NUACHTÁN SAOR IN AISCE VOL.19 Issue 1. 12 SEPT 2017
Student Independent News
Gaeilgeoir elected as new NUI Galway President By Sorcha O’Connor Dr Jim Brown will hand over the reins as NUI Galway president to his successor Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh next January. The 13th President of the university was elected last week, with the appointment ending Dr Jim Brown’s 10-year term in the role. An NUI Galway Commerce alumnus and fluent Irish speaker, Professor Ó hÓgartaigh will be transferring to the role from UCD where he served as Principal and Dean of UCD College of Business since 2011, leading its internationally-ranked, triple crownaccredited schools in Dublin including UCD Lochlann Quinn School of Business, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School and UCD Smurfit Executive Development. He also led the college’s overseas programmes in Hong Kong, Singapore and Sri Lanka and has worked in academic leadership roles in Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and in Dublin City University. According to a statement released by NUI Galway, the newly appointed President has over 25 years of academic excellence in the fields of Finance, Accounting and Corporate Governance. He has a proven track record in internationalisation and in diversifying revenues,
through areas including research income and philanthropy, and serves on a number of national Audit Committees, including that of the State’s Department of Finance. Commenting on the appointment, Ms Justice Catherine McGuinness said she believed Professor Ó hÓgrataigh would “inspire” students and staff at NUI Galway and bring the “necessary experience and vision” to the role. “At the outset, we sought a leader who can inspire NUI Galway’s students and staff and take this remarkable University to new heights,” she said. “With a track record of leadership and achievement nationally and internationally, Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh brings both the necessary experience and vision to this role and I look forward to working with him as we chart the next stage in the University’s journey.” Dr Jim Brown welcomed the appointment last week, saying he thought the “walth of academic leadership experience” the new president would bring would help him lead the students and staff of NUI Galway. “Professor Ó hÓgartaigh brings a wealth of academic leadership experience as well as a proven track record in internationalisation. I welcome Ciarán to NUI Galway and wish him the very best in leading our terrific students and staff into a bright future where they can
fully realise their ambitions,” he said. The presidential race was not without its controversies, with many opposing the discontinuation of the Irish requirement for the role. However, despite the removal of the requirement the appointment is good
news for the Irish language, as the new president is fluent in Irish with English as his second language. Meanwhile, Professor Ó hÓgartaigh has already been called on to further the efforts of NUI Galway in promoting gender equality among staff in the university.
According to the Irish Times, Siptu have asked to meet Professor Ó hÓgartaigh to hear how he plans on tackling the issue, and have requested he settle the outstanding discrimination cases taken by five female lecturers in the university.
Free rent up for grabs from the Students’ Union By Sorcha O’Connor The NUI Galway Students’ Union have launched a survey online in which participants are in with a shout of winning the cost of their first month’s rent for taking part. One lucky student who fills in the survey investigating the housing crisis in Galway will walk away with a max of €500 in their pocket to cover a month’s rent. SU president Lorcán Ó Maoileannaigh told SIN he hoped the prize money would encourage students to take part
so that the SU could become more aware of the issues students in search of accommodation were facing. “We want to encourage students to take part in it. The intention is we pay for the person’s first month’s rent, so we are helping with the increasing rent prices as well,” he said. In his first semester of office, Lorcán said it was clear that this problem was not going away, with students coming in to the SU every day with housing issues. He explained the survey would produce “solid evidence” as to the extent of the problem.
“We have students coming in everyday with no accommodation but they were all anecdotal, we didn’t have solid evidence or solid numbers about what we were talking about. We spoke to the USI and they had a survey which we have adapted to be more local and specific for Galway students. “It’s to give a clearer picture to us as to what problems are being had so if we are speaking to anyone we can say, ‘This is what our respondents found.’ And also, we can identify which students are having the most issues, be that mature students, international students or whoever,” he said.
The prize money has been deducted from the SU’s running budget for the year, which is in part made up of the student levy. If the winning student is still without a roof over their head when the draw is made in two weeks’ time, they will receive the full amount of prize money. Head to NUI Galway’s SU Facebook page to take part. Meanwhile, there will be more opportunity for students to nab some free goodies this week at the SU Freshers Fair.
“The Students’ Union Freshers Fair is your chance to come down and have fun with lots of interactive games and there’s many prizes to be won,” said Lorcán. All students with an @nuigalway. ie leap card will be able to sign up free for the Coca Cola bikes dotted around the city, and Lorcán told SIN Handsome Burger and Brown Bag Donut will be on hand to feed anyone around Áras na Mac Léinn on Wednesday 13 September from 11am – 4pm.
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SIN Vol. 19 Issue 1
NUIG Bank of Ireland welcomes Snapchat star to campus By Sorcha O’Connor
Volunteering Fair 2017 poster print ready.pdf
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It was a star-studded week on campus for some lucky NUI Galway students as radio presenter and Snapchat hero Doireann Garrihy posed for photos outside the Bank of Ireland on Wednesday 6 September. Doireann was in the university to promote the ‘tap’ feature on credit cards, in her most recent project with Visa. She took to Instagram and Snapchat to inform her loyal fanbase of her appearance at NUI Galway, and many turned up on Wednesday for a photo op with their favourite Irish snapchatter. Doireann is the youngest of the Garrihy sisters, with older sister Fair City actress Aoibheann becoming the nation’s
sweetheart on last years’s season of RTE’s Danciing With the Stars, and middle sister Ailbhe working in PR. Renowned as one of Ireland’s funniest social media stars, Doireann is a busy lady herself of late and presents The Zoocrew every weeknight from 7pm on Spin 103.8 as well as keeping us all entertained with her Snapchat impressions of SoSueMe and Pippa O’Connor. Meanwhile, SULT welcomed blue grass band Hermitage Green for a free gig on Wednesday night. The Munster boys have played NUI Galway’s Arts Ball in the past, and fresh off the stage from Electric Picnic, the popular band took to the stage on Wednesday to perform for students.
Hello and welcome back to everyone! For any new faces on campus, my name is Sorcha and I am the editor of Student Independent News here in NUI Galway. SIN is your one stop shop for all things NUI Galway, covering everything from campus news to debating student issues. This is our first issue of the new academic year and let me tell you, it has been a bit of a whirlwind week getting everything up and running! However, as always we have loads of content for you to sink your teeth into. We have a whole new team this year, and I am thoroughly looking forward to working with them. They have all introduced themselves in their editorials, so read on to find out a bit more about them and what they have to offer. If you want to join in on the fun that is reporting on the highs and lows of student life and everything in between, don’t hesitate to contact me by e-mail editor.sin@gmail.com. I hope everyone is settling into college life and hopefully, by picking up this issue of SIN when you’re enjoying a quick latte before a lecture, you will get a feel for the great things in store for students this year with our coverage of the SU activities and all the latest campus goings on in this edition. Happy reading!
Sorcha.
Annual Volunteering Fair set to inspire next generation of NUI Galway volunteers By Eoin Molloy
NUI GALWAY
VOLUNTEERING
Fair
mmes to join! rogra P t i f o n-Pr s, No 80 NGOs, Charitie
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 12TH Bailey Allen Hall, Aras na Mac Leinn, 11am - 3pm alive@nuigalway.ie nuigalway.ie/alive Visit ALIVE in the Hub, Aras na Mac Leinn
NUI Galway’s sixteenth annual Volunteering Fair will take place on Tuesday 12 September in the Bailey Allen Hall between 11am and 4pm. The fair will showcase the noble work of over sixty local, national and international voluntary organisations who are all dedicated to the eradication of various social injustices prevalent in modern society. The Volunteering Fair bears testament to NUI Galway’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of collaborative, innovative and entrepreneurial students while also fostering a deep-seated sense of civic duty amongst the student body. The charities who showcase their work at the Volunteering Fair aim to fulfil the dual purpose of empowering students whilst also benefitting society at large.
Ahead of today’s fair, Student Volunteer Co-Ordinator at NUI Galway Lorraine Tansey stated that empathy ‘can be taught in a classroom’ but the various volunteering projects on show aim to ‘build student’s confidence to be leaders’ of their respective communities – all through first-hand experience. “The fair inspires students to be active in creating change for others and themselves,” she said. Amongst the many Volunteering Fair exhibitors are the Irish Wheelchair Association, Music for Galway, Dogs for the Disabled, Galway Simon Community, Macnas, Croi and MADRA: Mutts Anonymous Dog Rescue and Adoption amongst many others. ALIVE, which stands for A Learning Initiative and Volunteering Experience, was initially established at NUI Galway to bridge the gap between community-based
EDITOR: Sorcha O’Connor editor@sin.ie LAYOUT: Shannon Reeves
groups and students. This has been achieved through a wide variety of partnerships and grassroots initiatives like the Volunteering Fair. ALIVE also has an online website which functions as an interactive resource for the advertisement of volunteering opportunities. At the end of the academic year, students can apply for an ALIVE Certificate in recognition of their voluntary community effort. To date, over 13,000 students have been recognised for their contributions to the parallel Galweigan communities, both city and campus. Community outreach programmes undertaken by the students of NUI Galway help to reinforce the city’s already strong links with the University community it plays host to for nine months of every year. To book a stand or for further information visit www.nuigalway. ie/alive or email alive@nuigalway.ie.
Find us online: www.sin.ie
NUACHT
September 12 2017 FEATURES EDITORIAL – CONNELL MCHUGH I’m Connell, the features editor for this year’s SIN team. I’m a second year student in the journalism course here in NUI Galway. For the coming year, expect a variety of articles to be written in this section of the paper. Anything that doesn’t fit into the conventions of the other parts of the paper will gladly be squeezed into a feature. Interviews, diaries, satire pieces, spotlights on events and people, how-tos, commentary; they’ll all be here. In this issue, we’ve got a look at the Irish-only areas that are coming to the NUI Galway’s campus and an insight into Erasmus life. Be sure to pick up the paper every fortnight. Enjoy!
OPINION EDITORIAL – TEO BANDUT My name is Teo Bandut and I am enormously happy to be addressing you in the position of this year’s opinion editor! I am a final year BA connect student of Journalism, French and Soc and Pol. I am passionate about language and its power and I hope to impart that to you over the course of these twelve issues. Every second Tuesday, my aim will be to provide you with some food for thought in my column and through the generation of prompts for contributors. I urge anyone with an itching idea to publicise it! We are here to learn from each other and self-assertion is certainly a step forward. Take it! I’m eager to find out about your pet peeves, your favourite poem, your vision of and for the world. Don’t hesitate to send me on all of the ramblings you may deem irrelevant because from past experiences, sprinkles of gold may hide in the most unsuspected of places. I’m continuously pleasantly surprised with our
capacity for in-depth analysis, and from my very brief experience so far, the impression is that we’ve got one hell of a team. Join us and strengthen your pen until it makes that sword shake in his boots.
FASHION & LIFESTYLE EDITORIAL – AMY MCMAHON Hello everybody and welcome to issue one of SIN! I’m so chuffed to be this year’s Fashion & Lifestyle Editor! The SIN Team, and especially the editors, are absolutely thrilled and excited for you all to see what’s in store over the coming year. Starting with our very first issue of the year we have many, many pieces perfect for all sorts of readers and writers. In my section some of my personal favourites are our cheap and cheerful eyeliner recommendations by Aoife O’Donoghue, Róisín McManus was our trend spotter this issue telling us where to find this season’s red and mustard trend faves and our bi-weekly feature by blogger and MUA Kate O’Neill from Kake Me Up which will be included in every issue! All articles are well worth a read, not only in this section but throughout this entire issue. I look forward to working with the editorial team over the course of the year. These guys really are such enthusiastic hard workers and have brilliant ideas - I just know it’s going to be a great year for the newspaper! Quick thanks to the SIN Editor herself, Sorcha, who put shed loads of work into this issue for it to turn out as well as it has. Happy reading!
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITORIAL – MICHAEL GLYNN Hey there guys, I’m Michael, a fourth year Arts with Journalism student and also your
new Arts and Entertainment editor. I’m looking forward to all of your submissions, already this issue we have some fantastic film reviews and various articles covering the entertainment industry. Alongside this, every issue we will have our ‘Creative Corner’ where any short stories, poems or just anything creative that takes a writer’s fancy will be posted, from what I’ve seen of the talent available this year so far I’m excited to be editing this section. Any and all submissions are welcome especially original article ideas, don’t be shy, there’s a very high standard of writing in the Sin pool this year, even if those writers don’t realise it quite yet. As well as covering all the newest film releases in most issues we’ll be interviewing and reviewing the local bands of Galway, of which there are many. We’ve easily got quite a broad section here so I’m hoping there’s plenty of people wishing to try their hand at some original content, be it a poem or short story or just an idea for an article that was floating around their head. All in all, I can’t wait to work with you all.
