The College View Issue 11

Wednesday April 18th, 2018

www.thecollegeview.com

. Est. 1999 .

Over 45 students ‘sleepout’ for Shanowen Shakedown Part 2

Cait Caden News Editor @AreYou_Caden_Me DCU students protested for a second time against the introduction of a 27 per cent increase in rents by Shanowen Square and the 23.5 per cent increase by Shanowen Halls’ accommodation.

After DCU received no response from the operators of the complexes after their first demonstration they decided to brave the elements and stage a ‘sleepout,’ which over 45 people participated in, on the 5th of April.

“This is to continue keeping the pressure on Shanowen and to highlight the issue to the government,” said Craig McHugh, DCUSU’s

Vice President for Education and Placement Elect and Economics, Politics and Law student.

Before the ‘sleepout,’ which was officially named Shanowen Shakedown Part 2, the rise in rent by Shanowen came to the attention of the government. Mattie McGrath, Independent TD for the Tipperary Constituency, who raised the issue in the Dáil on the 29th of March.

“Student accommodation in Dublin has gone out of hand completely,” said McGrath.

McGrath proceeded to call the €8,695 that Shanowen Square wants to charge students for one academic year “extortionate.”

Shanowen Square currently provides 338 beds for private student accommodation purposes and at present charges almost €7,000 for both semesters. This covers the cost of what many would call basic facilities. It is also an increase from what it was in 2014 when the price of living there for the full college year was approximately €4,500.

“Absolutely not. Like even the cleaning facilities are disgraceful,” said Jack Ormond, a DCU Communications student and Shanowen resident, when asked if his

Lian Belle and Marina Carr spoke at the Anam festival this week during their show Double Take – Creative Women in Conversation

living area was worth nearly €9,000.

Shanowen Halls’ is raising its rent to €8,325. Both complexes also require a €400 non-refundable deposit.

Due to the ‘licence to reside’ agreement that students must sign to live in Shanowen accomodation, they are not subject to the 4 per cent cap on rent increases. Tenancy leases provide this protection.

“What exactly have Shanowen improved to double the price?” Niall Behan, outgoing DCUSU President, asked the protestors through a megaphone.

The protest started at 4pm and

during the course of it, various chants could intermittently be heard. These included “Shanowen are thieves, we’re sleeping on the streets,” and “What are we not?” which was answered with “Cash Cows.” The recent campaign began with a petition

by Aaron Harper, a DCU student.

“They always say a movement is started by a crazy person and Aaron is our crazy for the moment. It takes two then to make it into a movement and we were delighted to join in with the crazy Aaron Harper. It was really important that this came from the students,” commented Behan.

Credit: Emily Shehan

Professor Brian MacCraith, President of DCU, publicly showed his support towards the movement by releasing a statement calling for the regulation of rent for private student accommodation and also provided pizza during the ‘sleepout.’

Shanowen Shakedown Part 2 trended on Twitter and was covered by the all major national media sources including RTÉ News, The Irish Times, TheJournal.ie and the Irish Independent.

The owners of both Shanowen Square and Shanowen Halls’ are maintaining their silence.

USI Vote to support boycott campaign against Israel

THE USI voted to support the boycott against Israeli occupation in Palestine at their annual congress in Galway on April 5th, 2018.

The motion was put forward by Robert Murtagh from Queen’s University Students’ Union and asks that members of the USI are informed of the situation in P a l e s t i n e , commemorate Palestine Solidarity Day and support an

Academic Boycott of Israeli Higher Education institutions.

The Israel-Palestine conflict has been occurring for the past fity years and there has been no final peace agreement despite Israel’s reconciliation with Eygpt and Jordan.

Speaking at the congress, USI president Michael Kerrigan said, “The students of Ireland have today made the historic decision to support the people of Palestine. This movement attempts to exert economic and political pressure on Israel until it’s illegal siege of Gaza and its illegal

occupation of the West Bank, and agrees to abide by International law and all UN Resolutions against it.”

Although students voted as a whole to support the motion, not all universities favoured this.

“I’m happy to see this motion pass today. Let the students of Ireland continue follow in Madiba’s footsteps and stand with the people of Palestine in their struggle for freedom.”

“We must join with our Union comrades at Trinity, NUIG, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, NUS, Universities and Colleges Union,

NUS-USI and many others in supporting justice and human rights for the people of Palestine.” Murtagh said when proposing the motion.

DCU’s stance on the issue currently stands at welcoming the decision made by the USI and showing their support for the boycott, DCUSU President Niall Behan told The College View.

“DCUSU welcomes the decision of USI congress to support the BDS movement. Our delegates collectively voted in favour given the evidence of Israel’s failure to participate in any

meaningful and constructive peaceful dialogue,” said Behan when asked what was DCU’s current position on the issue.

“The ambition of this campaign is to exert political and economic pressure on the Israel... We believe we are standing on the right side of history here and for what is morally just and right.”

“We look forward to our efforts in this movement such as hosting a Palestine Solidarity Day in the near future,” Behan added.

Features

Sports

Opinion

Gaeilge

News

Ellen Fitzpatrick News Editor @elinfizpitryk

Learning the difference between a no and a maybe Page 14

DCUFM reclaim Bill O’ The mixed martial arts misconception Herlihy cup after two years Page 19

Page 10

Derry Girls: An Tábhacht Inniu

Page 12

Module’s removal sparks controversy across course

Page 3

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Editorial

INSIDE The Hype

Editor-in-Chief

Film/TV We discuss the heart warming charm in this cheesy teen rom-com.

Read more on page 3

Callum Lavery

Travel Rachel Farrell’s Pre-Flight Guide Read more on page 12

Editor’s piece

Theatre Orla Dwyer cuts into DCU Drama’s production of Sweeney Todd.

Read more on page 5

Facebook: TheCollegeView Twitter: @thecollegeview Read more on our website; thecollegeview.com Editorial Team Editor-in-Chief: Callum Lavery, Deputy editor: Gabija Gataveckaite,

Illustrations editor: Roise McGagh,

News editors: Cáit Caden, Ellen Fitzpatrick & Emily Sheahan Deputy News editors: Brendan Kelly Palenque, Catherine Gallagher, Roisin Phelan,

Images editor: Alison Clair, Deputy Images: Amy Louise Donohoe,

Production editor: James Nolan Deputy production editor: Rachel Halpin Features editor: Gabija Gataveckaite, Deputy features editor: Ciara O’Loughlin, Arts editor: Aoibhin Bryant, Deputy arts editor: Sarah Barrett & Aine O’Boyle Lifestyle editor: Lorna Lawless, Deputy Lifestyle editor: Beibhinn Thorsch, Gaeilge editor: Clíona Hughes, Deputy gaeilge editor: Jordan Hussain, Sports editor: Gerard Grimes, Deputy sports editor: John Morley & Hugh Farrell, Opinion editor: Orla Dwyer, Deputy opinion editor: Clara Kelly, Social media editor: Amy Louise Donohoe & Roise McGagh, Video editor: Lauren Timlin, Deputy video editor: Donal Corrigan,

Chief Sub-editor: Roisin Cullen,

Podcast editors: Lucien Waugh Daly & Niamh Dunne, Website editor: Eoin Cooke, Advertising and Marketing: Eoin Cooke, Sub-editors: Ellen Butler, Roisin Phelan, Sabrine Donohoe, Clara Kelly, John Morley, Eoin Harte, Dave Kelly 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

In 1939, Clare Hollingworth was still in her twenties and only three days into the journaism business when she reported the gathering of hundreds of German tanks at the German-Polish border.

Her front page headline read: “1,000 tanks massed on Polish border. Ten divisions reported ready for swift strike.”

This was the first story to break the news of a second world war and is still known today as the scoop of the century.

Hollingworth died last year in Hong Kong at the ripe old age of 105, after an impressive career reporting across the globe, from Vietnam to Algeria, from the Middle East to India and Pakistan. She reported on the cultural revolution in China, and had both the first and the last interviews with the shah of Iran.

My point here is that Hollingworth was still in her twenties and a woman in the patriarchal first half of the 20th century when she broke the biggest story of the time. She refused to be held back by her obstacles… as students, we must strive to do the same.

We are faced with many obstacles today too, from the rental crisis to tuition fees and every other pressure put upon us by those who cannot understand our position, our wants and our needs. It can and it will feel like your voice is not important and will not be heard, that you are inconsequential, a burden or a cash cow when available.

But The College View understands your frustration and The College View understands you uncertainties and we will strive to inform your

decisions and voice your concerns.

Times Magazine editor Henry Anatole Grunwald once said that “Journalism can never be silent: that is its greatest virtue and its greatest fault. It must speak, and speak immediately, while the echoes of wonder, the claims of triumph and the signs of horror are still in the air.”

We will aim to echo your triumphs and acknowledge you horrors, as we aim to uphold the student voice.

This paper has come along way since my first day in DCU. It has grown and strengthened, it has evolved to compete with the media of today. Much of this was done under the watchful eye of my predecessor, Shauna Bowers, who has made this paper what it is today, and it is an absolute credit to her.

It was my pleasure to work under Shauna this year and I would not be the journalist I am today without her guidance.

I know that it must be with a heavy heart that Shauna and Kyle Ewald pass on the paper, but I promise that myself and my Deputy Editor Gabija Gataveckaite will do our very best to maintain the high standard and ethics of the paper.

As with every new editorial team, we have plans to reinvent and revolutionise The College View, from increased multimedia content to new sections, from marketing and inovation to talented writers and content creators... and we have a pretty cool new office too.

We strive to grow, as we always do.

Watch this space.

News

Module’s removal from course sparks criticism from students

Eight out of ten companies pay men more than women

Catherine Gallagher Deputy News Editor @cather_i_ne The sports reporting module is to be replaced with one focused on finance, and sports will be highlighte through other modules and workshops.

Ellen Fitzpatrick News Editor @elinfizpitryk THE sports reporting module is in the process of being removed from the BA journalism course for both current and incoming students, according to the Head of the School of Communications.

During a meeting between journalism class reps and lecturers in the course, it was announced that the module which was offered when students applied for the course was to be removed and possibly replaced with one focused on finance reporting.

The meeting was held after students received an email asking to vote whether they wanted the module to remain.

Kevin Rafter, Head of the School of Communications, stated

there would be a strong emphasis placed on sport during the Newsdays module to compensate for its loss.

“Sports Journalism will be a key component of a revamped Newsday offering in 2018/19 which promises to be a very strong addition to the student learning experience in the third year of the BAJ programme.”

“The delivery of the Newsdays - including the sports journalism strand - will also involve industry practitioners. Glen Killane, a former head of sports coverage at RTE and current MD of eir TV and Sport, has already agreed to be involved”, said Rafter.

The reasoning for the module’s removal was a lack of interest from overall students and the students taking on the module having the sports expertise needed already.

“The module was taken off the schedule for next year because De-

Credit: Flickr

clan Fahy and Kevin Rafter wanted to do that. I disagreed and still do, but their view prevailed”, said Professor Steven Knowlton.

These changes are to remain and the module will be cut despite students’ efforts to keep it for the coming year.

“I’m really disappointed.I was going to study media in Maynooth, but the fact I had the option to cover sports journalism in DCU was one of the main reasons I decided on studying here instead. I feel like we should have been given a better opportunity to voice our opinions on the decision.”

“We were just sent an email out of the blue, saying people who were interested in studying the module had 3 hours to reply and express their interest”, Sean Power, a second-year journalism mature student, said

ALMOST eight out of 10 companies and public sector bodies pay men more than women, the deadline passed for organisations to report their gender pay gaps on Wednesday, April 4th.

