SIN Vol. 20 Issue 12

NUACHTÁN SAOR IN AISCE VOL. 20 Issue 12. 02 APR 2019

Student Independent News

Dispute over NUI Galway charging 5% interest rate on students’ bill to build Sports Centre By Áine Kenny NUI Galway are applying a 5% interest rate on the student contribution towards the bill for building the Sports Centre and redeveloping Áras na Mac Léinn.

This contribution takes the form of €100, contained within in the NUI Galway student levy, payable by all students in September of every year.

No written or verbal agreement with the Students’ Union in relation to this 5% interest rate can be found.

This interest rate has inflated the amount students are contributing to the bill, according to the Students’ Union.

On 27 November 2003 a referendum was put to the members of NUI Galway Students’ Union, to apply an annual levy of €100 on NUI Galway students.

The referendum passed with 1,974 votes in favour.

The levy is a contribution towards the construction costs of the University Sports Centre and refurbishment of Áras na Mac Léinn.

Collection of the levy began in 2007. Approximately €1.4m is collected every year.

The University records the cost of the construction of the Sports Centre and the redevelopment of Áras na Mac Léinn as a “funding deficit”, which is reduced by the levy.

However, SIN has learned that a 5% interest rate is applied to this outstanding balance or “funding deficit”.

The Infrastructural Development Programme 2006 outlined the total cost of the “University Centre” (including Sports, Cultural, and Infrastructure) at €39.4m.

The Students’ Union maintain that their understanding was the student contribution, funded by the €100 levy, was set at €17m.

The Students’ Union has entered into talks with the Bursar in relation to these issues.

Students’ Union President Megan Reilly said that the University couldn’t locate a written agreement between the Union and the University on the 5% interest rate.

Furthermore, the President has spoken to her predecessors, and no previous Students’ Union Presidents can recall there being a mention of a 5% interest rate, during discussions or otherwise.

The Students’ Union stance is that the agreed bill was €17m, and this was paid in September 2018. In fact, the money collected from the levy surpassed €17m by just over €500,000.

Therefore, the collection of €100 from students, according to Union, should cease.

“Students never agreed to a 5% interest rate, and neither did the Union. The Union do not recognise this interest,” Megan says.

“It is also important to note that the Sports Centre is an asset which makes money for the University. It attracts more students to NUI Galway.”

“Students and the public pay membership fees.

The company who operate the Sports Centre also have to pay a license fee to the University.”

However, the University seems set to collect €27.2m, according to their projected analysis.

NUI Galway are projecting collection of the levy for the maximum possible term, 18 years.

The wording of section two of the referendum stipulates: “That the said additional student levy will be payable for a specified period of time only, such period not to exceed eighteen years and will thereupon cease unless an extension is authorised by the members of the Union.”

The Students’ Union is of the opinion that this allows for a flexible term to cover the €17m figure.

The University appears to view the term as being set for 18 years.

Based on current student numbers, a further €9.5m will be collected in the next six years, bringing the total over 18 years to €27.2m.

The total interest collected will be almost €8.5m.

SIN also reviewed the campaign material for the vote “Yes” side in the 2003 referendum about introducing the €100 levy. There is no mention of a 5% interest rate in these materials.

Mr John Gaffney is the Director of Management Accounting in NUI Galway, and is responsible for the university’s financial planning, budget management and decision support functions. SIN contacted Mr Gaffney in relation to this interest rate.

“The application of an interest rate is normal financial practice when borrowing funds in advance. The financing of the Sports Centre effectively operates like a home mortgage,” says Mr Gaffney.

“The money to build the Centre was borrowed in advance, and the cost was paid back over 18 years. The rate of 5% is the standard rate used for these types of projects.”

“This rate is referenced in The Working Group on the Implementation of the Capital Programme papers, which reports to the Finance Resource Committee.”

“Since the Sports Centre was opened in 2009, the Students’ Union have received annual statements from the university stating the exact amount paid to date, the interest paid to date and the balance outstanding.”

“The statement also estimates future payments based on student numbers and when the debt is estimated to be cleared.”

However, Megan Reilly has said “Students will never own this asset, so the Union does not recognise the University’s reference to a mortgage-style interest rate.”

The vote “Yes” campaign material also mentioned “for students in real financial difficulties the college will set up a hardship fund to assist with the charge, on a case-by-case basis.”

This hardship fund has never materialised, and SUSI do not pay the levy.

At the time of going to print, NUI Galway’s Bursar was out of the office and therefore could not supply a comment.

Fund the future protest sees success

By Cathriona Coleman There was a huge turnout on Thursday 21 March for the National ‘Fund the Future’ campaign on the grounds of NUI Galway at the Quad.

At 1pm both second and third level students and staff left their desks to join the nationwide walkout in a bid to get the government to reinstate the maintenance grants and other key services in line with the cost of living.

NUI Galway Students’ Union President Megan Reilly said “we asked both students and staff to walk out from lectures today to gather together, essentially we are demanding that the Government fund the future is our core message.”

“We demand three things: to restore the grant rates to an adequate cost of living, to provide publicly funded education for people so that they

are not paying €3,000 yearly, and to invest in the services in Universities and Colleges across the country, because the sector is on its knees with students who are struggling to fund their education.”

“Our message here today is simple; this system is chronically under-funded. They need to do something about it. The funding model is completely broken; we are one of the worst in Europe at the moment.”

“We firmly believe in the Students’ Union that Education is a right, this is why these demos are happening nationwide today. It’s wonderful to see staff, students and Trade Unions all out in support of this protest.”

“We will do more walkouts if necessary, a momentum has started, this is action on Higher Education funding, and just because we’re coming towards the end of the Semester it does not mean that the message can’t be carried forward.”

The nationwide protest was a bid to put pressure on the Government in the hope that they will come to terms with the fact that the current rate of student grants is inadequate, according to students.

University mental health services are suffering too. According to best practice guidelines, there should be at least one counsellor for every 1,000 students. For NUI Galway this would ideally be 20 counsellors, instead there are just four.

According to today’s speakers, students are being denied the opportunity of a good education because of the Government.

The protestors claimed only the most privileged or upper class can have the luxury of third level education, as it stands.

SIPTU Spokesperson Karl Byrne said: “Students face the prospect of paying some of the highest fees in

Europe with a student grant, which in no way covers the cost of living for struggling and disadvantaged students.”

“It is unacceptable that the Cassells Report, published in March 2016, has been ignored and its recommendations remain unimplemented by government.

During the years of austerity the sector faced some of the harshest cuts in state investment, yet student numbers have surged on the back of a demographic bulge.”

On Tuesday 26 March, the Taoiseach spoke to the Irish Examiner, saying that he was not keen on introducing student loans or increasing registration fees. Speaking to the paper, he said: “I just don’t want students graduating with massive debts like they do in England and the US… it’s hard enough to pay rent or save for a deposit without a big student loan to pay off also.”

Currently, the Government have not outlined how they will solve the funding deficit in third level education.

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SIN Vol. 20 Issue 12

INSIDE

‘UNDERSTANDING LE CHÉILE’: NUI Galway students conduct national autism awareness workshops 4 NO PLANET B: secondary school students organise national climate change protest 5 NUI Galway first Irish university to host a LGBT+ pride parade on campus 6 – 7 Jacinda Ardern should be an example to future leaders everywhere 8 FINAL YEAR DIARIES: end of an era 9 Local Pharmacy Feels the Impact of a No-Deal Brexit 10 Why are exams so stressful? 11 Five types of studiers in the lead up to exams 12 LIVING HIS BEST LIFE: Harry Styles 15 Realistic festival fashion 16 BUILDING HER EMPIRE: meet Mollerina 17 MENTAL HEALTH DAYS: good, bad or indifferent? 18 Five pampering products to help you de-stress this exam season 19 REVIEW: Netflix’s The Disappearance of Madeline McCann 21 OPINION: Christchurch, YouTube and the alt-right: all of this could have been avoided 23 Derry Girls’ Nicola Coughlan on life in NUI Galway, acting, and the impact of the hit comedy show 24 Dublin Comic Con 2019 25 Fantastic beasts – the crimes of J.K. Rowling 26 Moloney shines for DCU as NUI Galway struggle 28 Dominant final display secures Corofin’s place amongst the great 29 Heneghan and Conroy combine to end 13-year NUI Galway fresher wait 30 Latest FAI scandal putting enormous strain on camel’s back 31

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

Find us online:

www.sin.ie

By Áine Kenny I can’t believe this is the last time I will ever be writing an editorial for SIN! Welcome to Issue 12 everyone. It seems like just yesterday I was attending my first meeting, and now I am at the end of my journey with the paper.

It has been an incredible two years and I have enjoyed every minute of it, despite some stressful moments!

This editorial will be my list of thank yous. It has been an amazing year for the paper. When I first started this job, I was petrified I wouldn’t get enough interest to form a SIN team. How wrong I was! I might be biased in saying this, but this was one of SIN’s best years ever. The diversity of coverage contained within these 32 pages is astounding.

Firstly, I have to thank the Students’ Union. We are a paper that is funded by the Union, for the students. Without their continued support, we would not be able to keep students informed. I want to particularly thank Chris Newell, Eibhlín Seoighthe and Megan Reilly for all of their help and advice over the past year.

And we had some fun along the way!

A major thank you to Shannon Reeves, our designer. He is the one who makes SIN look so beautiful, and has developed the style and look of the paper for many years now. I particularly want to thank him for all of his sage advice, and for how organised he always is. This years’ Election Special is definitely one of SIN’s crowning glories, and I hope it is his too!

My editorial team, where would I be without them? I remember reading your CVs like it was yesterday! I hope you have enjoyed this year as much as I have. I couldn’t have asked

for a better team. You were all so dedicated, punctual and had amazing ideas. I looked forward to reading the content lists every week, there was never a dull one. Olivia, Tarryn, Molly, Sarah and Graham, thank you!

I also particularly want to mention Martha, our deputy and news editor. It is safe to say her keen sense for news and amazing ability to always get the copy in on time (no matter how close to the deadline) was a major help in keeping the show running!

Special mention to Marie, our online wizard. Never before has someone had such a knack for online content, emoji placement and funny retweets! I really appreciate all of the effort you have put in this year, particularly in your final year. I know how much work online takes, so thank you!

Our regular columnists also have to be thanked, I appreciated you making the commitment to submit one article each issue. Our first year Darren and final year Aileen’s diaries were a treat to edit, Anne’s Erasmus experience was so enlightening of Irish culture, and Quinton’s political coverage as Gaeilge was most rewarding to read!

Special shout out to Amy, who took time out of her busy placement schedule to grace us with Living Her Best Life! Also thanks to Cóilí, who’s music column in the first semester actually made me want to listen to techno.

We would be nothing without our amazing team of volunteer writers.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you for giving up your time to take on a news story, interview someone for a feature, write an opinion piece, put together an outfit guide, write a film review, or analyse a match.

Photo: Joanna Kavanagh I read every single article that goes into SIN (twice!), and the standard this year was truly exceptional, from first year right through to the Masters.

I looked forward to seeing what you all came up with every second week, and I loved going to meetings and just having a laugh. I hope you all enjoyed doing SIN, and found it rewarding. I know I certainly did. It was a pleasure meeting and working with you all. I am sure we will see each other again out in the field very soon!

Dear reader, thank you! To the people picking up copies of SIN, liking and sharing our articles online, tagging your friends in our Facebook posts (and spamming my phone with 50+ notifications!), a sincere thank you. It means the world to us writers that people read our work.

Finally, I have to thank my boyfriend Darren. I am truly fortunate he decided to move to Galway this year, or I definitely would have cracked up.

The continued support he gave me really meant the world.

For readers looking forward to next year, this paper is open submissions, no experience required. So if you want to contribute in September, please do!

You won’t regret it, I promise.

So, I guess that’s it from me as editor. To my successor, good luck, and remember to have fun along the way!

Good luck to everyone in exams, and enjoy the summer. ♡

Rise of “Nightmare” Superbug CPE in Galway Hospitals

By Harry King Carbapenemase Producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) is the latest in a long line of superbugs. Of all the superbugs, CPE is the most difficult to kill with antibiotics. Last year a total of 56 new cases of patients were recorded in Galway’s two public hospitals.

This was the second highest level recorded in the country after Tallaght University hospital, which recorded 78 infections.

A further 200 people with CPE were inpatients at University Hospital Galway or Merlin Park last year. Furthermore, according to Health Protection Surveillance Centre in January, 23 inpatients were known CPE carriers whilst seven new cases were also recorded.

Antibiotic resistant bugs pose a risk to the lives of hospital patients, not only because they are difficult to treat, but also because hospital patients generally already have compromised health.

Doctors find it difficult to treat, because

either combinations of antibiotics, or older more toxic drugs, have to be used.

According to the department of health the bug lives in the gut, where it is harmless, but is incredibly dangerous if it finds its way into the bloodstream. Patients who have bacteria in the gut do not become ill but they can infect other patients.

CPE are shed in the faeces and transmitted by direct and indirect contact. A period of four weeks or more may elapse between that contact that results in acquisition of the organism and the time at which CPE becomes detectable in the faeces.

The spread of this superbug in hospitals can lead to the closure of beds, wards and units, which in turn reduces the hospital's ability to admit patients from emergency departments, provide services and reduce waiting lists.

Last year, ten patients with known CPE were not isolated in single rooms during their time in UHG or Merlin Park, contrary to what’s recommended by the HSE.

However following queries from the local press, the HSE insisted that infection control measures were put in place and that it also wrote to all CPE contacts.

They added that there is a 1 in 20 chance those people will go on to become CPE carriers themselves.

The Government has approved a €60 million three-year plan to increase prevention, surveillance and control the spread of the hospital superbug.

It will include increasing CPE screening in hospitals; addressing any issues around infection prevention and control, as well as scoping and addressing infrastructural deficits. A public awareness campaign will also be launched and more education and training is set to be provided to hospital staff.

It is estimated that there are around 2000 people in Ireland who carry the bug. The outbreak has been classed in Ireland as a public health emergency as of October 2017.

N UAC HT

April 02 2019

NEWS EDITORIAL

By Martha Brennan I can’t believe I’m writing this but welcome to the last issue of SIN everyone!

This year has absolutely flown by, and it’s hard to comprehend how we’ve already gotten to the last issue. I might be biased, but I think this may be one of our best yet, so I hope everyone gets a chance to take a quick study break to enjoy it!

I immensely enjoyed working as Deputy and News Editor this year, and I want to say a massive thank you to all of the amazing writers that have written for my section for the past seven months. The level of talent I’ve seen has been amazing, and I’ve loved reading everyone’s hard work across the whole paper!

I also want to say a special thank you to our editor Áine, for keeping everything running so smoothly (how, I still don’t know) and being the backbone of SIN. After three years writing for SIN, I’m so sad to leave it behind, but I am so excited to watch the next team take over.

To anyone who thinks they may want to join the team next year, I couldn’t urge you enough to take part. You will meet the best people, work on the most interesting stories and be a special part of the voice of NUI Galway. Good luck to everyone in exams – and finally, a big thank you to all of our readers for keeping our paper going, we could not have done any of this without you.

FEATURES EDITORIAL

OPINION EDITORIAL

By Tarryn McGuire Hey guys, our final issue of the semester has arrived, and it is better than ever.

With exams and summer holidays fast approaching, this issue has plenty of pieces to motivate us to study and even get us hyped for summer.

Conor points out the five types of studier you will see in the weeks leading up to exams, so keep your eyes peeled. Continue reading to see Anastasia give us some great advice on how to make the most of our summer once exams are all done.

Some of the other articles in this issue discuss Aer Lingus’ new uniform policy and the need for more female superheroes.

Easter is just around the corner and this can only mean one thing: Easter eggs. As amazing as they are, it is important to enjoy them in moderation. Alice gives a brief history of Easter eggs and why we should be cautious when indulging in them over the break.

I want to give all of our volunteer writers a huge thank you for all of the effort they have put in this year, it has been such a pleasure being a part of SIN and I wish everyone the best of luck in exams!

LIFESTYLE AND FASHION EDITORIAL

By Olivia Hanna

By Molly Fitzpatrick

Well, this is it, our final issue for the year. It’s hard to believe that not only is the academic year over, but so is my time in college. I know it’s a cliché, but time really does fly. I feel like it was just yesterday that I first arrived in Galway, scared and excited for my new adventure.

In the last four years I’ve triumphed, I’ve struggled, and I’ve learned that I am capable of so much more than I ever imagined. I can’t say I don’t have a single regret, but if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.

I want to thank all of the contributors for spending their time, effort, and talent helping us create the best issues to share with our readers. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have a paper. It was an honour being able to read such amazing content and I wish everyone the best in the rest of their time at college, and beyond.

The same goes for our readers. It’s hard being a journalist sometimes because you don’t get to speak with your readers and understand the impact your work has had on them. I still appreciate everyone who has taken the time to sit down with SIN and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading.

Lastly, I want to thank our editor Áine for her patience, kindness, and her fortitude for taking on this responsibility in her final year.

And just like that the semester is drawing to an end, the deadlines are looming over us and the once distant nightmare of exams is now very much near reality. But if it’s all getting a little too much, there’s no shame in taking a day out to yourself, and why not enjoy some pampering to de-stress? If you need a little help to relax, turn to Martha’s article of the best beauty products to help you de-stress and you’ll be as zen as a Buddhist monk in no time.

Just like exams, summer is a close reality. There’s light at the end of the tunnel, so get planning and don’t waste it solely on lie in’s and work. If you’re venturing to one of the country’s music festivals, it’s not soon until you’ll be drinking cans in a field up to your knees in mud. I wrote all about realistic festival fashion that’s not all flower shaped pasties and glitter bras.

Olivia, our features editor, interviews blogger Mollerina, who is extremely fashionable yet doesn’t take herself too seriously. The NUI Galway student is slowly building up her empire, and we are sure we will be hearing about her again very soon!

For Amy’s final column, she switches it up a bit with Living His Best Life, the he being Harry Styles. He has come a long way since his chinos and check shirt X Factor ensemble.

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If you want to break the cycle of sameness and shop sustainably, read my tips and tricks for shopping in charity shops and you’ll be sure to find some one of a kind pieces.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this section over the past year!

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITORIAL

By Sarah Gill Woah! That year went by so quickly.

It has been an absolute pleasure to be the arts and entertainment editor for the past nine months. I have learned so much from each piece that has been sent in, whether it’s a piece of fiction or a fullblown feature. There has been a number of very loyal contributors to the section, who have made time in their busy college schedules every fortnight to create something brilliant for the paper and I really appreciate each and every one of you. It’s been such a good experience to be part of the paper and a lot of that is down to our fabulous editor Áine. She is incredibly patient and well organised, never letting the stress get to her. She has done us all proud. It’s been an amazing 12 issues, I wish we could do 12 more.

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SPORTS EDITORIAL

By Graham Gillespie Hello and welcome to the final issue of SIN. If you can hold back the tears, there’s plenty to get stuck into in this issue’s sports section.

Ireland have got off to a good start in their Euro 2020 qualifiers, but the on the pitch action has been overshadowed by the antics of FAI CEO, sorry Executive Vice-President, John Delaney. Mark Lynch gives his two cents on a chaotic week for Irish football.

Michael O’Connor was at the Fresher All-Ireland Football Final, where NUI Galway closed out the college GAA season on a high note.

The conclusion of the club season also included a high point for a Galway side, as Corofin dazzled and dismantled Dr Crokes on St Patrick’s Day. Tomás Keating pays tribute to the back-to-back All- Ireland club champions. Tomás also give us his highlights of the summer of sport ahead.

Also, in this issue we have Markus Krug on Lionel Messi, Darren Casserly on Zinedine Zidane, and Owen Kennedy on Ireland’s underwhelming Six Nations.

Sincerest thanks to everyone who contributed to the sport section this year. I hope you enjoyed writing for this section as much as I enjoyed reading all your articles.

Best of luck in all your exams everyone.

