SIN Vol. 17 Issue 09

#MakeASmartVote Not sure how the voting process works?

We’ve got all the information you need.

Love is all you need:

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Be prepared for Valentine’s Day with our eightpage pullout.

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Society News Inspiration rooms and Slam Poetry: read all about the recent Writers’ Convention.

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Celebrate, remember and fight back against cancer with Relay for Life

By Jessica Thompson

FREE STUDENT NEWSPAPER | VOL 17, ISSUE 09 | 09 FEB 2016

“The Union of Students in Ireland is encouraging every student to go to smartvote.ie, a website that will compare your own political outlook with that of candidates in your constituency. It’s Tinder for politics.

“And most importantly, we urge students, and young people, to go out on Friday the 26th of February, and #MakeASmartVote, and have your voices heard.”

Smartvote.ie, a student-focused app christened the ‘Tinder of Politics’ has proved itself to be a useful tool for making politics more accessible for students. Smartvote asked all candidates running in the General Election to give their stance and opinion on 30 key issues.

NUI Galway’s Cancer Society will be holding a Relay for Life on Wednesday 9 March, where teams of participants will run for 12 whole hours as a way of showing they will not stop fighting against cancer.

Relay for Life is a global event that started in the States and aimed to ‘celebrate, remember and fight back’ for all those affected by cancer.

The 12-hour, non-competitive event will take place on 9 March from 6pm to 6am in the Kingfisher Hall and, according to CancerSoc Auditor, Ashita Dutta, one member of each team (teams of five to 20 people) will always be on the track, “symbolizing how we won’t give up against cancer”.

“Relay for Life is quite a large-scale event, as it unites all corners of the college in this cause; this year we are projecting an attendance of around 500 participants – hopefully even more,” said Ashita.

“Having so many people that are passionate enough to join the event allows for an arena in which we can highlight the importance of funds raised.

“Personally, during my first Relay for Life experience a few years ago back home, I was taken aback by how many people were touched by cancer, either first hand or through loved ones. So many people remembering lost ones, but then conversely, so many beautiful survivors celebrating their lives, all thanks to cancer research and advancements, early detection and preventative methods.

“Thus, attending Relay really does make one aware of how every little bit makes a difference in the fight against cancer.”

Throughout the night, there will be spirit-raising activities, including yoga, interactive dancing, competitive games, choir and band performances, and themed laps. The night will also feature a number of fundraising stalls and activities.

There will also be a ‘Candle of Hope’ ceremony, which will take place after the sun has set.

During this ceremony, the track will be lit with candles dedicated to the memory or celebration of loved ones. This, according to Ashita, is one of the more emotional parts of the night.

The NUI Galway Cancer Society was set up in the second semester of last year and celebrated its one-year anniversary in January, with 900 members within the society actively receiving updates on upcoming events and opportunities for involvement. “[The society] was set up by a group of students, including myself, who wanted to unite the college in the fight against cancer, a disease that affects everyone in one way or another,” Ashita explained.

Continued on page 2

Continued on page 2

Students get ready to #MakeASmartVote

as General Election is announced

By Jenna Hodgins Queues of students gathered outside Garda stations across the country last week, to get their names on the register for the General Election following last Wednesday’s announcement that #GE16 will take place on 26 February.

Students from NUI Galway, Maynooth University and IT Tralee were pictured outside their local Garda stations on the morning of the announcement.

The Union of Students in Ireland has registered over 80,000 new student voters over the past two years, and at the time of print were making a final effort to get as many as possible on the register before the deadline.

USI President Kevin Donoghue commented: “The amount of students who are registering to vote for the upcoming general election is just outstanding. Students are really energised to vote in this election and to make sure their voice is properly heard.”

This surge in student interest is a continuation of the student movement voter registration drive and the #MakeASmartVote campaign. The USI’s ‘Rock the Register’ campaign registered 10,000 students in just one day back in November with the support of SpunOut.ie.

“The message from students is one of impatience. We expect the student vote to be a powerful contributor to the outcome of the general election 2016,” said Mr Donoghue.

“Students will vote for parties who prioritise education by increasing student support and grants, and who reduce the registration fee. Ireland has the second highest college registration fee in Europe. That’s not good enough. It’s unaffordable for so many young people. Education should be a basic human right, not a privilege.”

President of NUI Galway Students’ Union Phelim Kelly urges students to #MakeASmartVote on 26 February. Photo via Twitter: Annie Hoey (@hoeyannie).

Following the General Election announcement, USI Vice President for the Border, Midlands and Western Region (BMW) Feidhlim Seoighe commented: “The students’ appetite to vote, to have their voices heard, has to be understood by candidates. The Marriage Equality Referendum was won because of the youth vote, and this shows young people that their vote matters, and that it can effect change.”

The biggest issues for students and young people to be discussed over the course of the next few weeks ahead of polling day will be repealing the eight amendment of Bunreacht na hÉireann, safeguarding education and “ensuring that a day’s work receives a fair day’s pay”, Mr Seoighe added.

2 NEWS

Sin Vol. 17 Issue 09

Celebrate, remember and fight back against cancer with Relay for Life Continued from page 1 “We aim to raise awareness of cancerrelated issues on campus and, importantly, raise funds for charities, including the Irish Cancer Society, Cancer Care West and Hand in Hand.

“So far, we’ve hosted NUI Galway’s first Relay for Life event (raising over €10,000), Daffodil Week (coming up again this March), Pink Day (to raise awareness for Breast Cancer in October), Mini Med School (aimed to educate secondary school students about oncology and healthcare professions), Movember Fifa tournaments and lecture/research nights.”

CancerSoc is currently into the second of four mini med school evenings, in which secondary school students are engaged in lectures and workshops (including DNA extraction, blood pressure and knot-tying, surgical suturing and CPR training) to give them an idea of what it would be like to be in a healthcare field.

“This year our theme is oncology, which ties in to awareness and educational aspects of our society aims. Several students from NUIG are volunteering their time to help conduct the workshops and we’ve invited well-known researchers,

oncologists and cancer care nurses to speak,” said Ashita.

“As Relay for Life is fast approaching, we are always looking for more teams to get involved in any way they can, and hopefully help us beat our target through self-directed fundraising. It is never too late to get involved, and registration will be open until the first of March. “ The society is also hosting FIFA tournaments for Commerce students (23 February) and Arts students (1 March) with a €3 entry fee. All proceeds will go to the Irish Cancer Society and the winners of the tournaments will compete against the winners from previously-held Medicine and Engineering tournaments at Relay for Life, to be crowned the NUI Galway FIFA Champion. Students can contact CancerSoc to participate.

Members of the Relay for Life subcommittee will be at Smokey’s every Thursday for Relay for Life registration which costs €10 per participant and includes a Relay t-shirt, food and entertainment for the night. You can also sign up at the Socs Box in Áras na Mac Léinn.

Relay for Life is open to students, staff and the general public and CancerSoc would be grateful to anyone who helps to spread the word.

C A U A G M Y O L LE! O H

The society is also looking for help with the entertainment on the night to keep them going through the 12 hours.

Barefaced Boojum Break-In

By Teodora Bandut The beloved refuelling spot Boojum incurred a breaking and entering on Wednesday 27 January.

At 3.15 in the morning, glass on the front door was smashed in by a tall man in a white hoodie with the hood up, who appeared to be in his late twenties.

As no alarm system was in operation, the man was able to swiftly make his way to the beer fridge from which he took approximately seven bottles.

He then spotted the tip jar, containing roughly 150 euro in tips, which he took along with him.

The exploit unfolded in minutes. The intruder

#MakeASmartVote Continued from page 1

WE'RE OPENING A NEW STORE! AT BRIDGE STREET ON MONDAY 15TH FEBRUARY

WE'RE OFFERING €5 BURRITOS FROM 15TH FEBRUARY TO 15TH MARCH TO CELEBRATE AT OUR BRIDGE STREET AND NEWCASTLE ROAD STORES WWW.TOLTECA.IE T: 091 863830

For more information, see www.cancer.ie/ relayforlife, email cancersoc@socs.nuigalway. ie or find NUIG Cancer Society on Facebook.

The user then gives their opinion on the same issues to then be matched with the candidates who best suit their views. General Election candidates had a deadline of 8 January to answer their 30 questions in order to provide the most accurate results prior to the election.

Now that the register of electors has officially closed, NUI Galway’s own Students’ Union President Phelim Kelly is urging those who have registered to vote to do their research and use smartvote.ie to find out who is in what constituency and with what policy.

“The Students’ Union will do up some info graphs which students can use with their smartvote results to help inform them who best to vote for based on their own opinion. It is essential that students get out and vote on the 26th. Last May, students voted in their thousands and got their friends and family and neighbours on board. We simply must do that again,” Mr Kelly explained.

seemed to know his way around and did not attempt to take anything else, exiting the premises shortly thereafter.

The following day, the employee scheduled to carry out the opening of the restaurant found it to have been broken into and promptly called the guards.

Upon inspecting the CCTV footage, it was discovered that the burglar was a past employee who was fired due to a similar incident involving stolen alcohol.

Boojum is set to tighten their security system and impose stricter screening on staff, following the incident.

“Last May I saw so many people voting for the first time and it was inspiring: people legging it off the bus or train to get to their polling station ten minutes before it closed because they believed so passionately about marriage equality and changing Irish society to what they believed was right.

“If we want change, or if we want the government to take us seriously, we have to show them that we can influence this election just like we influenced the referendum last May. There are so many things that can be changed in this election. Parties are talking about third level fees, postgraduate maintenance and matching that in their manifestos. We might even have a referendum on the 8th Amendment in the next two years if we vote the right people in.

“If you truly want to make a change, you must get out and vote. Vote for yourself, for your younger siblings, for a society you want to be part of.

“If you want help with deciding, call up to the Students’ Union and we will help you decide who to vote for. We won’t tell you who to vote for but will do our best to help you decide for yourself.

Let’s all #MakeASmartVote and show this government we mean business,” Mr Kelly concluded.

NEWS 3

February 09 2016

Things are about to get interesting

By Jessica Thompson Wow, what a fortnight. Since I last spoke to you, I’ve been to two separate Hustings events hosted by USI and the Students’ Union.

While I sat and listened to the various candidates running in the upcoming General Election, it really hit home how important it is for every student to get out and vote.

There are so many issues facing students today, from the accommodation shortage to college fees, and there are certain candidates who aim to fight for our needs. You just need to know who those candidates are.

You’re probably sick of hearing this by now, but smartvote.ie really is an amazing web-app, which will show you exactly where candidates stand on issues such as JobBridge, abortion, accommodation and various others. I tried it out myself and have a better idea of who is running in my constituency.

Speaking of elections, our next issue (due on campus on 1 March) will deal with another very important election: that of the Students’ Union. So my Sinions and I will be busy as bees getting you all the essential information on how to vote, as well as interviews with the various candidates running for an SU position.

And on the topic of how to vote, Jenna has put together a very comprehensive guide to the voting system in Ireland – just in case you weren’t paying attention when politics came up in school.

But this issue isn’t all about politics – not by a long shot.

In fact, we’re all loved up this week with Valentine’s Day coming up at the weekend. We’ve put an eight-page pullout together just for you, so you can get all the best ideas for your loved one – or for yourself, because you are most important.

A monumental amount of effort went into this issue and I’m incredibly proud of my team – I’m even tearing up a little bit (either from the exhaustion of pulling this issue together or the aforementioned pride).

Special thanks goes to my editorial team – especially to Neil, who did a phenomenal job on the Ents section this week, and to Aonghus, because Sport has always been my downfall and I needed someone like him to take it over.

We’re off for three weeks now, but be not afeared: we’ll be back with a bigger and better issue than ever.

Until next time, Jess @jessicadotie

News: Niamh Cullen

As the lovebirds are chirping ahead of Valentine’s Day, us Sin folk have been typing up Issue 9, mainly in the name of love.

We’ve got the perfect coverage on some great alternative activities to get up to with your loved one – my favourite has to be Pat Divilly’s Fun Run being held on 14 February here in Galway. For those single adventure lovers, we’ve got the low down on Epic Ireland’s Wild Tour and we also have NUI Galway’s nominations at the Digital Media Awards and the annual Aquathon covered.

You’ll find some great love themed articles in our other sections too, so be sure to check them out!

Features: Jenna Hodgins As much as I consider myself a hopeless romantic and a sentimentalist, I couldn’t care less about Valentine’s Day – she says whilst introducing the Valentine’s Day themed features section for issue nine... Well, they say love is a bit of give and take. You lot seem to love writing about love, so I thought I’d give a little love back and put these pieces in my section – see?

I have a heart too!

Here at Sin we have some seriously engaging writers, so much so they actually make me want to read about Valentine’s Day without needing the proverbial bucket. We’re getting all defensive – in a good way – this issue with Dean Buckley challenging misconceptions about long-term relationships in college. Meanwhile on the flip-side, Orla Masterson tells us why being single shouldn’t be a bad thing.

With the reopening of the CAO, Jessica Hannon defends Arts students once more on page 8. Niamh Cullen challenges the commercialisation of Valentine’s Day in relation to LGBT relationships, and Sorcha O’Connor explores students' relationships with drugs also on page 8. Phew – it’s gonna be an interesting issue, alright!

Entertainment: Neil Slevin

This Entertainment section is our most varied to date, and it’s jam-packed with contributors’ reviews and previews of the best entertainment that Galway has to offer.

In anticipation of Valentine’s Day, we continue our love theme (love-ish anyway!) in Resonate, and we also suggest numerous ways in which you can either revel in or just survive the day – depending on your romantic perspective…

Last but certainly not least, this issue’s pride of place Entertainment–wise must go to News Editor Niamh Cullen, who contributes two great articles, as well one of her poems to Resonate. Be sure to check out her stellar work.

I hope you enjoy it all.

Best, Neil

Sport: Aonghus Ó’Maicín As we approach the humdrum feast of St. Valentine, why not fall in love with sport? Not that you’re not already head over heels for our sensuous sports pages. This edition in sport gives us plenty of reason to get excited and aroused and may even act as an aphrodisiac, stimulating our desire and passion for all things sport.

Six Nations is already in full swing and a crazy amount of sport awaits us in the summer.

There’s even a bucket load to delve into before the summer. Whatever the sport, we’ve got it covered here in Sin City.

Find us online:

www.sin.ie

Lifestyle: Sorcha O’Connor Spring has finally arrived (although the weather hasn’t seemed to have caught up) and we have officially entered the month of love! Valentine’s Day is fast approaching – as is February 29 (run while you still can, boys!).

But although in this issue Lifestyle has plenty of fabulous ideas for your V-Day celebrations, we’ve kept all the usual instalments of food, fitness and good living – because the most important relationship is the one that you have with yourself!

That said, I’m a hopeless romantic at heart and I’m secretly very excited about having a boyfriend for Valentine’s Day for the first time this year. Thankfully, he doesn’t go here so won’t see that confession. I like to pretend I’m still hard to get eight months in.

Editor: Jessica Thompson editor@sin.ie Layout: Shannon Reeves | contact via Ed. NEWS

Niamh Cullen | localnews.sined@gmail.com FEATURES

Jenna Hodgins | features.sined@gmail.com LIFESTYLE Sorcha O’Connor | fashion.sined@gmail.com ENTERTAINMENT

Neil Slevin | artsentertainment.sined@gmail.com SPORT Aonghus Ó’Maicín | sport.sined@gmail.com

4 NEWS

Sin Vol. 17 Issue 09

#NUIGSafeCampus campaign to host consent workshops during SHAG Week By Áine Gallagher NUI Galway’s SafeCampus campaign, launched in November 2015, has been developed in response to research showing that 25 percent of female and six percent of male NUI Galway students have experienced sexual assault.

Research is showing that sexual assault is prevalent across third level education institutions, with similar results seen across Europe and in the USA. NUI Galway is now pioneering this SafeCampus campaign as a pro-

active response to these results.

The campaign has two specific aims; to promote positive communication and understanding of consent within sexual encounters and to provide information on supports available to students who have experienced any form of sexual assault.

Through this campaign, NUI Galway is promoting the development of positive sexual communication and experience among students and aiming to reduce the risk of negative sexual experiences. The campaign also wants

to reassure students that NUI Galway supports students with any experience of sexual assault and that numerous support services are available if students feel in need of help and guidance.

The University acknowledges that the need for positive support is essential when a person may disclose information of this nature. This support can be one of the most important components in order for a person to survive sexual assault, as portrayed in The Hunting Ground, a documentary about student led activism in response to sexual assault

USI hope new ‘Say Something’ card will help victims of unwanted sexual contact

By Sorcha O’Connor The Union of Students in Ireland launched the ‘Say Something’ card on February 2 in Tralee. The card is the result of a survey done examining students’ experiences of sexual violence and harassment while in college.

The card contains information for anyone who is unsure what to do when they experience unwanted sexual advances or physical assault has occurred.

“USI are delighted to launch the Say Something cards to raise awareness of the supports available to students who experience violence,” said Anne Hoey, Deputy President of USI. She further explained how the USI strives to keep students informed on what help is at hand if an incident occurs and how they hope it will increase the amount of cases reported.

“USI also trains Students’ Unions around these issues to equip them on how to best support students. The cards will have all the information a student needs after they’ve been sexually or physically assaulted and we hope to see an increase in the number of reported incidents.”

She said that according to Dublin Rape Crisis Centre only one in ten cases of rape are reported.

In the survey funded by Cosc and the Department of Justice and Equality in which 2,590 Irish students and 162 International Students took part, 57% of participants did not believe the incident was serious enough to report and 44% did not think that what happened was a crime.

According to the survey other victims did not report incidences as they felt ashamed and embarrassed; they were afraid they may be blamed for what happened and others did not want their family to find out about it.

11 percent of women responded that they had been the victim of unwanted sexual contact. Five percent of women reported they were victims of rape, while three percent reported they were victims of attempted rape. Less than one percent of male participants reported rape or attempted.

In over six in ten cases, the perpetrator was believed to be under the influence of alcohol. According to the survey, 36 percent reported that unwanted sexual experiences happened ‘several’ or ‘many’ times.

“We hope that these statistics will shed new light on the area of violence, including physical and sexual harassment,” said Kevin Donoghue, President of the Union of Students in Ireland.

30,000 Say Something cards will be distributed to Students’ Unions nationwide in the next few weeks.

NUI Galway to host a Cancer Research and Awareness evening in Galway NUI Galway will host a Cancer Research and Awareness evening for the public providing valuable insights into the future of cancer research and in particular, early cancer detection and prevention. The event will take place in Áras Moyola at NUI Galway on Thursday, 11 February from 7pm to 9pm Organised by NUI Galway’s College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences and NUI Galway’s Cancer Society, the event will share information on all types of cancer with the wider Galway community and the many resources available to people.

It aims to encourage public and patient involvement in cancer research; discuss the future of cancer medicine and patient wellbeing, and the benefits of combining research with psychology and clinical medicine.

Special guest, Professor Mark Lawler from the Centre for Cancer Research & Cell Biology in Queen’s

University Belfast will headline the event. Joining Professor Lawler on the panel of experts are; Dr Sharon Glynn, Lecturer in Pathology at The Lambe Institute for Translational Research at NUI Galway, Dr Jane Walsh, Director of M-Health Research Group and the School of Psychology at NUI Galway, and Sinead Quinn, Clinical Psychologist and Patient and Family Advocate.

The evening will comprise of short presentations by each of the speakers, followed by a panel discussion in which members of the audience can pose questions. Community members, patients, patients’ families, physicians, medical professionals and students will benefit from this multi-disciplinary discussion.

The event will be opened by Lorraine Toner from the Irish Cancer Society; her introduction is to be followed by Dr Sharon Glynn from the College of Medicine, NUI Galway, who will speak about cur-

rent research aimed at preventing the development of metastatic cancer and future research strategies for cancer prevention.

Dr Jane Walsh of the School of Psychology, NUI Galway, will then discuss the tools available for healthy living, exercise and nutrition for cancer patients and for lowering risk.

Sinead Quinn, a Patient and Family Advocate, will talk about raising awareness for early cancer diagnosis and the psychological impact of cancer diagnosis.

Finally, Professor Mark Lawler from the Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology in Queen’s University Belfast will address the audience. There will then be a general discussion.

The event is free and open to the public. For further event details, email sharon.glynn@nuigalway.ie, follow on Twitter @nuigalway.ie or Facebook at NUIG Cancer Society.

on university campuses and the lack of support provided by these institutions.

NUI Galway is spreading the message that students will be listened to, believed and supported in response to any disclosure regarding sexual assault.

As part of SHAG Week (Sexual Health and Guidance Week), 8 to 12 February, the campaign is promoting a number of events. Students from the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance will perform their production 100 Shades of Grey on 8 and 9 February.

Síobhra Ní Chianain, one of the students involved, said the aim of content of this play is to “explore the topic of sexual consent, and the different perceptions people may have in relation to this”.

Charlotte Moore, another student involved, stressed the relevance of this production for students by saying; “I think the issue of consent is such a grey area. It is rarely discussed and it should be discussed.”

Students also explained how they felt an open discussion about these topics may protect them from future negative experiences and urged other students to begin this conversation.

100 Shades of Grey was directed by Dr Charlotte McIvor and will be performed in the Bank of Ireland Theatre at 8pm on 8 and 9 February.

A number of consent workshops will also be run during SHAG week.

These workshops are open to all students and Elaine Byrnes from the

School of Psychology has reported that students should “expect the unexpected”, exploring consent in a “fun, interactive, non-threatening way, aiming to increase students’ confidence in negotiating consent, protecting themselves and promoting more fun and positive sexual encounters”.

These two-hour workshops will be held in room 65 Ground Floor, School of Psychology, at 5pm on 10 February and 1pm 11 and 12 February.

Other events will include a workshop entitled ‘Pornography, the good the bad and the ugly’, given by PhD student Kate Dawson, on Wednesday 10 February at 1pm in The View, Áras Na Mac Léinn. This will explore the use of pornography in an open minded way, enabling critical thinking in the messages portrayed and provide tips on the best quality pornography available.

A book club session will be held, discussing Asking For It, the novel by Louise O’Neill which explores consent in a contemporary Ireland. This will be held on Thursday 11 February at 6pm in Meeting Room 1, Áras na MacLeinn.

For ongoing information in relation to the #NUIGsafecampus campaign see www.nuigalway.ie/ safecampus and for information on all events happening during SHAG Week, February 2016, see www. su.nuigalway.ie.

Get involved with the SU Aquathon

By Claire Stone Competitors and volunteers are wanted for this year’s annual NUI Galway Students' Union Charity Aquathon on Tuesday 23 February.

