UCC Express Vol. 21 Issue 08

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UCCExpress.ie | Volume 21 | Issue 08| Tuesday January 30h

Student teachers priced out Page 3 - News

UCC has been named a University of Sanctuary for its efforts in making the University a better place for refugees (Photo: Tomas Tyner)

UCC Declared a University of Sanctuary Michelle Beazley, News Editor

University College Cork (UCC) has been awarded the title of University of Sanctuary by People of Sanctuary Ireland in recognition of their efforts in promoting the welfare of vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers, in particular the grant of seven full scholarships to members of these groups.

The scholarships will be available for full-time undergraduate courses beginning in September 2018 for those under 23 on January 1st of this year. Application will be through the Central Applications Office (CAO). Awardees will benefit from free tuition, as well as a number of bursaries for other expenses. There will also be supports in place for recipients once they begin their course.

UCC Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Karl Kitching, described the scholarship scheme

to TheJournal.ie as “hugely significant” in assisting vulnerable young people in attending a third-level institution like UCC despite “financial and cultural constraints.” Kitching commented that refugees and asylum seekers living in Direct Provision can often be overwhelmed by the difficulties inherent in their situation.

“People’s dreams are dashed. Regardless of how long you’re in the school system, it can be extremely demoralising to do your Leaving Cert and know you can’t afford to get into the colleges your friends will be going to.”

UCC Student Action for Refugees (STAR) Society led the charge in campaigning to make UCC a University of Sanctuary.

The society, the first of its kind in Ireland, wished to have UCC join Dublin City University and University of Limerick to become the third university in Ireland

to receive the prestigious status.

Their efforts have been complemented by UCC employees such as lecturers Dr Jacqui O’Riordan and Mike Fitzgibbon, who were recently awarded with UCC Exceptional Citizen Awards for their tireless campaigning to put an end to the Direct Provision system and support of those living in the system.

Direct Provision which was originally established as a temporary six-month scheme 17 years ago, and people living in Direct Provision are provided with a weekly allowance of just €21.60 and, unlike asylum seekers in many other EU states, are prohibited from seeking work.

Continued on page 3...

Being an Arts Student Page 6 - Features

Inside UCC Green Campus Byline Magazine

NEWS INSIDE TODAY: 2

FROM THE EDITOR

NEWS

04 40% of BA Grads Earn Under €25k 04 Eighth Amendment debate continues

FEATURES

09 Charlie Manson and the Fab Four 08 Opinion: Memes and politics

SEXPRESS

32 The Sexlist: Music to ride by

Robert O’Sullivan, Editor-in-Chief

BYLINE

I’m almost certain I’ve used this title for an editorial before, but the Bob Dylan article in Music has me thinking about Dylan, and it seems appropriate (though if I have used it before, it’s a little more ironic than intended).

16 Breakfast food special 23 The Modern Queer Writer

SPORT

38 The GAA & Alcohol 36 NFL: To Draft or Not To Draft

EDITORIAL TEAM Editor-in-Chief - Robert O’Sullivan Designer - Kelly Doherty News Editor - Michelle Beazley Deputy News Editor - Molly O’Rourke Features Editor - Ciara Dinneen Deputy Features Editor - Fergal Smiddy Opinion Editor - Chris McCahill Sports Editor - Dylan O’Connell Deputy Sports Editor - Claire Jouce Photographer - Emmet Curtin Webmaster - Evan Smith

Facebook: UCC Express Instagram: uccexpress Twitter: @uccexpress Website: uccexpress.ie

ally can’t wait to see what the staff time to spend on anything, and it’s list is like this time next year. Emgetting a bit surreal that my time met’s worked under so many fanbeing involved in this wonderful tastic people & Editors, that’s for publication is nearly at an end. sure; I’ve worked under an inspirational female editor, a wonderBut time doesn’t just move forful male one, and my staff for the ward for us on Staff (though I’m past two years have worked under sure it seems like it at times, this a barely functionable non-binary job can be stressful). If, for some one. We’ve had staff from almost reason, you only read one thing every background you can imagbased on my Editorial, then make ine. So no matter your ability, your it the Arts & Literature section race, your religion, your creed, (page 15). We’ve gotten a fantasyour gender, your sexuality… you tic submission from a brave writcan do this. er, who’s written about what it’s like to be a transgender person Please enjoy this issue of the Exin the world of literature. Not to press, it’s a damn good issue, and spoil the piece, but while women one of our last together. The times... were hidden and ignored in literathey are a changin’. ture history, we do now know they . were there. For a young trans/ non-binary person, there seems to be no one. Ever. And the feeling of hope given in that article despite the lonely literature void the author exists in is remarkable.

But, as they put it, they write, and soon that void will be filled by the remarkable trans men, women and non-binary people; the times they truly are a changin’.

Robert O’Sullivan

The times they are a changin’, though. This is the final issue of our long-time photographer, Emmet (who put together a fantastic final goodbye on the Photo Page, be sure to check that out), and this is the first issue with an ad for my eventual successor. Emmet has me beat for ‘time on staff’ for sure, but still, 4-odd years is a lot of Thinking about it all together, I re-

FROM THE NEWS EDITOR

Byline Editor - Cailean Coffey Fiction Editor - Sophie Mckenzie Gaming Editor - Tyrone Power Fashion Editor - Iris Maher Music Editor - JJ Lee Film & Television Editor - Aaron Frahill Humour Editor - Sarah Ryan Food Editor - Isabella Cosgrave Arts Editor - El Menton Staff Writers Laura O’Connor Jill Kingston Samantha Calthrop Lucas Brun Callum Connelly Eoin Doyle Kate Stapleton Eadaoin Regan

ISSUE 08 | UCC Express

Editorial Michelle Beazley

I promised myself I wouldn’t let myself get stressed this year, that everything always ends up getting done, and the world won’t end if I say no a bit more, take on a little less, and relax occasionally, but lo and behold, it is Week 2, and I’m already back at it. Surprise, surprise.

2018 was meant to be the year of Michelle, the year of being my best self, but it’s January, and things have gone... less than ac-

cording to plan. I’ve had 2 family funerals within a month. A stranger at one of the wakes told me these things happen in threes- I really hope not. Anyway, life is short, I’ve gotten very good at shaking hands, and I’m trying to see the good whenever I can, wherever I can lately. You’ll see in this edition of the Express that UCC will be awarding 7 full scholarships for undergraduate courses next year to refugees and asylum seekers. This is hugely significant. Without this scheme, it is likely financial and societal obstacles would be too prohibitive for a truly deserving group of young people to attend university. Of course, there is always more to be done, not the least while the Direct Provision system continues, but it’s important to celebrate the milestones along the way, especially when they are as consequential as this. UCC STAR Society have been instrumental in achieving recognition for UCC as a University of Sanctuary.

Their work collaborating with the Glucksman gallery to host creative programs for children in Cork liv-

ing in Direct Provision is just one example of all the work they have done to improve the lives of people who truly know what it is to have so little and still carry on. T.S. Eliot once said, “For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business.”

So keep trying. And keep seeing the good.

Michelle Beazley

NEWS

ISSUE 08| UCC Express

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continued from front page Meals are provided at set times during the day, with people in the centre denied the right to cook for themselves. Direct Provision centres are for the most part run by private, for-profit companies, contracted out by the State.

Chairperson of UCC STAR, Isaac McNamara, spoke to the Express about why it was essential for UCC to become a University of Sanctuary: “A University of Sanctuary is a university that creates a culture of welcome, acceptance and accessibility towards asylum

seekers and refugees. ... Having UCC officially recognised as a University of Sanctuary [is] a means of affirming the positive work that UCC through its staff, students and alumni already partake in with asylum seekers living in Direct Provision and other refugees.” McNamara expressed the society’s gratitude towards all those who supported and were involved in the campaign. “It’s an excellent feeling having the award, and it’s a great step towards creating a real culture of welcome in UCC. We look forward to meeting all the new students next year!”

Expounding on the decision,

Senior Vice President of UCC, Professor Caroline Fennell, said: “Universities provide a key space in which to challenge societal assumptions and to support and highlight work aimed at fostering a culture of welcome for asylum seekers and refugees.” Per Professor Fennell, UCC’s receiving of the distinction of University of Sanctuary is an indication of not just what the university has accomplished, but also a signal that a need exists for continued campaigning to support asylum seekers and refugees on a local and a global level. She added: “Through the range of initiatives cultivat-

ed over many years in UCC, we [UCC] are dedicated to providing spaces to learn about what sanctuary means, to develop a sustainable culture of welcome and to share our practices and initiatives with communities and other higher education institutions”.

UCC will host its inaugural Refugee Week next week (from 5th-9th of February), with events planned including a lecture by the UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration, and ‘Blueprints’, an art exhibition at the Glucksman gallery featuring work by young refugees. ‘Sorry I Drowned’, a powerful short film inspired by a letter found on the

Student Teachers Priced Out Of professional clothes for Teaching Courses Molly O’Rourke, Deputy News Editor The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has come forward once again to demand changes for student teachers. A recent report found that there has been a ‘total collapse’ in the number of applicants for teacher-training courses, a collapse that the Union believes is linked to the lack of financial support in place for those on placement.

Following a change in the course structure, the cost of college for trainee teachers increased dramatically. The former one-year higher diploma was replaced by a two year professional masters of education (PME), resulting in an extra year of costs for students. USI President Michael Kerrigan estimates that this change puts a ‘financial burden of up to €11,000 on prospective teachers’.

On top of this cost, many students have to travel for their 10 week placements – with those unable to get a placement close to college paying up to €50 a week.

Last year, the Union launched a national campaign to try and get supports for students on placement. The campaign included an online survey that student teachers were encouraged to fill out. The results of this survey highlighted the significant financial struggle that these prospective teachers have to undertake.

Most students would pay at least €200 in the beginning to purchase

their placement. Left with no other options, students must also work parttime jobs during their placement, according to Mr Kerrigan. These students are having to work 3035 hours a week unpaid, and then having to work evenings and weekends to be financially able to travel and stay in accommodation.

Teaching graduate from St Angela’s College Sligo, Aoife Deasy, said, “Teaching is a very expensive degree.

I completed the 4 year B.Ed programme, on my first day in college I spent €1,000 on materials. I completed a 3 week placement in first year, a 4 week placement 2nd-3rd year and a 10 week placement in final year. I was never once paid for placement.”

Student teachers have also pointed out that they often have to use their own money for classroom items such as stationary, printing and art supplies. The increase in accommodation costs are only rising, which means student teachers will need

even more help in the coming years.

UCC student teacher Niamh O’Driscoll supported the aims of the USI and the unions, saying: “The course is really demanding. For a lot of people, working part-time is not sustainable, the cost is crazy- it’s €10,800 for the two years, on top of accommodation. What people don’t include is travel expenses to and from the schools, and the amount of our own money that has to be spent on stationery like printing, sheets for activities in the classroom, and our files. On top of that, there’s the cost of living. It is worrying to think the cost of all this is turning really worthwhile people off the profession. Any bit of financial support would be so helpful; it just feels like we’re putting

in so much for two years, for so little reward.”

Kerrigan stated that ‘We are now faced with a crisis situation, schools cannot find qualified teachers for certain subjects, it’s not a pinch point, it’s a crisis.’

This barrier could be somewhat overcome by supporting students financially to cover the cost of travel, accommodation, materials, and food. The USI is urging the Minister for Education and Skills Richard Bruton to discuss how the Department for Education and Skills can support student teachers on placement in order to tackle the teacher shortage crisis.

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NEWS

40% of Bachelor’s Degree Gradu- elor’s degree holders earning under ates in Ireland Earn Under €25K Per 25K per annum (40%) falling to 9% for Doctorate graduates. Similarly, Year 35% of Doctorate holders surveyed earned over €45,000, against 18% of Michelle Beazley, News Editor Higher Diploma and 3% of underA report recently released by the graduate degree holders.

Higher Education Authority (HEA) involving respondents who graduat- Overall, 62% of the graduates were ed from an Irish university in 2016 has in employment nine months after revealed two in every five of the un- graduation. 87% of these obtained dergraduate degree holders are earning less than €25,000 per year. The responses were collected in March 2017 from over 18,000 former students who were granted a level 8-10 degree in 2016 from an Irish university, with a view to analysing their situation nine months post-graduation.

Notably, this 40% figure represents a significant decrease in the number of undergraduates in 2016 who earned under €25,000 (47%). employment in Ireland, with the UK Of those surveyed for the report being the most popular destination named ‘What Do Graduates Do?’, for employment abroad. In terms of graduates of Engineering, IT, Man- field of study, graduates in Education ufacturing and Construction, and had the highest level of employment Health and Welfare were the most (85%) followed by ICT (81%). Dublin well-paid, with Arts and Humanities and the South West (Cork and Kerry) degree-holders faring the worst in continue to provide the most job opthe study; 15% of respondents with portunities for recent Irish university this type of degree reported earn- graduates, with 42% and 17% eming less than €13,000 per year. Un- ployed in those regions respectively. surprisingly, there is a positive link Just 4% of all respondent graduates between advanced education and obtained employment in the South wages, with the percentage of Bach- East, with 3% in the Border region

ISSUE 08 | UCC Express and 2% in the Midlands. However, it should be noted that graduates of Institutes of Technology, traditionally sought after in these areas, were not included in the report.

Reviewing the findings of the study, Dr. Graham Love, HEA Chief Executive, commented: “The evidence continues to point to a higher education qualification meaning that you are less likely to be unemployed and

tend to have a higher starting salary.”

Dr Love continued: “There is a challenge, however, for us to create more graduate employment opportunities outside of Dublin and Cork in order to ensure better regional development.” The HEA report specified the prospective Technological Universities development as one solution to this concern.

Around the Universities Michelle Beazley, News Editor Trinity College Dublin George Ezra has sparked rumours he will be playing this year’s Trinity Ball on April 6th, with the event included in a list of venues he will tour in the coming months in a quickly deleted post on his website.

National University of Ireland Galway The NUIG Access Centre has announced 170 new places will be introduced for full-time undergraduate courses for applicants through Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), Further Education and Training (FET), and Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC) pathways, in a bid to improve the accessibility of third-level institutions to disadvantaged or minority prospective students. This marks a 66% increase in the number of places available through the route from the previous academic year.

University College Dublin UCD has received approval to commence building a new €300 million student housing complex, increasing on-campus accommodation from 3,179 to 5,357. Additional student facilities will also be built under the new planning permission.

Mary Immaculate College An app has been launched at Mary I that will allow students to check on their academic progress, look up grades, make module selections, and send messages asking for extra support, all via their phone.

NEWS

ISSUE 08| UCC Express

Government Must Respect Recommendations On Repealing The Eighth mendment, says USI Molly O’Rourke, Deputy News Editor On Wednesday the 17th of January, government ministers began the difficult and controversial task of debating the Eighth Amendment.

The event has been described as one which will in time be seen as historic.

The debate was scheduled to last two days; and during this time various ministers from both sides of government gave their opinions on the matter. The event was held in order to discuss the Report on the Joint Committee of the Eighth Amendment.

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) called for the government to respect the recommendations that had been made on repealing the constitutional amendment. A Citizens Assembly began meeting in November 2016 to discuss the issue. They issued a report with recommendations, which were then presented to

the Houses of Oireachtas. This report was referred to a joint committee for consideration.

Michael Kerrigan, President of USI, stated that the debate should ‘not be derailed’ and should have ‘women’s healthcare at heart’. He explained that the USI welcome the outcomes of this committee as they will show there is merit in providing facts and information to prove to the government how the 8th Amendment damages Irish people’s lives. Kerrigan emphasised that the USI welcomes discussions surrounding the legislation allowing a lawful abortion up to twelve weeks; but that the work carried out by the Citizens Assembly must be upheld. Over a year of hard work and commitment was put into making the report, and the recommendations made represented

the views of the majority of members.

Opening the debate, Minister for Health Simon Harris acknowledged that he was aware of the sensitivities and complexities of the issue. He went on to recognise and pay tribute to the Committee’s work and stated that the report was to play an important role in the foundation of the debate, saying “I respect the views of those who dissent from the recommendations, but I do believe they are the basis on which we must proceed on this issue” Many calls for reform were made during the debate, as well as numerous references to a ‘dark culture’ in Ireland. Minister Harris recalled the Magdalene Laundries, Mother and Baby homes and other parts of Irish history – and stated that this issue is challenging Ireland to reflect on what kind of society we want to have.

Further statements from Billy Kelleher, Fianna Fáil’s spokesperson on health, outlined the staggering number of women travelling abroad to receive abortions, as well as those taking abortion pills. Sinn Féin member

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Mary Lou McDonald spoke of the ‘abuse of women and indifference to health and bodily integrity’, which was now unacceptable in Irish life.

Those members with opposing views were also given the opportunity to express their opinions; Kerry Independent TD Michael Healy Rae stated ‘I just don’t agree with abortion. I just don’t think it’s right and nothing will ever change me from that point of view’.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has stated he is very committed to holding a referendum in May or June of this year.

He is prepared to provide leadership for the referendum and believes that the current laws are ‘too restrictive’ and in need of liberalisation.

While several government members are still criticising the situation, the Cabinet has formally agreed to begin drafting a bill which would allow a referendum to take place. This is what the USI was aiming for, as it wants to ensure students are in a position to cast their votes on this topical issue. No one under the age of 53 has ever had the opportunity to cast their vote on the 8th Amendment.

IFUT Call On Government To Cassells Report published 18 months student loan system. It also encour- expensive education costs in the EU, Combat 3rd Level Funding Cri- ago and explain why the Report on aged a state funding increase of at just behind the UK. the Oireachtas Committee on educa- least 55% and up to 80%. sis tion remains unpublished.”

Samantha Calthrop, Staff Writer The Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) is calling for a comprehensive plan for third-level education funding from the Irish Government.

“The continued emphasis on more competitive funding for higher education and stronger links with the needs of industry will accentuate the imbalance that has been developing in third level education and overemphasises a ‘training’ attitude to the role of universities,” Donegan continued.

Others have joined the call on the government to solve the funding crisis, including the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), in light of a Eurostat report that compared Ireland’s tui-

IFUT criticised the giving of ‘piecemeal announcements’ from the government instead of creating a clear funding plan for third level education in Ireland, which has suffered from both higher costs for students, less stable work and pay for teaching staff, and declining staff-student raThe Cassells tios.

Report, which prompted a stu“We must not allow a ‘robbing Peter dent demonstrato pay Paul’ approach for the patchtion in Dublin, work announcements emanating on recommended a a regular basis recently,” said Joan government reDonegan, Secretary General of the form of universiIFUT. “The government must face ty funding, either by increased state tion fees unfavourably to the rest of up to the need to comprehensively support or by the introduction of a the EU. Ireland has the second most address the issues identified by the

36% of students are struggling financially, with 27% of full-time and 77% of part-time students working alongside their studies.

“Students are angry, they’re suffering and we haven’t really heard anything from the minister in regards to increased financial support for students, whether that’s through SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland), thresholds being increased or through adjacency rates being reversed.” said Michael Kerrigan, USI president, who has called for fees to be returned to pre-2011 levels. The current student contribution fee of €3000 came about as a result of increases starting in 2011 that eventually doubled the cost of education, part of Fine Gael’s cutbacks in the face of austerity.

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FEATURES THIS WEEK IN HISTORY THIS WEEK IN HISTORY Monday January 29th In 1861, Kansas was admitted to the Union, and became the 34th State of the United States of America. Having been ‘settled’ in the earlier part of the 19th Century, Kansas was one of the major battlegrounds between pro-slavery and abolitionist parties. When Kansas entered the Union it did so as a Free State (i.e. one where slavery is illegal or being fazed out). 46 years later, in 1907, Charles Curtis became the first Native American US Senator.