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SPORTS EDITORIAL – GRAHAM GILLESPIE A warm welcome to students new and old to the new academic year. College may have been on a hiatus during the summer but fortunately the sport never stopped. In this issue’s sport section Mark Lynch reviews Galway heroic victory in the All-Ireland Hurling final and analyses the rugby Pro 14 league’s expansionist ambitions while I look back on the summer’s transfer window and discuss Icarus and athletics’ doping problem. So whether you are an over-enthusiastic fresher or a world weary final year I hope you find something you enjoy reading in this issue.
An bhfuil rud éigin le rá agat? Cur litir chuig an Eagarthóir chuig editor@sin.ie.
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SIN Vol. 19 Issue 1
‘With diabetes and obesity so prevalent in Ireland today it is a good idea to promote healthy eating’ Students have their say on the new SU food plans By Sorcha O’Connor
With the launch of the Students’ Union Meal Plan Service at the start of the semester, students can now avail of recipes and cooking tutorials online thanks to new Students’ Union President Lorcán Ó Maoileanaigh. A delivery service is also set to launch in the near future, with a week’s worth of ingredients getting delivered to participating students’ accommodation every Sunday. SIN hit a busy campus on Socs and Clubs Day last week to find out if the students of NUI Galway were ready to cook up a storm in the kitchen or if they thought the new programme was babying the supposedly adult population of the university. CityLink-HPG-ADV-StudentV2.qxp_Layout 1
Annie Duffy, Final Year Engineering
“I think some students need it but it is easy to ring up your parents or look up these things on YouTube, the internet is full of all the information you need. I don’t see why the Students’ Union should be focusing on this when the university have put up repeat fees. I think 17 is the youngest age here, and I’m 22 and although I am not a great cook, I can survive, I can go to the supermarket to get my food so I don’t know why you have to provide this when children 07/09/2017 13:36 know Page 1 this from school.” should
Brian Gordon, Third Year Medicine
Hannah Javaherian, Final Year Psychology
Christopher McBrearty, Final Year Science
“I think people will use them, and I think it is a good idea. With diabetes and obesity so prevalent in Ireland today I think it is a good idea to promote healthy eating and introduce it at a young age. Hopefully people will be able to use the knowledge in later years when they’re working. People probably should know these things but I don’t think it is taught to us properly in secondary school. And if it is not taught in the home setting they wouldn’t know it. It’s a good initiative.”
“I think it is a very good idea but I don’t know how popular it is going to be. First and second years’ priorities probably isn’t cooking - even though it should be. Students tend to order or just make simple pastas. I’m also just back from Erasmus and I haven’t actually heard about it, so I don’t know if it is advertised enough. I also think the college bar looks like they have good food and the Bialann as well, even though it might be more expensive than cooking. Some students travel up and bring their food for the week too so they mightn’t use it either.”
“I think it is a fantastic idea, we need structure when we come to college because Mammy isn’t cooking for us. I cooked in first year but when Deliveroo came out I found myself getting lazier and lazier, and these plans look more structured. It is a good thing to be tackling because obesity is on the rise which is a lethal danger for students. The SU have a lot they’re under fire for, if they were focusing on something else people would say they should focus on another thing. It is good to see they are tackling something, and Lorcán set this out in his manifesto last year, so fair dues to him, he is sticking to it. He isn’t going off doing something else, and this is what he was elected to do.”
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“I think it is a good idea because a lot of first years coming in have no idea of how to cook
anything for themselves, Mammy does everything. It is good to see the President doing something, and I’ve seen the plans on Facebook they’re not the worst things in the world. I think there is a good selection and hopefully over the next few weeks, we will see some more healthy options coming through. Personally, I don’t really like the Bialann, so I would rather make my own stuff and being into healthy eating. It’s good they’re doing to make it cheaper for students in the long run.”
Grace O’Fegan, Second Year Arts
“I don’t know how necessary it is because there is a lot of information already out there about healthy eating and things. I guess if you were a student who wasn’t motivated to look stuff up yourself, it is a good idea and there is no harm in it. I think that people who don’t live at home, from different counties and in student accommodation would use it but for people living at home with their family it is not that useful for them. I definitely think it is good Lorcán is keeping his promises but there are more pressing issues on campus, like issues of equality that need to be championed more in the college – more of a push for gender equality in the faculties and among students, and I think college needs to be more accessible for people with disabilities.”
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SIN Vol. 19 Issue 1
Binsí Gaeilge coming to NUI Galway By Amy McMahon
If you have a grá for Gaeilge you will more than likely opt to study in Galway. As NUI Galway boasts a bilingual campus, our university is a hub for budding Gaeilgeóirí from across the country from an Rinn to Gaoth Dobhair. With this in mind our newly elected Student Union President Lorcán Ó Maoilleanaigh aims to introduce ‘Binsí Gaeilge’ to provide a space for students to speak as Gaeilge amháin on campus. The Student Union (SU) aims to have all of the binsí on campus ready to use by Week Three
sity at the same time.” With the successful installation of a similar idea in GMIT, Lorcán said him and the team “took a leaf out of their book”. There has been a positive response to the idea so far. Speaking to a couple of students studying Irish at NUI Galway they said they “would definitely go there” and it sounds like a “great idea”. Second Year Irish student Aisling Hawkins also thought it would “help students to practice their Irish and let them mingle with other students that speak Irish”. As most students will (hopefully) already know Áras na
of this semester. According to Ó Maoilleanaigh “the binsí will be dotted around campus including outdoor benches, SULT and Smokey’s.” He explained the SU have “reached out to the private commercial services across campus as well in the hopes that they will introduce the Binsí Gaeilge along with ourselves”. When asked what inspired the project, Ó Maoilleanaigh revealed it all started as an answer to “an initial requirement for more social areas around campus”. The SU thought it would be an ideal situation to “encourage the use of the Irish language across the univer-
Gaeilge is a terrific spot for anyone with cúpla focail or that is willing to try their best. There you will find an Irish speaking café for students and staff members alike to enjoy a cupán tae while chatting as Gaeilge. Although it is a great venue to encourage young people to speak Irish and let our language flourish, Ó Maoilleanaigh believes the campus as a whole should inspire students to speak Irish. “We want to spread the use of the Irish language across campus as opposed to having it concentrated in Áras na Gaeilge”, he said. “Even the cúpla focail can make a huge difference!”
Considering a significant change occurred last year surrounding the presence of Irish on campus, with the removal of the Irish speaking requirement within the role of university president, the Binsí Gaeilge could be a step in the right direction to ensure that the Irish language will continue to flourish in the heart of Galway city. Seeing as our university has such a strong connection with the language it will be interesting to see what effect this change will have around the campus and if more projects, like the Binsí Gaeilge, will sprout up over the
years to come. True to his manifesto, Ó Maoilleanaigh is remaining positive about the future of the Irish language in NUI Galway and the enduring fondness the students have for Gaeilge. “I don’t believe the grá for our language will fade amongst students,” he said. “We live next to a stronghold of the Irish language and students strive to keep our native language alive. The Union is doing its small part to nourish the development and progress of the language here on campus and across the country.”
Deora ar an Déardaoin: Staidéar thar lear agus an chaoi a théann sé i bhfeidhm ort Le Rebecca Fisher Samhlaigh é seo, tá sé ina Dhéardaoin. Tá tú i do shuí ag geata C16 i aerfort idirnáisiúnta Boston. Tá an fliú agat, agus tá tú ag caoineadh ó a d’éirigh leat as an eitleán. Tá tú uaigneach agus scanraithe, agus ní féidir leat dul abhaile ar feadh 6 mhí. Tá difríocht ama cúig uair an chloig idir tú féin agus gach rud a bhfuil aithne agat air. Is é an t-aon rud is mian leat ná cupán tae agus do leaba fhein, ró-olc, ní fheicfidh
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mar an gcéanna do mhic léinn idirnáisiúnta ar fud an domhain. Buille faoi thuairim, gur féidir leat a rá go raibh difríocht ollmhór idir an shaol mac léinn a bhí agam í Virginia agus an cheann atá agam anseo í ÓÉ Gaillimh. In ionad comhrá a dhéanamh faoin oíche roimhe sin i Electric, in aice leis an “rud mór buí” ag ól tae uaidh Smokey’s. Shuigh muid ar bhinsí os cionn an abhainn, le Starbucks in ar láimhe, ag plé ar cén teach bráithreachais (fraternity) a bhíomar ag caitheamh leis an gcuma sin san tráthnóna a bhí romhann (Ni SigEp, go cinnte!!) D’oibrigh mé go crua, agus damhsa mé fiú níos crua na sin. Le ár gCéadaoin a chaitheamh sa Cellar (inchomparáide le Sult), agus ar Déardaoin a chaitheamh i Tobacco (coibhéiseach leis an Roisin Dubh), gan trácht ar Lodges ar an Aoine (cóisir fraternity, an bhfuil gá dom níos mó a rá?), tá sé sábháilte a rá nach raibh mé
a ndóthain codladh agam le linn mo staidéir thar lear. Bhí an saol réabhrach a bhí aithne agam ar i nGaillimh imithe le fada. Pacáil mé ceithre bhlian d’Ollscoil Mheiriceá isteach i 6 mhí, bhí sárú coirp agus intinne ann, ach bhí sé thar a bheith spreagúil chomh maith. Anois, is mé ag cur chuige mo bhliain dheireanach in OÉ Gaillimh, ní féidir liom cabhrú ach smaoineamh ar an chaoí a chruthaigh mo staidéar thar lear an taithí a bhí agam san ollscoil, agus an duine atá mé chun a bheith ag deireadh na cheithre bliana seo. Cé go bhfuil mé bhriste ó thaobh airgeadais, tuirseach agus uaigneach do áit ceithre mhíle míle ar shiúl, ní dhéanfainn rud ar bith a athrú. Má tá tú ag smaoineamh ar staidéar a dheanamh thar lear, ach níl tú ró-cinnte an bhfuil sé cheart duitse, molaim go mór an léim a ghlacadh. Mar ghlac mise an léim, agus gan dabht, is é an chinneadh is fearr a rinne mé i mo shaol.
Entering Erasmus: “I’ve made a huge mistake…”
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tú na rudaí seo go dtí tús mí Meitheamh. Bhuel, ní gá dom é seo a shamhlú, toisc ba é seo an fhírinne domsa ar an 5ú d’Eanáir 2017, is mé ag fanacht go foighneach le haghaidh mo nasc eitilt go dtí Richmond, Virginia. Bhí daoine ag stánadh ar mo shúile ata, mo chasacht leanúnach agus ar an teanga iasachta a bhí mé ag labhairt ar an bhfón, Gaeilge ar ndóigh. Sa móimint sin, bhraith mé go hiomlán I mo n-aonar agus bhí mé thar a bheith aiféalach faoi mo chinneadh chun staidéar a dhéanamh thar lear. Dá d’inis tú dom ar an lá sin, go mbeadh an sé mhí romham, sé de na míonna is fearr do mo shaol, bhuel, bheith mé ag gáire i d’aghaidh. Ach, mar a shuím anseo i mo theach i gConamara, ceithre mhile míle ar shiúl ó RVA, tugann an t-alt seo siar go cumhach ar bhóithrín na smaointe mé. Mothaím uaim mo bhaile as baile, agus tá a fhios agam go bhfuil sé seo
OFFER
By Brigid Fox “What was I thinking going on an Erasmus now? I can’t do this. Just turn around, cancel the flight, go home to your loving family and friends and forget this nightmare. Why did I ever leave my comfort zone, am I crazy?! I’ve made a huge mistake.” Saying that I am merely concerned before I start my erasmus semester in Spain would be an inexcusable understatement, I am utterly terrified. To paint a picture of where my fears are emerging from I like to break it down to this simple realisation: I’m nineteen years old, moving to a town and country I’ve never been to before with no friends, no family, no support system and will have to communicate with others and study university level subjects in a language I’ve only been practising poorly for two years. Nothing to be scared of, right? As you can imagine even getting to the point of an Erasmus wasn’t easy. It took long hours of work, savings accounts, university deadlines, learning agreements, several lost emails and finally a letter of nomination until this Fox
finally got her place in the rainy, northern town of Oviedo, located in the Asturias region of Spain. Through all of this, the realisation that you will actually have to live in another country and do an Erasmus becomes forgotten. That is until four months of summer passes by and you’re rushing to book flights, hostels, and practising how to ask for extra cheese in Spanish. Before arriving and starting college, my biggest concern is the language. As it has only become a minute part of my life two years ago from college and I’ve never travelled to Spain before it’s a major worry how I will adapt to the lifestyle, make friends and participate in lectures through spanish. With this, like all those travelling what I long for is a place of comfort in Oviedo, a place I can call my own. Which ironically is everything I am leaving behind. Obviously, excitement plays a strong role in my journey too. The desire to experience a different country and culture is not far from anyone’s bucket list and I feel immensely privileged to be participating in this life experience
especially so young. Yet, all of this still rid me of the nervous chill in my spine that I can only hope goes away once I begin to settle into the town of Oviedo. While spending a little time in Madrid now, my Erasmus journey will really begin when I arrive in Oviedo and have my first day in the university there, “UniOvi”. Whether it’s a complete success or an erasmus disaster you’ll find it all here every fortnight - wish me luck! You can also follow my journey online through my Facebook and Instagram account “Fox in Thought”, to see pictures and stories from my travels.
