The College View - Issue 2 - XVIII

thecollegeview.

Wednesday, 12 October, 2016

www.thecollegeview.com Vol. XVIII, Issue 2

CV

. Est. 1999 .

DCU celebrate Space Week 2016 with a week of public talks from DCU’s astronomers and astrophysicists

DCU Clubs Socs fair reaches record sign ups Hannah Kelly Deputy Production Editor @hanlouwho_

DCU clubs and societies regis-

tered over 15,500 sign ups during the Clubs and Societies Fair 26th29th September, according to DCU clubs and society office.

Enterprise Society (E-Soc) registered 1560 memberships, making them the most successful out of the four day fair with around 10% of all registered sign ups.

However, E-soc has yet to register all of their members into the online database and estimate their final number of sign ups will

reach over 3000, an added 400 members compared to last year’s sign-ups during the Clubs and Societies Fair.

Due to current renovations throughout DCU, the fair was not hosted in The Venue as in previous years. Instead, it took place in the Sports Complex on Glasnevin Campus and the Auditorium on St.Patrick’s Campus.

Chairperson of E-Soc, Brendan Power, told The College View the society was initially worried about keeping up their previously high numbers as the venue was changed.

“I would have been concerned beforehand with the change of venue and the flow of people to the

sports centre but overall the setup was brilliant and very smooth from our side,” Power said.

He attributes the success of the society to their strong presence in the first few weeks of the semester.

“The society is popular due to our active presence during the first few weeks of the year, the consistency of events throughout the academic calendar and the fantastic team of people behind it,” Power said.

There are around 100 different clubs and societies for students to avail of in DCU. This year six new societies were established, with one other society previously based

News

Sport

Gaeilge

HIV Activist encourages Sexual Health Awareness 4-5

Saints clip Eagles’ wings in season opener 20

Ceolchoirmeacha sa chathair ar phragas réasúnta íseal 12

in St.Patrick’s Campus relocating to Glasnevin.

This was the first year the clubs and societies fair was held across both Glasnevin and St.Patrick’s campuses, following the universities amalgamation. There were three sign up days held on Glasnevin Campus and one on St.Patrick’s Campus.

Prose Society, a creative writing society, gained the most sign ups from all of the new societies set up this year, with 58 people signing up.

Alexandra Tsay, the societies chairperson, said she set up the society to create a space for cre-

Lifestyle

Consider consent—there’s no need for stigma 7

ative writers to talk and share ideas about their work.

“I’m actually very surprised at how well it took off myself,” Tsay told The College View.

“I used to think that writers were a rare species and most don’t really tell you they write until you keep pestering them about it,” Tsay said, “but then this society happened and there are so many”.

SurfnSail signed up the most people during the fair out of all the clubs with 433 memberships.

Students can still sign up to any club or society throughout the year by visiting the clubs and society office in the Students’ Union and paying a €4 membership fee.

Features

University mental health services in great demand

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Editorial INSIDE

Arts AIDAN GERAGHTY

How Scream Queens allows for a true American Horror Story Read more on page 3

Opinion Irish people are finally opening up to the reality of the year 1916 Read more on page 10

Corrections The Issue one byline for the article titled “Irish nurses and midwives strike over incremental credit reforms should be Conor O’Doherty.

Similarly, the byline for “Living with Borderline Personality Disorder” should be Grainne Jones.

Editorial Team Editor-in-Chief: Aaron Gallagher Deputy Editor: Aidan Geraghty Production & Layout Editor: Scout Mitchell Deputy Production & Layout Editor: Hannah Kelly Production Assistant: Stephen Keegan News Editor: Hayley Halpin & Rebecca Lumley Deputy News Editors: Paul Dwyer & Brein McGinn Opinion Editor: Shirley Donlon Lifestyle Editor: Amy Lawlor Deputy Lifestyle Editor: Michelle Martin Features Editor:Shauna Bowers Deputy Features Editor:Orla O’Driscoll Irish Editor:Cal Ó Donnabháin Deputy Irish Editor: Aine Marie Monk Sports Editor: Aidan Geraghty Deputy Sports Editor: Jack O’Toole & Patrick Lynch Arts Editor: Stephen Keegan Deputy Arts Editor: Emer Handly Images Editor: Daragh Culhane Deputy Images Editor: Laura Horan Online News Editor: Clara Hickey Chief Sub-Editor: Brion Hoban

Sub Editors: Enda Coll, Kyle Ewald Elsa McEvoy, Conor O’ Doherty, Gavin Quinn, Fionnuala Walsh, Lauren Ennis, Lucy Mangan, Katie Gallagher, Oisin McQueirns, Liam Ashton, Diana Elena Oprea, Zainab Boladale, Sadhbh Kennedy & Aoife Marnell Contacts editor@thecollegeview.com news@thecollegeview.com features@thecollegeview.com opinion@thecollegeview.com gaeilge@thecollegeview.com sports@thecollegeview.com Printed by Datascope, with the DCU Journalism Society Thanks to Sportsfile, SLC, Office of Student Life Logo design by Lauren McConway

DEPUTY EDITOR

B

y the time you read this, we’ll be halfway through week four of the first semester. That means we’re more than halfway to reading week. Feels good, doesn’t it? It also feels good that this is only the second issue of The College View this term and the production process already feels like a well-oiled machine. That’s a credit to our editorial team, our production team and our writers. Aaron and I are grateful that you’ve made our jobs so easy.

As you’ll have noticed from our last issue, the Dublin Bus strikes are prominent in the minds of students all over the city. We worry about how we’ll get to and from college, to and from our parttime jobs. The natural reaction is to oppose these strikes. With lectures to attend, assignments to do and bills to pay, transport is another unwanted concern. To place the blame on the drivers, however, is negligent.

The reality of the situation is that Dublin Bus workers are still due a 6% pay increase from 2009 which was postponed because of the recession.

Instead, 290 workers have been made redundant since then and there have been no pay increases since 2008.

We have been repeatedly informed that we are in the midst of an economic recovery and we have been since 2013. This claim is supported by the fact that Dublin Bus has run a surplus of €23 million over the last two years. Is it unfair to suggest that the people who made this surplus possible, the drivers, deserve their share?

A worker’s labour is their asset. They offer it to their employer in exchange for what they deem to be a fair wage. They are, in turn, entitled to withdraw their labour if they feel that economic circumstances have changed to make that wage unfair.

Another political issue that faces students at this time every year is the budget. At the time of publication, Budget 2017 will have already been

announced, but as of Sunday night, October 9th we are still speculating.

In Budget 2009, the student contribution fee was raised by 67% to €1,500. Since then, as austerity measures grew tighter, it gradually rose to €3,000 where it remains today but grants are still in place for working-class students who cannot afford the cost.

In the 2016 General Election campaign, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael both proposed that third-level education would be ‘free at the point of access’ but students would have to repay their fees when they started working. Although public backlash led to Fianna Fáil withdrawing support for the proposal, it is evident that we are straying further and further from the fundamental right of free education for all.

In the same election campaign, Fine Gael urged us to ‘keep the recovery going’ by voting for them. Did the nation vote for a recovery for all or just for the upper-class? Before the implementation of the first austerity budget in October 2008, the student contribution fee was €900.

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe recommended in May that fees should be increased to €4,000 and that this still wouldn’t cover the shortfall in education, indicating that we can expect further hikes in years to come.

This would shamelessly strengthen the barriers to education that already exist for working-class people. In a recovering economy, we should endeavour to ease the burden on those who paid for the reckless excesses of the Celtic Tiger, not punish them further.

With that said, I’m just a sports reporter.

Maybe I’d be better served giving my opinion on why Ireland struggled to beat Georgia. (It’s because Wes didn’t play). Enjoy the paper.

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NEWS HIV Activist urges universities to tackle Sexual Health awareness Hayley Halpin News Editor @HayleyHalpin1

UNIVERSITIES need to build a

framework and provide speakers to tackle the issue of HIV awareness, former DCU student and sexual health activist, Robbie Lawlor told The College View.

Robbie Lawlor (25), who is a former MA Sexuality Studies student, spoke to a group of DCU students during Shift Week, about his HIV diagnosis and the impact that has had on his life.

Lawlor was diagnosed with HIV in October 2012, just months after he graduated UCD. Through the tale of his experience, Lawlor explained how he used his HIV diagnosis to make a positive change. He created the first peer support network in Ireland for people living with HIV. He became involved with “Youth Stop AIDS”, a youth led NGO, in 2015. He participated in a

speaker tour of over 17 universities in the UK. The tour had someone from the UK, Ireland and an international speaker, from Uganda.

“We all got to tell parts of our stories, and it’s very interesting to get the disparities of living with HIV in higher income countries compared to lower income countries,” Lawlor said.

He arrived back in Ireland and realised that there was “absolutely nothing” of the kind available here.

The College View asked Lawlor why he aims his activism towards university students, “I’m more comfortable talking to young people because I find them more relatable to me and I understand their mentality and I kind of want to break down the barriers that I had as a student.”

He explained that while universities have SHAG weeks, they are only one week a year and HIV must be a consistent campaign.

“The thing about HIV is that you have to be in people’s face. When you’re young, people think that they’re invincible to all of this, I certainly did. It’s the whole mentality of it won’t happen to me”.

Throughout the UK speaker tour, students were provided with the tools to help support the “Missing Medicines” campaign, a push for global access to HIV medicine.

“We gave them the tools, whether it was to sign a petition, talking to their friends, or a bit more hardcore activism,” Lawlor said.

In relation to Irish universities,

Hayley Halpin

Lawlor stressed that “young people can be the best activists, it’s just giving them the tools for how to do that.

We just need to build a framework and say this is how we can do it, and give speaker tours like today but not with myself, with women, drug users living with HIV, I think that could be the most powerful way.”

498 people were diagnosed with HIV in Ireland in 2015, a 25 per cent rise from 2014’s figure of 377.

Globally, there are currently 34 million people living with the chronic disease.

Lawlor completed a four-year undergraduate course in Zoology in UCD and built up savings throughout his time in college to fund his travels to Australia to pursue a career working with animals. However, his diagnosis prevented him from receiving a residency visa.

Following his diagnosis, Lawlor underwent trial and error of various HIV drugs.

Nothing prepared him for what he felt after taking the first pill at 10pm one night, he told the DCU students.

“The next morning was possibly the

worst day, I felt like I was hit by a bus. It was like the worst hangover times a million. It was like a sludging mist in my brain where I could barely talk, I was slurring my words, I was uncoordinated, lifeless essentially,” he explained.

He was put on a new series of drugs, which work effectively in his system, without symptoms.

Lawlor is set to begin a nine month internship working with GLEN (Gay, Lesbian Equality Network) soon.age multi-campus representation.

