UCC Express Vol.20 Issue 9

1

UCCExpress.ie | Volume 20 | Issue 09 | Tuesday february 14th

Last RAG Week Ever?

Page 4 - News

UCC Students’ Union will hold a referendum on their position on Irish Unity on March 6 & 7. (photo: Emmet Curtin)

UCC Students’ Union to Hold Referendum on Irish Unity Robert O’Sullivan, Editor-in-Chief

ty College Cork Student Union to hold a referendum to decide the Students UCC Sinn Féin announced last week Union’s position on the issue of a Unitthat they would be collecting signatures ed Ireland in the 6 counties and the Refrom students with the aim of chang- public of Ireland” ing the Students’ Union’s stance on the question of Irish unity. Presently UCC Speaking to the Express, Kate Kelly, Students’ Union does not have a formal Cathaoirleach (Chairperson) of UCC position on reunification, and has not Sinn Féin and member of Sinn Fein Reran any campaigns on this issue in many publican Youth National Executive, said years. The petition, put forward by Sinn that the idea of holding a referendum Féin’s Martin Hurson Cumman (more on Irish unity has been proposed by and commonly known outside of the group planned by many different committees as UCC Sinn Féin Society, or UCC SF), of UCC SF throughout the years, “but in the wake of the Brexit vote, and the is written as follows: “The below listed call in the Universi- 6 counties voting to remain in the EU

we feel that now is the time for us as students to clarify where we stand on a united Ireland. That’s why we decided to gather the signatures.” ‘The Brexit vote’ mentioned here refers to the fact that a majority of the population of Northern Ireland voted to remain within the EU, despite the UK as a whole voting to leave.

It is likely that the Referendum will be held at the same time as the Students’ Union elections, which are currently scheduled for March 6th & 7th.

Continues on next page...

RAG Week Survival Guide

Page 6 - Features

Dapper Sapeur Byline Magazine

NEWS INSIDE TODAY: 2

NEWS

FROM THE EDITOR

04 UCC Welcomes New President 05 Events Centre Stalled Again

FEATURES

08 Not-So-Dead Poets Society 10 Northern Ireland Assembly Elec-

SEXPRESS

31 Interview: Mary Crilly

BYLINE

15 Dystopian Novels to Read 19 Ticket Touting - What’s Next?

SPORT

37 Cork City FC Season Preview 38 Striving for success at UCC GAA

EDITORIAL TEAM Editor-in-Chief - Robert O’Sullivan News Editor - Chris McCahill Deputy News Editor - Ciaran O’Halloran Graphic Designer - Beth Alexander Features Editor - Mary Collins Deputy Features Editor - Ciara Dinneen Photographer - Emmet Curtin Sports Editor - Dylan O Connell Deputy Sports Editor - Darragh Walsh Eagarthóir Gaeilge - Aoife Nic Gearailt Marketing Executive - Sarah Dunphy Online Editor - Evan Smith Byline Editor - Lauren Mulvihill Byline Associate Editor - Sarah Ryan Fiction Editor - Sophie Mckenzie Gaming Editor - Jonathan Soltan Music Editor - Cailean Coffey Film & Television Editor - Aaron Frahill Fashion Editor - Kenneth Nwaezeigwe Style Editor - Iris Maher Food Editor - Xander Cosgrave Staff Writers: Eoin Doyle Stephen Spillane Laura O’Connor Sarah McInerney Jill Kingston Niamh O’Reilly Méabh McMahon

No RAGrets Robert O’Sullivan, Editor-in-Chief

If you’ve come to my editorial looking for a hot-take on Raise and Give Week, I’m afraid the cringey title is all you’re going to get, at least from me.

When I was a really young kid, I used to go on holidays with my family; when I say my family, I mean my whole family: me, my parents, my mum’s parents and my father’s

parents. As my grandparents were now in their 70s, the amount of activities we could partake in was extremely limited. And as an only-child I couldn’t just run off and play football with a brother or sister, so my only options were really to sit next to a pool reading a book with my grandmother, or walk along the beach with my granddad; and while, right now, both of those sound heavenly, at the time, as a young lad, I was quite upset at the limited options I was presented with, all because of the presence of my grandparents. I complained to my parents, asking that, on our next holidays our grandparents wouldn’t come with us, that it was unfair that all my cousins had holidays to themselves, only we had to take our old-fogeys with us.

My parents sat me down, and had a conversation I’ve never forgotten.

They said that we could do that, go on our own, but they didn’t think we should; my dad told me that he didn’t know his grandparents at all, outside of maybe meeting them once, and my mum only knew her

ISSUE 09 | UCC Express

grandmothers when they were ill, and had to live with her family.

They told me that they made a conscious decision that I should know my grandparents and that, when the day comes that they’re no longer with us, that I should have no regrets. And this stuck with me. At the time of writing, three out of the four grandparents on that holiday have passed away, and I have no regrets. I wish we had more time, but I honestly have no regrets.

This is a philosophy I’ve tried to apply to the rest of my life. And this doesn’t mean taking risks, or saying “yes” to everything, it means thinking about decisions, and making the right choices for you, so you can look back later and honestly have as few regrets as possible. Because you never know when someone will leave, or pass on, or you’ll be so sick that it’s too late. No ragrets.

Robert O’Sullivan

FROM THE NEWS EDITOR

Stopping RAG, The Ironic Contradiction Chris McCahill- News Editor RAG week- sorry Eolann/Bea/ The SU - Raise and Give week is upon us and every year, this year of course being no exception, there are calls for Raise and Give week to be cancelled, stopped, ended, etc. We know the drill at this stage.

Every year the Students Union will highlight the fact the week is about raising money for charity and is not

simply an excuse for students to go on a week of drinking partying etc.

And every year local residents and others will complain of the noise, rubbish disturbance caused by it.

And while I can to some extent sympathise with them, yes students can go overboard and cause a lot of noise and disturbances and so forth and it can be at the very least annoying to residents if not worse.

But at the end of the day I never understood why people continually call to have Raise and Give week stopped. Of course, they could stop the official R&G week, but that wouldn’t resolve any of the issues associated with it. It wouldn’t stop students from drinking and partying, it wouldn’t reduce the noise or disturbances caused. If anything, it would only make them worse. One only needs to look at what happened in Galway, even without the official R&G week, it still continues and is now uncontrolled, unorganised and there are no support services such as the SCS we have here in UCC, to help students and to reduce some of the issues associated with R&G week. To add to this, there wouldn’t

be any money made for charity, which is what the whole week is about. In short stopping Raise and Give week would not only make the whole situation for residents and others worse, it would take away its one redeeming element raising money to help charities. And finally, it’s worth noting: not all students engage in RAG Week as it’s portrayed in the media and elsewhere, don’t let the actions of a minority colour your perception of the many.

Chris McCahill

ISSUE 09 | UCC Express

Story Continued from the Front Page...

endums to current students, alumni and 8 other people who are neither current or former students. This is generally seen a measure that ensures that studies & lectures are minimally disrupted, and that opinions can’t be swayed by external groups with more funds than individual students or campaigns.

“The Students’ Union has not yet taken a formal stance on the issue, and will discuss the idea at a meeting of the SU Executive.”

The costs of running a separate referendum would be significant, a sentiment which was echoed by UCC Students’ Union President Eolann Sheehan, “It would make sense to have it at the same time as the elections because, economically speaking, we wouldn’t have to pay for staff to man the polling booths, but until the signatures have been received I can’t really make a definite decision.” The section of the SU Constitution that defines the role and rules of SU referendums states that “there must be at least five teaching days and no more than fifteen between the notice of a Referendum and the day upon which it takes place,” but this is not clear on if it is 5-15 days from when the petition is handed in the referendum is held, or 5-15 days from when a referendum is announced. If the former is correct, then the referendum could be held in the middle of R&G Week. Ultimately, UCCSU President Eolann Sheehan has the ability to interpret the constitution as he sees it when confusing situations like this arise.

“Ultimately, UCCSU President Eolann Sheehan has the ability to interpret the constitution as he sees it when confusing situations like this arise.”

While the petition was collected by UCC Sinn Féin, Chairperson Kate Kelly was quick to elaborate that this isn’t a Party-specific issue, saying that “while this was initiated by UCC Sinn Féin and Sinn Féin Republican youth we want to emphasis that this is for all students to take part in.” These sentiments were echoed by UCC Ógra Fianna Fáil Chairperson Daire O’Herlihy, and Secretary Seán-Diarmuid Kelliher,

with Mr.Kelliher saying that “our [UCC Ógra] view is that we want it be completely non-partisan, we need to have a bit of say in the run of the campaign and not just be dominated by Sinn Féin. It should be a general Republican voice, not just a Sinn Féin voice.” In the time since we spoke to representatives from both of these political societies, a non-partisan group called ‘UCC Yes 2 Unity’ has been set up to support the campaign. No formal group has been named that is in opposition to the referendum.

““while this was initiated by UCC Sinn Féin and Sinn Féin Republican youth we want to emphasis that this is for all students to take part in.””

The Students’ Union has not yet taken a formal stance on the issue, and will discuss the idea at a meeting of the SU Executive. While the Students’ Union has generally opted to stay unbiased during recent referendum campaigns, it does have the option to officially campaign for/against a particular side, and individual officers may take time off work to campaign. As they have yet to decide what stance they are taking, SU President Eolann Sheehan declined to comment when it came to the outcome or result of the vote, but both UCC Sinn Féin and Ógra Fianna Fáil Chairpersons felt that it’s likely that the vote will be carried.

It is also likely that the same restrictions on external campaigners will be in place for the referendum, though no decision has been made at the time of writing. Restrictions in the past have limited campaigning on campus refer-

“I think that’ll be down to the electoral commission, but I can say if we do have as many candidates as we’re looking at now it may be the case whereby… for security reasons, having too many bodies on campus, we may have to, but again we have to wait and see the date, and then see who’s running for the SU elections, and judge it off that. So we’re not flooding the field, and to be fair as well, if we are gonna run it at the same time as the SU elections, to be fair to the candidates, that their teams aren’t taken over by it,” said the SU President.

A common complaint levied at the SU or student political groups when referendums like this are held is that social policy or political causes like this are, as one might believe, unrelated to students. This has not been the feeling on the ground, according to Ms.Kelly, who noted that “the student response has been very positive so far, students seem to be really engaging with the idea of a ‘United Ireland’ and can see it [happening] in their lifetime.” When asked about whether he felt it was the place of the Students’ Union to campaign on Irish unity, or whether it may be beyond their remit, Mr.Sheehan said he thinks that “it’s the Students’ Union’s place to represent students, and if we are mandated to represent students outside, let’s say, ‘the student field’, then I do think it’s our place, I think we have to do what the students ask of us, and there’s no truer way of the students asking us than through a referendum.”

The petition required 500 signatures of current UCC students, and within 5 hours over 1000 signatures had reportedly been collected, and had been handed in to the Students’ Union. We can confirm that the Students’ Union Executive opted to hold the referendum at the same time as SU Elections, meaning that the vote will take place across two days on March 6th & 7th.

NEWS

3

Around the Universities: TCD: Trinity College Dublin (TCD) has admitted a “really stupid mistake” it made saw it drop down the rankings of the world’s best universities. The university sent data relating to its research funding to the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings in the wrong format two years in a row.

As a result of the formatting error, the research budget for the university was underestimated by a decimal point - so a research budget of €10 million would show up as €1 million in the rankings. Dean of Research Professor John Boland declined to say what the real research figure was, but he acknowledged it was a “ridiculous mistake to make” and deflated the university’s rankings two years in a row.

NUIG: Galway contractor JJ Rhatigan has been selected to build a new 429-bed student accommodation development at NUI Galway.

The firm, based on Fr Griffin Road in the city, will design and build the accommodation, and works are now underway. The development will be located at the north of the Newcastle campus. It will comprise 57 units of 6 en-suite rooms, 11 units of 5 ensuite rooms and 8 units of 4 en-suite rooms. It will also include communal areas, office accommodation and covered cycle storage facilities in four blocks ranging from 3-storey to 5-storey. Access to the new student accommodation will be via the existing Corrib Village access road.

It is expected the new accommodation block will open in September 2018.

CIT: Aircraft lessor Avolon is raising $3bn via bond issues to help fund the $10bn acquisition of the aircraft leasing business of CIT Group.

Combined with a new $5.5bn secured term loan finalised by Avolon to complete the CIT transaction, the total raised is believed to be the largest financing transaction ever undertaken in Irish corporate history.

4

NEWS

ISSUE 09 | UCC Express

UCC students warned of legal repercussions ahead of Raise and Give Week Ciaran O’Halloran, Deputy News Editor UCC students have been warned by University management of the legal and disciplinary repercussions resulting from misbehaviour or from disrespecting local residents during Rag Week.

Last year’s Rag Week raised €16,000 for charity, and this year’s events began this Monday, with measures being taken by college management and the Students’ Union to try to ensure its success. The charities chosen for this year’s Rag Week are Sexual Violence Centre Cork, Autism Assistance Dogs, Bumbleance, CUH Children’s Appeal, and the charitable societies on UCC campus.

Among these efforts, UCC’s own Student Community Support (SCS) team, a team made up of students and members of the Students Union, which has helped in recent years to maintain a positive relationship with local residents, will be out in full-force throughout the week. Following complaints about anti-social behaviour and drink-related incidents near the campus in previous years the SCS team works by liaising with local Gardaí and residents’ groups to help monitor what is happening and by assisting students.

UCC welcomed a new university president in February 2017, Professor PatUCC’s acting Head of Student Experience, rick O’Shea, who replaced Dr Michael Dr.Michael Byrne, has asked all students to Murphy following a ten-year stint in support the SCS, as well as reminding them the prestigious role. Professor O’Shea, of University’s rules. “In particular, please the fifteenth President of UCC, gradunote the expectations the university has in ated with a degree in physics from the relation to high standards of conduct, this university, and went on to become Vice includes not bringing the university into President and Chief Research Officer at disrepute and respecting local residents and the University of Maryland before remembers of the public,” Dr Byrne wrote in turning to Cork. He is a Fellow of the an email to students.

American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement Students have been notified that there will of Science, the Institute of Electrical be a visible Garda presence in the area and Electronic Engineers, and a Univeraround UCC during Rag Week, and there sity of Maryland Distinguished Scholwill be a zero-tolerance policy with regards ar-Teacher. The Cork native praised his to anti-social behaviour. Students have also predecessor and pledged that, during been made aware that the CCTV feeds from his term, UCC would “continue its cameras in the area will also be closely rise among the great universities of the monitored. Speaking about the Garda pres- world.” ence, Dr Byrne said “They have asked me to remind all students there can be significant Professor O’Shea is married to fellow consequences for anyone found breaking UCC graduate Dr Miriam Smyth, with the law, including possible restrictions on whom he has one son, Ronan, currentfuture travel to the US.” ly attending UCC as an undergraduate.

Professor O’Shea attended Coláiste Although fundraising events will take place Chríost Rí in Cork for his secondary from Monday to Friday, students are re- education, and following his physics minded that tutorials and lecture timetables undergraduate degree at UCC went on will operate as normal during RAG week.

UCC Welcomes New President: Patrick O’Shea to obtain an M.S. and Ph.D. in physics from the University of Maryland.

O’Shea is the first external President appointed by UCC in 50 years.

the cost having to be paid back only when graduates began earning certain level of annual wage. Professor O’Shea, however, is strongly against such a system, saying: “You do not want young people from disadvantaged communities starting off and being in debt. That’s the worst possible situation. So you have to create an environment where you’re not mortgaging your future in that way.”

Regarding his appointment to the prestigious position, Professor O’Shea said: “My physics degree from UCC laid the foundation stone for a successful academic career in the US culminating in my current leadership role at the Uni“You do not want young versity of Maryland. I am delighted to return to lead my alma mater. UCC’s people from disadvantaged students and staff have impressed me communities starting off and with their enthusiasm and their commitbeing in debt.” ment to excellence in education, scholarship, research and service. Through their dedication, passion, and achieve- Patrick O’Shea is also aware of the dement, UCC will continue its rise among veloping necessity of reducing Ireland’s the great universities of the world.” dependency on foreign investment. He would like to remedy this by encouraging Irish innovation at university level, in par“ I am delighted to return to ticular home-grown intellectual property. lead my alma mater.”

“Foreign companies are wonderful, but we need to make sure the people and the IP that Many current presidents of Irish uni- comes out of our third-level institutions are versities are in favour of establishing a pumped into companies that [start] here,” new system of fees where undergradu- O’Shea said, “that creates a much more roate students would have to pay higher bust situation and gets us away from being annual fees, with loans offered to cover victims, which could happen.”

NEWS

ISSUE 09 | UCC Express

5

Additional €10m needed to save Cork Event Centre Project

“Both motions proved to be very contentious, sparking widespread debate.”

Ciaran O’Halloran, Deputy News Editor venue on the old Beamish and Crawford site, Minister Simon Coveney has admitThe Government could be asked to pay ted that an additional €10 million will be out another €10m in State funding to save required to prevent the project from colthe stalled Cork Event Centre project lapse. It has been almost a year since the from collapsing. Over two years on from sod turning ceremony by the Taoiseach, the Government’s €20m investment in but the process has been dogged by inthe building of the proposed 6,000 seater cessant delays from the off. “I think this

will require an increase in state support, and within reason, that can be forthcoming,” Minister Coveney said, adding “I think it does represent value for money to increase the Government’s commitment to the project. But I am not willing to go back to the Government to ask for more money until I have clarity in terms of what the ask is, and independent verification of that”. To date, some demolition work has occurred on site, however no building has yet commenced. Last August, the Irish Examiner revealed that the arena would not be completed by 2018, as was anticipated at the sod-turning event.

After a prolonged internal design and final expenses process, the developers, entertainment company, “Live Nation” and the builders, “BAM Construction”, have informed Minister Coveney that additional funding will be required from the state before building can even begin. Mr Coveney confirmed he has received a detailed estimate from the project partners but he refused to be drawn on an exact figure.

However, it is understood the State may be asked to pump up to another €10m into the venture. Minister Coveney has said he has informed Minister Paschal Donohue and the final decision, which will be based on a strict value-for-money

News In Brief: UCC students are being invited to “step into the shoes” of people with Autism with a new interactive exhibition coming to visit UCC. The Autism Experience Exhibition will be in the Aula Maxima UCC on Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th of February, 10am-5pm.

UCC’s Health Matters is to host exhibition, developed by national Autism charity, AsIAm, with the support of the Department of Justice and Equality. The unique exhibition will enable people to experience what is like for people with autism to deal with the world around them.

