future; a future that knows what it’s doing. Ladies, gentlemen and other, I propose to you: 2030. The bad news is that the future may not be as chipper as we would hope. Just as 2015 has denied us robot maids and given us economic misfortunes in their place, we can expect things to have gotten much worse by 2030.

difficulties, an overstretched military and rising industrialisation in China and India. It will probably also not help that so many people will be dying, as previously stated. Fortunately, all the dead people will be replaced by AI Computers which will have advanced to the point that call centres will be manned by programs which are advanced to the point of sentience. The mind boggles at the ethical implications let alone what could happen when the programs themselves wrap their arti-

ficial heads around the idea of morality. Robot apocalypse, lads. You heard it here first, except you didn’t, because movies have been pushing that line for decades. If Marty McFly has shown us anything, it’s that any prediction should be taken with a pinch of salt, or perhaps a ton. Even if famine, drought and assassin customer service droids don’t kill us all, it’s quite possible the survivors will fall foul of the metaphorical assassin droid within: depression. The mental illness will have overcome heart disease to become the number one global disease burden, according to the World Health Organisation. In all of this doom and gloom, there is a glimmer of hope, the possibility that a long-running burden of civilisation might at last be alleviated: the weather forecast might actually be right. Computing is expected to be a thousand times more powerful than it will be even in 2020 and a million times more powerful than in 2010. Patently Apple says that the meteorological results of this would be outstanding with 99% accuracy. Humanity’s efforts to make sense of the weather, though deeply impressive, have always been an uphill struggle. To actually get a near-conclusive handle on the whole thing would be a real triumph. Still, we have quite a bleak vision of a brave new future. Some might be tempted to wave away these predictions as conjecture and

speculation doomed to failure, just like Back to the Future Part II. But was the movie so wrong after all? We’re quick to point to the barmy fashion differences and comically pseudo-dystopian setting as massive deviations. The film did show the rise of surveillance cameras, the influence of Asian nations over the US, flat panel TV sets mounted on walls, the ability to watch six channels at once, Skype, increased use of plastic surgery, head-mounted displays, automated fuelling systems and motion-controlled video games. All this from a movie which, joking aside, only made basic efforts to research what 2015 would be like and merrily took all the artistic licence it wanted.

...but in all of this doom and gloom, there is a glimmer of hope: the weather forecast might actually be right. We should all know better than to take Doc for a fool. Start stockpiling canned food and ammunition, set up a nuclear bunker in the hills, because when 2030 arrives, no amount of self-tying shoelaces will save us.

How to become instafamous By Lisa Fogarty Instagram is the best app at the moment to photograph just how cool you think you are: instagramming your OOTD (outfit of the day), food pictures of avocados and all those inspirational quotes to make other people think: “wow you are so deep”. The point of Instagram is to show off to other people and equally, to earn likes on your heavily filtered and edited pictures. Admittedly, we all do it just for that very reason and it becomes quite addictive after a while. Our ultimate goal is to become instafamous (for those non-instagrammers: famous on Instagram). Here is Sin’s guide to instarecognition:

CHOOSE A THEME Most successful Instagram accounts revolve around a particular theme and all the pictures uploaded are related to it. Having a cool set theme will ensure that your account receives a lot of traffic and likes. Maybe your account could be beauty themed with pictures of makeup or hair inspiration or travel themed with pictures from your skiing holiday or your J1 trip last summer. Perhaps your account doesn’t have a theme and instead is filled with pictures of everyday life. Everyday life can be cool too...

MASTER THE ART OF FILTERING Everyone looks better with a filter. It is just common knowledge at this stage that by having a filter on your pictures, be it on

Facebook or Instagram, you are always going to look 50% less ugly. Fact. There are so many filters to choose from, each bringing a different level of attractiveness to pictures. Picking the right one ensures likes, don’t just go for X-Pro or Valencia because they were mentioned in that 'Selfie' song and therefore, they must be good. Branch out, choose Sierra or Willow. Once this art of filtering has been mastered, it won’t be long now until you become instafamous.

#HASHTAGS The essential factor in the quest to become instafamous is the use of the hashtag. Hashtagging a picture is key to every instagrammer gaining likes and followers. After filtering a picture, caption it with a witty remark and then it is time to hashtag. For example, if there is a blonde in the picture: #blond, or even a dog: #cute #dog. Or maybe some food: #yummy # healthy #food #gluten #free. When people click the hashtag they can see all of the pictures on Instagram using that particular hashtag. The motto is: use thy hashtag wisely and thou shall be rewarded.

WHERE AM I? Tagging yourself in a place is another great way to become instafamous. Letting people know where you are along with your super cool themes, filtered and hashtagged picture is the icing on the cake of a great Instagram post.

FEATURES 15

January 26 2015

Rosemary Mac Cabe ALUMNI INTERVIEW: Rosemary Mac Cabe YEAR OF GRADUATION: 2007 COURSE AT NUI GALWAY: BA English & Italian CURRENT OCCUPATION: Freelance journalist, stylist and TV panellist What is your fondest memory of NUI Galway? Weirdly, the thing I remember most is the architecture and the layout – particularly the Quad, where the choral society would frequently gather for workshops and concerts. In my memory it’s taken on an almost film-like quality, as if I watched it, rather than living it! I guess that’s what happens when you leave something behind and never go back; each time you think of it, the facts blur slightly more. Has NUI Galway changed since you were here? I’m sure it has, but I haven’t been back – not for any reason other than that I’ve never had reason to. My closest friends ended up moving to Dublin, too, which was convenient. I’d say if I went back, I’d get totally lost – well, I’d find the arts block easily enough. There’s no forgetting that albatross!

How did attending NUI Galway develop you as a person? I did my bachelor’s degree in NUI Galway, and later went on to do an MA in DIT, but Galway was where I transitioned from a child to an adult, not to put too fine a cliché on it. It was my first experience of being so, so small; I remember the utter shock I felt on my first day, walking into an English lecture and seeing hundreds of people with the same hopes and dreams as I had, the same illusions of grandeur… in a way it made me realise that being “good” (in my case, at English) wasn’t enough. I definitely learned how to be ambitious and the importance of marking yourself out. On the latter point I didn’t always stand out in a positive light, but they were all learning experiences.

Photo: Karl Smyth

Did you partake in any societies, sports clubs or volunteering at NUI Galway? I suspect that my name was down on about 20 clubs and societies throughout my time in NUIG – and I don’t think I was the only one tempted to sign my life away in exchange for tiny Refresher bars. The only one I attended with any regularity was the choral society; I was a member for

A quick guide to the Students’ Union Elections By Tomás M. Creamer WHAT!?! THERE’S A STUDENT UNION? AND THEY HAVE ELECTIONS? Ummm... yeah, what do you think that the compulsory Student levy was about? The Students’ Union is responsible for many of the cafés around campus – such as Smokey’s Café - the Medical Unit, the Campus Book Shop, Education and Welfare advice, and represents Students on various committees in the University. And yes, it’s an elected body, with elections due on 5 and 12 March, for the Full-time and Part-time officers respectively. HOW, WHERE, AND WHEN CAN I VOTE? On each of the designated voting days I mentioned above, you have a choice of three polling stations: An Bialann (10am-7pm), Áras na Mac Léinn (11am-8pm) and the Engineering Building (12pm-4pm). You will need to bring your NUI Galway Student Card, and from there, you will be given a ballot paper and pen. Fill out the ballot paper, listing your candidates in order of preference – although you don't have to vote for more than one person. It is recommended that you fold your ballot paper to conceal your vote before putting it in the ballot box. Also, you can only vote once – and I wouldn’t recommend trying to get around that rule. OK, SO WHAT ARE THE POSITIONS? The full-time positions – meaning that, once elected, if you haven’t already finished them, you have to give up your studies for a year to focus on the job at hand – includes the Grand Master, AKA the Students’ Union President, and two Vice-Presidents that act as senior Education and Welfare officers respectively. The Part-time positions, which allows for flex-

ibility with concurrent studies, includes: Oifigeach na Gaeilge (Irish Officer), Equality Officer, Societies' Chairperson, Postgraduate Officer, Clubs' Captain, Mature Students' Officer, as well as College Convenors for each of the five main schools – “Arts, Social Sciences & Celtic Studies”, “Science”, “Engineering and Informatics”, “Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences”, and “Business, Public Policy & Law”. There is a Students’ Union Council Chairperson, but unless you’re a Class Representative, it doesn’t really matter to you. SHOULD I THROW MY HAT IN THE RING? Sure, why not? What’s not to love about a position of responsibility, representing thousands of students? You could possibly affect the educational experiences of thousands of students in a highly positive way, and it gives you great experience that could come in handy later on in life. HOW WOULD I RUN FOR ELECTION? Well, first of all, wait until the window for nominations is open. The window for nominations is 19 to 25 February for the full-time positions, and 26 February to 4 March for the part-time roles respectively, closing at 5pm on the final day. During that window, look up the NUI Galway Students’ Union website or office for nomination forms. Fill them in, and assuming that you do so correctly, you’re all set then. BUT WAIT – HOW DO I RUN A CAMPAIGN? Now how would I know that? OK, from what I heard, things like buying some leaflets and posters, speaking to students before their lectures (ask permission), having a campaign team, a manifesto, etc. all help. Just don’t promise ridiculous things – it never ends well in the real world, and it would be no different within the Students’ Union. Be realistic, in other words.

pretty much my whole time at NUIG. A lot of my best college memories belong to the choral soc; trips to the Cork Choral Festival, one to Lake Garda in Italy… we used to sing on the bus, like a terrible American teen movie. It was amazing. What was the college newspaper like when you were in NUI Galway? Did you write for it? I thought Sin was the best thing ever while I was at NUIG because yes, I did write for it. I was assistant entertainment editor for a while, and actually, the only people I’m still in touch with now also wrote for Sin; Eoin Bannon was editor at the time – and a real stickler for factual accuracy, which was a pain – and then Lenny Antonelli took over. Fran McNulty and Ciara Norton, with whom I lived in final year, also wrote for the paper, and Marie Lavin, as entertainment editor, was my direct overlord. We all still see each other regularly. Do you ever miss NUI Galway? It’s never occurred to me, actually, to miss NUI Galway itself. I don’t miss college, exams, essays… no. I miss John Kenny and Hubert McDermott. I miss (the late) Ros Dixon. I miss the time, the age I was – and with it the freedom of not having to worry about rent, or pensions, or looming infertility. I miss being

young, which I was when at NUI Galway… but I wouldn’t trade all of that for having to write 5,000-word essays again. Any juicy stories of your time here? I can’t think of any that I can either corroborate, or that wouldn’t totally incriminate me. So yes – but for these purposes, no. What advice would you give to current NUI Galway students? I sound a bit like my mother, but I’d say to worry less about where you’re going on Friday night and worry more about who you’re having lunch with. Don’t waste money on food in the canteen when town is a short walk away; get a bike (and lock it carefully); cycle to the sea as often as you can. Go to Charlie Byrne’s bookshop; ask for cheese samples in Sheridan’s; never miss a chance to eat pea curry at the Saturday market. If you’re struggling, tell someone – hell, tell everyone. And if you’re not? Try to help someone who is. If you could go back and do it all again, what would you do differently? I’d try not to get involved in society politics; I’d tell John Kenny that he made me want to be a better writer (although he may have failed on getting me to properly understand the semicolon); and I’d lock my bike more carefully.

THE SU PAGES PLEASE SUPPORT NUI GALWAY’S CANCER AWARENESS AND FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN 2015 TIMETABLE OF EVENTS:

Most people know somebody who has been affected in some way by cancer. On the 16th and 17th of February 2015 NUI Galway staff and students are getting together to raise awareness and funds for the fight against cancer.

• 7pm-9pm Monday 16th February Free choral concert in the Bailey Allen Hall. Register for your tickets at http://goo.gl/5m5h8S.

