SIN Vol. 18 Issue 02

iPhone 7 and 7 Plus

Bake with Justine D’Oven

The Galway Gamer

Are they worth the upgrade?

Fall into Autumn spiced cupcakes

Can Metal Gear Survive?

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Page 23

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NUI Galway helping students move up in the world of medicine

By Cathy Lee

FREE STUDENT NEWSPAPER | VOL 18, ISSUE 02 | 27 SEPT 2016

PARALYMPIC GLORY

NUI Galway lecturers return home as Paralympic heroes

By Darragh Berry Dr Eoghan Clifford, a Civil Engineering lecturer at NUI Galway and Dr Patrick O’Leary, a lecturer above the bar in the School of Chemistry made headlines for their feats at the recent Paralympic Games in Rio, Dr Clifford securing Gold and Bronze medals with O’Leary finishing sixth in the final of his event.

Dr O’Leary, a native of Cork who now resides in Moycullen, became Ireland’s first ever Irish Para-canoeist to qualify for the KL3 canoeing final. Rio 2016 is the first time that Para-canoeing has been included in the games.

He finished third in his heat with a time of 45.97 seconds before eclipsing that time by a second and a half to earn him a spot in the final, which took place on Thursday 15 September.

Speaking to SIN, Dr O’Leary was asked about his look whilst canoeing, the back to front cap on his head beautifully showing off the tri-colour logo in the Rio sun; “If it’s warm I usually have a bandana on my head but there was problems with the apparel police with wearing it, so the next best thing was a cap, albeit back to front.”

Dr Eoghan Clifford. (Photo: Limerick Leader) Dr O’Leary lost his knee to bone cancer at the age of 18 and in the midst of his Leaving Certificate exams was subject to intense sessions of chemotherapy.

It was also in school where Dr O’Leary’s love of canoeing began and despite the loss

Dr Pat O'Leary (Photo: Paul Mohan, Sportsfile)

of his knee, Dr O’ Leary was able to keep up the sport as it didn’t put as much of a strain on his knee as other sports.

In 2011, a reoccurring infection in Dr O’Leary’s leg meant that it would have to be amputated. It was less than two months after having a prosthetic leg fitted that Dr O’Leary returned to canoeing and he had one thing on his mind: qualifying for Rio. He finished in sixth place in the final out of a total of eight athletes who took part in the race.

Winning a medal was not his sole ambition.

Qualifying for a place in the Paralympics was the initial dream, followed by qualifying for the final and he smashed both of those expectations.

“It was amazing to share the experience with my family,” he told SIN. “I am truly delighted to have finished 6th which is higher than what my expected ranking was coming into this race. It was the best race I have ever executed which is nice to be able to say and I am honoured to have been part of such a positive and passionate Ireland team at this Paralympic games.”

Continued on page 2

NUI Galway have been funded to begin a new PHD programme that will allow medical students access to further development of their research and training abilities.

The trainee programme will begin in 2017 and will open to eight students over a five year period.

The programme will provide these trainee doctors with integrated clinical and research skills up to consultant level.

The estimated figure of funds being put in to this programme is close to €13 million. Nearly half of this was funded by the heath research board and Wellcome.

Wellcome is a global independent charitable body that has gotten involved with academic research, businesses, governments and civil societies around the world.

The system involves partner universities both northern and southern Ireland with students, partner universities encouraged strongly by Molecular Medicine Ireland.

This expansion of interest in this particular area has been welcomed by various universities across Ireland including TCD, UCD, UCC, the Royal college of Surgeons and Queen’s University Belfast as well as here at our own NUI Galway.

The programme will be taking applications from autumn 2016 for its first intake of students.

This programme will then begin in July 2017.

Minister for Health Simon Harris described this as a “significant investment in the future of the health service” outlining his hopes for the future success of the project.

It’s clear that the funding given here is to go a long way to help both students and in turn then the general public being looked after by these future fully trained and skilled doctors.

A lead investigator on this programme Conall Dennedy of NUI Galway told the Galway Advertiser that “this marks a fantastic opportunity for medical trainees to develop careers as clinician scientists” and that “this programme demonstrates how we can work together across academic, training and healthcare institutions”.

He is one of a team of seven other investigators that vary from those teaching in colleges across the country as professors and those involved with Wellcome.

He described the system as “cutting edge” with a new landscape for Irish medical training opening up like this.

To apply online to this new programme visit http://www.molecularmedicineireland. ie/career-opportunity-molecular-medicineireland/ and download the pdf available there.

You must send a detailed CV and cover letter explaining your background and experience as well as your suitability for the role.

You must also have three references and all must be sent to icat-pm@molecularmedicineireland.ie. Following this if you are selected, a series of interviews will take place in the coming months.

The deadline for applications is Monday 17 October at 12 noon.

2 NEWS

Sin Vol. 18 Issue 2

Goal Jersey Day 2016 GOAL is an International Humanitarian organisation committed to providing life saving emergency relief and long term developing interventions in some of the most poverty and conflict stricken locations throughout the globe. We work tirelessly towards ensuring that the poorest and most vulnerable in our world, and those affected by humanitarian crises have access to the fundamental rights of life, including, but not limited to, adequate shelter, food, water and sanitation, healthcare and education.

Jersey Day is one of GOAL’s flagship annual fundraising events, and all are welcome to participate across campus on Thursday 13 October.

Taking part is very easy, it’s fun and all money raised will go towards supporting GOAL’s life saving work in the developing world.

How do I participate? Simply wear your favourite Jersey, be it soccer, GAA or any sport you like on Thursday 13 October and pop over to Smokey’s café to make a €2 donation to GOAL (or whatever you can afford).

This will help support us in our life saving work worldwide. Encourage your friend and colleagues to participate also and remind them to wear their favourite Jersey to college on Thursday 13 October. If you would

like to volunteer with GOAL on Jersey day, please contact Maura Lennon from GOAL, on mlennon@goal.ie or on 0879146837. You can also make contact with the GOAL Society on campus via our Facebook page https:// www.facebook.com/GOALSocNUIG/ or via goalsoc@socs.nuigalway.ie.

Jersey Day is one of our favourite days of the year at GOAL. It’s the perfect opportunity to proudly wear your team colours and an excuse to share your sporting opinions with anyone who will listen to you! Jersey Day is a great event that creates a fun atmosphere amongst those who participate, as they wear their favourite team’s jersey for the day.

Where does the money go? The primary objective of GOAL Jersey Day is to raise funds for GOAL and highlight our life-saving work across the developing world. GOAL’s vision is to see a world where poverty and hunger no longer exist; where communities are prepared for seasonal shocks; where structural and cultural barriers to growth are removed; and where every man, woman and child has equal rights and access to resources and opportunities. GOAL has made life saving impacts on some of the most vulnerable communities spanning the world and currently serves the needs of 3.5 million beneficiaries.

USI Calls calls for restoration of €1 million grant to improve Irish Language Teaching

By Amy McMahon The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) is calling on the government to restore a €1 million grant for student teachers’ mandatory Gaeltacht courses, following the USI call for change in the way the Irish language is taught in April.

USI’s pre-budget submission for 2017 outlined that students starting a primary teaching course have been required to selffund fees for three weeks of mandatory Gaeltacht placement since the 2012/2013 academic year. With roughly 1,350 participants paying these fees costing €637 each, the overall cost for the grant was approximately €860,000 annually.

In September 2014, the then-Minister for Education, Jan O’Sullivan, acknowledged that “the funding of the Gaeltacht Placement [was] a significant cost to students and their families” and estimated the cost of restoring the grant for the extended fourweek placement at €1 million.

Although the Union has made it clear that the Gaeltacht courses are absolutely vital to improving fluency, the expense of these placements will discourage students

from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds from enrolling in teaching courses.

In May 2012, a Gaeltacht Placement Working Group report to the Teaching Council warned that the withdrawal of government funding for student teacher placement was “a matter of serious concern and may deter persons from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds from enrolling on programmes of initial teacher education.”

According to the USI President, Annie Hoey, “It is absolutely vital for those teaching Irish to have a strong grip of the spoken language, and this is best achieved through submergence in the Gaeltacht. Student teachers are already crippled under the cost of college, and they shouldn’t face further costs to improve their Irish, which will improve the quality of their teaching, and, in turn, the quality of the students’ learning.”

Hoey said that there have been a lot of positive changes made to the Leaving Cert throughout the years, such as placing a greater focus on the oral element of the language as she believes “verbal fluency in pupils is best refined when it stems from verbal fluency in teachers”.

NUI Galway lecturers return home as Paralympic heroes Continued from front page Like Dr O’Leary, Dr Eoghan Clifford too was competing in his first Paralympics for his country. He began his para-cycling career in winning fashion; in his UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championship debut in 2014, he won the world title in the Men’s C3 Road Race and since chalked up gold and silver at the UCI Para-Cycling Road World Cup in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

Therefore, it is no surprise that he will leave Rio with both Gold and Bronze medals.

Dr Clifford suffers from a hereditary muscular degenerative disease called Charcot-Marie-Tooth, which involves progressive loss of muscle tissue and touch sensation across various parts of the body. He claimed his first medal, the Bronze in the C3 3000 metres Individual Pursuit - a race in which Clifford had started so well he told SIN he had an inclination after four laps that he might “even be able to break the Paralympian record.”

The record and Gold eluded him in that race, claiming a Bronze medal but it wasn’t too long before the Gold was a reality. On Wednesday 14 September, Dr Clifford grabbed Gold in the Para-cycling C3 time trial. His first place finish was a staggering one minute and eight seconds faster than his nearest competitor. He took a different approach to that of

his Bronze-winning race and was slow to start before bursting into the lead with three laps to go. The Limerick native had been struggling with a weakening injury in his knee as a result of his degenerative muscle disease but seemingly chose power over pain on numerous occasions to secure victory.

He went into his third and final race on Friday 16 September with the aim of adding another medal to his already well-embellished collection. He was part of the five cyclists who broke away from the pack and were racing for a podium finish in this pulsating finish to the 70km C1-3 road race. However, 200 meters from the line, Dr Clifford’s chain on his bike suddenly came off, despite the athlete not even changing gears at the time.

He finished fifth overall in the race and told The Irish Times; “I am very disappointed now because I love road racing and I really felt I had another medal to win in that race but it’s been a great Paralympics overall, I really enjoyed it.”

Their achievements in Rio in the past few weeks are something that has grasped the hearts and attention of anyone associated with NUI Galway. They will no doubt return back to the university to a hero’s welcome, greeted by many open arms to embrace them and many open ears to hear their tales about their fantastic adventures.

NEWS 3

September 27 2016

INSIDE

NUI Galway opens free STI testing clinic 4 Mental Health Week and the importance of mental health 6

Well, if it isn’t Issue Two already. Where did those two weeks go? Time flies when you’re having fun, eh? Here we all are in Week Four of Semester One – one third of the way through the semester, people! Hopefully you’ve already been making some fond memories of this year in NUI Galway. I’m penning this editorial in the early morning and I know for sure that while I’m a tad tired from all the editing, this will certainly be one of those fond memories for me.

I have the curtains drawn back in my room, the sky a startling shade of pink. And I’m writing my second ever editorial. Personally, this is definitely being filed under ‘Fond’ in the memory box. This is a moment I worked hard for and what I am basically trying to say is that this is what your time in university should be about. There is no beating the moments you’re doing exactly what you love.

Galway is a great city to have these moments in. Maybe you enjoy nothing more than a quiet cup of coffee in your favourite café in town or maybe you’re happiest busting a move on the dancefloor with your friends. Maybe strolling down the Salthill prom in the evening ends your day off perfectly or maybe a busy event with your club or society is when you’re enjoying yourself to the full.

Whenever it is that those moments make you feel you’re doing exactly what you want to do and enjoying every second of it, be sure to cherish it while you’re here. Be you in First Year or Final Year you won’t find time slipping by and before long, the library, the walls of familiar lecture halls and the many charms of this city will be in the past.

Speaking of time slipping by, I honestly did not feel those two weeks passing. Here at SIN, we have been incredibly busy putting this second issue together for you all to read with your vanilla lattés in Smokey’s!

We are covering the exciting story of two of NUI Galway’s lecturers and their feats in Rio at the Paralympic Games recently. We have plenty more news from around the city – everything from busking codes of conduct to murals being banned – as well as some interesting features, some witty columnists and hopefully a great assortment of sports and entertainment for you to get stuck into too.

This issue we are also launching an equality column, Equality Matters the brainchild of the Students’ Union Equality Officer Megan Reilly.

Equality Matters will deal with how people may experience college differently, possible challenges and discrimination they may face and how we can all help make this campus a more accepting place.

This is certainly an issue with plenty of great reading material (SIN contributors – pat yourselves on the back!) and while I hope everyone is reading this to get their fill of campus news and antics, here at SIN we know the real reason

you’re picking up this paper: to find out if you won those coveted (or in student speak, free) Neil Delamere tickets for Monday 3 October we were giving away on our Facebook page.

Well, without further ado I would like to congratulate Aisling Fallon who has been crowned champion of liking and sharing our post and has secured two tickets to see Neil Delamere’s show during Mental Health week. Don’t fret if you weren’t successful this time though as tickets are still on sale from the Socs Box for five euro.

That’s my lot for another fortnight. I hope you enjoy this issue and we will see you back in two weeks’ time, when you will be introduced to the sub-editorial team who have been working with me to bring this paper to life. Be sure to also keep an eye on our website Sin.ie for all our latest content. Lastly, if anyone would like to join SIN don’t be afraid to e-mail me at editor.sin@gmail. com to find out more about how it all works!

Until next time, Sorcha

The Fancy Bears hack: much ado about nothing?

8

Confessions of a Provisional Driver

9

Homelessness crisis in Galway

10

Diary of a Freshers’ Fortnight survivor

11

How to find your dream job by honing your interview skills 13 Head to head: Debating the partial smoking-ban on campus

Is the GAA preventing Ireland from being successful on the world sporting stage? 16 Tips on fitting in exercise during college 22 Three ways to cook sweet potato

23

Tips for staying safe on nights out

24

BBC left with a soggy bottom after losing Bake Off bid

27

SIN Book Club: Nod by Adrian Barnes

29

Sports Supplement: Recent Sporting Glories from NUI Galway Sports Unit 30–33 Galway United, the season so far

TOLTECA €5

STUDENT DEAL !

Layout: Shannon Reeves

www.sin.ie Apology

In an article titled ‘Reproductive rights talk sparks controversy’ in Issue One, Volume 18 of SIN we incorrectly reported Mr Tommy Roddy revealed the sexuality of Ms Sharon Nolan on live radio. This was untrue and we apologise for this error.

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Send your Letter to the Editor to editor@sin.ie.

Photographer: Timothée Cognard

34

Connacht - has it all gone horribly wrong? 35

Editor: Sorcha O’Connor editor@sin.ie

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4 NEWS

Sin Vol. 18 Issue 2

NUI Galway opens free STI testing clinic

By Cathy Lee Free testing for sexually transmitted infections are now available on campus at the student health unit.

This opening of the clinic follows funding from the University Student Projects fund and is fully backed and supported by the Students’ Union.

The clinic, located upstairs in the Aras na mac Leinn, will run in proximity to the health unit and testing will be available to book at reception via phone or by just dropping in.

Drop-in appointments are available to book weekly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 5-7pm.

Previously students would have to book their tests when required at UHG and there would be a fee attached.

This new service is free for students in the hope to encourage safer and better protected sexual relations.

STIs can be transmitted from oral sex, penetrative sex both vaginally and anally.

The clinic can test each of these through series of blood tests, oral tests and genitalia tests.

Speaking to SIN, a female student (who wishes to remain unnamed) who had attended the clinic said it was much easier to approach the testing clinic than that of a hospital set up.

She had a very positive experience overall and

Mural banned in Galway city centre

By Fiach Mac Fhionnlaoich The planning department of Galway City Council have banned a mural on William Street two months after the Council themselves commissioned the mural at the former site of Taaffe’s in the city centre.

According to the Galway City Tribune, the site’s landlords were contacted by the council about obtaining permission to paint a mural for the visit of City of Culture judges to the city in July. A spokesman for the landlord of Taaffe’s stated that Galway City Arts Officer James Harrold made a verbal request to have the mural painted on the façade of the building.

The landlord agreed to grant permission.

The mural was then painted by local graffiti artist Finbar 247, who has previously contributed a collection of large scale outdoor paintings to the Cúirt International Festival of Literature and an installation to the Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust. The mural was painted in-keeping with the theme of Galway City’s City of Culture 2020 bid, Making Waves, prior to the arrival of the judges in the city on 10 July of this year. Galway later successfully won the right to host the City of Culture in August, against competing bids from Limerick City and the Three Sisters of Kilkenny, Wexford and Waterford.

However last week an enforcement notice was served to the landlord to remove the mural by the planning unit of the City Council, accusing them of having painted the mural without permission. The decision comes after over 40 new works of street art were created in Waterford City and Tramore as part of the Waterford Walls festival in late August and after controversy at the removal of another mural at the nearby Claddagh Jewellers of Mainguard Street by the Galway City Council planning department “by reason of their excessive scale, design, colour scheme and multiplicity of styles, would detract from the visual appearance of the building”.

The decision of the planning unit in the removal of the Claddagh Jewellers mural was later upheld after an appeal to An Bord Pleanála. Galway City Council is also currently facing criticism in regards to proposed bye-laws that would affect activities permitted in the city’s public parks, beaches and open spaces.

The landlord of Taaffe’s told the Galway City Tribune that they would abide by the council’s decision and paint over the mural as requested by the planning department, rather than risk prosecution.

“We will do our civic duty as we are told and paint over the art work.”

felt better having peace of mind in getting the STI test done.

She told SIN that the service was quick and easy to grasp and that she was able to be seen by a member of staff just the next day after she inquired.

The Students’ Union hopes that this approach to the clinic will encourage students to get themselves checked regularly and keep on top of their sexual health starting now.

The student health unit are available via phone or drop-in to offer advice in a nonjudgemental manner to any student wishing to inquire about the service.

With STIs on the increase in Ireland, most particularly among those under the age of 25, the Students’ Union sees this service as some-

NUI Galway launch national volunteering website at Volunteering Fair

By Sorcha O’Connor NUI Galway’s annual Volunteering Fair took place on Thursday 13 October in the Bailey Allen Hall. A new national volunteering website StudentVolunteer.ie was launched on the day.

The website, funded by a network of Irish Higher Education Institutes and Campus Engage, is a platform set up by the Higher Education Institutes on which students, community groups, hospitals, schools, NGOs and public bodies can engage and communicate.

Lorraine Tansey, Student Volunteer Co-ordinator in the university explained how the website would be a great asset to any student volunteer on campus.

“StudentVolunteer.ie is an exciting new portal for young people to sign up to volunteer, manage all their community engagement and reflect on their learning for a campus recognition certificate,” she said.

“We created this together across higher education because students want to volunteer where they are from and now study.

“It is an exciting opportunity to promote community activity and we are delighted to see student volunteering grow through this easy online interface.

NGOs are also welcome to add their volunteering roles addressing a wide range of issues from environmental, social justice, or children and youth to StudentVolunteer.ie for students across Ireland to see,” she continued.

Ms Tansey runs the ALIVE programme in NUI Galway – A Learning Initiative and the Volunteering Experience. The programme builds links between students and community groups by forming community partnerships through the Fair and online resources.

Taking part in an ALIVE programme has given over 12,000 students so far the opportunity to reap the rewards of their efforts, being awarded an ALIVE certificated by University President Dr Jim Browne.

The Volunteer Fair this year was a great success with representatives of GOAL, Habitat for Humanity Ireland, Baboró International Arts Festival for Children, SERVE, The Hope Foundation, Music for Galway, Helplink Support Services and Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland.

Call for Code of Conduct for buskers on Shop Street

By Amy McMahon

Wear Your Wedding Dress Wednesday in the Quadrangle, Wednesday 21 September in aid of Irish Cancer Society.

thing essential for all students to engage with regardless of the variability of their sex lives.

There are three categories of STIs ranging from viral to bacterial and even parasites.

These infections can be easily treated once diagnosed and it is always better to get checked than to leave it go unnoticed.

