Slap - LIFE by SLAP MAGAZINE

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Is this it?

Editor’s Letter

ow easy it all once seemed. A youth spent scribbling notes on tea-stained paper and delivering newspapers on a rusty bicycle as dawn broke. From there we would go to a dusty newsroom with crowded desks and men with rumpled shirts scattered on our horizon. One of those men would take us under his wing and show us the way, exposé by exposé. Then we would be fully formed journalists, our own shirts crumpled, our own version of illegible shorthand.

That was then and this, this right here, is now. A leisurely stroll through third level followed by a ‘how to’ course at fourth level. No floors to sweep, no papers to deliver. An expensive ticket to a professional career grasped in our eager hands. Except for the things we didn’t factor into the master plan. We didn’t think about the cutbacks and layoffs. We never factored in the problems of media ownership and the tycoons gently placing their hands over ours as we scribbled away. We never thought, back when our wide eyes imagined Clark Kent and Lois Lane making the perfect newsroom couple, that jobs would not fall in abundance from the journalism tree.

Life 8 11 14 15 16 18 19 20 23 24 Arts 30 31 34 36 38 42 44 46

Contents The Moore Street revamp DIT moves to Grangegorman The year of the potato Late night restaurant guide 30 years of the Dublin Well Woman Centre A former heroin addict remembers slap opinion – the death of radio Schizophrenia in the movies Four ways to save the world The politics of suicide Save the slow dance John D McHugh – war photographer Community arts at Studio 468 Sarah Rees Brennan – the Irish JK Rowling? In awe of Caravaggio Your guide to the best music festivals slap speaks to artist Matt Lamb Brian Turner – soldier and poet

Although not quite the fairytale we may have imagined it being, there is merit in what we do, what we will do and what we have done. The pursuit of a master’s degree in journalism has been criticised as unnecessary and not in keeping with the integral values of what good, real and proper journalism is. There is some degree of truth in the claims that experience would have taught us what we learned in the classroom and hard graft the skills we now possess. In our stumbling economy it may be argued that we have turned universities and courses like ours into parking zones for the twentysomethings we need to prevent entering the workforce too soon. Like patients in an elaborate waiting room, we are being kept from the surgery room door of real life and real jobs.

Politics 50 The Dick Spring interview 53 Star spangled banter – US election coverage 55 slap opinion – Hillary Rodham Clinton 56 Adebari – Ireland’s first black Lord Mayor 57 slap opinion – racism 58 slap opinion – party politics 59 slap opinion – the Mahon Tribunal 60 Clifford Coonan on reporting from China 62 Planes, Trains and Automobiles – slap time tests Irish transport 64 Young people and politics 66 The global financial market crisis and Ireland 69 The Rossport Solidarity camp 71 slap opinion – democracy, anyone?

On page 50 Dick Spring says that for Ireland to become a viable economy it needs more fourth-level graduates. Here we are, come and get us.

Sports 74 American football comes to Ireland 76 Geordan Murphy speaks to slap 78 Oscar Pistorius – blade runner 79 Newstalk’s Off the Ball team speak to slap 82 Irish boxing makes a comeback? 84 A new era for formula one? 85 The Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh interview 87 College GAA 89 Irish snowboarding stars 92 A journal of the Galway cycle 94 A WAG at Bray Wanderers?

The constant reminders that jobs may not be secure and our qualification may be rendered useless is accompanied with talk of the limitless wonder of the internet and the seemingly endless possibilities inherent in the online content sections of newspapers and magazines. The mode and methodology of journalism is changing and we are among the first to stand on this threshold of a new era in journalism, a time when the new values of online journalism will combine or collide with the old school.

Ciara Norton, slap Editor

Days Like These

Credits Editor Deputy Editor Editor (Life) Co-Editor (Arts) Co-Editor (Arts) Editor (Politics) Editor (Sports) Image Editor

Ciara Norton Lauren Crothers Rosemary Mac Cabe Órla Sheils Christina Finn Claire Gillivan Darragh O’Donoghue Gary Fox

Sub-Editor (Life & Politics) Sub-Editor (Arts & Sports)

Sinéad Keogh Niall McGuinness

Chief Layout and Design Layout and Design Layout and Design

Sinéad Bevan Seamus O’Neill Ross Loftus

Business Manager

JP O’Malley

Contributors

Kevin Byrne Abiba Ndeley Maureen Lowndes Rebecca McAdam Ciarán Masterson Kolawole Ogunbiyi Samuel Monson Rachel Faulkner Deirdre Davys

Image Contributors

Gary Fox Lauren Crothers Stephen Boyle Patrick Clarke Clare Flynn Angela Radulescu Paul Walsh

Front Cover Photography

Lauren Crothers

With thanks to

Harry Browne Charles Foster Michael Foley Angela Long Claire Tighe Dublin Institute of Technology, Aungier Street

All enquiries to themastersmagazine@gmail.com

Fragments So there you are, on the couch, replying to your therapist with the first word that enters your head. Man – Car, Woman – Lipstick, Sperm - Tickets? Spermfortickets.com offered European summer festival tickets in return for young, healthy, Irish sperm. Claiming that Irish stocks were dwindling with a demand that was too high to be sustained, the site sought to lure young festivalgoers into making use of ‘special donation packs’ to make a contribution via post. The website, almost certainly a hoax, is no longer active and the domain now simply states: “The results of the pilot scheme are being reviewed.” This didn’t stop a number of magazines, most notably NME, shooting their load a little early and running a story on the ‘new initiative’.

Take a look at slap’s favourite corners of the web, and a few more besides…

http://www.threadless.com – where funky t-shirts live. If you do plan to buy your clobber online, this is the place to go. Our favourites include the message vests ‘Meat is Murder…Tasty, tasty murder’ and ‘In case of emergency, break dance’. http://www.wilwheaton.typepad.com – ever wondered what happened to Star Trek: The Next Generation’s cute little Ensign Crusher? Yeah, neither did we. Check out his blog anyway. Updated a little too regularly for comfort if you ask us. It’s sad when fame dies, eh? http://www.picasa.google.com – Add glow to your skin! Banish red eyes! Give your pasty sister a summer glow! Hurrah for a free-todownload baby Photoshop. If Photoshop is a foreign, and expensive, concept to you then you may appreciate something simple, clean and easy to use like Picasa. It stores your photos and applies basic fixes like cropping, red eye reduction, changes colour to black and white and has more, shall we say ‘cosmetic’ features that allow you to apply ‘glow’ and ‘warmth’ to fluorescent Irish limbs. http://slapthemag.blogspot .com – where slap lives.

