Babble - A Journalism@UL Production by Colin McGann

Babble A Journalism@UL Production

May 2017

WHAT’S A LIFE WORTH? Cystic Fybrosis sufferers look with hope to ‘wonder drug’ Orkambi

BAD SUGAR Three in 100 UL students is registered as a Sugar Baby. We find out more.

LET THE MUSIC PLAY Studying what you are passionate about, or studying while pursuing your passion? We speak to both sides about the balance between academia and their artistry.

contents inside 39 28

54 56

52 30Eating healthy on a budget

editorial

meet the team

“Everything worth doing starts with being scared.” Art Garfunkel

HE best stories are those that are written like they were recounted to a friend over a coffee, or when you bump into someone and say: “Come here, did you hear about…” Babble is like a collection of stories shared in a circle of multicultural students sitting on the grass under the sun. Except this is Limerick; the grass is always wet, it’s never sunny enough to sit outside, and this is not a Hollywood coming-of-age film. Instead we discussed our stories in the newsroom and made this magazine. Our team is made up of young journalists from Ireland, Italy, Turkey, Denmark, Ukraine, USA and India it’s safe to say we have a worldly view. Every year a group of students in Journalism at UL come together to create a magazine, and after an hour of scribbling ‘clout’, ‘shade’, and ‘ultra’ on the board, we came up with Babble. Babble is filled with stories researched and written from a deep concern and passion for what affects and influences the lives of students. From travel, food, politics, music, business, language, health, technology, sport, arts, jobs, and activism- we tried to cover every base. As journalism students we have learned how to master the art of telling a story, be that a news story, a feature, an investigative piece, or voicing our opinion. We are versed in the basics of the craft we seek to master. But you can be the judge of that. When someone hears that you’re studying to become a journalist the reaction is often negative: “Why would you do that? Print is dead.” That reaction is caused only by fear, and no good story would ever have been written if journalists were riddled with fear. The industry is often said to be ‘under threat’. Is that not why we are journalists - to give a voice to those who are ‘under threat’? We are studying journalism because we are inspired and driven by the endless possibilities and opportunities that a changing industry presents. We are advancing in the core skills that will always be relevant in journalism, no matter if we are typing, tweeting or talking about a story. There have been many attempts to predict the future, according to Back to the Future II there was going to be self-tying shoes, and TVs serving us in cafés - fairly ‘far out’ ideas, but not far off what we have today.

With the evolution of technology comes the evolution of journalism. We are bound to the innovative gadgets we use to report and analyse the news. There is a reason this magazine is available online. With expanding technological resources and an exponentially expanding reach, who can say that journalism is ‘in crisis’? The team at Babble have all been given the best possible start in their journalism careers at UL, the facilities, the faculty, the subjects and the critical analysis provided to us will be invaluable when we are pioneering a new wave of journalism. Our team would like to sincerely thank our teacher Colin McGann, who has passed his intense eye for detail on to us all. Colin has worked so hard to make sure we produced a magazine that we were proud of, and he has truly enhanced the impact of our words. I think you will see the potential of the journalism industry glimmering through the lines of what we have written for you. You may not be so quick to doubt our careers again; you won’t like the answers we give you next time. I made the decision to include our writer’s Twitter or Instagram handles under their pictures because I want you to be able to have your say on their story. Engage with them, tell them why you agree or disagree, why you enjoyed their story, or where you think they let themselves down - we write for you, the reader, so you have to tell us what you think. Enjoy binge-reading Babble, we know you won’t be able to put it down. Aisling Moloney Editor @aislingtm @aistagraam www. aislingtmoloney. wordpress.com

Deputy Editors Evie Kearney & Aisling O’Connor @_c4nterbury

Gradie Swana @GraceSGrad

Rebecca Laffan @beccalaffan96

Amy Reidy @amyreidy

Federica Montella Kristina Kasian @fefalison @kristina_kasian_

Yash Sanghvi @sanghviyash18

Maxine Bramley @maxine.bramley

Aedin Ó Tiarnaigh @aedinot

Melissa Aklan @betul.aklan

Journalism@UL @journalismatUL

David Connors @peterswellman

Noelle Beacom @noellebeacom

Jamesie McConigley Frances Watkins

@james_sy

Simon Bourke @SimonBourke28

@FrancesW96

@thisdreamsalive

Holly Hackenmiller Micheál Bergin @berginmicheal @jollyisholly3

Gerard Flanagan @geryy_flan93

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Sugar Babies 3 in 100 UL students have turned to Sugar Daddies to finance their college education, but at what cost? Aisling Moloney finds out more.

n a lecture hall with 100 students at the University of Limerick there will be three students who are sugar babies in their spare time. Look to your left, look to your right, who among you is seeking a lucrative arrangement with an older person to sustain their college life? Seekingarrangement.com revealed that 10,000 Irish students use the site to find potential Sugar Daddies in 2017. The site facilitates “mutually beneficial relationships” between people who want to be paid to engage in a relationship situation, those “looking for companionship or intimacy or caring friendship, or if you want your tuition paid, help with your career, financial help with your rent or cosmetic surgery.” At the University of Limerick there are 512 students currently signed up to SeekingArrangement.com, 3% of the UL student population. UL Student’s Union President Sarah Dunphy, and Academic Officer Dónal Foley encourage sugar babies in UL to talk to them: “We don’t judge people who use it, we welcome you with open arms to come in and chat to us. “As SU President I would be worried that our students are using this. I think it is way over their heads, I think students are too young, myself included,” Sarah said. Academic Officer Dónal said: “Everyone has forgotten what work actually is, so now they’re just turning to make easy money. We want them to be wary of what they’re getting into.” They said coping mechanisms and traditional hard graft are a things of the past. Sarah said: “Nothing comes easy and they have this idea that it does, it’s like we’re snowflakes.”

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He was also concerned about the long-term emotional effects of these relationships. “This is not a short-term solution, and there’s a lot more to consider here than just money. Maybe it’s not about money.” University College Dublin has the highest density of sugar babies, with 601 registered members attending the institution, though this translates to just 2% of the university’s population. DIT and LIT have the highest proportion of sugar babies with 5.5% and 5.4% respectively. Across the top ten third-level institutions, over 6% of students are turning to Sugar Daddies to ‘pay’ their way through college, by using it as “alternative method of financial aid,” according to the site. Young, financially struggling Irish students are encouraged to join the 2.5 million students worldwide that currently use the site. Brandon Wade, CEO of SeekingArrangement, whose real name is Brandon Wey, said: “If the Irish government’s proposed student loan scheme is ap“A Sugar Daddy proved, students will or Mommy will be faced with crippling debt post gradhave to fill out a uation and nobody’s similar process but doing anything about it.” must include their When you sign up to net worth, annual the site you are asked a couple of questions income, and lifestyle about your gender, budget.” intentions of being a Sugar Baby or Sugar Daddy or Mommy, and who you’re interested in: men, women or both. Under the login page the site warns that: “promoting illegal commercial activities (such as prostitution) is prohibited. If you are an ESCORT, DO NOT use this website.” If you intend to be a sugar baby you need to specify what you’re looking for, who you are interested in and financial information such as a lifestyle budget. A sugar baby has to include her height, body type, ethnicity, occupation, education, and relationship status. A Sugar Daddy or Mommy will have to fill out a similar process but must include their net worth, annual income, and lifestyle budget. Premium accounts on seekingarrangment. com will cost a Sugar Daddy or Mommy from €55 to €70 per month, appearing on their bank statement under a code name. For a sugar baby a premium account will cost €10 to €20 per month. However signing up with your student email address gives you a free premium account. The premium account grants the user: increased privacy, more conversations, a filtered inbox, and daddies are allowed to “keep notes on sugar babies.” 6 II

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Sugaring through college

ormer sugar baby Jane* said she originally signed up to the site when she realised she would have to ask her parents for money again, she also said: “If I’m going to date losers, I might as well date rich losers.” By treating it like any other dating site, 20-year-old student, Jane decided she would only go on dates with men that she actually liked, or thought she could like, and admitted she could not date a man older than 30. She said once the age gap gets too large, both people are at different stages in their lives. She also felt incompatibility of sexual maturity was a worrying factor, when she sometimes felt uncomfortable with the sexual nature of many of the conversations with the Sugar Daddies. Jane also spoke about pressure in the sugar daddy-sugar baby relationships. She said she encouraged her friend who was in a far worse financial

situation, to join the site. Jane’s friend claimed she was offered €3,000 to have sex with a sugar daddy. This kind of large incentive is an extremely tempting offer for many young people in incredibly difficult financial situations. Jane and her friend later left the site because she claimed, “we were just not shallow enough for this website.” A large incentive just for dates is an introduction to sugaring. Jane claimed she knew a sugar baby who was offered €500 for going on a date, and then €2,000 if she had sex with the sugar daddy. Jane said: “so €500 just to come on the date and talk with him, that’s a huge incentive, I mean wouldn’t you do that, just to meet somebody?” Although honesty is the best policy, this can be clouded by the amount of money and the expectations of Sugar Daddies, she said: “I’ve never heard them say ‘I’ll pay you this much to have sex’, I’ve heard them say ‘I’ll pay you this much to go on a

date with me, spend the day with me, but I expect sex.’ It’s an expectation as part of the date, girls feel like they’re being paid for sex, but guys feel like they’re paying for a date that was complete.” Jane said that the power of money is unbalanced in the Seekingarrangment.com relationships: “I don’t like it because it’s a weird amount of control over me, it’s almost like they’re giving you money in exchange for power.” Jane said she eventually left the site because, “the quality of guys was way more sexist than I thought.”

*Name is protected for the privacy of the interviewee.

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WHAT IS A LIFE WORTH? First sign of ‘wonder drug’ gives hope to CF patients despite “non cost-effective” claims, reports Amy Reidy.

INISTER for Health, Simon Harris has provided cystic fibrosis sufferers around the country with a new sense of hope following his recent announcement that a life-saving drug may be on the market in just a matter of weeks. Emotions have been running high among CF patients and campaigners since last June when the NCPE controversially recommended against reimbursing the miracle drug known as Orkambi, deeming it to be ‘unjustifiably expensive and not sufficiently cost effective’. Now, the Minister looks set to finally agree on a deal with pharmaceutical company, Vertex with the aim of making Orkambi available for at least a decade. The long awaited announcement comes shortly after the latest protest staged outside the Dáil on Wednesday, March 1, and will benefit hundreds of children, students and adults whose current life expectancies range between 30 and 40. “What I don’t want to happen is whoever the next Minister for Health is in five, six, or whenever years’ time – I don’t want them to have to be back, sitting at a table with CF patients stressed and worried again having to negotiate for the next iteration,” said Minister Harris. Ireland currently has the highest per capita rate with 1200 people suffering from cystic fibrosis and 50 new cases diagnosed each year. The HSE is now negotiating the original price of the game-changing drug which stands at €160,000 per patient per year - a figure that devastated the CF community after the government originally deemed it to be too expensive. UCC student, James Murphy leads a demanding life of illnesses, antibiotics and physiotherapy – all while studying for

a degree in English and Sociology. The introduction of Orkambi to James’ life will make general tasks which are simple for those without the condition - such as walking across campus or enjoying social activities with friends – finally bearable for the 22-year-old. Since being diagnosed 17 years ago at the age of five, James has awoken every morning with breathing difficulties due to a clogged chest which generally takes 45 minutes to clear. He then continues on to his daily dose of inhalers, antibiotics chest physio and nebuliser treatment before setting off for college each morning. “I’m quite conscious about my condition around college,” said James. “The college has been really accommodating and allowed me to take a semester out last year because I was going through a difficult time with CF. I find that interacting with other people around my age with CF very helpful. I’m part of a group on Facebook for patients with CF and we just share ideas and

experiences including practical tips on exercises and upcoming events that we might be interested in.” James’ morning ritual of medical care must be repeated at night which can take four hours out of his average day. This time is often doubled if his lungs or digestive system are fighting off any form of infection. Around 500 people will have the potential to benefit from Orkambi in Ireland including sevenyear-old Kerry native, Hanna O Connell who recently finished another regular two week stint in hospital. Her mother, Marisa, is a strong advocate for the campaign group, YesOrkambi, which has continuously pleaded with the government not to put a price on the lives of those with CF. She will breathe easy for the first time and go on to live a relatively normal life. “This drug means that for the first time, I can imagine the possibility of not having to bury my child – a terrifying reality I currently face,” said Marisa. BABBLE II

Protesters sporting the purple baloons - a symbol of hope - at a protest outside the Dáil in March.