Businesses with at least 250 employees were requested to submit their data on mean and median gender pay gaps to the Government Equalities Office by midnight last Wednesday.

Of the 10,015 companies that submitted their data, 78 per cent pay a lower hourly rate to women in comparison to men. Only eight per cent of companies do not have a gender gap.

Companies who have not submitted data will face legal action which will include court orders and fines.

However, they will be given a month’s grace to report the figures.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) says it will write to employers after one month passes “before an investigation takes

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place and an unlawful act notice is issued.”

Chief executive of the EHRC Rebecca Hilsenrath said: “This is not optional; it is the law and we will be fully enforcing against all companies that do not report. Any employer not complying needs to ask themselves tough questions,” Hilsenrath said.

Ryanair comes within the top 10 companies with the worst gender pay gap, paying women almost 72 per cent less than men on average. Only eight per cent of companies did not have a gender pay gap.

Professor Anne Sinnott, Executive Dean of the Business School and member of the Steering Committee of DCU’s Women in Leadership programme said: “Gender equality is a priority area for us at DCU Business School and we’re involved in a number of initiatives to advance gender and pay balance in the workplace.”

Gender pay gaps are a concern to students due to graduate in the coming years. Orla O’Gorman is a Global Business student in DCU: “As part of research I did last year, it is suggested pay equity would not be reached until 2152.

It does give me a pessimistic view about graduating and finding a job in which I am rewarded fairly for my work,” O’Gorman said.

News

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Explainer: The Eighth Amendment

“Fantasy” figures about Irish Sea fisheries were criticised at an Irexit conference at the RDS

es where Ireland’s attitude towards abortion has by proxy damaged the health or caused the death of women.

High-profile examples include that of Amanda Mellet, Anne Lovett and the infamous X Case.

“Unrestricted abortion has nothing to do with healthcare. It has nothing to do with saving lives and everything to do with ending the lives of babies in their mother’s Cait Caden womb,” commented Cora Sherlock, News Editor a spokesperson of the LoveBoth @AreYou_Caden_Me Project which campaigns for a no vote.

A referendum will be held on Many believe it protects the whether to keep or repeal the Eighth Amendment of the Irish Constitution voiceless life of the unborn which is equal to that of the mother and that a on Friday the 25th of May 2018, repeal would advocate abortion. as announced by Eoghan Murphy, “I think if you view the being Minister for Housing and Local Govthat is inside the mother’s body as a ernment. human that you can’t say that aborThe Amendment which was tion is alright,” said Hugh Farrell, a introduced by referendum vote journalism student in DCU who will in 1983, is Article 40.3.3 of the be voting no on May 25th.

Constitution and states: “The State Abortion is illegal in Ireland acknowledges the right to life of except in circumstances where the the unborn and, with due regard to mother’s life is at risk under the Prothe equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, tection of Life During Pregnancy Act which was implemented in the wake as far as practicable, by its laws to of Savita’s death. defend and vindicate that right.”

This Act requires a panel of “She died as a consequence of the Eighth Amendment,” said Profes- experts to examine the woman first before an abortion is carried out. sor Peter Boylan, former master at Holles Street hospital, told ‘pro-life’ If there is no immediate risk to a TD Mattie McGrath when discussing woman’s life, the person who carried out the abortion as well as the person the death of Savita Halappanavar. who underwent one is subject to Savita died from a sceptic prosecution. miscarriage in Galway University The United Nations publicly Hospital in 2012 as an abortion was recognises Ireland’s abortion laws a healthcare option which could not violate women’s human rights. be made available to her under Irish “It has taken 35 years, seven legislation.

Savita’s case is one of many cas- governments, a European Court of

Credit: Marianne Foody

Human Rights ruling, the tragic death of Savita Halappanavar and the suffering of countless other women and girls, Ireland being repeatedly hauled before the UN, a massive civil society campaign, a Citizen’s Assembly and a special Joint Oireachtas Committee to get us to this referendum,” said Colm O’Gorman, Executive Director of Amnesty International Ireland.

Abortion is as present in Irish society today as it was when Mamie Cadden was performing backstreet abortions during the 1950’s. Thousands of women currently travel oversees form Ireland every year to seek an abortion while others that need a pregnancy termination order dangerous abortion pills online.

A repeal would make safe and legal abortions available up to 12 weeks of pregnancy with no reason required. It will also be available if there is a risk to the health or life of the woman and where there is a fatal foetal abnormality.

Simon Harris, Minister for Health confirmed there will be a 72 hour pause period from the time a woman asks for an abortion until the time she will receive it within that 12 weeks if Ireland votes yes to a repeal.

“I’m voting yes for everyone in Ireland that has the capacity to get pregnant that they are treated in their own country with the compassionate healthcare we all deserve,” said Alesi Horan, Chair of DCU Amnesty Society and spokesperson for DCU Students for Choice.

USI President elected at annual congress in Galway ised groups.

She said the national housing crisis is pricing students out of accommodation and that she will try to tackle the issue during her term. “It’s time the Oireachtas reveal which model they recommend before our entire educational landscape collapses. With the Technological Universities enshrined into law, we Amy Donohue must protect Students’ Unions and Social Media Editor their ethos by working closely with @amydonohoe1 allies in other unions. At all levels CURRENT Deputy President of USI of higher education, we must ensure and Vice President for Equality and students are at the centre of decision Citizenship, Síona Cahill was elected making, and we must resist absoluteas the Union of Students in Ireland ly the commodification of education (USI) President for 2018-2019 at the in Ireland,” she said. annual Congress in Galway.

“Students are waiting up to six The USI represents over 374,000 weeks to maybe see a counsellor on students across Ireland. campus. It is the very basis of our Cahill graduated in Maynooth movement that we create the space to University with a degree in BCL Law criticise and improve the systems we and Sociology. She served two terms interact with as students. This will be as Maynooth University Students’ a core battle into next year, and I am Union Vice President for Welfare and committed to it,” she added.

Equality before being elected to her Cahill could bring increased USI positions. engagement to a union that has had “Students will be a force to be membership issues in referendums reckoned with in the battle ongoing in recent years. Before the marriage about the future and current funding of equality referendum in 2015, she higher level education in Ireland,” said helped register 4,500 of Maynooth Cahill after the election.

University’s 14,000 students.

Cahill has previously worked on “I look forward to working with the governmental oversight group and the students of Ireland and come steering committee for the National July 1st I will be reaching out to LGBTI+ Youth Strategy, the National organisations and policy makers who Women’s Strategy committee, the share our goals. More importantly, High-Level Group on InternationI want to reach out to those who do al education and numerous Higher not share our vision, yet, for an acEducation policy level bodies focused cessible education system in a bid to on improving access, student retention, bring people on side,” said Cahill. and increasing supports for marginal-

Cahill erved two terms as Maynooth University Students’ Union Vice President for Welfare and Equality before being elected to her USI positions.

Credit: Flickr

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Niall Behan

Cait Caden News Editor @AreYou_Caden_Me THE reputation of the DCU Students Union improved drastically over the last academic year, according to outgoing President Niall Behan.

Despite the last Class Rep Council (CRC) of the year barely reaching quorum and the low voter turnout for this year’s SU election in comparison to the one previous, Behan stated that attitudes towards the SU have changed.

“For the few years gone by, I’ve seen joke candidates go for election, I’ve seen people go for it because they didn’t want to leave college. I think that, although that’s still possible, that people really should be voting for people that are going to represent them.,” said Behan.

He attributed the positive atmo-

News

SU spread

sphere around the SU to its social media presence, branding, the weekly and newsletters.

Behan spoke about the challenges of working with a team that has been elected rather than hired, however the various personalities that come from elections contributes towards the general feeling of the SU. “As a team we’ve definitely had our difficulties but the Union is bigger than one person and everyone works together to keep the Union going,” he said.

The Hallowe’en Ball was a particularly proud moment for Behan as he and his team held DCU’s first festival which All Hallows Campus hosted, the third Campus involved in the DCU amalgamation.

Wellness Wednesdays was a trademark initiative from this year’s SU that Behan highly regarded and mentioned also Mental Health Week and the Sustainability motion and offering cheap Tefal courses at €250 rather than €800 as some of the SU’s best work this year.

Among other high points for Behan as President was the personal one of meeting Bill Clinton, when the 42nd President of the United States accepted an Honorary Degree from DCU. With high points were also low

ones. Behan reflected that helping and talking to students who were going through unplanned pregnancies was one of the most difficult situations he encountered which he said “stopped him in his tracks.”

More emphasis was placed on this issue due to former UCDSU President Katie Ascough being impeached for removing information on abortion from leaflets in the University.

“A lot of my relatives thought I was impeached and I had to remind them that they might have dyslexia,” he joked.

Behan also spoke of how the position changes your behaviour. He “would never be seen at a protest” as “its just not in his personality,” he said. Yet, as DCUSU President he attended several during the year.

“The SU is more of a vehicle for the students and should be used to represent their opinions and views,” said Behan.

Even with Vito Moloney Burke as DCUSU President Elect, Behan continues to carry out the duties of the position, as he was a leading protester against the Shanowen rent increases and even partook in the ‘sleepout’ recently.

Behan who is renowned for injecting humour into CRC and his per-

Niall Behan believes attitudes have changed towards DCUSU

sonaility talked of life after he officially leaves the SU. “I’m hoping to detox from such a prominent position and hopefully get into the tech industry and if not go abroad and seek opportunities.”

Credit: DCUSU

One of the major disappointments for Behan was not being able to open the new Student hub but hopes he and Vito can “hold hands and cut the ribbon together.”

Podge Henry Ellen Fitzpatrick News Editor @elinfizpitryk VICE President for Welfare and Equality Podge Henry said last week that there many things he was proud of over his past year in office, but still battles the continuing accommodation crisis.

There were highlights and challenges that came along with the job, but nothing could prepare him for the accommodation outcry that would ensue.

Although the story of a huge influx in rental prices suddenly broke, Henry still thinks of the Shanowen protests as one of the biggest highlights in the last year.

“Shanowen shakedown. Why that is one of the highlights is, it was something that was unprepared for, showing the power of activism and the influence students have and we weren’t expecting it at all,” Henry said.

“When it lands, you’re left for a few minutes like what can we do here? We knew there had to be some sort of public outcry.”

“We had the students who were the driving force behind this, it was the students who came to the protest who were the driving force behind this,” Henry added.

In his manifesto when running for the position, Henry aimed to make big improvements in accommodation for both students studying in DCU and abroad.

He said that in the original manifesto he was highly focused on the registration of overnight guests on campus being extended and creating an online forum and digs platform to help students get accommodation, which are both yet to be achieved this year.

“I do hope that that will help the accommodation crisis within DCU because long term, we’re hoping to get some sort of legislation from this,” Henry said.

Another aspect of his manifesto was to act as a counsellor-like figure for students to come to with any queries they encounter. He believes that he achieved this and feels that he made some form of an impact in students’ lives.

Henry said that the hardest part of being this type of figure was tak-

ing each problem home with him so much so that his work phone became his personal phone.

Henry thinks that if he has even made an impact in one student who came to him struggling life, his job was a success.

“I can’t answer for the students who have come to me but I do hope that I have helped them in some way,” Henry said.

“There are students that I still catch up with and their whole college experience has changed, it might have only been a rough couple of times, whatever it may be, it’s always nice to see first-hand.”

Henry is happy with the achievements he has made but knows there is still much more that his successor Aisling Fagan will be up against.