If you’ve any concerns about your sexual health, the clinic are open and available to run through any issues you may have.

Drop in to reception or call 091-492604 if you’ve any queries or concerns or just wish to find out more.

Our sexual health of course is personal and so all is private and confidential just like any other medical appointment.

Shop Street has always been well known for its busy and buzzing atmosphere and wide variety of buskers at each and every corner, but now Galway City Council will be addressing the need for a Code of Conduct for buskers in the coming weeks that may change the busking experience for everyone.

Mikey McCrory, of Mikey and the Scallywags, along with other street performers have called for a plague bearing a ‘Code of Conduct’ on Shop Street.

This Code of Conduct will force performers to keep their amplifiers at a reasonable volume and will permit buskers to use a pitch for a maximum two hour period, staying at least fifty metres away from other performers. Additionally, the performers and audience must stay clear of doorways following complaints that the buskers are blocking some premises and hindering business.

A similar code has been put in place by the Dublin City Council in April 2015. Recent updates in August 2016 have banned backing tracks and the use of amplifiers in some parts of Temple Bar, and buskers on Grafton Street can only perform for one hour before moving.

The Dublin City Council Arts Officer, Ray Yeats, seemed pleased with the decision when interviewed

by JOE.ie stating; “This voluntary code honours the unique contribution that buskers make to city life while asking them to respect their fellow citizens and adjoining businesses”.

Local councillors Niall McNelis and Peter Keane are currently working on drafting busking byelaws for the city. Cllr McNelis recognises that busking is “a part of our culture, part of the fabric of the city, but the problem is a small minority are too loud with the amplification”.

As Galway is the 2020 European Capital of Culture, McNelis knows that he has to be careful with these byelaws because “busking is such a key part of the city”.

“It has to be looked at in such a way that is good for the artists and good for the businesses,” he added.

McNelis emphasised that he is not trying to ban busking, he’s “trying to make it a level playing field for everyone and [they] are looking for a compromise to come up with a solution to get buskers and businesses to work together”.

The Busking Byelaws draft is expected to go out on public display this autumn in order to give everyone the chance to put in their submissions.

NEWS 5

September 27 2016

Up, up and away for Loughrea

By Aisling Bonner The 46th annual Irish Hot Air Ballooning Championships are taking place in Loughrea, Co. Galway this week. The event, which will see 40 balloons decorate the skies over Galway’s countryside, runs from Sunday 25 to Friday 30 September and is the longest running event of its kind worldwide.

The main headquarters for the championships this year is the Lough Rea Hotel and Spa, with other possible launch sites located at Galway Airport, The Bishops Palace, Loughrea Golf Club and The Galway Plaza.

Ballooners from the UK, USA, Australia, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Ireland are all expected to be in attendance as a record number of balloons take flight. It is hoped that two launches will take place daily: one in the morning, from approximately 7am, and one in the evening, from 6pm.

It is the first time visiting ballooners will have flown over the Galway countryside and event organisers are hoping it will promote tourism in the east of the county.

Speaking to Keith Finnegan on Galway Bay FM last week, Administration Officer with Galway County Council Brian Barrett explained the process of assessing weather conditions for an event of this nature.

He said; “Firstly, what the crews do is they look at the weather forecast and they look at the wind direction, and that determines where they take off and where they land.”

“We’re hoping for westerly winds to send them inland because we can’t send them out over Gal-

way Bay - that’s the last thing we want to happen.”

The Irish Hot Air Ballooning Championships first took place in 1971 in Ballymahon, Co. Longford. Since then, the event has grown in strength and numbers and this year’s championship will see more uniquely-shaped balloons in Ireland for the first time.

This year, event organisers hope to break the world record for the greatest amount of balloons launched from the one site.

Weather permitting, event organisers also hope to stage a Night Glow, a common climax to hot air ballooning festivals, whereby the balloons will inflate in the dark, but stay grounded and illuminate the area.

Other projected activities include a ‘Fly-in task’ where ballooners will aim to land on a particular target; ‘Hare and Hounds’ which will see ballooners chase a single ‘hare’ balloon in difficult winds; and a long-distance competition for the furthest flyer.

Also speaking to Finnegan on Galway Bay FM, Geoff Roche captured the excitement of the team and the novelty it brings to Loughrea and County Galway.

He said; “We’re looking forward to a good event; it’s going to be spectacular. It’s something Galway hasn’t seen before and we’re delighted to bring it here.”

More information regarding the different ballooning teams partaking this week is available on www.irishballoonchampionships.com.

The Irish Hot Air Ballooning Championships Facebook page will also release live updates throughout the week regarding the location and times of the launches each day.

Clare Dad supports #MRFAwarenessWeek to save lives

By Connell McHugh

The Meningitis Research Foundation last week (19-23 September) held its annual Meningitis Awareness Week. Clare man John Sheedy shared his experience with meningitis and septicaemia to raise awareness around both diseases and to ensure that people are vigilant and are aware of the symptoms.

John, from Killaloe, said; “My son, Noel, tragically lost his life to group B meningococcal septicaemia (MenB) when he was seven years old.

Children in Ireland are not routinely vaccinated against MenB so he was not protected against that strain of meningitis. That’s why it’s so important that parents know the symptoms of meningitis, trust their instincts and seek medical advice without delay. If I can help save even one other family from the pain that we are still going through, it nditions/ would be worthwhile.”

According to the foundation, meningitis and septicaemia affect 200 people every year in Ireland. These diseases are deadly, killing one in ten and leaving a third of survivors with life-changing effects. These effects can include deafness, brain damage and loss of limbs. Young adults and children are most at risk, but there have been several cases of the disease being inflicted upon those who do not fit this age bracket.

Those starting university across Ireland and the UK are also being encouraged by MRF to get vaccinated against a strain of meningitis after recent figures have shown that a fifth of youths (mainly

in Britain) have been inoculated so far in 2016. Last month, MRF advised all school-leavers to get their jab for the MenW strain of meningitis from their GP, particularly those off to college or university. Reports from GP surgeries show that only 17% of all 18-yearolds had been vaccinated by the end of last month.

Ireland Manager of Meningitis Research Foundation Monika Marchlewicz last week noted; “We are extremely grateful to John for helping to raise awareness during Meningitis Awareness Week.

MRF funds vital scientific research into the prevention, detection and treatment of meningitis and septicaemia but there are still some forms of the disease which are not covered by vaccines so it is vital that people are aware of the symptoms.

We encourage parents to get medical help if they are concerned about their child, to be vigilant, and to return to a health professional if they have been sent home but symptoms progress.”

Since the charity was founded in 1989, MRF has awarded 147 research grants amounting to €24 million. Its research is trusted by professional organisations to inform everyone about the symptoms, prevention and treatment of meningitis and septicaemia. Many of its guidelines especially for new parents and health professionals are officially endorsed by the medical community.

To check the symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia visit www.memingitis.org/symptoms.

Questions regarding meningitis, septicaemia and vaccinations can be directed towards MRF’s Freefone helpline on 1800 41 3344 or log on to www. meningitis.org.

6 NEWS

Sin Vol. 18 Issue 2

Mental Health Week and the importance of mental health

By Daniel Khan Mental health strengthens and supports our ability to have healthy relationships, make good life choices, maintain physical health and wellbeing, handle the natural ups and downs of life and discover and grow towards our potential.

Although the general perception of mental health has improved greatly over the last few years, stigma against mental health is still powerful, and people tend to attach negative stigmas to mental health at a far higher rate than to other illnesses, diseases and disabilities.

Stigma and misinformation can feel like overwhelming obstacles for someone who is struggling with their own mental health.

People struggling with their men-

tal health may be in your house, circle of family/friends, teaching your class, sitting next to you in a lecture or handing you your coffee on your break. Literally anyone and everyone has mental health and struggle with it from time to time. However, sometimes it can feel like that bad day is turning into a bad week, which turns into a bad month and before you know it, everything seems to have a negative air about it and you can’t seem to get out of that funk.

This is why mental health awareness is so important. We need to be aware of our own mental health.

Depression, anxiety and overwhelming stress don’t just hit you out of nowhere, like I said life is full of natural ups and downs and sometimes the downs can pile up without us even realising slowly chipping away at our

resilience bit by bit until you reach your limit. There is no point comparing yourself to others, because none of us are dealt the same hand and we all react differently to certain situations and circumstances.

If you find yourself down or stressed it is important to take a step back and try and figure out all the things that are contributing to this, it could be a few big things that are going on at the moment, a multitude of small things or a combination of both.

Mental Health Week runs from 3 - 7 October. So keep an eye out for all the events that will be going on throughout the week. Each of these events focus on mental health in one way or another whether it’s a mindfulness/meditation session, film screening, mental health workshop or a coffee morning.

Take note of the information that will be circulating through the college throughout the week, it is always important to be well informed as you never know when this information might come in handy. You might not think that it is relevant to you because you’re grand at the moment, but mental health is something that sticks with us for the rest of our lives so it is well worth your while to get informed for your own sake as well as your peers, seeing as they might be going through their own difficulties and having someone to talk to that is informed/ educated on the issue could very well be the difference between that individual getting the support that they need or suffering in silence.

Peace of mind is a natural condition, and is available to everyone but we have to work to achieve it by reduc-

ing the anxiety, stress and worry that affect us day in and day out. It may take a while to successfully do this but it is well worth the time and effort.

No matter how busy your week is or how ever many things you have got going on it is always important to make time for yourself and find your zen/stress-free zone. For me it’s chilling in my room listening to music curled up with a good book and a scented candle or two (no shame) - take the time to find yours and make the time to enjoy it.

If you ever find that you are struggling with your mental health or going through a hard time, know that there are supports available to you on and off-campus. You can always call in to the Welfare Officer in the Students’ Union if you need a hand figuring stuff out or don’t know where to turn.

700 women and children turned away from Galway refuge at full capacity

NUI Galway Students’ Union presents Neil Delamere

By Aoife O’Donoghue

By Jessica Hannon

Students are not the only members of the Galway population affected by the ongoing housing crisis, as evidenced by the publication of COPE Galway’s Annual Report for 2015 which showed that around 700 women and children seeking safety from situations of domestic violence were turned away due to the service being at maximum capacity.

The report showed that Waterside House, a domestic violence refuge service run by COPE Galway, has seen large numbers of women and children seeking refuge with them, with the service supporting more than 380 women and 180 children in 2015. COPE accompanied 90 women to court cases on 205 occasions and their 24hr helpline received a total of 1,100 calls from or on behalf of women seeking guidance.

The report emphasised that additional pressure has been placed on

the service due to the housing crisis, identifying the lack of space in the refuge and the lack of affordable housing to be the biggest challenge COPE Galway faced in providing their Domestic Violence services. Shortages of rental accommodation and social housing, increased rents and difficulty in accessing rent supplements have consequently prevented women from moving on from the refuge centre.

These prolonged periods of refuge by families have resulted in Waterside House being unable to accept new women and children currently seeking an escape and safety from domestic violence. According to the report, 2015 saw a 27% increase in the number of people being denied aid, with 288 women and 405 children seeking refuge and being turned away 413 times.

COPE Galway hopes that their plans for a new refuge centre at Forster Street will help improve the situation, with

the project now through the planning stage and work projected to begin in 2017. Jacquie Horan, the chief executive of COPE Galway states; “This new facility will be secure, with gardens and play areas and will almost double our existing capacity.”

The Galway housing crisis is an immediate issue and COPE Galway have sent their Annual Report and 2017 Pre-Budget submission to Government in the hopes of securing more support for those faced with homelessness and domestic violence. COPE has called for an increase in the provision of social and other State-supported housing through the provision of 47,000 social housing units by 2021.

Furthermore, it appeals to the Government to take the opportunity in Budget 2017 to introduce policy measures to address the difficulties faced by women who are homeless as a result of domestic violence.

900 sleeping bags collected for homeless by NUI Galway’s Rover Soc

By Sorcha O’Connor On Monday 5 September, as the last stragglers of Electric Picnic vacated Stradbally after a weekend of music and good times, NUI Galway’s Rover Soc were hard at work; their mission?

To collect as many sleeping bags left behind by festival-goers as they could and donate them to homeless services countrywide.

The Rovers managed to secure 900

sleeping bags, largely collected from Pink Moon, a boutique camping-site at Electric Picnic. This is the second year Pink Moon have accommodated Rover Soc’s efforts; last year, the society collected over 1,200 sleeping bags from the site, which were donated to COPE Galway.

This year’s collection was donated to Darkness into Light, a Dublin charity, and NOVA, a Limerick based charity that provides emergency

accommodation to families, children and single adults who are homeless.

The remaining bags were donated to local scout and youth groups across Galway City.

Rover Soc explained how one of the most challenging aspects of the project was the logistics of transporting so many sleeping bags across Ireland; “This year, we received sponsorship from Windsor Motor Group Galway and RescuU who provided

Soon to be commencing the ‘Handstand’ tour following sold out shows last year, renowned Irish comedian Neil Delamere comes to NUI Galway to perform in the O’ Flaherty theatre on 3 October 2016 as part of NUI Galway mental health week.

Mental Health week which runs from 3 October features five days of wellbeing filled activities with everything from resilience workshops to a meditation session on Tuesday 4 October.

Famous for his sold out stand-up comedy gigs as well as his science comedy series on RTE2 and his radio show on Today FM, Delamere is back where it all started ‘talking to strangers in rooms for money’. Neil continues to tour across the country with performances all over Ireland including shows at the prestigious Vicar Street in Dublin and the world renowned Kilkenny Cat Laughs Comedy Festival; he’s also toured extensively internationally, with appearances at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the us with a transit van and box trailer respectively. Without the support of these local businesses, this project would never have been possible.”

It was a long day for all involved and Rover Soc drivers clocked up 500km by the end of it, returning home at 5am. However, Rover Soc explained; “The sizable effort made by all involved has led to our students being able to sleep well knowing that they have made a sizeable impact on the homeless crisis affecting our country.”

Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival.

Some of you may also recognise Delamere for his ‘Heroes of the Past’ series featuring ‘There’s Something About Patrick’, one many of last year’s first year History students will remember.

Be sure to arrive in time to the O’ Flaherty theatre, situated in the Concourse building on campus, as Delamere and support kick off at 8pm and are expected to run until 10pm.

With tickets priced at an extraordinary 5 euro, available direct from the Students Union Office and (by card only) at the SU Engineering desk, you’d be mad to miss out on this laugh-outloud, feel-good event.

In addition, Delamere’s next gig in The Central Bar, Navan is completely sold out. Fans can purchase tickets to the ‘Handstand Tour’ in The Moat Theatre in Naas Co. Kildare now for his upcoming event on the 27th December 2016. Follow Neil on Twitter for updates @neildelamere If you need any more convincing why not heed The Scotsman who said; “Simply put, Delamere is a master.”

NEWS 7

September 27 2016

Ben Dunne given go ahead for new Galway Emirati social media star comes to Galway then quickly warming to them. The National Stud gym as Hector withdraws objection

By Mark Laherty has been previously graced by many other famous

By Kayleigh McCoy

Millionaire Businessman Ben Dunne was given the all clear to open a new fitness centre in Galway on 31 August. The decision was reached the same day as rival gym operator, Hector Ó hEochagáin announced he was seeking his previous objection to Dunne’s plans to be revoked.

Ben Dunne, operator of Ben Dunne Fitness Ltd. – which runs a number of gyms both in Ireland and England - had requested to change units 28, 29 and 30 of Briarhill Business Park from office blocks to a gym and leisure complex in order to expand his franchise. This, he claimed, was something the CI (Commercial and Industrial) zoning permitted.

Dunne was formerly director of his family’s chain of department stores – Dunnes Stores – but now focuses on his role in the fitness industry.

Radio Broadcaster Hector Ó hEochagáin owns Body Works gym in unit 62 of the same business park. Hector had become interested in fitness after becoming more active while working on 2FM’s breakfast show - and decided to open his own gym last year after bulking up.

The Today FM Presenter originally objected to Dunne taking over the three business units. Briarhill Business Park – situated in Ballybrit, near Galway Racecourse - is also home to Corrib Dance Academy and Albatross Golf among others, and is considered a busy Business Park already.

The former TV presenter claimed that adding a new fitness centre would lead to road safety issues in the area and lodged an objection against Dunne’s plan. He stated the added flow of traffic would coincide with periods where people

would be using the business car park for everyday use, causing “serious” noise nuisance which would have a detrimental effect on the existing office blocks and retail in the area. On top of this, Ó hEochagáin argued that opening a new fitness and leisure centre would increase the traffic in what was already a “well-known bottle-neck area”.

However, on the day the Council were due to decide on Dunne’s planning application (August 31), he wrote to the planners and requested his objection be removed. In his appeal to the planners, Hector stated that he hoped the Council would acknowledge his letter with due regard, and disregard his original objection.

Planners replied to Ó hEochagáin’s letter saying they were unable to remove his objection from the planning file, though they assured him that his request would be duly noted.

Now that Dunne’s planning application has been approved, it is expected construction on units 28, 29 and 30 of Briarhill Business Park will begin shortly.

However, planners have added certain restrictions in relation to how construction will be handled.

Firstly, it has been declared construction hours are limited to between 8am and 6pm on weekdays.

Construction activity on Saturdays are only to take place between 9am and 1pm, while no construction work is permitted on Sundays.

It is also expected that the area under construction will be properly insulated as to avoid disrupting or annoying those in the local neighbourhood. It has been agreed that the noise and vibrations made during construction will not be too loud or repetitive as to substantially interfere with locals in the area.

Instagram icon Taim Al Falasi of Dubai visited Galway during her trip to Ireland from 12 to 16 September. The visit from 12 to 16 September was a collaboration with Tourism Ireland and Al Rais Travel in Dubai to promote Irish tourism. Along the way, she also visited Dublin, Wicklow, and Mayo.

Al Falasi has built up a substantial following across various platforms such as YouTube and Snapchat, but her most successful front is Instagram, where she has 2.2 million followers. With her influence in mind, Al Rais Travel have launched a seven-day Ireland itinerary called ‘Taim’s Ireland Experience’. This follows all the stops of Al Falasi’s visit in order, as they were posted on her Instagram.

One of the later stops of her journey was a stay in Galway’s G Hotel and visit to the Spiddal Craft Village. Along the way, she visited Dublin, Wicklow, and Mayo. Following her landing in Dublin Airport, her time in Dublin was punctuated by several updates from the city, including a Grafton Street shoot.

She also spent time doing some personal shopping in Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, Brown Thomas, and concept stores such as Industry. She expressed an enthusiastic response to the city’s beauty; “I can’t get enough.”

Continuing her journey, Al Falasi travelled to Powerscourt Estate and Gardens in Wicklow, where she posted several updates of the “breathtaking” views.

This was followed by the Irish National Stud in Kildare. Updates show her initially reacting towards the horses with tongue-in-cheek alarm,

personalities, most notably Queen Elizabeth II during her 2011 visit.

Al Falasi continued to tourism trail on the west coast, the Wild Atlantic Way. Though the trail is most popular during the summertime, it also offers itself as a relaxing autumnal escape.

Along the trail, she took a falconry lesson in Glenlo Abbey Hotel. A social media update showed Al Falasi, wearing sunglasses and a protective glove, with a falcon resting on her hand.

Aisling McDermott, the Manager of Tourism Ireland in Asia, expressed how exciting it was to be working with Al Falasi in this way. The reach of her social media would, she said, convince Dubaian and other Asian followers to “come and discover Ireland for themselves.”

Tourism Ireland’s autumn campaign, of which Al Falasi’s visit was the first part, aims to bring in more holiday-goers from the Middle East.

Taim Al Falasi shares her Galway experience with almost 3 million followers.

8 FEATURES

Sin Vol. 18 Issue 2

iPhone 7 and 7 Plus – worth the upgrade?

By Connell McHugh It’s September, and we all know what that means. Leaves are beginning to fall, fresher’s flu is plaguing the majority of the student population and Apple has released its latest additions to the iPhone family. The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are being tipped as the greatest ever smartphones, surpassing pre-order sales on “that-is-so-last-year’s” immensely popular iPhone 6 despite removing features that many people believe to be integral to the functioning of any mobile phone.

