Trinity News Vol. 68, Issue 4

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Are we headed for Polexit?

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Learning STEM through Irish Sign Language

James Kirwan and Kelly O' O'Dowd

TRINITY NEWS ESTABLISHED 1953

Tuesday 9 November 2021

Ireland’s Oldest Student Newspaper

Vol. 68, Issue. 4

PHOTO BY JACK KENNEDY FOR TRINITY NEWS

Harris and USI to launch spiking awareness campaign Sarah Emerson Deputy News Editor

A COP on

Signs discarded in House Six after protests on Saturday November 6, coinciding with the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow. TCDSU officers and other Trinity students marched as part of a crowd of several thousand in Dublin. Full report: page 3

TCDSU referendum on Irish Times boycott scheduled for November 24-26 Bella Salerno, Jack Kennedy Deputy News Editor, Editor

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RINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN STUDENTS’ UNION (TCDSU) is to hold a referendum on whether to boycott the Irish Times from November 24 to 26.

The wording of the proposal, if passed at referendum, would mandate that “TCDSU boycott The Irish Times in all TCDSU shops, trade, business and other commercial Union operations” over the newspaper’s coverage of

issues of trans rights.

This would include refusing to stock or sell the newspaper in TCDSU shops, and refusing advertising and printing services from the Irish Times. TCDSU Sabbatical Officers would also be required to decline media requests from the Irish Times.

It would also mean that TCDSU would join several other students’ unions and activist groups in boycotting the newspaper, including the unions of University College Dublin; Dublin City University; National University of Ireland Galway; and the Institute of Art, Design and Technology.

The effort is led by the Trans

Writers’ Union and has received support from author Shon Faye, Community Action Tenants Union, and former Irish Times contributor Louise Bruton.

Because the pro-boycott stance would constitute a “long-term policy” (LTP) of the union, it must be approved by the student body at referendum before it can enter into force. Existing LTPs of TCDSU include its support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and its stance in favour of abortion on request. LTPs remain in force until rescinded, which must also be done by referendum.

The vote will run concurrently

with one on calling for Trinity to divest from arms manufacturing. College currently has approximately €2.5 million invested in the sector.

Anyone interested in running a campaign on either side of either referendum is invited to contact the union’s Electoral Commission.

TCDSU’s LGBT+ Rights Officer Jenny Maguire authored the proposal to hold the boycott vote. It received approval from the Union Forum on October 11, and then was brought to the union’s Council on October 19.

The motion was seconded by Sierra Mueller-Owens, the union’s Welfare and Equality Officer. After Continued on page 2>>

N INFORMATION CAMPAIGN TO RAISE AWARENESS OF SPIKING is to be launched, following a number of reports in recent weeks of drink and needle-based spiking in Ireland and the UK. On November 5, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Innovation and Research Simon Harris announced the campaign in partnership with the Union of Students in Ireland (USI).

The decision followed the minister’s meeting with the USI on Thursday, November 4. Harris called the rise in reported needle spiking incidents a “worrying development which needs to be urgently addressed”, adding: “Thanks to students for discussing with me.”

Harris said that he would discuss spiking with the Minister for Justice in the coming days, and the awareness campaign would be Continued on page 2>>

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Tuesday 9 November | TRINITY NEWS

News

Table of contents News Features - page 13 Trinity places third in world’s most “instagrammable” university libraries

What happened at Prussia street

Analysis: Pay rise for student nurses represents a win for healthcare workers

Comment - page 18

Local government in Dublin is in dire need of overhaul

SciTech - page 25 Artificial intelligence: How far is too far?

Sport - page 28 Social sport in Trinity

TRINITY NEWS EDITORIAL STAFF Editor Deputy Editor Assistant Editor Online Editor Life Editor Editor-at-Large

Jack Kennedy Shannon Connolly Grace Gageby Shannon McGreevy Heather Bruton Finn Purdy

News Editor Features Editor Comment Editor Scitech Editors Eagarthóir Gaeilge

Kate Henshaw Ellen Kenny Sophie Furlong Tighe Lucy Fitzsimmons Nina Chen Niamh Ní Dhubhaigh

Head Photographer Head Videographer Head Copyeditor

Eliza Meller Kallum Linnie Sarah Moran

Get in touch at editor@trinitynews.ie

Printed by Webprint in Citywest, Co. Dublin

>> Continued from front page

TCDSU referendum on Irish Times boycott scheduled for November 24-26 a brief discussion at the Council meeting, it passed by a margin of 88% to 12%.

Speaking at the October 19 meeting, Maguire said: “The Irish Times has recently been platforming an anti-trans ethos, rife with scaremongering and medical misinformation surrounding transgender people.”

She continued: “It is a must that we join [the Trans Writers Union] in this boycott”.

Both the SU’s Gender Equality Officer, Rebecca Kelly, and Disability Officer, Chloe Staunton, urged everyone at Council “to vote in favour of this motion’’. Staunton highlighted the union’s “T-fund” supporting trans students in socially transitioning and said College “is not a welcoming place if we’re still supporting the Irish Times”.

Yannick Gloster, Undergraduate Studies Committee Representative, stated at Council that the Transgender Equality Network of Ireland (TENI) and ShoutOut are “not in support” of the boycott from the Irish Times and asked Maguire if she had “consulted with University Times” since the newspaper uses their printers.

Maguire said that she had not heard any indication anywhere that the two LGBT+ organisations mentioned by Gloster are actively against the boycott, and that she had “numerous discussions” with the University Times when writing the motion.

Gabrielle Fullam, the union’s Ethnic Minorities Officer, then concurred with Maguire, saying she believes that the motion is ‘’really important” and that the SU “have to look at our prioritisation of issues”. She believes taking a stance on the issue was more important than “the convenience of printing with the Irish Times”.

Speaking to Trinity News before the meeting, Maguire said: “Essentially, I’m proposing this motion as we simply cannot advertise for, stock or do business of any kind with a group that platforms medical misinformation, scaremongering and hate for transgender people on a national level.”

She continued: “There has been minimal media coverage of the Irish Trans Writers’ Union’s boycott of the Irish Times, and it is a must that we stand in solidarity with them.”

“Supporting the transgender community is nonnegotiable, we cannot prioritise partnerships of any kind over the well-being of some of the most vulnerable people within Irish society, it’s as simple as that.”

According to Maguire’s motion, “an anti-transgender editorial stance does not serve in the interest of debate or journalistic balance, but only seeks to prevent trans people from living lives free of persecution”.

In early October, the University Times, which is affiliated with

TCDSU and printed by the Irish Times, said that it was “aware” of calls for boycotts of the national newspaper. UT’s editorial team said that the publication would no longer feature advertisements from the Irish Times and was “actively exploring alternative arrangements” regarding printing.

Trinity News has taken an editorial stance in support of the Trans Writers’ Union campaign and severed its relationship with the Irish Times in August. The print edition of this newspaper is no longer produced by the Irish Times, and Trinity News no longer features its advertising in print or online.

Last week, the BBC partially retracted an article which claimed trans women “pressure” lesbians into having sex with them. The outlet received widespread criticism, noting that much of the article’s claim of the existence of such a trend hinges on a social media survey of just 80 people.

More than 20,000 people have signed an open letter asking the BBC to apologise for the article, but the outlet has maintained that the piece fits within its editorial guidelines. It did later amend the piece to remove quotations from one source, after critics pointed out that she had publicly expressed a desire to commit genocide against trans people.

Additional reporting by Kate Henshaw, Jamie Cox and Sarah Emerson.

>> Continued from front page

Harris and USI to launch spiking awareness campaign launched in the next few weeks.

There have been 198 confirmed reports of drink spiking across the UK in September and October alone, as well 24 reports of injection spiking, according to the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

Details on the nature of needlebased spiking remain unclear, as the recent spate of high-profile cases occurred in late October and early November, and it may be several weeks before toxicology reports are concluded.

Yesterday, Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Simon Byrne said there have been 120 incidents of spiking reported in Northern Ireland so far this year.

Students across the UK participated in a boycott of nightclubs as part of the Girls’ Night In campaign, which called on venues to provide greater protections for women.

Gardaí have not yet confirmed any needle spiking cases in Ireland, but are investigating reports of incidents in Limerick and Dublin.

A female student in Limerick reported being spiked via a needle on October 26 during a night out, and it has been confirmed a

woman in her 20s was spiked with a drug in a Dublin nightclub on October 31, possibly via injection.

An Garda Síochána are calling on victims of any form of drug spiking to report incidents to local Gardaí.

USI President Clare Austick told Virgin Media News that “of course we want people to be aware of the issue and mind themselves and their friends when they go out on nights out, but the real issue here is the people perpetrating this behaviour”.

Austick said: “At the moment there seems to be this victimblaming and shaming, because a lot of information is out there on how to protect yourself on a night out”. Austick explained that this places the onus of responsibility on victims.

Speaking to Trinity News, USI Vice President for Welfare Somhairle Brennan said: “Many individual Students’ Unions have put out information and guidelines on the issue to create awareness and give students advice on how to recognise if a drink has been interfered with, such as if it’s foggy, has excessive bubbles, or has changed in colour.”

“USI wants to focus on how this issue is being tackled at national level and how we’re addressing potential perpetrators, rather than putting all the focus on victims and potential victims.”

Brennah added: “We are currently in the process of finalising how to approach the overall issue of spiking, including the possibility of needle spiking, with intent of sexual misconduct.”

On November 4, University College Cork Students’ Union (UCCSU) and UCC Bystander Intervention held a protest against drink and needle spiking, as part of their Take Back the Spike Campaign launched on November 2.

The purpose of the march was to raise awareness of the growing issue and show solidarity with victims of spiking.

Hundreds of UCC students and staff attended the protest on campus, as well as the President of UCC Professor John O’Halloran.

Trinity News has reached out to Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) for comment.

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 9 November

News PHOTO BY JACK KENNEDY FOR TRINITY NEWS

TCDSU marches in Dublin COP26 protest The union called on members to attend and “show their solidarity in fighting for our planet” Kate Henshaw News Editor

T A notice posted on the door of House Six over the weekend

RINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN STUDENTS’ UNION (TCDSU) MARCHED in a protest that took place this past Saturday, November 6, demanding action from world leaders at the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow.

Before the demonstration, TCDSU called on its members to “join [the] march and show their solidarity in fighting for our plan-

et”.

Students met outside House 6 at 11.30am to march towards the Garden of Remembrance.

In a press release the day before the event, the union said; “On November 6, TCDSU will be supporting the COP26 Global Day for Climate Justice.”

“As the world’s leaders meet this week in Glasgow for the UN Climate Change Conference, ordinary people all over the world will be protesting on the streets, demanding climate action”: they continued.

They note that the “COP26 Coalition has called for a day of international mass demonstrations” on November 6 and “in response to this call, the COP26 Coalition Dublin Hub have organised a ‘March For Climate Justice’ in Dublin, beginning in the Garden of Remembrance at 12pm”.

TCDSU said that “it is vital that students turn out tomorrow and demand climate justice for all” since “climate change is a student issue which affects everyone and

will impact all of our lives”.

“As students, we have a responsibility to get out and make our demands heard.”

Speaking about the protest, TCDSU Environmental Officer Sam Foley said that “world leaders are seen to be paying lip service to the problem of climate change, making the minimum commitment that is required of them”.

“This is a global movement for standing together and demanding what we would like to see happen, which is a key reason for why TCDSU must get involved”: she continued.

Foley noted the demands of the protest include, “sustainable agriculture, banning new investment in fossil fuels, stopping the building of unsustainable data centres, and sustainable, free, regular public transport to cut down on cars”.

“All of the aims of the protest align with our goals for creating a sustainable campus, and support of this protest is integral to show how seriously young people are taking this issue.”

College: Science Gallery can only be sustained “through securing sufficient funding from Government.”

The Board has said that “the Gallery incurred substantial deficits in each of the last four financial years” Kate Henshaw News Editor

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OLLEGE HAS SAID THAT THE SCIENCE GALLERY CAN ONLY BE SAVED “through securing sufficient funding from government”.

At a meeting of College’s Board on November 3, it was noted that “the Gallery incurred substantial deficits in each of the last four financial years”.

This was attributed to “a sharp decline in grants and philanthropic income since 2017.” As of September 30, “the accumulated deficit stands at €1.65 million and is predicted to exceed €2 million in 2022”.

In an email circulated to all students after the meeting, College said that “during the Board discussion, there was strong support from the Board for finding a way

forward”.

However, they concluded that Trinity “cannot continue to sustain these losses” and that “any vision for the future of Science Gallery Dublin must lead to a sustainable way of running and operating the Gallery”.

“The Board also recognised that this can only happen through securing sufficient funding from government.”

Discussions in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Innovation and Research and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media about the future of the Science Gallery are said to be “ongoing”.

At the meeting, the Board also recognised that “since its establishment in 2008” the Science Gallery “has been a successful public engagement platform for interdisciplinary learning and science communication, and has been a huge part of the cultural life of Trinity”.

“The dedication and commitment of the Science Gallery Dublin team has been outstanding and we have much to thank them for.”

Finally they noted that “all of this will have an impact on staff in the gallery and [they] are working with those affected to find the best way through this”.

On October 29, Trinity News reported that a petition had been launched to save the Science Gallery.

The Science Gallery was reported to close by next February as a result of its financial unviability.

The gallery reopened to the public on October 22, with its most recent exhibition “BIAS: Built This Way.” 43 exhibitions have been displayed to over 3 million visitors since its opening in 2008.

Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) expressed their anger at the closure of the gallery on Twitter. They wrote: “Shocking news from [College]

today. [The gallery] is an essential cultural space for our campus and our city.’’

TCDSU’s senior sophister class representative for Irish, Cúnla Morris, started an online petition demanding College to keep the gallery open. The petition stated: “Closing the Science Gallery affects all of us, in Dublin and beyond, and strips away another aspect of accessible education and recreation.’’

“Trinity College Dublin, we de-

mand a solution. Don’t let down your students, your visitors, your staff, and your city,”: it continues.

The petition currently has over 3,800 signatures.

Science Gallery Dublin belongs to the Global Science Gallery Network developed by College in 2012, with the support of Google. org. The initiative oversees the development of further galleries in locations all around the world. The first new gallery opened in London in 2018.

PHOTO BY ZAHRA LOCKETT FOR TRINITY NEWS

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Tuesday 9 November | TRINITY NEWS

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Trinity Business School’s executive MBA programme ranked first in Ireland The programme was also ranked joint 59th in the world by the Financial Times 2021 EMBA Ranking Ellen Kenny Features Editor

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HE TRINITY BUSINESS SCHOOL’S E X E C U T I V E MASTERS OF B U S I N E S S ADMINISTRATION (MBA) programme has been ranked first in Ireland and joint 59th globally by the Financial Times 2021 Executive MBA (EMBA) Ranking.

The part-time masters programme shares the global 59th place with the Terry Business School, University of Georgia. This is the highest global ranking an Irish EMBA has earned since 2010, when University College Dublin: Smurfit was ranked 54th.

This year, UCD Smurfit was ranked 72nd globally.

This is the 21st edition of the Financial Times’ annual ranking of the top one hundred EMBA programmes across the world. A total of 136 programmes took part this year.

In its ranking, the Financial Times considers each programme based on specific criteria, such as the average salary difference in alumni before their EMBA and after, the career progression of alumni, the percentage of female faculty and students, the percentage of international faculty and students, and the proportion of courses dedicated to “ethical, social and environmental issues”.

Trinity’s EMBA programme currently has a gender balance of 0.85:1 and an international student population of 41%. According to a press release from the College, “the Business School has made sustainability, responsible business and diversity and inclusion a core part of its ethos”.

The latest rankings sees the Trinity EMBA surpass a number of major global programmes, including the Ivey Business School in Canada, Henley Business School in the UK, and Copenhagen Business School in Denmark.

Director of the EMBA Professor John Dong thanked the MBA staff, students and alumni for their “outstanding accomplishment” and promised to “continue our good practices with a unique project-based curriculum, while continuing to enhance and innovate the programme in other aspects”.

“Looking forward, we plan to give our students a wider international learning experience after the global pandemic and further develop their leadership in a fast-changing business environment.”

Members of the Business School faculty have expressed their pride in the success of Trinity’s EMBA programme and the Business School overall. According to Professor Andrew Burke, the Dean of Trinity Business School, “our staff, students and alumni have put a lot of energy and creativity into the transformation of the School over the last five years”.

Along with this ranking, this year the Business School also ranked first in Ireland in MSc Finance programmes and in the top 30 globally. The School’s MSc in International Management

also ranked 28th globally in the 2021 Financial Times’ Masters in Management ranking.

In a press release, Burke said, “In just half a decade our innovative community has created a world-leading business school at the heart of Dublin City, which is reflected, time and time again, in international rankings”.

“This is not only a boon for business based here, but also for our graduates who work in a global context whether here in Ireland or overseas.”

PHOTO BY SABA MALIK FOR TRINITY NEWS

Sinn Féin puts forward motion calling on government to “pay a fair allowance to student nurses and midwives” The government did not oppose the motion Kate Henshaw News Editor

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AST WEEK, SINN FÉIN TD DAVID CULLINANE put forward a motion calling on government to “pay a fair allowance to student nurses and midwives for the work that they do”.

The government did not oppose the motion.

The motion also called on government to “immediately begin offering a Covid-19 booster vaccine to healthcare workers and frontline staff ” and “waive the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland registration and retention fees”.

Cullinane is also calling on government to “engage meaningfully and positively with health and social care trade unions in a spirit of generosity, to deliver recognition of their particular sacrifice during

PHOTO VIA SINN FÉIN the Covid-19 pandemic”.

Finally, the motion calls for a “ ramp up [of] mental health supports for healthcare workers” and the publication of the McHugh review on pay and allowances for student nurses and midwives.

Speaking on the motion, Cullinane said he met with representatives of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), the

Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA), and the Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union.

He said: “they are all very angry and disappointed that there was no direct engagement with the Minister and the HSE regarding the McHugh report and the contents of the memorandum he intends to bring to the Cabinet.”

“As usual with this Government, the information ends up in The Irish Times or elsewhere in the media before those who are affected by this hear about it”: he continued.

He believes there is “a responsibility on the Minister to ensure that all student nurses and midwives are paid a fair allowance”, and he called on the Minister “to act on this urgently, as actions speak louder than words”.

“The issue of payments for student nurses is a litmus test for this Government's recognition of the contribution of those who worked in our healthcare system throughout the pandemic.”

Speaking during the debate, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly thanked the Deputies for tabling the motion and said that government “will not oppose [it]”.

“I would like to take this opportunity, as I am sure we all do, to thank nurses and midwives, including students, and all healthcare workers for their ongoing dedication, commitment and professionalism as we continue to deal with Covid-19”: Donnelly continued.

He said that government is “committed to recognising the

dedication that front-line healthcare workers have shown during the pandemic” and “work is ongoing to determine how best this can be done”.

“The contribution of our nurses and midwives, and our student nurses and midwives while on clinical placements, has been, and continues to be, exceptional.”

He noted that “student placements in hospitals are a feature of training and education across a range of disciplines in the health sector” and “the placements give students practical experience to meet the educational and regulatory requirements of the programmes and ensure they are in a better position to get jobs after graduation”.

“Clinical placements are a necessary part of the degree programme for nurses and midwives who gain invaluable practical experience and develop their clinical skills.”

Last Tuesday (November 2), the INMO held a protest outside of the Dáil calling on government to pay student nurses and midwives.

The protest was attended by politicians, students’ unions and hundreds of students.

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 21 September

Analysis: Pay rise for student nurses represents a win for healthcare workers Bonnie Gill

News Analysis Editor

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ECENT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE in the fight to increase pay for student nurses.

It was announced by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar on Tuesday November 2 that there would be a 12.5% salary increase for student nurse internships, as well as an additional €100 accommodation grant for students who are forced to relocate for their placement.

The announcement followed a demonstration by student nurses and midwives calling for an increase in pay for nurses on placement. Over 100 attended the protest outside Leinster house. The demonstration was held following up on a report submitted to the government in August but had not yet been given to any unions.

Leaks of the report were given succeeding the protest on Tuesday, detailing that there could be an increase of 12.5% in salaries for

student nursing internships. In a press release published last Tuesday, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) criticised the government for its lack of communication with students about the report which was submitted almost three months ago. In the release they stated: “The Minister for Health and his officials must directly engage with student nurses and midwives and their representatives. As case numbers begin to rise yet again and hospital admissions increase, our students need clarity.”

The report submitted in August came after almost a year and a half long lobbying of the government by student nurses and unions to provide an increase in pay for both internships and placement. During the course of the pandemic, student nurses worked long and unpaid hours in hospitals. First, second and third year nursing

students are required to complete several weeks of placement in hospitals as part of their degree.

Nurses spoke of poor mental health while working during the peak of the pandemic, and described their role in hospitals as “extra staff ” as opposed to students there for educational purposes.

In December 2020, the government voted down a motion to pay student nurses. A report was later released in January detailing a proposed €100 weekly grant to be awarded to students on placement.

INMO reacted to this in a press release published on January 4 2021 in which they called the report “obsolete”, stating that it “no longer reflects the risk or work that students will be taking on in the coming weeks.”

The proposal to award student nurses with this €100 grant was finalised in May of this year. It was announced that the payments

“

The announcement on Tuesday included a promise to continue the €100 grant for the time being, as well as introducing a €100 housing grant

would be backdated to September 2020 to cover those who completed placement throughout the year.

The announcement on Tuesday included a promise to continue the €100 grant for the time being, as well as introducing a €100 accommodation grant for students living away from home as a result of their placement.

In the fourth year of their studies, nursing students are required to complete a 36-week internship in which they receive a salary. The salary for student nursing internships currently stands at approximately €21,749 to €22,249, a figure which nurses have been lobbying to increase due to the fact that their work differs very little from that of a qualified nurse. The 12.5% increase announced on Tuesday is a step towards the eventual goal of seeing student nurses earn 80% of that of a qualified nurses salary.

