UCC Express

UCC

EXPRESS

Tuesday, 22 October 2013 | www.uccexpress.net | Volume 21 | Issue 4

BUDGET V ERGE t al k s wi t h J a me s A r t h u r 2014 P10

FRONT ROW FASHION P16

Ireland moves to attract Brazilian students Heather Steele| Deputy News Editor @HeatherySteele

Around 1,200 Brazilian students are attending Irish universities and institutes of technology this year, which is a boost of €25 million to the economy and third level education.

As part of an initiative to entice more Brazilian students, Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn went to Brazil last week on a trip organised by Enterprise Ireland.Accompanied by 30 representatives from education institutions and companies, Quinn met with the Brazilian Minister for Education amongst other Brazilian companies and institutes of education. He also attended numerous events to promote the Irish education system.

It is hoped that this mission will attract a further 2,000 foreign students for the next academic year as part of an ongoing government funded Economy Header: Just three of the 1,200 Brazilian students who are attending Irish third level colleges, providing €25 million to the economy programme in Brazil aimed at sending students to study STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects in Europe.

The Irish government hopes that this will be worth €100million to the economy in the next 4 years.

Stephen Barry | News Editor Once disabled, access will only be SU Welfare Officer, David Berry the Fees Office immediately.”

In Cork, UCC welcomes 29 Brazilian students restored once a payment is received. was keen to stress that students in These changes to the Student Debtor @StphnBarry to study these subjects for a year as part of the Before any of these measures are any financial hardship should get in Brazilian government’s Science Without Borders Policy were discussed and agreed Amendments to the UCC Student taken, the Fees Office will send out touch with himself or Student Budg- programme.As well as their core subjects, some with the Students’ Union before being Debtor Policy mean that the University a text giving students three weeks of passed by the UMTO (University Man- etary Advisor, Evan Healy. students will also take English classes in UCC’s will take action with students to address warning to either pay the minimum agement Team [Operations]).

“We hope that no student will be Language Centre. their current shortfall in fee receipts. amount due, €1,410 for students In line with previous policy, late left in the lurch. We, as always, will The LatinAmerica Regional Working Group, This cash flow issue, caused by the eligible for free tuition fees but not for penalties will be applied to student try to support every student to stay in a new initiative which co-ordinates UCC activity non-payment of fees by almost 3,500 a maintenance grant, or get in contact accounts which are overdue on the 31st education as our number one goal.” in LatinAmerica, is maintaining close contact with students, is having a knock-on effect on with the Office in order to agree an alof January 2014. Examination results Berry sees the measures as a the students to ensure they are comfortable with the the ability of UCC to provide quality ternative repayment schedule. Such an will be withheld and progression to way to demonstrate to students that transition. services, according to college sources. arrangement would enable a student in the next academic year or graduation payment is overdue, other than by UCC expects further Brazilian students in spring It has been confirmed that the Unifinancial difficulty to pay their fees over will be denied in the case of long-term sending emails which are easily and autumn 2014, at both undergraduate and PhD versity will take step-by-step measures a longer period according to a statement non-payment. overlooked. level. to deal with students who have yet to made on behalf of UCC. Should these changes fail to bring “We’re happy enough to have The Science Without Borders programme aims pay or engage with the Fees Office.

“The University wishes to emphaabout a corresponding change in stuthis policy as it’s an attempt to get to place 100,000 young Brazilians in overseas Initially access to Blackboard will be sise that students who are in genuine dent behaviour in what UCC terms “a students to get in contact with the higher education and is the largest scholarship removed for those with fees outstandfinancial distress and those who are significant financial issue” for itself, the Fees Office. If a student does get scheme in the world. ing. Then, for students who continue to engaged in protracted dialogue with University “may consider further initia- in contact, the Fees Office can give It intendeds to address a skills shortage in the avoid payment, student ID cards will SUSI regarding grant applications will tives including non-correction of exam them an individual method of payworld’s fifth largest economy which is due to host be disabled to prevent access to the be dealt with sympathetically by the scripts and the introduction of other ment and they’ll work with them on next year’s World Cup and the 2016 Olympics in Library.

University once they make contact with charges such as Conferring Fees.” that.”

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Tuesday October 22, 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

EDITORIALS

INSIDE TODAY

Cracking College

Oktoberfest Guide

Like cattle raised for export

Audrey Ellard Walsh | Editor

@AudreyEWalsh

Page 8

Page 7

College Dinners

Rep Training

Finger licking good Cheesy Potato Skins

Page 13

Page 6

The New Corker Is Keano the man for the job?

The Arrogant Dane

Page 21 Features 7-9 Gaeilge 12 Photography 14 Fashion 16-17 The New Corker 18 Colour Writing 19

Editor: Audrey Ellard Walsh Deputy Editor: Stephen Barry Deputy News Editor: Heather Steele Features Editor: Grace O’ Sullivan

Contributors: Elaine Healy-Rae Rachel Walsh Eilís O’Keeffe Adam O’ Reilly Randy Marx

Deputy Features Editor: Claire Crowley Jessica Ni Mhaolain Sophie Oisthern Photo Editor: Emmet Curtin Annie Hoey Irish Editor: Rachel Ní hAodha John Prendergast Fashion Editor: Nicole Clinton Fiction Editor: Eoghan Scott Sport Editor: Barry Aldworth Designer: Cathal O’ Gara

A local election winning budget.

That was the analysis of last week’s announcements from someone who’s been in the writing game a lot longer than I. And I have to wonder if they are spot on the money.

While overall, relief prevailed at the announcement of next year’s estimates, it cannot be said to have been a fair or balanced division of load. So election winning? How can that be?

In many respects the government has kept its promises. It has not increased the student contribution beyond what was previously announced. It has not

their payment. In most cases they will not be able to live at home, again for fear of losing their allowance. And if they hope to occupy their time in a productive manner they may also be burned. I am aware of cases whereby graduates who are interning unpaid have been refused social welfare on the grounds of being “unavailable to work”.

Ireland currently boasts a youth unemployment rate of 39% and as Fyodor Dostoyevsky said; “Deprived of meaningful work, men and women lose their reason for existence; they go stark, raving mad.”

I believe that ultimately an ageist attitude is the real reasoning behind this budget. Because if young people are kept off this books- through refusing them benefits, forcing them to take up employment in areas in which they have no interest, or ultimately forcing them to move, then things do look better in black and white.

finals. And even in the case of UCC’s Gaelic teams flopping, an unlikely scenario on recent returns, rugby, soccer, basketball, hockey and every other ‘is that even a sport?’ sport is decided in a league format.

But I think this week’s contentflow issues are due to something much more illicit permeating into the minds of UCC staff and students.

This may have had a number of consequences…

Either it has given our representatives such a heightened level of self-awareness that they are taking meticulous care with every move they make.

Or perhaps, the barrage has been so constant and unwieldy that our representatives have been paralysed from taking any unexpected actions.

Either way, the consequences of abusing of such a powerful position as Editor-in-Chief of the UCC Express will have grave consequences for the standard of our news section, and will give me an easy excuse for poor stories, from hereon in.

So I’d like to end on a counterpoint… People of UCC; be ignorant. Be ignorant to the point where you will be constantly astonished by each and every story printed herein.

Be ignorant of the law too…

Commit a crime or two: steal some student funds; attack a lecturer; set a mystery tour bus on fire; the possibilities are endless.

And from now on Dear Editor-inChief, I’d thank you to be a little less socially responsible.

Ah, I see this article has been printed – good start!

Another Moan

Page18

Editorial Staff:

“ I believe that ultimately an ageist attitude is the real reasoning behind this budget.”

increased VAT or our precious corporation tax. It’s even given travellers a boon in the announcement of cheaper air fares.

But it has made cuts. It has targeted those who have nothing left to give, those who did not cause this mess, but crucially, those for whom packing up and leaving is the easiest. And hey, our demographic don’t vote anyway.

For a graduate donning their gown and mortar board this week and hoping to put their degree to good use, it seems that option is edging further and further away.

In the wake of budget 2014 a first time social welfare applicant under the age of 24 will receive €100 a week. And to qualify for a Job Bridge internship- and the precarious possibility of a contract after 6 to 9 months- the applicant must sit in receipt of that €100 for three months. They are not permitted to work or risk losing

Aoife O’ Connor Sylvia Julius Marita Maloney Peter O’ Brien Brian Barry Kevin Galvin

Stephen Barry | Deputy Editor @StphnBarry

It’s been a slow news-week to say the least.

Frankly, it was hard to know what to put on these pages bar my blood, sweat and crocodile tears for most of the past fortnight.

Last week’s news section looked thoroughly awesome; and the content wasn’t half-bad either. But writing this as I wait to see the end product of my weekly toil (and not to forget the toil of my writers too), I hope this week’s section has come good too.

One thing that hasn’t come good is my promise to myself that I wouldn’t be that editorial writer who rattles on about their section, but desperate times…

Anyway, a last-minute front-page story aside, I can’t help but wonder why this week, above all others, has been so laboured. Has the news section hit its 3pm slump? Or have we just peaked??

Of course you’re never guaranteed a flow of news stories. What I miss most about sport editing (apart from missing everything about it) is the rigid structures: quarter-finals will be followed by semi-finals sure as semi-finals will be followed by

Be ignorant to the point where you will be constantly astonished by each and every story printed herein.

Last week my dear editor (or ‘Dear Editor-in-Chief’ as she demands I address her by) wrote about students’ social responsibilites, her rallying cry being that we should hold our representatives to account.

Well clearly such is the grasp that the Editor-in-Chief of this noble publication holds across campus that swathes of college students have been barraging class reps and TDs alike with questions, opinions and suggestions about how they should do their jobs.

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UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday October 22, 2013

NEWS

Ask Me campaign launched on second Ally Week Work begins

on UCC cycling route

Eoghan Lyng | Arts & Literature Editor

LGBT Ally Week occurred last week, from the 14th to the 17th of October. The week featured the introduction of the new campaign ‘#ASKME’, an initiative built upon the Ally campaign conceived by Annie Hoey, current SU Deputy President, a year previous.

Pádraig Rice, Societies Guild President and former UCC LGBT auditor, explains that “an ally is someone who supports and defends the rights of all people to be happy, free and treated equally regardless of sexuality or gender identity.” #ASKME has been outlined as a campaign set to encourage allies to ask questions in order to erase any stigma they feel towards the LGBT community.

During this week, the LGBT Society set up stalls outside the Boole library and in the Brookfield campus displaying flyers and Ally Pledges. Ally Pledges are pledges the LGBT Society handed out during the week to encourage written promises of encouragement from people who visited their stands.

Stephen Barry | News Editor

LGBT Rights Officer James Upton oversaw a short film made to document the week.

Other activities and events included a screening of ‘A Single Man’ in collaboration with Filmsoc and a minute`s silence with UCC Choral Society in the Amphitheatre for those sexually discriminated against in Russia.

Mary Collins, SU Equality Officer, commented; “We were the first college to start the Ally Initiative and actually hold a week dedicated to allies, so last year was the start of something totally new, with other colleges looking to us for guidance.“

“This year, I think it’s more confident,” Collins was quick to add. “More people know what an ally is than ever before and that is completely down to the hard work of the LGBT society. Because more people are aware, more are willing to get involved, and the ally movement is gaining momentum all the time.”

LGBT Ally Officer Lisa Marie Sheehy is keen to emphasise the importance of allied support within the LGBT community; “I feel the role of Ally Officer has a valuable purpose in the 21st century because the UCC LGBT society is 100% inclusive and we want to remove the

idea of ‘them and us’. The society is not just for the LGBT community but for the Allies that support and protect them.”

Sheehy and Collins both emphasised the importance of allied support in the fight for equality. Sheehy herself has been credited with the idea of propagating the minute`s silence to show support towards the people who identify themselves as LGBT currently challenged by the administrative policies of the Russian Federation.

Ally Week is a week, described by the UCC LGBT society, for people to show support for an equal campus.

USI will continue to battle against this measure. “We will continue to campaign for this fee to be benchmarked against economic recovery and reduced to pre-crisis levels.

The €25 million cut to third level funding, announced last year, which was to be restored in 2014, will not come in until 2015. The

third level sector is “expected to continue to deliver the same level of services by more prudent management of their existing cash balances as they are doing at present,” the department said.

Quinn has also stated that young, college-age students signing up for the dole is “just not on” and the dole must be made unattractive to young people. 18 – 24 year olds will now only be entitled to €100 a week in Jobseekers’ Allowance, following last Tuesday’s budget.

However, this reduction will only apply to new applicants.

Minister Howlin has allocated €14m to the Youth Guarantee Fund that targets activation places for those unemployed and under 25 years. Meanwhile, Pathways to Work are to receive 300,000 places in work, education and training programmes.

The elderly have also been hit with Minister Noonan said to have risked a ‘grey brigade’ revolt with his cuts for the elderly.

Most notably the government has made it harder for over-70s to get a medical card, with one in ten set to lose it and get a GP-only card instead.

Protection of maintenance grant welcomed Elaine Healy Rae | News Writer

President of the Union of Students in Ireland, Joe O’Connor has expressed his happiness with the decision of the government to not cut the third-level maintenance grant for a fifth year in a row.

“This budget marks a turning point”, remarked O’Connor. “Minister Quinn and the Government have listened to students across the country who told them clearly that cuts to the maintenance grant would force students to drop out.

“Throughout our campaign we have highlighted the fact that education is a public investment, not public spending.

“The maintenance grant, meagre as it is, allows those who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to attend third-level to earn a degree, to have improved career prospects and contribute to our economic recovery.

“In our pre-budget engagement with Minister Quinn and TDs from all parties, there was an acknowledgment across the board that third-level graduates will be the drivers of our economic recovery.

The decision to protect the grant recognises this.

Presently two out of five stu-

dents are in receipt of some type of student grant, while the Back to Education Allowance was also protected.

The student contribution charge will go up by €250 from €2,500, and will increase to €3,000 in 2015.

O’Connor signalled that the

Preliminary work has begun on a cycle lane to link UCC and Cork city centre in Cork. The work along Washington Street, Lancaster Quay and Western Road aims to make travel from university to city, and vice versa, more comfortable for cyclists.

Parking spaces on the northern side of the route will be moved to fit a contra-flow cycle lane beside the footpath. Pedestrian crossings will be amended to accommodate cyclists while the dedicated right-hand lane from Lancaster Quay onto Dyke Parade will be removed. The two lanes on Washington Street, from Grand Parade, will be merged into one. €466,250 has been set aside for the works which aim to facilitate cyclists and encourage a greater uptake of cycling, in particular among the college’s staff and students.

