#UCDnews.
Politics.
Opinion.
Music.
Fashion.
Sport.
p. 06
p. 10 Is Transitional Voting a Viable Option for the EU?
p.11
p.14
p.21
p.34
Ardmore House Facing Further Delays
Independent Student Media *Since 1989
Have We Lost Our Ability to Debate?
Why Dublin’s Nightlife Scene is Booming
Christopher Bailey’s Final Farewell
College Tribune.
The Federer Comeback
0831
Student Newspaper of the Year 2017
UCD Updating Its Academic Regulations Cian Carton | Editor
• • •
U
UCD aims to have the new regulations in place for the 2018/2019 academic year. Replacing semesters with trimesters is unpopular amongst staff. Open book exams ‘should be cultivated as norm, rather than mandated’
CD is pushing ahead with the implementation of new Academic Regulations which would bring about several key changes to degree programmes for students. The current set of regulations were implemented in 2005 and have undergone fourteen minor revisions over the past thirteen
years. The ACEC Regulations Review Working Group produced an original draft set of regulations which were reviewed by the Academic Council on the 28th November 2017. Feedback from the Council saw several points be altered. The amended draft regulations were put to a university-wide consultation earlier this month, and closed on Friday, the 23rd February.
Submissions from interested parties are now being reviewed. The new draft version of the regulations, published for the public consultation alongside the Council’s feedback, contain a number of key provisions which would affect students. These include, amongst others, the provision to have a four-year degree award based on the results from the final three years, the removal of elective modules for trimester one, stage 1 students, a 20 working day limit to receive assignment feedback, open book exams, grade capping for substituted modules, and the shift to trimesters. The overall review is being carried out alongside a more detailed focus on the provision of administrative support to staff and students, led by the Student and Academic Services
Review Steering Group. Chaired by Mark Rogers, UCD Deputy President and Registrar, it is set to report to the University Management Team (UMT) next month. President Andrew Deeks told staff at the time it would cover ‘how we provide administrative and professional support to students and faculty, focusing on the front-line services that support our academic programmes.’ UCD aims to have all of its administrative reforms in place for the 2018/2019 academic year, to coincide with the introduction of the new four-year Arts degree, which will bring about major changes to the structures within the College of Arts and Humanities, and the College of Social Sciences and Law. Continued on page 3.
Issue 08 Volume 31
0831
Editors
Cian Carton Rachel O’Neill
Section Editors News. Cian Carton
Politics. Aaron Bowman Features. Rachel O’Neill Film. Muireann O’Shea & Ciara Dillon Music. Adam Bielenberg Fashion. Shannon Doherty Arts. Holly Lloyd LifeStyle. Ciara Landy Science. Aífe McHugh Gaeilge. Erin Nic An Bhaird & Lorraine Stack Business. Cian Carton Turbine. Ronán O’Sullivan Sports. Conor Lynott & Chris Foley
Editorial. Rachel O’Neill Editor
T
he SU elections in Trinity College produced some interesting results with one of the presidential candidates forced to pull out on election day due to some unsavoury Snapchats which he allegedly sent emerging. Whether or not he sent the sexist and at one point racist messages is not for me to say but what I will say is blaming student media and denying everything is something we’ve all seen before. Maybe Trinity College should learn from what already happened in UCD. Alas the nominations for UCDSU Executive Elections have opened and a vast majority of UCD students probably don’t care. If Katie Ascough’s impeachment taught us anything, it’s that we love a good impeachment but please don’t make us elect someone else. While this Editor cannot say who is running for election as nominations haven’t closed yet, I would appeal to anyone in the SU corridor who may be thinking
Applications are now open for the position of College Tribune Editor for the 2018/2019 academic year. The College Tribune is the last independent student newspaper in Ireland, being both editorially and financially independent from the university. The paper is entering its 32nd volume, having been on the UCD campus since 1989. The role of editor/co-editors is a demanding job and involves producing ten print issues through the college year. Past editors have gone on to work across Irish national and international press outlets.
0831 Contributors
Niall O’Shaughnessy Music Ailish Brennan Music Finn McLysaght Film Fiona Keaveney Fashion Ryan Henne Science Aisling Brennan Science Daniel Forde Law Philip Mignon Turbine Seán Farbuckt Turbine Jack Stokes Sport
www.collegetribune.ie
ing in another option module for a failed one, while also picking several other option modules for your course as part of the registration process. How can UCD tell which one is your substituted module that must be capped? They can’t. The Council suggested 2 ways to rectify the issue. The first is to force all student support staff to manually register students for substitute attempts by altering their registration status. This ‘carries a significant administrative burden’ and a ‘significant scope for error.’ There is also the issue of trying to stop students from taking extra electives. Option 2 is to develop a system to handle the problem. However, this requires significant ‘scoping, development, substantial testing, documentation and training.’ Even if that works out, ‘it remains unclear if this is possible to implement systematically.’ In reality, this means placing an extra burden on staff, or spending more money to try develop a system to automatically handle it, which it recognises as requiring ‘very significant’ resources and being potentially unworkable. The joys of administration.
Open for 2018/19
Rachel O’Neill
Senan Tuohy-Hamill Features
I’d vote for us anyway.
U
CD’s new draft academic regulations unwittingly provide some interesting insights into the complexity of its administration. The draft regulations re-state the use of grade capping when a student fails a module. The proposals run into an administrative issue, which is connected to the current ‘loophole’ in the system. A student who fails an option module, then substitutes it for a different one, does not receive a capped grade in the new module, even though it technically counts as a remediation attempt. In contrast, a normal repeat or resit attracts a capped D- grade, irrespective of the actual result in the repeat assessment. The Academic Council believes capping a substituted module’s grade at a D- is ‘a good change’ as it ‘makes the system fair for all.’ However, this may create another set of problems. The new issue, as noted by the Council, is that it can be ‘difficult to differentiate systematically between substitutes and extra option credit in programmes with complex structures.’ Let us say you are substitut-
Editor(s) Applications
Designer
Jennifer Garrett News Conor Capplis Opinion & Music
of re-running to stop what you’re doing and back away from the nomination form. UCDSU needs to move on from what has been a turbulent year. While some good work has been done, this will be the year of the impeachment even if the SU single handedly managed to repeal the 8th Amendment. Legacy and image are overstated in a number of circumstances and we should not let either of them cloud our judgement. Many, many UCD students won’t care either about this editorial or about the elections in general. The SU is ineffective to them and I can understand where that viewpoint comes from. A radical change in image is needed for the SU and so perhaps a candidate with an outside perspective is a better move than the usual SU hack. That being said Barry Murphy and Katie Ascough had no SU experience before being elected so who am I to say what works. Maybe the Tribune should run as a protest vote. They seem to be popular at the moment so it might be worth a shot.
Cian Carton Editor
The deadline to apply for this position is Friday the 27th April at 6pm. See the full job description and details on how to apply on page 4.
Contact CT.
editor@collegetribune.ie +353 1 716 8501 Po Box 74, Student Centre, UCD, Belfield, Dublin 4.
Connect with the College Tribune. Join the CT social media. Just search for College Tribune.
27.02.2018.0831
CT.
Editorial Note 0831 On This Day: Tiger Woods becomes the youngest PGA golfer at 16 years old in 1992.
27.02.2018
*Cover Continued UCDNEWS. p.05
UCD and National Library of Ireland partner up for MoIL.
Politics.
p.06
The ongoing crisis in Northern Ireland explained.
Features. p.13
How students can apply mindfulness to their everyday lives.
Music. p.14
Film. p.16
A preview of the Music Choice Prize 2018.
Finn McLysaght reviews ‘Lady Bird’.
Fashion.
p.19
The beauty and fashion resolutions you should be making for 2018.
Final GPA Awards Section 2.6 of the draft regulations covers the calculation and award of degrees. Subsection (d) sets out the provisions for a three-stage weighted award. For a four-year degree, the final GPA could be based on results from the final three years. Normally, the award GPA is based on a 50:50 split between the final two years. If a student goes on exchange, then the degree can be solely based on final year results. The initial draft regulations split the final GPA using a factor of ten. 60% of the weighting is attached to final year, 30% to the penultimate year, then 10% to the antepenultimate stage. The Council noted it could cause problems for Science students, as they typically selected a Major at the end of second year, leading to a situation whereby ‘the grade from general modules could contribute to the grade of a more focused final degree.’ The Council requested the weighting be switched to 50% for final year, 30% for the penultimate year, then 20% for the antepenultimate year. It also discussed a 60:20:20 split. Point 2.7 covers grade-neutral trimesters and reads that they ‘shall not alter the stages that contribute to the calculation of award GPA nor the weightings of the GPA rule.’ The Council recommended it go to public consultation, but noted various problems, including how grades calculated by institutions in different exchange countries lack coherence. The public survey asked participants whether they would prefer to include or omit grade neutral stages. If they are omitted, then a student on exchange in stage 3 would have their degree based on results in stages 2 and 4. If they are included, then using the proposed 5:3:2 calculation, where stage 3 is nil, the total sum is seven, with a rank of five for stage 4 and two for stage 2.
Trimesters
Arts. p.23
‘Colour Is Life’ Exhibiiton at the National Gallery.
LifeStyle. p.25
Study break snow in Italy and Austria.
Science. p. 28
Are we ready for the potential of CRISPRCas?
3.1 in the regulations set out the framework to make more use of the third trimester. The September to December and January to May periods are known as the two semesters. It was noted there was strong resistance to using the new term. The possibility of year-round teaching was also heavily criticised. Robert Sweeney, UCD Students’ Union (UCDSU) Undergraduate Education Officer, told the Tribune that the move to trimesters could eventually see the provision of summer resits, as opposed to having students wait until the following academic year to re-try an exam they failed in May. The original 6.5(e) allowed for resits in the summer trimester, but was deleted. The wording now reads that where ‘in-module remediation is not provided, remediation opportunities must be available within one of the two subsequent trimesters after the module has been delivered.’
Gaeilge.
p. 29 An Cumann
Gaelach UCD
Electives Point 3.28 states that electives will not be offered to stage 1 trimester one students in order to ‘facilitate engagement with the programme… and in supporting concentration on the area.’ The Council suggested it may be more appropriate to concentrate electives in the earlier stages of professional programmes since later stages often include off-site training. This was declared to be compatible with the text as the 25 elective credits are not required to only be taken as 5 credits per trimester. The original phrasing in 3.21 stated students are entitled to take a minimum of 25 elective credits over the course of the degree, and is now found in 3.27.
Assessments Section 4 covers assessments, with 4.7 mentioning open book examinations. The Council accepted that ‘open book should be cultivated as norm, rather than mandated.’ 4.7 states that students would be able to bring ‘notes in the form of a single A4 page’ they prepared into the exam, unless specifically banned in the module handbook. All final exams would be restricted to two hours, unless given special permission to be longer.
Assignment Feedback
The original 4.34 stated that students should receive feedback on assignments within 20 working days of the deadline, except for late work or the final exam. The Council argued it was impossible to implement with large classes, and that postgraduates who mark work would be forced to spend extra time giving feedback. They recommended the deadline be extended to 30 days, or further altered. Despite these objections, the 20 day deadline was kept in the most recent draft. The new 4.32 states ‘feedback on assessment must be provided according to the specification in the module descriptor and no later than twenty
Business. p.30
Are the Road Traffi c Acts Roadworthy?
working days after the deadline for submission of each piece of assessed work, excepting work submitted late or submitted as part of a terminal assessment.’
Grade Capping A resit involves taking the module’s assessments again, whereas a repeat involves re-taking the entire module, including reattendance at lectures etc. Grade capping is the process whereby a student, who has failed a module and repeats or resits it, can only receive a certain grade upon passing it at the second attempt. They receive either a pass, fail, no grade, or absent. Passing it results in a Dgrade, irrespective of the students actual score. UCDSU opposes grade capping. The current regulations contain a loophole. If a student substitutes a failed module with a different one, the result obtained in the new module is not capped. This can only occur where the failed module is optional, as core ones must be passed. The new regulations would end this practice, by capping a substituted module’s result at a D-. The Council called this ‘a good change’ as it ‘makes the system fair for all.’ It was argued at the Council that remediated modules should not be capped as it amounted to ‘a form of intellectual discrimination’ as a student who achieved the same learning outcomes as others could not receive the same grade because they were re-taking the module. It was further stated that a capped grade gave a student no incentive to work hard in a remediated module. It was noted this same issue arose during the drafting of the last regulations in 2005. The same counter-argument was used to reject these complaints; ‘the key issue is that students who pass are not allowed to repeat for grade so why should a student who failed?’ The Tribune will be publishing supplemental pieces online which cover other points in the draft academic regulations over the coming days.
Turbine
p.32 Satirical takes
on Gerry Kelly, festivals and Ryanair.
Sport. p.33
Club in focus, a look at the UCD Boxing club. p.3
UCDNEWS.
Deeks: Project Ireland 2040’s Capital Funding Projections May Be ‘Inadequate’ Cian Carton Editor
U
CD President Andrew Deeks has expressed concern that the government’s funding projections for capital developments in the education sector in its recent National Planning Framework - Project Ireland 2040 report may be ‘inadequate.’ He made the comment, alongside other observations, to staff in a recent Presidential Bulletin. The government has pledged to invest €2.2 billion in capital expenditure into the higher education sector over the next decade, which Deeks observed ‘follows almost a decade of under-investment in the building facilities programme during the recession years.’ Deeks noted that ‘provided this statement of intention is followed through in successive budgets in the coming years’, it should ‘provide the source of the matching government contributions we have been counting on in our own Estates Strategy.’
However, Deeks observed that UCD is currently planning to invest almost €400 million for the construction of new academic facilities and student accommodation over the next ten years. Therefore, the amount ‘indicated in Project Ireland 2040 for the entire higher education sector appears to be inadequate.’ UCD’s increasing staff and student numbers will have to be met with new facilities and expansions to current buildings, yet a large part of UCD’s expenditure on capital development projects is required to maintain its ageing infrastructure. The Campus Development Plan 2016-2021-2026 notes that the university owns 389,000 square metres of building floor area with an insurance replacement value of circa €1.17 billion. Over 30% of its buildings were constructed in the 1960s and 1970s, with an estimated 34% of its total building portfolio ‘in need of major refurbishment.’ The Newman
Building, now one of the oldest operational educational buildings on campus, is frequently subject to repair and renovation projects. The 2016 estimate for the total cost of capital developments to 2026 was €775 million, including €300 million for student accommodation. UCD aims to construct another 62,000 square metres covering new ‘education, research and innovation, public engagement, recreation and
University support accommodation’ facilities within a decade. There is also UCD’s Residence Masterplan to double on-campus student accommodation to 6,000 spaces. Last week, UCD’s Governing Authority formally approved €145 million to build Phase 1. UCD aims to have three more buildings featuring 924 student beds ready for September 2020. Project 2040 consists of the National Planning Framework (NPF) and National Develop-
ment Plan (NDP). The NPF covers regional development in the major urban centres outside Dublin, while the NDP 20182027 is a €116 billion investment in infrastructure programme which features ten national strategic targets. Number five is a ‘Strong Economy, supported by Enterprise, Innovation and Skills’, under which page 65 of the NDP lists the €2.2 billion funding for capital projects in Ireland’s seven universities.
