DECEMBER 2 O 1 9//ISSUE 2 ; VOLUME 15
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THE NCP
A NOTE FROM THE EDITORS
This December issue was great to make. We’ve recently been focusing on the quality of our paper, and that entailed steering away from seasonal decorations on our paper. We still included some amazing Christmas pieces which were truly amazing. Everyone involved this quarter were amazing and we look forward to the next issue! Ciara Munnelly - Editor of The NCP This issue of The NCP brings articles that really appeal to everybody. It is a reflection of the talent among students and we are delighted to of worked alongside our contributors who have such a passion for writing. Since the release of the last issue, we have recieved such positive feedback! We're so thankful for all of the feedback and we will continue to strive to publish issue that are for the students and by the students. The NCP would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. Alex Byrne - Editor of The NCP
LATEST POETRY BY SÍOFRA GALVIN TOP THREE CHRISTMAS SONGS BY PHILIPPA RYAN MOVIE RANKINGS BY JACK CAFFREY TOP FIVE CHRISTMAS READS BY ALYSON MORBIN NEW MUSIC FROM DECEMBER BY CIARA MUNNELLY SKYRIM REVIEW BY RYAN CAREY
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SIX THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FIVE
Six Thousand Three Hundred and Fifty-Five A Poem by Síofra Galvin - 3rd Year “Jeez every schmuck in Europe thinks We owe ‘em a living. Who the hell am I, Mother Teresa? What’s his name?” “Oliver, Sir.” “An Irishman named after Cromwell Ain’t that a blast? His name is Pat, start him in the basement. God damn country is crawling with Micks”. Six thousand, three hundred and fifty-five; All cases just like yours. Apparently one third are children. ***** A cabbie hangs perilously from His battered car window. “Get your lazy ass outta my way! We all got somewhere to go round here. You wear that red hair like it’s a yellow star. I ain’t no racist lady But you gotta tone down that Irish To make it over here”. “I would like to stress we are in no way racist” * We just don’t believe That this is the right place. ***** “You going home now Irish? Can’t take the heat no more? I ain’t sorry to see you go. We got a thousand other Micks to take your place. Filled your pockets with our gold? Think you’re going to change your world? You’ll be back, you never learn. That ocean keeps tossing you onto our shore”. Meals are provided and a small allowance But ultimately “it’s an issue That is nothing to do with any of us.” *****
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SIX THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FIVE Inspiration for the Poem.
Above is the photograph that inspired the poem. It is the wedding photo of Oliver Lambe and Martina McGuiness taken outside the Chicago church where they were married. St Thomas Aquinas Church was established in 1908 in Chicago’s West Side to serve the area’s Irish Catholics.
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This is my grandfather, Oliver Lambe’s, business card from Bond’s Department Store in 1950’s Chicago. His name was changed to Pat by the store manager.
SIX THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FIVE Points on the Poem: The inspiration for this poem came from the black and white wedding photo that sits on our mantelpiece at home. Oliver Lambe and Martina McGuinness, my grandparents, met in Achill and emigrated to Chicago marrying in St Thomas Aquinas Church on 5112 West Washington Boulevard. They encountered racism about their Irishness. My grandfather’s name was changed to Pat by his boss and my grandmother’s red hair was routinely commented on. They learned to get on and did well for themselves in the end but they were always welcoming of immigrants to Ireland after their own experience abroad. Sadly, the parish they set out from, Achill, was recently in the news for protests against the siting of a Direct Provision Centre there. This event inspired me to write a poem juxtaposing the experience of my grandparents in Chicago in the 1950s against the experience of asylum seekers in Ireland today. I had a very different original plan for how I might write this but after many, many drafts, clear voices began to emerge and equally there were silent spaces where voices should have been. I didn’t find it easy to write and it has taken me a lot longer than I expected. I didn’t end up writing the descriptive poem I set out to write either but I am happy with how it has turned out in the end. The immigrant or asylum seeker never speaks. They remain voiceless to reflect the powerless situation they are in. There is no dialogue, only monologues by those holding all the power. The fragmented form of the poem and dialogue evokes the broken life of the immigrant/asylum seeker. It captures the sense of dislocation and isolation they feel. There is a sense of not completely knowing what is going on. This has a dual purpose. Firstly, it mirrors how disorientated the newly arrived stranger feels and secondly, it serves to draw the reader into the poem. As T.S. Elliot said, “A poem communicates without being understood”. The tone of the person supposed to help the asylum seekers in the second part of each stanza is cold and detached. This is because I believe we don’t really as a nation truly care about asylum seekers and refugees, despite our own personal history of displacement. Different fonts are used for the two different situations with space left between them to create a sense of separation yet they are still united in one verse.