Cork currently has a low uptake of cycling among those travelling to and from work and school, at under 2% of total commuters.

“We want more people to use public transport, cycle and walk to work or school, said Minister for Public & Commuter Transport, Alan Kelly. “But people need the necessary infrastructure to make the choice to change their mode of travel.”

The money for this project is part of an €8.3 million transport investment in Cork City.

Cycle lanes will also be added on North Mall, from the Cork Enterprise Centre towards Patrick’s Street, and from O’Sullivan’s Quay to St Finn Barre’s Cathedral on the bottom of Gilabbey Street.

The development commences less than a month after it was announced that a public bike-rental scheme will come to fruition by next summer, modelled on the successful Dublin scheme.

300 bikes will be purchased for Cork with 25 docking stations positioned around the city centre.

Estimates prepared for the National Transport Authority foresee 2,250 annual subscribers on Leeside, at a projected subscription fee of €10 per annum.

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Tuesday October 22, 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

NEWS

Extension to Medical School proposed News in

brief

Stephen Barry | News Editor

A large-scale extension to the Brookfield Health Sciences Complex has been proposed

by UCC. The medical centre, built in 2005, is set for a fourstorey extension should the application, made on the 20th of September, be approved.

The extension would see an increase in the number of facilities currently in existence in the medical campus and would require minor alterations to link the existing and proposed buildings.

The application proposes to “construct a four storey extension comprising Teaching Simulation Rooms, Laboratories, Lecture Rooms, Offices and ancillary spaces, minor alterations to the existing building elevations and all associated site development works and signage to the College of Medicine and Health.”

The current complex houses the Schools of Medicine, Nursing & Midwifery and

Stephen Barry | News Editor

Constitutional meeting this Wednesday

Clinical Therapies together with faculty offices, a library, restaurant and a crèche within 12,000 square metres. It is not yet known exactly how much floor space the proposed highrise extension will take.

Bigger and BETA student clubbing

Audrey Ellard Walsh | Editor

Cork’s only student run nightclub opened it’s doors this September.

And they seem set to remain so.

The brainchild of third year Commerce student, Stephen Randles, BETA is the only club in Cork staffed by and catering solely to students. Themed on the US fraternity system- complete with red drinking cups- the club opened on Freshers’ Week to what continues to be great response.

Stephen, who has a background in event management and nightclub marketing, approached the owner of the then vacant space over the summer with a view to opening a unique student venue.

“He looked at my ideas, stats and figures and thought it could work so said it was better than having the venue sitting there doing nothing.”

Preparations went right down to the wire, with the final tiler leaving the premises two hours before the grand opening, but Tuesday and Thursday of Freshers’ week packed out and the club is already in the black.

Stephen believes that entrepreneurship is the only way forward for students.

In this spirit, he has reached out to three UCC BIS students to trial their card scanning system “Smudge” in his club. “Students scan their student card on their way into BETA and it acts as a loyalty card so every fourth visit you get free entry and each scan has the chance to win a free drink.”

Stephen’s plan now is to work to make the club bigger and better. Collaborating with a number of UCC societies, BETA aims to move away from what Randles believes to be the “boring” nightclub scene in Cork and “spice things up”. From red cups detail behind the bar to theme nights, best dressed competitions, fashion shows and celebrity guests, like Shane O’Donnell who DJ’d there last Thursday, are all vital to the alternative night scene that BETA wants to deliver.

BETA takes place on Thursday nights at 18 Hanover Street. http://twitter.com/BETACORK

Previous developments made since the opening of the complex saw the addition of a single-storey store room and workshop and, most recently, the addition of a link-bridge between Brookfield and the

Western Gateway Building in 2009. However this would be a much more significant development, if approved.

The decision, to be made by the Cork City Council, is due on the 14th of November.

Thousands set to graduate in coming fortnight Stephen Barry | News Editor

Over 3,000 students will receive their degrees this week and next, as the Autumn Conferrings take place.

Beginning yesterday, students in the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences will take to the Quad in a three-day period.

Then next week, starting Tuesday the 29th, all other faculties will honour their graduands, concluding the following Friday.

During the hour-long Conferring ceremonies in Devere Hall, President of UCC, Dr. Michael Murphy will present each of the graduands, clothed in cap and gown, with their National University of Ireland (NUI) degree parchments.

Subsequently the graduands will take to an academic procession behind the mace of UCC, a sterling silver symbol of UCC’s place within the NUI, and proceed to a reception in the Aula Maxima.

There is also an Ecumenical Conferring Liturgy of Blessing available in the Honan Chapel beforehand.

The first of eight regional meetings to be held across Ireland by the Convention on the Constitution, takes place in the Aula Maxima tomorrow (Wednesday) at 7.30. These meetings are aimed to use their interaction with the public to shape discussion at its final plenary session on the 30th and 1st of November/ December.

Details on speakers have, at the time of print, not been released.

The Convention will have examined the eight specific matters in its brief by early November and, thereafter, is free to make recommendations on further constitutional amendments as it sees fit.

Chair of the Constitutional Convention and former Concern CEO, Tom Arnold said “Over the last year we have received many thousands of submissions and we are looking to forward to hearing the detail of these issues first-hand from members of the public.

“The Convention on the Constitution is citizens’ forum and it is essential that Irish citizens are able to make their views known and have their say.”

Final call for Egan – Haughney undercard

For those guests not able to fit into Devere Hall, the ceremony will be screened by live video-link in the bar and upstairs café of the Students’ Centre while those who can’t make it to UCC can view it online.

Graduands who can’t make it on the day will be conferred In Absentia and their parchment posted to them.

Upon graduation, each conferee will be eligible to join the UCC Graduate’s Association and register to vote in the NUI constituency for Seanad elections.

The Students’ Union has organised Conferring Balls on seven nights during the fortnight, six in Rochestown Park Hotel and one in the Imperial Hotel.

The list of bouts for the undercard of the charity boxing match between Kenny Egan, Olympic silver medallist, and UCC SU President Padraig Haughney are being finalised.

There are only weeks to go before the UCCSU Charity Fight Night on November 12th takes place in the Savoy, with competitors in the 14 other fights asked to raise €250 in sponsorship. Staff and student boxers are welcome with the UCC Boxing Club helping to train the volunteers.

Organised by the Clubs Executive alongside the SU, the night aims to raise €20,000 for Breakthrough Cancer Research and the Children’s Unit at Cork University Hospital.

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UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday October 22, 2013

NEWS

Scholars celebrate “capital of Irish humour” Around the Colleges

Eoghan Lyng| Arts & Literature Editor

A congregation of people sat in the Aula Maxima to witness four UCC scholars make presentations about different aspects of Cork as part of the ‘Rebel Week’ celebrations last Wednesday, in an event titled ‘An Evening to Celebrate Cork’.

Mathematics Professor Des MacHale, author of over 40 books on humour, presented ‘Cork Wit – Way Ahead of you Boy’. Revolving around the concept of humour in everyday Irish society, MacHale talked about academic devaluation of humour, before proclaiming Cork “the capital of Irish humour.”

He went on to speak about his theories on Irish humour, implying that humour is known for relieving depression.

MacHale himself admitted that he was not short of anecdotes: claiming that while he was restricted to give twenty five minutes of material, he could give anything up to twenty five years of material.

Dr. Gabriel Doherty, a UCC Department of History lecturer, opened the proceedings with his paper ‘History Recording the Greatness of Michael Collins at de Valera`s Expense? – The Irish Press and Michael Collins 1931-1995’.

Talking to the UCC Express, Doherty stated that the primary motive behind his speech was to point out that The Irish

Heather Steele | Deputy News Editor

Trinity to vote on removal of SU President

Press were a lot fairer of their estimation of Michael Collins than they are frequently credited with. “There is no evidence,” he elaborated, “from its pages at least, to support the suggestion that de Valera persued a vendetta against Collins`s memory”.

Dr Hilary Lennon from the school of English outlined her views to the audience with a paper entitled ‘Rebels With Many Causes: Short Story Writers and the Irish Revolution’. Based around the subject of narratives written about Irish upheaval, Lennon spoke about writers

Daniel Corkery and Seán Ó Faoláin and the differences in their political views and works.

Emeritus Professor of Geography William Smyth finished the proceedings with a talk abut Cork city throughout the years.

Professor Clare Connolly, UCC’s English department head and chair on the evening, described his performance as one that “offered a lyrical and evocative pen picture of the city and county of Cork that took the audience of a journey at once personal and scholarly.”

Class Rep Training in Pictures

The four speakers sat together afterwards for a Q&A session, chaired by Connolly. During this session, the four speakers were repeatedly congratulated for their performances by members of the audience before Connolly confirmed her personal satisfaction with the evening.

“On the occasion of Cork Rebel Week,” she commented, “it was a pleasure to welcome local alumni to an event that showcased UCC research relating to the city and county of Cork.”

The students of Trinity College will vote on whether to impeach their Students’ Union President, Tom Lenihan. Lenihan, son of the late Finance Minister Brian, was caught cheating in one of his summer exams. The matter was dealt with by the university but a student campaign to remove Lenihan has continued, resulting in the passing of an emergency motion to hold the referendum at SU Council. Lenihan has admitted in interviews to suffering from depression. The vote will take place in the coming month.

CIT loses lecturers

CIT have lost 74 full-time lecturers since 2008, it was claimed this week; 11.4% of their total academic staff. Since 2008 enrolments have increased by 9.5% which is a 40% increase in the workload and administration of the staff. The lecturers have had their pay reduced in this period. Lecturers claim they are “overworked and underpaid” and that the quality of the student experience at CIT has suffered.

WIT launches high court action against former president

WIT launched High Court action this week against its former president, Professor Kieran Byrne, to recover €110,000 spent on miscellaneous expenses such as flights, hospitality and books. Auditors Deloitte identified insufficiently documented expenses that amounted to €368,000 related to the former president.

Following consultation between the Institute and Byrne, WIT determined that at least €110,000 should be repaid. Byrne is thought to be contesting the case.

UL launches €52million project

Taoiseach Enda Kenny launched the Bernal Project last week, a first of its kind project that will lead to the creation of 75 full time research jobs. The project will be overseen by 10 of the world’s top academies in the fields of science and engineering. It will be housed in a new building, which is due to be completed in 2 years. UL has committed €36million to the project, and the remainder of the funding will come from state and university funds.

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Tuesday October 22, 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

COMMENT

O verni g ht Re p Tr aining

“LIFE ENRICHING” Brian Conmy| Gaming Editor

When I was an academic class rep a number of years ago we got a fairly decent day’s training in Cork, in a nearby hotel. The training was adequate for its purpose but it didn’t quite prepare us for how inevitably boring the actual activities of academic reps were about to be, in particular when class council ran as long as it possibly could leading to the a guillotine on the current motion.

While the system of class rep elections and their duties haven’t changed, the way they are being trained is with the inclusion of an overnight training in Killarney. Though this obviously entails a greater expense than the previous form of training it’s hard to look at this in a negative light. Judging by my twitter feed the night of the training everyone in attendance had an amazing time bonding with other reps, taking part in group activities and learning about their new role in their class and college.

While it’s easy to criticise this change in training based solely on expense in a longer term sense of worth it’s impossible to know how valuable this training was to not only it’s participants but to the college as a whole.

These new reps got a first taste of college political life as a fun, social experience that was entirely positive. However dull they may find future activities in the role as long as the experience is front loaded with the positive aspects then more students may be more likely in the future to go for the role themselves.

While it’s been proven that students who integrate in college life, society work etc, have a higher retention rate in college it’s fair to say that these students may now be more likely to run for society positions, get involved in student politics or any number of other activities in college that not only enrich their own life but that of the college as a whole.

Personally I know that the society work I’ve done thus far as well as my involvement in the Express have been massively beneficial to myself. If being a class rep or using the role as class rep to sashay into other positions in college enriches more student’s lives then surely any expense on the SU’s part is worthwhile.

“

However dull they may find future activities in the role as long as the experience is front loaded with the positive aspects then more students may be more likely in the future to

go for the role themselves

“GLORIFIED SESSION” Rachel Walsh| Features Writer

I’m all in favour of class rep training, I believe it is necessary, and a fantastic bonding experience. However, I think that having training out of Cork was pointless, academic – wise.

Nearly two days of lectures were missed due to this training being held in Killarney, and I just have to question why it was in Killarney, and not Cork. Couldn’t the training have been held in the Rochestown Park Hotel or even in the Clarion? It would have been more practical and money would have been saved in the long run.

Also, I know of a few people who went to the training, and had to switch or lose work shifts because of it being an overnight extravaganza and in a different county. If it was held in Cork, people could have gone to the training, and still have gone to work and missed the social aspect of the training. At a time when jobs are like gold-dust, was it worth missing a shift for class rep training at an expense?

From what I have heard from friends who attended, and saw on Twitter, a big aspect of the training involved a major consumption of alcohol. I know students will be students, but even before the training happened, all I mainly heard about was the amount of alcohol that was going to be drank, is that really what class rep training is about, how drunk you can get? No. It is supposed to inform students about the student council and how they can help their class throughout the year.

I am not an academic rep, so it may seem like I am just attacking the training in general, but that is not the case. I believe that class rep training is vital, there is no denying that. But, during a time when we are protesting against grants being cut and fees going up, I must ask, why must this training be a two day trip, glorified drinking session that is held out of the county?

“

I know students will be students, but even before the training happened, all I mainly heard about was the amount of alcohol that was going to be drank, is that really what class rep training is about,

how drunk you can get?

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UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday October 22, 2013

FEATURES

Cracking – G o i n g i t A l o n e College Cleverly Grace O’ Sullivan | Features Editor

Here we are five weeks into college and you’ve probably settled in at this stage –what does this mean? Well, here’s my two cent’s worth (or condescending advice depending on your viewpoint). These are the gems of wisdom that I wish I realised much sooner than final year. I sum them up as the three Ls of cracking college cleverly and living life generally. This piece probably won’t help you get your honours degree but it will ensure you have no regrets.

Laugh College doesn’t last forever and it can be chronic or classic – the choice is yours.

Nobody is going to make you have a good time, aside from you. Go out and get yourself

involved in as much as you can.