Famous Death: Poet Robert Frost (1874-1963) Holiday: Kansas Day (Kansas, USA) Tuesday January 30th On this day, in 1948, Mahatma Gandhi is assassinated by Hindu extremist Nathuram Godse in New Delhi. Gandhi, a proponent of non-violent protest, was a key figure in the Indian struggle for independence from the British Empire. He would famously go on fasts to protest the injustices of colonialism and religious violence. Gandhi was a supporter of a single independent Indian state operating on religious pluralism, but a Muslim independence movement and British plans got in the way of this dream. This view, as well as his efforts to salve sectarian tension, lead many extremists to think he was too accommodating, which ultimately lead to his death, aged 78.

Famous Death: Pioneering stop-motion animator Arthur Rankin Jr. (1924-2014) Holiday: Day of Saudade (Brazil) Wednesday January 31st Guy Fawkes is executed on this day in 1606 for his part in the Gunpowder Plot. Fawkes, a devout Catholic who sought to return a Catholic monarch to the throne, was found guarding gunpowder under Westminster.

Found guilty of treason against King James I, Fawkes was to be executed by hanging. However, he was able to cheat the hang-

Benefits and Barriers to International Student Mobility Eadaoin Regan, Staff Writer On 12th December, I was fortunate enough to attend a conference in Brussels titled ‘Enhancing outward mobility for disadvantaged learners: Guidance from Ireland and the UK (EMASI)’. I was not attending as a student seeking answers into the current state of Erasmus or placement options for current and past students throughout the world. In fact, I was not there for any particular reason at all other than as a Personal Assistant to a student ambassador for the Erasmus+ programme who, despite overwhelming obstacles, successfully availed of many opportunities abroad over the past few years.

I was aware of some of the issues that this student had encountered, but I thought this could not be the same for all students facing study/work periods with a disability or who hail from disadvantaged backgrounds or circumstances. Surely every other student who wished to avail of a study abroad opportunity can organise it relatively smoothly?

ISSUE 08 | UCC Express and disadvantaged backgrounds”.

Those heading the project within the IUA are Sinead Lucey (International Education Manager), Rosemarie Fuller (International Project Officer), Lewis Purser (Director of Academic Affairs) and Lia O’Sullivan (IUA Communications Manager).

as such this has not been captured in the higher education system. However, the report also highlights the overwhelming evidence of the benefits from such study abroad programmes in terms of intercultural and linguistic competencies, in addition to general career and life skills.

I am sure many of you have, or are planning, to study abroad and assume (probably rightly) that you will simply speak to the international office and your course head who will get the ball rolling. All that is left for you to do is plan where you want to live, who with and start panic saving before your departure. But what if, for a few moments, you consider the alternatives that many students are faced with. What if, regardless of all the savings you compile, you do not have sufficient funds to go because you are from a low income family and work hard to contribute to the running of the household? Or perhaps you are the head of a household, and despite all your potential, your family simply cannot afford to lose you for even a short study abroad engagement? What if none of these are the issue, but instead you were bound by physical restraints?

The main aim was to understand the current landscape in mobility for students, identify current barriers and develop a strategy to widen participation. In doing so, the IUA is actively contributing to the promotion of these study abroad programmes by highlighting in their report everything from where students are going and the benefits evident from those who have managed, through the current systems of support available, to avail of opportunities they could otherwise not have achieved. In doing this, the IUA are thus making an argument for action to be taken to counteract the current issues which are preventing disadvantaged students from partaking in these programmes. In their report summary, the IUA state that in order to empower mobility going forward there needs to be “funding, academic buy in, agility in programme development and review of mobility programmes”.

Unfortunately this does not seem to be the case and it is for this reason that the Irish Universities Association and its British counterpart, Universities UK, have worked together to create separate reports on the current barriers which are preventing students from availing of invaluable opportunities that, let’s face it, most

The purpose of the conference was to present the findings of what can only have been a gruelling project, both illuminating and frustrating in equal turn. In summary, the Irish Universities Association found that while there has been a significant improvement in recent years in terms of general access to higher education for students, there is still a long way

students take for granted. In the IUA’s own words, the project “aims to develop a practical toolkit for universities and institutes of technology to develop and implement effective strategies to widen participation in the mobility programmes among students from under-represented groups

to go in terms of increasing mobility, an issue which can be attributed to the lack of specific targets for international study abroad opportunities for disadvantaged or minority students. In addition, it was found that there was very little information on placements outside of the E.U. and We heard several angles at the con-

The most compelling aspect of the project is the emergence of the practical toolkit which has been designed, in website form, to walk higher education staff through the opportunities available for students and also provides general advice and information on how to encourage students from underrepresented backgrounds to participate in mobility programmes. But the report on a whole is a call for the universities, funding bodies and international programmes to take note of this report. It is igniting a discussion on what can be done to eradicate issues such as financial, accessibility and flexibility options for students who may otherwise miss out. As Sinead Lucey (IUA) noted in her welcome speech, this report has opened up conversations with our own government on “meaningful policy reform in outward mobility”.

FEATURES

ISSUE 08 | UCC Express ference. The Irish and British student representatives were fantastic and testament to their achievement in not only overcoming the barriers to furthering their education and skills but in eradicating them entirely and paving a new way. The stories were inspiring and, in all honesty I could not do them justice. I can however provide a brief opportunity to let one of these speakers highlight, again, their experience in order to not only inspire but to educate those who may be in a position they do not realise is privileged, or perhaps those in the same position who could use some proof that what seems impossible can be achieved.

Jessica Gough is the Erasmus Student Ambassador (2012) who presented her paper on the benefits and barriers she has encountered during several extended study and work periods abroad. Jessica has already achieved a BA in Applied Languages (Irish, French & Spanish) at the University of Limerick. She also completed her MA in Conference Interpreting with the National University of Ireland Galway. I spoke with Jessica to discuss her experiences, plans for the future and advice for current students who may be in her position.

Can you tell us a little bit about the general issues that you encountered upon moving to university within Ireland and how this differed to taking part in a study period abroad?

Moving to university I suppose was a significant adjustment in terms of not having the home comforts and support network associated with living in the family home. The main issue was working with a PA for the first time because my support was always provided by family members up until I went to university. Fortunately, I didn’t have the task of trying to source a PA myself when I went to university. The PAs were sourced and provided by Disability Support Services in UL for my undergrad and in NUIG when I completed my masters.

I suppose getting around campus and to and from my accommodation was an obstacle that had to be overcome but again there was a transport service provided by DSS so it alleviated any of the worries I had in relation to mobility. There were significant differences when I moved abroad

Before you decided to study abroad, did you imagine that there would be as many issues? Was there any resource or advice available for students with disabilities before they arranged the move?

abroad can sometimes be a bit daunting, participants need to remember that having obstacles to overcome is all part of the experience.

As this is a platform to speak on behalf of similarly underrepresented students, what would you like to conI didn’t really think about the issues vey to the universities of Ireland on at first. The first issue I encountered this issue? was getting to know how the support services worked in each country and I will reiterate that students are best what I needed to do to avail of those placed to know their own needs but services. For example, how the sys- this doesn’t mean that supports can’t tem worked in France differed to how be implemented to make the tranthe system worked in Spain which sition from study at home to study was different again to the system in abroad less stressful. Despite the best place in Austria. To a certain extent, efforts of the Disability Support SerI had support from the international vice (DSS) and International Office, office but nobody knows your needs it wasn’t clear who should be contactbetter you, so it is up to the individ- ed at the host institutions or indeed ual to think about the supports they which disability organisations in the need on the ground to make their ex- host countries could provide the necperience as successful as possible and essary support. This is definitely one how to source these supports. area that could be improved upon.

How did you tackle the issues you Finally, what are your future plans faced? and how do you feel the experiences with your study and work opportuniI think being organised was the key ties abroad encouraged these plans? to multiple successful study and work periods abroad. I thought I feel that students with significant about the supports I needed well in physical disabilities who need the advance of my departure, researched assistance of a PA to help with day how the support systems worked in to day tasks could benefit from an each country and contacted as many online database of information, ororganisations as possible to ensure ganisations or useful contacts which that as much as possible was in place could support them in sourcing and before I arrived. eventually employing their own PA for the duration of their study or What were the highlights and bene- work placement abroad. I would be fits of the study abroad programme keen to work on setting up this dafor you? tabase to help and encourage current and prospective students with There are numerous highlights asso- disabilities to undertake a placement ciated with participating in the Eras- period abroad. This database would mus+ Programme. The personal, work best if there was cooperation academic and professional develop- between service providers within the ment are at the top of my list. I also EU so that there would be a seamless had the opportunity to improve my transition in the provision of PA serlanguages while making friends from vices from one country to another. different countries and cultures, and Ultimately, by allowing students to also had the opportunity to explore control their own funding and emand learn about countries, cultures ploy their own PA they would be and languages other than my own. making a positive step towards gainWhat advice would you give to peo- ing further independence and ultiple who may, faced with the prospect mately have the freedom to live their of Erasmus+ or international place- lives as they choose. ment, be in a similar position as you?

For more details on the report and If I had to offer advice to anyone con- the work of the IUA, here are their sidering taking part in Erasmus+, social media sites and website: www.

I would encourage them to go for mobilitytoolkit.ie, facebook.com/Iriit. With or without a disability, they shUniversities and Twitter.com/iuawon’t be disappointed. While going comms.

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man by falling from the scaffold on which he was to be hung, breaking his neck in the fall.

Famous Death: Radio & Television personality Terry Wogan (1938-2016) Holiday: Street Children’s Day (Austria) Thursday February 1st On this day, in 1865, US President Abraham Lincoln signs the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the US, except as part of a punishment for a crime. The amendment is also considered to include sex trafficking and other, more modern forms of slavery. It would be ratified by the majority of Northern states, as well as some of the border and reconstructed Southern states, causing it to become law before the end of 1865.

Famous Death: Frankenstein author Mary Shelley (1797-1851) Holiday: Hijab Day (Worldwide) Friday February 2nd In 1943, the Battle of Stalingrad finally came to an end as the last German troops in the city surrender to Soviet forces. Friedrich Paulus, the officer in command of the forces on the ground, had been ordered not to surrender, flee or make an attempt to break the Soviet lines. Hitler even promoted Paulus to the rank of Generalfeldmarschall, as no German field marshal had ever surrendered. The German’s reportedly negotiated surrender without Paulus.

Famous Death: Punk pioneer Sid Vicious (1957-1979) Holiday: Groundhog Day (US & Canada)

Est.

8 1997

FEATURES

ISSUE

A Day in the Life; Being an Arts student.

Joe Cunningham, Writer Sometimes it is quite hard being an Arts student. Despite being by far one of the most popular subject choices for newcomers to UCC, Arts as a subject has never been fully able to shake off the perception that it is a course for dossers and no-hopers. As a third year Arts student, I have already endured over two years of scepticism aimed jokingly at me by friends and peers, as well as the deeper more insidious kind that you encounter when discussing your future with relatives and elderly neighbours.

In fairness, it is hard to counter the argument of a chemistry or computer science student when they confront you on what are, in their opinion, your criminally short hours or your horrific lack of tests and exams. It is difficult to argue the merits of such a subject when your opponent has just returned from a 3 hour lab class and is in a bad mood, especially when you’ve just casually strolled in from one of your two lectures that day.

Likewise, it can be very disheartening to run into a friend of your mothers in the shop who, after the customary observations about your height and the feigned shock to learn that you are not in fact a child anymore, will then inevitably move the conversation onto the topic of “what are you doing with yourself?”

“I’m in college in UCC” you might reply.

“And what are you studying?”

You could lie and say you’re doing medicine but you know that before the week is out the entire rural community will have you on their radar as the future town GP. “Arts. English and History.”

A pause.

“Oh, oh that’s…….nice.”

Another pause.

“And what will you do with that?

Teaching?”, most people fail to see any alternative when it comes to the likes of History.

Alternatively, they might ask “do you enjoy it?”

Replying in the affirmative will usually elicit a response in the vein of “Well that’s all that matters” and they will depart happy in the knowledge that although you are travelling towards your future doom on a jet-plane, at least you are doing it with a smile on your foolish, naïve face.

What people fail to realise is that by arguing the futility of the Arts, they are themselves adhering to some of the principles which make the Arts such an integral part of everyday life. Argument, debate and the use of reasoning are some of the pillars which have helped humanity achieve all that is has achieved over the years. In the past, men and women of great intelligence such as Pythagoras did not need mathematical and scientific proficiency to be distinguished from philosophy and poetry. They saw each as important and vital tools by which we might advance ourselves. Somewhere along the way this peaceful

coexistence was lost in a haze of confusion and misunderstanding.

Whereas science might provide us with the hows, whats and wheres, the Arts provide us with the answers to perhaps the most important question of all: the whys.

Perhaps the greatest evidence for the importance of the Arts comes from an unlikely source.

Why is it, whenever a dictator or totalitarian regime take over a country, the first thing they do is clamp down on the media, censor artists and writers and even, as in the case of Mussolini et al, seek to change history itself? The reason the Arts are so important to us is that they allow us to question, to explore and to expand on ideas, they allow us to create our own identity and to understand the identities of others in a way that is dangerous to the likes of Mussolini, who relied on indoctrination and state-sponsored brainwashing to control people’s lives. Science may provide us with

the means to live in a world with clean water, heated housing and electricity, but it is the Arts which allow us to exist as individuals and to improve the psychological quality of our lives.

It annoys me that I should have to defend the arts at all. Why should I have to justify my choice of studies in a way that students of other subject areas do not? Although I’d never say no to a nice juicy income popping into my bank account every week or month, I would much rather be happy and fulfilled in a job that was right for me rather than slaving away in position to which I am not suited but one which meets with society’s approval. The immense fun that I had writing this article only further proves my point.

FEATURES

ISSUE 08 | UCC Express

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No One Believes Your Eating Disorder When You’re Not Thin

By Niamh Gorman, Writer Content Warning: The following article contains detailed discussion of eating disorders. If you are likely to be negatively affected by this you may not want to continue reading. If you are affected by the article, you can contact the Eating Disorders Association of Ireland’s helpline on 1890 200 444, or the Samaritans on 116 123.

As a species we are OBSESSED with the notion of ‘thin’. It has become impossible to go a day without coming across some new diet that the thinnest of celebrities are supposedly doing, or being bombarded with people telling you that you need to lose weight and that you need to give them your money to do it. It’s impossible to escape.

So many of us fall victim to the media’s fixation with having the ‘perfect body’ as if such a thing even exists.

Now I was lucky, in a way, because I didn’t have social media growing up. I wasn’t exposed to as much of the nonsense that we see on our Instagram and twitter feeds daily. I was thirteen before I started to even take notice of my body. But when I did, by god I wasn’t happy. It all started with an innocent, throwaway comment from my mother. And no, I do not blame my mother for my body insecurities, or eating disorder, that was entirely my own fault. She casually said in the middle of a conversation that my best friend at the time was a little thinner than I was. She wasn’t being malicious or trying to hurt me in any way, she was just stating a fact.

However, her saying that sparked something in me and is engraved in my brain to this day. I’m still best friends with that girl, she’s still thinner than me, but that’s okay, I’m at peace with it now.

So you’re probably thinking “But Niamh, you’re not thin, how can you possibly have an eating disorder?”

Because, my friends, it is a mental illness and is therefore largely invisible.

There is also more than one kind of eating disorder. Anorexia is usually the disorder that springs to mind when one hears “eating disorder” but it is just one of a huge list. Out of that list, only some actually result in huge

weight loss (and even then they don’t always!) I actually suffered from two eating disorders that are very often linked. Those are binge-eating disorder and bulimia. And it is exactly as it sounds.

As I have gotten older I have slowed down and almost stopped with the bulimic tendencies, but the bingeing is still something I am working on, hence why I put on a lot of weight in the past year. While I no longer purge my food, I do still have long stints of not eating after a binge, which is honestly just as bad. As I write this now I am pushing on 20 hours without eating…and do you know why?

I’m scared. I’m scared that the second I put something in my mouth I will lose control and eat until I cannot move. And I don’t mean that feeling you get after you eat a roast dinner, I mean sometimes I physically cannot move with the pain. I went through quite a long phase of starving myself simply because I liked how it felt to be starving. I loved the empty, nauseating feeling that comes with being extremely hungry. It was the only way that I could feel pretty. The problem with starving yourself for long periods of time is that when you finally

give in and decide to eat, you overeat and then you feel sick and bloated and worst of all: guilty. Guilt was a feeling I became very familiar with. I’m sure anyone who has ever suffered from an eating disorder can relate.

As a result, my relationship with food is complicated. I see it as an ever-present comfort in my life that I can turn to when things are not going well. But, it is also the cause of a great deal of distress and concern, it consumes my every thought. I wake up SCARED that I am going to binge as if I cannot physically control what I put in my mouth (which of course I can, but I also can’t) It’s so ironic that the illness I developed from wanting to be thinner is exactly what is making me gain weight, life has a funny way of biting you in the butt sometimes doesn’t it?

Eating disorders, as with many mental illnesses, are largely invisible, despite the stereotype that many people believe. “Anorexic” is not a body type and not everyone with an eating disorder is a skeleton, deathly ill or even physically unhealthy at all! I guess what I’m trying to say with this is that every eating disorder is different, and everyone’s story is different. It is wrong to make assumptions about a

person’s eating habits or relationship with food simply based on appearance. Many very thin people have a perfectly healthy relationship with food and do not starve themselves at all. Many overweight people also have an amazing relationship with food and are perfectly healthy. Sometimes, those who look like they’re at a healthy weight and are eating properly definitely are not. And all of those people also have the capacity to suffer from an eating disorder. As I said they are mental illnesses, they are invisible. If you take nothing else from this article then please let it be that. Eating disorders are among the most stigmatized of mental illnesses, we all need to become more educated on them.

If you have been affected by the content of this article, you can contact the Eating Disorders Association of Ireland’s helpline on 1890 200 444, or the Samaritans on 116 123. To learn more about eating disorders, visit bodywhys.ie.

Est.

10 1997

FEATURES

Now Is the Right Time Aaron Frahill, Film & TV Editor My sleeping pattern is in absolute bits, has been for a while, but it’s never felt like something I could just fix with the click of my fingers – setting early alarms, exercising, going to bed earlier, etc; all proved no good. See, the issue I have is that the second my sleepy head hits a pillow it comes alive. It’s like getting into a time machine once I wrap myself in bed sheets, all I can think about is everything that’s happened in the past and where I’m going in the future, but that’s the root of my problems: I don’t live in either of those places, I’m here but I am not in the now.

I’m not sure if all this relates to anyone else, but it probably falls under the whole overthinking thing, and the worst place for that is when it is just you and your head battling to rest. I’m not sure if people are

haunted by the past or scared of the spectre that is the future more, but I know the easiest fix for anything is to forget all that and just live in the present, but that’s easier said than done. I think it’s similar to an addiction, either replaying scenarios over and over in your head and thinking what could have been different, or else simulating what’s to come and how perfect it could be even if you know it can’t happen. We strive for perfection, and can’t tell ourselves that’s not possible, but we can imagine what that must feel like.

I’m not saying that the past and the future are terrible, don’t think about them – but if it reaches a point where things revolve around them then something needs to give, you need to give your attention to what’s actually happening right now.

Living in the present can sometimes feel powerless because things you might want to do but can’t, but it is what it is, nothing can be done about it right now so don’t try. I

ISSUE 08 | UCC Express think self-control is such an important trait to have, and it’s something I thought I kind of had until recently – self-control keeps you in check and regularly reminds you that you should accept the way things are.

Time can come across as a punishment, but it gives us time to enjoy things that are special and that we can cherish, having what feels like the greatest feeling in the world every day quickly stops being the greatest feeling. Trying to experience where you are now gives some context to where you’re going without obsessing over that destination.

Everyone feels a range of emotions, but fantasizing over what’s happened or what could happen traps you with these emotions – we’ve just got to let go. I find that people are inherently negative mostly, so when it comes to feelings, we hang onto what we’d rather not feel longer than what we would. It’s so easy to say just let go and look at where you actually are, but it is the

truth and only real way out. Our head sometimes acts as a washing machine that makes the loudest noises, and it’s hard to ignore them, but if we tell the truth to ourselves maybe that’ll die down the sound.