Tuesday’s announcement signifies the first victory for student nurses in some time. The new student nurse initiatives announced by Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly are set to cost the government approximately €6 million per annum. It is indeed an achievement for student nurses who have rightfully been advocating for a pay increase for the last eighteen months.

“

The report submitted in August came after almost a year and a half long lobbying of the government by student nurses and unions to provide an increase in pay PHOTO VIA USI

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Tuesday 9 November | TRINITY NEWS

News

Commercial and retail complex to be developed opposite College The site on the corner of Nassau and Dawson Street formerly housed Lemon and House of Ireland Leonard Mussler Contributing Writer

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HE CORNER OF NASSAU STREET AND DAWSON STREET is to be developed into a new office and retail complex, which has been designed to the “highest environmental and sustainability standards”, according to the developers.

The 60 Dawson Street and Grafton Place site opposite College’s Nassau Street entrance formerly housed a number of shops and restaurants including Lemon, Flying Tiger, House of Ireland, Mooch, Sprout and Spar. Those businesses closed in late 2018 before work began to demolish existing structures on the site.

The new mixed-purpose building is to comprise both office spaces and a ground floor retail centre, planned to be an extension of the retail area on nearby Grafton Street. The complex is set to overlook the Provost’s Gardens on Trinity’s campus.

The 190,000sqm property will be one of the city centre’s last development sites. The project was developed by London real estate management firm MARK in partnership with Dublin firm BCP, and designed by architect consortium Henry J Lyons.

60 Dawson Street and Grafton place are to be “built to the highest environmental and sustainability standards, reducing the carbon footprint of the property over the building’s lifetime”, according to a press release from MARK. The complex is to be constructed with “regionally sourced, environmentally conscious materials”, and will reportedly include rainwater collection, rooftop gardens, at-source waste recycling, and onsite renewable energy generation.

Commenting on the development, Managing Director of MARK UK and Ireland, Lily Lin said that the firm is “committed to enhanced sustainability and wellness as core to the delivery of the project”.

“Conceived as a building that actively works both with and for its occupants, the property aims to promote health, productivity and champion a future-facing ap-

“

It is built from locally sourced and sustainable materials, predominantly limestone with bronze highlights and curtain wall glazing

proach to working lifestyles and city living”, Lin continued.

The sustainable retail centre is intended to provide “brands with a physical store that showcases their commitment to a more eco-conscious retail future”, in line with consumer demand, the developers say.

Ray Crowley, director of BCP, described the complex as “a prestigious cornerstone of the regeneration and re-opening of Dublin post pandemic”.

Martin Donnelly, director at Henry J Lyons architects, added: “The façade has been thoughtfully designed, as an elegant and timeless addition to this historic area.

In line with the building’s superior environmental credentials, it is built from locally sourced and sustainable materials, predominantly limestone with bronze highlights and curtain wall glazing.

“The office levels are spun around a central atrium, offering panoramic views over the historic city core, the wider city, docklands and Dublin mountains.”

The building is set to open in the spring of 2023.

GRAPHICS VIA MARK AND BCP

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 9 November

News

Trinity places third in the world’s most “instagrammable” university libraries The Old Library placed in the top three alongside Oxford University’s Radcliffe Camera and the University of Manchester’s John Ryland Library placing 1st and 2nd respectively Bella Salerno Deputy News Editor

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RINITY HAS PLACED third in the world’s most instagrammable university libraries.

The Old Library placed in the top three with Oxford University’s Radcliffe Camera and the University of Manchester’s John Ryland Library placing first and second respectively.

The ‘Knowledge Academy’ considered almost 300 university libraries in their study. The group used sources such as ‘Town & Country’, ‘4icu’, ‘Best Masters

PHOTO BY ELIZA MELLER FOR TRINITY NEWS

Programs’, and ‘Matador Network’, as well as the number of Instagram hashtags each university library has.

According to the group, they “inserted the name of each respective library, or building, into Instagram’s search feature to establish a hashtag’s figure (...) [and] where appropriate, variations of each hashtag were also considered”.

The libraries were then ranked from most to least Instagrammed based on the total hashtag sum as of October 22, 2021.

Their findings conclude that universities in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA) feature the most instagrammable libraries, with both having eight universities placing in the top 20.

Oxford University’s Radcliffe

Camera was recorded to have 40,394 instagram hashtags. In comparison, the University of Manchester’s John Ryland Library was recorded to have 22,135 instagram hashtags. Trinity’s Old Library was recorded to have 18,339 instagram hashtags.

The subsequent universities placing in the top ten include, Suzzallo Library in the University of Washington, Butler Library in

Columbia University, Widener Library in Harvard University, The Maughan Library in King’s College London, Powell Library in the University of California (UCLA), Biblioteca Joanina in Coimbra University, and George Peabody Library in Johns Hopkins University.

Speaking to Trinity News, Librarian and College Archivist Helen Shenton, said: “The Long Room is often called ‘the most beautiful room in Ireland’, and is probably the most recognised interior in Ireland, so it’s not surprising that it rates so highly amongst the list of the most instagrammed libraries in the world.”

She continued: “We are delighted to share its beauty and the collections of the Library of Trinity College Dublin through our Instagram platforms which during Covid times was especially important for followers of the Library, Trinity and also the Book of Kells Instagram accounts.”

Trinity’s Old Library dates back to the late 16th century with the establishment of College in 1592.

It is also the largest library in the country.

The most famous of its manuscripts include the Book of Kells and the Book of Durrow.

Other special collections include the Ussher Collection acquired in 1661 and the Fagel Collection of 1802.

NUIG invests €5 million into SOLAS welcomes reform of CAO system Global Challenges Programme Evan Rankin Contributing Writer

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N OCTOBER 19, National University of Ireland Galway (NUI Galway) announced a €5 million investment into their Global Challenges Programme.

The programme is a multidisciplinary research initiative aimed at tackling a series of global issues.

The investment is part of the NUI’s Research and Innovation Strategy 2021-2026.

The Global Challenges Programme aims to tackle “significant issues affecting humanity”. Areas of focus include antimicrobial resistance, decarbonisation, food security, human centred data, democracy, and ocean and coastal health.

President of NUI Galway, Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, and former President of the European Research Council, Professor Helga

Nowotny, launched the strategy at an online event.

Speaking at the launch, Ó hÓgartaigh said: “Our Research and Innovation Strategy 2021-26 is grounded in the values of our university – our commitment to respect, sustainability, excellence, and openness.”

“The strategy supports ambition. It is challenging and forward thinking, but most of all, the philosophy and culture of NUI Galway, that we are here for the public good, is embedded throughout”: he continued.

Vice-President for Research and Innovation at the NUI, Professor Jim Livesey, said: “As a public university, we have a special responsibility to direct our research toward the most pressing questions and the most difficult issues.”

He said that the university “embraces this responsibility and aspires to build distinction for itself by exemplifying this public research mission”.

Apprenticeships and further education & training courses have been included in the CAO portal for the first time Jack Kennedy Editor

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OLAS, THE NATIONAL AUTHORITY for further education and training (FET), has welcomed the inclusion of FET courses and apprenticeships in the Central Applications Office (CAO) system for the first time.

SOLAS said that the reform was the result of “the close collabora-

tion and commitment of a working group comprising representatives of SOLAS, Education and Training Boards Ireland, the CAO, and the Department of Further and Higher Education”.

The authority’s CEO, Andrew Brownlee, continued: ““The CAO is a major focus for Senior Cycle students, their parents and their guidance counsellors. It plays a unique focal point in the conversation around education in Ireland and that is why today’s announcement about Further Education and Training and Apprenticeships having a new position within the CAO system is so significant.”

“FET and apprenticeships are smart choices that deliver results for a broader range of interests and learner aptitudes. FET and apprenticeships not only unlock growth that addresses national skills needs in the workforce, and tap into vocational potential in our students, but also they represent an accessible pathway into higher education.”

Brownlee continued: “Today’s

news means that now the full range of third level options will be visible to school leavers from one single platform. At kitchen tables and in classrooms around Ireland, the conversation will now change to one that reflects all the options that are available to school leavers.

Last Friday, November 5, saw the launch of the CAO’s online portal for 2022. Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris had pledged in September, prior to the release of CAO offers for 2021, that the system would be reformed to include FET and apprenticeships in 2022.

Harris emphasised at the time that such educational options are valuable both in their own right and as a route to third-level education.

Addressing Leaving Certificate students, he said: “There are so many ways for you to get to where you want to be.”

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Tuesday 9 November | TRINITY NEWS

News

Campus residents must make Analysis: Coll an application to host a party Ja Ne seven working days in advance Temporary prohibitions on guests and parties in College accomodation have been removed

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Sarah Emerson Deputy News Editor

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AMPUS RESIDENST MUST make an application to host a party seven working days in advance.

On November 1, Trinity removed the temporary prohibitions on guests and parties in College residences.

Residents of campus accommodation and Trinity Hall were not permitted to host daytime visitors, overnight guests or hold parties during the 202021 academic year. These rules have remained in place so far this term.

Procedures for overnight guests and parties have reverted to those that were in place before March 2020.

These pre-pandemic procedures are outlined in the Conditions of Occupancy document for this academic year.

“Breaches of these conditions are dealt with by the Junior Dean or the Registrar of Chambers and can result in monetary fines”, the Campus Residents’ Handbook notes.

“Serious or repeated infringements can lead to the withdrawal of the right of residence.”

According to the Conditions of Occupancy, visitors and guests on campus accommodation must leave campus accommodation by midnight.

Any visitor or guest remaining after the designated time is deemed to be an overnight guest, and must be “signed in electronically through the completion of an overnight guest request” on the accommodation website.

For guests at Trinity Hall, the designated time for nonresidents to leave is 10.30pm. The Trinity Hall Residents’ Handbook stipulates that “overnight guests must be signed in at Reception before 10.30pm”.

Guests will not be admitted to campus residences after midnight,

PHOTO BY ZAHRA LOCKETT FOR TRINITY NEWS

or Trinity Hall after 10.30pm, unless they are with their host.

Overnight guests are also usually not permitted “over the Christmas and New Year period, the night of the Trinity Ball and during the annual exam period”, unless advance written permission has been granted.

Residents may host only one overnight guest at any time, and “for no longer than the number of nights stated in the Residents’ Handbook”, unless special permission is granted.

In Trinity Hall, this is no more than 2 nights in succession. The Campus Residents’ Handbook does not outline the maximum number of successive nights.

The Conditions of Occupancy agreement states that “any resident who hosts overnight guests with what the relevant College Officer considers to be excessive frequency may be required to obtain advance permission for each occasion that an overnight guest is to be hosted”.

“The permission may be declined”, the document adds.

In cases where a resident fails to “observe the conditions relating to overnight guests”, the relevant College Officer may prohibit further hosting “for a period of time at the relevant Officer’s discretion”.

The relevant College Officer may “suspend or restrict for any period the facility to host overnight guests”, with one week’s notice, “in the interests of residences generally” or to assist the management and operation of the facility”. One week’s notice may not be provided “in exceptional circumstances”.

Regarding parties, the Conditions of Occupancy document considers “a gathering of more than 8 persons” a party.

Where an apartment houses more than 4 residents, a gathering of twice the number of residents is deemed a party.

“Parties may only be arranged with the permission of the Junior Dean or Warden of Trinity Hall”. Residents must make an application seven working days in advance, to the Enquiries Office or reception at Trinity Hall.

The document notes that “a deposit may be requested and this will be payable in advance”.

It is unclear what the application to hold an approved party in Trinity accommodation entails, and what the grounds for refusal are.

Trinity News has reached out to College for comment.

The Conditions of Occupancy document provides for “quality

assurance inspections” to be undertaken, to inspect apartments’ conditions and check compliance with the Conditions of Occupancy.

Reasonable notice is to be given.

Where staff deem an “acceptable standard of cleaning and hygiene has not been attained”, residents are to be given an opportunity “to bring the accommodation up to standard”. If the “acceptable standard” has not been realised on further inspection, “cleaning will be arranged and the cost will be charged to the resident(s)”.

College’s treatment of student renters over the course of the pandemic has attracted criticism.

In March 2020, when Trinity made the decision to shut its accommodation, residents were instructed to vacate rooms with 24 hours notice, or 48 hours for international students.

Last year, students at Trinity Hall criticised the complex for its strict Covid-19 restrictions and “disproportionate and unfair punishments’’ when these were broken. Penalties included essay assignments, fines and relocation.

Students also complained about Trinity Hall staff members for what they perceived as unwarranted verbal attacks when rules were broken.

AST WEEK, College saw its second phase of reopening, as students returned to campus after reading week to increased face-to-face classes and greater social mobility within campus.

However, this has corresponded with a rise in cases, the likes of which have not been seen since the beginning of the year, when cases spiked at 8000. It is interesting to reflect on what exactly has changed for students and staff, and whether as a college we will manage to keep campus fully open throughout the winter.

By far the most dramatic change for students has been the level of face-to-face teaching now available. Trinity has been criticised from both within and outside of College for its comparatively cautious approach to reopening. This two stage strategy was justified by Provost Linda Doyle in an email in August, in which she said that Trinity’s location in the city centre, as well as its small size meant it would not be safe to immediately return

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 9 November

News

lege reopening proceeds as planned

amie Cox

ews Analysis Editor to almost full capacity, as other universities had done. This was met with criticism from some students, including Students4Change, who organised a protest in Front Square, demanding a full return to on-campus learning, or a refund of the student contribution.

However, it appears the second phase of reopening has proceeded largely as intended. Students are no longer required to swipe in at College entrances, and the majority of lectures have been moved to face-to-face, allowing students to go back to a College that closely resembles pre-pandemic times.

As Covid-19 cases continue to rise, there are concerns that this may threaten the longevity of a return to normal campus life. For example, last week it was reported that lecturers were concerned with the lack of CO2 monitors in teaching spaces. Speaking to the University Times, the chair of Trinity’s branch of the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT), John Walsh commented on the lack of these monitors, saying there were significant

concerns that rooms lacked proper ventilation.

While Walsh commented that College intends to roll out these monitors, it is highly concerning that these devices have not been implemented halfway into term.

Although Trinity’s second phase of reopening has, for the most part, run smoothly, such oversights may be a cause for concern going forward.

Last week saw good news concerning growing freedom for students living in on-campus accommodation. Residents were recently informed that they would be permitted to have overnight guests and approved parties.

This rule was implemented from November 1, following lobbying by Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU).

TCDSU wrote on their Instagram page that “After extensive lobbying by the SU, College has revised their COVID accommodation regulations and overnight guests will now be permitted, as will approved parties from November 1.”

This marks a significant shift towards a return to normality for students living on campus.

However, as we head into what is likely to be a turbulent winter, it will be vital for students to remain conscious of the public health advice that rendered the slow reopening of society possible.

The high vaccine uptake amongst students and young people generally, as well as more general adherence to public health advice, has played a significant role in

“

It will be vital for students to remain conscious of the public health advice that rendered the slow reopening of society possible creating a safe environment in Trinity. It will be this kind of responsible mentality that will allow campus to remain open.

Students should not forget the time and effort it took to get to this point following the closure of campus in March 2020. With regards to accommodation in particular, where students will now be allowed to host social events, it will be crucial to remember the common sense and vigilance that will allow this freedom to remain a reality.

PHOTO VIA THE LABOUR PARTY

Labour senators propose legislation to ban repurposing of student accommodation for 15 years The bill was brought forward by Rebecca Moynihan, the party’s housing spokesperson Grace Gageby Assistant Editor

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PHOTO BY JACK KENNEDY FOR TRINITY NEWS

N OCTOBER 20, legislation on banning repurposing student accommodation into tourist accommodation was brought before the Seanad.

Speaking in support of the Planning and Development Amendment bill, Labour Party spokesperson on Housing, Rebecca Moynihan said: “Thirdlevel education is becoming more and more inaccessible year after year.”

Moynihan referred to one student accommodation provider who recently applied for a change of use, and was charging €1200 per month for a room, while the Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) grant for the entire year is only €3025, “before you eat, travel or buy a book”.

She also highlighted the high concentration of student accommodation in areas including Dublin 8 and Dublin 1, despite no large institutions existing in these areas.

“We don’t want to see lower standard co-living, by the back door, to come in”, Moynihan said.

She continued: “There needs to be a clear line in the sand on this.

Developers need to be told clearly that you can’t game the planning system to make greater profits elsewhere.”

She finished her speech by asking the house to support her bill, saying: “Student accommodation should be staying as student accommodation, and do not let developers know that they can game the planning system when it doesn’t suit them.”

Labour Senator Marie Sherlock also spoke in favour of the bill.

A small demonstration attended by Labour senators, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) took place outside Leinster house.

The Labour bill aims to “restrict applications for change of use of certain student accommodation units, and to provide for connected matters”.

“For a period of 15 years from the completion of development no application shall be made to or granted by the planning authority concerned (…) for change in use of student accommodation concerned to permanent residential accommodation,” or for hotels, hostels and tourist accommodation.

A tweet on Moynihan’s page yesterday evening read: “We need to build cost rental student accommodation in conjunction with our educational institutions. Students and student accommodation is not as a cash cow for under resourced education institutions or a profit bonanza for property investors (until they want to change [its] use.)”

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Tuesday 9 November | TRINITY NEWS

News

5,879 vaccines administered at college vaccination centres across two weeks Pop up centres were set up across 15 higher education sites around the country Sarah Emerson Deputy News Editor

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TOTAL OF 5,879 vaccinations have been administered from clinics at third level colleges since

September.

HSE pop up vaccination centres were set up on college campuses for the second time this term, during another “College Vaccination Week”.

Between October 18 and 22, temporary vaccination clinics returned to 12 higher education sites across Ireland, including Trinity. The centres operated on a walk-in basis for students and staff.

This was after Minister for Further and Higher Education, Innovation and Research Simon Harris announced the second “Vaccination Week”.

Harris said that the clinics were returning “to ensure those who received their first dose can access their second”, adding: “These sites will be open for people to receive their first dose too.”

During the initial Vaccination Week, pop up centres were set up across 15 higher education sites from September 27. At this time, over 3000 people received a vaccine, and 53% of these were first doses.

A centre operated from Trinity’s main campus on Monday 27 and Wednesday September 29. Trinity News reported that over 200 students and staff received first or second doses at College across these two days.

The HSE vaccine clinic returned to New Square Marquee on Wednesday last week, where approximately 500 people were vaccinated between 8.30am and 6pm.

Speaking to Trinity News, a spokesperson for College confirmed the figures, adding that it was “a very busy day [with] queues from the opening”.

The walk-in clinic at Trinity was also open to students from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), National College of Art and Design (NCAD), Royal Irish Academy of Music, Marino Institute of Education, and Griffith College.

Across the 12 higher education vaccine centres set up last week, a further 2,544 people were vaccinated.

Minister Harris announced the figures today, saying that “almost half of these were first doses”.

He explained: “[This] shows the importance of the ongoing college vaccination campaign and its positive impact.”

“This figure is in addition to the 3,335 vaccines administered in the first college vaccination week held earlier this month.”

“Thank you to everyone involved in this & to all students coming forward to get their vaccine”, he added.

Analysis: Vaccine uptake indicates closing of gap Jamie Cox

News Analysis Editor

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AST WEEK IT was announced that 5,879 Covid-19 vaccines have been administered around Higher Education Institutes (HEI) in Ireland, in the second week of an ongoing vaccination programme. These vaccines were delivered in vaccination centres established on campus, with 500 people being administered vaccines in Trinity.

Given these walk-in centres were announced by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon Harris as a means of making the inoculation of the third level student body far easier, it is interesting to reflect on the uptake and what it indicates as to said student bodies continuing attitude towards Covid-19, as we face into what is likely to be a turbulent winter as cases continue to rise.

At the time of his announcement of the vaccine walk-in centres to be set up, 22% of those in Ireland aged between 16 and 29 were unvaccinated, accounting for a noticeable gap in the number of students who were unable or unwilling to get vaccinated. This presented a threat to the safe reopening of campus, as the potential for a cohort of unvaccinated students implicated a threat to the safety of staff and students.

Since then the two weeks of vaccines have administered

5,879 Covid-19 vaccines. The first week of vaccine delivery in colleges delivered 3000 doses from September 27. It was recorded that out of these doses, 53% were first doses.

This immediately carries positive implications for student attitude, as the majority of students attending this first week were students getting their first dose, who would likely go on to get a second.

The fact that 47% were students procuring a second dosage is likewise promising, as when the centres were announced that exact percentage of people in the age bracket mentioned had only gotten one dose.

So from the first week by itself it appears the overwhelming majority of students have adopted the right mentality in ensuring college can open safely.

Vaccines resumed last Wednesday, with doses being administered from a HSE Vaccine Clinic on Front Square. Staff reported a total of 500 doses being delivered between 8.30 am and 6.00 pm. According to staff, lines were present to the clinic from the beginning.

It was reported that in the second week, roughly 2,544 doses were delivered.

Minister Harris announced statistics for the vaccines delivered, saying: “almost half of these were first doses.”

This was described by Minister Harris as showing the “positive impact” of the vaccination clinics.

And it is hard to disagree with him. Of the 5,879 doses given, 700 were delivered from Trinity across the two weeks. Whilst the figures of doses delivered is impressive, what is more impressive is the closing of the gap present at the start of term. And what this means

for moving forward with a newly reopened College.

At the time of writing, 3903 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed.

And whilst the situation is undeniably more optimistic than it ever has been, with vaccines having a definite effect on the numbers of hospitalisations and deaths, it will be necessary for students to draw on the same momentum present in vaccine uptake, to ensure the situation within college doesn’t spiral. We have only been fully reopened for a week and it is far too early to assume the worst, or even predict how the situation could unfold. But with an obviously deteriorating situation nationally, students will have a large say in whether College can remain open.

The high turnout at these centres indicates this will certainly be possible. The influx of members of the public entering campus

means the situation no longer rests purely on the behaviour of staff and students. However, throughout the entire pandemic the onus has been on student behaviour, with students being told that by acting in a socially conscious manner campus would reopen.

