Trinity News Issue 10

WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?

THE ARCHIVE

AISING DENG MEETS MASER

GOES LIVE

Two

DAVID BARRET ON WOMEN IN POLITICS OPINION

TRINITY NEWS Est 1953

Scholars to get shifted to Trinity Halls

Candidate not an Irish citizen

Aine Pennello

“DON’T VOTE for me,” appealed Dublin University Seanad candidate Karin Dubsky to the electorate last week, upon discovering she does not possess Irish citizenship and is thus ineligible to run.

Dubsky, who is a part-time civil engineering lecturer at Trinity College, is originally from Germany but has lived in Ireland since she was ten years of age. “I always understood I was a citizen and have voted in every election,” said Dubsky said, who thought her parents h a d

Aine Pennello Deputy College News Editor

Deputy College News Editor

AS ACCOMMODATION places at Trinity Hall become increasingly difficult to fill, College has proposed to place 30 to 80 scholars – roughly one half to a full year of scholars – at the College residence starting next September.

“This represents an attack on the institution of Scholarship which we are fortunate to benefit from. It is a clear breach of the philosophy underpinning Schols; namely the creation of a community who study, live and eat together,” said Secretary to the Scholars, Barra Roantree, in an email to fellow scholars, who currently enjoy free on-campus accommodation for the duration of their studies.

Roantree announced that a meeting with the Provost would be held this week to let the scholars’ dissatisfaction be known. The announcement came at the tail end of a talk given to scholars in the GMB last Tuesday by former Minister for Finance and Scholar Brian Lenihan.

Originally, Roantree said, the Scholars’ Committee was informed by the Junior Dean, the Warden for Trinity Hall and the Accommodation Office that the proposal had already been passed and the decision made.

However upon bringing the issue to the University Council this proved not to be the case. “It turned out that these guys had been trying to pull a fast one on us,” Roantree said.

Thus the “move to Siberia”, as Roantree put it, has been stalled. “Our strategy is to try to delay the move until next year so we can lobby for as long as possible,” Roantree told scholars. “The only way of getting around this is by getting as many Fellows and academics to write to the Provost”. Provostial candidates have also been made aware of the issue, Roantree, as the Scholars’ Committee votes in the elections.

“It’s nice for everyone to be on campus,” said Lenihan after the talk, recalling his time as a scholar in the 1970s when the average intake of scholars was 15 to 20 students per year.

“I assumed I was an Irish citizen” Karin Dubsky, Seanad Candidate

SS Beginners try out fencing in Front Square. Photo by Liz Fitzgerald

Health and Sport Week in Trinity Una Kelly Staff Reporter

COLLEGE’S seventh annual Health and Sports Week took place from 21–25 March. The theme of the week was “Trinity, A Healthy Place To Be”, and focused on encouraging staff and students to lead healthier lives through regular exercise and good nutrition.A number of events took place throughout the week, kicking off with a Dance Flashmob on the Monday afternoon in Front Square, organised in association with DU Dance Society.

Dance was a new addition to the programme this year and is viewed as a way to take care of your mental, social and physical health.

Another highlight included guest speaker Dr Eva Orsmond of RTÉ’s popular Operation Transformation” who gave a talk on Tuesday 22 in

the Davis Theatre entitled “The Importance of Healthy Weight and Diet”.

Free activities took place throughout campus, the Sports Centre and the “The choices people make on a day-today basis make a big difference in the long term.”

Trinity Centre at Tallaght Hospital including yoga, pilates, ten-minute massages in the Sports Centre and dance classes in salsa, waltz, disco and burlesque.Healthy eating menus were promoted in all College catering outlets with an abundance of fruit available.

The Marie Keating Foundation’s mobile information unit was in Front

Square to give people information on cancer, with a nurse on board to speak about anyone’s concerns about themselves, a relative, colleague or friend.

The sports clubs organised activities to raise funds for Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), and for club training in CPR and defibrillator use.

“The choices people make on a day to day basis make a big difference to their health in the long term,” stated Director of the College Health Service’s Health Week, Dr David McGrath. “Health Week offers a great opportunity for people to try new things and make better choices for their health”.

FOR MORE ON THIS STORY SEE COLLEGE SPORT P27

applied for dual citizenship for her as a teenager. “I have always had a German passport because you can only have one, but I assumed I was an Irish citizen”. Upon discovering that several of her colleagues could not vote in the Seanad elections as they were not Irish citizens, Dubsky developed what her Facebook campaign site describes as a “niggling concern”.

The site went on to highlight the difficulty of confirming citizenship.

“There isn’t a list you can consult on a website. The office you are directed to is only open to public enquiries for a few hours, twice a week”.

Dubsky, who has voted in referenda, presidential and national elections in Ireland over the past 40 years said she never had to seek inclusion in electoral registers and had been sent polling cards just like any other Irish citizen.

When she realised that she was not an Irish citizen after six days of research, Dubsky tried to revoke her German passport and become an Irish citizen. However as “queue-jumping” is not allowed, Dubsky is still waiting to gain citizenship. As the deadline for candidates to withdraw has already passed however, Dubsky’s name will still appear on the ballot papers.

Dubsky said it was “absurd” as “either way it’s interfering in the election”.

Vol 57

Issue 9

29 March, 2011

2 NEWS THIS FORTNIGHT THEY SAID

COMPILED BY CAITRIONA MURPHY

“A celebration of imperialism and aristocratic privilege.”

“Students can no longer be average, you have to be excellent.”

“These guys had been trying to pull a fast one on us.”

Member of Ogra on the QE2’s visit to Ireland

Former Intel Corporation chairman Craig Barrett

Scholars’ Secretary Barra Roantree

NUMEROLOGY

SU solve printer jam

103

Number of tastings taken that confirmed that Guinness tastes better in Ireland

Jack Walsh Staff Reporter

299,000 Number of registered unemployed people in Ireland

16%

Rise in applications for Science in Trinity

€400 Average amount spent by an international student in Ireland

€8-15 million

NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN the Students’ Union and the College printing contractor RICOH have resulted in printing changes that will be put into immediate effect.

In an email sent out on 20 March, the SU announced that RICOH and Trinity had finalised a printing contract. The changes include a reduction in the cost of double-sided sheets (now 9 cents for black and white and 36 cents for colour), a reduction of the minimum for web payments (from €10 to €5), increased service in off-campus areas such as D’Olier Street, St James’s Hospital and Tallaght Hospital, and wireless printing from laptops. Other changes have been made in order to provide a better technical support service for students printing on campus.

These changes came about as a result of the SU’s printing campaign which took place throughout the year and invited student input by email.

In the email, the SU wrote that they expect printing to be “cheaper, better and more reliable in future”.

“To attack the compound where Gaddafi lives is beyond the mandate.”

“I looked into Putin’s eyes and saw no soul there.”

Reverend Jesse Jackson, speaking to the Hist

Reported quote from Joe Biden on meeting Vladimir Putin

Guilty pleasures in the GMB: Lit Soc festival Hetty Hughes Staff Reporter

LAST WEEK, Trinity was treated to a five-day long celebration of the writing talents of both students and staff in College. The week kicked off on Monday with a showing of “A Clockwork Orange” in the Lit Soc room in House 6 (which audience members described as “harrowing”) followed by an opening reception in the Atrium.

This preceded way to a round-table discussion of guilty pleasures in the GMB, which discussed topics such as Buddha Bags and was attended by various members of staff (including Amanda Piesse and Darryl Jones).

There was an open reading in Chaplins bar on the Wednesday night, which, in the opinion of Lit Soc member Carrie Leger, was: “one of the best we’ve had all year”. The evening provided an opportunity for many members who had never shared their work before to get up and read some pieces. There was also a whole host of

new faces at the event, characteristic of the week’s events as a whole.

The main event of the week came on Friday with a poetry reading by Gerald Dawe (winner of the Macaulay Fellowship in Literature, Hawthorden International Writers Fellowship and Ledwig-Rowohlt International Writer Fellowship) and Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, an English lecturer in Trinity, founder of the literary magazine Cyphers and winner of the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award and the Griffin Poetry Prize.

The reading was a chance to see the talent available within the English faculty here in Trinity.

The week ended with the launch of The Attic on Friday night, which took place in the Graduate Students’ Union Common Room, along with a wine reception. The evening gave a few of the contributors a chance to read their soon-to-be-published works to an audience.

Along with the daytime lectures and evening events, there was also a constantly manned stall in the Arts

Building that gave out information to prospective members and sold poems for 20 cents (with all proceeds going to Fighting Words).

The Literary Society said that the week was a success thanks to the hard work of its committee and members, and they intend to expand next year.

Estimated cost to Irish taxpayers from the Queen and US President’s visit

Law students win Advocate Competition

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SENIOR SOPHISTER Law students Bridget English and Rebecca Russell-Carroll were awarded the title of “Overall Winning Team” in the final of “The Advocate”, the McCann-Fitzgerald All-Ireland Business Law Challenge.

The competition took place at the Four Courts on March 11. English and Russell-Carroll beat off stiff competition from other third-level legal students from around the country to achieve this success, which included a prize of €2000, as well as a place on the McCann-FitzGerald summer internship programme.

The first of five heats began back in October, when students were invited to submit a video in response to a mock legal case.

Both English and Russell-Carroll admitted that competing in “The Advocate” was especially challenging while in the midst of preparing for final year exams, but that the experience was worth it. “It was great to get some practical experience and to gain some insight into the world of law,” English told Trinity News.

Leah Tierney

TRINITY NEWS

3 news@trinitynews.ie

Jesse Jackson talks civil rights Una Kelly Staff Reporter

CIVIL RIGHTS activist Reverend Jesse Jackson addressed the Historical Society in the Trinity Chapel on Tuesday 22. The two-time American presidential candidate received an honorary medal from the Historical Society for outstanding contribution to public discourse, recognising his contribution to civil rights and American political discourse.

Speaking at length before taking questions from the audience, he traced the civil rights movement in America from the Second World War, through Rosa Parks, the Alabama marches and Martin Luther King up to the election of Barack Obama, whom he described as a man of “keen intellect and high moral compass”.

In his address, Jackson spoke extensively on the issues facing the modern world. He mentioned the problems caused when the rest of the world “globalised Africa without globalising human rights”. Jackson spoke of the strive towards closing the gap between “those who have too much and those who have too little”. He emphasised that countries must “fight together” in all of these problems.

Jackson warned against the use of excessive military force in Libya and other parts of the Middle East, expressing his concern that the UN mandate had been “stretched” beyond its original purpose, which was to protect the Libyan people from the humanitarian threat posed by Colonel Gaddafi to his people.

“To attack the compound where Gaddafi essentially lives, is going beyond what the mandate is. This is compounding the crisis and potentially

SS Jackson addressed the Hist on 22 March in the Trinity College Chapel. Photo by Tess McEnroe

opening up another war front,” he said.

After his speech, the Reverend left to a standing ovation.

Jackson, who is now 69, has been involved in civil rights activism since the sixties. He is particularly associated with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a civil rights organisation whose first president was Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1966, he was selected by King to be head of their Operation Breadbasket

in Chicago and was later promoted to its national director.

When King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, Jackson was one floor below. Jackson drew criticism when he appeared on NBC’s Today Show the day after the assassination wearing the same blood-stained turtleneck.

More recently, in November 2006, Jackson called for the elimination of the “N-word” in the entertainment industry, following racially charged

remarks made by comedic actor Michael Richards.

Jackson ran unsuccessfully for President of the United States in 1984 and 1988, and he supported Barack Obama in his 2008 presidential bid, though he was also critical of Obama at several points in his campaign, once accusing him of “acting like he’s white”.

He was also involved in anti-war demonstrations against the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

FUNDING

Scholarship program open for Postgrads THE A. J. Leventhal Scholarship is now accepting applications from students. The scholarship, which is funded by private donation and by the TCD Trust, was created to enable graduates of Irish universities who are pursuing postgraduate studies in modern languages or modern literature in College to further their studies in Europe.

Dublin scholar A. J. Leventhal died in Paris in 1979 and he is especially remembered for his literary journal, the Klaxon. A group of his friends subsequently came together in Dublin to consider how best to commemorate his erudition, charm and literary influence and this led to the establishment of the A. J. Leventhal Scholarship.

Applications are being accepted until 8 April, from registered postgraduate students in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, who are pursuing research in modern languages or modern literature. Students who expect to graduate this year and to register for a research degree in modern languages or modern literature may also apply.

Application forms are available from the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Room 2013, Arts Building, or by emailing artshss@tcd. ie and these must be returned on or before Friday 8 April 2011.

Leah Tierney

WELFARE

Blood Drive success from students

Trinity News 29 March 2011

learn to succeed

Law Society FE1 Exams Preparatory Course

Round Ireland on a bike for charity

In the past three years, Independent College Dublin’s FE1 Prep Course has become the largest and most successful in the country. Here are just some of the reasons why: • Prizewinning Success - Students of the Independent College Dublin FE1 Prep Course have enjoyed unsurpassable examination success including: - Winner Overend Scholar for highest marks overall 3 years in a row 2010 / 2009 / 2008 - 11 Individual subject first placed prizes • Most up-to-date course texts (2011) • Sample solutions from most recent examination papers (2010) • Examination review tutorials • All lectures online

Next course commences on 7th June 2011.

King’s Inns Entrance Examination Preparatory Course This course, which boasts an exceptional lecturing team and the most up-to-date study manuals, has been specifically designed in order to maximise the likelihood of excelling in these examinations.

Students on this course shall join the largest and most successful King’s Inns Prep course in the country. Students will benefit from the following key features of the programme: • Examination-focused lectures • Problem-based learning approach to lectures • Most up to date course texts (2011) • All lectures available online

Next course commences on 7th June 2011.

Attorneys at Law New York Bar Examinations Val Corbett, Head of Law, Senior Lecturer in Contract and Torts

This is Ireland’s only New York State Bar Prep Course which is delivered live by Irish/NYB qualified lawyers.

Next course commences on 18th April 2011.

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www.independentcolleges.ie 29 March, 2011

WELFARE OFFICER Steph Fleming and JF Engineering student Sam Heavey launched a blood drive at the D’Olier street clinic, as part of Health and Sport Week. The Irish Blood transfusion centre needs 3000 donations a week to keep up the supply. Rarer blood types, such as A,B and AB are most in demand, with just five days’ supply left at any given time. Fleming says she started donating after following the example of her father. “My Dad has O negative blood (meaning his blood can be given to people with all blood types) and donated all the time so I donated for the first time about two weeks after I turned eighteen”. Fleming estimates that at least 100 new donors attended the clinic, after nurses on Thursday said 70 new donors had attended so far. Along with the SU effort, the Phil also ran its annual Blood Drive on Monday, which also raised the issue of the ineligibility of gay people to donate blood. To view current supplies of blood, visit www.giveblood.ie.

Caitriona Murphy

PHILANTHROPY SS The group of cyclists during their journey. Photo by Hayley Fairbairn

Aine Pennello Deputy College News Editor

NINE TRINITY College Medicine students embarked on an 435 kilometer cycle across Leinster and Ulster over Saint Patrick’s weekend. The feat aimed to raise money for Medical Overseas Voluntary Electives (MOVE), a charity run by third year medical students to raise funds for hospitals in developing countries. MOVE also supports students volunteering in developing countries during the summer months.

The cyclists left from Tara Street on Saint Patrick’s Day, stopping in Newry, Ballymena and Castleblayney, before returning to Dublin on Sunday March 21. “We took back-roads mostly, but the carriageways as well,” said Junior Sophister Medicine student James Lee . Lee cited the first day as the most difficult part of the journey: “Dealing with burst tires was hard, as well as the odd tangent. One was a 20 kilometre unintentional side trip from taking one

wrong turn!”

However things improved as the cyclists got underway. The most scenic part of the trip according to Lee was from Newry to Ballymena: “The first 60 kilometers was along the lake and it hardly felt like a cycle, even though we were averaging just under 30 kilometres an hour.

“The hospitality was amazing at each place, and each was different. We had loads of beer, food and beds at each place we stayed - a cyclist’s dream!”

While the total amount of money raised is yet to be known at the time of going to print, the funds will be divided among MOVE members under the advice of the Dean of Health Sciences and senior clinical staff of St. James’ and Tallaght hospitals.

The money will then go towards buying much needed supplies, equipment and medication for hospitals and clinics in developing countries where third year students will partake in the MOVE program.

Piano marathon for Japan Relief Fund A TWELVE-HOUR piano marathon was held in the Examination Hall last Wednesday to raise money for the Red Cross Japanese Tsunami Fund.

Organised by DU Music Society, the marathon featured a wide selection of music including acoustic, jazz and classical performed by students from both the Music Society and the Japanese Society in one hour and halfhour slots.

“Attendance was pretty good,” said Music Society Chair Margaret Bridge. “The sunshine meant a few good people were able to drop in and out as they crossed Front Square.

Unfortunately, though, they were putting in paths right in from of the Exam Hall which may have deterred some people who didn’t notice it behind the building site. The sound of the piano drifting across Front Square to entice passer-bys was frequently drowned out by industrial drills.”

Aine Pennello

4 COLLEGE NEWS

300 years of Botany in TCD Hetty Hughes Staff Reporter

TRINITY’S LONG history of medical, chemical and botanic excellence is to be celebrated with a very special choir performance on April 2. The Guinness Choir, the Dublin University Choral Society, and the Ulster Orchestra will perform Verdi’s Requiem in the Grand Canal Theatre.

The programme includes Polovtsian Dances by Alexander Borodin and Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi. The

concert marks 300 years of excellence in Medicine, Chemistry and Botany and all tickets available through Trinity College have already sold out, with a waiting list in operation.

Another upcoming event to celebrate the tercentenary is the opening of a physic (medical) garden on main campus, near the Science Gallery, on 14 April (4:30 pm).

The three departments have cocreated and planned the garden, which will display 60 plants of medicinal interest with an explanatory booklet

COMMENT ON: PHILANTHROPY

available to facilitate interpretation.

The opening of this new facility seems fitting, as on June 25, 1687, the transformation of the campus’s kitchen garden into a physic garden (to provide suitable plant material for the teaching of medicine) informally marked the very start of botany of Trinity. Professor Dermot Kelleher, the Head of the School of Medicine, said: “Tercentenary is a remarkable milestone, and as we celebrate, I hope that we can look back over the last 300 years and plan for the exciting future.”

Norris launches campaign Eoin Silke Copy Editor

SENATOR DAVID Norris launched his Presidential campaign in the Science Gallery on March 14. At the launch, Senator Norris said he wanted to restore self-confidence to the Irish people who were hurting.

He spoke about his record advocating for inclusion of disadvantaged groups, and said that the issue of mental health was one of the few remaining areas of Irish society ruled by silence.

He also said that Ireland should concentrate on enterprise and innovation to fuel job creation. Asked

whether he would take a pay cut in light of the financial situation, Norris said that, if elected, he would put a portion of his salary aside for a fund that would make the office more accessible.

Norris, who is openly gay, responded to several questions about his sexuality: “I don’t see myself as a gay president, I see myself as a president who happens to be gay.” He said that the Irish people knew his values and that he had lived a decent life. He added: “I think the Irish people are a little bit bored with my sexuality.” Norris said he would welcome support for his campaign in any form. He said he knew that many people were “stressed financially” and

encouraged people to volunteer their time.

The presidential election is set to be contested for the first time in 14 years.

In 2004, President Mary McAleese was the only candidate nominated and was deemed automatically returned.

A Red C opinion poll conducted in January placed Norris ahead of other potential candidates, including Mairead McGuinness, former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, and Michael D Higgins. Poet Seamus Heaney was also being considered as a potential candidate by Fine Gael, but the party recently announced that they were no longer pursuing that possibility.

learn to succeed

“It’s time for Trinity to lead the debate” Mike Lyons gives his view on College’s role in the Employment Control Framework.

SINCE THIS academic year began, Ireland has been utterly transformed. The new government faces an economic vista the likes of which have not been witnessed in living memory.