The event consists of a 750 metre swim (30 lengths) in the swimming pool in the Sports Centre followed by a five kilometre run in Dangan.

All proceeds raised will be donated to this year’s SU charities; The Galway Rape Crisis Centre and the Irish Cancer Society.

Winner of last year’s aquathon Patrick Mc Bride describes the day’s atmosphere as a “fun yet competitive” event. “You don’t really feel under pressure or anything. It’s a lot of fun.”

All students are welcome to get involved in the event, whether beginners or advanced runners and swimmers.

Past participant Patrick Kennedy encourages people not to be nervous about taking part in a new sport: “It’s fun, healthy and all for a good cause. Go for it. The skill level varies hugely but there are plenty of beginners around. There is also some people who can perform quite strongly in the pool but be a poor runner, and vice versa, so don’t worry if you favour one side of the race over the other,” he said.

To get involved, participants can sign up in the Students’ Union office at any time. Volunteers can also express their interest in email to studentsunion@nuigalway.ie. Each participant is asked to raise a minimum of €25 to take part.

Upon signing up, participants will receive a fundraising card along with a free tee shirt. Refreshments will also be provided on the day. Volunteers will be expected to help out with registration, time keeping and marshalling.

Last year’s event raised €1,000 for NUI Galway’s SU Charities and this year the SU hopes to exceed that number.

So far students have already raised €14,383 for the 2015/16 SU Charities compared to last year’s grand total of €12,314.

They hope this indicates continued success for the aquathon. Money can also be donated to the NUI Galway SU Aquathon’s event page on their website.

On the day, participants need to bring swimming togs, flip flops, a swimming hat, goggles and a towel for the swim along with regular running gear and proper running shoes for the five kilometre run. It should be noted that no shoes or boots will be permitted.

The SU have also provided a simple training plan for interested participants on their website, su.nuigalway.ie.

NEWS 5

February 09 2016

NUI Galway student wins national award for volunteer work

By Neil Slevin Barry Foley, a fourth year Occupational Therapy student at NUI Galway, has won a national award for volunteering in the category of Health and Disability at the Volunteer Ireland awards, awards which aim to recognise and celebrate the thousands of remarkable people across Ireland who selflessly offer up their time and talent for the benefit of others.

Originally from Barna, Co. Galway, Barry was nominated for this award

by Ability West, where he has worked as a volunteer since 2011: Ability West is a non-profit organisation which provides services and support to over 520 individuals with intellectual disabilities throughout Galway city and county.

A mature student, Barry is a qualified fitness instructor who brings a number of groups with intellectual disabilities to the gym, in addition to

developing workout plans for individuals, and encouraging them to see them through; in each centre, he encourages and promotes active, healthy living for all those in attendance.

During the month of August, when these services are closed, Barry organises gym sessions for service users to attend so that they can continue their workout sessions and stay active while on their holidays.

Speaking about Barry’s exceptional work, Linda Keane from Ability West (who nominated Barry) said: “Barry enthusiastically embraces and promotes equality for people with an intellectual disability and encourages service users to reach their potential.

“He is an extraordinary volunteer who changes the way people in the wider community look at those with an intellectual disability. His ‘can do’ attitude has motivated our service users to push themselves and reach their potential; he has set the bar high

for each individual so it gives other people the experience of seeing past their disability and seeing what they can achieve.

“Barry has made a difference to the lives of so many. In my ten years as Volunteer Manager, no volunteer has shown our service users more what they are capable of achieving in such a positive way. He treats them the same as he does other people.

“Most importantly, when he brings our service users to the gym, he shows the wider public that people with an intellectual disability can set goals and work hard to achieve them,” continued Linda.

Barry was one of two Galway-based volunteers presented with an award at a special ceremony in City Hall, Dublin on 2 December; Connacht Rugby player Ronan Loughney also won an award for his work with the Blue Teapot Theatre Company, where he has been volunteering since 2006.

Commenting on the awards, Volunteer Galway Manager Donncha Foley said: “Congratulations to Ronan and Barry! Hundreds of nominations were sent in and, out of 11 winners, two of those were from Galway. It just serves to highlight the great culture of volunteering that we have in Galway.

“Barry and Ronan are a real credit to the county, along with Frank Downes and Marie Cahill, who were also nominated for an award. Volunteers are so selfless and giving that their immense contribution often goes unnoticed. We are delighted to have this opportunity to celebrate these volunteers and, above all else, say thank you for all that they do.”

Reflecting on his victory, Barry said: “I was embarrassed to win as I don’t volunteer for awards; but now that I have, I would like to see if there is the potential to use this opportunity to get other people involved in some way.

“I’m hoping that, by sharing the stories of volunteers, we can help to break down any barriers that people may have to volunteering, including shyness, lack of confidence, or social anxiety.”

NUI Galway’s Student Volunteer Coordinator Lorraine Tansey said: “At NUI Galway, our student volunteering programme ALIVE seeks to connect students with great skills to community partners that can host them and offer them a positive experience.

“We are grateful to community groups like Ability West who provide support and acknowledgement to volunteers.”

If you would like find out more about volunteering in the Galway city and/or county areas, please visit www.volunteergalway.ie, where you can see a range of current volunteer opportunities, and register your interest in volunteering within your community.

Eight NUI Galway researchers honoured in Áras an Uachtaráin for contribution to science Eight NUI Galway academics attended a celebration of ‘Women in Science’

by President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, in Áras an Uachtaráin at the end of January. The event celebrated the leading role that women play in scientific research and industry.

Since his inauguration in 2011, the President has spoken repeatedly about the importance of using scientific insights to address the great challenges facing humanity and our fragile planet and to ensure the benefits of this research are shared equitably among and within nations. The celebratory event highlighted the achievements and inspirational roles played by a growing number of women in this regard.

Speaking at the celebratory event, President Higgins said: “It gives me great pleasure to host this event, aimed at celebrating the leading role that women are playing in scientific research and industry.

“Science is an important and influential discipline – one which has a pivotal role to play in the great concerns of humanity in our time, and one which has the potential to make the greatest contribution to improving our world.

“As experts in their fields, aw a rd w i n ner s, holder s of distinguished Chairs and Professorships, esteemed researchers, writers and lecturers they are breaking new ground and paving the way for new generations of women who will also wish to use their talent and creativity to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths, and play their unique role in crafting a better world. I wish each and every one of them success in their fields of expertise, in their future careers and in their capacities as inspirational role models for the scientists of the future.”

UI Galway academics and researchers with President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins and Sabina Higgins. From left, Dr Róisín Dwyer, Dr Michelle Kilcoyne, Dr Adreienne Gorman, Dr Sharon Glynn, Dr Laoise McNamara, Dr Elaine Dunleavy, Professor Grace McCormack, and Dr Eva Szegezdi.

The eight NUI Galway researchers were: • Dr Adrienne Gorman, Vice-Dean for Research in the College of Science and Principal Investigator in Apoptosis Research Centre • Dr Eva Szegezdi, Lecturer in Biochemistry, Head of the Blood Cancer Biobank in Ireland, and Principal

investigator of the Cancer Niche Laboratory • Dr Laoise McNamara, Lecturer in Biomedical Engineering • Dr Elaine Dunleavy, Wellcome Trust Research Fellow with Biochemistry and Centre for Chromosome Biology • Dr Róisín Dwyer, Lecturer in Translational Science

• Professor Grace McCormack, member of the Zoology Discipline of the School of Natural Sciences and the Biodiversity and Bioresources cluster of the Ryan Institute • Dr Michelle Kilcoyne, Lecturer in the Discipline of Microbiology • Dr Sharon Glynn, Lecturer in Pathology

NUI Galway invites budding scientists to the ‘Scientist for a Day’ workshop NUI Galway is set to host its ‘Scientist for a Day’ workshop on 16 February, which will see kids aged seven to 13 years channelling their inner scientist for a full day of science-related activities such as preparing DNA, observing colourful chemical reactions and working with live exotic animals.

The event is organised by three science outreach initiatives based in NUI Galway: Cell EXPLORERS, Eco EXPLORERS and Kitchen Chemistry,

all of which will be bringing their own unique workshops to the event.

“We are very excited to run this event once again. It is a unique opportunity for children to practice hands-on science in a real laboratory setting,” said PhD student and leader of the Kitchen Chemistry ream Adele Gabba.

“They will learn and discover under the guidance of scientists who are passionate about sharing their enthusiasm

for science and education. It’s a great way to stimulate children’s interest in science in a fun and interactive way.”

With Cell EXPLORERS, children will learn about the fascinating world of cells which are the basic building blocks of all living things. They will set up their own experiment to prepare DNA from a chosen fruit.

Kitchen Chemistry will teach children how to make their own glow sticks and grow crystals at home. To

complete the day, Eco EXPLORERS will present an exciting display of live exotic animals, ranging from tarantulas to snakes and stick insects.

All three workshops will be delivered by NUI Galway staff and students.

The cost to attend is €10 per child, with discounts available for multiple bookings, €18 for two children, €25 for three, or €30 for four.

If you know a child who would enjoy becoming a scientist for a day,

bookings can be made at http:// scientistforadayfebruary2016.eventbrite.com. Once registered, email the registration form from Eventbrite to cellexplorers@nuigalway.ie for each child who would like to participate (maximum four children per Eventbrite order).

Please reference your Eventbrite order number on the registration form.

Places are limited, so early booking is advised.

6 NEWS

Sin Vol. 17 Issue 09

USI launches J1 guide

By Maurice Brosnan On Tuesday 26 January the Union of Students in Ireland launched the J1 guide for 2016 outside Leinster House, with support from Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and American Ambassador to Ireland, Kevin O’Malley.

The new J1 programme requires applicants to submit a written job commitment from an employer when applying and has resulted in some confusion about the process.

The guide offers advice to students on how to find a job, secure accommodation and make the most of their opportunity to experience the American way of life.

Kevin Donoghue, USI President, urged students to avoid leaving it to the last minute: “We’re urging students to get involved now with the job place-

ment process so they can take up the roles that are on offer. Once students have a job secured, they’ll have all the hard work done and be able to look forward to a great summer in the US.” The new changes require students to have seasonal employment, which is CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange) approved. It does not limit the amount of jobs you can have, but does prohibit certain kinds of jobs.

Speaking in advance of the launch, Minister Jimmy Deenihan said “The J1 Summer Work and Travel programme has played an extremely positive role in building US-Irish links over the past 50 years. The Government’s focus is on maximising student participation in the J1 programme in 2016 and beyond.”

Minster Deenihan also encouraged students to refer to the new guide: “I am pleased that the Department is in a position to support USI in the produc-

tion of this excellent and informative guide. I strongly encourage students wishing to apply for this year’s summer J1 to engage with the process now so that they can meet the requirements of the programme and go on to have a great experience in the US.” Students are also advised to organise logistics like accommodation well in announce of traveling. US Ambassador to Ireland Kevin O’Malley said the key lies in being proactive: “Even as some aspects of the J1 program evolve and change, the cultural exchange and entrepreneurial spirit at the heart of the program remain exactly the same.

“The J1 experience will continue to be a life-changing one that connects the next generation of Irish and Americans and strengthens the bonds of friendship between our two countries.”

For more information students can visit www.j1online.ie.

NUI Galway nominated for Digital Media Award

By Graham Gillespie NUI Galway has received a nomination for the mobile version of their website in the 2016 Digital Media Awards. The nominations for the awards were announced on Thursday 21 January and the university’s new mobile website was shortlisted in the Best Use of Mobile category.

The Digital Media Awards, which are sponsored by the management consulting services company Accenture, are regarded as one of Ireland’s biggest showcases of Digital Media. According to the awards’ website they “strive to recognize and celebrate excellence in all aspects of digital media”.

Online Marketing Officer at NUI Galway Zara Sheerin stated the college is “delighted” to be nominated in “such a hotly contested category”.

Sheerin also mentioned how NUI Galway has also received three nominations at the eGovernment awards

(Best Marketing, Best Social Media and Best Website) which took place on the 29 January; “As usage of digital media continues to increase globally, NUI Galway’s key objective was for our online presence to reflect NUI Galway’s status as a vibrant, innovative and dynamic University with a distinguished reputation for teaching and research excellence.”

Having originally begun in 2004, the 2016 edition of the Digital Media Awards will be the 12th time the ceremony has taken place. This year will see awards being presented in 27 different categories.

In the Best Use of Mobile category, NUI Galway web redesign will face opposition from AIB mobile banking, Electric Ireland’s Mobile Responsive Website, Permanent TSB Periscope, Redefining Mobile Travel Experiences, The Guinness Plus App and Three Rugby.

The agency who redesigned the NUI Galway mobile site, Dublin-based digital and direct marketing agency RMG, also received a nod in the best agency category. The Digital Media awards complemented NUI Galway’s mobile site in the press release for the nominations, stating that the site succeeded in “demonstrating an evolution in the online brand with a responsive and user-focused design”.

The university has had success in this category in the past, picking up bronze in 2014 for their iPoints app.

The development was aimed at Leaving Certificate students looking to calculate their points. In 2009, NUI Galway student Stephen Stewart won the Digital Story telling award for his short film Appeal to the People of Africa.

NUI Galway will find if they will take home gold this year at the awards gala in the DoubleTree by Hilton on Burlington Road, Dublin on Friday 19 February.

Mindfulness and candlelight meditation for Galway Novena

By Jessica Thompson Mindfulness and the importance of telling stories is the theme for this year’s Galway Solemn Novena, which runs from Monday 15 until Tuesday 23 February.

Over 10,000 people are expected to attend the Novena, with such a diverse crowd of young and old people who regularly practice mass, or only go to the Novena every year.

This year, the Galway Solemn Novena is asking “what’s the point?”, with its ‘Stories of God, Stories of You’ theme. Stories during the Novena will focus on nine specific Parables told by Jesus in the Bible, which are simply stories with a point.

The mindful messages in these parables rage from the importance of our relationship with God, living in the moment, being present, gratitude, kindness, second chances, fresh starts, new beginnings, how greed can creep into all of our lives and how we can find grace to offer positive and fulfilling life gifts to others and ourselves.

Focusing on the choices that are made in every day life, one of the Parables, The Wheat and the Weed asks: How can we be sure we’ve made the best choice?

Love and Mercy are also explored on many levels throughout this year’s Novena but they are really honed in on through the parables The Secretly Growing Seed and The Seed and The

Four Different Types of Soil.

These stories are timeless classics of spiritual insight. Many turns of phrases in modern language come from these stories like The Prodigal Son or The Good Samaritan. The aim of this Novena is for people to revisit these classic stories and use them in reassessing their own lives. The stories capture the essence of what it is to love and be loved.

This year’s Novena is unusual in that it takes place during Lent, and the organisers are hoping people will make it part of their Lenten observance.

There will also be two candlelight meditation sessions, which have attracted more and more people over the last three years. During these ses-

NUI Galway welcomes new Global Experience degree

By Sorcha O’Connor The former Bachelor of Commerce International has become the Bachelor of Commerce (Global Experience), giving NUI Galway students the opportunity to study further afield. The new degree extends study abroad opportunities through English to China, Australia and the United States in addition to existing partner countries throughout the European Union.

The degree combines a year’s placement and Erasmus with study in Galway, giving a “unique opportunity” to students according to Programme Director, Dr Gerard Turley.

“This four year degree is designed to prepare students for the challenges of working in today’s global business environment,” he said.

The international element of this course will help give an edge to NUI Galway graduates, according to Dr Ann Torres, Vice-Dean of Internationalisation at the university.

“The Bachelor of Commerce (Global Experience) course responds to the needs of employers and will produce highly sought-after graduates in all areas of business,” she said.

The course requires students to complete several modules in the many

realms of business in Years One and Two, a year abroad in Year Three and specialising in their choice of eight business streams in Final Year back in Galway. Students can choose from Accounting and Performance Measurement, Economics and Public Policy, Management of Human Resources, Marketing Management, Digital Business and Analytics, Finance, Business Law or International Business.

President of NUI Galway Dr Jim Browne had high praise for the new course, believing it will benefit business students greatly; “Studying abroad in the business schools of leading universities whilst immersed in the culture of our partner countries is a strategic element of preparation of the student for a successful career in international business,” he commented.

“The introduction of partnerships in China, Australia and the United States results in a truly international business degree which builds student networks and understanding on a global scale.”

The new course joins the many business degrees in NUI Galway including Bachelors of Commerce, with International with Continental Language, Gaeilge, Accounting, and Bachelors of Science in Business Information Systems and in Financial Mathematics and Economics.

Suas Conference on global citizenship in higher education

By Margaret Langevin Anyone interested in promoting Global Citizenship in higher education is welcomed to take part in the upcoming Suas Conference.

Suas Educational Development, Campus Engage, Kimmage DSC and Comhlámh are running this conference to bring together students, student societies, academics, civic engagement staff, student unions and NGOs. The event will feature leading academic Doug Bourn from the University College London to speak about the place for Global Citizenship in higher education.

There will also be presentations and workshops from different actors involved in Global Citizenship work on campus.

The workshops will address a range of themes including programme design,

monitoring and evaluation, scaling programmes and developing funding applications.

Topics covered will include An Taisce and Rootability on whole-campus approach to sustainability, Value Added in Africa on creating a module on Business and Development in UCD and Edinburgh Student Co-operative.

The conference is a way to meet those working in the area, to share ideas and experiences and to explore possibilities for the campus. It will run from 9.30am to 4pm on Tuesday 23 February in the Ashling Hotel, Dublin 8.

Those interested in attending the conference can register through Eventbrite. There are a limited number of travel bursaries to allow students travelling outside of Dublin to join the event.

To apply for a bursary email deidre@ suas.ie or ALIVE at alive@nuigalway.ie contact alive@nuigalway.ie.

sions, candles will light the Cathedral, and there will be music and some soft prayer.

The Galway Solemn Novena will run from Monday 15 February until Tuesday 23 February at Galway Cathedral. Week day Mass times are at 7.45am, 11am, 1.10pm, 3.30pm, 7.30pm, 9pm and mass will be said at 9am, 10.30am, 12.30pm,

4.30pm, 6.30pm and 8pm on Sunday.

The Candlelight meditation sessions will take place at 10pm on Wednesday 17 and Monday 22 and last about an hour.

For more information, follow Galway Cathedral on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or log onto www.galwaycathedral.ie.

FEATURES 7

February 09 2016

How voting in an election works

By Jenna Hodgins

year – on 15 February when the annual reg- • Cheque card and another document conister is published. If you’re still worried just taining your address in the constituency This general election will be the first for many contact your local County or City Council and • Credit card and another document containstudent voters across the country, so a quick they’ll be able to tell you over the phone. ing your address in the constituency lecture on how to vote and why voting in a genNow that you’re registered and doubled • Birth certificate and another document eral election is a little bit different won’t hurt. checked that you are, let’s get down to the containing your address in the constituency • Marriage certificate and another document Since the marriage equality referendum in other important stuff.

2015, young people have proven to be more You will be sent a polling card to your regcontaining your address in the constituency politically involved than ever.

For many this istered address before the date of the general Alumni_Dictionary_Page.pdf 1 27/11/2015 10:05 a.m. will be your first time voting in a general elec- election. It will include your elector number and If you do not have a valid proof of identity you tion. Unlike the simple X-marks-the-spot voting tell you where you can vote on Friday 26 February. may not be allowed vote, so bring your ID lads! system for referendums, voting in a general When you arrive at the polling station you Once you get your ballot paper you will then be election isn’t as straight forward but before we will be asked to state your name and address lead to the voting compartment. get into that, here’s a quick guide or check list and you may be asked to prove your identity, The names of the candidates in the elecvalid forms of identification are as follows: tion will appear in alphabetical order on for those wanting to vote on 26 February.

First things first: you need to be registered. • Passport your ballot paper along with their political By the time this article is published it’ll be • Driving licence party e.g. Joe Bloggs – Politics is fun party. likely too late for you to get your name on the • Employee identity card containing a pho- A photograph of the candidate and/or their register of electors; however I assume most of tograph party emblem will appear next to this on the you are smart people and have already made • Student identity card issued by an edu- ballot paper. the effort prior to this to register to vote. If not cational institution and containing a Now here’s the important part: – well, I suppose with this election campaign photograph You must indicate the order of your choice Alumni_Dictionary_Page.pdf 1 27/11/2015 only lasting less than three weeks and the fact • Travel document containing name and of candidates from10:05 onea.m. onwards – one being I didn’t get to you before this is published, photograph your first choice, two your second, and so then who can blame you. Blame me!

• Bank or Savings or Credit Union book con- on. Basically a scale from one to whatever You can check if you’re registered by visittaining your address in the constituency or based on your preferences. You can however ing www.checktheregister.ie. Don’t worry if electoral area just vote for one candidate. You may stop your details aren’t there, sometimes you may • Public Services Card marking your paper after one or whatever not appear on the site because many of the • Cheque book and another document con- subsequent preference, or right down to the online databases are only updated once a taining your address in the constituency very last candidate.

DOROTHY CREAVEN

Grandfather led his wife to the altar when he

Year of graduation: 2000 Course at NUI Galway: Electronic Engineering (undergrad) Current Occupation: Co-founder & CEO of Element Wave (Element Software Ltd)

What is your fondest memory of NUI Galway?

Having serious laughs with great friends in the old college bar in the Quad before our Physics labs in first year. Massively fun times, though we may have missed a lab or two.

Has NUI Galway changed since you were here?

Yes, for definite... Nowadays, engineering students no longer get to hang out in more ‘retro-style’ Engineering block in Nun’s Island.

Instead, they spend time in the new and beautiful Eng building at the other side of the university. Also, Starbucks is on campus now – quite a change to the coffee from Smokey’s circa 1999!

How did attending NUI Galway develop you as a person?

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There is nothing like leaving home for the first time to start college. The people you meet and memories you make are some of the best times you will have in your life. In addition, it’s the perfect time to try new things, live in different places, study new subjects, and have a lot of fun along the way.

How did studying your course of study prepare you for your career?

Though the course I studied did not have a direct impact on my career path, having a solid understanding of how technology works and the software behind many different systems and implementations has stood by me, and has also

Transferable votes, scales and what not Note: you cannot put a tick or an X in the box of your preferred candidate, it has to be marked with the digit ‘1’ or else your vote will be considered spoiled.

Voting by way of preference – from one onwards – means you are telling the returning officer to transfer your vote to your second choice candidate if your first choice is either eliminated or elected with a surplus (extra) of votes over the quota.

For instance, Joe Bloggs is your first choice, and Eileen Dover is your second. Mr Bloggs gets eliminated in the first count, therefore your vote will then be transferred your second choice, Eileen. This is known as a single transferable vote.