Don’t be too serious! You may feel all briefcase and books since you started college, but don’t forget the bounce and bubbles (or bubbly – depending upon whether you’ve taken my money management advice.)

Learn to make fun of yourself and never fear putting yourself out there - be it getting involved in clubs and societies, or asking a question in a lecture.

Go out – as often as you can. When else in your life can you decide to go somewhere at the last minute and not have to worry about other people? There’s a cliché that tells us “you only live once,” and if you live right once is enough.

“

You may feel all briefcase and books since you started college, but don’t forget the bounce and bubbles

Love Love everyone. I don’t mean in a weird overtly friendly way, but rather don’t be too quick to judge other people. This isn’t Mean Girls or and episode of Love/Hate, everyone isn’t out to get you. Just relax and give people a chance, who knows, they may surprise you.

Aside from loving others and not being quick to judge – love yourself. If you don’t love yourself, how can you expect others to? College is a strangely wonderful time whereby you’ll discover exactly what, and whom you want in your life. Don’t be too

hard on yourself – there’s a world full of people out there quick to judge you, so don’t do it yourself.

Live

Be crazy and make as many memories as is possible - couch surf, order Dominos at 4am in the morning, and never turndown a last minute trip. Hand in your assignments with two minutes to spare – go on you’ll feel like Superman! You will never remember the lectures you made it to, or the tutorials you prepared for. You will however remember the trip to the beach you took on a freezing cold October afternoon. You will also remember the times you stayed up all night watching the Friends box set. You will most definitely remember the people you have all these times with too.

Obviously my tips aren’t very study studiously, but rather to live life! Granted it’s not good to leave it all until study month and ignore lectures – but be happy.

The taste I really want to leave in your mouth is one of balance. Mix up the fun times and the study – you don’t want to be the eter- nal student, nor Jack the dull boy. You know what’s best for you – stay in, or go out, listen or not – just ensure you adhere to that little voice inside your head. Live, laugh, love and enjoy the journey: the fun has only just begun.

Never suffer in silence I feel as though what people are talking about, moreover not talking about is much more important at the minute then hearing about my latest endeavours to make the most of final year.

I was in the library this week for about three hours – no I’m not looking for applause - but bodily functions did inevitably call.

While in the bathroom, something someone had written on the wall really worried me.

Etched into the wall was a conversation of less than twenty words – but it was extremely powerful: “ I feel so alone.”

“You’ll never walk alone.”

“It will pass” This little cry for help seems to encapsulate the attitude towards talking about problems perfectly. Long gone are the days whereby only the lads keep problems to themselves – girls are just as bad too. Despite all the advancements, we are still living in a society whereby there is a stigma attached to admitting you need to talk, or showing weakness.

Last week was Mental Health Week, there were many positive events taking place on campus, and around the country at large.

The majority of daytime television was full of interviews, positive affirmations, and endorsements from celebrities in relation to it being “okay not to be okay.” The week was a major

success as it managed to get people talking.

This was a huge feat, which could have only been dreamt of a matter of years ago.

However it is worth noting that despite the week ending, the conversation needs to continue. There are people out there who can help you if you have a problem. Perhaps scrawling your troubles on a wall is a step in the right direction, but it can’t be the last one. If you have an issue or worry, don’t hesitate in seeking help. Be it your mam or your friend, talk to someone. There’s nothing that a cup of tea and an honest open conversation won’t solve.

Never feel as though you are alone.

We as a society are known for being talkers,

but we have become quite quiet. Remember whatever it is that you are feeling is not long term. Don’t be afraid to talk, what’s more frightening is the silence. There is no shame in seeking help – it’s actually admirable.

There are many avenues you can go down in order to seek help. Perhaps you can selfsooth if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Try doing some light exercise, or just get some head space. Talking to a friend or family member could help too. UCC offers a student Niteline service – whereby you can voice your concerns confidentially and anonymously.

There’s also a counselling service operating on College Road, and it’s free of charge. There are

also helplines etc. that you can get in contact with, when all you need to do is talk.

Remember there is no problem too big or small that can’t be solved by talking to someone – be it a major worry, financial worries, or just not feeling right – there’s someone there to listen.

Overall the main aim of my article this week is to try and keep the conversation about mental health going. We live in a society whereby there is a constant pressure to do more, see more and be more, this can cause problems. Just remember you’re never alone and there’s always someone to help.

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FEATURES

Erasmus Diary:

g n i v i v Sur

again a German-speaking friend will come in handy in order to translate the traditional fare on offer. If you want a true Oktoberfest experience, the half-chicken is the most famous Oktoberfest snack.

Eilís O’Keeffe| Features Writer

Oktoberfest (or die Wies’n to the locals) is the largest fair in the world. With an average of 6 million people attending each year and approximately 7 million litres of beer consumed it helps to be prepared. Therefore for your amusement I have composed a list of tips and tricks I discovered from my own Oktoberfest experience.

The 10 hour bus journey - the cheapest option but not necessarily the best option.

Unfortunately Strasbourg is located about 400 kilometres from Munich and therefore it was never going to be easy to make our way there. Faced with a €200 train journey and a €35 bus journey we obviously chose the latter option. Unfortunately this involved getting up at 2.30 in the morning, a time more often reserved for the leaba! Not much sleep was had on the 5 bus hour journey resulting in bouts of exhaustion which probably increased the number of Strasbourg Bierleichens (a lovely German word which roughly translates as a “beer corpse”).

Try to go when it is not raining.

A phone call to one of those mystical long-range weather forecasters would definitely pay off as I imagine Oktoberfest would be far more enjoyable in the sunshine. Once inside a tent the cold and rain becomes irrelevant but up until that point it will be a serious concern considering as you may have to queue for two and a half hours to get into a tent. Unless you have some insider knowledge....

problem, particularly when the beer comes in a litre maß (which is more of a jug than a glass) and has an alcohol content of up to 8%! The craic only gets going around 5pm due to the fact that noise reduction laws prevent the playing of loud music Luckily we didn’t have to queue that long as after during the day (also people are rather “merry” at that point). Therefore it makes more sense to spending half an hour trailing from one tent to another we bumped into some fellow Erasmusers come later in the day. However were you to arrive one of whom was from Berlin. His presence alone any later than 11am the only way to secure a table would be to book one. Only problem is that due to was the only reason we found out about the Oide Weisn after he quizzed two of the security guards. German efficiency the latest you can book is JanuWe paid €3 and got a table for the day – complete ary or February. In fact if you go online right now bargain. There was also a great atmosphere in the you can book your table for next year! tent which tries to recreate the historical Oktoberfest with traditional dancing, rousing drinking Wear a dirndl/lederhosen – you will songs and performances of an unusual Bavarian tradition which involves cracking whips in time to feel like less of a fool. the music. The beer was also very good, AugusYes you did read that correctly – in order to fit tinier-Bräu, which according to Wikipedia (the in with the proud Bavarians traditional dress is ultimate source for all research) is the favourite recommended. Dirndls, lederhosen and tirolerhüte local brew. (traditional Oktoberfest hats) are the order of the day so leave the jeans at home for one day at least.

Learn German. Alternatively befriend someone who speaks German.

If you have the dosh – book a table.

The reason for our ridiculously early departure from Strasbourg was the fact that you have to be at Oktoberfest practically immediately after it opens at 10am in order to get a table. We were lucky to get one at 11. When you start drinking beer that early in the morning staying power becomes a

A giant pretzel that takes an hour to eat really isn’t enough food.

While the German sausages may not appear to be the most appetising, food is a requirement. Once

Me & My A l b i n i s m Jessica Ni Mhaolain | Features Writer

If you took a look at me here’s what you’d see; an average looking 21 year old student who looks a bit younger than what she is, and is a little too short for her age, who sometimes looks grumpy but has an infectious smile and laugh when you bring it out in her. You’d see a girl with golden blonde hair, blue eyes and pale skin that is, more often than not, covered up by makeup that’s a few shades darker.

One thing that would not be obvious at a glance is my hidden disability.

So what is my disability? A mouthful of a thing called “occulocutaneous albinism”. A condition that primarily affects my sight but also gives me pale skin and stops me from tanning. Its pretty severe; I can only read the top letter of the eye chart in a doctors office – and that’s on a good day! Strong sunlight, my workload and the length of my day all have

Tuesday October 22, 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

an affect on how “good or bad” my eyes will be during the day. It sounds pretty awful, and when a doctor or nurse who doesn’t know me reads this on a chart, I get look of pity which is unbelievably uncomfortable! It’s genuinely not that bad though – I absolutely love my life. I love my family, my friends, the course I study in college, the politics I’m involved in and everything in between! Don’t get me wrong – it’s not all sunshine and lollipops because I do have some awful days. But don’t we all?

What I’m trying to achieve by keeping a blog is to reach out to others like me, and others who are just interested. I want to let people know what college and life in general is like for someone looking out at the world with imperfect eyes. Hopefully I’ll achieve this without rambling too much and you’ll all find it interesting too!

While some industries such as Hollywood have recieved backlash owing to their negative portrayal of albino people, others like the fashion industry have celebrated difference with models Shaun Ross (right) and Diandra Forrest becoming household names.

Avoid tents with ridiculous rules – such as no backpack wearers/no bottles of water.

With multiple tents to choose from it is rather unnecessary to have to bow down to arbitrary bans on backpacks and bottles of water (which are a rather essential piece of kit unless you are aiming to be a Bierleichen). Therefore move on with your bottle of Evian firmly in hand and discover the wonders of the Oktoberfest tents, each of which have their own individual characters. Who knows – you might bump into one of the many celebs who attend Oktoberfest each year. Or a dashing Bavarian man/woman!

Finally – learn the words “Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit” Bavarian bonding is all about rousing drinking songs and it helps to know the words to this favourite tune which I guarantee you will hear every 15/20 minutes. Apparently Gemütlichkeit is a truly amazing German word which cannot be translated into English as it means a combination of happiness and bonding which us English-speaking peoples are too uptight to comprehend. Possibly as we have nothing comparable to the wonder that is Oktoberfest.

Unfortunately we were not forewarned regarding this but thankfully we were able to participate in the most essential part of the song – the clinking of glasses. Shouting “prost” (cheers) really loudly is an acceptable alternative.

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UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday October 22, 2013

FEATURES

Sea Slaughter Sophie Oisthern| Features Writer

I know this isn’t your average article that you’re likely to read while sipping Chai Latte in the Main Rest watching the September rain outside, however I know this article has the power to move you, intrigue you, and above all, open up a new, horrific world to you that you never even knew existed.

Recently I watched a relatively short documentary film entitled ‘The Cove’. I can safely say that this film has been one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life, and it has driven me to write this article. Immediately after watching the movie I felt the drive to enlighten people on the topic of dolphin slaughter. Now, I know it sounds slightly miniscule in comparison to problems such as global warming and increasing population growth (or in our case getting that godforsaken assignment done in time that’s worth twenty percent of our entire grade) however I beg for a few minutes of your time to illustrate the problem at hand.

Dolphins are immensely intelligent creatures. We know this because of extensive research that is being carried out by marine scientists daily. We already use a slightly warped version of American sign language to communicate on a primary level.

I’m sure you’ve all heard the stories of the

dolphin saving the surfer from the shark etc...

Dolphins are a wonderful part of the oceanic eco-system and it is hard to imagine a world without them.

Taijii is a relatively small town in Japan, and is well-known for its whale and dolphin population. Richard O’Barry (trainer of Cathy the dolphin, more commonly known as ‘Flipper’ to the general public in the 1970’s) has taken it upon himself to educate the world of the gruesome crime that is being committed here in Taijii every year without fail. O’Barry takes his viewers on a scandalous journey to a bay in Taijii, where the truth is uncovered using hidden cameras. The cameras record hundreds of dolphins being herded into a natural cove by fishermen using a wall of noise underneath the water. They create this effect by banging on a metal pipe to scare the dolphins. After the dolphins are captured, a select few are picked to become ‘show dolphins’ at various aquaparks around the world.

The rest are then stabbed to death violently by the fishermen with elongated spears.

The image that ensues is extremely disturbing. The water in the cove turns a bright, sickly red, and many dolphins are thrashing around manically as they are murdered. The ariel shot eventually shows a quiet, eerie

Amanda Bynes -A Whole Lot of Crazy Adam O’Reilly| Features Writer

When we look back on the major events of this year so far the name Amanda Bynes will more than likely be ringing bells for the majority of us. Users of social media sites; Twitter and Facebook, will be well aware of the scandal involving Bynes. The former host of the beloved ‘Amanda Show’ on our childhood favourite channel Nickelodeon had a public meltdown that will most definitely be remembered. It’s unfortunate seeing young child stars that we all grew up with going -for the lack of a better word- bat-shit crazy.

Earlier this year Bynes lashed out at ‘Diamonds’ singer Rihanna openly on Twitter. The star posted an indirect tweet saying; “Chris Brown beat you because you’re not pretty enough.” This stirred up one of the biggest controversies the web has ever seen.

Thousands upon thousands of Rihanna fans attacked the ‘She’s The Man?’ actor because of this tweet. Of course as you all know things did not end there! Bynes made another jab at the singer-songwriter in her next tweet, “No one wants to be your lover, so you call everyone and their mother that I almost named my new dog Rihanna.”

Rihanna however seemed to be very calm about the whole situation. I wonder what kept that woman so chilled. I think we all know how – stay clean kids! Rihanna had very little to say on the matter but did leave her twitter followers with this sound advice, “Ya see what happens when they cancel Intervention.”

At least the drama was kept on Twitter right? Unsurprisingly not. Amanda, in later

blood-stained cove where a handful of Japanese divers are searching for dolphins that might have escaped.

The most shocking thing about this monstrosity of an act is the sheer ignorance of the Japanese government to these actions of the Taijii people. The International Whaling Congress has failed to solve this problem, and the corruption that is imminent on the Japanese front is appalling. So much so that Richard O’ Barry decided to gatecrash the party and parade in with a TV screen attached to his front bearing the shocking imagery he had previously filmed. This managed to attract the attention of all the congressmen in the hall.

Alot of O’ Barry’s work has not been aired and this is one of the main reasons I am writing this article today. I want you to know about this, and I want you to try and do something about it, even if it is only to tell your housemate about the issue. Log onto www.savejapandolphins.org for further information. My contribution to the Oceanic Preservation Society is to write this article and publish it, and as a person who grew up surfing and snorkelling with a local dolphin in Co. Clare, I have great appreciation for what Richard O’ Barry does. I hope this article has made you think, and now I will let you go back to your Chai Latte. Enjoy.