DCU among colleges to receive funding from EU for the Erasmus+ programme Lydia McKay News Reporter @thecollegeview

EUROPEAN Commission has granted €105m towards Erasmus+ in Irish colleges, including UCC, DIT, UCD and NUI Maynooth.

DCU will also receive a part of the funding which will allow the university to carry out project work in a number of areas around the world, including the western Balkans, Central Asia, Russia and the southern Mediterranean.

The increase in funding is welcomed after a further demand for places in the Erasmus programme

in recent years. DCU was awarded over €250,000 for 118 students to study abroad for the current academic year; this has risen to nearly €285,000 for 205 students to leave next year.

Regarding the funding, Minister for Education Richard Bruton said that “the Erasmus+ programme prepares students, academics and staff to be active and engaged participants in an interconnected global world,” “The internationalisation of our Irish higher education system is vital. Engagement in Erasmus+ will help institutions become more relevant and responsive, and will enhance their diversity and distinctiveness.”

Part of the money granted by the EU will go towards a structural project focused on the western Balkans region. The UL was chosen to lead the project out of 93 applications.

LIT will also co-ordinate a joint project that links with countries in Asia and the Russian Federation. DIT will receive nearly €1m in funding to work on a project to strengthen Europe’s software innovation capacity.

Erasmus was originally launched by the European Commission in 1987 and has since sent more than two million students to study across 27 countries.

50,000 students from Ireland have participated in the EU’s study

and work abroad programme.

Ireland currently sends over 3,000 students from 35 higher education institutions to study and work abroad each year using EU funding.

Similarly, 7,000 students come to Ireland on similar activities mainly from France, Germany and Spain.

DCU also welcomes students from

Australia, China and Japan among others.

The aim of Erasmus+ is to contribute to the Europe 2020 strategy for growth, jobs, social equity and inclusion. The €10.5m will also contribute to improving the cultural awareness and employability of Irish graduates, including DCU students.

NEWS

4

DCU re-appoints Dr. Martin McAleese as Chancellor SHAG week replaced by more informative SHIFT week Clara Hickey Online News Editor @clarahickeyy

PENIS rodeos, walking vaginas,

and free condoms were some of the highlights from DCU’s first official SHIFT week, the Students’ Union’s first welfare campaign of the year.

Sexual Health in First Term (SHIFT) Week, which took place last week aimed to promote a healthy sex life among students by being safe and consensual. The week was organised in chief by VP for Welfare and Equality, Cody Byrne.

Previously known as SHAG Week, Byrne changed the name as he felt that the term “shag” may make people feel uncomfortable, despite standing for sexual health awareness and guidance.

Both the Glasnevin and St. Patrick’s campuses saw an array of events throughout the week, including a discussion with a man living with HIV as well as a sexual consent talk run by DCU’s Feminism Society and the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.

In comparison to previous SHAG weeks at DCU, Byrne decided to add more educational components to this year’s campaign.

“There has to be the Sex Magicians because that’s what people expect by now. I don’t know how educational they are, but where there were gimmicky events there were also educational events,” said Cody.

Students at St. Patrick’s College were educated on STDs last Wednesday with ‘Don’t Catch the STD’, where students were given cards bearing the names of different STDs. They were then given corresponding explanations of the diseases, as well as a free condom.

Sex therapist, Siobhan Higgins, encouraged students to become more comfortable when talking about sex and emphasised the importance of using the correct language when speaking about sexual activities and identities.

DCU’s SHIFT Week runs in accordance with the Union of Students in Ireland’s SHAG Week, which urged young people to get tested regularly for STDs. This comes after a HSE report which showed an increase in 22 per cent increase in syphilis from 2014 to 2015. Syphilis diagnoses were 2,290 per cent higher in men than women, with 239 men diagnosed in 2015 compared to only 10 women.

Reported cases of Gonorrhea were five times higher in men (1,083) than in women (221) in 2015.

Sarah Murphy News Reporter @thecollegeview

DCU has announced the re-appoint-

ment of Dr. Martin McAleese as Chancellor of the University for a second five year term.

“I am deeply honoured to be invited to continue working with the Governing Authority, a team of exceptionally committed and able individuals from diverse backgrounds, to help the university realise its ambition over the coming five years,” McAleese said.

McAleese works closely with the DCU Governing Authority to ensure the good governance, integrity, accountability and the strategic direction at the university and is responsible for ensuring a successful implementation of the proceedings.

The Governing Authority consists of 31 members, both internal and external to the University, who serve a five year term.

The Authority meets at least six times per year.

President of DCU, Brian MacCraith, expressed his approval of the return of McAleese to the position.

“We are delighted that Dr. McAleese has agreed to remain for a second term as Chancellor of the University,” said MacCraith.

“There is still much work to be done in consolidating and building on the success of important initiatives such as the recently completed incorporation of DCU with St Patrick’s College Drumcondra, Mater Dei Institute of Education and the Church of Ireland College of Education, which has been accompanied by a significant growth in the university’s geographical footprint in North Dublin to include three academic campuses and an innovation hub,” McAleese said.

Along with his focus on economic regeneration, employment and his previous successful launches such as ‘Your Country, Your Call’, a national, highly successful competition held in 2010, McAleese also has a lifelong passion for education.

As the new multi-campus incorporation of DCU has begun, McAleese said “DCU has undergone a massive transformation in recent years and it has been hugely rewarding to be involved with shaping the exciting future of this ambitious young university”.

FemSoc host consent talk by Dublin Rape Crisis Centre

Rebecca Lumley News Editor @RebeccaLumley1

ALMOST a quarter of calls to the

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) are made by men, according to Dr Patricia Barker, who spoke to DCU students last Thursday.

Dr. Barker, an employee of the DRCC, was invited to address students by DCU Feminism Society in conjunction with SHIFT week and

detailed the work of the organisation, focusing specifically on the issue of consent. “(Rape) is a crime that’s not talked about, but is a crime that exists,” Barker said.

‘We have this thing, the sexual encounter, which in the normal course of events is happy and pleasurable and fun and then suddenly that same event turns into the second most heinous crime in our state.”

Barker said that the DRCC is now working towards having better clarity in terms of consent, particularly in the law.

“Sex without consent is rape, simple as. Except when you get to court it becomes not so simple and can be very difficult to prove,” she said Barker’s work with the DRCC has spanned more than thirty years, since the organisation’s inception in the 1970s.

She said that in the centre’s first year of operation they received 170 calls. In their annual report for 2015

which was released last July, the DRCC recorded almost 12,000 calls, with 50 per cent more first time callers than two years previous.

While many callers reported recent incidences of abuse, 49 per cent of callers sought support for childhood sexual abuse. Barker emphasised that a large part of the centre’s work is helping people deal with past trauma.

Of DRCC callers, Barker said that 23 per cent were male and 95 per cent were Irish, with 67 per cent of calls coming from the Dublin area. The report also stated that almost one in three people will be a victim of rape or sexual assault in their lifetime.

Barker said “it’s not that rape has increased, it’s that people are more willing to talk about it and come forward for help”.

She emphasised the importance of students in shaping this attitude.

“You are the people who have the capacity to network and to raise awareness,” she said.

Rebecca Lumley

5

NEWS

Laura Horan

Increasing motoring costs creating a catch 22 for commuters

Brein McGinn

Deputy News Editor

@BMCGINN123

AS rent prices are rising sharply for students living in Dublin, so too is the cost of running a car for commuters, according to a report published by the AA last month.

For a family car, the report found that the average motoring cost for one year has increased by over €250 to a staggering €10,849.42 since the same time in 2015.

The augmentation is mainly

down to a 38.6 per cent increase in insurance premiums for the typical motorist which wipes out any savings motorists make with the recent low prices on fuel, according to the AA. In a recent blog post on the AA’s website, Director of Consumer Affairs Conor Faughnan vented his frustration on the costly premiums and called on both the Government and insurance companies to work together to stop the hikes.

He said: “The insurance crisis is particularly frustrating because much of it is unnecessary. While it is true that motor insurance was losing money a few years ago and the price had to rise a bit, there are things that Government and the industry could do right now that would pull prices downwards.”

In 2011’s census, more students travelled to college as car drivers compared with students travelling by any other means of transport.

A total of 53,606 (29 per cent) students drove to college in 2011, with 51,959 (28 per cent) walking and 8,530 (5 per cent) cycling.

In the capital’s case, one fifth of students living in Dublin travelled to college by car compared with over 46 per cent of students who lived outside Dublin.

Cian Power, VP for Welfare with the Union of Students in Ireland is worried about the rise of both insurance premiums and renting prices and said that he feels students are being exposed more and more to a lose-lose situation each year.

He said: “We’ve seen the AA report on increasing premiums of over €250 over the past year and that has a massive impact for students travelling to college throughout the year.

“The cost of education is certainly having a negative impact on students. Our own survey that we released at the start of the summer showed that 87% of students are fearful that they’d have to drop out due to the increasing cost of living and that includes both travelling in and out of college and the situation with accommodation, creating a catch 22.”

Planning permission granted for CAO points system 900 bed student accommodation set to change in 2017 in Docklands Building work commences on 900 bed student Credit: Rebecca Lumley

Niall O’Donoghue News Reporter @thecollegeview

PLANNING permission has been granted for the construction of over 900 student bed spaces beside the Point Village as part of the ongoing regeneration of the docklands.

Spaces for 935 students were planned across two separate seven storey blocks. One of the two blocks will have 589 bedspaces, with the other having 346 bedspaces alongside commercial retail floor space and community facilities.

The 2.38-hectare site, the Point Campus, is within walking distance of colleges in the area, such as Trinity, DIT and NCI. The site was sold by Declan McDonald of receiver PwC, alongside land owners NAMA and CIÉ.

2245 student bed spaces have commenced construction in Dublin City according to analysis by Future Analytics.

It’s estimated that there is currently an unmet demand of around 25,000 student bed spaces in Dublin City, according to the Higher Education Authority, and that there may be less than 45,000 beds available for almost 200 thousand students by 2024.

DCU have announced the construction of 560 on-campus student accommodations at the Glasnevin campus as part of the college’s in-

frastructural development plan. With regards to off-campus accommodation, DCU’s VP for welfare Cody Byrne said that, while “overcrowding is a problem and more can be done”, he’s hopeful for what can be done in the next two years.

The Point Campus is part of an ongoing attempt to develop the Strategic Development Zone of the docklands. First approved by An Bord Pleanála on 16th May 2014,

development of the SDZ began in March 2015 with the granting of planning permission for a mixed use scheme of residential apartments and office space at number 76 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, according to Dublin City Council.

NAMA have expressed an interest in 75% of development blocks in the SDZ, with 1637 residential units in planning and 345 residential units currently under construction.

standard.’’ she said.

Previously, grades below 40 per cent meant that students got no CAO points for that subject.

