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FEATURES
College Tribune
15th April 2008
The parties that made a difference in Northern Ireland The Good Friday Agreement, signed on the 10th of April 1998, has brought levels of peace and stability to Northern Ireland that would have seemed unimaginable just a few years before. For the first time in recent history, there are
generations of Irish people being born on an island at peace. The ups and downs that were part and parcel of the peace process meant huge personal and political risks were taken en route. There were casualties
and the Ulster Unionist Party and the SDLP were two of them. At the time of the agreement, both parties held the majority voice of their respective communities, but have since lost that mandate.
The current leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Sir Reg Empey, and the current leader of the SDLP, Mark Durkan, speak to James Geoghegan about how their parties brokered the historic Good Friday Agreement ten years ago.
Sir Reg Empey The Ulster Unionist Party What do you see as the most significant impact that the signing of the Good Friday Agreement has had? The restoration of economic growth – albeit at a slower rate than we would like – but it certainly is a starting point for a recovery. There are 100,000 more people in work today than there were ten years ago, so I think that’s one very obvious thing. There has been a restoration of investor confidence. If you look around the city, you can see major changes in the physical environment. Obviously, it has helped consolidate peace, but I regard the whole thing as work in progress, because its full potential is not being realised. Queens University recently ran a survey, which showed that Catholics had done better than their Protestant counterparts in terms of education and employment since the agreement. Why do you think this difference exists? I think there’s no doubt that it’s very clear that loyalist communities have been slowest to gain advantage, and I think part of that problem has been that there is insufficient communitybased capacity in those areas. There has been a consistent underinvestment in the community sector of those areas for a long time, and if you look at the distribution of moneys over a long period of years, that’s fairly obvious. There are a series of educational issues as well, and also the fact that the profile of the population is different, insofar as there has been a very strong likelihood that people in loyalist areas would have been brought up working in engineering and other manufacturing sectors. As a result of global economic changes, those sectors have been weakened over the years because of competition from the Far East and so on. Do you think that the Good Friday Agreement has changed the relationship that people living in Northern Ireland have with their southern neighbours? I don’t think that it’s had a huge difference. We have technical links through the institutions, and
■ The SLDP’s Mark Durkan (left), with Bertie Ahern
■ Reg Empey (left)
those are working away. There are quite a few local government connections and there are quite a few formal connections through the North-South ministerial council, and of course I think it’s fair to say there is a growing amount of trade, but it’s a still at a relatively low level. I suspect that there is a long way to go, but I think economic forces there are likely to be more significant, and I think you will see and hear about growing numbers of links in the coming days. But they will be very much on a commercial basis, and I think that at the end of the day, they will be much stronger for that.
tution make visibly demonstrable signs that that is the case. I think it has restored a degree of normality to the relationship which was otherwise poisoned for many years from 1937 by the unilateral action of de Valera in those days, and I think that was a very negative development. I think relationships would have been a lot broader and deeper had that 1937 constitution not been enacted.
significant levels of underachievement in Northern Ireland in general, but showing up in a particularly marked way in some Protestant working class areas. I believe that some of that points to the inequity of the eleven plus system, but bizarrely it is Unionist parties who defend the socially unjust and educationally unsound system of academic selection at eleven. We have to ensure that we deliver equality to all of the children in our society.
Mark D̃rkan The SDLP
The former leader of the Ulster Unionist Party David Trimble famously said after the signing of the agreement that the ‘union is stronger now than when we sat down’. Ten years on, do you
What do you see as the most significant impact that the signing of the Good Friday Agreement has had?