With that now having become a reality, it is clear that for this hardearned gain to be kept, students need to continue acting in the same line of thought. That being that acting in accordance with public health advice can allow us to have as normal a college experience as possible. Fortunately, going forward this promising uptake of first and second doses implied that, within the student body at least, students can maintain the same mentality that assisted college in reopening.

PHOTO VIA TRINITY

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 9 November

News

50% discount on public transport for young people to be rolled out during mid-2022 Discounted fares for young people were announced as part of Budget 2022 Kate Henshaw News Editor

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OUNG PEOPLE ARE to avail of a 50% discount on public transport fares. The discount is due to be rolled out in mid 2022.

The new initiative was

announced as part of Budget 2022 where a total of €25 million was announced for a youth travel card as well as a €1.4 billion package to upgrade the public transport system.

The discount will be available to everyone aged between 19 and 23, not only students.

It is hoped that the discount will encourage young people to use the public transport system and alleviate some of the financial burden placed on them as a result of the consistently rising cost of living.

Speaking at the government’s new National Development Plan launch last week, Minister for Transport Eamonn Ryan pledged a two-to-one spend ratio between public transport and road infrastructure as part of Ireland’s climate goals.

“

We see car traffic coming back, but people are still slow on public transport

Over the last year and during lockdown, government invested heavily in public transport companies which were unable to operate to keep them afloat.

Ryan said that they “had to fill that gap with a huge investment, to cover the [public service obligation], to keep the companies going”.

“Now as we come out we have a real problem, because we see car traffic coming back, but people are still slow on public transport”: he noted.

“Our public transport revenues are not rising as fast as we would like and we’re going to be in a tight budget situation.”

Currently, students can avail of up to 30% cheaper fares on public transport.

What they said “Build back better.

Blah, blah, blah. Green economy. Blah blah blah.

Net zero by 2050. Blah, blah, blah. This is all we hear from our so-called leaders. Words that sound great but so far have not led to action. Our hopes and ambitions drown in their empty promises.”

Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg “Very good news. A new weapon in our armoury against covid. A tablet you can take once diagnosed to reduce risk of getting very sick” Tánaiste Leo Varadkar “I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival.”

Travis Scott “The rockets of treason will not shake one bit of the steadfastness and determination of the heroic security forces. I am fine and among my people. Thank God.” Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi "If you are in an environment where you're not asked for your Covid cert or where hand washing facilities are not present, or mask wearing is not as it should be - you should look at that as a riskier environment than it should be, and you should feel empowered to leave."

CMO Dr Tony Holohan

PHOTO BY ELIZA MELLER FOR TRINITY NEWS

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Tuesday 9 November | TRINITY NEWS

News

University Times budget initially rejected by TCDSU Union Forum Separately, the paper’s editor was asked about UT’s relationship with the Irish Times Jack Kennedy Editor

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HE UNIVERSITY TIMES (UT) had its budget rejected by the Union Forum of Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU).

The Forum, which is composed of TCDSU’s part-time and sabbatical officers, held its first meeting of the year on October 11.

Under the union’s constitution, the editor of UT “must present a detailed fully costed budget to the Union Forum at its first meeting at the first meeting of the academic year” which may then be “accepted

or rejected, but not altered” by the policymaking body.

Speaking to Trinity News, UT Editor Emer Moreau said the paper “very much welcome[s] the scrutiny”.

“Such constructive engagement between The University Times and Union Forum has become the norm in recent years,” she continued, “and we expect that the paper’s budget will be passed at a forthcoming meeting.”

Moreau said that attendees “sought clarity on certain figures I presented”.

A revised version of the paper’s budget was subsequently approved at the Union Forum’s second meeting, on November 1.

As well as questions about the budget, Moreau was asked by members of the Union Forum about the nature of the paper’s relationship with the Irish Times.

The meeting also saw the proposal of a motion to hold a referendum on a TCDSU boycott of the Irish Times. Maguire’s proposal received the necessary supermajority (75%) of votes to be forwarded to Council, and was ultimately approved there. It will

now go to referendum.

Several days after the Union Forum meeting, on October 16, UT published a note saying it had ceased to feature advertisements from the Irish Times and was “actively exploring alternative arrangements” for printing and was “eager to switch to a different printer”.

Asked if the decision to make that announcement was prompted or influenced by the meeting five days earlier, Moreau said the motivation was “motivated by our solidarity with the trans community”.

The editor also said that “discussions surrounding the switch to an alternative printer have been ongoing for over a month now”.

However Moreau told the Union Forum at that point that though the paper was “shopping around” for “more competitive prices” for printing, it had “not yet received any official quotes for printing from companies other than the Irish Times” according to an attendee of the meeting.

The UT editor told the Union

Forum that it is “difficult to find such a printer” as the paper is “not a tabloid” and “would likely have to outsource printing to a UK printer”.

Irish company Webprint, which prints Trinity News, offers both tabloid and broadsheet-

format printing services. Its client base includes national and local broadsheets such as the Business Post and the Southern Star.

Moreau told Trinity News that Webprint “declined to give me a quote as they do not have the press availability at this time”.

Trinity News was printed by the Guardian in Manchester until 2012, when it switched to the Irish Times for the subsequent nine years.

Moreau was also quoted as saying in the October 11 meeting that the Irish Times is “part of UT’s identity”.

Engineering students complain about “climate change denier”, “anti-LGBTQ” guest lecturer College says that content on a site which is linked in lecture slides is “not being published in his capacity as a guest lecturer”

PHOTO BY DONYA BAGHAIE HERAV FOR TRINITY NEWS

Jack Kennedy Editor

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HE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING HAS DECLINED TO ACT on complaints over the conduct of a guest lecturer in one of its modules.

Several senior sophister students raised concerns about Tony Allwright, who gives two of the 11 lectures in the Management for Engineers module, which is mandatory for all engineers in fourth year.

Allwright’s slide deck for his lectures include links to his personal website, where he posts con-

tent described by the complainants as “climate change denier”, “incredibly anti-LGBTQ in general”, “anti-trans“, and “anti-vaxxer”.

Professor Henry Rice, head of the School of Engineering, said that he raised the issue “with the College solicitor”.

Prof Rice said that the solicitor had advised that “Mr Allwright’s personal views are not being communicated as part of his lectures…. and they are not being published in his capacity as a guest lecturer in Trinity.”

“In addition, Mr Allwright has read the College policies on social media and on dignity and respect.”

Notably, Allwright posts frequently on the linked website about what he calls “global warmology“ and “global warm-mongering hysteria”, expressing his scepticism about human-caused climate change.

His lectures to Trinity engineers each year concern safety management in industry, including the prevention and handling of environmental disasters on oil rigs, a

field in which he worked for many years.

Allwright’s other blog posts include criticism of Irish media for being “Pro LBGT [sic]”, “Pro divorce”, “Pro Islam” and “Pro Atheism”.

Allwright also criticises media depictions of “diversity”, which he says is “non-white people being mixed up with white people and everyone blissfully happy, with the local kebab shops and curry houses doing a roaring trade, reggae bands blaring their stuff and spliff butts all over the pavement”.

Another section of the website, entitled “light relief ”, includes lists of “Jewish jokes” and comics with caricatures of Black African people.

The students’ complaints also referenced Allwright’s Twitter account. This account is not linked from his website or lecture materials but is the first result returned from a Google search of his name.

The account features tweets and retweets spreading misinformation about Covid, including what Allwright describes as the “uselessness of masks”.

Allwright also frequently praises the “pro-family” policies of Hungary’s government as an alternative to “foreign immigration”

and “suck[ing] in aliens”. Hungary’s “pro-family” policies have been criticised by groups such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and numerous other countries for violating the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people.

Responding to Prof Rice’s final email, a complainant noted the links to Allwright’s website at the bottom of each slide used for his lectures, “which at least in my opinion constitutes him bringing his reprehensible views into the lectures”.

They continued: “It is hard to guarantee evidence-based teaching…How are we to know that he didn’t let his obvious racism affect how he handled employee safety when the employee in question was a minority?”

Speaking to Trinity News, one of the students who submitted a complaint said: “Trinity should be vetting guest lecturers before they teach.”

“The stuff we found on this lecturer was literally the second and third results when you type his name into Google, and we found enough to make us feel sick.”

Neither Allwright nor the School of Engineering responded to a request for comment.

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 9 November

Features

Sunnyvale residents vow to “rebuild” after attempted eviction Grace Gageby

-page 14

Are we headed for Polexit?

Julia Bochenek

-page 16

The secret spirits and superstitions of Trinity The spooky and supposedly supernatural parts of the college’s four centuries of history Lara Mellett Deputy Features Editor

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ast year saw Trinity’s campus rendered a ghost town, haunted by the spectres of pre-lockdown’s past. With staff and students seldom to be seen, it seemed Trinity was populated only by ghosts. This Halloween, College is set to reopen in full, but that doesn’t mean Trinity is completely ghost-free. This Halloween, Trinity News has investigated the real ghosts that haunt College’s hallowed halls, and question whether they are fact or fiction.

Founded in 1592, Trinity has a vast history, and plenty of skeletons in its closet. As warm bodies return to campus, we delve deeper into Trinity’s traditional superstitions that haunt the living.

Ghosts of Trinity Edward Ford The first, and perhaps most renowned, of Trinity’s resident ghosts is Edward Ford, a former student and eventual fellow of the college during the early 1700s. Residing at Trinity’s Oldest Building, the Rubrics, during his fellowship, Ford was notorious amongst students for being an “obstinate and ill-judging man” due to his tendency to unnecessarily interfere with student matters.

One night, a particularly rowdy group of students who had been previously scolded by Ford for harassing a college porter at Front Gate returned home from a night of drinking, passed by House 25, and decided to throw rocks at Ford’s window. Disgruntled by this disturbance, Ford reached for his pistol and shot at the students through his newly broken window. The students fled uninjured, but decided to retaliate with their own illegally possessed firearms.

The students shot Ford, who succumbed to his injuries two hours later, dying as a result of a drunken revenge. It is rumoured that his last words requested that the students be forgiven for their unthinkable actions: “I do not know, but God forgive them, I do.”

It is believed that Ford’s ghost

still lingers at his old residency, and he is said to wander around the Rubrics dressed in wig, gown, and knee breeches.

Archbishop Narcissus Marsh The second of Trinity’s spectral alumni is that of Archbishop Narcissus Marsh, who held the position of Provost during the 1670s.

After his term as Provost, Marsh took post at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, where he founded Marsh’s Library. He was known as a quiet man who spent much of his time in the library he established.

Marsh was also the guardian of his niece, Grace, whom he adored.

The legend describes that, at nineteen years old, Grace fell in love with a sea captain. Marsh disapproved of this relationship, advising Grace to end it promptly.

However, Grace, provoked by her devotion and love, ran away with her sea captain, eloping and leaving her uncle heartbroken. Marsh died soon after, from what some believe to be a broken heart. It is rumoured that Grace left her uncle a note shortly before she took off, and hid it in one of the books in Marsh’s library. Now, Marsh’s ghost roams the library shelves, searching for his beloved niece’s final words to him.

Fitzgerald-Lorentz contraction, a theory of the relativity of space to speed. A Trinity mathematical and experimental science student, Fitzgerald graduated at the top of his college class. He was then hired as a tutor at Trinity, and advocated for an increase in practical teaching of experimental physics at the college, and was soon granted a fellowship. Fitzgerald died in 1901 at the young age of 41, which many understand to be a result of overwork. Many students now believe that the ghost of Fitzgerald haunts the Physical Laboratory, now known as the Fitzgerald laboratory. However, this may just be spectral speculation, as the Physical Laboratory was built in 1905, four years after Fitzgerald’s death.

Legends of Trinity The Campanile The Campanile in Front Square is an iconic landmark of College, and is central to one of Trinity’s most historical superstitions. Legend has it that if a student walks underneath the Campanile as the bell tolls within the tower, they will fail all of their exams. The bell

is known to ring at completely random intervals, meaning an unfortunate student walking under the Campanile can be cursed at any moment. The superstition, however, also contains a loophole. If the cursed student can touch the foot of former Provost George Salmon’s statue before the bell stops ringing, the curse is reversed and a student’s academic fate remains in their own hands. Salmon is known for his alleged promise that no woman would ever study in Trinity, and many might wonder why, in light of Linda Doyle’s appointment as Provost, his ghost hasn’t reared its ugly head. Warnings have been passed down from student to student, year to year, and many students avoid roaming underneath the structure for their entire college career. For those cautious students, walking underneath the campanile on graduation day is a mark of triumph over both Trinity’s taxing programmes, and the curse of the Campanile.

The Underground Tunnels Legend has it that there is a network of underground tunnels beneath Trinity that only an exclu-

sive few contain access to. These tunnels contain an underground route from the Lecky Library to the Berkeley Library. Other rumoured tunnel routes that pass through Trinity include a passage from the Provost’s House to St Stephen’s Green, and from the Berkeley to the Book of Kells. There are also rumours of a wine cellar underneath House 10 in Front Square that also serves as a tunnel to the nearby Royal College of Surgeons, a tunnel that was used during the 1916 Rising to transport ammunition. The tunnel is now rumoured to transport alcohol for a select number of students before the College’s famous annual Trinity Ball.

While Trinity is known for its hallowed halls, once roamed by numerous treasured alumni, perhaps what is just as interesting about Trinity is its alumni that never left; the ghosts that roam the grounds and courtyards, as well as legends that surround the distinguished campus, play a role in building and preserving its reputation as a college with a rich history.

George Francis Fitzgerald The final of our potential phantoms is that of George Francis Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was a physicist in the 1800s, known for the

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Legend has it that if a student walks underneath the Campanile as the bell tolls within the tower, they will fail all of their exams PHOTO BY ISOBEL DUFFY FOR TRINITY NEWS

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Tuesday 9 November | TRINITY NEWS

Features

Sunnyvale residents vow to “rebuild” after attempted eviction PHOTOS VIA SUNNYVALE INSTAGRAM - @thatsocialcentre

What happened on Prussia Street on October 27, and why Grace Gageby Assistant Editor

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n the early hours of October 27, a number of private security personnel entered 23 Prussia Street in Stoneybatter and forcibly removed the building’s occupants.

The property was ransacked; the toilet, shower and other appliances were smashed, people’s personal belongings and bedding were covered with engine oil, the roof was sawed through, and the caravans in the yard at the back of the building had their windows smashed in. Pictures of the damage were posted on social media.

23 Prussia Street had, up until this year, lain vacant for a number of years. For the past three months, it has served as a home to a number of people who transformed the large yard next to the property into a community centre. That Social Centre, also known as Sunnyvale, used the space to run bike fixing workshops as well as folk gigs and a community garden. A statement on Sunnyvale’s Twitter from September 18 read: “We have occupied an empty corner of Stoneybatter. Houses, warehouses, caravans, buddleia, and wide open space. What more could you want? It’s time once again to take a space that has been left to rot by profiteers, and turn it into a place of energy, community and resistance!”

The statement continued to say: “We want to make the space as open as possible. And would like to encourage its use by groups working towards radical change, members of the local community, and projects that have a social function.”

The same social media page alerted followers to the eviction which took place on the morning of October 27. “Illegal eviction taking place in Sunnyvale. People beaten up, heavies inside. Need as many people as possible to put pressure on them,” the post read.

Later in the day, the Sunnyvale page asked supporters to attend a rally at 6pm, which coincided with the occupants re-entering the property.

The demonstration was attended by over one hundred people that evening, despite the torrential rain. A sound system set up in the property played Boys on the Dole by TPM, and

Kneecap’s Get Your Brits Out to the street amidst chants of “homes for people, not for profit” and “all guards are bastards”.

By the time the occupants reclaimed the property, Garda presence was minimal. However, during the eviction there was heavy police presence, including dozens of officers, several vehicles and a helicopter. Garda activity came under scrutiny and criticism for their role in facilitating the eviction, and the heavy-handed way in which they attempted to disperse Sunnyvale occupants and protestors. Gardaí were captured on video bodily shoving people who stood in the way of the evictors’ vans, while private security personnel wielded weapons such as baseball bats while throwing occupants out of the building, destroying their personal belongings and vandalising the property.

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We want to make the space as open as possible. And would like to encourage its use by... members of the local community

During the eviction, Community Action Tenants Union (CATU) Fairview-MarinoClontarf branch reported on the events via social media. “A barrage of bricks being thrown and multiple ladders mounted on the building, the remaining occupant has been dragged off the roof, almost killed in the process. Guards standing by doing nothing,” one tweet read.

The page also alleged that private security personnel responsible for the destruction of the property and eviction of the residents “don’t carry ID” and “broke in before the sun came up and made sure no one could see the van they arrived in.”

CATU StoneybatterGrangegorman issued a statement which read: “The centre, which was previously empty and derelict... provided community services such as gardening and bike workshops...

Most importantly, it was used as housing by several occupants who

are now homeless. The developers of the centre have lodged planning permission for 160 build-to-let apartments (previously planning permission was for co-living units).”

The statement continued to say “In a city full of unaffordable properties, with 8000+ homeless people and 60,000+ people on the housing list, it should be clear by now that private developer led build-to-rent and co-living units are not a sustainable solution to the housing crisis that we are experiencing.”

The developers in question, McGrath Group Properties, according to their website, aim to “create high quality sustainable buildings that people love to live/ work/play in. We believe our developments not only improve the lives of the occupiers but also the receiving communities and wider environment.” McGrath

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Features Group claims it is currently in the “advanced planning stages” for 170 build-to-rent apartments in Prussia Street, which is adjoined to Grangegorman DIT College facilities. The firm also operates in England and Germany.

The Ditch reported that PJ McGrath, the Group’s managing director and one of the three members of the family involved in the company, avoided prison time in 1996 after he defrauded the ESB out of £40,000. During the case he received a character witness from Garda Sergeant Pauline Gallagher.

McGrath is also a Fianna Fáil donor.

The company has a history of issues with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), as recently as April of this year. In September of last year, the developer appeared before the RTB, and was found to have misled tenants into believing they were not in a rent pressure zone and overcharging them by €690 per month. The McGrath Group was then ordered to pay the tenants back the €11,000 they had been unlawfully charged over a period of 16 months. The developer was also found by the RTB to have illegally evicted tenants on six occasions, spanning from 2017 to April of this year.

The Business Post reported that the company recorded just under €5 million in profit in their most recent accounts.

Following the eviction on October 27, the McGrath Group released a statement which included a number of

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The developer was found by the RTB to have illegally evicted tenants on six occasions, spanning from 2017 to April of this year unsubstantiated claims about the events in question, including several which appeared to be directly contradicted by images and video posted on social media.

The statement also took time to mention that the occupants of the building “all” had “foreign accents”.

The company did not respond to a request for comment from Trinity News.

A joint statement from CATU and Sunnyvale residents after the fact gave their account of the eviction. “Ten to thirteen men entered the premises on

PHOTOS BY GRACE GAGEBY FOR TRINITY NEWS

Wednesday morning [October 27]. Electricity was turned off and residents were dragged from their beds out of the property. Members of An Garda Siochana watched on as the heavies demolished the inside of the centre.” The statement continued to say that police “assisted the private security by allowing them to access and exit property and by removing peaceful protestors from the front of the building so that the window shutter could be pulled down, blocking the action of the heavies from the public.” Videos posted online showed attending officers shoving protestors out of the way.

A statement from a firsthand witness said “The residents consisted of young trans people in their early twenties and migrant people sleeping in mobile homes and vans...When I arrived at the scene at 7.30am I saw one of the residents with blood pouring down his forehead, and a woman dragged from her bed who was unable to see out of one of her eyes. Within minutes of my arrival, the armed thugs charged at the small group gathering outside to support, beating people with hurls and bats and punching people.

A man twice my size and age punched me in the head multiple times before I even had a chance to comprehend what was happening.”

The witness then called Bridewell Garda station, which sent officers, who then “spoke to armed thugs who claimed to have a High Court order to secure the property.”

Other witnesses said that, at its

peak, the Garda presence at the eviction included as many as seven road vehicles and a helicopter.

Trinity News contacted the Garda Press Office to ask about the rationale for such a large police presence and for the physical force used by officers against protestors.

The Office said: “the incident was responded to in accordance with our stated policy,” but did not give specific answers to those questions, or to requests to substantiate some of the claims made in the McGrath Group statement.

Following the events inside the property, witnesses said that “[private security] fled over the back of the site. At this point people re-occupied the roof of 23 Prussia Street while the community gathered outside to support...The property was taken back by the community and Gardaí began to leave the scene.”

A recent post from the Sunnyvale centre’s social media reads that one occupant was “badly beaten,” and “recovering from a bad head injury, and injuries to his knee which now make it hard for him to walk and impossible

to drive. He is unable to go to work due to his injuries, which is causing him great distress.” The Garda Press Office said that “no arrests were made at the scene, and there was [sic] no reports of any injuries.”

A case reference from An Bord Pleanala relating to the site, lodged on 14 May asked for the “demolition of existing structures onsite including No. 23” and the construction of 166 build-torent apartments. As of July 26, the decision “requires further c on s i d e r at i on / a m e n d m e nt .”

Numbers 24 and 25 Prussia Street, but not 23, are on the Derelict Registry, which means Dublin City Council can charge owners a 7% tax.

Sunnyvale hosted a clean-up session on October 31. Activists have raised money to repair the property and replace lost belongings, both online and via a swap shop/”kilo sale” event held on November 6. The centre has returned to holding community social events, hosting an open mic session and “music hangout” on Friday November 5.

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Pretty vacant: Ireland’s empty buildings Trinity News speaks to Frank O’Connor of Derelict Ireland Grace Gageby Assistant Editor

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s of this year, 183,312 houses lie vacant across the Republic of Ireland, placing us as the country with the 10th highest global rate of vacant homes. The eviction at Prussia Street two weeks ago (October 27) drew widespread outrage, given that the place had been used as a home by a group of occupants, as thousands of properties lie empty in the middle of a housing and homelessness crisis.

Under the Derelict Sites Act of 1990, local councils must identify dereliction, undertake reasonable effort to find the owner, notify the owner of their intention to place the property on the derelict register, value the property through an independent board, place the house on the Derelict Registry, and charge the owner a 7% tax every year.