For Trinity College, this difficult time should not be seen simply as a time to face challenges – it is also a time to embrace opportunities.

The new government has declared in its national recovery document that we must abandon our old ways of doing things and become more mature, measured, inclusive and fair. This maturity is the start of the process of rebuilding our economy and our society.

Universities, and in particular Trinity College, need to play a key role in this process.

Our relationship with the new government must be that of open, transparent engagement. We must act as producers, disseminators and critics of new ideas. This requires a social contract in which the government acknowledges our need for autonomy, and universities accept our responsibilities in education – in the fullest sense of the word – for Ireland’s future society. It requires a sophisticated approach to communicating and

engaging with society and with the regulatory agencies that oversee the higher education sector. The recent Employment Control Framework is an example of where the regulator has not accepted the need for due process and consultation with the sector. This encroachment on university autonomy threatens higher education and our prospects for economic recovery as a result of reduced teaching and research capacity.

It is important to understand the relation between autonomy and the rightful expectations of the funding body. The government has both a right and a responsibility to ensure that the monies granted to universities are spent properly and efficiently. Trinity College has a responsibility to ensure that public money is properly spent and that its governance systems are open and transparent.

In a respectful, honest and trusting relationship with government, Trinity can – and must – lead the debate. Unfortunately the most recent Employment Control Framework is not indicative of such a relationship and will force faculty to reconsider their positions if nothing is done about it.

UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School Learn today Lead tomorrow

Postgrad Open Evening Thursday 24th March 5pm-7pm

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UCD Smurfit School Open Evening Join us at Ireland’s only internationally accredited business school to discover the wide range of Masters and MBA programmes on offer for business and nonbusiness graduates.

Date: Wednesday, 13th April Time: 4pm - 7pm Venue: UCD Smurfit School, Blackrock Campus Event information and registration at smurfitschool.ie TRINITY NEWS

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29 March, 2011

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CAO applicants desire to study science surges Evan Musgrave & Dearbhla Gavin National News Editor & Contributor

STATISTICS RELEASED in the wake of this year’s CAO applications have revealed student preferences drifting towards subject choices in the sciences.

Applications to the CAO have dipped slightly this year, to 71,466, from last year’s record high of 71,843, a drop of less than one percent.

Health sciences in general have risen despite a small drop of 4 percent in those seeking to study Medicine as a first preference.

Agriculture and horticulture

Labour reverses decision on NUI The NUI is also responsible for providing three Seanad seats, but proposed reform in the Seanad is likely to abolish this role.

The McCarthy “Bord Snip Nua” report had been the key voice behind the previous government’s plan to dissolve the NUI. The report had claimed such a move would save €3m a year, however the university union has rejected such a figure, and pointed out that a significant part of the expenditure would simply be passed on to member institutions.

In 2009, the net cost of running the NUI was €1.36m, with €530,000 in income tax and levies remitted to the Exchequer.

In his blog, Former president of DCU, Ferdinand Von Prondzynski,

“The increase in first preference applications to study science subjects in Trinity has risen by 16 percent.” has also seen a massive rise in applications for honours degree courses.

In a year when overall applications to third-level institutions have decreased, Trinity has shown a 2 percent growth in first preference applications.

The increase in first preference applications to study science subjects in Trinity has risen by 16 percent this year. The biggest rise was seen in Nanoscience, Physics and Chemistry of Advanced Materials (+100 percent), followed by Mathematics (+56 percent) and Earth sciences (+38 percent). Students gaining a place in Trinity’s Science programme will be among the first to gain use of the new Biomedical Sciences Institute.

NUI Maynooth leads the list of universities however, showing a 9 percent rise in the number of applications.

The most popular course in the country, Arts in UCD, which takes

“The restoration of the NUI is not set in the context of any particular strategy, nor have the reasons been explained.”

Evan Musgrave National News Editor

LAST WEEK Minister for Education and Skills Ruairi Quinn announced his intention to overturn plans to abolish the National University of Ireland (NUI).

In January, outgoing Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe had outlined a plan to scrap the federal university, which has 250,000 graduates in Ireland and worldwide.

Quinn has announced that he now intends to give the NUI some new roles. However the main function of the union, which is to issue degrees and other awards and to appoint external examiners to its constituent universities (UCD, UCC, NUI

Maynooth and NUI Galway) will be maintained.

It will also continue to give degrees to graduates from the five recognised NUI colleges: Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, National College of Art and Design, Shannon College of Hotel Management, the Institute of Public Administration and the Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy.

By keeping the union in place, Quinn has stated he hopes for the NUI “brand” to continue its international recognition, which aims to help graduates who are forced to emigrate.

The move has also been welcomed

by Irish-language groups as the NUI still requires Irish as a matriculation subject for entry to undergraduate courses.

commented on the wisdom of such a spontaneous reversal: “Just as Mr O’Keeffe’s announcement came out of the blue and didn’t seem to owe much to any consultation, so the restoration of the NUI is also not set in the context of any particular strategy, nor have the reasons been explained”.

Prondzynski noted that at least two of the constituent colleges had been actively seeking the NUI’s termination, adding that the move is sure to draw some “raised eyebrows, both amongst the NUI colleges and the board of the yet to be fully established new quality authority”.

The high profile university voice additionally drew attention to the complications of a reinvigorated NUI which may impinge upon the dynamics of the UCD–TCD alliance, given that Trinity is not a member of the NUI and that UCD holds the largest slice of the union’s student population.

International students provide economic boost about 1200 students year, witnessed a drop in applications by around 11 percent.

Indeed many of the major drops were seen in departments of the social sciences, with previously coveted places in architecture courses continuing their consistent slide in popularity – applications this year are down 11 percent, after a similar decline in 2010. Demand for courses in law is down by 6 percent amid concerns about the fall-off in conveyance work. Constructionrelated courses unsurprisingly took a hit also. Overall applications for the construction sector are down by 28 percent this year, after a 20 percent drop in 2010.

At the Government-sponsored Global Economic Forum recently held in Farmleigh House, Former Intel Corporation chairman Craig Barrett highlighted the slow drift of our third-level system’s accreditation in the past year, giving a message to students that the new international market requires today’s young Irish minds to surpass previous generations, portentously closing with the remark, “students can no longer be average, you have to be excellent.”

Evan Musgrave National News Editor

IN SOME promising news for Ireland’s economic and educational prospects, ambitious plans to double Ireland’s intake of international students have been revealed. The move would seek to build on a year of relatively unforeseen success in the market for English language teaching in Europe.

Last year more than 96,000 overseas students attended the 112 English language schools in Ireland.

In the same period, third-level institutes around the country took in approximately 26,000 international students. It has been estimated that such numbers have generated around €900m in revenue for the economy.

Separate programs have been launched by both Fáilte Ireland and Education in Ireland to promote the island as the top English language destination.

Fionnan Nestor, a spokesman for the Fáilte Ireland campaign noted that roughly €400 was spent each week by international students in Ireland.

Nestor highlighted the benefits of such a drive to make Ireland the premier destination of learning, “English language students represent a lucrative market with some staying up to 20 weeks and more in Ireland.

These students are the future tourists of Ireland and therefore offer a real opportunity to increase visitor numbers in the years to come.” €200,000 is set to be invested by the tourism body in the marketing and development of the language teaching sector. With constantly growing numbers of incoming students, Ireland is well-placed to capitalise on its natural advantage as a nation of native English speakers. Indeed, Ireland is one of only three English language learning destinations in the EU, the other two being the UK and Malta.

Fáilte Ireland research shows while seven out of ten language school students come from mainland Europe – predominately France, Spain and Italy – there was an 80 percent increase in numbers from South America, the Middle East and Africa last year.

In addition to Fáilte Ireland’s campaign, a new “brand” for marketing higher education in Ireland has been introduced. “Education in Ireland” aims to double the student numbers coming to Ireland by 2015.

Under the tagline “World-class Standards, Warmest of Welcomes”, the Enterprise Ireland initiative sets out to promote Irish education across emerging economies such as China, India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil as well as the United States.

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn delivered a short speech on the need for Ireland to tap into and deliver in the high-quality international education market. Quinn lauded the move to entice foreign students to our shores, saying, “Ireland’s education sector has many intrinsic strengths which give real, lasting value to our international students and that gives us a competitive advantage in the international education market. But our success depends on the quality of our offer and our ability to tell our story internationally.”

This announcement came during a week when Higher Education Authority chief John Hennessy admitted to delegates from the Union of Students in Ireland that “emigration, at least for a time, will be the choice that some of you, even many of you, will have to make to gain employment or advance your careers” at the Authority’s annual conference in Dunboyne, Co Meath. Hennessy argued strongly that higher education retains huge value in terms of success in getting jobs.

At the end of 2010, the unemployment rate among people with an honours degree, or above, was 7.1 percent exactly half the national employment rate of 14.2 percent at the time.

UL students turning area into a “slum” Alex Towers Staff Reporter

A COMPLAINT was lodged last week to the Higher Education Authority over students from the University of Limerick. The objection was raised by the Plassey Residents Association of Castletroy, Limerick who have complained that students are turning the area into a “slum” and that the university is becoming a “neighbour from hell”.

The Association, a body comprised of four residential estates, has written to complain that a combination of antisocial behavior and a culture of binge drinking have brought the university and surrounding residential area into disrepute.

Plassey Residents Association Chairman Joseph O’Shea described the problem as “a pattern of binge drinking” that came from students who “buy cheap spirits and beer at a off-licenses, bring it to their house or flat, get fairly drunk and head for pubs or clubs to top up and meet equally drunk companions”. O’Shea has written to university President Don Barry, urging him to increase efforts to tackle the problem, arguing that as students are “heavily subsidised” by the taxpayer that it is “galling to see how some of these students are abusing this opportunity”.

The Residents Association has also submitted their two-page complaint to each TD and councillor in Limerick as well as the each member of the university’s governing body. In the letter the association complains that the university’s ranking in the World League tables is being affected by the behaviour of its students.

“The University of Limerick academic performance rates as amongst the worst in Ireland” the Association’s letter states. “It is difficult to see how the university students can perform to be best of their ability when a culture of binge drinking and an abuse of alcohol have been allowed to develop”.

The Association also criticises “rowdy” and “destructive” students who on their way home from the pub “feel free to urinate and defecate in public” and who throw eggs at cars and houses, smash bottles and litter the area with overturned bins, takeaway rubbish and used contraceptives.

Furthermore the association has complained that in warmer weather many students who rent accommodation set up furniture on garage roofs and laws and disrupt the area by listening to loud music.

The complaint concludes by saying “the behaviour of a significant minority of students makes a mockery of the university’s aspirations to have a strong sense of connection with their nearest neighbours. Unless the university is prepared to be known as ‘a neighbour from hell’, it should give this issue a very high priority.”

The issue became more serious last week during the university’s charity week, in which residents complained that badly behaved students were “making life unbearable”.

The President of the Limerick University Students’ Union, Ruán Dillon McLoughlin, told the Limerick Leader: “Things have been busier because of the good weather. We have been working well with Gardaí to curb students drinking on the street and students have been co-operative. It’s messy out there but thankfully, there have been no serious incidents.”

Finn McDuffie, the Students’ Union Communications Officer in UL said they have employed a successful text system for residents if they wished to have rubbish removed from their area, or complain about noise and said that there were “some isolated incidents, but there’s always going to be a minority” and that they “can’t control what private individuals do offcampus.”

A university spokeswoman told the Irish Examiner that they would work with gardaí, the County Council and the Students’ Union to minimize future disruptive behaviour.

TRINITY NEWS

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 7 internationalnews@trinitynews.ie

Oxford clashes with Clegg ffThree percent increase in 2011 in offers to state school pupils ff One in ten of all students are from households in lowest earning bracket. ff 58.5 percent of all offers go to state school pupils Maud Sampson Contributory Writer

LAST WEEK saw Oxford University release a preliminary picture of its 2011 entry admissions and a full break down of its 2010 application figures.

These figures were based on school type, region of domicile, nationality, and ethnicity. Nick Clegg, the British deputy prime minister, recently announced that top universities in the UK could charge the maximum fees of £9000 a year, provided that they “dramatically increased” access to poorer students. They had to do this by levelling out the private to state school ratio of students attending these institutions. As a result, Oxford has found its statistics much scrutinised.

Despite being notorious for having the sharpest disparity in ratio between state and private schools, the figures released show positive increases in the percentage of offers by Oxford to British state school students. From 2009 to 2010 there was a 1.5 percent increase to 55.4 percent of all offers being made to state school pupils, and early figures for 2011 entry show further a three percent increase to 58.5 percent. From these

figures, the natural conclusion would be that more state school applicants are being accepted. It would seem that the university has been made more accessible to those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Private school teenagers have never had it so tough since the publication of these figures in 1983. As a result, Oxford argues that full fees are justifiable.

However, the British government does not seem to concur with this and called Oxford to “prove” that they are broadening their intake. This has been met with mixed reaction at the world famous university.

A leaked transcript of a meeting by the university’s sovereign body revealed that Mike Nicholson, the university’s head of admissions, stated that Oxford would not be bullied into “political expediency” by the government’s drive to justify the huge increase in fees. Scholars at the university defended the rigorous application process, emphasising that “selection was based purely on academic ability and potential.” It was not based on social background, as appears to be the case at other British universities.

Robin Briggs, a fellow at All Souls College, was quick to shift the blame onto the government, stating that “we need to hammer away at the obvious truth that neither universities nor schools can create equity in a country where government policy is increasing social inequality”.

Nearly one in ten of Oxford’s students are from a household earning less than £16 290. This made them eligible for free school meals, yet these students went to a range of schools.

Of the 935 students admitted in 2009 from households in the lowest earning bracket, 295 attended private schools.

Similarly not everyone earning above

Ralph Marnham Intrnational News Editor

Oxford has come under scrutiny for its admissions process a certain income sends their children to an independent school. The poor/ rich divide does not always translate into a state/independent divide. As Nicholson points out, “The focus on school sectors is limiting.”

Biden woes Russian students over Putin Joe Biden arriving to give his speech to Moscow studens

Patrick Reevell Contributory Writer

“THE RESET is working.” So said US vicepresident, Joe Biden in a speech given at Moscow State University, 10th March. Biden’s speech came as part of a three-day visit to Moscow, aimed at improving Russo-US business ties and re-asserting the Obama administration’s commitment to the ‘Reset’ in the two countries’ relations, announced two years ago.

Speaking to students in immaculate, if sometimes poorly pronounced diplomatic language (he struggled with Russian dissidents’ names), Biden depicted a decidedly improved Russo-US relationship, dismissing claims that progress had been slow and unrealistic.

In relaxed style and measured tone, Biden attempted to again consign America and Russia’s Cold War history to the past. He expressed impatience with old assumptions and urged Russians and Americans to be more pragmatic in their dealings with one another. These comments and high praise for president Medvedev’s modernisation efforts did not stop Biden from embarking upon a strong critique of contemporary Russia. He referred to several high profile cases of human rights abuse and censuring corruption as a

29 March, 2011

Hong Kong universities look abroad

“fundamental obstacle” to the development of Russian business globally. The vice-president told Russia’s rulers to ‘get their system right’. Anticipating objections that his frank comments might offend the Kremlin, Biden commented, “if friends can’t tell friends what they think, well, it’s not really friendship.”

Much of Mr Biden’s criticism was clearly directed towards Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin, whose name Biden was careful to avoid throughout his speech. Biden expressed his belief that “Russians want to choose their leaders in competitive elections.

They want to be able to assemble freely and they want a media to be independent of the state.” Received enthusiastically by the crowd of students, Biden urged them “not to compromise on the basic elements of democracy. You need not make that Faustian bargain.” The speech would have struck a few chords with the audience, as there have been recent cases of dissent directed towards Putin

by Russian students.

Before Biden’s arrival it was reported that the vice-president would use his visit to urge Medvedev to run for a second term in 2012, although this was denied by the White House.

Nonetheless, throughout his trip, Biden appeared to be positioning the US behind the current president, with several comments in the MSU speech suggesting that the administration increasingly considers Putin’s time to have past.

Biden is alleged to have spoken more bluntly while meeting with a broad group of opposition leaders. He is reported to have said that he had “looked into Putin’s eyes and seen no soul there.” According to Leonid Gozman, Biden claimed to have made his observation to Putin personally. Another leader present, Boris Nemtsov, later wrote that Biden had told the meeting that Putin should not run for president again, “both for the country and for himself”. Both statements were confirmed by other sources. Biden’s office has refused to comment.

In order to maintain its position as one of the top universities in the world, Oxford must take only the best.

The type of school is arguably not the clearest indicator of socio-economic background, as it used to be.

THERE IS a growing interest amongst Asian countries to become international higher education hubs to help them develop into knowledge economies. They are setting up facilities and initiating policies to attract foreign students, researchers and faculty as well as branch campuses of foreign institutions. This amounts to a major shift in policy in higher education from purely local to regional and international.

Hong Kong is the latest to express its credentials as a major international educational hub, “Hong Kong is positioning itself to be an educational hub that takes in the rich Pearl River Delta [in Southern China],” said Tony Chan, President of Hong Kong’s University of Science and Technology.

“Hong Kong is at the heart of this new Asian prosperity zone.”

There have been major changes to the university’s curriculum in order to facilitate international students. Chan explains that, “A big part of being a hub is that our own higher education must be international in character and quality, turning out students to be effective players in the global economy.

This is a good time for overseas students to come.”

Hong Kong is not the only country vying to become an international education hub. At the British Council’s recent Going Global conference, from the 11th to the 12th of March, China, Sri Lanka and Vietnam were amongst other countries expressing an interest.

However, these emerging countries face stiff competition from established educational hubs such as Singapore and Malaysia.

8 NEWS FEATURES newsfeatures@trinitynews.ie

Republicans royally ticked off by planned visit Manus Lenihan Deputy News Features Editor

THE VISITS of the Queen of the United Kingdom and the President of the United States, to occur within a week of each other, have already been spun for all they are worth by the new government. According to Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Obama’s visit is “a vote of confidence” in his newly-elected government, while Guardian blogger Lisa O’Carroll wrote, “Queen and Obama to visit Ireland in one week – how much investment will follow in their wake?”

These are not isolated examples: the political and media consensus seems framed in terms of giddy excitement.

However, some readers may have noticed the Éirígí stickers on lamp-posts and traffic lights around Dublin announcing, “No British Withdrawal? No Royal Visits!” Those with an interest in Latin America, meanwhile, may know that the US President’s visits in late March to Brazil and Chile were greeted by protests of thousands which were, in one instance, suppressed violently.

Amid Kenny’s exultations at prestige, it is easy to forget that we are talking about highly controversial figures, nationally and internationally. The riots that erupted when the sectarian group, Love Ulster, attempted to march through Dublin in February 2006 are a reminder of lingering wounds with regard to the national question.

Dissident republican and minor nationalist groups like the Irish Republican Socialist Party, Republican Sinn Féin, 32 County Sovereignty Movement and Éirígí are actively opposing the visit. Sinn Féin, which occupies four-

SS Barack and Michelle Obama meeting the Queen last year.

teen seats in the Dáil, and Ógra Shinn Féin, its youth wing, have for the most part been silent on the issue lately.

One youth member who spoke to Trinity News finds this “confusing”.

“Every single person I know in Ógra

is highly opposed to the visit and will be protesting,” he says, while he claims opposition to the visit within Sinn Féin as a whole is “very strong”. Echoing an announcement made by Ógra in June 2010, he condemned the planned visit

as a “celebration of imperialism and aristocratic privilege” and a “waste” of €8-15 million of taxpayers’ money.

Dissident republicans such as Éirígí moreover attack the “normalisation” of partition that the visit entails, “the

illusion that the cause of conflict in Ireland no longer exists.” While these are minor groups with very little support, many espousing a very unpopular programme of violence, their argument points to an evident complacency in the mainstream press. The words of one letter-writer in The Irish Times sum up this attitude, prevalent throughout the press: “We must let go of tragedies in our history and look to the future with hope. So let’s welcome the queen.”

