The College View Issue 6 by The College View

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

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Shauna Burdis| Deputy News Editor @ShaunaBurdis

“Inspire, who offered a 24/7 telephone line, meant you caught the students at risk. When our overflow started jumping in, we could get students counselled off site and evening and weekend counselling, which again was for students who were on clinical teaching or work placement.” This year due to limited funding “it’s not going to work and there’s a really good 24/7 line like the Samaritans,” said Bohan. If students were at extreme risk the service provided them with potential immediate access to a counsellor. The unique programme was in the making for six months and DCU was the first Irish university to implement it. Over the phone counsellors are a great help when there is an issue. One to one counselling is perhaps a more beneficial long-term solution for those struggling to cope. For non-judgmental emotional support, students can contact the Samaritans who provide a 24/7 national helpline provided by a trained team of volunteers. Information for students on helplines and counselling can be found on the DCU counselling website.

Comment

Gaeilge

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The trial year ended in September and DCU will not continue to work with Inspire Wellbeing, as it was difficult to control the service costs and funding is limited. Dublin City University hired the external company from Northern Ireland, for a pilot year to provide 24-hour counselling to students on and off campus. The 24/7 counselling service was piloted by DCU in collaboration with the organisation, in an attempt to tackle growing waiting lists. The aim of the programme was to provide students with an opportunity to call a fully trained and qualified counsellor at any hour of the day, and schedule an appointment within three days. The management of the service was through the Head of Counselling, Helena Ahern. Speaking about the pilot programme, Ahern said “What was on the phone was a crisis intervention, it wasn’t like having a one to one session on the phone.

I think there was a bit of uncertainty and unclarity about that. It wasn’t onthe-phone counselling. It was used as a matter of emergency.” According to the Director of Student Support and Development, Claire Bohan, “the funding environment over the last 10 years has just gone from bad to worse.” “Counselling without any judgement is an extremely expensive service to run.” DCU worked alongside Inspire Wellbeing, who in turn hired counsellors off campus to tend to the needs of students who were unable to access services between the hours of nine to five. The pilot programme was launched in attempts to tackle the growing demand for counselling appointments in DCU. It aimed to provide counselling to students on and off campus and would be of special benefit for students on placement, who did not have direct access to the counsellors based in DCU. “We might have had maybe a three to four-week waiting list for those who weren’t at risk. A student at risk would be seen within 48 hours and then with the direct referral will be seen again within 24 hours.”

Highlights

UK Election Corbyn’s vision for the future and Boris’ Brexit plans pg. 13

Smaointe Bronntanais don Nollag An thosaigh tú siopadoireacht chun bronntanais Nollag a fháil? pg. 16

DCUSU will run three referendums before Christmas

Credit: Sonja Tutty

DCU ends pilot year partnership with Inspire Wellbeing

A referendum to decide whether or not DCU Students’ Union (SU) remains affiliated with the USI is set to be run on December 11th to 13th, alongside two others. DCUSU, which holds the referendum every three years in accordance with their constitution, is to remain neutral on the issue. There are two campaigns being run, one pro and one anti-USI affiliation. Tadgh Jenkins is campaigning in support of USI membership and says that the USI provides DCU students with good support and opportunities, such as Pink Training for LGBT+ students, and an annual USI Congress. “If we left the USI, we wouldn’t be able to have a voice in that conversation,” said Jenkins. The College View contacted the “No” campaign but they were not interested in commenting. Membership of the USI costs eight euro per full-time student or five euro per part-time student and it’s applied to the student contribution charge. This charge is already applied to the current student contribution charge of 3,043 euro. The USI, which is unable to campaign in support of DCUSU’s membership, is the main national representative body for Irish students. According to President of the USI, Lorna Fitzpatrick, if DCUSU were to

disaffiliate from the USI, they would retain all benefits of membership until the end of the academic year. After that, all benefits would cease. Losing an affiliated students’ union could potentially lead to a smaller budget for the USI, alongside a smaller executive team. “It does mean that USI would have to reevaluate our budget because a lot of the money that we spend on campaigns and so on comes directly from our affiliation fees... Obviously, if there’s less money coming in, there’s less to spend,” said Fitzpatrick. At least 10 per cent of the DCU student population need to vote in the election for it to be accepted, which is 1,740 students according to Returning Officer Podge Sheehan. Alongside this referendum, there will also be one on whether DCUSU should lobby the university to stop the sale of tobacco products and e-cigarettes in shops across its three campuses. A third referendum will also take place, with it deciding whether or not a new constitution for DCUSU will be brought in. One of the biggest changes is the new sabbatical roles that are being created, while the current ones are retired. The roles include Vice President’s for Academic Life, Diversity and Inclusion, Community and Citizenship and Wellbeing. The current role of President of DCUSU will remain the same, however.

Features

Sports

Sex work Ireland

DCU Athletics

Crime has increased by 90 per cent and violent crimes by 92 pg. 18

Cross-country championships pg. 24

Tadgh McNally| News Editor @TadghMcNally

Editorial

Contents

News Bus Eireann awarded €800 million pg 10

Comment “White water rafting, anyone?” pg 11 Features The end of a decade of The College View pg 17

Sports DCU Athletics head to Europe pg 24

Inside The Hype Arts How celebrities are shaping politics pg 6

Níl aon tinteán mar do thinteán féin Aine O’Boyle, Deputy Editor-in-Chief

ne of the most ubiquitous quotes concerning the function of the press states: “the job of a newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable”, and as The College View reaches the final issue of both this semester and decade, this sentiment continues to be as important as ever. With Ireland plummeting into the worst housing crisis in the history of the state, it is essential that journalism is used as a force for good, where those in power are held to account for their actions, understanding the consequences of these actions and how they impact the lives of normal people. As it stands, there are currently over 10,500 homeless people living in Ireland, 3,826 of whom are children. With Ireland being one of the wealthiest countries in the world, it is unacceptable for children to have to grow up in cramped hotel rooms or in emergency accommodation as their parents feel completely hopeless within a system that

doesn’t care about their lives. No child should have sleepless nights this winter, worrying about how Santa Klaus is going to find them in their hotel room. This October the extent of the homelessness crisis was realised as a particularly harrowing image came to dominate the Irish media, that of five-yearold boy, Sam, eating a dinner of carbonara off a cardboard sheet on the streets. Most of us know a five-yearold child and we also know the cruel cold of the Irish winter and the dodgy streets of Dublin city in the night time. The streets are no place for anyone to live, and they are certainly no place for a child this small and vulnerable to be forced onto. Sam became the unfortunate representative of the homelessness crisis at its peak and signalled the fact that this actually was a crisis that we needed to pay attention to. The unfortunate truth is that this crisis is worsening still, as Dublin rent prices remain extortionately high and the government continues to offer very little supports to those who are unable to pay these prices.

Earlier this month a motion of no confidence was tabled against Minister for Housing, Eoghan Murphy, regarding his handling of housing and the homelessness crisis. Although the key word of this motion was “crisis”, Minister Murphy survived the vote by 56-53 (with 35 abstentions) and works to “serve” the Irish people yet another day in Dáil Eireann. If a vote of no confidence was left down to the people, one can anticipate that the outcome would be an almost unanimous vote of no confidence against Minister Murphy and the government itself. In this crisis, journalism will be essential in holding those with power to account, in calling out the ridiculousness of a €23 million white water rafting tourist trap as meagre funds are allocated in the budget towards homeless resources. From the journalism produced by The College View to that of the national media, it is our duty and our function to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable in the midst of this humanitarian crisis.

This issue’s sub-editors: Lauren Allen, Alex Barrett, Shauna Burdis, Ryan Carrick, Emma Costigan, Róisín Cullen, Ruth Delaney, Kirsty Dowdall, Cian Dunne, Courtney Fitzmaurice, Tara McGahan, Aoibhín Meghen, Emma Nevin, Kinga Piotrowska, Rachel Power

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roken chairs in the Business School are set to be fixed before semester two after a student-led petition. DCU’s Students’ Union’s Business Faculty representative, Hazel Byrne, started the petition due to a large amount of chairs in the business building which are not useable. She counted 41 missing seats between six rooms. “This means that if the lecture is full, some students will have no seat to sit on, or will have to sit on the bare metal bars. Not only this, but many chairs have ripped or missing cushions and some even have exposed nails,” she said in the petition, found on Change.org. “DCU Business School claims to be within the top 5% of business schools in the world, but this is simply not good enough for its current students.” MINT student Luke Nolan explained how the seating situation has affected him: “If I’m in a lecture with high

attendance and there isn’t enough seats for everyone that either leads to us having to go looking for seats, people sitting on floor, people sitting on metal bars with potentially dangerous spikes and nails - it’s ridiculous” As of printing, the petition has close to over 400 signatures. On December 2nd, Byrne announced that the issue would be resolved after the success of the petition, as well as discussions between herself, the quality promotion office, the estates office and business school staff. “Work has been commenced on the lecture rooms to reinstall new chairs and replace the damaged cushions. Priority has been given to ground floor rooms, with the aforementioned seats on the first floor being scheduled for repair in the coming weeks,” she said. “As a result of the brilliant support by students on this issue, a full audit has also been requested on the stability of chairs across the university by estates.” The majority of chairs listed as missing by Byrne in the original petition are found on the first floor: Q119 (six chairs), Q120 (14 chairs), Q121 (13 chairs) and Q122 (eight chairs).

Credit: Daria Jonkisz

Broken Business School seats to be fixed following petition

In Q120, where the most single seats were missing, several desk chairs were stuck in to act as replacements. Byrne also said that some chairs in QG27 had nails coming up through the

New postgraduate representative elected

asters student, Amy Donohoe was elected DCU Post Graduate Officer with nearly 73 per cent of votes in her favour, on December 5th. With 48 out of 66 votes Amy Donohoe became DCU Post Graduate Officer last Thursday, taking on the part-time voluntary position on the Students’ Unions executive. Donohoe said she is delighted with the win and added, “I’ve always been involved with the SU as an undergrad and it’s great that I have a voice and represent such a large population of DCU who I reckon need a representative.” She is currently studying Climate Change: Policy, Society and the Media and previously studied Journalism in DCU for her undergraduate. She has been a class representative for three years as well as attending two USI Congress meetings where she represented DCU students. She described the link between students and the SU as vital and “ wants to make the resources on campus specifically for postgrads known to them.” Amy’s manifesto

Credit: Amy Donohoe

Katie Lowry | Contributor

put emphasis on social events for postgraduates as “DCU shouldn’t be a place for just lectures and study. I would like to hold coffee mornings, Friday evening meetups and an end of year postgraduate ball.” As a student studying Climate Change, she aims to promote sustainability as key importance across the three campuses and mentioned, “cutting down food waste and introducing more sustainable products such as brown toilet roll and paper towels on campus.” Amy also touched on the fact this is not a oneperson role and would like to work towards building a team to represent postgraduates and get their voices heard. However, following the elections she said she was disappointed in the low voting count. “I hope to encourage postgrads to get more involved next

semester and hopefully there’ll be a larger turnout for votes for the following election next spring” The other candidate, John Sushil Arulraj Prasad received 15 votes. He is completing a master’s in Computing: Major Software Engineering. John studied computer science in Chennai, India as his undergrad before coming to DCU. Podge Sheehan, Returning Officer in DCU is head of elections and said: “given that the Postgraduate population in DCU is just under 4,000 students, it is important that their voice is accurately represented in the University, something which the entire SU Executive and Postgraduate Class Reps ensure and the addition of an elected Postgraduate Officer will ensure that this representation continues and increases.”

cushion. Byrne welcomed the plan to fix this issue on Change.org. “We could not have fixed this without your support and I appreciate every signature and

every share! I look forward to a better, broken-chair free business school.” The issue had been discussed at the third Class Representative Council of the year, back on November 27th.

CTYI in DCU launches new programme to help gifted kids Sonja Tutty | Images Editor @SonjadeJourno

new online programme was launched to help parents and teachers of gifted children on November 23rd in DCU. Centre of Talented Youths in Ireland (CTYI) launched EGIFT, a free online programme to help teachers and parents struggling to provide suitable education and care for high ability children. The online programme gained 250 accounts after being open for only one week with a majority of users located in Ireland. The launch of EGIFT follows a study by CTYI which found that 54 per cent of parents with gifted children believed the student was not given work that suited their abilities. Additionally, nearly three-quarters of parents said their children did not receive different assignments than other classmates. CTYI Academic Coordinator, Dr Leanne Hinch explained to The College View that teacher training does not cover gifted students enough – if at all – meaning many teachers do not know how to identify or provide suitable work for gifted students. “It’s quite known that in our teacher training there isn’t a whole lot that deals with high ability or gifted kids.” She said. “Every child is entitled to an education that is suitable for them,

but we often find that high ability kids aren’t catered to as explicitly as kids who are struggling or kids in the middle.” Hinch added that some gifted students underperform or hide their abilities for a number of reasons, “Kids will underachieve to make friends or to fit in which happens particularly with girls and you also get ‘twice exceptional’ kids who are high ability but also have special needs which can mask their ability levels.” EGIFT contains five strains to help identify, teach, empathize, adjust curricula and care for a gifted child’s wellbeing. The programme was partnered with Erasmus Plus and was developed by experts throughout Europe. Based in DCU, CTYI opened in 1992 and offers gifted children from the ages of six to 17 enrichment programmes alongside their school subjects. This includes forensic studies, film, and nanoscience. For students in transition year, they offer first-year college classes on Tuesdays and Fridays. But due to high demand, they will be offering this early university entrance programme from Monday to Friday in the 2020 semester. Early University Entrance Programme Organiser, Dr Catriona Ledwith said, “The young students were found to have performed as well – and at times better – than the regular cohort of first-year students...”

News

UCCSU’s food bank is Government used by approximately aim to increase traveller 20 students a week participation U in higher-level education chaplain as a point of contact between us and the students and their identities remained anonymous to protect their dignity.” However, unlike UCC’s food bank, DCU’s asks students to send a weekly shopping list and the food is then left in the interfaith centre for collection. They use the chaplain as a point of contact between them and the students so their identities are anonymous. Additionally, DCU only sees an average of three students a year availing of the service compared to UCC’s average of 20 students a week. “We are aware that there are plenty more students that may need this service but are not aware of it.” McNamara said.

Public schools closing the gap on private schools in sending students to university Ryan Carrick | Contributor

on fee-paying schools are closing the gap on fee-paying schools in terms of sending students to third-level. The annual Feeder School Tables, published on 3 December, trace the transfer of students from about 700 schools to more than 30 universities, colleges and institutions. A huge surge in college progression rates nationally has seen many schools around the country reach 100 per cent progression rates. A decade ago, it was only fee-paying schools and a handful of others who reached this figure while this year 50 non-fee paying schools achieved this. According to the tables, two in three schools have a 70 per cent rate of students going on to third level. Over half of fee-paying schools have a 100 per cent rate of students

going to college, while only 5 have a rate of less than 70 per cent. The number of students from disadvantaged areas going on to third-level education remains significantly lower. For example, the percentage of students from St Paul’s CBS on North Brunswick Street who went to college in 2019 was 42 per cent while the percentage from Trinity Comprehensive School in Ballymun was 25 per cent. However, individual schools in the Department of Education’s DEIS scheme for disadvantaged communities are pushing college progression rates to new highs year on year. Larkin Community College in Inner City Dublin saw 59 per cent of students progress to third-level education in 2018 compared to only 25 per cent in 2016. As in previous years, the tables show that DCU is very popular for students on the Northside of Dublin while UCD remains popular for

those on the Southside. According to Katherine Donnelly of the Irish Independent, this is linked to geography, coupled with the preference in Ireland to stay close to home. According to research by the Educational Research Centre, students who score highly in reading, mathematics and science are more likely to enroll in fee-paying schools and to participate better in education. The Institute of Education, a fee-paying school in Dublin City Centre, was accused of heating up the points race after it was announced that it is to introduce a programme that would allow students to cover large portions of the Leaving Cert curriculum over three years. Peter Kearns, Director of the Institute, said it will introduce options in fourth year to study international qualifications which are “the best stepping stone to the Leaving Cert and cover much of the same ground.”