USI elections The Union of Students in Ireland’s elections, which take place on 28 March 2017, as the national union steps up promotion of the roles online. Annie Hoey, USI President explained: “Election nominations opened as usual at the start of January, but this year, in line with policy adopted by Congress last year, we’ve been promoting the roles directly to students. In January, we published guides to elections to each Students’ Union and we’ve ramped up promotion

online, at usi.ie/election. Quite simply, we’re trying to make sure students from across Ireland are aware of the opportunities at USI HQ and able to easily access information on how to put themselves forward and run. Students in Ireland deserve and demand the best leadership - and that can come from anywhere in our movement.” USI elections are usually considered insider affairs, with most of the candidates being

SU sabbatical officers or other members of the USI. The aim of this is to make the elections more open and to encourage candidates from beyond sabbatical officers.

UCC SU to elect new Equality officer following resignation

appraisal, will be made by Mr. Donohue.

BAM boss Theo Cullinane insisted the company was totally committed to the project and he is due to brief city councillors on the status of the project on February 20 On the other hand Fianna Fáil finance spokesperson Michael McGrath has hit out at the “debacle” unfolding around the event centre. He has called for “straight answers” in relation to the centre after a potential shortfall of €10.5m was reported. In relation to the project he said “Like the vast majority of people in Cork, my sole interest in this is to see the event centre project proceed because I recognise how significant this project is for Cork city and county. An enormous amount of work has been put into the project so far and we all want to see cranes on the site building this event centre without any more delay”. In relation to the delayed development, Deputy McGrath added “The full story about why the events centre hasn’t happened and what exactly is needed to make it happen must be laid bare so that a proper assessment can be done. The people of Cork deserve no less given the repeated assurances they have been given that all was going according to plan.”

Following the resignation of Ciara McCarthy, the Students Union equality officer. Ciara explained her reasons for resigning from the role. “There are a number of personal circumstances on which I do not wish to comment which contributed to my decision. The main reason however was the intensity of the Masters course I am studying. The course I am doing is incredibly intense, far more intense than I had ever imagined. And after reviewing the modules and assessment involved in semester two it became clear that I would have no free time. So ultimately, I came to the decision to resign as I thought it would be completely unfair to remain in a role to which I could not dedicate an adequate amount of time, when somebody with more available time could do a far better job for those relying on the SU’s Equality Officer. I am extremely sorry to anyone I have let down and I wish whoever takes up the position the very best of luck.” The Students’ Union will hold interviews to select a candidate to co-opt the position for the remainder of the term. Once the position has been co-opted, the Equality Officer will serve until the crossover to the new executive, with a new Equality Officer being elected during the Students’ Union elections on the 6th/7th of March this year.

Est.

6 1997

FEATURES

ISSUE 09 | UCC Express

Raise and Give - Remember to Take Care of Yourself.

Mary Collins, Features editor Ok, so it’s party central for the week in UCC; you should enjoy it to the best of your ability. However, at crazy times like this it’s also important to take care of yourself, your friends and your partners. Here are some handy tips to help out: Before you hit the town Eat before you go out. It doesn’t have to be big and fancy, the food in the Main (Main Rest... The place by the Boole Basement) is cheap and cheerful, and it will fill you up before you hit the town. You should always consume alcohol responsibly, but eating before you drink will also stop you getting hammered after a mouthful of a drink and staying at home sick while all your friends go out without you. Taking care of your body is key to ensuring you survive the week, and don’t end up wandering campus like a zombie on Wednesday morning with two more nights out ahead of you.

Ladies, its February. What I mean when I say that is it’s freezing, literally. While there is nothing like getting all dressed up in a hardly-there-at-all-dress to go out, be realistic; take a proper coat with you, and take a bag big enough for flat shoes so you aren’t sliding around in the ice like a newborn gazelle on your way to and from town.

I‘ve never understood people who get drunk and immediately decide to throw bins around the place or try to break someone’s car windows. Come on lads, it’s childish and unnecessary. Someone else (either a resident, a student or Student community Support) will have to painstakingly clean that up, how can you not feel guilty for being a part of that? It’s gross (I’ve done it), it makes the entire university look terrible, and fosters bad relations with the residents around UCC. Town; When you go out, don’t leave your drink unattended. It’s unfortunate, but there are some less than stellar people in the world and you need to take precautions. Especially so on weeks like R&G week, where every pub is packed with people and it would be so easy for someone to tamper with it. If you do think you’ve been spiked, tell a friend, and consider going to A&E. Always have a plan to get home, or keep enough cash on you for a taxi. Gents, keep some cash in a different pocket in your wallet. Ladies, if your outfit doesn’t have a pocket (that’s a whole other rant), keep some cash in another compartment in your bag. If you’re staying with a friend, ensure you have a way to get into the house or a backup plan if it doesn’t work out. I once came across someone (a minor) who was staying with friends, but was so drunk

they had lost their phone, their wallet, their friends and they had no key to get where they were staying (they were from about an hour outside the city, so that wasn’t an option). Moral of the story; always have a Plan B.

definitely the first one).

Have a buddy system when you’re leaving the club; either throw up a message in the group chat to say you’re home safe, or text someone to let them know and ask them to repay the favour. It’s so easy to lose track of someone, especially on R&G week when town is manic and everything is happening at once.

Unfortunately, lectures, seminars, tutorials and labs are all still on during R&G week.

Some people even have huge reports due the Friday so they can’t go out at all (Hint; it me). Some lecturers cancel the class because they know attendance will be abysmal, but some give out exam tips to the people that do show up, so it’s a mixed bag. You’re better off trying to hit as many lectures as you can, to reduce the workload during next week’s game of catch up.

If you do choose to do drugs on a night out, be careful. Always start with a small dose to begin, overdoses are easier than you think. Give it two hours or so; some drugs take longer to kick in than others.

Stay hydrated, about a pint of water/isotonic drinks an hour. Don’t mix drugs; you don’t know how that will affect your body.

If someone gets in difficulty and the paramedics have to be called; be honest. They won’t judge you for doing drugs, but they can’t treat someone properly without all the info, and it’s frustrating if you if you lie about what happened to save yourself when someone’s life could be on the line.

If you pull, remember to use protection, and give them breakfast the morning after (okay, so the last one is more of a hope, but

The day after; Have some Berocca (or, let’s be honest, the cheap Tesco equivalent) in the house; they’ll take the edge off any hangover.

Remember; Raise and Give week is about raising money for charity (it’s kinda in the name). By all means, go out, no crazy, have fun, but remember to throw whatever spare cash you have to the people with buckets that will be on campus during the week. They need it more than you need that extra pint, I promise.

The charities this year are; Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland, the BUMBLEance (an ambulance specifically for very ill children), the Sexual Violence Centre, Cork, the UCC charitable societies and the CUH charity.

ISSUE 09 | UCC Express

Introspection on Introversion

FEATURES

7

If you’re more introverted than extraverted you might :

Lucy Mcmanus, Features Writer “I’m not in the mood for people right now…”

“I want to stay in reading for hours” “How can you study with music?”

“I’d rather go to the cinema alone…”

“Unexpected visitors…I cannot….”

Now that Raise and Give week is upon us, these are not phrases most of us expect to hear on one of the highlights of any student’s social calendar. To many of us, however, they are all too familiar. Who are we, you ask? Introverts, of course.

Introversion, what is it?

Often mistaken for shyness or social anxiety, introversion is the preference for a ‘quieter, more minimally stimulating environments’ as defined by Susan Cain, author of ‘Quiet : The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking’. Introverts lose energy from social interaction, or very stimulating environments, and gain energy or ‘recharge’ from spending time alone.

Introverts are typically quieter people, more reserved and socialise less, and listen more. When I say ‘quieter’ and ‘socialise less’, I mean in comparison to extraversion which is thought to make up to two thirds of the population.

Our world is very extravert focused, where weekends and holidays are hyped up about parties and meeting new people, rather than having the ‘me-time’ that I and fellow introverts will always look forward to and crave. It’s the quieter people who are told to talk more, rather than the loud people told to shut up, the book readers whose peace is interrupted ‘whatcha reading?’ than the chatterboxes being turned off ‘please stop talking to me’.

Before knowing what introversion was,

it would confuse me how at times I could feel lonely yet felt socialising to require far more energy than I had. I had more extraverted friends who could talk non-stop for hours, and didn’t always understand how I never wanted to spend all day with them, as much as I did like them and enjoy their company.

I could spend lunchtimes stuck into a book rather than talk to people. There would always be a lottery gamble about visiting a friend’s house, I would either want to visit or not feel like it. I would have to remind myself to talk in a group of people, rather than do it automatically. Parties where I knew few people could feel more laborious than fun, requiring a huge amount of my limited social battery to try to constantly engage in conversation with someone I didn’t know, rather than be stuck standing awkwardly staring at my phone the entire time. Such effort will have me totally drained after a few hours.

It does get annoying when you have to come up with excuses to be alone, or when non introverts can view you as boring because you just want to leave them and go home after they’ve exhausted you, but I actually think introversion is great in ways. I never have to worry about going to events without someone, in fact I enjoy it.

I never rely on anyone to go shopping with me, a society event, to try out a new sport or even to go travelling.

A myth about introversion is that we don’t like people, which is far from the case! As humans we are social beings, and everyone gets lonely. The idea of life without friends or anyone to talk to is a horror to me, as it is to anyone else. I like people as much as anyone else does, I just have to be by myself occasionally to ‘recharge’, and so as to not lose my mind. I know many introverts who are disguised from how chat-

ty they are when you talk to them, but can be spotted from how they very rarely agree to go out with you later, as perhaps they’ve done enough socialising for the day.

Another myth is that the crossover of introversion with social anxiety or shyness.

There are plenty of socially anxious extraverts, just as there are introverts. Social anxiety is the fear of social rejection, and includes avoidance of people and social situations due to this heightened anxiety, of which introversion has nothing to do with.

Now knowing and embracing this part of my individuality, I have great fun relating to introvert memes on Facebook, and I tend to put more of my words into writing than into speech. There are great advantages to introversion, even if it may feel as though we’re an outcast minority (come on, we are part-time loners!).

Advantages, but to name a few include: • Processing more information in a situation (hence why we tire more easily).

• Tend to be considered good listeners, as listening is easy for us to do.

• Thinking before acting.

• Being far more independent as relying less on people preferred.

• Being very focused on one thing for longer periods of time.

• Being considered very trustworthy as friends.

• Can be very loyal friends.

• Being able to come up with more creative solutions and imaginations as we tend to be quite deep thinkers when alone with our thoughts.

• Being very self-aware and self-reflective.

Famous introverts include Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, J.K Rowling, Isaac Newton, Mark Zuckerberg and Steven Spielberg.

1. Find silence peaceful rather than too quiet. I never complain about a place being too quiet, though I have heard more extraverted friends of mine to say it.

2. Listen more than you talk. It feels far more natural for me to be the listener, as the more I talk, the more tired I will become.

3. Generally think before you speak. Introverts tend to be more reflective, and put more thought into actions rather than do so without thinking.

4. Prefer a small circle of friends than a large one. The closer I am to someone, generally the more energy I will have to spend time with them. However it feels pretty limited, I don’t become close with anyone easily.

5. Often prefer to enjoy your own company. It’s definitely a need for introverts for at least some of the time. How much time can differ from person to person, as we all rank differently on the ‘introversion-extraversion’ scale.

6. Prefer to work on your own than with others. I don’t think I’m alone in disliking group work, but I definitely work far better alone. I reflect on ideas, rather than brainstorm them quickly with multiple people.

7. Tend to avoid conflict.

8. Take time before trusting people to share much about yourself.

9. Prefer to have deep and meaningful conversations than meaningless ones.

Est.

8

FEATURES

ISSUE 09 | UCC Express

Not-so-Dead Poets Society 1997

Ciara Dinneen, Deputy Features Editor When you think of poetry, it is likely that you recall the work of the poets that were on the Leaving Cert syllabus the year you did it; you remember resentfully the hours you spent reciting the lines from the poems you were told by your teacher to have learned by heart, the planning of essays, learning the poetic techniques and providing evidence in the form of quotations. This may be the extent of your knowledge of poetry; you may think of poetry as a dying art form, perhaps; hardly an adequate profession in the days of Bishop and Plath, never mind a modern-day profession, right? Who, especially nowadays, can regard themselves as a poet?

In definition, poetry can have a few different meanings or interpretations; poetry can be strictly defined as a literary work in which the expression of feelings and ideas is given intensity by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; it can be considered the art of rhythmical composition, written or spoken, for exciting pleasure by beautiful, imaginative, or elevated thoughts. In this way, isn’t music poetry? The lyrics written by musicians, the music itself is poetry in that it has a quality of beauty and intensity of emotion regarded as characteristic of poems. Movies and films feature poetry, the lines that stick with us and resonate in some way, the lines we remember and make reference to.

Poetry may not be an obvious or prominent profession when we think of professions such as ones like nurse, doctor, teacher, businessman etc., but poetry is by no means a dead or dying art form.

Our regard of poetry as just a part of the Leaving Cert that we had to get through and could forget about after has caused us to have a limited knowledge of poetry and has resulted in us maybe being narrow-minded to the idea of poetry being around us, still, in everyday life.

We seem to have created a stigma that views poetry as uncool and irrelevant.

Modern poets (poets that are alive, some relatively young and writing today) are not very well known because of this.

The works of these modern-day poets are very powerful and deal with lots of different issues that are relevant to us.

One does not technically have to have their work published to be considered a poet. A professional poet? Perhaps, but

in reality many of us are amateur poets, or at least we all contribute to the creation of some form of poetry throughout our lives. In some small way, we are all poets; we write passionate essays, articles that feature poetic qualities, we write songs, we compose heartfelt and meaningful messages to one another to provide friends with support, guidance and advice when needed… all of these things contain an element of poetry. Poetry is not an entirely abstract form of expression. Even the simplest of communications, such as a conversation, statement, speech, even a message, can feature elements of poetic expression; reminding a friend who’s feeling self-conscious of how beautiful they are, an encouraging message to a friend suffering from anxiety of how strong and capable they are, even as simple as telling someone you love them.

I realise this may sound ridiculous, but it’s just a little something to notice, and I thought with it being Valentine’s day and all that this would be a nice issue to feature a bit of poetry. Here a few incredibly talented poets that you should definitely check out, and a few of the poems I recommend to start with. You might find something that hits you in some way, so why not give it a try…

First, most definitely check out “The Facebook Sonnet” by Sherman Alexie, a man whose poetry is marked by a strong sense of humour. This is a short, simple, yet subtly powerful poem that portrays how we have become enslaved

to the social media world not only of Facebook, but of all social media formats in general. He boldly infers how we “undervalue and unmend/The present” by allowing ourselves to become caught up in a technological world of “past friends/And lovers, however kind or cruel”. In the end, he depicts Facebook in a haunting metaphor as “the altar of loneliness.” Another great poem, “Grief Calls Us to the Things of This World”, much darker, and strikingly powerful. Alexie is also the author of the well-known book “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian.”

Many of you on Instagram or Tumblr may have come across short works by Rupi Kaur in the form of pictures, some may be pictures from pages of her book.

Rupi Kaur’s poetry began small, “I was writing birthday poems for friends and love poetry for crushes,” and it developed from here into something that has become a powerful voice with an important message; she deals with topics that relate to equality, ethnicity, woman and touches on feminism. A short, sweet and simple, yet utterly powerful poem reads: “our backs / tell stories / no books have / the spine to / carry” (women of colour). As an immigrant from India living in Toronto, Canada, her difficulty with speaking English meant that she had a lot of time alone as a child to spend drawing and painting. As her English improved, Kaur began to focus on her passion for writing from the age of 17 on. Her poetry is uniquely marked by the use of all lower-case letters and

no punctuation. This is because of her desire to keep some connection with her mother tongue, Punjabi, “to write punjabi means to use gurmukhi script. And within this script there are no uppercase or lowercase letters. all letters are treated the same. I enjoy how simple that is. how symmetrical and how absolutely straightforward. I also feel there is a level of equality this visuality brings to the work. a visual representation of what i want to see more of within the world: equalness.” In November 2014 Rupi Kaur self-published her first collection of poetry in the form of a book entitled ‘milk and honey’. Rupi Kaur’s poetry is simple yet striking, and so accessible and immediately relatable, containing messages of encouragement and marvelling at the human spirit in it’s ability to flourish and heal; “and here you are living / despite it all.”

Steve Roggenbuck is best known for his videos as a YouTuber and blogger, but he is also a writer and poet with six published works, and founder of Boost House, a poetry publisher with a mission “to build culture and community at the intersection of poetry, new media, and radical politics” by publishing “books which promote critical, empowering orientations to the world” with the “aim to use new media to make poetry more exciting and accessible to young people” (Boost-House.com). This project is definitely worth taking a look at, especially if you’re interested in writing and possibly publishing your own work someday.

FEATURES

ISSUE 09 | UCC Express Patricia Lockwood has been unofficially labelled the poet laureate of Twitter. One of her most infamous tweet trends is a series of “sexts” that were inspired by the Anthony Weiner scandal. Surreal and brilliantly shocking, they poke fun at the over-sexualisation of many things in modern day life.

Just scrolling through Lockwood’s twitter feed provides for an interesting and entertaining read, and I would also recommend checking out the poem that sparked the most attention when it was published on a website called “The Awl”; the poem, entitled “Rape Joke”, immediately went viral.

Here’s an interesting and very cool one: Morgan Parker has based a lot of her poetry on Beyoncé; Parker explained, in an interview for The Paris Review discussing her book ‘There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyonce’, “One thing that interests me about Beyoncé is who her predecessors are, and how she’s a kind of symbol for all the different ways that black women are revered but also surveilled in a really intense way, put on display. That happens to me just walking down the street… I was interested in that line between awe or reverence—and also exploitation. Where is that line? What does it mean to be at once upheld and at the same time continually made to feel less than? All these questions belonged in the manuscript, which I think of as kind of a tome of black womanhood.”

Parker is known for her use of pop-culture figures and references in her poetry which has sparked a lot of particular interest and attention, but Parker feels that this is no different to what the likes of poets such as O’Hara and Eliot did; “My first book has a lot of pop-culture references as well—

• •

Jay-Z, the Real Housewives, all kinds of media and celebrities. I write out of trying to archive and record my particular experience. It would feel false if I didn’t include all those things that really shape contemporary life… I’m using pop references, but not in a light or gimmicky way… My references may look different from someone else’s, but in my life I experience the Real Housewives more than I experience Greek myth. These are my contemporary myths and symbols.”

There are many more incredibly talented writers out there today producing brilliant poetry pieces relevant to human nature and to our modern day, 21st century world; • • •

•

Morgan Parker Amber Tamblyn, Tracy K. Smith; “Born in Massachusetts… BA from Harvard University and an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University… teaches creative writing in Princeton University and lives in Brooklyn.”