With rioting at “interface” areas of Northern Ireland a common occurrence and the Independent Monitoring Commission reporting (as of May 2010) an average of two terrorist attacks being committed daily, it seems insensitive to declare these tragedies to be “history”. Demonstrators are likely to stage a dramatic reminder that, despite the spectacle of the royal visit, the Northern Ireland question and diplomatic relations far from settled.

The Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces, at any rate, are not preparing for normality over the week of the back-to-back visit, from 17 to 24 May, mounting the most costly security operation in the State’s history, on top of Obama’s expected 700 security staff and the Queen’s bodyguard.

With regard to Obama, the main concern seems to be the forty or so known Islamic extremists in Ireland.

The prospect of large-scale protests seems unlikely, but, with left-wing groups and parties already responding to the intervention in Libya, the US supporting repression in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and the continuing war in Afghanistan and the Pakistani border, neither should it be ruled out.

Unemployment hits 20-year high Maya Zakrzewska-pim

ment of a proposed global pharmaceutical centre of excellence.

The Finance Minister, Michael NooTHE NUMBER of unemployed people nan, and Public Expenditure and Reis currently higher than it has been at form Minister, Brendan Howlin, have any point over the last 20 years, with met with the International Montary more than half (51.5 percent) of those Fund (IMF), the European Commisclassified as long-term unemployed. sion and the European Central Bank, Of the 299,000 unemployed people and as a result, the Government’s plans registered at the end of 2010, 154,000 to sell off certain state assets and use had been signing up for benefits for the proceeds to create jobs has been apover a year, while 143,000 were new- proved. ly unemployed. Unemployment inThe Fine Gael–Labour coalition has creased by 11.8 percent over the year, also been given the go-ahead to make with the greatest losses occurring in some changes to the bailout terms and the construction sector. conditions, including restoring the There are, however, plans to ad- minimum wage to its previous level. dress the problem. A pharmaceutical These changes have, however, been research centre is to be built in Tralee, deferred until after the results of stress Co. Kerry, in May. This could provide tests are announced. These stress tests up to 4500 jobs, with 282 of them in are meant to reveal how much cash Ire16375 - CPA AFTERCARE - TRINITY NEWS 24/03/2011 12:24 Page 1 the research sector. A project aimed at land’s banks will need to survive in the establishing a campus of over 50 differ- case of an even deeper crash that some ent small- and medium-sized pharma- are predicting. ceutical interests, worth €4.7 billion, is The Government also plans to secure being launched as part of the develop- at least €2 billion from the privatisation Staff Writer

of the so-called “crown jewel” public bodies, to be invested in creating jobs in the sectors of energy, water and telecommunications.

Noonan has accepted that the amount of money which is necessary at this time may be in excess of the figure of €10 billion that was previously considered. The IMF has warned that no money is to be invested anywhere until the amounts raised are independently verified by an international investment bank.

The IMF has also made it clear that it does not expect this year’s growth to be as strong as Government estimates suggest.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has indicated his satisfaction for the Central Bank to enter into discussions with the United States regarding the borrowing of money from the US Federal Reserve System. According to Kenny, this move is being considered as part of the longterm plan to rescue the Irish banking system.

SS The number of unemployed people in Ireland has risen to its highest in 20 years.

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TRINITY NEWS

SOCIETY 9 society@trinitynews.ie

Card Soc coming up aces are war, in disguise of a sport” and these words nearly rang worryingly true as tensions grew towards the end of a long day’s play. After over 10 hours there was a tie on

“Trinity defeated their Belfield counterparts to win the Fitzwilliam Card Club Colours Trophy.”

English essayist Charles Lamb stated “cards are war, in disguise of a sport” and these words nearly rang worryingly true as tensions arouse towards the end of a long day.”

Daniel O’Callaghan Sports Features Editor

THE 2010/2011 academic year has seen Trinity’s Card Society make huge strides. An increase in membership and events has led to the rejuvenation of a society which endured a disappointing year last year. Cards has a long tradition in Trinity with the long standing Trinity Bridge Society becoming the Trinity Cards Society in 2005 to adapt to the growing interest in poker and other card games.

“This year the Card Soc has enjoyed a very successful year increasing membership from 25 to 300. The committee has worked consistently to provide the best service possible to the members,” said the society’s auditor, Cormac Cassidy.

Of those 300 members, the society has a regular player base of about 40 players who compete on Monday and Wednesday nights for cash prizes. Alongside regular events the committee were also able to improve the standing of the society by purchasing new equipment and gaining valuable endorsements from Paddy Power and other busi-

nesses.

Other notable achievements include the organisation of events in conjunction with other societies including Gensoc, the Indian Society, the South East Asian Society and the Phil.

The culmination of the society’s work this year was the foundation, organisation and hosting of the first ever All-Ireland Intervarsity Poker Tournament held in the GMB on the 12 February. Bringing together 97 participants from nine different colleges, the tournament proved to be a great success for all involved.

“The event was a major stepping stone in advancing the game in Ireland and creating ties between colleges around the country,” said Cassidy. Each player entered the competition individually competing for a share of the €2175 prize fund. The players were also assigned into college teams of five and were awarded points for their overall position with the college team holding the highest amount of cumulative points taking home the inaugural intervarsity trophy.

English essayist Charles Lamb said “cards

Win when you’re singing Ciarán O’Rourke Choral Society Member

WITH FOUR quartets competing in this year’s Cherry Cup competition, we were treated to an evening programme that was varied in the style and range of pieces performed, and also of an impressively high performance standard. Alongside “The Long Day Closes” by Arthur Sullivan, a set piece sung by all of the competing vocal groups, each quartet was required to perform a song of its own preference, this year’s entrants choosing the dynamically contrasting pieces: “Psallite, Unigenito”, “Prayers of Dietrich Bonhoeffer”, “Bye bye, Blackbird”, and “The Teddy-Bears’ Picnic”.

Founded in 1949 in memory of former Choral Society member Richard Cherry, the award seeks to recognise musical achievement within the Choral Society, and is given annually to a vocal quartet formed from, or in conjunction with, members of the wider choir.

In what is, and has traditionally been, one of the largest choirs in the College, the competition offers individuals a unique chance to perform before their peers for the eponymous cup and accompanying prestige, thus making the event both a challenge and an opportunity for singers in the society.

However, as well as stimulating a healthy air of ambition in the ranks, the competition reminds us what our choir is, and why we become choristers in the first place. Before every budding note we know – waiting perhaps to be unfurled to a crowded auditorium, or to be hummed in the shower, or sounded, with a lift, on the radio – must come our own desire to hear. And in its blending of individual endeavour with communal pleasure, the Cherry Cup, whether experienced as part of the audi-

29 March, 2011

ence or as part of the quartets themselves, reiterates the fact that music is made and choirs are built by people who love to listen. And so, who love to sing.

Indeed, the twin pleasures of song and applause were paid ample homage at the event this year, and it was no doubt a decidedly difficult task to choose between the competing quartets for the judge of 2011, David Brophy, Principal Conductor of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.

In the end, first place was awarded to Eoghan Desmond, Raymond Tedders, Judith Lyons and Margaret Bridge, perform-

points between NUI Galway and NUI Maynooth.

The tiebreaking factor had been decided and outlined before play began, but unfortunately this still could not separate the two teams.

After 15 minutes of general debate between all in the chamber as to who should be crowned champion, the chairs/auditors/ presidents of each society participating in the event entered the conversation room to decide who would be crowned the victor. Eventually, after arguments by both potential champion colleges the committee came to a decision and crowned NUI Galway the first intervarsity poker champions, as they had the highest place individual in Stephen Curran.

On the same day the first ever colours poker tournament was held between the UCD and Trinity teams. Traditionally, colours matches are heavily competitive affairs regardless of the sport and this proved no different at the poker tables. Trinity defeated their Belfield counterparts to win the Fitzwilliam Card Club Colours Trophy which compensated for their disappointment in the overall tournament.

The best individual in the colours showdown went to Paddy Duffy of the Trinity team. Both the colours and intervarsity tournaments were hailed as successes by those in attendance and have now been established as annual events to be overseen by the newly formed College Union of Poker Societies with next years intervarsity event set to take place in Galway.

Cassidy is optimistic for the future of cards in Trinity. ‘The society expects even greater growth next year with expansion and hopefully even more of a presence around campus.

While there has been a great improvement by the society the ambitious and eager new committee are hopeful to improve even further.”

The foundation of this new intervarsity tournament is a tribute to not only the hard work of the Trinity Card Society’s committee but also the growing interest in cards.

If you are interested in cards and would like to get involved, email bridge@csc.tcd.ie

“The competition offers individuals a unique chance to perform before their peers for the eponymous cup and accompanying prestige.” ing “Prayers of Dietrich Bonhoeffer” as their chosen piece, and a highly commended prize was given to Dermot Frost, Charlie Kerrigan, Fionnuala Barrett and Joanna Staunton, performing “Bye bye, Blackbird” as their chosen piece. Congratulations and thanks are due to all who took part.

This Charmless Man MARK WALSH is delighted that summer is finally on it’s way, bringing with it the seasonal shedding of clothes. He also went a gig by the Alternative Music Society, which was good.

I WOKE up on Wednesday of last week feeling immediately stressed. It was one of those days where there’s so much to do that no matter what time you wake up, it’s already too late and you’re not going to get everything done.

However, it was slightly sunny. Slightly. Every so often the sun would break through the clouds and just for a few minutes at a time, it was a bit bright and a bit warm. And that’s all we ask for really. A little bit of sunshine. I don’t want loads of constant burning sunshine. I burn like a bastard. But a little bit of sun and I’m happy enough. Naturally I don’t change the clothes I wear to suit the good weather, because it’ll only start raining as soon as I leave the house.

Thankfully though, girls do. Girls start to wear their summer clothes. The initial period of summer clothes is possibly the best time of year. Suddenly, there’s just so much flesh on show. Having seen no flesh for the past few months, suddenly you can’t move for flesh. Delicious bare flesh. It’s not even the normal sexy stuff that I notice in this time, like cleavage. It’s the usually unappreciated areas.

For example: “Jesus, look at the shoulder on her!

Wouldn’t mind a suck on that shoulder” or “Fuck me, the kneecaps on that, I’d lick them senseless”.

There’s also the more traditional perving, such

“Catching that last bus feels like a true achievement, as you’ve maximised your day’s fun, but within the constraints of not wanting to pay for a taxi home or any shit like that.” as “I swear to Christ, the man who pulls me out of her arse would be crowned king of England” Anyway. That evening I went to a gig in The Pint on Eden Quay. It was organised by the Alternative Music Society (DUAMS). Playing at it were Rhino Magic (also known as Joseph Kielthy) and a band called Mandem. I arrived a while before the gig started. I spotted a girl I knew and began chatting to her. I noticed her lips looked pale, as if she was wearing pink lipstick or something. I really like pink lipstick so asked if she was wearing some. She wasn’t. I then wanted to explain that I like pale lips, but thought that this would either sound like I was backtracking and trying to bullshit my way out of trouble, or else coming on to her in a pervy “Urgh, nice lips yeh have there love, wonder what they can do” kind of way. So I just moved on with the conversation. Later on she emerged from the bathroom having applied lipstick and I remembered why I shouldn’t be allowed leave the house.

Pints were €4, which I was pleased with. You usually allow for a fiver a pint. So with €4 pints, it’s like every fifth pint is free.

Rhino Magic was on first. One man on stage with his guitar and some of his backing music. I really enjoyed his set. Highlights for me were his two “sad songs”, and how before one of them he told us we could cry if we wanted. He has some really good music, and a very charming stage presence, chucking in some jokes between songs.

Up next was Mandem, a five-piece band. They played mostly covers, including “Come Together”

by The Beatles and they finished off with “La Bamba”. During “La Bamba”, all I could think of was that episode of Kenan and Kel where Kenan is making the tuna sandwich and does his own version which I imagine is titled “La Tuna”. It was a good set though, and I liked that they didn’t seem to take themselves too seriously, discussing at one point how the guitarist’s parents were at the back of the pub watching. Their own material sounded pretty good too, and I’d like to hear more of that.

One thing I don’t like about small gigs like this is the silence between songs. It may only be a few seconds while an instrument is tuned or changed, but you just don’t know how long it’ll last. What if it goes on for ages? If it’s a quiet enough place it feels a bit awkward. I think my worst nightmare would be if someone somehow asked me to get on stage to fill the silence between songs at a gig.

The gig ended around half ten, which is ideal.

Plenty of time to stay and have a few more drinks, then casually leave for the last bus. Nothing like getting the last bus home. Catching that last bus feels like a true achievement, as you’ve maximised your day’s fun, but within the constraints of not wanting to pay for a taxi home or any shit like that. Economic and acceptable levels of fun. That’s what it’s all about.

Read more from Mark at www.walsho.net

10 TRINITYNEWSARCHIVE.IE

Twenty years of Trinity history online for first time

TRINITY NEWS

11 features@trinitynews.ie

Above: Kim Robinson, the oldest living Chairman (Editor) of Trinity News (Hilary Term, 1954) reads a current issue. His only precedessor, Anthony Bolchover, died in 1992.

Opposite page, top left: Both former, current and future editors of Trinity News spanning 58 years. From left: Aoife Crowley (2011), John Hautz Ex-Sch. (1957), Kate Palmer (2012), Aidan Fitzmaurice (1991), Paul Nolan (1973), Martin McKenna (2009), Kim Robinson (1954), Andrew Payne (2006), Colin Smythe, Robin Hanan (1977), Lady Carol Holland Ex-Sch. (1959), Sara Morris (1987), Peter Henry (2007), David Molloy (2010), Catherine Troy (1980).

Top right: Colin Smythe and Martin McKenna. Colin Smythe was pre-

sented with a gift of Trinity cufflinks as thanks for is donation of old copies of Trinity News.

Below middle: Jonathan Drennan and Andrew Payne (2006).

Below right: A profile of Kim Robinson from Trinity News 1954.

Below left (scan): Editors 1953 to 1964, including Alumni Dinner guests Kim Robinson, Lady Carol Holland (nee Challen) and John Hautz

Online archive launch attended by 58 years of Trinity News Martin McKenna Editor Trinity News 2008-2009

ON

FRIDAY, Trinity News launched a digital archive of every issue from 1953 to 1970, representing the first 17 volumes of publication.

The material can be searched online at www. trinitynewsarchive.ie.

In attendance at a special dinner to launch the archive was Kim Robinson, the second ever chairman of Trinity News.

The original material was presented to Trinity News last March by Colin Smythe who collected and bound the issues into five volumes. Funding to scan the issues was provided by the Publications Committee and by the TCD Association and Trust.

The scanning was carried out by Glenbeigh Records Management.

The text of the issues was analysed using Optical Character Recognition software which allows the material to be searched for key phrases.

29 March, 2011

The search function is available at www.trinitynewsarchive.ie where each issue can be downloaded as a PDF file.The project was organised

by Martin McKenna.

The launch event on Friday, organised by Publications Alumni Officer Kate Palmer, drew former chairmen - as editors were then

“11 other editors of Trinity News were also present, spanning a period of 58 years.” called - to Commons followed by a reception in the Atrium. Kim Robinson (Hilary Term 1954) was joined by Lady Carol Ann Holland (Trinity Term 1959) and John Hautz (Michaelmas Term 1956). Each found a copy of their profile published after their term

as chairman, youthful photos included.

Kim Robinson, then and now, "appreciates the good things in life; food and drink, a long undisturbed sleep, a good day’s work and the sartorial accessories of male dress".

Although Lady Holland is recorded as "slightly shy, and will even admit that sometimes she finds herself at a loss for conversation at cockatil parties", this could not be confirmed on Friday. John Hautz was preceeded by this reputation as "an expert on most of the things in life" and "no stranger to Trinity's social life".

11 other editors of Trinity News were also present, spanning a period of 58 years.

Formally launching the archive, Colin Smythe commented on the changes history has seen since the period covered by the archive.

Smythe was presented with a set of silver Trinity cufflinks in appreciation of his donation, and each guest received a DVD of the PDFs.

12 WORLD REVIEW worldreview@trinitynews.ie

The mad Tea Party?

The Republicans are proving slow to mobilise in the election campaign for 2012. Siri Bjørntvedt looks at the likely candidates for the Republican Party and whether or not Obama is beatable

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“Some of the big names tipped to take on Obama are familiar faces from the last presidential election: Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee.”

he Republican campaign to challenge Obama next year has been unusually slow to start considering the 2012 presidential election, by American standards, is right around the corner.

By this time four years ago close to 20 candidates from both parties had announced their candidacy. The fact that none of the big names tipped as Republican candidates have announced their candidacy might indicate that the Republicans are having serious doubts as to whether Obama is beatable. Despite their success in the midterms, the Republicans might have a serious problem finding a candidate capable of taking on the current President.

A weak economy helped to get Bill Clinton elected President in 1992, and the economy will, as always, play a key role in the upcoming election. Many have speculated that the Republicans are waiting to see how the economy is doing before launching their campaign. A weak economy proved to be the Achilles’ heel of incumbent President Carter in 1980, while a growing economy helped Reagan stay in office in 1984.

Although he has an approval rating of just under 50 percent, Obama has failed to deliver on some of his main promises. Guantánamo Bay remains open and there has been an escalation in Afghanistan. At home, he has made some unpopular decisions, such as bailing out the banks, helping the car industry, and continuing the Bushera tax cuts for the wealthy. However, Obama remains a skilled campaigner, with a massive campaign machinery.

Obama beat McCain by 192 votes in

Pippi’s Politics

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enerally speaking the four main Nordic countries may appear to be of marginal significance.

With a combined population of under 25 million, not to mention their peripheral geographical position, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland often slip under the global radar. Yet their repeated appearance at the top of various world rankings such as the Economist Intelligence Unit’s quality-of-life index, and Monocle’s Most Liveable Cities Index means these northern states punch high above their weight in qualitative terms, not to mention their impressive emergence from the global recession virtually unscathed. So what is it that these northerly parts are doing right?

Mentioning Scandinavia inevitably conjures images of Ikea, fjords, and, if you are Bill O’Reilly, tax rates so high they could be set by the devil himself.

But it’s not all oppressive redistribution and suffocating welfare-statism.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, the governments of these states presented a paper entitled “The Nordic Way” in an effort to explain how a paradoxical combination of radical individualism with social trust has made for a competitive ver-

“It hails Pippi as the Nordic archetype. She is the strongest girl in the world, an anarchic individualist who lives in her own house”

sion of capitalism that has proved resilient throughout the latest economic crisis. Nordic voters are not simply in favour of big government with conformist, leftwing policies. Rather, the authors claim, they are extremely individualistic and see the state as the best guarantor of their individual freedoms.

The Davos paper cites an article entitled: “Pippi Longstocking: The Autonomous Child and the Moral Logic of the Swedish Welfare State”. It hails Pippi as the Nordic archetype. She is the strongest girl in the world, an anarchic individualist who lives in her own house, with only a monkey, a horse, a bag of gold and a strong moral compass for company.

This isn’t to say, however, that the family has no place in these countries.

But what sets families here apart from their southern counterparts is the fact that the economic aspect to family life is removed. Spouses are rarely financially dependent on one another and likewise, children’s independence is encouraged as early as possible. In these parts, encountering a university student who still lives with their parents is exceptionally rare. For instance, student benefits and loans without means test in relation to parental income give young people a greater degree of autonomy. Households stay together through natural rapports, as opposed to forced financial reliance.

The same could be said for wider society in Nordic states. Infused with the same moral logic stressing equality and autonomy, observers have historically put a strong emphasis on social solidarity, and the subordina-

SS Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, shaking hands with Obama.

the electoral college in 2008, and in the 2012 election the Republican challenger needs only to win 91 votes more than McCain to win. Looking at the midterm elections last year this seems doable.

The Republicans made some notable wins in the swing states: Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Indiana and Wisconsin, which are worth 81 votes together. In addition, some of the other blue states in 2008, like North Carolina, Colorado, New Mexico, Iowa, Nevada and Michigan have turned considerably more red over the last year.