The smart consent project was something he felt very proud of achieving as it is aimed to continue on for next and to have a huge impact on incoming first years including a sexual misconduct policy which has been written up alongside DCU to coincide with the anti-bullying policy.

Podge Henry feels he made an impact in students lives and keeps in contact with those who have come to him for advice and guidence.

Credit:DCUSU

News

7

Brendan Power

Ellen Fitzpatrick News Editor @elinfizpitryk AS the academic year comes to a close, The College View take an inside look at the achievements and challenges that faced Vice President for Academic Affairs Brendan Power.

Power’s aims for the year included expanding Careers week and extending library hours, according to his original manifesto.

When planning for this year, Power intended to have guest speakers who succeeded in their chosen field attend

careers week and speak to students who were once in their positions.

Careers week was a huge success for those involved. It was week-long event at the beginning of February in which students could learn more about the careers they can go into after graduation and hear first-hand stories from those in these areas.

It took place across all three campuses and focused on workshops, talks from those in the professions and application reviews.

Another aspect of Power’s manifesto in which he wanted to improve was the extension of library hours and updating the grinds services that DCU offer.

While library times have not been changed since Power has been in this position, it is a long-term goal of his to achieve for future academic officers.

When running for the position, he said the current grinds system for DCU was, at times, unfeasible and

outdated. He aimed to make the system on loop easy for all to access and something you can see straight away on the site.

Power ran for the position after having his own difficulties with courses and workload, and says he was inspired by help he received from the Students’ Union to run for the role.

He says that not many know what exactly the SU can do for a student and don’t use it but encouraged students throughout the year to get involved and come with queries as it was this that helped decide to go for the position.

Power will be succeeded by Callaghan Commons in the role of Vice President for Academic Affairs after both fab for the position uncontested in different years.

Power was unavailable for contact at the time of publication due to annual leave.

Róisín Phelan Deputy News Editor @thecollegeview

Nic Thaidhg’s main goal for the role was to focus on the class rep system, clubs and societies and the Irish language.

Credit: DCUSU

VICE President for Engagement and Development Siobhán Nic Thaidhg’s term working in the DCU Students’ Union is coming to a close.

As only the second person to hold her position, Nic Thaidhg established the role as one of great importance in the eyes of students.

“My main goals for the year are to lay the ground work for the role of VP Engagement and Development,” Nic Thaidhg told The College View in September.

Nic Thaidhg’s manifesto focused on the class rep system, clubs and societies, volunteering and the Irish language. She also included her desire to make the SU more visible and approachable to students.

Brendan Power, VP for Academic Affairs, achieved big with careers week in February after a week long event held on all three campuses.

Credit: DCUSU

Siobhan Nic Thaidhg

DCU has become more sustainable this year, with the introduction of the ‘DCU Goes Plastic Free’ campaign, removing all non-reusable plastics from all three campuses.

In September, Nic Thaidhg told of The College View, “I want a Green Flag for Pats campus and the return of the DCU reusable coffee cups.”

She succeeded in this, with DCU’s own branded reusable coffee cups back on sale and a Green Flag has been extended to the St. Patrick’s campus.

The class rep system, coordinated by Nic Thaidhg experienced serious delays at the start of the year, with some classes going almost nine weeks without a class rep.

This setback was due to a technical difficulty with the new online election process and she worked to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

In order to allocate necessary representatives, Nic Thaidhg visited some classes in person to carry out election, as recruiting and training class reps is an integral part of her role as VP for Engagement and Developement.

Concerning the visibility of the Student Union, Nic Thaidhg made it clear from the beginning that she wanted to be approachable and useful to students.

Regularly appearing on all campuses and engaging with students was part of this.

Though Nic Thaidhg could not deliver fully on all of her manifesto promises, she proved to be a valuable member of the SU, backing the students in issues such as the recent Shanowen Shakedown and promoting, supporting and attending events run by clubs and societies.

Mathew Davey

Catherine Gallagher Deputy News Editor @cather_i_ne STUDENTS’ Unions across Ireland are losing engagement and relevance and becoming too involved in national issues, according to Vice President for Education and Placement with the Student Union at Dublin City University In an interview with The College View, Mathew Davey said that sabbatical officers often do not focus

enough time on issues within their own institutions.

“We are using too much of our time and resources on activities outside of college rather than meeting the many diverse needs of our students first which is our primary job, in my opinion,” Davey said.

Mathew has been predominately based on the St. Patrick’s College (SPC), where he is a legacy student of the Bachelor of Education Programme, throughout his role with the SU. He feels it is “extremely important” for SPC to be represented.

Improvement of engagement with students across all campuses was one of the areas that Mathew wanted to focus on, which he stated in his manifesto last year: “I always think that there is room for improvement when it comes to engagement.

It as not uncommon for there to be a sell-out SU event each week. If you

are seen as approachable and helpful as a sabbatical, you will receive a plethora of emails, phone calls, texts, Facebook messages and in office queries from students on top of your commitments. Sabbaticals are only one person with 24 hours and it can be tough.”

With regards to the rest of his manifesto and aims for the year, Mathew admits that it was “probably too ambitious.”

“Included in that (manifesto) was the issue of printing credit, improving the library both in terms of opening hours and space and the INTRA portal page.”

A prolonged bout of illness which prohibited him from work for 10 weeks had an impact on his ability to reach these goals. However, he recounted some of his highlights from the year: “Some of these were organising

Davey aimed to focus on engagement with students across all three campuses but a 10 week illness hindered this goal.

the graduation reception on SPC and Drumcondra Graduation Ball, playing a big role on the national cam-

Credit: DCUSU

paign for teacher expenses and for the reinstatement of Gaeltacht fees run

by USI.”

8

Vito expects a bigger and better year for the DCUSU

Emily Sheahan News Editor @emilyaine_s

THE incoming Students’ Union is expected to have a more thoroughly dedicated team compared to last year’s SU, according to DCU SU President Elect Vito Moloney Burke. This will be partially due to “perfect” timing, and to the confidence he has in the members elected for the coming year.

“Fortunes will be in our favour. We’ve got the new student centre. So I will be able to hold and run bigger and better events than Niall,” said Burke. “I firmly believe I will have a full team.”

Burke said that Behan’s team found it very hard to stretch themselves across each campus, with a team limited to only three or four member actually in office. “Niall’s got the short straw in a lot of things this year.”

“There’s been a few of them that have worked really hard this year and have done their utmost to represent the student on the ground and where they can in their offices. I’d love to believe our team will be a full presence next year - all five people day-in-day-out, ready to help the students on every campus.”

The launch of the new Student Centre, where the new SU office will be, has been delayed until September. This will make the SU more accessible to students, said Burke. “Half the students don’t even know how to find the place.

Whereas next year we’re going to be extremely visible, it’ll be extremely easy to find us. Timing was just perfect.”

While his term as SU President doesn’t begin until June 7th, Burke’s involvement in the SU has already began through the Shanowen Shakedown movement. “The outgoing and incoming teams are really working together... It’s been a really good experience to be thrown in the deep end and I’m learning quite a lot from the whole thing.”

According to Burke, the ongoing radio silence from Shanowen is not the issue. He plans on continuing Behan’s pursuit of legislative change. “Not just change them, change this.

This whole entire facade that is the housing crisis for students in accommodation complexes… It’s about doing the research, meeting legal experts, having another push ready to go for September.”

He is determined to keep engagement up

Vito Moloney Burke believes he will hold ‘bigger and better’ events in the coming academic year

through the summer, into September, and to keep the “emotional campaign” going. “It’s going to bigger than DCU Students’ Union. It’s going to have to be a national push.”

Burke is concerned with using his position as SU President to help prepare students for life after college. Life Skills is a programme that has been very successful in NUI Galway and Burke hopes to be ready to go with the programme “fairly soon” in DCU. The skills classes that will be on offer to

News

Credit: DCU

students include “bar skills training which students need if they’re going on J1s...But it’s going to range all the way to suicide intervention training, first aid courses, and all those kind of things.”

“It will be a bigger and better year for engagement in DCU,” said Burke. Despite the 40% fall in voter turnout, Burke is enthusiastic and prepared to do his utmost as President across the campuses. Burke ran uncontested and secured 2446 votes out of 2984.

Overcrowding in DCU’s libraries during exam periods

As exams approach, student’s are finding it more difficult to find study space in the library, some even studying on the floor.

Róisín Phelan Deputy News Editor @thecollegeview LIMITED space in DCU’s libraries is becoming a serious issue for students during the build up to exams.

DCU’s libraries are facing overcrowding with exams soon approaching. For students, this is adding more strain to an already stressful time of year.

DCU has two libraries. The O’Reilly library, situated on the Glasnevin campus and the Cregan library, situated on the St. Patricks campus.

The libraries’ flexible opening hours means students typically don’t have to worry about finding adequate study space.

However, with exam preparation and final assignments looming, this relaxed period is not long lasting.

Though the libraries are built to facilitate a high quantity of students, they simply cannot hold the number of students that wish to use them during this important time of the year.

In the O’Reilly library, there are three floors with desks, group study rooms and a communal area. Yet during busy periods students can be seen walking around each floor in search for a spot to study.

Credit: Alison Clair

First year primary teaching student Aoife Gawley said, “I think the main issue is how many desks there are…they’re hard to get unless you get in at 9am.”

When the number of students in the library increases, distractions also increase.

First year applied physics and astronomy student John Downes said, “If you’re lucky enough to get a seat there’s always constant noise and distractions from people.”

Downes summed the issue up by saying, “There’s a high demand for a limited amount of space.”

Adam Healy, third year English and history student and next year’s elected Humanities

and Social Sciences faculty representative described the settings students are left to study in in the Cregan library.

“Up in Pats, people are sitting on the floors, and in communal areas trying to finish off dissertations or thesis’, it’s a joke.”

Healy suggested the appropriate placing of more furniture to lessen the problem.

“There’s so much space for tables and chairs I don’t know why they just won’t put them there”, he said.

Healy said he has concern for students who are choosing not to attend college because they need to do assignments and “know they won’t find space” in the library between lectures.

Final year students with upcoming exams important exams feel the brunt of this issue.

Final year business student Aislin Reid said, “It’s far too cramped, students need more locations to study, not just the library.”

Public Services Officer for DCU libraries Shauna McDermott said she believes the increase in demand for library services is “due to an increase in student numbers post incorporation.”

To combat this she said, “We have gotten 140 extra seats for O’Reilly library and opened up a new group study room in Cregan library.”

As of now, the college is unable to offer its students the facilities they need during the most integral points in their degrees.

McDermott said,” We will be doing a full review of study spaces in the summer, with a view to increasing study capacity during term time.” With hopes of a solution before the next academic year.

Opinion

Are consent classes effective?

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Consent classes are being proposed for primary and secondary schools by Minister for Education Richard Bruton.

Are they useful or merely idealistc?

Consent classes are worthwhile

Orla Dwyer Opinion Editor @orladwyer_

C

onsent classes are being proposed for primary and secondary schools as part of Richard Bruton’s reformation of sexual education in Ireland. I believe these would be a necessary addition to a shockingly outdated class.

Knowledge of consent is lacking in Ireland and making classes mandatory is the first step to changing this for current and future generations.

In 2016, a Eurobarometer poll showed that 21 per cent of Irish people believed having sex without consent was justified in certain situations. These situations included being drunk, on drugs, voluntarily going home with someone, or wearing ‘provocative’ clothing.