GNÉ -ALTANNA
September 12 2017
Student accommodation crisis update NUI Galway’s Flirt FM in By Teodora Bandut search of radio stars It is no secret that Galway’s student accommodation is in a dire situation. With over 20,000 students in NUI Galway and GMIT combined, as well as additional thousands in the rest of Galway’s highly-recognised student institutions, there is a sure discrepancy between supply of available housing and its demand. The consequential results include the injustices of students being forced to accept astonishingly sub-par conditions or rent at a price that is well beyond their means. According to Daft. ie, average rent in Galway has risen by 10% in the last year. Nationally, just 2,930 properties were available to rent nationwide on 1 August. These pitiful facts have led to the employment or consideration of desperate measures in an attempt to alleviate the situation. NUI Galway has issued an appeal for student housing for this academic year. Though maybe too late, the University has partnered with Winters Property in driving the “Rent a room scheme”. Galway homeowners are urged to consider renting a room in their house in exchange for up to 14,000 euro tax-free revenue. Free advertising and back up support are also included and potential landlords are entitled to target a specific age-group or field of study. Another initiative requiring the cooperation of Galway residents is the transformation of the Westwood Hotel,
already sold to Ziggurat, into high end student accommodation. The hotel could potentially house 400 students in en suite rooms with complimenting facilities. The scheme incurred severe opposition with four councillors pledging to vote against rezoning, backed up by a considerable number of local residents. Galway’s Student Unions joined to condemn this stance and highlight the many ensuing benefits but whether the plan will eventually get the go ahead remains to be seen. Solutions such as “Switching rooms”, an enterprise set up by Galwegian Aisling Byrne, allow students leaving behind empty rooms to switch with someone from the city they are going to. However, by far the most curious of propositions is that of the introduction of barges. Winter Property Management are in talks with owners of large-scale multistory ships in an attempt to find a slightly unusual solution to the housing crisis. Two barges, equipped with leisure areas, receptions, restaurants and other outstanding facilities could be towed into Galway harbour in just three weeks’ time. Though logistically-fraught, the owner of a private harbour has gotten involved, bringing this fresh vision a little bit closer to reality. The National Student Housing Strategy has recently been published by the government with an aim to deliver 21,000 student housing units by 2024. Until then we can only rely on the benevolence and inventiveness of one another.
By Eoghan Holland Flirt FM, NUI Galway’s on campus community radio station is on the hunt for some new recruits as another college year kicks off. Station manager Paula Healy told SIN that the door of Ireland’s first licensed alternative music station is open for all budding DJs and news readers hoping to try their hand at the decks. “We go through the same process of training volunteers and getting them ready to go on air, but it never gets old! There’s always so many new people coming along to induction with exciting fresh ideas; it’s a new experience and a new station every year,” she said. “Our full schedule, with all our new recruits included, kicks off on October 9”. She explained the diverse station which has been running for twenty years caters for every radio listeners’ needs – and provides the perfect platform for students looking at careers in broadcast. “The station is made up of such a variety of volunteers; media and journalism students, music fans, Gaeilgeoirí, sports enthusiasts, university staff and, like me back in the day, some people who were initially terrified of speaking in
public, but you’d never know to hear them now!” With stars like Chris Green being born in the Flirt FM studio, the student-made shows are broadcasted right across the city on 101.3fm and worldwide through the Flirt FM website, and every once and awhile launching them on the road to stardom. Inductions are held twice a year which show volunteers how to use just about every piece of equipment needed to be a radio presenter, so experience is not essential to join. The station is situated in a purpose-built studio which can be found behind the societies office in Aras Na Mac Leinn. A sign-up sheet is located on the Flirt FM website under the volunteers’ tab for anyone interested in giving it a go. Paula also added that joining the station is an effective way to help people develop their public speaking, but also to invest in their own interests or just to build their own musical island outside the stresses of the college workload. The team of Paula, Eoghan and Pádraig are usually on hand to help along the way, and are always happy to hear from people, whether they are signing up or just dropping by.
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Galway Holiday & Honeymoon Expo If Travel is more than just a holiday and you are interested in sustainable tourism, come and meet the Adventure Holiday experts at Galway’s First ever Holiday Expo At the Salthill Hotel Sunday 24th September 12pm – 5pm. ‘Take a Gorilla Trek in Uganda’,’ camp under the stars on a remote island in Botswana’, or ‘cycle through the Paddy fields in Laos’ to mention a few of our great trips. Be in with a chance to win a holiday to Dubai or one of our other great prizes. See our website for full details www. fahytravel.ie, we will also be featuring Cruising, USA, Long-haul destinations, and Family holidays.
8 OPI NI O N
SIN Vol. 19 Issue 1
Time to pull up your socks, Taoiseach By Teodora Bandut “A man met his friend in a shopping centre. The friend had a look at his feet and asked, ‘Why are you wearing one red and one black sock?’ The man paused for a moment and said, ‘I’m not sure, but I have another pair like this at home.’” Critics may say that the above is representative of An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar: a bland joke to do with socks. However, we must admit Varadkar’s skilfully executed plan to take over the Fine Gael leadership is demonstrative of an ability to think strategically, an asset which he has not put into action as visibly so far. As the youngest head of government in history, the son of an Indian immigrant and openly gay, Varadkar is a good look for Ireland, giving the impression that our country is progressive, diverse and ready to follow the likes of France’s Macron and Trudeau in Canada in their fresh approach to politics.
Committing to a European centre, An Taoiseach has been praised for his no nonsense response to Brexit talks, stating that he refuses to aid in the creation of a border plan between the Republic and Northern Ireland. Despite this debatably risky strategy, he was quick to recognise that the pivotal role of the DUP in the House of Commons could have positive political implications for Ireland and is keen to maintain his good relations with Arlene Foster. In addition to the dark Brexit-shaped clouds on the horizon, challenges for the returning Dáil will be abound. Ireland’s social infrastructure continues to be what could charitably be described as chaotic, following two years in which An Taoiseach served as minister in the pertinent sector. As Health Minister, Varadkar abandoned long term plans in favour of free GP care for children under six, a transparent diversion from the rapidly deteriorating standards of
A&E departments and cuts in mental healthcare funds. A similar distraction can be spotted in the “Welfare cheats cheat us all” campaign, when the real issues lie in the housing and homelessness crises. With a current situation including almost 3,000 homeless children and 3 deaths in the last month linked to homelessness, a more focused and radical approach than an “enlarged programme of building public housing” is needed. And immigration policy? What’s that? Leo also lets us down in the composition of his Cabinet. Survivors greatly outnumber new arrivals, as well as significantly bypassing the question of gender equality - a previous concern for Varadkar as a minister. Fundamental debates about pregnancy, abortion and women’s health will be deliberated in an Oireachtas where men still outnumber women more than three to
Role models of the modern world: who even are they? By Teodora Bandut Isaac Newton, one of the men to whom humanity is profoundly indebted, is quoted to have said once that the reason he was able to see further was because he stood on the shoulders of the greats. Why is it only when we’ve accomplished something that we turn to acknowledge our influences and support? Maybe not even then. It seems to me that there is a generational shift towards a lack of recognition of role models and subsequently, a lack of direction. We fight bitterly to tear ourselves away from the tentacles of “society” and, at least externally, reject its potentially moulding characters - the more positive ones in any case. Ask a political science student what leaders he admires, a journalism student her favourite journalists and you will be met with reluctance. Some reasons for this may be lack of information or the timidity to be associated with some unpredictable implications. “Role models” are passé, the concept infantile. Just as we suddenly stop listening to our parents, we give up our posters and thus, the personification of values. We choose to be Ourselves in a world where maybe only “style” is worth emulating anymore. We condemn and mock politicians, forgetting that they are an extension of us and a symptom of a chaotic
and erratic system of values. Perhaps we elevate to that top ladder men and women with unsteady grounding, who will most likely not give us what we want because we ourselves don’t know what that is. We champion individuality and uniqueness, forgetting the element of inevitable universality in which I would argue there is only an illusion of room to manoeuvre. Our society’s secularisation is welcomed by an overwhelming majority but has it left a void of much-needed guidance in its wake? We find ourselves in a never-ending personal search for the good and the right. This is probably for the best however, but it is also an indisputable pain in the ass. Will our humanness be sufficient as a common denominator? The unwillingness to look for and accept role models stems from and then goes back to (in a nicely dysfunctional cycle) the lack of viable options. Our confidence in our own abilities to navigate without a compass is what leads to the rejection of global personalities. “Why should I look up to you?” we ask in defiance. Here, we allow a few nods of mild acknowledgement in the direction of outstanding individuals like say Mary Robinson but mostly, we’re okay on our own. This indifference is what caused the rise to power of non-entities while we were busy looking elsewhere (inwards?). Pretty wives of sportsmen who tell us what to wear
and eat run us through their daily routine on our screens. We watch in derision, though with an odd feeling of connected detachment: “These are real people, behaving like it is wholly normal for them to do normal stuff.” How is it that the very opposite somehow transpires? Having been given screen time, they must be believed to have, or to have had at some point, a bit of knowledge to impart. Will we listen? Should we? If the answer is no, why are they there? In a world with ambitions of equality, who drives us forward? Different competences you may say, randomly distributed. However, if we are to really subscribe to this idea, then we must also follow through with the acknowledgement and support for those who truly are more competent than us. Let’s find them. Let’s engage with the supposed role models of the 21 st century until they really reflect our values instead of trying to run away from the latticework. We’ll only end up even more enmeshed and dissatisfied otherwise. Though reserving the right to critical thinking, a good start might be to exercise humility. “Everyone you meet has something to teach you” is a pretty safe approach. In the hope that this column will provide a bead of reflection, in turn igniting awareness, I welcome you to the new academic year.
one. That is if the drive to repeal the Eight Amendment sees any progress. So far, we have witnessed a lack of urgency and serious commitment. Varadkar has avoided a clear stance, unlike his election rival Simon Coveney, now offloading accountability to the decision of the Oireachtas. All going well, preparations will be required before too long for the promised referendum in the first part of 2018. Furthermore, after an encouraging start committing to the fight against climate change, a weak National Mitigation Plan has surfaced. This will secure a continuation of more of the same (non) engagement with this very real problem, likely leading to a failure to meet the ratified targets of the Paris Agreement. Instead, An Taoiseach chose to concern himself with the preservation of the thinly veneered image of the “cool and hip” head of government. His weekly vlog, an attempt
to communicate in a direct and unfiltered way with the electorate, revealed itself as a “spin manoeuvre” when in the first instalment Varadkar failed to address the Jobstown fallout, although this was a very controversial issue at the time. His plans for the introduction of an additional unit of communications is regarded with scepticism by Micheál Martin, with whom trust also broke down quickly. With a precarious coalition in tow, accusations like “classist” and “sound bite Taoiseach” thrown about, not to mention some very diplomatically clumsy first steps, Leo doesn’t inspire a whole lot of faith in the system. However, if he starts leading the country as well as he leads Pride marches, which incidentally is a bit odd for a man who has spent most of his political career opposing equal marriage and adoption by same-sex couples, we’d really be on our way to being a “Republic of Opportunity”.
Avacadon’t Bother By Grace Kieran
The very word vegan conjures up this image of a twenty-something There’s a man, grabbing at his chest lifestyle vlogger with several miland gasping what are possibly his lion followers, a sportswear line last breaths in the cramped aircraft and who is already a published cabin, appalled that his last meal author – of a book compiling might have to be processed Smash one hundred different recipes for and soft airplane chicken. guacamole. Scott Pilgrim VS. The “Is there a doctor on board, can World depicts the vegan diet as anybody help this man!?” the host- giving you super powers which are ess yells, swaying in the turbulence. taken away as soon as you take a Amongst the panic, some- sip of dairy. body stands up and a smug voice But there are obviously differannounces, “No, but I’m vegan.” ent tiers of veganism. There vegans This prompts the girl with the who are millionaires, who attend septum piercing who chimes in with Pilates classes once a week, fol“Oh, this? It didn’t even hurt.” lowed by Hot Yoga. There are also This has been one of my favour- probably vegans for whom avocado ite jokes since I can remember and is a weekly treat. There are stuwhen I tell it, I am encompassing the dents who cannot afford meat and Preacher Vegan stereotype which has do not have the patience for milk’s become increasingly prominent over sell by dates. the past decade. Inserting their moral The same way I do not eat a difagenda into each and any conversa- ferent roast dinner each evening, tion they can such as ‘Nice weather colourful couscous and terrific today’ or ‘What time do you have tapenade are not necessarily staEnglish?’. ples for a meat and dairy free diet. Before I receive hate mail written It could be Potato Smileys drenched on rice paper, I respect vegans. I have in baked beans, or vegan fish fingers myself complained in restaurants and mushy peas. who don’t know what type of oil their Perhaps someone eating an all chips are cooked in, or what ingredi- Irish Breakfast once a week might ents are in their pizza dough so my seem unhealthy, but if they visit friend can eat knowing where her the gym every morning, while their food comes from. But whether your vegan counterpart sits at home burger is made from beef or lentils, binging Netflix and eating a share there is always a flipside. bag of popcorn, it becomes apparThe notion I have an awful lot of ent that it’s all relative. trouble with is this idea that when If you are vegan, it does not mean the chicken in your bowl is replaced you are immune to ill health, heart with tofu, the fat will drop off you, attacks or bad plane food. ‘Healthy’ you’ll stop getting spots and cure is a dangerously broad term and the your own depression. Being vegan is assumption that veganism and good not a free pass to a healthy lifestyle. health are synonymous is bizarre.