YesOrkambi is used as a platform for CF patients, parents and campaigners to share their stories and promote the benefits of such a drug on the lives of so many people in Ireland and why the drug would, in fact, be ‘cost-effective’. “Hanna spends two weeks at a time hooked up to antibiotics to give her a boost for a “Instead of battling while and hopefully prevent her from catching persistent, dangerous illnesses. chest infections – each any “She gets so frustrated one causing permanent sitting in a hospital bed for hours on end. lung damage and It is absolute torture for shortening her life.” her,” said her devout mother, Marisa who recently resigned from her own employment in order to provide much needed full time care for Hanna. Hanna’s morning regime consists of 20 tablets, nebuliser treatment and physiotherapy in order to get her through the school day. The youngster is often admitted to hospital for long periods of time where she is provided with a tutor to prevent her from falling behind the rest of the class. Families like Hanna’s and James’ are welcoming a deal which could potentially enhance and even save their young lives Left: with open arms. CF patient For further information YesOrkambi can Hanna and be found on Facebook or CFIreland can her mom, be contacted at info@cfireland.ie. Marisa at her latest hospital stay. 10 II

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DID YOU KNOW... Cystic fibrosis is a progressive, genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections and limits the ability to breathe over time.

The life expectancy of a CF sufferer is between 30 and 40 years old. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease. People with CF have inherited two copies of the defective CF gene -- one copy from each parent. Both parents must have at least one copy of the defective gene.

Ireland is the country with the highest per-capita rate of cystic fibrosis, or CF, a fatal, genetic disease that causes severe problems with the lungs and digestive system

At â&#x201A;Ź158,000 per year per patient, the NCPE said it would cost the state in excess of â&#x201A;Ź390 million over the course of five years to treat just over 500 eligible patients with Orkambi.

People with only one copy of the defective CF gene are called carriers, but they do not have the disease. Each time two CF carriers have a child, the chances are: 25 percent (1 in 4) the child will have CF. 50 percent (1 in 2) the child will be a carrier but will not have CF. 25 percent (1 in 4) the child will not be a carrier and will not have CF.

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Photograph by Shane Serrano

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Sound of tale nt Being a university student can be quite challenging in terms of time management. University life could become ever more problematic for artistic students, who need to find time and energy to fulfil their passions.Federica Montella spoke with UL students Sinéad Toomey and Colin Drummey to find out more about their lives as students and musicians.

inéad Toomey is an 18-year-old studying Voice and Dance at UL. She is a busker and a songwriter from Limerick with a shy look and an intense voice. Although young, she has already gained experience in the field of music having collaborated with several artists from the Limerick music scene, such as Emma Langford, rock band Fox Jaw, and household names like Gavin James, Ryan Sheridan and Wyvern Lingo. “For a whole week I just lived in Dolan’s Pub, I recently had three gigs over one weekend. I played with Emma Langford and I also opened Ryan Sheridan’s concert. It is probably the biggest gig I’ve done in Limerick so far. The audience was incredibly supportive even though I was very nervous all along, but it was just brilliant,” she recalled. Sinéad has been busking around Limerick City for the past five years, and this experience has helped her to become confident. I had the opportunity to chat with her last year, when she was dreaming about starting an artistic journey at UL and she had more fears than dreams in her pockets. “I have an awful lot of hours in college and a lot of different genres and styles of music, subjects are all so different from each other. However, everyone in the Academy is lovely, it’s like a safe space. If you’re not too good at something, people would still be respectful and encouraging; it’s competitive but in a good way, there’s no nastiness, we’re very much a family”. One year later, she seems very enthusiastic about her course and couldn’t be happier with her choice: “My course is definitely helping me with my technique and to maintain a healthy way of singing so that I don’t damage my voice. It’s allowing me to look at a more academic side of music,” she says. Although passionate about her studies, she finds it hard to balance her duties in college with her activities as a musician and a composer, but she makes sure to find time to do what she loves the most: writing, singing, busking over the weekend. “Sometimes because I’m singing five days a week my voice gets quite tired, and I’m very conscious of not overdoing it and maintaining my vocal health,” she explains. More focused and driven than ever, Sinéad has very clear ideas about her future in music. “I’m hopefully bringing out an EP this year. It is a very difficult industry especially in the singer\songwriter genre, there is an awful lot of musicians, and I’m not as tooth and nail as a lot of people are, but if you don’t put yourself up there, you won’t make it. But hopefully during these four years I’ll gain more confidence and grow as a person. “I’d also love to go to Africa and teach music to little kids after I graduate. I’d love to understand a different culture, explore what music means to them. I just want to travel, go around and play music; I like to set up goals for myself… so maybe in ten years I’ll have a couple of albums out, and I’ll be touring around the world,” she laughs. BABBLE II

HIGH HOPES Cider Wasps

ince 2013 Colin Drummey has been a member of Cider Wasps, an alternative rock band from Dungarvan. He studies Accounting and Finance at UL and plays bass guitar. The band released an EP entitled “Here” in 2015. Their singles became popular among Irish radio stations, and a their EP, ‘Ethereal’, came out in March. Colin, and the other members of Cider Wasps, are going on tour around Ireland after the release of the EP. Balancing university and music will certainly be a challenge for them: “Music was always just a hobby for me, but it’s kind of professional at this stage, like a job. Planning the tour while the assignments are coming up all around the same time will be a funny thing to manage… having to go to class, getting a train to a different county, playing a gig, taking the next train back and going to class again won’t be easy,” he explains. The band usually meets at the weekends and plays a gig every Saturday night. They have been working on the new EP for the past year, and this long process has taken hours of practice every week. “Someone would usually come up with a song idea, then we sit in a room for about 4/5 hours just jamming away, we go away, come back again, complete the song… that’d be the ideal process. It’s a long enough project, but you don’t notice the time passing by, there’s been nights when we sat practicing for like six hours straight without noticing,” he says.

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Excited by the perspective of a career in music rather than in business, Colin seems optimistic about his band’s plans. His passion for music is evident from the glimmer in his eyes and his confident attitude while he talks about his future in music. “I could see a career in accounting happening if the band doesn’t take off. Business is just a backup in case music doesn’t pan out the way we hope it will, but it looks like it is going that way, so hopefully I won’t be needing my certificate,” he laughs. “There have been and there will be hard times; it can be hell sometimes between gigs, exams, travelling up and down the country. We’ll hopefully be getting a record label, it would make things way easier. There’s a lot of competition, there are a lot of Irish bands popping out of nowhere trying to get a record label, so we’re all competing trying to get there first. But you should never give up, because you never know what is waiting for you around the corner”, he explains. His ultimate dream would be touring across America and Europe, playing with big bands like Biffy Clyro, whose sound has heavily influenced their music. Does it sound too optimistic? Not for Colin, who thinks that dreams are never too big to become reality:

“

KING IN THE NORTH (CAMPUS)

Professor Mel Mercier

rofessor Mel Mercier is the Chair of Performing Arts at UL since 2016, after 25 years of teaching at UCC. “UCC is an older institution, so there’s a relatively new energy in the University of Limerick. There’s a great vitality around it, and it has been very well supported by the university and led by inspirational people. My new role at the academy feels like a fresh start,” he explains. According to the professor, the Academy is very stimulating and encouraging of artistic practice, and there is a very good balance between the practical aspect of learning and the more academics. “Music or dance is a way of life, so you’re studying something that you already have a passion for and a commitment to. If you are studying something else, you’re probably beginning a journey into something, while musicians and dancers have already identified themselves as artists, and they come here to expand their knowledge”. Professor Mercier always encourages his students to embrace the full university experience enthusiastically and energetically, and to take advantage of all that it has

to offer, both inside and outside the classroom. He explains he was very privileged in getting a good education, but hard work, passion and commitment are also crucial to become successful in music. A big source of inspiration for his students, Mr Mercier himself has been influenced and “Music or dance is a way of life, motivated by countless people he has met along the way. “My so you’re studying something that parents are a big inspiration for you already have a passion for and me, but also people like Seán a commitment to. Musicians and Ó Riada or John Cage. My teachers have played a central dancers have already identified part in my journey too, acting themselves as artists, and they come as guides, and mentors. And, of course, many, many students. here to expand their knowledge.” I’ll hopefully continue to work in theatre, dance and music internationally while grounding myself here and bring that experience back into the classroom. That’s where I’m happy: in the classroom, with students, sharing ideas and music with them.”

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LIMERICK’S Leading Lady O

ne of Ireland’s brightest singers is still living the student life at the University of Limerick. Emma Langford is currently pursuing an MA in Community Music offered by the Irish World Academy in UL and the Limerick native feels she owes some of her success to the university. “I’ve gotten tons of support from the Irish World Academy, and from staff and students of UL that I’ve met in the past few years,” she said. “But I’ll be honest. I’m the worst at enjoying student life these days - such is life for a Masters student.” In 2016, Emma garnered attention worldwide after posting her self-penned tune ‘Tug O War’ on social media. The song, which took her “about 30 minutes” to write, revolves around dealing with anxiety in everyday life. The 27-year-old is no stranger to activism and 16 II

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raising awareness for causes that she is passionate about. Most recently, Emma has been involved in volunteering to help the homeless, with all proceeds of her self-titled EP going to raise funds for homelessness services in Limerick City. She believes it is important that we, as a society, are supportive of these people. “They’re all situations any one of us could find ourselves in and so many people fall through the cracks because they’re not in a position to advocate for themselves. “I do what I can, when I can, to help out in the community. If everyone volunteered just a little bit of their time we’d live in a far kinder world.” The Emma Langford EP, released in June 2016, was a product of crowdfunding and is something that Emma considers her biggest achievement yet.

“I can’t believe how much it did to bolster my confidence and my reputation. I’ve been able to tour it since, and it’s gotten a bit of national radio time too – I’m dead proud of it.” Emma raised nearly €4,000 through the online ‘Fund It’ campaign that contributed to both the production of her eponymous EP and debut music video for her track ‘Seduction of Eve.’ Her inspiration usually comes from conversations and new experiences in her life - she is constantly pursuing opportunities to go on “new and scary” adventures. However, it seems entering the world of music was something she describes as an “unavoidable fate” due to her childhood upbringing in Limerick. “I grew up in a house filled to the brim with music. I started out in musical theatre, doing cartwheels across the stage dressed as a clown

Emma Langford speaks to Evie Kearney about the importance of standing up for what you believe in

Photo: Cian Reinhardt

and moved into song writing in my teens when I had a lot of ‘feelings’ that needed expressing,” she explained. Emma went from this love of theatre to entering the BA in Voice and Dance in UL and considers it “increasingly likely” that she will enter in to a PhD after completing her current MA in Community Music. “They [UL] own my soul,” she joked. Although currently too busy with her studies to fully engage with student life, Emma fondly remembers those first four years in UL and the benefits of engaging in student life. “When I first started in UL I absolutely loved the range of clubs and socs available,” she said. “I was president of drama soc in second year. “It really all comes down to the friends I’ve made along the way.”

Emma is a big believer in giving back to her local UL and Limerick City communities, and in June 2016 she launched The Limerick Lady initiative - a “grassroots movement” focused on shining a spotlight on women achieving in a wide range of industries - specifically women in the performing arts. “The goal is to encourage gender parity by highlighting the work of women in male dominated industries, through panel discussions, skill-building workshops, and performances. “It’s no secret that I’m something of a feminist. That is to say, I believe in gender equality. The word ‘feminist’ scares the bejesus out of so many people, and it’s sad because that really comes down to misinformation, misrepresentation, and confusion about the term - but that’s a whole other conversation.”

Emma hopes that projects such as The Limerick Lady will inspire and encourage others to get involved in the performing arts and in pursuing their passions on their own terms like she has. “Stand up for what you believe in,” she advised. “Don’t mould yourself to keep friends and make people happy - the people who care about you will stick by you, and you’ll be amazed at how many people share and respect your beliefs and conviction.” Emma’s next big venture is a month-long tour of Germany with the Irish Folk Festival. Tour dates can be found at irishfolkfestival.de. People can get in touch or find out more about the Limerick Lady on Facebook at facebook.com/ theLimerickLady or on Twitter at @LKLadyFest. BABBLE II

The odd ones out They’re the people on the other side of the argument, those whose views don’t tally up with the norm. They live in the shadows, afraid of being shouted down. Castigated for their political beliefs, these right-wing students are part of Ireland’s silent minority. Simon Bourke reports.

N MANY ways, your college years define your entire life. The degree you attain will influence your career until you retire. The friends you make will remain part of your social circle for as long as you want them to. And the debts you’ll accrue will haunt you until your dying day. But aside from education, friendships and debt, those three or four years spent sleeping in lectures leave another legacy, and one arguably just as important. Regardless of your course, whether you’re studying English, Engineering or Economics, you will, at some point, be exposed to ideologies and beliefs differ18 II

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ent to those you grew up with. You may end up living with a Marxist housemate, or start dating an environmentalist, or just take part in a demonstration against rising fees, but it will happen and it will change you; you will become, if not politically active, at the very least politically aware. But just how politically aware will you become? How politically aware are you right now? What are your thoughts on Trump’s migration ban, do you oppose it? Are you pro-choice? Do you support those who chose not to pay their water charges? If you answered yes to all of these ques-

tions then you, like most Irish students, are a left-wing voter - or a liberal, depending on your preferred terminology. Irish colleges have been described as “breeding grounds” for liberals, places where the hearts and minds of our most intelligent young people are moulded and fashioned into one uniform shape, that of a social justice campaigner, an egalitarian, maybe even an anarchist. But who does the moulding? Is it the colleges themselves? Are Irish lecturers, professors and academics deliberately setting out to influence impressionable students, instilling them with values, their own values, which will last a lifetime?