Editor(s) Applications Open for 2018/19
Job Description:
How to Apply:
The work of the editor or two coeditors is a demanding and fulltime role. It involves producing ten print issues fortnightly over the college year, as well as managing and updating the paper’s online website and social media. This can include intensive work the week and weekend the paper is in production before going to print.
As head of the paper the editor(s) is also tasked with continuing the Tribune’s tradition of investigative journalism in UCD.
The editor(s) is responsible for recruiting a team of section editors during the summer, and sourcing a designer for the paper, as well as contributors and writers throughout the year. The College Tribune is entirely self-funded, so the responsibilities of the editor also include sourcing sufficient advertising to cover the cost of printing the paper each issue.
As the Tribune is independent the position is unwaged, however the editor take home any surplus revenue after the print costs have been covered. The successful candidate(s) will gain invaluable experience in journalism, media, and communications. Many former editors of the Tribune have gone on to work in the national media, politics, and public relations.
www.collegetribune.ie
Candidates should ideally have experience in journalism and writing, and this position is open to external applicants as well as current section editors or writers within the College Tribune.
Interested candidates should email their application to the current Editor and include the following: :
1.
An outline of their experience and suitability for the role
2.
Five areas or issues in UCD they would investigate as Editor
3.
Proposed changes or ideas to improve the paper
4.
Proposed shortlist of companies to seek advertising from
Applications titled ‘Editor Application’ should be emailed to: editor@collegetribune.ie
The deadline to apply for this position is Friday the 27th April 6pm.
P.4 0831
UCDNEWS.
Students Encouraged to Take Part in ISSE Survey Cian Carton Editor
U
CD students are being encouraged to take part in the Irish Survey of Student Engagement (ISSE) 2018. The national survey asks students in all third-level institutions to rate their experience in higher education. The 2018 project features two distinct surveys. The normal survey is for first year undergraduates, final year undergraduates, and taught postgraduates, while new one is targeted at postgraduate research students. Everyone who takes part is automatically entered into a draw which has 50 prizes, including One4All vouchers, UCD Pool and Spa passes, UCD Food Market vouchers, and tickets to the UCD Ball. UCD confirmed that all students in the relevant years were emailed about participating in the survey.
UCD Students’ Union (UCDSU) have also been promoting it on social media. The ISSE lists eight main aims of the survey, including increased ‘transparency in relation to the student experience in higher education institutions’, the identification of ‘issues and challenges affecting the student experience’, and to ‘document the experiences of the student population, thus enabling year on year comparisons of key performance indicators.’ The ISSE is sponsored by the Higher Education Authority (HEA), institutions’ representative bodies, and the Union of Students in Ireland (USI). Institutions receive anonymised data based on responses from their own students, but the publicly published survey results only includes data based on total respondents. The 2017 survey stated that UCD’s participation rate was
23.8% of ‘target student cohorts that responded to at least some survey questions.’ This was the third lowest participation rate out of the seven universities, with University College Cork and the University of Limerick having lower rates of 19.5% and 14.3% respectively. Only the National University of Ireland
Galway (NUIG) managed to break the 30% participation rate for universities, with several Institutes of Technology recording the highest percentages of participation. The first national survey was carried out in 2013. The project is based on the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030
Report’s recommendation that institutions should attempt to collect anonymous student feedback to help improve the educational experience, alongside national policy. The current format of the survey was introduced in 2016, and has been taken by over 65,000 students during the past two years.
UCD’s MoLI Museum to Open in Spring 2019 Jennifer Garrett News Writer
U
CD recently announced its plans to enter into a partnership with the National Library of Ireland to create the Museum of Modern Literature (MoLI), to be located at the historic Newman House on St. Stephens Green. Newman House was original location of UCD in the 20th Century before its relocation to its current location in Belfield. As of now the building has been used to host tours of but will be receiving major renovations for the opening of the museum, which planned for Spring 2019. The museum will serve as a focal point for literature and 27.02.2018
literary figures in the heart of the capital. It is hoped that the museum will join other important tourist attractions such as the Book of Kells and become one of Irelands must see cultural attractions. UCD President Deeks said in they ‘expect this venture to become a major new tourist attraction and a must-see for fans of Joyce and Irish writing around the world.’ James Joyce, one of UCD’s most notable alumni, will act as inspiration for the new museum. An important literary figure, James Joyce attended UCD in the early 20th Century when it was located at Newman House. The museum will house many exhibits including one
mapping the life and work of James Joyce through various media as well as his ‘Copy No. 1’ of Ulysses. Deeks attended the launch event this month whereby the project, which was known as the Ulysses Centre, was formally renamed as MoLI. The name is based on the character of Molly Bloom in Ulysses. It was timed to coincide with the anniversary of Joyce’s birthday, and held
in Iveagh House, home of the Department of Foreign Affairs. The museum will also host many other exhibits dedicated to different writers and literary works. According to the MoLI website, it is hoped that this museum will help to inspire both ‘international and domestic visitors with a love of reading and writing.’ The museum will also serve as a focal point for contem-
porary Irish literature. It hopes to do through hosting temporary exhibitions and believes that this will allow the museum to continuously be ‘adapting to new developments and scholarship in the literary field.’ The projected is estimated to cost €10 million, with most of the money coming from donations by Fáilte Ireland, The Naughton Foundation, and private donors. p.5
UCDNEWS.
Ardmore House Renovation Facing Further Delay Cian Carton Editor
U
CD President Andrew Deeks may now have to wait for up to another six months to find out whether work can begin on his new office in Ardmore House. Here are the latest developments in a story the Tribune has been following for months. Deeks’ office is currently located in the Tierney Building, the main administrative building on campus. UCD’s Capital Projects Group (CPG) spent nearly eighteen months discussing and planning the move as part of UCD’s HR relocation strategy. The university wants to relocate administration staff, currently based in Roebuck Castle, into the Tierney Building in the centre of campus. The majority of HR functions are exercised from Roebuck, except for finance, which is based in Tierney. www.collegetribune.ie
€300,000 funding for the project was initially approved by the Finance, Remuneration and Asset Management Committee (FRAMC) in March 2017, but this jumped to €340,000 by April. Following the appointment of a design team, Deeks met with the architects before signing off on the project. The CPG is chaired by Deeks himself, and includes Mark Rogers, the Registrar, the Vice President for Research, Innovation and Impact, the Vice President for Development, the Director of Buildings & Estates, and the Bursar, a role which is currently vacant. Deeks is listed as the sponsor of the project in CPG records. UCD wants to demolish a three-storey bay of 126 square metres to the north-west side of the House and replace it with a new three-storey extension nearly three times its size. Renovation work would
then be carried out on both the inside and outside, with a new contoured pathway designed to serve as a new entrance to the building. The university applied for a five year permission to carry out all of the works, based on the CPG brief. This noted that the project would be carried out in two main phases. The first phrase ‘to accommodate the President’s Office will involve the restoration of the upper floors of the house and replacement of low-quality rear additions with a modern circulation and toilet core. It is proposed that this phase will also include minimum intervention at garden-level, including a stripout of laboratory and support spaces.’ Phase 2 may include the ‘refurbishment and fit-out of 250sq.m garden level office and meeting spaces, including the re-instatement of the original
main staircase to garden level’, alongside ‘external landscape works.’ The CDG noted that ‘subject to the final project brief, design, procurement, planning consents and funding approval processes it is anticipated that Ardmore House may be occupied by late 2018.’ UCD applied for planning permission from the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council at the start of December 2017 to begin renovation works to Ardmore House. Since it is a protected structure, the Department of Culture, Heritage and Gaelteacht were automatically notified of the application. The Department suggested that UCD should provide a bat survey of the house combined with ‘mitigation measures to maintain whatever the current bat usage of the site is revealed by the bat survey.’ The Council then decided that UCD must ‘submit a bat survey of the site, undertaken by a suitably qualified and experienced bat expert in the correct season an under appropriate weather conditions to determine the usage of the site by bats.’ The Council has requested UCD to provide it with four additional types of information in total before it reaches its decision. UCD has six months in which to do so, otherwise its application will be rejected, but it can apply for a time extension. The protected structure designation is responsible for most of these issues. An Taisce, the National Trust for Ireland, wrote to the Council to inform them of their acceptance of the Architectural Heritage Assessment of the site, and hoped that ‘any grant of permission would be subject to a condition that the works would be supervised by a specialist Conservation Architect.’ While they were satisfied, the Council’s Conservation Officer reached a different verdict, and highlighted three issues. They requested further information regarding the proposed level change of the floor and how it would appear from the outside. The Conservation Officer noted that there was a ‘discrepancy’ in the proposals over the possible relocation of a fireplace in the building, and asked UCD to clarify the issue. Thirdly, there are ‘serious concerns that the proposal to paint the external render with keim or similarly approved product would materially affect and seriously diminish the character and architectural expression of the Protected Structure.’ Ardmore House was originally designed to appear ‘stone like’ due to a Roman cement finish, so painting it a different colour could prove problematic. The Council also wants UCD to provide revised plans for seven staff bicycle parking spaces to be located beside the Building, along with a Landscape Design Rationale, containing ‘comprehensive and detailed landscape proposals.’ Ardmore House is the current location of UCD’s Commercial, Residential and Hospitality Services, which oversees services like the Residences, CopiPrint, and UCARD. It is situated behind the Tierney Building, and just beside the AIB branch on campus. 0831
UCDNEWS.
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Politics.
The Ongoing Crisis in Northern Ireland Aaron Bowman Politics Editor
27.02.2018
concern that is now emerging after the collapse of talks is the recent efforts by Pro-Brexit members of Parliament to undermine the Good Friday Agreement. From both sides of the aisle have referred to the Good Friday Agreement as outdated and having served its purpose. This should it become the prevailing belief amongst UK MP’s that the Good Friday Agreement is no longer relevant to a modern UK then the risks attached to a hard border increase rather dramatically. The GFA represents the only agreement that has thus far brought both sides of the NI debate to the table in a diplomatic manner, and even that took a significant amount of time. Simply tearing up one of the seminal peace agreements of the 20th century is increasingly seeming like a simple casualty of the Brexit inertia that is driving forward British politics. The GFA kicked up some of the greatest difficulties regarding the EU-UK boarder agreement that was agreed in concept at the end of Phase One discussions in December, as the UK tried to balance the need to fulfil the GFA and remove themselves from the EU internal markets and customs union. While this issue was seemingly resolved in the December agreement, the recent demand from the Ireland and the EU that the UK spells out how exactly how it intended to avoid re-emergence of a so called
‘hard border’. Given the UK’s inability thus far produce a viable option, the near return of the Stormont Assembly was viewed as vital. It was hoped that NI politicians could perhaps offer a solution to the unique problems faced by Northern Ireland. Now that these efforts have failed once more the Government in Westminster is once more left with the question of how to proceed. And the end of the day a huge part of the problems facing NI is the ongoing difference between the DUP and Sinn Fein, in part exacerbated by the fact that the Unionist majority in the country is growing slim-
mer. The failure of Sinn Fein leader Michelle O’Neill and DUP leader Arlene Foster to form the same successful working relationship and Martin McGuinness and Ian Paisley. This lack of trust and working relationship between the parties is part of what has broken down the talks consistently. Now that Westminster is considering the prospect of a return to direct rule, the situation has taken on a new urgency. The DUP currently support Theresa May’s Conservative party in a Confidence and Supply agreement not unlike the one that supports the Irish Minority Government. The issue this
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orthern Ireland has once more made headlines as a result of its protracted political crisis. Ever since the Stormont Assembly was collapsed last January as a result of the resignation of Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness over the RHI scheme, all efforts to get both major parties; Sinn Féin and the DUP to agree to a deal have failed. Last week saw the latest efforts come tantalising close to a deal, one that as a result of leaks after the collapse of the talks seemed to favour the DUP. Many of Sinn Féin’s political objectives would be achieved in this deal, but almost none in the desired form, and the DUP could safely claim that they had secured their primary objectives, namely the retention of Arlene Foster as First Minister and securing some form of an agreement to prevent the collapse of the Stormont assembly over smaller disagreements. According to the leaked drafts that have emerged since the collapse of talks, a ‘cooling off’ of six weeks was agreed between the parties to allow them to agree on a possible solution prior to collapsing the Assembly. However, with the collapse of the talks, these reforms will remain locked away on the drawing board. The greater
presents is it raises the question of whether or not the UK Government can be an impartial arbiter for NI and its feuding parties. If it can’t fulfil this role then even more damage could be done to the already weakened institutions. More than ever, there is a need for courage from NI Politicians. According the leaked agreement from last week, Sinn Fein has seemingly already found that courage and given some ground to gain some. The DUP on the other hand seems utterly beholden to the will of an increasingly hard-line base whom are unwilling to compromise in any way. The only way this crisis is going to resolve itself now is for the DUP to come back to the table and learn to compromise. A failure to do so will result in direct rule and another massive complication in the Brexit negotiation. The EU is still highlighting the North a key issue in the Brexit negotiations, and given the ever shortening time period till the UK’s departure, resolving this issue needs to become a priority for the British Government. Whether it will be is another matter entirely. p.8
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Politics.
