Student Independent News ONE LESS WEEK OF STUDY
NUACHTÁN SAOR IN AISCE VOL.20 Issue 06. 20 NOV 2018
before exams in semester two By Áine Kenny and Paraic Fearon This year’s academic calendar has changed in comparison to previous years, SIN can reveal. The change occurs during semester two. The traditional “time off” period for semester two was one week for field trips, one week for Easter and one week for study week. This meant three weeks in total. In the academic year 2015/16, students had three weeks off in semester two. While field trip days and Easter holidays were intermingled with each other (three field trip days fell on either side of the four Easter days), this is still two weeks of time off. This period was from Monday 21 March – Friday 1 April. Students then had a standard study week. All together, this is three weeks. Similarly, in the year 2016/17, students had a full three weeks off; this came as a three-week block. Study week was from Monday 3 April – Friday 9 April. There was a week for field trips from Monday 10 April – Friday 14 April. Students also got a week for Easter, from Monday 17 – Friday 21 April.
During the 2017/18 academic year, field trip week fell on 26 – 29 March, a period of four days. Good Friday fell straight after these four days on 30 March, and from that date, one week was given to Easter holidays. This meant students had two weeks off. Teaching resumed on 9 April for a further two weeks, with a study week happening from 23 – 28 April. This meant that students had a total of three weeks off in semester two for the past three years. The 2019 academic year is a different. Firstly, Easter falls late this year. This results in 12 weeks straight of teaching, which the University can’t avoid. Field trip week has been shortened to three days: 8 April – 10 April. Study week now begins immediately after this on a Thursday, and still lasts a week from 11 – 18 April, finishing just before Good Friday. The traditional full week of Easter holidays has also been cut down. Students now only get Good Friday 19 April – Easter Monday 22 April off. This is only four days. Exams start on 23 April and last until 10 May.
This effectively results in a lost week of study for students in semester two. Students only receive 14 days off during semester two of this year. Caroline Loughnane, the academic secretary of NUI Galway, spoke to SIN in relation to the issue. “The Academic Calendars for 17/18, 18/19 and 19/20 were approved by Academic Management Team in January 2016, which was attended by the Registrar, Deans of all Colleges, Dean on International Affairs, Director of CELT, Dean of Graduate Studies and Vice President for the Student Experience.” “The calendars were then subsequently reported to Academic Council, which has a wide representation including Students’ Union representation.” “Both years have the standard Easter days – Good Friday to Easter Monday, both years have Field trip days, both years have a Study week.” Tara Leydon, Director of Academic Administration, also confirmed the dates. “I can confirm, there are three field trip days, Monday 8 April – Wednesday 10 April, seven days for study week, Thursday 11 April – Thursday 18 April, and four days for Easter, Friday 19 April –
Monday 22 April.” “Each Semester has 12 weeks of teaching, and Easter as it falls each year does impact the Academic Calendar.” Eibhlín Seoighthe, NUI Galway’s Students’ Union Vice President/Education Officer, said; “it is a reduction in study time, no matter what way you look at it.” “There are 12 weeks of solid learning, and now students have less time to narrow in on the examination topics, and to try and produce a good quality exam.” “It is an academic disadvantage… the college could try to look at bringing in a mid semester reading week so students can recharge.” “Students are expected to study and revise for exams as they go along, but sometimes this is not possible if you are asked to prepare different topics for each week, and not all are going to be examined.” “Exam appeals have also gone up this year. This indicates students are under serious pressure, the counselling service is at full capacity… you have to wonder are the college doing students justice with this reduction in time off.”
Local residents suffer because of student behavior By Olivia Hanna Residents in the Newcastle/Dangan area of Galway have been suffering because of the behavior of student residents, SIN has learned. Residents have dealt with student tenants for years, but there are still incidences of serious anti-social behavior. A representative for Fairlands Park shared with SIN; “We have had issues with students each year. This year is no worse and no better than any other year.” “The issues that we generally have are more coming from the neighboring estates, from parties in the back gardens of Greenfields rather than from students actually residing in Fairlands Park.” “We have incidents of parties there. There’s one instance that comes to mind that was brought to my attention. There was partying, very loud
partying in the back garden there. It was backing onto a house where there was a 100-year-old lady residing there, and also next door to it was a four-week-old baby at the time. So needless to say it was obviously a frightening experience for a 100 year-old woman to have to experience very loud noise like that.” “Obviously in the past we’ve brought things to the attention of the college, but I know that there’s a nervousness among residents to do that because there have been a couple of occasions where residents who have brought it to the attention of the college had their homes egged in the few days afterwards.” “In the past, a lot of people have preferred that if a house goes up for sale that it’s purchased by someone who’s going to be living there, rather than students. But we know the reality is a lot of houses will be bought by landlords, who will rent them out to students. We have no problem with students living in
the estates, provided they have respect for the estates and the people living there.” “There are a lot of houses rented to students where they are very respectful and they don’t have any loud parties, we respect that. But it’s the minority that give the students a bad name.” Another resident from Clifton Park, who is also a landlord in Ashfield, shared her experiences with SIN as well. “I’m in this house 15 years and unfortunately I’m attached to a rental property since I moved in. The landlord is in Dublin and his father in law looks after it. And this to me is one of the problems with that tenant.” “In the 15 years this house is rented next door to me, never during the summer months so I love the summer months because I know I’ll have peace and quiet, but I dread September.” “And this year on the third week in September I think it was, on a Saturday morning at around a quarter past six, half six in the morning I could
hear banging on a window. And I was half asleep, I thought is that my window? And, you know I was half asleep I was trying to wake up, so when I woke up and I was trying to figure out where the banging was coming from I realized it was at the front of the house, so I got up and looked at the front window.” “So I realized, this isn’t my house the banging is coming from, it’s another house and at that point the banging had moved to the back. So I went to the back of the house and I realized it was next door and they were downstairs obviously, on the ground floor, so when I got myself together and got my slippers on and whatever and came down I looked at the front of the door to find a student up on top of the flat roof… There was a guy, 19 years of age, 20 max, banging on the window calling out a girl’s name… trying to wake her up to get in.” Continued on page 2
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SIN Vol. 20 Issue 06
INSIDE
NUI Galway hosts Climathon 2018 4 It’s the most wonderful time of the year (after exams) 5 Service learning literacy project 6 “Not everyone gets to go home for Christmas”: Homeless crisis hitting the holidays 7 First year diaries: Christmas cheer and exam fear 8 Fáilte roimh an gcéad Spitzenkandidat eile! 9 Give Struggling College Students the Gift of Counselling this Christmas 10 Exams are en route and we must prepare ourselves 11 The final year career crisis is real, but you are not alone 12 They missed out an opportunity by not calling it Popemon Go! 13 City Brawl 14 ODE TO AN ERA: the 1940s 15 How to be full of Christmas cheer when your wallet’s empty 16 LIVING HER BEST LIFE: Priyanka Chopra 17 Taking care of ‘sleep hygiene’ in exam season 18 How to de-stress during exams 19 UGLY: the biggest fashion trend of 2018 20 Soundtrack to sobriety with Shampain 21 Much Apu about nothing 22 The 10 Greatest Christmas Movies Countdown 23 Local lad Brendan’s X Factor glory 24 WHAT’S ON IN GALWAY: Christmas edition 25 Stephen Kenny is an ideal future Ireland manager 28 OPINION: Anti-Irish sentiment, the last acceptable form of racism in British sport 29 Rory Beggan deserved to win All-Star ahead of Stephen Cluxton 30 Sport – no country for old men? 31
By Áine Kenny I can’t believe this is the last issue of SIN for 2018! What a semester it has been. There was a lot of news for our writers to cover over the past 12 weeks, from journalism students getting their fees refunded to the library not being invested in. Speaking of the library story, I was surprised to see how much traction this story gained online. I had librarians from all over the globe, students in UCD and academics from our own college retweeting, sharing and liking the story. It just goes to show that our voices need to be heard and that these issues must be highlighted. I am thankful we have a platform such as SIN to do this. A free press is not something we should take for granted, it can easily be clamped down on; just take a look at Jim Acosta and The White House currently. This is our last issue before Christmas, so we have a few festive articles in the mix! But before we can enjoy our holidays, we have exams to sit. SIN has the usual exam tips and tricks for you to try. The best advice I can give you is start studying now, as long as you have all of your assignments turned in of course. The sooner you start, the less panicked you’ll be. And
don’t worry – your lecturers will take into account that you are under pressure in an exam situation. Just do your best. After we escape the claustrophobic Kingfisher, we can start to enjoy all Christmas has to offer. The Christmas market has been set up, with the familiar sight of the glowing ferris wheel visible from college. Make sure you try out the chimney cakes and pick up some unique crafts at the stalls! Decorations are adorning the streets, with real trees standing atop of pub doorways. I have to say Galway city is the perfect place to get into the festive spirit, with plenty of events happening (look at our What’s on in Galway Christmas edition for inspiration). If you are starting to go present shopping, make sure you check out our gift guides. Or, if you just want to stay warm indoors, away from the elements, we have a fantastic end of year quiz and Christmas film countdown in our arts and entertainment section. We have a jam-packed issue this week, and I say that every week but I really mean it! I particularly want to mention the sports section, which rivals the nationals in terms of quality and diversity. As a person who has a laughably basic knowledge of the sporting world, the clarity of
Photo: Joanna Kavanagh the articles has really let me extend my knowledge. Also, Stephen Kenny being the Republic of Ireland manager would make complete sense (and no, I am not saying that because I am from Dundalk, and he is also no relation of mine, I swear!). I want to extend my sincerest thanks to everyone who contributed to the paper this semester. It really means a lot to me that people are so dedicated and interested in SIN, and journalism in general. All of the articles I have read are of such a high standard, and all of our writers should be very proud. From everyone here at SIN, Merry Christmas and we will see you all in the New Year!
Local residents suffer because of student behavior Continued from page 1
EDITOR: Áine Kenny editor.sin@gmail.com LAYOUT: Shannon Reeves An bhfuil rud éigin le rá agat? Cur litir chuig an Eagarthóir chuig editor.sin@gmail.com
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She tells SIN of another incident that took place last month. She had just arrived home at quarter to nine in the evening after a long day to hear loud music coming from the adjoining house. She poked her head outside and saw her neighbors as they all watched 20 ‘lads’ on the front lawn “doing a bit of chant”. A little while later eight of the nearby residents were in front of house after having been disturbed by the music. About two hours after making their initial call, two Garda cars arrived and knocked on the students’ door, and according to the resident, the students did not seem to care. The landlord in Ashfield stated; “Because I’m a landlord I know exactly how to treat my students and I’ve never, ever had an ounce of trouble with them.” She makes sure every year that she meets with at least one parent of each tenant and has their phone number in case there are any issues. She believes it helps to prevent anti-social behaviour. “When you’re dealing with students, property managing companies and
landlords need to up the ante, because it has to come from the top down,” she maintains. As for the reputation of student residents: “I do feel that the millennial generation have this feeling of entitlement and that they behave in an entitled way. So they’re very remorseful after they’ve felt entitled, but it always happens.” Jim Molloy from the Garda Press Office told SIN, “There is a very good working relationship between An Garda Síochána and the local third level institutions. Community Gardaí interact with the Students’ Unions on a regular basis and also the College Authorities who have implemented a Code of Conduct for their students.” “Incidents which are deemed necessary to be brought to the attention of the College Authorities are notified in accordance with data protection guidelines and in line with the agreed Code of Conduct, which students are aware of.” The NUI Galway Student Code of Conduct does not explicitly reference the behaviour of students living in rented accommodation, but mentions
the subject in Section 3.1.19: ‘Any behaviour that could damage the good name or standing of the University’ is a breach of the Student Code of Conduct. The Students’ Union does have a section on anti-social behavior on their website: “Anti-social behaviour is any aggressive, intimidating or destructive activity that damages or destroys another person’s quality of life.” “There are consequences for your actions. If caught acting in such a childish manner you can face some serious actions. You could be brought before the University and face suspension or expulsion. You can be evicted from your accommodation. You can face a criminal conviction. This can derail your future career and travel plans. You can face hefty fines. You can have serious difficulties in getting a visa to other countries,” the website states. Despite the construction of a new purpose built student accommodation at the site of the old Westwood Hotel across the road from Clifton Park, it seems unlikely that the building will do much to reduce the population of students living next door to residents, as the housing crisis in Galway is so severe.
N UAC HT
November 20 2018
NEWS EDITORIAL By Martha Brennan I can’t believe I’m writing this, but welcome to this semester’s final issue of SIN everyone! The last few months have flown by – and we have been blown away by the quality of writing that has gone into the paper this year. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone that has written for the news section this year – the stories we have gotten out there have been amazing, and some of them were even published in the national titles! While we all dread this time of year, and most of us are probably mid breakdown, there are a couple of good things about winter (did someone say Christmas Market?) and we have everything here in SIN for you to catch up on – both in the paper and online. From all the Movember updates, to the release of NUI Galway’s equality report and the University’s plan to reduce their carbon footprint, we’ve been really busy putting this issue together. To all of our readers, good luck in your exams and please keep coming back for more – to all of our writers thank you for all the hard work and I’m so excited to see what next semester brings. And to anyone that thinks they might be interested in joining our team next semester, please just drop us a message, the door is always open. Merry Christmas!
FEATURES EDITORIAL By Olivia Hanna And just like that, we’ve published our last issue of SIN for the semester! Being the features editor has definitely been my favorite part of the year so far, and that’s all because of our wonderful contributors. Every other week editors pitch our ideas and the contributors decide what they want to write about. It’s amazing to see the different interpretations of my ideas and how the writers bring them to life. This issue is especially great; I had more people take articles than for any other issue! Some of those articles include a look at what is done for homeless children during the holidays (this one made me cry a little!), recent controversy with direct provision, and a look at xenophobic behaviour. Of course we also have some final exams content because whether we like it or not, they’re just around the corner! I look forward to next semester and hope to have even more new contributors on the team. Best of luck with exams, and happy holidays!
OPINION EDITORIAL By Tarryn McGuire Hi everyone, our final issue of the semester is here, which means its nearly Christmas! This issue is packed with special Christmas articles, so get your Santa hats on and let’s dive right in!
This week we are filled with all things Christmas, starting with a jolly article on the magic of Christmas, another on the pros and cons of the Christmas holiday season and finishing off with a discussion about what age children should be told the truth about Santa Claus (whatever that means...). Now, the moment you have all been waiting for, we have an article on… Follow JC Go! I know you’re all dying to hear more about the game that allows players to catch saints or Bible characters instead of Pokemon. You’re in luck, flip over to see what Stevie thought about the game. Exams are fast approaching and stress is filling the air now that timetables have been released. The reality of the dreaded exams has sunk in. Don’t stress too much because Ameya has written an article that shows how much hard work can pay off, whether you’re naturally talented or not! If that isn’t enough, then have a read about how much our social media can distract us during exams, this should give you a little push into finally deleting Facebook off your phone, like you’ve been promising yourself you’ll do for the last few weeks now. If you’re like me and these exams will be your last Christmas exams but you have no idea what you’re going to do after you graduate, take a look at Julia’s article on why having a pre mid-life crisis isn’t the end of the world. Thank you everyone for your continued support this semester and a huge thank you to all our writers here at SIN. We hope you all have an amazing Christmas, and we’ll see you next year!
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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITORIAL By Sarah Gill It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Well, almost... even though we haven’t quite reached December yet, this issue of SIN is decked out with Christmas cheer. With a holiday edition of What’s On In Galway, a rundown of the very best movies to get you in the festive spirit and a big fat 2018 trivia quiz, the final issue of the semester won’t disappoint. From the axing of controversial Apu from The Simpsons to a dissection of Ariana Grande’s newest break-up anthem, we’ve got something for everyone. Now, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
SPORTS EDITORIAL By Graham Gillespie Hi everybody and welcome to the final issue of SIN for 2018. In sporting terms, 2018 will be remembered as the year that France won their second World Cup, Ireland claimed another Grand Slam, and the Limerick hurlers and Philadelphia Eagles finally ended
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their respective droughts. The year has been one to remember, and what better way to say goodbye to 2018 than with one of the best sport sections we’ve had in this calendar year. Some of the highlights of this issue include Mark Lynch reporting from the NUI Galway Senior Hurlers’ last league game of the year and Martha Brennan writing an excellent article on whether consent classes are needed for college sports teams. Meanwhile, with poppy silly season having come and gone, Patrick Henry reflects upon on the way James McClean has been treated in England and asks if anti-Irish racism is still prevalent across the Irish sea. Looking to the future, football leaks in Der Speigel revealed that a European Super League might happen sooner rather later, and Oisin Bradley breaks down why this would be a terrible idea. Darragh Burke is also future focused and argues that Stephen Kenny would make an ideal Ireland manager. There’s also plenty of other great articles from new writers, shout out to first time contributor Markus Krug, so there’s plenty for you to read whilst on a break from cramming for exams. Finally, I’d just want to thank everyone who has contributed to the sport section this year. The uptake on articles has been fantastic and it’s been brilliant to get such an influx of talented new writers. You have made my life easy and I hope you keep contributing in 2019.
FASHION AND LIFESTYLE EDITORIAL By Molly Fitzpatrick With Christmas just around the corner it’s almost time to deck the halls and trim your trees. For those looking for a bit of inspiration on what to buy their nearest and dearest, turn to our Christmas gift guide. For those who perhaps can’t afford extravagant gifts but still want to spread the festive spirit, Niamh writes about how to be full of Christmas cheer when your wallet’s empty. Before we can fully immerse ourselves knees deep in mince pies and the Home Alone movies, there’s the slight inconvenience of exams to get through. Fear not, our editor and final year student Áine has some tips and tricks up her sleeve. So turn to her guide to de-stressing during exams to ensure you’re well equipped to tackle exam season headfirst. Another way we can all improve our exam performance is by improving our sleeping habits, Fiona looks at how we can improve our sleep hygiene, and no, that has nothing to do with showering before bed! In fashion this issue I put the spotlight on what has been one of the biggest trends of 2018: ugly. Aesthetically pleasing clothes be damned I say, I can’t get enough of the ugly trend. Our regular Ode to an era looks at a time that doesn’t immediately come to mind when we think style, but we can definitely take a thing or two from: the 40’s.
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SIN Vol. 20 Issue 06
NUI Galway hosts Climathon 2018 By Tarryn McGuire On 26 October, in an attempt to pioneer innovative ideas towards global climate action, NUI Galway led the event ‘Climathon Galway 2018’, with an aim to reduce Galway city’s carbon footprint. Galway’s innovators joined over 100 cities across 44 different countries to generate new ideas to steer the city towards the future of a zero carbon economy. The free, one day event harnessed the energy of anyone involved to address a range of sustainability chal-
lenges with the goal of improving Galway city’s resilience to climate change, reducing its carbon footprint and improving the quality of life for all of Galway’s citizens. This year’s Climathon was the biggest global climate action hackathon in history – a sprint-like event in which computer programmers and others involved in software development collaborate intensively on a software project. In previous years the #Climathon hashtag has also trended worldwide and last year reached 33 million through social media.
Photo by Ravi Roshan on Unsplash
NUI Galway student awarded Hamilton Prize in Mathematics By Martha Brennan An NUI Galway undergraduate student has been awarded the 2018 Hamilton Prize for his outstanding performance in mathematics. Troy Gawley, a final-year Mathematical Sciences student, received the award late last month from the Royal Irish Academy. The annual award, named after mathematician William Rowan Hamilton, honors the best and brightest mathematics students in the country. Troy, from Knocknacarra in Galway City, was judged to be the most outstanding student in all the mathematical degrees taught in NUI Galway. On his way home from a hiking trip when he got the news, Troy said he was shocked when he received notice that he had been picked for the award. “When I got the email, I was heading home from a hiking trip in Switzerland,” he told SIN. “There was no application process for the award, in fact I hadn’t heard much of the award prior to receiving it but I was absolutely thrilled and very honoured to have received such an important award.” While obviously very talented in the subject, Troy said that it wasn’t until his final years of school that he began to place a special focus on maths. “It wasn’t until my fifth year in secondary school that I began developing a real love for maths,” he says. “However, I always found numbers and patterns fascinating. I love the structure behind mathematics, and its prominence in the real world.” He chose to pursue Mathematical Sciences in NUI Galway because of the extensive range of studies the course offered. “Initially I chose the course as I liked the broad scope of modules that it had. It wasn’t refined, and had tonnes of options. This allowed me to find the
different areas in mathematics that I enjoyed, and then continue studying related modules,” Troy explains. Following the announcement, Dr Rachel Quinlan, Head of the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Applied Mathematics at NUI Galway, said: “My warmest congratulations to Troy on the 2018 Hamilton Prize and on all of his academic achievements.” “He is an excellent representative of the outstanding community of students with whom we work with every day in the School of Maths. It is wonderful to see the achievements of mathematics students recognised by the Royal Irish Academy through the Hamilton Prizes.” Now in its 17th year, Hamilton Day annually celebrates William Rowan Hamilton’s discovery of quaternion algebra in 1843. A ceremony was held on the day in Dublin to present the prize, which was also awarded to eight other students from across Ireland. The prize includes a bursury of €250, a certificate from the Royal Irish Academy and a master class presented by a world-class mathematician. This year’s master class speaker was Professor Martin Hairer from Imperial College London. Troy’s name will also be added to the exclusive list on a plaque in Áras de Brún on NUI Galway’s campus. Troy, who also has a passion for music, is planning to pursue mathematics when he graduates next year. But for now, his focus is on completing his final year studies. “My plan is to take a year out once my degree is finished, commit myself fully to my music and then continue to obtain my master’s degree,” he says. “I certainly hope to pursue mathematics, but as for now I’m still deciding on the path I want to take.”
This year early results indicate that it reached at least double that. The event encouraged groups and individuals to take part and join Challenge teams, which aimed to address a range of sustainability challenges. From energy efficient buildings, to substitution of plastics, these innovations hope to lead Galway to a carbon free future. Each team was encouraged to develop their own innovative ideas throughout the day and a pitch competition took place at the end of the day before a judging panel. Prizes were awarded to the top three teams as well as support and advice to progress their innovations on to entrepreneurship programmes. These programmes will then develop their innovations into funded projects and start-up companies. NUI Galway’s Ryan Institute once again hosted the Global Climathon hackathon. This is the third year that Galway has participated in this event. TechInnovate and the Portershed in Galway’s Innovation District also partnered with NUI Galway this year. Roughly, the top 100 highest-footprint cities across the world make up 20 per cent of the global carbon footprint. If all of these cities made greater efforts to reduce their carbon footprints it would make a significant impact on decarbonisation pathways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally.
Professor Charles Spillane, Director of the Ryan Institute at NUI Galway, highlights that; “cities consume over two thirds of the world’s energy and account for more than 70 per cent of global CO2 emissions.” “With 90 per cent of the world’s urban areas situated on coastlines, cities are at high risk from some of the devastating impacts of climate change, such as rising sea levels and powerful coastal storms. “Coastal cities such as Galway are on the frontlines of global climate change and are well-positioned to play a leadership role with sister cities worldwide in driving global action to address climate change.” The event united students, entrepreneurs, big thinkers, technical experts and app developers in tackling the defining climate challenges of their cities. Some teams even worked throughout the night to apply their ideas to local contexts before pitching them to hosts. Dr David Styles and Dr Peter McKeown from the MSc in Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security program at NUI Galway stated: “Galway can lead in this global challenge, having been in the firing line of a number of powerful storms over the past few years.” “It is therefore apt that Galway harnesses the creativity and international innovation leadership for which it is renowned to lead global efforts in climate mitigation.”