Do you think that the Good Friday Agreement has changed the relationship that people living in Northern Ireland have with their southern neighbours?
think that this is an accurate reflection of the state of Northern Ireland? I think that is widely recognised. Even the Taoiseach has made his points on that. I think we have a mechanism in place now where it’s in the hands of the local people here and no backroom deals can be done on it. I think it is as strong as we want to make it, but I’m satisfied that the framework nationally recognises that, and the changes in the Irish consti-
Stability and the confirmation that we could tackle important social and economic challenges through shared institutions have been the most significant impacts that the
agreement has had. Queens University recently ran a survey, which showed that Catholics had done better than their Protestant counterparts in terms of education and employment since the agreement. Why do you think this difference exists? Well first of all, the research that makes those findings is not necessarily saying that it is all directly as a result of the agreement. We need to be very careful when people say that this research shows that the agreement is benefiting some and disadvantaging others. It is not. The fact is that the Good Friday Agreement houses key principles for equality in its provisions. In educational terms, there have been
I think the Good Friday Agreement literally brought the people together in an important fact of democratic expression in the joint referendum that endorsed the agreement. This is the first generation of Irish people that have endorsed a political dispensation in a way that allows people to give confidence to each other. It has created a situation that recruits a sensitive source of legitimacy for Unionists, which is a majority of Northern Ireland, and also endorses a sensitive source of legitimacy for Nationalists, which is the majority of people in the
island. We have actually achieved a situation where two great traditions are now supporting each other rather than undermining each other, which they spent so much of history doing.
The former leader of the Ulster Unionist Party David Trimble famously said after the signing of the agreement that the ‘union is stronger now than when we sat down’. Ten years on, do you think that this is an accurate reflection of the state of Northern Ireland? No, I don’t think it is, but what the Unionist Party was trying to do was to give confidence to Unionists. The fact is, I want Unionists to feel as strongly Unionist as they want to feel. That’s the strength of the agreement, and the way in which we negotiated it at the time, and indeed the way we created the joint referendum to endorse it. Unionists could look at it in a certain light and see certain features that attracted them. Nationalists could look on it in another light and see features that attracted them, but the fact is, both were mutually reinforcing, which meant that their allegiance by each tradition could be fully involved in, and belong in, the institutions of the agreement. The issue about your choice between a United Ireland and a United Kingdom will be le# to a referendum for the people to decide. That is the principle of consensus that the SDLP always stood for. It might be the case that Unionists feel that the stability we now have means that Nationalists will lose their appetite for a United Ireland. I don’t think that’s right, but we’ll see, just as those of us who believe that a settled process, where we are able to work together on the island, will mean that Unionists will lose their aversion to a United Ireland. That difference between us does not render us politically dysfunctional anymore.
FEATURES
College Tribune
15th April 2008
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Changing lives on both sides of the divide A youth from the Nationalist stronghold of West Belfast, and a Unionist from South Belfast, speak to Niall Fox about life ten years after the Good Friday Agreement compared to when days were fraught with fear, abuse, and sectarian tensions
The Nationalist Comm̃nity Cliodhna, who grew up in the Nationalist stronghold of West Belfast, remembers life prior to the signing of the Good Friday agreement. “I was twelve when the Good Friday Agreement was signed, and I’ve seen big changes. The Brits are not patrolling our areas any more. Because I was brought up in a republican family, both my parents were in jail and we were subjected to a very bigoted police force, and our house was constantly being raided. “As a child, I always felt as if I was being watched. The Brits would spit at you and taunt you. In the a#ermath of the agreement, the watchtowers began to come down; I finally felt there was some freedom.” Whilst she has seen tangible improvements in the last ten years, Cliodhna is quick to stress that sectarianism is still prevalent. “I now live at an interface in North Belfast, and the residents are terrified that the long evenings are coming, because ten years on, the PSNI are failing to properly police nationalist areas. “Whilst the Good Friday Agreement established a police ombudsman and policing board, they are simply not there. It is community workers controlling the interfaces where hostilities are flaring up.” She recalls the notorious and depraved images of the young Catholic children being harassed and intimidated on their way to the Holy Cross Primary school. “Innocent