If you can justify to your conscience and your mother - pretty much the same thing anyway - that €779 is reasonable to pay for the 4.7” display on iPhone 7, do not be under any illusions that the unit will be easy to obtain.

Apple is turning away customers on a daily basis prompting many to camp outside its stores State side.

This version of the phone is offering buyers five colours to choose from: silver, gold, rose gold, black and jet black. Of course, this will be the noticeable factor that sets it aside as the iPhone hasn’t seen a black variation since the fourth instalment. We will all easily be able to spot the people who have the sleek new design, luckily enough for those of us who are cynical in our jealousy. The device

comes in at 138 grams and has a camera of 12 mega-pixels which will hopefully get you past eleven likes on Instagram quicker than ever before.

This phone may currently be the most sought after on the market, but there have been many changes to the classic iPhone formula. RIP to all headphone users as the company chooses to omit the beloved and practical headphone jack. You can use those Beats you got at Christmas on your Gameboy from the nineties but not this new iPhone.

Instead, you must fork out an additional €159 to use what the company has dubbed ‘Airpods’ – wireless, chargeable earphones with a battery life of five hours and which will more than likely miraculously disappear from your sight within minutes of purchase. However, the company has not totally ignored the fact that almost everybody has some variation of traditional earphones and has decided to include a headphone jack adapter in the packaging of the iPhone 7.

Another change that users will recognise immediately is the alteration to the traditional home button. The satisfactory click that we’ve been experiencing for years has been scrapped and replaced with a pressure sensitive sensor. This sensor has three recognised levels of touch, with each one carrying out a

different function. The downside? This sensor needs skin contact. When you’re walking to college on a cold December’s morning for a 9am lecture you will be forced to take off your gloves to even exit an application or your fingers will be rendered obsolete.

The Plus edition packs all that the regular edition does and more. A 5.5” retina HD display and not one, but two cameras for your selfies cause the price to rise to €919. Reportedly both versions have a two hour longer battery life than their respective 6s and 6s Plus counterparts and can remain submerged in up to one metre of water for 30 minutes at a time. This is guaranteed to introduce a whole new world of iPhone destroying on your YouTube suggestions.

So far there have been no stories of either model blowing up, much to the disappointment of Samsung supporters.

There are many features that fans of the iPhone have been asking for for years and have yet to be implemented. The lack of group FaceTime is still a source of frustration for everyday users and the customisation of Siri is limited to American, British and Australian English accents. I’m positive that everyone in Ireland would only love to be smart-talked to by a computerised Donegal accent. We have flight mode installed in every

mobile phone around today, and yet not one of them has ‘drunk mode’. I thought Apple would be the first mobile company to stop you from sending that cringe-worthy message to your latest Tinder match in the bathroom of Carbon. They’ve missed out.

So is the new iPhone worth getting? The 7 and 7 Plus both run iOS 10, but every phone since the iPhone 5 will be getting an update for that later this year. The removal of the

iPhone 7 – the way of the future?

headphone jack is a questionable decision and do not be surprised if it returns next September and the home button is perhaps problematic. Frankly, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus do not have enough positive changes from their predecessors to warrant the upgrade.

But to end a positive note, at least most of us will now be able to afford an iPhone 4.

The Fancy Bears hack: much ado about nothing?

By Eoin Molloy Fancy Bears, the group responsible for hacking into the World Anti-Doping Agency’s database in mid-September, have illegally published the medical records of Mo Farah, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and around 60 other high-profile athletes. The purpose of the hack: to shed light on supposed anti-Russian bias within the upper echelons of WADA and the IOC. WADA’s McLaren report of early summer recommended banning Russia from the Rio Olympics on account of alleged state-sponsored doping. The IOC’s subsequent ruling forbid a number of athletes who had already finished doping bans from competing in Rio. This was decidedly discriminatory, seeing as non-Russian reformed dopers like Justin Gatlin were allowed to take their place.

On the face of it, there seems to be a thread of anti-Russian sentiment running through international sporting regulatory agencies like WADA and the IOC. Into this mess stepped Fancy Bears, a vigilante hacking group intent on setting the record straight.

The group focused in on ‘therapeutic use exemptions’ (TUEs) granted to non-Russian athletes allowing them to take banned substances, predominantly under prescription as a means of overcoming illness or injury.

British cyclist Bradley Wiggins was granted an exemption to use salbutamol, a drug used in the treatment of asthma. Oxymoronic as it may be, the man with the iron lungs does indeed have a bronchial disorder so there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing here whatsoever.

Spanish tennis pro Rafael Nadal was granted a TUE to take anti-inflammatories for a recurring knee injury. While it can hardly be alleged that this

hack has in any way achieved its aim of exposing a worldwide anti-Russian agenda, the Fancy Bears hack has provided an opportunity to visit upon the question of transparency in sport.

Speaking to the Spanish media, Nadal surprisingly stated that he actually supported the publication of his medical history. The 14-time Grand Slam winner said that it would in fact be beneficial for ‘athletes, supporters and the media’ if the results of all drugs tests were to be made public immediately.

Dmitry Shahov, senior tennis writer at Russian sports news site championat.com, told SIN that the Fancy Bears hack was designed to be inflammatory and sensationalist in nature. He points to the fact that every time a TUE was granted, the proper medical criteria had been satisfied and the certificates filled out correctly. This is hardly the scandal it is being portrayed as.

This hack was clearly an act of retaliation against a supposedly biased WADA. Mr Shahov contends that this hack ‘exposed nothing, as the drug use of Russian athletes was not therapeutic at all’. He added that the reason Russian athletes didn’t apply for TUEs more often was because they were poorly informed about how and when they could be used.

According to Mr Shahov, the hack was designed to ‘change public opinion’ towards the athletes, and in some cases it has worked. Just last week the Irish Times ran with the headline ‘Bradley Wiggins reputation on the brink after Wada leaks’. Last I checked, a man’s reputation cannot be damaged by attempting to overcome a limiting medical condition to achieve sporting success.

This headline-grabbing faux scandal has uncovered nothing, except perhaps that WADA and the IOC need to invest more heavily in data protection.

FEATURES 9

September 27 2016

Confessions of a Provisional Driver

By Aisling Bonner “Don’t get too cocky, Aisling. Not every lesson will go well.”

My mother’s words were quite prophetic. Days after returning from Sziget festival, lessons five and six were on the horizon. Not to exaggerate in any way, but after the week-long festival I was quite literally dying. I couldn’t breathe deeply, exhale quickly or giggle slightly without exploding into an unrelenting, blood-curdling bark. The outburst would last for several minutes until my eyes were streaming down my face and I was d-e-a-d dead.

Not having driven for almost three weeks, one could say I was rather unprepared for the lesson.

Setting my alarm for 8am, naturally, I dozed off and woke at 8:53, approximately four minutes before my timely instructor pulled up into my driveway. To make matters worse, I had lathered my hair in a leave-in hair mask the night before with the intention of it being washed out that morning. Looking like I’d

been caught in an acid rainstorm, sockless, and wearing a pair of Canterbury’s and my old school PE jumper I’d grabbed from the top of the charity shop sack, I was certainly lacking the holiday glow one might have expected.

“Howaya missus, are ya alright?” asks my instructor with obvious concern. Speaking for the first time that day with a throat full of Exputex, it was obvious from my reply that I was not okay. Concentrating more on not unleashing the chesty beast than actually driving a car, I cut out about forty times and began breaking out in a cold sweat. As I tried to take in how to reverse around a corner I became acutely aware of the crown of grease on my head. At what point would it become suspicious that my hair had not dried at all in two hours? Similarly, the turnabout manoeuvre was taught as I neared another coughing fit. As all energy was focused on taking short, shallow breaths I’m sure it sounded like I was having contractions in the front seat. Quite frankly, as my cough

neared the summit and my sweats increased, childbirth seemed like a more welcome experience.

Throughout the lesson I was forcefed ‘Fisher Mints’ from a small tin by my instructor. When asking what they were I was told;“They’re jus’mints.

Gowan. Stop ya coughin’.” He called them just mints, I called them small drops of fire. As my tongue quickly dissolved into nothingness, I now had a new bodily obstacle to compete with. A few tissues later and I thought I was finally in the clear for the remainder of the lesson.

Driving home, I recollected my visit to Prague as we compared my pokey hostel with my instructor’s “bleedin’ savage” hotel. “Did ya see the big clock? The crowds at it.” It was a distraction at least.

Upon arrival to my house my instructor reluctantly allowed me attempt to reverse into my driveway – a move which almost marked the end of his wing-mirror. Sitting in the car debating when my next lesson would be I could feel a familiar feeling emerge. Don’t laugh, don’t

breathe, don’t speak, I told myself.

The wrath of my chest had returned and I wheezed and choked relentlessly, knowing there was no escape from this one. My eyes watered and I gasped for every breath, fanning myself through the sweats and attempting to apologize/ laugh it off.

“Jesus Christ missus. Get back inte bed - you’re dyin’.” Knowing a recovery wasn’t coming until the winds changed, I struggled a smile, exited the car and waved him off, sending my cat into porcupine mode from my bark.

It was an all’s well that ends well kind of morning. You can repeat the lesson, but you can’t repeat the craic.

thejesspress: The notso-nectar of the Gods

By Jessica Hannon Some advice for all you first years who have burned the candle at both ends over the past few weeks, and now you’re feeling at a loss with college life.

You’ve moved out, discovered you’re now self-reliant (or not) and also discovered that vodka doesn’t freeze (great life hack, kids.) However now you’ve seen the city at night, viewed the sights and found your way around, don’t lose yourself. Remain in control and on the straight and narrow. For those of you who are unsure, you do not have to prove anything to anyone. No one will doubt you for a second if you don’t go out every week. Do you. Do what’s best for you and your wellbeing. Everybody is built differently.

Just because one of your friends is feeling fine the day after a big night out and you’re not, doesn’t mean you both should do it all again the following night. Know your limits.

The important thing to remember is if you don’t feel up to it, don’t do it.

I love a nice sociable night out as much as the next person but, as I

said, in moderation. The perception that the Irish college lifestyle is centred on Ireland’s drink culture is true, it’s real and it’s a struggle between temptation and realism. But here is some advice that really should be heeded because in my opinion, in Ireland especially, alcohol is not respected enough and not taken seriously enough. It might not seem like all that much at the time, but alcohol is a drug, and alcohol addiction is as serious and detrimental as any other addiction out there. I know it seems crazy to think that you can get addicted as a teenager or in young adulthood. When you think of alcoholism you picture something you may develop when you’re old and have travelled the road of life, are feeling cynical and regretting all the things you didn’t do.

So some advice that may come in useful when you’re dying of a hangover and feeling not quite at one with the world: You don’t have to succumb to the temptation. And you definitely don’t have to succumb to FOMO (fear of missing out!). Going out drinking is tempting and it’s contagious but you don’t have to go out three nights a week just because you’re afraid of missing out. In the end the only thing you’re actually missing out on by not going over the top when it comes to social drinking is a hangover, drunk conversations

that you’ll not remember and bad decisions that in the end may stay with you longer than the bad taste in your mouth the next day.

I for one, and let me get personal here when I say this, can’t wait for the nights that I stay in and curl up with a book and a blanket in my warm bed, setting an alarm for my ten o’clock lecture the following morning knowing that I’ll be up long before I’ll be late. I will be ready for the day ahead hangover free, without alcohol swimming in my bloodstream for the following two days. I cannot wait to stay in every night of the week with Netflix and my bed and just relax. I’m content in the fact that I had a good time in first year of college and I’ll be the first one to say that I possibly had too much fun and now I’m going to enjoy the settling down aspect of college i.e I’m going to be a total granny about being a second year English student with my shawls and blankets and totally have no shame about it! So don’t even ask me what I’m at because it won’t be a wild college night out for sure.

I don’t mind, take my advice or don’t. Just make sure that you don’t potentially lose yourself during the time that you’re supposed to find yourself, because that’s possible… or maybe that’s the idea. I’m not quite sure myself yet.

NUI Galway represent!

March for Choice, Dublin 24 September 2016.

10 FEATURES

Sin Vol. 18 Issue 2

HOMELESSNESS CRISIS IN GALWAY: the issue only worsening with still no sign of relief

By Georgia Feeney Anyone who is from Galway will be able to tell you that Galway is not the same place it used to be. As we walk the streets day or night we see side streets, doorways and shelters occupied by sleeping bags, makeshift forts and people who look like the world has given up on them. With the media and local charity, Cope Galway, pushing for more support from the government, it seems it’s students to the rescue instead.

Galway is a place that was clearly seen to take a significant hit during the recession, with businesses around the county closing as a result. But in the last two years the West Coast city saw an increase in visitors and certainly NUI Galway remains a popular choice for many people to study. Yet, with its popularity the issue of homelessness remains prominent. Cope Galway recently released their annual report that showed that the number of people homeless in 2015 doubled since the previous year.

Contrary to what many might understand the definition to mean, Cope Galway doesn’t just support those who have lost their home.

In many cases people are overlooked in this issue. On the Cope Galway website the community organisation define those in need of their help as “people affected by homelessness, women and children experiencing domestic violence and older people”.

And although not the exact same issue, the accommodation crisis has also become a problem for the university. Competition for accommodation for the academic year begins in early February and continues until the day

before courses begin, and sometimes even after. For first years it’s an even more stressful process with many waiting to seek a new home until they have received their CAO offer in mid August. The issue for those affected by homelessness and students in search of accommodation, is that there is nowhere to settle down or be re-located.

The charity currently support 33 families and 34 single people with emergency accommodation but a further 15 families are at a risk of homelessness due to being pressured to vacate their private emergency accommodation. With the autumn/ winter season upon us and cold temperatures and stormy weather expected again for the season, the worry for the Rover Soc organised a group homeless is only going to intensify. The pressure is on for local at the Electric Picnic festival to charities such as Cope to house those left outside. Last year the collect any leftover camping organisation saw 13 people per night seeking a bed in their cold equipment. The volunteers weather response-housing program. This ran from November returned to Galway with hundreds 2015 through to March 2016.

Speaking on behalf of Cope of sleeping bags. One can’t help Galway, CEO of the organisation, Jacqui Horan expresses that there but wonder if there were more of is an urgent appeal to the government to increase the supply of these small gestures would we housing. After her meeting with TD’s and the minister, Horan have such a crisis on our hands? is assured that there will be a recovery seen in 2017 with “rent The unfortunate fact many must face is supplement and housing assistance payseeing vacant buildings across the county, ments increasing by approximately 21%”. built during the Celtic Tiger. In July, Cope Pressure has been put on the governGalway representatives met with Minister ment with the release of the 2017 budget.

Simon Coveney to discuss local solutions Cope Galway expects that by 2021, the to address homelessness and domestic target of 47,000 social housing units will violence. They expressed that supply and be met. As well as this, policy to support access to housing is very low and without women who are homeless as a result of any change in support or funding there was domestic violence is also to be established. little the organisation could do to support The government may not be sendtheir clients. ing much support by way of the charity

yet, but local NUI Galway students have been seen to make great efforts. Students across the NUI Galway campus have volunteered their time to support the Galway ­community.

Before students vacated the college for the summer holidays back in May, Rover Soc issued an appeal for bedding and other goods students were leaving behind. The Rover Society was on a mission to collect goods to donate to those in need across Galway. The NUI Galway students didn’t disappoint. The appeal was a huge success with boxes across campus full to the brim of pillows, blankets, duvets etc.

The Rover Soc continued their charitable efforts and even organised a group at the Electric Picnic festival to collect any leftover camping equipment, which you can read about on page 6. The volunteers returned to Galway with hundreds of sleeping bags left behind.

One can’t help but wonder if there were more of these small gestures would we have such a crisis on our hands?

Many promises have been made but the time for talking has been exacerbated, now is the time for action. With homelessness figures only rising and a crisis on our hands, Galway needs more housing and it needs it now. It’s time for creativity and innovation to end this crisis.

To volunteer and support those who are homeless you can get in touch with the Alive centre and volunteer through the college. Visit their website www.studentvolunteer.ie/nuigalway. Or visit Cope Galway’s website www.­copegalway.ie.

EQUALITY MATTERS: GiG Soc host first ever Bisexuality Visibility week

By Megan Reilly This is a new feature Equality Matters that aims to bring you stories from all over campus, the likes of which you might not hear all that frequently. The idea is that these pieces will deal with how people may experience college differently, possible challenges and discrimination they may face and how we can all help make this campus a more accepting place!

Contact su.equality@nuigalway.ie for more information.

NUI Galway’s LGBT+ society held their first ever Bisexual themed week from 19 -22 September, with three days of events packed full of talks, workshops and discussion nights. It started with an informal talk given by Emily Reilly and Tomás Carlos Biggins of the GiG Soc committee which covered all forms of Bisexual health; including physical, sexual and mental. In case anyone is unclear; Bisexuality by definition is someone who is attracted to both genders, or attracted to people regardless of gender.

Often a sexuality left out of the public sphere, GiG Soc Auditor Sinead Ruane explains that Bi Week is about combatting negative stereotypes around Bisexuality that are often portrayed in the media, as well as there being much misrepresentation by fictional characters, or simply no representation at all. It’s also all about educating members and wider society around these seldom talked about areas; it dispels any myths and prevents ignorance around the issue. After all, ignorance breeds fear which leads to hatred. The essence of Bi week is the ethos of GiG Soc, which is to educate, inform and promote inclusivity.

The talk reveals some startling facts.

Emily and Tomás tell a very interested audience how statistically, Bisexual people have the worst mental health of any other sexuality, and are less likely to come out to their families.

“It’s difficult, because you’re worried that you’re going to be told it’s just a phase or that your identity isn’t valid,” says Emily.

“Even though a negative reaction comes

from a place of caring about the person doesn’t mean that it still isn’t hurtful.”

People who identify as bisexual face many stereotypes; being experimental, greedy, and unable to stay with one person to name a few. These stereotypes have been perpetuated by television characters and the lack of discussion around Bisexuality has led to it being deemed an ‘invisible sexuality.’

Even in the Marriage Equality referendum last year, the term Bisexual was rarely, if ever, used, and the debate often failed to recognise that this referendum affected Bisexuals just as much as other parts of the community.

GiG Soc aims to smash those stereotypes and blast away that cover of invisibility, starting with Bi Visibility week. Tomás and Emily present on how being Bisexual can often even come with its own tension within the community as the individual can have a feeling of belonging to neither camp. For those who are unsure about the validity behind the sexuality, Emily uses a simple metaphor to explain bisexuality by liken-

ing it to a pull out couch; “Whether it’s a couch or whether it’s pulled out to be used as a bed it’s still a pull out couch at the end of the day.”

Tomás adds to this by explaining how people making snap judgements on your sexuality based on the partner you’re with is another challenge Bi people face; “If I’m with my boyfriend everyone assumes we’re a gay couple but if I was with my last girlfriend everyone will presume both people in the relationship are straight. That’s not the way it is though, that’s not me.”

The presentation ended with a positive reminder that Bisexuality is a valid sexual orientation, it is not a dirty word and the University and GiG Soc in particular are a supportive community of people who always strive to be more accepting and welcoming to all. The way forward it seems, as with all minorities who face oppression, is to educate ourselves and try to stop ourselves from making assumptions, recognising that all identities are valid and starting this much needed conversation.

FEATURES 11

September 27 2016

Diary of a Freshers’ Fortnight survivor

By Shannon O’Malley

ORIENTATION WEEK My first intro to this so called “uni life.”

Everyone looks as lost as I am. Information is gently and repeatedly relayed to us by various people who insist on referring to us as “adults” for some unknown reason. One such person claimed we can never leave and should run while we can.

I believe she was joking, but cannot be certain; I am on my guard, in any event.

My old friend whom is embarking on this adventure with me has come to the conclusion that this kind of lifestyle may suit us, and I am inclined to agree with him.

WEEK ONE We may have been hasty in our assessment. The speed at which information is thrown at us has increased and the lectures are no longer confined to the same 2 lecture halls. I have had to explore buildings other than Aras na Mac Léinn and the Concourse. I spent an hour trying to help a friend find a room he believed to be in the English department but was actually in the engineering building. I am not sure if he ever found it.

