University Express - Vol. 24, Issue 10

University

Express

Volume 24 | Issue 10 | Tuesday 30th March 2021

“#FixedIt allows us to take back control over the narrative surrounding sexual violence” - pg 6 -

UCCExpress.ie

“Each episode opens with a stunning image of the Earth suspended in a single sunbeam evoking our distinctiveness and insignificance all at one” - pg 12 -

“The strength of radio as a workplace soundtrack exists in its variety” - pg 18 -

IRISH WOMEN CALL FOR LAW REFORMS TO PROTECT AND PREVENT VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE Writes Maeve McTaggart, News Editor Victims of violent crime have called on the Irish government to reform laws which rehabilitate prisoners “at the expense of their victims,” advocate Sinead O’Leary has said. The implementation of the Parole Act - which sees the minimum life sentence extended from seven to twelve years and gives victims representation in the parole process under the establishment of a new Parole Board - has been a slow-burn since it’s signature in 2019, and survivors have begun to speak out on the re-traumatising impact of the standstill. While the Parole Board is established, the bill is not retrospective, meaning those with life sentences remain eligible for parole after seven years.

Sinead O’Leary was nineteen yearsold when Peter Whelan broke into her friend Nichola Sweeney’s house in Rochestown, Cork as the girls were getting ready for a night-out in April of 2002. Whelan fatally stabbed Nichola and left Sinead with life-long injuries, who has since discussed “the deep pain of knowing [Nichola] had died” alongside “the overwhelming physical pain I was in.” Following the random attack, Whelan returned home, had a cigarette with his mother and re-joined a congregating crowd outside Nichola’s house as emergency services arrived. “He walked up to the house, acting like a concerned neighbour,” Sinead explained, “he had the presence of mind [to do that].”

his case repeatedly - going as far as the European Court of Human Rights - and has been granted day release three times, most recently in 2019. The O’Leary and Sweeney families were never notified of his escorted return to the community on these dates. “My sense of safety has been tarnished completely and will be forevermore,” Sinead says of learning her friend’s murderer had been at his home in Cork before serving even seven years of his life sentence. Whelan is now eligible for parole, but if functioning retrospectively, the Parole Act would have Whelan was given consecutive sentences delayed this process a further five years. of fifteen years in prison for the attempted murder of Sinead and life in prison The Act, committed to within the recent for Nichola’s murder. He has appealed Programme for Government, provides

for the extension of mandatory life sentences and the establishment of an independent, statutory Parole Board to which victims can appeal in person. Since it’s signature in 2019, the establishment of a Parole Board has been delayed due to “practical” issues, such as insufficient funding, a lack of premises and the need to recruit board members, staff and a Chief Executive. A Project Board has been established in the Department of Justice and wants to begin this process “as quickly as possible,” a spokesperson has said.

far between. The families of Sinead O’Leary and Nichola Sweeney are leading the charge to establish exclusion zones, where the perpetrator of a crime is prevented from again returning to the area. “I acknowledge that prisoners need to be rehabilitated, and in some cases reintroduced into society,” Sinead O’Leary has said, “but that should never be at the expense of their victims. The trauma of losing someone to murder has ripple effects throughout a community and throughout generations. These people need to be protected and supported and Victims’ advocates, often those who they should not have to face that murhave lost loved ones or are survivors of derer walking through their hometown.” violent crime themselves, are adamant that these reform measures are few and Cover story continued on page 3...

Editorial

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Issue 10 | Tuesday 30th March 2021 | University Express

Editorial Team Editor-in-Chief – Fiona Keeley (Editor@UCCExpress.ie) News Editor – Maeve McTaggart (News@UCCExpress.ie) Designer – Fiona Cremins (Design@UCCExpress.ie) Features Editor – Elisha Carey (Features@UCCExpress.ie) Sports Editor – Liam Grainger (Sport@UCCExpress.ie) Opinion Editor – Rían Browne (Opinion@UCCExpress.ie) Eagarthóir Gaeilge – Édith De Faoite (Gaeilge@UCCExpress.ie) Online Editor – Edel Lonergan (Online@UCCExpress.ie) Marketing Executive – Fiona Keeley (Marketing@UCCExpress.ie) Webmaster – Jonathan Hanley (Webmaster@UCCExpress.ie) Photographers – Caoimhe Leahy (Photographers@uccexpress.ie) Byline Editor – Fergal Smiddy (Byline@UCCExpress.ie) (Deputy Editor) Food & Health – Maeve O’Keeffe (Food@UCCExpress.ie) Arts & Literature Editor – Imasha Costa (Arts@UCCExpress.ie) Gaming Editor – Hugo Blair (Gaming @UCCExpress.ie) Music Editor – Cathal Donovan O’Neill (Music@UCCExpress) Fashion Editor – Maeve O’Sullivan (fashion@uccexpress.ie) Film & Television Editor – Kyran Leahy (Screen@UCCExpress.ie) Sexpress Editor – Jack Wrixon (Sexpress@uccexpress.ie) Deputy Sports – Sam Curtin (Deputysports@uccexpress.ie) Deputy News – Maebh McCarthy (Deputynews@uccexpress.ie)

As the Audience Waits for the Final Act writes Fiona Keeley, Editor-in-Chief ‘We skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels ‘cross the floor, I was feeling kinda seasick, but the crowd called out for more’ those are the words I use to describe this year at University Express. From the prologue in June 2020 I knew our course of action would be open to our interpretation but it was how we chose to define the main act that would matter.

As a newspaper our job was to tell stories to you, but behind every story written and behind each photo taken was someone who I had the pleasure of working with this year, as a colleague but more importantly as a friend. To the University Express team 20/21, thank you. Know that I am proud of you and everything you have accomplished this year. A paper is not something that is run by an individual, but by a team of people working towards a shared ideal, where everyone can contribute and nobody thinks alike.

And to you, dear reader, thank you. I hope that this paper has been informative and provided you with a connection to UCC throughout the peaks and troughs of what has been an exceptional year. As my final year begins to draw to a close my days in UCC are numbered, however, physical presence does not equate to emotional connection and my connection to this university will stay with me long after I have departed this place. While individuals are transient the things that bind us are constant allowing them to continue into the future while we reminisce on days passed.

The process of self-fashioning that this paper has given me over the past number of years has allowed me to develop an identity for myself as a student journalist - exploring stories that connect with people on a human level. The written culture of University Express is part of the intuitive nature of this newspaper, and whether the publication is in print or online this culture is part of our story. We fulfill our duty as student journalists by writing stories backed upby evidence and fact, while valuing your trust and not taking it for granted.

University Express, you are part of the reason I fell in love with student media. To give a voice to the unheard and to say those words that are unspoken, for that I thank you. And now, as my soliloquy comes to a close and my epilogue not far away, I will take a piece of you with me in my heart as I take my final steps off the stage. Sometimes it is what is unseen that holds the most value.

For the last time,

Fiona Keeley Thinking of: permanently residing at the Quad Writes Maeve McTaggart, News Editor I put off writing this editorial for as long as I could, because doing so means acknowledging that this is the last issue, that we have reached the end of the year and, by some strange occurrence, the end of me being a student at UCC. This time last year, when I was confronted with premature nostalgia for my college days at the thought of leaving, I was reassured by thinking I would be ready. But I don’t think I am.

This year has been cruel to everyone, where ‘nothing’ happened while the world still dutifully broke itself apart. Everyone missed the milestones of birthday parties, weddings, anniversaries, graduations… but it’s the loss of the small moments

in-between which twist the knife. I had assumed I would be able to gather as many of these small moments as possible during my final year, happy to see myself off with too many to carry in both hands. Instead, they glitched inside a lagging computer screen, pixelated and pining for a return to campus which never came.

I feel a lockdown away from a forced removal for a number of reasons. One: leaving college means assuming a sort of adulthood I’m not particularly in the mood to fulfil. Two: leaving college means having spent just 1.5 years of my 3 year degree online, and that fact hurts a bit too much to dwell on very often. Three: I just don’t particularly want to go.

In Normal Times, reason no. 3 would be reassured by knowing what was coming next, and Pandemic Times have made it impossible to even know what next month looks like. If this were Normal Times, I think I would be ready to go. I think.

But as I enter the existential crisis of realising I am no longer really technically very much of a student, it has been reassuring to have this little space to write about what’s going on in my brain during the year where nothing happened. Thank you to everyone who kept up to date with our news stories, I hope it made you feel more connected to campus despite all of this distance. Thank you to Maebh, my partner-in-writing-news-when-there-is-no-news, I think we played a blinder.

Thank you to Fiona, an amazing editor always very forgiving of my technical difficulties and the most fantastic person to run ideas by. We did it!

Maybe I am getting ready to leave, if this was the Oscars they would already be playing the music.

Deputy Features – Eoghan O’Donnell (Deputyfeatures@uccexpress.ie) Staff Writer: Julie Landers

editor@uccexpress.ie

news@uccexpress.ie #uccexpress

Yours,

Maeve McTaggart

News

Issue 10 | Tuesday 30th March 2021 | University Express

Cover story continued...

The calls for reform and a renewed sense of urgency to implement the Parole Act in it’s entirety have gained impetus following the murder of Sarah Everard in early March.

The 33-year-old went missing in London on the night of March 3 as she walked home from a friend’s accommodation; her body discovered a week later in the woodlands of Kent before a serving police officer - a stranger to Sarah - was charged with her murder. The senseless crime deeply affected many, who shared stories online and attended protests to highlight the constant threat of violence women and minority groups must adapt to, daily, citing their protective measures of a longer route home at night or holding a key poised as a makeshift defence.

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Post-Covid life for Cork City centre looks hopeful Writes Maeve McTaggart, News Editor

“You look at poor Nichola and you always hear all the time ‘the wrong place at the wrong time’ and like, we were exactly where we should’ve been. We were in the safety of her home, in her bedroom, in a house that she loved,” Sinead O’Leary told the listeners of Síle Seoige’s podcast Ready to be Real in mid-March.

“When we were to go into town later that night, that’s when our parents would have been worried, that’s when they would’ve been like ‘I hope the girls are safe, I hope they get home safe.’”

The national conversation collides with the publishing of a report from Transport Infrastructure Ireland, which records that over half of Irish women avoid using public transport at night and over thirty percent are reluctant to travel due to feelings of insecurity. The report, entitled Travelling in a Woman’s Shoes highlights the lack of safety felt by women in Ireland, affecting how they work, study, socialise and live to combat the impact of this fear.

Cork City Centre is looking towards entering a post-pandemic world in a state of growth rather than the decline predicted by the impact of COVID-19. Despite the loss of local business, footfall and the closure of retail giants such as Debenhams since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, new plans seek to rejuvenate the city centre after a year of an economic lull.

The go-ahead for the €140m development of what will be the country’s tallest building has been granted by An Bord Pleanála for a site on Custom House Quay. The development by New York-based Tower Holdings includes a 34-storey hotel to sit behind the iconic Port of Cork sign, with a range of retail, office, food, distillery, leisure and tourism spaces to accompany the build. CEO

of Tower Holdings Group, Kevin O’Sullivan, said the project “will add great value to the city and boost the docklands regeneration.” In early March, the Government demonstrated a desire to pursue a €300m redevelopment program for the area which includes the now vacant R&H Hall and Oldlum’s factory.

Further into the heart of the city, fashion retailer Penneys has confirmed a major expansion of its St Patrick Street premises from a space of 37,000sq ft to 54,000sq ft - an increase of almost 50% - to consume the block which stretches from St Patrick St to Oliver Plunkett St, from Cook St to Robert St. A number of empty store units will be filled through Penneys’ expansion. Tech giant Apple has also shown interest in continuing its expansion from its site in Hollyhill into office space in the city centre.

The Irish Examiner recently compiled a list of vacant premises sitting idle in Cork City centre, with the result a lengthy confrontation with the reality of the pandemic’s impact on the retail sector. Buildings formerly occupied by Topshop, Debenhams, Argos, Monsoon, Clarks, AIB, Eason and USIT have all closed their doors to customers, leaving swathes of the city centre’s main streets dominated by ‘To Let’ signs. 20% of Cork’s main street is vacant, estate agent Lisney reports, with 15% of its side streets similarly empty. Discussions with major retailers to fill such sites as the iconic old Roches’ Stores are ongoing, with the hope that the injection of high scale developments of the Docklands and Quays will increase interest.

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News

Issue 10 | Tuesday 30th March 2021 | University Express

SU Election Season kickstarts with Virtual Hustings Writes Maebh McCarthy, Deputy News Editor Last week saw candidates take part in a virtual Hustings, in the run up to the 2021 Student Union elections.

This was the first time that the Hustings occurred in a virtual sphere and over the course of two nights, all prospective candidates took part and expanded on their vision, hopes and ideas why they should be elected.

On March 23rd 2021, the Hustings for the Executive Representatives was held. These positions include the college representatives, the Equality, Environmental and Sustainability and Irish Language and Culture Representative. There are four college representative positions, CACSSS (College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences), Business and Law, Medicine and Health, along with a SEFS (Science, Engineering and Food Science) Representative.

The events, held on Zoom, were streamed on the UCCSU’s Facebook Page for the UCC student body to watch. The interaction was undoubtedly larger than previous years, as people had ease of access to the Hustings via social media. As we go to print, the Executive Representative Hustings was watched by over three thousand people. The Sabbatical Representative Hustings was watched by over six thousand people.

The format of the Hustings was the same for both nights. Each of the respective current representatives of UCCSU chaired the Hustings for their individual positions. Candidates spoke for three minutes, introducing themselves, explaining their manifesto and presenting their ideas for the upcoming academic year. The only exception to this was the candidates for UCCSU President who were permitted to speak for five minutes. Following the speeches, candidates were asked one specific question, based on their manifesto. This was followed by a general question for all candidates. Following on from this, the current representative of the SU read out pre-submitted questions from the Student Body.

These questions were collected by way of a Google Form, prior to the

Hustings. The questions were pre-approved by the returning officer of the UCCSU Elections, Vincent O’Brien.

didates aiming to introduce supports for these students, due to their lack of campus time during this academic year.

A common theme throughout both nights of Hustings, was the approach candidates would take to the next academic year, should they be elected.

There was much debate over the eventual return to campus, a return to faceto-face teaching as well as reintroducing in-person events. The ongoing and future impact of Covid-19 on students was a predominant theme for nearly all candidates. Another topic which ignited debate over the course of both nights of Hustings was the approach to current first-years, with many can-

Following the Hustings, UCCSU President, Naoise Crowley, emailed all UCC students. In this email he explained the voting process, which is different to previous years owing to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The electronic voting portal being used is provided by ‘Membership Solutions Ltd.’ Votes can be cast on the portal, following a signin using a student email and password.

According to the UCCSU ‘Election Hub 2021’, “all votes are anonymous and data is securely stored in accordance with GDPR and the UCC Data Protec-

tion Policy.” It is also explained on the ‘Election Hub’ that there will be an option to “Re-open nominations”, which “shall be treated as a candidate and shall be the last name on the ballot paper.” Voting is set to take place on March 29th, 30th and 31st 2021. The voting link will be circulated to all UCC students via their UCC email address. The results are expected on April 1st 2021.

University Express live tweeted from the Hustings. These tweets can be found on the @UCCExpress Twitter Page. The videos of the Hustings can be found on UCCSU’s Facebook Page.

Issue 10 | Tuesday 30th March 2021 | University Express

News

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Fifth Annual Equality Week becomes First to go Virtual Writes Maebh McCarthy, Deputy News Editor

UCC recently held its fifth annual Equality Week. The events were organised by the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Unit (EDI), in collaboration with UCC staff, students, societies and social justice groups. Despite taking place in a solely virtual sphere this year, Equality Week saw a range of live events being held, as well as additional activities, such as recipe exchanges, recommended reads and podcasts. When announcing the line-up of events to students, the EDI explained that they had “a broad range of events and hope that you will find something to pique your interest. The events touch on a variety of areas, including gender, race & ethnicity, LGBT+, disability, precarity of employment to name some.

