University Volume 24 | Issue 9 | Tuesday 16th March 2021
Today, St. Patrick’s day celebrations take place extensively, with over 70 million people proudly proclaiming their Irish ancestry - pg 12 -
With the growing community of visual artists and the love being spread consistently, women have been able to empower other women and respect the art that grows out of the other - pg 34 -
Express UCCExpress.ie
All roads lead to Tokyo for the delayed Olympic Games which will provide the platform for Jakob to become a global athletics superstar at the ‘greatest show on earth’ - pg 38 -
ONE YEAR ON, STUDENTS STILL ADAPTING TO LIFE WITH COVID-19 Writes Maeve McTaggart, News Editor March 12th marked one year from the pronouncement of the COVID-19 pandemic by the World Health Organisation and then-Taoiseach Varadkar’s address from Washington D.C. Schools, colleges and workplaces closed the following day; restaurants, retail and cafés soon followed. One year on, the nation has experienced varying degrees of lockdown and reopening - flattening the curve to being categorised as the world’s worst outbreak in January of 2021. While much has changed in a year, much has remained the same: UCC—and all higher education institutions in Ireland—have not returned to on-campus learning since the day they departed in March 2020. University Express invited students to reflect on the past year spent living with COVID-19 and recorded their responses. In March of 2020, the pandemic was gradually spreading through the world, with Italy as it’s epicentre. There were seventy cases in the Irish state when the nation went into ‘the first lockdown.’ Students were asked to think back to this time, and what their expectations were for the months ahead. The most common answer amongst the students surveyed was that the college would be closed for a short period of time: that “after a few weeks we would be back on campus and everything would be fine again,” or at least “that the pandemic would be over by summer.” Students spoke of their assumptions that COVID-10 would soon be “a distant
memory,” not still a reality a year later. most, however, commented on the toll of the pandemic and the consequencFor months, social contacts have been es it has taken on their mental health. limited as public health advice ream- The stress associated with contractined to socially distance and reduce ing and potentially spreading the vione’s bubble. This posed challenges for rus heavily impacted student’s menstudents, who went from attending face- tal health, according to respondents. to-face lectures on a bustling campus to connecting virtually to a Teams call. When asked, “How did COVID-19 afUniversity Express asked students to fect your college experience?” many describe the last year in their own terms, students commented on the difficuldefining the big moments which marked ty in setting boundaries when living, their year with COVID-19 - good or bad. learning and spending leisure time all in the same space. Students who had exOne student remarked how online-learn- perienced their first-year or longer in ing allowed them to avoid a lengthy on-campus learning found the adjustcommute to campus; others appreci- ment easier on average, the greatest loss ated their sustained ability to perform to these students was the spontaneity well in exams under the circumstances; and socialisation campus life offered:
“To begin with, many people struggled with technology, that was never the thing that bothered me the most though. I missed the coffees between lectures, casual chats with friends and a sense of time passing.” Feedback from students on the online-learning experience was balanced, but most maintained that online-learning left a lot to be desired. One first year student told University Express that the dynamics of online lectures are difficult to adapt to having never experienced them in-person, saying interaction is limited and that they are “much less likely to ask a question in a lecture because they are recorded.” Cover Story Continued on Page 3....
Editorial
2 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)
Issue 9 | Tuesday 16th March 2021 | University Express
Reflection - as we move forward with intention Writes Fiona Keeley, Editor-in-Chief On March 8th, my various apps and email inbox were alive with ‘pings’ and ‘buzzes’ and that familiar alert of ‘you’ve got mail!’ to wish me a ‘Happy International Womens’ Day’, celebrating the value and importance that female voices bring to the table. But through all that celebration one message stood out to me more than most, a message from a friend who asked the very simple question - is the existence of International Womens’ Day a necessity to let all voices take part in the conversation? It’s a question that stayed with me throughout the 24 hours of digital celebrations. Voices that have a right to be heard cannot be swept under the carpet and left there for dust balls to adorn and decorate. An optical homogeneous version of the world does not reflect the reality that it may lay claim to, the unnaturalness of it obvious to the naked eye. Embracing our new pixelated world when celebrating International Womens’ Day allowed, one may argue, a much more dispersed and widespread celebration in 2021 than previous years. We were allowed to celebrate each others’ successes and weep with each other in a vast virtual landscape where many of us have made a home in recent months. Days later the high of the celebrations turned into the depths of shock when news emerged from the UK that the remains of Sarah Everard had been found by police. Her name and those of so many others are ones that cannot be forgotten. Celebrating womens’ voices is one thing but ensuring that those who have suffered receive substantial justification should be a primary motivation to ameliorate the world we occupy today. I was told once that education is a pathway to help take you where you want to go in life, but during my short time on this earth I have found my most educational moments have not been in a classroom but instead listening to my peers. It is through that we reach the common trait that we all share, our humanity. We have so much to learn from each other, with voices that deserve to be heard.
Marketing Executive – Fiona Keeley (Marketing@UCCExpress.ie)
Until next time,
Fiona Keeley
Webmaster – Jonathan Hanley (Webmaster@UCCExpress.ie)
editor@uccexpress.ie
‘Making space’ means more than ‘moving over’
Photographers – Caoimhe Leahy
Writes Maeve McTaggart, News Editor
(Photographers@uccexpress.ie)
I have been running since I was fifteen. Because of COVID-19, I now run alone rather than with those in my club of six years and over the twelve months, I have grown to miss running with other people more and more; chatting makes the miles seem shorter and the long-runs on dark, winter nights bearable. It means I spend less time trying to sort out which playlist I’m in the mood for or maxing out my excuses when motivation is low. It also means I spend less time worrying about how dark it is outside or which route I can take, how loud I can safely keep my headphones or which clothes I wear.
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) Deputy Features – Eoghan O’Donnell (Deputyfeatures@uccexpress.ie) Staff Writer: Julie Landers
This International Women’s Day coincided with the disappearance of Sarah Everard in southwest London. Sarah was walking home from a friends house around 9pm, on a Wednesday evening in early March when she went missing, her remains discovered a week later in Kent woodlands. Sarah’s story has consumed social media, with threads of Irish women taking to Twitter to share in the heartbreak and grief of what happened to her and what happens to so many women. Derry Girls star and Cork woman Siobhán McSweeney said: “I love walking. I dream of walking through forests at night. Like how peaceful it would be. Or exploring train tracks, those strange in-between places in big cities. I’d love to walk along the Thames at night, feeling the pulse of the sleeping city. I’d love to do that.” There are replies to the tweet of many men encouraging Siobhán to experience their walking routes; “I did just that yesterday,” one man responded, but ultimately missed her point. Those strange in-between places can be as threatening as familiar main roads when it is dark enough - or sometimes in the middle of the day. Often, when I’m running, I don’t feel as if there is space for me. Not physically, but enough space to exist for myself in a way that is safe and protected. I have had to turn around when there aren’t enough streetlights, or when the curve of an alley, or lane, or tunnel blocks the way out from my view. These barriers to enjoying a long run - including those human ones, who shout at you from cars or block your path - are experienced by women and others every day, in so many parts of their lives. Merely adding more street lights won’t help. In this issue, we speak about student experiences during COVID-19, the responses shared with us were expansive and all exposed that different people are experiencing different vulnerabilities, different barriers to coping during a pandemic. On International Women’s Day, we hear of the progress being made in terms of female leadership, but the absence of women at the decision-making table on COVID-19. Merely adding another chair won’t help. ‘Making space’ means more than ‘moving over,’ it means calling out unacceptable behaviour even when it’s your friends, it means working every day to create a culture where women and others can walk home, can go to work, can go to school or on a night out and not get hurt. news@uccexpress.ie
Maeve McTaggart
News
Issue 9 | Tuesday 16th March 2021 | University Express
Cover Story Continued... Students hoped for a return to campus next semester but did not wish to commit to the idea, instead practicing patience as a decision is made. In September of 2020, as higher-level education institutions were a weekend away from returning to a blended-learning experience, a surge in COVID-19 cases forced the semester—and rest of the year—online.
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UCC Covid-19 Tracker and Day Pass App developed Writes Maebh McCarthy, Deputy News Editor
In conversation with Eimear Curtin, UCCSU Education Officer, she described the last year as “a lot. A lot of work, a lot of emotion, but also a lot of energy, a lot of community.” “The big bad moment was probably Freshers’ Week, that was tough. There are many more good moments though - publishing the Report of Student Feedback to Online Learning and presenting that locally and nationally definitely has to be a big one, being able to bring the voices of UCC students to places where actual change happens was a proud moment for me!” The representation of the student experience in national media was a difficult image to sumount during the last year, with local disputes about Freshers’ Week breaking national headlines in late September. Repeated cluster reporting of COVID-19 cases amongst third-level students also affected the perception held of students nationally, with over 250 cases identified in students of Galway and Limerick universities in recent weeks. Cork students however, were thanked last week by Dr Anne Sheahan, Director of Public Health for Cork and Kerry, for their efforts in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19. “This is a very big ask of young people,” Dr Sheahan said, “we’ve had to ask them to give up so much at a very important stage of life. I want to thank these young people for their efforts... You have saved lives and are contributing to the falling levels of COVID-19 in the South.”
All UCC students received an email from Interim President of UCC, Professor John O’Halloran last week advising students of the development of a UCC Covid-19 Tracker and Day Pass App for both students and staff. In the email, which is co-signed by UCCSU President, Naoise Crowley, and Dr. Michael Byrne, Head of Student Health Services, explained that the purpose of the app was to help users conduct a “self-check for COVID symptoms and COVID infectious risk, before attending the University. This app was created to keep the UCC Community safe and well; all staff and students are strongly encouraged to download and use the app ahead of planned visits to campus.” The app was developed by UCC IT Services in September 2020, in collaboration with UCC Student Health and the College of Medicine and Health. Originally, the app was used to support UCC
students on their clinical placements. It was the positive experiences of these students with the app, as well as the feedback from placement provider organisations, that encouraged UCC to make this app available to all students and staff. Professor O’Halloran welcomed the timing of the roll-out of the app, “given the arrival of the new variants of the virus in Ireland.” Professor O’Halloran added that it will “serve as an additional control measure to protect students and staff as society gradually reopens over the coming months.” University advice is that students should use the UCC Covid Tracker and Day Pass App to complete a self-check of COVID Symptoms and COVID infectious risks before they arrive on campus. It serves an additional purpose of notifying UCC Student Health that you are concerned that you may have COVID, even if you do not plan on coming to the University on that day. Depending on the answers received, you will be issued with either a ‘green pass’ or a ‘red pass.’
“Where COVID-19 symptoms or infectious risk are not present, the app will generate a green pass indicating that it is safe for you to attend University. Where COVID-19 symptoms or infectious risk are present, the app will generate a red pass advising that you should not leave home to attend University.” Should you receive a “red pass,” you will also receive an email to your UCC email account, with advice on further actions. Students were assured that the app is GDPR compliant, and that UCC Student Health alone has access to the data entered. It is to be used in conjunction with, and not in replacement of the gov.ie Covid Tracker App. The UCC app was developed to help provide an extra layer of protection. For further information on accessing the application, please see your UCC Umail account or visit https://www.ucc.ie/en/ e m t / c o v i d 1 9 / u c c- c o v i d - a p p /
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Issue 9 | Tuesday 16th March 2021 | University Express
UCC celebrates International Women’s Day Writes Maeve McTaggart, News Editor
Monday 8th March marked International Women’s Day, and online events commemorated the year’s chosen them: achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world. UCC celebrated the occasion with a powerful video put together by its Bystander Intervention team, where women in leadership from across UCC told the camera why they #ChoosetoChallenge. The social media campaign featured students and staff from across multiple departments, societies and clubs to highlight the importance of ensuring there are enough women leaders in UCC and beyond. “I choose to challenge because gender should never be a reason that someone isn’t offered equal opportunities in life and because we need to take an intersectional approach to equality in our future,” Chloe Boland, UCCSU Gender Equality representative said, emphasizing a point made by those featured throughout the video: more women in leadership, makes better outcomes for all. Niamh Browne, the Features and Opinions Editor for UCC’s Motley Maga-
zine, said: “I am a firm believer that the more people we pull around to our table, the better our products are going to be or the outcome of our talks are going to be. Every conversation I think benefits from more voices being heard and more perspectives being engaged with.” Social media campaigns and celebrations characterised Ireland’s International Women’s Day 2021, where the nation continues to live and work from home to curb the spread of COVID-19. Despite this, messages were made more accessible to those at UCC and further afield, with Professor Sarah Culloty, the newly-appointed and first woman Head of the College of Science, Engineering and Food Science at UCC, giving advice to her 17-year-old self on the Instagram page of the university. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions and admit you don’t know something,” Professor Culloty said, “I am still learning every day and asking questions, but I know at 17 that seems like such a hard thing to admit.” “I think you will find that your time in university will make you a stron-
ger, more resilient person with a broader, more understanding perspective on life. It will provide you with an amazing career, but you will also realise that it is your love of what you do, your interest in people, taking up every opportunity that you get, that will get you where you want to go.” Amongst webinars and online events, discussions surrounding the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day were not lost. With the objective of exploring and empowering female leadership to achieve equality in a COVID-19 world, attention turned to those on the frontlines and those making the decisions about COVID-19 in Ireland. In an open letter penned by the Covid Women’s Voices group, an all-island group of women who work in areas including medicine, health care, psychology, law, academia, and advocacy, the group seeks to emphasise the toll the pandemic has taken on Irish women who are “disproportionately bearing the burden of a pandemic that has heralded untold grief and wrought economic havoc.” The third lockdown has illustrated
“the inequalities, including structural, social and economic barriers, still faced by women,” the letter, published in the Irish Examiner, reads: “Our largely female healthcare force, facing dual challenges in the workplace and at home, can only absorb so much of the societal and economic shocks of Covid-19.” Eighty percent of healthcare workers in Ireland are women, statistics have revealed, and account for seventy-seven percent of COVID-19 cases amongst healthcare workers. Despite this, no women sit on the Cabinet Sub-Committee on COVID-19 and Cork doctor, Dr. Niamh Lynch, has called for women to be involved in the decision-making process as “the needs of women, which are different to the needs of men, [must be taken] into account.” International Women’s Day 2021 was an incredibly visible event on social media, hosted with the hopes of encouraging increased representation of women in leadership and in decision-making roles, especially surrounding COVID-19.
Issue 9 | Tuesday 16th March 2021 | University Express
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Universities respond to disciplinary breaches with increased security Writes Maebh McCarthy, Deputy News Editor University of Limerick campus authorities are conducting an investigation to identify any UL students who took part in a ‘street party’ that occurred recently. Students at UL are subject to a Code of Conduct and the University has said any student found to have attended the gathering will face suspension, pending a full investigation, or possible expulsion. The Gardaí issued a statement confirming that more than 50 fines were issued in relation to breaches of the Health Act in the Castletroy area of Limerick in early March. Three men were arrested at the scene, two men in their twenties for public order offences, and the third for misuse of drugs. A number of videos emerged on social media of widespread anti-social behaviour. During this time, a number of flares and fireworks were set off. Recently appointed President of UL, Kerstin Mey, met with senior Garda representatives, and expressed her gratefulness to the Gardaí for their close cooperative partnership. Professor Mey clarified that it was a “small minority of our 16,500 students who live in off campus estates who are consistently ignoring government and institutional guidelines.” Liz Canavan, Assistant Secretary General at the Department of the Taoiseach said that “it would be easy to generalise, but wouldn’t be fair or accurate” and “the majority of young people are doing great and they have missed out on a lot.” Dr Anne Sheahan, Director of Public Health for the HSE South praised and thanked third-level students in Cork and Kerry for their efforts to stop the spread of Covid-19. “This age-group, including third-level students, have made huge efforts in recent weeks to stick to the tough but necessary measures which stop the spread of Covid-19. You have saved lives and are contributing to the falling levels of Covid-19 in the South.” UCC Students’ Union (UCCSU) President, Naoise Crowley, praised the “incredible effort by the UCC
Community these past few months. Now, we must keep going in the right direction to keep us all safe.” The Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Ronan Glynn, has said that despite a “small number of high profile incidents”, data shows that case numbers are continuing to decline among those aged from nineteen to twenty four. The incidence rate for Covid-19 in Cork is the lowest incidence rate in the country. Dr. Niamh Lynch, a Doctor in the Bon Secours hospital said that Cork people deserve huge credit for doing their part to suppress Covid-19 in the city and county. UCC recently came into public focus
after announcing that campus security guards would be wearing body cameras that allow them to record students living in campus accommodation. In light of this, it was revealed that a number of other Irish Universities already allow their security to use the body-worn cameras on campus. These cameras have become standard practice in UCC, recording both audio and video, since February 8th 2021. Sinn Féin T.D. for Cork South Central, Donnchadh O’Laoghaire, is among those who’ve voiced their dissent at a step that has been described as “intrusive.” Deputy O’Laoghaire told the Irish Mirror: “UCC need to reconsider this. Obviously it’s important that the
student accommodation is secure, and that security personnel are safe, but there must be other means of doing that. Taking footage of people in an accommodation setting like that, it doesn’t seem appropriate.” A UCC spokesman declined to answer specific questions, but told the Irish Mirror that the use of body cams “is increasingly adopted as best practice in security-conscious environments, including other campus accommodation settings across Ireland where the practice is long-established.”
