COLLEGE TRIBUNE /collegetribune
Volume 29, Issue 3
Tuesday October 13th 2015
collegetribune.ie
Independent since 1989
UCD International’s Global Lounge in the Gerard Manley Hopkins (Main Restaraunt) Building.
GNIB Slowdown Hits International Students
News:
Pg. 3 UCD’s rollercoaster ride in international unversity rankings continues.
Features:
Pg. 6 Get the best deals and hand over less of your money with our student savings guide.
(DCU) on the same day as UCD students were initially informed. Speaking on condition of anonymity, students currently studying in a number of faculties including arts and science explained that the difficulties in registering are nothing new. “Last year, we spent 13 hours queueing outside the GNIB offices. This year, we intended to arrive at 3am to queue for an appointment because a classmate arrived at 5am last week to find that there were already 200 people ahead of him. But now we’ve just been told not to show up at all.” One of the students added that she felt the annual renewal process was a waste of both time and resources as many of those students queueing remain in Ireland for the duration of their courses, a minimum of three years. Permits are issued at a cost of €300, with no reduction for students who are required to demonstrate that they have been accepted to a course at a certified higher education institution, that they have paid the full cost of their fees for the year, and that they have
sufficient funds to support themselves through the duration of their studies; a minimum of €7000 for each year. These are in addition to a number of other prerequisites. International students’ fees are not subsidised as is the case with Irish and EU based students, and begin at a cost of €14,850. While affected students have been informed that they will not be penalised for staying over the duration of their residency permits. Though they are unable to leave the state as they may not be permitted re-entry. This has placed the travel plans of international students in jeopardy. Some of had intended to travel in order to experience more of Europe, however a number expressed deep concern as they had arranged to attend interviews for master’s courses, internships and placements in other countries which they may now be unable to attend. Registration is a necessity in order to obtain a Personal Public Service Number (PPSN), which students require in order to gain employment and access services offered by the state. This places those
Politics:
Pg. 14 Fianna Failures: A KBC member speaks about the disconnect
students who are not residing in Ireland but are unregistered in a difficult position, as the option of working up to 20 hours per week to assist in supporting them through their studies is now unavailable to them. Staff have also been impacted by the slowdown, though they are being processed in the regular fashion, which entails queueing from the early hours of the morning. Speaking to the College Tribune earlier in the semester, Professor Ben Tonra of the School of Politics and International Relations (SPIRe) expressed his frustration at the circumstances. The School experienced difficulty at the beginning of the semester as it had a number of students due to attend their courses on funded programmes who were unable to begin their studies due to their inability to obtain a visa as a result of similar delays. Professor Tonra spoke of a “deafening silence” from the Department of Justice which impacts UCD’s ability to be taken seriously as a provider of education as an export business.
The Trib
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he Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) has requested that students do not attend its offices at Burgh Quay in Dublin City Centre citing an inability to process the number of applications it is currently dealing with. International students from outside the EU are required to register as resident in Ireland with the service if the duration of their stay will exceed 90 days, a timeframe which covers less than the duration of a single semester. Affected students were informed by email from UCD International on September 29th that they would be turned away by the GNIB as “all evening registration appointments with the GNIB taking place after September 30th have been cancelled until further notice.” This was followed by further emails on October 2nd, 6th, and 7th. The October 2nd communication informed students that a meeting had been arranged between UCD international and the GNIB for the same day as well
as requesting that those affected make no further effort to contact the international office as the issue was out of their control. A number of continuing students have had their permission to reside expire as permits are issued for one year only and must be renewed on an annual basis. These students were informed that they “will not be expelled from the country” as the issue is due to a fault in the GNIB’s applications system. The backlog will affect students of all Dublin universities, with a statement issued by the GNIB on September 28th attributing the bottleneck to the “Approx[imately] 30,000 non EEA students who arrive in the State to take up educational opportunities [that] are required under law to register within 90 days of coming here. The vast majority of these arrive in the autumn and are in addition to the normal workload which is dealt with throughout the year without any difficulties.” Similar circulars were issued to students of Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and Dublin City University
Men’s Trends in
Sean O’Reilly, Editor
CT
2
Volume 29, Issue 3
Editorial: Seanad Éireann and the NUI Electoral Register Una Power, Editor
R
umours surrounding the date of the General Election reached fever pitch this week, culminating in the Taoiseach announcing his intention for it to take place in the spring. But regardless of whether we have a #GE15 or #GE16, one other election must take place within the next eight months: the Seanad Election. The current Dáil must be dissolved by the 9th of March, and the Seanad elections must be held within 90 days of this date. This means that the next Seanad elections can take place no later than the 7th of June, though they
will more likely be held earlier than that – the last Seanad elections took place 60 days after the dissolution of the Dáil. NUI graduates are entitled to vote three members into the Seanad. Graduates do not, however, automatically receive this vote upon completion of studies. Insteadthey are issued an application form at the time of conferring. For those who may have missed out on this opportunity a form is available for download from the NUI’s website. Once filled out the form is to be sent back to the NUI by post. However due to the dates of the next election there is a negative implication for those who have recently graduated or have failed to submit their forms to get
on the Seanad Éireann Register as members of the NUI constituency. The Seanad Éireann Register is published every year on June 1st. While amendments can be made to the addresses of those already listed on the register at any time during the year, no one can be added. Unlike the electoral register for the Dáil, there is no supplemental register for Seanad elections. According to the NUI there is no legislation in place to allow for such a register. As a result anyone who submits their application now, won’t be placed on the register until June 1st 2016. If you fail to submit your form before February 26th 2016, you won’t make it onto the register until 2017. This makes it highly un-
likely, if not entirely impossible, that anyone not already on the register will be able to vote in the next Seanad election. Even if the election were to be held at its latest possible date, there would be a mere seven days between publishing the register and closing the polls. Given the nature of the vote, where a ballot is issued and returned by post, the timeframe is far too tight to plausibly allow new additions to vote. Given the unsuccessful referendum held to abolish the Seanad, and talk of reforming it, with increased suffrage being often touted as a main aim, it is disheartening that so many new voices should be excluded from the opportunity to speak in the next election.
Inside the Tribune News
Withdrawal dates fall this Friday, pg. 3 Student Slingshot, pg. 4 News in Focus: Stoppng the Press, pg. 5
Features A masters abroad? pg. 9 Smart, not Hard, pg. 7 Harm reduction, pg. 7 Taking 2C-B safely, pg. 7 Scott on Sex, Pg. 6
Tech
LinkedIn is now following you, pg. 11 Our new machine overlords, pg. 11
Business .ie under scrutiny, pg. 12 Bridging the gap, pg. 12 These little PIIGS, pg. 12
Politics & Innovation The inside deals, pg 13 Fianna flux, pg. 14 €5.5m for UCD’s Neuromond, pg. 15
Gaeilge
Letters to the Editor F
rom time to time, we receive correspondence from readers wishing to discuss a piece they have read in this paper. Those with merit may be published here. The editors reserve the right to edit all submissions and cannot give notice of the date of publication of any submissions received. Correspondence can be addressed to the contact points below.
To whom it may concern,
I have concerns with the article “Survey claims that driving is a “must” for graduate jobs” in yesterday’s edition of the college tribune. While I am under no illusions about the importance of driving as an essential skill in today’s economy, I fear that O’Loughlin, the Group Human Resources Manager is overlooking the impact of his statements on a small minority of the student population who are unable to drive for various reasons. I am in that minority. I am also disabled, which is a significant disadvantage when it comes to
seeking employment. I have attempted to learn to drive with several driving instructors, who ultimately shared the view that while I can drive, I would not be a safe driver. It was out of consideration for the safety of others that I opted to give up learning to drive. I fear that knowing how to drive will be considered more important by employers and students than the individual’s other qualifications. Consequently, employers may end up discriminating against those few who cannot drive. My other fear is this, will driving become so essential to employment that students like myself will end up obtaining a driving licence out
of desperation for employment, despite knowing that they will not be safe drivers on the road? Many people and students who cannot drive are employable and will wish to be employed as it is an important source of independence. Is the ability to drive more important than the ability to drive safely? Is driving as a skill of more importance than a potential employee’s other qualifications? These are questions I believe Rent a Car and and other companies should consider.
An difríocht idir sport na bhfear agus sport na mban, pg. 16 Géarcheim na nImreach, pg. 16
Sport The best little country to play football in, pg. 22 Weekend Rugby, pg. 19 The craic with Spurs, pg. 18
Editor’s Pick
These little PIIGS, pg. 12 News In Focus, Stopping the Press, pg. 5
Read CT on the bus:
Yours faithfully, Margaret Patterson
The COLLEGE TRIBUNE Team are Editors Una Power Seán O’Reilly LG18 Newman Building, UCD Belfield, Dublin 4. editor@collegetribune.ie
Arts Editor Emma Costello
Features Editor Sinéad Slattery
Politics Editor Jack Power
Business Editor Adam Hetherington
Film & Entertainment Editor Niamh Crosbie
Sports Editor Neil Ryan
Eagarthóir Gaeilge Gearóid Óg Ó Greacháin
Music Editor Kevin O’Reilly
Tech Editor Graham Harkness
Fashion Editor Emer Slattery
News Editor Cian Carton
Turbine Editor Hans Offerman
Contributors Rachel Lafferty Aoife Moroney Peter Branigan Anna Ní Dhufaigh Jack O’Sullivan Monty O’Reilly Shannon Doherty Kelly Corrigan
Conor Nealon Katie Devlin Ally Murty Eden McLaughlin Daisy Kinahan Murphy Joey Power Barry Monahan Ciara Dawson
Charlotte McLaughlin Conor Lynott Katie Ní Graith Jamie Fortune Deborah Skeffington Ray Cunningham Denis Harney Ciara Byrne
Tuesday, October 13th 2015
News in Brief
3
Withdrawal SciSoc Raises Times Higher Education Ranking Over €82,000 Sees UCD Reclaim Top 200 Status Date Fast Approaching for Crumlin Cian Carton, Hospital News Editor Rachel Lafferty, S News Writer U tudents who are considering withdrawing from their course have until Friday, 16th October to do so if they wish to avoid being held liable for tuition fees. If a student withdraws after that date, they will not be entitled to have the full fees they paid refunded to them. The full details about the process are available online on UCD’s website. If a student, who qualifies for “Free Fees”, withdraws anytime between the 17th October 2015 and 31st January 2016, they are “liable for payment of half the Student Contribution Charge, €3,000 and half the Student Centre Levy €247 i.e. a total of €1,623.50.” If a student withdraws after 1st February 2016, they are liable for the full fee of €3,247. If a student is considering dropping out, they should immediately contact their Programme Office to discuss the situation. For a student, the withdrawal process involves filling out a withdrawal form and returning their student card to the Programme Office. Exceptions after the date can be granted for a student who withdraws on serious medical grounds. Those who do so need to contact their School about getting their fees refunded. Last year, UCD Registry extended the withdrawal date due to delays in the processing of applications and payments of grants from the Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), in an effort to support struggling students. The 16th October is also the deadline for the dropping of any additional modules that a student does not wish to take. This helps to facilitate for the creation of the Semester 1 exam timetable, which is set to be released on Friday, 23rd October.
To see the list of key term dates, visit ucd.ie/students/keydates/htm. The official university register of key dates should be consulted to ensure that you have the correct information. The College Tribune assumes no responsility for dates printed in error. Programme office opening times vary by faculty and can be found at ucd.ie/programmeoffices.htm
CD Science Society (SciSoc) raised and recently presented a cheque for over €82,000 to representatives from the Children’s Medical & Research Foundation (CMFR) at Crumlin Hospital. The money was raised by the society throughout the 2014/2015 academic year. Over €64,000 of the money raised was as a result of the society’s annual “Sci-cle”, a sponsored cycle from Dublin to Galway taking place in January, which proved to be their biggest event of the year. The 208.3km sponsored cycle has become increasingly popular in recent years, with over 150 students taking part. It won the Society Event of the Year at the recent UCD Society Awards. Eimear Mylod, webmaster of SciSoc and a 3rd year physiology student, said that the money from the cycle alone topped previous year’s total funds raised. She said that the society has “raised money solely with the CMRF for the past few years but we’re thinking of working with a few other charities this year”, and that they are “hoping to raise some money for the Berkeley survivors, one of whom, Aoife Beary, is a fellow science student.” CMFR is the principal fundraising body for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin and is dedicated to working to improve the quality of life for this and future generations of sick children. They play a key role in delivering state of the art facilities including equipment, infrastructure, leisure and entertainment devices for the children, accommodation for the families and other special requirements. In addition to this, they fund paediatric research and have been able to establish the National Children’s Research Centre (NCRC), a world class facility which provides high tech laboratory facilities for investigation into the causes and treatments of childhood disease. The society recruited over 1000 members this year, and have already planned several events.The first of these, the Science Pubathon will take place on Thursday, 15.10, and is the largest student pub crawl in Ireland.
Conor Nealon, News Writer
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he Times Higher Education (THE) International University Rankings published for 2015 has seen UCD climb 53 places to sit in the 176th-200th bracket. The findings come following a disappointing 2014 display which left UCD languishing in the 226th-250th bracket, having reached the heights of 89th place in the world in 2009. The contrast between the THE ranking and the QS survey, which saw UCD slip 15 places, can be partly explained in their varying focuses. Research capabilities are key to the THE approach, as research volume, reputation, income and influence dictate 60% of a university’s score in comparison
to 30% awarded to teaching and learning. The further ten percent are determined by international outlook (7.5%) and industry income (2.5%). Following the publication of the 2014 THE findings, Professor Deeks, President of UCD, warned that; “Clearly a table with big swings each year generates more attention than one that changes slowly,” before explaining that “universities, by their nature, change on a long time scale.” Deeks appeared to suggest that the ranking was more sensationalist than objective in its nature, a fact which may apply to UCD’s large leap in 2015. The margin between UCD and neighbours Trinity College Dublin (TCD) has closed to just 16 places in accordance to the
most recent rankings, as Ireland’s highest ranked third level institute fell 22 places. The current position of Dublin’s leading universities is a far cry from that of the 2010/2010 world rankings which saw TCD at 76th and UCD at 94th. The declining positions of Irish universities in the THE rankings has put the spotlight back on the Department of Education, and the funding it provides for third-level institutions. Professor Deeks said that the decline was caused by a “deficit in State investment in our universities” as he highlighted the ‘strong commitment in other European countries such as the Netherlands which has 12 universities in the top 200” as evidence of what government intervention can do to improve the situation.
UCD Staff Part of Search for New NCAD Director Cian Carton, News Editor Two of UCD’s senior staff members will be involved in the search for a new director of the National College of Art and Design (NCAD), after the college’s board met to discuss the appointment of a replacement for Professor Declan McGonagle. McGonagle had announced his intention to quit his post at the end of 2015. Although the announcement was first made on Friday, 11th September, the matter of choosing his successor was only discussed at a board meeting last Friday, 9th October. The board said that “transitional arrangements will be also be put in place to ensure there is no disruption to the College’s work” as they seek to appoint a new director. In June, Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan, appointed six new individuals to NCAD’s
board in an attempt to bring stability to the college. Two of these are staff members in UCD. Niamh Brennan is the Academic Director of the UCD Centre for Corporate Governance. Professor Mark Rodgers is acting registrar and Deputy President of UCD, and is well known among students. At the time of his appointment, it was said that Rodgers would be there to help strengthen the ties between UCD and NCAD. The announcement of McGonagle’s resignation, along with the board appointments, comes following months of controversy surrounding the college. McGonagle has been facing questions over the college’s finance since the beginning of the year. He also had to contend with hundreds of students protesting against NCAD’s management in March. In an appearance before the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) last month, Tom Boland, the chief executive of the Higher Education
Authority (HEA), said that NCAD, along with four other institutions, were in “vulnerable” financial positions. NCAD received around €104 million in public funding in an eight year period up to 2008. It filed its 2008/2009 accounts 39 months late. The Board has been overseeing the preparation of accounts for the past few years, some of which are overdue. It said that all accounts up to 2012 had been filed and audited in June, while the accounts for 2014 are currently being prepared. UCD and NCAD entered a strategic alliance in 2011. Since then, all degrees awarded by NCAD are recognised and validated by UCD. The two institutions have collaborated on several projects over the past four years. Discussions over a possible merger between the two most recently occurred in 2012. However, no progress was ever made at implementing a full-scale merger.