This article is as much a message to me as it is to anyone who might be reading this, and who knows, maybe my sleeping pattern and mind will go back to being friends like straight after I finish this article? – but it’s the honesty of knowing that it isn’t good to only focus on anywhere but now. Understand the past to the best of your ability and try to control the future, but don’t become obsessed with either! We always have to think of the path ahead and what got us here in the first place, but don’t forget the feet you’re using to walk and what you’re walking on because if don’t watch our steps who knows where we’ll end up?

FEATURES

ISSUE 08 | UCC Express

The Sinister Link Between Charles Manson and The Beatles Lauren Murphy, Features Writer Following the death of Charles Manson late last year, we take a look back on the uncanny link between this barbaric cult leader and the innocent, baby-faced Beatles. Manson was the charismatic leader of the Manson Family, a cult which he set up in the 1960s- the same era in which The Beatles were most prominent. Despite the congruent timeframes of both phenomenons, there seemed to be virtually no correspondence between the two until Manson credited his entire ideology to the band at the end of the 1960s.

Similarly to the majority of teenage girls at the time, Manson was infatuated with The Beatles, but in a brutally different way. Manson was serving jail time for a variety of crimes, including cheque fraud and pimping, while the Beatles were breaking America in 1964. While learning to play guitar he developed an obsession with the Beatles, which may have appeared harmless at the time.

Once he was rele as e d, his level of fixation only multiplied.

One of the Beatles last and most influen-

tial albums, the ‘White Album’, resonated most with Manson.

According to the Family Members of the Manson Family, he would play the album on repeat, forwards and backwards, in a search for subliminal messages. In Manson’s twisted mind, benevolent, good-natured tracks such as ‘I Will’, ‘Blackbird’ and ‘Piggies’ represented an impending race war.

According to Manson “this music is bringing on the revolution, the unorganized overthrow of the establishment.”

The hard rock, almost heavy metal track ‘Helter Skelter’ had the most substantial effect on Manson’s doctrine. He went as far as to name the race war he was starting after the song, claiming that it represented confusion and chaos. On the day of The Manson Family’s infamous killing of then-pregnant actress Sharon Tate, and her four loved ones, Mans o n

told h i s followers that it was “time for Helter Skelter.” After a second killing spree the following day, ‘Helter Skelter’ was written at the crime scene using the victim’s blood. Manson manipulates the lyrics “I’m coming down fast” into “confusion is coming down around you fast” in order to create an unconvincing link between the song and his murderous movement. In a feeble attempt to justify the atrocities that arose from his movement he claimed that the song “says ‘Rise.’

It says ‘Kill.’ Why blame it on me? I didn’t write the music.”

What made this connection even more unorthodox, if that is possible, is the discrepancy between the Manson’s beliefs and the moral standings of The Beatles. The Beatles had established a reputation of opposing racial segregation and discrimination that was prevalent in the US at the time.

Amidst the Civil Rights Movement in 1965, the band signed a contract stating that they would not perform for segregated crowds which was the norm in every Southern US states at the time. Yet Manson claimed to have reason to believe that The Beatles were subtly initiating a merciless race war. On numerous occasions, The Beatles have denounced Manson’s principles and debunked any

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theor ies that Manson expressed. Paul McCartney, The Beatles frontman and writer and performer of the ‘Helter Skelter’, stated that Manson listened to the song and “arrived at having to go out and kill everyone...It was frightening, because you don’t write songs for those reasons”.

Having determined Manson’s outlandish analysis of The Beatles influence alongside the reaction of the band themselves, Manson was inarguably and tragically mistaken. Perhaps what is most disturbing about this case is that technically, Manson was an extreme version of the fans and conspiracists that have over-analysed every Beatles song to date. The danger of conspiracy theories such as these is that if they fall into the hands of a maniac, as they did in the 1960s, they could incite very real and perilous turmoil.

ISSUE 08 | UCC Express

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Memes- The future of political discourse or a potential danger?

Chris McCahill, Opinion Editor There is something elegant in the sheer simplicity and ease of memes; a picture with a short caption or a crude bit of photoshopping which can easily convey a message, argument, idea, joke etc. which will be instantly be understood by those viewing it. Likewise, there is the fascinating nature of memes which makes them almost impossible to predict or even to explain beyond a shrug of the shoulders and the phrase “it’s a meme”. For example, the Facebook page “Irish Simpsons fans” (I use this example purely because it would be more relevant to readers of this particular publication), the most recent trend which has somewhat exploded onto the page, is a series of historical memes, using screenshots and quotes from the Simpsons to explain major historical events such as the first and second world wars, as well as more

recent political and military events.

This is an excellent example of the aforementioned effectiveness and inexplicable nature of memes – consider how the complicated and different causes of the first world can be succinctly summed up in a single or at most 3 or 4 simple images. Likewise, I would be very much impressed if anyone could satisfactorily explain how this trend started and how it managed to take hold of the page.

The case is the very same in modern day political discourse, we saw this most clearly perhaps in 2016 with the US presidential election as the candidates and their supporters battled to control not only with memes but also battled to control the narrative memes were telling. Consider the Trump campaign and its use of organic meme-based campaigning to reach voters, or the Sanders campaign which used memes to create massive grassroots followings. Of course, memes did not decide the election but they did doubtless play a part in swaying some voters one way or another. In retrospect, this incursion (and perhaps eventual takeover)

of memes into the political discourse may have seemed inevitable once memes became a widespread and dominant idea and form used across the internet. Especially when one considers their widespread use over social media such as Facebook and Twitter, to say nothing of the other social media pages which are nearly entirely dedicated to memes. As such, memes are a massive resource to be used and exploited in modern day political discourse. However, for my own part I see a reflection of today’s high-speed and impatient society, when we want something, we want it now and are not prepared to wait for it. As such, memes are even more sought after, be it a breaking news story, a political or celebrity scandal or even a sporting event, all will receive the meme treatment and the viewer can gain near instant understanding within seconds. Naturally this would be very attractive to most people: why spend time and effort reading news articles and researching a political issue when you could simply look at a couple of images posted on social media and then be reasonably well informed on an issue. As such, the rise of memes in politics is set to continue unabated.

However, within this there lies two problems which could easily become potential dangers to the future of political discourse. The first is the role of the social media in this, how do they react and adapt to this changing environment of political discourse?

And secondly, is there not a massive danger in memes becoming the dominant means of informing oneself on important issues and politics? To the first

we have already seen some bit of a response, social media giants Facebook and Twitter have changed their policies regarding what content can be posted on their platforms, some changes which did not go over too smoothly or had teething problems.

Despite these, such social media platforms remain in a very tight position.

If they clamp down too hard, they could be accused at best of stifling debate and discussion or at worst, accused of censorship and biasing one side over another, which could prompt a massive backlash by users.

On the other hand, a complete lack of restriction and various kinds of dangerous or even violent content could be shared and proliferate.

The second danger is perhaps more worrying; consider the potential dangers of political decisions and major votes if voters are relying on memes as their source of information. Memes can easily be manipulated to portray one side or narrative in a better light or the other in a worse one. Furthermore, memes can often be completed devoid of any real depth or detail, especially when it comes to politics or policies, as they by their nature are rarely clear-cut or simple, and real in-depth understanding of issues and politics can only really come from thorough reading or research.

In short, memes are very much likely the future of political discourse, especially for the young people of today, but there

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Editorial

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These past two weeks I’ve been all over the place. It’s been incredibly busy, between lectures, work, writing and editing, catching up with friends and a weekend away, I don’t think I’ve ever been busier, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I adore being busy, constantly moving, making things happen, even if it’s just on my FIFA career mode, I just love the feeling of progress. One of the biggest things I’ve done since my last editorial was a trip to Sweden with my brother. We flew over to visit my cousin, who’s spending the year living on Erasmus in Lund, a small town very close to the Copenhagen border. It’s fascinating how different their lives are compared to us here in Ireland, even just as students.

you join a ‘Nation’, you are only allowed to attend their nights out and any events they organize, and if you don’t like your nation and want to swap, then tough.

You’re not able to change until the start of the next year. As a ‘Nation’, the people in charge organize nights out, events, the bartenders are also members of the ‘Nation’ and aren’t paid and all their nightclubs seem to be (from the one time I actually saw one) to be situated on the top of their student accommodation complex. So in essence, it’s like having Voodoo on the roof of Vic Mills.

On top of this, one of the more interesting elements of Sweden is the fact that the Swedish government has a monopoly of alcoholic drinks over 3.5%.

Meaning any mass-manufactured drink (e.g. Heineken) has to be diluted to be less than 3.5%. Weird eh?

Anyway, away from my travel review, we have a fantastic issue in store for you. Our Film & TV editor Aaron has a look at the recent Oscar nominations, Fashion editor Iris takes a look at the fall of bloggers and influencers, and as part of our Arts & Entertainment section we’re given an insight in the view of literature from the perspective of the Transgender community, and why they feel their time to make their mark is upon us. From all at Byline, thank you for reading and if you’d like to contribute in any way, just drop us an e-mail and we’d be happy to have you!

One of the major differences is the lack of daylight, something we really take for granted over here. In general, around this time of year (it still being winter and all) they only get about six to seven hours of sunlight. I arrived late on Friday night and left late on the Sunday night, and within that time I think I saw a total of four hours of daylight.

Now, that being said we were drinking into the early hours of the morning every night, and weren’t waking up until about 1pm, but still, a whole weekend with only four hours of sunlight can reArtist credit for inside page: ally confuse your inner clock.

Cailean Coffey

Another aspect of the trip that was very different from Ireland was the way in which the college students were divided. On the first day of college, my cousin was asked to decide which ‘Nation’ he wanted to be a part of. A ‘Nation’ is similar to a sorority in America, whereby it’s a club or house of students. Once

Credit: Credit: Amanda Hu Graduate entry medicine. Year 4

HOROSCOPES

Aries (Mar 21st - Apr 19th) The stars’ misty glare reveals a bright future for you...wait, no, it turns out that the o-zone gets so weak that the future is bright for everyone. Bummer.

Lucky cream of the week: sunscreen, and a lot of it.

Taurus (Apr 20th - May 20th) - Frankly I’m insulted you didn’t invite me to your 30th birthday party. Doesn’t matter that you’re only 19, I’m a fucking psychic, I know you’ll forget you lil shit. Lucky present of the week: this great t-shirt of the Oscar-winning Shrek 8 that you won’t be getting now, prick.

Gemini (May 21st - June 21st) - If you’re a dude, or have a beard, having a beard is not a personality. Don’t get laughing you non-beardy fucks, neither is shopping Lush. Lucky cleaning product of the week: Kalamazoo.

Cancer (June 22nd - July 21st) - Hey! I made a horoscope joke about cancer this week, and it wasn’t about ye! I’m so happy for you guys. Lucky item of the week: a chrome crab bell thing from Homesense.

Leo (July 22nd - Aug 21st) - Oh shit, I just accidentally made crab & cancer jokes about Cancers after bragging about not doing that, shit. Don’t worry about it, I won’t go on about Savannah-land mammals.

Lucky band and fantasy book character of the week: Aslan...

FUCK. Virgo (Aug 22nd - Sept 22nd) You’re a virgin. Lucky concept of the week: giving up.

Libra (Sept 23rd - Oct 22nd) Don’t worry, your friends talk about reading books and being well-read and shit, but it’s all a bluff. They’re just collecting precious paper, which will be the main currency in the waste-

with mystic greg

land. Lucky book of the week: War and Peace, that’ll buy you a lot of canned food in Desertopolis (formerly Glanmire) Scorpio (Oct 23rd - Nov 21st) - Boom boom, shake shake the room. That’s right, you’ll be getting crunk and shit in a MOTHERFUCKING BOUNCY CASTLE, BITCH! WOO! Lucky clothing item of the week: decent socks.

Sagittarius (Nov 22nd - Dec 21st) - You will get in a massive fight with your roommate.

Don’t worry though, I predict you’ll win in the end, and be the one who gets to smash your other roommate’s shitty guitar.

Lucky song of the week: Wonderwall, if he can figure out the chords.

Capricorn (Dec 22nd - Jan 20th) - You need to chill, dude, f ’real, give yourself a break. Or the universe will find a way to break you...and if the shades are reading this, that was not an active threat. Lucky concepts of the week: self respect, and giving yourself a chance.

Aquarius (Jan 21st - Feb 19th) - You will panic about sending that lad you pulled in Chambers a text back. I mean, which emoji is the right one? Let me let you in on something, missey: lads don’t care about emojis. It’s all about proper prose and grammar, ya’ll. Lucky emoji of the week: that sassy squid, I love that guy!

Pisces (Feb 20th - Mar 20th) It’s time to live your childhood dreams, be that to fight the Sun (g’wan lion biy) or live out your horse-obsessed destiny...unless you dreamt of killing things, as a child. The fuck is wrong with you. Lucky dream of the week: a dream that doesn’t involve murder, you monster.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT The Modern Queer Writer Anon So I’m doing a module this semester on women and literature, which has been pretty cool so far, and made me think a lot, having been perceived as a woman my whole life. We’re only a few weeks in, but already the questions we’ve been presented with have leaked into other aspects of my thinking and my life. Like,“Why, according to Virginia Woolf, were there no female Shakespeares?” becomes “were there any transgender Shakespeares?”

Our first piece was Woolf ’s A Room of One’s Own, often referred to as “Shakespeare’s Sister”. It’s kind of a thought experiment, exploring what might have happened to a woman who followed Shakespeare’s footsteps – it’s not a pleasant read. So what about Shakespeare’s trans cousin?

How would that have gone?

I know if it were me, being open about being trans and trying to make it anywhere, I can only assume I would be swiftly murdered. If not disowned by my parents and left to starve, then I can only imagine what would have become of me on the streets of London. Before I go on, I want to stress that I do not want to take away from the struggles of women writers in any way – this isn’t a competition to find out who has it the worst – I just found that a lot of the questions popping up in feminist literary criticism can be applied to a whole scope of minority groups. I had always pondered about my sense of self being linked to my quality of writing, or even my ability to write in the first place. But I’ll get onto that.

First, Dale Spender.

For a long time it seemed like canonical works of literature were magically only produced by men, and seeing as we relied on authoritative and educated critics to tell us this was so, nobody really went about investigating whether that was actually fairly judged. It wasn’t.

Spender, one of my new favourites among wonderfully sarcastic feminist literary critics, wrote a book called Mothers of the Novel, and Chapter 5 in particular leaves you with a bitter taste in your mouth. Spender discovered that roughly half of the novels produced in the 18th Century were written by women (though a number of the anonymous writers were likely to have been women also). At the time, “the novel was seen as the female forté”.

What we consider to be the first novel, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, published in 1719, came after Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko (1688), which could be argued was the actual first novel. This has huge consequences for the history of the novel – instead of the first novel being a (mostly) realist work written by a white man, for the middle classes, with a European central protagonist, the first novel could arguably be a Romance work by a woman with an African central protagonist.

I’m talking a lot about women here.

My point is, as a transgender and queer individual, I have so little to identify with. The only thing I associate with my gender and sexuality is fear. To do what Dale Spender did, to try to uncover works by people like me, is a terrifying thought, because I truly believe I will find nothing. It sucks that I’ll never know, because if women were written out of history books you can be sure as hell any openly transgender or queer writers were burned out.

Woolf ’s piece ‘Professions for Women’: The Death of the Moth’, is really the work that got me thinking about my identity as a trans person, and as a writer.

She discusses at length the presence of the Angel in the House, i.e. the ideal woman, the woman she has been

conditioned to be: the stifled, subservient woman. It’s not a long piece, but it explains the effects of ideologies in a deeply profound manner.

The Angel is the ideological barrier women writers face. Women have got to battle that internalised ideology, that sense that what they’re doing is unnatural, that instinct to be apologetic for even bothering to put pen to paper. Combined with the erasure of countless pieces of literary works by women, following in the footsteps of an invisible tradition can be terrifying. Where is your entitlement to write?

As a transgender person, my battle has been finding my entitlement to exist. I am told I am unnatural, and wrong, and there is no real way for me to be who I am without defying some fundamental law of nature. The poems I read about people like me are about suicide or being disowned or murdered. But I’ve always found aspects of my personality in writing.

I see my race and my class and my nationality all represented. I see the struggles I face as an individual with mental health problems. Yet parts of me are lost. Even in a world where heroes wield magic and teenagers save the world, my identity doesn’t exist.

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Kayla Briët, a favourite filmmaker of mine, once said in an interview, “We want to see ourselves in the characters that we read about in books […]

If those characters and if those people aren’t there, if our identities aren’t even existing in those mediums, then it feels almost as though we don’t exist”.

This quote permeated into my bones and settled there. I have to write those characters. I have to write this identity. I knew that I wrote because it was a way to cheat death, but it feels like I’m not just writing for my own preservation anymore. I feel like I have this big, profound point to make, but you’re going to have to cut me some slack – I am, after all, treading blindly. And yet I am unable to publish even this without fear of the ramifications. I am that frustrating percentage of unidentified sex, the ones labelled as modest women or, maybe, people just like myself, hiding out in anonymity. I have not yet killed the Angel in the House. I haven’t even figured out what the Angel looks like yet.

But at least I write.

Film & TV

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Movie Recommendations Considering the Oscar nominations, Get Out is one to watch, not even for enjoyment but more for an understanding of what has caused a mass shift in the industry, really. Also I watched Her, and my bed felt like a glass box of emotions after it.

New to Netflix The Revenant is coming, so if you want to see Leo DiCaprio crawl, grunt, and generally survive when you would have given up after twenty minutes, then it might be worth a watch. Also 10 Cloverfield Lane is about to appear on the service too, but the rumour that the third in the Cloverfield series could be coming directly to Netflix is the most exciting bit about its arrival.

Just Out We are still in the onslaught of award season movies coming out here, so Darkest Hour (as you can see is reviewed this week) as well as Phantom Thread are the latest arrivals in a packed crowd.

Person of the Week Sam Rockwell – This guy is on a roll with awards after years of not enough recognition, so he deserves it! If you haven’t seen Duncan Jones’ Moon, would definitely recommend it, as Rockwell plays the lead role.

Oscar Nominations: An Analysis Aaron Frahill, Film & TV Editor This won’t be anything too in depth, but the Academy Awards signal the end of the award season, and the golden Oscar statues are probably the

alyst for forwarding how serious of a contender the horror/thriller genre is now in the film industry. I would say it’s safe to assume that the film would be lucky to win in any of its catego-

is something I wrote about this time last year, and I think this represents a strong potential change in the industry where we will hopefully see more directing power put into the hands of

highest recognition you can get for your craft in the industry. The Academy Awards typically follow the Golden Globes for the most part, but it’s the deviations and differences create some talking points nonetheless!

ries, but the nominations still represent a good achievement.

capable women. I would say three to four years is where we can start to ask whether a change has happened, and what the movements this year have meant for the industry.

The glaring success story from the nominations is Get Out, with 4 nominations, including one for Best Picture. I’ve pointed out before, but Get Out as a film has acted as a cat-

Similar to that of the Golden Globes, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Shape of Water dominate nominations, and we will likely see a bit of a sweep of the awards between the two films. It wouldn’t be too wild to suggest that Frances McDormand has the Oscar for Actress in a Leading Role nailed down at this stage. My theory is that with Martin McDonagh not being nominated for Best Director, Guillermo Del Toro will take the Best Director and Three Billboards will then win Best Picture, like the Golden Globes, but that’s just my guess.

A massive achievement and something to note is the nomination of Greta Gerwig for Best Director, as it follows massive strides in the likes of the #TimesUp movement. Will she win? I would say probably not if you look at previous award ceremonies, and who’s won at each, but again nominations are a very serious thing! The ‘issue’ with women directors

The Oscars creep up on us every year, but the nominations pose a focused image of where the industry is, and I think this year is no different.

There’s a lot of progress, but it’s a question of will this carry on down the line over the next few years?