If consent classes helped to even slightly reduce this percentage, they could be deemed effective. They’re certainly as good a start as any.

The earlier consent classes are given the better, especially because the average age to first watch porn is 11 years old. The concept of consent should be brought up to those witnessing sexual acts as soon as possible.

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Katherine Zappone has said that children would be asked to challenge the existing ideas of what consent is and examine the effects of sexual violence.

The important factor here is the encouragement to debate consent. Although it’s true to simply tell students that ‘no means no’, the issue is more complicated and nuanced than that.

Too often in education we are simply taught that two plus two equals four. You write it down in your copy and don’t think about it until memorising it the night before the test.

By opening up the classroom to questions and opinions on consent, with a qualified teacher to moderate, students would be more engaged and more likely to listen and take in what’s being discussed.

The mandatory aspect of the classes is a key factor in their success. It would prevent them from repeating the situation in 2017 with the consent classes in UCD where only 20 people showed up and they were cancelled. While forcing students to learn certain things can be off-putting, consent is different. This is something almost every person will encounter in their lives.

11 per cent of female students are subjected to unwanted sexual contact, while five per cent

Consent classes are idealistic

are raped, according to a 2013 USI study. This is a significant amount of people, and this is just students.

CSO statistics show that reported rape figures in Ireland increased by 28 per cent between 2016 and 2017. Sexual assault is not an issue that will disappear, but it is one that can be diminished through education on consent.

Voluntary classes are problematic because those who need to attend won’t because they don’t think they need it. Those who advocated for the classes in the first place probably won’t need to attend either because they’re already Callum Lavery aware of the issue.

By making them mandatory for young Editor-in-Chief @callum_lavery people, this would make everybody knowledgeable about consent from a young age. ichard Bruton said he wants to reThey would be well informed by the time view the Irish sex education curthey reach the legal age of consent, 17. riculums. As part of this, he wants Hopefully the consent classes and other reto put emphasis on introducing forms will end the era of sweaty, awkward consent workshops into the curteachers wringing their hands as they play an riculum, which is all well and good… if done unnecessarily graphic animated video of correctly. But I notice two issues with Ireland’s heterosexual intercourse. attitude to sex ed, consent and its effectiveness: when it is taught, and how it is taught.

R

Consent classes may be taught in primary and secondary schools.

Credit: GettyImages

When it is taught: In 2017, UCD Students’ Union spent €1,800 on advertising for consent classes. Despite this, only 20 people out of a student body of 30,000 attended these classes, hailed as a failure by critics.

Similarly, DCUSU in conjunction with DCU FemSoc, have tried to increase the number of consent workshops they have done this year, which has had mixed reviews.

Similarly, DCUSU in conjunction with DCU FemSoc, have tried to increase the number of consent workshops they have done this year, which has had mixed reviews.

The problem being: third level students are not going to attend consent workshops on their own volition, and you end up with a catch 22 situation of those who go to the workshops, not needing them, and those who should go, never being convinced to do so. Unfortunately, consent workshops at third level are ineffective. This would obviously draw many to the conclusion that these workshops should be aimed at younger ages, who could be made to remain for the duration of the lesson. Correct?

How it is taught: Now I’m not going to argue about the ‘ethics’ behind teaching children about sexual and emotional health. The argument that kids are ‘too young’ is played out and unfounded. No. My problem is with the Irish school system, which has not done much to garner credence in their effectiveness in explaining complex relationships to kids, due to out of date attitudes, religious involvement or untrained overseers.

The sector has consistently failed to accurately explain difficult topics to children. And, while teaching sexual health and consent has been done brilliantly in countries such as the Netherlands, I would be wary about Irish schools being able to do the same.

The Dutch approach to sex ed has gained international recognition, and have had some of the best outcomes when it comes to teen sexual health. On average, teens in the Netherlands have as much sex as those in other European countries ,however, according to the World Bank, their teenage pregnancy rate is one of the lowest in the world. Ninety per cent of Dutch teens used contraception during their first time, STI rates are low and perhaps most importantly, they boast an assertive and consensual attitude to sex.

This makes young consent workshops sound appealing doesn’t it? But I think it is fair to be skeptical about whether or not the Irish school system could be trusted to explain consent effectively. If we could recall the sexual education we all received: segregating the classroom to discuss ‘boys issues’ and ‘girls stuff’, out of date videotapes, embarrassed students and mortified teachers, and little discussion of health, forget sex. How effectively could consent be discussed in that environment?

Conclusion: Consent classes can be effective, but cannot and will not be effective when taught by the old school Irish system.

Opinion

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Should 16-year-olds be politically involved?

David Kelly argues that young people should avoid policymaking and stick to cleaning their rooms.

David Kelly Sub-editor @Dave_Kelly__

To assume older people have it out for the successors is cynical. Older people are in politics because they have experience in their enator Fintan Warfield of Sinn fields, and in life. They’re not there exclusively Fein attempted to reintroduce a due to their age.

Young people, however, are inexperienced, bill to lower the voting age to 16, intending to encourage young in both academia and life. Forget secondary people’s participation in politics school students, most college students barely and policymaking. Most 16-year-olds barely clean their room. If you cannot keep your own do their homework, how are they qualified to domain of existence in order, how are you qualified to try and impose order on society? influence national affairs?

I think modern student activism is to blame.

Another senator, Marie-Louise O’Donnell, Students are encouraged to perfect the world objected to this proposition, saying “Four years ago some of you were 12 … I would suggest you before they’re taught to perfect themselves. stay away from politics”. This statement was We are being indoctrinated into ideologies that met with outrage from Irish Times columnist, warp our thoughts and beliefs.

Dr. Jordan Peterson, a Canadian clinical Una Mullally Mullally claims that this remark shows that psychologist, lectures on the power of the establishment doesn’t want young people in individuality in a world dominated by politics, which is a fair assumption. However, collectivist ideology. He speaks about humans’ she then writes that young people are needed in inherent vulnerability. Regarding my point, university students are vulnerable simply politics more than ever.

Her proposition is that, because young because they’re inexperienced.

Most students are under the age of 22, which people are affected by homelessness, suicide, unemployment and mental illness, they need is incredibly young. Dr. Peterson argues that to be represented in Government to influence this vulnerability leads people to ascribe to collectivist ideology, as a system of beliefs fills policymaking regarding these issues.

This notion is ridiculous. It’s predicated on in the gaps left by your lack of knowledge.

Alternatively, Dr. Peterson suggests, you the idea that because a specific demographic is affected by an issue, they need direct can focus on your individual development, to involvement in the policymaking regarding commit to becoming competent in something that issue. The implication being that the older you are passionate about.

Become a dynamic individual by constantly generation is apathetic to their plight.

S

Is cleaning your bedroom more important than politics for 16-year-olds?

confronting the unknown. Talk to people you disagree with. Exclusively associating with people with whom you agree with is like wandering an intellectual wasteland.

Follow your moral intuition; do that assignment you’ve been putting off, clean that mess on your desk, set yourself achievable goals. Fulfil your daily obligations to dispel your anxieties.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said: “There are as many centres of the universe as there are

Credit: Cáit Caden

individual consciousnesses.” If you know 1000 people, and they know 1000 people, you are three people away from a billion people. What you do with your life matters, which brings with it individual responsibility.

It’s up to everyone to shoulder that responsibility, to build a life of truth and virtue, to become the person you know you can be, and then, well then, you can truly change the world.

The mixed martial arts misconception

Clara Kelly discusses why MMA is more than just a bloodsport, but an activity with many benefits.

Clara Kelly Deputy Opinion Editor @clarabkelly

I

n this post-Conor McGregor society, it seems more so now than ever, the one sport on everyone’s minds is mixed martial arts.

With recent events surrounding the MMA world this week showcasing a small part of this realm, some people have been lead to believe the myth that MMA is a ‘savage’ sport.

Although this claim is usually made by those who don’t have any ties to the MMA world.

It can be easy for those who have never been involved in MMA to have one idea of what a sport or a culture is when that one side is all that the media showcases.

MMA is given a bad reputation in the media.

To many involved in the MMA community, this very one-sided coverage of events surrounding MMA in the media is apparent.

When events, such as what unfolded last week, get so much coverage while the charity work and kindness of the fighters off-camera get next to none, it can be easy to believe that these fighters are bad people, no matter how false that information may actually be.

The reason this is easy to believe is that when you don’t know any MMA fighters personally, it becomes a lot easier to believe the misconceptions. The truth is, many fighters are creative, gentle, kind, and work incredibly hard to develop their skills.

Sports such as boxing and rugby have equally high if not higher rates of injury, yet nobody calls it barbaric.

Credit: Getty Images

“The truth is, many fighters are creative, gentle, kind and work incredibly hard to develop their skills.

This type of sport-snobbery is nothing new but becoming even more of an issue.

These fighters dedicate themselves to their sport, so as to avoid actually causing lasting damage to their opponents or themselves, in the octagon. The fight is between two well-trained, consenting fighters in a very controlled environment, meaning serious injury in a professional MMA fight is actually rarer than you would think.

And, for many, it is not about hurting others at all but rather developing their own skills. As DCU’s own MMA coach, Oisin McCabe stated MMA has “provided a sense of confidence” in many members’ “ability to defend themselves.”

For so many, MMA is an outlet. From many kids in low-income areas, to those who have used MMA to avoid going down the wrong path in life, or those who have used MMA to exit that path. For some people, MMA is life-changing, such as for 31-year-old MMA fighter and cancer survivor, Arron Beale.

For Beale, since training MMA in Straight Blast Gym, he is a “completely new man with a new outlook on life”, a sentiment shared by so many in the MMA community.

Overall, the kindness and skill I have witnessed from those who practice MMA both inside and outside of the octagon, make it really hard to believe the myth that every individual in the MMA world is actually what society may have labeled them as. And for those still unsure about mixed martial arts, perhaps take an MMA class and see for yourself.

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GAEILGE

Dráma faisnéise Éireannach ag ceiliúradh ré na coirscéalta fírinneacha

Tá clár faisnéise nua cuartha amach ag TG4 darb ainm Murdair Mhám Trasna agus tá sé ag cruthú storim sa mheáin

Clíona Hughes Eagarthóir Gaeilge @thecollegeview

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á an clár fada go leor, maireann sé dhá uair a chloig ach tá sé mealltach agus tairbheach. Míníonn an dráma scéal chlann Seoighe (clann Joyce) a bhí dúnmharaithe ina dteach féin i Mám Trasna a bhí suite ar imeallchríoch idir Contae na Gaillimhe agus contae Mhaigh Eó sa bhliain 1882. Mharaigh cúigear a bhí sa chlann go brúidiúil, le páistí óga agus seanbhean ina measc. Níor tháinig ach bheirt slán ón gcoir barbarach seo, Patsy, a bhí gortaithe agus Mairtín, a bhí imithe ag obair an oíche sin.

Leanann an clár seo an scéal suimiúil sin agus taispeánann sé na heachtraí uafásacha a tharla.

Bhí ochtar fear ciontaithe leis an gcoir agus chuireadh pianbhreith orthu crochadh ach tháinig sé amach níos déanaí go raibh an fhianaise mar mhionn éithigh. Bhí triúir fhear ainmnithe sa mheáin as ucht an dúnmharú seo a phleanáil agus a dhéanamh ach níor chúisigh siad riamh. Ceaptar gur tharla an eachtra saobhadh seo mar gheall ar easaontas maidir le gadaíocht caora agus talamh ach ní fios ag aon duine go cinnte.