Sally Madden | Deputy News Editor @Sallymadden17

he Government aims to double the number of travellers participating in higher-level education by 2021. The Action Plan to Promote Traveller Participation in Higher Education was launched on November 26th, as part of the National Access Plan for Higher Education 2015-2019 (now extended to 2021). The plan was developed in consultation with Traveller representative groups and aims to support and advance Traveller participation in higher education. In October, the Department for Education and Skills released the Education Indicators for Ireland Report, which found that only 61 travellers were studying at third-level in 2017. The National Access plan goal for 2019 was to have 80 members of the travelling community studying at third-level. While it was an increase from the 41 “self-declared Irish travellers” that were participating in third-level in 2016, Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor says that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to achieve this goal. “Today’s plan is focused on achieving this goal, building on the good work already being done to widen

access to higher education to people who traditionally have not seen it as a viable option for them,” she said. “I am determined that Traveller young people, from an early age, will see going to college and having all the options that are available to other young people as a realistic future for them,” she continued. The action plan was launched at TU Dublin, where Minister Mitchell O’Connell was accompanied by third-level students and recent graduates from the Travelling Community, who spoke on their own experiences of studying at universities and colleges around Ireland. The plan’s actions include the development of student success strategies from all higher education institutions, as well as strengthening links between the Career Guidance Service and Home School Community Liaison Scheme in schools and access officers in higher education institutions. According to the Minister, the plan also aims to address and break down the cultural barriers that tend to keep members of the Travelling community from participating in high education such as “discrimination, bullying and lack of understanding.” “It is essential that we continue to work in partnership to identify and remove these barriers, creating a more accessible and more equal future for Travellers in our higher education institutions, which will benefit from their contribution,” she continued.

Credit: University Times

niversity College Cork (UCC) opened a student food bank to help students struggling financially and are seeing roughly 20 students using the service per week. UCC Students’ Union (UCCSU) decided to open the service due to the increasing number of students experiencing financial struggles who they cannot immediately help. UCCSU’s Welfare Officer, Naoise Crowley told The College View that the service not only helps feed students but hopes that, “by providing this basic level of necessity we may help the most vulnerable students in UCC, while also impacting positively on academic performance and mental health.” The food bank is supported and assisted by local charities who deliver the food once a week, and the food is then distributed to students in need in their Student Union’s building. Rent in Cork City increased by 7.1% last year and the average rent paid by tenants stands at €1,177 a month. As more students are entering third level education and 20,000 students attending UCC, many are forced to enter private rental accommodation. Many are then having to pay over €200 a week.

UCCSU said the rent increase are pushing students into poverty, and leave many unable to pay for food. DCUSU Welfare and Equality officer, Aisling Fagan said she thinks these food banks are not only a good idea but are necessary. “Students struggle financially on a daily basis and this is one way they can be helped,” she explained. She went on to point out DCU’s food bank run by the Raising and Giving (RAG) society. It was set up three years ago when RAG were contacted by DCU Chaplaincy about the desperate need to assist students struggling financially. RAG Chairperson, Emily McNamara said, “We then used the

Credit: Camp Pendleton

Sonja Tutty | Images Editor @SonjadeJourno

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Did you know that most wrapping paper isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t recyclable? Why not use a copy of The College View instead? After reading it of course!

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Late-night commuter services for Christmas period

arnród Éireann plan to run latenight DART and Commuter services throughout the Christmas holidays. The services will commence on Friday the 6th December, and will run every Friday and Saturday night up until December 21st. The DART and Commuter Services will also run on New Year’s Day on a Sunday timetable. A spokesperson for Iarnród Éireann said they were “delighted” to begin the services, and said “the trains will once again be hugely popular with late-night partygoers who can save on expensive taxi fares.” The company also said there will be security personnel on board the late-

night trains to ensure customer safety. DCU student Emily Whyte said although it is good they are providing security on-board the train, platforms could be dangerous late at night. “I think it would be very useful for saving money,” said Whyte, “because the price of a taxi home to anywhere near a DART station can be up to €20 or more, but there’d be an issue with once you get off the DART.” Whyte said her local DART station is not well-lit, and after dark there are sometimes teenagers who hang around outside the station. “Even if there’s security on the DART that doesn’t guarantee once you get off the DART that there won’t be any hassle, and I’d be more worried about that because if you get a taxi at least you have the safety of going right to your home instead of walking from the station.” DART services will depart from Connolly Station at 00:30 and 01:30

serving all stations to Greystones, and from Pearse Station at 00:30 and 01:30 serving all stations to Howth. The Maynooth Commuter service will have departures from Pearse Street at 00:20 and 01:55, and the Dundalk Commuter with run services at 00:40 and 01:40 from Pearse to Tara and Connolly and all stations from Howth Junction to Dundalk. The Kildare Phoenix Park Tunnel service will depart from Pearse at 23:50 and 01:50 serving Tara Street, Connolly, Drumcondra and all stations from ParkWest Cherry Orchard to Kildare. Iarnród Éireann said the fares will be charged as normal rates, and weekly, monthly and annual season tickets will also be valid. Between the 27th and the 31st of December normal services will operate on Intercity while Commuter services will operate on a Saturday timetable.

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Sally Dobie | Production & Podcast Editor @Sarah_or_Sally

7 year difference in life Non-binary and under-16's left out expectancy of Ireland's of gender recognition act again richest and poorest Health is worst amongst the most deprived populations and it is imperative that we try to understand why life expectancy gap of and direct initiatives to address and seven years exists beminimise health inequalities’’, said Dr tween those in the most Catherine Darker, head of discipline in deprived areas of the Public Health and Primary Care. country and people who The report considered four indicalive in more affluent areas, according tors in the deprivation index, Unemto a new report. ployment, Low social class, Local AuThe divide is revealed in The thority rented Housing and National Deprivawhether a household tion Index for owns a car or not. Ireland from The researchers Trinity College. Credit: Sathishaa Mohan captured people that Researchers analysed either lack resources or life expectancy by face barriers to accessing deprivation at a county goods the general poplevel and found that life ulation has access to and expectancy in the most compared deprivation over deprived county was 7 years time using data from the 2006, lower than in the least deprived 2011 and 2016 census results. county. Unemployment reflected a lack The most deprived areas were of access to earned income and Limerick city, Waterford city, the facilities of employment. Cork city, Longford, DubIt also imposes other lin City, South Tipperary, pressures on individuals Louth, Carlow, Galway through loss of selfcity, Donegal and worth and on families Wexford. through problems and Dún tensions generated. Laoghaire-RathLow Social class is down, Cork county, based on the concept Fingal in north Dubof groups whose members lin, Meath, Kildare, Limerick possess capacities for the generation county, Galway, Clare, Roscommon, of income through their occupations, Waterford and Wicklow scored as the not the status associated with certain least deprived parts of the country. jobs. Dr Conor Taljeur, lead author of Local Authority rented Housing the report said, ‘‘Our analysis shows refers to Non-owner occupation rented that although many areas improved between 2011 and 2016, some deterio- from a local authority and Car ownership is suggested as an indication of rated. For over 20 years the index has current disposable income. been an important tool both for anaThe Trinity National Deprivation lysing health data and for supporting Index has been developed by researchlocal and national-level health policy ers at the Department of Public Health development’’. and Primary Care in Trinity College ‘‘The deprivation index reflects out Dublin. research interest in health inequalities.

Credit: LGBTA Society

Shauna Power | Contributor

Brendan Fernando Kelly Palenque | Editor-in-chief @BrendanFKP

GBTQ+ groups expressed “disappointment” after the government didn’t implement certain recommendations made concerning the Gender Recognition Act. The Gender Recognition Act was brought in back in 2015 and allowed binary trans people to be legally recognised as their gender. However, the act did not address non-binary people nor people under the age of 16 who wish to change their gender. A Review Group to assess the function of the act was set up by the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection Regina Doherty. Using their recommendations, the Irish government has decided to make a number of changes to the act, mainly with the intended purpose of simplifying transitioning. However, Transgender Equality

Network Ireland (TENI) and BeLonG To released a statement following the government’s announcement to express some of their concerns. “While welcoming the proposed amendments, we are deeply disappointed that the government did not take this opportunity to implement all the recommendations in the Review Report,” they said. They said it was “a missed opportunity for Ireland to continue to set the highest standard in human rights, with legislation that recognises and protects the human rights and equality of every citizen, irrespective of age or gender identity.” The transgender healthcare campaign This Is Me similarly welcomed some of the changes, but “utterly condemned” the government’s rejection of numerous proposals. “However, we understand that Minister Regina Doherty will be carrying out interdepartmental works from now to ultimately active non-binary recognition and clearer pathways for U16s,” they said.

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) made similar statements during this year’s Pink Training. Pink Training is an annual meetup of all USI-affiliated colleges and their respective LGBTQ+ societies. Held between November 29th and December 1st in Galway City, most of the workshops took place on November 30th. The workshops themselves ranged from topics such as “polyamory” to “non-binary 101” to “decolonising LGBT”. Over 300 students attended from across the island. In a statement concerning the review, the USI said: “The government must listen to the LGBT+ community, they must implement the changes necessary to make Ireland a society where no one is oppressed because of their gender or sexuality.” “These students [those at Pink Training] will campaign to ensure the lived experiences of trans and non-binary people are listened to and acted upon by the Government.”

News

The law and politics of single-use plastic

seminar on plastic reduction policies was held in the U on Wednesday last. The talk combines business, science and law to explain to the audience as consumers of plastic about the biological effects some plastics may have on your own body, the current implementation for single-use plastic reductions and how you yourself can help to reduce your single-use plastic consumption. Pamela Ozores-Diez, one of the panellists, went into detail about the chemicals released by the additives, used to change the colour for example, of some plastics. She discussed how, under stress, the additives, leaks chem-

icals into the environment, how that disrupts the environment and how it can affect our health. These additives can cause develop-

mental and behavioural issues; diabetes and obesity; cancer; and infertility. Paul McDonald, the Principal Policy Officer at the Department of Com-

Credit: Niamh Quinlan

Niamh Quinlan | Deputy Lifestyle Editor

munications, Climate Action and Environment, discussed the Climate Action Plan 2019, published in June of this year. He focused on waste management, how commercial industries are doing a lot and what we ourselves can do to cut down on plastic uses. Using the example of a hard, heavy plastic printer, he criticised our “take, make and throw it away” attitude. “It’s not sustainable,” he said, “[to] take something out of the ground, make something with it, when it’s done, you [throw] it away.” Currently, Ireland is meeting a lot of targets with regard “recycling and so on,” however our downfall is single-use plastics. Ireland is paired with Estonia in claiming the title of the two biggest users of plastic packaging in the EU.

Dr Diarmuid Torney, an Associate Professor at the school and Law of Government in DCU discussed the current reactions of consumers and their needed actions in response to the current implementations against single-use plastics. He raised the point of the possibility that any coffee cup levy could be “absorbed” into the actual price of the coffee and consumers simply paying the extra cent, and they regarding it as just the price of coffee going up. While revering the use of reusable cups, he reminded his audience that if a reusable cup is where the consumer public stops then “we are in more trouble than we [thought].” The event was organised by the Dublin Law and Politics Review, as part of their series of monthly seminars on “Policies in Perspective.”

National Transport Authority plan to replace Leap Cards

eap cards will be a thing of the past come 2027, according to the new plans of the National Transport Authority. In order to decrease schedule delays caused by paying fares on Dublin Bus and interacting with the driver, a new ticketing system will allow commuters to pay for their journey in various ways, making leap card obsolete. Leap cards will be replaced by the ability to pay for travel through mobile phones, bank cards, contactless bank cards or official ID. All of these forms of payment require user data so the anonymous option is through QR codes or some sort of electronic token. This is part of advancing the NTAs implementation of an Account Based

Ticketing across all major transport networks, including Dublin Bus, DART and the Luas. The NTA said that 20 per cent of journeys are still paid for in cash which is the second biggest cause of traffic delays and timetable disruption. Although this system may reduce time delays caused by interactions with the driver, some commuters are not convinced that this system change will solve the issues with Dublin Bus timetables. “Buses factor in traffic time but they don’t factor in the time it takes to get people on the bus. I think this would be a good change but I think there are other things that they need to do first. They need to get more buses on the road and they need to take a long look at what routes really need them” said Aoife McMahon who commutes from Lusk to DCU every morning.

Credit: Ruairi Carberry

Isabella Finn | Illustrations Editor @isabellafarfalla

Mark Brien who also attends DCU doesn’t think the ABT will have a beneficial change “phasing out the leap cards won’t have much of an impact, that’s not where the problem lies with transport in Ireland. It’s more down to the amount of buses and the timing of the routes than people paying with coins”. An NTA spokesperson said “even with Leap Card, the complexity of stages means a large percentage of passengers have to interact with the driver with resultant delays at bus stops due to the fact that the NTA does not currently have flat fare and operate a tag-on only system”. ABT is said to be helpful for tourists availing of public transport but this announcement is not the preferred advancement in in Irish Transport that commuters wished to see first.

Áine O’Boyle | Deputy Editor and Arts Editor @aineoboyle99

even families of asylum seekers are being moved into apartments in Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim, following controversial protests surrounding the matter. On Thursday, November 28th, Minister of State, David Staunton met with representatives from the Ballinamore community. Minister Staunton described the meeting as “very constructive and open” and welcomed the “positive progress” made at the meeting. In total, 27 people are set to take up residence in the 25-bed apartment complex in the Rock Quarter. Early in November locals received the news that the vacant apartments

would be used to accommodate up to 130 asylum seekers, prompting heated debate and around the clock protests outside the apartment complex. The number of asylum seekers going to Ballinamore was cut down by the Department of Justice from the original 130 to 27. One of the leaders of the protest group, Gordon Hughes said: “at no stage did the town say no to asylum seekers, it was about being proportionate”. The protest eventually came to a halt once the owners of the apartment complex secured an injunction against the protestors, preventing them from interfering with works to complete the structure. On October 27th, the car of Sinn Fein TD, Martin Kenny, was set on fire outside his home, in retaliation for speaking out against the protest.

At the time of the protests, a spokesperson said that the group are not anti-immigration, but were protesting over the fact that the current direct provision system is not fit for the needs of asylum seekers. According to the Department of Justice and Equality, there are “no plans, whatsoever, to open any other accommodation centres in Ballinamore, other than the existing 25 Rock Quarter apartments, which will cater exclusively for families”. The apartments set aside for the seven families to move into are a significant improvement on the direct provision accommodation that has been condemned by human rights activists over the decades. According to Irish Times journalist, Kitty Holland: “The apartments are bright, warm and well finished. Each

Credit: Brian Farrell

Seven families to be homed in Leitrim Direct Provision by Christmas

is fully furnished and kitted out with kitchen appliances, bedding, crockery and cutlery. Families will have independence, privacy and a semblance of normality.” “Each has a small garden area as

well as balconies with views over the town. A management office on-site will help residents with issues like enrolling in school and accessing GP services, as well as providing security.”