Or is there something more subtle at play here? Gary Kavanagh is Policy Director at Renua, a job he combines with his studies at Dublin City University (DCU) where he’s taking a Masters in International Relations. He believes that, given the makeup of the average Irish academic, it’s inevitable our colleges create mostly liberal-minded students. “There’s such an incredible amount of liberal professors that the field has become incredibly homogenous, there’s no internal debate, there’s no competition, everyone agrees on the fundamentals,” says Gary. “You’ve got a stagnant train of thought which is why we’re seeing people become more liberal at college because they’re heavily exposed to liberal theory.” One of those charged with espousing political theories, liberal or otherwise, is Dr Owen Worth, Senior Lecturer in International Relations at UL. He actively sets out to ensure his own ideologies don’t come across to his students, preferring instead to play “devil’s advocate”, adopting contrary positions to foster healthy debate. “If you’re pro-life and you’re But everyone employs surrounded by pro-choice the same principles: “I do know of some students you’ll quickly learn academics who seem to about pro-choice ideologies think their purpose is to educate people in a way and you’ll learn how to debate which would alter their them. People with mainstream beliefs significantly. And you could raise quesideological beliefs never get tion marks over whether that, because they never need that’s pushing people to. The average Irish student into one direction,” he states. doesn’t need to learn how the Attempting to alter the pro-life side thinks. “ beliefs of your students is one thing, but penalising them for having views which don’t tally up with your own is quite another. “I have talked with students who say that they don’t talk about their political beliefs in class because they feel that if they say something and it doesn’t fit with the lecturer’s world view that they’re going to be punished,” asserts Gary. Kenneth Conlon, Chairperson of Young Fine Gael at UL, admits he is “not surprised” to hear of this. “What I have heard repeatedly is that any essay which you do is graded by the assessor, but that grading is the opinion of the assessor,” he says. As a member of a party generally regarded to sit somewhere right of centre on the political spectrum, how does Kenneth adapt to an environment where many of his views don’t match those of his peers? Does he get the sense that to hold more conservative views is to be cast as an outsider in an Irish college? “I get that sense alright,” he admits. “Some students with conservative views may feel that they are the odd one out in an Irish college, but this, in my opinion stems from

the fact that in recent times, liberal voices have been the most vocal, just as conservative ones were before, and because of this, those with more conservative views may feel pushed into silence out of fear of being lambasted by the other side.” This ‘fear of the left’ is something that Barra Cinel Moen, a member of European Students for Liberty, a group which promotes “economic liberalism and maximum freedom for the individual”, has also experienced. Barra, a student at St Patrick’s College in Carlow, says that “for someone who is not on the left it can be very hard to try and get the message across. People on the left are much quicker to shout people down than those on the right.” Describing himself as part of the “radical centre”, Barra has, over time, found that not discussing politics while on campus makes his day-to-day existence more tolerable. Many of his liberal classmates are “not open to disagreement”, meaning that he winds up “not really having that many friends on the left.” Yet despite this apparent lack of cohesion, despite the lopsided political landscape of Irish colleges, there is still a fragment of hope for those who feel isolated due to their political beliefs. “There is always someone else on campus who shares the same viewpoint,” insists Kenneth Conlon. “No matter what someone’s view is on a matter, they are entitled to hold that opinion, even if you feel angered by that viewpoint. “I have friends on both sides of the abortion debate, but it doesn’t mean that one lets that one viewpoint define what one thinks about someone else’s character.” Furthermore, according to Gary Kavanagh, there may even be some benefit to going against the grain, to spending the entirety of your college years arguing with the last man standing as the sun rises at another late-night/early-morning party: “Later in life you’ll understand the way other people think because you’re used to being shouted down,” he says. “For example, if you’re pro-life and you’re surrounded by pro-choice students you’ll quickly learn about pro-choice ideologies and you’ll learn how to debate them. “People with mainstream ideological beliefs never get that, because they never need to. The average Irish student doesn’t need to learn how the pro-life side thinks. “ In this era of civil unrest, of political turmoil and strife, it’s not always easy to stand your ground, to voice opinions which may lead to the condemnation of your peers. But while they may not make you the most popular person on campus, those opinions need to be heard. They need to be aired, no matter how offensive or perverse they may appear. Because without them not only will Irish colleges suffer, our political system will suffer too.

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Blas na Gaeilge There is a conception that an Ghaeilge is an elusive language, lurking in the corners of Conamara kitchens and the highlands of Dún na nGall, not to be found in the day to day activities of your typical gnáthduine. However, some of UL’s most passionate gaelgóirí have a much different take on their teanga náisiúnta. Aedin Ó Tiarnaigh reports.

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here is a conception that an Ghaeilge is an elusive language, one that lurks in the corners of Conamara kitchens and in the highlands of Dún na nGall, not to be found in the day to day activities of your typical gnáthduine. This is not the case however, or so I have learned after speaking to some of UL’s most passionate gaelgóirí about their take on ár teanga náisiúnta. Speaking to the Cathaoirleach of UL’s Cumann Gaelach, Ciarán Ryan, was particularly enlightening as I found out that the County Limerick native had little or no Irish until the age of 16. “I really just got into Gaeilge by watching TG4. Before that I would have been just average at Irish. I was flicking through the channels one day and came across BBC ALBA and realised it was quite similar to Irish, then I had the thought that if you listened to this every day you’d probably pick it up very quickly. Then I thought, do you know what, I might as well start it with TG4. I actually really, really enjoyed it and started getting properly into it!”. Are the non-gaeltacht areas of Ireland becoming more important? “As far as I’m aware, the non-gaeltacht areas are actually the areas of highest growth for the language at the moment. “You can meet an old lady coming While some down the street and you can speak to Gaeltachtaí are declining, I know her in French, but you can’t meet an the language old lady walking down the street here itself is growing, because in Limerick who will speak Gaeilge”. mainly of gaelscoileanna and gaelcholáistí , People are beginning to learn the language in a way that’s not just academic, it’s coming to them more naturally and they’re almost raised through the language”. I then spoke to Niamh O’Doherty, an Applied Languages student here in UL from Limerick City. Niamh told me a similar story to Ciarán about entering the saol na Gaeilge from an English-speaking background. She explained to me how the transition from an English-medium primary school to an Gaelcholáiste was a huge challenge for her at the time; “I hadn’t a clue – I didn’t even have the cúpla focal!” “In primary school we did gramadach and that’s all we did, the bare minimum” but after just a few months in Coláiste Laurel Hill “I just became totally immersed in it! If you have a good teacher it does help, but by putting your own work in you can get there”. Having learned the language through school,

I asked if she ever felt intimidated or envious when speaking to native Irish speakers; “When it comes to speaking it does come so much more naturally to [native speakers], they just bat an eyelid and it comes to them. They also have that blas and I’m so envious of it, I’d love to have a mother from Conamara, just to get that real blas na Gaeltachta!” However, Niamh also remarked that “you can have all the Irish in the world, but you need the academic Irish as well and for the two of them to come together” and stated that a learner of Irish could definitely become every bit as good as a native speaker. Having recently attended the Ard-Fheis conference of the League of Ireland in Galway, Niamh told me about meeting representatives from the Cork, Galway and Belfast Cumann Gaelach societies. “It was lovely to meet people and to see the enthusiasm they had [for the language] and too feed off the drive they give the Gaeilge”. According to Niamh, the most important thing about languages, especially Irish, is to meet other people who share your enthusiasm. “I’ve been to other countries and met with other people, like in France for example, you can meet an old lady coming down the street and you can speak to her in French, but you can’t meet an old lady walking down the street here in Limerick who will speak Gaeilge”. Adam McEvoy is another Irish student in UL who found his grá for Gaeilge outside the Gaeltacht. He told me about his experience in an Irish-medium secondary school; “In the first year and I would say that I was probably the weakest in the class, but by the time second year came around I couldn’t believe the improvement that I had made in the language. I always thought there was something cool about being able to speak a language that most others my age weren’t able to speak, even if we did get the piss taken out of us for being nerds.” “At the start [Irish] was something that I just enjoyed but as time went on with it I started to grow more fond of it and instead of the rule where it was compulsory to speak Irish around the school it just came more naturally to us and conversation just started to flow. I would say now though that I speak it for more of a patriotic reason and I love being able to express myself in a truly Irish way”. Speaking about the patriotism that drives his passion for Irish, Adam described how by being Irish he often thinks to himself; “In this country we all spoke Irish before we spoke English, I’m just one of the lucky ones left able to and who loves to speak it”.

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The art of the interview

Beat those interview jitters and get the co-op you want. Maxine Bramley speaks with Jerry Cronin - a man with a long career in organising the cooperative placement process at UL and preparing students for their interviews.

e all know that feeling; sweaty palms, your heart is racing and you feel a golf ball stuck in your throat. Anxiety and nerves are a common cause of interviews, first dates or presentations going wrong. But why do we get nervous before an interview and how can we overcome those nerves in order to land the job we want? Whether it be a part time job, an internship, your first graduate job or more relevantly, your Co-op placement! Nerves to start off, are an innate fight or flight response to danger, ingrained in our beings, which was useful to our ancestors in the pre22 II

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historic hunter/gather era. This deep-rooted response stems from our subconscious and causes our bodies to react immediately and through the release of adrenaline urges us to run away. However useful this may have been for our forefathers, it sure doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come in handy when you want to make a swift exist as soon as you set eyes on that panel of co-op interviewers. After all, maybe they do bite? Jerry Cronin, Co-operative Education Manager of Humanities of the University of Limerick, is here to remind us that potential employers and interviewers are only human too and often

Tips for Students empathise with nervous students. “Most of the time a student won’t get placed after the interview because of a lack of preparation,” he said. ‘Preparation is key’ is something, Jerry says, will get drilled into the head of any job applicant. A lack of it is what often leads to the students’ downfall when it comes to interview time. It is important to note that being well prepared will not only put you in favour of interviewers, but it will also decrease feelings of nervousness as nerves are said to come from feelings of incompetency. Having answers prepared for questions that are likely to come up will leaves little room for those awkward moments where you’re left scrambling for a half decent answer. “The beauty of the co-op interview process is that, if the student doesn’t get placed after the first interview they get to learn what they need to improve and its a learning experience for future job interviews.” As well as good preparation Jerry says just being yourself. It sounds so simple one might get confused by the state“When you’re being ment but it really makes sense. yourself you come across “When you’re being as relaxed, authentic yourself you come across as relaxed, and confidant to your authentic and confident interviewee ” to your interviewee and it masks your nerves in a way. With that said be your best self. Sit straight, be attentive, don’t slur your words or use slang like you would when you’re having a conversation with a close friend.” In contrast, a great deal of research in psychology suggests that acting the part and ‘faking it till you make it’ can not only portray confidence to a potential employee but also trick your own mind into believing it. Adrenaline and nerves trick the mind into believing you’re excited rather than anxious as both feelings stem from the same hormonal process says Harvard Psychologist Amy Cuddy, and it is a method which professional athletes use all the time. So, hype yourself up like a pro athlete, show them your true colours and do your preparation to beat those jitters and get the co-op placement you want.

Peer advice is always welcomed, so we spoke to some UL students who have already gone through the co-op interviews process and have some interesting tips to share. Kelly Maher, Second Year Applied Languages “I would say prepare well in advance and take it easy the night before. Watch a movie or something, so you don’t get too stressed.”

Dan O’Keefe, Third Year Aeronautical Engineering “When I get really nervous I start talking really fast and stumble over my words. So taking one or two slow breaths if I’m speeding up kind of paces me again.”

Aoife Whelan, Third Year Business “It sounds really weird, but for me when I get really nervous I squeeze my thighs really tight and it just stops me from shaking. My voice sounds less shaky as well.” (This is actually scientifically proven to work, when the muscles in your thighs are clenched it is almost impossible for your hands to shake) BABBLE II

COLLEGE

Instagram accounts that will inspire you to travel

@travellingdestinations

Paris, Turkey, India, New York. This profile collects pictures sent by its users who travel around the world. Why will it motivate you? Because you will want to be part of this profile and to see your own picture there.

Avenir headline

@girleatworld

This blog is definitely for travel-hungry people. Melisa takes photos of traditional dishes from different countries. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Eating my way around the world,â&#x20AC;? she wrote on her Instagram page.

Standfirst here to fill this space - no bigger than 18pt

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Heavy headline @mali.mish

Medium headline Travelling with three young children and a cat for nine years sounds impossible, but not for these adventure lovers from North America. This adorable family lives in a motor home. For them, travelling is about opening doors and the positive energy that it brings.