Tá téama na Gaeilge fite fuaite sa dráma faisnéise seo toisc go raibh an triail déanta i mBéarla agus suite i mBaile Átha Cliath cé go raibh Gaeilge ó dhúchas ag na daoine a bhí mar chúisithe agus níor thuig siad Béarla nó aon rud a bhí ag tarlú

sa chúirt. Trua a bhí ann chomh maith toisc nach raibh tuiscint dá laghad ag an ngiúiré faoi Mhám Trasna, rud a thaispeánaítear sa dráma faisnéise seo. Bhí an chuid seo den dráma andubhach go deo.

Déantar mionanailís ar na heachtraí sa chlár agus feictear tuairimí na saineolaithe staire agus taighdeoirí chomh maith le tuairim an t-Uachtarán muirneach, Mícheál D. Ó hUiginn.

Ardaíonn an clár seo téama maidir le cearta teanga, rud atá go mór i mbéal an phobail Gael sa lá atá inniu ann. Tá gnéithe éagsúla sa scéal seo a thugann éachtaint dúinn orthu agus tá gné den scéal mealltach.

Blianta ina dhiaidh na crochaidh, tháinig fear, a bhí mar fhinné bainteach leis na dúnmaraithe Mhám Trasna go dtí an altóir ag aifreann agus d’admhaigh sé gur chúisigh sé bás fear a bhí neamhchiontach.

Maolra Seoighe a bhí i gceist agus dúirt sé gur chúisigh sé príosúnacht de cheathrar chomh maith toisc go raibh mionn éithigh á thabhairt le linn an ama.

Tugann Bairéad léargas iontach dúinn ar chúlra na gcarachtair fiú dóibh a bhí dúnmharaithe, ar nós John an t-athair sa chlann agus Peigí an iníon a bhí acu. Taispeánann sé pearsantacht na daoine go réadúil agus gan áibhéil. Caitheann Bairéad solas ar scéal an-dorcha agus tugann sé tuiscint do scéal a bhfuil mearbhlach.

Tá an clár beoga agus mothúchánach agus cruthaíonn Bairead íomhánna maithe agus tarraingteach do na heachtraithe a tharla le linn an ama.

Is seanscéal atá i gceist ach tá sé fós tráthúil sa lá atá inniu ann agus tá sé fós ag cur i bhfeidhm ar dhaoine.

Tá sé ráite ag Ó Cuirreáin go bhfuil an leabhar atá scríofa aige mar mhodh meas a léiriú do na daoine neamhchionteacha agus déanann an dráma faisnéise an rud céanna.

Bhí Mícheál D. Ó hUiginn i mbun feachtas chun Maolra Seoighe (Myles Joyce) a bhí ciontaithe do na dúnmharuithe Mhám Trasna agus ar an 4ú Aibreán shínigh sé barántas pardúin dó don éagóir a bhí cuartha air. Mhol an t-uachtarán an clár ‘Murdair Mám Trasna’ go hard agus bhí toisc gur thug sé ceartas d’fhear éigiontach. Bhí go leor i láthair ag an ócáid stairiúil seo, daoine cáiliúla

Image Credit www.TG4.ie

Maolra Seoighe Éireannach agus sliontach Seoighe san áireamh. Ní raibh ach cúig phardúin uachtaráin cuartha i bhfeidhm ón mbliain 1937 ar aghaidh agus mar sin, is rud neamhchoitianta é seo toisc gur tharla an eachtra roimh bhunú na Stáite. Dúirt Ó hUigínn go raibh fionnaitheacht air agus é ag smaoineamh faoi na heachtraí a tharla i Mám Trasna.

Tá daoine gafa le choirscéalta fírinneacha le déanaí agus cuidíonn an dráma faisnéise Murdair Mhám Trasna siúil a chaitheamh ar stair na hÉireann agus ar scéal uafásach nach raibh ar eolas ar an-chuid de mhuintir na hÉireann. Taispeánann an ráth a bhí ag ‘Wild Wild Country’, clár faisnéise Netflix a insíonn an scéal faoi ghrúpa darb ainm ‘Rashneeshees’ agus an éagóir a bhí déanta ar dhaoine a bhí

bainteach leo go bhfuil daoine Seoighe. ag iarraidh rudaí sa seánra seo a Bhí na dúnmharuithe Mhám Trasna fheiceáil. mar gné suaraí de chóras dlí choiriúil Éireannach ar feadh na mblianta.

Cuidíonn cláir faisnéise stairiúil mar seo le daoine a bheith eolach faoi na drochrudaí a tharlaíonn sa domhan atá againn agus go gcaithfimid a bheith ar an eolas faoinár gcultúr agus na rudaí atá sáraithe againn mar speiceas.

Tháirg ROSG, comhlacht neamhspleách do tháirgeacht theilifís agus scannánaíochta, an scéal seo do TG4 agus tá sé roghnaithe mar an iomaitheoir Éireannach don chatagóir staire ag an Celtic Media Cé go bhfuil Murdair Mhám Festival. Tá an clár ar fáil ar an Trasna díreach tar éis teacht amach, seinnteoir TG4 anois. tá sé go mór i mbéal an phobail. Le cúnamh Dé fanfaidh an scéal beo le cabhair ón gclár agus ón ócáid stairiúil maidir leis an uachtarán agus an ceartas faighte do Mhaolra

“

Iomaitheoir Éireannach don chatagóir staire ag an Celtic

Media Festival.

12

Gaeilge

Derry Girls: An Tábhacht Inniu Insíonn Lauren dúinn faoin gciall atá ag Derry Girls maidir le seicteachas sa lá atá inniú ann in Éirinn

Lauren Ní Chatháin Fo- Eagarthóir Gaeilge @thecollegeview

Chuir Channel4 Derry Girls i láthair ar an gceathrú lá de mhí Eanáir an bhliain seo. Scríofa ag Lisa McGee, tá an clár suite i nDoire sna nóchaidí agus insíonn an scéal faoin saol na déagóirí agus saol na dteaghlach le linn na dTroiblóidí gar don teorainn an tuaisceart. Tá téamaí reiligiúnach fite fuaite tríd an tsraith ar fad. Freastalaíonn na cailíní (agus an buachaill) scoil de chailíní amháin Chaitliceach agus tá mná rialta ag reáchtáil an scoil.

An chéad rud a thug mé faoi deara ná níl James, col ceathrar Michelle, ábalta an scoil de bhuachaillí a fhreastail mar dhéanfadh na buachaillí eile bulaíocht air mar tá blas Sasanach air. Is léir go bhfuil scoilt idir daoine Éireannach Peileadóir DCU Diarmuid O’Chonchubair i gcoinne Ciarraí sa sraith. Fuair sé 2-1 sa chluiche seo agus daoine Briotanach - nó idir na daoine Caitliceach agus na daoine Protastúnach.

Luaitear Óglaigh na hÉireann go minic sa chlár ó thús go deireadh.

Tugann John Morley léargas dúinn ar pheileadóirí DCU Téann Uncail Colm go dtí an teach Erin chun Tá a lán rudaí dearfacha scríobhliain seo i Roinn a haon ach ar fa faoi fhoireann Muineacháin ó scéal a insint an drochuair ghortaigh sé a chos ag faoin Óglaigh thús na sraithe. Chonacthas imirt peile na hOllscoile. na hÉireann.

Fintán Ó’Ceallaigh ag imirt go Bhí Diarmuid ag déanamh scriosta Ghoid beirt ag tús na sraithe. Chríochnaigh sé han-mhaith ar fad. Ceann de fhear as Óglaigh na tosaí nua ab ea é a bhí ag le 2-01 in aghaidh Ciarraí. Bhí a tógáil brú agus an bhéim scóráil ó na hÉireann dheartháir agus captaen na foirne a veain chun Chonchubhar Mac Mághnuis. Sin Cillín ar an taobhlíne agus D’aimairm a aistriú rud fíor-thábhachtach dá mbeadh sigh Diarmuid áit mar chinnire ón Tuaisceart seans acu Corn Ulaidh a bhuachan d’fhoireann Mhaigh Éo. Fiú amháin go Poblacht. Nuair a shroich siad an nó b’fhéidir áit a fháil amach sa gur chaill siad an chluiche léirigh Poblacht, dhóigh siad an veain. San Diarmuid an damáiste atá sé ábalta a chluichí leathcheannas don chéad John Morley uair riamh. dhéanamh.

Fo- Eagarthóir Gaeilge Áfach, tagann an fhearr tagann Bhuaigh Diarmuid peileadóir óga @thecollegeview an uair mar a deirtear. Rinne sé na bliana dhá bhliain as a chéile i an draíocht nuair a d’imir siad na 2015 agus 2016.

Chomh maith le sin, á roinnt imreoirí DCU a mbeidh bhuaigh Pádraig peileadóir na míosa Dubs. Comhscór a bhí i gceist sa ag iarraidh sárthaispeántas a bhabhta deireanach don tsraith tar éis cluiche ceannais na hÉireann thabhairt tríd an tSamhraidh chun agus fuair sé an chaid. Bhuail sé é dhá bhliain ó shin agus beidh súil ag corn Sam Mhic Uidhir a fháil ag muintir Mhaigh Éo go mbeidh an ard agus cruinn thar an trasna. Na tús an Fhómhair. Gan dabht ar bith Dubs buaite aige. D’fhéadfá a rá go bheirt acu i mbarr a réime i gcoinne tá a lán imreoirí againn in Ollscoil bhfuil air Samhradh an-cinniúnach na Gaillimhe. na Cathrach Baile Átha Cliath a ar thaobh scóráil, dá mbeadh seans Go háirithe Ó’Duarcáín.

Is ceanghlacann páirt ar phainéal idirchonag Muineachán lean ar aghaidh naire thar a bheith tábhachtach é tae timpeall na tíre. Tá ceathrar ag níos fuide ná a gCúige Ulaidh sa d’fhoireann Mhaigh Éo.

Ba laoch Maigh Éo go bhfuil feicthe againn chraobh. inspoireádeach é an bhliain seo caite i rith na sraithe. Is iad Diarmuid Sin iad na himreoirí DCU a mbeidh in aghaidh Ciarraí nuair a chic sé Ó’Chonchubair, Mícheál Halla, ábalta tionchar mór a chur ar phointe den scoth chun na foirne a Sharoize Akram agus Pádraig an gCraobh. Feicfear an mbeidh chur cothrom.

Tá sé ag éirí go maith Ó’Duarcáin. Tá aithne ag gach Diarmuid Ó Muircheartaigh agus an bhliain seo chomh maith ag dul mac máthar agus gach uile íníon Ros Comáin in ann rud éigean a nócha ón líne leathchúil ag rith athair ar Diarmuid agus Pádraig. dhéanamh nuair a bhuailfidh siad timpeall na gcosainteóirí gan mórán Bhí sraith measctha ag an mbeirt leis na bhfoirne níos cumhachtaí sa stró.

Bhí trí phointe scóráilte aige le acu. Thosaigh Paddy go hiontach ar Chraobh. linn na sraithe. Cé go bhfuil sé fós fad. Rinne sé a sheacht ndícheall i gortaithe beidh sé an-tábhachtach gcoinne Muinecháin chun an cluiche Michelle agus Erin ó Derry Girls níos déanaí sa chraobh. a bhuachan. Fuair sé trí phointe an

Peileadóirí speisialta DCU chun tionchar mór a bhaint amach i rás Sam Mhic Uidhir.

dheireanach, ar an Dara Lá Déag de mhí Iúil, tá an teaghlach agus na cailíní ag dul as Doire go Tír Chonaill, chun an mháirseáil a sheachaint.