The owner may be subject to prosecution if they do not comply with this, or if the derelict site poses a risk of injury to the public. The council is also mandated to seek a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) and, in the event that the property is owned by the council, they are legally required to put in place plans to remove the dereliction.

While this act has existed for over 30 years, it is rare that local councils impose the 7% tax, let alone prosecute the owners or pursue further action. Last week, Trinity News spoke to Frank O’Connor, who, along with his partner Jude Sherry, directs Anois, an organisation dedicated to sustainability, circularity, equality and social justice. O’Connor and Sherry also founded the Derelict Ireland project, which maps and photographs derelict properties across the country. O’Connor said that when he and Sherry returned to Cork, almost three years ago after years abroad, they were “taken aback with the vacancy, dereliction and decaying heritage and the whole housing crisis”. The two began mapping cities, “walking around and taking photographs”. While the project was in its infancy, O’Connor remarked that “the dereliction had become normalised,” and, as a result, “in the conversations that [they] were having with people, they’d say ‘that’s the way things are’”.

O’Connor says that, alongside the homelessness crisis, there were also many derelict properties with significant cultural value. “Following research on dereliction on decaying heritage sights”, they found “a lot of heritage that's really valuable – priceless.” O’Connor also

draws attention to the lack of community spaces in Ireland: “Places to play and create were being left in a vacant state.”

In June of 2020, during the first Covid-19 lockdown, O’Connor says he and Sherry began to find, photograph and “post a property [to Twitter] every day: a daily dose of dereliction”. While the project garnered support, O’Connor says some challenged the view of Derelict Ireland, circling back to the soundbite that “that’s the way things are”. In response, Derelict Ireland began compiling and debunking common myths surrounding dereliction and vacant properties. Among the misconceptions are the claims that: there’s no profit in dereliction, that owners have no incentives, that the constitution protects private property rights, that taxing dereliction is all that’s possible, CPOs are not a realistic solution, and that progress will not happen without new legislation.

On the claim that there is no profit in dereliction, research from Anois, an organisation of which O’Connor and Sherry are directors, shows that “a modest derelict home can bring €20,000 a year through speculation” in Cork City.

There are, on the Derelict Register, two properties which have sold for significantly more money than their original valuation. The price sale for commercial properties isn’t publicly available, so can’t ascertain profit margin.

While some may claim that there are no incentives for owners of derelict sites, Derelict Ireland points out that there are seven different schemes for owners who want to invest their properties in

order to sell. Among them are the Architectural Conservation Area Funding, the Repair and Lease Scheme, and the Buy and Renew Scheme. O’Connor commented that: “We now know, the dereliction element, it's been built on loads of myths that protect the investors, the land hoarders, and really, they’re just myths.” Widespread dereliction isn’t an accident, but “a choice to be this way,” he says.

In conversation with Trinity News, O’Connor highlighted that the housing crisis is not only responsible for homelessness, but also a lack of community space. He spoke of creatives “struggling to find a community space to work, to create, to play”. This comment came just days after the eviction of those occupying Sunnyvale in Stoneybatter. While the property was many people’s home, it was also a community centre which hosted gigs, bike fixing workshops and a community garden. The fact that the occupants were violently evicted for trying to transform the space into a place for community and culture garnered criticism, particularly given that the building occupied had been vacant for a number of years.

Derelict Ireland also took part in a walking tour with Community Action Tenants Union (CATU) in Dublin last month. The tour visited a number of vacant properties in the city centre, including North Frederick Street, where the Take Back the City campaign staged an occupation in 2018. O’Connor emphasises that the housing crisis not only impacts people’s ability to have a roof over their head,

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Are we

Derelict Ireland, for us… isn’t just about dereliction; it’s about a dereliction of duty. It’s about a break of social contracts but also impacts cultural spaces.

Pointing to the proposed destruction of The Cobblestone and Merchant’s Arch, O’Connor describes a “lack of understanding around the value of heritage in Ireland”.

He continues to say: “Derelict Ireland, for us… isn’t just about dereliction; it’s about a dereliction of duty. It’s about a break of social contracts. It impacts the liveability of cities and towns.” The ultimate goal of the project is to see urban environments that are liveable, safe and sustainable. “We believe everyone should have a home as a human right. We believe everyone should have access to play and creative spaces.”

The Polish government’s undermining of EU law had led some to question the country’s future within the bloc Julia Bochenek Deputy Features Editor

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ince its conception, the European Union’s ability to have its laws take precedence over those of its member states has been questioned, but never overturned.

There have been multiple altercations between countries and the Union, ranging from problems solved with large fines to Britain leaving the Union. However, recently there has been another country who has been testing just how far they can stretch outside of the legal boundaries set forth in the treaty they signed upon entering the European Union.

Poland entered the European Union as a member state in 2004, but as of late the relationship between the two has become questionable. Recently, Poland was hit with the largest fine ever given from the Union to a member state - €1 million daily until the country complies with the order of getting rid of independent judges who were elected controversially.

Many member states have

PHOTO BY TONY WEBSTER / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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headed for Polexit?

clashed with the European Union, and even gone against parts of the treaty they each signed, yet this time it has been taken to another level. The fines imposed show that the Union is fed up with Poland and the Polish government’s blatant imposition against the laws that should take precedence over their national laws. This is not the beginning of the issues between the two, however. Poland has a troubled history of angering the Union.

In 2019, the European Commission was already clashing with Poland over controversial laws concerning their judicial appointments. Since coming into power in 2015, the government party, Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (PiS), or Law and Justice, has been passing laws and rulings concerning the Polish constitution’s supremacy over the laws of the European Union. All of these rulings and claims from the Polish government have gone against the treaty that was signed when Poland entered the Union as a member state. By claiming that the election of independent judges, ones whose rulings may not consider EU law over the Polish constitution, Poland has been put in a tough position as an opponent to the Union.

Poland has been on thin ice in its position with the European Commission even before this ruling. This past year has been a large one for fines imposed by the European Commission. Earlier this year, Poland was fined by the EU for refusing to close the Turów mine after the EU court ruled that it must be closed for environmental reasons. These fines were also very large, around €500,000 per

day, and they followed Poland’s decision to defy the Union’s ruling.

Both this fine and the more recent fine have not been paid yet by the Polish government.

The fines that have been imposed are not the only issue currently facing Poland due to its decision to defy the Union. Due to the decision to ignore the fines on the grounds that Poland believes they should not have to pay them, the Union can withhold funds from Poland, as they have with other countries including Hungary for refusing to pay fines. The ability for the European Union to withhold funds from countries that

break European laws came from a ruling in 2020, when the European Parliament decided that the refusal for member states to pay fines would compromise European Union finances. The European Commission has decided to withhold approximately €42 billion in funds that were meant for COVID relief. This substantial amount of money not being given, as well as the fines being placed daily on the Polish government, could have

very serious consequences in the long run for Poland if they comply with the decision to pay.

Cumulatively, all of Poland’s decisions to not follow the primacy of EU law has put the Union itself at risk- worldwide, people are watching to see what truly can be done if a member country decides not to follow the rules of an EU treaty. Even when looking back at previous European countries’ transgressions, including the exit of Britain from the European Union, Poland’s is possibly the biggest one when looking at the way in which it tests the whole system of an international union and the unbreakable laws of a treaty without serious consequence.

According to the treaty that was signed by Poland, the European Union technically cannot kick a member state out, but they can impose the penalties as they have been, and there is no telling what will happen in the future if these penalties fail to reign the Polish government in.. Poland’s decision to publish a ruling going directly against the treaty is a threat to the European Union’s power, and the decision for individual politicians to uphold this decision and go against the Union for the sake of nationalism has only worked to solidify the concerns of many.

Protests have filled the streets of major cities in Poland, as citizens fear the leaving, or even possibly the removal of Poland from the European Union. “Polexit” could mean major repercussions for all Polish citizens, both those in Poland and those making a living in other European countries. In Ireland alone, there are (according to a 2016 census) around 120,000 Polish citizens living with the ability to claim residence and work through the European Union.

All of these citizens are now fearful, seeing that one country has left the European Union, that

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Cumulatively, all of Poland’s decisions to not follow the primacy of EU law has put the Union itself at risk their country may be next. If Poland refuses to leave the Union, but also refuses to follow the primacy of European Union law, this could possibly turn into a political crisis and the possibility of Poland being pushed out becomes even more real.

Very recently, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, came forward with a compromise for Poland that was reached in an effort to end the dispute. Poland would receive a small initial amount of the funding that has been withheld from them if they agree to comply with the original ruling of the EU’ top court and dismantle their current judicial system, redefining it in a way that would also reinstate certain judges that were wrongfully fired.

This has been in discussion, and it seems that Poland agrees with some of this proposal, yet there are still doubts and the process would require the ability for the judges in Poland’s courts to be held accountable, and this is something that many believe Poland’s ruling political party PiS would not allow.

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“Polexit” could mean major repercussions for all Polish citizens, both those in Poland and those making a living in other European countries PHOTO BY MAREK M. BEREZOWSKI - @marek.m.berezowski

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The Irish Times’ transphobia must be resisted by students

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Pádraig Mac Brádaigh

Sophie Furlong Tighe

PHOTO BY ISOBEL DUFFY FOR TRINITY NEWS

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Comharthaí mílitrithe ar an gcampas: Easpa measa ar Ghaeilgeoirí

The modern wellness industry only justifies a harmful way of living Abby Cleaver

Contributing Writer

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he modern wellness industry doesn’t serve to help people as much as it does to cover up the exploitative society which brought it into existence.

Modern life is dominated by the ongoing struggle for work/life balance. It’s typical for students to need (tiring, minimum wage) part time jobs on top of their full time degrees. Many full-time parents are also full-time workers. We live in a society that rewards how much we can handle, and fails to create opportunities to handle less.

We are conditioned to feel proud for managing an excess amount of work, while maintaining a social life, a fitness routine, and still have money left over for savings. Doing all of these things is the new bare minimum;

making it look easy is worth bonus points. When we only get a few hours of sleep because of keeping up with everything else we see it as being successful, and not as taking on too much. Modern society actively encourages us to burn out.

As a result, the wellness industry is booming. It has reached the value of 3.31 bn US dollars in 2020, and it looks like it will only continue to rise.

This says less to the success of individual businesses, than it does to how much of a demand there is for it. We are constantly being bombarded with solutions for our modern stresses — products from meditation apps to pre-made diet and workout plans. The question is, how effective is this industry in its mission statement, to help people?

The answer is, not very. Just like every other sector of the economy, the wellness industry operates through supply and demand, the goal is always first and foremost to maximize profit.

For the industry to thrive it needs to have a consumer audience and modern life brings it one ready and getting more desperate for its solutions. Profit is a reasonable aim, as this is how businesses survive. However, in this case, it is doing its consumers harm.

The wellness industry targets people struggling the most, mainly those with mental health issues. Rather than fixing the actual problem it crams meditation apps and spa therapies into our feeds to cover the root of these issues up instead. The harm of this industry lies in its way of indirectly telling the people who

are looking to it for answers that it is their fault. It tells us that we can control how good or bad we feel, depending on how much time and money we are willing to spend. We have been led to believe that buying their products is an investment in ourselves, and not just in this hollow industry.

As a result, the blame for our problems falls on the individual — not the exploitative, fast-paced society in which we live. Engaging

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We are conditioned to feel proud for managing an excess amount of work

with the wellness industry, whether we need to or not, is labelled self-care. This self-care, whether it works for people or not, has become nearly another expectation put upon people, another task to complete on the road to burnout.

There really is no quick fix for mental health issues, money problems or overly crammed schedules. Not purchasable ones, anyway. Meditation apps may help ease your stress, but they won't change the causes of that stress.

Mental health problems demand specific, individual-based solutions, which is something this generalized wellness industry cannot provide for us. We cannot put an umbrella solution over millions of different individuals with unique histories and circumstances. To do so is to assume that what works for some works for everyone, leaving a lot of struggling people wondering what they are doing wrong rather than reassuring them there is no one-fits-all for mental health. This leaves the people with the least time and money with self-care expectations they might not be able to achieve, because it simply does not fit them or work longterm.

That said, ways to cater for the individual, such as therapy and medication, cost money.

Therapy, in particular, can be prohibitively expensive to many people. This is the ostensibly merit of the wellness industry — it is more accessible to more people. However, this does not take from the fact that it is covering up a desperate need for structural change to acknowledge why burnout is such a common experience in the first place.

Accommodation prices are incredibly steep, especially in big cities, putting more pressure on people to take up extra hours or second jobs. Modern life is more career driven than ever before, and competition has become more challenging than ever pushing people to work and study harder and harder. It is easy to understand why modern life feels like one with no relief.

The problem isn’t directly with the modern wellness industry, but in what the focus on it allows us to ignore. The majority of us are living a fast-paced, overwhelming lifestyle and don’t feel like we are able to slow down should we fall behind completely. The implication that it can be helped with a meditation app for a monthly subscription cheapens the severity of the effects this stress is having on people. The wellness industry may not be the direct harm, but it is covering up the root of it.

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Local government in Dublin is in dire need of overhaul Fionnán Uíbh Eachach Deputy Comment Editor

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ollowing years of unpopular policies and an almost impressive list of controversies, it is no surprise that Dublin City Council Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Owen Keegan’s recent “sarcastic” claim that students’ unions should become housing developers has once again led to calls for his resignation. There are many reasons Keegan ought to resign from his position, but the problems of local government in Dublin are more deep-seated than any one individual — to remove Keegan only to replace him with a more PR-friendly version of himself would solve none of the city’s problems. Instead, local government in Dublin is in need of radical, long-term democratic reform and an end to the current Council-Manager system.

What exactly is wrong with the way local government works in Dublin? This is a fair question, given the lack of attention local government usually gets compared to national affairs.

Yes, a comparison to national government actually provides a useful means of revealing the glaring flaws of government at the local level. While at a national level both the legislature (our elected TDs) and the executive branch (the government formed by the Dáil) are composed entirely of individuals elected directly by Irish voters, only local legislatures (i.e. councillors) are elected directly by voters at a local level.

The chief executive officer is appointed by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to implement policy and manage the local authority. In effect, this CEO makes the vast majority of decisions regarding local government, with the role of elected councillors relegated to only a handful of issues. It barely needs pointing out how deeply hostile to the most basic principles of democracy this is.

By empowering an unelected and largely independent CEO, and accordingly making impotent councillors actually elected by constituents, this system actively excludes elected representatives from the decision-making process — thereby leaving voters as far

removed from local government as is possible.

This democratic deficit at the local level naturally applies to local government across the entirety of the Republic, yet it is in Dublin City that its flaws are most severe and visible and dissatisfaction with local government most pronounced.

This is unsurprising, given the huge size and economy of Dublin City, and anger at Dublin City Council’s (DCC) failure to provide adequate social housing and other amenities. It is clearly absurd that a single, unelected individual be allowed such control over a city of half a million people. Owen Keegan is in many ways the poster-child for why empowering an unelected CEO over councillors is a bad idea. Whether it be his claims that the tents of the homeless create a “perception of an edginess about the city”, his laying of blame for rough-sleeping at the feet of homelessness charities, his derision of the struggle of students, or even his near-fanatical attempt to push through the fiscally-bloated (and now cancelled) whitewater rafting facility, Dublin’s current chief

executive officer has demonstrated quite well not only why he shouldn’t be in office, but also why his office shouldn’t exist.

Given this democratic deficit in, and popular frustration towards local government in Dublin, it is clear that DCC is in need of serious, longterm reform that gives voters a voice in the running of the city’s affairs. However, given its fundamental hostility to basic democratic principles, any reform of local government must include the complete and utter abolition of the office of CEO and its replacement with a more representative means of implementing policy. It is

therefore deeply disappointing that although the replacement of the chief executive officer by a directly-elected mayor in Irish cities is supported by major national political parties in both government and opposition and has received the blessing of the people of Limerick in a 2019 plebiscite on the matter, there has of yet been no serious move to implement this reform. (While all three County Dublin councils were given a vote on a shared, directly-elected mayor, this was obstructed by Fingal Council citing a lack of detail).

Reforming local government in Dublin offers an exciting opportunity to reimagine the ways in which we engage with democracy and representative government. Any end result could well be used to reform local affairs more widely across the country.

There are of course naturally more mundane options such as replacing the office of CEO with a directly-elected mayor accountable to the people of Dublin, or perhaps the expansion of the powers and responsibilities of the democratically-elected Council. We might also have

much to learn from cities in other countries that govern themselves; reform could accordingly consider less common approaches to local government, such as some form of direct democracy (in which individual citizens regularly vote and play an active role in local affairs) like that used at present in Switzerland. Regardless of the specific route chosen for reform, it must include democratisation and an expanded role for voters.

Dublin is by far Ireland’s largest city and with an economy worth €87 bn, it eclipses even some member-states of the European Union in size and economic weight. Yet, despite the capital city’s oversized role and contribution in modern Ireland, its inhabitants still lack any real say in how its affairs are run. With popular anger at new heights in Dublin in response to the city’s failure to respond to the housing crisis, the decline of its cultural life and an ever-increasing perception that government, both local and national, has little interest in its plight, it is undeniable that local government in Dublin needs change now.

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Dublin’s current chief executive officer has demonstrated quite well not only why he shouldn’t be in office, but also why his office shouldn’t exist PHOTO BY BEATRICE PISTOLA FOR TRINITY NEWS

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Comment

Comharthaí mílitrithe ar an gcampas: Easpa measa ar Ghaeilgeoirí Tá meancóga litrithe agus gramadaí i nGaeilge le feiceáil ar fud an champais. Cad chuige seo agus an dtarlódh a leithéid i dtaobh an Bhéarla?

Pádraig Mac Brádaigh Leas-Eagarthóir Gaeilge

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á shiúlann tú timpeall champas Choláiste na Tríonóide, b’fhéidir go sílfeá go bhfuil an-obair á déanamh ag an gcoláiste maidir le comharthaíocht dhátheangach, shílinnse é ar aon nós. Ar a laghad, shíl mé é go dtí go raibh mé ag siúl amach ó Bhloc na nEalaíon chuig Sráid Dásain lá amháin agus chonaic mé comhartha beag ar an urlár a chuir in iúl go raibh mé go deimhin ar an mbealach amach. Thug mé faoi deara agus mé ag amharc air, ámh, go raibh rud éigin contráilte leis an gcomhartha seo: bhí litriú míghramadúil air. Scríobhadh “AN SLÍ AMACH” go ceannasach air amhail is mura mbeadh aon imní ar an té a rinne é go mbeadh earráid ann. Mar is eol dóibh siúd a bhfuil Gaeilge acu, tá an focal “slí” baininscneach, agus dá bhrí seo, cuirtear “t” ag tús an fhocail i ndiaidh an ailt uatha. Mar sin de, ba cheart go scríobhfaí “AN

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An t-aon fháth a raibh mé ábalta a thuiscint cad a bhí i gceist ná go raibh an Béarla ann

tSLÍ AMACH” ar an gcomartha seo. Chuir sé seo isteach orm agus mé ag smaoineamh ar an easpa aire a léirigh sé. Bhí súil agam gurbh eisceacht é seo agus nach raibh meancóga bunúsacha eile le feiceáil ar chomharthaíocht ar fud an champais. Bhí dul amú orm, faraor.

Uaidh sin amach, léinn na comharthaí go léir agus mé ag dul ó fhoirgneamh go foirgneamh, ar na cosáin agus sa leabharlann. Ba luath a fuair mé amach nach raibh an comhartha míghramadúil sin ina aonair. Tá comharthaí mílitrithe míghramadúla ar fud fad na háite: ag Leabhar Cheannanais, ar an mbealach isteach ó Shráid Dásain, sna seomraí ranga i mBloc na nEalaíon agus araile. Tá comhartha amháin a chonaic mé i seomra ranga a bhfuil raiméis ghlan scríofa air faoi threalamh taifeadta (le feiceáil thíos). An t-aon fháth a raibh mé ábalta a thuiscint cad a bhí i gceist ná go raibh an Béarla ann. Um an dtaca seo, bhí mé ar buile.

D’éirigh sé go han-soiléir dom nach raibh meas ag an gcoláiste orm mar Ghaeilgeoir. Sin ráite, caithfear a rá gur féidir an sórt meancóige céanna a fheiceáil ar fud na tíre ar chomharthaí bóithre a mhílitríonn logainmneacha amhail is dá scríobhfadh páiste beag iad.

Cé chomh náireach agus atá an amaidí seo? Mar sin féin, ar ais i gColáiste na Tríonóide, an ghné ba bhrónaí faoin scéal ná nach raibh ionadh mór orm. Is ollmhór an trua a admháil gur iomaí a chuireann institiúidí mar an coláiste i gcéill go bhfuil meas acu ar chéad teanga na hÉireann, gur mhaith leo í a fheiceáil i mbarr na sláinte agus gach rath uirthi, chun, mar a deir siad, “ár n-oidhreacht chultúrtha a chosaint.” Ach má smaoiníonn tú i gceart air, ní thig léi maireachtáil, fiú, muna gcruthaítear atmaisféar ina n-úsáidtear mar theanga an phobail í. Ina theannta sin, déanann mílitriú mar seo in áiteanna oifigiúla dochar don lucht foghlama chomh maith. Ní féidir le teanga ar bith sa lá atá inniu ann dul ó neart go neart má tá drochthuiscint ag a cuid cainteoirí ar a rialacha scríofa.

Muna gcreideann tú cad atá á rá agam, cuir ceist ort féin an dtarlódh an cineál ruda seo riamh maidir leis an mBéarla. An freagra simplí ná nach dtarlódh. Riamh.

Agus cad chuige nach dtarlódh sé? Mar tá caighdeán litrithe agus gramadaí ag an mBéarla a fhoghlaimítear ag achan duine ag aois óg toisc gurb é sin an tslí a n-oibríonn teanga i gcomhthéacs sochaíoch.