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Issue 9 | Tuesday 16th March 2021 | University Express
Joint College Plan with Chinese University abandoned by UCC Writes Maebh McCarthy, Deputy News Editor versity’s governing body in February. A spokesperson for the University told The Irish Times recently that “university management has decided not to proceed with a joint college plan with Minzu University.” There was no further comment. The joint college proposal between the two institutions would have seen Cork’s involvement expand to include degrees in fields such as science, engineering, food science and law. In addition to the correspondence between the NUI and UCC, there was also an “ethics review” by a UK consultancy on the question of whether the project with Minzu University would be contrary to UCC’s “core values.” The review’s findings said that should it be decided to reject the project on ethical grounds then the feasibility of the continuation of UCC’s joint environmental science course, already shared with Minzu University, may be in jeopardy. As quoted from the report, extracting UCC from the project would have to be handled “as tactfully as possible as there may well be repercussions on future opportunities for UCC in China if [Minzu] or the [Chinese ministry of education] considered that they had lost face.”
University College Cork is not proceeding with a controversial project to form a “joint college” with a Chinese university that specialises in ethnic studies. There was no reason given as to why the project is being abandoned, however. As a result of a review commissioned by the university, a warning was issued stating that there could be “repercussions” if the Chinese bodies involved in the project believed that it was withdrawn due to ethical concerns. This review, commissioned in November 2020, came to pass when over 50 academics at UCC sought clarity on whether Minzu University was linked to human rights abuses against the Uighur people in Xinjiang.
sor John O’Halloran, chaired a steering group which explored the ‘deepening of UCC’s already-existing links with Minzu University.’ According to The Irish Times, there has been “sustained international condemnation of the Beijing government’s policy in Xinjiang where up to a million Uighur and other people from minority groups have been put in camps as part of a campaign the Chinese Communist Party has said is designed to target “extremism””.
Alexander Dukalskis, an associate professor at University College Dublin’s school of politics, said UCC’s prospective joint college proposal with Minzu, a university that had a focus on ethnic studies, raised “huge ethical questions as China’s ethnic minority policy has become Interim President of UCC, Profes- one of the most oppressive in the world
in recent years” in October of last year. The Irish Times examined documents under the Freedom of Information act, which revealed the correspondence between UCC and the National University of Ireland (NUI). In light of expressions of concern , Prof O’Halloran asked the chancellor of the NUI, Dr. Maurice Manning, to review the proposed move with Minzu before any course of action was taken. In January of this year, Dr. Manning responded to Prof O’Halloran confirming that it was clear to him the university was “operating very firmly within the NUI human rights guidelines” in relation to such projects. Documents that were released under Freedom of Information show the project was scheduled to go for approval to UCC’s academic council in January and to the uni-
This issue became a political story in recent weeks, when Independent Senator, Rónán Mullen, warned the Government that the developing links between Irish and Chinese Universities must be scrutinised because of concerns about human rights violations. Mr Mullen asked in the Seanad: “Can we be sure that human rights and freedom, including academic freedom and freedom of thought, will be guaranteed to Irish staff and students going to China or Chinese staff and students coming here?” Senator Mullen warned that the State’s education system may be “contaminated” as a result of developing these links amid such violations. He called for Minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon Harris, to address the Seanad about the issue and the “growing cooperation between Irish and Chinese educational institutions.”
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Issue 9 | Tuesday 16th March 2021 | University Express
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SU election prepares for virtual campaign Writes Maeve McTaggart, News Editor
In a normal year, student union election season would position candidates and their campaigns loudly in front of the Boole Library, trying to capture student’s votes as they passed from one lecture to another. There is little of that experience which remains in 2021; outside Boole library remains quiet as campaigns have migrated to social media in line with COVID-19 health restrictions. This years’ UCCSU were elected to their roles on the same day that the country was to enter ‘lockdown’ on March 12th, their term served during the height of the pandemic. Universities around the country are in the process of electing their unions through social media as UCC looks on, preparing to do the same.
24th. Online voting is to take place for all students from March 29th to 31st, where representatives will be elected on April 1st, 2021. There are thirteen positions to fill on the UCC Students’ Union in all, made up of six full-time officers, four college representatives and three campaign representatives. As of yet, campaigning has not officially started as no one has formally been nominated to run. This changes on March 19th when nominations close and campaign manifestos are delivered digitally to elections@uccsu.ie - another change to the process as a result of COVID-19. The pandemic has transformed the conditions for campaigning, all of which must be done so off-campus and in-line with national health guidelines. UCCSU election season will follow that of multiple higher-education institutions across the country, with voting occurring online.
Nominations for candidates to run in the UCC Student Union elections are set to open on March 15th and close on March 19th, with Executive Representative Hustings to be held on March 23rd with Officer Hustings to follow a day later on March From March 29th to 31st, all students
will vote in the SU elections through a voting portal unlocked using a valid student number and password. Students will be sent the voting link via email, and it’s up to students themselves to submit their votes before the deadline. Concerns in relation to student engagement with SU elections have been raised now that both voting and campaigns have migrated online, with abounding worries that many students may miss the fact the elections are occurring altogether or others may just not see the purpose in voting. In last year’s UCCSU elections, the poll for SU President garnered 4,202 valid votes, around 20% of the overall student population of UCC. For those 4,202 students who voted, there were almost 17,000 who did not.
President - around 19%. It is feared that this digital environment will further deplete the numbers engaging in the student union elections and has prompted conversations about how it can be resolved.
Currently, UCCSU is hosting information nights and informal conversations with prospective candidates who may be considering running for an Executive or Officer position, alongside this the Union of Students in Ireland have launched their ‘Run Your SU 2021’ campaign, which seeks to empower and inform candidates on running on online campaign “and how to win.” Those who wish to run for a position on UCCSU will not be official candidates until March 19th, following the submisIt is a concern shared by higher educa- sion of their manifestos and 10 intion institutions nationally and one dividual nominations and 5 individcompounded by the new-found on- ual nominations for full-time and line space. Of around 18,000 students part-time candidates respectively. at Trinity College Dublin in 2019, just 3,355 turned out to vote for their SU
Features
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Issue 9 | Tuesday 16th March 2021 | University Express
Want To Be Your Own Boss? An Exploration of Pyramid Schemes Writes Eoghan O’Donnell, Deputy Features Editor “I came from the poorest neighbourhood. I dropped out of school at 17 and felt I had little to no hope. Now? I’m living like a king. Last year was the most profitable of my life and this year I am aiming to double it. Inbox me for more information on how you can turn your life around. I can promise up to $10,000 in return for your little investment. So, how does this life of luxury sound? Message me and don’t miss out on your once in a lifetime opportunity!” Sound familiar? For most it is safe to say yes. It is hard not to come by a message of this sort, if not from a distant secondary school classmate, then from a random stranger private-messaging you on Instagram. Business trading is difficult, and it can be hard foraging for success in such a competitive industry. If an offer like this is presented, why not take it? Welcome to the life of, what is potentially, a pyramid-schemer. Pyramid Schemes: What are they? Essentially pyramid schemes work as a way to convince people that their small investment will result in them earning greater returns, guaranteeing they recruit more people to invest. Now, you may be wondering what exactly is involved with these investments. What is presented does not appear to be any product or service: instead it seems to be more of an investment in the structure of this scheme. Pyramid schemes are named such for their operational structures: what starts with a limited managerial peak expands exponentially on lower levels, with each level of new promotional recruiters swelling to involve new members. People on top - those that start such a scheme - are the main people who profit.
mutual friend. Asked to invest €200 each, they are promised to make back three times the amount, but only if they each recruit five more members who also pay this €200 “investment”, thus creating a structure which resemFor example: two people are recruit- bles a pyramid. With this method, the ed into a pyramid scheme by their base can continually keep expanding.
These members, now recruited may be far down the base of the pyramid itself: when the business eventually collapses or fails their investment will likely be lost and not be returned to them.
ple from a young age: “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” Funds invested from the bottom of the ladder work their way to the top, with a percentage promised to every recruiter along the way. More often Perhaps it is trite to state this proverb, than not, those that invest further for it is one commonly drilled into peo- down the pyramid find that the re-
Issue 9 | Tuesday 16th March 2021 | University Express
turn is less than expected. This often happens as a result of people failing to manage to recruit new members: this especially happens when the sea of potential members has been overfished - something which commonly happens in areas of a smaller population. One of the many indicators of a system being a pyramid scheme is there being no products or services actually being sold. Entirely reliant on the recruitment of new members to recruit even more members, pyramid schemes are destined to collapse in on themselves when there is nobody left to recruit. A famous example of a pyramid scheme in Ireland is that of Irish Liberty/Speedball. During the mid-2000s Ireland was experiencing the peak of one of its largest economic booms to date, something which transformed the country from one of Europe’s poorest into one of its wealthiest. Irish Liberty/Speedball was a scam where Irish recruits were asked to invest €10,000, money which was paid directly to a so-called headquarters in Germany. This “service” relied heavily on the recruitment of new members, who were then promised €80,000 when the recruit would one day eventually go to Germany. The head of this pyramid scam is estimated to have acquired over twenty-eight million euro through this method. After the cunning practice of this scam came to light, the Irish government reformed and tightened its laws regarding operations of this kind. Instagram Flowers “Dude it’s a flower, not a pyramid you just need to get two people, what’s wrong?” is a common reaction as of late to the trendy Instagram flowers. These flowers have been overwhelming many people’s feeds recently and much controversy has been raised over them. The idea, again, works identical to a pyramid scheme. Many users who fell prey, or were preying on the more innocent, convinced people to invest €150 in exchange for larger returns in the future. This particular scheme was targeted at younger people, and especially students - which is the reason Instagram was the ideal platform for it. Gardaí and The Consumer and Competition Protection Commission warned people to avoid these ‘promises’ for
money and to report them directly. The same is to be said for the ‘Blessing Loom’ which at one stage was very popular in the United Kingdom. The outer-nets of the loom were for those who invested early. They were promised to move deeper into the web of the loom with the more people they recruited, and were then guaranteed to earn more the more people they convinced to invest. Though these ‘projects’ for earning returns on your investment seem promising, especially with such colourful maps, they are all pyramid schemes looked at from a birds-eye view. Have a look at the images attached with this article: thin centre, larger base - the ideal scam. Typical of all pyramid schemes, the amount of people available to recruit runs out. This leads to the collapse which is always inevitable: people that invested early may end up with money, but those newly recruited most often lose out. When the pyramid scheme does collapse, it is not long until it is reported by somebody who has lost money unjustly. Investigations which then occur lead to criminal punishments. If you’ve been keeping up with the drama surrounding these recent flower pyramid schemes, you may have seen blurry Snapchat videos of Gardaí knocking on the doors of the alleged leaders of these Instagram-flower pyramid schemes.
Features way to ensure you remain roped into their organisation, so that you actually are convinced to keep grafting to earn back what you originally invested. And, if there is the possibility of you earning back what you invested, why not try to earn even more? Thus, the cycle of a vicious pyramid scheme is fuelled. Multi-Level Marketing Business structures are constantly evolving, and a certain structure which has become more prominent over recent years is that of Multi-Level Marketing (MLM). MLM is a business structure which mainly focuses on people selling products to the greater public. Like a pyramid scheme, MLMs also focus on expanding the numbers of distributors to enormously increase sales: one main difference is that MLMs actually sell products whereas pyramid schemes do not.
The entire purpose of MLMs is to move products. The theory behind MLM is that the larger the network of distributors, the more product the business will be able to sell. Thus, MLMs are legitimate. These may seem similar at a glance to pyramid schemes but the driving forces are different: one focuses on the money invested by new recruits, the other on the potential of new recruits to sell products. As such, each recruit of an MLM functions as a mini-shop: you may have been invited to a prodAvoiding Pyramid Schemes uct-selling party? Guaranteed a free glass of champagne too? But be careful Pyramid schemes are illegal in most of pyramid schemes hiding under the countries, including Ireland, and oper- guise of an MLM, they are the real threat. ating and participating in one is unlawful. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has clarified Will you really be your own boss? to the public that “promoting or participating in a pyramid scheme is il- In short: Solely focusing on investments legal under Irish law and if convicted, made into an organisation by recruiting you could face a fine of up to €150,000 new members is indicative of a pyraor up to five years in prison, or both.” mid scheme. On top of this, being offered commission on your recruitment One of the main indicators of a pyramid of new members is also a red flag of an scheme is an organisation’s inherent fo- “opportunity” being a pyramid scheme. cus on you involving more people instead of selling a product, although the scheme So, before you reply to that Instagram itself may be associated with a product. direct message with your debit card People or organisations that also put at the ready, take a moment to conpressure on you to decide to join in their sider the drawbacks all these posirankings are also red flags: many legit- tives may be hiding. Ask yourself, is imate businesses will not promise you this really legal? Is it too good to be thousands to join their business “only true? Will this guy from secondary if you join within the next 24 hours.” school inadvertently send me to prison sometime over the next few months? As well as this, a business shouldn’t require members to pay to sell a product; these down-payments work as a
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Features
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Issue 9 | Tuesday 16th March 2021 | University Express
Sex Work in Ireland: The Case for Decriminalisation Writes Elisha Carey, Features Editor Last month, the Garda National Protective Services Bureau launched the Garda’s Organised Prostitution Investigation Unit, aimed at targeting men who pay for sex. The Unit will be present at major rugby, soccer and GAA games as well as horse races, concerts and festivals, where large numbers of individuals are spending nights away from home. This focus on the buyer is reflective of Ireland’s relatively new approach to sex work. In 2017, via the enactment of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act, we adopted the Swedish or Nordic model, which criminalises the purchase of sex rather than the work itself. Proponents of the Swedish model suggest that it will reduce both the demand for sex work and the number of women entering the industry, but the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI) cite evidence that these laws increase harms to sex workers. Ireland has come a long way in terms of its attitude to sex work. Kate McGrew, Director of SWAI, in conversation with University Express, said that the growing numbers of Irish people on sites like OnlyFans and IsMyGirl, “have continued to provide the opportunity to discuss sex work as a labour rights issue, and also the lingering problem of stigma around sex-out-of-bounds.” However, while the cultural conversation has moved on, Kate explained that the current laws remain “regressive” and “not fit for purpose.”
Why are sex workers against the Swedish Model?
who was pregnant were jailed for nine months after they were discovered to be running a brothel in a house in Kildare. SWAI has explained repeatedly that sex workers work together for safety reasons. Ms. McGrew noted in a recent blog post that Gardaí are also using the Covid regulations to move on and detain workers.