TUAIRIM
September 12 2017
HEAD to head
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Should Higher Education in Ireland be fully publicly funded?
Publicly funded higher Public funding should education: hallmark of a keep focus on those who progressive society need the help By Ardindam Halder As we all know, USI has been campaigning for publicly funded higher education in Ireland. There have been voices of dissent from sections of our society that primarily focus around use of taxpayers’ money and waste of resources. This, some say, creates an over-skilled and underemployed work force. The student is always represented as a simple customer and the university as a service provider which is an oversimplification of the complex situation. One of the other problems
Higher education is essential for cultivating the human capital necessary for a strong economic foundation. Having said that, providing access to higher education becomes paramount. It is about future-proofing the economy from shocks which would happen due to advances in technology. is the perception that higher education is a private good, benefitting only the elite sections of our society. I am here to present the positives of publicly-funded higher education in the development of a progressive nation. Higher education is essential for cultivating the human capital necessary for a strong economic foundation. Having said that, providing access to higher education becomes paramount. Firstly, it is about future-proofing the economy from shocks which would happen due to advances in technology. The government spends significant money on welfare and other subsidies for the public. As years go by, the world moves toward a
society where low-skill jobs are being replaced by machines. This will lead to an added burden on the state to take care of the unemployed people and to upskill them. Hence, if future generations go through university, they would be aptly equipped to handle the future pressures. One of the biggest success stories can be seen in the relatively young nation of Israel. Despite being in a region of scarce resources and a hostile environment, they have developed as a knowledge powerhouse and lead in many areas due to pioneering research. Secondly, if citizens are given access to higher education in an affordable manner, it leads to people landing higher paying jobs. This indirectly pays back for the public funding in terms of higher taxes. To address the issue of creation of an over-skilled workforce, if jobs aren’t obtainable, it would lead to development of a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem as a natural outlet for the skilled citizens. Also, as a citizen, the right to higher education is as important as the right to live in the modern society. Thirdly, access to higher education helps citizens identify their areas of interest. School education is relatively generic and higher education exposes one to many subjects and topics leading to expanding one’s horizons. Public funding enables students who are not economically well off to dream of a better life without being dependent on getting scholarships. Also, the ability to bring students from all spheres of economic strata together in the same place leads to the creation of a more socially cohesive environment. Countries like the USA where education is primarily privately funded, the students take years to repay huge student loans causing stress and anxiety for years to come. Countries like Chile have decided to abolish university fees as they realize that the public funded higher education pays for itself in the long run. In a country like Ireland where the public has traditionally funded higher education, it is unfair to demand its abolition when the present generation has benefitted from the same system. Higher education cannot be a traded commodity whose access is determined by market forces. Higher education plays a very important role in establishing values of society, development of its culture and social consciousness and is critical marker for a progressive nation. The major aim of publicly funded education is to destroy pervasive individualism in capitalist societies and to promote increased sharing of ideas and co-operation. I would like to close my arguments by stating that publicly funded higher education is essential to affirm the constitutional obligations of providing its citizens a good quality of life. Hence, there is no justification in cutting public funds for higher education.
By Tomás M. Creamer You might be worried that as someone writing in opposition to the USI’s stance to publicly fund third-level education in full and abolish student fees, I’m about to talk about how it’s unfair to expect the poor taxpayers to pay for students to doss around in college. Or maybe that students need to cop on and take responsibility. Rest assured, I’m not one of those people. I think it would be condescending, considering that a good proportion of students are taxpayers themselves, and contribute greatly to local communities through various voluntary organisations. However, many working class and lower-middle class workers throughout the country would, nonetheless, be at least initially sceptical of the proposal for fully publicly funded education unless there is a very solid case behind it. Unfortunately, I’m not so sure that such a case exists. Even if we didn’t live in a country where increasing taxes to provide extra funding for services was something that our two largest political parties only do to avert an imminent financial collapse, there is always going to be some limit in the amount of funds that can be raised to fund all public services. This begs the question would focusing on funding university fees be the right move, when there are many other members of society who could benefit from more investment? The opportunity costs involved directly hurt the chances of upward mobility for the most disadvantaged members of society and is in favour of granting a subsidy for those who are fully capable of contributing to the cost of third-level education without the state’s help. The state essentially gives free third-level education for a proportion of students already, through SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) grants, which, depending on the applicant’s income levels, partially or sometimes fully covers the cost of fees. It also grants some students monthly maintenance instalments. Indeed, almost half of the student population of NUI Galway qualifies for some level of support from SUSI. Could the income bracket bands be a bit more generous? Could the state reintroduce grants to allow students to process onto Master’s programs, should they so wish? Could the state increase access to maintenance grants to help students pay the rent? Or even better, could the state dedicate the required resources to spearhead the increase of housing provision that cities like Galway desperately need at present? Yes, they could do all the above. These would be concrete steps towards ensuring that one’s academic career should not be impacted solely due to not having the highest income. Funds such as these allow people to pursue their dreams and aspirations and subsequently, to combating the disease of inequality we’ve all heard about on the media before.
Of course, doing all the above is not at all mutually exclusive to a policy that aims to fund third-level education through the state, and abolish individual “student contributions” (i.e. fees), but the policy comes with an opportunity cost that needs to be accounted for. For every euro that is spent subsidising fees for those students who have enough social and financial capital to easily pay the current student fee of €3000, that is a euro less a Government has to build new housing for students of all backgrounds who are currently struggling with rent. A euro less to invest in secondary
For every euro that is spent subsidising fees for those students who have enough to pay the current student fee of €3000, that is a euro less a Government has to build new housing for students of all backgrounds who are currently struggling with rent. school students who are struggling academically due to background circumstances over which they have no control. A euro less to increase maintenance funding for those who need that money, and ultimately, less opportunity for those who most needs assistance from the state. Of course, I greatly appreciate the campaigning work that many running the NUI Galway Student’s Union, and the USI itself, do on behalf of us students. I do not think for a second that they are in favour of abolishing fees for the sake of giving a subsidy to those who are already privileged enough. However, I also think that it would be wise to exercise some scepticism about the current USI stance. A flat, across-the-board student fee for third-level Education, combined with grants to ensure that the playing field remains fair among all students, are current fundamentals of the status quo. Could this be improved upon, and be ultimately more beneficial for all students across the island?
10 OPI NI O N
SIN Vol. 19 Issue 1
Politics is not a team sport By Eoin Molloy The hyper-polarisation of politics is a regrettable by-product of the hyperbolic, clickbait-oriented online news we consume on a daily basis. This phenomenon has helped to foster a wholly adversarial atmosphere between groups of people who would otherwise find much common ground. These groups being the supposed feminazis, social justice warriors and of course their long-standing white male oppressors. We choose who and what we follow on social media, thereby creating a so-called echo chamber where every single post re-affirms our pre-existing biases and opinions. This is doubly disturbing when considered in light of the fact that around 60% of adults get their news online according to Pew Research. If we are rarely confronted with alternate viewpoints, it becomes all-too-easy to demonise those with opinions different from our own thereby creating a deficit of understanding. The advent of the online information age is also problematic when considering the
post-modernist revelation that truth is relative. Critical theory scholars like Roberto Unger have expounded ad nauseum on their theory that truth exists only within a political field. This line of thought has given rise to the general sentiment that there is no objective truth, and that we only believe things because of our own innate biases. If there is no objective truth then there is no middle-ground, thereby eroding any hope for co-operation between would-be political moderates. Simply browsing slanted news outlets like Slate and Breitbart could give rise to the opinion that the world is in a constant state of civil war between the mystical factions of left and right. However, most young people do not identify with either of these defunct labels and view themselves as being altogether more moderate and capable of making up their minds on individual issues without the need for an over-riding ideology. You might like one party’s fiscal policy and simultaneously find their social policy abhorrent. This is completely acceptable as politics should never be considered analo-
gous to a team sport whereby you must support every single policy of the person for whom you are voting. Take the election of Donald Trump for example. Most of his support came from brow-beaten, former middle-class Americans who felt they had been sold out by a class of cosmopolitan globalists masquerading as social progressives. Most online media sources ascribed his ascent to power to the millions of supposed closet racists and misogynists who spontaneously crawled out of the woodwork to anoint their glorious Aryan leader. The simple truth of the matter is that Donald Trump represented a change to the established order and that was seemingly enough for most even in spite of his unhanded and offensive rhetoric. More to the point, history teaches us that the political left and right have much more in common than they would like to admit. This is the horseshoe theory – the idea that the political spectrum is not linear but rather, curves around as it reaches its most extreme points to resemble said horse’s shoe.
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Hitler’s Nationalist Socialist party identified themselves as being to the left of the political spectrum. They were socialists after all. But this does not place them in the same political space as self-identified democratic socialists like Bernie Sanders. Politics is never black and white, nor is it ever simply just left or right. The rapidly-shortening distance between the far left and far right has also been exemplified by the violent convulsions that are occurring across the United States at present. From the Antifa-led riots at Berkeley last year to the white supremacist rally at Charlottesville just last month – these clashes are the end result of acrimony that has been bubbling up for years online.
Antifa are at the exact opposite end of the political spectrum when compared to white supremacist groups, yet they share similar means of achieving their desired ends. Both groups are fuelled by violent ideology – yet they are painted as being wholly different entities. Condemning both groups in equal measure should not spark such an outraged response as they are morally reprehensible to most right-minded human beings. Our online world cultivates groupthink. We have been herded together and told what to think based off our own group identities and to hate those who disagree with us. However, if each of us simply gave an undertaking to converse open-mindedly with those we disagree with – we
would find there is a lot more common ground between people than is portrayed. It is for this reason that freedom of speech is the most important right we have. A punch to the face feels the same whether it lands on the left or right side of your face. As the Western World enters an era of critical import in social and economic terms, it is time we started to prioritise issues over group identity when it comes to exercising our political rights. If we as students gave an undertaking to always consider both sides of a debate irrespective of party loyalties prior to voting, we might actually end up with the just and equitable world that has been promised to us election after election.
In defence of the Snowflake Generation By Mark Laherty In the context of Brexit, Trump’s rise to power, and what could loosely be termed the ‘culture wars’, one insult has become remarkably popular, usually (though not exclusively) lobbed from the right at the left: ‘snowflake’. As is often the case, this is a topic that has become popular in Ireland largely due to the influence of the US. The insult is a default weapon of the so-called alt-right, the controversial white nationalist identarian movement begun by Richard Spencer, commonly thought of as holding fascistic tendencies. Political commentator Milo Yiannopoulos once used it to dismiss a protestor at a talk in Houston, declaring that his event was not “the silver-haired snowflake show”. “Madam, I’m grateful to you for coming, but to be quite honest with you, f*** your feelings,” he told her as the crowd chanted “USA! USA!” Yiannopoulos’ expletive is a crude but reasonable shorthand for what ‘snowflake’ has come to mean. Recently, Yiannopoulos was invited to speak at a California university, sparking another in a long line of controversies as to whether he and people like him should be given a platform. This attempted ‘no-platforming’ is a common criticism of the ‘Snowflake Generation’ in the US. The argument from news outlets such as Fox News goes that we must hear views that do not agree with our own to learn how to tackle them. This argument recalls a defence of pacifism in the wake of the debate surrounding black-bloc protestors. The priority should be bringing a firm ideological defence against it into the mainstream so that it doesn’t grow in numbers.