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DCU study highlights the 25,000 social impact of dual diagnosis on housing tenants community level to be affected by

Áine O’Boyle | Deputy Editor and Arts Editor @aineoboyle99

CU researchers have conducted a study on the community impact of Dual Diagnosis, a combination of substance abuse and mental health difficulties. The study was carried out in conjunction with the Finglas Addiction Support Team with its purpose being to examine the ways in which Dual Diagnosis can be addressed at both community and organisational level. Participants from the communities of Cabra and Finglas were involved in the study, and attended open forums where they shared their personal experiences with the researchers. According to DCU researcher and programme chair of the BSc in Mental Health Nursing, Dr Denise Proudfoot: “We were really pleased with the community engagement in both Finglas

and Cabra in relation to the topic and study. These are the people who are dealing with the realities of dual diagnosis every day. “Involving community stakeholders from the outset meant that this research considered their needs in relation to dual diagnosis and identified ways that these communities and local organisations can begin to address this complex issue in tandem with structural and policy changes.” People Before Profit Councillor, Melissa Halpin said: “It is tragic how the many, many people who suffer from both these diagnoses find it impossible to get the supports they need.” “Often because their problems with addiction can mask an underlying mental health illness and, unfortunately, also because there is sometimes blatant discrimination against those who struggle with addiction.” Groups such as Dual Diagnosis Ireland (DDI) have campaigned for a more holistic approach to these issues,

working to change the attitudes of individuals and communities alike. For Dun Laoghaire woman, Marie O’Keeffe, she soon became aware of the issue of Dual Diagnosis following the death of her son last year. Seán O’Keeffe passed away following passed away following an accidental overdose after giving up on health services and going cold turkey from methadone in an attempt to heal himself. Speaking of the work of DDI, Marie O’Keeffe said: “Although I was not aware of this organisation previously it highlighted all the difficulties I had experienced in trying to get proper help for my son Sean who lived with me and struggled with severe anxiety.” The DCU study on dual diagnosis concluded that the needs of those living with Dual Diagnosis are as complex as those with other health and social issues and that Dual Diagnosis itself has far reaching affects, not only on a personal level, but on a community level too.

or not to take industrial action in the new year. The IMO’s key demands include an immediate increase in the number of Consultants employed, and an end to pay inequality based on when they were employed. An IMO spokesperson said there will be no action until the end of January, to “allow hospitals to cope with what is, traditionally, the most difficult month of the year.” The spokesperson said they hope strike action is not necessary, but that depends on Minister for Health, Simon Harris and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. Government reports previously highlighted the unequal pay of Consultants as a factor in the recruitment and

retention of Consultants and NCDH, but have yet to offer a serious proposal to end the pay discrimination. The spokesperson said, “The IMO remains ready to constructively engage, but the ball is in the Government’s court.” The payment inequality is partly due to a 30 per cent reduction in salary for new entrant Consultants from 2012. “It’s Government policy that is putting patients at risk every day,” said the IMO spokesperson.” Our hospitals are at breaking point, the course of action that we are pursuing is Doctors saying, ‘enough is enough’.” There was public outrage at the start of December, when a photo of 90-year-old Ann Talty leaning over a hospital trolley went viral on Twitter. Talty, a retired shopkeeper, endured a two-day wait on a trolley in University Hospital Limerick according to the Independent. The hospital recorded a new high of 85 patients on trolleys. Former President of the IMO, and member of its Consultants’ Committee, Dr Matthew Sadlier said Irish Doctors were “left with no choice” but to ballot, due to the Government’s refusal to address recruitment problems facing Ireland, and the “unjustifiable pay disparity” of Consultants. “Talk of reform is a smoke screen for the crisis that is happening now,” he said in an IMO press release. “We have already lost one generation of doctors to emigration and we cannot let that happen again.”

rent increases

Sally Dobie | Production & Podcast Editor @Sarah_or_Sally

ith record numbers of patients on trolleys and over 750,000 patients on waiting lists, the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) said last week “enough is enough”. The IMO issued ballots to members last week seeking a mandate for industrial action and are “very confident” the ballot will pass. Consultant and Non-Consultant Hospital Doctor (NCHD) members of the IMO will be able to vote until Tuesday December 17th on whether

Credit: Paul Chiasson

Credit: Chloe Rooney

Record number of patients waiting on hospital trolleys

Rachel Power | Advertising and Marketing Executive @Rachel_M_Power

ublin City Council will be increasing their rent costs by €160 annually from next year, affecting nearly twenty-five thou-

sand tenants. The city council plan to raise the rent costs by January 2020, after releasing a report that stated they are almost €33 million in debt as a result of unpaid rents. A spokesperson for St Vincent De Paul (SVP) said that “there is often a lack of joined-up thinking in government policy which can leave people worse off.” They continued that the charity had recently had a case brought to them regarding a woman who was a “lone parent lost entitlement to child benefit,” despite her son still being in secondary school. During this time, the woman who was not named, became significantly worse off regarding money as her local authority rent had increased as well, which she said left her “struggling to put food on the table.” These rent increases come as part of a number of proposed charges in Dublin city that will affect certain areas such as commercial rates and increases in the East Link toll bridge in addition

to rise in rents. A number of councillors opposed these increases which resulted in a debate regarding the proposals being adjourned two weeks ago, according to a report by RTE. Nease Hourigan from the Green Party described the budget plan as a ‘financial sleight of hand by Fine Gael,” and that the rise in rental costs will result in a “black hole” in the finances of the city, resulting in every person in Dublin suffering. The increase will affect over 24,000 people living in council tenancies from next year onwards. SVP stated that local authority rents, such as those of the councils are vital to ensure properties are maintained and for the “provision of local amenities,” but also that it should be of “paramount importance to keep people in their homes,” to the council. They said that homelessness has a detrimental impact on children and families, but the cost of providing emergency accommodation to those suffering is far greater in cost. SVP advise tenants to contact their local authorities if they encounter difficulties in payments and provide support and help for anyone with concerns. Councillors were meant to have met on December 1 to reach a decision, but statements are yet to be released about the meeting.

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Aoife O’Brien | News Editor @obrienaoife1

CU will double the number of summer work placements on offer to students from disadvantaged backgrounds through its Access to the Workplace Programme in 2020. Results from an evaluation of the programme’s pilot in 2019 show that 39 participating companies provided 50 DCU Access students with summer work placements. This amounted to 440 weeks of quality work experience in a professional enviroment and collective earnings of €180,000. 94 per cent of the students who participated in the pilot said they would have been unable to achieve

an equivalent placement through their own networks. The Access to the Workplace pilot programme also raised an additional €395,000 to support the provision of scholarships for DCU Access students, with all 39 partner companies making a philanthropic contribution to DCU Educational Trust’s Access Scholarship Programme. DCU runs Ireland’s largest university access programme, which currently supports 1,158 students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds to attend the university. Research released by the Higher Education Authority in 2019 revealed that, when all other factors are equal after graduation, students from disadvantaged areas continue to earn less than students from more affluent areas. Access to the Workplace is an addi-

tional support to address this by improving the employability and future career prospects of Access students. Head of DCU’s Access Service who spoke at the launch on the Access to the Workplace Programme for 2020 in DCU said, “In our experience, Access students tend to lack the familial and professional networks that can help to secure paid summer work placements of relevance to their degree. With financial pressure to save for the upcoming academic year, Access students have no choice but to opt for paid manual or service industry employment over unpaid professional summer internships,” she said. “This can later put them at a disadvantage when competing for the best INTRA work placements during their degree or for graduate programmes against peers with professional work

Credit: DCU

DCU double the number of placements on its Access to the Workplace Programme

experience,” she continued. Third year Multimedia student, Laura Scanlon who is part of the Access programme said, “My degree in Multimedia doesn’t include an internship so summer is a critical time for me to gain experience and develop my CV. I had looked into summer internships but they were mostly unpaid and this

just wasn’t an option for me. Through my Access to the Workplace placement I had paid summer employment with a creative print and signage company, Neogen, and was able to gain valuable experience working on graphic design projects that have helped me to build my portfolio.”

Affordable child care essential for Colleges join forces gender equality in the workplace to create College

ffordable childcare and shared parental leave will help promote gender equality in the workplace a new survey has found. A discussion was held at the inaugural #WorkEqual conference which took place on November 27th, regarding affordable and accessible childcare provisions, as well as an optional shared paternal leave in the first year of a baby’s life in order to achieve workplace equality. The #WorkEqual is an annual campaign run by the Dress for Success Dublin (DFSD) charity which aims to raise awareness about gender inequalities in the workplace. Just under 90 per cent of delegates at the conference said that gender inequality existed in the Irish workplace, with more than 60 participants from the public and private sector and non-governmental organisations took part in the survey.

Survey respondents were presented with potential measures and had to rate them in order of their impact. Rounding out the top five measures included a legal requirement for companies to disclose their gender pay gap data, greater take- up of paternity leave with employers encouraging more men to avail of their full paternity leave entitlements and offered career support for women during and after maternity leave. Having more women in a leadership position in Irish society was regarded as the least effective measure in promoting gender equality in the workplace. Speaking at the conference Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar revealed how the government is determined to promote and encourage workplace equality. “We’re increasing State subsidies for childcare to make it more affordable, improving parental leave entitlements and we’re enacting new legislation aimed at closing the gender pay gap.” The Citizens’ Assembly on gender

equality will be set up next year and chaired by Dr Catherine Day, the first woman to hold that post. The Assembly will especially examine pay inequalities across the economy Mr Varadkar pointed out that female workers are effectively “working for nothing” from November 11th given the pay gap between men and women in Ireland. Finishing the conference, Sonya Lennon, the founder of DFSD, the charity behind the #WorkEqual campaign, said “We all know about the huge benefits that accrue – both societally and commercially – when women are able to access work and progress their careers on an equal footing with men” Ms Lennon ensured everyone that they will be working with policymakers and the government over the coming years to implement solutions to gender equality in the workplace and to ensure it becomes “truly accessible and equal for both women and men”.

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Anja Zauers | Social Media Editor @anja_zs

Connect initiative

Megan Jones | Deputy News Editor @Meganjones06

CUAthlone IT, Dundalk IT and Maynooth University have joined forces to create a programme aimed at increasing participation in Higher Level education for those who are currently under-represented. The aim of the Collect Connect initiative is to have 400 students from these underrepresented groups enrolled in higher-level education by the end of the programme. The specific target groups that College Connect wants to focus on are the Irish Travelling Community, one-parent families, young people who have been in care, people with disabilities and refugees. The programme, which is funded by the Higher Education Authority (HEA), is a 3-year PATH (Programme for Access To Higher Education) project. College Connect is focusing on what is known as the MEND area, which includes the Midlands, the East and the North Dublin Area. According to collegeconnect.ie, the new website which was launched on November 20, the programme will analyse the needs of these communities within the MEND area. Based on the results of this analysis, it will “design creative interventions” with their target groups and stakeholders, such as community organisations and local authorities.

College Connect hopes that these “interventions” will raise the ambitions of those in underrepresented groups, boost their education and increase their awareness about college. College Connect also states that they will help those who take part in the scheme to develop skills they need in higher education and the workplace. Anthony Burrowes, one of the Outreach Officers for College Connect who is based in DCU, believes this new partnership will empower future students to make informed choices and fulfil their potential. “Our mission is to change who goes to college by working together as education providers and communities,” he said. Another aspect of the College Connect initiative is the mentoring strand, which introduces students involved with the programme to people from similar underrepresented communities who are currently studying in Higher Education. “The aim of the mentoring is to support people from the communities to explore if college is for them. Mentoring is a space of trust, where potential students can meet their peers who are in college,” said Burrows. “This is where the saying “if you can see it, you can be it” takes place,”. As for the new website, it claims to be “jargon-free” and easy to navigate, with the aim of inspiring future students to consider college as an achievable option. It also lists the varied routes and financial support available to get to college.

Students blast Staff revolt due to University of Limerick Trinity College over Erasmus restructuring plans

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confusion

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Rachel Power | Advertising and Marketing Executive @Rachel_M_Power

Clara Kelly | Comment Editor @clarabkelly

anagement at the University of Limerick (UL) is facing an academic revolt after 50 professors signed a letter calling for the suspension of restructuring at the college. Over 300 University of Limerick staff members gathered at a public meeting last week to discuss the university’s restructural proposal. The meeting was followed by a letter to the chancellor Mary Harney, signed by 50 professors at UL looking for the reorganisation proposals to be paused by the Governing body. The letter suggested they pause the plans to “instruct that reorganisation proposals are only tabled after a thorough review of the academic structures demonstrates that a change in the organisation of academic work is necessary.” The letter stated, they are not

against reorganisation, simply concerned due to “rushed reorganisation” which had not been “justified adequately.” Colin Lynch, Academic Officer for the University of Limerick Students’ Union told The College View, “The academic staff were correct in showing concern as the whole proposal seemed to be a tad rushed.” He added that, “the staff and students need more of a consultation period” on the matter. UL-Unite secretary Ger Slattery led the information exchange meeting in which many staff members expressed their concerns surrounding the restructuring. According to the Limerick Leader, Slattery told staff at the meeting, “plans come and go, but the staff remain.” “The staff is an enduring feature of the university which have in-depth, highly refined commitment to their service” he added. UL-Unite currently has over 700 members, accounting for almost 60

percent of the university’s 1,600 staff. UL-Unite will meet with the university’s HR department in the coming weeks with the aim of delaying the consultation period of the proposed restructuring. The proposal is currently scheduled to be brought before UL’s Governing Authority on January 31, 2020. A fourth year student at the University who wished to remain anonymous, said “everyone’s been against it so far to be honest, it makes no sense.” The student told how a large concern for the students is transport to the proposed city location, “seeing as transport is bad in Limerick as well it’s a waste of money.” The student, originally from Dublin said that the college is “already on a very large campus” and that “spreading it further just isn’t ideal.” The College View reached out to the UL press office for comment, but were told the University would be issuing no comments or statements on the situation.

Chairman of Bus Eireann, Aidan Murphy stated that the company is “very pleased to be awarded the new contract,” and believes it shows a “very strong recognition of the high standards of service,” that the company has provided over the last five years. He continued that they are “grateful that the NTA have entrusted us to continue delivering public transport services nationwide.” The National Transport Authority (NTA) funds companies that provide necessary public transport services in Ireland. These services are known as Public Service Obligations (PSO’s) by the

NTA, and can be awarded two types of such contracts either directly or competitively tendered for. The chief executive officer of the NTA, Anne Graham said that “PSO bus routes provide a very important public service to communities all over Ireland.” “Customers expect and deserve a safe, reliable and quality bus service,” which she stated the NTA are “challenging Bus Eireann to meet those expectations.” These PSO contracts set strict standards of performance and customer service and can result in penalties for companies who do not perform prop-

tudents at Trinity College lashed out at the university offices for their “astounding” lack of coordination regarding their Erasmus programmes. The University Times reported that the application deadline for a Study Abroad scheme, which is the nonEU equivalent to an Erasmus, was November 29. But students stated that the college departments did little to communicate about how to apply. Students across the university felt that the application process was complicated and left many aspects unexplained. Louisa Klatt, the psychology convenor for Trinity College Students’ Union told the University Times that she has had “people asking me about the grade requirement,” but the fact that they don’t know anything about it is a reason why “they don’t apply.” Students applying for an Erasmus had to obtain a nomination from their department Erasmus coordinator, but students found they were given conflicting information on how to obtain these. Oliver Ryan, a third-year political science and history student emailed the University Times and stated that he was only made aware that he would be unable to do “modules in the Hamburg political science department.” This came to his attention a week

before he was due to leave for Hamburg and will “prohibit [me] from majoring in political science in my final year.” Trinity College’s student mobility officer Elina Mats said that “two major information sessions were held on the 5th and 7th of November,” and were promoted throughout the campus and on social media. “We believe students were provided with comprehensive information,” stated Mats and added that the information was available on the universities website. However, some students that are now abroad described the experience as “traumatic” with one student stating that they were told in sessions regarding the programme that, “the number one person responsible for your exchange is you.” Sadhbh McGarry, a third-year law student in Maynooth applied for her Erasmus programme and found the process different to the difficulty Trinity students have experienced. She said that she had to meet with a coordinator and make an application listing her top three universities and a 500-word essay on why she chose the one she wanted most. “It was easy enough,” she said, and has since been approved for an Erasmus programme. Students have said that the lack of information provided about organising their own Erasmus programmes from their respective departments, has put them off participating in schemes in the future.