People continue to enter the industry SWAI’s study was able to conclude that the introduction of the Swedish model has not prevented people from engaging in sex work. Two-thirds of the sex workers surveyed by SWAI think that the law has had no impact on preventing sex workers from entering the industry. SWAI points out by dealing with sex work entirely through the criminal law, Ireland ignores the reasons workers may enter and stay in the industry. “There is not a single corner of the world where sex work does not occur. The existence of a sex industry, in every single country on the planet, is due to structural inequalities and poverty”, Ms. McGrew said, “it is not men’s desire to buy sex that drives the sex industry, it is the reality of this type of labour being these individuals’ best, only, or preferred option.” None of the sex workers surveyed by SWAI said that they left sex work because of a change in the law. Participants cited their reasons for leaving the industry as, a fear of or the experience of an assault, finishing college, gaining alternative employment or, being threatened with exposure.
power has put them in danger, “potentially aggressive clients are more likely to call than genuine clients.”
Violence increases In the first year following the introduction of the 2017 Act, UglyMugs.ie, an information sharing platform for sex workers reported a 92% increase in violent crimes against sex workers. Less than 1% of sex workers reporting crimes to UglyMugs.ie said that they have or will also report to the Gardaí.
Obstructs HIV prevention Sex workers are still facing arrest
Bargaining power diminishes
70% of participants in a recent study by SWAI say that despite the client criminalisation model, they still fear arrest themselves.
Since the criminal risk shifts from the worker to the client under the Swedish model, many clients are reluctant to submit to the screening processes the worker has in place. In addition to this, over a quarter of sex workers surveyed by SWAI said that since the client is the one risking arrest, they have felt pressured into performing unsafe sexual practices and many more have taken on clients they would not have previously considered.
This fear is not misplaced. SWAI report that there have been 55 arrests of sex workers for working together since the introduction of the new law. In fact, the penalty for sex workers working together was doubled under the 2017 Act and now has a jail sentence attached. In 2019, two migrant One participant in the study desex workers, including one woman scribed how this loss of bargaining
The World Health Organisation has said that the full decriminalisation of sex work could lead to a 46% reduction in new HIV infections in sex workers over 10 years and similarly, that eliminating sexual violence against sex workers could lead to a 20% reduction in new HIV infections. UNAIDS is in agreement, stating that, “many of the human rights challenges, vulnerabilities and barriers sex workers face in accessing HIV services are due to criminalisation and the restrictive laws, regulations and practices they face.”
What next? In September of last year, Amnesty International Ireland made a submission under the three-year review of the 2017 Act, urging that the review assess how the Swedish Model has impacted the human rights of sex workers in Ireland, including the particular consequences for migrant and transgender workers. Executive Director of Amnesty International Ireland, Colm O’Gorman said “A law aimed at protecting sex workers has to actually do that. While criminalising the purchase of sex may have intended to shift police focus away from sex workers themselves, the reality is that it can actually force them to take even more risks,” The organisation recommended the decriminalisation of the purchase of consensual adult sex as well as the repeal of the “brothel-keeping” offence under which sex workers working together can be prosecuted. Amnesty International Ireland also stressed the need for any review of the legislation to take into account the views of sex workers and their lived experiences at the hands of the Swedish model.
Issue 9 | Tuesday 16th March 2021 | University Express
Features:Careers Corner
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I Don’t Have A Graduate Programme, Now What? Writes Elisha Carey, Features Editor A graduate programme is a fixedterm entry-level position offered by companies to university graduates. The primary difference between graduate positions and other jobs is that graduate programmes are structured to involve a training and development component so that the graduate employee progresses through the ranks in a given timeframe. The educational element of the graduate programme can appeal to students as it forms a bridge between university and working life. Recruitment for graduate programmes can often involve multiple stages as these companies are trying to take on top talent. While all industries and sectors have graduate programmes, only medium to large sized companies will have the resources to make such a commitment to training In Ireland over 90 percent of businesses and guidance and the business needs are SMEs. While they do not have the to recruit annually on a large scale. same high profile as the big graduate recruiters, the quality and quantity of jobs Something about the way graduate in the SME sector is improving all the programmes are advertised can give time and roles in SMEs are generally less students the impression that they rigid. At an SME you will likely have the are the be all and end all, the only opportunity to learn and develop skills route into the job market. While across a range of functions, so there is it’s true that graduate programmes less of a risk of being “pigeon-holed” offer a smooth, and perhaps, more like there can be with larger companies. convenient, opportunity to get your Recruitment works differently with foot on the ladder, to say they’re SMEs as there is no set yearly intake the only viable option, is nonsense. of graduates, in fact, for roles in SMEs There are many routes into the job you are competing against job seekers market, and the alternatives to grad- from all walks of life, from those with uate recruitment programmes come no college education and those with 20 with their own distinct advantages. years+ industry experience. If you are For example, smaller businesses tend thinking about launching your career to allow graduates to become more with an SME spend some time ameliohands-on with the work of the busi- rating your networking skills and have ness earlier on and promotion can a breadth of knowledge about what come quickly. A career in a non-grad- is happening in the particular sector uate job offers a degree of flexibility, you’re interested in. If you keep an ear it can form a short-term stepping- to the ground and are able to demonstone to a different job or can in itself strate that you have the required skills, lead to lifelong employment. Self-em- you will be well placed to get that job ployment or working with a start-up is likely to suit more entrepreneurial graduates who value autonomy. Self-Employment Alternatives to Graduate Programmes
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
Self-employment is a career option for all graduates but particularly so for those in the marketing, IT, and engineering sectors. Being your own boss has many advantages, it allows you to be independent and choose the hours that you work but it is also very hard work and demands skills in many areas. After finishing his degree in Business Entrepreneurship in Maynooth, Luke
Joyce noticed that the majority of his peers went on to Graduate Programmes with the “Big 4/5”, a route that was of little interest to him. Instead, Joyce decided to focus on starting and growing his own company, TheCleaningCompany.ie. When the pandemic hit and many business-owners fell on hard times, Luke was able to draw on the skills he had gained from his degree and quickly adapt to the new world, launching a disinfecting service to join in the fight against Covid-19.
“hidden job market” sounds quite ominous, if you have ever been offered a more permanent position after a period of work experience or been offered a tutoring position by a lecturer you’ve gotten on with, you have availed of the “hidden job market” because that job was offered to you before being listed anywhere. Developing and maintaining a strong network of professionals in the area you’re interested in working in is the best way to avail of the “hidden job market.”
To any entrepreneurial students who are thinking of going out on their own with an idea, Luke says, “now is absolutely the best time to do it.” If you were unsuccessful at obtaining a place on a graduate programme and are passionate about working for a large company, you can always The Hidden Job-Market apply directly to that company via The “hidden job market” is a term used their website or a job board. You to refer to jobs that are not publicly list- can also make a speculative applied, these are generally only accessible cation to a company that is not adthrough networking or having the re- vertising a vacancy right now and cruiter reach out to you. While the term ask them to keep your CV on file.
Did you know...
As a UCC student you have access to Careers Connect for a year after you graduate? This means you can search for jobs, set up daily or weekly job alerts, book appointments with a Careers Consultant and register for employer events while you navigate the beginning of your career journey.
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Opinion
Issue 9 | Tuesday 16th March 2021 | University Express
On this St. Patrick’s day, don’t take the ‘love’ for the Irish for granted Writes Siobhán McCallum
So, it’s that time of year again. A time to commemorate the godly work of the world’s greatest reptile hunter. A time for excessive drinking and the violent use of leprechaun paraphernalia. And of course a time for people across the globe, although mostly Americans, to make dubious claims about their Irish ‘ancestry’: “My great, great, great, great grandmother’s second cousin’s half brother once shook hands with an Irishman, so I guess that makes me part Irish!” An entire nation collectively rolls its eyes. I’m partial to this attitude myself and have become increasingly agitated by this tiresome obsession with ‘Irishness’ that the modern world has embraced. Of late, however, my relationship to St. Patrick’s day has changed entirely. After familiarising myself with the racism and xenophobia levelled against Irish people here at home and abroad throughout history,
I’ve come to fully welcome and appreciate the willingness of diverse groups around the world in claiming even a small piece of Irish heritage as their own. It is not an exaggeration to state that the Irish were once an unfavourable and distrusted group. Dating back to the first colonisation of the island in the early 12th century, the British empire categorised the Irish as a different ‘race’, who were in need of ‘civilising’ their ‘barbarism’. This is unsurprising as all of Europe’s colonial powers sought to justify their actions of subjugation, control and domination along these lines. The Irish people were to be feared and distrusted, as infamous documents at the time proclaim, they were ‘viceful’, ‘filthy’ and even subject to ‘cannibalistic’ tendencies. More importantly, these early documentations by the British continued to pollute the reputation of the Irish throughout history. Most notably, the mass immigration of the Irish popula-
tion during the famine in the mid-19th century, increased xenophobic hostilities and even violence towards Irish immigrant populations in countries like America. For example, in Philadelphia, the Irish became the largest immigrant population in the region during this period. As a result, the ‘natives’ of this area became increasingly suspicious and vitriolic towards these newcomers, a sentiment only heightened by growing economic and social insecurity in America at the time. Continuing into the modern period, Irish immigrants noted troubling anti-Irish sentiments across British society in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, including the now infamous and contested appearance of signs reading; “No blacks, no dogs, no Irish”. Closer to home still, the terrorist attacks committed by the IRA during the Troubles led to the increased profiling of all Irish citizens travelling internationally, particularly between Britain and Ireland.
Considering these historical examples of the discrimination faced by the Irish population, it would seem ludicrous that the national holiday of this group would eventually become a global phenomenon. Today, St. Patrick’s day celebrations take place extensively, with over 70 million people proudly proclaiming their Irish ancestry. In 2020 the Global Greening project marked its 10th anniversary, led by Tourism Ireland this became a new St Patrick’s day tradition where countries around the globe light ancient and contemporary monuments green in honour of our national holiday. From the Eiffel Tower and Sydney Opera House to Niagara Falls and Christ the Redeemer, it is truly a spectacular sight to witness these iconic features shining in glorious green hues in honour of Ireland. The Irish diaspora appears limitless, and the willingness of diverse countries to engage in
Issue 9 | Tuesday 16th March 2021 | University Express this commemoration is astounding. St. Patrick’s day in its current manifestation is a day that essentially celebrates everything Irish, including the food, history, symbols, mythology, cultural norms and indeed the Irish people themselves. All over the world we find examples of those who long to prove their Irish lineage, searching far back into family trees to claim even a minute fraction of the Emerald Isle. But why is this the case, why do people ‘love’ the Irish? The reality is that nothing in particular about our ‘Irishness’ is why St. Patrick’s is commemorated globally. Ultimately, as much as we’d all love to believe it, there is nothing special about us. I think the real root of the phenomenon of St. Patrick’s day has much more to do with the celebration of the ‘underdog’ than of the ‘Irish’. The Irish nation and people represent the little guy, the underling of national history with a traumatic past defined by bullying, harassment and control conducted by stronger adversaries, as well as being torn apart by internal ruptures. In the end, the rise of the Irish nation represents a rare success story of overcoming some of the very worst that humanity can throw at you, so why wouldn’t the international community celebrate this? While it is undoubtedly true that Irish people across the intricate tapestry of human history have experienced racist abuse, economic and social discrimination and the perpetuation of the very worst stereotypes of the population, the Irish represent a very particular case in world history. It is a disturbing trend to witness the Irish story being used by rightwing and conservative groups to provide some evidence and platform for the victimisation of the white European. Instead of showcasing the true beauty in this story which saw a nation of people and their descendents turn from vilified immigrants to venerated victors of the promise of integration, modern commentators desperate to prove the hardship suffered by their ancestors, are twisting this tale to undermine the current manifestations of racism against other oppressed groups, most notably African-Americans in the US. While it’s certainly true that Irish immigrants transformed their fate, there are a few important factors that helped fuel this Cinderella
story. At the end of the day, a majority of Irish people were still white, European and Christian. Importantly, this meant that even with internalised xenophobia levelled against the Irish, a slight change in accent, vernacular and mannerisms and voilá, Irish immigrants could blend right in to the majority. Unfortunately for other minority groups, racism based on more distinguishable ‘differences’ can run a lot deeper in the human consciousness, resulting in a prolonged and arduous battle for equality. Despite these obvious advantages that the Irish had when immigrating overseas and building a better reputation as a new republic in the 20th century, there are still important reminders in the redemption of the Irish of how we can improve the ways in which immigrants, refugees and ethnic minorities are treated in modern society. Last summer the protests that erupted following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police were a powerful indicator of peoples willingness to create a fairer, more equal, and ultimately, more humane society. These events sparked a global movement in support of Black Lives Matter and forced many to confront the brutal consequences of colonial history. Statues fell, violence ensued, damage was done, but in the end a discourse began to emerge across the world. What can we do to combat centuries worth of colonial precedent? What can we do to make today’s world better for all, but more importantly, for those who suffer most at the hands of institutional racism? At times the answers to these questions seem overwhelming. Yet, if there is anything that the success of the Irish teaches us, is that these changes can occur. It is not some hopeful pipe dream that the fate of specific groups can transform entirely in a relatively short space of time. As much as it can seem chaotic and confounding to tackle the deepest and worst tendencies of humanity, things can improve, and people can begin to act and think with their better nature, one which promotes tolerance, respect and inclusion. In our own backyard, the White Paper published recently detailing the plan to end the direct provision system in Ireland is another example of the prospect for tangible change to take place. The paper proposed a human rights based approach to the processing of asylum seekers, to focus on quality of life in areas such as privacy, accessibility to education and healthcare and equal job opportunities. It emphasised the promotion of
Opinion social integration, a process imperative to the success of those joining a new society. The paper was a promising sign for asylum seekers and advocates who have fought for so many years against this system of processing refugees in this country. Many commentators have noted that of all national groups, the Irish should understand the plight of forced emigration and the pain and suffering it can produce among individuals as well as in larger groups and communities. Irish immigrants too faced hostility, distrust and resentment across recent history, so it seems only right that this country of all others should be willing to approach a complicated system with compassion, empathy and respect. On this St. Patrick’s day, I ask you to quieten the more cynical aspect of your character and fully embrace and revel in the celebration of our national holiday. I can’t help but feel that so many of us, particularly those from younger generations, truly take for granted the ‘love’ of the Irish. It wasn’t so long ago that this holiday was a vain attempt made by the new Irish state to consolidate national identity in a time of political and social unrest. So much has changed for the Irish nation since then, and Irish immigrants and the global diaspora are fondly looked upon throughout the world. In addition, unlike what the de Valera era government envisaged for this holiday, Paddy’s day is no longer swamped in anti-British sentiment and the promotion of the Catholic church. The meaning of this national celebration has become more inclusive and diverse. Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s day, no matter what religious creed or ethnic background you hail from, no matter what gender or sexuality you identify as, we all come from the same family. This family has now even grown to include those who, without any claim to Irish ancestry, simply want to celebrate this nation and the success of its people in transforming their reputation in the global community. More importantly, this holiday serves as a constant reminder of the mercurial nature of human societies. It reminds us to explore our own prejudices and to confront the most pressing examples of the ways in which we are committing the same sins we once suffered from, against other marginalised and vulnerable groups around us. This is what St. Patrick’s day means to me, this is what the Irish story truly represents, and this is ultimately what we are celebrating together every March 17th.
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BYLINE Vol. 6 Issue 10
Editorial
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On Longevity
Writes Fergal Smiddy, BYLINE EDITOR Never in my life, up until now, have I ever have even contemplated engaging in a behaviour as perverted as booking a physio appointment just to have a reason to leave my house. Just to leave my house might be stretching things a bit. Although the cabin fever most definitely spurred my enthusiasm in picking up the phone, I have been dealing with shoulder pain - sporadic but nigglingly persistent - for the better part of the last three years. It’s a direct result of weight training, and most likely rooted in my early days at the gym as a late teen, when my enthusiasm far outweighed my knowledge and the concept of longevity was not something I yet had the burden of understanding. Even at twenty-two, talking about physical longevity feels like talking about coal reserves having just put a steamship to sea. My body’s barely done fusing itself together to full growth - why should I even be thinking about its decline? Well, because big journeys rarely go to plan. Steamships hit icebergs, and our bodies are just as vulnerable. Thinking about your longterm wellbeing isn’t frenzied hypochondria; it’s a valid and conscientious approach to living that epitomises the notion - and arguable main-character-culture zeitgeist - of selfcare. The last way I want to come across is preachy. Longevity, in both its physical and mental application, is something that the student demographic isn’t exactly renowned for. If we’re being honest, many aspects of the generalised student lifestyle could be seen as taking the concept of longevity and burying it in a mound of empty cans and fag butts. I’m not even close to an exception, and my moderate stress-abating rollie intake would suggest that I’m probably not qualified to be writing on this subject at all. But, here I am, rollie in hand; and there you are, can to your lips - the issue of longevity hangs over usnonetheless. Our youth is on our side in this instance, but it also doesn’t do us any favours. Even in activities that would typically be beneficial to longevity - like mental health regimes and physical exercise - we often take the fast and hard approach. Closely timed 5k runs and gruelling gym sessions take priority over recovery protocols and stretching; psychedelic drugs and performative positivity offer a more exciting path to ‘enlightenment’ than the forging of healthyrelationships. Living your life in a measured, longevity-oriented way just isn’t very punk rock. However, there’s an undoubtable level of joy to be found in it - you may get lamped by an iceberg somewhere along the way, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t make plans for docking.
