UCC Express

EXPRESS

UCC

Tuesday, 24 September 2013 | www.uccexpress.net | Volume 21 | Issue 2

Features Verge talks to Tracking Trends Investigates... with boyband Nicole Clinton sensationTaken The Student Experience Pages 16-17 Pages 10-11

UCC drops in world university rankings Heather Steele| Deputy News Editor @Heatherysteele

U

Eagle Eye: Supt. Barry McPolin in the radio room at Anglesea Street Garda Station. The CCTV cameras monitor the ‘off-campus’ area by UCC.

Calls for UCC security system to be rolled out nationwide Stephen Barry | News Editor @StphnBarry After a Freshers’ Week in which a CCTV system which cost €120,000 went live, Barry Keane of the Cork University Residents Forum has called on the government and other universities to implement a similar set of protocols across the country.

Three high-definition, motionsensitive cameras have been installed at the junctions of Donovan’s Road and College Road, and Gaol Walk and Highfield Avenue and outside Brookfield, in a joint-scheme between the college, the Gardai and Cork City Council.

Monitored in Anglesea Street Garda Station, these cameras add to the ability of the Gardai to deter, respond to and prosecute acts of crime and act as a support to the existing services such as the Student Community Sup-

port (SCS); a team of 40 which operated from 9pm to 4am daily during Freshers’ Week.

According to Keane’s initial assessment, the cameras played a small role in what was overall a Freshers’ Week which featured few major incidents.

Keane highlighted occurrences of students walking on roofs on College Road on the Sunday, a wheelie bin torched in the same area last Tuesday andcar windscreen wipers pulled off and windows smashed on 98 Street as the primary incidents which he received complaints about. He also noted that reckless driving in the area has caused him a number of close calls in the past week.

However a large Garda presence, especially in the lower areas of College Road, and the responsiveness of the Gardai and the SCS to residents’ calls limited the number and scale

of incidents that took place in the course of the first week back in college.

In light of the success of recent security measures, Keane now hopes to see the government take the UCC example on board and roll out similar systems nationally.

“We’re hoping that we can roll out the model that worked with UCC across the rest of the country. The President [Dr Michael Murphy] said it at the launch of the CCTV, that the UCC system should be regarded as an exemplar for the rest of the country.

“We’ve already written to the government Minister for Housing [Jan O’Sullivan] asking her to include that in the new housing bill which is coming out later in the year.”

He went on to criticise CIT for their ignorance of incidents which

happen outside of the college grounds.

“The other college in Cork have said we’re not interested; it’s nothing to do with us; whatever happens outside the gates is not our business.”

In the wider setting of UCC, with 9,000 houses in the area around the campus the system is exhibiting its responsiveness and ability to resolve problems.But Keane is still eager to see students police themselves more. “1,600 houses in the area are single occupied; that’s elderly people, mostly widows.

“What we are always hoping that people would do, is knock on their neighbours doors when they arrive and introduce themselves and break down the barrier on both sides. All we want to be is good neighbours.”

CC has fallen in the QS World University Rankings for the second year in a row. UCC now stands at 210th out of 800 universities, down from 190th in 2012 and 181st in 2011.

The QS World University Rankings is the most widely read university ranking system and has a sizeable effect on the choices made by international students when deciding where to study abroad.

TCD and NUIG are the only two Irish intuitions to have risen in the QS system this year with TCD rising to 61st, the highest ranked Irish university. QS’s number one ranked worldwide university this year is Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The general fall in the Irish universities is blamed on the government for cutting funding and staffing levels.

“The past four years have clearly been challenging for the Irish economy, and austerity measures have undoubtedly been a major factor contributing to the slide in its universities’ international standing,” said QS Head of Research Ben Sowter.

QS assigns ratings to universities based on indicators such as publications per faculty, citations per paper and reputation internationally.

This year there was controversy over some UCC academics canvassing their international peers for positive reviews of UCC. These instances lead to QS outlawing this kind of action and tightening the rules for communication between academics regarding the system’s surveys.

The emails, sent to other university academics to encourage them to take part in the QS survey,turned out to have had little influence on the college’s ranking due to the statistically insignificant number of academics who responded.

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2

Tuesday September 24 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

EDITORIALS

INSIDE TODAY

Syriaa battle of conflicts

The Student Experience

Page 10-11

Destination Coláiste Lurgan Athbheochan Strasbourg Eilis O’ Keefe na Gaeilge

accounts her travels to the crossroads of Europe

Page 9

Page 12

The New Corker Replacing Trapattonni Ruth Lawlor’s Page 20

Features 7-9 Gaeilge 12 Photography 14 Fashion The New Corker 18 Colour Writing 13 Sport 20-24

Editorial Staff:

Contributors:

Editor: Audrey Ellard Walsh

Shane O’ Mahony Rachel Ni Charthaigh Brian Conmy Eoghan Lyng Ellen Desmond Eoin O’ Malley Clodagh Harris Michael Hanrahan Ruth Lawlor Kevin Galvin Katie O’ Sullivan Randy Marx Eilis O Keeffe Aaron Noonan Brian Barry Clare Warner

Deputy Editor: Stephen Barry Deputy News Editor: Heather Steele Features Editor: Grace O’ Sullivan Deputy Features Editor: Claire Crowley

Irish Editor: Rachel Ní hAodha Fashion Editor: Nicole Clinton Fiction Editor: Eoghan Scott Sport Editor: Barry Aldworth Designer: Cathal O’ Gara

“It’s a new year, and a new paper.”

Welcome back, all. Welcome back to the cobblestones and falling leaves, the rain showers and coffees. It’s certainly not summer any more.

As you get dug back into readings and nightlife, you may have noticed that we have had something of a facelift here at Express HQ over the summer.

With the artistic vision of Cathal O’Gara and the brand new ideas of a talented editorial team, we not only look different on the outside, but we’re different on the inside too.

You will notice that we have introduced two new sections: Comment and Features Investigates.

Features Investigates is a collaboration between the News and Features teams with a view to

examining topics in greater depth for the purpose of informing our readers and generating debate.

This issue, as inspired by Clubs and Societies days, we looked at the concept of the Student Experience- what it is meant to be, who is involved and how much it costs.

Comment is a space for your voice. It is a place for opinion articles and letters, to better reflect the local and national conversation. So if something in the following pages irks you, if something peaks your interest, or if you think we should be focussing on something different, scribble us a few lines and send them to editor@uccexpress.ie You will also have spotted that in addition to the main paper, we now also have a supplement.

Verge, is our new entertainment magazine, combining all of the news and reviews as before, with some great new additions and a brand new design.

As always, we are eager to welcome new contributors, with a promise of training and exposure for budding writers, whether it be a hobby or a career aspiration.

Come speak to us at Media Night

on the 2nd of October where you can hear more about what is involved in writing with us and what you can get out of being involved with a student paper. More details on this to follow on our Facebook page, and the Journalism Society’s.

And even if you don’t want to write for us, we would still like to hear from you. Share your opinions with us online, help frame the discussion by suggesting what you would like us to talk about, generally engage. As a UCC student, the UCC Express is your paper and as it’s Editor I look for your input. In return, it is my promise that over the coming year we will be your informed and unbiased eyes and ears for campus news, sport, culture and entertainment.

You can now follow us on five platforms- in print, on Facebook www.facebook.com/uccexpress, Twitter @UCCExpress, our website www.uccexpress.net and on Spotify!

It’s a new year, and a new paper.

Welcome back to UCC, and welcome to the UCC Express 2.0

campus – in fact I know a particularly good recycling bin outside the Boole which is jam-packed with them.

This issue is somewhat of a landmark as my first news section as, according to Father Ted logic (and general logic too), I need more than one page for a section.

It was a section which began in

Wow – I can’t believe that has only taken up 300 words! Barely even halfway!!

I would talk more about my week, but that would seem a bit self-important and I somehow don’t think we’re close enough yet.

I could pick a topic: the Syrian struggle, the Seanad debate, the Egyptian conflict; but I don’t see myself as a particular fount of knowledge on any of these lofty topics.

Soooo… How are you?...

I guess this is why I’m against editorials really… this space could have been dedicated to another news article, to promote a good cause, to a feature which didn’t make it in. Instead I present to you my last minute ramblings!

At least most of the editorials have been removed from this publication since last year, in the process freeing up space for writers.

Alas the deputy editor’s column remains my cross to bear.

Hmmm, that’s not a great parting note – oh well; once I think of a way to pad this thing out more in the future.

Another Editorial

Page18

Photo Editor: Emmet Curtin

Audrey Ellard Walsh | Editor @AudreyEWalsh

Page 7

‘When the Rain Came’

Spot the difference

Stephen Barry | Deputy Editor @StphnBarry

Hello again!

Or just hello if you haven’t read the previous instalment of this editorial.

As you may see I’m trying to build some sort of acquaintanceship with you, the reader – I won’t pretend to myself that there’s more than one of you.

Why the sudden friendliness you may ask… Well this is because I, apparently, according to some peer reviews, came off as ‘a massive wanker’ from my last editorial; that is ‘unless they knew you.’

Otherwise it was good, they say…

All the same, this seems inherently critical of my ability to write these pieces for the enjoyment of all of the one person who reads them, other than people who know me, but the feedback is much appreciated; in a way of speaking!

So to all you non-Freshers, I extend a cordial hello and a cheery welcome back.

That said, if you want to be welcomed any more, then please refer to the Freshers issue which should still be available across

...I, apparently, according to some peer reviews, came off as ‘a massive wanker’ a meeting room with me saying ‘I wish I was Sport Editor again’ to a crowd of people laughing, and ended in an empty office with me saying ‘I wish I was Sport Editor again,’ over and over, before weeping down the line to my editor.

But hey, there are a good four pages of news-stuff here for your perusal – exactly the amount of pages I was asked to fill and all – so that’s a success in the end I guess!

3

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday September 24, 2013

NEWS

Ents Officer to be paid until February Brian Conmy

James Murray has become the first UCC SU Entertainments Officer to be paid for the role, being employed by the Union for six months from this September.

The move was facilitated by a change in the role of Entertainments Officer three years ago when it was altered by referendum. Since then the position had the opportunity to be paid but previous officers had not taken the money.

The SU could not produce a copy of the constitution that governs the Student Union and its elected officials,thus no exact definition of the role of the Entertainments Officer as voted for by UCC students was available.

According to SU President PodgeHaughey: “James said that he’s going to do the position fulltime... he gave up his part-time job to work this job full-time,” something which Haughney feels offers great value for money in the position.

Murray, now operating in a makeshift office in the upstairs kitchen of the Student’s Union building,is paid €8.65 an hour for 20 hours a week, but informed the Express that he had been putting in over 14 hour days before and during Fresher’s Week by both organising and attending events to ensure their smooth operation.

When asked if his campaign had mentioned that he would be taking the pay,Murray responded: “It was the basis of my campaign

that I work in the position fulltime despite it being a part-time position.”

His vision for the role was to make it closer in nature to that of Trinity’s Entertainments Officer who organises the Trinity Ball among other events in the college.

Murray also gave a rundown of the kind of events that were running throughout Freshers’ Week and the style of events he would like to see continued

throughout the year. These plans focused on getting musicians and performers space at lunch to perform on main campus, as well as around UCC’s satellite campuses.

He hopes to use communication channels such as the new College Road Ents Facebook page to remain in touch with students’ demands of the role.

Murray also noted that he “didn’t know how someone in the past did the jobpart time; I’m up to my eyes.”

UCC School of English have announced poet Leanne O’ Sullivan and novelist Mary Morrissy to be the latest illustrious writers to join the department’s academic staff.

O’ Sullivan, who comes from the Beara Peninsula in West Cork and is a former UCC student, has been appointed as Writer in Residence for the present academic year.

O’ Sullivan’s work has been included in various anthologies, including Best Irish Poetry 2010 (Southword Publishing), Selina Directors Jerry Rothwell Guinness’s The New Irish Poets and Emer Reynolds will (Bloodaxe Books, 2004) and Billy be in attendance, hosting Collins’s Poetry 180: A Turning their filmed Back to Poetry (Random House, projects ‘Town of 2003).

Runners’ and ‘Here In 2010 she received the Was Cuba’.

Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, presented by the Oscar Wilde Centre for Irish Writing at Trinity School of English. Her second volRothwell has also been quick ume of poetry is entitled Cailleach: to note the differences of appear- The Hag of Beara published by ance the crew witnessed in the Bloodaxe (2009). O’ Sullivan rearea while making the film. “On cently released The Mining Road, our first visit in 2008, the elecfollowing on from Bloodaxe. She tricity supply was patchy, there was presented with the Lawrence was no mobile or internet and O’Shaughnessy Award for Irish Bekoji could only be reached by Poetry in 2011, and was awarded a a 50km mud road from the near- UCC Alumni Award in 2012. est large town, Asella.

Joining O’ Sullivan is novelist “By the time we completed Mary Morrissey, who took up her the film, at the end of 2011, the position as Writer Fellow at the Chinese had built a new tarmac beginning of the semester. Morrisroad, connecting Bekoji to the sey, who has held the position of capital Addis Ababa, a new hotel Jenny McKean Moore “Writer in had been opened with satellite Washington” at George Washington TV in every room and mobile University as well as a Whitbread phones were everywhere. nod, has recently published her “The film tries to capture this novel The Rising Curse of Bella transition and,in a country where Casey to crtitical acclaim. more than 70% of the population is under 25, what it might mean Both O’Sullivan and Morrissy will for a new generation of Ethiopi- be teaching courses on UCC’s new ans.”

MA in Creative WritingIn addition The 8x8 Film festival taketo these taught classes, Leanne splace on UCC campus between O’Sullivan will offer writing workthe 30th of September and the shops for the wider UCC commu4th of October. nity throughout the academic year..

