College Tribune 10_30

#UCDnews.

Politics.

Features.

Music.

Fashion.

Sport.

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p. 09

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Podcast Revolution and the Growing New Genre

Interview with The Academic

Interview with the New Dean of Students

UCD Political Party Socities hold Mock Dáil

Independent Student Media *Since 1989

Looking for Truly Ethical Fashion

UCD Beat Trinity in Colours Cup

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Student Media Newspaper of the Year 2017

Plans for €12.5 Million Five Storey UCD Car Park

by Water Tower Scrapped After Cost Inflation Jack Power | Editor Paid Parking, which was introduced to help finance the multistorey commuting facility beside the Sports Centre, will remain.

Records from the UCD Capital Development Group show the project and its funding has not been discussed since 2014.

UCD’s long held plans for a large five storey car park beside the water tower have now been dropped over funding issues. The commuting facility was planned to provide 583 car parking spaces, as well as 617 bicycle spaces, and shower and locker facilities. UCD was initially granted planning permission back in 2010, and anticipated the facility would cost €12.5 million.

However, bids from building contract tenders received in late 2013 and were ‘found to be in excess of the available budget’, according to documents from UCD Governing Authority.

One third of the initially estimated €12.5 million cost was to be covered by funds raised by the €247

‘student levy’ students have been paying in UCD since 2007, which paid for the €50 million new Student Centre. The introduction of paid parking permits on campus was brought in on the condition it was to help fund the commuting superstructure, and was expected to cover a significant portion of the remaining construction costs. Last year UCD brought in €365,820 between car park permit charges and hourly meter fees, according to documents obtained under the Freedom of information act. The university has no plans to abolish parking permit charges despite the shelving of the five storey car park plans.

In February 2016 UCD reapplied for planning

permission for the project, as the initial five-year period granted by Dún Laoghaire Rathdown county council was due to expire in March 2016. Planning documents prepared for UCD by McGill planning consultants outline the university appealed to the council that economic circumstances had delayed the project. The documents state ‘there was an overall decrease in exchequer funding for all higher education institutions by 32 per cent over the last six years’.

However, FOI’d records from the UCD capital development group show the project has not been considered as viable by the university since 2014.

Continues on pg 3.

Issue 10 Volume 30

CT.

1030

Editor Jack Power Deputy Editor & Creative Director George Hannaford

News Editor Cian Carton Politics Editor Oisín McCanna Features Editor Rachel O’Neill Music Editor Aoileann Kennedy Fashion Editor Niamh Cavanagh Food & LifeStyle Editor Ciara Landy Film & T.V. Editor David Deignan Arts & Events Editor Holly Lloyd Eagarthóir Gaelige Sophie Osborne Short Story Author Cillian Fearon Tech & Online Editor Conor McGovern Turbine Editor Karl O’Reilly Sports Editor Conor Lynott

Editorial:

Signing off on another Volume of the Tribune n the tenth and final issue of this year’s College Tribune we lead Iplans with another investigative piece, looking into UCD’s forgotten for a five storey car park by the Clonskeagh entrance.

The abandoned plans make interesting reading on UCD’s propensity for grandiose ambitious projects that never materialise. The multistorey car park vision was pursued from 2011 through to 2013, to the backdrop of a massive contraction in state funding for universities. The more pertinent question however, would be where did the committed €12.5 million that was set aside for the development go?

University documents say nearly €4 million of the project’s cost was to be covered through the Student Centre business model, which was funded through the €247 student levy charge paid by students since 2007. The €50 million Student Centre was also backed by a university loan, to be repaid by future student levy contributions. More controversially, on-campus paid parking permits were introduced specifically to help fund the multistorey car park. The allocation of the parking permit revenue now the project has been abandoned is a question UCD needs to be made answer.

The piece, alongside other investigative lead articles in the Tribune this year, highlight the need for accountability journalism in UCD. The national press neither have the time or the inclination to rigorously keep watch on the decisions made by higher education institutions. The national government and Department of Education are also content to give universities a wide breadth of space in which to operate and spend or cut resources.

The increasing corporatisation of management models and structures within this university means academic staff no longer have the latitude to openly criticise the direction of the university, without fear of repercussions for their future career path.

The structure of internal committees within the university are also increasingly geared simply towards stamping the decisions made at the nucleus of the UMT.

Editor(s) Applications Open for 2017/18

Applications are now open for the position of College Tribune Editor for the 2017/2018 academic year.

1030 Contributors

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 31st 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.

Alison Graham Senior Reporter Alyssa Rogers Politics Writer Eleanor Brooks Features Writer Adam Bielenberg Music Writer Shannon Doherty Fashion Writer Muireann O’Shea Film & TV Writer

The task of holding this university’s decisions to account therefore falls largely on the shoulders of the campus press. UCD is lucky to have two well established and long standing newspapers in the Tribune and the University Observer, with more than fifty years of reportage between them. As the editor this year I’ve attempted to work towards rediscovering an investigative and adversarial strain of journalism, that questions the increasing corporatisation of the university.

The student media on campus should keep striving towards that end, to provide a check on the university’s plans that often span over a number of years. And hold the college management to their promises, like the claim UCD will build another 3,000 student accommodation beds on campus in the next number of years. Greater scrutiny should be cast over where and how exactly student’s €247 levy is spent. Inevitable further increases in service charges or efforts to introduce new income streams should be closely examined. Few examples highlight this better than the effective bait and switch the college has pulled over paid parking permits and the multistoery car park plan.

Holding this administration to answer for such decisions and expecting the worst intentions from UCD might be seen as overly pessimistic. But campus newspapers don’t exist to trumpet whatever PR the college is spinning. Nor should they be mouthpieces that cosy up to the administration and provide soft pandering interviews to the Provost of the day. Institutions often have a hard time of holding themselves to account, so it is the job of the press to be uncompromising in doing so.

So signing off this year I would hope the return of a more investigative and adversarial editorial line from the Tribune this year continues into the future. An investigative and independent student press should be valued as a necessary voice on campus, even if it does present those within the Tierney building with facts or contradictions they would otherwise like to ignore. My hope is the Tribune will continue to investigate and pose the hard questions to this administration. That’s the test, go to it.

The deadline to apply for this position is Friday the 28th April 6pm.

See the full job description and details on how to apply on page 5.

Dónal Ó Catháin Scíbhneoir Gaeilge Sean Leonard Turbine Writer Martin Kinsella Turbine Writer

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Contact CT.

editor@collegetribune.ie +353 1 716 8501 Po Box 74, Student Centre, UCD, Belfield, Dublin 4.

Connect with the College Tribune Follow the CT social media. Just search for College Tribune.

11.04.2017.1030

Sean Hurley Arts & Events Writer

Editorial Note 1030 Thanks for reading and supporting the College Tribune throughout the year Jack Power, George Hannaford, and all the Tribune team.

1030

11.04.2017

*Cover Continued UCDnews. p.04

UCD joins Campaign Against Sexual Assault on Campuses

Politics. p.08

UCD Political Party Societies hold Mock Dáil

Features. p.12

Interviewing Podcaster Alison Splittle

Music. p.15

Top Festivals to make your way to this Summer

Fashion. p.17

A Look at the Potential for Ethical Fashion

LifeStyle.

p.18

Film. p.20

Recipe of the Week: Potato Rosti Pizza

Advice and Confessions of a First Time Filmmaker

Arts & Events. p.22

What’s coming up in Dublin and on Campus

Gaeilge. p. 24

Faoistín Andúiligh Teicneolaíochta

11.04.2017

The introduction of paid on-campus parking was also ‘significantly delayed over the past number of years’ the documents UCD submitted to the local county council state.

University staff trade unions opposed the introduction of paid parking on campus, and took cases against UCD with the Labour Relations Commission and the Labour Court.

However, planning documents submitted to the local county council outline the union disputes are ‘now resolved’. The application to extend permission in 2016 claimed that paid parking revenue ‘will generate the necessary funds to commence the commuting facility within the next two years’. The five storey car park plans however have since been abandoned by the university administration, in favour of other projects such as the private university club for staff and guests by O’Reilly Hall, more on-campus accommodation blocks, and a three storey extension onto the Quinn School of Business. In a university meeting this year the current UCD vice-President for capital development Michael Monaghan detailed the college’s priorities for building developments.

One source outlined that Monaghan stated the five storey car park plans by the water tower were ‘not happening’ anymore.

In February 2013 the then vice-President for capital development Eamonn Ceannt sent a letter to SIPTU trade union staff in UCD. The university administration official stated that ‘the Governing Authority has decided that with the developments of the new [commuting] facilities, the current parking arrangements will cease. Paid parking for staff and students is both introduced to Belfield and Blackrock campuses to fund these developments from next September’.

The development of the five storey car park would have brought the number of car parking spaces on campus to 3,735. The university had planned to develop the five storey facility on the site of the current gravel car park between the Sports Centre and the water tower, at the Clonskeagh entrance to campus. The development would have seen the demolition of the four tennis courts currently beside the Sports Centre.

The tennis courts were planned to be moved to the area behind the Student Centre, where at the time the college had planning permission to lay out a 140 space gravel car park.

The car park behind the Student Centre went ahead however, when the multi-storey car park plans stalled. The National Transport Authority have capped the total number of permitted car parking spaces in UCD at 3,600, and the university would have to decommission a large number of other car parking spaces as well as the gravel car park on the site of the previously planned commuting facility in order to remain under the NTA cap. The NTA objected to UCD’s initial planning application for the commuting facility. The NTA advised that ‘instigating a strong and resourced mobility management programme, based on proven and targeted initiatives to promote walking, cycling

Short Story. p. 25

The Adventures of Environment Girl and Solar Sally

Image Above:

UCD architectural skecthes on car park plans submitted for planning permission. and public transport, combined with strong car parking demand management [paid parking] would produce a significant modal shift from car commuting to other modes’.

Despite the unfeasibility of the plans due to the underestimated total cost of the project and the capping of the net number of parking spaces allowed on the campus, UCD still reapplied for planning permission in 2016. Internal university documents submitted to the local council stated the renewed plans were ‘subject to securing funding’. Applications for such large projects are difficult to receive planning permission from the local council for. The university therefore extended the permission rather than permanently losing the option of developing the long held ambitions for the large car park. In their submission they claimed they expected work to start in January 2017, and be completed by late 2019.

In 2008 UCD’s financial committee (FRAMC) approved funding for the commuting facility. A report for the UCD Governing Authority from the 13th of December 2011 stated ‘the business plan for the commuting facilities is under review to reflect the reduction in campus parking capacity directed by the National Transportation Authority and the overall reduction in parking demand due to recessionary impacts’. Following the first round of bids from building and designer contractors the university found that the €12.5 million cost of the construction was an underestimation. After receiving the tenders

Turbine. p.26

Macabre SU Petting Zoo Disappoints

Tech.

p.27

which were in excess of UCD’s budget, the university ‘reviewed the project’ and put in place ‘plans to re-tender an amended project in order to deliver the project within budget’, according to documents from Governing Authority meetings from October 2013.

However, following the changeover of UCD Presidents from Hugh Brady to Andrew Deeks in 2013 the project was deprioritised.

Under President Andrew Deeks UCD’s travel plans have emphasised commuting to college and reducing the number of car journeys to campus. A Freedom of Information request put in to UCD found there was no discussion of the funding of the multistorey car park in the UCD capital projects committee group meetings from 2014 to present. One source who sits on the UCD Governing Authority said there is a tendency for the university to focus on drawing up grandiose plans and project ideas, but much less follow through on actually developing the facilities.

A spokesperson from the university could not be reached to comment on the future of the five storey car park project. It is unclear if the approximately €4 million in funding allocated to the project from student’s ‘student levy’ charges has been reallocated.

Or if it is reserved in the case of a tranche of funding becoming available before planning permission runs out again on the project in 2021. It is also unclear where revenue from paid parking permits introduced last year, brought in to be ring-fenced for the now shelved development, is being spent.

Google and Uber in Dispute over Self-Driving Car Secrets

Sport. p.28

UCD Women’s Hockey Win Irish Senior Cup p.3

#UCDNEWS

Student Union Begin to Consider Fees and Irish Unity Policies Following Campus Referenda Alison Graham Senior Reporter

T

he UCD Students’ Union has begun to consider its options following the passing of two referenda in March. The votes saw UCDSU adopt a position in favour of lower fees and in support of a united Ireland. The question of whether UCDSU should campaign for a united Ireland was successfully passed with a ‘yes’ vote of 1,995 to a ‘no’ vote of 1167. UCD is not alone is this, UCC’s and NUIG’s Students’ Unions also passed refernda to hold a pro-unity stance. SU President, Conor Viscardi, was quick to show his enthusiasm, ‘the fact that multiple unity referendums were conducted throughout Irish colleges, positively contributes to a unified voice advocating for a united Ireland affording Students Unions the opportunity to develop a collective policy and direction on this position’.

However, on the 15th of March, Trinity held a preferendum (which was not binding on TDCSU) and 55% of voters in Trinity chose to support neutrality over Irish unity. This has made TCD the first college in Ireland in a series of referenda this year to vote not to mandate their union to support a united Ireland. Viscardi commented that ‘the students of Trinity have partaken in the democratic process with the resulting vote. The perspective of the neutrality campaign was to have an

impartial stance on the subject, to afford the union the opportunity to engage with the question of unity from a neutral viewpoint’. He noted ‘in this situation it was suggested that this would result in a more inclusive debate around the subject encompassing the views of all communities north and south’. He further stated that ‘given the strong views around the subject, dialogue accommodating and informed by the aspirations of the diverse groups throughout the island should always define the conversation around the subject of unity’.

Viscardi went on to talk about what work UCDSU are currently undertaking in response to the referendum. ‘A pro-unity stance allows representative groups to look at the Unity stance from a more pro-active perspective looking at inclusion on a practical level to accommodate the diverse identities and communities striving for a united nation’. He was also keen to highlight the effects of Brexit on the island. ‘In an effort to consolidate the social and economic connectivity throughout the island [and] while respecting the views of the people in the north to remain in the EU by a majority, unity has been indicated as a plausible solution’.

The second vote on UCDSU’s stance on third level fees in Ireland saw students opt for significantly lower fees. It

received 1,776 votes, in contrast to 890 votes cast for continuing with the current system, while income-based loans received 598 votes. When Viscardi was asked whether this voting turnout was representative of the student population as a whole he replied that ‘voter turn out was positive this year’. The percentage of students which ultimately opted for the free fees initiative, was determined by the fact that the vote was split three ways’. He

wanted to note that ‘the majority of voters who chose the free fees initiative were those who also voted in elections this year’.

SU Education Officer, Lexi Kilmartin, spoke of the work Students’ Union has already undertaken to implement the referendum result. She explained how UCDSU ‘have been lobbying government ministers, including Minister Bruton, Minister O’Donohue and their departments as well as IBEC and other

large stakeholders to impress upon them the significance of the current fees situation and why it ought to be lowered to alleviate students and their families of some of the financial burden.

She continued, ‘as always, we are committed as a Union to implementing the views and wishes of our members and we hope that next year’s team will continue the uphill battle to reduce the student contribution charge’.

No Public Bidding Process Took Place for Student Centre Top Floor Building Contracts

UCD Signs up to National Women’s Council Campaign to Tackle Sexual Harassment in Irish Colleges

Jack Power Editor

Jack Power Editor

No public bidding process took place for the building contracts to furnish the Student Centre top floor. Works to construct offices for the Director of Student Services Dominic O’Keefe and his team on the top floor of the new Student Centre started before the Christmas. Dominic O’Keefe is the manager of the Student Centre and Student Services.