News
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Volume 29, Issue 3
Slingshot Academy Aims to Help Secondary School Students Succeed Cian Carton, News Editor
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econdary school students are being challenged to make better college choices when their turn to fill out the CAO comes around, thanks to a new educational charity run by a past UCD student. Patrick Guiney, a UCD Arts graduate, and former UCD Students’ Union (UCDSU) Campaigns and Communications Officer, is one of the founders of Slingshot Academy, an initiative which aims to inform school students about the reality of third-level education. Slingshot Academy has grown out of the original Student Slingshot event, which was held last November in Dublin Castle. The Academy is designed to build out from a one-off show into monthly events, under the goal of “protecting the future by creating it.” The first of the Slingshot Academy events will take place this October and November. Each one will play host to 150 students in the National Gallery of Ireland. The Academy is focused on educating secondary school pupils on Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths (STEM) and
entrepreneurship-based topics to inspire young people. Each of the events will see third-level students take to the stage as speakers and mentors. One such mentor is Ryan Kane, a 3rd Year Computer Science student in UCD, who joined Slingshot back in March. He said that his decision to get involved was due to the fact that he would have liked to have participated in such a project while he was still in school. His role involves introducing students to computer science and teaching students about computer programming, also known as “coding”. He believes that “many students will think of a subject like Computer Science and instantly write it off without really knowing what it’s all about”, something which he will be aiming to change at the upcoming Academy, where many of the attendees will be coding for the first time. The Academy is free for students to attend, and is funded by Accenture Ireland, The National Art Gallery of Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Bank of Ireland, The Dublin Commissioner for Startups and money from Guiney himself.
The idea for Slingshot was borne out of a lack of guidance Guiney felt he missed out on when in school. This was compounded by his early experience in UCD. These episodes led to him developing Student Slingshot after he finished a Master’s degree at the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. His vision for the Academy is ambitious and far-reaching; “Our ambition as a team has always been, and always will be, helping the young people of Ireland who have experienced uncertainty and anxiety when making the transition from second to third level. This stems from collective difficulties which we ourselves experienced in our early college years. For Slingshot Academy to succeed is to help one single student find the path which is right for them and to prevent the anguish felt with an ill-informed incorrect choice. Long term success will be measured on multiple programmes like what we’ve started in Dublin, taking place in every country around Ireland and abroad.” Since leaving UCD, Guiney has being heavily involved in entrepreneurship. Reflecting
on his experience as an entrepreneur, Guiney said that if he could change anything, he would like to see a fund or organisation which educated young people about entrepreneurship and starting a business. He described the ideal solution as something which is “almost like a recognised 3rd level institution that develops these skills. There’s a plethora of these over in the States and something like that” is what he would have “jumped at when finishing up my Leaving Certificate.” The initiative comes at a time where students are dropping out of college in large numbers. For Guiney, his early experience in UCD had what he described as a “profound effect” on him. He said that the “sheer size and somewhat lonely nature of such large class sizes in Arts” led to a “difficult time” for him as a first year student, as he “struggled to adapt to third level education.” During his later role with UCDSU, Guiney said that he would “regularly meet and speak with students who wanted to leave college because they’d made a mistake with their course.” Kane echoed the same sentiments, and noted how he knew several
students who chose a course only to find out it was “nothing like what they had expected”, which often led to them dropping out or trying to change course, “which is not ideal given the effort that goes into securing a place in college.” Studies on drop-out rates in Irish colleges have estimated that around 18%, or one in six students fail to complete their first year of college. This equates to about 7,000 students each year. Dropout rates then fall significantly with each further year of study that a student completes. The Higher Education Authority (HEA) published a report, titled “A Study of Progression in Irish Higher Education Institutes 2010/11 to 2011/12”, in 2014. It claimed that students who scored lower points in the Leaving Certificate were more likely to quit third-level education. The report stated that UCD had the lowest overall rate of drop-outs for universities during the years surveyed, at 7%, compared to an average of 9%. The biggest group of drop-outs came from “Construction and Related Fields” at 11%, while the rate for “Social Sciences, Business, Law and Humanities” was 8%.
News
Tuesday, October 13th 2015
News in Focus: Stopping The Press
5
Cian Carton, News Editor
Cian Carton looks at the difficulties facing newspaper editors in getting their stories to print.
J
ournalists often run a gauntlet in order to break stories. When they are reporting, or making allegations based on fact, there is always a risk that individuals and organisations will be unhappy with their claims. However, feelings must be separated from the truth. Two recent examples highlight the difficulty of getting a paper published while under such circumstances. The University of Limerick (UL) filed proceedings in the High Court on Wednesday, 30th September against Iconic Newspapers, which trades as the Limerick Leader, and Alan English, editor of the paper. The case arises out of a report the newspaper published regarding allegations made against the university by two of its suspended employees. The Irish Times reported that UL asked the paper to “correct the record and apologise in order to protect the university’s excellent reputation.” When it refused, legal proceedings were instituted. The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has also become involved in the dispute. It called on UL to withdraw its legal action and seek redress with the Press Council of Ireland and the Press Ombudsman, should it wish to do so in a non-legal manner. The NUJ released a statement on the matter, in which Séamus Dooley, its Irish Secretary, said that “It is regrettable that a university with a widely-respected journalism faculty should effectively seek to derecognise the equally-respected dispute resolution mechanism established by the newspaper industry. This is a heavy-handed approach which is
The printing plant at the Philadelphia Enquirer. Image: Will Steacy
unnecessary and sets a dangerous precedent for an academic institution. Libel actions are costly and can threaten the very existence of newspapers.” He further stated that UL “has the option of making a complaint against the newspaper, albeit in a less threatening and intimidating manner than a High Court action”, by way of the Press Council of Ireland. The manner in which
“A High junctions run into its legal
state-funded university is a matter inherently within the public interest, and journalists must be able to investigate such a claim. While the Limerick Leader was able to publish its story, some newspapers are unable to make it that far. In England, the Guardian reported how Sussex University Students’ Union (USSU) had seized copies of the first edition of the campus
university’s ombudsman concluded the university had taken extreme action to deal with the situation, which was unjustified and “politically motivated”. The Huffington Post had previously reported how the university had spent over £100,000 on legal fees in the disciplinary actions it brought against the five. As part of the first issue of this year’s paper, the Badger was set
statement released by USSU on the matter. It has since been taken down from its website, but has been quoted in reports online. USSU said that “each issue of The Badger has to be signed off by a Students’ Union representative before it is sent to print to ensure it complies with relevant legislation and to avoid the threat of litigation. This ensures The Badger is operating within the law and protects the Union and student journalists from potentially costly legal cases as the Union is the publisher of The Badger.” Therefore, the Badger is not editorially independent. Unless the editor has the final say, a newspaper is not editorially independent, no matter what is said. USSU’s defence is on legal grounds. If the paper is sued, they have to pay the legal fees. That is understandable. However, it has been noted that the Badger’s editor is a paid USSU position. Surely the editor is in a better position to
Court action for defamation, along with two inthat it is seeking, will quickly see the legal bill the thousands. ... it is a public institution, so bill will ultimately be footed by the taxpayer.”
UL are handling the situation is a focal point of this debate. A High Court action for defamation, along with two injunctions that it is seeking, will quickly see the legal bill run into the thousands. The sticking point is that it is a public institution, so its legal bill will ultimately be footed by the taxpayer. Niall Collins,
newspaper, the Badger, and suspended its editor, on the basis that it may have been about to publish a defamatory article and failed to get it signed off by the Union. The decision came on the back of a long running dispute in the university, which began in 2013 after a student protest saw five students suspended from the university.
to run a story on the decision of Michael Farthing, the university’s ex-Vice-Chancellor, to quit his role. Farthing had been heavily involved in the dispute, and was the one who wrote to the students to inform them of their suspension back in 2013. As part of the story, the paper was about to report on the fact that a former student had
“Unless the editor has the final say, a newspaper is not editorially independent, no matter what is said. USSU’s defence is on legal grounds. If the paper is sued, they have to pay the legal fees. That is understandable.” a local Fianna Fáil TD, made this point while speaking under parliamentary privilege in the Dáil. This dispute, along with defamation actions in general, requires a balancing act of the rights of those involved. UL is entitled to seek legal redress if its reputation has been harmed in the eyes of reasonable members of society. If it is vindicated, the cost issue could be overlooked, perhaps. At the same time, allegations of financial mismanagement within a
The five students, who became known as the Farthing Five, were banned from college for taking part in an occupied protest against the “the marketisation of higher education” at Sussex, after the university planned to outsource campus services. An online petition to re-instate the students generated thousands of signatures, and attracted support from John McDonnell, the local Labour MP. The five students were awarded over £2,000 each after the
brought legal proceedings, which are ongoing, against the university. The Badger had already sought legal advice over its article, and claimed it was a good story. That did not stop it from being pulled, though. The paper was eventually released, and with the article cut out of every copy. However, the most fascinating piece from this news story comes from the disclosure of the relationship between the students’ union and its newspaper, from a
judge what might be defamatory rather than a representative from a Students’ Union, especially given the fact he went and sought independent legal advice on the issue?
These are merely two recent instances which highlight the challenges reporters face to get a story to print while under pressure. Journalists play a vital role in bring information to the public, whether that be the public at large, or students on a campus. Journalists serve to keep those in positions of power in check and utside forces attempting to place restrictions upon them, especially those without legal authority, should be questioned.
Features
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Volume 29, Issue 3
Scott on Sex: Slow Clap Shawna Scott, Columnist
Student Savings Kelly Corrigan, Features Writer
S
hamelessly asking is there a student discount every time you purchase something is going to save you a lot of pennies during your time in college. Sure, in most places it might only be 10% off, but in the current economic climate we have to keep our penny pincher caps on at all times. Instead of thinking of it as “only 10%”, start thinking of it as two drinks in Dicey’s next Monday. Most shops will advertise in very small writing, on a sign stuck behind a rail, somewhere way down the back that they offer a student discount. Here’s a list of some of the most popular stores that do definitely offer student discounts. •10% - New Look •15% - Schuh •15% - Office •10% - Topshop/man •10% - Oasis •10% - Skechers •10% - ALDO •10% - Boots •10% - Lifestyle Sports •15% - Tola Vintage •10% - U.Outfitters Those of you that are more comfortable shopping from the comfort of their own bed will be happy to know that you too can indulge in these savings. There is a nifty little site that gives you all the online codes needed to avail of that coveted % off: UniDays. You simply pop in your name and your college emailaddress and they will keep you as a member until you graduate.
They frequently put up limited time offers of 25% and upwards off certain sites. The main ones include ASOS, BooHoo, Missguided, PrettyLittleThing.com , PHD Sports Nutrition (30% off !) and Hype. You just sign in with your UniDays details at the check out and they will give you a code, which you copy and paste into the discount box. Your discount is applied to your subtotal. Woohoo! Unfortunately there will come a time when your body physically can not handle anymore chicken fillet rolls, and when that time comes you will be in too much emotional distress to try and piece together a decent feed. So here are a few eateries that will throw you a discount once you flash your student ID at them. •Captain A’s– 2 for 1 on meals •Burritos & Blues – €5 Meal •Boojum – €5.75 Burrito/Bowl •McDonalds – €5 Big Mac Meal •Supermac’s – 2 Med. Meals, €12 •BoBo’s - €10 , Any Burger , Chips & Drink (Mon–Fri before 6pm ) •Apache Pizza - €10 Large Pizza •The Bagel Bar – 10% off •Zumo - 15% off •Mr. Wu, Chicken Hut, Burger Buzz ,Rapeedos, Martinos, DinosTerenure, Grill Zone - Local Takeaways offering discounts through JustEat.ie For the days when you don’t fancy piecing last nights events together through collaborations of your mates’ Snapchat stories, here are a couple things to do on the cheap that don’t involve alcohol. •€10 - Student Tuesdays Dundrum Cinema offers a Ticket, Large Pop
corn & Large Drink. •€4 off in SeaLife, Bray • Get rebate on a full price ticket when you show your student ID at Block D turnstiles to rear of the Cusack Stand prior to entry to Croke Park. • Leinster Rugby do special offers on some home games for 10/15 euro for students. Keep an eye on their Twitter and Facebook. Computers, laptops and all the bits that go with them are a cost almost every student is going to encounter at some stage. Technology doesn’t come cheap, but there are a couple of offers available all year round that should stop the need to queue outside PC World at 6am on St. Stephen’s Day. • Apple – 10% - always special offers on at start of semesters • Adobe – Creative Suite 6 – discount of up to €120 • Microsoft – Office University €80 The cost of travel within Dublin is ridiculous; aside from getting a student travel card there aren~t much savings to be had here I’m afraid. Outside of Dublin, however, Irish Rail are running some deals with savings of up to as much as 60%. Check out your own route on www.Irishrail.ie Now you are equipped with the knowledge of where to get your savings, go forth and produce your student card at every check out with pride! Do not turn tomato red as your reduction of 35 cent is applied; instead think of how many tins of beans that will get you on your next shop.
L
ast week a video was doing the rounds on social media. A group of university sorority sisters from Arizona were at a baseball game. In the middle of that game one of the sponsors, T-Mobile, asked fans to tweet photos of themselves at the game for a chance to see their photo on an upcoming broadcast. So the young women did just that. Being American, this is the point where I feel I need to explain a little about American sports. Baseball isn’t limited by time like football, hurling, or rugby. It can literally go on for hours on end! In fact one of our many much-loved baseball traditions is the 7th-inning stretch, where everyone gets out of their seat to stretch their arms and legs and sing “Take me out to the Ball Game.” Over the years teams and sponsors have created ways, like the T-Mobile promotion, to make the long, sometimes slowpaced games more entertaining. A friend of mine from school has spent the past few seasons as one of these attractions – specifically as the Tacoma Rainiers’ mascot, Rhubarb the Reindeer. In honour of the Seattle Mariners’ starting pitcher, “King” Felix Hernandez, their managing director created “The King’s Court,” a specific area in the stadium where fans wear yellow Felix t-shirts and hold up giant “K” cards. The university students at the Arizona Diamondbacks game did exactly what the sponsors wanted them to do, and let’s be perfectly clear - what we all do at sports games. The difference was these girls were all blonde and conventionally attractive, and so they found themselves the objects of ridicule and disdain by middle-aged sports commentators who presumably felt that because these young women weren’t sports-fanning in a manner deemed acceptable by mid
dle-aged sports commentators, they needed to be taken down a peg on live television. “Better angle. Check it. Did that come out OK?” mocks one announcer. “That’s the best one of the 300 pictures of myself I’ve taken today.” “Every girl in the picture is locked into her phone. Every single one is dialled in. Welcome to parenting in 2015! They’re all just completely transfixed by the technology.” And on... and on…. and on. Despite the fact that these men ignored the baseball game themselves to make fun of a group of women for presumably ignoring said baseball game, the irony seemed to be completely lost on them. This is just one example of how society polices women’s looks and behaviour. We are constantly told through advertising and media that there is a particular ideal aesthetic which we should strive to achieve. However if you manage to achieve that look, either through winning the genetic lottery or by doing your hair and makeup, you are then looked down on as being narcissistic, vain, and self-involved. You must be pretty enough to be considered attractive, but also hide any interest in your hair or makeup as these feminine endeavours mean less time to be interested in men. It’s a strange paradox whereby complying with society’s preferred aesthetic is seen as both self-obsession as well as “only doing it for men.” But despite their smug efforts to put these “girls” in their place, the announcers found themselves at the receiving end of the most incredible mic drop. After the Arizona Diamondbacks apologised to the women and offered them all free tickets to a future game. The sorority accepted but asked that the tickets be donated to A New Leaf, a local domestic violence charity. Ladies of Alpha Chi Omega, this slow clap is for you.