Fergal Smiddy
byline@uccexpress.ie
Gaeilge
Eagarthóir: Édith de Faoite
Fiche Bliain faoi Bhláth A Scríobhann Édith de Faoite, Eagarthóir Gaeilge
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Foclóirín Lá Fhéile Pádraig A Scríobhann Édith de Faoite, Eagarthóir Gaeilge
Is deacair a chreidiúint go bhfuil mí an Mhárta buailte linn. Toisc go bhfuil Lá Fhéile Pádraig ag druidim linn, b’fhéidir go bhfuil fonn ort níos mó Gaeilge a labhairt nó do ‘cúpla focal’ a chleachtadh arís. Caithfidh mé a mheabhrú daoibh go bhfuil neart deiseanna ar champas (nó ar an gcampas fíorúil atá againn) bhur gcuid Gaeilge a chleachtadh. Bíonn an Chuallacht agus an Cumann Drámaíochta i gcónaí ag reachtáil ócáidí iontacha agus is deis iontach bualadh le daoine nua! Ar aon nós, seo chugaibh cúpla focal a bheadh úsáideach ar Lá Fhéile Pádraig!
Mórshiúl Fíorúil Virtual Parade Bhí mo bhreithlá ar an t-aonú lá is triocha de mhí na Nollag. Ar an lá sin, bhí bliain is fiche slánaithe agam. Don lá ar fad, bhí mé ag smaoineamh ar an seanfhocal ‘fiche bliain ag fás, fiche bliain faoi bhláth, fiche bliain ag cromadh agus fiche bliain gan rath’. Is ceart dom a rá go bhfuil an seanfhocal seo ceart go leor domsa mar dhuine óg, ach níl sé ró-mholtach don té atá thar daichead bliain d’aois! Is seanfhocal é a úsáidtear go minic sa Ghaeilge chun cur síos a dhéanamh ar aoiseanna daoine mar tá nós sa Ghaeilge, mar aon le teangacha eile, fiche a úsáid mar aonad comhairimh. Chaith mé tamall ag céistiú úsáid an uimhir fiche don seanfhocal seo. Bíonn sé ráite i gcónaí go bhfuil críonnacht ag baint leis na seanfhocail mar sin, cén fáth go bhfuil fiche úsáidte chun saol duine a roinnt i bpíosaí? B’fhéidir go bhfuil rud éigin sásúil faoi an uimhir fiche, ré-uimhir a bhfuil mór go leor, gan a bheith ró-mhór.
Tá seans go bhfuil cloiste agat faoi an nath seo cheana má tá suim agat i litríocht na Gaeilge mar tá leabhar leis an
teideal ‘Fiche Bliain ag Fás’ ar cheann de na leabhair scríofa faoi shaol na hoileánaigh ar na Blascaodaí. Scríobh Muiris Ó Súilleabháin an leabhar úd. Sa leabhar luann sé an seanfhocal agus an slí inar mhínigh a sheanathair é dó. Tá an teideal thar a bheith oiriúnach don leabhar mar, nuair a bhí Muiris ina bhuachaill óg ar an oileán, bhí sé ina chónaí i dteach lena athair agus lena sheanathair. Mar sin, bhí na daoine ina theach go léir i gcéim dhifriúil sa saol, agus i gclásal difriúil sa sheanfocal chomh maith.
Is deacair a shamhlú go bhfuil bliain beagnach imithe tharainn agus muid faoi dhianghlasáil, nó ar tí dul faoi dhianghlasáil, nó ag caint faoi dhianghlasáil. Nuair a shroich mé fiche bliain d’aois, agus bhí mo fhiche bliain ag fás curtha isteach agam, bhí an todhchaí lán le dóchas agus féidearthachtaí agus bhí mo shaol ag bogadh le fuadar. Shamhlaigh mé mo shaol agus mé ‘faoi bhláth’, mar, de réir an seanfhocail, agus beagnach gach duine, is iad na fichidí ar chinn de na blianta is fearr i saol an duine. Faraor, níl an ráiteas sin fíor dom faoi láthair, ach tuigim go bh-
fuil cúinsí eisceachtúla i gceist agus ní hé mar seo a bheidh mo fichidí ar fad. Ceapaim go bhfuil gach duine ar comhthuiscint maidir leis an mbliain atá thart - gur d’imigh sé go mall agus gan fuadar, ach ag an am céanna, chuaigh an bhliain go tapa. Is cosúil go raibh an cnaipe sosa brúite agus cuireadh stop lenár saoil. An t-am ar fad, an bhliain sin ar fad, chaith mé mo chuid ama ag caoineadh na míosa a chaill mé. Nuair a cheart dom a bheith ag déanamh na rudaí a dhéanann daoine óga agus iad ‘faoi bhláth’, bhí mé sáinnithe i seomra leapa m’óige, gan chéad agam dul níos mó ná cúig chiliméadar ó mo theach. Tá sé deacair glacadh leis an bhfírinne shearbh - nach bhfuil mé féin agus mo shaol faoi bhláth i láthair na huaire.
Seamróg – Shamrock Glas – Green Bratach na hÉireann - The Irish Flag Lá Saoire Bainc - Bank Holiday Nathair - Snake Leipreachán – Leprechaun Tithe Tábhairne - Pub Ádh – Luck Rince Gaelach - Irish Dancing
Ag deireadh an lae, níl ach bliain imithe as an bhfiche atá agam chun a bheith faoi bhláth. Nuair a smaoiním air, b’fhéidir sin a raibh i gceist ag na daoine a chum an seanfhocal seo - ní thógann drochbhliain amháin ón am ar fad atá agam chun a bheith faoi bhláth, agus b’fhéidir é sin an chríonnacht atá uainn sa lá atá inniu ann.
INTERVIEW
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“Oh, the Marian Keyes of it all!”: CMAT talks confidence, social media and radical hyperfemininity By Julie Landers, Staff Writer
Over the course of my Arts degree, I have amassed a sizable collection of tote bags. It is a mandatory requirement according to the college. But the best one I have ever owned comes courtesy of Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, best known as CMAT. The global teen pop sensation pulled out all the stops to create a bag that not only looks stunning but can hold even the contents of a big shop within. And if you think she comes out with a good tote bag, you should listen to her music. CMAT has written some of the catchiest songs I’ve heard in the last year, including Another Day (kfc), Rodney, I Wanna Be A Cowboy, Baby! and most recently I Don’t Really Care For You, which contains the line “Oh the Marian Keyes of it all!”, thereby making it an instant classic. She has also won the hearts of people from her appearances on The Den as well as the eponymous Irish music show Other Voices.
When I sat down to speak with her in early January, it was her third interview of the day. After a stellar 2020, she’s in high demand. Like everyone, she’s been very much online since the pandemic hit. Her Twitter presence contains the same wit and candour that you can find in her music, and she’s built a fanbase in part due to the internet. That being said, she does admit that once we’re out of lockdown, she’s thinking of going off the grid. “I don’t think it’s good for me. I don’t think it’s good for anyone to be as online as we are. Being online isn’t a substitute for real life. The internet and social media is a fantastic tool, but it can also completely and utterly warp your mind”. Certainly, the internet does expect a level of performativity from its user, be that a positive or a negative performance. We’re chatting just after the riots on the Capitol, and our newsfeeds have been filled with articles on QAnon,
internet communities, and trolls. Who you are on the internet is becoming less fictitious as the influence of what’s said online becomes ever more pertinent in the non-virtual world. “You can performatively be a terrible individual online and you’ll gain cultural and social capital for that even if that’s not who you are. You’ll get bigged up for all these stupid opinions you might have and you’ll get bigged up for being cantankerous online and then you’ll suffer in real life as a result of that, which is where it matters”. Asking CMAT about her process of writing songs, it’s really interesting to listen to her talk about collaborating and working with someone. In truth, CMAT has always wanted to be a songwriter, not just for herself but for others. “I want to be the best songwriter in the world and I don’t think you can do that by being self-serving all of the time and I don’t want to be self-serving. I wanna write the songs that I need
to write for myself, but on the flipside I wanna go into a room with another artist and be able to help them achieve their goals and realise their vision, and I want to help them speak in their own voice. I want to be useful for not just myself. I want to contribute to the cultural wealth of the world in whatever way I can, and I think the way that I am best able to do that is through songwriting”. Throughout our interview CMAT speaks with a level of confidence that is both impressive and inspiring. Such confidence didn’t arrive overnight though. In her first band, CMAT found herself afraid to speak out about what she felt was right for her songs. “I was in the studio when I was eighteen years old, and I was miserable. I was a terrible human being, but it came from a place of having no confidence. I would be in a room with men who were in their forties, or my bandmate who would have been twenty-six at the time, so I was al-
19 ways surrounded by older men. I was never confident enough in that band or in that space to say what I wanted on a recording, even though the only reason all of those men were in that room was because I wrote a song. The language that they used was just so foreign to me and I was just so insecure”. “When I came out of the band and started writing for myself, that was when I realised that that was the problem the whole time – that I just wasn’t confident enough. So, I just had to be confident”. As the old adage goes, you gotta fake it ‘til you make it. “You just have to be like ‘No, I know exactly what I’m doing’, even if you don’t, even if you’re making a bloody fool of yourself you still have to stand up for yourself and you still have to stand up for your opinion. For me, it’s not an ego thing. I just really want to write; I just really want to help the song, and the only way you can help the song is by being confident in your abilities. Even if you’re wrong, you have to be confidently wrong, otherwise you’ll never get to the place of being confidently right”. That being said, does the seemingly perfect memory of the internet make it
challenging to even attempt being confidently wrong? We discuss the fear of having a ‘bad’ first album, and of failing to “be perfect and polished coming out the gate”. For CMAT, this isn’t her first rodeo, rather her second or third time starting a new project, “but people think it’s new. And this is the problem. It’s a real modern thing but people have to keep rebranding themselves”. But CMAT’s assurance in her own talent and voice is unshakeable to the point now where, rebrand or no rebrand, the opinions of others are not something that faze her. “Even though everyone’s entitled to their opinion, that voice in the back of my head is like ‘They’re wrong, this is a banger’. I’m just really proud of my songs and I’m really proud of what I’ve done in the last year. So if somebody doesn’t like them I just don’t care!”. CMAT is just as passionate about the visual side of her art. Her videos and outfits exude a level of kitsch without being pastiche. For her Christmas special, ‘CMAT’s Very Nice Christmas’, she performed in a variety of outfits including a cloudlike emerald-green tulle dress and a dazzling tinsel jacket. “Visually, I just try to be entertaining. And I think being glam-
orous is really entertaining. And I also think that being hyper-feminine and hyper-glamorous and very unapologetic about that, from an alternative music point of view, I think it’s actually kind of punk rock? Because there’s a really acceptable form of femininity that is present in alternative music and I feel like hyperfemininity is almost always ridiculed”. “That’s not what I’m interested in and I wanna just double down on being a bimbo because I think it’s radical to do so”. During the interview, CMAT is wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with a portrait of country legend Patsy Cline. The importance of country music reaches far beyond her sartorial choices however, and it can be heard throughout her songs and the way in which she creates narrative within her work. “That ethos of country music, which is very laser-focussed storytelling and laser-focussed narrative is really important to me. Like I try to get as specific as I can in my songs because if you can get really specific you get really relatable and in that relatability a person can stretch it out into their own lives”.
“But at the root of it all is honesty. All of my songs that I’ve written for me thus far are about me at some level and they’re all about things that I’ve dealt with and fears that I’ve had, sadnesses that I’ve had. It comes from a very real and a very true place”. Like every artist right now, CMAT has found herself in a position of not knowing exactly what the next year holds. “The plan is changing constantly. But I just wanna keep writing songs for me and other people, that’s all I really care about. There will be releases, I just have no idea what format they’re gonna come in. Not a clue. I don’t wanna release a single without a music video but it’s very hard to record a music video when no one can be around you”. Whatever comes next, we can expect it to be delivered with the same intelligence and dedication to the work as a whole that we’ve seen from CMAT up until now. Her work is neither pastiche nor plastic. It is entirely, authentically her – that is, a global teen pop sensation. You can find CMAT’s Bandcamp page here. Watch the lyric video for her latest song, I Don’t Really Care for You, here.
CMAT’S latest singles available on Bandcamp and Spotify
Food and Health
20
It’s not easy being green’: Tackling Sustainability in the Irish Agri-Food and Drink Sector, with Bord Bia’s Padraig Brennan
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writes Maeve O’Keefe, Food & Health Editor With our generation’s heightened concerns about climate change and sustainability, many young people are striving towards environmentalism by making dietary changes to reduce their consumption of animal produce. Their environmental concerns are not misplaced. As a sector accounting for 7.7% of Ireland’s total employment, the agri-food sector is a vital aspect of the Irish economy, but it is also a major contributor of emissions. That said, has our heightened emphasis on environmentalism demonised the work of Irish farmers and food producers to an extent, while failing to scrutinize the sustainability of imported alternatives to home-grown Irish produce? Perhaps in working with Irish farmers and food producers, rather than against them, Irish consumers can benefit both the planet and the Irish economy, while moving closer to reaching the targets set by the government in the 2030 Climate Target Plan.
Both globally and nationally, agriculture has unfortunately played a significant role in climate change, but it is important to differentiate between global and local agricultural contexts. One could argue that holding Irish farmers and food producers accountable for the same level of planetary damage as some of their industrial counterparts internationally does a great disservice to the endeavours of Irish farmers to reduce their negative impact on the environment in recent years. As Padraig Brennan, Bord Bia’s Director of Meat, Food, and Beverages explains, “Irish agriculture is in a relatively positive position when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, with Irish dairy having the joint lowest carbon footprint in the EU while our beef production is in the five lowest member states.”
Stemming perhaps from a sense of disconnection from rural life in recent years, many young people are unaware
of the rigorous standards that Irish farmers and food producers must meet with Bord Bia’s now renowned Quality Assurance scheme. The Quality Assurance Symbol, which you are probably familiar with viewing on meat and dairy products, is a guarantee of excellence that Irish farmers work hard to earn; ensuring food safety, traceability, and animal welfare along every step of the production line. With the introduction of Bord Bia’s Origin Green programme in 2012, these quality assurances were expanded to encompass sustainability issues, with farms being audited every 18 months for biodiversity, greenhouse gas, water measures, energy efficiency, soil management, as well as socioeconomic factors.
Some environmentalists contend that this is merely an attempt at “green-washing”, or conveying exaggerated information about the environmentalism of a company, from Bord Bia. However, the participation of more than 53,000 farms and 324 leading Irish food and drink companies in the
programme means that real progress is being made towards reaching sustainability goals, while continuing to support prospering Irish industry and fuelling new job opportunities nationwide. “Through the sector’s participation in Origin Green we have seen consistent reductions in the carbon footprint of the sector on a per unit of output basis over the last five years,” says Brennan, highlighting how the programme “provides the infrastructure to measure, monitor and provide practical advice to help members identify areas for further improvement over the coming years.” From the farmer’s land and raw materials to the packaged product that you find in the supermarket, the Origin Green programme ensures the highest quality and improved sustainability along every step of the production process, and it is the only nationwide scheme of its kind globally.
