The Absolute State” Brings Real Irish Stories To Stage

Self Care: A Letter to My Younger Self

Dear Leah, Hopefully you receive this letter at an important stage in your life, as it may hold some of the questions you have inside your head but refuse to allow the world to hear. I ask for you to listen to some words from the more worldly version of yourself, but don’t be fooled into believing I have all the answers to the great questions of life; I’m patiently awaiting my own letter from my ‘older’ self as I speak.

The first piece of advice I wish for you to follow is to live in the moment. This phrase is overused to death and for a good reason. I Leah Commandeur Arts & Lifestyle Writer

know you spend most of your time thinking about the future, both near and far, with a look of curiosity and wonder in your eyes, but don’t wish your youth away. Once you get a few years older (and wiser), days will feel like hours and you’ll be sitting there reflecting on those days when you viewed the world through rose-tinted glasses. Those days where no dream was too big or no idea too wild - those are the days you will remember for the rest of your life. Shoot for the stars and never look back.

Please try not to allow overthinking to become a hobby. It is the killer of all things spontaneous, innocent and free. You will spend many nights tossing and turning in bed as you stare at the horrid pink walls in your room, as anxiety eats away at your brain. Despite how powerful you think you are; you can’t reverse time. If it’s meant to happen, it will. I can promise you (hand on my heart!) that the issues which seem like they will end your world, will make you laugh in years to come. Try to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you think there is only darkness ahead, it is there, you just need to look close enough.

A final word of advice I ask of you to listen to is to be proud of who you are. I feel like I shouldn’t have to say this but unfortunately, I know you need to hear it. There will be times when you are the only one in your group who doesn’t follow the latest trend (don’t pluck the death out of your eyebrows, they will never be the same), or don’t get invited to the biggest party of the year. You shouldn’t change who you are just to make other people view you in the way you believe they should.

These words hopefully give you the freedom you have been searching for. Sometimes all you need to know is that somebody believes in you and I am here to reassure you that you will make it. You will persevere through the tough times. Feel worthy in the rewarding moments and prove to yourself that you are stronger than you thought.

With love, Your older self

“The Absolute State” Brings Real Irish Stories To Stage

Approaching the creation of a verbatim theatre piece for the first time, UCD student Luke Shanahan brings “The Absolute State” on stage on Saturday 29th February, at the Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin. In line with the characteristics of this emerging genre, the play is built upon salient parts from a series of interviews that have been conducted among 45 young Irish people, aged between 18 and 22, during the summer of the past year. The scope of the play is to highlight the role of alcohol within the Irish youth captured through the neutral lenses of a non-drinking author. It is precisely this latter trait that sparked Shanahan’s curiosity Alessia Mennitto - Reporter and led him to bring on stage Irish drinking culture as it is “a big thing in Ireland” among students, he commented.

Indeed, the title “The Absolute State” is all but casual. It is built upon three layers of meaning with the first one referring to the common Irish phrase “the absolute state of ya”, used to indicate someone really drunk. The second level is a direct reference to the renowned brand Absolut Vodka. Finally, the third layer of meaning is given by a thoughtful association of the state as nation which sees Ireland as the nation with an absolute attitude towards drinking: either you drink, or you do not and that creates a label for students’ personalities. As a result, Shanahan puts on stage the construction of identity of young people through drinking and the personal repercussions it entails.

Using real, lived experiences as the script gives the play a unique authenticity in Using real, lived experiences as the script gives the play a unique authenticity in addressing the role of alcohol within the Irish youth “ “

addressing this delicate topic. The guarantee of complete anonymity has for instance allowed interviewees to reveal intimate details of their adventures which everyone can relate to and empathise with. So the feeling that the show wants to convey is that of self-identification and comfort. The main challenge has thus been to faithfully show these adventures as the author remarked he and the actors felt a great sense of “responsibility in terms of representing someone’s experiences”. Not only that, they had to be communicated in an engaging and straightforward manner to the audience in a

one-hour show though the overall recordings amounted to 30 hours. A substantial work has been done to develop this play that reflects the author’s passion in portraying such a felt issue among the Irish youth.