So far only two candidates have declared themselves running: a pizza mogul and a gay-rights activist. However, some of the big names tipped to take on Obama are familiar faces from the last presidential election: Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee. Mitt Romney, the Mormon former governor of Massachusetts, proved to be a strong competitor last time, but the healthcare legislation that was passed during his time as governor might cause trouble with the conservatives in the Republican Party. Sarah Palin, John McCain’s infamous vice-presidential

nominee, has refused to rule out standing in 2012 and has embarked on a trip to India and Israel to boost her foreign policy credentials. Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, is also rumored to be considering running.

These three candidates can be seen as

“Obama has failed to deliver on some of his main promises.” the representatives of the three main groups within the Republicans, Palin appealing to the newly formed Tea Party, Romney representing the more business-friendly part of the Party, and Huckabee relying on the old socially conservative group. Considering that the key in winning the election will be winning over the last election’s blue states, Palin might prove dangerous as her appeal among the independents is minimal if not nonexistent.

Other potential candidates that have been tipped are Rick Santorum, Rudy

Giuliani and even Donald Trump. Santorum is a former senator from Pennsylvania, known for his conservative beliefs on homosexuality and the right to privacy. He is a firm believer that intelligent design “is a legitimate scientific theory that should be taught in science classes”. Donald Trump has stated that he is considering joining the race as no other candidate has even a fraction of his talent. Some other potential candidates are less well-known, such as Tim Pawlenty, the former governor of Minnesota and Michele Bachmann, a congresswoman from Minnesota.

Presidential candidates usually spend a disproportionately large amount of time campaigning in Iowa and New Hampshire due to their early elections. The fact that Jack Kimball, a Tea Party supporter, was elected Republican Party chairman in New Hampshire earlier this year might prove significant. New Hampshire holds the first primary, and receives a large amount of media attention. As a result, winning in New Hampshire is seen as increasing the chances of a nationwide win.

Writing from Finland, Eleanor Friel describes how social trust and respect in the Nordic countries have encouraged an economically stable welfare state that allows for both individual autonomy and moral solidarity tion of individual interest to a collective rationality. But too often, this has been understood, even demonised, by its detractors as standing in opposition to the fundamental logic of the free market. The truth is that a great degree of this Nordic prosperity owes its success to the ability to encourage and protect innovation and entrepreneurship.

A recent Eurobarometer survey says 83 percent of Danes and 78 percent of Finns have a favourable opinion of entrepreneurs; these figures are higher than anywhere else in Europe.

So if big government doesn’t rule here, and neither does the free market, then what is the secret ingredient to Scandinavia’s remarkable quality-oflife success? In fact, it is something else altogether. It’s called trust.

Broadly speaking, there is an unparalleled moral likemindedness within the population. Citizens adhere to social norms that facilitate cooperation. Social capital in the Nordic countries is no magic formula, but there does seem to be some equation whereby universal contribution to the collective wallet equals receiving not only generous social benefits, but an intangible effect of greater security. Thus, in turn, the incentive to cheat the system is removed from the equation.

On numerous surveys, citizens of Nordic countries represent the highest levels of trust and civic cooperation.

The 2010 Legatum Prosperity Index reports that 74.2 percent of Norwegians find others trustworthy.

The corresponding figure for Ireland is a meagre 30.5 percent. This can be seen on public transport networks. Noticeably free-flowing, barrier-free train and metro stations in effect discourage fare evasion with the belief that passengers will pay of their own inclination.

“Radical individualism with social trust has made for a competitive version of capitalism that has proved resilient throughout the latest economic crisis.”

It’s not just smiles and happy families though. Social capital contributes directly to economic development by reducing the expenses associated with carrying out business. Nordic people trust their fellow citizens, thus eliminating concerns regarding fraud or opportunistic behaviour.

The model in question is not one that can or ought to be blindly imitated by others. Scandinavians will point to harsh climates that have historically fostered a sense of solidarity, in addition to small, manageable populations of traditionally homogeneous composition.

Nordic countries’ social and economic systems rely on a widespread cooperation, where respect and reciprocity are norms, not exceptions. And it is this that restores the power to the individual. That’s definitely something Pippi would agree with.

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29 March, 2011

14 TRAVEL travel@trinitynews.ie

Tours de France Thomas McGrath on why the city of Tours is his number one student destination in France

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pend a year in a place and you can grow to love it. I’m an Erasmus student here in Tours, France, and I have to say it has charmed me to a T! Tours is a small city with a big atmosphere, right in the heart of France’s sumptuous Loire Valley, with much to offer the holidaying student.

Saints and kings have walked the streets of this ancient Roman city, and every year it’s host to thousands of tourists ready to sample the famous scenery, culture and food of the region.

You can’t come to Tours without taking a trip to one of the nearby chateaux of the Loire Valley. These medieval marvels are the main tourist pull of Tours, with many a short train ride from the city. Visiting castles may seem like a sleepy, middle-aged thing to do on holiday, but their architecture and beautiful furnishings hold appeal for all ages. Heading the must-sees is Chambord, the largest chateau of the valley. A pinnacle of French Renaissance architecture, its northern façade really must be seen to be believed for sheer grandeur.

Inside, marvel at a spectacular double-helix staircase, the architect of which remains a mystery.

Just fifteen minutes from Tours is the charming town and chateau of Amboise, its towers straight from the days of King Arthur and its courtyard chapel home to the tomb of Leonardo de Vinci.

Don’t miss the adjacent Clos Luce, the mansion where the great man spent his final days – many of his inventions are proudly on display there. Also well worth the visit is the fairytale-esque Chenonceau.

Originally an old mill transformed into a luxurious palace for the mistress of King Henry II, it was an important fording point for the French during the second World War. Nowadays it’s home to a charming hedge maze, a moat busy with fish, Snow-Whitescenery views from the windows and a medieval vegetable garden. No chateaux gardens, however, compare

to those of Villandry, a haven of geometrical hedges and flowerbeds, and oddities such as red pumpkins and black tulips. Be sure to check the weather forecast before setting out! All of these chateaux can be easily reached by bus or train from the central station of Tours, and the student entry rates will make for a reasonably-priced day out.

Tours is much more than just a pit-stop for the chateaux – the town itself has much to offer the student tourist. If you’re keen on sightseeing, don’t miss the formidable St. Gatien Cathedral; it’s fifteenth-century front easily rivals that of Notre Dame’s. The Hôtel de Ville, or town hall, provides some fab photo ops, especially at night when it lights up in gold behind fountains flashing red and blue.

There are museums galore in Tours, though you’re probably better off using your cultural time for a trip to a chateau, as they’re mostly under-stocked and overspecific, though the Musée des Beaux Arts has an interesting collection of French furniture and paintings.

It just wouldn’t be a holiday without shopping, and there’s plenty of that here in Tours. Designer names and stacks of soft French shoes are to be found on Rue des Halles, and

high-street shopping can be found on Rue Nationale and Rue de Bordeaux.

Continental favourites such as Pimkie, Jennyfer and Fred Aston are all here, and everyone’s spoiled for choice in the immense H&M which, once tried, will leave you perpetually dissatisfied with the Dublin branches!

Homeware is everywhere – you’ll

“Balls of wool dangle from the ceiling, and an old vacuum cleaner is in the sink in the toilets. The food is every bit as good as the decor.” find boutique after boutique of trendy French-made crockery and utensils, where the prices are as high as the quality of the designs. For an edible, gourmet souvenir, head to Les Halles, an indoor market where you can purchase connoisseur jars of herbs, bottles of olives and vacuumpacked cheeses, all locally produced. Sweet-toothed students won’t be able to take their eyes from the Wonka windows of La Chocolaterie on Rue de la Scellerie, where every object imaginable has been sculpted from chocolate.

The high prices, however, might mean that these really are too good to be eaten. More reasonably-priced treats can be found in Tours’ innumerable Patisseries; stroll in and spend an age deliberating between the rows of baked goodies. I for one would never be without the Breton custard flan, though you can never go wrong with a good old croissant or pain au chocolat.

Apart from the patisseries, limitless sandwich bars line the streets, selling piles of bright, crunchy baguettes and cups of super-strong, bitter French coffee. For something more substantial, you can’t go wrong with a crêperie: the absolute must-see joint (seriously, if you only do one thing in Tours…) is the Mamie Bigoude, a “restaurant within a house”, where you can find yourself eating in the bathroom, the kitchen or the bedroom – book the four poster bed for that

romantic dinner! The house itself is zany and Alice-inspired. Balls of wool dangle from the ceiling and an old vacuum cleaner is the sink in the toilets. The food is every bit as good as the decor: galettes come stuffed to bursting with whole rounds of melted camembert, piles of golden walnuts, thick chunks of ham and dishes of honey to drizzle on top. For dessert, you’re spoiled for choice but the winner is probably the staple beurre-sucre. Best of all, the other tourists don’t seem to know this place exists, so you’re really alone amongst the French. Prices, as with most of the restaurants of Tours, are much cheaper than Dublin and well within a student’s budget. Also worth a trip is La Bigoudin, located in Tours’ old quarter, where copper buckwheat crêpes, treacle wooden decor and little white jugs of cider (which is traditionally drunk with crêpes in France) make for an atmospheric meal.

For a non-pancake affair, a good bet is Le Carreau des Halles, just outside the

“Tours is a student town, so there’s always a youthful, game-for-alaugh crowd out on the lash. “ Les Halles market. It’s a true French dining experience – go at lunchtime when the place will be buzzing with the loud conversation of businessmen and shopkeepers lunching with a glass of wine. Traditional, hearty French dishes such as boeuf Bourgignon and tarte Alsacienne are served with style and a smile by the super-French Fany, and are made from scratch before your eyes by her husband, Fred. For dessert, try the all-you-can-eat cheese platter to set those cholesterol levels soaring.

Tours is a student town, so there’s always a youthful, game-for-a-laugh crowd out on the lash. Thursday and Saturday are the big nights.

Anyone and everyone heads for Place Plumereau, or “Place Plume”, a medieval square with buildings still standing from the days of the plague. It’s home to bars and pubs of all types and shapes. Clubs are not very popular here – they tend to be undersized, overfull and overpriced.

If you must, Excalibur will offer a so-so night of electro and house, but it’s much more fun (and French) to head for un pot (a jar) with friends.

Beer and banter galore is to be had in La Cabane, the cheap-and-cheerful stronghold inhabited every night (and day) of the week by the many

international students of Tours – an Erasmus favourite! Five minutes past the door and you’ll have made new friends, and don’t worry if your French is rusty as everyone here speaks English. Get a group together to share a girafe – a four-foot tower

“Get a group together to share a girafe – a four-foot tower of beer, or whatever you fancy – that empties surprisingly quickly.” of beer, or whatever you fancy – that empties surprising quickly. Cocktails are strong and are best ordered by the jug-full. Also worth a look, across the square is Café Chaud, where sweet, psychedelic drinks aren’t cheap but come served in glasses the size of a small fish tank. If you’re still standing afterwards, take a spin on the basement dancefloor with that mysterious French boy or girl.

Alternatively, create your own cocktail for a reasonable price at Le P’tit Soleil.

A favourite of the cool cats of Tours, it’s unashamedly loud with its graffiti decor. The night gets going around 10pm, but don’t expect to come home early – bars don’t close before 2, and clubs stay thumping until 5 or 6 in the morning.

And where to stay throughout all this fun? The HI youth hostel is probably the best bet. The rooms are dismal but clean, and it’s located just beside Place Plume so you can easily

“Tours is much more than just a pit-stop for the chateaux – the town itself has much to offer the student tourist.” stagger home after your night(s) out.

Students looking for a little more luxury will find a central location and reasonable prices in the Hotel des Chateaux de la Loire. The breakfast spread here has quite the choice.

With dirt-cheap Ryanair flights direct from Dublin, there’s every reason to head to the Loire Valley this summer. Be mature beyond your years and experience the France that most people wait until they’re retired to see: come take a tour of Tours!

TRINITY NEWS

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16 THE YEAR IN PHOTOS

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THE YEAR

IN PHOTOS

2010

2011 OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT December 2010 – Couple build snowmandi on the cricket pitch.

Campus was subsequently shut to all non-resident students, staff and visitors due to trecherous conditions.

February 2011 – Undergraduate student Dylan Haskins (right) stands in Sublin South-East for the General Election. His campaign attracted widespread coverage, including an interview in the Guardian and an appearance on Al Jaazera. He was not elected, receiving 1,383 votes.

March 2011 – Four of the five Provostial candidates debated at a Phil event in the GMB chaired by Brian Dobson. Present from left to right were Des Fitzgerald, Patrick Prendergast, Brian Dobson, Jane Ohlmeyer and Colm Kearney. John Boland, also running, was not present at the debate.

The election for Provost will take place on 2 April.

November 2010 – Seven Trinity students were successful in the Irish Undergraduate Awards, now in its second year.

January 2011 – Students’ Union sabbatical officers get cream-pied to raise money for Rag Week. This was the most successful Rag Week to date, with takings up 300 percent on the previous year.

January 2011 – Trinity News defeat long-time rival University Times in a friendly(ish) game of 5-a-side football.

Organised as part of Rag Week, the event raised just over €300.

THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP November 2010 – The Dublin University American Football Team secured its first ever championship after beating the UL Vikings in Limerick.

October 2010 – Visitors and organisers gather for a tour of Trinity as part of the Open House festival.

Visitors were treated to architecture based tours of many parts of College which are not generally open to the public, such as the Provost’s House and TRIARC. November 2010 – Over 30,000 students took to the streets to protest a proposed increase in university registration fees, further cuts to the student maintenance grant and increasing graduate unemployment and emigration levels.

The protest was predominantly peaceful, however some protesters and Gardaí were involved in clashes.

36 complaints of police brutality were registered, and just over half of these were admitted. The Department of Finance was occupied for a number of hours.

The Irish Times described the event as “the largest student protest in a generation”.

October 2010 – Members of DU Snow Sports Club strip to raise money for VDP, in their notorious “Slave Auction”. Later in the year, the sports club was to come under fire over reports of damage to property and destructive behaviour during their annual ski trip.

29 March, 2011

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                                               

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      

                             

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TRINITY NEWS

SCIENCE 19 science@trinitynews.ie

Finding the fountain of youth George Tetley Contributing Writer

It has long been mankind’s dream to live, if not indefinitely, then at least for a greater span. Now scientists exploring the mechanisms of ageing have found an agent that seems to reverse the effects of senescence – in mice at least.

A big player in age degeneration is the slow loss of telomeres. These are repetitive sequences of DNA that cap each end of a chromosome. The nature of DNA replication (in cell division) leaves the daughter chromosome somewhat shorter than it was. Now if this meant that the coding for, say, a vital metabolic enzyme was truncated you would be up faecal fjord: dead. Oxidative stress, caused by harmful molecules, also acts to shorten telomeres.

Telomeres, by grace of being noncoding, can be whittled down fairly harmlessly. This whittling away happens until we reach the end of the line, when the telomere is shortened to such an extent that a structural change leads the cell to senescence, at which point it stops reproducing, resulting in cell death.

Research has shown that shorter telomeres often significantly increase mortality rates in humans. One study found a 3.2 and 8.5 times increase in mortality from heart disease and infection respectively in aged people.

So is every cell doomed from birth?

Clearly not, as our germ cells build a rejuvenated being from generation to generation. The key to cellular immortality is in part due to telomerase, a natural enzyme that builds on telomere ends. Levels of this enzyme are different in various cell-types, which accounts for differing longevities.

“The key to cellular immortality is in part due to telomerase, a natural enzyme that builds up telomere ends.”

SS Scientific advances in genetics may one day allow humans to reverse ageing.

The importance of this enzyme can be seen in mice which have the gene which produces telomerase suppressed, known as telomerase knockout mice. The process is much like taking a component from a car and taking it for a spin to see whether it still works.

When the telomerase gene is silenced and their telomeres shortened to more human lengths these mice suffer from a variety of age related diseases and immune-cell production is reduced, leaving them unusually susceptible to disease. On the other end of the spectrum, mice engineered to produce much higher levels of telomerase lived on average 50 percent longer. Telomerase activity generally lowers over time, so as cells’ telomeres degrade, cells reach the point where replication ceases, and DNA damage can lead to their self-destruction. In essence these mice provide a fast-forwarded model of human senility. In geriatrics one can often observes decreased immune activity. It has been suggested that this is attributable to stem cells that would normally divide and differentiate to replenish

the tissues not doing so because they have shorter telomeres. Thus immune

“The future is brighter and prospectively extended for us all.” cells are less able to quickly replicate and combat infection, leaving older people dying of a cold that a younger person might shake off in a few days.

Now for the exciting part: a group of researchers engineered mice whose cells are telomerase-deficient but which have the capacity to produce the enzyme when appropriately stimulated. Premature ageing was noted in the mice before activation of telomerase, which halted and even reversed the degenerative symptoms of the mutant mice. This was observed on a cellular level, as cultures stopped dividing af-

Nature’s fury, then and now

SS Eruptions like that of Vesuvius remain awe-inspiring today, demonstrating how tenuous humanity’s grasp on nature really is

Anthea Lacchia Deputy Science Editor

Following from the tragic events that affected Japan in recent days, natural disasters have become a constant topic of discussion. The powerlessness of human intervention when faced with nature’s force is obvious, yet it never ceases to amaze. Certainly, this was the case in 79 CE, when Mount Vesuvius

29 March, 2011

erupted, leading to the obliteration of Pompeii and the death of Pliny the Elder.

The eruption was recorded by Pliny the Younger, who witnessed his uncle’s death from a distance. The younger Pliny recounts that his uncle sailed out to rescue survivors, following the eruption. Pliny’s account is detailed and scientific. In his letters to Tacitus, he describes the earthquakes that ac-

companied the eruption as gradually increasing in violence. Pliny compares the shape of the ash cloud that led to his uncle’s nemesis to an umbrella pine.

“Many thought that the end of the world was at hand”, he states. No wonder. This type of volcanic event is still known as a Plinian eruption. It is characterised by an ash column that can rise up to about 50 kilometres into the atmosphere and can spread out to cov-

ZOOLOGY

Planet-Wide Death Five times in the history of Earth have there been five mass extinction events, marked by the dying out of thousands of species of all forms, from mammals and birds, to plants of all sorts. Research on these past events, published last week in Nature, by paleobiologists from the University of California, Berkeley suggests that our planet may be on the cusp of its sixth mass die-off.

Anthony Barnosky, the lead researcher, explained that the probability under current conditions for many of the species currently endangered to die out in the next few generations is extremely high, and that, “If currently threatened species, those officially classed as critically endangered, endangered and vulnerable, actually went extinct, and that rate of extinction continued, the sixth mass extinction could arrive within as little as three to 22 centuries.” The researchers suggest that many species, like the Bengal tiger, could be extinct much sooner. Such an event would be unprecedented in the history of modern man, and could fundamentally alter the shape of life on Earth.

EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCE ter about five divisions, yet restarted when re-cultured on a medium. More strikingly, the decline of intestinal and germ line cells was halted and tissues returned to a normal size and health.

A telling sign of ageing in humans is brain function decline as production (neurogenesis) and repair of cells decreases, and the old die. In the neural tissue cultures from the telomerase deficient mice poor neurogenesis was observed, however the activation of telomerase ameliorated symptoms.

So how does this affect the live mouse? In vivo after just a four-week course of telomerase activation mouse brain weight was 10 percent closer to normal and performance in olfactory tests was greatly improved.

So is this truly an elixir of life, that restores one’s frame to its rude juvenile health? Watch this space. A trial on a mouse model simulating premature ageing is appreciably far from an antiageing drug, but the future is brighter, and prospectively extended for those suffering from diseases of premature senescence, and perhaps for us all.