slap loves Pubs. The good ones. The spit ‘n’ sawdust joints with character and characters. We love pubs without TVs, pubs without promotions, pubs without affectation and the stamp of interior designers. We love pubs where people talk and others listen. Frank Ryan’s on Queen Street and The Long Hall on George’s Street are the last in a dying breed. No TV, no faux ‘olde worlde’ charm, just a mixed bag of clientele and a chance to unwind, relax and listen to good music. You’re guaranteed a seat and a welcome in this dimly lit reminder of how things once were.

slap loathes The Government’s plan to close down Dublin’s early houses. Though we may not spend our mornings in them we recognise that they offer a social outlet for people who work while the rest of us play and, for the most part, encourage the treatment of pubs by the public as places to socialise without menace. The proprietors do not court the business of late -night revellers who have found themselves stumbling about at dawn. Rather they provide a place where shift workers can engage in an atmosphere that is not a gaudilylit coffee house, thus preventing their marginalisation and imagined alienation from the majority who work days.

Bring Back…..

Leg warmers. Penney’s are selling

’em for €1.50 a pop. Cutesie on your tootsies. Get in there!

Feeling cultural?

Blackboard Jungle. To think there

are generations of teenagers who’ve

never had the chance to win a ghetto blaster or a hi-ace van.

Another ’80s throwback. Who didn’t love the New Kids on the Block revival?

Wispas. We didn’t put in this much

work for a limited edition run!

Ten penny mix-ups. The

best way to spend 10p in this world.

Gimme Gimme Gimme. Kathy Burke

and James Dreyfus – Lindy and Tom forever!

Phonecalls. No, you can’t elucidate

the minutae of your thoughts on the Cowen ascendancy in 160

characters. ‘Tink he is smrter but nt gud lukin’ indeed.

Corner shops. Where do you even buy apple drops nowadays?

That DVD you’ve had out for the past two weeks.

Get thee to an art gallery. Dublin has a wealth of world renowned Art on your doorstep – find your own personal Caravaggio moment (see page 38).

The Hugh Lane Gallery, Parnell Square North, Dublin 1: The Francis Bacon Studio is an amazing feat of archaeology, worth a visit if only to watch the “how did they do it?” videos beside the studio. Works by Monet, Manet, Degas and Renoir also feature in the permanent collection alongside an everchanging and always interesting temporary exhibition. www.hughlane.ie

Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), Royal Hospital, Kilmainham: Go on a sunny day and spend time in the beautiful gardens with views across the Liffey. Then step inside and view art by luminaries such as Damien Hirst and Juan Munoz. Also host to many temporary exhibitions. www.imma.ie

The Douglas Hyde Gallery, Trinity College: A calm, peaceful space amid the hustle and bustle of Nassau Street and Trinity. www.douglashydegallery.com

Four films about Journalism

Defence of the Realm (1985). Director: David Drury. Stars Gabriel Byrne, Greta Scacchi and Robbie Coltrane. Examines the responsibility of journalistic investigations in an era of nuclear tensions..cold war thriller.

All The President’s Men (1976) Director: Alan J. Pakula. Starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as Bernstein and Woodward, the two journalists who uncovered the Watergate scandal.

The Parallax View (1974) Director: Alan J. Pakula. Starring Warren Beatty as an ambitious reporter who gets in over his head investigating an senator’s assassination.

The Paper (1994) Director: Ron Howard. Starring Michael Keaton as the editor of a tabloid newspaper where the long hours and low pay lead to discontent coupled with publishing cutbacks...sound familiar?!

MMAnia!

Mainstream TV networks like Fox and CBS have recently bought the rights to televise Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Stateside. Sky Sports have jumped on the bandwagon in the UK and Setanta Sports have secured the licence to broadcast UFC events live from June 2008. What does all this mean? Ultimate Fighting has finally crossed over. Gone are the days of unsanctioned brawls, and what we have instead is a technical, professional and lucrative sport which has been identified by many as a serious threat to boxing’s combat crown. While many are still repulsed by its savagery, many will equally argue that the technical skill and dedication shown by the fighters deserves an appreciative audience and monetary reward. Whatever side of the fence you are on, the futility of the argument is best summed up by the Onion: “Although detractors decry it as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally f**king awesome form of human cockfighting.”

The Ultimate Slow Set Playlist of All Time, Ever! Careless Whisper – Wham! Take My Breath Away – Berlin Eternal Flame – The Bangles Total Eclipse of the Heart – Bonnie Tyler True – Spandau Ballet Always – Bon Jovi China in Your Hands – T’Pau In Your Eyes – Peter Gabriel Iris – Goo Goo Dolls I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing – Aerosmith Electrolite – REM

And an honourable mention to the one and only Johnny Logan’s Hold Me Now…..

With thanks to Barry Dunne from Club Nassau – “Home of the Slow Set” and 98FM’s Workforce from 10am to 4pm daily.

TICKET TOUTS GO HOME!

Ireland has become the no-man’s land of tickets. If someone big is playing – think Springsteen or Leonard Cohen – and you can’t get yourself to your laptop at 8am, fingers poised on the keyboard, eyes glued to the screen, credit card at the ready, body primed to battle it out for two standing tickets then consider yourself missing out. If, after failing to secure a ticket the good ‘old-fashioned’ way, you still fancy your chances at seeing Brucey in the flesh, you might appeal to those who have bought tickets and want to sell them. Why, you ask, would anyone want to sell a ticket to Bruce, two days after buying it? Have they received news that they will be involved in a near-fatal car accident two days before the concert? What could their reasoning be? Then the shock: What? People buy tickets in order to sell them on at a profit? How dishonest! Time to try to find a tout only hoping to make a €100 profit, rather than the €300 that Barry in Swords is hoping to make on his. Music fans in Ireland, and worldwide, are hitting back, though, and with the help of the rather foolproof Glastonbury ticket system (you buy tickets registered in your name and with your ID, and if you can’t go you get a refund and your ticket re-enters the fully legitimate market, at the original price), the future is looking sunnier for music fans. www.ticketswap.ie is a forum that allows fans to swap tickets with one another; usually, this amounts to going to see Brucey on a Saturday instead of a Sunday – because Sunday really doesn’t suit. www.scarletmist.com calls itself an “ethical ticket exchange”. No touts, no rip-offs, just good, honest concertgoers. Now! That’s what I call music.