young children were going to school; their human right to be educated; and grown men and women were showing them pornographic images and throwing urine over them. It was an absolute disgrace.” The issue of parades in the North is still a particularly thorny one, Cliodhna explains, “I don’t understand why the unionists parade through our areas. I have no problem with them parading in their own areas, but when they parade in nationalist areas, it’s all about triumphalism. We have our own Easter parades but we would never go near a unionist area.” Cliodhna would disagree that the Catholic community in Northern Ireland have done better out of the Good Friday agreement in terms of social provision. “We don’t even have a leisure centre in North Belfast. I have to go to Ballysillan, a strongly loyalist area, to take my young son swimming, or to the Shankill Road,
but I refuse to go there due to intimidation. Whilst she believes that the IRA is gone for good, she has witnessed an innocent fi#een-year-old boy in her own community murdered by loyalist paramilitary gangs. She explains that while she does not live near a peace-wall, she wouldn’t object to one being erected, as she does not feel safe living so close to a Unionist area. The Good Friday Agreement has helped the cause of a united Ireland, she believes. “I now feel more part of a united Ireland. I tried so many times when I was younger to get an Irish passport and was continually refused. Then within two weeks of the agreement, I had one. I think we are now closer to a united Ireland than ever.” However, the promises to promote the Irish language to obtain official status have been reneged upon, explains Cliodhna, “Unfortunately the Irish language is still being neglected and discriminated against. “The DUP are reluctant to bring in an Irish Language Act. They try to politicise it, but it has been around for thousands of years. I don’t understand how it has been an objective of the agreement, and commitment was given to support the language, yet it is still being discriminated against.” As for the future, Cliodhna believes that the flags must disappear if tensions between communities are to be eased. “The flags must go. We have our murals to do with our history, the famine and the hunger strikers; but I would like to see all paramilitary flags and murals be removed from the streets.” As for the current DUP/Sinn Fein administration presiding over the next generation in Northern Ireland politics, she believes that while she was originally sceptical about the idea, she now welcomes such a momentous move. “It’s phenomenal that Ian Paisley, who once said ‘Never, never, never’, is now working with Sinn Fein in a power-sharing executive. I had my doubts, originally about this strange ‘chuckle-brothers’ notion, but I think everyone has just had enough. “We’ve seen enough people on our streets dying, and I don’t want my child to grow up with the experiences I had in my childhood. I really think both sides want to move on, they probably want different things but I believe they do want to
The Unionist Comm̃nity Ben, a young trainee teacher, comes from a unionist area of South Belfast. Having witnessed the changes brought about by the Good Friday Agreement, he recalls the effect this agreement has had on his life. “When I was younger,” he begins, “I remember the IRA bombs going off in Belfast. That is my earliest memory as a child.” He explains that this haunting memory is no longer the reality and that the bombs appear to be consigned to history. However, whilst there is no longer
the threat of bombings, sectarianism is still rife. “Sectarianism is everywhere. You can tell by the colours painted on the kerb stones of an area, and the flags hanging from the houses, whether you are in a loyalist or republican area.” He explains how streets bedecked with Tricolours or Union Jacks can be very intimidating for members of the opposite community; a visual sign that sectarianism is still extremely prevalent. “It is intimidating - I would be wary walking down the Nationalist Falls
Road area, the heartland of modern day Republicanism. Whatever political viewpoint you come from, you say to yourself, this is not normal – no other society is like us. “The paramilitaries that have thwarted the peace process in the north for decades now are still alive and well unfortunately. It will take decades of healing for the stereotypes and the opposing views to go away – they won’t disappear overnight. “It doesn’t matter whether there was a Good Friday agreement or not in that respect, because Loyalists and Republicanism still exist, they just don’t have as big an impact, or as widespread support as they had previously.” Ben talks about the political objectives, “They have shi#ed away from tribal politics to the bread and butter issues. Our economy is so weak and infrastructure is so bad, that we are now trying to put Northern Ireland back on the map for positive reasons rather than terrorist reasons.” The ironically titled ‘peace-walls’, which barricade interfaces in the North, have recently seen a new addition. The 47th peace-wall in Northern Ireland was erected on land used for a playground of an integrated primary
school in North Belfast. “This move does represent a step backwards, but first we need to look at the problems at a grassroots level, before these walls can be removed. As time passes, hopefully the walls will begin to disappear from the landscape, but this will not happen overnight.” As a young teacher, Ben feels that the implementation of integrated education for all is a necessary prerequisite to ending sectarianism. “If kids grow up with sectarian views, it’s going to stick