Richard Blanco; “First immigrant, first

• • • • • • • • • •

Latino, first openly gay person and the youngest person to read at a Presidential Inauguration” (Obama’s) Patricia Lockwood Sherman Alexie; The Facebook Sonnet is a short, simple, yet subtly powerful poem that portrays how we have become enslaved to the social media world not only of Facebook, but of all social media formats in general.

He boldly infers how we “undervalue and unmend/The present” by allowing ourselves to become caught up in a technological world of “past friends/ And lovers, however kind or cruel”. In the end he depicts Facebook in a haunting metaphor as “the altar of loneliness”.“strong sense of humor to tackle everything from the challenges faced in the country today by Native Americans who grow up on reservations to technology.”

Tina Chang, Meghan O’Rourke, Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1976 Gregory Pardlo Steve Roggenbuck Alex Dimitrov Lexa Hillyer EJ Koh Thomas Sayers Ellis Leigh Stein Ernestine Johnson,

To name just a few… “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around every once in a while, you could miss it”; this is Ferris Bueller kindly telling you to take some time out, to give in to your soppy side for a minute, and read some poetry.

Mary Mulvihill award; remembering a legacy

Any scientists reading this will hopefully corroborate my theory, but I think it’s pretty safe to say that scientists are generally terrible communicators. Not quite so much with each other, but definitely when it comes to sharing their ideas and work with the public. One of the shining stars in this regard was Mary Mulvihill (1959-2015), who remembered that at the heart of any story about science, there is people. Having studied genet-

ics at Trinity, she turned her career on its head, studying journalism in Dublin City University. She was one of the first people to really show that anyone can understand and be interested in science, if you know how to communicate it. She had an award-studded career, spanning books, radio and tv. She was phenomenally supportive of women in science, eventually founding Women In Technology and Science (WITS), a wonderful organisation that supports and advocates for women in STEM. One of her books, Ingenious Ireland, goes through the entirety of Ireland, sharing stories of science and innovation in every nook and cranny (it is unfortunately out of print at present, but there are plans to change that in the near future) Bearing in mind what a trailblazer Mary was, an award has been set up in her honour; the Mary Mulvihill Memorial Award. Urging students to take

part in the competition, science writer and broadcaster Claire O’Connell said: “Mary showed that science communication could be done, and could be done well. Her work demonstrated the power of storytelling, the importance of recognising the people who drive science and the benefits of exploring new media and routes to engage audiences.

“Mary was also generous with her encouragement and wisdom, and one the practical tips she gave me early on was to try to put a piece of writing away for a little while and then revisit it with fresh eyes.”

It’s open to entry from third level students, and you can submit any media format you choose; film, podcast/radio show, or essay. The deadline for submissions is the the 3rd of March. More information is available at facebook. com/RememberingMaryMulvihill

9

TODAY IN HISTORY 14th February:

For those of you who have been oblivious to the painfully red and pink signs around the city, cards that say ‘To My Dear Husband’ being sold even in shops that don’t usually sell cards and Golden Discs’ attempt to entice you to buy the new Bridget Jones movie in an effort to seem romantic, this day in history is what we like to call ‘Valentine’s Day’. And while we all enjoy either stressing out over what to get our S.O. or crying into a tub of ice cream over yet another year of being single, I’m going to steer away from that and instead tell you exactly why Valentine’s Day is what it is.

While there are many myths surrounding the origin of this day, what’s for sure is that it began with a St. Valentine (one of the three martyred and recognised by the Catholic Church). The most popular legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men.

Taking the law into his own hands, Valentine defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Another similarly romantic tale tells of Valentine being killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons.

Continued on the next side bar..

Est.

10 1997

FEATURES

ISSUE 09 | UCC Express

Northern Ireland goes to the Polls again Stephen Spillane, Staff Writer

Following the resignation of Martin McGuinness as Deputy First Minister on January 9th over the ongoing Renewable Heating Initiative (RHI) and the fallout from it, elections for the Northern Ireland Assembly have been set for March 2nd by Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Theresa Villers.

This followed the refusal of Arlene Foster (the leader of the DUP and First Minister) to step aside during an enquiry into RHI. The last elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly took place only on the 5th of May 2016, so this is has been extraordinarily short session for the Assembly.

This election will also see the number of seats in the Assembly reduced, going from 108 to 90 seats. This will be achieved by removing one seat from each of the 18 Constituencies in Northern Ireland meaning that they all now have 5 Assembly Members (MLAs). As the electoral system in Northern Ireland is the same as in the Republic (PRSTV), it will now mean that the quotas to be deemed elected will be higher.

A number of parties are testing out their new leaders at this election. Sinn Fein have selected Michelle O’Neill (Mid-Ulster) to be their new leader following the resignation of Martin McGuinness as leader due to ongoing

health issues. The Alliance Party also have a new leader going into this election; Naomi Long (Belfast East) was elected the new leader of the party in October 2016 following David Ford’s resignation.

The state of the parties going into this election are as follows: • • • • • • • • •

DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) 38 Seats Sinn Fein - 28 Seats UUP (Ulster Unionist Party) - 16 Seats SDLP (Social Democratic and Labour Party) - 12 Seats Alliance Party 8 - Seats Greens - 2 Seats People before Profit - 2 Seats TUV (Traditional Unionist Voice) - 1 Seat Independent 1 - Seat

As the Northern Ireland Executive is governed by an enforced coalition between Unionists and Nationalists, it is likely that the DUP and Sinn Fein will again be forming the executive following the decision in the last Assembly of the UUP and SDLP to withdraw from the Executive.

As well as the parties currently represented in the Assembly, the elections will also be contested by the Northern Ireland Conservatives, Cross Community Labour Alternative, the PUP, Work-

ers Party, Citizens Independent Social Thought Alliance (formerly Cannabis Is Safer Than Alcohol, CISTA), UKIP and a number of Independents.

A total of 228 candidates, made up of 158 (69%) men and 70 (31%) women are contesting the 90 seats available.

This is down from the 276 candidates who contested the 2016 elections. The DUP is running the most candidates, running 38, while Sinn Fein are running 34. The UUP have 24 candidates while both the SDLP and Alliance are running 21. The Greens are running a candidate in every constituency, giving them 18 candidates total. UKIP are running the least number of candidates with only one candidate in the running. The PUP are running three candidates, while CISTA is running four.

People Before Profit, who surprised many at last year’s elections, are increasing their number of candidates to seven. The TUV have 14 candidates running under their banner, the Conservatives 13, while the Workers Party have five and Cross Community Labour four.

The DUP have the worst gender balance of the major Northern Irish parties running just eight female candidates, while the Greens have managed a perfect 50:50 split running 9 women and 9 men.

Recent polling for LucidTalk have shown a decline in support for the DUP

dropping to 25.9% down from the 29.2% it achieved in the Assembly Elections in 2016. The polling which took place between 26th and 28th showed increases for all the other parties. Most parties increase by about 1%, Sinn Fein was up to 25.1% from 24%, the UUP support was up to 13.9% from 12.6%, the SDLP increase to 12.4% from 12%, the TUV registered at 4.3% up from 3.4%.

The Alliance Party registered the largest growth up nearly 2% from 7% to 8.9%.

2 MLAs will be standing as Independents this time around. Jonathan Bell, who was suspended by the DUP as he gave an interview on RHI which was not sanction by the party, will stand as Independent in Strangford. Gerry Mullan was deselected by the SDLP in favour of John Dallat in East Londonderry, and will contest the election as an independent.

Whatever the result of the elections this March, we are not likely to see a new Executive formed very quickly. RHI is only one of many issues hanging over the Northern Ireland Executive. Maybe the DUP and Sinn Fein will be more cautious in their dealings with one another, or play hardball. With the enforced coalition between Unionists and Nationalists, it could be the summer before all is up and running again at Stormont. For now we get to watch it all play out on twitter on #AE17.

ISSUE 09 | UCC Express

Your Love is my Drug - The Neuroscience of Love.

FEATURES

11

14th February Continued: Once imprisoned, Valentine sent the first “valentine” greeting after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailer’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “from your Valentine.”

Mary Collins, Features editor That’s amoré; most of us have fallen head over heels in love at some point or another. That heady feeling, that rush of emotion and sensation when you think of them, it’s overwhelming. At its height, it’s like an addiction. Your entire world revolves around this person, whether it’s a conscious decision or not.

But why? We’re rational beings, taught to critically evaluate new information.

As students, many of us are millennials, a generation more cynical at an early age than our predecessors ever were. So why do we turn pink and gooey at the sight of a certain someone?

ory to long term memory. Given that women have bigger hippocampi anyway, it’s not surprising!

They say that if you look someone in the eye for 4 minutes, you’ll fall in love. It sounds like an old wives tail, but it’s not that far off the mark. Newborns and lovers have that in common;

“ Your brain doesn’t just love someone; they’re literally addicted to the idea of them.”

Love is addictive, truly. When we think of the one we love, our brain releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is used in several pathways in the brain. It’s also strongly implicated in numerous theories of drug addiction. When in love, the ventral tegmental area, an area that is part of the reward circuitry in the brain, releases dopamine. This is relayed to the nucleus accumbens, the pleasure centre of the brain. Your brain doesn’t just love someone; they’re literally addicted to the idea of them.

eye contact is the fastest way to building a lasting connection. Eye contact and a smile is even more potent. In a study with 48 heterosexual couples of unacquainted students, those that looked into their partner’s eyes for 2 minutes had significantly warmer feelings towards their partner after the experiment, compared to looking at hands or counting blinks. Only voice comes close to eye contact when it comes to building attraction/affection, but it’s a distant second. So when people say that they knew when they saw their partner’s eyes, it’s not total bollocks.

You know how women remember everything in a relationship? That’s because in women, the hippocampus is more active.

The hippocampus is one of the areas of the brain that grows throughout our lives, and it’s implicated in learning and memory, specifically translating short term mem-

Some would say that humans aren’t supposed to form monogamous pair bonds.

We used to call them chancers/cheaters/ players, but for some they may have a point. A study in Sweden featuring 554 heterosexual couples found that a gene, RS3 334 is involved in the male’s ability

to form a successful pair bond. The more copies of the gene a guy has, the worse their ability to form one. This gene has also been linked to trust, go figure! The gene RS3 334 a section of the coding for the hormone, vasopressin, which has long been implicated in promiscuity and monogamy (it’s also involved in retaining water and how often you pee).

As if all that wasn’t enough, love lowers the activity of the pathways in the brain used for some negative emotion, specifically social judgement and fear. One pathway for these emotions connects the nucleus accumbens (pleasure centre of the brain) and the amygdala. The amygdala is involved in decision making and emotional reactions, especially fear and panic (it’s enlarged in people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, for example). It’s part of the limbic system, one of the oldest parts of the brain; and love slows it down. So when you see your friend hopelessly in love with an absolute moron, and you can’t talk them out of it, now you know why.

We’re at the mercy of our biochemistry, and our brains go all out when it comes to romantic love. For the Valentine’s day that’s in it, sit back, relax and enjoy that sweet rush of neurotransmitters.

While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial–which probably occurred around A.D. 270–others claim that the Christian church may have decided, as was their way, to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia (which was essentially a barbarous bachelor’s festival) by replacing it with St. Valentine’s Day. The romance of Valentine’s Day does not really emerge, however until the Middle Ages, when it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, and Chaucer began to write love poems centred around this date. The letter-writing and present-giving culture of Valentine’s Day also began in the Middle Ages, and it was not until the late 1800s that printed cards came into circulation and Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America, earning her the title of ‘Mother of the Valentine’.

So to the couples who have something very romantic planned for tonight: enjoy. To the boyfriend who completely forgot today is Valentine’s Day: you’re welcome. And to those who harbour a great hatred for Valentine’s Day (thank you for reading this article), you can celebrate it by becoming a beekeeper, fainting, travelling, or catching the plague, as St. Valentine is actually the patron saint of all these things. Go on. Try something new this Valentine’s Day. Or just don’t celebrate it – since it was removed from the Catholic liturgical calendar in 1969 as its historical origins were questionable, it’s no longer even a real holiday anyway.

12

OPINION

ISSUE 09 | UCC Express

Opinion: On Student Drinking Culture

Laura O’Connor, Staff Writer

A lot of my college friends have disgusting attitudes towards alcohol. None of them will admit to that.

Let me begin by saying that I am no pioneer - I am not a saint, nor have I been exempt from having vomit-inducing, blackout-causing doses of alcohol. I like drinking; it’s fun, it reduces inhibitions, and makes my dancing a lot more liberal.

But there are nights where I don’t wanna drink. I don’t have to explain why, to you, or my friends, or anyone, really; sometimes the thought of getting hammered just doesn’t appeal to me. And honestly, nights where I’ve had nothing have been some of the best nights I’ve had.

However, around certain groups of friends, any time I admit that I don’t want to drink, or don’t want to go out, I am labelled “shit craic”, “dry bitch”, “anti-banter”. A group of people I know used to bet on whether or not I’d go to their house for a party, and when I (inevitably) said no, I’d get harassed on the Facebook event. During USI Congress this year, hailed nationally for many years as a massive piss-up for all the Student’s Unions across the island, I didn’t want to drink on the 2nd night; in fact, I didn’t want to leave my room. Lo and behold, I got shit for it. “Come be social”, “what were you up to ;) ;) ;)” etc, etc..

These are just personal examples of being subjected to the college drinking culture. That doesn’t include the people out there who drink for days on end simply

because it’s a certain week of the year - one of my friends having a physical shake after ceasing her alcohol consumption. That doesn’t include the people who want to drink “until they forget how to walk”, the people who drink “til they can’t feel their hands, let alone an emotion”. That doesn’t include the massive queues outside the New Bar every RAG Week, nor does it include the students who come into me at work at 3am, with skirts missing (yes you read that right), hurling abuse at me and my coworkers.

Thousands of students across the nation have alcohol consumption levels to the point that it could be considered an addiction. Alcohol is a factor in over 50% of completed suicides in Ireland. 900 people a year are diagnosed with alcohol-related cancer. Excessive consumption causes liver problems and infertility.

Through people’s drunken actions, relationships are destroyed and limbs are broken. And yet, students still do it. Students still chug shoulders of vodka, go on 12 Pubs of Christmas crawls, drink every night for a week straight for the heck of it.

“ Alcohol is a factor in over 50% of completed suicides in Ireland.”

This is all well and good, but what are Student’s Unions doing about tackling the culture? Let me tell you: next to nothing.

This is my third year at college and I have yet to see a campaign centred

around trying to get people to reduce their alcohol consumption. Instead, Community Support Teams of students are sent out at night, trying to excuse the actions of students to their resident neighbours, and keep the students quiet on the way home, without tackling the central issue: the students themselves.

Instead of saying “Hey, y’all should drink less”, the campaigns around RAG Week are “don’t be cunts to your neighbours” (quite literally, there’s a “Down With This Sort of Thing” type campaign floating around). The national Students’ Union have not done a campaign on harmful drinking since I began college either, despite me hearing news in 2013 of there being riots in Galway because RAG Week was cancelled. Because a week, traditionally reserved as 4 days of binge drinking, was cancelled. Do you see what I mean yet?

Alcohol is killing us. Alcohol is damaging our mental health, our communities, and our future. And yet, nobody seems to be talking about it. The only people I’ve ever seen discuss having a problem with alcohol is former UCCSU officer Katie Quinlan (who wrote a really good blog about it, which I recommend heartily), and a British Youtuber called Lucy Moon, who inspired the conversation that prompted this article. Two, out of thousands of people our age who have problems. It’s despicable. I am watching friends deteriorate into people who use alcohol as a crutch to get through daily life, and the people who have the most reach, the most ability to campaign and raise awareness and try and open

students’ eyes to what they’re doing to themselves, aren’t doing it because they love drinking to excess themselves. I may sound accusatory here, but it’s the reality; I’ve seen it happen - election victor’s night, Crossover, Congress.

“Alcohol is killing us. Alcohol is damaging our mental health, our communities, and our future.”

One could say “Hey Laura, why can’t you ask for a campaign to happen or start one yourself” (yes, I could, and in fact will, but I’d like to focus on UCCSU having a permanent Mental Health Week first, thanks). But why should I have to? Why should I have to point out a massive problem in our college culture, that we all just turn a blind eye to? Why can’t the people with the power step up and try and tackle this without prompting?

Once, just once, I want to see the people who lead us take on an issue that isn’t already a conversation, and start it. We’ve seen it with drugs, we’ve seen it with mental health, and we’ve seen it with sexual health.

It’s time to try it with alcohol.

This article was adapted from a post on Laura’s blog, Building Skyward, originally published on December 14th 2016. For more, visit Laura’s blog on buildingskyward.blogspot.ie

13

issue 9

Volume 2

Editorial

14

14

son isn’t going to change the world, and though we know that it’s a bit foolish to think otherwise, the existence of people who seem to have done exactly that single-handedly can be enough the sow a few seeds of doubt. It’s important, though, to distinguish between figureheads and the movements they represent. Nobody, no matter how successful or how well-remembered by history, can bring about positive change without a lot of help and a lot of patience. It’s very easy to get disheartened by all the sh-...shenanigans It’s the Valentine’s Issue! I know, I know: going on around the world when you conValentine’s Day is a divisive celebration. sider that you and I and everyone else are You either love the love, or are fully con- simply individual people, and no one can vinced that the whole thing is a Hallmark bring about world peace or any similarly holiday. Both are valid points of view. Per- noble state of being all on their lonesome. sonally, I quite like Valentine’s Season, if That’s why we need to lean on each other. that’s what you want to call it: all the shops get cheap flowers in and everything is Life happens in cycles, I think. Things are covered in red and pink (a very underrat- good, then they get bad, and then they get ed combination of colours, if you ask me). good again, and this cycle has been ongoPlus, St. Valentine wasn’t only the patron ing for the entire history of humanity. It saint of lovers; he’s also come to represent does seem like we’re waiting for the good beekeepers and plague victims. That’s part to come around at the moment, and it will - but not on its own. It’s very importpretty metal. ant not to let ourselves get disheartened at Speaking of bees, I was minding a seven- this point of that cycle, and one trick in year-old girl last summer who was mad doing that is to remind ourselves every about the things. She even looked like a now and then that we’re not the only ones bee: she was very small and round and out there. If we can all just bear in mind would wear almost exclusively yellow and that there are other good people with black clothes. She just loved them. In fact, the passion and the patience to make the she was so in tune with the bee world that, world a little bit brighter for everyone in according to her, she instinctively knew it, we can keep ourselves going that little they were an endangered species because bit longer. she can - and I quote - “sense the bees’ feelings.” Her solution was to leave a bowl of Oh, and remember I mentioned that honey outside the door for them, and I St. Valentine is also the patron saint of told her that was a very noble thing to do plague victims? The plague I’m referring (she was seven years old, guys. I wasn’t to here is fascism. Don’t let it win. Happy Valentine’s Day, and stay safe and happy about to break her heart any further). during RAG Week!