What Happens To British MEP Seats Post Brexit? Aaron Bowman
A
core argument of the pro-Brexit camp during the 2016 referendum was that the European Union was being governed by ‘unelected bureaucrats’ who were not accountable to the citizens of member states. In short that the EU was fundamentally undemocratic, and the UK should leave so regain control of their laws. Therefore, it proves rather ironic that the departure of the UK could in fact lead to a more democratic EU through changes to the way we as EU Citizens elect the European Parliament. As the UK departs questions were raised over what to do with the outstanding 73 UK seats in the European parliament. Obviously, they won’t be taking up these seats anymore, so should www.collegetribune.ie
they be shared out amongst the other remaining member states? That was certainly the proposal favours by smaller EU members such as Ireland, Estonia and the other Baltic nations. Some favoured just scrapping them and reducing the total number of Members of the European Parliament. The final suggestion was to introduce trans-national voting lists, a voting system whereby a certain number of seats would be set aside, and every single voter would get a chance to elect these MEPs. This idea isn’t all that new, some countries even used variations of it in national elections (see Poland, Spain and Israel), but the serious push for it to be use at an EU level is in large part due to French President Emmanuel Macron and his desire to reform the EU. While Macron came to
“The reason that the Council voted down the proposals to adopt a new voting system for 2019 was the sheer amount of work it would take given the fact that we are just over a year out from the elections it would aff ect.”
office with a long wish list for EU reform, the transnational voting list is the first idea he has managed to push off the drawing board and into debate. The European Parliament recently had a full debate about the matter, at the end of which the voted not to adopt the proposal. One could rightly wonder why this idea is even being discussed further then if the institution that it effects voted the proposal down. This is because the EP doesn’t actually get to decide how the seats are distributed, or how voting will be handled in the future. That is decided by either the EU Treaties that all member states are governed by, or by the European Council. The European Council recently voted not to adopt the transnational voting system for the next EP elections in 2019, but left the door open for the changes to come into play after then. The reason that the Council voted down the proposals to adopt a new voting system for 2019 was the sheer amount of work it would take given the fact that we are just over a year out from the elections it would affect. However, among member states support for the idea is growing. All of the members see it as a way of making the EU seem close to its citizens and of actually pulling the EP political groups away from their national members. The two big concerns that are left outstanding are the fact that it will most likely result in larger members having more of their nationals elected to the EP, and the legalities of implementation. To address the first issue, if every citizen has a vote on who fills these 73 seats, then obviously candidates from larger countries are at an advantage simply as a result of the larger populations. It is highly unlikely that under the new system that we would see a dramatic uptick in MEPs representing the smaller countries on the periphery of the EU. Secondly, there seems to be some conflicting advice about how legal it would be to implement a new voting system like this. Changing the number of MEPs is legally quite a simple process as a result of the prior bouts of EU expansion. However, the voting methods by which MEPs are elected vary from country to country and are decided by the member states themselves. Thus far there is no legal provision for transnational voting, presenting a conundrum for proponents of the concept. In the grand scheme of things this isn’t going to be a earth shattering change. Like most things in the EU it will be debated for many years and changed in a million tiny ways until the end product looks little like what we started with. While the idea might now be in the pipeline, none of the current generation of politicians are likely to benefit from it. We as voters should watch this space carefully however, as the idea has good merits attached to it, and could introduce some new voices to the EP, an area often devoid of any real debate these days. Beyond that if we want a truly democratic EU, then changes are needed and this could be the change that is needed. 0031
Opinion.
Have We Lost Our Ability to Debate? Conor Capplis Features Writer
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objectively correct. The Irish people are not (for the most part) scientists holding the truth to whether a human life should be allowed to be aborted at 12 weeks. The vast majority of us will vote, and hold opinions, via our conscience. So, if we’ve successfully established that we don’t have all the answers to these questions, and it’s only what the majority thinks that really matters, then who holds the answers? Does anybody hold the answers as to whether abortion is wrong? If we should sack the government? Whether moderate racism is just? From my perspective, pretty much all of these objective answers don’t really exist. Here’s why; the truth behind these conscientious debates lay always with majority. Unfortunately for the minority… you’re wrong. Your opinions aren’t valid, and you should keep them in the past. Politely, shut up. Brutal, right? Well it’s time to wake up and see how the world really works. A topic such as abortion can never really have a right answer. The subjective opinion can only ever be just that. One can never truly be right or wrong, but one must side with what most people believe to be morally correct. If everything in our world is based on subjective truths (let’s leave out the natural sciences for sake of argument), then how do we know if any of us are right? Well, we don’t really
know. Western civilisation has achieved a societal norm that most of us are unknowingly quite grateful for: ‘The individual is sovereign.’ This statement reverberates around the developed world. One can pretty much live their life as they want to, within the constraints of the law. If we take this statement as truth for a moment and look at where the individual stands in a democracy; they have the right to have their voices heard. However, this rule doesn’t promise that you will always get what you want. The majority rules and one must respect that. You may believe you know what’s
best, but unfortunately for you, that doesn’t matter. In a stable democracy, the majority wins. Taking all this into consideration; none of us are ever truly right, everything should be considered subjective, we all get a say but the majority wins. This all suggests that the average John Doe would understand that his opinion is only that. This suggestion remains false, so I will attempt to argue why we should change the status quo. We must try and understand the other, rather than react negatively to their contrasting opinion. Without recognising that your opinion is just that, you can fall into
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We must try and understand the other, rather than react negatively to their contrasting opinion.
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bortion, marriage equality, politics, and gender wage gap. These are just some of the polarising debates that saturate our society today. But why must such issues become nasty, brutish points of argument? It would be fair to say that most people don’t have a divine right to say: ‘I have the answer!’ It would be foolish for one to believe that their opinion is always the correct one. It can even seem quite comedic to suggest that people always believe they’re right. Surprisingly, this isn’t a joke. People do in fact walk around all day believing that they have the correct opinion on abortion: ‘I’m protecting a woman’s right to choose from religious dinosaurs,’ or ‘I’m protecting the unborn from stupid liberals.’ There are countless debates going on today which demand the attention of the people, and fortunately for Irish people, we usually get to vote on what we think is best (when the topic comes to a legal standpoint anyway). We can thank our political system for safeguarding this democratic right. Even though the public have the freedom to decide on issues regarding key legislation, such as abortion, marriage, divorce etc., it would be bizarre to suggest that the people are going to choose whatever choice is
the trap of assuming that you are indisputably right. This may not be the case, and we must not persecute those with other beliefs because of this. ‘Pro-Choicers’ mustn’t treat ‘Pro-Lifers’ harshly, and vice versa. There is a poisonous atmosphere surrounding polarising debates across our society, and we must attempt to be fair and accept other people’s views as they have a right to have and hold them. We can never truly say who is right and who is wrong. Granted, one can safely say that most of us concur that slavery is bad. It doesn’t take much to argue that particular motion, but it’s important to remember that this remains a general consensus and not an undeniable fact. Agree with this article or not, it’s only my opinion. It seems like it would be best for one to try to understand those with opposing views and create a dialogue, screaming and shouting at the other side won’t solve much at all. Remember to hold your opinions confidently, they define who you are, but for the sake of productive dialogue, don’t overestimate your knowledge of the divine truth. p.11
Features.
Sick Parents & The Illness Paradox Editor Rachel O’Neill explores the complex emotions she feels regarding her mother’s breast cancer and how it’s changed their perspectives on life for the better.
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Essentially my anxiety was making me grieve for my mother. Anyone who knows me knows I’m very organised and good with deadlines. I was so organised in fact I was grieving for something that had yet
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to pass.
www.collegetribune.ie
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ow do you cope when a parent is ill? You look after them by bringing them soup and doing more chores and running errands normally. But what happens when you have a parent who is sick with an illness that can’t be fixed by soup? How do you cope when your parent is living with an illness that is not yet terminal but cannot be cured? It’s an illness paradox that I find myself in every day. When I was doing my Junior Cert my mother was diagnosed with Triple Negative breast cancer. It’s an aggressive form of breast cancer which normally ails younger women. My mother was 45 when she was diagnosed. She went through chemotherapy and radiotherapy as well as a mastectomy and eventually she was declared clear. She had a 25% of reoccurrence and if it did come back, the chances were it couldn’t be cured. Just a few months after she celebrated 5 years of being clear, the cancer came back. That was nearly 2 years ago and since then she’s had more treatments of less severe chemotherapy and she has regular scans to see how she’s doing. Right now the cancer isn’t getting bigger but it isn’t getting smaller either. Right now, we’re at an impasse where when the medicine stops working, the illness will become terminal but we’re not at that point yet despite the fact that we know it will come one day. When you have an illness that you know will kill you eventually, you need to live the best possible life you can. My mother has taken this on in a big way. In the last 2 years both herself and my dad have travelled to Laos, Cambodia, India and Thailand as well America, Tenerife, Lanzarote and Spain. Her attitude is not one of despair but one of (for lack of a better phrase) YOLO. She wants to try anything and everything under the sun. It’s a great way to be. However, there is a problem when you’re not the one suffering from
the illness but you seem to worry about it more. I was diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder in 2015 so naturally I pretty much worry about everything. In fact when my mum told me that the cancer was back, I almost immediately thinking about a eulogy at her funeral. It’s quite a disturbing process and something that causes me a lot of anxiety which I had more or less got under control last year. Essentially I ended up crying all the time for long periods and was feeling incredibly sad all the time and having more anxiety attacks then I had had before. When I went back to my therapist last year she told me I was suffering from pre-emptive grief. Essentially my anxiety was making me grieve for my mother. Anyone who knows me knows I’m very organised and good with deadlines. I was so organised in fact I was grieving for something that had yet to pass. So how do you come out of that exactly? The truth is that you don’t really. My mum and I have had frank discussions about what will happens when the time comes. She wants to be medicated up to her eyeballs which I can get behind. I cannot predict how I’m going to cope with it but given the early grieving, I have a small idea of what it could be like. Thinking about what life will like when your mum is gone when she’s actually still alive is quite morbid, so I try to avoid it. That being said, it does always sit there in the back of my mind, quietly reminding me of what’s to come. If my mother has taught me anything (and she’s taught me a great deal), it’s that she tends to be right. When I confessed my feelings to her she sat me down and told me there was no point in worrying about her. She is well capable of looking after herself and me too. Neither of us can control if and when the medication stops working for her. We just have to keep going and both try and live our best lives together while we have that time. A couple of weeks ago she sent me a WhatsApp message asking me if I wanted to go to Ringsend with her to try out scuba diving. That is the kind of best life I’m talking about. 0831
Mindfulness & Me Senan Tuohy-Hamill
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ecently I discovered mindfulness, specifically mindfulness meditation, through a book called Wherever You Go, There You Are, by Jon KabatZinn. Mindfulness isn’t a new concept to me. I had encountered it before and had a vague idea of what it meant, but I had never tried to apply it to my own life. What intrigued me about it from the outset was the idea of simply ‘being’. What do I mean by this? We rarely sit or stop and just be with ourselves, separate from distractions in the form of a phone, laptop or book. We are constantly engaging in some form of entertainment or information processing, so much so that our brain hardly has time to breathe. The idea of being 27.02.2018
with oneself, free from all input and distraction, seems an absurd notion initially. Surely it’s just a waste of time, time that would be better spent on doing something productive? This constant business has become a staple of everyday life, one that we take to be completely normal. But maybe it shouldn’t be the status quo. Before I get further into mindfulness, I’ll give a brief definition of it. Essentially, mindfulness is being present in the now, observing one’s thoughts and feelings, not getting carried away by them, all with an air of non-judgement and awareness. Thoughts and feelings can be so powerful that they completely warp our minds, for better or worse. What mindfulness means is realising that these mind-states are transitory phenomena, and that they do not define you. They are like clouds
‘We are constantly engaging in some form of entertainment or information processing, so much so that our brain hardly has time to breathe.’
floating across the sky of your mind. We can get so caught up in thoughts and emotions, that they prevent us from really being present, from engaging with what is right in front of us. When this happens, life can literally flash right before our eyes, without us ever noticing it. The now is all we have. But how can this state of awareness be achieved? Jon Kabat-Zinn recommends daily mindfulness meditation. This should be a time set aside every day, with no distractions or possibility of interruption, a time for yourself. Kabat-Zinn suggests sitting down in a comfortable position, but a position that suggests wakefulness and readiness to be in engaged in the present. I find a sitting cross-legged position (with a pillow for the floor) to be the most suitable. Keep your back straight, chin up, and imagine that you are sitting with dignity. It can help to visualise yourself as a mountain, and imagine that stability and strength as your own. Focus on your breaths, notice the movement of air when you inhale and exhale, and notice the path of the air as it travels from your mouth and nose to your lungs, and how your body moves with the movement of air. Simply be with the breath, and each time you notice your attention has wandered off, bring it back to the breath. Notice the present moment, such as the noises you can hear, the temperature of the room, the feeling of sitting on the floor, and any other bodily sensations you have. This is being mindful. It’s inevitable that your mind will get caught up in thoughts, but every time you notice this, just focus on the breath. Even just ten minutes of this a day can be extremely beneficial. One concept that I found to be especially helpful in my life is the idea of voluntary simplicity. It is simple yet can be difficult to implement. It means doing one thing at a time. For example, if you’re eating lunch, only eat your lunch. Put away the phone/book/assignment and appreciate the sandwich, really taste the sandwich. You are far more likely to enjoy activities by adopting this philosophy. Meeting up with a friend? Be present with them, engage with them, listen to them, be mindful of your conversation. Have an assignment to do? Forgo Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, and focus on your work (easier said than done). tBut you can see how voluntary simplicity and mindfulness can be applied to everything you do, no matter how small. Use it on your walks or bus or bicycle rides to college and be present with the journey. You might notice some things you’ve never noticed before. Sometimes it is the seemingly small, insignificant moments that can end up mattering the most. p.13
Music.
Choice Music Prize Preview Adam Bielenberg Music Editor
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he thirteenth renewal of the Choice Music Prize takes place at Vicar Street on March 8. Across the ten nominees for Album of the Year, there is a healthy equipoise of genres. It has a mixture of seasoned performers and budding stars offering sumptuous debut albums. It is no surprise that the folk journeymen Fionn Regan (below) showed up on this list with his critically acclaimed album The Meeting of the Waters. Fellow venerable singersongwriter James Vincent McMorrow can boast a fourth nomination with True Care. His unmistakable falsetto has become a staple in Irish music. Perhaps the boldest and heaviest record on the list is Fangclub’s (bottom) self-titled debut – a storming collection of rock songs lathered in distortion. Similarly, indie rock revivalists Otherkin brought some raw energy this year, earning themselves a spot with OK. David Kitt’s intriguing detour is appreciated
here. Under the new moniker New Jackson, he released From Night of Night, an assemblage of dance/deep house cuts. Another stand-out LP is Between the Earth & the Sky by Lankum - a band who have been described as a ‘experimental psychedelic-folk-punk duo’. Talos’s first release Wild Alee – a trendy electronic pop album – would be a popular winner. Marlene Enright’s debut solo effort Placemats & Second Cuts is a worthy contender - a dulcet, vintage listen. Elsewhere, Come On Live Long’s In the Still has an eclectic sound palette and if you’re looking for some affecting synthpop, Ships’ Precession really fits the bill. So there really is something for everyone in this year’s nominees and trawling through them is a excellent way to find some of the Irish musical talent you may have missed over the last year. On the same night, the Song of the Year will be awarded, which you can vote for on the 2fm website. Chasing Abbey, Wyvern Lingo and Niall Horan are just some of the artists that have been nominated for it.