“No one wants to see us go back to the 30 years of terrorism. Family members have died for their cause and nothing was achieved” with them. When I’m out on teaching practice, moving from one school to the next, you notice immediately whether the school is Protestant or Catholic and it shouldn’t be this way.” He believes that schools should not be run by the church. “Schooling is not
about religion, so I don’t understand why the churches should have such involvement within education. Yes, there will be conflicts of interests, but children are there to learn – irrespective of their religion.” Ben is of the view that in spite of problems along the way, Northern Ireland will never return to the times of the Troubles. That chapter is closed for good. “No one wants to see us go back to the 30 years of terrorism. Family members have died for their cause and nothing was achieved. “The IRA set out on a terrorist campaign that failed, and now Sinn Fein is in government. That shows that violence doesn’t work. Martin McGuiness and Ian Paisley have finally realised that the only way for Northern Ireland to move forward is to go into government together – a big move a#er saying, ‘Never, never, never’ for over 30 years. Whilst Ben has seen vast improvements since the implementation of the Good Friday agreement, he is keen to stress that whilst there is relative peace on the streets, it will take some time yet for Northern Ireland to fully shake off the heavy chains of history. “The Good Friday agreement does not mean everyone will suddenly hold hands,” he concludes philosophically.
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FEATURES
College Tribune
15th April 2008
Science vers̃s Christian Science Owen O’Loughlin visits the Church of Christian Science to learn a little about the religion that preaches faith over the use of medicine Situated on Hebert Park road in exclusive Ballsbridge, the Church of Christian Science looks remarkably out of place in this area of Dublin. At first glance, one might mistake it for one of the many exclusive multimillion euro properties that line the road, as the building does not stand out from its neighbours. Upon further inspection, one can see details of the service – times for Sunday School, a reading room and Prayer services. However, this is by no means an ordinary Church. The Church was founded in 1870 in Boston, Massachusetts by Mary Baker Eddy, a woman who had been plagued throughout her life by ill health. While recovering from an injury, Eddy turned to the Bible and miraculously recovered. From Boston, where she began preaching, the group later travelled across America, and now has over a hundred thousand members in over 60 countries worldwide. The group describes itself as a ‘healing and educational system’. Members of the Church of Christian Science believe that the world around us is purely spiritual and holds anything outside that as an illusion. This “material world” around us is simply an illusion which can be altered through the process of prayer. Christian Scientists believe that moving closer to ‘God’s spiritual reality’ will result in ‘healing’. Key to this belief, the Church believes that medi-
■ Mary Baker Eddy cal ailments are simply the result of sin or ignorance. Alarmingly, members don’t avail of medical treatments such as drugs or surgery, but rather opt for this ‘healing process’. While members are not obliged to abstain from medical treatments, they generally avoid mixing the two – believing that they counteract or contradict each other. According to the Christian Science healing process, incorrect belief, when corrected, will make the illness disappear. This is labelled ‘faith healing’ by the group. The Church upholds that prayer works through love, and that their ‘faith healing’ operates in the same way that Jesus healed according to the Bible. According to the Christian Science belief, there are no limits to the type of
medical conditions that can be healed through prayer. The group’s website and newspaper contains the testimony of various individuals who have supposedly been healed by the Church’s method. Medical practitioners and the scientific community dismiss Christian Science as a religion. One study in the United States found that the Christian Science death rate from cancer was double the national average. The group’s abstention from medical treatment has drawn particular attention in the past when it comes to children. In the United States, this has caused great controversy amongst law makers, with several unsuccessful cases involving charges of child abuse and neglect brought against the church. The Church has been classified as a cult by some Christian theologians. Eddy laid out her beliefs in ‘Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures’, which remains a key text for the group. The group has also been dismissed by theologians for regarding the Bible as having symbolic rather than literal meaning. Moreover, the group’s claims of ‘faith healing’ extend so far as to believe that death and ageing can be overcome with the defeat of sin. In walking away from the Dublin branch of the Church upon reflection, it becomes clear just how much the Church stands out from the everyday religions of modern Ireland.