You have to admire that confidence, don’t you? That bowl of honey isn’t about to save the world’s bee population by any stretch of the imagination, but the assuredness with which it was laid out would, for a split second, almost make you think ‘well, maybe it won’t save all of the bees - but maybe it will help one or two’. It won’t, but the point is that there’s still that glimmer of hope. And who’s to say that this little beekeeper won’t go on to hone her technique so that, some time in the future, she will go on to help save the bees? How do we know that the bowl isn’t the start of something great?

At the end of the day, one act or one per-

Lauren Mulvihill

HOROSCOPES

with Mystic Greg

Aries (Mar. 21st - Apr. 19th) - It’s valentine's day, and for you the stars predict *drumroll* some romantic oral at the back of the 205.

Lucky bus stop of the week: Donovans Road.

entine's day, and for you the stars predict *drumroll* a sad handjob at the back of the cinema. Delightful.

Lucky paper product of the week: Some tissues. The staff aren’t paid enough to clean your jizz.

Taurus (Apr. 20th - May 20th) - It’s valentine's day, and for you the stars predict *drumroll* a relaxing night in with a brightly coloured dragon dildo.

Lucky boots product of the week: Lube, so much lube.

Scorpio (Oct. 23rd - Nov. 21st) - It’s valentine's day, and for you the stars predict *drumroll* a drunken ride in an inappropriate location. Have you no shame?

Lucky item of the week: A tent, to hide your act from the general public.

Gemini (May 21st - June 21st) - It’s valentine's day, and for you the stars predict *drumroll* a sad wank in your college room, with your own tears for lubrication.

Lucky household item of the week: A locked door, no one wants to walk in on that.

Sagittarius - (Nov. 22nd - Dec. 21st) - It’s valentine's day, and for you the stars predict *drumroll* a messy shift at the back of Chambers that gets a bit handsy but leads to nothing.

Lucky emotion of the week: Disappointment.

Cancer (June 22nd - July 21st) - It’s valentine's day, and for you the stars predict *drumroll* a delightful night of red wine and loving yourself. You go, crab human.

Lucky musical genre of the week: Some smooth jazz.

Capricorn - (Dec. 22nd - Jan. 20th) - It’s valentine's day, and for you the stars predict *drumroll* some sexy times with some genitals too big for your body to handle.

Lucky lubricant of the week: Numbing.

Leo (July 22nd - Aug. 21st) - It’s valentine's day, and for you the stars predict *drumroll* a spontaneous BDSM threesome. Oooh, spicy!

Lucky police accessory of the week: Handcuffs.

Virgo (Aug. 22nd - Sept. 22nd) - It’s valentine's day, and for you the stars predict *drumroll* nothing. You’re ‘the virgin’, remember? Sorry.

Lucky jewelry of the week: A promise ring, it’s the only way you’ll ever get any.

Libra (Sept. 23rd - Oct. 22nd) - It’s val-

Aquarius - (Jan. 21st - Feb. 19th) - It’s valentine's day, and for you the stars predict *drumroll* the same old boring missionary position sex with the same partner you’ve been riding for the past year.

Lucky book of the week: The kama sutra, love yourselves.

Pisces - (Feb. 20th - Mar. 20th) - It’s valentine's day, and for you the stars predict *drumroll* a terrible shift that reminds you of that time someone dared you to eat a raw oyster.

Lucky action of the week: Wiping your mouth on your sleeve when they’re not looking.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

1515

Need an Escape? Relaxing Dystopian Novels to Ease Your Mind.

Sarah Ryan, Byline Associate Editor

this classic has skyrocketed back to the top of the bestseller list with a 10,000% inSome days (or, these days, most of the time) crease in sales since President Trump’s init can feel like our world is without hope. auguration, there’s never been a better time Rampant governmental corruption, tyran- to read the scarily-prescient 1984. nical leaders, the ever-encroaching threat of “...with a 10,000% inclimate change and that unshakeable feeling that smartphones today are getting a bit crease in sales since too smart...it’s a tough time for us all. When President Trump’s inaudrugs are illegal, alcohol’s a slippery slope guration” and yoga is just a touch too wishy-washy, how is one meant to escape the despairing, This novel tells the story of Winston Smith, flaming car-wreck our society resembles a citizen of Oceania, a nation where BIG more and more each day? Reading is good, BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, history but reading dystopian fiction can be like and language are systematically altered to talking to that friend whose life could be eradicate any possibility of dissidence, and the fourteenth installment of A Series of opponents to Oceania’s ruling Party - a toUnfortunate Events: it just makes you feel talitarian, oppressive regime - are regularbetter about your own shitty situation. So, ly vaporised. Orwell wrote the novel postwith that, this week’s Arts and Entertain- WW2 to serve as a warning of the dangers ments section is dedicated to three great that can arise when a population becomes dystopian novels to help you sit back, relax, lazy and apathetic to critical thinking and and remember that even with the state of begins to blindly follow an authoritarian the world today, things could be worse. leadership - a lesson that seems as relevant today as it ever was. If you’re looking for “ it just makes you feel a novel to not only engage you but also fill you with deep paranoia every time you better about your own look at your television screen, this is a fanshitty situation” tastic choice (but beware, you might find 1984, George Orwell. the world of Oceania, with its concepts of No dystopian fiction countdown is com- Doublethink and Newspeak, eerily familiar plete without an Orwell novel, and since alternative facts, anyone?)

2. Only Ever Yours, Louise O'Neill.

The lesser-known novel of the Asking For It author, Only Ever Yours follows the novel’s protagonist, Freida, through her final year at a terrifying all-girls boarding school that makes the Hailsham School of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go look like Glenstal Abbey. From birth, Freida and her classmates, all of whom are genetically modelled after and named for supermodels, are groomed to become perfectly submissive servants for the men of the world. The girls are channelled into just three vocations: Companion, a completely subservient wife; Concubine, a role where your life is dedicated solely to sexually servicing men; and Chastity, a nun-esque role in which you groom the next generation of girls. The girls are forbidden from learning to read, and are taught to be obsessively critical of their own and fellow girls’ appearances and behaviour, each day receiving rankings from their male suitors based on their photos.

An unapologetically harrowing book, Only Ever Yours will leave you feeling shaken to the core for days afterwards as it examines the bare face of the patriarchy and the insidious nature of eating disorders and body dysmorphia. Think The Handmaid’s Tale for Generation Selfie.

3. The Road, Cormac McCarthy.

Saving the most depressing for last, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is recommended for only the most veritable masochists. The Road follows an unnamed father and son on their journey to the south coast of what might once have been the U.S.A as they attempt to survive a ‘nuclear winter’. Food, water and shelter are dangerously scarce and the world is plagued by the novel’s bad guys- a group of ‘roadagents’ that regularly rape, murder and eat the people they find on the road. When reading The Road, we enter the bleakest of realities, where McCarthy uses sparse language to reflect the desolate landscape and hopelessness of the new world. There are brief moments of reprieve, during moments of bonding between the man and the boy and times of remembering the old world, and throughout the novel McCarthy examines what remains when we are left with nothing, what keeps us going in a world without hope. In truth, I read this book in two parts, after once putting it down because it was so terribly, terribly bleak. Saying that, however, The Road is a fantastic read, with genuine, moving characters and a terrifyingly well-developed setting. And if the cannibalism and nuclear winter doesn’t make you feel better about that state of our reality, then erm, go pet some puppies outside the library.

That’ll probably help.

Film & TV

16

16

Movie Recommendations: I actually got to see La La Land, I loved it, I don’t care what you naysayers are up to! Watch it win all 14 Oscars (honestly it could win the most Academy Awards that a film has ever received).

New to Netflix: I only spotted that Eddie the Eagle was added the other day, and sat down to watch it. I’d give it an ol’ recommendation!

Feel good film! Also, I can’t remember if I mentioned a certain film was added to Netflix; it has a good soundtrack, really iconic...I’d talk more about it, but it’s against the rules.

Just Out: Lego Batman is apparently good, which means everything is still awesome! 50 Shades Darker is out this week.

I won’t be seeing it, but if you do – more power to you (because you can put up with a plot that incompetent). There’s also The Space Between Us, which is essentially a fault in our stars - literally in the stars, because this is kind of based around space travel.

Person of the Week: Damien Chazelle – such a young director at the age of 32, with two of the best films of this decade under his belt (La La Land, and Whiplash); you have to ask, what can stop this man? He’s an inspiration for any aspiring filmmaker!

Hacksaw Ridge Review: Philip Hayden, Film & TV Writer

have the decorum to include a scene where we see the Japanese commanders commit After a turbulent few years in his personal seppuku - again, ritualised suicide is always life, Mel Gibson returns to the big screen for going to feel poignant at the end of a war his fifth directorial effort. Hacksaw Ridge film. details the harrowing events of the battle of Okinawa, focusing on the WWII medic and Unfortunately, there does come a point conscientious objector Desmond T. Doss, where Mel gets a little too excited and the who refused to go into battle with a firearm. gore seems to cross the line between horrifically real and just plain cartoony. Bombs, Andrew Garfield stars in his second role as a for example, cause soldiers to dramatically spiritually conflicted based-on-a-true-story backflip. It feels like at this stage if you’re man with a mission sent to Japan this year. the poor soldier who’s handed the flame Garfield gives a competent performance as thrower, it’s a given that you’re doomed to the Forrest-Gump accented Doss, impres- die a fiery death once the enemy shoots the sively restraining himself from over-acting fuel tank on your back. Medical science also and keeping the bible quoting to a mini- seems to take a sick day, as the film would mum. The rest of the cast are instantly for- have you believe that a Penny’s-quality belt gettable, spending their time alternating wrapped around the remaining stump of between manly grunts of pain and staring a leg will keep the soldier alive for days on with disciple-like awe at Garfield. end. Doss also seems to have no problem sneaking around the battlefield saving the The first half of the film features the long wounded, what with the Stormtrooper-levdrawn-out courtship between Doss and his el marksmanship of the Japanese. In fact, lady love, whose only purpose is to make the Japanese come across about as incomit clear that even though he doesn’t carry petent as they do unyielding. The obvious a gun, Doss is still Gibson’s idea of man’s question on everyone’s mind is, why didn’t man. After this, we move onto boot camp, they cut the rope that the Americans are where each one-dimensional side charac- using to climb the ridge? Why didn’t the ter has his own catchy nickname roared at Japanese move up to the edge of the ridge him by Sergeant Vince Vaughn. You’ve got and toss grenades or even just rocks at the the vain one. The comic relief one. The Top Americans below? Yes, the film is based on Gun-esque rival one. Then after a couple of reality, but one of the fundamental differtraining montages and a quick stint in the ences between fiction and reality is that ficcourtroom, the boys are shipped out to Oki- tion has to make sense. nawa.

If you’re someone who has always struggled Of course, the film’s centrepiece is its war with allegorical references, euphemistic scenes, which make up the second half of allusions and extended metaphors, this the film. Gibson’s camera purposively lin- may just be the film for you as Mel Gibson gers on blown-apart legs, maggot-ridden makes sure to laboriously spell out each and corpses and bloody entrails. The battle every one of his allegories moments after scenes are impressive - but then again, it’s they happen. For example, at the start of the hard to mess up battle scenes. Explosions, film, in a sequence reminiscent of Walk the gunfire and high-action editing are natu- Line (or Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story if rally engaging. And although the film does you’re cynical like me) Doss flashes back to

his childhood where he accidentally clubs his brother over the head with a brick while play-fighting. With the moral crux of the film hinging on Doss’s spiritual aversion to killing, this is obviously a neat little allusion to the biblical story of Cain and Abel. However, the director, obviously fearing that this may be lost on the average viewer, has the young Doss stare at a framed picture of the seven deadly sins, even zooming in on Cain and Abel themselves. (Do all Christians in Virginia have framed pictures of the seven deadly sins in their home?)

Speaking of religious imagery, Hacksaw Ridge makes the likes of ‘Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice’ look positively cryptic by comparison. Throughout the film, Doss performs Christ-like miracles on the battlefield: washing the blood from a man’s eyes so he can see again, effectively curing the blind; carrying a poor Japanese soldier out of the literal catacombs they’ve dug beneath the battlefield à la the resurrection of Lazarus; later Doss figuratively ascends into heaven as the camera sweeps underneath him during his lowering from the battlefield on a stretcher. Gibson even includes orchestral cues for the emotionally-challenged.

Ultimately, Hacksaw Ridge is a two-hour collection of war-film clichés, dripping with religious imagery, testosterone and a whole lot of Americuh! Its battle scenes aren’t bad and the performances are tolerable but the film has nothing new to say (well, the film might at least upset some NRA members).

Despite the incredibly heroic feats of the real-life Desmond Doss, Hacksaw Ridge as a film is the kind you see, enjoy the spectacle and promptly forget.

1717

FILM & TV Editor - Aaron Frahill

Your Name Darragh McGrath, Film & TV Writer

An anime movie to fall in love with.

Every anime review touches on the idea of “people who will enjoy this series or film” as anime itself is and has always been a niche fandom. However, that is not to say that you have to be a self-proclaimed anime lover (or ‘Otaku’ if you’re feeling brave) to enjoy a series or film that just happens to be anime. Every once in awhile there comes a title that is so beautifully animated, well written or just generally enjoyable that it will gain fans from both inside and out of the world of those of us who are committed to Japan’s colourful creations.

Your Name truly is one of those titles, and speaking not only as a lifelong anime lover but as someone passionate about cinema, I guarantee anyone who wants to sit and take in two hours of memorable and moving film will not leave disappointed.

The plot focuses around two teenagers from contrasting backgrounds: a boy

named Taki from Tokyo and a girl named Mitsuha from a small rural town, and the relationship that blossoms between the two as they find themselves somehow swapping bodies in their sleep. I’m not normally overly fond of teenage love stories, but there was something special about this one that really tugs on the heartstrings. Particularly towards the second half, as the plot shifts from a light-hearted, magical tale of being in someone else’s shoes, to having an intense

Trainspotting 2 Review J.J. Lee - Film & TV Writer

“Choose Life, Choose a job. Choose a sequel that doesn’t disappoint.”

When the initial announcement was made that Danny Boyle & Co would be creating a sequel to the era-defining, smash hit ‘Trainspotting’, I was overwhelmed with a sense of dread: it felt like yet another unnecessary follow up. However, somehow, someway, the cast led by Ewan McGregor has man- opening of the original film, and generally aged to pull it off. the initial 40 minutes are laden with these callbacks. The audience is casually reintroBoyle has spawned the perfect concoction duced to the main cast - Renton, Sickboy, of nostalgia, gripping narratives and dark Spud and Begbie - and a recurring theme humour to make this piece work. There is emerges which begins to manifest as the an essential symbiotic flow to proceedings crux of the narrative. These are all men and, crucially, it does not overly rely on the who are effectively frozen in the past, reoriginal. The opening scene harks back to fusing to accept their current reality and the 1996 iteration, with Renton now trad- choosing to fantasize about their reckless ing in the streets of Edinburgh for a new youth. This concept is beautifully personage Dutch gym. His feet pounding on the ified predominantly by Begbie, who has treadmill is a not so subtle nod to the frantic

atmosphere that plays on every emotion.

The animation is nothing short of gorgeous. Everything from the character designs to the hustle and bustle of the capital city juxtaposed with the natural beauty of the mountain town is a feast for the eyes.

Of course a vital element of any anime title is the soundtrack, and here J-rock band Radwimps capture the mood of every moment perfectly with their songs. I look forward to listening to each of the pieces individually.

Your Name has become the highest-grossing anime film worldwide, a position previously held by the legendary Studio Ghibli’s Oscar winning masterpiece Spirited Away. If that is not enough to convince you I don’t know what is. In conclusion I am not simply recommending an anime movie that has everything the genre is celebrated for and will be loved by dedicated fans, I am urging everyone to experience this moving and memorable piece of art. Thank you once again, Japan.

often re-emphasizing how while they have changed physically, they have remained in a condition of mental cryostasis.

Thankfully, the overall narrative is quite a good one: a story that focuses on opportunity and betrayal – a mantra that is reiterated by the wonderful Ewan Bremner’s character, Spud. To see these characters struggle through the modern era, to adapt their ideologies and actions to a 21st century lifestyle, is fascinating. Boyle peels back the layers of these already raw characters even further, their vulnerabilities and self-afflictions laid bare to the audience. These are men plagued by doubts, their collective pasts and their decisions. Even Robert been incarcerated for the best part of two de- Carlyle’s sadistic Begbie is poignantly portrayed as an almost ‘Jekyll and Hyde’-type cades.

This film was never going to be as shocking, character. as biting and as jarring as its predecessor.

Thankfully, it doesn’t try to be, but rather fo- T2 is a fair continuation of the pristine cuses on the concurrent mid-life crisis faced Trainspotting legacy. It does not tarnish the by the former junkies. Boyle hones in on just original or truly harm it, but rather we are how much the characters have aged, how far given some semblance of closure to the origremoved they are from their hedonic past inal. Some of Boyle’s directorial techniques selves, filled with boyish charms. Scenes of seem forced, not as fluid as they once were: Renton and Sickboy are often interrupted the use of freeze frames springs to mind. by clips and stills from 20 years previous, But saying that, it is a wonderful film, a true testament to a modern classic. Choose life.

MUSIC

18

18

Kanye Fact of What Next For Gorillaz? the Day During the recording of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in Hawaii, Kanye would often order food into the studio.

When it arrived, he would ask the delivery man to come in and give his opinion of what he was working on at the time, in order to get an outsider’s opinion and to make the album the best he could.

Beginners guide to: Ben Howard – Danny Brazil 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Depth Over Distance Folatton Wood Bones Gracious Keep Your Head Up Moves Like You Want Soldiers Conrad Wouldn’t Be A Lie

Margaret Gillies, Music Writer

What can we expect from the upcoming Gorillaz album this year? The band kept us guessing when they dropped their first new song in almost six years, entitled Hallelujah Money, on January 19th, with Mercury Prize winning artist Benjamin Clemantine providing lead vocals alongside 2D. The track proved surprisingly controversial, not least because of its lyrical content (the so-called “anti-Trump anthem,” unveiled a day before his inauguration, contains references to cultural divide and building walls) but also because the sound was a little different to what many were expecting from what was essentially the first real teaser of the new Gorillaz’ sound.

wasn’t quite as upbeat as it should have been, and leaned too heavily on dishing out social commentary rather than delivering a fresh, well-executed sound. This isn’t to say Hallelujah Money is poor in any way; the song does improve very much with multiple listens, however it’s easy to Followers of the cartoon band will know see why some might have been slightly unthat Gorillaz are no strangers to featur- derwhelmed on their first hearing. ing political messages in their songs, but perhaps somewhat ironically, it wasn’t the Whether or not Hallelujah Money is an anti-Trump message that left fans bewil- accurate representation of Gorillaz’ updered. While Hallelujah Money wouldn’t coming musical direction for their fifth have sounded out of place on their 2010 album is yet to be seen. Jamie Hewlett, album Plastic Beach, some felt the track the band’s co-creator and cartoonist, re-

vealed to fansite GorillazNorthAmerica last year that the upcoming album, originally scheduled to be released in 2016, was “really fucking special” and that it “can’t be rushed”. Fellow co-creator, lyricist and 2D vocalist Damon Albarn is still relatively fresh from the critical and commercial successes of his solo offering Everyday Robots (2014) and Blur’s The Magic Whip (2015). There’s really no reason why Albarn shouldn’t deliver with Gorillaz.