Giblets on ice

Randy Marx| Features Writer

If you want the best image of an Irish adventure, it is this: standing upon a moonlit shore, the smell of peat wafting from nearby houses, the cool coastal breeze running through your nethers, the taste of a good ale on your lips, and only the stars to attend you. I spent much of the last two weekends traveling, visiting the coastal towns of Lahinch and Kinsale. My day trip to Lahinch was a little less vacation-esque, as my purpose was helping arriving American students acclimate to their new home.

They were all severely jet-lagged, whereas I was a bouncing ball of giddiness, which was ironic given that I hadn’t slept in two days at that point. Thus, I was practically the most energetic of the bunch, and had nary an outlet for my enthusiasm.

Lahinch, if you’ve never been, is a lovely town that is best experienced off-season, by which I mean when no tourists are around. A surfing village not terribly unlike the coastal towns I grew up in in weeks ended up getting arrested for allegedly San Diego, the people are friendly, the vibe is fairly throwing a bong at a police officer's head. To youthful, and the scenery is impressive. That night, be fair to the poor girl, we've all accidentally having shown the near-comatose students around, beat someone in the head with a bong at some one brave girl joined me on a long scenic hike stage in our lives ... Haven't we? around Liscannor Bay, where I, either owing to inYou think your neighbours are bad? A sanity or a disproportionately muted sense of shame, neighbour of Bynes was forced to call 911 went streaking. Yes, nothing says, “hello, Ireland!” after the troubled former child star had report- like exposing your giblets to the cool breeze and edly started several fires in the driveway of praying to some unseen power that you haven’t just her own home, she then proceeded to cover showed your shortcomings to the world. her own dog in gasoline and lay down on the I didn’t get any sleep that night, either, though sidewalk with her pants on fire. So people not for the reasons you may think. I thrive on please remember this story when the person adventure, on exploration and new discoveries. next door is playing his music too loud or Ireland’s lousy with less-traveled paths and rarely getting sick in your wheelie bin after one to tasted pleasures. The long, winding paths that many at the Old Bar. dance along the coast provide ample opportunity for

breathtaking views and hidden joys. The trick, of course, is setting out and being relentless in finding them. My trip to Kinsale this past Saturday is an excellent example of this, and it’s a blessing that the two guys I traveled with were as keen as I was to go anywhere, travel any path, and experience the town in all its beauty. (A great key to any good adventure is, if you have companions, make sure they aren’t boring.)

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with indulging in local luxuries. Declan, Flo, and myself spent the first part of our day in Kinsale at a fabulous restaurant called Fishy Fishy, where we spent a small fortune eating exquisite delicacies (I am a foodie, so pardon the orgasmic verbiage). We immediately rented a boat and spent the next two hours touring the bay, taking pictures, braving death, and trying to avoid being the first people of the season to get stranded out at sea. Looking out over the coast, we all fell silent and took in the scene in contemplative awe. Our subsequent hike along the shore included hundreds of pictures, a few hidden paths, fresh blackberries, and laying contentedly on the grass beside Charles Fort (with our legs open, because how else do you greet a country like Ireland?).

I’ll never understand people who aren’t adventurous. I’ll never grasp the appeal of the beaten path.

The things that make a place special don’t lie in its monuments or its artifices, but in its natural beauty, the people who live there, and the small treasures hidden within her heart. In keeping with the metaphor, Ireland is a beautiful woman with many secrets, and discovering these is joy in itself. So, go expose thine giblets to the breeze, my friends! Find your adventure.

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Tuesday October 22, 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

FEATURES INVESTIGATES

FEATURES INVESTIGATES

Budget 2014 hits youths but not those in college Stephen Barry | News Editor

STUDENT CONTRIBUTION CHARGE Student Contribution Charge:

3,500

3,000

2013 €2,500 + €250

2011 €2,000 +€500

2,500

2009 €1,500 +€600 2010 €1,500 No change

2,000

2014 €2,750 +€250

2012 €2,250 + €250

1,500

2008 €900 + €75

1,000

2007 €825

500

YEAR

1

2

3

4

5

6

7 Highcharts.com

STUDENT MAINTENANCE GRANT

per annum | Measured at 100% maintenance at non-adjacent rate Student Maintenance Grant

3,500

2007-2010 €3,420

3,400

CH AR G E

CH AR G E

The Budget for 2014, announced by Michael Noonan and Brendan Howlin a week ago, outlined €2.5bn of spending cuts and tax increases which coupled with €600m of savings made earlier this year, mean an adjustment of €3.1bn.

Public reaction has not been as negative towards another austerity budget which ‘ring-fenced’ a number of sensitive areas, cut in previous budgets, from cutbacks. In the education sector this meant that Ruairi Quinn maintained the current level pupil-teacher ratios, spending on schemes for disadvantaged areas and special needs children, while at third-level the maintenance grant was kept at its current pay scale and thresholds while the Back to Education Allowance was also maintained.

Budget 2014 contained little else specifically targeted at those currently in college although there was no reversal on the previously budgeted-for plans to increase the Student Contribution Charge by €250 to €2,750.

A further increase to €3,000 remains planned for 2015.

However the young who are out of education or training were hit particularly hard with cuts to the Jobseekers’ Allowance, with those 2225 losing €44 a week (the rate is now €100 a week for those 18-24 and €144 for 25 year olds; only those over 26 will get the full €188 rate). The cut will only apply to new applicants. Ireland currently has a rate of almost 1 in 3 youths (under 25s) being unemployed.

The government intends these cuts to disincentivise youths from signing-on for social protection although critics have linked these reductions with the removal of the €3 air travel tax (from April 2014) as incentivising those who rely on the dole to emigrate.

However budget 2014 did allow for the creation of 2,000 Youth Guarantee Training

3,300

2011 €3,250 -€170

3,200

2012 €3,120 -€130

3,100

3,000

YEAR

1

2

3

4

2013 €3,025 -€95 5

6

7

Places for under 25s with €14m of funding, although this amount has been criticised by organisations working on the ground. €500m was also allocated to a Build your own Business start-up scheme.

The average monthly cost of college for students is estimated to be between €1,025 and €1,225 by the UCC Student Budgetary Advisor and the only major change to this amount, which excludes payment of fees, will depend on students’ consumption of the socalled ‘old reliables’; alcohol and cigarettes (up 10c).

A pint and a pub measure of spirits both have risen 10c, with 50c added to a bottle of wine and €2 to a bottle of whiskey. Thus someone who averages six pints a week will spend an extra €31.20 a year, with those who add wine into the mix losing almost double that figure.

Students with savings will be hit by the increased DIRT rate taking an extra €8 from every €100 of interest earned on savings.

The bank levy of €450m across three years is likely to be passed onto customers through increased bank charges.

With the budgetary measures taken, the government projects that the deficit will fall to 4.8% of GDP in 2014 and that Ireland will be able to fully and sustainably fund itself through the international markets by the end of this year when it will exit the EU/IMF bailout programme.

However the line in the sand for the deficit remains at the 3% of GDP mark; a mark which Ireland must get under in 2015 to avoid potential sanctions by the European Commission. Thus another large adjustment will be required in Budget 2015, the level of which will depend upon the accuracy of the government’s economic growth forecasts.

Highcharts.com

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UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday October 22, 2013

FEATURES INVESTIGATES

How w e s e e i t

Annie Hoey UCCSU Deputy President and Campaigns Officer

In the recent Budget 2014, the education sector escaped relatively unscathed. For the first time in five years the Maintenance Grant was not cut. The Back To Education Allowance was not touched either. Students’ Union President, Pádraig Haughney, commented, “we are of course happy that the Maintenance Grant and the Back to Education Allowance has not been cut. It is encouraging to see that government officials and the TDs that we, along with other SU officer across the country, spent the summer lobbying, have listened to us.” The outcry over the delays occurred with SUSI last year are indicative of how important supports such as the Maintenance Grant and the Back to Education Allowance are. “Supports such as the grant and Back to Education allow students who may not have previously been able to do so, attend third level, up skill and have better career opportunities” states Haughney. However, with unemployment rates amongst young people soaring, and emigration rife amongst our peers, what are students to do once they leave education? The promised 14 million investment into the Youth Guarantee is a positive step in the right direction. But will it be enough? What is to become of people stuck languishing on the dole, which is now to The be dropped to a meager €100 per week for those under Express con24, with no job prospects in sight? tacted the auditors Following an open Townhouse Meeting, hosted by of all active political the Students’ Union on Thursday October 17th, it is societies in UCC for clear that students have grave concerns about their life both within and after university. Even though response and reaction cuts to education were not as savage as was anticito Budget 2013. pated, there is still the issue of the €250 increase in the student fees, and the fact that there has been no respite

REACTION Audrey Ellard Walsh | Editor @AudreyEWalsh

We asked the Young Fine Gael and Labour Youth Societies the following questions: • What does their youth wing make of the cuts to social welfare entitlements for under 26s and under 24s?

• Under 25 year olds on Jobbridge will now earn €3.75 an hour. Is this fair?

• Did their youth wing advocate for any alternatives in the budget?

Colm Counihan, Auditor of UCC Labour had this to say; In response to those first two questions I think our National Chairperson Aideen Carberry summed it up quite well; "It is fundamentally unjust that young unemployed adults, who are eligible to vote and required to pay income tax, are expected to accept lesser payments than their older counterparts. It runs counter to the intergenerational solidarity that Irish society should be built on.”

Personally I feel that the government has taken the decision to target young people in this budget as we are less likely to come out and vote than other age groups.

Gerard O’Mahony, Young Fine Gael’s PRO had this to say; “YFG obviously regrets that these cuts have to be made to social welfare entitlements for young people but, ultimately, the long term interests of young people in Ireland are best served by getting our national finances and debt under control. This has and will continue to require difficult sacrifices to be made by all sections of society. This represents the last really difficult budget for Irish young people and the government has already announced a significant number of initiatives aimed at combating youth unemployment and getting young people back to work, education or training.”

A key part of this is making young people attractive to employers by equipping them with the necessary experience and skills through programmes like Jobbridge. Therefore one must view Jobbridge as a step on the road to employment rather than full employment in itself. The figure of €3.75 per hour does not reflect the true value of the programme to young people in terms of the experience and training it provides.

At our summer school in Kilkenny, YFG called upon the government to extend Job seeker's benefit to the As for alternative measures Labour Youth has advo- self-employed sector so as to strengthen our efforts to cated a number of revenue raising measures including foster entrepreneurship. The government did not act upon this motion in the budget but we will continue but not limited to: to push hard for this and other measures which • The abolition of certain tax reliefs help Irish young people to take control of their own • An increase in Capital Gains Tax futures.”

• Extending the Universal Social Charge to capital income” We asked the opposition societies two similar quesLabour Youth’s pre-budget submission tions; is available here: • What do they make of the cuts to social welfare http://issuu.com/labour/docs/pbs_proof_final

entitlements for under 26s and under 24s and

•

in terms of the cost of living which is set to continue to rise. The welfare cuts and changes are of great concern also. What become of students once they leave third level?

The Students’ Union argues that the university has a responsibility and sense of care to all graduates, and that the university ought stand in opposition to the savage cuts facing them once they leave. University officials also have a responsibility to enter into the dialogue about where the Youth Guarantee funds will be invested. Here is an opportunity to begin turning the tide on the high unemployment levels and university officials need to engage with the process of sourcing new jobs and to assist students in acquiring gainful employment post-graduation.

No one has escaped from the harsh cuts in the latest Budget. The Students’ Union and the university need to find ways to support students who have been directly affected by the latest cuts. But students also need to be encouraged by the fact that the government has made a promise to invest into youth and job creation. Whether they will live up to their promise is another thing, and is something everyone will be keeping a close eye on over the next few months.

What would their party have done differently with this budget?

that don't have a strong voice. Sinn Féin would have introduced a new employers’ rate of PRSI of 15.75% on the portion of all salaries paid in excess of €100,000 Stephen Goulding Auditor of UCC Sinn Féin per annum, raising €119.1 million. Other proposed measures that were ignored by the government was the “With regards to the cuts to social welfare- this budget proposal to make those who earn under 17K exempt is rife with cuts and alterations that give one clear from USC saving approximately 94 million euro. message to young people: Emigrate! (This is being Instead of making our youth feel like a burden to made all the more affordable by the abolition of Air society, Sinn Féin would ensure that every person on Travel Tax) By cutting the social welfare for younger job seeker's allowance would have access to a job or people during a time when it is most needed, this to training--to ensure that a skill deficit doesn't occur government are making it more and more unfeasible and that we are capable of hitting the ground running for them to remain in the country. Every credible when economic stability returns. economist is now in concurrence that you cannot Jessica Ní Mhaoláin- Auditor of Ógra Fianna Fáil come out of a recession by implementing austeritymeasures and slashing allowances. The young people On the subject of welfare cuts to those under 24 & targeted in these cuts are central to the country's future 26, we feel it's unjust to tackle the very young in this economic sovereignty. Cutting the social welfare country with those cuts. We feel the government is not only counter-productive to future economic is forcing emigration on young people with those growth, it is also a slap in the face of the young job welfare cuts, and we will be signing a petition to have seekers. these cuts immediately reversed. And although the Sinn Féin is dedicated to equality in all walks of life, and as such it would have guaranteed an equal and fairer budget. Budget 2014 clearly targets the most vulnerable and neediest in our society. Fine Gael and Labour have ruthlessly taken money from those who cannot afford to have it taken from them. Everyone from the unborn( with the maternity benefit being cut) to the deceased (with the scrapping of the bereavement grant) have been hard hit by the budget.

There is, however, one class that remains notably untouched: the wealthy. Nowhere in the budget is there any cut or alteration that clearly targets those who can afford to take a financial hit the most. Instead this cowardly coalition--in search of a short term fix to a long term problem-- has targeted those in our society

college grant was not targeted in this budget which is fantastic, we see that as only a very small victory for students as many "coping class" families will still be paying an increased registration fee.

In the Fianna Fáil pre-budget submission, we provided a clear strategy for tackling youth unemployment - something this government has failed to do.

We outlined ways to achieve this, such as: • Establishing an internship programme within the Irish Financial Services Centre.

• Requiring young people who are not in education/training or employment after 6 months on Jobseekers Allowance to engage with schemes similar to CE schemes instead of cutting their benefits altogether.

• Extending apprenticeships to a wider range of occupations.