I believe I am faring well, under the circumstances, but some others look confused and extremely tired. I believe this is, in part, because I am familiar with the area and, because I am commuting, I have not

been going out. I was in contact with some hardened “party animals” who have moved in, and they admitted they were looking forward to the halt of nights out. I did not have the heart to tell them that, according to my sources, next week is when the socialising is supposed to start.

I heard some more experienced students refer to some of my year-mates as having the “fresher flu”. I asked what they meant but they simply smirked and told me I’d know when I came down with it. I am afraid.

An event known as “Societies day” was held this week. I went with the intent of joining about 5 societies, but was convinced to join many more by the patrols each society sent out to grab us. I could not say no to their pleading faces. One such society was German Soc. The conversation, which mirrored many others I had that day, went something like this: “I have no German, and I’ve never been to Germany,” I said.

“It doesn’t matter, sign up anyways,” they answer.

Wi-Fi announced for Galway racecourse: a symptom of over-reliance?

By Eoin Molloy Most Galwegians are enthusiastically committed to the Galway Races, so much so that we willingly part with the vast majority of our net worth when the festival rolls around each year in late July.

If you are an avid race-goer, you will be delighted to know that during your next visit to Ballybrit you may well be surrounded by an army of droids staring with tilted necks at their phone screens.

This assumption is based on the fact that the board of Horse Racing Ireland recently announced around 1million euro in funding for the provision of free internetty goodness across all 26 Irish racecourses.

The goal, according to Paddy Walsh of the Association of Irish Racecourses, is to make racing a more ‘enjoyable and interactive event’. The delivery of fast and reliable Wi-Fi will certainly help the various businesses at each racecourse to operate more efficiently.

Punters at the Galway Races will now be able to safely place their bets online from the comfort of the Killanin stand, doing away with the arduous and unnecessary task of walking thirty or so yards to get to the bookie’s ring. I, for one, will not

be impressed with the racecourse’s commitment to technological advancement until they fashion some sort of futuristic internet-based beverage delivery system.

This calls into question the dodgy topic of our internet over-use. Are we really so enslaved to our smartphones that we need to be constantly connected wherever we go? Can we not have one safe-haven free from 300 second Snapchat stories and Doggo memes?

I once heard tell of a fable that occurred years ago, in the dark ages that preceded the iPhone. As the story goes, Tom, Dick and Harry were three chums who spent eight hours in the pub arguing over who won the 1987 Punchestown Champion Chase. Tom was certain it was Flying Ferret, whereas Dick was equally adamant in saying that it was Another Brownie who won that year. Such scintillating exercises in debate could not be possible at the Galway Racecourse in today’s digital age, because Harry would simply look it up and tell them it was in fact Eddie Wee who came in first that year.

There are obvious positives to living in a constantly connected world, however we have certainly lost our sense of mystery and wonder.

WEEK TWO I am coming to the end of the so-called “Freshers’ Fortnight.” I am so tired. My neck hurts and so does my stomach. Is this the fresher flu? Others are looking more bleak as time goes on. Have they reached a later stage of the fresher flu? If the latter is true, how long until I am like them? Maybe the

fresher flu is the symptom of staying out too late, and I’ll be spared. I hope so. I am less certain now that that person was joking, but I know it is too late to run now. I have survived Freshers’ fortnight, and surely this means I can survive the rest of my university experience. I mean, it can’t be much harder than this…. Right?

NUI Galway Students’ Union

Cúrsaí Scileanna Saoil

Enrol now for the following reduced price courses in the Students’ Union Office:

Cláraigh anois do na cúrsaí seo a leanas ar phraghas laghdaithe in Oifig an Chomhaltais:

Sign Language

An Teanga Chomharthaíochta

Occupational First Aid

An Gharchabhair Oibre

Life Skills 2016/17

Céad Fhreagróir Cairdiach

Cardiac First Responder

Oiliúint sa Chosaint Leanaí

Child Protection Training

C

M

Y

CM

Chomhaltas na Mac Léinn, 2016/17

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)

Oiliúint i Scileanna Feidhmeacha Idirghabhála i dtaca le Féinmharú

Mixed Martial Arts for Self Defence

Ealaíona Comhraic Measctha i gcomhair Féinchosanta

Anti-Racism

Frithchiníochas

Irish

An Ghaeilge

Yoga

An tIóga

More information at www.su.nuigalway.ie or email studentsunion@nuigalway.ie

Tuilleadh eolais le fáil ag www.su.nuigalway.ie nó seol ríomhphost chuig studentsunion@nuigalway.ie

MY

CY

CMY

K

www.su.nuigalway.ie

facebook.com/NUIGalwayStudentsUnion

twitter.com/NUIGSU

FEATURES 13

September 27 2016

Francis Cronin Twitter: @GLOWPUNK Year of graduation: 2013 Course at NUI Galway: BA Spanish & Psyche Studies Current Occupation: actor/comedian in LA. What is your fondest memory of NUI Galway?

Me and the then girl of my dreams jumping off the high diving boards very late one freezing cold night in our clothes for fun. It was magical to be in the energy of my then dream girl as we did the courtship dance. Warms the cockles of my heart just thinking about it. Great person. So warm and positive.

Great memories with good people last a life time. Always worth going out and trying to create them.

Has NUI Galway changed since you were here?

There are a few new buildings and a few new trees but I think Galway has a benevolent diaspora or psyche that will always remain rebellious, loving and artistic. NUIG campus and the people might change but the spirit of that area is eternal.

How did attending NUI Galway develop you as a person?

All that time around such a myriad of people from different cultures and creeds acclimatizes you to the real world. And opens doors in all social interactions wherever you may be in the future.

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

It taught me how to organize ideas, build my own theories and work better with others. It also taught me how to balance hard work with partying hard. Learning how to learn and grow ideas is something that college is great for. The facts you memorize might be forgotten in the post college years, but learning how to think, the process of learning itself and sharing those thoughts with others is a skill that lasts a life time. And probably the greatest thing with which I left school.

Did you partake in any societies, sports clubs or volunteering at NUI Galway?

I joined everything like a boss, but the ones I liked most were the Surf Club and ComedySoc which I had a hand in reinvigorating. Proud of that.

Do you ever miss NUI Galway?

There isn’t a wet week I don’t think back and remember how beautiful the campus was with the river and trees and hustle and bustle of people who were excited about changing the world for the better. Such a wonderful environment to study and socialize. Hard to beat Galway. Impossible to beat NUIG. Ask any foreign student who’s ever been there. It’s a utopia in terms of campus life.

Free thinkers fuelled by the Irish

wit and good nature. When you go abroad you really appreciate what we have at home.

What advice would you give to current NUI Galway students?

Embrace yourself and those around you for who you and they are. Sounds simple but being grateful for what you have in the present is a great foundation for a happy life later because it doesn’t get much better. Your personal perspective on your environment and how you view the world influences the world around you. You get what you embody. With the right mind-set you can live in eternal paradise or pain. It’s up to you. Be the one that brightens the world not the one who darkens it. IMHO If you could go back and do it all again, what would you do differently?

Honestly, not much ... It was truly such a great time. I feel like I embraced it so wholeheartedly because I felt so lucky to be in such a positive progressive environment. There were days I was tired or a particular facilitator and I didn’t mix but that was fleeting. I might try and do more of what I am endeavouring to do now, which is being less fearless and more audacious. I try to love more openly and maybe risk a little bigger. I’d focus a little more on the present and maybe I’d ask that girl I liked, or go on that adventure

I put off. Life is so short and beautiful, that anytime ones spends unhappy or worrying about outcomes is time that could be spent being grateful, present and building good relationships. Sounds a little optimistically sappy but when

you remove all the noise of modern living the reality above is really what I feel a good contented life boils down to. Thanks for having me remember how lucky I am to have attended NUIG. Shout out to Supermacs!

How to find your dream job by honing your interview skills

By Susan Hayes Culleton I was recently giving induction training on the subject of “Understanding Business” to a group of new recruits for a large multinational. Interviews came up a lot in the sessions; the trainees were excited to be in this new job and eager to talk about the job interviews they had just successfully passed.

Perfect, I said – let’s talk about what you learned in this round of interviews, to prepare for the next.

They were shocked; “What do you mean, the next round? We’re here, aren’t we?”

I pointed out that interviews come in many shapes and forms.

You will be interviewed if you go for a promotion or a secondment.

You will also be interviewed informally by people “sounding you out”. In addition, if you run a busi-

ness like I do, then each time you meet a new client or want to build on an existing sales order, you go through a de facto interview.

We all know the formal job interview: you put on your best clothes and walk nervously into a room full of strangers who will ask you tricky questions. It can be a one-to-one conversation over a coffee. It can take place over Skype or it can develop over a random conversation that you start with somebody who sits next to you on a flight! If you can recognise these opportunities, you can put your best foot forward and make a good impression early.

Start preparing right now by doing these three things: Go to the Career Development Service in the Arts/Science Building and ask them about any information they have on interview skills.

You don’t have to go it alone.

Always ask around for what information and opportunities are available: the Careers Office will be only too happy to help you practice your interview skills, and you can never start too early. They also organize Career Fairs, help with C.V. preparation, placement applications and have a platform called “Careers Connect”. I remember having a mock interview with a member of their team when I was in college and they asked me some thought provoking questions that I now ask myself when interviewing others.

Find a good “thinking spot” on campus and take ten minutes each week to collect a portfolio of your achievements. Get a notebook and write down all of the things that you did that week that might be applicable in the workplace.

What new topics did you cover in

lectures? Did you work as part of a team? Did you have to go outside your comfort zone? Did you face and solve a problem?

On that note, people often ask me if you select experiences like volunteering because “they will look good on your CV.” Personally, I believe that you should pursue subjects, project themes, societies and hobbies because they interest you. If you’re passionate about the subjects that come up in an interview, you’re far more likely to stand out than if you half-heartedly participated in some activity because you thought it would impress an employer.

Talk to others about their interview experiences and learn from them.

Ask them in detail how the interview unfolded, what questions they were asked, what they answered, did they have to com-

plete a task on the spot, what they would improve. Stories from both failed and successful interviews are invaluable and by using other people’s stories as case studies, you will familiarise yourself with the experience. Instead of being taken off guard, you will know what to expect.

Interviews aren’t something unpleasant that you have to go through once and then you’re done. The world of work is evolving and you will likely have several different jobs throughout your career and hence have several interviews along the way. Cut through nerves and reach for the stars!

Susan HayesCulleton, CFA, graduated from NUI Galway and is now Managing Director of international training company HayesCulleton.

Follow her on Twitter at @SusanHayes_

14 OPINION

Sin Vol. 18 Issue 2

EOIN DRONES: Media Distraction 101

By Eoin Molloy First off let me explain the above title by clarifying that this bi-weekly, recurrent column will not be an ongoing tirade against the use of drones in warfare, even though such a column may well be merited. Alas, Eoin Drones is a title that simply refers to my solemn duty

as opinion editor of this fine gazette to ‘drone on’, as it were, about ailments afflicting the modern condition.

On Tuesday 21 September, the unthinkable happened. Brad and Angelina, or Brangelina (the nick-name I famously coined while on work experience at TMZ in the 1990s) publicly decided to go their separate ways.

It is long since the world has been so united in grief. Thousands marched through the streets of New York, Paris and London in a passionate display of solidarity. Clashes broke out between the peaceful marchers and the more militant pro-Aniston protestors.

In the midst of this furore, the biggest news story since N-Sync broke up, a few less important stories slipped under the radar without much scrutiny. In Syria, a convoy unloading much-needed humanitarian aid to besieged civilians was completely bombed out. This comes just eight days after the US and Russia brokered a partial ceasefire in the region.

The perpetrator of the attack is as yet unknown and the world’s media has bigger fish to fry than attempting to find out. Hardhitting questions like was Brad cheating? And will we now see a re-unification of Braniston?

Most media outlets have point blank refused to ascertain the source of this attack, which is odd considering it is a direct contravention of international law. This should raise eyebrows.

The general populace is not to be blamed in this, we can only consume the media that is set out before us. It does make one wonder whether there is a game of distraction being played by US-based media outlets.

In an era where media ownership has become concentrated in the hands of a few, an oligarchic press can push any agenda it so desires without reproach. This could conceivably be one aimed at keeping the distracted multitude distracted, but we have no hard evidence of that.

Many of us know nowadays to take the news with a pinch of salt. Take Ireland for

example: Denis O’Brien owns 29.9% of Independent News and Media, as well as a slew of radio stations including Newstalk, Today FM and Spin South West. The latter two are certainly guilty of under-reporting the news, often leading with mindless sport or celebrity news.

Don’t get me wrong, sport and celebrities have their place in society, but it is one of divertissement. We read stories about training ground bust-ups and celebrity break-ups because they provide us with respite from the tribulations of daily life. However, the fact that we are now replacing hard news with entertainment should concern us.

For anyone wishing to read up on proper news, outside of SIN of course where we report hard-and-fast facts about the Smokey’s Pigeon, head over to r/worldnews on the internet machine.

H/T to Declan Higgins, former SU President, who brought this to everyone’s attention via Facebook.

OPINION 15

September 27 2016

HEAD to head

The partial smoking-ban on campus

In support of campus’ partial smoking ban Our partially smoke-free campus is a

By Heather Robinson It’s no secret that there is an active cam- symptom of university over-reach The university’s decision to impose a smoking ban in certain areas of the campus was the right one. In 2016 NUI Galway became the first partially smoke-free campus in Ireland. Before the non-smoking zones came to be, there was nothing worse than fighting your way through cigarette smoke at every entrance in the college. Doorways were once havens for the smoking population of NUI Galway. But they were equally seen as a nightmare for those of us who are more health conscious.

This argument in favour of the smoke free areas is not to ridicule smokers and their habits. But I do suggest that it’s wrong to impose your addiction on the wider public.

Smoking is harmful to our health. Research shows that one in every two smokers will die from a smoking-related illness. According to Cancer.ie smoking is the single biggest cause of cancer and lung cancer is one of the most common in Ireland. These are the facts. Second-hand smoking is even more harmful and before the ban was in place, everyone was subjected to a puff of secondhand smoke every time they went inside or outside.

You may not want to admit if smoking bothers you if you have friends who smoke.

It can be awkward to sit as a passive smoker with your friends as they feed their addiction and you secretly wish you had an oxygen tank handy. The smoke free zones mean that you can take a study break with a friend more easily. You can grab some coffees and get some air and if they want to go somewhere for a smoke, you can use the excuse that you can’t be bothered walking all the way over there and go happily back inside.

As students, there can be days where we don’t even know what the weather is like outside and it isn’t until one fateful moment in the evening that we taste fresh air. It’s sad to say that our first breath of air used to taste like tobacco.

Tobacco lingers on everything. Our hair, clothes and skin all fall prey to the foul smell.

There’s nothing worse than coming home on a night out and smelling like smoke when you don’t even smoke. So why should we come home from college with the same problem?

Now that the non-smoking zones are in place, the doorways are clear. The group huddled outside the reading room are gone, the entrance to the concourse and the large patio with the big yellow thing have a new lease on life. They’re no longer hidden behind a cloud of cigarette smoke and littered with the debris. On sunny days students are free to sit outside along the walls in clean air – a place once heavily crowded by smokers.

paign amongst students, the university and state bodies to eradicate smoking. These zones are designed to make it harder for students and faculty to smoke. They’ve still provided a sheltered area in a central part of campus that’s easy to get to from the concourse, the library and the arts millennium.

There’s another shelter located in the north of the campus for the convenience of the engineering and nursing students.

When Micheál Martin, the Minister for Health and Children in 2004, introduced a ban on smoking in enclosed workplaces it was heralded as a move in the right direction.

As of 2009, in-store advertising was banned and retailers had to store tobacco out of sight of the customer. From 2016 onwards, a new law was passed to prohibit adults smoking in the car where there are children present.

These are all laws that were met with doubt before they were enforced. But with time and experience they’re embraced and warmly welcomed.

It’s true that the comfort of the smoker is less and less accommodated for as the years go by. If you want to smoke, the university has kindly asked that you use the shelters, which means walking a distance in potential rain, hail or snow in the future.

The smoke-free zones were brought about because back in 2013 a majority of staff and students “expressed their preference” for limiting the areas around campus where people can smoke. The aim is to make the campus “a cleaner and healthier place for everyone”.

It’s really interesting that this is the case because if anyone who does smoke has an enormous problem with being moved away from the heavily-trafficked doorways and placed under a special shelter, just remember that it was your fellow students who put you there.

By Eoin Molloy In January of this year, NUI Galway’s decision-makers joined the rest of the world in condemning smokers to social ostracism. If forcing them outside of public buildings wasn’t bad enough, smokers are now being relegated to small little gazebos on the fringes of campus.

That being said, a majority of student smokers are not respecting the wishes of our university overlords, with many continuing to brazenly contravene university policy by smoking in the main gathering square between the library and the concourse.

Modern society is predicated on the protection of civil liberties. We have a right to bodily integrity, a right to freely express ourselves and a right to pursue an education to name but a few.

We also have a right to smoke. I do not smoke and I do not believe it to be a pursuit compatible with the maintenance of one’s health, however, we should all be free to make our own decisions free from university oversight.

In his 1816 paper, The Liberty of the Ancients Compared with that of Moderns French activist and writer Benjamin Constant outlined his view that personal freedoms underpin our modern way of thinking. He believes that restricting matters of private interest would lead to more disquiet than if governments were to take our political liberties away. This is an interesting notion to apply to the smokefree campus debate.

At NUI Galway, we have long prided ourselves on being to the forefront of what is often termed ‘social awareness’. Amongst our student body are admirable souls who have campaigned tirelessly for LGBT rights, marriage equality, sensible drug policy and mental health awareness to name but a few issues. These are just some of the matters of private interest Benjamin Constant referred to.

However, it is entirely prejudiced to protect the rights of one group of people and ostracise another purely because you don’t agree with them. The result of the marriage equality referendum showed us that public opinion is willing to firmly support the freedom of the individual to choose his or her own path to happiness. Is it not hollow to champion freedom for same-sex couples with one hand while using the other to force smokers further from the social mainstream? Are they not pursuing an activity that brings them some respite from the pitfalls of daily life?

For some students, the cause of a smokefree campus is not as simple as ‘out of sight, out of mind’. The opinion of concerned final year science student Ciaran Mulkerins is that ‘all a smoke-free campus does is drive smokers out onto the street, which in turn dampens the image of NUI Galway as it looks like they are trying to offload the problem from the campus’.

He may have a point. When the university were rolling out their reasoning for implanting this draconian restriction on personal freedom, they cited ‘waste issues’ as a motivating factor. What is surely being alluded to here is the unsightly cigarette butts and rolling tobacco pouches that smokers seemingly feel obliged to leave behind them. If the university were to make our campus smokefree as they intend, surely this would create a logistical headache for the city council in dealing with the excess waste being placed on footpaths outside of the college? This could be construed as a shirking of responsibility by the university.

The fact that this measure is being blatantly ignored by a majority of student smokers surely points to the fact that public opinion is not behind this measure – it should have been put to a vote at the time of the Students’ Union elections. If we can vote to support sanctions on Israel, surely we should have the power to regulate the activities of our own nicotine-addicted fellow scholars.

Smoking bans and other kinds of behaviour-modifying initiatives contradict everything a university is supposed to stand for. We shouldn’t stand idly by as college authorities seek to constrain our freedoms.

The most pertinent question with an issue like this is always: what will be banned next? Just last week we witnessed Galway City Council voting on a measure to ban skate-boarding and ball games in public areas. The following WW2-era maxim may be a bit of an extreme comparison but it surely applies in this case: At first they came for the smokers, and I did nothing for I was not a smoker. And then they came for me.

16 OPINION

Sin Vol. 18 Issue 2

Is the GAA preventing Ireland from being successful on the world sporting stage?

In my home parish of Castlegar, our junior hurlers have been training since January. They have played a grand total of four championship matches in the last nine months, due to scheduling conflicts, clubs refusing to field teams, delaying fixtures and so on.