4 N E WS & F E AT U R ES NUI Galway’s College of Arts and School of Business win national awards

By Martha Brennan Two NUI Galway colleges were presented with national awards of excellence last month.

The College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies and the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics were both recognized as the best in Ireland at the 2019 Education Awards.

The categories were judged by an independent panel of judges who praised the NUI Galway colleges for the quality of classroom teaching as well as community impact.

Industry partnerships, collaborations and research were also taken into account.

The Education Awards were established in 2017 to recognise and encourage extraordinary achievements in third level education in Ireland.

Professor John McHale, Dean of the College of Business, Public Policy and Law at NUI Galway said he was delighted with the win for the J.E. Cairnes School.

“This incredible achievement is truly representative of the efforts of all colleagues and reaffirms our commitment within the University to creating transformational opportunities for our students,” he said.

“It is wonderful for the efforts of all colleagues in making this happen to be recognised at the 2019 Education Awards,” Professor Cathal O’ Donoghue, Dean of the College of Arts, Social Science and Celtic Studies said following the awards.

According to Professor O’ Donoghue, the College has worked hard in the past 18 months to ensure its appeal by launching new programmes and working on research.

The College of Arts faced national scrutiny last year following the refunding of fees to BA Connect with Journalism students, after trouble with course organization.

NUI Galway was also shortlisted in multiple other categories including ‘Best Education Outreach Award’ for NUI Galway Youth Academy, ‘Best Online Learning Experience’ for the Centre for Adult Learning and Professional Development, ‘Career Impact Strategy Award’ for the Career Development Centre, ‘Best Marketing/Communications Team’ for the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics, and ‘Best Business and Third Level Institution Collaboration’ for Deloitte and NUI Galway.

The top prize of Overall Excellence in Education was awarded to the National College of Ireland.

SIN Vol. 20 Issue 12

‘Understanding Le Chéile’: NUI Galway students conduct national autism awareness workshops

By Harry King A group of dedicated NUI Galway students have launched a workshop designed to raise awareness of autism.

The interactive workshop, called Understanding Le Chéile, caters for second level schools and businesses across the country.

The workshop was originally founded in 2017 by Team Leader Katie Nolan, and is conducted by students who are part of NUI Galway’s Enactus branch.

Enactus is a global non-profit network, which aims to develop the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders and social innovators.

The students behind Understanding Le Chéile (ULC) hope that after their interactive workshop, students and employees alike will leave with a better understanding of autism and comfortably know how to better interact and support people with autism, be it at school or at work.

In the workshops employees and students will be provided with a glimpse of the symptoms and behaviors experienced by many people with autism.

ULC believe they can dispel common misconceptions, promote inclusivity and spark confidence with its use of people-first language.

Autism Spectrum Disorder, also known as ASD, refers to a broad range of conditions characterised by challenges associated with, but not limited to social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and non-verbal communication.

It is estimated that one in 59 people in Ireland have autism and over 250 students with autism leave second level education every year in Ireland, due to bullying and isolation.

“It would be impossible to cover all aspects of autism, there is no one size fits all,” Ms Nolan says.

“We aim to instill confidence in everyone that following our workshop you will have an insight

into this condition, based wholly on scientific findings and raw, personal experiences.”

Despite being enrolled in full time university courses, every “Le Chéile” team member has undertaken comprehensive modules on Autism Awareness

who run the organisation, take an alternative approach with the deliverance of their workshops.

The goal is to eliminate the stigmas associated with autism and provide unique, uplifting stories

The students behind Understanding Le Chéile (ULC) hope that after their interactive workshop, students and employees alike will leave with a better understanding of autism and comfortably know how to better interact and support people with autism, be it at school or at work.

Training, certified by Positive Behavioral Specialist, Brian McDonald of Ability West, Galway.

In an increasingly diverse society this workshop hopes to kindle people’s potential and this is evident when talking to its members.

“We continue to strive towards making our goals a reality in ensuring equal treatment for everyone in the academic and corporate settings regardless of their physical, intellectual or emotional abilities with the hope of paving a way for businesses and schools to encourage and nurture environments founded on inclusion, collaboration and respect,” says Ronan Lavin, Chief Executive at ULC. Chief Content Advisor of ULC, Paul Byrne, who is currently studying Arts at NUI Galway, knows exactly what it is like growing up with Autism in a progressive and changing environment.

“I got involved because, being autistic, I felt I might be able to turn my past struggles into something that can help people who are in the position I was in,” Paul says.

The group of speakers with autism who currently work with ULC, and the team of students

that will have people leaving their workshops with a desire to learn more and the urge of wanting to support people with autism in society.

As part of International Autism Awareness Day on April 2, Understanding Le Chéile will be conducting a staff workshop in conjunction with the NUI Galway Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee (EDIC) on campus.

There will also be an opensource student workshop on campus from 2.30pm–4pm and the award winning, Irish documentary “This is Nicholas - Living with Autism” will be screened in the D’Arcy Thompson Theatre from 6pm-8pm, followed by a guest appearance and Q&A session with filmmaker Nicholas Ryan-Purcell, who also has autism.

Mr Ryan-Purcell will help switch on the Quadrangle lights that evening, which are turning blue for Autism Awareness week.

To book a workshop, or learn more about ULC’s work, you can visit their website at www.UnderstandingLeCheile.ie or track their progress on all relevant social media platforms at ‘Understanding Le Chéile’.

NUI Galway researchers present work at European Parliament

By Martha Brennan A group of NUI Galway researchers presented their work at the European Parliament last month.

The research highlights gender and health implications of Extended Working Life policies in western countries.

Members of the COST Action research network from the Irish Centre for Social Gerontology at NUI Galway travelled to Brussels to present the research on March 6.

The group, led by Dr Jonas Radl from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain and Dr Nata Duvvury from the Centre for Global Women’s Studies at NUI Galway, presented five policy briefs representing the culmination of four years’ collaborative research into the gender and health implications of policies designed to extend working life.

The policy briefs covered a large range, including age management, health, employment and care, inclusion, and gender and pension planning.

The COST Action research network has 140 members from 34 countries across Europe and beyond from a range of disciplines including social policy, sociology, business, gender, economics and health research.

The investigation was headed by Dr Áine Ní Léime of NUI Galway.

“With increased life expectancy comes the challenge of an ageing population and the associated increases in pension and healthcare costs,” Dr Ní Léime explains.

“Governments are taking action in this area, for example raising the state pension age. In Ireland it will rise to 67 in 2021 and 68 by 2028.”

“Changes in working life policy can have gender or health specific implications. Working longer in labour intensive jobs such as cleaning or construction can have negative health implications at an earlier age, than for workers in other occupations. Older workers in precarious employment may find it challenging to find alternative employment as they grow older.”

“Women can be more heavily impacted than men by changes to working life policy. Women today often have lower pensions than men for a number of reasons: lower salaries, part-time work or taking time for caring responsibilities for family or children.”

Introductory remarks at the event were given by Vice President of the European Parliament, Mairead McGuinness, MEP, Mr Lambert va Nistlerooij, MEP, Chair of the Subgroup on Active Ageing, European Parliament and Ronald De Bruin, Director of COST.

The presentation was followed by a roundtable discussion involving European policy-makers and stakeholders affected by Extended Working Life from a gender and age perspective.

Each roundtable participant spoke briefly about the gender and health implications of Extended Working Life policy from the perspective of their organisation.

Policy messages from approximately 18 countries from the COST Action network highlighted the key policy priorities related to Extended Working Life in each country.

Vice President of the European Parliament, Mairead McGuinness, MEP, said at the event: “I am very pleased to have invited COST and NUI Galway to the European Parliament to share their research into gender and health implications of extended working life, an important and timely topic.”

“The contribution of women is sometimes overlooked, particularly in rural areas and on farms, where their work is not always recognized or counted.”

“A special thank you to Dr Áine Ní Léime, who is the principal investigator into the implications of extended working life and I wish her continued success in her research.”

N UAC HT

April 02 2019

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Galway city buskers protest over by-laws

By Cathriona Coleman

‘If the buskers were to go it’d be a shocking indictment on us at City Hall.’

Galway City’s Buskers took to the streets on March 24 in a bid to prevent proposed bylaws. Large crowds turned out in support of the buskers both at Eyre Square and right down to the Spanish Arch where the protest finished up.

At the protest and pledging his full support was local Sinn Féin Councillor for Galway West Cathal

on us at City Hall, hopefully we’ll get the legislation through that the buskers want.”

“Fingers crossed with the new Council we can put all those silly bylaws to bed, enough is enough, we need to make changes.”

Galway City Council are for some time now trying to ban musicians from using amps and/or drumming equipment after 6pm. However, particularly at this time of year, it is mostly evening and the night-time that the streets start to fill up, with Galway’s festival season in full swing.

One part of this ancient act states that the so-

“we are hoping for the City Council to reconsider these bylaws, we would love for them to work with us, these proposed bylaws massively restrict our music and our living.”

“Another one of these laws is that we are not alowed to sing or say anything offensive, this is so subjective, if these bylaws are implemented, we can be shut down at any moment.”

“Our message here today is to show City Hall that this is not acceptable, the crowds have showed up, it speaks for itself, they can’t just bring in these laws just like that.”

The reporter spoke with both musicians and supporters at this protest. One supporter Jessy Bennett says, “the Galway Council cannot let go of the buskers, they are what makes this city, without them there’s nothing, we need the buskers for tourism, and they make the streets fun and exciting for all ages.”

Musician Brendan says, “we are hoping to achieve the cancellation of these draconian laws; they don’t even make sense, all power to everyone who’s showed up today in support of our protest.”

One part of this ancient act states that the so-called busking community “shall not act, say, do or sing anything that is likely to cause alarm, distress or offence to any member of the public, any business owner or occupier, the council and/or any member of an Garda Síochána... "This is so subjective, if these bylaws are implemented, we can be shut down at any moment.” Ó’Conchúir. “I’m 100% behind the Buskers here today, they’re the life and soul of Galway City and of Shop Street.”

“I support them at Council level, it’s a pity that only nine counsellors have backed them, if the buskers were to go it’d be a shocking indictment

called busking community “shall not act, say, do or sing anything that is likely to cause alarm, distress or offence to any member of the public, any business owner or occupier, the council and/or any member of an Garda Síochána.”

Musician Merla, who attended the protest, says

NO PLANET B: secondary Confucius Institute of Chinese school students organise and Regenerative Medicine to national climate change protest be established at NUI Galway

By Harry King On Friday 15 March thousands of Irish school children up and down the country took to the streets to protest about what they believe is the government’s inaction with regard to climate change.

This was part of a global movement started by Swedish 16-year-old Greta Thunberg who recently spoke in Davos at an economic forum.

She first protested outside the Sweedish Riksdag, holding a sign that read “Skolsterjk for Klimatet” or “School strike for climate change.”

Subsequently, her weekly protests demanding action on climate change has won a global following.

Her speech, similar to the one she made last year at a UN Climate Change Conference sent shockwaves around the world.

“Adults keep saying, ‘We owe it to the young people to give them hope,’” she said.

“But I don’t want your hope. I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And I want you to act.”

The strikes that took place last month emphasized the need for fossil fuels to be abandoned, a sustainable energy source to be established, for ocean temperatures to be reduced and that the responsibility lies with the government and not just the Irish people.

The students also wanted the Government to declare a climate emergency, and to communicate the severity of the crisis to the general public, including to school students through the reform of the educational system.

In the build-up to the strike, which was supported by some parents and teachers but also proposed as a moral dilemma for others, weekly protests were held in Dublin, Cork and Maynooth.

The protests were held since late December and were part of a movement known as #FridaysForFuture.

Some school principals wrote to parents before the protest in an attempt to encourage students to stay in school.

Irelands largest trade union, SIPTU, expressed its support for the school strikes.

The main Irish actions were organized by a loose coalition of second-level students in the Cork and Dublin areas.

However, students from schools in many towns around the country also held local demonstrations, including the one here in Galway that took place in Eyre square.

Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Richard Bruton met protesters in Dublin and paid tribute to their “passion and engagement”.

Despite this, demonstrators have asked for action rather than words.

Greta Thunberg has been nominated by three Norwegian MPs as a candidate to receive this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

If she were to win, she would be the youngest recipient since Pakistan’s Malala Yousafzai, who was 17 when she received the prize in 2014.

Ms Thunberg tweeted she was “honored and very grateful” to receive the nomination.

By Fiona Lee NUI Galway has signed an agreement to establish a Confucius Institute and to formalise collaborative ties with Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine (NJUCM). The signing ceremony was attended by the Chinese Vice-Minister for Education, the Ambassador of China in Ireland and the Mayor of Galway.

The new Confucius Institute of Chinese and Regenerative Medicine at NUI Galway (威大 学 中医与再生医学孔子学院) will integrate east and west, ancient and modern, Chinese and regenerative medicine in medical education and research.

The research programme will aim to identify regenerative properties of Chinese medicines including the effects on stem cell biology.

The agreement follows recently established cooperation between NUI Galway’s regenerative medicine institute, REMEDI, and NJUCM and it paves the way for joint collaborations to integrate Chinese and Regenerative Medicine in the search for new treatments for conditions of unmet clinical need, such as diabetes mellitus and neurodegenerative diseases.

In welcoming the announcement, Professor Tim O’Brien, Dean of Medicine at NUI Galway, said: “Global education, scientific research and clinical trials of Chinese Medicine are all needed to enable a worldwide translation of Chinese Medicine products.”

“NUI Galway and NJUCM through the foundation of this Confucius institute will enable collaborative research to be undertaken. This research will occur in parallel with education

and application of Chinese Medicine to practice in Ireland.”

Professor O’Brien added: “Chinese Medicine has therapeutic effects for many conditions with unmet medical need by Western medicine. The NUI Galway Centre will teach Chinese Medicine but will also have a research goal to identify active products in Chinese Medicine.”

President Ó hÓgartaigh, speaking at the signing of the agreement said: “Chinese Medicine is a treasure of Chinese culture and the Galway Confucius Institute uniquely combines the medical and scientific traditions of East and West. We share the hope that together our scholars and clinicians working in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and in Regenerative Medicine and stem cell therapy will develop innovative treatments to improve healthcare for humankind.”

Jossal Cota, first year medical student in NUI Galway, said “It’s an exciting prospect for the university medical community to be involved in cutting-edge research and to be on the forefront of regenerative medicine.”

NUI Galway established the Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI) in 2004, with funding from Science Foundation Ireland.

With significant Irish and European investment in basic and translational research, REMEDI is currently involved in seven EU clinical trials investigating the clinical application of stem cells in conditions of unmet medical need,using mesenchymal stromal cells manufactured from an EU-standard GMP manufacturing facility at NUI Galway and partner institutions in the EU.

6 NEWS & F E ATU R ES

SIN Vol. 20 Issue 12

NUI Galway first Irish

to host a LGBT+ pride parade

By Áine Kenny NUI Galway made history last month when it became the first Irish university to hold a pride march on campus.

The march took place during GiGsSoc’s Rainbow week.

Students and staff marched from the Quadrangle all the way to Aras na Mac Leinn, where a series of talks were held afterwards.

SIN spoke to Maeve Arnup and Oissíne Moore, Co-Auditors of GiGSoc, after the event.

“Rainbow week is the biggest week of the year for GiGSoc. This year we had two huge successes. The first being the launch of our first small publication ‘The Queer Book’ which is a collection of LGBTQIA+ writings, artwork and photography made by the community and for the community, with all proceeds from the sale of the book going to support Teach Solais, Galway’s LGBT+ Resource Centre,” said Maeve.

“The second success was hosting the first Pride Parade to ever take

place on a university campus in Ireland. This year we wanted to do something different, we wanted to get out of our room tucked away on campus and be seen, be visible and be recognised.”

“The Pride Parade was truly an act of pride. People should have pride on this campus. They should be free from fear. They should feel comfortable to be seen and express themselves for who they truly are.”

“This goes for staff and students alike.

Our days of hiding on campus are over; we will be out, loud, and proud. I hope our work as GiGSoc this year has helped to make this university a better place for all LGBTQIA+ people,” concluded Maeve.

Oissíne also spoke of the success of Rainbow week.

“This week was phenomenal for us.

It was a week full of firsts for our society. I hope that the future committees of GiGSoc will continue on and make these into annual events.”

Oissíne also said many NUI Galway staff members were present at the Pride parade. “It was amazing to see staff of NUI Galway get involved with our Pride Parade. The LGBT Staff Network launched their Staff Ally programme during rainbow week and many people who attended the launch also joined us in the parade.”

“It makes people feel that little bit safer, knowing that staff are willing to march with us and support us,” said Oissíne.

Photos by Joanna Kavanagh

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April 02 2019

university on campus Dr Chris Noone, lecturer at the School of Psychology and Chair of the NUI Galway LGBT+ Staff Network, was also at the parade.

He commented on the introduction of the Ally Programme, which is a member-based initiative working towards increasing the knowledge, awareness, and support of LGBT+ colleagues and students. Staff who sign up to be allies are provided with resources and visible symbols of their support for the LGBT+ community.

“The LGBT+ Ally Programme makes visible the support that exists at NUI Galway for students and staff who are members of the LGBT+ community. It shows that this is a welcoming place for people of all sexual and gender identities and that there is a community to connect with on our campus.”

Megan Reilly, NUI Galway Students’ Union President, also spoke after the march.

“We were delighted to march in NUI Galway’s inaugural pride, and to be a part

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West of Ireland’s only LGBTQ+ resource centre in danger of closing By Áine Kenny

of the speeches afterwards. While the community has achieved marriage equality, there is still so much to be fought for, particularly now that our resource centres and spaces are under threat.”

“The parade was a wonderful display of visibility, and I’m sure it goes a long way towards making LGBT+ people feel like their voices are being heard across campus. I am so proud of GiGSoc for organising the event. The Union has always been a strong supporter of LGBT+ rights and will continue to be.”

The West of Ireland’s only LGBTQ+ resource centre, Teach Solais, is in danger of closing this November.

The centre, located at 1 Victoria Place in Galway city, opened in November 2017. Since then, it has provided support and a safe space for members of the LGBTQ+ community in Galway and further afield.

Teach Solais is run by Amach!

LGBT Galway CLG. It is a volunteer run organisation, which represents and advocates on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community.

Cameron Keighron is the chairperson of Amach! and says the closure of Teach Solais will have a detrimental effect on the Galway community.

“Over the past number of years, we have been funded through several grants, namely the Maureen O’Connell fund and a once-off grant payment of €25,000 from the City Council. This allowed us to locate, finance and open a resource centre,” Mr Keighron says.

“We knew that this money was not forever and have been working the past two to three years on sustainable funding for the centre, and have been denied three time via various routes through the HSE.” “The last attempt did not meet our funding needs, with an allocation of €1,000. We currently do not

Image: Teach Solais on Facebook

have the finances to keep the centre open beyond November 2019.”

Teach Solais is a vital resource for the LGBT+ community in the West of Ireland, according to Mr Keighron.

“We have developed a wellbeing hub completely free of alcohol and drugs that promotes a sense of belonging and safety.

The space is there to provide a welcoming, safe environment to all our community. This is often the only place that members of our LGBT+ community have to go to be themselves and to feel accepted and loved.”

The Chairperson says the closure would result in losing the sense of community that LGBT+ people in the West of Ireland need.

“We are a vital referral and information service and we would have people at a loss if we were not there. We would be losing one of the most important LGBT+ services in an already under-resourced area and ultimately our community would be worse off.”

8 NEWS & F E ATU R ES

The future of Irish By Áine Kenny and Quinton Beck NUI Galway has launched a survey to gather the views of the public on the proposed Irish Language Plan for Galway City 2019-2026.

The research is being conducted on behalf of Galway City Council and Gaillimh le Gaeilge as part of the preparation of an Irish language plan for the City.

Last year, Dr John Walsh of the Department of Irish and Dr Dorothy Ní Uigín of Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, NUI Galway were appointed by Galway City Council and Gaillimh le Gaeilge to develop an Irish Language Plan for the city.