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Tuesday October 22 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

GAEILGE

“Irish? Don’t TALK to me about it!”

John Prendergast | Scríbhneoir

Conas ar a fhoghlaim tusa an Ghaeilge? Is dócha go bhfuil an scéal ceannan céanna ag tromlach na ndaoine óga sa lá atá inniú ann. An é go raibh tú ag streachailt le briathra sa chéad bhliain i ngan fhios duit cad is briathar ann? Faitíos ort agus tú ag léanúint fadhbanna Máire bocht sa dráma An Triail? Seans go raibh tú cráite amach is amach leis na haistí leadránacha inar mbaineadh an iomarca úsáide as an nath cainte luachmhar sin “go tobann”?

Bhuel, tá tú i gColáiste Triú Léibhéal anois, agus an coras oideachais lochtach sin fágtha taobh thiar duit. Pé grád a bhaineadar amach san Ardteist, tá tuairim ag GACH duine óg in Éirinn mar gheall ar an nGaeilge, ach an cheist atá le plé ná an bhfuil said dearfach nó diúltach i leith na Gaeilge. Ó mo thaithí féin, is féidir linn an meon dearfach ó thaobh ár dteanga dúchais de a bhriseadh síos i bhfoirm triantáin. Ní aon triantán mar do thriantán fein, mar a deirimse.

Ag bun an triantáin ar thaobh amháin, feictear na daoine atá ceanúil ar an nGaeilge, ach fós féin ní cheapann said gur féidir leosan í a labhairt. Bhuaileamar go léir le daoine mar sin; “Oh no, I LOVE Irish, just can’t speak a word of it”. Tá eagla ar na daoine seo Gaeilge a labhairt agus ceithre bliana déag ar scoil slánaithe acu. Bíonn náire ar dhaoine a dteanga dhúchais a labhairt, is oth liom a rá. Cé gur dhein na daoine seo staidéar uirthi ar feadh na blianta, maíonn siad nach bhfuil Gaeilge ar bith acu chun labhairt na teanga a sheachaint. Is dearcadh dainséareach é seo ó thaobh cosaint teangan de. Is iomaí fáth atá ann leis an meon seo – má théann tú chun cainte le Gaeilgeoir ó dhúchas, is minic nach mbíonn tuiscint foirfe eadraibh de bharr difríochtaí canúna agus blas. Leanaigí leis, a chairde dílise- déanann gach duine botúin, ní bhíonn saoi gan locht. Muna gcuireann tú san Earrach ní bhainfidh tú san Fhómhar, a chairde.

Ar an dtaobh eile den triantán, faightear na daoine a bhfuil sásta Gaeilge a labhairt go hiondúil, le caighdéan réasúnta maith acu. Dealraítear domsa é go bhfuil an dream seo mar nasc idir an grúpa thuas, agus na Gaeilgeoirí iad féin.

Tá féidearachtaí réalaíocha ann sa ghrúpa seo ó thaobh gluaiseacht na Gaeilge deseo an áit is mó a thapann daoine an deis chun an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn sna Cumainn Gaelacha agus in eagraíochtaí Gaeilge eile timpeall na tíre. Bíonn fadbhanna bainteach leis an dream seo go minic áfach. Bíonn meon áirithe ag roinnt daoine a labhraíonn an Ghaeilge sa mhír seo- go bhfuil an Ghaeilge atá acu siúd mar an leagan is fearr den Ghaeilge agus nach bhfuil a sárú ann. “Nazi-Ghaeilge” a thug cara liom air le déanaí, agus cuireann an dearcadh seo faitíos ar dhaoine a

-Meon daoine óga i leith na Gaeilge

bhfuil ag iarraidh a gcuid Gaeilge a úsáid go minic. Anuas air sin, ní Gaeilgeoirí dúchasacha an chuid is mó des na daoine sa ghrúpa seo, agus tagann fadhb an Bhéarlachais chun solais, a dhéanann dochar do Ghaeilge bhinn nádúrtha na tíre seo.

Chualamar go léir rudaí cosúil le “Tá mé leithreas”… ar a laghad abair “is leithreas mé” chun a bheith dilís don teanga, a dhaoine uaisle!

Ag barr an triantáin, maireann na Gaeilgeoirí iad féin. Daoine gur rugadh agus tógadh trí mhéan na Gaeilge iad.

Daoine a bhfuil dilís d’Airteagal 8 de Bhunreacht na hÉireann, sa tslí go núsáideann siad an Ghaeilge mar phríomhtheanga oifigiúil dálach is domhnach.

Ceaptar gur leo todhchaí na Gaeilge, agus gur féidir linn breith orthu in am an ghátair chun an teanga a choiméad beo.

Ach, an féidir?

Cuireann sé sin dualgas mór ar dhaoine áirithe glacadh leis an ualach seo. Ualach traidisiúin. Ualach cultúir.

Ualach scéil agus anama na tíre seo. Ní dócha go bhfuil sé cothrom, ach ar cheart dúinne béim agus iallach a chur ar an Rialtas tacaíocht níos láidre a thabhairt don Ghaeilge? Ba cheart go deimhin, ach is feidir linn ár gcumhacht dhaonlathach a úsáid chomh maith – agus an Ghaeilge a athbheochan agus a athréimniú mar phríomhtheanga oifigiúil na tíre seo sinn féin.

Is ábhar conspóideach é seo le rá, ach tá scoilt dochreidte mór idir meon na nGaeilgeoirí óga sa chás seo. Braitheann sé ar an gceantar ina bhfuil tú; is trua é ach is annamh a bhuaileann tú le déagóir ó cheantar Gaeltachta a bhfuil maslach ó thaobh na Gaeilge de. Bhí cara liom ag iarraidh pionta a cheannach i nGaeltacht áirithe bliain ó shin, is chuige sin chuir sé ceist ar fhear bheáir “an féidir liom pionta a bheith agam, le do thoil?”. Toisc go raibh an cara seo i ndiaidh deoch nó dhó a bheith aige chéana fein, níor fhuaimnigh sé an focal “pionta” mar ba chóir. Thug an freastalaí neamhaird bhalbh dó ar feadh tamaill, agus i ndiaidh cúpla focail leis, dúirt sé “You’re ruining my language” le mo chara, agus an cara seo atá aitheanta mar Ghaeilgeoir chumasach iontach. A leithéid de ráiméis. Buaileann taom féirge orm nuair a thagann sé seo chugam ó am go ham, is sampla é den dímheas a bhíonn ag Gaeilgeoirí fiú i dtaobh a dteanga féin. Chun a bheith cothrom, b’fhéidir go raibh oíche dheacair ag an freastalaí seo, agus seans go raibh se bréan de dhaoine a bheith ag iarraidh Gaeilge a labhairt leis, ach ní féidir sin a dhéanamh fad is atá an Ghaeilge chomh leochaileach agus i mbaol, fé mar atá sí sa lá atá inniú ann.

Ní hé sin le rá nach bhfuil Gaeilgeoirí óga speagúla fós ann, a thugann misneach dúinn nuair is cuí lena gcuid buanna agus cumas sa Ghaeilge. Cabhríonn siad go

mór le meon na tíre i leith na Gaeilge a fheabhsú; ní gá dúinn ach féachaint ar dhaoine cosúil le Dáithí Ó Sé a chuireann an teanga go mór chun cinn. I UCC fiú, féach ar Chathaoirleach na Cuallachta, Deirdre Ní Dhonnchadha, gurb as Rath Chairn di agus a bhuaigh Comórtas an Chailín Gaelach i rith an tsamhraidh. Ról eiseamlár atá inti agus eisean, leis an gCuallacht, ag iarraidh dearcadh daoine i leith na Gaeilge a fhorbairt.

Taobh amuigh den triantán, áfach, faightear na daoine nach bhfuil dearfach faoin nGaeilge ar chor ar bith; iadsan gur cuma sa tsioc leo mar gheall uirthi.

Dar leis an gCominsinéir Teanga, Seán Ó Cuirreáin, ní clúdaíonn sé sin ach 4% de dhaonra na tíre seo. Mionlach atá i gceist, ach fós féin, tá tuairimí luachmhara ag cuid acu faoin nGaeilge.

Ní haon siceolaí mé, ach dar liomsa tá an meon seanfhaiseanta imeaglach maidir leis an nGaeilge imithe i measc scólairí agus mic léinn na linne seo. Is iad na Coláisití Samhraidh, Cumainn Gaelacha agus Gaelscoileanna príomhchúise an dul chun cinn a dheineamar ó ghlúin Pheig Sayers. Anois, is ábhar corraitheach í an Ghaeilge, agus tá obair suntasach le déanamh againn chun í a fhorbairt agus a cothú timpeall na tíre ar fad. Bí bródúil aisti, is linne í, agus ná lig do drochchuimhní scoile an Ghaeilge a dul in éag i do shaol.

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UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday October 22, 2013

FOOD

– The home of student cooking!

C h e e s y Po t a t o S k i n s Preparation Time 5 mins Cooking Time 50/60 mins Hi Guys! Halloween is almost upon us, the time of ghost and goblins, spooks and skeletons...It’s also a great excuse to have a party (do you really need an excuse?) and get together with your friends!

At CollegeDinners we are all about the social side of cooking and sharing great food with your housemates...if you haven’t tried our service yet, you don’t know what you missing! We make it so easy to prepare student friendly meals on a budget and even deliver your food to various locations around UCC, so no matter where you live there’s bound to be a collection point close by! Check out the website www.collegedinners.ie - it’s the home of student cooking!

In keeping with the theme of all things scary, this week we are going to test your nerves with tickets for the Nightmare Realm up for grabs (be warned, this is not for the faint hearted!). In association with UCC Express, we are offering one lucky winner 4 tickets to visit the Realm on Wednesday 30th October. Full details below!

T OP

So what’s on the menu with CollegeDinners this week? For anyone who is entertaining over Halloween, this recipe is a favourite for many and is sure to go down a storm...

Fresh Ingredients • 4 large baking potatoes • 6-8 rashers • 2 spring onions • Grated cheese • ½ teaspoon paprika • Glug of Oil Cooking Instructions

1.

Preheat oven to 200C then pierce the potatoes with a fork and bake for ap

prox. 1 hour until cooked i.e. knife easily inserts into them.

2.

Trim excess fat from bacon and gently fry in a little oil until lightly browned.

3.

Cut the potato in half lengthways and scoop out the flesh with a spoon,

leaving a thin layer next to the skin.

4.

Next, cut each potato skin in two, on the length to make boat shapes.

5.

Place each skin on a baking tray, sprinkle over a little paprika and top with

some bacon pieces.

6.

Mix together the cheese and spring onion and sprinkle this mixture over the potatoes.

7.

Finally top with the remaining bacon and return to oven and bake for 10

minutes until golden.

P TI someMake potato

salad with some of your scooped out potato just add some salad cream/ mayo and a handful of chopped chives or parsley if you have it!

In association with UCC Express, we are offering one lucky

THIS WEEK’S SPECIAL OFFER!

winner 4 tickets to visit the Nightmare Realm (Albert Quay) on Wednesday 30th October 2013.

Simply email your name and mobile number to info@collegedinners.ie with the answer to the following question; Q: Which of these recipes features on the CollegeDinners website?

1. Bats Wings and Chips 2. Bacon and Mushroom Pasta 3. Cauldron Stew Entries must be received by midnight (the haunting hour) Monday 28th October...If you need some extra help, click on www.collegedinners.ie

G ood Luck!

Finger licking good & perfect for dipping in sour cream or mayo – yum!

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EXPRESS PHOTOS

Tuesday October 22, 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday October 22, 2013

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EXPRESS PHOTOS

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Tuesday October 22, 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

FASHION

R E B E LS T Y L E

N

ow in its sixth year, MSL Mercedes Benz Cork Fashion Week ran from October 5th to October 12th and saw a host of stylish events roll out across the city. Two of the masterminds behind the week’s events, Lockdown Model Management’s Vivienne McCarthy and Emer O’Sullivan, granted me VIP status and front row seats to the glitzy fashion shows so that I could preach the fashion message to the UCC student population.

The Designer of the Year Showcase was the first major spectacle to transpire and took place in Triskel, Christchurch on Saturday 5th October.

Taking inspiration from a dramatic format, the show was divided into four acts. The Opening Act was a truly creative piece of performance art entitled ‘Ode to Origami’that was styled by and featured Mary Ginnifer, a graduate of Cork’s own Crawford College of Art and Design. The next Act marked the beginning of the competition as it displayed separate collections by nine different milliners. All of the hats were as original and artistic as you would expect in a postPhilip Tracy world but the collection that stood out to the judges was ‘O.H. Designs’created by Eileen Healy. Following the conclusion of this act, the thirteen up-and-coming fashion designers were given their chance to prove their vision

and talent to both the judges and attendees. From the androgynous bow-ties of Daniel Mahon to the elegant, red-carpet-esque gowns of Thomas Kiernan to the boho-chic Sharon Rose, each home-grown designer had their own unique vibe.

The collections embodied a mixture of costumelike haute couture and everyday style options.

The main prize went to Deirdre Collins, whose navy, hooded jumpsuit garnered much attention.

The closing act exhibited an out-of-competition collection from friend of CFW and graduate, Angela Beaumont. Models on the night, as for all the week’s events, were from the Lockdown Agency and also included ex-UCC student, Jennifer Foley, who is currently following a successful modelling career in London and beyond. The judging panel was a cross-section of Ireland’s top entertainers and fashion specialists, including T.V stylist Darren Kennedy, singer Julie Feeney and editor of Ooh La La magazine Fiona Masterson.

However, the Design Awards was not the only exclusive, classy fashion show. The Boutique show positioned the spotlight on Cork’s most stylish boutiques and invaded the Hayfield Manor Hotel on Friday 11th October. After an elegant champagne reception, the show was opened by Lockdown’s Emer and ‘Off the

Rails’fashion guru Brendan Courtney. The models (whose variance in age and size highlighted the versatility of each boutique’s line) then took to the runway with sleeked back pony-tails and Lancôme make-up to present outfits from participating independent shops. Miss Daisy Blue was my personal favourite as it referenced previous decades, mixing eighties new romanticism with seventies punk and fifties prom dresses. Their black, full-length, long-sleeved dress with a high slit up the side of the leg and gold neck detail reminisced eighties opulence, á la ‘Dynasty’ and was a piece that surfaced in another few of the boutiques’line-ups, such as those of Verso, the Vanilla Fermoy and the Dress bar. Another prevalent trend that meandered through multiple collections, including Oasis (the only high-street store in the show) and Oska, was the statement coat and handbag. The Paper Dolls boutique cashed in on A/W 13’s colour wheel with forest greens and maroons but added a funky twist with their matching, floral suits. The sexy yet sophisticated gowns of the Dress Bar and Verso provided styles that would be perfectly suitable for a glamorous, formal occasion like a ball. Cut-outs and sequins ornamented the jewel toned, long dresses and shapes ranged from floaty to fitted.