Ag an deireadh an eachtra is déanaí, Bhí na cailíní ag damhsa ar an stáitse sa scoil lena chéile, ach abhaile, bhí Da Gerry, Ma Mary, Aunt Sarah agus Granda Joe ag féachaint ar bhuamáil marfach ag an nuacht.

Tháinig deireadh leis na Trioblóidí Comhaontú Aoine an Chéasta ag an deichiú lá de mhí Aibreán 1998. Ach anois, tá sé thar a bheith tábhachtach cuimhneamh na Trioblóidí, an bás agus an léirscrios a rinneadh. Sa lá atá inniu ann, tá éiginnteacht pholaitiúil timpeall Breatimeacht agus an teorainn an tuaisceart agus tugann chun cuimhne saol a bhí ag daoine le linn na dTrioblóidí agus foréigean seicteach.

Fad is clár éadrom é Derry Girls, iarsma don fhoréigean inár stair é. Tá dualgas orainn ár dtír a coimeád slán sábháilte. Caithimid tír gan foréigean agus leithcheal a thugamar dár bpáistí - tír an-difriúil le tír a bhí ag Erin, Michelle & Orla. Clare agus James.

“Is léir go bhfuil scoilt idir daoine Éireannach agus daoine Briotanach”

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Credit: Channel 4

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A bed, a bathroom and an empty bank account As students sleep on the streets in protest of high rent costs, student dorms have become an eye-watering luxury

Nine months rent in student accommodations can cost as much as €9,000.

Gabija Gataveckaite Deputy Editor @gabysayshey

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his was the second protest by the DCU Students’ Union over price increases of 27 per cent for student accommoda-

tion.

“No way, we will pay,” students chant, holding signs and sleeping bags.The RTE news crew hold their microphones out to frustrated, tired and angry students.

“It’s just not feasible for me to live there for my final year. I can’t ask my parents to pay that money, it’s far too much. It’s extortionate rates for what we have, which is a bed and a bathroom,” Sarah O’Dwyer tells the nation on Six One news that evening.

A bed, a bathroom and €9,000 later- an empty bank account. O’Dwyer

isn’t the only student to be left in the dark for next year, this is an issue which effects every student who has to move out of home to complete their third-level education in Dublin.

University of Limerick on campus accommodation averages €4,200€5,800. University Halls located just outside of University College Cork cost €5,550 for the academic year.

Dublin prices are as follows: Broadstone Hall is €9,440 for a shared twin room, Gateway Residences costs €7,980 for a ‘standard room’. Dublin, with its population of over 1.2 million people, has seen a high influx of people into the city over the past few decades. A percentage of this influx are students- and business men and women looking to make a profit off unsuspecting students.

“Commuting from Clare would cost me €20 a day, which is €100 a week. The Shanowen Square increases work out at about €235 a week which is over double what I’d be paying if I actually commuted from Clare,” said Rebecca Breene, a Media and Politics student at DCU. “I’m currently in a house near DCU and I’m paying €540 a month, which is really difficult to afford. I work part time and I’m also on the SUSI grant and I still struggle. Forking out almost €1,000 a month for a place like

Shanowen is literally impossible for me and my family,” she adds.

This is the catch: private student accommodation complex apartments were a luxury even before mass migration to the capital and a sudden surge in prices. Purpose built, with full time security and groundkeepers, wooden floors and high windows, usually come with a higher price tag.

Many students relied on digs, or rented a room in a house, or shared an apartment. These were always noticeably cheaper, with prices averaging at €150 a week for a room around DCU. However, the housing crisis now sees single professionals struggling to afford a room or a studio apartment in Dublin- let alone students, with little to no income, apart from that of a grant, or the Bank of Mum and Dad. “I think at this stage you have to know someone,” said Aaron Healy, the Humanities Rep in DCUSU. “You can argue that students want to live with students and they don’t want to live in digs. I can tell you now that I have 20 friends that I can name off the back of my hand that would love to live in digs if it meant that they had permanent accommodation for that year.

Nothing is safe unless you have money to burn at this stage. It’s a joke,” he added.

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Image Credit: Roise McGagh

Nothing is safe unless you have money to burn at this stage.

Sadly, having money to burn isn’t an option for most students. An article published by The College View showed students complaining that working while in college made their studies suffer. Kerry Mahony is a second year Communications student here at DCU, who also works to support herself through her studies.

“I work four days a week alongside college and while I’m glad I have my job, it is tiring. Most evenings I feel too tired to go to society events and things like that,” she said. “I probably miss out on more things than a student who doesn’t work, but it’s my only choice,” she added.

Priced out of Dublin? Potential students are now in a position where their choice of course may be in a city that they simply cannot afford.

Mahony thinks this has already happened.

“I nearly didn’t choose my course because I was worried about costs,” she remembers. “My friends in NUIG and UL have such affordable rent compared to me. This is why DCU needs to care about this issue- its turning students away from choosing what otherwise is a great college.”

Protests, marches, TDs promising change- and yet, relentless silence from the private accommodation companies under fire. Local and national media outlets have requested comments, Student Unions have written open letters, students have slept outside their gates in protest. And still- no response.

“They don’t care about housing students, they merely see us as assets,” Breene says.

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Image Credit: Ciara O’Loughlin

Minister for Education Richard Bruton has called for a review of sex education in primary schools.

Learning the difference between a no and a maybe Primary school students will now be taught consent classes

Ciara O’Loughlin Deputy Features Editor @Ciara_olo

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ixth class students bring letters home, not knowing their contents, they only know that their parents have to read and sign it.

They have an idea though, as their older friends have bragged about hearing “the talk”, telling them things about sex which they later discover are untrue.

Giggles are shared with friends at the mere thought of the word “sex” even being said out loud in the classroom. One girl in the class moans that she won’t get to attend because her parents ticked the ‘no’ box. The letter gave parents the option of whether or not they wanted their child to go to the talk. Learning about sex isn’t as important as learning how to do long division; this wasn’t a mandatory lesson.

External speakers are brought in for “the talk” and boys and girls are separated. As if sex, the most natural thing that brings both genders together, is something that needs to be discussed separately. There’s a universal feeling of disappointment with the information that has been given. The infamous “talk” that they had heard so much about was nothing more than what would later be studied in their first year of biology.

This “talk” is the main lesson in Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) in Ireland. The current book used to teach RSE was written 18 years ago. The book, along with the current curriculum, bares no mention of contraception, pornography and consent.

On the third of April, Minister for Education, Richard Bruton, asked policymakers to review the RSE curriculum. He wanted to ensure that it met the needs of young people in Ireland today. This announcement has come a week after the verdict of the Belfast rape trial, which saw consent coming into the national sphere of conversation.

Following the verdict of the trial a rally was held outside the Dáil on March 31st, Easter Saturday. The topic of consent was at the forefront of this rally. The Government were called on to tackle this issue. Consent classes are currently available

in third level institutions, but many argue that hey need to be introduced at primary level.

Minister Bruton said “I want to ensure that the RSE curriculum meets the needs of young people today, who face a range of different issues to those faced by young people in the late 1990s”. The aim of the review is to look at both the content of the curriculum, and its delivery.

The Oireachtas committee on the Eighth Amendment have also called for a review to be put in place to ensure that the RSE curriculum is delivered in a factual and impartial manner, and that it be independent from school or religious ethos.

At the moment, there is no strict curriculum in place for RSE in schools. Many Catholic primary schools bring in outside Catholic groups for RSE. They usually receive one lesson in fifth class and another the following year.

Ruth Coppinger, a Solidarity TD, has proposed a new bill which seeks to remove religious ethos from sex education in all Irish schools.

Coppinger

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said that sex education in Ireland is “hampered by the religious ethos of the schools and is not factual and objective”.

However, Catholic groups are warning that removing religious ethos from sex education could be unconstitutional. The Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA) said they welcomed Richard Bruton’s announcement that he wanted a major review of the RSE, but they said that any revised curriculum would still need to be delivered in line with the religious ethos of the students and parents.

David Quinn, the director of the Iona Institute said that he had “no objection in principle, always keeping in mind that parents are the primary educators, with the schools as back-up.” He hoped that “as well as being taught what proper consent is, the children would also learn to get to know and like each other properly first”.

Speaking to The College View

following Bruton’s announcement Orla Murray, a Bachelor of Education student in primary teaching said “Consent classes need to be introduced in fifth and sixth classes in primary schools. Teachers in training also need to be taught how to teach the topic of consent. It really is the least that can be done at the moment”.

Ireland is a completely different place to what it was 20 years ago, when the RSE curriculum was constructed. Young people aren’t only learning about sex from older friends and the “talk” they get in primary school; they are gaining a lot of misinformation from the internet. In a world where information on sex and porn can be viewed at the click of a button; consent must be discussed with children and teenagers.

Consent needs to have a universal understanding regardless of age, race, gender or religion.

As if sex, the most natural thing that brings both genders together, is something that needs to bediscussed insegregations

FEATURES

Teaching on a prayer

David Kelly Sub-Editor @thecollegeview

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t’s strange looking back on religion classes during the junior cycle. Classes were considered somewhat of a farce by fellow students, a class where you could sit back and relax and not worry about the academic consequences.

Religion just wasn’t taken seriously.

While the class was normally subject to constant disruption, the content we were examining was in a sense, deeply profound and served as a fundamental basis for understanding other religions, hence, other people.

The Department of Education has laid a new curricular on religious education that allows students in some schools to opt out of the subject.

However, the Teachers’ Union of Ireland has rejected the proposition on the basis that no funding has been provided to allow alternative tuition.

However, logistics aside, what are the benefits of students being educated in religion?

“Religious education allows students to not just learn about other religions, but to learn from other religions, to engage with those other religions, which promotes interreligious dialogue, intercultural dialogue and

Religious education classes are now an opt-in option for students in some schools

ecumenical dialogue. This is important if we’re not going to just live in a tolerant society, but a respectful, pluralist society,” said Cillian Walsh, a student in his third year of religious and history education here at DCU. The Department of Education has introduced these new rules in the context of Article 44.2.4 of the Constitution of Ireland and Section 30 of the Education Act 1998 which allows “parents to have their children opt out of religious instruction and worship.”

The distinction between ‘religious education’ and ‘religious distinction’ is a contentious matter between the Religion Teachers’ Association of Ireland (RTAI) and the Department of Education. In an open letter to Minster for Education, Richard Bruton,

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Credit: Catholic Herald

The content we were examining was in a sense, deeply profound and served as a fundamental basis for understanding other religions

15 the RTAI referred to their dismay at the department’s lack of distinction between the two.

‘Religious instruction’ is a term used to describe the instruction of the rites, practice and teaching of a particular religion for pupils. However, ‘religious education’ as a subject is defined as open to all pupils regardless of their commitment to any particular religion or worldview and aims at the students’ moral and spiritual development The RTAI maintains that the lack of distinction between this two terms is detrimental to subject’s teaching and undermines what they describe as progressive work made by religion teachers and schools.

Walsh argues that with the increasing amount of misinformation being perpetuated on social media, religious education is a necessary foundation for students to formulate comprehensive opinions.

“We’ve seen it recently with the election of far-right parties in Hungary and across Europe, we’ve seen this anti-immigration, racist, xenophobic, Islamophobic ideology spreading and the best way to counter that is to equip people with knowledge. Knowledge is power. If we equip our young people with the skills to filter out this stuff they read online and engage with other religions, to find some common ground.”