Suas to light up Booles with film fest a large number of students who might not be studying developSuas Educational Development, ment or have an interest in dein conjunction with UCC Suas velopment issues to learn about Society and the Centre for Glob- these issues.” al Development, are to host the The 8x8 Documentary Film 8x8 Documentary Film Festival Festival is a project that has in UCC next week. traversed nationwide with the The five-day festival promfestival due to take placein ises to feature workshops and Galway, Cork and Dublin on five panel discussionsamong other university campuses. events. Directors Jerry Rothwell “The aim was to host the and Emer Reynolds are also slat- festival on campuses where Suas ed to appear, hosting their filmed had worked before and that had projects ‘Town of Runners’ and a high population of students.

‘Here Was Cuba’ respectively.

It takes place in NUI Galway, 8x8 is part of Global Campus, UCC, UCD, Trinity College and a three year initiative overseen DCU over five weeks.”

by Suas. Global Campus aims to Nevin has stipulated that their involve students more with dereasoning in spreadingthe festivelopment and asks them to take val across a number of places is action for change. to reach as wide an audience as The 8x8 Film Festival is possible. funded by Irish Aid and Europe Speaking about his upcoming Aid, components of the Irish film, director Jerry Rothwell has and European Global Campus stated that he wants audiences Programme. to learn from his film ‘Town of Global Campus follows a nation- Runners’. “I hope they gain a al survey of third level students, strong sense of the resilience of conducted by Suas in 2012, African youth and a belief that it which found that although 85% is their dreams – not those of the of students think it is important West – that should shape Africa’s to take action on development is- future” quipped Rothwell. sues, only 20% felt they had any “The girls’ stories are set influence on decisions affecting against the background of a these issues. rural Ethiopia that is undergoing According to project manenormous changes as traditional ager David Nevin, the project ways of life are transformed by is designed “as a way to engage globalisation.”

Eoghan Lyng

Ilustrious writers join Creative Writing MA staff

4

Tuesday September 24 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

NEWS

USI calls for government action on youth unemployment News In Brief Audrey Ellard Walsh | Editor

Youth unemployment has reached 28% with more than one-in-ten Irish 15-18 year olds neither employed nor in education, a recent report has revealed.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’s latest Economic Survey of Ireland, shows that despite the recent announcement that Ireland’s economy is showing encouraging signs of recovery from the financial crisis, more must be done to reinvigorate growth and create the jobs that will get the country back to full health.

The Economic Survey identifies employment and social inclusion issues as vital to Ireland’s continuing rebound from the crisis, its prospects of growth and the wellbeing of Irish people.

Young people, as the report outlines, have been hit especially hard by the jobs crisis. The youth unemployment rate is 28.6%, while the number of young people emigrating continues to mount. At 11.3%, Ireland has the OECD’s third-largest share of 15 to 19 year olds who are neither employed nor in education or training (NEETs), only Turkey and Italy report higher figures.

The report recommends that Ireland do much more to assist the

Stephen Barry | News Editor

UCC advertise at World Cup Qualifier

unemployed, particularly long-term job-seekers. It points out a critical need for support and retraining, to ward against social exclusion and ensure that young people are prepared to work as the recovery strengthens.

Commenting on the report, Union of Students in Ireland President, Joe O’Connor said; “With almost 30 per cent of under 25s in Ireland unemployed, many have little choice but to emigrate to secure employment, taking vital skills with them.

“Ireland’s youth want the opportunity to work and to contribute to the economic recovery of our nation.

USI is calling on the Government to find real solutions to this very real problem.”

In collaboration with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and Irish Second-Level Students’ Union, the USI has developed a collaborative Youth Position Paper, ‘Locked Out: Investing In A Future For Youth’ to outline positive responses to this crisis.

These proposals include a policy on the Youth Guarantee, best practice for work placements and graduate entrepreneurship and employability.

USI are calling on Government to invest in tackling the youth unemployment crisis, and to do more to combat the intolerable situation facing Irish graduates today.

“Initiatives like the Youth Guarantee scheme are crucial to tackling youth unemployment in Ireland, but they need substantial investment.

Emigration is not a fix for this crisis.”

Hurling club at the core Seanad reform gains of All-Ireland success the upper hand Stephen Barry | News Editor

were not without a Cork-hand in their development with UCC Twelve members of the Cork alumnus Honan at full-forward and Clare teams which drew as well as current students Shane a dramatic All-Ireland hurling O’Donnell and Killian Ryan on final have resumed their college the Clare panel. degrees in UCC while waiting Dr Paddy Crowley, President of for Saturday’s replay. Among the the UCC Hurling Club, puts much twelve were three Cork starters of the college and the college’s from the second successive tied alumni’s success down to the final, William Egan, Seamus Har- coaching structures in place. nedy and Conor Lehane.

“Ger Cunningham, coach of Indeed, of the 37 players who the Cork senior hurling team, is took part in the dramatic All-Ire- also the coach of our Freshers land hurling final draw, 11 Cork team, along with my brother Tim, players as well as Clare’s Darach who holds four All Ireland senior Honan have passed through the hurling medals. Current Fitzgibgates of UCC for their studies. bon coach Eddie Enright, part And when the teams are picked of the three in a row Fitzgibbon this week prior to the replay, 23 team of the 90s, has carried on UCC alumni will be in contention the legacy of Paul O’Connor and for a starting berth.

Canon Michael O’Brien.

In the past year, Cork have shown “I think students, whether a reliance on UCC graduates in male or female, now realise that their hurling set-up with twowhen they come to UCC and get thirds of their team of a UCC involved in the GAA club, they're background, including all of the well looked after.” goal-scorers in the draw game with Clare.

For more on the All-Ireland replay, However, Clare themselves turn to our preview on page 23

It was goodnight Vienna for Trap, but hello world for UCC as the college’s name appeared on the electronic advertising hoardings during Austria’s single-goal victory over Ireland.

The advert which read “UCC Ireland’s Winning University” was intended to promote the college to potential international students but appeared on the day of the college’s drop in the QS University Rankings.

The advert was said to have offered unparalleled access to UCC’s target demographic but no figures were available about the cost or projected revenues from the advert.

Cork to co-ordinate regional protest The USI-co-ordinated National Day of Protest, organised to take place a fortnight before Budget Day, will occur on Tuesday the 1st of October. The Cork protest will aim to bring students from across Munster colleges to protest planned cuts to third-level funding.

At the end of August, the UCC SU held a silent protest on the Quad for the arrival of Ruairi Quinn to the university, however this protest was publicly ignored by the Minister of Education.

Students Encouraged to Apply early for SAF Stephen Barry | News Editor

UCC law lecturer Conor O’Mahony, advocating a ‘no’ vote in the upcoming referendum on the abolition of the Seanad, was among the speakers at a debate about the future of the upper house of the Oireachtas.

O’Mahony cited the greater time and freedom given to debate issues of national importance as a reason to retain the institution while DCU’s Eoin O’Malley, argued that the abolition of the Seanad would make little difference to Irish public life in a debate chaired by George Hook and attended by a crowd of approximately 200.

Also proposing a yes vote was Fine Gael Minister Simon Coveney while Senator Katherine Zappone was joined on O’Mahony’s side

by former Senator Dan Boyle who attended the event and is studying a Masters in Government in UCC. He is currently acting-auditor for the UCC Greens.

On the night, the vote was won by those favouring retention.

Meanwhile the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has also come out against the proposed abolition, labelling it “a very short-sighted move.”

Among the USI’s suggested reforms is a recommendation to allow all graduates to vote in Seanad elections. Currently three of the six university representatives are elected

by Trinity graduates only.

For more on the Seanad debate, turn to Comment on page 6.

The Student Assistance Fund is expected to be in high demand again this year according to the Student Assistance Fund Office in UCC. This office will hold a briefing session on the fund tonight, Tuesday the 24th, at 6pm, with the session set to be repeated next Monday.

Class Rep Elections to be held this week The majority of Class Representative elections are due to take place this week. One academic and one entertainments representative will be elected for each class and training is due to take place for both in early October.

5

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday September 24, 2013

NEWS

Hailo to give away €25,000 of taxi credits Katie O’Sullivan | News Writer

Hailo taxis, together with drinkaware.ie, have launched a new ‘Get Home Safe’ campaign targeted at University students for the coming academic year, with the stated aim of getting students home safe. ‘‘With Hailo now available in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick, it’s a really convenient way for students to get access to a safe journey home at the end of a great night out’’ said Tim Arnold, General Manger of Hailo Ireland.

Hailoprovide an innovative way of organising a lift, providing you own the relevant technology which enables this new service. As Fionnuala Sheehan, Chief Executive of drinkaware. ie,explained ‘‘When it comes to getting home safely, we’ve teamed up with Hailo to make sure that students have easy access to a taxi home.

“Downloading the Hailo app means that you won’t end up walking alone or walking around town trying to flag a taxi down by yourself- you can call the driver to your location with the tap of a button, and even pay by card so you don’t have to worry about

Ellen Desmond

A two year partnership between UCC’s Tyndall National Institute and Lake Region Medical was announced this week at a special seminar entitled ‘ICT for Health’. Lake Region Medical is the global leader in the manufacture of medical guide-wires.

Their partnership with the Tyndall Institute concerns itself with targeting heart disease by researching the use of ICT (Information, Communication and Technology) and photonic (light and sensors technology) in early diagnosis and treatment.

Both companies have state of the art technologies and leading Ireland Facebook page in order your alcoholic drinks with water having cash in your pocket.’’ researchers to bring to this valuto then go and collect your free and eating before you drink, are Hailo also record and track able partnership, and it sees a goodie-bag. practical ways to help you pace each journey, with the driver’s dedicated Lake Region Medical Each bag will contain a €5 yourself.” photo and roof sign number researcher put in residence at euro taxi voucher, a t-shirt and To raise awareness of this displayed on phones so customers the Cork institute. a drinkaware.ie guide to student campaign over the coming can be assured of their personal As it stands, Heart disease is weeks,goodie-bags will be distrib- life. In addition, those who share safety during every trip.

Ireland’s leading cause of death the #SafeHome13 message will uted by the Hailo team on camSheehan also went on to give claiming, on average, 10,000 advice to students on how best to puses across Ireland. Then you’ve be eligible for taxi credits from lives each year in this country Hailo, who will be giving away handle themselves on a night out: got to either tweet #SafeHome13 alone. The research carried €25,000 worth of credits. orpost the same tag on the Hailo ‘‘Simple things like alternating out by this partnership could potentially lead to the availability of “real-time” information for physicians, in particular information regarding patients’ ternationally. Four-in-five believed blood pressure, risk of clotting youth employment to be particularly and several other future heart neglected. risk factors they may be vulnerWorryingly, two-thirds of Irish able to. students can only speak one lanDr Barry Dolan, Technical guage, despite the majority spendDirector and Plant Manager of ing at least 13 years learning Irish the company’s International and English plus other languages in R&D Centre in Galway, sumsecondary school. marised Lake Region Medical’s Of the students surveyed who mission as to place “minimally study outside of Ireland, 86% are invasive solutions in the hands bilingual, with 35% of those trilinof clinicians.” Less invasive gual. procedures, such as angioplasty A total of 645 students and reand stenting, have already cent graduates participated in the replaced conventional bypass survey. Of this number 320 will surgeries associated with heart were from Ireland and 325 were disease, and this could lead to from across the world; mainly the yet another advancement in that UK, North America, India, China area. and Europe.

Speaking on behalf ofthe The undergraduate awards Tyndall side of the partnership, is a Dublin based international Dr Paul Galvin, Head of the academic awards programme that Life Sciences Interface Group, The survey also revealed that in same broad opinions on a range of aims to connect the leading under- said: “Tyndall is ideally placed this age group category the reissues relating to the economy and to help companies explore the spondents were overwhelmingly in graduate students in their world, society, the survey by the underapplication of photonics to meet support of same-sex marriage, with their ideas and research. graduate awards shows.

In 2013 the undergraduate evolving medical need and caThe survey was taken by current 81% agreeing to equal rights. Irish pabilities.” students and recent graduates in the students were more liberal than their awards received 3,771 pieces The partnership has been put age category of 17-25 and highlight- international counterparts, with 91% of undergraduate work from 26 countries submitted for considera- in place until at least the year ed the common nature of the student in favour. tion across 22 categories. The 2016 and could lead to ultiIn other topics, young Irish experience internationally. winners will be announced in the mately to life-changing medical voters showed themselves to be 81% of students who had taken third week of September with developments, as well as the opposed to the suggestion of lowerthe survey felt that mental health all winners to attend the annual creation of potential employing the voting age to 16, with 65% was the biggest issue facing stuUndergraduate Awards Global ment opportunities in a growing against, while 68% stated themdents today. Around half of both Summit from the 13th to the 15th medical market segment worth selves to be dissatisfied with the Irish and international students had of November. almost €2 billion annually. government, compared to 52% inexperienced depression.

Student survey says minority emigrate due to lack of work Heather Steele | Deputy News Editor

The Undergraduate awards survey, which compares the outlook of Irish students to students from abroad, was released recently.

One of the surprising discoveries they made was that Irish students tend to move abroad to get a different perspective and new experiences rather than due to the bleak economic situation here in Ireland.

Only 21% of recent graduates emigrated from Ireland to escape the economic downturn whilst 58% were in a different country to experience life there. This figure matched what international students had said, with 63% emigrating to gain new experiences.

Irish students are also more positive about the prospect of building a career in their home country, as opposed to foreign students who feel their home country would not provide fulfilling career opportunities.

In line with other data, mental health issues seem to be the biggest problem facing Irish students today. Over half of the Irish students surveyed said that they had been depressed at one point.

Also compared to international students, Irish students are far greater in favour of marriage equality.

