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Trinity News Gambino manager threatens electoral commission members..p.2
Always Free
S PORT
The Female Orgasm
Are disabilites becoming a joke?
DU Golf Club Kerry tour Ladies Rugby success
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Kieran takes SU Presidency in closest ever contest Ian Carey & David R Symington
Trinity Hall: moulding after only a year............p.3 IN WHAT was the closest contest ever, Mr Francis Kieran, third year law, emerged as the new SU President. It was a nail-biting finale Students and staff strike to the campaigns with across UK over top-up fees the counting continuing ........................................p.4 until three in the morning. The other candiates elected were Ni Eidhin as Deputy President, Mac Sithigh as Haitian situation reaches crisis point.............................p.6 Education Officer, Ryder as Welfare Officer and Morris as Ents. The reason for the count going Gay/straight/other: sexual on so late was because the presidential camidentity and genetics.......p.8 paign went to a recount. Kierans main opponent Mr Mark Munnelly put up a good fight only loosDuais Síochána Nobel: ing out on the final set of Bush agus Blair............p.9 transfer votes from third place Mr Patrick Nulty.
International Student News
Forum
Featur es Gaeilge
The turnout also grew to 25% with most speculators stating that it was most probably due to the number of strong presidential candidates that put themselves forward. The other particularly close contest was for Ents, between elected Niall Morris and Mr Sean Browne. Morris was elected on the second count with 1893 votes. Kieran spoke to Trinity News about his new position and his hopes for the future. "I was absolutely delighted at being elected SU President". He said it was "a humbling experience" to be elected in what he described as a "hotly contested" election. He said that, during the campaign, he got on well with the other candidates and got
friendly with the new sabbatical officers. On the night of the results on Thursday 26th February, Mr Kieran said that as the votes were being counted, there "was no telling who was going to win…I gave it all I had and in the end we just had wait what was going to happen with the transfers." He said he was delighted with the new sabbatical team and expects to work very well with all of them. Questioned over his next plans as incoming SU President, he said that over the summer he would get the ball rolling on his manifesto attempting to implement all that he had promised and said "when I say everything I mean everything!" He said that if he fails it won’t be from the lack of
Science Poultry in motion.......p.10
Theatr e ISDA 2004: Players shows prepare for Galway.......p.11
Graham Mooney
Surprise visit by Bono for Rushdie interview
Music Music, CD & Record fair: Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire..........................p.12
Books Stage & screen adaptations of literature......................p.13
Interview with ‘The Honeymooners’ Karl Golden...............................p.14
Ar ts Teenage kicks at the RHA .............................................p.15
Graham Mooney
Alex Herman ‘SAL-MAN!’ A voice cried
Fencing Intervarsity out from behind. About to Championships...........p.19 enter the Edmund Burke Theatre on Tuesday February 24, Salman Rushdie, confident and composed, turned around INDEX to see running towards College News.................2,3 him with arms outStudent News...................4 stretched his friend of fifForum................................6 teen years, Paul Hewson, Features..........................7,8 aka Bono Vox, aka the U2 The pair Gaeilge..............................9 Frontman. embraced, exchanged sevScience............................10 eral amicable words, and Theatre............................11 then went into the lecture Music...............................12 hall, full to the aisles of Books..............................13 over 500 eagerly awaiting Film.................................14 students. Bono, realising Arts..................................15 he would not be the cenFashion............................16 tre of attention for this Comment & Letters........17 evening, quietly sat himSport...........................19,20 self in the second row to watch the proceedings. Rushdie, along with giving a speech, an interview and taking questions from the floor, was being trinity news two awarded an honorary membership from the arts & culture University Philosophical Society, the organisers of supplement the event. out The high-profile nature of his friends is due to Week 3, Rushdie’s enormous Trinity Term celebrity as an author. Having risen to literary
Sydney beat DUFC....p.20
TNT
Say hello to your new SU. From left; Welfare Luke Rider, Ents Niall Morris , Deputy President Ruth NiEidhin, Education Daithi MacSithigh and President Frances Kieran SU presidential election statistics 27th February. Full analysis see page 3 trying. He added that he would be prepared to sit down with the four other Presidential candidates, which he said "many of whom were excellent", to engage with them and listen to their proposals
Film
Spor t
D U B L I N
trinity.news@tcd.ie 2nd March 2004 Vol 56; No.7 Est. 1953
F EATURES
SCIENCE College News
C O L L E G E
fame with his second novel, Midnight’s Children which won the prestigious Booker Prize in 1981, he has since established himself as one of the most consistent and revered writers in the world with his fictional output, including Shame, The Moor’s Last Sigh, and most recently in 2001 Fury, set in his newly adopted home of New York. During his talk, he highlighted the importance of the role of the author in the modern age. For Rushdie, unlike the production of film and television, a novel is simple and cheap to create. It requires as he claimed, ‘only a room, a paper and a pen – in fact, you don’t even need a room’. For this reason, it is free from the control and prohibition of corporate and governmental organisations. The freedom of writing he espouses and his world-wide acclaim have also been detrimental. In 1989, a few months after the publication of The Satanic Verses, the Ayatollah Khomeini, regarding the book as a defamation of Islam,
issued a fatwa, ordering the execution of its author. As a result, Rushdie had to go into hiding for several years with the protection of the British secret service. On Thursday he made light of the situation, claiming that after the whole ordeal between Khomeini and him, ‘One of us is dead now’ (referring to the death of the Iranian cleric later in 1989). The episode helped him appreciate the importance of free speech and its relation to a just society. His severe dealings with Muslim fundamentalism have given him a perspective on more recent world events. The attacks on Septmeber 11, 2001 were committed, according to him, ‘by those who don’t have a sense of humour against those who do’. Rushdie spoke for nearly two hours, displaying his humour, awareness and intellect. His captive audience was a tribute to his position as one of the most respected literary figures of our era. See next issues TNT for the full Rushdie interview.
and ideas. He also said in response to SU critics that the "curse of student apathy has been well and truly broken." Referring to the high 25% turnout, he said that this was mainly thanks to the SU
Presidential candidate Mark Munnelly who "got his vote out…and mobilized the BESS classes and the sports vote in a hotly contested campaign." He said that the "high turnout has given us [the SU] all a strong
mandate for negotiations with the government and College." Kieran and other incoming officers will undergo a two-week training course over the summer, officially beginning their roles on July 1st 2004.
Suspect ‘Summer Work Opportunity’ Abigail Semple THE REPRESENTATIVES of the Southwestern Company have raised several eyebrows across campus with their claims of a summer opportunity that not only represents a CV builder but also provides good remuneration. The main cause for concern with students was that the specifics of the job were not detailed in the pre-lecture talks. In the talks the representative invited inter-
ested students to an information meeting in Doyle’s Pub, in order to get more details we went along. The meeting started with the Southwestern Company asking a few general questions about what kind of work experience students were likely to have and what we thought employers were looking for in graduates. The object of this conversation seemed to be to establish that students were unlikely to have the type of skills and experience which employers seek
USI/UCD spat Derek Owens USI’S PROBLEMS continue to mount, with a dispute developing between The Union of Student in Ireland (USI) and the Student’s Union of UCD (UCDSU) regarding affiliation fees. The conflict effectively originates from last year, when Aonghus Hourihane, the President of the UCDSU, informed
USI that half of the yearly affiliation fees normally received from UCD students, roughly Eur26, 000, would not be paid. This, he stated, was due to "financial refurbishments" and, with a referendum pending of UCD disaffiliation, his position on the matter was not challenged. This academic year, however, USI, with debts of roughly Eur180,000 is seeking to
after consecutive summers of waiting tables and teaching kids to swim. She then explained that the Southwestern summer program would build attractive transferable skills enhancing participants’ CVs. The representative claimed that Unilever, the major multinational consumer goods company, ‘guaranteed firstround interviews’ to students who had completed a summer with Southwestern. But what did the job exactly involve and where did the all-
important £4,500 come from? It was only later discovered this job involved selling educational books door-to-door in the UK on a commission-only basis. Students act as ‘Independent Contractors’ and purchase volumes published by the Southwestern Company on credit at a wholesale price in order to sell them to families with school-age children. Students are not employed by the company,
recover the Eur26, 000. The issue came to a head earlier this month, with the publication in the College Tribune, a UCD student paper, of a story on the subject. In an interview with the Tribune, Will Priestley intimated that he would "absolutely" be prepared to take legal action against the UCDSU to obtain the unpaid fees. The unsympathetic reaction to his comments led to Priestley sending a letter of complaint, printed in the
Tribune, in which he labelled the story as "inaccurate" and the way it was reported as "disingenuous". Hostility towards the Tribune reached a height in a Student Union council meeting later in the month, during which a motion of censure was tabled, echoing Priestley’s criticisms and calling for a front page retraction. During debate on this motion, the assembly were informed that the Tribune had a recording of the
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Student News, Sport, Arts, Culture and Entertainment
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Trinity News
COLLEGE NEWS
2nd March 2004
News Editor Ian Carey
Gambino manager threatened electoral commissioners O’Connor removed from hustings
David R Symington ON FRIDAY 20th February the unofficial ‘Campaign Manager’ for Christopher Gambino’s Student Union (SU) Presidency campaign, Brendan O’Connor, is alleged to have physically threatened two electoral commissioners on the doorstep of House 6. The incident occurred between Mr O’Connor and the two electoral commissioners, Nasa Gibson and Neil Moran, due to a row over Gambino’s rights to place his campaign posters upon noticeboards. After missing the deadline for submitting his election posters, Mr Gambino was banned by the Electoral Commission from putting them up, yet these were still found upon SU noticeboards. Mr O’Connor is understood to have seen the two electoral commissioners pull down Mr Gambino’s posters at the House 6 SU noticeboard and confronted them. When they replied that Mr Gambino was not allowed to put up his posters, Mr O’Connor himself said that "he tore down a couple of other posters [of other SU sabbatical candidates] and
At hustings last Wednesday 25h February on the Dining Hall steps, attended by all the incoming SU candidates, Mr Gambino’s unofficial campaign manager Brendan O’Connor was forcibly removed by Trinity College Security. This was due a complaint by elec-
SU presidental canditate Chris Gambino walked away." When asked directly whether the two electoral commissioners were actually physically threatened, a member of the electoral commission who for safety reasons wished to remain anonymous, immediately replied "yes… his manner was very aggressive and threatening." Mr O’Connor has vehemently denied the allegations of physical threat saying they were "trumped up" and "exaggerated." The incident need not have occurred had Mr Gambino not failed to meet the SU deadline for the submission of electoral posters. SU sabbatical candidates had to submit their campaign posters by Wednesday 11th February at 12pm, and when asked
why he missed the poster deadline, Mr Gambino said that the rules for submission that applied last year were interpreted differently this year. Mr O’Connor said that Mr Gambino believed that by printing his own posters by hand, he could adhere to his own deadline. SU Education Officer Heledd Fychan said that this year’s campaign rules, which had been unanimously changed at the SU Emergency Council on Monday 9th February, had been explained to Mr Gambino by herself in three separate one-to-one meetings. Ms Fychan went as far as to personally ring him on the morning of the deadline, and even exceptionally extended the deadline by one hour to 1pm, yet Mr Gambino still failed to
Campus racism still rife as campaign ends Ann-Marie Ryan K A T H E R I N E MORIWAKI, an international student at Trinity, has expressed her disappointment at the news that funding for the government-sponsored programme 'Know Racism' has ceased since the end of 2003. She is surprised at the government's decision to end the programme, as she considers racism to be rampant in Ireland. In an interview with Trinity News, Ms. Moriwaki described some of the people she has encountered during her time in Ireland as 'horribly narrow-minded, devastatingly racist and probably less civilised than many people I have met in my entire life'. Ms. Moriwaki, who is of American nationality and Japanese ethnicity, has found that her hybrid identity is a concept which many Irish people, including those she has met while studying at Trinity, find difficult to grasp. She has been studying at Trinity for her PhD in Electrical Engineering for over a year. No comprehensive report on racism in third level institutions has taken place since 1997. In the same year, the
University Act came into effect, which required universities ‘to promote gender balance and equality of opportunity among students and employees of the university’. The act is merely open to interpretation as regards equality in the areas of race, ethnicity and religion. Trinity College formulated policy and procedure for dealing with complaints of harassment, including racial harassment in July 2003, which defines racism and provides guidelines for dealing with it and making formal complaints. However there is no specific body in college responsible for racism and formal complaints from students are to be made to the Head of Department, Faculty Dean or Junior Dean. The extent of racism in colleges has proved difficult to quantify, given that international students are often only in Ireland for a short period. Ms. Moriwaki referred to one particular incident on campus, which occurred in the O’Reilly Institute. When she replied to a question from the security guard, who asked if she was meeting someone there, the security guard exclaimed ‘Oh, you have an American accent’ to
Priestley interview. In this interview, it was argued, Priestley had been asked a direct question and the Tribune was entitled to print his response. It was also pointed out that Priestley had been given a clear opportunity later in the interview to withdraw his comments but did not take it. The motion was promptly changed to one censuring Will Priestley and USI and demanding withdrawal of his comments, before being passed with a large majority. When contacted, Paul
meet the deadline. Friday’s incident resulted in Mr Gambino being asked to meet the electoral commission on Monday 23rd February. The meeting was attended by all seven members of the electoral commission, as well as its Secretary, Ms Fychan, Mr Gambino and Mr O’Connor. The meeting took place in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transexual (LGBT) office where Mr Gambino was fined EUR20 for his Manager’s threatening behaviour, EUR20 for the tearing down of other candidates’ posters, and EUR18 for illegally putting up his posters, a total of EUR58. Each EUR20 fine earned Mr Gambino a stroke, with a third disqualifying him from the campaign. When asked about
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which Ms. Moriwaki replied: ‘Well, Americans generally do.’ While Moriwaki is keen to stress that the most extreme incidents of racism she has suffered have occurred outside Trinity College; she has become aware of a hidden form of racism on campus, where she can "sometimes perceive a certain condescending behaviour with some people". Her hybrid identity has made her conscious of the double standards some people employ when dealing with different racial groups. Her experiences are not unique. Ms. Moriwaki told how a friend of hers, who is of British nationality and Indian descent has had residents in the apartment complex where he lives call the police because they feel he doesn’t belong there. It is her belief that all non-white individuals living in Ireland, particularly Caucasians from stigmatised ethnicities, have been discriminated against at some stage during their time in Ireland.
Dillon, current president of the UCDSU, stated that Priestley had explained his comments, but did not go into detail on the subject. He did, however, inform Trinity News that USI had sent official correspondence indicating that they did not consider the matter closed. When asked for comment on this, he said that he "did not want to enter into a war of words with USI or Will Priestley" on the issue, but was "sick of UCD being blamed for USI’s problems". He went on to argue that other Student Unions in the past had failed to pay part, or even all, of the
Security asked him to remove himself from College grounds. College regulations allow the removal of non-Trinity College members from College grounds if a Trinity member feels unsafe around the nonmember’s presence. According to a member of Monday’s meeting, Mr Gambino, a notorious homophobic and a fervent member of Youth Defence, the radical anti-abortion group, said that when he was taken to the "Little Guantanamo Bay" (the LGBT) to attend his "disciplinary hearing" the "electoral committee tried to intimidate myself and Brendan." This was contradicted by a member of the electoral commission who claimed Mr Gambino said very little but that Mr O’Connor, who is not even Mr Gambino’s official Campaign Manager since he is not a Trinity student, is described as big built and tall, was "exceptionally aggressive", "stamping his feet", "shouting" and "accused them [the electoral commission] of being Stalinists." Mr O’Connor also
the electoral commission, when asked to leave by security Mr O’Connor "caused a fuss" and "he refused to move." He complained of his democratic right to be there and accused the crowd of being Nazis. After half an hour he was finally removed by Trinity Security Guards. claimed that the "meeting was held to intimidate the candidate" in "an office full of propaganda supporting queer behaviour, including the picture of a half-naked man." When asked about this, a member of the electoral commission who wishes to remain anonymous for safety reasons, said that the LGBT was used only because Ms Fychan’s office was occupied at the time and that its location in House 6 was practical. When asked about Mr Gambino’s claims of intimidation, Ms Fychan replied that "it was the other way round" and stated: "I’ve never felt so threatened during my time as Education Officer…I left the meeting worried for the safety of myself and the electoral commission."
Suspect ‘Summer Work Opportunity’ receive no wage, and must meet all their own accommodation and transport costs. The figure of £4,500 gross profit, less an average of £1,500 spent during the summer on living expenses, applied to students who worked 6 days a week for 3 months with recommended working hours being from 8 am-9pm. Profit is entirely based on a student’s capacity to convince persons to purchase volumes Southwestern has for sale with no guaranteed minimum income. In fact, the company requires students wishing to participate to produce a ‘Letter of Credit’ from a parent or other guarantor agreeing to be liable for any ‘business expenses’ of up to £700. Thus did students profit from the work, and if not how were they able to initiate its recruitment drive in lectures across campus? Southwestern has made it clear throughout their presentations that their summer sales program ‘isn’t for everyone’. Their website repeats this disclaimer and contains enthusiastic testimonials from US and UK participants. They also list methods for fostering good relations with Careers Advisory Services on campuses, so I decided to find out if they’d been in contact with Trinity’s CAS. A
USI/UCD spat continued from page 1
toral commission members who felt unsafe in his presence. Mr Gambino himself admitted he felt threatened by O’Connor but is "glad he is my friend". The Education Officer said that at hustings members of the electoral commission pointed him out and Trinity
affiliation fees due in a given year, and no action had been taken. When asked if he had sought legal advice, he responded defiantly, saying: "I haven’t sought legal advice on the issue because I know I don’t need to. There’s no prece-
dent for legal action against any one Union, and no legal basis. Affiliation fees are paid only on a voluntary basis" He went on to question the legitimacy of USI’s financial difficulties, relating that "last year’s financial committee told us that USI’s finances were stable, in good condition. I don’t see how, in less than a year, they can be in the state that USI say they are", and suggesting that the crisis was being exaggerated "for ideological reasons, to get rid of officers that the administration doesn’t believe are necessary". When asked if the events of the last month had altered his view of USI, Dillon was keen to stress that he ran a successful campaign against disaffil-
Careers Advisor, Margaret Farrell, acknowledged that they knew of Southwestern’s recruitment activities but said "We decided not to promote that particular company through our Service". She explained their decision due to their concerns related to the uncertainty of the income available to students through Southwestern’s programme and the high drop-out rate, approximately a third of the students recruited for the programme have not completed it in recent years, and the possibility that Southwestern had not previously made these aspects clear to students it recruited. Why is Southwestern recruiting students for its summer sales program in Trinity, carrying on with the drive despite the lack of promotion from the CAS? Perhaps it’s because student salespeople represent a remarkably cost-effective marketing and distribution system for the company, one which has contributed to extraordinary profits for them over the past ten years. The average publisher runs the risk of massive returns from booksellers and the corresponding refunds which must be given to retailers for unsold books. Under S o u t h w e s t e r n ’ s ‘Independent Contractor’ system, this burden is effec-
iation last year, and that "USI is bigger than one man or administration. I still think it’s worthwhile, but it is time that USI stop pressuring its members and start taking a stand on real issues, that concern students". Talking to Trinity News , Will Priestley was swift to point out that UCDSU were not the only union who had failed to pay affiliation fees in full, and were not the only union to be contacted regarding unpaid affiliation fees. In fact, USI is working to recover a total of Eur100, 000 from a number of different colleges throughout the country. When asked if other unions were reacting in the same way, he was somewhat conciliatory, replying: "you mean cooperatively? Well, it’s
In Brief 7 out of 10 students believe we live in a homophobic society Last Friday 27th February the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) released the preliminary findings of their research programme on attitudes towards lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) students, conducted in 15 colleges across Ireland. 10% of respondents replied they were LBG with 57% of those saying they were subjected to homophobic language. In response to the study, the USI Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Rights Officer, Tadhg O'Brien said: "Though attitudes have changed towards LGB people in recent years, it is saddening to discover that homophobia is still rife in the education system…Though 79% of students indicated they would react positively to their best friend telling them that they are gay, surprisingly this trend is reversed when students were asked how they would respond to the discovery that one of their siblings was LGB with 6 out of 10 reacting negatively. Clearly much work remains to be done to combat bigotry in society as a whole." The USI President, Will Priestley said: "Sexual health awareness in relation to same-sex relationships are not just an issue for LGB students. 18% of all students have had a sexual experience with a person of the same sex, half of whom identify as heterosexual…The fact that this is the first major investigation into the attitudes towards LGB people in Ireland clearly shows that more research needs to be done in the context of society as a whole."
It’s Cola Jim, but not as we know it The Coke Ban was implemented almost immediately after the referendum’s results last Thursday 26th February as 1816 students voted in favour of banning Coca-Cola products as 1680 voted against. With the loss of biggest SU shop revenue spinner, Trinity News researched these alternatives to drinking Coca-Cola:
tively deflected onto the student instead of the company: they are the ones who bear liability for unsold books if they are not returned to the company’s warehouse in mint condition. Students must also pay the postage and freight associated with the delivery of books and remit money to Southwestern weekly in order to keep their account in good standing. Would the experience and transferable skills gained be enough to make up for any shortcomings on the money front? I contacted the Graduate Recruitment department at Unilever to see whether they really valued the Southwestern experience highly enough to guarantee participants an interview, and received a reply that no such guarantee was in place and that applicants would be judged on their merits alone. This would seem to be the general policy of graduate recruiters, and students should be able to use the same criteria in assessing potential summer work opportunities. If this means restricting the access which companies have to lectures and requiring full initial disclosure of what exactly a ‘job opportunity’ involves, these are standards which Trinity’s student services should be active in enforcing.
varied from union to union, but we’re now in correspondence with everybody, and we’re reasonably confident of resolving the issue". He was also adamant that "It’s not our policy to sue our member unions, it wouldn’t make sense. The comments I made were sensationalised." Finally, after being made aware that sources within the UCDSU questioned the legitimacy of the financial crisis, he remarked that: "It’s always frustrating when you’re dealing with conspiracy theorists, especially when you’re dealing with a crisis. But I am still confident that we’ll be able to make it through our current problems, and hopefully recovering the unpaid affiliation fees will help that greatly."
Qibla-Cola Based in Derbyshire in Britain, Qibla-Cola was launched in February 2003 and was rolled out in the UK, Canada, the Netherlands and Norway. It has five variations including Qibla-Cola Diet and Qibla Tea and Coffee are being explored. With sales of 1m litres in the UK, 10% of its profits go to humanitarian causes. Mecca-Cola Launched in November 2002, Mecca-Cola is sold in France, the Middle East and soon the UK. Sales average 50m litres, mainly in the Middle East, including 800,000 litres in France. 20% of its profits go to humanitaries causes, half to Palestinian charities and half to regional causes around the world. Jolt Cola Launched in the US in 1985 and the EU in 1992, Jolt Cola is advertised as being an alternative to coffee with twice as much caffeine as Coca-Cola. Popular with I.T workers, it is sold in the US and 22 countries around the world and is a best-seller cola in Sweden. Pepsi Cola PepsiCo, Inc. was founded in 1965 through the merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay. Tropicana was acquired in 1998. In 2001, PepsiCo merged with the Quaker Oats Company, creating the world’s fifth-largest food and beverage company, with 15 brands – each generating more than $1 billion in annual retail sales.