So be mindful of this. If you do not want your vote to be transferred, you can just vote for one candidate by marking ‘1’ in the box next to their name and image.

If you don’t mind your vote being transferred, you can indicate your preferences on a scale from ‘1’ onwards.

A SHORT RECAP:

Bring a valid ID. Study your ballot paper.

Decide how you’d like to vote. And finally, no marking the box with a tick or an X, numbers only please.

But above all of that – use your vote!

happier man since he got married.

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situation is altogether different from ours. helped me understandwas only 22 years old. / adj not selfish. alter / / verb to become or make altruistic / our customer’s needs Synonym unselfish .

Antonym something different. Synonym change in Element Wave.

Grandfather led his wife to the altar when he happier man since he got married. selfish Their was only 22 years old. situation is altogether different from Did you partake in (NOTE: Do not confuse with altar.) aluminium / / ours. noun a sil-

alteration /

alter / / verb to become or make different. Synonym change (NOTE: Do not confuse with altar.) (NOTE: alteration / (ə)n / noun an act

altruistic /

/ adj not selfish.

extremely light noun an act ver-coloured Synonymmetal unselfishwhich . Antonymis selfish aluminium / noun a silThe US spelling is/ aluminum.) of becoming different or of making somever-coloured metal which is extremely light thing different. Synonymof becoming change, modifialumnus / isnoun US a male stualuminum.) different or of making some- (NOTE/: The US spelling thing different. Synonym change, modifi- alumnus / / nouna US a male stu- or colI was treasurer and teamcation member of the Equesdent who used to attend university cation dent who used to attend a university or coltrian club for a few years during my time or high school. Synonym graduate high school.

Synonym graduate altercation / (ə)n / nounlege a verbal orlege altercation / at (ə)n / noun a verbal (NOTE: The plural is alumni / /.) disagreement. Synonym argument NUI Galway. We alwaysdisagreement. did pretty well when ( NOTE : The plural is alumni / Synonym argument alternate adj / / every other one ALUMNI / əˈlʌmnʌɪ / noun US (plural). A /.) we competed at the intervarsities around the / / to keep changing from one former/ pupil verb or student of a particular alternate / every other one adj / ALUMNI əˈlʌmnʌɪ / noun USschool, (plural). A country, having a good few team wins along particular position or state to another college, or university: a NUI Galway alumnus. / / to keep changing from one verb student of aofparticular alternately / / adv withformer one first pupil the way which was always a lot of fun.

Welcomeor back to the alumni the Class of school, andtothen the other. Antonym consecutively particular position or state another 1995.

Origin: Mid 17th century: from Latin,alumnus. college, or university: a NUI Galway Do you ever miss NUI Galway? alternating current / alternately / adv/ with one firstcurrentWelcome electric which ‘nursling, pupil’, from alere ‘nourish’. noun an I loved my time in NUI Galway and had a /great back to the /alumni of the Class of changes direction all the time, as opposed to always / adv 1. every time and then the other. Antonym consecutively time while I was there during my undergradudirect current which flows in one direction. She is always late for work. Why does it al1995. Origin: Mid 17th century: from Latin, Abbr AC. Compare direct current alternating / ways rain when we want to go for a walk? 2. ate. I also went back again a few years ago to current alternative / / adj 1.‘nursling, in place all the time It’s always hot ‘nourish’. in tropical pupil’, from alere / noun current study Italian at night during 2009-2011 so it wasan electric of something else which If the plane is full, we countries. 3. frequently, especially when will put you on an alternative flight.

2. folchanges direction someone always time great to spend time back on campus again, all the time, as opposed to always / finds it annoying / adv She’s 1. every lowing a different way from usual noun asking me to lend her money. directI still current flows in one though, like my earlier years, didn’t which end something whichdirection. takes the place of someShe is always late disease for work.

Why does it alAlzheimer’s / thing else Now that she’s got measles, do . Compare direct current / noun a disease of the brain that leads to up spending much timeAbbr in theAC library! when we want to go for a walk?

2. we have any alternative to calling theways holidayrain memory loss that gets worse and worse What advice would you alternative give to current NUI off? /there no in alternative is noth/ place thereall adjis1. the time It’s am / / bealways hot in tropical ing else we can do Galway students? / adv before midday I have of something else If the plane is energy full, we / countries.a.m.3./ frequently, especially when alternative to catch the 7 a.m. train to work every day.

Attend your lectures. It will helps!put you on an alternative/ noun energy2.produced the sun, Telephone flight. fol- bysomeone calls made before 6 a.m. are always finds it annoying She’s the searather or the wind It’s straight forward…

If you could go back and do it allaagain, what way from charged at the cheap rate. (NOTE: a.m. is lowing different usual noun asking me to lend her money. alternatively / / adv on the used to show thehas exact hour and the Alumni you graduate you become an usually NUI Galway a dedicated would you do differently? something which takes when other hand the place of someword o’clockdisease is left out. The /US spelling is Alzheimer’s alternative medicine / alumni.

You join thedo extended Attend more lectures, especially in firstNow year. that she’s A.M.) Relations team at who work to thing else ( got )s n/ measles, of diseases by noun the treating / a disease of the brain that leads to noun amalgam / / a mixture, esnoun We had over 35 hours ofwe classes labs each Galway alumni familywhich which sureused alumni nevertolose their means such as herbal medicines are peciallymake haveand any alternative toNUI calling the holiday the by dentists fill memory loss thatmixture gets worse andalma worse not usually used by doctors week which could be pretty enduring at times! holes in teeth 9,000 members matter has over connection with their off? there is no alternative there is nothalternator / / noun a device am / amalgamate / / be / verb to comAs I run my own company, my career is very which produces alternating current ing else we can do bine together. Synonym merge a.m. / / adv I have although / / conj in spite of the amalgamation much business and operations focused, so / before midday ( )n / noun alternative energy / Although it was freezing, Stay fact that Connected she the act 7 of combining together to catch the a.m. train to work every day. looking back I would have probably considdidn’tAlumni put a coat on. been into / noun energy produced by the I’ve sun, Like Relations onnever Facebook by searching amass / ‘NUI/ Galway collect a lot of verb to Alumni’ that shop although I’ve often walkedTelephone past it. made before 6 a.m. are ered studying other undergraduate courses money,calls information things.

Synonym and find us on LinkedIn. Email alumni@nuigalway.ie or callor091-494310 the sea or the wind altimeter / / noun an instrument accumulate charged at the cheap rate. ( NOTE : a.m. is more geared towards entrepreneurship and for measuring height above sea level amateur / / noun 1. a alternatively / / adv on/ noun the height usually usedwho toisshow the exact hour altitude / above person data analysis. not paid to play his or her sport and the sea level other hand 2. a personis who doesout. something he word o’clock left Thebecause US spelling is any societies, sports clubs or volunteering at NUI Galway?

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8 FEATURES

Sin Vol. 17 Issue 09

STUDENTS AND DRUGS: we’ve gone too far

By Sorcha O’Connor I don’t know whether it is when you hit college-going age or if I was just naïve before but over the past year I’ve had to conclude that being an active hard drug user does not fit the image I once had. I assumed that users of hard drugs came from bad backgrounds, were in and out of trouble with the law and generally weren’t the nicest of people.

Don’t get me wrong, I have always been aware that abusing drugs can be a situation anyone can find themselves in – the same for those addicted to alcohol – but a part of me always believed that it happened when you fell into a bad crowd or just weren’t educated in the realms of what dangers drugs possess.

Yet recently this opinion has been turned on its head for me.

I once thought that the passing around of a joint was the most students got up to. And I had heard of students using ADHD medication to aid concentration

during exam season too. But suddenly it seems to me that many of the future doctors and teachers of Ireland have dropped a pill during their time as a student.

That may seem like a wild claim to make but I’ve witnessed it myself and even asking around amongst friends the general

During summer we heard of the untimely demise of Ana Hick outside a Dublin nightclub.

Even more recently we heard of the tragic and awful events that occurred in a student house in Cork due to the consumption of the CB2 drug.

So why do students continue

I’ve heard many people say, “Oh I know the guy.” But do you really know them?

Do you know where they sourced the drugs from to begin with? What are the ingredients? How can you tell? If you watched someone making the pill you were about to take, would you take it? consensus is that drugs, particularly pills have become part and parcel of a night out for many college students. And horror stories don’t seem to dampen enthusiasm for ‘the drop.’

to take the risk? We have hard evidence that drugs are bad for you – they can affect your mental health, make you do things you’d never imagine yourself doing and worst of all, prove fatal.

I’ve heard the economic argument many times: a pill is cheap and gives you a way better buzz than spending a load of cash on alcohol. They’re widely accessible too, purchased by many inside and outside clubs.

Yet if someone you didn’t know handed you a dinner on the street and said, “Here take this, it’s only a fiver and will do you for the night,” would you eat it? What would run through your head? Would you question what they might have put in it – what if you got food poisoning from eating it or worse, what if it was laced with poison and you died?

Because after all you’re eating random food from a random person – they could have done anything to it.

My thought process is the same when I hear of people buying drugs off people before a night out. How can they trust the person they’re buying from, really?

Again, I’ve heard many people say, “Oh I know the guy.” But do

you really know them? Do you know where they sourced the drugs from to begin with? And then there is buying online, like the case we saw in Cork. There is room for many mishaps in the chain.

Perhaps you think you’re purchasing one drug but what happens when you’re sent a different kind? How can you tell?

What are the ingredients? If you watched someone making the pill you were about to take, would you take it?

And, again, where has this drug come from?

The fact that people place getting a cheap buzz above their own health astounds me. I know that alcohol can have dire health effects too. Yet there is something reassuring about pacing yourself when drinking and being able to check the contents on the back of the bottle.

People are free to make their own decisions, but for me I don’t think in the long run drug use will benefit anyone.

You are only studying an Arts?

By Jessica Hannon So by now, thousands of Leaving Certificate students around the country are putting the final touches on their CAO application form to be submitted in February. Thousands of students across the country are now also telling their parents and relatives that their chosen university course is an Arts degree. The familiar chorus of “What does that mean?” and “How will you get a job out of that?” can now be heard in every household.

However, for all of us current Arts students in various universities around the country, it can be quite insulting and offensive the distaste at which Arts degrees are looked upon with.

You see, an arts degree is not a job orientated course. In some exceptions, if you study a denominated Arts degree such as Youth and Family Studies, or a specialised degree such as Arts with Journalism, you may find yourself in a course more steered towards a job.

However, most of the time, your normal Bachelor of Arts provides you with a joint honours degree in two chosen subjects such as English, Spanish, Archaeology and many more. Unlike Engineering or Medicine, you won’t easily walk into a job after three to four years of study. And that seems to be a problem. In fact it’s normal for Arts students to progress to completing a postgraduate programme. Is that more qualifications I hear?

Alas, here lies the problem.

Many students who don’t necessarily know what they want to study or what career they would like to pursue, sometimes choose to study an Arts degree because it provides them with excellent qualifications in subjects they like. Similarly, students who really do know what they want to study in university and do know what career they want also choose Arts degrees. This fact is generally overlooked by the wider population as they generalise the entirety of Arts students as being a crowd of rowdy students who are going nowhere in life. And this is where the problem begins.

An Arts degree is looked upon by many of the small-minded population as being an outlet in which many young adults spend their time drinking and smoking, sitting around reading fancy literature and pondering life’s philosophical questions. In the meantime they squander their parents’ money and try to get away with as little work as possible. No. This is far from true.

Surprisingly we don’t all conform to the Tumblr-esque images you all conjured in your minds right now, and in fact an Arts degree is hard work. Or just as hard as any other university degree out there. We’re not all skinny girls sitting around drinking coffee and smoking while skipping lectures to go plant trees

and build eco-friendly poly tunnels.

Although we enjoy a casual night in the pub as much as the next person, we’re not just in college ‘for the craic’ and perhaps we actually see a career at the end of the college experience. And that’s something that many people can’t foresee.

Although we may not be doctors in the making, Arts students bring a vast amount of qualifications and expertise to the table, if you ever feel like you’re ‘too smart’ to hold a conversation with someone who’s ‘only studying arts’ then think again. That person may be

An Arts degree is looked upon as being an outlet in which many young adults spend their time drinking and smoking, sitting around reading fancy literature and pondering life’s philosophical questions. In the meantime they squander their parents’ money and try to get away with as little work as possible. This is far from true.

Arts degrees and the people who study them are imperative not only to the makeup of our culture, but also to the running of our government, the people who conduct CSO surveys, journalists and reporters, analysts, teachers and many other occupations have all stemmed from an Arts Degree.

Many of today’s modern day historians all began their studies in history as an Arts student, your Spanish teacher in secondary school probably started off by obtaining a degree in Spanish, studied through an Arts degree, the same for your English teacher.

far more capable of holding an intellectual conversation that you ever will. And while you may administer the injection that cures someone of the AIDS virus, it will probably be a graduate of an Arts degree that will write the text of the news report that will be broadcast across the nation telling people of the remarkable advances in Science and Medicine. It will be your local politician who once studied ‘just an Arts degree’ who becomes the next Taoiseach and makes that same vaccine accessible to all.

Perhaps it is the shorter lecturerstudent contact hours, or the fact that a 16 hour week feels like too little time to be in college that scares students off telling people they are actually studying Arts. Even I have had people say to me “Why don’t you tell people you’re studying English instead of saying ‘Arts?’” But really, what is the problem with Arts? Is it the word ‘art’ and its artistic connotations that frighten people? Is there an issue with conservative families having their child studying something so wishy washy as an Arts Degree?

In fact there’s nothing at all wrong with studying an Arts degree, its people’s attitudes that are wrong. Usually you’ll find that the people who put down an Arts degree generally have never gone to college and really don’t understand what the course entails.

So the next time someone tells you they’re studying an Art’s degree, and you think they’re not doing enough work as you are, then perhaps think again. And this time take into account the work, the numerous amounts of books, pages, letters, manuscripts, documents and manifestos this person is reading on a daily basis; think of the essays, projects and presentations this person is completing and then compare it to your workload it should be about the same.

So what is your issue with Arts students again?

FEATURES 9

February 09 2016

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Sunshine and rainbows it is not

By John Mulry

Sure, being ambitious has a lot of positives. But there are a lot of negatives too, some of which I want to share with you today.

You see, being someone who pushes to do their best, be their best and achieve success comes with extra ‘stuff’ that you don’t necessarily find out about until you’re deep in the trenches so to speak.

It’s a lonely place. It’s hard. You get hit with as many downs as you do ups.

You’ve to deal with lots of headaches. And then when things are going good you get hit with something that knocks you back a mile or two, leaving you feeling dejected where you feel like packing it in.

All of that does happen, and for me it’s not even the worst part. The worst part was a realisation I came to only a couple of days ago.

Striving to be your best means you lose things. You lose part of yourself, you miss out on events, you miss football games, and you stop your hobbies. You get so caught up in the pursuit of achievement that you even lose friends.

Have you? I have. It hurts. You don’t do it intentionally you just get caught up. You forget to call, you forget to text back and soon you forget that you forgot.

Is it just me? I don’t think it is.

From other successful business owners, professionals and even athletes I’ve spoken with, they too are in the same boat.

Have you made sacrifices? What have you sacrificed? Have you lost friends? Alienated people? I sure have and not always on purpose.

Sure there are some people I purposefully avoided because some people are just too damn negative in the first place. But for the most part, friends I’ve lost touch with are simply because, well, “I’m too busy.”

Am I though? Well yes I am busy but busy isn’t always good, right?

You can be a busy fool and get nothing done. But you do lose friends and I guess to push on you have to be okay with that.

On the flip side, striving to be the best you gives you the opportunity to meet new people, form new friendships, partnerships and more. Heck, I may never have met Jess if I wasn’t looking to achieve more and if I wasn’t running my own business.

Having the right people around you will mean getting rid of the wrong people and that’s fine. You have to be OK with the fact that when you’re ambitious you will alienate people and you will be looked at funny.

“What’s wrong with that guy?”

“Who does he think he is?”

“Why does he work so hard?”

Do you ever get remarks like that from friends, family, even strangers?

Hopefully your reply goes something like this: “Because I’m not happy with mediocrity and I’m not willing to settle or give up on

my dreams just so I can conform to what your ideals are, that’s what’s wrong with me.”

Don’t get me wrong, I love my unquenchable ambition and thirst for success, I love being the captain of my own ship, sailing where I want to sail but sometimes, reality does hit home. No matter how successful you might be or you might get, there are a lot of sacrifices we must make in other to succeed.

Your ambition becomes your life whether you like it or not. You cannot switch off. You say you can and you say you do but you don’t really.

It’s always on your mind; you’re always on the lookout for the next idea, the next project, the next spark that will bring you to the next level.

I certainly don’t switch off and I think entrepreneurs are hardwired not to switch off; it’s part of our DNA. It’s part of who you are.

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, that’s for sure.

Being ambitious does mean having resilience, having patience, discipline and most of all you sure as hell better have skin thicker than a crocodile for when the sh*t hits

the fan because it will and most likely will happen when you think everything is great.

Is this me just ranting for the sake of ranting?

Not exactly, I realised over the last week or so a cumulating of things happening which brought to the surface the notion of the sacrifices and losses I’ve made and taken since becoming my own captain and I wanted to reach out to anyone who has felt the same.

I’ve lost friends, I’ve alienated people, but I know what I want and hell or high water, obstacles or not, I’m going to achieve it and I’ll be bringing along anyone who knows what they want to.

I’ve also been fortunate enough to meet, work with, learn from, help and grow alongside some of the finest people I’ve ever met too so I guess much like in life when you start doing things in certain ways some people will despise you for it and others will gravitate to you for it.

What are some of the sacrifices you’ve made in your life for your goals?

LIFESTYLE 11

February 09 2016

Student-friendly travel guide

By Jenna Hodgins

and easiest to use in the world. You can buy travel passes valid from 30 minutes up to a year for very cheap. A three day (72 hour) pass costs 310czk (11 euro) and gives you unlimited access to the Metro, Tram and Bus systems for 72 hours. I’d recommend making use of the transport while you’re there, especially if you’re staying outside of Prague 1 and 2.

Trams run 24 hours a day, but take note of the night tram timetable. The Metro closes at midnight and reopens at 5am. At night time, try take public transport or get your hostel to give you a trusted taxi service number. A lot of the taxi drivers are unofficial and will try scam you. But who needs taxis with an amazing transport system like this!

Other student-friendly cities include Budapest. The euro will get you thousands of Hungarian Forint, but like the Czech Koruna this doesn’t make you a millionaire. The same advice applies to working out the costs, be aware of how much your money is worth and become familiar with the average costs of things such as meals, drinks etc. Budapest is similar to Prague in that the cost of food and drink is significantly lower than here at home.

Budapest is a party city, and some of the parties charge admission fees. Keep in mind how cheap the cost of ‘refreshments’ and food are, because these tickets may seem a tad steep in comparison but they are worth it.

Travel is one of life’s greatest pleasures but it can also be a privileged one, as many students feel like they cannot afford the costs.

However, Ryanair are your best bet to travel on a budget – especially if oil prices continue to fall. The main question is where to go?

My initial reaction when people ask where a student-friendly place is is to shout ‘PRAGUE!’ and rant about how great it is for hours. Which is what I’m about to do in 500 words minus the shouting.

Prague. Wow. Where do I begin? Probably by mentioning that I’m a little bias on this one because it’s where I studied on Erasmus but all the more reason to trust me, eh? Flights to Prague are very much based on seasons.

At the moment, flights can range from €25-50 one way. Off-peak season is generally from now until May and again from September to October. From November onwards, the Christmas Market season begins which means higher flight costs. However, if you book in advance you’ll get a much cheaper flight but a longer count-down.

Prague is incredibly affordable coming from the euro. You’ll be dealing with Czech Korunas so 100czk is approximately €3.69 which can be a bit confusing at first but you’ll get the hang of it in no time. Until then, try be smart about spend- My initial reaction when people ing because sometimes it feels like Monopoly money but it’s ask where a student-friendly place not, it’s your money. Although still relatively cheap, restaurants is is to shout ‘PRAGUE!’ and rant in the main tourist areas such as Old Town Square are much more about how great it is for hours. expensive than the average cost of a meal. Brave it down one of the side streets Berlin is another popular destination off the tourist-trap areas, and you can be fed for a student city-break. It’s not as cheap as and well-watered for €6. Street stalls are also Prague and Budapest, but it is still reasonaa good place for a quick snack like a hot dog ble. Like most big European cities, museums costing from 20czk, which is less than a euro! and galleries in Berlin offer discounts to stuMuseums and tourist attractions aren’t dents, as well as free admission on the first too expensive, with a lot of places having Sunday or Monday of every month. Timing free admission. For example, Prague Castle is essential! is free admission. So you can roam around the Also, the free walking tours are fantastic grounds for free, however some exhibitions and I couldn’t recommend them enough. have entrance fees. You can get an all-access Although they are technically ‘free’, it’s compass for around €7-9. Research in advance mon courtesy to tip your tour guide. The what exhibits and areas around the castle general walking tour of Berlin and the Street you’d like to visit, some are completely free so Art tours are brilliant. These free walking there’s no point in buying a pass you’ll never tours are run across most European cities, use. Some of my favourite places in Prague and are definitely worth it if you want to see where completely free, such as Vyšehrad (for the city on a budget. The tour guides will also a beautiful view) and the Church of Our Lady recommend other areas of interest, nice and Before Týn in Old Town Square. Note: the affordable places to visit and good places to entrance to the church is hidden down an eat and drink. I’d tell you to go to Krakow alleyway between the building with the Ital- just for their free walking tour, it’s incredibly insightful, the tour guides aren’t just ranting ian restaurant and the Art Gallery in front.

The best part about Prague is it is a walking on about ‘this building that, that building city. You can just walk around the city cen- this’. The tours are designed to be engaging, tre for hours and still find it breath-taking. fun and they give you enough time to take And the best part is walking is free! Although pictures! if you need to go somewhere that’s too far Overall, any city break can be studentaway (or too uphill, e.g. Prague castle) the friendly. You just need to balance out your transport system in Prague is one of the best budget first, and of course – do your research!

12 LIFESTYLE

Sin Vol. 17 Issue 09

#OnePerfectWeek: what difference does seven days make?

By Niamh Cullen Have you noticed the latest hashtag to take social media sites by storm? #OnePerfectWeek is a challenge that many health and fitness bloggers are throwing out to us. The goal is to get us eating clean and setting a health goal for a solid week, Monday to Monday. Upon first coming across this, a little scepticism slipped in. What difference will a week make? Won’t we all just revert back to our old habits in the future? Is it realistically possible to keep up such challenges with our many other preoccupations?