Overall Irish students and their international counterparts have the

Tyndall to team up with Lake Region Medical

6

Tuesday September 24 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

COMMENT

SOS – Save our Seanad: Let’s focus on what matters and get rid of the Why we should vote No on October 4th Seanad sideshow

No one wants to keep the current Seanad.

Even those advocating a no vote admit that after 75 years this chamber is a failure. It’s a mark of its failure that we are talking about the potential of the septuagenarian chamber rather than its achievements.

They try to point to the eminence of some former senators such as TK Whitaker and Mary Robinson, but we know that these are people who made their mark elsewhere. In Mary Robinson’s case it was in the Courts and TK Whitaker as a public servant.

The lobby group for keeping the Seanad, Democracy Matters, also tries to show that the Seanad has been active in the last two years. It certainly has become more active since 2011 than it was before, but this seems to have the sincerity of a death-bed conversion. The prospect of Christmas has made all the turkeys pretend they’re in fact work horses.

Even the figures they provide: 529 amendments of 14 Bills since 2011 are somewhat misleading.

They don’t say why they picked just these 14 bills.

What did the upper house do in the other 100 or so bills enacted? And of the amendments how many of these were government amendments that could have as easily been made in the Dáil? Apparently the answer is all of them!

But the odd thing is that the so-called Seanad reformers are trying to frame a no vote as one for reform and not the status quo.

Legally it is a vote for the status quo. We know that.

They say a no vote will put pressure on government to introduce Seanad reform. But which Seanad reform are we being asked to trust the government to introduce?

In the last year there have been proposals from Fianna Fáil, the Quinn-Zappone Bill, the John Crown Bill, the Green Party proposals, and even the USI have Seanad reform proposals. These are in addition to the multitude of proposals that emerged from various reports dealing with Seanad reform.

We should not however, that an All Party Group on Seanad Reform that met between 2008- and 2010 could only agree to disagree.

75 years of talk about reform has failed to produce any agreement on reform. Why will next year be different? What incentive does the government have to embark on this?

Even if we could agree on the form a second house should take, would we even want one?

A weak second house provides few additional safeguards because it can be easily overridden. A strong second house, similar in composition to the first, adds little because it merely mirrors the first.

However a strong second house with a different composition to the first has an impact on policy and politics.

To get through two dissimilar houses a greater deal of consensus is needed. This makes sense in

Eoin O’Malley is a senior lecturer in political science at Dublin City University. He is author of Contemporary Ireland (Palgrave 2011) and co-editor of Governing Ireland (IPA 2012). divided societies. It means policy is only changed when both sides agree. This was one of the reasons for having second Houses. The landed gentry in the Lords were a conservative force on the more radical Commons.

However it means policy is changed slowly. It makes policy innovation more difficult, and it can make forming a government more difficult. It is not a co-incidence that the countries with strong upper houses have also seen glacial policy change.

Japan has suffered lost decades precisely because it could not agree radical policies needed to get it out of recession. Italy finds it hard to form and sustain governments. This instability is to blame for its inability to reform its economy. For this reason it is considering abolition of its Senate. And the US is now used to legislative gridlock; the fiscal cliff is an annual event as the two chamber struggle to agree a budget each year. The result is ad hoc solutions that go neither one way or another.

These are large countries that can afford to move slowly. Ireland is a small open country. We need to be adaptable and nimble on our feet. A powerful, reformed Seanad would just slow us down.

Instead of reforming the Seanad, we should let go of this elitist anachronism, and instead concentrate on reforming the Dáil and government. These things matter.

Few would argue that the Seanad, as it is currently constituted, is ‘fit for purpose’. The (s)election process alone, to mention one of the criticisms levelled at the upper house, is reflective of a different era and certainly requires change.

Discussions on the Seanad’s shortcomings are not new. Various reports have been commissioned to modernise and reform it. Yet successive Governments have had neither the political appetite nor will to implement them.

This Government has decided to bypass the reform option and asks us instead to abolish a well established democratic political institution providing reasons that range from the spurious to the populist.

We are told that Denmark, another small unitary state, is a successful unicameral democracy. However, those of us familiar with The Killing and Sara Lund’s ever present jumper will have noticed that Denmark has a strong system of local government where the town hall has responsibility for policies that include education, the environment and integration, to name but a few. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for Irish local government. We cannot then expect it to check and balance the powers of a strong executive in a unicameral Ireland We are also told, particularly by Fine Gael, that the abolition of the Seanad will reduce the number of politicians and save us money. Such populist arguments do a serious disservice to Irish democracy. Even if the Seanad survives this referendum the numbers of politicians in Ireland will fall, as the next Dail will have 8 fewer TDs than this one. If the Seanad is abolished we face a situation where we will not only have significantly fewer politicians but those that are elected will be even more powerful to the extent that they will come under less scrutiny.

This should be a source of concern for us, as we already have one of the most executive dominated parliaments in Europe. The strength of the whip system, most recently evidenced in the harsh treatment meted out to ‘dissident’ Fine Gael TDs in a vote of conscience on the Protection of Life during Pregnancy bill, coupled with this Government’s heavy use of the guillotine stifles discussion and disagreement. To abolish an institution that provides a separate public space for debate, deliberation and scrutiny in such a legislative system and to sugar coat this argument with reference to savings, that are themselves debatable, is both disingenuous and insidious.

Dr. Clodagh Harris is lecturer in the Department of Government, UCC. Her research interests include democratic theory and practice (particularly deliberative and participatory democracy); democratic innovations and citizen engagement and community education.

Also, it is important to note that it will be more difficult in a small unicameral system for minority groups to be elected. Healthy democratic institutions require a diversity of voices and views, without them their legitimacy is weakened. One of the Seanad’s strengths has been the space it provides for independent perspectives and opinions. As a country that is inclined to consensus and according to the Nyberg report (2011) ‘group think’ we cannot afford to abolish an institutional space where, as history shows us, difference and dissent are expressed.

The Seanad Bill 2013 launched by Senator Zappone and her fellow Senator, Feargal Quinn has much to commend it by way of suggested reforms to the Seanad’s election process and powers. It provides an excellent starting point for a debate on reform.

If we wish to preserve and strengthen our democracy, then we should vote No to the abolition of the Seanad and petition our public representatives for meaningful reform.

7

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday September 24, 2013

FEATURES

Syria

-A battle of conflictions

Aaron Noonan | Features Writer

The Syrian civil war is deep into its second year, with over 100,000 killed and two million displaced. Allegations of chemical weapons use by the Syrian government have been rife over the last several weeks, prompting calls for intervention from Western nations, led by the United States.

Last week, the British Parliament voted to not intervene in Syria despite pressure to do so from David Cameron. In the United States, President Barack Obama is pushing for punitive strikes on the Assad regime, to send a strong message about chemical weapons use in Syria, but many in Congress are uneasy about the idea of America intervening in the Middle East again. With such horrible atrocities happening at the hands of the Assad regime, crimes amounting to genocide in the minds of many, why are the West so uneasy about protecting the lives of civilians through military action?

The answer is complicated. In many ways, it is helpful to compare the Libyan situation to the Syrian one. In 2011, after months of demonstrations by Libyan citizens, an American led NATO intervened in Libya to oust its despotic leader Muammar Gaddafi and set Libya on the road to democracy. The successful intervention lasted eight months, and there wasn’t a single allied casualty.

Were such action to be undertaken in Syria, a country which has seen many more deaths and war crimes than Libya, the result wouldn’t be quite so clear-cut. For a start, Libya is a religiously homogenous nation which allowed for little sectarian violence within the rebel groups. They were united in their revolution against Gaddafi.

This is not the case in Syria, whose people are religiously divergent. Furthermore, neighbouring countries were unwilling to support the Gaddafi regime in its violent crackdown on civilians, leaving the Libyan situation essentially self-contained, with little risk for unintended consequences across the region after a Western intervention.

Conversely, Syria’s geopolitical positioning in the Middle East is far more complex. A victory from either side in the

conflict would have huge, unknown consequences for the Middle East and beyond.

Although, to say ‘either side’ is somewhat of a misnomer and over simplifies the situation. The war is often portrayed as the Syrian government versus the rebels, but there are in fact many sides fighting this war. Iranian money has been supporting the Syrian government in the war, so an Assad triumph would extend Iranian power in the Middle East, along with the Iranian allied Hezbollah - a disaster for Western nations. On the contrary, a rebel victory could be equally disastrous. Two years ago, when the conflict began, it seemed plausible that the Syrian government could be overthrown and a moderate government installed, but not now. Now, the rebels are made up of several groups, united under the common goal of defeating Assad. But, once the war is over, these groups, sometimes including terrorist cells such as Al-Qaeda, would likely have conflicting ideas about the future of Syria. A very real possibility in the case of a rebel victory would be that an unstable, post-totalitarian Syria could become a safe haven for terrorists - an equally undesirable outcome for Western nations.

The road to intervention itself is also problematic. Although the UN Security Council have voted several times over the last few years on the subject of military intervention, both China and Russia have vetoed this course of action. Both countries have significant economic ties to the Assad regime. Now, Great Britain is insisting it will not intervene in the conflict, further marginalising Obama’s case for military action. So, while intervention through the UN Security Council is highly unlikely, other legal avenues do exist. The United Nations ‘Uniting for Peace’ resolution, passed in 1950, allows for the United Nations General Assembly to take action if the Security Council cannot agree. In essence, this means that because Russia and China are failing to live up to their responsibility to protect the people of Syria, a vote will go to the General Assembly of 193 nations, who must vote by a two thirds majority in

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In many ways, the Western allies are struggling to find a moderate voice among that rebels ranks that it feels it can rely on and support.

order to intervene in Syria. However, this approach has yet to be considered. Another scenario could be the United States taking unilateral action in Syria, but some foreign leaders, most notably Russian President Vladamir Putin, question the legality of this given the lack of agreement by the United Nations.

So what effect would foreign intervention have on Syria? The answer is: not much. While the latest chemical weapons attacks were war crimes that crossed Obama’s much quoted ‘red-line,’ they weren’t the first war crimes to take place in Syria.

The world only sees the need to intervene now, because chemical weapons use is a flagrant violation of international law and cannot be ignored. Given the potential lose-lose situation for the West should the rebels or Assad win, intervention is likely to be minimal and only serve the purpose of punishing the use of chemical weapons, rather than stabilizing the region. An ideal situation for the United States is a prolonged stalemate. With America’s enemies - Syria, Iran, Hezbollah and Al Qaeda, all squabbling amongst each other, their attention will be distracted. Obama himself has expressed that any potential strikes on Syria wouldn’t serve the purpose of ousting Assad, despite repeated calls for his resignation by the Obama administration in the last number of years.

The future of Syria remains more uncertain now than ever. Much of the talk surrounding foreign intervention at the moment is only a temporary solution to a permanent problem. Although thousands of people die in Syria every day, the world is unable to act accordingly to put an end to the violence, due to uncertainty over how a post-war Syria would look and countries acting in their own self-interest. In many ways, the Western allies are struggling to find a moderate voice among that rebels ranks that it feels it can rely on and support. Until that moderate voice, sympathetic to western ideals, emerges from the fray, it is unlikely that Western governments are going to want to change the pace of this war.

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Tuesday September 24 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

FEATURES

Start This Year as You Mean to Go On Grace O’Sullivan | Features Editor

“Hello, How about that ride in? I guess that’s why they call it Sin City (ha ha ha). You guys may not know this, but I consider myself … a bit of a loner.”

I think it’s fair to say that “The Hangover” rooftop speech is, erm, and isn’t, the best way to begin college. Akin to the lads in the film, we’re all starting off on a new year, which is filled with potential and promise – who knows what the next few months will hold for us all!

Firstly, welcome or welcome back. Coming from a final year – the next few years really will fly by. Before you know it, your first day college attire (so carefully planned and ironed) will be a cap and gown. Yes, this is a scary thought but time flies – whether your having fun or not.

Here in features you can count on the fact that we are going to make this year count! My name is Grace O’Sullivan and I aim to make this year the BEST yet – by writing for the Express of course! I want you all to join me in my quest for … well everything! It’s my mission to do and review one “new” thing/fad/ trend (within reasons and the law). Life is short, so why not? So that sets the tone for features this year – give everything a try. They do say: “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” At the end of this year, why not look back on 2013/14 as the year you really went out and made things happen! Think of all the pictures, friends and Facebook updates you’ll have. Not to think of the stories for the grandchildren – too far?

For you all this could mean getting involved

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in a club or society or even talking to that guy that’s in your 9am tutorial. Take risks (within reason), go out there and do the things that you never dreamt of doing/were to afraid to do.

What have you really got to lose? NOTHING – aside from a bit of dignity and a few euros.

Start each day by asking yourself “what would I do if I knew I could not fail?” The college year has crept up on us all and before we know it, it’ll be study month *shudder*, and then it keeps accumulating. Now is the time to get things done – when you have few commitments and lots of spare time to do what you want to do!

Before this gets a little too Oprah, just remember that at the end of the day, now is time when you can afford to go out and take risks.

Eventually children, a mortgage and all the other things that take priority over the gym and general self indulgence. Be full of yourself, but in the best possible way.

So come on, join me on my quest to make this year the best yet! I hereby vow to try writing about a new experience each issue. This should be fulfilling, or at the very least interesting. The perfect place for you to start may very well be writing a piece for features – I hear it’s a great thing to be involved.

We are the generation of Snapchat and Selfies, so what’s stopping you taking risks and making this year count? Who knows in six months time you could have one of those “… wait a second, could it be?” moments. Life is short, time flies, and opportunities seize – this year is not all just about a degree.

Before this gets a little too Oprah, just remember that at the end of the day, now is time when you can afford to go out and take risks.

Free Will -choice or illusion?

