University Express Vol. 22: Issue 7 by University Express

University Volume 22 | Issue Sevem | Tuesday 29th January 2019

Express UCCExpress.ie

UCC to Review Ties with Nobel Prize Winner Ciaran Dineen, News Editor

alls have been made for University College Cork to cut its ties with well-known scientist and former Nobel Prize Winner, Dr James Watson. This comes in light of comments repeated by Watson, 90, in which is claimed that there is a correlation between race and intelligence. In 2007 Dr Watson, who helped discover the structure of DNA, said that in reference to the prospects of Africa that “all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours, whereas all the testing says, not really.” In 2016 when UCC decided to name a building after the 90 year-old they were questioned over their decision but stood firm on the reasons for doing so. However, in a recent documentary with an American network, Watson unashamedly reiterated his views by saying, “there’s a difference on the average between blacks and whites on IQ tests. I would say the difference is, it’s genetic.” As a direct

Protests over fees and placement payment for pharmacy students saw changes in leglislation, allowing students to recieve payment for their placment internships. Photo: @KarinCarthy via Twitter. result fresh calls have been made to UCC administrators to now sever their ties with Dr Watson in light of these comments. Speaking to the Irish Examiner a few weeks ago, Professor John McInerney of the Department of Physics in UCC said “every trace of this vile and loathsome individual should be scrubbed from this university and any other institution which he may have contaminated with his actual or virtual presence, even temporarily, over the years.

This extirpation should be as quick of the building’s name. In a letter and public as possible so that he is addressed to the Deputy President, Prof Finnegan said, “it is our view still alive to witness it.” On the other hand people of a different that the naming decision does opinion may feel like such an action constitute a significant impairment is over-the-top given Dr Watson’s to the University’s reputation. incredibly important contribution Given the symbolic and practical to science and such remarks don’t significance of honorific processes, discredit his work. However, this we would like to strongly urge the sentiment is certainly not felt by the group to present a recommendation Chair of the Equality Committee, for revocation.” She went on to Professor Nuala Finnegan, who argue that the comments made by Dr has had a petition filtered to all Watson do not reflect the values that UCC stands for, these being equality, students to back the revocation Continued on page 3

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Page 11 Features

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Editorial

Taking a Stand

In This Issue.... Cork Needs More Apartments

Success in Sustainability

Calling for Peer Support Leaders

What the Eff, Bus Éireann?

Advice about Life, From a Man Who Died

Passion vs. Game

Outrage, Men, and a Shaving Company

The Curse of ‘Balanced Debate’

Byline: Music, Fashion, TV & More

Issue Seven | Tuesday 29th January 2019 | University Express

15-30

Sport: Fitzgibbon and Sigerson Cups

Sport: Lowry Delights in Abu Dhabi

Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief Cailean Coffey (Editor@UCCExpress.ie) News Editor Ciaran Dineen(News@UCCExpress.ie) Designer Holly McGrath (Design@UCCExpress.ie) Features Editor Fergal Smiddy (Features@UCCExpress.ie) Sports Editor Declan Gleeson (Sport@UCCExpress.ie) Opinion Editor Samantha Calthrop (Opinion@UCCExpress.ie) Eagarthóir Gaeilge James McAuliffe (Gaeilge@UCCExpress.ie) Online Editor Fiona Keeley (Online@UCCExpress.ie) Marketing Executive Robert O’Sullivan (Marketing@UCCExpress.ie) Webmaster Michael Forde (Webmaster@UCCExpress.ie) Photographers Célem Deegan, Eve Harrington, James Kells, Ben Kavanagh (Photographers@uccexpress.ie) Staff Writers: Sinead O’Sullivan; Tara Leigh-Matthews James MacSweeney; Lauren McDonnell Byline Editor Ciara Dinneen (Byline@UCCExpress.ie) Fiction Editor Laura Riordan (Fiction@UCCExpress.ie) Humour Editor Callum Casey (Humour@UCCExpress.ie) Arts & Literature Editor Éadaoin Regan (Arts@UCCExpress.ie) Gaming Editor Cian McGrath (Gaming @UCCExpress.ie) Music Editor Caoimhe Coleman (Music@UCCExpress.ie) Film & Television Editor Joesph Cunningham (Screen@UCCExpress.ie ) Sexpress Editor Rían Browne (Sexpress@uccexpress.ie)

Cailean Coffey, Editor-in-Chief

Welcome back to the latest issue of The University Express! The first two weeks of college have already flown by and, as I’m sure many of you are well aware, final year fear is begining to rear its head once again. I myself this year have similar worries. As a psychology student (as I’m sure it is for any of the other survey-based subjects) getting participants for your research project must be one of the most difficult things in the world. You quickly realise that a mass e-mail just won’t cut it and that asking someone for even 10 minutes of their time is like asking for an internal organ, people are just so unwilling to give it up, but we continue asking nonetheless. It’s been a very busy Christmas period for many, in particular to Pharmacy students up and down the country. For those not up to speed, pharmacy students have, in the past two months in particular, been protesting the fact that recent course alterations mean that it is illegal for students to be paid for their four month placement in fourth year and their eight month placement during their fifth year. This change has made it almost impossible for some students to live during their placement, considering the ever-rising cost of rent in every city, and the cost of transport to get them to their placement each day. The protest was also bringing attention to the fact that fees for fifth year have risen from €3,000 to €7,500. Since December, representatives of all pharmacy students have appeared on TV and radio shows across every platform, including Joe Duffy’s Liveline show on RTÉ Radio One show, Red FM’s Neil Prendeville show, as well as Newstalk and Today FM. Last Thursday (January 24th), they marched on the Dáil Éireann protesting the changes and demanding that the possibility of payment be reinstated. Their protests took the front pages of almost every national newspaper in the country, and grabbed the attention of ministers and TD’s inside. Thankfully, the government has seen now seen sense, and the ban on paid placement has been lifted. Personally, this marks a special moment in student politics, the moment where university students came together and rallied behind a cause that impacted no one but themselves, and for it to get noticed and for alterations to be made nationally is an incredible achievement. Everyone from The University Express would like to congratulate everyone involved in the movement, and pharmacy students in particular for standing up for whats fair. I hope you enjoy this issue of the University Express, I hope you all have a fantastic week and that your FYP doesn’t put too much for a dampener on your mood. It will be over in no time! All the best, Cailean

editor@uccexpress.ie

New Year New… Ah you Know the Rest Ciaran Dineen, News Editor

Firstly welcome back to UCC and a Happy New Year to all of our wonderful readers. So we’re all back to reality following our love affair with mince pies, pringles and turkey over the Christmas period, and yes, this is it, this is the year where I change, this is the year for me….well hopefully. It’s always good to come into a new year with some sort of personal aspirations that you wish to achieve over the next 12 months. For some it might be giving up the drink – good luck -, for others it might be getting that perfect summer bod, or even just putting that little bit of extra hard work into something, whatever you choose, GO FOR IT! By the time most of you are reading this I should, – please God – be in Brussels with the USI, representing UCC and the University Express as a student journalist, so I hope to do you all proud. I look forward to my trip given the incredible circumstances which currently revolve around Brexit. To be fair the chaotic mess that has ensued over the last two years, along with the calamitous planning and negotiating, should make anyone who does a lastminute.com assignment feel that it can’t be as bad as that cluster****. There is plenty of content in this edition of the University Express, particularly in the news section. Lots of stories broke out over the last month or so involving both UCC and university students in general. A key theme in this paper is how Cork is progressing to become a modern and more sustainable city. We are beginning to see more and more shifts towards the importance of living in a clean and natural environment, while aiming to utilise the space that we have as efficiently as possible. Professor Frank Crowley gives his thoughts on why Cork needs to have more apartments, while our Online Editor, Fíona Keeley shows how UCC is leading the way at a university level in our relationship with the environment. This leads to some interesting reading so I hope you enjoy it! Tóg go bog é, news@uccexpress.ie #uccexpress Ciaran.

News

Issue Seven | Tuesday 29th January 2019 | University Express

Economics Lecturer:

‘Cork Needs More Apartments’ Ciaran Dineen, News Editor

UCC’s Dr Frank Crowley has backed the decision to grant planning permission for the construction of a 10-storey apartment building on Victoria Road. The plans will see a total of 19 apartments being built, while the development company, Target Ark Ltd, have also laid out proposals for a restaurant and café on the ground of the building. Dr Crowley is a lecturer in the School of Economics in UCC and has published many articles in urban and regional development, and has a particular interest in spatial economics. The move to build such apartments is a step in the right direction according to Dr Crowley, who told the University Express that “the sign of residential apartment development in the city centre is extremely welcome and long overdue.” It is well known that the housing crisis in the country is felt strongest in places such as Cork City and its surrounding areas. While building houses is important, it is not often the most practical and in comparison to many other European Countries, Ireland builds nowhere near as many apartment blocks as what they should. According to statistics from the European Commission on population and dwellings, less than 8% of Irish people live in a ‘flat’ or apartment. This largely contrasts a country such as Spain, where the figure lies at nearly 70%, with the EU average being about 45%. Of all countries

in the European Union only three see more than two-fifths of their population residing in semi-detached houses. These are the UK – 60%, the Netherlands - 58% and Ireland 52%. Such figures emphasise a culture obsessed with owning individual large dwellings as opposed to the more economical apartment. If spatial resources were allocated in a more productive way then perhaps we would see a significant alteration in the housing market. According to Dr Crowley we need to begin to address these flaws urgently. He says that “the stock of apartments in Cork is only 18% of total housing stock in the city. The city badly needs centrally located apartments for an increasing proportion of our households that only contain one and two persons and with inner city office space in high demand.” While the concept of modern, highrise apartments located within the City itself is a sign of progression, much more needs to be done to tackle the crisis that we currently have. Over the next five years the units of houses to be built is set to rise year on year from about 20,000 to 30,000. To meet current demand this target of 30,000 is needed already. In relation to apartments Dr Crowley reiterates something similar by saying, “we are going to need around 5000 each year until 2040 to satisfy unmet and future demand. Clearly the supply is well below where it needs to be.”

UCC Launch Food Institute Ciaran Dineen, News Editor

University College Cork has recently launched its new Food Institute, which represents a growing development in food research and education in Ireland. Jim Corbett, Director of the Food Institute in UCC, described it as "an exciting development which will make a strategic contribution to regional and national food industry development, innovation and success, and which builds upon the strong UCC Food legacy. I am delighted to see such a strong and positive attendance at our launch event and look forward to progressing our aims in close co-operation between my UCC colleagues, government agencies and our indigenous and international food industry partners.” UCC are taking a leading role when it comes to the agri-food sector of late, having announced last year that a new Agricultural Science degree will soon be made available to new incoming students. The college has recently celebrated its 90th year

anniversary of food education and the new institute will bring “top tier researchers, educators and industry representatives together in a crossdisciplinary research environment, with a strong industry focus on delivering innovative science and technologies.” UCC continues to be the top university in the country in this sector and moves such as this should see them reach even higher standards. Uncertainty caused by Brexit may give the Food Institute and UCC the opportunity to attract more foreign and international students to Cork. It is also important for the prosperity of the nation’s agri-food sector as a whole given the complications in the UK. This was referred to by Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed, who said, “given the uncertain challenges posed by Brexit, collaboration with other European and International institutes by UCC in areas of research and education can only strengthen and enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of Ireland’s agri-food industry.” 

Cover Story Continued respect, dignity and integrity. It seems that the Naming of Assets Working Group will have a key role to play in this matter. New revisions to the protocols for naming assets in UCC have been highlighted by the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion unit (EDI), which outlines that, “the University reserves the right to revoke a naming decision if it constitutes a significant

and continuing impairment to the University’s reputation or if the agreed-upon philanthropic contributions are significantly reduced. The authority to revoke a naming decision rests with UMTO upon recommendation of the Naming of Assets Working Group.” A meeting is set to take place in the next week or so where this issue will be discussed.

News

Issue Seven | Tuesday 29th January 2019 | University Express

Success in Sustainability for UCC Fiona Keeley, Online Editor

his year, University College Cork grabbed headlines by becoming the only Irish university to make the list of the top ten most sustainable universities in the world. This is a big achievement for UCC and one that both staff and students have been working towards for some time. A number of improvements have been made across main campus as well as in each of the satellite campuses to reduce the university's carbon footprint, showing real signs of progress. The efforts made in an attempt to make the university more environmentally friendly has impacted significantly on student lives for the better. This shows the message from the entire university community is aimed at spreading the idea of a greener and more sustainable environment. The Boole library has played a pivotal role in reducing the college’s carbon footprint. Since September 2017 they have been running a ‘Ditch the Disposables’ campaign

that encourages both students and staff to bring reusable coffee cups into the library with them instead of disposable coffee cups. Based on the fact that 200 million coffee cups are disposed in Ireland each year, this is UCC Library’s way of responding to such a high figure. This message is well communicated to any library user before even entering the facility though the use of large signs in the window. It is also well advertised on the ground floor of the library. This is heartening to see as it shows a commitment to UCC’s green cause. The introduction of bins only on the ground floor of the Boole has furthered the library’s green footprint effort as students studying on upper floors are now expected to bring their rubbish down with them after they have finished their day’s work. Outside of the library, noticeable changes are being made too, with the introduction of the Bio Green Cafe in the Biomedical Institute. This cafe was launched by KSG Catering and is the first cafe of its

kind in Ireland. It serves beverages in ceramic mugs and encourages the use of take-home cups if customers plan to take drinks away with them. But that is not the only change within the cafe experience. Everything from the plates that you are served your food on down to the plastic sauce sachets have been replaced by reusable substitutes. The CEO of KSG, Michael Gleeson commented, “It has been great to work on this project in collaboration with UCC and both students and staff have embraced the changes in a really positive way. It feels like we have made a significant step forward in turning things around and reducing plastic use on campus.” KSG have collaborated with UCC to introduce the ‘Meatless Monday’ initiative in the Main Restaurant each week following the results of a recent scientific study which revealed following a plant based diet is one positive impact a person can make to reduce their carbon footprint. The Green Campus programme has been at the fulcrum of expanding

this more sustainable approach to life in UCC. Green Campus involves a seven-step programme and a cycle of constant improvements across themes such as energy, waste, water, biodiversity and transport. It considers how we can take the planet into consideration in our everyday decisions. When approached for comment on the improvements that have taken place in UCC the Sustainability Officer Maria Kirrane stated “UCC have taken serious steps over the last number of years to put sustainability and care for the environment at the heart of everything that we do. These are genuine projects that result in a real improvement to our environmental footprint. We are committed to pushing the boundaries so that we can demonstrate to others what is possible. We achieve this because of the way in which the many offices, groups and individuals across UCC come together to deliver on this shared ambition. It is down to genuine teamwork and is something that we can all be proud of.” 

News

Issue Seven | Tuesday 29th January 2019 | University Express

24 Hour Bus to Help Thousands of Cork Students

Ciaran Dineen, News Editor

n mid-January, Ireland’s first ever public transport 24-hour bus was launched, much to the delight of thousands of Cork students. The 220 bus service operates through highly populated towns in Cork, such as Ballincollig, Douglas and Carrigaline, and as a result is utilised by huge numbers of students who commute to college on a daily basis.

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‘City Life’

The change comes following a huge lobbying effort by residents in both Carrigaline, Crosshaven and Ballincollig areas. Over the past 18 months the reliability of the service has been slammed by the public, creating great anger. So bad was the situation at one point in time that even the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, made reference to the 220 service in a session in the Dáil. Local Councillors on both sides of the city were regularly inundated with complaints from their constituents over constant delays and unsatisfactory experiences with the bus service. Not only has the 220 become a 24 hour bus, but for large parts of the day it will operate at a frequency of one bus every 15 minutes. This news has been received with open arms by students in Cork’s two main Universities, CIT and UCC. Not only should the reliability of the service be now improved due to the sheer amount of buses on the go at one time, but it also gives them the opportunity to use the bus as opposed to taxis to return home on social nights. The bus should now also perhaps encourage other students to use public transport to commute to college or to work instead of using their own private vehicles. This move would show a positive trend in our views on climate change, where we shift away from car-

dependency towards an integrated public transport network. It follows on from calls made recently by Cork councillors suggesting that to improve Ireland’s track record on climate change by reducing the number of cars on the road then public transport should be made free of charge. Other prominent figures have suggested that an overhaul of how we prioritise our roads should be debated. A system which involves bus corridors throughout the city has been touted as a radical but sensible proposal. Such an idea would encourage commuters who are sick of bumper – to – bumper traffic, to use the bus, of which would use the traffic-free corridors. It seems that the government of the day is taking the Ireland and Cork 2040 project relatively seriously. Two weeks ago it was reported that a new transport plan for the ‘Rebel County’ will cost over €3 billion. Included in the plan are proposals a Luas-style, light railway system to operate around the city and branching to nearby satellite towns and centres. However, many believe that the time for action is now and that plans to reduce the number of cars on the road should be fast-tracked. The now infamous ban of cars on St. Patrick’s street during certain hours brought with it an incredibly mixed response. The power of local businesses and their backlash initially fought off Cork City Council during its original implementation. However, following a successful secondphase of the project during the final quarter of 2018, the ban is now here to stay. The future of transport in the city is certainly taking a step in the right direction but it remains to be seen as to whether this positive trend will be a matter taken seriously in the years ahead. 

Features

Issue Seven | Tuesday 29th January 2019 | University Express

UCC’s Peer Support Programme searches for new Peer Support Leaders – Could you be one? Ciara Dineen, Byline Editor

n order to ease the transition into university life, which can be a major adjustment process for many, UCC runs a Peer Support programme in which current university students act as a point of information and support for a handful of incoming first years. Incoming students can contact their Peer Support Leader (PSL) at any point throughout their first year in college with any questions, queries or worries they may have about life at UCC. Any student interested in the programme can apply to become a PSL.

actively involved for several years now and with that experience, I think I can confidently say that the transition to third level education is made much easier for many students due to the presence of this programme. What does Peer Support do for students?

As most university students probably know for themselves, adjusting to life at university can be extremely difficult, especially for those who have long commutes or who might have moved out of home for the first time. The PSL programme acts University Express had a chat with a as an aid by being a more personal current Peer Support Leader (PSL), point for information and support for Ahmed Khaled, about what it means such students. Every incoming first to be a PSL and why students should year student is linked with a trained Peer Support Leader who can act as get involved in the programme. the first port of call for any questions What do you think of the Peer or worries regarding life on campus, Support programme here in UCC? from academic to social aspects. I love the peer support programme Why did you become a Peer Support at UCC and honestly believe it's Leader? an amazing addition to services available on campus. I've been I initially looked in to the Peer

Support programme mostly out of curiosity after I was handed a flier during peer support's annual recruitment drive back when I was in first year. I then decided to read up more on the programme. At the time I knew very little about the exact services that were provided but having recently joined university life myself, I liked the idea of passing on what I've learned from my experiences on to other students. Why should students apply to be a PSL? Being a PSL is an extremely rewarding role. It allows you to meet countless amazing people and make many new friends, all while helping new students adjust to life on campus. Not to mention it looks great on your CV! What did you get out of becoming a PSL? Another plus is the minimal amount of compulsory commitment, outside

of monthly emails and orientation week (extremely fun time!). Any other work done is completely voluntary and so very easy to fit into hectic college schedules. Peer Support recruitment is open now with applications closing at 5pm Friday, February 8th . Applications are open to all current students who will be registered in UCC for the 2019/20 academic year, this includes ﬁnal years returning for a Postgraduate Degree. The online application form and more information on the programme can be found on their website www.ucc. ie/en/pass. An information evening on the programme will also take place at 6pm Tuesday, February 5th in ORB 156 if you wish to meet current Peer Support Leaders.

Issue Seven | Tuesday 29th January 2019 | University Express

Features

What the Eff, Bus Éireann?

s any college student would know, the way to break the ice and make new friends won't come about by discussing drink or the rise in the price of drinks. The guaranteed conversation starter is Ireland’s golden boy for transport – Bus Éireann. There is no way a college student cannot be touched by the deadly fumes and the cramped spaces of the bus service. When Bus Éireann enters the conversation, the topic of late and disappearing buses follow. As a young person relying solely on their leap card to get anywhere, I have more than once witnessed the confused faces of tourists as they assumed they were at the wrong stop because the bus has not arrived as the timetable specified. Another way (‘special’ way) that Ireland is a snowflake country when it comes to standards for its citizens. Hint of rant for change over.

Éireann for comment on this issue, Róisin O’Donnell, Deputy Features Editor but they have yet to get back… more than two months later. I In the run-up to Christmas, the the bus arose from passengers of cannot devote a single paragraph to angry passengers of Bus Éireann's the 233 having to transfer buses explaining this issue and reporting sub-par services demanded an due to the condition of the seats. cases because it is more than just a improvement in the time-keeping Photos featured on thejournal.ie footnote. and reliability of buses. And now showed fungus growing on every here we are in the early days of an tattered red seat. What makes this A lot of the time I wonder what I am improving bus service thanks to story more disturbing is that it was truly paying €1.96 for when I take petitions, social media influence the passengers who had to bring the bus going to and from college. and information posters hung the issue forward to the driver in In the overpacked conditions up in the freezing weather. But order to transfer from the health- of the bus, passengers get away with violating ‘rules’ that drivers are we forgetting something? Is hazardous bus. Bus Éireann’s consistent lateness Another topic that is left out of cannot be bothered to enforce such merely a distraction for what is conversations about Bus Éireann as no eating, no drinking and no smoking. I have on a regular basis going on inside the buses? is the passengers and the mentality had to breathe in the fumes of Two weeks ago, a video circulated that has formed over time on the e-cigarettes and breakfast rolls. But Facebook feeds across the country bus. When going for the bus, nothing churns my stomach more of a Cork bus driver endangering the words morals, queues and than when a can is popped open or the lives of his paying passengers consideration do not exist. There a bottle is slurped in clear view of and the lives of people using the are two ends to the bus experience, people of all ages with different life streets around him by driving the on one end, people are not giving experiences. bus with his elbow, his attention up their seats for the elderly and on fixated on his phone. This illegal the other end, we are starting to see However, I do not need to interview a surge in the number of assaults or speak to anyone, to report on the act garnered 15k views. most casual offender and eye-sore The most recent issues from inside shared by passengers on social media. I have reached out to Bus to my journey, the driver. Speaking from experience, on Grand Parade I got the f-word screamed in my face when the driver had to reopen the door for me. Then he yelled another loud enough to pop my eardrums when secondary school girls formed a queue behind me to get on the bus. Too stunned and accepting I did nothing but take my seat and watch the driver rush to South Mall to end his shift. It is only fair that I mention, that I have had good experiences with drivers and none of them has had an Irish accent. A foreign sounding driver had the patience and goodhumour to show me how to use my first leap card when I was confused. Which (I hate to assume someone’s origins but I am going to anyway) shows the stark contrast between Ireland’s workers and the rest of the world’s. This is probably not the last feature on Bus Éireann I am going to write. I will end this instalment with a request to fellow passengers of Bus Éireann to question and not accept what we are given on the inside of the bus as the norm. 

Features

Issue Seven | Tuesday 29th January 2019 | University Express

Advice about Life, From a Man Who Knows What It’s Like to Lose it – an Interview with Mark Maxwell Fergal Smiddy, Features Editor

remembers from the time leading up to his death, as well as the ark Maxwell is a Dublinincident itself. based Career Guidance “One day, we were travelling Counsellor who works predominantly with the college around New-Zealand. We just student demographic. His recently- started this three-week tour of New released book, “Death, My Zealand over Christmas, while Guidance Counsellor” outlines his the Australian schools were on philosophy to finding a career that holiday. I went for a quick snooze one can be excited about, detailing on the bus, and I started snoring his own struggles with this really loudly. The lads thought I journey, which saw him move from was taking the piss, or trying to investment banking to Google, to embarrass them, but when they entrepreneurship and world travel. turned around – my respiratory The journey - and book - have been system couldn’t support my frame, made slightly more interesting by so – my body was just kind of the fact that Mark has been living folding inwards. My face was with Sudden Death Syndrome fully blue. and they said “oh shit, since dropping dead at age 18 something’s wrong here”. They stopped the bus, they carried me while travelling in New Zealand. off, and they gave me CPR on the Recalling the day he died, along side of the road. They kept going with his own perspectives at the for about ten minutes, and there time, with a sense of learned was no breath. The ambulance wisdom and reflection, Mark came along then, and they started Maxwell describes to me what he giving me external defibrillator

shocks. They gave me six of them, and there was still no breath. They put me in the ambulance and gave me six more of them on the way to the hospital. That was, like, way over the legal limit, but I weighed about 120 Kilos back then, so they said “Okay, he can handle it. Give him a few more shocks”. Towards the end of that, they started getting a breath, so they brought me to the hospital and put me into a coma straight away. I think it was about four days into the coma, things just started looking a lot better. Then, two days after that, after six days in total, I came out of the coma. I was still very foggy, like. I couldn’t walk and I could barely talk or think”. The succeeding months would prove to be some of the most difficult Mark had ever faced. His physical recovery involved having a pacemaker installed in his chest and saying goodbye to his beloved

sport of rugby – the sole driving force which had spurred on his passion and dedication throughout his youth. The incident also left Mark brain-damaged and suffering from short-term memory loss. All of this still excludes the trauma and deep emotional anguish any person – let alone an eighteen-year-old kid – would experience after such a truly horrific episode. However, with a positive mindset, along with some small but powerful steps towards the possibility of a brighter future, Mark began to plod his way steadily – determinedly – to recovery. It began with quitting alcohol, taking up a few new sports (as the high-impact intensity of rugby was now off the table) and focusing on keeping fit. Mark also spent seven hours a day – those same seven he once spent training his body for the rugby pitch – into learning Spanish, which mark describes as being like “resistance

Issue Seven | Tuesday 29th January 2019 | University Express

training for the mind”, eventually world and seeing where you can helping him in getting back his squeeze in and not get in anyone’s way, I want them to look inside short-term memory. When asked about how all of this themselves, see what they find in had culminated in him entering there, and see how they can go out the field of guidance counselling, and share that with the world. So, Mark sounds certain that his it’s kind of like career guidance current career stems largely from on its head, to be honest. It’s very what happened on that day in New driven, not by what the options are out there, but by what this person Zealand. actually wants to achieve”. “ Half of [the decision to go into guidance counselling] came from In his book, Mark ponders having a close proximity to death. over whether there is some Just that sudden realisation that, bigger reasoning behind the hang on, life is short. You do need incident in New Zealand, and to make the most of it. It’s about his subsequent diagnosis with finding what it is that lights your SADS. One possible explanation fire. Society is going to tell you he acknowledges is that perhaps what to do, but that might not it was a test – a test to see if he be what lights the fire; and your could abandon his former dreams friends might have something that lights theirs, but it mightn’t be the same thing that lights yours. You actually need to become an independent thinker, go off and find whatever it is that’s going to light yours”. When questioned about what separates his methods of guidance counselling from the conventional templates we are all too used to seeing in the Irish education system, Mark raises a few good points: “If someone tells me that they want to be a Barrister, I say “Cool. My friend is a Barrister. Here’s what they tell me it’s like. Here’s how much money they get paid in years one, two, three, four, five. This is what they spend their days doing. Here are some of the problems that they face”. Another thing would be that, I used to walk out of the career guidance counsellor’s office either half asleep, or possibly demotivated. So what I do is I motivate a lot. A huge part of my job is encouraging these young people to go out and show the world what they’ve got. There’s a culture in Ireland of “stick to the chosen path and you’ll be fine”; basically, be as invisible as you can and stay out of trouble. Whereas, I want these guys to – and this is a chapter in the book – live from the inside out. Instead of looking out at the

Features nothing” or “You know nothing until you know you know nothing”. If you go around looking at the world and thinking that you have it all figured out, you’re not gonna get as much out of it as you would if you looked at it the opposite way. So, these people should be going around with an open mind and trying to learn whatever they can, rather than build walls around their minds and not let anything else in”. When I bring up the subject of supposedly ‘unstable’ and ‘unemployable’ college courses, and whether students should go for their dream course or career despite it being somewhat of a risky field, Mark is eager to answer me with a

“If you go around looking at the world and thinking that you have it all figured out, you’re not gonna get as much out of it as you would if you looked at it the opposite way.”

of professional rugby stardom and craft a new life for himself. I was curious to get Mark’s opinion on young people who are dead-set on a particular path in life – college students who have a twenty-year career plan and a pension on their minds before they even get handed a diploma. It’s never made sense to me, and Mark revealed a similar outlook on the matter: “Yeah, that’s a scenario I face every now and then. One of the quotes I heard that changed me the most is “The wisest person is the person who knows they know

parable-esque personal anecdote. “Here’s the thing I learned: The challenge that companies are faced with when hiring graduates isn’t a skills challenge. An accounting firm isn’t hiring you because you did Accounting in college – they’ll take a few weeks to bring you up to speed on it. This is my phrase, and it’s pretty much what [companies] have told me, in one sentence: companies interview children, and hire adults. So, they get 800 applicants for a job. Most of them are children who are just there because their parents told

them to be there or whatever. They don’t think for themselves. They hire the ones who are adults. They hire the ones who walk in and say “This is why I did this course, I don’t care what you think about it, but this is why I did it. This is what I enjoyed the most about it. This is why I have this interview, because I enjoyed that thing” – the ones who are thinking proactively for themselves. So, when you go off and you study something like English and Politics, sure, it’s not a direct career path to anything; but if you go and engage with that course material, and show up to an interview and say “I’m really into what I’m doing, and I think I might be into what you guys are doing as well” – that’s so much more valuable than someone who has the ‘right degree’ who’s just sleepwalking through life and going with the flow”. On the pressure young people put on themselves to achieve wild and unrealistic goals in their twenties, Mark has some brilliant advice to offer: “Most people start stuff in their thirties, but for some reason, we’re all obsessed with doing it in our twenties. So, I kind of break life into three acts. Act One is ‘Search’; Act Two is ‘Paint Your Masterpiece’ and Act Three is ‘Admire it and Pass it Along’. So, people in their twenties, college students – they’re still in the ‘Search’ act. They’re meant to be going around; asking questions; exploring the world and figuring out what they’re interested in – establishing the canvass that they’re going to paint their masterpiece on, and the tools that they’re going to use to do it. So, stop focusing on that stuff. Go out and search – search hard – for the things that are going to equip you to paint your masterpiece. Find a canvass that you are passionate enough about to paint it on. So, that’s what I’d recommend: go out there and find the tools, find the canvass, and forget about painting – for the moment”. 

Features

Issue Seven | Tuesday 29th January 2019 | University Express

Passion vs. Game: A UCC Student’s Story Róisin O’Donnell, Deputy Features Editor

‘I

feel like there's no place to begin... The music industry comes to you if it wants ya, you don't go to it.’- Cormac Porter. Two almost inseparable things come to mind when gigging, producing and performing enter the conversation: talent and the snakes and ladders game that is the industry. According to Cormac Porter, a UCC student, incredible producer and craftsman, there is no struggle with the music, ‘the struggle' lies within the backbone of trying to be known. He compares his experiences to a prostitute cloaked in the red and blue lights of an Amsterdam window, waiting to be noticed. Craftspeople like Cormac often have to choose between respect and paying the rent. It is not a choice for most. That being said, talking to Cormac I got an overall vibe that he would rather go broke than admit defeat. He compares his organic connection with music to falling in love - I have to disagree. To me, his connection seems more

personal than falling in love. Cormac perfectly sums up his one constant, ‘I've looked back and said to myself that was my passion, is my passion and will always be my passion. I'll be doing this for my whole life.’ But his passion can’t be ripped away without leaving behind the dark industry that brought the likes of Gorillaz, Caroline Rose and Funkadelic to his ears. Without the ‘masters’ to look up to, who knows if covers would still be posted online, people would become friends because of their matching band

On a Personal Note Róisin O’Donnell, Deputy Features Editor

he University Express's newest Deputy Features Editor here! Allow me to introduce myself and use this small feature as a transition into a topic close to my heart- let me rephrase that- a topic that holds a knife to my heart and scrapes the blade against it to the beat of every ‘failed’ word I write. It is an honest look into me as a person and my present-day life: writer’s block. The dictionary definition of writer’s block (according to Google) is ‘the condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing.’ Followed by an encouraging "the novelist recovered from a twoyear bout with writer's block." I have consulted many sources on this issue but two stick out in my mind and appear in paraphrases littered across the internet. The first source,

my boyfriend, told me my ordeal should pass with time... It was just one of those things. Right? The only problem with this advice, as any stereotypical journalist knows, is I don’t have time. I am impatient. I have deadlines. Just a reminder, I punish myself voluntarily. The second source was my grandad, who at Christmas asked the dreaded question ‘How’s the writing business going?’ It makes me shudder to even type that question. The one thing you should never ever ask a writer because nine out of ten times you are going to cause them flashbacks to battle trauma inflicted by a keyboard. For once, I did not lie to keep my knowledgeable, slightly mysterious but ambitious writer image intact. I told him, the struggle is real. It is

t-shirts, or if millions of pre-teens would be saving up for their first instrument? Cormac refers to the music industry as a frustrating game, an inescapable game for him. Talent does not matter in the long run, it is the individual’s passion and drive that achieves goals. Cormac admits it pisses him off but his answer to it is to make more music. ‘I played a gig one night. It was shite. So I went home and made more music.’ And so he sharpens his skills. ‘Writing a great verse is like going absolutely fucking terrible. Oh wait, before I continue, by now you are probably thinking how the hell this okayish piece in the Express came to print. Let me explain: if I push and push I can give birth to words. But words that are shadows of the ones that came into the world before them. That’s the main problem with writer’s block, you have this near-constant reminder that at one time or another for even fifty seconds you were on fire. Had I already peaked? No, according to Grandad, inspiration is hard to come by. Once again the message was clear, wait it out. But I do not want to wait. And dear reader, I don’t think you or anyone else should. Just go for it. Send in an article to the Express or the Motley. Go for that position (that's how I got mine). Use me as inspiration. Or keep reading to see if my inspirational journey turns to shit.

growing a garden patch. There's no inspiration involved, just skill, the good stuff and the bad stuff and knowing which is which.’ Which ultimately leads to another crossover between the music game and his passion. Cormac, whether he is playing with his acts Economy or Trap Bitch, will always be Cormac Porter. The guy who rewrote leaving cert compositions, worries about whether people will like his next ‘choon’ as much as he does and, most importantly, the guy who never gives up. 

Issue Seven | Tuesday 29th January 2019 | University Express

Features

The special went on to be aired in full on Tuesday night, a completely documentary-based show led to instances of misinformation being left unchallenged and the experiences of the three trans individuals being somewhat overshadowed by the more controversial figures views featured. Reaction The special was met with a strong online reaction after airing, with many commenting that the topic discussed deserved a more balanced, nuanced exploration. Sara Phillips, Chair of Transgender Equality Network, took to Facebook to share her outrage at the unbalanced nature of the piece, despite providing over 90 minutes worth of interview footage.

Generation Gender: The Prime Time special on Transgender issues, and why it sparked outrage Rían Browne-O’Neill, Sexpress Editor

ast Tuesday (22nd Jan) RTÉ aired a Prime Time special which examined the experiences of Transgender individuals in Ireland. The programme aimed to explore the ‘exponential growth in the number of young people seeking to change gender, and the implications of the proposed new law allowing them to do so without parental consent.’ Under the Gender Recognition Act (2015) individuals under the age of 18 who wish to receive a Gender Recognition Certificate (to amend or change the gender they were originally assigned at birth) must do so through the courts, with consent given by a parent or guardian. Despite claims from the documentary, there are currently no proposed changes to amend the law to remove the element of parental consent from this process. In terms of medical intervention, many minors are referred to the Child Adolescent & Mental Health Service from which they can access further relevant supports. The show featured controversial

individuals to the transgender community including Graham Linehan and other speakers who aired their criticisms and concerns regarding transgender people occupying the spaces of cis people (for instance women’s changing rooms), questioning whether children really know what they want before they arrive into adulthood, in particular in regards to medical intervention and the use of ‘blockers’, which essentially postpone the onset of puberty to assist in hormone replacement therapy further down the line. The show also featured voices from the transgender community including Sara Phillips, Chair of the Transgender Equality Network, Sam Blackenese and the parents of Will, an 11-year-old trans boy. Will’s parents explained the hardship of trying to accommodate their son’s needs, in particular, they outlined their difficulty in accessing a child psychologist with expertise in the area to support their son. Social Media Backlash The special was met with large

social media backlash from the Transgender community. An email campaign was led by the ‘This Is Me’ transgender healthcare campaign, fronted by Noah Halpin, to contact RTÉ and the producers of Prime Time to urge the show to remove Graham Linehan from the show. An online petition also gained traction online, with over 6,000 signatures at time of writing. Most well-known for his work on The Black Books and the IT Crowd, Linehan has hit the headlines in recent months for his comments on the transgender community. Last year, Lenihan received a warning from UK police after a complaint was made regarding comments he targeted toward a transgender activist on social media. Within the prime-time documentary, regarding the treatment of transgender children he commented, “you do not tell kids that they’ve been born into the wrong body just as you don’t tell anorexics that they are fat.” In the lead up to the airing of the show, RTÉ issued a response defending its plans to feature Linehan in the programme.

‘I was assured by them that my piece would address all the issues raised negatively. However, @RTEprime_ time chose to highlight in, many instances, a negative view of trans lives in Ireland.’ Allies of the community also came forward to share their support and solidarity including Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan, who posted alternatives to watching the Prime Time special with the hashtag #TurnOffPrimeTime. In addition to Ailbhe Smith, LGBT activist and Co-Convener of Together for Yes, who came forward to denounce the comments made about transgender women on the show. Following the aftermath of the programme, many have highlighted the potential for the damage the sentiment expressed in the programme could cause to the transgender community, and indeed those who don’t have a knowledge of these issues. Organisations such as BelongTo and TENI came forward to reassert their commitment to supporting and advocating for the Irish transgender community. If you have been affected by the contents of the Prime Time special you can access support through, TENI.ie, where you can also ﬁnd more information on what it means to be transgender. 

Opinion

Issue Seven | Tuesday 29th January 2019 | University Express down on women. Nor do they think that we endorse bullying or think that young boys fighting is a good thing. Instead of blaming all men for the unacceptable, or to use their phrase, toxic aspects of male society Gillette is shining a light on our bad practices and trying to inspire change, although selling razors also remains a top priority.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Outrage Culture, Men, Toxic Masculinity and a Shaving Company Conor O’Carroll, Opinion Writer

ast week, shaving company Gillette set the internet ablaze with the latest marketing campaign to touch on social issues. At first, I completely ignored the outrage and the ad entirely. I had initially thought the serially offended left had once again reared its ugly head and were in the process of starting yet another boycott. It wasn’t until I saw commentators like Gad Saad and Christina Sommers speaking out against Gillette that I finally took notice. If you for some reason haven’t seen the ad, I suggest you crawl out from under your rock and go watch it. The rest of this article won’t make much sense otherwise. For those of you too lazy to go and find it, I’ll provide a short synopsis. Over the course of the nearly two-minute ad, we are presented with references to the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment, bullying, fighting between young boys and general disrespect towards women and their opinions. These, according to Gillette, are attributable to toxic masculinity, but more on that in a moment. The ad continues by asking

if this is a best a man can get, which has been Gillette’s slogan for thirty years. After highlighting these damning aspects of male society, the ad switches gears. We are now shown, through a series of examples, men standing up and holding other men accountable for their actions. The bullying is brought to an end, the two boys fighting are broken apart and those looking to take advantage of women are stopped in their tracks. The ad concludes with an overwhelmingly positive and inspirational message accompanied by Gillette’s new tagline ‘The Best Men Can Be’. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that I wasn’t annoyed or offended in any way by the ad. I couldn’t fathom how anyone could find such a positive message offensive enough to cause the meltdown that we saw. In search of answers, I bravely ventured onto the battlefield know as Twitter. I was astonished to find many people who I usually agree with up in arms surrounding Gillette’s message. The majority of people seemed upset over Gillette’s portrayal of toxic masculinity. Many saw this ad as an over-generalisation and believed that Gillette was painting all men with a

broad brush. A close friend of mine echoed the thoughts of many with this tweet; “Hey @Gillette, I’m not toxic. Neither are my male friends and family. Neither is our masculinity. But, to generalise men and our masculinity as bad, is potently toxic. So, @Gillette …. F*** off. #Gillette #Toxicmasculinity” While eloquently written for a tweet, I can’t help but feel that he, like many others, have missed the point completely. Firstly, we must all agree that sexual harassment, bullying and disrespect for women is toxic behaviour regardless of who's doing it. Thankfully, I don’t think anyone is making that argument. Following on, at no point during the ad does Gillette portray all men as toxic, nor do they attempt to generalise all men. In fact, by simply showing and acknowledging that some men take a stand against this kind of behaviour should eradicate any suspicion of Gillette shifting the blame onto all men. Frankly, I find this argument to be inherently dishonest and downright laughable. Gillette recognises that not every man is a sexual predator who looks

When allegations against Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby broke a major talking point was how it had remained a secret for so long. Many male colleagues who knew of the abuse simply stayed silent. This is something that must change within Hollywood and in society in general. We are told as young children that bullying is not acceptable and should be reported to an adult. We are also told that hitting is improper behaviour to get along in society. While it shouldn’t take a shaving company to instil these morals within us, there is no harm in reinforcing what needs to be said. Gillette is looking for more men to stand up. To help eliminate this toxicity as efficiently as possible. As Terry Crews says during the ad, “men need to hold other men accountable”. There is nobody on Earth who can convince me that promoting such a message is a bad thing. At the end of the day, it’s a marketing campaign which worked brilliantly. The fact that I felt the need to write this article is proof enough of that. I’m confident the marketing department at Gillette were sipping champagne as the Twitter war raged on. While Procter & Gamble’s stock had a miniscule blip, they have already recovered what they lost. We may never know if the campaign was a success on the sales front, and while that is the most important part for Procter & Gamble, the social aspect is important too. I personally had no problem with the ad and as I laid out above, find the message it portrays to be one of positivity. People are free to disagree and that’s perfectly fine too; however, I for one certainly enjoyed witnessing those who vilify outrage culture become outraged themselves. I suppose you either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. 

Issue Seven | Tuesday 29th January 2019 | University Express

The Curse of ‘Balanced Debate’ Samantha Calthrop, Opinion Editor

raham Linehan, if you haven't heard by now, appeared on RTE's Primetime, being interviewed on the topic of a new bill proposed, discussing lowering the age one can get a certificate of gender recognition. Linnehan was a script writer for Father Ted. He has since taken to twitter as a hobby, making a name for himself for his vocal anti-transgender rhetoric, having received a police warning for verbal harassment in one case against a trans activist. He is 50 years old, not trans, has no trans children (although claims to have trans friends), and has no medical or political experience whatsoever. His inclusion generated a huge public backlash. His name is in the media right now because a popular twitch streamer, HBomberguy, raised almost 400,000 USD for the LGBT Children support organisation Mermaids, which Linnehan tried to protest against the funding of (via mumsnet, no less). A petition calling for him to be removed from the program gained around 6000 signatures, a protest attended by a few dozen activists was staged outside of RTE on the day of broadcast, and RTE received so much backlash, they gave the exact same statement in response to every angry email, which ended resolutely with the line; “We are confident that viewers will find the programme to be a fair and responsible examination of an issue of considerable public importance”. RTE's reasons for broadcasting Graham Linehan, of course, is balance. It's the state broadcaster. It was discussing the proposal of a new bill. Regardless of how contentious Linnehan's views are, he holds them; so do many others; it is the network's job to broadcast him, not judge whether or not he is correct. Right? In contrast, UCC's own philsoc faced a rather opposite problem during the 8th Amendment referendum. They scheduled 4 pro-life and 6 prochoice speakers to talk at a balanceddebate event. Their reasoning, when challenged, was that representing equal numbers of both groups would not be fair; a minority of medical and social experts advocated against abortion, the statistics indicated most people were pro-choice, so it

would be disproportionate to have half. The pro-life speakers pulled out in protest, and the subsequent referendum passed overwhelmingly against them. The ‘balanced debate’ is contentious. The role of the media is to depict both sides of a debate fairly; not to be biased, not to be bribed, and to let the people see both viewpoints with equal merit and screen-time, and have them make up their own mind. This is sensible, in many cases; the media should not favour one political party, choose sides in criminal cases, or push certain agendas. (This is, of course, not true. We’re being idealistic.) In some cases, you have to wonder when something stops being a balanced debate. You can’t debate the abundance of scientific evidence that vaccination saves many lives and reduces the occurrence of many diseases. You can’t debate the mathematical proofs that the world is round. (Unless you’re studying philosophy, I guess, but I don’t think anyone would be entirely happy with RTE’s Primetime covering, ‘Is God real’ or ‘Do we exist’.) There’s a recurring theme in the media, of experts v.s. ‘the ordinary people’. When the Brexit referendum was about to take place, every business owner and economist was pointing out the disastrous consequences. There is no climate scientist in the world denying global warming. No credible doctors are warning against vaccines. More contentiously; few food scientists or geneticists warn against GMO foods, and few medical experts and psychologists warn against recognising transgender issues. Perhaps there is little intellectual backing to these viewpoints; there are few real doctors or scientists warning against them. But that doesn’t stop vast numbers of people caring about and debating and believing this viewpoints anyway. Scientists can’t tell you how to feel about life. Economists are not working class, they don’t see the problems from the ground. Doctors make money from vaccines; of course they want them uptaken. The experts are the establishment; they look after themselves and the rich, and the government. The ordinary people must look after themselves. People trust people they can relate to, who talk like them, think like them; have the same knowledge base

Opinion and life experiences as them. Why do people gravitate towards Trump, UKIP, extremists-- or uneducated but vocal people, like Graham Linehan? “They say what we’re all thinking. Nobody else is brave enough to say it. They have nothing to gain, but they’re telling the truth anyway; look at all the criticism they’re getting!” In honesty, who can blame them? I’m not going to write here that there is no corruption in the sciences; that governments have their people’s best interests at heart at all times; that experts are never wrong and can’t be bought. As much as I detest to acknowledge Trump in any way, the world is full of fake news-- largely in the form of social media, tabloids, bad journalism and populism. In a world full of contrasting and confusing viewpoints, who do you believe? Certainly not the people at the top, who are causing you suffering; who have caused so much suffering historically. (Some would argue that it takes only a small amount of common sense to tell fake news from real news. It’s not that simple, for a start. Also, common sense is, frankly, not abundant. I’m not optimistic about it.) I don’t think it’s fair to blame people too much for believing populist viewpoints like anti-vaxxers, flatearthers. (Well, I think it’s fair to blame them a little.) The fact is, lots of people do believe these things. They have real, if silly, reasons for believing them. The mantle is now passed to the media. If lots of people believe something, is it not only balanced to see it debated? If the beliefs have no merit, do they not deserve screen-time anyway-that their stupidity will be proven for the world to see once they’re scrutinised enough? I think in a perfect world, you could run an RTE Primetime debate on “Is the world flat”, with 5 flat-earthers and 5 normal people, and the viewers would walk away going, ‘That was obvious and pointless.’ I think in the real world all you end up doing is lending a great deal of credibility and importance to a bunch of yobs who think the earth might be flat, and the flat-earthers would walk away thinking how brave and clever the other flat-earthers were in the face of opposition. If the world were easily swayed by fact-checking and the informed words of experts and studies, then we wouldn’t be here in the first place, would we?

13 But if you run a talk on ‘Why the world is round’ with 10 scientists, do you end up suppressing the 5% that believe in the flat earth? Do they not deserve to be listened to, acknowledged, and their concerns addressed-- just by existing, talking, and paying their TV licenses? If a viewpoint is popular, concerning, and confusing many people, is it not the role of the media and the ‘elite’ to address it? The problem with that, though, is the immense ease of making something popular without good cause. Especially these days, with the influences of social media. Popularity, without basis in real statistics or studies, is probably a bigger influence than anything else. The Russians figured it out. Bot accounts promoting political extremism had an unknown, but probably notable effect on the results of the 2016 US election. Twitter alone had to purge around 500,000 Russian bot accounts for that reason. How sacred is popularity and public outcry? Who mediates the delicate balance between people having the right to speak out and be listened to, and managing the distinct possibility that they are wrong? The WHO has said that anti-vaxxers are now one of the top 10 health threats facing the globe. Measles and other preventable diseases are on the rise. Could that have been prevented, if we’d stamped down harder on anti-vaccination documentaries and talks? And would it have been worth it? I’m of the viewpoint that nobody is truly stupid, that everyone has valid reasons for believing what they believe. But also: I don’t think stupid people should deserve a platform just because other, equally stupid people believe them. Back to the issue of debate, if lots of people don’t believe in vaccines, do they need to be addressed? If we give them more platforms to speak, will people realise they’re wrong? The evidence suggests not. The evidence suggests that the debate does not ‘balance’ in favour of whoever was right. It suggests that debates simply lend credibility to whoever they broadcast, and ensure that they are listened to. Going back to our friend Graham Linehan, who has been making statements about surgery and hormone therapy that are easily disproved, should he have gotten a platform just for saying angry things on Twitter that other angry people liked? 

UCC Bystander Intervention @ UCC

he inaugural Bystander Intervention Week will run from January 28th until February 1st. The Week will see events hosted across campus which aim to tackle the prevalence of sexual assault amongst students at third level and to highlight the initiatives at UCC to target such behaviours through positive education and student empowerment. The week will begin with the UCC Bystander Intervention Conference to be attended by the Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O'Connor, where the new blended-learning, University-wide Bystander Intervention programme will be launched. The Conference will be followed by the unveiling of a hard-hitting mural on Monday (January 28), aimed at challenging the prevalence of sexual assault among students at third level. The mural, which tackles rape myths and normalized everyday abuse and is part of the National Women’s Council of Ireland’s national It Stops Now campaign, will be pasted to the wall of the Boole Library by students at noon. All students are invited to participate in both events.

Led by Dr Louise Crowley of the School of Law, UCC has piloted its workshop-based bystander intervention programme for two years with law, nursing and midwifery, and applied psychology students, compelling them to consider and act on their shared responsibilities in building a culture of zero tolerance to prevent and combat sexual harassment and violence, both on and off campus. Participating students have voiced huge support for the initiative and have led the call for it to be made available to all UCC students. The programme connects to UCC’s Strategic plan, premised upon the core values of the university, including equality, respect and integrity, and serves to empower and upskill students to safely intervene and demand a safer campus and society with zero tolerance for verbal and physical sexual harassment. The new blended-learning platform will make the programme available to all 22,000 students at UCC, to develop on understanding of the key issue of consent and the boundaries surrounding sexual assault, rape and abusive relationships. The programme comprises 5 online

workshops, and 1 face-to-face workshop. Students will be introduced to the Active Bystander and Bystander Intervention Theory, as well as the dangers of the social normalisation of inappropriate behaviours. Students will learn to recognise that sexual and domestic violence are a serious problem amongst the student population and in society more broadly and will become familiar with effective intervention strategies which can be safely translated to all situations.

Bystander Intervention Week Events

Registration for the programme is now open, and students can selfenrol through Blackboard. Details on the enrolment process can be found at bystanderintervention. ucc.ie. Students who complete all 6 Workshops and an associated assignment will be awarded a University Digital Badge.

Wed 30th: Panel Discussion on Consent with Law Soc, Fem Soc, and UCC SU 6.30pm, Boole 2

The programme connects to UCC’s Strategic plan, premised upon the core values of the university, including equality, respect and integrity, and serves to empower and upskill students to safely intervene and demand a safer campus and society with zero tolerance for verbal and physical sexual harassment. 

Mon 28th: Bystander Intervention Conference 10am-12pm, Creative Zone Mon 28th: It Stops Now Mural, Outside Boole Basement Tues 29th: NWCI Staff and Student Training, Creative Zone Tues 29th: Screening The Hunting Ground, 7pm Boole 1 in collaboration with UCC Fem Soc

Wed 30th: Cork Sexual Health Centre Stand, Outside Boole Library Thurs 31st: Disclosure Training for Staff and Students with Margo Noonan, SATU, and Marian Browne, UCC Student Counselling Thurs 31st: Bystander Intervention 2nd Level Teacher Training, 2pm4pm, Brookfield G10 All Week: Bystander Intervention Stand, Tea/Coffee, Outside Boole Library

BYLINE

Editorial Editorial #7 And we’re back. It doesn’t take long for it to start feeling like we never had the long break we did, but is that really a bad thing? A break is great, wonderful, and definitely well-needed from time to time, but it really is great to get back into a more structured, disciplined and motivated routine, even if we don’t like to admit it and/or complain about it the whole time.

Ciara Dinneen Byline Editor

I hope everyone had a wonderful time during the holidays, that you enjoyed some well deserved rest and recuperation, as well as the essential seasonal indulgence and seshing, and are feeling refreshed and ready to smash second semester. Just think, it won’t be long now until we’re off for the summer - a scary and sobering thought with this also meaning the incoming of summer exams. However, at the same time, this is a very exciting thought as we’re that bit closer to the summer plans that await us after the dreaded exams. Are you feeling the whole New Year,

16 New You, or are you just throwing the phrase around ironically, like myself because honestly does it even really matter? What about you was in need of a change anyways, am I right? The beginning of a new year can be strange; we’re expected to feel optimistic and highly motivated, making no mark on a clean slate, but this can only leave us feeling awful guilt and defeat when things don’t suddenly, drastically improve. You can make positive changes in your life at any time; it doesn’t have to be a new year or a Monday or any particular time at all. It was 5pm on a Sunday evening in mid January when I finally did something I’ve been saying for so long I’d love to do: I started a blog. Only took me 5 years of thinking about it... It’s ciaraday.com, if you’re looking. Back to Byline. For this issue, we have a two-page spread dedicated to a new and improved Fashion section – give a warm welcome to the newest member of the Byline team: Fashion Editor, Sadhbh Sullivan! Sadhbh joined us in early January and has been working hard on the perfect first piece. We think it’s fabulous,

and are confident that we’re not just being biased, but check it out for yourself! While you’re at it, check out Sadhbh’s amazing personal fashion blog, sadhbhers.ie. We have really spoiled ourselves in terms of interviews for this first issue of the second semester, with one in the music section as well as the interview section. Caoimhe Coleman has an interview with King Nun in the Music section, and we also have an interview with the wonderful whenyoung, who’s gig in Cyprus Avenue I had the pleasure of going to. A really great band, and definitely a name to watch. That’s all from me for now, unless you’d like to show a gal some love and give my blog a follow - that would be fab. Yours, Ciara D. xo Byline cover Image: Julian Hayes

byline@uccexpress.ie

Fiction

TÍR NA NÓG By Ioanna Tsitaki ,

Once upon a time, there was a child, a little girl. She was raised by human parents but did not belong on our mortal plane. She had the soul of a faerie and the heart of a dreamer, poet and musician. As the little girl grew up and lived among the people, she was hurt, badly bruised and struck down many times. But she never lost her spirit. Deep inside, she knew her divine

origin. She knew she was supposed to live somewhere else and fulfill another destiny. She also had experiences of human love, but the hurt was so much that she braced herself never to feel again, putting an armor between herself and the world. But soon, she realized that this very armor deprived her of every emotion, both joy and sadness, love and hate. Then came a time when she heard of a magical land - a land of poets, writers and musicians that struck

a chord inside her soul. The faerie inside recognized her kin. Not many years later, she was forced to flee to this magical world to save her very life for on this mortal plane, only death was in store for her. She belonged in Tír na Nóg and she knew it deep inside. It wasn’t easy, leaving all she had ever known. But in Tír na Nóg, she met people and made friends, dropping her armor of hurt and pain. They welcomed her warmly and asked her “What kept you so long?”

She then began to understand why she always felt out of place in her homeland. She had always been different because she belonged here, in Tír na Nóg. This is the land of poets and musicians. The land of everlasting youth and beauty. A tiny piece of heaven on earth and a gateway to eternity. Here, the girl felt at home, laying down her armor forever and letting herself love and be loved. Here, she started living. Devoted to my Irish friends and Ireland with love.

INTERVIEW

17 Myself and Niall where already playing together so we were trying to get Aoife on board – it wasn’t really premeditated, it’s just the way it happened for us.”

Have you an interesting story about how you got one of your first major gigs? “Aoife used to do gardening for the manager of Florence and the Machine, and she had a café/record shop so she gave us a gig there and started managing us for a while then. It was after that we hit a good streak and started getting good gigs and stuff!”

Biggest musical influence? “Patti Smith. She’s someone we always come back to as an inspiration. Not just for her music, but for her whole ethos, her poetry, her writing and literature and everything.”

The rise of Whenyoung Interviwew by Ciara DinNeen Originating from Limerick, Whenyoung have made their mark on the music scene both in Ireland and the UK from the great city of London which they now call home. The University Express were lucky enough to get to see Whenyoung on the last date of their UK and Ireland tour in back in November in Cyprus Avenue, Cork. Chatting before their set, Aoife Power (singer & bassist) and Andrew Flood (drummer) revealed that the three were well and truly wrecked after a thoroughly enjoyable tour, and that they were looking forward to getting to head back to Limerick for a bit after their set in Cyprus Avenue. The appearance of guitarist Niall Burns signified that it was time for the three to hit the stage. Despite being at the end of a long and tiring tour, Whenyoung pulled off an energetic and highly impressive set. It was clear that they love what they do, constantly connected, smiling and interacting with each other, and with the audience, while performing, encouraging the audience to dance and thanking them for coming

along. Aoife’s voice strikes a unique balance between rock-power and angelic delicacy, Andrew and Niall showcasing impressive technical skill and energy while never overpowering Aoife – each bringing their own vibe that blends so nicely together. Before the show, we sat down with drummer Andrew to ask him a few questions:

How did whenyoung come to be?

“Limerick is a small town – we got to know each other from hanging around town, through mutual friends and house parties. There was a place called Costello which we used to always go to, and we still do when we’re back. This music was a bit different and the crowd was a bit different. We had a shared love of the same music, so that was our in.”

Had you a upbringing?

very

musical

“We all kind of grew into a love of music. I would have played a bit when I was younger, Aoife played a bit of traditional music. It wasn’t

until we were teenagers that we found bands that we loved, older bands like The Clash or Blondie, and other bands around at the time like The Libertines, The Strokes and The Killers. It wasn’t until then that we made our way in music.”

When did you start playing gigs?

“It wasn’t until we all moved to London within six months of each other – moving to London and not really knowing anyone, not really having a big plan, we found our arts studio and just started playing together and writing songs together. After a few weeks we booked a gig wherever we could find one – that’s how we started out really.”

Was the move to London a tactical one, for the purpose of starting a band? “No. Niall moved over first, he always wanted to go. I took a break from university because I wasn’t really sure if I wanted to continue what I was doing, and came over and just never went back. Then Aoife came over a few months later.

Whenyoung’s latest single ‘Pretty Pure’ was released by Yala! records, the recording label of Felix White, formerly of The Maccabees, and Morad Khokar, music publicist. “It was amazing, because obviously we’re big fans of The Maccabees,” explains Andrew, “but also just the fact that as an independent record label they’re so incredibly supported of new music and are such an important part of the UK scene at the moment.” ‘Pretty Pure’ was a one-off single with Yala! records, however, as Whenyoung have signed with Virgin TMI. “We’ve just released ‘Given Up’ as a single [with Virgin TMI], and that’s going to be part of an EP,” Andrew reveals. The EP was released on the 9th November. “Our first big release with Virgin, and we’ll be going in to record our album in November too. We’ve been ready to record an album for a while, we have a load of songs, so now that we found our producer and have got a label we’re really excited to go in and actually record it!” Sounds like Whenyoung have done a lot in the last year, and that there is plenty more to come. Whenyoung are definitely a band to watch in 2019.

Film & T.V.

Oscars Nomination Breakdown Joe Cunningham, Film & TV Editor Best Movie:

Historically left until last in terms of announcements, this year’s Best Movie category is a lot stronger than last year, when the top gong was taken by the rather unimpressive Shape of Water which faced little concerted competition. The line-up this year contains far more heavy hitters, movies of genuine merit and class, as well as a couple that probably don’t deserve to be there:

black comedy which has 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and stars criminally underrated actress Olivia Coleman as the sickly but high-maintenance Queen Anne. Ably abetted by Rachel Weisz and Hollywood hot-property Emma Stone, The Favourite would be a welcome nod to a more comedic contender should it win. If not, both it and Roma are nominated in countless other categories and it is likely to be recognised somewhere else. Olivia Coleman is nominated for Best Actress after her Golden Globe win, and both Weisz and Stone are recognised in the Supporting Actress category.

second-remake of the 1937 original, charting the relationship between an aspiring singer and the alcoholic country and blues singer who falls in love with her, in a film that focussed itself on a connection that seemed both genuine and heartfelt. The movie itself was perhaps not as worthy of nomination as its two stars, but the soundtrack more than makes up for anything the slightly soppy story detracts. A film that proved that Cooper could sing and Gaga could act better than many who have stuck to their respective professions it is unlikely to win but should not be discounted by virtue of its sheer popularity.

Bohemian Rhapsody:

Like A Star is Born, Bohemian Rhapsody is on the list, more by virtue of an epic performance from Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury, than because the film itself deserves to be there. Still, despite being slightly divisive amongst critics, the biopic was immensely popular and Malek’s turn as Queen’s frontman was utterly mesmerising, just as his similarities to Mercury are uncanny. Do not discount Malek adding to the Golden Globe he already received for his performance.

BlacKKKlansman: Roma:

The Netflix production Roma is favourite for the crown, which would mark a historic first win for a film released solely on a streaming service. Charting the life of a maid to a middle-class family in 1970’s Mexico, who becomes pregnant out of wedlock, and shot in black and white, it is exactly the sort of artsy, real-life, inspiring story that the Academy loves. Victory would signal a momentous landmark in the continued rise of online streaming over traditional cinema releases. Helmed by odds on favourite for Best Director, Alfonso Cuaron and featuring first time nominee for Best Actress, Yalitza Aparicio.

The Favourite:

The Favourite is, unfortunately, not the favourite so I’m unable to make the obvious stupid joke and that makes me sad. It is however, allegedly, a very quirky, amusing,

Vice:

Featuring yet another example of Christian Bale’s extraordinary ability to gain and lose ridiculous amounts of weight, Vice is a biopic of former Vice President of the United States, Dick Chaney. The film is curious in that the protagonist is still very much alive and it must be very strange for the real Chaney to see Bale nail his mannerisms so accurately on screen. The enlightened casting of Sam Rockwell as a gormless George W. Bush promises to be especially worth watching if the trailer is anything to go by. Vice is definitely a film that I am personally looking forward to as it features the political intrigue that characterises every presidential regime and covers both the 9/11 attacks and both the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. Vice unsurprisingly sees both Bale and Rockwell nominated for Best Actor and Best supporting actor respectively, as well as Amy Adams in Best Supporting Actress for her role as Lynne, Chaney’s wife.

A Star is Born:

Both Bradley Cooper, and especially Lady Gaga were excellent in this

Green Book:

Following on from his Oscar win two years ago, Mahershala Ali continues to prove his undoubtable acting mettle with another excellent performance as a highly-strung concert pianist touring 1960’s Deep South alongside Viggo Mortensen’s streetwise Bronx bodyguard. Ali’s brief performance in Moonlight was so powerful as to make him the first Muslim to win an Oscar and after his lead role in season 3 of True Detective (it’s midway through the season at the moment and is excellent) he takes on a completely different role in Green Book as the intellectual but uptight musician. Mortensen is excellent in everything he appears in, be it Lord of the Rings or Eastern Promises, and his Bronx accent and cocky, wise-cracking persona are on point in this. The chemistry between the leads promises to be the best part of a movie that tackles the issues of racism, profound differences, and friendship. Mortensen is nominated for BestActor and Ali will be looking to win Best-Supporting Actor for the second time.

One of the older releases on the list, BlacKKKlansman should not be forgotten by virtue of its powerful message and a story that makes the viewer both laugh and think. Set, similarly to Green Book, in the Deep South and featuring stellar performances from John David Washington and Adam Driver as well as a strong supporting cast, Spike Lee’s examination of the foolishness of racism and bigotry is not expected to take the crown, but should be remembered for its intelligence, humour and scope. John David Washington was immensely unlucky to be overlooked in the nominations for the Best Actor category. Adam Driver is, however, recognised for his turn as Washington’s colleague and impersonator when dealing with the Klan. Spike Lee is rightly nominated for both his excellent direction and his screenplay.

Black Panther

I could write an entire article on the nomination of Black Panther for Best Picture. In an article earlier in the college year I bemoaned the fact that superhero movies are often unfairly overlooked at the Oscars and lowand-behold, for the first time, one is nominated. Unfortunately, I must prove myself to be a massive hypocrite when I say that this is not the movie that should have bucked

Editor: Joe Cunningham

the trend. Black Panther was very good, very entertaining and had some great performances from its impressive cast. It was not, however, Oscar worthy, it was not even the best Marvel film released last year, and judging by common public opinion online, one can’t help but feel that it has been nominated, more because of its success at breaking stereotypes

and challenging Hollywood’s long preoccupation with casting-bias than because of its cinematic merit. The fact that none of the actors have been recognised for their respective roles should hint that the movie’s nomination is more about politics than performance. Still, if we accept that the Academy Awards should be about more than simply cinematic

excellence and should focus equally on cultural impact, then one cannot deny the significance of a film like Black Panther and I personally would feel much happier advocating its inclusion, were it not being claimed by some that it was worthy of best picture by virtue of its story, script, and acting performances. If the latter is justified

as reason for its nomination, then it is an absolute crime that The Dark Knight and Logan were not similarly recognised.

Movie Review: Glass

new ones who were only hinted at before. The Beast, the anarchic, bestial, twenty-fourth personality that seeks to destroy the “impure” attempts in vain to defeat Dunn, finding him to be just as unbreakable as the title of his standalone film suggests. However, before they can continue their struggle, both are captured by a psychiatrist (played by Sarah Paulson) specialising in those who are “under the delusion that they have superpowers” and brought to a facility that also houses the antagonist of Unbreakable, and titular character, Mr. Glass.

imprisoned – flashing lights that force him to change personality – allows McAvoy to prove his acting mettle by cycling between personalities at a literal flick of a switch. The way the Scottish actor instantly signifies the presence of a specific character with nothing more than a raised eyebrow, a subtle rearrangement of clothing, or a change in body language is remarkable and overall, it is the quality of the actors’ performances that raises Glass to a higher plane than many similar films in the genre. The presence of such an A-List cast, which not only includes Willis, McAvoy, Paulson and Samuel L. Jackson but also sees Anya-Taylor Joy reprise her role from Split as Casey, is undoubtedly one of the biggest potential draws this movie possesses and is something that the marketing

fact that it does not give enough screen-time to Dunn but for me this was not an issue, the movie focussed well on the motivations and backstories of each character (with extensive use of flashbacks, which are almost all both insightful and impactful) while still keeping things moving at a reasonable pace.

Joe Cunningham, Film & TV Editor

M. Night Shyamalan is a director whose career has been remarkably varied and diverse. His movies have spanned the genres of action, sci-fi, horror, romance and multiple others. Some of his endeavours have been really, really good (The Sixth Sense, Split) and some have been really, really bad (The Happening, The Last Airbender). Much of the criticism of many of Shyamalan’s movies has been that they do not know what they want to be. His latest movie Glass is the sequel to 2000’s Unbreakable and 2016’s Split and is definitely a movie that is not so easily categorised, evidenced by the mixed reviews it has received overall so far. When Unbreakable was released nineteen years ago it met with similarly mixed reviews but has since become somewhat of a cult classic among lovers of underappreciated superhero films, epitomised by its restraint and focus on character rather than action. Conversely, when Split was released in 2016, it was met with almost universally positive reviews and the revelation that the events depicted took place in the same universe as Unbreakable raised expectation for Glass through the roof: whether this was a Shyamalan masterclass in marketing, storytelling, or both is debatable. Glass brings the characters and storylines explored in its predecessors together in what is a concerted attempt to birth a Marvel or DC style universe, if one that is based more in the believable than the extraordinary. The film begins with the star of Unbreakable David Dunn, played with restraint bordering on despondence by Bruce Willis, hunting The Horde, a collection of twenty-four disparate personalities inhabiting the body of Kevin Wendell Crumb, whom we met in Split. James McAvoy continues to prove what a brilliant and diverse actor he is by reprising the characters explored in Split along with several

The first twenty minutes of the movie which, as mentioned, is dominated by Dunn hunting the creature who has been kidnapping and killing indiscriminately since the events of

Split, is one of the best parts of the movie. We are reintroduced to Dunn and his family circumstances after the passage of nearly two decades and his five-minute conflict with The Beast already includes more action than was present in the entirety of Unbreakable. The relocation of setting to a mental hospital where most of the rest of the film takes place, and the conscious slackening of pace is not necessarily a negative thing but for anybody expecting a showdown Avengers-esque superhero adventure, this movie is definitely not that. There is a lot to love about the movie, McAvoy’s performance being top of that list. The method by which The Horde is

has been carefully tailored to promote. While McAvoy’s performance is mesmerising, and Jackson’s is excellent once his character decides to actively participate in proceedings, Glass also represents something of a return to form for Bruce Willis, who has been somewhat absent from our screens in any meaningful sense since his 90s and early 00s heyday. Shyamalan and Willis obviously have a good working relationship, having collaborated on The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, and the director seems to be uniquely able to coax out the kind of world-weary, man-of-fewwords, reluctant hero performance at which Willis excels. There has been some criticism of Glass based on the

The movie is also recognised, quite rightly, in the many special effect categories, as well as for its excellent soundtrack curated by Kendrick Lamar. 

Glass would not be a Shyamalan movie without a twist at the end and it is this that, for me personally, raises perhaps the biggest problem the film possesses. While I struggled to think of a way the movie could have otherwise ended, I was left feeling slightly let down by the direction it chose to take. There was a conscious effort, as I have already mentioned, to engender the idea of a sequel or sequels by expanding the universe, and it felt somewhat as if Shyamalan’s desire to create a dynasty took over from the importance of delivering a successful conclusion to his original trilogy of films. While Mr. Glass’s assertion that “this was not a Limited Edition, this was an origin story” is a meta reference to the director’s attempt to expand his creation’s scope, and is perhaps a subtly included attempt to justify this decision, overall I was left with the impression that perhaps maybe a less ambitious conclusion might have been more appropriate in the circumstances – whether Shyamalan actually gets to make his sequels will depend massively on funding and consumer appetite for such a venture; appetite which, after the dramatic conclusion of Glass, I’m not sure will be there. Overall, Glass is definitely worth the ticket price, it is intelligent, thoughtful, makes you feel empathy for characters both good and bad and features some very impressive acting performances but is never able to quite escape the feeling that it may have benefitted from the influence of a director or producers without so much personal attachment to the world he has worked so hard to create. 

Music

20 How would you describe your music to someone who knows nothing about music?

“Music is organised sound produced by notes correlating to some sense of rhythm and melody. We play quite a lot of notes and our rhythms are usually quite fast but not all of the time.”

Who are your greatest influences when writing?

King Nun Interview Caoimhe Coleman, Music Editor

I first came across Londoners King Nun a couple of years back as a result of my obsession with The 1975. They’re on the same record label, so it was inevitable that they were going to pop up on my Twitter and Instagram feed at some point. The first thing that caught my eye about the band was their aesthetic – they used bright colours of yellow, red and green but still managed to make it look badass. I was lucky enough to catch the band supporting Pale Waves in Cyprus Avenue last October and was even luckier to have had a lovely chat with their guitarist James. King Nun’s live energy was absolutely stellar and I would almost go as far as to say I enjoyed them more than Pale Waves. In November 2018, they released their much anticipated EP I Have Love (it’s excellent, in case you were wondering) and embarked on a ninedate UK headline tour. In between all of this madness, I managed to get in contact with the lead singer Theo. Here’s what he had to tell me about King Nun…

Tell me a little about how you

met and formed the band.

“We met in school through a bunch of little coincidences. I met our lead guitarist James through a doublebooked rehearsal room; we met our bassist Nathan by being stuck one side of the railroad tracks; and we met Caius [drums] through a mutual friend. But really, I think we magnetised to each other because we had very similar interests and goals.”

“It is initially my dad and his latenight Elvis Presley singalongs with me and my sister; then AC/ DC and hair metal; then the Velvet Underground and Lou Reed, Blondie, Television and Richard Hell and that whole CBGB [Country Bluegrass Blues] scene in general; then Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Cat Stevens…Leonard Cohen, The Shaggs, Daniel Johnstone and most importantly, R.E.M. I’ve been up and down and all over the place but I’ve always found I’m attracted to the rawer stuff. With AC/DC it was the mayhem of the live recordings. Then the CBGB scene with its masterful carefree angst in music and poetry; then folk with its no-barrier way of communication. I like wide open, raw music.”

Do you find that being associated with bands such as Pale Waves and The 1975 adds to your success? How do you feel about that association?

“Yeah, deffo. Coming out on Dirty Hit was the whole reason our first single was able to reach so many people so quickly. Their successes with The 1975, Wolf Alice and The Japanese House meant they had a huge cult following that was happy to listen to us, the new signing. We came out before Pale Waves though so, if anything, they have us to thank for their phenomenal wave of success. I like every artist on the label; it’s all great music so I’m all good with their association with us. I embrace it wholly.”

Did you enjoy touring with Pale Waves? What are your highlights? “They are so much fun and a joy to adventure with. Highlights for us were the shows; we got really good halfway through that tour!”

Tell me a little about the new EP and what it’s like to play live.

“We recorded it at a studio in Wandsworth, South West London. It was produced by Jon Gilmore and Jo Rogers, mastered by Robin Schmidt. All wonderful people. People often know the words to the song ‘Family Portrait’ so that can be a lot of fun [to play live] when they sing along. ‘Heavenly She Comes’ is a heavy one so that’s a pass to fuck some shit up. The title track is a musical painin-the-arse to play but the catharsis of the chorus is a joy to perform. With ‘Greasy Hotel’, I feel a certain importance in its message. I like

Editor: Caoimhe Coleman playing all of them live.”

How has the reception to the EP been so far?

TINY MEAT GANG - LOCALS ONLY produced by a fellow ex-Viner ‘Spock’ and producer Diamond Pistols, the Locals Only EP has a level of professionalism unexpected for two guys who started out just making jokes about how small they were downstairs. Songs like “No Flex” and “Stay Safe” are so good they make you backtrack and ask yourself, “Am I really bopping to a song about safe sex?”

“Wonderful (I hope). Everything I’ve read has been wonderful. The most overwhelming things I’ve seen have come from people messaging us over Instagram or Twitter. Some people have really caught onto the happy sad hippy-ish message of the whole thing and I’m overjoyed that that came through.”

Do you have plans for 2019?

“YES. I imagine we’re gonna be releasing a lot based on the studio time we’re putting in and I promise the music that comes out will be great.”

Okay, ready for some fun bonus questions? “Go for it!”

Which song do you wish you’d written?

“The Free Electric Band by Albert Hammond. That song conjured a need to express myself that I can only strive to replicate now. If I can capture that feeling I had hearing that song for the first hundred times I’ll have done what I set out to do.”

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

“This is an amazing question. Thank you!... I’m gonna go with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind because I think that’s a cool name and I think I know what it’s on about and it makes me hurt and happy in a way that I hope to channel in our work.”

What would your dream festival line-up be?

“Me. Always all the time all around the clock me every day, me every stage, every platform, every loudspeaker. Me, me, me, me, me.”

You can catch King Nun’s EP I Have Love on all your favourite streaming sites now….

Robin Daly, Music Writer

When Vine died her tragic death two years ago, everyone who had garnered fame on the short-lived platform had to jump ship. Some turned to Instagram, others to YouTube. Some tried their hand at music. Pretty much everyone has been unfortunate enough to witness Jake Paul’s heartbreakingly horrific ‘It’s Everyday Bro’ - so I can already hear your gasps of horror when I propose that there is actually some ex-Vine music that is enjoyable to listen to. I mentioned Jake Paul’s train-wreck of a song for a reason. In response to the song and the rage that followed it, ex-Viners Cody Ko and Noel Miller felt the same level of horror as you or I. In response, they decided to one-up the younger Paul. If he was going to brag about writing a (terrible) song in a day, they would prove that they could write (a better) one too. Thus, comedy rap duo TMG (Tiny Meat Gang) was born, with their first single “Keep Ya D*ck Fat.” KYDF now has over a million views on YouTube, and TMG has only grown since. Locals Only is the second EP by TMG, released in December of last year. Ko and Miller are self-aware before anything. They walk the precarious line between making good music while still not taking themselves seriously - they are, after all, rapping about their ‘meat’. They themselves have talked about hoping that noone watches their music videos and takes them 100% seriously. Luckily for them, it’s a balance they manage perfectly. With tracks

You can track a serious growth from their first EP Bangers and Ass to Locals Only - with a clear growth in both Ko and Miller’s rapping style and their lyricism. Some of the songs are a little jarring, with Ko and Miller clearly having fun using auto-tune in mockery of bigger (more serious) artists - like in their song “Please Be A Hit”, where Miller’s heavily auto-tuned voice brags about how he “Made a milli and I got some teeth”, but overall Locals Only is more cohesive musically, good to listen to and not just funny. When discussing Locals Only on their podcast, Miller described the process of making the EP as “feeling more like song-writing” and less of them “trying to be funny” and asking themselves “What would be a funny joke?” Not to say, of course, that it isn’t funny. That’s the whole point. The EP covers topics that Ko and Miller frequently make fun of in their podcasts, like taking steroids and testosterone (Juice), childish gamer culture (G-Sh*t), and ridiculous flexing of superficial wealth (Drip and No Flex). Some lyric highlights include: “Man, I got tens... of dollars in my pocket right now”, “I don't mean to flex, but I've been having sex/ Like once a week at least, or two, if my girl ain't stressed” and “And when I'm in the whip I keep the seatbelt fastened / And in the back I keep a spare tire/This verse whack 'cause I don't play with fire.” Music as comedy is not a new form. Weird Al Yankovic has been making us laugh since nearly the dawn of time. You would be wise to be wary of any music made by ex-Vine stars, but you can give TMG the benefit of the doubt. They’ll surprise you. 

Editor’s Pick: Most Anticipated Albums of 2019 Caoimhe Coleman, Music Editor Hozier : Wasteland, Baby! (March 1st, 2019)

On January 16th, Hozier posted a YouTube video announcing the release date and track-list for his second album, Wasteland, Baby! The fourteen track album is set to feature songs “Nina Cried Power (feat. Mavis Staples)” and “Shrike” from his 2018 EP Nina Cried Power as well as newer releases “Movement” and “Almost (Sweet Music).” If these tracks are anything to go by, we’re in for one heck of an album. On a more local note, Hozier is also set to play Irish Independent Park here in Cork on June 25th with support from fast-rising star Maggie Rogers.

The 1975 – Notes on a Conditional Form (May 2019)

I’ll be honest, I’m really hoping this album doesn’t disappoint me like A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships did. Notes on a Conditional Form will be The 1975’s fourth studio album and the second instalment in the Music For Cars era. Anyone who is a long-time fan of The 1975 will understand the significance of this era and how much it means to both the band and their fans. The album is set to feature the old but unreleased song “102” – a fan favourite considering the fiveyear old YouTube video of singer Matty Healy performing the song on a park bench at night time has 3.2 million views. I have high hopes for this album.

Ariana Grande : Thank U, Next (Release TBA)

Pop-sensation Ariana Grande is set to release her fifth album, Thank U, Next this year. You may recognise that title from her recent song which took the internet by storm. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of Ariana Grande but I cannot deny that her songs are catchy as heck and the empire she has built by empowering herself and others is extremely admirable. You can often hear the words “Ariana Grande” and “YAS QUEEN” in very close proximity to each other and it’s not hard to see why. I’m looking forward to seeing what Ariana has up her sleeve for this album considering it is so soon after her 2018 album Sweetener.

Fashion

22 Bottoms Every capsule wardrobe should have a good pair of denim jeans. Finding the right fit for you can be difficult, so it usually takes a bit of time to find your capsule wardrobe pair. Topshop have a huge variety of styles to suit every shape. Besides your basic jeans, try to include something here that's unique to your style. Whether that’s your favourite pair of pants, a skirt or even a pair of dungarees; choose something that makes you smile every time you wear it.

Layers When it comes to creating the perfect capsule wardrobe, layers are key. This section of your wardrobe should include a staple, versatile jumper (my colour of the season is green, so I picked up mine at Weekday), a warm jacket, and a 'dressy' jacket. My capsule layers include a faux leather jacket, a grey blazer and a trench coat.

Shoes To complete your capsule wardrobe,

Capsule Wardrobe Sadhbh Sullivan, Fashion Editor The New Year is notoriously a time of change. Bad habits are broken (temporarily at least), new habits are created, and we all aim to become the best versions of ourselves, whatever that might be. However, while the spirit of the New Year suggests that everything should be ruffled up, there are a few things I'd like to think should stay the same; namely, my college wardrobe staples. A few pieces remain core to my everyday outfits. These are the ones I reach for when I feel as though I have 'nothing to wear' for the billionth time. These pieces are reminiscent of a 'capsule wardrobe,' a term coined by

Suzie Fox of Wardrobe Boutique in the 1970s to describe a collection of a few essential items that don't go out of fashion. The capsule wardrobe can be divided into five sections: tops, bottoms, layers, shoes and accessories.

Tops Capsule tops consist mainly of your favourite basics. Whether that’s a plain t-shirt, a shirt or even a turtle neck; pieces that are timeless. While we're all partial to a trip to Penneys to pick up these essentials, I'd recommend paying a little more for items that will last longer. The Zara Basics range has the perfect collection of timeless tops.

it’s important to have a few pairs of shoes that can be used for a variety of occasions. I’d recommend at least one pair of runners/comfortable shoes, a pair of dressy flats and a pair of heels.

Accessories It can be difficult to choose 'capsule wardrobe' accessories. Usually the best accessories are a lot more expensive than we’d like them to be. I usually team jewellery from high street brands, like Penneys or New Look with my capsule wardrobe, but if you’re looking for something with a longer shelf life, try Topshop or Pandora. Despite all the sales that have engulfed our favourite shops over the past month, it’s important to avoid reaching for spur of the moment purchases. Our fashion footprint is larger now than ever before. Choosing staple pieces to curate a capsule wardrobe is the perfect way to avoid pointless purchases, and to ensure that your favourite pieces don't get lost amid seasonal trends.

Trend watch: Spring 2019 Sadhbh Sullivan, Fashion Editor

Cycling Shorts have been

on the horizon for the past few months. Love them or hate them, they look pretty damn comfortable. (Cycling Shorts, Boohoo.com €4.90)

Are the 'basics' an endangered species? Sadhbh Sullivan, Fashion Editor Everyone knows a basic gal. Or at least they think they do. If you don't know one, then let's face it, you probably are one (sorry). A few typical signs and symptoms might include, but are not limited to the following:

1. You are the proud owner Michael

Kors bucket bag.

Circa 2014, you were an avid wearer of Ugg Boots.

3. You can't decide which Topshop

Jeans are your favourite, Jamie or Joni?

You go to Starbucks, mainly for the coffee cup aesthetic.

5. You wear leggings as pants, more than you wear pants as pants.

Urban Dictionary has a variety of definitions for the term 'Basic,' the most accurate being: "only interested in things mainstream, popular or trending." The sheep of society, as opposed to the shepherds. However, in recent years it seems as though we can rest assured that the population of basics amongst us is slowly dwindling. Very few are notably following a Mean Girls like dress code, and the way we think about fashion and personal style is changing. As we begin a new year, it seems as though now more than ever people are committed to being

themselves, and there is no better way to find your voice than through personal style. Although we’ve grown up in a society of copy-cats, where influencers dictate what we wear, what we eat, and even the music we listen to, personal style is now, more than ever, an important mode of self-expression. Gone are the days where your favourite Hollister hoodie gave you a free pass to being somewhat trendy. Today most of the fashionistas we know and love have thrifted their way to the top, rather than paying for fashion privilege. Scouring through charity and vintage shops for the best fashion finds. Those who showcase a diverse style are inevitably becoming more popular than the fashion elitists and basics amongst us. So, are the basics an ‘endangered species?’ I’d like to think that 2019 is the year we see an end to an era of followers, and the rise of new leaders. While our favourite magazines, influencers and even television programmes will inevitably always have an impact on our sense of style, the age of the ‘basics’ sitting amongst our favourite fashion faces has well and truly come to an end. There is nothing interesting about dressing the same as everybody else, so in the words of Kelly Osbourne “the only way you’ll really fit in is by being yourself,” and wearing what you like is the perfect way to start. 

Tie-Dye is something I can get behind. My crafty eight-year-old self will be happy to see this trend re-emerge.

The jury is still out on the Neon trend. Slightly reminiscent of our ‘youth club disco’ selves, I’m just not sure if that’s something I can back. (Skirt, ASOS.com, €41.46)

Cargo Pants are my personal favourite. Alongside a wicked military vibe, we’re ditching the uncomfortable skinny jeans for. (Cargo Pants, Nasty Gal.com €41)

Suit me up! Co-ords are all in again this season, the classic suit establishing itself as one of the top trends this Spring.

Gaming

Star Wars & Gaming

Cian McGrath, Gaming Editor

To many, Star Wars is the single most iconic film series of all-time. Spanning over 40 years, the film series shows no sign of ending any time soon. A report in 2015 valued the brand ‘Star Wars’ at $41.979 billion. One of the most iconic mediums through which we have experienced Star Wars is through video games. Since the release of the very first Star Wars game in 1978, we have seen the release of over 100 different Star Wars games spanning from PC to mobile, to home and handheld consoles. For one series to cast such a wide net is an astounding achievement and shows the strength of the brand, and there is no doubt in my mind but that we have all been drawn in by at least one of the games discussed in this list, the best and worst Star Wars Games of All-Time.

Star Wars Battlefront I & II (not those ones)

In 2004, LucasArts released a Third/ First person shooter based in the Star Wars Universe and it was met

by positive reviews. The game included vast landscapes and encompassed much of what was key to the Star Wars Universe, but the game’s campaign was criticised for its fluctuating story-line and poor AI. A lack of coherence close to sums up the issues with the game but, the game still achieved what had never been done before in allowing to player to take a smaller part of the larger story through Star Wars’ most famous battles. A sequel was released the following year as a tie-in for what was, at the time, the final Star Wars film. This game included so much more than its predecessor, such as playable Jedi Characters, space battles and an iconic Story Campaign. The game perfectly added what was missing from the first game, and a much more coherent campaign. Perhaps the best remembered part of this game was Galactic Conquest, a mode which allowed the player to command their fleet through the galaxy, conquering planets from a top-down perspective similar to a

table-top board game. The game was not without its issues, but perfectly encompasses the franchise from which it is based.

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic

The story of Knights of the Old Republic takes place almost 4000 years before the first Star Wars film, and it was the first time anything this historic had been seen by the fans in such a mainstream means. The game is akin to traditional role-playing games, focused more upon the story being told and the development of characters than gameplay itself. When it released, it became the fastest-selling game for the Xbox, and received huge acclaim from both the fans, and critics alike. The ending of the game features a famous twist, which was later ranked second in the top 10 video game twists of all time. The game was praised for its ingenuity, elegance and accessibility for players. Since its release, it has regularly been listed as one of the best games of all-time. Just over a year and a half later, a sequel was released, set 5 years after its predecessor, but the short development time led to criticism

of over similarity between it and the original. It’s story was once again given huge praise and remains to this day a fan-favourite story, with many hoping for greater expansion either through sequels or films. A third game was cancelled and instead replaced by an MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Kinect Star Wars

The Kinect was a motion peripheral released for the Xbox 360, and later the Xbox One. It was not very widely adopted and was perhaps best seen in Paranormal Activity 4! Perhaps most famously, the game featured a ‘Galactic Dance-Off’, where players could dance to various Star Wars song parodies such as ‘Hologram Girl’ to the tune of Hollaback Girl, or ‘Empire Today’, to the tune of Y.M.C.A with the results as expected. The game was widely panned as a cash-grab and received reviews as low as 30%, but still managed to make its way to the top of the charts. With the Star Wars licence currently in EA’s control, the future is dark for good games, expect more Kinect Star Wars and less KOTOR in the near future if the last few years is anything to go by.

Editor: Cian Mcgrath

25 Worst Gaming Peripherals Cian McGrath, Gaming Editor Tony Hawk: Ride Skateboard

Included as a part of Tony Hawk: Ride, this controller was literally a skateboard, that you were meant to balance on as if were a controller. Poor build quality definitely didn’t help this ridiculous idea.

Game Boy Booster Boy

The game boy was huge, like insanely huge, when it was released. Apparently, Nintendo wanted to match the sales figures with the size of the console, releasing the BoosterBoy. Expanding battery life and adding a torch so that it could be played in the dark. Once again, terrible design meant that this peripheral has no legacy but to be laughed at.

The Tremendous Growth of Esports Jack Coleman, Gaming Writer

If you were to mention “esports” today, many people would still tilt their head in confusion. If you were to go on and explain that esports is the collective term for competitive video game tournaments, they may giggle at you. And if you were to insist that professionals dedicate their lives to becoming the greatest at a game, they may call you delusional. However, that is the truth. The esports industry is booming right now as titles such as League of Legends, Overwatch, FIFA and DotA 2 are attracting massive investment from all corners of the business world. Esports athletes now earn substantial salaries in exchange for their services, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, who many consider to be the best League of Legends player in the world earns upwards of $2.5M a year, that’s more than an average NFL player. Even players on poor teams in a mediocre league such as the North American league can expect to earn at least $320,000 a year. Massive money is now on the line at these events; the reward for being the best is sizeable. The winning team of DotA 2’s “The International 2018” won $10.8M to share amongst

themselves. However, the majority of revenue for teams is not coming from their winnings. The fanbase for esports is exploding in growth, the “League of Legends 2018 World Championship” had 44 million unique viewers watch the finals. The aforementioned International 2018 had 14 million unique viewers throughout the whole event. These numbers have spurred investors onwards and as a result ridiculous amounts of money are now being thrown around. For example, this year Blizzard (the creators of Overwatch) launched the inaugural season of the “Overwatch League”, a weekly league style format that pits the best Overwatch has to offer against each other each week. It currently takes place solely in Los Angeles but each team involved has agreed to begin building an arena in their city of choice so eventually home and away style games may be held. Just playing in this league would cost team owners between $10M-$20M up front. Many thought this was crazy money but Blizzard had no problem finding willing investors. Stan Kroenke, owner of Arsenal FC and the Los Angeles Rams christened his Overwatch team the “LA Gladiators”. Robert Kraft, owner

of the New England Patriots called his the “Boston Uprising”. Sterling. VC, venture capitalists involved with the New York Mets titled theirs the “New York Excelsior”. These are just three of the twelve teams that took part in the first season which saw its finals sell out the Barclays Centre. This gravy train has not stopped flowing for Blizzard either as eight new teams have paid between $30M-$60M to participate in the second season of Overwatch League which begins in February, these teams come from across China, Canada, the U.S and Europe. The industry is showing no signs of slowing down as new games such as Rainbow Six: Siege, Smash: Ultimate and not to mention Fortnite have begun picking up steam. Ireland is starting to witness the esports boom as well as organisers are keen to take advantage of the existing market. “Estars”, an emerging tournament organiser with large backing are holding a Fortnite tournament at Croke Park in February. “RAID”, veterans of the Irish esports scene hold tournaments in Dublin for multiple games throughout the year. Esports earned almost $1B in revenue just in 2018 and this statistic is projected to rise to $1.5B by 2020. The future of esports is looking bright… and profitable. 

The Power Glove

The power of advertising is what sold the power glove. The Wizard was a 1989 film which had no purpose but to sell this glove to kids. It was meant to be able to be the next big thing in video games, instead you were left programming to even get it to work with a standard game.

Resident Evil Controller

Chainsaw

In 2005 NUBY released the PS2 and GameCube in the shape of a Chainsaw and despite its impracticality, cool design and strong quality means that it has become somewhat of a collector’s item.

Wii Sports Accessories

Wii Sports is one of the highest selling games of all time, and it is no wonder that peripherals were released to capitalise in this. Flimsy plastic attachments to your Wii Controller were meant to ‘immerse you’, but in reality they were nothing more than a cheap cash grab.

Humor

Theresa May Spotted Applying for Irish Passport Lara O’Toole, Humor Writer

“When I saw a woman gyrating towards the building blaring ‘Dancing Queen’, I was sure it was a publicity stunt for ‘Mamma Mia 3’,” says Nigel Smith, a security guard in Irish Embassy, “I never suspected she’d be in for an Irish passport.” According to our sources, the English Prime Minister has been tracing her roots since the 23rd of June 2016

and is “not surprised” to discover her Irish lineage. It is thought that May has been working to acquire an Irish passport since her appointment as Prime Minister, much to the dis-May of the parliament. May has reportedly been receiving Irish language lessons for the last two years and plans on taking the Leaving Certificate examinations this summer, though her chances of passing are doubtful, as May is having trouble

Which celebrities will

die in 2019?

Callum Casey, Humor Editor Kevin Spacey- God I hope so.

Tom Hardy- Doctors discover that the

accents he uses in his roles are not just terrible character choices, but it is in fact a rare form of Laryngeal cancer.

Christian Bale- Completing another

with her Sraithe Pictiur. While May has not commented on the reports that she has employed a number of auctioneers for the appraisal of land in Northern Ireland, she has commented on her intentions to run for the Rose of Tralee. “I think it’s time for the Rose of Tralee competition to become more diverse in terms of the ages and circumstances of its candidates. headline grabbing transformation, Bale kills himself to portray a corpse in his latest role. What a true artist.

Furthermore, in this cultural climate, it is certainly time for the competition to become more politically charged,” May mentioned, after a cheeky bender in an alley in central Dublin, “Who better to change things up than the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom?” It is widely believed that May’s example will be followed by the masses in the United Kingdom before the effects of Brexit are felt.

Donald Glover- Killed in a hit on the Gambino crime family.

Theresa May- Killed in a communist The Sugar Puff Monster- Diabetes. uprising led by Comrade Corbin. Well, diabetes and that crippling heroin addiction.

Tom Cruise- After running full tilt into a lorry on the set of Mission

Drake- After getting caught up Impossible 7: Cruise Control, Tom’s in chasing clout with the newest generation of Rappers, Drake takes one full Xan, rather than his usual half. He dies peacefully in his sleep. Underage girls across the world breathe a sigh of relief.

human form is finally extinguished. The world weeps, but the few knowledgeable ones know he is not dead but has merely transcended his corporeal form and is on the ship back to Xenu.

Editor: Callum Casey and occasionally eat broccoli, the 2019 series had to make a change.

Operation

Transformation Callum Casey. Humor Editor

“I’ve never been happy with my body,” 34-year-old Catherine Keane, a Cavan native said on last night’s episode of Operation Transformation. “I kept eating and I didn’t know why. Then I realised it was because I wasn’t happy inside. Now, thanks to this show, I can finally accept myself. I suppose, deep down, I always wanted to be a Decepticon.” After failing ratings, as not enough people around the nation wanted to gawk at people jog

“It was the only logical step,” Karl Henry told the Express, “Sure, it’s hard for me to work out an exercise plan for a 7-meter, 20-ton, sentient robot from outer space, but the show is a hit. More importantly the contestants are healthy and happy.” The new show structure has done away with useless segments such as exercising or learning how to make a nutritious meal with at least one green thing in it in favour of a more exciting fare. The new format includes drag races with the newly transformed contestants, gun battles for the fate of the world, ‘best explosion’ and a series of excruciatingly painful surgeries to turn overweight members of the Irish public into gigantic robot warriors. “It’s honestly not that bad,” Garry Monahan, another contestant, told the Express, “Yeah sure it’s so

Donald Trump launches attack on University Express Aaron Gallagher, Humor Writer

A shocking announcement was made this morning by the White House’s Press Officer. The spokesman, yes, I’m allowed say man, you SJW’s. We all know Trump doesn’t hire nor respect women who wear clothes. The announcement, written by the President himself, started off in a typical manner, “My fellow white American males, three years ago your bigotry, hatred of women and love of massive, debt inducing walls to keep non-Caucasians out, elected me, Donald J. Trump as your President. Donald J. Trump is a god. I consider my health, stamina and strength as one of my greatest assets. The world has watched me for many, many years cause I am important, and they can so testify, great genes! And don’t let anyone tell you different!” Those last couple of lines are real quotes from the Tangerine tambourine himself, the man writes his own parody lines - he’s driving shit joke

writers like me out of business for fuck sake. Donate to my Patreon to get exclusive insider footage of me eating out of the UCC bins to stay alive, I’ll do anything for food. Trump’s speech suddenly took a hostile tone as he turned his tirade on the brave staff of the Univesity Express. “Believe me, I have many, many friends that get away with murder, treason, embezzling, sexual assault…” The president continued for some time. “But you guys, the liberal left press, you guys okay, you guys are the real criminals. You guys are the enemy of the people. A lot of people are saying it. People are telling me the Express is crooked and corrupt. Now I didn’t want to believe it, but I’ve seen the numbers with my own eyes and everybody’s talking about it. You guys are corrupt” “Not gonna happen okay? You guys aren’t gonna get readers because

dangerous that half the contestants have died, but it beats fucking jogging.” Garry, formerly an office worker from Ballincollig, is now a ‘98 Toyota Corolla and Autobot war machine. “It’s given me a new lease on life, I feel so much better. I used to be out of breath going up the stairs, and now I can drive for miles!” The transformation has had a positive effect on not only Garry, but his family too. His wife Cathleen is delighted with Garry’s new form, “He spent so many years out of shape and unhappy. But now he’s back to the man I married. And our sex life! Don’t even get me started.” We did not want to get her started. The Express does not condone the unholy union of woman and machine. The finale of the series airs on RTE 1 tonight. The catwalk and final weigh in have been replaced with an Autobot v. Decepticon battle across Dublin. of me. Donald J. Trump is not your ladder to fame okay, attack me and I will win. Every time, okay. Believe me okay, I’ve offended everyone there is to offend. The Blacks, the whites, the women, the Latinos, that one disabled writer (EDITORS NOTE: not Aaron) and all the colours of the rainbow I’ve banned from entering America. Okay? Believe me, I’ll send the drones, I’ll bring the noise. Donald J. Trump is the noise. Can you hear me? You guys, you guys are out of control. It is a new year, and a new me. Donald J. Trump is reborn, like every year, and the new me is even better than old Donald Trump, if that’s possible. Believe me, Donald J. Trump is America and frankly, frankly it needs Donald Trump. America needs Trump okay?” Trump ended his speech by asking his followers to read Motley, a wellknown subsidiary of Fox News. Thank Christ we live in Ireland where nothing political actually bloody matters, except Michael D’s dog. 

Headlines BREAKING

Man dies of dehydration after taking ‘Dry January’ too literally.

ENTERTAINMENT

BP Oil cast as Villain for ‘Aquaman 2’.

TECHNOLOGY

Spotify to employ most annoying prick you know to make ads to force you to go premium.

LIFESTYLE

UCC student still excommunicated from home after asking for ‘Vegan Christmas dinner’.

CRIME

Cork dentist charged after hundreds of pictures of ‘Baby Teeth’, were discovered on his computer. Sick Bastard.

BREAKING

Dozens of Law students drop out as they realise its not like ‘Legally Blonde’.

BUSINESS

Cork County Council and corrupt landlords team up to create new ‘Slums for Student’s’ initiative.

ENTERTAINMENT

R-Kelly rumoured to be top pick for new The Den presenter.

Arts & Literature

The Self-Care Issue The Christmas/New Year period can be the highlight of the year for some but for others it’s merely a storm to brave through. And so, it only seemed fitting that this ‘Welcome Back!’ issue would focus on just a few recommendations that might help with the post celebratory lull. Sometimes picking up a motivational book or switching on a film (while not spending the majority of the time perusing social media on your phone) can remind you how to look for joy in the little things. Having said that, while a self-help book and a Netflix binge can be a nice time out if you are struggling in any way academically or personally – it is a short-term solution to a long-term issue. But this issue can be managed so try to talk to a friend or family member about it. And if that seems too great a burden, remember that UCC offer a vast array of support whether it be from your peer support leader (who can lead you in the right direction), your department, or the free student counselling service. In the meantime, make sure to take some time for yourself. Absolutely everything else can wait. 

The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving A F**k (2015) by Sarah Knight (8/10)

In times of crisis, sometimes a tough-talking friend spewing the hard truths you’re already aware of can be detrimental to your mood, regardless of the positive intentions. On the other hand, sometimes in times of panic, anger, frustration, or upset the last thing you need is someone to impart creaking pales of pity upon you. In this respect, Sarah Knight’s book provides the perfect balance. While seemingly flippant about how easy it is to leave your job/ditch friends/stop being hard on yourself/refuse to attend parties/family gatherings/apparently mandatory meetings etc. there is a method to her madness. These off the cuff suggestions about how to give less of a f**k are elaborated on later, broken down into more achievable ways of making the positive changes you need to look after you. The best part is it’s broken into sections covering all different stress-inducing aspects of life. So you can pick it up as and when you need it.

HOT OR NOT The Secret (2006) by Rhonda Byrne (2/10)

This book has a strange power over me. I honestly think it is the biggest con going since skinny tea. And this is coming from someone who spends her time scrolling through quotes and adding them to a Pinterest board all day. Having said that, I also have an inexplicable fear of giving it a negative review (although clearly I’m not that worried – here I am, giving it a negative review). I’m irrationally concerned the positive intentions that the book promotes can also work in the opposite manner and cause my supervisors to kick me out of my PhD simply because the book heard me badmouthing it. So I am just going to whisper this so you may have to lean in: *whispers softly* “it’s absolute shite”

Editor: Eadaoin Regan

More Self Care... You Do You by Sarah Knight

Again, this has the same balance between tough love and gentle reassurance.

How To Be Single (2016) Directed by Christian Ditter

I honestly cannot recommend this film enough. It’s one of my all-time favourites and not because it reminds me of my own breakup experiences (watch Trainwreck for that). Not only does Dakota Johnson prove that a terrible script like Fifty Shades of Grey can ruin even a talent like her but Rebel Wilson, Leslie Mann, and Jake Lacy have some of the best comedic chemistry I have seen in a long time. The premise of the film doesn’t do it justice. It’s not solely a breakup film but more so a guide to learning to be content on your own and the difficulties that come along with that. But even if you don’t care to read too much into any of that, it’s hilarious and an easy watch so give it a try!

About Time (2013) Directed by Richard Curtis If you are in need of motivation to get off the couch and get out in the air, see a friend, or begin writing your own idea of the simple, achievable things that make you happy then while you are waiting for motivation to hit this is the perfect film to throw on while you wait it out. Curtis’ film tells the story of Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson) meandering his way through life like any other young adult, stagnant in their post-university existence. He’s not unhappy but he’s not content either. Sounds simple enough except there is an additional complication thrown into the mix: Tim, as a result of an inherited familial characteristic, can time travel. Despite this extraordinary discovery, Tim focuses on using this gift to obtain an extremely ordinary experience: love. And throughout

the film, we see that this is no false pretence introduced at the start of the film but abandoned later due to uncontrollable greed or ambition. Tim learns through continuous fails, and repeated third and fourth chances at a certain interaction, that sometimes life just is ordinary. And yet, there is happiness to be found.

The film provides brilliant performances from Domhnall Gleeson, Bill Nighy, Rachel McAdams, and Margot Robbie. There are some plot holes in the rules of time travel but realistically, you’re not going into a sci-fi wonder world here. The setting (Cornwall of all places), the relatable everyday events, and the supporting characters all reinforce the idea of the ordinary and this works quite well. Should Curtis have created an Avatar style world the concept of

finding happiness in the ordinary would surely have been lost. On occasion, it does cause the viewer to reflect with a pang what they might have changed if they could go back and this is swiftly followed by the obvious acknowledgement that it doesn’t matter because you aren’t actually a time traveller. In any case, you would be turned off time travelling considering the film’s exploration of the complications that come along with it, particularly in terms of bereavement or changing the outcome of even the most volatile situations. Ultimately, it is an uplifting film and definitely worth a watch. The overarching message is that you cannot control everything and it’s a poignant reminder that it’s often the ordinary things, days, and people that you will miss when they are gone.

The Greatest Showman (2017) Directed by Michael Gracey

Historical inaccuracies and glamorisation of an awful human being aside, this is the best musical ever ever ever. And I don’t even like musicals. So there you go. If you disagree though please do be sure to never speak to me again.

SEXPRESS

Editor: Rian Browne O’Neill

shaming here, either! So things like biting and hair pulling don’t hurt as much when you’re having getting your kink on and yes Kink can be a solo activity but that’s another day’s article. This also explains why facial expressions made in the heat of an orgasm are similar to the grimaces we make when we’re in pain, according to Dr Komisaruk. Let’s talk orgasm facial expressions even though again it’s generally considered taboo. Increased activity in your cerebellum is responsible for increased muscle tension related to sexual stimulation. All those light switches flicking on in your brain act as a chain reaction causing a volcanic eruption of an orgasm. Which in sexy science terms is when the hypothalamus and nucleus accumbens, are fully engaged. You know those bodily sensations like palpitations, pupils dilation, breathing heavily, and increased blood flow to your cheeks causing you to flush you sexy thing you! — this is all thanks to activation in the hypothalamus. Or not if you are Asexual and Aromantic and don’t engage in these activities, that’s cool too.

Beating off the January Blues Rian Browne O’Neill Sexpress Editior

So 2019 has arrived, everyone and their mother is looking at starting the new year with good intentions except me! Things that folks might be aware of though is that January is statistically the worst month of the year for people struggling with depression and has the highest rates of suicide. So what has this got to do with sexual health, you might ask? Well so many of us are super broke post December am I right? Guess what is a fun and cost free activity that is scientifically proven to give you good feelings? Yes I am talking about that taboo word masturbation. Now I don’t know about you but I always feel significantly better post self love. So however that looks for you be it spanking the monkey, flicking that bean or anywhere in

between, it is proven that orgasm’s release chemicals in your brain that give you yummy feels. So let’s talk about the science for a little bit. Neuroscientist Barry Komisaruk, Ph.D.,who is a co-author of The Orgasm Answer Guide has been studying brain activity during sexual stimulation for 20 years now. He has studied lots of people who have had orgasms inside MRI scanners For science!!! Based on all those lab based “O faces” we have a good idea of why parts of your brain light up like the fireworks on New Years Eve. Also why they might make you want to get your groove on in bed/ shower/ wherever - hey I am not here to judge, just remember folks safety first! No one looks good in Prison Orange. Did

you

know

that

genital

stimulation sends a signal to your limbic system that it’s time to get it on, or off as the case may be! The Limbic system is the emotional control center of your brain. Part of that system is the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and fantasies. No wonder I keep fantasising about Tom Hiddleston! Remember my previous comment, no judgements okay? Thanks pals.... now let’s talk more of that sweet sexy science. The amygdala, which is another emotional part of the brain is involved in sexual functioning, fear, and aggression. This doesn’t necessarily translate into rough, angry sex — it just means that this highly emotional area is also activated when you’re bringing sexy back. While we mention rough sex, some brain areas respond to both orgasm and pain. But Hey No kink

During orgasm, your brain release oxytocin which is a hormone and neurotransmitter. In many people with a womb, oxytocin can trigger strong contractions that pulse along with their orgasms, which might explain those butterflies I feel when I think about Tom. At the same time your brain dumps a load of that sexy feel good hormone dopamine into the Nucleus Accumbens a.k.a. The reward center of your brain which activates it and rewards you for your feel good sexy times. Other ways folks can kick up their dopamine is through sports activities. But like that’s not my new year resolution. For 2019 I wanna get my rocks off more. Post-orgasm bliss is awesome right? The world is a better place. So yes my friends it’s super okay to have some alone time. Even if you do have a partner or FWB willing to help. I recommend connecting back to your own body. How can you communicate to a partner what makes you feel good if you don’t explore that with yourself first. 

Student

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Issue Seven | Tuesday 29th January 2019 | University Express

Gaeilge

Réim Vegeánach: An réim bhia díomách eile é? Alice Dunne, Scríbhneoir Gaeilge

Cloistear réim bhia nua beagnach gach lá sa lá atá inniu ann. Gan amhras, is mór a théann réim bhia i bhfeidhm ar chúrsaí sláinte ach an é an réim bhia is fearr? Cloistear comhairle dhifriúil gach lá, ‘Ithigí na uibheacha gan buíocán - mar tá sé míshlántiúil’ nó ‘má tá fonn ort meáchan a chailliúint, ithigí trí bhabhla de Special K gach lá’. Athraíonn sí go minic. Sa lá atá inniu ann, deirtear gurb é an réim vegeánach an réim bhia is fearr ó thaobh an sláinte agus an t-athrú aeráide de. Tá an t-uafás eolais soaimsithe ar an idirlíon. Sin ráite, ‘sí an chloch is mó ar mo phaidrín ná an cheist ‘An bhfuil buntáiste nó míbhuntáiste i gceist leis an réim bhia áirithe seo? ‘Sí an réim bhia atá san fhaisean le déanaí ná an réim bia vegeánach áfach. An réim bhia díomách eile é? Bhí amhras orm an chéad uair a chuala mé faoi. D’athraigh mé mo dhearcadh a bhuíochas le m’athair. Is feirmeoir déiríochta é agus dhá bhliain ó shin, thosaigh sé ag ithe na réime vegeánach. Roimhe sin, fear ‘traidisiúnta’ ab ea é, d'itheadh sé dhá ubh ar maidin le slisíní bagúin agus mairteoil nó sicín am dhinnéar agus ceapaire liamháis um thráthnóna.

Ní chreidófá na hathruithe; anois, tá an t-uafás fuinnimh aige. Ní fear óg é ach dúirt a dhoctúir leis go bhfuil corp fhear sna tríochaidí aige. Tá sé beagnach deich mbliana agus trí fichid d'aois. Dhá bhliain ó shin, bhí leibhéal ard colaistéaróil aige agus sin é an fáth a shocraigh sé a réim bhia a athrú. Is fear difriúil é inniu. Ólann sé uisce beatha te gach oíche roimh am luí fós áfach. Seanscéal agus meirg air! Níl sé sin an t-aon buntáiste a bhaineann leis an réim bia seo; nuair a dhein mé níos mó taighde, d’fhoghlaim mé na buntáistí eile. Mar shampla, ó thaobh an tsláinte de, laghdaíonn sé an riosca galar croí. Tá sé éifeachtúil ag cuidiú le cailliúint mheáchain ach b’fhéidir an pointe is tábhachtaí; tá sé an réim bhia is fearr i leith an timpeallacht, de réir an staidéar eolaíoch a dhein na Náisiún Aontaithe níos déanaí. Cháin tuarascáil na Náisiún Aontaithe an réim bhia feoiliteach. Tá neart fianaise tugtha chun solais acu; mhol siad dúinn má sheachnóimis é, beidh sé sin an tslí is fearr chun do thionchar thimpeallachta a laghdú agus gan chaitheamh déirí agus feola, beidh 70% thalamh feirme níos lú á úsáid (ar aon mhéid leis an tSín, na Stáit Aontaithe, an tAontas Eorpach agus an Astráil le chéile).

Frásaí na Seachtaine: First Dates na hÉireann A thiarcais! Táim an-neirbhíseach! Oh God! I’m very nervous! An bhfuil tú go maith? Mar braithníonn tú go maith. Are you well? Cause you’re looking well. An dtagann tú anseo go minic? Do you come here often? An féidir linn dhá spúnóg a fháil don mhilseog? Can we have two spoons for dessert? Cé atá ag íoc? (Ceist chonspóideach!) Who’s paying? (Controversial question!) Ceannóidh mise é seo! I’ll get this! An féidir linn é a roinnt ina dhá leath? Can we go halves? An bhféadfaimís bualadh le chéile arís? Any chance of a second date? Níor bhraith mé splanc eadrainn I didn’t feel a spark. Ar aghaidh linn go Coppers le do thoil! To Coppers please!

Míníodh go bhfuil an gáis cheaptha teasa ón talmhaíocht ainmhithe ar an léibhéal céanna do na gáis ón gach carr, trucail, bus, eitleán agus roicéad le chéile. Sa lá atá inniu ann, tá ag díriú ar an eipidéim phlaistigh (agus cad chuige nach mbeadh) ach an fhadbh is baolaí ná cad a chuireann siad ar a bplátaí gach lá. Tá an tionchar táirgeadh talmhaíochta i bhfad níos measa ná sin; ‘Is iad na hitheadóirí feola na príomhchuiditheoirí do chaillteanas uisce, dífhoraoisiú, leibhéil farraige ag ardú, díothú speiceas, agus truailliú’. Cén fáth go bhfuilimid ag brath ar an réim bhia chomh fánach agus millteach? Nach cuma an bhfuil an stéig deich n-unsa i bhfad níos blasta ná Casaról vegeánach? Cén béile an ceann is nádurtha, is simplí, is folláine? Is ball dúinn den sochaí ‘shibhialta’ ach

dúnmharaítear na céadta ainmhithe gach lá gan ghá agus leanimid ar aghaidh go santach. An íoróin is mó ná téann daoine ar Facebook agus cuirtear ‘is maith liom’ ar phictiuírí leis an dteideal ‘Féachaigí ar an lao gleoite beomhar darb ainm Mícheál’ agus titeann daoine i ngrá leis. Dhá uair tar éis é sin, téann siad go dtí KC’s agus ordaíonn siad burgar ceathrú puint le sceallóga agus alpann siad é go náireach. An bhfaca tú an fhadhb anseo? Smaoinigh ar do gharpháistí - ní bheidh siad anseo má leanfaimid ar aghaidh gan athrú mór suntasach. Seachain an réim bhia feoiliteach má tá fonn ort iad a bhualadh. Smaoinigh ar Mhícheál, an lao gleoite a athraíonn go burgar blasta. Déan an cinneadh ceart sula mbeidh sé ródhéanach. 

Photos

Issue Seven | Tuesday 29th January 2019 | University Express

Photo Credits: Left: UCC Music Society, Photo: Eve Harrington Right: College Road Below: Cork Nights, Photos by Julian Hayes, (Instagram: @poorly_mannered_fruit)

Issue Seven | Tuesday 29th January 2019 | University Express

Photos

University

Volume 22 | Issue Seven Tuesday 29th January 29th

Sports

UCCExpress.ie

UCC Impress in Fitzgibbon and Sigerson Clashes Declan Gleeson, Sports Editor

CC got off to an encouraging start in their 2019 Fitzgibbon Cup and Sigerson Cup campaigns, with both teams registering wins in their respective opening games and securing quarter-final berths. In the hurling, UCC have stormed into a commanding position in their group by registering 2 wins out of 2 with victories over UL and UCD. In the first game, UCC put on a fine display to subject the reigning champions UL to a home defeat by a score of 0-26 to 0-20, with Shane Conway putting up 9 points to get UCC over the line. There was a feeling of redemption for the Cork side, having lost heavily to UL at this venue in last years’ quarterfinal match. UCC came out of the blocks quickest and throughout the 1st half, the sides were level 5 times, but UL were never in front. There was a significant decision midway through the 1st period, as the referee

adjudged UL’s Barry Murphy to have struck his penalty effort from inside the 20-metre line, and consequently, a goal was ruled out and UCC carried a 2 point lead into half-time. The champions started the better side in the 2nd half as they took the lead for the only time at 0-13 to 0-12. The failure by the Limerick side to build momentum was punished as UCC sub Robbie O’Flynn came on to score 3 points as UCC outscored their opponents 0-9 to 0-3 down the home stretch. UL now face the daunting task of having to secure 2 away victories to progress from the so called ‘group of death’, at NUIG and UCD. UCC continued to show good form by dispatching of UCD last week at Mardyke to book a place in the quarter final stages. Again there were scores to settle as UCC lost out to UCD during this fixture in last years’ competition, but never looked in danger of losing this tie. UCC were again quick to secure the lead and

never looked back, holding a 5 point lead at half-time: 0-11 to 0-6. Into the 2nd half, UCC scored 2 crucial goals courtesy of Mark Kehoe and Neil Montgomery to put the result beyond the Dublin side, who fought valiantly to the end, scoring a goal themselves through a Brian Hogan penalty. In the end, UCC just had too much for the visitors as they ran home with a comfortable 11 point surplus 2-21 to 1-13. UCC are the first team to qualify for the quarterfinals and hope to book a quarterfinal fixture at home as they play NUIG next. Turning towards football and the Sigerson Cup, UCC romped home with a 36 point advantage on Athlone IT at Mardyke to advance straight into the quarter-finals. UCC were in total control all over the pitch as they commanded possession and were clinical in attack, scoring 3 first half goals, including a brace by Conor Horgan, and limiting the scoring opportunities of the Athlone

side to head into the interval 3-16 to 1-1 to the good. One of UCC’s stars of the day was Paudie Clifford as he nabbed a hat-trick in an impressive display of strength and depth by the Leesiders. Athlone had goals from Mullinalaghta’s Rian Brady and a penalty rebound by Brian Berry, but UCC never took their foot off the gas and ran in a couple of extra scores in the final stages as the full time whistle blew at 7-25 to 2-4. Athlone earn a second chance in the competition by facing off against DIT. UCC will now face the winners of the game between UL and Carlow IT in their next game. The signs suggest there is much to be excited about GAA-wise in Cork this year as both teams remain well alive in the fight to reclaim their respective titles. UCC are without a Fitzgibbon Cup win since 2013 while the Sigerson Cup has eluded their grasp since the last triumph in 2014. 

Issue Seven | Tuesday 29th January 2019 | University Express

Sports

MVG becomes King of the Palace Jack Maguire, Sports Writer

ecember is perhaps the most highly anticipated month of the year for darts fans. December sees the beginning of the World Championship, the coveted title that dart players of all levels all over the world dream of winning. This year’s tournament would be bigger and better than ever with the field increased to 96 players including 2 ladies qualifiers. The total prize money also took a massive jump from £1.8 million to £2.5 million seeing the overall winner earn a life changing £500,000. Michael Van Gerwen began the tournament as the favourite but each and every competitor could visualise their name in lights come the 1st day of January. Rob Cross, the defending World Champion was handed a tough opening draw against a strong young Dutch prospect, Jeffrey De Zwaan. Many pundits were predicting an early upset, but ‘Voltage’ held his nerve and showed why he was the reigning king of the darts world with a 3-1 win. His convincing performance with a 102.93 average and 4 180’s silenced the critics and threw any early nerves aside. The ever consistent Gary Anderson accounted for the Irish Matchplay

qualifier, Kevin Burness with a 3-1 victory. It was also plain sailing for Van Gerwen who brushed aside the challenge of Alan Tabern 3-1, despite a fan throwing a drink over him prior to the walk on. There were several big hitters who were brought down on their visit to the Alexandra Palace stage in 2018. The first big name to fall was the world number 2, Peter Wright who was conquered by the Spaniard, Toni Alcinas. The number 48 player on the order of merit despatched ‘Snakebite’ with a comprehensive 3-1 victory. Round 2 also saw the departure of Mensur Suljovic who lost out 3-1 to the Somerset man, Ryan Searle. Raymond Van Barneveld, the five time champion of the world also exited the competition in his first game along with Darren Webster, Joe Cullen, Ian White and Gerwyn Price. Dave Chisnall continued his good run of form with a sweeping 4-0 victory over the Belgian star Kim Huybrechts. The trend of top seeds being eliminated continued into round 3 which saw ‘Superchin’ Daryl Gurney run into an in form Jamie Lewis who emerged victorious 4-3 in a thrilling encounter. Jamie Lewis looking to replicate the wonders he worked last year when he reached the semi-final stage.

Gary Anderson survived a scare against Jermaine Wattimena. ‘The Flying Scotsman’ powered through the Wattimena challenge to triumph 4-3. Adrian Lewis and Rob Cross both recorded emphatic victories to progress to round 4 of the Championships. A surprise package was starting to emerge from section 4 of the draw. 27 year old Nathan Aspinall was making waves on his World Championship debut. Having knocked out The World Grand Slam Champion, Gerwyn Price in round 2, Aspinall sent Kyle Anderson and Devon Petersen packing to book his place in the quarter final. Ryan Joyce and Luke Humphries caused major upsets in round 4. Joyce put out ‘The Machine’ James Wade in a tight encounter 4-3. Luke ‘Coolhand’ Humphries shocked the defending World Champion Rob Cross with a blistering performance to send ‘Voltage’ home. Humphries recorded a 99.71 average and hit 7 180’s on his way to victory. Michael Smith has been dubbed by many as a future World Champion. He’s a natural talent and he showed this on the ‘Ally Pally’ stage. He put an end to Luke Humphries fantastic run with a 5-1 victory in the quarter final. The semi-final line up was rather unusual. The first semi-final turned out as expected, Michael Van

Gerwen would face Gary Anderson. The second semi-final included ‘The Asp’ Nathan Aspinall. The underdog had come through each challenge that the World Championships could throw at him and he reached the semi-final on merit. He overcame the might of Brendan Dolan, 5-1 in the quarter final to make a date with ‘Bully Boy’ Michael Smith. Gary Anderson and Michael Van Gerwen have had some enthralling battles over the years. Two of the most naturally gifted players to ever grace the big stage would meet once more to battle it out for a spot in the big final on New Year’s Day. The so called ‘people’s final’ unfortunately did not live up to the billing with the ‘Green Machine’ running away with the match. He dominated the game and closed out a 6-1 victory with 11 180’s. It was in fact the semi-final between Smith and Aspinall that impressed most. Despite a dominant performance from Michael Smith, he was given a great challenge by Aspinall as the debutant impressed darts fans worldwide, earning himself a contract with Target Darts in the meantime. It was the first time in over 30 years that both finalists were under the age of thirty. The 27 year old St Helens man was seeking his first televised major, but first he would have to defeat the relentless scoring power of Van Gerwen. The merciless MVG hit the ground running and raced into a 4-0 lead. The natural Smith fought hard and showed his determination, but it was not enough to knock Van Gerwen off his perch as the best player in the world. ‘Mighty Mike’ romped his way to a 7-3 victory and his third world title. It was a very memorable tournament which saw many underdogs progress to the latter stages of the competition. There were shocks and mesmerising performances from the very first round. Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price, to name but a few were looking to mount a serious challenge to the world crown, but both fell at the first hurdle like many other big names. But this could not have been further from Michael Van Gerwen’s mind as he powered his way to the pinnacle of world darts without moving out of third gear. 

Sports

Issue Seven | Tuesday 29th January 2019 | University Express

Lowry Delights in Abu Dhabi Declan Gleeson, Sports Editor

hane Lowry banished the demons of his 2016 US Open loss to once again taste victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship last weekend. Lowry, a winner of the 2009 Irish Open as an amateur, also has a 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational title under his belt having won the tournament in Ohio. That was the Offaly native’s last win on tour and the pain of losing the US Open at Oakmont in 2016, when leading from the front, was sure to have played on his mind when he saw his 3-shot overnight lead crumble into a 4-shot deficit approaching the back nine on the final day. However the Irishman displayed a commendable mental resilience to overtake his playing partner Richard Sterne on the final hole. Afterwards, when quizzed on the effect Oakmont had on him, Lowry reflected: "The one thing I got from Oakmont is I laid down and I didn't show any fight or bottle there and I did that today. I felt after the 11th hole, I was getting myself in the same situation that I got myself in Oakmont and I genuinely thought that. But I kind of had a quick word with myself and told myself that, you know, just kick on now and just see what I can do for the next six or seven holes." Lowry finished his 1st round in Abu Dhabi by equalling the course

record in an exceptional round, going out in 62 with no bogeys for the day and a 3-shot lead on the nearest player. With his iron work impeccable and his putting smooth, Lowry appeared comfortable on the course. He started the 2nd day in an extremely contrasting manner with 2 dropped shots to fall out of the lead and was visibly frustrated with his driving. He regained his composure and form to again take control of the tournament by just the 1 shot. In total, 22 players entered the weekend within 5 shots of the lead and with hopes of victory. The 3rd round was less than consistent from Lowry, but he came up trumps when it mattered most, including 3 consecutive birdies on the front nine, to stretch his lead to 3 shots heading into the final day. The crowds finally arrived and so the stage was set for Lowry to fight it out for his first victory in 4 years, but all did not go to plan as he was frequently off target with the driver and was consequently in trouble approaching the greens. After finding the water off the tee on the 9th, Lowry closed the front nine with 3 bogeys and 2 birdies to sit 3 behind the new leader Sterne. The South African was 5 under par for the front and suddenly looked the favourite. The lead extended to 4 shots after more wayward shooting from the Irishman. But the momentum swung in Lowry’s favour once

again as Sterne bogeyed twice and two birdies for Lowry saw him close the gap. Lowry saw the par 3’s play in his favour all week as he birdied the 12th hole for the fourth consecutive time, in total Lowry was 11 under par on the par 3’s. The South African leader tripled putted on the 14th and lost his lead on the 16th hole to leave the pair on level terms. At the 17th, Lowry was again inconsistent with his long range shots and a difficult chip left him with a long 12 foot putt for par. Lowry had been making clutch puts all weekend to stay in the competition and showed his mettle again to sink the crucial putt and the crowd roared him on as they approached the last teebox. Cometh the hour, cometh the man: Lowry’s tee shot was perfect and his approach to the final green was sublime. Sterne found the rough and was on course for a par when Lowry found the green at pin level and appeared to have 2 shots to win. His first putt was short but close enough for 3 time tour winner to become a 4 time tour winner. The relief was all too visible on the face of Lowry as he rolled in the winning putt to collect €1,024,000 in the process. The commentators couldn’t help but praise the mental toughness and character that was shown throughout the day. The quality of golf wasn’t always at the elite level, but the sportsmanship definitely was.

The victory propelled Lowry up from 75th in the World Rankings, well into the top 50 at number 41 currently. He now sits well in contention for an invite to this year’s Masters at Augusta and qualifies for the WGC Mexico Championship and the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play. With Padraig Harrington recently unveiled as the next European Ryder Cup captain, Shane Lowry will be keen catch his fellow Irishman’s attention and aim to remain in the qualification pool in September. Speaking on the Ryder Cup, he stated: "I still have a goal in my head I’m working towards every day and just because I won this doesn’t mean I can take my foot off the gas. It’s a great stepping stone, no doubt because I’m back in the big tournaments now for the foreseeable future and hopefully I can kick on from here and move back up the World Rankings where I feel like I really belong.”. Speaking after the tournament, Lowry referenced his delight at the recent unification between the Golfing Union of Ireland and the Irish Ladies Golfing Union, now under one all-inclusive body: Golf Ireland. A Transition Period will immediately commence, with the intention for this to culminate with the first AGM and regional meetings of Golf Ireland happening in the final quarter of 2020, paving the way for the organisation to ‘go live’ on 1 January 2021.The transitions period will involve the organisation taking shape through creation of a regional and national structure and the drawing up of rules and processes to underpin the activities of the organisation, all overseen by a CEO who will be appointed early in the Transition Period and who will work with a Transitions Team. The GUI and ILGU will continue to operate through the Transition Period with the transfer of functions and staff to Golf Ireland prior to the ‘go live’ date for the new organisation. The merger was voted forward by 100% of the ILGU and 94% of GUI clubs. ILGU Chief Executive Sinead Heraty expressed a sentiment felt by many: “I thought it was brilliant that Shane Lowry mentioned it yesterday after what was a superb win for him. For him to pick up on that was a class touch. It was a great weekend for Irish golf.”

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Charity Number: CHY4483A

The UCC Works Award enables students to receive formal recognition for the learning gained from their involvement in extra - curricular activities inside and outside of UCC.

PARTICIPATE

for your chosen pathway at www.ucc.ie/careers/uccworks

In an approved UCC Works Activity

NO UNIFORM DAY

LE BAKE SA REFLECT

CYCLE on the employability CHALLENGE skills learned from T that activityRand E HUN SU CV update your TREA UN

DECEMBER 2018

MENT

GOLF TOURNA

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IR A H Y BBQ CRAZDAY DUCK RACE

REFLECT

GET THEAWARD! EMPLOYABILITY STAR AWARDS!

on the employability skills learned from that activity and update your CV

Great reason to get dressed up and feel proud about your The UCC hard work and Works Employability Star Award may be awarded to students who have achievements right?! received four or more UCC Works awards by their final year in UCC.

The UCC Works awards will be held in March.

The awards must be spread over two academic years, and must include awards from any three pathways. One Employability Star Award is given per year.

INTERESTED? Find out more... More details on the Employability Star Award is at www.ucc.ie/careers/uccworks

For further information: www.ucc.ie/careers/uccworks/ or email: uccworks@ucc.ie

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Have fun, raise funds! Above are some fundraising ideas, but if you have other great ideas, call Sinead Nolan on 01 709 1700 or email snolan@cmrf.org

There are lots of fun, creative and challenging ways that you and your class mates can raise urgently needed funds that will benefit sick children. Money that will be used to buy life-saving equipment, refurbish our hospital wards, and fund vital research.

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WHO CAN APPLY? • The award is open to all undergraduate and postgraduate students of UCC who satisfy the criteria of “participate and reflect.” • See www.ucc.ie/careers/uccworks for further details on the FOUR award pathways

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME THEN...? THERE ARE LOADS OF REASONS. HERE ARE A FEW FOR YOU! •

Achieve formal recognition for taking part in extracurricular activities that you enjoy.

•

Boost your career prospects by demonstrating to employers that you have developed competencies they want.

•

Stand out from the crowd and have your contribution recorded on your Diploma Supplement. The Diploma Supplement is a newer standardised document that is used across Europe. Its purpose is to give context to both academic and institutional information should you be applying to a European University or Employer. One of the advantages of the Diploma Supplement is that it has a section for additional information on achievements like the UCC WORKS Award.

ward

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BUT, WHY BOTHER? • The award is designed to prepare you for the challenges you face in making the transition to work. • To succeed after university you should focus on developing the employability skills employers value like working as part of a team or communicating well. • The UCC Works Award gives you an opportunity to develop these all round skills that employers value greatly.

WHEN DO I GET THE AWARD? The UCC Works awards will be held in March. Great reason to get dressed up and feel proud about your hard work and achievements right?!

Achieve a UCC Digital Badge - digital micro-credentials which can be displayed on your online portfolios or LinkedIn Profiles. The Diploma Supplement is not to be mistaken for the University Transcript and is received after you graduate.

WHEN DO I GET THE AWARD? The UCC Works awards will be held in March. Great reason to get dressed up and feel proud about your hard work and achievements right?!

Talent will out...

Quercus Scholarship Ingenium Elucet University College Cork

At UCC, in collaboration with our partners Henry Ford & Son Ltd., we nurture talent through support, encouragement and by challenging and mentoring students, both academically and personally. The Quercus Scholarship offers students the opportunity to apply for scholarships in the following areas: Academic, Active Citizenship, Creative & Performing Arts, Innovation/Entrepreneurship, Sport.

To find out more, please contact the programme manager, Michele Power: Telephone +353 21 4904688, Email: mpower@ucc.ie

www.ucc.ie/quercus

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