The offerings also will range from introductory lunchtime sessions to in-depth explorations on the topics.”

The week began with a lunchtime event titled “Conversations on Racism in Ireland” that was organised by Dr. Amanullah De Sondy,

who is the Director of NASC Ireland, as well as being a Senior Lecturer in UCC and the Chair of Race Equality in UCC. This conversation was heard from representatives from University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin and the Irish Traveller Movement.

Dr. Louise Crowley, a senior Law Lecturer and Director of the UCC Bystander Intervention Programme, spoke with Kelsey Longe and Orna Little from UCC Chaplaincy about the importance of the Bystander Intervention Training from a staff perspective. They also covered the Disability Support Services (DSS) in UCC for Academics. The DSS held a second event later in the week, titled “Lunchtime 101 – Mobility.”

As well as panel discussions, there were seminars delivered by UCC Staff Members. Dr. Emma Hurley from UCC’s ‘Learning to Live’, which is an Erasmus funded project, delivered a seminar entitled “One Single Story.” “Gender, labour and precarity: oral history narratives” was another event held over

the course of the week. This discussion saw authors and commentators collaborate in a panel discussion, chaired by Dr. Cliona O’Carroll of UCC. Dr. Christie Godsmark, from UCC’s School of Public Health and Environmental Research Institute, explored the interconnectivity between climate change, health and vulnerability with UCC Law Lecturer, Dr. Dug Cubie for a morning session.

There were also film screenings and discussions held during the evening slots.

James Mulvey from the UCC Film & Screen Media Department, in collaboration with UCC LGBT+ Staff Network, held a screening and discussion on the film “And Then We Danced.” There was also a screening of the short film “White Horse”, by Shaun O’Connor, a UCC alumnus. This film is in contention for an Academy Award this year.

The screening was followed by a lecture by Senator Fintan Warfield, who spoke about his legislative proposal to ban so called “conversion therapy” in Ireland, which was identified as a key action in the Department of Chil-

dren and Youth Affairs’ LGBTI+ Youth Strategy. Both Shaun O’Connor and Senator Warfield joined the EDI Unit for a ‘Q&A session.’

The penultimate lunchtime discussion on the final day of Equality Week 2021 explored what was meant by ‘Inclusion Health’. This event was hosted by the Inclusion Health Research Group and the EDI. The week was concluded with an event organised by Douglass Week Cork, which reflected on Douglass Week 2021.

This event was a discussion on Frederick Douglass, an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer and statesman, and his ties to Cork and Ireland. There was a special focus during this year’s campaign on Douglass’ ties to Cork City and County.

Even though this year’s Equality Week was completely different to previous years, with the lack of in person, on campus discussion, it was nonetheless a challenging, interesting and enlightening week.

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Features

Issue 10 | Tuesday 30th March 2021 | University Express

#FixedIt: The Representation of Sexual Violence in the Media Writes Elisha Carey, Features Editor “Every time a headline goes like this, it’s letting the perpetrator off the hook,” Mary Crilly tells me over Zoom on a grey Wednesday afternoon.

We’re chatting about the headlines this past week. All the major news outlets are covering Albaraa Turkistani, a Dublin man who was caught with 272 images and 159 videos of children and babies being “molested, raped and sexually assaulted” by men.

The headlines use the term ‘child porn’ but Mary and the community behind the #FixedIt campaign will tell you there’s no such thing. “We need to call it what it is” Mary says, “it’s images of children being raped and abused and when we minimise it to something like child porn it doesn’t capture what it really is.” Such terms can casualize the effect of what’s really going on, they fuel the myths surrounding sexual crimes, that men can’t control themselves or that survivors of these crimes can prevent their own sexual assaults by behaving a certain way, and they’re wrong. We have to pause our chat three or four times because the phone is ringing off the hook, “lots of people think that sexual violence has stopped over Covid” she says, “it hasn’t.”

Mary is something of a Cork icon.

Essentially everyone in UCC will recognise her as a friendly face who frequents FemSoc and LawSoc events.

She founded the Cork Sexual Violence Centre, formerly the Rape Crisis Centre, in 1983 and has been working tirelessly since then to “keep the conversation going” around sexual violence. She takes time out of her busy day to meet with me over Zoom to discuss the Sexual Violence Centre’s #FixedIt campaign. Originally set up in Australia by feminist and journalist Jane Gilmore, the campaign takes inappropriate or incorrect headlines and “fixes” them, tagging the news source to ensure that they see the new headline and take action.

in the media.” She draws my attention to a story reported last summer in the newspapers where a fifteen-year-old girl was raped in a Dublin hotel room by a group of much older men. The headlines referred to the child as ‘coked out of it’ and that she had ‘had sex with men in hotels for drugs and alcohol,’ but were silent “about five adult men putting their hands in their pockets, giving her drugs and then raping her” Mary exclaims, “it was all about her seducing these men.”

The danger of framing headlines in this way is that it allows blame to subtly slide To Mary, the Sexual Violence Cen- from the perpetrator to the survivor, tre’s involvement in the campaign is sparking familiar victim-blaming conall about “challenging victim-blam- versations and questions like, ‘what was ing and the way women are treated she doing there?’ or ‘why was she using drugs?’ instead of, ‘why were five older

men in a hotel room raping a child?’ The Irish Times, one of the papers involved, removed their offending headline and apologised after pressure was applied

by Mary and the #FixedIt community.

We chat about the different ways rapists are portrayed in the media. There seems to be a spectrum from ‘baby-faced’ and ‘sobbing in Court’ to ‘monsters’ and ‘beasts’ with the latter featuring most heavily in tabloids and the former in our more well-known broadsheets.

“I think they’re both wrong,” Mary says, adding that, “these men are neither beast nor monster; they are part of a community, they are normal men, they are usually married with a couple kids.”

A common sexual violence myth is that

“real rape” involves extreme violence by a stranger in the dark, when in reality, these are ordinary men who commit these crimes and, as we know, the vast majority of women who are raped or sexually assaulted know their attacker. According to Women’s Aid, only about 10% of rapes are committed by men unknown to the victim. As well as the terms ‘monsters’ and ‘beasts’, the media often uses animalistic terms to describe rapists like ‘pounced’ or ‘prowled.’ When rape is sensationalised this way in the media, it has the effect of reducing the perpetrator into an “other,” creating distance between “normal men” and “monsters” when in reality, there is none.

Issue 10 | Tuesday 30th March 2021 | University Express

On the flipside then, media outlets may decide they want to evoke sympathy for the perpetrator, they’ll do this by mentioning the fact that he was ‘crying’ or ‘sobbing’ during sentencing or that he suffers from a mental illness. This is an attempt to draw attention away from the victim, by making the perpetrator into a victim himself and it only serves to undermine the seriousness of his offence. Another common sexual violence myth is that men who abuse women are mentally unwell, yet there is no research to support this, “there’s so many men in this world struggling with their mental health and they’re not going out raping people and abusing people” Mary adds.

Another recent headline uses the phrase ‘pub groper.’ “Groping” Mary says, “is a very minimum kind of term.” This kind of language takes away from the gravity of sexual assault. Our conversation moves to the topic of the different behaviours we have come to normalise in Irish society, being afraid to walk alone at night, sexual assault in pubs and clubs or inappropriate name calling. Mary explains that lots of the women she

Features

speaks to didn’t think that what had Alan, with Clodagh being referred to as happened to them was worth reporting “the murderer’s wife,” only relevant inbecause “sure it happens all the time.” sofar as she related to the man who killed her. Clodagh had been reduced to a foot“I’d love a society where we could look at note in the story of her own murder. A sexual violence and be shocked” Mary campaign unfolded under the hashtag says, “the behaviour that we tolerate #HerNameWasClodagh and in response, from young men needs to change.” The Women’s Aid Northern Ireland released media have a significant role to play guidelines for journalists covering doin the normalising of these crimes, mestic and sexual violence. The organ‘groping’ is sexual assault, ‘child porn’ isation says that articles covering dois imagery of child sexual abuse, and a mestic homicide can lose the voice of the fifteen-year-old cannot ‘have sex’ with victim where they obscure the cause of adult men, this is an impossibility, you the murder by not framing it “as a consehave to be 17 to consent to sex in Ire- quence of an abusive or controlling partland, we must call it what it is: rape. ner” but “as a good person who snapped or was suffering from mental illness.”

Mary recalls how the issue of misogynis- The guidelines include: calling out dotic reporting in Irish media was thrust mestic abuse instead of writing it off as into the spotlight in 2016, following the an “isolated incident”, avoiding looking murder of Clodagh Hawe and her three for comments from neighbours or colchildren by her husband, Alan. News leagues of the perpetrator, refraining outlets across the country featured from using graphic or offensive images headlines referring to Alan’s sporting or family photographs that include the career and his job as a teacher, calling perpetrator, being respectful of intersechim ‘the perfect husband’, ‘a real gen- tionality, and signposting to local domestleman’ and ‘a pillar of the community.’ tic abuse services at the end of an article.

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treatment of women in the media in general. Women have always been held to a different standard than men. Recent years have seen Britney Spears, Caroline Flack and Meghan Markle ruthlessly picked apart in the press, with devastating consequences. The media doesn’t like to see women in charge of their own stories, but they have proven that they cannot be trusted to write them for us.

“We have to stop the acceptance” Mary says, of sexual violence myths, the news outlets perpetuating them and the wider culture they are a part of. #FixedIt allows us to take back control over the narrative surrounding sexual violence, to hold perpetrators accountable and to make the world a safer place for women and girls. Changing the headlines changes the conversations and changing the conversations changes the laws. It’s all within reach.

Get involved at https://twitter.com/ FixeditI “He couldn’t have been that great” Mary Before we say goodbye, Mary and I have You can freephone the Cork Sexual says, almost rolling her eyes, “he mur- a brief moment to chat about how the Violence Centre on 1800 496 496 or dered his own wife and children.” The inappropriate reporting of sexual crimes send them a text at 087 153 3393 papers were plastered with pictures of fits into a wider framework of poor

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Features

Issue 10 | Tuesday 30th March 2021 | University Express

On University Writes Eoghan O’Donnell, Deputy Features Editor

image credit: Caoimhe Leahy There is a certain sense of security that comes with a plan. Take any aspect of your life, plan it properly and follow through with it: you’ll see things tend to work out favourably more often than not. With a good plan, any milestone can be reached.

When it comes to deciding to go to university, one can knock down the initial terrifying things to two main challenges: what to study and where to study it. In secondary school, I can vividly recall much pressure surrounding the Leaving Certificate and the CAO. Obviously, this is a common feeling for many Irish students finally being chewed up and coughed out at the end of their five or six years in second-level education. Yet, there was always this underlying sense of security in secondary school: you were given your timetable, you were given your mandatory subjects, you were given precise instructions for every minute of your life. Choosing the right university and the right course (that is if you decided to go down the

university route at all) is one of the first times in where you are left to toy with Pathways are Pathways adult decisions entirely on your own. There is no right or wrong decision about what path you take; there is only Luckily for me, there was reassurance in the path you take. This is probably the the fact that by July 1st I had a solid plan hardest thing to come to terms with, ahead of me for four years. English at especially if you are any bit indecisive University College Cork: beautiful cam- or get easily caught up in the what-ifs pus, beautiful people, beautiful city. Say- like me. I can vividly recall waking up ing that, reaching the stage of actually in cold-sweats in Victoria Mills as a first choosing something to study and where year, panicking at the thought I had choto go took much longer than expected. sen the wrong course. For months, there Admittedly, there has always been were these lingering feelings of anxithis minor underlying anxiety about ety about how my current years would choosing to do a course that is not spe- forever define who I’d turn out to be. cifically career-oriented. Especially seeing as many of my friends and rel- There is a lot of pressure on young people atives find themselves gearing up to in Ireland to know which career is best for be doctors or dentists, or pharmacists them by seventeen or eighteen. It is an over the next few years. Regardless, almost insurmountable feat, especially I find myself studying a course I en- considering almost nobody has any idea joy ninety-percent of the time and am what they want to do (bar those who’ve surrounded by a much more diverse known they’ve wanted to be doctors or range of people than I am used to being dentists since coming out of the womb around in my hometown back in Kerry. they’re the exception, not the rule). This Having finally reached the near end of is one of the primary reasons Ireland has my degree, here are the most important one of the highest dropouts rates among things I’ve learned throughout the years. first years and why many courses are left

uncompleted by people. Sometimes it’s too early to choose who you want to be. And that’s understandable.

The age at which people head to university in most other countries in Europe is a few years older than on the Emerald Isle. Those important late teen years are often spent by mainland Europeans discovering themselves, or travelling or working. That’s not to say this isn’t done in Ireland either - it just doesn’t seem to be that common a route.

Yet, the further you progress down whatever path you’ve chosen, guaranteeing you enjoy some aspect of it, those feelings of anxiety and unease will alleviate and eventually will be replaced with a more precise idea of who you are and where you’re heading.

Relax Relax. Really do relax. Nobody expects you to have all the answers, and if somebody in your close vicinity is pressuring you to produce a concrete idea on your plan for the

Issue 10 | Tuesday 30th March 2021 | University Express

future, try your best to stand back.

Take all the time you need to figure it out: as long as you have enough cash to survive and manage to keep up with your workload on top of life’s many other demands, you’ll manage.

It’s especially easy to get caught up in thinking you should be doing something else, or be somewhere else. Hypotheticals are the easy route to take when getting lost in thought. Especially if there are moments when you catch yourself dreading something, or are feeling unsure about what you’re doing. Yet the years prove, as they always do, that no matter how awful something is, it eventually does pass.

University can be quite overwhelming - there’s so much going on, all the time. Yet, that doesn’t mean you’re not able for it: it simply shows that you will manage to get through whatever obstacle is being posed. You just need to persevere. And it can often seem that everybody is handling university life much better than you are. That’s not true at all though - everyone is handling it just as awfully.

Reach out to Others Reach out to those around you. By associating with others, your experiences will be enhanced. Don’t get me wrong, it can sometimes be really hard to make connections with others, but you will eventually. It’s just a matter of persevering until you find your niche of friends. You need to branch out to have those friends who will listen to your complaints or hear you out when you’re struggling with whatever it is that’s going on in life. They’ll likely have just as many things they’re struggling with. There’s comfort in that.

Branch Out Branch out. Easier said than done, I

know. Yet the most important moments for me over the past few years at university have had nothing to do with academic work. Sure, it’s great finally getting a first-class, or giving a presentation much better than your jittery self was anticipating - but it’s nothing compared to those many moments you’ll share with the people you meet at university.

Aside: First years, believe me when I say I am sorry for you. Your time to meet all the people you’ve ever dreamt of meeting at college is coming. I know it’s taking much longer to be released from the chains of this pandemic than anybody was expecting, but the time will come eventually. And when you find yourself at a crowded pre-drinks, or a busy society social, it’ll be one of the best moments you’ll experience. It could be cliché for me to go on about how people you meet are the best part of university. Nevertheless, it’s too true for me to pass up.

Nothing compares to that moment you finally hit it off with those people in your course you’ve been dying to talk to - your friend crushes will materialise into the best friendships. Nothing compares to going to a party knowing only one person and leaving with ten new friends. University is about helping to hide your friend, who’s getting sick at the side of the street, from the view of the bouncer. It’s meeting the same group of friends the following morning over coffee in CoffeeDock so hungover for your 9am that you can’t see straight.

It’s about sitting in a sweaty, jam-packed car outside KCs and Sons and Sons, horsing into your Bombshell with Garlic Mayo. It’s about sitting on the kitchen counter shifting that beour or feen until you start panicking over the fact you can’t breathe properly and need to take a break even when you don’t want

Features to. It’s about comforting your friends when they’re upset, and them comforting you when you can’t get over your rejections. It’s about getting given out to by a lecturer for whispering too loudly and being made walk out of the Kane lecture hall in front of everyone. It’s about arriving into the lecture with the latté that made you late, as your friend trails in even later. It’s about those evenings when you watch upwards of five films with your housemates. It’s about travelling with your college friends to wherever. It’s about those days where you have so many flat-whites that your eyes start involuntarily shaking. It’s about those sunny evenings when you’re dancing to music you hate so much that you begin to love it. It’s about you and your friends surviving leaks in the ceiling and mice in the kitchen. It is those spontaneous, joyous interactions with others that make everything so worthwhile.