But with the new system, students who get between 30 and THE CAO point system is set to 39 per cent on a higher level paper change for Leaving Cert students will be awarded a H7 grade and 37 sitting their exams in 2017. points, reducing the risk in sitting Traditional grading systems higher level exams for students. of A1s, B2s and C3s etc, will be The ‘new pass rate’ at higher replaced with higher level grades level is hoped to encourage more from H1 to H8 and ordinary grades students to sit higher level subjects from O1 to O8. in senior cycle.

The new system was anThis is a similar incentive to nounced by The Minister for Edu- the 25 CAO bonus points for a cation and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan in D grade or better in higher level September 2015. maths, introduced in 2012.

O’Sullivan believes that the Those bonus 25 points will changes will better support students continue to be awarded to students transitioning from second level to who sit Higher Level Maths and higher educaget a H6 tion. grade or “The new more. scale has been While designed to appliminimise cations random selecthrough tion for third the CAO level entry, will not which can be a change, source of huge all frustration for students students and applying their families. from It will also re2017 will ward students be awardwho aim highed points er, both where under the they take the new scale, risk of sitting no matter a higher level when they paper and for sat the succeeding in Leaving those papers Certifito a high cate.

Adam Daly News Reporter @thecollegeview

NEWS

6

Credit: trinitynews.ie

Students Against Fees hold information evening ahead of upcoming protest Paul Dwyer Deputy News Editor @paulwicklo

AN information meeting was held by the Students Against Fees organisation in the Arts block of Trinity College last Thursday evening, ahead of the upcoming Union of Students in Ireland protest against third level fees being held this month.

The meeting was led by committee member Sean Egan of the Students Against Fees group who outlined their agenda for the coming months and who wishes to continue to build on the support and momentum that they gathered last year.

Egan was also hopeful about gathering more support from other

colleges who have already expressed an interest in establishing their own Students Against Fees movement.

He said, “UCD and UL have contacted us with overtures to set up their own Students Against Fees group so obviously there’s some desperate need for campus activism.”

Egan also criticised how students, who are being heavily affected by the registration fees of college, do not want to mobilise and protest against the Government.

He said that “the situation for a lot of students is very difficult but there isn’t a culture of student radicalism anymore”.

Egan also criticised the efforts made so far by the USI to lobby against the fees being imposed saying that “the USI’s appealing to the good nature of politicians hasn’t really worked”.

There was a strong unanimous agreement by the people in attendance that this was a critical time to try and make an impact ahead of the upcoming budget.

Also in attendance at the meeting was president of Trinity College’s Students’ Union, Kieran McNulty, who said that he wants to raise awareness and visibility of the campaign against fees through social media and other college newspapers.

“We have promoted it heavily since Fresher’s Week and we need to gather support for the cause through more social media activity and by having articles written in college newspapers,” McNulty said.

The USI march for publicly funded education and against debt is set to take place on the 19th of October starting at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin.

North Dublin’s first “Recovery College” launched at DCU Aine Conaty News Reporter @thecollegeview

DUBLIN North East “Recovery

College” was launched in DCU in celebration of World Mental Health Day last Monday.

The recovery colleges programme run by the HSE, aims to educate people on how to recover from mental health problems.

The programme encourages young students to focus on recovery and to take the initiative to help themselves or those around them with the recovery process.

Mental health professionals are working with recovery colleges to create and deliver services for the people who use the HSE mental health services and those who support them.

They provide a space where people who suffer from mental health problems are comfortable and they focus on promoting mental health recovery.

The student can chose the courses that they attend, allowing them to choose the method of recovery that suits them best.

There are currently over 40 different recovery colleges around the

world today.

During the launch at DCU, a segment called ‘Heroes Journey’ allowed people to share their own recovery stories and their thoughts on recovery and mental health.

The event lasted from 6:00pm to 8:30pm.

World Mental Health Day occurs every year on October 10th and has a different theme each year.

This year the theme is ‘psychological first aid’ which focuses on encouraging people to learn how to talk and comfort people that are suffering with mental health problems.

Psychological first aid also provides a recovery process for people who have suffered from a traumatic event.

This year they want to encourage professionals who help with people that have suffered from traumatic events to talk correctly and to show them how to provide the correct help.

It encourages both social and psychological support.

Last year the World Mental Health Day theme was dignity in mental health. Its main focus was to encourage people to talk about their mental health and to ensure that people who are living with mental health problems have the dignity that they deserve.

DCU hosts series of talks in honour of Space Week Mary Ryan News Reporter thecollegeview

SPACE enthusiasts gathered in

DCU last Thursday night to avail of a series of talks, hosted by the University as part of Ireland’s first Space Week.

Leading experts in the field, from both the School of Mathematical Sciences and the School of Physical Sciences, Professor Turlough Downes, Dr. Ernst de Mooij, Dr. Masha Chernyakova and Dr. John Regan gave talks on a variety of topics, including the formation of stars and planets, finding exoplanets, gamma radiation and black holes.

The speakers took the audience through many of the intricacies of their field, including the tools and techniques astronomers and astrophysicists use in their work of identifying and studying the wider universe, such as space telescopes.

Chernyakova discussed some of the recent discoveries made during what was described as a “golden age for astronomy”, citing the findings from the Rosetta, Kepler, and Hubble missions among many others.

The talks were held in conjunction with Space Week Ireland, the national branch of World Space Week. The organisation aims to encourage people to think about how science and technology can control how we understand life on earth and our place in the universe as a whole.

Organisers also aspire to get young people excited about science, technology, engineering and maths by emphasising their close links to space.

By doing this, they hope to encourage more of the younger generation to go into STEM fields.

Professor Turlough Downes, who organised Thursdays talks, said “people tend to shy away from engineering and maths, but if you give them an insight into something that they’re interested in, it empowers them, and they feel that they understand and then they can get involved”.

Space Week Ireland is organised by Cork Institute of Technology Blackrock Castle Observatory, Science Foundation Ireland and ESERO.

Laura Horan

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NEWS

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Student activists EU to debate proposal gather for to give teenagers free campaigning Interrail passes training weekend Fionnuala Walsh Sub Editor @thecollegeview

BUDDING student activists from

all across the country gathered last weekend in Belvedere Court for The All Ireland Student Activist Weekend.

The weekend aimed to bring together student activists from across Ireland to network and gain skills that would help them in their campaigning endeavours.

The student run event was open to all, from established activists to those who wished to start campaigning on issues that they felt passionate about.

The weekend consisted of workshops and discussions on different aspects of campaigning including group cohesion, effective media tactics and strategy building. Attendees were encouraged to raise topics that they were passionate about resulting in discussions on issues such as the fossil free campaign, sweatshop worker’s rights and intersectionality.

The event was organised by a group of Trinity students in order to build a network of young activ-

ist groups who can learn from each other’s experience. It also provides training in how to plan and strategise events, get your story in the media and train in non-violent direct action.

Organiser of the event, Áine O’Gorman, first got involved in the project after attending a similar event in Paris last year with Trinity College’s Fossil Free campaigning group. Here she met many other campaigners from across the world.

“What particularly struck us was the amount of student campaigners from all over the UK with this culture of campaigning that just doesn’t seem to exist in Ireland,” O’Gorman said.

“Speaking to them they told us about this group called People and Planet who are like an umbrella group for student campaigns on social and environmental justice issues.

We got in touch with them, went to training in Oxford and thought it would be amazing to set up a network here where students from all over Ireland can connect, help each other and learn from each other.”

“The most important aspect though is creating a network and bonding so there will be lots of fun and relaxing to try to make this as sustainable a network as possible.”

Gerard Grimes News Reporter @GerardGrimes11

THE European Parliament is set to debate a proposal that would see a free, month-long Interrail pass given to teenagers from the EU on their 18th birthday.

The proposal has been tabled

by Manfred Weber, chairman of the European People’s Party (EPP), who are the largest political group in the European Parliament.

“Europe is about emotions, to see other cultures, to see other languages, to learn about languages, to see other young people in the European Union,” Weber said in a video posted on the EPP Group twitter account.

The month-long Interrail pass now costs €479 and gives travellers unlimited rail travel through 30 countries over that period of time.

“Such a programme would give the opportunity to all young people regardless of their social and educational background to discover Europe diversity, and promote Interrail travel as a pragmatic way to reduce carbon footprint,” the EPP Group said in their proposal.

In their plan, the EPP Group have also stated that funding would come from the European Commission, “in oldstone.ie

EU consider offering youths interrail passes on their 18th birthday Credit: thetrainhacker.com

close cooperation with the railway companies and the Member States.”

The proposal has been welcomed throughout the European Parliament.

Violeta Bulc, the European Commissioner for Transport called it an “excellent idea” and stated that the commission “admire the boldness and the level of ambition - and are ready to explore it further.”

With around 300,000 people using Interrail every year, buying passes ranging from 200 to 480 euro, there will be challenges to overcome

before the scheme is put into action.

“The Commission will carefully assess the potential cost and funding sources for this initiative,” Bulc said in her statement.

Weber however, says that project is feasible and is purely a matter of political will. “It’s a big project, that’s for sure but we can manage it.

It is a question of political will. If we want to give the young generation a good perspective of the European Union, let’s do it.”

DCU now offering additional diploma in Irish Elsa McEvoy Sub Editor @thecollegeview

LAST week saw the introduction of a new lev-

el B2 diploma in Irish, which will serve as an additional facet to students’ degrees. It is being offered to all DCU students and was comprised

by Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge.

The course started on St. Patrick’s campus on Wednesday, September 28 and will continue to run on Wednesdays for 20 weeks through the duration of semesters one and two.

The three hour long classes come to the total cost of €200 when the usual cost of completing such a diploma is nearly €1,000.

Newly appointed Irish Officer on the Students’ Union, Cáit Ní Cheallacháin, said that this course is ideal for those interested in studying Irish but who may have chosen another route.

The course is designed to develop and fos-

ter the language skills of students with a prior knowledge of Irish through communicative activities as well as authentic materials such as radio and television.

“It’s just another addition to the bilingual campus that DCU is promoting,” said Ní Cheallacháin. “It means that you won’t only have the experience using the cúpla focail but you’ll have the qualification.”

Student participants will be tested on their competence in spoken Irish in an oral exam as well as with a written exam.

Ní Cheallacháin also noted the social benefits of the course, which will serve as an additional contact point for Irish speakers.

“It’s a great way to make friends, they are small classes,” she said. “And due to the fact that it’s in DCU who have a school completely through Irish, it means the supports are there from all angles.”

She noted that aside from all these advantages, the qualification would make a good addition to students’ CVs.

9

OPINION

Clubs and societies: An attraction or a distraction?

Does joining clubs and societies distract from the academic side of education at university or do they add an extra dimension to the average college experience? assignments, presentations and exams coming from different classes, joining clubs and societies is often compromised.

It is much easier to fall into the habit of going to class, completing assignments and showing up for the end of semester exams than to try and balance this with the extra responsibility of attending weekly meetings and events for your club or society. So why do so many students in DCU join clubs and societies every year?