Light headline Titles Titles Titles Titles Titles Titles dfgdfgDuntiae maximporro corendiam eos ente optatec uptium iunti alis eossunt. As dolut endis volorem rendio. Igendio. Enimilit omnihil erisquia que quae ducipsam, conecto voluptio cus repellaboria solore, ut quatusa pictiaspeles sendis deruptisci nos doluptasi simin cust pos nonsequi offic to quodicilis aspidest dolupta numquaepedia quatus. Acest, officim in rem. Ota m voluptaesti odicimus. Iquisi omnimus, cus aut as rem rem aut et mo mossinc iureicid enis adit que comni utentius, simos qui audaernatque endi officiendus, in net The blog is rem runrehent by reptae volum imusand ebisit

@urbanpixxels This chill, beautiful travel blog with its high quality Vogue-worthy photos will definitely inspire your fashionable trips.

@theplanetd

Dave and Deb, a nice couple travelling around the world who have already been to 100 countries. They will introduce you to all 7 incredible continents of this world.

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Running Man

By Kristina Kasian

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“The world is more positive than we think. I do not understand where people even get information that everything is bad and dangerous”

olo travelling is not just an array of risky adventures, it is also running away from yourself. “I realised that I wanted to be absolutely alone in an unknown city and experience unknown circumstances. When I realised that, I bought tickets for the first flight to Lithuania.” Nicolas is a 31-year-old lawyer from Ukraine. He doesn’t have a favourite book because “the book which a person reads at that very moment should be the favourite one.” Travelling for him “is kind of running away from your troubles and there is always something to run away from.” “I had been running and running, but the problem is that I haven’t got away from my problems.” Overall, Nicolas drew one major conclusion from all of his trips - solo travellers draw peoples’ attention. “I had been running and “When you are alone, people are attracted to you running, but the problem like magnets. Everybody is that I haven’t run away wants to know your story.” from problems.” Nick appreciates his personal space and has admitted that he is not a very talkative person, “but when you are alone it’s easier to connect with people and adventures are literally stuck to you.” Solo trips are known by their “ultimate level of freedom.” People are free from their worries and fears, and they are completely dedicated to their desires. “When I arrive at a new place I don’t have any idea of what I want to do. Once I’ve got a desire, I make it reality.” We always think about people who surround us, that is why lots of restrictions could appear, such as giving skydiving a miss because your wife thinks it is too dangerous. Nicolas is convinced that in a solo trip you can experience an apotheosis of freedom. During one of his trips, Nick was invited to a small Iranian village to smoke weed and try opium, which he declined. “I asked if it’s legalized and the boys told me ‘legalized, bro, everywhere’.” He admits that he did not join those boys. Stereotypical ideas are garbage for people’s minds he explains. “The world is more positive than we think. I do not understand where people even get information that everything is bad and dangerous,” said Nicolas. “I have never had any troubles during my trips and I think that if you are a sensible person you won’t not get into any dangerous situations.” Nicolas went to other people’s apartments,

slept in stranger’s houses, watched the sun rise at bus stations in the middle of nowhere, rode motorcycles through the desert and sailed on ferries during his trips. “I just followed the main purpose of my journeys. I wanted to be absolutely alone in the most bizarre circumstances and move according to sudden decisions.” The biggest change for an introverted person is that during the trips Nick starts connecting with the people around him. “I’ve met different people, I’ve hung out with Nepalese guys in Christiania and they told me about Kathmandu.” Half a year ago, Nicolas went on his most recent trip from Kiev to Istanbul, then to Iran and straight to Sri Lanka. This trip was not because Nicolas felt the need to run away from society or himself. Instead, he just focused on having adventures. “The idea to visit Iran came to me over one or two nights. I just remembered that during my childhood I always wanted to visit there,” he said. He decided to go there without a plan. “I did not even have a return flight booked and I had no idea how long I would spend there. It’s an absolutely fabulous feeling.” “I couldn’t say that I was there absolutely alone, there were plenty of people around me.” Nicolas met a twenty-four-year-old man from Malaysia in each Iranian city he visited. “Everything started at a stay-over party. I got up because this guy named Namaz was near me. He was a very religious Muslim. We met in the very next Iranian city I went to. We walked a lot and talked and I am 100 per cent sure that we would not meet each other if I were with friends.” “I was alone in Iran, but it’s a very illusory feeling.” In the modern world, it is hard to be completely cut off from the people back home. “I had Facebook Messenger and Instagram so I was able to contact my friends.” Everyone needs personal space and we all have moments when we want to be alone. However, Nicolas thinks that there still comes a time when we all need to reflect on something. New solo travelers should understand that in any place of the world you will be able to find somebody to speak with and to share your personal views. “Even on the moon, astronauts are not alone and they are taking selfies.” Nicolas is pretty sure that everyone should experience a solo trip at least once in a lifetime. He has never regretted his solo trips. “I would say that travelling alone is a very good way to understand yourself.” BABBLE II

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE Nicole Drought’s exploits on the racing track have seen her break the mould in a male dominated sport. She reveals what it’s like for a woman competing in motor sport and how she hopes to inspire other girls to break the stigma, writes Ger Flanagan.

n first impressions alone, Nicole Drought appears your typical final year student in UL. Wearing a blue racing style jacket and a pair of black framed, slightly hipster glasses, the Roscrea native strolled into our meeting place at a frantic pace. She quickly scanned the corners providing this writer with a brief gimpse into her fast paced, adrenaline fuelled lifestyle. But beyond the quirky and friendly exterior of the Business and Finance student lies a confident, focused and determined young woman who just so happens to excel and flourish when she gets behind the wheel of a racing car. Growing up in a motor sport loving household, Nicole always felt that she was destined to follow in the footsteps of her father, Owain, racing the roads of Ireland in a rally car. But after her father was badly injured in an accident whilst rallying, he then switched his allegiance to the slightly safer confines of closed 28 II

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track circuit racing, and naturally, his daughter followed suit. After saving and scrounging for years, she finally had enough money together to purchase her first touring car - a Honda Integra in which she has enjoyed untold success in the cockpit in only two years of racing on the Irish Touring Car scene. In those two short years, Nicole has broken all sorts of records, some of which include: First woman nominated for Motorsport Ireland Young Driver of the Year (2015); first woman to win in Irish Touring Cars (2016); first Irish ambassador for the Sean Edwards Foundation and the first person in her sport to be named as the Sportswomen.ie ‘Sportswoman of the Year Award 2016’, where she beat off competition from the likes of Olympic silver medallist, Annalise Murphy. But her journey hasn’t been all smooth driving, as she explains how she has had to manoeuvre all sorts of challenges and stigmas of being a woman in a male dominated field. “When I was growing up, I didn’t think it was any different, I just grew

up with the sport so I didn’t think that being a girl was going to be a major issue,” she explained. “Then, when I bought the car and went to the track, everyone was kind of looking over and pointing out that there was a woman on the track and I really didn’t understand what it was about until I picked up on it after a few races and saw that there is kind of two sides to it. “There is the PR side - and I have been very lucky in that it has just taken off for me - but on the other side, there is the whole men thing where “More and more girls they automatically think you are a bad because you’re a woman,” she are getting into it through driver laughed. go-karting and things are “That’s just the way it is, so I feel I need prove myself a lot more because if starting to change so I think toI have a bad day, they will all just be it is so important to just get saying that I am a shocking driver.” admitted that after her maiden girls out and get them an Nicole victory in the hot-seat, the respect she interest in what it is like.” received from fellow drivers did rise as they were now aware of her talent. But it didn’t come without a certain level of frustration not always experienced by her male counterparts. However, it does serve as extra motivation for the young petrol head. “I am probably a bit softer as well, so when I hear someone giving out, I don’t really like that because I would never put another driver down,” she said. “It is very, very frustrating knowing that if you have a bad day on the track, somebody around the paddock will be talking – and it’s not just about me – but I just hate that whole thing and it gets to the mind as well. “And when the lights go out, you have to be focused. I have had a lot of time now to think about last year and what people said

and I have had a lot of track time, so I know the set-up of the car and I know what I was doing wrong and what I can improve on and I think I can bring a lot more this year.” Nicole’s success isn’t just limited to the racing track as she also happens to be an accomplished camogie player, where she draws many comparisons between the two. She says pre-game or pre-race nerves are very similar and the art of getting into your opponents head is part and parcel. And although she does admit to being “a bit more timid” in her approach to the game these days to avoid injury, the teambased training is a refreshing change for the sometimes lonely feeling of motor sport. She hopes that she can inspire fellow women to freely express themselves and take up the sport she loves so dearly. “There is nothing you can ever compare to driving a racing car, there is nothing you can compare to it,” she gleamed. “The feeling and the rush and the nerves before-hand when you are lining up, there is so many things going through your mind you just can’t explain it. “I would love to just try and familiarise more girls with motor sport and to show them that it is not just a man’s sport. People are still shocked when they hear that I race,” she laughed. “But more and more girls are getting into it through go-karting and things are starting to change so I think it is so important to just get girls out and get them an interest in what it is like and if there are girls out there that want to do it, then go for it!” And for Nicole Drought, 2017 is full of exciting prospects where she plans on competing in the Global GT series in the UK and Ireland. Her dream, she says, would be to make it to a European Le Mans race and with her being part of the Murphy Prototypes Young Driver Initiative, she is already on her way to fulfilling that goal.

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Food For Thought How to eat healthy on a student budget

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How many times have you tried to save money and vowed to “eat healthy” as a student or young adult? The answer is probably a lot. More often than not, we end up going to a fast food restaurant or eating a bowl of cereal and calling it good. I know that this might be disappointing to some, but eating too much of these foods is in fact not the best for our health (shocking, I know!). It can also be quite expensive as well. In order to be successful as a student, we need to start incorporating tools that wil allow us to manage healthy eating and maintain an active lifestyle. Noelle Beacom reports

utritionist Catherine Norton shared some credible insight into how to lead a healthy and balanced lifestyle... without breaking the bank. Noelle Beacom: “What does a typical day of eating look like for a college student?” Catherine Norton: “As with anything, there is likely to be great variation in budgets, skills, and enthusiasm for food preparation. This in turn will mean that there is likely to be a ‘good, bad and ugly’ scenario with the dietary habits of college students. First year students are often those who struggle with food shopping and preparation; it is likely that their parents did all of this for them up to the point that they pack their new kitchen utensil kit to come to UL. I have no doubt that improvecould be made “Good nutrition can help ments to students’ daily diets. improve general health, Good nutrition can help these students fuel a tough academic whether are simply looking to challenge, or a competitive improve general health, fuel a tough academic sports activity.” to challenge or a competitive sports activity.” Noelle Beacom: Do you have any tips or tricks for students that will help us eat well and save money, while still maintaining a social life? Catherine Norton: - Buy staples such as wholegrain pasta, frozen berries, brown rice, nuts and legumes in bulk so that you don’t have to buy them every week and they will last you a long time. - Make a rough plan of what you want to eat that week, it will save you time because you wont have to sit and wonder what you want to make, and also save you money because

you won’t waste food or buy unnecessary items throughout the day. - “I am a big fan of the special offers in the lower cost supermarkets. Fruit and vegetable offers mean that 49c can get you a lot! There is a common misconception that eating well (fresh produce) is prohibitively expensive but there have been many studies done comparing the weekly cost of meals made from scratch with fresh ingredients and meals with a reliance on convenience, pre-packed and frozen ingredients. Financially, fresh wins every time. The additional cost in home prepared meals is time, but proper planning and batch cooking and freezing can help.” Noelle: How can we, as students, use food to fuel our daily activities? Catherine: Comparisons are often made between fueling a car trip to Dublin and choosing appropriate food for a day’s activities. You will need to give consideration to the distance you need to travel, the speed you wish to travel at, the car you will travel in and whether you have stops on the way to most effectively plan your fueling strategy for the trip to Dublin. You need to consider the same things when you are planning your daily food intake. What are the demands of the day (walk to Uni, lectures for 3 hours, GAA training, walk home, study, meet friends, night out…), how much money do you have to spend, how much time can you give to food preparation? Different days will have different energy demands and so will require different fueling strategies. If you get it wrong you may either feel 1) HANGRY – hungry, angry and not very productive as a result or 2) Over-full – where you are sluggish, uncomfortably full, bordering a ‘food coma’ and again unlikely to be good for much! Fuel appropriate to the demands of the day and you are more likely to have the energy, focus and drive to complete whatever the day presents to the best of your ability.”

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ONE DAY AT A TIME... BREAKFAST

LUNCH

Banana bread overnight oats or avocado toast with eggs

Avocado, chickpea and quinoa salad in a jar

€4.63 or €2.81

€3.83

SNACKS

DINNER

Carrots and hummus, almond butter and apple, trail mix

Salmon or grilled chicken with roasted sweet potatoes and Brussel sprouts

About €3-5 each

€9.39

Average cost of groceries per week: €36.50 Average cost per day: €11.25 If you have any questions or would like to receive more information, please check out the additional resources listed below:

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www.indi.ie/fact-sheets www.safefood.eu/

Part Time Superheroes

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The Irish Red Cross in Limerick has one of the biggest youth memberships in the country. Frances Watkins spoke with some of the volunteers about their time with the organisation and why volunteering is so important to them.