The building contract to construct the offices for O’Keefe and his administrative team were not put out to a public bidding or ‘tendering’ process. Government guidelines introduced to ensure value for public money state that all contracts over the value of €25,000 must be put out to an open bidding process. The UCD procurement office (who manage the college’s tendering processes) stated that they ‘don’t have any record of a tender for the works being run through this office’ for the Student Centre top floor development.

Instead the works were divided into several smaller contracts, meaning the value on each did not exceed the government €25,000 limit, and thus did not have to be put out to an open and transparent bidding process. A spokesperson for Student Services said that all works ‘were procured through the Works Framework Contract scheme that UCD has in place’ and that

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‘no works package exceeded 25K’.

Controversially the top floor of the Centre was initially planned to be developed as a new space for the UCD medical and counselling service, the planned move was to allow the Health Service to expand with significantly more offices. The offices on the second floor were never constructed when the Student Centre was initially being built in 2012, and the floor was left unfurnished.

However, the Tribune reported in November that the head of the Student Centre Dominic O’Keefe and his team would be moving into new offices in the unused top floor.

The government Department of Public Expenditure maintain that to secure the best value for public money any contract over €25,000 should be advertised publicly. A spokesperson for the Department stated that ‘public procurement is governed by EU and national rules. The aim of these rules is to promote an open, competitive and non-discriminatory public procurement [tendering] regime which delivers best value for money’.

The Dáil public accounts committee also routinely looks to ensure colleges and universities are adhering to public procurement guidelines and not evading competitive practices in awarding building contracts with public monies.

UCD is partnering with the National Women’s Council of Ireland and other universities for a campaign looking to tackle sexual harassment and assault on college campuses. UCD was the first major university to come on board, and now UCC, DCU and the University of Limerick have signed up to the ‘It Stops Now’ campaign.

The UCD Students’ Union and the national USI (Union of Students in Ireland) are also partnering the NWCI and the universities. The campaign, ‘It Stops Now’, will look to reform how incidents of harassment are reported to colleges, and promote initiatives like bystander intervention training for students and consent workshops. Jennifer McCarthy Flynn of the National Women’s Council of Ireland is leading the campaign. Speaking at the launch last week Ms McCarthy Flynn said that colleges and institutions have now recognised the significance of addressing sexual harassment in Irish colleges.

Roisin O’Mara, the current student union welfare officer in UCD said numerous students have come to her office for support this year after incidents of sexual harassment and assault.

‘I have had students come to me this year with sexual harassment claims or concerns, for assault that have happened on campus or off campus. There have been quite a few reports

for both male and female students throughout the year, and these students for whatever reason don’t want to pursue the issue with the college’. The new Dean of Students Jason Last is believed to have pushed for UCD as an institution to partner and commit to the campaign.

The National Women’s Council campaign is promoting innitiatives like bystander intervention training for students in colleges. Piloted in UCC by Dr Louise Crowley, the scheme focuses on encouraging students to call out low level instances like cat calling or pull up derogatory remarks. In the Cork university the programme was introduced as a mandatory academic module for first year law students this year. The National Women’s Council campaign is looking to work with other college’s to introduce similar campaigns or initiatives across Ireland. The objective is to create a zero tolerance culture on campuses for sexual harassment or sexist comments, and sexual assault.

Maynooth University and NUI Galway are the only two universities who have not committed to sign up to the ‘It Stops Now’ campaign. Several Institutes of Technology who have joined the project include Dundalk IT and IADT. UCD and UCDSU will both have a seat on the project’s national advisory committee.

1030

#UCDNEWS

Irish Universities Have Seen a 22% Cut in Library Staff Since Recession Cian Carton News Editor cial number for 2015 listed 137 staff, which represents 69 less staff than a decade ago. Trinity College Dublin has seen a continuous decline in staff numbers over the past few years. Staff levels declined from 154 in 2012 to 130 by 2017.

Dublin City University (DCU), University College Cork (UCC), and National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) have also experienced the largest library staff cuts alongside UCD. There were 114 staff at NUIG’s library in 2007, the 2016 figure is 86.

UCC’s library staff numbers continuously declined between 208 to 2015, from 118 to 75. However, 2016 staff

“

The cuts to library staff reflect a general trend in cutbacks to educational support in universities across the country

“

Irish university libraries have seen an average reduction of 22% in staffing levels since the recession, with UCD experiencing one of the largest staff cuts. While the declines began to occur in the late 2008s during the last recession, staff numbers are still slowly dropping in some institutions or just stabilising at others. The drop in staffing figures was revealed from records requested from each university library released under the Freedom of Information act.

The UCD Library employed 206 staff in 2006, before experiencing a period of decline which saw its staff fall to less than 200 by 2010. The offi-

levels indicated an increase back up to 79.

DCU’s library staff dropped from 51 people in 2009 to 30 in 2015. In September 2016 the DCU Institute of Education was founded when the university saw St Patrick’s College, the Mater Dei Institute of Education, and the Church of Ireland College of Education merge with DCU’s School of Education Studies.

The merger has resulted in total library staff numbers

listed as 48 for 2016.

Staff levels at the University of Limerick have stabilised in recent years, with a drop from 54 employees in 2013 to 51 in 2016. Only NUI Maynooth has maintained the same number of staff over the past decade. It had 53 employees in 2007, with its lowest point of 48 staff recorded in 2010.

Its 2016 staff level is recorded at 55 persons.

The overall trend reveals the majority of Ireland’s

major universities have been reducing staff numbers. The cuts to library staff reflect a general trend in cutbacks to educational support in universities across the country. UCD Library’s spending on new books and renewing journals dropped by over €1,700 between 2010 to 2015.

The figure of €3,101 for 2015 represented an increase from a low point of €2,442 spent in 2012.

Editor(s) Applications Open for 2017/18

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. 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.

1.

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.

Five areas or issues in UCD they would investigate as Editor

11.04.2017

Interested candidates should email their application to the current Editor and include the following: :

An outline of their experience and suitability for the role

2.

3.

Proposed changes or ideas to improve the paper

4.

Applications titled ‘Editor Application’ should be emailed to: editor@collegetribune.ie

The deadline to apply for this position is Friday the 28th April 6pm.

Proposed shortlist of companies to seek advertising from P.5

#UCDNEWS

Winds of Change:

An Interview with the New UCD Dean of Students, Jason Last Jason Last was recently appointed to a new role in UCD’s management, the Dean of Students. There was a similar previous role, the vice-President for Students, which was abolished from the college management structure for the last number of years.

The Tribune editor Jack Power sat down with Jason Last, who was previously an associate dean of Medicine in UCD, to talk about his hopes for the role, and how UCD can change for the better. r Last started off his undergraduate degree in UCD studying medicine, upon graduating he worked in medical practice, before returning to the college as a lecturer later. Dr Last said working within the School of Medicine he’s always had a passion for institutional change and reform. ‘I have an ambition within this organisation that we find ways of collaborating with students to make what we do better’ he says.

As the new Dean of Students Last will work within the college Registry and management.

‘I think the Dean of Students has an implicit mandate to making sure that we as an institution to harness the power that students bring, and to do so to their benefit’ he said.

Last feels that UCD has a natural advantage over most colleges due to the size of its student body and academic staff. He cites innovative scheme like the Peer Mentor programme as a simple way UCD management can empower students and support staff to make the college a better place. ‘It is a very simple kind of idea, we were one of the first universities to do that. It’s a really positive contribution that a group of students make, that doesn’t require resources, it just about them wanting to help and us finding an opportunity to enable it.

We could use our other resources better as well’.

His background in medical patient service provision feeds into Dr Last’s ideas for how student’s experience using UCD supports could be improved. ‘I was at a presentation of the Irish Medical Association, and this guy from Queens College was showing us a video of himself walking from student Res into ICU (Intensive Care Unit), and then introducing the various people in ICU. Because what he found was medical students were very anxious about going into ICU for the first time. Just that simple thing of walking in the student’s shoes, for maybe things like the first time you consider going to see a counsellor, and showing how do you go about that. Sometimes an email or button on a webpage isn’t enough, if it’s your first time doing something like that. We [UCD] can say - how can we help do that better’.

The Dean of Students is conscious that the geography of UCD’s campus and scale of many programmes means students can find it difficult to settle into college life in Belfield. ‘I think a lot of it is about identity formation. If you are in a very defined discipline, and a very defined location, you www.collegetribune.ie

can begin to feel at home very very quickly.

If you’re in a programme that expects you to be in multiple different buildings in a day, and where you’re not sitting next to the next person, because you’ve so many different modules and options, that discovery of what you are within a university context is just going to take a little bit more time’.

Last seems to be genuinely passionate about not just improving how UCD can better provide services to students, but he has a strong belief that students can be empowered to make the college a better place themselves. He states that different forms of participatory involvement in the college community is an important part of a student settling in. ‘Self-actualisation is another piece of identity formation, which is about finding your place, and about understanding what you can achieve from that position. Once you start serving a community, something happens where you start to understand your role in that community’.

‘And that’s something we could all help with, we could find more roles for people to be involved. It doesn’t always have to be a club, or a society, or a peer mentorship, or an ambassador. You don’t have to be the most vocal person in the class, you can just be you, and still have a role – if I could find a way to create that, that would be great’. The participatory element of Last’s approach to figuring out how best to change or improve the college places students at the heart of the process. This more consultative decisionmaking style has been criticised as absent from the traditional relationship between the college management and the student body in UCD. Two sources within the university’s internal committee structure say Jason Last has been a driver of a new initiative UCD have recently agreed to sign up to, the ESHTE ‘It Stops Now’ campaign. The ‘End Sexual Harassment in Third-Level Education’ is a campaign run by the National Women’s Council of Ireland, alongside other universities and Student Unions. The campaign, which launched last week, will look to identify and promote best practice for how universities can support victims needs, as well as how colleges can help create a zero-tolerance culture around sexual harassment.

Dr Last doesn’t shy away from the fact that UCD has a responsibility to tackle sexual

“

I have an ambition within this organisation that we find ways of collaborating with students to make what we do better

“

D

harassment in its own campus environment. ‘Nobody can pretend it isn’t happening. But what I would be careful to say that UCD can’t take the blame for what is happening across wider society, but neither can we say that there is nothing for us to do. Part of that is to recognise that if it’s happening, the students who it is happening to need support. And recognising what supports we can give, and what supports have to be given by experts or or authorities. We need to be even clearer about that than we have been up to now’ Last claims.

‘My personal reflection is if it happens once to a student in this community or in town or at home, wherever it happens, I just feel that at least they need to know that when they’re in this university they are in a safe protected environment, where we will support them. That kind of culture is really important’ Last affirms. ‘I have some very deliberate ideas that I’d like to see achieved … I’m looking forward to being part of the solution’ Jason Last concludes.

The new Dean of Students Jason Last comes across as genuine.

Dr Last’s mind-set that function should direct form rather than vice versa is refreshing, and one that seeks to be more innovative in how UCD provides services to students. His ideology seems to be that students should be substantive participants in the UCD community rather than bystanders or just a revenue stream of fee payers. And his ambition to tackle the issue of sexual harassment on campus and combat the permeating societal culture that enables harassment seems like it will be a real catalyst for change within the university. His success or failure in the role will depend on how well he can bring the rest of the university management along with him. Jason Last takes up the role of the Dean of Students relatively unknown to most students, but you feel he certainly won’t finish it that way.

1030

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BUT WHY SHOULD YOU? ALSO AT READS: BRAY, SANDYFORD & STILLORGAN

11.04.2017

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Politics.

UCD’s Political Societies Face off New Legislation set to Pave the Way for in Mock Dáil over Water Charges Gender Recognition for Trans Teenagers Oisin McCanna Politics Editor UCD’s political party societies faced off against one another in a ‘Mock Dáil’ organised jointly by the political societies and the Commerce and Economics society on Tuesday last week. The annual debate was held in the Fitzgerald Chamber. The three motions that were debated sought to abolish water charges, privatise Bus Éireann and make it mandatory for TD’s representing Gaeltacht areas to be fluent in Irish. Each party was given four minutes to speak on a topic in favour or against a motion, where they would outline their party’s position on the issue.

Exchanges between parties got heated, with event organisers encouraging heckling to add to the atmosphere. During the first motion on Irish language representation in Gaeltacht areas, Ógra Sinn Féin’s Stiofán Ó Briain said the government need to act immediately to try counteract the decline being experienced

by Gaeltacht areas. Young Fine Gael’s Gearóid Ó Greacháin defended the government’s track record on the Irish language, highlighting the rise of Irish being spoken in urban areas and stating that forcing people to speak Irish as a public representative is undemocratic.

Tensions rose when the motion on water charges began. Ógra Fianna Fáil sided with the motion, saying that water charges were

Oisin McCanna Politics Editor untenable in their current form and should be abolished. But the Young Fine Gael minority government weren’t alone in their defence of keeping water charges, with UCD Labour Youth chair Liam van der Spek insisted that charges must be implemented, if water services and infrastructure is to be developed.

On the final issue of privatising Bus Éireann, UCD Social Democrats, Labour Youth, Ógra Sinn Féin and Ógra Fianna Fáil all opposed the idea of privatisation. The opposition asked that the government intervene immediately in the talks, with each party making reference to the Minister for Transport Shane Ross who says he won’t intervene in the striking action.

YFG insisted that privatisation is key to enabling more efficient, higher quality service, claiming the current Bus Éireann system is on the verge of collapse, and can only continue under new measures.

Speaking to the College Tribune in the Mock ‘Dáil Bar’ in the Clubhouse after the debate, UCD Ógra Fianna Fáil chairperson Cormac Tighe said ‘it was a great, enjoyable event. The debates were lively and articulate, the level of engagement was positive and it was fantastic to see the respect shown by all parties to each other regardless of their views’.

Legislation is set to be introduced in the Seanad in the coming weeks which will seek to ease the processes of gender recognition for Trans teenagers. The bill is proposed by Senator Fintan Warfield and won cross-party support and was co-signed by Independent Senator David Norris and Green Party Senator Grace O’Sullivan. The amendment bill in question seeks to allow for selfdetermination for transgender teenagers at 16 and 17 and enables access to a legal pathway for transgender people under the age of 16 to recognise their true gender. The bill will also legally ensure that the rights of gender-fluid or non-binary persons are considered in a review of the Gender Recognition Act 2015.

The bill was launched on International Transgender Visibility Day, and speaking with the College Tribune, Senator Warfield said ‘the passing of the Gender Recognition Act in 2015 was a milestone for equality in this state.

Gender Recognition has enhanced the lives of many in the trans community, of that there can be no doubt. However, the state in no way offers a pathway to legal gender recognition for citizens under the age of sixteen’.

Under current legislation, a person can only change their legal gender after the age of 18, and while gender recognition is available from the

age of 16, it can only be done with a court order.

Speaking to the College Tribune, incoming Welfare officer Eoghan Mac Domhnaill has said that while the Students’ Union doesn’t hold a position for the specific bill, they are ‘completely behind all campaigns aimed at gender equality, and that this will continue into the next term with the SU campaigning for the implementation of gender neutral bathrooms’. The bill is set to be tabled in the Seanad on May 10th at 2pm.

In this edition of The Phoenix VOL. 35 No. 7

US EB H T

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Read Goldhawk’s ‘Young Blood’ profile of

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Katie Ascough

All the routes are blocked

UCD Student Union President But not the privatisation route!

n Privatising Bus Éirean TD , lly Profile: Alan Ke n Society’ George Soros’s ‘Ope Ascough, UCD SU Young Blood: Katie in Ardagh High risk investment h rich list nonsense;

r wardrobe; Iris agenda; Craft Also: Anna Lin’s Bir ation; Annie Doona’s ign res n’s tto Su School Patrick al eci Sp s da’ En St council candidates; www.thephoenix.ie

Ireland’s No.1 business & current affairs magazine

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Politics.

consumption. Quick news sources which spew non reliable information are impactful because there are people who readily absorb the things they read or hear, they do not put more contemplation into it because they do not have to. They rely on easy sources, and as a result grow misconceptions on the facts. Stephens states, ‘dis-intermediating technologies such as twitter, which have cut out the media as the middleman between politicians and the public’, Stephens notes how it is interesting that Trump can get away with this, since it is entertaining and can perhaps be rationalized by a select few.