It is simple. The opportunities that stem from joining clubs and societies in DCU are endless.

There are over 120 clubs and societies across both the Glasnevin and St. Patricks campus from SHIRLEY DONLON Tea society to DCU Dance society and even Harry Potter society and with a small registration OPINION EDITOR fee of only €4, the excuse to abstain from club and society life does not exist. The option even exists to create a brand new club or society if the existing ones do not meet your needs and wants. very year hundreds of fresh-faced, The notion of dedicating your time to a wide-eyed first year students flood voluntary club or society while trying to obtain a on to DCU campus eager to get degree of great standards can be enough for some involved in as many activities students to miss out on this whole other aspect as possible, but with the instant pressure of of college life – the aspect that can shape you as

E

an individual, help you find your career path and make friends from different courses and years all over DCU. Clubs and societies at DCU hold the power to open up new doors and welcome your mind to explore new ideas that, without joining them, you may never have known. Being a member of a certain club or society can also look great on one’s CV as it allows potential employers to see that the individual can successfully balance the academic side of university with the more social, relaxed aspect.

Getting involved in club and society life in DCU, speaking from personal experience, adds tremendously to the overall college experience.

A mixture of academics, social life and work stood in the way of my involvement in this aspect of college life during my first year attending DCU but I made sure to make up for lost time by throwing myself into every opportunity that came my way in the years to follow.

When you find the club or society that suits you best, that is when friendships flourish, ideas come alive and a fulfilled college year is achieved.

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The opportunities that stem from joining clubs and societies in DCU are endless

Vulnerable victims regret getting vaccinations Following the distribution of the HPV vaccine that left hundreds of young Irish girls suffering from chronic fatigue, sleep deprivation, headaches and many more extreme side effects, Aoife Marnell argues that the HSE are not providing us with honest information

R

.E.G.R.E.T (Reactions and Effects of Gardasil Resulting in Extreme Traumas) is an advocacy group made up of young girls who received this vaccination and their parents. The group stands for more than 400 cases of girls who have come forward to tell their story of the negative and life changing side effects they have endured as result of taking this Health Service Executive vaccine.

Over 400 cases tell stories of young girls left with long-term health difficulties upon receiving the vaccination, suffering from side-effects such as headaches, excessive fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, gastrointestinal discomfort, nerve-related pain, sleep disruption and light sensitivity. What is even scarier is the lack of awareness of this frightening number of girls who have been left in this position and the HSE’s continuation to distribute this vaccine despite their knowledge of what is happening all over Ireland.

Official HSE information leaflets detailing the side effects of the vaccine contain no mention of the side effects these girls suffering post-Gardasil disease have endured. The anticervical cancer vaccine has not just sparked concern in Ireland but internationally too, so why are we not made aware of the enormous

and potentially life changing risk we were taking when receiving this vaccination?

Girls all over the world have been left bed-bound with acute physical side effects and it terrifies me that I unknowingly took that very same risk. So why is the HSE not providing girls with the honest information needed to make such an important decision?

Are they lying to the public or do they genuinely believe this vaccination is safe?

It is heart-breaking to read story after story of young girls whose lives have been ruined due a decision which could have been so easily avoided, and it disgusts me that the HSE still promotes and distributes this vaccine knowing what it has done to such a large portion of our youth.

This is an issue that needs to be talked about in order to allow future parents and their daughters the choice to make truly informed decisions on the issue of the vaccine, and question if it is really worth the risk. I stand by R.E.G.R.E.T in stating that the downplaying of safety issues by the HSE is not only dishonest but in fact evil, when you look at the many young lives this vaccine has stolen and the families it has torn apart. If we can avoid something as tragic as this, why would we not?

orogoldschool.com

10

OPINION

Selfish students only support certain strikes

Recent Dublin Bus strikes caused outrage amongst students and the general populace, but is it so wrong to fight for a fair wage?

BRION HOBAN CHIEF SUB EDITOR

T

he recent Dublin Bus strikes provoked widespread negativity among students and the populace at large. More than 50 per cent of the population reportedly did not support this industrial action. Four stories about the strikes ran in the last issue of this very paper, all of which either portrayed the strikes as unreasonable or focused heavily on the difficulties facing commuters.

Yet the widespread condemnation at the inconvenience caused sheds light on a truth so often ignored. One cannot make the argu-

ment that these people do not have worthwhile jobs while simultaneously bemoaning their absence.

The golden rule when it comes to workers is to never look down on those who provide you with a necessary service. Bus drivers are important to the functioning of our society.

The same is true for teachers, nurses, Gardaí and all public sector workers.

Without people doing these jobs, the lives of modern Irish people would be impossible.

Of course, if any of the above groups went on strike, the same level of outrage would not be generated among students.

People simply care less about things that do not directly affect them.

Empathy can be limited when a person feels removed from a situation. The inconveniences caused to commuters was enough to override any sense of solidarity students might otherwise feel.

Bus drivers were due a 6 per cent pay rise in 2009 that was initially deferred until later that year. This pay rise never materialised in the following years.

This is the treatment these workers received from a Government who pays the chief-executive of state-owned AIB half a million euro every year. The Taoiseach earns a wage in the region of €200,000.

Most students will be forced to work a low wage job to help pay their way through university. Hours, conditions and obligations are usually decided by

the often unreasonable demands of employers.

With that in mind, is it so hard to imagine the anger at never receiving a promised pay rise?

The logical reaction for students should be to support those who protest unfair conditions.

What is important to keep in mind when faced with the negative fallout of a strike is that industrial action is often the only recourse available to workers. The majority of the country would be left powerless without the ability to go on strike.

Even more important is the fact that strikes often work. The Government eventually agreed to a pay increase of 11.25 per cent for Dublin Bus drivers.

In all likelihood those who bemoaned the bus strikes will one day be forced to engage in strikes of their own. On that day many people will realise the unpleasantness of being demonised for seeking a fair wage.

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People simply care less about things that do not directly affect them 2010 Trans PNG

Remembering all life lost in 1916 Irish people are finally opening up to the reality of the year 1916 and remembering our lost generation, writes Andrew Ralph

I

t is very difficult to comprehend what an eighteen-year-old boy from Carlow was thinking or feeling on a cold winter’s evening in a French trench of war 100 years ago – caught in a devastating and bloody conflict of empires and nestled between the bullets and the bombs of both the British and the Germans, I can only assume and hope that like any soldier, he obeyed his orders with bravery, courage and fortitude.

Private Bernard Jones did not survive the hostilities of that fatal night; young, carefree and a future ahead of him, he lost his precious life. His tragic story was not unique.

29,464 Irishmen died in the First World War and as a country, we are finally opening up to this reality and remembering this lost generation.

“Changed, changed utterly – a terrible beauty is born” is how the events of 1916 were immortalised by the poetic prowess of William Butler Yeats, of course Yeats was referring specifically to the armed insurrection against Ireland’s place in the British Empire at Dublin’s GPO, but I think his lamentation can be applied to the horrors of the Battle of the Somme too.

I worked in Brussels this summer and decided to take a two and a half hour train journey to Paris one Saturday morning – village after village I passed at high speed, the rows of miniature white crosses denoting the dead of the Somme was abundant across the landscape, a sombre reminder of how the

Darragh Culhane

“ 29,464 Irishmen died in the First World War

physical scars of this war still touch the lives of those who live in these communities.

It was hard not to wonder if one of these villages, Bazentin-Le-Petit, is where the body of the teenage Bernard is buried – what seems like a million miles from the shadow of the Wickow Mountains in Rathvilly, Co. Carlow, where he was born and raised.

Yeats was right to say that the events of 1916 profoundly changed Ireland, it violently

reinforced two distinctly different cultural traditions, republican and loyalist. These are two traditions still championed by each side of the communal and sectarian divide in Northern Ireland and traditions that have shaped the narrative of “green” and “orange” in the century since.

The difference between what happened in 1916 and how we commemorate it in 2016, is that the focus is not on blunt ideology, good

versus evil or blood sacrifice, but on human life and how the Rising & the Somme affected ordinary people and ordinary families.

“Peace, Perfect Peace – His warfare over, his battle fought, his victory won though dearly bought, his fresh young life could not be saved, he slumbers now in a soldiers grave” is how Bernard’s death is recorded in his local paper; The Nationalist & Leinster Times, a harrowing reminder to all of the mortal price many Irish men payed in 1916 whether fighting for the cause of the republic or the cause of the crown.

11

GAEILGE

Seal sa Bhruiséil Deirbhile Úna Ní Chathail Scríbhneoir @thecollegeview

NÍL aon rud níos fearr ná deis a

thapa. Sin an rud a rinne mé an samhradh seo caite nuair a chaith mé coicís sa Bhruiséil ag obair mar Au Pair, ag labhairt as Gaeilge le gasúr beag trí bhliana d’aois. Tar éis dom an cinneadh a dhéanamh gach deis a thapa roimh m’aonú breithlá is fiche, ba í seo deis fanacht leis an ngeallúint a rinne mé liom féin.

Cúpla seachtain tar éis dom an post seo a fháil, bhí mé ar mo bhealach go dtí an Bheilg, gan aithne agam ar éinne agus mise neamhchinnte faoi cad a bheadh i gceist le bheith i mo Au Pair.

Ba thuras thar a bheith furastach a bhí ann agus bhraith mé suaimhneas agus síochán san atmaisféar, rud nach raibh mé ag dream le. Nuair a thuirling mé lasmuigh d’oifig Choimisiúin na hEorpa, áit a raibh Rónán (athair an bhuachalla) ag obair, bhí sceitiminí orm agus mé ag tnúth go mór leis an tréimhse ansin. An tráthnóna sin bhuail mé lena mhac agus gasúr thar a bheith gleoite a bhí ann!

An lá dár gcionn bhí deacrachtaí agam Yoen, mac le Rónán, a mhealladh as oifig a athair agus mar sin chaith muid an mhaidin san oifig agus an leaid óg ag glacadh pictiúr dá féin, ach faoi dheireadh na maidine bhí fonn air an oifig a fhágáil agus a dhul a fhad leis an pháirc imirthe. Ghlac sé tamall beag ach chuaigh sé i dtaithí orm agus bhí sé sásta an lá a chaitheamh liom go dtí go bhfillfeadh a athair.

Chuir sé iontas orm gur thuig sé gach focal a bhí a rá agam i nGaeilge, cé nár fhreagair sé mé i nGaeilge gan mise a rá ar dtús. Bhí go leor spraoi agus imeachtaí éagsúla ar intinn agam, ach d’fhoghlaim mé go gasta nach raibh aon rud uaidh ach spraoi sa pháirc, a bheith ag rothaíocht, cúpla scéal a léamh agus néal deas codlata a bheith aige um thráthnóna.