I must admit, I reached the conclusion that it is in fact a fantastic idea. Here are just a few reasons why:

Short-term works better Here’s a fun fact: our brains are hardwired to want results fast. Without getting too much into it, the brain basically has a “hot spot” or region which responds to pleasure-inducers such as food, sex and hard drugs. This region controls the effects on the neurotransmitter chemical dopamine, the chemical responsible for giving us that pleasurable feeling. The result is impulsive choices that will obtain that dopamine release fast – often unhealthy choices.

Providing the body and brain with short term goals, however, provides that feeling of instant gratification we often seek elsewhere.

It also causes a placebo effect on the brain, encouraging it to release healthy levels of dopamine and hence making you feel great at the end of that week of clean eating and working out.

The brain will be more likely to “reward” you with pleasurable feelings if you set the conscious goal to a realistic time of receiving gratification – like a week, rather than a month.

Consciously encouraging this dopamine activity will therefore encourage you to try another week and another and another… See where this is going?

Giving your body a chance Allowing your body to receive 100 percent clean foods for a solid week will give your body the break it needs from an overload of toxins. It also physically and mentally gives you the chance to break bad habits by feeling the effects on your body. Even if the results have you back to your old ways the following week, allowing your body to feel the benefits of a solid week’s decent nutrition and exercise will encourage you to pursue healthier options.

You’ll find yourself wanting to work out an equilibrium at which you can incorporate

clean eating and working out into your daily routine. Many fitness and health experts say that those who take their nutrition seriously eat about 80 percent clean with 20 percent of your diet being allowed for cheeky treats and processed foods. So starting from the extreme and working down may make it that bit easier to adjust.

Boosting your confidence Remember our friend dopamine? Well get this: exercise releases plenty of it! It also encourages its cousin chemical serotonin to get to work – a major mood booster that comes from cardio exertion. The interplay of these two drugs in our brain, combined with the knowledge that you’re doing good for your body and progressing in a sport or activity (as well as in your culinary skills!) means that #OnePerfectWeek really equates to a chance to boost your confidence.

What is often forgotten also is the inextricable link between body and mind. When your body feels good your mind does too. Just like we all have physical health, we all have mental health too – neither are exclusive to any one person. So encouraging some ‘me-time’ to get out and work out, as well as promoting selfnourishing literally and mindfully will work wonders for your confidence.

Oats so Delicious

By Heather Robinson What can be more cheerful than a warm bowl of porridge on a rainy Monday morning?

Nothing really… except when you add Nutella and berries to your breakfast of course.

Oats were the staple of your school mornings watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on ‘The Den’. When the teacher asked what everyone had for breakfast, half the class said ‘Porridge!’ Even now as you’re older, you can’t let go. But oats aren’t just for breakfast you can include them in your meals at all times of the day.

Oat Bars This is a little snack recipe of my own creation.

It’s so simple and they take no time at all. It’s best to make them right before you go to bed so that they’ll be ready for the morning. You can add chocolate chips, extra protein, mixed seeds and nuts… whatever you like.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-4 cups of rolled oats.

• 2 tbsp. of real butter. Butter spreads are too soft.

• 3-4 tbsp. of chocolate spread or peanut butter (or a bit of both).

Self-reflection is encouraged Naturally, taking on such a challenge is going to make you think about yourself and how you function daily. What are your habits? What do you put in your body? How do you relieve stress? Do you spend too much time doing one thing and not the other? How do you feel mentally and physically, and what steps can you take little by little to change that? #OnePerfectWeek allows us all to self-reflect and in doing so, brings us back to the basics in what is essential for healthy and optimum living.

Undertaking the week may also result in a noted change in how you treat your assignments, your friends and almost every aspect of your life. When you see that alteration, it may encourage you to give the set more realistic, short term goals in the future that lead to long-term positive self-reflection.

Why not give #OnePerfectWeek a go and let us folk here at Sin know how you get on? Try keeping a food, exercise and personal diary to keep you on track for the week and follow some fitness and health bloggers to keep you motivated. My personal favourites are Joe Wicks, aka The Body Coach, Pat Divilly, Orla Hopkins and Jenni Murphy. If you follow these folk on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and tag them in your daily #OnePerfectWeek, both they and others attempting the week will give you the communal motivation needed to see you through. Best of luck!

Fruity Parfait This could realistically be a breakfast or a lunch option, depending on your appetite and tastes. It’s fruity, sweet and delicious. The ingredients you use are up to you. Eat it in a bowl or put it in a jar for easy transportation.

INGREDIENTS:

• A tub of yoghurt in the flavour of your choice.

• Rolled oats • Fruit – Mix ‘n’ match with a selection of berries, bananas, pineapple, mango, or pears.

Clean, chop and prepare your fruit to your liking.

Keep the chunks on the small side. In a bowl, glass or jar, spoon a portion of the fruit into the bottom.

Then add a nice layer of yoghurt and top it with a substantial amount of oats. Don’t mix the layers together. Continue the pattern fruit-yoghurt-oats until you reach the top. For added sweetness, include a squiggle of honey on top. Good combinations are strawberry and banana, Everything Berry, banana and peanut butter or ‘Tropical’.

Classic Meatloaf This dinner may be a bit pricier because there’s beef involved but if you share the food expenses with your roommates, then it won’t seem so damning. A very tasty dinner option. Add some veg and pasta or some stir-fry on the side for extra nutrition.

INGREDIENTS:

Melt the butter, chocolate spread and/or peanut butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Stir quickly. Once completely melted, take off heat and add the oats. Mix well. You can decide for yourself if you need more of the spreads or of the oats. Spoon into a rectangular baking dish and flatten down. Cover with baking paper or a clean tea towel. Leave to cool overnight. Once they’ve hardened, slice into squares and store them in a cool, dark place.

• 2 lbs of mince beef • 1 cup of oats • 1 jar of tomato sauce • 1 chopped onion

• 1 egg, beaten • Salt and pepper • Mixed herbs and spices like rosemary, sage, thyme and basil (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180*C. Mix the ingredients together in bowl. Pour into a loaf tin. Pop in the oven for 1 hour. Check regularly to ensure the top doesn’t burn and to drain off some of the fat. (Recipe is from food.com)

Anti-Valentine

Resonate

Survival options for the brokenhearted and the heartless.

Indulge in a and prose

Where will the weekend bring you?

Page 16

Page 18

Page 20

little love poetry

Jetsetter’s Guide to Valentine’s Weekend

Run for love this Valentine’s Day

By Claire Stone

ROMANTIC STUDENT NEWSPAPER | VOL 17, ISSUE 09 | 09 FEB 2016

Have an Epic Valentine’s Day with some adventure

By Margaret Langevin If you like to stay active and are single this weekend, Epic Ireland is offering a deal on an alternative Valentine’s Day exclusively to NUI Galway students.

The adventurists are hosting a trip welcoming those who are interested in meeting other active and adventurous people just in time for the holiday deemed for couples.

If you’re sick of swiping on Tinder and over the pub scene, but you’re interested in going on adventures and meeting new people, this could be the thing for you.

Epic Ireland has put together an Epic Wild 1 tour on 13 February for single people in Ireland. The tour makes stops along the West and its purpose is for participants to make new memories all while making new friends.

For €99, the travellers will see Kylemore Abbey, take part in up to three hours of coasteering, have lunch in the village of Letterfrack, hike Connemara National Park, go on a scenic drive to Galway and attend a sean nós dancing class.

The team is offering an exclusive deal to NUI Galway students booking the tour.

When purchasing a ticket use the quote #NUIGsEPIC to get a free pass into Monroe’s Live Entertainment as part of the tour.

To book the tour you will need to fill out a registration form and pay a deposit of €49 to guarantee a spot. The remaining fee can be paid on the day to the tour instructor.

If you can’t make the Valentine’s Wild 1 Tour, there will be similar adventures of its kind every month or fortnight as there is a demand for it.

Epic Ireland was founded by Michéal and Peter, who have plenty of experience travelling and living in different countries.

After the two moved back home to the West of Ireland, they lived together and would frequently bring people on adventures to Connemara and County Clare.

When a person lives somewhere so scenic it’s easy to take it for granted. However, the two realised how much the West had to offer through its beautiful and majestic scenery, and they certainly knew how much fun people could have so long as they knew where to go and what to do.

Photo via Epic Ireland’s website.

It then clicked for them to set up a tour and have them be the hosts and since created Epic Ireland.

The two say their tours are different from others because they work with local people to give participants an in-depth knowledge of the areas they visited. All tours are small and personal and the award winning establishments serve as their accommodation.

They also pride themselves on their all-inclusive tours. All meals are included in the price, as well as transportation and entrance fees.

Epic Ireland’s tours explore parts of Galway, Clare and Mayo. As well as visiting all of the historical and cultural sites of the regions, adventurers will also get a feel for the West coast’s wild and rugged landscapes.

The touring group also has options for people to customise a tour themselves if five or more people are in a group and offers tours for hen and stag parties.

Those interested in the tours or packages can log on Epic Ireland’s website at epicireland.com

The Heart of Galway Fun Run, which takes place on 14 February, is the first event of a new fundraising project launched by Pat Divilly.

Project Impact is the name of the local fitness expert’s newest venture which aims to hold various athletic events throughout the year in order to raise money for charity.

“We’ve set up this foundation with the hope of getting behind and supporting some great charities and changing a lot of lives,” said Mr Divilly.

He describes the project as a means which allows “likeminded go-givers” the chance to come “together to bring awareness and change to the world.”

The first event of the project, ‘The Heart Of Galway Challenge’, is a seven kilometre run or walk through the most scenic areas of Galway City on Valentine’s Day. Beginning in Shop Street, the route continues through the Claddagh to the end of The Promenade as well as the journey back. Along the way, participants can expect some fun challenges, mainly incorporating light obstacles they’ll need to pass through.

Setting out to raise €12,000 in funds for the Foróige Big Brother Big Sister Charity in Galway, the event plans to make a big difference to peoples’ lives.

The €12,000 will pay to bring 100 underprivileged youths and their older brother or sister for a holiday to Lilliput Adventure Centre with the cost of food, activities and accommodation covered.

Big Brother Big Sister helps inspire disadvantaged youths to better and brighten their futures by providing them with supportive friendships through youth mentoring programmes. It is an internationally recognised charity. 100 percent of all money raised will go directly to the charity.

“There is often controversy in the media around charities with regard to the actual amount that reaches the people who need it,” said Mr Divilly.

He is passionate that every cent raised will go directly to the given cause, with no expenses, wages or overheads having any impact. The cost of the event will be covered by local sponsors including Pat Divilly Fitness and 56 Central.

To enter the challenge there is a €20 deposit which can be paid online through PayPal, the link of which can be found on Project Impact’s Facebook page. Each participant is asked to raise at least €80 in order to ensure their fundraising target is met, as the number of challenger places is capped at 150.

At the time of print, around 80 people had signed up to take part in the event so far, meaning over 60 places were still available for entry.

Medals will be awarded to participants after they’ve completed the Valentine’s Day challenge.

Lunch will be provided in 56 Central afterward.

Divilly offers encouragement in saying; “Here’s your chance to be a part of something special and leave a legacy.”

He is an author, speaker and health and wellness coach and entrepreneur.

14 Valentine's Special Valentine’s Ball to raise vital funds for local charity National Breast Cancer Research Institute to benefit from funds raised at the ball

By Neil Slevin This year’s National Breast Cancer Research Institute (NBCRI)–fundraising Valentine’s Ball takes place on Saturday February 13 in the Ardilaun Hotel.

A gala evening, this event marks the start of Galway’s social calendar for 2016, and is one of the NCBRI’s major fundraising events, with all money raised by the event serving to support ongoing breast cancer research conducted by NUI Galway Professor Michael Kerin and his research team.

On the night, music will be provided by Gareth Philips and the Wall Street Swing Band followed by a disco until late: tickets cost €100 and can be bought directly from the NBCRI, while you can also telephone (091) 526677 or (091) 524390, or email info@nbcri.ie to purchase your tickets, and/or for further information.

For those traveling to the event, special accommodation packages are available from the Ardilaun Hotel; please telephone (091) 519773 for further information.

The NBCRI is based at NUI Galway under the directorship of Professor Kerin; a leader in the field of breast cancer research, it combines ethical research into the biology of breast cancer with raising awareness about the disease, and the Institute fundraises continually to help improve breast cancer services for Irish women. For further information, please contact the NBCRI at 1890 611 711 or log on to www.nbcri.ie.

Early diagnosis is a key to surviving breast cancer. More than 2,000 new cases of the condition are diagnosed annually in Ireland, while around 14 men develop breast cancer in Ireland each year.

Irish women having a one in 12 chance of developing it in their lifetime, some 74 per cent of Irish women with breast cancer discovering the lump themselves, while the risk of developing this disease increases with age: approximately 80 per cent of breast cancers occur in women over 50 years old.

Sin Vol. 17 Issue 09

Why being single is a good thing

By Orla Masterson

One of the fundamental flaws with love these days is the pressure that is mounted on young people to be in love. Gone are the days when it was the norm to be married and popping out babies by the age of 22 and yet, the expectation to have a serious relationship still exists. For some being single is a mark of failure, they see it as being unwanted, not good enough and a sure ticket to the one way downhill street that is ‘forever alone’.

However as a veteran of the single life, I’ve come to realise that being single doesn’t (and shouldn’t) have to feel like this. I’m sure the number of young people that are unhappy in relationships they entered into because they so badly craved a partner is probably similar to those who are unhappily single, but at least it can be said that those who are single aren’t wasting their time trying to make something work that isn’t meant to be (a bit like me and size eight jeans).

In fact, perhaps the main benefit of being single is being alone, with no responsibilty to call, text or meet up with someone else.

Single people don’t have to ‘pass’ their plans through their ‘other half’, or explain who every Mark, Mary and Luke are when they get tagged in photos or speak to people on nights out.

‘Singletons’ only have one person to answer to – themselves, and perhaps that alone is what scares us about being single.

Sure, we don’t have someone else to rely on for compliments and reassurence, but the great thing about being single is the space it gives you to learn to love yourself.

When we use relationships for validation we shrink ourselves to only be content within the confines of someone else’s love and admiration. Perhaps the only love affair that most single people truly fail at is the one they have with themselves.

Before getting into a relationship we need to learn to be happy when we are alone or else we risk becoming reliant on someone else to fill a gap in our lives.

Sure, it’s cute when Lady and the Tramp share their spaghetti and seal their romantic meal with a kiss, but what if I don’t want to share my food? What if I want to eat Boojum and not have to worry if my boyfriend is going to think I’m a slob? Of course, my thriving social life won’t spoon me like a boyfriend might, but most of the time I hate sharing

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In defence of long term relationships…

By Dean Buckley

This is an article about how long-term relationships in college are good, but this is not an article that thinks “good” means “should”.

This article will not tell you that you ought to be in a long-term romantic relationship during college, or that if you’re in a long-term relationship and your relationship seems irreconcilable with college, you should stick with it.

This article is not advocacy on behalf of long-term relationships in college, but a defence of long-term relationships in college from the joyless festering bags of maggots who harp on about how one shouldn’t be “tied down”, as if we were talking about bulls being wrangled for euthanasia after goring a toddler, as opposed to relationships with other human beings.

The popular line among these limbed spittoons masquerading as real people with a robust interior life is that long-term relationships cut you off from “new experiences”, by which they almost exclusively mean one-night stands with people you meet at nightclubs.

And there’s nothing wrong with a onenight stand as long as everyone involved is down for it, but it’s pretty obnoxious to suggest that someone who doesn’t partake has somehow missed out on a vital part of life.

Almost as obnoxious as people who imply that if you’re not in a long-term relationship at any given moment, you’re somehow failing at adulthood.

This article will not tell you that you ought to be in a long-term romantic relationship during college.

In fact, this article has virtually nothing to say about the value of long-term relationships in a general sense, because society is already plenty insistent on explaining that to everyone, at length, for eternity.

This article is rehab for people who think you shouldn’t be in a long-term relationship during college, and hopefully offers you a path to redemption, away from your current debased state of being the actual worst.

And this article can do no better service than kill the most odious myth about longterm relationships during college.

Contrary to the popular image of the partner who keeps you at home like a caged songbird, unable to stretch its feeble wings and flutter down to the warehouse rave for a customary round of shirtless boxing, longterm relationships provide stability in the ultimately chaotic world of college life.

One of the most dangerous traps you can fall into college is complete social dependency on a small insular group for friendship, which obviously becomes a problem when,

my bed anyway. There are parties to attend and people to meet, places to explore and some serious shapes to be thrown on the dancefloor of Electric on any given Thursday night without having to pass your plans off for approval from someone else.

There is plenty of time for true love; for putting up with a snoring other half and sitting in watching films or having to work at making a relationship work, but when you’re young it really shouldn’t be a burden.

Being single doesn’t have to mean being lonely, not when you have the freedom and independence to do whatever you want and to fill your life with people and projects that make you happy. If you aren’t enjoying being single then maybe you’re doing it wrong and if that’s the case you’re only failing because you can’t see how great it is that you get to live your life exactly as you please, that you get to be alone (and eat Boojum without being judged!).

as so often happens, something makes that group uncomfortable or stressful for you.

Whether it’s a rock in a storm when the group is torn apart and scattered on the winds, or just a safe port to anchor yourself while you ride it out, a long-term relationship can enrich your social life at college by making it something that you can comfortably step away from when needed.

Of course, that isn’t to say that partners can’t be controlling and manipulative, they can, or that they’ll never try to stop you seeing your friends, which they do, all too often.

But that’s the abhorrent behaviour of abusive partners, not the normal behaviour of any given long-term partner of someone attending college.

And, as insulting to long-term relationships as it is to portray them as abusive, it’s even more dangerous for people in abusive relationships to portray such behaviour as normal.

This article hopes that its readers will take this information on board and stop advancing rhetoric and attitudes that can only be destructive for everyone, in all kinds of relationships.

But this article also understands that if its readers don’t, that’s their own failure.

Valentine's Special 15

February 09 2016

Love and Boojum

By Ruaidhrí O’Doherty

The world is for sale. It’s just a case of whether or not your pockets go deep enough.

Are your pockets lined with Mulberry silk? If so would you tear apart the finest of fabrics for it all? Anything is attainable and the illusions placed before our clouded minds are vividly captivating. They dance like fireflies just out of reach. Happiness is all to us and we feed on the idea that we can all attain it.

Valentine’s Day looms, enveloping all those privy to the thought of endless possibility but closed to the concept of journeying outside the realms of ‘routine’. If two roads were indeed diverged in a yellow wood then the path you chose was the answer to a question you have yet to pose to yourself: ‘Where do I go next?’

If life, music and romantic comedies have taught us anything it is that love always was and is the answer. Love is the prime motivator of all: the reason you silence your alarm when it goes off for the first time on a Monday morning; the reason you delve to the depths of a tub of Cookie Dough Ben & Jerry’s; the reason you catch snowflakes on your tongue as they drift lightly down from the sky. Love, be it of sleep, ice-cream or just a feeling is the reason and Valentine’s Day is its modern conduit.

For the be-coupled of you that celebrate Valentine’s Day I say ‘for shame’. You have been swindled by a time that you’ve resided in for years and yet have not had the ken to realise that you were being sold something you never had any intention of buying. Valentine’s cards, unreasonably-priced chocolates and offensively large teddy bears clutching at hearts proclaiming ‘I love you’ do not do justice to the nonsense of what is considered to be love now compared to what was considered to be love in the past.

An intrinsic flaw of modern society is that topics such as love are somewhat taboo. Talk of such things is ‘too serious’, let us discuss the weather and the profound impact it has on all of us. My main demurral with Valentine’s Day is not the teddy bears but rather the concept itself. It is a day centred around love. It is about recognising, acknowledging and celebrating the existence of love in our society which does just sound all fuzzy and warm.

What are we doing the other 364 days of the year? Do we renounce this idea? Or are we supposed to be particularly aware of it on the 14th of February? It’s love for god’s sake; the most wonderful, magical, mesmerizingly mindboggling feeling in existence. It’s the feeling that hopefully permeates the majority of human action. The reason the masses get

up, brush their teeth and venture out into the world. We treat this four letter word ever so delicately, as if it is a precious vase made of the finest crystal, when in reality it’s something that, if it was true to begin with, cannot be broken. We should tell people we love them more.

The degree to which love can vary has always been a source of great amusement to me. Once upon a time a boy loved both Boojum and his girlfriend and despite their quirkily loving relationship, as time passed the boy began to see facets of the girl that he did not particularly enjoy. She was critical and impatient and so tantalisingly beautiful that she almost justified her immense vanity. Almost.

Now if given an ultimatum, Boojum or your girlfriend I would advise him to follow the ancient philosophy of ‘Girlfriends come and go but Boojum is forever’. I am a simple man though. Indeed the intensity of love varies but can love take different forms? Is the love of your partner a different ‘kind’ of love to the love of Boojum? Perhaps we categorise the things we love so that they do not clash.

Perhaps avoiding such clashes enables us to continue to love many things.

A great deal of deliberation is done over the topic of one’s friends meeting a new partner. It’s integral that things are simpatico in that if they are not then you must consider it all again. We want the things we love to love each other and if our dogs don’t like you then we don’t like you. Sorry, that’s just the way it goes. If I haven’t made my point clear, I love Boojum. Oh and something about love.

The perception of love is another aspect that continues to baffle me somewhat.

Yeats wrote to Maud Gonne: ‘I have spread my dreams under your feet, Tread softly because you tread on my dreams’. As a classic romantic, I think I understand what Yeats is trying to communicate but did Maud? Did she understand that she existed not only within William’s mind and heart but in the very fibres of his soul that made him the man we all studied as adolescents? He did not tell her that she makes the sporadic cameo appearance in his dreams. He told her that he was spreading his dreams under her feet because he loves her. In this love she is all to him.

If a man wrote a poem of such ilk today would it even be considered for consideration as one of the greatest love poems of all time? Or would he be vilified as an obsessed stalker that needed lithium and counselling? Time ravages anything in its path and the sad thing is that love seems to be as feeble a victim as a bicycle in the lashing rain. I always thought of love as an unstoppable force/immovable object concept:

unwavering, unfaltering and indestructible. It knows no boundaries or reason and is both terrifying and indescribably beautiful in that regard. In the grand scheme it may not matter if I am right about what love is; it may only matter that one other person (preferably a female) agrees with me.

My favourite quote about love is this: “We’re all a little weird, and life’s a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love” - Dr.Seuss.