Overall, the Boutique Show featured something

Style C r u s h

Wit h Aoife O’ C onnor

Chloe Nørgaard is the fashion industry’s newest wild child. Not only does she dress as if she’s just sauntered in from the world’s most stylish music festival, but her rainbow-hued hair, which has been every colour from bubblegum pink to sea-foam green, suggests a free spirited attitude that evokes long, laidback days and balmy nights.

To some Nørgaard is like a stylish incarnate of Kate Winslet’s character, Clementine, in the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, as she inspires us to stop deliberating in front of the mirror and start living life to the full. Her look is that of an exotic bird of paradise meets urban jungle: pretty, colourful dresses with an army jacket flung over the top; slouchy jersey separates embossed with vintage motifs and slogans; denim cut-offs and jewellery that appears to have been assembled from trips to far-flung places, with sunglasses straight from the carnival.

Fashion Editor, Nicole Clinton, reports on Cork Fashion Week from her VIP FROW seat

Posing for photographers outside Somerset House ahead of her first show at London Fashion week, the model channeled her inner heavy metal- head in a vintage leather jacket, vintage leggings and Dr Marten boots. However, always unpredictable, Chloe showcased somewhat of a more demure rocker style for the premiere of Carine Roitfled’s documentary in New York where she contrasted flowing fabrics with in-your face orange leopard print creepers.

for all ages, shapes and tastes and served to demonstrate the great array of boutiques that our city holds.

The Cork fashion extravaganza also spawned other glossy events throughout the city. On Sunday 6th, fashion bloggers Neasa Cotter and Erica Fox hosted a ‘Steal My Style’event in the Voodoo Rooms where one could buy and sell unusual pieces. Thursday 10th had Vintage boutique, Miss Daisy Blue, put on a fashion insider’s night where they displayed their collections and offered an exclusive discount off their stock.

Opera Lane got in on the action on Saturday 12th when its shops showcased their autumn/ winter looks in a free outdoor fashion show. And finally, the closing ceremony took place in St. Luke’s church this same night and was marked by ‘A Chronicle of Cinematic Fashion’ organised by Le Chat Noir Vintage Events, which constructed a series of looks inspired by big-screen outings from the 1930’s through to the 1980’s.

It’s inspiring that, in a city so focused on sport, fashion is not forgotten, thanks to a select amount of individuals who dedicate their time to organise a way to annually celebrate it. Therefore, while CFW may be over for another year, the penchant for style lives on in the everyday girl and woman who choose to express it.

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UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday October 22, 2013

Capturing F a s h i o n

FASHION

Sylvia Julius chronicles the work of fashion photographer, Annie Leibovitz

W

hile the world of fashion photography is dominated by men such as Patrick Dermarchier, Peter Lindbergh and Helmut Newton, one lady has truly left her mark. With 38 Vogue covers under her belt and a portfolio including some of the most iconic celebrity photographs, Annie Leibovitz is a force to be reckoned with.

Leibovitz was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, on October 2, 1949 as the third of six children. Her father, Samuel Leibovitz, was a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force which caused the family to frequently move around. Interested in art since high school, she attended the San Francisco Art Institute, where she studied painting while taking night-time photography classes. And this unique blend of art and photography can be seen in the majority of her photos.

During the ten years that she served as the Chief Photographer of Rolling Stones Magazine, she shot one of the most iconic photographs of John Lennon , naked and curled into a clothed Yoko Ono ( interestingly, this photo was shot mere hours before his death). Most of her Rolling Stones covers are now collector’s items such as the one that portrays Whoopie Goldberg grinning in a bath of milk, that of Dolly Parton posing for the camera while Arnold Schwarzenegger flexes his biceps behind her and the image of Linda Ronstadt in a red slip, on her bed, reaching for a glass of water.

In 1983, Vanity Fair invited her to join its staff. The photographer herself has confessed that she moved to that new post, in part, to learn about glamour. “I admired the work of photographers like Beaton, Penn, and Avedon as much as I respected the grittier photographers such as Robert Frank,” she said in an interview that accompanied her book Annie Leibovitz: 1970 to 1990. “But in the same way that I had to find my own way of reportage, I had to find my own form of glamour.” While at Vanity Fair she shot stars from all fields of entertainment, including Lance Armstrong, Keira Knightley, Scarlett Johannson, Tom Ford, Michael Jackson, Hilary Clinton and Lady Gaga. VF also benefited from her visionary genius as she has been behind the camera for the majority of the magazines annual Hollywood Issues’ covers.

To date, her most famous fashion venture was in 1999 where she shot Kate Moss, Gisele Bündchen, Lauren Hutton, Iman, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, and seven other seminal models in pale gowns for the cover of the Millennium Special issue of Vogue. In the early 2000s, Leibovitz began working with Grace Coddington, creative director of Vogue, to produce the lavish storybook portfolios.

Themes like Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz were brought to life through the her creative eye. In these shoots, Leibovitz used well known industry figures. For exam-

Notes on a S c a n d a l

I

ncredibly competitive, creative, decadent, ruthless and infinitely innovative are all words associated with the fashion world, but boring is one such adjective with which it is seldom associated.

This industry perpetually commands headlines, sparks controversy and ignites debate, with not only the collections causing outrage, but often the designers themselves who are frequently embroiled in scandal.

One such designer who springs to mind is the eccentric visionary and exceptionally talented John Galliano, who fell notoriously from grace following two instances of drunken outbursts in a Paris bar. Galliano’s infamous anti-Semitic rant involved him verbally abusing other patrons, telling them they were ugly and that their forefathers would be gassed, and later a video emerged on the internet of him declaring that he loved Hitler. In court, he was found guilty of “public insults based on the origin, religious affiliation, race or ethnicity,” but the damage to the Gibraltar-born designer’s reputation far exceeded the damages he was ordered to pay as he was fired as head designer from his eponymous label, as well as Dior, which he had helmed for over 15 years. Stints in rehab for alcohol and drug abuse, statements denying that he was a racist and weigh-ins on the debacle from Armani to anti-racism groups ensued. The twice winner of British Fashion Designer of the Year has made efforts to atone for his actions, but two years on Galliano still remains in fashion wasteland, and only time will tell if he can salvage his career and make a comeback of a lifetime.

Similarly, anti-Semitism appeared in headlines in 1997 when it emerged that Hugo Boss was not only a member of the Nazi party during World War II, but had also made the uniforms for the SS and Hitler Youth. However, unlike Galliano, Boss’s career was not plagued following the revelations as the designer had died years before they emerged.

Death, as it happens, shook the fashion on a number of occasions, in typically shocking manners. Most notably was the

ple the Alice in Wonderland portfolio for the December 2003 issue of the style bible features model Natalia Vodianova as Alice, designer duo Viktor and Rolf as Tweedledum and Tweedledee, milliner extraordinaire Stephen Jones as the Mad Hatter and designers Marc Jacobs as the Caterpillar and Tom Ford as the white rabbit.

Although no longer at a fixed position with Vogue, Leibovitz is still at the forefront of photography. You can see her work at the moment on television and billboards nationwide for the Marks & Spencers A/W “Leading Ladies” campaign which includes Ellie Goulding, Dame Helen Mirren and Olympic gold winning boxer, Nicola Adams. And she continues to be the go-to girl for otherworldly celebrity portraits.

Marita Maloney investigates the most infamous designer scandals murder of Gianni Versace, also in 1997, when he was shot outside his Miami home by a Californian serial killer. Andrew Cunanan (who committed suicide a week later) had been on a multi-state killing spree when he found his ultimate victim in the Italian fashion maestro, but it has never been discovered why he chose the designer. Donnatella, his sister, took the reins of the business following his death and the family behind the brand are no strangers to controversy themselves due to Ms.Versace’s struggle with drug addiction, her questionable plastic surgery and even associations with the Italian mafia. Another Italian murder had occurred three years earlier when Maurizio Gucci was shot by a hired hitman, who in an astonishing turn of events, had been hired by his ex-wife Patrizia. The fashionable socialite and so- called “black widow,” a title bestowed upon her by the Italian press, was jailed for 29 years following a scandal-filled trial, yet she recently denied an offer of parole, preferring, it seems, life behind bars with her pet ferret.

Another name synonymous with causing a stir is Alexander McQueen, the original enfant terrible of fashion, who created gasp-inducing collections such as the “Highland Rape” show (where models were accessorised with female hygiene products), as well as looks inspired by Borat’s mankini and the “bumster” trend. McQueen’s pioneering, no-holds-barred approach and reign as the head of British fashion royalty came to a tragic end in 2010 when he was found dead in his London home, just days after his mother had passed away. The designer’s apparent suicide sent shock waves throughout a deeply saddened fashion realm, who mourned not only the loss of the man himself, but also his extraordinary talent and inspiring genius.

The list of designer scandals is seemingly endless, as this occupation seems to attract an unwavering penchant for controversy.

That’s another thing to be said about the industry and those who inhabit it, there’s never a dull moment.

Tuesday October 22, 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

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THE NEW CORKER

THE NEW CORKER

The Arrogant Dane (or “Means To An End”)

By Peter O’Brien

he Arrogant Dane never smiled.

Unless he was happy, or if he had just heard an amusing joke. On those particular occasions (and others, probably), then yes, he would smile. I suppose you could he say that he did smile sometimes, but it’s not as intriguing an opening sentence as “The arrogant Dane never smiled” though, is it?

His name also wasn’t ‘The Arrogant Dane’;

what kind of name is that? He just happened to be part-Danish (on his mother’s side), and every so often he might say or do something that could be considered arrogant. To refer to him by his birth name would only strip away what little mystery was left in his story. So, as ridiculous as it definitely sounds, he’s going to be called “the Dane” from now on. If he were real, he’d probably hate that...

And no, he wasn’t smiling. He was far too nervous for that. He was in a waiting room, where people never smile. It was just him and two others. One of them looked ill, all pale and gangly, wearing clothes at least three times too big for him; the other was an attractive woman, eyes glued to her Smartphone. It didn’t make him feel any more comfortable.

The clock ticked at an unusually fast pace; and loudly, too. “Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock”, it went. It went on and on, like a child mindlessly banging it’s toys on the ground; on and on, like a broken record playing constantly

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on a loop; on and on, like just one simile too many in a mediocre short story... It just kept on going.

Minutes passed.

More minutes passed.

Ten...fifteen...twenty...thirty... At which point, he stopped counting those relentless, neverending minutes.

After however long, somebody finally came out, with a clipboard firmly grasped in his hands. He was a strange sort of person... he was there, clear as day, and yet he appeared to be lacking any sort of distinguishable characteristics; nothing at all stood out about him for description. It wasn’t even all that clear that he was a man.

“Alex?” he asked.

The ill-looking young man, presumably named “Alex”, promptly stood up, and followed him into the office. Now it was just him and the woman left waiting.

The silence that existed between them was almost unbearable. Now that it was just the two of them he found himself noticing her more than he had earlier. She appeared older than he had first thought, the telltale lines around her weary eyes being a dead giveaway. And her makeup, which he had not noticed at all before, now appeared to be plastered a bit too heavily, as though she were attempting to overcompensate for her age. She was by no means unattractive, she was rather beautiful in fact, but the more he looked at her, the sadder she seemed to look. He didn’t know why, but he pitied the woman. A complete stranger, a woman whom he’d never met before in his life and would probably never meet again, he felt pity for... It quickly occurred to him how arrogant that was.

As he continued to observe her, she looked up from her phone and for a moment her eyes met his. Caught unawares, he made a clumsy attempt at a smile before they both looked away again, embarrassed. The Smartphone once again caught her gaze, and her eyes remained locked to that until, about ten minutes later, the ill-looking man apparently named “Alex” came back out, looking dejected.

“So, so stupid...” he muttered on his way past, shuffling along with the resigned air of a man who had just fucked up a job interview.

Moments after “Alex” walked out the building, the indistinguishable man once again came out with his clipboard in hand. “Two minutes”, he seemed to say, though his lips never moved.

The two minutes, feeling like two hours, passed and the door opened yet again.

“Ah... Catherine...?”

Catherine, as she had just this minute come to be known, stood up with an air of regality about her. She turned on her heel, and followed him into the office.

“Good Luck”, the Dane offered as she passed by him. And in return, she said nothing.

Now alone, he attempted to run through the many interview tips and pointers that he’d picked up just hours before online. Though he was alone, with nought but a pot plant placed inconspicuously in the corner of the room, nothing would come. His mind drew blanks, over and over; nothing coherent would come to mind. * The unmistakable sound of Catherine’s high as can be heels signalled her return after about fifteen minutes. Her face revealed nothing.

“Two minutes”, the man said again, without even leaving his office this time.

Catherine sat back down, carefully adjusting her sleeve as she did so. As they sat across from each other, the room was yet again tense and awkward, the pleasant isolation no more.

He began to feel his heart beat fast within the confines of his chest. His turn was getting closer, and now it was beginning to feel strange...no... It was beginning to feel stranger than it had felt this past hour that he had been sat waiting. Was this what he truly wanted?

Hell, he could hardly recall what the job was anymore... Certainly it wasn’t the sort of work he wanted to be doing. He wanted to be out in the world making a difference, changing lives, doing good... This was definitely not the place for that. To be stuck in an office space from nine to five was not what he’d envisioned for his life. It was just so claustrophobic. All of it, the idea of it all... He couldn’t stand it. He couldn’t take it. Any of it. He suddenly felt like he needed air; tugging on his collar, he stood up and walked outside for a gasp of fresh air. That was all he needed.

“What he needed”. That was something to ponder, surely. He had no idea what he needed in life. He was so ill-prepared for adulthood. Everybody knows how difficult it is, but nobody really considers it. In a moment of realization, he thought of one thing he certainly had no need of: this job.

He’d find work, something that he could truly enjoy; but this wasn’t it. The job needed him, not the other way around. He knew he was right. More right than he’d ever been before. This kind of certainty never came to him too often. He felt it now though. And he knew in his heart what he needed to do.