Thosaigh mé ag déanamh leabhair ghearthóg dó lena saoire go dtí an Bhruiséil a chuimhniú agus a Ghaeilge a fheabhsú. Ní raibh mórán suime aige ann ach choiméad mé leis agus bhí leabhar deas, lán le pictiúir againn faoi dheireadh an tsaoire.

Bhí sé níos deacra ná mar a shamhlaigh mé a bheith ag tabhairt aire do leanaí trí bliana d’aois. Níos minice ná a mhalairt dhiúltaigh sé aon rud a mhol mé dó a dhéanamh go dtí go raibh sé a dhéanamh againn agus é ar mhuin na muice ag spraoi.

Chuir sé crua ar m’fhoighne anois agus arís ach bhí craic den scoth againn ag casadh ceoil de chuid Choláiste Lurgan agus ag imirt peile

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Deirbhile Úna Ní Chathail

Bhí mé rug beag neirbhíseach faoina bheith ag dul go cathair nach raibh ach drocheachtraí feichte agam sa nuacht maidir léi sa ghairdín. Ag druidim le deireadh mo thréimhse sa Bhruiséil bhí feabhas tagtha ar a chuid Gaeilge labhartha agus é ag ‘fanacht ar an fhear ghlas’ agus muid ag trasnú na sráide agus ag ‘léimní isteach sa linn snámha’. Bhí ‘le do thoil’ agus ‘go raibh maith agat’ ar bharr a theanga agus bhí cairdeas deas eadrainn.

Ba chathair álainn í an Bhruiséil agus ailtireacht dochreidte inti.

Ghlac mé go leor pictiúir agus is breá liom na cuimhneacháin a thagann ar ais chugam agus mé ag féachaint trí na pictiúir. Murach an deis seo déarfainn nach mbeadh an Bhruiséil riamh ar mo liosta d’áiteanna le dul san Eoraip, ach is ceann de na cathracha ab ansa liom anois í agus tá mé ag tnúth go mór filleadh ar an chathair.

Thug an tréimhse seo sa Bhruiséil deis dom an Ghaeilge a labhairt gach lá, rud nach ndéanaim go rómhinic. Fiú agus mé ag bualadh le cairde Rónán agus daoine eile ag obair mar aistritheoir agus fiú duine a bhuail mé leo i dteach tábhairne Éireannach, bhí an deis agam an Ghaeilge a labhairt le daoine a bhí ollghrá acu don teanga agus mhúscail sé mo ollghrá féin sa teanga arís.

Bhí an grá sin sách imithe mar gheall ar an bhfrustrachas a bhí orm agus mé ag míniú d’Éireannaigh cén fáth a raibh céim á dhéanamh agam trí mheáin na Gaeilge rud nach síleann go leor daoine gur fiú í.

Thug an tréimhse sa Bhruiséil seans dom seasamh lasmuigh de mo chrios síomais agus bualadh le daoine nua, dul go cathair nach raibh taithí ar bith agam inti agus a bheith i mo Au Pair, rud nach ndearna mé roimhe. Táim cinnte gur thug an turas seo spreagadh dom mo mhian a chomhlíonadh agus gach deis a thapa agus a chur i gcuimhne dom go bhfuil buntáiste breise na Gaeilge ann agus is mar gheall uirthi go bhfuair mé an deis seo.

Focail na seachtaine Comhionannas - equality Aisghair - repeal Aitheantas - recognition Athimirt - replay Feachtas - campaign

12

GAEILGE

Ceol Gan Chostas (Ró-Ard) Sin É Facebook

Cal Ó Donnabháin Eagarthóir Gaeilge @thecollegeview

SUITE sa chistin thar phionta, solas na gréine a bhí ag éirí ag soilsiú ar mo chloigeann tuirseach, bhí mé ag plé le mo thuismitheoirí na ceolchoirmeacha ar a fhreastal muid orthu thar na blianta agus an costas a bhí orthu.

Bhí suim agam i gceol na n-ochtóidí i gcónaí agus sílim go fóill go bhfuil sé dochreidte go raibh mo mháthair agus m’athair ag seó Depeche Mode nár chaith siad ach £10 ar thicéid, iad ag seinm in SFX i mBaile Átha Cliath agus i Halla an Bhaile i gcontae Chorcaí tráth. Spreag sé sin ceist ionam, mise ag fiosrú ‘an chóir duit €70 a íoc ar thicéad don 3Arena chun go mbeidh oíche den scoth agat?’. Is cosúil nach gá, le mo thaithí ar aon nós.

Is é cuardach na dticéad an t-aon áit a h-oireann mo dhrogall airgead a chaitheamh dom toisc go mbím ar thóir na gceolchoirmeacha is saoire ach áit a bhfuil caighdeán ard le feiceáil. Tá barraíocht clubanna agus ionaid sa chathair inar féidir leat ceoltóirí a fheiceáil ar chostas íseal agus rachaidís in iomaíocht leis na seónna móra costasacha. I mí Aibreáin na bliana seo bhí an t-ádh orm teacht ar an mbanna “The Slow Readers Club” as Manchain, iad ag cur ceolchoirme ar fáil in “Workman’s Club” ar ché Wellington. Níor chaith mé ach €7 ar an ticéad agus ba hé sin an €7 is fearr caite riamh agam.

D’oscail banna as príomhchathair na tíre seo dóibh, “Brass Phantoms” a chuireann siad orthu féin, agus ansin tháinig taispeántas leictrea-phap na ndúchasach Sasanach, soilse lonracha glasa agus bándearga ag splancadh leis an gceol. San ionad beag agus an t-atmaisféar leictreonach sin ní fhéadfadh duine comparáid a dhéanamh le haon cheolchoirm i bPáirc an Chrócaigh nó san Aviva, achan mac máthair sioncronaithe agus gan ach an ceol ar intinn acu le linn na huaire an chloig sin.

Uaireanta is fearr amhránaí a fheiceáil in ionad beag ná iad a fheiceáil i bpáirc mhór oscailte sa chaoi go bhfuil a graíúlacht féin ag an seó beag agus bíonn sé níos dlútha. Toisc méid na n-ionad chomh maith, ní gá daoine a fhostú chun an áit a ghlanadh agus ní gá lucht slándála a fháil agus le sin ní bhrúitear praghsanna na dticéad in airde agus ní bhuaileann sé ró-dhona an sparán!

Lonnaithe ar ché Ormond, ní féidir neamhaird a dhéanamh le rí na gceolchoirmeacha saora, Sin É. Ag léiriú ómóis dár dteanga dhúchas lena ainm, is beár den chéad scoth é inar

féidir leat pionta beorach ceardaíochta a fháil agus aon seánra ceoil ó rac crua go snagcheol go ‘grime’ a chloisteáil. Meallann freastalaithe cairdiúla agus comhthimpeallacht séimh na háite custaiméirí gach aon oíche ach ní bhíonn streachailt ann i gcomhair suíochán ach an oiread.

Oíche chompordach a bhíonn ann agus fágann tú an t-ionad seo lán le saibhreas an cheoil díreach cloiste agat.

Tugann an suíomh Dublinsessions.ie deis duit súil a choimeád amach dos na ceolchoirmeacha beaga seo mura féidir leat dul ar a dtóir go leanúnach. Ó am go ham aimseoidh tú eolas ar na taispeántais ar a leithéid de Facebook agus Twitter ann, ach is féidir cúig nóiméad a chaitheamh ar an suíomh iontach seo agus do mhí a leagan amach díreach uaidh, é ag tabhairt láithreach an

cheoil duit, dáta an taispeántais agus cén t-am a thosaíonn sé. Má thógann tú ní amháin as an airteagal seo, cuirfidh tú dublinsessions.ie mar ‘Bookmark’ ar do ghléas.

Dom féin, cé go bhfuil suim faoi leith agam sa rac-cheol ailtéarnach agus an leictrea-cheol, ní fhéadfadh tréimhse a chaitheamh i mBaile Átha Cliath gan turas go “Opium Rooms”.

Gan ach costas thart ar €8 ag an doras, tiocfaidh tú ar dhá mhórsheomra ina ina bhfuil dhá cheirneoir dhifriúil ag seinm, an seomra laistigh i gcónaí níos troime ná an seomra lasmuigh.

Cé nach gcaithim, taitníonn an halla leis an díon oscailte go mór liom toisc go mbíonn teasairí ann, bíonn gach éinne ag labhairt ‘s ag damhsa leis an gceol agus bíonn an-atmaisféar ann.

Chomh maith leis an ngné chompord de, tá na soilse go hiontach anseo, le dhá sholas i gcruth diamaint, agus

luítear isteach go mór ar na céadfaí.

Ní fhéadfainn críoch a chuir leis an sliocht seo gan tagairt a dhéanamh den áit is fearr don cheol gan costas ró-ard i mBaile Átha Cliath – “Whelan’s” ar Shráid Loch Garman. Beár mór millteach, frapaí agus troscáin ailtéarnacha agus seónna fíorálanna le fáil san ionad réasúnta beag seo.

Tá cúis ann go bhfuil ceithre réalta faighte aige ar Yelp.ie agus ní mór dul ann uair nó dhó lena dhraíocht a mhothú duit féin. Cuireann “Whelan’s” agus a leithéid de “The Academy”, Sin É agus na hionaid seo ina bhfuil ceol beo ar fáil inár gcathair bhreá in iúl dúinn nach gá duit do rathúnas a chaitheamh ar thicéid go harrachtaí an domhain cheoil agus b’fhéidir go smaoineoidh tú sula seasann tú sa scuaine fhada lasmuigh do Ticketmaster in Ionad Siopadóireachta Fhaiche Stiabhna.

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Oíche chompordach a bhíonn ann agus fágann tú an t-ionad seo lán le saibhreas an cheoil díreach cloiste agat

13

FEATURES How to save a life ORLA O DRISCOLL CONTRIBUTOR

H

umanity is not the perfect species, there is no promise of healthy perfect babies, but few people become pregnant with the expectation of having a child with a life altering disease. Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease, and Ireland has the highest instance of CF sufferers in the world, and most couples don’t know a thing until they are presented with a ‘Salty Baby’.

CF affects the cells that produce mucus, digestive enzymes and sweat,

hence ‘Salty Baby’. Instead of acting as a lubricant as in a non CF person, the mucus clogs pathways, predominantly in the lungs and pancreas.

Nebulizers can help lungs to breathe more easily, and drugs, physio and enzymes do their part, but it is never enough. Some children are fed through a tube; others may have CF related diabetes, or collapsed veins from constant intravenous drips.

There is hope; it sits mired beneath a cloud of financial negotiations which ultimately determine; how to save a life. That hope is

Orkambi.

Orkambi is a twofold drug, a combination of a corrector which fixes the broken protein and transports it to the cell and the chaperone which opens it at the cell wall to allow sodium and chloride to pass through. This means that the mucus produced by the mucus membrane organs (lungs, pancreas, intestines, etc.) is thinner and can be cleared from the lungs.