Tuesday, October 13th 2015
Features
7 Harm Reduction? What’s that?
Seán O’Reilly, Editor
An effect of psychadelics: Image, Imgur
A Modern Family: Taking 2C-B Safely
Hannah Sheehy-Skeffington. Image, Vote.ie
Feminism, Then and Now Charlotte McLaughlin, Features Writer
W
hen you think of feminism, what springs to mind? Is it someone burning their bra? A woman with short hair ranting about periods? Or is women’s struggle to be equal? For many, feminism has negative connotations. Lots of people see it as an angry, man-hating word. Celebrities steer clear of it. Madonna, Sarah Jessica Parker and Meryl Streep all see themselves as humanists not feminists. They think the word tries to separate men from women. Judy Walsh, Lecturer in the UCD School of Social Justice, says the media can often portray feminism as “a dislike of men or a mistrust of men”. For her, feminism is lot more nuanced than this and often has a lot of internal disagreements. She says if Meryl Streep wants “to call herself a humanist instead great for her. She’s a nice person”. There has been a long tradition of feminism in Ireland. Constance Markievicz, a key figure in 1916 and the first woman elected to the Westminster parliament, was a suffragette who fought for women’s rights. A building here at UCD, the Hannah Sheehy-Skeffington Building is named for another leading Irish suffragette. Sheehy-Skeffington was a campaigner for women’s votes and founded the Irish Women’s Workers Union. In 1971 Irish Feminists protested by boarding what was known as the ‘contraception train’ to the North. The Irish Women’s liberation movement literally took the train to the North to get contraceptives. They purchased lots of condoms and risked imprisonment as the importation
of condoms was illegal at the time. Movements like this are why the SU can hand condoms out like (and sometimes with) sweets today. Feminism can also be divisive within. Walsh says class can have a dividing role with those who would be described as middle class more concerned with equality in the work force and equal pay. At the moment, she says, the main fight in Ireland is with reproductive rights. “Repeal the 8th is the big issue now”. Sexual violence has also always been on the agenda and the general perception seems to be that it affects those who are gendered as female more often. Slut walks and sexual harassment initiatives have been to the fore more in feminism. This has seen UCDSU launch its Sexual Awareness campaign across campus on Thursday last. Walsh also points out that most feminism today seek equality for both men and women. Today many feminists are also concerned with masculinity and the pressure put on men to live up to a certain kind of ideal. The Men’s Sheds movement was launched as an open space for men to take care of their own mental health. They also build sheds as a means of therapy for the community. The newly launched UCD Feminist Book Club also encourages men to join. One of the founders, Charlotte Amrouche wants ‘to invite any feminist to join our club’. She hopes it will be a space to‘create a thought-provoking and exciting feminist forum’. For those who want to join, they can join the group on Facebook here: fb.com/ groups/416519448548799
T
he College Tribune is running a series of articles giving information about drugs that students may or may not come across during their tenure at university. While we don’t promote the consumption of illegal drugs, we accept that a number of people will try such substances regardless of the law. In this series we seek to provide advice to those people, with the aim of hopefully reducing the harm they face. This week we are focusing on 2C-B, a synthetic psychedelic phenethylamine and a member of the 2c family of drugs, was developed by Alexander Shulgin in the 1970s. During the 80s and 90s the drug was legitimately produced in several countries and sold in head shops and video stores globally. It was variously marketed as an alternative to MDMA or a sexual enhancer, and, though never formally recognised for its medical purposes, it was used by some mental health clients in conjunction with traditional therapies. However the drug was banned in many countries in the latter half of the nineties and has been placed on the Section I of Controlled Substances Act by the DEA in the US. 2C-B is often described as a mix of MDMA and LSD, though this is incorrect. It is not as intense as LSD, nor as directed as MDMA. The drug is available in pill, capsule and powder form. If you go ahead and take this drug it is recommendable that you ingest it orally, rather than by snorting it. The sensation of snorting it uncomfortable and it can, of course, be damaging to the nasal passages. Furthermore consuming this drug soon after eating is warned against. It can cause nausea as it hits in and cause vomiting. 2C-B can last between four and eight hours, taking effect after approximately one hour. The
plateau period is generally 2-4 hours and the come down takes about 1-2 hours, though after effects can be felt for several more hours. So what is the attraction of 2C-B? It is a mood elevator, causing a heightened sense of euphoria and increased giggling. Users have also reported feelings of empathy and insight. Being a psychedelic, although much milder and less dissociative than LSD or mushrooms, there is a hallucinogenic effect, such as brightened colours and open & close eyed visual. Within the open eyed visuals your surroundings may appear undulating, shifting or cartoonish. There may be a colour shift also, as objects seemingly take on a red/ green halo. Some have experienced auditory distortion as well. Enhanced eroticism has also been noted. In contrast to MDMA it does not create a forceful positivity nor is it so physically draining. But with every upside there must be a down. The regulation of body temperature is thrown into flux, swinging between sweats and chills. As previously mentioned nausea is a side effect of this drug. Users can experience some insomnia and decrease in focus afterwards. Restlessness and muscle tension can cause discomfort. The visuals may take an undesired form, creating fear and paranoia, while the user can feel overwhelming negative emotions. If you are on anti-depressants there may be undesired interaction between them and the 2C-B; it is advisable to avoid mixing the two. 2C-B is dosage based, so if you increase the amount taken the effects will be more intense, especially with regard to close eyed visuals and emotions. So it is to be recommended that, if trying this drug, you limit yourself to a lower dosage. Dosage tends to be between 15-25mg, and it is not recommended to exceed 30mg.
Over the course of the last six weeks, you’ll have seen anonymously penned articles about the use of MDMA, Cocaine and now the psychedelic substance 2C-B in this issue. These are the first in a series which will examine contemporary drug use in Ireland from a harm reduction perspective. But what is harm reduction? And how does it come into play here in Ireland? Harm reduction is a broad term used in public health circles which encompasses policies that are designed to minimise the harm caused by the use of substances. These policies can be as controversial as proposed injection rooms for opiate users, as benign as anti-smoking campaigns, or as persistent as the tackling of our collective long-running binge-drinking problem and they are often divisive. There are numerous schools of thought when it comes to drug use and though these are many and complex, they can be surmised into to two camps: those who favour decriminalisation and those who advocate prohibition. Long standing policy in Ireland has been prohibitive, restricting access to various groups of substances in the belief that this serves the greater public good. This has however pushed users underground and created a dangerous black market. Another, and perhaps the more important of the principles of harm reduction is education. We in Ireland grow up around alcohol and are comfortable with it. Despite this, we still sometimes drink too much and do ourselves harm knowing full well what our limits are. It is unwise to expect anyone to be safe with a substance if there is stigma and misinformation surrounding it. The purpose of this series then, is absolutely not to encourage the use of any substances. Rather it is to offer those considering using a substance some information which might keep them safe when they do so. Students take drugs. A dangerous game; but perhaps more dangerous than ever before due to a flood of new, unknown substances being passed off as something they aren’t. This has always been a problem, but one which has now worsened. Deaths have occurred due to misinformation: it hoped that these pieces might go some way towards ensuring that this does not happen again.
Features
8
Volume 29, Issue 3
Study Smart, Not Hard Denis Harney, Features Writer
I
t’s week 6 already and if you’re a first year, the Leaving Cert is beginning to feel like merely a bad dream (and if you’re older, let’s be honest, you’ve blocked it out entirely) Essay deadlines are beginning to creep closer though, and tests are being mentioned with more frequency. Unfortunately it’s time to begin the S word: no, not shots, but study. One of the most important things to factor in when you begin to study is the space that you do it
anything other than study in the study space so your mind associates the area with work. Once your study area is all set up, it’s time to get down to the business of learning. Just start. Write anything. After beginning, you’ll find it isn’t actually as bad as you built it up to be. Many of us may have gone through secondary school and not have had an effective way of studying. There are some basic techniques that can make your studying more effective. Breaking the information into smaller parts and learning those pieces is a good technique. Writing out the information benefits
website which allows students studying the same subjects to connect and share notes. There is also a facility that allows you to connect with people from your own class by entering your college and class. (However, it should be noted that as yet, there seems to be only a small number of UCD students registered on the system) Khan Academy is a website that has videos and notes on practically any subject you can think of. Evernote is a college essential. It’s an app for both your laptop and phone that acts as your personal digital file cabinet. You can store all your
it’s basically a class. Pick a leader of the group: that person is in charge of scheduling and is the point of contact for the others. A Facebook or Whatsapp group is realistically the easiest way of organizing things. UCD library offer the facility to book study rooms online, so definitely make use of this! Very few people can claim to love studying – but hopefully by getting organized that little bit earlier and using all available resources, you’ll have enough time to make sure that the As and the drinks will flow.
“Once your study area is all set up, it’s time to get down to the business of learning. Just start. Write anything. “After beginning, you’ll find it isn’t actually as bad as you built it up to be.” in. If the space is distracting or noisy, you will be unproductive. The library is an obvious choice when it comes to study. However, if you don’t live near campus, you’ll need to pick a good spot at home. A good study space will be in a quiet area of the house and it should have good lighting and an uncluttered desk. Try to pick a chair that while it is comfortable, it’s not so comfortable that you’re falling asleep. Have your books and notes nearby and nice stationery ready to go. Finally, don’t do
many students. Testing yourself on the things that you learn is really important; flashcards can help with this also. You should also take regular breaks - research shows that after about 45 minutes you begin to get less effective at studying, a 10 minute break will remedy this (just remember to come back!) You’re not on your own when it comes to learning though. There is a plethora of free online resources to make study that bit more bearable. StudyBlue is a
notes here and easily retrieve them from anywhere. All these resources are absolutely free and they are worth investigating to see if they suit your style of study. If you just find it impossible to find the get up and go to study, perhaps a study group is the answer! A study group creates an impetus to study as you’ve all taken time out of your day to meet up with each other, set a time to meet up etc. When you’re forming a group it’s wise not to have more than 4 or 5 members, otherwise
“You should also take regular breaks - research shows that after about 45 minutes you begin to get less effective”
Tuesday, October 13th 2015
Features
9
KTH’s Stockholm campus. Image, KTH
“A
friend of mine had been planning to go to Den-mark to study wind energy – obviously, in relation to this type of renewable energy source Denmark is the place to be. One day she was reading out all the Masters offered in DTU (Technical University of Denmark) and Environmental Engineering came up on the list. That was back in Semester 2 of my second year in UCD. That summer I went to South Africa and got really interested in conservation, veganism, the environment and so on. Environmental Engineering really sounded like the perfect way to use my engineering skills to make a difference in the world.” In Aoife’s case, it turns out that no college in Ireland offers a straight-up environmental engineering Masters so in her situation she had no other choice but to go away. Her decision was made easy when she found out that you can do what is basically a double Masters – one year in Copenhagen at DTU, and the following year at KTH (Royal Institute of Technology) in Stockholm. “In my opinion I think this is better than doing an
Erasmus. I feel “Send out CVs like you could everywhere. I come home think it’s imfrom an Erasportant to be mus distracted i n d e p e n d e nt and unmotivatfrom your pared – then you ents and not to have to settle be counting on into your regular them for everyroutine. Being thing. Workabroad means ing abroad will that you get to look great on experience difyour CV; whatferent methods ever the job of teaching as is. Many comwell. When you panies send do your masters employees all abroad you get over the world the mix of travel, If you are graduating in 2016, it’s likely that you will have at to meet clients, indep endence least considered the option of doing a Masters degree. Some- so showing that and education.” thing that may not come to mind straight away, however, is you have some Money is most the idea of doing one abroad. Features Editor Sinéad Slattery experience in likely going spoke to Aoife Moroney, an MSc in Environmental Engineer- this area is fanto be an issue tastic. You also whether you do ing student about her decision to take the plunge. get to learn a your Masters at home or overseas. new language – even if you think Obviously it costs money to get you’re not great at languages, you yourself set up in a new country become adept at picking up words - but in Denmark the tuition for quite quickly.” your masters is free; and looking Going abroad is fantasat Masters options in Germany tic for your personal development for example, you can see figures too, she reckons. “Everyone needs as low as 100 euro per semesto put themselves in a position ter for tuition for EU students. where they don’t know a single
“In my opinion I think this is better than doing an Erasmus. I feel like you could come home from an Erasmus distracted and unmotivated – then you have to settle into your regular routine.”
person at least once in their life. If you can do that, any future job or challenge will be absolutely no bother to you. It makes you more able to cope with awkward or nerve-racking social situations. You also get to make friends / contacts for your future travels. I’d recommend living with a group of people that are in the same college as you, it’s basically a ready-made group of friends. Be open when talking to people, you’ve got nothing to lose. You don’t just meet the people native to the country you’re in – you’ll meet tonnes of foreign students that will enable you to couch-surf for years to come.” Some websites that may be useful for further information include: h t t p : / / w w w. m a s t e r s t u d i e s . com/Masters-Degree/Europe http://www.mastersportal.eu/ http://www.ucd.ie/careers/students/ Additional images by Aoife Moroney
“I take great satisfaction in being forced to join the SU and pay SU membership.” some UCD students, possibly
UCDSU forces you to be a member and to pay membership. No other type of union does this – only SUs You have a constitutional right to disassociate from every type of union If you want to disassociate from UCDSU or find out more go to:
www.leaveyoursu.com
“I wholeheartedly support forcing my fellow students to pay my wages.” every UCDSU officer, almost certainly
THE TRIB
THE TRIB Issue 3
2 // Music
Review: Glen Hansard- ‘Didn’t He Ramble’
The activities of most Mullingar teenagers are often questionable, not so this quartet of talented young fellows who are breaking into the Irish music scene with a very refined and fresh sound. The four lads have an abundance of energy which they express through their fast-
The Academic
One to Watch:
He sure did ramble and so too it seems did his musical imagination. Quite literally the Ballymun native has been cropping up here there and everywhere; from writing and performing for The Hunger Games soundtrack to tourin with Eddie Vedder and the likes. Since the release of his 2012 album ‘Rhythm and Repose’ he has been exploring his own artistic style and making a name for himself on the other side of the Atlantic. All this is very evident in his latest project ‘Didn’t He Ramble’. He explores a style of songwriting that is recognisable as quite distinctly American and some of his songs have a country-western edge such as ‘Winning Streak’ and ‘Wedding Ring’. Hansard’s style has always been one that is intimate, subdued and mature sounding but this next album
paced songs and spirited stage presence. But they’re not just any old teen band, their talents have not gone unnoticed, and they’ve done the whole Irish circuit appearing on Other Voices, at Longitude and Electric Picnic while also gigging overseas in Spain and
Kevin O’Reilly, Music Editor
takes this to a new level. The opening track ‘Grace Beneath the Pines’ exemplifies this, with lyrics about acceptance and changing of ways all the while accompanied by a soft reverberating droning string set. The whole collection is one that oozes comfort upon the listener, each track expressing passionate yet triumphant feelings while his voice resonates throughout like the soft rasping of a saw on wood. He fills the background of his songs with sometimes soft minimalistic guitar notes and other times loud and booming melodies with brass, synth and string pieces. Despite similarities between the tracks and keeping with the theme of rambling he jumps from organic sounds to more modern tunes and back again. He even throws in a very traditional Irish piece in ‘McCormack’s Wall’ and then employs harmonic brass sections
for ‘Just to be the One’ to produce two very different sounding tracks with Hansard’s distincive voice the only common denominator. This album serves to demonstrate the breadth of his talent and his varied styles of song-writing. It is not so much a disjointed selection of unrelated songs but more a celebration of his growth and maturity in developing his sound. At 45, he is finally secure and comfortable in his musical abilities and is not afraid to play around and experiment. While he hasn’t had a hugely popular hit since ‘Falling Slowly’ he seems to be enjoying touring, writing music for himself not for the charts and collaborating with different artists and projects. He remains true to himself and his honest style of music-making that he is known and loved for. ‘Didn’t He Ramble’ is available now.
the UK. Occupying a sound space somewhere between the Vaccines and the Riptide Movement their songs have professional sounding hooks and choruses while still retaining an exuberance and teenage angst. The Academic are set for big things and recently
signing with record label Global bound to only give a boost to their upward trajectory. If you get a chance to see them perform live, grab it before they start packing out the 3Arena. you get a chance to see them perform live, grab it before they start packing out the 3Arena. Kevin O’Reilly, Music Editor
Review: New Order Music Complete Barry Monahan, Music Writer It’s been 10 years since New Order released a studio album proper. Since then we have seen the release of the glorified compliation of B sides ‘Lost Sirens’ in 2013 and the departure of bassist Peter Hook. The Manchester outfit are back in positive form both lyrically and musically. ‘Music Complete’ also sees the return of Gillian Gilbert on keyboards after a hiatus of 14 years. The band’s late 80’s Ibiza influence that fuelled the second half of their careeer is present and manages to bring back a youthful sound. ‘Stray Dog’ being the most leftfield track gives guest Iggy Pop an outing that creates a sound akin to Miami Vice meets spoken word. ‘Tutti Frutti ‘ offers Gilbert’s trade mark synths with La Roux’s Elly Jackson stepping in on vocals on a Balleric influenced lullaby. The stand out track ‘Academic’ offers something that could have rested easy on 1989’s seminal ‘Technique’. Minus founding member Peter Hook, the outfit mange to sound just like New Order. Not an easy task considering Hook’s ability to churn out instantly recognisable and catchy melodic bass lines. There’s more than enough here to make hardcore fans feel at ease and rejoice in the band’s best release in over 25 years. It’s also fresh enough to gain some new admirers along the way. ‘Music Complete’ was released on the 25th September 2015.