Stanza One: The boss uses the word ‘schmuck’ as an insult to the Irish immigrant yet ironically it is a word that originated from Jewish settlers in America, perhaps his own family. The reference to Cromwell serves to emphasise the negative element of moving from one country to another. Cromwell conquered Ireland in his invasion in the 1600s. My grandfather’s name was Oliver, but upon achieving a job in Bond’s Department store in Chicago in the 1950s he was told his name would be Pat, a generic term given to Irish men.
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He too was told he could start in the basement despite being more than qualified for the original job he had applied for. There was a flood of Irish immigration to America in the ‘50s comparable only numbers wise to after the Great Famine (‘Country is crawling with Micks’) (continued)
SIX THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FIVE
According to a recent article in The Irish Times 6,355 was the number of asylum seekers in Ireland this year and this became the poem’s title. One third of those seeking asylum are children.
Stanza Two: The cabbie shouting out his window is an image synonymous with America. Cabbies were, and still are, frequently of immigrant background so it is ironic that he speaks in such a racist, disparaging manner to another immigrant. The words “we all got somewhere to go” evoke a sense of everyone travelling somewhere, no one staying in the place they were born. It evokes a world where we all become the immigrant. My grandmother had long, flame red hair and it set her apart as part of the Irish community in 1950s Chicago. The cabbie uses the symbol of the “yellow star” to insult her Irishness, comparing it to the symbol the Nazis used to degrade Jews in 1930s and 40s Germany. He tells her to tone down her identity to fit in. 1950s America was heaving with immigrants from Europe and there was a lot of anti-Irish sentiment. The first line of the second segment is a direct quote from Councillor McNamara in a meeting in Achill, Co Mayo in a protest meeting against a direct provision centre there. The second mirrors the sentiment of the meeting. (mayonews.com October 2019.)
Stanza Three: Stanza 3 tells the story of my grandparents return to Ireland. They had made the money they needed to give them a good start at home but received no fond farewell from employers they were leaving. The attitude in America at the time was anyone leaving was foolish as there was nothing to go home to. The lines ‘Think you’re going to change your world? You’ll be back, you never learn’ allude to the recession in Ireland in the 1980s. Another large quota of young Irish people was forced to immigrate to America and Great Britain for economic reasons. At one point more Irish people born in Ireland lived outside the country than within it. This segment of the poem ends on a note of despair, “That ocean keeps tossing you onto our shore”. It seems Irish people are thrown around by upheaval in world economics and our own poor economics at home. Every thirty years or so we end up in the same bitter cycle of emigration and unemployment. (continued)
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SIX THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FIVE This sense of despair is mirrored in that of the asylum seeker in Ireland in the last segment. Despite our own national experience of emigration we have no empathy for the displaced on our shores. We give them the bare minimum to survive and wash our hands of any personal responsibility. “It’s an issue that is nothing to do with any of us”*. This line is a second direct quote from Councillor McNamara in the protest meeting in Achill (mayonews.com October 2019). I find it chilling that any of us could think asylum seekers are nothing to do with any of us and it is that shock and despair that ultimately fed this poem. Article written and submitted by Síofra Galvin - 3rd Year.
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TOP THREE CHRISTMAS SONGS
Christmas is a time of joy, love and celebration but the essence of the Christmas spirit is portrayed through the music we listen to at this time of year. There is always much debate regarding which are the best Christmas songs. There are no right or wrong answers, but the following are my top three Christmas favourites:
“Fairytale of New York”- The Pogues
Contradicting the idealistic vision of Christmas, this song focuses on the struggle and misery the holiday can bring to some individuals. Nonetheless, it’s still a classic in my mind. Depicting a theme of broken dreams and degradation, it tells the story of a drunken man in a police station on Christmas Eve, dreaming of his past life and love. The juxtaposition of the harsh lyrics against the melodic sound of the piano creates a beautiful contrast before the song launches into the upbeat orchestral chorus. Shane McGowan managed to produce a song, which brings great joy to many even though it illustrates the darkest depths of personal circumstance. “Do They Know it’s Christmas”- Band-Aid Band Aid, created by Bob Geldof the lead singer of the Boomtown Rats, was an all-star collective group of artists created to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. Legendary artists such as, George Michael, Sting, Phil Collins, members of U2, Duran Duran and many more collaborated for this cause. What they produced was an iconic Christmas song, which not only spread the message of peace and love but how important it is to remember those less fortunate than ourselves at Christmas time. Aside from the empowering lyrics, I believe the composition itself is a masterpiece and will forever be one of my favourites. “Happy Xmas (War is Over)”-John Lennon, Yoko Ono Unlike many popular Christmas songs, this piece contains an underlying political message. The song acted as a contribution to an international campaign created by John Lennon and Yoko Ono protesting against the USA’s involvement in the Vietnam War. Lennon wrote the song in order to spread the message of unity and peace across the globe and to highlight that war is never the answer to the World’s problems. Apart from the theme it portrays, I personally love the involvement of the Children’s choir, which is used to great affect to represent the hope of peace for future generations. These are just three of many amazing Christmas songs that capture the true meaning of Christmas and for me at least, provoke the feelings of excitement and happiness of the season. Written and Submitted by Philippa Ryan.