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FILM & TV Editor - Aaron Frahill Darkest Hour (or How I Learnt to Stop Worrying and Love Brexit): Philip Hayden, Film & TV Writer The much anticipated follow-up and prequel to Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, Darkest Hour hits theatres this January as the latest instalment in the Brexit Cinematic Universe.

That’s right, it’s not just comic-book and Star Wars fans that can look forward to a long series of interconnected cinematic releases in the coming years, it appears that pro-leavers are also getting in on the Marvel-formula fun, and we can now look forward to a long list of films depicting Britain’s favourite moments in its history. A Margaret Thatcher reboot (she’s even called The Iron Lady), maybe a Waterloo epic in three parts, Peter Jackson style. Or what about a crossover, Napoleon v Wellington: Dawn of Justice?

Jokes aside, watching Darkest Hour after having seen Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk last summer does give the film a weirdly prequel feel to it.

You know the way Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was all about how the Rebels in the original Star Wars (A New Hope) got the Death Star plans in the first place? Well, prepare to see an eerily similar story-telling device in Darkest Hour, only this time you’re not watching a sci-fi blockbuster about magic samurai, but a history biopic about Winston Churchill. Not only that, but there’s even a scene where, having hatched the idea of sending civilian vessels to rescue

British soldiers at Dunkirk, Churchill (Gary Oldman) solemnly tells Admiral Ramsay “we need a name for this operation” (cue dramatic turn to Dynamo generator). In all fairness, this detail is actually perfectly true, but its execution just feels too similar to the same scene in Rogue One.

hands on!” shouts one man. “Broom handles if we must!” replies another woman. (Wow, this group is almost too enthusiastic). But nevertheless, thank God the British people were there to help their leaders make such a big decision that would shape the course of their country’s history for years to come… otherwise, who The film isn’t so much a charac- knows what sort of blunder Parliater-study of Winston Churchill as it ment could have ended up making. is a study of his choice between ne- That would have been embarrassing. gotiating peace terms with the Nazis, or entering into another world war No historical biopic is one-hundred against them. And the way in which percent accurate, and there’s always the characters ultimately arrive at going to be a little bit of bending the their decisions does feel a little too truth to keep the film engaging and Brexit to take seriously. Yes, it can just to speed up the story-telling probe a bit unfair to go into a film like cess. But making the pivotal scene of this purposefully looking for Brex- your film the one where you blatantly it-parallels to laugh at, Darkest Hour make stuff up is not only a bad idea, certainly does itself no favours. King it’s morally condemnable. In discussGeorge VI (Ben Mendelsohn), who ing this scene, Director Joe Wright spends most of the film opposing told Cinema Blend that he thinks of Churchill, eventually comes around the scene as “a fictionalization of an to his way of thinking. What was it ‘emotional truth’”. That’s got a nice that changed his mind, you ask? In- ring to it, but it’s no excuse. This is tellectual debate? Discussing his a film about an undeniably importcountry’s predicament with experts? ant moment in British and European A close examination of well-research history (and let’s be honest, a lot of facts? Nope. “I feel angry” stammers people are going to take this film as the King. Yes, it’s the King’s unex- gospel truth) so to include such an plainable I-feel-it-in-my-gut sense of egregiously untrue scene at such an anger that changes his mind. Call it important moment in the film is just British intuition, I suppose. Similar- as bad as fake news if not blatant proly, Churchill hits a low patch during paganda. the film when he begins to doubt whether fighting the Axis powers is Meanwhile, back on the London the right decision. That is until he de- Underground, there’s a little bit of cides to take a little detour out of the Shakespeare-quoting before we’re film’s historically grounded narrative back in Westminster. Churchill and into a completely made up scene then proceeds to (correct me if I’m with no historical basis. Taking the wrong) seemingly repeat more or London Underground to Westmin- less the same speech from earlier in ster, Churchill meets a cast of plucky, the film, except this time everyone’s d e w y - totally on board with it? Wait, what e y e d , happened that everyone’s suddenly B r i t i s h cool with going to war? That’s ancitizens other odd feature of Darkest Hour: w h o the film features this constant narpassion- rative clash between what we’re told ately ad- by the characters and what we see on v o c a t e screen. There’s a saying that the difwar over ference between fact and fiction is p e a c e that fiction has to make sense. And t a l k s ; since this film (for the most part) is “ F i g h t the former, then technically this rule t h e m doesn’t apply. That said, there’s somew i t h thing jarring about watching Churw h a t - chill dramatically yelling “we shall e v e r fight on the beaches” having just seen we can him evacuate 300,000 soldiers off the lay our beaches at Dunkirk in the previous

scene.

What’s Gary Oldman like as Churchill? Will he get the Oscar? Yeah, probably. The facial props are genuinely incredible. Oldman is unrecognisable, and he definitely nails the curmudgeonly, stiff manner of Churchill, constantly slurring his words and chewing his cigars. Speaking of looking the part, huge credit has to be given to the facial-prop and make-up departments responsible for Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup). It literally looks like they exhumed the real Chamberlain, reanimated him and convinced him to star in this Churchill flick. It feels pointless to discuss the rest of the acting, as the cast are all pretty much only there to offer linguistic forays for Oldman’s Churchill to parry with his Oscar Wilde-like wit. As the film goes on, it can sometimes feel like watching a load of actors tossing balls in front of the camera for Oldman to knock out of the park.

The music is (with the possible exception of the fabricated London Underground scene) the worst feature of this film. Almost all of the scenes are robbed of any tension by musical cues telling you what to feel. What’s that?

Hyperactive strings? Churchill must have had an idea! Even at the end of the film, it feels like all the characters are only getting excited because they can hear the orchestra swelling too.

Overall, Darkest Hour is solid, and it has some great moments. You certainly get a sense for the claustrophobia of making decisions in an underground bunker. But it’s hard to not see the obvious Brexit propaganda embedded in the script (the fabricated scene on the London Underground being the standout). For years we’ve all had a good laugh at the completely over-the-top Hollywood Americuh war films, so maybe it’s time that we start holding British war films accountable too. Anyway, I’m sure they’ll clear it up any problems in the sequel, Darkest Hour 2: the Winston Soldier.

MUSIC

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Classic Album of the Week The Cranberries – No Need to Argue : This one is self-explanatory really. The Cranberries are one of the finest bands to emerge out of the Irish scene, and Dolores O’Riordan was the voice of a generation. Raw, emotive and passionate. Ode to My Family is just haunting.

Gig Guide Modwords Open Mic @ Poor Relation – Tue 30th Jan UCC Battle of the Bands @ Cyprus Avenue – Wed 31st Jan (Every Wednesday for 4 weeks) Cider Wasps @ Fred Zeppelins – Thurs Feb 1st.

Quarter – Block Party Festival – Friday/Saturday Feb. 2nd/3rd

Liam Gallagher Quote of the Week “I started dribbling down my front as you were LG x”

What Bob Dylan’s Nobel win means for lyricists Robert McDonnell, Music Writer For better or for worse, Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize for Literature last year. In giving the prestigious award to a lyricist for the first time, the Nobel committee caused a significant amount of controversy. Many believed much more deserving writers, such as Haruki Murakami, were overlooked in favour of an artist who has already received huge amounts of recognition throughout their career. Dylan was most likely himself bemused by the choice, and only accepted the award months after it was announced he was the recipient. Some hoped he would do as Sartre had done in the sixties and return it in an attempt to avoid becoming, what he surely knows he is already, the establishment. Novelist Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting, Filth) said on the subject, “I’m a Dylan fan, but this is an ill-conceived nostalgia award wrenched from the rancid prostates of senile, gibbering hippies.” It is hard not to look at the decision as an ill-advised and unnecessary attempt at reinvigorating public interest in the award.

A self-serving decision made for reasons other than simply recognising literary achievement.

It is, however, done and the consequences of the choice for all lyricists are certainly worth considering. The decision marks a big change in how the literary establishment views and validates the art of lyric writing. The question is whether lyricists need this validation at all. Certainly the whole point of a lot of music from the sixties folk era is that it was protest music, counter-cultural anthems often serving as the catalyst for change, or at the very least highlight-

ing problems within contemporary power structures. Those who grew up listening to this music are in no doubt about the literary merit of the great songwriters of the 20th century and beyond. Dylan’s lyrics have been quoted and discussed in university-level English lectures for many years, alongside the works of the great American poets who were so important to Dylan himself.

Of course the debate over what is and is not literature is always ultimately pointless and eternally reductive by nature. Perhaps this decision implicates that all lyrics of a certain objective quality are now deemed literature by establishments such as the Nobel committee. If that is the case the award was certainly a momentous moment is the history of the written – or in this case, sung – word. In expanding this long-held definition, the committee was immediately met with a chorus of questions like “but where does it stop?!” Perhaps filmmakers will next be rewarded for their achievements?

This

might be the case in

another fifty years. The parameters of literature have become even murkier and more ill-defined. This is not something, I imagine, that bothers anyone doing the actual writing of lyrics. Most don’t think of the work as literary by any means, the primary function of words in songs is always to serve the song’s melody. Functionality is paramount. When these words achieve this whilst also connecting with the listener in a way that only the best literary works can do then it becomes something special.

Dylan is by no means the only musician whose lyrics can be held up against any one of the great writers of the cannon. I recently saw the band Vampire Weekend being referred to as “literate rock” in the pages of a music magazine. Despite the problematic nature of such a pompous and aggrandising term, it is the only term I can think of for musicians who write lyrics that engage with the literary tradition, just as Dylan did, referencing works in their songs and using language in imaginative ways usually only found in works of “high art.”

Other artist who might fall under this category include Lou Reed, Leonard Cohen, Kurt Cobain, David Bowie, Tupac, Alex Turner, Jarvis Cocker, Neil Hannon, James Murphy, Kate Bush, Patti Smith, Morrissey, Kendrick Lamar and Alt-J, to name few. Now that our greatest popular lyricist has been rewarded, let’s collectively appreciate the artists who try to do as much as possible with language within the context of songs. More weight and respect should be given to accomplished lyricists such as the above mentioned.

Perhaps we overlook lyrics too easily.

Maybe they don’t need the adulation.

Dylan said in his Nobel acceptance lecture “I don’t know what it means, but it sounds good, and you want your songs to sound good”. Maybe they just sound good and that’s enough.

Music- JJ Lee 1919 music Editor - JJ Lee Forever Reverent and Happy Alone: An Interview Caoimhe Coleman – Music Writer It’s no secret that I’m a little obsessed with the Irish music scene, specifically the scene here in Cork City - just ask any of my friends. There are some really great bands making waves here. One of those bands is Happy Alone - a “genre-fluid-altpop” threesome. I had a little chat with frontman Fionn Tobin, a.k.a.

Baxter Robot.

I knew the first thing I had to ask Fionn about was the band’s name, which has changed twice in the short time that I’ve known him. I wanted to know why. According to Fionn, there was much deliberation involved but eventually the band settled on Happy Alone, a name which is “subjectively positive and negative depending on one’s own state of mind and interpretation.” Fionn went on to describe how he believes “one can be happy alone in a state of bliss” away from the outside world.

The band’s aim is to make people happy with their music whether that be alone or as an inclusive act of listening and experiencing. Keeping on the topic of names, and just for a little fun I posed the question, “If

‘Casual Sex in the Cineplex’ 25th Anniversary Re-release

you had to change the name of the band but could only change it to the name of a TV show or movie, what would it be called?” Fionn’s reply?

“Peep Show.” I don’t think that needs any elaboration...

also brings with it a new aesthetic something which the band do very well in my opinion. “Our aesthetic stems from our take on modern pop culture partnered with urban subculture. Our aim with the aesthetic is to create visually stimulating pieces Fresh off the release of their new that intrigue and captivate.” track ‘Colours’ last December, I asked Fionn how it felt to finally Happy Alone definitely don’t have have music out in the world under any mad notions of taking over the their new Happy Alone identity: “It global music scene overnight - befeels like a weight off our shoulders cause let’s be real, that’s almost imand the start of a new movement. possible. Instead, when I asked The reaction has been overwhelm- where he hopes the band will be this ing.” Most impressively, the track time next year, Fionn replied that was produced “from the comfort of “hopefully this time next year we’ll [Fionn’s] bedroom” but that definite- have played a few of the bigger Irish ly hasn’t hindered the quality of the festivals and have cultivated an actrack. The track sounds excellent to tive and loyal fanbase that’s willing me - and I know lots of people agree. to allow us to experiment with our music.”

Anyone who has followed the Cork music scene for a while will remem- After listening to their new track ber when Happy Alone were known ‘Colours’ – which is fantastic, I’m as Blaming Hannah. I was curious obsessed – I was curious to know to find out why the band decided to who the band’s influences and inspimove away from this identity and rations are. For Fionn, Jeff Buckley, create a new one. “Blaming Hannah Damon Albarn (Gorillaz; formerly was, for me, writing based on what I Blur) and Thom Yorke (Radiohead) thought songwriting had to be.” The are the ‘Holy Trifecta’: “I’m inspired band realised they wanted to make by many things but mainly its the way for more experimental songs and need to figure out oneself before writing music from “a more emotive death and all the ins and outs along place that you can’t always vocalise.” the journey,” he adds. Fionn attriAlong with the newer, more fluid butes his infatuation with music to and ambient sound, Happy Alone his father: “he would constantly

blare all sorts, from Supergrass to The Stone Roses to White Zombie.

His eclectic taste in music has really rubbed off on me.”

innately Cork piece. ‘Casual Sex in the Cineplex’ is simply heaving with simple, indie-pop bangers. “Back In A Tracksuit,” complete with its Japanese intro, is a hair-raising curtain opener whilst “2 Pints of Rasa” is a personal favourite. Perhaps it is the lyrical simplicity of the Sultans music that makes it far more appealing: “Wednesday afternoon and you sit out on your wall, Mandy says you’re kinda heavy but that’s not true at all, and I quite like you, you are my ice cream.” It’s hardly fecking poetry but it’s undeniably relatable, it’s genuine, there literally could not be any less notions in the words gently uttered by frontman Niall O’Flaherty. “Give Him A Ball (And a Yard of Grass)”, a fast-paced punk anthem written about Nottingham Forest footballer

Nigel Clough, has become one of the bands trademarks; “he’s a nice young man, he’s got a lovely smile” goes the refrain, and the simple drum fill that echoes throughout the track gives it that unmistakably early 90’s football hooligan-obsessed world vibe.

The sheer bravado, unequivocal lack of a shit given by the group was simply joyous. This punk-rock ideal permeated every aspect of the band, JJ Lee – Music Editor even the name, a thinly veiled jibe at the Dire Straits hit ‘Sultans of Swing’ It’s perhaps one of the most under- – bare in mind, Knopfler and Co. rated gems in Irish music history, but were considered almost infallible at the Sultans of Ping’s eccentric debut the time. album is currently in the midst of being celebrated, championed and Of course, everyone is well acquaintre-released by Cherry Red Records. ed with the groups 1992 smash hit A quarter of a century on from the single “Where’s Me Jumper,” a song albums initial unleashing unto the which has now well and truly inworld, the inherently Corkonian filtrated the realms of pop culture, indie-four piece have long-since somewhat due to the track acting as stopped performing live, but in 2018 the theme song for Chris O’Dowd’s it seems the music world is finally be- “Moone Boy” More recently the ginning to appreciate what the Cork song featured at the conclusion of band brought to the table.

The Young Offenders film, another

In terms of ‘big future plans’, there’s nothing the band can disclose as of yet. Of course, there’s more tracks to be released – ‘Colours’ is just the beginning. In fact, their newest track ‘Ur Eyes’ was released on the 22nd of January – a song which is “like nothing you’ve ever heard before, but have always wanted to hear” according to Fionn, a track well worth checking out. Keep a special ear out for their track ‘Oxygen’ - Fionn’s personal favourite. “ It tells the tale of caring for an individual with an eating disorder and being so consumed by their love that you would do anything to help them, even take a bullet just so they will hold you as you bleed.”

“A breath of fresh but slightly polluted air” is how Fionn would describe Happy Alone’s music to someone who knows nothing about music.

So, if that’s what you’re into, keep a watchful eye on these guys. For more from Happy Alone, check out their Facebook page, @HappyAloneHappy.

Surely now, 25 years on from releasing this nonchalant pop masterpiece, the Sultans can be given the recognition they truly deserve. Some may say it’s madness to consider them as one of the finest bands to come from Ireland, but they obviously don’t know what they’re talking about.

Simplistic, witty, fast paced and massively self-aware brilliance. *Insert joke about misplacing a jumper here*

Interview

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An Conversation With: Maria Kirrane of UCC Green Campus

got the Green Flag, so it was a bit of a hard slog, but we got there!

We were the first University in the world to get a Green flag.

Interview by Cailean Coffey, transcribed by Laura O’Connor

BY: What was it like trying to figure out how the Green Campus would work?

MK: It was great, because people were really open to it. I do think that there’s a culture of leadership in UCC – a culture of leading and starting off these things, a sense of pride if you will! You can definitely use that to your advantage when pitching these things. Going to people and telling them that it works at primary and secondary level, that we have the support of An Taisce, and the knowledge that we would be the first to obtain the Green Flag really got people on board. I think it was really good timing as well, as there were many around the University at the time that knew that something needed to be done, and they were glad that it was the students that were pushing for it to be done. The Green Flag scheme for universities is in 14 countries worldwide now, and we were the first ever!

While it may not always seem the case, what with Trump and a certain “rocket man” criticising the size of each other’s big red buttons, the environment is by far the most pressing and most important issue of the 21st century. It seems at times that ever since Al Gore released his classic documentary, ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, in 2006, environmental issues have been pushed to the fore of political, private and public life across Ireland and the world. In UCC a group was set up in an effort to tackle the environmental issues across campus. The group, UCC Green Campus, has pushed UCC to be ranked among the Top 10 sustainable universities in the world this year. Byline sat down with Green Campus member Maria Kirrane who, with reusable mug in hand, guided us through the formation and establishment of the group.

BYLINE: How did the programme begin, and how did it become involved in the launching of the Green University Flag?

Maria Kirrane: The programme began when a bunch of students in 2007 decided that they weren’t happy with the work being done by the Environmental Management Committee. The students had come from Green Flag schools, and they asked themselves “Why aren’t we doing this here?” So they got in touch with An Taisce, the environmental group that run the Green Flag programme for Ireland, and An Taisce said that if the relevant parties in UCC were willing to work together and run a pilot on campus, that they would support it. And so, we got the Building and Estates team, some academics – we got the President behind it as well. Then An Taisce came down and went through it with us. It took three years – it was 2010 by the time we

all came together really well.

BY: Are you proud of the progress that you’ve made so far? What are the thing that you are most proud of?

MK: Yeah, I’m utterly amazed by it. The thing I’m proudest of is the fact that it has really grown its own legs. From being a student on it, we didn’t really know how far it was going to go. But now, the university has its own Sustainability Officer, which has only been a position since May 2017, and there’s only two universities in Ireland who have that position.

We have a Sustainability Strategy as well, which has been signed off at the top levels, and sustainability is a part of the university’s overall strategy as well. Everyone that I talk to, no matter what part of campus or what office it is, know what Green Campus is, and to be honest, it’s a bit of a ‘brand’ around UCC now. It’s recognised, and people trust it – they think “Green Campus, that’s a well-respected thing around UCC” and I’m very proud of that.

BY: What initiatives are you currently running?