Bus Eireann awarded €800 million to improve services across the country Rachel Power | Advertising and Marketing Excutive @Rachel_M_Power

us Eireann were awarded a contract for five years worth over €800 million by the National Transport Authority. This contract began on Sunday, December 1 and will include the continuation of servicing roughly 218 transport routes across the country. An estimation of around 220 million people will use the service to journey throughout the country over the course of the five year contract.

erly, according to the NTA. The contract aims to develop an integrated transport system that will contribute to environmental sustainability and social unity as well as promoting economic progress. It also has set targets to improve access to the transport system and improving public passenger transport services in particular to those who suffer with disabilities, according to the contract made available by the NTA. The contract to Bus Eireann consists of two parts of improvement, one of which will be an award of certain routes to the company. The NTA will approve any fare changes that are proposed under this

new contract before they become implemented. It will also continue the provision of services throughout the country with 21 routes being available in Cork, eight available in Limerick city, seven routes in Galway city and five throughout Waterford city excluding Tramore. Services will maintain their schedules throughout weekdays. .

The complex case of Lisa Smith

Roisin Cullen discusses the repatriation of Lisa Smith and its consequences

eath threats via voice message to a UCC lecturer on Contemporary Islam. Viral hate videos orchestrated by what are now well known social media presences. Anti-Islamic flyers distributed outside a refugee centre in Roscommon. The repatriation of Lisa Smith threatens to only fuel this hatred and prejudice further. The former member of the Irish Defence Forces turned Islamic state bride’s arrival on the runway at Dublin Airport threatens to further advance the idea of “us” versus “them”. Petitions against refugees, closed Facebook groups and tricolours raised by anti-immigration activists have become commonplace in some rural Irish towns. We are a country that prides itself on its “céad míle fáilte”. These one hundred thousand welcomes are of course offered to American tourists visiting Killarney via jaunting cart and multi-national company conferences that book into Dublin hotels. However, our wel-

comes often fall short when it comes to those who come to the country seeking help, especially for those who do not possess that all important Irish passport. Lisa Smith has the right to return home because she possesses a small red booklet with a gold symbolic harp, the document that declares that she is a citizen of Éire. When in the defence forces Smith worked on government trips with Mary McAleese and Bertie Ahern. “I liked Bertie. He was very sound. Mary McAleese, she was down to earth as well,” Smith said. She is an Irish woman from Dundalk, that admitted to having a “party girl” lifestyle before she converted to Islam. To date, Smith has failed to apologise for her actions or condemn the actions of the Islamic state. However, at the centre of this case is also a child, an innocent child with Irish citizenship. This child should be afforded all the possibilities the Irish education system and government can provide. Other countries though have refused entry to their citizens that have had similar links to the Islamic State. In 2014 amendments were made to Brit-

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Smith has failed to apologise for her actions or condemn the actions of the Islamic state

ish Law that led to UK born Shamima Begum’s citizenship being revoked. Zehra Duman, the Melbourne schoolgirl dubbed “Australia’s first ISIS bride” also found out that she would never be returning home. In the next few weeks we will find out the fate of Lisa Smith. Yet, it has brought into question what it means to be an Irish citizen. Is citizenship completely defined by a red booklet with a harp? Is that piece of paper everlasting or is citizenship a luxury that can be

revoked? Is it a country’s responsibility to deal with their own citizens and not ship them off to other states? Our history is deep rooted in emigration; boarding coffin ships in the hope of a better life. If we have “room” for an Islamic State bride surely we can find appropriate housing for the men, women and children that are currently fleeing war and famine and seeking refuge on our shores.

Credit: BBC

Roisin Cullen| Contributor

White-water rafting, anyone? We must take care of larger economic issues before starting to invest in recreational facilities says Clara Kelly

ublin City County Council have released mockups of a proposed a new white water rafting facility in the IFSC at Dublin’s docklands earlier this week. The council shared a tweet about the facility that would cost 22 million euro, and take 18 months to build on November 27th. And, Twitter users were quick to push back at the idea, but why? To put it simply, spending such a large sum of tax-payer money on a recreational activity in Ireland’s current climate, can seem more than a little colourblind. Especially, while Ireland’s homelessness problem and housing crisis continue to rage on. As the former Lord Mayor of Dublin, Nial Ring, so eloquently put it, “What’s the genesis of this? Whose baby is this? Who has decided the north inner city needs white-water rafting? . . . I can’t honestly support it at this stage, I think it could be a white elephant.”

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These things simply can't take precedence over our city's many larger issues

Credit: Dorman Engineering

Clara Kelly | Comment Editor @clarabkelly

However, following a change in the council’s composition council they have made a fresh attempt to develop the facility, much to public dismay. In a perfect world, Dublin should be able to have extra commodities, white water rafting amongst them. However, these things simply can’t take precedence over our city’s many larger issues. As a country, we are currently 56.7 per cent above the EU average for housing costs and second on the Eurostat list of housing costs above EU norms. Meanwhile, there were 10,397 people homeless in the week of September 23 – 29 September 2019 across Ireland. Making it pretty hard to justify spending such a huge chunk of money, on white water rafting. Part of the issue is the way in which the council went about it, “white water rafting, anyone?” is arguably one of the most obnoxious phrases in the English language. When suggesting a new city proposal, sounding like a group of private school kids on summer holidays probably won’t help your case when pitching the idea to the public, a majority of whom are suffering first hand

in Dublin’s housing crisis. The government said that it will fund the majority of costs through grants, and it is proposed in an area already overpopulated with accommodations. They have also said that the site will be a point of tourism for the city. However, the question remains, do the pros outweigh the cons? It seems unlikely and we have to approach the idea with a healthy amount of skepticism. It is likely that the area would gather tourists, but 22 million euro worth? While it’s not impossible that eventually, they would make their money back on the investment, it is also unlikely. Ireland’s weather means white water rafting is not always going to be a feasible activity. And, the site is in close proximity to the River Liffey where people can already pay to boat down the river. There’s a plethora of pros and cons to the proposal, but the ends simply does not justify the means. And, with Dublin’s current economic situation, recreational facilities simply must come secondary.

Comment

The farmer protests: were their methods flawed? Roisin Maguire asks if the ends justified the means for the Irish farmers protests

Mass consumerism is negatively impacting mental health and the environment

Ross Boyd discusses the problems associated with mass consumerism Ross Boyd | Contributor

Roisin Maguire| Lifestyle editor @roisinmaguire109

armers from all over the country protested outside Leinster House causing closed roads and traffic jams. The purpose of this protest was to encourage the Government to resolve the issues between beef farmers and meat factories. This problem has been happening for months with some factories temporarily closing down due to the farmer protests. This meant staff in these factories were temporarily laid off which is unfair because these people are in no way related to the cause of any of these tensions meaning some found it difficult to pay mortgages and feed their families for a number of weeks. These meat factories took several cases to court and Minister Michael Creed required both sides to stand down. The farmers agreed to stop the blockade and the factories dropped the cases but the farmers didn’t stop that easily resulting in the protesting outside Leinster House. The row stemmed from farmers who said that the price they were receiving for their beef was not profitable and that they wanted the price to be increased. These demands were not met, of course. The question is how do we decide who is in the right and who is in the wrong or are both in the wrong. The farmers want more money for the beef they provide which is fair because they are the primary producers of beef which is sold to factories and then to retailers.

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The actions of the farmers could be justified however Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was unhappy that some people’s commute to work was impeded by them

credit: Washiwahwah

C However, the price that farmers are paid depends on the price that retailers are giving to factories and with the likes of Aldi and Lidl who provide very cheap beef all year round, it is understandable that some factories are paying farmers very little. This does not mean that it is acceptable as there are many retailers that sell beef taking into consideration who need to be paid for their work such as SuperValu or Dunnes Stores. Another reason as to why these farmers protested last week is because some are claiming that certain factories are still going ahead with their court cases even though they agreed to drop them. In this case, the actions of the farmers could be justified however Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was unhappy that some people’s commute to work was impeded by them. He said: “...I was very disappointed to see the scenes on the TV the other day, of people impeded from doing their day’s work – being jostled outside that building. I don’t think that’s the way to go.” However, the Government is not innocent in all of this as it is their job to regulate and to maximize agricultural output whether it is beef, dairy or sheep. However, what they need to deal with at the same time is regulating the agriculture industry while thinking of the planet and some think this means the meat industry will decline. We also need to consider how people are eating less meat which means farmers might need to find another way of finding an income that is environmentally friendly.

hristmas is finally here. Which, apart from colder nights, the visit of Santa Claus and the unrealistic list of New Year’s Resolutions mean that you can finally relax from the mass consumerism that you have participated in for the past four months. With the Christmas sales merging into Black Friday, Cyber Monday and well into August apparently, what is the impact of this on ourselves and the people around us? PWC Ireland estimates that on Black Friday, consumers in Ireland will spend two hundred and fifty-one euro per person, on one day, with most young people choosing to buy clothing and accessories, to keep up with trends. Yet, in comparison to twenty years ago, we only keep what we buy half as long as we did twenty years ago. Textile production created more greenhouse gases than all international flights and maritime shipping, combined. Inditex, one of the many producers of garments, made one and a half billion garments in 2018, and when you consider that one pair of jeans use eleven thousand litres of water, the environmental impact is astronomical. What is not as often taken into account however, is the mental health impact it has, both on the consumers and workers to ensure you get your product. In the USA, Walmart, rather than paying their staff extra for working at such an intense time, offered a 10 per cent discount to shop at their own place of work. Naturally, only on certain days and only if you worked all that time, and taking sick leave excludes you from it. Kasser in his book "The High Price of Materialism", showed that when people organised their goals through product acquisition, they reported greater unhappiness in relationships, poorer moods and more psychological problems. With particularly poorer mental health supports for young people in Ireland, this is likely to be accentuated into impulsive buying, where you see that one product you ‘have’ to get, only to never use ever again, and have a less happier bank balance, meaning you need to work more in that part time job, which increases less free time, more stress, less study and a spiral of unhappiness. So, how do we respond as consumers to this mass consumerism plaguing

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Walmart, rather than paying their staff extra for working at such an intense time, offered a 10 per cent discount to shop at their own place of work our society? In response to Black Friday, local businesses in Ireland have organised a “Green Friday”, where they encourage people to shop local and more sustainable, while still giving discounts on popular goods. In relation to ourselves, pacing is necessary in order to shop better. Asking yourself, if I really need that discounted pullover, blouse or shoes, or would that spare bit of clothing get some more Vitamin D? The rise of minimalism, where you only get what you need, has shaped a response that rejects the neo-liberal mass consumerism in favour of thrift shops, that finally Macklemore can get his praise of being a trendsetter. If the rage of missing out on a good deal or wanting to be more sustainable this coming period is you, then take that step back from buying or do it more locally, it just might be the remedy you need.

Comment

What the Prince Andrew interview reveals about the royal family

Shauna Power discusses what the interview reveals about the British monarchy

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s the controversy surrounding Prince Andrew’s friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein continues, the royal family are at the centre of the scandal. Prince Andrew’s disastrous interview with BBC Newsnight where he denied Epstein’s accuser Virginia Robert’s claim that she had a sexual encounter with the royal at age 17, has forced the prince to quit his royal duties in disgrace. The interview has brought a whirlwind of negative coverage to the royal family, prompted companies to cut ties to the prince’s charities and rekindled calls for the prince to testify to the FBI about his former friend Epstein. It has also presented the royal family with a massive PR problem. How do they handle Prince Andrew, Britain’s trade ambassador and fourth in line to the throne? The royal family have a tendency to ignore problems before it’s too late and they blow up into a major scandal. If we look back to the scandal with the abdication of King Edward, the var-

Credit: WikiMedia Commons

Shauna Power | Contributor

ious affairs of Princess Margaret and the death of princess Diana, all were mis-handled. The queen was slow to acknowledge the public grief over Diana’s death which affected her image and this time around, the scandal can’t be ignored. BBC journalist Emily Maitlis’ relentless grilling of the prince was supposed to do the opposite of what it did. It was supposed to be an opportunity to put to bed the accusations against

the prince but instead has triggered a full blown royal crisis. Viewers were shocked and disgusted at his lack of sympathy for Epstein’s victims as well as his odd assertions such as that he had been medically unable to perspire during his stint during the Falklands War. In May 2006 an arrest warrant was made for Epstein, In July the prince invited him to his daughters’ birthday at Windsor castle. Then in 2010, after

They knew the facts years before the public did yet he only resigned four days after the interview aired

Epstein was released from prison, the prince was photographed with him in Central Park in New York. In May 2006, the palace should’ve stepped in, but nothing happened. The royal family knew of Prince Andrew’s friendship with Epstein before he was accused and convicted. They knew the facts years before the public did yet Prince Andrew only resigned four days after the BBC Newsnight interview aired. The reputation of the monarchy has been upended by the most recent series of events. Prince Andrew is not charged with any wrongdoing but with the BBC airing an interview with Giuffre on December 2nd, this will no doubt add fuel the fire. Prince Andrew’s shady performance in the BBC interview has triggered a full blown royal crisis and although he has agreed to help US authorities with their investigation, there can’t be much confidence in his ability to handle an interview with FBI agents or trained lawyers. The royal family’s image has been tainted and the decision to remove him from public duties was abrupt, yet buys time for the palace to try and rehabilitate his image.

UK election: One side offers a vision for the future, the other just offers Brexit

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Calum Atkinson| Deputy Comment Editor @CalumAtkinson

he UK election campaign has been very interesting to observe for a combination of reasons. Brexit is front and centre of all debates, the party leaders are divisive, and the future of the UK just seems so uncertain. I have been most struck by the fact that it has demonstrated a wider trend where almost all the big ideas for the future are coming from the left. Don’t take my word for it, this is a point that was made by Andrew Neil of the BBC in a viral interview with the American conservative Ben Shapiro. “Haven’t the conservatives ran out of ideas,” Neil said talking about American politics. “All the new policies, Medicare for all, the green new deal and a $15 minimum wage are all coming from the left and they’re popular,” he added. Traditional conservative policies are no longer popular or relevant in

the modern world. There is a dearth of new ideas coming from conservatives to tackle the complex problems the world faces so political parties on the right have evolved to stay relevant. In the American context this manifests itself in the form of Trump. The Republican Party have changed tack by becoming the party of Trump. They have become more openly racist and xenophobic, while also turning their back on some of the free market principles that were their trademark in the past. It’s difficult to know where they go after Trump. In the UK we just have to look at the two main party’s campaigns in this election to see a similar trend. Labour have committed to holding a second Brexit referendum. But their focus is very much on other issues and their manifesto contains a myriad of major policies and projects for the future. These include additional funding for the NHS, an increase in the minimum wage, nationalisation of key industries and aiming for a net-zero carbon energy system by 2040. Labour clearly have a vision and ideas for the future of the country and what they want society to look like in

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Calum Atkinson discusses the UK election and the parties’ contrasting campaigns

20 years. We will find out whether the public like these ideas or believe they are credible when the results come in. On the other hand, it appears the Tories’ strategy is two pronged and focuses on the short term and solely on the issue of Brexit. Firstly, they want to make clear that Boris Johnson is the only man that will deliver Brexit. Secondly, they are attacking the credibility of Labour’s plans and the character of their leader. In the same way Trump has transformed the Republican party I would

argue Brexit has transformed the Tory party and it is difficult to see where it goes after Brexit. The Tories are disregarding the advice of most business leaders as well as pushing to exit an enormous free trading area with the rest of Europe. These are far from traditional conservative ideas but they have no vision and nothing else to offer so they’re hoping that they can capture the hard Brexit vote and stay in power. Time will tell if their strategy pays off.