Shane O’Mahony| Features Writer

Does free will exist or do we merely have the illusion of free will? I will briefly suggest that due to advances in neuroscience, coupled with logical arguments and anecdotal evidence, it seems free will is an illusion. Our first task is to define what we actually mean by the term free will. Free will is defined as the ability of agents to make choices free from the restraint of outside factors.

Recent neuroscience experiments have suggested that our actions are actually preceded by complex chemical interactions that occur within our brains and outside our conscious awareness. Furthermore, the role of genes, our environment, culture, etc has in shaping our personality and thus our behavior must be considered. In order to prove that free will does not exist though it must be demonstrated that the interplay between external and internal factors which determines our behavior is outside of our conscious control.

If we examine the issue of free will from a logical point of view then it becomes clear that it is an illusion. Most people, however, believe that they are the authors of their actions and have a huge amount of control over their choices and subsequently their behavior. Despite this, people will usually agree that they are in some way influenced by their genes, environment and culture, but that they still are in control of every, or most, deci-

sions that they make. This simply cannot be the case for everything you are consciously aware of at this very moment is the result of many factors (genetic, environmental, etc) which are, or were, outside of your conscious control and indeed your conscious awareness. A simple thought experiment should illustrate this point nicely. Simply at random choose a movie (mine was Fight Club). Now notice that this seems like as free a choice as one could ever hope to have. I set no parameters on your choice, I simply gave you "free reign" to chose whatever movie you wished.

On closer inspection, however, we see that you had no more control over this choice than you do over any other. This choice was manufactured by your brain, we know this as a matter of neurophysiology. The decision you and I made was a result of a chain of causes which were produced within the brain and, therefore, outside of conscious awareness. Contents of consciousness are the results of an unconscious mental life, over which we exert no meaningful amount of control. Another practical example is made by author Sam Harris when he points out, that we cannot chose our next thought for if we could we would have to think about it before we thought of it!.

We will now examine some neuro-scientific findings which would appear to undermine the concept of free will. Researcher JohnDylan Haynes states "How can I call a will "mine" if I don't even know when it occurred

and what it has decided to do?" An experiment carried out by Benjamin Libet in the 1980s asked each subject to flick their wrist while Libet measured their brain activity in relation to this. To determine when the subjects felt the intention to move, he asked them to watch the second hand of a clock and report its position when they felt that they had felt the conscious will to move. Libet found that the unconscious brain activity leading up to the conscious decision by the subject to flick his or her wrist began about 1/2 a second before the subject consciously felt that he or she had decided to move. Notice that if a most basic of decisions is the result of chemical processes within our brain and outside our conscious control than we cant possibly have control over more complex decisions which involve a large degree of random chance.

When we consider these implications we see that the idea of free will as defined in the introduction is at its very core illusory.

In light of these logical and neuro-scientific considerations there is only one other type of free will that can possible be argued for and that is compatibilism (sometimes called soft-determinism). However, as we will see this too does not stand up to scrutiny.

Compatibilism is the belief that free will is compatible with determinism and thus does not contradict our logical and neuro-scientific objections. Compatibilists state that free will simply means that the agent was not coerced or restrained in relation to their action or

decision. However, this cannot be the case as they are in fact restrained, by things such as biology, environmental factors, culture and random events, which are all outside of their conscious control and quite often outside of conscious awareness. Just because there is no visible external coercion does not mean a person is free to act in a manner consistent with conceptions of free will. Nobody chooses the next thought that will pop into their head or the next emotion that they will experience. It follows then that the compatibilist view simply cannot be accepted in light of our logical and neuro-scientific objections.

In conclusion, it has been shown that free will as defined in the introduction is an illusion. Neuroscience has shown that many of our behaviors such as the decision to flick ones right hand as opposed to ones left hand can be seen by researchers via neuro-imaging techniques before the individual becomes consciously aware of their own decision.

Furthermore, if we do not decide which genes we are born with, which parents we have, our type of up-bringing, environment, culture etc, than what input can we possible have on the shaping of our personality's. Also since we cannot control the chemical processes within our brains which themselves are fashioned by the aforementioned factors then we cannot consciously control our thoughts or actions and, therefore, no meaningful kind of free will can exist.

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UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday September 24, 2013

FEATURES

Destination Strasbourg

tions to travel to, not to mention the fact that the German border is literally a stone’s throw away on the other side of the River Rhine.

Strasbourg itself is famous for being the home of the European Parliament which sits on a monthly basis. This is another reason why I chose to study in Strasbourg as I hope (fingers crossed!) to get an internship there.

Going on Erasmus is both a physical and a psychological journey – everyone who goes always says it was the best year they spent in college. I hope to be able to say the same.

For now I must make do with imagining what my Erasmus year has in store for me while I jealously peruse the photos of those who have already left. The endless stream of goodbyes has begun (you would think I was going away forever), there have been good luck cards and surprisingly a few presents along with wishes of “bon voyage” and “bonne chance”.

There is a quote by St. Augustine that comes to mind as I contemplate my Erasmus journey: “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” I know that to finish this book would take a lifetime but I hope that my year in France will add up to a chapter or two!

the unfortunate Steve Martin!). No direct flight out of Ireland means the journey to The wardrobe is cleared, travel documents Strasbourg will be a bit of a trek but it does have been photocopied and the box of Barry’s give me an excuse to travel via the jewel of Tea has been packed along with accompany- the French public transport system, the TGV. ing travel kettle: preparations are well under So why did I choose to spend a year studyway for a departure date of the 29th August. ing in Strasbourg? As a Law and French Destination: Strasbourg, France. When you student a year abroad is a mandatory part of are trying to fit your life into a suitcase the my degree. This was in fact one of the main task of packing must be done with military reasons I chose Law and French. The past precision. Make each kilo count has become two years in UCC have been an amazing exmy motto as I desperately try to fit a year’s perience and I’ve loved every minute of them worth of clothing into 20kg. Some difficult but my heart has been set on this year abroad decisions have been made – I’ve limited ever since that CAO letter came through the myself to 4 pairs of shoes – and I’m prepared letter box. I was bitten by the travelling bug for the odd looks as I arrive in Cork airport 10 years ago on that first rain-soaked campweighed down with several layers of clothing. ing holiday to Brittany - since then the dream Aside from the associated stress of packing has been to live abroad. “Not all those who and that difficult to banish worry that I have wander are lost” (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of forgotten something vitally important, excite- the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring) is a ment levels are rising. I feel like a 7-year favourite quote of mine which partly explains old in the run up to Christmas – counting why I chose to study in Strasbourg rather down the number of sleeps left to go before than the myriad other destinations availI arrive in Cork airport at the ungodly hour able. Known as the Crossroads of Europe, of 5am for my flight to Paris. The journey to Strasbourg is perfectly located for those with Strasbourg will probably resemble the movie a degree of wanderlust in their hearts. With Planes, Trains and Automobiles (although I the second largest train station in France I will have much better travel companions than anticipate being spoilt for choice for destinaEilís O’Keeffe| Features Writer

Irish “dating” rituals

Randy Marx| Features Writer

I have only lived in Ireland for eleven days, but one subject has come up repeatedly: the differences in dating between America and Ireland. I was born and raised in California, and spent years in Nebraska where I received my BA. Dating rituals in America vary, but typically dating involves meeting someone, taking them out to a bar, restaurant, or movie, and then the relationship progresses incrementally based on the whims and preferences of the particular people involved. Hookup culture is a separate aspect of American sexual culture, but it is more or less distinct in that typically it doesn’t involve dating, just sex. Generally, though, dating is more common than not. I was surprised, then, to learn when I arrived in Cork that the concept of dating is radically different here.

From what I gathered, Irish “dating” goes like this: you go to a pub, bar, or club with friends, get pissed, see an attractive person, dance with them, make out with them (the Irish call it “shifting”), occasionally bed them, and then maybe after several rounds of this a relationship ensues. One girl told me that she had been with a guy for a year before they started dating. Now, I’m sure this isn’t true in all instances, and that there are exceptions. Regardless, consensus is that guys generally don’t ask women out on proper dates, or vice versa. To

me this seems wonderfully awkward.

Seeing freshers grind on each other for twenty minutes before madly licking each other’s tonsils is roughly akin to watching a documentary on the mating ritual of elephant seals.

Dating has always fascinated me as a ritual, especially as a newly single guy.

My best date was twenty-four hours long and consisted of brunch, shopping, lunch, going on a hike, dim sum, cigars, dinner, going to a party, getting breakfast, and eventually crashing in bed the next morning. To me, dating is meant to be intimate if not always romantic. I have gone on many “friend dates” where I have taken male or female friends out to dinner. In America, when you buy a round for a friend of either gender it is a sign of friendship, not romance. American attitudes towards intimacy are deeply flawed, but in general our experience of dating is fairly romantic.

There are, on the other hand, some commonalities: in Ireland, as in America, a surprising number of girls overindulge in spray-on tan, which amusingly transforms them from beautiful young women to what I imagine the offspring of Chester Cheeto and an Oompa Loompa would look like. (Note: if your skin is the color of marmalade something has gone tragically wrong--please believe me when

I say it’s just not as attractive as you imagine.) Girls here, as in America, also tend to bathe in some atrocious perfume and douse themselves in glitter, a habit I have always found peculiarly off-putting.

I’m am always afraid to light a match near them, for fear of instant immolation.

Men, for the record, aren’t immune either.

Guys, take note: if they can smell you coming before you even enter the room, you have failed.

The thing I have the hardest time with is how many women wish guys would actually ask them out on a proper date.

I’m not opposed to making out (hell, who is?) and I’ve got nothing against partying, grinding, sex, or any of that (unlike most Nebraskans I am liberal), but I do have a hard time accepting that there are so many women here who are aching to have a proper gentleman sweep them of their feet.

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Randy blogs at idiotinireland.blogspot.ie

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Tuesday September 24 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

FEATURES INVESTIGATES

Features Investigates: The Student Experience How much is costs, who is involved, why you should be too...

What is the Student Experience?

Dr. Ian Pickup explains.

Audrey Ellard Walsh | Editor

Dr. Ian Pickup is the new Head of the Student Experience in UCC. He was previously Director of Student Affairs at Roehampton University, London.

Speaking to him about his role and plans for development of his office, it became clear that students should take a front seat in directing their trajectory through college, particularly with a view to what awaits afterwards.

As he outlines, the Office of the Student Experience incorporates a number of different facets. “My role is all encompassing, I have managerial responsibility for a number of services so specific supports for students and specific activities report into my office.”

These areas include mature students, disabilities, UCC Plus, Student Counselling and Development, Student Health, Chaplaincy, the Granary Theatre, sport, the Students’ Union, the Careers Service, Accommodation Office and societies.

“One of the things I’m looking at with my team here is how we get beyond having lots of services all lined up in different parts of campus to looking at the themes that they all. How they contribute towards supporting the success of our students on progression into employment or further study, health and wellbeing issues, there’s various themes that each of those services has a role to play within.

Dr. Pickup believes in co-operation

amongst University departments and in placing students at the centre of the student experience.

“In our strategic plan of the University it says deliver a world class student experience and one of the things that attracted me to UCC was the involvement of students as active citizens in student life. The level of engagement in your academics is the central part of the experience through to clubs, societies, volunteering, working in the community, employment, beyond the periphery in what the North Americans would call the “co-curriculum”.”

“I suppose one of the visions of the student experience here is how the academic learning and the wider personal development work together. And one of the key challenges here is to make sure that all of our students inclusive of age, gender, ability and wider background, can access each aspect of the student experience in that way.”

Dr. Pickup believes that his office has a duty to provide opportunities to students but in the same vein encourages all students to become involved in the wider aspects of college life, beyond the lecture hall.

“At the moment I’m standing up in front of lots of students, welcoming them to the University, and the key message to them is to get engaged, to get involved with what is on offer, not necessarily all

Eye on C lub s

Stephen Barry | News Editor

out in the skull and crossbones last year, a sign of growing participation “Well up on last year” was how Clubs rates.

Executive President Jim McEvoy The Clubs Executive now intend described the number of sign-ups to to follow in the footsteps of the UCC clubs this year.

Societies Guild who introduced a With 6,000 sign-ups last year, McEscanner-system for over 70 of their voy pointed to the 500-600 sign-ups societies this year. They also intend of the hurling club and the nearto introduce a system of swipefivefold increase in sign-ups to the monitoring in the Mardyke to better cricket club, from 16 to 94 members, record figures attending various as markers of this improvement. training sessions.

However the challenge for McEWith newly installed Director of voy now will be to ensure the smooth Sport, Declan Kidney just settling running and administration of the 67 into his role McEvoy declined to talk clubs throughout the year. McEvoy about finances until such a time as had no figures of students that are they were less up in the air. He did actively involved in clubs although not have access to the previous year’s more than 10,000 use the Mardyke budget although McEvoy believes annually. There was however an inthere has little change in the figures crease in the number of teams lining

of it but the bits that are most pertinent to them. Their job is to get engaged, our job is to facilitate that engagement and to help them get the most out of that investment of time and money.”

“We have a high level of engagement in our clubs and societies, but there’s still room for growth, there’s still room for improvement. If there isn’t such a society when a student comes along and says “I want to do this, but it’s not on the list”, we should be in a place to facilitate that society in starting off. Being a founder of a new society is a great thing to have on a CV because is shows creativity, it shows a bit of gumption, and a willingness to contribute which will stand people in good stead.”

in recent years and that the clubs generally need every bit of it.

Reflecting on the core message of the Executive this year, McEvoy stressed participation over high-performance: “Our main message when we were out in orientation was: you finish college at 4 o’clock or 5 o’clock or 6 o’clock and there’s something for you to do in UCC. “You hear a lot about depression but there’s something for you to do here whether it’s going to a club, or going to a society and that’s where we should be encouraging people because there is something there for everyone; whether it’s going to the Juggling Club, going to the Debating Club or even the Hot Beverages Society, there is something for you to do.”