Photo by Lauren Crothers

life CONTENTS To Market, To Market…. Abiba Ndeley visits Moore Street...........................................pg 8 Between the Sheets Sinéad Keogh looks at the history of the Dublin Well Woman Centre on its 30th anniversary...........................pg 16 Green Days Rosemary Mac Cabe looks at sustainable living for the average Joe.............................................................................................pg 23

Photos by Gary Fox

A stalled future?

Abiba Ndeley goes to Moore Street to find out what the traders think of Dublin City Council’s redevelopment plan, which will see them muscle in on the cockles and cobbles of old Dublin

ities are often thought of in terms of their architecture, their art, and their streetscapes – but the soul of any city is its people. Dublin’s soul is made up of “a rich bounty of quite extra-ordinary people” as former Lord Mayor Michael Keating once said. At weekends, the streets radiate with human energy creating an invigorating buzz that’s only acquired more flair with the arrival of thousands of foreign nationals who now call Ireland home. Certain streets such as Moore Street are huge platforms for everyday human expression. They boast a marvellous cast of interesting characters: market dealers, busking musicians, evangelists, pavement artists, poets and flower traders. With their famous Dublin wit and accents, they make up one of the city’s great cultural treasures.

Dublin’s quintessential street figure is that of the mythical Molly Malone, who is reputed to have spent her days hawking cockles and mussels through the streets. Physical labour was at one time the natural sight in

“Elvis is not dead yet. Elvis is on Moore Street” the heart of Dublin city. Now, a lot of these sights have faded away. New prosperity and urban redevelopment have seen the widespread physical destruction of the old cityscape. The last three decades played host to the most profound physical and social transformations that have affected Dublin’s heart and soul. Stately Georgian streets and historic

buildings have been demolished. Family homes, pubs, local businesses, entire streets and neighbourhoods, customs and traditions were destroyed. The Daisy and Iveagh markets went out in the 1990s. The fish market in Little Mary Street was recently demolished and moved to the purpose-built Millennium Business Centre at Ballycoolin. However, a good number of the old trades and crafts have survived. Some small grocers, florists, and butchers remain unscathed. The more famous outlets, like Moore Street, are earmarked for redevelopment. Robert Fennelly of the Forward Planning Unit at Dublin City Council (DCC) revealed, however, that there are presently no concrete plans for Moore Street. It is expected that the project known as the Carlton Site Development will change the entire

face of Moore Street up to O’Connell Street. It will include shops, cafes, restaurants and car packs. High-rise canopies will be erected over Moore Street. The DCC will retain control of the street and will make sure any development plans approved would seek to improve it. The DCC are anxious to assure Dubliners that “retaining street traders would be something that is definitely important.” “The proposed development will

become a major landmark site in terms of the development of North Dublin.” The plans won’t be available for viewing until January of next year but there are already plans to demolish all of the buildings that form part of the development site – with the exception of one protected red brick used during the 1916 Rising. So what do the traders think of the impending changes? Margaret Buckley and her sister Imelda are business partners. Fish trading in their family goes back four generations. Some years ago the government took away their fish trading licences. Following numerous talks, and public pressure,

including an appearance on the The Late Late Show, they were able to secure its return. Today, their business faces an uncertain future once more. “They took the heart out of Dublin when the fish market went,” says Margaret. “I have to get there for 4.30 in the morning in order to avoid the traffic jams,” she comments of the new fish market site where she sources her produce. It’s “out in the sticks”.

“Moore Street is for the needy – not the greedy” “You want some fish, love? I sell the freshest fish on the street. I’ll make you a good deal,” comes a call. Margaret identifies the voice as that of a woman called May. “May was born on the streets. She is 80 years old now. All she knows is street trading. Take the street away from May and she’ll die,” she says. Margaret goes on say that there was a time when Dubliners lived from hand to mouth and it was the Moore Street traders that helped them

survive. “We still play that role today, helping those that are not able to shop in supermarkets. Our customers moved from the Irish, to the Jewish, and then it was the Chinese. Now we provide for the United Nations.” A clip clopping sound signals the arrival of a delivery man on a horse drawn cart carrying boxes of fruit and vegetables. “Elvis is not dead yet. Elvis is on Moore Street,” says Margaret. Elvis is the horse – the

only horse left in the market. Stephen Lynch is the delivery man. He is helped by his son, “young Stephen”. It is rumoured that he will soon be retiring and it is unsure whether his son will continue the business, Margaret says. She is unsure whether anyone will take over from her when she retires herself. “Moore Street is for the needy – not the greedy. Besides, our food is better quality,” she says, summing up her feelings on the matter. One wonders whether that will change when the proposed redevelopment plans – some showing glass roofs over the street – become a reality. exotiqueabiba@yahoo.com

Grangegorman: Integration or segregation? T

As Dublin Institute of Technology prepares to move to new grounds in Grangegorman, JP Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Malley discovers that questions are arising over the safety in the new campus

he sound of birds singing and an occasional eerie breeze that cuts through the branches of ancient oak trees are about the only sounds you hear in the grounds of Grangegorman hospital these days. This will soon be history. The 73-acre site in Dublin 7 is set to become home to a new Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) campus, in what will be the biggest redevelopment plan ever seen in the history of the State, costing in the region of â&#x201A;Ź1 billion. St Brendanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s campus will host a

range of facilities including the new DIT college, community health services, restaurants, shops and educational resources for both community residents and students. The Grangegorman Development Agency hopes to have much the project in place by 2011, with building expected to begin at the end of 2009 and students arriving in 2012. Although the plan is seen to be a good move for everyone involved there are some concerns about certain problems arising from the proposal.

Since the planned development was unveiled by the Government there seems to be some scepticism from staff inside the psychiatric hospital in relation to the finer details of how the proposed plan will affect patients. Many staff members said that although they very much embrace the positive idea of the new development, they are still cautious. One of the biggest problems, as they see it, is the move by the HSE to integrate the patients with students in a cross community synergy development.