BY: Were you involved from the MK: The coffee cup ban in the very start yourself? library! [laugh] I work with BuildMK: Yes, I was one of the students. ings and Estates, who work across I did my undergraduate degree the different environmental ashere, as well as my postgraduate pects of university life, so there’s degree, so I was around for the an energy manager, and the like. three years spent working towards The Energy Manager started this it. I left for a few years doing other scheme called the “Save or Save” work, but now I’m back as Sustain- scheme. Thirteen of our buildings ability Officer for the University. in UCC use 87% of the energy, because they’re in constant use, BY: Was there any time in the three or late night buildings like the years where you thought it wasn’t library. We’ve done a targeted going to work? programme with those buildings; MK: We had great support. But we’ve gone in and tried to see how there’s always moments where you those buildings work, especially wonder “Oh god, what are we dowith the library. We got a team ing?!” It was all new, but like I said, together and they took initiatives we had a lot of people behind us. on board that they knew would We had really good support from work, such as turning off lights the Students’ Union back then in empty rooms. Following on as well. The SU Deputy President from that, they decided to target at the time created a mandate library waste as well. I assessed the that the Deputy President would cleaning contractors and discovalways sit on the Green Campus ered that there were 187 small committee. There were a lot of bins that would be full of coffee people working to place it into the cups, half empty, and stuff. These structure of the university, and it bins couldn’t be recycled, as they

were all contaminated with coffee.

Alongside this, there’s an international movement towards not using these non-recyclable cups, so we thought that we would lead by example and declare that all coffee was welcome, but it had to be in a reusable cup within the library. The other side of that was going to KSG, the food contractor for UCC and telling them about the initiative, and asking if they would do a discount, in order to try and give people an incentive to change their behaviour. So we used a bit of both a carrot and a stick, so to speak. The library also stock reusable cups as well, but there’s nothing stopping people going to Penneys and buying a cup for €2!

BY: UCC is ranked as being in the top 10 sustainable universities in the world, but what does this mean exactly?

MK: It’s a global ranking of environmental performance, with roughly fourteen criteria that you report on. Basically, it means that of the universities in this ranking, we’re in the top 10. Not every university is involved in it, but there are a lot of U.K. universities and U.S. universities in it who’ve been at this a lot longer than we have, so it’s brilliant that for us to be in the top 10. It’s a ranking, and because it’s global you’re not necessarily comparing like for like.

For something like the Green Flag, you’re measured more qualitatively as well as quantitatively, whereas with the ranking it’s only quantitatively. I would say that it’s a very good communication tool, and a very good thing for us to say that we’re doing really well here. There is a lot of data that you have to put into it and there are a lot of people around campus that feed into it.

It includes things like the number of events here that environmentally minded societies run, how many courses we have that have an environmental theme, it looks at how much waste we produce, the amount of energy we use and it measures other aspects like that.

It’s a fantastic achievement, and it shows that we’re doing a lot

Interview by Cailean coffey here in UCC. We’ve made massive strides over the last ten years so I don’t think it’s unwarranted that we’re in the top 10.

signed up come to think of it.

BY: What can students do, apart from using renewable cups, to aid the Green Campus initiative?

BY: How involved are UCC in MK: Come along to meetings, say investing in renewable energy hello, get in touch, sign up to our sources? mailing list, if there’s something MK: UCC divested from fossil fuels that you want to do then bring it years ago, we’ve no investments in to a meeting and we’ll see about the fossil fuel industry. The finance running a campaign around that. committee before Christmas made It is about students bringing ideas the decision to sign up to the UN to us and then the people working Principles For Responsible Investwithin that unit implementing ment, which is a global initiative that and seeing what we can do, run by the UN which requires and that’s what Green Campus that we report quite extensively is all about. It doesn’t mean that on our investments. While they your idea will definitely be taken would always have been public on or that we’ll run with it but we’ll anyway, this will mean that we’ll definitely look at it and see if it’s be completely transparent on all possible. As a student that’s what I our investments and we’ll have loved about it, you’d go to a meetto work to ensure that our investing and say “I think we should do ments are positive across a range this” and then they’d always come of sustainable criteria, so not just back and say “We looked into this, environment but social aspects as we can and we can’t” etc. etc. It’s well. Again we are the only unikind of about being democratic versity in Ireland to sign up to that about what campaigns we run and but there are others in the U.K. and things like that. the U.S.. We’d actually be one of the few places in Ireland that have BY: What would you like to see

UCC do or be in five years’ time in relation to Green Campus?

MK: I would love to see UCC go disposable-free. I would love if there was no plastic bottles, no straws, those kind of things. You see the list of completely unnecessary uses of plastic and I’d love to have none of those on UCC campus. I’d love to be trialling ways of avoiding plastic or incentivising people to use reusable options so then we could go to government and say “This is possible”. If we do it in UCC then why can’t we do it in Cork city and why can’t we do it across the country? Cork City council brought in the reusable cups so, you know, that’s two big elements, UCC and the City Council, and then you’re asking why can’t Cork County do it , you know? I do think we should be influencing policy, we should be making sure that our students who are going into jobs, be it in companies or in government or wherever they go off to work, that when they get there they are saying “You use disposable cups here, why?”

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BY: What events has UCC Green Campus got coming up?

MK: We’re doing a big event in March around World Water day.

In the ERI there’s a UN centre, it’s called the GEMS water centre, and they basically run a water quality-monitoring system that’s global and it’s directing feeding into one of the sustainable development goals, so it’s a massive thing for UCC to have a centre like that here. So we’re joining up with them and the ERI for Sustainable Water Day and we’re going to having different stands on campus talking about the importance of water, a river walk to introduce people to the biodiversity across the river and we’ll be having some talks with experts in the field.

Along with that we’re still working in the buildings and the library to keep improving and keep pushing to get our Green Flag.

If you’d like to get involved with UCC Green Campus, visit their website at greencampus.ucc.ie.

GAMING

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Upcoming Releases EA Sports UFC 3 EA Sports UFC 3 is the third in the series of MMA games developed

by EA Canada (formerly Distinctive Software & Black Box). It is a sequel to the two previous UFC games produced by EA, and features Conor McGregor on the front cover. It will be released worldwide on February 2nd on PS4 and Xbox One. Shadow of the Colossus Shadow of the Colossus is a 2005 action-adventure game developed

by Team ICO (Ico, The Last Guardian).

It has been remastered by Bluepoint Games, who previously developed the PS3 remaster. It will be released worldwide on February 6th, exclusively on PS4.

Dynasty Warrior 9 Dynasty Warrior 9 is a hack & slash game developed by Omega Force and published by Koei Tecmo. DW9 will mark a change for a series, incorporating an open-world map for the first time. It will be released in China & Japan on February 8th, and in Western markets on February 13th, on PS4, XBox One and Windows PC. Retro Game of the Week Star Fox 2 This is a bit of a tricky one, in that technically this game is not retro: it was only released in 2017. Star Fox 2 was developed late in the Super Nintendo’s life-cycle, so late that it was (seemingly) permanently shelved with the imminent release of the Nintendo 64. Only demos & prototypes could leak until it was eventually bundled as part of the SNES Classic. A direct sequel to what was known as Lylat Wars here in Europe, Star Fox 2 expands upon its predecessor, changing the campaign with its new Total War-esque map screen. Definitely worth a go if you’re a Star Fox fan like me, though you may have to pick up the (amazing) SNES Classic if you want to play it (legally).

Five Games Consoles You’ve the prime example for why price- side of having Snake on your Blockpoint is a huge part of a successful ia). The N Gage incorporated a phone Definitely Forgotten

By Jack Douglas, Gaming Writer The word ‘iconic’ gets thrown around a lot in gaming – especially if you’re Ubisoft – but some things in gaming truly are iconic; M a r i o’s cap, the Tr i f o r c e in Zelda and probably some things that non-Nintendo companies have done. And consoles are no different. Who doesn’t get tingly when you pick up a SNES controller, or hear that eerie PS2 startup noise, or just look at the original Xbox? Hell, even the fecking N-Gage is likely to inspire some feeling of nostalgia in some of you out there!

But not every console is so lucky.

There’s a good chance a lot of you out there once held a Gameboy Colour or Playstation in your hands at least once, but there’s almost no way any of you had these bad boys in your possession. Here are five consoles you’ve definitely forgotten.

5. The WonderSwan A bit of a cheat here, as the WonderSwan was only released directly in Japan. Developed by Game Boy creator Gunpei Yokoi and released by Bandai, the WonderSwan was released five months after the Gameboy Colour.

Boasting a cheaper price-point than its competitors, the WonderSwan (and the later WonderSwan Colour) was a moderate success, with a North American release through Mattel being agreed upon but later cancelled.

The announcement of the GameBoy Advance in 2000 killed any momentum the WonderSwan had, and the WonderSwan ceased production in 2003.

4. The 3DO The Panasonic 3DO is, or at least was,

console launch. Promoted massively at launch (even being Time Magazine’s 1993 Product of the Year somehow…), the 3DO looked to unseat the Sega Mega Drive and the Super

Nintendo (among others) for console supremacy. Designed by the minds behind the Commodore Amiga and the Atari Lynx and licensed to Panasonic (and later Sanyo and GoldStar) its main claim to fame was its superior graphics at the time. However, not even the mighty Gex could stop the 3DO from ultimately failing, with most critics placing the blame on its $700 price-point.

3. The N Gage I mentioned this console above and I guarantee half of you have already forgotten it, haven’t you? The N Gage was phone giant Nokia’s attempt at stealing away customers from Nintendo, and was the first real attempt at what we now know as mobile gaming (out-

as well as more advanced games, but due to the buttons being more suited to phones than gaming, as well as its taco-like shape, the N Gage was DOA when it launched in 2003. A later redesign couldn’t save the N Gage, and the line was discontinued by Nokia in late 2005.

2. TurboGrafx-16 This is a console you’ll see top a lot of these “unknown console” lists, and I can kind of see why. Unless you lived in Japan, the TurboGrafx-16 (despite being released pretty much everywhere) was a massive commercial failure.

Intended to compete with the Nintendo Entertainment System (or NES), the TurboGrafx-16 ended up mainly competing with the Sega Genesis (and later the SNES) in North America. Despite selling well early on in the USA, the TurboGrafx-16 suffered from a lack of third party support, and a lack of consistent marketing. A flop in the West, it was extremely successful in Japan, outselling the Famicom (NES) there and serving as the main sales rival for the Super Famicom.

1. PSP: Go I absolutely dare anyone out there to genuinely say they owned one of these bad boys. It’s absent from a lot of these kinds of lists either because it’s very new in comparison to the other entries, or because it’s so forgettable that no one else out there actually remembers it. The PSP: Go was Sony’s attempt at reviving the PSP brand before ditching it for the Vita.

The Go didn’t have a slot for UMDs (remember them?) and instead opted for a downloadable-only system. Sales meandered for a year or two when it was axed for the then-upcoming Vita.

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gaming Edittor - Tyrone Power Two Roads Diverged…

Langdon Alger, Gaming Writer For years now Nintendo have, in one way or another, been doing their own thing, separating themselves from the other two members of the “big three”, Sony and Microsoft. While the PS3 and Xbox 360 were low-end PCs that introduced online gaming to the mainstream and introduced HD graphics to consoles, the Wii sold eschewed power and connectivity to target the causal audience to great success. The less said about its successor, the Wii U, the better, but even that sincere failure from Nintendo diverged from its contemporaries with its second screen gimmick.

The Switch, once again, doesn’t follow the general trends of the console market, however in this instance the handheld/console hybrid has found solid footing in its first year and seems to be going strong as it faces its second year on the market.

PS4 rather than the Xbox One. Sony haven’t done much else to shake up the formula they tested on the PS3, instead it has refined its strategy into launching exclusives in periods where larger multiplatform games are still months away, also making it so that every E3 we see enough new and upcoming

vouring the PS4 as their lead platforms, the fact the Xbox One was a weaker console technically, the lack of exclusive games or even the general public being unaware of Microsoft’s U-turns on its anti-consumer policies before the Xbox One release.

games to ensure people will want to buy and stay on the Playstation ecosystem. Even PSVR, the biggest question mark of Sony’s PS4 strategy, has been a moderate success in terms of sales, and seems to be getting enough of a steady stream of games to keep it afloat.

ber of new announcements around the Xbox One have changed the landscape for the console. The release of the Xbox One X means Microsoft now have the most powerful console on the market. If this matters at all is yet to be seen, as hard sales numbers on the console aren’t being readily released, which is never a great sign. Microsoft are now releasing exclusive games day in date on the PC which is a positive move for consumers, which again is hard to judge the impact of. Now though, the announcement that Microsoft’s game pass service, which is effectively a Netflix for games on the console, will feature all new exclusive games on the service on their release dates is making some waves in the video games news circles.

On the other hand, Microsoft have been much more up in the air this generation. Even before the Xbox One released Microsoft was capitulating on what the Xbox One could do and what it stood for. Tempering its focus on TV and Kinect, as well

Interestingl y

now, the two console makers who had much less differentiating them, Sony and Microsoft, are finding themselves in much more disparate positions than ever before. The PS4 has sold extraordinarily well since it hit the market, in stark contrast to the PS3 launch. Each year has seen a slew of critically well received and commercially successful first party or third party exclusives, and for the most part any multiplatform games have found their biggest audience on the

as eliminating the always online and blocking used games policies, helped turn what could have been the death knell for Microsoft’s time in the console market instead into an extremely soft launch that left Microsoft’s new console on the wrong foot out the gate. Since then it has made up some ground, but has never come close to selling the numbers the PS4 has managed.

There could be multiple reasons for this: large multiplatform games fa-

In recent years and months, a num-

On the face of this announcement, it seems to be a positive move for Xbox One owners. When Sea of Thieves releases later this year, anyone can pay for a month or longer subscription to Xbox Games Pass and play the entire game without purchasing a copy. Similarly for Crackdown 3, the next Halo and Gears of War game, a subscriber won’t need to rush out to stores or wait for the game to arrive from Amazon to play it on release.

Sure, DLC will still likely not be free for these games if a player wants it, lootboxes will likely litter the online portions of these games which will

help to make revenue on the back end, and you won’t own the game, but for many this is likely an attractive proposition. On the other end, it may make some developers weary of working with Microsoft.

All announced games coming from Microsoft are first party exclusives, meaning Microsoft owns the developers making these games exclusively for the Xbox One. For any studios who may want to launch a game exclusively on Xbox One who are not owned by Microsoft, though, what’s in it for them?

Unless Microsoft are cutting a generous cheque to publishers for the possibility of these third party exclusives, I can’t imagine many developers gambling on this kind of venture, at least for the foreseeable future.

Part of what makes Sony’s line-up of exclusives so strong is their third party support. Bloodborne, Nioh, Nier: Automata and many other games in recent years found homes on the PS4 to critical and commercial acclaim. These games bolster Sony’s first party line-up of games like Uncharted, Horizon Zero Dawn etc. Microsoft do not have nearly as many exclusives, and the ones they do have (Forza, Halo and Gears of War) have all seen better days.

So as it stands, we have three console developers who are all doing different things. While Sony has found its comfortable strategy and stuck to it to great success, Nintendo have taken a gamble that has paid off. Microsoft are the remaining question mark in this situation.

For the sake of healthy competition it would be beneficial if Microsoft continued to gain ground against Sony in terms of console sales, however the persistent rumbling of internal satisfaction with Microsoft’s console division may make these bold moves for the Xbox One look more like a troubled product struggling for relevancy.

fashion

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Best Dressed at the Screen Actors Guild Awards

By Iris Maher Saoirse Ronan took a risk with her choice of pale pink Louis Vuitton dress, and it nearly paid off: the dress itself was beautiful but I disliked the slim black belt that accompanied it.

Millie Bobby Brown wore a sequin pink halter neck Calvin Klein Dress. She teamed the dress with a pair of converse, which I loved! Again the dress was pink, a popular colour choice at the awards.

Halle Berry wore a Pamella Roland custom made dress. It, somewhat, reminded me of a glitzy debs dress, but I loved it all the same. The golden dress was paired beautifully with her high ponytail and bronze earrings.

Kristen Bell wore two dresses on the night. She changed after the red carpet into a black Yanina Couture dress. It was simple, but effective. One of my favourite looks of the evening, yet her red carpet dress was not a favourite of mine.

And again this gown was pink.

(We are actively ignoring Kate Hudson’s dress, as I am hoping to erase it’s existence from my memory.)

The Return of ANTM

By Iris Maher, Fashion Editor America’s Next Top Model (ANTM) has returned, now in its 24th season.

Tyra Banks has come back as the head judge on the show, being replaced last season by Rita Ora as the show moved to the television network VH1. Other judges this season include model and body positive activist Ashley Graham, the creative director of Paper magazine Drew Elliott and celebrity stylist Law Roach. The TV show centres around young women who wants to become the next big supermodel. The world of social media has changed what it means to be a model.

Models, according to Tyra, have to be a boss now. Models are social media stars, such as Bella and Gigi Hadid.

This season Tyra has lifted the upper age limit: women from 18 onwards could have applied, and one of this season’s models is aged 42. Previous

Irish Bloggers & Influencers are Being Put Under the Microscope

By Iris Maher, Fashion Editor The fashion bloggers and influencer scene in Ireland has grown rapidly in recent years. Popular influencers include Suzanne Jackson, Rosie Connolly, and Joanne Larby.

These bloggers primarily use instagram and snapchat to communicate with their audience. The past month has seen the so-called ‘exposure’ of these bloggers in terms of Photoshop. A private instagram account known as ‘bullshitcallerouter’ popped up in the last month. The page aimed to highlight evidence of photoshopping on instagram photos posted by these popular influencers. They wanted to showcase how images can be manipulated, specifically targeting the body image of bloggers whether it be their skin or ‘size’, posting images taken by the bloggers themselves and those taken candidly at events or by fans. The page has since been deleted or removed, though a new one has taken its place. In the avatar sec-

seasons have had similar themes, opting for petite models and male models. The winner of this season’s show will receive a contract with the modelling agency Next, $100,000, a fashion spread in Paper Magazine, and the model will be featured on Tyra’s new phone app named after the show, ANTM. The show’s format has not greatly changed in its twenty four seasons.

The models all live in a glamorous house, which is said to be the ‘best house yet’ every single season. Each week the aspiring models must perform a challenge and have a photoshoot. Their best photo will be judged by the panel, and the weakest photo’s model will be sent home. This season, however, the models can be sent home at any time, so they have to be on their ‘A-Game’ at all times. Of course, models will face the infamous hair cut week, where all models will be given a new hairstyle that will help tion of the new instagram, the page announces ‘We’re Back’. The new page is private, and has over 2000 followers at present. Twitter users have compared the instagram page to the tv show Gossip Girl.

The entertainment website Shemazing interviewed the Irish woman, Aoibhinn, behind the instagram page exposing bloggers. She told the site, ‘‘I wanted to highlight the fact that some people, young women mostly, are trying to emulate the image portrayed by certain ‘influencers...I wanted to bring awareness that the image portrayed by these ‘influencers” is a highly sanitised version of reality.’ The instagram page captivated followers of these bloggers, excitedly waiting to see who would be next on the chopping block. Many praised the page as, they want bloggers and influencers to be held accountable for their actions, with others quick to criticise the page, defending their favourite bloggers and influencers. On Twitter, some users have announced they have unfollowed all influencers since the revelations have been made.

them to be a better model, according to Tyra. Hairstyle changes can range from a buzzcut to long luscious locks.

If previous seasons are anything to go by, not all models will be happy. Later in the season we’ll see the models travel to a new and upcoming fashion destination. Previous shows have been held in Cape Town, Amsterdam, and Seoul, to name but a few.

The show was also open to contestants of all sizes. On earlier versions of the show, models were required to meet certain heights and body measurements. Contestants were often criticised for being too thin or too big.

The popularity of the show could be in question; it is a reality show, and perhaps other reality shows have surpassed it, shows like Keeping Up With The Kardashians, and I do not see much hype regarding new episodes on Twitter. Perhaps Tyra’s return to the show will boost the rat-

Terrie McEvoy, a nurse and blogger that moved to Australia in recent years, was accused of rigging competitions for her friends to win. The competitions in question were held in collaboration with Tower Jewellers, who came forward with a statement saying that the winners were chosen by the blogger. McEvoy spoke out and publicly apologised for picking people she personally knew, arguing she was not a ‘real blogger’ as she works as a nurse.