Dr John Walsh and Dr Dorothy Ní Uigín released a statement saying: “We are delighted to launch this online survey as part of our research into the views of those living in Galway towards the Irish language.”

“We are also conducting interviews and focus groups with a broad range of people including Irish speakers and those who are interested in becoming more active in their use of the language.”

The survey is available at http://www.nuigalway.ie/ gaeilgebheo/ and will be open until Friday 12 April 2019.

SIN spoke to NUI Galway’s Established Professor of Modern Irish, Tadhg Ó hIfearnáin. He says that Irish is always a topic of discussion within the education system, particularly with regards to exemptions.

Currently, to get into NUI Galway (and the other National Universities of Ireland), students are required to have at least an ordinary level pass in Irish unless the student has secured an exemption.

“Studying languages is generally a good thing, it promotes intellectual development, analytical skills. There is a big advantage to learning a second language,” says Prof Ó hIfearnáin.

“In national surveys, support of Irish is actually very high. I suppose the attempts to change the education system, and to make Irish a non-compulsory subject, come down to the status of Irish in Ireland.”

“I believe there are cases for exemptions, but more needs to be done to help students achieve the learning aims of the course. Learning languages can actually help people with learning disabilities.”

“There is a system for getting an exemption in Irish. There is an ideology that Irish is a ‘extra’ thing, an additional subject.”

“However, this is not the case in our Constitution. Irish is given more importance than English.”

The Professor also added that Irish would be a very beneficial language to have with regards to seeking employment, especially in the European Union. There are many jobs in translation services as Irish is a working language of the EU. SIN also asked students at a Ciorcal Comhrá their thoughts on the status of Irish within the University.

Niamh Nic Amhlaoibh said, “I love Irish but I recognize that it’s not for everyone. I feel bad for students with special educational needs who struggle with a subject they will likely never use.

I agree it should be needed here [as an entry requirement], but I don’t agree with the leaving cert system we have now. I think that’s why people have such difficulty with it being required.”

“The fact that you’ve asked me to answer in English says it all. We call ourselves welcoming, open-minded, compassionate as a nation ad nauseam, and yet we can’t seem to support that which is truly our own,” said Róisín Nic Aodhgáin.

“Being from the North, I can’t speak from experience, but I know that when given the choice to learn the language people tend to be much more passionate about her. I believe in Irish being compulsory, but I think the subject needs to be reformed in some way,” Caitlín Ní Chatháin added.

Aimée Ní Churaigh agreed the subject needs to be compulsory.

“Personally, as a Gaeilgeoir, I appreciate that I was made to do the subject in school. As my family has no Irish, I would not have had the chance to learn it otherwise.”

“However, I do feel that Irish should be split into two school subjects: the Irish language, which should be compulsory, and Irish literature, which should be optional. I genuinely feel that this would be a more effective system.”

Néamhann Ní Dhonnghaile commented on Irish as a subject within NUI Galway. “I don’t think you should have to pass Irish to study it in first year. Irish should be open for anyone who wants to learn it.”

“First year Irish is very practical and basic and you do not necessarily have to be capable of passing a writing exam in leaving cert to study here. Some people have better speaking skills in Irish and are not as confident writing.

Therefore, they are not graded well in the overall exam.”

SIN Vol. 20 Issue 12

Jacinda Ardern should be an example to future leaders everywhere

By Martha Brennan In the wake of the shock felt by millions after 50 innocent worshippers were gunned down in New Zealand on March 15, the name that is on everyone’s lips is not that of the Australian gunman, but of New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Ardern, who at 38 years old is the country’s youngest Prime Minister, has been praised around the world for the way she has held herself throughout the aftermath of the disaster – the deadliest mass shooting in New Zealand’s history.

Immediately following the shootings, Ardern took to the world stage to announce that New Zealand would ban automatic weapons, and within a week her government delivered on that promise. During her speech she managed to carefully condemn the violence, while avoiding a slew of hate that certain leaders have turned to following such events.

scarf and hugging grieving families.

She visited schools and urged children not to tolerate racism. She has constantly referred to the tragedy as a “terrorist attack”, a term which for some reason is often not used to describe white attackers.

She has referred to the victims, many originally from middle-eastern countries, as “us” and opened Parliament with the Islamic greeting “As-Salaam Alaikum”, a few days after the event. She has also promised to work on fast tracking visas for the families of victims and announced that the State would cover the cost of all 50 funerals.

When Donald Trump called to ask what the US could do to support New Zealand, Ardern simply asked him and his country to provide “Sympathy and love for all Muslim communities”, a task which the President, who is currently battling to deport international citizens and build a wall between the US and Mexico, will surely not respond to.

Female leaders are criticized differently to their male counterparts, viewed as soft or lacking substance, judged more for their fashion choices than their words – something that irked Michelle Obama deeply during her time as First Lady.

But Ardern - who has worn simple black clothing since the tragedy and was formerly known more internationally for bringing her baby into the UN than her leadership style – has become the face of a leader who can be viewed with nothing but respect. While President Trump is probably the most renowned leader for inappropriately reacting to disasters, even well-liked leaders such as Justin Trudeau, who failed to meet victims of a Quebec Mosque attack in 2017 in person, have publicly lacked the empathy and support that Ardern has shown.

It doesn’t take the touch of a woman or a mother to provide compassion in a time of crisis. It

Ardern – who has worn simple black clothing since the tragedy and was formerly known more internationally for bringing her baby into the UN than her leadership style – has become the face of a leader who can be viewed with nothing but respect.

“This is not New Zealand” she proclaimed, a phrase that has taken to the streets of the country in the last few weeks. Ardern made it clear in the aftermath of the tragedy that social media sites were much to blame for these massacres, and that the sites should take responsibility for managing their content.

The shootings at the two mosques were live streamed from the gunman’s bodycam on Facebook, and though the site claimed to have removed the video, its viral spread could not be stopped. “We cannot simply sit back and accept that these platforms just exist and that what is said on them is not the responsibility of the place where they are published,” Ardern announced to the New Zealand Parliament. “It cannot be a case of all profit, no responsibility.”

Following the attacks, the mother of one comforted the victims at Christchurch, donning a black head-

Perhaps Ardern’s most applaudable act following the massacre was her refusal to tell the press the name of the killer. “He may have sought notoriety, but we in New Zealand will give him nothing,” she said.

“Not even his name.”

Her biggest success in all of this was to present the population of her country as one, to make everyone feel affected by this tragedy, not just Muslim communities. From the second she spoke after the massacre she removed the idea of an ‘other’, and used her position to help victims, rather than use the story for any political gain.

One big question arising from the swift work of the New Zealand government in banning assault weapons is how a country with a deep hunting background can change gun laws in 10 days, but a world power who faces mass shootings daily can’t manage to pass a single legislation to make the agony stop.

just takes an understanding of what it means to be human. Ardern has managed to provide unity to a nation in shock, while also maintaining an integrity and innerstrength that any leader should aspire to.

As the next generation of leaders, this is who we should be looking to.

A leader who can change laws and unite the people a terrorist tried to fragment, while also being able to hug a grieving mother. In a time where social media rules, and many future leaders don red ‘Make America Great Again’ caps, this is what we should aspire to. This is what a leader should look like.

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First year diaries: Final Year Diaries: goodbye and good luck end of an era

By Darren Casserly In the immortal words of Jim Morrison’s “This is the End”, the one thing I can say about this year is that it flew by. It only feels like yesterday that I was submitting my first diary just hoping that I didn’t screw it up. To be totally honest at first I regretted taking the column because I don’t live that interesting of a life, and I thought I’d struggle getting 500 words written for every issue, but how wrong could I be?

I can confidently say that it has been a pleasure writing this column but I’m not sure I could say the same thing for you reading it. I definitely underestimated how many different things that I had an opinion on from Netflix shows I hardly watched to study methods. I found out it’s very easy to have an opinion on things that frankly no one really cares about.

You know the old saying, “opinions are like a**holes everyone has one”. However, I kept writing it, and someone I assume kept reading it.

Though there is no point talking about how the year is over when we’ve still got those dreaded exams to think about. Personally, my exam timetable could not have been more unfair. Two exams on the second day, come on, we have three weeks of exams and only a few exams to do, it’s like they are setting me up to fail.

I have a half nine exam and normally I’m hardly up by half nine most days, and then another at half four. I know for a fact that it doesn’t happen in any other university in Ireland, so why do we have to put up with it?

Saying this, I’m now going to completely contradict myself by saying that a near four-month summer holidays is pretty good though, and enough time to earn yourself enough money so you’re not penniless by next September. I know there are many people who, like myself, are starting to look for

summer jobs so they won’t die of boredom

by July. The job market is a cruel, unforgiving place where the success rate for even an interview is depressingly low, or maybe it’s just me. I couldn’t even imagine what it’s like for final year students trying to get a full-time job and studying for one of the most important exams of their life at the same time. I prefer to stay in my first-year bubble for as long as I can.

Getting back to my first point about my experience writing this column, it has helped me with my own writing. It has been an amazing experience and has definitely been a release for me, otherwise who would pay any attention to my ranting? I would finally like to thank features editor Olivia Hanna and Editor Áine Kenny in encouraging me to write anything I wanted no matter how pointless it was. Lastly good luck to everyone in the exams and have a great summer.

By Aileen O’Leary When I look back on four years of college, I laugh a little, cry a little, but most of all I feel proud. I’m proud that I made it this far; despite the odds I made it to the end. As I am writing my last final year diary entry, I am also writing the last of my essays and assignments for college. By the time this goes to print I will have completed my last assignment; my last essay will be submitted to turnitin. I will no longer lose sleep over MLA or Harvard referencing systems or word-counts being over or under.

I will leave my last lecture knowing this is it; this is the last stretch in an incredible journey. NUI Galway has given me a lot, an education, great friends, some unforgettable memories, but it also took a lot to get here.

Getting through four year of college isn’t easy, ask any final year. There will be times when you want to pack it all in, when you feel homesick, heartbroken, like you can’t do it anymore. We have

all been there, stressed out over exams, assignments, that presentation you don’t want to do (I forgot half my points during my first presentation in college, trust me I get it) or maybe you’re just having a bad day. Believe me when I say this, if I can get through all of it so can you.

I didn’t live out of the library; I missed a few lectures, but somehow I managed to pull all of it together in the end. Worrying about deadlines and exams will never help so just take a breath. Every year about 18,000 of us get through our exams and our deadlines in one piece, so your odds are pretty good. Even if you fail an exam it’s not the end of the world, you can repeat them and still go through to the next year. I’m not condoning putting off studying, repeats are expensive, and you don’t want to spend your summer studying but they aren’t the end of the world.

If you asked me on day one where I would see myself four years later, I never would have imagined being where I am today. Writing this column has given me a chance to chronicle the end of an era, and I will always be grateful for the amazing team behind SIN for that. I especially want to thank our editor in chief Áine Kenny, deputy editor Martha Brennan, and of course my very patient and understanding features editor Olivia Hanna. Without these incredible journalists SIN wouldn’t be possible.

Also, to the amazing contributors I have had the privilege of sharing this space with, thank you! SIN has always been a part of my college experience that I will never forget, and for those out there who want to join next year, you should. There is an incredible team of journalists behind this publication and I am lucky to have been a part of this team during my years here at NUI Galway.

So, grab the tissues because this is it! The last of my final year diaries. To our readers, thank you for following my final year diaries this year! To my fellow final years, see you at graduation.

These have been my final year diaries, thanks for following them.

Aileen O’Leary, Class of 2019.

Deireadh leis na scéimeanna ceannaithe pas agus víosa? le Quinton Beck Bail ó Dhia oraibh, a lucht léite dhílis.

Dé Máirt seo caite (26 Márta) thug Parlaimint na hEorpa sa mBruiséal vóta ag iarraidh ar Mhálta agus ar an gCipir deireadh a chur leis an scéim cheannaithe pas atá ag an dá thír sin agus ag iarraidh ar ocht dtír déag eile deireadh a chur leis na scéimeanna ceannaithe víosa atá acu siúd.

Bunaíodh coiste comhairleach maidir leis na scéimeanna seo agus leis an gcalaois airgeadais an bhliain seo caite nuair a dúnmharaíodh an t-iriseoir Maltach Daphne Caruana Galizia agus í i mbun fiosriúchán i dtaobh na scéime ceannaithe pas atá ag rialtas Mhalta.

Ag an am sin bhí scéim cheannaithe pas ag trí thír san Aontas Eorpach: Malta, an Chipir, agus an Bhulgáir. Is é sin le rá go raibh duine ar bith as tír ar bith ar domhan in ann saoránacht de chuid na dtíortha sin agus saoránacht de chuid an Aontais Eorpaigh a cheannach gan aon bhaint a bheith aige nó aici leis an tír ná cónaí a bheith air nó uirthi riamh inti. Tá praghas idir milliún agus dhá mhilliún euro ar na pasanna seo, agus mar thoradh ar an bpraghas trom sin, is daoine rachmasacha, iomráiteacha iad a cheannaíonn na ‘pasanna órga’, mar a thugtar orthu.

Tá deireadh curtha leis an scéim sa Bhulgáir, ach ó thosaigh na scéimeanna seo go dtí an lá atá inniu ann, tá breis is 6,000 pas díolta ag Malta agus ag an gCipir, agus is Rúisigh agus daoine eile a bhfuil ceangal acu leis an Rúis iad an chuid is mó de na daoine a cheannaigh iad.

Mar a bheifí ag súil leis, is dócha, is daoine nach bhféadfadh saorántacht Eorpach a fháil ar bhealach

ar bith eile a roghnaíonn í a cheannach—daoine le taifead coiriúil nó le gnóthaí amhrasacha ina measc. De réir na tuairisce a d’fhoilsigh an coiste comhairleach, ní dhéanann na buntáistí eacnamaíocha a bhaineann leis na scéimeanna seo cúiteamh ar “an mbaol dáiríre slándála, sciúrta airgid, agus imghabhála cánach a chruthaíonn siad.”

Ní bhaineann an baol seo leis na scéimeanna ceannaithe pas amháin, ach leis na scéimeanna ceannaithe víosa mar aon leo. I seacht dtír déag san Aontas Eorpach, is féidir le duine ar bith infheistíocht a dhéanamh chun víosa chead cónaithe sa tír sin a shealbhú: Éire agus an Ríocht Aontaithe ina measc.

Is mór idir na praghasanna atá le híoc le víosa cónaithe a cheannach i dtíortha éagsúla. Is í an Chróit an tír is saoire (€13,500) agus an tSlóvaic agus Lucsamburg na tíortha is daoire (€5,000,000).

Ní mór €1,000,000 a infheistiú chun víosa cónaithe a cheannach in Éirinn.

Dúirt Markus Ferber, feisire de chuid na Gearmáine a bhí ag cabhrú agus na moltaí maidir leis na scéimeanna seo á gcur le chéile, go mbíonn siad ag feidhmiú “mar thairseach don sciúradh airgid agus don choiriúlacht eagraithe” chun teacht isteach go hEoraip.

Scríobhadh sa tuairisc go “lagaíonn” na scéimeanna seo “córais dhaonlathacha” agus “forais” na hEorpa.

Agus na feisirí ag vótáil ar son moltaí a d’iarrfadh ar gach tír deireadh a chur leis na scéimeanna seo, luadh neart samplaí ar an drochúsáid a baineadh astu go dtí seo: dúnmharú an iriseora Maltaigh Galizia agus na scannail mhóra baincéarachta agus sciúrtha airgid sa Danmhairg, san Eastóin, sa Lativia, agus san Ísiltír le linn na bliana seo caite, mar shampla.

Bíodh is go bhfuil feisirí Pharlaimint na hEorpa ar aon intinn maidir leis na scéimeanna seo, is beag an seans go dtabharfar chun deiridh iad i ngach ballstát go luath. Is ar chúram rialtais na dtíortha aonair san Aontas atá an beartas airgeadaíochta agus an beartas inimirce faoi láthair, agus is beag suim atá ag cuid mhaith tíortha an saincheart seo a thabhairt uathu.

Agus ná déanaimis dearmad faoin airgead.

“Airgead mór atá sna scéimeanna seo” a scríobhadh i dtuairisc de chuid Transparency International, “Le linn na deich mbliana seo caite tá os cionn €25 bhilliún d’infheistíocht eachtrach dhíreach déanta san Eoraip mar thoradh orthu.”

10 N E WS & F E ATU R ES

SIN Vol. 20 Issue 12

BREXIT: going Local Pharmacy Feels the to extra time? Impact of a No-Deal Brexit

By Harry King It’s hard to believe that two years on from when British Prime Minister Theresa May triggered Article 50, we are still as uncertain as we were then as to what leaving the EU means for the United Kingdom. There has been so much talk in the press regarding the seemingly unlimited number of events that could play out in this political drama. To try to understand this complex situation, SIN sat down with Lecturer in Economics Cian Twomey and discussed how we got here.

As of Thursday 21 March, the EU leaders have granted the UK an extension until the 22 of May to pass the necessary legislation. Lecturer Cian Twomey likened this extension to a student who had left their assignment till the last minute before they started working at it.

He briefly explained that there was always a subtle sense of semi-detachment between the EU and the UK. “It’s not often you would see EU flags flying in the UK like you would in Ireland, and even something as simple and small as the license plates on cars. They don’t have the EU symbol on the license plates of cars.”

He went on to explain that whilst the UK were in the EU, there was a sense that they were never really committed to it. Their deeper motivation was to attempt to stop integration rather than contribute to it.

We then discussed the period of the referendum itself because I, like many other young people, only started to pay attention to Brexit after the leave campaign appeared victorious. “The main topics discussed around the time of the referendum was the money that would be saved, the fact that they wouldn’t be answerable to the EU, and their apparent need to control immigration.”

However, the deal breaker in the current climate of Brexit is Ireland. “There was little talk about the Irish border during the referendum and this has come back to bite them,” says Prof Twomey.

The British Government announced that they were going to leave the customs union and the single market shortly after the referendum, which has subsequently boxed them into a corner with Ireland.

Prof Twomey went on to explain that unfortunately this is not the end of Brexit. This is the start and also the easy part. The renegotiation phase is the next and hardest part. He used the analogy of a divorced couple to try and understand this lengthy process. “A couple have fallen out, perhaps over a lack of trust. They have agreed over the custody over the dog and the car with relative ease, but when it comes to the kids and property of land it takes a lot longer.”

As much as it is painful to admit, no matter what happens in the coming weeks this is not the end of Brexit. Not even the beginning of the end, but we can all hope that it might be the end of the beginning.

By Cathriona Coleman “We say the supplier has stopped making the medication, we try to help them understand.”

A recent report issued strictly for pharmacies stated that ‘Brexit will affect the reliability of medicine supply to patients in the pharmacy’, and of 162 pharmacists, 74% believe that certain medications will have restrictions based on the impact of a no-deal Brexit. This can be seen to be a worrying statistic for the patient.

According to reports, the UK is currently stockpiling meds for fear of running out altogether. This would make sense but in the long run it’s Ireland that consequently suffers. Just three months ago in December, there was a shortfall in two types of blood pressure medications and local anaesthetic injections.

Local woman Ann McHale says: “I knew there was a big problem when I couldn’t get my usual script; the chemist said something about there being a shortfall. Luckily they were able to substitute; never in a million years did I see this coming. If I don’t have my blood pressure meds on a daily basis I’m at high risk of a stroke or heart-attack.”

Serina, a pharmacist at Matt O’Flaherty’s chemists says: “there’s lots of rumours as they are trying to avoid a No-Deal Brexit, the majority of our medications come from the United Kingdom.

If there is no deal or agreement it will bear a huge impact, even now it’s a big issue for us and our patients.”

Going forward Serina believes that unless an agreement is reached the impact could become a living nightmare with regards to medication. For example, when there were issues in December it meant that pharmacists had to substitute whatever supply they had.

According to Serina, “they stopped sending medications and we weren’t told the reason why, we can only guess it’s because of Brexit.”