But those controversies about provocative speakers in colleges aren’t so common in Ireland, where such commentators are rarely, if ever, given a platform. Another recent controversy centred on a New York Times op-ed about US military presence in Afghanistan written by Erik Prince, the former owner of a forprofit military contractor. Rolling Stone ran a piece in response titled ‘Who Cares What Erik Prince Thinks?’ which argued that Prince would “stand to make millions of dollars if we send a team of his unaccountable mercenaries into the war-torn country.” This, in turn, inspired backlash. POLITICO ran a piece called ‘The New York Times op-ed page is not your safe space’. This led to journalist Parker Molloy posting a blistering Twitter thread, dismissing POLITICO’s piece as an “absolutely boring take” and pointing to how there is no equitable call for typically right-wing publication Wall Street Journal to hire leftist contributors. And on it goes. On home soil, members of our student community have spoken out against the notion that the upcoming generation are “snowflakes”. “I don’t believe people our age can’t deal with the outside world,” said NUI Galway Welfare Officer Megan Reilly. “I think we’re becoming less accepting of racism and sexism and because it’s being called out now there’s a pushback.” Cameron Keighron, the Grand Marshall of this year’s Galway Community Pride parade, put it in stronger terms: “I think it’s bulls*** to be honest.” “As a society, we empower young people to express themselves, and be their authentic self
in all aspects of their lives. That scares some people.” A lot of this debate comes down to how one defines and engages with the idea of campus safe spaces. Keighron is quick to extoll their merits, describing them as “spaces that offer comfort and hope to those who most desperately need it.” Reilly explained that when she sees safe spaces, she sees vulnerable people building a space for themselves. “It doesn’t make sense to label vulnerable people as snowflakes just for existing in a space where they’re respected and accepted for who they are.” She thinks our so-called Snowflake Generation is fostering a more accepting society. “That change is coming from us, and if we have to face that kind of criticism then so be it,” she said. Keighron does not believe the popular idea that young people are more easily offended. Rather, they are more often “inspired to protest, to rally, and to fight for what they believe in.” When asked if there was any sympathetic part of her that saw why people might call today’s youth snowflakes, Reilly seemed dubious: “Maybe they’re just threatened by our generation.” Keighron was similarly dismissive. “We should embrace the changes that are coming,” he said. The end of the culture wars and name-calling seems a long way off yet. In the meantime, it could be remarked that ‘snowflake’ hardly seems an apt metaphor. The word choice calls to mind fragility and weakness, but as any history book can confirm, a lot of snowflakes at once defeated the Nazis before, in the winter of 1941.
12 FA SH I ON & L I F E ST Y L E
The basic tools you need to get through college By Tomás M. Creamer NUI Galway has a relatively wide variety of courses, and there are often particular pieces of equipment you may require that may be unique to those courses – whether it be Medicine, Engineering and IT, or Law, Arts and Commerce. As varied as specific course requirements might be, everyone must attend lectures and take down notes, or write up compositions of some kind throughout their time here in Galway – and while some of your secondary school equipment may be transferable, you still may have to come to terms with a different approach to coursework and note-taking than you may be used to. Here is a list of items to keep in mind, and some tips, to help make that transition that bit easier.
The pencil case essentials Pens are the staple piece of equipment for students to have on hand, and investing in a supply of pens is never a bad idea when they seem to grow legs and disappear with every use. Highlighters can come in handy when notes need to be taken in information-dense lectures, where prioritising the information that you record would prove essential. If you don’t like the messiness of crossing out mistakes, investing in Tipp-ex (or similar products) may be worthwhile, but most of the time, the above should be the ones you prioritise for your pencil case – unless you wish to take notes on a computer, of course.
Notepads and folders For the purposes of writing lecture notes, the typical A4-sized writing pad should be sufficient. Notepads with dividing sections built into them can suffice for notetaking for various modules. However, courses will inevitably require holding on to some loose sheets of paper – sheets with in-depth info on some parts of the course, lists of your modules or assignments, among various others. While it might seem safe to just to leave the odd couple of sheets in with your notepads, even investing in a small, dedicated folder or two can help ensure that you don’t lose those sheets at the most inconvenient times.
Library and online resources If you haven’t done this already, you should see about doing a tour of the library facilities, and look through any information you can find on Blackboard, where you should get the information you need to search for any required academic sources, and how to structure your assignments so that they fit the requirements set out by your course.
Digital storage Unlike the essays that you did in secondary schools, all college essays must be composed on Microsoft Word, and even where departments require a physical copy of the essay, electronic copies will need to be submitted on blackboard as well. One very helpful tool would be an account with a cloud storage site, such as Dropbox, or Google Drive. While most people have their own personal laptops, it may not always be possible to access them when you need to complete an essay, and by saving your work onto cloud storage facilities, you can log into your cloud storage account through a different computer, and continue work on it. It will also give you back-up storage, which you can always access if anything happens to the memory on your computer, either through digital or human error.
SIN Vol. 19 Issue 1
On-campus STI clinic reopens for another year By Cathy Lee NUI Galway’s free on-campus STI clinic is set to open again this semester, running two nights per week for two hours. Students can book an appointment through the Health Centre or drop in to the clinic situated upstairs in Aras na Mac Leinn. Preventing an STI (sexually transmitted infection) is as important as getting screened for one, as the facts today stand that you can catch an STI more than once and have more than one form of STI at a time. The three categories of STIs fall under viral, bacterial and parasites, and once diagnosed, most STIs can be cured with medication. However, some of them can only be treated to reduce symptoms but will stay in your system once you have been infected meaning it is important to get treatment early, as some can cause long term effects, according to guidelines from the HSE. STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) and STIs can be spread through oral, vaginal and anal intercourse. Some STDs and STIs can be contracted from genital touching or interacting with various bodily fluids such as blood and semen. This means that pubic lice/crabs or herpes can be caught without partaking in full intercourse. With more and more cases being presented to doctors each year, STDs or STIs can affect any sexually active person. But according to HIV Ireland, “the burden of STIs remains greatest among those aged 15 to 24 years and men who have sex with men”. The most common infections found in this group were chlamydia, gonorrhoea, genital herpes and syphilis.
As NUI Galway students, it’s clear to see that the majority of us fall under this category of being under 25 years of age and are very lucky to have a free and confidential STI screening clinic right here on campus. NUI Galway are among many colleges across the country with an STI screening service, such as TCD, DCU, UCD, CIT, WIT and UL but often times these services are not free of charge to students - so providing sexually active students with this kind of free outlet is something of great value to students here in Galway. The Students Union hold the belief that having the STI clinic on campus reinforces the idea that getting regular STI checks should be something that’s part of normal sexual health with no stigma attached. They encourage every student to use this valuable facility. Speaking to SIN, Welfare officer Megan Reilly explained the STI clinic was funded by Student Project Fund and in its first year had 340 visits in 48 “completely full” sessions. She said that having the clinic has “definitely encouraged more people to get tested” and as it’s all handled by the health clinic on campus, it was a “comfortable” setting and put people at ease. “There’s no shame in it, it’s better that you actually get tested because you never know,” she said. Of the 177 patients who attended the clinic in the first semester of the last academic year, just over 10% uncovered that they had tested positive an STI. They were then treated accordingly with medication or anti-biotics prescribed. With the majority of these having had no symptoms before coming for a screening, it’s important to consider your own sex-
ual health and potential unknown risks you may be putting yourself in without realising. Like any other aspect of your own health, concerns or worries are between you and your doctor in a private and professional capacity. But it is up to you alone to reach out in order to look after yourself and understand your own body. It is important to keep an eye out for unusual discharge from the penis or vagina, pain when passing urine, unusual sores, bumps or blisters in the genital area, or itching or irritation in the genital area, even pain during sex. These symptoms could be the first sign of an STD or STI but regardless of the seriousness, as the saying goes it’s better to be safe than sorry especially when it comes to your sexual health. In these situations, it does come back to contraception and consent between partners. Whether this communication is telling someone your preferred method of contraception and what sexual acts you are comfortable preforming with a chosen partner, it has an important place in any shared sexual activity. As we know, symptoms of STIs can often be unrecognisable and no matter how much you trust your partner, they could be unaware of having an STI themselves. Being open about your sexual history with a new partner can help as you go about sharing this aspect of yourself with them, communication is key. It is important to remember that our sexual rights are a key part of our human rights within the guidelines of the World Health Organisation. More information is also available online regarding various STDs and STIs from the SU website www. su.nuigalway.ie.
A guide to Galway nightlife By Aileen O’Leary
2. The Róisín Dubh:
4. The Front Door:
It’s that time of year again! To all our new freshers welcome, and to those returning to the city of the Claddagh welcome back. It’s a new year and of course what other way to celebrate than going out after college. As we get into the swing of things, we’ve got the rundown on the top 5 places to go in Galway, whether its pubbing and clubbing or tucking into some great food after a long day. Here are our top five picks for after college:
You can’t call yourself a true NUIG alum without going to the Róisín at least once over the course of your academic life here in Galway. The stage has been home to great acts like The Academic, The Coronas, Ham Sandwich and more. Known for its silent discos on Tuesday nights, the Roisin Dubh never disappoints. If discoing doesn’t float your boat they also have hipster bingo, comedy nights and more, check them out here: https://www. facebook.com/roisindubhgalway/
Probably one of the best pubs you’ll find in Galway, in the heart of the city this gem has become a second home to a lot of us. Whether its live music, Karaoke, or just sneaking in for a few ‘quiet ones’ on a Sunday night this place has it all. If you’re looking for great atmosphere and a bit of craic then look no further, a great spot for pubbing or catching up with friends. Every great night out starts here so check it out https://www.facebook.com/ frontdoorpub/
1. Electric: A staple in any NUIG goers list of clubs. Electric is your one stop shop for everything from great tunes to even better drinks deals. The home of Galway’s best DJs and events list, you cannot miss a chance to go here. The debate of Electric or 44 is still ongoing but fear not because the first Super-Club of the year is right around the corner. Haven’t heard of it? Check out the Facebook pages for the clubs right here and while you’re there check out nightlife Galway too for all the latest. https:// www.facebook.com/ElectricGalway/
3. Dough Bros Woodfired Pizza: The best pizza you will find in Galway hands down. If you want to destress after a long day of lectures head straight here, grab yourself their student deal and sit back and listen to tunes from their very own in house DJ, playing the greatest throwback hits. It’s a place for turning off phones and getting to know the person sitting next to you. Check it out right here: https://www.facebook.com/thedoughbros/
5. An Pucán: If you haven’t stopped by just to take a picture in their stunning beer garden do you even go to NUIG? A place for food, fun, music and madness an Pucán is Galway’s little slice of heaven. A great spot on game day, watch the best in football, hurling and rugby on their big screen, sample their delicious drinks and enjoy some of Galway’s finest pub grub. You can check them out here https:// www.facebook.com/anpucan/
WHAT YOU SEE IS JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG
Hepatitis Chancroid Trichomoniasis HIV A Human Papillomaviru Genital Warts Herpe Gonorrhea Chlamydi Hepatitis Chancroid Trichomoniasis Huma Papillomavirus Genit CHECK WHAT’S GOING ON BELOW, GET TESTED FREE Confidential STI Clinic at the Student Health Unit, Áras na Mac Léinn
Tuesday 5-7pm • Wednesday 5-7pm www.su.nuigalway.ie twitter.com/NUIGSU Contact the Studentfacebook.com/NUIGalwayStudentsUnion Health Unit to make your appointment Funded by the Student Projects Fund www.su.nuigalway.ie
facebook.com/NUIGalwayStudentsUnion
twitter.com/NUIGSU
14 FA SH I ON & L I F E ST Y L E
SIN Vol. 19 Issue 1
Kake Me Up for SIN: The Smokey Eye Meet SIN’s very own resident beauty guru Kake Me Up. A student in NUI Galway, she has taken the blogosphere by storm and built up an impressive following for herself online. This year, she will be gracing the pages of SIN teaching you everything from how to get the perfect highlight to blending your eyeshadow just right.
2. Using a fluffy blending brush (for example the Inglot 6ss), start with your transition shade. The
This gives a nice gradient effect. Again, I added this colour underneath the eye to balance out the
brush, sweep the remainder into the crease. Again, I added Cocoa Bear underneath to darken the look.
cealer, but you can also use Inglot’s duraline or even eyelash glue. I take a tiny bit of concealer on a flat
effect, I took some black liner (for example Inglot kohl pencil 01) and lined my bottom water line. Then
transition shade will be the lightest colour that all of the darker colours will blend into. Here I used Makeup Geek Chickadee. You want to blend in circular motions back and forth in your crease and up to the brow bone. I also buffed this colour underneath the eye in the same way.
look. To assure a flawless blend, go back in with the first shade and blend over any harsh edges.
5. Next is the scary part- using black shadow. The trick here is to start with a tiny amount a build gradually. Use an even smaller blending brush again. The darker the colour the smaller the brush! Pack the shade onto the very outer corner of the lid and blend with a
brush and pat it onto my lid where I want my glitter to go. With your finger, blend the concealer into the shadow to avoid harsh lines.
with a small smudger brush I grabbed a tiny bit of black shadow and smoked out the liner. This really amps up the look and is my favourite thing to do for a night out!
very light hand. Make sure you keep your blending right in the outer corner to avoid the black going everywhere! If you wish, go back in with your precious shade and blend over any harsh lines.
it mostly on the inner third of the lid and ones the majority it off the brush, pat towards the outer corner to create a nice gradient, rather than it stopping abruptly! I also added some highlighter on the inner corner and brow bone.
1. Before you start, prime your lid up to the brow bone using a con-
cealer or eye primer and set it with translucent powder. This provides a blank canvas for your shadows to blend over.
4. Now to add even more depth to the eye, take a smaller blending brush such as the MAC 217 and a darker shade again. Here I used Makeup Geek Cocoa Bear. Instead of going straight into the crease with this shade, I started on the outer third of the lid where I want it to be the darkest. Use small circular motions to blend here. Once the majority of the shadow is off the
3. Next we want to deepen the crease slightly. Using the same brush, I blended Inglot 300 eyeshadow into the crease again but slightly lower than the first shade.