Theodor always had a way of telling us what we should be thinking and feeling. I love Dr. Seuss. I love Boojum and football and Fifa and going out with my friends and breathing, because it reminds us that we’re alive in a world full of people who are full of

love. I am not in love though and that is the concept Valentine’s Day fails to grasp fully. You never have to tell someone you truly love that you love them. They already know. It’s always a great thing to hear though, so suck it up and tell them. Or lie, it leads to interesting badinage.

16 Valentine's Special

Sin Vol. 17 Issue 09

T he Anti-Valentine’s Day Guide

Survival options for the broken-hearted and the heartless this Valentine’s Day…

By Saoirse Rafferty

Option 5

It’s approaching that time of year again – when your social media newsfeed is consumed by pictures of flowers, Michael Kors watches, and teddy bears with enormous red hearts that, to your eyes at least, have “I’m in a relationship; and you’re not!” scrawled all over them in indelible ink.

Everywhere you look, couples are holding hands and relationships are blossoming; there’s so much love in the air it’s sickening.

Well, for all you single ladies and lads out there, chin up, and the other one (because if you end up eating that tub of Ben and Jerry’s single-handedly, then there could be three soon enough); wipe those tears away and embrace your being single on 14 February, because I’ve constructed this guide to help you potentially lonesome folk not only to survive but somehow enjoy this Valentine’s Day.

Option 1 Go for a night out with your pals: I can assure you that there will be plenty of Valentine’s Day–themed parties all around Galway.

In advance, buy yourself a new outfit or pair of shoes so that you can go out dancing and feel good about your appearance.

As you’re getting ready, turn off Adele and

blast out Beyoncé. Remember that the night itself will be enjoyable because you’ll be surrounded by people who are equally as lonely as you are.

You could also try out some cheesy pickup lines for fun; just please don’t use the hackneyed, “Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?” line; it hurts my head just thinking about how many people overuse it.

And, to top all of that, you just never know who you might end up meeting on Valentine’s night; it’s never too late!

Option 2 Do a Monica, Rachel, and Phoebe on it: Stay in with your single friends, eat lots of nice food, drink wine wearing wedding dresses, and mope about your exes; cry and then laugh about your being single; have a few breakdowns, then remind one another that at least you will always have each other; share funny Valentine’s stories; and talk about how much you hate the opposite sex…

Option 3 Stay in: Alone in your pyjamas, a la Bridget Jones, eat Ben and Jerry’s whilst blasting out Celine Dion’s “All By Myself” and impersonating her with your hairbrush.

Sometimes, having a good cry makes

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everything a little better; or not crying and reminding yourself that you don’t need no man or woman when you already have Messrs Ben and Jerry to watch your back.

Regardless, hanging out alone and watching lots of the best rom-coms could make for the best Valentine’s Day ever; just make sure that the following are on your list: The Notebook, Notting Hill, Love Actually, and Valentine’s Day. These will either leave you feeling worse about your romantic situation than you ever have, or leave you hoping, praying that maybe – just maybe – next Valentine’s Day will be different; that your Mum might not have to send you her now annual fake card that claims to be “From, A Secret Admirer”.

Option 4 Go and love yourself: Who needs a Valentine’s Day date with all of that potential to go horribly wrong? Nobody could ever know or spoil you better than you…

Treat yourself to that gift you’ve been wanting for a long time; make your favourite food and watch your favourite movie.

Make 14 February all about you and spend it treating yourself; you’ll realise you don’t need nobody to buy you those uber-clichéd flowers and chocolates.

Send that cringeworthy card: It’s not often that single lads and lasses get Valentine’s cards these days, unless it’s those cards I mentioned in “Option 3”, so it could be a pleasant surprise for that special someone when they do.

Whether it’s for someone you really like, for a friend as a joke, or for someone who just needs a good cheering-up, you’ll end up having a great laugh looking at all the ridiculously over-the-top Valentine’s cards and pick-up lines you’ll have to choose from.

However, if you decide to do what Lisa did in The Simpsons – i.e. giving Ralph a card with “I CHOO-CHOO-CHOOSE YOU.” on it out of pity, then just remember: you could be left with a lifelong admirer for each and every future Valentine’s Day you still have to endure after this one!

Option 6 For the heartless: Lastly, if you are heartless and cannot stand anything to do with love, then make the following a note to self: Avoid all public places, social media, and television this Valentine’s Day. The cinema will be full of couples, the streets strewn with flowers; the best you can hope to do is to carry on with your daily life, pretending that Valentine’s Day doesn’t even exist…

As Cilla Black (RIP) used to say so beautifully, “The choice… is yours!”

The LGBT Valentine’s Day: Should we commercialise it?

By Niamh Cullen For some LGBT couples, there’s a bit of an annual struggle. Cards depicting some cute animal, one in a pink dress the other in a blue suit; arriving at your hotel room to be asked if you’d prefer a twin room, even though you clearly stated double; “Him and Her” tailored events, sex tips in magazines and so on and so forth. The dilemma of the LGBT Valentine’s Day is ever looming.

Okay, so maybe I’m being a little bit harsh. As Alice Arnold put it in her article on the matter last year, “I’m sure the people working at Interflora are far too busy at this time of year to be worried about the fact that the person ordering the flowers is the same sex as the recipient.”

You can opt for the mundane card signifying your “Girlfriend”, “Boyfriend” or “Loved One”.

There are plenty of generic love heart shaped objects you can pick up and rarely will an eyelid be bat if you book a table for two people of any gender. But why has the LGBT Valentine’s Day not yet been commercialised, and should it be?

Since the hullaballoo of the same-sex marriage referendum here in Ireland, from campaigning to now legal weddings, some companies have been wise enough to jump the gun and offer LGBT this and that. Yet still, if you Google LGBT friendly hotels or restaurants in Ireland, you’ll often be presented with some vague search directories, many with listless results. Granted, it’s illegal to refuse a service based on gender or sexual orientation, but on the contrary, there is definitely sufficient interest in amongst LGBT persons and their friends alike to garner commercial opportunities.

When it comes to LGBT cards and gifts, such items often originate from independently-owned companies or better still, non-for-profit organisations. Naturally, such products are going to have

that little bit more of a personal touch, and you’re going to feel oh-so hipster having gone to the effort of searching and paying that tad bit extra for your tailor-made purchase. You can also revel in the fact that while millions may be receiving a Hallmark card, perhaps a few dozen are opening that one you discovered from Scene Designs (look them up; you’re welcome.) And of course, you’re helping the little groups in need of dosh out. So in this department, let’s say non-commercialisation is a win.

For the likes of events, it could be argued that identifying a certain evening or activity as LGBTfriendly is well worth the whiles of everyone involved. The rebuttal of “ah but isn’t that segregation then” springs into mind. But there is a sort of silent coding of acceptance that becomes verbalised when labels come into the mix. For example, questions of inclusivity are posed when Dublin and Cork hold LGBT events galore and Galway holds mere whispers of some now closed down gay bars, now long forgotten about.

Presenting something as LGBT friendly may seem counter intuitive to the ideals of inclusivity, but for those it affects, it screams a welcome no constitutional writing could ever regulate into the daily going-ons of a region. Further still, when such events are labelled within the construct of a nonlabelled organisation or business, it promotes an inclusivity that is rounded to all, rather than some.

Perhaps keeping the LGBT Valentine’s Day as an indie breeding, innovative ball of originality that keeps its cool status alive and well while assisting organisations in financial need isn’t such a bad thing. Although who am I kidding with my girlfriend of four years and a near empty bank account. Like most years, I’m off to draw two stick figures on a piece of paper and grab a Milk Tray and the cheapest bottle of Chilean Sauvignon I can find. Happy holidays!

Valentine's Special 17

February 09 2016

Alternative Date Ideas for Valentine’s Day

By Heather Robinson

Leading up to Valentine’s Day you might be feeling that you’ve exhausted the usual ‘Dinner-for-Two’ date. There must be more to dating than the classic dinner and a movie. I’m not knocking it but something different would be nice once in a while.

Fortunately, Galway has a lot on offer for alternative date ideas.

It’s really about using your imagination.

The Romantics: For a more intimate, loved-up evening with no distractions, Rouge, Galway’s French restaurant on Dominick Street is the perfect spot. Get there at the right time and you’ll have a place on one of their red couches by the window.

Revel in the romantic atmosphere, the live pianist and the beautiful soft-lighting. Order a bottle of the house special (or cups of tea) and dessert to share and while away an evening with good conversation.

The Arty Kids: Turn your date into a morning affair. Enjoy a hearty breakfast in any one of Galway’s cafés or make like Holly Golightly and grab coffees and croissants to go. Spend the morning together surrounded by the arts. The Galway Arts Centre situated on Dominick St. Lower are currently hosting an exhibition entitled ‘On the Border between Time and Loss’. It explores the restrictions, boundaries and the borders that people often force on themselves. It’s running until February 26.

It’s open at 10am weekdays and noon on a Saturday.

The Drama Geeks: Take your date for a night at the theatre! Valentine’s Day needn’t be celebrated on February 14. NUI Galway’s own Musical Society will be hosting The Addams Family from February 9 to 13 in the Black Box theatre. Get a little dressed up for fun, surprise your date with the tickets and take them for a drink in Java’s café afterwards.

If you can’t make those dates, don’t fret. The Great Push, an antiwar classic will be running on February 16 to 20. Tickets are only €10/€12.

prices are €15 for 15 minutes and €25 for a half hour. If that seems a bit steep, The Planet arcade simulator games will be just as fun. You can always throw in a game of bowling while you’re there - winner chooses where to eat!

The Adrenaline Junkies: If you’re currently wallowing in the absence of the funfair bumper cars (let’s be honest, they’re the best) Galway happens to have a Go-kart track in the Liosban Industrial Estate. What’s more romantic than a bit of competition? Student

The Kids at Heart: Galway City’s Cladda g h p ro v i d e s a wonderful sele ction of swans, ducks and seagulls.

What is more picturesque than taking your date to feed the ducks? Buy a couple loaves of brown bread and brave the swarm of feathers. Then strap on a pair of rolling blades and race along the prom in Salthill – weather permitting of course. There’s a fancy ice cream parlour out that way too if you’re interested.

It’s a fun and adventurous way to spend this Valentine’s Day.

Being sound is priceless

By Sylvia Power

February 14 is a stop-gap corporate ‘holiday’ which conveniently gives the marketing teams of retailers, chocolate manufacturers and card companies something else to ram down the throats of gullible consumers after the gluttony of Pancake Tuesday and before the egg-spree of Easter.

Valentine’s Day began as a liturgical celebration of several Christian saints called Valentinus. In more recent times, February 14 is awaited with horror by those not in a relationship or alternatively, as an excuse for smug couples to post a filtered picture of a ten euro box of Cadbury’s Milk Tray up on their Instagram feeds to let their 137 followers how well their other half treats them: #bae #lovehim.

It is an enforced stereotype that men are slightly less prepared in spending extravagant amounts of money on their partners, hence the February 13 stampede in gift shops which sees sweaty and harangued men try to fit a three metre tall Care Bear into their gym bags.

The motive for this panic-buying is the anticipated poor reaction on the part of their partner for “not making enough effort.” - Cue door slam or the tight-lipped - “It’s fine, I’m not angry”.

Ladies, if you’re genuinely looking to get your partner something nice, perhaps you could give a consistent personality present: be a little more lenient throughout the year if they want to go to the pub instead of watching The Notebook with you (again) or not getting angry if they don’t like talking to your

vacant friends about the new MAC lip liner they bought.

I’m not bashing the idea of present buying entirely, but if you’ve resorted to looking for advice on what to get your boyfriend by reading an article written by someone who doesn’t you’re your partner (and may not like them if they did) then try and dig deeper into your brain-hole to think what they genuinely like or need.The best present sometimes can be when someone buys you something you hate spending money on - this is why socks and raincoats get so much more of a harsher rap than they deserve.

At the end of the day, if you have to buy someone’s affection or vice versa, then they’re probably not worth being with in the first place. Chocolates or Lynx gift sets last for a limited amount of time, but being sound to your partner will probably go down much better in the long term. This will alleviate the pressure put on them to get you a fantastically thoughtful and romantic gift which is wrapped in the newspaper of the day that you had your first date, or something equally convoluted.

Ask your partner’s friends would they rather a framed photo of you that time at their birthday that you looked really pretty because you just finished a three week dairy cleanse, or if you could just be sound if they were late home/left the toilet seat up.

You make the call, but just don’t call your other friends in tears if the dinner he made for you was a Tesco Finest Lasagne and the top he bought is in a size 18 when they should know you’re an eight -“God like whatever, I’m not angry it is fine go away.”

PRESIDENTIAL AWARD FOR VOLUNTEERING

THE

CERTIFICATE CEREMONY Tuesday 12th April 2016 at 11:30am in the

Bailey Allen Hall, Aras na Mac Leinn, NUI Galway

RSVP alive@nuigalway.ie Visit www.nuigalway.ie/alive to apply

by Tuesday 29th March, 1.00pm

18 Valentine's Special

Sin Vol. 17 Issue 09

Resonate Mademoiselle Mabry Edited by Neil Slevin

Resonate is Sin’s culture section seeking NUI Galway students’ creative work to showcase and share with our readers in each edition.

We welcome submissions in all genres of writing and/or visual art, and select the work that we think will reach out to and resonate most with our student readership.

As we’re so close to Valentine’s Day, this edition includes the return of expert satirist Mark Laherty, who humorously reflects on all that 14 February has to offer, our News Editor Niamh Cullen takes the plunge by sharing some of her wonderful lovethemed poetry with our readers, and we feature some fiction inspired by lost

By Ross Wilson

love by Ross Wilson.

From now until the end of the semester, we will be seeking more generally themed submissions in any genre, but we would love to receive some photography work, as we are yet to feature any as part of this column.

If you are interested in having your work featured in Resonate – or if you have requests for further work by any of our contributors – please contact Neil at ArtsEntertainment.SinEd@gmail.com.

NB: We welcome submissions from all NUI Galway students, not just those who contribute to The Sin as journalists.

We look forward to working with you.

Valentine’s Day is great even when, like a needle with no thread, everything I do is stitched with emptiness

By Mark Laherty Valentine’s Day is a day of love and celebration. Although I’m not dating anyone, or even very good friends with anyone, and I often feel not so much alone as I do segmented from the rest of the world by a scalpel, there are many reasons why I still get excited about this amorous holiday.

Like a lot of students, I spend the majority of my days walking to and from college, sitting in lecture halls, and struggling to even keep track of what work needs to be done when.

But the characters on campus make it like a home away from home for me! In the first week of the new semester, I giggle every time I wave at a vaguely remembered acquaintance and they don’t even notice. Oh, those wags.

It also makes me smile that one of them thinks my name is Martin; I can’t remember his name either!

So, this year, I’m giving all 53 of my NUI Galway-based Facebook friends a personalised, homemade card to show how much joy they bring to my life. Maybe they won’t forget to invite me next time they’re going to the cinema!

I also love the delightful Valentine’s Day displays in the drugstores. I don’t have a lot of reasons to go there like my friends Cameron and Oliver do – buying condoms, lube, and pregnancy tests – but I do refill my adult acne prescription regularly, so I know that CVS puts a lot of thought into their displays.

Each year, the bears, cards, candies, and balloons are carefully arranged in a gradient of pinks, whites, and reds, much like how my contact with Cameron and Oliver over the last year went through a steady gradient from “regularly meeting up and trusting each other greatly” to “feeling distant even though we all moved in together” to “scarcely speaking to them anymore”.

But the important thing is that they stay happy together; and, as the drugstore display says, “Keep It Sweet!”

Best of all, I make a little extra money by cat-sitting the apartment while Cameron and Oliver go on a romantic weekend away together! It sounds lonely, but I connect with the cat to roughly the same degree I connect with any humans anymore.

Isn’t it funny? I’m frustrated by how nobody likes me – but I can’t come anywhere close to liking them first.

I have a feeling that 2016 is going to be the best Valentine’s Day yet!

T

he café echoed with the lonely sound of a saxophone, the kind of jazz you can only hear when you’re alone at midnight.

The Parisian moonlight shone darkly through the blacked-out windows of the Jazz Café. Its dark tables and waiters with darker personalities hovered perfectly in place to create an atmosphere of ever-hanging nothingness. The café was mostly empty, a few locals sat at their tables, each and every one alone with nothing but a round glass of their poison of choice lingering on the table beside them. A black man blasted the brass saxophone with such passion that, without its lonely sound, he would not have fit in with his surroundings.

Rachel had been sitting at the table, slowly sipping on her glass of whiskey, for the past hour, pondering over questions she would never know the answers to: Where was he now? Did he make it?

Did he die suddenly in a 10-car pile-up?

Does he remember me?

She shook such thoughts out of her head, and yet this was a regular, almost robotic, movement for her. However much she shook her head the thoughts wouldn’t leave. Did he meet someone? Does he have a girlfriend? Is he married?

One by solemn one, the thoughts piled up in her head like a gridlocked Los Angeles highway; she’d only come to Paris for him, after hearing of his transfer from the New York office to the Paris office. Steven worked in the banking industry.

A very clever man.

And yet she should not have known this. She hadn’t seen the man in the best part of a decade, not since that beautiful six months they’d had together before they went to college. He had gone to New York, while she had gone to Missouri, just like her parents wanted.

Those six months, and the bitter eight years that followed. She had, of course, had others in between, but what good is any other, if it’s not him?

Or even close to him! Why, why could she not stop thinking about it, obsessing over him? She had to see him. She had to. She knew his Facebook off by heart, his Twitter, every emotion he revealed to the world, which she fantasized as being really about her.

A thought maybe, a passing memory, of those damn sweet six months.

She had facebooked him several hours before, he had agreed to meet her.

Yes, through a sly, flirty, but overall innocent message to him, suggesting they meet in this lonely black cafe.

Had he stood her up? No, no he couldn’t have. Steven wasn’t capable of…. of such cruelty! To lead her on to think that he had chosen her once again to be his; that she could once more fall asleep in his arms. Maybe he had messaged her again, to say he was delayed, maybe one peek at her smartphone would reveal it all. She unlocked the phone and read the dreaded red alert, “No Internet Available”.

Rachel held in her tears for as long as she could and scoured the room. Then she spotted it: a small, laminated sign in the far corner of the window, “Wi-Fi available here”. Yes! Success! She waved at the nearest waitress with such enthusiasm that her arm was lost for a second in time. And as she waltzed over, Rachel spoke.

“Hello, no, ahm, bonjour, Madame,” she spoke, nervous but keen.

‘Bonjour,’ the waitress said, her arms folded and with a look that seemed to say, “Why are you bothering me?” pointed at Rachel.

“Ahm... Wi-Fi? Wi-Fi!” she unleashed, letting out a force equal only in part to the emotion built up behind her innocent question.

“One moment…”

Rachel waited, continuing to ponder as she sipped her whiskey.

Whiskey was not a woman’s drink, but it was for Rachel. Yes, ever since her Father had carelessly left his bottle of Jim Bean on her bedside counter, and she had taken that first majestic sip after her bedtime story, whiskey had been her drink.

She continued to torture herself with the questions. Maybe he had asked to meet her somewhere else? Was this the right place? Had his wife caught him sneaking out to meet her for one last night of love and passion before she had to return home? Was he married?

She could not handle it one more moment. The kitchen door swung open as a waitress walked out holding a card. But not the right waitress. Was this for her? Had her stuck-up waitress sniffed her out and decided to send another because she refused to look at her again? No, the waitress took the card to another table, a bill it seemed. She looked back at the dark brown water that sat in her mucky glass mug.

Rachel had taken the week off from work for this trip. She was to take over the family store in her hometown, Solomon Colorado. But not yet, not ‘til she returned. Her father had run it until his funeral the past week. Yes, she had attended; yes, she had looked at his chilled body, finally at rest on the purple carpet that lined his wooden box.

She had not held his icy fingers like her Mother and sisters had. No, she could not bring herself to do it. She had left early, unable to bear the thought of revealing to her family what he had… what had happened once, who knows how many times? She was too young to remember, too young to know… and yet, she had held no bad feelings against him, not until she was old enough to realise.

She had confronted him once, during her adolescent years, but she knew better since then than to ask.

He had denied it, and yet she remembered; she was sure she remembered. Had it happened? Or was it just another strange dream, a prepubescent fantasy that a mind so young could not help but dream up? She didn’t know, but deep down, she knew: she knew she knew!

She shook her head again. Drops of melted snow fell from her rough red hair. She removed her glasses, cleaned them against her shirt, then put them back

Valentine's Special 19

February 09 2016

on. What was taking that damned waitress so long?

And yet, as she calmed herself, the kitchen doors once again swung open and out she walked.

And then, like Hermes delivering a message from the gods, the waitress once again waltzed over to her table. She placed the card on the table. Rachel could just about see the inscription of numbers and letters in a random, but meaningful pattern.

“Thank you,” she said to the waitress, words which came out almost like a whimper from a hungry pup just about to be fed the family’s leftovers. She inserted the inscription into her phone and waited on edge for the “Joined” message to appear. It flashed up on the screen as Rachel breathed a heavy but relieved breath.

She scrolled through her phone for Facebook. She opened its messenger app.

Nothing. He had not messaged her to excuse his delay. Maybe he was asleep? Maybe he was asleep with his wife? Maybe he was at dinner with a luscious model? Why did he torture her so?

And then, as she breathed a weighty sigh, she looked up over her whiskey glass, and there he was.

The black doors of the Jazz Café had opened while she searched for him. She brought up his Facebook to find his picture once more, and sure enough, it was.

He stood there, scouring the room, searching for her. The café was dark, and she was in its furthest corner. He moved his hefty thighs towards the bar, placing his greasy hands on the table as he shoved his weighty body onto the stall. His dark, sticky hair stuck to his scalp as he spoke to the barman.

Pouring himself a small glass of Port, Steven stroked his face.

He stopped at a small lump on his cheek, just below his eye. Then, raising his chunky fingers to the lump, he squeezed the small spot with great ferocity, before wiping his hands, thanking the bartender, and taking his drink.

As he lifted the glass and let the sour brown liquid trickle down his throat, Rachel could not help but stare.

Then, slamming the glass down on the bar, he said something and laughed, pulled his body from the stool, and exited the café.

Rachel looked down at her drink.

The murky liquid provided an almost clear reflection of her face, one almost like a picture, if the glass had been wide enough to accommodate her smile, which now reached from cheek to cheek. As she smiled down at her drink, her mind continued to turn.

He was here, with her, just like he had been back when they were 17. She giggled to herself as she finished her drink, left 50 euro on the table, and left the café for the awaiting night.