Please get involved by attending the events, taking part in NUI Galway Shave or Dye, volunteering to help at events or donating what you can. All funds raised will go to the Irish Cancer Society, Cancer Care West, Galway Hospice and NBCRI. Please like and share the campaign Facebook page at NUIGCancerEvent. 556-Travel-Abroad-Poster-Poster.pdf

08/01/2015

2015

10:44

• 10am-1pm Tuesday 17th February Coffee morning and poster presentation on the work being done at NUI Galway to fight cancer. • 2pm-5pm Tuesday 17th February NUI Galway Shave or Dye in the Bailey Allen Hall with Today FM, Fat Tony’s and Zenith Hairdressing. Register now to Shave or Dye by

WORKING & TRAVELLING

emailing studentsunion@ nuigalway.ie or filling out and returning the registration form on the SU website. • 7pm-9pm Tuesday 17th February Public Lecture Night, Panel Discussion and Reception in the Bailey Allen Hall. Register for your FREE ticket at http://goo.gl/9B6QwN. If you would like to volunteer to help out at the events you can sign up at http://cki.nuigalway. ie/opportunity/view/456/. For more information please contact studentsunion@ nuigalway.ie. 559 Croagh Patrick Climb Poster.pdf

16/01/2015

14:46

NUI Galway Students’ Union

CHARITY CROAGH PATRICK CLIMB

FAIR ABROAD

with NUI Galway Mountaineering Club

Dreapadh Chruach Phádraig Chomhaltas na Mac Léinn, OÉ Gaillimh

AR MHAITHE LE CARTHANACHTAÍ i gcomhar le Club Sléibhteoireachta OÉ Gaillimh

Saturday 28th February 2015 Dé Sathairn, an 28 Feabhra 2015 C

CMY

Sign up now in the Students’ Union, Engineering Building & the Sports Centre. Cláraigh anois in Oifig Chomhaltas na Mac Léinn, san Fhoirgneamh Innealtóireachta agus san Ionad Spóirt.

RE & TAISTIL AONACH OIB

2015

THAR LEAR CHOMHALTAS

H OÉ GAILLIM na MAC LÉINN,

Raise €40 (minimum) to take part Entry includes free t-shirt & bus! All proceeds go to the SU Charities: Console and BeLonG To. The Croagh Patrick Climb is a fun event open to all students and staff of all capabilities! www.su.nuigalway.ie

12pm-3pm Wednesday 28th January in Áras na Mac Léinn 12 i.n. - 3 i.n., Dé Céadaoin, an 28 Eanáir in Áras na Mac Léinn

Start planning your best summer EVER!

Tosaigh ag pleanáil an tsamhraidh is fearr a bheidh agat GO DEO!

Exhibitors include: J1 Visa companies, travel companies, volunteering/adventure companies, internships/training companies and festivals. NUI Galway does not endorse or affiliate any external company exhibiting at the Fair. More information: www.su.nuigalway.ie or email studentsunion@nuigalway.ie Tuilleadh eolais: www.su.nuigalway.ie nó cuir ríomhphost chuig studentsunion@nuigalway.ie

facebook.com/NUIGalwayStudentsUnion

twitter.com/NUIGSU

18 LIFESTYLE

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 8

Beard and Moustache; together at last Bearded Backpacker Weekend Breaks By John Brennan

Beards and moustaches are no longer mutually exclusive. It’s my gut feeling that we should boisterously reclaim the dexterous ‘tache from the moisturized grips of would be hipsters everywhere. Conor McGregor embodies this new dawn of the beard ‘tache combination. The goatfaced leviathan has been punching heads and styling taches in equal amounts since announcing his arrival onto the main stage of global competitive throttling. God damn, that man rocks a suit and a beard. You can too, probably. Now I understand hesitancy to embrace the way of the moustache, given my own distaste for the Ronnie for years. This was mainly due to the ‘will they, won’t they’ relationship my beard and moustache had during the fledgling years of my initial bastardized attempts in entering mainstream masculinity. The ‘tache is ultimately a welcome addition to my follicle wardrobe. The nay-sayers will undoubtedly reference popular alternative culture (hipsterdom), Ron Jeremy, Tom Sellick or even just some stylish walruses who rock a ‘tache better than I could ever dream of. To have a beard is to

love a beard. To love a beard is to embrace a beard. That is all the beard, ‘tache, tufts and recalcitrant sideburns. Irrespective of how you think you feel, once you grow your face plumage things become significantly less confusing/complex. I see the world in binary, those with and without beards. It took me shaving off my beard to realize the distinction truly encapsulated in the hinterland that fluctuates between looking prepubescent and looking like an actual Brown Bear. Jesus had a beard and I’d wager he liked to rock a sweet, styled moustache. Who can truly say? What we know is that he (apparently) healed the sick, helped the poor, dished out gourmet fish and wine at will and you think he wasn’t rocking an audacious ‘tache? Don’t be ridiculous, of course he was parading around with a sumptuous Christ-like beard; he was after all, Christ.

Next up, let’s look at Otto Von Bismarck; arguably the greatest man of all time. The man rocked a dandy ‘tache and commanded the respect of virtually everyone, except that dumbass Kaiser Wilhelm II and the French, but let’s not stray into pseudo historical ramblings. Beards, retrospectively speaking, have always made people cooler. Moustaches have not been afforded the same courtesy. Generally because a few dictators ruined them for absolutely everyone. Some styles of ‘tache will never be reborn, so we must harness the ones at our disposal. That is why the ‘tache-beard combination makes the best of an awesome follicle situation. Peacocks brandish an ostentatious set of feathers and suffer no ill effects. Your face can handle the moustache, trust me. Coincidently a group of peacocks is called an ostentation of

eacocks. I like to educate p on all matters pertaining to style, beards and feathered fowl. Part of the service the bearded one likes to provide. The easiest way I can put this is that everyone who looks cool, generally, has a beard. Chuck Norris, Gandalf, Khal Drogo, Tony Stark, King Leonidas, winners of the world beard championships. They all look absolutely swell. Now add a moustache and you’ve a recipe for immortality. Like, the immortal Hulk Hogan. Now t h e n e x t t i m e you’re preening your hair and you’re staring into the bearded pariah standing aghast looking back out the other side of the mirror at you, pause momentarily. Apply a tiny amount of hair product to your fingertips; now make your moustache look infinitely more badass by styling it appropriately to fully show off how confident you are in your beard and facial hair capabilities. Congratulations, you’ve entered the pantheon of gods. In beard-tache terms at least. @Jbrennan88 To hear more from the bearded one, tune in to Flirt FM every Thursday between 12-1 on the brand new show PDA.

By John Brennan All work and no play makes John a dull boy. Semester two is the perfect time to work in a brief sojourn in a cost effective and bodacious manner. I think it is something everyone needs to do at some stage during their tenure in this fine leafy and blustery establishment. Getting away halfway through the semester is great for two reasons: 1. You get to leave Galway for some (relatively) far flung location for a few days and allows you to clear the head. 2. It incentivises time management and is probably beneficial to your overhandling of the workload placed upon your weary shoulders. So get your friends together and say “hey, we’re friends, you know what would promote camaraderie amongst you best of friends? Yes, Winston you’re right. We should go to Chechnya for a few days.” Maybe not Chechnya, but getting away for a few days will eradicate the tedium of a long semester and give you wonderful folks something to work towards. Thursday flights are generally cheap too and there are literally hundreds of cheap locations to get away to, and even some that can be visited in the guise of some pseudo academic pursuit. Berlin, Prague, Krakow, Riga, Tallinn, Kaunas, Brussels, Barcelona, Newcastle, Hamburg and a plethora of others are infinitely more accessible to you than Ballyjamesduff, Annagry or even Louth Village. The fact is with low cost airlines and the scant need to pack anything other than a change of jocks and socks you could find yourself somewhere entirely different with some of your favourite people having a great weekend and still make it back bleary eyed and understandably tired for the same money you’re likely to spend on a Friday and Saturday in the Capital or Castlebar.

It’s definitely worth considering. The cohort of advice I’ve given in my previous entries should have titillated your travelling version of ‘Spidey Senses’, and this is a great way to test the ice on the whole travelling bug. Locations like Paris, Amsterdam and Munich are substantially pricier than countries littering the eastern bloc, but hey, the eastern bloc is where it is at. You can do this cheap, and I mean cheap. Hostels when pre-booked are 1) cheap and 2) a great way to meet people and facilitate mighty craic to be had. Ryanair will generally fling you in the direction of your destination of choice for the equivalent of a chicken roll in G&L, all you’ll need is spending money and the requisite savvy not to blow all your dosh on the first night, that’s why getting a few of you together and doing it is a more fun. You can suss out prospective travel buddies under the visages of a weekend away. You’re only here for a few years guys, it is undeniably worthwhile and there is simply no greater rush, than the obligatory scarper to the airport with half packed bags on a Sunday in the hope of catching Ryanair’s latest winged catapult. Float the idea amongst your friends over a subpar foot-long and see the “depends on cash” rhetoric begin; then remind them how they’ll be rubbish craic if they don’t go. After this book your flights and head off in search of adventure/the nearest bar. Weekend breaks are the lifeblood that will help you survive this semester. It can be done on a budget and hell, you’ll have a rare old time taking in the sights and having “bantz” somewhere in Europe. Blaze your own trail guys, but in this instance, do it with a few of your best buds and see a weekend of ludicrous lolz take shape. Go on, book your flights.

Peace @Jbrennan88

LIFESTYLE 19

January 26 2015

Photoshop pressurizes men too A Cruelty Free 2015? By Sorcha O’Connor The media often tends to forget about men in the war of body-shaming and the strife for perfection. The latest Photoshop scandal to come about is with Justin Bieber and 'his' Calvins. So, let's talk about the pressure to look a certain way as a man. Kim Kardashian’s airbrushed rear-end may have had the…er, ability to #breaktheinternet not so long ago (12 November 2014, in case you forget) but the cynical voice of Twitter users ridiculing the blatant use of Photoshop on Mrs Kanye West was nothing out of the ordinary. The pressure for girls to have a ‘perfect’ body and hair and clothes and personality just isn’t a new phenomenon; the idea of what is perfect has evolved frequently over the years – you may think, “Oh wasn’t it great when Marilyn Monroe was everyone’s pin-up of choice, power to the curvy girls.” But if you were a 32A and didn’t have an hourglass figure, you were probably today’s equivalent of larger girls who bash Alexa Chung’s skinny legs. Yes, the media’s and our own glorification (and shaming) of different female body types is a long-standing - for want of a better word – tradition. However, when photos of Justin Bieber emerged from his Calvin Klein shoot, photos in which he had certainly shed any of his remaining baby fat (you get it?) and impressed many with his… build, a new male-orientated speculation began.

Had he been artificially chiselled and sculpted by the dreaded weaponry that is Photoshop to look like this? It was widely thought so. And maybe he was given a helping hand but ultimately that’s not what is most important; we can let Bieber think he’s a big boy now. What is important is that we listen to the bold, bright, Big Bird-size canary that is singing its heart out: Boys are under pressure from both the industries of fashion and media too. How could this not have been noticed sooner? Did we all just think that it was in no way influential for guys to see the likes of Beckham sprint practically naked and quite flawless in that H&M advert circa spring 2013? Sure lads wouldn’t be put out by that at all, no, no, it’s those female models and celebrities that are the main worry - I suddenly think not. It’s time we woke up and smelled the coffee. Men are also being coerced into feeling they have to be a lean, mean, toned and welloiled machine. Of course they looked at Bieber and thought, “hmmm yeah, wouldn’t mind looking like that now”. Furthermore, I read a crudely titled Vice article recently about the takeover of Britain by hybrids of Joey Essex and Gary Beadle – and I can see where the author, Clive Martin, was coming from; when it comes to influencing boys, it seems the casts of British reality TV shows have a lot to answer for. It may be happening subliminally – Geordie Shore and TOWIE aren’t

It’s time we woke up and smelled the coffee. Men are also being coerced into feeling they have to be a lean, mean, toned and well-oiled machine. Of course they looked at Bieber and thought, “hmmm yeah, wouldn’t mind looking like that now”.

By Laura Roddy Disclaimer: this article features details of the procedures performed in animal testing laboratories.

A photoshopped Bieber shows off ‘his’ Calvins, and some extra body mass. Do photos like these put more pressure on the male population to be more muscular? major hits with every male – but there is a noticeable increase in tight t-shirts and bursting biceps, not unlike that sported by Gaz, in Irish night clubs than there ever was before. And it seems that those desired biceps are becoming a greater and greater need for males. Who hasn’t heard the mocking call of ‘Do you even lift?’ when lads slag each other? And have those big boxes of whey protein purchased by so many boyfriends, brothers and friends really gone unnoticed? It can’t be denied there is massive pressure these days on guys to muscle up; it’s like we’ve all forgotten what a fox Alex Turner is - the skinny git. Another thing I’ve wondered recently was who was it that told boys that fluorescent runners were a good look? Probably some footballer somewhere. Like, there’s nothing wrong with a sweet pair of kicks but when six lads walk past you in the Bialann with identical green parkas, grey tracksuit

pants and blindingly yellow runners it is a little disconcerting. It also screams Stars Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. A word to the wise: if you’re male and not really feeling luminous footwear, that is 100% okay. You wear whatever you want. Finally, I would say that Conor McGregor is not a God and your face is perfectly fine whether it’s clean shaven or as bearded as Santy himself. Your hair doesn’t always have to be precisely gelled in place, you don’t have to have a man bun if you think it looks silly. Don’t bend to the pressure that has affected so many girls before this. Undoubtedly, the body shaming that is so often aimed at girls has certainly spread its ugly wings to men as well and all jokes aside, it is a serious problem and one that needs to be resolved – we have be happy with who we are once we are healthy and leading a life that suits ourselves, not the media.