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– tried and tested eyeliners By Aoife O’Donoghue
I
don’t think it’s too much of an exaggeration to say that eyeliner is simultaneously the most loved and most feared part of any beauty kit. You just know that your whole look will be made complete by the addition of a sharp, black wing. You also know that with one slip of the hand, the whole thing becomes a catastrophe and your only options are to restart the whole process or accept the ‘Dark Jenny Humphrey’ look for the night. As such, I have been on a one-woman mission to find the seemingly impossible; an affordable eyeliner that is pigmented, smudge-proof and most importantly, easy to use. Here are three that I have tried, tested and live my life by.
ESSENCE LIQUID INK LINER This eyeliner is insanely good for how inexpensive it is. The applicator is an incredibly fine brush that has just the right balance between flexibility and control which makes it really easy to lay out the shape of your wing. The pigmentation is great, dark black with no streaks or patches. The original formula is always my go-to, and it also comes in waterproof.
MAYBELLINE MASTER PRECISE LIQUID EYELINER This is one of those eyeliners with a felt-tip style applicator that you see across many brands. I have tried countless different ones and have usually hated every single one, finding them watery and patchy, but Maybelline have broken the mould
with this one because I think it’s fantastic. Well done Maybelline. It’s fine and precise but it’s still easy to build up a thicker line if you want. Lasts all night on the lid without flaking or sliding off.
NYC LIQUID LINER This is Desi Perkins’ favourite affordable liquid eyeliner which is all you should need to know to believe that it is fantastic. If you don’t know who Desi Perkins is, look her up on YouTube immediately and be transported into a world of beautiful makeup magic. You’re welcome. This eyeliner is pigmented, glides on easily and won’t crack or slide off the lids. So there you have it, three easy-to-use, good quality liquid eyeliners for under a tenner each. What more could a makeup addict on a student budget want?
FAIS EAN
September 12 2017
A Career in Makeup The International School of Make-up Artistry spans over 25 years, specialising in Make-up Artistry courses, from beginners to advanced levels, constantly updating with cosmetic products and fashion trends. The college offers a variety of full time and part time options. The course covers, all areas of beauty Makeup, including, Day, Evening, Bridal, different age groups, Fashion/Trend, special effects make-up and much more. The Diploma course at The School of Make-up Artistry also includes a module on makeup for professional photo shoots. Qualifications from this course are recognised in: Ireland, U.K, Australia, Bahrain, Channel Islands, China, Cyprus, Kenya, Malta, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, USA, and Zimbabwe. The School of Make-up Artistry is supported by MAC Cosmetics, and our Make-up Artist Diploma students have the option of receiving a MAC Make-up kit, valued over 300euro, or an Inglot make-up kit, compliments of the school. Students in this school are eligible for membership in the MAC pro student programme, which enables our students to receive discount in any of the MAC Pro stores worldwide. Students from The School of Make-up Artistry are also eligible to receive a discount with a variety of other cosmetic companies, such as Inglot and Blank Canvas. When students successfully complete the examinations required for the full-time academic year course, they will be Internationally qualified as a Make-up Artist, and will receive an Internation-
ally recognised Diploma accredited by ITEC, in Fashion, Media and Specail effects Make-up. The school also offer a variety of part-time courses. Many graduates from the college, are now enjoying a career within the beauty industry, working as freelance Make-up Artists specialising in Bridal make-up, and working on Fashion shows and Photo-shoots, or on T.V and Film, others are enjoying a career working for leading cosmetic companies, such as M.A.C, Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown, Lancome and Laura Mercier worldwide. Over 90% of the graduates have been placed in secure employment, in Ireland and abroad through the college. Numerous Cosmetic Companies and a variety of agencies contact The School of Makeup Artistry on a regular basis, when hiring, as they are always extremely happy with the high standard of training which the students receive from this college. The school also offers Itecs latest Teacher Training Course, this Diploma course trains students to become ITEC lecturers, which on successful completion qualifies the graduate to become a tutor in any ITEC registered college. If you would like any further information or if you would like to book an appointment, please contact: Phone; 0871214678 Email; info@schoolofmakeupartistry.ie Web; www.schoolofmakeupartistry.ie
7
NÓS MAIRE ACHTÁLA
STYLE SPOT: did you stand out from the crowd on Socs Day? By Amy McMahon
Ornagh O’Reilly & Claire Kavanagh Style Inspired By: Seasonal trends Favourite Shops: Vintage shops such as Nine Crows, Tola Vintage and Kim Bali Everyday Wardrobe Essential: Denim jacket and Doc Martins
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Style Inspired By: Kylie Jenner Favourite Shop: River Island Everyday Wardrobe Essential: scrunchies
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YOUR SEMESTER AHEAD WEEK
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WEEK
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AUG 29th - SEPT 1st
WELCOME WEEK
First Year Orientation
SEPT 4th-8th
START RIGHT WEEK
Get Connected
SEPT 11th-15th
FRESHERS WEEK
Make Friends & Have Fun
SEPT 18th-22nd
LIVE RIGHT WEEK
Get the Most Out of University Life
SEPT 25th-29th
SUPPORTS WEEK
Find the University Resources You Need
OCT 2nd-6th
GET MOVING WEEK
Feel Great
OCT 9th-13th
MENTAL HEALTH WEEK
Your Mind Matters
OCT 16th-20th
SKILLS WEEK
Build your Skills for Learning, Life & Work
OCT 23rd-27th
GLOBAL WEEK
Celebrate Diversity, Understand Global Issues & Save the Planet
NOV -DEC
REVISE & STUDY WEEKS
Prepare, Practice & Focus on Your Study Plan
WEEKS
9-12
Here is a look at 2017’s themed weeks, full of resources and fun to participate and enjoy.
For full details on events for each week check out www.nuigstudents.ie
Welcome Willkommen Witamy Bienvenue Fáilte Velkominn Üdvözöljük Tervetuloa Bienvenido
’
Freshers 2017 FAIR
Aonach Lucht na Chéad Bhliana
11am-4pm Wednesday 13th September • 11rn-4in Dé Céadaoin an 13 Meán Fómhair • Áras na Mac Léinn
Giant Inflatable Games • Freebies Giveaways • Competitions and Food! www.su.nuigalway.ie
Cluichí Inséidte Ollmhóra • Aiscíní Duaiseanna • Comórtais agus Bia!
facebook.com/NUIGalwayStudentsUnion
twitter.com/NUIGSU
NÍL ACH AN CHUID IS LÚ DEN SCÉAL AR EOLAS AGAT
Hepatitis Chancroid Trichomoniasis HIV A Human Papillomaviru Genital Warts Herpe Gonorrhea Chlamydi Hepatitis Chancroid Trichomoniasis Huma Papillomavirus Genit FAIGH AN SCÉAL IOMLÁN, FAIGH AN TÁSTÁIL Beidh Clinic STI faoi rún á reáchtáil SAOR IN AISCE san Aonad Sláinte Mic Léinn, Áras na Mac Léinn
An Mháirt, 5 - 7 i.n. • An Chéadaoin, 5 - 7 i.n. www.su.nuigalway.ie twitter.com/NUIGSU Déan teagmháil leisfacebook.com/NUIGalwayStudentsUnion an Aonad Sláinte Mic Léinn le coinne a dhéanamh Arna chistiú ag Ciste na dTionscadal Mic Léinn www.su.nuigalway.ie
facebook.com/NUIGalwayStudentsUnion
twitter.com/NUIGSU
Clá
AN CHO
Clár Scileanna Saoil
kills Life Skills SU
Enrol now for the following reduced price courses in the Students’ Union Office:
Union
TS
Saoil C
Chomhaltas na Mac Léinn
Clár Scileanna
Chomhaltas na Mac Léinn • SignSaoil Language Second Hand BOOKSTORE • Occupational First Aid
Cláraigh anois do na cúrsaí seo a leanas ar phraghas laghdaithe in Oifig an Chomhaltais:
Siamsaíocht • An Teanga Chomharthaíochta an Chomhaltais
• An Gharchabhair Oibre
• Cardiac First Responder
• Céad Fhreagróir Cairdiach
• Child Protection Training
• Oiliúint sa Chosaint Leanaí
• Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)
• Oiliúint i Scileanna Feidhmeacha Idirghabhála i dtaca le Féinmharú
• Mixed Martial Arts for Self Defence • Anti-Racism
• Ealaíona Comhraic Measctha i gcomhair Féinchosanta
• Disclosure Training
• Frithchiníochas
• Irish
• An Ghaeilge
• Yoga
• An tIóga
More information at www.su.nuigalway.ie or email studentsunion@nuigalway.ie
Tuilleadh eolais le fáil ag www.su.nuigalway.ie nó seol ríomhphost chuig studentsunion@nuigalway.ie
www.su.nuigalway.ie
facebook.com/NUIGalwayStudentsUnion
twitter.com/NUIGSU
SIOPA ATH
an Ch
20 A RT S & E N T E RTAIN M EN T Storytelling at the Crane bar By Teodora Bandut Every Thursday evening until the end of October, Rab Swannock Fulton, storyteller extraordinaire, enchants a bewildered and enthralled audience of regulars, tourists and serendipitous wanderers. Fulton, a recognised name in the Galway Arts scene, is a graduate of NUI Galway’s History and Celtic studies and has been living in Galway for 16 years. His Scottish upbringing of eccentricity and vim has set him up for a life laced with mystical narrative. An author, blogger, poet, teller of tales, but most importantly a perpetual performer (even off the stage!), Rab Fulton is definitely a man worth meeting. His shows’ content ranges from stories of ghosts, murder, love, magic and all the elements encompassed in Irish and Scottish folktales and urban legends. All with a moral, though sometimes elusive, to impart. The superbly adequate location for this event, the Crane bar on Sea Road, is a truly authentic “old man pub”, where the pints are poured right and the sun’s rays barely penetrate the windows. To complete the atmosphere, a trad music session follows the show, rounding off a genuinely entertaining evening of culture. Allow yourself an escape to this mystical world constructed by a gleeful Scotsman next Thursday at 8pm and you shall not be disappointed. To find out more information, visit www. rabfultonstories.weebly.com
SIN Vol. 19 Issue 1
TAYLOR SWIFT: look at me By Michael Glynn Taylor Swift is a great many things: a talented songwriter, from her old country style to her new pop stardom, a fashion icon, and a supporter of musicians’ rights. One thing she is not however, is subtle. Taylor’s new song “Look What You Made Me Do” is set to beat some streaming records, and why shouldn’t it? It’s quite catchy. And in true Taylor fashion, it leaves the viewer to wonder what it’s all about, causing them to hit the replay button more times than they care to admit. The video begins with a shot of a gravestone reading “Here lies Taylor Swift’s reputation” and a zombie Tay-Tay burying her former self. There’s not too much to read into there, typical Taylor being dramatic is merely all that’s going on. Move along. Next, we go through two more Swifty iterations, with the woman herself laying in a bathtub full of diamonds accompanied by one single dollar bill. Now leaving aside my feelings about using a public indirect medium to have a go at somebody, unless said somebody is super famous and you’re a nobody university student, this seems to
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the greatest scholar of ‘She Who Must Not Be Spurned’. Bear with me now as I break down the middle section of the song. Is it that the former country bumpkin feels like she has completely broken the bank with the help of her posse? That she envisions herself as the ruler of the world in all its futuristic glory? And any resistance to her mighty rule shall be crushed by her secret police? But maybe, the girl just loves a bit of represent TS’ symbolic victory of a dollar in her court case against the radio DJ who groped her. Fair enough, really, and a victory that certainly deserved representation. A common motif throughout the video is snakes and T-Swizzle being covered in them. While it may seem at some points like our dear singer is the source of these snakes, we must remember two things: the name of the song is “Look What You Made Me Do”, and that Tayto Swiftwich never, ever accepts blame. The question remains who is the supposed snake she is referring to? Now that we are clear Taylor is definitely mad at someone, our visual themes then take us through a gangster bank robbery into a cyber-punk style future, crashing from a biker chick group to a cabaret style ballroom routine with a fabulous male dance troupe.
dancing. Many claim that this latest cracker from Swifters is a final response to Kanye West and his disruption of her VMA award ceremony. While this certainly makes sense, we must take off our millennial glasses and remember that this debacle, while horrifyingly rude and horrible of Kanye, happened back in 2009. That’s eight years ago. Eight years. At what stage is it acceptable to just let something go? For me it’s in and around a day or two, I’ve forgotten more slights in these last eight years than Her Lord almighty grudger has had fans scream at her. But to ever claim that I’ve hit the nail on the head with any of this is an absurdity. T-Top Swoftybops is an artist in every sense of the word, and her work is what you make of it. Me, I say it’s bonkers.
What does the future hold for Game of Thrones fans? By Saoirse Rafferty (Be warned: spoilers ahead!)