As well as this, Bord Bia are currently working on a new Grass Fed standard, to uphold the standards of grass feeding livestock
that sets Irish produce ahead of its international competitors. Many consumers today take Ireland’s high-quality produce for granted, or are simply oblivious of the routine inspections that take place on Irish farms, yet internationally, the unique benefits of grass-fed animal produce are appreciated, as evidenced by Kerrygold butter’s success as the top selling butter in Germany, and the biggest imported butter in the USA. The majority of livestock production globally is from confined herds, kept indoors every day, in contrast to the outdoor existence of Irish livestock, grazing grass in fields with rich hedgerows, promoting biodiversity. In fact, the hedgerows in Irish fields are so plentiful that they could circle the planet three times, if unravelled and looped around the earth. Nowhere else in the world is farming taking place on such a closely monitored, outdoor, local level. It is thanks to the tireless efforts of Irish farmers and food producers that Ireland is now viewed as a world leader in the drive to produce food and drinks more sustainably, according to Bord Bia.
Editor: Maeve O’Keeffe The numerous standards that differentiate Irish farming and food production from their international counterparts do not negate the fact that agriculture remains a significant source of emissions here, but it is important to acknowledge and support the active role farmers and food producers are taking in reducing these emissions and promoting sustainability. For example, the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) has seen farmers keenly trying to improve water quality on their farms, having acknowledged that water quality had deteriorated somewhat in recent years. This “innovative approach to protecting water quality” on Irish farms is one of many areas in which the “industry has invested significant efforts to improve performance across farm and processing levels when it comes to areas such as greenhouse gas emissions, water quality and biodiversity,” according to Brennan.
Unflattering media reports of agriculture’s contribution to climate change have failed to acknowledge the efforts made by the Irish agri-food and drink sector to actively improve sustainability and biodiversity, particularly when contrasted with industrial scale farms with poor standards of animal welfare, hygiene, food safety, and sustainability elsewhere in the world.
While a plant-based diet is certainly one way of aiming towards a more sustainable lifestyle, it is important for consumers to take responsibility for their education about the products they eat. Opting for locally sourced produce, whether plant-based or not, is far more sustainable than importing produce grown in irrigated monocultures using chemical fertilizers that damage the soil and surrounding ecosystems, transported over many miles using fossil fuels. The environmental benefits of plant-based products are arguably negated when they are not grown, flown, packaged or produced in a sustainable way, so if choosing to follow a plant-based diet, try to follow the ‘grown not flown’ approach. It might be difficult to totally eliminate imported foods from your diet, but cutting down on “food miles” can be of great benefit to both the economy and environment.
vironment, while also helping the economic viability of the sector”, explains Brennan, illustrating how economic and environmental sustainability are being balanced in the industry here. We are the only country in the world upholding such stringent standards of environmental, social, and economic sustainability in every aspect of agriculture and food production nationwide.
The Origin Green programme is fostering improvements not only in environmental sustainability, but also social and economic sustainability, by serving local communities effectively and providing jobs and opportunities in rural areas that are at risk of decline and depopulation. “The sector’s science-based approach through initiatives such as the Marginal Abatement Cost Curve, developed by Teagasc, demonstrates [its] commitment to make further improvements by focusing on the areas where progress can be made to benefit the en-
Ultimately, trying to be an environmentally conscious consumer is not easy. Inevitably, the food we eat will have some impact on the environment. Yet, making informed decisions about the food you consume can make a huge difference, and acknowledging the progress made by the Irish agri-food and drink sector is vital to promoting new opportunities in the industry for today’s young people. In championing Irish industry and shopping locally, you are supporting the livelihoods of small family-run farms and business own-
Although this does not mean that we shouldn’t continue to demand real change in sustainability from the industry, it would be unfair to tar Irish farmers and food producers with the same brush as some of the large-scale destructive agriculture in other countries, which is heavily reliant on irrigation, synthetics, and fossil fuels before ending up in your supermarket trolley.
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ers, who work hard to achieve internationally recognised standards of quality and sustainability. Household brand names such as Glanbia, Heineken, and Flahavan’s Oats have already embraced the Origin Green initiative, as well as a host of smaller Irish food and drink businesses.
This St. Patrick’s Day, why not take a look at how you can incorporate more Irish produce into your diet, and benefit both the local economy and the environment by cutting down on food miles? Look out for the Bord Bia Quality Assurance symbol on products, and make an effort to learn more about how your food, whether plant-based or not, is farmed and produced. Instead of viewing agriculture as the problem, supporting the efforts made by the Irish agri-food sector can help the industry to become part of the solution to climate change. As Bord Bia’s Brennan concludes, “The future sustainability of our food systems will rely on consumers having a balanced diet that provides their nutritional requirements while also respecting the planet. The efforts being made by the sector to date and the commitments to make further improvements signals a clear intent to ensure that Irish farming and food production continues to respect the natural environment in which they operate.”
Film & T.V.
22
The End of WandaVision: A Tribute to the Shows that Got us Through Lockdown writes Kyran Leahy, Film & TV Editor and Anya Taylor-Joy’s performance even better. The second lockdown brought great opportunities for us to catch up on shows we may have missed, such as Emily in Paris, or to get up to get up to date with a series that had a new season on the horizon like Umbrella Academy or The Crown. The sequels rarely live up to the excitement of its predecessor, but Lockdown 2.0 still gave us a great series that we all became very attached to.
As we hopefully approach the tail end of what has felt like an eternal lockdown, we have once again reached the end of another show that has been on most people’s screen the last few weeks. The show that forced people to log off from social media as discussions, spoilers, memes, and theories plagued timelines from all over the world has reached its conclusion, and now we all have to decide what the new show we will all watch together will be. Marvel Studios’ WandaVision has entertained us for the last nine weeks, and it has become another staple in a long line of shows that we will forever associate with keeping us entertained during this Covid period. I am not a big Marvel fan myself; I could just never get into superhero movies no matter how hard I tried, but WandaVision’s unique approach that pays homage to the history of television sitcoms had me intrigued immediately, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the series. While we have all sadly been stuck inside for most of the past year and
most of us have succumbed to the cabin fever customs of banana bread and risky hair decisions, we have all been brought a little closer together thanks to television series that we all watched at the same time. The lack of social activity available to all of us, along with less gossip going on because of restrictions, meant that we had to find new ways to interact with one another, and one of those ways was to talk about what show everyone else was talking about during that time. Despite all the negative connotations that have come around with the word ‘lockdown’,we have all done our best in isolating ourselves from the negatives and surrounding ourselves in the positives of being invested in a new show alongside our friends from the comfort of our own home.
As I have stated in a previous article, the show that we will forever associate with the very first lockdown and will hold a special place in all of our hearts is Tiger King. The unintentionally wacky world of Joe Ex-
otic and his hatred of Carole Baskin was just the material we needed to entertain ourselves. Despite all the troubles that I faced in the period surrounding its release, I look back with fondness of the documentary series, as it genuinely felt like I found solace in a time of need, being reminded that my life could not possibly have gotten worse than Joe Exotic’s. We also had The Mandalorian finally being available in Ireland, legally of course, at the start of the first lockdown, with many people making use of the free Disney+ trial for all of their Baby Yoda needs.
We sadly found ourselves back for Lockdown 2: Electric Boogaloo in October 2020, but thankfully, a few days after the announcement, we all had the pleasure of viewing the fantastic mini-series The Queen’s Gambit. The coming-of-age drama gave every viewer a newfound love for chess, and all the chess apps were downloaded onto everyone’s phone as soon as they finished the series. Beth’s story was amazing
It still sounds ludicrous to even think that we somehow ended up in another lockdown shortly after, but thankfully, we had several shows that kept us from falling into insanity by our fingernails. Bridgerton captivated the world when it was released on Christmas Day in 2020, and it quickly became the most-watched series on Netflix ever. We all had nothing better to do with our lives, so why not get invested in the constant scandals occurring within the Bridgerton family? We end where we began by once again talking about WandaVision. We all must appreciate the little things in life, and what I appreciated most about WandaVision is the fact that I could say one small thing about it to a friend and it would allow us to have a conversation for ages about the smallest detail found while watching Wanda and Vision’s suburban misadventures. There is one last push to go before we can finally meet up with friends once more and slowly, but surely, be allowed to socialise more and hopefully put this nightmare well and truly behind us. Despite all the problems that we have had to deal with regarding the pandemic and the measures taken, I will carry fond memories of all the television series that got my full investment and helped take me away from reality for just those small few hours a day. WandaVision, thank you for making these past few weeks a little more entertaining.
Editor: Kyran leahy
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The Rise of Music Biopics: Harmonious Masterpieces or Tone Deaf? WRITES Kyran Leahy, Film & TV Editor Music biopics have always been around. Some of the most acclaimed movies of recent times have been about the careers of musicians, from Barbara Streisand’s portrayal of Fanny Brice in 1968’s Funny Girl to Jamie Foxx’s Academy Award winning performance as Ray Charles in 2003. They were released sporadically with different reactions from the critics, with much love for Joaquin Phoenix’s performance as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line and absolute confusion with Clint Eastwood’s directorial perception of the Jersey Boys. It was not until 2015 when the mass releases of musical biographies really started to gain momentum when Straight Outta Compton, a movie depicting the rise and fall of gangsta rap group N.W.A opened to critical acclaim and commercial success, allowing a new generation to learn about the career beginnings of Ice Cube, Dr Dre and the life of Eazy-E. From that moment on, film production companies made it their mission to release a successful music biopic and introduce a musical giant of the past to a brand-new generation. Not only was there potential for rave reviews, but most importantly, there was potential to make money. Music biopics were never sure-fire high grossing successes, with Walk the Line being the most successful biopic before Straight Outta Compton with just over $185 million worldwide. There was now a great opportunity to capitalise on music biopics with older music being appreciated by the younger generation, and if there is anything we know about Hollywood, it is that they will flog a dead horse like no tomorrow. Biopics for Tupac and Nina Simone amongst others followed shortly after Straight Outta Compton, with little success. The formula for music biopic success had not been discovered yet, and it would take another year for the formula to be cracked. Let me introduce Bohemian Rhapsody. Bohemian Rhapsody, the biopic for the British rock band Queen, specifically focusing on the charismatic frontman Freddie Mercury, was released in late2018 and broke boundaries that seemingly looked impossible, grossing over
$900 million worldwide at the box office – over four times the amount Straight Outta Compton broke a year prior. Mr Robot’s Rami Malek won several accolades for his performance as Freddie Mercury, and it quickly became the most successful biopic in terms of both profit and awards, but how did they do it? They did it by stretching the truth and turning Freddie’s life into one that would appeal to moviegoers who were not as knowledgeable about Queen when they saw it. The timeline was altered and simplified; emphasis was placed on Freddie during certain moments when he was more of a peripheral figure. Writer of the screenplay Anthony McCarten simply put it “We’re making a movie here, not a documentary.” That has become the catalyst for successful biopics, to appeal not only to the fans, but to the average movie-goers. Since Bohemian Rhapsody, music biopics have increased in demand, with many artists receiving the biopic treatment. Elton John’s Rocketman was a rousing
success that broke even more boundaries by being the first film by a major studio that included a sex scene between two gay men. Multiple biopics were announced to be in production, with upcoming films about Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin and Bob Dylan amongst many others lined up for release in the next few years. It is an exciting time for fans of these artists and movie lovers, with people like me getting the best of both worlds. If movies like Straight Outta Compton or Bohemian Rhapsody showed other companies how a music biopic should be done, they should also take notes from the creators of Stardust on how to not do a biopic. Stardust, released last year in November, centres on David Bowie and his alter-ego, Ziggy Stardust, as he tours around the United States for the first time. Sounds like an enjoyable movie for Bowie lovers, right? Well, the movie has one major flaw, David Bowie’s estate did not allow the use of any of David Bowie’s songs for the film. Instead, they are forced to use songs that Bowie covered in his early years. A sim-
ilar issue happened years prior with Andre 3000’s portrayal of Jimi Hendrix in a Hendrix movie, achieving a similar negative reception to Stardust. The artists’ music is such an important part of the artist themselves, and a movie about that artist without their music seems, to put it bluntly, pointless. It would be like making a Mario game without Mario being mentioned, it just makes no sense. There is room for optimism with the upcoming music biopics in the future. The genre has been a mixed bag since its surge in popularity, and it will be interesting to see the path the movies take. Will they sacrifice reality for box office success? Will they stay true to the artist’s career despite the risk of driving away the common moviegoer? Will they even have the rights to the artists’ songs and not be a complete waste of time? Whatever happens, we will be expecting more music biopic films in the future, so I will patiently wait in hope of a Fleetwood Mac movie.
Music
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Could Kate Bush Crash your Car? Writes Cathal Donovan O’Neill, Music Editor may be the greatest argument for the societal benefit of Marty Whelan in the Morning on LyricFM). In low-risk situations, enjoyable classical music might even make your driving better. Time to pump the Stravinsky bangers loud, so? Yeah, no. High-volume is another risk factor. If it’s a relatively straightforward genre, you should be fine — nobody could, or should, be trying to stop you from belting Kate Bush songs. But if it’s something like Skrillex, maybe keep the volume to a medium level. Actually, if you’re playing Skrillex, maybe just turn your radio off altogether.
The fence at the end of my lane’s looking shaky, and I blame Kate Bush. I was taking a drive with her last week, performing a three-point turn that quickly acquired several more points, when she took control of the wheel, pulled the clutch up a little too far and, long story short, that picket was being tenderly pushed into a 45 degree angle by the rear end of my Hyundai i10. After a speedy pullout it turned out there was no lasting damage to both the fence and The Death Vehicle, but I knew. Friendship ended with Kate Bush; Nick Cave is my best friend now. It couldn’t have been my fault. Right? Well, maybe. I was curious about whether or not music affects your driving, so I did some research. Here’s what I got. Is there a direct link between music and accidents? No direct link has been found between
music and driving, so for the most part, what we’re dealing with is correlation, not causation. One study found that music played in about 25% of reported incidents, but concluded that wasn’t enough to establish a real link. Radio, talk shows, conversations: There are all kinds of things that can affect your driving as much as music. Maybe you’ll be safer if you turn off the music, and maybe you’ll be safer if you listen to Kate Bush over Maniac 2000 — but at the end of the day, the effort you put into driving matters far more. Does the genre affect driving? Seems like it. High-complexity music seems to be a big musical risk factor. Lots of sudden noises, tempo switches: Yes, techno and house are the most dangerous genres to drive to. There’s a high cognitive load there, but there’s also the memories attached: It’ll put you back in that club mindset, drinks in hand, good times with your mates. Indie and pop are pretty safe, but the safest is classical. Again, common sense — it’s familiar, relaxing (tangent, but this
What about belting songs, actually? HEATHCLIFF! IT’S M-Surprisingly, it’s fine to belt. Animated conversations boost the risk so it’s fair to assume that singing along would too, but there isn’t really a correlation. It’s to do with word shadowing — mouthing along to something doesn’t really use any brainpower. That said, if you’re doing the whole-hog ‘Wuthering Heights’ full-body sway you will probably end up wuthering yourself into a wall. What about playing with the radio? Not ideal (but, let’s be honest, we’re both going to do it anyway). On average, experienced drivers spend more time looking at their car radio and fiddling with it than looking at the speedometer. An older study found that drivers adjusted their radio eight times every hour in some way, which usually lasted about 5.5 seconds and involved taking their hand(s) off the wheel. One study says that playing with your radio tuning takes up even more attention than fiddling with a phone. So, is the solution just turning off music while I drive? Er. Good question. Studies disagree. Some say go for complete silence, others say that happy, simple music you enjoy will stave off boredom and put you in a good mood. Some actually get a bit passive aggressive about the methods used to test it.