Tá sé saghas ait gur gá an cáineadh seo a dhéanamh ar Choláiste na Tríonóide, ámh, ó tá

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Sa chás seo, tá na botúin seo chomh bunúsach go bhféadfadh Google Aistrigh cuid mhaith díobh a cheartú Oifigeach na Gaeilge againn. Tá sí i gceannas ar an Scéim Cónaithe agus cuireann sí an teanga chun cinn ar neart bealaí sa choláiste trí eolas faoi acmhainní a chur in iúl agus ceangail a dhéanamh le heagraíochtaí Gaeilge taobh amuigh den choláiste. Áine Ní Shúilleabháin is ainm di, agus bheadh sise sásta a chinntiú nach dtarlaíonn na meancóga

PHOTOS BY PÁDRAIG MAC BRÁDAIGH FOR TRINITY NEWS

TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 9 November

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seo a chuireann náire orainn go léir mar ollscoil. An t-aon fhadhb ná, bhuel, is dóigh nach dtugtar na rudaí seo di le profáil.

Deir sí mar a leanas ar ábhar na comharthaíochta: “Is cúis díomá é na botúin atá sna comharthaí ar tarraingíodh m’aird orthu a fheiceáil.

Cuireann an oifig seo tacaíocht ar fáil don ollscoil chun Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003 a chomhlíonadh trí aistriúcháin saor in aisce agus treoir maidir le reachtaíocht teanga a chur ar fáil i measc seirbhísí eile.

Tacaíonn formhór d’fhoireann agus de mhic léinn Choláiste na Tríonóide le cur i bhfeidhm na reachtaíochta agus tá díomá orm go gcuirfí comharthaíocht mar seo in airde ar ár gcampas.

Molaim do phobal na hollscoile teagmháil a dhéanamh liom le haghaidh cúnaimh nuair atá comharthaíocht á hullmhú ionas gur féidir tacaíocht a chur ar fáil chun toradh níos fearr a bhaint amach.”

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Tá sé saghas ait gur gá an cáineadh seo a dhéanamh ar Choláiste na Tríonóide, ámh, ó tá Oifigeach na Gaeilge againn

Tá Oifigeach na Gaeilge ag an gcoláiste chun áit agus sábháilteacht na Gaeilge a dheimhniú, agus is dócha go ndéarfadh an lucht riaracháin go bhfuil a dhóthain á dhéanamh aige mar gheall air seo amháin, ach an fhírinne ná nach dóthain é sin in aon chor. Tá na Gaeil thar a bheith dulta i dtaithí le béalghrá gan ghníomh uathu siúd a bhfuil

cumhacht acu, agus seo sampla foirfe den amaidí a sheasann cainteoirí Gaeilge ó lá go lá. Sa chás seo, tá na botúin seo chomh bunúsach go bhféadfadh Google Aistrigh cuid mhaith díobh a cheartú. Agus má tharraingítear aird an choláiste ar an gceist áirithe seo, tá seans maith go ndéarfaidh an lucht riaracháin go mbeidh orainn fanacht go

dtí go mbeidh comharthaí nua ag teastáil, rud éigin eile nach dtarlódh riamh dá mbeadh earráid d’aon chineál déanta i mBéarla. Mar Ghael, nuair a fheicim an fhuarchúis seo, feictear dom gur cuma mé féin agus m’fhéiniúlacht.

Tá na mílte duine ó cheann

ceann an oileáin a mhúsclaíonn gach lá le dóchas agus le huaillmhian ar son na Gaeilge, ach éiríonn sé deacair an misneach sin a choinneáil agus muid ag streachailt le húdaráis nach ndéanann beart de réir a mbriathair.

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The Irish Times’ transphobia must be resisted by students Sophie Furlong Tighe Comment Editor

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here is an Irish Times advertisement outside the business building of Trinity College that shows a picture of a bomb going off, with the bolded, capitalised text “expect opinions that will challenge you.”

Walking past this sign, shortly after reading the paper’s recent column explicitly against banning conversion therapy specifically for trans people, “challenged” was not the word that came to mind. Hurt, maybe. Upset, definitely. A whole host of adjectives so emotional, I knew even then they were such easy prey for the stiff-collared, cufflinked mascots of “rational debate”.

This was neither the first nor the last vehemently transphobic article the Irish Times had published in 2021. The repeated selection of these articles and reader’s letters, with opposing opinions scarcely seen, was the antithesis of rational debate. In fact, it was an ideological decision to slant the debate in favour of one side. Even if you did believe that trans lives were something

that merit debate (I do not), that’s not what is happening here.

Let me be clear: this editorial decision by the Irish Times is not one that takes place against the backdrop of a trans-friendly Ireland. Freedom of Information documents recently showed that waiting times for the National Gender Service could be up to a decade. In assessments, patients are often asked overtly sexual questions, from their porn preferences, to thoughts during oral sex. These assessments can be

hours long, and there are many of them— all for access to hormone replacement therapy, the vast majority of the effects of which are completely reversible and no more harmful than most prescribed medication. All of this is to say that it is very difficult to be trans in Ireland, both structurally and socially. The editorial line from the Irish Times was one which sought to make this significantly worse— espousing the benefits of cruel therapies specifically for trans people.

A motion was brought to Students’ Union Council on October 19 to boycott the Irish Times in support of the Trans Writer’s Union. This particular motion, proposed by LGBT Rights Officer Jenny Maguire, would prohibit TCDSU shops, trade, and business from engaging with the Irish Times. If the boycott passes, it will represent a colossal political action on behalf of the Union. Often, the organisation is criticised (by myself, among others) for being politically flaccid, or without legs. However, the active step to cut off a financial stream for IT would be both materially and symbolically promising. It’s heartening to see the Union finally use the huge amount of political capital it is afforded. Not only would the funds affect the Irish Times’ bottom line, but a co-ordinated College effort to stand against medical misinformation from one of the country’s most well respected papers may attract

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This editorial decision by the Irish Times is not one that takes place against the backdrop of a trans-friendly Ireland

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However, there is more to be done. The boycott will not end if the referendum fails, and there are many ways to participate in the meantime PHOTO BY ISOBEL DUFFY FOR TRINITY NEWS

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 9 November

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GRAPHIC VIA THE TRANS WRITERS' UNION

Stating that we are not interested in engaging with transphobia does not legislate the Times’ speech out of existence— it simply asks them to consider the consequences media attention.

Trinity is a small piece of the larger boycott. The Trans Writers Union announced their plans to boycott the paper on August 21. Since then, it has become a coordinated effort, with 1,520 signatures and a number of major figures from the Irish arts scene joining the boycott. TCDSU’s referendum will be following in the footsteps of DCU and UCD, both of whose student’s unions have joined the boycott. The future readership of the Irish Times is heavily dependent on the student population; any steps toward an island-wide university stance against their current editorial line will put significant pressure on the paper.

It won’t solve transphobia, but it will do good work to enshrine trans people as a class deserving of rights. As well as this, it will signal explicitly that this is not simply a debate.

Personally, I am worried about the referendum. There have not been many public objections to the boycott — we saw reported comments from

the editor of University Times that the Irish Times is “part of UT’s identity”, and rhetorical flourishes of ex-council chair and current Undergraduate Studies Committee Representative asserting that major LGBT organisations are “not in support” of the boycott (the implication being here, that they have an objection to the movement, as opposed to an incredibly understandable show of neutrality from organisations under heavy political pressure). My pessimistic brain reads these quotes, and wonders if those in positions of power within our (albeit small) college infrastructure care more about the preservation of that power than the lives of trans people.

What I am worried about, really, is that they are not alone.

I am, admittedly, living in a specially-constructed, left-wing echo chamber. I am not generally exposed to a lot of transphobia in my day-to-day life, and I like it that way. That being said, I’m scared of the opinions I don’t have access to, of what lies under ostensibly pragmatic arguments against the boycott. How many

people, really, care enough about trans rights to make a decision they may find uncomfortable, or that they fear will one day cost them a job?

However, prior to any anxieties about the result of the vote, there will be the week of campaigning.

Trans people will have to do what has always been expected of marginalised peoples with politicised identities— we will justify our existence. As if it is something others must be convinced of; because, in this specific scenario, it is something that the union is asking us to do.

It’s probably good that we must vote on issues that are deemed “political” (I do have questions, however, about where that line is drawn; feelings about the protection of trans lives as a political stance), but that’s not going to make it enjoyable for any trans person involved.

Allow me to engage in some pure conjecture here, but I think we’re going to get a lot of arguments around free speech during this referendum. Namely, the idea that we, the students of Trinity College Dublin, should not be limiting the speech of the

Irish Times, a paper with a print circulation of over 54,000. To pre-empt this line, I think the fundamental problem with any of this argumentation is that there is a difference between refusing to stock a paper and censoring the Irish Times. There are plenty of publications that the Student’s Union do not stock in their shops, for a multitude of reasons. Making the statement that transphobia is not a belief we are interested in engaging with does not legislate the Times’ argumentation out of existence — it simply asks them to consider the consequences of such argumentation.

There’s plenty that individual students can do to make an impact on this issue. First and foremost, it’s important to vote in the Union referendum, whenever that happens. However, there is more to be done. The boycott will not end if the referendum fails, and there are many ways to participate in the meantime.

Individual students can cancel their free student subscriptions, encourage those in their household to buy elsewhere, and avoid clicking on links from the paper’s website.

Student organisations also have an opportunity to wield their power for the better.

Debating societies, in particular, can publicly boycott the Irish Times Debating competition— a tournament traditionally reported on by the paper itself, with half of the 2021 final populated

by Trinity students. Student publications, intimately connected to the paper by their nature, can refrain from linking back to IT’s reporting in their online content, and distance any existing ties they have to the paper as Trinity News has done, and as University Times are in the process of doing. All of us have an opportunity to look at the media we engage in and the systems we participate in, and to ask ourselves how we can do better.

In the end, we only have each other. This isn’t a bid to shut down ostensibly rational debate. I’m not against a bit of a scrap, I’ve always enjoyed a philosophical or practical argument. That being said, “should we respect this group of people’s rights” has never been a particularly interesting question to me.

Editorial: Stand in solidarity with trans students and vote yes

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onsistent with the stance we have held since August in supporting the Trans Writers’ Union’s boycott of the Irish Times, Trinity News encourages all students to vote yes in the upcoming referendum.

Newspapers are not and have never been neutral facilitators of debate. They have limited column inches, and thus always make choices about the content they publish. When a newspaper

consistently and disproportionately chooses to publish articles and letters in favour of one side of an issue, especially the most extreme and vitriolic incarnations of that side, this indicates that the editors favour that side. In this case, the Irish Times has chosen to support, platform and amplify bigotry and the vilification of trans people, who just want to live their lives.

We find this abhorrent.

It is not an abstract issue. Anti-trans hatred has real, measur-

able, horrible consequences on people’s lives. These are the lives of our friends and family, of members of the Trinity community, and of some of us. It is incumbent upon all of us to stand in solidarity with our trans siblings, to tell them that they have our support, and to say to the people who wish them harm that we will never abide that.

It’s a simple but vital thing: vote yes.

PHOTO VIA F&C OFFICE / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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Tuesday 9 November | TRINITY NEWS

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Editorial: World leaders do not care about climate change, and we’re out of time

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he 26th annual meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, usually referred to as COP26, will conclude later this week, on November 12. As the 118 private jets that gathered in Glasgow for the meeting fly back home, it’s a good time to reflect on what happened and where we stand in relation to the climate emergency.

Campaigner Greta Thunberg probably put it best and most succinctly when she said that the conference was “a failure”, and a two-week long celebration of business as usual and “‘blah, blah, blah’”. Very little of substance was said at the conference, even less was widely agreed upon, and basically none of it will actually affect policy or the world’s progress on combating climate change.

A useful illustrative example is Ireland. One of the biggest “achievements” of COP26 was the Global Methane Pledge. More than 100 countries, including this one, agreed to cut their emissions of the especially dangerous greenhouse gas by at least 30% by 2030 when compared with their 2020 emissions.

But Ireland will not be making good on that promise. Immediately after the agreement was signed, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar announced in the Dáil the government’s targets for decade-end methane emission reductions were just 10%. Taoiseach Micheál Martin insisted that it wasn’t that the government had lied to the international community or changed its mind in the space of 24 hours.

Instead, he said that the 30%

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The aim of articulating all this is not, however, to imply that we are doomed.

It’s just that change won’t come from above

reduction is a collective “global target”, so it’s okay for Ireland to unilaterally decide to do a disproportionately small amount of the work towards that target.

To perhaps state the obvious, this is appalling. Martin can perhaps make a technicality-based argument that Ireland did not lie or renege on its promise, but this does mean that he very much lied when, in his speech to COP26, he said “we do not believe or accept…that someone else should shoulder the load”. What’s the point of signing up to climate agreements if we only believe them to govern the behaviour of others? The government engaged in utter bad faith with the international community, and is shameless to an extent that defies description.

This kind of behaviour would be unacceptable in any circumstance, but it’s especially bad given Ireland’s record on methane; we have the 21st highest per-capita emissions of the gas in the world and the highest in the EU. Between 2010 and 2018, the most recent year for which the World Bank has data, our emissions increased by 2.4 million tonnes, or 17%. Arguably, for the world to collectively cut methane emissions by 30%, Ireland should be aiming for significantly more, perhaps as high as 40%. We’re assuming other people will make the biggest improvements when we’re one of the worst offenders.

As abhorrent and ludicrous as this example is though, we shouldn’t get too bogged down in it, because it’s just a representative part of a vastly bigger problem.

Ireland isn’t a uniquely selfish or dishonest state. The terms and targets of the Paris Agreement and the Kyoto Protocol have also been largely ignored or missed by their signatories, whether or not they said “this is someone else’s problem” in the explicit way Ireland just did.

To the nearest round number, zero governments are doing enough to combat the climate crisis, and certainly not those of the industrialised nations most responsible for causing it. Their tactics for avoiding responsibility continue to evolve. Initially, decades ago, they ignored or denied the problem. Then they progressed to downplaying its seriousness, urgency, or solvability; a method some conservative actors continue to rely on. Now, they acknowledge that it is very serious and urgent, and pledge to take decisive action to solve it, but then just don’t. They stall or obfuscate or simply hope no one will notice.

Again, Greta Thunberg put it best, when she said this week that that she has “given up on politicians” because they have never taken the problem seriously.

This isn’t because we keep coincidentally electing the wrong people in every single country at every single election. The problem is systemic. The way our economy and society are structured is fundamentally incompatible with saving the planet. We’re witnessing, as philosopher Murray Bookchin put it almost two decades ago, “the clash between an economy based on endless growth and the desiccation of the natural environment”.

Our political system has been built from the ground up to maintain this unsustainable economic apparatus (e.g. Ireland’s constitutional protections on private property) and to act as a limit on radical change (something the founding fathers of countries like the US and Ireland explicitly said they aimed to prevent). That system can therefore never deliver the abolition of that economic apparatus and the radical change we desperately need to avoid global catastrophe. Politicians are never going to completely remake society; their job is, at best, to tinker around the edges of the status quo but to ensure things stay fundamentally the same. If left to their own devices they will, by inaction and inertia, get hundreds of millions of people killed.

The aim of articulating all this is not, however, to imply that we

are doomed. Quite the opposite. It’s just that change won’t come from above. Because of the aforementioned systemic problems, we can’t make politicians take decisive action just by asking very nicely or even by making our votes dependent on the issue; one of the clearest messages of the 2020 Irish general election was the importance of climate action, but here we nonetheless are. Change will only come if the public makes it happen.

This could take a lot of forms.

It could include direct action, physically preventing the most climate-damaging activities from taking place. Demonstrations from groups like Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain, while absolutely laudable, have generally aimed to attract media attention and “send a message” through the medium of disruption rather than being true direct action.

True direct action should go to the source, whether it’s sitting in front of fossil fuel vehicles or physically occupying the facilities of climate-destroying organisations to prevent their operation. If governments will not act to stop the destruction of our ecosystem, citizens must do it ourselves.

Demonstration is still important, though. But to be truly effective, it’s necessary to mobilise large numbers of people and to

do so on an ongoing basis. Small protests and once off protests are of very limited use; sustained pressure is what gets things done.

We must make clear to existing politicians that they simply do not have a choice and must act on climate now. If they still will not, we must be prepared to wholly supplant existing political structures with new ones. This kind of mass demonstration is not something we will be ready to do next week, but something we should organise, agitate, and prepare for. But we know from history that when enough citizens take to the streets, it can change the world.

If this comes across as radical, that’s intentional. This is a life-ordeath issue. We do not know for sure if climate change would be capable of wholly wiping out our species, but we do know that it has the potential to wreak destruction and suffering the likes of which mankind has never seen. Our leaders do not care, and we can’t wait any longer.

James Connolly, one of the fathers of Irish independence, famously said that, while incremental change may be acceptable in ordinary times, “we believe in revolutionary action in exceptional times”. These are exceptional times.

PHOTO BY MATT HRKAC/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 9 November

Studying STEM through Irish Sign Language

Scitech

Lucy Fitzsimmons

PHOTO BY MBROEMME5783 / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

page 26

Artificial Intelligence: How far is too far?

While there is a natural fear of futuristic technology rendering human workers obsolete, there are limitations that will limit AI for many years Shannon McGreevy Online Editor

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is an area of technological advancement that’s gaining interest in various sectors to make daily life more convenient and efficient. While AI may come with the typical “sci-fi” fantasies portrayed by the media, in reality, it is already sneakily at play in different aspects of our day to day lives. The numbers speak for themselves, as according to a recent study, the number of businesses using AI grew by 270% in the last four years. From online

dating to the way we shop, it has come to substantially dominate how modern businesses are run.

As with most major technological developments throughout history, it is natural that the increasing use of AI comes with the fear of rendering human workers obsolete.

Before diving into the implications of global AI usage, it is important to understand what artificial intelligence is and what it is not. The Britannica definition of AI is “The ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings,” which is a rather scary interpretation. AI is used to describe computing, systems, and technological advancements that can perform tasks associated with human reasoning. It is more than a regular algorithm, which is defined as a simple “formula” or set of instructions for the processing of data. AI takes this processing to the next level, as the technology itself has the ability to learn and the capacity to modify, adapt, and change in response to data input.

This is the “intelligence” aspect of the technology that makes it much more advanced.

An example of AI being put to work on a large-scale was the opening of the “Amazon-Go Grocery” store in Seattle, Washington

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Surprisingly, AI is being used incredibly often in the hiring process

in February of 2020. The massive 10,400 square foot supermarket is more reliant on technology than conventional shops to operate the facility. Rather than talking to the local till worker or shelf stocker, customers scan a code at the entrance and proceed with shopping and paying straight from their device. The natural worry that quickly becomes eminent is that if this trend continues spreading at an exponential rate, will jobs that we once took for granted quickly

disappear?

In the case of Amazon-Go, a spokesperson for Jeff Bezoz, Chief Executive Officer of the company, assured that this would not be the case. However, on the opposite side of the spectrum, Union President Marc Perrone quickly contrasted Bezos’ sentiment commenting, “Bezos wants to create stores that serve food and groceries and eliminate the jobs real people need.” Current trends in AI indicate that this fear, while natural, is not anything to worry about for a very long time. A recent paper published in Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Task Force titled “Artificial Intelligence And The Future of Work” gives a much more optimistic view of AI and its future implications.

This paper predicts that rather than rendering human labour obsolete, AI will continue to drive innovation in many industries and create opportunities for new areas of growth, thus creating new jobs. In addition, there are limitations to AI that help ease the fear of it being able to replace regular workers. AI programs are typically only capable of “specialised” intelligence, meaning that they are usually limited to solving one problem at a time.

This creates rigidity and prevents “learning” outside of the system’s

programming – an area where we as humans can beat AI. There are other factors that can limit the ability of AI to take over too quickly. The “learning” aspect of the program often requires mass amounts of highly specific data, which gives rise to issues of privacy and security around the information needed to construct and run these AI programs. They are also costly to run, as the necessary electricity to run a one language AI model is estimated to be nearly €4 m. It is still more profitable for current business models of many companies to use workers on a daily basis over this advanced technology.

Surprisingly, AI is being used incredibly often in the hiring process. Rather than eliminating jobs from people, AI programs are used to sort through applicants and assist hiring managers in their tasks. In fact, up to 75% of resumes are rejected by an automated tracking system (ATS) before they even reach a human being. Rather than pouring over LinkedIn profiles for hours, 67% of hiring managers in 2018 reported that the use of these ATS programs were making their jobs much easier. AI can be employed to assist in people’s jobs that they already hold, rather than replace them entirely.

Similar to the concern of AI replacing workers, is the capacity of privacy breaches with these programs. The European Union has regulations in place in order to ensure that businesses who choose to use AI technology are adhering to strict guidelines of what is acceptable versus unacceptable. These laws and regulations are another added layer of protection from AI advancing rapidly and overwhelming society and businesses. The EU analyses and separates AI systems into three categories based on their risk – unacceptable, high, and low-minimal. Some examples of high-risk systems would be those that use biometric identification and low-minimal risk systems would be the familiar AI chatbots on many websites and social media pages.

While AI has become increasingly popular in business models and our day to day lives, the fear of it stealing all jobs and essentially replacing people is nothing to worry about for now. The limitations that keep AI from advancing too quickly are enough to keep this technology in check. Actually, according to an Oberlo study this year, 62% of consumers were willing to submit data to AI in order to have better experiences with businesses. This shows that there is some trust with these systems, as there should be.

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SciTech

Learning technical or scientific subjects through ISL presents unique challenges, says Trinity graduate Micheál Kelliher Lucy Fitzsimmons SciTech Co-editor

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rish Sign Language (ISL) is used as a first language by around 5,000 people in Ireland, and approximately 45,000 hearing people also use ISL to some extent. However, the nuanced and historic language, and its speakers, are not always given the resources and respect they deserve.

Only last December, with the commencement of the Irish Sign Language Act 2017, did ISL users become entitled to access public services in their first language.

Aside from this, there is a general lack of resources and funding to help the Deaf and Hard-ofHearing (DHH) to thrive in educational environments.