Freckle (Landscape of Lovers)

By Niamh Cullen Upon my body you Whisper your language I Gaze to listen our Lips moments apart curious You tilt minds in Wonder of mine a Thumb scans your atom Sun-kissed and narrates Upon this ecosystem your Person dissolves at the periphery.

Geographies culminate here secondly By the landscape of your system, firstly By the lands touched By you, the fibres that rested this home; Concrete sand pillow tear chemical UV grassblade Italian air, Galwegian gelato (two lips to taste the latter) Gave rest to this molecule – Perhaps once too another’s fingers.

As the culmination of your being Becomes home in this freckle Under my gaze I return to our language and fill The moments –

20 Valentine's Special

Sin Vol. 17 Issue 09

A jet-setter’s guide to Valentine’s weekend TRIPS ABROAD ON A SHOE-STRING BUDGET

By Niamh Cullen With the lá of love almost upon us, you may be thinking of whisking your boo, or bae – or whatever you call them these days – off on the trip of a lifetime. A mad suggestion for the starving student, I hear you cry?

Hardly.

Before you dip into your purse to fund the by now annual dinner and a movie outing, or purchase yet another Alex and Ani bracelet or perfume set, consider this: with Ryanair, 20 euro return tickets are available to many European spots, and do you know a friend on Erasmus who might like a visit in exchange for the banter and a packet of much-missed Taytos?

If you said “Yes” to both options, or even just to the former, then well, my friend: you’ve got yourself a cheap yet impressive gift that doubles as an experience for you and your other half; we’re talking cheaper than a return bus ticket to most counties from Galway…

And we’ve taken the guesswork out of the equation for you, with three of the top spots to hit for less

than 20 blips return – and three destinations for under 40 squid!

Flattery and thanks in the form of trips away are graciously accepted by yours truly; wink wink, nudge nudge!

UNDER ¤20 1) Eindhoven, The Netherlands

You have two options here: chill out in this buzzing metropolis, or hop on a bus to the much-loved Amsterdam, which is a mere hour and ten minutes’ drive away.

Eindhoven holds its own charms, and like its Dutch city siblings, renting a bike and checking out the many parks and museums it has to offer is an absolute must.

For the perfect weekend, hit the DAF, Phillips, and Van Abbe Museums, check out De Blob for shopping or simply its eclectic view, grab a bite to eat in Dijk9, and finish off with a bop in the M2 club.

2) Brussels, Belgium

If you’re up for a purely lazy break, which consists almost solely of drinking and eating lots, then look

no further: with Belgian chocolate– coated waffles, gorgeous architecture, markets to die for, and its cartoon culture, this city is perhaps one of the most underrated in Europe.

When you’re there, soak in the beauty of La Grand-Place, the Town Hall, and St Michel Cathedral, before dabbling in the richest hot chocolates, pastries, and cuisines in pretty much any restaurant or bar you set your heart on as you discover Mini-Europe’s many little wonders.

I say this for a lot of cities as they are free, but the Sandeman’s tours are particularly well done in Brussels, and they will give you most of the sights and know-alls in a solid few hours!

3) Manchester, England

As far as the UK is concerned, Manchester is the city that never sleeps.

With nightlife to rival New York, it is the ultimate spot for buzz-lovers.

You’ll find everything here from a much anticipated Premiership match featuring the boys in red, to Chinatown, to one of the most impressive gay villages on the planet.

And yet, this citadel life does not compromise Manchester’s façade, as impressive skyline buildings stand

All you need is love (on a budget!)

By Rebecca Walsh With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it’s easy to start to worry about how to have a good time with your other half/best friend for the day on the cheap (because couples shouldn’t be the only ones revelling in all the love on 14 February). But worry not – just because you want to do something special, it doesn’t mean you need to go sell your kidney or start dealing drugs to have the cash. Here are some wonderfully cute and fun ideas that won’t break your heart or your bank:

DATE IDEAS: Salthill: Hop on a bus (the 401) and take an adventure out to Salthill.

You guys can wander the beach and get ice cream. There’s lots of opportunities for cute selfies and to prove your skills in the arcade.

If one of you is lucky and can drive, adventure a little bit further and wander Barna Woods. Full of trees, wildlife and tiny bridges, it’s perfect for adorable chats and cuddles.

Spanish Arch: A bit weather dependent, but should fortune smile some sunshine on 14 February, a trip to Spanish Arch with some donuts from “Donut Man” at the market or a homemade pic-

nic could be just what you need to have a wonderfully fun day.

Or you guys can nip into Pizza Napoli opposite The Front Door for beautifully cheap, authentic Italian pizza slices and go watch birds at the Arch!

Build a fort: Test your architectural abilities with your partner in crime and build a fort in your bedroom or sitting room. Use lamps, couches and every sheet/ blanket you can find. The cosy nature of a fort means you guys can cuddle up and stream a movie (legally of course, no way you can find everything on torrent sites…) while eating your weight in pizza and junk food.

PRESENT IDEAS: Compliment Jar: Go all Pintrest on your Valentine with a mason jar and some paper. Write out all your favourite things about them, memories together and reminders of them. Fold them all up and fill the jar with your thoughts. Tie it off with a cute little bow and there you go! Whenever they need a pick me up, it’s a whole jar of reasons why you love them.

Coupon Book: Fill a small notebook with coupons your other half can redeem over the course of the year. It can be anything from getting to pick where you go to eat, to getting out of a friend’s house party.

Easy-peasy to make, just go mental with pink and red pens and doodle a bunch of love hearts. It’s thoughtful as you can make it as personal to you guys as you want and who doesn’t love getting to re-watch their fave film or nominate who gets the pizza off the delivery guy?

A custom mug: Easy to do and oh-so-great for the passionate tea/ coffee drinker, just using a simple white mug and some Sharpies!

Write a quote or doodle, something that reminds you of them or even just an inside joke between the two of you on the side of the mug.

Then just pop it into the oven for 10 minutes at 180*C. This will seal it meaning you can wash it and not worry about losing your lovely message!

with ease alongside their neo-Gothic grandparent structures.

Really, there’s no going wrong with Manchester; and it’s only a hop of the pond away!

UNDER ¤40 1) Oslo, Norway

With a bunch of great city go-tos, including museums, restaurants, nightlife, shopping, and a bunch of outdoor activities to boot, Oslo is a gem.

This city has long been a symbol of peace, and its Nobel Peace Centre stands as a testament to that.

Once you’ve checked that out, walk up the angled exterior of the Oslo Opera House, which allows you to reach its roof so you may see magnificent views of the Oslofjord, then wrap up your trip with a cruise on a traditional sailing ship – a must do!

2) Copenhagen, Denmark

In keeping with the Nordic countries, Copenhagen is another absolute must; and like Amsterdam, getting a bike to travel around it is a total must.

Home to Noma, literally the world’s best restaurant (it’s been voted so on numerous occasions), surrounded by

a beautiful canal, and wrapped up in its “hygge” (cosy atmosphere), this city is a total wonder.

Be sure to check out the impressive Tivoli Gardens (with great amusement rides, as well its many royal structures and museums), and be sure to wander up the Nyhavn harbour, where cute coloured houses complement gorgeous markets and restaurants.

3) Paris

Come on, folks: from Galway, the city of love is currently cheaper to visit than Dublin; how could you say no?

Along with the renowned must dos and sees, such as The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and Moulin Rouge, Paris has some lovely hidden gems, too.

All you book-lovers should hit the famous Shakespeare and Co., where you can read in a little hub for hours on end; and, if you’re lucky enough, a famous author may even do a reading!

Les Deux Poulins is a cheap café that makes the best milkshakes in all of Paris, and is home to scenes from Amelie.

Stay in Montmartre for a cheap but romantic touch as many of its lodgings overlook the beautiful Sacre Coeur, while being only a walk away from Paris’s central arrondisements (districts).

THE VALENTINE’S GIFT GUIDE: For all stages of the relationship

By Heather Robinson 1-3 Months: The relationship is still fresh. Chances are you’re not even official yet so extravagant gifts are out of the question. But of course, you want to make some kind of gesture to show you care. Your best option would be keeping it small and simple. Be open about your Valentine’s intentions and limit the price range to under €20 if gifts are involved. For this stage of the relationship, give your valentine: A good book, CD, DVD set and/or pay for your lunch date.

6-9 Months: After six to nine months together, you should be enjoying real coupledom in college life terms. You know each other a whole lot better now. But choosing the right gift is still an issue. You want to make a Valentine’s gesture that really means something more than the convenient boxes of chocolates and cheesy cards. But you can’t overdo it. The best gifts to give are ones tailored to their interests. They like art? Find a book on their favourite artist. A foodie, perhaps? Cook them their favourite meal. Magazine subscriptions, tickets to a gig in Monroe’s or the Róisín, hobby supplies, certain items they’ve had their eyes on… the list goes on.

1 Year: If you did nothing (nor are you doing anything) for your one year anniversary, now is the time to move. Make this an exciting Valentine’s Day. Take a trip somewhere, it doesn’t have to be overnight. Flights to Europe are seriously cheap at the moment. Go to London and come back in 24 hours for an added rush. Alternatively, Cork city is a wonderful place to have an adventure if you’ve never been. Go up north or to Dublin city.

A day trip to the Cliffs of Moher might be romantic if it’s your thing. Whatever it is, use Valentine’s Day as an excuse to do something different together. You’ll make wonderful memories.

2 Years+: Two or more years have passed and that means you’ve gone through birthdays and Christmas. It also means – depending on when your anniversary falls – this could be your second or third Valentines together. You’ve probably figured out between yourselves how important the holiday is to your relationship. Will it mean adding an extra bottle of wine to your weekly date-night or do you expect more? You may decide to leave the extravagance for other gifting occasions and opt for a night at the cinema instead. Spend quality time together and remind each other how much you care. You could also pick and choose from the guidelines above and have a merry ole time, whichever suits.

ENTERTAINMENT 21

February 09 2016

NUI Galway’s Writers’ Society stages its second annual convention

By Neil Slevin Despite the definite sense I had of being in school on a Saturday, I was delighted to attend the NUI Galway’s Writers’ Society’s annual convention on 30 January.

Staged in the Arts Millennium building from 11am until 5pm, the day was jam-packed with a variety of guest speakers, workshops, and writingbased activities designed to excite and inspire even the casual writer who just happened to wander in out of curiosity.

Arriving after the lunch laid on by the society themselves, for just two euro entry I was lucky enough to take in presentations by renowned local poet and satirist Kevin Higgins and up-andcoming blogger Fenella Fox, as well as some time well spent in the “Inspiration Room” (a room full of writing prompts, relaxing music, and reading materials generated by the Writers’ Society intended to inspire its visitors’ creative processes) and at the Poetry Slam closely followed by the Open Mic, two events which brought the day to a satisfying end.

When speaking to those who attended the morning session, I found that many attendees were particularly impressed by the work NUI Galway MA in Writing graduate Anne Marie Kennedy inspired those in her workshop to generate, while others were appreciative of the dynamic, hands-on

approach taken by Rory O’Sullivan throughout his playwriting session.

Personally, my highlight of the day was the opportunity to listen to Kevin Higgins speak at length about his poetry and the inspiration behind his work, as well as part of the intriguing Q&A session which followed his talk. In particular, I was struck by the paradox of the satirical nature of what he writes and the sincerity with which he writes it; this certainly gave me food for thought, and encouraged me to consider satire as a genre for pursuit within my own writing.

I also enjoyed Fenella Fox’s talk: it was a real pleasure to see someone so young and enthusiastic receiving a platform with which she could encourage others to aspire to their own writing dreams in the manner that she has, and all present appreciated her openness and honesty in presenting.

Lastly, though it wouldn’t be something that would appeal to my personality or style of writing, I must admit to being pleasantly surprised by the Poetry Slam: a conclusion to the day’s wonderful events, it was full of passionate yet personable speakers, many of whom performed in a manner that couldn’t but charm and disarm all who were present in equal measure.

Overall, real credit and thanks must go to all the members of the NUI Galway’s Writers’ Society, each of whom gave of themselves and their time so

#wakingthefeministswest – A season of student-led theatre showcasing women’s voices both past and present

By Neil Slevin Inspired by the recent #WakingTheFeminists movement, #wakingthefeministswest is a Galway-based season of plays and performances

by Irish women led by NUI Galway Drama and Theatre Studies students and supported by the Centre for Drama, Theatre, and Performance.

NUI Galway and the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance is an ideal base for #wakingthefeministswest, and this season’s programme will draw on resources unique to the university, including specialised archives such as the Abbey Digital Archive, a thriving local arts scene, the expertise of the faculty at the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance, and a connection with the Irish language. #wakingthefeministswest builds on the West of Ireland’s rich history of strong female figures, both in theatre and at large: from the Abbey’s Lady Augusta Gregory to Druid’s Garry Hynes, from the pirate queen Gráinne Mhaol to Mary Robinson, western Irish women have had a huge impact on Ireland’s history and culture. #wakingthefeministswest celebrates and honours the women of the west by giving them life and a voice on the Irish stage.

Launched by Irish Times Theatre award– nominated designer, arts manager and leader of #WakingTheFeminists Lian Bell, on 28 January in the Hardiman Research Building, this programme’s mission is to stage the work of Irish women playwrights and theatre-makers, both past and present, as well as to provide strong roles for female performers.

Its season commenced with the Lady Augusta Gregory–written Gráinne, directed

by Justine Nakase, on 28 and 29 January, and concludes in May 2016, consisting of multiple events each month.

In particular, it seeks to highlight a diverse range of female voices from the West of Ireland by including theatre, dance, devised work, work from the archive, and offerings from new and developing writers.

This initiative is led by Drama and Theatre Studies PhD students Justine Nakase and Nelson Barre, and features participation from NUI Galway students from first year to PhD level, as well as staff.

Nakase and Barre are two people interested in “excavating historic women’s voices and elevating contemporary ones”, who hope that this programme will actively challenge the argument that women’s lack of representation in theatre as playwrights (amongst other roles) is due to a “lack of female talent”.

This month’s #wakingthefeministswest performances include 100 Shades of Grey, devised by the ensemble, directed by Charlotte McIvor, (8 and 9 February, Bank of Ireland Theatre, 8PM); and Elizabeth Connor’s Mount Prospect, directed by Ciara O’Dowd and Druid Director-in-Residence Thomas Conway (25 and 26 February, Town Hall Studio Theatre, 8:30PM).

A further programme of events will be announced in February.

For further information on the programme or ticket reservation, please contact wakingthefeministswest@gmail.com.

generously throughout the day, and with genuine enthusiasm.

For those of you reading about the Writers’ Society for the first time, please check out the following information: T h e W r i t e r s’ Society is a safe environment for writers to come and meet new people, showcase their work, and build their skills.

Whether you are a poet, playwright, novelist, songwriter, or just a listener, you are always welcome to come along to our weekly meetings and get involved.

Our meetings consist of word games, prompts, and readings from our members, where you can listen to new, up-and-coming writers, and even read out a piece you have written.

And, best of all, we have free tea, coffee, and biscuits to keep your creative juices flowing.

Also, keep an eye out for the seasonal publications we produce: these are compiled of works people have sent into us, which we print and distribute around the college.

If you want to submit some work to publications yourself, or have any general queries, you can email us at: writers@socs.nuigalway.ie If you want to peruse our past publications or have a more in-depth look at what we do, our website is the place to visit: https://nuigalwaywriters. wordpress.com/ If you are an NUI Galway student, you can become a member of the society by visiting our profile on the “Societies” section of the main university website.

Feel free to join us every Tuesday at 8pm in the meeting rooms in Áras na Mac Léinn for free tea and coffee, biscuits and – of course – writing.

22 ENTERTAINMENT

Sin Vol. 17 Issue 09

Galway University Musical Society (GUMS) set to stage The Addams Family

By Sorcha O’Connor After attending the full run-through of Galway University Musical Society (GUMS)’s upcoming 16th production The Addams Family last Sunday, let me assure you that we are in for a wacky yet wonderful treat!

The cast will take the stage in all the Addams’ gory glory in Galway city’s Black Box Theatre from February 9 to 13 at 8pm, with a matinée on Saturday February 13 at 2pm.

All cast and crew are made up of over 50 NUI Galway students; and believe me, they have quite the production in store for us.

The cast breathe new death (get it?) into the familiar characters of the well-known ghoulish love story between the family’s daughter Wednesday Addams and Lucas, the object of her new-found affections.

PR officer Aisling Bonner explained how the society decided on performing The Addams Family last May and told me of her excitement now that the show is ready to hit the stage.

“We decided on The Addams Family back in May, and after nine months of indulging in the soundtrack I’m still not sick of it. That’s a good sign and even after seeing the same scenes week after week I’m still laughing,” she said.

Ravelóid

By Feidhlim Seoighe A new, revolutionary music festival will begin its first year this summer, over the weekend of 10 and 11 June, in Ardgillan Castle, Co. Dublin.

There will be various stages, incredible acts, great food, and of course amazing craic, but what is different about the festival is that it will be the first ever music festival that is being entirely run through the Irish language, and that the language itself will be a central part of the entire weekend.

Acts like HamsandwicH, Delorentos, Seo Linn, The Riptide Movement, Kíla, and many more are set to play at Ravelóid. Along with

“It’s so exciting to think of the audience hearing the jokes and songs for the first time.”

The GUMS gang have worked incredibly hard, rehearsing for several months under the direction of director Julie Breen and her team, and it certainly seems to have paid off if the run-through was anything to go by.

The positive buzz at the run-through confirmed for me that this show is not to be missed – the teamwork between cast and crew was obvious and, indeed, one could say they’ve become a family themselves; something that I believe will translate well onto the boards of the Black Box. This show promises to have you in stitches with its morbid yet hysterical humour – and leave you awestruck in response to the incredible talent of the GUMS cast.

You can be sure you will be leaving the theatre humming the many numbers the show has in store; the fabulous music provided by a carefully selected orchestra will have you wishing you knew the steps to the Ancestors’ choreography!

Choreographer Rory McNamara is behind the steps of the cast for the second year running alongside Lorna O’Connor. He told me of how grateful he and Lorna were to have the full confidence of the cast and crew for the past few months.

“It’s humbling to know that so many people, cast and crew alike, entrusted Lorna and I with the challenge. And they showed that week in and week out by coming to rehearsals and proving that they trusted us to do the job justice,” he said.

“That’s something I’m always so grateful for in GUMS.” Tickets are on sale now at the Socs Box in NUI Galway, the Town Hall Theatre, and online at www.tht.ie; prices range from €15, €12 for students, and €10 each for groups of four or more.

the best Irish music, as playing as Gaeilge, there will be amazing food, dance, comedy, drama, sport, literature and more, including camping in beautiful scenic surroundings.

Ceol as Gaeilge, bia iontach as Gaeilge, spraoi as Gaeilge!

Although the Irish language is a major part of this festival, all levels of Irish speakers, including those with just the cúpla focal, or even those willing to pick up as much as they can, will be welcome to enjoy the craic too. You’ll surprise yourself at how much Irish you actually have, how easy it is to join along, and how enjoyable it can be!

Ravelóid will put the Irish language at the centre of an exciting mixture of contemporary and traditional music, comedy, dance, literature, discussions, workshops and more. Over 5,000 people will be attending this dynamic festival, which will provide a wonderful insight into the vibrancy and diversity of the language’s contemporary culture in 2016.

The festival will be held as a part of the 1916 Series of Commemorative events, and it will be one of the largest celebrations of our culture, and language, during the centenary year of the Easter Rising.

This unique summer festival, of which the Union of Students in Ireland are partners in organising, will have a special student price of €89 (which is a saving of over €30 in comparison to regular tickets). This will be made available for students of NUI Galway, and the discount code can be gotten from the Students’ Union, and the tickets, and more information can be got from raveloid.ie.

Tá sí ag teacht… Féile úrnua Cheoil & Chultúir! Ravelóid 2016.

Local entertainment hotspot up for an award

Pictured are NUI Galway students and members of Galway University Musical Society (GUMS) who will perform the musical, ‘The Addams Family’, from 9-13 February in the Black Box Theatre.

Award-winning venue Monroe’s Live shortlisted for the IMRO Connacht Live Music Venue of the Year Award 2015

By Neil Slevin All behind Monroe’s Live are excited to be shortlisted once again for the IMRO Connacht Live Music Venue of the Year Award 2015.

The IMRO annual awards celebrate the dedication and passion of those who work in Ireland’s live music venues, providing the public with an exceptional live music experience on a weekly basis; and more than 11,000 IMRO members considered hundreds of venues across the country in advance of their drawing up the final shortlists.

Monroe’s Live is no stranger to award and nominations, as they won the IMRO Award for National Live Music Venue in 2012, having also scored a hat-trick last year after winning the Best of Galway Pub Award for the third consecutive year.

All of this has been achieved in a short space of time as Monroe’s Live only opened its doors in December 2009, only celebrating its six-year anniversary this year. However, the Monroe’s family have been supporters of the live music scene for over 50 years now, and the venue’s success is a testament to the dedication of proprietors Gary and Rob Monroe, and their team.

Monroe’s Live encompasses the best of what a leading live music venue should have: expert lighting and staging, diversity of gigs

and, most important of all, friendly staff and professional management. It also boasts one of the best sound systems in the country.

There is no other venue in the West of Ireland which caters for such a wide audience, and that hosts live music from every genre including rock, folk, trad, bluegrass, reggae and country. Monroe’s Live regularly showcase the finest in international, national, and local acts, including sell-out gigs played

by Kodaline and The Darkness, for example.

Monroe’s Live also host their own fourday indoor festival, Rocktoberfest, which has taken place for each of the last two years, and is dedicated to giving new and emerging local and national acts a platform on which to showcase their music.

Reacting to Monroe’s Live’s receipt of yet another award nomination, proprietor Gary Monroe said: “We are delighted to be nominated once again for the prestigious IMRO award. We won it in 2012 and would love to take back the crown again”.

One overall award will be presented to the IMRO National Live Music Venue of the Year.

This award will be decided upon by the public, who vote for their live music venue of the year from the combined shortlist of all the regions.

To vote for Monroe’s Live, fans should simply log on to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ imrovenueawards, and choose the venue from the shortlist provided by 15 February.

Each and every voter will be entered into a competition to win a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3.

ENTERTAINMENT 23

February 09 2016

What’s going on in Galway?

A guide to what’s happening and where close to NUI Galway from 9 February to 22 February

By Frank Roddy Top billing for what to do in Galway this issue goes to GUMS (Galway University Musical Society), who are staging the Addams Family musical in the Town Hall Theatre.