Photos by JP O’Malley

One nurse spoke of a patient who occupational therapist said: “In a the college campus and the health has a history of violence: “Without secure unit you need to be one-oncentre. One nurse said: “I don’t his medication he would have a high one with the patient. Many of the know what kind of security there will level of aggression, you would see females have issues with self-harm be, but we have been told it will be quite a different man.” She more of community integration believes that the HSE have not than segregation.” She added “Staff members in envisioned the implications of that she could not foresee the integrating students with Grangegorman have been told development working unless it patients. “It would be a very was a separate entity. “If by the HSE that there is no bad idea to integrate them into students for instance were just the whole project, we have walking here now, I proposed separation between couldn’t around very special patients here see that working.” many who are in secure units The Grangegorman the college campus and the and who need one-to-one Development Agency was health centre” treatment.” contacted in relation to the A number of the patients at security issues that may Grangegorman have come from and are on suicide watch most of the possibly arise out of the future other institutions such as Dundrum time. Some of the males have project. When asked if the college Mental Hospital and Portlaoise forensic histories and have a limited and hospital would be in separate Prison. After serving their ability to go out on their own, grounds, a source who did not wish sentences, people who have no depending on what condition they to be named, said: “It will be all one family or alternative accommodation are in.” open community.” When questioned are admitted to Grangegorman, with Staff members in Grangegorman on the specifics of security measures some of them needing special have been told by the HSE that there that would be implemented they attention in the securer units. One is no proposed separation between added: “I cannot go into the detail of

all that and do not have specific information.” The agency said that more information relating to this matter was available on their website, but the only information on their website simply stated: “Mental health patients will need suitable physical space for their treatment and recovery in terms of privacy, security and appropriateness.” The agency was asked to elaborate on what this actually meant. They first responded by saying: “You would have to contact the HSE about this. This is still a work in progress and we are still preparing for our strategic plan. Everything you need to know is on the website.” Finally, the CEO of the Grangegorman Development Plan, Gerry Murphy, was asked to comment on this issue and would

respond only in writing. His response was again clouded in a language of ambiguity: “The aim is to create an integrated development on the 73 acre site focused around education and health but with a diverse mix of uses, in a manner that is sensitive to the context of the site, its surrounding neighbourhood and the existing community. We anticipate that the first building development will be replacement mental health facilities for the HSE.

It is our objective to start those in late 2009.” The ages of patients in Grangegorman ranges from 18 to 70. The general consensus among many of the staff in the hospital is that there is little communication between the HSE and Grangegorman, and any that does happen is one-way. When asked about how they felt the HSE was informing them on the project, staff at Grangegorman had mixed responses, with one staff member stating: “It’s the people with the money who are calling the shots, but God knows how they are spending it.” Although there are still some obstacles to overcome, most people are in agreement that it will be an extremely positive change for both DIT and the community of Grangegorman.

Grangegorman: A Brief History

johnpaulomalleyz@gmail.com

The Richmond As ylu m w as ope ned to pa ti ent s

Today only 80 pe op le are res iding t here.

th e foremost architect of t he day.

The ho spi tal became the subject of national

This buildi ng, now known as t he Lowe r House,

wer e st abbe d t o de ath in the ir slee p.

in 1814 and w as d esign ed by Francis Johnston,

was built as a large quadrangle b ut only its

interest back in 1997 when two femal e pa tien ts

souther n range remains stand ing tod ay.

In 2006 Justic e Mi nster Michae l Mc D owe ll

Throughou t t he 19th century the site e volved

publ is hed that Dean Lyons who had been

and grew to be c ome a large regi onal menta l hospi ta l occup ying over 30 hectare s. At its

reveal ed in a rep ort that was su bse quently

convicted o f the murders was in fa c t innoce nt.

pea k the hospital served over 2,000 pa tients.

Lyons later d ied in E ngl and and Mark Nash w ho

However as men tal hea lth practi ces ch anged

confe ssed to the Grange gor man killings but wa s

th roughout the 20th cen tury the numb er of patie nts gradually fell.

was convicted for anothe r violent murde r, l ater never c harge d.

THE SPUD LIFE

The Irish love affair with the spud has been going on for centuries, writes Seamus O’Neill. This year, the International Year of the Potato aims to let the rest of world in on the secret

es, it is true. 2008 is the International Year of the Potato. The much loved spud has been dedicated its own year and why not? The Irish government has even provided funding for it. The idea behind this initative is to create awareness of the potato in addressing issues of global concern, including hunger, poverty and threats to the environment. Following on from the International Year of Rice in 2004, the United Nations officially launched International Year of the Potato at its headquarters in New York during October last year. The vegetable which originated in the Andes in South America plays an important part in providing food security and eradicating poverty. Such is the power of the potato.

“The potato is part of our past and part of who we are”

The decision to choose the potato is mainly due to the fact it can be grown worlwide, it is a nutritious food that can feed the hungry, it is good for you and the demand for potatoes is increasing. We in Ireland have had a long history with the potato. The famine was a period where Irish people lived, died and emigrated because of the spud. If Ryanair and Michael

O’Leary were present at the time they surely would have seen it as a marketing opportunity for their one cent flights! Growing up in Ireland we had the whole story drilled into us in school, how our over-dependence on the potato caused us the suffer for years and greatly reduced our population. The potato is part of our past and part of who we are. Nowadays our love for the potato has expanded to include potato wedges, potato gratin, baked potato, Lyonnaise potato, Bengal potato and clapshot. Everything the WeightWatchers leader would disapprove of. For a country with such a strong connection with the prátai we rank only as the 25th producer of potatoes in Europe, producing an estimated 400,000 tonnes in 2006. As some developing countries struggle for food our weakness for the potato continues – whether it’s a crisp sandwich, bangers with mash or a nice salty bag of chips after a night out on the town. Although it is safe to say the International Year of the Potato was not organised around the thought of people staggering down Grafton Street carrying a bag of chips on a Friday night. seamusoneillpr13@yahoo.com

Spudlinks:

The World Potato Congress: http://www.potatocongress.org/

The British Potato http://www.potato.org.uk/

International Year of the http://www.potato2008.org/

Council:

Potato:

s r u o h all Knowing just how important that pre-sleep soakage is, slap trawled Dublin city in search of nocturnal nibbles. If it’s not open past the witching hour, we’re not interested! Get a load of these late night bites... The Montague Restaurant 4B Montague Street, Dublin 2. Phone: 01-478 1600

Located just off Camden Street, the Montague Restaurant runs a late night menu from 10pm – 4.30am on Fridays and Saturdays. Traditional fare is on offer in the form of chips and burgers, and the very friendly waitress who answered our call recommends booking ahead for this tiny ten-table gem. The Good World Restaurant 18 South Great Georges Street, Dublin 2. Phone: 01-677 5373

The Good World Restaurant serves up traditional Chinese fare until 2.30am, seven days a week. Located centrally on South Great Georges Street, the Good World does close at the same time as the clubs – but if you get there in time, the restaurant is spacious and comfortable.