Minister for higher education launches NUI Galway’s equality, diversity and inclusivity report By Stevie Buckley Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD, the Minister for Higher Education, has launched NUI Galway’s annual Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Report for the 2017/18 academic year at an on campus event. The event also saw the release of the University’s new Gender Identity Policy and a new LGBT+ Ally Programme. The annual report outlines the academic year’s key achievements, which include the achievement of Athena Swan Bronze status in May this year, the establishment and launch of the NUI Galway LGBT+ Staff Network and the launch of a University of Sanctuary campaign – launched with the hope of being recognised among international universities for making education more accessible for refugees and asylum seekers. The reform of governance structures in the University was also highlighted in the report, including the reconstitution of the academic council, which plays a critical role in setting the academic direction of the University. The council now has a minimum requirement of 40% male and 40% female membership. Speaking at the launch, Minister Mitchell O’Connor said she was “delighted” to launch the report which brings together different “strands of work” to bring it to our attention that the University has a foundation in place to be a “bastion of equality and diversity.” She said that “NUI Galway has broken new ground in areas such as consent education and the work of its LGBT network, and it’s important that the education sector learns from such developments as we collectively work towards greater inclusivity.”
The Vice President for Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity in NUI Galway, Professor Anne Scott, added that she was delighted to see the report being launched by Minister Mitchell O’Connor. She also said that the report provides “clear evidence that we in NUI Galway have made significant progress in building a sustainable equality, diversity and inclusivity culture in our university.” She iterates that we are on “a stimulating journey with significant challenges ahead.” The University also launched a new Gender Identity and Gender Expression policy at the event, following extensive consultation with staff and students. The policy outlines the University’s commitment to recognise and support the gender identity and gender expression of each individual in the University, so that every member of the University community experiences a positive and accepting environment where every person is treated with respect and dignity. The policy outlines the facilities; processes and structures being introduced in order to help every member of the University community improve their understanding of gender identity issues. A new LGBT+ Ally Programme was also announced on campus this month. The programme is a staff-based initiative working towards increasing the awareness, knowledge and support of LGBT+ colleagues and students. In partnership with the various schools/units of NUI Galway and the University’s Students’ Union, the LGBT+ Ally Programme aims to create an inclusive and safe environment for students and staff of NUI Galway of all sexual identities and genders and to advocate for a culture of equality, diversity and inclusion.
N UAC HT
November 20 2018
It’s the most wonderful time of the year (after exams) By Áine Kenny Exams are fast approaching, as is the sense of impending doom. When should we start studying? Are we already behind? What if the question that comes up every year doesn’t come up this year, in some cruel twist of fate? Do we need more continuous assessment, and fewer exams? However, weirdly enough, some students do better in exams than they do in continuous assessment. Hours painstakingly researching that essay don’t pay off, and a quick flurry of scrawls on the page seems to reap more rewards. Therefore, is it possible to produce a good essay in exam conditions? Dr Irina Ruppo Malone from the Academic Writing Centre believes so. “Yes. It is possible to produce good writing under pressure, but it is not easy. Of course, having plenty of time to ponder a question is no guarantee that you will have a coherent structure.” “I would suggest reading the exam question for clues on structure. For example, the question might list the number of steps you need to take in order to prove a point. You might be asked to first deal with one issue, before moving on to another.” “Students often don’t see these clues. They read the question for key words only. I would suggest taking a minute to study the structure of the question. Often it is almost a mini-outline.” She also has some further essay writing tips for students who have to a produce an essay in an exam setting. “Practice writing while studying for exams. Try out sample questions from earlier exam papers. Come up with questions of your own. Practice outlining, organising your thoughts and editing.”
“Often students rush when they read course material; there is so much pressure to just ‘cram’ all the information in. Again, it is the structure that often gets ignored during this process.” “When reading articles, students often ignore the main point that the author has made. Instead they highlight information that, though relevant to their subject, will not be as helpful as knowing that main point or that main idea.” “Also, have faith in yourself, your writing, and your ideas,” she concludes. Exams aren’t just stressful for students. There is an incredibly small window for lecturers to correct exams over Christmas. Dr Rebecca Barr, a Lecturer Above The Bar in English, spoke to SIN about the stress students and lecturers face. “The period for return of marks is very tight and this does indeed put tremendous pressure on staff over the ‘festive’ period. The demand for return of marks is challenging for lecturers with very large lecture modules.” “I would argue that the University needs to give urgent and serious consideration to introducing a reading week in the middle of semester in order to optimise learning and manage stress for students, and to stagger the cascade of marks return and feedback from lecturers.” “The issue of student burn-out is real, and, in my experience, there is a significant decline in both attendance and the quality of work after the midterm period. The demands of multiple assessments, commuting, and extra-curricular work genuinely depletes students.” “If the university is serious about retention, student well-being and academic excellence, it should consider bringing in a mid-semester reading week to ease pressure on all sectors of the university.”
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Financial Aid Fund fiasco By Áine Kenny NUI Galway’s Financial Aid Fund applications were processed incorrectly this year, SIN has learned. It is estimated that around 500 students may be affected. It is unclear whether students were told they were receiving the fund in error, if students were rejected mistakenly, or if there was combination of issues. At the time of writing, no email has been sent to the students affected to inform them there was an issue. It is believed that the issue arose due to an administrative fault. Students were alerted to the issue by NUI Galway’s Students’ Union, through a Facebook post made on the morning of Wednesday 7 November. In the post, they said; “It is unacceptable that students have been waiting this long to hear about this error.” “We are calling for a complete review of the Financial Aid Fund process so that this does not happen again.” “Nearly two weeks have passed since this problem has been identified. We believe that the
original amount awarded to students in an email on the 26 October should be upheld; and that the correct amendments are made to others.” “The students affected should be receiving emails soon. However, in the interest of transparency, we believe that you have a right to know what is happening now.” “This will not affect anybody who needs to avail of emergency Financial Aid.” Furthermore, students were told whether their applications to the fund had been successful a week later than expected. Students who would be receiving the fund were informed on Friday 26 October, instead of Friday 19 October as stated on NUI Galway’s website. Students are due to be allocated their funds on Friday 7 December. The Student Assistance Fund is intended to tackle disadvantage by providing financial support to students who require financial support to enable them to fully benefit from their third level studies. The Financial Aid Fund comprises the Student Assistance Fund and an additional contribution from the University. Director of Student Services John Hannon and the Accommodation and Welfare Office did not respond to a request for comment.
NUI Galway students take the plunge for men’s health By Martha Brennan This month a group of six NUI Galway students are raising funds for men’s health by jumping into the freezing cold sea every day of November. ‘Coldvember’ was organised as part of the Movember Foundation – a global movement working to raise awareness and funds for men’s health. While many take part in the events of Movember by growing irregular facial hair, the organisers of Coldvember wanted to try something new to raise funds. “We are doing something different to the norm and while some of us will be sporting some dodgy facial hair, we are also going to be submerging ourselves in the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean every day for the month of November,” the organisers told SIN this week. Those taking part in the initiative have pledged to take the plunge every morning no matter where they are at the time – with the majority taking to Blackrock in Salthill to make the dive. “It’s all in the name of raising awareness and funds for men’s health,” they explain. “Our target is €6,000 but we are hoping to smash that goal, having already raised over €1,300 by day seven.” “Wherever we are spread across Ireland, every morning we will be getting head to toe in the cold to keep the momentum going.” The Movember Foundation is a global charity which is changing the face of men’s health and addresses some of the biggest health issues faced by men – such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health and suicide prevention. In the last 15 years the foundation has funded more than 1,200 men’s health projects around the world and has become one of the leading international NGO’s.
By 2030 the movement hopes to reduce the number of men dying prematurely by 25 per cent. The project was first set up in Australia in 2003 with just 30 participants and has since expanded to include over 5 million men and women who take part in Movember events annually – from growing moustaches to holding get-togethers, completing runs, or organising more unique events, such diving into the Atlantic like the Coldvember participants. Other events happening this month around campus include shave-offs, beard growing competitions and running campaigns. NUI Galway’s 30 Days of Movember campaign is currently the second highest earning fundraiser on Movember Ireland’s leader board. To get involved you can keep up with NUI Galway’s Movember events on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NUIG-Movember-360389811396453 and donations can be made at https://ie.movember.com/team/2292705. Anyone wishing to take part in the Coldvember plunges or offer support is welcome to join the students every morning at Salthill at 7:30am. “We are always looking for more people to join us and having hosted the NUIG Rugby squad last weekend along with various others day in, day out, we are building on changing the conversation around men’s health and getting our message out there.” “Let’s all help the Movember Foundation change men’s health.” Coldvember’s activity can be followed on Instagram at @coldvember_nuig and on Facebook. Donations to the Coldvember campaign can be made at https://ie.movember.com/ mospace/13790921.
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6 NEWS & F E ATU R ES
SIN Vol. 20 Issue 06
Service learning literacy project By Danielle Coyne Tuesday 25 September, a day that would be cemented in my memory for the rest of my life. At 8.30am the dreaded sound of my iPhone alarm went off, a sound that often makes me want to scream with rage, but not on this particular morning. I eagerly jumped out of bed to get ready and off I went to Scoil Bhride, not even the lashing rain could dampen my spirit. The whole walk consisted of me reassuring myself that I wasn’t one bit nervous. This changed as soon as I stepped foot into the school corridor. I looked around at my classmates and sensed that they were all feeling the same way, phew! Needless to say, five minutes into meeting the children in Scoil Bhride, the nerves had soon disappeared. The core objective of this module is to enable students to gain work experience, skills, and knowledge, which are of benefit to their academic, professional and personal development, in the area of childhood literacy. This module is excellent as it gives students an opportunity to go out into the local community to develop a number of practical skills. I believe this program is incredibly important as it is beneficial for both the student and for the wider community. As well as attending a two-hour seminar every week, students attend a local primary school through a work placement where they spend an hour reading to children. In the two-hour seminar students discuss their placement, work on ideas for the next weeks placement and work on written reflections and presentations.
Service Learning is experiential education with a civic underpinning within a community context. In practice, what this means is that students attain academic credit for the learning that derives from reflecting on an experience within community and society. Staff at NUI Galway work closely with students to guide them through various different service learning programmes. The CKI works closely with the surrounding community to identify areas where students can help out within the community. They then provide the necessary academic training and funding to colleges. The service learning program in NUI Galway is dedicated to exploring key issues in local communities. The main objective of this program is that the community benefits just as much as the individual student. I find it hard to put into words just how amazing the first few weeks of this program have been. Thinking back to my first morning, I remember waiting outside the classroom in a narrow corridor feeling like the walls were closing in. Children were rushing and racing by us to get outside to attend the beginning of the school year mass. I remember smiling to myself, thinking back on all the times I myself made the short journey from my national school to the nearby church for mass. These memories instantly made me feel calm. Suddenly this school that I had never visited before did not seem so daunting and unfamiliar. I couldn’t help but smile once again when I entered the classroom in Scoil Bhride. Apart from the fact that the chil-
Indoor food market to open on Market Street By Olivia Hanna A new indoor market comprised of 35 food stalls is due to open in the former Connacht Tribune print works in March 2019. The print works and main Connacht Tribune building have been sold to Headspace Group who already had ownership of the Market Street car park. Planning permission has just recently been lodged for the market, which is expected to serve wine and beer, host buskers, and contain an outdoor dining area. It will also be open seven days a week. “Most of our vendors, we’re hoping, will be a little more long term than perhaps what one would see at a regular market, because obviously by virtue of us being open every day we would have people making a full time move into the trade,” shared a representative for Headspace Group. “One of the things that we really wanted to showcase was obviously the fact that Galway has wonderful
food, has a rich tradition in seafood, has a rich tradition in great produce and a great tradition of artisan food-makers, and I think this will provide a great opportunity for budding entrepreneurs to showcase what their aspirations are. So we’d like to be essentially the Porter Shed for food.” The group also plans on building a 208-bed hotel on the site within the next few years. “It really will support the tourist community. We get a million plus tourists in every year in Galway so it will definitely become a destination for tourists,” the Headspace Group representative told SIN. The market will only be around the corner from the centuries old Galway outdoor market which hosts food vendors, farmers, fish mongers, and craft artisans every Saturday and Sunday. It remains to be seen if the new indoor market will impact the outdoor market’s sales and operations. Keep updated with the new market at GalwayFoodMarket.com.
dren had given us the most heart-warming welcome, I glanced around at all the incredible artwork on the walls. This school was so full of diversity and culture. I could relate to this as I grew up in a small town called Ballyhaunis in Mayo which is known for being rich in culture. I knew from the very start that this was somewhere that I was going to love. I thought of it as my home away from home. When my lecturer, Dr Dermot Burns began to pair us up with the children he informed me that I was one of the “lucky” few who would be reading with not one, but two children! To be completely honest, this sent my heart racing. How am I going to cope balancing two children I thought to myself ? Nevertheless, I was excited to begin, and I was looking forward to the challenge. I introduced myself to my then shy students, needless to say their shy behaviour didn’t last very long. I commenced the session by introducing myself and they then introduce themselves to me. I soon found out that they were excellent readers, but I did notice that one child was losing interest when the other child read. So, there it was, my mission for week two, try and get this child to pay more attention. Each week we would discuss any problems we were having in our twohour seminar. We would come up with different techniques for the children to improve their reading. The seminars also consisted of making fun games for them to play. I find it fascinating going back to the school each week and witnessing how much the children have developed
as readers in such a short space of time. Each school visit differs from the last, giving us new challenges weekly. I believe that a very special bond is form between us students of the university and our designated student(s) from Scoil Bhride. Service Learning is “a story about partnerships and people from diverse backgrounds coming together to share a
a standard level for the age, but they fail to understand exactly what they are reading. An article by Hulme and Snowling informs us that this disorder often goes unnoticed in a classroom. Service Learning is particularly important here. As part of the module I am undertaking, I am constantly being reminded to check in with the student to make sure they are aware of what they
In practice, students attain academic credit for the learning that derives from reflecting on an experience within community and society. Staff at NUI Galway work closely with students to guide them through various different service learning programmes. common bond in literacy”. Scoil Bhride is a particularly renowned for its multiculturalism. In fourth class alone, there are several different nationalities. This program is so important as every child is treated equally regardless of race. Each child is given an equal chance to enjoy reading in a safe environment. Service learning based literacy programs set in communities rather than on college campuses reconnect undergraduates with the real world. There are many difficulties that come with reading. The most common reading disorder is called dyslexia. Another common reading disorder is often referred to as “poor comprehenders”. This is where children have the ability to read accurately at
are reading. The service learning program highlights a problem that sometimes may be missed by a teacher. The students at NUI Galway get the children to use their imaginative muscles without the children even realising, through fun games and quizzes. It is important for children to engage in creative thinking and problem solving, while having fun at the same time. The Service Learning program is an excellent experience for students, it allows us to put what we learn into practice, while also giving back to local communities. I simply won’t know what to do with myself in semester two when I won’t be making the short walk to Scoil Bhride every Tuesday morning.
The mental health of our nation’s children is faltering and they have nowhere to turn By Fae McNamara Irish children are experiencing mental health issues just as much as adults. While this may be an unpleasant concept to accept, recent studies have shown that there is an increase in primary school children experiencing mental health issues, along with the recent surge in children aged four – ten turning to selfharm as an outlet for emotional struggles. One DCU study into the provision of primary school counseling services, along with countless others, has highlighted the irreplaceable nature of school counseling systems and how the absence of these services in Irish primary schools is greatly impacting the current mental state of our children. While there are copious reasons for the development of emotional distress in young children, it has been shown that school counseling services are vital in uncovering the root of that stress. Imagine a young child experiencing the weight of anxiety while at the same time a dysfunctional family environment awaits them at home? The absence of an accessible counseling service is disastrous. HSE counselor Christopher Place said that the benefits
in early access to counseling services are considerable. The structure of therapy sessions of course varies, but the safety and freedom that a counselor’s office provides is vital in communicating with young children. Self-harm is like the black sheep of mental illness. In recent years societal discussion on anxiety and mental illness had taken off, but at times it seems that self-harm and the reasons behind it were left behind. Linked to this is the stereotype of attention seeking, troubled teens, or that ‘it’s all in your head’ mentality. It becomes somewhat impossible however to ignore the issue of self-harm when studies show an increase in this destructive behavior among young children, particularly aged 10 – 14. One alarming case of a mother from Limerick who fears the death of her son aged seven due to self-harm strikes at the idealistic vision of childhood. In an article featured in The Irish Independent, this mother grounds her fear in the unpredictability of securing professional help. In too many cases, resource professionals from schools refer these struggling parents to local counseling services. Here, the parents are met with a waiting list as opposed to assistance.
The current outcry of parents struggling to cope with the mental issues of their children has been directed at the HSE and Department of Health for not considering the needs of a child’s mental health separate from those of an adult. The DCU study conducted in this field has shown that there is a concentration of counseling services in the urban area of the country. The small town primary school is left at a loss, and with it its children. Teachers are also left in a vulnerable position, with an increase in high-risk children both in school environments and the wider local community, they are often left to contend with the consequences, along with their educational responsibilities. Often, this leads to ‘creative’ methods being adopted to assist children with their emotional or behavioral issues. We must applaud their initiative, and the vigilance of teachers, parents and guardians. They are still often the key to identifying children suffering with their mental health. Although, it does seem that when there are virtually no services and these dismissive, if creative methods, being used out of necessity may just be a cry for help.
N UAC HT
November 20 2018
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“Not everyone gets to go home for Christmas”:
Homeless crisis hitting the holidays By Fiona Lee It’s sad to hear, but Christmas time is not a happy time for every family in Galway. With the homeless crisis only getting worse, there are more families struggling to get by than ever before. Charity organisations like St Vincent De Paul and COPE are working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that they can help as many families as they can, and bring some happiness into the holiday season. St Vincent de Paul Galway representative John Toolan spoke to SIN about what their charity does to help the homeless in need during the festive holidays. “If a family is in temporary accommodation, we would get our volunteers to go visit them if they wish. They would go out in pairs and visit them and assess what their needs will be for Christmas. We get toys donated to us for the children, they’d match that up to the families and bring out all the toys and give them whatever support they need with food too.” “Come Christmas, we would have our annual appeal where we send envelopes around houses looking for donations. We would get food donated and we’d make up hampers which would be distributed to people in the city, not just homeless people but to those in need.” “Speaking personally, there just isn’t enough housing, and when the physical accommodation isn’t there it can be very hard.”
“We would refer people over to COPE’s Cold Weather Initiative too, we work with other charities to work out what supports we can all give.” He emphasised the importance of charities working together to ensure that no one falls through the cracks, and SIN heard the same attitude coming from COPE Galway representative Deirdre O’Connor. “We would work very closely with other charities like SVP. If a family came in who had an exceptional need we would make an individual case to SVP to support them, we’d rally together to make sure people are getting the help they need.”
COPE has many initiatives, appeals and plans set up for both families and individuals over the next few months. “We got a donation of Elftown tickets for Christmas. We have 70 plus families going. We are in the middle of writing personalised Santa letters, contacting parents to learn what their child’s interests are, so it’s all personalised.” “We’re aware that not all families can afford ‘big Santy gifts’, so we want to do that for them. We are also accommodating children with disabilities, like autism, so that’s very special for families.” “We have gotten very generous donations for the Wishing Tree. All children and adults in Galway COPE services will get a gift and a hamper. We’ve tried this year to make the gifts as personal as possible, based on their ages or interests. We could have families with up to eight children, so it’s a lot to undertake. Around 450 people will get a gift this year.” “Last year we had around 70 families in the COPE services looking for accommodation, this year we will be hitting around Magical, yes, but cold, too. Photo by Matthias Kinsella on Unsplash. 95. It’s increasing all the time,
Brace yourself and open your mind By Kaylen Blanchier I recently witnessed a rather unsettling scene in the streets of Galway where a middle-aged man of African descent verbally attacked an Asian student out of nowhere calling out the “(Expletive) Chinese” and how they didn’t belong in this country. The student chose not to retort, however comments from affected bystanders rang out, one person bursting out; “It’s not your country either!” That the one I remember most vividly. This person could have criticised the man’s racism, ignorance, or simply his lack of respect, but instead returned a racist remark. This is precisely where the problem lies: xenophobia is the new ordinary. In the case of Ireland, it may be explained —but not in any way justified—by the quite recent immigration wave. Up to modern times, certain parts of Ireland had never encountered people of a different skin colour for example. This reminds me of a child years ago, who saw a black man for the first time and simply thought that his hands were very dirty. This anecdote speaks very loudly of where Ireland was still at a couple of years ago. A substantial part of this issue is that xenophobic comments used to be shouted in the schoolyard or even heard across different social classes but now they come from the mouths of our very own political representatives. ‘Keep diversity in but foreigners out’: the new ironic motto of our globalised world. Xenophobia is nesting in our every day lives, it starts with a joke between friends and suddenly it’s an anti-immigration policy. We are all helpless spectators of tragic xenophobia in the US but there is no need to look further than Ireland to experience it. The cases of pupils Eric Zhi Ying Mei Xue and Nonso Muojeke shed light on the xenophobic law that was passed in 2004 that suppressed the right for Irish-born babies to get Irish nationality if their parents weren’t born in Ireland. The issue is that state xenophobia is subtler because it is not shouted across the street;
This person could have criticised the man’s racism, ignorance, or simply his lack of respect, but instead returned a racist remark. This is precisely where the problem lies: xenophobia is the new ordinary. rather it eases its way quietly into our official books. Dr Eilis Ward, lecturer for the School of Sociology and Political Science here in NUI Galway suggests a psychological approach to xenophobia. She mentions the attachment theory, which refers to the sense of belonging and this idea of a safety net that has been created with the maternal figure in infancy and how it applies to politics. Neo-liberalism has removed that safety net by promoting the idea of competition, and striving for oneself, which creates a “new subjectivity”. Politicians then abuse that vulnerability that we all have in the face of politics. So they appear as ‘speaking the truth, saying what every one is afraid to say’, for example not to let immigrants ‘steal our jobs’. All in all, the argument is that it begins with our human nature. What it comes down to is a very primitive fear of the unknown. Like bungee jumping or sky diving, you never know what might happen when you’re in the air but you brace yourself and you know that there’s a high chance that you’ll touch ground. Apply this to meeting a stranger or a foreigner. The fear of the foreigner is foreign to me. It should be foreign to you because you’re a foreigner and I am too. We only need to climb back up a few branches of our family trees to realise that. Ask yourself what exactly you are afraid of. Take a minute, then brace yourself and open your mind.
weekly even. Some have families they can visit, but not everyone gets to go home for Christmas, and that’s the difficult one.” “For me that’s the scary thing; children being impacted by homelessness. Jumping from temporary accommodations, self-catering, never having somewhere to call home or to have friends over to play. The families are incredibly resilient in this horrible climate.” These charities support those in need but they cannot do that without the support of the public. Toolan and O’Connor told SIN how we can help those in need this Christmas and how helping out need not be a major expense. “There’s plenty of work to do here in SVP, sorting through toys and food and packing up stuff. We get many transition year students in to help! Also, our annual appeal for donations is in motion at the moment.” “Donations like food, toiletries and even clothes into the COPE shop are always welcome and needed. Money is helpful, but there’s always so many ways to donate.” The work being done by charities around Galway is phenomenal and whatever the public can do to support them should be encouraged. Think about those in need and bring some happiness out into our community this holiday season. There’s always a way to help.