Fairtrade Fortnight 2004 Fairtrade Fortnight 2004 (1-14 March) was launched in Dublin on Monday 1st March. During Fairtrade Fortnight groups all over Ireland organise activities to raise awareness about Fairtrade. What began in a handful of charity shops in Ireland has now becoming big business – and all of the main supermarkets in Ireland are stocking a growing range of FAIRTRADE Mark products. In 2003 sales for FAIRTRADE Mark coffee grew by over 60% with some companies showing growth of over 100%. A consumer awareness survey conducted by Irish Marketing Surveys in December 2003 showed that 25% of Irish people now recognize the FAIRTRADE Mark and that nearly 75% of Irish people said they would be more likely to buy a product with the FAIRTRADE Mark than a similar product without it. Speaking at the launch of Fairtrade Fortnight, Felipe Miza Castro, a coffee farmer from Guatemala said: ‘At the moment one of the greatest problems is the fall in prices for coffee that can be got to keep a family and educate my children, but because of Fairtrade I now receive more money.’ Peter Gaynor, Coordinator with Fairtrade Mark Ireland said: “Fairtrade is something personal we can all do to ensure that Third World producers get a better deal. Fairtrade means they get a chance to live in greater dignity not needing our charity.”
College News In Brief compiled by Ian Carey and David R Symington
News Editor
CAMPUS NEWS The SU Election: facts & figures Ian Carey
referenda and contested positions only
Coke Referendum
Constitutional Referendum
IN ITS Student Union Election Special that appeared last Tuesday 24th February, the University Record reported that according to its poll 70% of respondents would vote in the incoming sabbatical elections. However only
25% of Trinity students turned to the polling booths, which although a substantial increase upon last year’s elections, raises fresh questions as the prevalent political apathy among Trinity students. Although national elec-
tions average a 50% turnout, university represents a first step into the world in which students are introduced to politics and should be greatly encouraged to enthusiasticaly participate.
Presidential Election Quotes:
New Trinity Hall teething problems
Gambino: "The Bolsheviks [the SU] in House 6 really really hindered my campaign…they banned my campaign manager, they banned my posters and my manifestoes." Gambino: "They’re [the SU] just a bunch of jerks out to get me…but Annie she’s a sweetheart."
Ann-Marie Ryan
Kieran: "Paddy’s [Patrick Nulty] a great man…for your number 2 vote."
NO INTERNET access in rooms, no laundry facilities, no ATM, no cafeteria, cracks in the walls, noisy pipes and peculiar beeping noises keeping students awake at night, flooding apartments, mould-covered walls and a less than reliable hot water supply are some of the complaints of residents living in Trinity Hall, the multi-million euro student accommodation complex, which has been home to 750 Trinity students since the beginning of the academic year. Odhran O’Donovan, president of Trinity Hall Junior Common Room (JCR), the student body that represents residents’ interests in Trinity Hall, said that he and his colleagues have received many complaints from students regarding these matters, but that the number of complaints they receive is ‘nowhere near the amount the warden, assistant wardens or the accommodation office would get’. He cites the lack of internet facilities as the biggest bone of contention among residents. Network points are expected to become active in residents’ rooms in two weeks time, and students wishing to connect their computers to the system have been requested by I.S. services to attend networking clinics. The warden of Trinity Hall, Ms. Carmel O’Sullivan, has said that the delay in providing this facility has to do with the fact that college never gave any specific guarantee to students that internet access would become available this year, and as a result of delays on the part of the company installing the facility, Esat. Access points have been installed in rooms since students took up residence on September 26th, 2003 but they have yet to be activated, even though the second rental period has now commenced. There are currently six computers with internet access available in Trinity Hall. ‘For 750 students that’s not good enough’, said O’Donovan. Internet facilities have been the subject of a long-running campaign spear-headed by the JCR and the warden, Ms. Carmel O’Sullivan. As O’Donovan pointed out: ‘Before we got any complaints from students we were complaining to the warden, to the college, to everyone about lack of internet access. We predicted these complaints and we’ve been working
Munnelly: "I’ll bring the Union back to the students." Reilly "I’ll bring the students back to the Union." Nulty: "The Student Union can bring this government down."
Above: Trinity Hall Left: mould affecting rooms really hard to settle the issue but it just hasn’t happened’. In light of the delay in bringing Internet access to Trinity Hall, college authorities have decided not to charge residents for this facility for the remainder of the academic year. However, next year’s occupants will be obliged to pay a flat rate should they wish to connect to the internet from their rooms. The stem of most of the problems, according to Odhran O’Donovan, is that one of the three buildings that make up the Trinity Hall complex is still under construction. ‘Not officially, but technically, Trinity Hall is still a building site’, he said. This means that facilities such as the launderette, ATM, cafeteria and function room are not yet completed, causing frustration among many residents. The apartment block, which will house a further 300 students, was meant to be completed by December 2003, but is still under construction. Carmel O’Sullivan described the dilemma faced by college authorities last year, in deciding whether they should not open Trinity Hall at all because of lack of facilities or whether to go ahead and offer places to students and make do with what facilities were available. She said they were left with no choice but to take the latter option, in light of the difficulties first year students, particularly international students, encounter in trying to find suitable accommodation in Dublin. While many students
appreciate the fact that places were made available for them in halls, some resent the fact that they are paying the same rent this year as students will pay next year, despite the fact that they don’t have the same facilities: ‘One of the biggest problems living here in Halls is that we’re paying rent and paying for facilities that we do not have yet that will be here next year, such as the laundry and the area for meeting up with people, which are still under construction. We’re paying for using these facilities now and we don’t have them’ said Áine Whelan, JF European Studies student. As well of offering one of the highest standards of student accommodation provided by third level institutions in Ireland, Trinity Hall also charges one of the highest rates for its residences. Most residents in Halls are accommodated in single en suite rooms, at a cost of EUR4295 for the academic year. Almost identical student accommodation at the University of Limerick, which is set to open in September 2004, will charge their residents EUR3746 in rent per academic year, a difference of EUR549. While it is arguable that Trinity Hall can charge more because of the higher costs incurred in locating in Dublin, this does not explain why campus accommodation in DCU, which is of a similar standard to Trinity Hall, costs only EUR3570 per academic year, a difference of EUR725.
Trinity News 2nd March 2004
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STUDENT NEWS
Trinity News 2 March 2004 nd
Student News Editor Leah Finnegan
Staff and students strike at UK universities Leah Finnegan LECTURERS AND students at universities across the UK have begun a mass strike in protest against the government’s position on third level education. Lecturers who are affiliated to the AUT union are striking over wages and working conditions while students are continuing to protest against the introduction of top-up fees. Lecturers claim that their pay packets have fallen by 40% in comparison with other workers in the last twenty years and many feel that their work at academic institutions has been devalued. Alison Britton, a law lecturer at Caledonian University, Glasgow, has said that she and her colleagues believe that their ‘jobs have been devalued over the past 30 to 40 years’ and that resort to strike action was taken in order to ‘get respect from the rest of the popu l a t i o n ’ . Students across the country are protesting against the recent governmental decision to introduce top-up fees that many
believe will saddle students with a debt of approximately £15,000. Students at UK universities face further academic uncertainty as a result of the AUT strike. The AUT lecturers have decided to boycott marking papers and concern has been raised as to whether this decision will place a question mark over the graduation of final year students. The AUT says that the decision to boycott grading papers was ‘regrettable’ but they believed that they had the full support of the student body. Mandy Telford, the President of the National Union of Students, said that students recognised that the lecturers had been forced to make a ‘difficult decision’ and she pledged the ongoing support of the student body for the their professors. Telford said that the ‘NUS will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with staff and lecturers’ across the country. The government has been highly critical of the dual strikes on the part of students and staff and the Higher Education Secretary, Alan Johnson, said that the two were ‘contradicto-
PM Tony Blair speaking in the House of Commons. ry’. In a speech to the Commons, PM Tony Blair said that the
issue of top-up fees and increased wage demands were
Australian University votes to increase fees despite student protests
linked. He said that ‘the purpose of the proposals we put for-
Syrian students arrested for peaceful protest Leah Finnegan THE HUMAN Rights Association in Syria has reported that ten students have been arrested for staging a peaceful protest. The students took part in a sit-in in the engineering faculty of Aleppo University, north of Damascus. The students were protesting against a recent governmental decision to end their commitment to placing engineering graduates in public sector j o b s . The Human Rights Association issued a state-
Leah Finnegan Q U E E N S L A N D UNIVERSITY of Technology (QUT) has voted to increase tuition fees by 25% and is the first university in Australia to raise its’ fees in line with the government’s controversial education reform which was passed last year. The administration of Queensland University of Technology voted in favour of an increase in tuition despite vocal protests organized by the student body. The meeting of the council was delayed for more than an hour following disruption caused by over 100 angry students. Witnesses say that several stu-
dent protesters forced their way past security guards and gained access to the meeting organised by the college board. Police were called to break up the disturbance and the protesters jumped out of windows to avoid arrest. The Vice-Chancellor of QUT, Professor Peter Coaldrake, said that the board had ‘paid close attention’ to the impact that the decision will have upon the student body. The Vice-Chancellor estimated that the average debt of graduating students will only increase by $1000 as a result of the increase in tuition fees. The increase of tuition fees is expected to generate over $7 million in the coming academic
year alone and university has said that the revenue will be spent on scholarships and will facilitate an improvement of the existing facilities at QUT. However, the President of the National Union of Students, Jodie Jansen, believes that students are going to be forced to foot the bill for resources and improvements in third level institutions which the government should be financially responsible for. Jenny Macklin, the Education Spokesperson for the Opposition party in Australia backed up Jansen’s claim and said that the blame for the funding crisis facing universities across the country rested squarely on the government’s shoulders. Macklin also
prophesied financial hardship for future students and said that in her opinion the decision taken by QUT will plunge students into ‘deeper and deeper d e b t ’ . The National Union of Students in Australia believes that QUT decision to raise fees has set a dangerous precedent which will encourage other universities to consider increasing tuition for their students. A spokesperson for the National Union of Students, Paul Coates, said that the union would be ‘fighting this every step of the way’ and protest campaigns are currently being organised at campuses across Australia.
Student elections in Nepal marred by violent threats and explosions Leah Finnegan STUDENTS IN Nepal defiantly cast their votes in college elections despite two bomb attacks and threats of further repercussions by Maoist student rebels. The All Nepal National Free Student Union, which represents the interests of students agitating for the overthrow of the monarchy and the installation of a communist regime, issued an ultimatum to students in universities across Nepal ordering them to ‘cancel the elections or face serious consequences’. The Maoist student rebels were banned from taking part in student elections because of a recent government decree outlawing their organisation as a result of their ongoing illegal activities and s t r i k e s . The explosions at Tribhuban University in Kathmandu left
one woman seriously injured and marked the beginning of a five day strike by the Maoist student rebels. The rebels were forced to call a halt to the strike following overwhelming opposition from the student body and the public. Local businesses urged the rebels to stop the strike on the grounds that it would cause further damage to the economy, which is already straining under the weight of political tensions in the region. Over 250,000 students voted in college elections despite the threats from the Maoist rebels. Student candidates affiliated with all major political parties in Nepal contest the college elections and they are believed to be a strong indicator of the political climate of the Himalayan kingdom.
‘cancel the elections or face serious consequences’
ward on higher education was to get more money into the university system’ and argued that the revenue raised by top-up fees would allow universities to ‘pay their lecturers better’. Students and lecturers in the UK have expressed fears that the government’s policy decisions in the higher education sector will lead to a marketisation of third level education. Telford, speaking on behalf of the NUS, said that ‘it is abundantly obvious that students do not want to be forced into a marketplace where they have to choose their course based on the ability to pay’. She urged the government to pay close attention to the level of anger and opposition which their education policy has aroused and argued that the Higher Education Bill ‘as it stands fails to address the concerns’ of both the student and staff body and believes that ‘it must be stopped before it is too late’. Further strike action by both staff and students is scheduled to take place at university campuses across the UK.
ment to Associated Press which condemned the arrests and said that they constituted a ‘violation of the right to stage peaceful demonstrations in Syria’ and called upon the government to release the incarcerated students. The arrests coincide with the publication of a US State Department human rights report that accused the Syrian government of systematically contravening human rights in their country. The Syrian government stands accused of using torture, curtailing the right to free speech and freedom of
assembly. The US report also criticised the ban on opposition political parties. The former assistant Foreign Minister, Suleiman Hadad, criticised the report and said that it was a ‘blatant and meaningless interference in the internal affairs’ of Syria. Hadad also questioned whether the US government, in light of the continued presence of US forces in Iraq, had any right to criticise another country’s human rights record.
6
FORUM
Trinity News 2 March 2004 nd
Forum Editor Rory Loughnane
Haitian crisis moves to fever pitch Rory Loughnane
I
n the aftermath of the hype surrounding the SU elections, it is easy to become swept away in the bright lights of low-scale politics and forget about real issues. As students we’ve been literally assaulted with a barrage of leaflets and cheesy grins. The names of candidates adorn every inch of wall space while the huge promises lead us into a sense of awe-struck expectation for the coming college year. Or maybe it has passed you by as anonymously as rag-week in Trinity. In the real world of politics Haiti celebrates its bicentennial formation as the world’s first black Republic. Celebrations which have turned to rebellion and revolution. Seventy lie dead, while hundreds are injured. The nation’s second largest city Cap Hatien is in rebel hands and the NGOs are fleeing the land. President Jean Bertrand Aristide remains in power but for how long? Haitians can all agree en masse that Toussaint L’Ouverture was right to lead the slave rebel-
lion two hundred years ago, but as to the possibility of peace and compromise in the 21st century, the nation remains deeply divided. As civil war encroaches, Haitian history looms large in the current scenario. Haiti is almost inexplicably the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with nearly half the country’s 8.4 million people living below the poverty line, earning less than $1 a day. A quarter of a million people are living with AIDS and the average life expectancy is startlingly at 51, while one in three children is malnourished according to the UN World Food Programme. All these stats are irrespective of past aid work in Haiti. Now, add to this tragic scenario a civil war and the inability of NGOs to work within the region, and we have a melting pot wherein Haiti seems destined to collapse as a nation. Already 270,000 people in the north of the country have been cut off from food supplies. The history of Haiti tells a predictable tale of western oppression glossed over by a visage of independence. In its two hundred years of independence there have been 13 coups and 19 years of American occupation. The country’s current political and social degredation can be clear-
ly accredited to the lack of proper and ethical leadership by Aristide and the history of foreign intervention (namely France and the U.S.). In the nine years since President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's Lavalas party has been in power, economic improvements have been few and human rights abuses have been many. In 2000 the elections were clearly rigged to enable his reign to continue. Cue civil unrest. This kernel of opposition has grown into the few thousand strong rebel forces under Guy Phillipe who seem destined to throw Haitian politics into anarchy. Haiti has no army and but a small untrained police force to legitimately quell the rebellion. However since Aristide’ ascension to power he has protected himself through gangland support. With 50% unemployment, it doesn’t seem to be hard to find mercenaries. From the outset, Haiti had a troublesome road to democracy. They encountered the wrath of colonial powers by forging a path to freedom in a world where racial divisions where firmly structured to allow for the continuance of colonialism. Haiti, or St. Domingue as it was known then, had to pay a heavy price for its freedom. Napoleon Bonaparte sent 22,000 soldiers across the Atlantic to regain power. Eventually, Haiti received a notion of freedom, but its progress nationally was hampered by reparations of
Realism bites mad world 150
Peter Sexton
I
t was with some trepidation that I entered the Ed Burke Auditorium to listen to Salman Rushdie. I had half-expected for someone to jump up on the stage shouting Allah and wielding a large metallic object. Indeed, the thought of 40 virgins awaiting me in the next life made me pause for reflection. However, the moment seemed to pass as ‘Bono’ emerged down the steps basking in the glory of attention and looking very presidential with his diminutive swagger. The rumours were indeed true- Bono had arrived to listen to his friend Salman Rushdie give an address to the University Philosophical Society. Something struck me about Bono from the outset. Why did he insist on wearing blue tinted wrap around shades in a darkened theatre? It was hardly a conspicuous statement for someone attempting not to get noticed. It struck me as unusual. His practice is undoubtedly a euphemism for something else not totally unrelated to the Guatemalan practice of tossing ripened bananas into baskets before delivery to the distribution centre. My previous knowledge of Salman Rushdie consisted of remembering that he wrote The Satanic Verses and that this novel seemed to really annoy some guy in Iran who offered millions of dollars if someone would dispense with him; but more importantly I remembered his cameo role in Bridget Jones Diary. It was his turn of phrase and elegance that attracted me to him from the outset. His sense of humour was refreshing especially on the subject of the fatwa ‘some people just didn’t get the joke’ and that’s when ‘the excrement really hit the ventilation system’. Indeed, on Ayatollah Khomeini, he thought it necessary to mention that ‘one of us is dead’ and supplanted that the pen is mightier... before trailing off. It was his notion that reality is not realistic and that we live in a very weird world nowadays that people just through social convenience pretend that everything is completely to be expected and that certain phraseology is automatically programmed to countenance this exceptionally weird existence that is life. For example when asked ‘how’s the family getting on?’ Most people tend to automatically respond ‘ah not a bother, how’s yours? ‘Ah grand, sure you know yourself’. However, Salman Rushdie seemed to be asking us do you really ‘know yourself ’. This creation of a myth called normalcy within life and more particularly within families just does not seem to hold true. Now I am not going to push the bounds of credulity as far as Mr
million francs to France to compensate aggrieved slave owners. This is the equivalent of 18 billion US dollars in today’s money. By 1900, 80 percent of Haiti's national budget was going to repay the loan and its interest, whilst the country became locked into the role of a debtor nation. The U.S. helped fashion this situation in its own inimitable style. For the first fifty-eight years of Haitian independence, the U.S. failed to recognise it as a nation. Cue international isolation for the country’s founding fathers. Then the U.S. graciously acknowledged Haiti, through the presence of wily entrepreneurs who were attracted by the natural resources of bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold and marble. Of course all was not well with the Haitians by this time as they recognised the price freedom had brought with it. Civil unrest breaks out in 1915 and the U.S. rewards them by invading, (to protect their own interests) and then staying until 1934. After that it wasn’t all that much better with numerous coups and dictatorships killing any hope of progress. However just as the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles appeared on our screens for the first time, in Haiti, a democratic candidate with a democratic mandate swept to power – where he remains still. Aristide was briefly out of power in 1994 due to a coup, but the U.S. backed him and he got back in the hot-seat. The problem in the last decade has been that in return for the military assistance Aristide received to regain control he lost out hugely in economic terms. The physical enslavement of a people was replaced by economic enslavement most notably due to conditions imposed by the IMF, the World Bank and it’s biggest trading partner, the U.S. So, what is the next chapter in Haiti’s chequered history? The rebel forces, though small in number, will probably take Port-au-Prince and Aristide will flee. However, the rebel forces will not be recognised, as Colin Powell has already said "a regime change is not the way for-
Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the president of Haiti ward." It may not be, but it is the path Haiti is on. And wouldn’t it be hugely ironic if in Haiti’s bicentennial year, the U.S. returns to its policy of not recognising its government. When Toussaint L’Ouverture struck out at the oppressors and gained political freedom for Haiti, it was a giant leap. Since then foreign powers and governmental mismanagement have contrived to push the
movement down. We have a 19th Century problem with 21st Century sugar coating. Haiti was acknowledged as a "silent emergency" up until the recent political conflict by the WFP. If only one good thing comes out of this tragic loss of lives and livelihoods, it may be the fact that Haiti is finally getting its long over-due day in the international spot-light.
Apathy replaces ambition Rory Loughnane
W
ith regard to the recent protests of students at Institutes of Technology across the country, at UCD over Coca-Cola, and nationwide over such issues as stopovers in Shannon, increases in fees and the housing situation, it would be hard to dismiss students as an apathetic lot. However, as regards to career plans a certain lack of idealism seems to be prevalent. Yet, I would also say that is not the harsh fact of realism which curbs hopes, but rather the lifestyle. Have we got it too easy? Is college just an excuse to lay low before making any big decisions? It would be pointless to cite the benefits of college careerwise, as these are already well understood, but I would like to point out that of nearly everyone I know in college no-one is pursuing their dreams. In secondary school it was so easy to have big aims and goals and some people seemed so sure about which path they would take in life. The CAO system decides their fate and their goals are put aside in favour of apathy and lifelessness. Three or four years getting by before having to make another decision of such magnitude. However, the reality is that then students do another year or two specialising in something which sounds either cashladen for the future or interesting. Sadly then the student finds him or herself in a stationary position whereby they must search for the job rather than the job being presented to them. The prospect is daunting. Moving from inactive to active without a thought for being proactive. However, what opportunities do we have in college to fulfil our dreams? The student is consistently disregarded as being a "student" (in the dirty, lazy sense of the word in the
vernacular). Perhaps we can pick up another language, join a political party, or do an internship in the summer, but it’s hardly groundbreaking stuff. Therefore, we have a situation whereby the student is cast into a
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Rushdie did, albeit facetiously, about ‘wicked uncles and grandmother rapists.’ However there seems to be a grain of underlying truth therein. That reality is indeed far more unusual than fiction ever can be and that reality when composed in books or novels becomes ‘unrealistic’ by virtue of our collective denial of just how unusual everyday life can be. For instance last week upon entering the Arts block entrance of Trinity, purposefully walking through at around 7o’clock, looking forward, trying to avoid eye contact, intent on reaching destination alcohol supplement, I hear a voice on my left hand side. ‘This is a really nice college’ she blurted. Somewhat startled, I glanced around and before delivering a diatribe about how she may possibly be mistaken about the virtues of this university she exclaimed ‘the people are really friendly here’. At this moment my first thought was ‘is this girl a couple of bananas short of a Guatemalan basket’ or just lonely and in need of some human interaction although the thought of striking up conversation with a
complete stranger when walking through Trinity strikes me as a tad weird. Maybe the fact she is from Maynooth University goes some way to explain this peculiar behaviour, although feeling obliged by the necessity of not being impolite and staring at the chewing gum on the pavement whilst walking on, the engagement of a most unusual conversation ensued. Although feeling just a little uncomfortable with the exchange of pleasantries she assured me that students in Maynooth were not very friendly to foreign students. Needless to say the pressing engagement in the Buttery prevented any furtherance of her assertion that Trinity students are so much friendlier. Until I had the privilege of enjoying Salman Rushdie’s speech and in particular his reference to the supposition that everyday life is created around a myth of normalcy that little incidents such as these become forgotten and dismissed as being everyday occurrences, that we begin to realise we live extremely weird lives and we just pretend that life is normal.
more palatable but equally they leave us half-blind to realities. I would also put forward that, in Ireland at least, idealism which might creep into college circles through individuals is often looked upon with scorn and distaste. Is it just an example of Irish "begrudgery" whereby we could not bear to see someone actually follow through on dreams. Student Union election manifestos seem to have become the object of most scorn lately. The thing is, that for the most part, those candidates who wrote their aims did believe in them. Whether they are realistic or not is a separate question, but at they least they are saying what they believe students should have. So, what have we come to? A death for idealism? A love for inaction? A fear for future? We are constantly reminded that the sixties were never like this. They probably weren’t, but then again at that stage to go to college probably meant a cold hard slap of reality to afford it, or to be brought up in a lifestyle whereby reality could never touch you. And so, each summer students slum it abroad, doing jobs they wouldn’t do back home to see the real world. However, psychologically and physically we’re putting distance between the notion of "self" and "other" and essentially conceiving a reality which doesn’t exist. By placing this distance we can compensate for the lack of realisation of our ambitions, and not feel guilty about over-indulgence in a makebelieve world which rewards small decisive actions (like doing an essay) surrounded by vast periods of inaction. Unless, of course, the student population all want to be the next James Bond.