“Geology itself might have begun when Pliny recorded the eruption.” er thousands of kilometres. The presence of gas in the magma is a key factor in leading to an explosive eruption. The hot mixture of pumice and rock fragments within a fluidised ash matrix, which travelled across the Bay of Naples in 79, can be termed a pyroclastic flow. The imagery such events conjure up is ever awe-inspiring and is perhaps best embodied by William Turner’s “Eruption of Vesuvius” (1817). This watercolour brilliantly depicts nature belittling mankind’s ambition. A similar theme is present in other watercolours

by Turner, some of which are held in the National Gallery of Ireland.

The cult of nature, typical of the Romantic Movement, is connected to the feeling of terror that natural disasters evoke in the spectator and to the idea of the sublime investigated by Edmund Burke. These feelings are shared across the ages, from Pliny the Younger to Turner to anyone who watched video footage of the recent tsunami in Japan.

The importance of chronicles of natural disasters such as those of Pliny lies in their function of constant reminders of nature’s devastating force. Furthermore, as Richard Fortey suggests in his marvellous book The Earth, geology itself may have begun when Pliny methodically recorded the 79 Vesuvius eruption. Thus, as science progresses alongside a general consciousness of nature’s fury, disasters can be better predicted and their negative impact lessened.

It Tastes Better Here It is a well-known adage that Guinness tastes best in Ireland. Many individuals have offered explanations for this, from the idea that Guinness does not travel well, to the notion that the Guinness Company keeps its best batches for its native patrons. None of these answers seem to hold much water under scrutiny, as the drink is brewed in many places all over the world, and not simply in Dublin. But recent research seems to suggest that the old adage is indeed correct. A year-long research project involving tastetesting in 14 countries, 73 different drinking establishments, and 103 tastings has yielded up the result that Guinness does indeed appear to taste better in Ireland than anywhere else in the world. While the study is still in need of greater scientific rigour to be publishable in a formal research journal, it represents the first empirical analysis of the taste of the famous black drink on an international scale.

MEDICINE

Prostate Relief Researchers from the Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Michigan have identified a gene-target that could prove a game-changer in treatment of the most aggressive forms of prostate cancer.

The research, published in Science Translational Medicine, shows how the gene SPINK1, serves as a perfect target for drug treatments and could be instrumental in saving many lives, even though the gene occurs in only about 10 percent of all prostate cancers.

Initial tests have shown drugs targeting SPINK1 in mice to drastically slow the growth of tumours. The research also revealed that SPINK1 will bond to EGFR, a receptor on the cancer cells.

Combined with drugs that already block EGFR, the drugs targeting SPINK1 shrank tumors by up to 74 percent. Scientists appear to be on the fast track to defeating prostate cancer, surely a welcome relief to men everywhere.

John Engle

20 BUSINESS

A game of give and take With Ireland’s corporate tax rate under renewed attack from Brussels, Damien Carr evaluates the possible outcomes

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orget the banking crisis, forget the recession and forget how uncompetitive we’ve become. None of that matters in comparison to the effect an increase in our corporate tax rate will have on the economy – or so we’re led to believe. This rate, we are told, is the cornerstone of our entire industrial policy and one of our best assets for economic recovery. Whether or not that is true is something that will be discussed later but first we must face up to the fact that it is unfortunately now under attack from Europe.

We all love it when the underdog wins. Two weekends ago we heard our new Taoiseach refusing to be bullied by Europe, refusing to give into demands to increase our corporation tax rate. The two-day-old Taoiseach stood his ground and refused to give up our 12.5 percent corporate tax rate

“Conformity is very high on the EU agenda.”

“With our economy still balancing on the edge of an abyss and the idea of default growing momentum, it is imperative that Europe gives us the help we need.”

in exchange for a decrease in our loan repayment rate. Privately, EU officials have softened their stance with regard to a reduction in the interest rate on the bailout but the question remains as to what will we have to give up in exchange.

While France is hung up on our corporate tax rate, the Germans have slightly backed off an idea they once fully supported. Whatever was said between Angela Merkel and Enda Kenny when they met prior to the election seemed to have the desired effect for Ireland. In saying this, the EU is of course still looking from some concession from Ireland or as Merkel

Honest to blog

SS Enda Kenny has said that he believes the EU’s proposal is “harmonisation by the back door”.

puts it “There must be give and take.”

In Greece this meant an agreement to sell off more state assets. Could we do the same? Is that more politically acceptable?

One thing seems to be certain – we will not be forfeiting our 12.5 percent corporate tax rate. It is a promise that was made by the last government and is endorsed by the current one. This tax gives us a competitive advantage over our European neighbours but now we have reached a cross-roads and they’ve decided that enough is enough – if we want the help, they want the tax.

Is our 12.5 percent rate of corporation tax really so important that we would risk not getting a reduction in our crippling repayment rates on the EU/ IMF Loan? Unfortunately the answer is yes. Before Christmas the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland supported the Government’s petition for the corporation rate to be left alone. They publicly stated that they could not guarantee further support of Ireland if the rate was increased.

While the EU tried to play down this threat the IMF listened. It listened because it looked at the figures. In 2009 alone US firms contributed €3bn

to the Irish Exchequer in taxes and contributed €15bn in expenditure to the Irish economy in terms of payrolls, goods and services employed in their operations. The facts may be clear to the IMF but the EU still harbour a

those “why not?” things. Many do not last long – the average blog does not survive the first year – but some do last, and are visited by thousands every day. The constantly growing number of followers, in the case of fashion, is what has rendered them

permanently advertises on “The Sartorialist” and “chicmuse”, two of the most popular fashion-related blogs.

However, what is interesting about the transformation of fashion blogs into small businesses is that they have expanded and have been making their little fortune in so many other ways.

The power of the bloggers’ word-ofmouth has gained so much importance that when companies launch new products, they not only invite bloggers to their openings in the hope of a few snaps of the preview on the next post, they also present them with the actual products as gifts, and in some cases, even sponsor their posts by paying them to wear their brand new collection.

It is clearly good advertising if thirty to fifty thousand people see it every day and firms can also rely on the fact that the concentration of shopaholics among these followers is very high.

Sometimes, we forget that many fashion bloggers are art students whose only way to do anything related to fashion is, in fact, to write a blog.

To them, being able to make some money thanks to advertising, being invited to London Fashion Week, or receiving gifts from their favourite maisons already seems like a dream.

For many people, the opportunity to design your own fashion line would be pure heaven. The story of The Blonde Salad sounds like the happy ending of a fairytale: Chiara Ferragni opened her blog in October 2009, and less than a year later she was already one of the most popular bloggers in the scene. As a result of all the success (and money) coming from it, she had the opportunity of launching her own line of shoes, which one can now buy

“American Apparel is just one of many firms which have invested heavily in blog advertisement.”

Maria Giulia Agostini focuses on the recent emergence of blogging as a force within the fashion world and the opportunities it poses for budding designers

B

logging has become a very common feature of young people’s lives; if you are into music, cinema, or fashion,

you will probably have visited a few blogs filled with updates and insights on new trends and personal critique.

People start it as a hobby, one of

attractive to business: the fashion industry is nowadays an active part of the blogging scene. This newfound popularity has brought with it considerable opportunities for successful bloggers.

This is evident from the fact that the most recent Fashion Weeks have become populated by these new fashionistas, who only a few months earlier used to dream about sitting, one day, in front of Anna Wintour instead of their computer screens, and who are now being welcomed by the entire industry.

For virtually all blogs, the most potent revenue stream is undoubtedly advertisement. Depending on the amount of clicks per day, specialised agencies such as Google Adsense encourage companies to promote their businesses on these web pages.

American Apparel is just one of many firms which have invested heavily in blog advertisement: followers will have noticed that it almost

“One thing seems certain – we will not be forfeiting our 12.5 percent corporate tax rate.” desire for us to conform.

Conformity is very high on the EU agenda. Recently the EU issued its proposal for a new system of working out the tax a business owes to particular countries. The Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base – (CCCTB) provides a formula which allows for the calculation of tax payable according to the individual tax rates of each country.

The EU maintains it will allow for huge savings in accounting and tax costs

for companies – other sources say the opposite. The Irish Government has decided to cooperate as the proposal is developed but remains skeptical. Our Taoiseach has said that he believes it is “harmonisation by the back door”. The cooperation of the Irish Government is a no-risk strategy. The CCCTB is a tax issue and so even after what could be two years of a legislative cycle the Irish Government can veto the proposal when it comes to a vote.

With the Irish economy still balancing on the edge of an abyss and the idea of default growing momentum, it is imperative that Europe gives us the help we need. The issue of our corporate tax rate could become the most important economic and political decision of the euro. On one side the EU gives in to our demands, give us the reduction in repayment rates and we keep our low corporate tax rate. On the other side we are forced into political stalemate: we refuse to give up our corporate tax rate of 12.5 percent, the EU refuses to reduce our repayment rates and we ultimately default. Which one of these will actually provide the best outcome for Ireland? Unfortunately no one really knows. online and in many shops around Europe. Essentially, she managed to create her own brand, all thanks to the masses of followers who have been checking out her new outfits every day. While in her case, the brand is completely her own creation, many other bloggers have been offered the opportunity to design collections for high-street brands: London School of Fashion student Gala Gonzalez, from “amlul”, was picked for the “Linea – U” of the Spanish designer Adolfo Dominguez, while Rumi Neely from “fashiontoast” was contracted by her favourite brand Ungaro to create some clothing for them.

In times of recession, blogging can offer a huge opportunity for students, a means of gaining a foothold in the fashion world, and, with luck and

“Many other bloggers have been offered the opportunity to design collections for high-street brands.” talent, it could even open many doors in the future. While clearly not a profit-driven discipline, with many bloggers regarding their blogs as a mere hobby or pastime, blogging clearly does have the potential to help rejuvenate a fashion industry which is struggling through the crisis, by tinting it with fresh and new ideas.

TRINITY NEWS

21 business@trinitynews.ie

Apocalyptic beast or atomic kitten?

In light of recent events in Japan, Lorcan Clarke debates the viability of nuclear power as a cost effective energy source

T

he crisis in Japan has once again brought the debate over nuclear energy back into the public sphere.

Safety concerns and economic viability are two extremely contentious and problematic sticking points in this debate and, as such, are worthy of detailed analysis.

The major economic issue is that the fuel is cheap but the plants are very expensive to build and the pay-off from that investment is slow. The actual cost of a plant is difficult to determine as many plants were built a long time ago.

Projects also tend to run late and over budget. Reactors roughly cost €2–3bn, much greater than the cost of coal-fired or gas-fired plants. It can take decades to recoup this initial capital outlay.

The waste must be stored for hundreds of years, so the cost of disposal should be included. There are also decommissioning costs, typically of around €300million. These accrue when a plant is dismantled, safely stored or entombed at the end of its lifetime (estimated as between 40 and 60 years).

Costs of plants are falling fast, as new designs are replicated more

“The risks of nuclear disaster are real, but their extent must be put into perspective.” efficiently. In China, two reactors built in 2007 cost $5.3bn whereas four identical reactors built two years later cost just $8billion. This accelerated learning curve is not unusual in such large infrastructural projects.

Comparisons with other energy sources are complicated by subsidies for renewable energy and arguably underpriced carbon emissions from fossil fuels. Nuclear power would have an edge should the price of carbon under emissions-trading schemes increase.

So taking all of this into account, what’s the bottom line? Largely, it depends which papers you read.

AFTER THE unrest in Tunisia and in Egypt, Libya has become a concern not only for the global political community, but also for the oil markets. Unrest in Libya, a member of OPEC (Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) is the chief cause of the highest oil prices in almost three months.

Libya exports over two percent

However, if we combine the results of six reputable research papers on the final electricity price of nuclear power, coal and gas, we get the following: nuclear 100 (base price), gas 102, coal 94.67.

The differences aren’t large enough

“Oil has reached slightly over $100 a barrel, with production in Libya decreasing from 1.6 million to 500,000 barrels per day.”

“Chernobyl stands as an isolated incident, a plant with outdated technology.” to create any sort of consensus. As a result, safety concerns, risk and politics play a large part in deciding whether to pursue nuclear power.

Firstly, let’s look at risk. The inflexibility of nuclear power resulting from the long-term commitment needed is a major weakness. If newly discovered resources caused energy prices to decline over the life of the plant, the initial investment may not be recovered. However, there is the advantage that an increase in fuel costs has a much smaller effect on total electricity generation costs for nuclear power than coal and especially gas.

Amid rising oil prices, the USA, UK, China, France and Germany among others are constructing huge nuclear power plants. Russia has begun building the world’s first floating nuclear power plant, while the United Arab Emirates are also beginning to go nuclear to reduce dependence on domestic oil.

Owing to the ambiguity over the comparative economic efficiency of energy sources, political lobbying plays a pivotal role. Greenpeace argues in its reports that nuclear projects are so commonly over budget and late not because of poor management but inherent problems with nuclear infrastructure and complex reactor designs.

Lastly, there are safety concerns which also manifest themselves economically in the form of lawsuits, medical costs etc. The risks of nuclear disaster are real, but their extent must be put into perspective. In terms of deaths per terawatt hour over the last

Libya’s turmoil provokes global fears for oil

“The waste must be stored for hundreds of years, so the cost of disposal should be included.” twenty years, the results are somewhat shocking: coal 161, oil 36, natural gas 4, biofuel 12, peat 12, hydro 1.4, nuclear 0.04. Although, it should be noted that the vast majority of deaths from coal come from plants with little or no safety regulations in China.

Chernobyl stands as an isolated incident: a plant with outdated technology, built too close to residential areas and with a disastrous clean-up operation. All of the plants in existence today are safer, following strict safety regulations and with planned

emergency procedures.

The Daiichi incident is the combined result of a severe earthquake and tsunami. In addition, the Japanese neglected to update the technology and install backup diesel generators.

Nuclear power is cost-competitive with other forms of electricity generation, with very little difference at present. However, ever-advancing technology is lowering costs substantially. With a sufficiently updated plant, it is safer than other forms of energy.

of the world’s oil. Oil has reached slightly over $100 a barrel, with production in Libya decreasing from 1.6 million to 500,000 barrels per day. Saudi Arabia has been compensating for this fall with spare production capacities.

But the price of oil in this climate is not specifically related to supply and demand, but rather the fear of investors regarding future supply.

Rebel forces in Libya have claimed to have control over oil ports in the country. On Sunday the threat to cut oil exports to the West came from rebel groups who demanded an end to the “oppression of protestors.” Certainly a shutdown of oil production in Libya will keep the prices high. The most recent air strikes by Western forces could result in the loss of infrastructure, hindering oil production. It has also been conjected that Colonel

Rate hikes on the way as inflation returns Owen Bennett comments on the current policy headache confronting central banks

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he defining feature of the Celtic Tiger, inflation, is set to return with a vengeance in the coming months.

In recent months inflationary fears have accelerated, Spikes in both oil and food prices, allied with increases in consumer demand have forced central banks to contemplate raising rates from their current historically low levels in order to eliminate risks of inflation. However, as exemplified by the indecisiveness of the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Federal Reserve, policymakers are caught in an unappetising dilemma.

By raising interest rates they run the risk of derailing the already-tentative recovery. Yet, by failing to act on inflation, the possibility of a vicious cycle of price rises and increased wage demands becomes alarmingly real.

An extremely problematic issue for policymakers stems from the nature of inflation. One must question whether current inflation is resulting from market shocks or a result of increased economic activity as the global recovery takes hold. Market shocks, such as fears over oil supply stemming from unrest in the Arab world, are temporary and do not require strong and targeted action from central banks.

Inflation ensuing from recovery is however, notably more problematic as

29 March, 2011

it requires corrective action to ensure the cost of living does not increase dramatically. But since policymakers cannot agree on the nature of current inflationary fears, there is hesitation over the right course of action to take to restore market balance.

“Policymakers risk facilitating the development of a vicious circle of price and wage increases.”

As previously mentioned, increasing interest rates – the base rate at which banks charge borrowers and pay lenders – is the most potent weapon for tackling inflation. Essentially, increasing interest rates decreases economic activity, as consumers and firms borrow less money and save more. Inflation usually only strikes during periods of economic prosperity, when demand for goods and services outstrips supply, leading to price increases. As such, increases in interest rates do not usually hurt firms and households substantially, as incomes

are high and unemployment is low.

Yet, we clearly are not currently living in times of economic prosperity. In this context, increases in the interest rate by the ECB are not overly desirable for the Irish economy. Many Irish families are currently in negative equity, meaning the value of their house is below the value of their mortgage. If there are to be increases in interest rates, we will see increases in mortgage defaults and ultimately repossessions.

Additionally, consumers worldwide are currently spending a large proportion of their income as fears over job security and pension value are rife. By increasing interest rates, policymakers are making saving more attractive, as savings can command a higher return on the principle.

High saving means low consumption and consequently weaker economic recovery. As such, any decreases in consumption from their already-low levels may possibly derail the recovery.

While the problems associated with interest rate hikes at a time of stagnation are prominent and unfortunate, the problems resulting from inactivity on the inflation front are arguably far worse. By failing to enact measures to curb inflation and price increases, the standard of living for workers decline as the real wage falls. This entices workers to seek wage

increases to compensate for inflation.

Yet such wage increases lead to higher costs for firms. As such, a vicious circle ensues with inflation fuelling wage increases which in turn leads to more price hikes. This state of affairs is the fear of central bankers globally.

Moreover, inflation in itself can weaken economic recovery. Increases

“More people will be forced below the poverty line as the cost of living increases.” in input costs will eventually hurt firms and force them to cut production as costs become unsustainable. More people will be forced below the poverty line as the cost of living increases and the value of savings and pensions will diminish.

It is clear then, that policymakers will face a real dilemma when confronting inflation this year. It seems that the cure is as bad as the disease.

Households and firms are set to look anxiously on as the global economy prepares itself for a rocky few months ahead in the fight against inflation.

Gaddafi could purposefully suspend oil production in retaliation for Western intervention in the crisis.

Adding to the trepidation of investors, a number of oil and gas companies have suspended operations in Libya, including BP (who were previously preparing to drill in the Libyan desert), German Wintershall AG and the Italian firm EVI SpA. Another fear is that the unrest that has manifested itself in northern Africa will soon spread to the Middle East, specifically Saudi Arabia, which alone supplies 10 percent of the world’s oil.

Many analysts contend that if violence continues, prices could jump even another $10 a barrel in the short term. The price of crude oil will undoubtedly stay high for the next few months. What is more, scheduled drops in oil pumping in Nigeria and Angola mean that there is increased pressure on Libyan sources.

Vanessa Chanliau

22 OPINION

Breaking the brotherhood David Barrett asks why women in Irish politics are not taken as seriously as their male counterparts

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hen the cabinet positions were announced, a friend of mine commented that what they showed was that the only tasks women were qualified for were to look after the children and hand out the money to help raise said children. Essentially, what our glorious new leader was saying through the cabinet appointments was “Get back into the kitchen and make me a sandwich”. Joan Burton and Frances Fitzgerald had every right to be aggrieved at their treatment. The junior appointments weren’t much better. The excellent Róisín Shortall is minister for GP visits, Lucinda Creighton minister for making biting remarks about Angela Merkel, Jan O’Sullivan minister for the office that happens to be located in her constituency, and Kathleen Lynch the minister for, well, Kathleen Lynch.

However, before I make it sound like this government is being uniquely bad in its treatment of women this was also one of many, many failures on the part of its predecessor. While there were three women in cabinet they were also assigned very stereotypically feminine or just plain meaningless jobs. In the role of caring we had Mary Coughlan in education and Mary Harney in health. With the job of cutting ribbons and having fun, we had Mary Hanafin

“It is almost as if in a conservative party there are no questions about a woman’s competence and capability to rise to the top.”

What does being Irish mean to you?

Molly Rowan-Hamilton writes about her nationality

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hock was my main emotion when I was told that I “wasn’t allowed to support Scotland” in the Six Nations rugby the other day because I wasn’t “properly Scottish”. My dad’s English, my mum’s Welsh and I’ve lived in Scotland my whole life. I’ve been discarded harshly by what I deemed to be my “fellow Scots” as a mongrel, composed of a myriad of different “individualities” and thus unworthy of wholeheartedly supporting my homeland.