Alyssa Rogers Politics Writer

A

merican journalist Bret Stephens recently revealed that only 17% of young people aged 18-24 read a newspaper daily. Stephen’s article, ‘Don’t Dismiss President Trump’s Attacks on the Media as Mere Stupidity’ was written for Time Magazine.

The statistic highlighted that the consistency of reliable sources went into sharp decline when quick media and online news outlets became mainstreamed. The internet and social media are among the most relied upon sources for current affairs and news - the meme is the new polit-

ical cartoon - but lacks much substance and are frequently absence to corroborating source material Political memes can be funny, however they also contain a dangerous consequence. Young people are too inclined to become complaisant allowing their attention to slip on the broader issues. With the current situation of Trump’s presidency, there are many who find him laughable.

There are many who have gathered to protest and resist his policies. Others have taken to social media to express their outrage at

President Trump’s approach since taking office in January.

Trump has gained notoriety since the launch of his campaign in June 2015 for his constant use of Twitter to scold his opponents, announce significant political briefings and to comment on current affairs issues, both foreign and domestic.

President Donald Trump describes anything the media releases that he may not like as ‘fake news’. Essentially feeding a narrative of US politics where it is becoming government versus the media. If the government can control what is released,

European Parliament Acknowledges ‘Special Circumstance’ of Ireland in Brexit Debate Oisin McCanna Politics Editor The European Parliament has opted to acknowledge the ‘special circumstance’ of Ireland during Brexit negotiations. The motion was debated and passed on Wednesday last week, with the wording stating that the EU ‘recognises the unique position and special circumstances confronting the island of Ireland’ and is ‘especially concerned at the consequences’ of Brexit for Ireland. It states that it ‘insists on the absolute need to ensure continuity and stability of the peace process’ and it will ‘do everything possible to avoid a hardening of the border’.

The motion passed with 73% support from the parliament, with chief negotiator for the EU in the Brexit negotiations Michael Barnier saying that such arrangements must be made 11.04.2017

within the regulations of EU law, and that he would work to ensure the Belfast Agreement was upheld in the process. This comes at the same time as Taoiseach Enda Kenny had been in Germany on a trade mission engaging with a variety of trade, tourism and investment interests in Frankfurt and Berlin. The total bilateral trade is approximately €25 billion between Ireland and Germany, making them Ireland’s fourth largest merchandise trade partner. Kenny defended the timing of his trip, insisting that given Germany holds the largest economy in Europe and the uncertainty that lies ahead with the context of Brexit, that the trade mission was essential to the Irish economy. He also took the time to explain the Irish government’s concerns

this means big trouble for our generation. Trump does not simply detest certain news outlets because of which direction they politically lean towards. In Tom Batchelor’s Independent Article, ‘Donald Trump says all negative polls about him are fake news’ a CNN poll is discussed in relation to Trump’s rating in the polls, and his refusal to acknowledge that these polls are evidence of immense dislike towards Trump.

‘The Donald’ is evidence of how it has become commonplace for people to be impressionable and vulnerable in terms of news

“ Trump’s plan seems to be to dominant the media circus with brass and brash tweets, while quietly attempting to slip through his contentious policies.

“

Trump’s Relationship with the Social Media Serves to Distract from the Harsh Reality in Washington

relating to Brexit, while speaking to German Trade partners and several Irish companies, stressing that Ireland’s intention is to working constructively as part of the EU team in the Brexit process.

Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly has said in a statement to the media that ‘the resolution urges that all means and measures consistent with EU Law and the 1998 Good Friday Agreement be used to mitigate the effects of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal on the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, in that context on the absolute need to ensure continuity and stability of the Northern Ireland peace process and to do everything possible to avoid a hardening of the border’.

Speaking with the College Tribune, Ireland South MEP Liadh Ní Riada said ‘these proposals were met with wide-ranging support from a broad swathe of MEPs from very different ideological backgrounds, showing that there is support for Ireland right across the Parliament and that nobody wants to see the return of borders to our island. Just this week Spain was able to secure a veto over any Brexit deal regarding Gibraltar, hopefully that example and this show of support from the

While scrolling through our newsfeeds we will regularly see stories from a variety of news sites that highlight the outrage or interest stirred in whatever Trump’s vital tweet of the day is. The lead photo accompanying the story will be a screenshot of the tweet, but the stories that you don’t see a lot of are much more sinister.

Trump’s plan seems to be to dominant the media circus with brass and brash tweets, while quietly attempting to slip through his contentious policies, including bills that cut government funding for Arts and Humanities education, defund Planned Parenthood, and increase military funding, all as under the radar as possible. But Trump and the wider GOP administration’s behaviour cannot be dismissed with funny memes, and dissatisfied US citizens it seems will have to logout of social media and take to the streets to effectively challenge the new Republican ascendancy.

European Union for Ireland will shock the Irish government into action and push them to finally stand up for all the people of Ireland in these negotiations’.

The motion comes just weeks after Theresa May formally triggered article 50, beginning the UK’s procedure for leaving the EU, a fortnight ago. The process for EU departure is set to take two years, with May acknowledging that there would be repercussions for leaving.

Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn responded to the comments by May by promising that the government would be held to account at every stage of the negotiations.

A number of MPs congratulated the Theresa May on the tone she took to Tusk, emphasising Britain’s commitment to the continent as an ally with close support. Others accused her of issuing a ‘blatant threat’ to withdraw security cooperation if the EU27 fail to deliver on a trade agreement. The letter suggests that the government hopes to roll the separate issues together, claiming no deal will mean WTO trade rules and tariffs would be in place, but also that our cooperation in the ‘fight against crime and terrorism would be weakened’.

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Features.

T Consent & the University The Challenge of Running Constructive Consent Classes in University Eleanor Brooks Features Writer

www.collegetribune.ie

he idea that the giving and receiving of consent should be taught is a relatively new concept. Schools in Ireland were, and still are, caught up with exposing children to graphic images of STD riddled genitalia and filling them with fear of unwanted pregnancy. How a healthy and normal sexual relationship might be carried out between young adults was none of their concern. It would require an acknowledgment that young people do in fact have sex, which the very last thing the Irish primary and secondary school education system seem to want to do.

So that leaves us in the position we are now, a flood of young people coming to college, the majority sexually active, never having engaged with sexual consent education or discussions in a deep and meaningful way. For many university is also the first time living away from home, with considerably more freedom. The mix of that freedom, a lack of education around the issue of consent in primary and secondary level, and alcohol can prove a dangerous mix.

The lack of discourse has had an ugly manifestation, with one in four female students receiving unwanted sexual attention while at university. We are slowly but surely coming round to the idea that a thorough understanding of consent is considered vital for a healthy relationship with sex, as imperative as practicing how to put a condom on a cucumber. Although such an education would most appropriately be given as part of the general sexual education provided at second level, schools have shied away from the issue, leaving third level institutions and Students’ Unions to pick up the slack.

Some may question whether consent classes are appropriate or necessary. This comes from a stream of thinking in which consent is discussed solely in black and white terms. On one level, this is absolutely correct. If consent is absent then that person's wishes must be respected without exception. Anything that happens thereafter amounts to sexual assault. But defining what amounts to consent and determining whether or not it is present is infinitely more complex, and pretending it is otherwise is a disservice to everyone.

If we were all in the habit of articulating our desire to sleep with someone bluntly and explicitly, leaving no room for misunderstanding, the matter would be much simpler. In reality we tend to operate on a plane of implicit communication, conveying consent through gestures, touching and insinuations and assumptions. Consent can be conveyed without uttering a word.

Correctly identifying consent via this form of communication requires a degree of social and emotional intelligence and the ability to comprehend the unarticulated subtext of an interaction. Add alcohol into the mix and the chances of having a breakdown in this tacit acknowledged of consent increase markedly. One issue consent classes or discussions can improve is the practice of making sure affirmative consent is given and sought after. Normalising the practice of saying yes, and asking explicitly for consent can avoid ending up in a situation where one party might find the situation non-consensual. It’s important to instill the perception in

both men and women that the absence of a ‘no’ doesn’t equate to an affirmative ‘yes’.

Both parties must be aware that consent, however expressed, must be sought out in the first place and continually renewed.

Consent is evidently complex and to talk about it in the blunt language of black and white obscures the issues and shuts down discussion. It deters a person seeking out guidance and understanding - if the issue is so clear cut but you remain confused, then which side of the line will you be presumed to be seem to be standing on? Alcohol and drugs muddy the water even further because their consumption alone does not paralyze consent, however a line must be drawn somewhere. There currently exists a vacuum of information and discussion on the issue. The space for mature, robust, and open discussions and conversations between both male and female students, including straight and gay students, on the topic of consent and healthy sexual relationships has the potential to be incredibly positive and constructive. But many third level colleges haven’t been able to create a space for that dialogue to happen meaningfully on campuses.

None of this should be seen as an excuse to absolve a guilty party. It is not a license to interpret gestures as one pleases, nor does it legitimise sexual assault because it was conducted through ignorance. It merely acknowledges that consent is a nuanced issue and encourages people to talk about consent more explicitly if there is any doubt. It is not uncommon for people to leave a sexual encounter unsure if they have been violated or not due to their confusion surrounding consent.

The premise from which consent classes operate is both hopeful and sympathetic.

It assumes that it is a dearth in knowledge, rather than the intention to impose oneself on an unwilling other, that leads to an unwanted sexual encounters. Its success rides upon the belief that if we teach people to be vocal about and receptive to, the giving or withholding of consent, they will respect their partner's wishes. If the forced submission of your sexual partner was the objective, consent classes would be moot.

The reality probably falls somewhere in between, a combination of ignorance and indifference that is troubling in its own way. The branding of consent workshops in the context of a university is crucial to get right, a problem UCD Students’ Union have had in the past. The perception of the

planning stage of Smart Consent’. Ultimately she described they were designed and run to generate constructive debate and self-reflection on the topic of consent, to educate men and women and better define and understand the term and concept.

The perennial problem with consent classes or workshops is the issue of attendance. Those that are either ignorant (willingly or due to false presumptions), and those that are indifferent, are unlikely to attend consent classes voluntarily despite belonging to the cohort that require it the most. The UCDSU's voluntary programme of consent classes which ran for a twelve month trial period starting February of 2016 failed miserably, with only twenty in attendance from a pool of 30,000 students. If future classes were to be mandatory, it would combat the student interia towards any college organised activity accompanied by the term 'workshops', as well as alleviate the stigma that voluntary attendance is an admission of ignorance.

The outgoing UCDSU welfare officer Roisin O’Mara said the SU are now taking another look at how to road test the consent workshops, which would perhaps involve a rebranding removing the term 'consent'. Some would see it as a shame that such a step is even considered necessary, and that our collective egos need to assuaged and coddled to in order to admit that we don't know everything about sex. But it is undeniable the perception around the idea of consent classes has become toxic, attempts to make workshops mandatory would perhaps only further feed into the toxicity and unwillingness to openly and constructively look to engage in discussions on sex and consent in Ireland.

The benefits of well-run consent classes that tap into a willingness to understand more and better define the grey area is no doubt vital in tackling non-consensual sexual assault and harassment in Irish culture. Designing, branding and pulling it off is another matter, and one that will no doubt be a challenge for the incoming Students’ Union officer team next year.

workshops as patronising ‘classes’ in which men will be taught ‘how not to rape women’ is a unfortunate and inaccurate stigma consent classes haven’t been able to shake.

Dr Elaine Byrnes designed and runs the consent workshops in NUIG, Byrnes says the classes are more about discussing and teasing out the grey area between the black and white when it comes to consent, so both men and women leave with a better understanding of the difficult and complex topic.

She described how the Smart Consent workshops they run in Galway were rooted in research she undertook. ‘My own PhD research involved a survey earlier this year of undergraduate students here at NUI, Galway. It was the first survey of its kind to be conducted in Ireland, and data was collected from 1,500 respondents on sexual health and behaviour, with items such as comfort and frequency of behaviours and alcohol related sexual experiences. The survey also included various items to assess perceptions of consent and its communication, and also understanding of non-consenting sexual activity’.

‘Initial data analysis revealed that 25% of females reported having experienced sexual contact or attempted sexual contact in their lifetime by someone using, or threatening to use, physical force. This is consistent with similar research findings internationally, notably in both the US and UK. 8% of males reported these experiences. 11% of females further reported they were either certain or uncertain (but suspected) someone had sexual contact with them in the past 12 months when they were incapacitated by drugs, alcohol, when passed out or asleep’.

The data and research on the issue of gender-based sexual harassment is increasing Byrnes outlined, and she said while classes aren’t about man bashing or teaching men not to rape, the empirical evidence suggests that women are the victims in the vast majority of sexual assault, non-consensual incidents, and cases of sexual harassment.

Byrnes said there is ‘a very real need for a strategy to prompt changes in beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours concerning sexual consent was identified. And so, Smart Consent Workshops were developed at the School of Psychology, NUI, Galway. We were aware of campaigns both in the UK (e.g. I Heart Consent), and various offerings in the US, which were evaluated at the

“

Consent is evidently complex and to talk about it in the blunt language of black and white obscures the issues and shuts down discussion.

p.11

Features.

An Interview With

ALISON SPITTLE

The Rising Tide & Power of the Podcast Features editor Rachel O’Neill sits down with stand-up comedian and podcaster Alison Spittle, to talk about the growing popularity of podcasts, and what’s it’s like to be a woman in comedy.

www.collegetribune.ie

A

lison Spittle has been lighting up the comedy scene in Ireland for a while now.

She just finished touring her show ‘Alison Spittle Discovers Hawaii’ in January and just last week finished filming her new sitcom ‘Nowhere Fast’ for RTÉ. She is also the host of ‘The Alison Spittle Show’, a podcast on the Headstuff network which was recently named one of the best independent Irish podcasts by the Irish Independent.

I sat down with Alison to find out more about the podcast and get her views on where she sees the genre going in the next few years.

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W

e start by discussing the recognition from the Irish Independent and how it makes her so happy given her roots within radio itself. ‘I always loved radio and I suppose podcasts are a different version of radio. I feel a connection with people who listen to it because it makes me really happy’. In her opinion, podcasts share some similarities with radio, ‘There’s no automatic feedback or anything like that so you just kind of throw a podcast out into the ether and hope that people will listen to it’. When asked if that makes her nervous, she’s honest and says ‘I’m really happy people like it but sometimes I get nervous about the podcast. Sometimes I feel like some interviews were shit and it’s like - do I put it up?’

Being an avid listener to the podcast myself, I have a good knowledge of what makes Alison’s podcast so popular. There’s a range of guests from Louise O’Neill, author of ‘Asking For It’ to Shona Murray, foreign affairs correspondent for Newstalk, to George Hook and Mattress Mick. The difference in disciplines and laidback interview style makes for easy listening that is both fun and engaging. The range of guests is something that’s important to Alison as she explains ‘half the people I ask to be on the podcast I ask because sometimes you don’t get to have a proper conversation with people, especially when you’re so busy. It’s nice to have to have the excuse of having a podcast to ask someone what were they like in secondary school or something really over personal like that’. The personal aspect of the podcast is something that is quite unique. Towards the end of 2016, Alison interviewed fellow comedian Davey Reilly, whose show at the Dublin Fringe Festival was about his body dysmorphia. While this topic is considered a hard one to talk about both Spittle and Reilly managed to inject some humour into the conversation making it so you felt like you were learning something while laughing at the same time.