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role in the eye of society which is reflective of the actual position of the student, irrespective of the fact that it is the society itself which doesn’t offer students a chance to excel because of the boundaries of the college system. The fact is that students are always deemed to be not quite there at undergraduate level. We’re studying towards something- towards an end goal. But still not quite ready. It seems to be a case of an eighteen year old grows up a lot quicker outside the college system. I’m not going to pretend that students aren’t almost actively seeking the comfort that college gives us. It’s true. Just as religion is the opium of the people, college is the pillow of the early twenties age group. Dreams in secondary school are replaced by soft couches in musty pubs and verbal trash concerning the bigger issues in life such as the difference between a 69 and a 70. Comfort is the usurper of any sort of ambition and living in a softened PG 12s version of the world where the hero that is Daddy always pulls through allows for rose-tinted lenses. The lenses may make the world
FEATURES
Features Editor Neasa Cunniffe
Trinity News 2nd March 2004
7
Pulling a psychological sickie Have we relaxed our definition of a disability too drastically to result in the exploitation of our tolerance?
Niamh Fleming-Farrell
T
he recent Circuit Court ruling that anorexia is a disability and that those suffering from it should not be discriminated against under the Equality act has spurred much discussion with regard to the nature of disability. Ireland has of late been largely concerned with the treatment of disabled persons and rightly so. Hosting the Special Olympics gave apt opportunity for a whole redefinition of thinking surrounding disability or indeed, ‘ability’ as the case may be. Additionally over the past number of years strides have been taken toward a new rights based disabilities bill. This notion of a rights based law with regard to disability is certainly apparent in the recent Circuit Court ruling. Categorising anorexia as a disability shows an enlightened and progressive interpretation of disability and is a positive move towards recognition of and equality for persons with disabilities that were perhaps not formerly recognised as such. However, the ruling also raises many interesting questions as to how exactly disability is diagnosed and how disabilities of all natures should be dealt with in the work place. How does anorexia fit the criterion of a disability? Recent awareness campaigns have left the public familiar with anorexia nervosa as an eating disorder and with what does to the body, so lengthy exposition of its nature will not be under-
“Has the Circuit Court set a precedent for ascribing the term disability to alcoholism, sexaholism, excess gambling, shopaholism and frenzied chocoholism?”
taken here. What is of significance though is that the Circuit Court’s decision asks that we reassess the health category in which we place anorexia. It requests that we alter our perception of anorexia as a physical and psychiatric illness and rather place emphasis on the disability implicit in the illness. Under the Employment Act of 1998 anorexia falls into the category of disability described thus; "a condition, disease or illness which affects a person’s thought processes, perception of reality, emotions or judgement or which results in disturbed behaviour and shall be taken to include a disability which exists at present, or which previously existed but no longer exists, or which may exist in the future or which is imputed to a person." The depression, lack of confidence in appearance, trauma etc. of which devastating weight loss is the physical expression, have been linked to anorexia and it is in terms of being affected by these conditions that sufferers of anorexia have a disability. If these are the terms adopted in defining disability then it seems that we must recognise a lot more beyond anorexia as a disability. Has this Circuit Court ruling set a precedent for ascribing the term disability to all afflictions that find their causes in psychological conditions? If so, alcoholism is a disability along with a whole merry bad of other addictions. Sexaholism is a disability, excess gambling is a disability, obsessive cleaning is a disability, and frenzied chocoholics have a disability. Basically all addictions and obsessive behaviours can be deemed to have roots in psychological instability of one sort or another. And if this is so, I suspect that a lot more of the population than most of us suspect suffer from some form of disability. Indeed, if those alcohol consumption questionnaires are anything to go by most of the student body suffers from a disability, which uses a frequent pint as a means of expression. "Ask yourself, why is it that you drink?" So, the difficulty rests in deciding what qualifies an addiction as severe enough to be deemed a disability. Is the sleazy guy on the bus
Michael Douglas reportedly attended a treatment clinic for his “debilitating” sex addiction dribbling over the breasts of the woman next to him a sex addict? Could his preoccupation be sufficient grounds for such a diagnosis? Where does this preoccupation come from? Is it a psychological need or a physical need? If you asked him, it seems, according to modern psychologists, that he would tell you regardless of the motivation, his plight is severely disabling. And it seems the courts might well and very legitimately deem it just that. A recent article in the Guardian told of an experiment carried out in the United States where a woman not suffering from mental illness succeeded in having herself proscribed anti-depressants and antipsychotics. How does one diagnose a genuine underlying psychological problem? It is possible to act out a dependency and a mental illness because the mind does not succumb to x-ray so very easily. And it is
“Would it be unreasonable to dismiss the 8% of males and 3% of females in Ireland with a sex addiction, should their preoccupation affect the standard of their work?” especially vital these diagnoses be accurate if it is in light of them that the law implements equality legislation. Our western democratic law upholds equality of all as a virtue. Human rights and equality for all are essential values in our country. However, rudimentary as this comment may seem, not everyone is born equal and possessed of the same skills and abilities as everyone else. It falls to the law to iron out these discrepancies through ensuring that all people have equal oppor-
tunity to participate fully in society regardless of what disability they might suffer from. Logically then, it is illegal to discriminate against someone if they suffer from a confirmed disability as defined above and dismissal on the grounds of that disability can only take place if an employer can find no way of facilitating the disability or accommodating it in the workplace having carried out all ‘reasonable’ means to this ends. In 2003 a court in Saskatchewan ruled in favour of alcoholism as a disability, specifying that as long as the employee was attempting to fix his disability by attending counselling etc. he could not be dismissed on the grounds of being an alcoholic. Similarly, US law recognises addictions as disabilities and states that it falls to the employer to facilitate a rehabilitation programme for its employees. An implication of this is that if your employee develops an alcohol problem or an eating disorder while employed by a company, the company must care for that problem. It is unacceptable for the employer to issue the contractually agreed notices and warnings and subsequently dismiss the employee if he has not made every reasonable effort to make it feasible for the individual in question to continue working. Defining what is ‘reasonable’ then becomes a difficulty. When is the employer in a position to decide that he simply cannot facilitate an employee with disability? In Ireland this has often been reflected upon, both in relation to the nature of the disability and the circumstance of the employer in terms of company size and expense. However, in the aforementioned anorexia case, 13000 euros were awarded to Ms. Niamh Humphreys as it was determined by the Labour Court that her employer, West Wood Fitness Club, had not gathered reasonable factual and material information on her condition from her doctors etc. and had also failed to discuss the situation with her. So despite two verbal warning issued to the employee in light of ‘erratic’ behaviour on her part, it was unfair to dis-
miss her without undertaking a more extensive investigation into the matter. This determination, upheld by the Circuit Court, would seem to set a precedent that ‘reasonable’ implies rather extensive measures. So, if this precedent were to be adopted in terms of the other disabilities identified in this article how would you react? Is it unreasonable to dismiss an alcoholic on the grounds of erratic behaviour? Would it be unreasonable to dismiss the 8% of males and 3% of females in Ireland (www.irishhealth.com, 2002) with a sex addiction should their behaviour or preoccupation affect the standard of their work? Should a shop-a-holic be dismissed of he/she spends all day online making credit card purchases? It seems that no, every endeavour should be made to keep these people employed by aiding them in working with or around their disability. Beyond this notion of facilitation, lies the question of tolerance. We are incited to and have, I would posit, become far more tolerant and accepting of disability (or at least of what could perhaps be described as traditional disability) in our modern society. How far however can this tolerance be ‘reasonably’ (the buzz word again) expected to extend when it comes to the disruption of the workplace by people with what are widely perceived as self-inflicted problems. Such a liberalisation of the concept of disability, though not an irrational or unqualified one, will require a radical attitudinal adjustment for many people if it is to succeed in its goal of creating equality. Of course, to alter the general attitude it will be necessary for there to be an understanding that these are genuine disabilities. Furthermore,
they must not be open to exploitation by employees or indeed college students in search of leniencies.
“When is the employer in a position to decide that he simply cannot facilitate an employee with disability? “ This is the crux of the matter, this question of what is deemed advantageous by the general populous. It is this notion of unfair advantage that equality law seeks to iron out and remove from the workplace. However, it seems that with the current trend, so much is being done to protect those that are disabled in the workplace that disability might become desirable, especially if one would only have to feign a little addiction with an underlying psychological imbalance. Could a little disability provide job security, a sound excuse for under-productivi-
ty? For a time it was deemed hugely beneficial to have your child diagnosed with dyslexia, as such a diagnosis could yield lenience on tests, homework etc. Even children with the mildest dyslexia, the thinking was, could benefit from concessions. Without a measure to determine with some degree of certainty the extent of a psychological disability there will be persistent undermining of those suffering from genuine disabilities. It is difficult to see how an appropriate balance can be found. How equality can serve as a real means to level the playing field rather than a crutch for an ablebodied and able-minded individual is the true question. All this considered though there remains one consideration. Does the employer have any prerogative to facilitate a workaholic in leading a full life? Or should he just play that one disability to his advantage?
8
FEATURES
Trinity News 2nd March 2004
Features Editor Neasa Cunniffe
Blurring the lines between straight, gay and other... What has science to say about our sexual identity and our genetic makeup
A
few years ago, a little gosCunniffe siping birdie started whispering in my ear. Much to the amusement of my taunting friends, it became apparent that the last two boys that I had kissed had subsequently gone on to kiss a boy. The humiliating realisation began to dawn. I responsible for turning not one but two boys gay. More evidence trickled in amidst the teasing. Both of these boys had, before their encounter with me, been notorious womanisers. I was but another hypothetical notch on their cluttered bedposts. This fact could have comforted me. My friends insisted it was increasingly damning and a testament to my seemingly unique quality unshared by the string of other girls. Then there was the question of that seducing boy, a mutual friend of myself and the exes. Perhaps it was not the
Neasa
unpleasant experience of being with me that affected those boys, but the irresistible charm of our gay friend. The consequences of this affair however, proved not to be long-lasting, other than my extreme paranoia of all potential suitors and extensive cross-examining to establish their heterosexuality. Those boys returned to their bachelor ways and my friend pursued men away from my territory. The incident illustrates however, the growing openness of straight men to pseudohomosexual encounters. Whereas women have always been more flexible when it came to same-sex affection, it wasn’t as socially acceptable for men to experiment. However as homosexuality becomes more culturally established, the stigma is diminishing and the lines between "he who is straight" and "he who is gay" (feminists, please excuse the exclusive masculine pronouns) become increasingly blurred. Experts in the studies of human
sexuality are becoming less comfortable with the view of sexual identity as black and white. More and more people are of the opinion that it is in fact a story with many shades of grey. They chart sexuality on a continuum which ranges from the strictly heterosexual to the purely homosexual with room for those who experiment either superficially or seriously, bisexuals and late developers. Inevitably in any exploring any aspect of human behaviour the classic question of nature vs. nurture arises. Are we born prewired with our personality and sexuality enscribed in our genetic makeup or is there an element of circumstance and choice? Specifically are we born heterosexual or homosexual and what kind of evidence is on offer? Proponents of the idea that our sexual identity is genetic, have explored the theory through studies of identical twins. The hypothesis is, that seen as identical (monozygotic) twins have identical genetic makeup, if sexuality is purely biological, their sexual identity should be identical too. Bailey and Pillard conducted one of the most well-known of these twin studies comparing 110 identical twin brothers and fraternal (dizyotic) twin brothers. They found that if one brother was homosexual, 38% of the time the other brother was too. For women, there was a lower concordance of 30%. While this study and those which replicated the results in some form seemed to indicate a genetic component to sexuality, it also illuminated the fact that genes did not come close to explaining the whole story with well over 50% of identical twins affirming they were heterosexual when their sibling was gay. In 1993 Hammer traced family trees for 76 gay men. They found that 13.5% of the groups’ brothers were also gay compared to the standard population estimate of 2%. They noticed however that there were more gay relatives on the mothers’ side than on the fathers’
side. This led to the suggestion that a biological predisposition for homosexuality was passed down through female relatives. The researchers recruited 40 pairs of gay brothers and took blood samples to analyse their DNA patterns. The results indicated that 33/40 pairs of brothers shared a portion of DNA on the X chromosome (part of the male XY donated exclusively by the mother). This indicated that there was a seemingly linked set of genes, which might predispose a tendency towards homosexuality. However there were also the seven pairs of gay brothers who did not have this linkage demonstrating that it was unlikely that a single gene combination could explain the complexity of
“Le Vay’s study in 1991 indicated that there might be some concrete biological differences between heterosexual and homosexual men” sexual identity. Controversy about the biological basis of homosexuality broke out once again in the scientific community when LeVay published his studies about an area in the brain within the anterior hypothalamus, shown to be involved in male-typical sexual behaviour in other species. Le Vay studied the cadavers of heterosexual and homosexual males and females and found that the hypothalamus region INAH-3 was smaller in homosexual men, being approximately the same size as the womens’. This fuelled theories about the "effeminate" nature of gay men. It also indicated that there might be some concrete biological differences between heterosexual and homosexual men. The differences do not point to the cause and the effect though. Experiences influence brain development throughout the lifespan. The different lifestyles of the differentially oriented men could potentially have influenced the growth of that area
of the brain. Caution is well-warranted however when looking at published data. A "scientific" study lends too much credibility to work that is only as airtight as it’s methods. LeVay’s study like those of Bailey and Hammer, is rife with methodological flaws. Many of the homosexual men in Le Vay’s autopsies had died of AIDS and HIV is known to cause extensive brain disease. In addition, the heterosexual men in his study were only presumed to be so because their records did not state otherwise, so their sexuality cannot be confirmed. Another crucial factor in this study and most of the others, is the small size of their sample. Many of the participants in these studies were recruited in homosexually oriented periodicals or through gay support organisations. There has also been considerably less research into women and their sexual identities with most studies concentrating on homosexual men. This small number of specific and openly gay individuals is undoubtedly not representative of the larger population of gay men and women. The consideration of biological roots for sexual identity also has political consequences. The shift from the idea that homosexual individual choose their lifestyle to that where individuals are born liking men or women, is evident in our terminology. "Sexual preference" was replaced by "sexual orientation" to a more definite all-encompassing "sexual identity". It seems that more conservative people would prefer to believe that homosexuality can be attributed to a sexual choice or a type of environmental upbringing and therefore it could be dealt with and individuals could change back to a "normal" sexual life. Heterosexual men however, according to Robert Alan Brookey tend to
reject genetic explanations of homosexuality. He suggests that it stems from a homophobic fear of having inherited some kind of recessive homosexual gene themselves that could become active at a later time, such as in cases of married men leaving their wives. They would prefer to attribute homosexuality to a matter of choice, a choice they would never make. John D’Emilio, author of the essay "Born Gay" suggests that gay individuals themselves support the idea of being born into their sexual identity. He attributes this to some amount of internalised homophobia, where this little bit of self-guilt can push away the idea that if they had a choice in their sexuality, they would choose differently, though this may just reflect his own feelings. In any case, the jury is out, as they seemingly always are, on this enduring debate between the relative importance of genetic vs. environmental influences on development of sexual identity. Most scientists will admit that it is an interaction between the two. And sadly, the question as to whether or not I can be influential, in turning straight men off women forevermore, remains open.
Sweet nothings of liberty Conor Waring
Conor Waring investigates how our civil liberties are being compromised through secret spying by some world governments for the sake of combating terrorism
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ike an Orwellian self-fulfilling prophecy, surveillance is beginning to impinge on every aspect of our lives today. CCTV is a fact of everyday life now and is one most of us are prepared to put up with if it means we have a safer society as a result. These CCTV cameras can scan faces and compare them against vast banks of faces. Even if you are in a vehicle, you cannot escape Big Brother's watchful eye. Mr. David Blunket, British Home Secretary,
“In the greatest surveillance effort ever established, the US National Security Agency (NSA) has created a global spy system, code-name ECHELON” has recently announced that he wants to introduce even more stringent surveillance. Ireland, although having its fair share of CCTV, is still largely free of mass street surveillance compared to our cousins across the Irish Sea. No doubt, the Irish government will be keeping a close eye on Britain's attempts to combat street crime and especially terrorism. In light of the supposed Al Kaida threat, security has understandably been stepped up across the world, especially in
Britain and the US. However, a more sinister type of spying has been going on unchecked for years behind closed doors and Ireland has been one of its targets. Every phone call, text message, email and radio signal transmitted within Europe can be intercepted by listening posts in Britain. All of Ireland's communications are being monitored from these listening posts and via the Echelon network. In the greatest surveillance effort ever established, the US National Security Agency (NSA) has created a global spy system, code-name ECHELON, which captures and analyses virtually every phone call, fax, email and telex message sent anywhere in the world. The threat to our civil liberties is substantial. Echelon's largest eavesdropping station is the Menwith Hill facility in North Yorkshire near Harrogate, England. In 1980, at the height of the Cold War, the base staff was only 400. Now it exceeds 1,700. Although situated at an old RAF site, the station is not British and most of the staff is American. British journalist and researcher Duncan Campbell first brought the existence and importance of the facility to light in 1980. Today, it is the largest spy station in the world, with over twenty-five satellite receiving stations and 1,400 American NSA personnel working with 350 UK
Ministry of Defence staff on site. After revelations that the facility was coordi-
submarines that troll the ocean floors that are even able to tap into unders e a
nating surveillance for the vast majority of Europe, the base has become a target for regular protests organised by local peace activists. It has also become the target of intense criticism by European government officials who are concerned about the vast network of civilian surveillance and economic espionage conducted from the station by the US. But the rise of post-modern warfare – terrorism – gave the establishment all the justification it needed to develop even greater ability to spy on our enemies, our allies and our own citizens. Echelon is the result of those efforts. The satellites that fly thousands of miles overhead and yet can spy out the most minute details on the ground; the secret
communications cables. Echelon is controlled by the NSA and is operated in conjunction with the G o v e r n m e n t Communications Head Quarters (GCHQ) of England, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) of Canada, the Australian Defence Security Directorate (DSD), and the General Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) of New Zealand. These organisations are bound together under a secret 1948 agreement, UKUSA, whose terms and text remain under wraps even today. Ancillary Echelon members also include Germany, Japan, Norway, South Korea and Turkey. What began as a possibly noble alliance to contain and defeat the forces of
Communism has turned into a carte blanche to disregard the rights and liberties of the free world. While signals intelligence technology was helpful in containing and eventually defeating the Soviet Empire during the Cold War, what was once designed to target a select list of communist countries and terrorist states is now indiscriminately directed against virtually every citizen in the world. The success of the Allied military effort in World War II was due in no small part to successes in gathering enemy intelligence information and cracking those military and diplomatic messages. In addition, the allied forces were able to create codes and encryption devices that effectively concealed sensitive information from prying Axis Power eyes. These co-ordinated signal
“The email, allegedly from a US National Security Agency official, requested British help to tap the phones of UN Security Council delegates” intelligence (SIGINT) programs kept allied information secure and left the enemies vulnerable. But at the close of the conflict, a new threatening power – the Soviet Union – was beginning to provoke the
Cold War by apparently enslaving Eastern Europe. These signal intelligence agencies now had a new enemy toward which to turn their electronic eyes and ears to ensure that the balance of power could be maintained. The volleys of electronic hardware and espionage that would follow for forty years would be the breeding ground of the Echelon spy system. Naturally, few will argue that there is a need for some kind of sophisticated surveillance technology in today's turbulent world. After all, it is an unfortunate fact that the world is filled with criminals, drug lords, terrorists and dictators that threaten the peace and security of many nations. The thought that Echelon can be used to eliminate or control these international thugs is heartening. But defenders of Echelon argue that the rare intelligence victories over these forces of darkness and death give wholesale justification to indiscriminate surveillance of the entire world and every member of it. But more complicated issues than that remain. As very recently reported in the news, Mrs Katharine Gun, a British intelligence officer who admits to having leaked confidential information, lost her job as a translator at the British Government Communications Headquarters, the security service's main monitoring centre. Mrs Gun
passed a memo she claims was from US intelligence to a newspaper in the run up to the Iraq war. The email, allegedly from a US National Security Agency official, requested British help to tap the phones of UN Security Council delegates. The countries alleged to have been bugged - Angola, Cameroon, Chile, Bulgaria, Guinea and Pakistan - were all on the fence over a vote proposing a military strike against Iraq. The American Government effectively had asked the British Government to do something which was illegal and would have undermined the deliberations of the United Nations. Angered by this disregard of privacy, Mrs Gun decided to make this case public. Echelon's massive surveillance system apparently operates with little oversight. Moreover, the agencies that purportedly run Echelon have provided few details as to the legal guidelines for the project. Because of this, there is no way of knowing if Echelon is being used illegally to spy on private citizens. One of the most shocking revelations came to light after several GCHQ officials became concerned about the targeting of peaceful political groups and told the London Observer in 1992 that the Echelon dictionaries targeted Amnesty I n t e r n a t i o n a l ,
Greenpeace, and even Christian ministries! The Echelon system is fairly simple in design: position intercept stations all over the world to capture all satellite, microwave, cellular and fiber-optic communications traffic, and then process this information through the massive computer capabilities of the NSA, including advanced voice recognition and optical character recognition (OCR) programs, and look for code words or phrases (known as the Echelon "Dictionary") that will prompt the computers to flag the message for recording and transcribing for future analysis. Intelligence analysts at each of the respective "listening stations" maintain separate keyword lists for them to analyse any conversation or document flagged by the system, which is then forwarded to the respective intelligence agency headquarters that requested the intercept. The European Parliament is now asking whether the Echelon communications interceptions violate the sovereignty and privacy of citizens in other countries. Whether the Irish Government raises this issue with the European Commission remains to be seen. In the meantime, one thing is certain: Big Brother is not just watching you; you are inadvertently communicating with him every day.
Eagarthóir na Gaeilge
Trinity News
GAEILGE
Tommy Connolly
2nd March 2004
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Focal ar an taobh le R.G. Cuan: RG ar Saoire
Duais Síochána Nobel:
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An bhfuil sé tuillte i ndáiríre ag Bush agus Blair?
á RG Cuan ar laethanta saoire faoi láthair ach mar a deir cara dá chuid, beidh sé ar ais. D’iarr sé ar an eagarthóir rud éigin fiúntach a chur isteach sa cholún agus tá an iarracht thíos faoi; Sampla beag de na himeachtaí atá ag dul ar aghaidh i mBaile Átha Cliath i rith Sheachtain na Gaeilge 8ú-17ú Marta.
8ú Márta Ceolchoirm Keel 8in Club Chonradh na Gaeilge, 6 Sráid Fhearchair
10ú Márta Tráth na gCeist le Raidió na Life 8in Club Chonradh na Gaeilge
11ú Márta Gearrscannáin Ghaeilge – Draíocht, Lipservice agus Yu Ming is ainm dom 6.30in Irish Film Institute, Barra an Teampaill Ceolchoirm le Maighréad agus Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill 8in Club Chonradh na Gaeilge Sult – Ceol traidisiúnta, ceol domhanda beo, damhsa 9in The Castle Inn, Teampall Críost
16ú Márta Lón Gaelach le ceol beo 1in Caifé Trí D Ceolchoirm na Seachtaine Temple Bar Music Centre
17ú Márta Lá Fhéile Pádraig – Céilí Mór le Today FM agus Hector ó TG4 2.30in ar aghaidh, Earlsfort Terrace Tá go leor rudaí eile ar siúl le linn na seachtaine, coinnigh súil amach dóibh, bain sult astu agus úsáid do theanga.