Mallika Venkatramani checks out UCD Science Day Science Through an Artistic Lens

We Science students are mighty proud of ourselves. Not only do we have one of the coolest buildings (ouch, Arts students cooped up in drab Newman, that must have hurt), we have fabulous keynote lectures, workshops and all that ‘sciencey’ jazz all year round. But if we are criticised for having the occasional chip on our shoulders, one of the big reasons is because of Science Day. I mean, what’s better than showing off to other students that what we do is so profoundly, mind-blowingly fascinating? Also, we get the entire day off lectures (except for some folks who still had labs for want of available lab slots). Kudos to UCD Science Society (SciSoc) for organising yet another amazing Science Day a couple weeks back.

Truly, science is more than facts and figures. Rather, it is an art. In the words of Albert Einstein, ‘After a certain high level of technical skill is achieved, science and art Mallika Venkatramani Arts & Lifestyle Editor

Van de Graaff generator at UCD Science Day tend to coalesce in aesthetics, plasticity and form. The greatest scientists are artists as well.’ I could go on about my love for science but let me allow other science students to convince you that Mr. Einstein’s words were golden.

Let’s start with physics. “Art is in everything. There’s beauty in nature and physics is nature,” says Hugh Kelly, theoretical physics student and SciSoc committee member. Another physics student Juliette Casals shared about the night sky studied in astrophysics, which has inspired countless artists. “You get really cool images from particle accelerators and airflows that have inspired artists,” she added. “Da Vinci is mentioned a lot in fluid mechanics because he was the first to sketch and observe flows. Also, NASA, ESA and all space companies always have artists who draw sketches of what would be expected visually from a set of data taken by telescopes.” Need any more convincing? Just look at Da Vinci’s sketches! Chemistry is no different. Emily Bollard, environmental chemistry student and SciSoc committee member shared an interesting thought: “When we go into a lab, we take basic ingredients and make something out of it. The excitement of not knowing what you are going to produce, be it something new or something that has already been discovered, that is art in itself.”

Next, you can’t spell out science without mentioning biology. Indeed, biology is so vast and has its countless sub-fields but let us examine art in biology’s basic unit - DNA. Favour Ogundare, genetics student, says: “It’s so fascinating how each strand of DNA comes together to make the work of art that is the genome. Each work of art is different from the next.” As a genetics student myself, I couldn’t agree more.

Finally, let’s talk maths. Now the math kids sometimes feel sore because Maths is at times not regarded a ‘science’ by other

Da Vinci Sketch

Particle movement from a Particle Accelerator

science folks. But I beg to differ from that notion, hence I spoke to Anna Hepple and Cian Geraghty, applied maths students and MathSoc committee members. “Maths creates the whole world - it’s a foundation for all sciences, whether it is biology, chemistry or physics,” they shared. “Just take the number pi or the natural logarithm ‘e’ that are so important in other sciences, or imaginary numbers that create really beautiful graphs and are even used in animation.” They proceeded to show me stunning graphs of fractal geometry. If only my high school maths teachers had described the subject in such a manner, my days cribbing over sums might have been very different.

In short, art is science, and science is art. Whether you experienced electrical static from a Van de Graaff generator, learned how liquid nitrogen could be used to make delicious ice cream, or carried a gorgeous

Guns and Cats Akimbo Martin McDonagh’s ‘The Lieutenant of Inishmore’

Sitting atop of the nose bleeders, the curtain rose at The Gaiety Theatre and filled the room with laughter and gunfire for its two-hour run time. Overall, the performance was an enjoyable one and here are the reasons why.

Martin McDonagh’s comedic writing and personal comedy style can be seen throughout the production. From dark jokes referencing bombing chip shops and the IRA to several moments of comedic timing, McDonagh’s production has an abundance of dark humour, and he also allows time for his jokes to settle with the audience. The contrast from serious moments to funny ones gives this play a good balance. So, if you are a fan of McDonagh’s comedy, you will definitely be a fan of this production.

When it comes to contrast in the play, a person that symbolises that is Mad Padraic. Milo Mehigan - Arts & Lifestyle Writer

This contrast can be seen firstly by how the character dresses, a white t-shirt and a black leather jacket, but that’s not all. The personality of Mad Padraic is rather complex, he can go from merciless when it comes to tormenting a drug dealer, to caring about his sick cat all in the span of a few seconds. Mescal’s range of emotions in the scene can only be considered as professional. As well as having mood swings, Mad Padraic is fearless in the face of danger. In one scene he has three guns pointed at him, and all he can do laugh. Paul Mescal performs the cocksure character at a high level, he gives the audience 110% and he leaves nothing on the stage.

The cast includes many talented actors, such as Paul Mescal (Mad Padraic), Aisling Kearns (Mairéad) and Alex Murphy (Davey). In addition to this, many of the actors involved in the play were a part of other theatre productions, with Kearns featuring in Asking For it, and Mescal being the lead in The Great Gatsby in 2017 at The Gate Theatre. So, because of this experience, their talent can be seen in this production, and this experience translates to a high level of acting and chemistry onstage.

As well as the play featuring many talented actors, the play is directed by a veteran of the theatre, Andrew Flynn, who has directed other Martin McDonagh works, such as The Cripple of Inishmaan, A Skull in Connemara and The Pillowman. As it so happens, A Skull in Connemara shares a similarity with The Lieutenant of Inishmore is the inclusion of violence as well as humour, primarily dark or farcical.

Overall, this play was a joy to experience. From the superb acting from Paul Mescal and Aisling Kearns, to the rib-hurting and knee-slapping humour, and the complex set design, this play is not to be missed!

Chimac Aungier Street, Dublin Nestled tidily on Aungier Street, Chimac rustled a few feathers when it opened a while back, claiming to bring what they promised to be the best chicken burger Dublin had ever seen. A bold claim which, much to my pleasure, I wanted to put to the test.

When you walk in, you’re exposed to the familiar scent of fried chicken; not a bad welcome if you ask me. The setting is clean, bright and very much Korean-inspired. As per their website, ‘’Chimac comes from ‘chi’, short for ‘chikin’ plus ‘mac’ from ‘maekju’, Korean for beer’’. The menu, perhaps unsurprisingly then, consists mainly of twice-fried chicken and beer. Some will dislike the lack of choice, but for me, it’s usually an indicator of a great meal.

I’ve had the Kimcheese and the Classic burgers, with the former being fantastic, oozing with cheese, cheddar sauce(?!), spring onion kimchi and gochujang mayo. The latter is almost equally as good, served with Korean hot sauce, pickled daikon slaw, fresh coriander and zesty lime mayo. Personally, the coriander ruins the flavours of the meat and accompaniments, but that’s a personal choice. In both choices, the twice-fried Korean chicken is slotted between a potato bun, with the ratio of chicken to bun being amusingly disproportionate; something often lacking from most chicken burgers. A nod of praise is merited for the bun, which is much tastier and less dry than the norm. This, combined with the juiciness and crispiness of the chicken and the sauces, makes for a fantastic meal, and certainly distances itself from the average, dry, plain chicken burger. Accompanied with a cold brew ★ ★ ★ ★ € € Alex Lohier - Deputy Editor

from their selection, it really is a truly great meal.

For those of you of the vegetarian persuasion, the team at Chimac can substitute chicken for a panko tofu burger. Not that I’d recommend this, but it’s good to at least have the option. As I was wolfing down my own food, people around me were ordering wings and nugs. From what I saw, I can safely say I will be obliged to return and sample those too.

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Sport

UCD AFC Set For First Division Title Tilt

After a disappointing end to last season, UCD AFC will seek an immediate return to Ireland’s Premier Division in 2020 and thus, regain their status as the only university in Europe to have a soccer team competing in their national first division. Having been promoted as First Division champions in 2018 and with a talented young squad, ‘The Students’ will certainly feel hopeful of repeating the feat this time out. To do so would only add to the steeped history of the club, which is far more storied than some may think.

Founded in 1895, under the name of ‘Catholic University Medical School Football Club’, the club won the inaugural intervarsities competition, The Collingwood Cup, in 1914. UCD were invited to join the League of Ireland for the first time in 1922 but had to turn it down given their inability to field a team in the League of Ireland Shield that September (the Academic year didn’t commence until October). The club’s final season as a non-league outfit came in 1957 with a move to league football following soon after.

In 1970 the club was elected to the League of Ireland B Division and embarked on a series of landmark tours, becoming the first Irish team to play in places like India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Jordan, Philippines, China and Australia. A second invitation to join the League of Ireland was accepted in 1979 when Cork Celtic were expelled. In 1983, the hitherto amateur club turned semi-professional, and players outside of the college were allowed to represent the team for the first time. This is still the situation today, although in reality most of the players are either students or former students. By the end of the 1983–84 season, UCD had won a first FAI Cup, beating Shamrock Rovers 2–1 after a replay. Neil Stokes - Sports Writer

Shamrock Rovers failed to lose another game in the competition for over three years – until they lost to UCD again in 1988.

That win saw UCD qualify for the prestigious European Cup Winners Cup. The draw pitted them against Everton, then one of the leading sides in Europe. In the first leg, UCD held the Merseyside outfit to a scoreless draw. The return leg at Goodison Park almost produced a cup shock of seismic proportions, with UCD hitting legendary goalkeeper, Neville Southall’s crossbar with only minutes remaining. UCD would have progressed on away goals had they scored. Everton held on to win 1-0 and went on to win the competition as well as fending off the greatest Liverpool team ever to win the League ChampionshipEverton were also voted best club side in the world for that year.

‘The Students’ had to wait until 2000 for another chance to play in European competition, bowing out on Founded in 1895, under the name of ‘Catholic University Medical School Football Club’, the club won the inaugural intervarsities competition, ‘The Collingwood Cup’, in 1914 “ “

away goals to Velbazhd Kyustendil in the Intertoto Cup. Our usually immaculate disciplinary record, enabled us in 2014 to become the last ever side to qualify for the Europa League through good behaviour via the UEFA Fair Play League despite having been relegated that year. That team made further history by virtue of winning a first ever European tie for the club, before bowing out in the second qualifying round. By this stage, UCD were now playing in the cavernous amphitheatre that is the UCD Bowl (having moved in 2008), which has witnessed attendances of up to 3,000 people for important matches. Most recently, our underage team impressively qualified for the UEFA Youth League beating Norwegian side Molde before losing out on away goals.

Many a famous player has worn the sky blue jersey in the past including former Manchester United player, Kevin Moran; Leeds United record goalscorer Peter Lorimer; and former

Ireland international, Conor Sammon. Our most famous ‘player’ though never actually donned the UCD jersey. Contrary to popular belief, Brazilian legend Socrates never, in fact, played for UCD having supposedly lined out for the reserve team whilst studying medicine in Dublin. That a former Brazilian Historically, UCD has acted as a feeder club of sorts to Ireland’s best club sides and for the better ones, a transfer to England is the reward. Many young players has continue to avail of the university’s scholarship system before moving on following completion of their degree. Dylan Watts’ move captain could not manage to break into the UCD first team was hard to believe, but the man himself dispelled any doubts when announcing shortly before his untimely death in 2011 that not only had he never played for UCD, but he had never even set foot on Irish soil. to then English champions Leicester was the most highly publicised in recent times, but a look at Dundalk’s double-winning side of 2018 reveals no fewer than 7 former UCD players called Oriel Park their home last year.

The team heads into the 2020 campaign bolstered by Many a famous player has worn the sky blue jersey in the past including former Manchester United player, Kevin Moran; Leeds United record goalscorer Peter Lorimer; and former Ireland international, Conor Sammon. “ “

plenty of new additions and with a new manager, Andy Myler at the helm. As a player, Myler was renowned as a prolific goal scorer, scoring 131 league goals during his career. He joined UCD as a player in 1994 before leaving in 1997, playing a crucial part in our First Division title winning campaign in 1994/5. His most notable coaching achievements include managing Shamrock Rovers to “A League” success in 2009 and an U20 title in 2010 before moving to the 1st team coaching staff with current Stoke City manager Michael O’Neill, where they became the first Irish team to qualify for the UEFA Europa League Group Stages.

With a core nucleus of exciting young players and high-performing underage teams, the prospects are promising for the longterm. As for the current season, stand by for a strong promotion challenge; an attacking, expansive game style; and hopefully, another exciting chapter to add to an already storied tome.

On the weekend of February 15th and 16th, UCD MounKatie UCD Mountaineering PRO

taineering competed at the Irish Rock Climbing Intervarsities hosted by DCU. For lots of the UCD climbers, it was their first time ever competing. The club placed 7th overall. In the male Fresher category, Daniel McMorrow placed second.

Canoe Club

Conor Knowles UCD Canoe Club

The UCD Canoe Club competed at the intervarsities over the weekend of February 23rd and 24th, placing 2nd in the Whitewater category, 3rd in the Freestyle category and 5th in SlalomX. In those categories, Shanley Shaw came 3rd overall in Freestyle and Jayne Stevens came 2nd out of the women and 5th overall in Whitewater. Overall, the UCD Canoe Club came 3rd in the intervarsities and 4th in the Banter League, a fantastic

result showcasing yet another talented sporting team based in UCD.

Emre Oktay UCD Olympic Handball

The UCD Olympic Handball team had a busy time on the weekend of February 22nd and 23rd. The UCD Women’s Team (5th) came into their game against Dublin International HC (2nd) as clear underdogs and, almost, pulled off one of the shocks of the season in the IOHA senior league, leading for the majority of the game only to let it slip towards the end and draw 24-24 and gained their first point of the season. Although it was devastating to not get all 2 points with a win, it was a massive improvement from their last encounter. Many positives can be taken away from this, including Emily Jennings getting onto the scoreboard for the first time this season with an excellent penalty! Some inspiring play from the entire team, Friederike, Mathilde, Manon, Sasha, Ciara, Neza, Julia, Catriona, Anna and some great saves from Aoibhin! UCD Women should be proud of their respectable performance and can only keep their heads held high for their remaining 3 games; their play-off chance is still in the balance and this side is on an upwards rise.

As for the Men’s team (3rd), a spirited performance on the night of the 17th saw the men finishing the game with the closest points difference ever against DI (2nd) and they were determined to overturn that defeat into a win on Sunday 23rdnand return to 2nd place. After a slow start, they clawed their way back into the game and got to within 3 points of DI before some controversy at the beginning of the 2nd half saw our top goal scorer, Timo Worm (106 goals), awarded a red card - an al

Fencing

Many of the UCD Fencing Club members participated in the East of Ireland Open on the weekend of 8th of FebTlamelo Malima UCD Fencing

ruary, and received 2 medals for their students and 2 for their alumni/coaches. Phoebe Ireland placed 3rd in the Women’s Saber category, whilst Sun Haocheng and tered decision from the original 2 minute suspension decision - which, fortunately, does not rule him out of our next match. The boys acted professionally and were well drilled to keep up the defensive work and keep the points gap close. Despite losing 44-34, it was a great team performance which included some fantastic passing display, unbelievable saves from point blank range by goalie Justus Assmann and a few screamers from Max who stepped up, scoring 10 this game, and Stefan, the latter managing to somehow find the net using all three steps from the halfway line and diving into the area with a well-worked shot! The boys are now hungrier than ever for their last league clash with Dublin International HC, (A team UCD have never beaten) this time on home turf.

Tom O’Brien placed 1st and 3rd respectively in the Men’s Èpèe category. In the Women’s Foil competition, UCD Coach Joana Romalho came 1st.

Badminton Athletics

George Harding Badminton Captain

Things have been quiet recently in the UCD Badminton Club on the competitive front. One of their teams made it to the final of the Dublin & District’s Division 2 Mixed Cup at the weekend of February 15th and 16th. The team consisted of David Dwyer, Jamie Topping, Aela O’ Flynn and Niamh Evans (Sub for Cliodhna Duggan), and was a massive achievement for the club to have a team in a final at such a high standard. At present, the teams are finishing off their Dublin & DIstricts League campaigns, and are getting teams ready for the National Intervarsities, which aren’t until the 26th March.

Ciarán Crowther UCD Athletics

UCD Athletics were competing on the weekend of February 15th and 16th, winning a total of 5 medals at the IUAA Indoor Championships. They came courtesy of Lystus Ebosele (7.73m for 2nd in Weight for Distance and 11.75m for 2nd in Shot Putt, both new UCD records set by her); Diana Markina (3rd in the Women’s Pentathlon with a points total of 1,829); Israel Olatunde (joint-third in the Men’s 60m in 6.91 seconds) and Rose Finnegan (1st in the Women’s 1,500m in 4:40).