This is a line that is hard to toe at times she explains, ‘sometimes I think I’m trying to interview some people that I’ve known stories about that’ll be really interesting, and I’ll try talk to them about that but then you don’t know what people want to talk about’. For example she explains that ‘One of my guests I knew was homeless for a while and I was like, oh we’ll talk about that, but I didn’t want to go - oh tell me about the time you were homeless. We ended up not talking about it and just having a conversation and I kind of felt guilty that I was trying to extrapolate that story from him when it might not be something that he wants people to know’.

When I ask her who is the person she’d most like to interview there is no hesitation in her answer, Samantha Mumba. ‘I really want to interview her but I don’t know how to get in contact with her. I’ve tried tweeting her and I’ve 41 mutual friends with her on Facebook but I’m not sure it’s the real Samantha Mumba’. When I ask why, Alison explains ‘she’s a childhood hero of mine and I want to know what it was like when she tried to break America’. She also highlights her nostalgia for early noughties pop music and the reality of what that was like for those bands, ‘I think S Club and all of those people that were in bands that were manufactured were treated very, very poorly and none of them have a lot of money for how many records they sold and how long they worked.

You’re never going to work as hard as S Club 7 did and they didn’t get financially rewarded for that. I think there should be a tribunal in the Hague’ she quips.

11.04.2017

“

There’s no automatic feedback or anything like that so you just kind of throw a podcast out into the ether and hope that people will listen to it

Stand-up Comedy

I

n addition to hosting a successful podcast, Alison is also a successful stand-up comedian who has been on Republic of Telly, Cutting Edge with Brendan O’Connor and had a successful show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last September. It’s not easy being a female comedian and Alison is honest about that. In her interview on her podcast with fellow comedian Joanne McNally, she starts off by saying how she didn’t initially like McNally when she first came on the scene. I ask why that was. ‘When I first started doing comedy, you always get compliments off people like - you’re the best female comedian on this night, or I don’t like female comedians but you’re really good, so you’re always being complimented as a woman and as a comedian’. When Joanne came into it because she was doing really well, really quickly and I just thought ‘well I’m f**ked, and I was just very jealous of her’. She admits that while she calls herself a feminist, her beliefs was tested by McNally’s arrival.

‘As much as you like to go, I’m a feminist, I have a lot of toxic misogyny still that I’m trying to get rid of and Joanne was a wakeup call for me because she’s such a nice person and she is talented and that kind of cured me’.

Toxic misogyny is one of things that women struggle a lot with in modern times and it can manifest itself in odd ways. ‘I’d told people before - you know it’s great, being a female comedian. I’m just trying to be good for me and good as a person, and then when Joanne came along, it was actually testing my actual belief of do I? So yeah, I failed and I learnt from it’. Alison explains to me how it’s hard for female comedians, especially in Ireland since the scene is pretty small, ‘I kind of saw it as if there’s only one space on a panel show or on a night but that’s not true. That’s just me oversimplifying stuff and as well as that, I’m trying to encourage more women to do it just to get rid of that the belief that there’s so few of us. I’m trying to encourage more women to do it, just so that when they do, they don’t have that weird environment that I came up in’.

Alison’s stand up is currently on hold while she films her new sitcom ‘Nowhere Fast’. It’s based on Angela, a young woman who returns to the Midlands after a bad career in the media in Dublin.

It’s set to come out sometime in the autumn and she’s very excited about it. Once filming is complete, she will write a new show for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival that will premiere at the Cat Laughs Festival in Kilkenny in June this year.

As well as comedy shows, the Cat Laughs Festival will also play host to a live episode of the very successful Second Captains podcast. The recent

success of Second Captains who launched their World Service back in February where people pay €5 a month to access daily podcasts marks a shift in the genre. Alison sees this is a good thing, ‘it’s kind of exciting that podcasts are just a really pure form of communication like I answer to nobody, Second Captains answers to nobody, the only people you answer to are your listeners’. She says her experience in the radio industry shaped her view of it. ‘When I studied radio and I wanted to do radio, I was working as an intern for years and I didn’t see a viable way of me getting onto the radio and having my own show.’ She says that the death of radio stations like Phantom FM is sad and shows that radio isn’t adapting to the modern world quite like TV is. ‘It makes me sad that stations like Phantom were thrown onto the heap because of the JNLRs which are a system of finding out how many people listen to your stations by interviewing 1000 people and asking them what they listened to that day. I don’t think it’s a viable system and it’s sad that radio stations got closed down meaning there’s no niche stuff in Irish media anymore. It’s so sad. People are just going to go on the internet now to find what they want because main broadcasters can’t really offer it’.

It seems that podcasts can slip into this niche and take up where the main broadcasters have left off.

As a final question, I ask Alison one of her favourite questions that she asks on her own podcast: what did you write for your Leaving Cert English essay? ‘I based it on Clonmacnoise. I wrote about this boy who grew up with a single mother and they live near a monastery. This one monk would hold his shoulders and call him son and would you believe it, the monk turned out to be his father! The Brits were coming, although it might have been Vikings, it didn’t have to be historically correct, it’s probably why I got a D. I drew a map and everything. It wasn’t needed but I felt really helped the story’.

That is Alison Spittle in a nutshell, unashamedly and infectiously funny. She is going from strength to strength in her comedic career and she is hopeful that ‘Nowhere Fast’ will help propel her into primetime television. She is hopeful that broadcasters will see the success of podcasts and figure that there is another way to reach audiences. Second Captains who initially left Newstalk following a dispute over the length of their show amongst other things have shown in the last few months that podcasts are a totally viable and profitable method of entertainment. As Alison says herself ‘it is probably the least amount of effort that I put into a project, but I get back the most from it.’ Hear, hear to that.

Alison’s podcast comes out every second Wednesday and is available on iTunes and Stitcher and also on the Headstuff website.

.

p.13

Music.

This Summer’s Top Festivals to Check Out Aoileann Kennedy Music Editor

Life Festival

May 26th – 28th Tickets €165.85 Life has rapidly become one of the highlights of the festival calendar. This year’s line-up boasts major talent like Rudimental, Duke Dumont, Gorgon City and the unmissable Nina Kraviz.

Dance music fans can’t miss this. Life Festival takes place on the grounds of Belvedere House, Mullingar.

Electric Picnic

1st – 3rd September Weekend ticket €240 The king of this summer’s line-up, Electric Picnic returns to Stradbally Hall for the 13th time. Electric Picnic is more than a music festival. It combines art, food, comedy, culture and copious amounts of weirdness to bring you a weekend like no other. Away from the Main Stage we have Body and Soul, Other Voices, Trenchtown, Mindfield and Salty Dog which are all awash with performers and artists that will keep you entertained all night. This year’s line-up has proven to be divisive, but is littered with gems. Headliners like The XX might be more familiar to a younger audience and are sure to be one of the highlights. For me, the one you cannot miss is A Tribe Called Quest. The hip-hop legends will be gracing the stage on the

Albums In Review Adam Bielenberg Music Writer

www.collegetribune.ie

“

Headliners like The XX might be more familiar to a younger audience and are sure to be one of the highlights.

”

Saturday night and are guaranteed to bring the house down with anthems like ‘Can I Kick It’ and ‘We The People’. EP favourite Annie Mac will be returning to the stage, as will London Grammar. With the full lineup yet to be announced, the hype is mounting. Tickets have already sold out but if you get the chance to buy one, don’t hesitate.

line-ups and lowest prices, Indiependence is worth having to go to Cork. This year’s line-up includes Manic Street Preachers, Tom Odell, Hermitage Green, All Tvvins, Sigma and many more. Indiependence returns to Deer Farm, Mitchelstown this August Bank Holiday Weekend.

Indiependence

June 3rd – 5th Day Tickets €59.50 - €64.50. 2-Day Weekend €109.50 3-Day Weekend€145.50

August 4th- 6th Tickets €119 Boasting one of the best

Forbidden Fruit

No better place to spend the June Bank Holiday. This year’s line-up includes Orbital, Aphex Twin, Bon Iver, Lisa Hannigan and Hot Chip to name just a few. Highlights of the weekend should include English rapper Giggs, who Drake fans will recognise from the album ‘More Life’, and Mura Masa.

Monday’s line-up is curated by headliner Bon Iver, andis a must see for Justin Vernon fans. Forbidden Fruit takes place June Bank Holiday Weekend at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham.

Aimee Mann – ‘Mental Illness’ CT Rating: 7/10 Aimee Mann has been a standard dish in American singer-songwriter circles for over 25 years. This bluntly-titled latest effort demands attention. Mental Illness contains a synthesis of emotions described in a brooding yet breezy manner. Mann approaches the tracks with different points of view ranging from the sorrowful cogitations on ‘Stuck in the Past’ or the fatalistic outlook of ‘Simple Fix’.

But Mann is more like a flâneur here, observing states of mind and how they can be affected by pain-staking events.

Rather than being gut wrenchingly sad, Mental Illness is more of an old-school melancholic country record. Each song floats along gently, sporting a homespun sound.

Strings sweep over many of these tracks, like fresh gusts of wind. Mann’s melodies are warm and straightforward – her voice is her greatest asset. So Mental Illness is just about fruitful enough to warrant the status of a late career highlight for Mann.

1030

Music.

Interview:

The Academic

Music editor Aoileann Kennedy chats with lead singer of ‘The Academic’ Craig, about touring, recording and the band’s plans for 2017.

A

fter two years of non-stop gigging, The Academic are finally looking forward to some time off.

In fact it’s something that lead singer Craig is looking forward to the most in 2017. You can hardly blame him. The Mullingar band have been a feature of music festivals and venues all over Ireland for the last few years.

They’ve played everything from Electric Picnic, Sea Sessions, Longitude and Other Voices, and have also featured in the line ups of international festivals like

Benicassim. They have been steadily releasing music, with tracks like ‘Different’ and 2016’s ‘Mixtape 2003’ getting regular airplay and generating plenty of hype around their much anticipated debut album.

Much of our chat centred on the album. Fans and music lovers have been waiting for its release since their EP ‘Loose Friends’ was dropped in 2015. Craig explained that the band’s main focus for the year is their album. The group have spent time in LA and Ireland writing and recording music over the last

Kendrick Lamar ‘The Heart Part 4’ CT Rating: 9/10 This is one of Kendrick’s major statements. On ‘The Heart Part 4’, Kendrick is analysing people’s perception of him and his perception of himself.

While he has generally leaned away from braggadocious lines, he comes out all guns blazing here. There will be endless theorising about whether this is a diss track directed at Drake or Big Sean, and whether Kendrick is about drop a new release on April 7. One thing that is for sure, there is no rapper who can generate so much hype and excitement as Kendrick.

11.04.2017

few months and have gradually made progress. Although he couldn’t reveal too much about it, he promises that the record will feature plenty of new material, with some tracks coming as a major departure from their previous singles. It would seem that fans won’t have long to wait to finally hear a completed album from the band. As for why it has taken so long to release their debut, Craig explains that their busy gig schedule left them very little time to actually sit down and record. Recording requires taking time out of perform-

ing and laying low, something which the band was understandably nervous about.

There is always a fear that momentum can be lost.

Their slow approach would seem to have paid off as their fan base is loyal and expanding. They are currently on a UK tour, and bar an unfortunate flat tyre in Brighton, it has been a great success.

The band are happy to be playing venues they haven’t visited before and have been surprised by the positive reception in some areas. The boys have had a busy year so far. After finishing a tour

“

Although he couldn’t reveal too much about it, he promises that the record will feature plenty of new material

”

late last year, they travelled to SXSW in Austin Texas, playing 6 shows in 5 days. Once their current tour wraps, they return to Dublin for a performance at The Olympia on the 6th of May as part of FM 104’S ‘The Gig’ in aid of the ISPCC/ Help A Child Dublin.

In regards to the rest of the year, the band’s main focus is finally finishing their album. They will be taking a step back from their hectic touring schedule, and won’t be a major feature of this year’s summer festival season.

They are focusing most of their energy on writing and recording. There is pressure to get the album exactly right, something which the band is keenly aware of. The last few years have brought them plenty of praise and acclaim, but this also means that there is a certain level of expectation surrounding their debut. I wouldn’t worry too much. When you listen to their previous releases, it seems doubtful that their album will be anything short of excellent. I for one cannot wait to (finally) hear it.

Goldfrapp – ‘Silver Eye’ CT Rating: 8/10 Electroclash stalwarts Goldfrapp return with their first LP in four years. On Silver Eye, electronic producer The Haxan Cloak comes on board and his presence is felt. These ten tracks are like towering skyscrapers, driven by colossal beats and glitchy quirks to create a truly epic listening experience. ‘Tigerman’ contains dabs of menacing synthesized bass and a variety of electronic splutters.

The way these tracks gain momentum is impressive, often evolving from skeletal pulse like beats to gradually incorporate a wealth of noises. ‘Zodiac Black’ is one such number whose eventual cacophony is of great intensity after beginning with a few bare drum kicks. The record consistently has a larger-thanlife quality to it, with the tracks often drenched in reverb. It feels like you should be wandering around a big city at night with lights flashing when you listen to Silver Eye. Allison Goldfrapp’s voice is so airy. It feels like she is whispering into your ear for much of this record. The music feels urgent and lustful in the classic vintage Goldfrapp fashion. Their raw appeal is thus retained here but also interweaved with a more maximalist and visceral approach. p.15

Fashion.

Yeezy Season 4 vs.Yeezy Season 5

Y

e debuted his YEEZY season 5 collection at Pier 59 Studios in New York City.

There was a lot less controversy surrounding this season’s fashion show in comparison to last season, but of course, it is Kanye West, so the show didn’t go without dispute. Originally, Ye’s show was booked for 5pm on the 15th of February. However, this clashed with the Marchesa show’s time slot who had already confirmed the show’s details before Kanye’s announcement. This landed Kanye in trouble with the CFDA, though he did change the time of his show to 3pm shortly after this minor incident. The show commenced only twenty minutes late, which is considered a great feat when it comes to Yeezy’s shows because YEEZY season 4 didn’t begin until over an hour and a half later than it’s start time. This, along with the unsuitably warm conditions of the season 4 venue with it’s lack of shade, outraged some editors who stormed out and left the Four Freedoms Park ground before the first model had even walked.

Although the YEEZY season 5 show was toned down regarding extravagance by being set in a favourite NYFW venue, the show was definitely out of the ordinary.

The venue had a blacked out backdrop with the models standing on a rotating platform, which was then projected onto a screen. It was only during the final walk at the end of the show did the guests get to see the clothes in front of them.

To recap, YEEZY season 4 which is the Spring/Summer collection for 2017, forecasts a very pure and pale colour palette. The main colours being white, black, every shade of nude, with the occasional burst of khaki.

The looks sport a very casual vibe and include basic everyday wardrobe staples such as chunky knits, oversized sweaters, and bodycon dresses.

The feminine, figure-hugging bodycon have been styled with oversized outerwear which gives the look as a whole a more laid-back feel. Each look was paired with either perspex boots, tight fitting over the knee or ankle boots, or of course, YEEZY season 4 trainers.

Now onto YEEZY season 5. Although Kanye stays faithful to the brand’s image by keeping up with the ‘athleisure’ vibe, he has strayed ever so slightly from the minimal aesthetic in his previous collections. This Fall/Winter 2017 collection with its Calabasas theme paid tribute to the everyday wardrobe of the typical Americana - with the flannel shirt, the straight leg denim jeans, and the western country boots. Yeezy’s colour palette has evolved since last season. Not that it’s unusual to see darker tones be transitioned into winter collections, however, he has also incorporated various vibrant shades of teal and red into the assemblage. Things were also changed up a bit regarding branding, with a lot more of the products bearing slogans and symbols, as well as the Adidas three stripe logo. Simplicity was key in terms of accessories, ranging from some looks sporting a simple gold pendant to sports caps and oversized duffle bags. Shoe styles in the season 5 collection consisted of suede wide fit over-the-knee boots, tight-fitted leather boots, and camouflage thigh-high boots, all of which donned the staple pointed toe heel. According to Kanye, nothing is out on the outerwear front as the looks consisted of an array of different styles including parkas, trench coats, bombers, denim jackets and fur coats.