This drug was approved by The European Medicines Agency (EMA) for Irish users, however, the departSimon Burch

ment of health has not cleared it, due to cost. #YesOrkambi has entered its 18th week; yet Minister for Health Simon Harris has still not divulged how price negotiations are going.

While the campaign has remained strong, a lack of ministerial response was too much for one mother, who this week penned an open letter to minister Harris, while waiting for her 6 year old daughter to have a port inserted in her chest.

“You’re the Minister for Health so I know I don’t have to explain to you that the reason for this procedure is to allow doctors gain direct access for IV antibiotics, instead of struggling to find lines in her little hands all the time.” She wrote.

Marisa Reidy’s daughter Hanna is only 6, but her life could alter exponentially once the EMA approve Orkambi for the under 12s. In her letter, Marissa explained how her daughter was extremely sore after the operation and asked her mum, through her tears, why she had to undergo this procedure.

“I said I would write and ask.”

Marissa said, also telling the minister: “I appreciate you’re currently extremely busy trying to arrange automatic medical cards for all our prisoners – which I’ve no doubt is a time-consuming job – but when you’ve finished securing the future health care needs of our murderers, rapists, pedophiles and drug dealers, I wonder if you might get a chance to concentrate on the hundreds of Cystic Fibrosis patients who are desperately waiting for approval of life-saving drug, Orkambi.”

Orkambi in its current approval could directly impact approximately 500 patients in Ireland, as it has been approved in Europe for over 12s only, however, the Federal Drug Authority in America has now approved Orkambi for over 6s. The process to have it approved by the EMA should take less than 6 months.

So how much does it cost to save a life?

Currently the cost per patient for treatment with Orkambi would be in the region of €160,000 per year, a monumental amount, but considering Ireland has 500 CF sufferers who

this drug can treat, and more under the age of 12, the drug company Vertex have little to worry about in relation to an investment return, almost regardless of what the final agreed price is.

Quantifying the costs to the Irish health system in the 18 weeks of negotiations on Orkambi would be difficult.

Eighteen weeks is a very long time in the life of a CF patient, Eighteen weeks can reduce lung function dramatically, and eighteen weeks can be an actual death sentence.

Hanna’s mammy says we must

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Hanna was a Salty baby, and Orkambi could one day save her life personalize the reality of life with CF so those in power can see that it can’t be about money: “These are real people, adults and children, whose health and future they are playing with.”

And as for what Hanna thinks?

“She’s totally oblivious. She’s too young to have to worry about all that yet. She knows she has CF and needs meds etc., and that’s enough for now.”

Hanna was a Salty baby, and Orkambi could one day save her life. #YesOrkambi.

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Student nurses have empty purses

We see the work of student nurses, but many of us are unaware of the conditions in which they work in nurses receive is a “sore topic” among that very group, said 4th year Paediatric and General Nursing student Sarah Scanlan. While on their placements, student nurses do a full working week worth of hours, and all for no pay. hey wear a uniform and During their first and second their feet pound the years the students only observe while same floors each and on their placements, but it is different every day. They comfort during the third and fourth year. patients, provide them with the care “[In] third and fourth year you’re that every person deserves. They a member of the team, have your look after your mother, brother, own patients, administer meds, write father and sister, and they do this all notes, stay late to handover all for for free. free”, said Scanlan.

Student nurses work in the same The students have no issues with hospitals and clinics as staff nurses, the fact that they have to do work often doing the exact same work as as they are training for their future a qualified nurse while in their third career, but the lack of a wage for and fourth year of training. Student what they do is a problem. Many nurses are expected to provide students work extra jobs in order quality care, at the level of their pro- to make ends meet. “A lot of us fessional counterparts, even though work in shops or doing Health they receive no wage in return.

Care Assistant agency work which The treatment that student means you end up working 60+

Grainne Jones Contributor @thecollegeview

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hour weeks on top of your assignments,” said Scanlan.

Out of all of the branches in nursing, Psychiatric Nursing students bear the brunt of this lack of pay. Other nursing students can claim back travel expenses, but those in psychiatry receive only “€13.70 per week” according to 3rd year Psychi-

atric Nursing student Darren Gallagher.

Students are paying to go on their placements, instead of them being paid to do the work.

“Cost of getting to placement is huge. Travel can cost up to €70-80 per week for some of the placements, such as [the Central Mental Hospital in]

Dundrum,” said Gallagher.

The public are often quick to criticise nursing staff and students, saying that they are not doing enough, when in fact they are run off their feet during every shift.

“You feel undervalued. You work so hard for nothing (pay wise - obviously you feel good when you’re able to help someone). We are all just exhausted,” said Scanlan.

Student nurses are literally the future of healthcare.

If Ireland wants to continue to have quality nurses treating the nation’s sick, then it is time to treat the student nurses fairly too.

Is the proposed loan system the only way to fund third-level?

We always hear the negative aspect of loan systems for third-level education - Is there a positive side?

Ailbhe Daly Contributor @thecollegeview

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o pursue the job of your dreams, there is a pretty good chance you are going to need a degree to get there. As the scrap for college places continues, the government also continues to raise the cost of fees for those lucky enough to land a place in a third level institution. As it stands, we pay €3000 in student contribution fees every single year.

While we are all aware of this and the strain that it can put on our families, what you might be surprised to learn is that we pay the second highest cost for college in Europe.

Currently, there are over 100,000 students in third level education in Ireland. While we have a student grant available, this is awarded on different tiers and could see some students qualify for maintenance and not fees, or not receiving enough to get them to and from college. In 2014, 105,000 students applied to Susi for a grant– 75,000 received it.

The sheer number of applicants is a clear reflection of the need for something to change within our borders and make college more accessi-

ble for people who have qualified to attend it. It is fairly safe to say that if a student loan scheme was to be instated, akin to the one the UK has in place, it would certainly be availed of.

In the UK, you can apply for a student loan that will cover all of your fees and you do not pay a penny back until the April after you have graduated.

If you assume that students go to college in order to gain employment that would not be possible without a degree, there’s a pretty good chance that after they graduate college they will get a job where paying back a loan isn’t as much of an issue to them.

The repayments are deducted from your wage and will show up on your payslip so you do not have to go to any effort.

On top of that, if you somehow come into money while studying in university, you can pay off a part of your loan in advance if you wanted to. The system allows anybody w h o qualifies to get in to attend college and it is easy to see how it could benefit us here in Ireland as well.

However, it is important to note that our neighbours pay up to £9000 (Around €10,000) per year for fees which can create a staggering sum to repay down the line.

If the fees continue to rise here in Ireland, a loan system not unlike the one in the UK may be what we need in order to continue turning out a highly skilled and well educated workforce.

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The sheer number of applicants is a clear reflection of the need for something to change

Image Credit: Eric Luke

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University mental health services are under pressure Awareness and acceptance of mental health issues have blossomed but how are universities going to cope with this influx in people seeking help?

Getty Images

EMER HANDLY DEPUTY ARTS EDITOR

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miling, laughing, happy students are the first thing you notice when you set foot on any DCU campus.

There is a certain euphoric buzz to university life that you will not find anywhere else.

This intoxicating college excite-

ment can overshadow a major problem; students’ mental health. There it is; the elephant in the room. The problem that is ignored, shoved under the rug and left for another day. Except, a problem ignored is still a problem.

This problem is evident now more than ever. Irish universities are in dire need of more mental health services.

Studies show that one in four young people experience mental health issues. Ireland has the fourth highest teen suicide rate in Europe and mental health issues are more prominent in Irish society today than they ever have been. Depression, anxiety, suicide, self-harm, eating disorders and personality disorders are all extremely common among Irish third level students.

On the positive side, the rise of mental health awareness in recent years has lead to a growth in the numbers of students seeking help. However, universities are struggling to cope with this increase in demand for mental health services.

Dr Claire Bohan, Director of DCU Student Support and Development, said that the service is definitely under pressure since there is such a high demand for counselling services in the last few years.

“We simply cannot meet the demand. It is not that the university does not put enough resources in, they do, it is just that there will always be more demand than there is actual resources available,” she explained, “it is not just DCU, it is across the whole country.”

An Irish Times article revealed the number of students registering with mental health issues at Dublin Institute of Technology has risen by 700 percent in the past four years.

This is a problem in all Irish universities. Mental Health services are vital for students, they are at the core of university life.

DCU’s Counselling and Development services compiled a report on ‘The Impact of Counselling’ from feedback they collected from stu-

dents. It found that 56% of students rated counselling as an important/ most important factor in staying in university. 94% of students said that counselling was a most significant factor in helping them grow as a person.

Although change has come, more

change is still needed. The demand for services will keep on increasing, so mental health awareness needs to keep on growing, so students can keep on smiling. “We need to do as much as we can through the unions, class reps and our own services.”

Every age is welcome at DCU

DCU is known for its academics but DCU is more than that, it’s an inclusive university for everyone Áine Monk Deputy Irish Editor @AineMonk

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CU is known as a campus for enterprise, but what you might not know is that DCU is also now considered an Age Friendly University.

Although many of us may be in our late teens and early twenties, this idea is one we really should acknowledge because we all grow old at one age or another. Over the next thirty years, the total number of people in Ireland aged 65 years and older is projected to more than double and the number of those aged over 85 years to quadruple.

This means that we could live to be 100 years old and could still live the college life.

I spoke to Age Friendly University Coordinator, Christine O’Kelly, about the initiative: “Ageing is not something you think about when you are young – you live each day at a time and think you are invincible.”

Established in 2012, the scheme made DCU the world’s first officially designated Age-Friendly University and is leading a global network which has been joined by higher education institutions from the States, the United Kingdom, Australia and, of course, Ireland.

“This initiative not only seeks to support the current older population, it is about influencing policy and informing your own ageing

process, having choices as you age and being supported to make the right choices,” says Christine.

The initiative is promoting an inclusive approach to healthy and active ageing, and she hopes that the research carried out will address issues which affect older generations both at present and in the future, as we ourselves age. The aim is to become recognised worldwide as leaders in the areas of education, research and innovation as regards to age-friendly initiatives. This will promote a more connected and better quality of life for older adults.

“Research shows that our students will have a longer working career with as many as seven iterations of that career and the concept of “retirement” at late 60s will not be an option.”

By providing services to older generations now, we can pave the way for our own future and map out our ageing process.

There are an abundance of options available in DCU itself with programmes ranging from single credit bearing modules to keeping fit with MedEX or the Active for Life programmes.

Old age need not be something we dread and desire to avoid. With initiatives such as this in DCU, we are opening ourselves to a wider, more exciting version of growing old.

As Dwight L. Moody once told us: “Preparation for old age should begin not later than one’s teens. A life which is empty of purpose until 65 will not suddenly become filled on retirement.”