An all-embracing path Pastor Douglas McCormac of the Seventh Day Adventist Church speaks to Caitrina Cody about the importance of individual choice when choosing one’s religious path in life For Pastor Douglas McCormac, religion is an essential part of his lifestyle. As a Seventh Day Adventist, he abstains from drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco, does not believe in sex before marriage and is a strict vegetarian. “We encourage our members not to eat meat and to take their health seriously. The Daily Mail ran an article about ten ways to live longer, and one of them was to become a Seventh Day Adventist. Our Church has the highest number of members who live to over the age of a hundred. One of our members in California, a doctor, was performing three heart surgeries a week at the age of ninety-four. He put it down to his beliefs and his lifestyle as a vegan. The Bible calls the body the temple of the spirit and we take that quite literally. The Seventh Day Adventist has a congregation of 1000 members in Ireland and is set apart from other Protestant religions by their observance of the Sabbath on Saturday. The Church encourages their members to stay away from alcohol and to concentrate on finding other ways of having fun. “We don’t drink and we don’t smoke. We wouldn’t be part of anything that is potentially addictive and that
could lead to behaviour outside one’s control. There are certain benefits to alcohol when it’s taken in moderation I suppose but the reality is that it can become an addiction. “I go to pubs, that’s not a problem for me, and I don’t feel like I miss out on anything. Staying away from alcohol doesn’t stop me from having fun.” According to McCormac, religion should be all-embracing and shouldn’t stop once members have attended mass. “Religion must be part of your lifestyle. Our scripture speaks to us on three levels, which are the physical, the spiritual and the mental. We believe that the whole person is important, so it’s not just about going to church; it’s how you live your life. So Christianity should inform every aspect of your life, how you work and how you play.” The Seventh Day Adventist Church believes passionately in the return of Jesus. “The Adventist part of the name of our Church indicates our belief in the return of Christ, who will do away with all evil and restore the Earth as it should have been before the Fall of Men.” Described by the Pastor as “very conservative”, the Seventh Day Adventist Church mem-
bers refrain from working on Saturdays, and from certain recreational activities such as watching competitive sports. “What sets us apart from other religions is that we worship on a Saturday, hence the whole Seven Day thing. We believe in the Biblical Sabbath and we keep it holy. During the week we spend time at Bible study classes, but there’s no strict regimen of prayer.” The concept of individual choice is crucial to Seventh Day Adventists. “Nobody is born into the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Our worldwide membership totals 15 million, and these are all baptised adults. We believe that when you become twelve or thirteen, it is the right time to study the Bible and to make an individual choice about religion. It’s only when a person understands and makes the choice for themselves that they are baptised.” McCormac emphasises that it is important to really think about the reasons for joining the religion before doing so. “I think it makes a huge difference if people study the teachings of a religion before becoming part of it. It leads to a stronger sense of dedication to spirituality throughout one’s life when it’s the decision of the individual.”