The Sin Theatre Bar Sycamore Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. Phone: 01-633 4232

Sin Theatre Bar is open until 3.30am, taking both food and drinks orders up until that time. Again, not equalling the impressive opening hours of the Montague, Sin still has two major plusses. Their selection of platters include a vegetarian option, tough enough to come by even during normal business hours, and there’s the added bonus of having your platter and eating it, with no need to stop dancing because you’re peckish – grub in the club. Voodoo Lounge 39/40 Arran Quay, Smithfield, Dublin 7. Phone 01-873 6013

The Voodoo Lounge, owned by Huey from the Fun Lovin’ Criminals, is open past 2am, and while there is a

cover charge to get in, once you’re in there are cheap and tasty pizza slices to be had right up until closing time! Zaytoon 44-55 Lower Camden Street, South Dublin Centre, Dublin 2. 01-400 5006 and 14/15 Parliament Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. 01-677 3595

Now at two locations and open until 4am, Zaytoon is famous for its kebabs. A main will cost in or around the €10 mark and there’s plenty of comfortable seating. The word is already out about this place, so there will be a queue. We recommend the Barg kebab.

UNACCEPTABLE IN THE Sinéad Keogh traces the 30 year history of Dublin Well Woman Centre

“T

he waiting room of the Well Woman Centre in Eccles Street in Dublin must be a haven to women who come there with queries about their health. Pot plants hang from the ceiling, a batik picture lines one wall but above all there is the filing cabinet in the middle into which the public can dip to pick out leaflets on anything from post-coital contraception to the Rocket cap to cervical smears.” So begins a 1982 Irish Times interview with Ann Connolly, the first Director of the Well Woman Centre. Now located on Liffey Street, Pembroke Road and in the Northside Shopping Centre, little has changed in the layout of the Well Woman Centre since Ann Connolly’s day. Leaflets line the walls and fill the window ledges, tea and coffee facilities are free and the haven ambiance is alive and well – but today’s interviewee is Pat Rees, a counsellor with Well Woman since it first opened on Leeson Street in 1978. “The Well Woman started because in Ireland, you had to have a prescription for condoms – you used to have to go to the doctor and ethically he didn’t have to give it to you if you weren’t married so we thought it was the right of all Irish women, like the whole of Europe, to have accessible contraception,” she explains. With condom machines adorning many a toilet wall from Ranelagh to Rathmolyon, and not a doctor in sight filling in prescriptions, the evidence suggests that the Well Woman won out, but it took time. “SPUC (Society for Protection of the Unborn Child) took us to court and we were shut down. The

’80s

government didn’t want to upset the Church and was doing nothing about it and so we went to the European courts and it was ruled that we could give contraception but we had to pay for that ourselves. The legal costs were into the thousands and we had to do charity – Sinéad O’Connor gave money from her film. Neil Jordan was very good as well.” The SPUC stand-off really took flight with legal proceedings issued in 1985 that carried on into the later 1980s, with the courts finally ruling in 1986 that it was illegal to provide abortion information. The 30 years from 1978 to 2008 weren’t all charity concerts and contraband condoms. In 1978, when the Well Woman first opened, they found it difficult to find a landlord who would rent premises to them, and finding medical staff wasn’t always easy. “At the beginning there were only a handful of doctors that would work for us. It wasn’t looked on nicely if you worked here. You were ostracised, you maybe couldn’t get another job.” “People used to go up to Belfast, fill a suitcase full of condoms, come back, and give it out to all their friends. But with that change of female sexuality being accepted, women started to make waves and now women are queuing up to be doctors – there’s lots of women doctors. There wasn’t; we couldn’t find any.” In late 1978, many of the same people who had been involved in setting up the Well Woman Centre were instrumental in the opening of Contraceptives Unlimited on Harcourt Road. The shop assured customers that it was illegal to sell condoms but not to buy them: it sold

condoms at £1.50 per dozen. had to fight for contraception to be “When the police came in we freely available and people forget always thought we were going to get that.” done because it was against the law The reality of the Well Woman to sell condoms. But they’d arrive in today is quite different. The street their uniforms, buy the condoms and outside is practically empty on go back out,” Rees recalls of the approach. Nobody casts a second situation at the clinic. glance to those entering and leaving. A second Well Woman Centre The concerns of the day are trying to opened at Eccles Street in 1981 to meet the demand for appointments keep up with demand. There was so and dealing with the growing much demand for contraception in numbers of non-Irish clients. particular that in 1983 they installed “There are much more Polish condom vending machines. people and people from the Eastern However, the reality of gardaí Bloc in particular and in all fairness coming in to buy condoms changed if you go outside there you will see with the introduction of condom all of the different languages in the dispensers, and the centres received contraception lists – sometimes formal warnings. we’re short of the English ones. Sometimes the Sometimes they centres hit the bring a friend with “The 30 headlines for less them who speaks years from 1978 to better English as gritty reasons. In 1986, they well,” Rees says. 2008 weren’t all offered a She sees 17 clients vasectomy as a in the morning and charity concerts prize in a raffle 17 in the afternoon and contraband and in 1988 they in two three-hour celebrated their clinics, which condoms” 10-year amounts to about anniversary by 10 minutes of selling condoms and offering their counselling per client. medical services at 1978 prices. “It is tight but that’s what we’re “My mother-in-law said: ‘Thank expected to do.” god you didn’t take my name’ “You know we see absolutely because I was in the papers quite a everything, nothing shocks and if lot and then SPUC used to have they’re upset I say: ‘Don’t worry, I’ve placards outside saying ‘Don’t Go In’ seen it all before, it could happen to and you had to go through that to go a bishop.’” to work. From 1978 to now, Ireland The challenges for the Well has totally changed for women. We Woman, 30 years on, are still in

seeking an adequate provision of service. Once it was condoms and abortion counselling and now it’s HPV vaccines. The vaccine, if administered in time, can protect against cervical cancer. It costs about €600 in total, and the uptake at that price is, not surprisingly, low. However, Britain and Northern Ireland are already rolling out a programme of free vaccination to school-going girls. “You see, you won’t get HPV if you don’t have sex. Once they get around the idea that most women will have sex – because the thing is it has to be done before you’re sexually active – you’re talking about a very forward-thinking Health Minister to start it here because it costs quite a lot of money,” says Rees of the Irish situation. “I just think that people do not realise how this clinic changed the whole of not just female sexuality but the whole of society and its way of looking at it. There used to be marches and it was very vibrant at that time – we were fighting for women’s rights. And gradually it changed. But now it’s quite acceptable to come in here and people expect it is their right to have contraception – which it is. We do not just do contraception – we do sexually transmitted diseases, we do smears, breast examinations, premenstrual tension clinics, menopause clinics. If somebody has a problem they can come to us.” sineadkeogh87@gmail.com