One thing that has remained the same throughout Yeezy’s collections in terms of styling is the combination of tight fitting and oversized clothing. The crossing of these two styles creates a chic yet edgy look which thus creates a perfectly put together outfit. If there is one singular thing to take away from this collection, it would be that oversized clothing is a must but only when done in a way so that it doesn’t look sloppy.

Shannon Doherty Fashion Writer

Ethical OPTIONS The emergence of ethical fashion in Dublin.

nu.

is a young Dublin based start-up providing consumers with an alternative to fast-fashion of which uses unethical modes of production. The start-up seeks to bring an ethical approach to fashion. One big question facing those with ethical concerns in the fashion industry is, who made my clothes? A question raised a number of years ago when 1135 garment workers died and 2500 workers were injured in the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster. The same question and concern is put forward by Lucy Bowen, the creative director of Nu. I met with Lucy at Central Hotel in the Old Library Bar, to determine how having an ethical fashion approach is bringing a new conscious to consumers, while simultaneously shaping the lives of garment workers far and wide within complex supply chains.

The hedonistic treadmill of fast-fashion has left its unsavoury impact, both socially and environmentally, not least to mention the integrity of the fashion industry as a whole. The motive behind fast-fashion is held within the name, fashion that is obscenely fast. Brands like Zara, Primark and H&M have the ability to produce new 'on trend' pieces at high volumes and low prices. Productions cycles are ‘opti-

mised’ resulting in clothes being designed, produced and retailed within a two week period. The crux of which is made possible by cheap labour, an unapologetic concern for workers rights and a blind-sided view for any environmental impact.

Lucy, while pouring a cup of tea, outlines to me, one of the rare times the fast-fashion exploitation and devastating working conditions made it to the main stream news. In the process of manufacturing clothes for the likes of Primark, Benetton and Mango (along with others), large numbers of garment workers lost their lives when the building they were working in collapsed. Known as the Rana Plaza incident, this particular event is not isolated. 27 garment workers producing clothing for Tommy Hilfiger also located in Bangladesh, died when the building they were working in went on fire due to electrical faults.

But it’s not only poor physical working conditions that all too common in within fast-fashion, but rather the nature of work itself. I’m reminded that for many factories it’s an economic race to the bottom, where a lack of regulations leads to exploitation.

Wages that do not meet the minimum standards, long relentless working hours focused only on the push for high productivity and conditions that are overcrowded and unsanitary are just some of the injustices

“

I'm George, and I want to thank the people who made my Jumper. Hi @cosstores, #whomademyclothes? via @Fash_Rev http// fashionrevolution.org

Image Top Left & Above Rachel Loughrey

faced by garment workers.

Fast-fashion oftentimes holds little respect to integrity and has been know to be on the verge of intellectual property theft in respect to designer brands and artists, attempting to produce unauthentic facsimiles. Being so heavily steeped in trend, fad, and excess Western consumption of fast-fashion is the perfect accompaniment when it comes to our socially mobile driven lives. The bombardment of images, from Instagram, Tumblr and Snapchat alongside seductive marketing from high street brands presents to us (the consumer) a world of opportunity, irresistible in decree. In such a well marketed industry, who has the upper hand, fast-fashion or consumer choice?

A voiced consumer conscious is needed for a change from within brands. Lucy’s interpretation is simple and blunt, ‘to put a stick in the cogs’ is the necessary requirement. Why go out and buy yet more clothing that is going to be seldom worn and then dismissed? Instead Nu suggests that a public wardrobe is a more fulfilling solution to fast-fashion, rooted within sharing, collaboration and providing a community, and this is exactly what Nu have done.

Nu currently provides an online desktop platform for sharing and borrowing clothes and as of current a mobile version is being established and will be released in the near future. However ‘upcycling' is another initiative enacted by Nu, a simple and effective means of repairing or alterating garments that might have been considered ready for landfill. For Nu the goal is remarkably elementary - let us become more sustainable. Buy less, use more, borrow, repair, and spread the word.

Awareness is a key for change within fast-fashion. The ‘Who Made My Clothes?' campaign was brought about by the Fashion Revolution Organization. It is suggested by Lucy that photographing an article of clothing, and tweeting the hashtag #whomademyclothes should become a common practice, raising the potential for a mass consumer driven motive for change.

Fashion is taking a turn. Over the past twenty years the hyper-demand for increased articles of clothing has taken its toll both socially and environmentally, nowhere more than in developing countries. Instead a new fashion ethos should be encouraged, focused away from ownership and more favourably rooted within breaking down individual possession, and introducing a more social side to fashion.

George Hannaford Deputy Editor

LifeStyle.

Lifestyle Loves Student Swimming Lessons

Fancy getting your Phelps on and brushing up on the backstroke before summer? UCD Swim School are running adult swim lessons on Monday and Wednesday evenings at 7pm or 7:45pm. The 45 minute lessons for beginner, intermediate and advanced swimmers will run for 8 weeks from Monday 24th Apr – Monday 26th June 2017 at a cost of €80 for UCD students. To book visit the sports centre reception desk.

Aldi Hot Tub

Aldi Hot Tub. Three words that should probably never be in the same sentence. If you’re still interested, Aldi’s inflatable hot tub will be available in store from Sunday for €399.99.

Penney’s Homeware

Penney’s Home is on the money this spring, with amazing bits and pieces to add a pop of colour to your living space at the fraction of the cost of most high-street home brands.

Statement Printed Tassel Cushion, €10.

www.collegetribune.ie

Recipe of the Week Ciara Landy Food & Lifestyle Editor We scour the internet for good food so you don’t have to. Each week we feature recipes from a variety of up-and-coming food and lifestyle bloggers around the world.

Spotlight ‘Naturally Nina’ is a lifestyle blogger and dietetics student hailing from Perth, Australia. An advocate of a plant-based diet, her Instagram feed is filled with vibrant, healthy dishes that pack a nutritional punch! For more delicious recipes visit www. naturally-nina.com, follow Nina on Instagram: @naturally_nina_ or check out her Ebook which available to purchase via her website.

Potato Rosti Pizza

“

I love re-inventing leftovers for quick, easy (and definitely not boring) meals, where nothing goes to waste - and I actually came up with this recipe by accident at first!

I wanted to make pizza for dinner, yet I didn't feel like making a pizza dough and had a whole lot of left over boiled potatoes from the night before. So I thought, why not go for the best of both worlds and make a pizza base out of potatoes? And my oh my it was one happy accident!

Potato rosti is a traditional and very popular Swiss dish, usually made from leftover boiled potatoes from the night before, grated and made into a cake-like shape, then cooked in a pan until golden and crispy on the outside. Basically, it's the equivalent of a giant hash brown!

It also happens to make a great base to add all your favourite toppings to, just as you would with a regular pizza. So once again, you can go crazy with different toppings and try out your favourite combos, or just keep it simple. Whichever you prefer happy creating!

Nina.

Ingredients potatoes, pre-boiled tomato paste herbs, fresh or dried (oregano, basil etc) veggies of your choice (I love tomato, mushrooms, zucchini, onion, spinach, basically every veggie!) (optional) extra toppings such as chickpeas/beans, olives, capers, smoked tofu etc) Tips It’s best to use potatoes that have already been cooked and left to cool down the day before. You can also add other grated veggies to the base as well as potato if you like, such as sweet potato, pumpkin or zucchini (Optional) add some dried herbs, garlic powder and black pepper to the grated potatoes before pressing them to make the base for some extra flavour. You can also grate and use uncooked potatoes for the base, but the cooking times will vary!

1.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celsius and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2.

Peel and grate the potatoes, then press them evenly onto the baking tray to make a pizza base. Make sure you press it down firmly so there are no holes! Then bake the base in the oven for about 15 minutes until slightly crispy.

3.

Take the pizza base out of the oven, and then turn out onto a plate. Place back on the baking tray, this time with the crispy side down, and bake for another 5-10 minutes until golden

4.

Now it’s time to add on the toppings! Start by spreading tomato paste over the base, then sprinkle on some oregano (or any other herbs you like), followed by all the veggies and extra toppings of your choice

5.

Place the pizza back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes until golden and the toppings are all cooked through.

6.

Top with fresh basil and black pepper, slice up and enjoy your pizza.

1030

LifeStyle.

Going Up

Festival Getaways

Darkness into Light

Ciara Landy Food & Lifestyle Editor

a.

No big summer plans? With Europe on our doorstep, you have no excuse!

Lululemon

1.

b.

Lollapalooza Paris

Festival Internacional de Benicàssim (FIB)

Missed out on EP tickets? Head to the sun for Festival Internacional de Benicàssim! The Spanish festival is back again this year from July 13th to the 16th. A 4 day ticket will set you back €149, which includes access to the festival campsite that is open from July 10th-17th. FIB boasts a stellar line-up with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Weeknd, Stormzy, Mura Masa and James Vincent McMorrow all making appearances! Tickets are still available at www.fiberfib.com and a return shuttle bus from València airport to the festival grounds may also be booked through the event website at a cost of €50.

11.04.2017

The high-end Canadian fitness brand arrived in Brown Thomas last week amid much fanfare and excitement.

While their clothes might be out of range for most student budgets. Lululemon work-out wear is famously long-lasting and great quality. If you are an avid gym-goer you may consider investing.

Taste of Dublin

The iconic Chicago festival is making its way to the City of Light this year for the first time ever, from July 22nd - 23rd. With a jam-packed billing that includes the likes of Lana Del Rey, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Imagine Dragons, Milky Chance, the Weeknd, Skepta, London Grammar, Alt-J and Tom Odell, LollaParis is sure to make a splash on the festival scene this summer.

Two-day tickets are priced at €149 and are available from www. lollaparis.com.

2.

Get fit and raise money for a worthy cause. Last year saw over 130,0000 participants walk or run a 5km at dawn to raise funds and awareness for Pieta House. Darkness into Light is back this year, on Saturday May 6th at 4.15 am and registration is now open at www.darknessintolight.ie.

c.

Clockwise from top -Notting Hill Carnical, -La Tomatina -Festival Internacional Benicàssim.

3.

Notting Hill Carnival

If you fancy a city break to London but are looking for something a little bit different, head to London for the UK August bank holiday (August 27th and 28th) and participate in the largest street party in Europe. The Notting Hill Carnival has been around since 1966, an annual event that celebrates Caribbean culture. With parades, street performances and amazing food stands it’s no wonder the festival attracts almost 1 million attendees!

Return flights with Ryanair from August 26th – 29th are currently priced at €52.

Going Down

4.

Influencer marketing

La Tomatina Not for everyone, the annual tomato throwing bonanza is certainly a once in a lifetime experience! The veggie foodfight takes place on August 30th and tickets starting at €25 are available from www. latomatina.info. The festival is located in Buňol, Spain, a 40km train or bus ride outside València. Ryanair flies directly to Valencia and flights from Dublin on August 27th, returning September 3rd are currently priced at €211.

Tickets are now on sale for the summer foodie fest featuring demonstrations from the best chefs in the country – this year Darina Allen, Kevin Dundon and Ross Lewis (of Chapter One) will feature. Taking place from June 18th- 20th in the Iveagh Gardens, tickets start at €27.50 from dublin. tastefestivals.com .

d.

Social media has radically altered the way in which the food and fitness industries advertise and market their products. Is anyone else sick of the #ad #sponsored posts from well-known bloggers that clog up your newsfeed?

Food Safety

e.

A recurring feature, professional food safety standards appear to be slipping – 6 businesses were shut down in March for food safety breaches.

p.19

Film.

Watching the Detectives Muireann O’Shea Film & TV Writer

C

ar crash TV - a show so bad that you wish you hadn’t looked. But now you can’t look away away. The second-hand embarrassment of the Eurovision or First Dates fits the bill. True crime shows do not, but the same sentiment applies. In the example of watching the wreckage of a car crash, there is a universal understanding of human nature; better to know what happened and be horrified, than to not know at all.

When did it become typical to go home and put your feet up to watch a documentary on a brutal homicide. Last year, America drooled over two different adaptations of OJ Simpson’s trial. While in Ireland, little else has caused as big a stir as Making A Murderer did. It could simply be our herd mentality that has spiked the genre’s popularity. Only a few of us fully savour true crime shows, while the rest of us just shuffle along with the flock? But if we are all, in fact, true crime fiends, then why?

Like watching a car crash, popping spots or ‘fail compilations’, there is an inherent curiosity that motivates us to watch real life injury or disfigurement. The fear that accompanies our curiosity drives us in a search for knowledge. We feel important and involved by playing ‘armchair detective’. We sap up all the power in solving a good old ‘whodunit’, like a live-action game of Cluedo. But most conclusively the answer is that we are addicted to the dopamine that this fear releases.

Casting JonBenet is set to be the next hit for true crime junkies. Netflix’s new series spotlights the 1996 murder of six-year-old pageant queen JonBenet Ramsey. There is a twist in the show’s premise though; the production crew returned to the Ramsey’s hometown to cast locals in a re-enactment of the homicide. The hope being that placing actors in the roles of JonBenet and her family, who are still the main suspects of the murder, will invoke some grand revelation that has gone unnoticed for twenty years.

Investigative journalism has always used the media

www.collegetribune.ie

to bring a sense of truth to the people. Many podcasts of late, Serial or S-town especially, have taken us into disadvantaged parts of Baltimore or Alabama and tried to find justice for ordinary people. The Jinx, a HBO documentary, gained a significant amount of attention when the crew accidentally recorded their subject, millionaire and suspected serial killer Robert Durst, confessing to the crimes.

Has the success of these ventures convinced the true crime genre that it can tackle entertainment and justice at once? With the growth of the true crime genre, we slowly cede more trust to the media to uncover the truth for us and to make it captivating at the same time.

A perfect example of this is the Netflix documentary Amanda Knox. It follows the case of an exchange student that was wrongfully convicted of the murder of her roommate. The first half of the feature convinces the audience that Knox was a strange and deluded girl, most definitely guilty, while the second half reveals Knox’s innocence due to police misconduct and how the international media controlled the narrative of the case. Details of legal cases are pushed into a narrative path that ends with the audience feeling both entertained and vindicated.

We true crime addicts are set to walk that path again with Casting JonBenet, but we should do it with some self-awareness. Serial killers have often become a their own brand of celebrity, with the likes of Jack the Ripper, the Zodiac Killer or the Manson family being adored as true crime legends. Yet Casting JonBenet is the story of the victim, a six-year-old's murder is now the subject of hype.

Are we relishing in the death of a child? Do we delight in the horrors of others? Not exactly.

Rather, we find cathartic relief in being told who the ‘monsters’ are and being assured that we are not them. True crime shows present us with scary stories and our conclusion is that the fear of knowing is always better than the fear of the unknown. Casting JonBenet will be released on Netflix April 28th.

Confessions of a First Time Filmmaker David Deignan Film & TV Editor Over the summer Tribune Film & TV editor David Deignan took part in a summer filmmaking school in Prague, here he shares some of what he learned about the process of trying to bring an idea and script to life, and gives an insight into the work behind the director’s camera.

R

ichard Wagner, renowned German composer and theatre director, once wrote that ‘the ancient splendour and beauty of Prague, a city beyond compare, left an impression in my imagination that will never fade.’