Arts & Culture Magazine 13.10.2015
Music // 3
Gigs to look forward to: Music Editor Kevin O’Reilly takes a look at some up and coming acts that are playing live shows in Dublin soon. Sharing his top three, these are the guys you’ll want to catch now!
Johnny Marr Olympia Theatre Sun 18th October The legendary Smiths singer, guitarist and song-writer is still going strong perhaps due to his ongoing tours with the Healers (I’ll see myself out…). Rounding out his UK tour with a stopover in Belfast and Dublin, playing for one night only in the Olympia to launch his latest album ‘Adrenalin Baby’. And as the name suggests the Manchester man is showing no signs of slowing down. Marr is likely to attract long-time followers of his influential British rock n’ roll material but his alternative style is also appealing to ever increasing numbers of younger indie-rock fans. Don’t miss your chance to catch the man who is widely regarded as one of the most
important musicians to come out of England at work. The song-writing master is bound to give an intense and energetic performance and it is not one to be missed. Tracks with the Smiths such as What Difference Does it Make?, Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now, Panic and Now Soon is Now should need no introduction, having formed the basis for generations of teenage angst and remaining a popular choice for edgy Trinity students. Key solo tracks include singles Upstarts and New Town Velocity as well as The Trap and Easy Money from Marr’s most recent release Playland. Highly recommended if you’re looking for someting fast and fun with an expansive sound.
The Tallest Man on Earth Vicar Street Weds 21st October
Walking on Cars Olympia Theatre Tues 20th October
While his height may disappoint his music certainly won’t. Kristian Matsson has made a name for himself outside of his homeland of Sweden in the folk music scene. His extraordinarily gravelly voice is remarkably Dylan-esque and he is also an incredible guitarist and pianist to boot. Known for his raw, honest and passionate songs, Matsson prefers to record his guitar and vocal tracks together in the studio where most artists record separately giving his songs that truthful and natural sound that makes them so distinct. The cracking and breaking of his voice at times betrays powerful emotion underpinning Matsson’s lyricism. The multitalented Swede is not just revered for his powerful and intricate song writing however, he is known for his charismatic and touching live performances. Disappointing as it is
Riding a wave of success all the way out of the West Kerry hills comes the talented Dingle group. Following appearances on RTE’s Other Voices and at Electric Picnic the band are on the up and up. With time their song-writing and energy on stage is developing and maturing. The band combine passionate lyrics and harmonies with captivating backdrops, while singer Pa Sheehy’s vocal range takes in both deep grittiness and falsetto peaks stitching everything together. Their music reflects the beauty of
that he might not really be the tallest man on earth, he has huge stage presence and a gift for capturing the audience. If you want to get a feel for what Matsson is all about, check out his performances on KEXP and at the Tiny Desk Concerts series. Both are available to view on YouTube, and frequently feature smaller, rising artists from all genres and backgrounds. If individual tunes are more your feel, check out The Dreamer, Love is All, Sagres and Where do my Bluebird Fly. On tha back of a solid fourth album, Dark Bird is Home, be sure not to miss the soulful singer’s appearance during this quick stopover on his European tour.
their hometown while still touching on relevant, everyday themes. The band’s knack for song-writing and commitment to their music shows true and helps to create an atypical modern Irish sound that puts them somewhere between The Coronas and Kodaline. Walking on Cars will hit the Olympia before touring the rest of the country and then on to England. This is a band that are no doubt bound for big things so get them while tickets are still reasonably priced!
e i x a al
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4 // Film
The Comic Conventions of 2015: Geek chic meets popular culture
accompanied by a wallet full of charms sporting tiny boxes of cash with which they will feel plastic sushi, an adorable symno guilt about parting. Although bol of Japanese culture’s inevthere is a cover charge for itable influence on our society. television series Once Upon a the event, you are essentially Naturally, such products can’t Time. The two ladies appeared paying for access to a large - really be said to compare to alongside one another in a Q&A though admittedly colourful and genuine Japanese culture, but session which was packed with exciting - marketplace. But this it was extremely refreshing to dedicated fans of the show. is a niche marketplace, unlike come across a stall which acVictoria is a Dublin native, and any that you’ll find in Dublin knowledges the popularity of is said to have been enjoying throughout the year. The stall Japanese iconography in Irea break with her husband and which fascinated me the most land, as is evident by the numkids whilst attending the con- was “Tokyo Toys”, which domi- ber of sushi restaurants that vention. Other science fiction nated visitors’ views as soon as one passes on a walk through and fantasy stars made appear- they set foot in the convention the city. ances throughout the weekend, hall. Manned by young women, Another huge element in including Alison presumably stuconvention-go“Young and ing is cosplay, Scagliotti (who “ H a r l e y dents, donning we 90s kids cosold, Irish and the attendQuinns and Pikachu will remember tumes, the shop ees at MCM and inter- Comic Con did from Drake and D eadpools sold everything Josh) and her roamed the from t-shirts n a t i o n a l , not fail to defellow Wareto cuddly toys, Superall promot- liver. house 13 (sci-fi conventions from anime heroes, anime ing their characters and meets steam- in their doz- props to Japan punk) star Edese food. Anime even characters works” ens” die McClintock. fans were well from contempThe weekend also saw visits catered to here, as an entire orary mainstream fantasy came from Eugene Simon, Ian Beat- side of the stall was dedito life within the walls of the tie (Lancel Lannister and Meryn cated to toys and keyrings RDS as thousands of Irish fans Trant from HBO’s fantasy sen- of popular characters. At let their imaginations run wild. sation Game of Thrones), and the end of the hall, I came Harley Quinns and Deadpools Simon Fisher-Beckett who across a stall which offered roamed the conventions in plays Doctor Who’s unforget- more traditional Japanese their dozens. Group cosplays table Dorium. The spectacular items with modern aesthetic appeared particularly popular line-up of special appearanc- twists, such as solar-powered this year, and friends banded es really gave it an edge over lucky cats, rows of different together to recreate the Recon Dublin Comic Con’s event. coloured Corps from the hit anime AtHowever, the cost for photo- and sized tack on Titan, or even the “ingraphs and autographs ranged ningyo ner voices” from Pixar’s latest from reasonable to extortionate, animated offering Inside Out. dolls, which may be and beaudisappointing for tifully some fans. Anydecorated body attending chopMCM Comic Con sticks. - or any other conThe stall vention for that also sold matter phone would do well to arrive
Film and Entertainment editor Niamh Crosbie gives the lowdown on the weird and wonderful sites to behold inside the doors of Dublin’s summer comic book conventions. As the weird and wonderful things which have typically been the preserve of “nerd culture” gradually drift into the mainstream, and as the economy also begins to recover and people begin to indulge in hobbies once again, it is only natural that conventions such as Dublin Comic Con and MCM Comic Con are becoming bigger and more popular than ever. I had never been to a comic book convention before, but not long after passing through the doors of the Convention Centre, I knew it wouldn’t be my last one. The event, which took place at the end of July this year, was Dublin Comic Con’s third iteration since its establishment in 2012. When I was first approved for a press pass for MCM’s Comic Convention, which was to take place in the RDS in August, I didn’t expect the event to be any more impressive than Dublin Comic Con. I was, however, glad to be proven wrong when I entered the RDS to find myself in a veritable wonderland of colour, vibrancy and culture. The most impressive aspect of MCM’s event was the lineup of celebrities which the convention had to offer its attendees on the day. The most notable of those present during were Victoria Smurfit and Kristin Bauer van Straten, who play Cruella de Vil and Maleficent in ABC’s hit
THE TRIB Issue 3 One of the most impressive group cosplays that I saw this year involved a Sadness, Joy, Fear, Disgust and Anger. Fear had his baby with him, who had been placed at the centre of attention as a baby Riley with the others acting as the voices inside her head. Each convention also hosts an exhibition of distinguished cosplayers, which are chosen by a panel of judges. At MCM Comic Con, the finalists modelled their costumes onstage in front of an audience, accompanied by the music associated with their character. The winner of the Sunday competition was a fantastic incarnation of Maleficent from Once Upon A Time. Prizes were also presented to cosplayers in specific categories, for example a girl dressed as Mortal Kombat’s Scorpion won over the category of Best Armour. Cosplay is a perfect example of the creativity and enthusiasm that makes attending a comic convention such an enriching experience. The biggest distinction between Dublin Comic Con and MCM Comic Con is a small one, yet this may be a potential deal-breaker for some convention-goers. Dublin Comic Con hosted an entire floor’s worth of artists - called “Artist’s Alley” - young and old, Irish and international, all of whom set up stalls in order to promote their works. This is where a friend of mine was selling her art-
Arts & Culture Magazine 13.10.2015 work, and as a favour to her, I manned her stall for about an hour to allow her some much needed reprieve. In this time, the enthusiasm and interest from potential buyers was absolutely astounding. Dublin Comic Con also hosted many stalls where sellers displayed homemade jewellery and other small products such as badges, keyrings and stickers. If you are thinking of attending MCM Comic Con, do not expect to find the same intimacy and originality as you would at Dublin Comic Con; MCM’s
card gamer, or have ever had an interest in drafting or tournaments, both Dublin Comic Con and MCM Comic Con are fantastic places to immerse yourself in this absorbing hobby. Each convention also offers attendees the opportunity to explore movie and T.V. props; Dublin Comic Con had a lifesized replica of the T.A.R.D.I.S. from Doctor Who, while MCM Comic Con offered photoshoots with a steampunk vintage car, plus lots more. As you walk the streets of Dublin or any other city in Ireland, it
Film // 5
world. If I were to recommend whether you should attend Dublin Comic Con or MCM Comic Con next year, I would be reluctant to give you a direct answer. For intimacy and handmade artwork, I direct you to Dublin Comic Con. For celebrity guests and more “official” merchandise, MCM Comic Con is the way to go. Then again, if you have the money, why not attend both, and get the best of both worlds? Whatever you do, make sure to budget your time (and your money) wisely, as certain events such
“When you enter a comic convention, any pre-supposed notions about what is socially acceptable and “normal” evaporate. Convention goers can be anybody and anything they like.” event is one hundred percent more commercial, and you are much more likely to find a wallet with your favourite Pokemon on it than you are to find a charcoal drawing of your favourite obscure anime character, or some homemade Doctor Who earrings. Expect to find many more stalls held by actual brands, staffed with young people for the weekend, and fewer held solely by artists displaying and selling their arts and crafts. You don’t have to be a hardcore comic book or anime fan to enjoy attending conventions, as both Dublin Comic Con and MCM Comic Con boasted gaming centres, where attendees can show off their skills and make a name for themselves. If you’re a
is more than a small bit difficult to imagine that the young people – and also the not-soyoung people – of our country have such an interest in Japanese culture, but the atmosphere as you enter a comic book convention is astounding. Anime and cosplay lie just beneath the surface of our popular culture, but it is there all the same. When you enter a comic convention, any pre-supposed notions about what is socially acceptable and “normal” evaporate. Convention goers can be anybody and anything they like. Even though MCM Comic Con was held in Dublin’s very own RDS – the very place that UCD holds the majority of its winter and summer exams, no less – the convention could have taken place anywhere in the
as talks and cosplay parades take place at set times, and you don’t want to leave the convention feeling disappointed. Most of all, remember to unleash your inner geek, because it really is the new chic! After all, there’s no other place in the country that you could turn up dressed as a cartoon character and have everybody around you agree that it’s completely normal, so take advantage of the situation while you can.
Review: Justin Kurzel’s Macbeth Niamh Crosbie, Film Editor
Shakespearean remakes are here to stay and this is a fact, for better or worse, which cinema-lovers of the world need to come to terms with. Modern-day directors absorb themselves in the task of making their films relatable to a modern-day audience, which isn’t always easy, especially when you are dealing with a text which is older than living memory. A famous example is Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, which lands the 15th-century text in the middle of modern-day Verona, replacing swords with guns and Renaissance dress with masquerade. Whether or not this is effective is, of course, entirely up to the viewer. But it is clear that Luhrmann attempts to leave his own mark on the classic tale, something in which he undoubtedly succeeds. The latest Shakespearean venture to hit our screens is Macbeth, starring Michael Fassbender as everybody’s favourite tyrant ruler. Director Justin Kurzel (who is currently working on the upcoming film version of Assassin’s Creed) definitely attempts to make the text his own, in some ways successfully and in other ways, not so much. The film’s aesthetic is mainly drawn from contemporary fantasy genres, particularly Game of Thrones. A substantial amount of the action, which traditionally takes place in castles as per Shakespeare’s original tale, occurs in tents set against the gloomy background of a foggy moor or mountain. On one hand, the removal of any deca-
dent scenery gives the text the opportunity to speak for itself, and places much more emphasis on the performances of the cast, and also lends the film’s overall aesthetic a dystopian and fantastical edge. It also removes the narrative from historical implications; while the opening scenes describe the war in Scotland, the film is essentially suspended in a timeless wartime wasteland. Kurzel adapts the script in order to add his own flair to the story, and to also deal with certain gaps which lie beneath the surface of the play; such as he childless nature of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s marriage and its effect on Lady Macbeth’s character development throughout the film. Fassbender’s performance comes across as slightly over-scripted, but it is, perhaps, unfair to criticise him too much for this, as the script he is working from is such an established and celebrated one. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, presents her lines beautifully and emotively, particularly as she attempts to rid the spectral “blood” from her hands towards the end of the film. Overall, the plot comes in second place to the visual effects used throughout the film. Nevertheless, Macbeth is worth seeing, for both view ers who are familiar with the source material and those experiencing the story for the first time.