The facts: Silence while driving is associated with having a good no-claims bonus in young people, but in scenarios where people were tested on and observed while driving, silence had the same effect as playing incredibly depressing music: a worse mood and worse reaction times. So, there’s a consensus on that, at least: Don’t listen to depressing music that makes you feel bad. Save your MP3 of Everywhere at the end of time for home. But I definitely shouldn’t have it on in traffic or something, right? Yeah. Common sense rule applies again: In high-pressure situations, everyone agrees any radio program will affect your braking time and ability to respond to objects in your peripheral vision, like the one who tried to swerve into the middle lane on the Bishopstown roundabout. Then I’m bricking myself, and to avoid him I have to turn into the inner lane. If I had been listening to the ‘CRUNCHIEST TEMPOS ™’ of electronic group MESSYNG, I might have died that day. And that would have been very sad, for you. Anyway, my point is, don’t listen to loud music when you’re doing tricky driving. And on long drives? What if it’s just to stay awake? Surely the uplifting power of ‘80s pop singer/songerwriter/spiritual queen of Albion Kate Bush would keep me awake? Gonna be honest this, this one surprised me: There’s no correlation between radio and staying awake during long-distance drives. For the first thirty minutes there’s a small jump in attention, but after that it’s the same drop-off as no music. The moving power of music isn’t a substitute for stopping to chug a coffee or taking a nap, as any student during study week can tell you. Speaking of students: One of the risks of long-distance driving is the assumption that the radio makes a big difference, and it’s an assumption mostly found in young people. The theory goes that if you think radio will carry you over the line, you’ll act like you’re fine, when really you’re not. Something to be aware of.
Editor: CATHAL DONOVAN O’NEILL
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Bandcamp Friday, one year on: Fixity writes Cathal Donovan O’Neill, Music Editor Welcome back to our look at Bandcamp Friday! This piece continues last issue’s column, where I talk to Colm Cahallane of HAUSU Records. This issue we’re talking to Dan Walsh of Fixity, the Tan Jackets, Cork Improvised Music Club, and much more. The Cork multi-instrumentalist is a big proponent of owning your output: He focuses on Bandcamp and Patreon releases, with no Spotify presence. That’s why we thought he’d be a good person to continue the conversation around it. Bandcamp and Patreon both run on a roughly monthly schedule right now, between Bandcamp Friday and monthly subscriptions. I start by asking Dan, does the content grind affect your art, in terms of enjoyment or content? “It hasn’t affected how I work really. I put out three Fixity albums last year because I was writing and recording a lot in lockdown and I wanted to be careful to not rush work for someone else’s deadline. I was aware that a lot of music was being released on those dates too. I think it’s been helpful for some artists who needed a nudge to motivate themselves to release something, which has been a great part of it. [...] It fits around the way I work very well and the continued support helps in a real way.”
There’s a lot of discussion in music circles around the sustainability of streaming. Spotify is good for outreach but nets you absolutely pennies unless you’re A-list, but platforms with better relationships with creators like Bandcamp and Patreon can still feel like they haven’t broken out of their niche. Dan’s positive about their ability to help art-
ists: “Bandcamp is a good way to host your music and a simple way for people to buy it, and Patreon is a way to directly support individual artists that you think deserve to be able to keep making work. I don’t know one artist who can survive from streaming revenue but when someone buys something either directly from the artist or through
Bandcamp we really do see the benefit.” To close off, I asked Dan what he’d do if he was just putting his music out there. How would he go about putting the music (and himself) out there? “I think it’s important to make work that you think should exist and try to present it in a way that aligns with your values as an artist as best you can. You do not have to host your music on any specific platform if you are uncomfortable with the way it does its business, but know that if you aren’t on the mainstream platforms it will take [a] little more to get your music out there. Promoting things can be a very difficult game to navigate and people can lose sight of their intention, no amount of exposure can make you more honest with yourself as an artist. The art is the focus! I am certainly no expert on PR, I’d like to encourage artists to value their work and for listeners to buy albums they like.” “Oh, and I’m working on FIXITY 7 and it will be out in the next few months!” Check it out, readers: If it’s anything like Fixities one through six, it’s going to be something completely original.
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Photos
Issue 9 | Tuesday 16th March 2021 | University Express
University College Cork, Main Campus by Caoimhe Leahy University Express Photgrapher
Issue 9 | Tuesday 16th March 2021 | University Express
Photos
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SEXPRESS
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“You Up?”: A Guide to Taking Nudes By Jack Wrixon, Sexpress Editor
Taking nudes is an art form. Never has a picture of someone’s body or their genitals ever been so controversial, so coveted, so sexual. Nude pictures of people have been found throughout history and throughout cultures, with a very famous example being of Agnès Sorel, mistress to King Charles VIII of France, who had gowns tailored to show her favourite breast and posed for portraits with said breast just out for the world to see. And since her death, nudes in today’s climate have much more currency and unfortunately, much more stigma. Your nudes, even if they’re taken for another person, are nobody’s business, and if you’re the type of person to save and share nude pictures or to take nude pictures of someone without their consent, I’d advise you to stop reading and get some help. The spreading of personal pictures can have direct impacts on the lives of people, as well as
untold mental and emotional impacts. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get onto the second most important point: Don’t just be taking these Nudey Judys for other people, take them because you want to, and because you feel hot. Maybe you set up an Onlyfans because you wanted to use your assets to get that bread. Maybe you haven’t seen your SO in a while (very likely as of late) and you want to give them a treat. Or maybe you just think taking nudes is neat. Whatever it is, now is your time to shine, so put on your playlist of sexy songs, warm yourself up, and let’s begin. Before you start, take a second and remind yourself of the last time you took a shower. Cleanliness is next to Godliness, and being clean makes taking nudes so much better. So, get into your undercarriage and make sure there is no nasty stuff hiding in your nooks and crannies. Seriously, it’s kind of
gross. Maybe kill two birds with one stone and take some pictures in the shower (more on that later), but to keep the bar low, make sure you’re clean. Let’s begin with the camera. If you’re using your phone, utilise a combination of both handheld selfies and timer pictures. Both will allow you to get different angles, different poses, and different levels of sex in each picture. Nobody said nudes can’t be artistic, so don’t be afraid to experiment and change it up every now and then. If you’re going for selfie mode on your phone, I would recommend a neutral background for the pictures, achieved by lying on your bed or against a plain enough wall. The background won’t be the focus of the picture, but the last thing you want is a dirty room ruining the sexy vibes, right? If you’re going timer mode, leaning your phone or device against an elevated stack of books is the best method. The books let
you adjust the angles easily while still often remaining stable, and nobody wants a slightly blurry picture. Position yourself close enough to the phone so you can easily adjust it if needs be, but back far enough so you still see what you want to see and maybe hide what you don’t. Again, a clean bedroom or backdrop is pretty essential here. There is nothing as unsettling as being pulled from a fantasy because someone’s childhood toy is sitting on their bed watching them in horror as they pose - scarred for life. If you’re close with someone in your social bubble, try to recruit them into helping you take the pictures. They don’t need to be full frontal nudes, maybe just a few sexy underwear pictures. Again, try to make these photos as natural as possible. Don’t go full on supermodel with the posing because you’ve recruited a photographer. One of the added bonuses here as well is that you get a third party
Editor: Jack WRIXON to give you feedback on the pictures, and thus you get to learn more about what works and what doesn’t work for you. The second stage is the lighting. Any photographer will tell you that the lighting makes or breaks a photo, and that no two people look good under the same lighting. So, this part is kind of down to you to figure out what works. Different types of lighting also make people look very different, so try not to choose one that makes you a complete catfish. For some people, daytime lighting makes them pop. For others, very often they’ll look the best when the nudes are taken with direct lighting from a lamp or another light source. If you jumped on that TikTok trend and bought those LED Lights, you’ll finally be able to put them to use, because they’re probably gathering dust on your walls right now. Pick a nice sexy colour, one that makes you look as hot as you are and hit that capture button. Don’t be afraid to change it up either, maybe experiment with two different light sources or two different light colours. Taking nudes is always a process of trial and error, so you may as well go full hog and feel the best about how you look. What you wear defines who you are, and what you wear while snapping some naughty pictures is no different. It might be a bit strange to think about people wearing clothes while taking nudes, but very often it can empower people. Whether it’s lingerie, a jockstrap, or whether you want to feel like Ned Flanders and wear nothing at all, wearing something that you feel sexy in makes this process way easier. Again, don’t be afraid to experiment and see what you like, and definitely don’t be afraid to get naked like the day you were born. The best thing about choosing to wear something? Very often you get to hide parts of yourself that you’re insecure about. The path to loving your body and accepting your “flaws” is a long one, and until you’re at a place where you can live unabashed and comfortably naked, a good sexy item of clothing is your best friend. Remember as well: you are in control of what pictures you’re taking, so if you’re snapping someone in real time and they want to push your boundaries, tell them no. It may take two to tango, but if Dance Moms taught us anything, the solo is always better. Real estate agents live by one mantra: Location, location, location. The same applies to taking nudes. Realistically, we’re all taking nudes in our bedroom.
The rules for this are simple, and kind of bare minimum. Firstly, clean your room, or at least move that mess on the floor out of the view of the camera. Secondly, utilise all the space you can. If this means blu-tacking your phone to the wall and moving to the middle of the room for that lighting, then do it. The amount of faffing that often goes into real photoshoots is never spoken about, so why should it be any different here? If you need to rearrange part of your bedroom to get that golden shot, nobody is stopping you. Taking nudes in the shower. The first rule is don’t drop your phone. Don’t come
for me if you do, that’s all on you. Generally, being physically wet is associated with looking sexy, so get into it, we’re going all out. Get a lather going, maybe put some bubbles in strategic places, and start snapping. I know it sounds fake, but don’t knock it until you try it. If you don’t want to get your phone or device wet, maybe wait until after your shower when the room is all steamy and you have a towel on hand. Whatever makes you comfortable, buy into it and use it to your advantage. Worst case scenario, you don’t take nudes in the shower. You’re still clean and you’re still naked so you might as well dry yourself off and head to the bedroom to take a few.
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And there you have it. These pictures may live covertly on your phone or on a cloud for the rest of time, but they’re always important to have. Never let anyone force you into sending nudes, and never let anyone make you feel bad for taking them. At the end of the day, we all see our naked body at points, and if their insecurities are being directed at you, brush them off and keep snapping. Questions? Email me at sexpress@uccexpress.ie. Nude pictures will not be accepted. Stay safe!
Gaming
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Supergiant Games: Consistency in Variety writes Hugo Blair, Gaming Editor Videogame developers come in all shapes and sizes. On one side there are behemoth studios such as Nintendo, Blizzard Activation, or EA, who consistently pump out gigantic titles each year like clockwork. On the other you’ll find the small one-person passion projects like Eric Barone – AKA ConcernedApe – the man behind the surprise 2016 smash hit Stardew Valley. Sitting somewhere in between these two camps lies one of my personal favourite game studios: Supergiant Games. The studio got their start in 2009, when developers Amir Rao and Gavin Simon left EA following their work together on the Command & Conquer series, with the aim of creating a new and exciting game together. The duo immediately set to work on a fresh action-adventure RPG, with crisp hack n’ slash gameplay accompanied by an isometric view reminiscent of early Diablo titles. This project would eventually become the studio’s first commercial release: Bastion. In order to facilitate better development, the team quickly grew from there, taking on Jen Zee as principal artist, Greg Kasavin as creative director, Darren Korb for music and sound design, and notably recruiting Logan Cunningham to voice the game’s Narrator. For as playtesters would discover during the game’s first appearance at PAX Prime 2010, it was the Narrator that set Bastion apart from the rabble. Bastion boasted striking hand-painted visuals, a fantastically gritty and occasionally western sounding score, and excellent gameplay featuring a multitude of different weapons, powerups, and other items to choose from. However, these elements alone were nothing ground-breaking in the industry, even in 2009. Instead, it was the method by which Bastion told its rich story, or rather, how the story was interwoven into the gameplay itself, that was the game’s most defining feature. “Proper story’s supposed to start at the beginning...”. The gritty voice of the Narrator sets the game’s tone right from the onset, as the calamity that has fractured our protagonist’s world is described to the player. Then, just fifteen
seconds later, with three simple worlds: “He gets up”, it is revealed to the player exactly the type of game they are about to experience. Every swing of a hammer, every slash of a sword, every last-second dodge roll and miraculous victory over an enemy is narrated in beautiful fashion back to the player. It’s almost like magic; a play-by-play commentary describing not just the broad events of the story unfolding before you, but exactly the way those events are dealt with in real-time. This was untrodden territory, and ultimately was what spring boarded Supergiant Games into the public eye. After securing a subsequent publishing deal with Warner Entertainment, the game was released in mid-2011 to critical acclaim and was a commercial success for the studio – a relief given development had been funded entirely by the team themselves. Supergiant Games now had a reputation to uphold, and naturally fans wondered where the studio was headed next. Some developers might rest on their laurels, and follow up success with more of the same, while others might strive to continuously mix up the formula to avoid becoming stale. Each approach has merits and weaknesses, however once again
Supergiant placed themselves somewhere in the middle, deciding to follow that adage: “Same... but different”. The studio’s second title, Transistor, was announced two years later in March 2013. In this new addition to its catalogue, Supergiant built from the foundation it had established with Bastion. The game contained elements fans would recognise from the studio’s debut, whilst refining those elements and of course introducing new mechanics to boot. Like its predecessor, Transistor is an action-adventure RPG with a topdown isometric view, featuring dynamic combat and an intriguing story. Set in the retro-futuristic locale of Cloudbank city, Transistor follows the story of famed singer ‘Red’ as she flees from a shadowy high-ranking group known as the Camerata. As the player, you struggle through various parts of town encountering agents of the syndicate who must be defeated with the aid of a cyber-greatsword (the titular Transistor), all the while slowly uncovering the city’s secrets. Transistor’s gameplay is reminiscent of its predecessor, though improved and polished in many areas. In addition to real time combat, players now have the option of using a tactical
‘time freeze’ mode, allowing them to string various attacks together to be unleashed all at once. In addition, various modifiers, termed ‘Functions’ can be applied to attacks to alter them in different ways. Not only do these systems allow for more strategic and creative solutions to combat encounters, but it also looks damn cool. There’s simply nothing more satisfying than watching Red dart around the screen in an instant following your pre-set commands, and seeing a pile of enemies falling in her wake. However, combat wasn’t the only area to be enhanced in Supergiant’s second outing. The game features a richer and more detailed narrative than Bastion, with more complex character designs and motives, and in my opinion, Darren Korb managed to compose an even greater soundtrack than Bastion’s. Regardless, the thread that tied Supergiant’s first two games together was undoubtedly the narrator, as Cunningham once again loaned his vocal talents to guide players on their journey. In 2017, Supergiant Games continued their run of success with the release of their third title: Pyre. Following the same philosophy of incremental im-
Editor: HUGO BLAIR provements while retaining aspects of the core formula, Pyre was a party-based RPG, set in a unique world in which ‘exiles’ must fight to escape purgatory and regain their freedom via victory in competitions known as the ‘rites’. The player controls the party as they travel from one rite to the next, managing resources, recruiting new party members, discovering more about the world and its inhabitants, and grappling with all manner of difficult decisions. Fans of the studio would once again recognise Supergiant’s signature elements; a stunning voice over by Logan Cunningham, a beautiful score by Korb, enchanting visuals by Jen Zee, and of course, fantastic writing. As for the rites themselves, they can only be described as a strange mix of Rocket League, Transistor and weirdly...basketball, as the objective is to lob glowing orbs into the opposing team’s pyre in order to douse it before the opponents can extinguish yours. The player manages a team of three, each of whom possess different strengths and weaknesses. Some characters are quick and agile, yet are easily taken out, while some are slow but are great for blocking opponent shots. It’s a wonderfully strange blend of high fantasy and sports games, yet somehow Supergiant manages to execute the premise beautifully. While Pyre was received less favourably than Supergiant’s previous titles, it nevertheless garnered positive reviews and laid the groundwork for the procedural storytelling elements
that can be found in their latest title. In 2018, Hades burst onto the scene as Supergiant’s fourth and most recent release to date, and following a twoyear period of early access in which the studio sold over 700,000 copies, the game finally released in late 2020 to universal acclaim. Hades is a rogue-like dungeon crawler that features Supergiant’s signature blend of hack n’ slash gameplay, coupled with an isometric view, rich worldbuilding and character designs, beautiful visuals and an excit-
ing score. The player assumes the role of Zagreus, the son of Hades – Lord of the Underworld, in a constant battle to escape from his father’s realm. Aided by characters of Greek mythos; gifts from Nyx and boons from various Gods of Olympus, the player traverses through procedurally generated environments, battling the foes that lie within each chamber, though ultimately likely falling at the hands of the lair’s inhabitants each time. Defeat in Hades is only a means to an end however, as with each failure both the player and Zagreus improve their capabilities through the
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collection of new weapons and items that can be utilised in future attempts. Additionally, with each new run the player learns something new about the world and its cast of characters. This rogue-like style of gameplay: continuously dying, making another attempt, only to die again, suited the procedural storytelling approach that Supergiant had employed in Pyre. With each new run, the player creates a new branch on the ever-growing narrative the game offers. Featuring a large cast of characters of Greek legend (many of whom are voiced by Cunningham), the story unfolds in beautiful fashion over the course of many escape attempts, as interactions in each run will affect the next. This approach proved to be widely popular, as the game took home multiple awards at both the Golden Joysticks and The Game Awards, and was reviewed extremely favourably. The tale of Supergiant Games is thus written in the games they have created. From Bastion, to Transistor, to Pyre and Hades - with each new title, the studio managed to produce a fresh and exciting experience distinctly different from what came before, and yet contained all the elements that branded a game as distinctly Supergiant. A masterclass in consistency, this San Francisco based team has made a name for themselves in the industry; when a game has the Supergiant logo, you know what kind of experience you’re in for.