Get Involved & Take Advantage of Facilities Getting involved is about actually going to the weekly meeting of whatever society or club you’re interested in and putting yourself out there. No one is going to stop you from trying: it’s all about the sense of community. You’ll learn so many skills and meet such great people. Pick a society and go to the meetings. Trust me. Just do it. Don’t shy out. If you’re interested in writing, send your queries or articles to anyone on the Express team, it’s always great to see new voices being featured.

UCC is such a great college in that there are so many opportunities for everyone; it’s just a matter of actually utilising the facilities. Oh, and use the Mardyke. That gym is too state of the art to pass up as something only those GAA heads use. There is so much there. Don’t

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shy away. Nobody is actually looking at you. Everybody is too focused on themselves to see that you’re struggling to turn on the treadmill.

Keep on top of Academia With all the socialising that makes your university experience so worthwhile, it’s easy to forget academic work actually matters and actually needs to be done. Keep on top of it. There’s nothing worse than having to fly back from your J1 to repeat your stats exam. If you’re struggling there are so many sources to help you, even if the sources appear a bit daunting at times.

People are willing to help you, and the grinds service on campus is a great way to gain some extra guidance.

Most of the time, lecturers will be willing to assist you: in fact, they’re usually quite happy to have some sort of dialogue with students. At the end of the term, your academic work does end. Just stay on top of it until then - try your best with your assignments and you will be rewarded justly. It’s nice seeing your handwork pay off - because it does, most of the time at least. And, if you fail an exam or a module, it’s not the end of the world - it happens to so many people.

Plan A plan is something worth having though. Just don’t stress yourself out too much attempting to formulate one. More often than not, the right plan for the future will come apparent to you just when you need it to.

Other than that, have fun and enjoy your university years. They go by very quickly. Trust me.

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Features:Careers Corner

Issue 10 | Tuesday 30th March 2021 | University Express

Optimising Your Online Presence Writes Elisha Carey, Features Editor

The importance of building connections and networks cannot be overstated when it comes to career planning and there has never been an easier time in history to connect. Being able to use not only just LinkedIn, but Facebook and Twitter too, as tools to carve out career opportunities is a must have skill for all graduates of the ‘20s.

As a college student you’re likely to have a large digital footprint spanning across many online platforms, in order to effectively use your online presence to advance your career prospects, you’ll need to make sure any publicly accessible information about you online matches the professional image you want employers to see.

A national survey from 2017 found that 70% of employers screen candidates’ social media profiles, 57% said they were less likely to interview a candidate they couldn’t find online and 54% have decided not to hire based on social media profiles. Maintaining a positive online presence will speak volumes about

your communication, relationship important to your personal brand so building and influencing skills, in ad- you may just want to tweak a few setdition to your personal judgement. tings so that certain content is only visible to your friends or followers. On Your personality, or personal brand Facebook, for example, you can display does not always come across in your a reduced profile to people you aren’t CV, so recruiters have started looking friends with. On Instagram, you can up the social media profiles of candi- create a list of close friends and choose dates coming for interviews in order to to only share your ‘story’ with them, or capture the full picture of them. Most you can hide it from specific accounts. employers nowadays expect that, at a minimum, you will have a publicly ac- You might choose to reserve certain platcessible LinkedIn that they can interact forms like TikTok and Instagram for recwith. It’s time to stop thinking of your reational purposes and then others like social media as hindrance and think of Twitter and LinkedIn for strictly profesways it can actually help your job search! sional interactions, or you may feel that all of your existing profiles strike a happy medium between personal and priTop tip: review your privacy set- vate. Either way, it is wise to do a self-audit of your social media accounts to make tings sure there’s no controversial photos or For each of your social media accounts, conversations lurking about that would even if you don’t intend to use them as scupper your chances at employment. part of your career hunt, think about what content you are happy for potential employers to see and what you feel The Google Search Audit is best saved for your followers only.

Do a quick Google search of your For some accounts, you may decide to name and take a look at what an emmake your profile completely private, ployer would see when they Gooonly accessible to your followers and gle you (which they probably will!) you will need to approve or accept any new request, but other profiles may be

Close out of all of your social media accounts.

Search for yourself by name, nicknames, misspellings of your name and your name followed by a few keywords, e.g. hometown, school etc.

Search for your email address, frequently used username, and phone number.

Having done all this, how much information did you find about yourself online? What do you think it says about you to a potential employer?

LinkedIn LinkedIn has grown hugely in popularity in the last number of years, acting as something of a one-stop-shop for all your career needs. As well as being an online CV, the platform offers skills courses, and blog posts with career advice as well as a messaging feature to enable networking with ease.

In order to optimise on your LinkedIn

Issue 10 | Tuesday 30th March 2021 | University Express

profile, it’s important to have a good, clear profile picture. This should generally be taken from the shoulders and it doesn’t hurt to smile! As for the banner picture, Stephen O’Brien, a Producer from LinkedIn recommends using Canva.com to design something that will stand out and speak to your personal brand. Your headline, Stephen says, should feature “a one-line elevator pitch”, this is one sentence that captures who you are and why you’re on LinkedIn. Bear in mind that if you comment or post on the platform, your name, profile picture and the headline are all visible, so make it something interesting! Below this you can add in buzz words to describe what you study, your extracurriculars and interests. Stephen explains that these sections on the profile are really key because they trigger the algorithm.

In the “About” section, Stephen recommends that you give a brief overview of your work history, education and current role and to make it clear that you’re open to chat. The “Featured” section allows you to add in media like articles or blog posts you’ve written and project videos or photos. Adding your work to the “Featured” section will really make you stand out of the crowd! The “Experience” section takes much the same format as your CV, with sections to make entries of your work experi-

ence. Stephen recommends mimicking the language used in the job description of the job you want to describe your work experience in the “Experience” section. Keep an eye on your spelling and grammar in all posts and remember to update your profile regularly!

Features:Careers Corner

al use, however, companies are increasingly using the platform to advertise opportunities like graduate programmes and internships, so it’s worth giving the ones you’re interested in a follow and updating your profile when you reach milestone like starting a degree or a new job! Request to join relevant groups and engage in discussion forums to demonMost graduate recruiters use LinkedIn strate your knowledge and interest. very actively during their recruitment processes, make sure you’re liking their posts and asking questions, this way Twitter you’ll be remembered when they are selecting applicants to interview. Ste- Again, Twitter is not likely to be the phen also recommends connecting with first site you think of when using social the alumni who work at the companies media to further your career, but recent you’re interested in, not only is this years have seen employers and recruiters great insight into what it’s like to work in flock to the platform to post 140 characyour chosen industry but it also broad- ter #jobvacancies! Twitter tends to allow ens your network. Remember, building you to give a more genuine impression networks is a slow-burn, long-term pro- of your personality than LinkedIn so cess but it is worth investing the time. the boundaries between personal and Make sure people know you are look- professional can be blurred, you need to ing for work, but don’t push it. Develop be careful about how much you reveal. relationships before you ask for help. Make your bio specific, if you’re looking for a job make that clear and add in a link to your blog or website if relevant.

Keep tabs on #jobfairy and #jobvacancy Check out the UCC Alumni LinkedIn hashtags. Twitter is great for networkfor Networking guide on the Careers ing as, unlike Facebook, you are more website! likely to come into contact with people outside your immediate circle. Only thing to note about Twitter is that it does Facebook require frequent tweeting due to the A lot of people are of the opinion that live updates and constant interaction.

Facebook is best kept mainly for person-

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Instagram Instagram is less formal and a lot more personal than other platforms and is more widely used by the media, marketing, creative industries. Just like Twitter, it’s an opportunity to showcase your passions and a unique side of your personality which can appeal to the right employer. However, remember, it’s a fine line between posting a pic of a recent culinary experience and a messy Saturday night out

Email If you’ve met and had a constructive conversation with a grad recruiter at a virtual career fair or presentation, it’s often a good idea to send them an email as a follow up to thank them for any advice they gave or enquire about an upcoming job opportunity.

Doing this will help you stand out during the recruitment process and increases your chances of success!

If you’d like more advice on optimising your online presence, you can book a consultation with a Career Consultant at the link below: https://www.ucc.ie/en/careers/meet/

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Opinion

Issue 10 | Tuesday 30th March 2021 | University Express

Why the BBC’s, ‘A Perfect Planet’, is the most essential TV viewing in recent memory Writes Siobhán McCallum If I were to tell myself from only a few years ago that the most affecting piece of drama I would see in 2021 would be the BBC’s ‘A Perfect Planet’, I would be entirely confused. How could a nature documentary be the best piece of television I had seen in years? How could a show relating the perfect balance of the Earth’s fragile ecosystems move me to tears? How could this series leave a lasting impression on my view of not only the natural world, but society itself? The answers to these questions are incredibly simple. Through stunning cinematography, exceptionally raw storytelling and an unceasing desire to educate on the tremendous responsibility that humans possess in caring for planet Earth, the BBC have crafted a poignant piece of art that seeks to rally the troops for the current war against climate change.

The series is simple enough in structure, but vast in scope. Told in five distinct, yet interconnected parts, the show focuses on the integral components of planet Earth; volcanoes, the sun, weather, the oceans and humans. The activities, patterns and behaviours of these factors are viewed in microscopic detail, showcasing the immense impact these elements have in structuring and maintaining the ecological world around us. The series was undoubtedly a labour of love.

Filming began in 2016 and took place in a plethora of environments in over thirty different countries. The trials and tribulations of the show’s two-hundred strong crew are chronicled in small diary-like sequences at the end of every episode, offering fascinating insight into the arduous schedules and often dangerous conditions and activities involved in the production of a show of this calibre. As always the series is narrated with epic gravitas by Sir David Attenborough, a man so beloved and unparalleled in expertise, knowledge and passion his voice and very being have now become synonymous with the art of documentary filmmaking.

Each episode opens with a stunning

image of the Earth suspended in a single sunbeam, evoking our distinctiveness and insignificance all at once. What follows is a breathtaking exploration of the beauty in the natural environments around us, from the glorious depths of the Pacific Ocean to the alien-like landscapes of the Gobi Desert. Along the way we encounter familiar and fascinating friends. Hot-pink flamingos begin our expedition in Tanzania’s blood red Lake Natron, the red crabs of Christmas Is-

land undertake an epic pilgrimage to the shore, godzilla-like marine iguanas battle unrelenting currents in the Galapagos and gargantuan humpback whales hunt along Alaska’s gorgeous coast. The show thus provides a welcome escape for viewers in a year marked by lockdowns and isolation, and satiates our innate craving and desire for adventure, discovery and connection.

However, the series is not simply a rosy

depiction of nature, as the devastating consequences of climate change are showcased throughout. Episode three narrows in on the issue of drought along the Zambezi river, as we observe the new challenges that face the various species who call this glorious body of water home. Carmine bee eaters hurry to build their nests in the banks of the river, safe from predators looming above and below. We are informed that over six

Issue 10 | Tuesday 30th March 2021 | University Express

thousand nests are constructed, as these striking birds prepare for their future. However, in a single devastating moment, the bone dry bank of the river collapses resulting in the total destruction of hundreds of nests.

An entire generation is lost. This image of annihilation stayed with me for days. At night, when attempting to rest, the scene played over and over in my mind. It was almost impossible to hold back tears. Indeed, throughout its six hour runtime, the series subjects us to the horrors of what our senseless actions have wreaked on the natural world. Baby sea turtles are drowned in their nests by excessive rainfall, penguins face excruciating clashes with tidal power as storms become more prevalent and violent and habitat loss leaves numerous Amazonian species homeless and dying.

Even in the final episode of the show the catastrophic impact of our fishing industry is put on full view. Blood, guts and gore cover humongous industrial ships as they trek across the oceans gobbling up any creature unfortunate enough to get trapped in their nets. Sharks, the ocean’s top predators, appear helpless and feeble in the face of human power.

In the final episode, dedicated solely to the human impact on climate, Attenborough labels us a ‘deadly’ force against the natural world. The opening of this finale depicts his earlier work as an ecologist, as he identifies climate change as the most important story of our time. In addition, conservationist Dr. Niall McCann, marine biologist Dr. Asha de Vos and economist Jeremy Rifkin warn us about our culpability in this ecological disaster.

They entreat us to wake up to the consequences of our actions, to come to terms with the fact that we are in danger of losing half of all species in less than eight decades and will have to confront social crises such as mass migration, famine and war as a result

of this cataclysmic event. According to De Vos, and I know many will share this sentiment, the worst part of all this is that future generations will likely wonder why we didn’t do something sooner?

When all the information was available, why did we do so little to turn the tide? Why did we watch the world burn?

Despite these dire warnings and visceral depictions of what the future holds if we fail to act against climate change, the show provides hope that there is yet one final chance for us to save ourselves and the planet we’ve come to know and love.

The dedication of the series production team to represent the beauty of our world and the hard work conducted by activists around the globe to combat climate change, are inspiring examples of human endurance, resilience and pluck.

The Great Green Wall is an ambitious attempt to halt the advancing Sahara desert in Africa. This reforestation effort across the width of the continent has already successfully planted over twelve million trees in Senegal. Spearheaded by the African Union, the results of this fantastic effort are already surfacing with community wells filling once again with vital water necessary for regional development. A similar and revolutionary idea is taking shape in the Amazon.

With the help of indegenous peoples in the region, this project is seeking to create a new biodiverse jungle of over seventy million trees. It is estimated that an area of over thirty-thousand football fields of forest will be restored. Moreover, we hear from young activists and view reels of footage of recent protests led by school children around the world as they attempt to make their love for this planet, and their impatience with government inaction, known. It appears that the human species is unwilling to go down without a fight. Time may be against us, but the Earth is robust and capable of returning to its former glory with a little help from its most prominent inhabitants. As De Vos emphasises in the final moments of the show,

Opinion we are incredibly intelligent creatures that have everything we require to take our past mistakes and turn them into a beautiful new beginning of harmony and equilibrium with the natural world.

One particular action project lingered in my mind long after the credits rolled.

Attenborough reveals to us the pioneering work of zoos all over the world that are collecting DNA samples from the most endangered species on our planet.

We enter into one of these ‘frozen zoos’, in San Diego, where unbelievably over ten-thousand distinct vertebrate species are housed in a single vault. There is something hauntingly beautiful in the imagery presented to us of these vast swaths of vials containing the genetic make-up of animals on the brink of extinction. Stored at exactly -200° celsius, these samples can stay viable indefinitely and are now most likely the best chance we have at saving these creatures.

While this is undeniably a brilliant project that potentially holds the key to combating unsustainable extinction rates, it is horrifying to see the work of millions of years of evolution be reduced to this mechanical, lonely and unnatural place. Compared to the stunning representation of life on Earth throughout the series, this is a lame equivalent of the ecological prowess of this planet.

Having considered this show as a whole it becomes clear that the series is equal parts vital educational material and masterclass of cinematic storytelling.

Unlike previous BBC nature docs, which often alluded to climate induced problems in various ecosystems, this show places climate change at the forefront of its narrative. After all, the title itself seeks to reinforce the ‘perfect’ nature of our world that is now in existential crisis at the hands of human behaviour.

It is this centrality of the climate crisis within the show’s structure and messaging that makes it such essential viewing for modern audiences. It does more than just shock us into action with its emotive

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imagery, it fully immerses the viewer in the natural world. We watch in awe at the majestic behaviours of Earth’s greatest achievements, and are touched by the interspecies connectedness we share with every living being. ‘A Perfect Planet’ succeeds where so many other documentaries fail, it enacts a real change in the viewer, one which promotes a responsibility and willingness to care for our home as individuals and as a collective.