6 // Fashion
Defining Dublin Style Paris, c’est chic. Berlin ist sehr cool. But Dublin? How can the style of Dublin be defined? Here in the capital we have a vast scale of unique sets of style that each has its own cohort of enthusiasts. An example of this is the troopers of the popular post-summer bohemianchic look. If we observe Dublin as a whole, for the most part we have a very relaxed, laid-back sense of style. It seems that most people don’t stray too far from their comfort zones. It begs the question, though, if this laid back attitude to fashion is indicative of laziness, or if there is something more going on. I’m convinced however that Dubliners are far from being slackers when it comes to fashion. If you watch carefully the street style of those walking through our beloved UCD campus or in the heart of Dublin itself then you’ll come to notice that for the most part our fashionistas are wearing a huge
Ray Cunningham on the make-up looks from the final two shows of Fashion Month.
Paris and Milan: Make-up
Shannon Doherty analyses the dress code of Dubliners, starting on the home front with a look at just what it is that UCD students are wearing out and about on campus.
The runways of Paris Fashion Week introduced a selection of new trends. A main feature was natural-looking skin with minimal make-up and thick, bushy eyebrows. Chloé’s show had a 70s theme and gave off a very effortless Stevie Nicks vibe, showcasing models with natural “no makeup” and rosy cheeks. Valentino and Nina Ricci both went with “romantic minimalism” for their shows. Again we saw very rosy, fresh cheeks and not much else on the face. This look is created using concealer, clear lip gloss, highlighter and mascara. To get a sense of the chilled nature of the
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mix of designer, vintage and second-hand items. We have a casual yet poised style, and we’ve fallen into the vintage trap which allows us to be comfortable yet stylish at the same time. As we become an ever-globalised city, the influences of the European vintage scene are really taking hold, and the expanding prominence of vintage shops in the city centre is testament to this. We certainly do not have a style that is easy to define at first instance here in Dublin, but it is nonetheless interesting to watch it develop before our eyes. If you’re interested in campus style or in fashion writing in general, get in touch, email Emer Slattery, Fashion, Editor at fashion@collegetribune.ie. Writers, photographers, stylists, bloggers - We want you!
make-up used, just look at the hairstyles he showcased to accompany the looks. Describing the relaxed hair styling used in his show, Valentino billed it as “wedding hair for the most laidback, DIY bride ever”. However, not all the shows were quite so effortless. For Chanel and Dior, all attention was directed towards the eyes by the use of “floating” eyeliner and graphic colour-blocked eyeshadow. “Glunge” (glamorous grunge) was used at Emanuel Ungaro’s show. Here the models had Spring/Summer 2016’s staple of luminous, fresh skin and masculine brows but they pushed the
boundaries of this minimalism by wowing with dark, matte lips. The Milan runways showed us that the theme for Spring/Summer 2016 will be playful and provocative. Gucci and Max Mara kept with that key fresh and natural look. Missoni stayed true to the minimal base trend but showed a wilder approach to the season by using a neon colour-pops of eyeliner spread across the entire lid in shades of blue and yellow. Giamba adopted a similar approach. Prada
went for the fresh-faced rosy- cheeks look but made a major statement by using bright gold lips. All in all, the shows of both Paris and Milan brought us to a similar conclusion: dewy, glowy, healthy and almost-unedited skin is the way forward. Grownout brows are in, and skip the bronzer while you’re at it. Keep it minimal or amp up the intrigue with
popping eyes or lips. Spring/Summer 2016 will be low-key yet interesting. Ray writes beauty for the College Tribune in addition to producing beauty tutorials under the name Ray’s Randm Beauty on YouTube. You can also find her on Twitter: @RayTheRoo
Arts & Culture Magazine 13.10.2015
Oh Man! The most prevalent trend from the menswear shows was undoubtedly inspired by safari rangers, Indiana Jones and Action Man. Everyone from Balmain to Neil Barrett to Calvin Klein sent pocketed cargo pants and bulky shirts, jackets and belts down the runway in variations of muted, earthy tones such as grey, brown, army green and beige. Even Dior Homme and Louis Vuitton included samples of camouflage patterns on jackets n and shirt collars.
Fashion // 7
As the 2015 iteration of Fashion Month draws to a close, trends writer Katie Devlin looks at some stand out looks, striking design and the biggest Spring/Summer menswear trends from the shows of Milan and Paris.
It seems that satin is set to be the fabric of the season. It was seen on the runways in many forms, from shirts and jackets to trousers, and was the go-to material for designers such as Louis Vuitton, Versace, Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana.This delicate textile was mostly teamed with equally delicate patterns and designs, most notably florals.
One of the most wearable trends from this year’s collections is graphic design t-shirts and jumpers. Ferragamo led the way with this, presenting shows filled with colourful, artistic patterns printed on simple, fitted t-shirts. Prada’s take on this trend was interesting as they included jumpers detailed with child-lik designs such as rabbits and rocket ships.
Sportswear-inspired looks once again made an appearance, after being a regular fixture in both men and womenswear collections over the past few seasons. Prada, Jil Sander and Gosha Rubchinskiy all included tracksuit style two pieces in plain, block colours and fussfree designs. Another prominent look from this season was the combination of socks and sandals that was seen across the board rom Marni and Versace to Calvin Klein.
Numerous designers this season presented collections that were heavily influenced by grunge and punk styles. Take Saint Laurent for example, who primarily included black leather, ripped denim, bohemian fringing and psychedelic prints. Philipp Plein opted for a show that was full of monochrome leather embellished with metallic studs. Even Lanvin’s collection fea tured mostly dark colours, and leather jackets in black, navy and brown.
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8 // Arts
So You Want to go to Drama School? Deborah Skeffington
wards the panel will interview you, so it it imperitive that you practice your answers! Thousands of people audition for these schools, it is tough, so be prepared. When people think of drama school, they think of RADA (The Royal Acadamy of Dramatic Art). Alumni include; Anthony Hopkins, Ralph Fiennes and Roger Moore. Despite its intimidating appearance, the RADA panel is the nicest one you’ll meet. RADA’s Associate Director, Nona Shepphard is very encouraging to auditionees. RADA is rumoured to give more callbacks than other schools, which is encouraging, and takes on an average of 25 students per year. Similarly, Guildhall is one of the world’s leading drama conservatoires. Located in the artsy area of Barbican in north London, a hub for
I’ll never forget morning I met Peter Campion. My dad had organised the meeting, as I was eager to meet a real working actor. I was sitting in a coffee shop in town, anxiously awaiting what was going to come through the door. In keeping with his character, Peter’s entrance was dramatic. He rushed over and hugged me as if we were long lost friends. Immediately intrigued, I sat back and observed every inch of him. From his piercing eyes to how he guzzled double espressos. I wanted the answer. I wanted to know what set him apart from thousands of other hopefuls, like myself, to be gifted with a place in one of the best drama schools in the world. Peter graduated from Guildhall School of Music performed and Drama in “I 2010 and fash- my pieces for a ioned a successful career; panel of two in from a stint on one room who Love/Hate, a lead in a Chan- didn’t utter a nel 4 comedy word to me”. I to a starring role in the Gai- was then ushety Theatre. He ered into a anovertook many of his class- other room to mates in achiev- have my intering success. I wanted most view with a difto journey back ferent panel. a few years with Peter, to when he was an eighteen-year-old student in Clongowes Wood, applying to all the top UK drama schools. I was hoping to tap into his brain and unlock the secret to getting one of these places, which are quite literally like gold dust. When applying for drama schools in the UK you must do extensive research on each institution you’re applying to. Visit the school, find out the credentials of the staff, go to any productions they have on – generally take an interest. It is pivitol you read each school’s audition requirements. Usually you are required to prepare two Shakespearean monologues, a contemporary monologue and sometimes a song. After
budding performers. Guildhall also enrol 25 students each year. Some argue that it is the most difficult school to get into, as many current RADA students were cut first round from Guildhall auditions. Their audition comprises of group work followed by individual auditions. Unlike other schools, the auditionees are then summoned to a room. The names of those progressing to the next round are read aloud (on average, two out of fifteen will get a callback). Alumni include; Ewan McGregor, Orlando Bloom and Daniel Craig. Another hot favourite is LAMDA (London Academy of Dramatic Art). This audition was strange for me. Auditionees had a nice room to wait in and a LAMDA student waited with us to answer any questions. What I found unsettling was that the audition had two seperate panels. I performed my pieces for a panel of two in one room who didn’t utter a word to me. I was then ushered into a another room to have my interview with a different panel. It was a
disjointed experience and I felt no connection with the auditioners, though perhaps this was the idea. Nevertheless, LAMDA prides itself as a welcoming conservatoire with a variety of courses. The BA Acting course accepts an average of 28 students each year. Alumni include; Benedict Cumberbatch, Brian Cox and Dominic Cooper. Moving away from London, Bristol’s Old Vic is another stop on the drama school auditions train. The school is located in a quaint townhouse in the city centre. Roughly 26 acting students are accepted annually. The Vics’ alumni include; Daniel Day-Lewis, Jeremy Irons and Patrick Stewart. Upon my arrival, auditionees were left waiting at reception. This was one aspect I disliked about Bristol. I felt unwelcome and as though auditionees were disrupting the students. Individually, we went upstairs to audition for the panel. Whether it was intentional or not, we were all able to hear one another’s audition. For some this was uncomfortable, especially hearing each other sing. There are many other fantastic drama schools across the UK. I also auditioned for the Welsh and Scottish Conservatoires which run excellent acting programmes. Research is key and it is often a case of the school fitting the student, rather than the other way around, some thing in which I am a firm believer. My run
at auditions was successful in that I got to the last round of RADA. Despite not getting a place, I have to remind myself that that was still a huge achievement. As cliché as it sounds, it is best to enter the audition as yourself rather than presenting a false exterior. Mallory Adams, a good friend of mine who was accepted to LAMDA but opted to study at The Lir has this advice for budding auditionees:
“You get a lot of rejection and it can be hard. But with each round and each school you audition for you learn a bit about yourself. Sometimes the schools put you in strange exercises, group exercises, ask you to sing or do something inevitably embarrassing. So what I found was to just ‘let go’ and have a bit of fun with it. If you can do that, then it makes the whole experience a lot more pleasant”
Arts & Culture Magazine 13.10.2015
Slam Poetry A Rebellious Art Form Charlotte McLoughlin Whilst we are young, we try to make sense of the world around us and if it does not make sense, we rebel against it. Other times, we just get mad and smash things. Events like Slam Poetry offer an alternative for the angst riddled youth in all of us; that part of us that wants to shout about sex, heartache and drugs, that want to rage against the media’s views on gay rights, social mobility and mental health, that wants to just scream at the world.
comfortably squeezed onto a beanbag with three other people. So how does Slam Poetry work? The tournament is open to anyone on the night, and contestants are chosen at random. They then pass a series of rounds where they are judged on their poetry. Cash prizes of up to 60 euro are given to the top 3 poets. The poems here are unorthodox. They don’t rhyme; sometimes people sing and say random words. To the uninitiated,
intimate parts of her sexuality. ‘How many one night stands do you have a week?’ he asks and then tries to touch her leg. Bonny wonders whether he cares about homophobia and transphobia in the media, about mental health in LGBT+Q society and says ‘things are not a-okay because we have same-sex marriage now’. For her more is needed. She makes him stop the car and gets out because ‘every word and look hangs on a radioactive cloud’. She hopes this will
In a story of a night out, a taxi driver harasses her with questions about intimate parts of her sexuality. ‘How many one night stands do you have a week?’ In Accents Tea and Coffee Lounge, punters squeeze in to perform poetry and play to an all-ages crowd. This is an important facet of these events, they’re open to anyone and everyone. Slam Sunday is in its second year as a monthly spoken word competition and takes place on the first Sunday of each month. At this stage in its existence, the events are so well attended that finding a place at the venue can be difficult, leaving you at times
they can feel overly personal, though this is part and parcel of Slam as many performers use the space as sounding board to open up in ways they simply cannot in everyday life. “There you lounge on a mound of tainted silver” as one of the poets describes an ex-friend. It can also be funny and engaging. It is also not for everyone. UCD English student, Bonny Tsang, says it is a way to make people feel, play around with poetic rules and have a bit of rant. Bonny chose last Sunday to rail against sexism. In a story of a night out, a taxi d driver harasses her with questions about
not happen to the next woman who is only trying to get home but fears it will. Slam Poetry ivery much on the up, in 2012 more than 12,000 young people across the UK took part in a national slam. UCD Slam Poetry was established last year by LitSoc. There are intervarsity competitions held in Ireland with many universities now fielding a team. A new festival also sprung up last year, LINGO, it will return this month to present “an even more exciting, eclectic line-up of fresh voices”. While it’s early days for the movement, Slam Poetry is here to stay. What form it might take is anyone’s guess.
Arts // 9
Radio in Ireland Emma Costello, Arts Editor
In Ireland, we talk about homeland celebrities like they’re an old pal, a friend who might drop in to us on a cold evening and bring with them just the right treats for the weather. We talk in work how we saw Bertie outside the Dáil, or Michael D. went to go visit the zoo. We banter about Miriam O’Callaghan’s changing appearance as if we knew all her ins and outs. There’s a personal connection. This relationship we have with our local celebrities is most well experienced by listening to radio, in particular. From George Hook on Newstalk to Nicky Byrne’s show on 2FM, the population calls in for almost just a chat! For many radio stations, there is constant flow of not only calls but texts, tweets, and Facebook posts about the various topics being discussed. We are one of the very few countries which maintains such a great interest in radio, but why is this? If we are to compare ourselves with the US, for instance, we might as well still be in the eighties. Whilst radio isn’t extinct there, it is very rarely listened to, holding its own in the isolated rural communities which exist there. The popularity of podcasts, though has erupted, with 1 in 10 Americans believed to listen to podcasts daily. Here in Ireland, podcasts
are nowhere near as popular with listeners fitting into the 18-25 bracket. Even so, the number of podcast listeners daily are far from that of the America statistics. In Ireland, we love radio. From JNLR (Joint National Listenership Research) reports, there are obviously a great deal of listeners aged 35 and above who listen to the radio at 85%, but shockingly, there are still a vast amount of listeners aged 15 to 25
“This popularity comes from what the Irish people pride themselves in; tradition.” who still tune in. Almost 23% of that age bracket tune in between 7am and 7pm. During an age when podcasts and the internet have taken over, this is something to admire from Irish radio. This popularity comes from what the Irish people pride themselves in; tradition. Just like going to mass at Christmas or saying “bless you”
ive’ Sign at The ‘Mic L
when someone sneezes, listening to the radio is almost ingrained in us. If we’re in the car, in work, or just moseying around the house, you can expect the radio to be on. Especially on a Sunday! Along with this, radio marketing is of a very high quality in Ireland. From FM104’s Strawberry Alarm Clock plastered on buses to Today FM’s annual Shave or Dye charity event, their marketing is apparent in everyday life. The fear for Irish radio, though, is that it is expected to decline in near future. Ireland is making leaps and bounds in terms of technology and is influenced by American lifestyles, so we can expect the number of podcasts listeners to increase whilst radio listeners will decrease. There exists in universities across the country a thriving student radio movement, with stations like DCUFM, Flirt in NUIG and our own Belfield FM training the next generation of radio presenters. But as this happens, as the older generation fades and the younger generation grows, many traditions will be kicked to the curb, perhaps our love of radio among them.