That Constant Craving Cocaine may be the celebrity drug we keep still around, it’s just keeping a low profile. Ciarán addict

unk is not, like alcohol or weed, a means to increased enjoyment of life. Junk is not a kick. It is a way of life. - William S. Burroughs, 1953 “Tinfoil.” That’s how Ryan’s mother found out he was using. “She found scraps of the stuff under the bed. Seventeen I was. She was in bits for days after,” he says. He has been clean for six months now. He considers himself one of the lucky ones; his family stood by him through six years of on-off addiction. “I never injected. I only smoked,” he says. “I used to think that I wasn’t a junkie just because I didn’t use needles to get the stuff into me. You could go for years convincing

“I know people who go through that cycle their whole lives. Heroin is their life”

yourself you weren’t an addict.” Heroin addiction continues to ravage Irish communities and remains a constant scourge that has proven difficult to eradicate. “There is no rock bottom,” he remarks. “I’d get off the stuff. Get a job. Save some cash. Start again. Lose the job and repeat the cycle.” Every time he got off ‘the stuff’ he would convince himself it would be the last time. “It was just too easy. I know people who go through that cycle their whole lives. Heroin is their life. Nothing else matters.” Despite his experience, Ryan

hearing about, but heroin is Masterson speaks to a former

acknowledges that there are many whose stories of addiction are a lot darker than his own. The support of a loving family is what got him through. “I used to always think it could be worse. I could be on the streets, begging or sharing needles.” Ryan’s family have helped pay off a lot of debts that he has got himself into and for this he is extremely grateful, and sorry. “I can’t imagine what it was like for my parents. It’s like watching your son slowly kill himself and there’s nothing you can do about it.” He comes from a big family and it is obvious that they means a lot to him. He recalls an instance when his younger sister once walked in on him using. She asked him what he was doing. “I couldn’t think of anything to tell her. There was nothing I could say.” She left the room after an awkward pause. “I fell to the floor and broke down.” His mother was always the first one to notice if he was back using again. “She could see it in my eyes before anyone else. Every time I got back on the stuff I’d feel like I let my whole family down but always more so my Ma. I don’t know why, it was my Da who would fob off anybody looking for money at the door and he helped me with my debts.” Ryan notes that had his parents not

had the money to help pay his debts his story could have ended very differently. “I had loads of threats but luckily my parents bailed me out.” He doesn’t even attempt to estimate the amount of money they’ve given him to pay off people. After six years of a cycle of getting clean, then going back on heroin again, he feels that this time he might be successful. The first two months, he says, were the most painstaking and arduous of his life. In the initial two weeks after coming off – during which he refused methadone treatment – he would average about two hours’ sleep a night and developed a mild dependency on sleeping tablets, which he has since controlled. He is undoubtedly confident about his progress: “I just feel different about it this time. Whereas before I’d convince myself I was done, I knew deep down I didn’t want to stop but now I know I have to. I think its time to grow up. It’s strange though, I’ve been off it so long, it almost feels like the last few years were just a dream. I’ve completely detached myself from who I used to be.” He acknowledges that there is always a danger of lapsing. “It’s only natural for a little part of me to always crave heroin. Once you start you’ll always have that craving, the most important thing is knowing how to control it.” Every day for the rest of his life when Ryan wakes up, heroin will be the first thing he’ll think about. “You can never forget heroin. You can push it to the side of your mind, but you just have to keep it there.” cjmasters86@yahoo.co.uk

Hang the DJ

“T

slap opinion

Ciara Norton laments the fact that radio’s gone Ga-Ga

his one goes out to Mary in Belmullet: your husband Tom just texted in to tell you he loves you. Thanks Tom, here’s Rod Stewart with ‘Maggie May’”. Radio these days is like attending a karaoke bar, a counselling appointment and a hairdresser all at once. Picture the scene: Tom and Mary are sitting in their kitchen, the roaring winds of Belmullet outside their window. They’ve tuned in to Today FM where Tim Kelly is spinning the ‘golden oldies’ of their youth. Tom picks up his phone and stealthily texts Tim – hi tim tom fr belmullet ere can u pls tell my wife mary dat I luv her tanx luv da show – and, grinning, sets the phone down. Moments later Tim reads out Tom’s text message and in doing so proclaims Tom’s love for Mary to the Today FM-listening world. Mary is in turn embarrassed and pleased: Tom really must love her if he’s willing to go to the trouble of texting a radio station about it. She hopes the kids didn’t hear. Every station is culpable. Since they realised the devotion listeners would show if you gave them an occasional mention on air the number of people who hi tim, tom fr regularly text belmullet ere can u radio pls tell my wife stations has mary dat I luv her rocketed. tanx luv da show The general public have never been in more control of their radio stations: they select the music, they keep an eye out for traffic on the N4, and offload their personal problems and complaints all the while believing that without them the station could not and would not function.

Tara had a problem. Her mother decided to tell the listeners of the Rick O’Shea mid-afternoon show on 2FM about Tara’s problem. Tara couldn’t find a job. Perhaps a problem for an employment agency? No, a problem for the radio gods. Rick enlisted the help of a recruitment expert and they talked to Tara live on air. Tara was in a rut. Tara was trying her best. Tara’s CV needed work. Tara needed help. Tara got help. A week later she was back with, you couldn’t make this stuff up, a job. Rick was ever so proud of Tara and Tara was keen to help others in her situation overcome their employment difficulties. The radio world was at peace; researchers everywhere were jumping back into their Batmobiles with smug smiles and swollen hearts of pride. Text messages didn’t always exist, strange but true. There was a time when radio stations did what they wanted. They hired experts to speak on discussion panels. No more. The radio station now has the advantage of instant market feedback: jaysus Ian dat song was brutal wats yer man on ? – and the public gain a sense of control and ownership of their preferred station. Radio shows that mingle chat and music regularly begin with the problems of a concerned listener who has contacted the host to complain about something. “Joanne from Lucan wrote in to us to complain about the lack of people who give up their seats on the train to her even though she’s visibly pregnant.” Cue a flurry of texts and calls from people who’ve been in a similar situation to Joanne, people who couldn’t care less about her plight and people who have advice for her. A single text or email leads to three hours of programming with very little research needed. The