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8 NEWS & F E ATU R ES
SIN Vol. 20 Issue 06
First Year Diaries: Christmas Final Year Diaries: It’s cheer and exam fear beginning to look a lot like exam season By Darren Casserly
With the semester coming to an end and exams unfortunately around the corner, it seems like a great time to distract ourselves with Christmas. I like Christmas, but I’m not the kind of person who’ll put up their tree right after Halloween. Even now it feels strange writing this in early November but it’s the last issue before Christmas, and everyone loves the festive season. We’re halfway through November now and you know what that means, nothing but Christmas songs playing on the loudspeakers in every store in the country. This is the one thing about Christmas that really annoys me. The worst part about it is that the vast majority of the songs are horrible cash grabs or bad covers of good songs, and I’m sick of nearly all of them by the time December comes around. Other than some of the music, Christmas really is one of the best times of the year. It was also announced that the charity fund-
College exams will be a new experience for me. Essay writing is what most exams will be based on and it has been challenging trying to completely change my writing for college. Learning referencing is one of the biggest differences. Why does every subject use a different referencing system? I’m pretty sure they are trying to confuse us.
raiser Christmas day was cancelled officially. I have a feeling it will however go the way of RAG week and nothing will change, except the university cleaning their hands of it. It’s just a pity that it’s the charities that lose out on it just because a few people went overboard, but I suppose what do you expect when you mix college students and a lot of drink. Unfortunately, we have the small matter of exams to deal with before we can think about all the best parts of Christmas and going out. Exams are the worst part of being a student, all the stress and the hours spent trying to learn an entire semester’s work in a week. Also, the fact that it’s dark by five o’clock doesn’t help anyone’s mood. College exams will be a new experience for me. Essay writing is what most exams will be based on and it has been challenging trying to completely change my writing for college. Learning referencing is one of the biggest differences. Why does every subject use a different referencing system? I’m pretty sure they are trying to confuse us. Lectures the last week have been especially annoying, talking about exam preparation when you still have five assignments left to do. It was ironic that one of my lecturers told us that we should find time to hang out with our friends, and not to get isolated, when it is them that’s telling us how hard we have to work for these exams. I prefer to think about after the exams, and my few weeks off for the first time since September. If you really what to look at the bright side, its only three or four exams for most people and it will fly by. It’s also good to remember regardless of the result, it’s not the end of the world and enjoy life, it’s not that long we have to be students, so good luck and Happy Christmas.
By Aileen O’Leary Welcome to the last instalment of the Final Year Diaries 2018! I will be back next semester for more insights into final year life, but for now, I’ll be signing off until our next issue in a few weeks’ time. I am a little sad that we’ve reached our last issue for the semester, but it also means a much needed break is right around the corner, right after exam season. As a final year, by now I should be well prepared in how to handle exams. I am not. I am just as stressed as everyone else and as I am writing this week’s instalment I have about 20 tabs open finishing projects, essays, reports and the thought of revising for exams has gone straight over my head. By the time this issue is released, timetables will have gone out and the panic slowly sets in. Not to worry though, you have time and it isn’t impossible to revise right before your exam. I wouldn’t recommend cramming; despite popular belief it isn’t the best strategy before an exam especially if, like me, these exams will determine your degree. I would recommend starting as soon as you can, there are still a few weeks before exams start and if you take two topics a week and understand them, then it’s half the battle. My study advice: avoid the energy drinks. A big mistake I made was thinking energy drinks would give me energy to power through. The best thing you can do is exercise, eat well, stay hydrated and get some sleep. Sleep deprivation isn’t fun, if your energy levels are down, your body can’t recover and your mood is severely affected. Speaking from experience your best bet is to try and get a few hours a night instead of pulling an all-nighter.
Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash
If you like Anime, we will accept you By Rachel Garvey Anime lovers in NUI Galway are in for a treat with the Anime Society. SIN spoke with auditor Paul O’ Connor and was given an insight to what the society entails. “We watch Anime twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays,” Paul told SIN. “We show the first six episodes of different shows, I like to give everyone introductions and then let them do their own thing after that.” The Anime Society screens movies on the Mondays and plays tv shows on the Thursdays, which include Anime like Zombieland Saga and Cowboy Bebop. The traditional
offering of pizza is also available too. Paul shared an insight into some of the events the Anime Society holds. “We have an event called Haikyuu marathon and we watch Anime in The Space for twenty-two hours straight.” The members stay in The Space for the twenty-two hours straight with no breaks, watching Anime for the whole time. “We also have Akumakon. It is the oldest convention in Ireland. We have people from America, Canada, Japan and Germany to help us out!” Akumakon takes place 18 – 20 January 2019 in the Bailey Allen Hall in NUI Galway. Akumakon 2019 will include guest speakers such as Leah Clark, who has been a voice
actor in Anime like Fairy Tail, One Piece and Soul Eater, Youtuber MasakoX who is voice actor in the Anime Dragonball Z as well as being a vlogger too. Japanese and Dutch cosplayers will also be there for Akumakon to show off their cosplay outfits. People who come to the convention will also be able to learn about Japanese culture. “It’s important to know about the Japanese culture because that is where Anime originated from,” Paul explained. The Anime Society are always more than happy to take on new members who are Anime lovers or who just watch Anime for fun, anyone can join.
With the semester coming to a close, now is the time to focus. However, all study and no fun makes for very stressed students, so take a study break, go to the cinema, meet up with friends, check out the Christmas Market or go for hot chocolate, it is the festive season after all. Your college years are so short, speaking from experience they absolutely fly by, it feels like I was a fresher five minutes ago and I’m about to face my last Christmas exams here in NUI Galway. So from one NUI Galway student to another, these are some of the best years of your life, make the most of them, go out and make new friends and don’t let exams or deadlines stress you out. Four years ago I was lucky enough to call Galway my new home, and I can honestly say they have been the most unforgettable years of my life. There will always be deadlines, assignments, essays, exams but you can’t redo the experience. Don’t let college become one long exam; because it’s much more than that, it’s unforgettable.
As a final year, by now I should be well prepared in how to handle exams, but I am not. I am just as stressed as everyone else and as I am writing this week’s instalment I have about 20 tabs open finishing projects, essays, reports and the thought of revising for exams has gone straight over my head. By the time this issue is released, timetables will have gone out and the panic slowly sets in.
N UAC HT
November 20 2018
le Quinton Beck Bail ó Dhia oraibh, a lucht léite dhílis. Nach bhfuil muid go léir ag súil go mór leis na Toghcháin Eorpacha (toghchán Fheisirí Pharlaimint na hEorpa) atá socruithe don 23-26 Bealtaine 2019? Tá neart comhrá faoi le cloisteáil go fóill—go háirithe scéalta chailleach an uafáis maidir le teacht i dtreise na bpáirtithe náisiúnaíocha Eoraiscepteacha agus drochthionchar na Breatimeachta ar, bhuel, ar gach uile rud faoin spéir. Ach cé acu de na hiarrthóirí ar uachtaránacht an Choimisiúin Eorpaigh a dtabharfaimid ár vóta dó/di? An bhfuil cáilíochtaí agus beathfhaisnéisí na hiarrthóirí ar fad ar eolas againn?
Ní féidir na ceisteanna seo a fhreagairt go dáiríre. Ní bheidh ainm aon duine de na hiarrthóirí ar phost Jean-Claude Juncker le feiceáil ar na ballóidí an bhliain seo chugainn. Is minic a cháintear Coláiste Toghcháin SAM mar bhealach neamhdhaonlathach le huachtarán a roghnú, ach i gcás an AE tá córas níos indírí fós ann—an córas Spitzenkandidat. Ceapadh an córas Spitzenkandidat sa bhliain 2014 roimh an toghchán a bhfuair muid JeanClaude Juncker mar uachtarán an CÉ mar thoradh air. Sa chóras seo, déanann páirtithe polaitiúla Pharlaimint na hEorpa fiosruithe agus idirbheartaíochtaí polaitiúla inmheánacha chun teacht ar Spitzenkandidat (Germáinis ar ‘phríomhiarrthóir’) dá gcuid féin. Cibé páirtí ar leis an bua sa togh-
chán feisirí, glactar leis go dtoghfar mar uachtarán a Spitzenkandidat. Roimh 2014, ní raibh aon chóras foirmeálta ann chun uachtarán a thoghadh. Théadh ceannairí an Pharlaimint i gcomhairle a chéile i seomraí dubha dorcha dúnta agus thagaidís amach agus duine roghnaithe acu ar éireodh leis faomhadh an tromlaigh chuí a bhaint amach. Sa lá atá inniu ann, deirtear go bhfuil an córas Spitzenkandidat níos fearr agus níos daonlathaí mar go roghnaítear an t-uachtarán mar fhreagairt ar thoil an phobail a léiríodh sa toghchán feisirí. Ach le bheith fírinneach is córas níos neamhdhaonlathaí atá ann, toisc nach bhfuil ach páirtí amháin páirteach, agus an rogha á dhéanamh acu roimh an toghchán fiú.
Day of Silence Could you not speak for 24 hours in aid of Domestic Violence Response Galway? Feminist Society NUIG are organising a day of silence to highlight the silence surrounding the lives of those in abusive relationships. Domestic Violence Response are a Galway based organisation which offer help to those who have been affected by Domestic Violence
28 November 2018 To get a sponsorship card or to get involved contact feministsocs@nuigalway.ie
NUI Galway’s Feminist Society are organising a ‘Day of Silence’ on Wednesday 28 November to highlight the silence that surrounds domestic violence. The event will last 24 hours and all proceeds are being donated to Domestic Violence Response Galway – a community based organisation who offer help to those affected by domestic violence in Galway city and county. Everyone is invited to participate in the event and the society will have stalls up on campus towards the end of the month with more information. The ‘Day of Silence’ is being held to coincide with the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign. The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an international
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By Anne Rieger Sa seanchóras rúnda, ar a laghad bhí na páirtithe go léir páirteach sa chomhrá. Bhí comhaontaithe agus comhbhabhtálacha polaitiúla ann a ligeadh go raibh uachtarán as ballstát mór ann tréimhse amháin agus uachtarán as ballstát beag tréimhse eile, uachtarán as páirtí den eite chlé tréimhse amháin agus uachtarán as páirtí den eite dheas tréimhse eile. Cothromaíocht de shaghas éigin, cé nár ag toghthóirí an uile AE a socraíodh í. Cloiseann muid go rialta caint ó pholaiteoirí eorpacha ar chóras nua a cheapadh agus a chur i bhfeidhm. Ach níl aon chomhartha ann go bhfuil céim ar bith sa treo sin á baint amach. Tá tús curtha le hiomaíocht pholaitiúil inmheánach na bpáirtithe móra chun Spitzenkandidatanna a roghnú, agus glactar leis anois go bhfuil táimhe chóras an Spitzenkandidat róláidir le ceistiú nó le hathrú. I mbeagán focal, ná cuirimid amú ár gcuid ama ag cur aithne ar na hiarrthóirí. Tá gach seans go bhfuil an chéad uachtarán eile ar an gCE roghnaithe cheana ag an EPP (an páirtí a bhfuil Fine Gael na hÉireann ann) in Helsinki an tseachtain seo caite.
NUI Galway Feminist Society to highlight domestic violence with Day of Silence By Martha Brennan
GNÉ -ALTANNA
ERASMUS DIARIES
Fáilte roimh an gcéad Spitzenkandidat eile! Tá na Toghcháin Eorpacha (toghchán Fheisirí Pharlaimint na hEorpa) socruithe don 23-26 Bealtaine 2019. Ach ní bheidh ainm aon duine de na hiarrthóirí ar phost Jean-Claude Juncker le feiceáil ar na ballóidí an bhliain seo chugainn. Is minic a cháintear Coláiste Toghcháin SAM mar bhealach neamhdhaonlathach le huachtarán a roghnú, ach i gcás an AE tá córas níos indírí fós ann—an córas Spitzenkandidat.
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campaign, which challenges and highlights domestic abuse and violence against women and girls. The campaign was initiated in 1991 and runs every year from the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25 to Human Rights Day on December 10. More than 3,700 organizations from approximately 164 countries participate in the campaign annually. Sponsorship cards for anyone wishing to take part in Fem Soc’s event will be available from the society at Smokey’s on the 19, 20, 21 and 27 of November. You can also email the society for more information at feminist@soc.nuigalway.ie. Anyone seeking to contact Domestic Violence Response can call 091 866740.
It is almost the end of the semester, we made it! I had the most amazing experience so far due to this great university, beautiful place and the awesome people I met here. Even though I can’t wait to get back in the new year to begin my second Erasmus semester I also can’t wait to drive home for Christmas (I am actually flying home, but I’m already in full on Christmas mood, listening to Christmas music as I’m writing this). But since most people will complain about me writing about Christmas so early, this entry won’t be about my obsession with the holiday season. More so about the things that I missed most for the last three months. And no, I am not talking about my friends, my family or even about my car (that I, by the way, can’t wait to drive again), I am talking about one of the most important and fun things in life. You guessed it: food. There are a few food items that I am craving so much now, but I wasn’t able to find here (besides my mum’s gorgeous dishes). So here you go, my top three food items I missed the most while studying here. If you ever come to Germany, feel free to check them out, because they are fantastic. BREAD (OR “BRÖTCHEN”): I bet most German people that are reading this column might have already guessed it. I would probably be able to stay in Ireland much longer if I didn’t have to deal with my (probably) genetically based addiction to good bread. Just going to the bakery on Sunday mornings, getting some “Brötchen” (rolls, but not those soft ones you get here, more like the ones you get in Lidl) and just having a family breakfast is something that I tried so hard to recreate here with my boyfriend, but it never really worked because of the lack of decent bread. SCHUPFNUDELN: I am pretty sure that these are a regional dish, I am not even sure where it comes from. Schupfnudeln are a kind of potato-based pasta that you can put in the pan. Together with leek it just makes one of my favourite dishes in the whole world (my mum promised to make these on the first day of my Christmas visit). SEMMELKNÖDEL: Ok, so here another bread related food item. Semmelknödel are dumplings made from bread, milk and seasoning. They are served with meat dishes and Rotkohl (red cabbage), and since I am a vegetarian for quite a while now, they would be my go-to food at family celebrations. My mum always makes a special chanterelle mushroom (couldn’t find those here either) sauce for me to eat with the Semmelknödel so they always taste like home to me.
10 OPI N IO N
SIN Vol. 20 Issue 06
Give struggling college students the gift of counselling this christmas By Ellen O’Donoghue I’m a second year arts student. I love my friends, I love my course, and I love my life in Galway. I have been trying to be seen by the counsellors in NUI Galway since the start of this year. I don’t like to miss classes because I care about my results; I am way too high of an achiever. I have been suffering with depression for a few months now, after sudden death of my (would be) 23 year old cousin and neighbour during the summer. I am on antidepressants, prescribed by my doctor, but I won’t be able to get these prescriptions if I do not show proof that I am attending counselling. My timetable doesn’t always fit for me to be able to go to the counselling in the 2pm-4pm slot, however when it does, it takes everything that I have go. I have to work myself up for it days beforehand because it is scary. I was turned away a total of three times because the counsellors (who are amazing) have not got the space, employees, or funding to meet the demand of students who wish to be seen. I met with Clare Austick, the Welfare Officer about this after the second time I was turned away, and after ringing them, she said that if I went in that day and said I had met with her, then I would be seen to straight away. Did this happen? No. The counsellors only had three slots available for drop in that day. I was the fifth person to arrive. I was asked if I was ok to come back tomorrow, and of course I said yes, because I was hardly going to break down in front of seven strangers and take a counselling appointment from somebody else in the room. I could have said that I was speaking to Clare, but to be honest I was so close to tears, and so defeated, that I just couldn’t. The receptionist asked me twice if I was ok, which of course I answered yes to, because what else was I supposed to say? So I left, feeling more defeated and demeaned than ever before.
That evening I emailed the counselling service and told them of my experience. They politely emailed back asking if I could make an appointment with Geraldine, the head of counselling there, in two days time. I accepted and met with her, where I filled out the relevant forms, spoke about my struggle with mental health briefly and filled out my timetable to show when I would be available for appointments. I was then told that I would receive a phone call in the next week or two confirming an appointment. All of this took approximately 20 – 25 minutes. After three failed attempts at being seen by somebody, all that needed to be done was fill out some forms and have a chat. This wasn’t even at exam time, when the counselling service is at its busiest. After a disstressing month of waiting for an appointment, twenty six days after my meeting with Geraldine, I finally got a phone call telling me an appointment had been arranged. Coming up to exam time, the pressure can be crushing for many students. There are signs all over campus, and every Monday is dedicated to mental health by the Students’ Union. The least the college could do is provide sufficient counselling services for their 18,000+ students if they wish to talk about their problems, if they want to talk. Compared to that of other Irish Universities, NUI Galway is lacking extremely. Even after an extra €5,000 given to the counselling service after the protest held during Mental Health Week, the college still isn’t able to provide for their students mental needs properly. The counselling building is cold, cramped and secluded. It isn’t welcoming whatsoever. This should be a worry, but the real worry is the lack of counsellors available to students. A counselling appointment may be the only gift a student wants this year – we shouldn’t let NUI Galway’s lack of investment in its students prevent this.
Stuck in the system By Sinéad Walsh A mother refused a slice of bread, a ‘model student’ facing deportation, is there no end to the cruelty of the Irish Direct Provision system? The issue of direct provision has resurfaced in news headlines in recent weeks, reminding us of the shockingly slow-paced system for those seeking asylum in Ireland. The direct provision system was initially established to provide short-term accommodation to people waiting the processing of their application for asylum. According to NASC, The Irish Immigrant Support Centre’s website, direction provision is intended to ‘provide for the welfare of asylum seekers and their families’. However, recent reports that a mother in a direct provision centre in Clare was refused a slice of bread for her sick child, suggest that those running the centres around Ireland have lost sight of their founding purpose. Mother of three, Donnah Sibanda Vuma caught the public’s attention recently as she told of canteen staff in Knockalisheen accommodation centre’s refusal to give her even one slice of bread for her sick child. The accommodation centre is one of 30 others in the country where residents do not have access to cooking facilities. Ms Vuma took to her Facebook page to express her concern at asylum seekers lack of autonomy in provision centres. In her post, Ms Vuma, a Zimbabwe native, highlighted her distress and the centre’s staff’s lack of compassion towards her pleas to feed her young son: “The night staff has refused to give me even one slice of bread despite explaining the
situation to them.” The contractor has since apologised to Ms Vuma and stated that it will “ensure that tea/coffee and snacks are available on a 24/7 basis as per the contract.” For many of those stuck in the direction provision system for months and years on end, this apology will not be enough. The system is in dire need of reform, and many of those suffering at its hands are too afraid to speak out, for fear they will jeopardise the processing of their application. It is estimated there were 5096 men, women and children living in direct provision in Ireland by the end of December 2017. Of this number, 432 people had been in the system for five years. Some families have been reported as staying in direct provision centres for up to eight years, with no concrete indication of when their application will be fully processed. Direct provision covers asylum seeker’s basic needs of food and shelter, but thousands of people are living in cramped, over-crowded and uncomfortable conditions. NASC, the Irish Immigrant Support Centre calls for ‘the end of the ‘Direct Provision’ system and the introduction of a humane reception system in line with international best practice.’ For those living in Direct Provision, it is a life of uncertainty, enforced idleness and dwindling hope, as those seeking international protection do not know what the coming weeks and months will bring – will they be granted asylum and a chance at a new life? Or are they at risk of deportation, as DCU student Shepherd Machaya has been faced with in recent weeks following the rejection of his application for asylum? The ‘Save Our Shepherd’ petition con-
ducted by DCU’s Students’ Union to save scholarship student Shepherd Machaya from deportation has amounted more than 14,000 signatures online. Recently other campaigns by schools and colleges to protect their students from deportation have gathered immense support – evidently the Irish people do care about the lives caught in the ‘limbo’ that is the State’s Direct Provision system, so how many more campaigns will it take to radically reform the way asylum seekers are treated in this country? Perhaps the most criticised element of this inefficient system is applicants’ lack of entitlement to work, leaving many of those who would happily contribute to society idle. With no right to work and a mere allowance of €21.60 a week to live off, these kinds of conditions evidently take their toll on the physical and mental health of asylum seekers. Asylum seekers are refused the right to work and are not regarded as “habitually resident” in the State under Irish Law, despite the copious years many have spent living in direct provision. In August 2018, the Department of Justice and Equality launched its consultation process on drafting a National Standards for Accommodation offered to People in the Protection Process. The Department states that, once finalised, these standards will govern services provided to those in the protection process by contractors working on behalf of Reception and Integration Agency. This certainly marks the beginning of a movement towards change in the protection process which will hopefully provide those seeking asylum with the stepping stones towards integration in Irish society and a life of fulfilment and security.
Social media in exam season – tweet or delete? By Daniel Brennan Like many people my age, I’m a bit of a social media addict. My personal poison of choice is the certified cesspit that is Twitter – in around four years of using the site regularly, I’ve racked up over 40,000 tweets, and I’m now averaging around 1,000 tweets every month. That doesn’t even account for the amount of time I spend scrolling, liking, retweeting and refreshing my feed daily, or for the time I spend on other apps like Instagram or Snapchat. Usually, this mindless scrolling, posting and messaging doesn’t have any effect on my daily routine or work I need to do – until exam time comes around. Studying is awful, and I’m pretty sure that’s a universal statement everyone can agree with. There’s no fate more painful I can think of than spending days on end in the library or reading room,
from morning until night, constantly taking notes and looking over the same lecture slides and academic articles until my eyes bleed... but it’s a necessary evil, and one that makes having your phone with you at all times a real burden. This leads to a real dilemma – can you realistically delete your social media during the exam period to force yourself to study and work, or has the constant connection to family and friends become too much of a tool to just throw away altogether? The notion of completely dumping all social media for a month is obviously pretty unrealistic, but managing the time you spend on your phone is important as you may not even realise just how much time you spend every day on them, with some recent studies showing that most young people spend anywhere between 5 and 9 hours a day on their phones – between a third and
over half of the time they’re awake... and quite clearly, that’s an issue when it comes to studying. But, it’s easier than you think to cut back on your social media use, get all the studying you need in, and still keep up to date with who or what you care about online. It took until the start of my second year in college to figure out a way to balance books and Facebook, and what I do is simple – I still carry my phone with me at all times, but only ever turn it on when I’m taking a study break for a few minutes every hour or two. This way, I can still keep up to date with everything and everyone, while also not hideously failing my exams. A word of advice for first years – don’t make the mistakes I did doing all-nighters cramming the night before an exam, just turn off your phones! At least that way, most of the night will be spent studying instead of scrolling...
TUAIRIM
November 20 2018
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Exams are en route and we must prepare ourselves of study is lost. I am not a crammer nor will I ever be. The crammer is another breed altogether and I salute them for their power. We all wish exams didn’t have to happen, even if you work throughout the semester and are confident that you are knowledgeable in your discipline. They are still ruthless and stressful things, but does this mean that exams are not fair? They might reduce students to shells of themselves, but our aversion for them aside we cannot say that exams are not useful to educators or that that they do not offer a fair shot to every student. As an exam hater myself, I decided it best to ask a professional, someone behind the screen. Dr Burns of the English Department had his own tales of woe when it came to exams, just like everyone else. Speaking with him made me realize that these few years of exams will pass for us all, and more than likely there are greater stresses that await us. Exam situations get everyone in the same place, at the same time with the same paper and we just have to ‘have a go at it’ and pray that we have a little luck. Continuous assessment is the alternative, no exam, just assignments. In theory that might seem great, but just as you and me might hate exams, there are those that dread the deadline. As students we just have to trudge on with what we have, and that is final exams. They will arrive and we will cope with them, so long as you have two pens (never risk just one), maybe a calculator, student ID and some luck. Of course study might also be helpful.
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As an October baby, it’s hard to believe another year of Halloween has come to an end. A bigger and better holiday hides just around the corner. Christmas! Now, don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore everything to do with Halloween, but Christmas is my favourite holiday. There is nothing better than slipping into some winter boots, draping a scarf across your neck and paying a visit to the Christmas Market in Eyre Square that comes around every year. I know some people despise Christmas because money disappears in the blink of an eye with Christmas present shopping, and mothers and fathers across the world have a mental breakdown over trying to get the knots out of the lights for the Christmas tree, but they aren’t seeing the true excitement behind it all. I see the excitement behind walking down Galway’s Shop Street and seeing all the bright lights above me and I think to myself how a picture with my boyfriend, Ross, would be amazing right now. I see the excitement where children flick through the Argos or Smyths catalogues, searching for what they would like for Christmas. The exciting feeling of walking through the Christmas Market and seeing the beautifully knitted hats and people having fun on the carousel. Lastly, who could ever forget sitting down to watch The Late Late Toy Show with the family and tonnes of goodies!