Clár Ní Mhuiris
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ograíodh ar Lá Fhéile Bhríde go bhfuil Geogre W. Bush agus Tony Blair molta don duais síochana Nobel i mbliana. Ba é Jan Simonsen, ceannaire ar pháirtí forásach san Iorua, a chur iad chun cinn don duais. Síleann Simonsen gur laghdaíodh seans an chogaidh eithnigh san LárOirthear nuair a ghlac siadsan an deachtóir Iaráiceach, Saddam Hussein, as cumacht agus de réir sin gur leag said síos an chloch bhoinn do fhorbairt an daonlathais domhanda. Ní léir go fóill cé mhéad ainmniúchán atá ann ach an bhliain seo caite bhí 165 moltaí. Creidtear go bhfuil Pápa Eoin Pól II, Arm an tSlánaithne agus an tAontas Eorpach i measc na moltaí eile an bhliain seo. Cé gur moladh Bush agus Blair is dóiche gur beag an seans atá acu. Dúirt Stein Toennesson, stiúrthóir ar an Institiúid um Thaighde Síochána in Osló, go bhfuil formhór mhuintir na hIorua, agus moltóirí na duaise ina measc, go mór in éadan chogadh na hIaráice. Chuaigh an duais i 2002 do iaruachtarán Meiriceánach Jimmy Carter a rinne argóint in aghaigh an chogaidh. Agus ní chaithfimid dearmad a dheánamh go raibh Adolf Hitler agus Slobodan Milosevic ar an liosta uair éigin chomh maith. Ach, an bhfuil an moladh, ní amháin an duais féin, tuillte ag Bush is Blair ar chor ar bith? Theip ar na forsaí sealbhaíochta
Uachtarán Stáit Aonaithe Mheiriceá, George W. Bush agus Príomhaire na Breataine, Tony Blair, atá san iomaíocht do dhuais Noble as ucht a gcuid oibre ar son na síochána i mbliana - an bhfuil seans dáiríre acu?
Bunaíodh Alfred Nobel an duais leis an rachmas a rinne sé mar cheapadóir an dinmíte (rud éigin eile nár bhfuair S.A.M san Iaráic!)...
airm ollscrios ar bith a fháil san Iaráic agus ba é seo an phríomhchúis a thug na Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá agus an Bhreatain don chogadh. Le linn an chogaidh fuair na mílte daoine neamhchiontacha bás - nach bhfuil seo díreach i gcoinne mheon na síochana? Bunaíodh Alfred Nobel an duais leis an rachmas a rinne sé mar cheapadóir an dinmíte (rud éigin eile nár bhfuair S.A.M san Iaráic!) chun na daoine a rinne an iarracht is mó ar son an chine daonna a mholadh. Bhí Máthair Treasa,
Nelson Mandela agus Máirtín Luther King ina mbuaiteoirí uair éigin agus is mór an difríocht idir na rudaí a rinne siadsan don chine daonna agus iarrachtaí Bush is Blair. Le bheith ionraic is beag duine a shíleann go bhfuil an domhan níos sábháilte mar gheall ar an bheirt acu seo agus chun creidiúnacht na duaise clúití a choinneáil slán sabháilte caithfidh duine éigin eile í a bhailiú in Osló um Nollaig seo chugainn.
Stádas: Céim mhór chun tosaigh Tomaí Ó Conghaile
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An agóid taobh amuigh den Roinn Gnóthaí Eachtracha
e cúpla mí anuas tá feachtas náisiúnta ar siúl ag Stádas, grúpa a bunaíodh le h-aitheantas mar theanga oifigiúil oibre a bhaint amach don Ghaeilge san Aontas Eorpach. Ba é seasamh an rialtais an bac ba mhó a bhí ar chuspóirí an fheachtais nó dhealraigh sé go raibh polasaí neamhscríofa acu gan aird a thabhairt ar an cheist. Dé Céadaoin seo caite, áfach, ghlac an rialtas le rún ó Pháirtí an Lucht Oibre, ón Chomhaontas Glas agus ó Fhine Gael iarraidh ar an Aontas Eorpach stádas oifigiúil oibre a thabhairt don Ghaeilge. Tá cinneadh seo an rialtais gan macasabhail sa mhéid is gur glacadh le rún ón fhreasúra agus is toradh é gan dabht ar an obair atá déanta ag an fheachtas Stádas. Ní beag an ról a bhí ag mic léinn san fheachtas fosta ar ndóigh nó cuireadh grúpa úr, Aontas na nGael Óg, ar bun chun an cheist a chur chun cinn in institiúidí tríú leibhéal na tíre. Ag obair taobh le Stádas, rinne an tAontas poiblíocht mhór faoin fheachtas in ollscoileanna agus i gcoláistí anseo i mBaile Átha Cliath agus ar 19ú Feabhra, Déardaoin roimh fhógairt suntasach an rialtais,
d’eagraigh siad agóid taobh amuigh den Roinn Gnóthaí Eactracha. Bhailigh níos mó ná trí chéad mac léinn ó TCD, UCD, DCU, Ollscoil na hÉireann Má Nuad agus Coláiste Phádraig, bhailigh siad sa Chearnóg Tosaigh, Coláiste na Tríonóide agus shiúil siad thar an Dáil go hoifigí na Ranna ar Fhaiche Stiabhna. Labhair Caoimhín Ó Briain ón Aontas agus Dáithí Mac Carthaigh ó Stádas os comhair an tslua. Mar sin féin, cé go bhfuil an chéad chéim seo glactha ag an rialtas, ní deireadh an bhóthair é do Stádas nó do Aontas na nGael Óg. Is fíor a rá nach raibh lucht an fheachtais ag dréim le bogadh mar seo ón rialtas ach tá tuilleadh oibre le déanamh go fóill. Ghéill an Taoiseach don bhrú a bhí a chur air ó gach pháirtí polaitiúil, gach eagraíocht teanga agus neart daoine nach iad ach leanfaidh an feachtas ar aghaidh go dtí go bhfuil an beart curtha i gcríoch. Ag an phointe seo, siltear nach mbeidh mórán deacrachtaí ann an Ghaeilge a chlarú mar theanga oifigiúil oibre de chuid an Aontais Eorpaigh ach caithfidh an rialtas cás láidir dearfach a chur faoi bhráid an Aontais agus is cinnte go mbeidh súil ghéar á coinneáil orthu go ndéanann siad amhlaidh.
Eagarthóir na Gaeilge Trinity News - Tusa? An post atá ar fáil: Eagarthóir an leathanaigh seo ar an bhliain seo chugainn An duine atá de dhíth: Duine lán croí agus aigne, éirimiúil, cumasach agus eagraithe (cosúil leis an eagathóir reatha!) a bhfuil speis aige/aici leathanach suimiúil Gaeilge a chur os comhair phobal na Tríonóide. Níl táithí iriseoireachta riachtanach, tá an post oscailte do chách. Má tá suim agat ann, seol ríomhphost chuig connoltp@tcd.ie
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Trinity News
SCIENCE
2 March 2004 nd
CV career vitals Haven’t got a clue what to do after college? These people might give you ideas.. Donal Synnott, Director of the National Botanic Gardens Glasnevin - Science degree (specialising in Botany) in UCD 1961 - BA in UCD 1967 Previous Jobs: I worked as a Secondary School teacher, Drogheda and Birmingham, and in the National Museum of Ireland, Natural History Division for 7 years. I was a Herbarium Botanist in the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin 1970-1993 Current Job: Direct Botanic Gardens since 1993 Loving it: The job is relevant to my vocation and training (plants/botany). Hating it: I don’t like spending time solving peripheral problems, personell problems etc. plus administrative delays, beaurocracy. Getting there: I would recommend this job to some but not to others. Only to those with a desire to look at the bigger picture and control the institution (in this case the Gardens) to try and implement change for the better. You must really want to be a botanist, regard it as more than a nine to five job. It must be a vocation.
Short Cuts New Cancer Diagnosis A research team at Coombe Women’s Hospital, St James’s Hospital and Trinity College have developed a new test for cervical cancer that promises to be more accurate in diagnosing the disease. This announcement is received with great enthusiasm as it currently takes up to four months to get the results of an ordinary smear test, by which time it may be too late to act against the cancer. The team around John O’Leary who are involved in the new effective screening test are one of the 23 teams who have recently received total funding of 3.5 million Euro. All funded projects are considered by the Health Research Board to help deliver effective healthcare to the whole population. The new method of diagnosis involves placing women into low, medium and high-risk categories, taking into account the presence of certain mutations that increase the risk of developing cervical cancer. Over 60 women died from cervical cancer in Ireland in 2002.
The Year of the Monkey ? The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has revealed that all four types of ape are endangered. Gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orang-utans are being threatened by humans advancing into their habitats and destroying them. This seems ironic, as this year is another Chinese "Year of the Monkey". Especially Pongo pygmaeus, the orang-utan, is facing extinction in Indonesia. Less than 30,000 individuals are left in Sumatra and Borneo and experts are speculating whether or not the orang-utan will be around in 15 years. Indonesia, whose forests are home to the apes, has been in a state of political uproar since the fall of the government in 2000. Licenses for tree felling are being given out indiscriminately and this is leading to a rapid decline in forests. Anarchism and civil war are giving conservationists a hard time and apes, man’s closest biological relatives, are running out of space to live in. In Africa, too, political instabilities are leading to clearing of the rainforests, which endangers the primates. In Congo, once home to 100,000 bonobos, there are only 5400 of the apes left.
Kirsten Bratke
Poultry in Motion The Bird Flu scare is passing from country to country. What is this epidemic all about? Kirsten Bratke FOR THE past months the bird flu has been all over the news. Cases have been reported from South East Asia and the United States and experts are warning the public of a possible human pandemic. But what is this mysterious avian influenza and how dangerous is it really? Influenza is caused by a virus that penetrates host cells and forces them to produce more viruses instead of their natural protein products, which disturbs the host’s natural functions. Viruses can be transmitted by aerosol, so that direct contact with an infected individual isn’t even necessary. The influenza virus has a very high mutation rate, which makes it difficult to find a universal vaccine and easy to spread quickly through human populations. The most devastating example of this was the human flu pandemic of 1918, which killed almost 40 million people worldwide. The SARS outbreak last year was the latest case of a virus transmitted from animals to humans. In late February 2003 there was an outbreak of avian flu in the Netherlands and Belgium, where millions of chickens had to be culled. Several people were infected, suffering from conjunctivitis
and mild flu symptoms, while one person, a veterinarian, was killed by the virus. The strain that caused this outbreak was called H7N7 and it wasn’t the first bird flu virus to cause human casualties. In 1997 the highly pathogenic strain H5N1 had caused the death of six people in Hong Kong. It is this H5N1 strain that has now emerged again. The first cases were reported in Hanoi, Vietnam, where three people died of severe respiratory disease caused by the virus. It had affected birds in Vietnam since October 2003 and led to the culling of entire flocks. From Vietnam the epidemic spread to Thailand, South Korea and China, ravaging bird flocks everywhere and countries in the region are constantly reporting new cases. The pandemic flu strains are thought to start in wild aquatic birds like ducks from where they jump to chickens or directly to humans. A virus carried in domesticated animals like chickens need only undergo a few genetic changes to become virulent in humans, for example by exchanging genes with a human strain. Those viruses that do jump the species barrier are often highly pathogenic because the new host’s immune system has had no time to build defences against them. The initial transmission from birds to humans might have been
caused by poor safety measures during the mass culling of chickens. People involved should have been wearing protective masks and goggles, comments Klaus Stöhr, project leader of the Global Influenza Programme of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The risk for a pandemic outbreak becomes greater with the number of infected people because of the increased interaction between human and avian strains. Researchers are already mixing non-pathogenic human and bird flu strains in the lab in order to model the real life circumstances and predict the possible outcomes. Still they cannot say whether or when this feared pandemic will actually happen. Researchers are also trying to learn more about the virus by tracing its path. They are sequencing viral DNA from infected people in the different countries the bird flu has cropped up in and determine their relationship. One theory of how the virus has spread so rapidly is poultry smuggling, a practise not uncommon in Southeast Asia. Scientists are working on possible vaccines in case the virus should get out of control. Non-pathogenic strains are created and injected into hen’s eggs where they can be grown in large quantities, provided enough eggs can be collected. Another attempt
is reverse genetics: a milder form of the virus is genetically engineered, that could be used to immunise people. There are various problems here, however. Drugs engineered in this way have not passed clinical trials and the health authorities may not permit their use. It might take months to safe-test the vaccine in ferrets, pass the clinical trials and then mass-produce a potential vaccine. "Most of the damage will have been done by the time a vaccine is widely available," says Rino Rappuoli, head of research at Chiron Vaccines in Siena, Italy, referring to a first wave of the anticipated pandemic. Until the new vaccine is ready, there are antiviral drugs like Tamiflu available. It
Bernie Moore THERE’S NO denying or ignoring global warming. It is caused by a rise in the levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) due to human activity since the industrial revolution. These GHGs, in particular carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides act as a blanket around the earth and as this blanket gets thicker it results in a warming of the earth. The concentrations of these gasses are increasing and will result in a rise in temperature from 1-3.5 degrees Celsius in the next 100 years. This will have drastic effects on the state of the world’s climate. Regional rain patterns will change, climate and agricultural zones will shift towards the poles, and sea levels will rise, threatening lowlying coastal areas and small islands. To deal with this problem of global warming and climate change, the Kyoto Protocol was drawn up and agreed upon in 1997. It was not perfect but it was the best international agreement that could be made at that time to tackle the problem of ris-
ing GHGs. 84 countries signed the protocol at the UN headquarters. Almost every industrialised country signed it, representing 99.4% of the overall CO2 emissions of industrial countries. The aim of the Kyoto Protocol was to reduce global emissions by 5% below the 1990 levels by the period 2008-2012. This action was to be taken by the industrialised countries since they were responsible for over 80% of global emissions. The responsibility for cutting emissions was shared amongst the 40 or so developed countries. The overall 5% target would be met through cuts of 8% in the European Union, Switzerland and most of Central and Eastern European states, 7% in USA, and 6% in Canada, Hungary, Japan and Poland. Iceland may increase up to 10%, Australia up to 8% and Norway up to 1%, while New Zealand, Russia and Ukraine may stabilise their emissions. In order for the Kyoto Protocol to be implemented, at least 55 parties from the industrialised
countries who accounted for 55% of the total CO2 emissions in 1990 had to ratify the protocol; here lies the problem that faces us today. In 2001 George W. Bush announced that the USA would not be ratifying the Kyoto Protocol although they account for 36.1% of the developed world’s emissions. The EU and other signatories did ratify it, but in order to reach the 55% target Russia is required also. The Russians are hesitating and delaying time. The Ministry for Economic Development/Industry are stating that Russia will not ratify, fearing that it would be economically unfavourable, while others on the environmental side say that they will ratify. This has resulted in the government not giving a final decision, and it looks unlikely that they will make one until after their general election in April/May of this year. If Russia ratify then the Kyoto Protocol will be implemented, but what will happen if they follow in the footsteps of the States? If Russia does not ratify, the Kyoto Protocol will not come into effect
The world’s CO2 emissions have to be drastically decreased
is produced by the Swiss company Roche, which seems to have the monopoly on a drug that could become some countries’ only hope in keeping an epidemic at bay. Roche are refusing to reveal how much of the drug they have in stock but are offering cheap rates for emergencies in poor countries. Recently, a strain of bird flu has been reported in chickens in Delaware in the United States. It has been identified as a H7 strain, quite different from the notorious H5N1, but tests are being carried out on the virus nonetheless to eliminate any possible threat to human populations there. Another problem facing the WHO is that many countries, like Cambodia
and Laos, in which the avian flu threatens to cause most havoc, have insufficient public healthcare systems. With less people being tested for the dangerous influenza virus, control of a major outbreak might turn out to be very difficult. The body count of the bird flu is constantly rising, with one case of suspected human-to-human infection. Information emerged that indicates several countries have covered up infection for months so that the full extent of the outbreak is not clear. Despite health officials and scientists raising the alarm since October, the potential epidemic does not seem to have reached its peak and the WHO admits that it is far from being under control.
Poultry smuggling might be a means of spreading the virus
The Kyoto Protocol: A Waste of Time?
Bad Science Joke of the Month A man walks into a pub and asks for a pint of Adenosinetriphosphate. The barman says "That'll be 80p please!"
Science Editor
by law, but in practice the EU will take the lead in implementing it. They are committed to the Kyoto Protocol and will reduce emissions by 8% below their 1990 levels by 20082012. The reduction by the EU may be only small on a global scale but isn’t a small difference better than none? Some countries seem to think they can just ignore this problem, but the longer they leave it the worse it will get and the harder it will be to try and solve. The EU recognises the threat that climate change poses to the world. They know that they are partly responsible for it and that action must be taken. Its time for the world to realise that climate change is the biggest problem that is facing us both today and in the future. The answer to global warming is not to turn our backs on it and pretend that its not happening. We have to face up to it and attempt to solve it, starting with the Kyoto Protocol. Implementing the Kyoto Protocol will bring us one step closer to dealing with climate change and it is certainly not a waste of time.
Sexy Science TN’s Sexy Scientist Jane Ferguson on...
Female Orgasm or: Why women make it so bloody difficult One of those problems that plagues men occasionally, is the notorious difficulty of giving a girl an orgasm. Sure, there are girls that are multiorgasmic, but compared to men, women tend to take a lot longer to climax. All a girl needs is a few minutes and some basic skills to make a man see God, whereas it can take men months of practice to build up a good consistent track record. So here’s the thing – we’re doing it on purpose! OK, before you start calling me crazy and asking me about my childhood traumas, pay attention: here comes the science bit… When a woman has an orgasm, the muscular contractions suck the sperm up towards the womb, and give the swimmers a head start towards the ultimate goal of that little egg. So obviously if the woman happens to be sleeping with a complete muppet, she won’t be all that keen to have a child with him. So women had to be careful who they orgasmed with, and evolved an obstacle course for men to overcome, so that they could prove themselves to be worthy fathers. It’s a bit like a medieval knight having to kill a dragon before the princess accepts him. The plan mightn’t have been very well thought out, as women miss out on some easy pleasure, but evolution has a habit of coming up with unorthodox solutions. In general, it was better to have to fake it,
than to get pregnant with a baby whose father wasn’t really all that great. So women test men in several ways during sex to make sure they are fit fathers. Firstly, the men have to keep going for a while: a hit-and-run won’t be much use here. This shows that they are physically fit and have some endurance, and also that they are prepared to stick around for at least a little while. They also have to be intelligent enough to find the clitoris and figure out how to work it. Additionally, it helps if you put some effort in before that too: show generosity with dinner and maybe flowers (This would have worked with a piece of dead antelope and some wild plants too I suppose); show that you are funny by telling a few jokes – anything that impresses her will put her in the mood. So even though this constant desire to get pregnant may not seem very relevant to many people now, the effects of years of evolution are inescapable. Most people have children a lot later now than they used to, and contraception solves the problem of unplanned babies much more effectively than a complicated orgasmic system, but we can’t change what was selected for in times past. Men have to accept that they may have to put a little extra work in. Girls – just lie back and enjoy the attention – it’s what nature intended after all!
Trinity News
THEATRE
Theatre Editor Patrick Stewart
2nd March 2004
ISDA 2004: Three new writers go for glory in Galway
Ben Simon and Jo Thurley in Seb Billing’s Second Hand The ISDA 2004 awards are looming large on the Player’s horizon and three shows are gearing up for a crazy week on the road. Galway Dramsoc are this year’s hosts and the theatres of the cultural capital will be packed with four different starting times a day. From 11:30am to late at night colleges from the whole of Ireland will be battling on the boards for the prestigious awards. This year Trinity will be sending three shows and, unusually, all three are new works by student writers. Spurred on by the high profile Festival of New Writing in Week 4 Celina Teague’s ‘Third Party’, Seb Billings’
‘Joke’, and Ben Schiffer’s ‘Paper Tigers’ have demonstrated that quality new writing is now finding it’s home in Player’s Theatre. Getting to Galway will be a big logistical effort as casts, sets, technical crew and loads of moral supporters will be heading down for the festival. NUI Galway will be competing against last year’s legendary hosts, Trinity Players, who will be attempting to wrest back the limelight by cleaning up at the awards. All three shows have an impressive award pedigree; Louise White, now an actress in Teague’s ‘Third Party’, directed
‘Self Accusation’ last year and won Best Set Design, Matt Torney won Best Actor in 1999 and is now director of Schiffer’s ‘Paper Tigers’ and Seb Billing’s first play, ‘Second Hand’, won the discretionary award for new writing in 2003 last year and he is also a previous winner and multiple nominee for his acting. When I quizzed Seb Billings about the next few weeks there was no doubt that the excitement about his most recent play ‘Joke’ is really setting in. Both his writings have demonstrated his firm commitment to experimenting with theatrical form. ‘I want to shake up an audiences expectation but at the same time make them want to be shaken up. Traditional writing attempts to give us non-stop moments of high drama where characters are forced to make life changing decisions but that is not a true reflection of the way we perceive the world.’ ‘Joke’ deals with the monotony and apathy that Billings sees as being a representative image of social malaise. ‘Lots of people I know have graduated from college, are not lacking intelligence, but just don’t seem to have a clear purpose in their lives.’ The play examines three relationships in a subversive way challenging the sacrosanct celluloid image that he sees in the media. Though Billing’s is nervous of labelling the play as having a political commentary, the play ends with the couples being faced with a war situation all around them. In the end this still fails to shake away the clawing apathy
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Matt Pitt
and the couples still find a way to turn their backs. ‘My home, Britain, is a nation at war but people manage to go on as if nothing at all is happening’. Professional interest in his plays has been developing since last year and the cast of ‘Joke’ will be giving a reading of the play on this Monday to an invited audience of the theatrical worlds great and good. The Irish Student Drama Association have long been a near skeletal organisation associated exclusively with the awards but all this is changing under the capable hands their new Trinity Chairperson, Kate McLaughlin. Friday saw the first in what will hopefully be a string of events over the coming years. ‘Seeking Direction’ brought together an impressive line-up of Irish Directors to talk to young practitioners about finding their first few steps on the elusive directing career ladder. This well attended event at the Project Arts Centre brought together a diverse group including big names such as Patrick Mason and Lynne Parker to younger more experimental directors such as Gavin Quinn and Jason Byrne who all had a moderately disheartening but honest message in tackling issues from training to the difficulties involved even at the top of the profession. Patrick Stewart
Student Seb Billings whose play Joke is one of three plays off to ISDA
Torifune Butoh-Sha Visit showcases in the Samuel Beckett Dublin was treated to a rare performance event with the visit of Japanese Butoh dance company Torifume ButohSha. The company worked at the Samuel Beckett Centre for three weeks offering an intense workshop to 16 Irish theatre practitioners, including Trinity drama students, and then gave a performance consisting of two pieces, Kenka and Kandachime, the latter of which featured the Irish performers. The movement language of Butoh is developed from the traditional Noh theatre of Japan. It was born after the 2nd World War out of a search for a modern Japanese identity, and as a reaction to the unprecedented horrors of the war.
of her baby, a theme echoing the Noh canon. Though the narrative did not come across to one uninitiated like
myself, the images evoked were powerfully resonant nonetheless, like a woman clad in rainbow-coloured rags
with a huge straw parasol, or in bright red struggling with her body like one being born. In the end I would have
A Butoh dancer lets go of any sense of self., with the body as a fragile, empty shell
‘Breathtaking visions of withering corpses, each infinitely sad and unique’
Kenka started with a lengthy episode of a barely moving female figure traversing eternally slowly across the stage, and back again. This was the virtuoso Kayo Mikami, who trained with the creator of Butoh, Tatsumi Hijikata. During this a couple of people left the auditorium and sighs of impatience could be heard, for myself too it took a while to accept the unfamiliar movement language. The following four sequences had different rhythms, and Mikami was counterpoised at times by other performers. Kenka is described as the story of a dead mother who wanders between this life and the next in search
Torifune Butoh-Sha and Irish Practioners in Kadachime
Photo: FutosSakachi
loved to watch this piece again to learn to appreciate it more fully. The second piece, Kandachime, was more accessible, as with 16 performers there was simply more to look at. A typical visual image in Kandachime was a group of people moving in unison like listless waves with one figure traversing the group, and one completely still. Sound was an important element in creating shifts of mood in both dance pieces, varying from abstract soundscape to ‘industrial’ and classical music and old pop-songs. A Butoh dancer aims at letting go of any sense of self., with the body as a fragile, empty shell. At times the whole body or parts of it freeze, die, then fight to break into movement again. The dancer should not communicate their own persona or any idea at all, but simply act as a vessel for each individual audience members’ subjective feelings, thoughts and reactions that it inspires. This poetic freedom of interpretation is helped by the costumes, which bear no reference to everyday reality, often leaving the body almost completely exposed. In Kayo Mikami’s performance the pure presence of the body, devoid of an ego, was staggering. Many Irish performers, too, managed to just let their soulless body express what it would and the audience saw some breathtaking visions of withering corpses, each infinitely sad and unique in its precious fragility, contrary to what the logic of war would have us believe.