As a consequence of this, when I consider what lies ahead for the future of our planet, I am tentatively optimistic. As previously stated the series as a whole provides me with this confident attitude, but one sequence in particular stands out. In the depths of the Amazon rainforest, exists an exceptional species of fire ants. Faced with seasonal floods that jeopardise their survival, these amazing insects turn devastation into opportunity.

As water levels rise and engulf their home, the fire ants band together and create, using their own bodies, a living raft to float on. The power of the collective is demonstrated with this herculean endeavor, as each ant does their part to protect each other, with nobody left behind. I couldn’t help but draw parallels between this triumphant action, and our current attempts to alleviate climate change. It will take all of us to survive the coming flood, but just like these ants, we can make a miracle happen.

This is why this documentary is so essential right now. It truly is the perfect example of environmental activism done right. The warnings wring loud and clear, the apocalyptic images are felt, the challenge is laid at our feet. Ultimately, the series makes us respect the great cosmic role we play in the maintenance and protection of this perfect planet.

BYLINE Vol. 6 Issue 11

SUPPORTING

Local

Editorial

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When All Is Said And Done Writes Fergal Smiddy, Byline Editor

And just like that, another academic year - arguably the strangest one to date - saunters itself towards a bittersweet close.

They say that the years of our lives tend to go by quicker as they pass, and as I grow older I find this old adage harder and harder to circumvent. Primary school felt like a feverish lifetime, Secondary - although at times a slog - slipped by sneakily in its own unassuming way. As for the College years - well, they still hardly seem to have begun at all, yet somehow I am sat here having to confront the fact that they too are nearing an end.

As my time in UCC fades to black, so too does another year of University Express and student media at large - the constant which has been the defining feature of my College experience. I first got involved with the Express as a fresher, stumbling into the role of Deputy Features Editor, as unsure of myself as I was excited. From there came the big-boy position of Features Editor and from there again came Byline. If not for very good reason, I wouldn’t have remained involved, and I feel immensely gracious for the powerfully formative experience that student media - including all the friends made along the way - has been in my life so far.

Speaking of friends, it’s only right that I give a special mention to the team of students that has been single-handedly responsible for publishing a quality fortnightly publication amid circumstances that often seemed determined in outdoing us. Every team needs a great leader, and Fiona Keeley, you managed to be just that while balancing the delirium of final-year on one hand and the trainwreck of an entirely new learning system on the other - all while the world continued to blaze around us. You often said that the paper was nothing without the team, but I think it’s also fair to say that the team would have been nothing without you - so on behalf of all of us, thank you.

To the Byline Editorial team, staff writers and contributors - a massive thanks is also due to you. The standard of your work has been something to behold, and despite feeling an admitted sense of relief now that the final deadline day is behind us, I will miss the sense of pride and inspiration that your words unfailingly gave me.

And finally to you, the reader. If you have afforded any bit of your time to reading the work that we’ve been putting out over this academic year, I want to thank you sincerely. Student media is about giving an opportunity to students to apply and express themselves in a peer-led environment. It’s about representing the student experience truthfully, holding the institutions which oversee that experience to account and, above all, giving students a voice. Without your readership, student media ceases to be.

Thank you all for allowing and ensuring student media’s continued existence. I’m going to go and indulge my nostalgia on a windows-down drive while belting out the titular Abba tune: “Standing calmly at the crossroads, no desire to run. There’s no hurry any more when all is said and done”.

Fergal Smiddy

byline@uccexpress.ie

Gaeilge

Eagarthóir: Édith de Faoite

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An Ghaeilge - Seaniarsma ón Stair nó Comhartha na Todhchaí?

A Scríobhann Édith de Faoite, Eagarthóir Gaeilge Is minic a deirtear gur ‘teanga mharbh’ í an Ghaeilge. Níos minicí fós, deirtear go bhfuil an Ghaeilge ina hiarsma ó ré atá thart agus is teanga a sheasann do thír choimeádach agus do chreidiúintí a bhaineann leis an gcéad seo caite í. Dar le roinnt daoine, tá dlúthcheangal idir an Ghaeilge agus an Eaglais Chaitliceach fós, sa lá atá inniu ann. Is argóint mícheart agus dochrach é an argóint seo, argóint a chuireann leis an bpolaitiú a déantar den teanga, go háirithe sa Tuaisceart.

Ní féidir a shéanadh go raibh tionchar ag an Eaglais Chaitliceach ar an nGaeilge. Go minic b’iad na sagairt agus na manaigh a bhí i gceannas ar na lámhschríbhíní a chaomhnú, a bhailiú agus a aistriú. Bhí daoine ón Eaglais lárnach sa ghluaiseacht chun an Ghaeilge a athbheochan freisin. Sa naoú haois déag, bhí an tArdeaspach John McHale go mór i bhfábhar na Gaeilge agus d’oibrigh sé chun an teanga a chaomhnú trí leabhair urnaí a scríobh trí mheán na Gaeilge.

Bhí cuid eile de na creidmhigh páirteach i ndomhan litríochta na Gaeilge. Ba shagart é Peadar Ua Laoghaire a scríobh leabhair trí Ghaeilge, agus a rinne aistriú ar litríocht meánaoise Gaeilge freisin.

Tá a lán eile, ba liosta le háireamh a bhí mar bhaill den Eaglais Chaitliceach agus a d’fhág a rian ar an teanga Ghaelach.

Tá tionchar na hEaglaise le brath sa teanga labhartha freisin. Nuair atá daoine ag argóint faoi an méid Caitliceachais i nGaeilge, is minic a luann siad an frása ‘dia dhuit’. Is soiléir go bhfuil an beannú seo fréamhaithe i reiligiún. An t-aon rud atá doiléir san argóint sin ná go mbíonn na daoine i mbun na hargóinte sin ag tabhairt le fios go bhfuil an Gaeilge eisceachtúil sa slí seo, agus nach bhfuil an scéal mar an gcéanna i dteangacha eile. Bíonn dlúthcheangal idir teangacha áirithe agus creidimh difriúla. Tá baint ag Eabhrais le Giúdachas, tá an Araibis lárnach san Ioslam go minic agus úsáidtear an Scanscrait sa Hiondúchas. Fiú sa Bhéarla, tá an focal ‘goodbye’ giorrúchán de ‘God be with you’. Tá rian na heaglaise soiléir sa Ghaeilge, chomh maith sa Bhéarla agus

a lán teangacha eile. Is loighic lochtach a rá go bhfuil an Ghaeilge an t-aon theanga a bhfuil ar maos le tagairtí creidimh.

Ach é sin stair na teanga, cad faoi an teanga chomhaimseartha? An bhfuil an litríocht ar fad scríte tar éis aimsir na manaigh fós lán le creideamh? Ní hé sin is atá rudaí a thuilleadh. Nuair a bhí cinsireacht fós á chleachtadh in Éirinn, bhí i bhfad níos lú leabhair as Gaeilge coiscthe ná leabhair trí Bhéarla. Bhí na dlíthe cinsireachta i bhfeidhm chun cosc a chur ar leabhair, scannáin agus a leithéid a bhí “neamhoiriúnach” do mhuintir na hÉireann. B’iad na hábhair neamhoiriúnacha ná an-chuid ábhair a

bhí mísháshúil dar leis an Eaglais Chaitliceach. Ach, ar slí éigin, d’éirigh le hanchuid leabhair trí mheán na Gaeilge na dlíthe seo a shárú. Ar cheann de na hábhair a ndéanadh cinsireacht air ná ginmhilleadh. Rinneadh cinsireacht ar an scannáin Alfie de chuid Micheal Caine ach d’éirigh leis an ndráma An Triail na dlíthe a sheachaint. Is dráma é seo a cháineann an Eaglais Chaitliceach agus na hoird creidimh. B’é an chúis go raibh na píosaí litríochta saor ó na srianta seo ná nach raibh Gaeilge ag na húdaráis a bhí i mbun cinsireachta. Thug an Ghaeilge saoirse do dhaoine caint faoi na hábhair toirmiscthe gan eagla. Sa slí sin ba bhealach í an Ghaeilge chun tuairimí conspóideacha a bhí i gcoinne teagasca na hEaglaise a roinnt.

Sa chéad seo, úsáidtear an Ghaeilge i reifrinn éagsúla a bhain le ceisteanna forásacha. Ar dtús, i 2015, úsáideadh an Ghaeilge i mana sa reifreann faoi chomhionannas pósta. Bhí ‘Make Grá the Law’ ar cheann de na manaí a bhí ag an dream a bhí i bhfabhar an phósta comhghnéis. Ansin, i 2018, úsáideadh ‘Tá for Mná’ mar mhana sa reifreann faoin Ochtú Leasú. Is comharthaí iad seo nach “teanga mharbh” í an Ghaeilge.

Tá an Ghaeilge in úsáid chun tuairimí forásacha a roinnt mar is teanga bheo í a chuireann in iúl dearcthaí na ndaoine a labhraíonn í, mar sin bíonn sí i gcónaí ag athrú le himeacht ama.

INTERVIEW

18

Supporting Local - An Interview with Green on Red’s Conor Halpin

By Fergal Smiddy, Byline Editor One of the many unexpected consequences of working in retail is the intimate workplace relationship that develops between you and whatever soundtrack - if any - which serves as your on-the-clock companion. The bone-chilling melodies of royalty-free Christmas songs, for example, still haunt my dreams from past holiday seasons spent working in a certain Irish grocery chain. Some workers are lucky enough to be given free-reign over what plays in the background as they go about their workday. The baristas and kilo shop attendants of the world earn their wages to the tune of self-curated playlists and personalised radios, while others suffer under the immeasurable torment of the corporate CD - forever-looping; never-ending.

Radio is the chosen medium where I work, and RedFM is the in-house station. The strength of radio as a workplace soundtrack exists in its variety. In the early hours of the day, admittedly, I am exposed to the likes of Dermot Kennedy, Little Mix and your one who has the habit of driving ‘alone past your street’ sobbingly (or...sinisterly?); however, like many of the best things in life, radio comes alive in the nighttime, and my weekend evenings are never left wanting for a vibey tune or two.

On Sunday evenings at 7pm - the time at which the sun currently and serendipitously tends to set - the soundtrack to my own working life takes an exciting turn. Conor Halpin, Waterford expat and self-professed longtime “lover of Irish music” dons the mic and headset to close out another week of radio for RedFM. Green on Red, which airs from 7-10pm, immerses listeners in a landscape of music made uniform solely by virtue of being Irish. Having just recently taken the reigns from former show-runner Alan Donovan, Conor’s stepping into the role was a decision which first required some self-appraisal.

“I did think to myself is [Green on Red] a very niche show? Do you really need to know every inner working of Irish music

in order to present that show effectively?

In every station there’s the ‘Irish music’ guy or girl; they’re very up to date with all Irish music [...] There was a little bit of consideration for me to say ‘am I that?’”.

Imposter syndrome is something which any sane person is bound to have experienced on the advent of any minor life success. For Conor, and in the context of Green on Red, this manifested in the fear that his knowledge of the local

scene might not have been as expansive as it needed to be. However, for a show like Green on Red - whose mission statement of celebrating and broadcasting local art aligns intimately with that of this year’s Byline - it’s arguable that a generalised melophilic approach outdoes that of the scene-savvy exclusionist. For Conor, the show is more about breaking ground than building fences.

“I suppose what I’d like to reflect on the show is a little bit of discovering together. Me, along with the listener,

are hearing this [music] for potentially the first time. There’s a little bit of sharing information there. I’ll put my hands up and say I’m not an expert. I’m not a specialist; I’m working my way towards it, I’ve always had an interest there, but I couldn’t rattle off every album that any individual Irish star has had, you know? I want to try and keep that attitude - that I’m discovering this music as well as the listener”.

19 Steering clear of “eclectic sonic waveforms that aren’t in any way melodic or musical” that might comprise a more niche-oriented show, Conor has no qualms about affording some of Green on Red’s airtime to some of the better known and battle-proven sounds from the Irish canon. From Bressie-led juggernauts The Blizzards to “even U2!”, the tracks played each Sunday range far beyond - while still including - the more lo-fi and obscure sounds of the Irish bedroom studio.

As for the output of smaller and indie artists, Conor sees himself as being too new to his post to make a determination on whether lockdown life has resulted in any sort of independent production boom; “But the impression I get from the other guys around me [...] is that there is a much higher volume [of production].

There’s opportunity in a crisis, really, and those that try to look at it as such, and knuckle down and say ‘this is what I’m going to do, I’m just going to go away and write, and I’m going to market it’ - I think they’ve found ways to get their music out. [...] It’s a new world for everyone, and it’s trying to find the opportunities in that, really. As I say, I think there are some [opportunities] but I don’t think it’s uniform; I don’t think [they’re] there for everyone, and definitely there are

musicians, I’m sure, who are struggling”.

Recalling a recent interview with Saoirse Duane of Wicklow-based three-piece Wyvern Lingo, Conor shares the extent to which current circumstances have resulted in Irish musicians experiencing a painful and self-questioning disillusionment. “Saoirse was very candid, she was very genuine, she was very honest. She did say that there was a lot of, you know, ‘Am I in the right career?’ That sort of questioning was happening in the height of the pandemic, because she was wondering, well, when are we getting back to live gigs? Is there a roadmap in place? Is it even going to happen? You know, that thing of ‘oh, we’ll get back to normal, we’ll get back to normal’ - we could be kind of codding ourselves in that regard”.

Anything but a stark acknowledgement of our current situation at this stage feels like dishonesty, so it’s almost morbidly refreshing to learn that some of the nation’s brightest talents are feeling a desperation akin to our own. As Conor sees it, there are two sides to the way the pandemic is being felt by musicians across the country. “It was interesting to hear the perspective of someone who’s been working in the industry to actually have [had] doubts and to be very honest and

open about those doubts, because I think that’s something that is being felt by people as well as ‘here’s an opportunity to write good music and produce it myself and put it out there’, do you know?”

Having only come into his role at Green on Red at a time when the pandemic was already in full swing, a pure Cork experience is something which Conor Halpin is yet to be acquainted with. “One of the things that I was really excited about coming to Cork [for] was music; to see gigs. Even just the likes of getting into a bar where there’s a trad band on a Sunday afternoon in the corner. I was really looking forward to that”. Yet, despite Cork’s current form, which undeniably pales in comparison to how the city looks and feels when it is at its best, Conor is convinced by “an attitude of ‘let’s support our own’” which might just be the thing that pulls us through our toughest hour. “Certainly around music I think there’s a good culture of [support] here.

I think that’s something that’s been blossoming throughout this last year; to support our own musicians where we can, because we can’t get to see them the same as we would like - in a live venue”.

year, the wounds inflicted upon Cork’s live music scene at the hands of the pandemic are still raw, and seem only to be splitting further with each passing week.

“At the same time, [live music] is something that we realise is vital. One night, I was cycling through the city. I was coming down Oliver Plunkett Street, and there were these two buskers, and there was a crowd of about twenty people around them. It was just one of those moments where people forgot about social distancing. People were wearing masks and all the rest of it, but they were just so enthralled - captivated - by live music.

So, I don’t think it is one of these things where we can kind of say ‘oh yeah, it’ll be great now when it comes back’ [...] I firmly believe that [live music] is something that is a vital part of the human experience - music; that resonation; that experience of [having] other people around you; that energy that comes with it”.

From the tiny sliver of Cork that Conor Halpin has seen so far, he seems utterly convinced - by our people, by our music, and by our spirit - that we will rise again.

Tune into Green on Red on RedFM every Sunday from 7-10pm

With only a few months having gone by since the closure of the Kino earlier this

Food and Health

20

A Gut Feeling: How Gut Health Impacts your Physical and Mental Health Writes Sarah O’Connor

Gut health, or the health of your intestines, affects both physical and mental health. Here in UCC, research into the interaction of the brain and gut is leaping forward thanks to the work of UCC Professors like John Cryan and Ted Dinan, co-authors of The Psychobiotic Revolution, a book that has been described as ground-breaking in the field.