By Eoin Molloy Ireland is somewhat of a recluse in world sporting terms. Long have we punched above our weight in the culturally-charged pursuits of writing, theatre and acting, however, we drastically under-achieve on a consistent basis at most international sporting conventions.

Take the Olympics for example, the most reliable barometer of international sporting proficiency. A team representing Ireland has competed at the games since 1924. In that time we have only ever managed to bring home more than five medals once, with a calculated total of 31 medals. Hell, Michael Phelps and his 28 medals would surely eclipse Ireland’s entire Olympic achievement if he stayed in the pool for the next four years.

In Rio, Ireland’s Olympic endeavours amounted to a grand total of two medals, neither of them gold. That is not meant to belittle the titan achievements of Annalise Murphy or the O’Donovan brothers, who performed excellently. There is no shying away from the fact that Ireland can and should be doing better on the world stage. Our Olympic output works out at a ratio of one

medal per 2.25m people. The UK, by way of example, achieved 67 medals, a ratio of one to around 900,000 inhabitants.

Conversely, Ireland’s football team acquitted themselves quite well at Euro 2016 in France this summer.

That being said, the fact that we reached the last 16 was more down to changes in the structure of the tournament, with three teams progressing out of our group as opposed to the more common norm of two. When it comes to international tournaments, our footballers usually stay home or exit at the earliest possible stage – and not out of home-sickness.

So is all of this sporting under-achievement attributable to our young people focusing too intently on hurling and Gaelic football from a young age? Possibly, but the problems are much more multi-faceted and layered than just that. This is not just a problem with the GAA; it is a question of funding, education and organisation.

Funding is a massive issue here. Take Great Britain’s cycling team for example - they had a budget of 30.2 million GBP for Rio 2016. This contrasts dramatically with the €1.7 million the Olympic Council of Ireland

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received from the state in the period 2012-2016. And let’s not mention Pat Hickey. If Ireland wants to win big on the international stage, a hell of a lot more funding would need to be made available to organisations like Irish Athletic Boxing. Amateur athletes need every bit of financial support the state can provide.

Let us examine the GAA’s supposed role in limiting Ireland’s success on the world sporting stage. The GAA is an Irish organisation. Consequently, it is the most poorly organised association in the western hemisphere, save perhaps the HSE. It is true to say that if the GAA didn’t exist children would gravitate more towards cycling, equestrianism and boxing. These are all sports Irish people have traditionally excelled at, provided the judges haven’t been paid off, mind you.

As one of our most treasured possessions, the GAA need not be abolished. It is, however, in need of a dramatic structural overhaul. There is also a traditionalist culture within the GAA that needs to be extinguished rapidly.

Perhaps if the GAA was better organised, young kids would have the opportunity to take up a second sport. In many ways, the system as it exists resembles a jealous lover. Anyone who has ever gone out with a hurler, camogie player or footballer knows how it takes precedence over all aspects of a young person’s life.

In Galway for example, club fixtures are only released five days before a round of games. With a year-round championship, life planning is impossible. This constant limbo of waiting for a game, coupled with the increasing professionalism that it now promotes, the GAA asks everything of its players while offering very little in return.

In my home parish of Castlegar, our junior hurlers have been training since January. They have played a grand total of four championship matches in the last nine months, due to scheduling conflicts, clubs refusing to field teams, delaying fixtures and so on. If the fixtures were set out in stone at the beginning of the year, and ran week-to-week concurrently, there is no reason that the club championship could not be run off in the three months of summer. This would leave hurlers free to take up soccer or rugby for the winter months, and maybe Ireland’s international sporting situation would improve.

It is impossible for young men and women to take up second sports thanks to the dreadful organisation of the GAA, in Galway at least. Since the local hurling or football team is usually the lifeblood of most rural communities, young folk usually gravitate towards the GAA. Perhaps the GAA is a contributory factor in explaining why Ireland unfailingly under-performs on the world stage or maybe it’s a financial matter, we would have to commission a gritty TV3 documentary to find out for sure. What do you think? Tweet your thoughts to @SIN_News.

WHAT YOU SEE IS JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG

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CHECK WHAT’S GOING ON BELOW, GET TESTED FREE Confidential STI Clinic at the Student Health Unit, Áras na Mac Léinn

Tuesday 5 - 7pm Wednesday 5 - 7pm

(Commencing 13th of September) Contact the Student Health Unit to make your appointment Funded by the Student Projects Fund www.su.nuigalway.ie

facebook.com/NUIGalwayStudentsUnion

twitter.com/NUIGSU

MENTAL

HEALTH WEEK Seachtain na Meabhairshláinte OÉ Gaillimh 2016

#littlethings

#littlethings is a mental health and wellbeing campaign. It highlights that there are things that you can do for yourself and others that will have a positive impact on how you feel and how you cope.

If you need any support or information please contact any of the following people: Chaplaincy Service Counselling Service Student Health Unit SU Welfare Officer Jigsaw Galway Samaritans

091 495055 091 492427 091 492604 Daniel Khan 091 492747 091 549252 Free phone 116123

chaplains@nuigalway.ie counselling@nuigalway.ie su.welfare@nuigalway.ie galway@jigsaw.ie jo@samaritans.org

Here are the #littlethings that can make a big difference to our mental health and our wellbeing: • • • • • • • •

Keeping Active Talking About Your Problems Looking Out For Others Doing Things With Others Eating Healthily Staying In Touch Drinking Less Alcohol Sleeping Well

Go to http://www.nuigalway.ie/health-wellbeing/ for more information.

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www.su.nuigalway.ie

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twitter.com/NUIGSU 22/09/2016 11:46

MENTAL

HEALTH WEEK Seachtain na Meabhairshláinte OÉ Gaillimh 2016

SUNDAY 2ND OCTOBER DOMHNACH, AN 2 DEIREADH FÓMHAIR

1pm & 9pm Our Faith and Our Mental Health Mass in the Chapel

MONDAY 3RD OCTOBER DÉ LUAIN, AN 3 DEIREADH FÓMHAIR

All Day look out for the Positive Pebbles across campus.

All Day #MondayMassage reduced rate massage. To book contact 086 8378589 9am-12pm French Soc FREE ”petit déjeuner” French breakfast morning in The View, Áras Na Mac Léinn 9am-10am FREE Beginners Contemporary Dance Class in The Cube, Áras na Mac Léinn 11am-1pm Brunch with GiGSoc in The Cube, Áras Na Mac Léinn 11am-5pm DramSoc & GUMS Free Hugs around campus 4pm-6pm DramSoc Cutting out the Dramatics Meeting Rooms, Áras na Mac Léinn 5.30pm-6pm Evening meditation with the Chaplaincy in the Chapel Common Room 6pm-9pm Baking Soc Mug Cake Workshop in The Hub 6.30pm-7pm GiGSoc Candlelight Remembrance Vigil outside Áras Na Mac Léinn 7pm FilmSoc Screening of St. Patrick’s Day in IT250, 7pm 7pm-8pm Tea and Talk with GiGSoc in Meeting Room 1 & 2, Áras Na Mac Léinn 7pm Timelord Society FREE Screening of Amy’s Choice Large Acoustic Room, Áras Na Mac Léinn 8pm-11pm French Soc Schloer & Cheese Night with CinéClub Meeting Rooms Áras na Mac Léinn 8pm Neil Delamere in O’Flaherty Theatre. Tickets €5 from the SU Office.

TUESDAY 4TH OCTOBER DÉ MÁIRT, AN 4 DEIREADH FÓMHAIR

12.30pm-2pm Psych Soc & SVP Soc ‘Resilience: Looking out for yourself and others’ talk with free tea & coffee in Siobhan McKenna Theatre.

12pm-4pm Finance Soc get your LinkedIn Headshot in foyer of Áras na Mac Léinn.

5pm-7pm FREE STI Clinic in the Health Unit 6pm Dansoc ‘Club Classics’ Free interactive hip hop dance workshop in The Cube 6pm-8pm GiG Soc Self Care Talk in AC204.

6pm-8pm Writer’s Soc Mental Health Awareness Writing Workshop in AC214.

6.30pm-8.30pm Seas Suas, Drug and Alcohol Information & Training in MY129, Áras Moyola 7pm Timelord Soc screening of Robots of Sherwood & Counsellors talk D’arcy Thompson Theatre.

7pm Psych Soc & Fem Soc Screening of The Mask You Live In & Talk Fottrell Theatre 7.30pm-8.30pm 5 Songs celebrating Mental Health Week with the Chaplaincy in the Chapel

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WEDNESDAY 5TH OCTOBER DÉ CÉADAOIN, AN 5 DEIREADH FÓMHAIR

10am-5pm Poster Sale in Áras na Mac Léinn 11am-4pm Best Buddies Pop Up PhotoBooth in Áras na Mac Léinn 11am-12.30pm Archaeological Soc Yoga in The View. Bring your own mat.

1pm-2pm Music Soc & Choral Soc Lunchtime Concert & Tea in The Cube, Áras na Mac Léinn 1.10pm-1.50pm FREE Mindful Meditation with NUIG Mindful Way in AC202 2pm-3pm FREE Mindfulness Workshop with Martina Coyne in The View, Áras na Mac Léinn 5pm-7pm FREE STI Clinic in the Health Unit 5pm-6pm Chef’s Challenge & Autumn Wellness Programme Launch in Áras na Mac Léinn 7pm Psych Soc Discussion on making NUIG autism friendly campus in Kirwan Theatre 7pm-8pm GiGSoc Talk with LGBT Helpline in IT202 8pm-9pm GiGSoc Talk with Psychiatric Nurse in IT202 8pm-9pm Candle Light Prayer & Praise in the Chapel

THURSDAY 6TH OCTOBER DÉARDAOIN, AN 6 DEIREADH FÓMHAIR

9am-10am Salsa Fitness Silent Disco in foyer of Áras na Mac Léinn 10am-5pm Poster Sale in Áras na Mac Léinn 10am-12pm Psych Soc & Choral Soc Coffee Morning & Tunes in the View 10am-4pm Draoicht Soc Charity Book Sale in Áras na Mac Léinn 3pm-5pm Organic Soc Organic Garden Open Day on Distillery Road 6pm-8pm Writer’s Soc & Gig Soc Workshop exploring mental health issues with LGBTQ focus AC204 6pm-8pm Juggling Soc Workshop in Áras na Mac Léinn 6.30pm Chaplaincy screening of Life is Beautiful (La Vita é Bella) with snacks Chapel Common Room 7pm Psych Soc & Psi Chi Ultimate Table Quiz in Sult with finger food and raffle.

7pm-10pm Lit & Deb Rant night/Poetry slam in the Kirwan Theatre 9pm-10.30pm GUMS & GiGSoc Lip Sync Night in the Cube, Áras na Mac Léinn

ALL WEEK

Word of Hope Wall with the Chaplaincy in the Chapel Psych Soc Mental Health Goodie Bags & Confession/Outlet Boards around campus.

Psych Soc #ShareASmile Campaign: Share your “smile experiences” and #littlethings that get you through the day on social media. Plus maybe get a random free coffee or lunch in participating outlets: Smokey’s, Sult, Úr Restaurant, Friars, Stem Café, Coffee On Line & Zinc Café More information from/Tuilleadh eolais ar fáil ó www.nuigstudents.ie/mentalhealthweek

www.su.nuigalway.ie

facebook.com/NUIGalwayStudentsUnion

twitter.com/NUIGSU

www.su.nuigalway.ie

facebook.com/NUIGalwayStudentsUnion

twitter.com/NUIGSU 22/09/2016 11:46

Coiste Gnó

Executive Committee

2016 - 2017

Vice President/Education Officer Leas Uachtarán/Oifigeach Oideachais

Cathal Sherlock

Clíodhna Nic Giolla Chomháill

Vice President/Welfare Officer Leas Uachtarán/Oifigeach Leasa

Jimmy McGovern

Daniel Khan

su.president@nuigalway.ie 086 385 5502

su.education@nuigalway.ie 086 385 3658

Oifigeach na Gaeilge

President Uachtarán

su.welfare@nuigalway.ie 086 385 3659

Equality Officer Oifigeach Comhionnais

Mature Students’ Officer Oifigeach Mic Léinn Lánfhásta

Megan Reilly

Damian Duddy

su.gaeilge@nuigalway.ie 0044 7763 5726 93

su.equality@nuigalway.ie 086 228 3856

su.maturestudents@nuigalway.ie 091 524 810

Societies Chairperson Cathaoirleach na gCumann

Clubs Captain Captaen na gClubanna

SU Council Chairperson | Cathaoirleach na Comhairle do Chomhaltas na Mac Léinn

Patrick O’Flaherty su.socs@nuigalway.ie 086 852 3417

Convenor of the College of Science Tionólaí Choláiste na hEolaíochta

Christopher Mc Brearty su.science@nuigalway.ie 087 656 5387

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Caitlin Jansen

Aaron Reeves

Postgraduate Officer An tOifigeach Iarchéime

Cillian Moran su.postgrad@nuigalway.ie 087 769 0784

Convenor of the College of Arts, Social Sciences & Celtic Studies | Tionólaí Choláiste na nDán, na nEolaíochtaí Sóisialta & an Léinn Cheiltigh

Ciarán MacChoncarraige

su.clubs@nuigalway.ie 089 975 4741

su.council@nuigalway.ie 087 269 7232

Convenor of the College of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences | Tionólaí Choláiste an Leighis, an Altranais & na nEolaíochtaí Sláinte

Convenor of the College of Business, Public Policy & Law | Tionólaí Choláiste an Ghnó, an Bhearais Phoiblí agus an Dlí

Convenor of the College of Engineering & Informatics | Tionólaí Choláiste na hInnealtóireachta agus na Faisnéisíochta

Diarmuid Ó Curraoin

Tim Murphy

su.business@nuigalway.ie 087 065 5357

su.engineering@nuigalway.ie 086 026 0500

Lorcán Ó Maoileannaigh su.medicine@nuigalway.ie 087 768 7892

su.arts@nuigalway.ie 087 054 4499

02/06/2016 11:59

NÍL ACH AN CHUID IS LÚ DEN SCÉAL AR EOLAS AGAT

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FAIGH AN SCÉAL IOMLÁN, FAIGH AN TÁSTÁIL Beidh Clinic STI faoi rún á reáchtáil SAOR IN AISCE san Aonad Sláinte Mic Léinn, Áras na Mac Léinn

An Mháirt, 5 - 7 i.n.

An Chéadaoin, 5 - 7 i.n.

Déan teagmháil leis an Aonad Sláinte Mic Léinn le coinne a dhéanamh.

Arna chistiú ag Ciste na dTionscadal Mic Léinn www.su.nuigalway.ie

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22 LIFESTYLE

Sin Vol. 18 Issue 2

Tips on fitting in exercise during college

By Saoirse Rafferty When returning to college, the land of tinned beans and pasta in a pot, it’s very difficult to stay on track of good fitness and health.

There will be days you plan a trip to the gym but somehow find yourself in the college bar instead and there will be days you are so stressed out with assignment overload you forget the word ‘exercise’ even exists. So a week goes by without you even realising and you’re struggling to motivate yourself to get out of bed when you realise you can’t remember the last time you even saw a treadmill. However fear no more, I have conducted a list of simple tips to help you fit exercise into your college routine.

WAKE UP EARLY When we wake up in the early hours of the morning, getting out of bed seems like the last thing you want to do; especially if you don’t have college. However, getting up early in the morning and exercising first thing leaves you feeling good and wide awake for the entire day. Even if you missed an hour of sleep, you

will feel so much better and good about yourself for the rest of the day.

DON’T DEPEND ON OTHER PEOPLE You might not realise it yet but this could be why you haven’t left your house in a week.

We all know someone or are someone that procrastinates and whose favourite words are ‘in another hour’, which soon turns into ‘let’s give today a miss’. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of waiting on other people to go to the gym even though you planned on going an hour ago and then ending up eating takeaway instead because ‘everyone is doing it’. The best thing to do is take the first step and go for a run on your own or use that yearly gym membership card that’s starting to go dusty.

STOP SAYING ‘I’LL WAIT TILL MONDAY’ This is a trap. Sometimes I think we should just get rid of the day Monday so everyone

can stop saying this because lets face it, who likes Monday? Stop giving out about doing nothing and start today, you will feel so much better once you do a bit of exercise.

this will make you more inclined to do some exercise instead of being in a food coma after a takeaway–gone–wrong. Try make smoothies to kick start your day and include some greens in your daily meals.

DO IT FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

BRING A GEAR BAG TO COLLEGE

Rather than thinking, ‘I need to lose weight’ or ‘I want a six pack’, think of your mental health and your body. When we exercise the neurotransmitters ‘Dopamine’ and ‘Serotonin’ are released which are also known as a happy hormones, boosting your energy and mood. Even though exercising can sometimes be tough and painful, you will always notice a lift in your mood after which makes it worth it.

If you plan to go to the gym between lectures or after college, bring the gear bag with you. This will encourage you to go and it will be hard to avoid the thought with a sore arm from carrying that bag around all day!

EAT HEALTHILY I know people hate hearing this but eating fruit and veg can really leave you with a happy tummy, body and mood – and

PLAN YOUR WEEK At the start of the week pick two or three days you want to exercise or go to the gym.

Despite all of the external people and factors that will try to sway you away from exercising, make it a priority for those days and you will get into good healthy habits in no time.

The revival of Adidas

By Katie Byrnes Imagine yourself in a situation like this:

It’s a typical college day in Galway. You wake up at 10:40am with high hopes that you’ll make your 11am lecture in the Concourse.

Quickly, you strip out of your pyjamas and run to your wardrobe - or perhaps take half a step from your bed to your press because you got stuck with the box room this year.

Flinging open your wardrobe door trying not to knock yourself out in the process, you rummage around trying to find your dungarees and a cute top. After struggling for a few minutes to pull your dungarees up, they have finally agreed to go over your bum.

Once you’ve put on your newest choker and your worn out New Balances, your recycled 90s outfit is finally ready to face the unspoken battle to be Most Fashionable in NUI Galway. Or so you think it is…

Looking in your housemate’s full length mirror you realise something is missing, but what is it? As time begins to run out before your 11am lecture, you take to Instagram for the answer and immediately your question is answered.

“Where is my vintage Adidas jacket?!” you ask yourself, only to realise you don’t actually have one. Who knew one could have such a fashion malfunction in the space of ten minutes?

But fear not readers, as there are plenty of shops right here in Galway that will always have your back for the latest fad in times of crisis.

Vintage clothing shop Nine Crows, located on Cross Street Upper is a must when on the search for the overly-colourful

and over-sized jacket your mam forced you to throw in the clothes bank when you were a ten-year-old. With staff that could make you feel like a superstar while wearing a black bin bag (a vintage black bin bag, of course) and an online store overflowing with sale items if you just can’t seem to find the right thing in the shop, you are guaranteed to find the jacket sure to put you in the lead to becoming NUI Galway’s Next Vintage King/Queen.

If this doesn’t tickle your fancy, scoot your retro ass down to Abbeygate Street Upper to find Public Romance, Galway’s little vintage gem. Known for its wild and wacky bits and pieces, your Adidas jacket is sure to be hiding from you in some corner of the shop.

And of course as vintage collections keep popping up in Topshop shops all over Ireland, it won’t be long until you begin spotting these bad boys in all high street shops too.

So here’s the lesson in this folks: next time your mother tries forcing you to send away a plastic bag full of clothes to the local St.Vincent de Paul you refuse, you throw a tantrum, you chase her with the wooden spoon, whatever it takes to keep your flared jeans that you haven’t worn in eight years.

History is known to repeat itself. Those flared jeans will be back, you’ll show her.

Oh and what do you know? Suddenly you’ve walked through the Concourse, past Sult and over the bridge. You’ve missed your 11am. You’re in town now, you’ve found your bright purple and yellow vintage Adidas jacket and you’re ready to become the heir to the Vintage thrown of NUI Galway. You’re welcome.

LIFESTYLE 23

September 27 2016

BAKE with Justine D’Oven

Fall into Autumn spiced cupcakes This fortnight SIN’s resident baking extraordinaire Justine D’Oven gives her recipe for some tasty autumnal treats.