Each year millions of animals are killed all in the name of fashion and vanity. Why don’t you pledge to be cruelty free? Whether its fur, leather, wool or cosmetics an unprecedented amount of suffering and death takes place in order for some to ‘look pretty’. Last year saw angora being banished and withdrawn from the high street, after PETA Asia’s shocking investigation into the inhumane treatment of rabbits in China. The inquiry found that rabbit’s fur was plucked from their bodies, rather than being sheared, leaving them suffering in severe pain after the process. The rabbits that had not died from the loss of blood and pain were put back in their cages, their fur grew and again they were faced with the same torturing process. H&M recalled hats and scarves that were made from angora and pressure was put on Topshop, who had a coat on its shelves made from the material at the time. Brands such as Lacoste, Monsoon and House of Fraser promised never to use angora again. But this is only one example in a long story of cruelty to animals in the fashion industry; there are fur farms in China, the world’s largest fur exporter, where there are no penalties for abusing animals. Swiss Animal Protection/EAST International learned that many of the animals in these fur farms are still alive and struggling desperately when workers flip them onto their backs or hang them up by their legs or tails to skin them. It is the same story with leather. One of the biggest world exporters of leather is India where once again there are very few laws on animal cruelty. In India, a PETA investigation discovered that workers break cows’ tails and rub chili peppers and tobacco into their eyes in order to force them to get up and walk after they collapse from exhaustion on the way to the slaughterhouse. Sheep farmers are not paid by the hour but by the amount of wool they acquire, this means that they are in a race to get as much wool as they can and has created terrible treatment of sheep.

In Australia, where more than 50 percent of the world’s merino wool originates, lambs are forced to endure a procedure called “mulesing,” in which huge chunks of skin are cut from the animals’ backsides, often without any painkillers Why condone this behavior by buying leather, fur and wool products? Some of the top brands in fashion have cruelty free lines Stella McCartney and the more affordable Forever 21 and H&M. Online cruelty-free or “vegan” retailers are also a click away: Alternative Outfitters is an online vegan boutique whose mission is to provide high quality products that are always fashionable and cruelty free. Products are shipped from America, however, and may incur a customs charge. http://www.alternativeoutfitters.com/, Kalila is a shoe company who is intent on producing both cruelty-free and eco-friendly footwear. Its products are handmade in small European family owned factories, where workers are paid fair wages and all processes are strictly controlled. http://sitekreator.com/kailia/ mission.html. MooNeuaura is a shoe brand whose promise it is to create high quality goods and unique footwear that it animal and eco- friendly. http://www.neuaurashoes.com/. But that’s just the fashion industry. PETA.org states that over 100 million animals die every year from testing and experiments used for the cosmetic, drug and chemical testing. The website claims that the actual number is a lot more as mice, rats, birds, and coldblooded animals are not covered by even the minimal protections of the Animal Welfare Act and therefore go uncounted. PETA states that these smaller animals make up more than 95 percent of animals that are used in testing. In March 2013 the European Union placed a ban on the sale of any cosmetics or cosmetic ingredients that have been tested on animals. This means that companies who wish to sell their products to countries in Europe must abandon testing their cosmetics on animals. It also means that it is easier for readers of this article to become cruelty free now that it is only these types of products that are available.

20 LIFESTYLE

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 8

COCONUT OIL: The one beauty product you need in your life By Jessica Thompson Someone once told me that the only beauty products you need are coconut oil and water. Drinking plenty of water will flush toxins out of your system, keeping you hydrated. There are so many benefits of proper hydration that I could write about them all day. But instead I’m going to talk about the benefits of coconut oil as a beauty product.

hands until it warms up. Then smooth your hands over frizz and fly-aways to give your hair the perfect finish.

COCONUT OIL MIXED WITH HONEY makes the perfect antibacterial mask. Just apply a generous amount, leave for 15 minutes, and rinse off. Again, it’s completely natural and will only do good to your skin.

YOU CAN EVEN MAKE YOUR OWN shampoo using coconut oil, milk, olive oil, liquid castile soap and your favourite essential oil. Shampoo recipes can be found online. Furthermore, it’s great for soothing the scalp to fight irritation or flaking of the skin.

HAIR CARE:

FOR YOUR FACE:

Coconut oil is highly moisturising and, like the highly popular Argan Oil, gives your hair an excellent shine. It can be used in numerous ways as a hair treatment.

I believe you shouldn’t put anything on your skin unless you would be willing to eat that product; if you wouldn’t put it in your body, don’t put it on your body. Coconut oil is edible. It’s antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and moisturising, so it’s a perfect natural ingredient to put on your face and can be used in so many different ways, combined with other ingredients, which are also edible.

SOAKING YOUR HAIR in coconut oil will give you a deep condition, leaving your hair silky soft and beautifully shiny. Simply treat the oil like any other hair mask. Leave it on for an hour or more (I once left it all night, with my hair wrapped up until morning), then shampoo it out.

COCONUT OIL IS PERFECT for fighting frizz. It comes as a solid, so you should simply take a small amount and rub it in your

MIXED WITH OLIVE OIL, coconut oil can be used as a deep cleansing, deep moisturising, 100% natural facial wash. Mix it with baking soda for a gentle exfoliating scrub.

ANOTHER AMAZING WAY to use coconut oil is as a makeup remover. Simply rub the oil over the makeup and wash away with warm water. MY FAVOURITE USE for coconut oil is as a moisturiser. It feeds the skin and heals any scars left over from blemishes. To apply, gently rub a small amount into your skin each night after cleansing, and allow the goodness to soak in. KEEPING WITH THE MOISTURISING PROPERTIES, coconut oil is a very handy lip balm. Just scoop some into a small tin and use it on dry lips. It’s a whole ingredient lip balm – meaning there’s nothing in it except 100% coconut oil. So to summarise, you can wash your hair, condition your hair, smooth away frizz, soothe your scalp, remove makeup, cleanse, exfoliate and moisturise your skin, apply a face mask and moisturise your lips, all with

In the nude: negative-space nails By Aisling Bonner The hottest new nail trend screams less is more with its confident strutting of the ‘naked nail’ with a twist. Say goodbye to undercoats because this new style celebrates the au natural look whilst adding a pop of colour. The look was seen all through 2014 New York Fashion Week and it’s not slowing down. Plus, it saves nail varnish, whilst allowing the nail to breathe – win, win! To make this look easier, I would recommend using striping tape. This consists of tiny strips of metallic tape which can be used as part

All Tied-Up By Heather Robinson Anyone with a keen eye for hairstyles will know that the ‘lob’ (long bob) has been all the rage this winter and it’s expected to carry on this year with fervour. But many of us adore our long hair and the chop may not be on the agenda. The un-done, just-rolled-out-of-bed-style is unsurprisingly popular for 2015 (we’ve been rocking those messy top buns for months now). So with that in mind, here are two quick and cute hairstyles for any hair length to get that on-trend look.

of the design, or ripped off to reveal the negative space underneath. Striping tape can be bought on Ebay and Amazon. If you don’t have striping tape however, cutting up normal Sellotape into thin strips or other shapes does the same job!

sides to keep the lines sharp and prevent the varnish from bleeding into the negative space. You can also cut out shapes from the tape depending on your chosen design. STEP 3: Paint over the tape using different

STEP 1: Buff your nails so that the surface is

smooth and the unpainted parts of the nail are shiny. If preferred apply a clear base coat which strengthens the nails such as Sally Hanson’s Hard as Nails.

colours for different areas and leave to dry. STEP 4: When the nails are completely dry,

nail ensuring that it is well stuck down at the

starting with the top layer of strips, carefully peel off the tape. Touch up any mistakes using a thin brush. Finish with a clear top coat if desired et viola! You are ready to hit the runway!

THE LOW PONYTAIL/BRAID: The low pony-

I WOKE UP LIKE THIS HAIR: To get that

tail/braid is professional and usually sleek. It is a lifesaver if you need to look good in a pinch. Add some texture with dry shampoo the night before (handy tip for increasing volume) or with some texturizing spray. Light teasing is permitted. Don’t fear the scruffiness. Choose a parting and divide it neatly. Gently pull your hair back to the nape of your neck using your fingers, smoothing out any extreme fly-aways only and tie with a hair band. If you braid it, run a teasing comb lightly over the braid in the opposite direction. To soften the look, pull a few strands from the front to frame your face.

dishevelled but stylish look, it’ll require a little more effort than just rolling out of bed and not picking up a hairbrush. To avoid spending precious minutes in the morning curling your hair, tie it up in cute bunches or a loose braid before bed and leave it in while sleeping. In the morning, spritz some texturizing spray through your hair and scrunch, gently finger-combing. If your hair is frizzier than you’d like, run a little serum throughout to tame it. Tip: To achieve high impact with this look, create a deep side-parting a la 90s and let most of your hair tumble to one side.

STEP 2: Carefully stick strips of tape to the

Photo via Flickr: Phu Thinh Co variations of this one simple ingredient. The list of uses for coconut oil goes on and on. Mix it with brown sugar to make your own homemade (and again, 100% natural and edible) body scrub. Mix it with water to make a shaving cream. Use it as a cuticle cream or to soothe cuts, or to moisturise dry skin on your feet or anywhere else on your body. Best of all, you can get a jar of raw coconut oil for only €6, or a big jar for just a tenner. Why would you waste your money buying expensive, paraben-loaded products, when one small food can keep you looking more beautiful and fresh for less than a fraction of the price? You do the math. For more tips on natural beauty, see my blog at www.beautifulhealth.ie or follow me on Twitter at @Jess__Thompson.

LIFESTYLE 21

January 26 2015

RETRO REWIND: 1940s By Aine Leech, Fiona Lynch and Jenna Hodgins The 1940s is considered the coming-of-age period for modern fashion with many designers finding their feet with new innovative cuts and colours. The early years were slow with rations having a heavy effect on the textile

industry, but nothing could stop the imagination. Post-war fashion made up for its slow start giving the war the middle finger with vibrant colours and heavy contrasts. From glamourous tea dresses to fitted utilitarian wear – the 40s had something to say and it was: nothing can stop fashion.

MAKE-UP & HAIR: The make-up look for the 40s takes minimal effort but with a maximum effect. This era marks the beginnings of the classic red lip. Think 1950s pin-up with natural eyebrows and brown liner instead of black. Don’t forget to rouge those cheeks with a warm rosy hue! Check out the full step-by-step tutorial: http://www.vintagedancer.com/1940s/1940smakeup-guide/ Despite the effortless make-up, hair was another story altogether. The most memorable hairstyle to be born out of the 40s are the Victory Rolls. These can be pretty tricky to master and do take a lot of time, practice and hairspray. If you just want a simple style then anything pinned up and tidy with a pin curl will do the trick! Our best advice is to follow tutorials on YouTube. The easiest to follow is “Victory Roll Vintage Hair Tutorial” by Cherry Dollface. She also has another “cheat” style called Faux Victory Rolls, which suits beginners the best! See: www.youtube.com/thecherrydollface.

Product list:

4. River Island - €20 5. Miss Selfridge - €30 6. River Island - €80 (online only) 7. Office - €33 (online sale) 8. River Island - €33 9. Miss Selfridge - €45

1. Miss Selfridge - €16 2. New Look - €19.99 3. Topshop - €78

STYLE SPOTTER

By Aine Leech

AARON SHAW

CAROL O'DONNELL

JOHN FEENEY

Jacket: vintage Bomber Jacket: England Jumper: Penneys Jeans: River Island Shoes: Nike SBs Hat: TK Maxx Must have college item: Boxers Fashion pet hate: Tanned Uggs

Shoes: Schuh Jeans: Topshop Top: Forever 21 Coat: Penneys Bag: America Favourite item of the Christmas sales: playsuit in H&M Fashion pet hate: tracksuits tied at the end

Jeans: River Island Jumper: Topman Coat: Topman Scarf: unknown Favourite item of the Christmas sale: brown leather gloves from Zara Fashion pet hate: chunky white plastic high heels

22 FILM

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 8

REVIEW: Birdman REVIEW: Inherent Vice By Ken Glennon Presented as one continuous take through various technical tricks a weird energy envelops Alejandro González Iñárritu’s film, a walk through the intimate confines of one man’s attempted stage production of Raymond Carver’s “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love”. The man in question is Riggan Thompson, a fading Hollywood star best known for playing a superhero in the early nineties who turned his back on a lucrative franchise and is now searching for relevance and recognition through Broadway. If nothing else Iñárritu and his creative team (with a special assist from Oscar-Winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki) have produced a tangible sense of live theatre in a medium that by its nature remains fixed. For that alone, Birdman should be seen in cinemas; its more than fleeting sense of live theatre recreation palpable and in and of itself thoroughly impressive. For Riggan, Broadway offers a chance at prestige, respect beyond the arena of shallow cookie-cutter Hollywood money-makers he’s best known for. Deprived of his co-lead the night before first preview he enlists an acclaimed theatre star and mercurial talent Mike Shiner (Edward Norton). Shiner brings a lot to the table with his credibility and talent, though they come at the price of his ego and combustible method acting. For us it’s a chance to see Edward Norton back on top form and in a significant role, the part of brilliant but rumoured to be difficult talent offering Norton’s best role in years. Holding the over-budget and fractious enterprise together is lawyer-turned-agent (Zach Galifianakis, very good in an understated part) whilst co-stars Naomi Watts and Andrea Riseborough (both terrific) and Riggan’s own daughter, fresh out of rehab, harbouring a grudge against her absent father and now his personal assistant (Emma Stone) swirl around the increasingly chaotic production. At this dizzying enterprise’s heart Birdman finds an artist/actor facing into irrelevance. This is best summed up during a venomous

monologue delivered from Riggan’s daughter that encapsulates the ageing star’s fears and insecurities. As a side note, it also gives Emma Stone one of many stand-out moments that, at least for half the film are generously spread out among the stellar ensemble.