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MOVIE RANKINGS I saw 11 movies this year and I'm going to rank every movie I saw from best to worst! Le Mans 66 (Ford Vs Ferrari): A movie starring Matt Damon & Christian Bale which is about Henry Ford II, Caroll Shelby and Ken Miles trying to build a car that can beat Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hour Le Mans race, and although the pacing at some parts of the movie is a little long, the movie still manages to give brilliant action scenes, heartbreaking moments and outstanding screenplay, definitely one to watch, Even if you've never heard of the GT40 or Le Mans! Toy Story 4: This is the last movie in the Toy Story Franchise where the whole gang go on one final road trip. They also meet Bo Peep along the way. I was a little worried if a fourth Toy Story was possible to pull off, but somehow, Pixar managed to do it with little to no help from John Lasseter or any of the original members of the first Toy Story! It's also one of the few movies that have made me cry! Shazam: The movie is about a little kid that is given the powers of a wizard to face off a bad guy who wants the powers for himself. It's an entertaining movie that Zachary Levi strives in! But the pacing is odd, for example, one minute Shazam and his sidekick will be arguing, and the next minute they're friends and have to save the day! Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw: A spinoff movie where Hobbs and Shaw have to team up again and defeat a cybernetically enhanced soldier Brixton Lorr from destroying the world, It's a great movie because it's a wild ride that doesn't require you watching any F&F movie to understand the lore! It can be spoiled for some because of the mediocre CG, the soundtrack which sounds like it comes from the 2002 Hip-Hop charts, the boring ending and the corny jokes every now and again. Spider-Man: Far From Home: Not Spidey's strongest movie, not even close to Into The Spiderverse. The love story was quite relatable and the action was as good as ever! The story was also strong! But the terrible CG was sometimes sickening to watch and the amount of connections to other movies in the MCU would make it hard for the normal movie goer to understand! Yesterday: The world's power went out for 12 seconds and failing musician, Jack gets hit by a bus! In those 12 seconds, when he wakes up, he realises that The Beatles and many other things don't exist anymore, so he decides to steal The Beatles' songs and get rich from it. It sounds like a good idea, and it works, but a lot of "aww-ness" and "romance" is forced into the movie, making it a bit of a dull experience. When you remove that however, you get a good movie which even teaches you how "produced" the pop industry can be!
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MOVIE RANKINGS Pokemon: Detective Pikachu: A movie based off of a video game spinoff of a video game, it's actually an OK movie, but it's really cheesy and predictable, it's even got uncomfortable drug jokes placed in the movie. But it's a fine experience which has a nice ending. Captain Marvel: This movie is forgettable and feels like a filler movie only added to make lore for the MCU. Captain Marvel as a character was really good. It was amazing how they made Nick Fury look younger, but other than that, it’s an OK film. Avengers Endgame: I'm going to admit, I wasn't a huge fan of this film. Yes, it was one of the biggest crossovers ever, but the movie requires you to watch all 20 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies to understand what is going on. This makes you lose interest in the characters and their goals quickly because you don't actually understand (or care for) what is going on. This was a problem that Infinity War, a much better movie, didn't have. Thanos doesn't even feel like a strong enemy in Endgame, it's like they put him in for the sake of having a really dull final battle scene which looks ugly on the silver screen. If you're not a fan of the MCU, I'd skip this one. But do listen to the soundtrack, it's amazing! The Queen's Corgi: This is about The Queen's Corgi being thrown into the pound and falling in love with another dog in the pound so both of them escape with a bunch of other dogs. This is a really OK movie, it's not really suitable for children because of the crude humour and the amount of political figures in the movie. The whole premise of the movie is quite silly as well. I'd only watch this if you have nothing else to do! The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part: This is easily the worst movie I saw this year. It felt like they were trying to make a political message appear over an advertisement for Lego that included references to older classic films. It was the biggest disappointment I ever had to watch. The first hour of the movie was an absolute bore, if you told me what happened at the end, I probably would have left at the time the film went into political correct mode, which was 40 minutes in. It didn't even include one of my favourite characters in the first film "Good Cop / Bad Cop". Probably because they couldn't pay for Liam Neeson, which is no excuse, BECAUSE THEY HAD 30 MILLION DOLLARS MORE TO MAKE IT!!! Written and Submitted by Jack Caffrey.