The world of instagram tends to portray an idealised version of someone life, often posting photos with friends, selfies with a filter, holidays etc. It is easy to forget while browsing through endless amounts of ‘perfect’ pictures that it is not a true reflection of life. One of the jobs of an influencer is to maintain this portrayal of a perfect lifestyle, whether it is true or not. Influencers lead a life that is not achievable for many of their fans. We watch as they jet away on holidays a few times a month, showcasing expensive handbags and clothing we can only dream of,

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FASHION Editor - iris Maher a paid advertisement. Bloggers do not have to state it is a sponsored post if they were gifted the item by a company. Since the ASAI ruling, fans and viewers have been quick to note how often content is sponsored, and that they may not have realised it before.

advertising makeup products that they claim to love that they may actually be being paid to promote.

Problems arise when fans/viewers can be disenfranchised with their own lives, as their reality does not compare to the influencers. Many argue that this places pressure on viewers to look and act like their favourite influencers. Often certain makeup products sell out because a certain influencer has endorsed it.

Bloggers are also launching their own lines of makeup and beauty products. Suzanne Jackson has released contour kits, eyeshadow palettes and fake eyelashes, although she has been under the spotlight for ‘private labelling’, also known as ‘white labelling’; ‘white labelling’ is where a company, or in this case a blogger/influencer, chooses the generic product out of a catalogue and puts their name to the product. Hence, various companies can be selling the same products. It is not illegal, although there seems to be a stigma attached to doing so. Jackson initially claimed to have not done this in the creation of her makeup range, but was later ‘caught out’ and thus admitted to it.

O’Doherty has been accused of doing so in her latest collection, ‘Taylor and Rose’. The collection includes hairpieces, and earrings.

It is not private labelling that fans have a problem with, but the price.

The same products can be bought on websites such as Ali Express for far less. Some items have a markup of 10 times the original price. Rosie Connolly’s sunglasses range ‘Aluxe’ has come under fire for the same reason.

Often influencers endorse and promote weight loss products, such as teas that claim to aid with that goal.

They are often seen frequenting the gym daily, or sometimes multiple times in a day. Some bloggers, especially those in the ‘Irish Fit Fam’, document what they eat in a day, every day, following strict dietary regimes. The majority of influencers fans are young teenagers, that could be deemed impressionable.

Viewers claim that those in the fitness blogging community are expressing compulsive eating habits and may be exhibiting signs of orthorexia (compulsion for eating only healthy food). According to Bodywhys.ie, in Ireland the Department of Health and Children state that Private labelling does not only up to 200,000 could be affected by occur in makeup, but also in jew- eating disorders. elry. Blogger and Youtuber Ciara

Influencers have also been accused of buying instagram followers and likes. A quick google search will show you how easy it is. Simply link your account, make the payment and the followers roll in. It is also quite cheap, advertisement suggest prices starting at $2.95 for 100 followers. The accounts that follow the person are often inactive or bot accounts. The pages do not interact with the account, hence the need to also buy likes for their pictures.

For bloggers with a considerable amount of followers, it may not seem necessary. But according to the instagram page ‘bullshitcallerouter’ some bloggers are continuing to do so. For bloggers and influencers, brands want to work with individuals whose instagram accounts garner high engagement.

The more engagement, followers and likes etc., the more likely fans will buy the products they are endorsing. Bloggers have to now explicitly say whether they are being sponsored to advertise a product.

The Advertising Standards Association Ireland (ASAI) have ruled they must do so after a similar ruling in the UK. Bloggers usually post a hashtag accompanying a post if it is sponsored, including #ad or #sp.

The ASAI found Faces By Grace to have promoted a weight loss product without clearing stating it was

Further blogger controversy arose in the past month with regards to the UK blogger, Elle Darby. The youtuber and fitness blogger wrote to a Dublin hotel, the Charleville Lodge, requesting a free stay over Valentines weekend in return for online exposure.

The White Moose Cafe (a part of the hotel) posted the email sent by the blogger on social media, publicly ‘shaming’ her.

Although they attempted to cover the name, they did not completely do so. It is unclear whether this was on purpose or not. The post went viral. In response, Darby created a youtube video entitled ‘i was exposed (SO embarrassing)’ discussing the issue. Furthermore, the hotel have issued an invoice to the blogger, charging her €5,289,000 for the exposure and media attention she received. They also posted a picture of a jar labelled ‘Tears of bloggers’. The White Moose Cafe’s online shop is now selling t-shirts with the quote, ‘I demanded freebies at the White Moose Cafe and all I got was this lousy t-shirt’ and another stating, ‘I got exposed by the White Moose Cafe’.

Although we must remember that bloggers might feel under intense pressure to look perfect, facing scrutiny from the media and fans; using a filter on a selfie or photograph is also commonplace now.

If we feel societal pressures to look and act a certain way, they too must feel them. Conversely, one could argue that these individuals have chosen to be in the spotlight, as many consider blogging their full time career.

Humour

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Headlines Politics: Sinn Féin elects English Literature graduate from Trinity College as party leader. No, really.

Culture: Original Banksy piece ‘UCC RAG WEEK NOT WELCOME HERE’ sells for millions at auction.

College Life: 98% of First Years admit they only signed up for peer support for the cool t-shirt.

Sport: New Olympic sport, the ‘900 Metre Dash’ sees athletes leg it from Boole 4 to the Western Gateway Building without dying on the way.

Music: Scary white lad with face tattoos the next big thing in rap, confirms your teenage brother.

Entertainment: Gerry Adams reveals plans to become professional Twitter personality. Tvuítfaidh ar lá!!!

TV Listings: RTÉ One, Thursday @ 6:01PM: RTÉ Six One News.

To lighten the mood after several weeks of soul-crushing current events, RTÉ presents the ever-loveable Aengus Mac Grianna stuttering continuously for half an hour.

RTÉ One, Friday @ 6PM: A special hour-long Omnibus edition of the Angelus. Catch-up on what you missed, including several DONGs not yet seen before the watershed, and several people looking slightly up and to the left or right for some reason.

Express Tries: Fighting a Bouncer Rachel McInerney, Humour Writer While speaking to a friend the other day, I was given a revelation. We spoke about the trials and tribulations of nights out, lamenting the tragedy of being underage in Cork.

I’m twenty now, but given that the age of entry for most places in Cork is as unpredictable and endlessly fluctuating as the stock market, my luck with getting into places since I turned eighteen has followed roughly the same trajectory as the value of the British pound - pretty good at the start, and deteriorating rapidly ever since.

This is in part due to the demise of my formerly ever-successful fake ID, passed benevolently down from my older sister. Now, though, I’m forced to use my terribly unflattering student card and learner’s permit, which I’ve been told, when put side by side look like “the Biggest Loser, but going in reverse”.

Naturally, bouncers are hesitant to let whatever alien creature resides on my student card into their respected establishments. Also I’m not at that seemingly glorious age of twenty-three, at which you suddenly gain access to everywhere, like a some unheard of D-list celebrity. So I’m resigned to trying varying tactics I’ve heard of to infiltrate clubs and pubs across Cork. I’ve tried being nice, I’ve tried legging it straight through, sneak tactics, backdoors, actually waiting, being sober, blinking lots (apparently this helps you look sober, however shitfaced you might be) and many, many others.

But, no. The bouncers of the world, it seems, are out to get me. Could it be possible that they’re just trying to do their job? Just trying get through the night hassle-free so they can go home, the same as me when I’m working? Of course

not. Clearly they’ve got a personal vendetta against me and I made this predicament known to my friend.

Then, he gave me my revelation.

“Yeah, I mean, you know you’ve always wanted to fight a bouncer”. This is true, I thought. And so, I made it my personal mission that, for once and for all, I would fight a bouncer, and definitely solve the problem and not just be that tit who tries to fight the bouncer.

Stage One: The Line.

Before embarking on my quest, I listened to every rap song involving the words ‘da club’ to get myself psyched up. As a result, on arrival at said club, I had about as much pent-up, aggressive energy as an unneutered jack russell. This, coupled with a bottle of buckfast that made me queasy, and the fact that I did not wear pants in while it was three degrees outside, made me a formidable opponent. I was ready for action.

The

Stage Two: Door.

U p ahead, the gatekeepers

incarnations of Saints Peter and Paul, barring the entry to paradise. Sort of.

Through my inebriated haze, I began to fumble for my IDs. My hands shook, undoubtedly from rage, and definitely not because I didn’t wear pants and was slowly succumbing to the sweet embrace of hypothermia. Finally, I removed my IDs from my wallet and stared defiantly up at the man before me. He scrutinised the little plastic cards for a moment, probably thinking that Jesus, when you put these pictures side by side it looks like she’s on the Biggest Loser but like, going in reverse. After a moment, the verdict.

Stage Three: The Disgrace.

“Sorry, love, not tonight.” The bouncer’s polite refusal sparked within me a fury I had never known before. I stood there, poised to tell him to fuck off, but the words came out in a mangled garble with the syrupy taste of Bucky. Betrayal. Indeed, words had failed, but I still had my fists. I drew back my right arm, thinking that I probably resembled Katie Taylor in this act of total badassery. In reality however, I probably more resembled Conor McGregor, in terms of total gobshitery. Around me, amused faces stared on. Above me, a face of pity and disdain. I had failed.

Stage Four: The Kebab.

At Speedo’s, I was greeted with a revelation. That maybe I didn’t need to be a hero, and sure look, if you’ve got a sick kebab, who cares if you look like the Biggest Loser going in reverse?

loomed.

T h e bouncers, l i k e two bald, burly

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HUMOUR Editor - Sarah Ryan

The people of the world, believers and non-believers alike, were stunned today as evidence for the existence of God was finally confirmed, thanks to one blessed UCC student.

Numerous reports account how the holy evening in question unfolded.

Sean O’Grady, the chosen one, left his apartment for a quiet one with the lads (now known as His disciples) at approximately six o’clock.

Sean’s girlfriend, Catherine Cleary, was unable to join him on his night out, which he was just devastated about.

“I can’t remember exactly how the night went, it’s a bit blurry if I’m honest,” His holiness told the Express, as He sat in his new robe, surrounded by followers, “I think it’s the power of God, you know? Made me forget some things. That or the copious amounts of alcohol. But it

was probably God, he’s funny like that.”

Sean went on to tell us about how he came home from town at approximately four o’clock that morning, alone, definitely alone. Because he loves his girlfriend ‘soooooo much’.

“So, I had just puked for the fourth time and I was drifting off to sleep, alone, and then God appeared. Told me he was gonna give me chlamydia . As a sign, you know? Told me I had to go spread the Gospel, and the Clap, too.”

When Sean awoke in the morning awash with a newfound sense of peace and purpose, and also a really itchy crotch: He knew He had been chosen.

It took awhile to convince his friends and family, especially Catherine, but after he reminded them he was, “a good lad, like”, they agreed it must have been divine intervention. There have been a few reports implying Sean did, in fact, just cheat on his girlfriend, but these

Pint Glass Theft on the Rise

Cross, told The Express:

The Immaculate Infection Callum Casey, Humour Writer

Sarah Ryan, Humour Editor The Gardaí have reported that pint glass theft is now at an all-time high. Threat levels were raised to level Rebel Red in response to the recent surge in pint glass pilfering.

Sergeant Murphy, of the Banter Buster Unit located near Bridewell Garda Station, had this to say: “I am sick of all you little shits thinking you’re feckin Butch Cassidy with the Beamish glasses. Sticking a pint glass in your Jansport while on a course night-out in Wetherspoons cannot and will not make you legend, nor will it get you the ride. Seriously. Stop.”

Appeals have also been issued for any information regarding the ‘Goblet Gatherer’, a serial stealer currently wreaking havoc on pubs across Cork City. Sources say the Gatherer is rumoured to have stolen nearly fifty pint glasses during his reign of terror, which is still ongoing. One victim, Jim O’Connor, of O’Connor’s pub in Turner’s

have been labelled by Sean and the Catholic church as “slanderous lies” spread most likely by “Satanists, Englishmen or Protestants.”

While this has been a great moment for the church, finally being able to shove God in the face of all those foreigners with their weird beliefs, and the scientists with all their facts, there has been some questions that need answering, namely; is God gay now? The question was swiftly answered by Sean, who confirmed they didn’t really have sex, and they both said ‘no homo’ anyway. Christians around the globe breathed a sigh of relief. The next question that quickly came to the fore: if God is gay now, does it matter? Sean answered swiftly with ‘nah kid’.

Since the miracle, Sean’s infected privates had become a site of pilgrimage for devout Catholics the world over. The sick and lame flocked to him, hoping just a glance at his groin would cure them.

Agnes Mahony, a seventy-year-old

pensioner from Meath, swears by its healing power, “I was going blind before I came down. Could barely see two feet ahead. But he hit me in the eye with his cock and I can see better than ever!” Her friend Mary also agreed with his miraculous member’s power, “I swear I saw the Virgin Mary in his pubes!”

As Sean and his Almighty Appendage embarked on his first country wide tour of blessing buildings, cars, and newborn babies with his gift, this week, a woman has come forward to refute his claims.

The women, who has requested to remain anonymous, claims she is the one who had sex with Sean.

She claims she was unaware she had contracted the infection from a previous partner, and unaware Sean had a girlfriend as he told her he was single. God has yet to comment on the matter.

isfying smash, and the sarcastic congratulatory calls of friends and “We really are at our wit’s end here. fellow pub-goers now fade from We’ve had to start giving people “waheyyyy” to “oh… eh, never drinks in all those weird gin bal- mind.” loon thingies. Nobody wants that.

The customers are starting to get Thankfully, however, the decanter notions, raising their drinks every drought has brought about a drop five minutes like they’re bloody Jay in the number of glassings across Gatsby. Myself, I can feel my mas- the city. Bar brawlers everywhere culinity slowly slipping away. A are discovering the terrible disapman needs his pint glass like a fish pointment of trying to disfigure needs a bicycle - to make him look opponents with useless weapons, cool, y’know? Though I do like do- such as the aforementioned plasing the swishy-swishy thing with tic or occasionally paper cup. Two those chalice-y yokes.” such fighters, Joe Lynch and Ciara Connery, recounted the terrible anOther pub owners are said to have ti-climax of their own bar fight. Ms. taken more simple measures, such Connery remembers: as placing their beverages in plastic cups. Scores of adult customers are “I don’t actually really remember now beginning to resemble some- what we were fighting about… to thing like an oversized children’s be honest, I think I just rocked up party. With the guise of sophistica- to the pub that night wanting to tion now ripped away, the true face beat the shit out of someone and of drunken stupidity has reared its Joe seemed to have the kind of face ugly head. Classic pub antics and I was looking for. Just that cunt-y traditions are gradually, and per- look about him, y’know? Anyway, haps tragically, disappearing. Now, after I’d screamed a few obscenithe dropping of a drink to the floor ties at him and we’d thrown a few is no longer accompanied by a sat- punches, I tried to grab a glass be-

side me to shatter over his head, only to find some stupid red cup, like those ones you’d see in a cringey frat party movie. I was so overcome with embarrassment I just dropped it and walked away. I’m no longer the big man I was, to be honest with you.”

Ciara’s family have confirmed that she is now the family disappointment. This is just one of the many tragic tales that have come with the recent surge in pint glass thievery, and we can only hope that someday, soon, people will start to just fucking stop.

Fiction

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FICTION Editor - Sophie Mckenzie

Silver Lining Wisps of clouds reaching for each other but fading before they can touch Like the hands of the frail and the strong, One reaching for the other but falling before the can meet.

Rain falls from the strong and the grey stormy insides drown the world around him The grey becomes silver Lightened from his burden The strong, though forever changed, is free As the White cloud floats high and away.

Caitlin Kernan

Happiness is‌ Happiness is seeing the rainbow in the puddle.

Three swans overhead Knowing one will leave the others but If I didn’t It would be the same as a sad legend The happy ending in the bittersweet Legends of children lost and alone but together until death The comfort of the bond of siblings and swans Caitlin Kernan

food Porridge (for those that don’t like porridge) Ciara Dinneen, Features Editor It’s almost a cultural phenomenon at

this stage; the wonders of porridge.

Parents and grandparents harp on about how it is the healthiest, the absolute best thing to have for breakfast. It sets you right up for the day, so they say. And they are right; porridge is a great breakfast. It is greatly substantial and nutritious, and you can make it in so many different ways, so it’s hard to argue that you don’t like porridge, because if you don’t like it one way you might like it another. I, for example, insisted that I did not like porridge at all up until I was 17.

But one morning, after starting off on one of the many health kicks I’ve attempted, I decided to give porridge another go. I added about half a teaspoon of cinnamon (sounds like an awful lot I know, but I love me some cinnamon) and after mixing that in well I sprinkled over some brown sugar for a bit of sweetness and voila, a gorgeous, subtly sweet, nutritious, warm, and cinnamon-y start to the day.

French Toast (or eggy bread if you have to be like that) Robert O’Sullivan, Editor-in-Chief What if you’re done with all the healthy fads and just want something yummy for breakfast...and lunch...and shit, maybe even dinner? Or maybe you just want to make a nice morning treat for the person you pulled from Havanas to make them think you can actually cook? French Toast is the classic brekkie treat that isn’t pancakes or waffles. You may be reading this thinking “what dickhead doesn’t know how to make French Toast?” but really think about it: when was the last time you really did this yourself, and not just ordered it in Liberty Grill?

Here’s what you’ll need: bread (natch), butter, eggs, cinnamon

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FOOD Editor - isabella Storey Cosgrave So, I was converted. But then there’s the effort of making porridge; it isn’t as quick and easy as pouring a bowl of cereal and adding milk. But it could be, if you’re smart about it.

Here’s what you do; Soak your porridge oats overnight.

Add however much you want (I usually have about 5 to 6 tablespoons of oats) into a pot, with enough milk so that the oats are all covered (really it depends on how runny you like your porridge), and leave the pot in the fridge overnight.

Remember you can use whatever milk you like; dairy, almond, coconut, soya - whichever you prefer, and whichever you think will go best with your toppings!

As for the actual cooking time, again it depends on how much milk you’ve got in there and how runny you like your porridge. Have it slowly cooking on a low heat, stirring often, and you’ll know when it’s done; it will start to bubble when it reaches the point of being ready.

Once you have your porridge made, (powder), a dish, a bowl or jug, a whisk, a spatula and a frying pan.

Feel free to add whatever toppings here, I recommend golden/ maple syrup or Nutella (for bonus style points, feel free to grate some chocolate over the toast). If you want to get fancy with it, swap the bread for something like brioche.

Start by cracking the eggs into the bowl or jug. I generally use three eggs, two whole eggs and one with just the white of the egg. To crack an egg without adding the yoke, crack it in the middle (of the longer side) and pour the yoke back-and-forth between each half, allowing the white to drip down.

Add some milk, generally enough so it looks like a 50/50 mix between milk and eggs from above. Then whisk the milk & eggs together (if you don’t have a whisk, a fork will work fine). Fun fact, at this stage you essentially have just scrambled

the fun begins. You can literally add whatever toppings you feel like adding to your porridge. Here are just a few ideas you can try to get the ball rolling: Keep it simple by drizzling honey or maple syrup over your porridge for a delicious sweet kickstart to the day.

You could add a sprinkle of seeds or crushed nuts.

Using almond milk, add some dashes of cinnamon and mix it in well, then egg mix, which is why I opt to add a dash of cinnamon here (and mix again).

Next I would suggest you lightly toast the bread (it shouldn’t be brown at all). Put the lightly toasted bread in a dish, and pour some of the mix over it.

Make sure to flip the slice over while it soaks so it’s evenly coated. Don’t let it get too soggy though.

Heat some butter on the pan, and when it’s melted, throw your egg-soaked bread on. Turn the bread every-so-often til it’s golden brown (and clearly cooked). Et voila, picture-perfect French Toast.

sprinkle some brown sugar Make your porridge with coconut milk, and protein if you want what they’re calling in the fitness world “proats” meaning “protein oats”, and then top with Chia seeds Mix in some chocolate protein powder into your porridge, and then top with a spoon of almond butter, or Nutella, or maybe both, as well as some raspberries, either fresh or frozen, and a handful of crushed nuts.