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15th April 2008
11
All along the Watchtower Jehovah’s Witness Darren Fuller speaks to Philip Connolly about life as a part of the minority religion Most people know of Jehovah’s Witnesses from a knock on the door one evening, a friendly face preaching about their beliefs. “It’s something that’s fundamental to who we are, we just view it as something we do for the community,” remarks Darren Fuller. “More and more people are listening. Maybe with the world as it is now, people are looking for something that their own religion isn’t giving them. Maybe they are asking why the world is the way it is?” Fuller works as a spokesperson for the religion; he speaks with a deep English accent, and is both pleasant and humorous, never ■ Founder: Charles Taze Russel preaching or forcing his views. “Some people choose to shut the members, and any who have either door, but that’s ok, it is their home not been involved in preaching or have not submitted reports, are not a#er all.” With only 5,512 members in Ire- included in the reported figures but land, “we are definitely a minor- at the Witnesses’ annual Memorial ity”, but figures have risen in the in 2007 over seventeen million atpast few years, with seven million tended.” Controversy surrounds the fact active members in 236 countries worldwide. Jehovah’s Witnesses that a Jehovah’s Witness will not are led by a Governing Body located accept blood transfusions, even in emergencies, a belief which has led at the Watchtower Headquarters. Fuller explains, “The Govern- to strong opposition from medical ing Body, through the departments communities. The practice of bloodof its various legal organisations, less surgery is used in its place. The directs the operation of the 112 official teaching of Jehovah’s Witbranches throughout the world. nesses regards blood as sacred. Jehovah is the Old Testament Members volunteer to operate name for God, one which the Witthese facilities. “Each branch assigns circuit nesses believe should still be in use. overseers who travel among vari- They view the use of the name as a ous congregations, spending a requirement for true worship. Jeweek with each. Each congregation hovah’s Witnesses view Jehovah as has weekly meetings, o#en three, the Supreme Being and creator of in which prayer and song are im- everything in the universe. They believe that Jesus Christ is portant. “The official published member- head of the Christian Congregation, ship statistics only includes those and all must obey him. His role as who have reported preaching activ- mediator of the “new covenant” is ity. Inactive and excommunicated limited to those going to heaven to
rule along with Christ, whose number totals 144,000. They believe that Jesus was executed by being nailed to a ‘torture stake’, as opposed to a cross. He explains, “We believe that there is a difference between ‘Christianity’ and ‘Christendom’. We define Christendom as the part of the world where Christianity prevails – largely, the Western world. As a whole, these nations fail to live by the Bible, thus misrepresenting Christ and his teachings.” They o#en cite secular sources in justifying this view, claiming they and they alone practice true Christianity. The Witnesses take a literal and gospel reading of the bible and take it as the basis for all their beliefs. “We believe that a#er the death of the apostles, the Church gradually diverged, in a Great Apostasy, from the original teachings of Jesus on several major points.” Influenced by the Restoration period in the 19th century, Charles Taze Russell formed a Bible study group in the 1870s in Pennsylvania; in what they believed to be a return to original Christianity. Originally calling themselves Bible Students, it was a#er Russell’s death that various splinter groups arose, that under the leadership of Joseph Franklin Rutherford, those who remained loyal to the Watchtower began calling themselves Jehovah’s Witnesses. “We are all normal people, any door to door work we do is unpaid,” says Fuller, “O#en with minority religions, people treat you a little differently, because you are happy to say you’re a little different, but once they get to know you, they realise you are just a normal person.”
Finding a way of life Janmastami Daas of the Hare Krishna faith speaks to Cathy Buckmaster about why vthe religion is about much more than dancing in the street Hare Krishna members are familiar to many of us as those sometimes seen clad in orange robes, singing and chanting in the city centre. However, Janmastami Daas, a member of the Hare Krishna faith, explains that while this is an important part of their religion, there’s a lot more to it. “A lot of people would be aware of the singing and chanting as that’s probably the most visual or auditory thing that we do. It links to one of our most important practices which we have, which is the belief that prayer is hugely important.” He explains the meaning of their
most significant hymn; “The Hare Krishna mantra is Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. It is a prayer to God that simply says ‘Please engage me in your loving service. Let me have a relationship with you’. “We believe by saying the name of God, which is Krishna, that it is like invoking God’s presence by prayer. We want to share it with other people, but don’t do recruitment; so all we do is pray publicly and hope that people walking by will get some spiritual benefit from hearing the prayer recited.” Daas also discusses the core be-