There is a dearth of new ideas coming from conservatives to tackle the complex problems the world faces

Comment

A war on nicotine is beneficial for the health of young people

A ban on the sale of tobacco and e-cigarettes will be another step in helping society be mature about our attitude towards bad habits says Shane Brennan

Shane Brennan | Deputy Sports Editor @ShaneBrennan247

Image Credit: Pixabay

t seems odd that the generation advocating for more liberal regulation around cannabis use is the same group of people that is showing a growing appetite to clamp down on the use of tobacco and e-cigarettes. Too many of my parent’s generation (or those a bit older, the internet-vilified boomers) it is baffling to see any sense in treating cannabis and tobacco any differently. To them these are both health issues; smokes are actually healthier because they don’t frazzle the mind like weed does, so if we are going to be harder on cigarettes we shouldn’t budge on our war on drugs. The irony, of course, is that these opinions are usually shared as we talk over pints of oh so healthy alcohol, where I remind them that the legalisation of cannabis isn’t a health issue. It’s an issue of crime and sensible drug policy to help reduce addiction to harder drugs; we don’t want to keep

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Moves to make college a smoke free place will change our idea of societal norms, making the smoker think twice about having that next fag

feeding into a system of systemic incarceration and gangland profiteering that is kick-started by recreational use of the class C drug. When I asked my parents why they smoked they said it was because ‘everyone did it’, and any smokers from my school days will tell you that their first taste was from a time when they hung out with a friend or a group that supplied them with their first rollie. Although I am against the idea of a complete tobacco ban - such targets have been set by the government before - I am a supporter of the idea that the Student’s Union should lobby to ban the sale of tobacco and e-cigarettes on campus. Moves to make college a smoke free place will hopefully help make the smoker think twice about having that next fag, and those dangerously close to crossing the line will have another chance to stop and think before they fall into a tar-filled typhoon of nicotine addiction. We must set the precedent that smoking isn’t the norm, especially for young college students, where we can

make falling into that trap a lot less easy than spending your susi money in a machine in the corner of the bar. The referendum could also give the Student’s Union a mandate to do some good work on the ground to help students cope with nicotine addiction. It would be nice to see the SU move away from being a Sinn Fein tribute act, trying to tackle issues too large and too complex for it to make a meaningful impact. And, move into even more programs designed to help the lives of students battling through a tough period of their life, such as helping smokers quit. In a world where high living expenses mean that any obtainable wealth doesn’t bring a young person very far, it is vital that we take charge in prioritizing our health. If we do that, then as students we can say that we did what we could keep our peers in good health during this phase, and give the argumentative among us a greater arsenal of talking points when taking on those boomers.

The difficult question of balance in journalism Tadgh McNally | News Editor @TadghMN

he idea of balance has always been a key part of journalism, with the right of reply being a key tenet for any reporter working in a newsroom. False balance, however, is where stories start to get messy and the reporter’s impartiality comes into question. How do we define false balance though? Through my own understanding, it’s levelling two sets of opposing evidence and weighing them as equals when in fact one has more proof behind it. Take for example, early reporting on climate change. Originally, both broadcast and print media organisations put both sides on a level playing field, despite a larger amount of scientific evidence to support man made climate change. This, at its core is a false balance. Allowing climate change skeptics equal airtime as scientific experts is ludicrous. According to NASA, 97 per cent of all climate scientists agree that man made climate change is real and a risk to the planet. In a journal article in ScienceDirect

called “Beyond False Balance”, the authors see the use of false balance as a “surrogate for validity checks”. While this may be the case in some situations, there is more to this than “journalists aren’t doing enough to ensure the truth is put out”. There does lie a problem with simply identifying the truth for every story though. While journalists who cover certain beats are sure to be knowledgeable about them, you can’t assume that they know the ins and outs of every aspect. For example, even the most savvy science correspondents don’t have all the knowledge on every scientific topic on the face of the planet. While some might be strong reporting on disease and human health, they may fail to fully understand technological advances beyond the surface level. It’s simply too wide a scope. False balance can also be created by the severe constraints that reporters face in modern newsrooms. Many are expected to pump out stories quickly to get them out before other news outlets, and with less sub-editing staff available due to lack of resources, unbalanced stories are more likely to slip through the cracks. But what can media organisations and journalists do to combat this? Re-

porters can undertake what is known as weight of evidence reporting. Rather than giving both sides equal airtime, reporters should use expert opinion and the bulk of evidence to decide how much airtime each gets. Niemen Reports, a renowned organisation of journalism thought leaders, agrees with the use of weight of evidence reporting as it doesn’t completely throw out the idea of using balance in stories, but it refines it down so that stories aren’t 50:50 splits of competing information. It’s important that the concept of impartiality and balance are distinguished from one another. Journalists should take care to ensure impartiality in their reporting, and by using weight of evidence reporting the public will be all the better for it.

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Image Credit: Joy Nwagiriga

Tadgh McNally discusses the idea of balance in reporting

Allowing climate change skeptics equal airtime as scientific experts is ludicrous

Teacht chun cinn saol Instagram An bhfuil na suíomhanna seo contúirteach?

Naoise Darby | Irish Editor

Credit: SelfiePexels

íonn gach duine i gcónaí buartha faoi tuairimí daoine eile, béidir strainséirí, do chairde nó troll ar an idirlíon. Is cuma cén casadh a chuireann tú ar an scéal, tá deinmhniú á lorg ag daoine. Tá bulaíocht ar na suíomhanna meáin shóisialta ach ní féidir i ndáiríre na meáin shóisialta a rialú, dar leo. San alt seo beidh an príomhchúram ar an nimhneach agus na

neamhréalaíoch caighdeáin áilleacht. Tá sé fíorbhrónach go deo go bhfuil cailíní ag iarriadh máinliacht phlaisteach a fháil mar tá na daoine cáiliúila ag athrú rudaí chun cuma níos deise a chuir orthu féin. Is bréag fhollasach é seo agus is sciúrsáil é ar an sláinte mheabhrach agus an féinmhuinín do chailíní timpeall an domhain. Baineann na gnáthdhaoine úsáid as ‘Facetune’ agus rudaí eile cosúil le rige soilsithe agus smideadh proifisiúnta chun pictiúr amháin a fháil. Tá an cuspóir ag ‘Instagramers’ chun saol

iontach, galánta agus foirfe a chuir chun cinn. Is fearr an fhantaisíocht ná déine an tsaoil agus tá na daoine seo saineolaithe sa réimse ‘Instagram’. Tá sláinte mheabhrach na n-ógánach an-tábhachtach agus tá siad ag féachaint ar na pictiúir dochtúireachta seo béidir caoga uair sa lae agus tá damáiste déanta le gach ‘like’ nó cliceáil. Tá an domhan faoi bhrú chun saol foirfe a fháil. Béidir tá an aisling seo gruaig faiseanta, craiceann glan, nó an corp foirge. Tá neart airgid ag na ‘Instagramers’ mar gheall ar urraíocht ó chomhlachtaí móra. Tá sé seafóideach nuair a bhíonn siad ag chuir léirmheasanna lóis choirp abhacáid suas ar’Instagram’ ach tá siad ag seasamh ar foinse mhór millteanach. Ach tá sé seo mí-ionraic agus tá daoine ag iarraidh féachaint cosúil le na ‘Mainicíní Instagram’ mar tá tóir acu. Tá an smaoineamh seo dainséarach do dhaoine óige, tá clisteacht agus cineáltas i bhfad níos tabhachtaí. Ach ar an drochuair tá aonchineálacht níos fearr de réir an sochaí. Tá freagracht an bhfadhb seo ar na suíomhanna difriúla. Tá sé scannalach an méid brabúis a dhéanann siad. Céard faoi na bpáistí? Is furasta rud a chur ina luí ar leanaí. Tá rud éigin

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Ach ar an drochuair tá aonchineálacht níos fearr de réir an sochaí

cearr, nach bhfuil? Tá sonas agus grá áille na háille. Níl máinliacht chosmaideach an réiteach, tá an áilleacht seo gasta. Tá leitheadas beagmhaitheasach agus gruama. Níl na pictiúir seo réadúil nó ionraic. Is scairteadh atá ann, tá na ‘Instagramers’ íospartaigh chomh maith. Is dócha go bhfuil an brú chun saol foirfe a chuir chun cinn tuirsiúil dóibh. Féach ar ‘Snapchat’ chomh maith, tá daoine ag iarraidh saol iontach a chruthú, ach cén fáth? Níl aon duine ar an bpláinéad seo gan locht. Tá an amhránaí Sam Smith dochreidte. Tá siad barántúil agus tá pearsantacht ag baint leo. Tá daoine cosúil leo fíor tábhachtach agus cuireann siad daoine ar a suaimhneas. Bhí go leor daoine óige an bródúil agus iad ag teacht amach. Tá baint mhór ag an éad leis an ngnó seo agus tá go leor bulaíocht ar na suíomhanna difriúil freisin. Bíonn daoine uafásach ar an idirlíon, bíonn siad ag tabhairt ainmneacha ar a chéile. Tá éad i ngach áit ach caithfidh na cailiní agus na buachaillí na bulaithe a bhac.

Realta ag Ardu: Timotheé Chalamet

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Beth Molloy | Irish Editor

á sé ag teacht chun cinn mar réalta scannán agus bhain sé cáil amach do féin le blianta beaga anuas, go háirithe sa scannán Call Me by Your Name. Fuair an scannán moladh ó na léirmheastóirí agus d’inis sé an sceal faoin fear óg agus a theacht in inmhe. Níl hé seo an chéad uair a bhí Chalamet ar ár scáileáin. Rinne sé ról Finn Walden sa sraith scéinséir spiaireachta Homeland. Chomh maith le an fhoireann, ainmníodh Chalamet do Gradam Chumann na nAisteoirí Scáileáin. Sa bhliain 2014 rinné sé pairt don Tom Cooper in Intersteller le Christopher Nolan. Sa bhliain 2017 rinné sé pairt den Kyle Scheible, an leas grá den Saoirse Ronan sa scannán Lady Bird. Fuair sé bualadh bos agus b’iontach an léirriú a rinne sé ar an gcarachtar. Tugadh cuireadh dó páirt a ghlacadh an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences i 2018. An bhliain chéanna bheith i do chomhréalta le Steve Carell sa drámaíocht Beautiful Boy. Mhol Chalamet don Aisteoir Tacaíochta is Fearr ag an Gradam Chumann na nAisteoirí

Scáileáin agus Golden Globe. Tá a cumas aisteoireachta soléir sa greann rómánsúil A Rainy Day in New York. Stiúradh Woody Allen an scannán agus tar eis an chonspóid faoin Allen agus ionsaí gnéis líomhnaithe dheonaigh Chalamet a phá do na carthanas Time’s Up. Rugadh agus togadh sé i gCistinn Ifrinn i Nua-Eabhrac. Chaith sé a shamhradh mar bhuachaill faoin tuaithe na Fraince, mar sin tá Fraincis líofa aige. Tá déshaoránacht aige. Bíonn sé gléast go galánta i gcónaí agus chaith sé leas seichneamh Louis Vuitton ag an 2019 Golden Globes. Tá clú air as caitheamh culaith bláthanna. Tá an-chumass ann agus a dhúthracht leis na róil a imrionn sé ar fheabhas. Roimh scannánaíocht ar scannán Call Me by Your Name, chaith Chalamet sé seachtaine in Iodáil. D’fhoghlaim sé dhá ionstraim agus teanga nua. Mar thoradh, sheinn sé an piano go hálann agus labhair sé Iodáilis mar a cheadh cainteoir dúchais ann. Thuill a fheidhmíocht áit ar liosta de na haisteoirí is fearr den bhliana ag The New York Times. Thug sé an-taispeántas uaithi sa scannán The King. Tá sé ar fáil ar Netflix agus bhí idir mholadh agus cháineadh sna léirmheasanna. In ain-

Mar thoradh, sheinn sé an piano go hálann agus labhair sé Iodáilis mar a cheadh cainteoir dúchais ann

Credit: The King Netflix

An bhfuil a fhios agat cé hé an ngearrcach?

neoin sin, thaispeáin sé taobh eile le Chalamet. Bhí sé difriúil ó na scannán teacht is aois agus léirigh sé é mar aisteoir ildánach. Anois tá cúpla tionscadal atá le teacht do Chalamet. Imreoidh sé pairt Theodore “Laurie” Laurence sa scannán Little Women. Tá Saoirse Ronan agus Emma Watson ina gcomréaltaí sa

scannán freisin. Comh maith leis sin, beidh sé ar an stáitse den chead uair an bhliain seo chugainn sa dráma 4000 Miles ag Amy Herzog. Cuirtear síos air mar an chéad scéal mór eile agus na Leonardo Di Caprio dá ghluin. Beidh sé ina réalta amach anseo.

Gaeilge

Léirmheas leabhair: The Places I’ve Cried in Public Tá an leabhar seo iontach do laethanta saoire na Nollag

s é The Places I’ve Cried in Public le Holly Bourne leabhar d’aoisaigh óga. Is í Amelie an príomhcharactar sa scéal seo. Is amhranaí is scríobhneoir í. Is duine cuthail í ach is aoibheann lei ag canadh agus ag seinm giotar freisin. Bhog sí go cathair nua agus ní raibh aon cairde aici. D’fhág sí a cairde agus a scoil sa Sheffield. Bhuel sí le buachaill fíorspéisiúil darb ainm Reese agus d’athraigh gach rud. Chan Amelie ar seó tallainne sa coláiste agus bhí Reese faoi gheasa aici. Príomh an scéal a thosaionn, scar sí lena buachaill, Reese, agus tá cailín nua aige. Bhí Amelie trína chéile nuair a thosaíonn an scéal mar bhí sí i ngrá le Reese. Cheap si go raibh an caidreamh foirfe agus chuir sí an milléan uirthi. Ach b’fheidir go raibh leor lochtanna ar Reese. D’éirigh an caidreamh níos nimhní. Ní raibh a tuismitheoirí i bhfách leis an gcumann. Thug sí cuairt ar áiteanna sa cathair agus smaoinigh sí faoi an caidreamh, agus thug sé cuimhní ar ais. Léimeann an leabhar siar go dtí cúpla seachtain ó shín nuair a bhí sí ina caidreamh le Reese. Ina dhiaidh sin d’aithin sí go raibh a lán fadhbanna ann. Scrúdaigh sí a scéal faoi dearcadh nua. Tugann an leabhar léargas úr ar caidrimh. Tá sé corraitheach agus deacair a leámh ó am go ham. Tá trua ar an léitheoir do Amelie mar tá sí i cúrsaí uafásach. Is leabhar tábhachtach

é, go háirithe do chailíní. D’oibrigh Holly Bourne mar comhairleoir caidrimh ar carthanas mearbhsláinte na daoine óga, mar sin tá sí inchreidte. Is scríobhneoir iontach í Holly Bourne mar tuigeann sí daoine óga. Tuigeann sí indirítheacht freisin. Scríobhann sí faoi topaicí suntasach mar shampla feimineachas, sláinte intinne, grá agus cairdeas. Pléann The Places I’ve Cried in Public an tabhacht atá le cuimhní, cuimhní maithe agus cuimhní droch. Is scríobhneoir sárdhíola í Holly Bourne; tá leabhair d’aoisigh óga aoibhinn aici mar shampla Am I Normal Yet?, It Only Happens in the Movies agus The Manifesto on How to Be Interesting. Tá amháin leabhair do dhaoine fásta aici, How Do You Like Me Now?