The State of Play for Irish Nightlife Dublin nightclubs and venues close much earlier than their European counterparts and yet the nightlife scene is somehow still booming writes Ailish Brennan.
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unters arrive in from the dark, cold January evening outside, arriving to be greeted by faces of friends made in the old Pod or the famous Twisted Pepper. Many cradle pints and for once I feel distinctly young in this nightclub setting. This is a room more filled with old heads of DJs and promoters than your average young clubber. A hushed silence comes over the North Dublin venue as a voice speaks into the microphone, commanding attention. It is not the first time Sunil Sharpe has taken centre stage in a venue like this, and it is not the first time these patrons have come to see him. However, the circumstances this time are very different. Sunil has no records with him, and there will be no bodies swaying in time with his 4/4 beat. Sunil and everyone else in attendance is here to discuss the re-launch of the Give Us The Night campaign he started more than ten years ago. The mission of the
campaign is to protest Ireland’s barbaric licensing laws, which has led to its nightclub scene languishing well behind the major clubs across Europe where you can dance until dawn and then well beyond it. With most clubs in Ireland being forced to close between two and three in the morning, and having to pay €410 per night (or well over €120,000 a year) for the privilege, Irish club-goers are being forced on to the street, dazed and confused, when most of their European counterparts are barely getting started. The campaign is being revitalised once more on the back of an increased appreciation for electronic music, and in many ways the ‘sesh’ culture that has emerged, that has opened the eyes of many to the possibilities of a clubbing landscape like what can be seen in Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris or London. The licensing loopholes promoters are being forced to jump through are becoming increasingly well-publicised and with three separate festivals being shut down within
a week of the first acts being due to perform, and in one instance within a day of the scheduled start, many people have simply had enough. The famously ambiguous ‘Public Dance Halls Act’ of 1935 was referenced numerous times over the summer to explain the sudden and seemingly unforeseen closure of these festivals, which left promoters invariably counting the financial cost of refunds and paying booking fees. Think how much has changed in Ireland since 1935, yet this is still somehow deemed applicable. Ireland’s night-time culture has been dismissed as little more than an opportunity for us to fulfil our
The Dark Side of the Moon: 45 Years On Conor Capplis Music Writer www.collegetribune.ie
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Album In Review:
In A Poem Unlimited
U.S. Girls
Niall O’Shaughnessy Music Writer
M famous national stereotypes by getting drink. But as Sunil said as he took to the microphone, many people who go out on a Friday or Saturday night, are not thinking ahead to their first pint of Guinness. We are sitting in college or work during the week waiting until we an experience some of our favourite musicians take to the stage in one of Ireland’s many fine music venues. This weekend I went to see ‘Answer Code Request’, a Berlin DJ and a resident of the infamous Berghain club. His set in Index this Friday finished at 2 AM, the music was off by 3. The experience was far from his normal surroundings in Berlin, with its famously open-ended clos-
ing hours, or his booking for the following night in Fabric in London, where guests can get a £10 discount on their entrance fee if they arrive after 6 in the morning, something that many avail of. The difference between Dublin, and Berlin and London is simply that nightlife in these cities is treasured and appreciated for the cultural significance it holds. London has recently appointed a Night Czar, or Night Mayor, a concept which has been suggested here for a number of years, to promote and manage the night-time economy from nightclubs, to theatres, to restaurants, and even 24-hour shops. Dublin’s nightlife is boom-
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“The diff erence between Dublin, and Berlin and London is simply that nightlife in these cities is treasured and appreciated for the cultural signifi cance it holds.”
ink Floyd’s The Dark Side of The Moon has gone down in history as one of the greatest albums of all time. It celebrates its 45th birthday on March 1 and its psychedelic influence has gone on to definitively change the face of Rock & Roll, saturating pop culture for decades. Pink Floyd’s revolutionary album invites listeners on a crazed journey of synthetic sounds, beautifully melodic guitar solos, perfectly timed dynamics and a musical journey that defined a generation. Released in 1973, this album is considered to be a turning point in musical history, much like The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Aside from becoming a staple of modern pop culture, the music Pink Floyd released to the world forever changed the face of rock and what shape it could take. The
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ing. Anyone who has recently tried to get a taxi on O’Connell Street just as the nightclubs have closed will tell you. It is time we treated these clubgoers like adults as opposed to forcing them all out onto the street at once against their best wishes. If patrons were allowed to drink in their own time and go home when they best pleased, they may not feel so restrained by the shackles of a 3an cut off, and issues of dangerous after-hour raves or late-night drinking sessions in houses may be limited. The sooner we treat our late-night musicians, business owners, and the people who pay their wages with tickets and drinks with respect, the better off Irish nightlife will be.
eg Remy’s U.S. Girls project has been a cathartic vehicle for performer and listener alike since her first album over 10 years ago. Lyrically, Remy has vented about society’s ills since the beginning but for her latest release, she invited a group of Toronto musicians called the Cosmic Range to bolster her musical arsenal. It takes a great deal of bravery and assurance to offer up one’s song-writing against an 8-piece band but the result here is that Remy’s ambitions are given free rein to grapple with a dizzying array of genres. The electronic excursions of Róisín Murphy come to mind on ‘Velvet 4 Sale’, or latter day David Byrne on ‘Range of Plastics’, and even on ‘Incidental Boogie’ the expansive, industrial sound of Nine Inch Nails isn’t beyond limit. The record’s lead single ‘M.A.H.’ is a standout, with drawn-out synths phasing in between a forthright bassline
and unrelenting disco percussion, making it the only song about Barack Obama’s questionable foreign policy you can dance to. The challenging, almost inaccessible, subject matter of ‘M.A.H.’ is not an anomaly for Remy, or this record. The narrator on ‘Pearly Gates’ learns that the harsh realities of patriarchal life on Earth do not end upon death; entry to heaven is apparently dependent on surrendering to St Peter’s sexual advances. ‘Rage of Plastics’ is a tale of a couple’s fertility woes, which come as a result of work on an oil refinery; an attempt to invoke a personal response about corporate environmental practices. In a Poem Unlimited is endlessly rewarding, Remy’s confrontational approach should not coexist as seamlessly with such ambitious instrumentation. And even in spite of the continuous nuance, the fervour found in every pocket makes this album a soundtrack for those not yet sick of shouting.
CT Rating 9/10
album also became somewhat famous for being an album to experience an ‘acid’ trip to. It was a symbolic of a period when musical expression and drug use went hand-in-hand. The echoed and repetitive voices, synth and noises served as a mental rollercoaster to those under the influence. With The Dark Side of The Moon, the band smashed records by remaining in the Top 100 Album Chart in the US for 741 weeks, from 1973 to 1988. Their seminal piece of music takes listeners through lyrical themes including: conflict, greed, the passage of time, death, and insanity. Each side of the album features five tracks which lead into each other, creating a continuous flow of music that grows and develops throughout the album, with the final two tracks – ‘Brain Damage’ and ‘Eclipse’ – building up to the perfect crescendo of music, lyrics and passion. p.15
Film.
The Mechanics of Voting in the Oscars Film Editor Muireann O’Shea explains the process of choosing the winners at the Oscars. Who votes? The Oscars are voted for by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. As of 2018, the Academy has over 6,600 members. Each member belongs to a particular branch of the Academy, such as the directors branch or the actors branch, and members can only be in one branch at a time. Eligibility is based on the length of career or number of projects, or alternatively, someone can be sponsored to join by two active members of the academy. In an effort to increase diversity among voters, over 700 people were inducted into the Academy last year, but the voting base is still overwhelming white and male. Irish members include Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson and Bono.
Who counts the votes? PwC accountants have the colossal task of counting the nomination ballots, calculating the nominees and counting the winning votes. These accountants spend an estimated 170 hours counting the votes.
How do you get nominated? In December, Academy members cast their nomination ballots. Members can only nominate within their own branch, for example, only directors can nominate for the best director category. All branches can nominate candidates for Best Picture. For a film to be nominated, it must pass a number of requirements, such as being longer than 40 mins, having been screened in LA for at least seven days and being released before the end of year deadline. Nominees are calculated using the same
Film In Review:
Lady Bird Finn McLysaght Film Writer
www.collegetribune.ie
system of proportional representation that is used in Irish general elections. PwC divide the total number of ballots received for a particular category by the number of possible nominee positions plus one in order to establish the number of votes that a film will need to be officially nominated in that category. Voters list their top five preference and all first preferences are counted, the film with the least first preference votes is eliminated and it’s ballots are recounted and given to their second preference film. This process is continued until enough films get more than the necessary amount of votes to become an official nominee and all the nomination positions are filled.
Who decides who wins? In February, the nominees are announced and members cast their final ballots. There is one vote per member per category. Members may vote in all categories, regardless of which branch they belong to, though members are discouraged from voting in categories that they have little knowledge about. The selection of the Best Picture is different to all other categories. Instead of having one vote per member as with all other categories, to select the Best Picture the voters rank their favourite films by preference, in the same way that they do on the nomination ballots. This method is thought to result in the most widely liked film winning the Oscar. For example, a divisive film like Three Billboards, Outside Ebbing, Missouri might be number one on one members ballot and last place on another members ballot, but if these members both have The Shape of Water around their second or third position, it stands a much better chance of winning.
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gainst the backdrop of Sacramento, California, Saoirse Ronan plays Christine ‘Lady Bird’ McPherson, authentically embodying the unbelievable selfishness and naivety of adolescence. Greta Gerwig’s solo-directorial debut perfectly captures the coming of age of a teenager in the early 2000s, interspersed with the frenetic backand-forths of a mother and daughter’s relationship. Lady Bird’s depiction of this dynamic is unabashedly honest, and at times difficult to watch. Lady Bird is a seventeen year old preparing to graduate from her Catholic girls’ high school who hopes to go to college on the East coast ‘where culture happens’. She is not meaningfully aware of her parents’ financial struggles in achieving this. In one scene where her mother asks Lady Bird if she has any idea how much it cost her parents to raise her, Lady Bird answers that if they give her a figure she will pay it all back. 0831
Film In Review:
The Shape of Water Ciara Dillon Film Editor
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uillermo del Toro has got an interesting way of grounding superbly supernatural, fantasy worlds and creatures by placing their stories in the middle of key historical events. It was what worked so well for him in the 2006 dark fantasy thriller, Pan’s Labyrinth, where the mythical creatures and creepy fairy tale-like world acts as an escape for the protagonist from the grim reality of the Spanish Civil War. The Shape of Water centres around Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins), a mute cleaning lady working at a top secret research facility in the 1960’s, right in the middle of the Cold War. When a strange, fish-like creature arrives in the facility to be used against the Soviets in some way, Elisa becomes fascinated by him, and over time they form quite a unique relationship. Del Toro’s incredible cinematic voice tells this one-ofa-kind story in a way that no one else could. While the film is distinctly adult in many of its themes, it clings onto the childlike essence of traditional fairy tales which make it such an endearing story. The film is weird and wonderful, perfectly mixing the soft romance of the 1940s style production, with the tension of a Cold War thriller. Del Toro’s masterpiece is an explosion of the senses – from visually striking colours and scene composition to an incredibly charming and apt soundtrack. The film is unique and magical from start to finish. While it would not be a Guillermo del Toro picture without being a little
whacky, but he is so on point when it comes to grounding the weirdness and making it feel believable, while still maintaining the incredible aura of fantasy. The story is simple but effective, with the plot revealing itself so slowly you almost never fully understand the context of what is going on, but frankly you are so mesmerised by the film’s charm and beauty, that it doesn’t even matter all that much. Sally Hawkins is mesmerising as the leading lady. It is no easy feat to act without a voice, and her charming, innocent, often playful portrayal of Elisa contributes so much to the success of the story. You feel her isolation at the start, you rejoice when she finds comfort in the Amphibian Man, and even though the relationship should be uncomfortably strange, you cannot help but support it and love it. She captures the role perfectly, with powerful displays of emotion using only her face and body language to convey it. Her relationship with Giles (Richard Jenkins) and Zelda (Octavia Spencer) are equally delightful, and you feel the good in this character’s heart from start to finish. Michael Shannon is on point as the film’s main antagonist, Strickland. What starts off as a dark yet whimsical character quickly turns incredibly sinister as Strickland becomes more and more invested in both Elisa and in the fate of the Amphibious Man. Shannon’s performance is terrifying, adding a level of conflict to the film that transforms it from adult
fairy tale to dark fantasy thriller and, as wonderful as the love story is, giving it that much needed edge to avoid becoming too elementary. An honourable mention must go to Richard Jenkins, who played Elisa’s neighbour, the wonderfully good-natured and understanding Giles. He was a delight, adding humour and loveliness to almost every scene he was in. And of course, Doug Jones, known for playing both Fauno and the Pale Man in Pan’s Labyrinth, and numerous other non-human roles, does what he does best as the Amphibian Man, creating an endearing and fascinating character that you cannot get enough of. The Shape of Water is a wonderful example of Guillermo del Toro’s amazing skill as both a filmmaker and a storyteller. It so successfully captures the essence of exactly what it is trying to convey, doubling as a mystical fairy tale and a Cold War thriller. Sally Hawkins’ innocent, childlike Elisa is contrasted sharply and excellently with Michael Shannon’s creepy and sinister Strickland. The overall design of the film is truly mesmerising, from the onscreen colour palette to the beautiful design of the Amphibian Man. It was a film unlike any other I’ve ever seen, and even though del Toro’s cinematic voice is heard loud and clear throughout, it is still vastly different than his previous endeavours. A real winner for me, and without a doubt my current frontrunner to scoop the coveted Best Picture award at next month’s Academy Awards.