In an attempt at reassurance, I told myself it didn’t matter; I didn’t need to feel I was from somewhere, and anyway, strictly speaking I wasn’t.

Nationalism, I told myself was rooted in rivalry and resentment. It was aggressive and it was completely wrong to find unity simply through cultural background. As Orwell wrote, it was the “worst enemy of peace”.

The England vs. Ireland game seemed to demonstrate the opposite.

By all means, the result was unexpected. England had been set to triumph and even if they hadn’t won, the tournament would be in the bag regardless. Ireland would lose to their oldest enemy in what would be embarrassing but acceptable. Yet, England lost. The experienced Irish team pulled it out of the bag in a thrilling defeat of their Anglo-Saxon rivals.

To me it seems that a particularly emotive patriotism and sense of nationalism here prevailed. No one can deny the anti-English sentiment which shrouds relations between the two countries. Some of the callers to FM104’s “Phone Show” were all too keen to air their (at best) intolerant views on the subject last week. All of

Ireland, after being drummed up by St Patrick’s Day, were behind their rugby team at this point. The game attracted almost one million viewers onto RTÉ alone; and it worked, Ireland won.

But where’s the line? Abuse was hurled at my English friend after the match, which, while was not overtly physically aggressive, was nonetheless offensive. When does the affirmative and constructive slope of patriotism become a death slide into malignant and malicious nationalism? At what point does the love of one’s country turn into xenophobia, ethnocentrism and racism?

I do not think we should be afraid of nationalism. The danger of not daring to understand something is that it becomes mentally distant, so that when it reappears it is unmanageable. That is when all hell threatens to break loose.

The game on Saturday was a good example. Keith Ward understood astutely the emotional significance when he wrote in the Evening Herald that “it was a reminder of our good days of the past and good days to come”. It was a reminder that an Ireland with a fighting outlook is not only one to believe in, but one that can be counted upon at the crucial moment to pull through.

It is peculiar to support nationalism, which is bigoted and insular, wrote Arthur Clarke, “when men have seen the Earth in its true perspective as a single small globe against the stars”.

This seems to be the key to grasping nationalism, for we must see it in context. Whilst it cannot be allowed to get out of control, it’s healthy to have an identity, something to externally connect to. That’s why I’ve decided that I definitely think I’ll be Scottish.

in arts. In fact this problem applies to nearly every woman that has ever served in an Irish cabinet. Practically all of them have served in one or all of the departments of health, education and social welfare. Is the message that women are uniquely qualified for these jobs and these jobs alone?

The evidence from other countries and other eras is that women are well capable of exercising authority. In the eleventh century, the German empress Gisela controlled the kingdom with a combination of feminine wiles and Machiavellian scheming. The founder of our university, Queen Elizabeth, was a pretty formidable ruler, and Queen Victoria reigned over the empire on which the sun never set. In the here and now Angela Merkel and Hillary Clinton are among the most powerful people in the world, full stop.

However, it is particularly noteworthy that many of the first countries that allowed breakthroughs for women were places that would not exactly be called progressive. Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Israel all had female prime ministers well before anywhere in Europe. Even within Europe, it seems that women do better in conservative parties. It is almost as if in a conservative

party there are no questions about a woman’s competence and capability to rise to the top – precisely because there is a lack of concern about seeming to be an equal and diverse party presenting a woman, or indeed any political minority, for high

“Have you ever heard a man of any sort being described as shrill?” office, so such appointments are not marred by thoughts of tokenism.

However, while women are capable of rising to those high positions in conservative parties, the next big question is at what cost? There seems to be two categories of female politicians – one is the grieving widow or daughter that carries on her father’s cause. The other is politicians in the mould of Thatcher and Merkel. These are women who have embraced their inner masculinity. They are harder and stronger than any of their male colleagues. They are “one of the lads” and any hint of femininity is a hint of weakness. They go to

extremes to not remind people of their gender – in Thatcher’s case, even going so far as to getting voice training so she could speak in a deeper, more manly voice.

It’s the little things like this that really bog down the careers of female politicians: snide remarks about the clothes they are wearing that would never be addressed to their male colleagues, and the accusations that any female politician that “talks too much” is “shrill” – have you ever heard a man of any sort being described as shrill?

So what can be done about it? The main problem is a cultural one. This is the reason why this topic is even considered worthy of discussion, and this is the reason for the double standards.

It requires us as a society and a nation to get used to and be comfortable to the idea of women wielding power, not just having a token number of women in the Government.

There have been too many potential “first female Taoisigh’ – from Máire Geoghegan Quinn to Nora Owen to Mary Hanafin – as though that implied an extraordinary event. We need it to be ordinary and mundane. We need it to be boring.

trinitynews.ie Apply now for a staff position at Trinity News & TN2 Closing date April 2 TRINITY NEWS

23 opinion@trinitynews.ie

The ghost of drug-scares past

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y and large, the debate on illegal drugs in the media has been fairly one-sided. 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), better known as ecstasy, has for the most part been considered a “lethal drug”, and many who skim through press articles may be inclined to agree with a fervent shake of the head. Ecstasy users are portrayed as a mysterious breed, alien and demonic.

Throughout the mid-nineties, ecstasy was presented as a monstrosity.

It was a laboratory-synthesized chemical, a threat to young people whose like had never been seen before.

It was widely predicted that this club drug was about to ruin the youth in every way imaginable. Sudden death was predicted for many users, with severe psychiatric illness in store for those who managed to escape

it. For a while it was certain that Western society was doomed to breed a destructive, disturbed, mindless demographic.

15 years on from the height of the rave scene, and people of this generation are becoming mid-level managers, academics completing their PhDs, computer technicians, emerging entrepreneurs, and so on.

All these people who had diced with death in taking this drug should be filing into drug clinics suffering from unimaginable psychological trauma; instead, there is nothing to suggest that MDMA has sent society to the dogs. 25- to 35-year-olds aren’t clogging the footpaths in wheelchairs, being pushed by their parents, too emotionally disturbed to hear their elders mumbling sadly, “I told you so.” Society hasn’t disintegrated due to distressed former ravers who are too

Evan Musgrave ponders the ecstasy scare, and wonders if it has any lessons for the present inept to function.

Previous generations experimented with illegal substances of which very little was known, and those involved with the sixties’ counter-culture movement remember their revolution fondly. Reminiscing at how harmless their drug use was, this youth rebellion is now seen in reflection as socially progressive, daring, admirable.

Scare tactics clearly aren’t working in keeping people away from the drug.

Use is just as high as ever: MDMA is now the third most popular illegal drug. Prophecies of its destructive longterm social effects are being defeated as the years pass, by and relentless press campaigns against the drug have done little to instill restraint in its users.

The majority of drugs sold in homeopathic alternative medicine shops, which are just as untested as so-called “head-store” drugs, thrive

on legal loopholes and are rarely, if ever, mentioned in the press. It seems that it’s only when the youth invest in a loophole that it suddenly becomes a massive threat to established order. To this end, we have seen stories of grown men smashing in the windows of head stores with hurleys in the name of social stability this time last year.

It is certain that, everything considered – outsourcing in traditional reliable industries, technological advances in the workplace, years more of heavy economic debt – those able to find work in the next half-decade will be expected to work harder than previous generations. Recreation time will come at a premium.

We’re going to inherit the mistakes of an older generation; it’s about time we were treated with some respect in relation to what we do for our entertainment.

America’s new class warfare Hannah Cogan looks through the death spiral that is the Republican Party, and wonders whether US voters have an unfair choice

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he American Socialist Party is something I generally take issue with.

I’m not sure a 50-per-cent tax rate is a good thing. I’m quite fond of NAFTA. I’m pretty sure handing military direction over to civilians is a really bad idea, and that good capitalism empowers workers. “Militant class conflict” against the Republican Party might not be what we want to aim for.

Class conflict. though, seems unavoidable, given the Republican platform. The most recent incarnation of the Republican Party has brought class back in to politics.

No macroeconomic policy has been generated to protect the American working class. The Republican Party has continually endorsed reckless borrowing – not just allowed it, actively supported it – throughout the last decade as a way to guarantee everyone’s right to a middle-class standard of living. The net effect has been to leave working-class America in crisis. Real wages are falling. Americans shoulder an impossible burden of debt that they will not be able to repay, a total consumer debt of nearly $2.45 trillion.

The prospect of a comfortable or timely retirement has been destroyed for many.

Through pressure from the Republican Party, capital-gains tax and higher-band income taxes have been slashed. Bush’s contentious 2001 tax cuts have been renewed under pressure from Congress. The banks have been bailed out and their executives are earning record bonuses

“Manipulating popular support is not fair or democratic.”

again. In any other country, a socialist revolution would be long overdue, but America’s long-standing rejection of the far left has shaped a new kind of populist revolution. It’s both unfair and dangerous to dismiss the Tea Party as evil, deluded or just bitter. They are, rather, symptomatic of the breakdown of the American democratic process.

Mainstream Republicanism has tried to internalise the libertarian movement and benefit from its surge in popularity, twisting the recent Democratic record to their favour. At the beginning of this year, the Republican Party ran a series of advertisements blaming President Obama for placing the unfair bailout of the banks on the backs of the American working class. The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, authorizing some $700 billion to purchase distressed assets, was signed in 2008 under the Bush administration, supported by the majority of Republicans in the house.

Politicising artificial economic stratification is particularly dangerous. in a system that has become deeply, decisively partisan, conflating social and economic policy in order to pander to the electorate creates a dangerous cycle of influence. Having created a structure that is unfair and can only continue on a downward spiral, they have continued to fan the flames of conflict under a guise of normalisation.

With a Republican Congress in session, we should, in theory, see a more balanced government with more equal input from both parties. Ensuring the emergence of stability in the latter half of a Democratic president’s term is not, however, in the Republican interest.

Issues likely to be tabled in the next two years include federal restrictions on immigration policy, limiting public-sector collective bargaining rights, repealing “Obamacare”, and expanding military action in the Middle East and northern Africa – all presented as returns to authentic, conservative constitutionalism, whilst systematic economic disadvantages are

29 March, 2011

is beyond dispute an English, not a British, foundation. The dominant religious tradition of the College was from the beginning Anglican, and more distinctively Irish after the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland in 1871. The College Chapel was

A VIEW FROM NEW SQUARE

GERALD MORGAN

Death of a star

ON WEDNESDAY 24 March, one of the last remaining stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood died in her home in Los Angeles.

For over five decades, Elizabeth Taylor embodied the glamour of Hollywood. She was perhaps the first actress to grow up in the glare of camera lights and survive in the media’s spotlight for decades without fading away.

Taylor came of age in an industry much different from the film studio system of today, but won the admiration of her audience through sheer force of personality and, of course, through her stunning beauty. Not the chameleonic actress who loses herself in each new role, Taylor imbued each character she played with her own powerful spirit. So, in iconic roles as diverse as Maggie the cat, Martha in Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”, and the infamous Cleopatra, one is always aware that it is Elizabeth Taylor on screen.

Confusion in Libya “In any other country, a socialist revolution would be long overdue.” perpetuated.

Manipulating popular support is not fair or democratic. The Republican Party have capitalised on the return of class to politics, whipping up mass hysteria in the name of party popularity and placing a Republican in the White House in 2012. America’s working and middle classes are forced into an unfair choice. They could vote Democrat, but to do so is to support fundamentally big budgets and subsequent big taxes eating into their dwindling income. Instead, they must vote Republican.

“Militant class conflict” is going a bit far. The American right doesn’t deserve the support it’s getting when it has been achieved through economic manipulation. The American Socialist Party might be on to something.

They’re still a bit crazy, but they might, just for once, be right.

Trinity is an English, not a British, college I RAISED an eyebrow (not for the first time on this topic) when I read a few weeks ago in “An Irishman’s Diary” that Trinity College, Dublin, was “conceived to consolidate British rule in Ireland” and that it “has become one of Britain’s most precious legacies.”

For “British” read “English” and for “Britain’s” read “England’s”. One might not have thought this an impossibly difficult distinction for universitytrained people to make, but it still seems baffling to many. One reason, of course, is that the British have a vested interest in maintaining confusion in the last outpost of the British Empire that is now England. Let me clarify the position for the benefit of present-day Trinity students.

Trinity College was founded by an English queen, Elizabeth I, in 1592, who, as it happens, was the founder also of my own alma mater, Jesus College, Oxford, in 1571. In other words, Trinity

ROUNDUP

opened to all Christian denominations in 1973 (a unique state of affairs in Ireland) in the wake of the longrunning controversy over Archbishop McQuaid’s Lenten Regulations of 1944.

This religious harmony has nothing to do with the British as such, but as so many things in our history is an Irish solution to an Irish problem.

So far as I am aware, Oxford and Cambridge, the two universities with which we have long been associated, are in England. But as we know from experience the British are ever ready to redraw maps without regard for local traditions and geographical circumstances. Versailles in 1919 was one conspicuous occasion (undoing the work of Lawrence of Arabia) before the British set about reconstructing the map of Ireland in 1921. Since then the British have turned their attention to England, transferring Monmouthshire to Wales in 1974 and abolishing Rutland

(since restored by the locals). Others will be able to supply other examples.

Needless to say, the British took not the slightest notice of local opinion or ancient loyalties in effecting these changes.

The British legacy in Ireland was the Black and Tans in 1920 and partition in 1921. The partition of Ireland was certainly not the desire of Provosts such as Mahaffy (1914 to 1919) and Bernard (1919 to 1927) and I cannot believe that it was ever the desire of the College itself.

For all our indebtedness to the English, we must remember that Parliament or Front Square is the legacy of an Irish, not a British, parliament and that Trinity College, in the heart of the city of Dublin, has been from the beginning an Irish university and steadfastly loyal to Ireland throughout its long and distinguished history. gmorgan1066@gmail.com

WE ARE now well over a week into the Western allies’ military action in Libya, and it still seems as if nobody knows what the hell is going on. President Obama has been measured in his language as to the goals of the air strikes, maintaining that removing Colonel Gaddafi from power is not the mission. Rather, to cripple the Libyan leader’s abilities to massacre his own people seems to be Obama’s objective.

On the other hand, the European allies – mainly France – have slightly more at stake than the United States. With Libyan oil pipelines directly supplying fuel to European nations, and the disastrous possibility of a wave of refugees fleeing Libya and seeking asylum in France and other countries, the outcome of what has proven to be a burgeoning civil war is surely weighing heavily on the minds of European leaders.

Furthermore, French President Nicolas Sarkozy is using the opportunity of flexing France’s airborne power to enhance his own precarious political position at home.

Meanwhile, Obama faces mounting political pressure from all directions. It seems that a long list of senators and congressmen don’t feel comfortable with Obama’s thoughtful, pragmatic approach.

Do they long for the Bush days, when the decision to brandish the full might of the military was an unquestioned and appealing option?

One thing is for certain: these allies must articulate a set of goals and strategically lay out plans to see them through. Of course, this is surely being done, but something seems to be getting lost in translation when it comes to informing the public. Get things straight, ensure that Gaddafi is thwarted in the massacre of his people, and deliver to the brave, beleaguered Libyan opposition forces some hope for an end to violence.

Jonathan Creasy

24 EDITORIAL

HEAD TO HEAD: TRINITY WEEK

TRINITY NEWS Est 1953 towards some revival of the collegiate spirit, which modern conditions tend to discourage

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ON WHERE THE COLLEGIATE SPIRIT IS TO BE FOUND AS QUOTED above, the very first editorial of this newspaper called for a revival of the collegiate spirit.

In some respects, this spirit is alive and well. Writing in the University Times last week, Ents Officer Darragh Genockey pointed to the huge number of clubs, societies and publications which are run by Trinity students. No student is paid for their position on a society committee; these are labours of love.

Cynics may doubt this. There are always mutterings of the CV Brigade, who seem to be on every committee and behind every event, in a bare-faced attempt to stuff their already groaning curricula vitae. However, there is nothing in and of itself despicable about improving one’s own skills, and by extension, improving one’s career prospects. Surely self-improvement, be it academic, social or skills-based, is the reason why most of us chose to study in university in the first place. The extra-curricular is simply the College outside of College.

The pleasure in hard work and the joy in being challenged isn’t to be found primarily in the library or the lecture hall. Rather, it is seen in the time, effort and energy students are putting in to their societies and clubs.

Students seldom speak about essays and dissertations with the same passion and enthusiasm they hold for a club race, or putting together a new journal, or speaking at a debate, or any of the multifarious activities engaged in outside of their coursework.

But where is this passion among the undergraduate community when it comes to academia? Where are the heated debates in tutorials? Why do so many students skip lectures, tutorials and seminars on a regular basis?

And perhaps most importantly, why this widespread antipathy among students to openly enjoy their engagement with academia?

It is our belief that to a greater or lesser extent, the majority of students in Trinity enjoy their course of study.

However, when it comes down to the bits and pieces of everyday, we are loath to admit looking forward to writing an essay, and a student declaring pride in their work preparing for a class is anathema to most. Does it simply come down to a misguided sense of modesty? Or is it a lack of self-confidence in our own abilities?

We would like to point to another possibility. For an undergraduate in many departments and schools in Trinity, there is no feeling of being a valued part of the School or Department. There’s an old joke that Professors think College is a wonderful place, if only it wasn’t so full of pesky students. This is not the issue here: we are blessed with many extremely talented and erudite lecturers who give fascinating classes on their fields of expertise, and who are more than willing to give their time to a query or request for help.

The problem is that as Trinity’s student population has exploded, the undergraduate experience has begun to feel more and more like being sifted through an assembly line.

The sense of community is key. This is what draws so many to extra-curricular pursuits. The sense of community is also what keeps people involved in these activities, and what encourages them to work to the best of their ability. With departments and schools filled to bursting, the sense of community and camaraderie between staff and students has all but disappeared.

A number of provostial candidates have advocated reinstating a cap on student numbers. This is certainly a line of inquiry not to be dismissed out of hand.

One cannot keep shovelling in students, and assume that the undergraduate academic experience will not be affected for the worse.

“It’s the kind of mildly sadistic stuff every good tradition is made of” RÓISÍN COSTELLO

AS SOMEBODY who has both sat Schol and walked under the Campanile while it was ringing, I have mixed emotions about Trinity Week.

Mixed emotions of the same kind one has the morning after drinking large quantities of both vodka and beer. It makes me feel like hiding under my duvet in a dark room and never emerging. That is not to say, however, that Trinity Week is, in the general scheme of things, in any way negative. Rather the opposite in fact.

Since Trinity College was founded on a little patch of England near Dublin some 400-odd years ago, it has cemented its position as the country’s oldest university with a seemingly endless list of traditions and eccentricities. Traditions like the events of Trinity Monday and being better than everybody else, eccentricities like shooting Catholics from bell-towers and wearing tweed in August. Tradition is, whether you care to admit it or not, one of this College’s defining characteristics, and Trinity Week is a tradition which uniquely sums up the others; it happens nowhere else in the world, it is utterly unique. I think we can probably pinpoint two traditions in particular which make Trinity Week the kind of wonderfully hazardous and sublimely odd tradition that merits keeping.

The first is, of course, the election of Scholars and Fellows. At 10.00am on Trinity Monday for the last 400 years the Fellows of the College have dressed up in coloured gowns and announced publicly who was good enough, while those who failed to make the grade flounder in the horrified and unending silence of a name not said.

It’s the kind of mildly sadistic stuff every good tradition is made of. Which brings me on to my next point, a little bit of sadism is good for you.

And if that violent tap-dance by the Fellows across the dreams which a few hundred Senior Freshman have laid at their feet wasn’t enough to make the announcement of Scholars special, then I don’t think any of us can deny that a tra-

dition that sees Scholars being entertained at a reception in the Provost’s garden and attending not one but two black-tie events in the space of 75 minutes is one which is too definitive of Trinity life to ever be abolished.