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Is scríobhneoir iontach í Holly Bourne mar tuigeann sí daoine óga

Smaointe Bronntanais don Nollag Is mithid duit caoi a chur ort féin, lig siopadóireacht na Nollag

á an Nollaig buailte linn arís nach mór agus tá na siopaí ag ullmhú don séasúr an gnóthach. B’fhéidir tá tú ag ullmhú freisin don Nollaig. An bhfuil do chrann Nollaig suas? An thosaigh tú siopadoireacht chun bronntanais Nollag a fháil? Níl! Ná bí buartha. Tá troir bhronntanais agam chun inspioráid a fháil. An bhfuil strus a bheith ort? Seo roinnt smaointe don éicealaoch i do shaol. Ar dtús, tá buidéal uisce áit mhaith le tosú. Tá éagsúlacht mhór datha agus dearaí ar fáil anois. Seiceáil Chillysbottles ar líne. Tá raon ollmhór acu. Piocadh suas cuid sop miotal don féiríní beaga don stoca. An bhfuil aithne agat ar saineolaí scannáin? Is smaoineamh maith é dearbhán scannan i gcónaí. Nó b’fhéidir síntiús don Netflix. Tá scáileán scannáin inséidte ar fáil ar Amazon. Má tá seomra agat,

d’fhéadfadh sé a bheith spraoi! Céard faoi póstaer scannán i bhráma? Tá go leor ar fáil ar Wayfair. Don coinín aclaíochta tá monatóir ráta croí Bluetooth ar fáil ar Amazon. Tá siad níos saoire ná táirgí comhchosúla, níl sé ach £18.59. Tá mála spóirt téagartha ag teastáil i gcónaí. Tá raon ollmhór ar fáil i Nike. Chomh maith leis sin, is bronntanas maith é mata yoga ardcháilíochta. Seo roinnt smaointe don spéirbhean i do shaol. Cuimhnigh, ní feidir leat go leor scuaba smididh a bheith agat riamh. Seiceáil Beautybay ar líne. Is féidir leat do rogha a dhéanamh as cuid mhór stíleanna agus brandaí. Is é smideadh miotalach an faisean is déanaí i rith an séasúr na Nollag. Tá roan ollmhór ar fáil, ach seiceáíl amach Bobbi Brown. Ní féidir leat dul mícheart! Níl aon smaointe ag rith leat don léitheoir craosach leabhar i do shaol? Céard faoi lampa léitheoireachta a dhúbailt mar coinneálaí leabhar? Tá siad ar fáil ar suckuk. Nó b’fhéidir piliúr le sliocht cáiliúla air. Tá coinneal a bhfuil boladh leabhar acu

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An thosaigh tú siopadoireacht chun bronntanais Nollag a fháil? Níl! Ná bí buartha

Credit: Pixabay

Beth Molloy | Irish Editor

Credit: The Reading List

Courtney Fitzmaurice | Deputy Sports Editor @courtneyfitz100

ar fáil ar Etsy agus tagann siad i raon praghsanna. Tá sé sin dochreidte! Tá súil agam go gcabhróidh na smaointe se leat nuair a thosóidh tú ag siopadóireacht le haghaidh bronntanais Nollag. Le cúnamh Dé seachnóidh tú

an geansaí Nollag a bhfuil an ghráin ag daoine air! Beidh tú in ann scíth a ligean agus cuir gothaí na Nollag ort féin níos luaithe.

A decade at The College View Between breaking news stories, covering the goings on of DCU and holding power to account, this student newspaper has proven it can stand the test of time

hen you walk through the doors of the Henry Grattan on a Wednesday afternoon, a gust of wind will follow behind you. Usually this gust will flick open the first pages of the freshly published copies of The College View, placed on a picnic table. Twice a month crisp stacks of these papers line the halls of Dublin City University. The College View was first published in 1999 and has been adapted and changed in several ways since, however one thing has remained consistent. The paper has always been run by DCU students, who for the last decade years have worked tirelessly and voluntarily on each issue. Editor-in- Chief for 2018/19 Callum Lavery noted that, “unlike in student newspapers in UCD or Trinity, I think it’s important to remember that College View journalists and editors aren’t paid and they have no financial incentive so all the work is really done on their own back.” Current Editor-in-Chief Brendan Fernando Kelly Palenque says that the papers existence relies on teamwork. “The entire operation would be impossible without each and every position”. The editorial team write and edit stories, source and create images and illustrations, design the pages, record podcasts and distribute the paper across campus. This workload comes alongside and is often prioritised over their academic studies. Unfortunately, the physical paper is not as popular among students as the team would like. “I think other courses don’t often understand just how much of our time is consumed working on the paper. That’s partly our fault for not always being totally transparent with how our operation works. That’s also due to a general poor level of media literacy,” said Kelly Palenque. In the last decade The College View has covered several stories that were both important to the student body and on a national level. Last year, the paper broke the story of hazing and inappropriate conduct at the Accounting and Finance society’s meeting in October 2018. After The College View’s coverage of this story it was immediately picked up by national papers across the country. In 2017/18 the paper broke the infamous Shanowen Shakedown story. Editor-in-Chief at the time, Shauna

Bowers said,“had The College View not first reported 27 per cent rent increase, which was then picked up by national media, then it is unlikely that we would be aware that there is a gap in the Residential Tenancies Act in relation to purpose built student accommodation.”

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people forget that The College View is run voluntarily and that we are students too Bowers said: “We broke a number of stories during my tenure, including that the college was putting on-campus accommodation on websites such as Expedia during the academic year instead of giving them to students, that the SU at the time used the official DCUSU Instagram to share images in which they were dressed in traditional Muslim clothing and were accused of cultural appropriation.” In 2016/17 the paper broke the story about St. Patrick’s accommodation. Ediptor-in-Chief at the time, Aaron Gallagher said: “Some of the students were living in squalor conditions and it turned out that they had actually raised the rent by something like 38 per cent...there was an amazing reaction to the story, the Irish Independent picked it up and it actually resulted in the rent going down, an example of journalism having a real impact.” President of DCU, Prof. Brian MacCraith said over the last ten years, The College View has “played an important role in the lives of DCU students, not only by informing them as readers, but also by providing an experiential learning opportunity for those studying journalism”, as well as those who don’t study journalism but have explored and developed their writing talents at the paper. “I have taken great pride in watching many of those writers go on to excel

on a national or international stage… While it may be an uncertain time for the future of print media, the central role of a journalist in reporting the news in a truthful, unbiased and apolitical way has never been more important,” said Prof. MacCraith. For as long as they have both been in existence in DCU, The College View and the Students’ Union have worked alongside one another. Gallagher said that this relationship has always been one surrounded by tension but that this was “only natural.” “I think there was always a bit of tension when we were there between the SU and the news paper because they might not like what we were writing, but it just meant that we were doing our job right,” he said. Gallagher said this tension is often caused because, “DCU is quite a small university so the people that you’re writing about you might actually know them or some of your friends might be friends with them”. Gallagher said it is the job of The College View journalist to work on behalf of the student body. “You’re a journalist, you’re a student journalist, but you’re still a journalist and you need to write impartially and objectively and if there’s something not right you need to call it out.” However, the paper itself has also come under criticism in the past. In March of 2019, a Twitter account became active entitled “TheViewOfCollege” [@view_college]. This account tweeted and retweeted comments about The College View paper for approximately two weeks.

The account became active on the same day as the 2019 Student Union Election results, which The College View had covered. The creator of the account was unknown and all tweets were anonymous. Some example of tweets from the account are, “Imagine have integrity when writing a news article #canyouimagine #WhoIsReference,” , ‘’Donald Trump is more accurate than the college view tbh #HonestOpinions and “Propaganda is my favorite form of carb.” This account was followed by some members of DCU’s Students’ Union and several society committee members who were of prevalence at the time. Some of which engaged with the account or produced their own tweets of a similar nature. The editorial team, which consisted of 39 people then, were encouraged to not respond to or engage with the discussion on Twitter to avoid spurring on further discourse. Editor, Callum Lavery and Deputy Editor Gabija Gateveckaite did not publicly respond to this account or to any of the discussion surrounding it and The College View online at the time. Several other section editors did not

speak out on the situation until they had come to the end of their time in DCU and in The College View. However, Gataveckaite has since spoken about the impact the account, and the online discussion had on the moral of the team. “It was hard, it was very hard I think it definitely crushed the morals of the reporters who were there, I hadn’t heard of it happening before in The College View maybe it had maybe it hadn’t,” she said. She told The College View that the Twitter account was “a result of a lot of underlying issues that student government have against the paper.” “This goes back to young people not really understanding first of all how basic news gathering works, how basic reporting works. Obviously a lot of reporters are young and they’re bound to make mistakes but student government representatives almost didn’t have a care for not just the process but the end goal”, Gataveckaite said. Gataveckaite said that it worried her that “some student representatives thought that they were above being held to account, above being critiqued, above answering questions and seemed to think that they somehow had control over the paper...and if they don’t want to answer those questions that says a lot more about them than it does about us.”

To view the full version of this article go to www.thecollegeview.com

Credit: Sonja Tutty

Rósín Phelan | Features Editor @_roisinphelan

Features

How Ireland’s legislation puts sex workers at risk

Sally Madden | Deputy News Editor @Sallymadden17

reland’s current legislation covering sex work was intended to shift the legal burden from workers to clients, yet Irish sex workers have never been more at risk. The Criminal law (Sex Offences) Act was introduced in March 2017. The act, which is based on on the Nordic model, criminalises the consensual purchase of sex. Known as “purchase bans,” the main purpose of these kind of laws is to shift the weight of stigma and prosecution from the sex worker to the client. However, many sex workers and their advocacy groups say that while the laws are seemingly intended to protect them, the reality is very different. In fact, since the introduction of this legislation in 2017, there has been a 92 per cent reported increase in violent crime against sex workers, according to data gathered from uglymugs.ie, a website that provides a space for sex workers to confidentially report abuse. (Not to Gardaí.) While the number of people using the website has remained steady (between 6,000 and 7,00), the number of reports of crime and abuse have almost doubled.

“Comparing the two years before and the two years after the new law came in, crime has increased 90% and violent crime specifically has increased 92%,” says a study compiled by uglymugs.ie. Furthermore, the study found that only 1 per cent of those reporting abuse and/or crime on the website have or will report the incidents to Gardaí. Sex worker Addy Berry says that the unwillingness on behalf of sex workers to report abuse to officials stems from the Gardaí’s tendency to try and intimidate sex workers while they work the streets. “They sit there and they intimidate the girls into going home. They walk up to the girls saying; ‘Sorry love, am I cramping your style?’ And these girls go home hungry and more desperate than before,” she said. According to Berry, this intimidation also means that sex workers have less time to negotiate terms with their clients beforehand, for fear that the client will be chased away by Gardaí. This means that terms such as the use of a condom can be overlooked. This puts workers at a higher risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections. According to the World Health Organisation, female sex workers globally, are 13.5% more likely to be

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Comparing the two years before and the two years after the new law came in, crime has increased 90 per cent and violent crime specifically has increased 92 per cent

Credit: Flickr

Many sex workers and their advocacy groups say that while the Ireland’s laws are seemingly intended to protect sex workers, the reality is very different

living with HIV, compared to other women of reproductive age. Berry says that brothel-keeping laws introduced by the legislation also put workers at serious risk. Many sex workers would prefer to work from a shared property with another worker for safety, however, under current legislation, this would amount to brothel-keeping, and see those involved arrested. “Gardai walk around in pairs because it’s safer to do so. I work with an organisation where I do outreach, we have to do our outreach in pairs because it is safer to do so. What sense does it make, to take girls who are trying to earn a living, and force them to work by themselves?” she said. Gardaí are currently investigating a systematic series of physical attacks and robberies on sex workers. Since mid-October, there have been seven attacks which the Gardaí believe are connected. The attacks, which appear to be for monetary gain, have targeted both male and female sex workers who are arranging their work online. Five men have been arrested in relation to the attacks. Gardaí have urged any sex worker who has been a victim of a similar attack to report it to police, saying that all victims will be “treated confidentially with compassion and sensitivity.” The Sex Worker’s Alliance Ireland

(SWAI) has said that the perpetrators are taking advantage of the fact that sex workers have to work in isolation. “Under the 2017 legislation, sex workers have faced ever greater physical threats due to increased stigma and isolation,” said Kate McGrew current sex worker and Director of Sex Workers’ Alliance Ireland. “This has directly facilitated the type of attacks now being investigated by Gardaí because criminals can realistically assume that sex workers will be alone and defenceless if attacked. If they are working together for safety the criminals know the worker is unlikely to call the Gardaí because they fear being prosecuted for so-called brothel-keeping,” she continued. Addy Berry says that now is the time to start protecting sex workers by means of full decriminalisation. “It’s what the World Health organisation said needed to happen, it’s what amnesty international has said needs to happen for the protection of everybody… it is absolutely vital,” she said. “A smaller ask would be to scrap the brothel-keeping laws,” she continued. “They make no sense, we’re left grasping at straws. The best explanation I can figure out is that the idea that women from any class might be able to work when they want, for how much they want, must be a terrifying idea. That’s the reality of it.”

Features

Fat liberation is not the same as body positivity

he fat liberation movement focuses on the experience of fat people rather than general body acceptance or positivity for all. “Body image issues are so prolific that people who were not affected by them were an endangered species.” Deirdre Cowman from Endangered Bodies Ireland, says that the name for their movement came from this idea. “There is a growing movement of girls, women, and men who reject the horrors of body uniformity and value the variety of body shapes, sizes, colors and ages of all of us,” their website endangeredbodies.org tells. Endangered Bodies Ireland is the Irish branch of an international movement, founded by Susie Orbach and other body image activists, who felt the need to challenge industries that promote a toxic culture of body hatred. Cowman also spoke on how she became involved in the movement. “I got involved in the movement in 2011, first as an intern for the UK branch and eventually starting an Irish branch as at the time I felt there were very few spaces in Ireland to look at bigger societal issues associated with body image,” she said. “I feel that body acceptance and fat liberation started in different places but share many of the same goals around fighting weight stigma, fighting for greater representation of diverse bodies in the media and challenging the industries that profit from promoting insecurity and body hatred.” Cowman said. The fat liberation movement was started in 1969, through the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA). The association was started by two men, Bil Fabrey and Llewelyn Louderback, who had been affected by their wives’ experiences being ostracized because of their weight. In 1970 they released a book “Fat Power: Whatever You Weigh is Right”, however overall their activism is known for being quite palatable. “Fat Power” gave a history of antifat attitudes, however also provided astonishing medical and nutritional claims all backed up by research of the time. It concluded that fat people on average eat no more than slim people, and that fat people who live in nonjudgemental environments are less likely to be affected by the diseases most commonly associated with being overweight. From this movement came a more radical group, where two women who had been involved in the NAAFA broke off and joined with local feminist organisations to create “The Fat Underground”. Though they disbanded in 1983, the group took some more radical action in comparison to the NAAFA - including famously getting on stage at a

Fat bodies have long been politicised, however fat liberation seeks to change society by breaking away from body positivity and continuing to focus on the issues of fat people - separate from the generalised body acceptance movement The NAAFA also set in place the foundation for the Health At Every Size (HAES) community, which is a body positivity movement aiming to build compassion and joy for one’s own body and what is capable of. “We’ve lost the war on obesity.