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Winter has finally arrived, and viewers were left with an eerie feeling as they watched snow fall in Kings Landing. Ned Stark promised it; winter has come. But what will happen next? Fans have also promised a few things of their own for next season’s Game of Thrones. Read on to find some ridiculously mind-blowing fan theories – bearing in mind, seeing as Jon Snow come back to life and a woman give birth to dragons, anything is possible.
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I promised ridiculous fan theories and this is one I can’t get my head around. Fans are predicting the possibility that Bran travelled back in time far enough to try stop the creation of the White Walkers. Fans are claiming that he stuck around for too long and somehow became the one the children of the forest turned into the Night King. This is based on the fact that the Night King never touched Samwell Tarly when he had the opportunity in an earlier episode. What’s more, if you look closely at the ending scene of the last episode, fans noticed the symbol of a Stark sigil as the army of the dead marched to the wall. Well, The Starks are the ones who always promised winter would come. Maybe there is a greater purpose for this war and the White Walkers aren’t so bad after all…
JAIMIE WILL KILL CERSEI This theory I fully believe is possible and very probable after the Lannister showdown in the season finale. When Cersei was a small girl a witch predicted many things for her future, most of which have already come true. This prediction supports the fan theory:
“And when your tears have drowned you, the Valonqar shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you.” Apparently, Valonqar means ‘little brother’ in Valyrian. Over the years many have presumed that this will be Tyrion; the little brother that Cersei has always despised. It’s possible that hearing this prophecy might have drove Cersei to be weary of Tyrion over the years. But nobody expects her twin brother Jaimie to be the one behind the evil deed. It would be a bittersweet ending to watch Cersei’s biggest fan turn against her, unless the Night King gets to her first. This theory has potential to be even better than the revenge of the Stark girls on Little Finger! And we must remember, George R.R. Martin promised a bittersweet ending to the show.
JON AND DAENERYS ARE GOING TO HAVE A BABY Who wasn’t extremely happy that Jon and Daenerys finally gave into the sexual tension that was lingering between them since that walk through the dark cave? Yes, their relationship may be incest since technically she is his aunt - but the Targaryens are all about a pure blood line. Jon questioned the witch who promised Daenerys would never have children and he is clearly doing his best to make sure that doesn’t come true. Will they be the king and queen of Westeros? Will we finally see them riding a dragon together? Could Daenerys have another baby/dragon? I hope so! So after seeing the Night King knock the wall down with a dead dragon breathing ice, anything could really happen in Game of Thrones. But what can be guaranteed is a song of Ice and Fire; a battle between the living and the dead. In the meantime, we have another long winter or two ahead of us until we find out. Brace yourselves!
C U LT Ú R
September 12 2017
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SIAMSAÍO CHT
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dunkirk Salazar’s Revenge By Michael Glynn
By Mark Laherty The Pirates franchise has gradually, almost by accident, run for longer than anyone could reasonably have expected. Beginning with a fun and nicely executed romp, it expanded into a messy and confusing trilogy. Some years later, a further sequel found a lukewarm reception. And here we are again. The plot of Salazar’s Revenge is much more functional than the labyrinthine structures of the original trilogy, but it’s only occasionally interesting. Essentially, an old foe of Captain Jack is back for revenge, the son of Will and Elizabeth is on a quest to save his father, and an astronomer joins them as part of her search for ‘the Trident’. What exactly is the Trident? Unclear. There is very little here that will move the average viewer, although concept enthusiasts might have their heartstrings plucked as leads are tied up towards the end. The villainous Salazar is frustrating, as he could have been a great villain but is one of the franchise’s weakest yet. Even the little-remembered Blackbeard had more presence that this sorry spectre. Javier Bardem is an excellent casting choice, as he’s proven his creepy antagonist chops in Skyfall and the modern classic No Country for Old Men. While his performance here is acceptable, the script gives him very little to work with.
One bright spot in this mess is the soundtrack, which continues its iconic swashbuckling style in perhaps its best chapter yet. Usual superstar composer Hans Zimmer admitted to being burnt out on the series, so he handed the reins over to long-time collaborator Geoff Zanelli and their usual team of co-composers. Listening in theatres, you might not notice much of a spike in quality, but listening on album reveals a dizzying amount of references to previous themes and melodies. There is no doubt that this is Pirates’ most intelligently constructed musical narrative. The movie’s actual narrative is a good deal more stupid. What’s curious is that this has been marketed as the conclusion to the series, but it hardly provides a conclusion to itself. Indeed, the fact that this instalment focuses so much on the child of original protagonist Will Turner makes this whole set-up feel like an origin story for a reborn franchise, like some sort of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Next Generation. Despite the franchise’s flagging quality, such a second-generation concept seems just the slightest bit exciting. This film’s main success is its effort to introduce new ideas, and its most painful moments are when characters who were once entertaining recite embarrassingly dull dialogue. The whole affair feels like a school reunion, with the only spark of hope being today’s new pupils.
Even then, it’s hard to get behind the fledgling romance between our new adventurer Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites) and the lovelygirls-competition astronomer Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario). Plainly, there’s nothing here that hasn’t been done before or better. Worse yet, it’s not even bad in an entertaining way. There are no moments of ludicrous awkwardness or truly terrible lines of dialogue like in, say, Jupiter Ascending. Pirates of the Caribbean deserves worse. The underlying problem is that both characters are too nice. In the original movie, Will and Elizabeth were likeable, but their goody-twoshoes nature was excellently offset by Jack Sparrow, who entered the movie like a lit match into a box of fireworks. Nowadays, even Jack feels neutered and mild, just another piece on the chessboard he once shook about. If this new generation of piracy is to be seaworthy, a fresh and truly madcap adventurer ought to be introduced; preferably not just a carbon copy of Jack, but something that would serve the same purpose. In any event, such a Next-Generation setup doesn’t seem to be on the agenda just yet. Without giving too much away, suffice to say that any potential sixth film will almost certainly be sticking with the same set of characters. Given their uninspired performance across all the sequels thus far, audiences have little to look forward to. 6/10
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets By Mícheál Óg Ó Fearraigh There is a great film hiding in Valerian somewhere. Luc Besson’s latest film after the inexplicably popular Lucy, concerns Valerian (DeHaan) and Laureline (Delevigne)’s adventures across space as special agents of the human police forces. I wish I could elaborate further on the plot but neither I nor the movie seemed to have much of a grasp on it. The characters are at best archetypes or at worst sketches. Valerian is a cool, ladies’ man and action hero who mostly plays by the rules. This is an unusual combination of things, and none of which play to Dane DeHaan’s strengths. Laureline is sometimes rebellious, that’s all the movie seems to suggest. Throughout the film, Valerian is trying to convince Laureline to marry him and keeps making advances on her despite her
ignoring or refusing his offer. Now the film does show in Laureline’s actions that she does seem to be interested but at the same time, this is quite problematic today. I would accept that the reason for this characterisation is because of how old the source material is, however, the original comics were hailed as being very forward-thinking and the storyline in which this movie is based on was a landmark moment in feminist comics. The other thing is that when adapting lesser-known comic material plenty of film-makers ditch dated elements and things that don’t work, for example, not once in any of the Iron Man movies is it brought up that he hates communism because that is no longer relevant. Also as a minor point of contention despite being named in the poster’s cast list Rutger Hauer is only in one scene; for shame.
Besson shows no interest in plot nor in its characters throughout this film, all he is interested in is visuals and futuristic weirdness, at this he excels. Though there are a lot of chase sequences in this film, I never grew tired of them, though the one at the start was the best of the bunch. What keeps these chases, and the film, watchable is the intrinsic weirdness of the film, the director is clearly having a blast making a whole lot of talented actors play around in this souped-up Fifth Element universe he has engineered, the highlight of which is Ethan Hawke as a character named Jolly the Pimp. Conclusion: This is not a good film, it has very little story and paper-thin characters but the demented direction of Besson means that it is more than the sum of its parts. 6/10
In a world where it looks like we may be on the brink of World War III, we may seem like we know what it is to experience dread by looking at the news. It turns out we need look no further than Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk. Haunting is the easiest way to describe the latest blockbuster from Christopher Nolan. No less is to be expected with Hans Zimmer composing the score. Dunkirk marks the fourth time the director and composer duo have collaborated and each time their raw talent shines through. With very little dialogue, although the acting is superb, it’s the atmosphere that really makes Dunkirk. A war film without a feeling of severe dread is quite pointless after all. Featuring some of the best of the British and Irish talent on the scene at the moment, the sparsity of the script is barely noticed. Chief in the
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cast are Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy, although the name that drew the most attention in the promotion material was one Harry Styles of One Direction fame. Tom Hardy is cast as a fighter pilot providing cover for the evacuating soldiers. Christopher Nolan seems to enjoy testing the emotive capabilities of the actor as he’s elected to cover the majority of his face again, a la The Dark Knight Rises. With a flight mask covering everything below his eyes, it’s a tough task to create a compelling character but Tom Hardy succeeds marvellously. Cillian Murphy holds his own against the star however coupled with his own challenge of acting that he has yet to fail, his accent. Fun fact, many Americans don’t know that Cillian Murphy is born and bred Irish due to his amazing capacity for accents, most think that he’s American. The rest of the cast is rounded out by mostly new comers with the notable excep-
tion of Kenneth Brannagh. The main soldiers of the film have little to no acting credits to their name but their inclusion truly shows Christopher Nolan’s eye for talent. As with the Oscar’s, it’s quite difficult to nail down what deserves to be credited to the director and what is a direct cause of talented technicians, but luckily, I’m not the Oscar’s committee. The lighting and sound of the film also drew me back once again to the key word, atmosphere. The lighting manages to do the difficult job of keeping track of the timeframe of the film while the sound, from the subtle ticking throughout most of the film to the booming gunfire, drums the despair of the characters into your chest. While films like Schindler’s List or The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas may seem like the quintessential World War II films, it’s my opinion that Dunkirk truly nails the life of a British soldier 80 odd years ago. 9/10
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24 SPORT
SIN Vol. 19 Issue 1
The west arise from 28 year slumber in sensational style By Mark Lynch
Galway have been crowned All-Ireland Senior Hurling champions for 2017 after a thrilling tussle in the final against a gallant Waterford effort by a score line of 0-26 to 2-17. Micheál Donoghue’s men triumphed in a ferocious 77 minutes that undoubtedly lived up to the occasion and the hype that surrounds such. It was Galway who set the pace early on, Joe Canning hitting the first score of the day off his left side with just 18 seconds gone. They pushed on from there in a hectic opening period with Johnny Coen, Joseph Cooney and Cathal Mannion adding to their lead. It was clear that Waterford needed to establish themselves into the game and that they did through a fine finish from Kevin Moran past Colm Callanan in the Galway goal to put just one point between them. Galway’s physicality and strength in the tackle was putting the Déise under savage pressure, although Derek McGrath’s Waterford were giving as good as they were getting in that regard. The result was a battle that deserved the stage it
had. The supporters stood in unison in the sixth minute as a tribute to Galway legend Tony Keady who passed away last month. We had to wait until the eighth minute before we saw a Waterford point, a free by Pauric Mahony. Moran added their first from play minutes later. Galway always seemed just that bit more comfortable than Waterford throughout those opening 15 minutes and given the quality of scoring they displayed, they had reason to be. Their exemplary point-taking was a noticeable feature of the first half. However, just when the Tribesmen began to build a lead again, a long hopeful Garryowen-type ball towards the square by Kieran Bennett looked to have been helped into the net by his brother Shane. However replays showed the latter didn’t get a touch on the ball that bounced past Callanan, cutting the Galwegian lead. Shane looked to have injured himself in the lead up to the goal and was forced off to be replaced by Maurice Shanahan. We had to then wait through ten minutes of tenacious tackling, dogged defending and brutal battling before another
score came, but when it did all who were watching could only marvel at its beauty. Sideline cut, left hand side of the field, 45 metres out, up steps Joe Canning to knock it right between the posts and edge Galway in front once again. The rest of the half was tit-for-tat, with both sides racking up the points in the last five minutes, leaving the half time score Galway 0-14 Waterford 2-7. The second half started as tense as the first had ended with both sides getting to grips with one another. Mahony and Canning exchanged frees, before another Mahony brace gave Waterford the lead for the first time in the game. Niall Burke then replaced Johnny Glynn, who was thrown in for his first game of the season at full forward although Waterford’s sweeper system meant any route one balls were dealt with easily. Fortunately for Galway, this seemed to only be their plan B, their plan A being taking incredible scores from distance from out wide and with little time or space. Canning and Mahony again knocked over one each, before David Burke
drew the sides level for the seventh time. Another Mahony free gave the Déise an ever-so-slender lead before Burke pulled Galway up to parity once again. Such was the pace and tension of the game at this point, the umpire at the Waterford goal tripped on the net running out to raise the white flag for Burke’s score. It typified an occasion in which players, coaches, fans and officials got swept up and enthralled by. Niall Burke added his second, giving the Leinster champions a lead which they wouldn’t let go of for the rest of the game. Galway made it four points in a row through David Burke and Joe Canning, giving them crucial breathing space going into the last 20 minutes. McGrath’s troops then pegged two back via O’ Halloran and Mahony, before Galway sub Jason Flynn pointed with his first involvement in the game. Both benches began to have a strong impact on the game, each able to keep up with the other. It was in this last 15 minutes that Waterford’s scoring ability was shown to be inferior to that of Donoghue’s charges, hitting wides at vital times.