After their six year hiatus, will Gorillaz be able to recreate their past glory? Only time will tell...and Albarn and Hewlett have had plenty of it.

Let’s go Dancing with the Stars!

Ruth O’Dwyer, Music Writer

Do any of you know, or have even heard of ballroom dancing before? Some of you are probably contemplating why on earth I am writing about ballroom dancing, of all things, for the music section - why not just create a separate section dedicated to dance alone? However, dancing has a lot to do with music, especially ballroom dancing.

Although I’m a dance enthusiast, I admit I’m no expert when it comes to ballroom dancing - but the new Dancing with the Stars show, which is broadcasted on RTÉ 1 every Sunday night at 6.30pm, has completely lured me into the very special and unique art, so much so that I have begun to consider placing all my energies into pursuing a career as a professional ballroom dancer, in the hope that I’ll be saved from the endless amount of study that is creeping up on me.

However, what I do wish to accomplish is to learn how to ballroom dance, and I don’t just mean the waltz that is so commonly performed at every wedding: I endeavour to learn as much of the Latin-American dance list as possible, from the energetic rumba to the romantic Argentine tango. Believe me, if you love to strut your stuff on the dancefloor and are an absolute music maniac, you’ll soon find yourself in parallel with my thoughts on ballroom dancing even after watching at least one episode.

Dancing with the Stars is a ballroom dancing competition between various wellknown celebrities where some have little dancing experience and others have literally never danced before, and are required to work extremely hard under time pressure to learn a new dance to utter perfection on a weekly basis. It becomes clear from watch-

ing the show that it is not only footwork and steps that matter in becoming an elite and competent dancer, but the celebrities must learn to listen to the music and connect with the beats and rhythm, which is not all that easy at times! The list of celebrities includes Aidan O’Mahony, the Kerry Footballer whose sexy abs have literally taken over Twitter discussions; Dayl Cronin of the boyband Hometown; comedy stars Des Bishop and Katherine Lynch; RTÉ’s sensational news reporter Teresa Mannion; and the queen of Operation Transformation, Dr. Eva Orsmond, along with a few others.

All the contestants are paired with professional ballroom dancers who teach them the necessary skills and techniques that are essential to ballroom dancing. Each week a dance pair with the lowest combined judges’ score and votes is eliminated from the competition. The show is co- presented by

Amanda Byram and Nicky Byrne, and there are three judges by the names of Julian Benson, Brian Redmond and Loraine Barry who all have very impressive backgrounds in ballroom dancing - Loraine, for example, has over fifty national and international titles for ballroom dancing, and is one of the most successful ballroom dancers Ireland has ever produced. The judges not only act as critics of the performances, but they offer a source of support and advice which drives the learner ballroom dancers to work harder and improve every week.

I would highly recommend this show for those of you who are in any way fascinated by not only dance, but by the thoughts of being able to confidently show off your startling salsa and foxtrot moves and grooves in front of your peers and family. How cool would that be?

1919

music Editor - Cailean Coffey

Ticket-Touting Legislation On The Way – But Will It Help?

Tickets for Ed Sheeran’s lastest show sold out within minutes

Cailean Coffey, Music Editor

There’s no escaping it. No matter how early you get up, or how quick you get, online or how long you’ve been waiting in a virtual queue, you always know you’re fighting a losing battle even before the clocks strike nine or ten and that, inevitably, the website will crash, making all your endeavours worthless. Online ticket touting is one of the biggest issues with the ticket-selling market and it’s a problem that, no matter how much they might say they want a change, the big companies (or in the case of this monopolised market, the big company) don’t want to go away. Though ticket touting has always been a problem, in recent years it’s become somewhat of an epidemic, with everyone being affected some way or another.

“This hacking makes it almost impossible for the majority of genuine, legitimate fans to get access to tickets.”

Within the last few weeks, tickets for shows

by Coldplay, U2 and Ed Sheeran all selling out within seconds, yet being available instantaneously on Ticketmaster-owned secondary ticket-seller Seatwave for more than four times the original price. Government officials have been considering ways to crack down on ticket touting. Attempts had previously been made in 2011 to outlaw the resale of tickets at an increased value, but Minister for Jobs at the time (Richard Bruton) rejected to pass any legislation as he believed that any attempt to stop touting Ticket touting, for those who are unaware, would just lead to touts using websites based is the purchasing of tickets to sporting or abroad and would not solve any problems. musical events with the chief objective of selling the ticket on at an enormously high Two weeks ago, however, an attempt was mark up price, sometimes three or four made again to pass legislation to ban touttimes the original retail price. Criminals ing. Fine Gael’s Minister for Communihave begun using professional ticket tout- cations, Climate action and Environment ing software known as “bots” that are capa- Denis Naughton recommended a private ble of hacking into the primary ticketing member’s bill to the cabinet outlawing toutsystem (e.g Ticketmaster) and taking out ing of any kind. The legislation, written by hundreds of tickets using multiple, valid Fine Gael TD Noel Rock and independent credit cards. This hacking makes it almost TD (now a member of Fianna Fáil) Stephen impossible for the majority of genuine, le- Donnelly, would ban the resale of tickets gitimate fans to get access to tickets. The above face value bar those auctioned or touts then put them for sale online at often sold for charity. The current Minister for three times the original price, and fans are Jobs raised the same issues as Richard Bruso desperate to attend that they pay outra- ton did years before, but in stark contrast geous and ridiculous prices to see their fa- there seems to be almost universal support vourite band, team, or singer. for the bill this time around. Also relat-

ing to the issue, the Consumer Protection Committee have also recently launched an investigation into suspected breaches of competition laws relating to ticket resale.

While the results of both the investigation and the cabinet vote may not be instant, it could lead to a solution in the not too distant future.

Ireland are proving to be very slow in dealing with the problem of touting. There is a law in place since 1995, as part of the casual trading act of 1995, stating that tickets cannot be sold in public unless the seller has a licence, but this is very rarely something that Gardaí check, and with touting moving online no licence is needed. Music ticket resale is already banned in countries across the world, such as France, Norway, Israel and the majority of Canada. In some states in the U.S., tickets are not allowed to be sold on the grounds or in the surrounding area of the arena where the event is taking place.

In the U.K. the government has found it more difficult to manage; the resale of football tickets has been banned since 1944 (as part of the effort to deal with hooliganism) but the concert ticket touting industry, according to IQ magazine, is worth over £1 Billion per year. It is very difficult for any government to pass any laws rlating to online retail as there is very few ways in which the police force could properly enforce it. So if it’s so difficult, why don’t ticket retailing companies help find a solution? The answer is simple: money.

merger with concert promoters and organisers Live Nation. It sells tickets in almost every country in the world, and was valued at over $8 Billion in 2007. In 2014, it completed the acquisition of operating assets from European company SeatWave. Since then it has used this company to act as a secondary ticket seller, where users can sell tickets at any price they want to other users. When doing so, TicketMaster charges a 12.5% service charge derived from whatever value the ticket was sold for. This means that if a ticket is sold at three times the original value, Ticketmaster make three times the amount of profit on each ticket. For them, it is a simple case of grab all the money that they can, however they can.

“why don’t ticket retailing companies help find a solution? The answer is simple: money.”

So while we all may be giving out about touting, there’s very little the government or anyone can do. Reasonable solutions could be that the name on each ticket must appear with I.D., but that would deny tickets sold at a genuine price as well. There could also be the introduction of a ticket collection system at the venue, where the cardholder must be present to enter the venue. However, without the major ticket companies supporting a solution there’s very little hope of anything of worth taking place soon. It seems as though the early morning wake ups, the virtual queuing and the inevitable Ticketmaster is the largest ticket retail com- website crash have a long way to go until pany in the world following its $2.5 Billion they become a thing of the past.

Interview

20

20

Lauren Mulvihill, Byline Editor

Byline Fashion Editor Kenneth Nwaezeigwe may be better known to some by his online alias, Dapper Sapeur. Since getting his start on Instagram almost two years ago, Kenneth’s blog (@dapper_sapeur) has amassed over 16,000 followers, all eager to receive their daily dose of style inspiration.

Kenneth’s unique fashion sense - a mix of traditional and contemporary styles, with key features including layering and combining various patterns and colours - has not only captured the imaginations of everyday fashion enthusiasts, but has led to a wealth of opportunities, including his recent student brand ambassadorship with online retailer Boohoo.com. Following his experience at Boohoo offices in Manchester, we spoke with Kenneth about his ambassadorship, his work with the Irish powerlifting team, and what life is like for an independent student blogger.

Q: How long have you been blogging, and how did you get started?

I’ve been blogging for over a year and a half now officially. I’m nearly at the 2 year mark.

Wow, that’s a long time!

I kind of fell into it: I was never a fashionable kid - I wasn’t even a fashionable teenager. It wasn’t until after I turned 20 that I started to think about fashion, so I was a late bloomer, so to speak. I remember reading an article in a free magazine at the time called “Insert Title” - I’m not sure if the magazine is still in publication or not. The article was written

by James Mcdonald who, at the time, was a stylist in Brown Thomas here in Cork. I was so awestruck by the article, which spoke about essential items that every man in his early 20s should have, and I decided from

2121

Interview by Lauren Mulvihill

thinking of starting a fashion blog?

First of all, just go for it. Secondly, find your niche. Don’t do something that is overly general, as it makes it really hard for people to connect with you. Do something that you are passionate about. If you have a passion for something, people are more likely to share that passion. Lastly, keep your content quality high. I started off with a crappy android phone taking bad pictures, but it wasn’t until I invested money in a proper camera that I started to gain followers, sponsors and traction on my page. Never forget why you started, and keep having fun with it. It’s tough being relevant on social media but if you are doing something that you like, then you will always be relevant. Also - no selfies.

there that I could own those items and start dressing better.

The blog Dapper Sapeur realistically started there. It wasn’t until a few months later that I turned my idea into action and I joined Instagram and started posting blurry pictures with my Sony Experia J. At the time, the struggle was definitely real. I had to make sure my pictures were always outside and in very good lighting just to not end up with a crappy pixelated image. I started with 46 followers which realistically consisted of my very close friends and family. Now I’m here sitting at 16.4k, and I’m optimistic for the future.

“Never for-

Q: How would you describe your perget why you sonal style? started, and My style I would say is quite sartorial; I love suits and I like long overcoats. I never leave keep having home without a nice coat of some sort, fun with it.” whether it be my long camel overcoat or my short herringbone tweed double breasted pea coat. A good coat is to men what a nice BoohooMan as a company; so I’m expected shade of lipstick is to women. You can wear to wear their products and promote them whatever you wish under a coat; it’s the easion my social media platforms. I’ve also got est style hack I can think of. to submit monthly content photos and I’ve deadlines and quotas to hit. It was complete“A good coat is to men random: I know another blogger in Dubwhat a nice shade of lip- ly lin who had worked with Boohoo through stick is to women.” his PR company, but since I’m an independent blogger I’ve to do the legwork myself.

My style has changed quite a bit since I first But that also means I keep all profits made started dressing well. Initially I thought that from the connections I make. I was told suits were the be-all and end-all, but now about the Boohoo student ambassador proI’m seeing that I can be just as well dressed gramme by their online social media platin a plain white tee, black skinny jeans and a form on Instagram. I originally didn’t think nice long coat in camel or grey. that I was going to get it, but I said, why not just apply? Nothing ventured, nothQ: What interests do you have outside ing gained. My good friend Emmet Curtin fashion? helped me out with making the video, and Another one of my interests would have we shot it in just under 20 minutes. It was to be powerlifting. I started powerlifting at edited the same day. You don’t realise how about the same time that I started college much you hate the sound of your own voice the first time. I’m now currently on the until you have to edit it for over an hour. A Irish powerlifting squad, heading to Euroweek later, I was told I had gotten the gig. pean championships for the International Powerlifting Federation in Denmark in a Q: What does the work entail? few weeks. Powerlifting is very different I basically do what I would normally do from fashion, but I try to bring some of my on Instagram, except I do it while wearing fashion into it - even if it’s wearing fashionBoohoo and BoohooMan clothes. I have able clothes to my comps, or wearing fasha monthly credit allowance that I have to ionable socks while competing. spend on Boohoo products. I also have to submit four pieces of style content and two Q: How did your partnership with pieces of lifestyle content every month.

Boohoo come about?

I represent Boohoo and BoohooMan at My partnership with Boohoo is a student fashion shows, and I am expected to talk brand ambassadorship position, which about the quality standard of Boohoo and basically means that I represent Boohoo & BoohooMan clothes and accessories. Fi-

You can find Kenneth on Instagram at @da pper_ sapeur.

nally, I am not allowed to enter into any parternships with other companies in which there is a conflict of interest - so the likes of ASOS, New Look, River Island, TopMan etc. are off limits on my social media accounts.

Q: How did you get on in England?

It was amazing. I spend quite a lot of time visiting the UK, but most of the time I am in London, so this is my first time visiting Manchester.

It’s so different to London in that it is easier to get around, it’s much slower paced and it feels a lot more like Cork. I had a great time despite being stopped at the airport 5 times to be searched (#bigblackguyproblems #thickbeardproblems #totesnotracist #random).

Q: Finally, any tips for people

GAMING

22

22

Upcoming & Recent Releases Yakuza 0 I don’t know a lot about the Yakuza series and know almost nothing about this particular entry. The only thing I really know is that as a prize for bowling you can get a live chicken and then put it in charge of some of your illegal property business. So, get this game if you like chicken-based crime, I guess. Also, the chicken is called Nugget.

Halo Wars 2 I’ve never been a fan of the Halo, as the kids call it, but I do think it’s cool that a company is putting money behind a proper real-time strategy game. Even if playing a strategy game on console is like eating soup with a fork.

Horizon: Zero Dawn Dinosaurs are cool. Robots are cool. What could possibly be cooler? Robot dinosaurs, that’s what! It’s a very ‘90s style of creativity and I can absolutely get behind it.

Gravity Rush 2 Is Amazing And I Love It!

Jonathan Soltan, Gaming Editor

game Kat and her friend Syd find themselves in the city of Jirga Para Lhao. PlayStation did release a little animation on Youtube that bridges the gap between the two games, but I don’t think it adds much to the story. It’s a harmless cartoon that only takes twenty minutes to watch, though, so you’ve got nothing to lose, really.

I don’t think I’m breaking any new ground when I say that that the original Gravity Rush wasn’t the best game or the best-selling game. It was a fun action game with a cool core mechanic but had a seriously inconclusive ending. Its sales potential was also seriously limited by the fact that it was on the Vita, a system that didn’t exactly set As an environment, Jirga Para Lhao is pretty different to the previous games’ Heksethe world on fire. ville. The four districts of Hekseville were The thing about Gravity Rush, though, is essentially four islands that existed on the that it was my favourite Vita game. I know same horizontal plane that you unlocked it wasn’t the best, but it was my favourite. as you progressed through the game. Jirga It just had so much charm, and Kat was just Para Lhao is a different beast entirely. The such a cutie that I couldn’t help but love it. city is made up of many, many floating arThe only problem was that I really didn’t eas: some as small as a single building, and expect it to get a sequel… but here we are in some as large as an entire construction yard.

2017 and, miracle of miracles, I have now beaten Gravity Rush 2 and am well on my The city as a whole is then divided vertically into three districts, with the richest living at way to earning the platinum trophy.

When I first stepped into the world of Grav- the top and the poorest at the bottom. This ity Rush 2 I was almost overwhelmed by plays a major part in the story of the first the fact that I was playing the sequel to my act of the game, which explores the theme favourite Vita game. It felt very surreal. My of economic inequality. It’s nothing that first impression was that it felt just as good hasn’t been done before, and better, but to control as the last game. Kat is a very re- the characters are the real draw for Gravity sponsive and agile character to control, and Rush 2. landing hits on enemies has a very satisfying weight and impact to it. Aiming while Aside from the new setting, Kat also gets to shifting is slightly different than the pre- explore a bevy of new powers. Throughout vious game. On the Vita you used the gyros the course of the story, Kat will gain the abilfor fine tuning your aim, which made it feel ity to shift “styles.” Along with her normal like you were manipulating the whole world style, Kat will unlock the heavy Jupiter style in your hands. It gave the game an oddly im- and the light Lunar style. Jupiter is useful mersive feel. On PS4 you can still use mo- for dealing damage on the ground, but is uttion control to aim by tilting the controller, terly useless for hitting anything in the air. but it’s a more detached feel and I mostly In contrast, Lunar style allows Kat to jump found myself just aiming with the right an- high into the air and easily attack airborne alog stick. With that said, it still feels great. enemies. The normal style is a happy mediAs for the story, at the beginning of the um that I found myself using most of the

time.

While I very much enjoyed my many hours playing through the game, the final couple of hours totally blew me away. The game built in a perfect crescendo from both a story and gameplay perspective, and every time I thought I’d finally reached the peak, a new peak was revealed. By the time the game was actually over I was left totally drained but wanting more at the same time. By far the worst thing about the original Gravity Rush was that it had a totally unsatisfying ending, leaving every question unanswered. While I would definitely prefer to get another game to fully wrap everything up in a neat little bow, I would be okay with the way Gravity Rush 2 leaves things: somewhat ambiguous, but with the main questions answered.

In closing, all I can really say is that I absolutely love this game. I love everything about it on such a base level; all the adorable emotes you can unlock for Kat, Raven’s totally edgelord design, the side mission where you have to throw a frisbee for a dog to raise its happiness meter - all of it.

I love it so much and for such specific reasons that I really have no idea how much a normal person will like this game. If you played the first game and liked it, then you probably already have the new game. If you didn’t play the first game then you’re not really going to get get a whole lot out of this game. In that case, then, I’d have to tell you to buy a whole other game to enjoy this game. Which makes this whole review kind of pointless, really. I seriously love this game, though.