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Keeping it in the family

s the 5th member of his extended family to join the Red Cross it is safe to say that volunteering is in the blood of Dylan Shinners. His four older cousins are already flying the flag for the Shinners family by participating in first aid competitions, teaching first aid skills to young people as well as volunteering their time for the organisation. Dylan joined the Red Cross in 2011 after being encouraged to do so by his family. “I joined just as something to do at the weekend. I was very interested in healthcare and I always wanted to be a doctor when I was a kid so I thought it would be a stepping stone into it”. The occupational therapy student says that being a member of the so called “Shinnersty” has great perks in that they all encourage each other to volunteer their time to the organisation as well as sharing uniforms! “They told me I would make friends and that it was a lot of fun. We all encourage each other”. Dylan spends his Saturday mornings teaching first aid skills to young people aged 14-16. He says that he gets great satisfaction from his time spent volunteering but also enjoys learning new skills and giving back to the community. ”It’s good to know these skills anyway so that if I come across something in the real world I have the means to help”.

Above: Dylan representing Limerick at the 2015 National First Aid Competition.

“If you can help, you should help”

he Red Cross isn’t just a way to volunteer and learn new skills. It also a stepping stone for further ventures in to the medical profession. Eoin Jardine, a member since 2014 hopes to study to be a Paramedic. “I originally wanted to study maths as that was my strong point in school, however after joining the Red Cross I realised I had a real skill and interest in the medical field. Then when the Paramedic course was announced for UL I knew that is what I wanted to do”. Eoin hasn’t looked back since immersing himself in the organisation. He is a qualified Emergency First Responder and like so many other young people in the Red Cross he volunteers his time to teach two classes a week, from 34 II

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basic first aid up to his own level. During his Leaving Cert year, Eoin found the time to volunteer a high amount of hours between duties and teaching. All his hard work led to a nomination and being shortlisted for the Natiional Volunteer of The Year Award at the National Awards. All though he didn’t take home the overall prize on the day he was presented with a trophy to recognise his work with the Red Cross. Eoin volunteers for other organisations apart from the Red Cross including Special Olympics Ireland and Share a Dream Foundation proving he is dedicated to helping others. “I have always been encouraged by my family to volunteer and taught if you can help, you should help”.

Above: Eoin at the National Volunteer Awards 2016

“I originally wanted to study maths as that was my strong point in school, however after joining the Red Cross I realised I had a real skill and interest in the medical field. Then when the Paramedic course was announced for UL I knew that is what I wanted to do”.

All in a day’s work

joined the Red Cross because one of my friends from school told me her cousin was a member and you would get a free holiday to Spain if you joined!” It has been 7 years since Roisin Leo joined the Red Cross and though she may not have gotten that holiday, she has loved her time with the Red Cross. As well as studying Languages in UL, Roisin has been teaching an intermediate first aid class every Friday night for the last three years. She is heavily involved in the youth section of the Red Cross organising events for the young people involved. Roisin is constantly trying to improve on her skills. “I recently did a CFR Instructor course which means I can now teach CPR so I have been busy with that over the last while”. Along with all of her other activities she also spends her free time volunteering for the organisation by providing first aid cover at various events throughout the City like rugby matches in Thomond Park and sporting competitions in UL. All the work is nothing to Roisin who says she enjoys being part of the organisation so much that she doesn’t see it as work. “It’s great to give something back to the community. People are always looking to take and don’t want to give anything back. It’s nice to know that money can’t buy the time that I give. I know I have done the work off my own back “.

Above: Roisin thoroughly enjoys her time volunteering

A bright future ahead

or Ciara O’Brien, being the first call to the scene of an accident is nothing new. Her father, a paramedic for the HSE, convinced Ciara learning first aid and joining an organisation such as the Red Cross would be a great experience for the 16 year old Castletroy College student. Ciara has been with the Red Cross for three years and is currently training in Intermediate first aid. “We learn how to treat injuries and deal with casualties and when pass my exam I

will be able to start going out on duties”. To add to the skills she has already learned, Ciara has also represented Limerick three times at the National First Aid Competitions and has placed second and third respectively. It is an invaluable experience and one that she thoroughly enjoyed. Like Eoin, Ciara also devotes her time volunteering to other organisations such as the Share a Dream Foundation and the Hope Foundation. The inspiring young woman will be travelling to Kolko-

ta in April to volunteer with vulnerable children and has already raised €3,100 for the trip. “I think volunteering is so important to me because in my life there is little that I want for and I realise how extremely lucky I am to be in that situation. There are so many people all over Ireland and around the world that live in such dire and tragic situations, that I feel that if there is anything we can do to help lessen that hardship or give back to our community in any way, that we should welcome it with open arms”. BABBLE II

CLOSING THE GAP A team of researchers in UL found that statistically, girls are less likely take up computer science courses at third level compared to males. However, when females do participate they score better grades than their male counterparts. Rebecca Laffan reports.

N A STUDY conducted by Lero, based in UL, for the National Council for Curriculum Assessment (NCCA), Ireland’s computer science teaching methods were compared to those in other countries. The main goal of the report was to find out how best to implement computer science classes at secondary level in Ireland by comparing teaching in countries such as England, Israel and New Zealand. Female participation rates were found to be less than 10% at secondary level in England, whereas this statistic stands at 40% in Israel. UL’s Dr Gabriela Avram, who teaches Digital Media and Interaction Design, agrees that Ireland has a lot to live up to in this area in comparison to other countries. Speaking about the computer sciences being stereotyped as a male-dominated area of study. “It’s more true for Ireland than for other countries I lived and worked in, such as Romania, Germany and Luxembourg,” she said. “In my opinion, school segregation and a certain mentality fostered by teachers in some girls-only schools in the past have led to this situation in Ireland,” Dr Avram said. At 14, Gabriela passed an exam that allowed her to study in a secondary school that specialised in programming in Romania. “It was a mixed school and the girls were at least 50% of the student population. We were as good programmers as the boys, but nobody ever mentioned gender in relation to our abilities,” she says. 36 II

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“Romania had secondary schools specialised in programming in 1970, and they are still operating,” she said, “some kids are naturally attracted to algorithmic thinking, and they find it easy to learn, even from books and online tutorials.” With her experience, Dr Avram has her own opinions on how computer sciences should be implemented in the Irish Education System for students in secondary school. “Personally, I don’t believe that everyone should be forced to learn programming. What young people need is, first of all, technology “It was a mixed school and literacy-how to use the digithe girls were at least 50% of tal tools available, which evolve all the time-and the the student population. We Internet as a medium. were as good programmers “After that, they should as the boys, but nobody ever be encouraged to apply digital technologies to their mentioned gender in relation own areas of interest, from to our abilities.” design and digital fabrication such as 3D printing and laser cutting to gaming and simple programming, using generators and frameworks,” she says. Ita Richardson, Co-Principal Investigator at Lero and Associate Professor within the UL CSIS (Computer Science and Information Systems) Department says that introducing computer science at secondary level is something that “has to be done”.

The Lero Study Findings “People are choosing things like business or languages at third level because they have an experience of it,” Ita says. “If you have computer science available as a subject at secondary level, you’d have the idea of the basics and you wouldn’t be jumping into this big gulf. “Asking anyone, but particularly women to go into that chasm is very hard,” she said. “Women are confident in lots of things but I think women are much less confident about careers. It’s a well-known in social science. “Why would they choose these subjects if they haven’t been exposed to them at school? Why would they choose computer science?” Ita says that the current situation in Ireland’s secondary schools in regards to girls’ access to all the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects needs improvement. “I’m still quite shocked that 20 or 30 years on, subjects like physics and technology aren’t available to all girls in secondary school,” she says. “We often talk about getting students to take higher level maths, but nobody ever mentions engineering or technology, the numbers are incredibly low women-wise.” Ita is of the strong opinion that an interest in the computer sciences and STEM subjects in general is something that develops at a young age. “I worked in a primary school on research leave and introduced programs such as Scratch and the enthusiasm from the girls was amazing,” she says. “The boys were competitive, everything was a race. I showed the children the inside of a computer and the various parts and the boys lost interest “I’m still quite much quicker than the girls. “The girls maintained focus and were shocked that 20 trying to figure out what would happen if a or 30 years on, particular component was moved. It was incredibly interesting to watch.” subjects like physics Ita is actively involved in UL’s Athena and technology Swan status, which is effectively a Green Flag for gender quality in universities. aren’t available to As a member of the National, University, all girls in secondary Science and Engineering and CSIS Athena school,” Swan committees, Ita has been given the title “UL’s Athena Swan Champion”. UL was one of the first universities in Ireland to receive an Athena Swan in November 2015 and involves being gender-conscious and putting positive actions in place to support gender. “A lot of fundamental things like career progression are monitored,” Ita said. “How do we support our junior women faculty, are they doing more administration and research than they should be? I think teaching is fundamentally important, but good research is fundamental to good teaching?” According to Ita, providing students with an understanding of what a career in the STEM field really involves is crucial. “What I always say is when you look at anyone in a computing job, they have really good pay and their work is interesting,” she says. “It’s just so exciting, it’s all about problem solving. It’s about figuring it out, whether it’s a computer system or a bridge. It’s about working with people and finding out what’s wanted and needed. “In general in an engineering and computing career the travel opportunities are incredible, you end up with a worldwide ticket. I find it shocking that people don’t know or understand that.” Ita actively encourages any girls with a keen interest in STEM subjects, whether it be at a secondary or third level. “Go for it. There’s absolutely no reason why you can’t do it. You have to be confident in yourself. It worries me that young women aren’t confident when they are more than able. “We’re women-we’re different. We bring completely different skill and competencies, we’re big into teamwork and getting the best out of people. That’s what we bring. “Be confident in your ability. No matter what you do in this world you’re going to have failure and rejection,” Ita says. “None of the barriers that you perceive or face are insurmountable.”

“The low level of female participation in technology and computing related fields across industry, academia and society is recognised internationally as an issue, not only from an equality perspective but from an educational, societal and economic viewpoint also. “A 2014 Accenture report detailed that within the European Union only 6 to 7 percent of technical careers are being filled by women (2014). Commentators point to a self- perpetuating cycle of smaller percentages of girls in comparison to boys taking technology related subjects in secondary education. This feeds into low participation rates in related third level under graduate and post graduate qualifications, and on into industry. “A lack of visible role models in industry feeds into a perception of younger girls that ‘technology & computing’ is a male domain and so the cycle continues. “Our analysis of computer science teaching in other countries threw up major challenges for example, in low participation rates especially amongst girls. “However, an interesting finding from other jurisdictions indicates that when girls participate in computer science courses, they tend on average to achieve better grades than their male counterparts,” added Clare McInerney education and outreach manager, Lero. BABBLE II

Interview Vicky Twomey-Lee of WITS (Women in Science and Technology) Ireland What role do you play in WITS Ireland? I’ve been a member since 2012, then joined the executive after that. I was offered vice-chair for 2017 last year, and have since taken up the position as well as co-ordinating this year’s WITS Ireland events with Dublin, Galway, Sligo and Cork members. How do you feel about the gender gap in regards to women and the STEM subjects? It’s about the same as when I was in college back in the late ‘90s. My graduating year in Computer Systems was around the low teens percentage-wise. I didn’t really think much of it earlier in my career, maybe more so about being lonely and not having a peer to talk to. Then in 2012, I decided to take action on the diversity side of things, joined WITS Ireland (they didn’t have many tech peers back then compared to now), cofounded Coding Grace (female-friendly coding workshops), founded PyLadies Dublin (diversity-friendly Python meetup group), and most recently got involved with Women Who Code Dublin. I’ve been running Python Ireland meetups since mid-2005 and ran the first four Irish Python conferences called PyCon Ireland before I stepped back. I collaborate and work with other notfor-profit groups, mainly around the area of tech as that’s my background. I encourage people, especially women, to come to events I organise and show them that it’s not that different from other tech events held around Dublin, Ireland, and elsewhere. With my initiatives, I aim to create a safe environment for folks to ask questions, share and learn. The more diverse the community attending events, the gap will get smaller. I believe that gender is not purely binary (male or female), I want to encourage folks who are non-binary and other genders that they are welcome to events I’m involved in, and I make sure organisers I work with understand this perspective also. I’m not trying to achieve 50-50 ratio, I want to provide opportunities for people to get involved and/or attend these events/activities. All these initiatives are bringing like-minded people together and also broaden everyone’s network.