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TOP FIVE CHRISTMAS READS The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: Written by C.S. Lewis in 1950, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a timeless classic combining fantasy and fairytale, to send the reader on an action-packed adventure. It follows four children who discover a magical land in their wardrobe. Technically not a Christmas story, but the winter landscape will give you a Christmassy feeling. This is the first book of The Chronicles of Narnia. The Catcher in the Rye: The Catcher in the Rye is by JD Salinger and was published in 1951. It spans two days in the life of 16 year old Holden Caulfield after he has been expelled from school. It follows him as he hides out in New York City, not wanting his parents to know he has been expelled before the Christmas holidays. It portrays the struggles and alienation teenagers can often feel, especially after a traumatic event, such as the death of his brother. It's a classic that everyone should have on their bookshelf. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Another well known book, by the renowned author Roald Dahl, this was published in 1964. This book is about a young boy named Charlie Bucket, who wins the once in a lifetime trip to explore Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. This book captures the Christmas spirit and encourages us not to give up on our dreams. It was adapted into two films in 1971, and 2005. But like most film adaptations, the book feeds the imagination better. A Christmas Carol: By Charles Dickens and published in 1843, A Christmas Carol is most known for its film adaptations, but the book is even better. It tells us of the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserable miser, who hates Christmas. He is visited by three ghosts who show him his past, present, and future. Faced with his lonely, bleak future, and the effects of his unkind ways on his employee Bob Cratchit, Scrooge realises he needs to change his ways. But is it too late? Murder in Midwinter:Â The most recent of our 5 reads, this was written by Fleur Hitchcock in 2016. It follows a girl named Maya, who sees something she shouldn't have on her way home, and now finds herself being followed by a group of dangerous and unpredictable people. The Police send her to a rural house in Wales, but is that enough to keep her safe? This is one you won't be able to put down, and keeps you engaged the whole way through. Written and Submitted by Alyson Morbin.
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NEW MUSIC FROM DECEMBER December 13th marked the release of Harry Styles’ second solo album, Fine Line. When Harry speaks, or in this case, sings, the world listens. Personally, I was sceptical of the quality of the album in the lead-up to its release. The three singles previously released were satisfactory, but just that. The songs released (Lights Up, Watermelon Sugar and Adore You) were, in my opinion, poppy and sterile. I struggled to find depth in the lyrics, which followed a strict ‘verse-chorus-verse-repeat’ format. I was pleased with what came of the album. The three singles misrepresented the real sound of the album. Compared to Styles’ self titled debut album, which was fuelled by 70s classic rock and psychedelia, the album gave a joyous ring to the work of Styles’ greatest influencers, Fleetwood Mac. Fine Line exhibited country and folk undertones, probably with the aid of nu-country icon Kacey Musgraves. My favourite track on the album was ‘She’, a six minute long ballad with a killer guitar excursion. In talking to Rolling Stone, Styles said “Mitch [guitar player] played that guitar when he was a little, ah, influenced. Well, he was on mushrooms, we all were. We had no idea what we were doing. We forgot all about that track, then we went back later and loved it”. Overall, the album was great. With a few mediocre tracks in the mix I would give the album a 6/10! Written and Submitted by Ciara Munnelly
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The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Review It began Christmas 2011; I had read many reviews on Skyrim and it was the only game I wanted that Christmas. I booted up on my Playstation 3 and it began its iconic intro. It drops you into the magnificent world of Nirn, and into the Province of Skyrim, a country currently going through a bitter civil war between The Empire and The Stormcloaks. You were captured by the Empire in an ambush thinking you were a Stormcloak rebel. While being lined up for the headsman stock, A dragon appear destroying the town of Helgen giving you a chance to escape and leading you to the main story of the game. You are the Dragonborn, a prophesized warrior who can eradicate the dragon menace and restore the peace of Skyrim. Skyrim is my most favourite game of all time. After 8 years of its release I still love to play it. Its soundtrack composed by Jeremy Soule is one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever listened to. It is a masterpiece with IGN giving it a 9.5/10. To this day I still find secrets in the game that I never knew of. I highly recommend playing it even if you never played a video game before.
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The editors of The NCP would like to thank all those involved with this issue of NCP. We’ve enjoyed working with you and look forward to seeing what you write next! In particular, we would like to thank Mr. Doyle for his much appreciated help and guidance in making this issue of The NCP. Contributors: Síofra Galvin Philippa Ryan Jack Caffrey Alyson Morbin Ciara Munnelly Ryan Carey Editors: Alex Byrne & Ciara Munnelly.
DECEMBER 2 O 1 9//ISSUE 2 ; VOLUME 15
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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DECEMBER 2 O 1 9//ISSUE 2 ; VOLUME 15