“

The initiative is promoting an inclusive approach to healthy and active ageing

Getty Images

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The importance of donating blood Donating blood seems like a nice thing to do but we probably don’t realise how necessary it is for others

Katie Gallagher Contributor @thecollegeview

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ne in four of us will need a blood transfusion in our lifetime.

Yet the number of new blood donors coming forward is decreasing while the average donor age is increasing, according to worrying statistics released by the Irish Blood Transfusion Service(IBTS) as part of their #MissingType campaign.

Following the 21 per cent decrease in new blood donors last year compared to 2010 figures, the IBTS aim to recruit 8,000 more donors before the year is out.

While ITBS suggest in their report that a possible barrier for new donors is an “increasingly busy and digital world” but would any of us accept this as a plausible excuse if there was no supply when we need it most?

And if the prospect of saving others lives isn’t rewarding enough, perhaps knowing the many beneficial factors blood donation has on the donor themself could boost numbers.

Did you know that regularly donating blood helps blood flow?

However while it is not certain on the long term effects associated with

“

Laura Horan

One in four of us will need a blood transfusion better blood flow, Dr. Phillip Christopher, director of the Loyala University health system said that donors are ‘less likely to get heart attacks, strokes and cancers’.

A blood donor loses about a quarter of a gram per unit of blood donated which is actually good for their health. The iron is gained back over a week of eating and the iron is regulated efficiently reducing iron overload and in turn the risk of illness’ such as cirrhosis, liver failure and even heart abnormalities.

Likewise this regulation of iron levels has anti cancer benefits too as

lower iron levels often suggest lower risk of cancers.

And regular blood donation actually causes weight loss which would reduce obesity levels and health risks that come with it.

More importantly, over a thousand people require blood donations each week in order to survive and lead normal healthy lives. We need 3,000 donors per week in ireland yet

only 3 per cent of the Irish population donate each year.

“Whether it is patients receiving treatment for cancer, blood disorders, after accidents or during surgery or women who lost blood in childbirth, blood is an absolutely essential part of modern healthcare,” said ITBS. New mother Eva, received a blood donation after childbirth. Telling her story on giveblood.ie, she

shared the shock she felt when she realised there are only 4 days of her type of blood in supply at the moment which led her to question; ‘what if there was none in ‘my’ hour of need?’

This prospect is becoming more likely and as ITBS stated, “Blood transfusions save lives and transform health for millions across the world.

But blood transfusions cannot happen if people do not give blood.”

Let’s sea what happens inside DCU’s scuba society An in depth look into the creation and inner workings of DCU’s sub aqua society theirishtimes.com

Peter Stears Contributor @thecollegeview

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s college resumes for another year, students old and new engage in their new modules and prepare themselves for the work ahead.

However there is one fundamental part of college life that at other stages of formal education is not available: clubs and societies.

There are over 120 clubs and societies across two campuses in DCU which cater for all sorts of hobbies, activities, and interests.

Some of the societies are well known to returning students and faculty and have been established for a long time. There are however, certain societies that are not as well known and provide students with niche opportunities.

DCU’s Sub Aqua Club is one such unique example. The club was established in 2001 by founder Brian Stone, a lecturer of Computing in DCU. Stone, who was enthusiastic about the sea, swimming, and snorkeling from an early age noted that many other universities at the time had a sub aqua club and saw the opportunity for one at DCU.

“Having a club in DCU allows lots of students (staff and graduates too) to come into contact with the sport and if they want to, can go on to become advanced divers and instructors.”

“Ireland has some of the best cold water diving in the world, a very colourful underwater world to explore and the sport takes you to many beautiful locations around Ireland.”

So what makes this society so special?

Well we can go to places where humankind was never meant to be, explore underwater terrain and gardens of exotic animals and plants growing on the rocks, all in Ireland.

“Simply being out on the water in an open boat is great, knowing that it is safe yet exciting, driving at high speed to our dive site, bouncing over the waves, the thrill of entering the water, rolling backwards

“

off the side of the boat and slipping into the emerald depths, breathing freely and comfortably, sharing the experience with your buddy, there is nothing like it.” said Stone.

I joined the sub aqua club in my first year at DCU. Scuba diving was something that I never thought I’d be able to afford but as the society is subsidised

by DCU it cost me only €20 to be insured and trained.

Unlike other societies in DCU, the sub aqua club felt more like a family, everyone got to know each other very well, whether it be on a 4 hour-long car journey, preparing the food for dinner or down in the local pub. Camaraderie, friendship and enjoying what life has to offer are core values of the club: beer being another.

Through the friends I’ve made, seeing our country’s raw unfiltered beauty and submerging myself into a world I had only experienced through television, the club will remain a part of me throughout my life.

The sub aqua club feels more like a family

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SPORT

DCU represented with eight graduates in 2016 All-Star nominations DCU alumnus Stephen Cluxton is already a five-time All-Star Credit: Sportsfile

JACK O’TOOLE DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR

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ight former DCU students have received nominations for the 2016 All-Star Gaelic football awards with recent All-Ireland finalists Dublin and Mayo receiving 11 nominations each.

Dublin’s past students Stephen Cluxton, Jonny Cooper, John Small, Ciarán Kilkenny and Dean Rock have all received All-Star nominations while for Mayo, DCU’s Cillian O’Connor, Diarmuid O’Connor and Patrick Durcan have also received All-Star nods.

Dublin’s back-to-back winning captain Stephen Cluxton has been nominated this year having missed out on last year’s All Star when the Dubs also received 11 nominations.

Cluxton, a Science Education graduate, won his fourth All-Ireland in the last six years with Dublin on Saturday, October 1st performing remarkably well down the stretch for Jim Gavin’s side.

Cluxton will contend with Mayo’s David Clarke, who was dropped for last weekend’s All-Ireland final replay in favour of DCU’s Robbie Hennelly, while Tipperary shot-stopper Evan Comerford has also been nominated.

In defence, 18 players have been nominated for just six positions, with DCU’s Jonny Cooper, John Small and Patrick Durcan all fighting for selection.

In a congested field, Cooper is the only former student from the college virtually assured of an All-Star nod after starring at fullback for Dublin following Rory O’Carroll’s absence this year after last year’s championship win over Kerry.

In midfield, Dublin’s Brian Fenton will likely be partnered by Tipperary’s Peter Acheson with Matthew Donnelly (Tyrone), Gary Brennan (Clare), Paul Conroy (Gal-

Image caption for All Star story Credit: Laura Horan

way) and Colm Cavanagh (Tyrone) also fighting for selection.

Selection for a place in the forwards will also be hotly contested with DCU’s Dean Rock, Cillian and Diarmuid O’Connor and Ciarán Kilkenny also competing for nods.

Kilkenny and Diarmuid O’Connor have also been nominated for the GPA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards respectively.

Kilkenny will battle with Dublin teammate Brian Fenton and Mayo’s Lee Keegan for the Player of the Year award, while O’Connor will contend with Tipperary duo Josh Keane and Jimmy Feehan for the Young Player of the Year award.

Full list of nominees Goalkeepers - Evan Comerford (Tipperary), Stephen Cluxton (Dublin), David Clarke (Mayo).

Defenders - Jonny Cooper (Dublin), Brendan Harrison (Mayo), Keith Higgins (Mayo), Cian O’Sullivan (Dublin), Lee Keegan (Mayo), Colm Boyle (Mayo), Philly McMahon (Dublin), Ryan McHugh (Donegal), Cathal McCarron (Tyrone), John Small (Dublin), Patrick Durcan (Mayo), Shane Enright (Kerry), Declan Kyne (Galway), James McCarthy (Dublin), Kevin McLoughlin (Mayo), Paddy McGrath (Donegal), Robbie Kiely (Tipperary), Killian Young (Kerry).

Midfielders - Brian Fenton (Dublin), Peter Acheson (Tipperary), Matthew Donnelly (Tyrone), Gary Brennan (Clare), Paul Conroy (Galway), Colm Cavanagh (Tyrone).

Forwards - Ciarán Kilkenny (Dublin), Diarmuid Connolly (Dublin), Dean Rock (Dublin), Kevin McManamon (Dublin), Paul Geaney (Kerry), Michael Quinlivan (Tipperary), Andy Moran (Mayo), Conor Sweeney (Tipperary), Aidan O’Shea (Mayo), Paul Murphy (Kerry), Cillian O’Connor (Mayo), Damien Comer (Galway), Diarmuid O’Connor (Mayo), Peter Harte (Tyrone), Danny Cummins (Galway), Patrick McBrearty (Donegal), Seán Cavanagh (Tyrone), Niall Sludden (Tyrone).

Player of the Year Nominees - Brian Fenton (Dublin), Lee Keegan (Mayo), Ciarán Kilkenny (Dublin).

Young Player of the Year Nominees - Diarmuid O’Connor (Mayo), Josh Keane (Tipperary), Jimmy Feehan (Tipperary)

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SPORT

“That’s sport” — Woods insists there’s no All-Ireland Hawk Eye controversy Enda Coll Sub Editor @CVSport

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ublin City University was represented in this year’s All-Ireland Senior Ladies’ Football final at Croke Park on Sunday, September 25th.

Siobhán Woods, a student of psychology and her teammates, Emer Ní Éafa, Emma Colgan, Dee Murphy, Leah Caffrey and Muireann Ní Scanaill played in Croke Park that day, something Woods says was a dream come true.

“Playing in Croke Park is a fantastic experience. It’s what everyone dreams of from when they start playing as a kid, and obviously it’s always an honour to play for your county,” the Raheny native said.

Dublin lost out by just one point but controversy surrounded the lack of Hawk Eye on the day and overshadowed the game.

The Ladies’ Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) has since released a statement claiming that Hawk Eye was not used to ensure a level playing field at all grounds.

However, despite the disappoint-

ment in this, Woods is determined that her team will bounce back.

“Unfortunately the day didn’t go the way we had imagined, and it was an extremely disappointing loss and one that’s difficult to take. But that’s sport. We’ve been in this position before and we will drive on again next year.”

While the lack of Hawk Eye

Playing with DCU is great.

It definitely has its similarities to county football in terms of intensity and commitment. The standard is always extremely high and it’s getting more competitive each year.”

“Where county and college football vary more is probably the transition each year, with people graduating and freshers starting out there’s

“Playing in Croke Park is a fantastic experience. It’s what everyone dreams of from when they start playing as a kid…”

Siobhan Woods highlights the inequality of the game on a national level, and at college level, Woods has credited DCU as a level playing field when it comes to GAA. “Ladies football receives fantastic support from the GAA Academy in DCU. There’s no disparity between how ourselves and the men’s team are treated, which is a testament to everyone involved in the Academy.”

always a chance year to year.”

“It’s great to be playing with different girls from all over the country.”