Although, what excites me the most is when my family and I put the decorations up together. When my mother was young, she always used to tell me that Grandad would put Christmas songs on and they would all decorate the house together. She carried on that tradition with us and even though it may seem like something so small to anyone else, it means a great deal to me. Of course, my mum and I decorate the tree because my dad has no patience for that. I think that’s how the lead up to Christmas should be spent, with family and friends. We take a lot for granted this time of year, but it’s the little things that are supposed to matter. Little things like Christmas shopping with your mum and nan, wrapping presents together and handing them to your younger siblings to put under the tree and to see their little faces fill up with happiness as they inspect the parcel in their hands, wondering what mystery present is in there for them. Those are the little things we need to appreciate more. As an adult now, it’s a little sad to think that I’m too old for sitting on Santa’s knee or that I’m too old to have my stocking filled, even though I hang it on my door anyway. Get excited for Christmas and don’t let anyone spoil that fun. I’m pretty sure there are still some of us whom would love Santa to ask them once more: “Have you been naughty or nice this year?”
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By Rachel Garvey
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Have you been naughty or nice
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Photo by Animesh Basnet on Unsplash
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We all wish exams didn’t have to happen, even if you work throughout the semester and are confident that you are knowledgeable in your discipline. They are still ruthless and stressful things, but does this mean that exams are not fair?
on or move us back. A conveyer belt of stress. I have not, in my two years of studying in this university, acquired the skill for passing the exam period gracefully. To be honest I’m starting to think that these ‘exam people’ don’t really exist. We simply create them to make ourselves feel worse. It’s not like there are people coming out of the gym hall with their fists in the air, declaring their power over the exam. I imagine that wouldn’t go well, as they are tackled to the ground and dismembered by sleep deprived and energy drink fuelled students. No, at most you get the mumbled ‘shur went grand’ as we all shuffle out of the hall with blank expressions and several missing souls lost somewhere between the transition from section A and B of an exam paper. The exam is a fact of life for a student, we cannot escape them without consequences and the exam period itself can drive students to the brink. Our health tends to suffer, and the functioning individual that we thought we were falls to shreds. You see yourself mirrored in that person that toddles into the hall, living for the past week solely on Monster and dread, with two pens sticking out of their pocket and their student ID between their teeth. Often they have fallen prey to the 9 am start. This is one aspect of the exam period that I have had the luck of escaping. I am a morning person, but don’t let that fool you, I win nothing. I stop functioning after 9:30pm and a monumental amount
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Sitting in the Kingfisher hall, one pen in my hair and my student ID photo, in which I look like a convict, is staring up at me. My psych paper is sitting in front of me and I am waiting, waiting for information to come to me, and it does. Only instead of child development theory I am reminded of Eavan
Boland’s poem The Pomegranate and the importance of ‘filial duty’ in Hamlet. I’m convinced the leaving cert never really leaves you. Exam people are a certain breed of human, an illusive specimen that thrives in the machine like structure of the exam hall. The machine that is put in place first and foremost to test our knowledge, grade us accordingly, and move us
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By Fae McNamara
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12 O PI N IO N
SIN Vol. 20 Issue 06
Can Money Buy Happiness? By Harry King There has always been debate as to whether a certain amount of money can make a person truly happy. This fundamental question will always receive many answers from many different perspectives. Multiple studies have revealed that with an annual salary of about £75,000, happiness levels do increase. The lower the income is below the benchmark; the less happy people tend to be according to the study by Princeton University. My guess is it depends on how you spend it too. Many reports emphasize the importance of investing in experiences rather than material goods like going to a festival rather than buying a nice car, perhaps because experiences last longer. From a scientific perspective it is clear that money can indeed make you happy. However, it’s not about what you have but
what you do with what you have. There are two types of happiness. There’s the emotional wellbeing of the day to day and there is the life evaluation, which is the overall rate of satisfaction one gets from his or her life. For many students, money is not something that we have an abundance of and it would be easy to say that more money would solve all our problems. Whilst it would help, I’m not sure that more money on its own could make us truly happy. Many surveys and studies have been carried out and have some key aspects common to all. The most evident conclusion is that money is more of an opportunity for happiness rather than happiness in itself. So, it comes down to the choices that lottery winners
make, as this determines their level of satisfaction. The reality is that even if we had all the money in the world, there would be something else bothering us. The more you get the more you want. I think the real question is; “what makes a person happy?” which in itself may as well have invented the subject of philosophy. And there is a different answer for everybody. Maybe it’s a nice car, a big house or maybe it is millions upon millions of euros, but for some it may be as simple as watching a scene from a movie or listening to an epic album. Happiness comes from small things and big things but ultimately it comes from within. It depends entirely on your perspective, as does most things. It is important not to get bogged down in wishing for things that society would value, such as a huge house, because happiness isn’t something you should postpone for the future. All through education we are preparing for the “real world” that doesn’t mean happiness is a certain point in future when stress levels are lower, and the bank account is healthier.
The most evident conclusion from numerouts surveys and studies is that money is more of an opportunity for happiness rather than happiness in itself. The choices that lottery winners make determine their level of satisfaction. As Denzel Washington said in a speech to students at their graduation ceremony; “You will never see a U-haul behind a hearse.” I don’t think it is a fair statement to say that you can just buy happiness. Whilst money may present you with many wonderful opportunities, in terms of living a happy and successful life, I believe wealth ultimately comes in character.
The final year career crisis is real, but you are not alone By Julia Tereno When I was taking my undergrad course, I used to picture myself in the future as a sophisticated adult; a professional woman walking around in high heels, living in a nice apartment in the city and with a steady job. In my head, the switch to adulthood would suddenly turn itself on, and grown up life would begin, just like that. I didn’t even think what exactly I’d be doing career wise, I thought that would sort itself out naturally. In reality, it took me five years after college to find out what career path I wanted to take. The “adulthood switch” doesn’t exist and it took a lot of reflection and maturity for me to discover what I wanted to do with my professional life. What happened for me was that as the end of college approached and I realized I had no idea
what I wanted, I somehow got a job in press relations. I didn’t even know what press relations meant, but I needed something to make me feel useful. After all, I’d see my friends doing a lot better than I. They weren’t in their dream jobs, but they seemed to know where they were going. It’s very easy to panic when you see that all your friends have their life together. They might even have taken internship programs or placements that seem to lead to a promising future in the field of their choice. However, you’re feeling like you’re not even close to knowing what you want to do. When we start college at 18, some things that made sense then might not make sense now, at 22. And that’s okay. The “end of college crisis” is real and, believe me, you are not alone.
According to a survey by Allaboutcareers.com, 44 per cent of undergrads don’t know which industry they’d like to work in after college and 52 per cent of school students agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: “I have no idea what I want to do with my career”. I took a job I didn’t like because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. But, if there’s one thing I learned is you don’t have to know what you want. Be patient and start by knowing what you don’t want. Once I started thinking about it through that angle, things got a lot easier. It opened my mind to really notice the things that made me happy and see other potential career paths. A few weeks ago, I spoke to Claire Murphy, a counselor at the Career Development Centre in NUI Galway, and she said that there’s a way around
most things. If you find yourself in a position where the subjects you picked early on don’t make sense anymore, you can always find a way to turn it around and make something work. Of course, you’ll need advice on that, so the first thing to do is to go to the Career Development Centre. Don’t feel intimidated or ashamed just because you changed your mind. This is your future, it matters. The only way I was able to climb out of my rabbit hole and finally pursue what I love was through the help of a career orientation professional. We built a realistic plan for me to really go after what I wanted. So, if you are in your last year and don’t know what career path you want to follow, don’t panic. It’s more common than you think and the best you can do now is be true to yourself and respect your own boundaries.
Christmas season: A love/hate relationship By Fiona Lee Christmas time can be a difficult thing to swallow sometimes. At the risk of sounding like the SIN Grinch, there are some aspects of this holiday that I sincerely dread; however, these tend to mix with things that I also adore. It’s a complicated relationship. Feelings of conflict between joy and nausea surround these winter months. The music always comes first. Even before Christmas FM launches in December, shops and department stores begin to play the usual Christmas carols in the hopes that our shopper’s anxiety surrounding the gift buying season kicks in a little bit early. There are some classics that one simply can’t find sickening and a few that are karaoke favourites, however the atmosphere in which they create cause a shopping frenzy and remind me of the catastrophic damage that is about to happen to my bank account. It’s a sad
association that comes with growing up and Christmas isn’t just making a long list of your most wanted plastic things. In saying that, Christmas music can also send us into a fit of festivity, when we start to picture the Christmas Market in Eyre Square and ice skating in Salthill. We feel the hot chocolate brewing in our stomachs and we look back on our memories of Santa, reindeer and carrots with fondness. It gets you in the mood for a month-long party full of friends and family in a bopping sort of way! Plus, while some may be sickening, we all have our long-standing favourites cough ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ cough. The hype surrounding the holiday is one to marvel at, especially since celebrations seem to begin earlier and earlier each year. There was no time to blink this year between the Macnas Halloween Parade and the Christmas lights going up in the city center. Excellent! We get to celebrate
Christmas for even longer! Or we stretch and milk the festive feeling so much that by the time Christmas Day actually comes along, it feels like more of a disappointing ending than something we were actually looking forward to. I love the Christmas Market, I love the twinkly lights and going for chai lattés in wooly hats with friends, but can November not have its time? Might we appreciate Christmas more if it doesn’t carry on for twice as long? But when will RTÉ start playing Home Alone and The Grinch on loop? Giving and receiving gifts is a lovely feeling to share with friends and family. I personally love going out buying gifts; trying to be creative and thoughtful in my choices (sometimes just funny). A part of me does remember though, the clutter that already exists in my room and the thought of bringing more lovely but cluttering items in. Is it wasteful to buy so many gifts to show love
and affection when it is incredibly likely that we all have too much already? It’s a personal struggle, as no one doesn’t like being gifted something pretty and frivolous that they never would have treated themselves to, but are they worth the trigger of a big ‘Spring Clean’ by February? Perhaps the culture surrounding gifts should be altered into something more positive; treat your friend to dinner and time spent together instead of that sparkly thing from Penneys. Or maybe I want the sparkly thing. Oh dear. Christmas is a hard and amazing time of year. Music grates and greets us. Expectations are met and anticipation teases. Gifts are given, and money is spent (oh, God, the money). There are little, annoying things about the holiday season but all in all there is great fun in family, friends, boxes of sweets and absorbing the atmosphere of the city in celebration. Mostly. I suppose.
TUAIRIM
November 20 2018
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They missed out an opportunity by not calling it Popemon Go! By Stevie Buckley Remember the all-encompassing Pokémon Go hype about two years ago? Well, the hype is back with a similar game, but this time you’re catching saints instead of mythical (and at this stage legendary) creatures. ‘Follow JC Go!’ is a game where you catch saints, collect appearances of the Virgin Mary and collect spirituality (health), food (well, just bread) and water (I wonder if the game turns it into wine?). To collect saints and appearances, you have to answer a true or false question about that saint or appearance correctly, which, despite what you may think, is harder than just throwing a ball at a creature. I decided to download it to see what the hype was about. The first thing I hit after downloading this game was a
problem- there’s a language barrier, as the game can only be played in Spanish at the moment. They say you will be able to choose English soon, but how soon? This is a problem for a lot of people. For example, I only have basic Spanish. It was enough to get past the account registration page but that’s about it. Some people who may want to play it have no Spanish at all. I have to guess at what the questions say as all I can understand are numbers, which really peeves me off. Also, in relation to this, you can only collect Spanish saints at the moment. Another problem I found with it was the sheer invasiveness of the sign-up process. These questions are only optional, but it asks you which diocese and parish you happen to live in. Location services (which
need to be turned on to play the game) can tell them where you are, so why try to narrow down where you live to the parish? Next, they’ll be asking who your parish priest is. I’m guessing that the Catholic Church is just that nosey, to be honest. Yes, this game was sponsored by the Catholic Church and even got the Pope’s blessing. The game was made by a Spanish company with affiliations with the Catholic Church and cost an exorbitant $500,000 to make. This game has gotten some hilarious reviews on the Google Play app store. Someone rated it the full five stars saying, “This game really makes me feel like Batman”. Another reviewer, who also rated it five stars says, among other things, “My children have been made fools by the evil beasts of Satanmon, as we at the Moms for
HARD WORK vs TALENT: what is the mantra for success? By Ameya Godse “There is no substitute for hard work.” -Thomas Edison. Often being accredited as one of the greatest inventors and scientists of his time, Edison’s quotation on hard work has become immortal in the pages of inspiration. The largest crowds to draw an inspiration from this quote are the college youth. It is quite customary amongst a majority of the students to be perplexed about a common notion – whether talent or hard work will get them across the river. It is easier said than done, to pinpoint individuals from a crowd and ask them if they feel they are talented in a particular subject, or if they need to put it that extra effort. As there are two faces to a coin, you’d find two types of students in every class. One set are the gifted, the skilled, the alphas. They excel in a lot of things in which the average Joe cannot. They dominate discussions, lead groups, multitask their way through the course and finally ace
through the semester exams to add another feather in their already decorated cap. These students make their omnipresence so dominating, that they nearly dwarf other students in the class. These students come under the canopy of “talented”. Then come the hard workers. They’d put additional hours and slog their way through assignment deadlines. For them, the burden of semester exams and coursework comes in the form of planning their weeks way in advance and cutting down on social life. More often than not, you’d find the hard working students spending a lot of time in libraries and reading rooms buried in books. Often coined the “nerds”, these students have to put in thrice the effort to gain the same result as the “talented” students. While it is irrefutable that talent is rare and can help you stand out in a crowd, hard work plays an equally important role. There is often a sense of complacence that is seen with people who get desired results without having to work too hard for it. On the other hand, hard work
is routine. It essentially grows into meticulous planning and becomes discipline. In my opinion, one can become just as successful, if not more, if that individual is hardworking. Hard work instils a competitive mind-set, helps one achieve goals which are above and beyond set targets. This is especially important when you’re working on set deadlines and there is absolutely no scope for procrastination. Another important factor is the ability to be self-motivated, which is crucial in times of despair. Henry Ford simply opined “The harder you work, the luckier you get.” Hard work unfortunately does come at a cost. It is tiring, exhausting and challenging. Legend has it that Edison failed about 10,000 times before finding the incandescent light bulb. But instead of portraying it as 10,000 failures, he called it “10,000 ways that didn’t work out.” In conclusion, all the efforts put in during college would be worth much more and the results even greater if we stick to working hard.
Christ movement like to call it”, which was even more entertaining when I realised it came from someone called Robert who, based on that name, isn’t likely to be in the “Moms for Christ” movement. There are also some people giving a twist on social commentary in their
reviews, such as tax breaks for the Catholic Church and the clerical abuse scandal. I played this game for a few days and, other than the fact that I only found one saint due to the language barrier, it wasn’t the worst. It was no Pokémon Go though, the graphics are childish
and simplistic and there isn’t as much variety in the game as there is in Pokémon Go – the same few saints can be found everywhere. And yes, I still play Pokémon Go as it will definitely get me fitter than Follow JC Go! ever will. Follow JC Go! has an odd concept but to each their own, I guess.
14 O PI N IO N
SIN Vol. 20 Issue 06
City BRAWL By Gary Elbert
I stood outside GMIT umbrella in one hand, phone in the other. It was a wet miserable autumn Galway afternoon, the rain attacking from all sides, flanked and buttressed by a cutting Atlantic wind. Suddenly a verbal altercation took place, through the passenger windows of passing cars. One car ‘parked’ in the bus lane metres away from the adjoining bus stop while the other returned via the roundabout and stopped behind the first car. Two men emerged from each vehicle. A woman exited the passenger seat of the first car shouting and screaming and brandishing a mobile phone. The fight was on. A brief adrenalin fuelled exchange lasted twenty seconds or so before both combatants succumbed to physiological reality. Neither were fit or healthy enough to engage in a prolonged duel. Nevertheless nine minutes of the most absurd and bizarre scenes unfolded, yards from the state of the art new Garda station. Two out of breath and overweight men proceeded to engage in a posturing dance while traffic was forced to grind a halt. This all played out in the middle of one of the busiest roads in Galway City. I recorded the impromptu event for seven minutes until my battery gave in. As the shaping and posturing continued I noticed the billboard in the background advertising a new non- alcoholic beer.
“ The beer for when your off the beer” went the billboards caption. Welcome to Ireland 2018. Imagine a group of idealistic American tourists entering the city eager to experience the postcard friendly version of Galway that our local media never fails in promoting. A bareknuckle fist fight taking place in the middle of the road with the participants utterly uncaring about the consequences of their actions. The fight, or rather the parody of what a fight is, fizzled out with one combatant shirtless and raising his hands in the air victoriously. Two uniformed guards emerged from the station after ten minutes and collared both road warriors. The men’s children in each car observed this
Would I share it? I questioned the rationality behind sharing or un-sharing. Recent political and media activity added an extra layer of curiosity to my dilemma. I decided that I would indeed share it. This event happened. It deserved to be broadcast if only to shame the participants and possibly deter others from behaving so badly. I realised that the video would be used to rationalise the recent Peter Casey vote. The word racism has been tossed around to smear the 300 thousand people who gave the clueless Casey their number 1. Those people would seize on this video to bolster their views. The left of this country, the blanket disingenous left largely populated by middle class misfits, would generally ignore this video as it did
Imagine a group of idealistic American tourists entering the city eager to experience the postcard friendly version of Galway only to find a bareknuckle fist fight taking place in the middle of the road. carry on from start to finish. An argument can be made that such behaviour is among the most psychologically damaging forms of child abuse. I went on my way, footage saved and secured.
not fit into their victims of an oppressive system narrative. Truth is often secondary to manipulation of such content. The video quickly went viral amassing sixty thousand views. The vast majority who commented, tagged, or shared
enjoyed the surreal humour of the video’s contents. There were a few ‘Vote Casey’ comments. Empathy for the children mostly came from female commenters. In the meantime another video was posted online, recorded by the female passenger of the first car and offering a two minute close up of the initial burst of adrenalin to the backgrounds sounds of frightened children. The occupants of the first car were eager to announce their victory it seemed. Seeking official responses in the aftermath of such an event is largely pointless. Local politicians deliver condemnation platitudes such as the statement from the latest Mayor on the council conveyor belt Niall McNelis. Activist groups will offer sermons on inequality and socio economic advantage with the big bad capitalist system responsible for such flagrant medieval dysfunction. You are only allowed choose one of two positions in relation to such issues. Victims of oppression or big bad racists. Whose side are you on? The debate is infused with egotistical emotion, blinding us to objectivity.
Ignore the rigid inflexible political framework of debate such events inevitably play themselves out within and ask yourself the question. How can a scenario where two adult men engage in a faintly comical brawl in front of onlooking children in full view of cars and pedestrians yards from a Garda station come to be? What are the forces that drive such behaviour? Why would anyone engage in such behaviour in the 21st century? Why has 18th century duelling based practices persisted in this most ridiculous of manners? Lets not forget the basic rule of law that glues our society together. We can excavate the multiplicitious and conjunctural factors of spatial and temporal complexity as one might say in a sociological paper but… the law is what prevents us from descending into anarchy. The law is supposed to prevent the criminals and the strong from preying on the weak. The actions of those men last week require strong punishment. A message needs to be delivered. The rule of law applies to everyone.
When it comes to telling the truth about Santa Claus, honesty is the best policy By Olivia Hanna Most kids have traumatic stories about the way they found out jolly ol’ Saint Nick is actually just a myth. Cousins, siblings, classmates who crushed their dreams by uttering the words, “Santa isn’t real”. A crushing statement, but it is the truth. I wouldn’t know what that feels like because no one decided to tell me the truth, my mom and grandmother even got creative to try and bolster my belief. Like most young kids I so desperately wanted to believe Santa was real, even when kids at school started talking about him being a lie. I was probably around 12 when I asked my mom and grandmother if Santa was actually
real. I know now that the answer should have been ‘no’, but they were desperate to keep the magic alive in my heart. I never got a clear answer. I was told that it would be a shame not to believe in Santa and that he exists in all of us. Santa existing in all of us didn’t tell me whether or not a big fat man slid down my c h i m ney every 24 December. Sensing my dwindling belief in Mr Claus, they pulled out all of the stops. My grandmother handed me a copy of ‘Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” In 1897 a little girl in New York, Virginia O’Hanlon, wrote a letter to the New York
Sun asking “Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?” The response of writer Francis Pharcellus Church is beautiful and has since been re-published every year around Christmas time. “Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.” These days I read Church’s response and weep, but a decade ago it didn’t do much to quell my skepticism. I had actually forgotten the title of the famous piece until I messaged my grandmother asking for it. Even now at the age of 22 when I asked; “what was the story you sent me to try and get me to believe in
Santa?” she responded with “you mean you don’t????”. By the time Christmas Eve rolled around I was expected to participate in the pageantry of laying out Santa’s milk and cookies and sprinkling glitter mixed with oats on the front lawn. (The oats were reindeer food; the glitter was so they could find it). When I woke up the next morning a small bit of my belief in Santa was restored; a scrap of red velvet was stuck in the cover of the fireplace. Years later I know that Santa isn’t real, but the magic of the holiday still does live within me. I recently asked my mom how the scrap of velvet got there. She confessed that they had purchased a kit specifically meant to get kids to believe in the big man. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t meant for 12–year–olds, but I admire their commitment to making me believe. While I do wish I could have gotten a straightforward answer to my question to make Christmas a little less confusing, I am grateful that my mom and grandmother worked so hard to keep the magic alive for me. Apparently the truth
about Santa is just as hard for loved ones to share as it is for little ones to receive. For some, Santa isn’t just a jolly elf who delivers gifts and eats cookies. He represents hope, kindness, tradition. He is a glimmer of light in a world that is sometimes very dark. We all want to cling to magic, and even when we’re all grown up we can see that magic in the form of a child’s joy on Christmas morning. In the words of Church, in his response to the question, ‘is Santa real?’: “The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and un-seeable in the world… Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding… No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.”
November 20 2018
FAIS EAN
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NÓS MAIRE ACHTÁLA
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Ode to an era: the 1940s By Olivia Hanna
The 1940s aren’t usually the first decade that comes to mind when you think of amazing style. The classic 1940s look is a collared and belted smock dress,
Floral blouse, €26.99 at Topshop
not a dress most women in 2018 would feel comfortable or confident in. But behind the mid-length skirts, a revolution was brewing. In the midst of World War II, women had to start doing traditional men’s work, work that required a different wardrobe than your every day frock. While their husbands were away, women began to alter their pants with pleats to best suit their new jobs. While it wasn’t the first time in history women worked their way into slacks, the war created the conditions that made them acceptable women’s wear. Women began wearing their modified clothes not only to work, but also in the streets and they started slipping into the modern wardrobe. They weren’t the skinny jeans we flaunt today; they were high waisted, and baggy at the bottom, true to the original men’s pants. They were often worn with tucked in collared blouses in a variety of solid colors. Usually we modern women wear pants that fit snugly, but spare a thought for the style that made pants a sartorial staple.