Fashion
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Cognitive Fashion – Could AI and Sustainability go Hand in Hand? writes Claudia Schwarz In February 2010, Burberry revolutionized the way guests could experience a fashion show. Their 2010 Fall/ Winter show in London was streamed live to New York, LA, Paris, Tokyo, and Dubai using 3D technology. In part due to the pandemic, technology is starting to play an even bigger part in our lives and this encapsulates the fashion world too. March marks Paris Fashion Week and, this year, all events are going ahead in a digital format. At the Met Gala in 2016, Karolina Kurkova lit up the room. Her dress, a “Cognitive Dress”, was created in a collaboration between Marchesa and IBM’s Watson supercomputer. The stunning white tulle dress was embroidered with 150 flowers which were connected to LED lights. The fabric, design and surprises were all designed by Marchesa. Technology in the form of IBM’s supercomputer guided and assisted the designers to bring their vision to life. Throughout the evening, the flowers changed to all possible colours - from bright rose to aqua. This, however, was not random. The LED lights, connected to the supercomputer, interpreted the emotional content of tweets about the dress. As the tone of the tweets changed, the dress lit up in different shades and colours. Many designers are going a step further and have found a harmonious balance between technology and creativity. Yuima Nakazato, the Japanese couturier who is known for daring experiments with fermented microbes and digital fabrication, takes centre stage. His vision of AI-infused fashion uses 3D technology such as scanners and other personalised machines to create clothing. Using a 3D scanner, the client’s measurements are taken and transferred to a second machine which cuts, then assembles the different pieces of fabric to create the piece of clothing. This way, no material is wasted, and the client is in possession of a perfectly fitted piece of couture. With that in mind, AI technology seems to offer a solution to one of the biggest issues in the fashion indus-
try: sustainability. The clothing and textile industry is the largest polluter in the world, second to oil. Out of all the fabric that is intended for clothing, 15% ends up on the cutting room floor. The fashion industry creates about 92 million tons of textile waste every year. The problem is evident, and a possible solution right at our fingertips is cognitive fashion. Cognitive fashion is, in short, a fusion of fashion and technology. The term was coined by the American multinational technology company IBM. With their supercomputer Watson, which combines AI and analytical software, they are able to predict upcoming fashion trends through a predictive model. Data from sources such as blogs, social media, runway footage and magazine articles are used for these predictions. Wouldn’t it be fascinating to know next season’s colour palette in advance? Or if power shoulders and flairs will ever make a comeback? The analytical software, coupled with AI technology, is able to mimic a consumer’s thought process. It could help brands make more informed decisions regarding production. They can determine what we as consumers want, before we even know we want it. Using AI technology to detect trends could reduce forecasting errors by 50% and 20-50% of overall inventory levels. The best and worst selling items can be identified, and the inventory planned accordingly. Cognitive fashion could also help reduce the number of returned products. This is because AI technology enables personalization and ensures accurate information about products. The result is that clients are more informed and less likely to buy the wrong item. This would be a massive step towards sustainability. Designers such as Yuima Nakazato are able to reduce improper collection planning and apparel waste by using image analysis and fashion trend forecasting. The well-known Australian fashion designer Jason Grech is a strong advocate of cognitive fashion: “My confidence in Watson’s data and design ideas gave me the freedom
to focus on the creative side without second-guessing my decisions.” AI accentuates the creativity and imagination on which the fashion industry is built. It does not replace human creativity but rather collaborates with it. Jeff Arns is a strategy manager at Watson and has seen the harmonious interplay of fashion and technology firsthand: “There’s a tremendous value in having tech play an assistive role. At the end of the day it is the designer’s choice of what am I going to build with this?” Cognitive fashion can give designers a
new set of tools to realise their unique vision. Instead of using spreadsheets and crunching numbers by hand, AI technology utilises a wide range of data to forecast trends in minutes. Trend forecasting based on past collections and social media can build a bridge between generations and illustrate what consumers want in real- time. Knowing what to create for the season to come will prevent overstocking and underselling, so fewer clothes are in need of disposal. So far, it seems that cognitive fashion might be the step towards the sustainability we need.
Editor: Maeve O’Sullivan
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The Lauren Look writes Selina Dufner
Due to the current pandemic and the fact that our social life is basically non-existent, fashion is the last thing on the mind of many people. Consequently, even major fashion brands are suffering financially and have been forced to get creative and find new ways to attract customers. Taking into account that their customers are also very likely on a tight budget, Ralph Lauren came up with an extremely brilliant solution and recently launched their very own rental service: The Lauren Look. All you have to do is to subscribe for a membership, starting at $126 a month, and create your virtual closet by selecting your favourite items. You are free to
select as many items as you please, but only four of them can be sent to you at once. However, unlimited free shipping and returns are some of the member benefits. This means that you can order a new box every day as long as you don’t forget to always return your last order. Should you fall in love with an item and decide to purchase it, members are offered an exclusive discount. Plus, you get a style guide with every box to give you some ideas on how to style every item. Another advantage: free dry cleaning is also included. Not only for hygienic reasons but also to ensure the safety of the customers. The Lauren Look is not only good for our wallets but, above that, for the en-
vironment. Rental services are an affordable alternative to fast fashion brands. “The Lauren Look allows us to explore an entirely new model tapping into the growing focus on the sharing economy and revolutionizing how we look at fashion consumption”, stated David Lauren, the Chief Innovation Officer of Ralph Lauren. In my opinion, the only negative aspect of The Lauren Look is the fact that their service is limited to customers living in the U.S, but I can see them expanding it in the future as well as other brands adopting the idea. I would like to end this article with an
optimistic quote from Jennifer Hyman, CEO of the company Rent the Runway, from an interview for Fortune back in December 2020: “I think in the back half of 2021 is going to be the best moment in time for the fashion industry that I’ve seen in my career. Fashion is about self-expression, it’s about showing up in the world as you want people to see you. And in the back half of next year, when we’re able to celebrate, we’re able to take vacations, we’re able to go back into the office, people are going to want to show up in their own lives with passion”. I completely agree with Jennifer Hyman and I am absolutely positive that the fashion industry, as well as our social life, will bounce back.
Arts & Literature
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Women in Visual Art: The Gap and Running Small Businesses Writes Imasha Costa, Arts & Literature Editor Art has always been placed as a male-centred form of expression where the male gaze is represented, and the pieces that are famous are usually those of men. With the surge of social media outlets like Instagram and Twitter, visual art has evolved itself, which has further allowed us to see the dominance of male-centred art. Nevertheless, expression through visual art has also allowed women to express themselves and gain popularity by using their own voices. When it comes to the community of visual artists, the support within is large and comforting regardless of gender. Whilst supporting each other, it is also a platform for those who are emerging artists to share their art, discover different things – such as how and where to make prints – and even gives the much needed push of selling your pieces for the money
that you know they are worth. As March is also recognized as Women’s History Month, I was very lucky to chat with Ciara O’Neill, Kate Escolin and Ruth O’Connell, a few of my favourite Irish women in visual art, to understand the hidden gap that is present for many women who are emerging in the visual art sphere. Ciara O’Neill, also known to many as @ ciaramakesthings, remarks about a gap that is frequently unnoticed but is very much present in the community. O’Neill is a visual artist from Dublin and has been self-employed in the business of visual art since she graduated from NCAD. O’Neill states that “female artists often sell their prints for less and I have noticed that. I think we basically undersell ourselves, I guess. I think it’s really funny because when I do look at the prints that my friends sell, and if they
are [priced] slightly higher than mine, I do not go like ‘Oh that’s way overpriced’, and I do think it is a perfect price. But when it comes to my own prints, for some reason I go ‘I do not want to seem like I’m asking for too much money’”. O’Neill states that male artists usually put their worth on their artwork, but also says that, as a woman, there is something ingrained in her that she should not seem like the greedy lady who is asking for too much, or being too bossy when it comes to pricing her work. She argues that it is like she has to be “really polite” at all times. The artist also describes her art as falling into two different categories, where there is a political side, and then a social side. She finds art as a form of therapy and is aware that ever since her platform has grown larger and started reach-
ing more individuals, more people are able to read the message that she is trying to portray through her art. Another visual artist, based in Kildare, who spoke about the gap and claustrophobia of men within the community describes her first ever art event, which consisted of six artists, as mostly involving men. Kate Escolin, known as @ tinygreens states that her first event was “scary, and the fact that I was only eighteen and that they were all older men who knew each other made it intimidating and I felt alone. But that changed when I started going to more events and seeing more women present”. Escolin’s art mainly consists of panelled comics and digital work. She also describes her art as her own story and says that “sometimes my art is just for me. They might just be drawings, but I would also do comic strips of things that I would really be passionate about such as periods, sexual harassment and things that would strongly resonate with me”. Entering into the art industry has allowed Escolin to also figure out that the art directors for exhibitions are usually men. Whereas women, in that same working environment, would often be freelancers who work from home or work for themselves, which she found interesting. And finally, Ruth O’Connell, known as @ruthismessy on Instagram, is a new emerging visual artist in Cork City, and states that there is now more of a supportive community regardless of gender than when she started out properly in visual art, which was early last year. She states that “when it comes to support, everyone is always sharing other people’s stuff and the community is really cool and motivating”. Admirably, O’Connell would love to call herself a queer artist, however she has decided that, at the moment, she is unable to resonate with it, especially when it comes to taking political stances. Something that she admires being able to draw is faces, and being able to present her current mental state through the eyes that she draws on them. O’Connell believes that the drawing of other people expresses something that viewers can relate to. Starting and Running Small a Business:
Editor: imasha costa Quotes from the artists themselves Ruth O’Connell: “I started properly getting into visual art around the first lockdown last year, when I got an Apple Pen as a birthday present. It was finally then when my girlfriend had asked me to start uploading my artwork online, to Instagram. I think the first artwork that got so many shares was when I started out with the ‘Don’t Lose Your Head’ piece, and it was really nice of people to share it. I had then decided that I might as well get prints of this. So, I ordered ten, and they completely sold out; I then ordered twenty and they went very quickly as well. I now have an Etsy where I sell prints and jewellery/tobacco tin boxes with art pieces on them, and I think this is really class.” Instagram: @ruthismessy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/ie/shop/ ruthismessy Kate Escolin: “For me, I guess, it started out in secondary school. I started a group with a few girls from school. I made stickers with
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my art and sold the stickers. I had also made logos for companies, and that’s when I started to get noticed and realised that I can actually do something with my own art, and maybe I could turn it into a job if I wanted to. I think by 2018, it got more serious, when I started to go for more events and was asked to do a lot more commissions for bigger clients like coffee shops. I now run an online shop where I sell my prints, and I occasionally tend to do commissions, but I mostly sell my prints online”. Instagram: @tinygreens Shop: https://www.kateescolin.com/ Ciara O’Neill: “I guess you could say that it was more of a learning curve for me. I am self-employed right now, and I know that I am never going to be employed anywhere, now that I am twenty-six and my resume says that I am my ‘own boss’. I guess, since I was sixteen/seventeen, any of the money that I got, I had earned myself. I did art in college, but I teach music as well, which allows me to have something to fall back into just in case.
After I left college I was like ‘What am I going to do?’. College was also quite honest about the future, since I was doing fine art, it was all about working for yourself. However, making paintings is quite expensive, unless you are a millionaire, then you are really lucky. I knew that I did not want to work for other people, so I decided that I wanted to do prints”. “With my current online shop, I have been able to see great sales, and sometimes sales are booming during the Christmas period and the holidays. Then there might be a month where things are slow and there would be nothing happening – like March, unless someone would like a Patrick’s Day illustration. But I am really liking how it is all going. Recently, I got involved with several other artists for the Medusa collective, which was a pop-up shop that helped support victims of Image
Based Sexual Abuse [IBSA] in Ireland. We gathered as artists and made prints, jumpers, and anything else that we could. We were a group that really worked well with each other”. Instagram: @ciaramakesthings Shop: http://www.ciaramakesthings.com/ Finally, I would like to add that with the growing community of visual artists and the love being spread consistently, women have been able to empower other women and respect the art that grows out of the other. It might be March, and you might not require a Patrick’s Day print, but I would recommend supporting these artists by buying some of their incredible prints and also keeping an eye out for other artists.
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Issue 9 | Tuesday 16th March 2021 | University Express
International Women’s Day 2021: Iconic Female Athletes who ‘Choose to Challenge’ writes David Andrews With International Women’s Day being celebrated this weekend, I was struck by the thought of how far women have come in sport. Over the last 100 years or so women have been impactful, serving as inspirations and role models to those who aspire to do the same. This year’s theme for International Women’s Day was ‘Choose to Challenge’, and with the likes of the courageous women below who choose to challenge the norms of society daily, we are seeing a shift in the dominant world many of us may have been brought up in. Starting with names like Billie Jean King and Wilma Rudolph, the world of female sport has continued to excel and we have been introduced to various other powerful women along the way. In 2018, Nielsen released a report based on the rise of women’s sport which showed over 84% of general sports fans now have an interest in the female sports industry. Below, I’ve listed some of the most iconic female athletes who have paved the way for women’s sport to be in the spotlight. These are just a select few of the millions of inspirational women around the world. Every day women are challenging stereotypes and defying odds, proving to be role models for the younger generation. These ladies have encouraged change, and with this, encouraging the next generation to ‘Choose the Challenge’. Wilma Rudolph Sprinter Wilma Rudolph was the first-ever American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympics (Rome, 1960). Suffering from polio at the age of five, Wilma overcame the loss of strength in her left leg and foot to become the fastest woman in the world at the Games in 1960. We should also mention that she held the record for the 100 meters at 11.2 seconds and 200 meters at 22.9 seconds. Rudolph gained international recognition during the 1960 Games due to its worldwide television coverage. During the peak of the civil rights movement, Rudolph was a trailblazer; she fought for the rights of African American’s and women, while also breaking the gender barrier of all-male track
events. Rudolph’s legacy lives on today. Billie Jean King Billie Jean King is regarded as one of the greatest female tennis players of all time, if not the best. With 39 Grand Slam titles to her name, including 12 in singles, 16 in women’s doubles and 11 in mixed doubles, it is clear that King is an all-time great. Her advocacy for gender equality and social justice remains today, and her continued fight for equal pay allowed her to become the first female athlete to earn over $100,000 in prize money in 1971. However, inequalities continued after this historic feat. Today, King is a primary advocate for women and LGBTQ equality. Megan Rapinoe Megan Rapinoe is co-captain of the United States Women’s National Team
(USWNT) and helped the US to its second consecutive FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019. Rapinoe scored six goals along the way to winning the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards. She was a key part of the successful FIFA World Cup side in 2015 and 2012 Olympic team, winning a gold medal at both events. Rapinoe is vocal both on and off the field and is an advocate for numerous LGBTQ organisations, often using her platform to speak out against social injustice and is also a powerful advocate for women in sports and equality. Katie Taylor One of Ireland’s greatest sporting champions, Katie Taylor has inspired countless girls to follow their dreams-- even in what are normally male-dominated spaces. The boxing legend’s incredibly successful career has seen her become
the undisputed World Lightweight Champion and has been named RTÉ’s Sportsperson of the year twice-- in 2012 following her Olympic gold medal, and again just last month. The spectacular athlete, who has been crowned World Amateur Champion in boxing multiple times, often takes the time to encourage her younger fans to persevere in their passion, writing last year that you should “never underestimate the conviction of a dream in a child”. This list is a mere snippet of the ever-increasing female sports stars who chose to challenge the status quo. We’d love to hear your opinions on these inspirational women, or on others who inspire you to be great every day.