personality hosting the show becomes little more than a detached voice repeating the thoughts – regardless of how biased or reactionary they are – of the Irish people. The time when you could avoid the skewed democracy of a phone-in show has passed. Like clockwork regular radio listeners knew when the nation’s dirty laundry would be aired so they tuned to another station when the misguided, misunderstood and misinformed spoke to Joe. The landscape of radio is now littered with these mines of hazardous material, there is no escape. hi ray just wonderin if u no who sings dat song on the kit kat ad? Its wreckin me head like. Tanx For every Liveline there’s a Fix-It Friday, a time to answer the questions posed to Ray D’Arcy on Today FM’s morning schedule solving mundane and unusual problems. What makes this rather helpful segment somewhat troubling is the amount of queries that could be dealt with by Google. It is baffling that people capable of texting or emailing a query to this show cannot use the simple search function. “And now a big hi to all the Murphys in Mullingar, your Dad texted in to say how much you love the show so hello to Phoebe, Jamie and Laura Murphy, thanks for listening!” In a world where there is not enough time for everyone to be famous for 15 minutes we make do with a shout out on Spin 103.8 instead. ciaralnorton@gmail.com

A misunderstood mind

Movies have a reputation for sometimes being irresponsible in depicting fact. Ross Loftus takes a look at how Hollywood deals with schizophrenia

verybody remembers Charlie Baileygates and his schizophrenic alter ego Hank Evans in Me, Myself and Irene, right? Well, not exactly. Charlie, played by Jim Carrey, doesn’t suffer from schizophrenia. He suffers from a multiple personality disorder and the slapstick shenanigans and hilarity in the movie all stem from the conflict between these personalities. When he learns of his mental health issues, Charlie is told: “Doctors have diagnosed you as having a split personality. A schizo.” However, schizophrenia is an

altogether different and much more common illness than dissociative or multiple personality disorder. Schizophrenia is more a split from reality as opposed to split personalities. Sufferers find it hard to distinguish between the real and the imagined and often experience hallucinations. In the movie, Baileygates’ alter ego Hank is quite aggressive and this idea that people with schizophrenia are aggressive or prone to violence is yet another misconception about schizophrenia that gains credibility from movies like Me, Myself and Irene. This half-truth is repeated in

2000’s Donnie Darko, in which Donnie, a troubled teenager with schizophrenia, has a history of violent outbursts. The truth is that people with the illness are more likely to harm themselves rather than others out of fear and desperation and it is felt by many that a person with schizophrenia has more to fear from the general public than vice versa. There is a marginally greater risk of violence among people with schizophrenia than among the rest of the community, but this only manifests itself when the sufferer is experiencing severe, untreated

symptoms. Donnie Darko highlights the fact that people with schizophrenia experience hallucinations as opposed to split personalities and

“Arguably the best movie depiction of the effects of schizophrenia was A Beautiful Mind in 2001”

Donnie is visited on several occasions by Frank, a creepy, mansized, fluffy bunny. In 1999, Fight Club continued the theme of hallucinations but the movie also linked the illness to extreme organised violence. Visual hallucinations however, occur in only 15 per cent of cases of the illness whereas auditory hallucinations are much more common, with 50 per cent of sufferers experiencing them. In Fight Club the symptoms of schizophrenia are also interwoven with those of people with multiple personality disorder, yet again muddying the waters and confusing the issue. Arguably the best movie depiction of the effects of schizophrenia was A

“a person with schizophrenia has more to fear from the general public than vice versa”

Beautiful Mind in 2001. The movie dealt with the true story of mathematician John Nash’s

experiences of the illness. Although suffering from hallucinations, the viewer never sees Nash taking on the persona of the voices or characters he sees or hears. This positive and responsible depiction highlights the symptoms of the illness while compassionately illustrating how sufferers struggle to cope with it. The fact that Nash eventually received a Nobel Prize for his academic work after suffering from schizophrenia for many years is yet another positive aspect of the movie. According to Schizophrenia Ireland, 25 per cent of people with the illness will make a full recovery, with 40 per cent experiencing some recurring episodes; the remaining 35 per cent of sufferers will unfortunately

experience long term difficulties with spells in hospital becoming a regular part of their lives. With the correct medication, symptoms can be suppressed, enabling people with schizophrenia to get on with their lives. One in four people suffer from mental or behavioural difficulties while new schizophrenia cases in this country occur at a rate of 15 per 100,000 of population each year . The illness affects 1 in every 100 people in Ireland in some shape or form during their lives. Public awareness of the illness and its symptoms is increasing and responsible portrayals of schizophrenia in movies can assist

this enormously. The four Oscars that A Beautiful Mind won are a testament to the fact that reasonable and balanced

“Schizophrenia is more a split from reality as opposed to split personalities”

Me Myself and Irene and A Beautiful Mind - two differing Hollywood portrayals of schizophrenia portrayal of schizophrenia can be immensely enlightening, entertaining and commercially viable. But, unfortunately, cheap laughs and distortions of the truth are also extremely profitable in the movie business. rossloftus@gmail.com

The Best of Italy 37 Dunville Avenue Ranelagh Dublin 6

Specialists in Italian foods and wines 22

(01) 4973411

Can you feel the heat?

n the Chinese calendar, 2008 is the Year of the Rat - but, worldwide, it has to be the year of sustainable living. From fashion to home heating, disposability is out, and we’re finding ourselves searching for ways to exist indefinitely. But, for most of us, the Toyota Prius is just not a viable option, and ecologically-sound washing-up liquids are few and far between. So what to do? Start small to think big. Sustainable living won’t come about, for any of us, in a day, or a week; it’s all about the baby steps that work to get us closer says Rosemary Mac Cabe 1. Recycle

Or, even better, re-use.

Your green bins are there for a reason – but, rather than cause recycling

plants to use up valuable energy, try to re-use where at all possible. Old,

shabby clothes (that can’t be donated

to charity) double up as polishing or

floor cloths; plastic food containers as water baths for plants; old make-up

containers as travel pots for shampoos and conditioners.

2. Use less water

This is an old, and obvious, chestnut, but it makes sense, and people

continue to ignore it. Turn the tap off

when you’re brushing your teeth, only

fill the kettle as much as you need,

and take shorter showers. Another

very current issue is the lack of free

time in our hectic modern lifestyles –

the less time you shower, the more time you’ll have for other, more

enjoyable, activities. 3. Buy less

Magazines and newspapers don’t,

generally, print four-page spreads about the advantages of non-

consumption; their advertisers

wouldn’t like it and, frankly, glossies exist as a blueprint of aspirational living – showing us what we can’t

have and making us want it. But

buying less is one very major and

simple way of lessening our carbon

footprints and lengthening the life of Old Mother Earth. Cosmetics,

clothes, magazines, newspapers – we all probably have too many of each.

Use the ones you have and only buy

what you need. And when you’re done with what you have, say, books or

clothing, swap it with someone who

wants it. Be warned: if you swap

clothing, you may regret it, and there’s no backsies on swapped jumpers. 4. Take a moment

When you have time off, and you’re

thinking of what to do: go to the

cinema, go to Dundrum Town Centre, go into town, go for a drive… Why not take a chance, and do nothing? Sit

down, spend some time alone, with

yourself, your thoughts, and a good

book. For starters, We Need to Talk

About Kevin is a good one for getting you really involved, and if you have

more time, Michael Chabon’s The

Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay could fill a whole week. No

carbon emissions, no consumption,

and, probably, some brain expansion.

How’s that for sustainability?

rosemary.maccabe@gmail.com

The Dáil denial of death by suicide

“I

Christina Finn talks to Geoff Day of the National Office for Suicide Prevention and Maureen Bolger of Teen-Line about the lack of funding for suicide prevention

think that it may be due to the changes that are happening in society, for example the growth of the Celtic Tiger. People feel left behind if they can’t move with the growth of the economy and also the expectations and the pressure to succeed is huge.” So says Geoff Day, Director of the National Office for Suicide Prevention on the subject of why suicide has become one of the highest killers of men in Ireland. Although fewer females die by suicide, both sexes have experienced a rapid increase in suicide deaths since the 1970s. The number of suicide deaths now surpasses those caused by road traffic accidents, year on year. The Action on Suicide Alliance has called on the Government to immediately address the issue of suicide funding. A silent procession led by a lone bagpiper took place in Dublin City Centre recently, in which bereaved relatives made their way to Dáil Eireann to present a mandate demanding the Government allocate a minimum of €10 million for each of the next five years to be used toward suicide prevention. They also want many of the promised recommendations from the National Strategy for Action on Suicide Prevention 2005-2014 to be finally implemented. John Saunders, Chairman of Action on Suicide Alliance, says: “Since the formation of the Alliance, we have been campaigning for the Government to take immediate action and to address this issue, but to date nothing has been done.” Maureen Bolger, founder of TeenLine, lost her son Darren to suicide in 2003. She said she was horrified to find that there was so little support for young people in

maintaining their mental health. health has to be erased in Ireland if Maureen decided to put her we are to stop death by suicide. experience of Darren’s death into Maureen highlights that for all the something positive, hence the money that is invested in road safety foundation of Teen-Line Ireland, a campaigns only a fraction of that is helpline for teenagers who need to given towards the promotion of talk manned by volunteers. “Teenmental health, even though more Line Ireland is being inundated with people die by suicide than road calls recently especially around exam accidents in Ireland. time. From December 2006 to “People think if you don’t talk December 2007 we received 11,965 about suicide it doesn’t happen. calls.” Unfortunately there is more death by Like many other bereaved parents suicide than road traffic accidents Maureen says that more has to be and there are more road safety ad done and she feels campaigns. They are that schools are where gory and upsetting but Some principals it makes the action should take you more place. “Certainly we aware getting into your argue that talking have to have a car. A simple subtle about suicide will message I think would different type of education in schools an impact.” lead to suicides in make today. Young people Geoff Day says that need to be made the ‘Your Mental the school. aware and have things Health’ campaign is a The research openly discussed. step in the right There is no point in direction. It is “the shows the waiting until they are first campaign of its complete older. Young people kind ever and we will need to be listened keep running it. This is opposite to.” a campaign that is here Maureen argues that to stay and it certainly we need to get over the idea that is making a difference. I think the talking about suicide leads to suicide campaign is needed but not in the – which she says many schools same way that drink driving ad believe. “Some principals we have campaigns are. It would be totally found think that if you invite groups inappropriate in our opinion to have like ourselves to talk to the kids, we a hard-hitting campaign. A softly are putting ideas into their heads.” campaign is needed to encourage Geoff Day agrees: “Some principals people to seek help.” argue that talking about suicide will It seems we never hear the end of lead to suicides in the school. The driving safely and reducing speed on research shows the complete our roads. €1.68 billion was opposite. It shows that if you talk announced for the National Roads about it is likely to stop suicide. Programme for 2008. On Bank Talking about suicide does not holidays the Gardai are out in force provoke suicide, unless you report to protect the public and prevent the detail.” road accidents, but there is not the Both Geoff and Maureen believe same attention or funding towards that the stigma surrounding mental suicide prevention services.

“

”

Photos by Gary Fox Pictured, L-R: John McWilliams, Ann McGuire and Rita Farrelly

The HSE has reportedly told the National Office for Suicide Prevention that they must make do with €4.5 million this year, the same as they received last year, which support groups argue is simply not good enough. “Since the establishment of the office in 2005, it has carried out a number of initiatives aimed at reducing rates of suicide in Ireland, improving awareness and educating relevant people how best to deal with this important matter. The HSE National Office of Suicide Prevention will continue to roll out initiatives and activities during 2008,”said a HSE spokesperson. This mere €4.5 million is meant to reduce the spiralling numbers of

death by suicide. The Department of Health says that the ‘Reach Out’ programme is what will reduce these numbers however they refuse to fund it properly. “Reach Out was launched in 2005, the first phase of the programme, we said would cost €5.5 million per annum and so far we have €3.5 million per annum, so in the first three years we have been 2 million short. We have made this clear to Department of Health but for some reason they decided not to give any extra funding this year.” The underfunded fight against suicide goes on. christinafinn8@hotmail.com

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AWARE are an organization dedicated to helping people who suffer from depression and those close to them.They also run weekly meetings and support groups. More info at http://www.aware.ie Call: 1890 303 302 (10 am – 10 pm seven days) THE SAMARITANS are a non judgemental and non directive listening service. More info at http://www.samaritans.org Call: 1890 60 90 90 Email: jo@samaritans@org TEEN-LINE More info online at http://www.teenline.ie Call: 1800 833 634 (Wednesday 3 p.m. -6 pm; Thursday, Friday, Saturday 9 pm -12 midnight; Sundays 8 pm – 11 pm).

Tied up by Gary Fox

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