High waisted trousers with a straight, sleek leg are chic and flattering and can be found at most high street retailers. These days they come with different belts, patterns and other flourishes that make them a little less dowdy. I chose two pairs of gorgeous pants, one with a crop leg and buttons up the front. The other is a bit more relaxed with two pleats and a delicate checked pattern. I chose one top to go to with the black pair of trousers. It mirrors the 1940s style when it comes to the sleeves, but there’s a modern flair with the deep V in the front and bold, colorful print. You could add even more of a modern flair with a crop top, or get comfy with a plain long sleeve tee or jumper. To accessorize whatever outfit you do come up with, take a page out of Rosie the Riveter’s book and fashion a headband out of a scarf, or tie the scarf around a ponytail. Scarves can add color, pattern and refinement to the look. As far as shoes go, get creative. Today we have many more options than women did almost 70 years ago. From loafers, to stilettos, to Doc Martens or Converse, any type of shoe can suit these versatile trousers.
Whatever you wear, wear it with confidence. Wearing pants might seem trivial, but women before us fought for the right to save us from the confines of skirts and dresses.
Check trousers, €110 at Topshop . Black trousers, €29.99 at New Look
16 FA SH IO N & L I F EST Y L E
SIN Vol. 20 Issue 06
‘On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me’
The SIN Christmas gift guide by Anastasia Burton Christmas is just around the corner and you’re still scratching your head about what to get your loved ones. Whether they are your relatives, friends, or significant other, it’s never easy picking the perfect gift. They may deserve the world but your bank account is screaming that a Galaxy bar is as good a gift as any. Are you in that boat? Don’t you worry, we got you. Firstly, you don’t need to overspend! Instead, think outside the box. Your loved ones will appreciate some DIY, crafty gifts. If you’re into art or have that streak of creativity, use it. They say that it’s the thought that counts and its true. Why buy the next generic Christmas card with a snowman or Santa when you can douse a page in glitter and bedazzle the one who you wish to curse with that mess…
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shave and cologne/perfume you can get without making it seem like they have a hygiene problem. Perhaps you have inside jokes together? Why not recycle a jar and write your inside jokes on a piece of paper, roll them into slips and tie a cute bow around the jar. Alternatively you could just write down some of your favourite things about that person. Always remember, your loved ones are in your life because they care about you. If you can’t afford anything but a bar of chocolate and a badly homemade Christmas card, they will probably appreciate the fact that you put effort into trying to make them happy for Christmas. You could always buy a load of cheap snacks and invite your loved ones over for some classic Christmas movies. If that doesn’t sound perfect, I don’t know what does.
How to be full of Christmas cheer when your wallet’s empty Niamh Casey The festive season is the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s also expensive! So for a student, it often means making sacrifices and a clever budgeting plan to be able to afford this costly time of year. So here are four easy and budget friendly ideas for this Christmas season. One of the best parts of Christmas is the amazing selection of Christmas movies to watch. From classics like ‘Elf ’ and ‘Home Alone’ to new releases every year, the choice is ever growing. You could get together with your friends and watch different Christmas movies together. Everybody can take it in turns to be the host, and each week that person can choose the movies they watch or take a vote! This is a fun and festive way to enjoy the Christmas season without have to get dressed up and go out. If you want to get together for a meal with your friends, a fun and cheap way of doing it is by arranging to meet at someone’s house and then everybody gets assigned a dish to make. This makes the meal more personal and people can choose to be as dressy or casual as they like! It is a great way for people to put
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If you’re like me and can’t so much as draw a legible stick person, don’t panic. TKMaxx & Penneys is all that has to be said. You can glide into any of those two and find the most amazing things you didn’t know could make perfect gifts. Your best friend likes candles? Penny’s have a wide range of different scents and TKMaxx have candles from big brands at more affordable prices. You want to get your mom something nice? Get her the most beautiful and expensive looking jewelry box for less than €20 in TKMaxx. Looking for something useful for your dad? Your dad might really like a watch or some golf balls for his set. Whatever your dads hobbies are, you’ll be sure to find something that will suit. You might want to get something for your significant other, but there is only so much after-
their own personal touch on the occasion and people can get creative with their dishes. Going out for a meal can be super expensive and booking somewhere during Christmas time is nearly impossible. A meal at a friend’s house saves a lot of stress and expense, so is far more enjoyable. One of the biggest expenses of Christmas is buying gifts for everyone. So, instead arrange a group gift. This means that everyone only gets one gift but everyone else has pitched in. This means that the group chooses what to get each person and then they all pitch in some money. You can set a price limit to suit your budget as well. Everybody loves to save, especially around Christmas, so this would definitely be something to consider doing. It
also makes the gift more special to each person as the whole group decided on what to get for you, and the gift becomes more sentimental. A great idea for a group outing is to visit the Christmas market together. The markets are one of the most festive atmospheres of the season. The different smells and stalls really put people in the Christmas mood. You can set yourself a spending limit too, whatever suits your budget. This way you can still feel like you can partake in the activity by buying yourself a drink of something tasty from one of the stalls, or even something that just catches your eye. Doing this with a group of friends is even more enjoyable and it would definitely make a great memory.
FAIS EAN
November 20 2018
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Living her best life: Priyanka Chopra Recreating your favourite star’s boujie lifestyle on a budget!
“you always need hot sauce.” Her favourite Taylor Swift song is ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’, now your favourite too. Chopra revealed if she wasn’t acting, she’d be an engineer at NASA. Good news for anyone studying engineering at NUI Galway, for anyone else it’s not too late to transfer courses. At the time Chopra had just binge-watched The Crown, add it to your Netflix list if you have yet to watch it. She brings a mandir shrine with her when travelling. Chopra explained to Vogue she prays every morning and will “light a little incense, ring the bell, just to ward off evil and start the day on a good, positive note.” Unfortunately, you can’t ward off 9am lectures. I’ve tried.
EVENTS PLANNER 19-23 NOV //2018
sultnuigalway
MONDAY
19
SHUFFLE presents
TUESDAY
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DJ SOC 7pm-11pm Mountaineering Club Table Quiz • Corrib Room • 8pm
TRIBAL DJ SET PAUL BELTON FROM 4PM
ENGINEERING SOC
TABLE QUIZ • CORRIB ROOM • 7.30PM
THURSDAY
WEDNESDAY
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Thursday
DJ Graham Doherty
Captain Morgan Party 9.30pm
4pm
DJ SOC
DJ Soc 7pm-11pm
7pm-11pm
FRIDAY
23
PRESENTS
Leinster v Ospreys
7pm
7.35pm • Big Screen
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The last LHBL instalment of 2018 goes to the incredible Priyanka Chopra. Since winning the Miss World pageant in 2000, Chopra has become one of the highest paid celebrities in India. She has even graced the cover of Time Magazine as one of the most influential people in the world. On top of all that, she’s living my ten-year-old self dream of marrying Nick Jonas – but I’ll get over it eventually. Coming up to the big day, Priyanka Chopra had the most extra bridal shower ever. The bride to be jetted off to Amsterdam with her friends for the weekend. Everyone was wowed by the gorgeous Georges Chakra SS19 couture dress she wore during
For bronzer Dubroff opts for Soleil Tan de Chanel (€40, Brown Thomas) another cream product, for the best results. W7 recently released a complete copycat product for €3.50. It’s worth a try but it seems a little too good to be true. Other options include the Clinique Chubby Stick that YouTuber Suzie Bonaldi from Hello October raves about (€23, Boots) or cheaper again, a mini cream contour kit by e.l.f. with four different shades (€9, Boots). A bold eyeshadow goes with a bold lip, according to Dubroff. “If anyone’s face can handle colour, it’s Priyanka. She definitely likes to play when it comes to her makeup,” she continued. Chopra’s classic look is a metallic eyeshadow paired with a deep red lip. Rimmel lipsticks are super inexpensive and longlasting. Try their Kate Moss lipstick in the shade ‘107’ (€7.49, Boots). I recommend NYX if you’re looking for a shimmering shadow to rival high-end brands (€7, Boots). The shades ‘Bedroom Eyes’ and ‘Sunset Daze’ stand out as typical Chopra shadows. After studying her 73 Questions video with Vogue, here are some final top tips on channelling your inner Chopra. Carry hot sauce in your handbag, the actress claims
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By Amy McMahon
the celebrations. Chopra wore a white long-sleeved beaded cocktail dress with a feather duster (coat, not the cleaning product). If you loved the ensemble, you’re in luck. Get the look for less on Pretty Little Thing for €98. On the pricier side, but a stunning dress for any occasion, and it comes in size 6 to 28. She added a white faux fur coat to finish the look off. A similar white faux fur coat is available for just €49.99 from New Look. Going straight in my basket! It comes in a few colours in case the white is offputting. Chopra’s makeup artist, Pati Dubroff, recently spilled the beans on how to achieve her stunning look. Dubroff ranks a good skincare routine as the most important part of any beauty routine. Without a good base, the products won’t apply properly. The MUA believes cream products trump powder, as it controls facial oils better. She recommends using the NARS Velvet Matte Foundation Stick (€39, Brown Thomas), especially for darker skin tones. NYX do their own version of foundation sticks (€15, Boots) and are much more affordable than NARS. Admittedly the shade range is shocking, but you pay for what you get.
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18 FA SH IO N & L I F EST Y L E
SIN Vol. 20 Issue 06
Taking care Winter trend spotlight: of ‘sleep brighter, bolder, hygiene’ in exam season By Catherine Taylor
By Fiona Lee This may shock you, but sleep hygiene actually has little to do with how much you sweat whilst you sleep. Shocking, I know. Sleep Hygiene is in fact the practices and habits that are necessary to have a good quality night’s sleep. Despite how much we neglect it, a good night’s sleep is of huge importance to how we perform during the day. Unstructured lifestyles are definitely a contributing element as students, but there are some things we can do to improve our sleep hygiene. It’s okay to not be entirely consistent with the little bits of advice I will lay out, being students, that’s just not realistic. Saying that, making small improvements in our sleeping habits can make a huge difference for our overall health, both now and in the long run. The most important elements of sleep hygiene require the following for your bedroom: temperature (neither too hot or cold), darkness (the darker the better), quietness (silence is key) and a comfortable place to lie down and stretch out. If you manage to do this much, it is a very good start towards a good night’s sleep. CREATE A ROUTINE: being students who either stay up all night doing assignments, going out, or mindlessly scrolling through newsfeeds, it’s hard to go to bed the same time every night. It is even harder to get up the same time every morning since our earliest lecture dictates our alarm clocks. However, if we could achieve this to the best of our ability, it would do wonders for the quality and consistency of our sleep schedules. Set a routine before bed too; wash your face, brush your teeth, meditate, read a book by soft lamp light, limit screen time for a period. SLEEP AND NOTHING ELSE: don’t dare do any kind of college work in bed, no matter how temptingly cosy it looks when an essay needs to be done. Beds are no place for anything of the sort, and psychologically speaking, it’s better to separate the environments for work and rest. LIMIT CERTAIN SUBSTANCES AND EAT WELL: A healthy diet encourages higher quality sleep. Avoid eating heavy meals or sugary, fatty foods too soon before bed as it will upset your stomach to a point where a restful sleep is difficult. Substances like caffeine and alcohol should also be limited before bedtime. While alcohol may make you tired and sleepy, it does not support high quality sleep in the later hours of the night. Caffeine, of course, is a stimulant and should be avoided before a time of rest and relaxation. GET SOME SUNSHINE AND EXERCISE DURING THE DAY: The more natural light you get during the day, the more your body is in tune with the regular day-night cycle, and you learn to associate darkness with rest and sleep. Don’t be a shut in! Also, exercise during the day tires your body and helps you fall into a more restful sleep at night. You can pair these two by going for a morning jog before lectures. You will start the day feeling more energized and tired by the evening. It really can be done! With all that in mind, an important thing to remember is to not stress when you just can’t fall asleep, you will eventually and worrying will only make it harder. However, if you try all of these things and more and still have difficulty sleeping, it is possible you have a sleep disorder or some other health issue. Keep a sleep diary and bring it to your doctor to get some help.
It’s the most fabulous time of the year! That’s right ladies, Christmas is coming and given the sequins, tassels and furs gracing the catwalks, it’s sure to be a glamorous affair. Seasonal fashion, an ever-evolving entity, is just full of surprises for winter 2018. Gone are the traditional Christmas colour palettes of old, consisting mostly of reds, deep greens and various shades of black. Make a splash this season in daring aqua or festive fuchsia or, if you’re feeling particularly brave, lime green. These vibrant hues are dominating the style stakes and show no signs of slowing down for Spring 2019. Stuck for ideas on how to style notorious neons? Focus on one bold piece and build your outfit around it: think bright sequin skirts paired with basic neutrals. Cream, white and black are your best friends when tackling this tricky trend. Elsewhere, the humble sweater dress has made a comeback. Perfect for warding off the Christmas chill, this versatile piece can be styled for every occasion. Pair your sweater dress with black tights and ankle boots for a comfortable yet chic 9AM lecture look, or alternatively style with over-the-knee boots and a chunky belt for a night out in your local pub. ASOS are currently offering affordable variations on this classic sweater staple, and with student discount available on the site all year round, we think we could be tempted come next pay day. Of course, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without high street offerings in velvet, fur and leather. The holy trinity of textures, velvet in particular has managed to cement itself as a permanent staple of our winter wardrobes. The fur coat is here to stay, but you should probably cast aside classic black and transition to bolder alternatives: think leopard print, ice grey or shocking pink for a fresh take on this coat trend. We’re lusting after this fabulous magenta find from Topshop. Not a fan of fur? Look no further than the trusty biker jacket, given a 2018 update with colourful lining and an oversized fit. Alternatively, if oversize isn’t for you, consider a classic leather jacket. Just make sure to layer over a warm roll-neck jumper or turtleneck. It’s chilly out there, ladies. And layers are in! Finally, the pleated skirt is back on trend, and she’s been given a much-needed upgrade. Often dismissed as dated and more like something you would find in your granny’s closet,
Velvet dress, €69.95 at Zara
Leather jacket, €235 at Topshop
this season’s offerings in gold and s ilver are anything but old-fashioned. Pair your metallic pleated skirt with a t-shirt and trainers for a dressed down look or dress it up with a black bodysuit and strappy sandals for an outfit that screams ‘Christmas party’ sophistication. Alternatively, if you’re not really a legs-out kind of gal, consider a colourful trouser suit. From Blake Lively to Little Mix’s Leigh-Anne Pinnock, celebs have been ditching the dress in favour of power suits in bold hues: yellow, green and red being among the most coveted. As with neons, style your colourful suit with cool neutrals and big jewellery. And remember: this winter, the brighter, bolder and bougier, the better!
Jumper dress, €60
November 20 2018
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How to beat those winter blues How to de-stress during exams By Tarryn McGuire The days are getting shorter, the temperature is dropping, and the skies are strikingly darker. It can be hard to embrace these harsh changes when all you long for is the warmth of the sun on your skin and long bright days that never seem to end. It isn’t all doom and gloom though, and feeling lonely, down and low in energy is completely normal as we move through the seasonal changes in the year. In order to cope successfully and thrive throughout these colder and gloomier months, it is important to embrace your feelings and nurture yourself! Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons, with most people experiencing SAD in the fall and winter months. SAD can leave you feeling low in energy and pretty moody. There is no need to brush off the feeling that these are just average winter blues, with SAD it is important that you take steps to keep your mood and motivation steady throughout the year. Symptoms usually start out mild and become more severe as the season progresses. Many of the signs and symptoms include: feeling low and depressed throughout the day, losing interest in activities, sleep problems, low energy, changes in appetite and difficulty concentrating. It’s normal to have some days when you feel down, however, if you feel down for days at a time and you can’t get motivated to take part in activities you normally enjoy, you should consider seeing your doctor. The Mayo Clinic state that the specific causes of this disorder remain unknown, however, one of
the factors that comes into play is your circadian rhythm, this is your body’s biological clock and the lack of sunlight in the winter could disrupt this, leading to feelings of depression. Another factor is serotonin and melatonin levels, serotonin is a neurotransmitter that affects your mood and melatonin plays a role in sleep patterns and mood. It is vitally important that you embrace your feelings, nurture yourself, and go and talk to somebody. SAD is not something to ignore, it is a serious disorder that affects many people. Be sure to look out for your family and friends this winter and don’t let the cold, dark weather stop you from meeting up for coffee dates, cinema trips and fun festive activities with the people you love. If you find yourself or someone else dealing with SAD, remember that treatment can help prevent complications, especially if SAD is diagnosed before symptoms get bad. Samaritans can be reached 24/7 on 116 123
In an era of body positivity – is the Victoria’s Secret fashion show growing stale? By Sarah Gill An ethereal display of angelic beauty and sumptuous glamour, the Victoria’s Secret 2018 fashion show was everything we expected. The runway was filled with tall and slim models with their signature VS luscious wavy locks. While the annual event has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years in terms of ethnic diversity – with almost half of the angles being either Asian, black or Hispanic – their representation of varying body types is next to non-existent. Australian model Duckie Thot, who walked the VS catwalk for the very first time this year, has made the statement that “the runway should represent what’s actually happening in the world.” While this is incontestably true, it is simply not a reality. The annual show receives backlash each year for their stubborn refusal to include a broader range of figures. This year, supermodel Robyn Lawley called for people to boycott the show entirely in the hopes of demanding progressive change. Lawley used the hashtag #WeAreAllAngels to hammer the point home that every kind of body is beautiful and should be acknowledged as such. The year prior, plus-size model and advocate for body positivity Ashley Graham targeted the fashion show by posting an imagine of herself strutting down the runway in lingerie with an elaborate pair of angel wings photoshopped onto her back and looking stunning. Accompanied by the hashtag #thickthighssavelives, the message Graham is sending is clear. As a primetime television event, Victoria’s Secret have
the perfect platform to showcase and amplify the shifting beauty norms in contemporary society to millions of viewers. Regardless of the public crying out for some form of change, the show returns each year in the same vein; tall, slim and flawless. Unattainable. With brands like Savage X Fenty making waves as they redefine the definition of beauty, VS’s refusal to move forward boggles the mind. Online shopping company Pretty Little Thing have recently been commended for featuring two models of different sizes alongside one another while modelling the same silver, bodycon dress. This display of body positivity and inclusivity garnered the brand huge praise from the public. This just goes to show that there would be very little negative backlash if Victoria’s Secret represented us all on their catwalk. The crux of the matter is; Victoria’s Secret cater to 40 DDD and XL sizes. They’re serving a huge demographic of women and making everyday sex appeal readily available to us all. But by shutting everyone else out of the lime light, holding one type of beauty above the rest and refusing to celebrate alternative body types, they are alienating a huge volume of people.
By Áine Kenny It is hard to believe we are already at that time. The nights are dark and cold; you’re staying in the reading room until midnight trying to fit in all the key readings, you’re waking up early to hit the books. Exam season is well and truly upon us. While this can be a horribly stressful time, fear not. Here at SIN we have your ultimate de-stress guide. Plan ahead: the key to success is to be prepared! Do not leave everything to the last minute. Look over your module’s course outline, the one that is sitting unopened on Blackboard. This will give you a breakdown of everything you are supposed to know in clearly defined topics, meaning you can select which parts of the course you need to learn for exams. Review the past exam papers, and frame your notes in the style of the questions. Do the key readings before you start to study properly, and take notes. Try to timetable what topics you’ll study before the exam, and leave yourself plenty of time. Get into a routine: start getting up at the same
time everyday and going to bed at the same time. I recommend getting up early so you can finish early, and relax during the evening. However, some people work well at night; so if that is you, feel free to have a lie-in! Ensure you are getting at least eight hours of sleep per night, your mind will be hyperfocused and burning a lot of energy throughout the day so you will need the extra rest. Eat properly: sometimes when we are studying, we can get so focused we forget to eat or drink. Or maybe you crave the sugar rush of a coke or double decker bar? These sweet treats will unfortunately lead us to crash later on, impacting your precious study time. Try eating brain food: berries, nuts, oily fish and green tea will all boost your brain power, as well as being good for you! Eat three good meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner, and include protein. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water too. Take breaks: don’t slog in the reading room for 12 hours straight, our minds are not wired that way. Take a 15-minute break every hour. Make sure you stretch, as bad posture from being hunched over a desk can impact our energy and pain levels. Do a few wrist, arm and neck rotations, and walk away from the library completely and step outside for at least half an hour per day. Fresh air will do you good. Pencil in some time to go out for coffee with friends, or catch up on your favourite TV show. Your brain needs a break every once in a while, or it won’t be able to absorb anything. Good luck with your Christmas exams!
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SIN Vol. 20 Issue 06
UGLY: the biggest fashion trend of 2018 By Molly Fitzpatrick
You know when somethings so wrong yet so right, like McDonalds chips dipped in ice cream, or Pierce Brosnan singing ABBA’s S.O.S in Mamma Mia, or the Balenciaga and crocs collaboration? Sometimes things that should be so wrong just work. This is how I feel about ugly fashion, it shouldn’t work, but it just does. Chunky dad trainers? Send them my way. Fanny packs straight out of the eighties? I’ll take Balenciaga crocs, €650 at one in Farfetch.com
every colour. Puffer Jackets so large they make you look like a Polly Pocket? I simply must have one. Aesthetically pleasing clothes be damned, ugly is in, and there’s no escaping it. 2018 was the year we saw the ugly trainer hit peak, with many thanks to Balenciaga. At first glance Balenciaga’s tripe S trainers look absolutely ridiculous, in fact they look just like something your dad would have worn in the eighties. But these chunky trailblazers caused a ruckus in the fashion world, going viral and becoming the must-have for celebrities, influencers and fashionistas. These Balenciaga’s
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Leopard print bucket hat, €15.95 at Zara became like gold dust soon after they launched. To the delight of many who’s bank accounts couldn’t quite justify spending €695 on really ugly looking runners, their popularity lead to numerous high-street dupes and were soon sprawled across instagram. The unsightly silhouette of the dad trainer is now considered as fashion as Anna Wintor herself, and is perhaps what really propelled mainstream fashion in the direction of ugly. The transparent trend was another ugly fashion that left us all a little confused, but nonetheless the fashion world ate it up. On Chanel’s SS18 catwalk we saw clear plastic brimmed hats and knee-high boots Boots, €69.94 which they at Zara made look elegant, chic, and
Transparent bag, €39.95 at Zara Balenciaga triple S trainers, €695 at netaporter.com
dare I say, beautiful? For me this trend was short lived, soon realising life in plastic is not fantastic but actually quite uncomfortable. Also, no, I don’t really want everyone to be able to see my tampons and hoard of receipts I have at the end of my transparent pvc bag. The most recent of the ugly trends is the oversized puffer jacket, and I don’t just mean one size up. These things are huge, comically so. But the bigger the Off better, and yes it White belt, Green jumper, may look like you €165 at Brown Thomas €16 at Penney’s love your bed so much you made your duvet into a coat and yes, every step may be laborious with the weight of that thing but its so This ugly trend perhaps will confuse the not so fashun, and I’m on board with anything fashion forward onlookers, and certainly that cosy. won’t encourage wolfwhistles (amen We couldn’t talk about ugly for that!) but there’s an attitude fashion without mentioning one radiates when they don their crocs, I thought these words bejewelled crocs or socks and would never pass my lips Birkenstocks, it screams conand I’m sure many are fidence. It’s a rebellion, a still in denial, but f*** you to what’s meant crocs are fashionto look good, it’s proof able. The brand that there are no Crocs experienced rules when it comes a major cometo style. back thanks So, whether to the ugly you love it or fashion poploath it, the ularity, with fashion world sales increasing is appreciating majorly and Balenciaga ugly like it does beauticreating the platform croc ful, and it’s going nowhere. which retailed for a whopBid farewell to all things flirty ping €650 and sold out and feminine, throw on your almost instantly when they crocs, bucket hat and bicycle first launched. The ultimate shorts (well maybe not all at ugly shoe has become the once) and wear them with Gucci Hawaiian Shirt, ultimate cool shoe in the pride. You may even feel… €1,100 at Gucci.com fashion world. empowered or something?