The second rather spectacular tradition of Trinity Week is, of course, the rather crazy golfesque race over the cobbles that is the “Chariots of Fire” race. This year I look forward to the event, which tests the tolerance of College’s health and safety officials and the strength of the competitors’ ankles, all the more because it will occur roughly 100 hours after Trinity Ball ends. I fully expect at least one overly confident DUHAC Freshman to go shiny running shoes over inebriated cranium in an amusingly spectacular fashion.

The dissenters would have you believe that Trinity Week’s traditions are outdated, cruel and irrelevant, and they undoubtedly are a little of all of those things, but what does not kill you makes you stronger and a little bit of sadistic traditionalism isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

More to the point, on a sunny Monday after lectures have ended, with exams too far in the future to cause any immediate panic and Trinity Ball recent enough to make you happy not to have died of exposure or alcohol poisoning, there is nothing quite like pulling up a nice Chapel step or Front Square apartment window-sill and watching that indefinable mix of schadenfreude and ecstatic joy that is Trinity Week.

After all, what could you replace it with?

Would you have highly-strung med students sitting at home refreshing a Web page at 9.59am waiting for the results to go up and crying alone in their kitchens if their name wasn’t there?

Would you refuse frustrated DUHAC runners who failed to score at Trinity Ball their chance to run out their feelings on a treacherously uneven surface?

“One must admit that some wellpracticed customs are out of date” SARAH CLARKIN

TRADITION IS a powerful phenomenon, one which demands much respect, especially in an institution as well-established and as drenched in history as Trinity. Yet one must admit that some well-practiced conventions and customs are out of date and in dire need of some avantgarde reform. A prime example of a ritual in need of some progressive CPR has to be Trinity Monday, the monumental day of the year upon which all new Scholars and Fellows of the College are publicly announced from the steps of the Examination Hall in Front Square.

The moment when the list of successful students is read out by the Provost, is without a doubt a spectacular one for those who will now be entitled to some of the College’s most highly esteemed and well-deserved privileges; it marks the culmination of months of anxiety that have followed the seemingly endless hours of study, which revision for annual exams cannot equal. Surrounded by friends and family, these favoured few can bask in their moment of worthy admiration, and proceed with the busy day ahead of them, concluding with a black-tie dinner for the new Fellows and Scholars in the Dining Hall.

Yet in the midst of all the madness that Trinity Monday entails, it is easy to forget the vast majority of students who are unsuccessful in achieving a first-class honour in these remarkably arduous and testing exams, who wait for their name to be called out, and, when they do not hear it, are forced to paste a smile on their face and celebrate with those luckier few. While it is not correct for one moment to suggest that those who fail to become Scholars cannot be jovial for those who have managed the Herculean feat, it is human nature that one would find it difficult to reach the exhausted heights of euphoria for the new Scholars and Fellows, very often their friends, without first having time to quench their own bitter disappointment.

For those whose name is not called, the months of study have been rendered obsolete,

especially since reform of the scholarship exams now means that obtaining a second-class honour is not enough to gain exemption from the annual exams during Trinity Term. The nights they missed out on whilst studying cannot be retrieved, the hectic day of celebrating will not be realised, and there may be parental disappointment, all rendered greater by the system of broadcasting successful candidates in a manner so public. Although this may not be reflected in all candidates, such a public disappointment, followed by phone calls to expectant friends and that inevitable return to the Library to finish the essay neglected on account of nervous excitement, can be confidence-shattering.

Without a doubt, it would be far easier on prospective Scholars to receive their results in a more private manner, in this information age.

Email would not be such a novel idea, and the Provost would still announce the names of triumphant Scholars and Fellows on the steps of the Examination Hall. For those who feel they could handle the public disappointment, they could still find out this way; for those who like less of a fanfare, this would suit them too.

The importance with which Trinity Monday is revered is not to be underestimated. When the term structure was revised from the “Oxbridge” model to the “semesterised” one, the insistence that Trinity Monday remain at the end of Hilary term, as it always had, was one of the main reasons why Schol was kept as a separate exam, one which now takes place during Christmas holidays, which many Schol applicants view as too soon. It requires nominations in November and, often, in-depth knowledge of material from the second term which they have evidently not yet encountered.

Whilst the importance of Trinity Monday must not be disregarded, Trinity College is evolving, and rigmarole simply for the sake of tradition makes a mockery of the whole affair.

Traditions are vital, but require progression as society develops.

TRINITY NEWS

25 opinion@trinitynews.ie

LETTERS

Letters should be sent to letters@trinitynews.ie or to Trinity News, 6 Trinity College, Dublin 2. We reserve the right to edit submissions for style and length. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Trinity News.

LETTERS@TRINITYNEWS.IE

ENERGY SOURCE OF CONTENTION Madam – I take contention with the views expressed by Jack McCaughan on the solution for climate change.

The “real issue” is, in fact, the source of our energy rather than how we consume it. Is riding my bicycle or taking the bus to college really going to save future generations from any possible consequences of taking my 4x4 instead? No, it is not.

China is opening a new coal-fired power plant every week to ten days and the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) alone are set to grow their greenhouse gas emissions by 46 percent by 2030, surpassing the 34 OECD nations combined. A major shift in policy making is needed.

Although I believe that programmes aimed at lowering energy consumption in the developed world are a waste of money and resources, I accept that they do raise public awareness.

Funds must be redirected to the development and delivery of renewable energy sources now. If we fail to change our energy sources, any alteration to our consumption patterns is futile.

Yours, etc.

Gavin Kenny SS Geology

RIGHT OF REPLY Madam – The article printed in your last issue on the subject of the GSU’s procedures for mandating its members of Board and Council in the provostial election was misinformed, misleading, and grounded in a fundamental ignorance of the role and constitution of the GSU. This is regrettable and disappointing given that an abundance of information on the procedure was readily available to the author, little or none of which appears to have been taken into account.

A more measured article on the subject that has since appeared in the pages of the University Times will have clarified much of the misrepresentation arising from Ms Pennello’s article for your readers. However, I would like to address a number of glaring misconceptions and errors.

The GSU is an independent and autonomous body that cannot be mandated by the motions of the SU or any other organisation. The partial overlap of membership of the two students’ unions is to the benefit of postgraduate students of the College, who, in the case of the provostial election, enjoy influence over the six SU votes as well as the four GSU votes - in each case according to procedures of that union.

Postgraduates make up a minority of those students eligible to vote in

SU elections. This minority is further diminished in its impact on electoral outcomes by the fact that postgraduates seldom avail of their SU franchise. As such, it is ludicrous to suggest that the GSU should cast its votes in accordance with the outcome of an SU plebiscite.

The procedure adopted by the Executive of the GSU to mandate its votes is comprehensive, assiduously representative, and fully approved of by the Registrar,Prof Juergen Barkhoff, as well members of our Union. I have received one complaint from a postgraduate to date, and this can be attributed to the misinformation arising from Ms Pennello’s piece. I am not inclined to take anonymous complaints by solitary boards.ie users with throw-away accounts as serious criticisms of our procedure.

We consider the engagement of the GSU in this provostial election to have been highly successful and beneficial to our members. Weeks after manifesto promises aimed at undergraduates have been dropped from the discussion; postgraduate concerns remain at the heart of provostial campaigns. Mere days before the election culminates, candidates continue to court our votes with commitments to advance the interests of our members and expand the influence of our Union.

I would ask that you print this letter unedited and in full out of respect to our right of reply, as well as the right of postgraduates of the College to be

accurately informed of the actions of their Union.

Yours, etc.

Dearbháil Lawless President GSU Editor’s note The point of contention for postgraduate students was not, as Dearhbáil Lawless outlined above, simply that the GSU had chosen not to block vote in accordance with the result of the SU election, but that the GSU would not be holding a transparent and full election themselves for their members. As quoted in the Trinity News article, a postgraduate student stated, “How can [the GSU] pretend to be able to get the pulse of the people without a vote?”

A major point of concern from the students was that two members of the GSU Committee were also members of a Provostial candidate’s campaign team, a key issue which Lawless has not addressed above.

We did not suggest that the GSU was acting unlawfully, but merely reported the grievances held against their chosen method of garnering opinion from their members.

We would also note that a lack of written complaints does not necessarily imply a lack of dissatisfaction, as we ourselves had not received any correspondence from the GSU about this matter until after they had spoken with the University Times for their article of last fortnight, mentioned above.

Ain’t no wall high enough Right: Richard Marsh’s poem in a 1992 pamphlet, with artwork by Neal Ryan.

OLD TRINITY PETER HENRY TRINITY BALL is a pricey outing for most students, especially those whose parents consider the price a ridiculous extravagance for a night’s idiocy. Parents are, after all, most undergraduates’ main source of income. The result is that a few adventurous chaps always try to avoid buying a ticket – and this means outwitting the porters and the Junior Dean.

The less intelligent methods of getting in are summed up in a legend that is probably decades old by now.

A student climbs up one of the trees in Library Square early in the day, already wearing his dinner jacket, and settles down for the day, planning to descend when things kick off. The porters spot him early on but leave him there until five minutes before the Ball begins before putting him out of College.

Utterly untrue, surely, but it’s a story that comes up every year.

Climbing in to college on the night of the ball is a dream for some of the more daring students, but pulling it off is so unlikely that it’s usually better to buy a ticket. Hired hands in yellow vests are posted around the perimeter on the night, and I’m sure obvious spots like the bus shelters on College Street are especially well policed. You also never know what kind of person you will encounter if you manage to get over – years ago, I had one of these job-for-the-night types nearly snap my arm when I told him to get his filthy paws off me. But these are the risks you take.

The late Provost Watts has a nice story about a Ball-crasher in his memoir. Dr Watts was Provost from 1981 to 1991. He recounts that his first few years in No. 1 Grafton Street saw

29 March, 2011

many attempts at entry to the ball, “athletic young men climbing over the boundary railings, quite a feat”.

He gives a short account of one daredevil’s dangerous bid: “On one occasion as we returned to the house a gatecrasher who had climbed into the stable yard was attempting to climb a second wall into the garden at the back of the house. He lost his footing and fell through the roof of our greenhouse with a resounding crash, then stood up and smashed his way out through the side.

“Gerry [Dr Watts’s wife] was furious and all set to grab him, but I held her back, not knowing how drunk or violent this Tarzan was. Apparently uninjured, he left the demolished greenhouse behind and climbed out to Nassau Street once more. I heard nothing more of him nor ever discovered who he was, but surely God must extend his special protection to people like him.”

A successful climb is the subject of a 1981 poem by Richard Marsh, “Over the Wall to the Trinity Ball”. The verses, originally printed in New Executive Magazine that year, got a rerun in Trinity News in 2007.

Marsh says his poem, in which a group in a pub decide at last orders to try the climb, is a “mostly factual account”. At the beginning: “Old Trinity grads and other fine lads/ And lasses of every degree/ Drank down their Guinness and Harp to the finish/ For someone had plans for a spree.”

It continues for 40 quatrains of fun, concluding: “I left at five, and glad to survive/ Some never recovered at all/ For no one stayed sober the night we went over/ The wall to the Trinity Ball.”

It was April 2007 when the poem was printed in Trinity News, and it was still in my mind when the Ball came round not long afterwards. Ned’s on Townsend Street was a good pub at the time, and it was while there that a few of us decided to give it a go – without high hopes.

A group of three went over at the back of the Luce Hall on Pearse Street.

The railings are high at that point, but we managed it, although a bottle of whiskey was smashed in the process.

Over the wall, we were immediately

nabbed by one of the hi-vis vests.

Luckily, a bit of plámás and 20 quid dealt with him, and soon we were down the laneway between the side of the Luce Hall and the Pearse Street rooms, where the Rifle Club is located.

(Does that street have a name? It ought to.)

The Ball area began at the Narrows, which was guarded by some roughlooking security guards. After a few more drinks in a kitchen in the Pearse Street rooms, we met a returning reveler, who had the necessary wristband. He agreed to lead us through the barriers at the Narrows, and, sure enough, we weren’t even

asked to show our wrists. The three Boat Club blazers may have given the guards the impression that we were legitimate.

So, even in these days of excessive security and a ridiculous amount of lighting, it can be done. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t recommend it. Anyway, there is a better way – but I’m going to keep that to myself for now.

TO READ Richard Marsh’s poem, go to trinitynews.ie/oldtrinity. Provost Watts’s A Memoir is in the Library Shop. pehenry@tcd.ie

THE PUBLIC EDITOR AS THIS is the final issue of Trinity News this year, it seems only fair to use this opportunity to turn my gaze inward, in order to critically analyse both the concept of the Public Editor, and how successful I have been in performing that role.

The object of the creation of this position was to function as a readers’ representative on the staff of the paper. It was to be my job to investigate reader complaints, and my own potential misgivings, about the journalistic integrity of Trinity News.

I was to hold the paper to a code of journalistic ethics, enshrined in the Trinity News Journalism Handbook, by appraising the paper in this column.

So, how did I do?

The first thing to note, and it pleases me to do so, is that the standard of the content of the paper this year has been exceedingly high.

I was continually impressed by the combination of professional delivery and fresh insight which characterised so many of the articles published in these pages. The flip-side of this, of course, was that a Public Editor was needed less than in previous years.

And this, I think, serves as the first criticism of my tenure: you heard from me more often than was strictly necessary. In place of writing a column in every issue, it would have been better if I had simply taken some space in the opinion section when needed.

Furthermore, I think I was a little overly reticent in my criticism at times. For example, in my second column I challenged the tone of an article on Michael Vick which made some unfortunate social and racial assumptions. In hindsight, I should have have been even more critical of that piece, and I should have asked the Editor of the paper for comment. The occasion called for harsh censure, though the furthest I went was to term the content of the article “problematic.” Perhaps this is the result of the difficulty inherent in writing critically about the work of one’s peers; it is often easier to couch a negative evaluation in vague adjectives, as a sort of preemptive self-defence mechanism. However, this failing was my own: I should have realised that a more vocal disapproval of our lapses in journalistic ethics would have made, in the end, for a greater defence of the superior journalism I tried to promote.

I did have some success:.I think my suggestion to mark each opinion article found outside the opinion pages as “Comment” was a good one. Its implementation made for a much clearer division between news and views, which is something sorely lacking in the media generally.

Other of my recommendations were not taken up, such as my call for a page on the website to be devoted to outlining the differences between the standpoints of the candidates for Provost on key issues. Perhaps the reason for not implementing this idea was budgetary or time-related, it’s unclear, but I should have done more to follow up on such suggestions and filled you in on their progress.

Despite these qualms, it has been a pleasure serving as your Public Editor.

I wish my successor, if there is to be one, every success. Next year’s Editor, Kate Palmer, who was recently elected by the staff of this paper, has vowed to increase the quantity of Trinity News’s online coverage. This will present problems of its own, as the ease of publishing provided by the web also has its challenges from the standpoint of ethical journalism, not least in the temptation it provides to work more quickly with less research. But, judging from the impressive calibre of this year’s volume, it seems all but certain that Trinity News will continue to thrive in the future. I look forward to reading it without the critical lens of this position, and savouring the fine news coverage and lively cross-section of voices it dependably provides.

Cillian Murphy, Public Editor public@trinitynews.ie

26 SPORT FEATURES sportfeatures@trinitynews.ie

Six Nations, six voices Kate Rowan hears six very different voices at Ireland’s Six Nations games in the Aviva, on coping with everything, from increased media attention to the power of the crowd’s roar

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his first year of Six Nations rugby in the Aviva Stadium was always going to be memorable but after the frustrations of the match against France it looked like they may not be the happiest recollections for the history books.

What a difference a month, a bitterly disappointing defeat to the Welsh and reams of media criticism can make. It could be very easy just to gush at the exploits against the English but in examining six voices that echoed through the new home of Irish rugby during its first Six Nations it is important to look at the reflections on frustration as well as those of jubilation.

Ireland versus France When your team loses it can seem as if nothing is clicking but Ireland were agonisingly close to taking the French as a first Six Nations scalp in the Aviva.

This was a sentiment shared by both the Irish and the French in post-match interviews.

Jamie Heaslip It was obvious during his mixed zone interview that Ireland and Leinster number eight Jamie Heaslip was bitterly disappointed by the team’s narrow defeat: “I think we played some really good rugby, we still could have taken the game. I think that just shows just how clinical the French can be. I can’t deny it, it is very frustrating”.

He spoke of the now much publicised ill-discipline of the team and giving away penalties but denied this reflected any pressure felt by he and his teammates: “I personally don’t think the mistakes were because the guys were feeling under pressure.”

Despite the rather gloomy atmosphere the back row player elicited some laughs from both Irish and French journalists when asked about the ankle injury he had just recovered from to play against France: “It is sore, it is pretty fucking sore, excuse my French!”

The Trinity graduate could have been predicting what would happen a month later when he proclaimed with a determined air: “We are on the cusp of playing the best rugby, I think I have been involved in with Ireland. I can’t speak for the other players but I think we are on the verge of doing something really great.”

Marc Lièvremont As the Irish knew they were so close

“We are going to turn the Aviva Stadium into a fortress for the future.” to victory, the French knew how close they could have been to defeat. The suave French coach Marc Lièvremont was very frank in his appraisal of the match: “The match could have been a total disaster but we fought our way back and we got into a position where we were winning. The Irish could have won, there were only three points between us and the last few minutes of the match were extremely stressful for us. At times we had moments of absolute panic but we got through it.”

Heaslip’s remarks about Ireland’s aspirations may have proved right.

However, Lièvremont’s remarks about England’s dominance certainly did not wash when it came to their visit to the Aviva: “The England team are very much ahead of everyone else at the moment and all of the other teams seems to be developing in the tournament much more slowly.”

Ireland versus England By the time the English were coming to town, the look of invincibility Lièvremont had commented on had somewhat been dissipated by a shaky Calcutta Cup victory over Scotland and

they were without their injured captain Mike Tindall.

Jonathan Sexton It was the moment for the Irish to step up and enough has been written about how every player did but it was fantastic to see Jonathan Sexton could put all the speculation about the fight for the out-half position with Ronan O’Gara behind him and give a man of the match performance.

When asked about the standing ovation and applause he received as he was coming off the pitch he took it all with good grace and modesty: “It was brilliant, it was as much for Ronan as it was for myself, there is a lot written and a lot said about the two of us but we have a good laugh about it.”

The 25-year-old gave an interesting insight into his relationship with the veteran Munster man: “ Rog deserves all the respect he gets, look at everything he has done for Munster and Irish rugby, I will have to put in a few more performances before I get that sort of support.”

He continues in a similar vein: “We probably did not get off to the best start but at times but what goes on the pitch between Leinster and Muster goes out the window when we are playing for Ireland. In a couple of weeks we will probably be back killing each other down in Thomond but we are great friends today and we will have to build towards the World Cup.” Sexton also gave a personal picture

of how he copes with negative media commentary: “After the French game, I was maybe reading too much into it all and literally since then I have not opened a paper. But at times the mum and girlfriend would be giving out about certain people and you are at times ‘just, leave it, I don’t want to hear about it’.”

What, according to Sexton, was the secret to beating Martin Johnson’s men? “The plan was to come out and shock them and we had a lot to play for ourselves but they had the Grand Slam to win and I think that got to them”.

Ben Youngs It does seem like the boys in green got under the skin of their opponents as the English scrum-half Ben Youngs explained: “I don’t think it is a case the occasion got to us but more of a sense that we couldn’t get our hands on the ball and Ireland for the first 20 minutes just completely threw the kitchen sink at us and just never seemed to take the foot off the gas and ultimately we never got in the game.”

The 21-year-old was sin binned for throwing the ball into the crowd to prevent a quick line out and was disappointed with his own performance and antics: “Basically, I just played like an idiot! But I suppose I can take it as being a good test of character.”

out sporting a pair of rather flamboyant shoes with red trimmings and laces of his own design for Lloyd and Pryce.

Bowe was keen to point out that the crowd had a huge part to play in the success: “We played with an intensity and passion that Irish teams are known for but that had been missing for the last couple of games but with the atmosphere today, it put the hairs on the back of your neck and we pulled out a full 80 minute performance.”