Some sign language basics for those of us outside the Deaf community: sign languages in different regions are as varied as spoken languages. Speaking ISL will not enable you to converse with an American Sign Language (ASL) user in the United States, as the languages have evolved completely differently over time much the same as spoken language. In fact, though we predominantly share the same

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For me, it was a huge transition to a non-signing environment and I struggled to be involved, especially at clubs

spoken language as the UK, ISL is closer to Langues des Signes Française (LSF) spoken by the French Deaf community than British Sign Language (BSL). Irish sign language is made up of both the ISL alphabet and ISL signs.

The ISL alphabet is used to spell out names and places that do not have a designated sign, in a process called fingerspelling. The Deaf community encompasses a huge range of people, some with some degree of hearing, and many bilingual in ISL and English.

ISL is ever-evolving, living and breathing, like any language.

It is an important part of the diverse and intricate culture of the Deaf community in Ireland. ISL users are found in every part of our society and our workforce, including in STEM careers. In 2018/2019 DHH students made up 2.6%

of all students registered with disability services at third level.

The Students with Disabilities Engaged with Support Services in Higher Education in Ireland 2018/19 Report found that there is actually a higher proportion of the DHH community studying Natural science, statistics and mathematics subjects than their hearing counterparts (10.4% of the DHH student community versus 9.4% in the total student population). There is a slightly lower proportion of DHH students studying engineering, manufacturing and construction (8.1% of the DHH student community versus 9.4% in the total student population).

Micheál Kelliher is a Trinity Civil Engineering graduate, a member of the Deaf community and an activist. He graduated from Trinity in 2012 and went on to study software development at Dublin Business School (DBS).

Kelliher also ran in the 2019 local elections in the CabraGlasnevin area and was Ireland’s first Deaf political candidate.

Originally from Kerry, Kelliher moved to Dublin at 12-yearsold and attended St. Joseph’s School for Deaf Boys in Cabra (now Holy Family School for the Deaf). The jump from an all-signing environment at second level to Trinity, where he was in a small minority, was a difficult one. “Looking back at my time at Trinity College, it was a tough time for me. Before going to Trinity College, I was in a deaf school where everyone was signing. For me, it was a huge transition to a non-signing environment and I struggled to be involved, especially at clubs.

It’s like going to a place where no one speaks my first and preferred language.”

Trinity, as a public college, however, had funding to give

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GRAPHIC VIA AREN8906754 / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Studying STEM through Irish Sign Language

Kelliher the support he needed for his studies. Kelliher had access to an ISL interpreter for all his lectures to interpret the lecturer’s speech, and a notetaker.

“Notetakers are people who write down notes for me because I can’t simultaneously look at the blackboard, interpreter and take notes at the same time.” It was a world of difference when he went on to study in DBS, which as a private college did not have public funding. “I got zero support from the college. I had to rely on books and my classmates for important information about assignments etc. I couldn’t follow the lecturers at all.” This was the case for all students with disabilities in private third level education until very recently.

Only in September of this year were all disabled students granted funding regardless of the public or private status of their third level institution. This was sparked by a Twitter campaign started by Dr Tom Clonan, whose son Eoghan was initially denied funding because he was attending a private higher education institution.

There are other barriers to education for the DHH community in STEM. Kelliher describes how STEM vocabulary in ISL is not moving at the pace at which its speakers are advancing in STEM, and how ISL speakers have to adapt to this discrepancy.

“Unfortunately, Irish Sign Language has a very, very limited vocabulary for STEM areas. I presume that it’s probably due to the oralism system where Deaf children were not allowed to sign in schools, segregation between Deaf signers and Hard-of-Hearing non-signers, and very limited opportunities for Deaf people to study and work in STEM sectors,” Kelliher says.

When there is no established ISL sign for a scientific term DHH students and scientists have to be creative and adapt. “Whenever there was no sign for the STEM word, interpreters and I invented signs for them. They were just for me as a STEM student, and they may not be reused again with other Deaf people. If the word is short, we could fingerspell it.” This is an issue much wider

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SciTech

“

Unfortunately, Irish Sign Language has a very, very limited vocabulary for STEM areas. I presume that it’s probably due to the oralism system where Deaf children were not allowed to sign in schools than just in ISL but is seen across the board in all sign languages.

Daniel Lundberg, a Deaf chemistry professor at Gallaudet University in the US, estimates that about 80% of chemistry terms have no established sign in ASL. Many Deaf scientists and their interpreters take an approach similar to Kelliher’s, developing their own signs and fingerspelling. But this solution really remains between them and their interpreter and doesn’t solve the problem in the long run.

Sometimes signs for homonyms with different scientific and everyday meanings can be utilised, however, this results in signs that don’t truly capture the essence of the concept and its contextual scientific meaning.

Like every language in the world, ISL has had an influx of new high-frequency words throughout the pandemic. “I would say it is a worldwide phenomenon rather than ​a national issue,” Dr John Bosco Conama, Director of Trinity’s Centre for Deaf Studies and an Assistant Professor of the School of Linguistics, Speech and Communication Sciences, says.

“Perhaps due to the urgency of dealing with the Covid situation, it gave us no time to discuss the signs for Covid. Also, the sign for Covid-19 is much similar across the countries.” On the ways that ISL users have developed new signs during the pandemic, Conama remarks: “There are a few new related but social signs in relation to Covid-19, but they are the subject of many debates within the community. For example, ‘lockdown’, ‘restrictions’,

‘vaccines’, ‘close contacts’ – you can see a variety of signs for these words. Some prefer a compound approach like ‘lock’ and ‘down’, ‘re-strict-ion’. There is no general consensus on these words but there is a general acceptance of these varieties as long as they are comprehensible and intelligible​.”

To work towards more standardised STEM vocabulary in sign language generally, glossary projects have been set up. For ISL, work is ongoing on the ISL STEM Glossary Project in Dublin City University (DCU). The project brings together scientists in the Deaf community, linguists, education specialists and ISL users to brainstorm and develop new ISL STEM words. This process is detailed and lengthy. “We consider things like the linguistics of ISL (ie does this sign follow rules of ISL?), if the sign works for this concept from a simple level to a complex one (ie we try to avoid a sign that is a simplified version that would not allow it to be used in third level), and if the sign has semantic independence (ie can it be understood on its own or does it need a lot of context in ISL to be understood?),” the project’s website says. The project began initially in 2018 with the development of some basic mathematical signs and, in 2019, environmental science terms were added. The signs can be viewed as video recordings in the glossary, accompanied by their English translations. The project is a work in progress, and it will take a number of years before the glossary accurately reflects the breadth of scientific vocabulary both hearing and Deaf scientists use. It could then take a good while again for these words to become commonly used by Deaf scientists and students. “It often depends on various factors such as contexts, filming and ease of signs etc. For example, the Covid-19 sign was quickly accepted given the emergency situation, and it does not bend many unwritten rules and would

“

Trinity, as a public college, however, had funding to give Kelliher the support he needed for his studies

not cause inconvenience etc,” Dr Conama says.

Another issue DHH students and scientists face is a lack of ISL interpreters with backgrounds in STEM. In many ways, the interpreter has to learn the scientific topic themself along with the student, so that they accurately convey what is being said by the lecturer. “A vast majority of interpreters don’t have a background in STEM,” Kelliher says. “I was fortunate to have an interpreter with a postgraduate background in Chemistry. The second interpreter worked so hard and did homework before interpreting for me. One year, we were struggling to find more interpreters to fill-in and when new interpreters joined to help out, they were struggling with the STEM course, especially at Trinity College.”

This issue only becomes more prominent as Deaf scientists move up the career ladder. “There is a growing number of Deaf people becoming highly skilled and specialised in their fields, and they may be too advanced for some interpreters. We would love to see more people with STEM backgrounds interested in becoming interpreters.” Aside from this, Deaf people in STEM fields often face unnecessary challenges and obstacles at work. Kelliher describes the lack of supports in some of the workplaces he has been in since graduating: “Having an interpreter in the workplace is an ongoing issue. From my and other Deaf people’s experiences here, companies are often very reluctant to provide interpreters and may not want to pay for them. I don’t have interpreters

“

ISL has seen a influx of new high-frequency words throughout the pandemic

for team meetings, and I use Microsoft Teams (ie chat and video calling software) where they have auto-captions. They are so bad sometimes and I’m often lost in meetings.”

Ireland falls behind many other countries considerably in respect to workplace supports for Deaf people. Kelliher explains that in the UK an Access to Work scheme has had great results for the Deaf community. “It’s where interpreters are funded by the government for Deaf people in workplaces. Instead of companies being hesitant to pay for interpreters, they are being paid by the government. The companies can then hire Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing people without any consideration for ‘extra costs’.” A great watch for more information on this scheme is “London Calling” which follows the lives of five Irish Deaf people who moved to the UK to

access the employment supports, without which they are not empowered to do their jobs to the fullest. This is available on RTÉ Player currently. Kelliher hopes that similar schemes will be put in place here soon: “Rónán Lowry [Chairperson of Sign Language Interpreting Service] is leading a very important campaign to encourage the Irish government to copy the scheme and set it up here. We are very hopeful to see it happening here very soon.”

Being a member of the Deaf community in STEM comes with many challenges that will take time and effort to change. The hearing community, particularly the hearing community in STEM, need to step up to the task of ensuring that supports and services are in place to allow Deaf scientists to thrive and to take the onus off them for changing dysfunctional systems which were created without them in mind.

Attitudes need to change to allow DHH STEM students across the board the same opportunities their hearing peers take for granted. “For me, it is not only the physical or communicative barriers that need to be addressed, it is more of an attitudinal barrier.

For example, requests for ISL interpretation are often met with an air of reluctance (sighs or negative facial expressions), knowing it would cost money – conveying the message to us. To sum up, we need to recognise the use of ISL as a right rather than a necessary ‘crutch’ or a mere communicative tool,” Conama says. Systematic barriers to accessibility and stagnant attitudes and apathy from the hearing community need to be dismantled.

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Tuesday 9 November | TRINITY NEWS

Sport

The Irish Times’ transphobia must be resisted by students

Artificial Intelligence: How far is too far?

page 22

page 25

Sophie Furlong Tighe

Shannon McGreevy

Just for fun: Social sport in Trinity

Alan Smithee Contributing Writer

I

f you’re not a serious athlete, the idea of getting involved in organised sport at university can seem quite intimidating.

Of course, you should try to overcome this feeling as much as possible; Trinity’s many sports clubs are full of great people who always go out of their way to make new members feel welcome. But nonetheless, there are options for getting active and having fun around college in a more casual manner. Trinity Sport’s “Social Sport” programmes might be for you.

Five-a-side soccer This is perhaps the most well-known of the Social Sport initiatives. Unfortunately, the main league started at the beginning of October and is already well underway, so if you didn’t enter a team, it’s too late. The finals are due to take place in mid-December.

There is Women’s five-a-side Social Soccer on every Tuesday at 5pm. It takes place in the main hall of the Sports Centre and there’s a €5 per person entry fee. Register on the Trinity Sport app.

Dodgeball If you’re feeling nostalgic, either for your school days or for the iconic movie, Trinity social dodgeball will return in February of 2022. The time is still to be confirmed, but registering a team will cost €20. Keep an eye on Trinity Sport social media; this is not to be missed.

Fencing For would-be Errol Flynns, a three-week, free, introductory fencing course began last Tuesday (November 2) and continues today and next Tuesday. It’s at 3pm in the ancillary hall. If you miss out, DU Fencing often runs introductory

events, so fear not.

Gaelic Football After the learn-to-fence course is over, there will be a similar programme for Gaelic football, also on Tuesdays at 3pm, this time in the main hall of the Sport Centre. It takes place on November 23 and 30, and December 7. Like fencing, it’s free of charge.

Basketball Trinity is something of a powerhouse in competitive basketball, but there’s plenty of room to play just for fun too.

Three-on-three games happen every Wednesday at 4pm, in the main hall of the Sport Centre. It’s €10 to sign up a team.

Badminton Social badminton is on every Tuesday and Friday from 3pm to 5pm. It’s free of charge, and you can find out more and register at Sports Centre reception.

Walking/Jogging/Running If you’re looking to fit in some exercise but struggling with motivation or consistency, it can help a lot to have a group to go with. It makes your workout

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From fencing to five-a-side, there’s almost no excuse not to get involved.

But only if you feel like it

Contributing an article to one of our many written sections Taking photos or creating art to feature in the newspaper and/or online Working with our video team to produce documentary content around student issues

All Trinity students are welcome, regardless of experience. Our editorial staff regularly issue prompts for contributors to work on and we also accept cold pitches for articles. For more information, see trinitynews.ie/write-for-us.

more fun and helps to keep you accountable. To that end, Healthy Trinity runs a social walking, jogging, and running group every Wednesday. The group meets by the steps of the Pav at 1pm, warms up, and then sets off for twenty minutes of exercise. People split into three sections depending on how fast they want to go, so the group caters for all levels of fitness or intensity. It emphasises also that

it’s “social, not competitive”, so it’s a great low-pressure environment to make exercise a habit. People who are interested are encouraged to contact Deirdre MullenMcGuinness from Trinity Sport, or just to turn up on the day.

Just remember, there’s no wrong way to get involved in sport. Trying new things can be intimidating, but you’ll be glad you did it. Have fun!

TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 9 November

The reality of finding a student job in Dublin page 4

Club Nine's sustainable fashion page 5

Remembering Brendan Kennelly page 8

LIFE

TRINITY NEWS

The clubs are back

Pullout section

PHOTO BY BEATRICE PISTOLA FOR TRINITY NEWS

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Tuesday 9 November | TRINITY NEWS

In this issue Club Nine are normalising sustainable fashion

Artists in conversation:

James Kirwan and Kelly O’Dowd

- page 5

- page 6

The history of The Historian - page 8

(Re) Creating an online community

- page 10 First love never dies

Life staff

- page 10

Editor-in-Chief Life Editor Life Deputy Editor

Jack Kennedy Heather Bruton Eva O’Beirne

Arts & Culture Editor Arts & Culture Deputies

Elena McCrory Oona Kauppi Maisie McGregor

Sex & Relationships Editor Sex & Relationships Deputy

Maya Kulukundis

Societies Editor Societies Deputy

Ella-Bleu Kiely Ruth McGann

Student Living Editor Student Living Deputies

Ella Sloane Seán Holland Ria Walls

The clubs are bac

Ellen Kenny celebrates the recent re-opening of Dublin nightlife by talking to a variety of club-goers

T

he day had come. Nearly six hundred days of lockdowns, restrictions, and levels upon levels upon sublevels from the government. After almost two years of impatience, uncertainty and masks creating unfortunate acne leading up to this day. No longer will we have to darken Zoom’s door, or stay away from our fellow man. The atmosphere in the build-up to freedom was electric; the energy of thousands of people’s excitement pulsating beneath our feet, people waiting with baited breath. You know exactly what I’m talking about. On the 22nd of October 2021, Trinity College removed the booking system in the library. If you want to taste true freedom, sit in the lower Lecky just because you can.

Of course, the clubs opened as well, the complete antithesis to the last two years of COVID-19. Right at the beginning of lockdown, we all saw the statistics of pollution decreasing in the absence of cars and planes, videos of sweet little ducks walking across empty highways and sheep entering abandoned McDonald’s, and we declared that nature is healing.

Now I’m no scientist, but the moment I saw sweet little drunk people stumbling around Dublin and heard the chirping of EDM on the streets, that was when I felt like nature was truly healing. I’m sure no one could resist shedding a small tear at the reopening of clubs, whether you were one of the nine people who managed to get a ticket to the Academy, or you were waiting outside Coppers in a queue so long that by the time you actually got to the front the government had already reintroduced restrictions.

It was an “absolutely magical” experience for all according to Ryan from The Academy.

Speaking to Trinity News, Ryan, marketing manager for The Academy, expressed his relief and joy at the re-opening of clubs: “It was absolutely fantastic to welcome people back through the doors again – seeing our former regulars pop back in for old time sake or the fresh faces experiencing a nightclub for the first time.

Hopefully we can keep the doors open for good.”

Indeed, owners and clubbers alike revelled in the chaos of the clubs once again all over the country. Catherine Grogan, who attended a club in Laois with Trinity’s Surf Club, thought that going from restricted pubs and bars to clubs was not like going from “ninety to one hundred”, but that it was still a very different scene.

“The club I was in was probably not as busy as it would have been it Dublin, but that being said it did feel weird because everything about the reopening has been so gradual, and there were multiple

Lila Funge

PHOTO BY BEATRICE PISTOLA FOR TRINITY NEWS

moments during COVID where we were like ‘oh, imagine being back at the club’, and then it came.”

Ella Burkett, a second year student, went to The Academy’s iconic “Circus”, a weekly event in one of Dublin’s most popular clubs. This was an appropriate first night back, considering it was clowns who closed the clubs and clowns who opened them up again (and clowns who could very likely close them again in December but that’s another story). Burkett, who went clubbing in Dublin for the first time this October, noted that there was as strong a difference between the clubs and other aspects of Irish social life. “The only thing that felt weird was the lack of masks and how oddly normal that was, as well as how crowded it was, but having been to house parties as well as busy bars and pubs, the vibe wasn’t all that different except for the intensity of the music and the performers there.”

When the announcement of the clubs’ reopening came, several COVID-friendly restrictions came with it. Some of those restrictions raised a few eyebrows, particularly through online responses. “One metre social distance required at the bar” seemed fairly optimistic on the government’s part, but at least there were also some truly sensible restrictions, like the new rule that tickets must be sold by nightclubs in advance. We all know that nights out are planned weeks in advance, and who

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 9 November

ck

Society spotlight

Zoo soc Ella-Bleu Kiely speaks with Zoo Soc president Isabel Quinn on the unapologetically animal mad society

“ doesn’t miss the psychological warfare that was buying tickets for the next teenage disco before they all sold out?

Many were also struck by the mask guidelines within nightclubs – that masks should be worn at all times other than when you are “dancing, drinking or eating”. I know we’ve been out of clubs for a while, but I seem to recall food was best eaten after a night out, unless spice bags and pizzas are a new type of cocktail. Of course, the government could actually be really hip and mean “eating the face off someone”, the age-old Irish mating ritual, in which case I think the government should realise that some things are best left behind in 2019.

On the subject of masks, Burkett wasn’t convinced that the restrictions were seen in The

“

Owners and clubbers alike revelled in the chaos of the clubs once again

Academy. “There was a vaccine check at the door of The Academy, but literally not a single person except the bartenders were wearing a mask, and no one said anything about mask wearing either; not a single person talked to me about it, or checked in with me, or anyone else for that matter.” However, Burkett didn’t think the lack of masks was an issue. “I am cool with the vaccine check and the lack of mask wearing inside for the reason that as long as I’m comfortable that everyone’s been properly checked. If it’s a room full of vaccinated people, I couldn’t care less.”

It certainly seems that the requirement of a vaccine certificate will be a fixture on nightclub doors for the foreseeable future.

It’s definitely in the interest of public health, but it does seem like we are neglecting the mental, social and spiritual health of an entire cohort of people: underage drinkers. While it was relatively easy to borrow an ID from an older friend or cousin, faking a vaccine certificate seems to require a bit more strategising than before.

The array of restrictions still in place means that it may be another while longer until we can dance to terrible techno music in peace.

But if Golfgate, Merriongate, and dozens of shebeens sprouting across the country over the last two years taught us anything, it’s that we’ll keep the sesh alive at any cost.

Appreciate the greatness of animals, but also leave them alone.” This is the main message which Trinity’s own Zoological Society (Zoo Soc) wishes to communicate.

Zoo Soc was founded in 1974, and has since come to describe themselves as being “unapologetically animal mad.” The society aims to constantly raise awareness towards matters of animal welfare and husbandry both on and off campus, and also biodiversity. Speaking with the society’s Chairperson, Isabel Quinn, on an autumn bank holiday Monday, we discussed her involvement in Zoo Soc, the society’s environmental action, and care for animals.

“You don’t have to be a diehard zoology fan, you just have to like and appreciate animals and Zoo Soc will have something for you,” Quinn stated. Quinn, a third year Zoology student, has been part of Zoo Soc since Freshers’ Week 2019 when a snake at the society’s stall lured her in. “I saw it and was just like ‘that’s so so cool’. Honestly, the main thing I really felt in first year was how welcoming everybody was… Maybe it’s just something

about people who love animals,” she explained happily.

This year, as chairperson, Quinn would “like to get more discussion going around animal rights”, as it's something the society always encourages. “For example, people think they can go and feed the deer in the Phoenix Park which you just cannot. We had a walk in the Phoenix Park a while ago and we kept our fifty meters, but there were so many families letting kids feed and pet the deer.”

This causes competition amongst the deer, resulting in injuries and high stress levels. Their natural cycle of grazing, ruminating, sleeping and socialising is interrupted.

“People also seem not to know that solitary bees burrow under the ground,” Quinn mentioned.

She passionately went on to explain that even on our very own campus we have a few solitary bees nests, which not a lot of students are aware of. “I don’t think many people know that you can’t stand on those as there is a nest underneath. The very fact that on our own campus we have these issues shows we should always be trying to spread awareness to them.”

Trinity’s campus is growing into a biodiversity hub, and Zoo Soc is taking full advantage of this. “I did an internship over the summer on biodiversity on campus and we’re soon hoping to organise a biodiversity walk with the head groundskeeper David Hackett which we’d love,” Quinn revealed.

During this year the society is also aiming to set up a moth trap on campus: “You wouldn’t think that you’d get many moths in the city

centre — you’d be surprised, it's cool.” The Zoo Soc chairperson expressed that she feels “biodiversity” is a buzzword this year, and “it's really important to appreciate the bees but leave them to do their job. Plant the wildflowers but leave the grass to grow a little longer.”

A solid understanding of animal treatment and education is pivotal to the society, and is one of their core goals. “During every talk we hold it always comes up and it's just so important. I think our society could bring it to the forefront even more by holding tailored talks,” Quinn said. Zoo Soc are hoping to invite Dogs Trust Ireland to host an event where dogs can come onto campus and students can learn how to correctly handle them. “Perhaps even dog owners wouldn't properly know! Even just reading the animal's body language is something everyone should be aware of.”