Riikka Jokelainen
Players Reviews: One Theatre, ‘Two Rooms’, ‘Third Party’ ‘Two Rooms’ Written and Directed by Celina Teague Players Theatre has been busy this Hilary Term with new writing from Trinity students; the three plays going to ISDA 2004 are all student written, ‘Third Party’ being the most recent of them. Written and directed by fourth year Drama student Celina Teague, Third Party is a comic look at a nineties and noughties take on a father/daughter relationship. A father, Jake (Matthew Gilliam), who has been thrice married and cannot remain monogamous, attempts to make up for his lack of fatherly commitment by spending a few summer days each year with his teenage daughter, Saskia (Emer Nolan). While they bask in Spanish sunshine he dreams of playing ‘Happy Families’, waiting for his girlfriend Maria (Louise White) to arrive from Madrid. Saskia, on the other hand has long given up any dreams of ‘Happy Families’ with her father, and strug-
gles only to comprehend his contradictory behaviour for the short time she must spend with him. It is Jake’s lack of fatherly skills and inability to deal comprehensively with Saskia and her new lover Carlos (Charlie Dorfman) that Maria starts to question Jake’s behaviour and see that perhaps he is not the ideal she had imagined. When sleazy Carlos drops some hints about Jake’s infidelity, Maria is already slightly removed from Jake, and seems prepared to end the eighteenmonth relationship a little too quickly. Playing ‘Happy Families’ is too much of an eye-opener for the sexy Spanish lady and it’s through their mutual inability to play games that she and Saskia bond. Left alone Jake goes on to repeat his childish and ineffectual behavioural patterns, playing with one person while longing for another. While the underlying subject dealt with in the text is actually a little disheartening, Teague successfully finds a comic edge to the story. Overall the performances were strong – most particularly from Louise White and Charlie Dorfman. White characterised
the sassy, brash and sexy Spanish woman perfectly, and brought out Jake’s incompetence within the relationship all the more. Unusually, for a student actress she managed convincingly to portray the character’s age, rather than her own, giving the character more maturity and depth. The awkward father/daughter relationship was mostly well performed by Matthew Gilliam and Emer Nolan, though at times they failed to bring a sense of history and previous family ties to the roles. Dorfman was the perfect letch as Carlos, and Cassie Farelly the perfect ‘girlie headache’ as Annie for the final scene. Teague’s script is convincing, lively and smooth, which bodes well for the production’s success at ISDA. Where the production was slightly lacking, however, was in the stage use – at times the piece was quite static and the stage was not used to its full extent. Emma Sykes’ set design was a clear and clever concept but had not been fully realised, or was in some way limited by the necessary demands of the piece. The back wall screens
and ‘beach’ floor worked well with Sandra McCallig’s effective lighting, but at times were insufficient in creating the atmosphere of the Spanish summer-house. Overall the production was of a high standard, and shows confidence and adventure on the part of the writer; it will be interesting to see how this ISDA contender fares in Galway next week. Kate Dean
Third Party by Lee Blessing Directed by Maisie Lee The week’s lunch-time presentation of Two Rooms a play by Lee Blessing, offered an interesting performancefocused production set around the Lebanon hostage situation of the 1980’s and one woman’s response to her husbands captivity. The play-text suggests a minimalist set with little other than a mat, a chair and a table; because of this, our reading of the production becomes largely about the actualities of the actors performances and the choices made by Maisie Lee in
her directorial debut. The rounded performance style, though rooted in realism, echoed the dense and hypnotic form of Blessing’s text, which in light of recent events between the United States government and parts of the Middle-East seems rather dated. Reassuring however was the fact that all four actors seemed to be approaching the script under a coherent and fulfilled direction. Particular mention should be given to Hannah Scott who played the distressed Laine Welles with a charm and intensity that kept me interested throughout the piece. Moments of transition between the two worlds were clearly marked until reality and hallucination intertwined and we began to question the reality, therefore ‘truth’, of certain situations. The space was presented simply and beautifully in a manner not often seen in Players, with a sensitive lightingdesign by Kevin Smith. It was exciting to see such well executed staging from this first time director, one hopes there is more to come . . . Louise White
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MUSIC
Trinity News 2 March 2004 nd
Music Editor Derek Owens
Walking in a Vinyl Wonderland... For some time now, the Royal Marine Hotel has been the setting for a remarkable scene: grown men and women whooping with joy at the discovery of a long- deleted ‘Licorice Comforts’ single, and rummaging through boxes and boxes of records and CD’s in search of that perfect bootleg. Liam Dillon went to witness the spectacle, only to be converted.... There are three ways to look at someone whose soul shifts at the sight of Richard “Dimples” Fields fittingly titled 1981 LP “Dimples.” Either he is a passionate individual who flaunts the mundane motions of the musical mainstream in favor of a soft R&B that for him represents the attainment of an aural apogee. Or he’s a small, pathetic man, whose musical obsession obscures some of the more important things in life, say, life itself. Or he just finds “Dimples” really cute. Regardless of your views on the fundamental nature of such a man, you would have found both him and “Dimples”, as well as voluminous 12” NKOTB records, Carter’s “The Unstoppable Sex Machine,” and a 45” of Orange Juice’s “Lean Period” at the 16th Music, CD & Record Fair held on 21 February at the Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire. Over ten thousand records, CDs, and other memorabilia from 70 dealers covered the drab faux-French burgundy carpeting of the hotel’s side-ballroom. While the fair boasted of having more variety than the megastores, more rarities than the indie stores and more discounts than most bargain bins, it was clear its biggest strengths were vinyl, specialty items and colorful characters. A dealer, Alf Thoma, in his mid-40s rhythmically nodding his head to trance and wearing a black jumper, a ring with a huge black stone, a thick gold chain and an earring had on- sale a record called “Marches, Speeches, Songs: Nazi
Germany WWII” with a prominent swastika on the cover. “I hope someone buys it for the historical point of view, instead of, from you know, the other point of view,” said Thoma who preferred to be identified as he is known on the fair circuit: “Thomahawk.” Another dealer, Cliff from Northern Ireland, had over 1,000 items of Elvis memorabilia on display including posters, videos, CDs, singles and LPs that he started collecting in 1960. While being interviewed, his mobile rang and Cliff gleefully announced that his friend had just purchased a first edition 45” of Elvis’ “That’s Alright Momma.” “Recorded 50 years ago this July,” Cliff revealed matter-of-factly. While similar music fairs have existed for years in Britain and on the continent, most notably the annual MIDEM fair in Cannes, Ireland has clearly lagged behind. Even though this fair is the largest in Ireland, the question remains whether there is enough of a demand for such fairs’ long-term success, especially considering that the selection of vinyl, which generally favors avid collectors, dwarfed that of CDs, which reach the more casual music fan. Also, vinyl offered much better bargains to be had. “There’s no rarity value in CDs,” said Chris, a veteran dealer from Scotland. “It’s much harder going to sell CDs at shows like these.” One undeniable positive for the fair’s sustainability is the helpfulness of dealers: In HMV, no clerk will tell you to put that new Britney Spears CD down because there’s more “rarity value” in the “I’m a Slave for You” single. But at the show, dealers repeatedly told customers what would be the better investment or better quality purchase. The ultimate success of music fairs in Dublin will depend on the continued cultivation of painfully self-aware music collectors, or the cultivation of more people
Counting Crows Films About Ghosts: The Best Of Geffen Records
Above: The thrill of commerce is just too much for some. Below: Yes, all this is Elvis stuff. Now that’s just creepy.
Every once in a while, RTÉ does something that makes the licence fee seem a pittance. Last year’s Other Voices series which brought together top talents from the Irish gig circuit including Damien Rice, Nina Hynes and the Frames, and spawned an album which reached the top of the charts, was one of these events. Organiser Philip King sees it as a way to ‘take a snapshot of the Irish music scene’ and it must be said that RTÉ hasn’t done a bad job. The line-up for this year promised to be equally rewarding, so I took myself off to Vicar St. for the launch gig featuring a selection of the performers who appeared on the TV series broadcast in February. Fans of Kelly’s Mystery Train slot on Radio 1 (Mondays-Thursdays 8:30-10 pm) would have felt right at home in a venue which manages to combine capacity with intimacy: like the radio it
was easy to forget how many other people were listening in. Periodic promptings for applause to be used on the later TV and radio broadcasts did temporarily break this spell, but then the feeling of contributing to the events in some small way compensated for the artifice. Declan O’Rourke is the first onstage, his slight nervousness disarming in a man who performed 140 times in his first year of solo touring. Limited to three songs, he bravely takes the time to tune his guitar thoroughly before setting into an upbeat ballad about the Famine. It’s a good start to the evening, displaying the bare bones of good singer-songwriting before some more flesh can be added to
Incubus Crow Left of the Murder Epic
with no lives, depending on your perspective. It also wouldn’t hurt to find a site closer than a 45-minute bus ride from the city centre. “I think there is a market in Dublin for these shows,” said Trinity third-year Carl Cullinane, as he thumbed through some LPs. “There’s a lot of sad bastards
here that make this stuff their life.” The next Music, CD & Record Fair will be held on 15 May at the Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm. Entrance is 3 EU. For more information contact Brian O’Kelly at comet@indigo.ie
the proceedings. Next up are the Tycho Brahe, a three-piece whose double album, released last autumn, announced their experimental credentials. With two Meteor award nominations (for Best Irish band and Best Irish Female singer for vocalist Carol Keogh) and an upcoming headline gig at TBMC on February 28th, the band has developed a considerable following for their brand of avantgarde pop. Keogh's vocals fall somewhere between My Blood Valentine and the Cranberries, slightly submerged in a sea of instrumentals, but she does bring a defining character to the Brahe’s big sound. The Jimmy Cake are cool enough for the singer and keyboardist to make a point of smoking in this distinctly smoke-free venue, but uncool enough to have a clarinet player. She looks like she’d rather be anywhere else, reaffirming my conviction that all clarinet players are depressed. The mind begins to wander as sounds reminiscent of Riverdance, 70’s film scores and football songs flit in and out of the music. From where we are sitting (yes sitting! How civilised), one can
see host John Kelly’s ears poking out from the backstage area. He, for one, must have been captivated throughout the Jimmy Cake’s set because he comes out to introduce the next act looking like he really has to pee. Turn are next, and singer Ollie Cole immediately wins me over with his elfin charm, asking “We want to play some rock and roll, is that Ok?” in a Meath accent. This is a band that makes you want to go to a lot more gigs; radio doesn’t do them justice. They’re also clearly on the upswing, having recovered nicely from being turfed off their label and losing a bassist last year with two much-discussed performances last summer- a slot at Witness and another opening for the Thrills in London. Ever the champions of live gigs, they’ve toured extensively to promote their album ‘Forward’, and tonight seems a fitting nod to their role in keeping the Dublin music scene healthy. For their final number they choose a cover of a Loudon Wainwright song and pull it off brilliantly, further proof that this band shouldn’t be confined to their post-post-grunge image. Simple Kid plays in the way
Snatching the moment With the Dublin Rock Archive, a collection of the best photographs from the world of music, opening in Temple Bar (just off curved Street), Nem Kearns took herself down to talk to Jill Furmanowski, the Project Coordinator. Rock and roll has always been more than just a type of music; it’s a lifestyle, a statement, an image. From the shocking leather-clad 50’s rock rebels, through platform boots, big hair, piercings, new romantics, scuffed jeans, eyeliner and suits, rock in it’s many incarnations has paraded itself in front of the camera like a narcissistic teenager in front of a mirror. Some of the most iconic images of our times are of perfect fleeting instants when the raw power and emotion of music has been captured on film, split seconds made timeless. So take a look at the posters on your bedroom walls, the badges adorning your lapel –chances are many of these pictures were taken by one, very talented, woman. Jill Furmanovsky became a rock photographer more by accident than design; whilst studying textiles design at St.Martin’s College in London she did a two-week photography crash course which blossomed into a life-long love. At around this time she went to a Yes gig in the Rainbow Theatre with the college camera,
Four albums. Apparently, four albums is all one has to make to justify releasing a ‘best of’ compilation, with a grand total of (wait for it) three new songs, one of which is a demo from 1991. If you can hear anything above the sinister cash register sound in the back of your mind, everything you’d expect is here, from ‘Mr. Jones’ to that sacrilegious cover of ‘Big Yellow Taxi’. If you don’t know what Counting Crows are like, it’s basically competent but unoriginal pop rock (with less violin and more pianos and organs) complementing Adam Duritz singing about the trials and tribulations of life and love when you’re overweight and ugly. Admittedly, this will provide perfect background music for those who desperately want their life to feel like a sentimental, ‘deep’ chick-flick, but for most of us this compilation will seem much like Counting Crows themselves: most unnecessary. (2/5) Derek Owens
Other Voices: worth a listen? After the Stunning success of last years ‘Other voices: Songs from a Room’ , TN’s Abby Semple investigated whether RTE could do it again.
Reviews
and spying the press photographers in the pit, decided to chance her arm. “So I went down with the college camera, wasn't stopped and got chatting to the professionals. One of them asked me if I wanted to work regularly at the Rainbow, so I kind of let on that I knew more than I did and got the job. It was fantastic. Unpaid, but unlimited access, I got to hear bands like Pink Floyd and The Faces rehearse and to photograph them, and that's how my career began. Then I worked for the music press until I graduated. I was doing live stuff at first, then features for Sniffin’ Glue when punk kicked off. In the 80's I worked for The Face until I felt like I was getting a bit too old for the rock‘n’roll business. Every time I tried to get out I was offered more work, which drew me back in. So eventually I gave in and decided that rock is what I'm best at.” TN: Is your biggest love photography or the music? “It’s a close call, but I think photography has the edge. I'm fascinated by the greats in all walks of life. The same applies to a great writer, actor, musician or statesman. I've photographed amazing people like De Niro and Mandela, but musicians have always been my forte. I’m interested in showing that underneath a genius there’s
still just a human being, sometimes it can be shocking. I have this one shot of Mandela where he looks so vulnerable, really human, but I think that humanity is really inspiring at the same time. It shows us that we can all aspire to great things.” TN: Any advice to rock photographer wannabes? “I know it sounds strange, but it helps if you’re not a fan; you don’t get so overwhelmed and you can concentrate on the job in hand. Most PR people let you shoot for the first 3 songs then literally chuck you out, so it’s hard to get something special. Persistence pays off though. One of my favorite shots is of Jeff Buckley just after a gig in the famous Bunjee Club. Jeff had said I could shoot him, but had to go on stage straightaway, so after he came off I approached him again. His PR tried to stop me taking any pictures, they said he was too tired and that they hadn’t agreed to it, so I turned to Jeff and asked him if it was still OK. He said sure, but it was kind of like we had to do it quickly while the PR guy wasn’t looking, so all I got was this really simple shot in black and white, lit by the single bulb that was hanging there and it turned out to be perfect, just perfect. Most great pictures are snatched moments.”
your nerdy friend from school might if he had several thousand dollars worth of electronic equipment in his basement, and a harmonica. His set is accompanied by scrolling lyrics from a computer feed and intermittent commentary, which is amusing mainly for his accent’s wild fluctuation from pure Cork to pure country- American country, that is. It would seem that an identity crisis is in full swing, which can only be good for his kind of schizophrenic stylings. He’s followed by Bell X1, the most popular act of the evening to judge by the applause-ometer, but with a sound that’s dangerously similar to Coldplay; it’s slightly disappointing that a band with such obvious talents should choose to mire itself in piano-heavy dolour and weepy lyrics. David Kitt has also been criticised for allowing his lyrics to get too sentimental, but his performance tonight acquits him of any emotional imprecision. Within 10 minutes he has all of Vicar St. singing along to ‘You Are My Sunshine’ in entranced concentration, without it feeling remotely sappy. He goes on to play songs from his album ‘Square 1’ and the warm vibe from the audience continues unabated- we know we’re in good hands with this one. Jerry Fish, on the other hand, is a truly awful singer, how he managed to secure the closing slot in this line up would be inexplicable ..but for his hosting the TV program. His live act was supported by two unfortunate women introduced as the Ladybugs who provided the requisite la la las and dum-dee-das, one of whom was your one from out of the Commitments, Bronagh Gallagher. You got the feeling that given the chance, Jerry Fish would whisper in your ear the names of all the famous people he knows- unlike the other performers who would probably shrug off the notion of their own growing recognition and blush uncontrollably if asked if they’d met anyone who’d been in films. Not to elevate the anti-success ethic to a mantra, but there is some satisfaction in seeing acts whose ambitions are closer to The Frames than Oasis make polished yet personal contributions to something bigger than themselves. So long as RTÉ continues to recognise this kind of talent, I’ll pay my license fee with hardly a peep.
Incubus has started the new year with a couple new additions. First being their new bass player Ben Kenny (formally from the funk R&B band the roots), and a new album called Crow Left of the Murder. It’s diverse in an Incubus way, but here seems to be a lot more heavy songs this time around than their previous album, Morning View. The band has also injected a bit more of a funky bounce to some of the songs. I credit this slightly backwards direction to Kenny, because it does really remind me of the old school Incubus days of Fungus Amongus, and S.C.I.E.N.C.E. The lyrics are still the same touchy feely hardships and love stories that Brandon Boyd seems to never get tired of. There is virtually no acoustic guitar and Mike Einziger’s guitar playing has become a lot more advanced and technical, which I was really excited to hear. All and all…I’d say it’s another triumph for Incubus. (4/5) Emily Armstrong
Courtney Love America’s Sweetheart Virgin
Though most people will admit that Courtney Love has earned a modicum of grudging respect from the public, if only for proving with ‘Celebrity Skin’ that Kurt Cobain didn’t write Hole’s only decent songs, entitling a solo album ‘America’s Sweetheart’ shows her capacity for self effacing humor or self delusion (I haven’t yet worked out which) is still alive and well. This effort follows the same trash-pop/ grunge formula as Celebrity Skin but, unlike that album, there’s little evidence of the glorious soaring melodies or electrifying choruses that we know she’s capable of delivering when she’s working with competent musicians, or even her former band mates. She makes a decent fist of recreating these exceptional moments in spots, notably on ‘Mono’, the opening track, but there’s no real standout track here, and the album as a whole has a bland, uninspiring taste. Unlike Love herself, ‘America’s Sweetheart’ is, sadly, utterly forgettable. (2/5) Derek Owens
Melissa Etheridge Lucky Island/Def Jam, 2004
When a performer releases an album that includes a near eulogy for the passengers of Flight 93 (the 9/11 flight that failed to hit the White House), it makes one sit up and take notice. Etheridge however, who has sold over 25 million albums and won two Grammys, almost makes one sick with the saccharine patriotism of this song “Tuesday Morning”. The album is essentially Etheridge’s veteran rock voice, which coats the irritatingly wholesome and ordinary tunes with excellent descriptive lyricism, particularly on “Secret Agent”, “Come On Out Tonight” and “Meet Me In The Dark”. Unfortunately, parts of the album lie stillborn, failing utterly to capture the imagination, and fade off listlessly into the darkness of mediocrity. Etheridge has been compared with rock legends such as Joplin in Rolling Stone, and idolizes Bruce Springsteen’s music: this album does not propel her to those heights, but it does showcase her talented vocals brilliantly, unfortunately failing to do them justice with bland rock and archaic lyrics. And that’s not even mentioning “Tuesday Morning”… (2/5) Jack Kane
Books Editor
Trinity News
BOOKS
Laura Dixon
2 March 2004 nd
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Edmund Burke: A Conservative Irishman de-constructed and de-commissioned Robert Portsmouth ‘Edmund Burke and Ireland: Aesthetics, Politics and the Colonial Sublime’. Cambridge University Press. In New Zealand you can buy an unusually subjective, though largely accurate, map of the World that is very different from the one most Europeans are familiar with. The patriotic Kiwi designer has turned the globe upside down and placed his country at the centre/top of the planet and coloured it a luminous green. Near neighbours are reduced to pale pastels and distant, disapproved of Europe and America, confined to drab obscurity on the far edges. Luke Gibbons’ latest book, ‘Edmund Burke and Ireland’, reminded me of that map. He states on the title page that: ‘The basic argument of this book is that Edmund Burke’s aesthetics take up where his politics ostensibly leave off, allowing him to negotiate some of the deepest obligations written on the heart’. However it is the political obligations in Gibbons’ own heart, which seem to inform where, and with what emphasis, he locates Burke’s ideas and identity. Despite the fact that the work is often interesting and usefully illustrative of Burke’s experiences in Ireland and a number of his most important ideas, those not familiar with Burke’s attitudes to colonial administration ; his campaign to impeach Warren Hastings ; his work on the sublime and the beautiful ; his defense of the American colonists and his attitudes to poverty and Poor Relief, may find in Gibbons’ imaginative style an appealing introduction to Ireland’s most famous politi-
cal philosopher. Readers more familiar with Burke’s work and with more empirical and objective historical studies of his ideas, may however, find themselves irritated by the selective arguments, rhetorical devices and embroidered sentimentalities Gibbons uses to reconstruct Burke as a somewhat politically confused, but essentially ‘sympathetic’ Irish Enlightenment figure. Manipulating and selectively using Burke’s ideas seems to have been long established practice. In the 19th century he was made a utilitarian liberal and his crusade against the ‘Men of Reason’ set aside as something of an aberration by some agenda driven politicians. In the same manner, Gibbons’ selection of Burke’s ideas and his use of them to illustrate what Burke’s attitude to Irish issues may have been, while interesting and academically adept, all too comfortably compliment his hypothesis. The politics of Burke’s famously anti-republican ‘Reflections on the Revolution in France’, more difficult to adapt, even by the most skilled reasoning and accomplished word-play, are left relatively unexplored on the peripheries of Gibbons’ topography. Burke’s "Irishness" has never really been up for debate among any save those, either Irish or British, who have held prejudiced essentialist views requiring one identity to be either subordinate to, or mutually exclusive of the other. Degrees of "Irishness" measured against idealised political and cultural standards still remain a priority for many among those who Burke would have described as the ‘literary caballers’ and ‘political theologians’. Gibbons’ mission appears to be to produce a reconstructed Burke ; one who can be accommodated into the liberal Republican teleology. Burke, however, is not
easily bent into permanent shapes. He was, as Gibbons shows, a compassionate defender of the oppressed, but those sentiments were subordinate to his conservative reverence for an inviolable traditional order. He believed all were held oath-bound in a social compact. That oath was equally applicable to all, not only Kings, such as George III and colonial administrators, such as Warren Hastings, but ‘coxcomb philosophers’ and cabbage vendors, Defenders and Orangemen. He was an avowed enemy of the Radicals and their ‘new conquering empire of light and reason’, and a devoted defender of hierarchy, inherited rights, and of custom and prejudice. Some conservatives used those arguments in the 20th century to exaggerate and over-emphasise Burke’s advocacy of Natural Law in their campaign against radicalism and communism. Perhaps the 21st century interpretation of Burke will belong to the different form of traditionalist supporter of the status quo. Beneath Gibbons’ complexity of scholarly arguments Burke is simplified as a bruised victim of ‘centuries of colonial concussion’, who’s sympathetic heart remained in the right place despite the odd political transgression. That will hold a reassuring appeal for many; yet I cannot but feel those seeking a less sentimental and more empirical insight into the origins, depth and variety of Burke’s ideas and his "Irishness" should read authors like D.B. Macpherson, Alfred Cobban, and L.M. Cullen. By the final page of his book Gibbons has placed Edmund Burke alongside Wolf Tone as the mutually compassionate lovers of their respective Irish ‘little platoons’. Their ‘obligations written on the heart’ contrast to the more callous Frenchman, Rousseau, and the
Englishman, Tom Paine. Burke, though unworthy of Tone’s luminescent depth of green, is now at least eaude-nil and more centrally positioned as another navigation aid for those who prefer the unruffled waters of their own comfortable prejudices.