Fighting fat hasn’t made the fat go away. And being thinner, even if we knew how to successfully accomplish it, will not necessarily make us healthier or happier.” HAES says on their website. “Extensive “collateral damage” has resulted: Food and body preoccupation, self-hatred, eating disorders, discrimination, poor health, etc. Few of us are at peace with our bodies, whether because we’re fat or because we fear becoming fat. Health at Every Size is the new peace

Credit: Chloe Rooney

Béibhinn Thorsch | Deputy Features Editor @BeibhinnJourno

Women’s Day March, and claiming the medical community had murdered singer Cass Elliot via fatphobia. “The belief that fat people are just thin people with bad eating habits now could be seen as part of a system of mystified oppression,” wrote Sara Golda Bracha Fishman, in 1998, as she commented on the “Fat Power” book. Fishman was also part of “The Fat Underground” before it was disbanded. “We asserted that most fat people are fat because of biology, not eating behaviour, and that the “cure’’ dieting actually causes diseases, ranging from heart attack to eating disorders. We rejected weight loss as a solution to fat people’s problems.” Fishman wrote.

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They continue to push the idea that no matter what body you live in, you are deserving of respect and the same level of care and love as anyone else

movement.” the website says. Originally body positivity was a part of fat liberation, however, the radical nature of it has been erased in the face of the modern movement which often shoes thin, conventionally attractive, white women on social media. Activist Jes Baker describes this “bopo” [body positivity] as a feelgood “stay hydrated, thank your body, and do your sun salutations” type of movement. Fat liberation remains on the edge and politicized. Fat liberation is also known for its intersectionality, as fatness can be connected to all other intersections of identity. Sarah Simon wrote for MsMagazine that “if you’re not directly impacted by the oppression you’re combating, you just have to stay in your lane and be keyed in enough to know when it’s appropriate to step up and when to step back.” Virgie Tovar, a lecturer on fat discrimination wrote for Ravishly, “The data I have seen is pretty clear on the fact that health is something we need to think about as a collective responsibility, that humans thrive when they feel safe and loved and that discrimination kills people.” “...every person’s right to a life free from bigotry and discrimination – primarily a social issue - and the person who brings up health often wants to wrench the conversation back into personal responsibility – an individual issue – in order to rationalize bigotry.” she wrote. Many in the liberation movement have spoken on how the world must move towards feeling neutral about the word “fat”, others speak on addressing internalized fatphobia. “I did not always believe that fat people had a right to eat regularly and enough food, every day. Nope. I had so much internalized fatphobia, weight stigma, and bias that I very much bought into the idea that my fat body was a problem.” wrote the SJ Thompson, who is behind the blog “resilientfatgoddess”. While much discourse remains throughout even the fat liberation movement [from super-fat erasure to whether or not someone is fat enough to claim to be part of the movement], the fat liberation movement remains a radical collective that aimed to reform society and not themselves. They continue to push the idea that no matter what body you live in, you are deserving of respect and the same level of care and love as anyone else. Sofie Hagen said it best in a Twitter thread where she wrote “I am not a body positivity campaigner, I am a fat liberationist… I care about abolishing the systemic discrimination and abuse that fat people endure on a daily basis… it’s about how fatphobia kills people.”

Features

The question of queerbaiting

Celebrities such as Harry Styles and Rita Ora have often been accused of queerbaiting, whether it be for comments they’ve made or the way they dress. While queerbaiting is known to be harmful to the LGBT+ community, what really counts as queerbaiting? and as soon as this is over, it is back to normality. While queerbaiting is a relatively new term, it dates back to Britney Spears and Madonna kissing at the MTV awards in 2003, but people never understood back then what this phenomenon would become. British Airways were criticised for supporting pride as their planes deport LGBT+ migrants from the UK. When it comes to celebrities who want to reach the LGBT+ fanbase, they must make sure they have built up this fanbase over a long period of time before they drop music videos that are homoerotic. Lady Gaga is an example of a celebrity ally who has done it right. Celebrities can’t decide to be an ally

Róisín Maguire | Lifestyle Editor @Roisinmaguire109

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Credit: Vogue

elebrities such as Harry Styles and Rita Ora have often been accused of queerbaiting, whether it be for comments they’ve made or the way they dress. While queerbaiting is known to be harmful to the LGBT+ community, what really counts as queerbaiting? The Urban Dictionary refers to queerbaiting as “When an author/ director/etc. gives hints, and clever twists to paint a character as possibly being queer, to satisfy queer audiences, but never outright says they are so they can keep their heterosexual audience.” To put it simply, queerbaiting is pretending that two same-sex people will get together or there is a possibility that someone is queer. However, this is just to entice the LGBT+ community into watching as they don’t actually follow through. They do this by adding sexual tension between characters, and making homoerotic hints and references throughout. It is not only found in movies and TV series, but also in music. Ariana Grande was accused of queerbaiting when she said she likes “women and men” in her single “Monopoly”. Many of Grande’s fans have said that it is just her hinting that she is bisexual but others have accused her of using these lyrics to appeal to LGBT+ audiences. In the singer’s music video for “break up with your girlfriend, I’m bored”, she also hints at her bisexuality, but some critics are still not convinced that she is, in fact, bisexual, as she has not explicitly said so. Tyler Posey was also accused of queerbaiting when he posted a photo on Snapchat and said: “This is me. I am this and this is me. I’ve never felt more alive. I’m gay!”. His publicist cleared up the issue by saying that he was referring to being happy by using the word “gay”. James Franco also came under scrutiny when he stated that he was “gay up to the point of intercourse”, and that he believes that he is straight in life but gay in his art. In film and television, Riverdale, Harry Potter, Glee, and Supernatural were also accused of queerbaiting. In the very popular Riverdale, the characters of Betty and Veronica shared a kiss which led viewers to falsely believe they would get together. Harry Potter is a popular movie which is infamous for queerbaiting. J.K. Rowling said that Dumbledore previously had a relationship with his close friend Grindelwald who then turned out to be his enemy. However, there was no reference to any of

Dumbledore’s relationships in the books, which has led fans to question Rowling on if Dumbledore was gay; which prompted her response. However, it is known that J.K. Rowling replies to many of her fans’ tweets in this manner. For example, when one Twitter user asked if there were any Jewish wizards in Hogwarts, she replied: “Anthony Goldstein, Ravenclaw, Jewish wizard”. She also suggested that Hermione might not have been white and that she just never specified this detail. Therefore, it is difficult to accuse Rowling of queerbaiting as she reveals so many new things that were never mentioned in the books in order to please some Twitter fans. Dr Michele Aaron said in an interview with Metro.co.uk that “the queer community’s interest is courted for commercial purposes” but that “it is important to remember that stars and films, as key examples, have always enjoyed titillating audiences

and allowing a brief frisson of sexual suggestiveness for [queer] audiences.” There are a few examples of queerbaiting in Glee. The characters of Quinn and Rachel are very close (despite Quinn hating Rachel for most of the show’s existence), and Rachel once tells Quinn that she is the “prettiest girl” that she had ever met. Another example of this is when Rachel is helping her dance teacher (Cassandra) stretch, Rachel seems to enjoy the many sexualised angles and Cassandra seems to want Rachel to pick up on them. In Supernatural, there is a very strong and unrequited bond between the characters of Dean and his friend Castiel with fans shipping them as “Destiel”. In season eight and nine, as their relationship was made more obvious by producers, the ratings increased and this is an example of where queerbaiting was profited from. While television producers and music may profit from queerbaiting,

it shows that they may not really want to represent the LGBT+ community. And, while there are some actual same-sex relationships seen in some of these shows, this begs the questions as to why producers need to hint at other same-sex relationships but not actually mean it. It is harmful because it is similar to teasing. If you put two straight characters together and provide lots of sexual tension, it almost seems like mocking. Coming out as gay or bisexual is a difficult challenge in a person’s life and if young people see this, they are less likely to come out. Queerbaiting is similar to what happens during pride month, for example. Lots of department stores and corporate businesses take part in pride marches. However, in the other 11 months of the year, they don’t fight for LGBT+ rights. When companies can profit from it, they are interested. They sell their pride merchandise in the weeks leading up to the pride marches

Celebrities can’t decide to be an ally and expect the LGBT+ community to back them up overnight and expect the LGBT+ community to back them up overnight. It takes time and understanding of the issues that the community face to be able to call yourself an ally. Perhaps celebrities could be using their fame to highlight issues within different communities instead of using their reach for profit. Speaking to Tadgh Jenkins, an Ordinary Member of the LGBTA society in DCU, he said: “Queerbaiting is very harmful to the community... it presents typically stereotypical queer behavior in a way that is palatable to cishet [cisgendered heterosexual] people and is kind of modified for their consumption,” “...When they encounter queerness outside of that form of media, it’s always kind of met with disgust because it’s not the kind of palatable queerness that they’ve been introduced to.”

Sport

Christie rejects claims that he will succeed Gavin as Dubs boss

Conor Breslin | Sports Editor @conorbreslin10

here have been few men who have cemented themselves within the underage ranks of Dublin GAA more in the past decade than former All-Star full back Paddy Christie. However, the Ballymun man says he is not the right man to replace Jim Gavin as the new Dublin boss. Christies name has been thrown around alongside other Dublin legends as a possible candidate to replace the legendary Jim Gavin since he announced his retirement as Dublin manager little over a week ago after seven seasons at the helm, winning six All-Ireland titles. The 43-year-old DCU boss who made his inter-county senior debut for the Dublin seniors against Armagh back in April 1995, stood at odds of 33/1 to be the next manager of the current All-Ireland champions, but has since removed himself from the idea of being the man to replace Jim Gavin and take charge of the Dublin team any time soon. Speaking to the College View Christie said, “to be honest I don’t even know why my name was mentioned in the first place to be a possible candidate to replace Jim Gavin. My current qualifications are nowhere near good enough when you compare it to the other names floating about, such as the likes of Dessie Farrell and Pat Gilroy. I won’t be asked but even if I was, I

wouldn’t have the time.” The Ballymun schoolteacher has always been heavily involved in producing the next crop of Dublin players taking on his first coaching job as the Ballymun Kickhams under 10 team at the age of 20. Since then, Christie has been involved in the development of some of the finest players Ballymun has ever produced such as Dean Rock, James McCarthy, Philly McMahon and Paddy Small to name a few. Since his retirement from the game, Christie has taken on the role as the Dublin minor manager in 2015 but finished the season without any success. Most recently he has stood in the dugout alongside Paddy O’Rourke as the trainer of Burren, the 2018 Down county champions. Christie is also the current DCU manager and will be involved with the Tipperary senior footballers for the upcoming season. When asked on who Christie believes will succeed Gavin as the next Dublin manager, the Ballymun man said, “you need someone that is willing to dedicate their life to Dublin football, which is what Jim did. If I was to have my say I feel Dessie Farrell would be a good candidate. He has worked with a lot these players at minor and under 21 level such as John Small, Cormac Costello and Niall Scully. He is a smart football man and would know what the team needs.” With Gavin’s departure, the public are left wondering will Dublin’s dominance continue into the next decade. “Like everything in life, all good things must come to an end. The

Credit: Sportsfile

The DCU boss speaks to Conor Breslin on the future of Dublin football

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wheels won’t fully fall off the Dublin machine, but don’t be surprised to see the Dubs beaten in a quarter or semi-final in the next few years. This alongside living up to the Gavin legacy will be the biggest challenge for the next manager. I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes at the minute, but I wouldn’t rule myself in the future in taking the job,” Christie said.

Like everything in life, all good things must come to an end

A blow-by-blow of RAG Rumble

Cian Dunne | Contributor

Credit: RAG

he RAG Rumble was once again one of the most thrilling nights on the DCU calendar, with 13 fights on the card, a superb interval performance from DCU Dance, as well as raffles and spot prizes to be won. The event was hosted by Dylan Mangan and Cathal O’Rourke, with the event getting under way at 7:30pm. The event was in aid of Pieta House, and in support of social projects and local community work done by the RAG Soc. All 26 fighters involved in the event had been training for seven weeks in preparation for the event. The fighters were training morning and night with DCU Boxing, with some of the fighters having never stepped inside the ring before. Head of DCU RAG Soc, Emily McNamara thanked all the sponsors who helped make the event possible, before the final fight took place. “We have NuBar, Dominos, tons and tons

of advertisers coming in, Token and Tropical Popical. Without them it wouldn’t be possible.” The main event of the night was a gruelling battle between multimedia student Jake Herbert, and Marketing, Innovation and Technology student

Andy Lee. The fight went the full three rounds before going to the judge’s scorecards, with Andy edging the hard-fought contest by split decision. The fighter of the night was awarded to multimedia student Conor McElearney, after his victory over Sean

McAuley. “I was delighted to be a part of the event, and it was an honour to be named fighter of the night,” said Conor. “I donated the proceeds to Pieta House, because it’s an organisation that’s very near and dear to my heart.” The event attracted the attention of

many societies around DCU, with the Media Production Society live streaming the fight, as well as a running commentary. The societies were also present in the ring, with Neil Riley’s clash with James O’Neill being built as a battle between MPS and Drama. The reaction of the crowd to Clara Mooney told the story of the support the societies gave, with one of the loudest cheers of the night came from when the Drama Soc member was victorious over Amy O’Rourke. Although the fights were for charity, the intensity of the fights were like that of a heavyweight title class. Many fighters left bruised and bloodied, including an early stoppage in clash between Mayowa and Georgos, due an injury to the shoulder of Georgos, resulting in the fight being deemed a no contest. Despite the intensity and gruelling nature on show, all fighters showed their class, with mutual respect shown for all those who stepped into the ring, once the final bell had rung.

Sport

Where and When of the 2010s: of some of the decade’s most

Conor Breslin & Shane Brennan explore the highs of the decade that was for DCU sport,

t’s hard to pinpoint where the decade of dominance in sport first began for the northside university. After years of playing second fiddle to the other universities such as UCD, NUIG and UCC, the next ten years would truly prove to be the decade where DCU would not only win, but excel in many sports. From a GAA standpoint, 2010 was probably the year that Niall Moyna wrote his name into history, to become

2011:

ittle did the GAA world know of the impending dominance Dublin were about to exert on the football scene over what would be the Decade of the Dubs. However, even before Jim Gavin stepped into the ring it was clear that the upcoming crop of hill heroes were destined for glory. Sam Maguire’s 16-year absence from the capital was ended this year

he year started off with despair to say the least as the women’s DCU Mercy basketball team were attempting to secure a third National Cup title, but were ruthlessly dethroned by a more clinical UL outfit with the Limerick college recording a comfortable 64-27 victory at the National Basketball arena. The DCU camogie team showed they were not going to be a team just there to fill the numbers anymore with 2012 being the year the camogie ladies started to proudly sit at the top table of third level

2013:

ran Butler, now the soccer development officer at DCU, has appeared in The College View many a time offering his wisdom on the current state of the beautiful game in DCU. But of course everyone has a history, and in 2013 Butler’s freshers side secured the Harding Cup Plate. They navigated a 2-1 victory over NUI Maynooth in Coleraine, and captain, Jack McCarthy hoisted the plate for the third in the university’s history. Meanwhile, the current upward trend of Ladies’ Rugby was kickstarted this year as DCU Women’s Rugby launched their “Rugby Scholarship Program” run in coordination with the sports development team, creating the opportunity for girls in the U-18 and U-19 categories to qualify for the ‘Elite Entry Scheme’. Meanwhile Pentathlete Eanna Bailey won a Silver Medal with teammate Natalya Coyle in the mixed relay at the Modern Pentathlon World Cup in California.