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UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday September 24, 2013

FEATURES INVESTIGATES

Who Pays?

Whilst the common perception is that funding for Clubs and Societies comes from the €160 Capitation Fee, the Express has been made privy to recently revealed figures by the Finance Office which state otherwise.

Thus we can reveal that funding for these activities in fact comes, in part, from a core university grant, and in part from a portion of the Student Contribution Charge (SCC).

The core university grant is subject to change annually and the amount taken from the SCC is calculated based on numbers of part-time and fulltime students.

A figure of €57.76 per fulltime student and €43.32 per part-time student is gathered from the €2750 Student Contribution Charge and split three ways between the Societies Guild, Clubs Executive and Aras na Mac Leinn.

Whilst the Clubs Executive declined to make their accounts available to us, the Societies Guild have confirmed that they receive 30% of this fund, or €17.10 per full-time student and €12.81 per parttime student. Visiting, Erasmus, JYA, Distance, CACE, and Occasional Students are exempt.

This formula has been in place since 1996 when the Government began to pay tui-

tion fees and it was declared that a Registration Fee would cover student services.

In total, the Societies Guild receives €126,938 from a core University grant and in 201213 received €276,148 from the SCC coming to a budget of €403,086 overall.

With regards to the Capitation Fee, the actual breakdown for 2013-14 is thus: • €110 covers the Mardyke

Arena Membership Fee

Another emphasis for the year is cost efficiency, both by the Guild and societies themselves. Pádraig wants to remove any perception that may exist of the Guild being Clare Crowley | Deputy Features Editor students in their roles on the committees, “Last April was an exciting time for poor at managing money. This year’s free UCC societies, where there were three win- and to also reward them for the time and pens for example cost half the price as the It may seem like that all you've been hearing on campus during Fresher’s week (and ners at the Board of Irish College Societies effort they put into their society.” Numbers year before. for the upcoming year look promising, Including sponsorship on the input especially Fáilte Fest) is “Join my society!” (BICS) awards: UCC Philosoph Society with 10,000 signups to societies at Societies column and money raised for charity on won the award for Best Online Presence, Maybe you joined fifteen different societies, Day through a new card scanning system, the output column, UCC societies have just for the free sweets or pens. Or else you UCC Environmental Society won for and nearly 4,000 through the good old Best Event (Feed the 500) and Samantha an annual turnover of €200,000. Last year couldn’t say no to people shouting in your fashioned sign-up sheet system.

Cooney, from UCC Amnesty International Surgeon Noonan raised €100,000 for their general direction, throwing flyers and makwon for Fresher of the Year.” charity through fundraising. Beyond the ing promises of a fantastic year ahead. Or Going Forward core University grant, a number of sociemaybe you had an actual genuine interest in For the upcoming year, the Societies So, just how many UCC students are ties are self-funding to varying degrees. As the society you signed up to. For whatever Guild hope to improve transparency and members of a society?

Pádraig outlines, societies such as Accountreason, it cannot be emphasised enough just accountability with the students, through a Currently, there are 787 students on a sociing and Finance and Commerce traditionhow fun and extremely rewarding being ety committee, and Pádraig explained how, blog on the societies portal which will track ally fund themselves through commercial part of a society can be. this year, these students would be rewarded. spending. The aforementioned accreditasponsorship. Many language and cultural I met with Pádraig Rice, Societies “There will be an academic accreditation tion is also another way to connect with societies, he states, receive sponsorship Guild President, to reflect on the success on your degree if you complete forty hours the students, as is finding more space for from embassies while there is a custom of of the previous year, to discuss society acthe societies, as the Hub can be crowded, former members of societies such as the creditation, and to find out what was being of committee work during the year. It is being brought in this year to encourage whilst trying to house over 90 societies.

Islamic Soc donating €1 on graduation. planned for the upcoming year.

Why should you join a society?

“First years, in particular, are encouraged to join a society to make new friends and to help you adapt to college life” says Katie Dennison, PRO for the Societies Guild. “It helps students who are in bigger courses, like Arts, to meet people with similar interests, make lifelong friends and have a good time. There is at least one society for everyone. I know, for me, becoming involved with societies was the best decision I ever made.”

Societies can bring you out of your shell, help you actively pursue and interest, or encourage you to try something you would originally have never thought of doing, and at the end of the day, they really add to college life. (Also, being a committee member boosts your CV!) So, if you haven't already, sign up!

Eye on S o ci e ti es

•

€40 is used to fund pay ment of the outstanding balance on the Mardyke Arena extension

• €5 is allocated to the SU

in UCC to cover USI Membership •

€3 is allocated to the SU to cover costs associated with running the SU Common Room

•

€2 is allocated to the SU to cover the costs associ ated with SU Publications, including Motley and the UCC Express.

This money is ringfenced annually for the above costs and has been approved by students over the years.

See the Societies Guild constitution here: http://tinyurl.com/or8u9qs

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Tuesday September 24 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

GAEILGE

Maidhc Dainín Ó Sé 1942-2013 le chéile, agus phós siad in Chicago. Bhí beirt pháistí acu ann, Deirdre agus Caoimhín.

Rugadh Maidhc Dainín Ó Sé sa bhliain 1942. D'fhill Maidhc agus Caitlín go hÉireann lena Bhí sé cúig bliana d'aois nuair a thosaigh sé ar muintir sa bhliain 1969, chun socrú síos i an mbunscoil i gCorca Dhuibhne in 1947. Is mBaile na nGall. Thosaigh Maidhc ag obair dócha gurb é an leabhar is cáiliúla le Maidhc mar thiománaí leoraithe, ach lean sé leis an Dainín ná 'A Thig Ná Tit Orm', mar go bhfuil gceol freisin. Bhain Maidhc sult as Oireachtas sé ar chúrsa na hArdteiste. Tá cur síos le na Gaeilge gach uile bhliain. Bhí áthas an fáil sa leabhar sin ar saol na scoile a bhí ag domhan air nuair a bhí sé ar siúl i gCiarraí, Maidhc Dainín, ón mbunscoil ar aghaidh go agus chuir sé fáilte roimh gach éinne go dtí a dtí Ceardscoil an Daingin. Tá an-bhéim ar áit dhúchais. Bhí triúr páistí eile acu, Danny, shaol sóisialta Mhaidhc le linn a óige. Léimid Dáithí agus Marianne. faoin oícheanta bothántaíochta a bheadh ar Seachas 'A Thig Ná Tit Orm', tá ocht leabsiúl i dtigh Mhaidhc i gcónaí. Cé nuair a hair déag eile foilsithe ag Maidhc Dainín Ó bhfuaireadar an raidió den chéad uair, théadh Sé, úrscéalta chomh maith le leabhar filíochta. muintir na háite go léir go dtigh muintir Uí Scéalaí iontach ab ea Maidhc Dainín. Bhí sé Shé chun éist leis. in ann scéalta a scríobh agus úsáid a bhaint Tar éis torthaí an Ghrúptheastais a fháil, as ghnáthchaint na ndaoine. Cuireadh leabhar dúirt Maidhc lena thuistí go raibh sé ag dul go Mhaidhc ar chúrsa na hArdteiste sa bhliain mBaile Átha Cliath chun cluiche a fheis1995 in ionad 'Peig'. Cé gur scéal an-shucint. Ní bhréag a bhí i gceist, ach i ndiaidh imiúil é scéal Pheig, tá 'A Thig Ná Tit Orm' an chluiche, d'imigh Maidhc Dainín ar an i bhfad níos nua-aimseartha. Dheineas féin mbád go Sasana. Chaith Maidhc tamaillín ag staidéar ar leabhar Mhaidhc agus thaitin sé go obair in monarchan i Londain sular bhfuair mór liom. Tá an leabhar lán de scéalta greansé post mar thógálaí. Tar éis tamaill, d'éirigh nmhara, mórmhór acu ag baint leis na daltaí Maidhc Dainín bréan den Shasana, agus lean a chuaigh ar chúrsaí Samhraidh i gCorca sé ar aghaidh go Meiriceá. Bhí a dhearthair Dhuibhne.

Páidí agus a dheirfiúr Máire ag fanacht leis in Tá cáil ar Mhaidhc Dainin mar gheall ar Chicago. a scríbhneoireacht agus an bosca cheoil, ach Dhein Maidhc beirt chairde mhaithe in seachas sin, fear flaithiúil agus cneasta a bhí Chicago. Ceoltóirí ab ea siúd chomh maith. i gceist, a léirigh fíorghrá don chultúr agus Bhí post aige ag seinm i dtigh tabhairne gach oidhreacht na hÉireann. Tá mo smaointí oíche Satharn. Is léir gurb é an ceol an rud ba le muintir Mhaidhc Dainín Ó Sé ag an am thábháchtaí i gcónaí. deacair seo. Ní bheidh a leithéid arís ann.

Bhuail Maidhc Dainín le Caitlín Nic Gearailt, as Oileán Chiarraí. Thiteadar i ngrá Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal.

Rachel Ní Chárthaigh | Scriobheoir

Cúrsa Deonach sa Ghaeilge Labhartha

Ar mhaith leat do chuid Gaeilge labhartha a chleachtadh agus a fheabhsú? Cuireann Ionad na Gaeilge Labhartha ranganna Gaeilge ar siúl chun spreagadh a thabhairt do mhic léinn an teanga a labhairt. Cruthaítear timpeallacht tacúil ina bhfuil deis ag na mic léinn bualadh le Gaelgeoirí eile agus feabhas a chur ar a gcuid Gaeilge labhartha. Chomh maith leis sin, eagraíonn an t-Ionad turasanna deireadh seachtaine go dtí an Ghaeltacht i rith na bliana. Cuireann siad fáilte roimh daoine le gach leibhéal Gaeilge! Má tá suim agat an cúrsa a dhéanamh, téigh go dtí an clárú.

Na sonraí: Clárú: Dé Ceadaoin 25/09/13, ORB G01 ag 1pm agus 5pm Cúrsa 15 Seachtaine: Uair a’ chloig sa tseachtain, 07/10/2013 – 14/02/2014 Táille: €40 (le tabhairt ar ais ag deireadh an chúrsa don té a dhéanfaidh freastal ar 80% nó níos mó de na ranganna)

Abair as Gaeilge é!

Ceist: Cad is ainm duit? (What is your name?)

Freagra: ______ is ainm dom (My name is ______ ) Ceist: Cén cúrsa atá á dhéanamh agat? (What course are you doing?)

Freagra: Tá _______ á dhéanamh agam (I am doing ______ ) • Na hÉalaíona (Arts) • Dlí (Law) • Eolaíocht (Science) • Tráchtáil (Commerce) • Leigheas (Medicine) Ceist: Cén bhliain ina bhfuil tú? (What year are you in?)

Freagra: Táim sa chéad bhliain / sa dara bliain / sa tríú bliain / sa cheathrú bliain (I am in first/ second/ third/ fourth year)

Coláiste Lurgan – Athbheochan na Gaeilge Rachel Ní hAodha | Eagarthóir Gaeilge

Chuir an banna ceoil, Seo Linn agus daltaí an choláiste an t-amhrán, Wake Me Up as Bíonn cuimhní iontacha i gcónaí ag daoine a Gaeilge, i láthair ag tús an chláir agus ba thaispeántas inspiorádach é. Líonadh an fhreastlaíonn ar Choláiste Samhraidh bliain stiúdió le daltaí an choláiste agus chruthaigh i ndiaidh bliana– déanann siad cairde nua, a gcuid fuinnimh atmaisféar dochreidte ann. téann siad chuig céilithe agus bíonn siad i Bhíodar ag canadh an amhráin in aon guth bhfad ó bhaile ar feadh tamaill. Ach i rith amháin le Seo Linn trí mhéan na Gaeilge. an tsamhraidh seo, tugadh aird ar Choláiste Léirigh sé an tsuim atá ag na daltaí sa teanga Lurgan, go háirithe. Bhí amhráin á n-aistriú agus an grá atá acu don Ghaeilge. Fuair siad go Gaeilge acu agus á thaifeadadh acu an-fhreagra ón lucht tacaíochta ar an idirlín chomh maith. Uaslódáladh na hamhráin go agus músclaíodh bród ionainn inár dteanga dtí Youtube agus roinn daoine na físeáin ar dhúchais.

Facebook agus ar Twitter. Is iad An tAdh Cuireann an dea-obair atá á dhéanamh ag Nocht, Pompeii as Gaeilge, An Laisc is Coláiste Lurgan le athbheochan na Gaeilge Mó agus Amhrán na gCupán cuid de na hamhráin atá clúdaithe acu. D’éirigh leis an agus spreagtar daoine i dtreo na teanga. Tá gColáiste níos mó ná dhá milliúin radharcan- an Ghaeilge ag dul ó neart go neart agus is áis luachmhar í ceol chun an teanga a na a bhaint amach ar a bhfíseán, Wake Me Up as Gaeilge, agus d’éist Avicii é féin leis! chaomhnú agus í a choiméad beo. Chun féachaint ar an léiriú a rinne siad ar The Late Chuaigh ionadaithe ón gColáiste ar Late Show, téigh ar Youtube agus cuardaigh The Late Late Show chun labhairt le Ryan Coláiste Lurgan Wake Me Up as Gaeilge. Is Tubridy faoina gcuid amhrán agus faoin rathúlacht atá bainte amach acu cheana féin. fiú féachaint air!

13

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday September 24, 2013

FOOD

– The home of student cooking!

Chicken and Mushroom Stir-fry

Stir fries are super fast and super easy! Perfect for those nights you don’t have much time or really need to be somewhere else other than the kitchen!