y eán O’Reill s. Image, S io d u st ’s M Belfield F
10 // About UCD
THE TRIB Issue 3
Arts & Culture Magazine 13.10.2015
The Turbine // 11
Author Judith Hermann speaks to students of German in the Newman Building
12 // About UCD
THE TRIB Issue 3
A makeshift office hidden away in a disused part of the Belfield campus
Tuesday, October 13th 2015
Tech
“I hate so much about the things that you chose to be” – Michael Scott A word of warning when thinking about pairing your LinkedIn profile to your email account. Graham Harkness Tech Editor
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am a fan of the office. I am such a fan that I routinely wear my Dunder Mifflin warehouse worker shirt to work and I even have a bobble headed Dwight on my desk at home. So it comes as no surprise that, since my last unintentional interaction with LinkedIn, I have been quoting ad nauseam my personal hero, office manager Michael Scott. I woke up two weeks ago to a flurry of notifications that old acquaintances had accepted my LinkedIn connection requests. I thought to myself “that’s weird, I don’t remember sending a LinkedIn request to my Gran’s home assistance nurse”. So when I arrived into work I logged on and saw that I had sent 2207 (not a typo) connection requests to everyone that I had ever had an interaction with through Gmail, not just my contacts list but the entirety of twelve years of incoming and outgoing message senders and recipients. As soon as the realisation hit me that ex-girlfriends, bad bosses whom I had told to get stuffed and even some obscure Chinese email accounts which had emailed me in the past to offer me some form of performing enhancing super drug (which I declined) had received a “Graham Harkness wants to connect with you on LinkedIn” email I felt physically unwell. The emails I received from old acquaintances afterwards went along the lines of “Why are you sending me connection requests, we haven’t spoken in 10 years .. freak!” at which point I was forced to sheepishly explain that it “must have been a virus or something”. Having done a bit of research that morning it appears that others have been the victim of LinkedIn sending connection requests to everyone in the inbox/sent box folder regardless of the fact that you may not know them. I have contributed to a thread on LinkedIn’s forums where people are baffled, an
angered and upset that this has happened. LinkedIn’s response has universally been “It’s in our Terms and Conditions … build a bridge!”. At which point I had no alternative but to accept the fact that people I wouldn’t even send a Facebook request to let alone talk to in real life have woken up to an email from me but even the more devastating realisation that of the 2207 requests sent only 10 had bothered to accept me. LinkedIn customer service cancelled the pending requests on my behalf but couldn’t revoke the sent emails. So it is with a happy heart that the point of today’s technology section is to inform you that LinkedIn has agreed to pay $13 Million to settle a class action suit that was filed in California for sending out emails from user’s accounts without their consent. In the true spirit of America and Freedom™ I have of course applied for a slice of the pay-out. You can read more about the class action “Perkins v LinkedIn” and apply for a settlement pay-out if you too have fallen victim to this behaviour. The address is addconnectionssettlement. com. LinkedIn have issued a statement following the settlement which states “Ultimately, we decided to resolve this case so that we can put our focus where it matters most: finding additional ways to improve our members’ experiences on LinkedIn. In doing so, we will continue to be guided by our core value – putting our members first.” So beware if you have paired your email account to your LinkedIn profile. You may find that you have sent a friend request to every Nigerian Prince who has emailed you over the past five years. So while LinkedIn is a necessary and useful service I think Michael Gary Scott said it best when he said “I hate so much about the things that you chose to be”.//
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Dōmo arigatō misutā Robōto Japan to trial self-driving taxis by 2016. Plan to launch fleet of Robot Taxis for 2020 Olympics. Graham Harkness Tech Editor
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ans of the 1990 blockbuster, Total Recall will totally recall the scene where the murderous self-driving Robo-Taxi, JohnnyCab tries to kill Arnie for neglecting to pay his fare following a high speed chase away from equally murderous hitmen. Well in technology news Japan has of course ignored the Nostradmusesque forewarning of Total Recall and plans to launch robot taxis in 2016.
The unmanned service will run in a small prefecture south of Tokyo. The small town of Fujisawa, a community of roughly 50 people will be lucky enough to test the cars which are intended to shuttle people between locations deemed inaccessible to public transport and will be using main roads along with standard manual drive cars. The hope is that the service will prove successful in lending a greater degree of mobility to the community’s ageing
population and that by the 2020 Olympics the Robot Taxi will be in full use in larger cities and towns. While the manufacturer, ZMP, have full faith in the taxi’s automation systems, the initial batch of trials will of course have a driver on board that will be on hand in case there are any unforeseen issues that may arise and can take control of the car if necessary. Japan has one of the highest rate of drivers ages 75 years or over. In 2013 there were 4.25 million drivers in this age bracket and that figure is expected to climb to 5 million by 2018. Dubbed the “silver” drivers, those who are suspected of suffering from dementia are required to provide a medial certificate to continue driving in the country. Nevertheless the Japanese police force & government have stated that in 2013 people aged 75 years and over were responsible for 458 fatal traffic collisions. Should the trials prove successful you may find yourself in your own self driving car within the next 20 years. If your Japanese is up to scratch you can always check out their website at http://robottaxi.com . May I suggest however that you always pay your fare.//
Business
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Are PIIGS Bouncing Back? T
Volume 29, Issue 3
Kate Weedy, Business Writer
he Rubber Band Effect theory has come up in discussions surrounding the launch of the Central Bank’s latest quarterly commentary. Chief economist Gabriel Fagan explained that the theory contends that the strength of recovery is directly proportional to the depth of recession. Fagan approaches the theory with the idea that it may explain Ireland’s 6 per cent growth, which comes in the form of increased demand, postponed consumption and deferred investment. However, we must also look at this theory in a broader context. If we look at the PIIGS (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece, Spain), the countries which suffered most during the economic recession due to their significant debt burdens, it be-
burdens, it becomes clear that it may be misleading to put too much store into the Rubber Band Effect theory. Logically we should be witnessing Greece’s economy expanding at a much faster rate than Ireland, having fallen further initially. Rather than experiencing improvements, Greece seems to be barely holding itself together. The economy has shrunk by a quarter in five years and unemployment is above 25 percent. Economic history also tells us that the deeper the recession, the longer it takes to recover. Irish statistics do seem to support the
A report released by the Central Bank suggests that Ireland’s current spurt of jobs-rich growth underpins a resurgence in domestic demand and a healthy stream of tax revenue for the exchequer. The
report also referenced a pickup in growth in export countries such as the US and UK, a €1.1 trillion ECB stimulus, cheap money internationally and the restoration of bank balance sheets. Fagan also
notes that the rehabilitation of public finances is an “outstanding achievement” of the current economic era. However, Ireland’s case seems to be the exception rather than the rule as other countries which were severely hit by the recession do not seem to be bouncing back to the same effect, causing oneA to question the “elastic bandtheory of recession.” //
Jack O’Sullivan, Business Writer
the High Court, which then referred it to the ECJ in July last year. On Tuesday the court ruled that “safe harbour” was invalid. The agreement was cast as a hollow tool which data protection agencies could use to waive off EU citizens who might be concerned that their
privacy was being violated. So where does this leave us? The DPC, until a few months ago, was an underfunded regulator based in asmall Irish town without a presence in Dublin. It is expected that the ruling may open the flood-
gates to similar complaints, so there is much scepticism as to whether the DPC will be able to fulfil its full obligations. Its budget has been doubled to €3.65m and it is now opening a Dublin office, however some criticism runs deeper, suggesting that Ireland simply does
not take data protection as seriously as other countries. would want to address, as privacy experts say big US tech companies are looking more and more to strong data and privacy regulation over low corporation tax when choosing where to locate. //
students position themselves in such a way to bridge this gap? Areas such as cyber security, data analytics, financial technologies and multilingual operations have expanded in recent years, while developments in areas such as social media, digital marketing and mobile computing mean positions are now open for jobs which did not even exist ten years ago. Upskilling is not a new phenomenon, however actively engaging in personal development ensures today’s students will be more versatile and dynamic in an ever changing working environment. It is more important than ever for professionals to reskill and become flexible for the varying demands of a job. Being adaptable is second nature to most of today’s students granting young professionals an initial head start with regard to these in demand skills. While mul-
tilingual candidates are now in more demand than ever, being prepared to offer global support on a 24/7 is a further requirement in this area. With the emigration epidemic which swept across Ireland now slowing, employers now face the challenge of attracting and recruiting highly skilled workers to propel business in the right direction. More employers are looking to overseas to fill these vacancies, especially with regard to lan-
guages. It is no longer unusual to see accountants upskilling in the area of technologies or marketing to become more commercially aware; or engineers venturing into the areas of accounting and finance, applying their industry knowledge to the area of financial services. The economic recovery is well under way but we must look to an individual basis in order to further bridge the gap. //
Illustration by Daisy Kinahan Murhpy
Ireland Under Scrutiny as Europe’s Chief Privacy Regulator I
reland Under Scrutiny as Europe’s Chief Privacy Regulator The European Court of Justice’s recent “safe harbour” judgment regarding the transfer of personal customer data from Europe back to the US has highlighted Ireland’s role as the home of Europe’s head privacy regulator, and showed that we may not have been up to such a task. The Irish Data Protection Commissioner is the privacy regulator for a number of multinationals based in Dublin, including Facebook. When Edward Snowden revealed in 2013 that US intelligence agencies had used Facebook and other digital companies to access huge quantities of personal information, an Austrian student, Max Schrems, complained to the DPC. “Frivolous or vexatious” was how the DPC described his case, as such data transfers were covered by the “safe harbour” agreement between Europe and the United States. But he proceeded to the High Court, which then referred it to the ECJ in July
Bridging the Gap Jamie Fortune, Business Writer
2015
has brought around a renewed source of confidence in the Irish professional jobs market; especially in areas such as banking, IT and finance. However, there are many ways students can increase their chances of attaining employment, either on a part time basis or after completing their studies. In a study conducted by Morgan McKinley it is apparent there is a gap emerging in the professional jobs sector with a 31% increase in the number of professional jobs available when comparing the first six months of 2015 with the first six months of 2014. Conversely, there has been an 11% drop in the number of professionals seeking employment. So how can
Behind The Doors of Power: Government’s Insider Property Deals
Tuesday, October 13th 2015
Jack Power, Politics Editor
Politics
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The IFSC in Dublin’s Docklands
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he politics of this current government has been defined by its unaccountability, secrecy and lack of transparency. The key decisions and policy-forming processes have all been conducted behind closed government doors and privy only to an elite few. The unhealthy centralisation of power in the cabinet is compounded by an intensely close relationship to the financial and banking sectors in Ireland. This partnership allows the financial sector a privileged primacy in its ability to influence and direct government policy. The recent stream of controversies implicating suspect property dealings regarding state and Nama assets can be traced back to the open access Ireland’s key financial and property players enjoy to the political corridors of power.
Project Eagle
Swirling clouds of allegations have begun to form over Nama’s property dealings and the sale of their portfolio of Northern Irish properties - Project Eagle. The repackaged Northern Irish loans were sold to the US company Cerberus for £1.2 billion, despite holding a nominal balance and estimated power value of £4.4 billion. This sharp 70% discount will see Nama make a loss of £160 million, calling into question the fervency at which Nama officials are determined to get the best return on the bailout loans for the Irish taxpayer. The business model of companies like Cerberus is to now quickly flip the acquired loan book by selling the loans on, in many cases back to the original owner whom Nama initially had to buy-out
after the financial crash. It is estimated Cerberus will make a £200 million profit on their sale of Project Eagle from this practice in a short space of time. The continual underselling of now state owned Nama assets, despite the context of a recovering property and financial climate, calls into question the company’s credibility. Mick Wallace TD has also raised serious allegations into the transaction of the Project Eagle deal itself. The original bidder, a US firm Pimco pulled out of the deal over reservations with the involvement of Belfast law firm Tughans and the Dublin branch of US law firm Brown Rudnick in the deal. The two law firms then went on to advise Cerberus and sought an ‘arrangement fee’ from the deal. The alleged murky involvement of the two firms in gaining financially by securing the deal for a willing buyer becomes more substantive as a supposed £7 million sum was paid by Cerberus through a Tughans company account to a bank account in the Isle of Man. The passive attitude from Nama in continuing with the abrupt sell off of Project Eagle despite the persistent and questionable involvement of Tughans and Brown Rudnick could bear a serious harbouring of negligence if Mick Wallace’s implications of corruption are later revealed to be true.
SiteServe
The controversy over the sale of SiteServe broke out during the summer months, when Catherine Murphy TD brought up accusations in the Dáil that a subjectively favourable rate of interest was given to Denis O’Brien’s company
Millington on the purchase of a state owned asset. SiteServe was owned by the state operated IBRC (formerly Anglo-Irish bank) and bailed out by up to €150 million. Yet the SiteServe company was then sold onto Millington for just €45 million – at a €110 million loss to the state. Furthermore Catherine Murphy revealed that Denis O’Brien was permitted to pay an interest rate of just 1.25% on the purchase, when the rate should have been closer to 7.5%. The inseparable duality between the government and the financial sector in Ireland has seen the rise of a political culture based on non-transparency and behind—the-door deals that has encroached into the entire political and administrative infrastructure.
The IFSC Lobby Group
Nama’s favourable dealings with the big players of the property sector is therefore but a symptom of this government’s wider coalition of interests with the upper strata of the financial sector. The IFSC as the hub of Ireland’s finance and banking sectors has long held ties with the government and its policy-making process. The IFSC has a lobbying group that has met regularly with this government in Merrion Square to discuss and direct Ireland’s financial policy over the last five years. The IFSC ‘Clearing House’ lobbying group includes the key banking, financial and regulatory figures from the private sector. The integrated lobbying effort of the IFSC group has seen Ireland oppose a limited financial trading tax, retain its low corporation tax, and has also protected generous
tax credits for high earners and a softer income tax approach to Ireland highest tax brackets. The powerful influence of this lobby group shapes financial policies that run against the interests of the majority of Irish citizens, yet its low salience approach ensures its business in government buildings goes undetected by most.
Exposing the Truth
Anne-Marie McNally has worked as Catherine Murphy’s parliamentary assistant over the last Dáil term, and will now be running herself as a Social Democrat candidate in Dublin Mid-West. She spoke to the Tribune about uncovering the SiteServe scandal. “Well I suppose the initial thing to say is that trying to solicit answers was almost impossible, it was a full six months of questions with no answers. It [SiteServe] would have be left there, if not for the tenacity of Catherine, Eoin and myself. I think there’s a culture of secrecy that permeates our political culture and our institutions, and it had to be challenged. The only way to deal with it is to reward good behaviour and punish bad behaviour, - like there have never been charges brought for insider trading in this country. At the moment there appears to be a presupposition of secrecy, it should be the opposite, a presumption of openness. Instead of a parliamentarian having to drag answers out, it should be the case that once the question is asked, all the information should be laid bare. The Freedom of Information request should be effective, for citizens, for parliamentarians. If there’s nothing to hide what’s the point of hiding it?”