Lady Bird’s coming-of-age is refreshing; throughout her journey she is not overly awkward or self-conscious and her confidence is unaffected and sincere. This confidence and her impetuous nature appear perplexing and enigmatic, both to the audience, as we recall our unglamourous teenage years, and to the adults in Lady Bird’s life. Lady Bird encounters dilemmas in sex, romance, and friendship and deals with these herself; asking her mother for advice with absolute vagueness. When Lady Bird speaks with Sister Sarah-Joan, a nun at her school, about her options after graduation and her fervent desire to leave Sacramento, Sarah-Joan comments that Lady Bird speaks of Sacramento with love. Lady Bird replies that she just pays attention. Sarah-Joan posits that perhaps love and attention are the same thing and with this in mind our observation of Lady Bird and her mother’s fighting is altered significantly; while their relationship is strained and painful, 27.02.2018
this pain comes from their miscommunication of love, not a lack of love. Lady Bird and her mother slowly learn to navigate this relationship and their different ways of sharing their feelings. When Lady Bird applies to an East Coast college in secret, her mother is furious and refuses to speak with her, ultimately reneging before Lady Bird leaves for college. We see that Marion’s love for her daughter is ultimately irrevocable, despite their differences. Ultimately, Gerwig’s semi-autobiographical retrospective of coming of age in her home town is one of reverence and fondness, both for the place, and for the people. Watching Lady Bird and her mother negotiate relationships with each other; people who love both grandly and imperceptibly, feels extremely intimate but also funnily familiar. This window into Lady Bird’s final year in Sacramento will resonate with everyone: her experience is universally felt. p.17
Fashion.
BEAUTY AND FASHION RESOLUTIONS FOR 2018 www.collegetribune.ie
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FASHION WRITER FIONA KEAVENEY EXPLAINS THE RESOLUTIONS THAT YOU SHOULD BE MAKING TO MAKE YOUR 2018 A BETTER AND BRIGHTER YEAR.
1. BE TREND SAVVY
3. DRINK MORE WATER
2. DITCH THE CLUTTER
4. DIY BEAUTY
In this day and age, bloggers and vloggers are constantly appearing on our social media streams. It seems that every day they have a new eyeshadow palette or a new style of high heel to show their followers. The secret here is that the majority of them get numerous PR packages containing new brand releases as gifts. Don’t get me wrong, this is absolutely incredible for them, but for us mere mortals who don’t appear on a PR mailing list, it certainly feels unrealistic. How do I keep up with all these new launches and new trends? The answer is, you don’t. You could try and do it cheaply, but frankly it is far easier to be smart about it. Do you really need that purple highlighting powder? Are those jeans with the rips underneath your bum really going to work for you? These are questions that you can ask yourself before you buy anything that will eventually save you time and money. Consider each purchase carefully, do I really need this? Or am I buying into the hype? Will the product suit my style and my body shape? So, try to be trend-savvy and only spend that hard-earned cash on things you really need and really love.
This advice goes hand in hand with tip number one. Remember that pair of jeans you had four years ago that you keep because one day they will fit again? It’s time to let them go. Or at least put them away in storage. No one wants to be reminded of your freshman fifteen on the daily. Donate clothes that you haven’t worn in a year and a half. They are only cluttering up your space and are making it harder to pick an outfit you actually like. You will feel so much more zen after you finish this clean-out. I don’t know if I quite buy into the whole ‘life changing magic of tidying up’ thing, but it definitely helps you feel more in control of your life. The same goes for beauty products. Many of these products actually have a sell-by date which tell you when you should keep them until. For example, foundation is reported to last from between twelve-to eighteen months. Mascara should be changed every six months and lipstick after one year. Of course, these are only guidelines, and I definitely keep products a little longer than I should but it is something to keep in mind.
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If I stop reminding myself to do this then I admit defeat. Drinking water helps just about everything in your life. Okay, it won’t make that guy from your elective fancy you back, but it can fix some other problems. Firstly, it has been found that drinking water can majorly help your skin. From avoiding dry skin to helping to remove impurities, your face will be sure to thank you for taking in all that H20 and will generally be more glowy. Even without the skincare benefits, drinking water makes you feel like a better human. You are less likely to aimlessly snack and more likely to feel more energetic. Ever spent a few hours in the library and come out with a pounding headache? It might not be the fluorescent lights and the impending deadlines, you may just be dehydrated. Some useful ways of taking in more water is to buy a refillable two litre container and make a pact with yourself to finish it by the end of the day. If like me, everything’s ten times more fun if there is a competition, this works a treat. An additional idea is to add in some chopped up fruit segments or squash to introduce some flavour. This is a resolution I personally really have to work on.
In an ideal world, we would all be professionally preened and groomed on the daily. However, us students have to be more resourceful when it comes to budgeting. Of course, it feels great to get your nails done every two weeks but that cost builds up. A shellac costs you €35 in most salons. If you are getting one every two weeks, that will cost you about €850 a year. That’s a return long haul flight somewhere when you put it into perspective. The same can be said for make-up applications, curly blow-outs, professional waxing and facials. Some things we just cannot do ourselves (at home bikini waxes – just don’t do that to yourself!), but some things we can. YouTube has endless video tutorials on how to carry out your favourite treatments yourself. If you just can’t get the knack of it, ask a friend. I have a few people who can do a smoky eye just as good as the best in the business. When you do choose to get your hair or make-up done for a big event, it will feel all the more special and you will have some extra cash to spend on your gin & tonics.
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Fashion.
CHRISTOPHER BAILEY’S FINAL FAREWELL Shannon Doherty Fashion Editor
When ‘Burberry’ comes to mind, we tend to think of its classic check pattern in traditional, neutral hues. However for Christopher Bailey’s final show, he transformed the Burberry catwalk into a multicoloured rainbow in celebration of the LGBTQ community. The fashion house has provided and continues to provide a lot of financial support for the LGBTQ community and as well as creating awareness and celebrating the community, some of the proceeds of items will be donated in aid of charities helping the LGBTQ youth. Bailey has seen Burberry through thick and thin, and has turned it into what it is today - a company with a net worth of 7.7 billion. He’s not just indebted to the company but to British fashion in general, as he helped to restore London as a fashion capital, by moving the Burberry fashion show there rather than having it in Milan where it was originally held. The chief executive of the BFC (the British Fashion Council), Caroline Rush, commented that nobody had done more than Christopher Bailey to promote British fashion, saying “Christopher has played a significant role in the British Fashion Industry, putting innovation at the heart of Burberry and ensuring that it is an exciting, relevant, forward-thinking global fashion brand.” Bailey also was very tech-savvy by making Burberry one of the first ever fashion houses to livestream their show, allowing for people to be able to watch it love from all parts of the world. Not only was he creative director of the brand, but also the CEO until he stepped down from that position in July of last year. Notably he is also the first ever openly gay chief executive of a FTSE 100 company, which is definitely an incredible feat.
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One of 2018’s ‘it’ models, Adwoa Aboah, opened the show wearing a white silk floor-length skirt with a vertical rainbow running through it. The runway saw rainbow colours on just about anything that you could imagine - bags, trainers, hats, shawls, puffas, and the list goes on and on. It goes without saying that the genius that is Christopher Bailey created different looks where some kept in line with the key fashion trends in a more modest way as well as having some more ostentatious outfits, and both together made for an incredible spectacle. The final look to walk down the runway, modelled by none other than Cara Delevigne, paraded a multi colored floor length fur coat which is certainly fit for royalty. Cara was greatly supported by Bailey in her early career, as I’m sure you’ve seen that she has been the face of almost every Burberry product since her rise to stardom. However, it is a well known fact that although she came to be known as a model, she is now taking a break from the modelling world and is focusing on her acting career. Which is why her appearance on the runway caused the audience to be somewhat surprised by her concluding the show. There are so many amazing and influential moments that have been created for Burberry by Christopher Bailey during his seventeen years within the company, and his final show truly gave him the send-off he deserved. He depicted the traditional British nature of the brand but combined that with the diversity that is so prevalent in modern day society. In saying all this, it seems quite fitting that his final collection is called ‘time’ as it truly does represent his time with the brand - it represents the past, the present, and the future of Burberry.
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Arts.
In the Loop
Arts & Events Editor Holly Lloyd
Silk Road International Film Festival ‘SRIFF’ is a celebration of Film from all over the world held in March every year. Founded in 2012, ‘SRIFF’ has quickly established a name for itself and has become a prominent feature in the arts calendar. The festival has an aim to promote cinema and culture of the world, and takes its title from the Silk Road and ancient trade routes in areas such as Asia, the Middle East and the Mediterranean.’SRIFF’ wants to encourage the creation of a dialogue between different cultures. They aim to educate and encourage the creation of film together, creating an international platform and with its sights set at becoming an international film festival. This event will be held between the 7th and the 11th of March.
Spectrum Festival This festival only had its inaugural year last year, but is back due to its huge success. Spectrum Festival focuses on jazz, electro and tinged folk, and ways we can combine them to create modern, off the wall music. The festival will take part over the weekend of the 9th-11th of March across three different venues; DBD, the Fumbally stables and the Grand Social. Friday at DBD will feature Snow Poet and Sons of Kemet, Saturday at the Fumbally Stables will present Thunderblender, Catherine Sikora & Brian Chase and on Sunday the Grand Social will have Huun Huur Tu. Early bird tickets are available with day tickets costing no more than €22.
Epic
Romeo & Juliet at the Helix
There will be a discussion by Author Tim Fanning about the many Irish immigrants who travelled to South America and became soldiers in the 18th and 19th centuries. ‘The forgotten Irish who changed the face of Latin America’, will give the opportunity to discuss what impact they had, and their motives for fighting during war between the Spanish and the patriots. This will be of great interest to anyone with a love of history, economics and politics. The talk will take place on Thursday 15th March 6-7 pm. Tickets €5.
The Royal Moscow ballet are bringing their production of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Romeo and Juliet to the Helix on Saturday the 10th March.This ballet, which premiered eighty years ago with a beautiful and intense score from Prokofiev, is truly one of the most breathtaking ballets to witness, regardless of whether it is your first time or whether you are a seasoned attendee. The performance will no doubt be outstanding, coming from a reputable Russian dance company. Tickets range from €25-€40.
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‘Colour Is Life’ Exhibition At the National Gallery Holly Lloyd Arts & Events Editor
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mil Nolde was one of the first artists of the expressionist movement and member of the original expressionist groups. Born 7th August 1867 in Nolde, Denmark, he came from a traditional protestant farming background, one which he would later detach himself from in his path to becoming a major contributor to the expressionist movement. Having spent time working in furniture factories and training to become an illustrator and a carver, he gained entrance to the school of Applied Arts in Karlsruhe in 1889. Nolde also spent time as a drawing instructor at the Industrie-und Gewerbemuseum in St Gallen, Switzerland, where he created his first successful body of work, which would finance him for his further training. In 1898, having been rejected from the Munich Academy of Fine Arts, he spent three years in Paris at the Academie Julian, taking private art classes where he familiarized himself with the contemporary impressionist scene that was growing in popularity in Europe. Nolde truly came into his own with his artwork during his involvement with the impressionist Avant Garde groups of the early 20th century. He became a member of Die Brucke,a revolutionary art group formed in Dresden by four young architecture students; Fritz Bleyl, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Erich Hekel and Karl Schmidt Rottluff. Although Nolde only remained a member of Die Brucke for a year, it had a huge impact on his work overall, igniting primitive, exotic themes in his pieces. Die Brucke (The Bridge) wanted to create a link between past and present in art such as through reviving woodcuts as well as creating a new way of printing such as the
lineout technique. Their references to the past were often counteracted with extreme modernist styles . Nolde then joined another expressionist group, Die Blaue Reiter, in 1911 where his success continued to grow. After being invited on a German expedition to New Guinea, Nolde’s work again featured heavily primitive and sensual themes. As well as this, Nolde’s works featured many references to the Bible, but not in the classical manner. His scenes were painted in strong, expressionist styles with striking colours and exaggerated forms. This aspect of impressionism was very important to him.He wrote ‘Every colour holds within it a soul, which makes me happy or repels me, which acts as a human stimulus.’ Although Nolde was finding great success, his artistic life was not without its downfalls. Nolde was as supporter of the Nazi Party due to his belief that impressionism was solely a Germanic style. However he found himself an outcast of the party, as the Nazi’s believed that modernism was degenerate art; Nolde was therefore condemned by the Nazi’s and was not allowed to paint after 1941. This resulted in a series of watercolours that he called his ‘unpainted pictures’. After World War II, Nolde received the German Order of Merit, and was once again held in high esteem in Germany. Running until the 10th June 2018, a series of Nolde’s works will be available to view in the National Gallery of Ireland in the new Exhibition ‘ Emil Nolde/ Colour is Life’. It will truly showcase his bold paintings and prints with all works on loan from the Noble Foundation Seebull, Germany. A series of lectures and talks will also accompany the exhibition. Student tickets are now available at €5. p.23
LifeStyle.
LifeStyle Events
X Games Norway 2018 Ciara Landy Lifestyle Editor
Ireland’s Largest Craft Beer Festival From the 8th-10th of March the Convention Centre will host the ‘Alltech Craft Brews and Food Fair’, an event that prides itself on being the largest celebration of craft beers, ciders and spirits in Ireland. There will be live music, Six Nations rugby and artisan food stalls. Tickets are available from Eventbrite.
St. Patrick’s Day Brunch The Chicken ‘n’ Waffles’ hip hop brunch returns to Odeon this St. Patrick’s day! For €25 you will enjoy brunch, bottomless mimosas (12.00-13.30), music and games from 12.00-18.00. Tickets are available from Eventbrite.
Food Photography for Bloggers If you want to up the ante on your insta this spring, checkout this food photography masterclass led by food stylist and photographer Jennifer Opperman on April 21st. This two-hour workshop is hosted by Urban Health Ranelagh and will set you back €21 (excl. booking fee, tickets available on Eventbrite). Don’t forget your camera! www.collegetribune.ie
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xams finished a little earlier this year? Catch Olympic medallists and snowboarding stars Mark McMorris, Jamie Anderson and Max Parrot in Oslo this May, as Norway plays host to the X Games, a three-day event which celebrates the best of the action sports world! The X Games Norway 2018 are set to feature some of the world’s best skateboarders, snowboarders and skiers, running from May 18th-20th. Saturday May 19th will see the popular Big Air snowboarding and skiing events take place (with numerous musical acts playing between sessions), which have been known to draw a crowd of over 20,000 snowsports fanatics. All day Saturday tickets (13.00-22.00) are €71.45 available from Tick-
etmaster Norway (https://www.ticketmaster.no). The various hosting venues are accessible via both private shuttle and public buses from Oslo city centre. If you fancy making a proper trip of it, head to Oslo for May 17th to see the Norwegian Constitution day celebrations, a national public holiday that celebrates the signing of the Norwegian Constitution in 1814. The festivities will see thousands take to the streets with parades, marching bands and plenty of patriotic Norwegians donning traditional dress! 4 nights in the centrally-located Anker Hostel in Oslo, from May 16th-20th, is €79. Direct flights from Dublin to Oslo from May 16th-20th or May 18th – 21st are both €73 with SAS. 0831
Going Up
Thrifty Travelling
Study Break Snow!
EatYard ReOpening
Ciara Landy LifeStyle Editor Feeling inspired after all the Winter Olympics action in Pyeongchang? Think you have what it takes to be the next Mikaela Shiff rin? A number of tour operators are off ering last minute ski deals during study week that may just take your fancy!
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Lidl’s Vegan Range
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*Prices valid as of 21/02/2018, based on four people sharing.
Ribasol Ski & Mountain Park (10th-17th March) Located in Arinsal and Pal, Andorra, Ribasol Ski & Mountain Park is a four-star self-catering apartment complex with excellent reviews on Tripadvisor. Offering spacious apartments with free Wi-Fi, the complex is ski-in ski-out - the nearest lift less than a minute away! Arnisal and Pal is on the smaller side but is perfect for beginner skiers - advanced skiers may take note that there are only 5 black slopes available. The resort offers an ‘improver ski bundle’ that includes lift pass, ski and boot hire and 5-day ski school for €335. 7 nights self-catering accommodation including direct flights from Dublin to Perpignan and return transfers to the resort is €379 with DirectSki. Tour available with DirectSki, for more information see: https://www.directski.com/ski/ andorra/arinsal_and_pal/ribasol 27.02.2018
The German budget supermarket is leading the way in providing affordable, vegan-friendly alternatives.
SLICE Stoneybatter
Residence Plagne Lauze (10th-17th March)
This three-star hotel, Residence Plagne Lauze, is located in Plagne 1800, La Plagne in the French Alps. With an outdoor heated pool and sauna, Residence Plagne Lauze is on the more luxurious side of most alpine accommodation! 7 nights selfcatering accommodation, direct flights from Dublin and transfers to and from Lyon airport will set you back €358 per person. This excludes ski pass (€250) and ski and boots rental (€85). Tour available with DirectSki, for more information see: https://www.directski.com/ski/ france/plagne_1800/residence_ plagne_lauze
Bernard Shaw’s popular Eatyard market will be reopening March 2nd. Upcoming events at Eatyard include a Cheese and Wine Festival (March 23rd and 24th) and a Crisp Festival (June 16th and 17th) which will feature events such as DIY crisp sandwich making and a bottomless crisp brunch!
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The Stoneybatter café is known for their extravagant donuts that are available for limited periods only – their most recent invention is a Kimberly Mikado donut that is sure to be a sell-out! Previous creations range from Crunchie-inspired to a Loop the Loop donut! The Dublin 7 café boasts a solid brunch menu also, available 9-5 every Saturday and Sunday.
Going Down Kolpinghaus Apartments (10th17th March) Kolpinghaus apartments are located in Kitzbühel, Austria, a mere 2-minute walk from the village centre. The nearby local ski bus stop will transport you to all of the major lifts in the Kitzbühel/ Kirchberg region, which is home to numerous black and red slopes – ideal for more experienced skiers. For those looking to relax after a long day on the slopes, the complex is home to a pool, sauna and Jacuzzi. Topflight Holidays are offering 7 nights selfcatering accommodation, return flights from Dublin to Salzburg, transfers to and from the resort and a 20kg bag allowance for €409. Economy skis and boots are an additional €159 and lift passes start at €266. Tour available with Topflight Holidays, for more information see:
https://www.topflight.ie/skibreaks/pkg/austria/kitzbuhel/ kolpinghaus_apartments
Aramark Catering
Planibel Apartments (11th18th March)
Head to the Planibel apartments in La Thuile Italy which boasts ski-to-thedoor access and is located right next to the resort’s lifts, gondola and ski school! Crystal Ski are offering 7 nights accommodation in these self-catering apartments, return direct flights from Dublin to Turin (including a 20kg baggage allowance) and return airport transfers by coach for €277. A 6-day lift pass and standard skis and boots rental pack is an additional €307 Tour available with Crystal Ski, for more information see: https://www.crystalski.ie/ package/italy/la-thuile/ planibel-apartments/ dub/20180311/7n/a4/c0/i0/ s10/.
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A group named ‘Aramark Off UCD Campus’ launched on February 7th and are aimed at boycotting Aramark Catering. The group states that ‘UCD students do not condone the presence on campus of a business who profit from asylum seekers living in direct provision’. Aramark catering run a number of food outlets on campus, including the main UCD canteen, Chopped and Subway and also own Avoca.
Processed Meat
Processed meat has been classified as a carcinogen since 2015, as it is known to cause cancer, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a branch of the World Health Organisation. As a Group 1 carcinogen, processed meat is an established carcinogen to humans and is placed in the same category as asbestos and tobacco. p.25
Science.
CRISPR-Cas: A Cure We’re Not Ready For?
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Ryan Henne Science Writer
n the 1st of June 2017, the gene-editing molecular hardware of CRISPR was used for the first time on a human patient. This was a massive breakthrough for the theoretical and practical study of human genetics, but it also raises difficult ethical questions. How far can we take human gene editing? Before delving into that, let’s first talk about what CRISPR is, and what it can do. CRISPR is a feature of bacterial immune systems, where their surprisingly sophisticated machinery can recognize invading viral DNA and cut it up into pieces. After it’s discovery, people began attempting to use the enzymes involved in the CRISPR or Cas (CRISPR associated system) to edit fractions of genetic information in a variety of organisms. Then it all exploded when the realisation came that this method could efficiently edit human genes like never before. No previous gene-editing technique was able to target multiple locations at once so easily. Additionally, human DNA is tightly packed around protein octamers and is difficult to access, but because the molecular scissors of CRISPR are small in size it enables them to reach spots inaccessible before without a more complex method. Molecular biologists are rejoicing over this panacea to all genetic ailments, the
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world of medicine is on the verge of a new era. But there’s one slight problem. In the ethics department, we haven’t really caught up with rapid growth of CRISPR technology. Which means that when we eventually develop the perfect Cas9 (a protein that can edit a gene) there’ll be much controversy on what we can and can’t change. Naturally, there should be no problem ‘fixing’ genes that only cause debilitating diseases, alone. However, there is also the genuine fear of ‘designer babies’. It is theoretically possible for parents to tailor an embryo’s physical appearance. While the technology is still in its early stages, many people - scientists and the general public alike - fear a reality where the rich can afford exotic gene therapies. These therapies would allow the already privileged to have much more successful offspring, with perfect genetics, creating a divide wider than any class system today. With the simplicity of the Cas9 complex, the rapid pace of human genome sequencing and analysis is developing, this isn’t a distant dystopia. Selective breeding has been used by humans on both livestock and crops for millennia, far longer than any gene machinery we use today. But this machinery makes the editing of genetics quicker and easier than ever, is this a future people want? Disease prevention is one thing, but engineering the appearance and abilities of our own children is a different matter entirely. One that needs careful consideration, and regulation.
Spring Has Sprung!
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Aisling Brennan Science Writer
cross t h e count r y , we are seeing 'signs o f spring'. The first blooms of snowdrops and blackthorn flowers; hazel, horse-chestnut and alder trees forming tiny blossoms and fluffy catkins; frogspawn in sheltered ponds and grey herons with bright orange beaks near rivers. Not all of these heralds are pleasant, with clouds of hovering grey midges, dark green shoots of stinging nettles, and a cacophonous dawn chorus of early morning birds screaming for neighbours to stay off their turf and potential mates to talk about egg babies. Winter's come and gone (sort of) and as stubbornly as the last tendrils of cold cling on, we shiver resolutely in the knowledge that
spring and sun and slightly less rain will arrive eventually. When exactly it gets here is another question, as it depends entirely on who you ask. Meteorologists, in Ireland and around the world, split the year into four equal threemonth-long seasons based on temperature. The warmest three months are summer, the coldest three winter, and the leftovers shuffled into spring and autumn. Simple and straightforward enough, by this ruling spring starts in March and continues until the end of May. However, if you ask an astronomer (or pagan, or astrologist, or anyone from a prehistoric culture who spent a bit too much time looking upwards) that's a bit too late. The Earth has seasons because as it spins wildly around the sun it rocks back and forth, tilting on its axis so that the North and South hemispheres can take turns sunning them-
selves. In early spring the tilt of the axis relative to the sun increases, the days get longer, and the temperatures warmer. As the hours of daylight increase we gradually approach the Spring Equinox (March 20th) which is a day split evenly down the middle, with 12 hours each of light and dark. Both spring and autumn have an equinox, while summer and winter have a solstice, the longest and shortest days of the year respectively. It makes sense that the solstices should lie right in the middle of the warmest and coldest seasons, and again given the leftovers, Spring and autumn fit nicely around the equinoxes. But that means that, astronomi0831
cally, the start of spring is in early February. Why is it different? Ireland getting more sunlight would surely lead to higher temperatures one would think, logically they shouldn't be too far behind each other. The ever-topical and tempestuous answer, is climate. Weather and temperature are indeed heavily impacted by the planet's tilt and hours of daylight, they are simply a bit slow to respond. It takes about six weeks for the climate to catch up to the planets movements, a meteorological buffering wheel of ocean currents and warming air-fronts. Thus the difference between the two estimates for spring springing upon us, is simply a matter of 27.02.2018
lag. If you want to add another layer of confusion, ask an ecologist! Most ecologists tend to divide the year into six seasons, adding a prevernal (or pre-spring) season just after winter when only the toughest of flowers, like the crocus, are able to bloom. These six seasons don't have any fixed dates though, and when they arrive is determined by natural indicators and events. In fact there is an entire field of study for the 'first signs' of the seasons each year, phenology. When amateur weather predictors in Ireland say that storms are coming if a dog eats grass or seals come into the strand, or that
“Ireland is known for celebrating spring earlier than the rest of the world, with the star-gazing Celts honouring Imbolc and the goddess Brighid at the start of February.�
if a hen picks at her feathers a downpour is due, you may want to take them with a tablespoon or two of salt, but it is definitely true that nature knows more than we do about the seasons.As the days get longer and warmer in Ireland, flora and fauna will get brighter and more active around us. Oak, ash, elder and hawthorn trees will dress themselves in leaves and buds, gardens and roadsides alike will bloom with tulips, daffodils and primroses, and migratory swallows like sandmartins will return to the island just in time for warmer weather. If the days are calm and warm, early butterflies might be visible as they come out from their winter hiber-
nation, with orange-tip and small tortise-shell butterflies among the most common. March moths show up as their name suggests, while march hares might be seen madly 'boxing' each other during the mating season. Ireland is known for celebrating spring earlier than the rest of the world, with the star-gazing Celts honouring Imbolc and the goddess Brighid at the start of February. Given that we can often experience all four seasons in one day here I don't suppose it matters much the particular day spring starts. The season is a time of new growth, new life, and new warmth, and that at least is something everyone can agree on. p.27
Law.
Gerry Adams Loses 1970s Appeal Daniel Forde Law Editor
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ormer Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has failed to have two historic convictions concerning escape bids overturned. This escape bids arose out of circumstances when Adams was interned without trial in 1972 during the Troubles in Maze/Long Kesh Prison. Adams was briefly released so that he could participate in peace talks but he was re-arrested once the discussion broke down and the violence continued. Adams subsequently attempted to escape with three others from Maze/Long Kesh in December 1973 by cutting through the prison wire fence. When this
action failed he later tried to escape by plotting to kidnap a man who looked like him and exchange places. Both of these attempts earned Adams two sentences of 18 months and 3 years imprisonment. Adams did not launch an appeal for 40 years. However this appeal was triggered by subsequent Government disclosure of papers relating to the arrest. These papers revealed that due to the debate surrounding internment, in 1974 the law had changed and only the Secretary of State could decide on an interment order. Mr Adams legal team argued that this invalidated the order as it had not been considered by the Secretary of State. They
also contrasted this with the original interment order which had been made by the Minister for Justice. They also concluded that the wording of Art. 4(1) of the Detention of Terrorists (NI) Order 1972 meant each order had to be considered personally. The Northern Court of Appeal rejected these claims however. They based this decision around an analysis of the Carltona principle.
The Carltona principle, which arose out of an English WWII case, posits that a minister can delegate some decisions to lower staff members even if they are their strictly within their prerogative. This is due to the fact that ministers’ duties are often so wide reaching that they could not personally attend to all of them. In this case the Court chose to agree with that principle. They found that as
the wording of the statue in question was not so distinctive from other similar acts, it did not impose any specific personal duty on a minister. The Court stated in its decision ‘Clearly the making of the order is the more significant decision. The signing of the order is the authority on which officials act to detain the person subject to the order. The distinction indicates that the appropriate person who might act on behalf of the specified Minister may be more confined under Article 4(1) than under Article 4(2). It does not lead to the necessary implication that only the Secretary of State may make the order.’ Mr Adams has since released a statement, saying that he was not surprised by the Court’s decision. He has withdrawn to reconsider his options. One of the judges Sir Ronald Weatherup commented ‘Accordingly the court is satisfied that the convictions are safe’.
High Court Recalls Man’s Right to Be Forgotten Daniel Forde Law Editor
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he High Court has overturned a Circuit Court order which previously endorsed a man’s ‘right to be forgotten’. The man in question was Mark Savage, who had stood as an Independent candidate in North Dublin local elections in 2014. Mr Savage had launched a claim against to have information posted about him on the internet forum Reddit removed. The information in question was a thread which referred to him as ‘Mark Savage – North County Dublin’s homophobic candidate’. The perceived source of this label was leaflets which Mr Savage had handed out during the election process. These leaflets contended that ‘gay perverts cavorting en flagrante on the beach in broad daylight’ depreciated the institution of marriage. Mr Savage has often proclaimed himself as a very religious man and has often posited as very traditional in his understanding of marriage. Mr Savage complained to the Data Commissioner and sought to have the thread removed, claiming it was defamatory. He also attempted to dispel comments that he was homophobic, by arguing that being ‘disgusted’ by gays was mutually exclusive from hating them. However the Data Protection Commissioner failed to agree with this. The Commissioner stated that Google’s failure to re-index the thread did not breach any Data Protection Acts. Mr Savage subsequently brought proceeding to the Circuit Court seeking the ‘right to be forgotten’. The case primarily revolved around the interpretation of the Data Protection Acts www.collegetribune.ie
as well as the decision in the Google Spain case. The aforementioned case held that a person could have personal data held by a third party web page delisted from a search engine. Justice Elma Sheehan applied the ruling in this case and found that Mr Savage was entitled to have the thread delisted from Google. She reasoned that it was likely internet users would refer to online forums in judging a person’s character and would most likely treat these as verified facts. This could potentially damage Mr Savage’s reputation and thus both his fundamental rights and interests were affected. Justice Sheehan ordered the thread to be removed. However the High Court has recently overturned this ruling. In court Mr Justice Michael White found that the Circuit Court had not properly applied the jurisprudence in the Google Spain case. Also they had not successfully found any error of fact or law within the Data Protection Commissioner’s decision. Furthermore, Justice White outlined that the thread in question had to be given proper context. He reasoned that the court had failed to take into account an underlying article search. Thus the Circuit Court had erred in law in holding the URL heading in isolation. Finally the order would force Google to engage in editing activities for its URLs and search engines, which the decision in Google Spain did not proscribe. It is unclear whether Mr Savage will seek to appeal this decision What is certain however is that it will be increasingly hard for him to forget this episode. 0831
Gaeilge.
An Cumann Gaelach UCD ag súil le gradam a bhaint amach ag Ard-Fheis Chonradh na Gaeilge
Erin Nic An Bhaird Eagarthóir Gaeilge
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dir 23-25 Feabhra, beidh ceann de na féilte is mó i bhféilire na nGaeilgeoirí ag tarlú i dTrá Lí, Co. Chiarraí: Ard-Fheis Chonradh na Gaeilge 2018. Sa bhliain 1893 i mBaile Átha Cliath, bunaíodh Conradh na Gaeilge, agus mar sin is é an téama atá ann ná “125 Bliain Ar Aghaidh: Fís, Forbairt & Fás”. Tá breis is 200 craobh agus na mílte ball aonair ag Conradh na Gaeilge sa lá atá inniu ann, agus is fóram daonlathach phobal na Gaeilge é a spreagann ár dteanga náisiúnta mar gnáth-theanga labhartha na tíre. Tá an mórchuid de na cumainn gaelacha mar chraobhacha oifigiúla de Chonradh na Gaeilge, ina measc siúd An Cumann Gaelach UCD. Beidh idir cruinnithe agus ceardlainne ar siúl do bhaill Craobhacha Conradh na Gaeilge, bunaithe ar ábhair ar nós na meáin shóisialta, ‘photoshop’, Seachtain na Gaeilge agus timireacht sa 21ú Aois. Seolfar Seachtain na Gaeilge 2018, agus toghfar Uachtarán nua agus Coiste Gnó nua don eagraíocht. Beidh seiminéar ag díriú ar tiomantas na rialtas in Éirinn
don Ghaeilge agus do na Gaeltachtaí, agus i measc na cainteoirí atá le bheith ag diospóireacht ann tá ceannaire Fhianna Fáil Micheál Martin, an tAire Stáit Seán Kyne, an Teachta Dála Bríd Smith (Pobal Roimh Bhrabús), agus an Teachta Dála Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, (Sinn Féin). Na hábhair eile a bheidh á phlé ná oideachas trí Ghaeilge ag gach leibhéal do gach atá á lorg, agus oifigí Gaeilge sna húdaráis áitiúla ar fud na tíre. Tugann an Ard-Fheis deis do bhaill an Chonartha teacht le chéile, smaointe a roinnt agus pleanáil a dhéanamh don todhchaí. Freisin, is cúis é an Ghaeilge a chéiliúradh - beidh siamsaíocht ann, chomh maith le Dinnéar na hArd-Fheise. Beidh ionadaithe ann ón gCumann Gaelach UCD agus beidh siad ag súil le gradam a bhuachan mar aitheantas don dul chun cinn atá déanta acu i rith na bliana. Dár ndóigh, bíonn iomaíocht ghéar ann ó na coláistí eile, Coláiste na Trionóide ach go háirithe. Pé scéal é, tá sceitimíní ar na cumainn ar fad bualadh le chéile arís agus ceisteanna thábhachtacha na Gaeilge a phlé.
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Law.
Are the Road Traffic Acts Still Roadworthy?
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Cian Carton Editor
he Road Traffic Acts play a daily role in the lives of many people and are some of the most controversial laws in Ireland today. It is frequently argued that the law is unclear in the area and it is widely accepted that keeping up with the law in this area is challenging. Since the creation of the Road Traffic Act 1961, the law in this area is contained in 22 separate Acts, complemented by others, alongside over 900 Statutory Instruments. In less than six decades, it has developed to rival planning and tax for being the most complex area of law. The main solution put forward is to consolidate all Road Traffic Acts into a new one, but does everyone agree that consolidation is the way forward? It certainly seems to be amongst the legal profession.
The Law Society
The Law Society of Ireland recently used the announcement of a District Court review to call for a complete overhaul in the area. Ken Murphy, Director General of the Law Society of Ireland, stated during an appearance on Clare Byrne Live that ‘such needless complexity in legislation undermines public confidence in the justice system. Too often we read about meritless technicalities being the basis for dismissal of very serious cases. Such loopholes need to be closed off in the public interest.’ The Law Society called on the government to ‘prioritise a new Road Transport Act which would allow for the prosecution of road traffic crimes, such as drunken driving, far more effectively, and with an aim of creating a more efficient and timely system.’
The Law Reform Commission
The Law Reform Commission (LRC) also noted problems in its recent Issues Paper on Consolidation and Online Publication of Legislation. Page 25 of the report covers the Road Traffic Act of 1961, which originally consolidated earlier laws. By 2016, there were 22 separate Acts. The LRC observed a key problem is how ‘many of these separate Acts are themselves subject to regular amendment. This makes it extremely difficult for a reader to ascertain what the law on road traffic is at any given time.’ Several Acts also have to be read in conjunction with others, ‘like the Road Traffic Act 1933 and the Local Authorities (Traffic Wardens) Acts 1975 and 1987.’ The LRC paper www.collegetribune.ie
discussed the law on drink-driving, a heavily litigated area due to a conviction leading to an automatic driving ban. It also mentioned the current total of over 900 statutory instruments which need to be considered. When legislation is created, it may specifically state that a Minister can draft the particulars of a law themselves at a later date. They do this by way of statutory instrument. Once it goes through its formal requirements, it becomes law. There are plenty of instances of provisions within Road Traffic Acts which are yet to be commenced by statutory instrument, despite their respective Acts being in force for years.
Judicial Criticism
A leading example of judicial criticism of the complexity of the law can be found in the late Adrian Hardiman’s judgment in Oates v Browne from 2016. Here, a man convicted of drink driving argued he had been refused a chance to have his expert examine the machine which tested his breath specimen, and was refused requested information about the machine’s history. He claimed the judge offered no reasons for these refusals, so sought judicial review in the High Court. The court found against the man, leading to his appeal to the Supreme Court, where he won. Hardiman’s judgement on behalf of the court took a tour of the history of road traffic law. He first stated how the ‘statutory provisions about drink driving offences are needlessly complex and confusing. There are a number of reasons for this. One is the tendency to repeal a provision in a statute by a later Act, which later Act however contains elsewhere a provision substantially re-enacting the repealed provision in the same words or in substance.’ He gave the example of the offence in question. The old section 49 of the 1961 Act of being ‘drunk’ or ‘incapable of having proper control’ while driving a mechanically propelled vehicle was repealed by the section 33 2010 Act, yet was effectively modernised and re-introduced by the new section 4 of the Act. The being ‘incapable of having proper control’ test stopped being used with the implementation of breath testing. Hardiman observed that ‘another reason for needless complexity and confusion is the draftsman’s fondness for introducing an entirely new provision by amendment or substitution of a previous provision rather than starting afresh with a new Section. There is also a tendency to repeal or amend a provi-
“The LRC observed a key problem is how ‘many of these separate Acts are themselves subject to regular amendment. This makes it extremely diffi cult for a reader to ascertain what the law on road traffi c is at any given time.”
sion by a later provision, but not to bring the later provision into force. This makes the Statute book positively misleading.’ This leads to a situation whereby statutory provisions are ‘extremely difficult for a layman to access’ when trying to establish the past or present law. Hardiman argued this ‘tends to make a nonsense of the important legal principle that everyone is deemed to know the law.’ He used the specific example of the original section 49 of the 1961 Act. A ‘dedicated’ lay person could work out that section 49, following substitutions, was repealed by the Road Traffic Act 2010. However, following this trail would not tell the person that section 4 of the Act re-enacted the substance of the original section. While his comments represented a detour within his verdict, he certainly felt it a necessary one. Being unaware of the law is no defence, but the complexity of the Road Traffic Acts has left many people clueless as to where they can even find them.
The Road Traffic Act 2016
Robert Pierse, who has published books on Irish road traffic law, wrote in the Law Society Gazette in October 2011 that ‘we should now dispose of all of these bothersome roundabouts and build one coherent highway’ by consolidating the Acts. Six years later, he wrote another piece on the Road Traffic Act 2016, the cover story in the March 2017 Gazette. Pierse noted the 2016 Act dealt with 0831
The Oireachtas Pierse’s points touched on criticisms made when the original Bill, which became the 2016 Act, went through the Oireachtas. Shane Ross, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, set out the basis of the legislation in the Dáil at the time. He explained the lacuna the Bill was drafted to close. Section 4 of the 2010 Act makes it ‘an offence to drive or be in control of a mechanically propelled vehicle while 27.02.2018
“
It was harder to prove drug driving, since the prosecution needed to show there were drugs in a person’s system and that their ability to control a vehicle had been impaired.
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the mutual recognition of driving bans with Britain, ‘puts new obligations on insurers to notify the minister about vehicles that have been written off, introduces a 20km/h speed limit, substantially amends the law as to fixed charges, regulates rickshaws, and introduce a new liability on vehicle owners in relation to learner drivers.’ Those are six significant issues. The Act is most well known for dealing with ‘drug driving’ by altering section 4 of the 2010 Act to include references to drugs, with limits set out. The exception to the rule is where a person holds a medical exemption certificate, signed off by a doctor, which states the substance in question was lawfully prescribed. Pierse observed that the potential legalisation of medicinal cannabis may require a ‘difficult balance’ to be drawn, which will ask hard questions of doctors, lawyers, and the Minister.
under the influence of an intoxicant to such an extent as to be able to control the vehicle.’ The Act has specific alcohol limits, so a person commits an offence if their blood alcohol limit is above the legal limit. In contrast, it was harder to prove drug driving, since the prosecution needed to show there were drugs in a person’s system and that their ability to control a vehicle had been impaired. While it targets cannabis, cocaine, and heroin, it lists five substances to include where a drug can be detected by the metabolite.
Road to Consolidation? The inherent problem with drafting road safety legislation is that the area develops so quickly, yet it takes a considerable amount of time for a bill to go through the bureaucratic process. Road Traffic Bills usually come from the government and tend to enjoy cross-party support, subject to the usual political disagreements. When they decide to do one, a wide variety of issues are thrown in together. Taking the 2016 Act as the most recent example, the main focus was to amend earlier legislation to incorporate the new tests for drugs, yet it featured at least five other major points and plenty of minor fixes, thus perpetu-
ating the cycle Hardiman called out. While it makes sense to include the drug provisions in the amended section 4 of the 2010 Act, it also required new sections to be added stuck into the 2010 Act, increasing its complexity. However, medical developments make it likely it will need to be revised in the near future, which could lead to further sections and amendments being forced in. Looking more broadly, technological advances could completely alter the transport industry. For example, selfdriving cars is a developing issue. They are currently being tested in some EU countries, but there is no Irish law covering their operation. Their arrival would need to be met with another new set of laws, possibly based on EU ones, but that is for another piece. Consolidating the 22 Acts into a new one would bring much needed clarity to the law, for both people and practitioners, but the chance that one Act turns into several within a few years is significant, given the potential changes to the sector. However, delaying the issue will only lead to more problems further down the road. p.31
Turbine.
The Turbine A lway s S ati r ical - O c cas ional l y H u mou rous
Drug Festival Annoices It’ll Have Music This Year Seán Farbuckt Turbine Writer
The annual ‘Craic in the Park’ Drug Festival, which takes place in St. Stephen’s Green from July 11th till whenever all of the supplies run out, has announced it will now have musical acts playing in the background. The group co-ordinating this years event, Dano and Yer Wan, spoke to the Turbine about their new plans for the festival. ‘We just wanted to offer people something to do while someone else was using the drug. We want to offer the best quality experience you can possibly have while you’re freezing cold, standing in a damp field, next to a stranger who looks like he’s being exorcised and also has about 6 knives in his jacket pocket.’ Yer Wan added that they had ‘...noticed a lot of the attendees were dancing already, to no music at all, so we though there might be a market there. We checked around and the only festivals nowadays are music festivals, so we decided to capitalise on this.’ The group have coordinated many popular events in Dublin, including last years ‘Group of English lads sing that Yaya-Kolo Toure song at 3am outside a pub in Temple Bar’ Event, which went surprisingly well. Festival goers have been promised quality acts from all over the world and the line-up is already shaping up to prove this. Acts include Seth Rogen, who will laugh for 2 hours straight while a 12 year old Filipino kid beatboxes beside him; Snoop Dogg, who will play the invisible piano: and a Princeton University professor, who will sing about Immanuel Kant’s theory of the categorical imperative using an auto tuned microphone. Count me in!
Sinn Fein’s Gerry Kelly Caught Using Invisible Car to Avoid Garda Checkpoint Philip Mignon Turbine Writer Gerry Kelly MLP is facing more hot water this week as footage emerged online showing the Member of the Northern Irish Parliament using an invisible car in order to avoid being breathalysed by Gardaí at a checkpoint in Monaghan over the weekend. The footage is from the dash-cam of a car that was travelling behind Kelly’s vehicle, and it allegedly shows Kelly using some sort of technology to turn his car invisible as it approaches the Garda checkpoint. As a result, the vehicle is able to slip past the Gardaí, who seem to be completely unaware that the car passed by within two feet of them. It is believed that Kelly’s car is equipped with a highlysophisticated cloaking system originally designed by the US military for protecting their spy drones. The system works by coating the outside of the car in a thin, plastic composite, that can carry 4K definition video. Numerous strategically located cameras on the car’s exterior capture the surroundings of the vehicle, and these surroundings are then processed by the on-board computer, and displayed on the composite, effectively rendering the vehicle invisible to the naked eye. When, the new leader of the party, Mary-Lou McDonald, was asked why Kelly had installed such a sophisticated system on his car, she responded that she had ‘...absolutely no idea or clue why Gerry has an invisible car’. This is yet another scandal plaguing the party in their attempts to become a mainstream political force.