Iñárritu and his creative team have produced a tangible sense of live theatre in a medium that by its nature remains fixed. For that alone, Birdman should be seen in cinemas. Playing a man riddled with self-pity and reflecting on his failings as an artist, a father and a husband offers a plum role for Keaton to dig around, in his own words, an unappealing look at human nature. There’s not likely any one moment that encapsulates this but the sight of Riggan, literally arguing with the spectre of his Birdman alter ego before berating himself as a fraud waiting to be discovered by the world is a good place to start. As good as its centre star is Birdman loses some of its considerable momentum in a second half that all but leaves behind the tremendous supporting cast. Here the necessary additional focus devoted to Riggan comes at the expense of his co-stars. Edward Norton’s lively method actor, prone to drinking live onstage and improvising sex scenes is especially missed and there isn’t enough time to spend with Watts and Riseborough. Amy Ryan and Lindsay Duncan, as Thompson’s ex-wife and an influential critic respectively make the most of two to three scenes which resonate the most in terms of Riggan’s regrets as a family man and insecurities as a performer. These are small qualms when weighed against an endeavour with this level of audacity, both in its remarkable execution and unreserved appreciation for what keeps an ex-superhero up at night.

By Niamh Kelly Thomas Pynchon, up until now, had never sanctioned a film adaptation of any of his novels. It is easy to understand why. Chaotic, dense and completely unconventional, his work may be the dictionary definition of ‘unfilmable’, and it would take a certain kind of audacious filmmaker to take on such a challenge. No one seems more fitting for that role than Paul Thomas Anderson, who here becomes the first director to bring Pynchon to the screen with his stoner detective novel, Inherent Vice. The plot focuses on Larry ‘Doc’ Sportello, a detective with a head full of drugs, who agrees against his better judgement to help his exgirlfriend Shasta Fay track down her married millionaire lover who she has reason to believe may be in danger of being committed to a mental hospital and has since vanished. The case sends Doc on a meandering and perplexing journey that sees him becoming entangled in a web of conspiracies and bizarre associations. He crosses paths with hippies, cops and musicians, who not only seem to pop up out of nowhere, but also all seem to be somehow connected, no matter how different they may be from one another. In true noir spirit, it all only becomes more convoluted and confusing as the story progresses and Doc learns about more the case. It is probably best not to come into this film expecting answers and neat resolutions. The film is rooted firmly in the hazy, pot-headed perspective of Doc, who is barely able to grasp what is happening or keep track of the twists and turns in this missing person’s case. The lack of cohesion and disregard for conventional storytelling is certainly not going to be to everyone’s taste and it is easy to see how the film could be considered a frustrating and difficult watch. But while it may not be a typical detective thriller narrative, it is a triumph in characterization and atmosphere. Set in 1970, the exact moment that the failure of counterculture was being realized and the love generation began to collapse in on itself, the film has a very powerful sense of place and time.

Like his previous films The Master and There Will Be Blood, Anderson seeks here to tell another uniquely American story, to capture an era where post-war optimism is slowly being washed away only to be replaced by paranoia and disillusionment. It makes for a nostalgic and sometimes mournful tone, as the film laments the death of an era, a culture and an idea that was never made to last. Doc serves as the embodiment of this idea, representing one of the last of a dying breed, an inherently good person who seems genuinely hopeful even in the face of adversity, and Joaquin Phoenix turns in a performance of great humour, serving perfectly as the eyes and ears of the story, as thoroughly baffled as the audience is by the strange events unfolding around him. Josh Brolin proves to be something of a scene-stealer in the role of LAPD officer Bigfoot, and the scenes between him and Phoenix serve as a platform for the best of the film’s humour, providing some of the funniest dialogue exchanges and a couple of bizarre visual gags. Additionally, Katherine Waterson is quietly alluring as the femme fatale Shasta Fay, and her relationship with Phoenix is entirely believable. The array of colourful minor characters also allows for some great cameos, perhaps the most memorable being Martin Short’s high-octane turn as the drugaddicted dentist. The sheer ambition that Anderson displays in even trying to translate Pynchon to the screen is admirable in and of itself, and there is a sense that he does not really care very much about whether anyone ‘gets it’ or not. It is a wholly uncompromising and unapologetic vision, where simply allowing yourself to get lost in the haze is probably the best way to view it. It does not seem like the kind of film that will appeal to many mainstream audiences and it is quite easy to see why it is such a divisive film, but any avid Anderson fan should come away feeling satisfied that he remains as interesting a filmmaker as ever.

one of the heavies Jim comes to owe a lot of money; Jessica Lange as the mournful mother watching her son slip towards self-annihilation; and Short Term 12 star Brie Larson as a student who is drawn to Jim. There's also an extraordinary extended cameo from John Goodman as an alpha figure in the gambling world who has one of the film's most scintillating monologues. Elegantly presented by Wyatt, who navigates us through a series of underground locales where desperate men like Jim occupy after hours there's an appealing, sleazy glamour to the world in The Gambler. The potential reward and loss offered by a roulette wheel or a dealer's hand remains an alluring, risky enterprise which the filmmakers exploit well.

When the decisive moment, upon which our leading man's life hangs on black or red I was engrossed. I wanted to see this rather privileged, talented, handsome man who as described by the film typifies someone born without a problem and continually contriving to create many, come out alive. That he's worth spending time or indeed investing in is down to a fruitful combination of writer Monahan and Mark Wahlberg, the pair having collaborated to Oscar-winning and -nominated effect, respectively on The Departed with the former's directorial effort Mojave coming out sometime this year. There's rich, arguably showy material here for the cast to spit out with aplomb.

REVIEW: The Gambler Review by Ken Glennon Serving as a fine piece of counter-programming to the "for your consideration" pics that have been occupying Irish and UK cinemas, Rupert Wyatt's The Gambler is a stylish, magnificently-written piece that follows Mark Whalberg's charismatic gambling junkie into a pit of some very nasty characters. Walhberg plays Jim Bennett, a College English Literature professor (with a stand out early speech about the nature of talent and genius) who divides his time teaching a room of students, going through the motions of modern academia and playing, gaining and losing anywhere between 10,000 and 2,000,000 dollars a night.

It's a great vehicle for Wahlberg, occupying the role once taken by James Caan in the 1974 James Toback scripted film, of which this is technically a remake (I haven't seen the Caan version). Playing the self-loathing, ultra self-assured and endlessly watchable gambler, who seems programmed to smash his head into the nearest self-destruct button, it's probably Wahlberg's finest turn since The Fighter four years ago. As at home (minus forty pounds) here as an aggressively intellectual man as he is playing a meat-headed lump in Pain and Gain, Wyatt's film offers a timely reminder of his main star's versatility and range. He's well matched by a string of top supporting turns, ranging from the ever impactful Michael Kenneth Williams as

FILM 23

January 26 2015

If kids’ films had adult sequels… By Kieran Kilkelly

Ratatouille

Frozen

With Paris reveling in the novelty of a rat being able to cook Remy invests heavily in more restaurants with various other such street animals as chefs. These become just as successful and Remy is lauded worldwide as not only a culinary marvel but also a culinary visionary. However, with his fame and fortune comes the destitution of human chefs that once were top of their profession. Jealousy ensues and they embark on a spiteful plot involving many health inspectors. It turns out that a rat cooking - or any other animal for that matter - is against health regulations regardless of how good the food is. This spells the end of Remy and his restaurant projects and the legal cases taken against him for breach of health and safety leads him to return to the streets and feast on the rubbish scraps of the restaurants that he had previously owned - a bitter taste of irony.

All is peaceful once again in Arendelle. Elsa has returned to the throne and is loved by all her subjects while her younger sister Anna is now loved up with her boyfriend Sven. But while it seems like happiness has been achieved, Elsa just isn't satisfied. She is jealous of her sister's relationship and wants to find someone of her own to help her rule. Seeing as being a Queen is quite intimidating, men are afraid to approach her. Being frustrated by this she decides to download Tinder to find her "one true love". After having several matches due to her beauty and ability to pull off the ultimate selfie she meets up with potential suitors. However, she soon finds out that things won't work out; every time she flirtingly touches the person she is on a date with they become somewhat frozen. Seeing as the only way to unfreeze them is by means of love Elsa is now in a vicious catch-22 circle - the only way to fall in love is to become somewhat cold and stand-offish but

In Defense of the Prequels: A Manifesto By Victoria Dunlop Forget JarJar Binks. Forget the Gungan that makes a fool out of the prequel trilogy. Forget him, and everything changes. Except for maybe the fact that George Lucas, the brilliant man he is, should never, ever write screenplays; case-in-point being memorable lines like Anakin's "He's holding me back! [chucks wrench across the room]", or my personal favourite, Obi-Wan's "I have the high ground... don't try it!" because everyone knows that you automatically win a lightsabre fight when you're standing on a hill of lava and have a height advantage, even while staring down at a menacing dude with long hair and more eyeliner than Adam Lambert. Forget those things, and we suddenly have three brilliant movies. Oscar-nominated Liam Neeson and Oscar-winning Natalie Portman grace the screen, as well as incredibly attractive actors like Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor. And who could forget Christopher Lee, who's old enough to be my great-grandfather and still kicking, and scary-beyond-all-reason Ian McDiarmid as Uncle Palpatine. And you've got to feel pretty awesome if you're Sam L. Jackson: inventing your own lightsaber fighting style and wielding the only purple lightsaber ever. Ignore their sometimes awkward line delivery, and you have some touching moments and some splendid saber fights... and some very gorgeous people to gaze upon. Let's talk about those special effects. Watch all six hours of Episode III special footage like I have, and realize that 60

seconds of the Skywalker-Kenobi battle on Mustafar took more than 300,000 man hours to create. Cascading Naboo waterfalls, a visually breath-taking Podrace, and those lovely clone-creator Kaminoans all add up to make a fabulous display of the powers of CGI. One of my favourites, never to be overlooked, is General Grievous; half-man, half-machine, he acts as a foreshadowing salute to Vader, the king of machine-men. Although Grievous gets little screen time, he is one of my most beloved characters. Read the Episode III book by Matthew Stover, and you get the back story on Grievous – how he had to make the hard decision of either dying, or living the painful existence of a man with all his man parts (and you know, lungs and stuff ) exposed and charred. But the very best part about Grievous? His design was based on a spray bottle top. With his collection of lightsabers of Jedis he's exterminated (little notches on his intergalactic lipstick case, if you will) and a couple extra arms, you have a visually stunning light show to gaze at, right before he cuts your head off. So many people unfortunately hate on these wonderful movies, and cannot overcome their flaws to realize their sheer awesomeness. With the release date of VIIIX looming on the horizon, one can only hope that the fandom and legacy is in good hands, and that the wonderful aspects of the six previous movies will help inform the rest of the universe. And let's also hope to God there isn't a surprise Binks-family reunion.

that approach is not welcomed by her dates and when she tries to tell the truth they just get freaked out. In the final scene, Elsa deletes Tinder, the director artistically and metaphorically showing that she will be "forever alone".

Finding Nemo This spiritual indie film follows Nemo, now an aging fish on his search for himself. He travels around the world meeting various characters that coincide with the self-realisations he uncovers. He returns back to the Great Barrier Reef and it cuts to a monologue of him summing up his life in a nonchalant tone. He philosophically states that the understanding he has come to is that there is no point to it all and Dory's advice of "just keep swimming” holds no relevance in the real world. Cue a depressed and insightful Nemo.