Admittedly I first stumbled upon that quote in a ‘Top 10 things to do in Prague’ article that strayed dangerously close to corny but it struck a chord in my mind nevertheless. If the city of Prague could so easily excite and enthral a psyche as talented and creative as Wagner’s, then surely it would do wonders for me as I arrived to spend a month studying at the Prague Film School – located in the geographical heart of the city.

But if Wagner’s musing was music to my ears then it was another, jarringly less captivating declaration that was playing on my mind as I first arrived in the Czech capital. 'You really are going to be too busy to properly explore the city'.

These were the worrying first words of Jitka Kubinova, director of the film school, as she addressed twenty four eager cinephiles from across the globe on the very first morning of a month long filmmaking workshop last July. The single member of the group actually from Prague shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, altogether

nonplussed at this news. From the rest of the room, however, there came an almost discernible groan. While we were there to work first and foremost the majority of the room had harboured hopes of soaking in the sights of the city, of having the time to experience more than just the Gothic exuberance it exudes on its surface. And, although I personally made a conscious effort to try and explore as much of the city as possible, our time spent in Prague was never really about sightseeing.

I should probably back up a little and give this some context. The Prague Film School’s summer workshop is a four week long, intensive crash course in filmmaking. The program, which is taught through English, is designed to lead students from story idea to finished short film inside a month. This process involves two full weeks of classroom based seminars – commencing at 9:30am and finishing at 5:45pm – which act as an accelerated introduction to the essentials of film production: directing, screenwriting, cinematography, sound design and editing.

The band of students participating alongisde in the workshop hailed from an array of different home countries – with nations as far flung as the US, India and Lebanon among those represented – and each arrived in Prague 1030

Film.

“ I don’t like watching my short film from start to finish.

Every time I do I notice different mistakes and regret things that I wish I had done differently.

” 11.04.2017

with varying levels of experience in film production. Some had previously worked professionally in the industry, others were studying filmmaking at undergraduate level and had already worked on multiple short films while a few, such as myself, had absolutely no practical experience whatsoever.

In the weeks leading up to the start of the workshop I made my first attempt at writing a screenplay - based on an idea which I had had months earlier. The film school had set a strict six minute limit on each of our short films – meaning that each script had to be tightly paced in order to be effective. At first I was unsure about how to actually go about writing for the screen so I decided to read the shooting scripts for some of my favourite films in order to try and get my head around the format.

These included Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, Marc Webb’s (500) Days of Summer and Michael Hazanavicius’ The Artist. Reading screenplays can be a bit of a grating process because, as Kenneth Lonergan put it during the Hollywood Reporter’s Oscar writers roundtable 2016, screenplays are ‘not there to be read but to be filmed’. I would agree with Lonergan’s sentiment although, having personally selected each of

the screenplays I read, it helped me in each case to be able to visualise the finished film as I worked my way through the story. The Dark Knight, written by Nolan along with his brother Jonathon, was the one which flowed easiest on the page while the latter were chosen on account of the notable influence each one had on the story which I was trying to tell.

My story, entitled Haze, follows the eponymous protagonist in the midst of a major identity crisis: he is a mime artist who, having been heartbroken, desperately struggles to express himself without words.

He is stuck in an impermeable rut, the lingering scars of his unrequited love proving perennially difficult to dismiss. When he falls for a new person, he needs to decide who is he before he can learn to love again. It was a story that felt personal to me and one that I felt intensely passionate about translating to the screen.

We were given two days each to shoot our films during the third week of the workshop. On the days that we weren’t shooting our own stories we were expected to help out on other student’s projects meaning that, over the course of ten days each of us was involved in the making of five different short films. This was coming off the back of a very hectic

pre-production period, during which we had to organise the logistics for our films as well as attending classes every day. The actual process of producing a film – even one as short as ours – was much harder than I had expected as we needed to finalise a shooting script, select costumes and locations, pick what equipment to use and what students we wanted on our crew as well as organising food, transport and make up for the shoot itself.

This is not to mention casting actors to actually be in the film. Luckily I was the first student to finish casting my short, as through networking I managed to find Ondrej – a professional mime artist – to star as Haze and Marley – an Austrian singer/ songwriter – to play the female lead.

My shoot went well for the most part. It was the first time in my life I have ever been in a proper leadership role and I enjoyed the experience.

And, much to my own surprise, I managed to avoid any major screw ups – although torrential rain did force me to change a key location at the last minute and messed up the sound recording for our last scene.

The best part of it all, though, was getting to watch the idea that I’d had in my head for months come alive in front of me. Having been writing stories since I was eight or nine years

old getting to see one of them acted out in real life was a very weird experience – and one I hope I get to have again.

We then spent a week editing our films – definitely the part of the process that I found most difficult – before getting to screen them in a local Czech cinema. It was really cool to get to watch everybody else’s work and, weirdly, notice how elements of each individual’s personality managed to manifest itself through their film. There were some really cool movies made over the course of the month, a testament to the talented group of students I was lucky enough to work with.

I don’t like watching my short film from start to finish. Every time I do I notice different mistakes and regret things that I wish I had done differently. That being said, however, my time spent at the Prague Film School was a brilliant learning experience for me - and I would strongly recommend it to anyone that, like me has an interest in filmmaking but doesn’t know where to start. I’m hoping to harness the lessons I learnt there to make my work better and, with my time in UCD quickly coming to an end, hope to gain more experience on film sets as soon as I possibly can.

p.21

Arts & Events.

In The Loop Holly Lloyd | Arts & Events Editor

In Review:

Caravaggio Exhibition

Sean Hurley Arts & Events Writer After weeks of hearing my cultured friends talk about it and having seen it advertised on Dublin bus (a quirky departure from the usual blockbusters), I decided to bite the bullet and go to see the Caravaggio art exhibition in Dublin.

At this point you might ask what business does a pesky law student have in going to an art exhibition? While it’s not often acknowledged, many professionals view the practice of law as an art in itself. For a proud legislator, succinctly and concisely written statute is just as much art as heavenly prose written by the most esteemed poet.

A barrister ironing out the chinks in his argument is no different to a painter brushing over the rough edges in his masterpiece. For the judge the release of his judgement is just as delicate as the arrival of a newborn baby in the world.

The first painting I encountered by Caravaggio on entering the gallery was the ‘Boy Bitten by a Lizard’.

From first sight, you knew immediately that it was a class above the other paintings. What is most striking about it is the chilling realism of it. Every facet of the boy seems to be affected by the bite. His arms are contorted in a violent spasm and his brows are furrowed in confusion. The most shocking thing about the painting is the empty, abject look in the boy’s eyes that blankly stares out at you. It’s tempting to imagine what Caravaggio was trying to convey in the painting.

Was it simply a stark showing of the boy’s pain caused by the lizard bite or was it an allegory for the boy’s loss of innocence through sin? The contrast of the lizards and the roses in the picture seem to aid the latter interpretation.

The next Caravaggio painting on display was ‘Boy Peeling Fruit’. The serenity of the boy sitting down preparing his meal is a welcome contrast to the tension in the earlier painting. There’s something to be said about artists and their obsession with fruit. Seemingly the talent of an artist is measured by their ability to paint still life. Their depictions are always nearly there but never perfect.

One of the most enthralling pictures in the exhibition was the ‘Supper at Emmaus’. This painting depicts two of the disciples suddenly recognising the risen Christ at the foot of the table. The two disciples are visibly overcome with emotion. The younger one is on the verge of jumping out of his seat, not indifferent to an excited county supporter after winning the All Ireland. The older disciple is completely blown away by the sight and stretches out his arms in jubilation. The most interesting figure is the third man in the top corner of the painting. With his face covered by a shadow he gazes at Jesus with a nonplussed look – oblivious to what is happening before him. His scepticism is a stark counterfoil to the other two disciples whose faces are illuminated by the light of faith.

The most curious part of the painting is how it weirdly invites the observer in. On the table is a bowl of fruit that is about to slide off the table and one is almost tempted to reach out and push it back in. Another disarming aspect of the painting is the fact that Jesus is painted without his beard. On first looking at the painting, I did not realise that the figure was intended to be Christ. Maybe Caravaggio was being deliberately ambiguous? Was he trying to say things aren’t always as they seem? Was it an implicit criticism of the general public’s’ lack of faith?

Overall, I would heartily recommend a visit to the Caravaggio exhibition. It continues until 14th of May in the National Gallery and it costs €5 for students. Caravaggio is without a doubt one of the world’s greatest ever artists. His paintings do not simply provoke thought but also spur a person to pray, whether intended or not.

www.collegetribune.ie

Have I no Mouth:

IADT IMMA ‘Symbiosis’

IADT first year students have continued their residency in the IMMA for its tenth year. Opened on the 31st of March, the exhibition was named ‘Symbiosis’, exploring the concept that the artist is the origin of the work. It questions if the work is the origin of the artist. Neither is without the other. The exhibition looked to give an intimate insight into the creation and honing of contemporary art. It also explores inserting things of a different nature into the likes of of museums of cemeteries. For art fans, the IADT residency is an opportunity to enjoy upcoming talent, who push the boundaries of art to develop something fascinating, and always allow us to have different perceptions of art.

The Happy Film

The Happy Film is a feature length documentary exploring happiness. Graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister will undergo experiments to see if he has power over his own happiness. The three experiments he partakes in are under meditation, drugs and therapy, all in an effort to see if he can train himself to be a happier person. This film was originally released in 2016, and has proven to be hugely insightful and popular. A screening will take place at the Sugar Club on 12th April. Tickets €12.

‘Have I no Mouth’ is a theatre production by Brokentalkers in association with the Project Arts Centre. This play features Brokentalkers Ann and Feidlim Cannon, joined by their Pyschotherapist Erich Keller, to discuss a family tragedy. What is interesting about this piece is that it is all truth. A real mother and son are discussing their bereavement on stage, in an ultimate effort to find out how to heal themselves. This is an unconventional type of production, and very personal to the audience, nevertheless it has proven to be intriguing and very popular in the likes of Edinborough, Germany, Melbourne, New York and Vancouver. Tickets €14-€16, and it is on Wednesday 19th April in the Pavilion Theatre.

Relay for Life UCD

UCD’s Relay for Life returns on 12th April in Delvin Park. Relay for Life is a 24-hour long event. Teams of family and friends must commit to having one team member on the rack at all times. Along with this there will be a festival and entertainment. All money raised goes towards cancer research and the Irish Cancer Society. To get involved register on the Irish cancer society website at www.cancer.ie

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Vivaldi and Handel

On Sunday 23rd April, Sestina Early Music ensemble will take to Christ Church Cathedral to play Vivaldi’s ‘four seasons’ and Handel’s ‘Dixit Dominus’. Sestina is a Northern Irish based music ensemble made up of professional musicians who are experts in their field, and new, young talented musicians. Tickets for this event are available for €15 for students and €20 for adults.

Dublin Gay Theatre Festival

UCD Dance-a-Thon

On the 29th of April the Erasmus Student Network is holding a fundraising dance marathon. UCD Dance-aThon is a 12 hour dance marathon event to bring the community together in order to better the lives of children suffering from long-term and/or terminal illness.

The event starts at 10am and is in the UCD Astra Hall.

Maeve Binchy Travel Award

The Maeve Binchy Travel award was established to commemorate deceased celebrated Irish writer and past UCD pupil. The award, sponsored by the Binchy/ Snell family, is worth €4,000 and will go towards travel to enhance a student’s creative writing. Applications are open to any UCD student studying in the college of Arts and Celtic Studies. The UCD school of English, Drama and Film have announced that the successful applicant will be announced by 28th May. The successful applicant will be asked to produce a report of how their travel has influenced their creative writing after travel has taken place. This is a wonderful opportunity for any student with a love of writing and travel, and is the perfect acknowledgment for the superb writer that was Maeve Binchy.

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From the 1st to the 14th of May, Dublin will host its hugely successful International Gay Theatre Festival.

Now in its 14th year, the festival will reach a milestone in producing its 4,000th performance over the two weeks which open on the May Bank Holiday. The festival is proving that it is one of the biggest, most influential gay festivals in the world, and this year is no different. The festival is boasting a packed line up, with guests and performers from the most diverse backgrounds, the festival will focus on contemporary stories of LGBT life. The festival was inundated with over 100 submissions from all over the world, to which they whittled down to 9 performances a night from companies from the USA, UK, Germany, Mexico, Canada and Scotland. The festival will feature high school students from New York, Leaving Cert students, gay escorts, lesbian artist models, a play about a man who has a wife and boyfriend, and many more. Productions will take place in different venues across the city. New York city councillor, Daniel Dromm, has endorsed the festival for the positive impact the festival has had on people of Irish descent. Founder Brian Merriman says ‘the theatre has historically been used to speak out about injustice, to challenge convention and to push boundaries. Theatre like all art, has the power to change the world but to do that, we must be able to speak out about our shared ideas, dreams, hopes, fears and experiences. Our festival provides a safe space to those who may not have the opportunity to do so, and we appreciate the fact that Dublin has opened its heart to such artistic expression’.

Tickets available from €10-€25.

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Gaeilge.

Faoistín Andúiligh Teicneolaíochta Dónal Ó Catháin Scríbhneoir Gaeilge

Tuairimíocht ar Uile-Láithreacht na Teicneolaíochta i láthair na huaire agus a Drochthionchar do Chumarsáid Dhaonna

N

í féidir maireachtáil gan an teicneolaíocht sa lá atá inniu ann. Is beag duine nach bhfuil fón póca acu agus méid mór astu siúd is ‘fóin chliste’ nó smartphones atá ann. Tá ná gléasanna nua-aimseartha seo ar chaighdeán i bhfad níos airde ná mar a bhíodh ríomhairí fiche bliain ó shin. Dom féin go pearsanta, is é an ní deireanach a dtugaim aghaidh air istoíche é agus an chéad ní a lorgaím aimsir na maidine.

B’fhéidir go bhféadfaí úsáid na maidine a mhaitheadh dom toisc go n-úsáidim feidhm an aláraim chun mé a dhúisiú ach i ndiaidh é a mhúchadh ar aghaidh liom ag fiosrú má tá aon ríomhphoist nua faighte agam i mo chuntas pearsanta nó mo chuntas ollscoile, nó má tá aon téacstheachtireachtaí, teachtaireachtaí Facebook nó Snapchats faighte agam i rith na hoíche. Coinníonn sé sin gnóthach mé ar feadh deich nóiméad ar a laghad.

Bíonn cúpla nuashonrú úrnua a déanadh faoi thionchar an óil agus go hiondúil ní bhíonn mórán céille ná brí ag gabhadh leo. Ach breathnaím orthu fós mar cuireann an rud beag buí soir mé.

Déanaim na nithe seo a sheiceáil arís

roinnt uaireanta chuile huair ar feadh na cuide eile den lá. Ní cumarsáid phráinneach atá ann don chuid is mó. Bheadh sé ní b’éifeachtaí dá bhfanfainn go dtí an tráthnóna agus dá seicfeálfainn gach rud in aon bheart amháin. Ach ansin ní bheinn in ann bheith ag breathnú síos ar m’fhón an lá ar fad agus seans go ndéanfainn teagmháil súl le duine agus go mbeadh orm labhairt leo! Samhlaigh cé chomh holc a bheadh sé sin.

Ní raibh an Domhan mórán níos measa as tríocha bliain ó shin nuair nach bhféadfaí brath ar ghréasán bídeach leictreonach i bpócaí daoine le bheith i síor-theagmháil leo. Is amhlaidh go mbíodh cúrsaí ní b’fhearr i mo thuairimse. Níl aon éalú sa lá atá inniu ann. Ar ndóigh, tá uaireanta ann ar mhaith le daoine go mbeifí in ann cumarsáid a dhéanamh leo ar an toirt, má bhíonn géarchéim ag gaol leo mar shampla. Ach an fiú an truflais agus an meillt ama ar fad nach mór cur suas leis idir an dá linn? Ma smaoiním ar an méid ama ar chaith mé ar Facebook i mo shaol agus an méid leabhar neamh-acadúil atá léite agam le cúpla bliain anuas cuireann

an chodarsnacht ghéar náire orm.