We have come to live in a world dominated by divisive politics, ideological rhetoric and fake news. It is obvious that there is no clear-cut answer to these problems, but perhaps it couldn’t help to try to emphasise the importance of religious education, to broaden students’ knowledge of an increasingly diverse world and at last, take religion in school seriously.

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A shortage of horsepower “

Thousands of horses are slaughtered each year in Ireland for use in the meat industry

Sabrine Donohoe Sub-Editor @thecollegeview

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hen DNA tests on Irish ‘beef burger’ patties conducted by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) revealed that they contained 29 per cent horse meat, the nation panicked.

This was not a contained issue, as retailers such as Tesco, Dunnes Stores, Aldi, Lidl, Iceland and Ikea cleared an estimated two million horse-contaminated products from their shelves.Nor was it an issue native to Ireland: a further 10 million products were removed across Europe in an EU-wide crackdown on mislabelled beef products.

In some cases, ‘beef lasagne’ products by the international retailer Findus constituted 100 per cent horse meat.

The ‘2013 horse meat scandal’ not only highlighted the UK and Ireland’s cultural taboo, but the sheer struggle

to pin down and regulate extensive international food supply chains. An investigation by The Guardian revealed links to horse and drug smuggling connected to The Netherlands and the UK. Polish workers were allegedly paid in cash as well as mixed frozen meat, so old it was “green”, by Dutch businessman Willy Selten, just one contributor to the food supply chain. The meat was sourced “on occasion” from the Cheshire-based trading company Norwest Foods.

The former Anglo-Irish Beef Processors Ireland (ABP) manufacturer Silvercrest allegedly received mislabelled meat from Selten’s company, and Polish food company, SP.z.o.o., which allegedly distributed it across Irish grocers. Silvercrest was sold to an undisclosed buyer this year.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney TD, disregarded concerns of health risks, although the public was additionally at risk of exposure to phenylbutazone a chemical used in veterinary care but banned from the food chain.

A 2013 survey by the FSAI revealed some changes in consumer product awareness after the scandal, while 55 per cent of the 1,003 respondents said they were now ‘repulsed by the idea of eating horse meat’.

Contrary to traditional Irish culture, county Laois man Pat Hyland once openly sold horse sandwiches at his Paddy Jack’s stall at the Temple Bar Food Market. He said people were “very interested in trying it” and sold more horse meat during the 2013 scandal than in the four years his stall had been open. It has since closed due

7,800 equines were slaughtered last year in Ireland for human consumption

to tighter regulations on abattoirs by the Department of Agriculture, Food and The Marine (DAFM).

Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed TD, claimed the regulations “protect the food chain and public health in ensuring that only those equines eligible for the food chain are slaughtered for human consumption”.

Figures by the DAFM revealed that 7,800 equines were slaughtered last year in Ireland for human consumption. The number has been increasing at home and abroad since 1990 and reached its peak at 24,000 equines during the recession period of 2012.

The number began to decrease after the scandal, but has been steadily increasing once again since 2015, when 6,033 horses met their fate.

But horse meat consumption has far from normalized in Ireland. This number is comparatively low to the number of chickens (95.5 million),

cows (1.7 million), pigs (3.3 million) and sheep (3 million) slaughtered last year.

With a population of just over 4.7 million last year, horse meat represents just a fraction of the Irish meat industry and consumer purchasing habits.

Horse meat is a cheap alternative to beef and a part of the cuisine since the late 19th century in parts of France, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. It is also served in China, Japan, Mexico, Argentina and Russia.“Horse sausages are a traditional delicacy in my hometown [Dordrecht]. Because it’s a tradition, it is not seen as unusual,” a student from Tilburg University in the Netherlands told The College View.

“I prefer horse meat because it is cheaper and less unhealthy compared to other meats … horse meat is more animal-friendly because the horses

Credit: Natural News

are ones previously used by equestrians that became too old or sick, rather than just raising an animal for the sole purpose of killing and eating it”.

“I like the firm and courageous taste of horse meat from time to time… like other people eat rabbit, I prefer horse,” said Marco Hansen, a worker for the state railway of Luxembourg.

The horses deemed unsuitable for the race track end up in one of Ireland’s remaining two abattoirs, which export horse carcasses to central Europe.

The National Animal Rights Association (NARA) says the horse racing industry and purpose breeding by members of the public are to blame for the overpopulation of horses in Ireland.

“There is nothing humane about killing unwanted animals… the government should pay for sanctuaries to be put in place,” said Laura Broxson, a NARA campaigner.

Some owners have taken to abandoning their horses in public areas to avoid the costs of disposal.

Undocumented horses and ponies cost the State €4.5 million a year, causing the DAFM to seize an increasing number of equines under the Control of Horses Act 1996.

Veterinary Ireland claims highest standard of Meat Inspection Service in a country where CCTV cameras are not mandatory. The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) supports the introduction of CCTV regulation but says veterinary inspection ensures the best animal welfare in abattoirs.

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DCU athletics success continues in 2017/18 Ian Brennan reviews DCU Athletics 2017/18 season

Ian Brennan Contributor @thecollegeview

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CU Athletics has enjoyed an almost unprecedented level of success this year so far, with even more still to come.

The club came into this year off the back of a very strong 2016/2017 season and a summer full of individual accolades for it’s athletes.

The highlight of these achievements was that of International Relations student Greta Streimikyte coming agonisingly close to a podium finish at the World Paralympic games in London in July, finishing just over a second off third place in the 1500m in the T13 category.

On top of this, a strong showing from DCU Students at the National Track and Field Championships over the summer, culminating in thirty medals, including six golds, meant spirits were high as the first event of the year rolled around in November.

DCU started the 2017/18 season as they meant to go on winning the Road Relay Title for Overall Best College, successfully reclaiming the title from UL, who had broken DCU’s three year winning streak.

The men’s team in particular dominated their race, finishing over a minute ahead of their closest competitors, QUB. Meanwhile the women also put in a very strong performance, only finishing seventeen seconds off a very good UL squad.

The success kept flowing in as the Intervarsity Indoors took place in Athlone in February.

DCU continued what would be a trend of the year by being the overall

DCU Athletics Team

best college at the event, with both the men’s and women’s teams winning emphatically.

The men’s team hauled an impressive twelve medals however the women went even further, amassing an astonishing fifteen medals.

Both teams finished with more than double the points of closest rivals UL in second and no less than three members of the squad broke IUAA Records.

Matthew Behan blitzed his way to a 60m Hurdles title, breaking the eight second barrier in the process.

Credit: DCU Athletics/Facebook

Gary Campbell ran a superb 3000m to take the honours and the indoor record to boot.

Finally, Elizabeth Morland blew the competition away, winning the combined events in record style.

The Club continued this phenomenal success the following month at the Intervarsity Cross Country Championships that were taking place in the Trinity Sports Grounds in Santry.

The short trip ended in yet another clean sweep of men’s, women’s and overall titles coming back with the

team.

The men’s team narrowly retained their title from last year by just four points from UCD despite key absences from the squad.

However, the women’s team performed stronger, far ahead of UCC in second and with Una Britton finishing second with Elizabeth Carr also coming in the top five.

All of this success for DCU Athletics may not be finished yet with the Outdoor Intervarsity Championships just around the corner.

Last year in UCC, DCU won every

different title except the Combined Events, where they finished second behind Trinity.

This time around DCU will surely look to retain their various titles in Mary Peters’ Track in Belfast, as Queen’s host this year’s event.

DCU’s Kotchaphan Mai-on to represent Ireland in World Classic Powerlifting Championships Kotchaphan Mai-on has been selected to represent Ireland after breaking nine national records at the Irish National Powerlifting Championships.

Roise McGagh Illustrations Editor @roisemcgagh

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CU student Kotchaphan Mai-on has been selected to represent Ireland in the World Classic Powerlifting Championships in Calgary, Canada from the 5th to the 17th June.

She holds nine national records, with five in the Junior (18-23 years) category and four in the Open (23 years and over) category, all of which she broke in her last competition, the 2018 Irish National Powerlifting Championships, in February.

The Applied Language and Translation studies student also goes by the name Pla. “It’s my first big competition but I am hoping I can hold my own against these strong girls, if I can get a place on the podium even better,” Mai-on said.

Mai-on is the strongest female in the country under 47kg, with a total of 275kg

between her deadlift record of 120.5kg, a squat record of 80.5kg and a bench record of 60kg.

She is in her final year specialising in German and Japanese and is also training hard under Jay Farrant, the Head Coach of the Irish National Squad, as well as James O’Brien.

“When she first started two years ago she was unable to lift the barbell, but now she is deadlifting almost triple her bodyweight,” said James O’Brien, DCU Powerlifting Club.

Her next competition is the Irish Powerlifting Federation University Championships on 14th April in ABS gym Glasnevin.

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But now she is deadlifting almost triple her body-weight

Kotchaphan Mai-on competing in the squat at the Irish National Powerlifting Championships.

Credit: No Lift Powerlifting

She hopes to break her bench record by deadlift.

The strongest lift from each category is Three attempts are given to produce added together for a total score. The win5kg and her total by 20kg.

Powerlifting is a competitive sport in- the heaviest lift possible each event during ner is decided from the highest total score. volving the barbell squat, bench press and competitions.

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DCU Archery claim six golds at Galway intervarsities DCU's archers came away from NUIG with six golds, four silvers and two bronze medals

Gerard Grimes Sports Editor @gerardgrimes11

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CU Archery enjoyed a successful final intervarsity meeting of the year in NUIG, coming home from Galway with six golds, four silver and two bronze.

Nicolo Fantonj won gold in the Barebow Male Beginner discipline while Ryan Kirk, Alison Boland and Niall O’Hanlon won the Barebow Team event.

Further success came from the recurve discipline as Fiachra MacDermott won the Recurve Male Advanced and Rhiannon O’Connor won the Recurve Female Beginner.

MacDermott and O’Connor then went on to claim double gold as they won the Recurve Team competition with Dean Lalor and Oskars Veide.

The Compound Team, made up of Luke Oonan, Stephen Walker and Tara McMullan also claimed gold, meaning the recurve and compound team won gold at all five intervarsities this year.

“All the intervarsities went exceptionally well, and while we didn't place in Barebow until the second half of

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Rhiannon O’Connor shoots for DCU Archery at the intervarsities in NUIG.

the season since we couldn't make a full team until then, our Compound and Recurve teams came first in every intervarsity.”

“Ultimately we dominated the league with DCU students which we have done so for the past couple of years,” double gold medallist Rhiannon O’Connor told The College View.

On a personal level, O’Connor, who has been doing archery for two

Credit: Santiago de Arribas de Renedo.

Ultimately we dominated the league with DCU students which we have done so for the past couple of years

years, having started in her first year in DCU, had been looking to improve through the year but admitted she hadn’t expected to claim the individual gold.

“I have been aiming throughout the year to improve myself and see how I got on, but as the year went

by I got more and more competitive and wanted to win an individual medal. I didn't think I had a chance till halfway through the season when I saw an immense improvement in my shooting.”

“I went to NUIG with the mindset of more so looking at the overall League scores, not imagining that I would place first in my category in that intervarsity,” O’Connor said.

DCU claimed six more medals at the intervarsities as Alison Boland claimed silver in the Barebow Female while Tara McMullan, of the compound team, took silver in the Compound Female discipline.

The Mixed Team also came away from Galway with a Silver as did Dean Lalor, who completed a 1-2 for DCU in the Recurve Male Advanced category, finishing behind Fiachra MacDermott.