Looney Tunes In an attempt to get their popularity back, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and co decide to let all their fans into their lives by means

of a documentary. It follows them as they embark on an (ultimately unsuccessful) live tour with stress levels rising as the films progress. Much like Michael Jackson's film, This Is It, the filming had to be cut short. This was due to the fact that all the characters did in fact go 'Looney' with Porky Pig getting caught in a constant stutter, Daffy Duck returning to the water for good and Bugs Bunny finally giving himself up to Elmer Fudd.

Up Carl returns from Paradise Falls in South America and realises the extent of his mistake. Having been offered a five-figuresum for his house before he uprooted it, he now has nothing to his name. He is indeed homeless. The film follows his life as he walks the streets with only his dog Doug and his regrets to keep him company. It highlights the struggle that homeless people have as well as those who are aged. Playing on the emotion we felt in the opening montage of Carl and Ellie in the first film, Pixar use this to their advantage. When Carl ultimately dies of hypothermia the scene zooms out as he ascends "up" and is reunited with his wife Ellie resulting in wet eyes all round.

24 ENTERTAINMENT

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 8

NUI Galway student a favourite REVIEW: Beautiful Disaster to win The Voice of Ireland By Chelsea Tabert

By Grace McKeever With her soulful, lulling tone, her well-honed, hometrained musicality and a personality that humbles, The Voice of Ireland is certainly lucky to have tapped the potential of the talented Laura Enright. At just 19 years old, Laura has taken her melodiousness both to the stage and to the streets, busking on Shop Street at the weekends. Her dedication and her originality make for an ‘oh-so-desirable’ authentic artist, not to mention an audible treat for listeners. Star of arguably the most intense audition yet, Laura's unique rendition of Outkast's ‘Hey Ya’ led her to be perched in front of the four judges, (Bressie, Kian from Westlife, Una from the Saturdays and Rachel from S Club 7), with each of their chairs glowing to tell her: "I want you". Laura surprised herself by rejecting "Team Una", her initial ideal mentor, as she was

swayed by the charm of Bressie's pitch. Presenter Kathryn Thomas gazed on, awe-struck and even commented: "That's the hardest pitch Bressie's done". They now make for a dynamic duo, setting out to ‘tear apart’ in the next round; ‘The Battles’. The first year creative-writing student is in shock by her explosiveness on the show, with bookies giving six-to-one odds that she'll win. NUI Galway's songbird, Limerick's R'n'B triple threat and now soldier preparing for vocal battle, Laura Enright is one to watch, hear, support and applaud.

GIG REVIEW: Slipknot and Korn, 3Arena, Dublin By John Brennan Sweet Jesus that was loud. I arrived into Dublin amidst the rain, hail and brusque, biting winds. I was prepared for hell; after all that was the name of the tour. I missed a large section of the opening act, King 810, who were – according to anyone sober enough to pass comment – rubbish. Korn were second on the billing. 14-yearold John loved the depressed and angsty styling’s of the Nu-Metal demigods a decade and a bit ago, since then they had teetered upon irrelevancy. The first night of their European tour they stepped onto stage with renewed vigour and energy expected from a puppy attached to a ping pong ball. Their bass was sumptuous and groove-driven. Simply put, everything worked. They pretty much played their ‘greatest hits’, which was unsurprisingly great. I had held scant hope of the band being as melodic, energetic and fun as they were. My worries of them being drawn to the rock and roll indulgences; drugs and alcohol were totally unfounded. It was a night of throwbacks and nostalgia aplenty. They tore the roof off the 3Arena in their own inimitable guttural and bass-laden style. The likes of ‘Blind’, ‘Here to Stay’, ‘Freak on a Leash’ and ‘Twist’ were unparalleled. A fantastic return to form from the Huntington Beach natives, the lead singer and the drummer literally stole the show. Next up were Slipknot. 11 years after being banned for giving the proverbial finger to curfew rules in the now defunct Ambassador

they returned aiming to blow the entire building apart with a barrage of belting metal, a crescendo of crashing drums and unsurprisingly fantastic guitar work. By jingo they were terrific. New masks, new members, new songs, old songs, metal clichés and an appalling level of BO combined to give me my best metal gig experience in nearly a decade. The break between their American and European dates undoubtedly revitalised the aging masked posse, I say aging because there was a noticeable level of breaks after every couple of songs. Corey Taylor dished out the usual concert hyperbolic, saying how we (the frenzied masses) were one of the loudest crowds ever. Good man Corey. That said, the place went bananas for the classics like ‘Wait and Bleed’, ‘Duality’, ‘The Heretic Song’ and ‘Psychosocial’ as a maelstrom of moshpits seemed to materialise pretty much anywhere some topless buffoon lost their proverbial sh#t. Slipknot were magnificent, they played a wonderful mixture of new and old that any self-respecting fan would have been utterly entranced by. It may be the last time we see either of these bands. Then again in may not, but it was a gig that transported me back to being a metal-loving, pain-in-the-arse bastardizing songs on my poorly strung acoustic guitar circa. 2004. Ultimately, I got to relive the exuberance of youth, even though the merchandise prices took the piss; €65 for a hoodie, you may tip on.

Beautiful Disaster is an emotional roller coaster ride in this read alike for 50 Shades of Grey. It’s a story told from Abby’s first person perspective with never ending emotions and reactions in the foreground. Through her best friend in America, she meets heavily tattooed, bad boy, Travis Maddoz. Not only is Travis a serious womanizer, but a heavy drinker. Needless to say, he is everything Abby is trying to escape from. McGuire almost has us believe these two polar opposites have a chance at being friends, until their level of obsessive need for one another reaches an all-time high and throws that idea out the window. This was supposedly the climax in the story, but in reality it just goes downhill from there. I don’t know where these online sources came up with 4 stars, but I’m giving it a measly 2, and only because I’m in a good mood today. A good concept on McGuires part to focus in on a ‘steamy love story’ regarding the eighteen and nineteen-year old college freshmen, but I just can’t wrap my mind around what she’s trying to portray in the story. Beautiful Disaster border lines the sappy

story of Twilight (sorry not sorry) and the full blown, sexually explicit, 50 Shades of Grey. It felt like McGuire just couldn’t make up her mind on what she wanted to write about, and to a reader it makes things immensely difficult to follow and grasp. Aside from that, the entire plot was no better. For example, Abby’s father precipitates a particular plot twist, and then disappears for the rest of the book. I’m not sure if this was a really bad attempt at adding suspense into the novel or if she just forgot to tie the loose ends at the end of the book. Regardless, it was immensely annoying. The attempted twists and “will they-wont they” relationship dragged on for far too long. By the end of the book it wasn’t the slightest bit entertaining, in fact I was ready to tear my hair out. Jamie McGuire recently published Walking Disaster, which apparently tells the same story from Travis’s perspective. Quite frankly, I’m too in shock with this book to even attempt to read the next in the series. For those who have read Beautiful Disaster and wish for the book to redeem itself, give Walking Disaster a shot. How much worse can it possibly be?

Irish electronic music in 2015 By Eoin Murray Over the past few years more and more musicians have been trading in guitars and delving further into the world of synths, samples, drum machines and vocoders. That’s not to profess that annoying cliché that “bands are dead”, because they most definitely are not. Amazing Irish acts that have stayed loyal to the guitar, bass, drums etc. format have been keeping that fire burning very nicely, with talents such as And So I Watch You From Afar, Enemies, We Cut Corners, Spies and Girl Band (to name but a few) taking the rock band format in all kinds of exciting directions. Nonetheless, 2015 looks like it’s shaping up to be a year in which Irish electronic music takes another step outside of the bedroom, grabs us all by the scruff of the neck and demands the attention of those both home and abroad. Styles range from the stomping, dancefloor-filling anthems by synth-pop/disco monsters Le Galaxie, whose sold out New Year’s Eve show in Dublin’s Meeting House Square shot people straight into the new year, lasers n’all, to Matthew Flanagan – aka DeFeKT’s – analogue-heavy, menacing techno that has been turning plenty of heads. He played a stellar show in Galway’s Factory in 2014 and his dedication to the craft and a notably hands-on approach to the hardware means that things are only going to progress for him. On the more gentle side of things, Newbridge native MMOTHS is set to have a massive year with an album on the way and two gorgeous tracks (‘Yago’ and ‘Santo’)

released toward the end of last year. His only show last year (accompanied by a full band) had to be moved from Block B to the larger Hanger venue in Dublin due to massive demand. His ethereal and emotive approach to ambient electronica will be leaving half the country in a fuzzy dream - like state by the end of the year. Belfast-based trio Not Squares have been producing some of the finest disco, housey, groovy jams for the past number of years and their live shows are nothing short of synthy bliss for those who want to dance like maniacs for an hour (watch the video for their infectious ‘Asylum’ to understand what I mean). Their style has evolved over the years, moving in the direction of a more disco/ LCD Sound system style sound with more recent releases. New single ‘Oops Said Hi’ is as addictive as it is groovy and will feature on the new album, Bolts, that’s due to drop April under Strange Brew Rekkids run by The Roisín Dubh’s very own Gugai. Other notable mentions that you need to be keeping your eyes open for this year are Cork man Eoin French’s gorgeous downtempo electronica under the name of Talos. He has received an awful lot of hype and put out a gorgeous video for his single ‘Tethered Bones’ made by Feel Good Lost (the same gang behind Hozier’s ‘Take Me to Church’ video). Dublin man REID is well worth keeping an eye out for as he continues to make great melodic emotive house music with some stellar guest vocalists. As for club nights in Galway, the future is bright for the organisers/ djs of the TOME crew and Kinetica.

LITERATURE 25

January 26 2015

Why I love Murakami By Tomas McBride It’s hard to think of Haruki Murakami as being 66. He seems ageless. I always picture him as being in his mid-thirties, like one of his characters. Maybe it’s because, whenever I read one of his books, I always picture Murakami himself as the narrator. While at first glance, his protagonists may seem flat and boring, there is more to them than that. Their seeming lack of personality is almost certainly intentional. Murakami himself is a pretty normal person, and has even confessed that he has no idea how he comes to write such strange stories. His characters, too, are normal people, with similar habits and interests to their creator, who find their ordinary lives interrupted by the strange. While at times confused or exasperated, for the most part they just go with the flow, because, really, there isn’t anything else they can do. And maybe that’s what makes them unusual. Most people would get freaked out by an encounter with a Sheep Man or a prostitute of the mind, and most people definitely wouldn’t climb down a well in response to losing first their cat, and then their wife. We mostly see things from their point of view, but to others, these apparent nobodies must seem a little weird. In his most recent novel, Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, Murakami addresses this, with a character who believes that he is a non-entity. Tsukuru was the only one of his friends to not have a colour in his name, and he always saw himself as the straight man, barely even average. Little does he realise how inscrutable a character he is, and that, to the others, he meant far more. This sort of character is one of the many recurring motifs in Murakami’s novels (others include cats, ears, and unusual dreams). While this repetition of similar characters, images and events has been criticised by some, I like it. It’s something I tend to do in my own writing, and I enjoy seeing how he rearranges his familiar ideas in new patterns, with everything somehow coming together in the end, despite the sometimes dreamlike logic of his plots.

Those unfamiliar with Murakami might be surprised to discover that there is a sense of humour to his writing. You won’t ever find any wacky comedy in his stories, but there is an inclination towards a sort of subdued humour, similar to the kind described by Okakura Kakuzo in The Book of Tea. In the Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Toru Okada’s cat is named after his unsavoury brother-in-law, Noboru Wataya. A Wild Sheep Chase contains a woman with ears so perfectly-formed that people cannot help but stare when she exposes them. In Dabchick, the search for a job interview proves to be less than simple, and Kafka on the Shore features Colonel Sanders as a pimp. Murakami often gently pokes fun at the absurd situations that his characters find themselves in, though he can also write mellow, slice-of-life humour, such as in A Perfect Day for Kangaroos. Murakami does have his flaws, though, and they are ones I’d rather not ignore. He doesn’t always write women well, and there are many times when he can come across as sexist, or even exploitative. I find it quite unsettling how his characters can talk about subjects like rape in such a casual way. The amount of sexual moments in his novels can be quite off-putting, especially since it’s difficult to say how important they are to the plot. His dialogue can be a little unnatural at times, too, with characters spending far too much time discussing dull or unnecessary topics or repeating each other, though maybe that’s a translation issue. Some of my favourite Murakami works include On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning, Dance Dance Dance, UFO in Kushiro, Honey Pie and Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, though his overall best is Kafka on the Shore. It’s a book that I’m actually afraid to read again, in case it doesn’t live up to my memories. While I had read one of his books beforehand, Kafka on the Shore was the novel that brought me to love Murakami, and fantasy of the more quiet kind.