The Return of the Roar These fighting words bring us very

“I think we are on the verge of doing something really great.”

Tommy Bowe Try-scorer Tommy Bowe cantered

nicely to the final and maybe most important voice I heard in the stadium, that of the fans. At times during the French match you might have thought you were in the Stade de France for all the hollering of our Gallic cousins and there must have been some doubts about team sponsor O2’s “Bring Back the Roar” campaign.

However, flashy marketing campaign or not, Irish fans at last found their voices in the Aviva and this certainly seemed to add to the team’s armour in vanquishing the old enemy.

Wo r l d A m a t e u r c h a m p i o n and has also been the International Boxing Association World female boxer of the year twice.

Her success has seen her media presence rise and she was recently the grand marshall of the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin. The previous year she was a guest of Barack Obama at the White House and she also has also appeared in a music video for Dublin-based rock band Bipolar Empire as well as heading up a national Trocaire ad campaign with Imelda May and Graham Canty.

In 2012 women’s boxing will finally be an Olympic sport. Boxing was the last Olympic sport which allowed for only male competition. The

International Olympic Committee finally made the decision to include women’s boxing in August 2009. Since that decision Taylor has been heralded as Ireland’s next gold medalist.

Expectations on our sporting athletes will only grow over the next year. As London looms closer media hype will intensify. Perhaps London’s National Aquatic Centre, the Excel Arena or the Olympic Stadium will be spoken about in the same breath as the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in 1990 or Bangalore’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which witnessed this year’s cricket exploits.

London will offer the two young women from Wexford and Wicklow the chance to capture gold for Ireland and earn their place in sporting folklore. Here’s hoping that that the rest of 2011 provides all of our athletes with a positive build up to the games.

Irish Women Going For Gold Daniel O’Callaghan looks at Ireland’s somewhat cold relationship with the Olympic Games and profiles two of our medal hopes for London

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ince the torch was first lit in Athens, the Olympic Games have been the pinnacle of sporting achievement. With one race, swim or throw an athlete can immortalize him- or herself in sporting history. American sprinter Jesse Owens, who famously won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, describes the experience as “a lifetime of training for just 10 seconds”. Irish athletes have provided us with eight gold medals at the Olympics so far. Our first came through Pat O’Callaghan’s hammer throw at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. Our last golden success came in Atlanta in 1996 amidst much controversy. Michelle Smith infamously won three gold medals in swimming events only to be accused of drug use by American competitor Janet Evans. Although never proven guilty she was suspended in 1998 for two years for tampering with a urine sample. More controversy rained over an Irish Olympian in 2004 when Cian O’Connor brought home an equestrian

gold before being stripped of the medal due to performance enhancing drug use. The Olympics hasn’t been a particularly happy stage for Irish sport in comparison to successes in rugby, golf, equestrianism and boxing.

In recent years our only medal success has come in the boxing ring with Paddy Barnes, Darren Sutherland

“Great memories of the Olympics have been few and far between.” and Kenny Egan winning Bronze and Silver medals in Beijing in 2008. In eight of the 20 Olympics we have competed in we have failed to win anything. This is testament to the difficulty of being a smaller nation in such a worldwide event and also justifies our underdog mentality. One exception to the rule

was watching Sonia O’Sullivan’s moment of redemption at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 having failed in Atlanta in 1996. With the London Olympics taking place in the summer of 2012, attention now turns to our current crop of athletes and whether they can change the country’s fortunes.

At the forefront of this attention will be two Irish women excelling in their individual sports.

Eighteen-year-old swimming sensation Grainne Murphy looks set to be one of our medal hopes. The New Ross native has had great success at junior level winning three gold medals at the 2009 European Junior Swimming Championships. In 2010 she rose to national prominence bringing home the 1500 meter silver medal from the Senior European Championships.

Murphy deservedly won the Irish Sports Council Sportswoman of the Year for 2010 and looks set to be in the medal shake up in London. Given her astonishing development thus far expect Murphy to be in the mix for a podium place in London.

Ireland’s main chance of a gold medal in London is Katie Taylor, who has been described by many as the greatest amateur female boxer ever.

Hailing from Bray, Taylor is a three time

TRINITY NEWS

COLLEGE SPORT 27 collegesport@trinitynews.ie

DUAFC dominate home game Conor Bates Staff Writer

FOLLOWING THEIR very successful homecoming celebrations on Friday the 25 March, Trinity got down to the business of their first home game of the season against the Dublin Dragons of Lucan. American Football in Trinity has been gathering momentum following a great start to the season against UCD and they once again aimed to advance their record against current reigning champions, the Dublin Rebels.

Trinity made their intentions clear from the kick-off. Following a good return, pacey running-back Rob McDowell bolted into the endzone from 60 yards, giving Trinity an ideal start. They failed to convert a twopoint conversion.

The defence were also highly up for this game. They forced a quick “three-and-out” and won the ball back for their team. The offense retook the field and after a brief drive the ball was entrusted to powerhouse Garrett Dargan who burst into the endzone for Trinity’s second rushing touchdown of the game. McDowell converted the two-pointer to make it 14–0 to Trinity.

After another stellar innings by the defence, forcing the lacklustre Dragons off the ball, the offence took the field for the third time in the first quarter. Once again the opposing defence couldn’t cope with McDowell’s speed as he galloped into the endzone in a number of plays. 20–0 to Trinity.

For the remainder of the half, Trinity exchanged blows with the Dragons, with both defences holding firm. For

Trinity, defensive ends Ziad Foty and Yousef Abdul-Wahab penetrated the backfield effectively and used their quickness to their advantage as they registered plenty of hits and sacks between them. In coverage, Fionn Chen and Amir Alsaffar broke up the pass well, with Gareth O’Shea putting in tackles, and Hunter Inman making one notable interception, as well as numerous tackles and sacks. Only one score got past Trinity in the first half, as the result of a good Dragon drive. They failed to convert an extra point, leaving the score at 20–6 in Trinity’s favour.

On offence, quarterback Alex Canepa spread the ball around well, finding McDowell, Andrew Harvey and wide receiver David Corcoran alongside the well-established running game. Canepa himself scrambled on a number of occasions to add to the team’s mountain of first downs. With the last play of the half, Canepa combined with Corcoran for a huge touchdown.

Corcoran blazed down the left wing, received the pass and strolled into the endzone for his first touchdown of the season. The two point conversion was slightly botched, but McDowell made the most of it and carried the ball over the line to make the score-line 28–6.

Trinity briefly went off the boil and conceded a touchdown with a two-point conversion, but Trinity’s response would be more than apt.

Canepa bullet-passed the ball to McDowell on a screen play shortly after the restart. An excellent wedge by the offensive line guided McDowell into the endzone and kicker Peter Quinlan made the extra point to give Trinity a three touchdown lead. The

SS Photo by Garrett Dargan

passing game continued to evolve and once again it was a huge passing play that brought Trinity their next score.

The combination of Alex Canepa’s deep passing and David Corcoran’s speed and catching provided Trinity with six more valuable points in their dominating performance.

The home side held firm right through the game and kept pressure on the Dragons on both side of the ball. On defence the hits kept coming from all positions and the pressure from the unit became too much for the opposition to handle. The Dragons lobbed a bad pass up in the air which was intercepted by the nimble line-

backer Amir Alsaffar. Alsaffar saw his opportunity and returned the ball a short distance for a touchdown. Once again the two point conversion proved elusive, but with the score at 53–14, Trinity had already made the majority of their statement.

There was one touchdown left in the collegiate side as midway through the final fourth quarter Rob McDowell’s probing runs bore fruit again. The exceptionally fast running back exploded into the endzone for his fourth touchdown of the game, Trinity’s ninth overall, to provide the final score of 59–14 to the home side. The end of the game was slightly marred by a serious

leg injury to a Dragons defender, but there were vigorous celebrations had by the intervarsity champions. Linebacker Hunter Inman was awarded man of the match by his teammates in a game which is of the standard that Trinity have been setting.

Trinity, who are pushing for the ultimate glory of the Shamrock Bowl this year, have laid down a marker of their intentions for the season, and provided all involved, and the many fans who came out to watch a very entertaining homecoming with some creative play, flair and devastating tackles on both sides of the ball. Trinity march on with a 2–0 record.

DUHAC perform in Intervarsity Cross Nicholas John Bland Staff Writer

WITH THE Intervarsity Cross Country Championships taking place the Saturday before last, DUHAC’s training is now geared towards the forthcoming track and field season.

This year’s championships were hosted by DIT and took place at the expansive grounds of The National Aquatic Centre in Abbotstown. The Intervarsities mark an important milestone as the last major crosscountry event of the season. As a consequence, they provide a suitable juncture to take stock of the club’s performance since the start of the year.

This season DUHAC has assembled a large group of dedicated athletes.

The club has been guided by four remarkable captains. Peter Fennell and Yvonne McCauley have been in charge of the Men’s and Women’s Harriers, while Cormac Doherty and Bryony Treston have captained the athletics teams. All have been paragons of application and enthusiasm. Treston is one of the country’s standout young female athletes. In races, she has led by admirable example, although, entirely understandably, her commitments to

her club have drawn her away from DUHAC training sessions. Doherty’s appearance at nearly every DUHAC event is a testimony to the qualities of the club: in spite of necessary exclusion through injury, his support to other athletes has been infectious and unwavering. He has dealt with his injury maturely, and the club will hope he can fire during the track season.

McCauley’s season has been similarly blighted. Like Doherty, she has remained a presence at most sessions, and her leadership has been highly impressive. The only captain who will depart at the end of the year is Fennell.

“The club’s élite runners are either present or former internationals” This is a great loss. His season has suffered numerous setbacks through a nagging foot injury. This has not diminished his passion for the sport by a single iota. One could laud many of his leadership skills, but his effect on

team spirit merits particular mention.

His encouragement to new faces has served as a masterclass in team psychology. It is much to DUHAC’s credit that it is inclusive rather than assiduously selective. Still, a desire to self-improve characterises almost all of the club’s regulars.

At the top-end, DUHAC is fortunate to possess several gifted athletes. The club’s élite runners are mostly either present or former internationals.

In the Men’s team, Liam Tremble has excelled throughout the season, capping his successes with a fine run at Abbotstown, finishing eighth in a strong field. However, the Women’s team has benefited from a cluster of first-class performers. Treston’s run of 18 minutes 11 seconds over 5k was equal to the winning time, but left her second by the most frustrating of margins. Becky Woods followed Treston to take bronze, and Aedin Corr and Maria O’Sullivan completed Trinity’s scoring places, finishing eleventh and seventeenth respectively.

Totalling 33 points – the combined finishing positions of the top 4 – it was an exceptionally strong team performance. However, as in the individual pursuit, Trinity was beaten

narrowly by DCU, whose scorers all finished in the top 10. With the athletics season ahead, the Women’s team is in strong shape to challenge for all

“Niall McAlinden, insouciantly clad in hiking boots, handed many of the team a lesson in how to run” university competition honours.

The Men’s Intervarsity race was won by Dan Mulhare of WIT: a man who can be found shrivelling with embarrassment on Youtube, when confiding to an interviewer (after a European Indoor 3000 metre heat) that his 1500 metre PB is a pathetic 3 minutes 45 seconds. Given that, with the exception of Tremble, all DUHAC’s male athletes would struggle to break 4 minutes for the 1500 metres, this is some indication of the exceptional strength of the field.

DUHAC was represented by a handful of talented runners, all primed for the 8k event. But the club’s most senior representative, Niall McAlinden, clad in hiking boots, handed many of the team a lesson in how to run intelligently. Competing one year down and on brief intermission from research at Strathclyde, McAlinden came from a middling position to finish 35th and for his fellow triathlete, John Reidy, who ended up two places behind him.

Combined, the teams finished second overall, again losing out to DCU. It is commendable that a university that offers only limited sports scholarships can claim to have the second best crosscounty club in Ireland. Enormous credit must be given to the organisation of Gerard Claffey at Circuits sessions, Claire McGlynn, who instructs Core, and to the expertise and endeavour of Simon Taggart. Above all however, we should acknowledge the contribution of coach Mick Farrell. It always creates confidence if sportspeople have complete trust in a coach’s training schedule. In addition to this, Farrell’s technical and motivational insights form the roots of many continually improving individual performances.

Health and Sports week gets College moving Michael Gaskin Deputy College News Editor

TRINITY COLLEGE held their annual Health and Sports week between the 21 and 25 of March that promotes a healthy lifestyle through proper diet and a wide variety of sporting activity.

The theme of the week was “Trinity, A Healthy Place To Be” that encouraged students and staff to lead healthier lives by taking up exercise and eating a more nutritious diet when on campus.

The week started with a bang on the Monday lunchtime in Front Square with a dance flash mob in association with DU Dance Society. The theme of dance was one that was focused on throughout the week with a number

29 March, 2011

of classes in disco, salsa and waltz showcasing how dance is a great way of looking after your physical, social and mental well-being with the one activity.

On the Tuesday the Health and Sports committee organised a talk

by Dr Eva Orsmond of Operation Transformation fame “entitled The Importance of Healthy Weight and Diet” to encourage young Irish adults to continually assess their diet and lifestyle in an age of growing obesity and rates of diabetes. Given her role as Ireland’s only private Medical Practitioner exclusively treating overweight and obesity in adults and children, those who attended her lecture went away with a much clearer idea of how their diet is affecting their

mental and physical well being. There were further talks given later on in the week including one by David Hacket in which he discussed the positive health effects of growing your own vegetables: “From Seeds to Soups and Salads”.

In conjunction with the sports clubs there was a number of events held around the college on a daily basis for beginners to go and try their hand. The Sports Clubs were also fundraising for CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) at all of their events to ensure that CRY can supply more sports organisations with defibrillators to prevent the deaths of young athletes Along the boardwalk the members of the DU Boxing Club took part in a skip-a-thon, while the Fencing Club enticed staff, students

and tourists alike to have a go against one of their members. DU Harriers and Athletic club held a question and answers session on Diabetes and Exercise, the Hockey club held a penalty shoot-out on the Rugby pitch and the Croquet Club had an open session in New Square on Thursday afternoon.

The Sports Centre was one of the main locations throughout the week for events with a wide variety of classes and introductions being held on a daily basis. For those who were interested in the gym part there was induction classes in the Fitness and Keiser rooms as well as hydro tone and step and pump classes every day.

To further emphasise the

importance of a healthy life the Marie Keating Foundation’s Mobile Information Unit was on Front Square to give staff and students information on cancer. This year they launched a Lung Cancer Awareness Campaign.

The eateries around the college also took an active role in Health and Sports Week by offering a healthy breakfast option of cereal or porridge, with tea or coffee, yogurt and fruit for three euro.

There was also the option of a free piece of fruit available with every main course. The SU shop lowered the price of 500ml bottle of water to 75 cent.

By the end of the week the Heath and Sports Committee was reporting very positive feedback from the College community about the week as a whole.

SPORT

collegesport@trinitynews.ie

UL Ladies’ victory in College Park Michael Gaskin Deputy College Sport Editor

ON A very hot March day Trinity College played host to the Cusai League Finals. With events taking place around the college it was the Ladies Rugby Final that drew a strong crowd from students and tourists alike.

For the fourth year in a row, the Ladies teams of UCC and UL clashed in the Cusai Division One League final.

UL went into the game as the heavy favourites having comprehensively beaten their opponents in the last three league finals and having only conceded ten points in their six matches, including five shut-outs to reach the final, while amassing 144 points of their own.

In their previous two encounters this season UL continued their dominance over their main rivals with two comprehensive wins, 41 points to ten and 20 points to nil.

The opening stages of the game were fraught with tension as neither side wanted to make a mistake that would

“Both sides were determined to retain their All Ireland title and fought for every inch of the half” give their opponents a strong platform to work from. There were a number of hard fought exchanges in the first half with the UL backs causing havoc amongst the UCC defence, stepping their way between and around UCC players to make a number of impressive breaks. Time and again however they failed to get an overlap and UCC’s last-ditch defending continued to keep them in the game and their hope of a first league title alive. When UCC did get the ball in hand they were equally as dangerous as their opponents, using their speed and quick hands to suck in UL defenders to create space on the wings for their back line. Throughout

SS Photo by Nilgiri Pearson

the game UCC used their strong line out to excellent effect pummelling the UL team time and time again.

Although they had a number of near misses at the start of the game and UL used their wealth of experience in these games to hold out against them, with Sarah Jane Coady clearing their lines to good effect.

It was UL who would eventually touch down for the opening score of the game. Using their considerable experience, they worked the ball across the pitch to stretch the UCC defence to breaking point. Sarah Jane Coady using her pace burst through the UCC

defence on the overlap after receiving the ball from winger Maria Moran to put UL five points up. Coady stepped up to slot over the ensuing conversion to give them a seven point lead with half time fast approaching.

Both sides fought for every inch for the second half with UL determined to retain their All Ireland title and UCC looking to rid themselves of the perennial runners up. However in the second half it was UCC who started really well and had UL on the back foot for the opening ten minutes. UL defended well but UCC eventually scored a try through Justine Fitzgerald

after many phases and UL losing their young winger Maria Moran to a serious looking knee injury.

The only saving grace in this period of play after the loss of Maria and conceding a try was that UCC’s Ashling Hutching missed the resulting conversion to leave the score at five points to seven. UL then had to reshape and refocus and they once again found the rhythm that had made them a formidable force throughout the year and started to dominate general play.

With the clock ticking down and chances few and far between for both sides it soon became obvious

that whatever side got the next score would run out winners and league champions.

UCC gave it everything they possibly could but the clock ran out before they could capitalise on their increasing pressure against a UL side that looked dead on their feet.

UCC came into the final as massive underdogs and put it to a UL side who have dominated Irish women’s college’s rugby for the past four years.

Each year they have gotten closer to their opponents only for UL’s experience to tell in the end and fall agonisingly short of victory.

Trinity row against formidable UCD crew Fionn McCaffrey Contributing Writer

UCD BEAT Trinity by four and a half lengths in the Gannon Cup for senior men on the river Liffey in Dublin on March 16. UCD presented a formidable team, with the boat containing four Henley winners and Sean Jacob, long standing Irish international and Henley winner who first rowed in the Gannon Cup whilst in UCD almost 20 years ago. It was this combination of experience and talent which made UCD hot favourites over the Trinity crew to complete the four-in-a-row.

Despite the first section of the course being choppy due to the safety boats, the race was let go to the consternation

“The reality is that right now we’re still an intermediate crew” of both crews. A good UCD start took almost a canvas from Trinity within the first three strokes, but Trinity held

their technique and rowed to their limits to try and maintain contact until they had the inside corner at the Four Courts. Rowing hard through the wash until Capel Street Bridge Trinity held the stern of a powerful UCD crew which was beginning to hit its stride.

Going into the Four Courts bend, Trinity were at their limit in trying to make up ground lost at the start, and found it difficult to raise their game again to pull level. UCD however went up an extra gear to hold Trinity and began to slip away, building on their lead and pulling away to clear water as they went into their own bend.

As the crews approached St. James Gate, Trinity were unable to close the gap which had developed and UCD looked comfortable as they wound up in the final straight to win by over four lengths of clear water.

Despite the loss, Captain of the Boat club Charlie Landale remained positive: “Well, UCD have assembled a serious Eight this year and they’ll probably be looking to challenge in the Senior championship. The reality is that right now we’re still an Intermediate crew, and there is a reason that they are ineligible to row in our category. We don’t like to make

excuses but they are just in the tier above and we’re not quite there yet.” He also reflected on the Club’s transition to big boats ahead of the University Championships in April. “I was actually quite pleased with how the Eight went today, considering we’ve only been in it for two weeks. I think the project is going well and that we can exploit our proficiency in the smaller Boat classes and the bigger boats such as the Eights to make an impact at the Championships this year.”

Though UCD secured the Four-ina-row this year, Trinity still lead the series 34 to 28.

TRINITY NEWS