Fantasia Fantastico! The Appeals of Science Fiction
“The film is never as good as the book” Stage and Screen Adaptations of Literature
Fionnuala Finnerty
Kate Gillen
Just picture it- Valentines weekend, and all the usual signs were present – sleepless nights, loss of appetite, sweaty palms, unrest and disquiet in the gastro-intestinal system. All very alarming, but oh no I wasn’t in love, I was addicted! I had succumbed to the intoxicating allure of the fantastical genre. During a recent excursion home to the bowels of the country, I found I had forgotten the novel that I had been previously perusing and was alas, without reading material. As aforementioned book was until then, constantly attached to my hand like a genetic deformity, I sincerely felt its absence. After conductance of a thorough search of the familial abode, I retrieved a copy of Stephen Hawkins ‘A brief history of time’ (belonging to my dad) and a book of the brothers (grumpy, teenage variety – brother not book) entitled ‘Northern Lights’ by the alliterative Philip Pullman. Neither appealed, but I decided to go for the lesser of two evils – put on my reading glasses and perched intelligently on the couch with one Stephen Hawkins. Ten minutes later, tears of frustration glistened in my eyes complete with a brain freeze headache of the like experienced post icecream binge. God almighty, I couldn’t understand a word. Time for plan B, I picked up "Northern Lights" and that was it. Suddenly, I was transported into the magical world of the impulsive, fearless Lyra, daemon Pantalaimon, her nefarious, power hungry parents Lord Asriel and Mrs Coulter and her best friend Roger. Talk of mysterious DUST abounds and small children who are ominously going missing in the night, snatched by the spookily
named Gobblers. When Roger is callously abducted, Lyra vows to recover him. I read all through the night with avaricious, boggling eyes until the end to find that oh joy, it was a trilogy! Subsequent days were spent reading the successor ‘A Subtle Knife’ (covertly procured from the brother - now of the grumpy, suspicious, teenage variety), where we are introduced to William Parry, a troubled, silent, intense little boy with all the wisdom and nobility of a gnarled, eternal tree-trunk. Lyra and Will meet each other in a portal between worlds, the eerie Cittagaze, populated by portentous spectres possessing the horrifying ability to drink an adults soul. Together they slither between worlds using the omnipotent subtle knife. Their quests are inextricably linked, Will in search of his missing father and Lyra in search of Roger. They are portrayed against a background of darkness and danger whereby the two most powerful forces in the world – ‘The Authority’ and Lyra’s despotic father Lord Asriel, who are gearing up for a full scale war. The last in the trilogy, ‘The Amber Spyglass’, sees characters previously acquainted in its two predecessors prepare for violence, and culminates in, (superlative overload), one of the most powerful climactic, passionate and dramatic endings of all times! The come-down was horrendous. My appetite was whetted and I needed another fix and quick! Once again, the brother’s room was ransacked and my pilfering proved lucrative. I emerged triumphantly with ‘The Wind on Fire Trilogy’ by William Nicholson and Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. I was soon ascending Mount Doom with Frodo Baggins to
destroy Sauron’s ring of power, watching the decline and fall of Aramanth and the enslaving of the Manth people with the inimitable Hath twins – Bowman and Kestrel in ‘Wind on Fire’. I read voraciously but I needed yet more stamps in my fantasy passport. Long haul trips followed, I sailed down a wild, treacherous river in a nut shell with a baby blue-bear, certain death ensued - until we were rescued by a group of very uncouth, hard-drinking, foul-mouthed mini-pirates (approximately the size of your fingernail) in ‘The 13 lives of Captain Blue-Bear’, by Walter Moers. I assimilated greedily ‘The Hitch-hikers guide to the galaxy’ by Douglas Adams, where I became multi-lingual speaking all intergalactic dialects with the help of a babelfish imbedded rather uncomfortably in my auricular cavity, accompanied by a manically depressed robot called Marvin! I have only just begun to scratch the surface of all the quality sci-fi books available - planned itineraries for future fantasy travel include the works of Terry Brooks, Terry Pratchett, Garth Nix as well as many others. Do yourself a favour, dive right in. Science Fiction isn’t just for nerds – just look at me – OH GOD NOOOOOOO!
We are all familiar with the sinking feeling, followed closely by outrage, that comes from seeing a favourite book or story mangled by incompetent, arrogant directors or just plain bad casting. The problem with transferring books to the screen or stage is that books, by their very nature, create intensely personal experiences. Those characters that are familiar the world over, like Romeo and Juliet exist, somewhere, for us and for us alone because noone else sees them quite the way we do, they seem to be almost ‘ours’. This is the daunting obstacle that screenwriters, directors, producers and actors- all those involved in the adaptation process must face when bringing a book to the stage or screen. Films like ‘The Shawshank Redemption’, based on Stephen King’s novella ‘Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption’ remained true to the bittersweet spirit of brotherly love and affection between the prisoners which the novella focused on. Achieving the delicate balance between the essential elements of a narrative and creating the necessary sense of pace is a challenge which should not be undertaken by any but the most skilled directors. Failure to achieve this balance can often result in hollow films with little to recommend them- such as the recent ‘Harry Potter’ films. Despite being based on some of the most enchanting, fast paced and popular novels of the past decade, the films are surprisingly disappointing. Although the sets are elaborate and the casting (mostly) accurate, the filmmakers seem to be suffering from a lack of confidence. Instead of trying to make good films based on their
vision of the books, they have simply tried to cram as much of the original plot as possible into two hours. Filmmakers need to have a love of their subject, yes, but a certain amount of daring and irreverence is needed as well. When he set out to transform ‘The Lord of the Rings’ (a book even more revered than Harry Potter) into a film, director Peter Jackson was determined to stay true to the story, but neither was he afraid to tinker with it in order to achieve that elusive balance. No-one who has read the book could fail to recognise the film, but audiences everywhere have benefited from Jackson’s directive interventions. The recent adaptation of Tracy Chevalier’s novel ‘The Girl with A Pearl Earring’ is a story told through the eyes of the servant girl, Griet. The voice of the book is her voice, its slow, measured pace
echoes her careful manner and her habit of turning events over in her mind, examining them from every angle. Relatively little external action takes place in the story- it is the inner turmoil that Griet faces that provides the drama and tension. This kind of book is probably the best to adapt for film- once a director has sufficiently talented actors at his disposaland since the emotion-driven plot allows the filmmaker and the audience to concentrate on the characters. The same could not be said of ‘Cold Mountain’, an extremely ambitious historical novel set during the American civil war, which ranges over a sea of events from the Gettysburg battlefield to a settler fishing party playing Cherokee Indian ball games. However the strength of this novel lies in the fact that the Civil War and the activities of the Home Guard take a back seat to the
innermost thoughts of the two main characters, Inman and Ada. In alternating chapters two separate voices can be heard. Despite the fact that much more seemed to be happening in the novel, the story transferred well to film because of the strong characters it contained and also because the director Minghella, found ingenious ways to incorporate important events into the story without making a four hour long epic. By taking such liberties with the original story, Minghella lost little of the magnetism and charm of the book. ‘Jane Eyre’ similarly has as its fulcrum the secret desires and fears of its main character. Stage adaptations of novels are difficult because the theatre has few special effects regarding setting the scene. This play was good, but the problem was not the script (which was often literally the words of the novel) but that the sense of desperate passion and despair which Bronte captured so acutely in her book was missing. The director made the decision to relegate the scene in the Red Room, where Jane believes herself to be going mad, to a passing remark by the adult Jane much later in the play. While the individual performances were good, there was very little chemistry between Mr. Rochester and Jane. In effect, this adaptation did not compare to its source because it lacked the atmosphere and power of the book. It seems that film and screen adaptations rarely convey the full depth and meaning of a novel, despite the best-meant intentions of the directors. Perhaps because of the nature of the medium- through films and plays you lose the freedom of interpretation that literature allows you, and the ability to imagine characters and settings on your own terms.
The book you should have bought for Valentines Day: Emily Bronte’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ Jenny Glencross So Valentines Day has come and gone in a whirl of possible cards, flowers and romance, or perhaps with the sad acceptance that "noone sends cards anymore these days", words pronounced with the bitterness of a girl who feels the vodka calling on a sad girly night in. Ah. But devoted couples still showed the rest of us that romance is still alive and kicking. When asked what I thought the most romantic thing I ‘could’ have been given, gay romantic that I am proposed a love story. Perhaps it is this blind hope that one day I’ll find that perfect ‘sensitive’ man who likes the same books as me, or who thinks of this perfect Valentines gift!
Most people know the story of ‘Wuthering Heights’. It is a passionate tale of love, intertwined with an unhappiness which, ultimately, brings about the destruction of the lovers, Heathcliff and Cathy. So why pick such a depressing story as my favourite novel for Valentine’s Day? As much as I’m comforted by a happy ending and delighted when Elizabeth and Darcy finally manage to express their true feelings for each other, this happy outcome of a novel of misunderstandings, though appealing, does not have the same power for me. Instead it is the passionate, soul-destroying love of Bronte’s tormented protagonists that fills me with a wistful longing to experience love with the same intensity.
Set against the beautiful yet bleak backdrop of the Yorkshire Moors, the characters and their love remain inherently linked to their landscape throughout the novel. The landscape both captures us and frightens us just as the characters themselves do. Heathcliff, in particular, is wild and incomprehensible. When he returns from his three year absence to find Cathy married to the rich yet insipid Edgar Linton, the contrast between the polite affection between Mr and Mrs Linton and Heathcliff ’s brooding, angry love for Cathy is overwhelming. Like the landscape, their love is steady and unchanging, and yet it makes them uncompromising and selfish. It destroys the life of anyone who seems to oppose it. Edgar dies
knowing his wife’s heart has always belonged to another, and Heathcliff torments his wife, Isabella, (Linton’s sister) in order to manifest his hatred of Edgar and his anger at Cathy for abandoning him for another man. And so it comes as some surprise to find that despite the selfish nature of the characters and their total contempt for the feelings of others, their love for one another is so compelling. But who can resist the abandon with which they love one another? Cathy passionately claims that Heathcliff "is more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same." And yet they spend their lives hurting each other. Their relationship remains in suspended animation,
each intense moment of feeling is lived and relived because their relationship never develops beyond this passion and longing. Though painful and sometimes oppressive, it is the most exciting and exhilarating part of any relationship. It is the passionate bit that we all hope will never go away, but that eventually becomes a different kind of love: one of affection and familiarity. Their devotion to one another is based on an anticipation which is never fulfilled. Cathy’s death, therefore, is yet another factor that keeps them apart and it is because of this that Heathcliff remains embittered and brutal; once again, she has been denied to him. Heathcliff is a largely unpleasant character, blinded by his pride and
his love for Cathy. And Cathy, to all extents and purposes, is a spoiled and selfish young woman, rejecting Heathcliff for some ‘poor fancy’ she feels for Linton, instead of admitting her love. Both characters are contemptible, selfish and unsympathetic and yet I find them intriguing. Surely if they can find love on the barren Yorkshire Moors, there’s hope for the rest of us! Their love for one another, though destructive and violent, is captivating. He is broodingly handsome and she is a dark beauty, and yes, I know it’s a cliché but if Valentine’s Day means I have to extol the virtue of the happy ending then I’ll leave it. Give me doomed love and unquenchable passion over weddings and babies any day.
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FILM
Trinity News 2 March 2004 nd
Film Editor Ruth Ní Eidhin
Honestly Irish Trinity News speaks to Karl Golden, director of new Irish feature The Honeymooners Eileen O’Brien
lure for the film industry, not any ith the release of his romantic notion of Ireland. debut feature film, The Filmmakers are not looking for Honeymooners, Karl handouts or subsidies, it is a comGolden has become Ireland’s mercial enterprise which must be newest writer/director. Young, able to stand on its own two feet, soft-spoken, and extremely friend- but support and investment from ly, Golden has made some very the government is needed if it is to well received shorts, including compete with other countries with Still Rain and Dogsbody, and has stronger incentive schemes, like now moved on to feature length the UK. Thankfully the strategy productions. A wry, darkly humor- has been retained by the governous twist on the romantic comedy ment until the end of 2008. As a small-budget filmmaker, standard, Honeymooners has been described as “the kind of Golden is all too conscious of the romantic tale that Billy Wilder importance of Film Festivals in would have given us, if he were the struggle to have his work and distributed. Irish and drunk”, so where better recognised to start than with his inspiration. Honeymooners has been described “I guess I wanted to make a movie as one of the finds of the Galway that was romantic at its heart, Film Fleadh and was also shown that had a sense of warmth”, at the recent Jameson Dublin Golden explains, something “that International Film Festival. had a feel-good factor, in the sense Golden, a clear fan of such festithat…if the film worked people vals, can’t help but be excited by would feel slightly better when this success, “If you’re a moviethey come back out into the lover [festivals are] great way to find small movies, and to discover night”. Golden was not phased by having them yourself without having such a small budget, seeing it them rammed down your throat more as a liberating experience. by a Hollywood machine.” The “Having a small budget in some Honeymooners is getting a nationways can be quite a creative wide release on March 25th, and thing…It’s a challenge, and it then is being released in Britain forces you to find creative solu- and Northern Ireland on April tions to problems whereas in 20th. Golden, while enthusiastic, is also other realistic, films “I said I want a light movie that I can “it’s diffiyou can j u s t shoot quickly, I know I can shoot it fairly c u l t today to t h r o w cheaply, and I know that I can make a have an money commercial hit out of it, and that was I r i s h at it”. The Honeymooners.” m o v i e Golden and get saw the youth of his team as crucial to the an audience for it anyway, and it’s inspiration of the film. They “had difficult to get a small movie and to find solutions to things. They to get an audience for it, and if you had to dig into their creativity to have a small Irish movie and you find those kind of solutions, rather combine those elements it’s even than just signing a cheque or pay- more problematic trying to get an ing for a service or whatever. So audience and trying to find who that was the fun part of the your audience is as well”. Yet it process.” Rather than complaining shouldn’t be that hard to find an he believes that, “a lack of money audience. It’s already being heavican be really inspiring.” Having ly promoted in the UGC, and as its said that Golden, like most others creator explains, “it’s a maininvolved in the Irish film industry, stream story, shot in a very kind of becomes quietly angry when ques- indie way…It’ll be interesting to tioned on recent Government see what multiplex audiences attempts to scrap Section 481, the make of it as an alternative to film tax relief scheme, calling it a Hollywood movies.” Golden first became interested in “fairly ignorant and dangerous policy”. The reality is, he argues, is directing and filmmaking while that tax incentives are the main studying English and Philosophy
W
here at Trinity. Most of his time here was spent in Players’ Theatre, where he did a number of one-man shows, in the hope of becoming an actor, before concentrating on writing and directing plays, where he “became very interested in story and character”. This “amazing facility” was a very liberating and educational experience for Golden in that he would be given a theatre for a week and allowed to fill it with pretty much whatever he wanted. He also began making shorts and videos. Despite this he wasn’t strongly involved in Video Soc, as the Filmmakers Society was then known, mostly just borrowing equipment, and using their editing room. He preferred Players in those early days, when he was given so much freedom to develop productions with little or no interference. Yet now he has no desire to return to the theatre. He regards his time in Players as part of a learning curve, developing his skills as a director and writer, but he believes he is no playwright. Having moved on to filming shorts, by his final year Golden was sure he wanted to pursue it professionally so in order to gain more experience he enrolled in DIT Aungier St to do a postgrad in filmmaking. He regards this as “a great year because it was a new course so they had lots of resources and stuff, and you could make movies and shorts and use their gear. I mean it was just fantastic, I think I only paid £12,000 and I got 2 short films and prints worth about £15,000 out of it. That was a great experience”. Despite this considerable training, Golden still had the predictable difficulty making his mark He began with “the usual route of making short films, getting commissions to do things like short cuts or film-based shorts or arts council shorts, I did all of those and all the time I was writing features, and some works were getting development backing or whatever but I was aiming to finally get one that was going to get made. And I tried, I tried here to get off the ground before and I couldn’t do it. Then I went to London and I had a London producer attached to a feature film which again I was sure was going
Mona Lisa Smile Director: Mike Newell Cast: Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal Ailbhe O’Reilly
Jonathan Byrne and Alex Reid in Karl Golden’s The Honeymooners to happen and then that collapsed. So finally, with The Honeymooners I said I want a light movie that I can shoot, that I know I can shoot it quickly, I know I can shoot it fairly cheaply, and I know that I can make a commercial hit out of it, and that was The Honeymooners.” Determined to make The Honeymooners a hit, Golden used his own money and concentrated on gathering up a team of developing young Irish talent, “like my cameraman (Darren Tiernan), he’s a commercials’ director in London, he does million pound ads, and no-one’s ever come up to him, I couldn’t believe it.” Having gathered up his young talent, “we set a date, and we said we’re shooting it now and we don’t care how much money we have, we’re just going to do it, and make sure we do it right, and that’s what we did, and we were lucky to just get really, really great people around us.” One of Golden’s concerns as a director was that the developing relationship between the main protagonists, David and Claire was genuine, so he deliberately cast them separately, and did not let them got to know one another before filming started. “I brought them together very briefly before we shot it. A lot of the film was that as we were shooting the movie they were going to get to know each other, so we shot the film chronologically mostly. It was
themselves instead of merely resorting to their traditional roles. She is frowned on by this conventional college, but eventually warms most hearts with her exciting new ideas. As I said it is predictable, but still engages, as this central theme is tackled with humour and remains light. The cast are a treat; the young scholars are played by a handful of today’s best young actresses and Roberts, lets face it, is a delight to watch on screen. She manages to play a role model and mentor to these girls, while still remaining human. Roberts can play this part blindfolded and smiling her Mona Lisa Smile, while grasping her $20 million paycheck. She is a natural and this type of character comes easily to her. Yet we still come out liking her. Another thing I enjoyed about this film is that her romantic interest is just that, not her “rock” that gets her through her troubles, but merely another pretty face, disposable at will – a nice turn of the tables if I may say so! Mona Lisa Smile is the female Dead Poets Society, but doesn’t take itself as seriously.
Mona Lisa Smile is a heartwarming dramatic comedy incorporating an excellent ensemble cast of mainly women. Set on the beautiful east coast of America 1954, where the customs are as cold as their winters, Katherine Watson (Roberts) comes to the prestigious women’s college Wellesley to teach Art History. The picture is set just prior to the sexual revolution of the 1960’s and it uses Robert’s character as the catalyst of this spark set off in the minds of these intelligent young women that spurred this revolution. Wellesley College is ideal for this film as it housed some of the country’s best minds that produced some of today’s most successful women, for example Hilary Clinton, Madeleine Albright and Diane Sawyer. The story is predictable enough; Katherine inspires these young women, struggling to define themselves in a repressive age, to find Welcome To the Jungle Director: Peter Berg Cast: The Rock, Seann William Scott, Christopher Walken Conall Bolger If you are: (a) a man, (b) fourteen to twentyfive and (c) single I think you’ve just found something to do with that Friday evening before hitting the pub. If you are none of the above- or consider yourself a connoisseur of fine cinema- it’d probably be best to avoid this overblown testosterone fest. Beck (played by noted thespian The Rock) is sent by a gangster to locate his son (Seann William Scott) in the Brazilian jungle. Needless to say the young man is not keen on a family reunion. Matters are complicated by the local despot (Christopher Walken) who wants the lad to lead him to hidden treasure. Cue slow-mo fights, hanging out of trees and monkeys humping The Rock’s face. This filmtitled “The Runabout” in the States- made me wish that I had been sitting with some of the guys and a few beers in a smoke laden living room. I wouldn’t be paying money to
view it in the cinema. It’s bad; so bad that it is- in fact- just bad, but kind of fun. It is way too long and Walken must be behind in a few mortgage payments, but your kid brother will love it. There’s an Arnie cameo: he gives the pretender to his burly throne (The Rock) a good eyeballing. I’m not your kid brother. I might also add I was hung over watching this execrable two hour piece of “entertainment”. One hundred and twenty minutes: the bloody nerve. At least make them short if you’re going to make them like this. Christ I don’t even want to talk about this anymore. (All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy). Casual blasphemy aside, I was happy with the Ireland versus Wales result. It was a bit of a return to form for Brian O’Driscoll with that ridiculous bleached hair, but he won’t get to run right down the centre of the defence in Twickenham. The Johnny Wilkinson deficit hasn’t really hurt them so far and I think we will be shown to be the third best team in the competition. Ah I seem to be running out of space. So to recap: film bad, rugby match good.
quite weird for them because they were thrown into these scenes together and they didn’t know each other so they actually genuinely became closer and closer and closer as the movie progressed.” This strategy brings with it the danger of relying on a chemistry that might not be there – in which case the whole film could collapse. Golden was well aware of the potential pitfalls, “It’s like a high-wire act, just the two of them, and if they don’t work then you’re screwed, you don’t have anything.” Fortunately, in The Honeymooners the chemistry was there and they did work very well together. Golden is full of praise for Jonathan Byrne and Alex Reid, “We just got lucky because they do work very well together, and there is a really nice balance between the two, and it’s a way of working which was very instinctive, so we were definitely fortunate to have two actors who were able to bring a life to the characters.” I asked Golden if he saw anything of himself in the characters of David and Claire, “Hopefully not too much of me is in them because they’re fairly neurotic types…I was very interested in making a romantic comedy with people that I kind of could identify with, I was getting tired of seeing romantic comedies with people in high-powered jobs, living in great – you know, the Friends thing – I didn’t know anyone like
that. So I was more interested in finding people that were more familiar to me. I was interested in having slightly lonely characters, slightly fucked up characters… they’re not particularly heroic. There’s probably bits of me in them, but hopefully more bits of people I’m interested in, or people I know.” Asked about the supporting characters, and in particular the Donegal ‘natives’, uniquely Irish in their eccentricities, Golden responds “To me the Dublin characters are nastier and more vicious” he explained, but as regards the Donegal characters, “It sounds very cold but if you’re making a film about two people stuck in a location that they’re not used to, that’s unfamiliar to them, whether it’s space or it’s Donegal you need people in that location to provide obstacles for them, and that’s what we did. It was certainly meant to be humorous, it was meant to be part of the adventure, and Larry, who they end up going to, in a way he’s right, he says, ‘You’re Dublin fucking hippies’ and they are Dublin hippies, he’s absolutely right.” This kind of honesty is what is most impressive about Golden’s work. With immediate plans to promote Honeymooners while working on other projects in London, Golden seems set to become the ever-cliched next big thing.