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Politics
Volume 29, Issue 3
Labour Left Holding the Posion Chalice of the Junior Coalition Partner Charlotte McLaughlin Politics Writer
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general election is sure to take place before April 2016, and it may well spell disaster for the Labour Party. The Labour Party has seen the bottom fall out of its voter base after its time in government, having footed the blame for the water charges, the increase in university fees, cuts to child welfare, and rising inequality. Tánaiste Joan Burton clearly faces an uphill struggle with Labour consistently polling between just 8-10%. Ireland’s largest trade union SIPTU has begun to debate whether they want to disaffiliate from the Labour Party. The financial and symbolic damage of losing the support of SIPTU would be massive for the floundering Labour Party. Dr. Kieran Allen, the chair of the UCD education branch of SIPTU proposed to end the union’s 103 year links with the Labour. Speaking to Newstalk, Dr. Allen said ‘It makes no sense for a union which opposes austerity to be tied to a party which defends and promotes it.’ The proposal has the backing already of up to 7,000 education workers. Perhaps most troubling for the Labour Party are the lessons of history. In the last 20 years of Irish politics, the junior partners in coalition have had a hard time facing the electorate after a term in office. In a academic paper looking at the 2011 General Election Conor Little (UCD SPIRE) studied how the Green Party went from being the fourth biggest party in Ireland to not
having a single parliamentary seat. Mr. Little suggests that junior partners often fail to establish themselves as credible alternatives to their partners, and suffer electorally. The same fate awaited the Progressive Democrats in 2007, who were in coalition during the Celtic Tiger days with Fianna Fáil and went from the fourth biggest party to total extinction. The Liberal Democrats in the UK are the most recent victims of the trend, by tying their legacy to the Conservative administration in 2010 they inevitably alienated their own supporters. Researchers at the London School of Economics (LSE) have noted smaller parties tend to get fewer votes after being in coalition with a larger party, as they get blamed for the coalition’s mistakes and do not get rewarded for their triumphs. The LSE’s advice for junior coalition partners like the Labour Party, is to demonstrate they have made a unique contribution in office. This means Labour will have to work hard to convince voters they have a good track record in government. The economy has improved over the Fine Gael-Labour coalition and there is a further predicted upturn in 2016. But Labour have failed to receive any electoral dividends from this economic upturn, instead Fine Gael have claimed the spoils of government. Labour must emphasise their own achievements; the Marriage Equality referendum for one, and try to stake out a separate manifesto from Fine Gael. Or they risk the fate of joining the list of many now forgotten former junior coalition partners. //
The Lost Future of Fianna Fail - a Party in Stasis Eden McLaughlin Politics Writer
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ve dedicated most of my adult life to Fianna Fáil. Over the past 5 years we were told of reform, renewal, a new generation. These words ring hollow. Nothing embodies this more than the calamitous events surrounding the selection of a general election candidate in Dun Laoghaire. Fianna Fáil made the transition to a one member one vote (OMOV) system for candidate selection conventions. This was designed to empower members and increase internal democracy within the party. The convention took place on Monday 28th of October and in a close race, the party members chose Cllr. Cormac Devlin to represent them. The members had spoken and all was well. But by the Wednesday, the National Constituencies Committee (NCC), the body in charge of deciding candidate strategy e.g. number of candidates, enforcing gender quotas, etc. added former Minister Mary Hanafin to the ticket. Less than 48 hours after asking the members to have their say, and proclaiming to said members that a one candidate strategy was the only chance of taking a seat, they simply went over the heads of the membership and added a second candidate. There are two possible reasons for such a decision. First the NCC didn’t have the will to enforce a directive to ensure their preferred candidate was selected and chose instead to prop up the thin veil of internal democracy. The other possible scenario is that the party and the NCC has very little actual strategy when it comes to candidate selection and are panicking and
adapting their plan on the fly in face of continued external pressures. Neither are promising omens for the future of a party that is desperately trying to make amends to an angry and disappointed electorate. It ties into an overall trend of Fianna Fáil failing to deliver on any true reform. The party’s failing to get to grips with its own future is the biggest disappointment. New blood, a new generation, a fresh batch were all phrases that were thrown around in order to appease a young, progressive element within the party who strived for radical changes not only to the party itself but also to the wider political system. From the evidence we’ve seen so far, it’s extremely hard to lend any credence to these claims. In terms of a new generation, younger candidates have struggled through conventions and have had candidates added into their constituency from above. Be this a change of heart or a fear of failure from these new faces. The party has struggled to get to grips with gender quotas and has consistently fallen short in terms of trusting female candidates on the ticket. Overall, it creates a narrative that the party is interested in short-run seat gains at the next election more than creating a new brand or a new generation of politicians. Fianna Fáil made grand promises but didn’t have the backbone to deliver on them. It’s hard to believe that without drastic change the party will be able to do anything except limp from election to election, desperately trying to shake an image of a static party, afloat within a sea of change. My fear isn’t that people will be angry or frustrated, but that in the near future that people simply won’t even think of Fianna Fáil at all. //
Tuesday, October 13th 2015
Innovation
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Web Summit To Target Students within Wider Showcase Jack Power, Politics Editor
“Web Summit for Schools” talk that will close out the first day. The his year the much-hyped event will be orientated to encourDublin Web Summit will hold age and promote students choostwo student specific events over ing STEM courses as Leaving cert the three-day tech gauntlet. CEO students begin to weight up their Paddy Cosgrave announced that third-level options. The second 7,000 free tickets would be issued event will be a Careers Summit to these two talks, and that they which will look at options for stuwill be available to both third-lev- dents after college, or alternatives el and second-level schools and to third-level study, with much colleges. Secondary school stu- emphasis no doubt on the possidents will be the audience of a bilities for students to get involved with start-ups. The layout of the Summit this year will see the previous monolithic format break off into 21 different ‘summits’. The smaller hubs will each focus on a particular area from sport, to media, start-ups, code, data, enterprise, music, fashion, and marketNov. 2-3, 2015 ing among the range of topics. The scale of University College Dublin the show will again Dublin, Ireland be an increase on last #FungForum year with over 30,000 Register: http://fungforum.princeton.edu attendees. The talks General: $100 themselves will be Students: $25 from the who’s-who of each key industry Press Contact: with over a thousand fungforum@princeton.edu speakers overall. The overarching theme of KEYNOTE SPEAKERS the Summit will be to Jeremy Farrar Director, Wellcome Trust examine how techRaj Panjabi nology is impacting Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, and influencing all Last Mile Health aspects of life and Peter Piot work. But the 7000 Director, London School of Hygiene free tickets allocated & Tropical Medicine to students will not Mary Robinson give them access to Former President of Ireland the whole Summit, President, The Mary Robinson and so many students Foundation - Climate Justice and fresh graduates U.N. Special Envoy on Climate Change will hope to volunFEATURING PANELISTS FROM: teer or buy a ticket Princeton University to get themselves Centers for Disease Control and Prevention into the tech nexus Concern Worldwide for the three days. GOAL Ireland The majority of the Harvard Medical School Summit’s attendees International Rescue Committee hail from the internaJohn Snow, Inc. tional tech scene, and The Lancet The New York Times so the conference’s NPR location in Dublin Médecins Sans Frontières Ireland provides a once a lifeOxford University time chance for opU.K. Department for International Development portunistic student UNICEF Innovations volunteers. GraduUSAID ates in particular will U.S. Navy be scoping out the University College Dublin network of potential University of Ghana The Washington Post employers from the Wellbody Alliance behemoth compaWorld Health Organization nies to the smaller domestic players all of whom will be
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orbiting the Summit. The development that the Summit will be migrating to Lisbon next year while disappointing, will only no doubt add to the energy of the spectacle this year. The founder of the Summit Paddy Cosgrave defended the conference’s move in the media last month - “It has not been an easy decision to move the Web Summit from its Irish home. We are going because we want to take the next step on our journey to international growth.” Cosgrave’s ambitious plan for future years in Dublin allegedly included lobbying for free public transport within the city centre and the closure of numerous roads for the duration of the Summit – to which he came up against opposition. The farewell spectacle for what has become one of Dublin’s best homegrown stories will no doubt be a captivating experience for any young students or graduates able to secure their entry. The Web Summit will take place from the 3rd to the 5th of November in the RDS, and will be live tweeted from @CollegeTribune for those following the conference online.
“The layout of the Summit this year will see the previous monolithic format break off into 21 different ‘summits’. The smaller hubs will each focus on a particular area from sport, to media, start-ups, code, data, enterprise, music, fashion, and marketing among the range of topics. “
Dr Manus Rogan, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Fountain Healthcare Partners and Dr Ross O’Neill, CEO, Neuromod Devices.
UCD Based Company Neuromod Receives €5.5 million in Funding for Pioneering Tinnitus Treatment Jack Power, Politics Editor
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he Irish medical device company Neuromod has recently received an initial €5.5 million in Series A funding from a venture capital fund Fountain Healthcare. Neuromod are based in UCD’s Industry partner centre NexusUCD and was set up by Dr Ross O’Neil in 2010 to develop a medical solution to combat chronic tinnitus. Tinnitus is a symptom of a condition within the brain that causes sufferers to experience a ringing or buzzing sound in their ears. Neuromod have attempted to find a non-invasive solution by ‘re-training’ aspects of the sensory and neurological link within the patient’s brain. Their device mutebotton® stimulates different sensory centers in the patients ears and tongue in order to promote positive changes in the patient’s brain and sensory system. The investment it is hoped will upscale Neuromod’s initial successes in treatment and research and move the Irish company towards a global stage. The €5.5 million windfall of funding will be used to help the company to begin clinical trials in the US, and continue further research into the possibilities of their neuromodualtion process. So far their device mutebotton® has only been used to treat 50 tinnitus patients, but with encouraging results. Up until now tinnitus patients have had to rely on the management of their condition with no medical cure or treatment available. The pioneering success of Neuromod then will come as a huge sign of optimism for the
estimated 45,000 people who suffer from the condition in Ireland, and the estimated 250 million people worldwide. It is hoped their device mutebotton will be rolled out and launched globally by 2018. The market for such a treatment would be expected to be exponential, as tinnitus has been under researched and medical investigations into treatments only marginal. The impressive Irish company was recognized as the ‘Emerging C ompany of the Year’ this year at the Irish Medical Device association. Neuromod will continue its work from the college’s innovation hub in NexusUCD, but will no doubt begin to branch out internationally in the coming years. Dr Ross O’Neill, founding CEO of Neuromod when speaking on the investment said, “Neuromod is delighted to announce this investment, which will help us to advance our unique chronic tinnitus treatment technolog y. As an emerging company we welcome the support and knowledge offered to us from partnering with an experienced international life sciences venture capital fund such as Fountain Healthcare Partners. We are also particularly grateful for the ongoing support we have received from our manufacturing partners, M&M Qualtech and Molex, and from Enterprise Ireland, which enable innovative Irish companies, like Neuromod, to grow and succeed on the international stage.”
Gaeilge Mo thaithí ar an difríocht idir spórt na bhfear agus spórt na mban- an bhfuil difríocht mhór ann? 16
Déanann Katie Nic Craith anailís ar na difríochtaí idir an bhéim a chuirtear ar spórt na bhfear agus spórt na mban. Beidh Katie ag cur agallaimh ar imreoirí Peile agus Camógaíochta Idirmheánaigh Phort Láirge, Rúnaí agus Cathaoirleach an CLG Phort Láirge mar chuid dá módúil cumarsáide atá á dhéanamh aici chun a gcuid tuairimí a fháil.
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s Déiseach mé ó dhúchais agus tá grá mór agam do chúrsaí spóirt. Tó g a d h m é l e i s a n s p ó r t - é p á i rteach de gach ní de mo shaol, sa bhaile, ar scoil srl. Ar aois óg thosaigh mé ag dul in éineacht le mo chlann go dtí na cluichí iomána sinsearacha Phort Láirge ar fad - cluichí na bhfear dár ndóigh! Mú s c l a í o d h m o c h u i d s u i m e a g u s suim mo chuid cairde sa spóirt agus sinn ag freastal ar an mbuns c o i l . Is c u i m h i n l i o m g o m a i t h a n C o m ó r t a s Pe i l e G a e l L i n n a bhí ar siúl i gColáiste na Rinne, i b Po r t L á i r g e , a g u s b h í b u a c h a i l l í agus cailíní ar gach foireann. Bhí ar gach foireann triúr cailíní ar a laghad a bheith ar an bpáirc an t-am ar fad. Chruthaigh sé seo comhionannais eadrainn agus thaitin sé seo go mór liom. An t-aon bac inscne a bhí ann ar scoil ná nach raibh cead ag na cailíní imirt ar an bpáirc imeartha mór a r e a g l a g o n g o r t ó f a í i a d . Is m i n i c a bhí troid agam leis an bpríomhoide ar an ábhar seo! Nu a i r a t h o s a i g h m é a g i m i r t peile agus iomána leis na clubanna áitiúla, thug mé faoi deara go raibh táille le n-íoc againn le haghaidh árachais agus nach raibh aon táille le n-íoc ag aon cheann de na buachaillí a bhí mar chairde agam. Cheap mé go raibh sé seo beagáinín mí-chothrom. Ní o r c h u i r a n t á i l l e s e o i s t e a c h a r na cailíní óga díograiseacha, ach n u a i r a d’é i r í o m a r n í o s s i n e , d’a rdaigh an praghas ar an árachas agus chur sé seo bac ar roinnt mhaith
c a i l í n í a n s p ói r t a i m i r t . A n c hú i s leis an táille árachais seo ná gur e a g r a í o c ht a í n e a m h s p l e á c h a i a d A n Cu m a n n C a m ó g a í o c ht a a g u s Cu m a n n Pe i l n a m B a n ón Cu m a n n Lút h c h l e a s G a e l . B í on n a n t - a i r g e a d a g a n Cu m a n n Lút h c h l e a s G a e l á r a c h a s a g c u i d b a l l a c h lú d a c h ón mbr a bú s a b h f a i g ht e a r ó d í o l t i c é i d a g n a c lu i c h í a r f a d . Ní l a n Cu m a n n C a m ó g a í o c ht n á Cu m a n n Pe i l n a m B a n c h om h r at hú i l s i n á f a c h . C é g o b h f a i g h e a n n s p ór t n a b h f e a r n í o s m ó t a c a í o c ht a ón bp o b a l a g u s n í o s m ó c lú d a i g h ó n a m e á i n , c e ap a i m g o b h f u i l n a c ú r s a í s e o f e a b h s a it h e l e b l i a nt a b e a g a a nu a s . Is c u i m h i n l i om a b h e it h I l át h a i r a g n a c lu i c h í c e a n n a i s p e i l n a mb a n i b Pá i rc a n C h ró c a i g h i 2 0 1 2 a g u s b h a i n m é a n s u lt a s . B h í a n - c hu i d s i a m s a í o c ht a a n n c h om h m a it h c hu n s lu a a m h e a l l a d h c hu i g n a hócáide is dócha. B h í a n t - á d h d e a r g or m g o b h f u a i r m é a n d e i s roi n nt oi bre a d h é a n a m h l e c om h l a c ht l é i r it h e t e i l i f í s e Ne m e t on , bu n a it h e s a R i n n , a oi br í on n d o T G 4 , a g u s d’f h re a s t a l m é a r roi n nt c lu i c h í p e i l n a mb a n i r it h a n t s a m h r a i d h . T h ó g m é f a oi d e a r a g o r a i b h s lu a m a it h t a c a í o c ht a a g n a c lu i c h í . B h í át h a s a n d om h a i n or m i mb l i a n a nu a i r a b hu a i g h a n f oi re a n n i d i r m h e á n a c h c a m ó g a í o c ht a a g u s a n f oi re a n n i d i r m h e á n a c h p e i l e a n d á C lu i c h e Ceannais. B a i n e a d h c u r i a r r a c ht nu a a m a c h I mb l i a n a d on m é i d i s m ó du i n e i l át h a i r a g ó c á i d s p ói r t n a mb a n a n b h l i a i n s e o, s a n E or a ip. Is m ór a n é a c ht é s e o. C é n a c h m ór a n c om p a r á i d é a n 3 1 , 0 8 3 a b h í I l át h a i r an lá sin leis an 82,300 a bhí I l át h a i r a g C lu i c h e C e a n n a i s Pe i l e n a b h Fe a r. Is l é i r g o b h f u i l roi n nt d i f r í o c ht a í a n n i d i r s p ói r t n a b h f e a r a g u s s p ói r t n a mb a n ; a r n ó s re a c ht a í o c ht n a g Cu m a n n a g u s l í on n a t a c a í o c h t a , a c h i s c i n nt e g o b h f u i l a n g r á c h é a n n a a g a n d á i n s c n e d on C L G !
Imleabhar 29, Eagrán 1
Géarchéim na nImirceach Pléann Anna Ní Dhufaigh Géarchéim na nImirceach i gcomhthéacs na Éireann.