Rather than returning to the waiting room where he felt like he’d spent most of his life sitting in at this stage, he turned and walked on down the street. Everything seemed to fade away into the background, leaving nothing but his future ahead of him.

He was going places. He just knew it. * Two weeks later, the Arrogant Dane was sat again, unsmiling, in a waiting room alongside three other hopeful applicants.

The economy’s pretty bad. Any job would do.

19

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday October 22, 2013

COLOUR

Student outlines hopes for college cutbacks

A

final year student has outlined his proposals to decrease the standard of education to be offered to students in the years below him in a document published on the wall of the men’s toilets in the Boole Basement yesterday.

The student, who retained his anonymity, summarised his disillusionment with improvements at all levels of the education sector, which will result in those completing their Leaving Cert in the coming year being more employable that him by 2018, when the English major expects jobs to become available in his discipline.

The final cubicle on the right has now been adorned with paragraphs of meticulously horizontal thoughts about the appropriate modus operandi of the Irish educational system, its values, aims and aspirations, alongside two

drawings of climaxing penises.

In what he terms a ‘Brain Dredge’, the self-interested Arts student advocates a system which sees incremental decreases in the standard of teaching and examination concluding that “we should leave these Johnny-come-latelys with nothing but puffs of smoke in their heads and take the best jobs for ourselves.”

Criticising plans to reform the Junior Certificate and Project Maths, the author of the proposal added: “the fact of the matter is that academic improvements diminish our competitive advantage in the jobs market. Why would we, as the incumbents in the system, allow such improvements to occur?”

In the wake of a budget which saw education protected from the harsher measures taken in previous rounds of austerity, the student opined that

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protections on pupil-teacher ratios and funding for disadvantaged areas should be removed, proposing that the education sector auctioned off to the private sector instead.

“It’s all about constructing barriers to entry: raise fees, increase points, buy one-way Erasmus tickets,” suggests the anonymous scholar. “The Students’ Union should be doing whatever it takes to turn the jobs-odds in the favour of those who voted them in.

“We currently have too many graduates for the amount of jobs out there. So why not privatise third-level education to limit graduates to balance supply and demand?”

Employing rhetorical questions to further his argument, he also criticised the trialling of work-experience for Arts students a year below him and semesterisation, due to be introduced the year after he graduates.

“I mean we destroy the earth’s very eco-system for future generations, why not milk education for all that it’s worth and leave those down the line high and dry?”

The graffiti-artist went on to recommend a reduction in the number of courses offered in Ireland’s first fivestar University.

“We absolutely should boil education down to the core courses. Forget Classics and all that crap; we should aim for a University which only has courses

who’s titles imply the future jobs…

English – failed writer/ teacher; History – failed historian/ teacher; Nursing – nurse/ homemaker.

“I mean when I came to UCC, I thought BEES [Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences] was just an animal; not some tree-hugging, rockloving, bullshit-watching bullshit.”

Public reaction to the diatribe against current educational aspirations was slow to register with many students disappointed by the lack of graffitied illustrations to reinforce the points made.

“I likes my articles broken up by witty illustrations and adorable cartoon-animals so I does,” remarked one passer-by before entering the toliets for a protracted period of time.

The only reaction on the cubicle wall itself came from one visitor who scrawled “pull here for Arts degree mate” on the toilet paper dispenser.

Concluding his arguments, the author suggested UCC should “cut Classics, fire lecturers and reduce student numbers. After all, if we get rid of the riff-raff, maybe they’ll take their profane hoodies, red pants and Motley with them.”

UCC’s authorities have tracked down the graffitier overnight and the Universty’s Finance Committee, at the behest of the Governing Body, is said to be giving his proposals serious consideration at this time.

20

Tuesday October 22, 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

SPORT

UCC Academicals downed b y B l a r n e y Un i t e d Barry Aldworth | Sport Editor @Aldworth_Barry

the supply to the Cork side’s dangerous forward line.

After the frantic start to the game, the defences on both sides of the field began to Entering their Munster Junior League First fight their way back into the match. With Division match with Blarney United, the Rob McCormack dominating in the centre UCC Academicals had every right to be half role for UCC, and Nick Davis doing confident. Having previously crushed a the same for Blarney, chances to score the Crosshaven team 7-0 just a few days earlier, match’s first goal became scarce. it appeared another victory was likely.

However, the great work of the UCC However, a strong, physical Blarney side defence was almost undone by one of the put those beliefs to the sword. side’s own players, With two minutes to go Clearly confident following the Crossuntil half-time UCC midfielder David Barhaven game, UCC started the game as the rett almost handed Blarney the lead, when better side. An 11th minute free kick from his attempted clearance ricocheted off the Darragh Lucey seemed destined for the net cross bar. Despite the close call, both sides until the Blarney crossbar got in the way. entered level at half time, with neither side Eight minutes later UCC would have truly able to feel too aggrieved at not being their best chance to take the lead in the ahead. game. Centre-forward Arneud Tchougane, Following the half-time break Blarwhose pace had been causing Blarney ney came out as the fresher side, quickly problems from the start, again cut through stamping its authority on the match. the defence with relative ease. However, Cian Madden, who had been causing UCC with only the keeper to beat Tchougane problems throughout the first half, continmiss-hit his effort, putting it well over the ued to rip open the Cork side’s defence. A bar. series of great build-ups, mainly brought That close call seemed to be the warnabout by Madden and Lorcan Geaney, ing the Blarney side needed, as they saw Blarney come close to taking the lead quickly wrestled control of the match away several times. from UCC. The side had their first real Geaney himself had possibly the best chance of the game in the 23rd minute. A of these chances. Another run my Cian great run my midfielder Cian Madden saw Madden set up another inch perfect cross him find space, before delivering an inchinto the UCC box. This time, unlike Brian perfect cross into the UCC box. However, Phelan earlier in the game, Geaney was from just six yards out, Brian Phelan put able to get his headed effort on target, only the ball over the bar, when he really should to be denied by an acrobatic save by UCC have done better. goalkeeper Felix Widdaschecu.

Unlike how Blarney responded to TchouDespite Widdaschecu’s heroics, it gane’s close miss, Phelan’s effort failed to seemed inevitable that Blarney would take spark the UCC side back into life. Despite the lead. 61 minutes into the match that the best efforts of UCC’s Darragh Lucey, inevitability became a certainty when the Blarney increased its stranglehold on the UCC defence was again unable to deal with midfield battle, doing its best to cut off a Brian Madden cross. This time, however,

RESULTS

GAA

it was not a Blarney player who would get his head to the ball, as the cross deflected of a UCC defender, before sailing past Widdaschecu and into the UCC net.

Having dominated the second half, Blarney deserved the lead, and perhaps deserved even more credit for their refusal to sit back and try to win the game by the minimum.

Just four minutes later Blarney again found their way through the UCC defence, to create another chance at goal. Great play by Steve Cansdace saw him beat the UCC offside-trap, before he successfully rounded Widdaschecu before tapping the ball home from close range.

Despite trying hard to find an opening, UCC were unable to crack a resilient Blarney central defence consisting of Pat Doyle and Nick Davis. However, the performances of all players, particularly those of Darragh Lucey and Rob McCormack made it clear that the future is very bright for this young team.

The loss now leaves UCC with 3 points after playing two games. With Munster Junior League First Division leaders on 14 points following 6 games a string of victories could see UCC battling for the top-sport before the end of the season.

Senior Hurling Championship: 06/10/13: Sarsfields 2-14 - 0-9 UCC Irish Daily Mail HE GAA Intermediate Football League Group B: 16/10/13: UCC 0-17 - 0-6 Carlow Institute of Technology Irish Daily Mail HE GAA Fresher Hurling League Division 1 Group B: 16/10/13: University of Limerick 2-13 - 2-21 University College Cork Irish Daily Mail HE GAA Fresher Football League Division 2 Group A 15/10/13: Limerick IT 5-12 - 0-4 UCC B-team

However, so far this year, it appears that Youghal United are the team to beat. Having played just four games, the as-of-yet undefeated Youghal side find themselves just a single point behind Passage with two games in hand.

UCC Aacademicals line-up vs. Blarney Felix Widdaschecu, Eoin Leahy, Stephen Crowley, Darragh Buckley, Rob McCormack, Cian O’Shea, Harry McCarthy, David Barrett, Arneud Tchougane, Patrick Mills, Darragh Lucey.

Substitutions: Cian Browne for Mills (25), Mark Muamba for O’Shea (45), Eoin Conroy for McCarthy (68) Blarney United line-up vs. UCC Andy O’Donoghue, Damien Coffey, Colin Horgan, Nick Davis, Pat Doyle, Brian Phelan, Cian Madden, Martin Chivers, Lorcan Geaney, Dan Corkery, Steve Cansdace.

Substitutions: Greg Constant for Horgan (73), Eric Tobin for Corkery (74), Trevor Cullinane for Coffey (79) Man of the Match: Cian Madden

Soccer

Munster Senior League 12/10/13 UCC 5 - 0 Rockmount Junior Division 1A 12/10/13 UCC Academicals 0- 2 Blarney Utd.

Rugby

Ulster Bank League Division 2A 05/10/13 Bective Rangers 3- 13 UCC

Basketball

Men’s Premier League 12/10/13 UL Eagles 75-77 C & S UCC Demons

21

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday October 22, 2013

Is King Keano the man for the Irish job?

Wi t h M i c k Mc C a r t hy s e e m i n g l y s e t for a r e tu r n to t h e Ir i s h m a n a g e r ’s j o b, Br i an B ar r y qu e s t i o n s w h e t h e r a b e tte r c a n d i d ate e x i s t s i n R o y Ke a n e .

11 years have passed since Saipan, and the Republic of Ireland have failed to reach the heights of 2002 in the intervening period.

Under the stewardship of Giovanni Trapattoni, the Irish have enjoyed two ‘relatively’ successful qualification campaigns, for the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. But the good fortune has run out for the Italian, and several poor results paired with bad decisions give rise to the general consensus that Trap’s time is up.

Cue the obvious excitement as the Irish football public ponder who will take the reins of the national team. So who are the names which spring up? It is the same old suspects who usually get a mention any time a Premier League manager loses his job. Of course this edition of the managerial merry-go-round has a particular Irish feel to it; the names of Roy Keane, Martin O’Neill, Chris Hughton and Mick McCarthy have all been bandied about.

However, there is one obvious candidate for many; a long-awaited return of the king.

Roy Keane famously walked out on his country in 2002 for reasons of which we are all aware.

Put aside personal opinions on those events.

These reasons are the basis why it is time for the Corkonian to become manager of Ireland.

Confidence is at a low-ebb, and this has not been helped by Trapattoni making a sweeping statement eluding that the team should feel privileged to compete with teams such as Sweden and Austria, not to mention his disregard for our domestic game.

Keane is a winner. It was seen in 2002. It was seen in his years of success at Manchester United. It was seen last year in the aftermath of Ireland’s game with Spain in the European Championships.

He was critical of the Irish supporters for applauding the team as they conceded four goals to Spain, stressing that the country must change its mindset; that we cannot be content with going along just “for the singsong.”

Ireland has been employing a direct style of play since the Jack Charlton era. Pumping the ball to a big frontman has wielded great results over the years. It has taken the country

to three World Cups and two European Championships in the space of 24 years. However, football is evolving, and Ireland must act accordingly if they are to sit at the top table of competition in the years to come.

Also, the young players breaking into the squad appear to be both too talented and unsuited to what has been described by certain unnamed RTE pundits as ‘caveman football’.

Roy Keane is a man who can change this.

He is hardly a renowned advocate of ‘Samba Soccer’, but he is definitely not afraid to make necessary changes, or stand up for what he believes in. One thing is for sure, as Ireland manager, Keane would back the future of Irish football, giving the likes of James McCarthy, Robbie Brady and Anthony Pilkington the reigns to break forward and discover their true potential.

However, there is one blatant obstacle to all of this; Roy Keane displays a degree of stubbornness not seen in any Irishman since the hunger-strikers of 1981. John Delaney and Roy Keane wouldn’t exactly be considered the best of friends. Keane striking a partnership with the FAI would be a masterwork of peacekeeping of which the UN would be envious.

But stranger things have happened. It would be simple to suggest that both sides will have to concede some elements of pride, but let’s be honest; Roy Keane isn’t going to budge. It is up to the FAI to go to him. Then and only then may he be tempted back into management for the first time since being sacked by Ipswich Town in January 2011.

Roy Keane is the past of soccer in this country. He has done plenty of complaining about the set-up and administration of the sport here. But he may be presented in the coming months with the opportunity to finally do something about it; back up the all talk with action. He could well be the future of soccer in this country too.

from strength to strength in recent years, competing at both Olympic and world-championship level.

I learned very quickly that fencing was a completely different beast to the shieldwallsmashing fighting I’ve trained in with the Medieval & Renaissance society. Most notable among the differences is the fact that there are three different disciplines, sabre, foil & épée, which differentiate in weight of the blade.

Having done my research, my wounded elbow and I headed along to a packed Mardyke hall on a cold Thursday evening, full of people of varying skill & experience.

Unable to partake myself, I spoke to Rory Hayes, who is a senior club member & the club armourer.

He said that the club has recently undergone major changes, going from a hobby sport to an athletic pursuit. The UCC Fencing club ranks high among other Irish Universities, being in the top 3 consistently, and as if this wasn’t impressive enough, Amy Kelle-

her, club captain, was also the captain of the Irish Women’s Foil team in the last 5 Nations tournament.

If you’ve read this far you may find yourself wondering if fencing is open to beginners. Well, the short answer is yes, and whilst fulfilling my spectator role I had a chat with Karen O’Sullivan, one of the club’s new fresher members, to see how she found it.

“At first, I just thought it was cool looking.

I had done basketball & football in secondary school, so I wanted to try something different.

Like most freshers, I joined nearly everything when I started college, but I kept fencing on bec ause it was cool, and the people here are so nice & inspiring.”

Behind the group of people, mostly beginners, duelling, there was a group of more advanced fencers. They were hooked up to a scoring machine that registered each hit. The level of skill & intent put into every flourish of their blades was outstanding.

I spoke again to Mr.Hayes about the

Many supporters were with the comments, and this was evident as the chorus of “We’ll sing when we want! F*** you Roy Keane!” rang out around the stadium against Italy in Ireland’s final group game at the tournament.