Every night, from 9 February to February 13, you can see Wednesday bring her boyfriend around to meet the family. Wouldn’t you pay €15 to watch someone meet the folks – especially if those folks are the Addams Family?

Poor lad.

The Town Hall Theatre hosts another talented group on 13 February as the Three Tenors come to Galway.

Accompanied by the violinist Maria Mason, they will be performing songs by the Dubliners, Frank Sinatra, and Pavarotti amongst others.

Included in your €25 ticket is a performance by Aimee Banks; if you don’t know the name, then you must not be a fan of Junior Eurovision.

Originally from Galway, Banks has gone on to perform in Carnegie Hall before Christmas since last year’s competition, so she’s not exactly Jedward or Dustin…

But, if tenors and teenager Eurovision stars aren’t to your liking, then Smash Hits come to Halo on 12 February.

FEAST Presents to bring variety to the Róisín Dubh

By Jessica Thompson Music fans are in for something very different as Galway-based promotions company, FEAST Presents, prepares to bring three international acts to the Róisin Dubh.

Alright The Captain, Steve Strong and A Werewolf are set to hit the Galway state on 18 February as part of their ten day tour of the UK and Ireland.

Riding high on the back of 2015’s highly-praised release Contact Fix, Alright The Captain have established themselves as a sonic force to be reckoned with, thanks to their uniquely imaginative brand of math rock. But what on earth is math rock?

Math rock is a rhythmically complex, guitar-based style of experimental rock that emerged in the late 1980s. It is characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures, which include irregular stopping and starting, angular melodies and dissonant chords.

Originally from the UK, Alright The Captain are not turning their attention across the water to bring complex riffs, synth heft and rhythmic power to Irish shores for their first visit since 2013.

The next act, Steve Strong, is a one-man arsenal of beats, tapped guitar and lush, textural melodies. His music is as withheld as it is grandiose, as skeletal as it is layered, equal

Like the magazine they’re named after, their show is full of the 1990s’ biggest hits.

And some television theme tunes.

I think I can speak for all of us when I say, I’m hoping for some obscure Vanilla Ice B-sides!

However, if the thought of Vanilla Ice deep cuts has scared you off listening to music forevermore, then perhaps Andy Kirkpatrick’s show at the Town Hall Theatre on 11 February will be much more up your street.

A mountaineer and stunt supervisor for TV and film, Kirkpatrick uses his variety of experiences to take to the stage as a comedian and/or storyteller.

From climbing mountains to saving Johnny Depp, he certainly has material worth at least the €15 ticket price.

Next up is a birthday: Galway’s own Feast Promotions turns two years-old on 18 February; and their latest tour happens to have a show on that very day in the Róisín Dubh.

For €5, you can see Alright the Captain, A Werewolf, and Steve Strong; not an actual werewolf. Instead, like Alright the Captain, they’re less lycanthropy and more math rock, while Steve Strong is a multi-instrumental experimental rock act.

BIA parts shimmering and pulsing. It glimmers and swings and explodes all in the right places, sliding gracefully from one section to another, played as tightly as it is loose and free.

Steve’s ability to bridge the gap between technical ability and captivation is completely instinctual – tattooed onto his musical conscience like the art on his body. His music seems to encompass many different styles without feeling contrived or forced, every strand of inspiration carefully placed and melded.

Judging from various online videos of his performances, Steve alone would be reason enough to venture out on the 18th.

But also performing in the Róisín that night will be A Werewolf (no, not an actual werewolf ). With hits already written like ‘Chop Yourself Off At The Knees And Pretend You’re Tom Cruise’ and ‘Hellbent On Duck Slaughter’, A Werewolf will be delivering a high-energy performance that will, supposedly, make you angry, thanks to all the changes in time signatures.

For more information, find FEAST on Facebook.

CEOL

SPÓRT

So expect to hear a lot of rock music that you wouldn’t normally hear on the radio, maybe some birthday surprises too.

With Tedfest only a few weeks away and tickets very hard to come by, I would suggest getting to Massimo for their Tedfest Table Quiz on 22 February.

Hosted by Father Stone actor Michael Redmond, €40 will give a team of four the chance of winning a VIP Day Trip to Tedfest on Inis Mór.

If your Craggy Island trivia is not up to scratch, then there are still other opportunities for you to win, with prizes also available for best team name and best outfit.

Of course, there’s also a “Lovely Girls Competition”, so get practising that lovely laugh and your walking around cones – that is if you want to be crowned “Miss Lovely Girl 2016”.

Valentine’s Day is probably a little conspicuous by its absence in this article; but fear not, superhero cinema season 2016 starts off with Deadpool’s release on 10 February.

It may not seem like the standard date movie, but if you wait to see it until 14 February, most lads will actually get the wonderfully rare opportunity of looking better than Ryan Reynolds for once.

Playing the scarred Merc with a Mouth, Reynolds will not be looking his best while he commits gruesome manslaughter, breaks the fourth wall, and makes some very NSFW jokes.

Though he will still be roguishly charming.

24 ENTERTAINMENT

Sin Vol. 17 Issue 09

AKUMAKON: More than just a meeting place…

By Kate Myers To those who are unfamiliar with the culture, an anime convention can seem like a sudden storm.

Normally beginning on a Friday and lasting the entire weekend, fans of anime (a kind of Japanese animation made for both film and television screen) can turn a typically sedate college campus or agreeable hotel into a wonderland of colour and sound as they come together to share their love of the culture.

Amazingly crafted costumes abound, as people become their favourite characters through the act of cosplay; artists come from far and wide to sell beautifully rendered works related to the anime culture; professionals involved in both the anime industry and wider Japanese culture are invited to provide interesting and educational panels for fans to attend; hallways are filled with the sounds of laughter and occasional shouting, because the best part of cosplay is being able to scream yourself to a higher power level.

Anime can often be confusing to those who don’t participate in the culture but, as a veteran con-goer, I have a deep and special love for the good times that come with attending these conventions, and I was thrilled to discover that NUI Galway, the university at which I had chosen to pursue my Master’s Degree, hosted an anime convention of its very own.

Named Akumakon, this convention is one of the largest in Ireland; according to their website, they are the only convention in the West of Ireland that is fully immersed in anime and manga (a kind of Japanese graphic novel or comic book, and often what anime is based on).

Held on the weekend of 22 to 24 January, this year’s convention marked Akumakon’s fifth staging of this unique event, which I attended on 23 January, Saturday traditionally being the busiest day of any convention. Áras na Mac Léinn was transformed from an everyday meeting place for students into a buffet of cultural events for anime fans to choose from. Immediately on entry, I was met with the sight of two long tables: one set up to teach fans how to create origami, a Japanese art form that involves folding paper into different shapes; the other providing instruction on how to properly tie yukata, a kind of cotton robe that must be worn the correct way to meet cultural expectations.

Directly across from these two tables, The Hub café was open to accommodate representatives of Wa Café (a Japanese restaurant located in Galway on New Dock Street, and one of Akumakon’s biggest sponsors). Throughout the weekend, they provided delicious food and drink to convention attendees, and shared space with a demonstration of how to make authentic Japanese coffee.

Perhaps one of the biggest draws of any anime convention is the Trader’s Hall and Artist Alley, and Akumakon was no exception.

Set up in one of the larger rooms, the Trader’s Hall provided anime-related wares for fans to buy: anything from articles of clothing, to collectible figurines, to phone cases were available for purchase.

One table in particular caught my eye, mostly because of its board games for sale surrounded by an amazing selection of doughnuts; further inspection revealed this to be a table run by another local Galway establishment, called

Dungeons and Donuts (which provides sweet treats and games for sale on Lower Dominick Street when not working a convention table).

Another highlight of the anime convention experience is the panels. Sometimes put on by fans, others by invited guests, attending panels is a great way to have fun while learning something new.

At Akumakon, I sat in on the panel run

by Japanese guest Ryo Horikawa, a voice actor in Japan, who has voiced some of anime’s most famous characters.

Mr Horikawa spoke at length to a packed room about his career in the anime industry – about the lasting impact of his helping to create such important characters, as well as the opportunities that have come from his work.

Throughout, the energy inside the room was warm and appreciative, and there seemed to be a genuine enjoyment shared between Mr Horikawa and the fans who came to hear him speak.

But anime conventions are about more than costumes and food and sharing your favourite shows. On sitting down with Akumakon’s Public Relations Officer Hugh Murray, I asked him if there was anything about the convention that he wanted people who might be unfamiliar with the event to know.

Mr Murray highlighted that Akumakon is the largest event in Ireland associated with Japanese embassy, making it a great place to explore Japanese culture in an authentic way.

Mr Murray also informed me that one of the largest events held during the convention is the charity auction: last year alone, Akumakon raised almost 3000 euro for charity, and they hoped to repeat or even improve on that success during this year’s convention.

We also discussed the sometimes wary attitude people might take towards an anime convention; the anime community is a smaller one, often gathering online instead of in pubs, as sports communities may do.

But Mr Murray was right to assert that the anime community enjoys just as much passion and creativity amongst its members as the better-known communities of shared interests.

“It’s [anime] celebrated differently than more mainstream interests, but it’s so welcoming,” Mr Murray said. “If you give it a go, you might be surprised by how the energy is the same.”

Those who are interested in giving the anime community “a go” need not wait until next year’s Akumakon. Akumakon staff are planning several smaller events for later this year, including a pub quiz in February or March, and a Valentine’s event sometime after the actual holiday.

Be sure to check them out.

ENTERTAINMENT 25

February 09 2016

A Syrian Love Story: Meeting the man behind the BAFTA nomination

By Niamh Cullen Since A Syrian Love Story premiered at Sheffield Doc/Fest in June 2015, Sean McAllister’s been pretty busy.

The 50-year-old snatched the Grand Jury Prize for best film at the Sheffield International Documentary Festival and bowed to five-star ratings across the board; he welcomed the beginning of 2016 with a BAFTA nomination, and followed this by claiming the first ever award issued by Rank Foundation Gong only a week later.

The following day, the people of Galway (myself included!) had the honour, not only of viewing the feature film in An Taibhdhearc, but getting to meet the man behind it.

Just two days before this event, I had interviewed Sean over the phone.

Having been told that “The BBC is here, we’re recording, call me back,” on our first call, I wasn’t expecting much time from this guy; I couldn’t have been more wrong. The moment our recording started it became conversation instantly, and we went way over our allotted time.

Having spent five years in Syria filming his work, Sean is a humble man. His feature film follows the hardships one Syrian family face as they are forced to leave their country under the Assad regime.

Through prison walls, Amer and Raghda meet, fall in love, and birth two boys.

Aged four, Bob is a little too young to understand what’s going on, but 14-yearold Kafka knows he will follow his parents’ footsteps in the fight for freedom, despite the threat of imprisonment.

Sean advises me over the phone to “bring a box of Kleenex” with me, and half-joking, half-obeying, I do so. And I was right to.

“Syria was not a word commissioners cared for before the revolution in 2011,” Sean tells me after the screening. “I had made

films in the Arab world for over 20 years and Syria struck me due to its functioning dictatorship.”

I’ve somehow ended up in Tigh Neachtain, a pint of the black stuff shoved under my nose, as a small group of documentarymakers welcome my random presence: Sean and his good friend Daisy Asquith (the brains behind After The Dance, Velorama, and countless other documentaries) are up to no good, interrupting conversations and shouting profanities amidst boisterous laughter.

It is odd to experience this cheerful evening following the harsh reality of the documentary, although there are moments where Sean “goes to his dark place”, as Daisy describes it. He himself had become immersed in the filmmaking process, being a “fly in the soup rather than a fly on the wall” as he calls it.

Blindfolded and arrested in Damascus during filming in 2011, Sean witnessed the physical brutality inflicted upon his fellow inmates at the hands of government officials.

Much of his filming was seized, before he was told by authorities upon his release “to choose the right side of this story.”

Reflecting on his time in prison, he says, “Nothing was done to me; and I am traumatised forever.”

As one would imagine their time with a filmmaker to go, tough conversations are broken up with moments of hilarity: Sean seizes the fluorescent jacket of a man we’ve been chatting to for a few minutes, before taking selfies on his phone posing as a “street sweeper”; Daisy hits him playfully on the arm and tells him for the hundredth time that night to “be good”.

I crack a joke about Sean’s password on his phone being ridiculously long, and as he unlocks it I notice Amer’s name in his contacts. He spots my eye and calls him.

Here I am, in a small Irish bar, calling the man behind the documentary that moved me only hours earlier.

Director, Sean McAllister enjoying the screening with his fans.

Amer is cheerful, and somehow puts up with the brash noises and loud excitement; he offers an update on his life, and one can only assume things have gotten a little bit better for him since the documentary’s release.

FilmSoc

recommends…

A guide to the films you can watch for free on campus as part of NUI Galway’s film society, and what to look out for in Irish cinemas in the near future

By Alex O’Meara This February at FilmSoc, there’s a great variety of films on show at our weekly screenings.

In this issue I’m going to talk about Sean Durkin’s psychological thriller Martha Marcy May Marlene, as well as upcoming horror film release The Witch, which debuted to rave reviews at last year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

But as he hangs up suddenly five minutes later, the reality of the brief encounter sobers me up and I think once again about his children and Raghda.

Deemed a “reluctant revolutionary”, Sean has managed to give an unlikely pedestal to voices torn by landscape, by corrupt politics, and by each other. His immense success stands before a humble man who, at age 16, left school, worked in a factory for two years, and remained on social welfare for a decade.

Now, he says, he wishes to make “safer films”. His love for his hometown of Hull has been amplified with the announcement that the Yorkshire city will be the UK’s Capital of Culture in 2017.

On the back of that title, Sean is currently working on his new documentary To Hull And Back, in which he hopes to explore the city that was “left behind”. The project is inspired by an episode of Only Fools And Horses under the same title, in which Rodney and Del Boy find themselves stuck in Hull.

“I want to turn Hull into a love story for the world to gaze upon,” Sean exclaimed – during our phone interview, at the screening, and in the pub. “It’s really about seeing my friends, who I feel have been left behind, and this time giving a voice to them; they need it to.”

I ask Sean if he will return to see Amer or Raghda any time soon; I ask him if he misses Syria, the children, and whether it feels as if the Arab world is now an inherent part of him.

“Oh yes, of course,” he answers to all three questions. “It is so easy for me, though. I am family to them. That’s what happens when you spend seven years filming a family, you become a part of the family, and that stays. I always have a bed ready and waiting for me.”

Directed by Sean Durkin, this film opens with a quietly creepy scene that sets the tone for its remainder, as Martha (Elizabeth Olsen) makes an escape from the abusive cult she has become a member of.

Innovatively using its narrative structure to represent Martha’s broken state of mind, past and present blending together seamlessly, Durkin shows himself to be one of the most interesting independent filmmakers to emerge from this decade to date.

Elizabeth Olsen makes her debut here in a performance that is nothing less than stunning, as she perfectly captures the damaged nature of her character. The cult which she becomes a part of clearly preys on emotionally damaged girls, and we learn more of their methods of ensnaring these girls as the film proceeds.

The film’s cast also features Sarah Paulson, Hugh Dancy, and John Hawkes, who plays the cult’s insidious leader.

Martha Marcy May Marlene is one of the very best American independent films released this decade and will be screened on 15 February in the D’Arcy Thompson Theatre at 7pm.

It’s a film that will leave a lasting impression you just won’t be able to shake off.

The Witch (2015) Robert Egger’s new horror film debuted initially at the Sundance Film Festival at the beginning of 2015 to a resoundingly positive response; horror fans may have waited with baited breath for over a year, but this film is finally about to arrive in theatres worldwide.

The Witch is set in 17 th century New England, and follows a family dealing with the disappearance of one of their children, and the failure of their crops, a family who believe that witchcraft is to blame for their misfortune.

Eggers walked away from Sundance with the prize for best director, capitalising on the hype preceding the festival for this film.

If its trailer is anything to go by, then The Witch promises to be one of the scariest releases of 2016.

The Witch will be released in Ireland on 11 March.

Dangan Pavilion Bus Services

This bus service will operate on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays from Monday 11th January 2016

Monday

Leaves Orbsen

5.45pm

Bus Returns from Dangan at 6.15pm, 7.15pm, 8.30pm & 9.30pm*

Hockey (6.30-8pm)

Tuesday

Wednesday

Hockey (6.30-7.30pm)

Hockey (6.30-8pm)

Boxing ( 6-8pm)

6.45pm

Thursday

Boxing (6-8pm)

Athletics Distance (6pm)

Athletics Sprint (6.30pm)

Athletics Sprint (6.30pm)

M.Rugby Weights (6.30-8pm)

M.Rugby Weights (6-8.30pm)

Ladies Football (6.30 - 8pm)

Athletics Circuits (7-8.15pm)

Rugby - Ladies (7.30-9pm)

Athletics Circuits (7-8.15pm)

Fresher Football (7pm - 8.15pm)

Rugby - Mens (7pm)

Fresher Football (7pm - 8.15pm)

Rugby - Mens (7pm)

Rugby - Ladies (7.30-9pm)

Athletics Distance (7pm)

M. Rugby Weights (8-9.30pm)

Mens Soccer (7pm)

Hockey Weights (8-9.30pm)

7.45pm

Bus Returns from Dangan at 6.15pm, 7.15pm, 8.30pm & 9.30pm* Last bus on Thursday departs Dangan Pavilion at 8.30pm.

www.clubs.nuigalway.ie for full club training & events calendar or download the Clubs Eventr App

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SPORT 27

February 09 2016

Majorly impressive Mary Immaculate overcome NUI Galway in Fitzgibbon opener

By Mark Lynch NUI Galway were beaten by Mary Immaculate College on a scoreline of 1-16 to 0-13 in what was a typically windy January afternoon in Dangan sports grounds on Thursday last. Weather conditions during the morning before the game meant that both sides were left with a heavy and slippery pitch, despite the rain disappearing just minutes before the first whistle.

Mary I made a hectic start in the first 10 minutes, racing into a 0-4 to 0-0 lead, with Limerick inter-county star Declan Hannon to the forefront with frees. NUIG took their time in getting back into the game, but key to that was Clare’s Bobby Duggan, whose frees were always an outlet

for scores. Mary I managed to maintain this gap throughout the first half, with NUIG’s discipline costing them on account of the many frees fired over by Declan Hannon.

Another factor in NUIG’s struggle was as a result of shrewd tactics

by Mary I, employing a sweeper in the full back line. This made it extremely difficult for NUIG full forward Conor Whelan to make the most of the long balls sent his way. This meant that NUI Galway also had a spare man, Galway intercounty star Padraic Mannion filling that role with vigour. His all-round game, particularly turning defence into attack, was vital in NUIG getting themselves back into it.

The rest of the half was largely tit for tat, ending just after Hannon

unsuccessfully went for goal from a 21 yard free. Mary I took a lead of 0-11 to 0-7 into the break.

A tense battle was in full swing in the early exchanges of the second half, with both teams trying to gain a foothold. It was the Limerick-based college that managed it, Darragh O’ Donovan breaking through the middle of the NUIG defence before an overlap with full forward Hannon left the latter with a simple finish by his standards.

This left Mary I with a 1-11 to 0-8 lead and a 6 point gap that NUIG simply couldn’t bridge.

Shortly after, a small melee broke out in front of the coaches, tempers flared and Cian Lynch saw the line for Mary I. The game never boiled over again and impressive defend-

ing, especially by Tipp man Ronan Maher, combined with missed chances, meant that NUIG struggled to put the streak of scores together that they so badly needed.

It was the next 10 minutes that would make or break NUIG’s game but unfortunately their star players were misfiring, Bobby Duggan missing frees, Padraic Mannion picking up a second yellow and marquee forwards being marshalled well. Ger Hennelly’s sending off with minutes to go typified a disappointing day out in Dangan for Tony Ward’s men.

They have work to do but with a star-studded squad like theirs, it’s a matter of when they’re all performing well rather than if. Final score Mary Immaculate College 1-16 NUIG 0-13.

NUI GALWAY: C Tuohy; C Ryan, B Fitzpatrick, G Forde; P Mannion, J Hanbury, S Cooney; N O’Brien (0-2), O Donnellan; B Duggan (0-6, 0-5f), C Mannion, A Helebert (0-1); J Fox , C Whelan (0-1), K McHugo (0-1).

Subs: M Mullins (0-1) for A. Helebert (42 mins), S Ward for J. Fox (49 mins), E Brannigan for G. Forde (53 mins), G Hennelly (0-1) for K. McHugo (54 mins), S Whelan for S. Cooney (63 mins).

MARY IMMACULATE COLLEGE: M O Conghaile; C Barry, E Quirke, R English; R Maher (0-1), M O’Neill (0-1), J Meagher; D O’Donovan (0-1), C Galvin (0-1); S Cahill, D Corry (0-1), C Lynch (0-1); A Flynn, D Hannon (1-9, 0-7f), D Reidy (0-1).

Subs: T Stapleton for D. Reidy (19 mins), C Twomey for C. Barry (HT), T Monaghan for S. Cahill (56 mins), J Peters for C. Twomey (61 mins).

What have the Clubs been up to?

Two gold and one silver for NUIG handballers at the 40x20 all ireland intervarsities which took place in Kingscourt Cavan from 28 to 31 of January. In total six NUIG Handball Club members travelled to compete against the elite athletes from all the colleges around Ireland. Ronan Mc Nea captured the Men’s C title agaisnt Busher from WIT and Conor Noone won the Men’s B title by defeating NUIG club captain Darren Carter.

Pictures from weekend of 15 January in County Clare: Bodyboarder: Peter Hamrock Surfer: Liam Lachs

NUIG Mystics claimed their first ever National Cup in the National Basketball Arena in Dublin on Sunday 31 January against Oblate Dynamoes on a scoreline of 71-44. A special thanks to all the fans who travelled to the arena to support the team and join in the celebrations.

NUIG Mystics also came through the Carlow IT challenge on Saturday 16 January in the NUIG Kingfisher. Final score NUIG Mystics 72 - Carlow IT 46. Picture Shows Marritta Gillcrease getting up to block a shot.

Picture shows the NUIG team after their defeat of Creggs recently. Final score NUIG 24 Creggs 13.

28 SPORT

Sin Vol. 17 Issue 09

Potential surprise names for Ireland at Euro 2016

By Graham Gillespie Every time Ireland qualify for a major tournament a classic pub question that is no doubt discussed all around the country is who will be on the plane? Throughout the duration of Martin O’Neil’s tenure in charge of the Republic of Ireland, the names in the squad have by and large remained the same and the rigid nature of O’Neil’s selections suggests it will be extremely difficult for new players to snatch a ticket for that plane to France in June.