2010: The Legend of Moyna emerges the king of sport on the Glasnevin campus. The Senior team won the Leinster O’Byrne Cup Competition in January, defeating Westmeath, Offaly, Meath and the “wee county” of Louth in the final by a single point with a goal from Offaly’s Willie Mulhall to make history and become the first ever Third Level University to win the

Leinster subsidiary competition. The team followed up with this a few weeks later by achieving the ultimate success by claiming their second Sigerson Cup in the colleges history, last winning it in 2006 when Bryan Cullen became the first Dublin man to lift the trophy after beating the Queen’s University, Belfast in the TG4

as Pat Gilroy’s men triumphed over Kerry in what became an era-defining final, and in October the influence DCU had on the boys in blue became apparent at the GPA All-Star awards. Paul Flynn was then a student of DCU, and he lined up alongside the likes of the Brogan brothers, Colm Cooper and Andy Moran to earn his first All-Star. Remarkably, the year after the half forward was the only Dublin player named in that seasons’ all-star team, and he went on to win

another two after that. DCU alumnus Stephen Cluxton was also on that All-Star team, no surprise considering the impact of his l eft boot on Dublin’s season, culminating in ‘that’ last minute free in the All Ireland final that shook croke park and turned the Dublin-Kerry rivalry on its head. Other alumni that made the All Stars included Bernard Brogan, the star of that Dublin team, and Dubs defender Kevin Nolan.

2012:

sport as they topped off a fine season clinching the Purcell cup. Not to forget, Kilcoos own Fionnuala Britton creating her own individual legacy by running through the white snow of Budapest to win a second successive European Cross-County title, the first ever female athlete to achieve such a feat. She would later travel to London that Summer as to represent her country in the 10,000 metres event in the Olym-

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It goes without saying, in sports, the only thing that is stopping you from succeeding is you

televised final in Parnell Park. DCU won the 2010 Sigerson Cup with wins over UCD, Cork IT, NUI Maynooth and UCC in the Final at Leixlip on a scoreline of 1:11 to 0:10. This was DCU’s 20th time competing in the Sigerson competition, having first enter the third level contest in 1990.

Meaths Brian Sheridan walked with the man of the match award on the day with a tally of 1:05. That particular DCU team featured some of the best Dublin players to grace a football field and would in their own right go on to dominate the county scene with some winning six All-Irelands this decade with the panel including players such as Philip McMahon, Jonny Cooper, Brian Cullen, Paul Flynn and the team captain Paddy Andrews.

born’. Cavanagh’s grueling journey encompassed a relentless schedule of rowing two hours on, two hours off, with more than two hours of sleep during these brief intervals strictly forbidden. On the track, DCU athletics remained as head of the top table as they dominated at the IUAA Indoor Championships in Athlone, breaking 13 club records and retaining both the men’s and women’s titles for the seventh consecutive year. In one sport that is not much covered

in the University, 2014 also saw the year DCU confirmed a new two-year partnership with Cricket Ireland, which saw the development of elite practice facilities for the national team and Leinster Lightning players. As part of the two-year agreement, Cricket Ireland received much needed support for the training and development of its players, coaches and managers through access to the university’s specialist sporting facilities, helping more players stay in the country rather than emigrating to the UK.

pic Games, placing 15th. We can’t go without mentioning that Niall Moyna had his DCU football team back in flying form as they took home their second Sigerson Cup in three seasons, thrashing Maynooth in the final on a score of 2:17 to 0:07. Dublin’s Paul Flynn and Sligo’s David Kelly hit the winning goals in the second half, with the All-Ireland winning captain that season, Michael Murphy, returning from injury to make an appearance in the Sigerson final.

2014:

t goes without saying, in sports, the only thing that is stopping you from succeeding is you. What a year of sport 2014 was! The Ireland rugby team winning the Six Nations in Paris. The Kilkenny cats sending Tipperary to an All-Ireland replay and clinching their 34th title. A “Super” Mario Gotze leading Germany to their fourth World Cup and of course the so-called unbeatable Dubs defeated in their own back garden at the hands of the men from the North West of Ireland (no prizes for guessing which one of us decided we should mention that). On a DCU level, one story that was far away from the highly lite GAA fields or running tracks was seen as borderline madness as DCU student Philip Cavanagh became the first-ever Irishman to successfully row over 2,300 miles across the Pacific Ocean, after he crossed the finish line in Honolulu, Hawaii as part of ‘Team Battle-

Sport

A trawl through the archives captivating sporting moments

from Sigerson success to olympic hopefuls, and our own kickabouts in between As DCU sport hit the middle of Moyna era. 2015: the decade, the Sigerson cup is once From the GAA field to the boxing 2019:

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This win truly exemplified the excellence of the Niall Moyna era

again heading north of the Liffey to the Glasnevin campus for the 4th time in their history. Extra time was needed to surpass UC Cork where DCU came from behind to grab their third Sigerson in six years, beating the leesiders 1-14 to 2-10. Tom Flynn of Galway became the fourth DCU captain to lift the trophy, and Roscommon native and DCU goalkeeper Tadge Lowe won the Man of the Match award. This win truly exemplified the excellence of the Niall

ring, the then 23 year old DCU student Céire Smith came fresh from representing Ireland in the European Games in Baku to attempt to qualify for the Olympics in Rio. Smith at this time of her life was dubbed to be the next Katie Taylor in women’s boxing. Unfortunately, this dream was not realised and Smith failed to represent Ireland at Rio, she has since put another four years of her life aside and is currently aiming for Tokyo 2020.

2016:

erhaps the biggest speech heard around the fields of Glasnevin, was the resignation of legendary manager Niall Moyna after 16 seasons at the helm. In his time in charge the Monaghan man accelerated DCU to the upper echelon of Higher Education GAA, winning four Sigerson titles from five final appearances – in 2006, 2010, 2012 and 2015. Moyna would retract this statement to reapply for the role less than 12 months later to take over for another 2 years. 2016 saw 20 graduates and current students from Dublin City University partake in the All-Ireland football final. September saw DCU’s Greta Streimikyte send shockwaves throughout Ireland as she set a new personal best and national record for the 1,500m long-distance sprint at the event final in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio. She would miss out on the podium but went on to finish in fourth place in the event finals in Brazil, shaving four more seconds off her personal best time.

Credit:Sportsfile

2018: Fitzgibbon breakthrough

2017: Soccer starts upward trend

The prominence of sports teams tends to work in cycles. In 2017 we were still seeing the upward cycle of the Dubs, and of fellow sky-blues Manchester City in the Premier League. Meanwhile the downward trend of Manchester United looked to be coming to an end under Mourinho, and Jurgen Klopp’s excursion to the Kop entered its second year still trophyless. The cycles of soccer success were

using its torque to power up another Harding Cup victory for the DCU freshers soccer side. The league season for the seniors started at Oriel park against Dundalk IT, Oriel being home to another squad enjoying a successful curve in their Airtricity League cycle, but it was the freshers who ended the season with silverware to show for their efforts. The senior team were semi-finalists in the CUFL Premier Division and Colling-

wood Cup with an 8-0 victory on the way, and then manager Declan Roche praised the “magnificent” progress made during his tenure. They defeated NUI Galway 3-2 in the Collingwood quarter-final before falling behest to old rivals, UC Cork, who defeated the northsiders 2-1 in the semi final where DCU started well. Here’s to a Collingwood in the 20’s then.

espite all the success the DCU footballers brought back to the northside, 2018 was the year where the hurlers had a chance to seal some glory of their own. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be as DCU Dóchas Éireann lost out to the University of Limerick in its first ever Fitzgibbon cup final, falling foul to the shannonsiders 2-21 to 2-15. DCU entered their maiden final in Mallow as heavy underdogs, but though the bookmakers had UL at 1/12. DCU began the game on top, Donal Burke grabbing a point two minutes in, DCU struggled to turn their dominance into scores. The bookies’ confidence in a UL rout was undermined, however, and for a college that does not have a supreme hurling pedigree, the squad of 2018 can be proud of their achievement of reaching the decider and keeping it close.

hamrock Rovers fans relished in overcoming Dundalk to win their first FAI cup since 1987, while the Irish squads in both Rugby and Soccer left much to be desired on the pitch as their international campaigns struggled to reach the heights of the past, the old days of the FAI being far away in the rearview mirror, especially for John Delaney. But the joys of sport aren’t always found in the headline grabbing international competitions, or in beating old rivals in a final to stop their own domestic dominance from taking hold. We all take solace in trying to emulate our heroes on the field; and as much as it thrills us to be there at the big events (or be, well, ‘refreshed’, while watching them on TV), nothing beats getting down to it and fighting for your colours on the pitch. This is why your correspondents could not resist the urge to mention the 2019 Bill O’Herlihy cup final, as in our own minds the win for the college view over DCU fm allowed us to act as the Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher of the squads, for once emulating their defensive on-field roles instead of being sideline chatterboxes arguing over sports from our own angles, oddly enough based on the Liverpool - Manchester United divide.

Credit:Planet Football

s Ireland reveled in the social change unearthed by the same-sex marraige refrerndum, we saw the long awaited Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather bout, Ireland retain the Six Nations title, the strengthening of Dublin’s dominance in the GAA, Stephen Curry and the Warriors emerge from the darkness and we waved goodbye to Sepp Blatter. What else do you need as a sports fan?

But enough of our own dreams, there are far more important things happening as DCU stride towards achieving more excellence what would hopefully become the roaring 20’s. Few areas show as much potential for development in DCU as Ladies’ rugby. The end of the 18/19 school year bolded the sense of dominance in the game, successes including a Sevens title, which was won by a large margin, and five trophies out of five competitions, including an All-Ireland tier 1 cup and a division 1 title. But the establishment of a weekend rugby club, aimed at catapulting talent into the highly competitive Energia leagues, is certain to produce more excitement as the next decade dawns. All in all, the 2010’s have been fun, and now we look forward to another decade of DCU battles in the ever growing world of third level sports. And maybe, just maybe, the Billo cup will stay in the college view’s corner for another year, but I can’t see the two of us ever agreeing on the tactics to defend it.

INSIDE Where and when of the 2010s pg 22-23

DCU athletes compete in European Cross Country Championships Claire Fagan earned a silver medal with the women’s U23 side

ine DCU athletes represented Ireland at the European Cross Country Championships in Lisbon on December 8th. DCU marketing student Nadia Power, who during the summer won a bronze medal in the 800m at the U23 European Championships, helped the Irish side to secure seventh place in the mixed relay event. Speaking before the competition, Power said she looked forward to representing Ireland again. “It always feels amazing and always slightly different to normal races. There’s no added pressure, more so just a feeling of pride and excitement that makes me want to perform to the highest level I can,” she said. Power will compete in the mixed relay event, and she said it’s difficult to know how the team will get on. “Each country probably has different teams each year. We definitely have a solid team though and we’re all running well at the moment, so anything could happen.” Power said at this time of year her training is very strength based. She

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There’s a feeling of pride and excitement that makes me want to perform to the highest level I can

Credit: DCU

Courtney Fitzmaurice | Deputy Sports Editor @courtneyfitz100

trains eight times a week, including two gym sessions, three running sessions and three long easier runs. “Last year I trained with a group of girls in DCU all the time, but I’m working full time this year for my Intra placement in Tallaght, so I have to train near my house in Templeogue.” Final year education and training student Cathal Doyle earned seventh place with the Irish team, in his third

time at the European Cross Country Championships. Speaking before the competiton, Doyle was optimistic. “I ran the U23 last year and as a junior in 2015, so I know what it’s all about. It’s relentless from the gun but I’m excited that my preparation and experience will give me a run I’ll be happy with. “I’m feeling confident both team wise and individually wise about this

weekend,” he said. “I’ve had a pretty good build up, so I’m excited to give it a lash and improve on last year. “It’s hard to know where we will fare team wise, but there’s no reason why we couldn’t sneak a medal if everyone runs the best race they can.” Brian Fay, also on the U23 team, agreed it would be tough, but he had confidence in the Irish side. “The standard of the U23 race has constantly gotten better and better as the years roll on,” he said. “Fortunately, there’s a really good U23 Irish team coming out, so hopefully we can get stuck in and do ourselves proud.” Fay finished in the top 30 of the race for the second year in a row as he achieved 22nd place this year. This was his third consecutive year at the European Cross Country Championships. Also on the U23 side was Cormac Dalton, who finished in 49th place. Claire Fagan was part of the women’s U23 side who earned a silver medal at the competition, as she came in 47th place. Jodie McCann and Aoife O’Cuill were on the junior women’s team who earned 11th place, while Keelan Kilrehill and Jamie Battle were on the junior men’s team who came in 4th place.

DCU hurlers claim back to back leagues Conor Breslin | Sports Editor @ConorBreslin10

n the past decade DCU was never known as one of the top hurling universities in Ireland, however in recent years the trophy cabinet has been beginning to pile up with hurling awards, with DCU most recently claiming back to back league titles with a three-point win over UCC in Carlow. Although it won’t go down as the greatest or most memorable match of the year, the final portrayed two top teams that will now look forward to the new year with serious Fitzgibbon Cup ambitions. It was UCC who got off the mark first with corner forward Tadgh Deasy making his presence known early by knocking over two points in the first 60 seconds of the match. DCU quickly replied with the ever-present John Donnelly collecting loose ball around midfield to set up Wexford’s Rory O’Connor who put it between the posts

with ease. Immediately from the UCC puck out Killian O’Dwyer was caught by referee Fergal Horgan for overcarrying which allowed the DCU team captain and full forward Donal Burke to fire over his first of seven points of the match. Burke almost added a goal to his name on the eighth minute after John Donnelly fired in a long ball to the Na Fianna man, only for the shot to be denied from a wonder save by goalkeeper Shane Hurley. DCU ultimately remained on top with Donal Burke adding another point to his name as well as Colum Prendiville placing his name on the scoreboard. The southerners came back to narrow the gap on the 12th minute when full forward Mark Keogh plucked the sliotar out of the air and used his strength to muscle his way in to score the only goal of the game from close range to put Cork in the lead by one point. The final 15 minutes of the first half was an end to end affair with DCU placing five points from Donal

Burke, Rory O’Connor and James Burke. However, UCCs half forward Robbie O’Flynn kept the lead for the Cork men by capitalizing on DCU’s defensive errors and popping up with two points of his own. A final shot for DCU’s James Burke on the 30th minute brought the teams level at half time on a score line of 1:06 to 0:09 points. The men from the Lee side failed to emulate the high intensity they had in the first half which resulted in DCU capitalizing. However, Cork nearly extended their lead early in the second half with O’Flynn almost snatching a goal only to be denied by the post and had to settle for a point. DCU’s half back Brian Ryan really showed his true potential in the second half, driving down the heart of the UCC defence to fire his name on the scoreboard. He would repeat this action two minutes later to get his second point. The Cork men took the lead in the 46th minute from a 65-metre point from substitute Shane Kingston, however this would be UCC’s last score of the game. With three frees from the

Credit: Sportsfile

The side claimed the title for the second time in DCU’s history

man of the match Donal Burke and a point apiece from John Donnelly, John O’Sullivan and James Burke to go three points up, DCU hurlers created history as they claimed the All-Ireland League for the second year in a row and for the second time in the university’s history.

The men from North Dublin will have little time to celebrate as they now shift their focus to the Fitzgibbon cup in January and will hope to carry this league success with them into the championship.