Galway added three in a row to leave them with a four point advantage with just seven minutes remaining. The television cameras showed a palpably tense McGrath alongside Dan Shanahan on the touchline. Gleeson and Mahony both hit wide what would have been essential scores, before Mahony and Canning swapped frees leaving Galway still 4 in front approaching the 70 minute mark. With four minutes added time, the supporters who travelled from the West were now just counting down the seconds and cries of “blow it up” rang around Croke Park. Mahony pointed from a free, leaving it a one-score game. Gleeson had a free in his own half with Maurice Shanahan waiting for him to drop it in to the edge of the square. 82,300 people plus all those tuning in at home watched as Gleeson struck, it flew, kept flying, flew too far and ended up wide of the right post. The Tribesmen could breathe again. It was over. Not just the match but the years of final losses, the reputation as big occasion bottlers, the decades of talent with nothing to show for it. It was Galway’s time. The West has awoken once again.
Are the Pro 14 putting the cart before the horse with more expansion? By Mark Lynch The Celtic League as it was called back in its formation in 2001, has undergone many a makeover in its relatively short lifespan. Its early years were spent without a sponsor and it was only in May 2006, when Magners came along, that it gained vital extra funding allowing them to explore many of the ideas that had been mooted for some time including tentative expansion. At the time the league was made up solely of Irish, Scottish and Welsh teams. However with the emergence of Italy in the Six Nations who had started to become more competitive, some years more so than Scotland, the case for their inclusion started to become stronger. It took four years but at long last, after a decade of Italy in the Six Nations, two Italian teams joined the party: Aironi, who have since disbanded and Benetton Treviso, who had up until then been playing in the Heineken Cup but were far from competitive. It was
hoped that regular games against the Celtic teams would help them improve and eventually, that would filter through and help the national team become title challengers themselves. Fast forward seven years and progress has been slow for the Italians. However, the national side have become one of the pack in the Six Nations rather than being in a minileague of their own with Scotland to avoid the wooden spoon (i.e. losing all five games). Since their introduction into the league, the two Italian sides table finishes have been poor with one of them finishing in last place every year and Treviso’s seventh place finish in 2013 the best any of them have done in the last seven years. Whilst this shouldn’t augur well for more expansion be it from South Africa, USA, Germany, Canada, Georgia, Romania or Timbuktu, it doesn’t necessarily mean that any new teams will perform as poorly as them. However, what I shall go on to propose would leave an avenue for
inclusion while also not throwing the new teams in at the deep end with no armbands. In its current form the Pro 14 now includes two South African teams: the Chiefs and the Southern Kings. While the Chiefs have an established Super Rugby reputation, the Kings are a new franchise who are just a few years old and their young existence has been a troubled one, with financial issues meaning they had to be taken over by the South African Union a couple of years into their existence. Now the competition is split into two conferences of seven teams, each playing the teams in their conference and the other teams from their own country. The idea was to leave room for further expansion so that they could scout outfits from tier two nations. However, it might not be absolutely necessary to both expand and include. What I mean is that instead of increasing to a Pro 15/16/18/240, if they drummed up enough interest from the get go for one or two teams
from all of the aforementioned nations, even representative outfits mirroring a national team if the clubs or provinces weren’t strong enough, then why not create a second division? It would mean that these teams wouldn’t have the daunting prospect of going up against some of the best XV’s in Europe straight off the bat and they’d be in a competitive setting against teams in and around their own quality. Furthermore, there could be a promotion/relegation system for the winners of the second division, and that promotion could be made optional if the gap is too substantial leaving the status quo to remain for another year. It would require a hefty investment in order to develop enough interest from supporters and media, but with a new sponsorship and TV deal up for renegotiation this season that kind of funding could be achievable. We’ve seen with the Italian inclusion that bringing a team up to the required standard to be competitive is more difficult than anticipated,
while after the first round of results with the inclusion of the South African teams they have a negative aggregate points’ difference of 70. So it would surely make more sense to lessen that task on teams from traditionally weaker nations by creating a steady path into the premier division. There’s no need to force these teams on a motorbike and ask them to go 50 mph before they’ve learned to ride a bicycle without stabilisers. It would also help the teams doing poorly to not let their season peter out once the midway point comes around and they have nothing to play for. It would need time, it would need money and most importantly the tier two nations would have to want it because a forced competition would be worse than none at all. Who knows maybe a second division at club level might lead to an expanded Six Nations in the long run, and if all of these expansions are supposedly predominantly about improving and spreading the game around the globe then that would only be a positive.
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26 SPORT
SIN Vol. 19 Issue 1
The transfer market shows no sign of slowing down By Graham Gillespie Football’s silly season has never been sillier. In a summer where transfer fees have skyrocketed it has become more difficult than ever for both fans and clubs to evaluate the price of players. The waters have been muddied even further by enormous fees such as the €222 million world record deal paid by PSG to Barcelona for Neymar Jr. This in turn set off a chain reaction with potential replacements for Barcelona (such as Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele) becoming increasingly expensive. Despite the obvious change in the level of fees being paid, this trend in reality is nothing new. When a club receives a substantial influx of cash from selling a star player, other clubs, aware of the selling club’s new found wealth adjust the prices of potential replacements accordingly. For example following Liverpool’s sale of Fernando Torres to Chelsea for 50 million pounds they ended up
overpaying Newcastle for Andy Carroll, spending 35 million precisely because the Tyneside club knew Liverpool had that money. Barcelona have already managed to splurge some of their “Neymar money” on the French Borussia Dortmund winger Ousmane Dembele. With this massive sum of money coming into the Bundesliga club it is not unreasonable to suggest that they were ultimately the primary benefactors of the Neymar transfer. However, this may necessarily not be the case either as now every potential selling club knows Peter Bosz’s side has more cash to spend and thus the chain reaction could continue with the money trickling down to other clubs, but only if Dortmund choose to spend. Dortmund have managed to reduce this trickle-down effect slightly by signing new players, such as Andrey Yarmolenko from Dynamo Kiev, before selling Dembele and therefore crucially before other clubs knew they
had more money and could overcharge them. Shrewd business is the reason that Dortmund, at least at this early stage, appear to have gained the most from the Dembele deal. Despite this example it is impossible to come up with a one size fits all model of who will be the main benefactors in these types of chain reaction transfers. All that can be stated is the obvious which is to say that clubs that are competently run such as Dortmund are always more likely to succeed. No matter who is the main beneficiary of these deals, another factor has had a far greater effect on this summer’s transfer window throughout Europe: the massive increase in revenue enjoyed by Premier League clubs due to TV rights. This has radically transformed the market, with it being deals such as the £5.14 billion paid by Sky and BT for the British
TV rights that enabled Premier League clubs to spend a staggering £1.4 billion throughout the window. Due to this the price of an average player in the Premier League has soared. Roy Keane at a recent Irish national team press conference suggested that; “average players are going for £30-40 million”. Indeed, it does seem likely that Gyfli Sigurdsson who joined Everton for £45 million and Alex
have the money to make offers that European clubs cannot refuse. On the flipside however, European teams are now more likely to charge a premium when selling to Premier League sides. Many teams on the continent essentially view these clubs as cash registers that can help fund spending in leagues where players can be bought for cheaper. Monaco alone made £132.2 million through selling players to Chelsea and
Deals such as the £5.14 billion paid by Sky and BT for the British TV rights enabled Premier League clubs to spend a staggering £1.4 billion throughout the window. Oxlade-Chamberlain who cost Liverpool £35 million (despite being in the last year of his contract) would have both been significantly cheaper only 12 months ago. This increase in income has also had two related effects on negotiations with European clubs. The English sides now
Manchester City and were then able to use that money to make astute signings such as Youri Tielemans. Meanwhile brilliant Serie A signings such as AC Milan’s buying the outstanding defender Leonardo Bonucci for just £38 million and Juventus paying a mere £17 million for the all-action
Blaise Matuidi suggest that it is much easier for European clubs to find value. Back in Britain, the massive transfer inflation could be perceived as a sign that the bubble is about to burst, with a transfer like Kyle Walker’s £50 million move to Manchester City a canary in the coalmine. However with mega companies such as Netflix, Facebook and most significantly Amazon taking an interest in sports rights, it is expected Sky will pay even more money to keep the Premier League in their package. Analyst at the investment bank Citi Thomas Singlehurst said to the Guardian he expects; “Sky to pay 40% to 45% more in the next Premier League rights auction”. Whilst the emergence of competitors like Amazon (who have already secured British ATP tour rights) is bad news for Rupert Murdoch and Sky, it is music to the ears of Premier League executives who will be hoping the TV money doesn’t stop rolling in so that the transfers can get crazier and crazier.
Icarus reveals the scale of athletics’ biggest problem By Graham Gillespie August 5 2017 saw no fairytale ending for Usain Bolt in his final individual race at the World Athletics Championships in London. Instead on that fateful Saturday night, the server of two drug bans and pantomime villain Justin Gatlin surged home to snatch the 100 metre sprint gold medal in front of a stunned Olympic Stadium. The spectators did not seem to notice the irony of roundly booing Gatlin whilst the previous night they roared on hometown hero Mo Farah. Farah got raucous support despite the fact he has missed two drug tests blaming his doorbell and was flagged as a “likely doper” by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for a period as revealed through a Fancy Bears leak. Farah’s coach Alberto Salazar is also currently being investigated by the FBI and the multiple Olympic champion
also has links to Jama Aden who was arrested for having EPO in Spain. Yet still the crowd cheered Farah and jeered Gatlin. Instead of dwelling on this however I decided now would be a fitting time to watch the newly released Netflix documentary Icarus about the Russian doping scandal. The film starts in a prosaic enough manner with the director/protagonist Bryan Fogel deciding he would undergo a doping regime to find out if he could improve his cycling times. He met up with former US anti-doping boss Don Catlin who put him in touch with Russian anti - doping scientist Grigory Rodchenkov to oversee his plan and this is where the story really begins. Upon meeting the charismatic laboratory director it becomes clear that Fogel has gotten himself involved in something far bigger than he could have ever imagined.
The second half of the documentary feels almost like a thriller as Rodchenkov becomes a whistle - blower and we discover how widespread and all-encompassing the doping scandal is in Russia. Rodchenkov with Fogel’s help flees Russia for America fearing for his life. Following this he shows how ineffective WADA’s drug testing is by describing how easy it was for Russian athletes to cheat at 2012 London Olympics and the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. The evidence he gave in the WADA McLaren report played a key role in the decision by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) President Seb Coe to ban Russian track and field athletes from the 2016 Rio Olympics and indeed this year’s World Athletics Championships. Also, Rodchenkov explains how this conspiracy in Russia goes to the very top
implicating current Russian Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister of Sport Vitaly Mutko and indeed President Vladimir Putin. As well as this the personal story of Rodchenkov is enthralling as his name is smeared in his home country with his concerns for his safety appearing to be well founded as one of his former colleagues is found dead. One minor criticism of the documentary could be that it focuses too much on the Russian doping scandal and not the problems with anti - doping worldwide which the film does not fully delve into. This however is understandable given that a lot more time would be required to deal with this issue sufficiently. Nevertheless, one still leaves this documentary feeling more pessimistic not just about Russian athletics but athletics and indeed sport in general.
It is worth remembering that doping in athletics is not just limited to one dirty nation but is widespread throughout the world as shown by the Guardian investigation into Ethiopian doping where EPO can be bought over the counter in pharmacies. WADA is fighting a losing battle with the dopers always seeming to be one step ahead of the testers and the disorganisation in anti-doping operations in countries such as Russia and Ethiopia is compounding the problem. Just as what happened with cycling, the public seem to be very quickly losing faith in athletics and the IAAF is doing little to help arrest this trend. They did admittedly take up the admirable stance of banning Russian athletes as already mentioned and things looked like they were going to change in the IAAF when the corrupt president Lamine Diack was replaced with Seb Coe.
However as the brilliant work of Irish journalist Ewan MacKenna has shown Coe is not an outsider, but someone who was a key political figure within the IAAF whilst much of this corruption was happening. Therefore it is difficult for one not to be sceptical of his ability to clean up the organisation and without a clean IAAF it’s hard to envisage athletics’ doping problem will become any less rife. Overall, Icarus is well worth watching and despite everything this film exposes athletics is still worth our time as well. The World Championships in London was still often thrilling and had some great moments, however it is difficult to watch many of the performances without being sceptical. Athletics, like all sport, will never be totally free of doping but hopefully this documentary will help motivate the anti-doping authorities to improve their efforts to clean up the sport.
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