Preparation Time 10 mins Cooking Time 15 mins Hi guys! Its great to be back! Hope you all had a fantastic summer and a great Fresher’s week! So what’s new with us? Well this year CollegeDinners has teamed up with a Nutritionist and Chef, Lucy Hyland to make sure our recipes not only taste even more delicious but also have some nutritional information and great tips for even the most novice chef!

So how about a recipe to start? Our first recipe of the year is a quick and tasty stir-fry that will get dinner on the table in about 15 minutes...

Y

A. €12 B. €20 C. €50 Email your name and answer to info@collegedinners.ie before 3rd October – Good Luck!

Have a great week & happy cooking!

K no

Mushrooms are a good source of B vitamins. B vitamins are essential for energy production so include some form of B vitamins every day to boost energy levels!

Did

CollegeDinners weekly meal deal costs;

Cooking Instructions 1.

Heat oil on a moderate heat in your pan/wok for approx. 30 seconds

then add the sliced chicken and cook for 5 minutes.

2.

Add your chopped onions, mushrooms and peppers

and stir-fry together for a further 3-5 minutes.

3.

Add in your soy sauce and honey and reduce heat and

let the flavour infuse for about 3 minutes.

4.

Serve with some noodles cooked as per instructions

on pack.

?

For your chance to win a CollegeDinners meal deal for you and 3 of your friends, simply answer the following question:

Store Cupboard • Dash of Soy Sauce • Glug of oil • 1 tsp honey (if you have it) • Noodles or rice noodles

w

COMPETITION TIME!

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Mushrooms hate water! The be st way to wash mushr ooms is to get a damp te a towel or piece of kitchen paper and wipe the outsid e of the mushrooms gently.

T ip

In association with the Express, we will also be featuring a competition where you can win dinner for you and your friends (if you chose to share) and other juicy prizes...check out the full details of this weeks’ competition below!

To

p

If you haven’t tried our service before, there’s never been a better time! What’s in in for you? Each week we bring you the key ingredients you need to make student friendly (but ever so tasty) recipes and we post full cooking instructions on the website so you know what to do with what you get! We deliver to 8 different locations close to college – just check out our website www.collegedinners.ieand select the nearest pick up point to you. And the best part is, you can get your student weeks worth of meals (and beyond) for just €12!

Fresh Ingredients • 1 Chicken Fillet (finely sliced) • 2-3 Mushrooms (gently washed and sliced) • 1 Spring Onion/Onion (finely sliced) • 1/2 red or yellow pepper (washed, de-seeded and sliced) • 1 Clove of garlic (peeled and chopped)

14

EXPRESS PHOTOS

Tuesday September 24 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday September 24, 2013

15

EXPRESS PHOTOS

16

Tuesday September 24 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

FASHION

TRACKINGw

TRENDS Fashion Editor, Nicole Clinton, highlights Autumn/Winter 2013’s most important ladies’ trends and explains how to wear them, using pieces from her personal collection.

Photographs: Emmet Curtin. Styling: Nicole Clinton

PUNK

This look is all about displaying a tough and reckless style and takes inspiration from the rock-stars of past decades and especially from the punk revolution of the 1970s.

Due to its status as ‘cultural shorthand for cool’ and its ability to add attitude to any ensemble, it’s no doubt that leather is an important factor in mastering the punk trend this season. Black leather pants, skirts and shorts are all intriguing ways to achieve the look but for those who possess a safer sense of style, the leather jacket would be a milder dosage of edge. Anything with zips, studs or buckles exemplifies the trend perfectly and my personal tip for transforming even the blandest top/skirt/jacket into a punk spectacle is the inclusion of visible safety pins (the bigger the bolder!). Tartan is obviously the pattern of choice for this style, however red leopard print is also a feature of this trend after appearing on the Michael Kors runway. Oversize statement knitwear is characteristic of this trend too. Long, thick jumpers are paired with mini- skirts or shorts, as seen in the Moschino A/W ‘13 catwalk show. The addition of knee-high socks to this particular combination would create a fun, cute dimension like Selena Gomez exhibited recently. When it comes to accessories, chokers, cuffs and chains do the trick and patent or leather reign supreme for handbags and footwear. Punk footwear is chunky and not dainty with buckled boots and thick heals producing the anti-establishment aura. As you can see, my version of a wearable punk outfit sees me teaming a tartan blazer with a black, zip decorated top and pants, a studded bag and platform heeled boots.

PLAIDS AND CHECKS

Stemming from last A/W’s heritage trend, plaids and checks reflect more of a traditional autumnal style. Its mild reliance on tartan means that it slightly intersects with punk but hounds-tooth and plaid are perhaps the most significant patterns to achieving this look.

Obviously, the bigger the print, the more audacious the look so if you only want to dabble in the trend, select a more subtle sized print. Heritage can be embodied through a range of pieces from coats and blouses to pants and skirts. However, tread carefully with this look as it can appear to be quite old fashioned due to its reputation for being a favourite of English country-gents and Sherlock Holmes! To prevent any Hound of the Baskervilles comparisons, choose young pieces like mini-skirts, shorts or fitted jackets. A doctor’s bag style handbag and patent shoes are accessories that would compliment this look suitably. The colour palette for this trend meanders its way through black, white, grey, brown, orange and red hues but if you want to portray a less classical style, pink, purple or blue check patterns would be more funky choices. I use a hounds-tooth coat as a statement piece, contrast it with a vibrant orange shirt and add a spice of playful youth with kneehigh socks.

TEXTURE

This trend is unusual as it is not just about what something looks like, but what it feels like and what it looks like it feels like (complicated, I know! But remember fashion is a science as well as an art!). Anything faux-fur, hide, wool, velvet, mohair, suede, feathery or fluffy embodies this look flawlessly. In my opinion, it is best channelled through coats and accessories. But as we are all friends of animals here, please choose the fake version of the fabric instead! River Island’s current collection features a significant amount of crushed velvet and New Look are a safe bet for a chunky wool or mohair cardigan at the moment. I add a faux-fur collar to a navy blue, suede-effect jacket and toughen the look with a leather pants and snakeskin accessories.

PA S T E L S

This one is rather bizarre for the autumn/winter season as pastels are traditionally part of the spring/summer colour palette. Pale grey-blues and blush pinks are the most prominent in this season’s collections as far as pastels are concerned. However, to prevent this look from entering spring territory, focus on strong shapes father than flimsy pieces. Tailored coats and suits or fitted skirts provide an ideal opportunity to show off this colour scheme and the strict structure leaves no room for ambiguity surrounding the season you are dressing for. You can find a classic, pastel coat at Debenhams and Topshop this Winter.

NAUGHTY/ NICE

This is a trend that is concerned with mixing the tough with the soft and the gritty with femininity. Valentino showed us how to soften something as dangerous as wine leather on his A/W runway by adding a white lace collar and cuff. Strong leathers and PVC can be relaxed by being paired with traditionally ‘girly’ fabrics such as lace or chiffon. For example, teaming a leather skirt or pants with a lace blouse creates the desired effect. The trend also serves a purpose where the colour wheel is concerned. Harsh blacks and greys can be softened by being paired with contrasting delicate white, cream and blush tones. Hard styles can be fluffed up by adding pretty collars or frills or alternatively, prissy styles can be roughened up by employing leather accessories. In my TEXTURE look, I also use a frilly, cream blouse to soften the leather pants.

“

To prevent any Hound of the Baskervilles comparisons, choose young pieces like mini-skirts, shorts or fitted jackets.

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday September 24, 2013

17

FASHION

STYLE CRUSH

By Nicole Clinton

Jessica Chastain always adds a sprinkle of old Hollywood sophistication to a red carpet. The combination of her elegant gown, her luscious, red hair and her pale, flawless skin transforms a businessheavy movie premiere into a glamorous gala that reminds us of the otherworldly quality that movie stars are still capable of displaying. She continuously shies away from the California tan and highlights that pale complexions are just as alluring, topping off the look with a classic red lip and wavy, long hair that flows down her back effortlessly.

At the 2012 Academy Awards, the actress’s Alexander McQueen strapless dress channelled the baroque trend with gold, hand-embroidered appliqué patterns bringing the black to life. To this years ceremony she donned a nude, fitted Armani Privé custom gown that cemented her movie star status on the carpet. A sparkly mosaic design decorated the entire dress in discrete, geometric patterns.

But her choice of dress for the 2013 Golden Globe awards proved that she isn’t afraid to take risks occasionally. She released her inner mermaid by mixing a backless, Calvin Klein, pale-aqua gown with hair that was slicked back on the sides only.

Tuesday September 24 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

18

THE NEW CORKER

THE NEW CORKER

Eoghan Scott | Fiction Editor @EoghanScott

When the Rain Came

W

By Ruth Lawlor

hen the rain came, it came all afternoon; the clouds closed ranks around one another and the sky darkened to a threatening deep navy as the dusk descended before its time. The trees bent their branches under its weight and the grass wilted underneath its magnificent power, and the people went indoors and pulled their curtains shut. Every now and then they would peep out woefully to see if the weather had cleared, but this was a rain that was not going to go away.

Even still, it was a subdued sort of rain, the kind that is not driven by howling winds or bitter cold. It was as though it came from nowhere, really, and had nowhere to go, except to empty its endless tears out onto the earth below. For the heavens could not understand its pain, and the gods were insensitive to its human suffering and so it poured, and so it rained, day after day after day. In that time it looked as though the sun were too melancholic to rise, and the moon too weak to shine, and just when they thought it might be over they heard the soft hiss against the glass that intensified to a chilling dead-beat pound-pound-pound upon their heavy hearts. The big clouds rolled in from across the sea and the white horses wildly tossed their manes, and the power went out, and the people were plunged into darkness. And a darkness settled on their shoulders, a darkness that neither daylight nor silence could cure.

Bad things were happening, they were sure, but they did not know when and they did now know why. * He, too, was staring out his window, though he was not one of them. His mind was clear but his body displayed those agitated signs of nervousness and anxiety that manifested themselves when he stopped taking his medication, as he had been for some time now. Yes, they gave him comfort and solace, but in the same way you take comfort from the last moments of a dying friend: relieved that their suffering is over, fearful of the unknown that awaits them alone.

He had built a world once, built it not from bricks and stone but from the matter of his mind, that insubstantial, intangible stuff that constitutes our thoughts and our dreams. He constructed walls around himself and cowered within their protection, safe from the outside world but afraid they would find a way in, and always wondering, and always unsure. But they destroyed it; they tainted and corrupted it with their treatments and their lies, and now he did not know anymore, now he walked that fine line between lucidity and reality, never really knowing on which side he might fall.

He had turned his back on them now, walked away from the mountains

in which he had been held prisoner for so long. The fields of creativity were open and fertile before him, awaiting his touch, ready for his command. He longed for that glance over his shoulder, to look for one final time at the torment that lay behind him, ingrained in his past, but he knew that he could not allow himself that second of reflection. The consciousness is a powerful place; it has a certain hold of you, a grip on the vessels that flow through your body. To feed it is to self-destruct. For if you let it have you, if you let it control you, if you give into it even for the briefest of moments, it can consume you from the inside out. It becomes you. And it destroys the person you really are. There is nothing more terrifying than being captive in your own mind.

The world outside was devoid of colour, light black from pole to pole.

It was as though life itself was slowly winding down, devesting itself of substance. His very existence was languidly unravelling, his story, chapter by chapter, untelling itself. As fast as he tried to write he could not keep up; line by line the ink disappeared at his very touch. The end was surely coming, but he was determined not to relinquish his hold.

He could see his reflection in the window because the lights outside had long been extinguished. There was no sun to power them, and no technician to fix them, for no-one dared venture out in weather like this. His image was a ghostly, shimmering one, blurred by droplets of rain streaming down the glass. He touched his hand gently to his face as if to feel the moisture, but there was nothing there other than cracked, rough skin.

He held his fingers against his cheek, hesitating for a moment, unused to the warmth of its touch. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine what it would feel like: to have someone else talk to him, hold him, care for him. These emotions were alien to him. It was not that he was cold or callous, but he could not understand. He remembered his mother playing with him in the garden, his brothers and sister trying in vain to make him laugh. Eventually he learned to imitate their reactions but his eyes remained empty and unfeeling. Eventually they realised that there was something wrong with him and they drew away.

He had shaved his head not too long ago, but the hair was beginning to grow back now, sparse and matted with blood. At the start of the year he had bought a box of colourful thumbtacks in a stationary shop, the ones with the long handles on them. And each day he inserted one into his flesh, pushing until he reached bone, for the skin was thin around the skull and it did not require much pain. At night they were embedded deeper into his head as he slept, and he was sure at the back that the needles had created bigger holes, eating up the plastic as well as the metal tip. There were over three hundred now, each a reminder of another day. Now the people stared at him, instead of avoiding his eyes.

He almost looked comical, walking down the street with multi-coloured pins sticking out of his head at odd and haphazard angles. Sometimes the children laughed, and their parents did too, until they realised what the objects were, and saw the rust that had slowly rotted each and every one, infecting the entry wounds that had started out so small but grown into throbbing and ugly sores, oozing with a putrid pus. Then they closed their mouths into tight lines and took their infants’ hands and walked a little faster, their skin pale and their eyes darting back and forth in panic, as though he would make any sudden movements. He never did. He just watched them with an unblinking stare, but that seemed to scare them even more. * So he stared out his window and watched the rain come down, and he thought of children in the night-time, and went to bed with a thin smile.

19

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday September 24, 2013

COLOUR

Express launches colour section amid much hilarity The UCC Express officially launched its colour section for the year ahead with a drinks reception in the Aula Maxima last Tuesday.

The launch came a week after UCC had adverts placed on electronic advertising boards which popped up intermittently during the Ireland-Austria World Cup Qualifier. They read: ‘UCC Ireland’s Winning University’.

That same day UCC fell 20 places in the QS World University Rankings.