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Soundtrack to sobriety with Shampain by Cóilí Collins Cóilí/Shampain is a resident DJ in Electric nightclub, former electronic music editor of District Magazine, contributor to District and Four Four magazines, former resident DJ of Hangar, has written for Mixmag and worked on Rinse France. As Elon Musk put it on his most recent appearance on Joe Rogan’s infamous podcast, we’re all already cyborgs due to our links with our phones, we just don’t see it because our connection to them lies in our hands and not in our heads. With that
in mind, it’s quite obvious that we live in two worlds; the one we see in front of us, and the one we put in front of ourselves. That world that exists within the circuit board at the back of your phone or laptop, a device that’s forever mutating due to what you chose to tap with your thumb. The world that exists within that circuit board seems to be a never ending one; full of content, but that world is one that only gets narrower the more tyou spend fixating your eyeballs on it. Without looking too bleakly into the ins and outs of the social media algorithms that provide us
Photo: Maely Lim
with versions of the online world that are tailored towards what our phones think we like, I’d much rather focus on the things that aren’t probably going to kill us all and take over the human race. That is, of course, humans themselves. No, not in some weird psychological sense, but more so in relation to something I’d like to think I have a grain or two more knowledge about, and that is the dance floor. With the recent successes of Mall Grab and Denis Sulta, but also the appearances of Deadmau5 and more on Irish shores, it came to my attention that the fan
The fact is that the ‘gatekeepers’ of dance music culture don’t really leave the rusty gate they’ve been hanging onto since the keys were passed down to them by the last naysayer who harked back to a generation and culture they were never a part of in the first place either.
base attending their shows today is entirely different to the one that supported each act when they came to Ireland initially. It’s no secret that the dance music community is littered on all sides with shades of snobbery, with myself and many other DJs and writers being guilty of that. With that being said, there’s a certain amount of tolerable snobbery when it comes to anyone and their respective niche interests. When these snobs aren’t cool enough for another, almost indefinable crew of snobs that lurk in the shadows, then we have a problem. It seems to be one that is growing in our ever-evolving online dictated dance music world. Our tailored and curated online lives are all well and good when they exist in our own little personal circles, but it has been interesting of late to see how that same idea of curation has slowly but surely crept into our dance floors and DJ booths. The fact is that in real life, we’re all going to be faced with ideas and people that we may not
necessarily associate or like. At the same time, if we don’t expose ourselves to new things and people, then are we really allowing ourselves to grow and move forward, or are we just retreating further into the corner of the internet that is our own curated sense of being? I make this point because the same people that reject the use of social media to promote dance music culture in 2018, and only accept things that were ‘cool’ 20 years ago, are the same people that retreat to their own safe space online where nothing can go wrong and where nothing is out of the ordinary. This is despite their taste in ornate and rare grooves that even some of the most well versed DJs that play twice as regularly as they do, and to crowds three times the size, might not know of (shame on them!). The fact is that the ‘gatekeepers’ of dance music culture don’t really leave the rusty gate they’ve been hanging onto since the keys were passed down to them by the last naysayer who
harked back to a generation and culture they were never apart of in the first place either. Of course it’s annoying when you’re at a gig and the person next to you doesn’t have a clue about the cultural significance of a certain record or genre that’s being played. Of course it’s lame when people go out of their way to promote themselves online. Of course dance music in 2018 isn’t what it was when it first kicked it off. But, if it weren’t for your phone, which also seems to be the root cause of it all, then you’d have no one to whine about it to. Dance music lives on people’s energy and enthusiasm; there is indeed an artistic side to it all, one that I am more than happy to say that I’ve contributed to. Whether that’s cool in the eyes of people that limit its growth doesn’t phase me all that much, but if we keep complaining about the people paying and attending events, then we’ll have nothing to go to or no one to play to. They’re already taking our venues, so why should we scare away what’s left of the dancers?
Autumn Specials
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22 A RT S & E NT E RTAIN M EN T
Much Apu about nothing By Laura Varley Since it burst onto our screens in a flurry of colour and chaos in 1989, The Simpsons has been a staple in the lives of many. The longest running sitcom of all time, it has welcomed success in abundance, but it is no stranger to controversy. Comedian Hari Kondabolu’s documentary The Problem with Apu has made clear the shifting feeling towards the representation of minorities; and it is Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, the Indian owner of the Qwikee Mart, who has caused the most controversy. Voiced by actor Hank Azaria, Apu is a richly developed character whose stereotypical idiosyncrasies have caused a media furore. But has it gone too far? Yes, the character of Apu embraces stereotypes, but this is hardly unique to him. Homer Simpson is an overweight, unintelligent, beer-guzzling American. Groundskeeper Willie, a red-headed, uneducated Scotsman, has an accent that borders on the incomprehensible and Fat Tony is an Italian-American mobster acting out the glory days of a 1940’s mafia don. So, what is the difference? Where are the protests when Groundskeeper Willie, inebriated and wearing a kilt, is ranting about century old grievances with the British? Where is the public backlash when Fat Tony “whacks a guy” or “offers him a deal he can’t refuse?”. Who decided the depiction of an Indian man running a convenience store
breaches the rules of acceptability but a fat, lazy American is just clever writing? Apu embodies the notion of stereotyping but The Simpsons is a cartoon, and its representatives are caricatures. We switch on shows like The Simpsons to enjoy the zany antics of characters whose lives are far removed from our own. I can’t imagine anyone watches The Simpsons for its realism and relatability. Furthermore, what is wrong with owning a shop? Why should a South-Asian character have to be a doctor, a CEO or a high-level official for Indians to feel well represented? Bhaskar Sunkara, an Indian-American journalist, wrote “it would seem that the solution is to have every media depiction of an Indian guy in America be Kal Penn playing a doctor. But a lot of us pump gas too. A lot of us say things like “thank you, come again.” (Sunkara, The Guardian). It’s fair to say that there is some truth in stereotyping. Irish people do overindulge in alcohol, Americans have a higher obesity level than most countries, and Indians run a high percentage of convenience stores. The problems arise when people lose the ability to poke fun at themselves. If you look to The Simpsons to provide you with an accurate and culturally sensitive representation of your people, then clearly the blame starts with you. For many, Apu was a source of humour, good-natured fun and an Indian everyman. It’s easy to
Reeling in the Years, 2018:
it’s been a mad one By Caileigh Ryan
hear an over the top accent and decide that the character has no merits beyond that. He’s a cartoon. Does he have to be culturally generic to make people feel comfortable? Arguably, relatability and depth come from the normalcies and flaws of a character. Ultimately, Apu and the entirety of characters from “The Simpsons” were created to entertain. Looking beyond that role to find something more true to life is just setting yourself up to be disappointed. Enjoy The Simpsons for what it is and stop making much ado about nothing.
Timothée Chalamet on being vulnerable By Sara Chudzik The Internet’s obsession with Timothée Chalamet has been brewing ever since the world got its first glimpse of Call Me By Your Name in 2017. Nowadays it is hard to scroll through social media and not stumble upon new-found intel surrounding the 22 year old’s life. Instagram is full of shrine accounts such as @chalametinart which photoshops the actor into famous art pieces. Timothée Chalamet’s stardom puts him in a position to influence his fans and act as a role model. In his recent interview with Vice, he discusses this very issue with the singer Harry Styles. The two discuss different things from acting and fame to contemporary masculinity. It is what the two teach us about modern masculinity and being yourself that is most valuable. “I think there’s so much masculinity in being vulnerable,” says Chalamet. It is this willingness to not turn away from emotions that separates him as an
actor, and Harry Styles as a musician. Chalamet’s performance in Call Me By Your Name is unforgettable precisely for that reason, especially in the final scene of the film, sending a message to us all never to turn away from our emotions. The actor shares his views that masculinity is not about adhering to a certain set of rules, but also about being yourself and believes that “there’s a real excitement from our generation about doing things in a new way.” This is not the first time the actor’s masculinity was discussed. Earlier this year an article appeared in the New Yorker, hailing the coming of “The Age of the Twink.” The problematic article described Timothée Chalamet as Elio in Call Me By Your Name as the epitome of modern masculinity. Vice published a response article in which they highlighted the appropriation of a problematic trend in gay culture. Chalamet himself also discusses how his masculinity incorporates “allowing
SIN Vol. 20 Issue 06
yourself to be feminine.” These trends in which traits normally ascribed to women or gay men, which were previously put down, become hailed once enacted by men. This reveals the strange relationship that our society has with masculinity. As such, it is masculinity which dictates what is acceptable. It is important that we, as consumers of this culture, are aware of that. The above does not mean that Timothée Chalamet’s message about vulnerability should be discarded. Don’t hide. Be yourself, whoever you are. In the end, the actor and singer send an important message about vulnerability, which in turn, teaches positive mental health. A survey completed by Lyons Tea as part of their ‘Time to Talk’ campaign in collaboration with Pieta House, reveals that 48 per cent of Irish people feel like they don’t discuss their mental health enough. Allowing ourselves to be vulnerable would change that statistic and the landscape of our mental health. That is where the value of vulnerability lies.
It’s the last issue of SIN for 2018 so with that in mind, here’s a quick flick through the year just passed – it’s been an absolute rollercoaster, but it came with a lot of great victories and societal progress. We repealed the 8th amendment. Thousands flew home from abroad to vote and it was a landslide victory for the women of Ireland! 66.4 per cent of people voted to legalise abortion, with only 33.6 per cent of citizens voting to keep it in the country’s constitution. We also voted blasphemy out of the constitution and reelected Michael D. Higgins as President of Ireland, despite a last-minute surge in support for Peter Casey. On the other side of the world, India decriminalise homosexuality and Saudi Arabia reopen their cinemas (which had been closed since 1983). The movie they chose to be screened first? The American film, Black Panther. They also allow women to drive, something women could never do before. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got married on 19 May, and Markle has been defying the royal rules ever since. From closing her own car door (gasp), wearing a cross-body bag and having a political opinion (she’s hinted that she is pro-choice), she’s a breath of fresh air that really has been welcomed. Jordan Peele is the first black screenwriter to win the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. His film Get Out was a box-office hit and a critically acclaimed success in 2017, and it was a delight to see him bring home the award. Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) releases the song ‘This is America’. The video took the
internet by storm, sparking political conversation about America’s lack of gun control and the increase of school shootings. Glover’s video says so much in just four minutes, and has reaped over 400 million views. Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un met up, following Trump’s acceptance of Jongun’s invitation. The two meet in Singapore to discuss the denuclearisation of North Korea – the first time a president of either country have had a summit together. Nobody saw that one coming and Barack Obama called it “a serious mistake.” That damned GDPR was introduced in the EU, and I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve been cursing it ever since. With it came pop-up ads on every website and emails urging you to update all your passwords. I don’t know how many times I’ve been asked if I accept “cookies” (I quickly learned I had the wrong kind of cookies in mind). Though it’s all in the name of safety, it’s undoubtedly a bit of a pain. Canada legalised the sale of cannabis for recreational use as of 17 October, and is the first majorly industrialised country to do so. On 10 July, 12 boys and their football coach were successfully rescued from a flooded cave in Thailand after being stranded there for 17 days. The operation took days, with each boy exiting the cave accompanied by two expert divers and embark on a journey several hours long in order to escape. Narongsak Osotthanakorn, commander of the mission said upon the successful rescue “We [have done] the thing that people thought was impossible”, and I think the same can be said for much of 2018’s feats.
CREATIVE Change of heart CORNER By Anastasia Burton Autumn crumbles like a leaf, Leaving but an ash behind, I wait for thee my icy friend, To bring ahead the cold delight, Naked they will stand no longer, Cover them with coat of snow! Ho-Ho-Ho the fat man yells! Leaving not a light behind, He brings jolly snowman friends, to your icy bedside. I shall look upon thy beauty, as you stand in front my window, white.
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The 10 Greatest Christmas Movies Countdown By Owen Kennedy
With Christmas slowly but surely creeping up, it’s almost time to binge on the cinematic classics we hold close to our hearts. But what ones are a cut above a lot, and I mean a lot, of the commercialised garbage that gets released? These 10 films may be enough to fill you with a sense of holiday cheer.
is visually stunning overall, the story is stupidly padded. However, the animation is nothing short of spectacular. The environments look fantastic. The only critique that can be given about this film is about the human characters. In an attempt to look realistic, their animation has them falling into the uncanny valley at times.
8. The Santa Clause (1994) 10. The Night Before (2015) Starring Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, The Night Before follows three friends who decide to end their decade long Christmas tradition when Isaac (Rogan), is set to become a father. This film was swept under the rug when it first came out as it was released the same weekend as The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part II. Even if it isn’t as spectacular as some of the later entries, definitely check this one out.
Whilst The Santa Clause isn’t a very exciting film, the imagination of some parts of the film keep it firmly rooted in the good old-fashioned holiday spirit missing from too many modern yuletide films. Tim Allen’s performance is enjoyable to watch, and he sells the role of Santa Claus well. The only negative of this film is the god-awful sequels that spawned after it. Don’t watch those unless your life is in danger.
9. The Polar Express (2005)
7. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
I know I’ll probably be shot for this, but The Polar Express is one big gimmick, but that gimmick works massively in its favour. Though the movie
Whilst it isn’t the most faithful adaptation of the classic Dickens story, The Muppet Christmas Carol is entertaining for its comedy and timeless humour. It’s definitely a film
SIN’s big fat quiz of the year By Oisín Bradley, Owen Kennedy and Fiona Lee
5. Donald Glover played which character in Solo:
IRISH SPORT 1. Which county hosted the 2018 Irish Open? 2. Dublin won the 2018 All-Ireland SFC, but who
VIDEO GAMES 1. Rockstar released the much-anticipated sequel
were the other finalists? 3. What Irish football legend organised the Liam Miller Testimonial Match in Pairc Uí Chaoimh? 4. What nation did Ireland beat to secure a Grand Slam in this year’s Six Nations? 5. In what round was Conor McGregor defeated in his UFC 229 bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov?
2. Which titular superhero came onto the PS4 this
WORLD SPORT 1. What club won La Liga in the 2017/18 season? 2. Rafael Nadal won this year’s French Open, how many French Opens has he won?
3. Who won the World Cup Golden Boot? 4. Who was voted the MVP in this year’s Super Bowl? 5. Which side beat Germany 2-0 to send them crashing out of the 2018 World Cup?
CELEBRITY 1. Who was voted this year’s ‘Sexiest Man Alive’? 2. What is the most streamed new release on Spotify this year? 3. In what month did Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get married? 4. The ‘Super Bowl Selfie Kid’ went viral in February, but who was performing in the half-time show? 5. What Irish YouTuber appeared on RTE’s ‘The Late Late Show’ this year?
POLITICS 1. Who resigned as the UK Foreign Secretary in July?
2. Michael D Higgins won the 2018 Irish Presidential Election, but who came second?
3. In what country did Donald Trump and Kim-Jong Un stage their historic meeting?
4. Who took over from Gerry Adams as the leader of Sinn Féin this year?
5. What is the name of the current German Chancellor who recently stated she would not be running for reelection?
MOVIES 1. How many characters died on screen as a result of Infinity War, including Ant-Man and the Wasp? 2. What was the worldwide box office gross of Incredibles 2? 3. Steven Spielberg came back as director for what blockbuster this year? 4. Who played Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody?
A Star Wars Story?
to what series this year? year?
3. God of War received a sequel this year. What was the mythology that inspired the game?
4. Nintendo re-released which Donkey Kong game from the Wii U onto the Switch?
5. Which battle royale game blew up in popularity this year?
MEMES 1. Where were the Knuckles from? 2. Which NBA player had his reaction during the NBA Finals turned into a meme?
3. Was it ‘yanny’ or was it ‘laurel’? 4. What animal became famous for playing the bongos?
5. In what store was Mason Ramsey, the yodelling kid, originally filmed at?
TELEVISION 1. What TV series one the Emmy for ‘Best Drama Series’ this year?
2. What popular sitcom based on law enforcement was cancelled earlier this year?
3. What was Meghan Markle’s character’s name in her TV Series ‘Suits’?
4. How many ‘Treehouse of Horror’ episodes have been made so far in ‘The Simpsons’?
5. Which two famous actors co-star in the new Netflix series ‘Maniac’?
CHRISTMAS 1. What band sang “Fairytale of New York”? 2. Traditionally, what date do we take down our Christmas decorations?
3. From what country does the tradition of the holly wreath decorating the front door originate?
4. Where in Dublin could you find a ‘moving crib’ during the Christmas holidays?
5. How do you say ‘Merry Christmas’ in Irish? MUSIC 1. Who won Best New Artist at the VMA’s 2018? 2. What is the most streamed new release on Spotify this year?
3. What Irish pop band announced a comeback album and tour this year?
4. How many concert dates did Ed Sheeran play in Ireland this year?
5. What county was the Irish Traditional music festival ‘Oireachtas na Samhna’ held in this year?
more enjoyable with a multi-generation viewing, but the message the film gives still pulls through regardless of the ages viewing it. Michael Caine steals the spotlight here with his performance as Ebenezer Scrooge.
provides an appealing lesson about the true meaning of Christmas. This one is easily accessible, as you can find this one floating around on YouTube.
3. Elf (2003) 6. Arthur Christmas (2011) An Aardman film being really good? Must be a day ending in ‘y’. What makes Arthur Christmas really good is the subtleties within it. The humour for the majority of the film is fast-paced and you’ll have to watch the film about three times to understand all the jokes. The underlying theme of the generational dispute between all three Santas elevates the film even more.
5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966) Our first of two TV special Christmas films is Dr Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! At only 26 minutes, it brings an impressive array of talent to bear on an adaptation that honours a classic holiday story. The message given by the film is truly timeless, and is one we can all learn from, especially with how much we complain about Christmas being celebrated too early, I’m looking at you Brown Thomas.
4. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) Our second TV short, A Charlie Brown Christmas is delightfully charming in its presentation, even if the animation is a bit choppy at times. Its message
Elf is a spirited, good-natured family comedy benefiting greatly from Will Ferrell’s funny and charming performance as Santa’s biggest helper. However, can it be held on the same pedestal as Home Alone, which it is most often compared to? That is a question only time can answer.
2. Home Alone (1990) Pretty much everyone has seen this one, and with good reason. The character that is Kevin, played by Macauly Culkin, captures everything great about being a kid perfectly, even if his situation is ridiculously implausible. The comedy is also entertaining to rewatch nearly 30 years later. I would say go see this one, but you probably already have.
1. Die Hard (1988) Yes, Die Hard does count! Everything in this nonstop cinematic masterpiece is excellent. The action is heart stopping and the performances are Oscar worthy. Even the comedy, whilst sparse, is still funny throughout. Even if you don’t recognise this as a Christmas film (even though you should) you won’t regret watching it!
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SIN Vol. 20 Issue 06
Local lad Brendan’s X Factor glory: “The best thing to come out of Tuam in a long, long time” By Caileigh Ryan If you’ve been following the X Factor this year, you’d know that 22-year-old Brendan Murray from Tuam is one of the lucky 16 who have made it to the live shows. Mentored by ex-One-Direction member Louis Tomlinson, Brendan has been performing consistently week on week, and is not only doing his fans proud, but everyone back in his small hometown of Tuam too. There’s something magical about seeing a local guy like Brendan on an international stage, living out his dream and the pride his community feels is contagious. Robbie Williams said he has an “impeccably perfect pop voice” and Liam Payne stated that Brendan is his favourite act in the competition this year. As a teenager, Brendan often sang and played guitar in local talent competitions and charity events – there has never been a doubt that he has
a very special voice. His journey to fame started back in 2013 when he was chosen as the main singer of Louis Walsh’s boyband Hometown and he also represented Ireland in the Eurovision in 2017. Following this, Brendan pursued work as a plumber, but he has never faded from the limelight. He has a mass following online from his previous fame and thanks to him posting covers, releasing a single and doing local gigs. He’s always known his passion and has never given up on it – why would he with such a talent? It was nothing short of a relief when we saw him on our screens auditioning for the X Factor last summer. Brendan was back with his incredible, unique voice and each of the judges were rightly impressed – during the ‘six chair challenge’ Simon Cowell himself said Brendan was in “a different league to everybody else” and Louis Tomlinson gave him the infamous golden buzzer.
On Wednesday, 7 November, Brendan flew back home to rural Ireland to perform in The Bridge Bar in Tuam – along with some members of the X Factor production team to film some footage for the show. The pub’s beer garden was jam-packed with people of all ages gathered to listen to the lad who’s been described as “the best thing to come out of Tuam in a long, long time”. Brendan took to the stage, as humble as they come, joking about only having a few songs prepared and asked the crowd for their suggestions. He performed a haunting rendition of Sinead O’Connor’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, a song he credits to his victory after performing it at the Judge’s Houses – the vital deciding moment that lead him to pursue his dream in the X Factor live shows. When someone shouted out a suggestion that Brendan sing ‘Zombie’ by The Cranberries, he effortlessly banged out one of the best covers of the song I’ve
ever heard. With the exception of those singing along, you could’ve heard a pin drop in the room. A laugh was had when Brendan sang a fiery, upbeat version of ‘Come out you Black and Tans’ – the crowd got up off their feet and sang along whole-heartedly, showing the producers the enthusiasm of the Irish back home. Seeing somebody so determined reaching such a high level of fame worldwide and then returning to his humble beginnings is nothing less of an inspiration for anyone who’s lucky enough to witness his talent first-hand. Young kids were ecstatic, roaring with excitement, waving their posters around in the hope that he might glance their way. You could do nothing but marvel at what this lad has achieved, and long may his success continue. Tune into the X Factor this Saturday and Sunday night to hear Brendan perform.
MEDAL OF HONOUR Rihanna to Trump; please stop the music
By Seán O Donnell
For years now, I have seen ghosts, everywhere that I go. I see them in the street, as they glide morosely by. I see them in crowds of people, watching from afar. I see them in the sky at night, hanging from the stars. I see them in evenfalls dying light, and in the shining blaze of dawn. I see them in great sheets of falling rain; I see them in shadows in the wind. And I see them in my dreams. Always, I see them in my dreams. I hold them on long forgotten battlefields, while the fighting rages by. I hold them while screams echo all around, and the air grows dark with bullets. I hold them while they moan and cry, writhing in my arms. I hold them until the light fades from their eyes and they turn to empty glass. I hold them while they die. I tell them now what I did then. “I’m sorry,” I say. “I’m sorry I could not save you.” But just like back then, they never do reply. Over the years, as my mind gradually deteriorated, I started to forget much of that period of my life; but still they endured, their faces perpetually and irrevocably emblazoned in my memory. An old comrade once told me that once you share someone’s last moments with them, once you witness that profound instant of finality at which their light flickers from the world, you are forever bound to them. “They will never leave you,” he said, smiling sadly. “You will carry them with you, everywhere that you go.” “It’s ok Dad, you can do it,” my daughter whispers in my ear as I wait for my name to be called. Her soft hand closes around my own, and at her touch it ceases to shake. She cannot know, but I have just seen them in the tempestuous skies above, contorting in the winter wind. I look at the men to the left of me: grey haired and grey eyed, uniforms gleaming, medals glittering. One by one, they return my gaze, and I know then that they see them too. In the distance, crepuscular rays
CREATIVE CORNER
burst through the dark carpet of clouds above, linking the heavens to the earth with pillars of rebellious light, and I wonder if perhaps that is where they reside when they are not with me, these ghosts of mine. I feel my daughter gently squeeze my hand – my name is being called. I pull myself unsteadily to my feet and shuffle towards the stage. They watch me as I ascend the makeshift steps, and I say a silent prayer for them. This is for you, boys. My back aches from ancient wounds as I make my way to the podium. Eight deep scars throb and prickle underneath my pristine uniform. A scar for every man I killed, inflicted by my own hand when I could bear their damning glass-eyed stares no longer. At the time, I could not help it. Every time I saw them, I was reminded of what I had done, of what I had taken from them. And so I acted, out of guilt, out of regret, in a desperate and irrational attempt to atone in some small way for stealing from them everything they were, and everything they could have become. Afterwards, things were different, strangely enough; they never did evanesce from my memory, but they ceased to torment me as they once had. Eventually, I grew used to them, and as the years passed, they became old friends. Now, I carry them with me, everywhere that I go. A portly man in a slick black suit – a politician of some sort – approaches me and vigorously shakes my hand. I’m momentarily blinded as a dozen cameras flash simultaneously, illuminating the stage with spasmodic bursts of artificial lightning. The politician grins for the cameras as he pins a shiny piece of metal to my chest. The crowd rises to its feet, and in the tumult of their applause I hear a thousand gunshots, a million screams, and I see them standing there among the cheering horde, each one of them lost and alone, their eternally youthful features turned beseechingly towards me, desperately seeking an explanation which I cannot provide. And in that moment, I cannot help but wonder, why it is that people so often speak of the glory of dying for one’s country, and never the horror of killing for it?