Despite major advances in research exploring gut health, and psycho-biotics, many of us remain unaware of the many factors that influence gut health.

The gut itself has its very own brain – the Enteric Nervous System - that controls its own activity. It is the only system in the body that is not controlled only by the brain via the Central Nervous System. What’s more than just the actual nervous system of the gut, it is also home to a huge number of bacteria that are commonly known as ‘The Microbiome’. For every human gene in your body, you have roughly 360 mi-

crobial genes, so this should show you the sheer number of bacteria present in our gut, particularly the large intestine.

The bacteria of the gut are absolutely vital for us to survive and different species of different bacteria carry out various different functions. For example, some produce Vitamin K for us which is essential for blood clots to form when we get a cut. Other bacteria produce serotonin which I’m sure you’ll recognise as one of the hormones responsible for happiness. It is estimated that 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut, so there is no doubt that gut health absolutely affects how we feel. Various other neurotransmitters are also made here which strongly indicates that our gut affects our brain chemistry. No two people have the same microbiome, as genetics, environment and diet all play a role in that variation. Studies have found that some mental health conditions including schizophrenia

and depression are associated with less diversity in the gut bacteria. It is not quite sure why exactly this is, but it really emphasises the importance of a good, varied diet to feed not only yourself, but also these bacteria that do some much for our overall health.

Our microbiomes start developing the moment we are born. Studies show that babies born naturally have greater diversity in their microbiome compared to babies born via Caesarean section, as they make contact with their mother’s vaginal microbiota during birth. Babies born by Caesarean unfortunately do not have this and they tend to pick up bacteria from the skin and surrounding environment instead. There is strong evidence to suggest these babies have a higher risk of developing allergies, and a less robust ecosystem. Babies born by Caesarean section are much more likely to develop asthma also. However, with proper nutrition, babies born via

Caesarean are well able to acquire a diverse and healthy microbiome, but it is interesting to see just how early on our microbiomes start to take shape.

Another major influence on gut health is antibiotics. Antibiotics are no doubt a miraculous class of drugs, having made many diseases that once proved fatal, easily and cheaply treatable. However, antibiotics kill bacteria indiscriminately, meaning they cannot tell the difference between friendly bacteria in our gut and the harmful ones causing disease. The danger is that taking antibiotics will knock out the friendly bacteria and the pathogenic, disease causing ones will gain a foothold in your gut and cause problems. An example of this is clostridium difficile, or C Diff, that hospital patients sometimes acquire.

After a course of antibiotics for something unrelated, for instance a respiratory infection, the friendly microbiota is also killed. C Diff rapidly colonises in the gut and causes horrible diarrhoea

Editor: Maeve O’Keeffe for the patient. In already sick patients, this can prove fatal. An interesting (if not slightly disgusting treatment) for this is what’s known as a faecal transplant. This is exactly what it sounds like; a healthy sample of stool with a diverse, healthy microbial population is transplanted into the patient. It is actually very effective in repopulating the patient’s own microbiome with friendly bacteria and often the patient makes a rapid recovery. Although the thought of this procedure sounds quite repulsive, the recovery of the patient shows exactly how important the commensal bacteria are in keeping you healthy.

21

Hanger Management: Surviving the Combination of Anger and Hunger Writes Maeve O’Keeffe, Food & Health Editor

The gut also contains 80% of the body’s immune cells. This makes sense, considering most of the foreign bodies that enter your body are the ones you feed yourself. So, it is clear that your gut is underappreciated in protecting you from infections and illnesses. The presence of the microbiomes mean that other pathogenic bacteria cannot colonise in your body as they are outcompeted for resources and space by friendly bacteria.

So, what can you do to improve your gut health, and reap the associated rewards of enhanced mental and physical health? UCC’s Cryan and Dinan emphasise the benefits of a mixed diet, consisting of plenty of vegetables and variety. Yoghurt is an excellent source of probiotics that improve gut health, and many fermented food and drinks such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, and even sourdough are also beneficial for gut health. You don’t need to totally transform your diet by incorporating all of these foods at once. Any sudden, radical change to your diet might cause sudden changes in bowel movements, but even everyday items like almonds, peas and bananas are loaded with the type of fibre that good bacteria in the gut loves, so a probiotic rich natural yoghurt with some almonds and a sliced banana for breakfast would be an easy way to care for your friendly gut bacteria. Aside from dietary adjustments, avoiding antibiotics unless totally necessary is another way to safeguard your gut health, and prevent the unpleasantness of having your gut’s good bacteria killed off.

Have you ever felt that crippling sense of hunger, when your insides feel like they have been hollowed out with an ice cream scoop? Your roommate has tucked into your leftover pizza, or stirfry that you had kept in a Tupperware lunchbox in the fridge. The nice cheese you had been saving for pasta has disappeared. Someone has robbed your grub. You are suddenly overcome by a red misted rage, despite the logical viewpoint that you have loads of other food, there’s a deli in the Centra down the road, and there’s always Deliveroo.

But it’s not enough, is it? It’s not what you wanted, not what you had planned.

And in your state of intense hunger, it seems like a travesty. Just picturing some smug peer gobbling your food is so infuriating, and you’re sure (well, almost sure) that this was a deliberate conspiracy to enrage you. The injustice, the disrespect, of it all, floods you with molten fury, and a string of expletives ensue in a temper tantrum reminiscent of your toddler years, but worse. Mustering up enough reason to deal with the situation seems beyond your grasp.

If this seems in any way familiar to you, then you’ve experienced (and survived!) feeling “hangry”, which is the term given to the disastrous combination

of hunger and anger. For a long time, I thought that feeling hangry was a phenomenon unique to some of my friends and family (myself included), who are more inclined to growl when food is slow to appear in restaurants, or when someone else nabs the last Cornetto from the freezer. I later learned that we are not alone in our intense rages when hungry; feeling hangry is natural and common. There’s more to hanger than just frustration at your hunger, or the tragedy of watching your 99 fall on the ground as you hop into the car, however.

There is a substantial body of research to suggest that feeling hangry is a physiological expression of low blood sugar levels, which manifests in aggression.

You see, our body and brain are reliant on nutrients like sugars to function normally, which might explain why you find it so hard to concentrate in lectures right before lunch. When your blood sugar levels fall past a normal level, for instance if you’ve skipped breakfast, or simply haven’t eaten in a while, then naturally, the brain struggles to function as normal.

This can result not only in making foolish mistakes, but also in failing to behave in a socially acceptable way; lashing out at close ones or snap-

ping at waiters. Your brain simply doesn’t have enough energy to see reason, or come up with practical solutions, it identifies this hunger as a threat and treats all perceived obstacles to your desired food as such. The body even releases hormones cortisol (commonly referred to as the “stress hormone”) and adrenaline when hungry. The dip in blood sugar levels may also explain why, when we’re hungry, we’re more inclined to opt for high-sugar foods to provide an instant blood sugar boost; think fizzy drinks, chocolate, or a large fries with a McFlurry in McDonalds.

But how to fight this crippling sense of hanger? Well, as with many things in life, prevention is better than the cure. In order to prevent that feeling of hanger, you should try to fuel up every morning with a high fibre breakfast. Brown bread, Weetabix, and porridge are all versatile breakfast staples that should keep you full for longer. As well as fibre, protein-rich snacks like nuts, hummus, eggs and cheese are ideal to keep feelings of hanger at bay.

Film & T.V.

22

The Grand Finale: It All Comes Down to This. writes Kyran Leahy, Film & TV Editor

TV shows come and go. When one is gone, another replaces it. It is just the way the television world works. The sad thing about most television shows is that they do not even reach their natural ending, being cancelled before they can wrap up their run. The shows that are successful enough to reach the end of their run get the all-important series finale. This is everything the people associated with the show both anticipate and dread. All of the stories throughout the previous episodes, all wrapped up in one big finisher. The directors, producers, actors, writers, they have all worked hard in entertaining the fans, who were loyal to the series until its end. We have seen some truly iconic series finales for good reason, and others are iconic for horrible reasons.

Perhaps the most iconic series finale of all time, and the one that I can safely discuss with spoilers because it is ingrained in everyone’s head, is the Friends finale. Ross and Rachel end their ten season long on-and-off relationship by making it permanent, Monica and Chandler get the children and suburban life they longed for, Phoebe lives her best life and Joey stays

with the gang (can we just all agree that Joey never happened?). It was perfect.

To wrap up ten seasons worth of episodes in one final hour-long instalment like they did, giving everyone a satisfying ending (again, if you ignore Joey) and solidifying the show as one of the greatest sitcoms ever takes some effort, but they did it. There are so many worthy series finales for the title as the best, but the Friends one is the pinnacle and one that has inspired several finales following it.

It is each sitcom’s finale that I generally have little chance of spoiling for everyone as they seem to be played on every channel and streaming service across the world. Some shows anticipate that their show will end abruptly, so they make sure that their last episode of a season would be a fitting end just in case. Parks and Recreations had a “series finale” from their third season to the sixth season as the show battled low ratings, but somehow Amy Poehler and friends survived to their natural end of the seventh season, which benefitted me because Parks and Rec got me through most of last Summer.

Community is another example. They

wrote the season five finale as if the show had reached its conclusion, but they lived another year and got their sixth season (and hopefully a movie). There are so many ways that a series could end, so it’s better to wrap up previous stories in anticipation of the worst-case scenario happening.

These are all good series finales, right?

But how about when finales flop? I have never been able to finish Game of Thrones, but I strongly remember a friend talking to me about the finale.

He simply said it was rubbish, along with a heap of profanity. Fans got their pitchforks out after the mediocrity of the final season, and if I stayed loyal to a show for so long for that ending, I would have joined them. Other shows that I know have had bad series finales are the likes of How I Met Your Mother, Dexter, and even acclaimed shows like Seinfeld and The Sopranos left fans desiring a better finale. Unlike the previously mentioned shows that were threatened with cancellation, making what is called the “series fauxnale”, those shows concluded with that permanent ending and there is no way of changing it. Do not let a poor fina-

le scare you in to not watching those series, however. Every show will experience a slump, it just shows that they were extremely unlucky for that slump to happen just before the conclusion.

So, there we have it. Some shows can be blessed with good fortune when they reach their conclusion, others can fall just at the final hurdle. No matter how many writers dream of it, it is rare for a perfect finale like “Felina” from Breaking Bad to be created. There is so much pressure from the fans to create a fitting ending, so sometimes it is the most natural ending that can be satisfying. The old TV trope of all the characters going to their meeting point for the final time or saying goodbye to the location where many of their escapades took place, its simple, but there is always beauty in simplicity. One thing is for certain though, and it is that we all have to move on when something ends. In a way, if we’re talking television clichés, this can be considered the season finale of University Express, but it is definitely not the series finale. Long may it continue and here is to the next season.

Editor: Kyran leahy

23

‘The Serpent’: A True Crime Thriller About the Notorious ‘70s Killer Writes Mairéad McCarthy New Year’s Day saw a total of 5.5 million people tune into BBC One to watch the first episode of The Serpent. This eight-episode mini-series racked up a total of 31 million views across TV and the BBC iPlayer, making it the most streamed show across all genres since our very own Normal People aired in the midst of lockdown one last year. The show was available to binge from start to finish on the iPlayer, however for those of us watching outside the UK, hour long episodes every Sunday had to suffice. Thankfully, Netflix have agreed to bring The Serpent to screens worldwide from the 2nd of April. Viewers will get to stream all eight episodes uninterrupted.

This true-crime mini-series tells the true story of the infamous murderer and master of deceit, Charles Sobhraj, and the killing spree he carried out on the Asian hippie trail in the ‘70s. I myself will certainly be streaming the show right through from start to finish. The weekly episodes on television in the New Year left me on the edge of my seat with burning anticipation for the following weeks’ episode. This one is most definitely for a true-crime obsessed audience, but also those, like myself, who are obsessed with the music and fashion of the 1970s.

The Serpent stars Tahar Rahim as the cold-blooded killer Charles Sobhraj and Jenna Coleman as his lover and accomplice Marie-Andrée Leclerc. The two are accompanied by Sobhraj’s right hand man Ajay Chowdhury, played by Amesh Edireweera. The dynamic between these three characters is a sub-plot in itself.

The French Sobhraj, born in Saigon, had been branded the serpent because of his ability to slither his way out of prison and weasel his way to escaping punishment for the myriad of crimes he had committed. Posing as a gem dealer, he preyed on innocent young travellers from across the globe who had come to embark on the famous Asian hippie trail. The disappearance of a Dutch couple at the beginning, catches the attention of Dutch Diplomat Herman Knippenberg, played by Billy Howle, and his German wife Angela Knippenberg, played by Ellie Bamber. The series focuses on the extensive detective work carried out by the Knippenbergs in or-

der to catch the slippery Sobhraj and ultimately bring him to justice. The real-life Herman Knippenberg has made sure his files on Sobhraj containing all of the information he has collected over the years stays open and updated.

The jumping timeline can be at times confusing. The series jumps between months and decades, so it is best to be wary of the dates and keep the timeline in the back of your mind (or just rewind!). The Serpent teeters on the edge of a glamourous portrayal of one of the world’s most twisted criminals while also paying respect to those who fell victim to his heinous crimes. The names of victims are changed out of respect to the families and to protect their privacy. While some poetic license is to be expected, the show does a brilliant job of capturing that ‘70s vibe and the blood-curdling nature of Sobhraj. As for casting, much of the cast are doubles for their real-life counterparts and bear striking resemblances,

in particular Rahim who hides Sobhraj’s evil eyes behind yellow tinted aviators.

While a lot of the scenes were shot on location in Bangkok, filming for the show had been interrupted by the onset of the pandemic and the cast found themselves using a town in Hertfordshire in England as a double for Thailand.

The music chosen for the soundtrack is comprised of French; UK; US; Thai and Dutch rock and disco music from the 1970s. Music from Serge Gainsbourg, The Rolling Stones, Joni Mitchell and Boney M. accompany some of the most intense and emotional scenes of the series. The sensational soundtrack of some famous and some underground tunes from this era, along with the outfits worn by the characters, truly encapsulates the pure essence of the 1970s.

It is available to stream from the BBC Sounds app currently, and many playlists have been made by fans on Spotify also.

Currently, Charles Sobhraj is serving a

life sentence in prison in Nepal. He previously escaped prison twice before finally becoming incarcerated in Nepal in 2004 after he brazenly returned to Kathmandu a year earlier.

He was imprisoned yet again and finally sent down after evidence uncovered by Herman Knippenberg came to the fore yet again and aided police in their arrest of Sobhraj. The series is a must watch for all fans of true crime, but also for anyone who loves a concise mini-series like myself. This one is jam packed and intense. It was undoubtedly hard to portray a series of events which occurred over decades in just eight episodes, but the show managed to do this and wrap it up quite well in the last episode. I would recommend streaming this series as soon as it becomes available on Netflix, you will be reeled in by the chilling Sobhraj and his accomplices and left hanging on the edge of your seat.

Music

24

“Ready for the House turned out to be prophetic:” Junk Drawer, interviewed

By Elle Kelleher, Contributor University Express sat down with three-quarters of Belfast-based psychtinged Krautrockers Junk Drawer to talk about new releases, the state of the live music scene and accidentally prophesying the pandemic.

University Express: So, can you talk me through how guys know each other? How did all this start?

Brian Coney [bass]: Well, I’d known Rory a long time, long before I knew Stevie or Jake. Stevie and Jake are brothers.

Steve Lennox [guitar/vocals]: I sort of knew Rory as well.

Brian: We were all playing music in different bands. Stevie was in a band called PigsAsPeople. I was in a band called Cross-Eyed Mary (they’re not very good — don’t look them up!), Rory was in a band called Chocolate Love Factory. We got friendly and it was a case of us all having a similar taste in music.