Despite this there are most certainly some players who could give Martin O’Neil headaches when he sits down to choose the 23 men who will fly out to France and be based in Versailles. Here are 5 of the most likely players to be surprise members of the Irish squad at Euro 2016:

RICHIE TOWELL For some League of Ireland supporters, Richie Towell’s omission from the Irish panel has become a symbol for the lack of confidence the national team setup has in Ireland’s top tier league. His goal scoring record from midfield in what would turn out to be his last season at Dundalk was nothing short of astonishing netting 25 times in 32 games.

This was good enough for the former Celtic trainee to secure a moved to Brighton and Hove Albion in the Championship in Novem-

ber after winning the league and cup double with Dundalk. Having only become eligible to play for Brighton in January, Towell does not have much time to prove he can perform in England before the Euros. However if he is even half as prolific in front of goal for Brighton as he was in Ireland, he might well stand a chance of sneaking into the squad.

ALAN JUDGE From a player who rebuilt his career by going back to Ireland to a midfielder who never played in his native league, Alan Judge has been in the form of his career recently for Brentford in the Championship. In the early stages of his career he nomadically yo-yoed between playing for Blackburn Rovers, Notts County and Plymouth Argyle before moving to Brentford in 2014. Since this move he has become one of the west London club’s most important players and is regarded by many as the best Irish player outside of the Premier League.

Like Towell, Judge has the handy habit of scoring from midfield and has 11 goals to his name already this season. This was enough to earn him a place in the preliminary squad for the crucial playoff games against Bosnia-Herzegovina but unfortunately he never made the match day squad and is still yet to have been given a cap for Ireland. If he makes the preliminary squad once more in the summer one presumes he will be doing everything in his power to not get cut again.

CHRIS FORRESTER Although being less revered and receiving far less hype than Richie Towell, Chris Forrester made his move from the League of Ireland in the summer before Towell and has been prospering ever since. When the slender attacking midfielder made his move across the Irish Sea from St. Patricks Athletic to Peterborough United many questioned whether he would be up to the physical challenge of League One football, a criticism that has also been levelled at Wes Hoolahan at many points in his career.

However like Hoolahan, Forrester has answered his critics excellently and has flourished since coming to “the Posh” by playing in a deeper role than he had previously. Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony has now described him as “priceless” along with comparing him to Michael Carrick. If Martin O’Neil is looking for a wildcard to light up Euro 2016 Forrester could be his man.

ROB ELLIOT Newcastle United goalkeeper Rob Elliot acquired some good fortune when his club’s number one keeper Tim Krul sustained a bad knee injury allowing him to step into the Newcastle goal and it would definitely be fair to say he has taken his opportunity with both hands. The Green-

wich born naturalised Irishman has strung together great performance after great performance and has looked consistently solid at a club where everything can be so chaotic.

This steely solidness was epitomised in his heroic display in Newcastle 1-0 win over Bournemouth earlier this season. Elliot missed out on the Bosnia games due to injury but when one considers than Elliot is the only Irish goalkeeper playing week in week out in the Premier League, it is difficult to envisage an Irish squad without his name featuring.

EUNAN O’KANE Taking the path that James McClean had walked before him, Eunan O’Kane is a Derry native who declared to play for the Republic. Despite playing for Northern Ireland underage teams in his youth, O’Kane made the big switch at U-21 level and received a call up to the senior provisional squad for the play-offs last November.

At club level, O’Kane has won silverware playing a part in Eddie Howe’s Championship winning Bournemouth team and has been quietly impressive whenever he has played for the Cherries this year in the Premier League at the heart of their midfield.

Although not being a regular starter O’Kane will be hoping his cameos will be sufficient evidence to convince Martin O’Neil he should be in the Irish squad.

How to make a balls of things, GAA Style: The “B” Championship Proposal Retention of the provincial championships: check.

Streamlining of a bloated, almost obese football season: check. A chance for everyone to land Sam each year, however notional: check. A second tier championship with the meaningful carrot of promotion dangling over participants: check.

Number ten had it all.

Therefore, naturally, it was doomed from the moment it left port.

By Tadhg Evans Everyone makes a balls of things from time to time. We scold those who do so, in the hope that they’ll learn. It’s rare enough that a ‘calling out’ is served without some element of sympathy for the recipient – to err is human, after all. Every now and then, however, you come across ignorance so gross that the patience of a saint would be shattered. It can involve repetition of those mistakes, refusal to listen, squandering of potential, or even all of the above. But as bad and all as that might be, some go above and beyond even those levels of negligence. Imagine someone making a balls of things on purpose – that’s the GAA. For two years, the weakest teams in Ireland have been bellowing for a meaningful second tier championship. Those yells were met by eighteen proposals, all assembled with the supposed aim of improving the championship experience in mind – and in fairness, most of the ideas would have done just that, had they been implemented. Trust the GAA to pick one of the duds.

All eighteen proposals were flawed, but these things generally are – you cannot devise the perfect plan. But what you ought to do is make an earnest effort to choose the idea with the lowest number of potential drawbacks. Proposal number ten from the original clump of eighteen was that very

plan. It should come as no surprise that the three-year-old suggestion was constructed in the mind of the mightiest of GAA presidents, Seán Kelly. Never one to be swayed by his emotions, Kelly preferred instead to side with logic.

You could almost scrape his typical brand of pragmatism off proposal ten: Retention of the provincial championships: check.

Streamlining of a bloated, almost obese football season: check. A chance for everyone to land Sam each year, however notional: check.

A second tier championship with the meaningful carrot of promotion dangling over participants: check. Number ten had it all.

Therefore, naturally, it was doomed from the moment it left port. It was too ambitious, too brave, and far too bloody logical. To phrase it differently, it just wasn’t ‘GAA’ enough.

Proposal number one was far more ‘Rose of Tralee’ than ‘Miss World’, but the GAA has always had a thing for the ‘lovely’ girls – however boring they may seem to the rest of us. She seduced them all with her promise of sending all Division Four teams to the scrapheap of a proposed ‘B Championship’ if beaten before their provincial final – not necessarily a bad thing, as most skips have a few treats buried somewhere, if you’re desperate enough to rummage. But not the ‘B Championship’. The winners won’t re-join the race for Sam Maguire further down the road – but they will be guaranteed participation

in next year’s qualifiers, even if they’re still a Division Four team. How very generous.

They might get a cup too, if central council have enough money left over after flinging funds at the Dublin county board. All very underwhelming – perfect. You’ll have to step aside, proposal ten. In 2014, a rugby match was watched from more sofas than the All-Ireland football final. This had never happened before, yet funnily happened again in 2015. 2013 was another year of unwanted firsts for the football championship, as its more streamlined hurling counterpart lured in more gate receipts. That newly formed gap was stretched further in 2014.

But as the GAA’s motto goes, ‘if it ain’t broke, we won’t fix it – and if it is broke, we won’t fix it anyway. ’ Sitting with a friend of mine from Longford in Smokey’s café on campus at NUIG, I warily deliver these statistics to him, landing them strategically between his sips of tea. But I needn’t have worried about him spitting his drink out – he’s far from thrown: ‘Sure that’s no surprise.

I’d have no intention of going to Croke Park to watch us getting scalded by Dublin. I’d stay at home, and I might watch it on telly’.

Up to two years ago, this guy was fixated by football. Now he’s saying he ‘might’ watch his county on the telly against the best team in the country. That ‘might’ is one of thousands – but they’re still not enough to worry the GAA.

SPORT 29

February 09 2016

Allianz Football League predictions 2016

By Ultan Sherry By the time you read this, there will have been two rounds of the 2016 Football League played, and we may start to get a clearer picture of who are the likely contenders for promotion and relegation from each of the divisions.

Nevertheless, the actual picture at that stage may not be a whole pile different to the predictions I am about to make here, as to who will be promoted, who will be relegated, and who will be crowned champions of the National League overall.

Division One Teams involved: Dublin, Cork, Monaghan, Donegal, Mayo, Kerry, Roscommon, Down.

Semi Finals: Dublin, Cork, Monaghan, Mayo.

Probable Champions: Dublin Relegation: Roscommon and Down.

To start off, the All Ireland Champions Dublin will for me not only make the Division 1 semi finals, but they will go on and win the entire competition. In my view, they are the most settled team at this stage of the season, they have some promising new talent coming through, and many of their main rivals will be re-building for a new era, particularly Donegal and Kerry.

They will be joined in the semi finals at least

by Cork, who will surely want to lay down a marker this Spring after their disappointing Championship exit to Kildare last July.

Monaghan start their second season in the top flight and open against the two promoted sides, Roscommon and Down. If they beat them, they have a good chance of making the semis, with three home matches against Kerry, Mayo and Donegal. They would fancy taking points in each of those matches.

Mayo start a new era under Stephen Rochford, and although they will not have a full strength squad for the early rounds of the league, they should still have enough reserves to make the last four once again.

Meanwhile, Roscommon may have an abundance of youth, energy and talent at their disposal, but it may not be enough to keep them in this Division. In their last match against Galway, they conceded two goals that will leave questions hanging over their defensive capabilities. It could be a case of playing well in each match here but just coming up short.

Down are a team that is still rebuilding for the future. They’re missing some key figures including Conor Laverty, a tremendous servant of the red and black over recent years. They won’t have enough resources to stay up and will go straight back down again.

Division Two Teams involved: Tyrone, Derry, Fermanagh, Cavan, Armagh, Galway, Meath, Laois.

Promotion: Tyrone and Galway Relegation: Laois and Meath Firstly, I will be flabbergasted if Tyrone don’t make it back up to Division 1. They are by far the best built side, having made the All-Ireland semi finals last year with a blend of youth and experience, and will certainly have their eyes set on an Ulster title this Summer.

After that, it’s a toss up between the other seven teams really, but I give a hesitant vote to Galway. They have a lot of potential up front and hit Roscommon for two goals in the FBD League last Sunday. Defensively they may not be as strong as the Ulster counties but the extra scoring power might just be enough to see them up.

Laois suffered a shock loss against Antrim in the qualifiers last Summer, and they don’t strike me as a side that can make strides. They could get lost in a sea of Ulster battles in this division and could end up being shoved out the trap door.

It’s the same story for Meath, despite winning the O’Byrne Cup last weekend. Their

graph has been going down for a number of years now and were down in Division 3 only three years ago. I think they’ll be heading back there this Spring.

Division Three Teams involved: Clare, Tipperary, Sligo, Limerick, Longford, Offaly, Kildare, Westmeath.

Promotion: Kildare and Longford Relegation: Offaly and Tipperary Kildare have not been this far down the pecking order for a long time now, and the goal for them will surely be to get back up to Division 2. They sound as if they have bought into Cian O’Neill since taking over the job last season, and will no doubt achieve promotion.

Longford had a great win over Dublin in the O’Byrne Cup semi finals and lost to Meath by six points in the final. Given that other teams in the division have frailties at this stage of the season and Longford have built up some momentum, they just might achieve back to back promotions.

Offaly are out of Division 4 for the first time in a long time, but the recovery could well be fragile. I have a feeling that they could struggle against the stronger sides in this division and fall straight back down again.

Tipperary have lost some key players from last year to the hurlers and will also be without

their contingent from Clonmel Commercials for the All Ireland club series. One of those players is the instrumental Micheal Quinlivan.

This could be detrimental to their prospects and with Kildare and Westmeath in this division, they will surely falter.

Division Four Teams involved: Antrim, Wexford, Louth, Carlow, Leitrim, Waterford, Wicklow, London.

Promotion: Antrim and Wexford.

With this division being threatened with B Championship football, a lot of teams here will be desperate to escape the drop. Antrim and Wexford are the most likely for me to be promoted, but don’t be surprised if Louth are in the shake up at the end of the League also.

Antrim were unlucky not to make it out last season, losing to Offaly on the final day of the season last year. However, much of the team from last year will still be there this time round, and they will have been buoyed by the Laois win last Summer to help their prospects.

Wexford had a good run through the back door last summer too, including a great win over Down at home. David Power will have laid down a marker for Wexford to escape Division 4. They are much better than this division and their performances will prove this.

Don’t scrap winter GAA

By Ciarán Ó Meachair January GAA competitions may not have the draw of Croke Park on a Sunday in September, but for any inter-county team they are a valuable exercise before the long year ahead.

For management, they are a chance to try out new tactics and player combinations, for younger players it’s an opportunity to break into the senior panel and for older players, it’s a return to fitness after a long winter. Many university and college players are given what could perhaps be their only opportunity to line out against an inter-county team.

It also provides fans with the space to get a lot closer to the action than they would in Croke Park. On a personal level, I’ve had some great experiences seeing Dublin play O’Byrne Cup matches in places like Newbridge and Mullingar, and the rare opportunities to see Dublin play outside Croke Park are certainly enjoyable.

Recently Kilkenny manager Eddie Brennan called for the Walsh Cup to be scrapped in the interest of ‘player welfare’, the irony in this is that profits made from gate receipts in the Walsh Cup, along with the Kehoe and O’Byrne Cups contribute to funds set aside to assist with players injuries, known as the benevolent fund. Indeed the three Leinster tournaments are collectively known as the accident tournaments, and the funds raised are undoubtedly vital for any injured player in the province.

Fortunately the Leinster GAA have rebuked Brennan’s proposal. The reality for teams in all provinces is that if the competitions were scrapped, they would be forced to organise a number of challenge matches to compensate for the loss. No self-respecting inter-county team would sit idle for the month and rely on the first match of the national league to be their first match of the year.

2016

Monday 7th March 2016

30 SPORT

Sin Vol. 17 Issue 09

Time for Schmidt to turn on the style

By Aonghus Ó Maicín Over the last century, the Irish community have spread throughout the world like seeds from the emerald-tinted hopper. An anthology of stories have been collected and indeed fabricated during the course of their travels, many of which are still told upon high stools today.

One such tale involves two Irish men in an Irish pub in Chicago. As they sit on their usual perches, sipping away on their malts, they peer out the window at a brothel across the busy street. They witness a Baptist Minister walk into the Brothel.

Their disapproval quite evident, one of the men utters, “Aye, ‘tis a shame to see a man of the cloth goin’ bad”.

A few minutes later, a Rabbi walks up and into the Brothel to which the other Irish man responds “Aye, ‘tis a shame

that Jews are falling victim to temptation.” Both men continued on drinking into the night all the time observing the frequency of visitors across the road. As they were leaving the pub, they saw a Catholic Priest walking into the brothel.

Both of the men tutted in unison at what they had just witnessed. Both were thinking the very same thing. “What a terrible pity.” said one of them. “There must be a girl quite ill inside.”

Irish people have built up a reputation of being experts at everything throughout the years. This is especially the case in sport. However over the last number of years, Joe Schmidt has become exempt to this constant grumbling and bewailing, largely due to his success with the Irish Rugby Team. Like all managers, he is only human but has success enabled him to brush aside his shortcomings, as few as they might be, unlike other people in his profession.

Ireland fell drastically short of their aspirations at the Rugby World Cup last Autumn but the expected masses of criticism never transcended.

Schmidt’s evaluation was miniscule in comparison to what Trapattoni received after Euro 2012. Despite Ireland going above and beyond to get there in the first place, the Italian septuagenarian received a scalding only a young incontinent puppy would get.

Schmidt’s squad selection for the 2016 6 Nations was again met with very little criticism apart from the odd rumble of discontent over the absence of Garry Ringrose. Ringrose is a phenomenal player with flair, imagination and speed-all elements that would add a great deal to the Irish midfield. He does, however, lack experience and another year in the Leinster ranks will benefit him greatly in the long run.

In contrast, the absence of Denis Buckley is mind-boggling. Besides his short injury lay-off in the latter part of last year, there is no logic behind Schmidt not bringing the tigerish and bull-like loosehead prop into the fold. The same applies to Buckley’s team mate Matt Healy who has been ripping the sod from the ground at the Sportsground over the last two seasons. It is understandable for a coach to choose players that he is familiar with but one must speculate whether or not players such as Dave Kearney and Tommy Bowe, although injured at present, would make a greater impact than Healy in the harsh subarctic climate of Galway.

Martin O’Neill is far more familiar with his outspoken critics.

With the predatory sense of hungry leopards, O’Neill’s critics are

a continuous monkey on his back castigating tactics, results and team selections. The Wes Hoolahan saga which has continued for months is a clear illustration of how O’Neill is treated by his critics. Also, there isn’t a GAA manager in the country that doesn’t suffer from the same fate but all will admit that it is just another negative facet to what can be the most rewarding of occupations.

Does our attitude towards Schmidt help the Irish cause though?

Media judgement often aids in the upkeep of high standards and our blighted reluctance to criticize a somewhat winning formula could be damaging the future cause. This year’s 6 Nations will be spellbinding to say the least. Winning no longer seems to be enough to please the astute and conscious Irish fans. Winning with style is now a prerequisite.

McGregor’s mind games begin

By David Kane Undefeated Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor is set to face Lightweight Champion Rafael Dos Anjos in what is being labelled a “superfight” by UFC President Dana White.

Should McGregor win the bout, he will become the first fighter in the sport’s history to hold two championship titles at two different weight classes.

McGregor’s last fight against Jose Aldo set a new UFC record for the quickest finish in history after just 13 seconds inside the octagon, and McGregor is predicting more of the same.

“I will dust Rafael inside one minute” he said, “He is a slower, sloppier, more stuffed version of Jose Aldo”. Of McGregor’s 19 wins, 17 have come by

Djokovic dominance overshadows sport’s sins

By Tadhg Evans A familiar end to a fortnight that began so abnormally. Andy Murray has beaten Novak Djokovic in grand slam finals before, but Djokovic has changed; he used to be phenomenal, yet fallible. Now he’s just plain old phenomenal.

No man has completed the calendar grand slam since 1969, but after yet another Melbourne masterpiece, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to envisage a performance that will be sufficiently brilliant to better the

way of knockout and he is currently undefeated in the UFC. Dos Anjos however has only ever been knocked out once, and this happened in his debut fight. The Brazilian has won the majority of his fights following unanimous decision by the judges, signalling his intent to remain in the ring for a full five rounds at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas. “I’m going to punish him” said Dos Anjos when asked for his prediction at the UFC 197 press conference last week and it is easy to see why.

Dos Anjos is experienced at lightweight having fought in this weight division for his entire career.

His most recent title defence against Donald Cerrone ended after 66 seconds inside the octagon following

a succession of powerful blows to his opponent’s head. This will not scare McGregor however, who was a two weight world champion before joining the UFC in 2013.

The title fight against Dos Anjos will be his fifth world title fight inside his last 10, all of which have been stopped in the early stages. It had always been McGregor’s plan to unify the belts and Dana White believed that if McGregor was willing to fight up to four times this year there was no need for his interference, “Conor has kept his word on everything that he said he would do”.

The move from featherweight to lightweight appears to have had no negative effects on McGregor’s odds however with Paddy Power offer-

ing 13/5 for a first round knockout.

When asked about the difficulties of gaining lean mass in a rather short time frame, having fought at 145lbs in December, McGregor replied, “It’s

steaks every day for me. Steaks for breakfast, steaks for lunch, steaks for brunch!” The fight will take place on 5 March 2016 and will be available on pay-per-view at UFC.com.

Serb at Roland Garros, SW19, or Flushing Meadows.

Djokovic is one member of a triumvirate that has kept negativity from pestering tennis. The FedererNadal-Djokovic axis now encircles 42 grand slam titles, and will expand further. Not content with being really good at tennis, they’re also affable – not something that’s normally associable with sporting greats.

Tennis is very rarely stung by the bitchiness of sports fans, and can probably thank the aforementioned troika for that mercy. The image the trio project is pretty much the image of the sport itself – a real benefit that tennis has accrued from their unrelenting dominance. Its promoters have had the least taxing of tasks for over a decade now – perhaps a scandal was overdue.

Uncertainty rarely bothers with tennis, but showed face before a

ball met catgut in Melbourne. Secret reports fell into the possession of BBC and BuzzFeed News, exposing ‘widespread suspected match fixing at the top level of word tennis’.

‘Suspected’ isn’t the most helpful of words.

The Tennis Integrity Unit was born in 2008 in the aftermath of a hugely controversial match between Nikolay Davydenko and Martin Vassallo Arguello. An enquiry subsequently cleared both players of any wrongdoing, but its findings were probably significant.

‘Probably’ isn’t much better than ‘suspected’, but you’re about to see a lot more of both.

The enquiry team wanted 28 players to be investigated having found syndicates in Italy and Russia betting many thousands on matches suspected of being fixed, but no chase ensued. A new tennis anti-corrup-

tion code was introduced in 2009, and after taking legal advice was told previous corruption offences could not be investigated.

The report alleges that authorities have since been warned regularly about a cluster of 16 players, all of whom have been ranked in the top 50 at some point of their careers. None of that group has faced sanctions, and more than half played in Melbourne. Chris Kermode, president of the ATP, can be quoted as saying “the Tennis Integrity Unit has to find evidence, as opposed to information, suspicion or hearsay.’’ This is the key here -- that it requires evidence.”

Match fixing in any sport is maddeningly difficult to prove. BBC and BuzzFeed opted not to name any of the players mentioned in the report because without phone, bank or computer records, they can’t gauge the veracity of the claims.

The TIU has that power, but, ultimately, representatives from tennis’ four governing bodies decide whether the evidence gathered is sufficient for an independent hearing – a fact that has been noted as a weakness in tennis’ ability to combat match-fixing.

An independent panel reviewing tennis’ ability to protect the game’s integrity will address making the TIU more transparent without undermining its investigative confidentiality.

Considering that Benn Gunn, a former police chief constable who conducted a major review of betting in tennis, claimed that “there is an element of actually keeping things under wraps”, increased visibility is surely a requisite for tennis to retain the respect it has earned through the hegemony of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.

February 09 2016

FINAL WORD 31

Diary of the

SMOKEY’S

PIGEON It’s that time of year again – when Smokey’s is selling little heart-shaped treats and chocolates, and people are forgetting their New Year’s resolutions and buying all these sweet treats instead of the bananas.

I’ve been doing pretty well with my own resolutions. I even lost a little bit of weight. Mind you, I took a walk outside last week and had several of my feathers blown off

by Storm Henry, so that could be contributing to the weight loss.

Anyway, I think I deserve a cheat day or six, so keep those heart-shaped treats coming. Share the love, and don’t forget to tweet me your declarations of love: @Smokeys_Pigeon.

I will leave you with a little love poem of my own: Taytos are tasty, Biscuits are too, All this good food, Makes my heart go “coo”.

Photos from the adorable Teddy Bear Hospital, which took place on 21 and 22 January. Photos by Eibhlín Seoighthe.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!