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Have you ever encountered sexism in your workplace in relation to this? It’s more micro-aggression, jokes that I laugh off or else people think I’m too sensitive, but it does make me uncomfortable. I tend to call people out on it if it crosses the line. But it’s mostly social events with work or a event. But other than that, I’ve been really lucky, folks have been rather supportive, and even after I left, when I ran Python Ireland and PyCon Ireland, companies were extremely supportive of what I’m doing. Nowadays I freelance and I’m working in quite forward-thinking companies, and supporting the tech community. Do you think computer science should be introduced at secondary level in Ireland to encourage third level participation in general? It should be an option like other subjects. I think kids should be given a chance to try it out and see what they can do. With so many devices, games, etc. out there, kids can see that they can be a maker instead of a user. Any advice for girls who have a keen interest in the STEM subjects but are hesitant to study it at third level? Check out the open days, go to events like iWish, Coder Girl Hack Day, Teen-Turn, Girls Hack Ireland, Inspirefest, and other events where you get to hear what other folks are doing in the area of STEM, be it research or development or data scientists. There will be job roles which doesn’t even exist nowadays as technology evolves so fast. App development didn’t come about till 2007 with the popularity of the iPhone. So they are the ones making the rules in years to come. Check out Smart Futures, Coder Dojo Coolest Projects. There’s many resources out there, and there are other girls who are into STEM subjects. STEM is very exciting and they can be the forefront of new discoveries, changing the way we engage with the world and each other, how we live, and yes, they can run their own companies. Inclusiveness comes from people taking action and taking their passion and dreams to make it into reality. And we should include everyone in the process, and work to be more diverse in our thinking and creativity.

World at her feer Irish international hockey star Rebecca Barry has sets her sights on World Cup and Olympic glory. David Connors spoke with the Limerick native about her plans.

uccess never happens by accident, especially in a sporting sense. It’s is the accumulation of hard work, perseverance, discipline, learning, sacrifice and most of all a huge passion and love of the game. When all these things are fused together with an innate sporting gift, the athlete in question has all the right ingredients to reach the pinnacle of the game. Having the opportunity to pick the brains of one of the most talented athletes in the country and attempting to figure out what makes them stand out from the rest always proves a worthwhile encounter. Speaking with 23-year-old, Irish hockey international, Rebecca Barry, was no different. From initial conversation you see a focused, hard-

working, quietly but assuredly confident individual and you can almost instantly see why she is regarded as one of the country’s top players. It’s clear to see she is a player with immense belief in her own ability, and when you back it up with her tremendous work ethic, it becomes pretty easy to see why she is so highly rated. Peering out from a timid, athletic exterior is a steely determination and an immense burning desire to succeed. It’s said to be great at something you should have put 10,000 hours of practice into it - with this Limerick native, you would imagine she has double or triple the supposed magic number and continues to add to it on a daily basis. Barry began playing hockey at the age of seven, for the Limerick Hockey Club alongside her cousin and a team managed by her aunt. BABBLE II

It’s a sport which has filtered down through the generations of her family with both her mother and grandmother having played at various levels in the past. Despite being heavily involved with her local GAA clubs, BallybrickenBohermore and St. Ailbes LGFC, it eventually reached a point in her life where she had to make a decision regarding which sports to focus on as number one. “I decided to focus on hockey when I was fourteen because I realised there was a chance to play representative hockey. It would have been possible to pursue other sports at this time and I had teammates who did that, but I felt that I needed to focus on hockey if I wanted to achieve the ambitions I had.” Having previously represented both her clubs, as well as representing the Limerick Ladies Gaelic Football side at underage level, the decision was not one she took lightly but the rewards and opportunities at hockey were too good to pass up. At the tender age of eighteen, Barry was awarded a scholarship off the back of her prodigious hockey talent in the University of Richmond, in the United States. She studied for a degree in Psychology but openly admits it was quite the daunting proposition moving 3,374 miles to an entirely new continent and culture. But it’s also something she attributes to helping her mature during the four year stint. Barry said, “It was a huge change but the transition was made as comfortable as possible by the coaches and my teammates who all helped my find my footing. Whether that was bringing me to get bed linen or helping me sort out things like a phone and bank account, I always knew I could ask for help and someone would be there.” While Americans can be sometimes heavily criticised over certain aspects of their culture, one thing they do better than anyone else is their passion and fanatical obsession regarding sport. Something Barry is certainly in agreement with, “There seems to be an endless flow of money pumped into collegiate sport in the States. The facilities were fantastic almost everywhere we went. We never had to be concerned about fundraising or lack of sponsorship. We were supported financially as much as possible so as to enable us to achieve on the pitch.” During this time, Barry shot to internet fame after scoring what can 40 II

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FACT FILE

Name: Rebecca Barry Date of Birth: 7/4/93 From: Ballybricken Club: Cork Harlequins Position: Forward National Caps: 15 National Goals 2

only be described as a “wonder-goal” and was selected with the likes of world superstars Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimović in ESPN’s Play of the Week. Following the completion of her stint in the US, Barry returned to the Irish shores where she completed a Master’s of Science in Sports Management, at Ulster University in Jordanstown. During this period she represented the Ulster Elks and played a pivotal role in the side securing the Irish Senior Cup last year. In the past year, she has returned to her native Limerick where she has now set herself a new challenge - becoming a fully qualified, certified chartered accountant - and has linked up with a new club, Cork Harlequins, after being awarded her first international cap last July when the Irish side took on Chile something she states was “a huge honour” and added “there’s nothing else like donning the green for your country.” Her arrival on to the international stage has coincided with the Irish side winning the World League Two title in Malaysia, in January. The Irish team defeated with the hosts by a convincing 3-0 in the final. Winning this competition now sees them qualify for World League Three in South Africa in July. In terms of achievements, winning her first cap for her country is one of her proudest sporting moments. However, success on a seemingly smaller scale ranks up there for her in terms of achievement. “It’s a toss-up between winning the Munster Schoolgirls Senior Cup with Laurel Hill Coláiste when I was fifteen, and getting my first cap for Ireland. Both very different occasions and for very different teams but equally as satisfying,” stated the former Ireland U-18 captain.

Attempting to balance work with hockey isn’t without its challenges, especially given hockey is not played professional in Ireland and must normally be balanced alongside a full-time job. Starting a new job with the PriceWaterhouseCoopers accountancy firm with three years of exams on the horizon as well as balancing both club and international commitments could seem “It’s a toss-up between like an unenviable task. winning the Munster “It’s quite a challenge. I have no choice but to schedule Schoolgirls Senior Cup with each week so as to achieve Laurel Hill Coláiste when I all the things I want to. was fifteen, and getting my I’m fortunate to have a supportive management in first cap for Ireland. Both work that allow me to pursue very different occasions and athletic goals. That said, I am focused on my work and for very different teams but studies and understand they equally as satisfying.” must take priority,” stated the forward. So what does the future hold for the youthful talent? “Athletically - In five years, I want to have played and succeeded in both a World Cup and Olympics, aiming toward a second go at both. Academically – I want to become a fully qualified chartered certified accountant.” From simply chatting to her, one would certainly wager her meeting her objectives with flying colours.

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Stateside Star Many people dream of the perfect job, Emmet Ryan is no exception. Since obtaining his degree, the idea of becoming an actor was the main priority for the 28 year-old Shannon native. He spoke with James McConigley.

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yan may not be a household name but he knows that it takes time and effort to make his “lifetime dream” come true. He’s realised that he has a long road ahead to achieve his goal. “It’s going to be hard work and I plan on giving it my all”. It all began for Emmet when he relocated to Dublin to study in the Dublin Business College, “In third year I kind of got the interest to go in front of the camera and I pursued it after college then” stated the ‘Sorrow Trigger’ artist. Although acting is where he currently resides, he still holds a passion for behind the lens, “I was really interested in and still am interested in directing but acting was the thing that stood out to me as I got further on into it.” Having grown up in Shannon and studied at St Caimins Community School, the 28 year-old said he’s not the only person from the area in the acting business. “There is a lad named Paul Thompstone, he was in filmbase and only he casted me in a short film called Sorrow’s Trigger, through that then I realised he was living in Shannon as well.” The airport town may not “It’ll come over time, it’s not going to have the glitz happen overnight, representation is and glamour of Hollywood a huge step towards a good goal but but Emmet is there’s still a long way to go.” readying himself for a role in a Los Angeles masterclass “I’m looking forward to it, I was scouted by a woman named Marg Haynes whose running the talent section of the Australian Institute of Performing Arts and she runs a masterclass in Los Angeles every year called IAM master class.” Ryan was one of 14 students from around the global partaking in the IAM master class. Haynes production is an introduction into the acting industry. In the workshops, he was lucky enough to work with professional acts and declared he’s excited for what lies

ahead in the next chapter. Having been casted in Darren Thornton’s ‘A Date for Mad Mary’, the Clare actor originally had other plans on his mind, “I went for an open audition, Louise Kylie was holding open auditions for the show Red Rock.” Although he was unsuccessful in his pursuit for a role in the TV3 soap, Kylie’s eye was caught by the upcoming Shannon star. “I got a phone call asking if I would accept a part in Mad Mary because Louise was casting in Mad Mary. They pulled my tape from the Red Rock auditions and I got cast.” With media evolving every day, the Bachelor of Arts and Media student recognised this and created an online profile named ‘Starnow’. From this Marg Haynes spotted his work. Emmet is pleased with his indentity in the performing world. Starring in ‘Stacked’, ‘I Do Not Like Thee, Doctor Fell’, ‘Hello Au Revoir’ and ‘Think About It’. With negative views on how much actors actually earn, Ryan feels that acting “is the only gig in town for him”. Persistance was key as the Shannon native signed with an LA management agency. Ryan impressed during his stint in Los Angeles and this led to him being signed by the Epiphany Management Group. Epiphany has won the Cascade Capital Corporation Business Growth Award four years consecutively and was included on the 2014 INC 5000 list, a distinguished honour that is reserved for the fastest growing private companies in America. “It’ll come over time, it’s not going to happen overnight, representation is a huge step towards a good goal but there’s still a long way to go. It takes time to build yourself and going over to LA it gives you such a great start and that’s why the course is so important and that’s why Marg Haynes (director of masterclass) is so important in the industry for actors like myself, the amount you get from it is crazy, the amount you learn number one and the amount of opportunities you gain from just doing the course from the people you meet and spend a couple of hours with, it’s invaluable that’s my debt of gratitude to Marg and to Ava for the work they do, it’s a one in a million course”.

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Ditch the fad diets When dieting is dangerous - Aisling O’Connor reports on the diet fads that may be damaging your health.

iet fads and trends have saturated the media in recent years, with detox teas, juice cleanses and “superfoods” claiming to solve all ailments. Waist-trainers have become the go-to thing for the “hourglass curves” the Kardashian/Jenner family boast on Instagram. The reality stars, and other celebrities, claim they lost weight and got tiny waists with the corset-like equipment. Yet, doctors and medical professionals beg to differ saying that the trainer simply pushes the fat elsewhere, and the pressure can cause breathing difficulties and even damage ribs. We’ve moved on from padded bras, to padded pants promising to “enhance your booty”, and Instagram is rampant with doctored images. A new “super food” or diet trend seems to emerge every few months, with Hollywood’s most notorious diet’s including the baby-food diet, or eliminating all foods except for cabbage. Some go as far as intentionally getting tape-worm in the hopes of shedding a few pounds. The pressure to look a certain way very much seems to have overtaken the importance of minding ones health. Some credit the media and these eccentric 44 II

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fads with eating disorders. Limerick based Nutritionist, Anne Marie O’Connor, says that diet fads usually end up with the person involved developing an unhealthy relationship with food and body image. “Once the person starts dieting, cutting out certain foods, etc, it can be very hard to retain a healthy relationship with food again. If this behaviour continues over prolonged time, then it increases the chances of disordered eating, or the person developing an eating disorder” she explained. Studies show that 71.4% of Irish adolescents feel adversely affected by media portrayal of body weight and shape, with more than a quarter (25.6%) believing it to be far too thin. Ireland’s Eating Disorder Association, Bodywhys, says that the media is not the cause of eating disorders, but rather, one’s own body issues makes one more likely to

be affected. Studies show that those who engage in behaviour such as laxative abuse or purging are 3 times higher in avid readers of magazines about dieting and weight-loss compared to those who don’t. Anne Marie says that diets simply do not work. Out of every 200 people who go on a diet approximately 190 fail, of the 10 that initially succeed, nine will put weight back on within 5 years. A vicious cycle of restricting calorie intake and bingeing and overindulgence is likely to occur, according to Anne Marie and due to the stress of dieting they are credited for being one of the strongest risk factors for the development of an eating disorder. Dieting even affects our bodies’ metabolism. Anne Marie explains that: We are born with inner intelligence that operates numerous internal bodily systems .The system responsible for processing our food intake and regulating our body size is known as metabolic system. It works best when we eat when we are hungry and stop when we are full. Diets over-ride this inner intelligence system and instead instruct us what to eat and how much. Instead, the nutritionist recommends setting realistic goals in short measurable steps but to avoid having a “goal weight” as studies show those who do are less likely to reach it or “Once the person starts maintain it. Planning dieting... it can be very ahead and ensuring the fridge and freezer hard to retain a healthy is stocked with healthy relationship with food.” foods and having a realistic exercise routine is more beneficial. Anne Marie also believes that we need to lose the diet mentality, saying that if everyone stopped talking about eating, weight and body shape all the time, it might cease to be such an important and debilitating issue in our lives. She says to cut out all the negative, guilt ridden comments about food, such as “I ate so much last night”. No quick fix seems to be able to maintain long-lasting and healthy results. Instead of the quick fix, simply eating well and being active is the most beneficial thing for one’s health. Focusing on certain body images certainly appears to be doing more harm than good, and while, the media does not cause eating disorders, it can be said that it affects those already suffering with one. Healthy foods Anne Marie recommends are nuts and seeds such as chai, sunflower, pumpkin, and flaxseeds, or nutbutters such as almond, hazelnut, or cashew. She says energy bar brands such as Trek, Nakd, and Pulsin, are good for snacks but it would be even better to make flapjacks from scratch. Ideally she suggests drinking plenty of water, but coconut water and herbal teas are healthy choices too. Fruit juices are also better made at home, but ones with no added sugar and natural ingredients are also considered a healthy beverage, but to watch out for sugar, because naturally occuring sugars in fruit still