The possible combinations are endless. You’re bound to find one that you like and can make for yourself on those long-day mornings; it’ll set you right up.

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ISSUE 08 | UCC Express

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Sexlist Maria Boyd Music is essential to the creation of any atmosphere. There exists the perfect songs for every kind of occasion; we have prinks playlists that include the bangers that get us pumped for a night out, we have our chill time tunes we listen to when we’re in the mood for some relaxing alone time, we have the throwbacks that remind us of our first flip phone and the days of sending Basshunter and 3 Oh 3 through Bluetooth.

Music makes us feel things; it does something to our brains and has the power to evoke emotional responses that elicit physical responses in our bodies.

One of the situations in which emotions and passions are at their highest is, naturally, just before and during sex. If there were a critical point, it would be the before, because if that doesn’t go well then there may not be a during. The tunes you choose to play in these crucial moments can either make or break it, so do yourself a favour and choose wisely. It isn’t a bad idea to have a playlist made and ready at hand for when these moments arise. Don’t think that this is ridiculous, because the reality is that we all have a sexlist; at least a handful of songs that we have considered suitable to have sex to; whether or not we have made them out physically or they are existing only subconsciously.

Here are some songs that I would consider pretty safe bets for setting the right tone and evoking the preferred mood; a good place to start if you’re thinking of going from subconscious sexlist to physically ready-at-hand. Of course, there isn’t just one type of mood; and thus, there isn’t just one type of song. We all have different styles when it comes to sex, so this sexlist is a bit of a pick n mix of moods and styles, but you’re bound to find a few that suit you, or at least will lead to ones that really do. I won’t explain why each of these songs would feature nicely on a sexlist; just give them a listen and you’ll understand for yourself.

Don’t – Bryson Tiller Closer – Kings of Leon Instinct (feat. MadeinTYO) – Roy Woods Too Much – Rendezvous At Two Fire & Desire – Drake Lights On – H.E.R. Hello – Chill Vibes Love Galore – SZA, feat. Travis Scott First Fuck – 6LACK, feat. Jhene Aiko Concrete – Tom Odell Do You Go Up – Khai Poison – Brent Faiyaz Do It Well – dvsn Good Love – 11:11 Deadly Attraction – Adrian Daniel Do You… - Miguel High For This – The Weeknd The Bird – Anderson .Paak Love On The Brain – Rihanna You & I – RHODES Untitled (How Does it Feel) – D’Angelo Coffee – Miguel Let’s Do It Again – The Staple Singers

ISSUE 07 | UCC Express

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嘀漀氀甀洀攀 ㈀㈀

䐀攀愀搀氀椀渀攀㨀 ㈀㠀琀栀 䘀攀戀爀甀愀爀礀

倀爀愀挀琀椀挀愀氀 䔀砀瀀攀爀椀攀渀挀攀

䄀瀀瀀氀椀挀愀琀椀漀渀猀 愀爀攀 渀漀眀 漀瀀攀渀 昀漀爀 琀栀攀 瀀漀猀椀琀椀漀渀 漀昀 䔀搀椀琀漀爀ⴀ椀渀ⴀ䌀栀椀攀昀 漀昀 琀栀攀 唀䌀䌀 䔀砀瀀爀攀猀猀 昀漀爀 琀栀攀 ㈀ ㄀㠀⼀㄀㤀 愀挀愀搀攀洀椀挀 礀攀愀爀

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ⴀ戀攀爀 昀爀漀洀 琀栀攀 唀䌀䌀 䴀攀搀椀愀 䔀砀攀挀甀琀椀瘀攀Ⰰ 愀渀 攀砀琀攀爀渀愀氀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 樀漀甀爀渀愀氀椀猀琀 ☀ 漀渀攀 洀漀爀攀 洀攀洀戀攀爀 漀昀 琀栀攀 䴀攀搀椀愀 䔀砀攀ⴀ ⴀ挀甀琀椀瘀攀⸀ 拠椀猀 瀀愀渀攀氀 椀猀 猀甀戀樀攀挀琀 琀漀 挀栀愀渀最攀Ⰰ 愀渀搀 眀椀氀氀 猀琀爀椀瘀攀 昀漀爀 最攀渀搀攀爀 戀愀ⴀ ⴀ氀愀渀挀攀⸀

拠攀 搀攀愀搀氀椀渀攀 昀漀爀 愀瀀瀀氀椀挀愀琀椀漀渀猀 椀猀 䘀攀戀爀甀愀爀礀 ㈀㠀琀栀 愀琀 䴀椀搀渀椀最栀琀⸀ 䄀瀀瀀氀椀挀愀琀椀漀渀猀 猀栀漀甀氀搀 戀攀 猀攀渀琀 琀漀㨀 䄀瀀瀀氀礀䀀唀䌀䌀䔀砀瀀爀攀猀猀⸀椀攀⸀ 䤀昀 礀漀甀 眀愀渀琀 琀漀 愀瀀瀀氀礀Ⰰ 戀甀琀 愀爀攀渀ᤠ琀 猀甀爀攀 椀昀 礀漀甀 挀愀渀Ⰰ 漀爀 栀愀瘀攀 愀渀礀 焀甀攀猀琀椀漀渀猀Ⰰ 礀漀甀 挀愀渀 攀洀愀椀氀 挀甀爀爀攀渀琀 䔀搀椀琀漀爀 刀漀戀 伀ᤠ匀甀氀氀椀瘀愀渀 漀渀 䔀搀椀琀漀爀䀀唀䌀䌀䔀砀瀀爀攀猀猀⸀椀攀⸀

拠攀 䔀搀椀琀漀爀ⴀ椀渀ⴀ䌀栀椀攀昀 椀猀 爀攀猀瀀漀渀ⴀ ⴀ猀椀戀氀攀 昀漀爀 栀椀爀椀渀最 琀栀攀 爀攀猀琀 漀昀 琀栀攀 拠攀 瀀漀猀椀琀椀漀渀 椀猀 瀀愀椀搀Ⰰ 愀渀搀 椀猀 挀甀爀爀攀渀琀氀礀 攀搀椀琀漀爀椀愀氀 琀攀愀洀Ⰰ 愀猀 眀攀氀氀 愀猀 戀攀椀渀最 爀攀猀瀀漀渀猀椀戀氀攀 昀漀爀 琀栀攀 猀甀挀挀攀猀猀昀甀氀 漀甀琀瀀甀琀 渀漀渀ⴀ匀愀戀戀愀琀椀挀愀氀⸀ 漀昀 愀渀 愀眀愀爀搀ⴀ眀椀渀渀椀渀最Ⰰ 昀漀爀琀渀椀最栀琀氀礀 吀漀 愀瀀瀀氀礀Ⰰ 猀攀渀搀㨀 挀漀氀氀攀最攀 渀攀眀猀瀀愀瀀攀爀⸀ ⸀ 䄀 䨀漀甀爀渀愀氀椀猀洀 䌀嘀 倀爀漀猀瀀攀挀琀椀瘀攀 挀愀渀搀椀搀愀琀攀猀 ⸀ 䄀 䌀漀瘀攀爀 䰀攀琀琀攀爀 猀栀漀甀氀搀 栀愀瘀攀 猀漀洀攀 樀漀甀爀渀愀氀椀猀洀 漀爀 ⸀ 䄀 倀氀愀渀 昀漀爀 琀栀攀 瀀愀瀀攀爀 猀栀 攀搀椀琀漀爀椀愀氀 攀砀瀀攀爀椀攀渀挀攀Ⰰ 漀爀 攀砀瀀攀爀椀攀渀挀攀 琀漀 䄀瀀瀀氀礀䀀唀䌀䌀䔀砀瀀爀攀猀猀⸀椀攀 戀攀昀漀爀攀 椀渀 愀 猀椀洀椀氀愀爀 ǻ攀氀搀Ⰰ 戀甀琀 椀琀 椀猀 渀漀琀 䴀椀搀渀椀最栀琀 漀渀 䘀攀戀爀甀愀爀礀 ㈀㠀琀栀⸀ 爀攀焀甀椀爀攀搀⸀

愀瀀瀀氀礀

渀漀眀

䰀攀愀搀攀爀猀栀椀瀀 ☀ 䐀攀挀椀猀椀漀渀 䴀愀欀椀渀最

匀攀渀椀漀爀 䨀漀甀爀渀愀氀椀猀琀 ☀ 䔀搀椀琀漀爀椀愀氀 刀漀氀攀

䔀搀椀琀漀爀ⴀ椀渀ⴀ䌀栀椀攀昀 䄀挀愀搀攀洀椀挀 夀攀愀爀

䐀䔀䄀䐀䰀䤀一䔀 䘀伀刀 䄀倀倀䰀䤀䌀䄀吀䤀伀一匀 匀䔀吀 䄀吀 䘀䔀䈀刀唀䄀刀夀 ㈀㠀吀䠀 䄀吀 䴀䤀䐀一䤀䜀䠀吀 ⴀ 匀䔀一䐀 䌀嘀Ⰰ 䌀伀嘀䔀刀 䰀䔀吀吀䔀刀 ☀ 倀䰀䄀一

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PHOTOS

䜀漀漀搀戀礀攀 唀䌀䌀⸀ 吀栀愀渀欀猀 昀漀爀 㜀⬀ 礀攀愀爀猀 戀攀栀椀渀搀 琀 栀 攀 挀 愀 洀 攀 爀 愀 Ⰰ 眀 椀 琀 渀 攀 猀 猀 椀 渀 最 愀 氀 氀 礀 漀 甀 栀 愀 搀 琀 漀 漀 昀 昀 攀 爀⸀ 䤀 眀愀渀琀攀搀 琀漀 攀渀搀 洀礀 氀愀猀琀 椀猀猀甀攀 眀椀琀栀 猀漀洀攀 漀昀 洀礀 昀愀瘀漀甀爀椀琀攀 瀀栀漀琀漀猀Ⰰ 愀渀搀 愀 昀攀眀 瀀椀攀挀攀猀 漀昀 愀搀瘀椀挀攀 䤀✀搀 氀椀欀攀 琀漀 瀀愀猀猀 漀渀⸀ 䘀椀爀猀琀Ⰰ 琀栀攀 漀戀瘀椀漀甀猀 漀渀攀Ⰰ 最攀琀 椀渀瘀漀氀瘀攀搀 椀渀 猀 漀 洀 攀 琀 栀 椀 渀 最 椀 渀 挀 漀 氀 氀 攀 最 攀 Ⰰ 愀 渀 礀 琀 栀 椀 渀 最 爀 攀 愀 氀 氀 礀⸀ 䌀漀氀氀攀最攀 栀愀猀 愀氀眀愀礀猀 戀攀攀渀 愀戀漀甀琀 琀爀礀椀渀最 渀攀眀 琀栀椀渀最猀Ⰰ 愀挀琀椀瘀椀琀椀攀猀 礀漀甀 洀愀礀 渀漀琀 栀愀瘀攀 栀愀搀 琀栀攀 挀栀愀渀挀攀 琀漀 搀漀 戀攀昀漀爀攀 愀渀搀 搀椀猀挀漀瘀攀爀椀渀最 眀栀愀琀 礀漀甀 爀攀愀氀氀礀 攀渀樀漀礀 搀漀椀渀最⸀ 吀栀攀爀攀 愀爀攀 猀漀 洀愀渀礀 琀栀椀渀最猀 礀漀甀 挀愀渀 搀漀 椀渀 唀䌀䌀 戀攀琀眀攀攀渀 猀漀挀椀攀琀椀攀猀Ⰰ 挀氀甀戀猀Ⰰ 猀琀甀搀攀渀琀 洀攀搀椀愀Ⰰ 琀栀攀 匀唀 愀渀搀 猀漀 洀甀挀栀 洀漀爀攀⸀ 匀漀洀攀琀椀洀攀猀Ⰰ 礀漀甀✀氀氀 昀椀渀搀 愀 栀漀戀戀礀 漀爀 瀀愀猀猀椀漀渀 琀栀愀琀 眀椀氀氀 氀愀猀琀 愀 氀椀昀攀琀椀洀攀 愀 渀 搀 爀 愀 爀 攀 氀 礀Ⰰ 琀 栀 椀 猀 眀 椀 氀 氀 氀 攀 愀 搀 琀 漀 愀 渀 攀 渀 琀 椀 爀 攀 氀 礀 渀 攀 眀 挀愀爀攀攀爀 氀椀欀攀 椀琀 搀椀搀 昀漀爀 洀攀⸀ 圀 栀 椀 挀 栀 氀 攀 愀 搀 猀 洀 攀 琀 漀 洀 礀 渀 攀 砀 琀 瀀 椀 攀 挀 攀 漀 昀 愀 搀 瘀 椀 挀 攀 Ⰰ 昀漀氀氀漀眀 眀栀愀琀 礀漀甀 愀爀攀 瀀愀猀猀椀漀渀愀琀攀 愀戀漀甀琀⸀ 圀栀愀琀 礀漀甀 猀琀甀搀礀 椀渀 挀漀氀氀攀最攀Ⰰ 搀漀攀猀渀✀琀 栀愀瘀攀 琀漀 戀 攀 礀 漀 甀 爀 挀 愀 爀 攀 攀 爀⸀ 䤀 渀 琀 栀 攀 攀 渀 搀 Ⰰ 漀 渀 氀 礀 礀 漀 甀 挀 愀 渀 搀攀挀椀搀攀 眀栀愀琀 礀漀甀 瀀甀爀猀甀攀 昀漀爀 琀栀攀 爀攀猀琀 漀昀 礀漀甀爀 氀椀昀攀⸀ 䤀Ⰰ 氀椀欀攀 洀愀渀礀 漀琀栀攀爀猀Ⰰ 挀栀漀猀攀 琀漀 瀀甀爀猀甀攀 愀 搀椀昀昀攀爀攀渀琀 挀愀爀攀攀爀 昀爀漀洀 眀栀愀琀 䤀 栀愀搀 猀琀甀搀椀攀搀 愀 渀 搀 䤀 挀 漀 甀 氀 搀 渀 ✀ 琀 戀 攀 栀 愀 瀀 瀀 椀 攀 爀⸀ 䤀 最 漀 琀 琀 漀 猀 瀀 攀 渀 搀 琀栀攀 氀愀猀琀 㔀 礀攀愀爀猀 搀漀椀渀最 愀 樀漀戀 䤀 氀漀瘀攀Ⰰ 愀渀搀 䤀 欀渀漀眀 漀昀 瀀攀漀瀀氀攀 眀栀漀 栀愀瘀攀 攀渀搀攀搀 甀瀀 椀渀 搀爀愀猀琀椀挀愀氀氀礀 搀椀昀昀攀爀攀渀琀 昀椀攀氀搀猀 琀漀 眀栀愀琀 琀栀攀礀 猀琀甀搀椀攀搀 椀渀 挀漀氀氀攀最攀⸀ 䤀琀✀猀 愀 栀愀爀搀 琀栀椀渀最 琀漀 眀愀氀欀 愀 眀 愀 礀 昀 爀 漀 洀 眀 栀 愀 琀 礀 漀 甀 猀 琀 甀 搀 椀 攀 搀 Ⰰ 戀 甀 琀 椀 渀 琀 栀 攀 攀 渀 搀 Ⰰ 礀漀甀✀氀氀 戀攀 栀愀瀀瀀椀攀爀 眀栀攀渀 礀漀甀 挀栀漀漀猀攀 琀漀 搀漀 眀栀愀琀 礀漀甀 氀漀瘀攀⸀ 䬀渀漀眀 礀漀甀爀 眀漀爀琀栀Ⰰ 椀渀 眀栀愀琀攀瘀攀爀 礀漀甀 搀漀⸀ 圀栀攀琀栀攀爀 椀渀 眀漀爀欀 漀爀 椀渀 氀椀昀攀Ⰰ 椀琀✀猀 椀洀瀀漀爀 琀愀渀琀 琀漀 欀渀漀眀 樀甀猀琀 栀漀眀 洀甀挀栀 礀漀甀 愀爀攀 眀漀爀琀栀⸀ 吀栀攀爀攀 眀 椀 氀 氀 戀 攀 瀀 攀 漀 瀀 氀 攀 眀 栀 漀 琀 爀 礀 琀 漀 琀 愀 欀 攀 愀 搀 瘀 愀 渀 琀 愀 最 攀 漀 昀 礀 漀 甀 Ⰰ 椀 渀 愀 氀 氀 愀 猀 瀀 攀 挀 琀 猀 漀 昀 氀 椀 昀 攀 ⸀ 匀 漀 洀 攀 洀 椀 最 栀 琀 琀 爀 礀 琀 漀 最攀琀 礀漀甀 琀漀 眀漀爀欀 昀漀爀 ∀攀砀瀀漀猀甀爀攀∀Ⰰ 漀琀栀攀爀猀 洀椀最栀琀 琀爀礀 琀漀 戀氀愀洀攀 礀漀甀 昀漀爀 愀氀氀 漀昀 琀栀攀椀爀 瀀爀漀戀氀攀洀猀Ⰰ 愀渀搀 礀漀甀 栀愀瘀攀 琀漀 欀渀漀眀 眀栀攀渀 琀漀 眀愀氀欀 愀眀愀礀 昀漀爀 礀漀甀爀 漀眀渀 猀愀欀攀⸀ 吀栀攀爀攀✀猀 愀 搀椀昀昀攀爀攀渀挀攀 戀攀琀眀攀攀渀 猀攀氀昀椀猀栀 愀渀搀 琀愀欀椀渀最 挀愀爀攀 漀昀 礀漀甀爀猀攀氀昀Ⰰ 愀渀搀 礀漀甀✀氀氀 渀攀攀搀 琀漀 氀攀愀爀渀 眀栀攀渀 礀漀甀 渀攀攀搀 琀漀 眀愀氀欀 愀眀愀礀 昀漀爀 礀漀甀爀 漀眀渀 最漀漀搀⸀ 吀栀攀猀攀 愀爀攀 樀甀猀琀 愀 昀攀眀 漀昀 琀栀攀 氀攀猀猀漀渀猀 䤀 眀椀猀栀 䤀 栀愀搀 欀渀漀眀渀 眀栀攀渀 挀漀洀椀渀最 椀渀琀漀 唀䌀䌀⸀ 䤀渀 琀栀攀 攀渀搀Ⰰ 琀栀漀甀最栀Ⰰ 琀栀攀爀攀 椀猀 漀渀氀礀 漀渀攀 瀀椀攀挀攀 漀昀 愀搀瘀椀挀攀 琀栀愀琀 洀愀琀琀攀爀猀㨀 攀渀樀漀礀 礀漀甀爀 琀椀洀攀 栀攀爀攀⸀ 䄀琀琀攀渀搀椀渀最 唀䌀䌀 椀猀 愀渀 攀砀瀀攀爀椀攀渀挀攀Ⰰ 栀漀眀 最漀漀搀 漀 昀 愀 渀 攀 砀 瀀 攀 爀 椀 攀 渀 挀 攀 椀 琀 眀 椀 氀 氀 戀 攀 Ⰰ 栀 漀 眀 攀 瘀 攀 爀Ⰰ 搀攀瀀攀渀搀猀 漀渀 眀栀愀琀 礀漀甀 洀愀欀攀 漀昀 椀琀⸀ 䌀漀氀氀攀最攀 椀猀 渀攀瘀攀爀 樀甀猀琀 愀戀漀甀琀 眀栀愀琀 礀漀甀 猀琀甀搀椀攀搀Ⰰ 戀甀琀 愀戀漀甀琀 琀栀攀 瀀攀漀瀀氀攀 礀漀甀 洀攀攀琀 愀渀搀 琀栀椀渀最猀 礀漀甀 搀 漀 愀 氀 漀 渀 最 琀 栀 攀 眀 愀 礀⸀ 匀 漀 最 漀 漀 甀 琀 Ⰰ 洀 愀 欀 攀 氀 漀 琀 猀 漀 昀 昀爀椀攀渀搀猀 愀渀搀 琀爀礀 渀攀眀 琀栀椀渀最猀⸀ ⠀伀栀Ⰰ 愀渀搀 戀攀 猀甀爀攀 琀漀 猀琀甀搀礀 琀漀漀⸀⤀ 吀栀愀渀欀猀 昀漀爀 攀瘀攀爀礀琀栀椀渀最 唀䌀䌀℀ 䄀渀搀 琀栀愀渀欀猀 琀漀 琀栀攀 䔀砀瀀爀攀猀猀 昀漀爀 猀漀 洀愀渀礀 眀漀渀搀攀爀昀甀氀 礀攀愀爀猀 愀猀 琀栀攀椀爀 瀀栀漀琀漀最爀愀瀀栀攀爀℀ ⴀ 䔀洀洀攀琀 䌀甀爀琀椀渀

PHOTOS

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University Healy

SPORT Life:

Noel

Dylan O’Connell- Sport Editor Success in Noel Healy’s life has been hard-fought and well won. A fan favourite in Cork City FC’s formative years, Healy was involved in the Rebel Army’s inaugural league win in 1993, as well as memorable European games like the 1-1 draw against Bayern Munich. Now Healy is overseeing a different challenge, as he guides UCC into a Collingwood Cup campaign for the fifth time.