The Missing Director: Ron Howard Cast: Cate Blanchett, Tommy Lee Jones, Evan Rachel Wood Patrick Bresnihan Set in New Mexico in 1885 The Missing is essentially a twenty first century western. Instead of the brooding, unshaven cowboy our heroine comes in the form of the pretty, smooth faced Maggie Gilkenson (Blanchett). The bad guys are the ruthless apache Indians who kidnap Maggie’s daughter, along with seven other young girls, with the intention of selling them across the border in Mexico. Within this basic story-line we find the sub plot of Maggie’s father, Samuel Jones, played by Tommy Lee Jones, who has returned years after deserting her and her mother. From the initial, inevitable hostility, their relationship becomes stronger as they both set off, with Lily (Evan Rachel Wood), Maggie’s younger daughter, to rescue the girls. Thus ensues a quick paced film packed full of mini adventures which come thick and fast as the mission to rescue the girls reaches its ultimate climax, or three. With the story unfolding, director Ron Howard manages to capture the majestic landscape quite beautifully, especially the sense of vulnerability and scale in such extremities. Indeed if one was being pedantic, Blanchett’s beautiful skin and delicate features seem a little out of place in such a harsh setting. Forgetting such trivialities there are many positive things about this film. In terms of escapism it doesn’t get much better than this. The
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cinematography, as mentioned, is excellent. The acting is fine; Lee Jones is his usual gruff self and Blanchett as the tough, persecuted single mother of two copes admirably. Unfortunately such features are unforgivably overshadowed by the very frustrating over-kill at the ending.. For some inexplicable reason the makers of this film decided to turn this enjoyable ninety minute film into a two hour mini epic which was never warranted. Not happy enough with one climax at the end, the writers greedily added in two more and in doing so left me, and much of the audience, with a sour taste in my mouth. Despite this abomination of film editing and writing The Missing is worth a watch, if only for the scenery.
Arts Editor
Trinity News
ARTS
Barry White
2nd March 2004
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Smells Like Teen Spirit - Teenage Kicks at the RHA
Janine Gordon - I’m a Human Bomb Barry White
T
eenage Kicks at the RHA presents photographic and video works by ten artists, all based on the teenagers and their world. Ranging from the utopian vision of Justine Kurland’s photographs, in which teenage girls appear as nymph like entities roaming free in a paradise world to Janine Gordon and Lauren Greenfield’s depictions of a frightening, almost animalistic sexual energy, the works in the show explore a wide range of aspects of the teenager’s experience. American artist Brian Finke is represented by five photographs of cheerleaders and football players, the upper echelon of American high school society. Two of the photographs stand out – Cheerleading# 115 is a photograph of a girl in full cheerleading garb holding a tray with her lunch of burger, chips and ketchup. She is at dead centre of the composition, and her bright costume and radiant face stand sharply against the dull background of the image. Her posture, hair and makeup are flawless, however she evinces an almost predatory confidence her grace is undercut by the sense of a cat like readiness to pounce.
Football#10" is a head and shoulders portrait of a fresh faced, blonde haired, blue eyed footballer. Like the cheerleader, his face is radiant, but again the sense of a threatening force is evident – one of the young man’s eyes is obscured in shadow, and the harsh angularity of his spiked fringe and the peak of his cap add to the sense of an incipient violence. Bob Negryn’s strangely beautiful large-scale portrait Isabelle in Pink Hoody, Galway, Summer 2002 instantly calls to mind images of the Virgin Mary. The girl is silhouetted against the sky, her head tilted slightly with a halo like hood upon it. The subject of the photograph is completely unselfconscious, and the distant look in her eyes, combined with the image’s religious connotations seem to suggest that she is absorbed in some kind of spiritual, mystical experience. However, her braces, unkempt hair and cheap digital watch bring her back down to earth. She appears suspended between two worlds, that of the mundane and that of the mystical. This idea of the teenager as possessor of a spiritual or mystical understanding of existence is further explored in Justine Kurland’s astonishingly beautiful photographs
of teenage girls, the titles of which include Rain Dance and Guardian Angel. In Rain Dance, two girls splash about in a muddy pool, the title investing this scene of teenage horse play with a shamanic significance. In Graffiti, perhaps the single most exquisite image in the entire show, a girl perches barefoot on a rock beside a pond, wholly absorbed in her task of colouring the surrounding flora with a can of pink spray paint. The photograph captures the jet of spray paint from the can in mid air, adding to the girl’s nymph like appearance – it is as if she is scattering fairy dust around the landscape, enriching it with a magical hue. In Guardian Angel, a
Brain Finke - Football No 109
Rebels with a cause Gwen Graham
R
ampant consumerism, Hollywood movies, the Cold War, Abstract Expressionism; the vortex that was 1950’s America, and out of it came many of the elements of "teenagers" that we know today. Go down to Temple Bar any Saturday afternoon, especially in the area near the Temple Bar Music Centre and you will see hundreds of teenagers, mainly dressed in black, looking at once miserable, euphoric, menacing and slightly bewildered. Versions of the template first set by James Dean, Marlon Brando and other 50’s teen idols. Taking Hollywood movies as a way to explore the birth of the teenager, look at American movies before the 1950’s. The teenager was not a group apart, stars such as Mickey Rooney played roles in which the teenager was either a mini adult or an overgrown child, and usually teemed up with a similar female counterpart like Judy Garland. What happened in the 1950’s that
brought about seething, brooding and volatile anti-heroes like James Dean and Marlon Brando? American big business made a discovery in the 1950’s, and that was that teenagers had disposable income. With money to spend the teenager was targeted as a consumer group in their own right, and products were created especially for them- films, music, food, magazines and clothes. The teenager was not cultural sub-group but a consumer group, for whom cultural items were produced. At the same time in America the Cold War was being waged. A country deeply insular and conservative was battling with Soviet Russia. Despite America’s distaste for the avant-garde, and especially abstract painting which had been brought to America by refugee artists from Europe, it was clear that abstraction could be seen as a form of freedom, compared to the prescriptive propagandist art that was Socialist Realism in the USSR. In a countermove, to prove that America was the
James Dean
blonde haired girl finds sanctuary in a most unusual setting – she sits on an embankment behind a m o t o r w a y guardrail, a peaceful, contemplative look on her face. Janine Gordon’s series of silver gelatin prints, I’m a H u m a n Bomb is a striking series of images of young men dancing at an outdoor concert. The grainy, smoky effect which results from Gordon’s chosen pho-
land of the free, abstraction was promoted, but only the works of American painters. Thus characters such as Jackson Pollock were enlisted to fight the good fight against the communists. Ironic, for Pollock had previously, in the 1930’s, had strong ties with Marxism, but this was conveniently overlooked. So what does Pollock have to do with the birth of the teenager? Tied up with the notion of freedom that permitted abstract expressionism a central place in American art, was the concept of the virile American male. This man was supposedly unhindered by ideology and free to chart his own course in life, unlike his counterpart in Russia. Pollock was promoted as a free and virile artist. Hollywood in the 1950’s gave their teenage audiences actors like Brando and Dean, playing the roles of rebels and outsiders exuding a highly charged sexuality. Stills from their movies became iconic images of that age and beyond. Behind this seeming freedom of American manhood, there lay not far from the surface the opposite. These were men who were easily manipulated to suit American hegemony. Pollock, far from being the rebel painter who discovered freedom in the large canvas, was in fact a dupe to his rich patrons. His first large canvas was not his own invention, but was stipulated by Peggy Guggenheim to fill a 20-foot long hallway in her new apartment. Beneath the apparent rebelliousness of Dean’s and Brando’s on screen characters lay on all to obvious infantile-like vulnerability. They could rebel but it had to be shown all too clearly that this streak within their personalities could be readily reigned in and harnessed to American ideology. So today’s teenager whether in America or here in Europe owes much of their traits to 1950’s teen idols, as Hollywood movies were exported far and wide. Teenagers are now a more heavily targeted consumer group than they were in 1950’s America. The resulting dichotomy of rebel and conformer within the teenage personality is still apparent, and is it stretching the argument to say that all teenagers, European included, are still being harnessed to American ideology? What are teenagers consuming here in Ireland? American burgers, American soft drinks, American music, American movies, American fashion….
tographic technique, combined with the aggressive, animalistic energy of the young men as well as the intense violence suggested by the title, makes it difficulty at first to ascertain whether this is a concert or a street riot. Several of the young men wear dust masks or scarves wrapped around their faces, and this factor, combined with the murky atmosphere of the images and the graininess of the prints conjures up notions of a post apocalyptic world. Gordon’s photographs are irregularly cut around their edges, and are clipped directly onto the wall, adding greatly to their sense of immediacy. Edward Barber’s large scale digital c-type prints of teenagers in their bedrooms are enlarged from 10x8 polaroids. Charlotte and Sonya are the subjects of the two barber works in Teenage Kicks. Both images show the girls in their bedrooms, both seem relaxed and confident, however the disarray of their bedrooms suggests the chaotic aspect of the teenage psyche. Sheena tries on clothes with Amber, 15, in a department store dressing room, San Jose, California is one of four works on show by Lauren Greenfield, whose photographs deal primarily with adoles-
cent self image. The sense of predatory, almost violent teenage sexual energy hinted at elsewhere in the show is taken up most explicitly in this photo. Sheena is trying on a skimpy top, and harshly squeezes her breasts together to increase her cleavage. She is totally absorbed in her own reflection. The camera angle which Greenfield uses diminishes the scale of Sheena’s friend who sits on the floor of the dressing room, suggesting that she is far from Sheena’s mind. Sheena’s face is violently animated with a sexual energy. Julika Rudelius’ Train is a video piece of a group of young men discussing their sexual escapades. Their brash, misogynistic attitude is at first shocking, but is soon deflated when they begin to reveal their fears and inadequacies. Shot from a position behind the young men, with the back of a train seat obscuring their faces, the video has an unnerving sense of voyeurism and anonymity about it. Teenage Kicks presents views of a wide range of aspects of teenage life, however all of the works on show are united by their sensitivity, insight and technical excellence. Highly Recommended.
5 of the best in Dublin vision has been influenced greatly by his extensive travels in India. Exhibition in Memory of Dorothy Walker at IMMA, Kilmainham until June 27 This show, commemorating the influential writer and critic, Dorothy Walker features works by many of the big names in 20th century Irish art including Louis Le Brocquy, Mainie Jellett, Evie Hone, Camille Souter, Patrick Scott, Sean Scully and Patrick Ireland. Callum Innes at The Kerlin Gallery, Anne’s Lane until March 20 Callum Innes’ sublime abstract paintings have been described as ‘unpaintings’, due to his unusual technique which involves removing layers of paint with washes of turpentine in order to create the compositional elements of the paintings. This show of new works at the Kerlin includes Monologue Seven (see illustration) and my personal favourite, Two Identified Forms, an elegant work reminiscent of the colour field paintings of Clifford Still.
Callum Innes - Monologue Seven Barry White For those of you who aren’t imprisoned over the Easter break by that cruel mistress, the dissertation, there are a number of shows on in Dublin at the moment that are well worth a visit. Teenage Kicks at the RHA Gallery, Ely place until March 14 My personal favourite of the shows running in Dublin at the moment, see above review.
Francesco Clemente – New Works at IMMA, Kilmainham until April 25 The first major exhibition of this renowned Italian artist in Ireland, this show comprises some 60 works, including oil paintings, frescoes, pastels and watercolours, most of which are being shown publicly for the first time. First emerging as part of the Italian Transavanguardia movement in the 1970’s, Clemente’s unique
Francesco Clemente - Love
New Frontiers at The National Gallery March 3 until May 30 This show of works from the ten new EU Member States consists of some sixty works by artists from Cyprus, The Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, The Slovak Republic and Slovenia from the period 1850 to 1950. According to the National Gallery, the show aims to demonstrate that "artistically, each of these ten countries has in the past participated and shared in Europe’s rich cultural heritage."
Francesco Clemente at Imma
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FASHION
Trinity News 2nd March 2004
Marianne Craig
S
bring this look bang up to date. If money's too tight to mention Penny's do a lovely lemon yellow canvas purse for 3 euros, so at least your coppers will have something stylish to rattle around in. Finally, if hiding your light under a bushel's your thing Topshop have a yellow easter chick thong, 4.50 euros. So, you've embraced yellow accessories now it's time to build yourself up (buttercup) to some clothes. The easiest and most cost effective route is by buying a yellow vest or t-shirt. Topshop and Miss Selfridge both stock these but you'll find the cheapest in Dunnes Stores. If you feel ready to branch out a bit Miss Selfridge have a cute plaid mini in lemon and grey for 38 euros, team with white pumps ( Barrets 44 euros) and a grey crew neck t-shirt ( Dunnes Stores, 6 euros) f or a demure preppy look. Yellow also works well by night. Morgan has a racy halterneck for just under 40 euro. N.B Bypass the tropical print flamenco dress and bolero jacket combo unless your name's Nancy and you're dating Sven Goran Erikson. Pennys do a lemon vest with black polka dots that would look great with jeans and heels. It's a snip a 7 euro but be prepared to pay a much higher mental price when you're serenaded with " yellow polka dot bikini" ( the Timmy Mallet cover version) at 3am outside Q Bar. If you decide to make one yellow investment piece let it be Miss Selfridge's stunning knee length wool coat for under 100 euro. Posh Spice wore an almost identical one by Dolce&Gabanna recently ( but don't let that put you off). One word of advice though, ditch the nasty plastic belt in favour of a sumptuous black ribbon. With so many styles available for every price range, this is a fun and easy look to achieve. There’s no need to be yellow-bellied about it, find the shade that suits you and go bananas. Whether you opt for a gentle lemon shade or vivid egg yolk, you’re guaranteed to stand out from the crowd (or get mistaken for a garda).
The Agony & The Ecstacy
dave ring
Sex + City = Metrosexual
Mellow Yellow pring has sprung and the shops are awash with pastel, the most fashion forward of which is a colour previously reserved for post it notes and gender indiscriminate babygrows- yellow. They call it mellow yellow, that's tripe. In difficult to wear terms this one's right up there with the micro mini. Done well it's a fresh clean look ( a fact not lost on the makers of Jif), but do it badly and you'll look as jaundiced as Pammy post contraction of hepatitis C. If you don't want to look like you'd benefit from a few hours in an incubator there are a few simple rules to follow. Acid yellows look best with dark skin and hair and should be teamed with black. Primrose shades are kindest to pale brunettes, match these with moss green and soft blues. If your just back from your holida ys/the electric beach or you've made a serious dent in a bottle of sunshimmer lemon provides a much subtler way than white of showing it off. Sherbet shades should be complimented with grey or denim. Mustard shades are the preserve of red heads, however, you'll be hard pressed to find these in the high street so a trip to George’s Street Arcade may be in order. Still not convinced it's the "colour-mebeautiful" answer to your prayers? Accessories are a gentle way of introducing it into your wardrobe. The safest way is by keeping it as far away from your face as possible and investing in some footwear. River Island does a pair of pointy kitten heels at £65. The trend for perspex jewellery has continued into summer '04. Claire's Accessories has the best selection, pick of the bunch is a banana yellow polka dot bangle, 5.50 and round chunky studs at 3.50. Work the Joaney from Happy Days look with a high ponytail (hair ribbon optional). Miss Selfr idge does a gorgeous wide leather belt at 15 euros, which would look great slung low on the hip over last season's black jersey minidress. Add black leggings underneath to
Fashion Editor
Jeananne Craig
A
new breed of decadent dandies has been unleashed on the streets of Dublin. They prowl their natural habitat of exclusive bars and restaurants to see and be seen by the other wildlife, survive on a diet of leaves (in strict adherence to Dr Atkins) slumber under sunbeds, and are known to swap make-up tips with the females of the species. Well aware that city life is all about survival of the fittest, these creatures will fork out hundreds on a short back and sides, cleanse tone and moisturise thrice daily and spend hours choosing an outfit to pop out for some low-fat milk. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Metrosexual. Writer Mark Simpson, who coined the term, defines the metrosexual as someone who has “clearly taken himself as his own love object, and pleasure as his sexual preference”. Simpson attributes this rise in male narcissism to advertising executives who felt that men weren’t spending enough money on clothing and cosmetics. They championed that nailpainting, sarong sporting, bastion of bling David Beckham, and encouraged men to enter shops, instead of just waiting outside for their wife or girlfriend. Instead of bringing home the bacon, they were persuaded to bring home the beauty products. As a result, the metrosexual is, according to Simpson, “like male vanity products and herpes…pretty much everywhere”. Any men who have metrosexual urges but want to be certain before they take the leap and ‘come out’ can try an online quiz at www.liquidgeneration.com. Questions include “What have you gotten waxed?”, “You’re out drinking with your buddies. What do you drink?” and “Take a look at these shoes. Which pair do you like best?”. If you turn out to be a raving metrosexual, do not fear, there is sensitive advice and fashion guidance out there for you. DaCapo Press have recently published Michael Flocker’s ‘The Metrosexual Guide to Style: A Handbook for the Moder n Man’. According to Flocker, “fear is out and fun is in…after a long and dreary exile, the peacock has reemerged”. The book resembles a 1950s etiquette guide, with sections devoted to advice on table manners, air kissing (“a joining of hands and then a quick peck on both cheeks”), art and culture and good grooming. Flocker devotes a large section to fashion, the metrosexual’s raison d’etre. The book provides aspiring metrosexuals with a guide to what to wear, and when. The key to success, he informs the reader, lies in careful consideration rather than simply dressing “obnoxiously” to draw attention to yourself. Flocker warns against loud patterns, pleated jeans, and gym socks with shoes. He
provides a guide to what colours to wear, and when. Red, with its fiery passion, is apparently “always good to throw in on a date”. Crucially, it is always better to be slightly overdressed than underdressed. According to Mark Simpson, uber-metrosexual David Beckham uses his wife and children as stylish accessories. Now that young Romeo is nearing those distinctly unglamorous terrible twos, and Mrs B’s musical comeback has crashed and burned, I think David may want to reassess his choice of adornments and opt for a simple belt or watch. Flocker’s guide is somewhat sparse on accessory advice, but he does advocate a slim money clip for all that cash you’ll be spending. A bulging wallet will, he cautions, “only produce unsightly lumps in all the wrong places”. Futhermore, readers are reminded that for all the stylish metrosexual threads you invest in, your shoes can still give you away. A number of the latest designer menswear collections reflect this new trend for the self-indulgent new man in touch with his femininity. Armani’s Autumn-Winter 2004 collection embraces metrosexual fashion, with velvet suits, cashmere sweaters and silk eveningwear. According to Armani, he is “dressing a man who dares to show tenderness”. Aaaw. At Gucci Menswear, Tom Ford, “celebrating a playboy”, showcased sumptuous fabrics, pastel pink blouson jackets, tight white trousers and crocodile-skin shoes. The high street is also heralding the hedonistic metrosexual. Topman has a range of pretty in pastel T-shirts, multicoloured striped softwool sweaters and a plethora of wristbands to match every outfit. Zara Menswear stocks a good collection of pastel coloured crinkled shirts, and River Island is selling a very metrosexual selection of slip-on loafers and artfully distressed jeans. Dublin boasts numerous gyms, shops, hairdressers and beauticians for the slicker city slicker. However, men who decide to wave bye-bye to butch must take care. Metrosexuality is an art form. If you do decide to pluck your eyebrows, make sure you don’t get too tweezer-happy. Excessive plucking can lead to a permanent rabbit-in-headlights expression. Also, as Flocker advises, remember to wash hands after applying fake tan; “nothin g gives the game away like tanned palms”. Finally, avoid overkill when constructing outfits. It is easy to get carried away with metrosexual fashion and start to get mistaken for Laurence Llewelyn Bowen or Dame Barbara Cartland. For best results, find a happy medium between Tarzan and Jane.
Emma Weafer
S
hoes are a very great passion of mine, practically a fetish. So you can imagine my delight upon being asked to pen an article in homage to them. I am, what Marian Keyes likes to call, an "Imelda". She coined this moniker in honour of Imelda Marcos. The original shoe aficionado, she was reputed to have had as many as 3,000 pairs! Now, I’m not that bad. I’m not even as bad as the wonderful lady I met in London who had an entire wardrobe devoted to her hobby. She kept all her pairs in their original boxes like collectable Barbie dolls – this smacks of overkill, even to me! But I reckon I still deserve the title of "Imelda", as many of my long-suffering friends will testify after a night or two helping me totter over Dublin’s cobbled pavements
Most Imeldas have a yen for shoes of any and all descriptions, from custom Nikes with coloured gel in the heels that match their rucksacks to dinky beach sandals with flowery attachments to killer knee-high boots. My own fetish is rather more specified – I’m a slave to the high heel. Especially the stiletto. You cannot possible envisage the depth of my excitement when the stiletto started to come back into fashion last year. I waited with baited breath to see if this new trend would be but a nostalgic flash in the pan or if it would explode into a full-on craze. And here we are, safely into 2004 and Grafton Street is lined end-to-end with sensational pointy creations in a dazzling array of heelheight, colour and pattern. Much to the chagrin of my bank balance I have treated myself to no less than five new pairs in the last seven weeks. Oh but they’re worth it! I may have to sit in my flat admiring them on my own for the next seven weeks before I can afford to take them out but when I
do they’ll be the toast of the town! The first pair caught my eye in Korky’s, just before Christmas. Tasteful yet up-to-the-minute stylish, an elegant black heel, perhaps 3.5 inches in height, white leather upper with a plastic black overlay that closely resembles fishnet, they served me well over the holiday season. I fell prey next to the delights of Nine West. Usually I just hang about outside the window and drool a lot, as this outlet tends to cater to very-much-higher-end market. And as much as I’d like to pretend otherwise, I must admit that I’m not actually Sarah Jessica Parker and I can’t blow a month’s rent on new Manolo Blahniks whenever the mood strikes! But this time I was in luck – not only was it the early stages of the January Sale but my darling baby sister had managed to land herself a job in the aforementioned haven! So pair number two, a symphony in royal blue with a black swoosh, in the classic court shoe style, came with a heavily discounted price tag that eased my conscience somewhat. Then it happened. The frenzy. The spree. Pairs three, four and five wound their way into my possession all on the same day. It was a Saturday, I was in town looking for a birthday present for my flatmate, but somehow… the shoe shops lured me in like the Sirens of Homer’s Odyssey. First stop Barratts, and within minutes a second pair of royal blue stilettos were somehow mine. They are different from the ones I liberated from Nine West though, honest! These are a good inch higher and have a fetching ankle strap detail rather than a black swoosh. See? Totally different! My conscience caught me up after this little distraction and I went about my business as originally intended. Indeed, I was making my way homewards and away from the traps of Grafton Street when the worst happened. I made the dreadful mistake of cutting down Exchequer Street and past Shoe Rack. Somehow I’ve never noticed this place before. The only shoe outlet worthy of note in my memory was Buffalo which is usually a safe enough gauntlet to run due to its propensity to stock only practical shoes. Oh sure, sometimes I tell myself I’m going to get myself kitted out in a pair of glittery Shirley Temple-Bar-style trainers and take up some serious exercise but we all know how long those kinds of resolutions last... I digress. The point is that I met my fate with pairs four and five in this new (to me) Aladdin’s Cave known as Shoe Rack. Pair four were a bold step forward for me – kitten heels! A lovely pair of slouchy black suede three-quarter-length boots with the most adorably stubby wee heels I’d ever laid eyes on. But the pièce de résistance came in the form of a pair of five-inch femme fatale fuck-me-shoes. The heel is black; the upper is shiny patent leather. They start off a deep midnight purple/blue colour that’s almost black at the very point of the (very pointy!) toe. This fades in a gradient of colour towards about half way down the shoe, whereupon it melts into purest snow white… And so the frenzy ended, leaving me with no doubt in my mind that Marian herself would be proud of me!