With the weather changing, the nights growing longer and crisper, there is nothing more relaxing than a warm cuppa by a fire with a tasty cupcake. These cupcakes incorporate the best thing about autumn - spices!

Being from Canada, autumn and winter are bitterly cold and there is something about baking with cinnamon and cloves that just makes the 40-below weather a little more bareable.

Unfortunately, I am used to baking with measuring cups not scales. I have tried to add in the gram measurements as best I could, but disclosure moment: I still bake with cups so I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the weight measurments.

Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy the aroama that these cupcakes will fill your home with!

Ingredients: • 1 and 3/4 cups (200g) cake flour* • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature • 1 cup (200g) packed dark brown sugar - or you can use light ­muscavado • 2 large eggs, at room temperature • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract • 1/2 cup (120g) full-fat greek yogurt (the thicker the better) at room temperature • 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk, at room temperature *If you don’t have cake flour, use two cups of all-purpose flour minus 4 tbsp. Add 4 tbsp of cornflour and sift 3 times to ensure they are incorporated. Using that mix, now measure out 1 and ¾ cups for this recipe.

Directions: Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.

Step 2: Whisk the flour, the baking powder, the baking soda and the spices together in a bowl.

Step 3: Cream butter and sugar together. If using a mixer for about a minute, if using a spoon, mix until creamy and fluffy. Next add in both eggs and vanilla and beat mixture to incorporate.

Step 4: Add the flour mix to the wet mixture; the batter will be quite thick. Slowly incorporate the milk but make sure not to over mix. The batter will look like a thick milkshake.

Step 5: Fill each liner about 2/3 full- I find it best to use an icecream scoop so all of my cupcakes rise to the same level and bake evenly. Bake for 18-24 minutes**. Cupcakes will be done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Step 6: Remove tin from oven and let cupcakes sit for 1 minute before transferring to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely before frosting with your favourite icing.

A bit of spice and all things nice!

**Check after 15; then bake at 5 minute intervals if more time is needed.

Three ways to cook sweet potato

By Orla Carty We’re all students. It can be near to impossible to squeeze vegetables into our diets when we’re on a budget, have minimal free time, and absolutely no clue how to even cook in the first place. Generally the go-to is a pack of twenty cent noodles or a few waffles thrown in the oven. This one time I cooked a spaghetti with chicken and veg stir-fried in and christened myself Domestic Goddess (for like three months…)

Anyways, it can be hard to get nutrients in. But that skin and shiny hair needs it! Not to mention scurvy. I know that’s fruit, but still. Scurvy.

Sweet potato is an intimidating vegetable.

Unfamiliar territory, you could call it. We’re Irish, we have our potato mashed, not sweet.

Unless, of course, you’re a McCambridge’s frequenter. Then you’ll know it well.

However, it’s actually a really easy thing to pop into a meal. Plain pasta goes from blank to Gordon Ramsey real quick with one. Also, they’re extremely cheap; 39cent for a loose one in Aldi, 99cent per pack. No excuses.

The first way to cook some good old sweet potato is the golden beam most of us know.

Sweet. Potato. Fries. Food that tastes like takeaway but is good for you? Please. Just cut some up, drizzle a mixture of olive oil and piri-piri over them, throw them in the oven and bake for ten minutes at 180 degrees.

Turn them over for another ten and wolah, donezo. Easy as.

Another delicious sweet potato dinner is close to home, and by home I mean real potatoes. Fill up the sweet potato like you would a regular jacket one. Bake it in the microwave for eight to ten minutes, until it’s tender, scoop out the insides and fill to your heart’s content. My personal favourite is burrito-style with guacamole, sour cream, cheese, pinto beans and some chicken. If you feel like cheating, steal a few scoops out of a Boojum burrito bowl. After all, we are still students.

A definite plus of the potato filling method is that you’re left with scoops of sweet potato. You can mix it into the filling, liquidise it into some soup, have it as mash on the side of your dinner, use it as part of a salad… the options are endless.

My third and final way to cook sweet potato is the method I can only refer to as courgetti. Most people by now are familiar with the phenomenon that is courgette spiralized into fabulous spaghetti-like goodness. But most of us don’t realise, sweet potetti (doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it?) is just as good. Although this method does involve the extra cost of a spiralizer, it’s worth it. They’re more like noodles than pasta, but have the exact comfort-food feel that we so often crave. Add some red pepper cream sauce and you’ve a low calorie dinner that’ll beat the fresher pounds and satisfy that craving. Win, win.

If I haven’t swayed your preconceived notions of sweet potato, I don’t know what else I can do. It’s fabulous. Please enjoy it with me.

24 LIFESTYLE

Tips for staying safe on nights out

By Jessica Hannon A phone and emergency cash. While your bank card is your resource for emergencies, an emergency in this case is not another drink to give you liquid luck to go chat up that special someone. A real emergency folks.

We’re thinking emergency taxi money or some money for a friend to get them food and ride home. An idea is for girls to keep this cash in either a separate part of their purse or a separate compartment in their bag. Lads, a pocket will have to suffice.

Underrated but important, a buddy system is essential. Going out in large groups will never work. The whole squad realistically is not going to remain together, and while you may all meet up again for the mandatory Smacs, you have to get there first. Similar to girls’

Sin Vol. 18 Issue 2

toilet buddies, just stick with someone when you’re out. Girl or boy, let cupid decide but just stay safe people, no one likes shouting down the phone in the middle of Carbon trying to find Linda who managed to get lost again.

Again, you’ve probably heard this one multiple times but listen up. Mind your drink. Do not leave it along with your bag down at an empty table unsupervised by your fine self. It could get spiked and you could lose your bag.

You won’t be boogying that hard that you won’t be able to keep an eye on your drink, along with your belongings.

Mind your surroundings. While the centre of the dancefloor is usually the place to be, it’s not really much fun if the bouncer is visibly restraining people from entering. It’s full, it’s sweaty and it’s rowdy. If it’s a busy night you’re running the risk of an elbow to the face or worse again somebody’s whole body pummelling you into the wall (the sweaty wall, no less). Leave the broken noses to the rugby players and opt for a quieter dancefloor where you can bust some moves of your own without ending up in A&E.

HEALTHY IS THE NEW SEXY

HAVE YOU TRIED O U R B I A B OX ?

Delicious Super Salad Boxes with choice of base, salad and protein

SUPER VEGGIE BLAST €5.50

Broccoli, sugar snap peas, feta, edamame beans, quinoa, sprouted greens. Drizzle - French dressing

VIETNAMESE SLOW ROASTED PORK €5.95 Miso kale slaw, carrot & spring onion. Drizzle - Asian dressing

KOREAN CHICKEN €5.95

Kimchi, bok choy & radish. Drizzle - Yogurt dessing

ROTISSERIE CHICKEN €5.95

Honey roasted roots, red onion & sesame seeds. Drizzle - balsamic dressing

BAKED SALMON FILLET €6.95

Sugar snap peas, sprouted greens & sesame seeds. Drizzle - Lemon dressing

MAKE IT VEGGIE €5.95

€1

Switch any protein with our marinated Tofu

OFF LISTED PRICE

Sult NUI Galway

WITH THIS

VOUCHER

Mindfulness meditation and its benefits for students

By Aoife O’Donoghue College can be a stressful time, as we NUI Galway students only know too well. Trying to juggle coursework, part-time jobs, our social lives and remembering to eat, sleep and exercise can leave us feeling like there aren’t enough days in the week. However, despite our hectic schedules and looming deadlines, it is absolutely essential that we take some time out for ourselves, to relax, to breath and to just be.

In the break-neck pace of the modern world, it is more important than ever that we take care of our mental well-being. Mental health is a huge issue for the young people of Ireland, with more and more of us struggling with anxiety, depression and extreme levels of stress. Knowing how to cope with stress and how to relieve it is a life skill that everyone should learn and put into practice in their daily lives.

Practicing Mindfulness is one of the ways that we can learn to rid ourselves of excess stress and tension. At its core, Mindfulness teaches us how to live in the present moment and forget external pressures in the process.

It uses simple breathing techniques and meditation practices which increase attention to our thoughts, feelings and immediate surroundings while distracting from worry and negativity.

The practice of Mindfulness can have fantastic benefits for students. Taking the time to stop and be actively aware of our surroundings can improve cognitive control by increasing concentration and attention spans – something we could all be grateful for at a 9am lecture.

Furthermore, engaging in Mindful Meditation can contribute to emotional stability. At times of high stress, our emotions can fluctuate radically and these highs and lows can leave us feeling emotionally drained. Being able to regulate our emotional response to stress is really important and it’s an aspect of our lives that Mindfulness can definitely improve.

Mindfulness also makes those who practice it much more self-aware, which in turn can lead to increased empathy, compassion, tolerance and improved self-esteem.

Improvement in all these areas of a student’s life can, in turn, only lead to improved performance, improved grades but most importantly, improved happiness.

Introducing Mindfulness into our lives as students need not be daunting, as the exercises are easy and flexible with no expectations of the person practising it. One of the most basic exercises is called the Puppy Mind.

During the Puppy Mind, we sit upright and become aware of our body’s points of contact, with the chair, with the floor, with our clothes.

We then turn our attention to the breath and simply follow the movement of the breath in and out of the body without trying to change it. We feel the breath in our chest, our stomach, our nose and mouth and try to keep our focus on this.

Gradually we may notice that our mind has wandered away, like a puppy, to focus on other things, be it daydreams or worries.

When we notice this, we guide ourselves back to our breath, like guiding a puppy back to its owner.

This can be done for as short or long a time as feels comfortable.

The whole idea is to focus on the present moment.

Incorporating Mindfulness into our everyday lives can be even simpler. When you’re walking to college, take a moment to actively notice the sounds that you hear – the traffic, leaves rustling, a squeaky bicycle.

Notice the wind blowing through your hair, the heat of sunshine on your eyelids, or the drizzle of rain on your cheeks. Be aware of every step that you take and how your feet connect your body to the earth, to the ground. Take some time to realise that you are here, alive in this moment and for that time, you can forget whatever it is you were worried about.

NUI Galway Students’ Union Presents / Cuireann Comhaltas na Mac Léinn

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l i e NDelamere & SUPPORT

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MONDAY O C TO B E R

8pm Monday 3rd October 2016 at the O’Flaherty Theatre 8 i.n., Dé Luain, An 3 Deireadh Fómhair 2016 i dtéatar Uí Fhlaithearta Tickets €5 from the SU Office and the SU Engineering Desk €5 An ticéad, le fail ó Oifig an Chomhaltais agus ó dheasc Innealtóireachta an Chomhaltas

www.su.nuigalway.ie

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facebook.com/NUIGalwayStudentsUnion

twitter.com/NUIGSU

13/09/2016 14:00

26 ENTERTAINMENT

Sin Vol. 18 Issue 2

NUIG Drama alumni set up theatre company Cáca Dána and are all set to stage first production

By Megan Reilly ‘Women don’t find women funny.

We are inclined not to show support for our own gender. That’s why boybands do better than girlbands.’

What do you think? Does this quote spark your interest? Do you think this is likely to start off a spritely feminist debate? Well, this is exactly what the ladies of Cáca Dána are endeavouring to do.

Made up of NUIG Drama, Theatre and Performance students set to graduate this October, with energy in bucket loads and a cheeky Irish name to match; Cáca Dána has burst onto the Galway Theatre scene.

The four piece includes Dara O’Donnell, Katie Reid, Marie Hegarty and Niamh Ryan.

When asked about why they took such initiative in starting their own company, Katie explains; “There’s no point in waiting for the phone to ring, we have to create our own opportunities. We were all concerned about the same issues and wanted to address them through theatre because that’s what we learned to do. We want more females on the stage talking about female issues in a relatable way.”

How many college graduates can say that the first thing they did upon finishing their degree was to start a company? It is something we all aspire to surely; to follow the dream

people told us were unrealistic, the ones where we are told to come up with another plan; a safer one, a more boring one perhaps. Cáca Dána encompasses all those vibrant dreams, and promises to produce pieces reflective of the girls’ passions; that thrill and intrigue with intimate and contemporary performances.

“It’s what everyone talked about doing all the way through college,” says Marie Hegarty of this exciting new venture.

Cáca Dána “We actually did it, it’s like fulfilling something you thought about when you were younger but never thought you’d actually have the nerve to do.”

Though the company only came into existence a few short weeks ago, the girls have already launched their first production All the world’s a Cage, a one act modern play about the struggles of the young, broke and talented, which will be staged

in the Town Hall Theatre Studio from 6 - 8 October.

Written, produced, directed and staged by them, Marie tells me a little more about what we can expect from their fledgling feminist production; “The important thing is just that it’s a comedy that looks at the challenges faced by women; the way we ourselves make decisions which change our place in the world. It’s all about taking control and being true to your own femininity or masculinity or just your own personal self because that’s where your strength comes from, not from trying to fit into what the world deems as strong or the right way to act.”

What a contemporary adventure, one that pushes the boundaries of society’s restrictions and tells us to express ourselves and the issues we face. With such young, new and self-empowered voices, Cáca Dána shows great promise and scope for growth. When passion and action comes together like this it tends to create something wonderful that cannot be contained. I promise you, this is something you want to be a part of.

All the world’s a cage will be performed in the Town Hall Studio from the 6 - 8 October. Get your tickets from the Town Hall and follow Cáca Dána on facebook at Cáca Dána theatre company.

BRANGELINA SPLIT: the end of the power couple as we know it?

By Jessica Hannon On On Tuesday 21 September the world crumbled and fell a little bit at the news that power couple of more than a decade Brangelina aka Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have filed for divorce over irreconcilable differences. *gasps* But what does this say for the mere mortal human race when one of the most revered and iconic celebrity couples have called it quits? While the internet is now filled with happy Jennifer Anniston memes, spare a thought for the day that relationships changed forever. Save a thought for all the relationships that have been doomed to failure as of Tuesday. Why? Because their chief role model is dead.

Brangelina will be etched into inspiration history as just another couple that were, but that didn’t stand the test of time (and 6 kids).

They now take their place along the Hollywood cemetery for love lost, alongside Instagram favourites Johnny and Winona. (Wine forever, I agree too, Johnny!)

While we look at this break up and think how someone could get sick of looking at Brad Pitt’s face and equally vice versa (how I would love to look like Angelia Jolie at twenty), let’s not ignore the elephant in the room here.

The fact of the matter is that Brad and Angelina are two people that together formed a couple. On their own. By themselves. It was the media who coined the term ‘Brangelina’ and the media and celebrity gossip channels that created the idea of rivalry between the trio that was never to be, Brad, Angelina and Jennifer.

But while we focus on the fact that the Oscars red carpet will be forever changed and the inside of ‘Hello!’ magazine has just received content

to last it the next month, we mustn’t forget that minus the media and the fame, Brangelina are just the same as Mary and Joe down the road.

Don’t be fooled, while that beautiful Legends of the Fall face and white blond hair blowing in the wind on horseback will forever be etched into our memories, Pitt is just like anyone else (well, not just anyone, but you get it.) So why the fuss? Is it not all just a bit superficial to place such an emphasis on someone else’s life? And while Brangelina are just another product of the Hollywood Valley of Ashes, lest the faith in love and relationships be restored. Let the light of Venus and her vestal virgins shine down on the college relationships of 2016/17 because while almost all of you may end in ruin (sorry, kids!) there might just be a percentage that survives postBrangelina. Praise Cupid.

EMMYS 2016: winners, losers and political bruisers

By Aisling Bonner Newcomers rose to the top, but old favourites stole the limelight; the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards left no stone unturned as outspoken speeches made headlines of their own right. The People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story (albeit a bit of a mouthful) dealt the biggest blow to the trophy-case, stealing five of the major awards, including four acting awards and the award for ‘Outstanding Limited Series’.

Unsurprisingly, the big triumph of the night was Game of Thrones, who despite stealing only three of the main categories (‘Outstanding Drama Series’, ‘Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series’ and ‘Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series) secured 12 wins overall, overtaking Frasier as the most successful show in Emmy award history. The show reached 38 awards in its six-year run just edging past Kelsey Grammer and co. at 37.

Disappointingly for many fans, however, the show’s actors were all beaten with Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Maisie Williams, Peter Dinklage and Kit Harington all nominated for best supporting actor/actress in a drama series. This blow was softened by executive producer David Benioff, who claimed; “We have the best cast that I think has ever been assembled.”

Veep and Transparent triumphed in the comedy categories with two wins each, but it was Veep who stole the top nod of ‘Outstanding Comedy Series’. Julia Louis-Dreyfus secured the crown of America’s funniest woman with her fifth consecutive ‘Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series’ win. Transparent director Jill Soloway’s rousing acceptance speech for directing in a comedy series was a major talking point of the night as she slammed the patriarchy, praised the transgender community and spoke of changing the world through television. She closed her speech with her battle cry; “We need to stop violence against transgender women and topple the patriarchy.” Her sentiments were echoed by ‘Outstanding Actor in in a Comedy Series’ winner and Transparent star, Jeffrey Tambor who called on producers, directors and creators to give transgender talent their chance.

Maggie Smith whose yearly absence from the ceremony was the subject of much of Kimmel’s gags, took home her fourth Emmy at age 81 for her role in Downton Abbey.

Newcomer Remi Malek (Mr Robot) became the first minority actor in 18

years to take home the award for best actor in a drama series, and Tatiana Maslany, another first-time winner, stole the gold for best actress in a drama series for her role in Orphan Black.

It was a mixture surprises and predictability, but it wasn’t just the losers left licking their wounds. Instead some familiar targets (and one in particular) were the objects of countless jokes, digs and slurs. Not far from the home he loves on screen, America’s television awards delivered blow after blow to Donald Trump. From presenter Jimmy Kimmel’s blatant scolding of Celebrity Apprentice producer Mark Burnett for bringing the Republican red-head into our homes, to Julia Louis-Drefus personally apologising for “the current political climate”, admitting it makes Veep look like a “sobering documentary” rather than political satire. Despite Burnett’s attempt to back up his buddy, Trump, and throw counter-shade at Hilary Clinton, she got off far lighter than her political rival.

Numerous jibes also highlighted the diversity of the Emmy’s in comparison to its movie counterpart, the Oscars. Several comments hinted at the Academy Awards’ racist undertones. Kimmel in his opening monologue hit the first punch, announcing; “If you are a person of colour in our audience tonight, especially if you’re a nominee, please find a white person right now just to take a moment to reach out and say ‘Thanks for your bravery’.” His point was reiterated by ‘Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series’ winner Aziz Ansari who jokingly claimed he was voting for Trump and therefore all Muslim and Hispanic nominees should leave, a feat much easier achieved if he were at the Oscars.

Aside from the gibes and activism, there were lighter elements interspersed throughout. What started as an ode to recently deceased director Gary Marshall, evolved into a performance of ‘Hallelujah’ by singer-songwriter Tori Kelly in memoriam of many fallen greats this past year including Alan Rickman, Doris Roberts, Anton Yelchin, Prince, Muhammad Ali, David Bowie and Gene Wilder. A Carpool Karaoke-turned-Wham! concert, peanut butter sandwiches handed out by the kids from Stranger Things, and Matt Damon’s epic shade-throwing upon Kimmel’s own category defeat all made for an entertaining night with a bit of bite. It was better than the IFTAs at any cost.

ENTERTAINMENT 27

September 27 2016

Talking testicles and babies born as Michael McCoy takes O’Flaherty

By Aisling Bonner The Students’ Union’s comedy nights returned with an abracadabra this month when comedy hypnotist extraordinaire Michael McCoy took to the O’Flaherty Theatre on Monday 12 September. No swinging pendulums, just a mic and a sound system saw McCoy deliver a handful of volunteers to Wonderland, leaving the rest in fits of laughter at their expense.

The surprise pack of free condoms for every audience member was a subtle hint towards the nature of the show. McCoy began by sussing out his crowd, playing a quick cardgame from which he could pinpoint those most susceptible to hypnosis.

“It’s all about the power of the mind,” he explained, toying with psychedelic music and a spinning hypnosis wheel. After inviting all volunteers to the stage, McCoy proceeded to attempt to hypnotise the room, hoping to catch out some unsuspecting drifters in the audience.

80s gameshow-style music accompanied McCoy’s commands as the audience and volunteers on stage interlocked their fingers and closed their eyes.

“Keep telling yourself, my hands are locking, my hands are locking,” he repeated as the chosen ones fell deeper and deeper into the sleep of a lifetime. One by one McCoy laid them down on the floor, his job made easier by some so far gone they were already toppling like dominos. It was the calm before the storm as the sleeping individuals were about to be taken on a bumpy ride (no pun intended).

It started out tame. You’re on a beach and applying your sun cream.

Harmless, but still fun to watch. The risky nipple-rubs earned a few hoots from the crowd who really had no

idea what they were in for. A horserace got the adrenaline pumping as some volunteers broke out in a sweat hopping off their seats, and inflicting borderline animal cruelty on their imaginary horses. Tension increased in the group as McCoy told them they’d become increasingly angry when he called them the wrong name. Some outbursts later, the volunteers were treated to a funny movie which turned suddenly sad, reducing all them all to tears.

The volunteers all cried out, bodily malfunctions would take over the next segment. From an orgasm

inducing hat, to a rubber nose, the poor volunteers were about to get freaked out. ‘Facebook’ was the trigger for one particularly responsive fellow who instantly exploded with laughter at his own testicles who were talking to one another. When asked what the testicles were talking about, the poor lad replied in earnest; “I just want to get a degree.” A fine pair of sensible testicles there.

Another poor unfortunate was told it was his job to save the audience from drowning as water gushed through a huge leak in the wall. The more the crowd cheered the longer his tongue would grow, leaving him mumbling frantically, his five foot long tongue lolling about. To make the task even more difficult, when the hypnotist uttered ‘Fireplace’ the long-tongued hero’s nether regions would burst into flames. Quite the multitasking exercise.

Next it was time to bring some new life to the show. All of the males on the stage suddenly fell heavily pregnant and roared in pain as their babies crowned, much to the panic of the female volunteers-turnedmidwives. Tears of joy spilled as the fathers met their new-borns, or to us lucid folk: a green j-cloth thrown to them by the hypnotist.

“What are you going to call it?”

McCoy asked. “Edward,” one replied, tenderly.

“But it’s a girl,” McCoy corrected.

“My father’s middle name is Edward,” he said. A touching moment indeed.

Song triggers took things to the next level as ‘Eye of the Tiger’ saw shirts ripped off and belts won, and ‘I Just Wanna Make Love to You’ spurred the girls to hop on lucky males in the audience. A faulty can of whipped cream proved to be a near miss for one lad, much to the hypnotised girl’s frustration. The show culminated in a display too erotic to print, as the volunteers drove the show home with a four minute stint as the stars of a porno with a screaming audience in the background.

McCoy finished the show by telling his hypnotised minions that they would not wake up embarrassed by anything they’d done and gave them the opportunity to use their hypnotised state to help them quit smoking, study better or overcome any other mental feat they had. Anyone who doubted the art of hypnosis, left a firm believer. €5 for two hours of pure side-splitting hilarity – it’s no wonder McCoy sells out every time.

BBC left with a soggy bottom after losing Bake Off bid Adele to take 10 year break after

By Amanda Leeson £25 million to hold onto the show. it stands it is still a mystery if the pair world tour Whether you tune in to watch the bakers have a melt down over burnt biscuits, to see the secret tricks of how to make your own jaffa cakes, or even just to watch Paul Hollywood reduce a grown man to tears, Great British Bake Off has quickly become one of the BBC’s most popular shows.

The first episode of the seventh season of the show saw 10 million people tune in making it the most watched show on BBC to date. We can only imagine that the BBC team were pretty happy with that. However their excitement was short lived after it emerged that they will not be the broadcaster who own the rights of the next season.

The British broadcaster lost the deal to none other than Channel 4 who will take the reins next season. The eight season of the show is rumoured to kick off with a Bake Off celebrity special for Stand Up to Cancer.

The Bake Off on BBC broke down after the broadcaster couldn’t afford the demands of the show, being recently hit with a new licence fee that forced them to make serious cut backs including moving BBC 3 to an online-only platform. BBC lost the deal after refusing to pay around

Channel 4 has now signed a three year deal with the company behind the Bake Off, Love Productions.

A source has labeled the move as a “dirty trick” by Channel 4. The Bake Off began on BBC in 2010 and has grown massively in popularity over its 7 seasons, including the creation of spin-off shows like an Extra Slice and Junior Bake Off. Channel 4 is host to many popular food programmes such as Come Dine with Me and Food Unwrapped, including many popular chefs such as Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal hosting shows.

Channel 4 is reported to have signed Jamie Oliver in 2010 after being catapulted into the spotlight by the BBC. The change in channel will still see the show on free to air TV. Love Productions is said to be unhappy with the limited platform with restrictions to the shows online recipes.

Love Productions hoped to retain the curent members of the show but it is reported that none of the hosts or crew were informed of the negotiations. Sadly for the Great British Bake Off it is uncertain if both Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood will move to Channel 4 after the baking duo said they are loyal to BBC. Mary and Paul have been offered a substantial pay rise to stay with the show but as

will return for the eight season.

If you’re like me and enjoy nothing more than snuggling up on a Wednesday night to watch presenters Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc making terrible baking themed jokes, then I have some pretty bad news. The shock move to Channel 4 will not see the presenting duo follow. Mel and Sue have been the face of the Bake Off since 2010 and many enjoyed their on screen chemistry and good cop, bad cop approach to the star baker and person being sent home. Many names have been thrown around as their replacements such as Fearne Cotton, Holly Willoughby and the winner of the last season Nadiya Hussain. Unfortunately this is all only speculation and Channel 4 are yet to reveal who will fill the pretty big shoes.

So, with the loss of the popular presenters and the controversial move to Channel 4, are the ratings set to become as flat as an unrisen soufflé or is a revamp of the show needed after seven seasons to keep things new and exciting? There is no doubt that Channel 4 have taken on a big challenge by trying to recreate the massive success of the BBC, but only time will tell if the massive gamble will pay off and lead to bigger and better things.

By Georgia Ryan Following Adele’s 6 Grammy award winning album 21, the ‘Someone Like You’ singer shocked fans when she revealed that she would be taking a five year career break, mainly to focus on her relationships and personal life.

However, this break was cut short when 3 years later she returned with yet another triumphant album, 25.

During her first break, Adele spent time with her current partner, Simon Konecki and gave birth to her son, Angelo. Now, once again, Adele has broken the hearts of many of her fans revealing that she will be going on a ten year hiatus, not wanting to miss a moment of her sons’ childhood.

Following her mammoth world tour of 107 dates, Adele will be finishing up for the foreseeable future on 15 November in Mexico City. The ‘Hello’ hit maker will reportedly be taking a break of up to ten years in order to focus on her son, who will be starting school next year. The singer, now 28, wants to focus on motherhood and so will be giving up touring as her son would be unable to join her on the road. However, it has also been reported that Adele fans might not be totally left Adeleless as the artist could be taking up a Las Vegas residency.

Adele first came into the spotlight following the release of her debut album 19. After this, the singer was catapulted into almost instant fame, with tracks such as ‘Hometown Glory’ and ‘Make You Feel My Love’ becoming instant classics. Following the record breaking success of her second album 21, Adele admitted that she was in some ways sceptical to continue with her career in music. Speaking on The Graham Norton show in 2015, the music mogul was quoted saying; “I just got really worried that I was never going to make anything that anyone liked again. It was just being self-critical of myself, it was nothing else other than that.”

However, with 25 selling over 15 million copies worldwide, it appears that the singer’s worries have definitely been left unfounded.

Although it feels like we’ve only just got her back, Adele has managed to break hearts again with the announcement of her upcoming hiatus. However, with the release and immense success of her latest album, Adele has definitely proved herself as the queen of comebacks. Despite us maybe having to wait until 2027 for her next release, it’s no doubt that her return will be much anticipated and more than well received.

28 ENTERTAINMENT

Sin Vol. 18 Issue 2

THE GALWAY GAMER Can Metal Gear Survive?

By Eoghan Murphy Surely it’s time to speak about the elephant in the room.

We could continue to ignore how it has come barrelling through the far wall and is now not-so-stealthily hiding in the corner. It’s there in full view for all to see and sooner or later we’re just going to have to admit it; we’re going to have to talk about Metal Gear Survive.

The Metal Gear series has been around since the 1980s, but it really came into its own in the mid-90s with the genre defining Metal Gear Solid. It took the stealth gameplay of the previous titles and vastly expanded upon it throughout a huge 3D military complex. It also added long, story-driven, cuts scenes which are now common place in gaming. The game set a benchmark so high that even its own sequel couldn’t surpass it. As a whole, the series revolves around political corruption, espionage and war in what is essentially an intricate spy story which spans generations of character development. As zany as the series has often become, featuring outlandish science fiction and all manner of bizarre weaponry, it was

always more or less grounded in reality. A loose reality, yes; but still one that played by the rule set that it had initially put into place. The problem now is that those rules have been broken.

Metal Gear Survive, the latest in the long running series from Konami, was announced in August of this year and could be tagged as one of the most ignored reveal trailers of all time. It showed a platoon of soldiers, transported through a portal into a world of zombie-like creatures, insinuating that these characters would have to work together in order to survive the ordeal. It seems that this is where Metal Gear fans simply stepped away from the franchise. A concept so farfetched and so removed from the source material that fans seemed to just brush it under the carpet.

However, a second video emerged lately, showcasing the title’s gameplay mechanics which are similar to those seen in many Metal Gear games. The stealth elements are present, but on an almost alien world where players must do battle with these ‘creatures’ that have more in common with The Last of Us than they could ever have with a military based game.

Not only does Survive look like a different beast to what fans have come to expect from the series, but it’s also the first game since the franchise creator and globally renowned video game director, Hideo Kojima left the company. It would appear that he has brought his fans with him. Although Survive’s gameplay looks solid and the price tag that will be attached at launch is rumoured to be somewhere in the region of €30, it’s hard to tell whether or not this game will be a hit. On one side, the reduced price could be enough to sway many people into purchasing the game. Also, zombies and zombie styled enemies still seem to be a huge seller across video gaming’s landscape.

The other view is that long term Metal Gear fans seem to have rejected this game and instead regarded it as nothing more than a cheap cash in; a stain on the series’ good name. Instead of sticking with Konami’s next instalment, they have sided with Kojima and are following him to his brand new IP, Death Stranding.

So it begs the question, can Metal Gear survive without its core fan base?

Eoghan Murphy is a Galway City based music and gaming journalist. Born and raised on 1980s thrash metal, this ex-vocalist also enjoys a touch of hard rock and hip hop. When not banging his head to extreme music, he can usually be found knee deep in piles of video games, competing at tournaments and writing for www.

Hit-Start-Now.com or spinning chiptunes on Flirt FM at 2pm each Thursday as the Galway Gamer.

ENTERTAINMENT 29

September 27 2016

SIN BOOK CLUB: Nod by Adrian Barnes

By Stephen Flaherty The genre of sci - fi dystopian fiction has grown immensely over the last number of years, and now boasts a diverse range of titles from a vast array of authors. But with so much competition, how does one make their story stand out? I’ve always found it’s the authors that are able to

By night two of the pandemic, panic and hysteria starts to set in as the seriousness of the situation begins to hit home. take something that we associate with from everyday life and manipulate it into something nightmarish, that are able to spark public interest. One such author is Adrian Barnes.

Born in Blackpool, England and raised in Canada, Barnes obtained an MA in creative writing from Manchester Metropolitan University,

after which he channelled his love of writing and hunger for stories into writing his own. The premise of his debut novel, Nod, is so simple yet so intensely realised that it’s frightening to comprehend what our world would be like if it were to happen in reality. We follow the story from the point of view of misanthropic author Paul, who writes books on etymology, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Paul recounts the last days of civilised society after almost everybody in the world is consumed by chronic insomnia overnight.

The book starts slow, with everybody who hasn’t slept merely curious about why they haven’t.

But by night two of the pandemic, panic and hysteria starts to set in as the seriousness of the situation begins to hit home. After just six days, psychosis related to sleep deprivation sets in, and if a cure cannot be found within four weeks, the body begins to shut down and die. Only around one in every ten thousand have been able to sleep (many of whom are children), and amazingly, they have all had the same dream. Paul is one of these Sleepers, and must endure the torture of watching his

wife Tanya, dubbed an Awakened, fall to pieces before his eyes. As time runs out, and the Awakened become more and more zombie like, society must act quick to find a solution, before civilisation as we know it is decimated.

As strange as it may sound, there is something captivating about stories which involve the fall of society and the destruction of our planet. Why else would dystopian fiction be so popular? I’m just under half way through the book, but it’s easy to see what sets Barnes’ novel apart from its contemporaries. Nod is an exceptionally written, exploration of the human spirit, and how easy it is to break that spirit and see it become something darker, pushing people to do the unthinkable in order to survive. Some of the imagery is unsettling, really getting under the skin. One scene sees a man driven mad by sleep deprivation plan to kill a child, because he believes drinking its blood will free him from his affliction.

It’s safe to say that this may not be for the faint of heart, but with an unpredictable plot, it’s a joy to keep reading.

Roald Dahl and the dark magic of childhood

By Mark Laherty To get away from the constant activity of family life, Roald Dahl set up a workspace in the shed way down the backyard. There was a lightbulb system to contact him. His wife would flash the light once if he was needed for something normal like a visitor, and twice if it was an emergency.

In that small shed, Dahl wrote at a crawl. He was the kind of writer who would spend an entire day writing and rewriting the opening paragraph.

Slowly, he would eke out his peculiar novels.

It’s worth thinking about how these books for children had fairly dark plotlines. Four children meet a harsh comeuppance for their vices during a tour of a factory. A father and son concoct a poaching get-richquick scheme. A small boy murders his aunts with a large piece of fruit.

It all sounds a little bit Stephen King more than anything. Yet these stories were, and still are, in the hands of thousands of schoolkids, and they love it.

Part of the reason for this is that kids aren’t all as precious and fragile as we sometimes imagine. You can

see this outside of books as well.

Rating a movie PG might nowadays stand for Practically G, but back in the day it was the accepted rating for Labyrinth. Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe opened its third season with a young boy having to drill to the centre of the earth to stop the fragmented souls of thousands from accidentally destroying the world.

Lots of kids love being scared, and Dahl understood children well enough to see that. But he was an eccentric sort. His shed was built precisely to the proportions and with the same materials of Dylan Thomas’ similar writing hideaway. All he needed was a refuge from “general domesticity,” but his attention to detail and perfectionism drove him in life as it did in his writing.

However, it might be unfair to paint Dahl as a quirky sort of teddy bear. Some digging will show that he wasn’t necessarily the nicest person to hang around with. Over the course of his life, he made several public statements expressing overt discrimination towards Jews.

“There is a trait in the Jewish character,” he said in a 1983 interview with New Statesman, “that does

provoke animosity, maybe it’s a kind of lack of generosity towards non-Jews. I mean, there is always a reason why anti-anything crops up anywhere. Even a stinker like Hitler didn’t just pick on them for no reason.

I mean, if you and I were in a line moving towards what we knew were gas chambers I’d rather have a go at taking one of the guards with me, but they were always submissive.”

Given the media’s general knack for picking up on small strands of outrage and reporting on them as if they were full-blown campaigns, it’s understandable that one might be sceptical at assertions that Dahl was a bigot.

But presented with the evidence, it seems ludicrous to pretend that Dahl wasn’t repugnant in his views.

What we’re left with here is the classic question of whether the art can be disconnected from the artist.

If you’re a Dahl fan and you’re happy to keep on being a Dahl fan, that’s totally understandable. Children will continue to read him, and adults will continue to have fond memories.

But remember what he taught you: the world has shadows, even in childhood.

A poem for Freshers

By Saoirse Rafferty We are back together in Smokey’s, As the summer comes to a close, Except it doesn’t look like Smokey’s now, But, a place I do not know.

New people, new places, For us to meet and seat, If you are a first year sit down and listen, ‘cos people only see you as ‘fresh meat’.

So where do you fit in?

Have you been to a Socs Night?

If you haven’t skipped a lecture yet, You’re doing it right.

Have you heard the tale of Smokey’s Pigeon, Or had your first Boojum?

You aren’t a first year if you haven’t Gotten rejected to Carbon.

Free journals and pens, You’ll need some of those, But I bet the lecturers never told you These things you need the most.

Open your eyes and ears, With a big smile on your face, Realise that nobody fits in anywhere here, So come and join us in this peculiar place.

Skeleton in Manhattan

By Orla Carty They drank champagne until their shirts came off, She ripped open her shoe, Just to see what was actually inside a Jimmy Choo.

Oh she laughed and laughed, they all laughed, Until one started to cry, She just rolled her eyes.

Parental neglect, they were used to it by now, A thought of consoling, being kind, Did cross her mind.

But the headmistress’s son was up at the bar, Flirting with wine, Waitress batting her eyes.

A few hours later She was the one in tears, Lying in a gutter, Glass grazing her heel of butter.

Come morning time and she’d staggered home, The maid hadn’t realised, Didn’t even blink an eye.

Two weeks since it had happened and her closet, Still gagged at the stench, How had it not been discovered yet?

No Coco Channel no.5 could mask it, No way to disguise, Nose was stronger than eyes.

She collapsed on her feather mattress, Trembling and oh Audrey Hepburn, A poster of perfection, But did she normally grimace like that?

The panic hits high, Always with a twitching eye.

She scrabbled the skin just over her heart, Caking beneath her fingernails, Breathing completely failed.

It was an accident, just an accident, Not deliberate, she didn’t try To create such blank blank eyes.

She stank.

It stank.

He stank.

Audrey could smell him.

Recent Sporting Glories

NUIG Mystics ended their regular season with a record a 15 wins and one loss, and took the league title to add to their national cup success. They now move onwards and upwards as NUIG Mystics have gained promotion to the Superleague, the top tier of Basketball in Ireland.

To top off one of the most successful years on record for Basketball in NUIG, the mens team took the Division One All-Ireland title as well as the Intervarsity championships after a thrilling game against Griffith College Dublin. NUIG won the game by a single point at the Kingfisher Club.

Another team that shot to glory this past season was Ladies Soccer. After becoming Womens Irish Premier Division winners in March, they topped it all off with a massive 12-0 win against University of Ulster to win the Intervarsity Shield final. A season not to be forgotten for Ladies Soccer, they went undefeated for their entire campaign.

Similar to the Soccer, the Womens Rugby finished with a fantastic undefeated season. The Women managed to win four from four games, taking home four trophies including the IURU Kay Bowen trophy and the national Intervarsity title. The future looks very bright for Rugby in NUIG.

Kayak Hero Wins Pride Of Ireland Award NUIG student Alan Herdman has become a national hero after saving the lives of eight children in Rusheen Bay last summer. The now fourth year Science student was teaching paddle-boarding to a group of young children when his attention was drawn to screaming and calls for help from a nearby bay area .With his vast training in emergency scenarios, Alan was able to rescue five lives and the remaining three with the help of his colleague.

Today, the brave Microbiology student still suffers from the physical ailments brought on by his life-saving actions.

Although nothing would stop him from doing it again. It is with no great surprise that Alan has won a Pride Of Ireland award. Speaking about the event, the young man from Celbridge, Co Kildare said,”my first thought was that not all of these eight children are going to live today, this will be about minimising casualties.’’

NUIG’s Paralympians

Eoghan Clifford

Pat O’Leary

The college of Engineering lecturer comes away from Rio with a gold and bronze medal from three events.

Not a bad medal haul. Although it could have been more for the 2015 world champion but for a chain slip in the last 200m of the C1-3 70km road race in Pontal. Rio 2016 marks the first Paralympic Games for the Galway native, and after so much success since his Para-cycling debut in 2014 winning gold in the men’s C3 road race, this Games should be the first of more to come.

Originally from Cork, the now Moycullen based Chemistry lecturer participated in the first ever Paracanoe event at a Paralympics. Pat competed in the KL3 class, and after coming 3rd both in his heat and semi-final, took a very-fine 6th in the final. Pat secured his place in the Games by winning the ‘B’ final at the Paracanoe world cup in May. Pat is coached by former international, Neil Fleming and has been steadily climbing the world rankings.