23 23

gaming Editor - Jonathan Soltan

BETA IMPRESSIONS

Kieran Barrett – Gaming Writer

For Honor, the action fighting game from Ubisoft that is officially released today, recently held a closed beta which ran from the 26th to the 30th of January. I managed to get an invite and spent around 15-20 hours with the game, and these are some of the details I have learned about the full release of the game, as well as my initial impressions of the beta test.

First of all, I’d like to briefly outline the premise of the game and the story, though the beta mainly consisted of online multiplayer to stress the servers and provided little in the way of single player. The game allows players to play the roles of historical soldiers such as Medieval Knights, Samurai, and Vikings within a medieval fantasy setting. The campaign was detailed in one of the cinematic trailers for the game, in which natural disasters ravage the landscape, leaving the three factions warring over the scarce resources. The bloodthirsty warlord, Apollyon, believes the Knights, Samurai and Vikings to have grown weak, and thus manipulates them and sparks conflict between them which lasts for millennia. I don’t know whether each faction has a separate campaign, or if you change perspective as you play, but I’m hopeful that there are three unique campaigns for each of the three groups.

The beta introduced us to how the multiplayer works, with each player joining one of the three respective factions and battling to take control of the world map. The game is set up so that there are rounds in which the factions fight against each other to advance their territories in the world map. These rounds lasted 6 hours and progression depended on which faction was winning more matches in each territory. Each faction

started out with 20 territories and gained or lost these depending on their performance.

Personally, I played in the Vikings faction and at one stage we controlled 33 territories, while the Samurai controlled 16 and the Knights a mere 11. However, momentum would often swing, and 6 hours later the Vikings were reduced to 27 territories.

This element added a nice dynamic to the multiplayer, as I was often choosing to fight in territories where we were losing in order to help my Viking brethren seize control though often times one would need to concede defeat in order to spare resources. The game also allocates war assets depending on your performance in individual matches, which you can then deploy to territories on the world map to help your faction.

These rounds accumulate to form larger seasons, which last 3 months, and I believe the winner at the end of each season receives various rewards, be it experience or loot. The game’s DLC plan is also tied into these seasons as new content, be it heroes, game modes or maps, releases at the start of each season. Heroes and maps are free, but there is a season pass which provides bonus experience as well as boosts to gear and cosmetic items. I’m glad to see that players won’t be divided into season pass and non-season pass holders, as splitting the player base is one way to insure a game loses traction quickly.

The gameplay of For Honor felt fluid and accessible, yet challenging. It is almost like Tekken or Mortal Kombat in that each character has their own moveset for you to learn off. The game is centred on one key feature, in that players use the right stick on their controller to control their character’s offensive and defensive stance. Players with quick reflexes and the ability to vary the

direction of their attacks will see more success than one-dimensional approaches. As such, there appears to be a high skill ceiling, so that players who are skilled may seem insurmountable at first, and weaker players are easy to brush aside, but even the most skilful of players may be overcome when faced by two or three teammates. Thus I found it better when playing with friends who were in my party chat, as we were able to co-ordinate when we would attack and which points on the map we were going to defend.

I am concerned with the longevity of the game, as the game modes may become tedious and repetitive due to the same objectives in each round. There were three game types in the beta, a 4v4 mode with AI minions for you to slaughter and points to capture, a 2v2 and 1v1 mode which purely consist of killing the enemy players with no AI interference. These game modes are enjoyable, but I am concerned with their repetitive nature and I hope more modes are added in later seasons. The levelling system also seems quite daunting, as I spent most of my 20 hours with one of the 9 characters available in the beta yet there was a long road of levelling left ahead of me. It works like Call of Duty’s prestige system, or Titanfall 2’s regeneration, where you start off at Reputation 0 Level 1, and once you reach Level 20 you progress to Reputation 1 Level 1, then progress to Reputation 1 Level 20 and so on until you get to a maximum of Reputation 10. I managed to reach Reputation 1 Level 11 on my one character that I spent almost 20 hours with, so there seems to be a lot of grinding involved if you

want to reach max level on more than one character, and there are 12 characters in the full game, with that climbing to 21 with proposed DLC. The game launches on Valentine’s Day (which is the day this paper is supposed to come out), and there is also going to be an open beta running from February 9th to the 12th, to give more people the chance to try the game. This will include more content than the closed beta, though I am unsure whether that means more maps, more characters or both. Overall, I enjoyed the time I spent with the closed beta and I am looking forward to playing some more in the open beta, although I still have doubts over the longevity of the game, and so I advise waiting for reviews and feedback before making any decisions on whether to purchase the full game.

fashion

24

24

Current Style Icon: Zendaya

EMBRACE THE COSY AE

STHETIC

Iris Maher- Style Editor Reasons to Covet her Style: Zendaya’s eyebrows are truly amazing. They are perfectly groomed. yet still natural-looking; the best balance.

She loves a good suit and is not afraid to experiment with various coloured suits either; also trying different textures, wearing a red velvet suit jacket and matching trousers, for example.

Zendaya’s love of colour is not only reserved for suits and she’s been known to clash strong, bold colours together.

Never one to hide away, Zendaya does not define herself by one personal style - she varies her style from day to day, from sporty-casual to minimalism.

Despite her experimental fashion choices, her confidence alone allows her to pull each and every outfit off. She manages to look stylish no matter what she decides to wear.

GO FROM DAY TO NIGHT

What to Wear: RAG Week Edition Iris Maher, Style Editor

find dresses to be extremely comfortable, especially if they are of jersey materials, RAG week is, by now, in full swing. If you and you might need to be comfortable if plan on spending the week partying and you want to struggle through the hangcompletely disregarding your studies (ed- over and onto the sesh. itor’s note: please go to lectures), perhaps new outfits are on the cards: specific cloth- Makeup and Beauty ing for your daytime fun and something Stock up on makeup wipes, because your different for night time activities. skin care routine may go out the window.

Also, makeup wipes feel nice and cooling The Infamous Jeans and a Nice Top when you’re feeling under the weather.

I find this ensemble quite intriguing, as Didn’t take it off? Last nights winged eyeit seems so simple, yet it is almost impos- liner can become todays smokey/smudged sible to find that one nice top! The nice look. And we all know what a wonderful top seems to be an image that lingers in invention dry shampoo is. the back of my mind. I never know exactly what it will look like, but I will know it Outfit Repeating? when I see it. Turns out, it does not exist. In certain circles this is seen as a horrenI’ve had to settle for some ‘okay’ tops and dous act, but, for me, I’m usually so conhope for the best. cerned with what I’m wearing that I’m not concerned with what others are wearing, Day Dresses and if they wore that top last week. No one Dresses that can take you from night-to- cares but you, honestly: do you really want day are extremely useful for RAG week, to spend a small fortune on new outfits for as one might not go home between the every day of the week and the night? day of ‘lectures’ and the night out (easily happens). Wear tights during the day and Next Day Delivery heels at night; standard practice for tran- Many Irish online retailers offer ‘next sitioning from day to night! Same goes for day’ delivery if you order before a certain the nice top and skirt combination. I also time. This may be handy if you’ve run out

of clean clothing and are too sick to either a) put on the washing machine or b) go shopping in town. Who needs to leave the house during the day? Order your food and clothes online, and be ready for the night ahead in no time.

Swapping Session Trade ‘night time’ style dresses with your friends. It will look different on you with different shoes/bag combo. This practice can also take place over a few casual drinks, especially towards the end of the week when the hangover just seems to not want to leave, and the last thing you want to worry about is, ‘what will I wear tonight?’

Are There Actually Lectures this Week?

If you do attempt college (which I do advise) a lot of folks may be hungover, so comfy clothes are a must. Maybe bring a blanket to share with friends? Embrace the cosy aesthetic that accompanies this week; hoodies, tracksuits, scarfs, hats, soft t-shirts, etc. This could be your chance to test out your fashionable pajamas in college, and no one will blink an eyelid. Also perfect wear for shaking a bucket at your fellow-hungover sesh heads.

25 25

FASHION Editors - Kenneth Nwaezeigwe and Iris Maher

Valentines Lingerie Iris Maher- Fashion Editor

What is the ‘right lingerie’ these days, I can give you my top tips and what is on trend, in the end it all comes down to what is right for you. The lingerie you pick should not just be for your partner this valentine’s day but also for you. The right lingerie should make you feel powerful and confident and those feelings are not reserved exclusively for the bedroom. (Personally, I believe I have my life together when I’m wearing matching underwear!)

The wearability is important if you are going to spend a good deal of money on an underwear set. Make sure it fits and is comfortable as you will want to wear it again. For this I would not recommend online shopping, you will need to see the items before you buy them. Especially when it comes to bras, the fit is essential.

If it is more of a novelty for you, the fit doesn’t matter to the same extent as it will probably end up on the floor in record time. If it is something you aren’t going to wear again, there is definitely no need to spend a fortune on it. Penneys have fantastic options and variety when it comes to underwear, but they certainly up their game around valentine’s day. It will be worth checking early to avoid disap-

pointment if they do not have your size. But also online most clothing websites bring out a special range for this time of year.

(Don’t forget your student discount when shopping online with a unidays account).

Online shopping can be tricky for this, because it is hard to get the sizing right when it comes to bra sizes. Especially when it comes to a bralette, babydoll or camisole and short set which are often sized just S,M,L. But online shops seem to have the monopoly on affordable sites.

One word I associate with lingerie is red. But your Valentines lingerie does not have to go with such a generic colour. You can even go for multiple colours, prints and textures.

You can bring your own personal style into the mix. If something feels more your style then in turn you will be more confident!

There are so many options, this year I’ve seen a lot more sporty pieces similar to the Calvin Klein set.

Don’t forget the supermarkets, Lidl have launched a valentines special on the 2nd of February, with a wide range of pieces including; bras, briefs, hold ups, kimonos and garters.

(Although they do not have anything special for the men to wear!). What I like about this range from Lidl is the variety, it is possible to be very extravagant and still have money left over for chocolates.

Also don’t forget to check out

department stores such as Debenhams, Marks and Spencers and Brown Thomas, where you can even find someone to help you choose!

Even if you don’t have a Valentine’s date this year, buy yourself something beautiful to wear, even if no one else will see it only you.

Save or Spend: Cute Slips/Teddies Edition Save This ‘Black Lace Babydoll and Thong set’ from Pretty Little Thing is only €21.

Spend ‘Blubella Ella Chemise from Brown Thomas Online is €54.

Humour

26

26

“I could never become a vegan...I mean... bacon.”

Film & Television: Teletubbies fans across the globe have been outraged by smash-hit La La Land’s erasure of everyone’s favourite yellow custard-eater from the film’s plot.

Music: Beyoncé and Jay-Z confirm that they are both to release new music in an even more inaccessible medium than TIDAL Politics: OMG! It seems there’s another ‘Royal Wedding’ on the cards as British PM Theresa May and U.S. President Donald Trump are spotted holding hands, and we cannot, we simply CANNOT deal!!!

Health: Pineapple-on-pizza eaters confirmed to be 10x less likely to suffer from scurvy than their anti-Pinizza counterparts (yet another reason why pineapple does belong on pizza).

Crime: Not putting slides on Blackboard to be made criminal offence.

Technology: Number of straight men attempting to hit on their Siri devices “worrying, to say the least” according to Apple CEO

Carnivore Announces Love for Meat Sarah Ryan, Humour Editor

Passersby on French Church Street last Sunday were surprised to hear thunderous eruptions of applause coming from the inside of the popular Nandos restaurant located on the Cork City street.

The applause came as a result of an announcement by Alison Devlin, meat-eater, that she loves meat. Friends and family of Alison, 29, from Rochestown, say that they were quite shocked by her announcement at a family dinner, which took place at the aforementioned Nandos. Her mother, Julie Devlin, admits that they perhaps should have seen it coming given that her daughter “literally never fucking stops talking about how much she loves bacon”.

In an intimate statement to our reporters, Alison said that her decision to make such a ground-breaking announcement was a result of her cousin, Tara Devlin, 24, mentioning her vegan dietary requirements to the waiter as he took the family’s order. “It just sparked something within me. I mean, if vegans are allowed to let everyone know that they’re vegan, like, all the time, I think meat-eaters should be allowed to do the same.”

This statement was met by vigorous nods from many of the Devlin clan, one of whom exclusively revealed to this publication that the family was sick and tired of hearing about Tara’s veganism: “It’s just, like, every time we go out to eat, she has to make sure to inform the staff that she like, can’t eat dairy or whatever.

At a certain point it’s just like, okay, you can’t eat cheese and you think we’re all sadistic blood-sucking animal torturers, we get it.”

on the house as a token for Alison’s bravery.

Absolutely, Alison’s declaration is one that will serve as inspiration for so many young meat-eaters out there. It reminds us that no matter what, even if nobody cares: when in the presence of a vegan or vegetarian, it is always necessary to express your love for meat. You never know, somebody might not have heard. ly, who knew anything else about what was said or any stories shared by women The comments were met by the begin- during the hour-long show. nings of a defense from Tara, who attempted to explain that she honestly In relation to the announcement of her didn’t mean for it to come across that punishment, Dunham says she guesses way. However she was quickly interrupt- she should have known she had it comed by another family member, who it ing when she decided to become a sucseems, given his argument that “plants cessful young woman. Lena Dunham has can feel pain, too!” must also be a mem- always been a dedicated campaigner for ber of the Hare Krishnas. women’s rights, especially reproductive rights, and when she was made aware of An altruist through and through, Alison her blunder, she apologised profusely, says that part of her motivation to make saying: “I would never, ever intentionalher declaration (which included insight- ly trivialize the emotional and physical ful revelations such as “I could never challenges of terminating a pregnancy”. become a vegan... I mean... bacon.”) was for the health of vegans and meat-eaters The Court of Shame hopes that the rulalike. “It’s just such an unnatural life- ing will send a message to all young style. Our ancestors were hunter-gather- women who want to make a difference ers” she reminds me, as the waiter brings in the world: That no matter how noble out a sizeable plate of boneless chicken your efforts are, fuck up once, and we thighs, which were given to the Devlins will tear you apart.

2727

HUMOUR Editor - Sarah ryan

Donald Trump

Confirmed to be Feline in Disguise Sarah Ryan, Humour Editor

Long-known to be the coldest, most self-obsessed species of the animal kingdom, it came as no surprise to anyone this week that Donald Trump has been confirmed to be a cat.

Vice President Pence and many of the Trump administration have now openly admitted to knowing that the newly-elected president of the United States was, in fact, a large orange tabby cat operating from within a human suit all along.

The human suit, made from 250lbs of latex to give the president that characteristic and undeniably convincing ‘pudgy old man’ look, became the Tabby-Trump’s downfall as it became unbearably hot moving into the spring/summer months.

“Well, I guess I always knew, somehow,” revealed Ted Banks, a Washington D.C.

civilian. “That specific tiger-orange tint was a dead giveaway, not to mention the complete lack of knowledge of like...law, current affairs, international relations, history, that kind of stuff.”

Political science scholars across the world are said to be pleased with the recent news, as they now have an explanation as to how such an incompetent candidate could be elected to one of the most powerful positions in the world, despite there

being plenty of more experienced candidates also up for the job. “Cats are known for their superhuman powers of manipulation. Honestly, the American people just didn’t stand a chance. It’s clear that this tabby cat [whose real name has recently been revealed to be Tibbles McTabbyson] is a true genius. He converted the usual false feline promises of love and affection into jobs, prosperity and some vague concept of greatness, and played us

all for fools, just like millions of cat owners out there.”

Trump’s feline nature has been the perfect explanation for much of his bizarre behaviour. Naturally, the president’s understanding of the word ‘pussy’ was limited, and his suspicious and xenophobic ways match that of many cats across the world. One cat owner, John Wilson, said that the discovery has made him more fond of his country’s president than ever: “He’s just like my little guy at home!

Toby- he’s a tabby, like Trump, and I have to say his domestic policy-” he winks at me, “is just like Trump’s too. He won’t let anyone into our house without a scrutinous inspection, and between you and me...” he whispers, “he’s kinda racist too.”

It seems the cat is well and truly out of the bag for President Trump, but it seems that his stay in the Oval Office may be of short duration anyway. It is rumoured that the President is distinctly unhappy with the amount of work to be done, and is also displeased with the severe lack of cardboard boxes and “sunny spots, you know, for napping. I love napping, it’s the best” in the White House.

Limericks: An Underappreciated Art Form.

2. There once was a boy from Ardmore, Went ‘round calling his ex-girlfriend a whore, But the feminists, they got him, With some common sense, they shot him, And now that slut-shamer’s no more.

Sarah Ryan, Humour Editor

“There are three types of Limericks: limericks to be told when ladies are present; limericks to be told when ladies are absent but clergymen are present; and LIMERICKS.” - Don Marquis.

Irish literature remains today to be one of the richest, most beautiful genres within the English-speaking world. Ireland is famous for its poets: Heaney, Yeats, Kavanagh, Wilde...but it’s also famous for creating a genre that is essentially the ‘funny pages’ of the poetry world: limericks.

3. There once was a boy from Wesht Kerry, After cúpla pionta he’d always be merry, Soon, he got so happy, Started to believe he was Fetty Wap-y But bless, he’s just a white lad named Terry.

4. There was a young girl from New York, Whose ancestors all came from Cork, She possessed an idea It was really quite queer That human flesh, it tasted quite like pork.

Dating back to the 14th century, and consisting of a series of five-line stanzas, the limerick is still one of the most popular fixed-verse poetry forms around.

Limericks are important historical and cultural sources, but they’re also just what they’re meant to be: funny. This week, the humour section goes back to 5. There once was a priest from Donegal, its roots and rediscovers the tragically In the square, he a ran a Holy food stall, forgotten art form that is the limerick.

But the Health Minister, he came “Cheese so rotten, it’d turn you lame!”

1. There once was a girl from Stab City, Perhaps it was a bit too holey after all.

To be fair, she was really quite pretty But to her breeding she was true 6. There was a young lass from Leeds Stabbed her boyfriend in the loo who swallowed a bag of seeds Such a bure in Mountjoy, what a pity! ‘til out of her ass

came a blade of grass and her arse was covered in weeds Unknown author 7. There once was a woman named Jill Who swallowed an exploding pill They found her vagina In North Carolina And her tits in a tree in Brazil Unknown author 8. There was a young girl named Bright Her speed was faster than light She set out one day In a relative way And returned the previous night Unknown Author 9. ‘Twas a crazy old man called O’Keefe Who caused local farmers much grief To their cows he would run Cut their legs off for fun And say “Look, I’ve invented ground beef!”

Unknown Author Send your limericks to humour@uccexpress.ie.

Fiction

28

28

Rat Immortal

By Anonymous

FICTION Editor - Sophie Mckenzie Rat! A rat!

That unseelie presence that lingered at the margins Of crepe-lined classrooms in a Douglas suburb.