Nihil sub sole novum By Dean Buckley Originality is often held up as a virtue in art, but that supposes it exists. Yet, even in the Bible, we are told that there is nothing new under the sun. Everything we create is made up of what already exists, since we, as humans, are fundamentally incapable of creating something from nothing. There are no stories that haven’t been told, there are no images that haven’t been painted, there are no characters that haven’t been birthed. So what is it that makes a piece of literature feel fresh, new, inventive? Well, on the most basic level, we can consider a pack of cards. Every pack of cards contains the exact same cards, the numbers two through ten, plus ace, jack, queen and king, multiplied by four suits, for a total of fifty-two cards. Yet, every time someone shuffles a suit of cards, they are almost certainly creating an arrangement of those cards that has never before existed in our universe. That deck, despite its common elements to all other decks, is completely unique. Apply that to works of literature and you get the idea of how “originality” seems to exist when it actually doesn’t. We don’t find new stories, but we find new ways of telling those stories. We don’t find new images, but we find new ways of presenting those images. We don’t find new characters, we find new ways of articulating those characters. To take an example from a book I adore, there’s The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. In the bones of its plot and imagery and characters, there’s nothing we haven’t seen before. But the way those elements are put together marks it as something completely different from what has come before.

REVIEW: Half the Sky: How to Change the World By Chelsea Tabert Half the Sky rings true in its support of arguments, and for the most part it was an enjoyable read - though I’m not sure that’s really the right word to describe the reading of a book that graphically details the egregious atrocities committed against women every day all over the world. Both Nichlas and Sherly did a wonderful job at displaying an important subject that isn’t overly academic and is easily accessible and digestible to a wide audience. Through the telling of women’s individual stories of suffering and resilience, it manages to ‘re-humanise’ those for whom human rights abuses are a daily reality.

Too often we are able to turn a blind eye to human rights abuses, or worse, effectively condone them because we understand the issue as an abstraction, removed from our own realities. We’ve stopped seeing our fellow living creatures as thinking, feeling beings – they exist as ‘others’ in an abstract place, far removed from us If a greater number of us could empathise with human suffering on a less abstract plane, the issue of asylum seekers wouldn’t be a political football, and the gang rape of three year old girls in Pakistan would no longer be tolerated. Half the Sky’s most significant strength is that it humanises suffering and human rights abuse and thus, via its readers and their broader networks, has the potential

to galvanise wide support for the women of the world who are victims of circumstance on a daily basis. This book makes people stand up and take notice of the circumstances that women are often born into. I do give it a great deal of credit for placing such emphasis on human rights, and on the education of women and girls as a way out of poverty. It also prudently stresses that any solution to poverty should be understood contextually, should be dynamic, and perhaps most importantly should ultimately come from the grassroots in any given community. ‘Women hold up half the sky,’ goes the Chinese proverb that finds a place in the name of this book.

Certainly it’s not a particularly unique portrayal of life in Germany during the Third Reich. Certainly it’s not the first story narrated by Death. Certainly it’s not the only book structured around books within the story, and it is absolutely not the only book composed in part of books from within the world of the story. But it’s definitely the only book that is all those things and more. The images of The Book Thief have been used before, but the associations of those images are absolutely its own beast, and at that ultimate level of metaphor, we see the truly inventive heart of the book. “Inventive” is the word here, often used in context of translation and adaptation. When we translate a work from one language to another, there’s a balance to be found between complete faithfulness to the original text and a sense of invention in how the translator decides to recreate phrases, images and concepts in a way that gives the same impression in the new language that the originals did in the source language. Obviously, this is particularly true of idioms and puns and other things that are really dependent on the language they’re rendered in, as opposed to more universal concepts. And, in terms of adaptations, we usually don’t like when the new production is either identical or totally different. The best adaptations remain true to some part of the original, whether it’s the themes, the characters or the plot, while playing around with the rest. That playing around can even be something incredibly subtle, such as the film adaptation of Gone Girl, which develops the male protagonist in a very slightly different way without changing much of anything he does or says in the book. Through subtle inflections in the character’s portrayal, the ending of the film, while exactly the same in the particulars of events and people, is completely different in what it signifies. And, to return to the deck of cards, that’s only if we stick to a normal deck. What if we take cards away, to create minimalism, or add a new suit, for maximalism? What if we create completely new cards, the avantgarde, or alter the cards themselves, for experimentalism? We could even burn the cards and play with the ashes instead. That’s Dadaism. That’s the thing about “originality”. Even what’s supposed to be new and groundbreaking is only considered such because it defines itself in contrast to the old and foundational. Indie doesn’t exist without a mainstream for it to not be. Dadaism, absurdism and surrealism only matter, in fact, only exist, because there is an order for them to disrupt. So, in other words, screw originality.

Get Off The Couch and Get Moving with our Sports Clubs. For More info on Clubs Activity Programme... www.clubs.nuigalway.ie

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Check out our new free Clubs NUIG Eventr App and receive messages from NUIG clubs you are following and use the app to keep up-to-date with club events. Available on the App Store for IOS Devices and the Play Store for Android Devices

Futsal Blitz!! Futsal Blitz In the Sports Hall, Kingfisher Monday 19th Jan & 26th Jan

Futsal Blitz Monday 19th Jan & 26th Jan 8-10pm

8-10pm

League starts February 2nd !! ALL LEVELS OF ABILITY GREAT PRIZES FOR PARTICIPATION AND COMPETITION Just turn up for the Blitz Further information contact: kevin.cassidy@nuigalway.ie www.otc.nuigalway.ie

In the Kingfisher See you there!!

SPORT 27

January 26 2015

Galway Ready to Rally

NUI Galway Kendo Club Profile

By Yvonne Clinton

WHO ARE WE?

The 2015 Colm Quinn BMW Galway International Rally, running from February 6-8, looks set to be a cracker of an event, with top-class entries and a fantastic route in South Galway. Colm Quinn BMW renewed their sponsorship of the Galway International Rally after the success of last year’s event. Speaking at the press launch, managing director Colm Quinn expressed his delight at being involved in the Galway International Rally for the fourth year running. After supporting the BMW Mini of Eugene Donnelly for two years he stepped up to the mantle of title sponsor in 2014. The fabulous state-ofthe-art Colm Quinn BMW showrooms recently opened on the Tuam Road, and will play host to mechanical scrutiny of competing cars on the afternoon of Friday February 6, before the ceremonial start of the rally takes place in Eyre Square at 8pm. The following Saturday and Sunday will see a capacity entry tackle a 14 stage route in the South Galway area that has been devised by Clerk of the Course Kieran Donohue and his organising team. An experienced rally official, Headford native Donohue urges all rally followers to stay safe during the event, and to ‘keep the race in its place’. The cars return to service in Gort Mart several times over Saturday and Sunday, where they’ll be fettled or repaired, depending on the fortunes of competitors. On Sunday evening the rally will finish with a return to the Colm Quinn BMW premises, where the victors will be crowned and the champagne sprayed. With the event being the opening round of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, the entries are of a high quality. They include current champions Declan and Brian Boyle from Donegal in their Subaru WRC, looking to defend their hard-fought Galway win of 2014. After surviving the floodhit stages of 2014, the Donegal cousins took a well-deserved victory just 25 seconds ahead of then-Irish Tarmac Cham-

pion Garry Jennings. Eugene Donnelly, in the Colm Quinn BMW backed Mini WRC, initially slotted in behind the battling Subarus. His rally would end in a disappointing fashion, when he put his car into a ditch on the infamous ‘Black Road’ test on Sunday morning. Despite Jennings’ best efforts, an off into a Galway stone wall would put pay to his chances of victory, and the Boyles claimed their first Galway win. With Jennings also entered again this year, the titanic battle is likely to be continued. They will be pushed all the way to the finish by fellow Donegal men Donagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan in their Ford Focus WRC, and the UK’s Steve Simpson in another Subaru WRC. Last year’s Group N winner Josh Moffett makes the step up to WRC power in a Ford Fiesta alongside regular co-driver John Rowan, and his brother Sam is expected to join him in a similar machine. Sam’s Galway debut in the Fiesta WRC last year was mixed, with a fantastic fastest time on the opening stage tempered by his clipping a rear wheel and fluffing his launch control start on several stages, losing valuable seconds. If he competes between the Galway stone walls this year, he’ll be looking to improve on fourth from last year. With entries still flooding in ahead of the closing date, the event looks set to be hotly contested. LOCAL STAR

NUI Galway graduate, 23 year old Dean Raftery, has recently been crowned the Irish Young Rally Driver of the Year. Raftery earned the award for his spectacular performance in the 2014 British Rally Championship. Competing in a Ford Fiesta R2, he sealed the BRC-2 support championship in an epic battle with Calvin Beattie during Manx Rally on the Isle of Man, an event he first attended as a baby in the arms of his father. Twenty-three-years later, the island would be a scene of jubilation for Raftery. Claiming championship victory by just five points, and third overall in the main British Rally Championship, the efforts of

the trainee accountant with Deloitte were rapidly recognised by Motorsport Ireland. Receiving the accolade, known as the ‘Billy Coleman Award’, Raftery remarked “I am incredibly honoured and I have to admit very relieved to have won this prestigious award. The international recognition that goes with winning the Billy Coleman cannot be underestimated.” The award is accompanied by €50,000 of funding from the governing body, which will be of major assistance to Raftery in making decisions about his 2015 season. Several championship and car options are open to the talented driver, so his plans have yet to be confirmed. With sponsorship and support from Pirelli, in acknowledgement of his excellent results, he has his eyes set on rallying abroad. He intends to gain experience of competing on foreign events this year, before a major push to compete in the World Rally Championship in 2016. There, Raftery will have the opportunity to be noticed by major manufacturer teams and further his career. After being born into a Craughwell rallying family, Raftery initially starting in motorsport at the age of eight, taking up karting, which proved to be an excellent training ground for his driving skills. After a spell in Junior Rallycross, he turned his hand to rallying in 2011, finding himself adept at navigating the tricky Irish stages. He recognised the dream of many young rally drivers in November 2014, when he competed on Wales Rally GB, the closing round of the 2014 World Rally Championship (WRC). A fine finish of second in class on his WRC debut shows that Raftery has the pace to compete with the best young drivers in world this year. Facing into a year of new, unfamiliar events and exciting challenges, Raftery is hopeful of competing on the forthcoming Colm Quinn BMW Galway International Rally – provided there is no clash with an event abroad. For further information and the most up-to-date news see www.galwayinternationalrally.com

We are a budding university club currently looking to establish a venue and training times. We are doing this so that students and staff can share in our thorough enjoyment of this safe, yet vigorous and fullcontact sport. WHAT IS KENDO?

Kendo is the traditional Japanese martial art of fencing. Practitioners use bamboo foils to strike armoured targets on their opponent’s body. In appearance it is a loud, intense, physically violent activity. Despite this image, the aim of kendo is to achieve a state of awareness and inner clarity that will allow you to face life’s challenges decisively and associate with others with sincerity, both inside and outside the training hall. WHY SHOULD IT INTEREST YOU?

Modern kendo is accessible to people of all ages and abilities. Very safe when practiced correctly, it is an authentic expression of Japanese culture and a fantastic workout. Strength, fitness, speed and agility are products of training, but not initial requirements: you rely on good technique and mental fortitude to succeed. Kendo can a be highly competitive or highly spiritual pursuit; the two aspects are not mutually exclusive. You can train through both competition and mastering the forms to improve yourself. WHAT YOU SHOULD DO

To start with you should definitely visit our Facebook page at ‘NUIG Kendo Club’ and give us a like. We will be posting information regarding training times and venues as it becomes

available. In the meantime, to see what kendo looks like and what you can expect, YouTube search ‘The Empty Mind – Kendo at the Budokan’. WHAT IS KENDO, REALLY?

Kendo is shugyo: a lifetime discipline of self-cultivation. Training is built on a foundation of basic technique and etiquette. This foundation is the basis for one’s cultivation, not just within kendo, but as a human being. The three avenues of pursuit – competition, form and grading – all serve as means to test one’s technical and spiritual development. THE HISTORY OF KENDO

Kendo is an outgrowth of the ancient Japanese swordsmanship schools of kenjutsu. For safety reasons these ancient schools dispensed with live blades; to accommodate an

all-out approach to training the katana came to be replaced by lightweight bamboo foils and armour. Kendo has grown worldwide in line with the concept of bushido or chivalry, and maintains a culture of respect and cultivation that springs from Zen and Confucian philosophies. It has been practiced virtually unchanged for nearly a century and a half. Although it has been somewhat streamlined since World War II, to this day it retains the serious mindset of the warhardened samurai.