Many of us enjoyed the petting zoo on campus this Freshers Week — getting to hold a little rabbit or walk a goat may have made your day that bit better. Zoo Soc are aiming to get animals on campus a lot more frequently this year as “people loved being so close to animals. It's very meaningful.” She continued, stating that “Obviously, when we bring animals onto campus, welfare is paramount and we’re going to work super hard to make sure that all the animals are given enough rest time and we stick to rules.”

There was truly such a niceness in hearing and learning about a community who prides themselves in the welfare of animals and their environments. “Animals need to be appreciated and respected, and sometimes from the correct distance. They’re living creatures, and there's always a certain way to handle and deal with them,” the Zoo Soc chairperson summarised.

PHOTO BY BEATRICE PISTOLA FOR TRINITY NEWS

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Tuesday 9 November | TRINITY NEWS

The reality of finding a student job in Dublin Abby Cleaver recounts her experience of gaining employment whilst advising others on how to approach the world of work

L

ooking for a part-time job that suits a busy college life can be an uphill battle, especially with hundreds of other students doing the same. I personally know how hard trying to find employment as a student is, particularly with having little to no experience, but it is possible and it will happen for you in time. That said, here is a breakdown of the student job search (to avoid breaking down over the student job search).

Figuring out what’s right for you College life is a busy one. Sometimes just getting to lectures and keeping on top of readings can be hard enough, and now you need to figure out where to fit a part-time job on top of that.

Students typically tend to work evening and weekend shifts outside of college hours. From my own experience, and the experience of the majority of my friends, weekends seem to be a good fit.

However, a lot of students opt for evening work after college; a viable option that leaves you with free weekends or that gives you more time for some extra hours. Dedicate some time to think about what kind of shift would suit you, bearing in mind that the most available evening work for students is typically found in restaurants and bars.

If that kind of fast-paced job isn’t your cup of tea, maybe consider a weekend morning job in a retail environment or coffee shop type setting.

Understandably, the job search is hard enough, and you may just want to apply everywhere and see what lands. However, if you get a job that is unsuited to your schedule, or to you, you will likely end up looking for a job again, feeling even more frustrated than the first time.

Where to find jobs It seems like everywhere is hiring at the moment, so why is it so hard to find a job? Applying online can be easier sometimes — because who carries their CV at all times to drop into places? — but remember that they’re easier for everyone, meaning more competition. Really trying to give yourself the best chance includes applying to as many places as possible, in-

cluding that cute corner café with the flyer in the window. Don’t overwhelm yourself with this, but the more openings you apply for, the more likely you’ll start getting responses.

With that being said, there is something to say about online job advertisements. Big companies like Circle K, McDonalds and Argos tend to use job sites to reach a wider audience. Sites like Indeed, Get the Shift, and Jobs.ie can be helpful to not only find job opportunities, but to sift through the ones that don’t suit you by narrowing down your searches by location and shift type. As well as the obvious sites, a lot of local independent places tend to use their social media accounts (i.e., Instagram and Facebook) to promote job openings.

As well as this, tell people you are looking for a job. A few of my friends found jobs because they knew someone who knew someone who was hiring. Even if you don’t have any connections at least people will think of you when they hear something, which could just be the one. There is no shame in taking a bit of help during your job search — it might help quicken the process!

How to apply Now that you know what kind of a job you’re looking for and where to look, the next step is writing a CV. A CV is basically a little introduction to your potential employer about you, your past experience, and your contact details. Basic CV tips are to make the information clear and succinct, and to present yourself the way you would like the employer to view you.

A tip a lot of people will give you if you don’t have relevant experience is to lie. I personally would not recommend that. Maybe lying about your experience will get you a certain length further, but do not lie about anything you

“

A tip a lot of people will give you if you don’t have relevant experience is to lie. I personally would not recommend that

could not answer questions about.

If you say you have used a card machine before, and then have to explain why you actually don’t know how to during a trial period in a busy restaurant, it might not look too good. Rather than lie, I would advise you to take what you have done and embellish at most. I worked as an elf in Rathwood over Christmas two years in a row and not once did I say the word “elf ” on my CV or in my interview. I told them I had a customer facing position in a fast-paced environment during one of the busiest times of the year — and left out that I was wearing an elf costume.

If you don’t have any experience, try to include clubs or societies you’ve been involved in and what skills you have learned from them.

Team sports taught you teamwork, while youth theatre helped you develop communication skills. There are many things you can include to give them a positive idea of you.

A good tip to remember is something my manager told me when he hired me (without any relevant restaurant experience).

He said that sometimes they opt to hire inexperienced people they think will be receptive to training rather than very experienced people who seem harder to work with.

I think the overall message you should be trying to convey in your CV, and in any interviews or trial periods, is that you are friendly and easy to get along with, experience or not.

A college/work life balance Balancing work and college can be really difficult. Trying to motivate yourself to get up early and study before an evening shift can feel impossible sometimes (or most of the time). The best thing you can do is to try to look after your physical and mental wellbeing. If you’re struggling with tiredness before or after your shift,

consider your length and quality of sleep and how to improve them.

Look at what you’re eating to fuel yourself before and during a shift.

When I started working, I found that I completely stopped going to the gym (something I used to look forward to) for a while because I felt far too tired working evenings.

Eventually, when I started to go again, I found I actually felt better and far more energized. So, if you find yourself struggling with tiredness or motivation (or likely both), find out what little changes would help. Try going for a walk, or have a warm shower, or at least make sure that you are drinking enough water and eating good food regularly. Little acts of self-care can often make a big difference. Working doesn’t feel like an option for most students (and life in Dublin can be so expensive), so try to look after yourself while doing it, because you deserve to feel good (and not totally broke).

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 9 November

Club Nine are normalising sustainable fashion Elena Mc Crory chats to David Barton, founder of the everyday sustainable clothing brand Club Nine

“

Starting a business is like putting out fires” is how Technological University, Dublin (TUD) student David Barton describes founding and running Club Nine, a sustainable clothing brand that uses materials such as 100% organic cotton and recycled polyester. Primarily an online brand but now stocked in Diffneys, Blanchardstown, Barton founded and runs the brand alongside business partner and longtime friend Samuel (Sam) Harney. The two Irish students set up Club Nine in 2020 at the height of the pandemic lockdown in an attempt to “take the first step away from fast fashion”.

Barton admits to not having as much time to spend on expanding the business, with work and college taking priority. Barton and Harney hire photographers and models to take shoots of their

collection, but the day-to-day running of the business — orders, packaging, PR, and social media — is all done by them. “You finish one thing but then there is always something else to attend to…

We’ve got a steady foundation now, I feel, so we are ready to take off this year”. Indeed they have.

Being stocked in Diffney is a huge accomplishment for two past and current students, still so young.

Barton studies accounting and finance, and Harney is a graduate of digital marketing.

Sustainable brands over the past five years have risen in popularity. Although buying from them often costs more than fast fashion, people are becoming more conscious of where they shop and the effect it has on the environment.

With this in mind, it is more difficult to enter the market, because of the competition that now exists. Barton explains: “We’re not trying to create the new Prada, we are just trying to make sustainable clothing a common thing for people to wear. It's a wider goal, rather than taking a piece of pie for ourselves.” The aspect of normalisation is big for the pair, and indeed the better path to go down.

With trends and clothing being fads that “flop” each month within fashion, their idea of the constant and solid certainly shines through in their main collection, a blend of fresh and plain leisure pieces,

which definitely can be described as ready-to-wear.

Barton discusses how himself and Harney have both learned so much they didn’t know before.

They always had an interest in fashion but were debating the sustainability aspect. They could have just set up a regular clothing brand, but evidently decided it was the smartest and most ethical business decision to go sustain-

“

Their fabric is made with 100% cotton, they package with plasticfree parcel mailers, and their office is even powered by solar panels

able. “It takes 2,700 litres of water to make one garment, along with countless amounts of pesticides and chemicals. Our garments take 24 litres of water to produce, so we are contributing to less than 1% of the water intake to make a regular t-shirt.”

Their supply chain is as sustainable as it gets, their fabric is made with 100% cotton, they package with plastic-free parcel mailers, and their office — an outhouse converted to studio space with WiFi and shelves for storage — is even powered through solar panels. The cotton is organic, hand-picked and pesticide free, certified through the stamps on their website. It is sourced from India and turned into garments with recycled plastic bottles sourced from China, the biggest consumers of plastic bottles in the world. The cotton pickers’ organisation is fair trade certified, which was important in ensuring ethical suppliers for their brand goal. The factory that stitches and physically creates their garments are based in the Netherlands, and they are sent to Ireland where Club Nine’s designs are printed — thought of by Sam, credited as the artistic one.

If anything, the time that the global pandemic allowed our modern working population only benefitted Club Nine. While online shopping became a staple,

their e-commerce store was very successful, and it allowed them to establish the brand, without the pressure of fitting in everything else like work, live lectures and social commitments. However gruelling lockdown was, it allowed Barton and Harney to build a foundation for their main collection in their own time.

Club Nine have some interesting collaborations like Club Nine X Why-Axis.

On creatives associating with their collection, Barton said that “it gives Irish musicians a chance to connect with their fans, and there are a lot of Irish musicians who can’t afford their own merchandise, so they can collaborate with us, and say that they have their own clothing line.” With many unreliable creatives in the public eye who can sometimes have big followings on social media, there is a lot to compete with for the likes of musicians, bands, and new artists. Collaborating with a brand like Club Nine, with their strong emphasis on environmental low impact and ethical production, only serves someone in the public eye with a forward-looking image and offers a new fan-base.

In terms of the quality of products, we discussed the nitty gritty.

Many brands claim to be sustainable and even if they are, they charge extremely high prices for the quality that you receive in the post. “The price at the start wasn’t really our choice. It's expensive to buy in with small stock levels,” adds Barton. To give an example, their hoodies in weight are the same as most Tommy Hilfiger hoodies and they charge around €70 for one in their CLASSICS collection, which compared to the Hilfiger website, is significantly lower. Hilfiger charges around €100 for their “sustainable style” regular hoodies, excluding shipping and added customs rates.

Barton expresses how he wants customers to understand the longevity of their products. The last thing he wishes is for a customer to regret their purchase. He deems it an investment into a product that will last and not deplete in excellence; “we are not trying to cut corners.” Barton adds that “We immediately put loads of products in the wash when we received our first batch of garments, we spun and spun them, to ensure nothing would run and to ensure nothing would diminish.”

Both creators have been lucky in a way, to create something so progressive that they genuinely enjoy out of the depths of lockdown, but the highs and lows of running a business never truly end. Club Nine’s four collections really do follow their brand goals, besides their commitment to the environment and their ethical minded production line, their clothes are easy to wear with any other piece and would genuinely be suited to any wardrobe. Their designs are tasteful without compromising everyday wearability, and their athleisure style makes them all the more enticing.

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Tuesday 9 November | TRINITY NEWS

Artists in conversation

James Kirwan and Kelly O’Dowd Maisie McGregor sits down with the two Dublin-based visual artists

I

arranged this conversation between James Kirwan, a painter and street artist known to many for his signature ‘BOY’ logo found across Dublin, and Kelly O’Dowd, an illustrator and recent NCAD graduate, back in September.

James also went to NCAD, graduating over ten years earlier than Kelly, making for a conversation mediated by experience in the art world. They discuss the impact of the pandemic on their creativity, the change from one medium to another, and the sometimes nagging presence of passersby whilst they paint their murals in public.

James: So! You’re in NCAD at the moment?

Kelly: I just graduated this year but I came back to do a mural for Fresher’s Week.

James: Oh nice!

Kelly: Yeah, but it was lashing with rain this morning so I haven’t been out yet.

James: Yeah [laughing], that’s the thing with Irish weather and murals.

Kelly: I know! I’ve only just started doing them though so I don’t know, that’s actually how I found you. Cause I did a mural for my graduate show and I was trying to find other artists that do

“

It’s so hard to know what your style is going to be and if it will stay the same way. I’m just so afraid that I’m gonna wake up one day and think, ‘I just don’t like any of it at all’

them and that’s how I found your name. And also, that little logo, like the guy’s face, did you go to NCAD? Cause that thing has been all over NCAD for years!

James: I did go to NCAD but that was so long ago now, I graduated in 2005.

Kelly: Oh, ok! So maybe someone else is stealing your logo!

James: [Laughing] Quite possibly, there are a few copycats around. Well that’s just part of it I guess, you know.

Kelly: Yeah, I guess so!

James: But yeah, I was looking at your work, it’s really cool, I really like your style.

Kelly: Thank you! Yeah I still don’t really know where I’m at.

James: I think it would lend itself well to murals.

Kelly: I mean I hope so! I don’t even know if I like doing it yet.

James: Yeah it kind of takes a while, like, for me, I was kind of late to the game with like using spray paint and doing murals.

Cause always through college a lot of my friends would’ve been into graffiti and street art and whatever and I was always hugely influenced by it. But, for some reason I was kind of afraid to give it a go.

So it’s just one of those things like I just took to the medium quite quickly when I did, and just fell in love with it. For me it’s such a lovely medium, it’s quite forgiving, and it’s quite quick!

Kelly: For sure. The first mural I did, I didn’t know what to use, so I literally used acrylic paint.

[Laughing] Didn’t work out very well. I’ve only used spray paint a few times but it’s actually so much better, so quick. Kind of hard to get the hang of though.

James: It really helps to get first hand tips off someone who’s used to using it, cause there’s just some basic techniques that once you pick up, you’re flying.

Kelly: Yeah, for sure. Do you consider yourself to be an artist?

[Both laugh] James: An artist? Yeah, 100%. I dunno, I kind of shied away from it for a long time, like I didn’t really take it seriously for years.

I was actually more influenced by illustration based stuff, more kind of graphic stuff and street art work. It just took my years to kind of find my own voice or style.

Kelly: Yeah I think it’s so hard to know, because like, I’ve only just graduated, like I came into NCAD straight from school. And it’s so hard to know what your style is going to be and if it’s going to stay the same way. Like everyone always talks about finding your style and your colour palette and all, and I’m just so afraid that I’m gonna wake up one day and think, “I just don’t like any of it at all.” You know?

James: Well like, I think that’s just the natural evolution of your

own work. I get it still all the time.

For me, I like to hop around and try new things every now and then, otherwise it just gets boring.

Kelly: Yeah, I do a lot of poster design and that’s how I got into actually doing work - I did a poster for one of my friend’s club nights. And then I kept getting loads more work from that. So I really like doing that, as well as sort of animation stuff. So I don’t even know what exactly it is I like doing yet at all. I think it’s just about trying everything out and seeing what fits I guess.

James: Yeah, that’s part of it you know! But I think that your style and your work is part of a recent wave of, like, I don’t know, poster design and illustration that’s related to events and music a lot, and I love it! It’s kind of this trippy, like, nineties throwback style, but a new way of doing it.

I love seeing the evolution, it’s amazing.

Kelly: And what inspires you with your work? Like, who are your favourite artists? And where do you see it going?

James: I mean, my basic sort of, root of inspiration, would be like David Hockney, just colourful sort of landscape work. And then if I scroll through Instagram at the moment there are just so many artists that I love at the moment.

Like there’s artists I look to when I’m working on canvas, and then there’s others for

“

I was never one of those people, when I was little, who just painted for the sake of it, I always need pressure and someone kind of forcing me to do things murals, and sometimes they kind of tie into each other.

And, long term, I’d love to have an exhibition or something coming up. But I’ve been looking into that recently and it seems that there’s such a backlog in galleries.

So that’d be nice for next year, but

it could be the year after!

Kelly: I think also, in Dublin, like I know that there’s a lot of people but it also feels like there’s such a small community of artists and illustrators. Because like, as soon as I started doing that one mural for my grad show, I started meeting all these other people who were doing murals as well.

Like, I did one for the Bernard Shaw a few weeks ago, and, it’s just so mad to see all these other people there that I would’ve looked up to years before.

James: Yeah yeah yeah, it’s a really interesting time the last few years, with murals and that whole scene just like, it just keeps growing and growing and it’s so good to see. The standard has gone up so much as well, it’s mental. But like, where do you see yourself going in the next, whatever, year or two?

Kelly: I don’t know! I kind of moved to Berlin, for three months, with the hope of staying there. But then I kept getting jobs and people asking me to come back for them, so like, I think I’ll stay here for a little bit just to see what happens I guess.

The next step would be getting a big girl job, cause when you’re a student artist, there’s always something at the side, and your main thing is college, so you always have something there.

But now it’s like, I feel like I might have to go into some sort of graphic design job or something.

Do you think you’ve changed a lot since you’ve graduated?

James: Um, yes. [Laughing] Yeah like, for years,

ARTWORK BY OTTIE MACILWAINE FOR TRINITY NEWS

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 9 November

like I was saying, I never really had a formal studio so I was just doing bits from home. I was DJing loads back then, and partying more than I was making art, so there came a time when I had to be like, “Ok, cop yourself on, just get into this.” And it was like 2013 where I can see a distinct change from what I used to do to when I became more focussed.

And then, I moved over to the West, and it’s interesting, like you were saying about getting jobs in Dublin, I noticed that when I spent two years living in Westport, like 2014 to 2016, I just stopped getting all these job offers, people just stopped asking.

And then, literally as soon as I was back in Dublin, I just started getting all these offers again out of the blue. And I just kind of ran with that, because you have to think about making cash, and you know, paying the bills. And since then, it’s kept me really busy in Dublin, it’s great.

Kelly: Do you think living in the West influenced your work?

James: Yeah, I got into experimenting more with landscape based work, with lots of abstract colour. So that’s when I sort of meshed those two things together. So that was a really important time for me, I just needed a break from the city and I had a really good studio and it just gave me time and space to focus and experiment.

Kelly: And, what is your creative process?

James: Each project is different, like, if I’m approaching a wall for somebody, I sit down at a computer and make a design.

It’s quite quick that way. But then when I’m making my own paintings, I can work on five or ten different canvases at once, it can take months and months which is crazy. I wish I could plan them better and bash out paintings a bit quicker.

Kelly: Did you do Fine Art in college or Design?

James: I did Printmaking, I specialised in lithography when I was there. But it’s something that I never actually went back to since I left college. I wanted to learn the techniques so I chose print over painting, cause I reckoned I could kind of paint anyways.

Kelly: Yeah, I feel like I’ve never been the type of person who can do loads of things at one time, especially with things like canvases or something. Cause I’m a digital artist I guess, so a lot of it is on my iPad with Procreate.

ARTWORK BY JAMES KIRWAN

James: And so, how did you find that transition like, you’re digital based, so how did you approach the hands on straight paint work?

Kelly: It was so difficult. I came into college wanting to do graphic design type stuff, and like, I hadn’t painted since secondary school until this year when I went to do that mural. But I wanted to do something different, because I’m just always stuck behind a screen. And normally the deadlines are so quick with design, like you have two or three days sometimes to knock something out. So the difference is really there.

Do you do any digital stuff?

James: Uh, rarely, I used to do more. Again just like small little posters and

that kind of thing. But I figured that I was more of a painter.

Kelly: Do you find that there’s a lot of annoying people when you’re doing your murals?

[Both laugh] Like, talking to you a lot?

James: Yeah you do get that, at times it can be annoying, but sometimes you can have such interesting conversations with a passer-by, it’s great.

But, I feel like I’m not asking you enough questions! So, who were you influenced by and who are you still influenced by?

Kelly: Um, I think it changes all the time. Like, I think one of the tutors that I had in college, John Slade, really influenced me.

James: Ah yes!

Kelly: He taught me about, like, layering stuff on top of each other. I don’t know, I’m really into Sebastian Schwamm, he’s German, his stuff is unreal. And, I guess I really like old 2000s aesthetic, like computer kind of stuff, so for my grad show I made a webpage. And I guess street art is really influencing me at the moment, like you!

[Both laugh] And Claire Provoust.

James: Yeah she’s cool!

Kelly: But, do you like your

“

It's a really interesting time in the last few years, with murals and that whole scene just like, it just keeps growing and growing and it’s so good to see

work? Because I feel like a lot of artists don’t actually like their work once it’s finished.

James: Errm, I mean, yeah, I don’t know. There’s always stand out pieces that I love and go back to just enjoy looking at. But then there’s certain commission work that I get sometimes where they have a lot of say as to what the thing is, and it becomes more their piece than mine.

Since the pandemic, I’ve just found it really tough, I’ll go for months of just being in a slump.

And I’m quite an anxious person so I kind of overthink and dwell on things a bit too long. And then I go down the path of looking at other people’s work and seeing how they’re doing in the world and comparing myself to that, which is just wrong.

So that’s an ongoing problem for me. But I just have to distance myself from it and look back and be proud of what I’ve done.

Kelly: Yeah, basically all of my work stopped with the pandemic because I couldn’t do any more event posters or things like that.

So yeah, it was a hard time to be coming out as a new artist.

James: I really feel for you in that sense, you know. Especially being linked to events and stuff. I guess it’s about trying to find new ways to justify what you’re doing, and just keep making work, you know. Like, for me, I’d love to have an exhibition, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a solo exhibition, but I don’t know when that’s gonna happen.

Kelly: Yeah, I do struggle a lot with like doing stuff on my own time. I was never one of those people when I was little who just like painted for the sake of it, I always need pressure and someone kind of forcing me to do things.

James: Yeah, there’s nothing like a good deadline you know.

No, but, I think, looking at your work, you can see a progression from your earlier stuff to now.

I just love seeing that in artists’ work, so, I think you’re doing great!

Kelly: Thank you, you too!

[Both laugh] James: Pats on the back!

[Both pat themselves on the back, laughing]

8

Tuesday 9 November | TRINITY NEWS

PHOTO VIA DU HISTORY

The history of The Historian Matthew Moran sits down with DU History to discuss their latest historical publication and endeavours The Dublin University History Society (DU History) was founded in 1932 by a group of students who shared a common interest in the subject of history.

Whether you are studying history or if you just wish to broaden your horizons in the field, DU History prides themselves in being perfect for expanding your social circle and meeting people with common interests outside of your degree.