counts as sugar. For cooking, Anne Marie advises using coconut oil. The nutritionist suggests having protein, fruit or veg, and carbohydrates with each meal. Anne Marie founded the holisic healthcare practice, Rosa Wellbeing. Their programmes benefit hormonal imbalances such as polycycstic ovaries, skin disorders such as achne or eczema, chronic fatigue syndrome, mood disorders like anxiety and depression, arthritis, and other ailements. She also works part-time at Dargans Healthstore, Castletroy where she offers advice. More information can be found at rosawellbeing.ie. Most people think that anorexia and bulimia are the only two eating disorders; the reality is that there are much more than that. Binge eating is considered to be an eating disorder, where one frequently over eats and feels they cannot stop. Orthorexia has recieved more attention in recent years as the pressure to “eat clean” sees many succumb to unhealthy and restrictive behaviours. People suffering from orthorexia experience severve anxiety and obsessive behaviour in trying to eat as healthy as possible. Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) or Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED) is actually the most common eating disorder, with up to 50% of eating disorder diagnosis falling into that category, yet arguably is the least recognised. EDNOS/OSFED requires one to suffer from symptoms of anorexia, bulimia, and/or binge eating disorder, but one does not fully reach the criteria to be diagnosed with either of the three. This does not make the disorder any less serious than other eating disorders, and it can be said that the criteria for being diagnosed with anorexia and bulimia are very high. One of the main criteria to be diagnosed with anorexia is a body weight that is far below a healthy BMI for someone’s age and height. People suffering from bulimia often maintain a “normal” weight, and which means that the disorder can go unnoticed for longer. Information and advice about eating disorders can be found at bodywhys.ie

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SHARING STORIES CAN BANISH THE EATING DISORDER STIGMA Aisling O’Conor spoke with students who have been diagnosed with various eating disorders about their experiences.

ourth year psychology student Leanne Harty (21), was diagnosed with anoreixa at 16-years old. Leanne said that a stigma still exists and sometimes an eating disorder can be seen as “attention seeking”, or that a person can get better simply by “eating a hamburger”, when actually it’s a lot more complex than that and can be compared to physical illness. She explains that everyone’s eating disorder manifests differently so there is no absolute piece of advice to give to others with an eating disorder, but suggests opening up to others about it. First year Journalism and New Media student, Ann Cronin (18), who was also diagnosed with anorexia, says that as the biggest psychiatric killer, the seriousness of eating disorders cannot be emphasized enough. While there is more awareness now, there is still little understanding of the illness and the experience of those with an eating disorder, according to Ann. Both credit sources of stress and anxiety in their lives to be one of the reasons for their eating disorders developing. “I think my anorexia could have sparked from my need for control and pure hatred for myself as a whole. It then just spiraled into a need to be thin, confident and have self-control… it became an addiction”, said Ann. Leanne explains that she was often sick as a child and 46 II

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was always underweight; once she recovered and was “normal” it felt wrong to her. Ann says that from a young age she had a disordered form of eating, and stuck to a low variety of foods. Both students say that initially it was not their choice to recover. Leanne spent 6 months in hospital, and relapsed a year later, but since last year has began recovering for herself. “After getting some toxic people out of my life, admitting to myself that I had a problem, and realising that I’m worth it I felt as though I could try to live life to the fullest again”, she said. As Ann was a minor at the time, it was her parents’ decision to hospitalize her. She explains that the service in her home county had a waiting list of up to four-years, and that her mother fought to move her up the list. The length of this list is “unacceptable, as a person might not survive that length of time”. Initially Ann was against recovering as when you have an eating disorder, recovery goes against everything your mind tells you. Ann says that she only realized the severity of her illness when she had to be force fed by a feeding tube. After this she began trying to recover but explained that it was the hardest thing she has ever had to do in her life. Recovery is like: having someone beside you verbally abusing you for every bite of food you take and making you feel terrible about yourself, according to Ann.

hildcare student, Laura Monaghan (20) says that her fight with bulimia started at 11 years old. “Hearing my mother and family friends discussing my ‘Puppy fat’ put my in a spiral of vomitting after each meal. In the first few months when this began I visited an elderly family member I haven’t seen in a couple of years. She described me as a ‘Strong-fat girl’ and it completely crushed me.” she said. Laura was diagnosed with Irrittable Dowl Syndrome (IBS) which caused bloat“Bulimia goes incredibly unnoticed due ing, cramps, to weight flucuations through binging so and fluctuations in bowel for many whose weight does not reach a movments dangerously low level, bulimia isn’t even and placed on a regimine a thought to those around them. I did of laxatives to irreversible damage to my digestive system.” treat it . “The access to these laxatives lead to laxative abuse. I also started taking weight loss pills that were extremely unsafe and are banned in numourous countries.” she explained.

student who was diagnosed with EDNOS, who would prefer to go by the name Fiona (21), says that it is difficult to get people to take her illness seriously. “I’ve been told that I’m not sick enough to be hospitalized. I knew my eating was disordered but because the symptoms aren’t as severe as other disorders no one takes it seriously. Shouldn’t we be taken seriously before our eating disorders have cause ireparable damage to our bodies or develops into a more serious disorder?”, she said, “I had symptoms of anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder.” Fiona says that at her thinnist people paid the most compliments to her, but she only reached that size through excessive exercising, restricting,and binging and purging. She described her disorders effect on her body as constantly feeling faint or weak, period stopping, and constant headaches. “Everyone told me I looked great and my

Laura dropped 3-dress sizes in a year, due to the laxative abuse, diet pills, and restrictive eating. According to Laura she gained popularity from the people who once bullied her for her weight. She moved schools when she was in 4th year and says this had a massive improvement on her mental health, but it wasn’t until proper treatment at 18 to target the amount of laxatives she was now using that she got her life back. “I asked my father who I don’t have the greatest relationship with to get me professional help as he too suffered from bulimia when he was younger.” she said, and began to go to see a therapist. “Bulimia goes incredibly unnoticed due to the weight flucuations through binge-ing so for many who’s weight does not reach a dangerously low level,bulimia isn’t even a thought to those around them. I did some irreversible damage to my digestive system because of it” she said. “I am now 20 and suffer with self image issues but I am healthy, very much inbetween sized and targetting my IBS in a healthy way through dietary supplements. I have my down days and struggle but eating disorders are a life long battle that we just got to keep kicking ass in.”

figure was ‘goals’, at the time I thought I still wasn’t thin enough. Looking back I think I looked like a corpse. “My eyes were sunken in and glassy, and my head was out of porportion with my body. All my clothes were falling off me”. At the time she explains that the days she went to bed hungry and knowing she was calorie deficient felt like “successful days” and the days she felt that she ate too much and didn’t exercise enough were failures. “My anxiety was through the roof”, she explained, “I would lie in bed feeling like I was going to gain a ton of weight over night, which is impossible, but I even considered having just a banana and black coffee for lunch was a binge. I’m much better now but it took me nearly three-years to get where I am today, and I relapsed a lot.” She says that she feels much healthier and happier now, but recovery was initially extremely stressful. Sometimes after eating or taking a rest day her “eating disorder voice” tries to tell her to stop

eating, or to burn off the calories but she doesn’t listen to it like she used to. “Recovery is 100% worth it”, she said, “but it’s not an easy journey. It’s not as easy as just deciding to eat, I had to force myself to in the beginning and make myself take rest days from exercising. “There are a lot of mental issues to address as well as your physical health when it comes to trying to get better. I think people need to be aware that because someone may be weight restored or have a healthy BMI, they might not necessarily be recovered”. Fiona explained that whenever she feels like returning to old habbits she reminds herself of how weak she felt at the peak of her eating disorder. “You think that being thin will fix all your problems and make you happy but it wont. It made me more miserable than ever”. Fiona urges anyone suffering from EDNOS to seek help because their illness is just as valid as others.

If you, or someone you know, has been affected by any of these issues please seek help. Ireland’s national eating disorder association, Bodywhys, offers confidential help though email or phone. Seeing a doctor or a psychologist is also recommended.

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Limerick Expansion S

ince Limerick 2030 was announced, 7,800 jobs have been created and over €1.3 billion invested in the region. Limerick is the third largest city in Ireland located in the mid-west region and is part of the Munster province with a population of over 200,000 in urban and suburban areas. On the other hand the Limerick City Metropolitan District consists of 102,161 people, since 2014 when the Limerick City and County Council merged with a new Metropolitan District of Limerick to form a united council and a single local authority for the region. Limerick has evolved in different areas particularly in the business field which has boosted the economy of the city. In addition, it has been established as location for international business. Limerick contains a large number of international companies such as Dell; Vistakon; Cook Medical and Northern 48 II

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More than 5,000 jobs could boost the local economy by 2021 as the Limerick city and county council launched a new development project of €500m worth to be invested in the region.Gradie Swana Ngwesa reports.

Trust. They all operate under important sectors like ICT, Life Sciences, International Services and Engineering/Consumer Products in relation to the investment in the region. This has put Limerick in the top ten places to invest in Western Europe, according to the Best to Invest Report 2014. Last year, it was recognised as European City of the Future by the fdi Magazine’ European Cities & Region of the Future 2016/2017. Limerick incorporates numerous business parks under the responsibility of the Industrial Development Authority which is the agency responsible for the attraction and development of Foreign Direct investment (FDI) in Ireland. Those businesses are: National Technology Park with 80 organisations employing over 3000 people, it is on the campus of the University of Limerick and located 6km from the Limerick city; The Raheen Business Park located

in the west side of the city; The Crossagalla Business Park on Ballysimon road and many others. Businesses in Ireland are supported by the Local Enterprise Offices which works with small business throughout the year to assist them to develop their businesses and to adopt growth strategies. ‘This has resulted in positivity in the sector which is leading to job creation and growth,’ Head of Enterprise with Local Enterprise Office Limerick, Eamon Ryan said. 129 new jobs were created last year through 98 companies out of 320 with the support of LEO. Training and Development events organised by LEO last year were attended by 1,255 people, with the majority participating in the training. “The LEO training and development programme is extensive and gives the entrepreneur the tools to run their business better,” Ryan added.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT Interview with Elaine MacGrath Incredible Years Co-Ordinator

PAUL Partnership is a Local Development Company in Limerick that has a broad range of supports and services for individuals and communities that experience social exclusion. ‘One of our areas of work is in supporting individuals that are currently unemployed and working to start their own business as well as those who are actively looking for work,’ Co-ordinator, Economic Programmes & Incredible Years, Elaine Mac Grath said. According to the IDA Ireland-Limerick 20072016 statistics, Limerick has seen an increase in net income during that time period And it has been revealed that in 2016 the amount of grant aid provided to Limerick companies was up on the previous year with €851,095 in funding approved across 39 projects, up from 2015’s €808.362 The Regional Mid-West Local Development Company Enterprise has been awarded to many local businesses. Limerick was represented in the National final of Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) by Adrian Fleming of Accuvio who won the established business category in the Regional Finals held in Bunratty. He now has the opportunity, along with 23 other national finalists, to become Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur.

Networks/ Clusters Start Up;

Women in Business; Childcare Owners

Student Enterprise Programme Figures for job creation from the IDA for foreign direct investment on the outcomes for 2016 for the LEO Limerick.

20 x 2nd Level Schools/1,100 students

Total employment at 31 December: 1895 Gross Jobs created in 2016: 329 Created by 98 clients No. jobs lost in 2016: 200 Net jobs created in 2016: 129

LEO Key outputs 2016 on JOBS

Start Your Own Business (SYOB) •  6 Courses including 1 for 50+ entrepreneurs Age Action

Microfinance Ireland Loans . 16 applications assisted by LEO -11 approved in total of €226,000 . 20 Limerick businesses approved in total by MFI - €350,000 approved

Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur •  60 applicants – Best Idea 34; Best Start Up 18; Best Established 8 •  Adrian Fleming of Accuvio in National Final in March

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Does education breed tolerance? Beautiful scenery, an exceptional historical and cultural experience and superb quality educational institutions. These are but a few of the reasons that thousands of students decide to pursue their education, both full-time and Erasmus, in universities here in Ireland. Irish people are known globally for our colourful extroverted characters and our ability to travel the world, socialise with the locals and build an overall rapport with whomever we meet. Footage from the Euro 2016 football tournament in France is overwhelming proof

of that. We have a vast history for migrating and having great influences on many countries around the world. But are we as accepting as we should be to other cultures at home in Ireland? After speaking to some students from different cultural backgrounds studying here in Ireland, we may not be as inviting into our society as we think. Micheal Bergin reports.