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Issue 9 | Tuesday 16th March 2021 | University Express
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UCC Graduates Represented at Camogie All-Stars writes Liam Grainger, Sports Editor larger platform, by merging the GAA, the LGFA and Camogie Association together into one organisation. The merger was originally proposed by former GAA President Liam O’Neill in 2015, but it fell by the wayside by the time his tenure in office expired. The 2021 camogie intercounty season is pencilled in to resume after Easter, when intercounty training will be permitted under current public health guidelines. However, there is still little clarity over what shape the Littlewoods Ireland Camogie Leagues will take this year, and as to whether the LGFA and Camogie Associations will follow the GAA move to implement a split-season for intercounty and club activities.
Three UCC graduates were represented in this year’s camogie All-Star awards. Hannah Looney, Orla Cronin, and Chloe Sigerson were all recognized at last weekend’s Liberty Insurance Camogie All-Stars ceremony. The ceremony, which was held virtually this year due to public health restrictions, saw last year’s champions Kilkenny dominate the honours list with six players represented on the selected fifteen. Galway, runners up in last year’s final, surprisingly only took home two awards, with defeated semi-finalists Cork and Tipperary both receiving three accolades. Kilkenny’s Denise Gaule received the Players’ Player of the Year Award, in recognition of her game-winning heroics in last December’s final. This was Sigerson’s second All-Star award, while it was the first honour for both Cronin and Looney, despite multiple nominations in recent years. All three of Cork’s representatives have represented the college at Ashbourne level in recent years, and have been part of UCC teams that have come so narrowingly close in
finals. Between 2015 and 2019, UCC’s Ashbourne teams lost four consecutive finals, losing out by only two points to UL in 2017. All three players played starring roles in Cork’s 2020 campaign, which saw them reach the semi-final stage of the competition and lose out to eventual winners Kilkenny. Cork have failed to reach the final since 2018, when they secured their 28th title by defeating Kilkenny. Galway and Killkenny have dominated the competition for the past 3 years and look to continue their form into 2021. The 2020 Liberty Insurance Camogie All-Stars Team in full is: Goalkeeper: Áine Slattery (Tipperary), Right corner-back: Shauna Healy (Galway), Full-back: Claire Phelan (Kilkenny), Left corner-back: Mary Ryan (Tipperary); Right half-back: Hannah Looney (Cork), Centre half-back: Karen Kennedy (Tipperary), Left half-back: Davina Tobin (Kilkenny), Midfield: Chloe Sigerson (Cork), Midfield: Grace Walsh (Kilkenny);
Right half-forward: Niamh Rockett (Waterford), Centre half-forward: Orla Cronin (Cork), Left half-forward: Denise Gaule (Kilkenny), Right corner-forward: Orlaith McGrath (Galway), Full-forward: Miriam Walsh (Kilkenny), Left corner-forward: Anne Dalton (Kilkenny) The news comes as the GAA this week announced that 100 female intercounty players were to benefit from scholarship funding in 2021. In a press release on Monday last, the GAA revealed that to mark International Women’s Day, the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) “is delighted to announce that 100 female inter-county players have been awarded scholarship funding as they continue their third-level studies.” They further added that the number of scholarships being distributed is up 45 on the number of players who benefitted from these scholarships last year, which represents an 82% increase in the number of recipients. 31 of the 32 counties are represented on the list of recipients. The scholarship announcement comes amidst calls by many high-profile players to accelerate the changes needed to bring both camogie and ladies gaelic football to a
A large cohort of UCC graduates were also represented at the PwC Men’s Hurling All-Stars ceremony last month. Despite there not being any Cork representative on the fifteen, there were three former UCC players included in the honours list. Dan Morrissey of Limerick, Tadhg de Búrca of Waterford, and Jamie Barren of Waterford were all given the nod, all three have represented the college at Fitzgibbon level. The 2020 PwC Hurling All-Stars Team in full is: Goalkeeper: Nickie Quaid (Limerick); Right corner-back: Sean Finn (Limerick), Full-back: Dan Morrissey (Limerick), Left corner-back: Daithí Burke (Galway); Right half-back: Diarmaid Byrnes (Limerick), Centre back:Tadhg de Búrca (Waterford), Left halfback:Kyle Hayes (Limerick), Midfield: Jamie Barron (Waterford), Midfield: Tony Kelly (Clare); Right half-back: Gearoid Hegarty (Limerick), Centre forward: Cian Lynch (Limerick), Left halfback:Tom Morrissey (Limerick); Right corner-forward:Aaron Gillane (Limerick), Full-forward: TJ Reid (Kilkenny), Left corner-back:Stephen Bennett (Waterford).
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Issue 9 | Tuesday 16th March 2021 | University Express
The curious case of Jakob Ingebrigtsen writes Sam Curtin, Deputy Sports Editor While most Irish eyes were set on the green contingent in Torun, Poland, most of the European athletics community were glued to the sport’s latest prodigy in Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway. The 20-year-old Norwegian completed an historic 1500 and 3000m double two weeks ago and did so with relative ease and maturity for such a young age. Widely touted as the most talented of the Ingebrigtsen’s - we’ll get to that in a moment - Jakob was just 14 when he ran 3:48.37 for 1500m and shaved 6 seconds off of this a year later. At 16 he became the youngest ever to break the 4-minute mile running 3:58.07. A year later at the European Championships, Jakob won both the 1500m and 5000m on his senior tournament bow becoming the youngest winner ever, at just 17 years of age, and the first athlete ever to complete the double. Barely believable in any walk of life, never mind senior athletics. That is not the most interesting part of this young man’s life however, this is an athlete that was literally born to run. The Norwegian was born into a famed running family which is one of the most renowned in the sport. Trained by his father Gjert, Jakob began high performance training at 9 doing things which wouldn’t look out of place in Rocky III. His two older brothers Henrik and Filip are both former European champions while two other brothers left the sport at an earlier age, meanwhile there are two more younger siblings coming through the ranks. All of the family’s fortunes can be seen in the documentary series ‘Team Ingebrigtsen’ which is available on YouTube and is well worth a watch. Looking in from the outside however, the trio are viewed as more of a family pop group rather than a running force. All three still live and train in their hometown Sandness in Norway. When speaking about his family, Jakob said that “I’ve been a professional runner since I was 8, 9, 10 years old. I’ve been training, dedicated and following a good structure, the same as my brothers from an early age.”
What’s next for Ingebrigtsen? All roads lead to Tokyo for the delayed Olympic Games which will provide the platform for Jakob to become a global athletics superstar at the ‘greatest show on earth”. Jakob has yet to win a global medal but if he can bring the form and a bit of youthful innocence, there’s no telling what he could do in Tokyo. Dare I say, a gold medal may be unlikely but silver or bronze could very well be up for grabs if he can match the teams that Kenya, America and Ethiopia will bring to the Games in what is a stacked 1500 and 5000m field. As his father said before, “this is not a game for soft, emotional people, that’s just how it is.” Incredibly, Gjert manages to juggle coaching his family with a full-time job in finance. All round an incredible athlete and an incredible family who we will be hear-
ing a lot more about for years to come. Ingebrigtsen is not the only young prodigy, however. British 800m runner Keely Hodgkinson became the youngest gold medal winner in 51 years at just 19 years old and did it in style. This success capped a fantastic few months for the Briton who added this gold to her national outdoor victory last year and has also just recently broken the U20 world record. If she can remain focused and injury free, an interesting Olympics could be ahead and while a medal would be a big surprise, there is no doubt that the fruits of British athletics labour is coming through in the form of a very special athlete. An honorary mention must go to Longford’s 18 year old Cian McPhillips who reached the semi finals of the 800m in
a time of 1:48.06 to finish 4th in perhaps the most competitive event in the sport. Combine this with a European Junior record and the future is very bright for this remarkable young man. His next foe will now be the Leaving Cert and if he can translate this form from the track into the classroom, then one would imagine he will breeze through it. In last issue’s article on the state of athletics, I mentioned that the sport needed a new global superstar to make the sport relevant in the mainstream media again. Judging by what’s coming out of Norway and Britain, It’s very possible that my prayers have been answered. Bring on Tokyo.
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Issue 9 | Tuesday 16th March 2021 | University Express
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A New Dawn at Cork City as They Face Life in the First Division writes Sam Curtin, Deputy Sports Editor
This time last year, the alarm bells began to sound as Cork lost their first three games of the season without scoring a goal while conceding ten scores in the process. From there, the season went from bad to worse on and off the pitch with the team losing its Premier Division status, the competition they won only three years previously. Off the pitch, rumours of Cork City’s money troubles began to firmly take hold and was publicly admitted by Declan Carey that the club was in serious difficulty. This was compounded by the severe lack of well-known signings and the Covid-19 pandemic setting in which meant that all the playing staff had to go on furlough due to the lack of gate revenue coming into the club which is the primary source of income for Irish clubs. All of these woes, however, were put into perspective with the tragic passing of club legends John Kennedy, Finbarr O’Shea and Jim Hennebry, all of whom signified everything that’s good about the League of Ireland. It won’t be the same without them.
These setbacks are without even mentioning the proposed takeover by billionaire Trevor Hemmings which fell through as a result of a disagreement with the Munster FA over the leasing of Turners Cross. Hemmings and his company Grovemoor Ltd are believed to have wanted to purchase the ground but this was refused. Hemmings has not ruled out buying the club in the future and it is widely believed that he is providing some financial assistance to the club in the background. In fact, for the past two seasons, Hemmings has been instrumental in acquiring a playing licence for Cork which shows just how dire the financial situation has been with club Chairman Declan Carey admitting that the club is going to be operating on a part time basis this season. Neale Fenn was sacked in October and replaced by another club legend in the form of Colin Healy on an interim basis. Despite lacking in experience and failing to stave off relegation, Healy brought through a number of young players whom he worked with in the under-19s, and the brand of football improved slightly despite the limited
time with the players. The Ballincollig man was confirmed as the full time boss in the off season and the hope is that he is the man to turn the Rebel Army’s fortunes around in the First Division which is easier said than done. One of the main positives for Healy is the retention of the club’s most promising young players such as Ronan Hurley, Cian Bargery and club stalwart Gearóid Morrissey who will once again captain the club. Morrissey in particular is a big coup considering he has been one of the best midfielders in the country for the past seven years and could have easily signed with a top Premier Division club. Cult hero Steven Beattie is also back from a stint in America which will provide much needed experience to a talented but raw squad that will need to be more streetwise in a season that will demand a combination of clear long-term direction but also focusing on getting results each week. So far the signs have been relatively promising, albeit we only have the pre-season games to assess so far. One of the main criticisms last season was the severe lack of goals with only 10 in
18 games while 30 were conceded at the other end. Cork got 3 against Waterford in their last preseason game while they were more creative against the likes of champions Shamrock Rovers and St. Pats which is refreshing to see. The Rebel Army start their campaign at home against Cobh Ramblers on March 26th in what promises to be a hugely intriguing derby game to commence the season. While it would be great to have fans there for a unique game in Irish football, the Watch LOI is back for another season and will provide fans the chance to watch all of their team’s games until stadiums can be full again. The main question is, will they go up the table? No club is too big to go down or entitled to a brisk promotion back to the top table. As the saying goes, you can’t win anything with kids, but as we have witnessed with City in the past couple of years for the wrong reasons, anything can happen. Whatever happens on the pitch, matters off the pitch; it may dictate success this season with long term stability an absolute must for the sake of the club but also for football in this county.
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UCCExpress.ie
Volume 24 | Issue 1 | Tuesday 16th March 2021
UCC Sports Update
writes Liam Grainger, Sports Editor Rowing: A major congratulations to Quercus Sports Scholar, Margaret Cremen, who recently broke the Irish lightweight 2,000m record and became the first Irish lightweight woman to go under 7 mins. Margaret is currently studying Sports Studies & Physical Education, and has an exciting few months ahead of her as she attempts to qualify for Tokyo ‘21. It was a nice way to start off the year for Margaret who is attempting to qualify for the 2021 Olympics with a number of her UCC Rowing Club members. Margaret was competing as part of the U23 event of the World Indoor Championships, which were held virtually this year due to the pandemic. Other UCC students were also in action in the event, including Alex Byrne who
won gold in his 2,000m category. Byrne, who has been rowing with Shandon Rowing Club from a young age, completed his race with a time of 5.55.3 and had been taking part in a High-Performance training camp in Italy in the weeks leading up to the Indoor Championships. There was also rowing success for the staff members of the university, with Sally Cudmore also competing at the Irish Indoor Rowing Championships. Sally, who rows with Lee Rowing Club in Cork and works as part of the APC Microbiome Ireland research centre, took 1st place in the Womens’ Masters 50-59, in the 1,000m and 1st place in the Womens’ Masters 50-59, in the 500m. Her performance in the 1,000m event was also a new Irish record. Sally also competed at the World Indoor Rowing Championships, which were due to be held in China, but instead went ahead virtually last weekend. Sally made the virtual podium with a Bronze medal
in the World Womens’ Masters 50-54 in the 500m and took 4thplace, Womens’ Masters 50-59, in the 2,000m Athletics: At the recent Athletics Ireland Elite Micro Meet which was held at the National Indoor Arena in Dublin, UCC Graduates and former UCC Sports Scholarship recipients performed very well namely Phil Healy in the 400m, and Louise Shanahan in the 800m. Phil was also representing Ireland at the European Indoor Championships last week in Poland, and just missed out on a medal in a 4th place finish in the women’s 400m final. Joan Healy, Phil’s sister, was also competing at the event and is another UCC graduate. GAA: Congratulations to UCC Graduates Eimear Meaney & Aine O Sullivan on receiving All Star awards and being named
on the TG4TV 2020 Ladies Football Team of the Year. Congratulations also to UCC Graduates Jamie Barron, Tadhg de Burca, & Dan Morrissey on receiving Hurling All Stars for their performances in 2020. UCC Graduate Conor Sweeney also received a Gaelic Football All Star award for his performances in 2020. Former UCC Ashbourne players Hannah Looney, Chloe Sigerson, Orla Cronin and Niamh Rockett were all included in this year’s All-Star camogie team. UCC Sports Scholarships: The Department of Sport at UCC has announced that the 2021/22 Sports Scholarship online applications will be available from Monday 1st March 2021. UCC Sport Scholarship Athletes will have access to a range of specific benefits including a funding bursary, access to support services – performance programme, coaching, physiology, sports science and academic support. Student athletes who are successful in their applications to the Sports Scholarship programme will begin by completing a performance plan which will provide an assessment of the student-athletes’ needs and requirements. A suite of support services will be available to student-athletes and allow them to fulfil their full sporting and academic potential. This includes access to expert Strength & Conditioning training, sports psychology, finance and time management workshops, Mental health support, and ongoing academic support. The key dates for the 2021/22 Sports Scholarships are the closing date for individual applicants on the 31st May, and the closing date for core team applicants on the 31st of August. Successful applicants will be announced in September of this year. Full details and application forms are available on the UCC Sport website. Intervarsity Competitions: The IRFU have confirmed the cancellation of this year’s All-Ireland League competition which UCC Rugby were competing in. Third-level GAA has also been postponed for the 2020-2021 academic year. Following last week’s GAA Congress, fixed dates have been put forward for the Fitzgibbon Cup which will take place on the eighth Sunday of the year, and the Sigerson Cup which will take place on the seventh Sunday of the year.