NUIG Mystics Basketball

“The key is not the will to win... everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important.” - Bobby Knight The NUIG Mystics Basketball team is currently placed second in the Ladies D1 National league after a very successful weekend of wins over Oblate Dynamos 86 to

63, and IT Carlow 63 to 48. Pictured are front L to R: Kate Lyons,Sarah Grealish, Emer Smyth, Deirdre O Shea, Ailish O Reilly. Back L to R: Hannah Coen, Lauren Murray, Nicole Krusen, Marine Airault. Missing, Tena Thornton, Leah Cunningham. Well done Ladies.

Erinn Geraghty, First year BA student receiving the top prize of an IPad Mini for taking part in the Sassi Student Survey, presented to her by Siobhan Nolan on behalf of the Sports Unit.

28 SPORT

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 8

Chiefs scalp the westerners By Matt Cassidy @ The Sportsground CONNACHT 24 - EXETER CHIEFS 33 ATTENDANCE: 5,088

The game was billed as the tie of the round in the Challenge Cup this weekend and it did not fail to live up to expectations. Holding onto possession, Connacht started well, going through the phases, making gains with every carry. Flyhalf Jack Carty sliced through the Chiefs’ first up defence and was tackled before he could offload. A quick recycle enabled Kieran Marmion to whip the ball out to Willie Faloon, who delivered a delicious cut out pass to Matt Healy allowing the winger to skate home in the corner after six minutes. Carty missed the difficult conversion from the touchline. (5-0) The Chiefs were clearly stunned by Connacht’s physicality, but after clearing their heads, Rob Baxter’s men gained a foothold in the game through their bruising pack. Exeter set up camp in the home side’s 22 and after several collapsed mauls, scrums and penalties to the Chiefs, referee Mathieu Raynal ran out of patience and proceeded to the posts to award a penalty try. Henry Slade converted the easy shot and the Chiefs were in front after 20 minutes (7-5)

However, Pat Lam’s men were not behind for long, as they crossed the whitewash for a pushover try of their own, through a 13 man maul. Carty missed the conversion, but the home side were ahead 10-7 at the 24 minute mark.

Pat Lam said after the game that what really killed his team’s chances were the “twenty plus turnovers” conceded and that; “If you can’t keep the ball, you can’t get field position.” No quarter was given with massive hits going in on both sides. The scores were eventually levelled after 36 minutes, when Slade chipped over a simple penalty from right in front of the posts, after it was adjudged Connacht had not released in the tackle. It looked like the scores would be tied going into the halftime break, but the Westerners had other ideas. From

a scrum, an area where the visitors had dominated all day, a beauty of a try was scored. Marmion went the short side to unleash Healy, who was having a stormer of a match. Only a last ditch tackle from blindside flanker Don Armand slowed the Dubliner. Quick ball ensued from the ruck. Simple take and give passes exploited the two man overlap, which enabled Mils Muliaina to put away Danie Poolman in the corner for the home side’s third score of the game. Carty nailed the conversion, for his first success of the day, to give Connacht a seven point lead going into the halftime. Exeter drew first blood in the second half via Slade’s boot, closing the gap to four. It got even better for the English side, as Poolman threw the ball straight to Chiefs’ captain Dean Mumm. He galloped over the whitewash, despite the suspicion he was offside. Slade bisected the uprights and Exeter were up by three points after 47 minutes. (17-20) Slade’s boot again increased the Chiefs’ advantage, when Connacht again conceded a scrum penalty (23-17). The Chiefs would not have to wait long for their third score though, as phase after

phase on the Westerners’ line eventually told and Armand squeezed over. Slade converted and the visitors had a healthy 30-17 lead going into the last 15 minutes. The Chiefs earned another penalty soon after and Slade’s boot didn’t let down the visitors, as he pushed the difference past three scores. Lam’s men did not lie down and they achieved a bonus point try through another excellent pass, when Healy slalomed his way through the defence to go under the posts. Carty converted to bring the scores to 33-24. Replacement Darragh Leader had an opportunity to steal a losing bonus point with a long range penalty, but his radar was off target. Pat Lam said after the game that what really killed his team’s chances were the “twenty plus turnovers” conceded and that; “If you can’t keep the ball, you can’t get field position.” He lamented the ten minutes after halftime; “those six-ten minutes were absolutely woeful.” Chiefs’ supremo Rob Baxter was delighted with the power of his side; “We carried very strongly. We played our best rugby when we were direct and our power rugby was what paid real dividends for us today.”

Ronaldo wins third Ballon D’Or beating rival Messi By Conor Farrell

HORSE RACING IRELAND

STUDENT INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME

10-12 weeks working in the Industry for the Summer of 2015

Positions

Locations

Preferable

There are 5 positions available in areas like marketing, ticket sales, social media and raceday operations.

• Horse Racing Ireland • Leopardstown Racecourse • Tipperary Racecourse • Fairyhouse Racecourse • Navan Racecourse

A passion for or interest in, the racing industry, although the programme is open to any student.

What are you waiting for? Download an Application form from www.goracing.ie and send along with your C.V. to: Kate O’Sullivan, Marketing Department, Horse Racing Ireland, Ballymany, The Curragh, Co. Kildare OR Email kosullivan@hri.ie. Closing Date: Monday 9th March 2015

Want to know more? visit www.goracing.ie facebook.com/goracing @GoRacing

races.ie

Tipp Yellow. C:0 M:10 Y:100 K:0

Earlier this month saw football’s biggest names gather in Zurich, Switzerland for the annual FIFA Ballon D’Or awards ceremony. For the second year running Cristiano Ronaldo claimed top spot, with a landslide victory over four-time winner Lionel Messi and German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. Ronaldo’s third Ballon D’Or was almost a given after the Real Madrid forward had scored 52 goals in 43 games and drove his team to a record 10th Champions League trophy. The results reflected this as Ronaldo gathered 37.66% of the vote with Messi in second only getting 15.76% narrowly ahead of Neuer on 15.72%. The Portuguese superstar said afterwards; “It has been an unforgettable year. To win this trophy at the end of it is something incredibly unique." There was much Irish interest in the event this year as Stephanie Roche was nominated for the Puskas Award for goal of the year. The Irish international who scored a wonder goal for Peamount Utd against Wexford Youths was facing competition from James Rodriguez of Colombia and Dutchman Robin Van Persie, both who scored spectacular goals in the World Cup last summer. While Roche did manage to acquire 1.1 million votes, it was not enough to beat Rodriguez who attained 42% of the 3.3 million public votes cast.

"It was incredible to get over one million votes and I really am grateful to everybody who voted for me and supported me,” said Roche. Another award of note was the announcement of the FIFPro World XI of the year, as voted for by 20,000 professional footballers across the globe. The three Ballon D’Or nominees were of course included and joining them were a back four of Phillip Lahm, Thiago Silva, David Luiz and Sergio Ramos. The midfield was taken up by Andres Iniesta, Angel Di Maria and Toni Kroos, while Arjen Robben completed the line up, joining Messi and Ronaldo in a front three. The inclusion of David Luiz came as a surprise to many considering he was part of the Brazil defence who were humiliated by Germany in the semi-final of the World Cup. Winner of World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football went to Joachim Low who led Germany to success in the World Cup while the female version of this award went to Ralf Kellerman who coached VfL Wolfsburg to Champion’s League and Bundesliga titles. Women’s Player of the Year was Nadine Kessler, a key component of Kellerman’s team and of the German national team. Other awards included the Presidential Award which was presented to Hiroshi Kagawa, a Japanese journalist who covered his 10th World Cup this summer and the Fair Play Award, given to all FIFA volunteers.

SPORT 29

January 26 2015

49th Superbowl set to be a spectacle By Mark Kelly The 49th edition of the Superbowl is coming up and it is a mouth-watering prospect. It will see the New England Patriots, arguably the team who ruled the last decade and the last team to win back-to-back Vince Lombardi trophies, take on the current champions, the Seattle Seahawks. It is a clash to decide who is the dynasty of the NFL. Will the Patriots be able to continue on theirs or will the Seahawks be able to take over the mantle from Brady's team? It is tasty in so many different regards. For the Seahawks, it is a chance to cement their place as the team in the NFL. After a tough start to the season they fought back to earn a wildcard place. Coming from 3-3 to finish

ter to get to overtime and book their spot in The Superbowl as well as winning their last six regular season game and two more in the play-offs. Seattle's success has been based largely on the best defence in the league. They have conceded the fewest points this year in regular season and until Green Bay scored 22 against them, they hadn't conceded more than 20 points in seven games. For the Patriots, it's the chance to show the entire league that they are still the team to beat. After owning the decade from 20002009, making four Superbowl appereances and winning three of them (two in a row), it's fitting that they should be the team to try and stop the Seahawks making it back-toback wins.

Seattle's success has been based largely on the best defence in the league. Until Green Bay scored 22 against them, they hadn't conceded more than 20 points in seven games.For the Patriots, it's the chance to show the entire league that they are still the team to beat. 12-4 is no mean feat. The Seahawks have just gotten stronger as the year has progressed and they are hitting the right form at the right the right time. They showed the heart of champions against The Green Bay Packers to come from behind and score 15 points in the final quar-

Led by the brilliant and inspirational Tom Brady, the Patriots have been on fire this year. They too enjoyed a tough start to the season, being 2-2 after four games. However, a great run also gave them a 12-4 record, finishing as the number one seed in the AFC (like Seattle in the NFC).

The NBA season so far By Kieran Kilkelly Anyone with a passing interest in sports knows who LeBron James is and will probably remember last summer, when the four time MVP decided to return home to his home state and play for the Cleveland Cavaliers. For some he was coming ‘home’, but in truth he was leaving an aging team in the Miami Heat, who lost convincingly to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, and joining a team who had the first pick in the NBA draft three times in the last four years. Simply, LeBron was doing what was best for LeBron. This year, he has become the dominant personality in the franchise, acting as de facto General Manager by initiating the trade of Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett, two young players with huge potential, for all-star Kevin Love. There are good reasons to believe that he is also undermining first year head coach David Blatt and hoping to get his own man in. LeBron is even taking over his fellow stars’ roles on the floor, at times acting as point guard instead of rising star Kyrie Irving and finishing games at power forward, Love’s position. Long seen as one of the game’s good guys, LeBron’s actions this year have been selfish and are in danger of damaging his legacy on the game.

Most sports fans will have heard of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks, but they probably won’t have heard of the Atlanta Hawks. Not the sexiest franchise, the Hawks even struggle at times to be relevant in their own city, with most Atlanta fans supporting other NBA teams. A few weeks ago the Hawks owners put the entire organisation up for sale.

Their play-off run was much easier, scoring 80 points in two matches including hammering the Colts 45-7 in the AFC Championship match. They have built their run on their offensive capabilities, ranking 4th in the league with 29.3 points per game average. So, as one can see above it will be a battle of a great defence vs a great offense. It will also be the battle of the Quarterbacks: the provenlegend vs the young pretender. We all know how good Tom Brady is and how he rises to the occasion but Russell Wilson has been a great find for the Seahawks. He showed mental toughness and the ability to rise to the pressure against the Packers after three terrible quarters and throwing three interceptions. Brady, however, will have to do something no Superbowl-winning QB has done to Wilson before - beat him. Wilson has faced a Quarterback with a Superbowl ring 10 times before and he has beaten them all, including Brady in 2012. In a match where the offensive and defensive lines will be so evenly matched, it's all going to come down to which quarterback performs better on the day. Both men have the

ability and mental fortitude to have a great game so it will be interesting to see which man comes out on top. The final cherry on the cake is the fact that Seattle's head coach, one Pete Carroll, used to coach the Patriots and despite having two decent seasons with the outfit, he was fired in 1999. Can he be the one to mastermind a victory over the team that has ruled the NFL since the start of the century? It certainly would be one hell of a story. Who is going to win? My head and my heart are pretty unified here. Wilson has already has his bad game against the Packers and was amazing at the close of pre-season and in the first play-off game against the Panthers. He will be raring to go on Febuary 1 against the Patriots and has the ability, mental fortitude and the experience of winning it last year to do it again this year. Him, combined with a great coaching team and an amazing defensive unit should ensure another win for the Seahawks to usher in a new dynasty to the NFL. PREDICTION: Seattle Seahawks 24-17 New England Patriots.