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í lá a théann thart nach mbíonn rud éigin faoi ábhar éigin a r a n t e i l i f i s”. D’ú s á i d t r o m l a c h n a ndaltaí Ardteiste an frása sin i rith s c r ú d ú n a G a e i l g e , u a i r n ó d h ó, cé go raibh sé fíor nó bréagach, mar dheismireacht chainte a bhí ann. Mhínigh na múinteoirí linn g u r ‘f r á s a i o n t a c h d o n a s c r ú d a i t h e o i r í’ a b h í á s c r í o b h ! Ac h , i gcás na n-imirceach, níl sé pioc f í o r. A g u s s i n a n f h a d h b. Ba cheart go mbeadh na himircigh a r a n s c á i l e á i n , a r a n r a i d i ó, a r n a n u a c h t á i n l á i n n d i a i d h l a e . Tá na mílte daoine tar éis a dtithe, a bpostanna agus a gcuid clainne a fhágáil, ní mar rogha ach mar r i a c h t a n a s . Tá s i a d i m b a o l i n a dtír féin. Anois tá siad san Eor a i p, a g s t r e a c h a i l t c h u n b a i l e n u a a chruthú dóibh féin, gan mórán cabhrach ó rialtas na tíre nó an t Ao n t a s E o r p a c h . C h u a l a m é a rgóint dochreidte ag díospóireacht le déanaí - ba cheart an lucht a chur ar na himircigh mar gheall ar a n ‘r o g h a’ a r i n n e s i a d , a n t - a i r g e ad ar fad a thabhairt chun spás a fháil in cheann de na céadta bád in séidte bídeach a bhfuil ag taisteal a r a n M h e á n m h u i r. Tá a n a r g ó i n t sin drochbhéasach. Dochtúirí, dlíodóirí, múinteoirí atá ann i measc na himircigh - tuigeann siad cé chomh dainséarach is atá a n t - a i s t e a r. Tá s i a d t o i l t e a n a c h an aistear dainséarach a dhéanamh mar ní féidir leo fanacht sa bhaile, i gcontúirt gach nóiméad. In easpa aon rogha eile, cuireann siad iad féin agus a gclainne ar na báid. Tá m ó r á n t r u a a g c u i d m h ó r d a o ine do na himircigh agus a gcoimh l i n t c h u n m a r t h a n a . Ac h c a d i s féidir linn a dhéanamh, go
praiticiúil? An céad rud go bhféidir linn chun tosú ná ár dtuairimí féin a athrú i dtreo na h i m i r c i g h . Ní u a l a c h i a d n a h i m i r c i g h . Is d a o i n e i a d s a n , d a o i n e l e c e a r t a , d a o i n e c o s ú i l l i n n e . Tá an cúinse sin an-cosúil le cúinse i stair na nÉireannach i rith an G h o r t a . D’f h á g n a m í l t e d a o i n e a mbaile féin, ní mar rogha ach mar bhí saol níos fearr ag teastáil uathu. Chuir siadsan freisin a saolta i mbaol ar na long báis, díreach mar an gcéanna leis na himircigh anois. Bhí an hÉireannaigh thar a bheith buíoch nuair a thug daoine cabhair dóibh agus anois, is féidir linn ár gcéad mílte fáilte a thaispeáint, ní hamháin do na himircigh ag teacht chuig ár gcladaí, ach don domhan ar fad. Tá r u d a í e i l e n í o s t á b h a c h t a í n á a i r g e a d a g a n b p o i n t e s i n . Ni t h e eile go bhféidir linn a dhéanamh chun cúnamh a thabhairt: éadaí, bróga, cótaí agus puball chuig eagraíocht dheonach mar an Dublin C a l a i s R e f u g e e S o l i d a r i t y. Nó c a d faoi na leabhair B éarla atá ar seilf éigéan agat sa bhaile? S eol iad c h u i g T h e Ju n g l e L i b r a r y, b ú n a i t h e i Sasanna, ar son na páistí ag fanacht i gCalais? Cinnte, is gearchéim ollmhór í ach is féidir linn dul i ngleic léi agus lámh na cairdeas a cuir amach i d t r e o n a h i m i r c i g h . Tá g e a r c h é i m na himircigh an ghéarchéim dhaonnúil is measa denár glúin agus I gceann cupla blain, béimid ag cur ceist orainne- an ndearnamar ar ndícheall dóibh?
Sport
Tuesday, October 13th 2015
Unconvincing Ireland Survive Massive Italy Scare Conor Lynott, Sports Writer
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his was as poor a performance seen from Ireland since arguably the defeat against the Wallabies in November 2013. Ireland seemed to have lost all shape in the backline and lacked any composure in the many times they achieved decent territory. Despite this, it was Johnny Sexton who managed to open the scoring with a penalty after profiting from Italian indiscipline in front of the sticks. However in a display of character rarely seen from the Ausuries, it was they who came roaring back down the field. The Men in Green were shell shocked by the intensity thrown at them in the breakdown area, to an extent that it was the Irish captain who was subsequently pinched for putting his hands in the ruck. Tomaso Allen obliged with the boot from the resulting penalty. In one of the few periods of attacking fluency for Ireland, Sexton managed to put Athlone man Robbie Henshaw through a gap in the Blue wall. After a successful recycle, the ball was popped to Munster’s Keith Earls who crashed over to surpass Brian O’Drioscoll’s try scoring record at World Cups. This was one of the few positives in a day to forget at the Olympic Stadium in London.
In the second half, Italy continued to take the game to the Irish, led by Sergio Parisse who delighted with his usual world class ball carrying. As had been the packing for much of the game, Irish fans will have been alarmed by the amount of territory conceded by Joe Schmidt’s team whenever Italy attacked. In fact, if not for a brilliant tackle by Peter O’Mahony, Italy would have been in the lead. Eventually, the Italians would be rewarded for the composure and intensity exerted in every facet of the game as Tomaso Allen again took the opportunity to keep scoreboard pressure on Ireland. To make matters worse from an Irish perspective, the team were forced to spend the final minutes of the game with fourteen men as Peter O’Mahony was given a questionable yellow card for using his shoulder in a breakdown. Italy tried valiantly to use the man advantage to save their World Cup but, in the end, the oldest Irish team ever named in a World Cup showed enough experience to fall over the line. Sexton booted the ball into the stands to seal Italy’s world cup elimination. Not a good performance by the standards set by Ireland in the last twenty four months, but they do have a week to improve.
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Passionate Irish Win Titanic War of Attrition Conor Lynott, Sports Writer
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his was the most complete Irish performance since the Six Nations clinching win against Scotland in March. Much had been made of the physical French and their ability at scrum time, but Les Bleus could not match the vastly improved intensity and accuracy levels brought to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff this evening. The game remained scoreless for much of the first quarter, due to Fredérick Michalak’s poor performance with the boot. This allowed Jonathan Sexton to open the scoring as French indiscipline was found wanting not for the first time. France were quick to equalise, however, with Scott Spedding converting from long range. For the rest of the first half, the game continued in its physically punishing nature as France looked to slow down the ball for scrum half Conor Murray Ironically, the French were successful
in targeting former Racing Metro playmaker, Johnny Sexton, as a massive hit ended his participation in the game. This was soon followed by the injury to Paul O Connell right on the stroke of half time, who looked to have suffered from a hyper extended hamstring. The Irish captain’s Test career is now in doubt. Contrary to what many would have expected, the injuries to much of the Irish leadership group seemed to rejuvenate the Irish. The majority of the half was spent in French territory as Ireland used multiple phase play to lay siege on the French line. It was Louth man Rob Kearney who broke the deadlock, exploiting a mismatch in the French defence to convert from close range. It was not all plain sailing for the Irish. Peter O Mahony, who has been a key breakdown general for Ireland in the last two years was also forced off and Sean O Brien will be
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lucky to escape a citing after he was shown punching deliberately in the stomach. Conor Murray scored Ireland’s second try after effective carrying by Henderson and O Brien afforded Murray the simple task of grounding the ball against the post. In the closing minutes, France began to wilt as Ireland began to wind down the clock. Ian Madigan’s tears at the end of the match said it all. He, along with several other replacements, can be proud of how they seamlessly replaced several leaders of this team. Ireland must now seek to break the Quarter Final jinx that has haunted many a previous generation.
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Volume 29, Issue 3
Ally Murty, Sports Writer
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Dick Advocaat
The End of an Era
fter guiding Sunderland to a last-gasp escape last season
(yet again), Dick Advocaat‘s time as the Wearside club’s manager came as many of us thought it would, to an end. This means club owner, Ellis Short will be forced to appoint a fifth manager in as little as four years since Martin O’Neill’s departure. Which forces the question-just what the hell is going on up there? After securing survival, the Dutchman, being convinced out of retirement by the clubs own fans looked to set about on one last hurrah allowing him to showcase his apparent managerial expertise. This entailed, to Advocaat ostracizing the old guard (Cattermole, O’Shea et al) and building a pool of supposedly more trustworthy and higher-quality players. Short drastically restricted this however,
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limiting his budget, quashing his spending power and forcing them into buying ersatz players like Sebastian Coates, Younes Kaboul and Adam Matthews. Together, this has amounted to an alarming lack of experience and leadership when the going got tough as it so woefully did against Norwich in their emblematic second game of the season as well as an overall low standard in place. And to exacerbate things, you’ve a manager not truly passionate about the cause, Advocaat persistently slating his players and the lack of funding available to him in the media from as early as August. The lack of cohesion lies further than just the current squad, mind you, there having been an evident lack of youthful excitement coming through for some while. This has merely played into the hands of the
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excessive spending on transfers and their wage bill. A factor that the next manager must eradicate if they are to truly progress with Sunderland. First objective must be to reintegrate the spine of the team; skipper, John O’Shea, midfield bruiser Lee Cattermole and temperamental yet no less talented Stephen Fletcher and get players like Adam Johnson and Jack Rodwell firing on all cylinders again. In order to restore stability back to Wearside, Short must appoint a suitable replacement. Sunderland cannot continue to survive these near-misses in the same vein as Aston Villa. They are a famous team with a massive fanbase. It’s time they gave them something to sing about again.
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Tuesday, October 13th 2015
Sport
19
Ireland Devoid of Ideas as Poles Claim Place in France Neil Ryan, Sports Editor
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fter a truly gargantuan performance in the Aviva stadium on Thursday night Irish fans were forgiven for having an unexpected level of optimism heading into Warsaw for the final game of the European qualification campaign. After all after the world champions the Poles should represent a far easier task, a team
and their complete lack of a midfield partnership, despite the fact that they have played almost every game of this campaign together is rather baffling. Without their chief midfield creator and with Walters showing signs that he is human and had not recovered from Thursday’s exertions, the Poles overran the Irish midfield. They played with an attacking intent that belied the fact that
“O’Shea seemed to have his arms nowhere but around him, as if this was the yearned for reunion of two long-distance lovers.” slightly more on their level of performance. Instead we were given a far more realistic idea of this Irish team. The week has very much been one giant leap forward for Irish football and one languid fall back to the mediocrity that previously governed this team. Whelan and McLean were included in midfield but failed to gain any purchase on the game. McCarthy and Whelan seem to get in each other’s way when playing tog ether
they only needed 0-0 draw to progress to the main event. Lewandowski seemed to play in every position at once drawing the Irish defence out of position and confusing the midfield entirely as to who should be picking him up. His threat was evident from the off conjuring a good stop from Randolph. From the resulting corner kick the Poles would take the lead. The ball pinged perfectly to Krychowiak who steadied himself with one shot
and blasted the ball past Randolph. The Irish have conceded few goals under O’Neill but the fact that they seem to have no idea what to do when anyone tries anything slightly unexpected from a set piece must be a real worry for him. Another must be the performance of O’Shea who has somehow not been caught out recently despite his frankly abject performances. The man is a shell of his pervious self. That this is a multi-league and champions league winner is simply astounding. Any sense of touch has abandoned him and despite the fact that Lewandowski would hit the deck the second an Irish player got near to him O’Shea seemed to have his arms nowhere but around him, as if this was the yearned for reunion of two long-distance lovers. The Irish did manage to strike back with a slightly dubios penalty after Glik’s high boot made contact with Long’s forhead. Walters’ finish, low into the left corner, seemed to suggest that Ireland would grow into this game. They
did not. McLean offered nothing in attack and O’Shea continued to defend like a schoolboy, allowing his ban to back heel the ball to a teammate inside the Irish box and give Lewandowski the chance to plant the ball into the back of the net. Ireland offered nothing in terms of a comeback and O’Shea’s suspension after a second yellow card seems like a blessing in disguise. Walters’ for a stupid yellow card absolutely does not. After one of the best weeks for Irish sport in recent memory this rather felt like back to square one for Ireland. They will hope that perform far better than this in their playoff. If they don’t the Germany result will be for nothing.
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“Without their chief midfield creator and with Walters showing signs that he is human and had not recovered from Thursday’s exertions, the Poles overran the Irish midfield. They played with an attacking intent that belied the fact that they only needed 0-0 draw to progress to the main event.”
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Volume 29, Issue 3
The Best Little Country in the World to Play Football In Peter Branigan, Sports Writer
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reland defeated Germany on Thursday night to keep themselves in contention for automatic qualification for France 2016. Shane Long’s second-half strike gave Ireland their most impressive home competitive victory since McAteer stuck the ball in the Dutch net in 2001. Germany’s last visit to Dublin had seen them score six, and they were expected to dominate possession at Lansdowne Road. Within ninety seconds gone a blocked Thomas Muller effort had given Germany their first corner of the night. Marco Reus won another corner in the eight minute, as his attempted half-volley was blocked. Toni Kroos’s cross
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picked out the unmarked Jerome Boateng, but Germany’s first guilt-edged chance of the night sailed harmlessly over the crossbar. With thirteen minutes on the clock Germany were at it again. An attack up the left flank saw the ball pulled back for Ilkay Gundogan, but he also cleared the crossbar from all of twelve yards. Richard Keogh had to be alert with two minutes later. He did superbly well to slide in and clear a cross with Mesut Ozil ready to pounce. Ozil had it in the net four minutes later but his tap in, from another cross, was correctly ruled out for offside. Ireland were putting together sporadic passages of play, always under huge pressure from the Germans, and their only chance in these early stages fell to Jon Walters. Cyrus Christie did
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well out right before crossing low for the Stoke striker. He couldn’t quite adjust himself to get anything on the ball however and the chance was lost. Ireland started the second-half with the same defensive cohesion that had served them so well in the final twenty minutes of the first. Germany’s first shot, in the fifty-first minute, had all the hallmarks of frustration as Andre Schurrle eventually elected to shoot when his side couldn’t find the gaps in the Irish defence. He smashed the ball over the bar, from the edge of box, to loud cheers from the Lansdowne faithful. Five minutes later Germany broke quickly following an Irish free-kick. Reus crossed for Schurrle, but his effort from ten yards cleared the crossbar once
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With twenty-five minutes to go, Long was introduced. The stage was set. It took him six minutes. Darren Randolph went direct. His long kick floated in behind the German cover, and Long took a super touch, without slowing down even a fraction. He took it inside the box and blasted it across Manuel Neuer in the German goal. Suddenly, with their third effort on target, Ireland were one up. They’ll be talking about that goal for years to come. But of course there was still twenty minutes to be played, and the world champions weren’t going to go down without a fight. They were nearly level within ninety seconds as Mats Hummels header across goal was just wide to the left of Randolph’s goal.
after wards to savour the victor y. This was, arguably, the return of the crowd to their rightful place as the twelfth man for this Irish side. Reus was similarly inaccurate with a shot a few moments later, and when Muller missed from fourteen yards with seventy-eight minutes on the clock, that feeling at half-time of it being Ireland’s night had become all per vasive. Stoppage time saw Ireland frustrate the Germans further as a number of short corners between Jeff Hendrick and Walters wound down the clock. Four minutes of stoppage was finally brought to an end by Mr Carballo’s whistle, and the stadium rocked. The fans stayed in the stadium