KADERI’S EXPERIENCE Kaderi is a 19-year-old man studying Medicinal Chemistry in a Dublin university. He is from the Ivory Coast and was living in Co. Clare before moving to Dublin to pursue his education.  He is also a Muslim.   If I learned anything from my near-hour long conversation with Kaderi, it would be his overwhelmingly passionate stance on ending the ignorance towards diversity in Ireland.   Kaderi has had some experience with prejudicial behaviour towards him.   One day, he was going into a shop in Dublin city with his friend after training, and they both wore shorts and carried a gear bag. He would be refused entry, whereas his “Caucasian” friend would not have the same problem.   50 II

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“It doesn’t affect my quality of life (discrimination). College-wise, I still have lots of friends and stuff,” he explained.   He revealed how he might walk into a pub sometimes and hear really “weird” comments regarding his features.   “Frankly, it’s rude, but I think it’s more ignorance than hatred,” he said. “Irish people don’t have bad blood, it’s just ignorance,” he confessed.   “There is a difference in generations you see; when my parents are in the workforce they might be exposed to different forms of racism, which is just ignorance.” Speaking about people in their 40’s onwards he said, “Where was their exposure?”  “When I was in primary school, all of my classmates would know what’s up. (If it was Ramadan and he was eating at

different times etc.) They knew that I am African.”  Even though Kaderi sometimes faces this derogatory behaviour, he isn’t angry at the abuse, he is just disappointed.   ‘My brothers and sisters can go into school, and they are afraid their friends will ask them what religion they are. ’ “What I appreciated about growing up in such a cosmopolitan country like Ireland, everyone has so much to offer. You could be in a primary, secondary or college institution and learn so much (about different cultures and people). “If you ask the vast majority of people what they want to do with their lives, they will say travel. “But Ireland is a very small island on this global scale, and you can see so many different people.

AMJAD’S EXPERIENCE

But because of the bad will of a minority, within a minority, you are going to exterminate them from the equation completely?”  Kaderi enlightened my on an exhausting list of examples of racism and discrimination, all with a common denominator, lack of education.   Because so little of our nation is adequately educated on the many cultures that are represented in this country, ignorance is allowed to lead to racism and bigotry of an entire people.   Kaderi is afraid the innocence of his younger siblings is being taken away because they have to learn how to defend themselves from these attacks.   “Why is a 12 year old girl (his sister) so disillusioned about life? Why does she have to mature at this rate? She’s only in second year (of secondary school), it’s sad man. They are in school and are afraid for the kids in their class to ask them what their religion,” he said.  “The way you behave defines you as a Muslim, Islam is a religion of Peace“ “Education is the key.”

Amjad is a 19-year-old engineering student in Trinity College Dublin. Culturally, he is of Sudanese heritage and is a follower of Islam.   Amjad grew up and has completed all of his education to date in Ireland, so he has a very well-rounded experience with life and education here.   He is a very relaxed individual who tends to “brush off” any negativity that enters his life, even racist remarks that are aimed towards him.   “I haven’t got a lot of first-hand experience with discrimination (Islamophobia) but there are some instances where people would be racist towards me and immediately apologise, you know,” he said.    “Although, there was one time where my friends and I were out in a nightclub. My friend, who is Nigerian, was at the bar with me and he was buying a lot of drink to bring back to everybody. We were taking the drinks back when one (Irish) guy said, ‘Look at the big man with the big Muslim parents buying drinks for everybody’”.   Amjad’s friend, who I won’t name, is the son of a Nigerian Ambassador and had a beard, which is a common feature for many Muslim men.  “Then they started making jokes, but there was only a few of us and lots of them”, he expressed.  Once he and his friend brought the drinks back to their friend and began talking about comments and decided to confront the group of (Irish) guys.   “It was weird because we started talking to them and they turned out to be really sound guys. We started talking about different cultures and stuff,” he concluded.  According to Amjad, this and many other conflicts that happen in Ireland over identity and cultural discrimination “My brothers and sisters racial are mostly due to non-understanding, as can go into school, and opposed to hatred and bigotry.   though Amjad is a laid-back type of they are afraid their Even person and doesn’t usually get involved in friends will ask them what conflict, he conveyed feeling of sadness religion they are.” and frustration that this type of racism still exists.   “You still feel like, ‘why does this have to be the case?’ We are living in a society where you should have an understanding of stuff like this.   My empathy skills were put to the test when he asked me to imagine myself feeling that kind of judgment based my being white.    I envisaged a hypothetical scenario where I may be subject to discrimination in Black dominated Sudanese society, until he responded.   “There are actually a lot of Chinese people in Sudan, and people think they are cool because they are different,” he said humorously and as a matter of fact.   “Muslims are very strict and wouldn’t patronise the Chinese people, treat them as you would treat your neighbour and that sort of thing,” he explained to me.   After speaking to both of these gentlemen on separate occasions, the general consensus for Muslims living and being educated in Ireland is a common one.    Ireland is overall a fantastic country to live and study in. We are a nation whose history almost starts and ends with migration. Unfortunately, there are some minor instances of discrimination, but these can be “rectified through education and understanding.”  In comparison to other nations, we should be proud of how tolerant we can be towards other cultures. But even one episode of discrimination will always be one too many. “Education is key.”  BABBLE II

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Illustrated by Mete Kaplan Eker

Paint Cyberspace Black B. M. Aklan WOMEN have had no name on common discourses at the times when there were dragons beyond unknown lands. Woman the daughter, woman the wife, woman the mother… The imprisonment in nature of patriarchy has materialized her between expected walls in the society. Something changed via media in the following century, and the explanation of being woman went to a different way – the wild, the hatless. To Wonder Woman Venus freshly emerging from the waters, as it is written in the Second Sex. The social system, which is under the authority of patriarchal institutions, is not a predestination of woman. The female members submit their existences between the digital walls of a global village. New media is a perfect stage for woman to be shown as a two-dimensional image. The Internet’s equalizing power is about breaking down the walls for her to be at the online-scape. Social roles that she has been dressed in, were not on the agenda for years, and in this matter, it is important to know the role of media within the concept of forming social reality. The metamorphosis of communication changes modern society into digital community. As a historical background, the coffeehouses played a role for the birth of newspapers in Ottoman Empire, so that news could enter into circulation. In Ireland, the pub acts like a social agent, but the online villagers live digital experiences in reality, as being captured around the table by internet. Re-New Media There’s an old joke in Hollywood: “The good news is that there are three simple rules for making a good movie. The bad news is that no one knows

what they are.” In order to understand a medium, it is essential to understand the nature of connection between various power focuses. Harold Innis analysed the rise and fall of empires as a way of drawing the effects of communication tools. He thought the balancing of time and space oriented media contributed to the cultural vitality. As a former space-biased construction, the real walls can be bonded with the network, like the digital wall is a new time-biased medium. Hereby, the 3-dimensional walls are transformed onto the 2-dimensionality via new media. The digital walls are more powerful than the real walls. It is a good example for the time–space compression of David Harvey in the Condition of Postmodernity. In these modern times, the graphic novel, V for Vendetta, is popular on new media, and within the scope of intellectual gossip, the ‘V’ is a female character who is masked as male. It refers to a criticism about the social notion of female figure as a state of dependence. On the other side, it is known that the ghost creators of female graphics on social media have mostly masculine gender, and consequently, there is no doubt that the vision of woman is tuned in a problematic way. Simone de Beauvoir wrote in an epigraph, quoting from Poullain de la

Barre: “Everything that has been written by men about women should be viewed with suspicion, because they are both judge and party.”

“I want to see it painted black Black as night, black as coal I want to see wthe sun blotted out from the sky I want to see it painted black.” The Rolling Stones Fight Club: on-air VS off-air

The magazine named Index on Censorship devoted a special issue to the creation of ‘us’ and ‘them’. George Orwell wrote that unpopular ideas can be silenced, and inconvenient facts kept dark, without the need for any official ban. New media shows different social features than mainstream media. Censorship might exile the others from mainstream media, but the others within the context of female identity (i.e. transgender or intersex) are not cancelled or hidden by new media. Moreover, the social platforms affirm them as social actors. However, they are rarely seen on the digital walls. In the subjected concept, woman is still woman there as known generally. As a communication tool, new media illustrates an imaginary vision about how brave a new world can be. In a flat world, the digital walls cannot be viewed through the traditional frame. The new border of woman is not created by the social structures which could melt her identity. There is no glass-ceiling for woman to access her social media generally, but it is important not to forget that private accounts are used commonly by female digital humans in proportion to male digital humans. The previous observation gives an idea about the song which is still turned on: ‘Paint It Black’ BABBLE II

EXPLORING MORE with less

Living in Limerick on a student budget

Being a student at a university can be overwhelming. Maintaining grades, making a income, and managing other areas of life, free time students get is dedicated to focusing on these life stressors. It is hard to find time to explore, to live life, and to enjoy the little free time students have. Even so, it is harder to do these things on a student budget. With the right tips and tools, students can explore more with less. Every student budget is different. Because of this, it is hard to set in stone what exactly each student should be spending on essentials and extras. However, saving money is always a good thing to do. Whether that be in Limerick or not, there are countless things to do, and for every individual as well. Holly Hackenmiller found out more. 54 II BABBLE

BURREN NATIONAL PARK ON CAMPUS Attending the University of Limerick definitely has its perks. There are clubs and societies to join to get off of campus and meet people who are interested in similar things. Aoife, a student from Ireland, says, “My favorite way to have fun is to join the clubs and societies. I am able to go kayaking or scuba diving weekly with my friends for example. Only 5 euro per year.” Another way to have fun while staying on campus is to go to campus events like table quizzes. Aoife mentioned that she enjoys these, along with going to the Stables Club or Scholars because it is a lot cheaper than going all the way into town.

For those who enjoy seeing the beautiful nature Ireland has to offer, a trip to Limerick’s closest national park is an easy way to get out of the busy city. With only a 59-minute drive, Burren National Park is a close and cheap way to explore limestone pavements, woodlands, lakes, springs, cliffs, and so much more.

PERFORMING ARTS If you’re one who enjoys a live venue, no need to look any further. In UL there is the Limerick Concert Hall. Here one can catch anything from a live traditional Irish concert, to getting hypnotized by one of the world’s greatest magicians. This option may sound expensive for a scholar, but for a UL student, a “student friend” card is available for purchase for only 10 euro, getting you into different performances for free or for very little. LOCKE BAR

WICKLOW NATIONAL PARK If you’re looking for a more mountainous scene, Wicklow Mountain National Park is the right choice for you. Close to Dublin, this destination is the largest national park in the country. With no entry fee, the only additional cost of this beautiful place would be the travel it takes going from Limerick to Wicklow. Which, if you find the right way, would be €10 max.

Furthermore, if you enjoy a more relaxed scene, finding a pub with live music may be more your route. Having live music 7 nights a week, the Locke Bar in Limerick is a great option. The traditional music is a free event every night of the week with the only additional cost being if you wanted a cold Guinness or some delicious pub food to accompany your singing and dancing. GREYHOUND STADIUM Along with the events at Thomond Park, a trip to Limerick Greyhound Stadium isn’t something you’d want to miss. For only 5 euro, one can spend a Friday or Saturday night cheering on your favorite and fastest dog. Even better, the park has a free shuttle that operates on Saturdays- a great and low cost way to make your Saturdays more entertaining.

THOMOND PARK Being Ireland’s sporting capital, one doesn’t have to search far to find an athletic event. Having one of the best teams in Ireland, the Munster Rugby team competes at Limerick’s Thomond Park Stadium. To make this “spendy” event cheaper, students are able to buy tickets with their student IDs, dropping down the total cost of this event. BABBLE II

Students Speak

Kelly, an international student from Chicago, says, “My favorite thing to do so far is to go on walks on the trails in Limerick, like the trail that follows the Shannon right on campus. It saves me money and I get to see all that Limerick has to offer.”

“I’ve explored Ireland on a pretty tight budget. I’ve really had to cut down on unnecessary things like ordering pizzas and spending money going out and focusing more on my needs and groceries. It has helped me live healthier and also learn how to budget money for the future. It has benefited me greatly, because I am able to use extra money to go on more weekend trips to places like London, Dublin, and Berlin.” Spencer, International Student from Pennslyvania

“Overall, everything makes you learn how to stay organised and search for things in advance to find the best deals. You’re also making a lot of friends along the way so you can visit them in the future without paying for accommodation.” Caroline, International Student from France

Getting out to see the world may sound like an expensive option for students - but with these tips, the next time you only have 5 euro to spend on extra activities, you’ll know the places and ways to do so. 56 II

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