The Golden State Warriors are the favourites: they have a stacked, once in a generation roster that is nearly impossible to assemble given the salary cap limitations. They don’t seem like a team to be interested in, except that, despite all the above reasons and only having a lone all-star in Paul Millsap, the Hawks are at the top of the Eastern Conference Standings and have the second best record in the NBA. The Hawks play one of the most enjoyable styles of basketball in the league and a big part of their success, along with center and spiritual leader Al Horford, is shooting guard Kyle Korver. In shooting 52.5% of his three pointers this season, Korver is having his best shooting season at the age of 33, an anomaly in professional sports. While in other competitions, teams like the Hawks would not have the squad depth to keep this up, but the balance of the NBA salary cap means that the Hawks could keep this up for the season. The Golden State Warriors are the favourites for the Larry O’Brien Trophy and the NBA championship. It’s probably not a clairvoyant prediction to say that, considering they are the team currently with the best record, but the reasons why they are the top ranked team will not go away. They have the best backcourt in the league in Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, nicknamed the splash brothers for their often outrageous shooting skills. They also have Draymond Green, a player worth ten times his current salary, and lastly,

they have Andre Iguodala and David Lee, two former all-stars, now coming off the bench for the team. In simple terms, they have a stacked, once in a generation roster that is nearly impossible to assemble given the salary cap limitations. The Warriors will never get a better chance. The Most Valuable Player race this year is an interesting one with two outstanding candidates, Steph Curry and James Harden, who have never been in contention before. From a statistical standpoint both players are having very similar seasons. Harden is averaging 26.6 points and 6.7 assists per game, while Curry is averaging 23.3 points and 8 assists. In Curry’s favour is that his Warriors are currently the best team in the league and the fact that he is liked by both the media and his peers. In Harden’s favour is that he is carrying the Houston Rockets, who are currently third in the Western Conference standings, and he is the league’s leading scorer. However, Harden has been seen as selfish by some in the league after leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder and due to his lack of defensive effort at times. At the moment, Curry is slightly in the lead after three straight wins over Harden’s Rockets, but that could easily change before the end of the season.

30 SPORT Six Nations 2015 Preview UFC: Fight Night Boston

Sin Vol. 16 Issue 8

By Maurice Brosnan

Italy and Scotland had good Autumn Internationals but in Italy’s case there still is not enough talent in their back line and are still hugely reliant on Sergio Parisse. Despite having three home games, the match they would identify as possibly winning, against Scotland, is in Murrayfield and another winless Six Nations could be on the cards. Scotland however have shown massive improvement under the highly regarded Vern Cotter. Fly-half Finn Russell looks more than capable while the brotherlypartnership in the second row of Johnnie and Richie Gray adds weight to a strong pack. They will still finish fifth but away in Murrayfield is a potential banana skin for Ireland. France’s squad looks the best on paper. They’ve incredible balance and the potential for a really exciting back-line. They have two issues, one small and one big. The first is uninspiring half-backs (Camille Lopez has brought a real calmness to the Clermont back-line that they lacked with Brock James so may prove me wrong) and the second is a bizarre coach who refuses to pick his best player, Phillippe Saint-Andre. With a proper game-plan and coach they’d most likely win this Six Nations, but they don’t have either and play Ireland and England away, they’ll most likely finish third. For Ireland, our first Six Nations with O’Driscoll means these games are key in developing a proper centre partnership. D’arcy was a terrific centre but isn’t the same player lately and needs to be dropped from the starting fifteen.

This year’s Six Nations is a vital exercise in finalising an Irish squad capable of challenging for the World Cup later this year. As such many people expect Ireland to win it. While the fact it occurs in a Rugby World Cup year makes it more significant, it should be noted that three of the last four winners did not win the regional tournament just before the World Cup. (1999- Australia, 2007-South Africa, 2011- New Zealand). Nevertheless it will be a decent indicator of playing style and squad depth for all teams. The opening game is on Friday the 6th of February between Wales and England. For Wales, this comes at an ideal time. It is quite possible that, currently, Wales are floating under the radar, a disappointing Six Nations last year and mixed Autumn Internationals means they are considered a 4/1 shot for the Six Nations and 20/1 for the World Cup. Wales however are the only Northern hemisphere team with an entirely established (almost predictable) starting team, playing style and long-serving coach. This either suggests stability or staleness, for Gatland many of the questions facing his opponents are already answered. The issue is that Wales have a few big questions as opposed to many small ones. Jonathon Davies, George North and Alex Cuthbert are all established players facing big questions in relation to regaining from, defensive frailties and competition from Liam Williams respectively. Gatland has shown he has the bottle to drop big-names (cue painful memories of a betrayed O’Driscoll) Despite the success of the last twelve but there is a fine balance to be struck here months, unless Ireland show a capability that I can’t see Gatland finding. to be more expansive at times breaking England pose a different question. They down teams like England or New easily have the most competitive squad with Zealand will be a very difficult task. amazing competition for places, particularly in their pack. They The return of Cian Healy is a massive probably deserve their tag as favourites. addition but despite the success of the Until recently there has been a misguided last twelve months, unless Ireland show a belief that Lancaster was trying to bring a capability to be more expansive at times New Zealand like game-plan with a suf- breaking down teams like England or New focating defence aspect. I never saw true Zealand will be a very difficult task. The evidence to suggest this was his goal and poor performances of three of the four thing the current power game with the half- provinces hopefully won’t impact morale. backs bossing the game via kicking and big Most likely Schmidt will give Madigan the ball-carriers is the way England are set to start against Italy (Sextons been ruled out continue. for the opener) while Reddan will probably Their game-plan actually resembles Ire- back-up Murray due to his experience, fastland’s except they have a better bench and ball ability and familiarity with Schmidt. a back three (Brown, May, Watson) who are Ireland don’t need to win this Six Nations not only defensively solid but very creative if but a slightly more developed game-plan necessary. Their issue is a centre partnership and second place finish is a realistic ask. The and who to pick at ten. I think Tuilagi and fact that they play England at home could Burrell will make up their centre while Ford see them win the Six Nations but I don’t should get the nod at ten. Make no mistake, think they will. if England nail these positions and ensure proper on-field decision making they’ll be PREDICTION: 1- England 2- Ireland 3- Wales an incredibly competitive outfit. 4- France 5- Scotland 6- Italy

By John Brennan

Holohan showcased impressive speed and strong takedown skills early in the As the dust settles on the UFC Fight fight. Howell survived well the early Night Boston, it was the Irish contingent intensity of the Irish man, where he miracwho marched on triumphantly. ulously didn’t tap to a deep choke. The hype around McGregor seemed to The second round started with some have reached fever pitch in the build-up strong stand up from both men. Holoto the event. The prospect of a title fight han showed immeasurable control of against arguably one of the best of all- the round, totally on top throughout the time, Jose Aldo, was looming large over second round, with his opponent Howell the fight for McGregor. visibly bloodied and gassed. The third round, saw Holohan It was slow, deliberate and being more cautious, picking his spots, Howell tried to force the utterly devastating. Those in issue, showing huge heart but Holohan had the measure of him, attendance witnessed something keeping him at bay and neutralizing any of Howells offence and special. That said, he was not the dominating him in emphatic fashion. only impressive Irish man coming As round three came to an end, it was clear the judges had an easy away with a victory from Boston. decision. Holohan had had several close calls with attempted Enough can’t be said about the remark- submissions and ultimately Howells heart able work of John Kavanagh who had a got him to the end of the third. A terrific hugely successful night, as McGregor and performance and deserved win for the Holohan won convincingly, and Cathal Tallaght man. Pendred was on the right side of a conNext up, Cathal Pendred took on Sean troversial decision. Spencer. Conor Mc Gregor , simply put, exudes After a hugely aggressive start from both a calmness in the Octagon seldom wit- men, Pendred took Spencer to the mat nessed. The Garden in Boston was electric powerfully, but Spencer defended himas he walked out. Despite the middle fin- self well and got back to his feet. Spencer ger to his opponent before the first round nearly took Pendred’s head off with a huge got under way, McGregor looked confi- right hand but Pendred recovered well, dent and collected before the fight. It was slowing the fight down and catching his his fight to lose. breath. Spencer looked stronger coming In both rounds he was comfortably towards the end of the round, despite a in control and on top of proceedings, second successful take down from Penreach, speed and accuracy on the Noto- dred, Spencer clearly controlled the centre rious’ side. He was quicker, meticulous of the Octagon. and lethal. He never rushed, nor was Round two, saw Spencer’s superior he hasty even in the finish. It is note- stand up highlighted again as he stalked worthy that in his last two fights, he’s the Irish man. Spencer was clearly quicker slipped inside the octagon. Against Aldo than Pendred, utilizing his reach advantage he won’t get away with these mistakes. and striking at will. Pendred looked slugThis fight seemed a mismatch from the gish and hesitant at times but he landed first second, he showed strong takedown a lot of kicks during the round, more so defence and had bloodied Siver early in than the aggressive Texan. Pendred got the first round, Siver was backing away hit hard towards the end of the round and constantly, finding it difficult to deal with survived and had a third successful takethe Notorious’ speed and calm ferocity. down, attempting a kimura which Spencer He could have finished him in the first escaped from as the round finished. but he took his time. Spencers striking was superior and it When he did finish him, it was slow, was hard to see anything else other than a deliberate and utterly devastating. loss for Pendred. Pendred landed some tidy McGregor erupted out of the cage, con- leg kicks, seemed devoid of ideas during fronting the champion in the crowd. Those parts of the Third. Pendreds striking looked in attendance witnessed something spe- utterly ordinary. Spencer celebrated the cial. as the fight ended. Shocking decision to That said, he was not the only impres- award the fight to Pendred. sive Irish man coming away with a victory 3-0 to the Irish men. from Boston. McGregor was last defeated by a DonThe First Irish man on the card was Pat- egal man called Joseph Duffy, who has just rick Holohan, who took on Shane Howell signed to the UFC. Pencilled in for a debut over three rounds. The Tallaght based sub- at UFC 185, he boasts a 12-1 professional mission specialist had finished 8 out of record across two stints in the cage. 10 fights via submission. He’d had eight The fighting Irish are really beginning first round finishes leading into the fight. to take over the UFC.

FINAL WORD 31

January 26 2015

diary of the SMOKEY’S PIGEON

THE COLLEGE INSIDER

The lives of French cartoonists worth more than those of African villagers, agree world’s media By Eoin Molloy SPEAKING AT THE ANNUAL ‘Parity and Equality in News International Summit’ in Brussels yesterday afternoon, media conglomerate and all-round sweetie, Goobert Sherlock, decreed that the lives of French cartoonists are to henceforth be worth more than those of African villagers at a ratio of roughly 200:1, insofar as media coverage is concerned. This royal decree comes on the back of the world media’s 24/7 coverage of the Paris attacks while there was a virtual blackout on the 2000 African villagers who were mercilessly slaughtered by Boko Haram in Nigeria. An Ocean News spokesperson informed The College Insider that the

disproportionate coverage of the Paris attacks was “in no way designed to create mass hysteria in order to sell newspapers and/or increase the channel’s viewership”. She continued by saying that the coverage was “certainly not intended to introduce the idea that crazy terrorists could blow up your nice little white town any time soon”. Finally, she concluded by saying that the world’s most conservative media channels “definitely do not have anything to gain by reinforcing the misconception that there is an ongoing ideological conflict between the secular west and the predominantly Islamic Middle-East”. More to follow as we get it.

Last week, the sandwich board outside Smokey’s was advertising free marshmallows with every hot chocolate purchased. From what I understand, the hot chocolate is very reasonably priced, but my being a bird means I have very few places to store change, if any at all. And anyway, when I do find myself a coin and walk up to the counter, they just skip over me because they don’t see me standing there on the floor. And if I hop up on the counter, I am immediately shooed away. How rude. So I took to loitering around some of the couches, waiting for people to leave their unfinished hot chocolate behind, so I could try out these free marshmallows myself. Needless to say I nearly choked on the things. They were soft and sweet and oh-so-delicious, but their sticky texture practically glued my beak shut. I’d highly recommend them; just don’t eat too many at once or they’ll glue your beak shut. And don’t eat them too fast or they’ll get stuck in your throat. Exercise caution…

You heard it here first.

Follow @Smokeys_Pigeon on Twitter for regular pigeon musings

BRAIN TEASER: A man believes he is 66 years old but has lost his birth certificate. Upon receipt of his replacement birth certificate, he notes that his age has been overstated by 17%. He also feels that he will only live to 80 years. Based upon his actual age, what % of his life remains until he reaches 80 years?

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Chomhaltas na Mac Léinn, OÉ Gaillimh

Uisce-Atlan ar mhaithe le Carthanachtaí

NUI Galway Students’ Union

Charity Aquathon Tuesday 24th February 2015 Dé Máirt, an 24 Feabhra 2015

CMY

750m Swim (30 lengths of Kingfisher Pool) Snámh 750m (30 fad de Linn Snámha Kingfisher) 5km Run in Dangan Rith 5km sa Daingean Sign up now in the Students’ Union, Engineering Building & the Sports Centre. Raise €25 (minimum) to enter Entry includes free t-shirt & food! All proceeds go to the SU Charities: Console and BeLonG To. The Aquathon is a fun event open to all students and staff of all capabilities!

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