Niall O’Hanlon and Emma Goodwin claimed DCU’s final two medals of the meeting, winning bronze in the Barebow Male Advanced and Recurve Female Intermediate respectively.

DCU Soccer players represent Ireland Amber Barrett, Ross Taheny, Tristan-Noack Hofmann and Alan O'Sullivan all represented Ireland Alex Dunne Contributor @thecollegeview

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he DCU Mens' and Ladies’ Soccer clubs can count themselves proud after four DCU students donned the green jersey and represented their country last week.

Defenders Ross Taheny and Tristan Noack-Hofmann, and striker Alan O’Sullivan were all present as the Irish Universities side overcame their Scottish counterparts 1-0 at Oriel Park, while Amber Barrett came off the bench in both of the Republic of Ireland’s 2019 World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia and the Netherlands in Tallaght – scoring a belter of a winning goal against the Slovaks.

Barrett’s vital winner came into sharper focus after the Girls in Green were beaten 2-0 by European Champions Holland on Tuesday, and four points from their double-header with Norway in June would put them in a great position to qualify.

“It was a surreal feeling when the

ball hit the back of the net, at times it's difficult to express how I felt at that moment but so important that we got the goal to get the victory,” Barrett said.

“As a striker you always want to be on the score sheet and obviously scoring my first international goal is a special moment for me and to do it with such a fantastic crowd supporting made it even more special." “[The Dutch game was] Disappointing in the way that we conceded the goals and disappointing to lose the game."

“They are fantastic opposition and we could have got something from the game, it ultimately makes the Norway games the biggest games that we will have in the group as so much depends on it."

“The crowds for the two games were massive and it just goes to show that publicity and media attention can increase crowd numbers hugely."

In the inter-uni clash Taheny – who was nominated for University International Player of the Year – regretted that the home side didn’t kill off the Scots sooner.

Amber Barrett celebrates scoring her late winner against Slovakia.

“It was tighter than previous years but we were a bit wasteful in front of goal and could've killed the game off much earlier."

“We'll be confident going into the next games as we always are because it's a good group of players and we enjoy playing together.”

Daire O’Connor of UCD – DCU’s conquerors at both Senior and Fresher level this year – netted the winner after ten minutes, but Taheny revealed there is no Collingwood Cup-related tension in the squad.

“It's an easy group to settle into as it's very relaxed environment and the

Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

boys are easy to get on with,” Taheny said.

“There's always gonna be a bit of rivalry when we're playing for different unis and play each other year in year out but a lot of us have been away together and get on well.”

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Underwater hockey on the rise in DCU Conor Meyler, co-founder of DCU’s Underwater Hockey Club, provides an insight into the unique sport.

Gerard Grimes Sports Editor @gerardgrimes11

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ce hockey, field hockey and swimming, that is the combination of sports that make up underwater hockey.

Underwater hockey is played in a two metre deep pool with teams of six with a weighted puck, similar to that used in ice hockey, only heavier.

The sport was started by a group of scuba divers who wanted to stay fit during winter months when it was too cold to dive and has grown in popularity over the last few years.

While the game is noncontact, players wear a variety of equipment while playing - water polo hats, mask, a snorkel, fins, gum-shield and a padded glove.

A stick, around 30cm in length, made of strong plastic is used as players look to score by

shooting the puck into the metal trays at the bottom of the pool.

DCU’s Underwater Hockey Club was co-founded by Conor Meyler, who was only introduced to the sport in January.

Meyler has played field hockey for years and has always enjoyed swimming so after being introduced to the sport, he felt it was the next logical step.

“The game is a tough workout. You swim fast on the top which gets the lungs and heart pumping and then you need to dive to the bottom to play the game so it is all about lung control.”

“The massive benefits are you become super fit as swimming is great for the body, your lung capacity increases massively and you become an overall stronger swimmer,” Meyler said. Despite only forming this year, the club are already competing, with national tournaments taking place in the National Aquatic Centre every few

DCU’s Underwater Hockey Club was co-founded by Conor Meyler, who was only introduced to the sport in January.

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The plan is to grow our numbers

weeks as teams from Dublin, Belfast and Cork compete against each other.

“During each game there will be two referees in the water watching the game and a third referee on the side of the pool who rings an underwater gong to start/stop play and keep an eye on the time.”

“Every few months there will also be international tournaments that take place across Europe. It is a close community of players as all the clubs know each other but you

Credit: DCU

do play at a high level,” Meyler said.

The plan is to grow the numbers in DCU’s club, with training taking place every Thursday night at 8:30pm in the National Aquatic Centre, with lifts provided if needed.

“It’s early days for DCU but the plan is to grow our numbers and then compete in the national competitions and perform strongly at them.”

DCU Fitzgibbon Cup duo impress for Kilkenny in league final

A look at John Donnelly and Conor Delaney’s performances for Kilkenny in the Allianz Hurling League Division 1 Final against Tipperary.

John Morley Deputy Sports Editor @JohnMorleySport

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n the penultimate Sunday of the spring hurling season it was the old reliable workhorses of hurling who triumphed over the muchfancied youth and exuberance of Tipperary.

Kilkenny displayed all the attributes that has lead to their dominance of hurling during the Cody era with DCU’s own John Donnelly and Conor Delaney a testament to the vision and work ethic which has led to that dominance.

Of course, there will be little or no talk of Donnelly’s or Delaney’s work due to the outstanding performances of the old veterans of Kilkenny hurling. TJ Reid gave

John Donnelly in action for Kilkenny against Tipperary’s Padraic Maher.

one of the best fielding and placed balled exhibitions in recent memory with Walter Walsh’s surging second half display undeniably the turning point in the game stemming Tipperary’s momentum.

The skill and killer instinct of the old guard wasn’t the only reason

for the Cat’s emphatic League final victory in Nowlan Park, the work rate and vision outside the central spine of the team played a crucial role in their second half march to a six-point win.

Donnelly and Delaney illustrated this throughout the match but

Piaras Ó Mídheach / Sportfile

particularly when the game was there to be won. Walsh’s dramatic second half goal came from the vison of Delaney at number five.

Delaney hit in an inch perfect pass to Walsh who had got goal side of his man and was never going to miss a one on one.

Donnelly, despite being taken off with ten minutes to go had a superb match. He scored two points that had the “Cody Factor” written all over it.

Four minutes on from Walsh’s goal the teams were level. Donnelly won the breaking ball and hit it first time near the wing about 45 yards out. That aerial threat in the half forward line will surely be paramount for him holding the number 12 jersey throughout the summer.

Three minutes later Donnelly showed great vision and hurling intelligence. Bill Sheehan won the ball and was engulfed by three Tipperary defenders. As this was happening Donnelly took a few paces back, received the pass and duly slotted over an easy score of his own making to put three between the sides.

Delaney showed the dogged work ethic that Cody looks for in defenders. It was no surprise to see him mopping up the last ball of the game in his own defence as if the game was still in the melting pot. The two will prove crucial in Cody’s blend of youth and experience in this years race for Liam.

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INSIDE

Powerlifting Fitzgibbon Cup

Bill O’Herlihy Cup Returns to DCUfm following victory on penalties

DCUfm prevented The College View from making it three Bill O’Herlihy Cup wins in a row with a 4-3 win on penalties.

Hugh Farrell Deputy Sports Editor @HughFSports

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he match, played on the 10th of April, saw The View narrowly miss out on securing their third consecutive title.

The DCUFM team started off poorly conceding 3 goals within the opening minutes and only scoring one before the subs started to come on. As The View’s team began to rotate subs they lost coherence and The FM team were quick to capitalise regaining the lead within ten minutes with two goals from play and a penalty for a pass back that was picked up by the keeper.

By the time the second half kicked off, The View began to avail of the rotation of players coming back to tie the score at 9-9 with a goal from Rudi Kinsella disallowed as the shot was taken after the final whistle. Extra

time didn’t see any more goals and The FM team went on to win on penalties.

Both captains thought The Views player of the match had to be Rudi Kinsella with Ian Brennan saying “I know myself playing in defense, he was a nightmare and scored something like 5/6 goals” and Alex Dunne, captain of The Views team, saying “simply put he drove our attack, we couldn’t create without him, he notched five for himself and probably had a hand in eight of our nine.”

The two also highly praised Mark Carroll with Dunne putting him on the same level as Rudi but for different reasons. Dunne said “I’ve worked with Mark loads, he’s a real engine and a great communicator, and we felt his influence all over

“ FM gave every

bit as good as they got

lottery at the end and it is what it is. The lads did me proud, and to be honest if not for a brief period of disorganisation in the first half, we’d have won it. But I don’t think it was unfair because FM gave every bit as good as they got. It was intense, and it just fell their way”// Brennan praised his team saying “It’s an amazing feeling especially after being on the losing team last year, the entire team was fantastic and everyone put in a tremendous effort.”

the pitch whenever he was on it. ”For The FM team, however, there was less of a consensus. While both praised Alice Linehan and considered her as one of the team’s best players, Dunne chose Joshua Freeman and Brennan picked Colm McDonnell.

Dunne pointed to Freemans work ethic as his top quality saying, “he was relentless all game” while Brennan said McDonnell was his top pick because “his hunger and energy combined with his skill really made him stand out” When asked if he thought the result was fair, Dunne said “Look it went down to penalties, it was a The College View and DCUfm teams after the 2018 Bill O’Herlihy Cup.

Credit: Eoin

Neylon victorious for DCU at Dublin Novice Championships

DCU Boxing were represented by three boxers at the Dublin Novice Championships, with David Neylon winning his fight on the night.

Eoin Harte Sub-Editor @EoinHarte98

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CU were represented by three boxers at the 2018 Dublin Novice Championship in what was another milestone for the DCU Athletic Boxing Club.

David Neylon, Rudolfus Nemickas and Daniel Forde all fought at the Ringside Club National Stadium on Friday the 30th of March.

Neylon was victorious in his bout, but Nemickas and Forde were unsuccessful in their fights.

Speaking to The College View, Nemickas said “the other boxer was just more experienced and fitter.” His opponent Ceitreann Murray had fought in the Dublin City Cup just under three years ago.

Nemickas, in contrast, is relatively new to the sport.

“I started in September, just half a year ago. I’ve always liked combat sports and when I got to DCU it was a good opportunity to join a boxing club, and I’ve enjoyed it ever since.”

While Nemickas lost his fight, he

enjoyed the experience and was happy to fight in front of a “packed crowd” in the National Stadium.

The light heavyweight boxer, originally from Lithuania, was also carrying a nose injury going in to the fight.

“At the third level fight a few weeks before I got a bloody nose. I wouldn’t blame it [losing the fight] on the nose though,” Nemickas said.

Neylon, fighting at 75kg, beat Lorenzo Mihai of the Ballybough boxing club after a strong performance in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.

Forde, who fought at 60kg, came up just short against his opponent Macdara O Morain of UCD. “It was a close fight, it was a split decision”, Nemickas said.

This season marks the first year that the club has had representation

at all national levels in Ireland, including in the National Senior and the National Elite competitions.

Nemickas spoke highly of his first year boxing with DCU. “I’ve gained a lot of experience and have been to Manchester with the boxing club, and fought in front of another packed crowd in a Manchester Arena,” Nemickas said.

DCU ABC Team

While there are no fights left for Nemcikas before the summer, he said he would be happy to continue boxing with DCU in the next semester.

Reflecting on the past year, Nemickas made sure to mention coaches Derek Aherne and Terry Keegan, thanking them for the time they’ve put into the club and said “all credit goes to them.”

DCU Athletic Boxing Club