We were warned against the black boxes That squatted in yard-corners, But no shape broke the pastel peace for weeks on end.

Oh, but the day you showed your face Was well timed, my boy – No such cheers or upturned faces (O the genuine joy of it!)

No encouraging bellows, such a delightful Procession Ever greeted another of your gang, I’d s For sure

That day You stood atop the red roof-slates And we like disciples followed you, A tiny lean messiah capering in the clouds.

In the crowd of screaming children I raised my hands with them and screamed too And dreamt that I might stand One day On a school roof Stare down disgust (And Mrs. Fowler’s flailing broom) Filthy and defiant.

food

2929

FOOD Editor - Xander Cosgrave

Spaghetti alla Sorta Puttanesca

Xander Cosgrave - Food Editor

*Shakes cupped hand* Okay.

I’m not sorry about this being another recipe that involves pasta. I tweeted that I would do this recipe and here I am. Anyone who doesn’t like that a quarter of my total output of recipes this year is pasta based can go away because I don’t need your negativity and pasta is goddamn great.

Anyway, this was the first thing that I made that wasn’t inedible when I was learning to cook, I think I was like 8 or something, so it means a lot to me.

I’ll admit, this is a bastardisation of the traditional dish, rebuilt so you can make it with minimum money, and not have to find super fresh ingredients. So like if you’re actually from southern Italy and want to

complain about this recipe, complaints go Shitloads of parmesan. to Spillane@UCCExpress.ie and they’ll be A glass of red wine. (stout/porter will work duly processed. as well) 500 grams of Spaghetti Serves; My housemate and I ate this much by ourselves, with enough leftovers for Extras lunch, but like, we are not examples of good A can of Sardines (Best done in oil) self control.

Two teaspoons of Capers Fresh basil.

What you need.

Another fresh red chilli. (give it a little more Knife and board. oomph) Strainer A pot, for boiling pasta How to make it.

A Frying pan.

A cup.

The sauce 1. Chop your garlic and chilli if you need Ingredients. them to be chopped. Splash some olive One can of chopped tomatoes oil in the frying pan and put it on a meOne carton of passata (Or another can of todium heat. Throw in your chilli, anchomatoes) vies and garlic. (If you’re using sardines, A 50g tube of tomato puree. (I use the tubes now is the time to add them as well) because they reseal the best) 2. The anchovies will start melting a little One can of anchovies. (In oil is best) after 3 or so minutes, once this happens, A generous fistful of pitted olives (How toss in your dried basil and add all of the much do you like olives?) tomato products to the dish. Chop your Four cloves of garlic (Or four tsp of dried Olives up roughly, and your capers if garlic) you’re using them. Fuck em in after a 2 tablespoons of Dried basil (Or more, to few minutes as well. taste) 3. Add your wine to the sauce once it starts 1 tsp chilli flakes. (Or a small fresh chilli if to bubble. you have it) 4. Let the sauce bubble away for about 15 Salt and pepper minutes, stirring occasionally. If you Olive oil can leave it for longer. That’s extra good.

Taste it, season with more salt/pepper/ basil/chilli/booze to your own taste.

The pasta 5. Take your pot. Fill it halfway with water. Add a little salt. Put it on to boil.

It’s important you use as little water as possible to boil your pasta, because you want that water to be starchy later to help the sauce. Add the pasta.

6. Drain your pasta, but save a cup of the liquid to help bind the sauce. Toss a little olive oil over the pasta so it doesn’t stick to itself. Stick it back in its pot and throw that starchy water back over it, mixing it around. Keep mixing it now and again to stop it from sticking.

Once the sauce is done, fuck everything together in the pot and stir it. Top with some fresh basil, chilli and shitloads of cheese.

Tips.

Get a baguette yeah, and fry it up in the saucepan with some olive oil, use it to mop up all the extra sauce on the bottom of your bowl.

Shitloads is an important term to know about in cooking. It means the amount of something that is either just right, or way too much. IE, ‘Shitloads of cheese on my pasta ’ is just right, ‘Shitloads of Salt in my tea’ is way too much.

30

SEXPRESS

ISSUE 09 | UCC SExpress

31

Interview - Mary Crilly, Sexual Violence Centre Cork

you think back then, the figures, I think, in 1983 of reports in the whole country was something like 235. In the whole country. There were something like 30 in Cork City and County of rape and child sexual abuse.

J: Was that because they just didn’t want to come forward?

Jill Kingston, Staff Writer J: So, I kind of first want to ask you what made you get involved, and how did you come about getting involved in this?

M: I think it was back in 1982, and the centre kind of launched – the phone was launched in 1983; March the 8th, 1983.

Back then, in ’82, there was a group of women who got together and they were looking at the idea of starting a rape crisis centre. There was a rape crisis centre in Dublin since 1979 – there wasn’t any other ones. And, I think – if

M: Totally. Sure, who would, like, 30 years ago where the guards were quite authoritarian and the clergy were quite strong and the whole issue of child sexual abuse hadn’t been opened up?

Y’know, we didn’t know about all the institutional abuse. Well, people did, but it wasn’t spoken about; it was just kind of a thing of its time – a thing that we knew happened. We knew, kind of, boys and schools often got leather belts, and you – even when I was in school you’d get quite beaten a lot physically because it was allowed. And it was that kind of – coming from that era. So in the 80s I think the group got together just to see if we could support women going to court. That was the main. So, I was living in a big housing estate with my daughters and there was a neighbour of mine who had joined that group - they hadn’t started the helpline, they were just kind of getting together to see what they wanted to do - and that’s how I got involved. Now, at that stage,

I had no experience: I hadn’t been in a women’s group; back then, consciousness-raising groups were all the thing and assertiveness groups were all the thing. I hadn’t been involved in anything. I kind of hadn’t been in college, I hadn’t a clue what I was walking into, and I think I gave myself at that stage six months. I didn’t think I would last longer than that, so six months. And here we are, 33 years later.

you can’t talk about girls like this or you can’t do this or this isn’t appropriate or – you are the future. I think if I was to go out and just talk to my age group, sure that’s a waste of space. I think it’s hugely important. Plus the fact that I think it’s something like 20% of clients here last year were students, and It’s to let them know that we’re here kind of for them too. I think it’s hugely important.

J: You seem to have quite active in- This is only a portion of the interview volvement with college students. Like, we did with Mary Crilly. To read the how important do you think it is? full interview, please pick up a copy of the Sexpress Magazine, available M: I think it’s hugely important, and on campus, or go to Sexpress.UCCExsometimes when I go to Fresher’s Fest press.ie. or I go to SHAG Week or we go to the Gender Equality Week or whatev- The Sexual Violence Centre Cork is er’s going on, I’m fascinated because one of this year’s SU Raise and Give you’re the future. Let’s get real, your Week charities. For more info on the age group are the future. And if we can Centre, go to Facebook.com/SVCCork. raise awareness with your age group, If you feel you require their services, I think it’s magic, because I mean, the number for their freecall phone y’know, somebody will say hang on, line is 1800 496 496, and they can be contacted via email on info@sexualviolence.ie.

GAEILGE ISSUE 09 | UCC Express An Ghaeilge - Ógbhean i dTrioblóid nó Nuatheanga Rafaire?

32

Aisling Ní Ghealbháin, Scríbhneoir Gaeilge Deirtear nach mbíonn lia duine ná tuairim ach maidir le stádas na Gaeilge is léir nach bhfuil ann ach dhá lia agus dhá bharúil fuithi - ar nós ógbhean sa tóír ar tarrtháil nó a mhalairt de tuairime, ar nós bean chomhaimseartha, nach bhfuil faic seachas í féín agus a neamhspléachas uaithi. Agus ní le deanaí a d’fhorbair na tuairimí seo, ach le blianta beaga anuas, chomh fada siar le Ré an De hÍde agus meitheall Chonradh na Gaeilge. Feictear an cinéal athbheochan céanna ar siúl i láthair na huaire, leis an éileamh de mhúinteoirí Gaelinne ar an ardán idirnáisiúnta ag tobmheadú, líon na “Pop-Up” nGaeltachtaí ag dul i méid agus an ráchairt ar na n-aistritheoirí Éireannacha ag a buachphointe.

Feictear an Ghaeilge, agus an tóir atá uirthi, ag leathadh go sciopaí ar fud na cruinne. Buíochas le cumainn ar nós an Choimisiún Fulbright cuirtear ár dteanga álainn ar fáil do dhaoine nach mbeadh in ann í a chur ar a dtoil ina gceal. Seolann an Coimisiún Fulbright ar a laghad 10 múinteoirí Gaeilge chuig na Stáit Aontaithe in aghaidh na bliana. Múineann na múinteoirí seo thall sna Stáit Aontaithe i gColaistí tríú leibhéal, agus ina n-áit tagann daltaí Mericánach anseo go dtí ár n-oiléan beag chun barra fheabhas a chur

ndiaidh a 20ú breithlá a chéiliúradh, níl an oiread sin breathnóirí ag casadh isteach ar TG4. De réir tuairiscí déanta ag an Irish Independent, chaill an cainéal €44,000 sa bhliain 2014 agus ní chloisfeá mórán daoine ag plé cad a chonaicidís an oíche roimh ré.

ar a gcuid Gaeilge. Treisíonn sé seo ár dteanga i slíte dothuigthe - bíonn tionchar de chuid Mheiriceá i bhfad níos cumhactaí ná aon tír eile. Cad a dheanfaidh cat ach luch a mharú! Leis na míonna beaga anuas, tá borradh fás tagtha ar na saghas “Pop-Up” nGaeltachtaí mhóra thimpeall na tíre. Tar éis dóibh tosnú amach thuas sa phríomhchathair, táthar tar éis leathadh síos go dtí ár gcarn den tír. Níl ann ach beart Gaelgóirí ag teacht le chéile ionas go gcuirfidís aithne ar a chéile, plé trí mhéan ár dteanga dhúchais, agus cúpla deoch a ól. Coincheap simplí le tairbhe síoraí. Ní hamháin go bhfuilidís ag caint is ag caibidil trí Ghaeilge, ach táid i mbun nascanna a bhunú idir eatarthu a chabhraíonn spriod

an Gaeilge a choimead óg go síoraí.

Ar an taobh eile den scéal, tuigim cén fáth go nglaofaí “Ógbhean i dTrioblóid” ar an nGaeilge. Cé go ndeanann an oiread sin daltaí staidéar uirthi sa chéad bhliain, laghdaíonn na huimhreacha sin sa tarna bhliain faoi, ar a laghad i leath. Táimse féin tar éis an laghdú sin a fheiscint i mbliana. Is cuimhin liom sa chéad bhliain agus b’éigin dúinn a bheith chomh luath sin d’ár gcuid leachtanna muna theastaigh uainn ár nótaí a thogaint suite ar an úrlár, cóipleabhair ar ár nglúine. I mbliana, dar ndóigh, bíonn dóthain suíocháin ann duit féin is do chara samhailteach! Ní hamháin i UCC a tharlaíonn sé seo, gan dabht ar bith i’m aigne. Cé go bhfuilidís díreach i

Sa ghnáthshaol laethúil, níl gnáthdhaoine ag baint leas aisti in aon chor - focal anseo is ansiúd, cúpla focal thar lear, ach i ndáiríre seachas é sin, cá bhfuil sí le cloisteáil? Agus mé ag gabháil timpeall na cathrach an t-aon áit a bhfuil sí le sonrú ná i siopa caife Gael Taca, agus cinnte ar na comhairthí timpeall na háite. Anseo sa choláiste, níl sí le braith ach thíos pasáiste taobh na láimhe deise, taobh na láimhe clé, sa tSeomra Caidreamh chuile Deardaoin ar feadh uair a chloig agus ar Raidió UCC ar feadh uair a chloig chomh maith.

Briseann sé mo chroí, cheana féin goilliúnach agus soghonta, nuair a thagann an peirspectíocht seo isteach im aigne.

Ní ógbhean nó nuatheanga í, ach cod ingréanta in ithir na hÉireann í - níos laidre, níos cultúrtha agus níos cróga ná chuile Éireannach a saolaíodh riamh i stair na tíre. Cé go bhfuil sí níos teasaí ná ár gcuid aimsire, níos mírathúil ná ár Rialtas agus cinnte níos conspóidí ná Neamhspléachas na hÉireann, ní bhfeidimis marachtáil gan í. Ní Éireannaigh a bheimís gan í.

Cead cainte sna Cluichí Gaelacha ag iomaíocht ar a cheile.

Sna cluichí Gaelacha, tá fhios ag gach mac mathair agus iníon athair go mbíonn géariomaíocht sna seisiuín traenála go hairithe ag an leibhéil idir chontae. Nuair a bheidh an craobh ar leac a’ dorais, bheadh chuile imreoir ar a ndícheall chun tabhairt le fios go dti an bhainisteoir agus na roighnoirí go bhfuil sé/sí dairire.

James McAuliffe, Scríbhneoir Gaeilge Cead cainte sna Cluichí Gaelacha James McAuliffe, Scríbhneoir Gaeilge Nuair a thagann sé chomh fada le cursaí spóirt in Eirinn, bíonn lucht leanúna an-bhrodúil a bheith ag caint faoin cluiche a bhí sa tsiúl aréir nó an t-imreoir a chuaigh I bhfeidhm air/uirthi. Sa tslí sin, is léir go dtugann spóirt faoiseamh do dhaoine ó saol na hoibre. Gan amhras, baineann daoine taitnimh agus sult as a bheith ag feachaint ar fhoirne

Le déanaí, d’eirigh Paddy Kelly as painéal contae Chorcaigh. Ba é an triú duine a imigh maraon le Fintan Goold agus Daniel Goulding. Nuair a bhíos ag léámh faoi chás Paddy Kelly, bhi ionadh an domhain orm faoin teanga a bhí in úsáid aige. Amuigh ar an bpáirc, bheadh tú ag ceapadh “Sea is fear ciúin é”. Ag an am ceanna, tá tuairim bríomhara aige.

Tar éis cruinniú eigint le clubanna eile, de réir Kelly, tá méadú suntasach ar na daoine atá míshona leis an choras C.L.G i gCorcaigh: “Everyone was pissed off at what Cork GAA has become” a dúirt sé. An bhfuil an ceart aige?

Chun dul nios doimhne sa scéal, an bh-

fuil aon guth ag na himreoirí idir chontae na laethanta seo? Tá clú agus cáil ar cead cainte na laethanta seo. Ach tá an coincheap cainte sin ó chian is ó chóngar sna Cluichí Gaelacha.

Is iomaí duine a cheapann go bhfuil gach aon ní in ord agus in eagart sa struchtúir idir chontae I gCorcaigh. Is inmholta an rud é go bhfuil an mhalairt fíor. Tá údar imní ann sa mheid is go gcaithfidh imreoir eirí as go dti go mbeidh rud eigint á labhairt aige/aici.

Ar an lámh eile, tá an baol ann a deir gur “cluichí amaitearch” iad caid agus iomáint. Ach sé mo thuarimise féin go bhfuil ag teip ar na meain. Tá said ag tabhairt chluas bhodar dos na himreorí sa lá atá inniú ann. Ní chuireann said ach na ceisteanna is coitianta ar na himreoirí.

Nílim ag rá go gciathfidh said dul go pearsanta leis na ceisteanna, ach dar liom tá an próiseas ro-athráiteach na laethanta seo. Idir na meáin agus an cluiche é féin sin é cás an imreora. Gan amhras ar bith, bíonn sé deacair an dá thraigh a fhreastal.

10 Focail Valentines Day Valentines Day - Lá le Valentín Are you feeling good, cause you’re looking good? - An bhfuil tú go maith, mar tá tú ag feachaint go maith Will you go out with me? - An rachfá amach i’m theannta?

Your looks are second to none - Níl sárú ar d’áilleacht Kiss - Póg Romance - Rómáns I’m in love with you - Táim i ngrá leat I’m weak for you - Táim splanctha I ndiadh thú I’d introduce you to my parents Chuirinn thú in aithne do mo thuistí Flirting - Spallaíocht, giollamas

33

䄀嘀䄀䤀䰀䄀䈀䰀䔀 一伀圀⸀⸀⸀ 匀䔀堀倀刀䔀匀匀⸀唀䌀䌀䔀堀倀刀䔀匀匀⸀䤀䔀

34

PHOTOS

ISSUE 09 | UCC Express

ISSUE 09 | UCC Express

Photos courtesy of Emmet Curtin Photography

PHOTOS

35

36

SPORT

ISSUE 09 | UCC Express

Death of a football club?

Dylan O’Connell, Sports Editor

hidden loans controversy straddled Sporting investor Gerry Gannon with a heave of restrictions, which ultimately caused the chairman to resign from the club and in losing his investment; Sporting where faced with the improbable task of trying to find investment and ultimately had to terminate player’s contracts and the club was dissolved.

Last weekend FC United of Manchester took on SV Austria Salzberg. A club from Austria and a side from Manchester competing in a game of football is not headline material by any means, but for the supporter-ran clubs of FC United and Salzberg, a whole new question has been asked, and shows a new way Look ahead yet again at 2017. In the forward for the Irish game. off-season Wexford Youths became On the 23rd of November 2009 Gary Wexford FC and Waterford United beO’Neil’s late strike gifted Sporting came Waterford FC. Wexford Youths Fingal the much coveted FAI Cup. In were stunned in the off season that the a gruelling campaign the east Dublin club owed bankrupt chairperson Mick side overcame Derry City, Shamrock Wallace a sum of €206,884. In WaterRovers and Bray Wanderers to reach ford debts similarly arose, amounting the final; in a victory which solidified to €80,000 with the club appealing to Sporting’s rise to prominence. What both home and away fans to help the was here was an emerging squad; Irish club survive the season. underage internationals such as Kenny Browne, Ronan Finn, Ross Gaynor In that period of time from Sporting and accompanied with former senior Fingal’s demise to the renaming and international Glen Crowe. European rebranding of Waterford and Wexford qualification and a financial windfall FC; other clubs such as Cork City FC, beckoned for Liam Buckley and his Dundalk, Derry City and Athlone Town squad. While clubs such as Cork City have all battled the odds to keep their FC and Derry City faced examinership club alive. In 2014 UCC Freshers coach and liquidation, the sky was the limit and former Cork City FC full back Neil Horgan detailed the struggles in Cork for Sporting Fingal. in his book, “Death of a football club?”

Two years later Sporting withdrew from and his 2016 sequel, “Second City” the League of Ireland and as of 2017 A common trend that has been alliterhave ceased to exist from the Irish foot- ated is the struggling for investment balling pyramid. The Anglo Irish Bank for clubs and the quest to balance the

books and make Irish clubs profitable and competitive. From Cork to Fingal, to Wexford to Dundalk, each story; taking away the unique details, is burdened with the need to investment and outside pressures to keep a club afloat. Buoyed success has bullied and brought a new question and way forward for Irish football: fan ownership.