Rory Dee [drums]: It started as a Pixies tribute band, I think.

Steve: The four of us happened to be in a Pixies band that never gigged! Myself and Brian did a few bedroom recordings and gave Jake a shout, because he plays drums. Then we got Rory in as well. Incidentally, our first bassist was the brother of the fella from Idles! He’s a dentist now.

Brian: The four of us as well are from mid-Ulster, and I think we subconsciously bonded over being culchies living in Belfast.

Express: What was the recording process like for your debut album, Ready For The House?

Steve: We had a few EPs out before, and this started off like another one. The songs were all very varied. Chris, the re-

cording engineer, thought that because the songs were so different, they’d lend themselves well to an album. We held off for about six months, just kept writing, kept seeing where we were going, and it ended up being the best decision we ever made. Being told by an outside force to actually get the album done was a great driving factor.

Brian: Stevie and Jake write the lyrics.

From an outsider’s perspective it seems like textbook, using music to vocalise things you can’t really get out in a normal conversation. Then when it’s out there, you can talk about it all the time, they’ve been legitimised through the music. Loads of bands do it, The Altered Hours are a great example

Brian: We valued Chris’ input a lot. He’s also in Robocobra Quartet, so he’s not just a producer, he’s an artist. He wanted us to evolve as artists as well. There’s also the friendship element as well. He had three different perspectives.

Steve: It’s kind of an in-joke that we use lyrics to talk about how we feel, men being men and all that!

Express: A lot of the songs on that album deal with isolation and anxiety. Are ye a band that looks inward when it comes to writing music?

Steve: Certainly up to this point. Jake’s not here, but he is very inward looking in his song writing. I think I’ve only written one song that hasn’t been looking inwards.

Express: Have any of those songs taken on a new meaning for you, with the year everyone is after putting down?

Brian: I think the title of the album was a stroke of genius, the fact we called it Ready for the House. [Much, much laughter] It turned out to be more prophetic than we would have liked for it to have been!

Steve: It was the same with Year of the Sofa. These things end up being acci-

dentally prescient.

Express: So ye can’t confirm or deny that ye started the pandemic to sell albums?

Brian: Rory ate the bat!

Express: How did ye find the transition from live festivals to moving everything online?

Steve: On the one hand you had the Bandcamp Fridays, which really helped the DIY community in Ireland come together when we couldn’t actually hang out. We were very fortunate that a lot of people online were interested and wanted to help. I feel like we are a live band, though. A lot of our songs get fleshed out live. As the year went on, not being able to play live, that’s just been weird.

Rory: The big thing is we released the album, but haven’t played it live yet.

Doing an album launch is a big deal. Recording the live session for Spilt Milk was fun though.

Editor: CATHAL DONOVAN O’NEILL Brian: It was as fun as it looked! We had this google document of all these stupid videos, which we gave to Matty [who filmed the Spilt Milk video] and said put these all together! There’ll be a couple more videos from that coming out in the future.

Steve: We’ve got a lot of things happening soon, it’s all on paper. Hopefully, come April or May, we might be able to have more on that.

Brian: It’s sad though, thinking about the likes of The Kino. I’ve been thinking about that a lot, actually.

Steve: The last time we were in Cork, we played The Kino as part of the Quarter Block Party.

Brian: It’s an institution for you guys, but we’re at the other end of the island.

The idea of getting back there and doing something, that’s what it’s all about.

Steve: It is frustrating to have gotten to this point in our little careers and

be scuppered by acts of God. You have to remind yourself everyone is struggling, and things will come again.

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House music: DJing during lockdown writes Fionn Kelleher

Express: You’ve brought up The Kino there. Cork has seen a lot of its cultural spaces decimated in the last two or three years. What’s the situation like in Belfast?

Steve: It’s hard to maintain a venue.

The Menagerie closed there, that was running tight at the best of times. The Music Venue Trust has actually done an insane amount in Northern Ireland though. A lot of that is the work of Stu Fletcher. He lobbied constantly, especially at the start of the Pandemic, to make sure there was an infrastructure for us to come back to. We’re lucky in Belfast though that rents are a lot lower than in the rest of the UK and Ireland.

Ready for the House is available on Bandcamp now, where you can also find the band on the compilation Bangers and Breakups. Stay tuned to their socials, as the album launch will be on the cards once it’s safe!

The pandemic has brought rapid change to almost every industry out there, and the music industry is no exception. Gigs are a distant memory at this stage, leaving us to yearn for a time where we could dress up, socialise with friends, and take in the eclectic atmosphere of a live performance. Whether your poison is the small, intimate gig or the hustle and bustle of a stadium-sized venue, both picks are off the table until our world is safe again.

Not all is lost, however. Musicians and composers of original works continue to release music throughout the pandemic. Some continue to perform live on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and Twitch. As fans, we have a lot of opportunities to continue to support the musicians we love, even in the virtual world we’ve been forced to adapt to. Live performances of original pieces aren’t the only thing we hanker for. The blow that the live music industry has suffered extends to the DJ, too. Clubs are closed from being classified as non-essential to the basic functioning of our society, but it leaves both musicians and DJs with less avenues to perform and reach fans.

Performing online as a musician is an easier affair than performing as a DJ, and it mostly comes down to copyright issues. If you’re a musician performing original works, you have the right to do so. You own that piece of musical work and can broadcast it how you wish. As a DJ, things get a little more complex;

spinning other people’s tunes involves broadcasting music that other musicians own the rights to. Copyright law varies over the world, but that’s the gist.

Perhaps not as large a problem while performing in a physical venue, this is one of the roadblocks for DJs attempting to bring a smidge of the clubbing atmosphere to us remotely. Streaming platforms such as those mentioned earlier either ban copyrighted musical work automatically, or will cave to a request from the copyright owner to remove the work, possibly taking the entire DJ set offline, or at the very least muting the portion where the copyrighted music is played.

Mixcloud Live is one platform’s answer to this problem. Mixcloud has been around for years as a platform for DJs to upload pre-recorded live sets, dealing with rights holders on the DJs behalf.

They’re currently the only platform that markets themselves as a safe bet for DJs to perform online, allowing them to focus on performing and growing an audience. As a listener, you can browse through a multitude of different channels à la Twitch, and as a DJ, you can live stream your performances and interact with your audience worry free.

Though it doesn’t have the sweaty, messy elements of a club night, Mixcloud Live can certainly scratch that itch for listeners and allow DJs to continue spinning tunes safely through the pandemic.

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Photos

Issue 10 | Tuesday 30th March 2021 | University Express

University College Cork, County Cork

by Caoimhe Leahy University Express Photgrapher

Issue 10 | Tuesday 30th March 2021 | University Express

Photos

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SEXPRESS

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Eco-Sexuality: How to have sex with the Earth

By Jack Wrixon, Sexpress Editor Without sugar-coating it, the climate crisis we’re currently facing is awful.

Watching the world around you slowly decay as a direct result of human activity is nothing if not both an existential crisis and also, a turn off. But what can be done? It’s easy to shift a lot of the blame (and also have this blame shifted) onto ourselves as the main cause of global pollution, but ultimately it’s important to remember that while we as a society are not totally absolved of the blame, up to 71% of all global emissions into the atmosphere are caused by 100 companies, and that until these companies are brought to justice for their crimes against the earth, it’s down to us to try and prevent as much pollution as we can to preserve our beautiful planet.

Back to the sexy part though. Let’s say you and your partner (or partners) are devoted to the green life and want to incorporate it everywhere, including in your bedroom.

How do you go about doing this? Well the first step, as always, is communication. Identify where you believe your sex life is lacking on the environmentalist front and fix it. I’m not saying overhaul it completely for the sake of the environment, or to go out and start rubbing yourself off of trees or anything, but to simply just make a few changes along the way for the good of the planet. How many of you bring your own reusable mug to coffee shops (or used to anyway), or even use a metal straw when you’re going out drinking?

Small changes like that may not visibly do much, but ultimately are better for the environment that I’m suggesting for your bedroom activities.

I can’t write something like this and not acknowledge the actual Ecosexual Movement. Before you question it, the answer is yes, some of these people engage in having an erotic relationship with the earth. Moving on. Ecosexuality differs from Ecofeminism by viewing the Earth as a “Lover” figure instead of a “Maternal” one, but Ecosexuality is more than achieving an orgasm while being surrounded by some form of the natural environment, and for many people it is in no way that intense. Adding a “green” element to

your sex life does not necessarily make you an Ecosexual (in fact I would probably argue it just makes you a good person), but a lot can be learned and taken from this movement that we can apply to our regular lives, without going all out. Unless you want to, then by all means go ahead and live your life.

So, something we should all be doing anyway regardless of our sex lives is stopping or cutting down on the amount of fast fashion we purchase.

We have both an environmental and an ethical responsibility to do this, and shopping for lingerie or costumes to include in your sex life is no different. I understand that it can be hard, and very often for many people it’s their only option for whatever reason, but even changing one thing is good. Brands like Organic Basics and Brighton Lace actively work with sustainable practices in mind to produce underwear and lingerie for everyone.

Some of the products on both websites

can be a bit pricey (not to mention the import fees if they’re a UK brand) but a one-time purchase can last you much longer than your average pair of underwear and you’ll be doing something for the planet while looking sexy.

Now, previously I’ve advocated for the use of LED lights during sex over that of a ceiling light or a bedside lamp to boost the mood and change the vibes into more sexy ones. Most LED lights however consume an awful lot of elec-

Editor: Jack WRIXON tricity when being used, and we’re trying to conserve some of that sparky stuff for the future. Now, after sifting through quite a few pages on Google, you can find battery powered LED lights, or you could go for an easier option and purchase a few natural candles to have lit while you’re getting busy.

There are hundreds of popular and reasonably priced Irish retailers who sell candles made of sustainably sourced wax, so the choice is yours really. Maybe you add a little bit of spice and buy a few scented ones, for the ultimate sensory experience. If you’re not willing to splurge on a good candle, that’s okay too. You can also just have sex in the dark. Perks of this are you don’t have to get up and turn off the lights afterwards. It’s also not illegal to have sex during the day when it’s bright, and there is no light like that of the sun.

Another way to make your sex life greener is to look at what methods of contraception you’re using, and their life cycles in regard to the environment. I am not, under any circumstances, suggesting you forego contraception. Like yeah, great, sexual

liberation in the name of the environment – but STDs are not something you want to contract. If you’re one of the many who use condoms as their main form of contraception, then look into the eco-friendly products offered by so many brands and retailers. Both, Boots and Holland and Barrett offer reasonably priced green condoms, and they also both offer home delivery, so you have no excuse on this front. If you use other forms of contraception, such as the patch or the pill, consider switching to more longterm forms of contraception such as an IUD or The Bar. The decision is down to you, and don’t let anyone else make your contraceptive choice for you, but both of the long term forms result in less waste being produced. No matter what form you choose, you’re also probably going to need some lube to go with your sex. Lovehoney, Sex Siopa and Boots all supply different brands of eco-friendly lube, so shop around and see which one works best for you, and best for your budget.

In an effort to reduce the amount of water wasted while showering, many

solutions have cropped up in the last twenty years with the most advanced being a sophisticated shower head that reduces your water consumption while in use. In a similar vein, one of the best ways to save water while showering is to have sex in the shower. I’ve spoken about this before, and I will die on this hill. Shower sex has the potential to not only be superior to regular sex, but you are also doing a literal world of good when you shower with someone else. This is something that we are all guilty of, but it’s important to know that every minute wasted in the shower is also wasting 2.5 gallons of water, and this unfortunately adds up in the long run. So, alongside showering with someone for sexy reasons as well as environmental ones, maybe try to shave just a couple of minutes off your regular shower routine as well. Speaking of shaving, if you’re someone who likes to deforest your own proverbial Amazon consider investing in an eco friendly razor and or shaving cream, for the jungle in your pants or the jungle anywhere else on your body. Turning off the shower while you shave as well is also a great way to save water

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and get more of a sense of what you’re doing, because nobody talks about how tricky shaving in the shower is.

Sex should not have to cost the earth and it is our responsibility to try and preserve our planet for as long as we can. The capitalistic exploitation of our natural resources is something that we should all be educated and enraged about, especially because for most of us, it’s not directly impacting our lives yet. It’s clichéd, but it is truly the little things that can help (alongside dismantling the system that consumes and exploits our natural resources).

Hopefully this piece has helped to shed a green light on your sexual habits and how you can change them up to save the planet. You may not want to go fully down the Ecosexual path in order to save the earth, but I’m sure you can find at least one thing that you can change for the better. Now get out there and go save the planet. It’s probably worth it. I may not be an Ecosexual, but if you need more information on anything mentioned in this piece or just general advice about sexy stuff, you can reach me via email at sexpress@uccexpress.ie.

Gaming

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Valorant: A New Era of Esports WRITES Hugo Blair, Gaming Editor

For the past two decades, the competitive scene surrounding tactical teambased shooters has effectively been dominated by Valve’s Counter Strike series. Tournaments have been held featuring games in the series since the original game released way back at the turn of the millennium, and the release of Counter Strike: Global Offense in 2012 along with the concurrent rise of streaming services such as Twitch, and the esports industry in general, cemented the game’s place as the top dog in the genre. Though its competitive scene faced difficulties along the way, such as a fracturing of the player-base and the introduction of controversial updates, the scene surrounding the game remains strong to this day. I need only point to the PGL Major planned for October of this year which boasts a prize pool of two million dollars.

Known for the extremely popular MOBA League of Legends, Riot is no stranger to creating competitive video games, and fostering competitive esports communities within those games.

The League of Legends World Championship is one of the most prestigious esports tournaments in the world, and has featured some of the biggest players and biggest prize pools in the history of the sport. Excitement thus ensued in the Summer of 2020, when Counter Strike finally met its first real opposition with the launch of Valorant, Riot’s free-to-play team-based tactical shooter. Unsurprisingly, the game was an instant success, as even before release the company had partnered with Twitch to create an aggressive marketing campaign that had seemingly the entire gaming scene clambering to gain access to the game’s closed beta.

However, if anyone were to steal the limelight from Valve it would be Riot.

What attracted players to the game was not just the novelty of a new game

in the genre, but also the changes Riot had made to the formula in the name of both accessibility and intense competition. In Counter Strike, players can purchase different weapons as well as items such as armour, smoke grenades, flash grenades, and molotovs/incendiary grenades at the beginning of each round. Much of the strategy comes from appropriate use of these items, as the player’s character has no special abilities beyond their item selection.

In Valorant, however, at the beginning of each game players must choose a unique agent from a cast of fifteen, each of whom boasts a kit of special abilities. Each round, the character’s abilities must be bought in addition to purchasing weapons and armour. These abilities include the mundane which wouldn’t seem out of place in Counter Strike, such as different smokes from Jett, Omen, Viper, Cypher and Brimstone which are functionally equivalent to the smoke grenades seen in

CS. Most abilities, however, are strong tools which can have a major impact on the game, such as Sova’s recon bolt which can reveal enemies behind walls, or Sage’s healing orb which can restore wounded allies’ health. The latter is particularly interesting as there is no method of recovering health in CS, making any damage taken more important.

Additionally, each agent has a unique ultimate ability that can be used periodically to drastically swing a fight in their favour. Make no mistake, while Valorant is very much a competitor to Counter Strike, it is by no means a carbon copy.

Another major difference between the two titles is their esports scenes.

Counter Strike’s scene has developed organically over the past two decades, if indeed rapidly from launch, as the game was always designed to be played competitively. With Valorant, however, Riot took things a step further by designing the game from the ground

Editor: HUGO BLAIR up such that it is especially accessible to players new to the genre and yet could foster an intense competitive scene, and by committing to provide their full support to make that scene a reality.

With years of experience from League of Legends esports under their belt, they were poised to create a new titan.

ends, PUBG, Apex Legends, Rainbow 6: Siege, and Overwatch, as well as a team of Valorant developers. In what many saw as an upset, the team composed of Apex Legends players took home the win, showing that perhaps CS players would not have as much of an advantage as many had previously thought.