Is fualang a chruthaíonn na nithe seo i mo bharúil, seachas saol níos fearr. An mó brí a bhaineann le ‘like’ a thabhairt do mheme éigin ar line nó ligean don Réaldhomhan i do thimpeall dul i bhfeidhm ort. Ní dóigh liom go bhfuil aon cheist faoi seo.

Nílim ag moladh go bhfillfimis ar Ré na Clochaoise. Is féidir linn úsáid a bhaint as na nithe seo fós, ach caithfimid bheith iomlán saor uathu anois is arís chomh maith. An réasúnú a dhéanaim go bhfuil cuntas Facebook agam fós ná go bhfuil codanna de mo shaol sóisialta nach bhféadfadh bheith agam murach é. Is trua an scéal sin measaim.

Ag cóisirí is minic a fheiceann tú gach éinne ag stáineadh ar fhón nó ríomhaire agus is é cumarsáid leictreonach an t-aon chumrsáid a bhíonn ar siúl sa seomra, rud atá chomh mí-shóisialta nach bhfuil sé greannmhar fiú.

Tá an Carghas nach mór thart, is cuma má tá tú i do Chríostaí nó nach bhfuil.

Ach táim chun cúlú siar ón teicneolaíocht ar aon nós. Cad fúibh?

STILLORGAN

BYOB (BRING YOUR OWN BEER)

Social Events for Friends, Colleagues & Groups

EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT BOWLING & SNOOKER/POOL COMBO

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2

You will also find us in the following locations:

BLANCHARDSTOWN, CHARLESTOWN, COOLOCK, CORK & TALLAGHT

www.leisureplex.ie www.collegetribune.ie

STRICTLY OVER 18S & ID REQUIRED 1030

The Adventures of the Environment Girl and Solar Sally

George H.

Short Story.

Cillian Fearon

H

elen stood on the edge of the roof.

Her cape billowed out behind her. She heard a harsh voice on the wind.

‘Get the fuck off my roof!’ it seemed to say. Helen shook her head. This was her city, someone needed to stand guard.

‘Seriously get the fuck off my roof or I’ll call the cops!’ the voice on the wind was louder now and sounded suspiciously like her neighbour Gerald.

Helen grabbed hold of the drain pipe and shimmied down. The wind was right, she needed to be out on the streets. It was past time she was on her rounds.

As she turned the corner the wind gave her one last piece of wisdom. ‘Fucking nutter!’

Helen wandered down the street contemplating that piece of wisdom. It was sometimes difficult to decipher what the wind meant. The wind could be cryptic sometimes. Helen leapt onto a nearby wall and crouched down to watch the people go by. It was her duty to listen to the wind. She was Environment Girl Her white cape floated gently behind her. Her white jumpsuit had a large T emblazoned on the front. Environment Girl was in this city to kick ass

11.04.2017

and to efficiently harshness wind energy to provide a sustainable future for all, and she was all out of wind.

‘Evening Environment Girl,’ a small child said beside her. It was the Landsman child from a block over. She was dressed in a yellow leotard with a red cape. In her hands were a shield and an old fluorescent light bulb. The shield was coated with small strips of solar power generators cannibalised from old calculators.

‘Damn it Solar Power Sally! I thought I told you, it’s too dangerous on these streets’, Helen said scowling at the child.

‘But where would Environnement Girl be without her trusty sidekick, Solar Power Sally! The Brightest Spark in the Galaxy!’

Helen smiled, ‘You’re right. Only together can we defeat Commander Coal, The Fracker, and Professor Petroleum’.

Helen jumped off the wall beside her sidekick, ‘Come Solar Sally, let us patrol the alleyways. I have a feeling that the Dastardly Dumper has been up to his old tricks again’.

‘Not the Dumper!’

Artwork George Hannaford

‘I fear so. Come, we must away!’

Helen sprinted down an alleyway between two commercial units with Solar Sally not far behind her. Helen rounded the corner and found a dumpster.

‘Come Sally, we must investigate,’ Helen said.

She boosted Solar Sally into the dumpster. ‘Gee Willikers Environment Girl!’

‘What is it Solar Power Sally?’

‘The Dumper must have been here. This recycling bin is full of non-recyclable materials.’

‘I had a hunch that he was up to his old tricks. Is there organic waste inside?’

‘It’s worse than that, he’s put batteries in here!’

Solar Sally held up a plastic bag full of discharged batteries.

‘It’s worse than I feared,’ said Environment Girl in dismay.

At that moment that back door of the commercial unit opened. Solar jumped out of the dumpster ready to fight. A man stood in the doorway for a moment registering the two brave heroes.

‘How many times have I told! Get the Fuck out of the bins!’ he shouted.

‘Stand your ground Solar Sally. Show no fear.’

‘Phil! Get out here!’ shouted the man in the doorway ‘What!’ came a voice from inside the shop.

‘Those whack-jobs are back!’

‘Fuck!’ came an exasperated shout, ‘all right I’m coming Alan!’

Another man soon appeared at the door. Solar Sally passed the bag of batteries to Environment Girl. ‘Ladies you really need to stop this nonsense!’

‘It’s not nonsense to care about the environment,’ Helen replied coldly.

‘I’ve told you before, some stuff ends up in the bin by accident’. Helen held up the bag of batteries, ‘this was not an accident’.

‘Alan call the cops. I’m sick of this shit.’ The other man retreated back into the store. Phil advanced on them. ‘I’ve told you before, rooting through someone else’s trash is a crime’.

‘I am defending the environment!’ Environment Girl shouted. The man came towards her. ‘Run Sally!’ Helen shouted as she swung the bag at the man. The bag split as it hit him sending depleted batteries everywhere. The duo ran down the alley and out the other side. They continued running until they were far away from the commercial building, only then did their pace slow.

‘I expect we’ll have seen him off for the last time,’ panted Solar Power Sally.

‘I don’t think so Solar. I think he will be up to his despicable tricks soon enough’.

‘Then once again we will be there to foil him’.

‘Indeed we will Solar Sally. Indeed we will. Come now, you must go. The evening wanes’.

‘Thanks Environment,’ Solar Sally said before running off down the block.

Helen smiled as she watched her go. She returned to her perch on the rooftop of her building. Her cape billowed behind her as she looked over her city. Evil lurked there in its smoggy seedy depths but so long as she still drew breath there would be there to fight it. The wind spoke to her again. It seemed to say, ‘get the fuck off my roof!’ p.25

The Turbine A lway s S ati r ical - O c cas ional l y H u mou rous

Macabre SU Petting Zoo Fails to Reduce Anxiety Martin Kinsella Turbine Writer

W

ith the exams fast approaching, the UCD Students’ Union has organised a petting zoo on campus with the aim of reducing nerves across the student body.

‘The petting zoos of previous years always had great turnouts,’ said one organiser. ‘But the goats and lambs never actually proved to be very effective at reducing stress, so we’ve replaced them with bog bodies.’ Many of the students who visited this year’s petting zoo responded negatively to this change.

‘I definitely wouldn’t have called it a petting zoo,’ said one student. ‘They just sat us down in a circle and made us pass around the bog bodies.’

He continued, ‘I recognised the Tollund Man, but I didn’t know who the others

were - his brothers, maybe.’ Did he think the bog bodies did a better job of relieving stress than lambs and goats?

‘Definitely not,’ he said. ‘I just pat the Tollund Man’s hat a couple of times and passed him on. I definitely didn’t leave feel better when I left. I immediately went to wash my hands.’

The organiser was keen to respond to the criticisms. ‘Many students seem to be thinking about the bog bodies in the wrong way,’ they said. ‘We weren’t trying to say - aren’t the bog bodies more fun to pet than rabbits? We were more trying to say - Don’t the bog bodies put the exams in perspective?’ However, the students do not appear to have been convinced.

‘Maybe they put things in perspective’, said one student. ‘But it was still really gross. I’m thinking of taking a break from college for a while’.

Getting Ripped in Time Bad Academic Grades for the Exams Linked to Stupidity Karl O’Reilly Editor As May draws closer, many students across the college have been looking for quick ways to get shredded in time for the exams. ‘The RDS is unforgiving,’ said one student. ‘You can hide all you want during the semester, but if you’re not built by the exams, people will know.’

Across the campus, attitudes towards the upcoming exam period varied. ‘I’m feeling good about the exams,’ said one student.

‘I’ve been working out a lot and my mum bought me some tight-fitting shirts to wear during the exams.’

Another was similarly optimistic, ‘I’m not worried about the exams. I’ve been www.collegetribune.ie

Sean Leonard Turbine Writer pulling a lot of late nights lately. And since I got hold of some Adderall, my workout schedule has really started to come together’.

However, not all students responded so positively. ‘I did pretty badly at the exams last year - one of the invigilators told me I was the least muscular in my row,’ a student said. ‘So now I’m pretty nervous about this year. I screwed up by trying to cram my entire workout into the night before the exams’ they went on. ‘Now I know that to get the results, you need to be lifting from day one of the semester’.

Those poor test results may have less to do with timing struggles and bad study plans that you might think. A recent study carried out on UCD students aged 18-24 cement what we have all thought for years, bad grades are a symptom of stupidity. The head researcher behind the study reports that those who test better are not dumb, and those who regularly get below average grades regularly are. The results will likely be comforting to many who could not understand why they were struggling to keep their grades up. One second year economics student is feeling the relief. ‘I was very happy to hear about this study. I finally have an excuse for

when my parents ask why I fail modules’.

Another student shares this sentiment, ‘for me this couldn’t come at a better time really, what with exams just around the corner and all.’ Yet, the academic futures for students with low IQs are not looking secure. A representative for UCD said they will be sure to take this new information on board for the next academic year.

‘Being able to identify the students who aren’t as smart will better able us to cater to those who are worth our time’.

However, it is not likely that this message will reach those considered ‘stupid’ as the study also found they are less inclined to read to the end of an article.

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Tech.

“ It is obvious that Google had prior worries about any of their employees leaving for rival companies

” Google and Uber Dispute Driverless Car Secrets in Heated Legal Case Conor McGovern Tech Editor

T

wo weeks ago it seemed as if Uber had hit rock bottom regarding public image and credibility, this week Uber are once again in the news but this time it doesn’t have anything to do with morals and ethics, and more about an individual who is being accused of using Google secrets to further his career with self-driving car competitors.

The individual in question is former Google engineer Anthony Levandowski who has been accused of stealing 14,000 documents from Google and using them to help his own self driving start-up Otto (acquired by Uber in August 2016). During his time with Google Levandowski collected up to 120 million dollars while also working on Otto and it wasn’t until he received the payout that the details of Otto became public.

Waymo (Google’s self driving project) claims that Uber stole trade secrets and used them in order to copy a specific and important piece of autonomous vehicle tech. Waymo puts most of the blame on Mr. Levandowski for taking the confidential information, now Waymo

11.04.2017

is going to the courts to ban Uber from using anything that resembles a Waymo trade secret. If it is granted, it could halt Uber’s self driving car project for the foreseeable future and give Google a bigger advantage in the driver-less car industry.

On the 6th of April a federal judge in San Francisco called the allegations against Levandowski ‘pretty convincing’ and has allowed an expert from Waymo (Google’s self driving spin off) to examine Uber.

U.S. district judge William Alsup stated during the court case that, ‘under oath it’s pretty convincing that Mr. Levandowski downloaded 14,000 documents, wiped his computer clean, transferred the files onto a thumb drive and went to start a new company’. New court documents suggest that Levandowski tried to poach Google employees while also helping other self driving start-ups Odin Wave and Tyto Lidar. Levandowski denies any relationship with Odin Wave or Tyto however, in mid-2013 Levandowski helped Google do due diligence in an attempted acquisition of Tyto, which was later acquired by Levandowski’s Otto.

It is obvious that Google had prior worries about any of their employees leaving for rival companies, which explains why Levandowski was receiving such a lucrative amount of money. For fear that other employees would follow suit or be poached by Levandowskis Google admitted to providing extra incentives to higher ups to avoid a repeat scenario. Bloomberg has reported that the increased paychecks and extra incentives is causing an attrition within Google’s self driving car projects.

According to Bloomberg, Levandowski had a long standing history with side projects during his time with Google some of which were sanctioned by founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

The documents that have been produced to the court have revealed that when Uber first bought Otto in August 2016, the two companies were already anticipating the idea of being sued, Mr. Alsup reacted by saying ‘If it was a legitimate deal, why would they anything to fear?’, Six months after the purchase Waymo took Uber to court.

After further questioning, a recurring

theme continued to pop up which stated that Uber and its lawyers have a privilege log with hundreds of pages with emails from Uber about the 680 million dollar purchase of Levandowski’s Otto. Levandowski admitted that there are 42 documents that relate or reference a due diligence report about the Otto acquisition. Furthermore, Levandowski’s lawyers refuse to reveal the identity of the reports author.

On Thursday, Levandowski plead the Fifth amendment in an attempt to keep information about the report a secret. The reasoning behind it is that if Levandowski faces criminal charges, the information could incriminate him, in response Alsup said ‘almost anything could be swept under the rug’. Nothing has been set in stone but is predicted that Alsup will rule against Levandowski and order Uber to produce the documents in question, Alsup has gone so far as to accuse Levandowski’s lawyer Ismail Ramsey of deliberately withholding information and warned him to have his appeal ready for May 6th.

As the case continued Mr. Alsup continued to get frustrated with Mr. Levandowski and his lawyers stating, ‘you are hiding from me what the real facts are... You want me to be in the dark’. In response to Mr. Alsup, Uber attorney Arturo Gonzalez gave a brief history of Mr. Levandowski’s career achievements surrounding autonomous vehicles. Gonzalez continued by reciting a detailed story of how Levandowski was in charge of a team that built ‘Ghostrider’, the only motorcycle entered into the national autonomous vehicle races funded by the department of defence in 2005. ‘You know where that motorcycle is today, At the Smithsonian... He did all of this before working for Google’. The story was well told and tried to perceive Mr. Levandowski as the genius he could well be but Mr. Alsup was not so convinced or pleased with the attempt to change topic, in response Mr. Alsup simply stated ‘Then why did he take those 14,000 documents?’

This new scandal comes at the worst time for Uber who have been in the news recently for multiple issues surrounding business ethics. Although the court case at the moment is revolving around Anthony Levandowski and his wrong doings it is obvious that Uber will once again take a major hit in the public eye and popularity may continue to fall in the coming months. Although Levandowski and Uber have stated that they have done nothing wrong and everything they have done for autonomous vehicles was ethical but from previous examples used in this article it is clear that Uber and Levandowski are not acting like someone who is innocent. The final court date is schedule is set for the 6th of May and it seems pretty academic that Uber and Levandowski will be caught in the wrong. However, it will be interesting to see what the outcome will do to affect the future of autonomous vehicles. p.27

Sport.

UCD Women’s Hockey Score Late to Secure Irish Senior Cup Conor Lynott Sports Editor

UCD 1 Cork Harlequins 0 UCD Women’s Hockey side last week won the Irish Senior Cup. The Belifeld girls were facing off against Cork Harlequins, who were seeking to end a 17 year wait for the title. A late goal for Deirde Duke in the final minutes of the game saw UCD clinch the tie to Harlequins heartbreak.