An overall organisation, Supporters Direct Europe was set up in 2007 to work with clubs across Europe. An overarching plan hopes to oversee the project across Europe for a more sustainable model in football. A vision that will see profits reinvested into a club, everyone is included in the club with no barriers to entry and the clubs foundations will be to running a sustainable club.

In the structure clubs are owned by the As a whole; every club must be 50+1% fans. Each fan has the option of buying owned by the supporters who will have shares in the club which allows them to the majority of the shares in the club. access the clubs books and votes at the AGM and EGM accompanied with the Speaking politically; sport lies at a opportunity to join the board of man- crossroads between the capitalist profit agement of a football club. Bohemians driving club of Manchester and Madrid where the first team to adopt this model against the localised united of Cork to in 1890 while a fans run group FORAS- Shalke. In recent weeks Manchester Friends Of the Rebel Amy Society- was United boasted profits of £37.6 million; founded in 2008 to save Cork City FC a figure which is steadily built through from examinership. Initiatives have shirt sales and corporate sponsorship also been made in Cobh and Athlone to deals, a throw away to the world of Wahave supporters run clubs functioning terford United who needed €80,000 to there. survive last season in the First Division.

Quintessentially a socialist emerging from the failures of the current system; the project has shown success both home and away. In England; following the move of AFC Wimbledon to MK Dons by their chairperson Pete Winkelman, fans of Wimbledon formed AFC Wimbledon under the guise of fan ownership. In Germany FC Shalke; a Champions League regular, is supporter-run.

Whatever comes of the wave of fan ownership remains to be said in the long run for both on the Irish and European footballing landscape. If anything this proves that there is an appetite for change. No longer will a game come packaged for profit with clubs lingering for lucrative deals and chairperson to save them. Fans have empowered the game creating new opportunities.

SPORT

ISSUE 09 | UCC Express

37

Cork City FC- Season Preview 2017

Under 15 National League alongside the already existing Under 19 and Under 17 set up. These league have been pivotal in the production of talent for City of late with noted players and protégés such as Gary Buckley, John Kavanagh, and Hull’s Brian Lenihan all breaking through from the set up.

Dylan O’Connell, Sports Editor Following the dramatic finish to the season; which saw Cork City FC clinch the FAI Cup thanks to a last minute goal by Sean Maguire, League of Ireland football returns to Leeside with Cork City FC taking on Dundalk in the 2017 Presidents Cup. It is a season which promises to define a football club; and the tenure of John Caulfield; with Cork City hoping to do one better this year and win the league title as well as retaining the FAI Cup; a feat never managed in the history of the club.

City come into this season on the back of a highly successful 2016 campaign. In all; it was a season bookended with cup

and Danny Morrissey, but have crafted a younger side around the fissures created. The additions of Conor McCormack in midfield; a tried and tested box to box midfielder famed for his role in Shamrock Rovers run in the Europa League group stages, as well as striker Achille Campion who scored 11 goals for Sligo Rovers last term and attacking midfielder Jimmy Keohane who managed 31 appearances last season for the Bit of Red. Elsewhere; fresh from his loan spell at Cobh RamIn the off season there has been consid- blers, Conor Ellis will also link up with erable squad reinforcement from John Cork City after signing his first senior Caulfield and his backroom team. Since contract last January. that Sunday in November; City have lost a number of star players such as Mark O 2017 will also breathe new life to soccer Sullivan, Chidozie Ogbene, Colin Healy on Leeside with the announcement of the

City have also strengthened massively in the offseason in the commercial background of the club. Most notable, “The skull and crossbones and the Rebel Army are marrying” according to outgoing UCC President Dr Michael Murphy, as Cork City FC and University College Cork announced a major sponsorship deal last November. Under this new deal, “Now, together with UCC, we are building further on our player development, availing of the extensive research network, data analytics and creating pathways for juniors, senior and retiring players in education for their sporting and personal development as well as their future careers” cited Cork City FC chairman Pat Lyons.

In all; 2017 will be a defining year for John Caulfield and Cork City FC. Following the heartbreak of 2014 and the bittersweet 2015 to the searing heights of 2016, this will be a year which threatens to make or break the former UCC manager’s tenure. For a county and city synonymous with success; league titles and cups are a must. Out of the spring fog; an uncertain but optimistic future awaits.

Continuing into the weekend UCC travelled to River Roe to compete in the whitewater race. In miserable conditions 4 members of UCC had clean runs on the course. On Saturday afternoon the event transferred to Knockbracken reservoir for a game of Polo.

UCC started well and won their first game convincingly, however they were narrowly beaten by NUIG 1-0 in their final group game; ending the college’s hopes of qualification.

UCC topped off the weekend with Kevin Cahill winning the Colm Johnson award; one of the most prestigious awards in Irish Universities Kayaking. This award was set up to remember Colm Johnson; a former student in UCC Canoe club who passed away on a kayaking trip to Norway in 2010. This award an award recognises the male kayaker who had made the greatest overall contribution to the colleges kayaking scene in the previous 12 months.

wins against arch rivals Dundalk, as well a memorable run in the UEFA Europa League which saw the Rebel Army go through three rounds of European football for only the second time in the club’s history. Underage the club blossomed with the all-conquering Under 19 side winning the Enda McGuill Cup and going a full league season unbeaten while also progressing back HJK Helsinki in the UEFA Youth League.

Sailing to success at UCC Dylan O’Connell, Sports Editor

Last weekend UCC Canoe Club travelled to Belfast for the 2017 Intervarsities. In what was a mixed weekend for the college; the Leesiders came through the three day event with a number of success as well as individual awards.

The competition began on Friday with the slalom competition with UCC’s Kevin and Seán Cahill, finishing in 11th and 13th position following a tense performance which left 2 gates missed. Later at the freestyle event UCC enjoyed a number of successes such as Fia Coghlan who finished in second place in women’s freestyle and picked up the inaugural Evan McArdle award for most entertaining freestyle performance of the event.

On Sunday morning UCC continued on in fine fashion and finished with 3 UCC Girls in the top 10 in women’s GP. Ciara Kirk came in 5th place while Ciara McGarrigle and Fia Coghlan where narrowly behind. Other notable performances were from Naoise Kennedy and James Hayes in men’s HP, Alan O’Regan in men’s sea Kayak, Ciaran Devine in men’s GP and in the duo race Sinéad Callanan and Elaine Fahy.

38

SPORT

ISSUE 09 | UCC Express

Ireland’s Call and UCC

Dylan O’Connell, Sports Editor

As Ireland once again becomes drawn into the exploits of Ireland and the Six Nations; attention will be firmly set on Joe Schmidt’s team. Overall it has been a monumental year for Irish Rugby and with the latter stages of the Champions Cup, the Lions Tour and the Women’s World Cup all beckoning; an appetite has been mustered for the Irish game now more than ever.

UCC Rugby Club have been traditionally rooted in the successes of the IRFU down through the years from the coaching staff right through to the playing staff.

Names of grace and weight have donned the jersey from UCC. Donal Lenihan, a former UCC Student, actually refused to participate in an IRFU tour of South Africa as he was studying for his final year exams, before going on to make the Irish team, and later coaching the British and Irish Lions. In 2006, when

Munster first lifted the Heineken Cup, UCC were steeped in the success that day with Ronan O Gara, Peter Stringer, Mick O’Driscoll and Denis Leamy representing the college that day. UCC’s own Head of Sport, Declan Kidney was also the architect for success that day in Cardiff, later leading the Irish team to the 2009 Six Nations championship, the Grand Slam and the 2011 Rugby World Cup campaign.

Historically, nine UCC alumni have

graced the Lions Tour since its inception in 1888. Most notably, Donal Lenihan lead the Lions in 2001 in a tour which saw the Lions lose 2-1 to Australia.

Ronan O Gara has also worn the jersey in his playing career during the 2005 and 2009 tours of New Zealand and South Africa. tories. The side will face stiff competition from Leinster and Ospreys for the top spot, but few would be surprised if Munster come out on top in the coming months.

Over the course of the last few years, Munster have struggled to find their best line-up. Ian Keatley has been disappointing since taking over from O’Gara, and there have been many shuffles and changes in the wing and centre positions. In recent months Munster have found a system and a group of players who understand each other’s games marvellously. Tyler Bleyendaal has outshone Keatley with ease, and is fast becoming a fan favourite. Simon Zebo has established himself as a world class fullback. Rory Scannell and Jaco Taute have dovetailed beautifully in the centre, one with a light touch and delicate skill, the other an endless source of brute force and determination. Darren Sweetnam has settled in about as well as anyone could have asked for, and magnificent aerial ability and pace have made him a sure starter. Conor Murray needs no introduction as the commander-in-chief of the squad. The forward pack is as good as it has been in years and they specialise in set piece tries. The back row of O’Mahony, Stander, and O’Donnell have drawn comparisons with the legendary trio of Quinlan, Foley, and Wallace, which truly is the highest of praise for any Munster men.

Hope has been rekindled in the hearts of the Red Army, and Munster seem to be on the glory trail. If the squad can continue to assert themselves as they have done recently, it will be hard for any team to come between them and the trophy.

Striving for success at UCC GAA away in Kildare. This string of results has propelled UCC into the quarterfinals of this year’s competition.

In the football UCC booked their place at the Sigerson weekend after two wins against St.Patrick’s College Drumcondra and IT Carlow. UCC closed off St. Pats with a whitewash score line of 3-24 to 0-10 points to open the campaign, with a winning margin of 23 points. IT Carlow dragged UCC into extra time with both teams dragging it down to the wire for a spot at the Sigerson weekend.

In the end UCC ran out 0-18 to 2-10 winners in Carlow.

Dylan O’Connell, Sports Editor Out of the January fog has come clarity for UCC GAA and across the board the sides are preparing for the latter stages of intervarsity competitions. Following an abysmal 2016 season which saw the

hurlers knocked out in the group stage of the Fitzgibbon Cup, the footballers knocked out in the quarter finals of the Sigerson and the camogie team pipped by a point in the Ashbourne Cup; there has already been solid improvements made in 2017.

Following an impressive 5-13 to 2-04 rout of UUJ in the opening round of the Fitzgibbon Cup; UCC topped off this result with a hard fought 1-08 to 1-05 away win at UCD and finished out the group with a 0-22 to 0-14 point win over Maynooth University

The camogie set up have been relentless in their quest for the Ashbourne Cup. Adding to their wins against NUI Galway and CIT last January; the side knocked out DCU by 21 points after a 5-13 to 1-04 win against their Dublin counterparts. UCC now face WIT in the 2017 Ashbourne Cup weekend in a bid to win the title for the first time since 2003.

SPORT

ISSUE 09 | UCC Express

39

The Big Interview: Neal Horgan Dylan O’Connell, Sports Editor

Ahead of the 2017 Harding Cup and following the release of his second novel Second City; Dylan O’Connell sat down to former Cork City full back turned UCC Coach Neal Horgan.

Dylan: Well Neal, second book down now!

How are you feeling about the publication?

Neal Horgan: Second City has been in process for a long time. The season depicted is 2009; now seven years ago, so it’s going to be great to launch it and finally get the story out. Most of the work was done at the time (back in 2009) so it’s been a long time coming and I’m looking really forward to it being revealed.

Dylan: We are all looking forward to the book. It is a captivating story how a club went from champions in 2005 to almost non-existent four years later.

NH: Yeah when I was publishing the first book about the 2008 season I knew I had this 2009 season waiting in the background.

I also knew that the material for the 2009 season was darker than the 2008 season.

As such the material was even better for a book. Sometimes with sports books the worse things get - the better book gets. As many people will know at the end of 2009 season the holding company behind Cork City FC was liquidated, and this book is about the trauma involved from a player’s point of view. We were in and out of the High Court, we didn’t really know what was going on and we were having regular problems getting paid. Then of course we had the reaction of the fans and the media around us who were watching the club potentially going under.

Dylan: What was it like back then Neal?

NH: We were full-time footballers supposed to be paid for 52 weeks of year, which was fantastic when it was done right, which is was done under Brian Lennox for example and also for a period under Arkaga..

When I started playing with the first team in 2000 it was a part times set-up. I was delighted to get my first contract a week with €50 a week and €25 an appearance. It was fantastic and I never thought I would go full time. But then Pat Dolan came in and we players became full-time and we had a lot of success. We felt were on the crest of a wave of success and progress that was long overdue in the LOI. At the time, we all felt - be it players at Shells, Drogheda, Rovers- we all felt we were progressing football in Ireland. We were improving the perfor-

mances in European club competitions, a lot of players were finding their way onto the National Side, attendances were improving and the league was receiving more exposure. But then, from a player’s point of view we encountered payment problems which, looking back on it now, coincided with the end of the Celtic Tiger. And if you’re a full time player and you’re not going paid, then you are really exposed, and that is when problems started. For long periods we were waking up and going to work and not knowing whether we were going to get paid for it. That was difficult. We were also paid on a monthly basis in 2009 which increased difficulties when a payment didn’t; arrive, so you mightn’t have been paid for six weeks seven weeks. We were at a different stage in our lives where we were being paid well enough, and we were taking on obligations like mortgages where we were thinking we could rely on the money. From my own point of view, it contributed to me deciding to get out of the League of Ireland. Denis Behan and Colin Healy left either in a bid to raise others like Joe Gamble left as the club could not sustain full-time professional footballers.

Dylan: When you look at Dundalk in Europe its incredible.,, but do you you think there have been changes put in place since?

NH: It’s incredible what Dundalk have done – and without much if any support.

The Conroy Report which has been given much praise - I would ask people to look at it again. One of the main strategic rec-

ommendations is switching from ten teams to twelve teams. That already happened between my two books; between the seasons 2008 and 2009. So in my opinion I feel that we need greater changes than this. I feel that the Conroy report could be termed a survival guide for the league rather than a plan for real transformative change and progress. The league needs major transformative changes. I feel that the league is still in crisis despite the great performances of Cork City and Dundalk this year. It has been reported that attendances are down overall 10-15%. I feel there is a lack of real leadership in respect to the future of League of Ireland. I say it in the book; we need ambitious and we need transformative changes and the FAI needs to embrace the potential of the league. The Under-17 and Under-19 leagues are great introductions that the FAI deserve credit for, and with the Under 15 and Under 13 leagues, they do seem to be positive changes. But the Senior League now needs major backing and ambitions medium to long term plans should be put in place.

Dylan: Do you think your book was a warning to the FAI to further these changes?

NH: The reason I’m bringing out this book is because I haven’t seen progress since the last book, and I’ve read he Conroy Report which in my opinion isn’t ambitious enough for the league. In the absence of real ownership of the league by the FAI we could be going into dark territory again, a period

where the things that happened to my teammates in Second City could happen again.

If clubs turn professional on their own or without the backing or planning of the FAI, then, in my opinion, there is a real danger.

The FAI didn’t seem to be interested in the full time game and this is a real problem. If clubs like Dundalk where to go full time it would be a big risk to take in a league that is not setup to sustain professional clubs.

You need a surrounding plan towards fulltime football from the FAI – and we don’t have one. We have a plan to go from 12 teams to 10. Without a surrounding plan in place for a phased move towards full-time football for our top clubs in say ten or fifteen years, without the backing off the FAI for this progress, then the danger is that the problems the same type of problems that occurred in Second City and Death of a Football Club? could happen all over again.

Dylan: Finishing up, do you see City in a good position now?

NH: Yes, Cork City are doing great. John Caulfield and his staff and players deserve great credit as do the membership of FORAS. After examinership (2008) and and liquidation in 2009/2010 FORAS stepped up to safeguard Cork football and have done a fantastic job to date. Therefore out of all the clubs they will be most aware of the dangers in over reaching in this league without proper support. The people running the club are doing a great job and I have no doubt they have learned from the past.

SPORT

40

UCCExpress.ie | Volume 20 | Issue 09 | Tuesday february14th

Rebel teams who reigned supreme at the recent All-Ireland competitions (photo credit: UCC Ultimate Frisbee Club)

All Ireland success for Rebel Ultimate Dylan O’Connell, Sports Editor

double at the tournament.

Following a monumental 2016 for Ultimate Frisbee on Leeside which saw Rebel Ultimate finish 7th in the European Championships while also winning the Outdoor All Ireland Gold Cup and Spirit Cup; attention turned to the 2017 Ireland Indoor Championships at UL last weekend.

Beginning the weekend by making history in the ladies division, Rebel Ultimate won the 2017 Gold Cup in the Ladies Indoor All Ireland following a victory over fellow Cork side Rebel Ultimate 2 in the final.

This is the first time Rebel Ultimate have won the competition following a frustrating period for the Cork side which saw four consecutive final losses to Dublin opposition on the All Ireland stage.

Over the weekend tournament 24 Men’s teams took part in the competition including four from Rebel Ultimate and two from Ballincollig Ultimate, while four ladies teams participated from Rebel Ultimate Frisbee.

Overall; following a mixed few years for Cork clubs, it was monumental weekend across board for Cork clubs which saw Rebel Ultimate win an unprecedented

Meanwhile in the Men’s division Rebel Ultimate won another all Cork derby against Ballincollig Ultimate in a victory which saw the side claim the Gold Cup and the All Ireland Indoor title; completing an historical double for the Cork club in a run which saw Ultimate

Frisbee go seven games unbeaten across both divisions on their way to lift the trophy. This was the Rebel Ultimate’s first taste of All Ireland success since their maiden victory in the competition in 2011.

While success has been one thing for Rebel Ultimate across the tournament; much remarks and praise has been given to UCC’s own Ultimate Frisbee club.

Despite not being present at the tournament; UCC fielded the spine of the success with a wealth of current and former students Overall across the weekend it was a historical weekend for UCC Ultimate Frisbee with out of the 10 Cork teams only 6 had strong ties with Cork’s premier institution which included Rebel From the Gold Cup winning side included

Ladies Coach Leanne O’Neill as well as current UCC students Caitlin Looney, Emma Healy and Mary McKee and alumni Michelle Leahy, Aoife Blake, Rosie O’Mahony, Caroline Sextan, Karoline Lesniak, Hayley Brahm, Cliona Doyle, Renée Gauvin. On the Silver Medal winning team also included Kate Daly, Kate Crowley, Doireann, Eimear Keyes and Meave Ryan. On the Men’s Gold Cup winning team UCC held even stronger ties including Timothy Peters, Luke Doyle and Lee Griffin from and also alumni Brian O’Callaghan, Donal Murray, Mcheál McGrath, Mike Ryan, Ciaran McCarthy.

Attention now returns to qualification for the 2017 European Club Championships for Rebel Ultimate as well as the upcoming Dublin Gold Cup and the Mixed All Irelands.