Serina says that close to Christmas there were implications with the blood

According to reports, the UK is currently stockpiling medicines for fear of running out altogether. This would make sense but in the long run it’s Ireland that consequently suffers.

Just three months ago in December, there was a shortfall in two types of blood pressure medications and local anaesthetic injections. pressure medications. “Sometimes we have to change the brand or double the dosage because we have low supply from the UK. This is definitely affecting us.”

However, Irish Pharmacy Healthcare Association spokesperson Bernard Mallee has said otherwise. “Ireland has a critical reliance on the UK as a source of medicines. About 4,000 medicines

The ‘ideal’ male body image?

By Eoin Hennessy Issues surrounding the modern life of young men have gained increasing attention in recent years.

In the November just gone by, record numbers of men sprouted mustaches in the name of Movemeber, a month dedicated to raising awareness and funds for men’s health issues. It’s a worthwhile cause which, along with much needed fundraising, opened up a wider dialogue particularly around young men’s mental health; an area in urgent need of widespread discussion and destigmatisation.

Movember prompted discussions on social media and in person, and continued efforts to normalise young men discussing their mental health, which is largely an issue associated with taboo, shame and, unfortunately, emasculation. Movember is a great example of successful efforts to break these harmful stigmas.

Although progress has certainly been made, there’s a need to continue these discussions into deeper aspects affecting young men. Engaging young guys in talking openly about their mental health is a massive success by any means, and something that should be promoted as well as celebrated.

However, the conversation also needs to go deeper. Although we’ve become more comfortable talking about our struggles with mental health, it’s time to broaden the discussion and to start talking

about why they might occur. No two men experience the world the same, and therefore mental ill-health can never be generalised to a specific, one-size-fits-all cause.

However, in the context of men’s mental health, it’s important to look at universal issues in modern society that affect men, and to consider topics in which men have not previously been part of the discussion. These issues may be hidden under the surface of daily life, hidden from the view of mainstream discussion.

One such potential issue is young men’s body image; how we young men see ourselves and compare ourselves to an ‘ideal’ body type. In today’s times, that ‘ideal’ is generally considered to be a well-groomed, muscular body type. Deviations from this ‘ideal’ could be met with internal and external criticism, in that men may judge themselves for not looking a certain way, or face judgment from their peers.

It’s commonly assumed to be a women’s issue, previously confined to feminine magazines and talk shows, and men have traditionally been excluded from the notion that looking (or not looking) a certain way could influence self-esteem and selfworth. This outdated assumption is something that needs to be challenged, and men are beginning to look at this issue and how it may apply to them.

In one of my college modules, my classmates and I did some research on this topic, looking at

are marketed in Ireland. Of these, between 60% and 70% come from, or pass through, the UK.” “Our industry, as well as the State, has strongly advised against the need for patients to stock up on medicines. There is no need for ‘panic buying’. Continuity of supply of medicines is part of the standard day-to-day responsibility of pharmaceutical companies.”

“It’s part of the deal we have with the State on the supply of medicines. There is always two to three months’ supply of

academic research, speaking with mental health professionals and talking to young men in our college on this issue. From looking at these different sources, male body image appears to be something that isn’t discussed enough, and it’s an issue that needs and deserves more attention, from both an academic perspective and in the general public.

Social media was also identified as a significant source of body image difficulties. Encouraging young men to consider how this issue impacts them is a step in the right direction in addressing deeper issues, which may be impacting our mental health.

It’s worth considering this how this issue might be influencing our daily lives, maybe in ways we are not even conscious of. The next time you find yourself scrolling through an Instagram feed replete with shirtless selfies revealing muscular bodies, or impressively edited montages of gym workouts, ask yourself what it is you are really watching, and why? Does it instill a sense of motivation, or jealousy? In the age of image where social media posts have an increasing amount of power, it’s vital to acknowledge their impact and how they may be impacting on our daily life.

medicines in the system anyway. These stocks will help to absorb any short-term delays that could arise.”

“There is no need for hospitals, pharmacists or patients to order extra quantities of medicines, or for doctors to issue extra prescriptions. That would risk disrupting existing stock levels and hamper the supply of medicines for other patients.”

TUAIRIM

April 02 2019

11

DON’T WASTE YOUR SUMMER

By Anastasia Sytnyk

Summer holidays are great! Solid months of freedom where you can do whatever you like. You could sleep in until midday and stay up until unnatural hours, which all sounds exciting... for about a week. Once the initial excitement of freedom wears off, we are left with the inevitable enemy: boredom.

Many of us find summer jobs and keep ourselves busy, others indulge in hobbies and develop on their skills that they couldn’t find time for during University. This author thinks that these activities are all very important and will also try and suggest some other fun activities you could experiment with to make summer of 2019 a memorable one.

Travel! That’s right, go travelling. This might sound silly due to the obvious money factor, however, with many affordable airlines such as Ryanair and Wizair, and apps like Kiwi and Trivago to help find the cheapest options for travel, this makes it incredibly easy to go for a threeday holiday with some friends for less than 50 quid!

Travelling is something that can broaden your horizons and might even bring inspiration to what you would like to do next, such as possibly moving to the country you visited because you fell in love with it! A holiday doesn’t have to be luxurious for it to be enjoyable. Some people are afraid to travel because they aren’t sure how to make a holiday

Photo by Vicko Mozara on Unsplash

Why are exams so stressful?

By Sophie Kavanagh Exams. The one word and two syllables enough to evoke a sense of foreboding in any student.

When one thinks of exams, we think of intense, long, studious hours in the library, frantic discussions of prediction with friends and peers, exam papers and a fluster for solutions. We think of the grim walk to the Kingfisher, the attendants robotic voice; ‘begin’. Staring at the white booklet in front of you, the contents inside that contain your academic fate.

Exams are a mandatory part of any students’ life, regardless of the degree you peruse. Some people work efficiently and excel in exams, others are not so lucky. I believe a major component in the reason for this is the tremendous pressure felt by the student.

Pressure from their parents for example, everyone wants to please their parents, and reassure them that (if this is the case) their tuition money was well spent, that they are growing and learning, heading in the right direction. So understandably, the thought of a bad exam result is scary when you can’t reassure your parents of this, and will have to endure the potential disappointment and disapproval from them.

Pressure from peers is also crucial. No one wants to feel inadequate and less able in comparison to your friends and their exam results, particularly those studying the same course. Some students may feel pressure to secretly compete with their friends/peers to avoid feeling like this.

Most importantly, there exists pressure from the students themselves, relying on the exams to perhaps ensure that you’re are capable in this field of study and to have something to show for the last twelve weeks of lectures, current assessments and exams of the past semester. There is pressure to do as well as you possibly can for yourself and your degree.

Of course, there are many reasons students get stressed for exams, but these are the ones I found to be the most common. I have also found that nailing a good mental state for exams is based around two things: stress management, and recognising your ability.

The stress is normal, but if not managed properly it can be fundamental in the depletion of your mental health coming towards exams. To keep the stress at bay, be organised. Make a schedule, so that you know what you’re doing, when you’re doing it and how you’re doing it, so you won’t even have the time to be stressed. There are also rescue remedies available in the chemist on campus that contain cherry-plum and rockrose to alleviate stress and panic.

Your ability is not something you can change, and many people get bogged down about this. In some situations, people are putting endless hours and effort into studying, only to not gain the results they want, and deserve. You must accept your ability, by all means flourish it, improve it, allow it to reach its fullest potential, but don’t push it to the point of more unnecessary stress, you must have faith in it. Try to remember that your ability is what got you into this course and it is your ability that will get you out of it, with a degree.

cheap and fun! It doesn’t have to be a trip off to Spain, you could go away for a weekend to London with some friends and you’re sorted!

Get your driver’s license! This might not apply to all, but if you’re like myself, you’ve been putting off getting your license because of the stress of university. Our summer break is long enough to give us time to study and finish the exam and come out the other end having checked out one of your tasks. Summer break is also enough time to do the driving lessons. It is a good idea to give this some thought and it doesn’t have to be about a driver’s license, but it could have something to do with getting a public service card, opening a bank account or savings account. It could be any of those responsible grown-up things that we all avoid.

Read a book! This might sound silly, but reading is very important for the development of your imagination as well as upgrading your vocabulary.

Reading brings many benefits and deserves your time. Even if you read one book throughout the summer, once you finish it you would have learned something new or have made a discovery! Books can really suck you in and entertain you more than any TV binge series you’ll get into during your free time, so why wouldn’t you give books a chance?

Start a fitness regime! Summer can be very hot and often humid. It’s no shock to anyone that most people gain weight during the summer rather than lose it. That summer body might disappear very

EVENTS

quickly with the temptation of having ice cream and frozen cakes daily. Due to the humidity and warmth you may feel lazy and avoid exercise.

By exercise, I do not mean go hardcore into body building and lose half your weight in a few months, by exercise I wish to suggest that you attempt to push yourself to go for walks or even runs! Try going to your local swimming pool and maybe develop a love for swimming about!

A little tip from author to reader, enjoy some smoothies made from fruits and ice cream! Perfect for the warm days and could be a lot healthier than you think.

Those are j u s t a fe w small suggestions, but we wish you a very Photo happy summer of

by Dana 2019 and hope you have DeVolk on an amazing and eventful Unsplash time! Lots of love, from SIN!

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Be your own hero

By Olivia Hanna I didn’t grow up watching superhero movies, but always chalked it up to not being ‘that kind of kid’. I leaned towards princesses and Barbies (albeit the more empowered ones). I never thought that my disinterest in superheroes came from a lack of representation.

As kids we look up to adults to be our role models, and we find those role models on the T.V. and in movies. In the early 90’s strong female role models existed for young girls, but still in a way that reinforced sexist stereotypes. Female superheroes like Catwoman were clad in sexy outfits and I had no desire to see that in the theatres.

I could have gone my entire life without being ‘a superhero person’, but lately I’ve been turning up to more and more superhero films. I failed to see Wonder Woman, but this past week I got my Coke and popcorn and watched Captain Marvel.

I didn’t have high expectations, but when I left the theatre, I felt empowered, I felt validated in my belief that I could do anything I set my mind too. I wish I had this role-model as a young girl, but I’m even more grateful for it at 22.

I like to believe that I am a confident woman, but often times society causes me to doubt myself. It is hard to find a catalyst to reverse that thinking and not only reinforce what I believe about myself, but to change the perceptions about women and other marginalized groups.

Media representation is one of the best ways to go about this radical change. Captain Marvel is an example that a woman can be strong, confident, kick-ass, courageous, empathetic, and not sexualized!

While I can’t go back in time and change who my role-models were, I have faith in knowing that someday my daughters will grow up in a world where they too can be superheroes.

SIN Vol. 20 Issue 12

EASTER EGGS: are they really that bad for you?

By Alice O’ Donnell You know Easter is approaching when supermarket isles are groaning under a mountain of chocolate eggs. For those who observe Lent, Easter Sunday is the long-awaited day when you can finally eat those forbidden treats you’ve been stashing away for the past 40 days. For those who aren’t religious, Easter marks a day where you can sit with family, relax and eat more chocolate than you thought you could. However, how did a religious day become so interwoven with chocolate, and especially chocolate eggs?

Eggs were originally prohibited during the week approaching Easter Sunday. During the 13th century, it became a tradition to save all the eggs laid during Holy Week, decorate them with bright paint and give them as gifts to children. Eggs also hold symbolic meaning within the Christian tradition; they represent new life, and just as eggs shells are cracked open, so too was the stone in front of Jesus’ tomb, precipitating the announcement that Jesus had ascended.

With chocolate becoming more popular in Europe during the Victorian era, France and Germany began manufacturing the first chocolate eggs.

Soon moulds were created where the egg would be hollow, and by 1893 Cadbury’s alone were selling 19 different types of chocolate eggs.

Our love of chocolate Easter eggs never dwindled, and now the Easter

Photo: Lotus Head from Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa via Wikimedia Commons

Egg market of Britain is estimated to be worth £220 million. Although Irish statistics aren’t available, Ireland is ahead of Britain in the amount of chocolate eaten per year in Europe (we come fourth, behind Switzerland, Austria and Germany).

Everyone at some point in their lives has whispered to themselves as they munch on their second Dairy Milk bar that sacred rumour – the chocolate is good for your health. And while scientifically it’s true (yay!), its unfortunately only the case with dark chocolate of minimum 72% cocoa solids, and only in small amounts. While some Easter eggs do have this level of cocoa solids, the majority are milk or white chocolate.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommend that the daily limit of sugar per day should be 25 grams for women and 37.5 grams for men. For children this figure is significantly lower.

To put that into perspective, one Cadburys Dairy Milk Large Easter Egg contains 192 grams of sugar.

Even the ‘healthier’ dark chocolate option, such as Green and Blacks Dark Chocolate Medium Easter Egg, contains 89 grams of sugar in the same weight of chocolate.

There are numerous ways to be healthier at Easter. For those handy in the kitchen, one option is to make your own chocolate, using unsweetened cocoa powder and natural sweeteners such as Stevia extract instead of refined sugar.

However, if you just really need that Dairy Milk hit, another option is just to buy the children version of your favourite chocolate egg. Even though the taste will be the same, the amount of chocolate available to gorge on is considerably less than the normal, adult sized Easter eggs.

Love it or hate it, it seems chocolate at Easter is as ingrained into our society as fir trees at Christmas. However, unlike Christmas trees, Easter eggs can be left around long after the holiday is over. So savour your chocolate, and remember, moderation is key.

Five types of studiers in the lead up to exams

By Conor Brummell Exam time can extremely stressful. Tensions run high as people try to wrap up their final week assignments before study week so they can concentrate completely on the end-of-year exams that are barrelling their way as fast as an out-of-control freight train. Exams can be difficult enough at the best of times, but some people you meet throughout the exam period can make it harder. Here are the five types of studier that you are bound to encounter (and might want to avoid) in the weeks leading up to the exams:

The Proactive Procrastinator: This is the person who procrastinates to all new extremes when it comes to studying for exams.

They’ll do just about anything to avoid doing work, whether it be cooking a meal for each of their housemates, going to the gym or stress cleaning the house. The fear of applying themselves resides itself in any activity that excuses them from studying and it can be fierce off-putting for the average Joe who’s just trying to do their best. How can they have their

life together and be studying? The simple answer is they don’t and can’t be, but at least they’re being somewhat productive.

The Reactive Procrastinator: This is the opposite of the previous offender. This person does just about everything except being productive. Staying in bed every day until noon, endlessly scrolling through Facebook and watching Netflix are prime examples of what the reactive procrastinator gets up to in the lead up to exams.

The Stressed-Out Sally: This is the person who, regardless of how much studying they’ve done, never feels as if they’ve done enough. Nights out turn into all-nighters, and bottles of water turn into countless cups of coffee. They take comfort from the sound of a can of Monster being cracked open in the library, knowing that they are not alone in the exam-filled haze. Other activities could include making a chicken curry at 8am after a hard night of studying, knowing they won’t be able to take a long enough break in the evening to do it.

The Chilled-Out Ceilim: Total relaxation in the run-up to exams is this person’s motto. Sure, how could you pass if you were stressed? They don’t see the point in studying, because just like the Leaving Cert, your degree is just a piece of paper at the end of the day. After all, it’s the skills and experience you gain along the way that matter. This person can infuriate even the most prepared of people and one thing’s for sure: if they were any more laid back, they’d be horizontal.

The “I haven’t done a tap,” Tara but has revised the whole course twice This is probably the number one person you want to avoid if you’re stressed when coming up to exams. This is someone who says they haven’t touched a book, but rock up on the day of the exam with a ring binder full of colour-coordinated notes complete with flashcards, post-it notes and hardbacks which are bursting to the seams. This person alone is enough to send you into a panicked frenzy, so if you want to keep your cool in the morning of an exam, I would advise you to identify and avoid the ‘secret studier’ in your life during exam season.

New regulations for Aer Lingus Uniform

By Ciara Brennan Aer Lingus has confirmed that their female cabin crew are no longer obliged to wear skirts or makeup as part of their uniform.

These changes were brought to the public’s attention last month, in a report by The Irish Times. Aer Lingus is still in the process of completing the new guidelines, but the new uniform designs are already being produced by Irish designer Louise Kennedy.

The uniforms, which were last changed in 1948, will remain the classic primary green but will be reformed to reflect a more modern and sophisticated style.

This change comes just after Britain’s Virgin Atlantic announced the same changes within their company. I spoke with Virgin Atlantic cabin crew member Chloe Barry, to discuss the impact the new guidelines have had upon their staff.

“We don’t have to wear make-up anymore which is nice. A lot of people are confused and think it’s all or nothing but really, we can wear any amount of make-up we like, we just can’t wear a different shade of lipstick that’s not to company guidelines. The male cabin crew are now allowed to wear make-up too if they wish!”

“It’s a great step forward for the company because again some women might feel they don’t look right with red lipstick or they genuinely just prefer a fresh face! The whole campaign is to do with our new plan “Be Yourself” which is essentially what Virgin want out of their crew.”

The company has also removed the obligation for women staff to wear skirts. Trousers were only previously available to women on request for religious or cultural reasons. “I think the trousers will make a big difference to the girls because some aren’t comfortable or confident in a skirt.”

“I think it’s a fantastic idea that these changes have been introduced because it shows the company wants to ensure every crew member feels comfortable in their own skin and with that they will work to their full potential. It’s a smart move.”

The changes made by Britain’s Virgin Atlantic and soon to be made by Aer Lingus are long awaited to improve equality within the work place. This is a huge step forward that other companies should look upon, with an open mind to changing their own rules regarding appearance regulations.

In recent years there have been many companies that have exploited these appearance regulations, such as the PwC accountant agency in London that sent their receptionist Nicola Thorp home for refusing to wear or buy high heels back in 2016.

There are many companies and professions that do not take into consideration the wellbeing of their employees. Many company requirements to wear high heels, make-up and other unnecessary items of uniform have been proven to make women feel sexualised by their employer within their work place.

These old fashioned ideas about image and self-expression put more emphasis upon gender-based dress codes, possibly putting pressure upon LGBTQ+ employees in the work place to comply.

There is of course the argument that people must be professionally dressed when representing their company’s image, but there is a line to be drawn when the rules are making employees uneasy about coming to work.

Formal dress codes will always be an element of certain professions, it is unavoidable. In saying that, however, formal does not automatically translate to uncomfortable. This is something I feel all employers owe to their employees, and they should possibly take a leaf out of Aer Lingus’ book.

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April 02 2019

7

Living his best life:

Harry Styles

Recreating your favourite star’s boujie lifestyle on a budget!

By Amy McMahon For the final instalment of Living Her Best Life we’re shaking things up and dedicating this boujie on a budget guide to the one and only Harry Styles.

The former boyband wonder and successful solo singer has shown a continued interest in the fashion industry. With a last name like Styles he was always destined for fashion greatness. Later this year Harry will make his first appearance at the Met Gala, however being the overachiever he is, simply walking the red carpet would not be enough. In May Harry Styles will join the likes of Lady Gaga, Serena Williams and Gucci’s Alessandro Michele as co-host of the event.

This year’s Met Gala theme is Camp: Notes on Fashion, which is very fitting for

Harry. The 25 year-old made headlines (literally, made headlines) throughout his world tour Harry Styles: Live on Tour for his wardrobe of custom suits.

We obsessed over his head-to-toe floral prints and quirky colours, although the accompanying designer price tag is less appealing.

Generally, a custom Gucci suit could cost anywhere north of €2000. Harry sported this Barbie pink showstopper for the Italian leg of his tour. But fear not, you don’t need to splurge to be as stylish as Styles. Thankfully, the high-street has a much more affordable option.

Zara is coming through with a pretty pink two-piece suit. It is sold separately from XS to XL, so you can find the perfect pieces to suit your shape. The suit trousers cost €59.95, whereas the blazer is a tad more expensive at €89.95.