DCU’s senior team enjoyed a successful first season under Stephen Maxwell’s tutelage – they brought home the Division One crown and reached the O’Connor Cup semi-final only to be beaten the University of Limerick’s juggernaut squad.

Woods (right) chases down UCC’s Áine O’Sullivan Credit: Sportsfile

20 DCU students and Alumni feature in All-Ireland replay A total of 20 current and former DCU students competed in both the All-Ireland Senior Football final and replay, 13 representing Dublin compared to Mayo’s seven. Gavin Quinn reports

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ublin defeated Mayo in a thrilling All-Ireland Senior Football final replay at Croke Park last Saturday that featured 20 graduates and current students from Dublin City University.

Jim Gavin’s Dublin retained Sam Maguire with a 1-15 to 1-14 win over Mayo to finish the 2016 campaign unbeaten having taken the National League as well as the Leinster Championship along the way.

DCU graduate Cormac Costello starred off the bench to score three crucial points in the closing stages of the at times tense affair that saw Dublin get over the line.

Stephen Cluxton collected Sam Maguire for the third time as captain for Dublin while DCU graduates such as Paul Flynn (Fingallions), Jonny Cooper (Na Fianna), James McCarthy (Ballymun Kickhams) and Ciarán Kilkenny (Castleknock) also played key roles in the Liffeysiders’ successful bid to retain the top prize in Gaelic football.

Scoring contributions from the impressive Dean Rock and former footballer of the year Bernard Brogan further highlighted the

dominance DCU alumni imposed on the occasion.

As would be expected, the greater share of DCU alumni wore blue on the day – with 13 representing Dublin compared to seven on Stephen Rochford’s team sheet.

Diarmuid O’Connor, Cillian O’Connor and Patrick Durcan made the biggest impact of the former DCU students playing for the Westerners, notching 12 of Mayo’s 14 points. Also among the DCU alumni was Rob Hennelly, who stole goalkeeper David Clarke’s spot in the team and the headlines with it.

Dublin: Stephen Cluxton, Michael Savage, Jonny Cooper, John Small, Paul Flynn, Denis Bastick, Bernard Brogan (0-1), James McCarthy, Dean Rock (0-09, 7f), Paddy Andrews, Cormac Costello (0-03), Ciarán Kilkenny and Shane Carthy.

Mayo: Diarmuid O’Connor (0-01), Michael Hall, Conor Loftus, Patrick Durcan (002), Brian Reape, Rob Hennelly and Cillian O’Connor (0-09, 9f).

Dublin star James McCarthy playing for DCU in 2011 Credit: The42.ie

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SPORT

35 hour weeks in the gym key to Griffin’s continued success St. Pat’s hurling may not have the resources of their bigger rivals, but as DCU found out last year, they’re more than capable of taking a scalp, Drew Brennan tells Patrick Lynch.

Olympic swimmer and DCU student Ben Griffin Credit: Sportsfile

PATRICK LYNCH DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR

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or most college students, a lot of time is spent trying to find our purpose in life. We spend much time worrying over whether we’re taking the right career path and fretting over what life will hold after college. Ben Griffin, however, is clear and exact when speaking about his main aspiration.

“My training partner Brendan (Hyland) and I want to be the first ever Irish male swimmers that never left the country to qualify for the Olympics,” says Griffin, barely blinking.

“There aren’t any Irish swimmers that qualified for the Olympics having stayed in the country. They’re all training in Canada, in Edinburgh or in Loughborough (Leicestershire).

So (for us) to qualify would be massive.”

Indeed, Griffin is not short of inspiration when he splashes into the pool every morning at 5 o’clock in the National Aquatic Centre, when he trains with Irish Olympian Shane

Ryan, a native of Drexel Hill, Pa. - nine miles west of Philadelphia.

“It was an inspiration to watch Shane Ryan qualify for the Olympic semi-final. For people like myself, who haven’t got that far yet, it’s a massive motivation to see that it can be done.

“It’s brilliant to get to train with him, seeing the way he does things and the positive mind frame that he approaches training with.

“It shows that it’s not just the elite American and British kids that can make it, the Irish can too, which is a massive mental block for us.”

Griffin, a second year student of Sport Science and Health, considered going to college in America before opting for DCU. “It’s hard to argue that America isn’t the best place for a swimmer to be situated. They have the best swimmers and the best trainers in the world.

“I really wanted to stay close to my family, though. My main coach, Paul Donavan, has the experience of having coached in the University of Florida too.”

Along with international team mate Hyland, Griffin acts as assistant coach for the DCU Swimming Club. His main aim for the season is to qualify for the World University Games next August, as a representative of DCU. The competition takes place in Taipei, Taiwan.

“That’s the biggest International competition for somebody my age. I have until May to qualify. I’m confident I’ll get there once I keep my head down and work hard.”

Griffin, formerly an underage hurler with St. Sylvester’s in Malahide, is hoping to qualify for the 200 metres and 400 metres individual medley.

“At the moment I’m about two seconds off the qualifying pace for the 200s and four or five seconds off for the 400 metres, so there’s a bit of work to be done yet.”

Balancing his studies with his sporting career is a massive challenge, meaning that Griffin has to be very disciplined in how he leads his lifestyle.

“Normally I wake up at 4am, have breakfast and leave the house by half four. I’ve to be in the pool at five, but I try to get there ten or 15 minutes early to do a bit of stretching.

“I then swim from five to seven. On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday I do two two-hour sessions, and on Wednesday and Saturday I do a single session.”

All of these sessions take place at the National Aquatic Centre with the High Performance Unit. When core sessions and time spent in the gym are factored in, Griffin spends up to 35 hours a week in the gym.

“It can be tough if I have to go straight from

“...it’s not just the elite American and British kids that can make it, the Irish can too, which is a massive mental block for us.”

“It can be tough if I have to go straight from the pool to college. If I can fit in a two-hour nap that helps massively.” the pool to college. If I can fit in a two-hour nap that helps massively.

“When I get home it’s about making sure that I don’t just fall into bed or watch Netflix.

I have to be disciplined enough to actually get work done.

Griffin appreciates that his course is so intrinsically linked with his sporting career.

“We do a lot of stuff on nutrition, sleep cycles, macro and micro cycles. It’s good to be able to take stuff from the course and implement it straight into my training programmes.

“I already knew a lot of the stuff before I came to college, but to have a better understanding of how it affects my body is an added bonus.”

Incredibly, he manages to fit a part-time job in with his hectic schedule.

“I work part-time as a sales assistant in Elverys. I work in a sports store, I study sports and I play sport, so I don’t really have much time for anything else...I am big into my shoes though.”

College student by day, Elverys assistant by the weekend and swimming extraordinaire in between - Ben Griffin could yet be the man to take Irish swimming to the next level.

SPORT

INSIDE Olympic swimmer Ben Griffin talks to The College View

Saints move to 2-1 ahead of visit to Tallaght with 15-point win over UL Saints Centre Martins Provizors looks for Captain Eoin Darling from the post Credit: Ciaran Dunne

AIDAN GERAGHTY DEPUTY EDITOR

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n their third game of the season, the DCU Saints improved their record to 2-1 with a dominant home win over the University of Limerick Eagles in the DCU Sports Centre in Glasnevin. Captain Eoin Darling led his team by example with 26 points. UL will feel they need a greater spread of scorers if they’re to bounce back from this defeat – points were hard to come by when Zedric Sadler was off the floor.

Martins Provizors asserted his physical dominance on both ends of the floor from the outset. The Eagles focused on midrange shooting and their transition game, but the 6’7” centre racked up seven points and six rebounds in the first quarter.

After an early Limerick timeout, the Saints fired back with some threes of their own, including one from the aforementioned Latvian, to open up a six-point lead, which they held to the end of the first quarter. This was in part due to UL’s inefficient 50% mark from the stripe.

It is no coincidence that the Eagles’ fortunes improved after the introduction of veteran guard Matt Hall. With his team down two, the Welshman split the DCU defence in two before attempting a tear-drop.

Jack Kelly won the rebound and drew a foul, from which the Eagles tied the game.

Despite Hall’s contributions, the visiting team dug themselves a hole through their reliance on Zedric Sadler’s scoring.

The former Rider University (NJ) guard scored 11 points in the opening two quarters and the Saints went on a 9-0 run to end the first half with Sadler on the bench to go into the interval with a 41-31 lead.

The Saints’ run continued into the third quarter, as Krystan Burchardt missed a corner three with the opening shot of the quarter and the Saints opened up a 14-point lead midway through the period.

Pat McCarthy, who scored six in the first half, made an immediate impact upon his reintroduction with a catch-and-shoot

three, but the Latvian duo of Provizors and Makarenko immediately cancelled this out with two layups, the second coming despite a foul from Sadler, and Makarenko made it three from 15 feet.

The Saints maintained their comfortable lead until the end of the third quarter. Graham Brannerly found his shot late in the third after a disappointing first half in which he committed three fouls. The Saints guard extended his team’s lead to 13 with a three in the final minute of the penultimate quarter to make the score 55-42.

After rejecting Ronan Howlan’s shot in the paint, Provizors showed that he has the skills of a guard by stripping the Eagles guard on the very next play. Another two following a route one pass from Provizors in transition was greeted with roaring applause from the home crowd to give the Eagles the impression it wasn’t their night.

With five minutes remaining, the Saints

again extended their lead to 13. Tariq Gueballi sold the defence by faking an under-the-basket layup in the vein of Julius Erving before dishing to Brannerly, who gracefully added another three to his side’s tally even with Hall’s hand in his face.

Eagles coach Thomas Walsh voiced his frustration with his team’s failure to apply a full-court press when down 13 with two minutes remaining. The late press from Sadler and Hall made space for Provizors to step outside before driving to the hoop and drawing a foul. The Latvian dropped both shots to give his team a 70-55 lead with 1:20 remaining.

Less than a minute later, Provizors cemented the Saints’ second win of the season with a dunk that collapsed the backboard to a height of less than a foot.

As DCU shifted into neutral for the final few seconds of play, the Eagles narrowed the deficit to 74-60 but in truth, they

were outclassed by a superior Saints side and Fintan Reilly will be pleased to pick up win number two before their game against Éanna at the National Basketball Arena on Saturday, October 15th.

DCU Saints: Kevin O’Hanlon 4 points, Eoin Darling (c) 26 points, Conor Gilligan 11 points, Arkadijs Makarenko 3 points, Martins Provizors 14 points, Shane Davidson 5 points, Mark Nagle 0 points, Graham Brannelly 9 points, Rob Sullivan 0 points, Martin Neary 0 points, Tariq Gueballi 2 points, Dan Heaney 0 points UL Eagles: Ronan Howlan 2 points, Neil Campbell (c) 4 points, Andrew Dawson 0 points, Zedric Sadler 22 points, Krystan Burchardt 11 points, Dave O’Connell 0 points, Eoin Quigley 2 points