Life for Healy at Cork’s premier institution has seen great success, as UCC enters a golden era for football. In 2014/15 Healy guided UCC to a first Munster Senior League title, before pushing UCC to the Collingwood Cup and into the quarter finals of the EA Sports Cup. In 2016/16 UCC stepped up their game and completed a league and cup double winning both the Collingwood Cup and the Munster Senior League.

In all, things are positive for the former defender-turned coach, as he leads his squad into a crucial month for UCC. “I’m happy with what we have. The squad is really gelling together and we have gone on to some unbelievable run of games. We on this unbelievable run of games were we are eight or nine games undefeated, and we are going into the Maynooth game in the College University Football League quarter finals next Tuesday. We have prepared well. Fitness levels are good.

Spirit levels are good” With this new squad old problems resurface for Healy in UCC’s quest for glory. “It is never an easy job looking after college teams. Every year we lose anything from six to nine players. Last year we lost nine players but we were fortunate enough to get Sean O’Mahony back, but at Christmas we lost eight players. You are building and rebuilding every single year.

What we have done over the last six or seven years is raise the standard of college football of UCC as a club.

Now we are getting really good players coming in from a high standard to our club and settling in really well.

The demands are very different. What

ISSUE 08 UCC Express people don’t realise is that these guys are coming in after their leaving cert and experiencing college life with the fun side as well as the sporting side of it. Semesterisation changing has caused an awful lot of stress on the guys with mental tiredness around December/May period. It is very hard to manage all that” In training for the three day tournament, Healy faced the ultimate test in reigning in League of Ireland double winners, Cork City FC, at the Mardyke. The game, a tooth and nail 1-1 draw, was ideal preparation for Healy and his side, both on the pitch and off the pitch.

“First of all, the Cork City match for us as a club showed how much we progressed as a club over the last number of years. Teams like Cork City are looking at us for preseason, which goes on to show how much the club has moved on over the last number of years. From an exercise point of view it was worthwhile for both sides. For us it was about our build up to the Collingwood for coming up against League of Ireland sides like UCD. We set ourselves up really well.

It was a first time experience for a lot of guys in the team, with some never having experienced that level of football and it was great to get that result behind us” Eyes wide open and optimistic, Healy sat excited ahead of the next few weeks. But, for every work of grace and perpetration, cold reality hit as he opened up on the realities of managing UCC. Despite these problems; Healy was quick to stress the importance of institutions such as UCC in developing Irish talent and the need for League of Ireland to strengthen relations with universities.

“It is never an easy job looking after college teams. Every year we lose anything from six to nine players. Last year we lost nine players but we were fortunate enough to get Sean O’Mahony back, but at Christmas we lost eight players. You are building and rebuilding every single year. What we have done over the last six or seven years is raise the standard of college football of UCC as a club. Now we are getting really good players coming in from a high standard to our club and settling in really well. The demands are very different. What people don’t

realise is that these guys are coming in after their leaving cert and experiencing college life with the fun side as well as the sporting side of it. Semesterisation changing has caused an awful lot of stress on the guys with mental tiredness around December/ May period. It is very hard to manage all that” Despite these problems; Healy was quick to stress the importance of institutions such as UCC in developing Irish talent and the need for League of Ireland to strengthen relations with universities.

“If you look over the last number of months, an awful lot of people have moved on to Championship over in England. Maynooth and St. Pats have a number of players who have really come through the college system. If you look at Sean McLaughlin; three years I met him when he was in the under 19s and felt that the next move was really important for him. For him to get two years playing Munster Senior League and playing in competitive tournaments like the Collingwood, it was a great guide for him to step up to League of Ireland standard and slot in a lot quicker than he would if he had spent a season or two on the bench. Players are starting to see the benefit of playing competitive university football and Collingwood and for us the Munster Senior League as well” “What we have learned over the last couple of years, people thought in the past that when you are fifteen sixteen seventeen years of age that your days of going across the water are gone. In another two years your days of joining a League of Ireland club are gone.

We are seeing the reserve of things with players going over to England.

Seani Maguire was 22, Kevin O’Connor was 22. All these guys proved that if you spend a couple of years more in your own local leagues that you benefit more and when you go over to England when you are a little bit older than fifteen sixteen you are more mature. This is standing to a lot of clubs over the last number of seasons” Dundalk’s European successes, Cork City FC’s rise to prominence, and St. Patrick’s Athletic’s late-season surge, have all been the rewards of university football. David McMillan and Ciaran Kilduff made their names

known in UCD’s 2010 Collingwood success, while Sean McLaughlin won Player of the Tournament in 2017 for UCC, with former Pats turned Peterborough goalkeeper Conor O’Malley lining out for Maynooth.

Using universities to develop talent is a key tool which Healy believes is the way forward for League of Ireland clubs and Irish football.

“A lot of League of Ireland clubs need players to be playing on a regular basis and they can’t afford to sign for a club and sit on the bench and come off without having played a game.

The clubs are using it more than the college for getting game time. I think it is a natural progression now because League of Ireland clubs believe that these guys have benefited from playing at university and international games as well such as the Regions Cup. Anyone who has played in Collingwood and played in the College University League over the last number of years have experienced a really good standard of football and it has definitely helped them progress in the long run” Going forward, this ideal system is not without its problems as Healy was quick to note.

“I suppose there is a big difference between difference between League of Ireland and our side of things in UCC. Talking about our side of things in UCC, they are a summer league and we have a winter league so we have a bit of a crossover problem with people who are nineteen and coming out of under 19s. With the season finishing in October they cannot register with the college until January which is a big problem. Once those barriers are closed with the season finishing a little bit earlier this year because they are starting earlier this year, then players coming from under 19’s can come out and naturally go into college football and still be associated with the club they played for. Maybe in three to six years’ time; they might not be at the League of Ireland standard now, but if they move on with the college. Now I can see League of Ireland clubs moving closer and working harder with university teams over the next four to six years”

SPORT

ISSUE 08| UCC Express

Alcohol and the G.A.A Dylan O’Connell, Sports Editor The hectic G.A.A schedule this time of year sees inter-county players reach top-conditioning even before the summer months. Between Fitzgibbon and Sigerson cups, under 21 competitions, inter-county duties not to mention club commitments, it goes without saying that the responsibilities of an inter-county player can be perceived to be excessive from time to time.

With the recent Championship restructure, more games will now be played, an aspect of the G.A.A which many fans were vehemently demanding.

However, one underlying aspect of the games ever precedes: down-time for the inter-county players. Many former players have recently spoken passionately with regard to the various drinking bans and various other restrictions that were put in place during their time as an inter-county player. Kieran Bergin, the former Tipperary hurler and footballer, recently spoke with the Irish Daily Star. Bergin expressed his dismay surrounding the level of dedication

required in modern-day inter-county G.A.A: “The level of commitment they are asking is basically give up drink for the entire year.”

Furthermore, Bergin believes that there is a stark comparison ever-present between the worlds of professional sports and Gaelic Games with regard to alcohol. Bergin’s irritation is expressed with the use of Rugby players as an example: “Rugby players, I know they are full time. They can afford to go to the sauna and sweat it (alcohol) out of them.”

Tomás Ó Sé also had his say on the matter. He believes that there is a conflicting and paradoxical culture within the life of an inter-county player, insofar as that: “You train to be as close as you can to an elite athlete, then do the equivalent of taking a sledgehammer to your body two or three times a season.”

Tomás also availed of an example from the professional realm of sport.

Many of his Nemo Rangers teammates would have had close ties with former Cork City soccer player Damien Delaney, who now plays with Premier League side Crystal

Palace. Tomás recalls of a night out in which one of his team mates went to visit Damien: “the boys went out together after a Palace game and my buddy said Damien had a single glass of wine with his dinner. After that, they went to a club where Damien nursed a single vodka before slipping off home long before everybody else.”.

I agree with Tomás’ analysis of the stark comparison between the professional world and amateur world of sport: “That’s the difference. He might do that every single week and it’s not going to harm him in the slightest.

A GAA county man might go socialising three times in six months but, every time he does, it’s like Armageddon for his vital organs.”

It almost seems as if inter-county players are being held captive for much of their lives. Once a goal is achieved, it appears the sheer antithesis of all the training regimes and endless hours of preparation is engaged in.

Eddie Brennan, an eight-time All-Ireland hurling winner, believes that drinking bans “can lead to binge drinking and fellas going off the rails after being wound up so tight.”

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Brennan recites his own time as a player and explained that there was more of a Laissez-faire attitude towards alcohol under the reign of Brian Cody: “When I played for Kilkenny, Brian (Cody) trusted us enough to have a couple of pints at a suitable time.” he stated.

With all the above considered, it is safe to say that with the addition of multiple games in the summer, managers’ discretion of when to and when not to allow players to delve into the multi-faceted realm of intoxication. Manager’s decisions will prove pivotal for the longevity and sustainability for both their players and Gaelic Games as a whole.

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SPORT

ISSUE 08 | UCC Express

The NFL’s Draft System: To soe from Washington State College. cruiting radar, rendering his chances pressed the striking view that “I do Instead, Cleveland Browns had first of being drafted the following year as not feel I am a piece of property to Draft or not to Draft? pick last year, a contrast which highlights that the draft system offers less Claire Joyce, Deputy Sports Editor successful teams the opportunity to enhance their squad to compete with The countdown is on to the 52nd Sutheir prolific rivals. per Bowl showdown: the commercial climax of the NFL’s calendar. To some Indeed, the idealistic levelling of such of us on this side of the Atlantic pond, a playing field fulfils the system’s the NFL is a somewhat alien concept. objective to eliminate competition A certain quirk of this sporting instiamongst recruiters; yet, in contrast, tution, which is prevalent in other US the system undermines certain legal sports, is particularly alien to most rights of the draftees, specifically the Europeans: the draft system. freedom of movement. Whilst travelling around the globe to compete Rather uncommon in the Europein Open championships may be a far an sporting sphere, where the tradicry from a typical 9-5 office job, protional transfer system triumphs, the fessional sports persons are no difAmerican draft system, in particular ferent to an office employee as both the pre-season entry draft system, enjoy the same employment rights as aims to eliminate the monopolisaworkers. Yet, due to the cultural bention of the sporting league by proefits stemming from it, sport is treatviding that the least successful team ed as an exception to the legal rule: from the previous season gets first an exception which extends into the pick from the best of the emerging employment domain, and is no more talent. So in a theoretical draft-oriso apparent than in the draft system. entated English Premier League, last year’s bottom-side, Sunderland, From a player’s perspective, there excould enhance their midfield by ists an element of restraint of trade as maximising their first pick to choose the system violates the concept of a an Eden Hazard equivalent, perhaps? free labour market by limiting a poIndeed, such a system, in theory at tential draftee to negotiate a contract least, guarantees a level bargaining with only the team that has drafted power amongst all recruiting clubs him. So if a player rejects the offer by ensuring the equal distribution from a recruiter, he is refused further of talented young players across all admission to the system that year and clubs. This is exemplified by the fact is forced to wait until the following that reigning Super Bowl champiseason. This may have severe reperons, New England Patriots, have not cussions for the player as, in light of secured a first pick since 1993 when no further affiliation with a college, they signed quarterback Drew Bledhis profile could slip under the re-

rather low.

This is a blatant undermining of the freedom of contractual choice: an inhibition which, needless to say, would not be tolerated in “conventional” workplaces where new employees are entitled to seek employment wherever a new job opportunity may arise, subject to conditions regarding notice periods.

Yet, the restrictions do not stop there.

Further restrictions include how old a drafter must be before they are eligible to be drafted, and how much money they can earn due to NFL collective bargaining agreements, which severely limit the salaries of the young players. However, it is these bargaining agreements between the league and, ironically, the labour unions representing the players, which facilitate such degrading draft systems.

This demeaning aspect of the system was emphasised in the case of Flood v. Kuhn where a baseball player ex-

be bought and sold irrespective of my wishes.” As disappointing as it is to say, however, players continue to be treated as so; as a commercial commodity bought and sold by clubs, without any consideration of the player’s interests or personal preferences.

Yet, it is this commercial element of the draft system and, arguably, the NFL as a whole which disguises the demeaning nature of this system. The upcoming Super Bowl is expected to attract viewership of a staggering 115 million people in the US alone.

How many of those viewers consider the method in which their sporting icons are hired or consider the manner in which the supporting of such events is indirectly the supporting of such degrading treatment? Very few, I imagine. Irrespective of such views, the system continues to thrive on the legal exception bestowed upon the cultural medium of sport. Yet, for those of you brave enough to stay up into the early hours of February 5th, consider the following question: to draft or not to draft?

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ISSUE 08 | UCC Express ... continued from back page.

Though, having put them in the lead b before this, Kevin O’Neill wasn’t soon levelling matters for the visitors while Colm Keane increased the lead for the visitors during the first quarter.

A foul on UCC’s Tom Devine by CIT’s Darragh Fanning saw John Power diverting his effort wide off the mark.

Collins made up for his poor puck out by scoring the free to level the game.

Moments later possession was lost as UCC’s Jack Barry went on the charge from the goal before passing to Michael Breen. The shot went narrowly wide. Collins pucked to Jerry O’Neill on the restart. As a battle between UCC’s Mark O’Brien and CIT’s Kevin Galvin allowed for the ball to be thrown back in between CIT’s Kevin O’Neill and UCC’s Rickard Cahalane. David Griffin made a charge upstream, laying off to Mark O’Brien before Conor Hammersley cleared for the home side before Robbie O’Flynn took a clash of hurls and went down.

Daragh Fitzgibbon had added to UCC’s lead but a later puck to Shane Forde was missed. UCC continued to hassle their rivals, with Conor Gleeson and Robbie O’Flynn making inroads.

CIT retrieved possession through Niall Fives, feeding Tomas O’Connor in the process. Jerry O’Neill levelling matters for the home side midway through the second quarter of the half. While Sean O’Donoghue cleared the danger in the end, a later foul on Shane Forde saw John Power placing the free wide. UCC reclaimed passion from the puck out.

The 2nd half started and CIT were awarded a free early on. Patrick Collins slotting over the free from outside the goalmouth. Soon after CIT began to get into their groove. UCC retrieved possession and grabbed a point through Mark Coleman. UCC began asserting control on the game, as Sean O’Donoghue distributed the ball to Conor Gleeson with the ball making its way to Mark Breen in a free taking capacity. The ball going wide this time.

A foul on Michael Kearney saw Jerry O’Neill come onto the ball for CIT. Eddie Gunning hooked the ball out of danger for the away side. CIT did retrieve the ball after Collin’s puck out was taken by Mark O’Brien. The free

which was awarded gave Collins a chance to redeem himself but it went wide. Eddie Gunning again getting on the ball before feeding John Power.

The ball went to Rickard Cahalane who slotted over.

That left it a four point lead to the away side.

CIT knew they had to get back in the game and took initiative through David Noonan. Michael Breen took to block him this time. The ball later falling into UCC’s keepers hands through Gleeson’s tackle on O’Connor.

Shane Kingston slotted over the next free given before UCC put paid to CIT’s hopes with a goal from O’Flynn in the last five minutes of the game. The final score read: UCC 1-19, CIT 0-12.

With momentum gathered, UCC faced an organised UCD at the Mardyke. From the start UCD held their Cork rivals, with the Dubliners’ talisman DJ Foran kicking off proceedings, slotting over a third minute free. UCC responded swiftly, with Charleville star Darragh Fitzgibbon levelling the score with a point from the midfield mark. However, UCD pushed ahead with neat passing between James Maher, Stephen Quirke and, finally, Tom Phelan resulting in the latter firing the small ball into the left-hand corner of the net, past UCC goalkeeper, Jack Barry, to make it 0-01 to 1-01 in favour of the visitors.

Unfortunately for the Cork students, UCD held the lead for the rest of the game and whilst scores from John Cashman and John Power narrowed the gap to one point, the capital’s students pushed ahead once again to make the score 0-03 to 1-03 with a well taken free from the omnipresent Foran and one point from James

Maher. Yet UCC never gave up, with free-taker Fitzgibbon narrowing the gap to two with a clinical free. A 15 minute tackle by UCD’s Seamus Flanagan earned him a yellow card, with the resulting free struck wide by Fitzgibbon. Another wide from UCC’s Eoghan Murphy was to follow, yet, Fitzgibbon’s free-taking kept UCC in touch with the visitors as the score was now 0-06 to 1-04.

But, once again, UCD extended the lead with a quick pass from Tadhg de Búrca to Stephen Quirke, allowing Quirke to fire the sliotar over the bar. A Fitzgibbon free dropped into the UCD square, with UCC’s Robbie O’Flynn slotting the ball over for a much-needed point for the home side.

A further two frees from the prolific Foran extended the visitors’ lead by three points once again.

UCC sought to reduce the deficit with Seán Hayes’ goal-bound shot deflected over the bar by UCD goalkeeper, Darragh Hughes. Another two frees from Foran made the scoreline 0-08 to 1-09 at halftime, with the visitors clearly the more content of the two sides.

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UCD were first out of the gate for the second half, with Foran slotting over another point, Yet a tight angled point from UCC’s Mark O’Brien narrowed the gap to four once more. In what was beginning to resemble a table tennis contest between both team’s free-takers, UCC’s Fitzgibbon slotted over a free only to be followed by three consecutive frees from Foran to give the visitors even more headway with the score at 0-10 to 1-13. A tackle on UCC’s Michael Breen lead to a well-taken free by Fitzgibbon, yet Foran continued to impress with two more clinical frees. The Cork students persevered, however, with another point and an attempt at goal spurned wide close to the final mark. While UCC will undoubtedly rue their missed chances, it was a deserved victory for the visitors who left the Mardyke with a score of 0-13 to 1-15.

A daunting task waits UCC of an away trip to University of Limerick, hinging on CIT losing to UCD next week in Dublin.

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UCCExpress.ie | Volume 21 | Issue 08 | January 30, Tuesday

UCC were able to defeat local rivals CIT in the Fitzgibbon Cup, but later fell to UCD (Photo: Matt Browne/Sportsfile)

Mixed opening for UCC Hurling

Dylan O’Connell & Adrian McGearty with an away quarterfinal following a win against CIT but a loss to UCD. Following a mixed opening for UCC UCC opened the campaign with a consenior hurling in the Fitzgibbon Cup, vincing 1-19 to 0-12 point victory over the college will have to sweat it out

, e H a ll Dever e n tr e dent C tu S Cork UCC o ll e g e r s it y C U n iv e

DAY TUES UARY N A J 30TH M–3PM 11A

OD ON T

AY!

CIT. The game itself started at a frantic pace as both teams came out of the traps with great fire. It was level early doors as Michael Kearney stroked over a free for CIT just before the tenth minute. That

allowed CIT take a one point lead in proceedings, as Tom Devine had given UCC the lead before this.

Continued inside...

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