Trinity News
COMMENT & LETTERS Trinity News
Letters to the Editor
House 6 2nd Floor D.U. Publications Trinity College Dublin 2 Phone: +353 1 6082335 Fax: +353 1 6082656 E-mail: trinity.news@tcd.ie
College and Student Union criticised Dear Madam, I am writing in response to your article in last issue “SWSS and Sinn Fein disciplined over Taoiseach protest”. Trinity’s long tradition of censorship and jack booted fascism continues apace. It is disgraceful that the Socialist Workers and Sinn Fein were punished for a legitimate protest. College’s knee jerk response didn’t even deal with all the players involved. Their ineptitude prevented them meting out punishment to Labour (though some would say being in Labour was punishment enough). College’s inconsistencies exercise only some of my vitriol though, the remainder of which is reserved for the meek rabbits running the SU. It amazes me that our Students Union, supposedly the
representatives of students’ interests, proffered no more reaction to the appearance of “De Boss” at the Ed Burke than a petition of 1000 signatures. The notice afforded them of Ahern’s visit in your own publication in Issue 5, 20th January 2004, presented them with ample time to organise some manner of protest. It stupefies the imagination they couldn’t take the time to represent student interests and offer more than a token gesture against the recent cutbacks in education. Our largely ineffectual SU have a public profile like that of a trained ninja: there are puffs of smoke, some spectacle and someone gets hurt. Another article on last issue’s front page (“SU Education Officer under criticism) only serves to confirm such claims. The conduct of the comely Ms Fychan
Crossword
as portrayed in your paper is symptomatic of the wider inefficacy and incompetence of the Union as a whole. Having observed her throughout the year, I can only conclude that her prime competence lies in standing behind a microphone at hustings. Their successors, another generation of social climbers and House Six hacks, look set to continue the trend of being about as useful as the “no talking” signs in the Lecky library. At least we can be grateful for the fact that we now have a year before we have to see the faces of a new group of wannabe hacks staring down at us from our notice boards. Can’t wait. Phil Neville
Good going Trinity’s First XV Dear Madam, I was sorry to see that support for the First XV in College Park on Saturday for the vital match against DLSP (recently in the First Division of the AIL) was less than the team itself deserved. It was (as we might have expected) a hard and closely fought contest from beginning to end, and the forwards acquitted themselves in the highest traditions of the club. They were magnificent throughout, even when reduced for twenty minutes in the second half by the sin-binning of two players (for reasons that were not entirely evident to me)to seven men. College rugby players have never lacked for courage, and this team is no Letters can be e-mailed to trinity.news@tcd.ie or sent to The Editor, Trinity News, House 6, TCD, Dublin 2. Although there is no limit of length on letters, most letters range from 50 to 200 words. Brevity is encouraged. Please include the following contact information: name, mailing address, e-mail address and evening phone number (where applicable).
exception. But the match would not have been won had it not been for the coolness of Keelan McGowan. His last-minute conversion of a penalty for a 12-9 win was a fitting reward for the heroics of the forwards. But in close contests of this kind we must be content at times to kick for field position (in the manner of a Ronan O'Gara) and run at the opposition in their own half. The backs were at times over-ambitious, and on another day such over-ambition can turn hard-won victory into narrow defeat. Very best wishes, Gerald Morgan
Under no circumstances can the publication of a letter be guaranteed. All submitted letters must bear the name of at least one named individual. ‘Petition’ signatures will not be published. To ensure accurate attribution, authors are encouraged to include their full name, class year (if graduate or undergraduate of TCD), or any relevant affiliations.
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COARSE CLOTH FOR MAKING SAILS (6) PERSON MAKING A DEBUT (8) MOST IMPORTANT (9) PLACE OF NAPOLEON'S DEFEAT (8) TISSUE IN THE THROAT (6) CAPITAL OF TURKEY (6) A HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGE (6) FALL (6) SECTION AT THE END OF A BOOK (8) ACCEPT WITHOUT PROTEST (9) SAYING LITTLE (8) STYLISH (6)
SLOPE (4) STEP, ONE OF A SET (5) PART OF A CAR (4) UNIT OF WEIGHT (3) SAYING THE SAME IN DIFFERENT WORDS (9) APOCALYPSE (10) LIST OF WORDS WITH SIMILAR MEANING (9) BLACK HAIRY SPIDER (9) INUIT (6) A FORD MODEL (6) TRANSMIT (9) MISSES (5) SPIRITUAL TEACHER (4) NOT ATTRACTIVE (4) GREEK LETTER(3)
2nd March 2004
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Trinity News Editorial Staf f 2003/2004 Editor: Deputy Editor: TNT Editor: Campus News: Student News: Forum: Features: Science: Arts: Theatre: Music: Film: Books: Fashion: Gaeilge: Sports: Picture Editor:
Renata McDonnell Conall Bolger John Hollingworth Ian Carey Leah Finnegan Rory Loughnane Neasa Cunniffe Kirsten Bratke Barry White Patrick Stewart Derek Owens Ruth Ni Eidhin Laura Dixon Dave Ring Tommy Connolly Matt Pitt Graham Mooney
WRITERS: David Reubin Symington, Abigail Semple, Ann-Marie Ryan, Niamh Fleming-Farrell, Rikka Jokelainen, Kate Dean, Louise White, Liam Dillion, Nem Kearns, Peter Sexon, Deirbhle O’Reilly, Dave Lawler, Katherine Woods, Clar Ni Mhuiris, Gwen Graham, Robert Portsmouth, Fionnuala Finnerty, Kate Gillen, Jenny Glencross, Eileen O’Brien, Aibhle O’Reilly, Patrick Bresnihan, Jeananne Craig, Marianne Craig, Emma Wheafer, Conor Waring and DUFC. MANY THANKS TO: The Publications Committee, Therese Mac An Airchinnigh, theUniversity Record, David of Grounds Staff, Catering, Pat Morey & the Security Staff, the Switchboard, the Mail Office, the Cleaning Staff and everyone who assisted in the compilation of this mammoth production.
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Trinity News
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Sport Editor Matt Pitt
2nd March 2004
Return to top form for Trinity fencing team VALENTINE’S WEEKEND saw the Luce Hall transformed, as Ireland’s top duellists converged on Trinity for the 2004 I n t e r v a r s i t y Championships. The level of talent present at this year’s event was exceptional; it was clear that true team effort and a focussed campaign was going to be necessary to battle through the two-day, six-weapon event (the overall result is calculated on a club’s performance in pools across all weapons). This year also saw the return of NUI Maynooth after a year’s absence, bringing the number of universities represented to six. The Men’s Épée began on Saturday morning, with Trinity finishing in third place behind rivals UCD and Queen’s University Belfast, after a sterling effort against formidable opposition in what is arguably the toughest event. The Sabre also proved testing. However a 5-4 victory over UCD was a clear highlight. A solid performance and determination saw Ladies Captain Vanessa
Cazzato lead her team to second place in the Foil. After Saturday night’s revelry, the Men’s team were permitted a late start as the ladies began with the Épée. UCD dominated the event and Trinity took third. After lunch, the Men’s Foil emerged as a close fought contest between Trinity, Queen’s and UCD. After five weapons had been fenced it was clear that UCD were going to be this year’s victors, however Trinity still had everything to play for as an epic battle for second place unfolded with UCC and Queen’s. The Ladies’ Sabre saw Coleraine (UUC) emerge as dark horses, with five colossal victories. After two solid days of fencing, the rankings were still so close that the overall result had to be decided on the basis of the final two matches. A hush fell over the room as an inspired Coleraine side took a 6-3 victory over Cork. The tension in the Trinity camp was acute, as Léonie Van Hausen, Áine Whelan and Kate Harvey took on Queen’s, every point in their favour greeted with a rap-
turous applause. A single hit by Áine Whelan was enough to seal the victory for Trinity, seeing the Club through to overall third place. The individual trophies were won by Suzanne Clayton (Trinity, Foil), Virginie Gautier (UCD, Épée), Sarah Julicher (UCD, Sabre), Conor Nagle (UCD, Foil), David Cahill (Trinity, Epee) and Gareth Sykes (Queen’s, Sabre). This solid performance echoes a dramatic comeback for the Club, as Irish University fencing has been dominated by UCD. The arrival of coaches David Couper (St. Andrew and Salle Duffy) and Irish Olympian Fionbarr Farrell (Salle Duffy and Irish National Team Coach), ensured a memorable Trinity effort. The team are now eagerly anticipating the Colours to be held in the College in mid-March. As the team fixtures draw to a close, the limelight will be shifting to Trinity’s up and coming talent. There will be plenty happening for Novices in the coming weeks, as the Club travels to
Extra Time
Sandymount on March 1st, for a friendly with Salle Duffy. After a memorable weekend’s fencing in West Cork last November, all of our newcomers will looking forward to this year’s DIT Novice Cup, to be held on March 6th. All novices are welcome to fence in these events! Just drop an email to Kate, the Club Secretary, at harveyk@tcd.ie.
Results Skiing intervarsities The all Dublin skiing intervarsities were held on Saturday 21st February up at Kilternan dry ski slope. With a full crowd watching, the Trinity Ski team took on a confident and well-drilled DIT and UCD. The Trinity team included Sara Farravars, just back from representing Ireland in Europe, as well as the experienced Fergus Garvin, Mike Freedman, and Libby Simmington. With the races being conducted as relays, we faced a tough first heat against the UCD A team. After a close first three runs, Sara Farravars confirmed UCD's defeat with the fastest run of the day. We were then through to face UCD B in the 2nd heat. This Trinity dominated, leaving UCD in their wake. The final saw us up against defending champions DIT A team. Having easily won their way through to the final they were going to be tough to beat. Garvin and Freedman held their opposite numbers expertly, but it was Simmington, who out of the blocks before her opponent, did not look back. With the crucial lead taken by Simmington, Sara Farravars was able to sweep Trinity to victory and the cup. This was a great win for Trinity with the Ski team proving its dominance in this category.
If you’re interested in fencing, check out the DUFC website at www.tcd.ie/Clubs/Fencing, for up to date info on the Club. New members are always welcome to training, now on Mondays from 56.30pm and Thursdays from 5-7pm in the Luce Hall. DUFC Men’s Squad: James Stratford (Capt.), Nat O’Connor, Ken Suzuki, David Cahill, Garrett Fagan, Christopher Gambino, Paul Tibbitts, Colm Flynn, Matt Kochis, Gavin Moloney. Ladies Squad: Vanessa Cazzato (Capt.), Kate Harvey, Maria Clair, Melanie Bouroche, Aine Whelan, Leonie Van Hausen, Suzanne Clayton.
Trinity fencers
Photo: Matt Pitt
Trinity squash foes
Trinity taekwondo DUGC inaugural Kerry tour 2004 triumphant
Sean O’Flaherty plays out of a sandtrap in Bundoran
Dave Lawler
UCD’s Barry Doyle kicks Trinity’s Niall Murphy Photo: Matt Pitt
Deirbhle O’Reilly LAST SUNDAY (15thFeb), a band of 11 intrepid fighters set off to UCD to defend Trinity’s honour. The day started off with a bang, with emerging talents Lois James and Rachel Ryan winning 1st and 2nd respectively, in the White belt patterns competition. Lois went on to consolidate this victory with a win in the sparring c o m p e t i t i o n . Unfortunately, this meant that she knocked Rachel to 4th place, as they were up against one another in the semis. Melanie Spaethe was unlucky in the black belt patterns competition but fought remarkably well
in her sparring competition, fighting off stiff competition to win 3rd place. Not to be outdone, the boys had a number of victories of their own, with Richard Magnier winning the white belt patterns competition and Cillian O’Brien securing 3rd place. Simon Deignon was also triumphant, winning the yellow belt patterns competition. The other colour belts fought well in both individual and team competitions but narrowly missed out on trophies to a strong UCD team. Well done to all concerned, who did the club proud!
FOR THE first time in recent years the destination for the golf club's annual tour remained on the green isle. In the past, Trinity golfers have ventured from the mountains of Scotland to the plains of Oxford, in attempts to broaden their golfing repertoire and to maintain the great liaisons, which are held with such presti-
gious club, as St.. George's Hill in Central London. For a change of pace and a new conquest, they headed this February for the hills of Killarney. The first port-of-call on Friday was the small town of Ballybunion, where the team played four fantastic four matches, against one of the strongest oppositions south of the Shannon. Trinity was beaten at the end of the day but good
Photo: Matt Pitt
sport and company was had by all. Next to the daunting McGillicuddy Reeks and the 1st tee greeted the team to Killarney. The game was feisty and competitive as Trinity played themselves. The battle for a place on the colours team was clear! When Sunday arrived, Trinity took on the Junior Cup team in ROOKS in a friendly game but have no doubt, competition was still
alive. The match ended in a draw but it was down to the last putt for the win. In all, the weekend was a huge success and great preparation for the upcoming colours match which awaits in two weeks time. Hopefully this inaugural Kerry tour can be continued in coming years, as it is such a privilege to play some of the best courses in the world.
Mixed results in equestrian intervarsities THERE WAS a fantastic turn out last weekend February21st and 22nd for the annual Equestrian Intervarsities which this year was held in Kill Co. Kildare. Trinity were well represented with 8 show jumpers, 3 dressage riders and prix caprilli riders. It was an all action weekend with the first show jumping round kicking off at 7:30am, just the cure for a sore head. After a very competitive first round with some of the country’s top young riders to battling it out, Laura Murphy and Elaine Doyle progressed to
the 2nd round, however it didn’t quite go Elaine’s way and even Laura’s clear round didn’t secure a place in the finals. The dressage riders had different ideas and after superb rounds by Ruth Chadwick, Siobhan Carroll and Aine Cafferty they managed to achieve second place in what was an extremely competitive competition, On the Sunday morning it was down to the prix caprilli riders to see if they could get some points back on the board for Trinity, but after Saturday night I think
staying on board was an achievement for them. Socially the supporters had nothing to complain about with DJ’s and hypnotist on Friday, a DJ on Saturday night as well as the black tie ball on Sunday night, Trinity even managed to arrange a dare devil pilot to do a fly over and some acrobatics on Saturday afternoon.There were no records broken or too many ribbons brought home but I think all would agree that it was a superb riding weekend.
Aine Cafferty in action Photo: Matt Pitt
Successful season for Trinity Ladies Rugby Katherine Woods
Trinity ladies charge forward
Photo: Matt Pitt
THE 2003/2004 season saw the Trinity Ladies Rugby Club competing in Division 1 of the three All Ireland Leagues. Matches were played against the fittest and most talented players in the country including interprovincial and international players. Competition was against notoriously strong Munster teams (no different in the woman’s game!) such as Shannon and UL/Bohs, as well as the traditional Leinster sides such as Blackrock and Old Belvedere. The Trinity side’s season started badly, however, with a serious injury crisis (not all rugby related - there are several serious drinkers on the team, with accidents to match!). A weaker and less experienced side than Trinity would have liked to field competed most of
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the season. Credit must be given to those players who, despite the injury crisis and at times low moral, continued to turn out to training each week. Sadly Trinity’s first season in Division 1 went without them scoring a win, although bonus points and the fact that they played all their matches means they will not be relegated and the players will welcome another chance in this league next season. Following the league Trinity entered into the All Ireland Cup competition, which is still ongoing and the students are enjoying much more success. Comfortably through the first two rounds with wins against Youghal and St Mary’s, Trinity will face fellow division 1 rivals Galwegians this weekend. Galwegians knocked Trinity out in the semi-final of the Cup
in an away match last season, so with the home advantage this time with the students they are out for revenge! In a busy season Trinity also competed in the College’s league against other universities, colleges and IT’s this year. This started successfully with a convincing win against IT Tralee, but subsequent losses to WIT and the University of Limerick meant Trinity failed to make the playoffs in this competition. Trinity have yet to play their annual Colours match against UCD this season. With a track record exactly opposite that of the Men’s Club (Trinity Ladies have yet to lose to the Oiks!) this is set to be a good match. This year the game will be played away so any support would be gratefully welcomed –details to follow!
What all will agree was a very enjoyable weekend, Trinity managed to take home one of the two titles on offer at the intervarsities this weekend in Galway. The calibre of squash was the best that has been seen in a long time at the Intervarsities as it is often the case that people are dragged along at the last minute who have barely picked up a racket before! Not so this year however. With the noted exception of Roland Budd who couldn’t make it this time around, Trinity fielded a strong Mens’ A with 3 internationals taking the first three spots – Niall Rooney, Aidan Sharkey and Brian Byrne. All won their games convincingly in the final edging out the talented UCD to bring the trophy back to Trinity once more. Youssef el Gohary and Karlis Zauers were key members of the team, bringing the team to victory in the earlier rounds. The most exciting match was undoubtedly the final when matches were tied at 2-2, and the no.1s went on. Niall Rooney took on David Corbett of UCD in a closely fought battle that literally went down to the wire. Niall went 2-1 up but David was going to lose that easily. He edged back to 2-2 and managed to have a match point in the 5th game before his nerves got the better of him (to our delight!) and Niall went onto win the match. The Mens’ B did well considering they had to forfeit 2 games on Friday night due to travel problems. They lost narrowly to NUIG in the final with veteran (!) Rob O’Farrell leading the team and newcomers Ray Lambe, Paddy Frankel, Dave Morrissey and Oisin Zimmerman doing Trinity proud. Meanwhile in the Ladies event, we had a squad of 7 players for 5 positions on the team; such is the depth of ladies squash in Trinity. The ladies enjoyed an easy route to the final with comfortable wins over RCSI and Queens, Belfast. However, the final was a more evenly matched affair. The team cruised to a 2-1 lead with the help of wins from Aisling Blake and Trish Ryan while Coilin Crehan lost after a 4 game battle. Emer Rooney playing at no.4 was unlucky to lose her match and once more all the pressure rested on the shoulders of dentistry student Katie Wilson when the matches were tied at 2-2. Unfortunately the experience of the Galway international proved to be too strong in this tie. Galway took the cup home for a second year while Trinity vowed for revenge in Belfast in 2005!
Trinity lose in Sailing Colours 5 – 1 to UCD When tactical sailing was needed on a light wind day at Dun Laoghaire. Trinity failed to inspire. The only hope came from Ronan Murphy’s team inspired by team guru Dave Carter. They won their races taking first, second and third in both heats. Giving some hope to future sailing in Trinity. The team consisted of Ronan Murphy and Andrew Mannion, Ronan Hughes and Marty Mollony, Nial Cowman and Emily Hogan.
Extra Time compiled by Matt Pitt and Matt Smith
Trinity News
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S PORT
Vol 56 No. 6 2nd March 2004 trinity.news@tcd.ie
Sport Editor Matt Pitt
Sydney take honours in McNamara challenge match Dublin University 15pts Sydney University 29pts. February 22nd 2004 A SUPERB Sydney University XV won this highly prestigious ‘McNamara building contractors’ Challenge match between the oldest rugby clubs in the northern and southern hemispheres respectively. The game was played with fine spirit in perfect conditions for running rugby at College park. The Sydney club travelled to Dublin for seven days to join the 150th celebrations of the oldest club in the world. They were hosted at Trinity halls of residence for the week by the host club and kindly sponsored by McNamara building contractors .The week included a commons reception in the Trinity Dining hall, a ‘ticket only’ after match party, and the highly successful 150th Gala ball on Saturday night attended by 350 people. Sydney University fielded a strong experienced team containing no less than 12 former or current Australian U21s or U19s representative players, several others are members of the current ACT Brumby and New South Wales Development XVs. To show the depth of arguably Australia’s top club, they left 14 players back in Australia to play Super 12 last weekend. The touring side fresh off the airplane (36 hours) defeated a Leinster Development XV 14-12 on Tuesday evening in Navan RFC an incredible achievement when you consider they are out of season and only in the country for such a short time. The game itself was played at a fast and furious pace with both teams looking to keep ball in hand. It was clear from the first whistle that the visitors planned to move
the ball as they ran the opening kick off back to the Trinity 22 metre area. The home team dug in and defended heroically as Sydney took them through the phases at a speed they were unaccustomed to in Irish club rugby. Attacks were repelled and Trinity hit back with some continuity of their own to take them deep into Sydney territory, the visitors infringed at a ruck and Trinity Full Back Simon Mitchell kicked a penalty from thirty metres. Sydney continued their attacks with very direct running from their forwards who pounded the home defence ruthlessly, their backs hit the ball at speed and handled the ball smoothly in true Australian style. They scored three tries in the first half two were from multi phase attacks with their right wing Matthew Nethery scoring twice and one from an error from the Trinity team in possession. The score was 17-3 to Sydney at half time. All the Trinity team tackled bravely but outstanding for Trinity in defence was centre Brian Hastings who from inside centre read the sophisticated back-line moves of the opposition and seemed to get it right every time as he produced tackle after tackle on their strike runners. In the second half Trinity had more of the territorial advantage and possession as their forwards dominated the scrums in particular and began to pressure the Sydney line out. Debutant Loose head prop 19 years old Killian O’Neill more than held his own in the tight play. The visitors certainly got no change from tight-head prop Forrest Gainer either, he was the dominating personality at scrum time. The Trinity backs moved the ball well and it was good to see U20s out-half Mark O’Neill stepping in at late notice after a two month absence
through injury. Mark had a very intelligent game running and linking well with his backs and forwards. As the game wore on the home side came more and more into the game. Right wing freshman Phil Howard announced his presence in DUFC with an outstanding display of mazy running as he continually broke the Sydney defensive line. He was held up in the corner twice after fine breaks one after a superb handling movement by the backs and ‘fast hands’ from centre Brian Hastings. Trinity eventually scored a try after some heavy pressure on the visitors line. From a well-worked line out play captain Martin Garvey crashed over. Sydney came back to score again after a string of ‘interesting’ refereeing decisions which effectively took the Trinity team back 90 metres after Trinity had looked to have scored off another line out. Sydney scored off a scrum at the other end as there #8 crashed over. Trinity came back and scored the try of the game. The move started back on the half way line after a turnover by Sydney the ball was quickly moved wide right to Phil Howard who skinned his opposite man and two or three other defenders before passing inside to a fast supporting Martin Garvey who smashed through two more defenders before off-loading to Mark O’Neill who sprinted in for a fabulous try which involved six or seven players. Incredibly with four minutes remaining and defending for most of the game Trinity were back to 22-15. From the restart Trinity moved the ball from deep in there own 22, replacement and U20s Full back Thomas Horner broke the line brilliantly and was tackled unfortunately giving away a dubious penal-
Trinity winger Phil Howard tries to outpace a tackle ty in his presentation of the ball at the ruck. Sydney to their credit mustered up one final assault on the line and from another scrum close to the line they managed to break through and score on the full time whistle. This was a fantastic experience for the young Trinity XV who in most cases were giving away three or four years to their guests. The game was played differently to what the team are used to i.e played at speed in perfect conditions, and the tackling/hits from the very physically imposing Aussies would have taken time to get used too. There was a lot to be learned from the game. It must be said that Trinity are a genuine College team whereas their
opponents would be an ‘open’ club. The Trinity team; 15 Simon Mitchell (Tom Burns 73) 14 Phil Howard 13 John Quigley, 12 Brian Hastings, 11 Steve McGee (Thomas Horner 60) 10 Mark O’Neill, 9 Conor McShane (Dave Sisam 50) 1 Killian O’Neill ( Mark Whelan 78) 2 Matt Crockett ( Jamie Musgrave 70) 3 Forrest Gainer (Andrew O’Connor 72) 4 Martin Garvey, 5 Marc Warburton ( Conor Queenan 75) 6 Richard White (Darren Hayes 65) 7 Hugh Hogan, 8 Eddie Molloy. Sydney University team 15 Anthony O’Gorman 14 Matthew Nethery, 13 Matt Carraro12 Dallas Carney 11 Micheal Griffin, 10
Photo: Matt Pitt Brock James, 9 Scott stumbles, 1 Scott Cameron, 2 Andrew Barry, 3 Nick Duffy, 4 Nick Avery, 5Alex Waite, 6 Chris Sproates, 7 Tim Davidson, 8 Thomas Egan. Subs, Nick Hayden, David Dillon, Wes Doyle, Sefeti Siale, Tim Oliver, Alex Kanaar, Nigel Staniforth. Other news. Trinity #8 Jamie Heaslip scored a try for Ireland U21s against Wales in Irelands easy 31-15 victory. Prop Paul Doran Jones, hooker James Coady and flanker Fergus McGuckian all played in Ireland U19s 31-19 loss to Wales.
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