Ryanair Investors Fear Revenue Drop If 8th Amendment Repealed Seán Farbuckt Turbine Writer Shares in Ryanair fell by around 50% last week due to fresh fears that the company’s profits will be severely impacted by the upcoming referendum on the 8th Amendment. With abortion currently illegal in Ireland, except in highly specific circumstances, countless Irish women have been travelling to the UK in order to avail of the procedure there. If the 8th Amendment is repealed, this source of business for the airline will come to an abrupt halt. ‘Flights to England make up a substantial percentage of our revenue’, a spokesperson for Ryanair said in a recent interview. ‘Naturally investors will be concerned if they see anything that is liable to decrease the value of their holdings. By a relatively conservative estimate, roughly two-thirds of our passengers on flights to the UK are travelling for abortion related reasons; either getting one themselves, or travelling
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with someone who is. If the 8th Amendment gets repealed, this revenue will vanish.’ ‘Repealing it [The 8th Amendment] will also have an adverse effect on the add-on side of our business as well. We’re anticipating a 90% decline in the number of passengers opting for our in-flight abortions, and a 75% decline in purchases of Ryanair abortion pills on the plane.’ She added. ’On a brighter note, we expect the sale of our economy class morning-after pills,and business class blow-up dolls, to remain steady, due to our airline still being popular with stag and hen parties.’ Shortly after this interview aired, Ryanair announced a new spin-off service called Dope-Air, that will offer flights direct to Amsterdam, on which passengers will be able to purchase and smoke Ryanair marijuana on board.
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Sport.
How Roger Federer Reinvented His Game Jack Stokes Sports Writer
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ollowing his 97th ATP World Tour title in Rotterdam, Roger Federer returned to the top of tennis’ rankings after a gap of nearly 5 years. This historic achievement was the culmination of years of hard work and a willingness on Federer’s behalf to adapt and revamp his game. Having experienced unprecedented success from 2003 – 2009, Federer’s dominance declined steadily and considerably. In the next 7 years, Federer won only 2 Grand Slam titles compared to his 15 in the previous 6. Although Federer briefly reclaimed his number one ranking in 2012, his status as the game’s number one ranked player appeared to be a thing of the past. A particularly substandard and injury-riddled 2013 led many tennis commentators and experts to declare Federer a spent force at the age of 31. But, amidst these doubts and writing of obituaries, Federer maintained an inner belief that he would one day return to the pinnacle of his sport. Federer’s revival started with him making a daring decision to change his racquet from a 90 to a 97 square inch frame at the end of 2013. Federer’s bravery in doing this cannot be underestimated. With his old frame, he had won 78 Tour Titles including 17 Majors, whilst also holding the number one ranking for a record period. However, Federer recognised that, for him to continue to challenge and compete with the top players in the world, a larger racquet was needed. His ranking had plummeted to 7th in the world, whilst his ageing body was less able to cope with lengthy baseline exchanges. Whilst it would take time to fully adjust, Federer knew this racquet would give him increased serving power, as well as improving his ability to hit shoulder-height backhands. In this defining period before the 2014 season, Federer mentally committed to playing a new brand of offensive tennis. Federer planned to counteract the superior defensive skills of Murray, Djokovic and Nadal by adding a fresh array of attacking weapons, most notably superior net play. Hoping to master this new skill, Federer very intelligently called upon his boyhood hero Stefan Edberg. Edberg’s supreme volleying skills had helped him win 6 Grand Slams and, under his tutelage, Federer vastly improved his feel, touch and spatial awareness in the upper half of the court. In match situations, he could now increasingly rush his opponents into mistakes and bombard them with all-out aggressive play. This change in approach and style of play allowed Federer to gradually bridge the existing gap between him and his rivals. In the 2014 and 2015 seasons, evidence of Federer’s progress was visibly apparent, winning 11 tournaments and reaching 3 Grand Slam Finals. Federer climbed to number two in the rankings and was aware that his new game style was enabling him to compete with the top players again. In the aftermath of a devastating loss in 2015 US Open Final against Djokovic, Federer was remarkably upbeat and defiant. As a 34 year old, 5 time winner of the event Federer, to the astonishment of many viewers, declared: ‘I’m very pleased with where my game www.collegetribune.ie
is at. I feel like it is moving in the right direction. I will be back.’ Heading into the 2016 season, the final piece of the Federer revitalisation project was installed. Ivan Ljubicic, himself a former world number three, was appointed by Federer as his new coach. Having played against the Swiss man on numerous occasions and discussed with fellow players tactics designed to expose his weaknesses, Ljubicic offered a contemporary insight into what Federer’s competitors targeted in his game. The Croat was adamant that Federer had to improve his backhand and become more willing to take the ball earlier and ‘on the rise.’ Many opponents, most prominently Nadal, persistently played to Federer’s single-handed backhanded with high spinning, loopy shots. Federer would often struggle to combat these heavy topspin ground-strokes, allowing his opponents to dictate rallies and gain an upper-hand. Ljubicic convinced a previously stubborn Federer of the need to strike his backhand closer to the baseline and drive through the ball more readily. Both Federer and Ljubicic worked tirelessly on perfecting this new technique, but the fruits of their work would not show for some time. Federer’s 2016 season was cut short by a knee injury, requiring surgery, forcing the then 7 time Wimbledon champion into the longest lay-off of his career. However, in 2017 a refreshed and replenished Federer began to showcase the improvement in his backhand. At 35 years of age, he was ready to re-conquer the world. Entering the Australian Open as a firm underdog, Federer stunningly progressed to the final, serving powerfully and piercing his backhand like never before. In the final, his remodelled game faced the ultimate test in Nadal. For over a decade, Nadal had proved Federer’s nemesis, dominating their encounters and defeating the Swiss man in 6 Major finals. As this match meandered into a fifth set, Nadal predictably probed Federer’s ‘weaker’ wing with venom and
ferocity. Federer courageously stood firm, took the ball early and drove through his revamped backhand with authority. In that set alone, Federer hit 8 backhand winners as part of a magnificent 18 in the match. A long-standing weakness had been transformed into a strength and had excelled under the most arduous of tests. The blueprint for Federer’s path back to number one had been laid down. Following his Australian Open triumph, Federer added 6 further titles in 2017, including an 8th Wimbledon. Last month, he defended his Australian Open title to make it 3 majors in 12 months, where he had previously gone over 4 years without winning one. Arguably more impressively, he has maintained a sturdy stranglehold over Nadal, beating the Spaniard in their last 5 meetings. Crucially, Federer’s commitment to playing a very light schedule, whereby he skips mediocre tournaments and prioritises staying fresh for the biggest events, is enabling him to stay fit and motivated at a time when many of his rivals are over-exerting themselves. At 36 years of age, there is ample evidence to suggest that Federer is playing better than ever. Last year, the 20 times Grand Slam champion won a higher percentage of points behind his serve than at any prior stage of his career. Moreover, he has admitted that the ‘scar tissue’ which hindered him against Nadal for so long has well and truly subsided. Elsewhere, stats indicate Federer now hits his backhand three miles per hour faster than in 2015, supporting his claims he is playing ‘more free and relaxed tennis.’ Through deeply detailed self-analysis and phenomenally prudent coaching appointments, Federer has overcome the obstacles and challenges thrown at him by the tennis tour. His devotion to constantly seeking improvement and proactively evolving his game to fend off competitors has cemented his place as the greatest tennis player of all time. 0831
The Short Term Fix Chris Foley Sports Editor
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en wanted for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honour and recognition in case of success.’ Small wages aside, Ernest Shackleton’s iconic job posting seeking recruits for his arctic expedition would be an apt job description for football chairmen seeking managers to lead their army of millionaire footballers into battle on the fields of the modern day Premier League. We live in a world of instantaneous gratification. A trip to the library has been replaced by tapping your finger on the screen of your smartphone. A letter or text message has been upstaged by instant messaging. Why wait until Sunday for the next episode of your TV series when you can watch the entire box set in one sitting? Yes, mankind’s level of patience has been conditioned to be at an all-time low and there is no greater evidence of this then in the world of professional football. Gone are the days of a manager building a dynasty at a club over several decades, with Arsene Wenger likely to be the last of a dying breed as trigger happy chairmen chop and change managers at the drop of a hat. Inevitably, this change in mindset has created a demand for shortterm, fire and brimstone style managers who will be tasked with immediately transforming the fortunes of one’s failing side, creating a market for a specific profile of football manager: The Firefighter. Firefighters, short-term fixes, call them what you want. There are managers who have cultivated entire careers (and millions of pounds) on their ability to create short-term, effective results for the clubs that they enter. The first name that springs to mind is Sam Allardyce. ‘Big Sam’ is far from the most glamorous figure in professional sports, and his CV reads as such. But irrespective of his reputation for pragmatic football at the expense of entertainment, he is rarely long out of a job. The sequence of events which led to the hiring of Allardyce as Everton manager, his current post, are pretty much the prototypical example of the cycle of self-destruction that exists in
22.02.2018
football today. Step 1: Get new foreign owners with little knowledge of domestic English football. Step 2: Sack your coach and bring in a foreign manager who promises a sexy brand of possession football. Step 3: Spend vast sums of money on prima-donna attacking footballers from overseas. Step 4: Watch in horror as it comes to pass that an entire squad of new players may in fact struggle to immediately gel together in the unforgiving hotbed of premier league football and watch your team plummet towards relegation. Step 5: Call in the firefighter. Step 5 is usually where Sam Allardyce gets the phone call. But he is not alone. Managers such as Tony Pulis and Alan Pardew are often called in with a similar mandate. But the constant re-emergence of such figures at struggling clubs is far from a new phenomenon, desperate times call for desperate measures after all. However, a far less publicised archetypical manager of the Allardyce-ilk is also very much present at the dugouts of the big boys of European football. In many ways, universally adored managers such as Jose Mourinho, Jupp Heynckes, Carlo Ancelotti and even Antonio Conte share striking similarities with the aforementioned figures who find themselves eternally battling relegation. While the fires they are required to put out are less severe, and they are blessed with far superior resources, they are often just as ‘short-term’ in terms of their impact. A brief glance at Mourinho’s CV sees a clear pattern emerging: Quick success followed by an immediate departure (Porto and Internazionale) or decline (Chelsea and Real Madrid). Time will tell if his current reign
at Old Trafford will see him buck this trend. Conte’s effect on the clubs he has managed has been similar, with his intense style of management seeming to yield quick returns before his players grow wearisome of his all-action style. He hasn’t stayed long enough at many of his previous clubs to highlight such shortcomings, but he did manage to alienate all around him at Juventus, and it would seem as though we are beginning to see this trend develop at Chelsea at present. For the most part, the chairmen of the elite clubs seem just as undeterred by these trends as the managers of the also-rans are. It’s almost as if these coaches operate within different hierarchies of a managerial merry-go around, but with the exact same skill set. Their reputations remaining relatively intact irrespective of their repeated failures. Allardyce will continue to land jobs at struggling Premier League clubs, while Ancellotti will be perennially linked with those at the other end of the spectrum, regardless of how many times either of them have been sacked. This emphasis on short-term success at the expense of long-term development would appear to be the antithesis of the way business is conducted in the wider world, which may be down to the oligarch that currently hold the cards in professional football, and their irreverence with respect to financial loss. The question is: how long will this kamikaze model be sustainable? With the increasingly evident dearth of domestic talent coming through at British football clubs, it is a question that will have to be answered sooner, rather than later. p.35
College Tribune.
Round Three Shows Ireland Can Navigate Their Way to Six Nations Grand Slam Glory
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lthough Warren Gatland’s 100th international as Wales Coach was not a happy one, suffering a 37-27 defeat by Ireland, his longitude means that his advice on winning Tests can be useful. On that note, when overseeing the Lions series draw with New Zealand last summer, Gatland noted that all Test matches are ultimately won up front. This was a recurring theme in Round Three of the Six Nations, particularly with the games in Dublin and Edinburgh. It will be a concern for Ireland, yet again, that all three Welsh tries came from probes out wide. However, as long as Ireland lorded the breakdown and carried with intelligence, there was never going to be enough Welsh possession to swing the contest in Wales’ favour. In effect, then, a team that attempts to play the ball expansively without dominance up front will live and die by the sword if not enough possession is secured. We see examples of this in Ireland’s game against Wales. Ireland’s rucking effort was www.collegetribune.ie
Conor Lynott Sports Editor much better last Saturday than against France. Players, generally speaking, were much earlier arriving at the ruck than in Paris. Consequently, ball security was much improved against Wales and, in turn, the quality of ball carrying was better as well because players were allowed an extra split second to pick out possible weak shoulders, deal with defensive line speed and give the backline more opportunities to implement training ground moves. As we can see, dominance up front sets off a positive chain of events that results in the margins of Test rugby being swung in favour of the team with the performing forwards pack. The importance of dominance up front also held true for the game in Edinburgh last Saturday evening during Scotland’s thrilling win over England. It looks like England’s highintensity scrum training sessions with Georgia prior to the game actually did the Red Rose more harm than good. The Englishmen were uncharacteristically passive in the contact area and subsequently slow to get off the ground post tackle. Scotland do not have the biggest forwards
pack by Test rugby standards and Wales ruthlessly exploited that in Round 1 to shut down the Scottish backline. However, once it became clear that England were not going to bully Townsend’s men, the Scotsmen used their license to play to full effect, with two of the Scottish scores coming from more than forty metres out. The sluggish nature of the English forwards’ play allowed Scotland to get quick ball off scrums, lineouts and rucks, causing the mismatches in defence that is very unlike an Eddie Jones’ team. If anything can be learned from the two titanic clashes last Saturday, it is that they provide a template from which to base an assault on an Irish Six Nations’ Grand Slam. Wales and Scotland have both played expansive rugby when they were allowed to. The key thing is, as clichéd as it might sound, is to remove the platform those teams need to play that style of rugby. If Ireland can deny Scotland possession they need by carrying well, taking them through the phases and keeping their first phase ball at high speed, space will open up because of the sheer amount of tack-
ling involved for their opponents and the reduced effectiveness of line speed. At that point, the halfbacks, centres and the wings. Against England, a similar strategy will have to be used. As I have said before, Ireland have struggled to put width into to their defence. However, if Ireland can strip England of the ball in the manner described earlier deny England a set piece platform, the game could well suit Ireland. If the forwards do their job, England will not have the first phase ball they need to go wide. If that is the case, Ireland are well placed to soak up the pressure in their half and then see what they can do themselves with ball in hand. As we can see, a lot of things need to go right if Ireland are to win a grand slam. Such are the fine margins at this level, that one breakdown poach or one bad carry could swing the momentum, as Ireland learned to their cost in Paris. However, this game plan forms the basis of what Ireland do when they play well and if the players can do that to the level that Joe Schmidt is demanding, we might be looking at a third 6 nations in five years. 0031