Competing in the TT2 Women’s Table Tennis, Rena, from Buncrana Co Donegal finished at the quarterfinal stage unfortunately losing out to the eventual silver medallist from South Korea. Now based in Bearna Co Galway, the former NUIG Students’ Union manager has represented Ireland at the 2014 and 2015 World and European championships respectively. This was Rena’s second Paralympics, having competed four years ago at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

The Rio 2016 Paralympics was Deirdre’s first Games. From Milltown, Co Galway, Deirdre finished 5th in the F53 Women’s Shot Putt. Although coming just short of her PB, 5th in the world is no mean feat. She completed her BSc and MSc in 2001, and then went on to earn a PhD in 2006.

Deirdre is a former World and European bronze medallist. She juggles training with motherhood and is looking forward to competing more in the future.

Rena McCarron-Rooney

Deirdre Mongan

Ireland’s Olympic Medallists Brothers Gary and Paul O’Donovan of Skibbereen Rowing Club captured a nation’s heart with a wonderful display of courage, skill and determination in taking home silver medals in the mens’ lightweight double sculls. As the fans looked on, memories of previous rowing shortfalls came to mind, but not in the minds of the two brothers. Right up to the last 100m they pushed their French rivals and current world champions, but lost out by .53 seconds. This adds to a haul of medals and wins picked up by the pair at previous international competitions.

It was a silver medal for Annalise Murphy in the Sailing event. After coming in fourth in London four years ago, Annalise was itching for a podium spot.

This is Ireland’s first success in sailing since 1980 when David Wilkins and James Wilkinson won silver in the Flying Dutchman class in Moscow. The 26-year old showed no regard for warnings over the water quality in Guanabara Bay by diving in to celebrate before coming ashore to be greeted by her family and supporters.

NUIG’s Ultimate Team – NUT

Are you a member of NUIG’s Ultimate Team (NUT)? Read on.

NUIG Sport are driving a sport/recreational intermural programme within the five Colleges. The activites are designed to involve all and promote mass participation. You can enter as many teams as you like, from any one school, and will include; 7-a-side Gaelic, Frisbee, Tag Rugby, Futsal and a 3k jog for Athletics. There will be overall prizes for each event as well as spot prizes. For all events there will be a chance to attend a training session to fine tune your skills and have some fun.

Events take place from October to March with the final event taking place in March 2017. All registered NUIG students and staff are welcome.

Final event: Pit your wits and physical abilities in our version of a Tough Mudder. Face-paint included! There will be specific rules for each of the above events. You must have participated in at least one of the build-up events to be eligible to participate in the final event. We hope you are interested and excited – watch out for posters and a Facebook page in the coming week!!!

If you prefer to be an organiser of any of the events above please do not hesitate to contact kathy.hynes@nuigalway.ie or you may be interested in the Blackstone business programme.

A Word From The Clubs’ Captain - Caitlin Jansen

Blackstone LaunchPad “Ready, Steady, Start”

It was once said that a man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions. So be ambitious! Don’t let momentary check points or fails get in the way of an overall goal. And more importantly, don’t settle!

So go out there to try new societies, clubs and activities. Make the most of the college experience because this year, that's what I'll working to do for those of you in clubs. This year is going to be all about that extra step. We're going to be bringing clubs together this year in a way that will set us a part from previous years and set us up for success in the future. Come down to Kingfisher, Dangan and our other club locations to see what we're all about. Trust me, there's a sport for everyone.

Welcome to a new business programme from Blackstone Launchpad.

As a club Captain, committee member and member of a Sports club, you are invited to participate in a series of modules that will help you to promote, support and increase your club membership.

The modules include: opportunity assessment and value proposition; product market fit (two sessions) this will involve lots of field work and research; business development marketing and customer acquisition; revenue models presentation. Each session will be based on the Concourse 1-2pm every Tuesday lunchtime commencing Tuesday 27 September.

34 SPORT

Sin Vol. 18 Issue 2

Dublin and Mayo live to fight another day in scrappy classic

By Graham Gillespie When sport is at its thrilling best it can drain its spectators in almost the same way it exhausts the participants. Sunday 18 September in Croke Park was one such day as 79 gripping minutes of Football could not separate Dublin and Mayo in one of the most remarkable All-Ireland finals in years.

The game which finished 2-09 to 0-15 also exhibited how a match does not need to be of the highest quality or especially high scoring to be a classic. In fact, perhaps the most noticeable factor on the day was the litany of errors committed by both sides throughout the contest.

Mayo started what would become a bizarre first half brightly with Charlestown midfielder Tom Parsons kicking a fairly routine point directly in front of the posts to open the scoring after two minutes. The always talismanic Cillian O’Connor doubled Mayo’s lead shortly after with a free but in the eighth minute Brian Fenton played a clever fisted one-two with his midfield partner Michael Darragh MacAuley to create space on the left side for him to have a shot at goal which was splendidly saved by Mayo keeper David Clarke.

However, from that save came astonishing misfortune as the ball ricocheted around the box with sweeper Kevin McLoughlin accidentally toe poking the ball into

his own net. Just a few moments later Mayo were exposed in the same manner with another Fenton one-two finishing with a shot but once again Clarke held up his end of the bargain saving well.

Despite these two moments Mayo

some of which were forced by skilful Dublin defending. Dean Rock, who had a 93 percent success rate from frees before this game, also started tentatively for the Dubs missing three out his first four dead balls and also missing an early convertible chance A more mentally fragile from play.

Yet Rock was involved team after a confounding in Dublin’s second goal of the game when he mishanfirst half like that would dled the ball in the Mayo box after a clever rapid-fire have been resigned free from Connolly only for Mayo stalwart Colm Boyle to to their fate but Mayo divert the ball into his own net. When Donal Vaughan began the second period charged forward to narrow the scoreline in the perfectly, reeling off four 24th minute to make it 2-0 to 0-4, Mayo found themscores in four minutes. selves two points down in a game where a Dublin player picked themselves up quickly still hadn’t got on the scoresheet. and got level through another Even the most scientifically driven O’Connor free. sceptic in Croke Park must have Mayo’s defence managed to muttered profanities under their almost totally nullify the Dublin breath. forwards in the early stages with Moments after Vaughan’s pressure especially being exerted point, however, there was a seton Kevin McManamon and Dean back for Dublin when James Rock. Seamus O’Shea bravely McCarthy received a black card blocking off a Diarmuid Con- for a needless body-check off the nolly shot and the quietly superb ball. This was symptomatic of the Brendan Harrison expertly strip- pressure Mayo placed further ping Bernard Brogan of the ball up the pitch on McCarthy and epitomised the frenetic defensive sweeper Cian O’Sullivan, however intensity Mayo brought to this O’Sullivan responded to this presfinal. Mayo could not capitalise sure well and was instrumental on this, however, making a num- in keeping the Dublin defence ber of kicking and handling errors, steady.

A Dublin player finally got a score with Dean Rock putting over a free after 29 minutes. Following this, McCarthy’s replacement Paddy Andrews then added a couple of wonderful scores and a Rock free on the stroke of half time in what was Dublin’s best spell of the game meant “the boys in blue” went in 2-4 to 0-5 up. Mayo were five down at half time in a game where many observers would have seen them as the better team.

A more mentally fragile team after a confounding first half like that would have been resigned to their fate but Mayo began the second period perfectly, reeling off four scores in four minutes with Andy Moran and Paddy Durcan finishing well before Cillian O’Connor added two more to his tally. This spell seemed convincing response to anyone who has tarnished this Mayo team using the phrase “bottlers” and in the 46th minute O’Connor drew Mayo level from another free.

Nerves seemed to permeate on the pitch and in the stands, and there was a number of basic mistakes resulting in agonised panic-stricken groans from the Croker faithful. MacAuley was replaced by Michael Fitzsimons after he escaped with only a yellow card after a high tackle on O’Connor, and Seamie O’Shea was also taken off following a period where he lost possession three times in a row. The Dublin defence opened up for the first real time in

the game when Andy Moran had to settle for a point after blazing his attempt over. Alan Dillion then drew Mayo level in the 64th minute in his fifth Senior All Ireland final.

One of the most anticipated match-ups in the game was the renewal of Diarmuid Connolly and Lee Keegan’s bitter feud. Ultimately, the two players neutralised the threat of one another and both received yellow cards for some offthe-ball antics late on. However, it looked as if Connolly would have the last laugh when he kicked Dublin three clear with just two minutes plus stoppage time left but Mayo remain unbowed and fought back excellently after seven minutes’ stoppage time was announced.

O’Connor slotted over his fifth and final free, and Donal Vaughan forayed forward again to cut the lead to one setting up a gripping conclusion with O’Connor tying it up for the last time in the 77th minute and forcing it to be done all over again at 5pm on Saturday 1 October.

The scramble for tickets amongst Dublin and Mayo fans (myself included) began once more instantly after the match. Dublin will not make as many mistakes again and nor will Mayo so one may expect a very different affair in the replay. Everyone will be hoping that the game on Saturday leaves as much of a mark as the first one which was another memorable chapter in what is developing into one of the greatest rivalries of the modern era.

Galway United, the season so far

By Mick Cole 2016 has been an eventful year for Galway United. After narrowly avoiding relegation to the First Division in 2015, the team started this year’s season in the sort of form that not many would have expected. A 3-1 opening day victory away to St. Patrick’s Athletic set the tone for what was to come, with a solid 10 goals and 10 points from their first five league games.

United striker Vinny Faherty was key to the bright start, hitting the target in three of these games.

Faherty, returning to his hometown club from Limerick, slotted seamlessly back into the team and was showing his credentials as one of the best strikers in the league.

Galway’s home form was very

strong in March and April, remaining unbeaten at Eamonn Deacy Park in both league and cup. However, May and June would not be so productive, with United only registering one win in nine games.

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what caused United’s collapse in this period, but a combination of bad luck and slow starts (71% of United’s goals have come in the second half this season) are the most striking reasons. They had proved they had a team capable of competing with the best in the league this year, but couldn’t retain the consistency needed.

Despite sentiments of what might have been, it has been a very positive year for United. A 1-0 win over a very strong Dundalk side, immediately after the

Lilywhites had defeated European regulars BATE Borisov, shows the potential of this Galway side.

New Tribesmen signings Faherty, Armin Aganovic, Stephen Folan, Sam Ramsbottom and José Garcia have really enhanced the squad.

If United can keep this squad together and add depth to it next year they will surely make an even greater improvement.

With the recent 2-0 win over Bohemians, Galway have already passed their points tally of 31 from last season with games to spare.

However, they are adrift of third place and the final Europa League spot and, barring a dramatic late collapse, it would be nigh on impossible to see Derry City and Shamrock Rovers both dropping enough points to let Galway in.

This campaign has also seen Galway maintain its average attendance figures of over 1,000 people at each game. However, interest in the League of Ireland is still low, and more efforts need to be made by the FAI to get fans through the turnstiles. The offer of a €5,000 strategic planning grant to each League of Ireland club is simply not enough to help them grow successfully and the money should be used to help with the promotional side of the league.

Quality players are certainly present in the league to provide an entertaining spectacle, we have seen the likes of Seamus Coleman, Shane Long, Wes Hoolahan, Stephen Ward etc. prosper in England.

Galway United have some players who could be equally effective if given the chance. Standout

performers this year have been captain Ryan Connolly, whose eye for a pass and technical ability have been vital to unlocking opposing defences.

Vinny Faherty, whose goals have proved crucial to many a United win, sits fourth in this season’s goal scoring charts. Twenty-twoyear-old right back Colm Horgan is perhaps one of United’s most promising players, playing the most minutes of any United star this season in the league and being an ever reliable presence in defence. While these players have the potential to play at a higher level, it would greatly aid Galway and manager Tommy Dunne in their attempts to consolidate their progress this year or even improve on it next season.

SPORT 35

September 27 2016

CONNACHT — has it all gone horribly wrong?

By Anthony O’Connor We’ve been hearing all year that 2016 was the year of the underdogs; Leicester City in the Premier League, Connacht in the Pro12, maybe Mayo in the football and any other unlikely winner of any competition you’d care to mention.

However, anyone who knows their rugby will tell you that Connacht were deserving winners of last season’s Pro12, playing an adventurous, attacking brand of rugby, beating all their key rivals when it mattered throughout the season and culminating in the historic victory over Leinster in the final.

So where did it all go so right for Connacht last season? Well they undoubtedly benefited from the early season World Cup when

all of the top teams were shorn of their international stars, the Connacht squad was broadly unaffected (Robbie Henshaw the notable exception). In those early season games, they notched up some key victories and established momentum and a winning mentality. They managed to maintain this good form as the season progressed and battled through some tough injury crises to continue on winning ways, even when the likes of Ulster, Leinster and Glasgow has their star performers (or survivors!) from the World Cup back in action.

Also key to Connacht’s success last season was their previously unheralded attacking style of play.

Off-loading, running from their own ‘22’, a limited kicking game, a high risk strategy… all contributed

to their games being high scoring encounters. The opponents may have scored a lot of points but Connacht invariably outscored them showcasing a style or rugby not often seen in the Northern Hemisphere.

And so to this season. The problems probably started with Ireland’s summer tour to South Africa. Connacht’s Pro12 success resulted in more of their players deservedly making the Irish squad, so the likes of O’Halloran, Healy, Bealham and Marmion joined Henshaw to be at the receiving end of some Springbok hospitality. Having made their international debuts, they now fall into the protected environs of Joe Schmidt and IRFU player welfare programme. Their involvement at provincial level is limited to ensure they are at peak condition for Ire-

CLUB EXPERIENCE: why it’s great to be a part of a club on campus

By Trevor Murray Most mornings, I get woken abruptly by the grating sound of a shuddering train coming to a forced stop outside my bedroom window.

Okay that’s a lie. It’s actually my alarm ringing on my locker in an effort to shake me into consciousness and out of bed, but you get the picture. To be honest, the last thing I feel like doing there and then is throwing off the covers for joy at the prospect of the day to come. I’m not a morning person. Hell, I’m barely an afternoon guy; getting up before noon just seems unnatural.

A lot of us feel this way. We automatically shift into auto-pilot and head for the nearest source of caffeine in the waking hours, taking care not to say or move too much as we shuffle through the concourse.

The prospect of a long and laborious day of reading, writing and listening doesn’t exactly excite the senses, so it’s typical that far too many of us go through our college experience without extending our day that little bit further by engaging in some enjoyable club activities.

So, why sacrifice time and effort for sport when I have ECTs to complain about, loads of essays to pretend to plan and so many goddam exams to worry about studying for without actually, well…studying?

For starters, although it might sound counter-intuitive, using energy can actually give you energy.

Sometimes, when we think we’re about to use up the last bit of juice in our tank at the end of a busy day,

we’re actually just being lazy. Having said that, you don’t want to put your body in harm’s way by dangerously pushing beyond its limits either – we should always err on the side of safety. Still, though, it can be invigorating to get up and get active for a timely spurt of vivacity.

Zipping up your gear bag in the morning after stuffing it with all sorts of ingredients you think will give you magical powers on the field of play might seem a little delusional, but it’s all part of the fun.

Plus, it gets you up in the mornings and gives you something to relish for the day ahead. Like a magician and his bag of tricks, most of us like to think we can conjure all sorts of wonderful pirouettes and jawdropping skills like a natural-born professional with our sorcerous isotonic sports drinks and energy bars that say they can morph us into Usain Bolt. The truth is often something a little closer to us being the guy who kicks the ball into his own face while simultaneously nodding into his own net.

Your team-mates might hate you forever more, but hey at least you tried. Or something romantic like that.

In all seriousness, though, booting up, togging out or diving in are all activities that we can draw genuine positives from. We all need a break from hitting the books (or tha club if you’re a serious dude brah) every now and again, and there’s something uniquely invigorating about getting out into the fresh air as a form of escapism.

The point is, it’s nearly always worth getting out there and keeping active. I can’t promise you’ll become Dwayne Johnson overnight (by the way, to do that you need two things: to work out six hours a day every day. And to do it for 20 years straight). You won’t even have to subsist solely on a diet of tasteless kale and lonely gym sessions to be a club member. The one thing that’s nearly always guaranteed, though, is that you’ll probably have more fun than you thought you would.

You might even become a morning person. Maybe.

land, when called upon again. They would not have been available for pre-season training with Connacht, let alone the opening league games.

A short and seemingly disorganised pre-season (only one game with another cancelled at short notice), a long injury list (when is it any otherwise?) and the absent internationals, resulted in Connacht taking the field for their opening game at home to the Glasgow Warriors in far from ideal condition. It was always going to be a tough match with the Warriors out for revenge following two key defeats in Galway at the end of last season, but the below par performance and margin of victory (41-5) for the visitors was alarming.

This was followed up with an equally worrying performance against the Ospreys, also at home in the beloved Sportsground. A 32-11 defeat to the Welsh perennial underachievers is not a result that would have been acceptable even in the ‘bad old days’.

The consensus was that the Round 3 fixture away to Zebre could not have come at a better time for Connacht. There is nothing better to restore confidence than running up a big score against the usual occupants of the ‘bottom of the league’ position. But it was not to be; a thunderstorm in the second half saw the match abandoned, luckily for Connacht as they were losing 22-10 at the time. Worrying times indeed. Fortunately, the result does not stand and Connacht will get a chance for redemption in Italy in a re-fixture.

So, what is in store for the rest of the season? The pessimistic outlook would be that the other teams have ‘found out’ Connacht – they now know what to expect and prepare

accordingly having previously dismissed them as the no hopers from the west of Ireland. Away games against Connacht are no longer an opportunity to sample the nite clubs of Galway having eked out a victory in the wet and windy dog track. It’s a game they must be as ‘up for’ as a visit to Thomond Park, Ravenhill or the RDS. If the other teams in the league are able to counter Connacht’s style of play and everything else the fixture may throw at them it could be a long season for the men in green.

The prophets of doom would also point out the loss of key players from last year’s squad – Henshaw, McGinty, Muldowney, Ah You, Naoupu – is just too much for any team. This may be a very valid argument.

But let’s be optimistic and hope, that like another famous man from the West of Ireland, Connacht can get their mojo back!

The bad start to this season can be put down as a blip and purely the result of a less than ideal preseason preparation. Rather than the squad being weaker, it has in fact been strengthened with the arrival of some shrewd signings – Griffin from London Irish, Kelleher from Leinster, Stevenson from Exeter, Boshoff from South Africa and Ili from New Zealand.

When these players get settled in, we finally see a long overdue end to the seemingly endless cycle of injuries and the stand out players from last season – Aki, Healy, O’Halloran etc – continue to shine, we should hopefully see Connacht sticking to their adventurous game plan and working their way back up the table to compete for honours again at the end of the season.

Ten things the Big Yellow Thing actually is

By Mark Laherty The Big Yellow Thing is a big yellow thing out the front of the Arts Concourse. More than any of the facilities or actual buildings, the Thing is the most immediately recognisable landmark on campus. But what the heck is it? It’s been years, and though many love it, nobody has the first clue.

The mystery is about to be cracked for good.

Here are ten things that our famous Big Yellow Thing actually is: 1. A portal into the large square courtyards in between the walkways of the Concourse, the ones with no visible entrances or exits.

2. The world’s largest and most powerful particle collider, extending 27 kilometres underground.

3. A satellite that can pick up signals from locations as far as the moon, or even the Great Wall of China.

4. The only remains of an enormous magical ram.

5. A sentient slab of concrete’s attempt at making a delicious jelly treat.

6. The planet’s only four-dimensional object; its proportions can never be fully understood.

7. A former student who frequently runs mock campaigns for the Students’ Union presidency with comic personas such as a military colonel or a Jedi Master.

8. A third-party US Presidential candidate with chances of success slightly better than those of Jill Stein.

9. Big. 10. Yellow.

Now that everything has been explained, you understand that you must devote your life in servitude to the alien corkscrew monolith.

COME FOR THE CHANGE, STAY FOR THE EXPERIENCE

Sult NUI Galway