By Paul O’Malley Pop superstar Rihanna is the latest in an evergrowing line of musicians to not allow their music to be played at US President Donald Trump’s political rallies. Rihanna became aware that her 2007 hit ‘Don’t Stop the Music’ was in use at a Trump rally in Tennessee when Washington Post journalist Phillip Rucker tweeted; “Currently Rihanna’s ‘Don’t Stop the Music’ is blaring in Chattanooga as aides toss free Trump t-shirts into the crowd like a ball game. Everyone is loving it.” In response to this, Rihanna tweeted; “Not for much longer…me nor my people would be at or around one of those tragic rallies, so thanks for the heads-up Phillip.” True to her word, Rihanna’s legal team proceeded to send a cease and desist letter to Trump. According to Rolling Stone magazine, who obtained a copy of the letter, it stated, “As you are or should be aware, Ms Fenty (Rihanna) has not provided her consent to Mr Trump to use her music. Such use is therefore improper.”
Images: Wikimedia Commons
It continues; “this creates a false impression that Ms Fenty is affiliated with, connected to or otherwise associated with Trump.” The US President has yet to respond. Rihanna is not the first artist to be opposed to the President’s use of their music at political events in recent history. Pharrell Williams sent a legal warning to Trump after his song ‘Happy’ was played at a rally in Indiana in October. Pharrell’s issue, as detailed in his cease and desist letter, was not only the unauthorized use of his music, but also the fact that ‘Happy’, an upbeat and positive number, had been played at a political event just hours after the murder of 11 people at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. Earlier that month, the estate of Prince requested that Trump would not broadcast ‘Purple Rain’ at any of his political events. A spokesperson for Prince’s estate, his half brother Omarr Baker tweeted at the time; “The Prince Estate has never given permission to President Trump or the White House to use Prince’s songs and have requested they cease all use immediately.” Alongside these examples, Neil Young, R.E.M, Adele, Elton John, Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones and Queen have all objected to the use of their music at Donald Trump’s rallies in the past. Trump is not the first President to be reprimanded for unauthorized use of music at political events. Ronald Reagan briefly used Bruce Springsteen’s hit ‘Born in the USA’ as a part of his 1984 campaign, with his team seemingly overlooking the songs strong criticism of America’s treatment of its Vietnam veterans. Springsteen’s legal team made Reagan stop using the song on his campaign. Similarly, in 1988, Bobby McFerrin requested that George Bush Sr cease using his song ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ as his campaign song.
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173 years later and the poignancy of The Little Match Girl remains By Sarah Gill In 1845, Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen published the incredibly moving and vital tale of The Little Match Girl. The story takes place on New Year’s Eve as the heaviest of snows falls. A young, poor girl is roaming the empty streets in the hopes of selling some measly match sticks. Her head is bare, her feet are naked and not one person has given her a penny. She truly is misery personified. The young girl begins to realise the bleakness of her situation. Having sold not a single match, the girl knew that going home was not an option. In the knowledge that her father would punish her with a beating and, given that they live and increasingly dilapidating shack, the girl decides to squat in the shelter between two houses. Intoxicated by the smell of food and Christmas cheer, which oozes from the houses around her, she lights a match in the hopes of warming her hands. With each match the little girl strikes, a new vision appears before her. First it is an image of a huge stove, which she attempts to warm her blue toes on. Then comes the illusion of a decadent Christmas feast, followed by the appearance of the grandest, most extravagant Christmas tree the girl had ever seen. As each match is quenched, the girl is once again enveloped in a sea of darkness.
In the midst of the obscurity of the night, a shooting star illuminated the darkness. Her grandmother’s word echoed inside her head “someone is just dead”; when a star falls, a soul ascends to heaven. With that, the girl lights another match and, in the lustre, her grandmother appears before her. The apparition exudes love and light, warmth and compassion – everything that this poor little girl’s life lacks. She cries out for her grandmother to take her with her, lighting all the matches in the hopes of keeping her one source of comfort near. Together they fly, arm in arm, above the earth towards and ineffable brightness. Far from hunger, and far from the cold to a place where there is no pain and no suffering. On New Year’s Day, the child’s frozen corpse leaned against the wall with a smile still etched on her face. As people gazed down at this child, who had been stiffened by death, they felt sympathy. They pitied her situation and felt the unrelenting sadness of her fate. These are the same people who had not bought her matches. The same people who had not shown her kindness, looked the other way and turned a blind eye on the poverty-stricken child that was so clearly crying out for help. In 173 years, what has changed? The moral of the story, when stripped of decoration, is that people only care once you’re
dead. Right now, in Ireland there are 9,698 homeless people. 3,829 homeless kids. Every single one of those people, in some way, has experienced the unrelenting sadness of The Little Match Girl. We feel pity, we feel compassion and we feel sympathy for these nameless people we pass in the street but what seems to outrank these emotions is extreme selfishness and superiority. We are so thankful that it’s not us. We don’t know these people and we don’t know what got them there. I wonder how many people reading this have lied by saying “I’m so sorry I actually don’t have any change on me!” or disregarded their plea for some cash with the belief that it will go straight on booze or drugs? What we should be feeling is guilt, empathy and responsibility. At Christmas time, there is such a sense of giving and generosity in the air. There are so many ways to rid yourself of the consumerist culpability that we feel after we have bought a carload of gifts. Donate directly to the Simon Community. Buy your online gifts through giveback.ie. Buy a homeless person a hot meal. It’s so easy to ignore these people and their struggles. To leave them with nothing until one day, we see someone frozen to death on Shop Street. It’s such a gruesome thought, but it could become a reality if we don’t face up to our responsibility to help.
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WHAT’S ON IN GALWAY:
Christmas edition By Rachel Garvey
Christmas is just around the corner and with the holiday fast approaching children are brimming with excitement for Santa Claus, parents are busy buying presents and students are preoccupied with studying for exams. Taking a break from exam study is quite important, so why not take a break by experiencing what Galway has to offer in the next few weeks in preparation for Christmas.
GALWAY CHRISTMAS MARKET It’s that time of year again for the Christmas Market in Eyre Square. The market is due to officially open on 16 November and will stay in Galway until 22 Decem-
ber. The market offers the public a wide range of stalls with a variety of food and drink, the Carousel as well as the Ferris Wheel, live music, Santa’s Grotto, gift stalls and so much more. Highly recommended to visit.
LIGHT UP GALWAY This is a tour of the city that will commence on 16 November at 6pm. The Tour starts in Raven Terrace, straight to Quay Street, to Shop Street and then finishes at Eyre Square. Leading the tour is the Santa Express Train. Santa and Mrs Claus will also be there joined by the Ice King and Queen and other Christmas themed characters, which include Minnie and Micky Mouse! It will also be a good opportunity for people to admire the Christmas lights.
GALWAY ICE SKATING
The ice rink, located in Leisureland, Salthill is paying another visit to Galway this year commencing on 18 November and will stay until 6 January. A 500 metre squared ice rink, perfect for a visit with friends, family or your significant other.
CHRISTMAS DAY SWIM AT BLACKROCK For those of who live in Galway or wish to stay in Galway for Christmas, a Christmas Day Swim in support of COPE, which is one of our SU’s chosen charities, is being held. Commences on the 25 December between 10am and 1pm. Funds raised go to help the men, women and children who suffer through hard times in Galway during the festive season.
UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School
thank u, next: Ariana’s break-up anthem By Finnuala Simpson Ariana Grande’s surprise track ‘thank u, next’ dropped in early November, and has been the subject of both enthusiasm and controversy ever since its release. The song rapidly shot to number one in the US iTunes sales chart, as well as reaching both the global and US Spotify record for the biggest single day for a female artist. Its publicity is unsurprising when we consider the fact that Grande explicitly names four of her exes in the song’s opening lines, including the now deceased Mac Miller and her ex-fiancé Pete Davidson. However, it is clear that the song has genuinely resonated with fans, touching a deeper note than a simple revenge break up song ever could.
First verse aside, ‘thank u, next’ isn’t particularly about Grande’s famous exes. What it concerns itself with is her gratitude for the lessons they have taught her, and her confidence in her own abilities to continue to grow and learn. While the song is intensely emotional, it avoids being overly sentimental – Grande playfully states that she is “havin’ better discussions” as a single woman than she ever did in a relationship. It is a mixture of humour and genuine pain channelled into a surprisingly upbeat pop song. Grande’s pride in her ability to “handle pain” is well justified, a fact that fans and critics alike must be well aware of. The past year has brought her several tragedies; the death of her ex Mac Miller due to a drug overdose, her split from Davidson, and the horrific suicide
attack on her concert in Manchester which killed 23, half of whom were teenagers. With this in mind, ‘thank u, next’ is particularly poignant. It is personal without being exclusive, however, and contains a message of self-discovery and growth that has proved to be relevant to a wide range of listeners. Grande insists that we are not defined by our relationships or by our heartaches, but by what we have learned from our experiences. In a somewhat wry aside reminiscent of Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake it Off’, she says “I know they say I move on too fast / But this one gon’ last”, both commenting on and rejecting public speculation on her private life. Her unique and empowering take on break-ups – thanking her exes for what they have taught her and then cheekily dismissing them – has taken the pop world by storm.
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SIN Vol. 20 Issue 06
Pictured are the NUI Galway Badminton team who are in training for their up and coming college tournament.
NUI Galway Ladies Rugby Rising Stars NUI Galway ladies rugby players Shannen Lane (right) and Tara Buggie (left) were recognized for their achievements on the playing field by Connacht rugby. On behalf of NUI Galway sport everyone would like to congratulate Shannon and Tara on this achievement.
Well done to the NUI Galway Competitors that took part in last weekends Intervarsity Tetrathalon hosted by IURCA and held in Clare. The results speak for themselves with all the hard work put in by our team in the weeks leading up to the competition! We placed the following in the different phases; • Jill McGettigan Joint Second in shooting • Mark Carmondy 2nd in the 3k run • Gavin Larkin 4th in the 3k run • Jill McGettigan 4th in the1.5k run • Patrica Hayes 7th in the 1.5k run Then placing the following overall; • Gavin Larkin 4th Male Individual • Patricia Hayes 5th Female Individual • Team 1 “Pony Rangers NUIG” 6th overall The Best Year for NUIG in Ponyland so far, Roll on Varsities. All at NUI Galway are extremely proud of her achievements!
The Colleges and Universities team celebrated their second-ever international caps presentation at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday during FAI Cup Finals Day. NUI Galway soccer stars Maurice Nugent and Conor Barry received their Irish caps by none other than FAI CEO John Delaney. Well done lads from all at NUI Galway.
Congratulations to NUI Galway ladies soccer star Aislinn Meaney on making the Continental Tyres Women’s national team of the year.
The Colleges and Universities team celebrated their second-ever international caps presentation at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday during FAI Cup Finals Day. NUI Galway soccer stars Maurice Nugent and Conor Barry received their Irish caps by none other than FAI CEO John Delaney. Well done lads from all at NUI Galway.
Hard luck to our Soccer Ladies on a narrow defeat to UCC recently. The girls showed tremendous spirit to come from 3-0 down, bringing it back to 1 (3-2), but unfortunately UCC were a bit stronger and left Dangan 4-2 winners. Lots to build on and looking forward to seeing our girls in action again soon.
Hard luck to the Sigerson football team who were narrowly defeated in the Division 1 league quarter final.
Well done to the NUI Galway soccer club who recently acknowledged the 1968 Collingwood winning team. A super night was had by all and everyone at NUI Galway are extremely proud of all our former players.
Patrick Lyons flying the flag high for the Ireland Basketball team. Everyone at the college are extremely proud of your achievements.
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The NUI Galway senior ladies footballers were defeated by a single point in Dangan by UL recently. The final score resulted 4-6 to 3-10. Everyone at the club are very proud of our girls and how they performed.
Team trials went well for the NUI Galway/GMIT Kayak club last weekend in Nottingham. Aoife Hanrahan came first in women and Lucien Schreiber came fourth in senior men. They are now both part of the Irish freestyle team and will be competing at the next ICF World Championships in Spain next summer. Well done to all involved from everyone at NUI Galway Sport.
Pictured is our Director of Basketball Mike Murray. He recently competed in the Galway Masters tournament which was hosted at NUI Galway.
The opening round of the President's cup took place last week and was 7 A Side Soccer. 112 students and staff members participated and represented their colleges (Medicine, Arts, Commerce, Engineering & Science). The college of Engineering had the most participants and are now in the lead. The winning team on the evening were CSIT and congratulations are extended to this team. There was a great sense of community spirit among everyone on the day. The next event will be the 'Santa Dash' ho ho ho ho, have you been naughty or NICE! The time, date and venue will be posted in the next few days. We look forward to the next event and encourage the NUIG community to participate.
Thanks to everybody that supported our Spinathon today at Shop Street on Eyre Square as we marked the memory of former student and NUIG footballer David Gavin, with half the proceeds going to the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust and the other half to the running of NUIG Men’s Gaelic Football Club. We extend thanks to both Bank of Ireland and the Kingfisher Gym for their kind sponsorship and support. We extend thanks to all our Fresher, Junior, Intermediate and Sigerson footballers for making themselves available to help out. Additionally, we would like to thank all at Breaffy GAA Club for all their help and co-operation and assisting with the fundraiser. Also we would like to thank all at Food For Thought, Espresso 44 and Butlers for kindly sponsoring teas and coffees all day in the chilly conditions throughout the Spinathon.
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SIN Vol. 20 Issue 06
Stephen Kenny is an ideal future Ireland manager By Darragh Burke Confidence on the ball, trust in your team mates and a plan to break down your opposition? These footballing concepts seemingly alien to Martin O’Neill and his Irish squad. We’re more familiar with hoofing the ball as far up the pitch as possible, as we’re not good enough to actually pass the ball to each other. A group of players who have reached the heights of professional football, yet drape them in an Ireland jersey and they suddenly fear a football. A team of Premier League players who cannot pass the ball. It doesn’t add up, does it? Belief is a huge thing in life, not just within football. When I look at the Irish national team, I don’t see belief. I see heart, endeavour and hard work, they can never be faulted for that. However, at no point do I see them believing that they are better than their opposition. As fans we live off scraps of good play as we enthusiastically applaud the rare moments when we see our team string a few passes together, it gives us proof that we can do it and hope that we will continue to do so, but it never materialises. Relying on defensive shape, blocks, and knock-downs can only get you so far. At a certain point you have to utilise
your own skills and ask questions of the opposition that go beyond pumping the ball in the rough direction of the goal. We have the ability, there are some quality players in our ranks. We’re just not getting the best out of them, we’re getting nowhere near it. Fulfilling a team’s potential boils down to the players individual commitment, and the managers ability to get the best out of them. Sir Alex Ferguson was the master at this. There’s no doubting the boys in green’s commitment to the cause, so we must look towards the management. Martin O’ Neill and Roy Keane are not the men to get the best out of our squad and move them forward. They have instilled their beliefs and footballing philosophies into their players. Those beliefs seem to be that we aren’t good enough. So, what can we do to resurrect our national team? Stick with the same failing management and hope for the best? Turn to another has-been, such as Trapattoni? Or turn to one of the brightest coaches this country has ever seen. This coach is Stephen Kenny and he has achieved unparalleled success with his Dundalk side. He took them from the brink of extinction in 2012 to win four league
titles in the past five seasons alongside two FAI cup triumphs. Arguably their biggest achievement however, was becoming the first ever Irish team to earn a point in the group stages of a European competition as Kieran Kilduff notched a late equalizer away to AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League, despite the Lilywhites being reduced to ten men. It could also be noted that Manchester United succumbed to Alkmaar’s Dutch compatriots Feyenoord 1-0 on the same night in the same competition. To further put this into perspective, that one goal earned Dundalk more in prize money than winning the League of Ireland. Stephen Kenny’s men were not finished there however, as they went on to earn a famous and well-deserved victory over Maccabi Tel-Aviv, truly announcing themselves on the European stage. In my view, their next two games of that European adventure sum up why Stephen Kenny should be the next Republic of Ireland manager. His men took on the might of Russian giants Zenit Saint Petersburg. Stephen Kenny’s men stuck to their beliefs and their passing style of play. At no moment did they fear the Russian juggernaut, they in fact believed in their
ability to dispatch the men in blue. They looked at home, sticking to their principles of progressive football, no matter the opposition. Cruelly, as is the nature of football, Dundalk ever so narrowly lost out in those games. With all the millions and prestige separating the two clubs off the pitch, it was only a single goal and the width of the post which separated them on the pitch. Fresh from scoring and humiliating Ireland at the Euro’s, Belgium star and £34 million-man Axel Witsel faced Dundalk in those Europa League clashes. His post-match comments ring true. “We know about ‘kick and rush’ [style in Ireland], but they played good football and tried to win the game. It wasn’t the Irish style, not just long ball and fighting for every ball. Dundalk are the best team we played so far, and if they can play with this fighting spirit and this motivation they can qualify from the group.” Stephen Kenny and Dundalk earned their success through playing progressive football. With the scarcest of resources, he built a team capable of playing and competing with the best, playing attractive football along the way. If Witsel could see it after 90 minutes,
then why can’t the FAI? Why can’t we? These comments are reflective of a manager who can instil belief in his players and create a culture of progressive, passing football. Kenny in fact has recently discussed the backwards attitudes of Irish football and the notion that we aren’t anything better than long-ball merchants. “I just find that attitude so frustrating, I can’t comprehend that. Part of our problem is looking at what players can’t do rather than what they can. A whole generation of coaches influenced by that sort of no risk football and players who’ve come through playing that way.” “They think that suits us, it’s in our DNA in Irish football. And I find that offensive, I really can’t stomach that idea. I can’t tell you how much I really dislike it.” These comments are in stark contrast to how Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane view and manage their team. Kenny has proven that Irish players at even our modest domestic level can play progressive, winning football when they have a manager who believes in their ability, rather than one who focuses on their limitations. It is very clear who the next Republic of Ireland manager needs to be.
NUI Galway end Senior Hurling League campaign with captivating draw against UL
Should Aussie Rules teams pay GAA clubs for taking their players?
By Mark Lynch
By Darren Casserly
NUI Galway became the first team this season to take points off leaders UL in the Electric Ireland Senior Hurling League Division 1 Group A on Tuesday last, after a thrilling 0 – 25 all draw in Dangan. While they’ll be glad to put their run of losses to bed, Jeff Lynskey’s men will be slightly disheartened that they couldn’t seal the win in the end. Going into this tie, NUI Galway knew they couldn’t make the quarterfinals of the league, after an impressive opening win against the Garda College which was followed by a disappointing loss away to LIT. However, it was the 23-point loss away to Mary Immaculate College that put an end to the possibility of progression to the knockout rounds. Nevertheless, NUI Galway began the game with a seriousness and a determination that they had been lacking in their away games. UL, league leaders, knew a draw was all they’d need to secure their passage directly to the semi-finals. Dangan had a greasy surface from the outset after a morning of rain, however by throw in time, the showers had subsided, and conditions assisted both
teams in a riveting flurry of points in the opening period. Evan Niland seemed particularly lively and was to the forefront of the NvUIG attack, knocking over points from play as well as dead balls. UL kept in touch with home side, mainly thanks to their own sharpshooter Alan Murphy, whose free-taking was of an exemplary standard. Free-flowing inside forward play was restricted by the use of a sweeper by both teams. During the first half NUI Galway were particularly frustrated by their inability to avoid UL’s spare defender, Dan Joy. The Corribsiders did show a few times that with the right passing, they could open UL up, especially with the aerial threat of Cian Salmon and the pace of Conor Sheedy. At the other end, centre-back Paul Hoban was cleaning up a huge amount of loose ball. The one time that UL broke through the rearguard, the home team’s goalkeeper Shane Hennessy made an outstanding first half save preventing a goal that would have been against the run of play. Lynskey’s men went in five ahead at the break, on a scoreline of 0 – 12 0 – 7. The third quarter started as a tit-fortat battle between the two sides, NUI
Galway not pulling away and UL not exactly closing the gap. However, as the half went on, UL gradually closed the gap and showed why they’re leading the table with some tantalisingly dangerous play. Hennessy made another brilliant save, denying a definite goal, before he was presented with his next challenge: a penalty. Up stepped Alan Murphy, however the Tipperary shot-stopper was not to be beaten today and once again kept up his clean sheet. The introduction of forward Padraig Loughlin for UL was a key game-changer during the second-half, as he knocked over three points from play by the time the referee took down his name in his notebook. Despite being a dead rubber for the home side, they wouldn’t let UL steal a victory and the game finished in a draw, at 0 – 25 apiece. It was a league campaign that reeked of inconsistency for this NUI Galway team, with two strong home performances and two heavily disappointing away results. However, the possibility of Lynskey’s men putting up a strong challenge for the Fitzgibbon in the spring should not be ruled out, as a full squad plus a couple of month’s training could form a squad that any team would be worried to face.
Former GAA player Tomás Ó Sé recently called into question the practice of Aussie Rules teams taking Gaelic Footballers from their clubs without compensation. He suggested that Aussie Rules teams should pay a fee to take Irish players from their club. The question that would need to be asked is where will the money go, since GAA is an amateur sport? This year seven Irish players are leaving for Australia including three from Derry alone. This leaves Derry in a bad situation after spending years developing young talented players, only for them to leave, hurting the Oak Leaf county’s future prospects. Along with the Derry players Sligo’s Red Óg Murphy departs as well as Cork’s Mark Keane. Whilst traditionally bigger counties such as Dublin and Kerry can deal with losing such talent like James Madden and Stefan Okunbor respectively the player departures hurt the weaker counties more. Take Derry, as the departure of three promising young players will affect them more, but the possibility to garner funds from these player sales, and reinvest them at grassroots level to provide a way for the game to keep growing, could be used in the future. However, some people feel that this will damage the amateur and community feel of the game that is already fading in
the ever-increasing commercialisation of the inter-county game. The GAA is now at a crossroads, and if fees are put into place the game might continue down the road of being a professional sport. One of the problems that could arise from this is clubs could pressure their promising players to leave. This could be bad because more players that aren’t good enough might be pressured into going and failing, like many Irish players already do. As it stands, around half of Irish players that go over there do not play for the first team and the average time spent in Australia is around two years. However, one change that will help many Irish players down under is the improved conditioning of the players, making it easier to adapt to a professional game. Putting fees in place may deter Aussie Rules teams from recruiting Irish players due to the lack of success the majority of Irish players have down under. Also, the fact that only six players have managed to stay over five years shows that it is very unlikely many players find long term success. There would be many pros and cons to a fee being put in place for Gaelic players, but in my opinion, it is an amateur sport and it needs to stay that way. It is already getting more professional and at what point does it stop being amateur? Even though it hurts some counties, the culture of the sport needs to be kept and fees would put that in jeopardy.