Duke was on the end of a clinical execution alongside teammate Sorcha Clarke who passed it around the single Cork defender to set up a straightforward goal. UCD back Lena Tice was the one who set the move in motion firing a long ball up to the Belfield forwards Duke and Clarke who made the most of the late opportunity. Quin’s looked like they might be the ones to win the game at the death, before got the crucial score.

The students failed to convert a number of penalty corners in the first half. One of them was promptly cleared and passed to Rebecca Barry of Harlequin’s, but her shot was saved by UCD’s Clodagh Cassin.

UCD lined out against the Cork side three weeks ago in the league, where they won in an entertaining and high scoring 4-3 encounter. Both sides were more tentative about finishing off moves and attacks this time with the cup at stake.

The pace of the game however was end to end, with both sides throwing themselves at each other in a very open first half.

Harlequins’ Olivia Roycroft nearly set up an opening goal, she slipped the ball through to a Quin’s forward who controlled the ball well and found herself one on one with UCd stopped Cassin. But the powerful shot was fired well over the

www.collegetribune.ie

bar, a hugely missed opportunity.

The second half was tamed and more rigid from both sides, with less surging attacks or pace. The intensity and passion was clear to see though as both sides were very physical in the breakdown and tackles. The Cork defence was increasingly solid and it looked like UCD’s slick play wouldn’t be able to find a way through the Quin’s defensive line, who routinely blocked and knocked back maybe forward attempts to move the ball into a potential shot on goal. UCD nearly conceded at one point, when a Harlequins’ player took a shot on goal and UCD keeper Cassin failed to react to block it. Luckily for the Belfield unit the shot bounced off the post and didn’t nestle in the corner, but it did race across the UCD goal line before eventually being mopped up.

The winning goal came from a long ball up forward, controlled by UCD’s Deirde Duke, who rather than taking on the last defender slotted the ball sideways to lay up her teammate Clarke. Clarke had a straightforward finish and didn’t balk under the pressure to fire the ball past the keeper and win the game for UCD. The Irish Senior Cup is the premier knockout competition in Ladies' hockey for the best clubs in Ireland. UCD previously won Irish Senior Cup titles in 1951, 2009, 2012 and 2014. It is the fourth time the UCD women’s side have now won the title since 2009.

UCD Starting XI

UCD Substitutes

C. Cassin S. Twomey A. Russell L. Ewart O. Patton E. Russell S. Patton G. Pinder L. Tice K. Mullan D. Duke

S. O’Loughlin E. Duncan S. Clarke E. Mathews M. O’Donnell S. Robinson N. Cooke

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Sport.

UCD AFC Move to Second in the League after Win over Athlone Town UCD Starting XI 1.Corbett 2.Tobin 3.Osam 4.Scales 5.Kouogun 6.Sloggett 7.Power 8.O’Neill (c) 9.Kelly 10. Kavanagh 11. McClelland

Conor Lynott Sports Editor

UCD

AFC have moved up to second in the League of Ireland football first division, the Students are chasing promotion this year again to get back into the top Premier division. The Students beat Athlone Town 4 – 1 in a game in the Belfield Bowl, after taking an early lead. The game was played last Saturday night. UCD went ahead in the first few minutes with a goal from captain Gary O’Neill. Athlone failed to clear a cross from the box and UCD capitalised, regaining the ball and stringing it through a series of passes before Gary O’Neill ran onto the ball while surging into the box.

The midfield leader O’Neill didn’t squander the opportunity and smashed the ball into the net past the Athlone Town keeper. UCD played well after the early lead settled their nerves.

But Athlone Town refused to let the game slip away from them in the early stages. The college outfit began to really apply the pressure after the first goal, with attacker Simon Power nearly creating another moment of chaos for Athlone with positive forages into their half.

But after ten minutes Athlone had gotten an equaliser. A shot from Jason Lyons from the edge of the box was deflected in off a wayward boot a and spun into the back of the UCD net past the helpless UCD shot stopper Corbet.

But the travelling Athlone side never kicked on from the lucky break, and UCD held them under the thumb for most of the first half with their confident passing game that moved the

11.04.2017

ball around the park well. The Students got a deserving second goal to put them back on top on the scoreboard. Just past the thirty minutes mark player Daire O’Connor gave UCD their second.

Fullback for UCD Liam Scales travelled well up the touchline to set the move in motion.

Scales pass found Gary O’Neill in the axis of the student’s attack, O’Neill’s well placed cross was happily threaded through to substitute Daire O’Connor who finished well to place the ball beyond the Town’s keeper. Athlone Town player David O’Sullivan came close to scoring around twenty five minutes in, but his low driven shot drifted wide of the post.

A good corner from Athlone required UCD keeper Niall Corbett to spring to action and touch a shot on target safely over the bar. The Belfield home side coasted the end of the first half time to retire comfortably in charge.

The Students start to the second half was a bit more uneven, and they didn’t settle well into any rhythm or consistent possession in passing. Athlone were toothless up front and going forward however, and rarely really troubled the UCD back four with any efforts to equalise again. UCD got a third goal by another lax mistake at the back from Athlone. The third goal came on 67 minutes from UCD’s Georgie Kelly. Powerful centre back Maxi Kougoun, who is never afraid to roam forward, fired a long testing ball into Athlone’s box. The Longford side’s backline entirely misjudged

UCD AFC 4 Athlone Town 1 the flight of the ball and were left scrambling as UCD player Georgie Kelly managed to get on the end of the falling pass, controlling it well to set himself up one-on-one against the Athlone keeper. Kelly was composed and deftly chipped the ball over the frantic Labuts who had rushed off his line to try and clean up his back four’s error. Kelly’s lob dropped into the back of the net to give UCD a commanding 3 – 1 lead.

UCD began to close out the game as Athlone attempted to pile more bodies up front in the hope of snatching a goal to start a comeback.

The visiting side had a few close shots they managed to engineer, but most didn’t trouble the UCD keeper Corbett enough to threaten the Students hold on the game. It was UCD who got the final goal of the game, Georgie Kelly again the man to net the ball and claim a brace.

Athlone pushed a high line up the pitch in an attempt to force a goal, but left themselves open at the back in the final minutes. Just before the ninety minute mark Kelly broke onto a through ball from the halfway line.

The UCD attacker raced well past the defeated chasing Athlone defenders, to set himself through on goal. Kelly made no mistake again with the finish, beating the Athlone keeper to seal a solid win for UCD. The victory puts the Students on 13 points in the early stages of the first division league, just one point behind leaders Waterford. North Dublin side Shelbourne sit in third one point

behind UCD, and Cobh Ramblers are in fourth place on eleven points. UCD’s next game is against Cabinteely on Friday April the 14th in the Belfield Bowl.

The side will be happy they have been able to find the back of the net more frequently this season, especially given the loss of last season’s star striker Ryan Swann. Captain Gary O’Neill it seems will again take on a lot of the responsibility for netting the goals this season, netting three in the first seven games player so far.

Elsewhere the UCD under 19 side made national headlines, thanks to goalkeeper Conor Kearns scoring a spectacular bicycle kick in the final minutes of their game against Cork City. The U-19 side were losing 1 – 0 to Cork when they scraped a corner in the final minutes of the game. Keeper Kearns travelled up for the last minute corner, and in the frantic scrambling in the box managed to leap up and execute a bicycle kick that smashed the ball past the Cork keeper to earn UCD a draw.

A video of the feat quickly went viral among Irish domestic football fans on twitter, with the Sun, Balls.ie, and 42.ie all picking up the keeper’s wonder goal story.

Tweeting after the game the 18 year old UCD player said, it was a ‘decent result away to Cork, nice to score a bicey in the last minute aswell, always said I was a striker’.

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Sport.

Back Page Match Report Continued* From the outset of the second half Trinity tried to muscle their way back into the game.

Utilising their strong build side to throw a string of heaves at UCD. The direct crash ball game was absorbed well by the disciplined UCD defence, whose line of baby blue shirts dealt well with the charges without conceding any easy penalties.

The Belfield Bowl was packed for the annual Colours rivalry, with both UCD and Trinity support pumping up the atmosphere of the night. Ten minutes into the second half Trinity’s best chance to claw their way back into the contest came from an overthrown lineout.

The ensuing confusion of the overshot throw in saw Trinity react first and capitalise on UCD disorganisation. A string a quick passes moved the ball through the DUFC hands and across the pitch, as Collidge were back peddling to try and set up a coherent line of defence. Trinity should have found one of the many gaps in the panicked UCD line, but just when they looked to have orchestrated a certain checkmate overlap to get in for a try, a wayward pass was knocked on and killed the attack.

The poorly executed pass surely let UCD off what looked like the prelude to a definite try.

Trinity’s disappointment was compounded by a quick UCD recovery that lead to a third try. Winger Barry Daly for UCD found himself clear after a breakaway against the run of play. Daly picked up an offload in Trinity’s half with nothing but clear green ahead of him, the UCD regular on the wing of recent years put his pace to 11.04.2017

good use and sped away from any last ditch tacklers. Daly coasted in under the posts for a try that punched Trinity’s momentum in the gut. The conversion was struck well from kicker Frawley, but despite having the distance it drifted wide and glanced off the upright post wide. Trinity faced a steep uphill battle with the score set at 22 to 7.

As the contest wore on Trinity struggled to keep up with the fitness and pace of the Belfield side. Collidge’s athleticism saw them hurt Trinity as the game wore on, making it difficult for the visiting side to push into UCD’s half and try find a much needed try. UCD captain and centre Jamie Glynn had a solid game in the middle of the backline, making a series of good runs and tackles. The Collidge side never really managed to get their free flowing passing game going, opting more to absorb and sap Trinity’s energy in a well-controlled tight contest at the breakdown, and then launch dangerous counter attacks that tried to stretch and find holes in Trinity’s defence out wide.

Bryan Mollen nearly gave Trinity a road to start a comeback sixty minutes into the game, the winger found some space down one of the touchlines and nearly squeezed past the last UCD tacklers. But in the end he was caught fifteen yards from the try line. Mollen didn’t manage to beat the UCD last tackler on his own, and in the absence of a supporting runner the danger was snuffed out by the home side.

The game hung around inside UCD’s 22 for much of the final quarter. Trinity contested a series of scrums, which UCD looked initially

to be able to fend off and hold their own in.

But UCD increasing tried to bring the scrum down or were turned upwards by the heavy DUFC pack. Following a final collapsed scrum on UCD’s five meter line the referee had no choice but to award Trinity a deserved penalty try. The Trinity kicker easily tapped over the conversion in front of the posts to set the score at UCD - 22, Trinity - 14.

The penalty try electrified the final fifteen minutes of the game, with Trinity then just eight points behind UCD, who looked increasingly nervous compared to their composed demeanour of just ten minutes beforehand.

DUFC were rejuvenated after the try, and tore into UCD from the restart. An easy penalty allowed Trinity fullback Colm Hogan to mount the pressure on Collidge with a wellplaced kick to touch into UCD’s corner. Trinity won the ensuing lineout to set in motion a wave of crunching charges at UCD’s try line. Collidge battened down and hatches and staved off every vicious heave at their try line, pushing Trinity back and allowing them no inch. Lack of clinical execution was again the Northside team’s undoing, the ball spilled loose from a Trinity player’s hands after a tackle to give UCD a chance to clear the ball from their 22.

Trinity substitute Michael Silvester hit back with a shock try that left UCD just a whisker ahead on 22 points to Trinity’s 19. Silvester found joy down the left wing and managed to evade all of UCD’s diving tackles to surge over the line to bring the difference to just three

points in the final ten minutes.

The Collidge side would not be beaten on home soil however, number 8 for UCD Peadar Timmins overturned a Trinity maul, before taking the ball himself and charging through a series of Trinity white shirts to ripe into the old enemy’s territory. UCD brought the game to Trinity’s try line as the final five minutes began to elapse. DUFC were left 80 yards from where they needed to be, and fending off controlled UCD forward’s charges at their line rather than threatening to score themselves. The break came as UCD sucked most of Trinity into the close quarters battle on the try line, the ball was quickly shifted out wide through the backs, where UCD had a two-man overlap. Winger Tommy O’Brien was the man to kill of Trinity’s hopes of a last ditch comeback, gliding around the Trinity line to touch down for a decisive try. The conversion was added and then another penalty shortly after to bring UCD’s haul to 32 points, to Trinity’s 19. The game finished and UCD hoisted the Colours cup after the well-played and entertaining game of rugby.

The match means UCD have done the double over Trinity this season, beating them in earlier in the League in September. Collidge now sit in fifth place out of ten in the Ulster Bank League on 43 points, ten behind leaders Lansdowne. Trinity slip into ninth place and relegation playoff danger on 35 points.

UCD’s next and last game of the season will come away against Dublin side Clontarf on Saturday April 15th. p.31

College Tribune

Sport.

UCD RFC Triumph Over Trinity in Rugby Colours Cup with Four Try Flourish Jack Power Editor

UCD DUFC

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efield earned the college bragging rights last Friday, with UCD beating Trinity at home in the Bowl in the annual rugby colours cup match. The UCD side, nicknamed ‘Collidge’, racked up four tries and 32 points to Trinity’s (Dublin University FC) points tally of 19.

Collidge’s superior athleticism and clinical attacking prowess were too much for the traveling Trinity side, whose traditionally physical and power heavy style of play was exposed by UCD’s pace. The Belfield side drew the first blood early on in the game with Andrew Porter scoring a try. The strong www.collegetribune.ie

forward managed to power over the Trinity line, whose stocky defence should have done more to stop UCD taking an early lead. The UCD fullback Ciaran Frawley was taking the place kicks for the home side, and converted the try well to give UCD a 7 to nil lead in the early minutes.

It didn’t take long for the animosity and tension of the fierce rivalry to boil over into off the ball aggression, a series of tussles and pushing broke out near the sideline amongst both teams. Referee Kieran Barry marshalled the disputes well however, stamping out the off the ball pushing without having to resort to sin binning players from either side. UCD added a penalty kick in the meantime to bring their tally to ten points, the kick was well taken and placed between the upright posts from a difficult angle out wide.

Trinity struck back on the thirty-minute mark with a try of their own. Winger Bryan Mollen managed to find a series of gaps in the Collidge defence after a quick string of passes

down the backline that disorganised UCD’s tacklers. Mollen’s pace impressively wrought its way past the scrambling UCD tacklers along the touchline to slip in at the corner for a good try. Mollen was the man tasked with taking Trinity’s place kicks and adding the two points to his own try, which he did to put the score at UCD 10, Trinity 7.

DUFC kicked on from their try, emboldened by their score. Trinity found a rare energy in their legs to constantly rush UCD’s line as they tried to get into a passing rhythm. The high pressing phase left UCD having to kick to clear pressure from their own ’22 in many cases. The positive and impressive period of play from Trinity was undone by a moment of typical UCD attacking magic. Trinity had begun to turn the key on UCD physically, bogging the game down in an arm wrestle between the two packs around the halfway line. Collidge managed to steal a rare turnover from Trinity’s ruck and UCD scrumhalf Nick Peters moved the ball out wide where Trinity

were more exposed. High flier UCD winger Tommy O’Brien caught a pass around the halfway line, before rushing into open space.

A handful of scrambling Trinity backs looked to surround O’Brien and surely bring him down, but the skilful Collidge back spun out of reaching Trinity tackles and raced around the danger. Out pacing the chasing tacklers and surging into the Trinity ’22 he was faced with the Trinity full back, who again looked sure to bring down the UCD winger. But O’Brien found a bit of magic in his deft boots, chipping the ball neatly over the onrushing full back leaving the tackler haplessly stranded. O’Brien powered around the back peddling full back to surge onto his chip, collecting it as it bounced and diving over the line for a fantastic showman’s try for UCD. Frawley added the easy conversion to set UCD up at 17 points to Trinity’s 7 heading in at half time.

Conintues inside on page 31.

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