Valorant’s esports scene began even before the game’s official launch, during the closed beta, with the migration of many ex-Counter Strike pro players to the game, such as TenZ, Shroud, AZK, swag, n0thing, and fRoD. Players saw Riot’s entry as a major threat to the CS scene, believing it had the potential to eclipse Counter Strike in popularity, and so opted to make the switch sooner rather than later.

However, it wasn’t just Counter Strike players who wanted in on the action.

Many professional players from a wide range of FPS titles saw potential in the game and announced they would be changing focus to the new title.

Off the back of such invitational tournaments, many large esports organisations announced the formation of Valorant teams, and raced to scoop up as many promising players as possible.

Major orgs such as G2, Team Liquid, Fnatic, Cloud9, Dignitas, TSM and many more all announced rosters, demonstrating just how seriously the esports industry was taking Riot’s new venture. Of course, Riot themselves also had a role to play in the genesis of Valorant’s esports scene. At the beginning of June, the company announced the Ignition Series, a program in which select tournaments would be spotlighted by Riot each week, both in order to draw attention to the players and build recognition for the teams. Riot would also promote the events through their own channels, and provide detailed schedules to allow fans to easily follow the action. The European G2 Invitational and Rage Valorant Japan Invitational were the first tournaments to feature in the new Ignition ecosystem and both were a great success, once again highlighting Valorant esports’

Almost immediately, online tournaments began to crop up, many functioning on an invitation only basis.

Invites were extended to high-profile professional players from other fps titles, and even to players from the League of Legends scene. The ESPN Invitational was one such early tournament, and featured 7 teams composed of pros from CS:GO, Fortnite, League of Leg-

continued upward trend in popularity.

Following on from the Ignition series, Riot announced its first series of inhouse tournaments which ran from October to December: Valorant First Strike. This was the scene’s first truly global series, comprised of a series of qualifier events, each leading to a regional final that would see one team crowned champion of their respective region, be it Europe, North America, Latin America, Oceania, Japan or elsewhere. The First Strike tournaments were also the first to feature Riot-backed prize pools with 100 Thieves, the North American regional champions, pocketing the lion’s share of the $100,000 pot.

As the First Strike series drew to a close at the tail end of 2020, Riot once again revealed in what direction the future of Valorant esports would head with the announcement of the Valorant Champions Tour. Even greater in size than the First Strike series, the planned year long tournament would feature three levels of competition: Challengers, Masters, and Champions. Challenger events would be regional, similar to what was seen with the First Strike series, and act as qualifiers for Masters. The Master’s series themselves would occur 3 times over the course of 2021, and pit the best teams in a region against one another to accrue points in order to qualify for the Champion’s event. Valorant Cham-

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pions would feature the top 16 teams in the world, so that one may ultimately be crowned the best of the best.

As 2021 has progressed the Valorant Championship series has proven to be an immense success thus far, with the Master’s finals just recently wrapping up. Riot’s ability to develop a strong competitive scene during the Covid-19 pandemic, when international flights and in person LAN events have been impossible has demonstrated the resilience of both the Valorant community and the wider esports community in general. In a time when many other industries are feeling the pressure, Valorant esports has seen continuous growth in popularity and commercial success. Riot has had no difficulties in securing sponsorship for events, and fostering a community that are hungry to see what developments will come next. Great strides have been made in developing sustainable tournament series that prioritise the wellbeing of their players by incorporating off-seasons, and in promoting diversity within the community by encouraging the formation of elite women’s teams and tournaments. Valorant may very well represent our first glimpse into what the next decade of esports holds, and I look forward to seeing what comes next.

Fashion

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The Future of Fashion is Virtual writes Maeve O’Sullivan, Fashion Editor With every world altering event, the fashion industry adapts accordingly. Following World War I, women’s fashion swapped out long skirts for trousers suitable for the workplace. The Great Depression and crashing of the stock market in 1929 gave way for conservative trends. World War II meant resources were at a standstill, so fashion was bare and printless. Feminist movements brought forward the mini skirt as a symbol for women’s rights and freedom; increased concerns for the climate has shaped the industry with sustainability and minimalism. Today, with the extended reliance on the digital in a world of social distancing, fashion has once again taken note and responded in suit.

Virtual fashion was nothing but a quiet whisper until 2021. With the growth of social media, the gaming culture and a global pandemic, the forward-thinking fashion movement is gaining speed.

In Amsterdam, Amber Jae Slooten, Co-Founder and Creative Director of The Fabricant, has been speaking online about the increased interest in digital fashion. The fashion designer is an upand-coming name, and is someone setting the trends that big fashion houses like Gucci and brands such as Montcler are following. In 2016, Slooten released a virtual fashion show, (long before Covid was a thing), with a digitality manufactured backdrop, model and clothing.

Setting up her own company, The Fabricant becomes ‘’the world’s first digital fashion house’’ according to Slooten.

The company specialise in photo-real 3D fashion design and animation.

Their world operates at the intersection of fashion and technology, creating digital couture and fashion experiences that are always digital, never physical.

The company creates bespoke clothing items that can drape and naturally move as if worn by a model IRL. In 2019, The Fabricant made history by auctioning the first ever virtual dress for $9,500.

For Slooten, their aim is to ‘’create a new fashion narrative for the 21st century because we really believe that we need to look at ourselves in the mirror and see if our vanity really needs to harm the planet this way.’’ The belief is that there is already enough clothing in the world, with the fashion industry being the second largest polluter. The UN claims that the fashion industry is ‘’responsible for between 8 to 10% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and it estimates that, by 2050, fashion could be responsible for a quarter of all carbon emissions”.

of Stardoll and Club Penguin, to Sims and Fortnight, character customisation is something we have continuously bought into without physical return. How is digital clothing to be any different? In 2016, Snapchat released Bitmojis and collaboration with brands such as Calvin Klein, Alexander McQueen and Adidas which allowed you to dress aviators. Why is virtually dressing yourself any different? Big names such as Moschino were one of the first to join the virtual fashion initiative. The brand joined forces with Sims to create a capsule collection.

Consumers were able to purchase the item which included a $1,295 backpack.

ity. The shoes can be purchased for $12.99 on the Gucci App and used on partner apps Roblox or VRChat. Creative Director for Gucci, Alessandra Michele brought forward the shoes in chunky, neon green and pink, sure to catch the eye of the idle social media scroller. For hypebeasts, the shoes have created quite a stir.

Fiona O’Malley, the Director of Communications at World Vision Ireland said that ‘’the fast fashion industry emits 1.2 billion tons of CO2 equivalent per year”.

With a background in fashion and the traditional process of draw, cut and sew, the Dutch designer began to reflect on the effects of material waste. ‘’The physicality made me sick, because of all the materials that we were wasting. I felt like a huge responsibility for the future of the industry, which is why I started questioning physicality altogether”.

‘’When I graduated, there were absolutely no jobs in that area, and it made me realise that I needed to create it.’’ The Fabricant tackles climate change by embracing sustainability, wasting nothing but date and exploits nothing by imagination.

Is fashion one of the last creative industries to embrace technology? The Fabricant seems to think so. For many of us, technology is a way of living and we have many years’ experience with digital gaming. From the early years

Following the outbreak of Covid, the traditional fashion week and runway shows were put on hold. Designers had to extend their natural creativity even further. Congolese fashion label ‘Hanifa’ broke the internet in 2020 with their virtual ‘Pink Label’ collection, which featured a 3D model floating on a virtual runway, displaying the collection as if in person.

More recently, Gucci has created virtual runners with augmented real-

With the growing interest in virtual clothing, one may wonder where the bloggers or ‘influencers’ stand in the conversation. The content creatives had no break in career despite the pandemic, churning out fashion content despite the lack of social events. Outfits bought, pictured and disordered or hopefully resold. The introduction of digital fashion may present itself as an answer to the expanding wardrobes. For centuries, fashion was the language of socialising, and with socialising taking place more and more online, be it because of a pandemic or not, fashion is following suit and adapting to fit the (3D) mould.

Editor: Maeve O’Sullivan

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Yves Saint Laurent and ‘Le Smoking’ writes Selina Dufner Whether you saw Harry Styles’ Vogue cover or watched the Burberry menswear AW21 presentation, one thing is clear: gender fluid fashion is a hot topic at the moment, and it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere. Filmmaker Mark Isaacs produced a short film for Burberry titled ‘Thoughts on Masculinity’ in which a few people shared their opinion on that topic, as the title suggests. One of those answers stood out for me in particular: “I think everyone is somewhat masculine and somewhat feminine”.

Fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent understood that perfectly. When he founded his own label in 1961, it was at the beginning of a revolutionary decade: the ‘60s. Women were tired of hiding their legs underneath a pair of long skirts and Laurent gave them exactly what they wanted: trousers.

With the invention of ‘Le Smoking’ in 1966, he challenged the traditional perception of women’s wear and offered them a more masculine and perhaps more comfortable alternative to the miniskirt. Perfectly tailored suits, usually worn by men, were suddenly seen on women’s bodies.

At first, ‘Le Smoking’ was seen as a controversial piece of clothing, but it became widely popular in the ‘70s when Bianca Perez-Mora Marcías ditched the idea of wearing a wedding dress and chose to marry Mick Jagger in a white YSL suit instead. In 1975, Helmut Newton took what is said to be the most iconic fashion photograph ever. Not a lot of things are happening in that black and white photograph, but that doesn’t make it any less interesting to look at. It shows Danish model Vibeke Knudsen standing in the

middle of Rue Aubriot in Paris, wearing ‘Le Smoking’, holding a cigarette in one hand and putting the other casually in the trouser pocket. Knudsen’s hair is all slicked back which gives her an androgynous look. This picture was already provocative enough, but Newton took it even further by pairing Knudsen with another female model and capturing them both kissing each other. The other model is completely undressed, aside from a pair of high heels, to demonstrate that she embraces her femininity and to create a strong contrast to the way Knudsen is styled.

Both images appeared in Vogue Paris.

A few years later, Newton took another iconic shot of a female model dressed in

‘Le Smoking’ for Vogue Paris, but this time of Robin Osler. She leans seductively towards model Gia Carangi. The difference to the other photograph: Carangi is fully clothed and instead of their lips touching, the cigarettes in their mouths are doing that job. Thus, this picture is quite intimate as well. Carangi never hid the fact that she was a lesbian and allegedly she was a bit jealous of Osler being the one dressed like a man.

Lesbian, gay, feminine masculine - how come we have to put a label on everything? Maybe Carrie Bradshaw was right, and some labels are best left in the closet. Yves Saint Laurent definitely belongs in mine.

Arts & Literature

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Finding a Voice and Community through Zines writes Julie Landers, Staff Writer

During the first lockdown, I made a zine about toast. It was something small, nothing that would cause a seismic shift in bread-eating discourse. But it was the act of concentrating on something that I liked, slowly cutting and glueing together a small handbook of sorts, that provided a sense of profound comfort at a profoundly uncomfortable time.

I did not make it because I knew I was the world’s leading expert on toast. I made it because I just really like toast.

Of course, the scope of what constitutes a zine and its contents stretches far beyond what I have just mentioned. Zines have been used as sites of appreciation and sites of agitation since the early twentieth century. The first ‘fanzine’ was created by the Science Correspondence Club in Chicago in the 1930s, titled The Comet. Over time, the topics of these fanzines (gradually shortened to ‘zines’) became increasingly varied and technological advancements of the 1970s made the printing and distribution of zines an easier and thus more common practice.

Zines have been used as a medium to

create community and proliferate ideas for years. In the 1970s, the Queercore movement in America and Canada grew through the sharing and publishing of zines sharing ideas of queer joy, anarchy and community, zines like J.D.s, created by GB Jones and Bruce LaBruce.

In making the zine, Jones and LaBruce aimed to recognize a queerness beyond that which was socially acceptable at the time. The pair stated that “It is our belief that freedom of communication shall not be denied to any segment of society even though that group may be anathema to the so-called ‘normal’ majority”. Many other Queercore zines were established and as they were shared and crossed boundaries, so did the music of Queercore, which evolved from sharing cassettes with zines. Bands like Team Dresch, Pansy Division and Tribe 8 were all part of the Queercore movement. Of course, zine culture itself was not relegated to the US and Canada and spread to other countries throughout the twentieth century.

In Notes from Underground: Zines and

the Politics of Alternative Culture, Stephen Duncombe wrote in his opening chapter about the medium: “zines (...) celebrate the everyperson in a world of celebrity. Losers in a society that rewards the best and the brightest. Rejecting the corporate dream of an atomized population broken down into discrete and instrumental target markets, zine writers form networks and forge communities around diverse identities and interests. Employed within the grim new economy of service, temporary and ‘flexible’ work, they redefine work, setting out their creative labour done on zines as a protest against the drudgery of working for another’s profit”. The words bite with as much force today as when they were written back in 1997.

There remains a significant absence of diversity within the publishing industry. According to the Diversity Baseline Survey published in 2019 by Lee & Low Books in the US, 76% of publishing staff, literary agents and review journal staff were white, 81% identified as straight, 74% were cisgender women

and 89% self-identified as non-disabled. Undoubtedly, major systemic change must occur within the sector and this work should not fall solely on the shoulders of those who are underrepresented. As consumers, I feel like we also have a responsibility to demand more.

Through becoming increasingly interested in zines I have found narratives and voices that I had not opened myself up to hearing previously. There are people writing and creating in the margins and through zine-making, their work can reach more people. Once we start listening to those voices, we shouldn’t stop. By consuming zines and turning to publishers who give platforms to underrepresented writers, we make a clear statement that we want more from exclusionary publishing houses.

Zines can exist as sites of critique and, similarly, of celebration. The ideas and the lives contained within them can reach anyone who picks one up out of interest, anyone who sees something that resonates with them. If you decide

Editor: imasha costa that you want to start making zines, it can be a little scary trying to figure out how you want that to look. Whilst there are organisations and libraries that are dedicated to collecting and preserving physical copies of zines, some are still in the process of creating online catalogues of these publications. There are some really wonderful online archives and shops dedicated to zines on a variety of topics and from a variety of communities that you can turn to for inspiration.

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Is the Theatre Disappearing? writes Imasha Costa, Arts & Literature Editor

In the Special Collections here in UCC there is an archive of zines collected

by Cork Zine Archive, following on from their 2019 exhibition in Boole Library: ‘Publish and be Damned; Cork Zine Archives 1975-2005’. Cork itself has a rich zine history, with each publication acting as a snapshot into the counter-cultures that have rippled through the city at various stages.

The POC Zine Project is a volunteer-based grassroots entity founded by Daniela Capistrano in 2010. They describe themselves as “an experiment in activism and community through materiality” and strive to collect and make accessible zines created by POC (People of Colour). On their issuu they have multiple publications available to read online.

Annie Forrester is a Cork-based artist and it was her work that initially got me interested in zines. On her Etsy, amongst a myriad of lovely things, you can find her zines that draw from specific moments and entities for inspiration, like baths and Missy Elliott.

There are so many ways to make your own zine, and a manifold of subjects you can build your zine around. A tool that has made me laugh and also taught me more about using different zine formats is the wonderful Electric Zine Maker, available on itch.io. The lo-fi graphics that are reminiscent of the early days of the internet and vibrant colours make it a forgiving and enjoyable way to get into zine-making.

Zines are outlets for passion and politics and conductors for the community. Anyone can make one, including you. Your zine can be as basic or as grandiose as you desire. The great thing about zines is that there is no standard format or prescribed way of making one. There is only your way.

It’s ironic how a few lyrics from one of my favourite musicals define the past year, and how time cannot be measured, especially for those who have been silenced by the shutdown of theatres all across the world (well, except Australia).

Rent, an award-winning musical by Jonathan Larson questions how we would measure a year. It’s uncanny how it has been especially difficult to measure the loss of the people and the music that sparked up different parts of the world.