But one year on, hindsight indicates that he was bang on the money. Ireland need an injection of confidence if we are to return to a major tournament, and there is little doubt that Roy Keane is the best man to instill it, and command respect from every player along the way.

SPORT Cuthb er t name d the ne w C ork F o o t b a l l M a n a g e r Barry Aldworth | Sport Editor

Following a meeting of the Cork County Board last week, Brian Cuthbert has been appointed as the new Cork Senior Football manager, replacing Conor Counihan.

Cuthbert, , had been one of the leading contenders for the vacant post, alongside John Cleary, following Counihan’s decision to step down after Crok’s defeat in the All-Ireland quarter-final match with Dublin. However, the County Board opted to award the post to Cuthbert, who in 1993 captained a Cork side to All-Ireland minor football success.

A former manager of a minor team, which in 2010 won the Munster title and made it to the All-Ireland final, Cuthbert also acted as one of Counihan’s selectors.

Meanwhile, Cleary had been involved in Cork’s under-21 side for 10 years, acting as both a selector and a manger, in a time-span which saw the team win two All-Irelands.

Following his appointment on Tuesday night, Cuthbert stated: “People expect high standards – people expect success. People expect that the team plays well. And I have all those expectations. I’m the exact same as everybody else in that regard.”

Cuthbert, who also acts as the head of Cork’s GAA also added: “On a given day, I think Cork are as good as anyone. I’d like to think there is young talent coming through. I look at the list of names who have gone before me like Conor, Larry (Tompkins) and Billy Morgan. These are household names in Cork and then there’s me, who to be fair isn’t a household name. But all I can guarantee is I’ll do my absolute best. I’ll give this everything I’ve got.”

While Cuthbert faces many challenged over the course of his two year deal, perhaps the biggest one is the potential loss of several players, such as Aidan Walsh and Ciaran Sheehan, who have lined out for both the Cork football and hurling teams.

Given that the Cork hurling team advanced to the All-Ireland final this year, and pushed Clare all the way in doing so, it is likely that some of the younger players may view hurling as the better option.

En garde: F e n c i n g i n p r o g r e s s Rob O’ Sullivan | Film & TV Editor

This week I was sent to join the UCC Fencing Club to give it a go. The art of sword fighting was not completely new to me, as I’m well used to charging the Viking battle-lines of the UCC Medieval & Renaissance Society.

I thought this would make for an interesting comparison for this article; however, it was not to be.

A twisted combination of cruel fate & my own foolish zeal intervened, and I suffered an (admittedly) easily avoidable elbow strain.

So sadly I was forced to abandon my foil as I found myself relegated to the role of spectator.

UCC Fencing is one of the oldest clubs in this university, while also being one of the highest ranked fencing clubs in the country. Meanwhile, fencing itself is one of the world’s oldest sports, and has been an Olympic sport since the inception of the modern games in 1896.

Despite fencing’s status as a minority sport in Ireland, the national team has gone

equipment, which had been used by these swordsmen with great skill & ease, and other prerequisites to joining in.

“All of the kit we use is supplied by the club itself, no need to bring your own sword!

As the armourer, I maintain the clubs’ swords.

We wear protective jackets which, while not having much padding, give more than enough protection while not sacrificing any agility.

You’d be surprised how athletic you get doing fencing. It sort of happens by accident: One minute you’re having fun fighting with swords, the next you’re physically fit!”

If you find your curiosities peaked it may be helpful to know that UCC Fencing meets three times every week, on Mondays & Thursdays from 7 to 8:30 in the Mardyke Arena Sports Hall and on Saturdays from 4 to 6. For more information, find them on Facebook, or go to their website: www.ucc.ie/fencing

22

Tuesday October 22 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

SPORT

King’s Reign: Changes afoot?

Following the removal of Giovanni Trappatoni from the Irish post, Kevin Galvin examines whether Noel King’s brief reign showed any promising changes.

The ball hits the back of the net and Dmitry Shomko wheels away to celebrate the most unexpected, yet brilliant goal. It’s 13 minutes into Ireland’s final game of the qualification stage for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, a campaign which has seen crushing defeats, embarrassing results, and ultimately a manager’s sacking; and now, in front of a stunned audience, the scoreline reads: Ireland 0-1 Kazakhstan.

The sheer amount of empty seats at the Aviva Stadium for last week’s international matchup against the Kazakhs was a sign of the legacy left by former Irish manager Giovanni Trappatoni.

Perhaps more worrying, the bizarre choice of playing two holding midfielders against a team ranked 73 places below them, having Robbie Keane up front on his own and playing two strikers on the wings suggested that little has changed between the 74 year-old’s reign and that of interim manager Noel King.

As a matter of fact, the only refreshing sight last Tuesday night was the face of Richie Sadlier, replacing Liam Brady, who recently has dragged the panel discussion down to the dirt with his own biased views and belligerent manner.

The announcement of Kevin Doyle and Anthony Stokes - two target men - on the wings, while playing Robbie Keane up front on his own made absolutely no sense to the viewing audience. Keane, a man who stands as tall as his elderly former manager (5’9 to be exact) was now being asked to contest high balls against a giant Kazakh central defending partnership.

All of this being said, there have been some welcome changes to the setup of ‘The Boys in Green’, the first of which is attitude.

While Trappatoni stumbled through interviews and awkward questions with broken English (Which remains hard to believe given his German proficiency following only three years in the country), and refused to accept accountability for his actions, King has explained his decisions in frank and articulate interviews.

Another big difference is the inclusion of Darren Gibson and Andy Reid, two players bad-

ly missed in a green jersey due to the Italian’s stubborn attitude. While Gibson’s performance, like his compatriots, was difficult to rate given the lengthy missing list and nature of opposition, these two inclusions provide a breath of fresh air to a team that had gotten staler than a hoarder’s living room.

Staying in Cologne though, and there were a few positives to take from the game. Given Ireland’s strong counter attacking performance it’s clear to see where the focus should be put going into the 2016 World Cup Qualifying Stage Meanwhile decent performances from stand-in centre backs Dean Delaney and Ciarán Clarke shows there is suitable cover in defence if needed.

It was difficult to see many positives in the following match though, despite Ireland eventually scoring three very scrappy goals to get the win required. Play was lackadaisical and stifled,

the aforementioned Doyle and Stokes struggled in positions unfamiliar to them, while Gibson was stretchered off with what looked like a very serious knee injury before half-time.

Despite the meagre attendance (less than 20,000 according to reports) and general apathy towards the game, the result could very well serve an important purpose going into the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.

With Turkey losing to the Netherlands and Slovenia succumbing to Switzerland, Ireland currently occupy 19th place in the European ranking table. Should Romania fail to win either of their playoff games (opponents to be decided) then Ireland will remain in that position, enough to give them second seeding and avoid the likes of Croatia, Denmark, Belgium and the Czech Republic.

So it’s fair to say with that result alone Noel King has done a lot more for the Irish team in this qualifying campaign than his predecessor. However, given his temporary status and conservative tactics little in the way of clarity has been achieved.

While counter-attacks in Stuttgart and corners in Dublin seemed to be our main threat, it’s difficult to paint a clear picture given the injuries and bizarre positional picks King has made.

One lesson the Irish team must learn from King’s reign, however, is his fresh attitude and honesty, earning the respect of the Irish footballing public; something which Trappatoni (along with the English language) could never attain.

23

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday October 22, 2013

SPORT

Haug hne y and E g an to Ireland falls to 60th in latest FIFA world rankings square off in charity bout Barry Aldworth | Sport Editor

Barry Aldworth | Sport Editor

Having spent much of the last few months fighting against grant cuts, UCCSU President Padraig Haughney prepares for a new fight which will see him step into the ring with Olympic boxer Ken Egan on November 12th.

While Haughney has had the backing of his fellow Students’ Union officers in past fights, this time he will be on his own as he attempts to go the distance with Egan.

However, amongst Haughney’s supporters will be two deserving charities in Breakthrough Cancer Research and the Children’s Unit at Cork University Hospital. With 14 fights on the card, and tickets priced at just 10 euro, it is hoped that the event will raise 20’000 euro, to be split evenly between the two charities.

The event, organised by the UCCSU and the UCC Clubs Executive, and supported by the Savoy, will also see several UCC students square off with members of the staff, putting bragging rights for the year on the line.

While the supporters are likely to be heavily pro-Haughney, the SU President’s best hope for victory against the Olympic Silver medallist is a case of ring rust. Egan, who won his silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, is coming out of retirement to square off with Haughney, (rumours of a personal grudge between the two have yet to be verified!)

Last month the FIFA world rankings saw Ireland fall to its lowest position ever. Unfortunately for the “Boys in Green” that downward slide has continued in the soccer governing body’s latest list.

The rankings, which began in 1993, classed Ireland as the 59th best side in the world, out of 209 registered national sides, after defeats to Sweden and Austria in the 2014 World Cup Qualification Series.

Since then a manager has been fired, Noel King became the interim boss and Ireland suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Germany before scraping by a Kazakhstan side 3-1, on the As part of the event, the UCC Boxing Club back of three lucky goals. has also organised a six week training proThis poor run of form has seen the Ireland gramme. The club has promised, however, that team slip one place further to 60th in the world, the training won’t be as intense as anything seen behind sides such as Burkina Faso (52), Uzin any of the Rocky movies. In return for a night bekistan (55) and Albania (58), but just ahead of of getting punched, participants have been asked Libya and South Africa who share the 61st spot. to raise 250 euro sponsorship, all of which will Ireland now ranks as the second worst of the go directly to the two charities.

“Home Nations” with only Northern Ireland So, if you’re a fan of boxing, or you just (90) below them. want to see whether students or staff will World and European champions Spain retain emerge victorious, head along to this fantastic their position at the top, with the winners of Ireevent! land’s World Cup Qualifying group, Germany, one spot behind the Spanish in second place.

The Charity Fight Night will be held in the Meanwhile, perhaps the biggest surprise of the Savoy on Tuesday, November 12th, beginning latest batch of the oft-criticised rankings sees at 7pm.

Tipperary hurling great Brendan Cummins announces retirement Barry Aldworth | Sport Editor

In what is sure to be sad news for all Tipperary hurling fans legendary goalkeeper Brendan Cummins announced last week that he is to retire from inter-county hurling.

Having made his debut in the senior championship in 1995, Cummins has twice tasted All-Ireland victory, acting as the county’s netminder in the 2001 and 2010 finals. However, at 38 years of age, Cummins has decided two medals are enough and that now is the time to focus on his family.

Following the news last week, the Ballybacon-Grange club star told RTE: “The time is right now really for me to retire from inter-county hurling. Family has been the big reason.

“I have Paul and Sarah, now our new arrival, she’s a year old at the end of the month.

So I want to spend more time with them.

“And obviously from a Tipperary hurling point of view, I’m around a long time and I think it’s time somebody else got a shot at it.”

Along with his dual All-Ireland success, Cummins has picked up five Munster senior hurling titles, three National League titles and a total of five All-star awards between the years of 2000 and 2010.

When asked about a possible move into management, Cummins said: “I think I would have an awful lot to offer. I would have to get certain skills back up from a coaching point of view.”

Columbia and Belgium ranked as the fourth and fifth best teams in the world respectively.

The complicated system sees the ranking points received from a match based on: the result of the match, the status of the match, (e.g.

World Cup match, friendly, etc.), the strength of the opponent (200 points minus the world ranking of the opposition, with a minimum point of 50) and the strength of the footballing region in which the opponent plays.

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He added that for this reason he is “definitely not the complete package,” but it seems that if the right offer were to come along we could potentially soon see two goalkeeping greats in Davy Fitzgerald and Brendan Cummins facing off again, this time with both situated on the sideline.

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S P O R T Demons<<< secure 24 UCC EXPRESS Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Haughey vs Kenny

SEE PAGE 23

last gasp win over Limerick Barry Aldworth | Sport Editor @Aldworth_Barry

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UL Eagles 75 – C&S UCC Demons 77

READY TO LAUNCH

U C C D e m on s C i a r a n O ' Su l l i v a n , l e f t , a n d L e h m a n C o l b e r t du r i n g t h e l au n c h of t h e B a s k e t b a l l Ire l a n d 2 0 1 3 / 2 0 1 4 S e a s on at t h e Nat i on a l B a s k e t b a l l A re n a , Ta l l a g ht , D u b l i n .

Man for the Job?

Despite dominating the game early on, it was left to American Lehmon Colbert to seal a last gasp win in the Men’s Premier League for the C & S UCC Demons in their match-up with the UL Eagles, played on Saturday, October 12th.

The Demons were the quicker team out of the block, racing into a 5-0 lead, before a passage of sloppy play left the teams tied at 12 points apiece with 2 minutes left in the opening quarter. However, with the UCC team clearly struggling, UL’s Delwan Graham took control of the game, giving his team a 19-12 lead by the end of the first quarter, scoring a couple of slam-dunks, which wouldn’t have looked out of place in the NBA, along the way.

However, a decision by player-coach Colin O-Reilly to introduce the Demon’s Spanish star Christian Anon effectively silenced Graham. Whilst Graham was being removed from the game, Lehmon Colbert began to find his place as UCC took control in the second quarter.

Two three-pointers from impact-sub Brian O’Neill, along with another late three from O’Reilly saw UCC enter half-time with a 10 point lead, having outscored UL 29-12 in the second quarter.

Early in the third quarter it appeared that the game was over as a contest as UCC quickly established a 17 point lead. However, just as they were being written off, UL began a fight-back which saw a rash of three-pointers from Neil Campbell, leaving just 6 points between the sides entering the final quarter, with the score-line reading 67-61 in favour of the Demons.

With the lead changing hands several times during the deciding quarter, UL appeared to have stolen the victory, as a great run by Scott Kinevane gave the Limerick side the lead. However, after Kyle Hosford tied the game, Colbert capitalised on a rebound to put UCC ahead with just 11 seconds left.

While the UCC defence held firm to secure the win, team coach O’Reilly was fully aware of the fact that this match could just as easily have been lost.

After the match the coach stated: “We played some outstanding basketball at times but we also played sloppy basketball that basically allowed them back in the game.” He continued by adding “I will take the win as UL are a very decent side.”

Whilst the C & S UCC Demons will take savour this victory, the team will need to improve if they want to avoid the necessity of last-minute heroics going forward.

King’s Reign:

Changes afoot?

P. 21

P. 22

Week in Results P. 20