Sin Volume 17 Issue 7

Page 1

On The Dry Giving up alcohol for the New Year? Read all about the On The Dry campaign. Page 4

Graffiti at its Finest

A taste of New Orleans

The graffiti of Finbar 247 is taking over the city – in a good way. Page 11

Stomptown Brass bring their unique talent to Monroe’s Page 21

Galway to host TED event By Jessica Thompson

FREE STUDENT NEWSPAPER | VOL 17, ISSUE 07 | 12 JAN 2016

Remains of NUI Galway student Michael Bugler found following three week search By Niamh Cullen Both Galway and Clare communities have been left mourning as the body of Michael Bugler (20) was recovered last Thursday. The discovery came following extensive searches carried on and off coast since the NUI Galway law student’s disappearance on 18 December. Galway coastguards and RNLI crew were called to the scene near Oranmore at 1.15pm on 7 January, with the recovery of his remains made at Ardfry Point off the coast of Galway Bay. In an emotional Facebook post, Michael’s older sister thanked the public for their support in the past three weeks; “Thankfully we are so relieved to finally have Michael home today,” she wrote. Up to 300 volunteers braved poor weather conditions in a bid to find the Ennis native, with daily searches being conducted since his disappearance on 18 December over three weeks ago. The Irish Coast Guard, RNLI lifeboat crews, Civil Defence and a Garda sub aqua unit have also participated extensively in searches from various points around Galway Bay and the city. Prayer services were held around the city during the Christmas and New Year’s Eve as a sign of solidarity with volunteers, friends and family. The gatherings came despite harsh

Photo via Laura Bugler's Facebook post.

weather conditions, as those involved kitted out their rain gear, footwear and walking sticks to congregate at such difficult times. CCTV footage trawled during the investigation showed him passing the Claddagh Church at 00.58am on the morning of Friday 18 December after leaving Quay’s Bar in town. The footage suggested Michael was making his way home to Fairhill Road, however there had also been a reported sighting of him in Gort na Coiribe at around 3am. Praise flooded in for volunteers involved in searches over the Christmas and New Year period. Inspector Kevin Gately, who co-ordinated the search, repeatedly thanked those involved, saying to the Irish Times: “We have had diving and kayaking clubs, sports clubs and community groups, a man on horseback going out daily from Maree all assisting with the search,” he said. He also added that a group of parents in Oranmore had provided soup and sandwiches, while Calasanctius College, also in Oranmore, had opened up to allow volunteers to use the school as a base. Michael’s older sister, Laura, had also praised volunteers daily on her Facebook site and at various searches. She was at the forefront of much co-ordination, urging many on the social media site to repost photos of Michael and to get involved. She made a particularly emotional plea on New Year’s Eve, writing; “I never thought I would be entering 2016 with my little brother gone and the fact that we haven’t yet found him makes it even harder to get through milestones like tonight. “As Michael’s big sister, it’s always felt like my job to mind, protect and look after my little man and if anyone can help me and spare a few hours in trying to bring him home tomorrow, it’d mean the world to myself and my family.” #FindMichaelBugler had been used across social media sites, in particular Facebook and Twitter, for easy access to information on meeting points for searches and the latest updates, as well as encouraging everyone to partake in searches. Known affectionately to close friends and family as “Bugs”, Michael has been described

Galway is set to see its very own TED event as preparations are underway for TEDxGalway, which will come to the Town Hall Theatre on 6 February 2016. TED is a non-profit organisation devoted to “ideas worth spreading”. TEDx, where the ‘x’ means ‘independently-organised’, is a programme of local, self-organised events that bring people together to share a TEDlike experience.

“Anyone who spends time in or lives in Galway can see how much Galway has to offer. While many larger or similar cities can become faceless commercial hubs, Galway’s true identity is within its culture, the arts and its community.

as “an incredibly smart man with so much potential” and “an absolute legend”. President of NUI Galway Dr Jim Brown offered his condolences to the family and friends of Michael Bugler: "We at NUI Galway are deeply saddened and heartbroken to hear of the death of second year Law student Michael Bugler from Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co. Clare. On behalf of the University I wish to express our sincere condolences to Michael’s family, friends and classmates. "Ongoing support is being made available to Michael’s classmates and friends through the University’s chaplaincy and counselling services, as well as through the support being provided by academic and other staff. Our thoughts and prayers are with Michael’s family and friends and may he rest in peace." The Students’ Union have offered their sincerest condolences to the Bugler family and students and friends affected, while the Gardaí have thanked members of the public and all those involved for their efforts in the search. The funeral for Michael took place on Sunday at 2.30pm in the Cathedral in Ennis, but the university is planning a mass in his honour which, at the time of print is to be held on Thursday 14 January at lunchtime in the chapel.

“Galway is a heartland of culture in the west and we’re hoping to highlight the people and their stories and to show that Galway has something to contribute to a global audience,” said TEDxGalway organiser Conor Stitt. The last TEDxGalway event was held in The Crane Bar in 2011 and featured such speakers as Stokes Professor of Glycoscience Lokesh Joshi, Astrophysicist Mike Redfern, Poet and Scholar of Irish Studies Louis de Paor, Biomedical Engineer Ronan Brown and Scholar of Drama and Theatre Lionel Pilkington. This year’s speakers include Personal Trainer Pat Divilly; Anti-Death Penalty Activist Sunny Jacobs, Mental Health Advocate Robert Carley, CEO and owner of Harmonia Norah Casey, Game Designer and Developer Brenda Romero, and High-altitude Mountaineer Pat Falvey. Volunteers are working hard to make the event bigger and better than before. “Since there hasn’t been a TEDx event in Galway in over five years, we basically had to start from scratch. We recruited a multi-skilled and enthusiastic team of volunteers, secured a venue and put structure in place that speakers can apply or be nominated where this structure puts the foundations down for TEDxGalway to be an organisation more-so than an event so we can have many future events,” said Conor Stitt. Continues on page 2


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