liefs of Hare Krishna devotees and its similarities to Christianity. “It’s a monotheistic religion. We’re not a million miles away from Christianity or Judaism, in that we believe in a single loving God.” As for how Krishna Consciousness, as it is known, impacts on your day to day life, Daas explains, “A lot of people associate us with the people on the street who are chanting and singing. That is definitely a part of it, but there’s obviously a lot more to it. “You won’t find any Hare Krishna member becoming involved with anything particularly unethical during our lifetimes; our jobs will al-
ways be in line with out beliefs.” He also explains that there are some limitations for those with Krishna Consciousness. “We have four main principals that we follow, which are called the four Regulative Principles of Freedom. Our goal is to live a very peaceful life, free of anxiety. “One of those principles is to avoid any form of intoxication such as smoking or drugs. This includes caffeine which tends to cause slightly higher levels of anxiety and depression. “The other principle is vegetarianism as we don’t believe in causing harm to any living creature. In
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FEATURES
College Tribune
15th April 2008
The ̃ns̃ Name: Eilish Gleeson AKA: ‘Sõnd Restãrant Cashier’
Place of Work: The Restaurant Where are you from? I’m from Wexford originally – New Ross. What’s your average day like? We start at eleven and finish at about a quarter past seven – it differs. What do you do when you get home in the evening? In the summer or warmer times, I go for walks. I recently got NTL, so I spend some evenings just trying out all the new channels, such as the Discovery Channel, and I watch different programmes. If I was going to watch a film, it would be a thriller sort. What are your hobbies? I collect stamps. I don’t know if they’re valuable – a lot of them come from when I lived in Germany. Other hobbies would include long walks around where I live.
Place of Work: The Library Where are you from? Originally, I’m from Wicklow Town What’s your average day? My average day usually differs, depending on what’s going on around the college. Mostly though, it all depends on what time of the year it is. Obviously, if it’s during the holidays and nobody is around, it’s very quiet and there is a lot less for me to do. On the other hand, if the tests are around the corner, it can become really hectic and jam-packed, so I’ve plenty to do then. My job is all based on health, security and safety, so I busy myself making sure these things are covered. There are always little jobs to do around the library anyway. What do you do when you go home? I mainly just chill out and do the norm surprisingly. I might catch a film or do other relaxing things like sport or listen to music. What’s your favourite film? I know it’s really popular, but I have to say my favourite film is Shawshank redemption. I love most epic movies and biopics too. What do you watch on television? I don’t watch much television except for the occasional episode of That Seventies Show or Two and a Half Men. If I was to watch the TV, it’d some light comedy programme. What are your hobbies?
What do you do with your weekends? I go out for a meal. I try out different places and have a drink of red wine while I’m in there. I’m not really mad on going to the pub.
Name: Michael O’Brien AKA: ‘Librocop’
Well I really like outdoor activities and sports. A few of my favourites would be running and golf. What would be your ideal Sunday? I’d get up nice and early and go for a run first thing. In the a#ernoon I’d play a game of golf and have something light to eat. For the evening I’d just relax and put on a DVD. What’s your favourite kind of music? I‘m a fan of all sorts of music – right across the board. I listen to a lot of jazz in particular, and I like Amy Winehouse – I have her Back to Black album in my car right now. To name a few others, I’m into The Republic (of Loose) and James Blunt. How would you describe yourself? Well I’m everything the students think I’m not – laid back, approachable and just really chilled. What do you hate the most about students? An awful lot of students lack the ability to understand what my job is about. They think I’m there
to give grief and make their life a hassle when all I’m trying to do is give them some space, free from noise, mobiles and other distractions, so they can get on with their work. So many of the ones I have to go over to think offence is the best form of defence, so they just act rude and obnoxious because they hate being pointed out as wrong. I’ve been called a bastard a countless amount of times. Again, it’s probably because I’m on the floor so much just doing my job. Overall though, I get on well with most students.
What would your ideal Sunday be? I would go away for the weekend and relax. I’d stay in Ireland if the sun was shining. I love Wicklow, so I would definitely go walking there. I would get up whenever I feel like it and go out
with friends. What kind of music do you like? I don’t like any pop or anything from today. I can’t stand that. I used to love country and western but I’ve gone off it a little bit. My favorite kind would be Jazz. I love Jazz music. How would you describe yourself? I’m caring and ordinary – a people’s person. I’m also someone who loves holidays. What do you hate about students? I wouldn’t hate anything about students; most are very kind and very polite. The only problem we would ever have is when students come in from the bar in the evening. But if it wasn’t for the students, I wouldn’t be here.