“It’s good to know that the college will be making it easy for us to poke fun at university bodies throughout the year” said Express Editor-in-Chief A.E. Walsh.

“I mean the range of things to pick at there: the ‘Ireland’s Winning University’ slogan, the rankings fall, the cutbacks on educational spending, the comparisons to the Irish soccer team; it would literally take an idiot to not be able to spit out a mildly humorous half-page of content about that alone.”

The Express supremo, who is known to have no sense of humour, reacted to calls by the student body to make the college paper more lowbrow for the coming academic year and in a cold, calculating manner appointed some of her more funny colleagues to take over the page.

Deputy Editor, S.T. Barry echoed Walsh’s comments and backed her actions.

The calls for a colour section began at the SU Elections in March, with candidates seen visibly thinking when questioned on the topic before stating that the paper would be more widely read if it had “more funnies.”

A survey of UCC students backed up these mutterings.

An educational analyst working with the Irish Times said that the calls for the college paper to become less intellectually challenging signalled “the dropping standards of education in the college,” before continuing to state that “the college itself is situated on a flood plain and the people are scummy racists.”

Once calmed down, the analyst, who requested to remain anonymous, said that policies such as employing six tour guides in the ORB, giving every student who asks their own society, and Motley all add to UCC’s diminishing intellectualism and slipping entrance standards.

For her part, Walsh continued “I am

EXPRESS COLOUR LAUNCH

13

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday August 27, 2013

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UCC unveils shortlist of myths for new academic year

T

Office noted that UCC are still he UCC Office of Marketclosely monitoring the Egyptian ing and Communications political situation before chooshas revealed its shortlist ing whether to condone the of superstitions for the new armed forces’ coup d’état and academic year. The shortlist government or side with interim of five comprises the potential dissident Muslim Brotherthe activities and subsequent curses It is not yet known what hood. should students befall would which effect Egypt’s civil unrest will have they vote in and then complete the on UCC’s alleged Egyptian mummy. reprehensible deed.

“It was innocuous enough stuff at From January 1st onwards those first but it grew exponentially who engage in a lewd song and dance the publicity undoubtedly helped and outside the Fishbowl at night could be UCC become Ireland’s first fivedestined to never get a seat there at examuniversity,” said Storey. “The uplift star time or students who engage in Facebook these stories can’t be overstated and from ‘spotting’ on campus could be exiled in derlines how much power our office it unNeptune Stadium for all their end of year has.” exams.

Storey also addressed concerns The innovation has been underopening up the mythology of that UCC to taken in order to add further mystique to a public vote would damage the college the has myths previous of as the implementation

keen to express the numerous measures, some which verge on pure stupidity, we will take to entertain students” as onlookers burst into laughter at the use of the words ‘express’ and ‘verge’ in the one sentence.

“I mean many students don’t bother to vote, so why should I think they would read a news or current affairs section? Well the answer to that is that I don’t.”

“That’s why our budgetary coverage will be complemented by ‘join the dots’ puzzles, the Irish language section will essentially be a colouring book and the Sudoku will be replaced by the colour blue. All in all, it’s about making the paper more interactive and reaching as wide an audience as possible.”

“Expect plenty of CIT jokes,” said one contributor, “or if we’re feeling particularly satirical, we will hit CTRL + F and replace CIT with UCC. It will be carnage!”

Walsh also outlined some other plans for the Express in the coming year, most notably the suggestion to bring copies of the paper to locations on main campus other than the nearest window ledge in the Boole Basement.

However plans to bring a bundle of issues to the Brookfield campus have been shelved for the time being and will be re-examined when one of the editors learns how to drive, or alternatively when medical students become interested in popular culture.

The colour section which started by lightly mocking UCC’s myths and customs in the Freshers issue, is expected to continue to engage in such jokey ridicule in the coming six months.

20

Tuesday September 24 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

SPORT

Wrestling beats squash for 2020 Olympics spot UCC Squash Club captain Michael Hanrahan reacts to Squash’s failed Olympic bid.

The vote by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting in Buenos Aires on Sunday, 8th September disappointingly saw squash not being included in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Squash was one of three sports short-listed for a spot in the 2020 Olympics. Wresting and baseball-softball were the others with wresting being ultimately chosen for the games.

Wrestling was always going to be a strong opponent for inclusion as it has featured in every modern Olympics except in 1900. The results from the meeting were 49 votes for wrestling, 24 for baseball-softball and 22 for squash.

Squash was the only sport on the ballot that would have been new to the games. World Squash Federation (WSF) president Narayana

Ramachandran admitted that he was griefstricken that squash didn’t make it.

“This decision is heart-breaking for the millions of squash players around the world, particularly given the 10-year journey we have been on to join the Olympic Games Sports Program” Over the past 2 years the Squash 2020: Back the bid campaign has significantly raised the profile of the sport and even with the disappointing result this time WSF chief executive Andrew Shelley pledged that Squash will keep trying.

“It’s not finished yet. We’ll keep trying. We will continue to grow and hope the Olympic door may open in the future. If there is a desire for additional sports, we hope to be in the mix.”

Squash has come to grow and develop as a sport. Advances in visual technology have made squash much more spectator friendly.

Camera angles, court design and the use of video review have made the game more entertaining. In addition, the location of the all glass court could have been used to show-off iconic landscapes.

The game of squash was first created by the boys of Harrow school in London around 1830. Squash is now played in 185 countries all over the world. In 2003 Forbes Magazine named squash as the world’s healthiest sport in terms of cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, endurance, flexibility, calories burned per hour and minimal injury risk. Busy people require exercise that can be conducted quickly with maximum return

R epl acing Trap attoni Barry Aldworth | Sport Editor @Aldworth_Barry

Martin O’Neill: Having previously managed Celtic and Aston Villa, among other clubs, O’Neill has been out of work since being fired by Sunderland. As well as being the bookies favourite to win the role, O’Neill also seems to be the popular choice amongst the majority of the fans.

Given his relationship with many of the current Irish players, having previously managed a large number of them at club level, O’Neill appears to be the man to beat for the job.

on the time invested. Squash burns up to 1500 calories per hour in a competitive, fun environment that delivers significant health benefits in as little as half an hour.

Squash is a gender neutral game that can be played by people of any age. It is fun, easy to learn and is a great way of keeping fit. It can be played at any time of the day, all year long, and in just 40 minutes.

Squash is a popular sport here at UCC. The Mardyke Arena squash courts are located on the 1st floor and can be booked for free at reception (rackets and ball provided). The Squash Club also offers coaching for players (even if you’ve never played before), tournaments and ladder competitions.

If interested in joining please contact the club at squash@uccclubs.ie.

After a disappointing 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign Giovanni Trapattoni left his post as manager of the Irish soccer team by mutual consent. While one man has already emerged as the clear favourite for the role, who are the other candidates the FAI should be considering?

Mick McCarthy: Despite having previously taken Ireland to a World Cup during his previous stint as manager, McCarthy is probably best remember for his infamous fall out with former captain Roy Keane.

Currently the manager of Ipswich Town, McCarthy also has a wealth of managerial experience at club level. However, despite the experience, McCarthy has tasted victory in just under 40% of the games he’s managed. This record may lead to a numerous Irish fans being disappointed if McCarthy gets a second chance as Irish manager.

Brian McDermott: Despite attempts to distance himself from the role, McDermott is reportedly still amongst the FAI’s preferred candidates to become the new manager. Despite not having as much top level managerial experience as some of the other candidates, McDermott has experienced a great deal of success with his former club Reading. As a former League Managers Association (LMA) Championship Manager of the Year, as well as a Premier League Manager of the Month, the current Leeds United boss has all the necessary tools to be the next great Irish manager.

Roy Keane: Given Roy Keane’s past criticisms of the FAI this is a significantly less likely outcome than the others suggested. However, despite this Keane would certainly go down as a popular choice with both fans and the media alike. The reaction such an appointment would get from the players would likely be a combination of respect, fear and perhaps admiration. While Keane is without doubt one of the best players to ever wear a green jersey, he has never quite cut it as a manager. His spells at Sunderland and Ipswich were largely viewed as failures, especially by Keane who fell a long way short of the goals he had set himself and his team.

Chris Hughton: Also a great former Irish player in his own right, Hughton is probably the most respected Irish manager after Martin O’Neill. Currently in charge at Norwich, Hughton has established himself as one of the best development coaches in Britain, often getting the best out of young players that have failed to take off at other clubs. However, Hughton is also unlikely to be seriously interested in any offers for the Irish job. The London-born manager has successfully built a team in Norwich which has the potential to become one of the better teams in Britain over the next few years.

All signs seem to point towards Martin O’Neill replacing Trapattoni. However, with the names mentioned above, as well as others such as Liam Brady, Owen Coyle and Stuart Pearce, all potentially in the hunt it is unlikely that the FAI will make a decision any time soon.

21

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday September 24, 2013

American Football - not all about the waterboy

SPORT

Brian Barry tells all about his experiences with American football during a trip to the states Washington-Grizzly Stadium, home to the Montana Grizzlies, is the centre-piece of Missoula, a small city in the west of Montana. It seats 27,000 people, and considering that the population of the city is just under 70,000, come game-day the city is completely enveloped with maroon. This is a proud football city; this is ‘Griz Nation.’

My initial experience with American Football came one week earlier, after successfully slipping around the security guards into the Grizzlies’ closed-doors training session in the stadium. On first impression, I must say that every preconceived stereotype which I had of the sport was true. An excessive rate of high fives and an unnecessarily frequent number of shouts of encouragement are part of the parcel. The coach, reported to be on a sevenfigure salary, commands serious respect from the players, who take a knee every time he opens his mouth.

The Grizzlies season opener pitted them against Appalachian State Mountaineers, a game which also marked the first time the stadium would host a game under the newly installed floodlights; a big event for the University team.

College sports are a completely different proposition in America to what is seen in Ireland. College pride is massive. Not only students, but locals for miles around are drawn

in to support the teams. It could be compared to when UCC hosted the Fitzgibbon Cup final, the crème de la crème of university hurling, in 2012. On campus, you wouldn’t notice that just across the road, a massive game, to which the college’s elite athletes had committed their whole year, was taking place.

In Montana, it’s different. Supporters were flocking in from Friday afternoon. Come Friday night, the stadium was surrounded by campervans as fans arrived early in order to to soak up the atmosphere and to kick off the long weekend with a few beers.

Game-day itself was another step-up. The campus was engulfed with maroon and silver, as seemingly everybody was going to the game. Whilst drinking in public was not only sociably acceptable, on game-day it seemed to be encouraged.

Come 6pm, the stadium was thronged.

Shouts of “GO GRIZ” reverberated around the ground. For a relatively small ground, Washington-Grizzly Stadium can get quite loud. Pre-game festivities are a big thing over here too. The team mascot, Monte, made his entrance onto the pitch riding a motor-bike, joined by skydivers flying in from all angles.

The organisers did not spare a thought for ‘App State’ in coordinating their entrance.

The Grizzlies entered the arena to a cacophony of fireworks and smoke machines,

as the band made a guard of honour to clap them out. App State, on the other hand, made a rather low-key entrance, coming out a different tunnel, with no music being played.

Hostile is not the word.

Chants were heavily coordinated by the cheerleaders. One side of the stadium would be prompted to bellow ‘MONTANA’ before the other half responded ‘GRIZZLIES.’ The band played a big part too, piping up at any break in play. The stadium was heaving with noise.

Montana scored the first touch-down and the ground erupted, before a missed field-goal attempt stifled the crowd. When the whistle blew for half-time, the customary exodus for hot-dogs and beer ensued. The half-time show was more appreciated in the student section, while the more hardcore fans exited to discuss the game before the second half.

It was a low-scoring match, finishing 30-6 to the Grizzlies. Fans flooded the pitch afterwards to get pictures and autographs from the players, and also cheerleaders alike.

My first American Football game was an exhilarating experience from start to finish. A great day, and night, out. I can safely say that I, for one, am getting my hands on a ticket for the next match as soon as possible. I’ve been converted; I’m officially an American Football fan. GO GRIZ.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden E d i t o r As part of a new feature designed to examine the lesser known clubs of UCC, Gaming Editor Brian Conmy tried judo for the first time.

Having been created in 1882 by Jigoro Kano, Judo, literally meaning “gentle way” is a sport which focuses on immobilising an opponent using throws or takedowns, or forcing the opposition to submit.

I am not a well co-ordinated man. Mirrors confuse me for instance. So the prospect of going to UCC Judo’s club training on a Wednesday night was slightly terrifying to me. Doing some quick research beforehand to discover that Judo, the Japanese full contact martial art with a focus on grappling, only acted to worry me further with the phrase “full contact”.

Getting to Hall 1 in the Mardyke at 9pm I was glad to talk to some others there for whom it was also their first time, the more experienced members and instructors in attendance were quick to talk to everyone and not just who they already knew though. I was quickly put at ease that I was not the only new member, even if I was only there for an article, and that the club was as opening and clique free as it was.

After signing in with our student numbers and a quick set up consisting of laying out mats on the floor to break our falls, for there were many many falls followed by some warming up, we were quickly instructed on the safest ways to fall coming out of throws or general spills.

While initially worrying to learn I would be taking a few dives that evening I threw myself into the lessons (literally) and was quickly enjoying what was likely a rather

important safety instructions rather than entertainment.

Being unfamiliar with any martial art or generally any activity like this suddenly being instructed on how to throw people who were often bigger and stronger than me to the ground was a mild revelation. Being thrown was also surprisingly fun once you knew the safe way to land, I’m fairly sure others in attendance were wondering why I was giggling on the ground after being thrown.