Broadway, West-End and other theatres closed their doors almost a year ago. This world has gone quiet – actors; musical directors; stage directors; bands, have lost their jobs, their world, their hobbies.

The pandemic not only has shut down productions temporarily but has also shut down productions for good. The performers did not realise that when their theatre had shut down it was actually closing down for good and the set of the stage would never see the light of day again. Now, theatres have been reduced, have resorted to other ways to try to make an income, to try to still

keep functioning. The absence of people, the lighting and the band, allows the deafening silence to thrive behind each theatre’s doors. With all this, will the theatre ever be able to recover? Will it be able to be the same as it was before?

Two hours spent in silence whilst you depart yourself from the world outside.

Our reality outside the stage is constantly buzzing with texts and social media, our eyes unable to leave the screens.

For two hours, as we witness the undoing of the stage, we drift and live in the reality that we have started to get comfortable in. I would identify the theatre as a place where spectators of our own reality could go in and let the reality of the stage control them. For two hours, we experience all the emotions, fast-forwarded, that we would experience in our lifetime. We witness the same emotions that the characters feel on the stage, the sadness, the happiness, the romance, the pain, the suffering – their reality.

It might be possible that the theatre may never return back to the same way it was before, and we might never ex-

perience the same reality that one would experience pre-pandemic. I fear that I might not experience my favourite plays and musicals the way I would have wanted to. Spaces are, unfortunately, being shut down, the lights are dimming, and there is a harrowing silence that I have never felt before, passing through these spaces. It’s silent, yet terrifying.

Theatres have existed since the ancient Greek civilization, where people performed for the largest arenas as they followed Aristotle’s manifesto, which evolved into Shakespearean plays and then into what we have now.

This evolved to the modern day manifestation of winning Tony awards and a huge community that loves and supports the theatre as well as each other.

The theatre has begun to disappear; the stage hollow, the chairs empty.

The band plays no more, the tapping of heels on the stage is muffled. The sense of security, gone.

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Sports

Issue 10 | Tuesday 30th March 2021 | University Express

Ireland Find their Feet but Work to do On and Off the Field WRITES Sam Curtin, Deputy Sports Editor

Ireland finally delivered on a much-needed performance that provided the blueprint for the Andy Farrell era with a 32-18 win against England in the Six Nations last Saturday week. The win at the Aviva was Ireland’s first in five attempts against a team who has had their number for the past two years. The victory ensured a top three finish and turned the campaign into a decent return from a poor one.

It was a tournament of fine margins and near misses for the team who were good in patches but ul-

timately indiscipline cost them with Peter Mahony’s red card in Cardiff proving to be the turning point. This along with a Billy Burns missed kick for touch in injury summed up the team’s inaccuracy in a 21-16 defeat against a little fancied Wales team who would end up with four wins from five.

Inaccuracy and lack of imagination proved to be a theme throughout the tournament with a blunt attacking display proving costly in a two-point defeat to the French in week two. A 1513 defeat which could have easily been

more for Les Bleus who have lived up to their promise of being the most exciting team in international rugby as they prepare for a home World Cup in 2023.

From here, Ireland took care of Italy in Rome with the Azzurri being widely criticised for their performances in this tournament. They have lost by an average of 36.8 points in their five games and have not won a Six Nations game since 2015 with their current tournament losing streak standing at 30. There have been calls for a play between themselves and the likes of Geor-

gia which would help to grow the game in other European countries.

Ireland followed this up with a tense 27-24 win over Scotland who have turned into the new France with the age old saying “you never know which team will show up”. There has been clear improvement from Gregor Townsend’s side who are in Ireland’s World Cup pool - more on that later. Ireland should never have been in a position to lose that game as they were 24-10 up midway through the second half but had to

Issue 10 | Tuesday 30th March 2021 | University Express rely on the evergreen Johnny Sexton to kick a last minute penalty to snatch the points in Murrayfield.

And there was the performance at the Aviva, when the ‘old enemy’ came to town. There was always an edge to the Irish rugby matches, it’s just a shame that no fans could be there to witness the best performance so far of the Andy Farrell era. Ireland who had been criticised for their lack of imagination in attack, suddenly became a different animal and lapses in defence which were there in the previous games were replaced with a ferocity and desire to win the ball back. Whatever happens from here, this must be the blueprint for Ireland to build on going into the future which is something that arguably hasn’t been talked about enough.

and Leinster showing that they can be the heirs to the throne for France 2023.

Overall, it was a mixed Six Nations for Ireland. The positives being the excellent work being done by Paul O’Connell, particularly with the forwards and at the lineout which has improved incrementally since he’s been in the job and only a few weeks.

The defence still needs some work while Ireland have to build on their attack by adding more variety and efficiency when they have the ball, both of which were there against England.

Perhaps Farrell is justified by his conservative team selection as Irish Rugby is financially in a difficult place due to the Coronavirus pandemic with IRFU Chief Executive Philip Browne saying that professional rugby on this island will be in danger due to the lack of fans at games.

With this revelation, the financial rewards from a high six nations placing take on a new importance with the wellbeing of professional rugby in this country at stake. Perhaps Ireland could not afford to lose too many games as a result.

Coupled with this, rugby’s profile could be in danger with the new CVC Capital Partners deal that is in place. This has provided the rugby union’s with a much needed financial boost but has raised concerns that Six Nations games could be put behind a paywall following in the footsteps of soccer and cricket. CVC only have a 14% stake but they are the richest investors in the tournament and ultimately money talks. The sport however does not have the same profile as soccer and could as a result turn fans away from the sport which is not good for the game.

From an individual standpoint, Robbie Henshaw and Tadhg Beirne were fantastic and have become focal points in the team alongside the likes of Tadhg Furlong who showed why he’s a world class Prop and a near certainty to start for the Lions. However, players such as James Lowe and Billy Burns didn’t do themselves justice and have yet to arrive at international level and have a long way to go if they want to establish themselves in the team.

Where does this team go from here?

One of the most important things that simply must be done is bringing through the young talent that exists in Irish rugby. There has been much concern about the depth of our half backs but in Munster’s Craig Casey, Ireland have one of the most promising scrum halves in Europe yet he only got game time off the bench against Italy. Ireland have also been far too reliant on Johnny Sexton who will be 38 at the next World Cup if he makes it that far. And yet, there are numerous promising out halves leading the line in the Pro14 with the likes of Ben Healy and Harry Byrne at Munster

Speaking of heirs, the return of Joey Carbery at Munster after more than a year out with injury is another positive and will surely feature in Andy Farrell’s plans as we move deeper into the World Cup cycle which is ultimately what international rugby is geared towards.

The main theme of each World Cup failure is that Ireland have lacked the necessary depth to win seven matches in seven weeks with a reliance on a core group of players to get over the line.

Ireland have also been found out on the pitch with a failure to evolve leading to their downfall at the last World Cup in 2019 despite the clear warning signs leading up to the tournaments which included two hammerings by England.

Back to on field matters and moving forward, Ireland have work to as ultimately the World Cup is the pinnacle of the sport. That is where every team shows up at their best while Ireland seem to get found out and collapse. The fear is that if Farrell doesn’t begin to blood more young talent which there is plenty, we will sleepwalk into another World Cup and wonder yet again, what might have been.

Two years to get it right and decide if we go in hope or expectation.

Sports

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Sports

Issue 10 | Tuesday 30th March 2021 | University Express

The Joseph Sexton Interview: Football and a Spanish love affair writes Sam Curtin, Deputy Sports Editor

University Express has a long list of alumni who have gone on to achieve great things in journalism all over the world. The sports department is not found wanting in this area either. This week I caught up with freelance journalist and former University Express Sports editor Joseph Sexton to tell his story.

Sexton has worked with print and broadcasting giants Marca and TalkSport, respectively. The UCC arts graduate is currently living in Spain and has been based there full time for the past two years. Having recently moved from Galicia to Madrid, it has been an interesting transition especially during

the coronavirus pandemic. “Madrid has sort of gone under the radar here in Spain as there is no real lockdown as such. The city has been following the Swedish model, so it has been different to the rest of Spain in that regard.”

Although this might seem to be making life as a journalist easier at present, Sexton explains this is not the case.

“Getting accreditation at the moment is problematic as only six print media journalists are allowed access so it’s complicated.” The UCC graduate also works as a translator which gives him another option for employment, something that he believes is important.

Sexton was a relatively late bloomer to

UCC, beginning his undergrad at 26 and immediately began working with University Express through a mutual friend of the Editor at the time. “I was always interested in journalism be it sport, politics or music. I was also writing a blog at the time. One of my friends knew the Editor of the Express, John O’Riordan so I got talking to him and he offered me the sports editor gig in first year, but I just wanted to start writing so I waited until second year and then I took on the role of sports editor.”

In third year, Sexton went on Erasmus to Barcelona and would later get his first staff job working for the local paper Diario sport which would lead him to working as a content editor for Barce-

lona. Speaking of the Spanish giants, Sexton makes an important observation about the coverage of Spanish football. “Some papers might not have the depth of coverage of some of the other teams. It is very Barca/Real heavy over here and I think La Liga knows that they are missing a trick.”

As one can see, Spanish football is a huge passion for the UCC graduate, who was inspired by one book in particular. “‘20 years of Spanish football’ was what cemented my interest. This book inspired me.” What is it about Spain that is so fascinating to Sexton? “You have such a strong regional identity from Catalunya to the Basque country.” There is a lot of

Issue 10 | Tuesday 30th March 2021 | University Express

regional pride which goes into everything from politics, music, and food.”

Sexton continues to say that football is no different. “I’m a firm believer that sport reflects society and football is a great lens to look into.”

Another aspect of his career that I wanted to talk to him about is the parts of his job that go under the radar and are often under appreciated.

“Freelance journalism is often feast or famine. I have lots of war stories when it comes to getting accreditation especially with the smaller clubs which is complicated. I think it’s important to have a bit of persistence in that regard. Building relationships is very important. Players, agents and managers are often more willing to talk if you do that, especially in Spain. If you build these relationships along with the Press officers at different clubs. When you manage to do that, it can be very rewarding.”

This is a message that Joseph contin-

ues to emphasise throughout our phone conversation and is a key nugget of advice for aspiring journalists. Sexton also adds that its important to be “as honest as you can. There are a lot of stories that are a bit sensationalist particularly in the UK and to a lesser extent in Spain and in the Irish media. It becomes a vicious cycle. Everyone is so well media trained but if you can get past the initial guard, it can be very rewarding. I think it’s more of a cultural context.” This key cultural observation is the key difference between working in the Spanish media as opposed to the UK and Irish media.

One of the highlights for Sexton lies a little closer to home. “While I was in college, I wrote an article about a player called Daniel Osvaldo who had joined Espanyol and I sent an email around to see if anyone wanted to publish it.

Instead, I sent an attachment of the article instead by accident. Anyways, I sent it out and the editor of the Examiner, Tony Leen sent me a text telling

Sports me to buy the paper the next morning.

When I bought it, it was in the back pages and that was the first article I ever had published in a national newspaper.

It got a great reaction and was shared a lot online as well which was nice.”

This is a running theme particularly in the beginning of Joseph’s career where he first started doing work on local football for the Evening Echo where he mainly covered Cork City, Munster Senior League, and schoolboys’ football while in UCC. This goes to show that a good grounding in local media can provide a promising path into the ever-expanding world of journalism.

From all of his highlights and experiences as a journalist, there is one sporting event that he wants to go to. “The Boca Juniors River Plate derby for me. If you go there as a tourist it’s a bit hairy. You wouldn’t want to go with your bank cards or phone. I love the atmosphere and the fans there have lunatic levels of obsession

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with football which leads to a miserable, grim, nasty side to the game there. I would love to do it ethically!”

As for the future? Sexton is not ruling out anything and states a desire to get back to what he was doing initially which was staff writing about Spanish football and non-footballing issues in Spain. Sexton also hints at long term projects such as starting his own YouTube channel. “I’d like to do YouTube videos showing a different side of Spain and Portugal. Get off the beaten track and show the side that doesn’t get covered in the international media.”

Whatever happens, it’s a testament to University Express that so many talented journalists like Joseph have gone on to become respected figures in their field and hopefully there are many more to come.

Watch this space.

University

Volume 24 | Issue 10 | Tuesday 30th March 2021

Sports

UCCExpress.ie

BY ALL MEANS NECESSARY Writes Barry Grainger, Contributor The UFC promised to be the first US sporting promotion to return with sold out arenas. On April 24th they will fulfill that promise at UFC 261. Is it too much too soon? UFC president Dana White has never done things by half measures. In a world where many sporting commissioners are characteristically robotic and dull, White’s bombastic style stands out and has set his organisation apart from the promotional competitors in the field.

When the world first shut down in March of last year White assured UFC fans that the promotion would return before they knew it. As huge global brands such as the English Premier League and the NBA floundered in trying to facilitate a safe return to play the UFC returned to action less than two months after the pandemic began.

On the 10th of May 2020 the UFC held its first pandemic fight card at the Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida in front of an empty arena. In the intervening months the UFC has staged fights across the world as the pandemic raged. Including multiple cards on the much publicised ‘Fight Island’ in Abu Dhabi, a purpose built bubble facility housing hotels, gyms and an arena to facilitate fights involving international fighters. For over a year the UFC has continued behind closed doors, fights that once took place in front of crowds of thousands of rowdy fans instead take place in uneasy silence with less than two dozen people in attendance. That changes next month. In March, Dana White announced the UFCs return to Jacksonville with a card headlined by Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and journeyman Jorge Masvidal. That card, White gleefully announced, will take place in front of a capacity crowd. The first of its kind anywhere in the Western hemisphere in the era of Covid.

White and the UFC are not averse to risks or going out on their own. The UFC President has always insisted that the promotion would lead the sports world in reintroducing the pre-pandemic fan experience and he stands on the cusp of delivering that achievement. But at what cost? The Memorial Arena in Jacksonville holds 15,000 spectators. Social distancing is impossible. Tickets are on general sale with no pre-fight testing or screening necessary. Even for Dana White, a notorious gambler, this event is pushing the envelope. Covid rates in Florida have fluctuated throughout the course of the pandemic, however with politicians desperate to relax restrictions and potential superspreader events such as the annual college Spring Break and this UFC event there are fears that cases may skyrocket once again. Critics of the UFC President say White is being overly reckless and overstepping the mark in order to make good on an ill-advised promise. That hasn’t stopped White taking a triumphant victory lap, keen to advertise the fact that UFC is once again

leading the sports world. Pre-pandemic sporting events have shown frightening potential as superspreader events. From the Cheltenham Festival of 2020 to the final Champions League fixtures pre-lockdown, large crowds at sporting events have led to an increase in cases in cities across Europe and the United States. What makes the upcoming UFC riskier is the fact that the event will take place indoors. Less ventilation, less space.

Nor does the event come with an applicable precedent. The NFL hosted the Superbowl in February in Florida at Raymond James stadium in Tampa with 25,000 fans in attendance, however crucially the vast majority of those fans were vaccinated, socially distanced and in an outdoor arena. As such, the UFC enters unknown territory. A single positive case within the arena on fight night could spell disaster, not just from a health perspective but from a sporting one too. Any adverse impacts could set potential capacity sporting events back months.

At this moment the UFC seems set on ploughing ahead with their plans. This comes despite the barrage of criticism from journalists and experts alike and whilst multiple fights continue to be pulled from UFC cards weekly due to fighters and employees contracting Covid-19. None of these concerns look likely to stop the UFC however and when April 24th rolls around a full slate of fights will be on deck in a petri dish of partially vaccinated fans.

Anybody who has been to a UFC event would tell you that such events are hardly tranquil affairs. Intoxicated fans screaming for vicious knockouts are hardly the most concerned about catching or spreading a potentially deadly disease. Risk and reward are two concepts that have rarely scared Dana White. In the past however those risks were squared solely on his shoulders and that of his company. In putting the health of so many fans in potential peril for financial gain and personal recognition the UFC president may have just made his riskiest gamble yet.