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College Tribune
15th April 2008
̃ng heroes of UCD Ever wondered what Librocop does on the weekends? Jennifer Bray and Aoife Ryan take to the concourse to find out what is going on in the lives of all those faces that we see in UCD everyday, but know nothing about Name: J̃les Alexander AKA: ‘J̃les’
Name: : Kathleen Berigan AKA: ‘Nice Copi-Print Lady’
Place of Work: Sports Café
Place of Work: Copi-Print
Where are you from? I’m a blow in from Donegal, originally from Antrim. I had a coffee shop in Belfast with four partners. They ripped me off and I came here stone broke and homeless.
Where are you from? I live just outside the college in Milltown, so I can walk to work in the morning.
How would you describe yourself? I would describe myself as bald, sensitive, hard-working, and a hopeless romantic. What do you do when you go home? I read a#er I get home from the pub, where I drink Jack Daniels and Heineken. I read trashy crime novels and autobiographies. What are your hobbies? The horses, travelling, and I play tennis. What do you do with your weekends? I try to get in my new jeep and go
driving, and go see my mum and dad in Donegal. I also like to do a bit of gambling (poker and the horses), and sometimes I go to see friends in Kilkenny. What’s your ideal Sunday? I would like to read the papers, and have a big breakfast. Then, it’s on to Sunday lunch in the pub. I like to just take it easy.
do you like? I like all music. It depends on how much Jack Daniels I’ve had sometimes. What do you hate most about students? I love students. I don’t want to alienate anybody. For educated people, they seem a bit backward sometimes.
What kind of music
Place of Work: Nine One One Where are you from? I’m from Krakow in Poland, where cigarettes and drink are cheaper. What’s your average day like? I make sandwiches, rolls, juices, smoothies, and the whole lot. I do everything, any tasks in here right down to the cleaning. I come in sometimes around eleven, sometimes around nine. It’s actually quite tough.
What are your hobbies? I like football, though I don’t follow any particular team. I just watch all teams, and I play it too. I hate things like swimming and
What do you when you go home for the evening? I get my dinner, go for a walk, and I read. I read everything and anything. What are your hobbies? Reading and knitting would certainly be hobbies of mine. What would your ideal Sunday be? I would get up in the morning, have dinner at home, go for a
Name: Kamil Weigiel AKA: ‘Nine One One G̃y’
What do you do when you go home for the evening? I sing in my spare time. So, when I go home, I practice some songs and try to make them better. Besides that, I also write songs, as in the words and lyrics. At the moment, I’m working on a few different pieces of music. That’s really it, that’s my regular evening.
What’s your average day like here? It’s busy. I start at nine o’clock and finish around half past five. I do lots of different jobs from serving customers to binding and photocopying.
those kinds of hobbies. What would your ideal weekend be? I don’t know. Maybe I’d get a limo around the place; I’d ideally win a few million and go around in a limo alright. I would prefer to have a big disco all weekend. That would be my ideal weekend. What kind of music do you like? I love hip-hop; I actually love every kind of song and all types
of music. I don’t hate any music. Music is one of my passions. How would you describe yourself? I am carefree and peaceful. I love the world. I am a people’s person. What do you hate about students? I love all of the students. I would say peace to all students. I like this place. It’s full of smart people, and the people here speak my language.
walk in the Wicklow Mountains, and have a drink in the evenings – a vodka and tonic, or if it’s the summer, maybe a Heineken. How would you describe yourself? I’m quiet, calm and relaxed. I can deal with stressful situations. I don’t panic when the students burst into tears, which happens here all the time in the copy room when things don’t go right for them. I calm them down and try to find a way to make things work out for them. What would your favorite film be? Forrest Gump. What kind of music do you like? I love all types; I’m big into country music, which they hate at home. I love Oasis – lots of different types really – The Celtic Tenors is another one.
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