While safety was always a concern and instructors were keeping a close eye on everyone who had been paired up to practice what we were being taught they were also always present to explain things in more detail, for instance when being paired with a girl in attendance we had mild trouble understanding how to carry out a type of ground choke which was quite different to what we were shown previously. Instructors were patient in again demonstrating the technique and then walking us through it step by step in both perspectives, person on the ground or person on top.

Looking back now I realise that use of the words “ground choke” and “throw” may be misleading to a reader unfamiliar with what exactly I’m talking about. Everything that went on at the training session was done extremely safely and fairly light heartedly, I know that I had a great time and I’d wager so did everyone else that evening. Surprisingly, I expect to be going to training again on Monday at the same time and place.

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Tuesday September 24 2013 | UCC EXPRESS

SPORT

Kickboxing club to continue fight against inequality Barry Aldworth | Sport Editor @Aldworth_Barry

Too often efforts by a group to combat inequality get overlooked as each individual struggles with their own problems.

However, in a recent initiative the UCC Kickboxing club has attempted to punch, wrestle and kick inequality out of UCC. Members from the club designed and brought into place a specialised training regime for students registered with the Certificate in Contemporary Living Course (CCL).

A two year course, the CCL focuses on helping students with intellectual disabilities develop the necessary skills to promote self-reliance and an increased level of participation in society.

The new training course came about after several students registered with the CCL called for an opportunity to become further involved with the Kickboxing Club.

Furthermore, members of the club noticed the distinct lack of training options for CCL students in UCC. Following the brainwave at UCC’s annual Clubs’ Day, the first specialised training sessions began in 2012.

With the help of Andre Kenneally, the CCL course co-ordinator, the training sessions, dubbed Kickboxing Plus and taught by members of the club, covered everything from fitness, self-defence and healthy eating.

When contacted for comment, the Kickboxing Club’s joint-captain, Colm Padraig Duffy, said that prior to the launch of the sessions, “There was a distinct lack of lack of facilities for students with a disability (at UCC) and we were only too happy to contribute our time.” These sentiments were echoed by the club’s cocaptain Katie Togher.

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After encouraging other clubs to launch similar schemes, she added that the Kickboxing Club “hope to continue, and improve on the progress made last year during the course of this academic year.

The lack of facilitation within the UCC sporting arena is something that needs to be addresses sooner rather than later.”

The success of the new initiative was best highlighted at the feedback sessions held after each training course.

“We held a feedback session at the end of each training session to assess what everyone’s goals were. We tried as much as possible to incorporate everybody’s

ideas into the training where feasible.

Both the trainers and the participants have learned a lot from the last year, it has been very important to all of us and we are all proud to be a part of it,” club co-captain Duffy added.

Following the success of the new course, the club was named the winner of the 2012/13 Equality Challenge by UCC’s Student Union.

The club will now receive the award during this term, with both captains expressing joy at the news. “We are delighted, and hope that this will spur on a further erosion of inequalities that exist within the University.”

Whilst many students will still face challenges and stereotypes when they enter UCC, the efforts of the Kickboxing Club show that these walls can be torn down.

Furthermore, it shows that one seemingly minor change can make a huge difference to the lives of many.

The Kickboxing Plus Program will be running throughout this academic year. For further information on training sessions, or to get involved, email: kickboxing@ uccclubs.ie

23

UCC EXPRESS | Tuesday September 24, 2013

SPORT

Cork and Clare to do battle once more Kevin Galvin takes a look at what to expect from the All-Ireland Hurling Replay this Saturday.

As Domhnall O’Donovan slotted over the matchlevelling, career defining point, the 81,651 watching in Croke Park, and the many more on TV let out a final gasp during the course of one of the most astonishing finals ever seen in any sport.

A loss would have been rough justice for the Banner, who were the better side on the day, but Cork’s efficiency in front of goal saw them close down a six point lead in the final fifteen minutes, an effort which seemed to have sealed a Rebel victory. Goals from Conor Lehane, goalkeeper Anthony Nash from a 20m free, and Pa Horgan in the second half saw a dramatic shift in momentum on a balmy Sunday afternoon in Croker, forcing a replay, which given the occasion was unusually usual.

Backtrack five months and a freezing Gaelic Grounds in Limerick hosted the same two teams in a league relegation battle. Having lost to Clare earlier in the season, Cork were on the verge of dumping their Munster rivals out of the division after a late goal (sounds familiar, eh?), but two points in as many additional minutes forced the game to extra time. The Banner took the momentum in the added period though, and powered ahead to win despite a late Cathal Naughton scare.

Momentum has been key between these teams; not so much a matter of who had it, but how the team which didn’t responded.

Davy Fitzgerald’s Clare side had the advantage for the majority of the first half, and yet

only led by two points. Cork meanwhile had it for fifteen minutes and made up seven on their Munster rivals. The difference between the two was execution, particularly in the final third of the field. Pa Horgan’s goal followed an inexcusable miss by the Banner’s Podge Collins, a gamechanging minute if there ever was one.

One excuse the Clare forward might have looked to is the soccer style slide tackle employed by Cork goalkeeper Anthony Nash, which should have seen a free-in for the Western county.

That was one of a string of controversial decisions given in favour of Jimmy Barry-Murphy’s Cork side.

Controversy naturally was the centre of a thrilling final. Cork’s Shane O’Neill let out a palpable sigh of relief, having slashed his hurley down the back of Darach Honan’s helmet.

Meanwhile, Anthony Nash felt his effort on goal should’ve been retaken in the first half after Clare‘s Patrick Kelly rushed off his goal line.

Controversy has already gripped this replay, particularly with its scheduling.

While last year’s replay saw the Ladies Football Final moved to accommodate the unforeseen extra game, the GAA have decided this time to have the All-Ireland final on a Saturday, a decision which Cork manager Jimmy Barry-Murphy subsequently slated, believing Sunday to be the only reasonable option.

The 5pm throw-in has also proven to be an unpopular decision. Purists have objected due

Badminton Club to host charity tournament Clare Warner| Sports Writer

Back with a bang! UCC Badminton Club is hosting a charity tournament for the third year running on Sunday October 6th.

The event, which will be hosted in the Mardyke, is in aid of The Bubblegum Club and is open to all divisions and abilities.

The tournament is great for those who want to get more involved in badminton, but have been out of practice for a while as its an easy going and fun day with a night out beforehand.

The matches are mixed with everyone getting at least 2 games and entry is 10 euro to be paid on arrival. Spot prizes, a raffle and off court games are there to keep you occupied and entertained for the entirety, as well as a Yonex stall on the day for you to browse and stock up on essentials for the coming season.

This is a tournament reputed for its social side and is great to help you get to know everyone from Cork badminton and beyond at the beginning of the year.

Over the last 2 years 1000 euro was raised and we want to keep this going for such a worthwhile cause!

To enter, send your name and division to clare. warner6@gmail.com before October 3rd. Entry is single with an open draw for partners.

to the fact that the match will have to be played partially under floodlight conditions. Meanwhile, fans of both sides will be forced to return home from Dublin in heavy traffic under darkness, something which Championship supporters consider unfamiliar territory.

Expect controversy to take centre-stage on the pitch as well on the 28th, particularly given the

fact that this will be the fifth time these two sides will have met competitively this season, a record seldom seen.

There were signs of the antagonistic feeling between the two at the start of September; apart from O’Neill’s outburst, there was a brief clash following Nash’s goal. Given the cagey start to that game, one must conclude that both sides will be keen to gain the advantage early, both on the scoreboard and the battleground. Expect skirmishes across the field on Saturday.

While the conspiracy theories of fixed draws

by Cork fans left a bad taste on the palate following a spectacular final, it cannot be denied that the result is somewhat of a coup for the association. While the GAA, to their credit, reduced ticket prices for the rerun, it’s estimated that All-Ireland final day is worth around €4 million to the association including sponsorship and TV revenue, as well as revenue from the gates. The 28th will also be an added boost to the pubs in both counties.

In reality though this is a moot point to a final that promises to be as exhilarating, enthralling, captivating, and heart stopping as before. Both sides have had their backs to the wall and chips on their respective shoulders since the season began in May, both sides additionally will be out to prove a point not just to others but also to themselves. To predict a winner would be foolish but if the first game teaches us one thing it’s to watch this match right to the final whistle!

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SPORT 24 UCC EXPRESS Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Replacing Trapattoni

<<<

SEE PAGE 20

Ir i sh m en’s te am has re c ord su c c e s s at Un iver sity G ames Barry Aldworth | Sport Editor @Aldworth_Barry

At the 2013 World University Games, the Irish men’s soccer team secured its highest ever finish after a 3-1 victory over Ukraine in the 5th/6th place playoff.

The tournament, held in Kazan, Russia, could have produced an even better result for the Irish squad but for a heartbreaking loss on penalties to France in the quarter-finals.

With both teams playing their fourth game in seven days the first half produced few chances of a goal at either end. However, buoyed on by the first half success against a fancied French side, the Irish team began to take control in the second half.

In a match where it looked like a single goal would be enough to secure victory, the best chance fell to Ireland with 10 minutes left on the clock. However, despite all his success representing UCC, this time Josh O’Shea headed just past the post off a Reece McEnteer cross, and the game headed to penalties.

Two more misses in the penalty shootout proved costly as Ireland lost 4-3. However, after the match manager Danny Crowley praised his players for their efforts.

Crowley said: “We dominated France throughout the game and deserved to win it in 90 minutes and of course penalties are a lottery. It’s not often that Ireland outplay France for 90 minutes at any level and these lads deserve great credit for doing that in those conditions after the week we have had.”

Crowley also added: “Our aim now is to finish 5th and we will regroup and prepare properly for that.”

The defeat set up a 5th/8th place playoff

match with Malaysia, where, after a 1-1 draw, the penalty shoot-out went to the Irish side on a score of 5-4. The win set up a match with a Ukraine side that many felt were too good for the Irish squad.

Despite playing in their sixth game in 12 days there were no sign of tired legs as Ireland raced into an early lead, as Dylan Mernagh put the Irish ahead after 17 minutes.

Whilst the match continued at a hectic pace, supporters were forced to wait for just short of an hour for the next goal.

After Ukraine’s Sergii Panesenko was sent off for a second yellow card, Jonny Addis doubled the Irish lead after 76 minutes.

After Barry O’Mahony scored a penalty 83 minutes into the game Ireland had done enough to secure the win. Despite a late consolation goal by Sergii Kravchenko, Ireland sealed a 5th place finish, with Ukraine, the 2007 and 2009 champions having to be content with 6th.

Following the record finish, manager Danny Crowley said that despite the disappointing loss to eventual champions France, the Irish team had every right to be proud.

“I am so proud of this bunch of players and the staff Paul O’Reilly, Paul Walsh and Gary Sweeney.

We have worked very hard to get this far and hopefully going forward we can get more people interested in this magnificent competition. This is a world event for our players and playing these games can only help to improve the players in so many ways.”

Meanwhile, on the women’s side of the draw a similarly impressive finish was secured, as the side ended the tournament in 6th place following a 4-0 defeat to Japan.

Having finished second in their group, the Irish side were pitted against the old enemy across the water, Great Britain.

Ireland got off to a poor start after Britain’s

Courtney Sweetman, who appeared to be in an offside position, was played through by a long ball before skilfully lobbing Irish keeper Eve Badana.

As the game wore on, the Irish players started to create chances of their own. Captain Sarah Lawlor was unlucky not to be awarded a penalty after being taken down by Britain’s keeper, and shortly after Deirdre Doherty had a shot from outside the box cleared off the line.

However, things quickly got worse for the Irish as a dubious handball call by the referee gave Great Britain a penalty, allowing Michelle Hinnigan to establish a 2-0 lead.

After Ireland had another seemingly definite penalty waved away, Britain began to kill off any hopes of a comeback.

After Francesca Kirby gave Britain a 3-0 lead at halftime, Ireland had the worst possible start to the second half.

Britain added three goals in three minutes to start the second half, before eventually taking the match 7-0.

Speaking after the match, manager Sue Ronan highlighted that despite the one-sided score-line, things could have been far different for the Irish team.

She said: “That was a tough lesson for the students out there today. The first goal which was clearly offside was bad but to not get two penalties and to have one given so easily is hard to take.

Having said that it should have been 3-3 at half time, but the three goals in three minutes killed us off.”

The loss set up a 5th-8th place playoff with Chinese Taipei, which the Irish side would win 1-0 after a well-struck free-kick by Sophie Perry.

Despite dominating the match, Ireland failed to capitalise on their numerous chances to score.

However, a solitary goal ultimately proved to be enough to win the match and set up a 5th/6th place decider with Japan.

Against Japan, the Irish team were again left to rue missed opportunities. Despite having three good chances to take the lead, the best of which saw Sophie Perry hit the crossbar with a free kick, Ireland fell behind after 42 minutes. A well worked free-kick forced keeper Eve Badana into a great save. However, out of position there was nothing she could do about the rebound as Seguchi gave Japan the advantage.

Seguchi doubled the Japanese lead just before the hour mark, when Ireland failed to react to a quickly taken free kick. Ten minutes later the match was put beyond Ireland’s reach as Takahashi gave Japan a 3-0 lead after a goalmouth scramble. Despite it appearing that the ball had not fully crossed the line Ireland’s protests over the decision were waved away.

Japan would add a fourth and final goal with just six minutes left on the clock. With the Irish players clearly becoming fatigued, a long, skilful Japanese attack was finished off by Saito.

After the match Sue Ronan stated: “Despite the 4-0 score line, the girls really performed very well today. But we were playing a far superior side and there’s not a lot you can do when that happens.”

She continued: “But we’ll take the positives out of this tournament and finishing 6th ahead of big footballing nations like Canada, Korea, Russia & China is a big plus, as well as the experience our players will now take from this to the Women’s National Team.”

Despite some disappointing results, and more than a few questionable refereeing decisions, both Irish squads did themselves, and their country proud in Kazan.