To dress the look down add a simple T-shirt underneath. Penneys often do great basics for only €3, or for a true Harry Styles look buy his ‘Treat People With Kindness’ tee (€34.95, available in yellow or white from hstyles.co.uk/ collections/tshirts).

Accessories-wise, Harry regularly wears Old Skool Vans (€75 from Vans).

Money saving tip: Try the kids’ section for cheaper trainers. Retailers often

stock up to a size 6 in kids at much lower price.

If you’re looking for more Harry Styles outfit inspiration, there’s an entire Twitter account dedicated to ‘What Harry Wore’ with 38.2k followers (@harryworewhat).

Now that you look the part, it’s time to walk the walk. Basically, an ideal night for the pop rocker is Boojum and Netflix – very manageable on a college budget! Harry loves rom-coms, pretty much anything by Nicholas Sparks (which he nicknamed Nicky Spee). His favourite foods are tacos and, surprisingly, sweetcorn.

Other Harry-inspired activities include listening to Kacey Musgraves, who opened for him on tour, or getting a tattoo. Granted it’s a pretty big step up from listening to ‘High Horse’, but definitely something the singer does on the regular. To honour Harry’s previous job working at a bakery, enjoy an afternoon sipping tea and munching on scones at Cupán Tae on Quay Lane.

My final word of advice; follow Harry’s mantra of ‘Treat People With Kindness’. Carry out an act of kindness throughout your day. Whether it’s opening the door for someone on campus or getting a friend a coffee, small gestures lead to big smiles.

NÓS MAIRE ACHTÁLA

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SIN Vol. 20 Issue 12

Realistic festival fashion

By Molly Fitzpatrick

It’s almost that time of year again when our Instagram feeds will be flooded with sequined, glittered, fringed California girls, frolicking around the very dry site of Coachella in cut off shorts and bikinis. But let’s face it, if you’re going to a festival in Ireland it’s highly likely your experience will involve trudging through mud, knees deep, trying to scoop the puddles out of your tent using a red cup, and going from being sunburnt on the Friday to at risk of hypothermia on the Sunday.

When it comes to finding the perfect festival getup, you need to be prepared for the elements, whether it’s rain or shine.

Booty shorts aren’t always the best idea when it comes to a weekend in a field in the midlands, instead opt printed trouser, mom jeans or even tracksuit pants when styled right; think 90’s Sporty Spice vibes.

In recent years, festival fashion has gotten a little too try-hard, of course festival fashion is all about having fun and going a little crazy, but from experience I’d say that if you’re comfortable you’ll enjoy yourself more. You want to be able to dance without living in fear of a nip slip, so maybe the Coachella style beaded bralette isn’t the best idea.

A band tee is a great option for the “I just threw this on” look. Pair with a slip skirt and some platform docs for a stylish outfit that won’t look like you’ve spent the last three months planning.

The days of flower crowns, heart shaped sunglasses and Native American style headdresses (let’s leave cultural appropriation in the past this festival season!) have been laid to rest but accessories are still the place you can add personality and edge to your festival outfits. Bring street style to the fields of Stradbally with athleisure-inspired accessories, sports brand bum bags, both practical yet stylish.

When looking for festival finds, instead of feeding into fast fashion with an online order of things you’ll probably never wear again after the weekend, scowl the vintage and charity shops for unique pieces that will make you stand out from the crowd.

Take inspiration from 70’s, 80’s and 90’s when pulling together your festival looks. A slip dress with a white tee under, layered jewellery, and a pair of ugly dad runners, would make the perfect 90’s inspired festival look. Go for bicycle shorts, an oversized vintage band tee, and a neon scrunchie to live out your 80’s aerobics instructor dreams.

If all this outfit planning is making your head spin and you want to keep things simple and your bags light, go for a co-ord. This stress-free combo will mean your outfit is ready-made; you can just throw it on and go. Add edge to a feminine floral co-ord with a pair of chunky air force 1’s and a pair of John Lennon-esque sunglasses.

FAIS EAN

April 02 2019

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NÓS MAIRE ACHTÁLA

BUILDING HER EMPIRE:

meet Mollerina

By Olivia Hanna

“I

t’s about accepting yourself, and when you accept yourself and you put exactly who you are out there, letting everyone judge you for exactly who you are, that is [being] vulnerable. But it’s also like, the best thing you can do,” says 21-year-old Molly Roberts, a.k.a.

Mollerina, about her experience on Youtube and Instagram.

Molly is from Claremorris, but commutes to NUI Galway in her beloved car ‘Gigi’. She is currently studying for her Master’s degree in Digital Media and got her Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology at Maynooth University.

When she isn’t studying she is a social media queen posting regularly on Instagram and Youtube.

On her Instagram feed (@mollerina_) she shares photos of her in ‘hun-believable’ outfits, most of which feature something pretty and pink, but on her stories she shares her life unfiltered. Though she says she used to be self-conscious about sharing some of her ‘imperfections’ you wouldn’t be able to guess it. She shares her morning looks, dressing gown and all, and often takes to her stories to ‘rant’.

She currently has 3.3 thousand subscribers to her Youtube channel where she posts at least once

a week. Videos range from GRWM (get ready with me), to reacting to assumptions about her, to vlogs from her trip to Thailand, and one of my favorites, ‘Boy Talk (with an actual boy)’. No matter what she shares it’s guaranteed to be hilarious.

M

olly first began her Mollerina brand with a blog after being inspired by other Youtubers like Zoella. “I always watched Youtube since I was probably 12. I always watched make-up videos and hair videos,” she recalls. “I was in the first year of my degree when I started my blog, so I had a blog first and I would just blog about make-up.”

She later began her Youtube channel, “I had been sick, I’d been off for two weeks ‘cause I had a tonsillectomy, had my tonsils out, and was so bored I watched the whole Pretty Little Liars series on Netflix and I was just like ‘I need to do something’ so I started that and I loved it so much and I knew I wanted to do Youtube then.”

As a Youtuber and burgeoning influencer, Molly knows the importance of surrounding oneself with a network of supportive friends.

“I don’t live where I grew up, I have a couple of close friends there, but it wouldn’t be a big circle of friends. Like I have that circle, but I used to live

in Sligo. And then my circle of friends from college, and I have friends here.”

“I love surrounding myself with other Youtubers and bloggers because that’s just where I’m at in my head. They understand your struggles and we’re all going for the same kind of things. We know what we’re doing we’re always reaching for more. So they get it… It’s important to have friends especially in that industry because if you didn’t you’d go insane, you wouldn’t be able to do anything.”

“If you get excited about a subscriber milestone, or I don’t know, whatever, you can tell your normal friend group and some of them might get it, or some of them might not get it. Whereas if you tell a group of people who blog and Youtube, they’re gonna like, get it.”

Even though she has a great community of likeminded creators, she still gets criticism, which is to be expected when you share your life online.

“That happens, but why are they saying that? It’s nothing you’ve done, there’s nothing wrong with you. They’re saying that because they have hate inside them for something else. They might have had a s****y day and they’re like ‘Look at her six in the morning and f ******* on top of the world, who does she think she is?’”

It’s remarkable how Molly is able to reflect on her critics and not internalize their nasty messages.

“They’re sitting on their laptops being angry. It’s like, what are you accomplishing? Show me what you’re working on. Show me your five-year plan…

I can’t respect someone who’s like that.”

To sum up her philosophy, she quips that “Even Beyoncé has haters.”

B

Photo: Mollerina_ on Instagram

ut she wasn’t always so confident in herself. When she first began posting videos she would try to make everything perfect from starting over when she stumbled through a word, or editing it out altogether. Nowadays her ‘imperfections’ are what draw people to Mollerina.

“I make fun of myself on Youtube now and it’s the most fun. People love the videos. I get messages everyday saying ‘you’re gas’, ‘you’re just like me’, ‘you’re just one of the girls’.”

Because of the love she has for creating videos and content she wants to encourage other people thinking about vlogging and creating to go for it.

She provided SIN with her advice: “This is what I say to everyone, I say it could make you the happiest person, therefore you need to do it.

You don’t have an option now, you’re thinking about it, do it. You know? Why would you deny yourself that first of all, stop being so mean to yourself, like denying yourself that. You’re holding your own self back, no one else is holding you back,” she adamantly states.

“If what they’re thinking of you is holding you back, why are you letting them hold you back? Do what it is you want to do. Say if you want to do a Youtube video, do it. You don’t need to buy a camera, do it on your phone for now, get the feel of it, think about the process, think about is this fun, did I enjoy doing it, or was I just worried and stressed?”

In short: “Don’t upload it, just do it. Make a channel, just do it.”

With confidence, attitude, and brains abound, Mollerina is sure to someday reach one of her goals, being a household name. We can’t wait to watch her empire grow.

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SIN Vol. 20 Issue 12

SUSTAINABLE STYLE ON A BUDGET: tips and tricks for second hand shopping

By Molly Fitzpatrick No doubt fashion weeks are a spectacle of glitz and glamour, a creative explosion of everything weird and wonderful about fashion. But fashion week is also a powerful event, granted these couture designs probably aren’t to many people’s taste or budget, but it has the power to completely shape what comes onto the rails of the high street.

For this reason, exactly, fashion week should be a platform where promotion of sustainable and ethical fashion is at the forefront. And as the dust settles on fashion weeks around the world, it’s clear that this year more than ever, sustainable fashion took center stage.

We live in a world where the line between need and want is extremely blurred if not invisible, this is certainly case when it comes to the clothes on our back. We treat clothes as if they have a ‘use by’ date. No longer thinking before we buy, not about whether we really need the item, or about its environmental impact on the planet, and we definitely would rather not think about the children who sewed the 5000 beads onto our new ballerina flats.

The fashion industry revolves around seasons; we buy new clothes and throw old ones away like we’ll be able to do it forever. We treat clothes like they’re disposable, but with it taking 2,700 litres of water to make your average t-shirt and the clothing industry estimated to be the second largest polluter in the world, do

we really need another t-shirt to add to the pile in our wardrobe just because it’s a slightly different shade of off white?

We’d all love to be able to shop only sustainable fashion lines, and although some high street shops have come out with their own sustainable lines, the truth is sustainable fashion can be pricey. So for me, shopping in charity shops and second-hand shops is the best option. Why keep producing clothing when there’s already so much good quality and stylish clothes already on the planet?

So here’s my five tips for shopping in charity and second hand shops!

GO REGULARLY: This is key to finding pieces you love. I’m not saying you should go thrifting every day, but choose maybe three second hand shops you know are reliable and pop in every time you’re passing by. New stock in many charity shops is added daily, so the more often you go, the more likely you are to nab a vintage or designer item.

HAVE PATIENCE: I used to go into Oxfam, look at one rail, see only things my granny would wear and get completely disheartened. But if you want to find something good you have to work for it. It may be time consuming but go rail by rail through the entire shop, take your time to look at every piece and think ‘how could I wear this?’. Don’t be afraid to look in the men’s section, my sister once found a sheepskin aviator jacket worth around €500 new in the men’s section, and it fits her like a glove!

HAVE YOUR PHONE AT THE READY: You never know what designer clothes you might come across, and you don’t want to miss out on a quality piece just because you didn’t recognize the label and you don’t want to pay 20 euro for a t-shirt that ends up being from a high street shop. Remember its often volunteers pricing the clothes so don’t expect you’re always getting value for money and do your own research.

DON’T BE FOOLED BY €1 RACKS: Who doesn’t love a good bargain, but don’t fall into the ‘even if I only wear it once it was only a euro’ trap. Think, do you really need it, don’t buy it simply because it’s a euro. Will it just end up as waste? If so don’t buy it! Also often the euro rack are clothes from Dunne’s and Penny’s, probably not the best quality.

BE OPEN MINDED: One of the great things about vintage and second hand is its highly unlikely that someone will show up in the same thing as you. But you have to have an open mind going in, never go looking to find a particular piece or a list of things you need to get because chances are you won’t find it.

Keep an open mind, try things on and who knows, you may come out with something you never would have imagined you’d wear!

Mental health days: good, bad or indifferent?

By Conor Brummell There has been an increase in the last few years in people taking days off school, college or work and citing their mental health for their reasons. Perhaps this is because a bigger importance has

been placed on people’s health and wellbeing, and in particular people’s mental health in recent years.

It was reported in November 2018

by The Irish Times that Ireland has one of the highest rates of mental health illnesses in Europe, and that it ranked joint

third out of 36 countries who were surveyed in the annual Health at a Glance conducted by the OCED. It was recorded in 2016 that some 18.5 per cent of Ireland’s population experienced some sort of mental health disorder that included bipolar, anxiety, schizophrenia, depression, drug or alcohol abuse. The 2016 census also stated that Ireland had seen an increase of 29 per cent in metal health disorders throughout the five years previous, which in itself is a terrifying statistic.

With ever-growing waiting lists for both the HSE and counselling services around the country, it is no surprise that taking mental health days here and there has become more popular in recent years.

Most people will know the feeling of anxiety and stress building up until it gets to the stage where they feel they can’t do even the simplest of tasks. A day off from college or work can help ease this stress, as you can use the time off to catch up on things such as laundry, housework or even sleep.

When things seem insurmountable, taking a break and removing yourself from a stressful environment and put-

ting your wellbeing first is probably one of the best things you can do for your mental health.

I remember in Leaving Cert when my friends and I would take mental health mornings, where we would skip classes so we could study, and it was more beneficial than sitting in the classroom as we were able to get work done and relieve a little bit of the stress that was on our shoulders.

Similarly, in semester one of this year, I was advised to take a week off college due to build-up of stress because I wasn’t handling the transition into second-year well. I had a sick note for the week and as a result could miss my lectures and try and get myself back on track.

I met with friends who I hadn’t seen in ages and was able to take some time to myself and not have to worry about college, and looking back on it, it did me the world of good. Despite feeling like I was wasting time I could have been using to attend lectures and take notes, I know now that taking time to do little things to help yourself can make a big difference.

Self-care can be one of the most vital things for people struggling with their mental health and we cannot gloss over its importance. However, there is the trap that people can take advantage of the idea of self-care and it becomes a form of procrastination.

When lying in bed and wrapping yourself up in blanket with a cup of tea becomes a daily occurrence to avoid a growing mountain of work, self-care suddenly becomes slightly toxic and someone could do more damage to themselves than good in the process.

Grace Helbig, a famous Youtuber, summed it up perfectly in a video she made after taking a month-long break from creating content due to personal struggles when she said, “A break doesn’t mean you’re going to fix stuff.

When you take a break, it doesn’t mean in a certain period of time you are going to get everything sorted out.” This line really resonated with me at the time as it puts into perspective that sometimes the best self-care you can practice is to take a break, but then put measures in place to avoid allowing the stress you were feeling to creep back in.

April 02 2019

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Five pampering products to help you de-stress this exam season

By Martha Brennan With exams fast approaching, most of us are too stressed to think of anything but timetables and projects right now. But sometimes taking an hour in the evening to treat yourself is the best thing to boost morale, and though it’s hard to really relax its important to take a few moments for yourself to keep your brain functioning.

Here are five beauty products that can work wonders for stressed skin, pamper your body and sooth the soul. So clear off an hour post-library meltdown and put away your phone, read a book or set time for your new favourite Netflix show and have some well-deserved me time – even if it’s only for twenty minutes before you conk out.

minutes to a half hour, peel off and head to bed. The gel is refreshing and nonabrasive and while the masks come in four different types, the Hyaluronic acid in this one is the best for replenishing skin. Bonus, the masks are only three euro from the on-campus pharmacy!

2. LAVENDER BODY CREAM: The smell of lavender is proven to add relaxation and make you sleep. Some people keep it in their rooms or spray it on pillows, but a lavender body cream has the pampering scent as well the bonus of moisturizing your skin. This one from Marks and Spencer is budget friendly and smells heavenly, and the colourful packaging is also a plus. Moisturizing right after the shower and using a body scrub, like Roz Purcell’s coffee scrub, makes you feel squeaky clean and ready for a good night’s sleep.

1. NEUTROGENA HYDRO-BOOST HYDRATING FACE MASK:

3. ALOE VERA EYE GEL:

This sheet mask is a God send for stressed skin. The heat (or lack of) from a day of studying in the library can really dry up skin and make your face feel tight. These masks are the easiest thing to use, as you don’t need to wash the mask off. Just lay back, stick the mask on for 15

Once you try a roll on aloe vera eye gel you will never go back. The metal balls work to reduce puffy eyes and bags (which we are all sporting right now) while the cool gel soothes and adds brightness.

You can pop it on in the morning after a long night, or before bed if

you need. Lancome’s Energie da Vie one is amazing, but Garnier do a cheaper version that works just as well. Follow up with a thick moisturiser such as Lancome’s Hydra Zen day cream to replenish skin.

4. ROSE WATER: In the last few years rose water has been added to the beauty lists of many, and for good reason. The all natural, water based glory can be used for skin purposes, as a perfume, or just spritzed on to relax. A spray bottle of the stuff is pretty cheap and works great as a mid-study perk up, after-gym refresher or used as a toner during your night time skin routine. Call into any pharmacy or health store to find a bottle, and make sure it has no added ingredients if you’re looking for a natural version!

5. LUSH BATH BOMBS: Lush has become notorious for their colourful, natural bath bombs, and while you can find the playful bath additions everywhere, this skin care store is king of their class. Just pick your favourite colour and scent, and throw the bomb into your warm bath to relax after a stressful day. While there isn’t a Lush store in Galway, you can buy their products online and the Body Shop on Shop Street also have some great options. A quick cleansing of any tub in a student house pre-bubbles is highly recommended.

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Hepatitis Chancroid Trichomoniasis HIV A Human Papillomaviru Genital Warts Herpew Gonorrhea Chlamydia Hepatitis Chancroid Trichomoniasis Huma Papillomavirus Genita FAIGH AN SCÉAL IOMLÁN, FAIGH AN TÁSTÁIL Beidh Clinic STI faoi rún á reáchtáil SAOR IN AISCE san Aonad Sláinte Mic Léinn, Áras na Mac Léinn

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April 02 2019

7

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REVIEW: Netflix’s Don’t you, forget about me The Disappearance of Madeline McCann

By Sarah Gill

Tainted press, incompetent policing and the rise of social media hate: The Madeline McCann tragedy shows the best and worst of humanity

By Gary Elbert Documentaries offer representations of reality but never can transmit the intrinsic complexity of reality. The Disappearance of Madeline McCann involved objective reality, the removal of a child, and subjective reality, the reaction of the actors involved. As the whole sorry tragedy unfolded, a battle ensued with various versions of reality competing not to solve the crime, but to win the public relations battle.

Reality, obtuse, slippery and evasive, enters into a contract with the medium of documentary whereby the producer’s primary desire to elicit audiences’ emotional interaction is the chief barometer of success. From a moral standpoint, it can be argued that the parent’s refusal to sanction the production was grounds for it not to be created.

Viewing the work is testing. At times it runs like a fictional thriller, complete with shadowy figures, conmen and Spanish private detectives trawling the Darknet for clues. It’s easy to forget the depressing reality of a little girl’s unknown whereabouts is the trigger for this story.

The function of the press is supposedly to inform, educate and enlighten. But that function is secondary to profit margins. If it bleeds it leads. The behaviour of the global press after Madeline’s disappearance is up for intense scrutiny during this documentary. Hyperbole and sensationalism created an army of reactionary trolls acting as legal authorities, which increased exponentially as social media began to enlarge its sophisticated methods of engagement and hack into humans with more easily exploited psychological vulnerabilities.

My reason for watching the documentary stemmed from being force fed one of many ill-advised reactionary Facebook status’ proclaiming Gerry and Kate McCann to be “guilty as sin”.

How much did I know about the McCann case prior to viewing?

Not much, it turns out.

As we are aware though, the rush to speak and pronounce opinions often trumps the more onerous task of diving deep into a topic before patiently formulating a reasoned and ethical point of view which is open to re-modification.

Thus, social media continues to thrive. The desire to be seen, heard and engaged with fuels the trolls and drives the divisive and simplistic binary political battles we see played out every day in all levels of public discourse.

As a journalism student with a long-held love and passion for media related issues, it dawned on me the intrinsic ability of journalists to manipulate the narrative, with profit margins as the goal. My superficial knowledge of the case had been refreshed but skewed last year, after formerly respectable journalist Gemma O’Doherty wrote an inflammatory J’ accuse type piece in Village magazine, using the Irishman Martin Smith eye witness account as ‘proof’ of Gerry McCann’s involvement in the disposal of his little girl’s body.

When you are finished watching this carefully calibrated documentary the abiding lingering taste of disgust may just come from the global media’s outrageous treatment of Gerry and Kate McCann, aided and abetted by a woefully incompetent Portuguese police, utterly ill equipped to handle the case.

An army of trolls and lunatics packed comment threads across social media appointing themselves judge, jury and executioner. It was a media storm rapidly out of control with the actual fate of a little girl secondary to capricious lust for news and hyperbole.

This Netflix-streamed work, unsanctioned by the McCanns, skilfully elicits a multitude of emotional reactions in the viewer. Facts and events are presented in such a way to ensure you, the viewer, are constantly oscillating between incriminating the McCanns and feeling the most intense compassion and empathy for their plight.

The scene with the cadaver dog is presented as damning and comes complete with grainy footage and dark stormy background sounds.

The documentary delves deep into the sorry affair. From the disgraceful lack of responsibility shown by various authorities and institutions, to the Portuguese police chief with the broken moral compass, through to the Miami Vice-style Spanish private investigator and a fraudulent Irishman with a concocted American investigative unit, it is almost impossible not to watch all episodes back to back.

The revelation that a sex offender had preyed on children in the Algarve in the years prior to Madeline’s disappearance is damning, especially when this knowledge was in the lap of the British consulate and tourism chiefs in the region. This information would obviously have destroyed the area’s tourist industry and for that reason alone it would appear it was kept secret under the pretence of not wanting to cause undue panic.

The McCanns have attempted legal action against Netflix, but surely the legal action should be aimed at those who kept tourists in the dark about the danger lurking under their noses.

If the McCanns had known about this, it is likely they would never have visited the Algarve and it can be guaranteed they would not have left their children alone in the apartment.

Ultimately, one cannot but feel the most intense compassion for the McCann family and their missing child. Manipulated by the sensationalist press, incriminated by a dodgy and incompetent police force and harassed and abused by hate mongers and social media morons, they have somehow managed to retain their dignity and humanity while steadfastly refusing to give up hope that Madeline might one day be found.

The McCanns may not have sanctioned the documentary, but the work provides enough depth and integrity to finally remove the outrageous proposition that they had something to do with the disappearance of Madeline.

Thirty-five years ago, on March 24, 1984 a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal walked into detention and came out as The Breakfast Club. John Hughes’ 1985 movie has become a Coming of Age classic, leaving a huge impact on the way teen movies are made. It left a legacy that has paved the way for all of our favourite films.

“We think you’re crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are.

You see us as you want to see us — in the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess, and a criminal.

Does that answer your question?”

This movie was the first to truly explore the inner psyche of teenagers.

It encompasses every stereotypical archetype of high school cliques: the prom queen, the weirdo, the geek, the jock and the bad ass. The isolated setting of a locked classroom strips back all distraction until the group of kids end up engaging in a make-shift therapy session. Through their differences they explore themselves and confront their feelings of angst and inadequacy.

This was the first time that teenage characters were fully developed and understood. Each member of the Club was given a different narrative, with something in everyone that the viewer can relate to.

Whether it’s the revelation that John’s father beats him, that Brian contemplated

suicide or that each character has faced pressure to be something they’re not, each character is human. Just like Andrew says, “We’re all pretty bizarre, some of us are just better at hiding it”.

Pressure to lose your virginity, behave how your friends behave, do well in school, make your parents proud and everything in between, these three-dimensional characters are just about ready to crack under the strain. This movie was the first of its ilk to demonstrate a real understanding of the complex emotions young people feel.

These raw, genuine feelings of imperfection are not trivialised or patronised. They are fully explored.

This movie laid the foundation for classics like Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You, Dazed and Confused and My So Called Life – it transformed the genre entirely. Obviously, The Breakfast Club has become slightly dated in the years since its initial release, but a huge amount of its subject matter was very ahead of its time. From the Madonna-wh*re complex to having an existential crisis and a whole lot more. And come on, that nostalgic soundtrack still echoes throughout so many of its contemporaries.

The Breakfast Club resonates with so many people to this day. It showed generations of viewers that they are not alone in their flaws or feelings of angst.

You can’t see that freeze-frame of Jud Nelson with his fist in the air without feeling a swell of nostalgia in your chest.

What happens on Monday morning?

That’s up to you.

MENTAL HEALTH MONDAYS Luan na Meabhairshláinte Starting on 28th January • Runs until 8th April Look out for the Welfare Crew on campus every Monday 1-3pm!

Bí ag faire amach don Chriú Leasa gach Luan ó 1in go 3in!

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Drugs & Alcohol Building a Support Network Sleep & Routine Celebration of Students!

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April 02 2019

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OPINION: Christchurch, YouTube and the alt-right: all of this could have been avoided

By Daniel Brennan As I’m very sure you’re aware, just a few weeks ago in Christchurch, New Zealand, one of the worst mass shootings in recent memory occurred as a far-right gunman charged into several mosques in the city, murdering 50 Muslims and injuring a further 50.

One of the major defining features of this horrible tragedy is the role social media and online culture played in not only radicalising the shooter, but also the role it played in sharing the footage of the shooting itself, that had been livestreamed on Facebook by the shooter.

For several hours following the incident, social media sites struggled to moderate the spreading of the shooting footage, something I found out as the footage was shared onto my own Twitter timeline moments after it had happened.

But, as it always seems to be, YouTube was by far the worst of the big social media sites at ensuring that the footage of the shooting was not shared far and wide. People even claimed that some of the channels that had uploaded the footage had ads running on the videos for the several hours it was up, before YouTube eventually posted a half-hearted tweet stating they were working on

removing the footage. To their credit, the video cannot be found on Youtube now.

But the role YouTube played in facilitating the radicalisation of the shooter cannot and should not be ignored. The shooter posted his disgusting, near 70 page “manifesto” on a site called 8 Chan, a website blacklisted by Google as it has facilitated child pornography in the past, and that now is an unmoderated “wild west” where the worst of the alt right movement has infested itself.

The shooter very notably shouted “subscribe to PewDiePie” before opening fire, and while many of his defenders claimed it was simply a meme, it points to where his radicalisation process began. You don’t just simply become a member of a far-right white nationalist child pornography facilitating website you cannot find on Google, and commit a race-based mass murder without a starting point.

Obviously, you cannot blame one person for the actions of someone who is a deranged mass shooter, but there has to be at least a tiny bit of accountability for the online personalities that push such dangerous narratives.

PewDiePie is one of the most well known YouTube stars, as he’s amassed over 90 million subscribers, and also been involved in several con-

troversies. Examples include paying people on the website Fiverr to dance with a sign saying “death to all Jews”, and saying the n-word on stream, that resulted in the “adpocalypse”, where most YouTube creators lost 60% plus of their income as a result of advertisers pulling out over his antics, costing many people what had become their full-time jobs.

In fact, just after the events in Christchurch, PewDiePie unfollowed several prominent far-right figures on Twitter – most notably people like Jordan Peterson, Count Dankula, Lauren Southern, JonTron, InfoWars “reporter” Paul Joseph Watson, white supremacist Stefan Molyneux and many, many more.

In the past, PewDiePie has featured prominent right-wing thinkers on his channel, most notably in this situation American commentator Ben Shapiro, who has been famously anti-Muslim amongst many things. In fact, Shapiro may have already been part of inspiring a previous shooting as police investigating a mosque shooting in Canada in 2017 where 17 were killed, claimed the shooter’s favourite Twitter account by far was the infamous Shapiro – someone who once claimed that there are over 600 million radicalised Muslims on the planet... a completely false, racist claim that you can find in one of many of his YouTube videos.

But YouTube has no problem not only facilitating videos like his, but promoting them as well. I often find that my recommended videos on the site feature prominent figures like Shapiro, Peterson, and so many more I previously listed – these videos are often filled with sexist, anti-trans, racist views that are allowed by YouTube under the tentative condition of “freedom of speech”... where really, the reason their videos are promoted so heavily is because of how popular they’ve become. YouTube can make money by running advertisement videos with millions upon millions of views, and they often promote these dangerous figures to vulnerable demographics like young males – just like the Christchurch shooter.

YouTube aren’t alone in allowing these figures to flourish for profit – Twitter and Facebook are two other sites that participate in this too – but this shooter, in my eyes, clearly began the path to radicalisation because of YouTube’s willful ignorance in shutting down dangerous far-right influencers before they could ever get a meaningful following. YouTube and other corporations don’t really care about incidents like what happened in Christchurch – because if they did, it probably wouldn’t have happened in the first place.

The True Cost documentary review

By Ameya Godse Mahatma Gandhi, one of the most prominent figures of the 20th century once quoted “There is sufficiency in the world for man’s need but not for mans’ greed”. It’s truly amazing how far sighted his vision was, for the essence of this quote is sadly the way in which nearly everything functions around us. Today, the global apparel industry is nearly a $3 trillion market. Brands like Nike, H&M and Zara have almost consumed the planet, and are relentlessly regurgitating the need to buy more clothes.

It is absolutely undisputed that humans today are shopping for clothes at an exceedingly higher rate than they ever have in the past. Psychologists have identified this behaviour as a constant need for self-validation and needless gratification. But there is an extremely dark underbelly behind every clothing apparel that we proudly boast on the street or on the ramp, which nobody is talking about. Problems ranging from a ruthless supply chain, to the charade of Corporate Social Responsibility and a draconian business model which squeezes every drop of blood from daily wage workers in third world countries.

Upon application of the simple “cause and effect” perspective to the global apparel market, it is revealed that the effect far outweighs the cause in every single department, from having global repercussions on lives to causing prodigious damages to the environment. The cause for instance is simple – hunger, greed and the want to buy far more than we need. The effect is haunting. It has led to the creation of “Fast Fashion”, which has overhauled the way people purchase clothes. It has led to the outsourcing of the entire production unit to countries where labour is dirt cheap. But what it has not done, is be accountable for the ghastly consequences.

One such consequence was in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where an eight-story building collapsed, killing more than 1,000 workers. They were buried alive under the rubble while making clothes at less than $3 a day for global apparel brands. The Raza Plaza collapse received unprecedented media coverage, exposing the harrowing conditions of garment workers in Bangladesh. It was the single worst garment-industry disaster in history. Despite this, Bangladesh remains the world’s largest garment exporter after China, mainly because of unions having limited power and cheap labour. All of it boils down to literally one fact – corporations aim to maximise profits at all costs.

The mandate of “profit at all costs” has resulted in the companies going against exactly what they stand for – values and ethics. Richard Wolff, an economist, pointed out that amongst all the systems that could be criticized and held accountable for better ramifications, the economic system got a free pass. He firmly believes that the system thrives on capitalism, and in no way can be questioned. It is the system itself that is flawed.

What sounds particularly outlandish is when activists talk about maternity benefits and pensions for daily wage labourers in Bangladesh, or any third world country for that matter. The reason for this is because when you’re reaping the biggest profits out of these workers and pushing them to the bottom of the value chain with an iron fist, the only thing that matters to them is survival.

The True Cost is an exceptionally thought-provoking documentary and a brilliant work of cinematic art. It makes us realize all that has gone behind the making of a simple dress, or a pair of leather shoes.

It makes us thoroughly introspect about the worth of these items and could possibly give birth to an alternative thought process for the future.

Thursday 4th April • 9pm-10.30pm • Free Gig at Sult

24 A RT S & E N T E RTAIN M EN T

SIN Vol. 20 Issue 12

CREATIVE Derry Girls’ Nicola Coughlan on

CORNER

life in NUI Galway, acting, and the impact of the hit comedy show

Landscape

By Connell McHugh It’s difficult to imagine anybody but the current cast of Channel 4’s hit comedy Derry Girls playing all of our favourite characters, but Clare Devlin as we know her may never have seen the light of day if it wasn’t for one tweet, according to the actor who plays her, Oranmore native Nicola Coughlan.

“I think I was on a bus home when I saw the Old Vic Theatre tweet that they were holding open auditions, which is basically unheard of for such a prestigious theatre.”

“I really saw it as a last-ditch attempt at acting to be honest. There were 1,500 people at those open calls and I was selected as one of the final seven for the play ‘Jess and Joe Forever.’ I was then signed

by Curtis Brown and my first gig with them was Derry Girls.”

And so Clare Devlin as we know her was born.

A past student of NUI Galway, Nicola always had an interest in acting.

By Paul O’Malley They cut the hooves off of me and Sent me off on a merciless gallop, Scurrying across the Burren Or some tragic pointed land mass.

No windows, only curtains.

No chances, only burdens.

SU LOCKERS

Indeed, no chance for no young soul To stand up and be so bold.

Only the cold, cold grip Of an unwelcome chokehold.

NUI Galway Students’ Union

Seomra Cótaí SAOR IN AISCE Chomhaltas na Mac Léinn

Image: © Channel Four “I knew I wanted to act, but I wanted to have a college experience too,” she says. “I probably spent more time with Dramsoc and the Musical Society than I did studying though. My friends and I would always go to Cuba and the GPO, which is probably showing my age because they’re not even around anymore!”, she jokes before asking if it’s Karma or Carbon that is now in place of the GPO on Eglinton Street.

“I loved my time in NUI Galway. I’ve always seen Galway as a real student city that’s so welcoming to everyone because most people are blow-ins, and that makes it so culturally diverse as well.”

While studying in Galway, Nicola competed in ‘Acting Up,’ the National University Improvisation Competition where she was awarded the Outstanding Individual Performance Award, which she says gave her the confidence to pursue acting upon graduation.

After graduating with a degree in English and Classics in 2008, she auditioned for the Oxford School of Drama, and despite her worries that she did the worst audition of her life, she was offered a place on their foundation course.

“It was at Oxford that I really found my tribe.

There were 26 in the class, and I was the only Irish person in it. Everybody else embodied the perception that I had of actors. But as time went on I realised that there is no such thing as one ‘type’ of actor, and it would be a very boring industry if there was.”

“After Oxford, I didn’t get in to any full time course so I worked as a receptionist in a physio clinic, which I found difficult. I began to wonder if it was just a pipe-dream, but luckily I got in to the Birmingham School of Acting in 2010/11.”

It was then when the lull in opportunities occurred before Jess and Joe Forever.

“Leaving acting behind would have really broken my heart,” she says. “It’s in your blood, but at the time it wasn’t financially realistic to continue with it. I’m so lucky that my friends and family supported me throughout it all.”

The Derry Girls script and Clare Devlin as a character were what drew Nicola to the series.

“I remember reading it while on a tour bus in Newcastle and it really stuck with me. I really had a feeling that I was meant to play her.”

The first series aired at the beginning of 2018 and was met with immediate praise, winning the award for best comedy at the IFTAs and Lisa McGee picking up the award for best writer in a comedy or soap.

“We had to forget the pressure for season two.

When it’s just the five of us again in a scene, you can’t be thinking about the viewership figures.”

“Admittedly, I was a bit nervous about season two until I saw the script, but Lisa has so many stories to tell that there was no need to be nervous at all,” says Nicola.

The final episode of season one reveals that Clare is in fact gay, something that Nicola was aware of throughout the filming process.

“The rest of the cast hadn’t a clue. They were shocked when they read the script for episode six, and I was like ‘duh.’ I had to keep that at the back of my mind. There are ways you can approach that subject in a drama, but in a comedy you have to make sure you’re not making jokes at the expense of someone watching at home.”

The show also launched worldwide on Netflix before Christmas, and has found a strong fan base across the pond.

“It was only when myself and Louisa (who plays Orla McCool) went to New York for my birthday in January that we realised the impact it was having.

We had people congratulating us and giving us free shots in bars in New York. It was so surreal.”

“But you have to take all that with a pinch of salt.

I could be at an awards show one week but then the next I’m back home in Galway. Obviously it would be great if I worked forever, and I hope I do, but you can’t let it all get to you.”

At the time of interview, the first episode of the second season has aired, in which Clare and the rest of the girls are on a retreat to create ‘Friends Beyond the Barricade’ with a nearby boys’ Protestant school. Those who have watched the episode will remember Clare having to abseil on a cliff in one scene, which Nicola was terrified about.

“People don’t realise how long it takes to make these scenes. We shoot to a really tight schedule so the days are long. I was up there for about seven hours, and the annoying part is that it looked much smaller on screen than it actually was! It was about 60 feet!”

That episode launched to a consolidated viewership number of 3.2m, making it Channel 4’s biggest audience for a comedy series since 2007.

Beyond acting, Nicola has a strong presence on Twitter and is quite vocal about issues that she feels strongly about. Recently, she marched on Westminster with Siobhan McSweeney (Sister Michael) to highlight the issue of abortion in Northern Ireland. 26 other women joined them in delivering a 60,000-strong petition to Secretary of State Karen Bradley, symbolising the 28 women who travel from Northern Ireland to other parts of the UK for an abortion each week.

“My view on it is that the women in the north were really supportive of us during last year’s referendum, and it would be a real shame if we didn’t return that support now. It’s just not right that these women are being treated as criminals.”

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The penultimate episode of Derry Girls season two airs tonight, 2 April, at 9:15pm on Channel 4.

C U LT ÚR

April 02 2019

7

SIAMSAÍO CHT

25

Dublin Comic Con 2019 CREATIVE CORNER

By Anastasia Sytnyk

Top: Jason David Frank, the original Green Power Ranger. Above: James Marsters, Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Photos: David Sommerville

This author brings to you… Dublin Comic Con Spring edition 2019! SIN were lucky enough to be invited to participate at the Press Night before the opening of the convention, which occurred Saturday 9 March.

Dublin Comic Con takes place annually, with the biggest convention usually being in early August. Tickets are super affordable, about 20 quid or possibly less, depending on age and what ticket you wish to purchase. The options vary from VIP, Adult, Young Adult and Child.

The convention is a great place to spend some time and look for some merchandise from your favorite series, as well as enjoy the massive showcase of cosplay costumes and photo props throughout the convention center. You can also meet your all-time favorite actors and take a few photographs, and even get an autograph!

Dublin Comic Con has two main floors. The first and ground floor is where admission to the center begins, as well as where all the merchandise is sold, and photograph props are sprinkled. On this floor there is a cosplay village, where you can either join fellow cosplayers or admire the various cosplayers going around in character.

The second floor is the artist gallery. This means that on this floor you will find various artists selling and advertising their work! On this floor you will also find the guests. There are photobooths that can be pre-booked for photographs with the guests. Pre-booking photographs will cost a bit extra, but if it’s for your favorite guest, it’ll be worth it!

Comic Con is a lot of fun every year, with so many panels, activities, and people; there is no room for boredom! One policy that we all must be mindful of is consent, and this policy does not stop at conventions.

Do not take photographs of cosplayers without their consent, and do not make vulgar comments or gestures towards them either. Cosplay does not equal consent. Dublin Comic Con also has no shortage of security staff who will help and punish if needs be!

So do not hesitate and keep yourself updated through dublincomiccon.com as well as the Dublin Comic Con Facebook and Instagram pages, for guest announcements and ticket availability dates.

This author wishes to thank Olivia Fahy who is the Comic Con PR manager, who kindly allowed photographer David Sommerville and myself to attend as Press, and gather amazing footage for an ambitious video!

Things I Didn’t Know I Loved:

IRELAND

By Libby Falk Jones Visiting Lecturer, English/Berea College, Kentucky USA

After Nazim Hikmet, Turkish poet exiled from his beloved homeland I didn’t know I loved rain, yes, rain misting my face, droplets catching in my eyelashes and the thick hard rain seen from my window, my rainpants and boots worth their weight when it’s time for class. I didn’t know I loved moss, tenacious green on stones, spongy under my feet, and grass—today a bumblebee drowsed, ignoring the tiny white ground daisies, which I also love, and lichens, earth-brown and green on rowan trunks, and gorse, brilliant yellow dotting hillsides.

I didn’t know I loved “Mind yourself” and “God bless,” “Give it a lash,” “Take a listen,” “For the craic,” “She’s chesty,” “Grand on this end.” Caramel muffins, Irish chicken, roosters mashed and curled into a ball by a wrist flick, Chef Maria’s luscious salads in An Bhialann. Summer fruits jam from the Saturday market, poitin and its heritage. Tea, tea, tea and the Cloud Café for cheerful hot water refills.

I didn’t know I loved remote places, Inis Mor’s Black Fort, mussel lines strung across Connemara lakes, limestone barrens of The Burren. How could I know I loved ruined castles, abandoned friaries whose roofs open to the sky, stone walls stacked with spaces for the wind (“if you build ‘em tight, they go over”), everywhere stones, Famine walls snaking up hillsides. Burning evening skies over the quad, frisky horses in fields I walk past daily, the neighbor’s Irish cat, those cocky magpies. Lone pair of swans, way up the Corrib. One bright morning, a glowing red fox in our yard.

I didn’t know I how much I loved Irish voices, Synge’s Aran Islands, Heaney and Yeats and Boland, RTE’s Sunday Miscellany’s poets and essayists, the throng of NUIG writers. I didn’t know I loved the shrieks of gulls, no water in sight, rhythms of oars in racing shells on the river. Didn’t know I loved the smell of fresh-cut March grass, raked into rows, scent of sheets dried on a line. How warm sun can be, and the sharp cut of the wind, reminding me of the claims of earth.

I didn’t know I’d love my students, and all they have brought to our work, their poems and stories of mums and grans, of men who work with their hands, The Troubles and madness, dirty words and pubs and grief, churches and laughter, crows and sloths, sounds of the sea and family—always family. Their joy in finding a space where words and images can breathe, a page ready to receive their gifts as they’ve learned to listen, to attend. I’ve loved their different voices intertwining, writers working together, trying out new tongues.

Their patience, teaching me to sing the special music of their names.

26 A RT S & E N T E RTAIN M EN T

SIN Vol. 20 Issue 12

SZA launches sustainable streetwear line

By Sarah Gill

Image The Come Up Show via Flickr

“Y’all ready to save the ocean or nah?”

The fact that the fashion is the second dirtiest industry in the world, with oil as the leading pollutant, shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone.

Recently, words like ‘fast fashion’ and ‘sustainability’ have been on everyone’s lips. From watching documentaries like The True Cost to reading headlines as we scroll through our timelines. We’re all aware of the problem, but not so sure about a solution.

American singer and songwriter SZA is using her platform to help make a difference. The ‘Love Galore’ singer has an anti-plastic street wear line in the pipeline, with 100% of the profits going towards sustainability efforts. The designs will feature slogans like ‘Sustainability gang’ and ‘Puck Flastic’ alongside seahorses and whales.

I feel like as humans, we are empathetic in the extreme, but find it easy to push these concerns for the planet to the back of our mind when we

see a nice top in Zara. We feel sad and ashamed when we see pictures of the polluted oceans or read about harrowing tales of a dead whale being found with 40kg of plastic in its stomach, but the task of reducing our plastic usage seems like too much of a commitment for so many.

That’s why people like SZA, whose reach and influence is incredibly wide-stretching, can help change the narrative. She is not the first to use her influence to help save the planet. Will.I.Am launched a range of Eko Cycle products back in 2015 made entirely from sustainable materials.

Also in 2015, Pharrell Williams lent his voice to an i-D documentary entitled The Plastic Age. Tear your gaze away from online influencers and bloggers who devote far too much time to clothing hauls and promoting fast fashion outlets and start following people who want to make a difference.

Whether it’s reducing your meat intake, reducing your plastic use or reducing the amount of non-sustainable clothing you purchase, you can contribute to making a change.

FANTASTIC BEASTS

– the crimes of J.K. Rowling

By Stevie Buckley

Caife

Wall THE

CAFE

Thank You for your business over the last semester. We will be open all the way through exams and look forward to seeing you all again in September Do Chomhaltas, Do Sheirbhísí

The creator of the famous Harry Potter wizarding world, J.K. Rowling, recently revealed some information about Dumbledore that put my childhood into turmoil. As a child, I was gripped by the simplicity of the hero/villain dualism, but it turns out that Dumbledore and his enemy, Gellert Grindelwald, were in a ‘passionate’ sexual relationship in the past of the wizarding world. I nearly cringed when I heard this.

All these additional snippets of information about the Harry Potter world started coming when Pottermore was set up. For those of you that don’t know, Pottermore is a game where you go through your education at Hogwarts and learn more about the Wizarding World while you’re at it. Throughout your stint at this fictional school you learn more about the characters and the world, including things that are a bit too much for people to digest retroactively. This talk of Dumbledore’s sexuality is an example of that. Even though it wasn’t published on Pottermore, this is the type of thing that she has done on the site.

In my opinion, J.K. Rowling is going too far with all this additional information about Hogwarts and the people who went through this fictional school.

There are children still discovering the magic of Harry Potter and falling in love with it, the same way as the original Harry Potter generation of the late 1990s and the 2000s did. This includes fouryear-olds who definitely do not need to know about the intensity of the sexual relationship that Dumbledore and Grindelwald apparently had.

She may be doing all this to stay relevant and in the public eye. She finished releasing Harry Potter in 2007 and the movies kept her relevant

for a few years after that. She has had a relatively successful run with ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ and the ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ films, but generally she has become a bit of a flop since nothing is nearly as successful as the Harry Potter series and she probably won’t produce anything that popular ever again.

J.K. Rowling is known for being a controversial character herself. She has sympathised with some blatantly racist and transphobic sentiments in the past that cannot be forgiven by a lot of people, me included. Does she think that being gay is okay but, as soon as you get into other LGBT+ identities, something is rotten in the state of the world? I have a feeling this is only the tip of the iceberg.

So, she has taken to Twitter to voice her views.

She has been tweeted by a number of people calling her out on not mentioning minorities in her books.

She usually replies to this by quoting a name, even though these people got little to no representation in the actual books. This isn’t real representation.

I don’t even know what she’s doing at this stage.

Then there’s the whole backing Johnny Depp after the abuse allegations debacle. She released a statement backing Johnny Depp when he allegedly abused Amber Heard. She defended his part in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. It’s up to you to decide whether Johnny Depp or Amber Heard was in the wrong, but he should have at least been suspended from the role while investigations were ongoing.

Overall, J.K. Rowling is estranging fans with talk of sexual relationships and similar outlandish subjects when the information is a bit TMI. This isn’t the first time she’s done it and it probably won’t be the last time she estranges fans.

28 SPORT

SIN Vol. 20 Issue 12

Moloney shines for DCU as NUI Galway struggle LGFA HEC O’Connor Shield final: DCU Dochas Eireann 3 – 18 NUI Galway 0 – 6

By Michael O’Connor A DCU side that could dominate the O’Connor Cup in 2020 and 2021 based on the youthful vigour and developing class in their squad, came out on a top against NUI Galway in a one-sided O’Connor Shield final in Dublin.

The new Dublin Technological University astroturf facility in Broomsbridge housed this shield final, which was played in windy conditions, with the strong crossfield wind favouring NUI Galway slightly in the first half.

Amy Mangan had the game’s opening score after five minutes of intense pressure from Pat King’s charges. Eventually the western college got into the action and kicked three scores in the next five minutes.

Eimear O Kane was first out of the blocks with NUI Galway’s opening score quickly followed by Grainne Nolan and Chloe Miskell.

Roscommon dual player Rachel Fitzmaurice sent a scorable chance abegging 11 minutes into the game before DCU rallied with a free converted

by Tipperary star Aisling Moloney that kickstarted a period of dominance by the favourites.

The outstanding DCU side, who won the O’Connor cup in 2018, saw the majority of that side graduate.

This new squad, however, are likely to be strong contenders for years to come with many freshers and second years making their debuts this season.

Wexford full forward Aisling Murphy struck for the first of the DCU goals in the fourteenth minute despite strong defensive efforts by the NUI Galway side led by Laura Hession, Chloe Crowe and Laura Corcoran. Three points in as many minutes from Murphy, and the impressive Laura Curran stretched the Dublin college 1 – 6 to 0- 2 clear after 18 minutes.

Try as they did with great honest effort, NUI Galway began to wilt as the pace and power of the strong running DCU forwards overpowered the

Galway ladies on the wings and corners. Aisling Moloney struck with devastating power the second goal as it was now apparent that the winners were in front and unlikely to surrender the onfield superiority.

The ten-point interval lead, 2 – 8 to 0 – 4 was deserving for the DCU side as they took their chances, while NUI Galway bemoaned at least three clear goal chances that came home to haunt them.

The second half if titled would be simply called the Aisling Moloney expo, as the Tipperary starlet displayed all facets of her talents that should propel her to the top of ladies football in the near future.

Laura Curran also led the way and hit the opening two scores of the new half, quickly added to by Ciara Finnegan. Moloney hit 1 – 5 in the following ten minutes, as NUI Galway who still attacked and had ample possession could not penetrate the final third of the DCU side of the pitch.

Both sides used multiple substitutions in the final quarter and the rate of scoring decreased markedly with just two scores each in the remaining ten minutes, as DCU captured the Shield and appear like a side that will enjoy the 2020 O’Connor cup campaign.

The winners were served well by Laura McGinley, Danielle Lawless, Sinead Finnegan, Jennifer Dunne, Aisling Moloney, Lara Curran, Aisling Murphy, Ciara Finnegan and Shannon McLaughlin.

NUI Galway worked hard with little reward and with the amount of possession should have trou-

bled the scoreboard with more consistency. Their strongest performers included Laura Hession who pulled off several close-range blocks. She was aided well by Eimile Gavin, Chloe Miskell, Grainne Nolan, Linda Booth, Chloe Crowe and Mairead Eviston.

NUI Galway: Laura Hession (St Gabriels) (Galway), Cait Towe (Clann Eireann)(Armagh), Mairead Eviston (Templemore) (Tipperary), Laura Corcoran (Moycullen)(Galway), Chloe Crowe (Annaghdown)(Galway) Eimile Gavin (Claregalway)(Galway, Linda Booth (St Brendans)(Galway), Kate Geraghty (Tuam/Cortoon)(Galway), Siobhan Divilly (Kilkerrin/Clonberne), Rachel Fitzmaurice (St Ciarans)(Roscommon), Niamh Daly (Kilconly) (Galway), Grainne Nolan (Banner)(Clare) (0 – 2), Chloe Miskell (Kilkerrin/Clonberne)(Galway) (0 – 1), Saoirse Ludden (Westport)(Mayo), Fiona Dooley (Portlaoise)(Laois). Subs: Meghan Kelly (Caltra) (Galway) (0 – 2).

DCU: Emer Ni Eafa (Dublin), Hannah McSceachain (Monaghan), Laura McGinley (Dublin), Shannon McLaughlin (Donegal), Danielle Lawless (Dublin), Sinead Finnegan (Dublin) (0 – 2), Roisin Daly (Tipperary), Muireann Atkinson (Monaghan), Jennifer Dunne (Dublin), Aoibheann Cleary (Meath), Aisling Moloney (Tipperary) (2 – 6), Lara Curran (Kildare) (0 – 5), Amy Gavan Mangan (Offaly) (0 – 1), Aisling Murphy (Wexford) (1 – 1), Ciana Finnegan (Cavan) (0 – 2). Subs: Roisin Farrell (Donegal) (0 – 1).

Referee: Eamonn Moran (Limerick).

IRELAND’S SIX NATIONS CAMPAIGN:

The good, the bad and the disappointing

By Owen Kennedy I think it’s safe to say that Ireland’s Six Nations campaign this year did not go as we had hoped. The entire country was still riding high after our legendary win against New Zealand in November, and our confidence has come crashing down after the tournament. With just five months until the World Cup kicks off, Ireland couldn’t have put themselves in a worse situation in terms of morale. So how did we end up in this situation to begin with?

The Six Nations has been a bitter pill to swallow. We had our confidence knocked out of us back at the start following our loss at home to England following a clumsy performance from our squad, but a World Cup quality performance from England meant they more than deserved the win that day.

We didn’t seem to recover from then on.

Our performance against Scotland was subpar at best, Italy should’ve beaten us and we were lucky to pull out with a victory, France saw us play

at our best even if the final five minutes turned for the worse, and Wales dominated the entire game as they flogged us up and down Cardiff.

Disappointing lineouts, especially in the Wales game, and a backline that just weren’t ticking, this may be the lowest point in both Murray and Sexton’s careers. When our plans weren’t working it was hard for us to get momentum. This problem is most likely not terminal, but it’s something that we vitally need to work on and improve. We were simply

outplayed, outpassed and outpaced when it came to going up against England and Wales.

The big question on everyone’s mind now is where is Ireland going into the World Cup? Schmidt has put our team under the radar after this year’s tournament. This doesn’t leave us in a vulnerable position where we won’t stand a chance in the World Cup, but it could put some teams into a fake comfort zone of sorts, similarly to how we perceived England before the Six Nations.

SPÓIRT

April 02 2019

Busy summer of sport ahead

By Tomás Keating Despite there being no World Cup, no European Championships, or Olympics, this summer promises to be an enjoyable one.

Here are some of the big sporting events:

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship: This year’s Football Championship is going to be intriguing. Dublin will start their quest to become the first team to ever complete a five in a row. But in this year’s National Football League, the Dubs seem somewhat mortal, they have lost on three occasions; to Monaghan, Kerry, and Tyrone. It is the first time since 2012 that the Division One League Final will not feature Jim Gavin’s side.

It remains to be seen can Galway, Donegal, Tyrone, Monaghan, Kerry or Mayo beat the Dubs in a Championship game in Croke Park because Championship is a completely different ball game to the League. It is usually Mayo that gives Dublin the toughest challenge. They are able to go 15 on 15 with them, and they almost beat them in the 2016 and 2017 All-Ireland Finals. On both occasions they lost by the slimmest of margins, and in 2016 it went to a replay.

Donegal are last the team to defeat Dublin in a Championship match, in the 2014 All-Ireland Semi-Final.

Galway and Tyrone both suffered hammerings to Dublin in the Semi-Finals and Final respectively.

After last summer’s lacklustre Super Eights, it is hoped that this year will have some entertaining matches because it has not captured the fans’ attention at all yet, especially with the fact Dublin have two games in Croke Park.

Nonetheless, it is going to be interesting to see if Dublin can make history. The last team to almost get to the top of the mountain was the 1982 Kerry team but they were defeated by Offaly thanks to a Seamus Darby goal. Who will be this year’s Darby?

Dublin’s League form will surely give other teams hope.

All-Ireland Hurling Championship: Last year’s Hurling Championship was arguably the greatest in living memory. The introduction of a five-team league format for Munster and the Leinster Championships ensured that we had highly competitive and entertaining match-ups. It is very hard to narrow down all the amazing games that were played the All-Ireland Hurling Championship last year, especially in the Munster Championship.

Limerick won the All-Ireland last year, despite coming third in the Munster Championship and bridged a 45 year gap after defeating the then champions Galway 3-16 to 2-18. They will be looking to retain the Liam MacCarthy Cup, but they will have stiff competition from within their own province and elsewhere. Cork, Waterford, Tipperary, Clare, Kilkenny, Wexford, and Galway will all fancy their chances, as they have all not been too far away the past few seasons.

It is one of the most eagerly awaited Championships in some time.

NBA Playoffs: The NBA Playoffs will begin on 13 April and run right up until June, and it is the most thrilling part of the NBA season. The Playoffs are broken into two conferences, East and West, with eight teams competing in each side. It is seeded 1st v 8th, 2nd v 7th, 3rd v 6th, 4th v 5th, and each match-up is a best of seven. The winners of both conferences face off in the NBA Finals.

The Golden State Warriors are going for their fourth title in five years (2015, 2017, 2018). Another championship this year would put the Warriors in rarefied air. They would become the first team since the Los Angeles Lakers of the early 2000s to win a three-in-a-row.

With stars like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and the recently added Demarcus Cousins will make the Dubs hard to beat in the Playoffs. However, many believe it could be their last ride together as it is heavily speculated that upcoming free agent Durant may leave to join the New York Knicks.

The Warriors only Finals loss in their run of dominance came to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, who were led by LeBron James. This will probably be the first year since 2005 that the Playoffs will not feature LeBron. Thus, it will break his eight-year streak of getting to the Finals, which was a very impressive feat. But this season’s performance with his new team – the Lakers, has been very disappointing and a lot of it is on LeBron.

It is going to be an interesting Playoffs with no LeBron, particularly in the East.

He dominated the East the past few seasons with Miami Heat and the Cavs. The Milwaukee Bucks with their superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, will more than likely get the one-seed with Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics not far behind.

The Raptors have been disappointing in the Playoffs the last few years, but have star Kawhi Leonard. The Raptors will hope that

with the Two Time Defensive Player of the Year and 2014 NBA Finals MVP gives them an edge in the playoffs.

The 76ers are stacked with talent. The only a worry is: can Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris, etc. gel together for the Playoffs? From watching the regular season, you still tell there are still some issues with sharing the ball, and who is the go-to man. It is a pity that Simmons does not shoot threes because in the Playoffs, teams are just going to stand off him.

The Celtics have been very disappointing this season for the amount of talent they have. Kyrie Irving has not helped it either with some of the stupid comments he has been making the past few months.

It is a pity that Victor Oladipo is injured because the Pacers could have been serious contenders in the East.

In the West, one would predict that the Warriors will win it out, but they were lucky against the Houston Rockets last season.

The Rockets with a red-hot James Harden will not be afraid of the Warriors again this year.

If Paul George keeps playing at the level he is currently playing at, the Oklahoma City Thunder could also be a nightmare match-up for the Warriors.

The surprise package of the season, the Denver Nuggets led by Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray could be a ‘hard-out’ in the Playoffs, and they will definitely give trouble to whoever plays them.

The West is extremely tight this year, like most years. At time of writing, the Thunder, Spurs, the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers are all on the same amount of wins.

It promises to be very exciting summer, and I did not even mention the Galway Races, the Ireland rugby team’s Summer Tests, Wimbledon, NHL Playoffs. So, with the Premier League and Champions League finishing, that should be enough to pick you back up.

29

Dominant final display secures Corofin’s place amongst the great

By Tomás Keating On St. Patrick’s Day, Corofin cemented themselves as one of the greatest club teams of all time. It is not only the fact they retained their title, but it is the fashion in which they did it. The North Galway club are the complete antithesis to most inter-county teams nowadays, in terms of style of play.

Corofin became the third club to retain the Andy Merrigan Cup on Sunday. University College Dublin in 1974 and 1975, while Armagh giants Crossmaglen Rangers achieved this on two separate occasions: 1999 and 2000, and 2011 and 2012.

The story of Crossmaglen is amazing. During the Troubles, the British army stationed their barracks right next door to their pitch, and sometimes they would land helicopters on the pitch in the middle of games. They were a shining light of defiance in the face of the British establishment. They produced players like Francie Bellew, Oisín McConville, Jamie Clarke, Aaron Kernan. Even with these circumstances, what Crossmaglen have been able to achieve is extraordinary.

In 2015, Corofin beat Derry’s Slaughtneil 1-14 to 0-07 in the All-Ireland Final. It was Corofin’s first All-Ireland title since 1998, despite knocking on the door for many years. In the 2018 Final, Corofin faced up against Nemo Rangers. The Cork club are the most decorated club in Ireland, with seven All-Ireland titles, and they are not used to losing on a big day. However, Corofin utterly embarrassed them.

The affair was over after 10 minutes and it looked like the Nemo players could not even lay a glove on the Corofin men. It was typified with Michael Farragher’s goal, four hand passes inside the Nemo 45 metre line and bang.

Corofin had two goals after 20 minutes.

The astonishing thing about Corofin is not only do they have such a positive style of play, but it is the intensity they bring. They blitz you and before you even realise what is happening the ball is in the back of the net. They would go onto a defeat Nemo Rangers, 2-19 to 0-10.

This year, Corofin faced Dr Crokes in the Final. The Killarney club had defeated Corofin in the 2017 All-Ireland Semi-Final 2-11 to 0-08, and they went onto win the All-Ireland. It gave Corofin the added incentive of not only to retain their title but of getting revenge.

It was déja vú; just like last year’s Final, Corofin scored two goals after 20 minutes. The second goal was everything good about football, it reminded me of Guardiola’s Barcelona in their pomp. Martin Farragher’s pass to Daithí Burke was akin to a Sonny Bill Williams offload and the unselfishness of Ian Burke to hand pass across to an unmarked Gary Sice who palmed it in. It was poetry in motion.

Corofin would win out 2-16 to 0-10. It was nearly a carbon copy of last year’s final.

It was tonic to see on Sunday that Gaelic Football is still alive and well. There has been a lot of doom and gloom the past few years about how the game is being played.

Seeing teams installing defensive set-ups, where they drop 13 or 14 men behind the ball and just try to spoil the other team. Some of these teams don’t put any emphasis on scoring themselves.

That is why it is great to see Corofin play the way they do. They are all on the same wavelength and they play with a smile on their faces. It won’t be the last time we see them in Croke Park, and they still have a relatively young team, which is scary.

30 SPORT

SIN Vol. 20 Issue 12

Alien Amongst Men Heneghan and Conroy

By Markus Krug Every football fan has faced this age-old question at least once: who is the greatest football player on the planet right now?

And for the last ten plus years, this usually has come down to a decision between two fantastic players. Argentinian magician Lionel Messi or Portuguese force of nature, Christiano Ronaldo.

Both have been head and shoulders above the rest of their sport while putting up numbers that are simply out of this world, in both domestic and international competitions.

But while we all have our individual favourites in sports, every football fan should take a step back, take a deep breath and leave all the affiliations of fandom behind when it comes to this question.

At the end of the day, there can only be one answer for the greatest player of this generation. His nickname is “La Pulga” and he wears number ten for both Barcelona and the Argentinian national team.

Lionel Messi has revolutionized football in front of our very eyes.

He has not only changed the way teams play by being part of Barcelona’s first version of the Tiki-Taka offense, but also has reinvented his own position and style of play several times, since debuting for Barcelona’s first team in November 2003 at the age of 16.

Since then he has played 444 games in La Liga, while scoring 412 goals and assisting on another 166. Overall, he has played 674 competitive matches for the Catalan giants in which he scored 591 goals and had 238 assists. Those are numbers one usually only finds in a video game. In the real world they seem almost comically disproportionate.

And yes, Christiano Ronaldo has similarly outrageous numbers to his name. His 595 goals and 212 assists in 794 games are equally ridiculous and his record in the Champions League and other high profile matches is probably even a bit more impressive than the Argentinian’s.

But Messi’s impact on the game of football goes well beyond numbers of goals scored and assists contributed. He is the ultimate team player, adjusting to the needs of his team over the years and always becoming the missing piece in Barcelona’s puzzle of excellence.

When Christiano Ronaldo’s teams are lacking in playmaking, set pieces or tactical awareness, one often sees the Portuguese superstar complain about his

teammates on the field. Off the pitch, players that do not compliment his scoring style of play are often sold (e.g. Gonzalo Higuain) or must switch positions in order to still fit into the line-up (e.g.

Gareth Bale).

When Barcelona needed a second striker next to the likes of Eto’o or Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Messi became their congenial scoring sidekick. When they had left, he became Barcelona’s greatest scoring threat as the world’s first “false nine”.

When Luis Suarez came into the team and FCB desperately needed a right winger, he became just that and was soon feeding Suarez assists while scoring plenty for himself.

And when the likes of Andres Iniesta and Xavi departed for their final ride into the sunset, Messi once again transformed himself.

He became a ghost that shows up everywhere on the field at just the right time; collecting the ball deep in midfield and playing perfectly timed passes into the strikers; showing up on the wing and dazzling defenders with his pace and dribbling finesse; popping up around the box and making keepers look foolish when he once again chips the ball over them with one of his signature lob shots.

Some people will always mention Ronaldo’s bigger success with the national team as a factor in the decision for the best player of this generation.

And yes, Christiano has won the European Championship with Portugal in 2016 after finishing as the runner-up in the same competition in 2004.

During the same time span, Messi has reached one World cup final, three Copa America Finals and has won an Olympic gold medal in 2008.

While Argentina’s finals record surely feels disappointing, Ronaldo’s output does not set him apart when taking into consideration that he only played 25 minutes of the 2016 finals, before leaving the pitch with an injury.

Overall, both Messi and Ronaldo are generational talents of football. They are the be all and end all in terms of their goal scoring ability, but their longterm legacy should be judged on more than just numbers.

Messi has transformed the way this game is played, all the while adjusting his play to the different needs of his team throughout the years. This is what truly sets him apart from every football player on this planet. A footballing alien amongst men.

combine to end 13-year NUI Galway fresher wait Electric Ireland Fresher Division 1 football final NUI Galway 2-13 DCU 1-15

By Michael O Connor

Champions, but only just, as a skilful fast paced NUI Galway side were made work for the title against a DCU Dochas Eireann in the All Ireland Fresher football final in a well-appointed Tubberclair on Thursday 14 March.

DCU arrived at the Westmeath venue chasing their fourth straight title at this level, but the Galway side just about deserved to win this game, with a brace of well taken goals from Ballinrobe native and Mayo starlet Tommy Conroy crucial in deciding the outcome. Indeed, DCU accounted for NUI Galway in the 2017 decider played in Abbottstown.

The pressure was great on the eventual champions in the dying minutes, culminating with the referee showing two black cards to the Finian Hanley managed side in the closing stages. The strong wind at Tubberclair favoured the Capital side in the opening half, but did little to enhance their scoring threat as they kicked as much wide as they scored.

The Evan O’Brien managed side had a dream start, as Conroy found the net after less than half a minute with a powerful run down the heart of the DCU defence, before shooting past David O Hanlon in the DCU goal.

DCU attacked with success, culminating with a free from Laois stat Mark Barry before Roscommon corner forward Cathal Heneghan pointed for NUI Galway. Indeed, the Rossie Under-20 star with strong Clare hurling connections was indeed the star of the forward ranks all season for the champions.

Three successive DCU scores led by Donegal senior panellist Shane Gallen levelled procedures before Heneghan restored NUI Galway’s advantage with a sweet side step and strike.

As the game entered the final five minutes of the opening half, little divided the two fast moving sides.

NUI Galway needed to strike big and it was left to Tommy Conroy who added his second goal to give NUI Galway a three-point lead. The Neale player found himself the receipt of a stunning Crossfield pass from Heneghan and made no mistake with the finish.

From the following kickout, this was followed up by another Heneghan effort to leave the Connacht college four clear, and looking likely to hold a half time advantage. The first real doubt on the credentials came at this period of the final, as James Doran who was busy in the opening half responded for DCU before Mark Barry found the net on the stroke of half time, to ensure parity on a score-line of 2-5 to 1-8.

Now, NUI Galway aided by the second half wind that decreased markedly in the final 20 minutes had to start the second half all square, which was probably unfair to their first half charge.

Without question this was one of the better fresher football finals in recent years as both sides went for the win without over use of any defensive system, and this fact was pleasing on the eye of those present in Tubberclair.

James Doran, of whom football supporters will hear more of, kicked the first score of the new half for DCU to give them a short-lived lead.

Gavin Durcan and Robert Walzer hit back for NUI Galway whose frees from long range were a highlight of the second half. After 40 minutes, DCU were in arrears by a brace of scores, but still very much in the hunt for the Dave Billings cup.

Roscommon native Peter Gilloly halved the NUI Galway lead in the 42nd minute before Walzer once more from a distance, and the impressive Mark Barry, swopped scores as the game entered the final quarter. Cathal Heneghan, Mark Barry, Heneghan and Walzer once more brought the game to a crescendo with stunning scores as NUI Galway led 2 – 12 to 1 – 12 with five minutes left on the clock.

A massive score that proved the match winner in the final analysis came from the boot of Bearna’s Sean McUidin to sneak the western college four clear with less than four minutes of normal time on the clock. DCU’s Darragh Kirwan registered a muchneeded score to reduce the deficit to three and twice DCU players were fouled in scoreable positions, with the referee left with little choice but to show two black cards twice.

DCU were attacking and with the North Dublin side two points down, a real scoring opportunity presented itself and James Doran was taken to the ground by Dylan Buckley, who was shown a black card. Mark Barry was accurate as ever pointing the resulting free.

Once more from the NUI Galway kickout the ball fell to DCU, but they could not score or create a free taking opportunity, and when three minutes of injury time was played, Brian O Leary effected the long whistle.

The champions were served well by Cian Lankford, Mark Barrett, Conor Campbell, Gavin Burke, Evan O Brien, Gavin Durkan, Robert Walzer, goal hero Tommy Conroy, my man of the hour Cathal Heneghan and Sean McUidin.

One must acknowledge the efforts of DCU, who whilst perhaps not as impressive as NUI Galway, over the hour had their moments and will regret nine first half wides. Their best included Oisin

Gallen who did not repeat his first heroics, Mark Barry, Darragh Kirwan, Neil Matthews, James Doran, Matt Moran, PJ Masterson and Peter Gilloly.

NUI Galway: Cian Lankford (Kilavullen, Cork), Dylan Buckley (Claregalway, Galway), Mark Barrett (Ballymore Eustace, Kildare), John Cooke (Crosserlough, Cavan), Gavin Burke (Corofin, Galway), Conor Campbell (Claregalway, Galway), Jack McSharry (Na Cealla Beaga, Donegal), Evan O’Brien (Ballinrobe, Mayo)(0 – 1), Gavin Durkan (Castlebar Mitchels, Mayo) (0 – 1), Dean Brophy (St. Joseph’s, Laois), Robert Walzer (Salthill/Knocknacarra, Galway) (0 – 3), Liam Burke (Ballinrobe, Mayo), Cathal Heneghan (Michael Glaveys, Roscommon)(0 – 6), David Kelly (Carbury, Kildare), Tommy Conroy (The Neale, Mayo) (2 – 1).

SUBS: Lorcan Molloy (Menlough, Galway) for L Burke, Sean McUidlin (Bearna, Galway) (0 – 1) for O’Brien, Ryan Cunningham (Na Cealla Beaga, Donegal) for Kelly (50), Evan O’Brien (Ballinrobe, Mayo) for Durkan, James Sugrue (Renard, Kerry) for Walzer (59), Mattias Barrett (Naomh Anna Litir Mor, Galway for Buckley.

DCU Dochás Eireann: David O’Hanlon (Na Fianna, Dublin), Daniel Corcoran (Geraldine’s, Louth), Matt Moran (Whitehall Colmcilles, Dublin), Conor Doyle (Clontibret, Monaghan), Oran Doogan (Kildare, Donegal), Neil Matthews (Erin’s Isle, Dublin), PJ Masterson (Abbeylara, Longford), Seamus Lacey (Ballylinan, Laois), Darragh Kirwan (Naas, Kildare) (0 – 2), Joe Hagan (Dromard, Longford) (0 – 1), James Doran (Na Fianna, Dublin) (0 – 2), Lanty Molloy (Naomh Columba, Donegal), Oisin Gallen (Sean Mac Cumhaill, Donegal)(0 – 3), David Lacey (Na Fianna, Dublin), Mark Barry (O’Dempseys, Laois) (1 – 6).

Subs: Harry Ladd (Lucan Sarsfields, Dublin) for Molloy, Fiachra Potts (Na Fianna, Dublin) for Moran, Peter Gillooly (Roscommon Gaels, Roscommon)(0-1) for Lacey, Brian Diver (Letterkenny Gaels) for Hagan, Mikey Culhane (Salthill/Knocknacarra, Galway) for Gallen, Alan Mulvany (Senchalstown, Meath) for Doyle.

Referee: Brian O’Leary (Wexford).

SPÓ IRT

April 02 2019

31

LATEST FAI SCANDAL

putting enormous strain on camel’s back

By Mark Lynch With the recent international break leaving many fans feeling slightly less entertained than they would be with the usual hullabaloo of the club game, the FAI have stepped in to provide us with enough off-field distractions to shock and bewilder supporters accordingly.

Just days before Mick McCarthy’s (second) first competitive game in charge, when the focus should have been on a new era, of sorts, word started to spread of the latest scandal involving the FAI, their finances and their chief executive, John Delaney.

This scandal has had such an impact that, in fact, it broke into the realm of politics and led to Delaney stepping down from his role of Chief Executive, but then taking up another role within the association, the previously nonexistent role of Executive Vice President.

This all stems from the press’ discovery of the staggering information that Delaney had to loan the association €100,000 in April 2017 to solve some “temporary cash flow issues”.

The “bridging loan”, to use the FAI’s own words, was paid back to Delaney in full by June of 2017, after the association received their annual funding from Sport Ireland. The necessity of this confusing financial manoeuvre has raised many eyebrows and has, in a broader

sense, called into question the running of the association and the role of Delaney within it.

While the news of this loan has had such a profound impact, it might have never become public knowledge at all.

The Sunday Times reported that Delaney, upon hearing about the publication of this story, attempted to take out an injunction to prevent it getting to the shop windows.

This failed in the High Court and from then, the FAI and Delaney were forced to employ some damage control rather than damage prevention. They adopted a stance of transparency, revealing they were to conduct an internal inquiry into the running of the association and the role of those in charge.

A Delaney-headed FAI delegation will also sit before the Oireachtas Committee for Sport to answer some long overdue questions. The FAI have now asked if the Oireachtas want to move that meeting forward, probably hoping enthusiastic co-operation will make their meeting a tad more friendly. Fast forward to the day of Ireland versus Gibraltar and the story gets another mystifying chapter.

After crawling hands and knees to a 1 – 0 away win over Gibraltar, Irish fans could have done for some cheering up.

Many thought they had got just that when

the news broke that Chief Executive John Delaney was to step down from his role, with Brian Kerr on Virgin Media’s coverage of Spain v Norway sternly pleased at the fact Delaney’s “vice iron grip” of the association was to come to an end.

However, in a highly unorthodox tactic, the FAI announced Delaney was not leaving, but rather just switching position, one

just shy of receiving their annual funding from Sport Ireland. However, €100,000 is a lot of money to be short for two months.

Now consider this bombshell. John Delaney, as Chief Executive of the FAI, earns €360,000 a year, a mind-boggling amount of money in anyone’s eyes. Let me boggle your mind further by providing some context to this figure. The Taoiseach’s

is that enough? If the FAI was a university, for example, one would presume Delaney had been given tenure and therefore could be moved position but not removed, however, this isn’t a university, this is the FAI. Over on Virgin Media’s aforementioned coverage last Saturday evening, Kerr went on to talk about how willing

The “bridging loan”, to use the FAI’s own words, was paid back to Delaney in full by June of 2017, after the association received their annual funding from Sport Ireland. The necessity of this confusing financial manoeuvre has raised many eyebrows and has, in a broader sense, called into question the running of the association and the role of Delaney within it. that didn’t yet exist, that of Executive Vice President. The association’s current Chief Operating Officer, Rea Walshe, will step in as interim CEO and her and Delaney will share the responsibilities and duties that poor Mr Delaney had to do all by himself before. This was just days after TD Noel Rock had called on Delaney to straight up resign, saying he couldn’t justify his “Rolls-Royce wages”.

Delaney’s salary was a huge talking point upon discovery of the loan he gave to the FAI, understandably I must add. The association needing to borrow money is far from ideal at any point, but still in itself is quite mundane, especially when they were

salary for one year is €185,350, which is just over half of Delaney’s salary.

The President of the United States, in one year, earns a salary of $400,000.

If you convert that to euro, it drops to €352,000 (still some €8,000 short of Mr. Delaney). The public disclosure of this loan has led to many people asking, if it’s possible for the FAI to need to borrow €100,000 from their Chief Executive, then how are they able to pay him so much money yearly in the first place?

Since Delaney’s new position has been invented, it’s been revealed he will be taking a significant pay cut, however,

Delaney was to let certain people go from the association, possibly hinting at his own strained relationship with the FAI. Cutting ties, however, doesn’t exactly seem to be a universal rule of thumb, if Delaney himself is still kicking around the offices up in HQ. Who knows what, if anything, will come out of the FAI’s internal inquiry or the Oireachtas meeting? However, it’s something to keep an eye on next time you find yourself stuck on an international break, wondering where your weekly fix of pure, unadulterated scandal and controversy will clamber out of.

ZIDANE RETURNS TO REAL MADRID: stroke of genius or legacy destroyer?

By Darren Casserly There’s a saying in football “never go back” and for the most part it’s true.

Whether it’s Mourinho at Chelsea or Keegan at Newcastle, the second stint for the most part has only served to sour the legacy.

However, saying this, never has a manager returned to the same club after only a few months and after winning five trophies, including three consecutives Champions League in only two and a half years in charge.

One of Zidane’s first jobs will have to be trying to control the “changing room politics” that have overshadowed the club this season. It seems as if every little rift or disagreement between the players is made public.

Instances like these is one of the main differences we’ve seen between Madrid and Barcelona in terms of how both teams are run over the last number of years. Even after Madrid winning their third Champions League in a row,

the talk in the media instantly changed from talking about an unprecedented achievement into one about what club Ronaldo was joining, and disagreements between Zidane and the Madrid boardroom.

Meanwhile, at Barcelona there are never any reports of disagreements

One of the biggest deciders into whether or not Zidane’s second spell will be a success will be in the player recruitment and squad overhaul.

The current Madrid squad is filled with players who are passed their primes and constantly underperforming, with one of the main culprits being

the reason for Zidane’s first departure, it was that Zidane wanted to keep Ronaldo and let Bale go, but the Real Madrid president Florentino Perez wanted it the other way, forcing Zidane’s exit.

However, like nearly everyone predicted, Gareth Bale is nowhere near the player Ronaldo is and has even fallen out of the first eleven this season. As well as this, one of Bale’s teammates recently said in an interview that Bale still doesn’t know any Spanish after nearly six years in Spain, which would undoubtedly annoy his team mates.

He is also known as the “golf guy” around the club, as he shows more interest in golf than football, which again is making him unpopular in the Madrid dressing room and leaving the team without a talisman.

The start of next season will determine whether or not Zidane will succeed with Madrid. While there is still a strong squad at Real, they are nowhere near their competitors either domestically or continentally between players or unhappy players.

It will be essential to try and keep all of this news private. One of the other aspects of the changing room politics in Madrid is the ring leaders in the squad, more senior players such as Sergio Ramos and Marcelo who have in the past got mangers sacked and who reportedly got Zidane his job back.

Karim Benzema. He has only scored 29 league goals in the last three seasons, hardly good enough to lead the line of one of the most prestigious clubs in world football.

Another criminally underperforming players in Zidane’s side is Madrid’s most expensive signing, Gareth Bale.

If the reports are to be believed over

The start of next season will determine whether or not Zidane will succeed with Madrid. While there is still a strong squad at Real, they are nowhere near their competitors either domestically or continentally. There are many weak areas in the team as well as far too many talented players, such as Isco and James Rodriguez, being underutilised while the squad is not strong enough to cope with the losses.

As well as this, there hasn’t been a traditional Real Madid “Galáctico” signing since James Rodriguez in 2014, and if reports are to be believed the next transfer window will be massive for the club, with players such as Kylian Mbappé, Paul Pogba and Eden Hazard all linked heavily with Madrid.

If they can secure the signing of a couple of these players as well as getting rid of some of the higher paid underperformers like Benzema, Marcelo and Bale, then it could very well be a successful second stint for Zidane.

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