I sat down with two committee members of the society’s 89th session: Meghan Flood, Public Relations Officer, and Terence Donovan, Librarian, to discuss what DU History has in store for the upcoming months and, primarily, their magazine, The Historian, which features diverse student-written pieces on a broad range of topics.

Matthew: How many editions of The Historian are set to be released this year?

Meghan: Ordinarily, we would release about two, but we’re hopefully looking at releasing an extra edition this year; nothing is set in stone.

Terence: We think that this year, there’s a greater sense of urgency for a lot of people knowing what they’ve missed out on – society life in Trinity is such a staple of the undergraduate community.

We feel as if we have more than enough demand and interest to warrant an extra edition. There’s a lot of second years in the society and it’s almost like they’re having their first year now, in a social sense, that they were deprived of last year.

Meghan: Definitely. In Freshers’ week, we held a launch party for The Historian and there were so many second years. Normally, you see a massive first-year turnout, but there were so many second years looking to get involved.

It was great to see.

Matthew: What sort of topics do you look for in submissions for The Historian?

Terence: It’s not that we look for particular topics – we want it to be something that you are passionate about. We don’t assign anyone specific pieces. There was a friend of ours who was inter-

ested in a Renaissance mindset, coming into (what should be) the final stages of the pandemic, and it was about seeing the beauty as we emerge from something so terrible. There was a view that the Renaissance was not just a Renaissance in artistic terms, but rather it was Western Europe emerging from a plague – there are a lot of metaphorical similarities, and it was all about making the most of your surroundings.

We didn’t even know that one of our contributors wanted to write about that, but that’s one of those pleasant surprises. Sometimes it’s

“

Sometimes it’s better to let people write about what they want, great things happen regardless

better to let people write about what they want, great things happen regardless.

Meghan: Just because we’re a history society doesn’t mean that you have to study history to get involved. We don’t want our contributors to send us an essay you’ve done for class, we want to see your own takes and interests.

If it’s to do with history, we’re going to read it and always going to consider it.

Matthew: When was the magazine first published?

Meghan: I reckon it was around 2016.

Terence: The society is in its 89th session, so it’s by no means something that’s always been a fixture, but as long as we’ve been in DU History it’s been considered one of the most cemented things in our calendar.

Matthew: The society’s podcast, Many Moons Ago, proved to be a very successful way to keep up with members during lockdowns. Will it be continuing this year?

Terence: Absolutely! It was one of those adaptations where we thought we’d have to do something new with respect to what last year was (definitely the most disruptive year in the 88 years of DU History’s existence). I’m doing an interview for it next week where I’ll be speaking with an historian from Oxford about his book on the Haitian Revolution. It’s really interesting that it takes you out of the direction of your studies, it’s a passion project on the side, and similar to The Historian in the sense that there’s less academic restriction. It’s really what you have an interest in.

Meghan: I did my first episode [of the podcast] as a collab with DU Film, where we spoke about impressionist film in Germany.

My second one was on game history, and I spoke about Dungeons and Dragons! I’m working on a new episode talking with [the National College of Art and Design], so I’ve basically covered everything that’s not in my degree… but is still history.

Terence: In a podcast setting, you get to ask the questions that you may never get to ask in the likes of a lecture. An academic may also be more at ease to discuss topics in a more casual manner. A lot of people we’ve interviewed have actually offered to come back and contribute again.

Meghan: I think, when you’re a student, you can sometimes see academics as if they’re on this pedestal – they can be unapproachable. For me, on the podcast, you’re having a one-on-one with them; you’re picking up a lot more than when you’re one of 100 people in a lecture. It’s been good, I’m excited to record my episode.

As a whole, I found this conversation enlightening. It seems to me that DU History is a very active society and are very enthusiastic about the projects they undertake. They love meeting new people with similar passions for all things history.

Rememberin

Ella Sloane reflects on Brendan Kennelly’s legacy as one of Ireland’s most beloved poets and novelists

T

he 17 October 2021 saw the passing of one of Ireland’s greatest creatives and academics, Brendan Kennelly.

Born in Ballylongford in County Kerry, Kennelly attended Trinity to study English and French upon being granted the college’s prestigious Reid scholarship. Even during his time at Trinity as a young scholar he left his mark, assuming the editorship of Icarus and captaining the Gaelic Football Club. Kennelly returned to Trinity some years later and held the position of Professor of Modern Literature until his retirement in 2005.

Kennelly’s impressive body of work, including numerous published books of poetry, as well as plays and novels, has received widespread critical acclaim. Arguably his dedication to addressing “the nightmares of history and conscience” holds the key to his popularity as an Irish writer.

Unafraid to challenge assumptions, Kennelly’s characterisation of the infamous Judas Iscariot and Oliver Cromwell in The Book of Judas and Cromwell, respectively, dauntlessly exemplifies the subjectivity of history. Both texts allow the reader to perceive two men who are largely regarded as villainous and abhorrent through a variety of different lenses, some of which serve to humanise them, inevitably causing quite the stir at the time of publication due to their groundbreaking nature.

A distinctive wistful musical-

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 9 November

ing Brendan Kennelly PHOTO VIA TRINITY

ity underpins Kennelly’s literary legacy — as one reads his poetry, the cadences of his native Kerry reverberate. His incredible ability for storytelling only served to bring greater life to his work, with poems such as Poem from a Three Year Old, which explores philosophical questions through the characteristically accessible language of its authentic childlike speaker. I think that Brendan Kennelly’s poetry gained so much traction, both in Ireland and abroad, because people could see themselves reflected in his carefully crafted characters — there is something within the words that resonates with everybody — and it is this depth of understanding and universality that contributed to his success as a poet.

Kennelly left a lasting impact on students and staff alike during his time at Trinity, not only as a prolific writer and poet, but as a teacher, colleague and friend.

Speaking to fellow colleague and Professor Emeritus, Nicholas Grene, I gained an insight into Kennelly’s formidable presence

“

Those three wonderful poets are now all gone, but I will never forget my sense of awe and excitement at finding myself in such company

both on and off campus.

Grene recounts one of his favourite and most vivid moments of Kennelly: “I first met Brendan when I was still a schoolboy in December 1964 in Jammet’s back bar after the wedding of Michael and Edna Longley. He was there with Derek Mahon, Seamus and Marie Heaney. Those three wonderful poets are now all gone, but I will never forget my sense of awe and excitement at finding myself in such company. There are many more moments that I remember fondly: Brendan’s impassioned lectures on William Blake in my first term as a student; the years of our time as colleagues in the School of English including visits to him after he underwent a bypass operation, when he read to me the just composed The Man Made of Rain; the last time I saw him in the nursing home in Listowel when he was diminished but still very much himself.”

He mentions his favourite poem by Kennelly. Grene states “That is a really hard question given how much Brendan published.

Like so many other people, I love his late lyric Begin, so characteristic of his sheer delight in the world. At the other end of the spectrum, there is the terrifying ballad Heigh-Ho from The Book of Judas. The book Cromwell made an extraordinary cumulative impact with its capacity to go out imaginatively to the most demonized figure in all of Irish history, its mixture of comic fantasy and confrontation with horror.”

“Brendan had the best memory for students of any teacher I have ever known.” Grene talks about the impact Kennelly had on Trinity and its faculty: “I once asked him how he could remember his students so well and he said that at night when he could not sleep he would think over each person in each of his classes.

The result was that he could recall students he had taught many years before, even remembering poems he had encouraged them to write.

Living in College for so many years, he was a central figure on campus, familiar to everyone around, on easy first name terms with all who worked there. Noone thought of him as a highly respected professor, a distinguished poet; he was simply Brendan.”

One of Kennelly’s most beloved and moving poems, Begin, strikes a chord now more than ever as the country mourns one of its most resonant voices. The poem not only speaks of loss and death, but also magnifies Kennelly’s unquenchable lust for and celebration of life itself, in all its fullness. I will leave you with its closing lines: “Though we live in a world that dreams of ending / that always seems about to give in / something that will not acknowledge conclusion / insists that we forever begin.”

Right or wrong Izzie Willis explores her relationship with alcohol, sex, and sex after alcohol

R

ight or wrong, sex and alcohol seem to be intrinsically tied up with one another – for me, and for a lot of other people I know. It is obvious in a way, with the loosening of inhibitions being indiscriminate. I learned to drink before I learned to have sex. When I lost my virginity, I had had three bottles of wine to myself, and that was not unusual for me. I realise that although that is perhaps a little more extreme than most, I don’t think it’s completely foreign. I always liked to drink partly because of the effect it had on my physicality. I had always felt restrained, awkward, shifty, and I hated people touching me. Alcohol swept me under a warm current, and I no longer noticed I had a body; my body that had become too conspicuous as it had changed and swollen and hurt and hardened through the pained pubescent years. I became soft. Alcohol afforded me relief and I only really came to terms with the fact that this was part of the problem years later.

After I traded in my virginity for three bottles of wine, I was lucky enough that the next person I slept with – a few weeks later – quickly became my boyfriend. I learned sober sex. I learned the value in the intimacy of having sex with someone you really care about, and I learned to feel less

self-conscious and to feel genuinely sexy without needing alcohol.

However, I lost track a little along the way. I had my first heartbreak, I fell back in love with drinking, and I learned that when I drank, I could also have many one-night stands that thrilled me, and I got scared to do it in any other way.

It made me feel powerful when I would receive a text from the person (whoever they were) a couple days later wanting more from me when I barely remembered them at all. I didn’t know what I had done, how it happened, and I didn’t care.

I was throwing my body at things seemingly beyond my own consciousness, and I felt like I was doing it well. What I was really enjoying, however, was absolving myself of responsibility. If you no longer feel in charge of your body, there can definitely be some liberation in that – but feeling no longer in charge of your body and sex should not pair.

I definitely don’t think these things would have been made obvious to me as a problem by others as much if I were a man. I don’t know if that’s relevant, but I have spoken to a lot of the women I know about it. Binge-drinking-and-binge-fucking spoke as an act of self-harm when it came from me, but my two best friends were men who did the same and nobody’s eyebrows knitted together in false concern when they had come back after another drunken one night-stand with a beautiful girl. This is not me saying people were diagnosing me with a problem I didn’t have – I had some truly painful experiences because of it – my point is that I don’t know if it is good for anyone. As with everything, I think there is a line between genuine enjoyment and a frenzied hedonism. Drinking can be joyous, sex can be (and is) one

“

What I do know, though, is that sex can be truly beautiful, and part of what makes it that is when you can feel every part of yourself and them; not when you can barely feel anything at all of the most importantly pleasurable things in my life. However, in our culture the two are seemingly inextricable, and certainly are not taught in terms of pleasure. We gurgle down our naggins so that we are drunk, we sleep with people because we think it is expected, and the two sentiments seep into one another like poison. It’s probably obvious that I haven’t arrived at an answer yet.

What I do know, though, is that sex can be truly beautiful, and part of what makes it that is when you can feel every part of yourself and them; not when you can barely feel anything at all.

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Tuesday 9 November | TRINITY NEWS

Re-creating an online community Ria Walls gains fresh perspectives as she revisits her conversation on the importance of building on-screen connections

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or this issue I delved deeper into the World Wide Web and spoke to a few more online creators about what they do on their various social media platforms. Join me as I chat to Sofia and Fern in regards to their virtual ventures.

Studying Across The Ocean Sofia Wilson, a Senior Fresher Biological and Biomedical Science student, runs an online blog that details her experiences away from home. Originally from Connecticut, Wilson moved to Ireland when she began studying at Trinity. Through her writing she aims to help first year students, especially international ones, navigate their way about college life in the Emerald Isle when they are so far from home. While she loves studying in Dublin, WIlson can’t deny the intimidating feelings she had when she first moved here from the other side of the globe. To ease first years in, she directed her initial blog posts towards students moving out of their home and into Trinity Hall.

W i l s o n’s first post — titled ‘What I Wish I Knew Before Arriving’ — gained popularity as several students read her advice on what to expect from student life in Dublin. In this blog she described the best place to do your weekly shop, how to get an Irish SIM card, and how to find your way around the town of Rathmines. Speaking about her own experiences, Wilson says: “If I had known all this information before I had arrived at Halls it definitely would have de-

creased a lot of stress”.

For anyone who, like myself and Sofia, moved far away from the familiarity of home and into a town hours away, the feelings of isolation and seclusion are never far away. That is why creating safe online communities proves to be useful, as you are not only helping others to find their feet at university, but you are also reflecting upon your experiences as a first year student and seeing how much you have grown since moving out.

To read Sofia’s posts for yourself you can find her blog on wixsite. com under ‘studyacrosstheocean’, and on Instagram @studyingacrosstheocean. Stay tuned for her upcoming pieces on restaurants and pubs as the restrictions are lifting!

Charity Shop Glam Fern Kelly-Landry, a Junior Sophister student studying Sociology and English Literature, talked to me about her Instagram account dedicated to second hand shopping. On her platform, which she refers to as her ‘creative outlet’, she posts pictures of clothes and accessories that she has purchased from charity shops. When talking about her inspiration for creating this fashion community, Kelly-Landry recalls herself as a child browsing in charity shops and always feeling excited at the new and different items she found — she describes it as being a “new experience every time”. Now, when wearing clothing she has thrifted, Kelly-Landry receives compliments and is met with surprise and admiration when she reveals that the items were found in a charity shop. As

well as this, the sustainability and affordability of it is a great element.

Using Instagram as her outlet, Kelly-Landry addresses the stigma that second hand items are often met with. She aims to end this sense of shame and embarrassment; there is nothing to be ashamed about when you are fighting against fast fashion. Through her posts, Kelly-Landry encourages her followers to take the more sustainable route and find enjoyment in charity shopping.

Talking about her passion for fashion, she states: “I like the idea of documenting the many versatile ways you can style things you own, and how you can breathe new life into someone else’s old clothes.”

Kelly-Landry places emphasis on the idea that regardless of the previous owners, items purchased from charity shops are new to you.

She personally recommends the large range of second hand shops on George’s Street, Camden Street, and in Rathmines.

When talking about her social media platform, Kelly-Landry emphasises the importance of having an online community. She recalls that during lockdown, when one of our only outlets was social media, she met so many people that she would not have encountered otherwise. Through her social media, Kelly-Landry is able to promote positivity by combatting fast fashion and providing alternatives to the issue of overconsumption of unethical clothing. She is active in encouraging her followers to act sustainably in their everyday lives.

To see Fern’s flavour for all things fashion, check out her Instagram @charityshopglam.

First love ne Maya Kulukundis discusses how our first romantic and sexual experiences affect our sense of self

A

s a girl, Joan Didion was in love with John Wayne. She wanted him to carry her home on horseback while her hair blew with the Santa Ana wind along which her essays are carried to the “bend in the river where the cottonwoods grow”, a line that she heard and took on from War of the Wildcats.

But — she writes in John Wayne: A Love Song — although she meets and loves many men throughout her life, none of them are John Wayne or build her a house at that bend in that dream-river where the cottonwoods would be growing. This acknowledgement is sore; sore from the sharp prick that early fantasies, even when alien to and incompatible with one’s adult reality, linger in our psyche and remind us of something unachieved, of a need not met, of a love not found.

“When John Wayne rode through my childhood,” she writes. “And very probably through yours, he determined forever the shape of certain of our dreams.”

It is interesting to turn to these

PHOTO VIA FERN KELLY-LANDRY

dreams and their shape. Although Didion speaks of her first conceptions of romantic love, the essay made me wonder as to the effect of one’s first real John Wayne.

How do our first experiences and relationships code our romantic and sexual behaviours? What enduring influence do they assert over one’s sense of self, sexuality and body?

Of course, this would be a misleading exploration if I did not admit to its limitations — although I have had fascinating conversations with friends and relatives around these questions (one friend in particular speaks beautifully and candidly about her realisation that the way she has sex seemed to be the way she had been taught to have sex through her first relationship); this piece is necessarily concerned with my experiences. What was my first experience of sex and love? And did it ever die?

If I were to identify a dominant theme in my initial and continued experiences of sex and of romance, it is vulnerability.

Although I believe that I should be an equal and dominant partner in any relationship, my deepest conception of my own desirability and sexuality lies in my ability to brand myself as “weak”. If I am to imagine myself in a relationship, it is within the confines of this problematic dynamic: a typical victim/ saviour binary. This is a dynamic that I seek and am attracted to — my fancying someone always follows a confessional moment, an instance in which I have made myself vulnerable or sought immediate validation and received it.

An extract from some recent

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TRINITY NEWS | Tuesday 9 November

ever dies writing on this: I worry that it is only in vulnerability and submission that I find “femininity”… I worry that “it”, being a victim, may be the only way that I have learnt to perform any kind of feminine “self ”. What sort of person does that make me and where does this come from?

Taking this final question and marrying it with the title of this piece, I am interested in untangling the genesis of this (flawed) conception of “femininity”.

While it is an obvious point that we are marked by our experiences — that the self is an ever-changing entity moulded by external factors — it is challenging to identify my ingrained behaviours as separate from my “self ”. Further, it is painful to consider that there are defining

“

My first romantic relationships were characterised by vulnerability

facets of my identity that may not be innate but learned. In suggesting this, I am presenting myself as malleable. I am accepting that situations and people that I do not consider important or momentous (or that I do not want to be) may have imprinted, as if in wet cement, upon my malleable self.

What shape would certain of Didion’s dreams have been if she had never seen a Western?

My first romantic relationships were characterised by vulnerability. As a young teenager, I looked older than I was; I engaged in conversation that was more sophisticated than I could really manage and existed predominantly in adult spaces — and this was the time when I was and felt the most attractive. I saw older men who paid for transport and dinner and drinks and, on one particularly amusing occasion, entry to a strip-club in Paris. I felt, at 15, 16 and 17, more seen than I had ever felt before or have felt since. I also felt, often, intimidated and scared.

I learned from these first relationships and this time that my vulnerability — stemming from my age and lack of experience — was what was desirable. I learned that this vulnerability was my selling point, and I married my burgeoning sexuality with it. In order to be sexually desirable and to be romantically loved, I had learned to embody weakness. I learned to stay thin and to stay quiet and to be compliant, shivering and fundamentally sad.

My friends and I engage in a frequent indictment of this paedophilic society within which a child is far more desirable than an adult. However, we also lament, retrospectively, the transition to adulthood and the comparative invisibility it has brought. We struggle with the emotional and physical growth that has made us less nymphet-esque, and we are nostalgic for our girl-woman bodies and the wide-eyed stare of a teenager out of her depth and so desired. We have glamorised these twisted things because they

“

Even if my early experiences have shaped me, I (and you) can have and orchestrate new experiences that shape us again were intrinsic to our discovery of sex, attractiveness and romance.

But I know, rationally, that it is a good thing that I am no longer so vulnerable and naïve. It is a good thing that I am now surer of myself and less wide-eyed. As I have matured out of that persona and relationships and reflected on them, I have hoped that I might have shed the flawed lessons learned then.

I have not yet managed to. A disturbing, but honest, admission would be that my greatest fantasy, my John Wayne-cottonwoods-equivalent is the dream that an emaciated version of myself, reduced in body and mind to a childlike state, might be carried home in the arms of an

unspeaking, unthinking, empathic love-interest to mop my brow and furrow his in concern.

Joy Crookes’ recent single asks whether she can “cross you out / And unlearn you from [her] body?” And whilst the ‘unlearning’ process is a vital one, I am tempted to emphasise the power of the ‘relearning’ one. Whilst understanding and analysing our behaviours are important and necessary parts of growing up, if we are to completely separate ourselves from them, to mechanically purge them from our lives, we are left in a void. Although I have, and can be, vehemently critical of the sexual and relational behaviours that I learned when I was younger, until I learn new ones, they will stay a part of me. I was discussing this article with a friend of mine and she made the following point: these are behaviours that you learned from, and in response to, third parties. They did not come from you. The best part of sex and sexuality is trying to work out what you like and you enjoy. This has to be self-guided and self-motivated.

Even if my early experiences have shaped me, I — and you — can have and orchestrate new experiences that shape us again. We are not fixed entities, and our behaviours need not be set in stone.

The version of me that learned passive, vulnerable “femininity” might not die but it can be built on, challenged, pushed further away. We have all learnt sex and love from our first relationships and romantic experiences. We can acknowledge this, question it, and decidedly carry on learning.

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Tuesday 9 November | TRINITY NEWS

Crossword

Across

PUZZLE BY JACK KENNEDY FOR TRINITY NEWS

1. Comes in olive, crude, palm and beard varieties (3) 4. Some votes in a referendum (5) 9. True thing (4) 11. No longer memorable (9) 12. Not quite a mountain (4) 14. Type of fish; also complaining excessively (4) 16. Fresh, cold, invigorating (7) 19. Most odd (9) 20 Early 20th century art movement visible on the Chrysler Building (3,4) 21. China's longest river 22. Public discontent (6) 25. Viral internet content (4) 26. Cén fáth? (3) 27. As well (4)

Down

2. North North American indigenous people (5) 3. Quite (4) 5. Begins on St. Brigid's day (6) 6. 2x7 days (9) 7. Round object; fancy party (4) 8. Also begins on St. Brigid's day (8) 10. A series of ordered events, repeating (5) 13. Historic German kingdom (7) 15. Hate, in the extreme (7) 17. Now "Meta" (8) 18. Finished (4) 23. Beam, especially of sunlight (3) 24. Comes in coffee, butter, kidney, or baked varieties (4)

Shouts and murmurs Antigen tests are now just part of my hangovers.

Trying to blame how I feel on potential covid rather than 892 drinks.

-@JamesKavanagh_ Cannot wait to finish college so i dont ever have to pretend to enjoy the music of bob dylan ever again -@mahertymcfly Dublin Bus Real Time Information’s 3 mins is 3 seconds if you light a smoke and 3 hours if you don’t -@DrHaroldNews

Can’t think of a bigger red flag than grown men openly saying they ‘hate’ Greta Thunberg -@runwayinchicago Just saw dune 2 has been confirmed, yeah dune 2 many drugs -@affay97 Dublin Bus Real Time Information’s 3 mins is 3 seconds if you light a smoke and 3 hours if you don’t -@IsMiseYusuf

Solution to Issue 3: