UCC Express Issue 10

Tuesday, February 23rd 2016 | uccexpress.ie | Volume 19 | Issue 10

Students & General Election Pg. 5 - News

READY, SET R&G!: Participants in the annual Nearly Naked Mile set off on the charity (almost) nudist run for R&G (PHOTO: Emmet Curtin)

UCC Fails to Tackle Anti-Social Behaviour Chris McCahill - Deputy News Editor

Minister Kathleen Lynch, has criticised UCC for failing to effectively tackle anti-social behaviour amid complaints from residents concerning all-night parties and litter problems. These complaints were made last week by residents during UCC’s RAG week. Residents say they are sick and tired of the noise and mess caused by RAG week.

A meeting did take place between UCC representatives and residents but Minister Lynch said it was regrettable

that the regular community forums had been “dismantled”.

Paddy Hayes and Rose Walsh, residents from magazine road, claimed they were living with constant anti-social behaviour which is at a peak during RAG week. Ms. Walsh claimed she had emerged one morning to pick up glass bottles and claimed a party was still ongoing in one of the houses.

Mr. Hayes claimed students had no respect for cars as wing mirrors, wipers and aerials are often broken off. “They’re treating the place like an open skip. There are parties at 11am in the morning. We’re not

tarring all students with the same brush but something has to be done. We don’t want to be complaining all the time either, but what else can we do?”

Residents took the opportunity to raise their concerns to Minister Lynch when she was canvassing in the area. Some are calling for students to be arrested by Gardaí.

Minister Lynch commented on the issue saying that: “From early September every year there are residents who feel as if they are virtually prisoners in their own home. I have spoken to residents who look forward

Abuse in Relationships

Pg. 8 - Features

to May each year and the peace and quiet that it brings”.

“No community should be expected to have to deal with nightly drinking and parties on residential streets along with litter-strewn streets every morning. Frankly, I think there is a lack of communication between the university and residents and I consider it unacceptable that community forums appear to have been dismantled”.

(Continued on Page 3...)

Interview: ParaPod Podcast

BYLINE Magazine

Tuesday, February 23rd 2016 | UCC EXPRESS

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Inside Today: NUIG RAG Arrests Page 4 SU Elections Preview Page 6 Abusive Relationships Page 8 French Connection Page 10 RAG Week Photos Page 12 LOI Opinions Page 14

Editorial team Editor-in-Chief: Brian Conmy Deputy & News Editor: Zoë Cashman Deputy News Editor: Chris McCahill Features Editor: Deirdre Ferriter Deputy Features Editor: Katie Jeffers Sport Editor: Dylan O Connell Sport Editor: Aaron Casey Photo Editor: Emmet Curtin Designer: Robert O’Sullivan Byline Editor: Xander Cosgrave Fiction Editor: Austin Dowling Humour Editor: Lauren Mulvihill Arts & Lit Editor: Colm Furlong Film & TV Editor: Olivia Brown Gaming Editor: Aoife Gleeson Music Editor: Holly Cooney Fashion Editor: Jessica NiMhaolain Fashion Editor: Kenneth Nwaezeigwe

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Letters from the Editors Up The R&G - Legitimate or Ageist?

Robert O’Sullivan - Designer

Another Raise & Give Week has come and gone, and as the UCC Express’ resident old person I’ve been tasked with putting it on a scale among the last few years’ attempts. I’ll admit, as someone who doesn’t really drink and hates nightclubs, R&G Week generally isn’t aimed at me. You’d think, then, that I wouldn’t be too happy with the prospect of a week of debouchery; on the contrary, as someone who has worked with three out of the four charities this year, I was delighted to see students doing some good work for great causes.

I have a massive problem with the coverage of R&G Week in local media. As mentioned, being the resident old soul I often spend my work hours listening to the wireless in the background, and as always with this (and Freshers’-) week nothing can be found on the city’s two most prominant stations (that aren’t UCC 98.3fm) that doesn’t just go on and on about how terrible young people are. And that’s where my problem lies: it’s not “Jaysus, these anti-social pricks are awful gobshites, ah? Lock em up I say” it’s

always “students are shit, save the city get rid of the college!”

Ignoring the fact that UCC owns 1/8th of Cork, do you see the problem there?

While I describe myself as the Express’ token oldie, I’m not even the oldest on staff; but my mannor, my personality, could be easily described as curmudgeonly at times. So when I walk down College Road on a R&G Week morn and get dirty looks from an old man putting up “CLOSE UCC, SAVE OUR COMMUNITY!” signs I cannot help but feel his issue is not with anti-social behaviour, but with young people.

My heart goes out to residents; having been one for years, I know their pain. I’ve called the Guards, knocked on doors and complained alongside them. R&G Week can be terrible without being thrown under the bus on Neil Prendeville.

Forget About ‘em

Zoë Cashman - News Editor

I’ve come to realise that myself, as well as many other people I’m sure, get a little too caught up in who comes in and out of my life.

Most people who are reading this have at least been through their primary and secondary school education, and I would be highly surprised if a lot of you still had the same friends or relationships all the way up along. I think it’s incredibly important to realise that we are constantly growing and changing as people, and just because a lot of people may come and go from your life, isn’t a reflection on you as a person.

Another important fact to realise is that people are going to do wrong by you. If secondary school or college has taught you anything let it be that at the end of the day, to a certain extent, you really just have to look out for number one.

I have seen it on many occasion that someone I’ve trusted has done wrong by me and a couple of years ago it would’ve bothered me, but as you get older and this happens more and more, you

just come to realise that you really should just surround yourself with positive people who will add to your life and not take away from it.

Essentially, my friends, carpe diem. You never know what’s going to happen, maybe your best friend will be your greatest enemy next year, maybe you and your boyfriend are going to break up next week.

At the end of the day, life will go on and more people will enter your life and it’s up to you whether they deserve to stay. Also, be the best you can be towards other people. I’ll finish this with a quote my best friend always says, which honestly has been getting me by lately, “What is meant for you will never pass you”.

To Send a Letter to the Editor: Email Brian on: Editor@UCCExpress.ie Email Zoë on: News@UCCExpress.ie Email Rob on: Online@UCCExpress.ie

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday, February 23rd 2016

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UCC R&G Week Unable to Lose Anti-Social Connotations Cover Story - Continued Lynch went on to say that “The response to the issue should involve UCC, Cork City Council, Landlords and Gardaí. “It’s a complex issue.

I am calling on UCC to reestablish community forums in the area and to proactively take responsibility for ensuring that students respect the residential communities in which they are living, especially during RAG week.”

A spokesperson from UCC responding to the complaints said “All unreasonable and unlawful behaviour by individuals, whether they be students of UCC or otherwise, that interferes with the dayto-day lives of local residents and the UCC community is unacceptable”.

At the invitation of the Gardaí, representatives from UCC met with local residents,

representatives, landlords, local club owners, other concerned groups and individuals along with the UCC Students’ Union prior to RAG week, in the hopes of working together to identify ways to ensure the week passed off safely and with minimal disruption to others. These measures, many of which were hugely successful included disciplinary procedures against any UCC student found in

breach of UCC rules and the Gardaí provided serious resources to ensure effective policing in the areas around UCC. Similarly, UCC’s student community support service was also active, patrolling and assisting the Gardaí by informing them of any anti-social behaviour and by cleaning up the litter and rubbish left in public areas each night.

UCC said they will continue to work in collaboration with the other parties involved including the city council, the Gardaí and local residents to tackle this complex societal issue.

USI Calls on Parties to Commit to Mental Health Reform Zoë Cashman - News Editor

The USI is calling on all political parties to commit to mental health reform and suicide prevention before the General Election. The number of students reporting mental health issues has increased, but as a result of hiring restrictions, most colleges are unable to afford to hire extra counselling staff to meet the demand.

Research conducted by USI has found that 73% of students said the high cost of college causes them anxiety or stress, 71% said they regularly feel down with 36% saying they feel down every day and 35% saying they feel down every week.

USI President, Kevin Donoghue, stated that “Ireland has one of the highest levels of participation in third-level education within the EU. The importance of promoting positive mental health among the large third-level population cannot be underestimated, with research showing a high percentage of students experiencing mental health difficulties including depression, anxiety, loneliness, substance misuse and suicidal behaviour”.

Donoghue went on to say that “An action plan for mental health promotion in third level should be included within the development and implemen-

tation of a Health Promoting College Network. Waiting lists for counselling can be up to six weeks which raises serious concerns for students in distress. Crisis response should be urgent and 24/7”.

According to research by ReachOut, the online youth mental health service, 63% of students reported that lecture attendance has been affected by their mental ill-health.

ReachOut also found that 15% of students rated their mental health as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’.

USI has said that the next Government should produce a detailed, time-lined Action

Plan to continue the reform of mental health supports and improve the mental health of whole population, ensuring that adequate funding and the structures for good governance and oversight of the plan are in place.

Donoghue concluded that “we are urging the government to increase funding given specifically for the provision of adequate counselling services to all third level students either through the direct employment of more counsellors or in purchasing external counselling session hours”.

the acknowledgment of mental health issues nationwide, Niall Breslin, is also calling on the next government to focus on mental health issues. Via Twitter on Friday Breslin stated that it’s “really fantastic to see our media outlets not let up on politicians evasion of mental health discussion”. He also stated that he “wouldn’t vote for a political party solely on mental health manifestos, but certainly had no interest in voting for a part with no mental health manifesto”.

Celebrity and advocate for

Transatlantic Flights from Cork to US postponed Zoë Cashman - News Editor

A Norwegian airline has stated that planned flights from Cork to the US have been postponed, pending receipt of a permit to enable the flight plan to commence.

A spokesperson from Cork Airport has said the airport is awaiting a receipt of Norwegian Air International’s foreign permit from the US Department of Transportation. The matter has now entered arbitration between the EU and US authorities under Open Skies.

A Cork to Boston service has been planned to begin in May

with a service to New York scheduled for 2017. Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA Chief Executive, Bjorn Kjos, said that while direct flights between Paris and the US will begin this summer, the Cork service is still on hold.

“The Paris flights underscore the ambitions of Europe’s third-biggest budget carrier to rapidly expand its longhaul business from the United States”.

The owner of Blarney Castle, Charles Colthurst, is calling on the Taoiseach to intervene. He

spoke out on Friday following the news that the Cork to Boston flight route was being deferred.

“I feel the people of Cork have been let down badly. This should have been an election issue and my fear now is that this is dead in the water”.

While Blarney Castle attracted just over 400,000 visitors last year - 200,000 of them Americans, Colthurst stated that securing transatlantic flights from Cork was of regional importance.

“Not every American wants to fly in to Dublin Airport, and I know from my own contacts in the US that there was huge support for the proposed Cork to Boston flights”.

Fianna Fáil leader, Micheál Martin, has criticised the government for not doing enough to secure the route. “This is a matter the government has not put enough time into. The permits that need to be issued by the American Department of Transportation form part of the Open Skies agreement negotiated between the EU and US when Fianna Fáil was in

government. The government needs to have a more handson role in this process and use our positive ties with the US to help move the issue along”.

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Tuesday, February 23rd 2016 | UCC EXPRESS

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Psychobiotic Revolution to Treat Depression ‘Within 5 Years’ Zoë Cashman - News Editor Psychobiotics will be available within the next five years for treating depression and anxiety disorders, a UCC professor of psychiatry has predicted.

Ted Dinan, a Principal Investigator at APC in UCC, stated that “There is increasing evidence from work in the APC Microbiome Institute that alterations in gut microbes may predispose to mental health problems. We have identified bacteria called Psychobiotics which have a positive mental

health benefit”.

Professor Dinan expects that other therapies for psychiatric conditions which may emerge are antibiotics targeting ‘bad’ bacteria or even faecal microbiota transplantation, a therapy currently confine to people with intractable clostridium difficile infection.

Although there are many preparations of bacteria now being marketed as probiotics, the vast majority do nothing for

us, stated Dinan. “Most don’t make it past the stomach acid, however, a few have enormous implications for the future of psychiatric medication”.

Awarded the Melvin Ramsey Prize in 1995 for his research into the biology of stress, Professor Dinan was among the speakers at the SynBio Future 2016 Conference: Future Axioms in Synthetic Biology which took place in UCC yesterday. The conference featured speakers representing

the biotech startup scene, new faces of industrial biotechnology, experts in functional food microbiota and brain.

According to IndieBio founder, Bill Liao, “Cork is the global hub of biotechnology that has managed to hide its light away until now. Cork has a long tradition of entrepreneurship and is one of the world’s most liveable cities”.

Numerous startup companies such as Hyasynth, Evolva,

GlowDx, Ourobotics, Bento Labs and Monaghan Bioscience showcased their contributions to global problems.

Liao concluded that “Synthetic biology is the technology of the new millennium and as it is moving forward at an exponential pace you cannot afford to miss any opportunities to come up to speed on the latest this domain has to offer”.

Students Hailed for Achievements on Placement Zoë Cashman - News Editor UCC’s College of Business and Law hosted its Work Placement Awards last week, to recognise and reward exceptional student performances on placement.

and ambassadors of the College of Business and Law.

In 2015, over 500 students in the College of Business and Law successfully completed Work Placement as part of the undergraduate or postgraduate study experience.

“Placement providers, who play an invaluable role in supporting the multi-faced learning experience of students at UCC, and whose support is invaluable to the success of placement programmes are invited to share the highlights of their experiences”.

Dr. Louise Crowley of the School of Law in UCC, stated that the ceremony sees the recognition of both nominated and successful students, all of whom are celebrated as exceptional placement participants

Head of the College of Business and Law, Ursula Kilkelly, stated that work placement is a hugely important part of studying in this college, now made up of two innovative schools - the Cork University Business

School (CUBS) and the School of Law. “We are committed to offering students opportunities to apply their learning in challenging professional and practice environments. To employers we are committed to supplying highly educated and skilled students to meet their requirements”.

Third year BComm student at UCC, Christopher Kelleher, worked in a Digital Content Creation and Marketing role with sports media platform Pundit Arena, which recently raised a seed round of 650,000 euro from a collection of angel investors and Enterprise Ire-

land. Co-founder and director of Pundit Arena, Ross O’ Dwyer, commented that “Christopher created media content across various sports and his work was read by thousands of people around the world. His level of dedication was not like a placement students, but rather that of a founder. He set an example for all the staff in the office”.

Rachel O’ Sullivan, who graduated from the BCL programme in October, completed a two week placement at the Office of the Attorney General. A key highlight of her time was the chance to observe the chal-

lenge to the result of the same sex marriage referendum in the High Court and Court of Appeal.

“This was a unique opportunity not only to attend these significant constitutional proceedings but to have responsibility for preparing a briefing note for other members of the Office.

Therefore when I finished at the Office I left with a feeling that in addition to obtaining an immeasurable benefit from my experience, I had also made a contribution to the work of the Office during my placement”.

Students Arrested in Unoffical NUIG RAG Week Zoë Cashman - News Editor It was confirmed by gardaí that a number of people were arrested on Friday in connection with public order offences in Eyre Square in Galway.

As their unofficial Rag Week celebrations got underway, students filled the streets and a number of people were arrested at around 2.30am Friday morning. YouTube videos uploaded that morning show large crowds gathering on the main streets in the early hours of the morning.

It is understood that several fights occurred in the square, but the gardaí stated they were not aware of any injuries.

Speaking to TheJournal.ie on Friday morning, President of the SU at NUIG, Paul Curley, stated that he had been led to believe that none of the people arrested were from NUI: “There were people piggybacking on the celebrations” he said, adding that buses full of people had been arriving from nearby counties.

He went on to say that “the SU has nothing to do with it, any of the activities that have taken place, we’ve had no part in it”.

Last year the Students’ Union agreed with the university that it would abolish Rag Week in exchange for a larger contribution towards the Student Assistance Fund. The decision was taken upon by Student Council with 107 votes for and 7 against.

The SU President commented upon this change, stating that

“It’s a sad day when we have to consider replacing Rag Week.

However, in the past few years Rag Week had descended into a week-long embarrassment of the University and an embarrassment to the students”.

The Gardaí stated that a ‘zero tolerance’ approach was taken as part of its policing plan for Galway’s Rag Week, as the event has been the scene of a number of high profile public order incidents in the last few years. The organisation warned

via Facebook that excessive drinking or drug abuse could lead to arrest, fines up to 1,000 euro and imprisonment. The exact number of people arrested remains unknown.

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday, February 23rd 2016

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Munster Technological University Address Merger Concerns Zoë Cashman - News Editor

The institutes of technology in Cork and Tralee, which are planning to merge under a joint bid to become a technological university, said the 6.7 million bill for the plan will be funded through cuts in services.

They have issued a statement highlighting the benefits the university would bring to the region and clarifying the guarantees given to staff and students. They stated “We will not require additional efficiencies in order to meet these costs. Additional funding, if it were to become available, would be utilised to fund developments which would allow the new university to begin to

deliver an economic dividend, conservatively calculated to be many multiples of the costs of merger, to the region and beyond”.

The project leaders behind the merger say the multi campus university will provide students with greater opportunities.

They claim there will be no compulsory redundancies or redeployment and that lecturers and students will not need to travel between Cork and Kerry to deliver or attend lectures and classes.

The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) has expressed fears the merger will undermine educa-

tional standards and is balloting members on industrial action.

The TUI Cork colleges’ branch stated that “There is no educational rationale for merger except a cost-cutting agenda”

The TUI members at CIT could be set to go on strike following the vote by the 4,000 members in favour of industrial action over the Technological Universities Bill.

The statement from the colleges comes as a public meeting organised by the TUI was to take place last Thursday to discuss the planned amalgamation. The union claim the merger process is being rushed without proper consultation with the institution. The union went on to say that “a stop has been put to the gallop of the MTU (Munster Technological University) consortium”.

In its statement, the governing bodies of CIT and ITT said “This is an exciting time for out two institutions and the achievement of technological university designation promises a broad range of benefits and opportunities for our students, staff and other stakeholders”.

“Considering the nature and scale of the proposal to establish the MTU it is inevitable that there will be

some concerns on the part of our employees. To help address these concerns we pledge that thorough and inclusive consultation will continue to take place throughout the merger process”.

The institutions concluded that “we would like to reassure our staff that the MTU will continue to honour nationally negotiated contracts and national agreements with respect to the terms and conditions of staff”.

What Are General Election Candidates Offering Students?

Zoë Cashman - News Editor

The general election is scheduled for this coming Friday and the particular question being asked by those in university is what is the next government going to offer students?

There are approximately 180,000 undergrads studying across the country. USI are encouraging students to make a smart vote, therefore facilitating the need to understand what the main political parties are offering students in their manifestos.

Fine Gael has intended to double housing output to 25,000 a year by 2020 which should have a positive impact on future students seeking accommodation. They also intend to boost the affordable housing supply to prevent more low-income families becoming homeless. They have also stated that they will introduce a student loan system for third level education.

Fianna Fáil similarly are considering introducing a student

loan system for those who don’t have access to the student maintenance grant to access third level education. Increase in spending on third level education is part of their manifesto also, with a particular emphasis on development and research.

Sinn Féin have pledged to reduce student fees by 500 euro if they enter government. They also intend to ensure that 20% of new housing developments go towards the affordable housing and social housing sectors.

For more information on #GE16 Candidates in every Constituency in Cork, visit UCCExpress.ie and search for ‘General Election 2016’ to see our Constituency Profiles

A move towards raising the minimum wage to the living wage is also a promise from the party.

Similarly, Joan Burton and Labour are intending to reduce student fees by 500 euro if re-elected. Notably for students, Labour aim to gradually raise the minimum wage to 11.30 over the lifetime of the next government.

The Social Democrats wish to reduce the student fee to 2,000

euro and cap it at this figure.

The Green Party believes third-level institutions should construct more on-campus accommodation to take as many students as possible out of the private rental market.

USI are encouraging students to partake in the next election and to make a smart vote. To find out more information you can visit smartvote.ie

Tuesday, February 23rd 2016 | UCC EXPRESS

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Students’ Union Election Timeline 2016 February

March

Email Voting Regulations

Further Information

Sunday 21st: Candidates traditionally begin to officially announce candidacy on social media Monday 22nd: Nomination forms can be collected from the SU offices for signatures to be collected, 500 for Sabbatical Officers, 250 for Part Time Officers, 100 for College Reps with a €40 deposit required Thursday 25th: Nominations close and manifestos must be submitted to the SU Friday 26th: Express will begin accepting questions via social media to be put to candidates in interview the following week Monday 29th: Candidates Meeting, time & location TBC

The only reason email voting is allowed is if a student is on Erasmus or if a student is on placement and has registered with the SU to email vote by February 29th

Tuesday 1st: Part-Time Candidate Hustings, time & location TBC Wednesday 2nd: Full-Time Candidate Hustings, time & location TBC Wednesday 2nd: Express conducted candidate interviews will take place, both group and individual interviews Friday 4th: Interview videos will (provisionally) be available via Express social media Monday 7th: On campus flyering and advertising begins, officially allowed at 9am Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th: Polls will be open for voting Tuesday 8th: The count will take place in Devere Hall at 7pm

More information on the elections is available at votes.uccsu.ie including full rules and regulations for the election

Students’ Union Election Survival Guide

So you’ve decided to run for Students’ Union: Congrats! Well done on deciding to try improve the UCC Community by giving up your time. Whether you’re going for one of the ‘Big 5’ Sabbat positions, the Part-Timers or the College Reps, every one deserves a big pat on the back for putting yourself out there. We reached out to someone who ran (and won) an election for UCC SU in the past to give us some top tips for you ambitious candidates: Mind Yourself: Most important thing over the next few days is to take care of yourself. You’re putting yourself out there infront of 22,000 students, and that can be incredibly stressful. Make sure you have a friend whose specific job it is to make sure you eat, sleep and take a break.

Keep It Friendly: While it’s really tempting to launch a tirade on your opponents on YikYak, private campaign groups or even tear down posters, it’s just not worth it. You’ll be fined, lose your deposit and makes it more stressful for everyone. Keep it fun, friendly and you’ll all be for the better for it at the end of the campaign.

The Count: The Count (results night) is the most tension-filled night of the campaign.

Everyone (candidates, campaign teams and hangers-on) is gonna be crammed into Devere Hall/The New Bar. Combine alcohol with everyone’s egos & the stress of the two campaigning days means tempers flare, and fists may fly. Remind everyone to relax, what’s done is done, and to just take it easy. No one is helped by people storming out or throwing drinks.

Let It Go: You’ve lost. Let it go, move on and remember it as the rewarding experience it will be. And hey, you can always run for Guild...

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday, February 23rd 2016

Youth Wings of Political Parties Are Terrifying

Opinion | 7

Brian Conmy - Editor-in-Chief

I’m going to have to qualify this quite heavily to try and get my point across. First and foremost, I have a Bachelor’s degree in Government, which is basically an Arts degree in Politics but longer. I’ve studied politics and one of the few subjects I actually found particularly interesting revolved around elections, heck these are the modules I usually did pretty well in. So with all the talk of the general election coming up soon it’s something that’s been on my mind. Truth be told, I won’t be voting in this election. The range of candidates available in my home constituency are not up my alley and I have no party allegiances to needlessly adhere to so I’ll sit this one out.

That said though I’ve found some of the discussion from people around my age on social media, largely Twitter, something other than interesting. Some people I know quite well and would have a decent level of respect for have turned their accounts from cat memes and discussions of how much they’d love a Chinese to somewhat mindless regurgitations of party political messaging. Thankfully at least I don’t associate with any hardcore Fianna Fáil-ers but I know a few more Sinn Féin devotees than I expected. That’s not to say I’m satisfied with the number of Social Democrat or any other party supporters I’m suddenly being preached to on a regular basis, in truth I find anyone my age who strictly follows a party somewhat worrying.

Maybe this distrust stems from my general dissatisfaction with Irish politics, not to sound like a total rebel here but I find our lack of an actual political spectrum in the party system, the use of the party whip, the lack of long term goals in favour of parish politics and a thousand other issues make me disassociate myself from politicking. Or maybe I’m just a crazy liberal or some other generic insult people throw at someone who doesn’t gel with political standards, who knows. What I do know though is the fact that I can barely find a single candidate I generally agree with on a majority of policies, not to mind a party whose central ideas line up with my own. I don’t think I’m unique in this either, Irish people have less and less aligned themselves from parties over the years as shown by Fianna Fáil’s glorious fall from Olympus in the last elections.

So it boggles my mind to see anyone, particularly someone my age or younger, not only wholeheartedly support a candidate but instead choose a single party to throw themselves behind. Even worse than this is the idea of anyone joining a youth wing of a political party. To me these weird breeding grounds for future candidates strike me as a sad mix of indoctrination and propaganda for developing minds, and I know some of you reading this may be members of youth wings on campus or at home who will disagree with this assertion. I talk in generalities here as someone who’s stance on a given topic can change three times in one conversation, someone who thinks income tax is robbery but wholeheartedly supports water charges.

I’m an ideological disaster. At least I freely admit this though, I am young and still settling into my thoughts and beliefs, to think that anyone else my age has simply settled on a belief system, especially one espoused by middle aged white men who control the party line bothers me beyond belief.

Do I think youth wings can serve a positive purprose? Sure, I recognise the excellent work some of these organisations have done in campaigns such as the Marriage Equality (Lord knows they did more than I did) and will likely do on future campaigns such as Repeal the 8th. Also I don’t doubt these are excellent social environments at times. However I can never shake the idea of the party line.

If Labour proper came out in the morning and announced they were going to hand over Longford to the Queen, I don’t doubt most Labour Youth supporters would have some issues with this. Do I think Labour proper would give a crap? No. As long as they aren’t actively driving away young members I’m sure these parties don’t really care about their youth wings. Not until the elections roll around and canvassers are handy at least.

So what this piece amounts to is a general statement of mild disgust and less mild confusion at youth politics. Please however if you take anything away from this, don’t let it be that politics isn’t worth engaging with. Vote. Talk to your candidates.

We’ve seen that we can affect change if we turn out. Just don’t vote for Fianna Fáil. Or Sinn Féin. Or Renua. Or AAA. Or Independent. Or Labour. Or Fine Gael… Are the Greens still around?

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Popularity of Political Societies on Campus (by Facebook Pages)

Tuesday, February 23rd 2016 | UCC EXPRESS

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Abusive Relationships: Stats, Signs and Resources to Get Out Mary Collins - Staff Writer

I was inspired to write this article after discussing a recent break-up with a friend.

After confiding some of the incidents that lead to my breaking point they shared some of their own unpleasant experiences at the hands of previous partners and we traded war stories from relationships long past. We joked that abusive relationships seemed to be a rite of passage... but after the conversation ended, that idea kept bouncing around my head. We, as a society, don’t really acknowledge domestic violence and abuse within relationships. Like all the awful things in our recent history we pretend it doesn’t exist, until confronted with overwhelming evidence.

How many of us have experienced it?

A 2014 study by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), entitled ‘Violence against women: An EU-wide survey’ reported that:

‘14% of women in Ireland have experienced physical violence by a partner since age 15. 6% of Irish women have experienced sexual violence by a current or former partner and 31% of women have experienced psychological violence by a partner. 12% of Irish respondents in the FRA study had experienced stalking.’

In a national survey on domestic abuse, almost 60% of people who had experienced severe abuse in intimate relationships experienced the abuse for the first time under the age of 25*, meaning that people of college age are particularly at risk. The same survey estimates that 213,000 women in Ireland have been severely abused by a partner.

As of September 2015, 40 women aged between 18 and 25 years old have been murdered in the Republic of Ireland since 1996. Of the resolved cases, 52% of women were murdered by a boyfriend or former partner.**

‘And, to reiterate, that’s just resolved cases.’

You think that’s awful? The Central Statistics Office don’t even have statistics for male domestic violence for the last DECADE. The last survey was in 2005*, and

it estimated that 6% of men suffered from domestic violence, either physical, emotional or sexual. Even if that number isn’t a result of severe under-reporting, it still gives us little indication as to what the current statistics would be, given that the last survey was done eleven years ago, and there are no recent studies to corroborate the findings.

I think one of the most difficult parts of being in an abusive relationship is how distorted one’s perception of reality becomes. Even when you start to question that maybe something might be off, maybe... just maybe your relationship isn’t as healthy as it seems. And it’s hard to admit it. There is a stereotype of people in abusive relationships as weak, simple minded people; people deserving of abuse.

The reality is that it could happen to anyone. You know that prank where every day, for a few months, you put a penny in the handset of someone’s home phone?

Then, after a few months you take them all out; meanwhile the person has become accustomed to the extra weight, so when the added weight is gone they slap themselves in the face with the handset. You know that joke? Abusive relationships are like that. It starts off as little comments, “playful” digs. Then it escalates so slowly that you probably don’t even notice: it could be playful taps becoming slaps, and then punches. It could be jokes becoming cruel, then humiliating and then lead to them threatening you in public.

You learn to adapt to the new regime. You probably won’t see the extra strain until it’s gone and the relationship is over. This is something you need to experience to understand, hence the misconceptions perpetuated by society.

Reading this, do you have that niggling doubt at the corners of your mind? Do you think that maybe you’re in an abusive situation? Maybe you don’t, but you want to be prepared in case it happens in future? This checklist is for you.

Do you feel afraid of your partner or avoid certain topics not to upset them?

Do you wonder if you’re crazy or feel emotionally numb?

Does your partner do any of the following; 1. Humiliate/yell at you/ call you names?

2. Criticize you and belittle your achievements?

3. Ignore you and your opinions?

4. Treat you as an object/ possession?

5. Blame you for their own abusive behaviour?

6. Have an unpredictable temper?

7. Hurt you, threaten to hurt you or themselves (especially if you leave)?

8. Threaten suicide?

9. Force you to do things you don’t want to e.g. sexual acts?

10. Destroy your belongings?

11. Constantly check up on you?

12. Act Jealous and possessive?

13. Restrict your access to money/transport/phone, etc?

14. Control where you go/what you wear, what you do?

15. Restrict you from seeing family/friends?

If your answer to any/all of these questions is yes, you may be in an abusive relationship. Remember: You don’t have to be hit to be in an abusive relationship. Abuse takes many forms, just because you don’t have a bruise doesn’t mean you aren’t abused. *Domestic abuse of men and women in Ireland, National Crime Council & ESRI 2005

**Women’s Aid Female Homicide Media Watch, September 2015

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday, February 23rd 2016

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If You Find Yourself in an Abusive Relationship, I Want to Remind You of a Few Things; 1. You do not deserve to be treated badly.

2. You deserve respect and to be loved unconditionally.

3. You do not owe it to anyone to stay in an unsafe situation.

4. You are not responsible for their actions, only your own. You didn’t make them call you names/hit you/treat you badly. They did that.

5. Abusers are able to control their behaviour. (This is the most important

point.) One of the traps for people in abusive relationships is they feel their partner cannot control their behaviour, and it isn’t their fault. Abuse is a learned behaviour, that much is true. But if someone is abusing you, they know they are doing it. They are actively choosing to do it.

6. If you stay, it will get worse. It’s hard to leave when you feel so trapped, but truly, if you can muster the strength/resources to do it, it is for the best.

Or Maybe Reading This Article Reminds You of a Friend, Someone You Think May Be in an Abusive Situation? Here Are Some General Signs; 1. May seem afraid of upsetting their partner 2. Check in constantly 3. May agree with partner on everything, especially if they felt differently before the relationship 4. Talk about their partners temper/aggressiveness/ possessiveness 5. Frequently miss social events/college/work with no explanation

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

Dress in unusual clothing to hide marks e.g.long sleeve shirt in a heatwave Rarely go out in public without their partner Have limited access to money/ transport May have low self esteem, especially if they used to be confident Experience a major personality change Become depressed/ anxious/ suicidal

What Can You Do if a Friend is in an Abusive Relationship? Here Are Some General Guidelines; Do 1. Ask if something is wrong.

2. Listen to them and assure them that you are there for them. Abusers are good at isolating their victims; don’t let them shut you out!

3. Offer help. Let them know that you will assist as much as you are able.

4. Support their decisions, even if you don’t agree with them.

Don’t 1. Judge or blame the person. The abuser is already doing that, if you do it too, it validates the abusers actions.

2. Put conditions on your support, e.g. ‘I’ll help you, but you must confront them.

‘Putting limits on what you’re willing to do makes people less likely to ask you for help if they feel they cannot meet the conditions.

3. Give advice. Now is NOT the time to get on your soapbox and pontificate about how you’d deal with this so much better. Just listen, support the person and remind them that you are there to help them.

Abusive relationships can happen to anyone, of any gender or orientation. If you find yourself in one, it is not a negative reflection on you it is a negative reflection on your abuser. There is life after the end of an abusive relationship; chances are you know someone who has already lived through it. You can do this. You deserve better.

.. ..

.. ..

If you feel you are in an abusive relationship or have experienced abuse at the hands of a partner, the following resources are available;

Samaritans (116 123) Women’s Aid (1800 341 90) Amen (046 902 3718) Loveisrespect.org

2in2u.ie womensaid.ie safeireland.ie (aimed towards women) Amen.ie (aimed towards men)

By The Numbers:

1990 14% 2005 52% 1 in 5 6%

Criminalisation of ‘Marital Rape’ in Ireland (Rape in ‘marrital bed’ legal before then)

Percentage of women murdered in Ireland who were killed by a partner

Percentage of women in Ireland who have experienced physical abuse in a relationship

Women who have been abused in relationships in Ireland

The date of the latest figures relating to domestic abuse of men in relationships

Estimated percentage of men who have suffer abuse in a relationship in Ireland

10 |

Fashion

An Afternoon With French Connection

Tuesday, February 23rd 2016 | UCC EXPRESS

Kenneth Nwaezeigwe - Co-Fashion Editor

I personally think that the Cork Men’s fashion scene has evolved in recent times. There are a plethora of reasons as to why this happened. One of the main reasons being the establishment of better menswear stores that cater to young men in their 20s and early 30s. Stores such as Topman, H&M, River Island, New Look and French Connection are responsible for the injection of style into young men’s wardrobe in recent years. I recently got to sit down and speak to my good friend and incredibly stylish man Colin Long. Colin is a manager in French Connection located in the heart of the city on Patrick St. French Connection has been in Cork for the better part of 14 years now and it’s been silently making sure that the men of Cork are well dressed year in and year out. I really enjoyed chatting to Colin and if you want to improve your style then make sure to drop by the store. They’re always willing to give some advice and help you out in all aspects from giving advice on what style your body s suited for, deciding on what size clothes fits you best and whether or not you should wear those pants with that shirt.

EXPRESS: What sparked off your interest in fashion?

COLIN LONG: Well I feel that I have always had an interest in fashion, even though my taste in fashion changed dramatically as I’ve grown older. It’s evolved from sportswear as a young teen to seasonal high fashion. As i began to work and earn money which would allow me to experiment with style.

‘Basically- I didn’t have to ask my parents for money to buy clothes I wanted. It gave me freedom to choose and develop my personal style.’

How long have you worked in retail/fashion?

I have worked in fashion/retail for a few years now. I started off by spending a few summers and school holidays working in general smaller retail stores to gain experience. I then started working in French connection nearly 4 years ago.

How has working in French Connection Cork changed your fashion sense?

Well when I began working for French Connection we mainly stocked very casual clothes such as polo t-shirts, sweatshirts etc. As we have to wear 100% our own brand clothing to work- my fashion sense was mainly dressy casual at the beginning but I always tried to make it as dressy as I could.

‘I have an imaginary rule in my store where everyone should wear ‘shoes’ and not trainers.’

Recently menswear has being doing quite well so we have began to receive high fashion clothing which means you could say my fashion sense is a bit more “London”.

Describe your style at work. What do you want it to convey?

At work I always try to look as well dressed as possible. I try to wear the key pieces of stock as this can often encourage customers to try out a new style.

People will always buy plain t-shirts & your average basics so I really only use that stock to up-sell (i.e., use them as add-ons to complete an outfit) Describe your own personal style. What do you want people to see from the way you dress?

On my days off from work my own personal style is a bit more street wear such as ripped knee jeans (or even ripped knee joggers), bomber jackets, vintage trainers etc., so it is very different from my usual very dressy Trench coat king self but why not, Who says you must dress the same all the time.

‘I want people to see that by mixing and matching different styles of clothes such as street and formal, that you can make a pretty cool look.’

Since you started working in French Connection Cork, do you think Cork’s fashion has improved?

I’d say it has come along a bit, yet it’s still behind other big cities. I presume that at least once in your life you’ve heard the classic conversation between two Cork men which goes a little like this:

Man 1: Here boy, that outfit would be nice I’d say.

Man 2: Yeah it would, “but you couldn’t wear that here” I’ve lost count of how many times I have heard a customer say he likes something but he wouldn’t buy it because of his friends. The same friends that probably still wear wrangler school shoes, boot-cut jeans and a striped shirt. In saying that, the style has improved due to the likes of the large retailers on opera lane (Topman, River Island etc.). Sometimes I have older men ask me about tailoring and I often send them to the likes of Salingers or even the likes of Debenhams for that. Therefore I feel Corks style has improved but I feel if people see others taking fashions risks more often, then maybe they will too- further improving Cork style.

Looking to the future, what do you think could drive Cork’s fashion up to the likes of New York, London, Milan and other such cities?

As I’ve said earlier, I feel people need to take more risks, as do retailers. Many retailers (even my store) are often afraid to put in large orders of high fashion pieces in the fear that they won’t sell until they go on sale. They know the basics will sell but this might be the case as men only have basics to choose from. Therefore I think Cork retailers in particular need to showcase what the likes of the other major cities are selling in order to compete with them in terms of style.

What kind of advice would you give somebody looking to improve their own personal style? What if this style clashes with general fashion?

Buy less, choose well. I’d recommend buying a few key pieces which will look good in a number of different outfit choices. Every time I buy something, I think about what I could wear it with and what colours will match what. So the likes of a mac coat which could be worn formally or in a casual outfit, the obvious white shirt and of course a pair of jeans that fits. Id also say, if you’re not sure “Just Ask” the guys in the shop, they will be more than happy to help you out.

As I always say

“Life’s a catwalk and people will stare, so give them something good to look at”

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday, February 23rd 2016

Fashion | 11

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Photos Courtesy of: Amy K Photography

Tuesday, February 23rd 2016 | UCC EXPRESS

Tuesday, February 23rd 2016 | UCC EXPRESS

Photos Courtesy of: Emmet Curtin Photography

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Sport

Opinion: How Can the League of Ireland Improve?

Tuesday, February 23rd 2016 | UCC EXPRESS

Ger Byrne - Sports Writer

I’m sure there are some among the 18,000 or so students in this fine institute of education who take an interest in a little thing called the League of Ireland. I admit to being one, and the new sports editor has also ‘fessed up. I know there’s at least one more here who, like myself, is not only a Cork City fan, but also a regular volunteer for the club. I’m sure there are others still in hiding.

Just about a year ago, the FAI contracted Mr Declan Conroy of Conroy Consulting to indicate the way forward for the League. It wasn’t the first time such a report was commissioned and few supporters held out much hope of any progress coming from the finished article. Just another manuscript to add weight to that shelf; the one in the corner with all the dust.

To the surprise of many fans, Mr Conroy went about his task diligently, seeking input from as many interested parties as possible, including, strangely enough, the supporters. 1,774 supporters filled in the online questionnaire provided while Mr Conroy and his colleagues went about seeking the views of the clubs and officials in the League. By August of last year, the report was finalised, and it was thorough, with several recommendations.

Among these were suggestions regarding the management of the League, with the preferred option being a completely new structure, with ten teams in each of two divisions, taking effect at the end of the 2016 season, and a 6-4 split in the premier division after 27 games. There would also be a two-leg playoff for the final Europa League place.

An increase in prize money spread over the entire league, with teams finishing lower down earning a more reasonable proportion than is currently the case.

Added to this, the appointment of a single person with responsibility for promoting the League.

The report puts great emphasis on media promotion and TV revenue, all of the latter currently going to the FAI being a major complaint of clubs. It’s suggested that media coverage be marketed more aggressively, with the money going to the clubs rather than the governing body.

The report also calls for the clubs to put more effort into becoming involved in the local community and points out that those clubs who are already doing so are attracting support within their locality beyond what others, who don’t put in such effort, can achieve.

Also, there is the suggestion of a Q Mark in order to encourage clubs to improve their overall standards, in particular with regard to the match night experience. A major improvement in the spectator facilities at many grounds is also called for.

League of Ireland fans, even those from Not Cork, will say we’ve heard it all before, and indeed we have.

Remember the ill-fated Genesis 2 report? Nothing much came of that, did it? But let’s not dismiss the efforts of Mr Conroy and his colleagues without taking a look at the recommendations and examining them.

Regarding the structure of the League, two divisions

of ten teams each seems about right. My own personal preference for a long time has been two divisions of twelve teams, but it’s clear that there’s no possibility of that in the near future. At present, many clubs are barely surviving and the addition of another four certainly won’t improve the situation. Splitting the Premier Division, however, isn’t a wise move. Mr Conroy believes that more games involving the top clubs will increase attendances, but it was tried before, didn’t work, and was quickly dropped.

Neither is the suggestion of a two-leg play-off for the final Europa League spot a good idea. This spot could be given to a team that has won a trophy; the League Cup. As it currently stands, the League Cup is nothing more than a mild diversion for most fans. How much more interesting could it be with the prize of European football attached?

A single, identifiable, and accessible person to take charge of running the League? Yes please, but it should be somebody from outside of the FAI and free from involvement with any of the clubs. Also, this bit about an increase in prize money. It’s absolutely ludicrous that most clubs pay more in affiliation fees than they can expect to earn in prize money. What incentive is there for any new clubs to apply for membership?

When the recession hit, the League’s prize money was cut by almost half overall. To be fair, there wasn’t much money knocking around anywhere back then, and the FAI’s coffers were also feeling the strain.

There is, however, a way around this problem. One high profile international friendly per year, with the proceeds going to a fund to develop the League of Ireland, including using a portion of the money earned as prize money, would help a lot. Many fans claim there’s a severe disconnect between the domestic game and the national team; this would go some way towards rectifying the matter.

Conroy believes that more games involving the top clubs will increase attendances, but it was tried before, didn’t work, and was quickly dropped.

Neither is the suggestion of a two-leg play-off for the final Europa League spot a good idea. This spot could be given to a team that has won a trophy; the League Cup. As it currently stands, the League Cup is nothing more than a mild diversion for most fans. How much more interesting could it be with the prize of European football attached?

A single, identifiable, and accessible person to take charge of running the League? Yes please, but it should be somebody from outside of the FAI and free from involvement with any of the clubs. Also, this bit

about an increase in prize money. It’s absolutely ludicrous that most clubs pay more in affiliation fees than they can expect to earn in prize money. What incentive is there for any new clubs to apply for membership?

When the recession hit, the League’s prize money was cut by almost half overall. To be fair, there wasn’t much money knocking around anywhere back then, and the FAI’s coffers were also feeling the strain.

There is, however, a way around this problem. One high profile international friendly per year, with the proceeds going to a fund to develop the League of Ireland, including using a portion of the money earned as prize money, would help a lot. Many fans claim there’s a severe disconnect between the domestic game and the national team; this would go some way towards rectifying the matter.

Mr Conroy’s report also puts strong emphasis on the need for media promotion of the League. This is currently being done online by dedicated supporters of a number of clubs, but it’s a directionless effort, in that the effort goes into promoting the individual clubs rather than the League as a whole. In any event, all the promotion in the world will count for nothing for those who enter a League of Ireland ground for the first time only to see the sorry state of the place. While there are some grounds which are pretty good, many leave a lot to be desired.

As for facilities for the media, many are quite makeshift and not conducive to the club getting favourable press coverage. While the clubs do their best with limited resources, many grounds are not attractive for the media, even on a good day. Improvement is needed in this area, too.

Most important of all however is the viability of the clubs. All of these recommendations will come to nothing if most clubs are still just a few bad weeks from a crisis. Methods of raising revenue, outside of gate receipts and the odd bit of sponsorship, need to be looked at. Perhaps the retail and hospitality sector would be useful. Proper club shops in the grounds, along with bars, snack shops, maybe even a cafeteria, might be an option. Again, money would be the problem, so let’s see if there’s anything left in that fund I suggested earlier. The cost could be shared between the fund and the resources that individual clubs can provide.

This last suggestion is my one addition to what is a pretty good report. Other things which are already in place, such as the monitoring of club finances, the licensing regulations, and tax compliance requirements are all good, but the licensing, particularly in relation to ground facilities, needs to be tightened up. At the moment, some clubs are winging it. It’s not right that any club get a licence they don’t deserve merely to keep up the numbers in the league. All clubs should be put on a two-year notice that ALL regulations must be complied with before a licence is granted in the future.

Sport

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday, February 23rd 2016

UCD Foil UCC’s Sigerson Side

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Aaron Casey - Sports Co-Editor

Any chance of calling this GAA season a success for UCC’s prime sides withered away on a cold and grey overcast Thursday in the Mardyke. With the Fitzgibbon Cup team knocked out of their competition only forty-eight hours or so earlier, the Sigerson equivalent met the same fate to a UCD outfit whose football was as easy-on-the-eye as it was effective.

line. These passes were won by UCD’s inside triumvirate time and again.

scoreboard reading UCC 1-3 UCD 1-8 after the first period.

What didn’t help matters for the home side was an under-hit 45 ending up a goal after going through two pairs of UCC hands. Added to this, points were easy to come by for the Dublin side as the end result of the aforementioned pinpoint passing.

The first play of the second-half led to a UCC point, created by Ian Maguire rampaging up the field from the throwin.

Plenty paid-in to see the clash, yet students who maybe were conscious of saving money for food or Fosters alike got just as good a view standing on the Mardyke Walk looking through the gaps between the iron railings.

As if the UCC backs hadn’t enough to contend with, poor tracking led to multiple overlaps from out the field as UCD got men forward to further amplify their attacking threat. You could have the best full-back line in the world, but defence needs to start intensely out the field to prevent them being exposed in a competition of such standard as the Sigerson Cup. Solace arrived for UCC, and much needed it was, with a penalty awarded for a foot block. Luke Connolly netted from the spot to prevent UCD running away with the game altogether. The

Those who did pay got good value for money in seeing some fine attacking football from the visitors. UCD’s forward play was a distinct feature of their first-half dominance.

Diagonal balls into patches of space in front of their forwards made it a miserable first half-hour for the UCC full-back

UCD however did not betray their outstanding opening-half performance.

The support play continued to pierce holes in the bow of UCC, leading to two goals that killed the game off as a contest.

Patrolling the line for UCD were Brian Mullins and Ger Brennan. The best aspects of the two sides where both men collected multiple All-Ireland medals filtered through to their current charge’s performance. It is such a great feature of inter-varsity GAA that many teams are being run by such legends of the games.

Billy Morgan will be disappointed with the loss, plus the periods of the game where UCD showed such superiority over his side. The final score ended up at UCC 1-9 UCD 3-11. The Dublin college good value for their nine point win.

The season for UCC’s senior sides is best summed up by the vocals of The Detroit Spinners ‘It’s a Shame’ -- and indeed it was. Hopefully next season will bring on brighter times for those donning the skull-and-crossbones on the GAA field.

Final Scores: University College Cork: 1-9 University College Dublin: 3-11

UCC’s own legend on the side-line

O’Donovan Delight at National League Bow Joseph McSweeney - Sports Writer

Kate O’Donovan has been with the Leesiders since the summer but had to wait a little to make her first appearance – a testament to both the strength of the Cork City midfield this season and the character of O’Donovan “I was delighted to get off the bench for the Kilkenny game as I’ve been itching to get going and onto the field! Having said that – I was a little disappointed with the result as the whole squad wanted to get 3 points in Niall’s final game with us but Kilkenny are a tough side who are continuously improving and were full value for their point.“ The youngster who previously played with Bandon A.F.C. has represented Cork in Gaynor Cup squads before joining the Cork City W.F.C. Acad-

emy last season under Charlie Lynch and progressing to the senior setup this year. While O’Donovan was sad to see O’Regan go, she’s delighted to see the management team continue with Frank Kelleher stepping up into the management position “Niall is definitely a loss for us as a squad as we all loved playing for him and he was an excellent manager to work with – but Frank stepping up, it’s such a good continuation as his training methods are excellent and the whole coaching team has stayed in place alongside him.”

Kate saw her strong showing on her debut leading to a first league start against a strong UCD Waves team in Jackson Park last weekend “I was extremely excited to find out I was going to be starting against UCD but a little apprehensive as well as I was

playing at right full back, a position I’m not overly familiar with despite playing centre half at Gaynor Cup level under Charlie Lynch.”

However, the youngster was full of praise for her teammates and coaches who helped her settle into the new position quickly “The girls and the management team were really supportive and I knew the hard we had put in training over the weeks should stand to me. While I felt I was a little too nervous for the opening 15 minutes, I settled into position after that.”

Having settled however, it was no easy ride against one of the top teams in the country “I found it hard throughout definitely in this game as UCD are up there as one of the best teams in the country- having said that, I think as a back four we dealt with the pressure really well

for most of the game, especially in the second half.

It seems a cliché to say it but the score line really did not reflect the game and strong performance we put in.”

The midfielder can’t wait to get more games under her belt and is looking forward to the Peamount United game this Sunday “I’m really looking forward to Sunday’s game with Peamount and hopefully I can get some more game time as I’d love to help City get more points on the board in what’s already been a positive season!”

ucc

sport

Tuesday February 23rd 2016 | uccexpress.ie | Volume 19 | Issue 10

HURLERS FAIL AT FITZ CUP GROUP STAGE

CÚL STORY, BRO: Alan Cadogan’s goal was not enough to save UCC from defeat in the Fitzgibbon Cup

(PHOTO: James Crombie/INPHO)

Hurlers Exit Fitzgibbon Cup at Group Stage Kevin Galvin - Sports Writer

University College Cork will know they have left the chance to progress in this year’s Fitzgibbon Cup behind after a lacklustre performance particularly in front of goal - saw them surrender a late lead against Limerick IT at the Mardyke.

This is the second consecutive year that the Leeside outfit failed to make it out of the group stage, and this time it will be so much harder to take having left so much on the pitch. A poor game livened up in the second half with an away goal, but with a strong breeze having a noticeable impact on both sides, the need for Ger Cunningham’s outfit to increase the deficit was ultimately their downfall as a late LIT goal from a counter-attack ended any hopes for a place in the knockout rounds.

An ugly opening saw both teams struggle with a strong crosswind, leading to missed

chances and handling errors on both sides. Cormac Murphy hit a fine free from the right to open the scoring for the hosts before David Reidy replied quickly with a free of his own.

Despite UCC’s midfield dominance, seven wides in 16 minutes left them only a single point ahead a quarter of the way through the encounter -- despite the fact that the Shannonsiders were onto their third free taker at that stage.

UCC then had two excellent goal chances before the half-hour mark, with Waterford senior Tom Devine first deciding to point having been put through on goal before Alan Cadogan’s shot was brilliantly saved by Eibhear Quilligan in the LIT goal. At the other end the home full-back was putting in sterling work, Shane Roche in particular the outstanding party; while Rob O’Shea was slowly getting his

eye-in from the set piece, adding a couple of further points to leave the score 0-7 apiece at the break.

fired the ball into the top righthand corner of the net with laser precision.

The second half began on an exciting note after the dour first period, when Cathal Barrett’s high ball wasn’t dealt with by the home defence - allowing Peter Duggan to hammer the ball home past Keith Hogan. UCC responded with two fine frees by O’Shea into a stiffening breeze, but couldn’t restore parity despite their efforts as the half progressed.

With that UCC were a point ahead with eight minutes remaining. But knowing they needed a three point margin to secure a place in the next round they pushed forward - to their eventual cost. A quick LIT counter-attack saw Alan Dempsey put the ball out right to Reidy; he paddled the sliotar into the path of the onrushing David Dempsey who finished strongly from 13 metres.

Cunningham brought in Barry Lawton 10 minutes after the break, and he hit a point before playing a crucial part in UCC’s goal.

Lawton had a chance to cancel the goal out soon after, but again Quilligan was equal to the task, deflecting it over the bar as UCC slumped to another early exit.

The Castlemartyr man won a difficult aerial ball before flicking it out wide to Niall McCarthy; the half-forward intelligently found Cadogan who

Final Scores: University College Cork 1-14 Limerick IT 2-15

Club Results Sigerson Cup: UCC 1-9, 3-11 UCD. Ashbourne Cup: Semi Finals: UCC 2-09, 1-07 Mary Isle.

Final: UCC 4-07, 3-12 UL. Fresher A Hurling: UCC 2-20, 2-22 UCD. O’Conner Cup: UCC Ladies 3-14, 2-09 Queens.

CUFL Division 4 Final: UCC 2-1 Rathmines College IRFU Ulster Bank Lg, 2A: Malone RFC 13-16 UCC Under 20’s: UCC 26-10 Con PREVIEW: Inside Round-ups of Women’s BasketballCup Final, Fitzgibbon & Siggerson Cup First Rounds