SPÓIRT
November 20 2018
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OPINION: Anti-Irish sentiment, the last acceptable form of racism in British sport By Patrick Henry November has come around and Poppy season is in full flow in British football which can only mean one thing. The vilification of Irish Catholics, in the stands, in the dugouts and on the pitch. Jerseys become emblazoned with a red poppy to commemorate British military personnel who lost their lives in conflicts since World War One, raising money for the Royal British Legion in the process. The consensus seems to be an honourable one. Respect. Respect for those who fought for a cause that they believed in. Respect for those who never returned fighting for that belief. Respect for the
Despite his perfectly legitimate reasoning, the Midfielder gets labelled as anti-British or a supporter of the IRA. This perception of McClean has been let fester and develop into something much more sinister by sections of the British press. The 29-year-old has been abused on and off the pitch; booed by his own supporters, spat at and received death threats
principles of freedom. These principles don’t seem to apply to the Irish in the British football scene. The experiences of James McClean and Neil Lennon are just two examples of the perennial scourge that is sectarianism in British football. Creggan native McClean has been consistent in his refusal to wear the emblem since 2012 when he first made his Poppy Season debut in English football. He has continuously outlined his reasons for not doing so. Having been brought up in the Republican community in Northern Ireland, McClean’s unwillingness to support British Army veterans should be at the very least understood, if not accepted. The Troubles depicted the barbaric worst of the British Army. Bloody Sunday in 1972 saw the British Army gun down 13 unarmed civilians on the streets of the city. An apology by the British Government took 38 years. While he was at Wigan Athletic, McClean penned an open letter to then Chairman Dave Whelan McClean outlined the feeling of sorrow, pain and betrayal that for the people of Derry transcends generations; “In Derry, every person still lives in the shadow of one of the darkest days in Ireland’s history, even if like me, you were born nearly 20 years after the event, it is just part of who you are, ingrained into us from birth.” Yet despite his perfectly legitimate reasoning, the Midfielder gets labelled as anti-British or a supporter of the IRA. This perception of McClean has been let fester and develop into something much more sinister by sections of the British press. The 29-year-old has been abused on and off the pitch; booed by his own supporters, spat at and received death threats while at Sunderland. McClean and his family endure this torment for standing up for principles those in Flanders fields or the beaches of Normandy fought and died for, freedom of expression and championing your beliefs. The
hypocrisy is that those who seemingly care most about respecting what the poppy symbolises scold somebody for representing much of its moral principles. The issue of James McClean’s abhorrent treatment boils down to two reasons. James McClean is Irish, and James McClean is Catholic, and in modern day British football, discrimination on these two grounds is perfectly acceptable When Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic declined to wear the Remembrance Poppy against Bournemouth this month no fuss was made, the was no booing, no death threats, the media turned a convenient blind eye. Matic, like McClean, outlined his reasons for not wearing the emblem shortly after the match. His reasons were accepted and respected, The Mirror calling it ‘emotional’. No such sympathy would be afforded to James McClean. Following Stoke City’s game with Middlesbrough he had to be held back following anti-Irish chanting, verbal abuse and having objects thrown at him. Rather than sympathy, McClean was branded with a warning from the FA over his comments regarding the incident on social media where he slammed the ‘uneducated cavemen’ who hurl abuse at him. The silence of the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) is deafening in the McClean context. Not once have his representative body come out and supported him, just like the lack of action from anti -racism Charities like the ‘Kick It Out’ campaign. It took until the Tuesday after the Middlesbrough game for ‘Show Racism the Red Card’ to condemn McClean’s treatment and even then, it had to be led by the Irish branch of the charity. The silence of anti-racism groups has almost legitimised the actions of football supporters who torment the Stoke Midfielder on a weekly basis. McClean is not an isolated case either. In Scotland, the treatment of former Northern Ireland
International Neil Lennon proves this The Hibernian manager has suffered brutal psychological torment, physical abuse and media onslaughts against him during his time as a player and manager. He has had bullets and parcel bombs sent to him in the post. In 2008 he was kicked and bottled to the point where he was rendered unconscious. Against local rivals Hearts, Lurgan-born Lennon had coins thrown in his direction. Effigies of ‘Hang Neil Lennon’ were graffitied on walls outside Tynecastle. This was the tipping point for the 47-year-old, who launched a damning indictment against the sectarian abuse he had endured. His impassioned outburst was a product of years of agony and anguish, echoing the sentiments of many Irish Catholics who had lived through the same discriminatory abuse in previous years; “You call it sectarianism here in Scotland, I call it racism. If a black man is abused, you are not just abusing the colour of his skin, you are abusing his culture, his heritage, his background.” “It’s the exact same when I get called a Fenian, a pauper, a beggar, a tarrier. These people with the sense of entitlement or superiority complex. And all I do is stand up for myself.” Issues of anti-Irish racism have been for too long rubbished, pushed aside and made redundant. November 2018 has proven this to be beyond doubt. Britain’s laissez faire attitude to anti-Irishness never doth its cap and exited stage left, it has always lingered on. From Rangers fans singing ‘The Famine is Over Why don’t you go Home?’ to the vilification of Lennon and McClean, British football has always been a cold house for Irish Catholics. Ironically in a month where remembrance is the underlying theme, the discrimination Irish sportspeople endure on British soil seems to always be forgotten.
Should Irish universities follow the IRFU’s lead and provide consent classes for college athletes? By Martha Brennan Following the news that the IRFU would provide mandatory consent classes to all professional players, Cliona Sadlier of the Rape Crisis Network told the Irish Independent: “You need a whole hierarchy to take responsibility, it has to go all the way up and down; you can’t just land it on the players because they are just products of that system.” Sadlier couldn’t be more correct when referring to the “products” of the system. While we find it easy to blame young men for their foolishness, it can sometimes be hard to take a step back and recognise that it may not be entirely their fault. When it comes to the issue of sexual harassment and rape, everyone needs to take responsibility for their actions, but one begs to ask, is there not anything we can do to stop it in the first place? We know that education is the first step to providing people with knowledge of sexual consent and what it means, and the second level education system in Ireland isn’t doing us any favours. But the third level institutions certainly can, and when it comes to athletic teams, they certainly should.
The US president has made the term ‘locker room talk’ a unanimous explanation for inappropriate comments passed by men to each other about women, and the WhatsApp messages between the Ulster rugby players made public in the Belfast trial certainly brings this into focus. Male athletes do sometimes get a bad rap, and the majority of sportsmen in Ireland are probably respectful toward their female counterparts, but we all know ‘locker room talk’ happens, and Irish universities have a chance to teach their athletes about consent before they enter the professional world, and before they are put on trial. The high numbers that turned up for NUI Galway’s consent classes this year show that students are interested in learning about the topic, but maybe it’s time to enforce mandatory classes to all university sports teams to make sure that everyone will attend. We are not a country known for their ability to discuss sensitive issues, and Irish men in particular are known for their limited ability for tough discussions. Pair this with the ever-consuming world of social media, the growing volume of online pornography sites, poor sexual education
in schools and a changing room full of testosterone fueled men trying to find common ground, it spells disaster. Consent classes for young athletes would not only teach young players about consent and impair cruel conversations about sexual partners, but can open a conversation about sexuality. The sporting world is certainly playing its part with various high-profile athletes condemning sexual violence and supporting the #MeToo movement, and Irish podcasts Second Captains and Off the Ball aired special episodes about the topic following the Belfast trial. Both aired free episodes that raised the question of whether or not the sports environment adds to toxic masculinity and whether being praised and given what you want from a very young age for being good at sports increases the sense of entitlement one might feel. One of the hosts of Second Captains Ken Early also interestingly summed up the backlash to the #IBelieveHer hashtag that emerged during the trial saying “You could see this kind of anger coming out. People don’t want to look back on their own behaviour and start to think of them-
selves as having done something wrong and the thought that you might have to do that is quite threatening.” Last month the Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, called for sexual consent classes to be embedded across all third level institutions after a study by NUI Galway indicated that about 70 per cent of women and 40 per cent of men reported experiencing some level of sexual hostility by the end of their third level studies, and while it is said that efforts are being put in place to provide this, there has been no evidence so far of such measures being taken outside the realms of Students’ Unions. In the moment of #MeToo and in the wake of one of Ireland’s most followed trials, it’s time to consider everything society can do to tackle the issue of assault. And when shocking statistics emerge, such as the Galway Rape Crisis Centre announcing that 50 Galway students had reported being sexually assaulted or raped in the past six months alone, we realise we need to act. And if, like the IRFU, providing consent classes for athletes is all our institution can do for now – well at least it’s a start.
30 SPORT
SIN Vol. 20 Issue 06
Rory Beggan deserved to win All-Star ahead of Stephen Cluxton By Oisín Bradley Once again, on the night that Ireland’s finest footballers and hurlers descended on the Convention Centre for the annual All-Star Awards, the word ‘Cluxton’ was trending on Twitter in the capital for all the wrong reasons. As has been customary every year since the Dublin net-minder’s last All-star since 2013, the blue brigade have shown outrage at the decision not to award the Parnells clubman with the award. However, if you were to take a step back and engage with the selection of Monaghan keeper Rory Beggan, it is clear how he was the man on stage collecting the award on Friday evening. First of all, it must be stressed that Cluxton will go down in history as the best keeper of the modern era and perhaps of all time. The man changed and shaped the intrinsic nature of the game, and the fact that he hasn’t been named in the best XV of the year since 2013 is atrocious. He has captained the best side in the history of football to lift Sam four times in a row and has proven exceptional for Jim Gavin’s charges. Such has Cluxton’s influence on the game been in the last decade, any keeper who comes through the ranks from Malin to Mizen will doubtless be compared to the Blues’ skipper for years to come. However, to suggest that this is reason for him to win an AllStar for one season doesn’t sit. While Cluxton has been typically great in his performances in between the sticks, Beggan has elevated the role of the goalkeeper to another level during his time with the Farney Army, and indeed with his club Scotstown, where many clips are available of him insanely scoring from open play. Ten, fifteen years ago, when you looked at Stephen Cluxton, you saw the future of goalkeep-
ing in the sport. Now in 2018, the same philosophy applies to Rory Beggan. His kick-outs have been great, albeit not spectacular, but his point-taking and his role as a ‘sweeper-keeper’ have been unheard of. His driving force coming out from the back has been a platform on which the 2015 Ulster kingpins have built their attacks this season. The Scotstown shot-stopper scored 0 – 18 points for his county and features highly on the top scorers list for this year’s Football All-Stars. For a keeper, his lethal free-kick accuracy is second to none, and some would even go as far to argue that he is the best free kick taker off the ground in the country at present. Many have attempted to point to the kick-outs of Clucko as a basis for him being awarded over the 26-year-old Beggan. However, when one takes a look at the kick-out stats provided by journalist Cahair O’Kane in the Irish News, Beggan yet again edges the keeper of the Leinster Champions. Both have taken a near identical number of kickouts (Beggan’s 158 vs Cluxton’s 159). Beggan has found his man 138 times (87.3% conversion rate), while Cluxton’s restarts were successful 85.5% of the time (136). For contested kick-outs, Beggan found the right man 3 times out of 4 (75.6%). Cluxton’s accuracy was surprisingly less than his contender for the accolade, with 52.3% of the Dub’s contested kick-outs finding their man. Ultimately, the point is clear. Cluxton has been the best and most consistent keeper of the past decade, and if the All-Stars were selected by the committee on the basis of the past 10 years then, by all means, give the man the award. However, 2018 was the year of Beggan between the posts and, in my opinion, his All-Star is proof of that, despite the opinion of the naysayers.
SPORT
By Mark Lynch
When players in most sports get to their mid/late 30’s, especially in highoctane sports, they tend to notice their own body not performing the way their brain wants it to, or the way it used to. The internal realisation that you’re not performing to the standard you were before is tough to deal with, but what can be tougher is the external reaction.
While you’re trying to adapt to a new style of play to incorporate your newfound inabilities, your younger competitors are eyeing up you and your throne, while if it’s a team sport your team are trying to adapt to a life without you. Alex Ferguson always had a rule that no man was bigger than the team. However, he had a more unspoken rule, whereby nobody would stay in the
team, or even the squad, if they were no longer up to the standard. Many players were cast to the wayside with little sympathy if their contribution was no longer worthy of their presence. His rule was largely justified, and he seemed to have an impressive eye for a player being “past it”, most of the time anyway. That said, every rule has its exceptions. Derrick Rose, for example, scored 50 points in an NBA game as a relative veteran at 30-years-old just last month. Here are four more sportspeople that defied the odds to shine on into the sunset in the final phase of their careers.
RYAN GIGGS
Photo by Richard Boyle on Unsplash
The most obvious example that comes to mind for this topic is the Welsh winger. Having broken into the United team in March 1991 as a 17-year-old, he went on to star for Ferguson’s dominant team throughout the 90’s, ending the decade with the historic treble win at the age of 25. Ever-present in the team, Giggs never dropped below a certain standard, but never seemed to push past the level of “very dangerous winger”. However, after the emergence of Chelsea as a serious force during the mid-2000’s, Alex
European Super league would spell bad news for the fans By Oisín Bradley News broke earlier in the month of a potential breakaway by Europe’s top football clubs to form a European Super League. German newspaper Der Spiegel broke the story of the proposal levelled at the money men at the top of football in 2016, which signalled that the 16 best clubs should form a league, and that the bizarre, European superpower-orientated move could perhaps come into play as near as 2021. This is evidently a symbol of the direction that owners, chief executives and corporate sponsors in football want the game to go. This is clearly not a move to serve the fans with top quality football week in, week out. Far from it. This sort of league would bring with it television packages and sponsorship deals to make your eyes water. Make no mistake, this is an attempt to freeze out smaller clubs from profit gains and to hoard the treasure trove for the fat cats who dine at the top table of European football. There are many logistical issues with this sort of deal, not least for the supporters of the big clubs involved. Fans aren’t made of money, or at least
the common fan isn’t, and, at risk of sounding like a misty-eyed romantic, the people who make this universally accessible game possible will be priced out of seeing the biggest and best names even more than they already are. A big flaw is the notion of having 11 ‘founders’ in a sixteen-team league who cannot be relegated from the Super League, which is farcical. Hypothetically, 2 – 3 ‘non-founder’ clubs could finish above 3 ‘founder’ clubs and go down, despite evidently out-performing them across the course of a season. What makes this all the more comical is that the ‘founders’ cannot be relegated for 20 years. One of the ultimate selling points of football is the infinite scope for possibility. Small clubs can conceivably make a meteoric rise through the divisions and challenge the biggest and best teams in the country, if not the world for honours. The best case in this instance is the plucky underdogs of Leicester City, who made all football fans dream with their heroics as they lifted their maiden Premier League and made all the way to the last eight of the Champions’ League. The idea of the Super League
would cheapen such moments for the likes of Leicester: what is the point of doing something like this when the likes of United, City or Chelsea aren’t even there? Another massive logistical issue around this is the Champions’ League. Europe’s premier club competition brings with it some of the fondest memories of football, and it would be a disaster if we lost it. The Solskjaer goal in the ’99 final, that night in Istanbul and that Zidane goal are just some of the memories that will go down in the history of the sport. These moments are given such a level of importance due to the fact they were in blood and thunder knockout games when everything was on the line. A league-style format would dull and lessen such moments. Ultimately, if you were to ask a typical ‘match day’ fan around all of Europe’s top five leagues if they think it would be a good idea to create a Super League, my guess is you’d struggle to find a fan who’d say ‘yes.’ If that is the case, then why would it happen in a game which is supposed to value fans so much?
SPÓ IRT
November 20 2018
– NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN? erguson began to change the style of F the team, from a traditional 4-4-2 set up to a more varied attack. With that, came the reinvention of Giggs as a deep-lying winger with a freedom that allowed him to carve defences open with passing, and he used his brain and experience to put himself in the right positions. In the 2008/09 season, ten years after securing the treble, Giggs was named PFA Player of the Year, becoming the oldest player to win the award.
TEDDY SHERINGHAM When Giggs won the at the age of 35 years and 148 days, he became the oldest winner. The player he beat? Teddy Sheringham, who won the award in 2001 as a young whippersnapper of only 35 years and 27 days. The former England striker famously didn’t get on particularly well with Manchester United strike partner Andy Cole, but that didn’t stop him remaining a key player for Ferguson’s team well into his 30’s.
Sheringham went on to become the oldest player to score in the Premier League, netting for West Ham on December 26, 2006, as a 40 year-old, in a 2-1 loss to Portsmouth.
STANLEY MATTHEWS No discussion about long-lasting sporting careers can happen without Sir Stanley Matthews CBE. Born in 1915, he went on to play 15 years with Stoke City between the ages of 17 and 32, which included the Second World War period. He made the move to Blackpool, where he the most success, just after the war. Despite almost being shoved out the door of the club and transferred back to Stoke, the Blackpool manager at the time kept the faith with Matthews and was rewarded with an FA Cup victory as the then 38-year-old inspired his team to overcome a 3-1 deficit to beat Bolton Wanderers 4-3, in what’s been known as “The Matthews Final” since. He won the Balon D’or at 41 and moved back to Stoke in 1961, eventually hanging up his boots at 50 years of age.
JOHNNY WILKINSON An out-half as talented as there has been with the ball at his feet, Johnny Wilkinson brought England to a World Cup title in 2003 with a drop goal that won the final against hosts Australia. Just 24 at the time, it appeared his best rugby was in front of him, but unfortunately, he had horrific luck with injuries and his career was disrupted heavily for the next number of years. Every time he became fit again, he would show the world his ability, before imminently getting injured again. Just when it seemed he would never win a trophy again, Wilkinson was signed by French club Toulon and reinvigorated his career. He won another Six Nations title with England in 2011, kicked 11 out of 16 points as his club side, captured the European title in 2013 and then 13 out of 23 points in 2014 on the eve of his 35th birthday to defend the competition. He retired a week later, after securing the double as Toulon won the French Top 14.
LeBron’s Lakers aren’t perfect, but they aren’t panicking either By Darragh Nolan Something is rotten in the state of Los Angeles. Head coach Luke Walton is already on the hotseat. The young supporting cast haven’t taken the step forward many expected. The Lakers are atrocious on defence. There’s no cause for concern, though. Unlike Hamlet, the King (James) isn’t dead just yet. The 2010 – 11 Miami Heat were 9 – 8 through 17 games, LeBron infamously “bumped” Erik Spoelstra and the team called a dramatic players-only meeting early in the season. They went on to play in the NBA Finals. The year LeBron went home to the Cavs they were 8 – 7 after two months and didn’t get going before making three major trades midseason. They too played in the NBA Finals. Now this Lakers squad won’t get quite that far, but teams led by LeBron James just take a while to gel. These Lakers aren’t nearly as talented as those Heat or Cavs teams of seasons past. They have one key trait that the old superteams lacked though; an identity. They’re going to try to outscore you no matter what. L.A is top three in points scored per game and 26th in point allowed. Despite a rough start we at least know what the plan is for the rest of the season. All the Lakers need on defence is to bend, but not break. Josh Hart is an excellent perimeter defender, JaVale
McGee is one of the league’s better rim protectors and LeBron can still guard the opponent’s best player. Coach Walton needs to make everyone, especially #23, accountable so they play organised team defence. James’ second stint in Cleveland was defined by a brand of basketball where a potent offence became unstoppable just because the defence was league average. The 2018 Lakers are fully capable of playing like that. Youthful energy combined with LeBron’s genius-level basketball I.Q makes them a joy to watch in the full-court offence. When they’re cooking, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart can shoot the lights out. The transition three will be bread and butter for them once they start to bring their A game consistently. Speaking of consistency, what happened to Brandon Ingram? The Duke product was supposed to be LeBron’s second star but his most notable moment this season has been throwing a haymaker and picking up a four-game suspension for it. Whispers about a trade away from Staples Centre are gaining traction. Lonzo Ball and Kuzma are stepping up to the plate. Ingram is
more talented than either of them. His regression is the biggest red flag for L.A thus far. This is causing major problems for the whole team. No one can create their own shot on a reliable basis outside of LeBron. He can only drive to the rim so many times in the regular season when he’s conserving energy for the playoff push. Half-court sets are stagnant and slow in comparison to Los Angeles’ electrifying play in transition. Brandon Ingram needs to return to form. These on-court problems are easily fixed, but I’m not so sure the off-court drama is going away. LeBron is up to his petty antics with the media and we’re not even in December. We know ‘Bron can be moody but this is too much. I’m not saying; “shut up and dribble”, but the Lakers need to let their play do the talking. It’s still early days so the Lakers need not hit the panic button. There’s enough wisdom and leadership between LeBron and Magic to rally the troops. Tyson Chandler hasn’t played much yet, but his presence is huge for interior depth. Still don’t think the Lakers are making the playoffs? Headband LeBron is back, and no opposing player is safe.
31
The fight that never was By Markus Krug It has been a turbulent time for boxing’s own Floyd Mayweather Jr. He went from retired former World Champion in boxing to facing unbeaten kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in the Rizin Fighting Federation, back to retirement in the matter of days. With one simple press conference on 5 November, Mayweather sent the fighting world into uproar and confusion. Now that the fight is seemingly off the table, it is time to look at the events and what can be made from them. After being part of the biggest circus the combined world of boxing and MMA has ever seen financially speaking, Mayweather subsequently beat Conor McGregor in a one sided boxing affair. He seemed to be cruising into the sunset of retirement with another nice multi-million dollar payday petting his pension. Then, seemingly out of the blue Mayweather is part of Rizin’s press conference and presented as the next opponent for kickboxing’ shooting star Tenshin Nasukawa. The 20-year-old phenomenon, nicknamed “The Prodigy” sports an impressive 27 and 0 record in kickboxing and has won 20 of these fights by knockout. No specifications about the fight’s ruleset or any other specification had been given. Only days later, Mayweather took to Instagram to announce that he had never agreed to officially fight Nasukawa and that any potential bout was off the table. He explained that he had agreed to be part of an exhibition fight in front of a small group of wealthy spectators; “purely for entertainment purposes and with no intentions of being represented as an official fight card nor televised worldwide.” Mayweather also wrote that he had “with all due respect never heard of Nasukawa before the recent trip to Japan.” The post concluded with the boxer apologising to disappointed fans and explaining that he was blindsided by the sudden changes in the arrangements and just played along because he did not want to “create a huge disturbance by combating what was being said.”
This leaves dedicated fight fans with quite a bit of confusion and loads of speculation. Did Rizin Fighting Federation just sabotage their own event by making last minute changes to an existing agreement? How would the fight have gone if it had taken place as planned? And why would Floyd even agree to fight someone he has never heard of, after making a reported $275 million off his fight with Conor McGregor? None of these questions can be answered with any certainty at this point, so the following is purely speculative. One can hardly imagine that Rizin would jeopardize their events by completely ignoring a previous agreement unless tiny facts like “televised event” and “shown around the world” got lost in translation. It almost seems more likely that Mayweather and his camp unsuccessfully tried to renegotiate certain details after the press conference, or that he and the federation could not come to an agreement about the specific rules set for this potential fight. Similar problems arose before Floyd fought McGregor in August 2017. Floyd Mayweather has never been known to fight simply for the sake of the sport. But even with money as the deciding factor, fighting Tenshin Nasukawa made little sense for the American. Rizin is not known to pay anywhere near the money that Mayweather expects to make from his fights. And facing a 20-year-old with no name value outside of his home country and the kickboxing world would hardly generate the sponsoring interest that Floyd expects for his purse. In recent years, both the Times and Forbes reported on rumours of Mayweather facing the threat of bankruptcy due to an excessive lifestyle after his career ended for the first time. Maybe the potential fight with Nasukawa was another sign for the financial desperation that he supposedly faces. Nonetheless, the media attention around the press conference showed his continuous star power in the fighting world, but the whole show ultimately left fans around the world with many questions.
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